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 In the wake of presence of alleged Maoists in Jangalmahal and sensing that outsiders" may create law and order problems ahead of the state polls next year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the Director General of Police to stress upon the Counter Intelligence Force (CIF), Special Task Force (STF) and the Cyber Crime Cells to prevent conspirators" from maligning the states image. The decision came after villagers at Belpahari in Jhargram woke up on August 15 to find Maoist posters asking them to observe Independence Day as a black day". On August 27, some unknown persons had also opened fire at the house of a local LPG dealer at Ponchapani village under Belpahari police station. The LPG dealer told police that he received an extortion note of Rs 2 lakh in July from some unknown people suspected as Maoists. Local inquiry revealed similar notes were also received by two other traders in the same village. So far, officially it has not been proved that Maoists are regrouping in Bengal but it seems the state government is not willing to entertain any law and order problem in the state, which could hamper its development. Not the least, Banerjees initiative to ramp up policing comes amid objectionable" and fake" social media posts that could instigate communal problems. While observing Police Day on September 9, Banerjee said, There are people who are playing hide and seek through controversial social media posts. Such illegal acts can instigate communal problems. If misused, social media is the most dangerous weapon to divide people. I would like to ask my Cyber Crime Cell to work more on this." Expressing concern over fake social media posts, she said, An IT cell of a political party is spreading rumours that we are not allowing people to celebrate Durga Puja in Bengal this year. I have been hearing this since this morning. This is absolutely false and shocking. I would like to instruct the concerned police department to take stern action against the person who is spreading this fake news. I would like to tell that person to prove his claim or be ready to hold your ear and do the sit-ups in front of the public. And, if you can prove your claims then, I will hold my ears and do 100 sit-ups." On the Maoist scare, she said, Some people went to Belpahari (in Jhargram) as a tourist and falsely claimed that their mobile phones were snatched away by the Maoists. I personally sent the DGP to the spot to inquire. I want DGP to submit a detailed report on that." While ruling out the possibility of Maoists regrouping, Banerjee asked senior bureaucrats to pay surprise visits to Ayodhya Pahar (a safe heaven for Maoists during the tenure of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee) in Purulia. Without divulging much, she said, The DGP and other senior officers are present here. Something is happening there (Ayodhya Pahar). Pay surprise visits and also keep an eye on the bordering areas." Jangalmahal mainly consists of the districts of West Midnapore, Bankura, Birbhum and Purulia. This is primarily a tribal belt and from 2008 to 2011 was badly affected due to the strong Maoist presence. The situation was so bad that once Jhargram was declared a liberated zone" by the Maoists as the police failed to enter villages due to their terror. During these years, several people including paramilitary jawans were killed. The Maoist movement suffered a major setback following the killing of M Koteshwar Rao, better known as Kishenji, the CPI Maoist leader who spearheaded the movement there. He was killed in an encounter on November 24, 2011. Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had alleged that the Trinamool Congress is spreading fear in Jangalmahal ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls. They know they will not win in the upcoming state polls, so they secure the release of one Maoist (hinting at Chhatradhar Mahato, the key man behind the tribal movement in Lalgarh from 2008 to 2011)," he had said. On September 26, 2009, Mahato was arrested by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from Pirka village in Lalgarh in Jhargram on charges of an abortive bid on the life of former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at Kantapahari on November 2, 2008. He was released from prison on February 1 this year. He was the convener of the Peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) and came into the limelight following a blast in Salboni in November 2008. Mahato still has a significant number of followers in Jangalmahal and if he contests the upcoming polls, he could disturb the political arithmetic of the BJP camp. Once a Maoist stronghold, Jangalmahals substantial vote bank of the Left Front has pushed the saffron brigade ahead of the ruling TMC in recent years. This helped the BJP to secure 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal. As per statistics from the Election Commission of India (ECI), even though the BJP lost in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections to the ruling TMC, the vote percentage of the saffron brigade has increased significantly to 20% in Jangalmahal districts. Similarly, in the 2018 Panchayat election the BJP increased its vote share by 27% in the districts as the TMC suffered massive setbacks in Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura. But in the last few months, the TMC has aggressively managed to regain its lost ground in refugee" and tribal-dominated areas in Jangalmahal, while the BJP has struggled with Muslim votes and the Centres decision to implement CAA and NRC. By Azernews By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum has added a new exhibit to its fund.The museum's collection has been enriched? with a new and unique sample -?Sor-Sor? carpet donated by the Italian carpet collector Erminio Bottini. The prayer rug belongs to Shirvan carpet group (1811). With its perfect composition and color scheme, it has taken its rightful place in the museum's collection. The Carpet Museum expressed their deep gratitude to Erminio Bottini and Stefano Ionescu (Rome) for their invaluable support in returning the Azerbaijani carpet to its historical homeland. Notably, the museum's director Shirin Melikova met Erminio Bottini last year at a carpet exhibition held by Stefano Ionescu in Turin. "It was an unforgettable meeting, we talked about the beauty of Azerbaijani carpets and that one life is not enough to comprehend the depth and beauty of our carpets. In the midst of the pandemic, Mr. Bottini decided to donate to the museum a beautiful and very rare in its composition prayer carpet and books of his authorship.The carpet will be exhibited in our permanent exposition. The museum visitors will have a chance to enjoy it in near future, said Melikova. Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets. The museum, initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, is beautiful inside and out. The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. The Carpet Museum opened its doors in 2014 at Baku Seaside Park. All carpets were transferred to the museum's new location. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences and various exhibitions. In 2019, the museum received the national status for its significant contribution in popularization and promotion of the Azerbaijani Carpet Weaving Art. We M-E-T: Miraculously Encountered Truth: an enthralling narrative of the authors real-life encounters with God along with her emotionally resounding moments that show faith and purpose. We M-E-T: Miraculously Encountered Truth is the creation of published author Christy Roberts, a graduate of Bethune-Cookman University who hails from Chicago, Illinois. Roberts shares, After years of praying and seeking for angelic visitation from holy angels, Christy experiences one far greater than she could have imagined. What she didnt expect was what she would have to go through in order for that visitation to come to fruition. We M-E-T: Miraculously Encountered Truth, written by Christy L. Roberts, is an inspirational memoir of her heart-touching personal encounter with God, along with the painful emotional events of her life that led up to it. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Christy Robertss new book desires to impart her profound relationship with God in hopes of bringing blessing to the hearts of those who partake in her path to enlightenment. This book is a noteworthy testament to the benevolence of God that ushers in wisdom, fortitude, and love in earnest souls. View the synopsis of We M-E-T: Miraculously Encountered Truth on YouTube. Consumers can purchase We M-E-T: Miraculously Encountered Truth at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about We M-E-T: Miraculously Encountered Truth, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 03:55:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for global efforts to fight COVID-19 through the cessation of hostilities, the removal of unilateral sanctions and the promotion of peace through development. Today, COVID-19 is still raging across the world and some countries are seeing a rebound and even a looming second wave. Nothing is more important and urgent than combating the virus, containing the pandemic, saving lives and restoring peace, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. "China calls on all parties to fully implement Resolution 2532 to achieve a global cease-fire and step up efforts to fight the pandemic." Security Council Resolution 2532 on COVID-19 demands an immediate cessation of hostilities and a humanitarian pause of at least 90 consecutive days. Geng asked parties to conflict to put aside animosity, lay down their arms, and stop fighting immediately and unconditionally. In countries or regions where cease-fires have been reached, the Security Council, the secretary-general's envoys and relevant peacekeeping operations should seize the opportunity to push forward the political process and create conditions for reconciliation and lasting peace. Unilateral sanctions should be lifted to lessen the sufferings of affected peoples. The pandemic is a natural disaster, while unilateral sanction is a man-made one, he told a Security Council meeting on the impact of COVID-19 on peace and security. Unilateral sanctions seriously undermine the capacity of targeted countries in responding to the pandemic and exacerbate the suffering of innocent civilians, especially women and children, said Geng. "We urge relevant countries to immediately lift unilateral coercive measures out of humanitarian consideration, in responding to the appeal of the secretary-general and the international community. We encourage the (UN) Secretariat to assess the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on targeted countries, and the Security Council to explore ways to tackle it based on the assessment." He also asked for efforts to promote peace through development. Conflict-affected countries are the weakest link in this fight. The pandemic could reverse the peacebuilding and development gains made by conflict-affected countries, plunge them into conflicts with larger scale and greater depth, he said. The international community should help these countries keep the economy and society running while fighting the pandemic, help them advance peacebuilding processes while engaging in humanitarian pause, so as to achieve a lasting peace by accelerating development and eradicating the root causes of conflict, he said. Life should be put first and foremost and humanitarian assistance be increased, said Geng. To mitigate the pandemic's impact on fragile countries and fragile peoples, the World Health Organization (WHO) should be encouraged to play a leading role in the fight against COVID-19. There is a need to support the WHO, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other agencies in conducting their work in conflict-affected countries, he said. The UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19 still has a funding gap of 7.95 million U.S. dollars. Substantive inputs from the international community are badly needed, he said. The pandemic reminds the world once again that the well-being and future of all countries are interconnected. Solidarity and cooperation is the most powerful weapon in the global fight against COVID-19, said Geng. The practices of politicization, labeling, stigmatization, selfishness, calling white black and blame-shifting will backfire. They cannot save lives, nor can they contain the pandemic. They can only bring more troubles, he said. Countries should respect science, increase trust, take up responsibilities, and join hands with each other to fight the pandemic and build a community of health for all, said Geng. Enditem Boris Johnson is on collision course for a new bust-up with the UKs devolved administrations, with the publication of legislation returning swathes of powers over Scottish and Welsh issues from Brussels to Westminster after Brexit. Nicola Sturgeons Scottish government today said it would be impossible to recommend that Holyrood give its consent to the UK Internal Markets Bill, which it said would threaten its ability to act independently of London on key issues like minimum unit pricing for alcohol. Welsh government ministerJeremy Miles denounced the legislation as an attack on democracy and an affront to the people of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland which risked sacrificing the future of the Union. The bill follows the publication in the summer of a white paper proposing new mechanisms to preserve the all-UK internal market following the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December. Its provisions for UK ministers to override elements of the Brexit withdrawal agreement relating to Northern Ireland have already provoked a furious row, with the prime minister standing accused of tearing up an international treaty which he negotiated, signed and rushed through parliament with scant time for scrutiny. But now its proposals for ministers in Westminster to take control of the design and implementation of replacements for a range of EU spending programmes in areas like infrastructure, economic development, culture, sport, educational activities and training have sparked fury in Edinburgh. And the move also set the scene for confrontation with Cardiff by giving London ministers a say in projects such as the 1.6bn M4 relief road at Newport, rejected by the Welsh administration. The bill also enshrines in law the principle that issues of state aid subsidies are reserved for Westminster. And it creates a new Office of the Internal Market, with powers to impose financial penalties, to monitor and advise on the preservation of a single market within the four nations of the UK. Scottish constitution minister Michael Russell said: "This is not a genuine partnership of equals and we couldnt recommend consent to a bill that undermines devolution and the Scottish parliament, and which, by the UK government's own admission, is going to break international law. This is a shabby blueprint that will open the door to bad trade deals and unleashes an assault on devolution the like we have not experienced since the Scottish parliament was established. We cannot, and will not, allow that to happen. It will open the door to a race to the bottom on food standards, environmental standards and will endanger key public health policies such as minimum unit pricing. It will also deliver a hammer blow to the Scottish economy by making it harder for the UK government to conclude free trade agreements if other countries think the UK wont meet its obligations. Meanwhile Mr Miles, the Welsh minister for European transition said: "The UK Government plans to sacrifice the future of the union by stealing powers from devolved administrations. Vital decisions over support for Welsh businesses, important infrastructure and investment opportunities and the safety of the food on the shelves of Welsh supermarkets should be made in Wales, by the government of Wales, and with the consent of the Senedd and not at the behest of Conservative backbenchers. The UK Government is explicitly seeking to rewrite the devolution settlement. The fact that they are also seeking primary legislation shows they are taking those powers from us. We believe in the principle of an internal market but this bill is not remotely necessary to deliver it. We will do everything we can to challenge the power grab and the race to the bottom which this bill represents. MILAN Tods SpA shares tumbled Wednesday, falling 7.9 percent in early trading but recovering by the end of the day and closing down 3.67 percent at 23.12 euros. The shares were hit by the report the previous evening of the Italian luxury groups performance in the first six months of the year. Impacted by the lockdown enforced practically worldwide in the second quarter in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the group posted a net loss of 80.6 million euros, compared with a loss of 5.7 million euros in the first half of 2019, while revenues fell 43.5 percent to 256.9 million euros. More from WWD Chairman and chief executive officer Diego Della Valle said that over the past few weeks, the group is registering encouraging signs of recovery, particularly in China, where we are recording double-digit growth rates, while Europe and the Americas remain weak, heavily penalized by the lack of tourists, and that it was relying on a loyal customer base and the fundamentals of its brands, focusing on the development of its digital tools. However, analysts were not impressed. Jefferies noted that, despite the improvements in China, it was unlikely the group could see a significant recovery of sales in light of the weak demand in Europe and America, stating in its report that its probable Tods could continue to lose market share compared with competitors protected by a stronger brand. According to Intermonte, the crisis hit the company while it was running a global project to reposition the Tods brand in the very competitive luxury arena. Now the sharp market crisis triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak is likely to compromise the Tods brand repositioning further and undermine the companys already weak profitability. Citi sees a long way to go before a recovery and in its report, Equita stated that the performance in the first half was below its expectations. It noted that the conference call on Tuesday with chief executive officer Umberto Macchi di Cellere and chief financial officer Emilio Macellari lacked fresh insight and no specific input on current trading, which after all is not indicative in the summer months, given the different timing of the summer discounts. Equita estimated a 6 to 7 percent dip in revenues and a double-digit drop in operating profit for 2020/2021. The visibility of a potential relaunch of the brand remains limited, it said. Story continues In a year, the companys shares have lost 50.9 percent of their value. Despite it all, Della Valle and his brother Andrea, vice chairman, continue to support the company. In March, the siblings revealed that they were waiving their remunerations for the year 2020 and that the company would not distribute any dividends. According to an online document on the Tods site, in 2019 Diego Della Valles salary amounted to around 1.8 million euros, while that of his brother totaled around 1.3 million euros. The Della Valle family is the main shareholder in the group, controlling a 71 percent stake. This week, the Della Valle familys initiative with the Civil Protection authority to support relatives of the health personnel who lost their lives in the fight against COVID-19 has come into effect. In April, the Della Valles created the Sempre con Voi [Always with You] fund, and through their own donation of 5 million euros and that of private citizens, it has reached a total sum of 11 million euros and will be able to help 200 families. Their selflessness and courage will forever be an example to all of us, said the Della Valles in a statement at the time. Vietnamese carmaker VinFast has bought GM Holdens Lang Lang testing center in Australia to support its global expansion plan, the company said Wednesday. The purchase of the 872-hectare car testing center in the Australian state of Victoria came just a few months after VinFast, a unit of Vietnams largest conglomerate Vingroup JSC, opened a research and development center in Melbourne. The value of the purchase was not disclosed. The purchase of the testing center is an important step to accelerate the firm's autonomy in the auto industry and expand opportunities to access international markets, it said. VinFast last May tested its first electric car model in Hanoi, announcing plans to introduce it at a U.S. auto show later this year. The company said late last month it would start mass production of its first electric models from July next year, targeting the U.S. market. The automaker has a plant with a production capacity of 250,000 cars and 250,000 electric bikes a year in the northern port city of Hai Phong. VinFast started delivering its first cars in June last year. The company does not release sales figures, but official data shows that 5,124 VinFast cars were registered in the first quarter. This puts it in the fifth place in sales, behind Hyundai, Toyota, Kia and Honda. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a staunch attack on Democratic Vice President nominee Kamala Harris. He also added that if Biden wins, China wins, it is as simple as that. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) attacked the Democratic Vice President nominee Kamala Harris saying, people dont like her and it would be an insult to the US if she becomes the President. Its very simple to rememberif Biden wins, China wins, it is as simple as that. You have a situation where we build the greatest economy in the history of the world and we were forced to close it because the China plague came in and now we have opened it (the economy), Trump said at a rally in North Carolina. People dont like her (US Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris)nobody likes her. She can never be the first woman president of the US. It will be an insult to our country, he added. He further said that it was clear why China and the rioters want Biden to win because they know his policies will be the downfall of America. Further attacking Harris, Trump said that it was interesting that Biden picked her as his running mate in the upcoming elections despite she left the race. She left the race (for president) and its interesting that they picked her because, in theory, they should win California but I dont know, we will make them play for that. You always pick someone who is going up in the polls, Trump added. Also Read: Russia releases first batch of Covid-19 vaccine into public Also Read: Donald Trump calls NAFTA, China entry into WTO as most disastrous deals in history Trump further said that he views the trade deal with China much differently now than he did before. We signed a great trade deal (with China) but the ink was not dry when the plague (COVID-19) came in so I view that trade deal much differently than I did before, he said. The US Presidential elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, this year. Also Read: Amid India China standoff, students in for long wait: Indian Embassy issues advisory Commander-level talks were held on Wednesday afternoon to diffuse the situation between Indian and Chinese forces in Eastern Ladakh amid persisting border tensions between the two neighbours. The talks took place just hours ahead of those between the external affairs ministers of both nations. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on a four-day visit to Russia to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) where he is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. News18 has learnt that the situation continues to be tense at the north bank of Pangong Tso. Officials say 1,500-2,000 chinese soldiers have climbed the ridges near Finger 3 on the north bank of the lake with what appears to be ammunition. The two sides are currently separated only by 300 metres. It is almost eyeball to eyeball. Indian and Chinese sides in large numbers have occupied two ridge tops with their weapons. There is a chasm between the two heights but the aerial distance is only about 300 metres," an official in Ladakh told News18. The information was corroborated by a second officer in the security establishment who said the PLA started assembling troops at Finger 3 after figuring out the Indian sides strategy of occupying heights to keep an eye on the opponents. All night the situation was tense. Today afternoon, some nerves were calmed but both sides continue to deploy their troops," the officer added. India and China had a fresh face-off on Tuesday when the Chinese side accused Indian troops of illegally crossing the border at the shore of the God Pao Mountain area and firing warning shots. India, however, denied the claims, with the defence ministry saying: India, while is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation on the LAC, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate. At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to use of any aggressive means, including firing. The ministry said the PLA has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres" while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress. The skirmish came two days after the defence ministers of India and China met in Moscow. India and China have accused each other of making provocative military moves and firing warning shots along their disputed border, despite talks to end the escalating tensions. China said Indian forces crossed into territory it holds along the border and fired warning shots at a Chinese patrol in what it called a violation of their agreements. India denied that and said the Chinese soldiers tried to surround one of their forward posts in a "grave provocation", and also fired warning shots. The nuclear-armed rivals have been engaged in a tense standoff in the cold-desert Ladakh region since May, and their defence ministers met on Friday in Moscow in the first high-level direct contact between the sides since the standoff began. China's western military command said the incursion occurred on Monday along the southern coast of Pangong Lake in the area known in Chinese as Shenpaoshan. After shots were fired, Chinese forces took "necessary measures to stabilise and control the situation," the command said, in the statement citing spokesman Zhang Shuili. It demanded the Indian forces withdraw and investigate the move to open fire. Late last month, India said its soldiers thwarted the Chinese military's moves to "change the status quo" in violation of a consensus reached in past efforts to settle the standoff. The activities last month and on Monday were alleged to have occurred on the southern bank of Pangong Lake, a glacial lake divided by the de facto frontier and where the India-China face-off began in early May. The standoff escalated to a nighttime clash on 15 June that was the deadliest conflict in 45 years between the nuclear-armed rivals. According to Indian officials, Chinese troops atop a ridge at the mouth of the narrow Galwan Valley threw stones, punched and pushed Indian soldiers down the ridge at around 4,500 metres (15,000ft). India said 20 of its soldiers were killed, including a colonel. China did not report any casualties. The disputed and undemarcated 2,175-mile border between India and China, referred to as the Line of Actual Control, stretches from the Ladakh region in the North to the Indian state of Sikkim. The nuclear-armed Asia giants fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh and ended in an uneasy truce. The two countries have been trying to settle their border dispute since the early 1990s, without success. India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory and separated it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019, ending its semi-autonomous status. The move further strained the relationship between New Delhi and Beijing, which raised the issue at international forums including the UN Security Council. In a symbolic move, India banned some Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, about two weeks after the deadly clash, citing privacy concerns that it said pose a threat to India's sovereignty and security. PA Californians, many without power, awoke to a dark orange sky and ash-coated cars as hundreds of fires stoked by a record heat wave and the final gusts of a powerful windstorm blanketed the disaster-weary state in dense smoke. By daybreak, the winds had faded enough that PG&E Corp., which switched off electricity to half a million people to prevent more fires during the storm, began inspecting its lines for damage and restoring power. But the smoke, thick enough to blot out the sun, threatened to complicate the task, already daunting considering the 10,750 miles (17,300 kilometers) of electrical lines the utility must patrol. At the southern end of the state, utilities owned by Edison International and Sempra Energy still weighed whether to switch off power to another 100,000 people, as high winds continued to howl through the mountains near Los Angeles and San Diego. The shut-offs are the latest blow for California, where climate change is making weather ever more extreme. Temperatures have soared to records from Napa to Los Angeles, forcing the state's power grid to the brink. Wildfires have torched more than 2.5 million acres this year, the most on record. California's utilities have resorted to shutting down power lines in advance of high winds to prevent sparks from igniting fires. And the practice is now spreading to other states, with Portland General Electric Co. blacking out 5,000 homes and businesses Monday as the same wind storm raking California battered neighboring Oregon as well. But even that drastic step couldn't prevent fires altogether. In California, gusts topping 60 miles per hour fanned fresh life into some blazes that began during a freak lightning storm last month -- while sparking new ones. Wind-drive blazes erupted across Oregon as well, with officials saying at least one may have been started by downed power lines. Against that grim backdrop, PG&E's announcement early Wednesday that it would begin line inspections brought some measure of relief. California's largest utility starting late Monday cut power to 172,000 customer accounts -- or about 516,000 people, given the size of a typical household -- in portions of the Sierra Nevada foothills and the San Francisco Bay area as the winds approached. The vast majority of them will have power restored by the end of the day Wednesday, PG&E said. In August, California carried out its first rotating blackouts since the 2001 energy crisis to cope surging demand for electricity as extreme temperatures kicked air conditioners into overdrive. The Trump administration on Sept. 6 declared a power emergency, allowing generating plants to run at full-bore, regardless of environmental limits. The shut-offs are a fairly new and controversial practice to prevent wildfires, and their use by PG&E last year triggered investigations, even as utilities defended them as necessary in the face of increasingly wild weather. The company emerged from Chapter 11 in July after agreeing to pay $25.5 billion to settle wildfire lawsuits over fires sparked by its equipment, and PG&E has taken steps to limit the size and duration of outages, including putting wires underground in some locations. The state's two other major utilities are still making plans to cut power if necessary Wednesday. Southern California Edison Co. said it may shut off electricity to more than 17,000 customers, but just 171 were cut off as of 9 a.m. local time. San Diego Gas & Electric Co. is considering doing so for more than 16,600 customers, with 19 currently disconnected. September and October typically mark the peak of California's fire season, when plants have been sapped of moisture by the state's dry summer. Rains most often return in October or November. COPENHAGEN - A Norwegian citizen in his 60s has been arrested in southern Norway at the request of France as a suspect in a 1982 attack on a deli in the heart of Paris Jewish quarter that left six dead and injured 22, a Norwegian newspaper reported Wednesday. The man, who was not identified, faces a custody hearing Thursday, the Dagbladet newspaper said, citing the Norwegian Police Security Service, or PST. He was arrested in the town of Skien on a European arrest warrant. PST didnt immediately confirm the arrest. Palestinians throwing grenades burst into the Jo Goldenberg deli on Aug. 9, 1982, and sprayed machine-gun fire. Six people, including two Americans, were killed, and 22 injured in the attack. Dagbladet said it was the second time that France had requested the man arrested. French authorities announced nearly 33 years after the attack that international arrest warrants had been issued for the suspects, now in their late 50s and early 60s, who are believed to have been members of the Abu Nidal Palestinian extremist group. Souhaur Mouhamad Hassan Khalil Al-Abbassi was arrested in Jordan in 2015. He is one of three suspects in the attack sought by French authorities. The other two are believed to be in the Palestinian territories and in Norway, according to French authorities. Described as an asylum seeker who arrived in Norway in 1992, the man has denied having been in Paris, the Norwegian daily wrote. In 2015, he was reportedly identified by several witnesses, the daily reported. Its a real relief for my clients who were starting to doubt the will of France to (find) the truth in this affair, Romain Boulet, counsel for victims in the attack, told French daily Le Parisien. Deli owner Jo Goldenburg recalled in 2002 that they fired on everyone who was eating lunch everyone. The deli, which has since been closed, was a tourist attraction in the famed Marais neighbourhood. The Abu Nidal faction, named after its leader, is considered responsible for nearly two dozen attacks that left at least 275 people dead, including assaults on El Al Israel Airlines ticket counters at the Rome and Vienna airports in 1985 in which 18 people were killed. The notorious Abu Nidal himself was found dead in his Baghdad apartment in August 2002. Iraqi authorities said Abu Nidal, whose real name is Sabri al-Banna, committed suicide. ___ Elain Ganley in Paris contributed to this report. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal The Navajo Nation reported zero new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday night, a first for the reservation since the pandemic began in mid-March. In late May, the Navajo Nation had the worst infection rate in the country. The reservation had several days of more than 150 new virus cases at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, overflowing reservation hospitals sent the most critical virus patients to facilities in Albuquerque and Phoenix. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said the case trends are promising. But it didnt take much to have this spread throughout the Navajo Nation, and so were begging you to stay home, Nez said during a Tuesday video update. Nez referenced a Sept. 3 report of 24 new virus cases within 24 hours as a warning against large gatherings. That spike there was attributed to a family gathering, he said. Somebody came back home with the virus, went to a family gathering and spread that out to a big family. The reservation has implemented stringent public health orders to slow the spread of the virus, which has killed 527 on the reservation. The tribal government first mandated masks in April, along with nightly curfews and weekend lockdowns. As of Tuesday, 9,903 people have tested positive for COVID-19. More than 7,100 have recovered. Navajo public health officials often cite challenges of addressing the pandemic, including multigenerational homes, long distances to grocery stores and 30% of residents living without running water or electricity. Dr. Jill Jim, Navajo Department of Health director, said COVID-19 prevention measures are especially important as flu season approaches. The best we can do is use the public health toolkit that we have, Jim said. We have all been doing a good job, but we cant let up. Businesses on the Navajo Nation are operating at 25% occupancy, and tribal government offices have begun reopening. Navajo public health officials will wait to ease more restrictions until case data is available from Labor Day weekend. Risk Strategies CEO John Mina described Securitas as a great fit for our growing national Private Equity practice, which experienced a boom in 2019 following the acquisition of private equity specialist, Krauter & Company. He added: Companies that are part of a private equity or venture capital investment portfolio, or simply focused on growing through acquisition, face complicated and often high stakes risks. Securitas is a leader in identifying and mitigating these risks. Neil Krauter, Risk Strategies Private Equity practice leader, added: I [] look forward to joining forces to the benefit of our mutual client base. The strategic fit could not be more seamless, and our teams are perfectly aligned for growth. Securitas typically works with its clients throughout the life cycle of their investment, supporting acquisitions and divestitures, as well as the ongoing programmatic insurance needs of the portfolio companies. The firm is dedicated to its specialty approach and is excited to team up with Risk Strategies, according to founder and managing partner Michael McFadden. Managing the evolving risk and insurance needs of investment portfolio companies is not a job for a generalist, he said. We saw joining Risk Strategies as a seamless way to scale up our specialty approach with a firm equally experienced in this space. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. New Delhi, Sep 9 : Come tomorrow, PM Narendra Modi will digitally launch the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). On Thursday, the Prime Minister will also launch e-Gopala App, a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers. Several other initiatives in the fisheries and animal husbandry sectors in Bihar will also be launched by him. The Governor and Chief Minister of Bihar, along with Union Minister and MoS for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, will also digitally participate in the launch. The PMMSY is a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable development of fisheries sector in the country with an estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crore, as a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat Package. This is the highest-ever investment in the fisheries sector. Of this, an investment of about Rs 12,340 crore is proposed for beneficiary-oriented activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture and about Rs 7710 crore investment for Fisheries Infrastructure. "The PMMSY aims at enhancing fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25, increasing fisheries export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25, doubling of incomes of fishers and fish farmers, reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10% and generation of additional 55 lakhs direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in fisheries sector and allied activities," said the government in a release on Wednesday. As of now, the Department of Fisheries has approved Rs 1723 crore worth of proposals for 21 States and UTs in phase-I under the PMMSY. Priority has been accorded for income-generating activities under the scheme. In Bihar, the scheme envisages an investment of Rs.1390 crore with Central Share of Rs. 535 crore and the additional fish production target pegged at 3 lakh tonnes. During the current financial year, the centre has sanctioned the proposal of Bihar Government at a total project cost of Rs.107.00 crore. Meanwhile close Prime Minister Modi will also announce the establishment of Fish Brood Bank at Sitamarhi, and the Aquatic Disease Referral Laboratory at Kishanganj, for which assistance has been provided under PMMSY. Even as the state goes into poll mode in the run-up to the assembly elections, the PM will also inaugurate one-unit fish feed mill at Madhepura and two units of 'Fish on Wheels' assisted at Patna under Blue Revolution. The PM will interact with the beneficiaries on the occasion. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Comprehensive Fish Production Technology Centre at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar. The Centre, with facilities for Seed production technology and demonstration unit technology for fish, referral laboratory and diagnostic testing, will facilitate in boosting fish production and assist in capacity building of fish farmers. That's not all. He will also launch the e-Gopala App which is a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers. "At present no digital platform is available in the country for farmers managing livestock including buying and selling of disease free germplasm in all forms," said the statement. It also claimed that there is no mechanism to send alerts on due date for vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving and inform farmers about various government schemes and campaigns in the area. The e-Gopala App will provide solutions to farmers on all these aspects. In an exhaustive list of inaugurations, Semen Station with state of the art facilities, which has been established under Rashtriya Gokul Mission in Purnea, Bihar with an investment of Rs 84.27 crore on 75 acres of land made available by the State Government of Bihar. The PM will also inaugurate an IVF lab established at the Animal Sciences University, Patna under Rashtriya Gokul Mission. A total of 30 ETT and IVF laboratories are being set up across the country through 100% grant in aid. These labs are crucial for propagating elite animals of indigenous breeds and thereby enhancing milk production and productivity manifold, all the more when the Government's thrust has been on Swadeshi. He will also launch a demonstration of IVF technology at farmer's doorstep. This will propagate the technology for multiplication of high yielding animals at a faster rate as through use of technology they can give birth to 20 calves in a year. Nigella Lawson has issued an apology for comments she made about a non-gendered activist in a newspaper column she wrote titled Not a suitable case for treatment 27 years ago. In the article from 1993 for the Evening Standard, TV chef Lawson described the removal of Christie Elan-Canes breasts and womb as brutal surgery with no medical justification. Elan-Cane, who identifies as non-gendered and uses the pronoun per shared a picture of the article on Twitter this week with the caption no trans ally of mine. It was following wide praise of Lawson for sharing a pro-trans Independent article on Twitter, on 29 August, with the caption: A small still voice of calm. Elan-Cane captioned the newspaper clipping: As I said before, I'm not letting this go. @Nigella_Lawson's words @EveningStandard Oct '93 to be precise. No apology in 27 years. Has she changed? I don't know. I don't care. No #trans ally of mine. Elan-Cane followed up per tweet a few days later by writing @Nigella_Lawson didn't care about me when she wrote this offensive diatribe in @EveningStandard that was read by millions in London & across the south east. And I don't care if I have to shout from the rooftops that she should apologise now for these disgusting comments. Several hours later, Lawson replied to Elan-Cane with an apology, writing: And I am very glad to have the opportunity to apologise . While I certainly meant no harm, unfortunately that doesnt mean I didnt harm. And Im sorry. I hope that the past 27 years have been rich and happy ones for you. Elan-Cane then replied to accept the apology, writing: Thank-you @Nigella_Lawson. Apology accepted. Lawson added: I appreciate that very much. Thank you for your gracious response. Praising the apology, one Twitter user wrote: This has been heartening. Another example of learning youve unintentionally harmed when you did not know better, though perhaps ought to have known better, and owning that past self in a humble kind apology. Both people here absolutely awesome. The TV chef and columnists 1990s article discussed Elan-Canes transition after per story appeared on Tuesday Lives on Radio 4. The comments about Elan-Canes surgery read: Of course, it is Christie Elan-Canes body - [pers] to mutilate as [per] wishes. But behind the desire for self-mutilation surely lies the most-troubling self-hatred ([per] made no bones about [per] disgust at femininity) and thats not the kind of thing you can excise with a surgeons scalpel. Lawson concluded that she felt Elen-Cane needed help, not surgery. This story, Rhea Chakrabortys father Indrajit on rejection of her bail plea: No father can bear injustice on his daughter has been withdrawn due to a factual inaccuracies. The error is regretted. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON PM Modi speaks to Saudi King, two leaders exchange views on global challenges following COVID India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 09: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation on Wednesday with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and the two leaders exchanged views on global challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic. "Spoke on phone with His Majesty @KingSalman about the important role being played by the G20 under the Saudi Presidency, including against COVID-19. We also reviewed the tremendous growth in our bilateral ties in recent years," Modi tweeted. The Prime Minister's Office in a separate statement said Modi expressed his appreciation for the leadership provided by Saudi Arabia during its ongoing presidency of the G20 grouping. He also expressed "special thanks" to King Salman for the support provided to Indian expatriates by the Saudi authorities during the pandemic. India-China tensions: India fully prepared, will retaliate say sources | Oneindia News The two leaders agreed that the initiatives taken at the level of the G20 had helped in promoting a coordinated response to the pandemic. Explained: How corticosteroids help in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic They also discussed the main priorities presently on the agenda of the G20, it said. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the state of bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia, and committed to further strengthening cooperation in all areas, the PMO said. Modi conveyed his warm wishes for the good health and well-being of King Salman, other members of the royal family of Saudi Arabia and all citizens of the kingdom. Sorry! This content is not available in your region A chemist from RUDN University together with colleagues created a new type of two-dimensional nanofilm from an organic material called calixarene. The invention can be used as a protective coating in electronics and as a part of molecular filters. They also suggested a way of increasing the durability of such films with UV radiation. The results of the study were published in the Materials Today Communications journal. Calixarenes are large bowl-shaped organic molecules that consist of several rings. The outer ring of the bowl is hydrophilic, i.e. actively retains water. The innermost ring is hydrophobic or water-repellent. Calixarenes are known in the chemical industry as additives: for example, they play a role in the synthesis of ethylene and propylene polymers. Scientists from Belarus and Russia, including a chemist from RUDN University suggested a new way of using them. They developed 0.8-1.5 nm thick calixarene-based films that can work as water-repellent coatings. "These 2D organic films can be used to create protective hydrophobic or anti-corrosion coatings for organic electronics or to develop molecular filters," said Alexey Kletskov, a Candidate of Chemical Sciences, and a researcher at the Joint Institute for Chemical Research, RUDN University. The team used the Langmuir-Blodgett method to construct a thin film from single molecules. The method had been developed especially for the molecules that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts. When put in water, molecules like this align on the surface with their hydrophobic parts turned up. After that, they are pressed with special plungers, and when the required density is reached, the film is moved onto a solid base. To strengthen the film, the team used UV radiation. It has enough energy to break down hydrocarbon chains that bind the outer and inner rings of each molecule together. First the chains are broken, and then they bind again, but this time with loose ends from other calixarene molecules. As a result, all molecules in the film become closely tied together. The team studied the structure of the films using an atomic-force microscope and found out that the efficiency of UV radiation correlates with the length of the chains in the original macromolecules. Molecules with short chains formed more stable films, and in the case of long-chain molecules, UV radiation caused the films to have irregular structure with clusters. Therefore, UV light was found to not always be beneficial for film quality. Depending on the molecule structure, it can reduce the water-repellent properties of a film or have no considerable effect at all. It is an important factor to consider when using the films as hydrophobic coatings on different surfaces, from displays to construction coatings. ### The participants of the study also represented the Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Russia) and Kazan Federal University (Russia). In this article FB Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill April 11, 2018 in Washington, DC. Yasin Ozturk | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images With less than two months to go until the 2020 U.S. election, Facebook is struggling to assure users and employees that it has everything under control. Four years ago, the social network took no action as Russian operatives posed as political groups with polarizing agendas, even going so far as to organize fake rallies, according to the FBI. Their goal: to divide the American populace and help elect Donald Trump president. Right after the 2016 election, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed as "crazy" the idea that fake news on Facebook could have influenced the election. A year later, Zuckerberg said he regretted saying that. Since then, the company has insisted that it had learned from its mistakes. But over the past 12 months, Facebook has frustrated some users and employees with its policy decisions around speech on its platform, and its haphazard enforcement of those policies. These decisions loom large considering that Facebook has 198 million daily active users in the U.S. and Canada. Adding to the concern is the limited oversight over Zuckerberg's handling of the company. Zuckerberg holds more than 51% of voting shares, and in 2019, he pushed out several directors who questioned his authority, according to The Wall Street Journal. "Elections are different now and so are we. We've created new products, partnerships, and policies to make sure this election is secure," a Facebook spokesman said in a statement. "We've faced criticism from Republicans for being biased against conservatives and Democrats for not taking more steps to restrict the exact same content. Our job is to create one consistent set of rules that applies equally to everyone." Stumbles so far Here's a rundown of some Facebook moves that have drawn criticism: Misinformation in political ads. Facebook started to rile up observers late last year when the company announced it would allow political candidates to run ads containing misinformation. The company said it was a bastion of free speech, and that it believed users should see for themselves what candidates had to say, whether or not what they said was true. The policy decision proved to be contentious. A group of employees wrote a letter to Zuckerberg and Facebook's executives, later leaked to The New York Times, letting them know that they strongly objected to the policy. "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." In late May, Trump posted criticism of the Black Lives Matter protests, saying that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." Facebook decided to leave the post up in its entirety while rival Twitter limited the visibility of Trump's post. Numerous Facebook employees publicly criticized the decision to leave Trump's post up, arguing that the post violated the company's community standards, which do not allow the incitement of violence. The employees protested the decision by staging a virtual walkout. Nazi symbolism. Days later, John Buysse of Fortune pointed out that Facebook had allowed the Trump campaign to run ads containing symbols used by Nazis to identify political prisoners. The company eventually removed the ads, but only after numerous users had spotted the ads and called them out. A week later, the company announced that it would prohibit hate speech in its ads. tweet The Kenosha militia takedown. Facebook's enforcement of its policies once again came under fire last month following the killing of two people during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In late August, Facebook introduced a new policy that would allow the company to remove militia groups and groups that seek to incite violence. Despite this new policy and hundreds of user reports, Facebook failed to remove the page for a militia group in Kenosha and an event created by the group. Zuckerberg claimed to have removed the group and its event after the killings at the protest, saying the company's failure to remove the pages proactively had been "an operational mistake," but days later, BuzzFeed reported that Facebook had not actually removed the event page. Rather, a page administrator for the militia group removed its event page, and later, Facebook removed the militia's page. A Facebook spokeswoman apologized "for the error." Trump's voting suggestion. Employees criticized the company yet again a few days later after Trump suggested that mail-in voters go to their polling place to ask if their vote had been counted, and if there was no record, to demand they be allowed to vote in person. It is illegal to vote twice in the same election. Trump's post came shortly after Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post that the company would remove explicit and implicit misrepresentations about voting that could lead to voter suppression. Numerous Facebook employees criticized the company within its internal social network for allowing Trump's post to remain live, according to BuzzFeed. Eventually, the company placed a label on the post stating that voting by mail is a trustworthy process in the U.S., but the post remains up. A consequential election NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Last evening during their annual gala, held virtually due to the pandemic, American Skin Association (ASA) presented awards to four remarkable honorees and celebrated its 33rd year of successfully funding crucial research and educating youth on the importance of skin health. The event's Master of Ceremonies was Mehmet Oz, MD, the Emmy Award winning television host and Attending Physician at NY Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center. ASA and its affiliates have sponsored over $50 million in grants to support talented young scientists who have gone on to become top researchers in their fields. They work to find cutting-edge methods to prevent, detect and treat melanoma and other skin cancers and diseases. ASA continues to make crucial investments in the well-being of future generations, by putting great effort and resources into educating young people about skin health and sun safety. This year's awards were presented to the following: Doris Day, MD, FAAD, MA, clinical associate professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center received ASA's Excellence in Dermatology Mentorship Award for her deep involvement and dedication to mentoring the next generation of dermatologists. Dr. Day is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in laser and cosmetic dermatology, a medical educator and a highly respected and sought-after media personality. "I am so proud to receive this mentorship award from ASA! My many years of work with future dermatologists is very close to my heart and I am so appreciative of this recognition," said Dr. Day. ASA's Distinguished Leadership Award was presented to Mark Lebwohl, MD, the Waldman Professor and Chair of the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Lebwohl, a leading expert in both melanoma and psoriasis, remarked, "I am honored to accept this leadership award from ASA and look forward to continuing work with ASA towards their vital mission." Dr. Lebwohl is also the Dean for Clinical Therapeutics at Mount Sinai and past President of the American Academy of Dermatology. Incyte, a global biopharmaceutical company, was awarded ASA's Global Impact Award in Biopharmaceutical Research and Medicine. The award was accepted by Dr. Jim Lee, Group Vice President, Head of Inflammation and Autoimmunity. Incyte's world-class in-house discovery team leverages their expertise in immunology to decipher new pathways, design and synthesize innovative molecules and develop first-in-class and best-in-class medicines to positively affect patients' lives. The company's research and development team is exploring the potential of JAK inhibition in a number of immune-mediated dermatologic conditions with a high unmet medical need, including atopic dermatitis, vitiligo and hidradenitis suppurativa. Pfizer, Inc. was presented ASA's Distinguished Corporate Leadership Award for delivering some of the most important medical innovations in history over the last 170 years. Their passion for science, for delivering excellence and for people's health permeates everything they do. Pfizer's award was accepted by Ehab Mahgoub, MD, MSc, Vice President of North America Medical Affairs, Inflammation & Immunology, who remarked, "Pfizer is honored to receive this award, which further reinforces the importance of collaboration in the medical dermatology community. We are dedicated to developing breakthroughs that help with the day-to-day suffering experienced by people living with chronic inflammatory skin diseases." The award honored the company's foundation in biotechnology with 25,000 clinical researchers testing every day, focusing on pharmaceutical development and innovation. Howard P. Milstein, Chairman of ASA, said, "ASA is proud to honor Dr. Doris Day, Dr. Mark Lebwohl, Incyte and Pfizer for their innovative efforts in the field of dermatology, and for their exceptional commitment to medical advancement. The important work of our honorees continues to help further ASA's mission of finding cures for melanoma, skin cancer and other skin diseases." President of ASA, Dr. David Norris, said, "I am proud of ASA's ongoing work and congratulate these much-deserving honorees, Dr. Day, Dr. Lebwohl, Incyte and Pfizer, Inc. on their awards." ABOUT AMERICAN SKIN ASSOCIATION A unique collaboration of patients, families, advocates, physicians and scientists, ASA has evolved over thirty years as a leading force in efforts to defeat melanoma, skin cancer, and other skin diseases. Established to serve the now more than 100 million Americans one third of the U.S. population afflicted with skin disorders, the organization's mission remains to: advance research, champion skin health, particularly among children, and drive public awareness about skin disease. For more information, visit americanskin.org. SOURCE American Skin Association Related Links http://www.americanskin.org Health Minister Greg Hunt has ordered a national probe into healthcare worker infections and a new approach to setting mask guidelines, as COVID-19 clusters grow at two Sydney hospitals and Victoria battles hundreds of active cases in health and aged care. Australian Medical Association President Omar Khorshid said with more than 3300 infections recorded among workers in Victorian hospitals and aged care homes, it was "crystal clear" that national guidelines for use of personal protective equipment "have not adequately protected healthcare workers". Health Minister Greg Hunt has ordered an investigation into the number of healthcare workers being infected with COVID-19. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "We've got to do something differently," Dr Khorshid said. "Changes to the guidelines need to be looked at urgently." Eight healthcare workers are among the 12 cases traced to Sydney's Liverpool and Concord Hospitals, while Victoria reported a total of 3360 healthcare worker infections on Wednesday including 252 active cases, not counting those in aged care. Acting Yerevan State University (YSU) rector Gegham Gevorgyan had filed a lawsuit against YSU, Hraparak.am writes. And the court has ruled in favor of this lawsuit, as a result of which YSU has to pay 13 million drams to Gevorgyan. According to the source, former YSU rector Aram Simonyan had fired Gevorgyan, and the latter had filed a lawsuit against the university. The basis for dismissal of Gegham Gevorgyan was the principle of special bond of trust and loyalty enshrined by precedent right of the ECHR, as well as the fact that there is an element of public administration at YSU. Gegham Gevorgyan had petitioned to the court and demanded to declare his dismissal order invalid, to reinstate him as YSU Vice-Rector, and to confiscate from YSU his average salary for forced outage, one million drams as the lawyers fee, and 4,000 drams as state duty. Denise Welch broke down in tears as she revealed she's taking a break from social media in an Instagram clip shared on Wednesday after facing backlash from Piers Morgan for her thoughts on coronavirus 'scaremongering'. The Loose Women panellist, 62, insisted she's 'trying to find a balance' between both negative and reassuring updates on the virus. Actress Denise later tweeted about signing off online platforms to protect her mental health as she said: 'Im going to be stepping back from here as its taking its toll. I will try and do my bit to balance the terror campaign and thank you for all your support.' 'That is the worst thing you can say': Crying Denise Welch revealed she's taking a break from social media in an Instagram clip shared on Wednesday In the clip, the media personality attempted to clarify her comments from her heated discussion on This Morning last week, where she claimed the government are frightening people about the pandemic. The former Coronation Street star grew emotional as she said: 'I seem to spend most of my days at the moment being quite emotional. 'I've been accused of not caring and being a Covid-denier when in fact I care so much about the devastation that Covid is causing, to the people who have lost their lives directly to Covid and those who are losing their lives because of Covid. 'All I have tried to do is find a balance between the five months of scaremongering, fear inducing, morning wakening anxiety that is causing illness mental and physical.' Dispute: Last week, the Loose Women panellist, 62, faced backlash from Piers Morgan (pictured on Wednesday) for her thoughts on coronavirus 'scaremongering' Hitting out: The GMB host criticised Denise's remarks in a bold tweet as she claimed the government are scaring people with their overreaction to infection numbers Insisting she's shared 'balanced' reports about the virus on her accounts, Denise added: 'I have just tried to balance we all going to die, with we are not all going to die. 'If I find out that hospital had no Covid for weeks, I'd broadcast that, and when I found out that 52 people were on ventiators opposed to 2,800 people at the peak of this pandemic, I'd post that. 'If we did hit a second wave, people would know that things have come on massively in that time. We're not where we were in March. If people are hospitalised which God forbid could lead to more deaths, it's the fact that doctors have told me that they now prone the patients instead of putting them on ventilators.' The TV star went on to highlight the progressive steps researchers have taken to reduce the COVID-19 death rates. 'Thank you for your support': Actress Denise later tweeted about signing off online platforms to protect her mental health 'All I've tried to do is balance': In the clip, the media personality insisted she's 'trying to find a balance' between both negative and reassuring updates on the virus We now have three steroids that are incredibly effective': The TV star went on to highlight the progressive steps researchers have taken to reduce the COVID-19 death rates 'Depression has doubled, it's so destructive': Denise held back tears as she ended her post by confirming she's taking a step back from social media Presenter Denise said: 'We now have three steroids that are incredibly effective which are decreasing mortality in many severe patients. We are at a better stand point than we were to deal with whatever happens. That's all I've tried to do.' On how the news has affected her mental state, the thespian explained: 'Five months of turning on the TV has been so destructive to people's health and mental health turns into physical health issues. 'The charities I worked for had all their finding cut so they can't continue with their research. Depression has doubled, anorexia has doubled. Cancer diagnoses are way way down, so I'm just trying to find a balance.' She held back tears as she ended her post by confirming she's taking a step back from social media. The mother-of-two said: 'I won't be able to keep on doing it because it's going to have an adverse effect on my and my family. 'To those people to say things like Covid-denier - that is the worst thing you can say to someone who has done nothing but try to alleviate the fear.' Last week, Piers criticised Denise's remarks as she claimed the government are scaring people with their overreaction to infection numbers. The journalist wrote on Twitter: 'Dumb, deluded & dangerous Covid-deniers like Denise Welch need to stop being given airtime. Heated: During her recent interview on the ITV daytime programme, she was told to 'calm down'' by host Eamonn Holmes, 60 'Her idiotic, ill-informed ramblings - from a woman who never stops telling us that she suffers from mental illness - will cost lives by persuading people to think the virus isn't a threat.' During her recent interview on the ITV daytime programme, she was told to 'calm down'' by host Eamonn Holmes, 60. Appearing via video link from Portugal, the Waterloo Road star stated: 'I've never felt so passionate about anything in my life. I'm not saying this is over. I'm not saying how horrendous this virus is and was. 'But at the moment we have a one in two million chance of dying of Covid and I have a one in three chance of getting cancer. So can the government please tell us the proper statistics?' Views: Appearing via video link from Portugal, Denise hit out at the government for frightening people over the coronavirus pandemic The debate, which also featured Dr Sara Kayat, saw Denise also talk about people's mental health and the fact that people who suffer from the likes of cancer and heart disease were failing to receive the treatment they needed. Turning to Dr Sara for her opinion, Eamonn said of Denise: 'She's not extremely right-wing on all of this.' To which the CBB star immediately snapped: 'Extremely right-wing? I'm not remotely right-wing, Eamonn.' With Denise's passion clearly showing through, Eamonn interjected: 'I'm only using your quote back at you, right? Just calm down, right?' During the debate, the former soap star also criticised media coverage of positive coronavirus news as she questioned why days when 'nobody dies of a corona-related illness' is not reported. As Eamonn suggested that some of Denise's views may cause panic amongst viewers, she retorted: 'How am I causing panic, Eamonn?!' The debate also saw Ruth Langsford's Loose Women co-star take aim at fellow ITV presenter Piers, as she fumed: 'I'm a T-list celebrity according to megastar Piers Morgan.' Denise did garner the support of several This Morning viewers, who firmly agreed with her points. Support: While Piers didn't agree with Denise's opinions, she did garner the support of several This Morning viewers, who firmly agreed with her points Taking to Twitter, one viewer shared: 'Can't believe I'm about to say this but I actually agree with Denise Welch on #ThisMorning.' While another tweeted: 'Well said denise! Also need to get doctors back seeing people to catch all the undiagnosed illnesses.' A third remarked: 'Well done Denise!!!!! She needs a question time event with government!! #ThisMorning.' Another added: 'Denise you go girl! You are so right! Government are obsessed and the media are scare mongering. 'We need to try and get back to some kind of normal especially the Aviation industry!' Some viewers tuning in didn't agree with her delivery, with many complaining she was 'shouting' too much. One viewer observed: 'On a more serious note, Denise Welch may have some very good points, but they are completely lost in the way in which she is putting them across.' While another fumed: 'Coming across as very RUDE. Why shout and rave at eamon and ruth. Its not there fault denise ffs.' A third wrote: 'I'd just like to be told stuff like this from people like @RealDeniseWelch in a calm way.' CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Cision, the global leader in earned media software and wire distribution services, published the latest data from its 2020 State of the Election blog series, a weekly nonpartisan media analysis of the U.S. presidential election. In its first week, Cision analyzed media coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. This week, Cision spotlights the most important issues of the 2020 election, as defined by Pew Research, to look at how the media is covering them, both nationally and locally. Media coverage of key voter issues Key issues covered in the last 30 days To learn more about Cision and to view the full media analysis click here. Key findings from this week's State of the Election include: The economy and healthcare are always-on topics and generate the most consistent coverage, month after month. COVID-19 has generated the most total coverage with 3.2M articles. The coverage peaked at the height of the pandemic and garnered 60% of the total coverage in March. articles. The coverage peaked at the height of the pandemic and garnered 60% of the total coverage in March. Racial inequality did not become a major topic until the murder of George Floyd at the end of May. at the end of May. Gun policy, one of the most divisive issues in the country, received the least amount of coverage. In addition to number of mentions, Cision highlights the importance of looking beyond that number in order to assess how the media is framing key issues. With a handful of states carrying important influence in this election, Cision looks at local coverage of key issues in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Swing state data includes: In Michigan , healthcare received 17% of the media coverage 5% more than all swing states and 7% more than the national average. , healthcare received 17% of the media coverage 5% more than all swing states and 7% more than the national average. Healthcare out-performed climate change and/or racial inequality news in Arizona , Florida and Michigan . , and . Climate change experienced a large spike during Hurricane Laura and total mentions have declined 82% in the past week. "The media's responsibility and the power it has to set, prime, and frame the public agenda, is increasingly apparent as we monitor the state of the media during this presidential election," said Lucie Vietti-Curtis, Director of Comms and Content at Cision. "Cision's State of the Election also highlights the power of media monitoring and how data can and should play a primary role in building any communications strategy." To learn more about Cision and to view the full analysis click here. Cision is politically unaffiliated and does not endorse any political parties, platforms, campaigns or candidates. About Cision Cision is a leading global provider of earned media software and wire distribution services to public relations and marketing communications professionals. Cision's software allows users to identify key influencers, craft and distribute strategic content, and measure meaningful impact. Cision has over 4,800 employees with offices in 24 countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. For more information about Cision's award-winning products and services, including the Cision Communications Cloud, visit www.cision.com and follow Cision on Twitter @Cision. Media Contact: Rebecca Dersh PR Manager [email protected] SOURCE Cision Ltd. Related Links http://www.cision.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sri Wahyuni (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 15:11 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43bface 4 Art & Culture ARTJOG,ARTJOG-RESILIENCE,ARTJOG-MMXIX,arts-and-culture,arts-and-culture-in-Indonesia,contemporary-art,Yogyakarta Free There is something different about this years annual international contemporary art festival ARTJOG. The COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of slowing down, and it definitely affects this years ARTJOG. No crowds of people or long queues of visitors were seen in the exhibition area at Yogyakartas Jogja National Museum (JNM) in late August, because the festival organizing committee had organized previews only for a few selected people. Visitors, all of them in masks, were seen keeping their distance from one another as they queued for registration at the ticket counter. The registration staff member at the counter also took their temperature using a thermo gun pointed at their foreheads. She also asked them to wash their hands using hand sanitizer she had prepared before allowing them to enter the exhibition venue. We have to implement strict protocol to help stop the spread of the coronavirus during the exhibition, ARTJOGs director and founder Heri Pemad said prior to the preview session last week. In previous years, previews usually already involved numerous invitees. People as well already crowded the area because the previews took place just hours before the official opening ceremonies of the whole festival. With only a maximum of 100 visitors a day, this years previews took a whole week. The visitors were also divided into two shifts, each for two hours of visit only. The first shift was from 10 a.m. to noon. The second was from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. For us, this also functions as a simulation before we open it to the public, Pemad said, adding that an evaluation would be made after the simulation to decide on the best measures to comply with COVID-19 health protocol while at the same time offering visitors a comfortable experience. This years event, dubbed ARTJOG: Resilience, was officially opened online on Aug. 8 and runs until Oct. 10, and the offline previews were scheduled only from Aug. 22 to 29. ARTJOG: Resilience is a special edition of the annual event that was previously scheduled to take place from July 23 to Aug. 2020 but was later postponed to 2021 because of the pandemic. This is an ARTJOG emergency response, said Pemad, adding that the management had decided to hold ARTJOG: Resilience only in June, thus leaving just some two months to prepare. The theme of the original event, dubbed ARTJOG MMXX Art in Common: Time to Wonder, according to Pemad, would actually have been quite fitting in the current situation. Yet, as it would have involved many people while creating crowds is not allowed, a special edition was prepared instead. This years event can also be enjoyed online through the website artjog.co.id, thanks to the pandemic. As such, filmmakers and videographers were involved in exploring the exhibition and the artworks displayed so as to offer the public a different way of enjoying an art event online. Agus Suwage's 'Droplet series - After Da Vinci' (JP/Sri Wahyuni) However, the organizer also wanted the event to not only take place virtually. A virtual visit is just not satisfying. Its like watching an animation, Pemad said, emphasizing the reason for the organizer to allow physical visits. ARTJOG: Resilience, according to Pemad, is a direct statement toward the current global crisis. It is presented as the spirit to keep going and testing the annual events endurance as a festival and at the same time representing the resilience and creativity of Indonesian artist. A total of 78 artists participate in the event, presenting some 140 artworks, most of which are two-dimensional. Among them are noted artists Nasirun, Heri Dono, Ivan Sagita, Agus Suwage, Lucia Hartini, Putu Sutawijaya, Djoko Pekik, Rudi Mantovani, Entang Wiharso, Nyoman Nuarta, Eddy Susanto and Jumaldi Alfi. Two-dimensional artworks are dominating, especially because of the limited time we had to prepare the event, ARTJOGs co-curator Bambang Toko Witjaksono said, adding that it was also for the same reason that this years event involved mostly local artists. He said in general the curatorial aspect in ARTJOG: Resilience aimed primarily to present the event as an activity that showed the artists endurance, toughness and response as a shared spirit to continue working amid the pandemic. This brought in some consequences, such as limiting participation to artists who were easy to reach, selecting no theme to enable old works to be presented, minimizing installation, mechanical and interactive artworks, and limiting the sizes of artworks. Agus Suwage's 'Droplet series - Tolak Bala - After DeLacroix' (JP/Sri Wahyuni) Old artworks were welcome more as a form of positive response from the artists toward the event, which was held at a time of pandemic that brought almost everything to a standstill. Exhibited artworks that were newly created for ARTJOG include Agus Suwages Droplet series Tolak Bala After DeLacroix (2020, oil on canvas, 200X225 cm) and Droplet series After Da Vinci, Djoko Pekiks Gelombang Masker (2020, oil on canvas, 150X250 cm), and Sunaryos When the Dancers Stay at Home (acrylic and charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, 160X200 cm). Many artists said they had more time during the pandemic, so that they could be more focused in working, he said, explaining why some artists had managed to create artworks for ARTJOG despite the limited time they had to prepare. Some programs, most of which are considered to have the potential of drawing crowds, are omitted from this years event. Others have been redesigned to be held online. These include several education programs, such as Curators Talk, Meet the Artists and webinars on art management. This is mostly to accommodate participants from outside the city and even abroad who cannot come to the venue because of the pandemic, ARTJOGs program manager Gading Paksi said. Some online programs, according to Gading, were also designed by maintaining the connection between the artists and the public. He was referring to Murakabi Movements Puisi Hening Cipta Ritual (Murakabi Movements Creative Ritual of Silent Poetry), which presents noted poet Joko Pinurbo and author-cum-theatre director Gunawan Maryanto, involving some 50 participants joining the program online from their respective places. The participants will be required to set up an altar in their respective places to build an intimate connection with the artists, Gading said. The public opening of ARTJOG: Resilience took place back on Sept. 7, and the visiting sessions fall into three two-hour shifts starting at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively. A maximum of 50 persons will be allowed in for each shift. The entrance tickets are also sold online. Nadia, an ARJOG regular of Yogyakarta, agreed with the restrictions, saying that, with only a few visitors in the exhibition venue, she could enjoy all the displayed works more comfortably, without frequently being disturbed by the presence of other visitors. And above all, this is for the best of all, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, said Nadia, who had come to the venue with her two grown-up daughters. 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. Burma Myanmar Military Questions Authenticity of Soldiers Confessions on Rakhine Atrocities A burnt down Rohingya residence in northern Rakhine State in September 2017. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy In the wake of two soldiers confessions that they took part in Myanmar army atrocities against Rohingya in 2017, a military spokesperson questioned the authenticity of the admissions and said they were probably made under duress. The confessions were reported by the New York Times, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Fortify Rights, based on the statements the men made on videos filmed in Myanmar this year by the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group warring with the government. On Wednesday, Myanmar military spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy that their confessions were not in line with what really happened on the ground. How can we make sure that they are telling the truth? he said. The major general didnt deny the fact that both men used to belong to the Myanmar army but said they were arrested by the AA in 2019. His comment was contrary to Fortify Rights claim that the two were deserters. Given the brutality the AA committed against their Rakhine people, you can guess the fate of the two soldiers. So, they probably made the statements under duress, he continued. The spokesperson said he didnt have any further comment as the military is conducting court martials on the atrocities against Rohingya as recommended by the government-backed Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) in the issue. The ICOE said early this year that the government security forces clearance operations in Rakhine didnt have genocidal intent, contradicting the findings of UN investigators. But it admitted that war crimes, serious human rights violations, and violations of domestic law took place against Rohingya. The credibility of the two Myanmar Army soldiers admissions of involvement in the armys atrocities against Rohingya seems weak in the eyes of law, added lawyers, who questioned whether the confessions were made under duress. U Thein Than Oo, a human rights lawyer said, The credibility of witnesses is controversial and it is unclear how this information was ascertained, citing the fact that the Arakan Army (AA) filmed the confessions. In the eyes of law, it is hard to consider them as independent witnesses, he said. If it were a high-ranking official seeking protection and asylum in another nation who became a witness, thats a different scenario, said the lawyer. Filmed by the AA in July and cited by Fortify Rights on Tuesday, the two former soldiers, Myo Win Tun, 33, from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 565 and Zaw Naing Tun, 30, from LIB 353, said they were involved in killing more than 180 Rohingya women, men, and children in Taung Buzar and surrounding villages in Buthidaung and five villages in Maungdaw during military operations in late 2017. The former also admitted to committing rape in Taung Buzar Village. The military clearance operations, in which disproportionate force was used, followed the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)s coordinated attacks on 30 police outposts on Aug. 25, 2017, which killed at least a dozen security personnel. The military operations caused a mass exodus of Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh. This is a monumental moment for Rohingya and the people of Myanmar in their ongoing struggle for justice, said Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at Fortify Rights. He added, These men could be the first perpetrators from Myanmar tried at the ICC, and the first insider witnesses in the custody of the court. We expect prompt action. Rights groups have made allegations against military generals regarding the atrocities against the Rohingya and are trying to bring them before the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC can proceed with the UN Security Councils intervention. Fortify Rights urged the ICC, where the two men were reported to be in custody, to swiftly prosecute two Myanmar Army soldiers, and suggested the court should facilitate witness protection for them. Fortify Rights said the two deserters arrived at Myanmars border with Bangladesh in mid-August and asked Bangladesh authorities for protection. Bangladesh officials then notified the ICC about their presence, and says they are no longer in Bangladesh, according to the group. But according to Reuters and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, ICC spokesman Fadi el Abdallah denied the men are in the courts custody. U Min Lwin Oo, a lawyer who used to work with the Asia Human Rights Commission, said it is true the Netherlands government has provided visas and accommodation, as the two privates are currently under a global witness protection program in The Hague. Besides the human rights groups efforts to bring the military generals to the ICC, Myanmar is facing lawsuits filed by Gambia alleging genocide against the Rohingya at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi defended the country against the charges in December. The lawyer said that as the ICJ rulings are not binding, an alternative is to continue trials at the ICC and bring justice to the victims of the human rights violations. But he said the soldiers verbal testimonies alone are inadequate for criminal proceedings and the evidence from on the ground needs to presented. Unless there is more credible evidence, it wont work, he said. He said the ICC could accept the case, and as Myanmar is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, Myanmar can choose whether to cooperate or not. Also, the observers said it is unclear whether these two soldiers confessions were obtained under duress. No one, except the AA and the privates, knows whether they are deserters or AA prisoners of war, said the lawyers. The AA, which is active along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border in northern Rakhine State and southern Chin State, said the two men are deserters, and filmed their accounts in July. Myo Win Tuns confession was made on July 23 and Zaw Naing Tuns confession on July 8 after they deserted in May and June respectively. The Irrawaddy viewed the privates videos shared on a video-sharing site but was not able to independently validate the soldiers accounts or ascertain whether they made their statements under pressure. U Aung Myo Min, a human rights advocate and the director of Equality Myanmar said, I wont comment on whether these videos confessions are credible. But to get credible information, witnesses should be free from duress. Their admissions were made in a conflict zone, where they were questioned by their former adversaries, so there might be some pressure for their survival or to get acceptance. We have had a lot of experience of deserters, or those who changed sides, saying anything to save their lives. As a lifelong human rights defender, he added, They should be freed from pressure. But if their families are left behind and face any pressure, they would feel pressure too. Therefore, it is very important to consider keeping their identities secret to protect their safety. However, even though they are only rank-and-file soldiers, this is the first time that Myanmar Army soldiers regarded as perpetrators have admitted wrongdoing, said U Aung Myo Min. You may also like these stories Myanmar Election Campaign Muted by COVID-19 Myanmars Main Opposition Party Accuses NLD of COVID-19 Rules Breach During Campaign Myanmar Reports 12th COVID-19 Death BEAVERTON, Ore., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Leanpath launches Leanpath Scout, a food waste tracking platform custom designed to fit in small spaces, achieve fast ROI even with lower food budgets and still deliver big food waste reduction. Leanpath Scout, a food waste tracking platform custom designed to fit in small spaces, achieve fast ROI even with lower food budgets and still deliver big food waste reduction Leanpath Scout, a food waste tracking platform custom designed to fit in small spaces, achieve fast ROI even with lower food budgets and still deliver big food waste reduction. Leanpath has met the needs of large foodservice operations with its Leanpath 360 line of robust tracking tools. Small operations have our tablet-based tracking tools. But mid-size facilities didn't have a "Goldilocks" solution that fit their particular needs, until now. And as production levels drop due to COVID-19, the need for a smaller, more cost-efficient solution has become paramount. "With Leanpath Scout, we are making automated food waste prevention technology attainable to even more of the foodservice industry," says Andrew Shakman. "COVID-19 has made it more important than ever for kitchens to control food waste to keep costs in line. With our suite of food waste tracking tools--now including Leanpath Scout--any kitchen of any size can take control of its food waste." Based on Leanpath data, low volume operations actually tend to generate higher rates of food waste. As the foodservice industry slowly reopens from COVID-19 shutdowns, lower volumes are expected for some time. Leanpath Scout is a small-footprint food waste Tracker with a connected scale, perfect for lower volume foodservice environments that still need the speed and ease of a fully integrated solution. While the 360 Bench and Floor scales are designed for the heavy volume generated in central and main kitchens, Leanpath Scout is ideal for satellite kitchens, including catering, and retail cafe kitchens. Leanpath is responding to the needs of a changing industry, because the importance of controlling food waste hasn't changed. Leanpath Scout is the second in a series of innovations the company is announcing that specifically address new industry realities brought on by the pandemic. Last month saw the launch of Leanpath Go, a new food waste Tracker designed to meet the needs of foodservice operations shifting to more grab-and-go menus due to social distancing requirements. About Leanpath Leanpath is a mission-driven technology company making food waste prevention and measurement everyday practice in the world's kitchens. Since 2014 alone, working in thousands of kitchens globally, Leanpath has prevented over 55 million pounds of food from being wasted. Offices are located in the U.S., U.K., Spain, and Australia. Media Contact: Sam Smith 971-279-8228 [email protected] https://www.leanpath.com/ SOURCE Leanpath Saudi Arabias trial over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi lacked transparency and accountability, a UN official said on Tuesday. A court in Riyadh on Monday issued its final verdicts, jailing eight people for involvement in Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul nearly two years ago. Five were handed 20-year-sentences and three others given jail terms of seven to 10 years. The names of the defendants were not made public. The trial has been widely panned by human rights experts for failing to hold accountable the government officials who allegedly orchestrated Khashoggi's murder. This is a case where there has not been proper transparency in the justice process, those responsible should be prosecuted and given sentences commensurate with the crime, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Rupert Colville said in Geneva Tuesday, according to Reuters. There is a whole issue of transparency and accountability in the case. On Oct. 2, 2018, Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to pick up paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. Turkish officials say a 15-man team of Saudi operatives inside the consulate then killed and dismembered Khashoggi, whose body was never recovered. Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, called the Saudi courts ruling on Monday a complete mockery of justice that didnt answer the most basic questions about who planned and ordered his murder. Before his death, the 59-year-old columnist was a vocal critic of the Saudi government, in particular Saudi Arabias de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The CIA later concluded that he had likely ordered the assassination. The Saudi government insists Khashoggi was killed in a rogue operation without the royal's direct knowledge. In a September 2019 interview with CBS, the crown prince denied giving the order, but said he took full responsibility. Last year, a United Nations investigation found that Saudi Arabia was responsible for the deliberate, premeditated execution of Khashoggi and that there was credible evidence to investigate the kingdoms crown prince and other top officials. UN Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial Killings, Agnes Callamard, said that the Saudi verdicts on Monday carried no legal or moral legitimacy. The high-level officials who organized and embraced the execution of Jamal Khashoggi have walked free from the start," Callamard wrote on Twitter. These verdicts cannot be allowed to whitewash what happened. TDT | Manama Bahraini investments in Egypt have amounted to about $3.2 billion through a total of 216 ventures, Bahraini Ambassador in Cairo and Arab League permanent representative Hisham bin Mohammed Al Jowder said yesterday. Ambassador Al Jowder was speaking as he participated in the first edition of the Bahrain-Egypt Investment Forum, held through visual communication technology. The event confirms the depth of ties between Bahrain and the sisterly Republic of Egypt in various fields, which maximizes economic relations and increases the volume of joint investments and trade. These follow the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the ambassador said. He highlighted that Bahrain is ranked 16th amongst countries investing in the Egyptian market, with a number of agreements established between the two countries. The Bahraini ambassador commented: We are currently working to activate initiatives aimed at strengthening economic cooperation between Manama and Cairo, based on the strength of political and strategic relations. There is an ambitious plan to increase the volume of trade. Ambassador Al Jowder indicated that the volume of intra-regional trade, with regards to the non-oil sector for the year 2019, amounted to $471 million. He pointed out that Egypt is ranked fifth, with 5.82 per cent, as a trade partner for Bahrain, with non-oil exports for 2019 valued at $356 million. On imports for 2019, Egypt ranked 25th as a commercial partner with the Kingdom at a rate of 0.70 per cent and a value of $93 million. He also indicated that the trade balance between the two countries, according to the latest statistics, reached $286 million, and the number of registered Bahraini companies with shareholders from Egypt reached 1,260. Ambassador Al Jowder stressed that there is an abundance of investment opportunities in both countries, and added that he is ready to meet with businessmen from either nation to provide all aspects of cooperation and support. He noted the importance of forming a committee to follow up on the mechanisms of increasing the volume of trade between the two countries. The Bahraini Ambassador indicated that economic relations between Bahrain and Egypt are characterised by deep, historic ties, which have only been strengthened since the establishment of Bahrains Embassy in Cairo in 1971 and the subsequent visits between leaders of the two countries. He explained that economic relations have succeeded through joint development projects in all fields, and affirmed that HM the King gives Egypt the utmost importance as it is a major artery for trade and investment. The Bahrain ambassador invited Egyptian businessmen to invest in Bahrain. He stressed that the Kingdom possesses all the necessary elements to attract foreign companies, being a key platform to reach other GCC markets. Unidentified motorcycle borne criminals shot dead a gym trainer near village Madaripur on Sakauti- Nanglee road in Uttar Pradeshs Meerut on Wednesday morning while he was returning home from his daily morning walk, police said. The deceased has been identified as Parvinder,45, of Sakauti in Daurala area of the district he also worked as a contractor. Circle officer of Daural area Sanjeev Dixit said that the incident occurred at 6.30 am when two motorcycle borne miscreants pumped five bullets into Parvinder who died on the spot. Efforts are underway to identify the criminals through CCTV footage and inputs of local residents, said Dixit as teams of Daurala police and officials rushed to the spot. The miscreants escaped and passerby informed the police . The body has been sent for the post mortem and a manhunt has been launched to identify and arrest criminals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai, Sep 9 : Actress Preity Zinta recalls the fun she had shooting with Saif Ali Khan for Salaam Namaste, which released 15 years ago on this day. Preity took to Instagram and shared how she used to steal Saif's bronzer. "SalaamNamaste has to be my most fun movie. Saif, @ArshadWarsi@jaavedjaaferi & Sid were a riot. I never laughed so much and yes I'm finally going to admit it-I stole most of Saif's bronzer When he was not looking of course. I still smile when I remember our Aussie summer," she tweeted. Along with it, she posted a video of the title track of the film. Saif and Preity have also worked together in "Kya Kehna", "Kal Ho Na Ho" and "Dil Chahta Hai". The real reason for bringing this to peoples attention is to say, Hey, if you notice this, this is why its happening and lets help you manage your dry eye while you continue to wear your mask, says Lyndon Jones, director of the University of Waterloos Center for Ocular Research and Education in Canada. We would hate for people to use this as an excuse to not wear their masks. The company signed a JV agreement with Coal India to set up 5000 Mw of solar and thermal projects. These projects are expected to commence between 2023 and 2027. NLC India, a Navratna company under the ministry of coal, is planning to invest over Rs 43,000 crore in various power and mining projects. The new projects will add 3,920 Mw of power, including 1,000 Mw solar power, and 11.50 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of mining capacity to the company. In 2019-20, the company added 1,209 Mw (total) and 17.5 Mw (solar) till June 30, 2020, and retired 400 Mw to its installed capacity. With this addition and retirement, the total installed capacity is now 4661.06 Mw. The proposed new projects include a 3X800 Mw power plant in Odisha, a 2X800 Mw thermal power plant, 2X660 Mw plant in Neyveli, 1,000 Mw solar power project, and an 11.50 MTPA mining project in Neyveli, according to the companys annual report. The company signed a joint venture agreement with Coal India to set up 5,000 Mw of solar and thermal projects. These projects are expected to commence operations between 2023 and 2027. Commissioning of the entire 709 Mw solar power projects is in Tamil Nadu. With the completion of these projects, the company has become the first central public sector enterprise (CPSE) in the country to achieve solar power generation capacity of more than 1 Gw. At the 20 Mw solar power project in Andaman & Nicobar island, 2.5 Mw was commissioned in December 2018 and the balance 17 Mw was commissioned on June 30, 2020. Meanwhile, the firm has decided to put 500 Mw capacity projects and 7 MTPA mining projects on hold. The power projects were supposed to be set up in Rajasthan, while the mining projects were supposed to come up in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. The company did not disclose the reason for this. On performance, during the year, total power generation (gross) of 219,22.98 million units (MU) and power export of 18,840.84 MU have been achieved in spite of power surrender of 19,45.71 MU witnessed from state discoms. The average plant load factor of the thermal plants during the year 2019-20 was 70.22 per cent against the national average of 55.99 per cent. In 2019-20, discoms had surrendered 1,945.71 MU against 1,891.47 MU in 2018-19. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters A husband and wife were shot in their Brooklyn apartment by flying stray bullets that entered through the third-floor window of their home. The couple was in their apartment in the Marcy Houses on Marcy and Park avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant when a shooting broke out just before 10.40pm on Tuesday. The shooter was firing indiscriminately at a gang rival on the street, police say. The shooter struck their target, a man, but at least eight shots missed him. A husband and wife were shot in their Brooklyn apartment by flying stray bullets that entered through the third-floor window of their home Tuesday night. They lived in the Marcy Houses on Marcy and Park avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant (above) 'He was a real maniac. He was shooting at the guy down the block,' one anonymous witness said to the New York Daily News. 'There were eight, nine shots before [the gunmans target] fell,' the source added. Bullets entered the couples home and struck the man, 42, in the wrist and the wife, 46, in the leg. Both were taken to Bellevue Hospital. The shooters intended target ran into another building in the complex and the shooter fled in an unknown direction. All three victims are expected to survive, and the shooter is on the loose, officials say. On Tuesday Mayor Bill de Blasio praised the Big Apple for what he claimed was an 'overwhelmingly peaceful' Labor Day weekend, despite gun arrests reaching a 25-year high last week Tuesday nights shooting was the third triple shooting in 10 hours in Brooklyn and Queens. The NYPD said the investigation is ongoing. New York City has seen an uptick in crime and shootings this year. A blood stained sidewalk and clothing are seen behind NYPD police tape, where according to local media reports five people were shot, including a 6-year-old boy, early Monday EMTs race to recover people from the Caribbean festival in Brooklyn on Saturday night where many were shot Michael Scully, 62, was shot dead in Bay Ridge on Monday morning walking his dogs at 6.50am On Tuesday Mayor Bill de Blasio praised the Big Apple for what he claimed was an 'overwhelmingly peaceful' Labor Day weekend, despite gun arrests reaching a 25-year high last week. There were also 37 shootings on Labor Day alone, including the murder of Michael Scully, a 62-year-old dog walker, in Bay Ridge. There were 160 gun arrests the week ending September 6, Commissioner Dermot Sea said during an interview on Tuesday morning. On Monday, there were 37 alone. By the end of August, there had been 1,004 shootings in New York City - nearly double the 537 there were last year. Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency in the Volta Region, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says the National Democratic Congress promise to open up the countrys legal education system will not compromise quality. Flagbearer of the party, John Mahama on September 7, 2020, promised to undertake vigorous legal educational reforms if is elected president on December 7. The promise, which was also captured in the NDC's 2020 manifesto, stated that an NDC government will: vigorously reform and expand access to professional legal education and provide opportunities to all qualified LLB holders by granting accreditation to certified law faculties to undertake the professional law qualification course. Clarifying the promise in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Ablakwa, noted that the next NDC government will, among other things, establish a Legal Education Council to ensure that quality is guaranteed. On the matter of legal education, if you look at our rendition, we have been more nuanced. Were not just siding with students, wholesale, and saying let everyone go and lets throw quality and gatekeeping to the dogs. We know that there is a need to expand access but we must maintain standards. So we are talking about the possibility of establishing some Legal Education Council like the National Council for Tertiary Education and National Accreditation Board that deals with quality at the tertiary level. We will find a fine balance between increasing access and making sure students get access and at the same time ensure quality to avoid producing lawyers without the credibility that they deserve. We believe that the current status quo is not the best, not the way to go and there is the need to open up and reforms are certainly needed at this point, the legislator said. Calls for reforms in legal education Consistent mass failures recorded in exams at the Ghana School of Law coupled with challenges in gaining admission to the school have triggered calls for serious reforms in legal education in Ghana. A Supreme Court Justice, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi had earlier added his voice to calls for reforms in the country's legal education system. I take the view that legal education needs structural reforms. I believe so. You have a system that was designed 60 years ago that has not substantially been reengineered. It is bound to have problems. Populations have increased, the democracy and the rule of law have come to stay Therefore the appetite for studying law is inevitable in addition to population and in addition to numbers then. I think we need to have a more comprehensive study of the problem and make recommendations for meeting them, he added. ---citinewsroom Progressive insurgent Jamaal Bowman hopped on a Congressional Black Caucus call in late July to introduce himself to the group. It could have been awkward. Bowman, who is Black, had recently knocked out Rep. Eliot Engel, a white incumbent backed prominently by the CBC, in a heated New York Democratic primary. But they simply exchanged pleasantries on the call and the CBC moved on to the business of the week. The next day though, Bowman outraged some members in the Black Caucus after he endorsed another Black progressive challenger Cori Bush against longtime Rep. Lacy Clay, a CBC member whose father had been a co-founder of the storied group. Bowman along with Bush, who soon triumphed over Clay for the Missouri seat his family has held for decades represents a new class of Democrats eager to upend deep-rooted dynamics in Congress before ever stepping foot on Capitol Hill. And with several Black progressives expected to win in November, pressure will rise on the CBC to embrace the leftward swing of its newest additions and their challenge to the broader party establishment. Longtime members have already started to privately fret over just how the CBC will be forced to evolve in the next Congress and how that will shape a group that has long been a central power in House politics. The thing about the Black Caucus is that it will adapt, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), a senior member of the CBC, said in an interview, as he dismissed concerns. We reflect America. We welcome change, you got to adapt. Well continue to do that to change when its necessary. FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2017 file photo, Cori Bush speaks on a bullhorn to protesters outside the St. Louis Police Department headquarters in St. Louis. Few members of Congress are more entrenched than William Lacy Clay of St. Louis, but Bush, a once-homeless woman spurred to activism in Ferguson believes she could be the next Democrat to pull off a big primary upset. Bush watched in June as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shocked the political establishment by beating 10-term Rep. Joseph Crowley in the New York Democratic primary. Bush is optimistic heading into Missouri's Aug. 7 primary. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson File) The CBC has already undergone seismic changes over the past year, reeling from the deaths of icons John Lewis and Elijah Cummings. And with Clay voted out, the institutional knowledge of the CBC will be further depleted next Congress. Several members said they are anxious to see whats next. Seniority and deference to party elders, bedrock values of the 50-year-old caucus, have started to slowly erode. And primary challenges, currently taken as a personal affront to any incumbent, may soon become the norm. Story continues In an interview, Bowman said progressives like himself and Bush are emboldened to take their fight to Congress including within the CBC if necessary as the nation faces overlapping crises amid a pandemic, economic devastation and police killings of unarmed Black people. The organizing has already been happening. Its been happening in the streets across this country. Thats why Cori was able to win her election. That organizing is going to continue when we get to Congress, Bowman said. When you see Coris victory in Missouri, its a clear indication that people are demanding something different. ... Its a cry for change, its a cry for systemic change. Its very exciting, and thats not going away. Not everyone is seriously concerned about the prospect of change. CBC staffers say the group is not a monolith with members from downtown Los Angeles to rural upstate New York and that any new voices will only amplify the caucus' influence in Congress. And a senior aide close to the caucus echoed the thoughts of younger members in the group, saying its probably time for the CBC to shake the dust off. Others argue no matter who joins the CBC, it will have more power than ever next Congress if Joe Biden wins the White House. Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, a former CBC chair, is co-chair of the Biden campaign and acts as a key liaison to Capitol Hill. And House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the highest-ranking African American in Congress, is close to the former vice president and nearly single-handedly engineered his comeback this year by securing Bidens victory in the South Carolina primary. Speaker Nancy Pelosi also doesnt make a move without first consulting the CBC usually through Clyburn and the caucus isnt afraid to harness its power as a voting bloc to hold enormous sway over legislation, committee assignments and leadership races. The group played a critical role this summer as Pelosi and the rest of the Democratic Caucus looked to the CBC to lead the response to the nationwide uprising against systemic racism and police brutality. But the tensions that could roil the caucus in the coming months have already started bubbling up this summer. CBC members were angered by Bowmans decision to back Bush just a day after introducing himself to the caucus, according to multiple lawmakers and aides. Jamaal Bowman won in a primary challenge, his spokesperson, Rebecca Katz, said in a statement when asked about the controversy. Why wouldnt he support other primary challengers if theyre making a good case for new leadership and they share a similar agenda to him? FILE - In this, March 19, 2018, file photo, New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres addresses a news conference in New York. Torres, 32, who was raised in a Bronx public housing complex and won his City Council seat at age 25, said it isn't his place to tell other candidates to drop out, but warned that The CBC has also found itself on the defensive amid rising forces on the left. The caucus faced backlash from progressive groups over its long-standing practice of endorsing white incumbents whove been strong allies to the CBC in races against Black primary challengers, including this summer's fierce battle between Engel and Bowman. And Ritchie Torres, who won an open New York primary in a safe Democratic seat, blasted the caucus in a Washington Post op-ed for its informal policy barring members from joining both the CBC and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. CBC Chair Karen Bass later expressed openness to Torres joining both caucuses but several CBC members are still annoyed at how Torres used a public op-ed to make his case rather than first privately discussing the issue with his future colleagues. Next year, the roughly 50-member CBC could usher in a half-dozen or more members, a stark generational shift for an institution that is skewing younger and more liberal. Still, its senior members who are deeply respected within the broader Democratic Party argue that the groups vision wont be fundamentally altered simply by the jolt of next years freshman class. Ive heard some of the newer people saying, Im going to go in and change the Democratic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus. Of course, weve heard that many times before, said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, who has served in the House since 2005. I think people forget the CBC is progressive. Its very existence speaks to progressiveness, Cleaver added. I dont think there is any chance that somebody is going to come in and alter the direction of the Black Caucus. The ideological gap between some progressives and the broader CBC was made apparent this summer during the debate on policing reform. A draft of the Democrats response, largely crafted by Bass, was widely praised by lawmakers in the Capitol, but was dismissed by some outside activists as falling short of the structural overhaul they say is needed to halt police shootings of Black Americans. Bowman described the Democrats bill as very good policy, but said it doesnt go as far as many of us would like to see. Bush, the progressive who defeated Clay in Missouri, has said the bill is too soft and needs to include language defunding the police. Bass herself has said she wished the Democratic policing bill passed by the House could be more expansive in certain areas but said she needed to limit the scope in an attempt to seek compromise, telling POLITICO in June: Personally, I always want to do more. But again, I want to be successful with the legislation." Going forward, Bowman said he hopes to see the CBC and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus partner with the Congressional Progressive Caucus to push back against a system that has disproportionately undermined people of color. Many in the older generation of CBC members pride themselves on breaking barriers to make it to Congress, but so can some of the likely incoming lawmakers. Two progressives, Torres and Mondaire Jones, are poised to become the first pair of openly gay Black men elected to Congress after winning primaries in New York City. Torres and another candidate Candace Valenzuela, who is running for an open seat in Texas would become among the first Afro-Latinos in Congress. Long-standing tradition had previously kept lawmakers from joining both the Black and Hispanic caucuses. Torres, who is all but certain to win a Bronx-based seat in November, ripped the antiquated rule in his op-ed. But he struck a less forceful tone in an interview: I intend to join the Congressional Progressive Caucus and I will seek to join both the CHC and CBC to the extent that I can. And he said he didnt have any plans to push the CBC leftward, even as he personally will advocate for progressive, New Deal-like policies on health care and jobs. Im in no position to judge the progressive bona fides of the Black Caucus, Torres said. Laura Barron-Lopez contributed to this report. Prudes death continued to roil Rochesters department, with seven police officers suspended from the citys force and New Yorks attorney general saying she would impanel a grand jury as part of an ongoing investigation. Then came the abrupt twin retirements on Tuesday of Police Chief LaRon Singletary and Deputy Chief Joseph Morabito, who joined a growing cadre of top police officials who have stepped down or have been forced out in cities where protest and outcry about the nations policing have not subsided. Chiefs in Atlanta, Louisville and Seattle lost their jobs or resigned amid the public outcry, and also on Tuesday, the police chief in Dallas announced her plans to step down later this year. In this Feb. 14, 2019 file photo, people stand in the lobby for Amazon offices in New York. While other companies are shrinking, Amazon is growing. The company said Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, that it is seeking to hire 33,000 people for corporate and tech roles in the next few months (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) Amazon is on a hiring spree. In the latest sign of how it's prospering while others are faltering during the pandemic, Amazon said Wednesday it is seeking to bring aboard 33,000 people for corporate and tech roles in the next few months. It's the largest number of job openings it's had at one time, and the Seattle-based online behemoth said the hiring is not related to the jobs it typically offers ahead of the busy holiday shopping season. Amazon can afford to grow its workforce: It is one of the few companies that has thrived during the coronavirus outbreak. People have turned to it to order groceries, supplies and other items online, helping the company bring in record revenue and profits between April and June. That came even though it had to spend $4 billion on cleaning supplies and to pay workers overtime and bonuses. Demand has been so high, Amazon has struggled to deliver items as fast as it normally does and had to hire 175,000 more people to help pack and ship orders in its warehouses. Walmart and Target have also seen sales soar during the pandemic. But other retailers have had a rougher time. J.C. Penney, J.Crew and Brooks Brothers have all gone bankrupt. And Lord & Taylor, which has been in business for nearly 200 years, recently said it will be closing its stores for good. Companies across other industries have announced buyouts or layoffs, including Coca-Cola and American Airlines. In August, the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 8.4% from 10.2% the month before, but hiring growth slowed, with the country adding 1.4 million jobs last month compared to 1.7 million in July. Others are hiring, too. UPS said Wednesday that it plans to bring in 100,000 people to help it deliver packages during the busy holiday season, which is about the same amount of people it hired last year. Amazon said its corporate and tech jobs, whose average pay is $150,000 a year, will be centered around Amazon's offices across the country, including Denver, New York, Phoenix and its hometown of Seattle. The new hires will work from home at first, but the company said it does want employees to return to the office eventually. Ardine Williams, Amazon's vice president of workforce development, said plans to build a second headquarters near Washington, D.C., are going as planned, despite the pandemic, with 1,000 workers already hired. To fill the 33,000 jobs, Amazon said will hold an online career fair Sept. 16 to collect resumes and give people a chance talk to a recruiter. Those not interested in a job at Amazon can also get resume help, the company said. Jane Oates, president of the nonprofit WorkingNation and a former assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor, said that Amazon is different from other companies in that it's thinking about its future workforce. For example, it announced a program last year to retrain 100,000 of its workers for tech jobs by 2025. "They're not only looking for the jobs that need to be done today, they're also looking at what's next," she said. At an in-person Amazon career fair last year, about 17,000 people showed up and the company said it received more than 200,000 applications for 30,000 jobs. In July, the company said its workforce topped 1 million worldwide for the first time, making it the second-biggest U.S.-based private employer behind Walmart Inc. Explore further Amazon to add 10,000 jobs in Seattle suburb 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. If anything, the events of this year have focused everyones attention on the many racial and social inequities in our city and our nation, many of which can be addressed through legal action," said Curtis B. Toll, managing shareholder for the Philadelphia office. For the second consecutive year, global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP stands in contention for the annual Trailblazing Partner Award from Philadelphia VIP, a leading citywide legal pro bono services organization. As a 2020 finalist, the firm has been recognized for its exemplary commitment to the Philadelphia VIP mission to deliver pro bono civil-related legal services to city residents, nonprofits, and small businesses that otherwise could not afford them. The virtual awards ceremony will take place on Sept. 17. If anything, the events of this year have focused everyones attention on the many racial and social inequities in our city and our nation, many of which can be addressed through legal action. Were prouder than ever to play an active role in helping to craft those solutions, said Curtis B. Toll, managing shareholder for the Philadelphia office. Pro bono work, social action, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion are as embedded in the DNA of this firm as high quality legal services and exemplary client service are, Toll said. To again be named as a finalist for this award is a gratifying recognition of our commitment to help ensure equal justice under the law, as embodied in the efforts of our lawyers and business. Attorneys in the Philadelphia office engage in and handle a range of discrete pro bono matters for Philadelphia VIP clients. The firm also has partnered with the organization in presenting a legal clinic designed to aid small businesses citywide. With 30 U.S. offices and 10 offices throughout the world, GTs Global Pro Bono Program isnt a one-size-fits-all model, said Caroline J. Heller, who leads the firms Pro Bono Program. Each office tailors its efforts to address the legal needs of those most vulnerable in its community. GTs Philadelphia office is an outstanding example, dedicated to supporting its neighbors and communities through robust pro bono work and civic engagement, she added. Greenberg Traurig lawyers were among the 1,600 volunteers working with Philadelphia VIP to address critical legal challenges of more than 3,700 individuals and families this year alone. In just two short years, the terrific team at Greenberg Traurig has become an essential partner for VIP and our clients, said Rida Haq, interim executive director of Philadelphia VIP. Their attorneys are always at the ready to take a wide array of casesfrom preventing homelessness to promoting community economic developmentand fearlessly dive into the most complex of matters when needed. Founded in 1981 and renamed in 1986, Philadelphia VIP arose from the Philadelphia Bar Associations pro bono program. It serves as a nonprofit hub to recruit, train, support, and match volunteer attorneys with low-income residents embroiled in civil legal problems that impact their housing, education, health, employment, or financial stability. For details on the awards ceremony, click here. Since its founding, Greenberg Traurigs Philadelphia office has cultivated relationships with local legal organizations that support vulnerable and marginalized people seeking justice, including the Philadelphia Public Interest Law Center, Pennsylvania Innocence Project, Womens Law Project, Women Against Abuse, and many others. About Greenberg Traurig Philadelphia: Founded in 1997, Greenberg Traurigs Philadelphia office is home to some 50 attorneys whose practices include Real Estate, Public Finance, Litigation, Labor & Employment, Environmental, Government Law & Policy, Restructuring & Bankruptcy, White Collar Defense & Special Investigations, Corporate & Securities, Intellectual Property, Immigration & Compliance, Investment Regulation, and Tax. The Philadelphia office represents clients in the manufacturing, health care, real estate, energy, financial, and insurance industries, state and local governments, professional service, and energy firms and individuals. About Greenberg Traurigs Pro Bono Program: Greenberg Traurig lawyers across the firm provide pro bono legal services to the indigent and working poor, as well as to numerous civic and charitable organizations dedicated to assisting them. The firm focuses its resources on specialized and interrelated issues including civil rights and affirmative action, anti-human trafficking, family law matters, criminal appeals, immigration and political asylum, housing, and homelessness. About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2,100 attorneys in 41 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. Kentucky congressman against mandates says he has COVID-19 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. British fighter jets and a warship have deployed to the Arctic Circle amid concerns Russia is exploiting new shipping lanes that are emerging as the ice caps melt. Two RAF Typhoons and the Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland were sent to the High North to assert freedom of navigation rights. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said British forces were in the Barents Sea and as close as 50 nautical miles from the Russian coast. The Russian navys Northern Fleet is based in nearby Severomorsk. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mr Wallace accused Russia of unlawfully asking countries to clear their route 48 hours before transiting the Barents Sea. And he revealed that the High North will now become a normal area of operations for the Navys surface fleet. Speaking from the Gulf, Mr Wallace said: With the thawing of the passageways up at the High North, over the last few years it has got more contested. HMS Sutherland (front), USS Ross (right) RAS (Replenishment at sea) with RFA Tidespring (back, left) while operating together in Northern Waters Crew members of HMS Sutherland help conduct RSA while operating with USS Ross and RFA Tidespring in Northern Waters 'The reason some of this has become more contentious is if it becomes a more substantial shipping route, it has the potential of cutting transit time from China to Europe by almost half. He said the new routes were therefore very lucrative, but for some countries it was an opportunity to inappropriately challenge the norms of navigation. The Russians are experimenting with new weapon systems and new submarines and for us it is in our interest to make sure we protect the northern approaches to Europe and our own homeland. Being forward of your own homeland is one way to make sure you protect that. Pictured: The HMS Sutherland during operations with the USS Ross and RFA Tidespring off the North Coast of Scotland The principle of upholding international maritime law is very important for a country like Britain, which seeks to trade and represent free trade. He said the deployment was not designed to be provocative, adding: It is just enlarging what we do, being more present and more forward. An MoD spokesman said: The High North is witnessing a change in its security environment and represents a key area of interest for the UK. Recent Russian attempts to control freedom of access and navigation in the region are of concern to the UK and our partners. The UK is leading a multi-national task group of warships and aircraft in the Barents Sea. HMS Sutherland, supported by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Tidespring, commanded a task group comprising the US Navys Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Ross and the Norwegian frigate Thor Heyerdahl. The area where they are operating in conditions close to freezing is considered one of the worlds most challenging environments. The ships undertook training to develop their abilities to work together while asserting our nations commitment to upholding peace in the region, the MoD said. More than 1,200 military personnel from the three nations took part, supported by US P-8 Poseidon and Danish Challenger maritime patrol aircraft, along with RAF Typhoons and a refuelling tanker. The operation is the first time the UK has operated Typhoons in the High North. HMS Sutherland led the ships through a series of exercises, testing their abilities to conduct surface and anti-submarine warfare. Commander Tom Weaver, task group leader and commanding officer of HMS Sutherland, said: It has been thoroughly rewarding to operate in the High North. This operation has been an amazing opportunity to hone the skills of my ships company, not only in this challenging and demanding environment but also to work more closely with key allies in an incredibly important region. Troops stranded by minister's plane Hundreds of British troops heading home after six months in Estonia were delayed when their plane was handed over to the Defence Secretary. Ben Wallace was scheduled to fly to the Middle East this week but his 150million RAF Voyager air transporter broke down. He was then given a plane meant to fly 200 Fusiliers to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire after their peace-keeping tour of Estonia. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (centre) arrives to attend a Cabinet Meeting in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Central London, Britain, 01 September 2020 It meant that the troops got home on Tuesday, a day later than planned, with relatives furious at the delay. Mr Wallace was not made aware of the original plans for the plane and defence sources said he would have prioritised the troops had he known. A military source said: He is livid this decision was made on his behalf and he would never have done this on purpose. The unnamed partner of one soldier said she was heartbroken by the 28-hour delay. She said: The Defence Secretarys flight broke down in Estonia and he took their flight because he needed a private plane. Theyre angry and upset. No one can believe it. 'I have a baby who hasnt seen its dad in six months. 'Im sure other people have children who thought their dads were coming home. Its so selfish. The parents of an eight-year-old girl who was the youngest person killed in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 have called for transparency as the public inquiry into the terror attack begins. Saffie Roussos was one of 22 people killed by suicide bomber Salman Abedi at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. The public inquiry to investigate the events before, during and after the attack begins on Monday and will be held in a specially converted room in the Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court building. It will examine alleged failures to prevent the bombing, as it was revealed that Abedi was known to security service and had been put under active investigation over terrorist links twice. However, when he travelled back to the UK from Libya four days before the attack, no alert was triggered. Saffies parents, Andrew and Lisa Roussos, called for answers about how the aftermath of the attack was handled and raised concerns about transparency during the inquiry. Mr Roussos told the BBC: All I hear is lessons learned, but lessons havent been learned, and lessons will never be learned unless we get that transparency and honesty from the people involved to get the answers that we need. He suggested that a barrister from each of the six firms representing the bereaved families be allowed to remain in the hearing. Obviously youre having to put your full trust in the (inquiry) chairman, said Mr Roussos. But this inquiry is not about trust, it should be about transparency, and I feel that we wont get that without having a representative in the room. Mrs Roussos was in the arena with her daughter when the attack took place, and was temporarily paralysed due to her injuries. She told the BBC the worst thing for her was that Saffie and the other victims could have been saved. How could they leave injured people in the arena for hours? Its just madness, she said. I remember lying there thinking help will be here soon and in the end it felt like I was lying there for hours. Experts today told the inquiry there were missed opportunities to identify Abedi as a suicide bomber print to the attack, as he was reported to police and security in the minutes before detonating his bomb, but no action was taken. One member of the public spotted Abedi wearing a large back pack and thought he was praying, less than an hour before he detonated his bomb, and another told a British Transport Police officer, the inquiry was told. Additional reporting by PA Customers queue to enter Marks & Spencer, who have announced job losses during the CCP virus lockdown, in York, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2020. (Ian Forsyth/Getty Images) British Businesses Planned 300,000 Layoffs in June and July Amid CCP Virus Crisis While Britain continued to tackle the CCP virus pandemic that all but halted travel and closed shops, pubs, and restaurants, British firms were planning to cut 300,000 jobs, according to data obtained by the BBC under a freedom of information (FOI) request. The 300,000 figure revealed by the BBC on Tuesday is based on data submitted to the government under a legal requirement to do so from companies planning 20 or more redundancies. The information about planned job cuts comes before the next official government quarterly statistics and may highlight, ahead of time, the likely job losses to be expected later in the year. An exterior view of the Job Centre Plus office in Westminster in London, England, on Sept. 8, 2011. (Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images) According to the data obtained under the BBCs FOI request, 1,888 employers planned for 156,000 job losses in June, six times more than in June 2019, while 1,784 companies planned almost 150,000 job losses in July, nearly seven times than in July 2019. The potentially bleak outlook for jobs posed by the figures echoes Britains Chancellor Rishi Sunak foreseeing a very difficult and uncertain time ahead when speaking to the BBC last month. He said that not absolutely everybody can and will be able to go back to the job they had, and made no indication of varying the October deadline for the end of the governments Job Retention Scheme and other measures that have protected millions of jobs and paid out billions in loans and grants to businesses during the lockdown put in place to slow the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Contracted Economy The UK economy contracted in the second quarter of this year by 20.4 percent, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This contraction reflects the hundreds of thousands of British job cuts during the CCP virus pandemic. Despite the job cuts, government unemployment figures remained stable at 3.9 percent in the second quarterthe same as in the corresponding quarter last year, according to the ONS. This stability in unemployment figures, however, is only technical, and is mainly due to those people covered by the governments job protection measures not being counted in the unemployed figures despite not actually being in work. Plan for Jobs The government has said that they will continue supporting jobs going forward. We are continuing to support livelihoods and incomes through our Plan for Jobs to ensure that nobody is left without hope or opportunity, a government spokesperson told the BBC on Tuesday. This includes a 1,000 retention bonus for businesses that can bring furloughed employees back to work, he said. The government plans come after many job cuts in the already fragile retail sector. Retail firms that have recently cut large numbers of jobs include Marks & Spencer, Boots, Dixons Carphone, WH Smith, and John Lewis. Hammer Blow The effect of the coronavirus lockdown came on top of retails existing problems. It has been a hammer blow against the sector, The Centre for Retail Research said in a statement on Monday. Some new retail jobs, however, have been announced amid the CCP virus crisis. Tesco, for example, said last month that they will be creating 16,000 permanent jobs. A store sign for Tesco, who have announced new jobs during lockdown, is pictured in central London, England on Jan. 14, 2008. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images) The planned new jobs are due to a rapid surge in Tescos online business during lockdown, and in April the retail giant became the first retailer to fulfill a million online grocery orders in a single week. Tesco also said it plans to offer 1,000 places to young people as part of the UK governments Kickstart scheme announced by Sunak in July to provide funding to employers to create job placements for 16 to 24-year-olds. Blunt Instrument Other sectors hit hard by the CCP virus crisis include travel and tourism. Matthew Fell, the cheif UK policy director for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), acknowledged the need for lockdown but highlighted the damage done to trade and the need for a targeted approach going forward. Quarantining has been necessary to help contain the virus, but it is a blunt instrument that has damaging effects on trade and tourism alike, he said in statement on Tuesday. The move to regional travel corridors is a positive step towards what must be a more targeted approach. Industry and government must continue to work together on vital next steps, such as the introduction of testing at airports as a genuine alternative to lengthy quarantine periods, he said. NITZANEI OZ, Israel and OSAKA, Japan, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NanoLock Security, the market leader of ironclad protection for IoT and connected edge devices, today announces its commercial collaboration with OPTAGE, a leading Japanese service provider and subsidiary of the Kansai Electric Power Company to power a new nationwide service offering to cyber-protect, update, and manage connected devices across Japan. The daughter company of KEPCO, a Kansai area electricity company, OPTAGE provides network solutions and data center services to a wide variety of companies, from enterprises to SOHOs. For their new offering, OPTAGE has chosen the solution from Israeli cybersecurity innovator, NanoLock Security as the foundation for their managed service. As a cyber company well-known for its powerful technology that can work with all devices regardless of CPU or operating system, NanoLock brings innovative and patented device-level protection and management to OPTAGE's new service, providing device monitoring, alerts, and version upgrades, as well as enabling secure over-the-air updates. A new kind of managed cybersecurity service, OPTAGE's offering will increase the security of IoT and connected devices while also reducing operational costs for device makers, OEMs, utilities, and industrial companies across Japan. With the IoT security market in Japan targeted to value $1.5 billion (170B) by 2025, the industry is in dire need of a service that can protect the rapidly growing infrastructure of connected devices from rising cybersecurity threats. This new service, offered by OPTAGE and founded on NanoLock Security's powerful security-as-service protection and management solution, is targeting millions of connected devices nationwide in Japan, including smart meters, smart locks, routers, and cameras. Serving device-makers and organizations in Japan, the service offering is predicted to target millions of devices by 2023, providing robust protection to increase security in Japan. "This new service from OPTAGE commences a revolution in IoT security for Japan," says Toshiro Tachibana, Representative Director, OPTAGE Inc. "The Japanese-Israeli collaboration between OPTAGE and NanoLock has created a new embedded security-as-a-service that will improve the way device makers and organizations protect, update, manage, and future-proof their connected devices, and we are thrilled to collaborate with NanoLock on this new approach to IoT security." "Our collaboration with OPTAGE proves that our solution isn't just for cyber protection; rather the NanoLock solution empowers service providers to create new managed security-as-a-service offerings, enabling them to offer new services and build new revenue streams," says Eran Fine, CEO, NanoLock Security. "With the service quality of OPTAGE leveraging the cyber power of NanoLock, this new solution is a 'best service, best security,' one-of-a-kind technology." "The cooperation between a leading company in the Japanese market and an Israeli technology is an impressive model that we believe in and are active in the background to assist its success," says Yafa Ben-Ari, Israeli Ambassador to Japan. "The need for advanced cyber solutions for the IoT world, such as NanoLock's offering, and the ability of these two companies to bridge the cultural and geographical gaps, is the basis for a successful and impressive cooperation." Noa Asher, Minister and Head of Economic Mission at the Israel Embassy in Tokyo added, "We have been assisting NanoLock in the Japanese market for a few years now and have witnessed the interest of Japanese device manufacturers and system integrators in Nanolock's unique solution. We are happy to congratulate NanoLock and OPTAGE for their partnership and believe that together they could be leaders of the IOT market in Japan." The new service offering from OPTAGE, founded on NanoLock's solution, will be commercially available for products in Japan in Q1 2021, and pilots with Japanese customers are expected during 2020. About NanoLock Security NanoLock Security is an ironclad, device-level protection and management solution that is disrupting edge device security with IoT and connected devices protection against outsider, insider, and supply chain cyberattacks, by securing the entire chain of vulnerability, from the device to the cloud. NanoLock's solution provides secured and managed firmware updates, reliable status and alerts, and unique forensic dataall with a lightweight, zero power, processing, and memory footprint. Protecting critical edge devices against a wide range of persistent attacks, NanoLock's robust protection and device-level visibility and control are crucial to the success of industries like smart cities, utilities, automotive, industrial, and more. NanoLock is working with major utilities, industrial companies, and large ecosystem partners in Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Singapore, Netherlands, the U.S., and Israel. NanoLock is headquartered in Israel with offices in the US, Europe and Japan. Learn more about NanoLock at www.nanolocksecurity.com , follow NanoLock on Twitter and LinkedIn , and sign up for The Lockdown, NanoLock's e-newsletter, for information on upcoming events, news, and an authoritative perspective on cybersecurity at www.nanolocksecurity.com/newsletter . Press Contact: Caster Communications, Inc., 401-792-7080 [email protected] SOURCE NanoLock Security Women Face Hate Crime Charges for Stealing MAGA Hat From Boy in Front of His Mother Two women are facing hate crime charges after harassing a Trump supporter and taking a Make America Great Again hat from her 7-year-old son outside the Democratic National Convention in Wilmington, Delaware. A grand jury on Tuesday indicted Olivia Winslow and Camryn Amy, both 21 and from Wilmington, on felony charges of robbery, conspiracy, and hate crimes and a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child. Amy was also indicted on misdemeanor charges of assaulting a man who tried to get the hat back, attempting to assault the Trump-supporting mother, and offensive touching of the boy. Outside the DNC Convention tonight, radical leftists attacked a 7 year old boy. Why? Because he was simply showing his support for President @realDonaldTrump. Truly shameful.pic.twitter.com/rBFzlg2WFu Students For Trump (@TrumpStudents) August 21, 2020 At the beginning of a video widely circulated on social media, Winslow and Amy were seen tearing political signs apart near the parking lot of a restaurant in Wilmington, a few hundred feet from Chase Center, where part of the Democratic Convention was held. The video then shows Winslow picking up a red MAGA hat off the ground and threw it. Amy, after picking the hat up again, started to walk away despite the Trump supporters demand to return the hat. A young boy, frightened, chased after the duo, saying, Thats somebody elses hat, and told his mother to call 911. Later in the video, Amy apparently punched a man in his face who tried to retrieve the hat, which she threw over a fence. Violence in any form is unacceptable, but harming another personlet alone a childbecause of the expression of their views betrays the principles on which our country was founded, said Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings, a Democrat, in a statement released to The News Journal. Free speech, free assembly, and free expression are sacred, no matter whether we agree with the opinions expressed, and especially when we dont. The three felony charges, with the hate crime charge carrying the most severe penalty, can collectively result in a punishment of 15 years in prison, according to The News Journal. The video was first posted to social media by the conservative group Students For Trump. It has been viewed millions of times in about three weeks and was shared by Donald Trump Jr. Right before these two @JoeBiden supporters ASSAULTED 7-year-old Riley outside of the DNC National Convention, they threw coffee at me when I questioned them about President Trump. Charges will be filed! pic.twitter.com/jQuo4NAEzx Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) August 23, 2020 A separate video posted by Students For Trump captured an earlier exchange between the duo and a female Trump supporter, who asked them why they are voting for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden instead of President Donald Trump. Winslow eventually launched her iced coffee from inside the car in an attempt to hit the woman before Amy drove the vehicle from the scene. What can be done about Washington County's high SUIDs rate? Washington County has the highest rate of sudden, unexpected infant deaths in the state for 2015-2019. What can be done to prevent it? HALIFAX, NS, Sept. 9, 2020 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to building a clean energy future to strengthen the economy, create good jobs and support the natural resource sectors. This commitment will be more important than ever as we reopen the economy and plan our recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, on behalf of the Honourable Seamus O'Regan, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, accompanied by Lenore Zann, Member of Parliament for CumberlandColchester, today announced a $9.4-million investment in four tidal energy projects that will bring clean energy technologies to the Atlantic region and help Canada build a cleaner future. Tidal energy is a renewable energy generated by ocean tides and currents. It has the potential to significantly reduce Canada's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve local air quality by displacing electricity generated from fossil fuels. The announcement took place following a tour of the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy's facilities in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. The investments are: $4 million to Nova Innovation to build a tidal turbine array using sub-sea tidal technology in Petit Passage in the Bay of Fundy. to Nova Innovation to build a tidal turbine array using sub-sea tidal technology in Petit Passage in the Bay of Fundy. $1.58 million to the University of Manitoba , in partnership with SOAR Sustainable Oceans Applied Research, to advance research on river hydrokinetic and in-stream tidal energy technologies in the Canadian context. to the , in partnership with SOAR Sustainable Oceans Applied Research, to advance research on river hydrokinetic and in-stream tidal energy technologies in the Canadian context. $2 million to Offshore Energy Research Association of Nova Scotia to research an environmental effects monitoring solution for the instream tidal energy industry in Canada , including fish and marine mammal interactions with tidal devices. to Offshore Energy Research Association of to research an environmental effects monitoring solution for the instream tidal energy industry in , including fish and marine mammal interactions with tidal devices. $2 million to Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy to outline a plan to assess the encounter risk for fish with tidal devices and create a tool to support the regulatory authorization process for tidal energy projects. The tidal energy risk assessment program involves participation from multiple partners, including Acadia University , Marine Renewables Canada, Mi'kmaw Conservation Group, Ocean Tracking Network at Dalhousie University and Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy. The first project was funded through Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan) Energy Innovation Program, which provides support to projects reducing emissions, including GHGs, through research, development and demonstration of clean energy technologies, with the aim of meeting 2050 clean growth targets. The second project was funded through NRCan's Clean Growth Program, which invests in clean technology research and development projects in Canada's energy, mining and forest sectors. The program is a $155-million investment fund that helps natural resource sectors and innovators come together to accelerate the development of clean technologies that reduce the impacts on air, land and water while enhancing competitiveness and creating jobs. The Clean Growth Program also provided support to the University of Manitoba for the capacity to collaborate with CanmetENERGY Ottawa on the optimization of river turbine arrays through numerical analysis and the identification of potential hydrokinetic resources in northern Canada through the use of radar satellite image processing. This investment was made through the Program's Science and Technology Assistance for Cleantech (STAC) initiative, which provides federal laboratory support for innovators, intended to help bring Canadian clean technologies to market by providing federal research expertise, facilities and equipment. Funding for the remaining projects comes from NRCan's Emerging Renewables Power Program, a $200-million program from Budget 2017 and part of Canada's $180-billion Investing in Canada infrastructure plan for public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes and Canada's rural and northern communities. The government remains committed to building a clean energy future and to supporting our natural resource sectors through this tough economic time. Quotes "Investing in new kinds of energy production, like tidal energy, creates jobs in Nova Scotia and across Canada. Investing in tidal energy helps get us to zero emissions by 2050." The Honourable Seamus O'Regan Canada's Minister of Natural Resources "With the longest coastline in the world, Canada should be a global leader in tidal energy. This renewable energy source has the potential to substantially grow our blue economy in the long term, but we need to invest now. There are brilliant teams across this country who are working toward this vision, and our government wants to be a partner in their efforts. So today, we're proud to invest in four innovative projects that share a single goal: to build a thriving tidal power industry across Canada." The Honourable Bernadette Jordan Canada's Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard "We are building a stronger, greener, and more inclusive future by harnessing the power of Mother Nature's tides and river currents to provide clean, green electricity for Canada's communities and businesses for generations to come." Lenore Zann Member of Parliament for CumberlandColchester "The investments we're announcing with the federal government today will help propel the tidal energy industry forward in Nova Scotia while shaping a cleaner energy future for all of us. We are building on some significant milestones we've achieved that further position us as a centre of excellence in the tidal industry. It shows how far we've come in our combined efforts to figure out how to harness some of the most powerful tides in the world while growing a green economy." Derek Mombourquette Nova Scotia Minister of Energy and Mines "Canada's investment reflects the growing confidence worldwide in our technology and our ability to operate it in extremely challenging environments. It will be a huge step forward for tidal energy in Nova Scotia and Canada. Support from NRCan gives it added momentum in a time when the world is working to recover from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nova Innovation involves local companies in our tidal energy projects as part of our business model. This is the approach we have taken in Shetland, and this is the approach we will take in Nova Scotia. We're confident we'll be key to making tidal energy an invaluable resource for Nova Scotians." Kim MacNeil, Head of North American Business Development, Nova Innovation "Through NRCan's Clean Growth funding program, the University of Manitoba's Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Testing Center (CHTTC) is assisting hydrokinetic turbine developers and conducting research to develop a new renewable energy technology to power community micro-grids. As a pre-requisite to ending diesel dependency in First Nations and remote communities, developing baseload generation technologies is a critical requirement. This hydrokinetic turbine research program will assist communities to become sustainable by living fossil-free and creating long-term employment. The CHTTC is please to work with partners that include Waterotor, Bridge Gap Renewables, Turtle Island Innovations, the CanmetENERGY research centre and SOAR to advance community-scale marine energy throughout Canada." Dr. Eric Bibeau Renewable Energy Professor, University of Manitoba "Funding support from OERA and NRCan's ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative program helped Acadia University, Dalhousie University, Fundy Tidal Inc., the University of New Brunswick and Dynamic Systems Analysis bring vision to reality in charting the course to Grand Passage and Petit Passage as a global focal point for community-scale tidal energy developments. We have community and government support backed by a world-class resource, site information and the required collaborations across industry, research organizations and supply chain. The projects announced today are key to next steps in our local waters and establishing a pathway to success up the Bay of Fundy at FORCE and in remote diesel-reliant communities throughout Canada." Greg Trowse, Director of SOAR and resident of Freeport, Nova Scotia "This funding is supporting essential research that will ensure it's possible to effectively track and report fish and marine mammal interactions with energy devices in high-flow marine environments. Our work will help to advance the in-stream tidal energy industry by identifying reliable environmental monitoring solutions." Alisdair McLean, Executive Director, OERA (Offshore Energy Research Association) "Tidal energy holds enormous potential to reduce emissions and meet climate change targets. To explore that potential responsibly, we need an accurate assessment of the potential risks tidal devices may pose to marine life, particularly fish. NRCan's investment supports the creation of a world-leading tool to assess the risk of fish interaction using both biological and physical site data before a tidal device even goes in the water. That's how we get this right." Tony Wright General Manager, Fundy Ocean Research Centre Associated Links Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada For further information: Contacts: Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6100, [email protected]; Ian Cameron, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, 613-447-3488, [email protected] Related Links www.nrcan.gc.ca Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday announced his support to the farmers agitation against three agriculture-related ordinances promulgated by the Central government. The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) has decided to hold protests against the ordinances at Kurukshetra from September 10. In a statement, Hooda said that three ordinances-- Farming produce trade and commerce (promotion and facilitation) ordinance, the Farmers (empowerment and protection) agreement on price assurance and farm services ordinance and the Essential commodities (amendment) ordinance-- seek to remove protection given to the farmers. He said not only farmers but labourers, trade agents and small traders will also be impacted by them. Everyone believes that without the protection of the minimum support price (MSP), these ordinances are against the interests of farmers. If the government wants to implement them, then it should ensure that no purchases are made below MSP, said Hooda. The government should bring in a fourth ordinance to ensure that if any agency buys the crop of the farmer below the MSP, then legal action will be taken against it, said the leader of opposition. People across the UK are being directed to coronavirus testing centres in different counties because of a lack of availability at nearby sites. Some have even reported that no home testing kits were available to order. Andrew Blissett, 49, an analytics manager from Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire, said he had struggled to book a test after his seven-year-old daughter developed a high temperature, a symptom of Covid-19, after two days back at school. "It's frustrating," he told The Independent. "I went online and it mentions that everything is busy at the moment but it offered Leicester, which is 29 miles away, but I didn't mind driving there. "But when I went into the system, it said there was nothing available on that day, or the next day, or the day after that. Basically there was nothing I could see that was actually available at Leicester. "When I tried again a couple of hours later it said the next next available slot was in Ebbw Vale or Deeside in Wales. So now we're probably talking about an eight-hour journey at this point. So I went through the same process and could not get a slot. "It doesn't matter how far I was willing to drive, I just could not get a test. And at that point there were no home test kits available either." Eventually he was able to book an at-home testing kit, but said his family would have to wait until they got the results back or isolate for 14 days. "As schools are going back, naturally people are worried about their children and hotspots occurring. But with the lack of a speedy service to identify those hotspots, it places into question whether this is creating a big problem within the schools," he said. "I'm sat here wondering if my kids are safe at school now because this is just too slow." There have also been complains after people were directed to test centres more than 100 miles away in recent days and weeks. Helen Hays, Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, shared an example from one of her constituents who had been directed 356 miles away to a testing centre in St Andrews. She tweeted: Cases are going up and testing couldnt be more important in stopping further spread Matt Hancock this is utterly unacceptable. When will local tests be available to my constituents? Similarly, Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, tweeted about a constituent who drove a 450-mile round trip to Swansea to get a test. He said: Our world class testing programme is broken (was it ever fit for purpose?). People have been unable to book tests because the laboratories processing them have reached a critical pinch-point, a senior official at NHS Test and Trace has admitted. Director of testing Sarah-Jane Marsh apologised to those who were unable to get a Covid-19 test and added that the system is doing all it can to expand quickly. Can I please offer my heartfelt apologies to anyone who cannot get a Covid test at present, Ms Marsh tweeted on Tuesday. "All of our testing sites have capacity, which is why they don't look overcrowded; it's our laboratory processing that is the critical pinch-point. We are doing all we can to expand quickly. "We have additional NHS, Lighthouse, University and Partner Labs all due to open up imminently and we are also expanding the use of non-Laboratory based tests. "The testing team work on this 18 hours a day, seven days a week. We recognise the country is depending on us." Matt Hancock, the health secretary, told the Health and Social Care Select Committee problems with coronavirus testing capacity will be sorted within weeks. When asked about Ms Marsh's tweet apologising for people unable to get tests, Mr Hancock said: "We are working incredibly hard. "We are doing everything we can. We have had these operational issues that I have talked about, we have had a problem with a couple of contracts and we discussed some of that in the House of Commons. "But it's a matter of a couple of weeks until we can get all of that sorted in the short term." Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said Mr Hancock needs to "get a grip". He told the Commons: "We must do everything reasonable to suppress this virus, but instead in recent weeks we've had muddled messages, failed testing, ineffective contact-tracing. "Winter is coming, [Mr Hancock] needs to get a grip." The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out searches at the residence of a gold smith in the city in connection with the Kerala gold smuggling case, police said. A four-member NIA team raided the house of Nandakumar on Cross Cut road early this morning, they said. He has been detained for interrogation. The matter pertains to smuggling of gold in the neighbouring state through diplomatic channels, which came to light after 30 kg yellow metal worth Rs 14.82 crores, smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage, was busted by Customs in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5. Also read: BT Buzz: Why India is becoming main hub for smuggled gold Allu Aravind wants Shehzada to be the only Hindi version of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, trying prevent release of Hindi dub? The U.S. is drawing down its military forces in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000, the top commander in the Middle East said Wednesday. The move is in keeping with President Donald Trump's pledge to cut the number of U.S. military personnel deployed overseas. "This reduced footprint allows us to continue advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in rooting out the final remnants of ISIS in Iraq and ensuring its enduring defeat," Gen. F. McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a speech in Baghdad. McKenzie said the decision was taken because the U.S. had "confidence in the Iraqi Security Forces' increased ability to operate independently." Where are the Black officers? US Army shows diversity in its ranks but few promotions to the top Last month, he signaled that a troop-level adjustment in Iraq might be made amid indications Iraq's military had improved its ability combat Islamic State group fighters. U.S. forces invaded Iraq in 2003, vowing to destroy Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction and end the brutal dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. No such weapons were ever found, and Saddam was later captured, put on trial and executed by Iraq. U.S. forces withdrew from the country in 2011 but returned in 2014 after Islamic State militants overran large parts of the nation, along with neighboring Syria. McKenzie said the U.S. troop presence in Iraq would be reduced in September, and Trump is likely to celebrate the withdrawal as progress made toward his 2016 election campaign promise to disentangle Americans from "endless wars" abroad. Trump has also reduced the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, to 8,600, as part of a Taliban peace deal. He has pledged to further reduce the U.S. troop presence there, to under 5,000, by November. About 500 U.S. troops remain in Syria, where they are confronting the Islamic State group, after Trump ordered but did not see through a total U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria during Turkey's invasion into northern Syria last year. Story continues Syria's war turns 9: How barbarity, confusion, indifference helped Bashar Assad "I think the administration is convinced that if you take the level of U.S. troops in Iraq to zero you risk the return of ISIS," said Lt. Gen. Tom Spoehr, a defense expert at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. The decision comes as Trump has faced severe backlash over a report in The Atlantic magazine claiming he made disparaging remarks about U.S. war dead. It also comes as he is trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden in polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election and after Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited Washington last month. Biden on Wednesday said he agreed with Trumps move to withdraw more troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Yes, I do, Biden said after a campaign event in Michigan. As long as he has a plan to figure out how hes going to deal with ISIS." Trita Parsi, executive vice president of Quincy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based foreign affairs think tank, said Trump's decision was "welcome news." But he added that "rather than fighting ISIS which was the original rationale for the troop deployment in 2014 Washington's unhealthy obsession with Iran keeps the American military stuck in Iraq and Syria. The Iran obsession, in turn, has taken resources and attention away from the fight against ISIS." Contributing: Bart Jansen This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US cuts troops in Iraq, expresses confidence in security forces LA BOQUILLA DAM, Mexico: Two people died in a gunfight with Mexicos military police near a protest at a dam that diverts water to the United States, the National Guard said on Wednesday, as tensions rose between protesters and officials in the drought-hit region. Mexicans in the northern border state of Chihuahua, angry at the water being funneled across the border, on Tuesday evening hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks at security troops, eventually occupying the La Boquilla dam and closing the sluice gates. The violence, which Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called regrettable," comes amid plans to divert additional water to the United States due to the so-called water debt Mexico has accumulated as part of a 1944 bilateral treaty that regulates water sharing between the neighbors. The National Guard said on Twitter that some of its agents from La Boquilla on Tuesday night detained three people found with tear gas and a firearm ammunition magazine, and took them for processing to the city of Delicias. There, the National Guard unit was shot at and repelled the aggression," according to the statement. One person died at the scene and another from their injuries later in hospital, it said. Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Peniche told reporters that investigators called to the scene found a car hit by at least three bullets. Inside the vehicle, a woman had been killed by gunfire while a man was injured. Local police told investigators that the National Guard had left the scene shortly before, Peniche said. News channel Milenio named the two killed as Jessica Silva and Jaime Torres, a couple who worked in agriculture and who had protested at La Boquilla. A Reuters witness said groups of residents in towns surrounding the La Boquilla dam clashed with National Guard troops earlier on Tuesday after they refused to turn off the dam floodgates. The residents lobbed Molotov cocktails, rocks and sticks at the security forces, who were clad in riot gear and retaliated with tear gas, the witness said and images show. Eventually, the protesters stormed the dam premises and shut the floodgates themselves. When asked about the situation at his regular news conference on Wednesday, Lopez Obrador said the National Guard had been prudent" to withdraw to avoid inflaming tensions. He did not mention the deaths, which the National Guard reported on Twitter after the briefing. Lopez Obrador has sought to assuage concerns of Mexican farmers and voters about water rights, while protecting delicate relations with the United States. He has also warned that Mexico could face sanctions if it did not divert water, after building up a deficit in recent years by receiving more water than it has given back. (Additional reporting and writing by Drazen Jorgic and Daina Beth Solomon, Editing by Rosalba OBrien) 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 Hamilton County Commission had a lengthy discussion about how over $350,000 of grant money would help the county during election season. The resolution read as follows: A Resolution authorizing the County Mayor on behalf of the Election Commission to accept a CARES Act Grant in an amount up to $350,721.00 from the Tennessee Department of State for assistance to the Election Commission to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus and to amend the FY21 revenue and expense budgets each by $350,721.00. Commissioner Warren Mackey had election commission administrator Kerry Steelman on the line to explain what the grants would address and how the money would be used. He said both grants are coming from the state. The first grant is used to enhance the security of election offices. For Hamilton County, this would mean both physical security and cybersecurity. We will be able to create a secure entrance, Mr. Steelman said about different recommendations the Sheriffs Office had about enhancing security. The second will be a fund allocated to improve video surveillance at the facility. The equipment here at the election commission has not been updated since the building was built in 2006. Mr. Steelman said the other grant comes through the CARES Act, and it helps election officials adapt to conditions brought about by COVID-19. These unforeseen conditions include the need for social distancing while waiting in line. Upon certification of the August primary election, we have 124,000 in expenses we are preparing to submit to the state for reimbursement. This would also be in addition to election equipment we purchased earlier in the year to beat the increase in demand for early voting. Commissioner Tim Boyd asked Mr. Steelman about what Hamilton County is doing to prevent people from voting twice, once as an early voter and then again in the normal election. Mr. Steelman said Hamilton Countys system makes it so that once a voter casts an early ballot, the system will make it impossible for that person to vote again. On election date, our poll books have been printed after early voting, Mr. Steelman said, so anyone who voted early and everyone who has had an absentee ballot received will be on the pollbook, but it will be noted they early voted or that they have returned their absentee ballot. He also told Commissioner Boyd that there is no way for someone to request an absentee ballot and then show up and vote like a regular voter. When they show up on election day, the only way they could vote would be by provisional ballot. Thats the only way, Mr. Steelman said. They are marked as having received an absentee ballot. Mr. Steelman said Hamilton Countys cybersecurity is at a satisfactory level, when asked by Commissioner Greg Martin. He said the money will be used strictly for enhancing physical security. "Getting to meet them, and hear their stories, is just something super special. I know from speaking with other people that they enjoyed our presence just as much as we enjoyed theirs, and they inspire us to be better." Cadet Second Lieutenant Alexis Nyce. The agreements include a contract for a Russian company to conduct offshore exploration, Al-Masdar says Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov confirmed, during a joint press conference on Monday in the Syrian capital with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem, that work is underway to strengthen relations between Syria and Russia, indicating that the Russian delegation held constructive talks with the new Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous. Borisov said, Moscow handed Damascus last July a Russian project on expanding trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, indicating that the new agreement between Syria and Russia includes more than 40 new projects in the energy sector, reconstruction, a number of hydroelectric power stations and the extraction of oil from sea. The Russian Deputy Prime Minister also indicated that a work contract was signed for a Russian company to explore and extract oil and gas off the Syrian coast, expressing his hope for signing a trade agreement with the Syrian government during his next visit to Damascus in December. The Russian official indicated that most of the areas rich in oil and gas are outside the control of the Syrian government, which prevents it from trading in oil, given that it is an important source of revenue. The same applies to agricultural lands, as after Syria used to export grain, it now imports it. For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the visit of the Russian delegation focused on the horizon of cooperation to develop relations between the two countries in light of new developments in the region, indicating that the delegation discussed with President Al-Assad the current situation in Syria and it was agreed that the field situation should be calm and unified. Lavrov referred to the dissatisfaction of all external forces with the positive developments in Syria and the efforts of these forces to try to strangle the Syrian people. He stressed his countrys continued support for operations to defeat terrorism in the Syrian territories. In his response to a journalists question, the Russian Foreign Minister explained that the Syrian Democratic Council and the Moscow Platform expressed in the document signed between them in Moscow their full commitment to the independence and territorial integrity of Syria, stressing that the issue of the presidential elections is the sovereign decision of the Syrian Arab Republic. Lavrov added, Our work on the Syrian track depends on what has been reached between the Russian, Iranian and Turkish presidents within the framework of the Astana track, which came after the United Nations refused to play an effective role in the Syrian crisis. All the agreements that came out of Astana and between Moscow and Ankara confirm the importance of the unity and integrity of the Syrian territories. 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. By Byron Kaye SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has revoked the visas of two visiting Chinese academics in an apparent escalation of tension between the countries which has seen each accuse the other of inappropriate treatment of journalists. Chen Hong, a professor of Australian Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, said in an email to Reuters that he had received a letter from Australia's Home Affairs Department cancelling his visa. The letter said he had been deemed by security body ASIO to pose a threat to national security. "I absolutely refuse to accept this assessment, and believe a gross mistake has been made regarding my relationship with Australia," Chen said in the email. "I have done nothing and will do nothing to act as a risk to Australia's security." Australian Broadcasting Corp reported that another scholar, Li Jianjun, had received a similar letter. Li could not immediately be reached for comment. The move intensifies a round of recriminations between the countries that has involved reports of Australian journalists in China being questioned by police, prompting them to leave the country, and of Australian authorities raiding the homes of Chinese media representatives there. A spokesman for Australian National University, where Li was named this year as a visiting scholar, said he finished his appointment there in February. The Department of Home Affairs and ASIO were also not immediately available for comment. Australia has a tense diplomatic relationship with China, which worsened this year after Beijing vowed trade reprisals and said it was angered by Australia's call for an international inquiry into the source of the coronavirus pandemic. (Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Peter Graff) Armenia Tourism Committee has new chairperson Lavrov: Priority today is to start Azerbaijan-Armenia border delimitation, demarcation process UK considering sending hundreds of additional troops to Ukraine's neighbors Warships of Russia, Iran and China work out counteraction to maritime piracy Armenia first deputy minister of justice dismissed Israeli defense minister tests positive for COVID-19 Karabakh conflict resumption likelihood is moderate, its impact on US interests is low, report says Antonio Guterres thinks Russia will not invade Ukraine Azerbaijan ambassador to Russia hastens to sweeten the sediment of statement by US embassy in Baku IS fighters attack army barracks in mountainous area north of Baghdad, killing 11 soldiers Thomas de Waal: Will Armenia and Turkey be able to normalize relations after 3rd attempt? Armenia Security Council secretary, visiting EU delegation discuss situation on border with Azerbaijan Foreign ministers of Israel and Turkey have talk for 1st time in 13 years Fly Arna shareholders appoint companys Board of Directors 628 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia CSTO chief: Necessary to work on Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation, demarcation FBI search congressman's home in connection with Azerbaijan probe Newspaper: Armenia PM again goes way of black and white Newspaper: Scenario devised after war to be implemented in Artsakh EU Special Representative for South Caucasus arrives in Armenia Quake hits Armenia: 28 km northwest of Jermuk Crete island lighthouse illuminated with colors of Armenian tricolor Aurora Humanitarian Initiative to allocate $500,000 to projects in Artsakh Sajid Javid: Britain must learn to live with COVID-19, it could be with us forever Erdogan suggests Putin and Zelensky meet face to face EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus meets Aliyev US imposes sanctions on Ukrainians related to 'Russian harmful foreign activities' Sabah: Ankara refuses to hold next Armenian-Turkish meeting in a third country US general discusses regional security and bilateral cooperation in Armenia Secret graves of alleged protesters discovered in Almaty Armenian side members to Armenian-American Intergovernmental Commission confirmed WHO advises countries to lift or ease international travel restrictions US sanctions against Vladimir Putin, Ruben Vardanian and members of the Russian government Armenian Foreign Ministry discusses Mirzoyan's participation in Turkey forum Thailand to resume non-quarantine travel scheme from February 1 Instagram introduces paid subscription feature NEWS.am daily digest: 20.01.22 Europe considers new strategy to combat COVID-19 Norwegian prosecutors refuse release Anders Breivik, 2011 mass murderer 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 Video showed people fleeing the camp overnight, the sky orange and yellow, as the camps tents and shipping containers were engulfed in flames. Some migrants, attempting to make their way to the islands main town, were met by police. By morning, the camp was little more than charred husks and collapsed buildings. One photo showed a razed olive grove, once crowded with tents, where only two portable toilets remained standing. Bay Area families are likely to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year that runs Friday, Sept. 18 through Sunday, Sept. 20, differently in 2020. They may gather over Zoom or meet for a small celebration in a backyard. Laboring over a braised brisket with prunes, attempting to braid a round challah or figuring how to incorporate apples and honey symbolic foods to lead to a sweet new year into savory dishes might not have as much appeal during the pandemic, when gathering is discouraged and few people can come over. Plus, many home cooks are simply tired of being in the kitchen. This is where the Bay Areas Jewish-owned restaurants come in. This year, these seven restaurants are turning to takeout and delivery a mix of fixed-price meals and a la carte options, usually packaged cold and ready to be re-heated at home. In some cases, these restaurants are also making it easier than ever to get their food by delivering to more regions of the Bay Area or hosting pop-ups in different cities. Canela Canela: Spanish tapas restaurant Canela channels chef Mat Schusters Jewish heritage this time of year. His $58 Rosh Hashanah menu is a lighter take on the traditional meal, starting with duck consomme and a salad sweetened with dates and honey vinaigrette. White fish with chard, mushrooms and roasted red pepper is followed by a honey lava cake and, of course, theres challah. For something heartier, customers can add a bonus course of braised brisket ($20). The meal is available for pickup and delivery. Diners can also enjoy the menu hot on the restaurants outdoor patio Sept. 17-20. 2272 Market St., San Francisco. 415-552-3000 or canelasf.com Che Fico Alimentari: Chef David Nayfeld of buzzy Italian restaurant Che Fico is offering a few a la carte dishes to celebrate the holiday, available for takeout Sept. 18-19 from the restaurants more casual downstairs sibling, Che Fico Alimentari. Fitting with tradition, apples appear in multiple dishes, including the chicken with green beans ($32), salad dressed in honey vinaigrette ($19) and apple honey cake ($35). Another entree option of braised brisket ($34) and Sephardic-style challah ($9) sprinkled with sesame seeds round out the menu. 834 Divisadero St., San Francisco. 415-416-6980 or cheficoalimentari.com One Market: Upscale Embarcadero staple One Market is supplying San Franciscans with an early Rosh Hashanah dinner, available for pickup and delivery Sept. 16-18. The family-style meal costs $49 per person, with the choice between two beefy entrees: brisket smoked for 12 hours over oak or red wine-braised short rib. It comes with two vegetable sides, matzo ball soup, challah and apple cider honey cake. While not strictly kosher, there is no dairy in this meal. 1 Market St., San Francisco. 415-777-5577 or onemarket.com One Market Sauls Restaurant & Delicatessen: The Bay Areas oldest Jewish deli, Sauls is serving classics a la carte for pickup in Berkeley Sept. 18-19. This years entrees are brisket in red wine with prunes ($28 for two) and braised chicken finished with figs and dukkah, a Middle Eastern blend of spices and nuts ($32 for two). The menu also features tempting ways to round out the dinner table with challah, chicken liver spread, gefilte fish, honey cake and more. All orders must be placed online before midnight Sept. 16, and curbside pickup is available. 1475 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. 510-848-3354 or saulsdeli.com Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Schmaltz: Beth Needelman, the chef of San Franciscos Corridor, started a modern Jewish pop-up, Schmaltz, during the pandemic as part of a restaurant incubator series. For the month of September, Schmaltz is celebrating the new year with a five-course meal for two ($80). Its one of the least traditional meals on this list and can be ordered anytime on Tock for pickup or delivery in San Francisco. Delivery is also available via Feastin.com to most of the Bay Area. The challah comes with chicken skin butter while the honey roasted chicken is accompanied by caramelized onion jus. Other dishes include a smoked salmon-beer salad with whipped mascarpone and a seasonal sorbet for dessert. 531 Jackson St., San Francisco. 415-772-0922 or exploretock.com/hineighborincubatorseries The Marvelous Matzah Experiment: This Jewish deli is part of Casper Restaurant Group, a virtual kitchen in Sunnyvale and yes, its name is inspired by the hit television show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. For Rosh Hashanah, the deli is offering a huge spread for two, including apples and honey, raisin challah, chicken liver with rye toast, matzah ball soup, sweet noodle kugel, candied carrots and honey cake. A choice of brisket, beef tenderloin or and salmon as an entree brings the price to $76-$102. Delivery is available for much of the South Bay and parts of the Peninsula from San Jose to Atherton. Pickup is available in Walnut Creek and Lafayette. Note: The Marvelous Matzah Experiment will stop accepting orders by phone at 8 p.m. Sept. 12 and before midnight online. 649 S. Bernardo Ave., Sunnyvale. 408-675-5635 or casperrestaurantgroup.com/product/rosh-box Wise Sons Deli: The Bay Areas most prominent Jewish deli chain is always a reliable choice for celebrating the High Holidays at home. A complete meal for four people costs $165 and includes chicken braised with apricots, shmaltz-roasted potatoes, chicory salad with squash, raisin challah, honey cake and a bottle of wine. Those dishes are all available a la carte, too, along with roasted brisket with gravy ($70, serves six). Pickup and delivery are available Sept. 18-20 from Wise Sons four San Francisco locations and two new Oakland locations Wise Sons recently took over Beautys Bagels. The deli is also adding two pop-ups: on Sept. 17, find Wise Sons at Sonomas Jewish Community Center and on Sept. 18, at Palo Altos Jewish Community Center. Either way, pre-order online. Locations vary. wisesonsdeli.com/highholidays Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker A 4-year-old Great Dane is being credited with saving the lives of a family of four after fire swept through their north Shelby County, Alabama, home early Tuesday. Derek Walker, his wife Maria Gilbert and their two children, ages 12 and 9, were asleep when their beloved dog, Ralph, began to bark shortly before 2:30 a.m. "He was in his kennel inside the house and we heard him barking,'' Walker said. He usually doesnt make a sound at night. And it was a different kind of bark. Walker got up to investigate and heard a noise in the kitchen of the Caldwell Mill Lane home. As he headed that way, he saw flames outside the kitchen window. "I just started screaming fire to get everybody up,'' he said. My wife got up and she got our daughter and got her out. Their sons bedroom is on the lowest level of the split-level home. Gilbert went down next to get their son. "She said his room was full of smoke. He was still asleep,'' Walker said. The fire was right outside his wall. He wasnt awake because he sleeps covered with his blanket. They were able to get him outside as well. Derek Walker, his wife Maria Gilbert and their two children, ages 12 and 9, were asleep when their beloved dog, Ralph, began to bark shortly before 2:30 a.m. (Contributed) Walker went back inside to get out their pets Ralph the Great Dane and two miniature pigs. He couldnt get into the sunroom where the pigs were because of the heavy smoke but he was able to coax out one of them. They couldnt find the other and later learned she Pearl - had died. Next Walker freed Ralph from his kennel and they all made it out OK. Authorities believe the fire started on the grill and quickly spread to the home, said North Shelby Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Lawson. They received the first call at 2:25 a.m. and were on scene by 2:29 p.m., arriving to heavy fire at the rear of the house. Walker said the smoke alarms didnt sound until the house was filled with smoke. "There was so much smoke I dont know if we would have made it out,'' he said. The family rents the home, which appears to be a total loss, and most of their belongings destroyed inside. Their Valleydale Church family is providing support, Walker said. In the meantime, Walker said they are so thankful for their dog. "Without Ralph, I dont think we would have made it,'' he said. I dont think my son would have made it. Lawson agreed. "We could have had injuries or fatalities,'' he said. As an animal lover, we are very thankful for Ralph. More: 2 bodies found after fire in rural Pa. home Taipei: Chinas only aircraft carrier has entered the Taiwan Strait, the islands defence ministry said on Wednesday, seen as a show of strength by Beijing as tensions rise between the two sides. The Liaoning has not entered Taiwanese waters but has gone into an area covered by its air defence zone, according to the ministry. Taiwanese media said the islands military had dispatched F-16 fighter jets and other aircraft last night to monitor the Chinese carrier group. The defence ministry would not confirm those reports. The military is monitoring the whole situation and will act as necessary. We urge Taiwans people to be at ease, the defence ministry said in the statement. It comes just after Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen visited the United States at the weekend on a transit to Central America, despite protests from Beijing. China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold, was incensed by an unprecedented call between Tsai and Donald Trump last month and has since stepped up military drills near the island. Although they do not have official relations, the United States is Taiwans most powerful ally and main arms supplier. The Liaoning has been carrying out its first exercise in the Pacific and already passed south of Taiwan last month. It entered the southwest of Taiwans air defence identification zone (ADIZ) at 07:00 today local time (0430 IST), the defence ministry said, along with escort vessels. (It) is sailing west of the midline of the Taiwan Strait, moving north, the ministry said in a statement. Experts have said the showing of the second-hand, Soviet-built Liaoning is symbolic rather than a pose of any real threat compared with the military might of the US. Tsai stopped in Houston Saturday and met with Republican Senator Ted Cruz during her stay, which was slammed by Beijing as an attempt to undermine China-US relations. She is this week visiting Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador - among the dwindling number of states that have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. While the focus of her visit is to bolster ties with allies, her US stopovers are being closely watched with speculation she may make contact with US President-elect Trump and his team. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The DMK's general council here on Wednesday dubbed the AIADMK government as "anti-people" and vowed to dislodge it from power and make party president as Chief Minister by winning the Assembly elections next year. The party unanimously elected veteran Duraimurugan as general secretary and senior leader T R Baalu as treasurer. Former Telecom Minister A Raja and seasoned party leader K Ponmudi were elected as deputy general secretaries. Alleging that the AIADMK regime was tainted by corruption, the party, in its meet presided by Stalin, condemned the Centre for 'guarding' such a regime for the past about four years. The AIADMK is in power in since 2011 and following the death of late J Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016, K Palaniswami became Chief Minister on February 16, 2017. Accusing the state government of failure in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, the DMK, in a resolution alleged irregularities in issuance of e-pass, tenders, and in several areas, including procurement of test kits. "This general council condemns the AIADMK government for causing an overall setback to the socio-economic and industrial growth in .. for corruption in tenders of all departments,"a resolution said,adding that those behind the "coronavirus pandemic corruption" would be made to answer. Another resolution alleged that the AIADMK government was an embodiment of corruption and extravagance that pushed the people into an unending cycle of hassles. The government is "anti-people," marked by administrative failure and functioned for only "commission, corruption and collection" the party alleged. The also targeted its arch rival on a slew of other issues, including the state government's "inability" to get exemption for from the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test, and for trying to implement the Chennai-Salem expressway, which is against the "interests of farmers." Hence, "this general council vows to slog to make party president as Chief Minister to take Tamil Nadu on the pathway of growth again by trouncing the anti-people and anti-democratic AIADMK in the 2021 Assembly elections," a resolution said. Duraimurugan has held severalposts in the DMK, including that of principal secretary and deputy general secretary and he is a former State Minister and nine time MLA. The 82-year-old Duraimurugan, an advocateby profession, resigned from the post of treasurer in March to enable him contest for the post of general secretary. The post had fallen vacant following the demise of top leader K Anbazhagan in March, who held that post for over four decades. DMK's Parliamentary Party leader T R Baalu and the party's Villupuram district strongman K Ponmudi have held several positions in the party organisation. A Raja has also held positions, including that of district secretary and has been the DMK's propaganda secretary since 2009. The party general council was originally slated to be held on March 29 but it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. (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.) Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents the Medal of the Republic to Zhong Nanshan during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) Xi said China has achieved another heroic feat in humankind's fight against disease by securing major strategic achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. Xi presented medals to recipients of the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title, including renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan. Xi summarized the features of China's spirit in combating the COVID-19 epidemic as -- putting people's lives first, nationwide solidarity, sacrifice, respecting science and a sense of mission for humanity. BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Tuesday hailed China's great spirit of battling the COVID-19 epidemic as the country's model virus fighters were accorded grand state honors. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that over the past eight-plus months, China has fought a fierce war against the epidemic and has passed the extraordinary test of history. He called for transforming the virus-fighting spirit into tremendous strength to build a modern socialist country and achieve national rejuvenation. Xi made the comments during a meeting held at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing that was attended by about 3,000 people. He presented the Medal of the Republic to the 84-year-old renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan and the medals of the national honorary title to three other medical professionals. An official statement described Zhong as a leading expert in China's respiratory disease research and called him a "brave, outspoken and responsible doctor" who proposed epidemic prevention and control measures that saved numerous lives and made a great contribution to fighting both SARS and COVID-19. Speaking at the event, Zhong pledged to cooperate with colleagues around the country and the world to continue working on tracing virus sources, blocking transmission routes, and developing rapid diagnosis, medicines and vaccines. "HEROIC FEAT" Speaking of the anti-epidemic battle, Xi said China has achieved another heroic feat in humankind's fight against disease by securing major strategic achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The country managed to contain the rapid spread of the virus in just over a month. In about two months, the daily increase in domestic coronavirus cases fell to single digits. Meanwhile, a decisive victory was secured in once the hardest-hit Chinese city of Wuhan in just about three months. Besides, the country has effectively contained sporadic outbreaks. Xi said the CPC Central Committee had adopted "extraordinary measures" to tackle the COVID-19 epidemic, and had insisted on making people's lives and health the first priority. All-out efforts were made to ensure that not a single patient was left unattended. And the cost of treating COVID-19 patients was fully covered by the government, he added. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, China has effectively curbed the spread of the virus and protected people's lives and health to the greatest extent, Xi said. Through a united will, the Chinese people put up a strong defense to contain the epidemic, Xi noted. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) The Chinese mainland reported only 10 new infections on Monday, all imported cases from overseas, the National Health Commission said Tuesday. China has become the first major economy to return to growth since the COVID-19 pandemic, and has taken the lead in the world in both epidemic control and economic recovery, Xi said. "This has demonstrated China's strong ability of recovery and enormous vitality," he said. China is also leading global efforts on vaccine research. The vaccine developed by researchers led by national honorary title recipient Chen Wei was the first in the world to enter phase-two clinical trials on April 12. Chen, who was awarded the title of "the People's Hero," told Xinhua that the vaccine developed by her team is undergoing phase-three clinical trials, and can deal with mutations in the coronavirus. Chen Wei, recipient of the "People's Hero" national honorary title, arrives at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020.(Xinhua/Li Xiang) "GREAT SPIRIT" Xi summarized the features of China's spirit in combating the COVID-19 epidemic as -- putting people's lives first, nationwide solidarity, sacrifice, respecting science and a sense of mission for humanity. No efforts were spared when it came to saving lives, be it a 30-hour old baby or a centenarian, thus reflecting the CPC's concept of exercising governance for the people, Xi said. "We are willing to do whatever it takes to protect people's lives!" he said. Xi lauded the Chinese people for uniting as one and commended the heroes emerging from all walks of life amid the epidemic. The laws of science were followed in making decisions, treating patients, conducting technological research and governing society, he added. Xi said China has been responsible for global public health and has launched the most intensive and wide-ranging emergency humanitarian assistance since the founding of New China. Between March 15 and Sept. 6, China exported 151.5 billion masks, 1.4 billion protective suits, 230 million goggles and 209,000 ventilators to support the global fight against COVID-19. China twice donated funds to the World Health Organization (WHO) totaling 50 million U.S. dollars and sent 34 medical expert teams to 32 countries. A meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) IN PURSUIT OF NEW VICTORY Summarizing the experience accumulated and lessons learned, Xi emphasized the strong leadership of the Party, the unyielding will of the Chinese people, the strengths of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, among others. Xi called for consistent efforts without loosening regular anti-epidemic response measures in order to clinch a "full victory" against the disease. He also called for exercising caution against the spread of the virus overseas and risks of sporadic outbreaks at home. Demanding a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and poverty alleviation, Xi said efforts must be made to make up for the time lost and the damage incurred due to COVID-19. While stressing fixing weak links in the governance system, Xi said a strong public health system must be built and biosecurity defense capabilities must be enhanced. He vowed to continue to support the WHO, aid countries and regions vulnerable to the pandemic and champion economic globalization and multilateralism so that the world economy can gain early recovery. He also called for efforts, both mentally and professionally, to prepare for changes in the external environment over a fairly long period of time. Chinese people and the Chinese nation will certainly forge ahead on the great journey in the new era, Xi said. "No individual or force can stop Chinese people's march toward a better life," he said. Based in Franklin, TN, Wesley Mutual will initially focus on serving the Tennessee market. There are plans to eventually expand the companys business nationwide in the near future, a company release said. To lead this newly formed company, WFG has tapped industry veteran Matt Rettick. Rettick most recently served as president of Cool Springs Financial Group, a premium financing life insurance agency. Prior to that, he founded two registered investment advisory firms, Brookstone Capital Management and Virtue Capital Management, as well as a broker dealer, Center Street Securities. In addition to those three, Rettick also founded and served as CEO of Covenant Reliance Producers, later renamed as Virtue Advisors. He is a resource speaker and author of financial-related books and educational curriculum. Wesley has a well-earned reputation for being a consumer advocate, so this is a natural extension of the business, commented Rettick on his appointment. Were working with the best-of-best insurance companies in the industry, so we are able to provide a variety of solutions to meet the individual needs of our clients. We believe Wesley Mutual will quickly establish itself as a leader in this segment. We needed someone with a depth of experience and who was respected in the financial and insurance sectors to ensure we successfully launch Wesley Mutual, said WFG founder and CEO Chuck McDowell, who added that he has known Rettick for quite some time, and he was the first person McDowell reached out to for the position. More than 30 other states and the federal government rely on a graduated income tax structure. We all have an interest in investing in the state we live in to support our environment, schools, criminal justice, public services including mental health and health care, and the need to pay down the debt that has been accumulating for many years. We cannot continue to neglect the very real need to restructure our tax system in order to take the pressure off of local property taxes. The burden should not be on the lowest 20% of wage earners to have twice the tax burden of the top wage earners. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe 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. Beijing Combat aircraft, artillery, armoured vehicles and special forces from across China were deployed to the Tibetan plateau amid fresh tensions with India, state media reported on Wednesday in a rare acknowledgment of the massive mobilisation along the disputed border. Chinas official media usually highlights exercises in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to reflect the countrys military might along the border with India, as it did in August, and repeatedly during the 2017 Doklam standoff. The more blatant show of military power including sorties by fighter jets close to the border is reserved for Taiwan, which Beijing describes as a renegade region to be unified by force if necessary. The words deployment and mobilisation are seldom used in state media reports in the context of the border with India. The news reports didnt specify since when the troops and equipment were mobilised from different parts of China to the plateau. They attributed the movement of units to renewed border tensions between China and India over the past two weeks. The reports said troops, artillery and aircraft were moved to the plateau not only from different parts of China but from different theatre commands. The border with India is under the Western Theatre Command of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), the largest of five commands covering the mainland. Several troop formations in northwestern desert areas in Xinjiang and southwestern TAR were engaged in live-fire drills and complex manoeuvres. The nationalistic Global Times tabloid reported bombers, air defence troops, artillery, armoured vehicles, paratroopers, special forces and infantry units from across the country were mobilised to the border areas. H-6 bombers and Y-20 large transport aircraft from the PLA Central Theater Command Air Force were deployed to the plateau for training missions, the reports cited the command as saying on Tuesday, a day after the latest face-off on the south bank of Pangong Lake. National broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported HJ-10 anti-tank missile systems attached to the PLA 71st Group Army were recently moved from eastern Jiangsu province to the northwestern Gobi desert, more than 1,600 km away. For PLA, it would be easier to dispatch troops and equipment to the northwest from the Gobi desert region. An air defence brigade under the PLA 72nd Group Army also mobilised to the northwest region in autumn and held live-fire confrontational drills with anti-aircraft guns and missiles, CCTV reported on Friday. CCTV also reported paratroopers and heavy equipment on board PLA Air Forces transport aircraft recently conducted a multidimensional area capture and control exercise in the deserts of northwest China. The state media reports also said troops had been engaged in long-distance manoeuvres, deployment exercises and live-fire drills in desert areas and TAR over the past few weeks. Chinese military experts HT reached out to didnt comment on the matter. India has consistently rejected Chinas claims that Indian troops crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, and asserted that it has always taken a responsible approach towards border management and maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas. As COVID-19 wreaks havoc across the globe, tourism-dependent regions are suffering exponentially. The continent of Africa is one glaring example, with South Africa propelled into the global top 10 for coronavirus infections, reportedly now surpassing the United Kingdom in cases. For its part, the tourism and industrial sectors in North Africa will likely be hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the African Development Banks 2020 edition North Africa Economic Outlook report. Even as Africa contends with pandemic concerns, there are still throngs of travelers who are keen to visit the region in the near future. Many are doing diligence to discern if, when and how to go about scheduling a trip to this tourism hotspot. To help spotlight some top-line issues, I turned to entrepreneur and philanthropist Jay Cameron, Executive Director of Maximum Impact Travel. As one of the leading global experts on Africa travel and commerce, Camerons insights are invaluable as travelers deal with this tumultuous situation, helping ensure they plan smartly in the post-pandemic era. MK: What are the key dos and donts when traveling to Africa amid COVID-19? JC: Surprisingly, some African countries have escaped the devastating impacts COVID-19 has caused globally. While other countries around the world have experienced often overwhelming consequences as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, much of Africa appears to have been spared. Even so, the statistics do not suggest the citizens of the countries of Africa have not felt its impact. The fact is, many countries in Africa are seeing regular increases in the numbers of those infected by the novel coronavirus, while much of the world is experiencing a decline in infections. Around the world, experts warn outbreaks of COVID-19 in Africa may continue, resulting in a higher rate of deaths due to the limited local health services available. With coronavirus worries come fears of potential famine due to the virus threat, in combination with existing drought conditions and ongoing conflicts. With this in mind, should you intend to travel to the continent now, or post-COVID-19, you should be prepared. Some good preparedness ideas include researching virus statistics in the country you wish to visit that, for one, you can review at AfricaNews.com. It is also advisable to learn if said country has any travel restrictions, which is information that is accessible online via at CDC.gov. Of course, maintaining a healthy lifestyle to boost immunity before and during your visit is also key. MK: Should travelers be ready to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test result, either before departing or upon arrival? JC: African countries are now opening for foreign travelers, but this does not indicate the belief that they have won the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Most African countries are still battling with COVID-19 outbreaks, as the number of infected cases continues to rise daily in nearly every African country. To this end, stringent efforts are in place to ensure individuals arriving on the continent and entering various countries are free of the virus. With this in mind, you should be prepared to present proof of negative COVID-19 status before entering the country to which you are traveling. This measure is being implemented around the globe and the countries of Africa are no exception. In the same vein, departing any African country will require the same proof of negative COVID-19 status. Both mandates are in place to protect your fellow travelers on the flight as well as the residents of the country to which you are traveling. As things ebb and flow, you can check the status of this mandate online at AfricaTravelInc.com. MK: What would you suggest about localized regulations? JC: Travelers must research the localized regulations and requirements with respect to hotel and resorts, airports, ground transportation, public spaces and such for both their own country and their destination. It is necessary that you understand departure rules from your country of origin, and even more important that you understand your destination countrys prevailing laws for foreign travelers regarding COVID-19. Some African countries like Tanzania and Zambia, for example, have mandated the use of face masks in public places with punishment for the contravention of such laws. Some hotels and resorts also have taken stringent measures and issued their own strict requirements for travelers arriving from foreign countries. For example, at this time, hotel bars in Rwanda are closed but the hotels themselves remain open. Researching and understanding these laws before traveling enables you to stay safe during your visit and steer clear of legal issues with the local authorities. A helpful resource for staying up-to-date on laws that might affect travel to Africa can be found at Travel.State.gov. MK: What about the airlines, specifically? JC: Investigate the requirements for your airline as each carrier has varied responses to COVID-19. As a result of the pandemic, most airlines have adopted measures to keep their passengers and their staff safe. While some airlines like Delta require proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding your flight, others provide testing before your flight and attach the result to your ticket. Therefore, to ensure you are able to fly when scheduled, it is your responsibility to know the requirements of your airline before the flight to avoid any issues. A good resource for this is Go2Africa.com. MK: Should tourists be prepared for temperature screenings and COVID-19 tests upon arrival and departure? JC: As pointed out earlier, many African countries are still battling the pandemic, so to keep the residents of their countries safe post-COVID-19, airports have been mandated to request test results or test passengers on-site. Therefore, when traveling, you should be prepared for a coronavirus test upon arrival or departure from any African country. If you refuse to allow this, you will not be able to fly. MK: What about a potential 14-day quarantine upon arrivalis that only for travelers who show signs of COVID-19? JC: Apart from testing, be prepared for a 14-day quarantine if you show signs of the virus or test positive during a test given at the airport. African countries are determined to ensure the pandemic is eliminated completely from their countries. If you show symptoms of the virus upon your arrival in any country in Africa, you will likely be quarantined for 14 days. This can even entail having to stay in the country instead of returning to the U.S. MK: Would you say that travel insurance is an imperative? JC: Make sure your travel insurance company offers COVID-19 coverage and arrange for COVID-19 travel insurance requirements from airlines. You will want to be insured by your travel insurance company for COVID-19 coverage before traveling to any African country. Check with your travel insurance company to ensure COVID-19 is covered under their insurance policy, in the event you need to change your travel plans due to the pandemic. Such coverage policy can protect you by covering expenses related to unexpected changes and/or medical care in the event of illness. MK: With any trip, but especially now, there can be unforeseen circumstances. Any insights on that front? JC: DO NOT travel without extra funds and the ability to extend your trip in the event of a quarantine. With the points mentioned above, there is a great likelihood you will be required to spend more time and money in the country to which you are traveling if your COVID-19 test is positive. As a result, it is advisable to travel only if you are prepared with time and financial contingency plans. However, African countries are not barring U.S. travelers at the same rate as other countries, meaning you can potentially realize your dream safari vacation or other adventure across the continents beaches, jungles and deserts. As the world contends with COVID-19 issues, African countries will endeavor to stay open for tourism, business and much more. Preparing for, and abiding by, the regions travel requirements will make your journey and overall stay in the country more enjoyable and safer for all. ~~~ Sources: https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2020-07-12-with-13497-new-cases-sa-is-propelled-into-global-top-10-for-covid-19-infections https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/south-africa-surpasses-the-uk-in-confirmed-coronavirus-cases/ar-BB16JuVn https://www.afdb.org/en/documents/north-africa-economic-outlook-2020-coping-covid-19-pandemic https://rw.usembassy.gov/health-alert-covid-19-information/ https://www.delta.com/us/en/travel-update-center/flying-what-you-need-to-know/coronavirus-regional-restrictions https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/warning/coronavirus-south-africa Boris Johnson. Getty Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government said it planned to break international law. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis on Tuesday said the government's plans for the province would break international law "in a very specific and limited way." The acknowledgment came in response to a question from a Conservative MP who expressed concern with Johnson's plans to make "minor clarifications" to the Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU. The answer prompted visible shock on opposition benches. It followed the resignation of the head of the government's legal department. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has admitted that its plan to make changes to the Brexit protocol for Northern Ireland is a breach of international law. In an extraordinary exchange in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, Brandon Lewis, the UK's secretary of state for Northern Ireland, said the plan "does break international law in a very specific and limited way." A Financial Times report on Sunday that said the UK government was seeking to overwrite the protocol for Northern Ireland agreed upon with the European Union sent shockwaves throughout Westminster and Brussels. Johnson's government will on Wednesday table legislation that, if implemented, would give UK minsters the power to unilaterally determine several issues relating to trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain which are being negotiated by UK and EU officials. UK government officials said the changes were minor and would not supplant the withdrawal agreement struck last year. In practice, they would give UK ministers the power to decide which goods are "at risk" of entering the EU, waive export declarations on goods heading from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, and pick and choose when to inform Brussels of state aid decisions that affect the Northern Ireland goods market. Story continues The government has faced accusations across the political spectrum of seeking to wriggle out of commitments it signed up for as part of the Brexit withdrawal treaty. On Tuesday, the Financial Times reported that Jonathan Jones, the head of the UK government's legal department, had quit his position in an apparent protest against the government's plans. On Tuesday, Lewis confirmed claims that the UK government was planning to break international law. In a question to Lewis, Conservative Member of Parliament Bob Neill said, "Adherence to the rule of law is not negotiable." He then asked: "Against that background, will he assure us that nothing that is proposed in this legislation does or potentially might breach international legal obligations or international legal arrangements that we have entered into?" To the visible shock of MPs on the opposition benches, including Labour shadow ministers Louise Haigh and Lisa Nandy, Lewis said: "Yes, this does break international law in a very specific and limited way." He said: "We are taking the power to disapply the EU law concept of direct effect, required by Article 4 in certain, very tightly defined circumstances. There are precedents for the UK, and indeed other countries, needing to consider their international obligations as circumstances change." Lewis added that legislation called the Finance Act 2013 "contains the example of treaty override, it contains provisions that expressly disapply international tax treaties to the extent that these conflict with the general anti-abuse rule." Watch Lewis say the UK plans to break international law: Neill later tweeted that "any breach" of international law was "unacceptable." Several other Conservative MPs have publicly expressed their opposition to the plan. Simon Hoare said the UK was at risk of no longer being a "country that keeps its word and abides by international obligations." Sir Roger Gale said that the government's plan to change the protocol would be "regarded world-wide as an act of bad faith." Earlier in the debate, former UK prime minister Theresa May suggested that her replacement Johnson was seeking to abandon promises he signed up to in international law. She asked Lewis: "How can the government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?" Another senior Conservative MP, George Freeman, tweeted: "That sound you hear? It's the sound of the Supreme Court preparing to remind Ministers that intentionally breaking the law - even in a very specific and limited way is, well, unlawful." Sir Bob Neill MP (@neill_bob) September 8, 2020 Stephen Farry, the Alliance MP for North Down in Northern Ireland, said it was a "truly extraordinary state of affairs," adding, "It is hard to see how this situation is tenable or sustainable, or at least how it would be in a normal democracy." Haigh, Labour's shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland, said it was "absolutely astonishing that the secretary of state for Northern Ireland has confirmed the government will be in breach of international law by undermining the Northern Ireland Protocol. This seriously undermines our authority on the international stage." Matthew O'Toole, the Northern Irish assembly member for Belfast South, said Lewis' acknowledgment was "chilling." He told Business Insider: "People in Northern Ireland already knew Johnson's government had little more than contempt for them, but for a Northern Ireland secretary to brazenly state on the floor of the House of Commons that the UK will break international legal obligations designed to protect Northern Ireland society is a new low. "A dark populism has gripped this government, which now seems indifferent not only to the solemn pledges made to people of Northern Ireland but to its international reputation." Read the original article on Business Insider ATHENS - The Greek government placed the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos in a state of emergency on Wednesday, while the European Union also pledged financial and active support as the country attempts to deal with the carnage left behind from last night's horrific fires at the Moria refugee camp. Greek government spokesperson Stelios Petsas announced the decision following an emergency meeting chaired by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The state of emergency will remain in place for the next four months. The aftermath of the blaze is utter carnage, with approximately 13,000 left homeless after huge fires ripped through the Moria facility, completely destroying the Health Center and large areas of residential facilities overnight. Miraculously, not a single casualty has been recorded at the time of writing. Now, with the state of emergency declared, Athens has dispatched all forces, including police, firefighting staff, and other public workers to support the island and the asylum seekers. Petsas announced that Interior Minister Takis Theodorikakos, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi and the president of the National Organisation for Public Health (EODY) Panagiotis Arkoumaneas will head to Lesvos later on Wednesday where they will be briefed on the situation. Alternate Minister for Migration, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, already gave a short briefing, telling reporters: "So far no loss of human life has been recorded, while the 408 unaccompanied refugee children have been transferred to a safe place and are in good health. Our immediate priority is to protect the vulnerable who lived in Moria. We are in the process of transferring them to safe hotels and other safe areas with accomodation." Greeks and the wider world population awoke to catastrophic scenes on Lesvos on Wednesday as a huge fire engulfed virtually the entire site at the Moria migrant camp there, with pictures and videos emerging of thousands of refugees running for their lives. Fires broke out overnight, and spread quickly due to high winds, destroying large areas of the camp, while the camp's 13,000+ population has been evacuated. At the time of writing, police and fire officials on the island said that the cause of the blaze, as well as the full extent of the damage, remained unclear. Tensions have been building for months, and even more so in recent days since it was revealed that 35 people had tested positive for Covid-19 from 1600 people tested, which meant that the facility had been locked down. Local media reports claimed that the fires had been started deliberately by residents in protest at the lockdown measures, and reported that firefighters had "met resistance" from some camp residents. The notoriously overcrowded camp and the surrounding area was home to 13,984 asylum seekers, housed at a facility which was designed to host only 3,100 people. Thousands of people were seen fleeing the area and moving towards the main town of Mytilene, with the authorities dispatching reinforced police forces to deal with the situation. Lesvos was Europe's busiest crossing point at the peak of the refugee crisis in 2015-16 when a massive movement of illegal migration began as people fled war in Syria and Iraq by traveling through Turkey. Following that huge wave of migration, Greece set up camps on Lesvos and several other islands in the North East Aegean islands, with funding help from the European Union, while also setting up camps also on the mainland. The camp at Moria gained worldwide notoriety for the poor living conditions and mass overcrowding, with many international media outlets and human rights organisations describing it simply as "hell on Earth". Even with the grim outlook for travel during the pandemic, the new destinations are routes United wants to serve long-term, said Patrick Quayle, Uniteds vice president of international network and alliances. Flights between Chicago and New Delhi will give passengers an option to fly directly from the middle of the U.S. to India, reducing overall travel time for connecting travelers. Beijing, Sep 9 : China on Wednesday confirmed that four journalists from three Chinese media outlets were raided by Australian intelligence officers in June, and urged Australia to stop harassing and suppressing Chinese personnel. "According to information from relevant news agencies, in late June, the Australian security intelligence agency raided and questioned four journalists from the outlets of Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group and China News Service working in Australia, and seized their computers, cellphones, and even tablets for kids and other electronic toys, alleging that they might have violated Australia's anti-foreign interference law," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing. The Australian government has not yet returned all the seized items belonging to the Chinese journalists, he added. Zhao stressed that Chinese media outlets in Australia always strictly abide by local laws and regulations, work in an objective and fair manner and have contributed immensely to promoting mutual understanding and friendly exchanges between the two peoples, Xinhua news agency reported. The Australian government's action seriously disrupted the Chinese media outlets' normal reporting activities in the country, grossly violated the Chinese journalists' legitimate rights and interests and has seriously jeopardized the physical and mental health of the concerned journalists and their families, said Zhao. The spokesperson added that such action has fully exposed the hypocrisy of the "freedom of the press" and the so-called "respect and protection of human rights" self-proclaimed by some Australians. China has made solemn representations to Australia on this issue repeatedly, said the spokesperson, calling on the Australian side to immediately stop its barbaric and unreasonable action, guarantee the safety and legitimate rights of Chinese citizens, and refrain from doing anything that interferes in cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. Please, sir, can we have some more? That was the request to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered politely in both official languages from the premiers of Ontario and Quebec. Premiers Doug Ford and Francois Legault, with a smattering of their senior ministers in tow, held a summit Wednesday at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel in Mississauga to discuss plans for the economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But mindful that Trudeau is preparing a throne speech within a fortnight thats expected to tout a big-spending agenda that could trigger a federal election, Ford and Legault used their pulpit to seek an increase in the Canada Health Transfer. Ford noted that until the late 1970s, Ottawa and the provinces equally shared the cost of health care. Acknowledging both Conservative and Liberal federal governments are to blame for shortchanging the provinces over the decades, he said COVID-19 has underscored the need for more health funding. We need to build a stronger health-care system and stay prepared for any scenario this fall. We want a fair deal for all provinces and territories. We want a fair deal for all Canadians, Ford said. That means the federal government needs to step up with an increase in the Canada Health Transfer. Legault added that health costs are rising at five to six per cent annually while revenues are only rising three per cent a year. When we calculate the cost of health care for all of the provinces, we are looking at expenditures of $200 billion and the federal contributions from heath care transfers is $42 billion, or 21 per cent, the Quebec premier said.. So, we think this is a structural problem of increasing costs of five to six per cent and the federal government should contribute more. But neither leader would bite when asked how much of an increase in funding the provinces need. Each said they wanted to confer with the other 11 provincial and territorial leaders at the Council of the Federation meeting in Quebec City later this month before putting forward a formal demand. Its too soon to give you a figure. We first need to talk to the other premiers. Its a question of respect. Its a question of also agreeing together of what we will ask the federal government. But don't worry, well put a figure on the table very shortly, said Legault. Senior Ontario officials emphasize that it would not be realistic to expect Ottawa to again assume 50 per cent of health funding, but the request would be higher than the existing share. The conference was held amid mounting concerns of a second wave of COVID-19 with an uptick of new cases. The two premiers compared notes on what they have learned since coronavirus hit in March, including the need for adequate domestic capacity to manufacture personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other medical gear. Quebec has been by far the hardest hit province by COVID-19, followed by Ontario. Together, the two provinces account for about 94 per cent of Canadas more than 9,100 deaths. With a population of 8.5 million, Quebec has suffered 5,800 deaths. Montreal alone has had about 3,500 coronavirus fatalities, a staggering number in a city of 1.8 million. By comparison, Ontario, which has a population of 14.5 million, has had more than 2,800 COVID-19 deaths. Toronto, with 3 million people, has suffered about 1,200 deaths from the virus. In terms of economic impact, 1.2 million Ontarians lost their jobs due to the pandemic compared with 450,000 Quebecers, though both have seen employment begin to bounce back in recent months. Read more about: MIAMI, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Health Intelligence (GHI), the leading healthcare data analytics provider in Latin America, has just published Medical Equipment Market Report: Latin America 2020 . The cover of the report Exclusively created for medical equipment manufacturers operating in Latin America, this unique report features more than 1,500 crucial data points that sales and marketing teams can use to devise their plans for 2021 and beyond. "After a challenging 2020, many companies are looking ahead to 2021 and for many, their strategic planning process is underway," explains Guillaume Corpart, CEO and founder of Global Health Intelligence . "This report will help companies understand which categories of equipment have the most sales potential going forward, which institutions are the top prospects for buying high-tech equipment and much more." Among the data featured in Medical Equipment Market Report: Latin America 2020: The 6 fastest-growing medical equipment categories in Mexico , along with growth categories in Argentina , Chile , Colombia and other markets , along with growth categories in , , and other markets The 70 hospitals in Latin America that acquire more high-tech products than any others in the region with the specific amounts of high-tech products that each possesses, ranging from angiograms and C-arms to PET systems and robotic surgery systems with the specific amounts of high-tech products that each possesses, ranging from angiograms and C-arms to PET systems and robotic surgery systems Penetration rates of base installed equipment for more than 25 different categories (from anesthesia machines to X-ray machines) in 7 major hospital markets of Latin America Total amounts of basic equipment (e.g. infusion pumps, ventilators) in all Latin American hospitals, along with the average amount per hospital Specialized equipment (e.g. C-arms, gamma cameras, linear accelerators) penetration rates for all of Latin America , total amounts and average amount per hospital that possess this equipment , total amounts and average amount per hospital that possess this equipment Total amounts of specialized units (operating rooms, ICUs, NICUs, PICUs) for all of Latin America and also for markets like Argentina , Brazil , Mexico , Chile , Colombia , Peru and Central America And much more, including the total amounts of: hospitals, hospital beds, operating rooms doctors, surgical procedures performed and other overall market data in Latin America, which serves to complement the specific data featured for each LatAm hospital market. "The major advantage and benefit from our report is that we source our data directly from in-house primary research conducted with hospitals," observes Corpart. "We cover roughly 90% of all the hospitals in Latin America within our database, with more than 140 data points for each. This powers the Medical Equipment Market Report: Latin America 2020 with fresh, direct data. Other reports tend to rely on secondary sources that are often outdated and limited primary research, resulting in insights that are questionable at best. Our team's constant verification ensures as much accuracy as possible, directly from the source," says Corpart. A free report sample and the table of contents for Medical Equipment Market Report: Latin America 2020 are both available at the report website, https://medical-equipment-market-report-latin-america.com. Press Contact: Abel Delgado, Digital Marketing Director, [email protected] Related Images medical-equipment-market-report.png Medical Equipment Market Report Latin America 2020 The cover of the report SOURCE Global Health Intelligence Related Links https://globalhealthintelligence.com The current director of Charlie Hebdo says the magazine has 'nothing to regret' for publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed. Laurent Sourisseau, known as 'Riss' and who was himself badly wounded in the shoulder in the attack, said on Wednesday he stands by the controversial editorial decision which angered Muslims all over the world. He was speaking at the trial of 14 suspected accomplices to the 2015 attacks at the satirical magazine's offices and a Jewish supermarket that left a total of 17 dead. The current director of Charlie Hebdo Laurent Sourisseau says the magazine has 'nothing to regret' for publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed Sourisseau said: 'I don't want to be dependent on the insane arbitrariness of fanatics.' He added 'there is nothing to regret' in having published the caricatures of Mohammed in 2006. 'What I regret is to see how little people fight to defend freedom. If we don't fight for our freedom, we live like a slave and we promote a deadly ideology.' Ten people were killed inside the offices of Charlie Hebdo including Jean Cabut, known as Cabu, 76, Georges Wolinski, 80, and Stephane 'Charb' Charbonnier, 47, who were among France's most celebrated cartoonists. The cartoonist known as 'Riss', who was himself badly wounded in the shoulder in the attack, said on Wednesday he stands by the controversial editorial decision which angered Muslims all over the world Seventeen people, including 12 in and around Charlie Hebdo's offices, eight of whom were Fieschi's colleagues, were killed Sourisseau, 53, who succeeded Charb as head of the publication, insisted that freedom is 'not something that drops from the sky'. 'We grew up without imagining that one day our freedoms would be put into question.' Recalling the horror of the attack by the brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, he said: 'The immediate sensation after the attack is that you have been cut in half and you were being deprived of a part of yourself.' Sourisseau now lives under round the clock protection. 'It is like I am under house arrest.' Sourisseau, 53, who succeeded Charb as head of the publication, insisted that freedom is 'not something that drops from the sky' This court sketch made last week at the Paris courthouse shows the fourteen accused and their lawyers at the opening of the trial of the accomplices in Charlie Hebdo jihadist killings in 2015 Defiant as ever, Charlie Hebdo last week republished the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, drawing new condemnation from states including Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. 'If we had given up the right to publish these cartoons, that would mean that we were wrong to do so' in the first place, he said. He followed a survivor of the 2015 attack who revealed at court on Wednesday how the gunmen said 'Allahu akbar' (God is greatest), then shot him with their Kalashnikov rifles. Simon Fieschi was the first employee the terrorists encountered when they entered the magazine's Paris offices. Simon Fieschi (pictured, centre), has revealed how the gunmen said 'Allahu akbar' (God is greatest), then shot him with their Kalashnikov rifles in the Charlie Hebdo attacks He said that after being shot he lost consciousness, and the gunmen moved on to other targets. Speaking to a French court on Wednesday, Fieschi, 36, was forced to relive his traumatic experiences during the trial of 14 suspects accused of aiding the gunmen. The survivor limped to the witness box using a crutch and declined to offer a seat, testifying standing. The magazine's webmaster said: 'It was all very quick for me. 'I remember the door opening violently, and gunshots. I remember a man who said: 'Allahu akbar,' and then, 'We don't kill women'. Fieschi was the first employee the two gunmen encountered when they entered the satirical magazine's Paris offices 'I lost consciousness, which is without doubt what saved my life,' he said. One bullet went into his neck and damaged his spinal column, leaving him with constant pain and reduced mobility. On the day of the attack, when Fieschi regained consciousness, the shooting had already finished and many of his colleagues lay dead, or wounded. It was not until much later that he was told what had happened to his co-workers. One bullet went into Fieschi's neck and damaged his spinal column, leaving him with constant pain and reduced mobility 'The image that stays with me is of a trail of blood in the corridor leading to the newsroom,' he said in court. 'At the time I didn't really understand what it meant.' It comes after the cartoonist who was forced at gunpoint to open the satirical newspaper's door to the two extremists described the moments of sheer terror in court on Tuesday. Corinne Rey, 38, had tears in her eyes but her voice was clear as she gave evidence at the trial of 13 men and one woman accused of helping plot the attacks. Ms Rey said: 'I expect justice to be done here. It is the law of men that rules, and not the law of God, as the terrorists would have it.' Corinne Rey, 38, who appeared as a witness on Tuesday, was forced at gunpoint to open the satirical newspaper's door to the extremists Ms Rey had left the weekly editorial meeting a little early to go downstairs for a cigarette when the gunmen came in the door, calling her by her pen name Coco, and ordering her to take them to the Charlie Hebdo offices. 'I had a sense of dread,' she said, her voice shaking with emotion, recalling as she walked upstairs between the two men armed with assault rifles. 'I was in distress, I could not think anymore,' she told the trial. 'I knew it was a Kalashnikov.' 'I was devastated, as if dispossessed of myself, I could no longer do anything. I moved towards the code keypad and I typed it in,' she recalled. 'I felt that the terrorists were approaching their goal, I felt them growing excited next to me.' Police and emergency vehicles at the scene after the gun rampage at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris in 2015 which left 12 people dead Only at the moment when Ms Rey described leading them accidentally to the wrong floor of the building did she falter, crouching down and holding her arms over her head in a replay of her reaction as the gunmen realised her mistake. Said and Cherif Kouachi targeted Charlie Hebdo because they believed the newspaper blasphemed Islam by publishing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. They opened fire on the group seated around the offices as soon as they entered, but told Ms Rey they were sparing her life as a woman. Entering the offices, the attackers shot at Fieschi, the administrator of the weekly's website. Rey said she ran to hide under a desk. The Kouachi brothers, Cherif (left) and Said (right), entered Charlie Hebdo's premises in Paris and killed 10 people in under two minutes 'I saw the legs of Cabu. Wolinski was not moving. I saw Charb - the side of his face was extremely pale. Riss was wounded and he told me, 'Coco, don't worry'.' Jean Cabut, known as Cabu, 76, Georges Wolinski, 80, and Stephane 'Charb' Charbonnier, 47, were among France's most celebrated cartoonists. All lost their lives in the massacre. 'This is the talent that was killed that day, they were models for me,' Rey said. 'They were extremely kind people, who had a talent for being funny ... It's not easy to be funny, but they were able to do it very well.' Five years later, Rey said she still struggled with the memories of the attacks as well as sensations of impotence and even guilt. A message of solidarity with Charlie Hebdo - containing the popular slogan 'je suis Charlie' (meaning 'I am Charlie') - is laid out in Paris after the attack in 2015 'It took me a long time to understand that I am not the guilty one. The only culprits are the Islamist terrorists. The Kouachis and those who helped them,' she told the court. 'This is something I will live with the rest of my life. I felt so powerless, felt so guilty,' she said. The trial, which began on September 2, is expected to continue until November, reopening one of the post painful chapters in France's history. An altercation over 1,000 cost a 19-year-old man his life as he was stabbed nearly half a dozen times by his two friends in north-east Delhis Welcome on Tuesday evening, police said. The two fled the crime scene but were caught late Tuesday night along with the murder weapon, said deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Ved Prakash Surya. Surya said the arrested men, identified by their first names as Sohail and Farhan, both aged 19 years, told the police that they murdered their friend Amaan over a monetary dispute. Sohail had borrowed 1,000 from Amaan and was not returning it despite Amaans repeated demands. They often had arguments over that. Some days ago, Amaan had also assaulted him over the same issue, the DCP said. On Tuesday, Sohail and Farhan called Amaan out of his home to sort out their differences. An altercation broke out between them and the duo stabbed Amaan five to six times and fled. Amaan was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead, a police officer said, requesting anonymity. A murder case was registered and the two suspects were caught after multiple searches in north-east Delhi late evening, the officer said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Water and its movements within or between atmosphere, land, and ocean defines the global water cycle and is central to the climate system. Almost all weather and climate phenomena are in some way tied to the water cycle. Examples include extreme rainfall during thunderstorms, hurricanes and tropical cyclones, flooding, droughts, and sea level rise. Now the water cycle is changing in important ways, as the climate changes. Theory and models suggest that as the Earth is warming, the global water cycle amplifies, i.e., more water is evaporated from the ocean, and consequently precipitation is increasing as well. Yet the observational confirmation of this prediction has been difficult, since past changes of the water cycle are were poorly observed due to the difficulty of measuring global-scale evaporation and precipitation and the complexity of their spatial and temporal variability. The new study, published in Journal of Climate, overcomes many of the previous limitations, and derives a new estimate of water cycle change based on a new salinity data product since 1960. From this, they provided new strong evidence that the global water cycle has amplified substantially in the past 50 years, confirming theory and models. The study is led by Lijing Cheng from the Institute of Atmospheric at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who collaborated with a group of international scientists from National Center for Atmospheric Research, U.S.; ETH Zurich; University of St. Thomas, U.S.; Pennsylvania State University, U.S. "Ocean salinity change can be used to estimate water cycle change, because it reveals the modification of global surface freshwater exchanges: evaporation takes freshwater from the ocean into the atmosphere and increases the ocean salinity; precipitation puts more freshwater into the ocean and reduces the salinity. Consequently, salinity changes integrate effects over broad areas and provide an excellent indicator for water cycle change." Lijing Cheng introduced. "However, as previous salinity datasets show severe biases or shortcomings, we thereby need better salinity data. This study provides new monthly gridded salinity fields for the upper 2000 m since 1960" John Abraham said, "To perform interpolation across data sparse intervals and regions, the method uses information on the spatio-temporal co-variability of salinity taken from the historical coupled climate model simulations. The method is then rigorously verified". "The new product is clearly more reliable for examining long-term salinity changes, as we show that this new salinity reconstruction has much better continuity through changes in the observing-system (from altimeters on satellites and profiling floats (Argo) in the ocean." a co-author, Kevin Trenberth from NCAR said, "The new data demonstrate that the existing salinity pattern has amplified. In other words, 'the fresh gets fresher, and the salty gets saltier' in much of the ocean. Also, we show, for the first time, that the ocean 0-2000m averaged salinity trend indicates freshening in almost the entire Pacific Ocean, broad salinification in the low- and middle-latitudes Atlantic, pronounced freshening in North Atlantic, and contrasts between the north and south Indian ocean" . The salinity change is spatially complicated, this study uses a simple index to synthesize these changes, named the Salinity Contrast (SC) index, which is defined as the difference between the salinity averaged over high-salinity and low-salinity regions. "This metric provides a simple but powerful means of synthesizing the observed salinity pattern changes" said Nicolas Gruber, a coauthor of this study from ETH: "we show that 0-2000m salinity pattern has amplified by 1.6% and surface salinity has amplified by 7.5%. We also show that this increase is due to human influence, and this anthropogenic signal has exceeded the natural background variability." An improved estimate of the global water cycle change has been compiled based on the new salinity data, salinity-contrast metrics and model simulations. It shows that the water cycle has been already amplified by 2~4 % per degree Celsius since 1960 (Figure 1). "Our ocean-based result is broadly consistent with many recent atmospheric based estimates and strengthens the evidence that the global water cycle has been intensified with global warming." Said John Fasullo from NCAR, U.S. This result has important implications for the future climate. In a world warmed by +2C (the upper limit of the "Paris Agreement" target), the water cycle will amplify by 4~8%. This amplification will be even stronger if the aerosol impacts are smaller in the future than today (i.e. if the air pollution can be controlled). Consequently, there will be stronger evaporation: the drier regions will get even drier and further increase the odds of worsening drought. Droughts affect livestock and crops and increase risk of damaging and sometimes deadly wildfire in many regions, including the U.S., China, Australia, Brazil, and other countries, posing severe risks to food safety and human health. There will also be greatly increased risk of heavy and extreme rains. The more intense rainstorms cause major problems like extreme flooding around the world. The rainfall associated with tropical cyclones and hurricanes will continue to grow and increase damage not only to coastal and small island communities, but well inland as well (as in Isaias). "This study is a significant advance in the field", said Michael Mann from Pennsylvania State University, U.S.: "First, the new, more accurate estimates of salinity changes provide a better basis for comparison with climate model simulations. Secondly, the Salinity-Contrast index provides a key measure of climate change impact on the global water hydrological cycle and helps distinguish the signal. We find that it takes a little more than a decade to isolate the climate change signal from background noise in this particular metric, suggesting it should be used more widely by the climate research community." ### This study is supported by National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFA0603202), Key Deployment Project of Centre for Ocean Mega-Research of Science, CAS (COMS2019Q01), European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements 821001 and 821003. The Bombay High Court stayed demolition of actor Kangana Ranauts property by the Mumbai civic body for illegal construction. The court asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to file a reply on the actors petition. The matter will be heard at 3pm today before the bench of justice SJ Kathawalla. We filed a petition this morning seeking urgent hearing. We have sought a stay on the demolition process by way of interim relief, Ranauts advocate Rizwan Siddiqui told news agency PTI. The BMC on Wednesday demolished illegal alterations at the Bandra bungalow of Ranaut, a civic official said. The actor shared photos of the officials demolishing parts of her bungalow and called it the death of democracy. Pakistan.... #deathofdemocracy, she tweeted. Sharing another set of pictures of the demolition squad, she wrote, Babar and his army. After engaging in a war of words with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut over the role of Mumbai police in Sushant Singh Rajputs death probe, Kangana Ranaut is on her way to Mumbai. Raut had warned the actor against returning to Maharashtra after she compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport, Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher, she had earlier tweeted. "Marking our entrance to the charming cities of Katy and Tomball, we're excited that these communities will expand the presence of our sought-after Lonestar and Liberty new home collections," said Chris Chew, Houston Division President. "We encourage homebuyers interested in these developments to join our interest list, which will ensure they're the first to know about community updates and Grand Opening information." Fairway Farms location: FM 2978 and Bogs Road Tomball, TX 77375 Aurora location: Peek Road and Beckendorff Road Katy, Texas 77493 (just west of the Grand Parkway) About Century Communities Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS) is a top 10 national homebuilder. Offering new homes under the Century Communities and Century Complete brands, Century is engaged in all aspects of homebuildingincluding the acquisition, entitlement and development of land, along with the construction, innovative marketing and sale of quality homes designed to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. The Colorado-based company operates in 17 states across the U.S., and offers title, insurance and lending services in select markets through its Parkway Title, IHL Insurance Agency, and Inspire Home Loan subsidiaries. To learn more about Century Communities, please visit www.centurycommunities.com. SOURCE Century Communities, Inc. Related Links www.centurycommunities.com New Delhi: At least two militants were killed after the army foiled an infiltration bid in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector along the Line of Control. (LoC).The encounter comes a day after a militant was killed on Tuesday in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir's north Bandipora district. (More details are awaited) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday pulled down 'most of' the alleged illegal alterations at the Bandra bungalow of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut by the time the Bombay high court ordered a stay on the process, officials said. IMAGE: Police urge journalists to exit Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's Bandra bungalow after BMC authorities demolished part of the building citing illegal alterations, in Mumbai, on Wednesday. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI Photo According to a civic official, the demolition at Ranaut's Pali Hill office started around 11 am and continued for the next one-and-a-half hours, till the high court passed the order. "The BMC demolished majority of the unauthorised additions and extensions inside Ranaut's bungalow by the time the HC stayed the process," the official said. According to sources, the civic body pulled down most of the alleged structural changes made on the ground and the first floors of the property. These included a toilet on the ground floor and a meeting room on the first floor. A balcony extension on the first floor was also brought down, they said. According to the BMC official, a team comprising over 30 civic staff members and officials were involved in the operation, in which one JCB machine and two trucks were used. On Tuesday morning, the BMC had issued a stop-work notice to the 'ongoing renovation and finishing work' of Ranaut's office on Nargis Dutt Road. IMAGE: Debris lie on the ground after BMC authorities demolished part of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's Bandra bungalow citing illegal alterations, in Mumbai, on Wednesday. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI Photo In that notice, the civic body had listed 14 different things as unauthorised constructions in the bungalow, including conversion of a toilet on the ground floor into office space, construction of kitchen inside store room, new toilets near store room, conversion of balcony into habitable area, merging of one bungalow into another and extension of third floor. On Wednesday morning, the civic body posted another notice outside her bungalow, informing her about the action it would be taking, the official said. Kangana, a three-time National Award winner, tweeted some of the videos and photos of the demolition process. 'I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now,' Kangana tweeted, soon after the demolition work began. The Bombay high court later stayed the demolition saying the civic body's conduct was 'mala fide' and 'deplorable'. A division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and R I Chagla asked why the BMC gave only 24 hours to Ranaut to respond to its stop-work notice and went on to take action when she was outside Maharashtra. The court was hearing a petition filed by Ranaut challenging a notice issued by the BMC for 'illegal' construction at her bungalow. Talking to reporters outside the actor's office after the stay order, her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui said, "The BMC is lying. It's lying on record (about illegal construction at the bungalow). They said they have given stop-work notice. But such notice is given when the construction process is underway." Ranaut's recent remark comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) has drawn the ire of the ruling Shiv Sena. She had said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the 'movie mafia', and would prefer security either from Himachal Pradesh or the Centre.] The 33-year-old Queen actor, who returned to Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon from her home state Himachal Pradesh, alleged that the Maharashtra government was targeting her because of her clash with the Shiv Sena. On 9 September 1921, Virginia Rappe died aged 30. A few days before that, the model, fashion designer and silent film actor had attended a party held on Labor Day at the St Francis Hotel in San Francisco. There, she had become involved in an interaction with Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle, one of the foremost actors of his time. Arbuckle, at the age of 34, had more than 100 film credits to his name, and had recently signed a contract worth $1m (which would be worth $14m/10m nowadays). This made him one of the treasures of the silent film era. His calibre rivalised that of Charlie Chaplin (with whom he starred in several films, including The Rounders and The Masqueraders) and of his friend Buster Keaton. By the early 1920s, his round, blue-eyed face, wide silhouette, and impish grin were well-known to movie fans around the world. Rappe, meanwhile, had plenty of promise. With her piercing brown eyes, lustrous hair, and dazzling style, she found work both as a model and an actor, appearing in 13 movies, including the 1917 short His Wedding Night, alongside Arbuckle. She was a rising talent; he was a man at the top. The events that changed this status quo, leading to Rappe's death and Arbuckle's shunning, have been the subject of much discussion over the past century. Rappe spent the days after the Labor Day party in excruciating pain. She was pronounced dead on the fourth day of a ruptured bladder. Arbuckle was accused of having caused her death and tried three times. The prosecution contended he had raped, assaulted, or otherwise exerted violence towards Rappe during the Labor Day party, causing the fatal bladder rupture. Arbuckle denied the accusation. He was acquitted but went on to live the rest of his life in infamy, cast aside by the same Hollywood that had once adored him. The story of Rappe and Arbuckle is usually told as a cautionary tale of sorts a sad story focusing primarily on the tragedy of a historic career cut short. Rarely does it explore the other side of the story that of a young woman dying in agonising circumstances. The Roscoe Arbuckle case as reported in the Chicago Herald and Examiner on 17 September 1921 (Photo by Everett/REX) Police announced their intention to take Arbuckle into custody the day after Rappes death. On 16 September, the actor was charged with murder a count later reduced to manslaughter. His first trial lasted almost a year, finishing up in December 1921. It ended with a deadlocked jury and a mistrial. A much shorter second trial followed in early 1922 with the same outcome. It was the third trial, taking place between March and April 1922, which sealed Arbuckles fate. This time around, after just a few minutes, a jury acquitted Arbuckle. Extraordinarily, a statement read to the press and attributed to the jury (author Greg Merritt disputes the origins of the statement in his detailed book on the case, Room 1219: The Life of Fatty Arbuckle, the Mysterious Death of Virginia Rappe, and the Scandal That Changed Hollywood) claimed that acquittal is not enough for Roscoe Arbuckle. The statement went on to praise Arbuckle for being manly throughout the case, adding: We wish him success and hope that the American people will take the judgment of 14 men and women that Roscoe Arbuckle is entirely innocent and free from all blame. Its worth noting that the accusations against Arbuckle prompted a swift ban of his movies. According to Merritt, less than a week after his arrest, his films had been pulled from every screen in America. Cancel culture has often been depicted, usually negatively, as a new phenomenon, but if anything, in this case it was much more powerful a century ago than it is now. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Attempting to wade through the evidence presented at trial, and weigh the merits of each element, is a dizzying task. Witnesses contradict one another constantly. Medical expertise was, of course, very different in the 1920s; ditto forensics. There is no DNA, no hard evidence. Everything is circumstantial, and everything happened almost a century ago. Here is what we know. Arbuckle changed his story between the moment he first spoke to the press and his first trial. At first, he said Rappe had become hysterical after having a few drinks, and began to tear off her clothes. He tried to help, at some point calling for a doctor. In this version of events, hes never alone with Rappe meaning he would have been hard-pressed to assault her in any way. At trial, however, Arbuckle presented a new narrative. This time around, he said he had found Rappe on the floor of a bathroom, clearly in pain, moaning. Rappe, according to Arbuckles testimony, was holding her stomach when he got in. In this version, too, he tries to help her, which involves giving her a glass of water and laying her down on a bed. By Arbuckles own admission, Maude Delmont, an attendee who would later become a star witness at his trial, told him to get out and leave Rappe alone, to which he replied by telling her to shut up or I would throw her out the window. Speaking of Delmont she testified that Rappe had stated that she had been hurt and that [Arbuckle] did it. Her version of events was supported by two other witnesses, who both signed statements for the prosecution to that effect. Not only that, but the medical community, even at the time, recognised that spontaneous ruptures of the bladder were exceedingly rare. This led Dr Shelby Strange, who performed a post-mortem examination on Rappes body, to believe the rupture had to have been caused by external force. Another element worth considering: Rappes character was attacked in precisely the unfortunate, profoundly unfair ways you would expect in the 1920s. According to an account by the Smithsonian Magazine, witnesses not only testified that Rappe had suffered previous abdominal attacks, which can be considered relevant information in the context of the trial, but also that she drank heavily and often disrobed at parties after doing so; was promiscuous, and had an illegitimate daughter. None of these elements have anything to do with Arbuckle attacking, or not attacking, Rappe, and that they were even brought up casts an irrevocable shadow on the proceedings and their outcome. Merritt offers up a version of events in Room 1219 that doesnt absolve Arbuckle of all responsibility, but opens the door to the possibility of a more or less accidental series of events leading to Rappes death. His narrative doesnt entirely redeem Arbuckle, nor is it a full indictment. Whether you subscribe to that version, or you believe Arbuckle was 100 per cent to blame, or none at all is up to you. But it is telling that, while several books have been written about Arbuckle, none have been written squarely about Rappe. And yes, this is in part because she died at a younger age (Arbuckle died aged 46 of a heart attack), and because she was less famous than him. Still, its worth considering why so many versions of this story present it primarily as the tale of a man who lost his career, when it began, first and foremost, with a woman losing her life. Rappe was, according to Merritt, entrepreneurial, idealistic, and outspoken, dedicated to important causes. Raised first by a single mother, Rappe, who never knew her father, was essentially orphaned at 11, when her mother died. She overcame a tough childhood and made a name for herself, championing causes such as women's rights and pacifism through her work all by the age of 30. There is more to grieve for here than the enduring questions surrounding her death. Thousands of frustrated Melburnians have vowed to leave a pair of boots outside their homes in a mass protest demanding Premier Daniel Andrews step down. The movement, Give Dan The Boot, is set to take place on Sunday with more than 3,000 people already vowing to take part. The at-home protest is the brainchild of the group Victoria Forward, which is ran by 19-year-old Donald Trump supporter and Liberal member Edward Bourke. It comes after anti-lockdown protests erupted across the country over the weekend, with 17 arrested in Melbourne and 160 fines issued. One man has already placed his boots outside his home in the movement Give Dan The Boot More than 3,000 Melburnians have said they would take part at the at-home protest on Sunday 'It's time to stand up to Daniel Andrews, and now you can do it from home!' the Facebook event reads. 'Please place a pair of boots or shoes at your front gate or around your fence this Sunday, 13th of September and post a photo to this event or use the tag #GiveDanTheBoot. 'GIVE DAN THE BOOT is a silent protest but the image of thousands of boots outside the gates of Victorian households, will decisively convey that the Victorian people have no faith in the premier.' The group also highlighted due to the protest being carried out at home, no COVID-19 restrictions would be breached. The page has been flooded with members criticising the premier's strict lockdown, which has been extended by another two weeks. One Melbourne resident shared a homemade sign she had made with the words #GiveDanTheBoot painted across a piece of cardboard On Saturday thousands of Melburnians took to the streets demanding an end to lockdown Victoria Forward frequently posts content urging Mr Andrews to resign and slamming his policies. Pictured: Edward Bourke One man decided to put his boots out early asking what he did 'to deserve' having Mr Andrews as his premier. Another shared a homemade sign she had made with the words #GiveDanTheBoot painted across a piece of cardboard. One woman who doesn't even live in the coronavirus-riddled state said she too would hang out her shoes in support. Mr Bourke's group Victoria Forward is well known for its highly critical stance on Mr Andrews. In one social media post, the group insisted that 72 per cent of their 15,000-strong following wanted Mr Andrews to resign. Mr Bourke first rose to fame following a video interview with VICE Australia in 2016, where the then-15-year-old revealed his support of Donald Trump. He also runs a government relations firm called 470 Bourke, where the teenager calls himself a 'seasoned political campaigner, activist, and strategist who has a history of success in his political predictions, comments and strategies'. When Mr Bourke was 14 he started non-profit campaigns before taking on 'successful global political campaigns'. One man is seen pinned down to the ground by Victoria police officers at the anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne on Saturday Protests erupted at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne with residents demanding an end to the harsh lockdown The frustration comes after Mr Andrews revealed Melbourne's roadmap out of lockdown. Currently Melburnians are in the midst of tough Stage Four restrictions which mean residents can only leave their house for four essential reasons - which as gutted local businesses and wreaked havoc on the economy. These include for one hour of exercise a day, to give or receive care, for work or study and for necessary shopping. There is also a 8pm-5am curfew enforced. Announcing how restrictions would be eased on Sunday, Mr Andrews said the lockdown would be extended for another two weeks instead of ending on September 13. The curfew will also be enforced until October 26 but will be increased to 9pm-5am. Cafes, bars and restaurants will not be able to have customers dine outside until October 26, as long as the statewide case average has fallen under five for the previous fortnight. Customers won't be allowed inside until November 23 and only if there have been no cases at all for the previous two weeks. Victoria recorded 76 new infections and 11 deaths on Wednesday. As the monsoon recedes over North India, the flatlands in Pampore, the picturesque part of South Kashmir ringed by the Khrew mountain range, buzzes to life with farmers readying their fields for the saffron crop that flowers by mid-October. Their hopes for a high yield and better prices are already blossoming this season thanks to the state-of-the-art Spice Park at Dusoo in the saffron hub of Pulwama district. The centre will receive its first lot of fresh flowers from the fields this season. The produce will be put through a cold chain for scientific drying, processing and grading before the centre facilitates farmers to e-trade their geographical indication or GI-tagged produce on a pan-India portal. The newly commissioned facility is the first of its kind in Asia and marks a ground-breaking shift for Kashmirs centuries-old saffron trade in which the harvest was traditionally sun-dried at home by farmers and sold in markets through middlemen. Machines used for testing processed saffron at the Spice Park in Pulwama districts Dusoo. (Waseem Andrabi/HT) CHANGE IS IN THE AIR Pulwama, the land of saffron, annually produces 80 quintals of high-quality produce with a turnover of Rs 120 crore-Rs 140 crore. As the most expensive spice, the market price of one gram of top grade saffron can vary between Rs 250-Rs 300. Typically, a grower gets half of that as the middlemen control the market. This April, Jammu and Kashmir got the GI tag for home-grown saffron. The GI tag is a code given to a certain product that has a specific geographical location or origin. Come November and Kashmirs saffron trade will change radically. The GI-tag will put a stamp of originality on Kashmiri saffron and significantly enhance the farmers marketing reach and fetch them a far better price in the national and international markets, says Pulwama deputy commissioner Dr Raghav Langer. Farmers too are looking forward to the change in the offing. The GI-tag and e-auction will be a game changer, says Abdul Majeed, chairman of the J&K Saffron Growers Development and Marketing Cooperative Association, an umbrella body representing 37,000 families into saffron cultivation. It will benefit both farmers and consumers. The high-tech laboratory where the saffron will be dried for processing at the Spice Park. (Waseem Andrabi/HT) ITS ADVANTAGE FARMERS The Rs 40-crore park has been set up as part of the National Saffron Mission, a centrally-funded Rs 410-crore project launched in 2010 to rejuvenate saffron cultivation in Kashmir. Abdul Rashid Illayee, the project manager of Spice Park, says Kashmiri saffron is considered best because of its colour, aroma and flavour. Before the GI-tag, the saffron from Iran and Spain used to be sold under the Kashmir brand to the disadvantage of local farmers, he said. The Spice Park can store two metric tonnes of flowers for 48 hours. After the flowers stigma, which forms the saffron, is separated, the farmers produce will be coded, dried scientifically and tested in the laboratory on eight quality parameters. So far, 250 saffron growers have registered for the e-auction of their packaged GI-tagged produce to pan-India buyers. SEAL OF AUTHENTICITY The Spice Park has applied for accreditation to provide farmers access to international markets. The traditional drying methods at the farmers end invariably caused contamination and loss of quality but all that will now change for the better, says Illayee. Saffron growers will now be able to directly sell their produce through the e-auction portal that fetches them a much better price. The GI tag is a seal of authenticity, says Dr Inam-ur Rasool, in-charge of the e-auction. Officials say that the J&K government will fix the base price for the bidding. Even after bidding, the base price can go up and brokers who used to take growers for a ride, will get eliminated, says Dr Rasool. FROM RED TO SAFFRON Prior to the National Saffron Mission, Pampores signature crop was in the red. The rain-fed saffron belt has seen a steady decline from 5,000 hectares to 3,000 hectares in the last two decades. The reasons range from recurring droughts, absence of an irrigation system, growing urbanisation and commercial pressures on the prime saffron land on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. Due to slump in profits, many farmers switched from cultivating the delicate crop to apple orchards. Over the past decade, the project has focused on standardisation of seed (bulbs), scientific packaging and subsidised drip irrigation. This has helped rejuvenate the saffron crop and increase the area under cultivation to 3,700 hectares. Pulwama alone accounts for 3,200 hectares. So far, 250 saffron growers have registered for the e-auction of their packaged GI-tagged produce to pan-India buyers. (Waseem Andrabi/HT) BETTER YIELD EXPECTED Majeed, one of the big saffron cultivators, says most of the work under the mission is complete. We are awaiting the testing of drip irrigation. The pipes have been laid and 104 bore wells dug, however, the irrigation system hasnt been connected with the supply line. Once thats done, production will increase manifold and drought wont impact this crop, he says. Pulwama chief agriculture officer Mohammad Qasim Ghani says that the National Saffron Mission has been extended for two years. The results are tangible in terms of the yield. Last year, Pulwama produced 12 tonnes of saffron. This time, due to good rainfall last month, it is likely to touch 16 tonnes, says Ghani. All eyes are on the Spice Park as Kashmirs saffron is poised to reap rich dividends on the back of new paradigms of quality and marketing. Argentina President Alberto Fernandez on Tuesday, September 8, inaugurated the new plant of Royal Enfield motorcycles in the capital Buenos Aires. The launch of the new plant marks the first time in 119 years that Royal Enfield bikes will be manufactured outside their own plants in India, Indian Embassy in Argentina said in its statement. Dinesh Bhatia, Ambassador of India- Argentina who was present at the launch of the manufacturing plant expressed his gratitude to President Fernandez and said 'India is committed to deepening its strategic relationship' with the country. President @alferdez inaugurated the new plant of @royalenfield motorcycles in Province of Buenos Aires. This marks the first time in 119 years that Royal Enfield bikes are manufactured outside their own plants in India@pmoindia @meaindia @dineshbhatia pic.twitter.com/ghEO9EBBuD India In Argentina (@Indembarg) September 8, 2020 READ | Argentina: College professor with COVID-19 symptoms dies during Zoom lecture Gracias presidente @alferdez por sus amables palabras. India esta comprometida con profundizar nuestra relacion estrategica Thank you President @alferdez for your kind words. India is committed to deepening our strategic relationship@PMOIndia @MEAIndia @dineshbhatia pic.twitter.com/RJV6h2dcEk India In Argentina (@Indembarg) September 8, 2020 Royal Enfield opens dealership in Argentina Two years back Royal Enfield had announced its entry into Argentina, the second biggest motorcycle market in Latin America. Indian motorcycle icon launched its first flagship store in the heart of Buenos Aires at Avenida Del Libertador 3344, Vicente Lopez and commenced its full operation, including after-sales, spares and service. READ | Argentina's coronavirus death toll passes 10,000 About Royal Enfield Royal Enfield is an Indian motorcycle manufacturing brand with the tag of the 'oldest global motorcycle brand' in continuous production, and is manufactured in factories in Chennai, India. Royal Enfield is licensed from the indigenous Indian Madras Motors and it is a subsidiary of Eicher Motors Limited, an Indian automaker. The automaker company makes the Royal Enfield Bullet and different single-cylinder and twin-cylinder motorcycles. Royal Enfield first produced in 1901, is the oldest motorcycle brand in the world still in production, with the Bullet model enjoying the longest motorcycle production run of all time. READ | Six Argentina rugby players test positive for COVID-19 READ | Argentina's ICU workers warn of fatigued personnel SEATTLE, Sept 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Headset , the leading provider of data and analytics to the cannabis industry, announced today it is launching the free version of their competitive intelligence tool, Headset Insights Pulse , in Michigan. The news comes on the heels of Headset's announcement this past August regarding Headset Insight's launch in Oregon, and will be Headset Insight's first launch in the eastern U.S. With an Insights Pulse account, users will be able to explore Michigan data down to the category level, as well as data from California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia - all for free. Headset Insights will bring coverage to the emerging East Coast cannabis market for the first time. Companies in and out of the cannabis industry will have access to an extensive set of data, down to the category level, from the Michigan market that will help them better understand consumer trends and the overall state of the market. This influx of data will help cannabis companies to better identify differences between West Coast and East Coast markets, recognize potential opportunities and build more informed business strategies. "We're thrilled to introduce Headset Insights Pulse to the eastern U.S. and we're eager to see what Michigan's data will uncover. This region is the next up-and-coming area for the cannabis industry, so the ability to watch it grow and to monitor how consumer trends change is extremely valuable to all players in the space," said Cy Scott, Founder and CEO of Headset. "There is so much market potential in Michigan given its massive growth in this year alone. We're glad we can provide our customers with in-depth analyses and more accurate projections for the market as it continues to expand." Since the beginning of 2020, Michigan's adult use and medical cannabis sales have skyrocketed. In the first eight months of 2020, Michigan's adult use and medical markets brought in $281.2M and $313.7M, respectively, for a total of $595M in cannabis sales. In addition, adult use cannabis sales have grown 566% between January 2020 and August 2020 from $9.8M to $65.5M. The state stands out among other U.S. markets with the largest average basket sizes so far this year, at $84.59 per basket. Headset Insights will allow cannabis companies to track Michigan's market growth, measure brand performance and better prepare operations based on market changes. To learn more about Headset Insights, please click here . About Headset: Headset is a data analytics company in the cannabis industry with a mission to help businesses make better-informed decisions through data. Headset focuses on collecting and analyzing consumer transaction information. Headset's models and dashboards help cannabis retailers better optimize their day-to-day operations. In addition, product manufacturers, processors and distributors leverage the aggregated, standardized and anonymized receipt-level sales data in real-time to identify trends and opportunities, stay competitive and collaborate with retail customers. Learn more at https://www.headset.io/. Contact: Renee Cotsis [email protected] SOURCE Headset Its up in the air what back-to-school will look like this year, but either way, a local advocacy group has launched a new project to help Black parents get ready. On Tuesday, Parents of Black Children announced United Parents, a three-part project designed to support families with Black children as they navigate Ontarios education system. One rung includes providing an education system navigator for York Region, where the organization originated. Charline Grant, a group founder and steering committee member, will take on the role and help parents in both the York Catholic District School Board and the York Region District School Board navigate the system by attending meetings with families as needed, connecting parents to services and acting as advocate. Grant, who has three children ages 18, 16 and 10, has been advocating for her kids within the school board for years. Between 2016 and 2017, Grant filed human rights complaints against the York Region District School Board after several racist incidents involving her oldest son, and a high-profile incident in which she was called the n-word by a trustee. The York school board eventually settled and apologized a year later for failing to properly address racism and the incident. Reflecting on her own experience advocating for her children, Grant says a navigator, among other things, is a way to provide emotional support for parents. It is your child, Grant said in an interview with the Star. When youre fighting for your own child, the emotion is one that you cant even describe. It will be an asset as well to help parents know the type of things to record, letters to write, what to report and other knowledge on how to communicate with the boards when things go wrong, she said. I didnt know the process when I started. I learned the process by going through the process. When educators come to parents, and theyre using language that youre not familiar with and have the strength of the school board, its very intimidating, said Kearie Daniel, a founder and steering committee member of Parents of Black Children. When Daniels son was in Grade 2 and being targeted frequently by school administrators in the York Catholic District School Board, she turned to an Afro-Caribbean liaison who worked with another board to ask questions about meetings and protocols. Even as someone with the skills and capacity to navigate and a partner, I felt I needed help, Daniel said. I found that invaluable. But even with access to a liaison through some school boards, Daniel also emphasized that it is important for a navigator to be independent of school boards. These are things that we know work. And that is very possible to implement, Daniel said. Parents of Black Children drew inspiration from the use of system naivators in other organizations, such as Cancer Care Ontario, where Daniel once worked, which has Indigenous navigators, to provide support and advocacy for Indigenous patients and families. Other health organizations also use family and youth navigators as a resource for parents and children, such as the Canadian Mental Health Association, The Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Autism Ontario and Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre to name a few. For us, there is definite concern that were heading into yet another school year without the proper supports in place for Black families. Whether that has to do with COVID or it has to do with the systemic issues and anti-Black racism that our kids are facing in the education system, Daniel said. In July, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced reforms to make the education system more equitable for Black students, including eliminating streaming in Grade 9 and a ban on suspending younger, elementary-school kids. Daniel said that while she and other parents were hopeful, they feel more is still to be done, that community members could have been more involved in the process for change, and the current steps seem intangible. Two letters that Parents of Black Children sent to the education minister with a list of demands have gone unanswered, Daniel added. But the group is not waiting for a response to create change itself. Parents of Black Children started this initiative using funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundations Family Innovations Stream, and the group said it will be working to fund a second navigator position to serve the province of Ontario. In addition to the system navigator, the group is also creating education system workshops covering topics from helping Black children navigate the Ontarios new elementary math curriculum to avoiding the academic slide, which Daniel says is losing knowledge typically over the summer but especially during COVID when we expect kids will be in and out of full-time, in-person education. The project will also include a Black parent mentorship program, where parents will pair up and meet regularly to support each other throughout the school year. All three of these things really come back to the central notion that it takes a village to raise a child, Daniel said. Particularly for African diasporic families Black families our village has been disrupted, Daniel continued. And we more than anyone need a village because we are navigating these waters and the school system that wasnt made for us. Angelyn Francis is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering inequity and inequality. Her reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: afrancis@thestar.ca A woman walks past a painting by French street artist and painter Christian Guemy in tribute to members of Charlie Hebdo newspaper who were killed by jihadist gunmen in January 2015, in Paris, on Aug. 31, 2020. (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images) Charlie Hebdo Survivor: Gunmen Said Allahu Akbar, Then Shot Me PARISA survivor of the 2015 attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo told a French court on Wednesday how the terrorist said Allahu akbar (God is greatest), then shot him with their Kalashnikov rifles. Simon Fieschi was the first employee the two Islamic terrorists encountered when they entered the magazines Paris offices. He said that after being shot he lost consciousness, and the terrorists moved on to other targets. It was all very quick for me, said Fieschi, 36, who limped to the witness box using a crutch but declined an offer to take a seat, saying he preferred to testify standing. I remember the door opening violently, and gunshots. I remember a man who said: Allahu akbar, and then, We dont kill women, said Fieschi, who was in charge of the magazines digital platforms. I lost consciousness, which is without doubt what saved my life, he said. One bullet went into his neck and damaged his spinal column, leaving him with constant pain and reduced mobility. Fieschi was speaking in the second week of a trial of 14 alleged accomplices of the Islamist terrorists who targeted French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket, killing 17 people. The terrorists themselves are dead. The magazine was targeted by Islamist extremists, according to prosecutors, because it had published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. Depictions of the prophet are considered blasphemous by Muslims. On the day of the attack, when Fieschi regained consciousness, the shooting had already finished and many of his colleagues lay dead, or wounded. It was not until much later that he was told what had happened to his co-workers. The image that stays with me is of a trail of blood in the corridor leading to the newsroom, he said in court. At the time I didnt really understand what it meant. A Perth mother of three including an infant says she and her family have been stranded at Londons Heathrow airport for three days after being bumped off flights in favour of business class travellers due to Australias caps on international arrivals. The family has been stranded at Heathrow Airport for three days, the mother-of-three said. Credit:Facebook Sheree Richardson took to social media on Saturday, posting images of her children sleeping on the airport floor covered in winter coats. Homeless now at Heathrow with three children. Have been for three days and watch people paying for business class tickets right in front of me!! 14, 11 and 1 year old its not right, the post, which has garnered hundreds of comments, reads. She said she booked their flights before international arrivals caps were introduced. A group of 135 cross-party British members of parliament have written to Chinas ambassador to the United Kingdom condemning rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and calling for their immediate end. In a letter to Ambassador Liu Xiaoming, authored by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh and dated Sept. 8, the lawmakers signaled their extreme concern over the situation in the XUAR, where authorities are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a vast network of internment camps since April 2017. The MPs noted that during an interview with the BBC in July, host Andrew Marr showed Liu purported footage of Uyghur detainees blindfolded, kneeling and shaven, waiting to be loaded on to trains, and suggested it bore similarities to historical footage of Nazi concentration camps. They also referred to a June 29 report about a dramatic increase in recent years in the number of forced sterilizations and abortions targeting Uyghurs that author Adrian Zenz believes may amount to a government-led campaign of genocide under United Nations definitions. The Chinese Governments actions must be stated for what they are: a systematic and calculated programme of ethnic cleansing against the Uighur people, the letter read. When the world is presented with such overwhelming evidence of gross human rights abuses, nobody can turn a blind eye. We as Parliamentarians in the United Kingdom write to express our absolute condemnation of this oppression and call for it to end immediately. McDonagh also called on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during Wednesdays parliamentary session to take action to stop the ethnic cleansing of Uyghurs in the XUAR and to lead the organization of an international tribunal to investigate reports of abuses there. Johnson responded by saying that he and his foreign ministry raise these concerns directly with the Chinese authorities and will continue to do so in international fora. Tuesdays letter, which was also signed by senior Tories and Liberal Democratic Party leader Sir Ed Davey, represents one of the highest-level condemnations of Beijings policies in Xinjiang by British lawmakers and comes amidst growing pressure from Western nations on China to end its persecution of Muslims in the region. Rahima Mahmut, director of the World Uyghur Congress exile group in the U.K., told RFA's Uyghur Service Wednesday that McDonagh's exchange with Johnson at parliament carries "profound significance." "This proves that the Uyghur issue has reached the highest levels of the U.K. Government," she said, adding that she is hopeful more officials there will "speak as well as act more on behalf of the Uyghur people in the future." Also on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron responded to a similar letter expressing concerns over abuses in Xinjiang from a group of around 30 French MPs by calling the repression of the Uyghurs unacceptable and vowing to condemn it in the strongest possible terms, according to a report by the news outlet EURACTIV. All these practices are unacceptable because they run counter to the universal principles enshrined in international human rights conventions, and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms, Macron said, adding that France will remain fully mobilized on the situation of the Uyghurs. Last week in Paris, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi repeated Beijings assertion that claim that all those sent to the camps have been released, telling a conference at the French Institute of International Relations: Now all of them have graduated, there is no one in the education and training center now. They all have found jobs. International pressure China has sought to justify its network of camps as voluntary vocational centers, despite reporting by RFA which has found that detainees are mostly held against their will in poor conditions, where they are forced to endure inhumane treatment and political indoctrination. Amid international condemnation and U.S. sanctions, experts believe that China has begun sentencing Uyghurs held in internment camps to prison, providing legal cover to the detentions. At the end of July, the Trump administration sanctioned the quasi-military Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp (XPCC) and two of its current and former officials over rights violations in the XUAR. The move followed similar sanctions that month against several top Chinese officials, including regional party secretary Chen Quanguo, marking the first time Washington targeted a member of Chinas powerful Politburo. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are soon expected to announce orders blocking imports of cotton and tomato products, as well as five other imports, from the XUAR over accusations of forced labor. The move, which would be unprecedented by the agency, is likely to increase tensions between the two nations which have seen bilateral ties fall to new lows in recent months over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, increased restrictions by Beijing on Hong Kong, navigation of the South China Sea, and an ongoing trade war. On Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a regular press briefing in Beijing that the U.S. is using the import bans as a pretext to oppress Chinese companies and destabilize Xinjiang. CBP executive assistant commissioner Brenda Smith told Reuters news agency that the effective orders would cover the entire supply chains for cotton, from yarn to textiles and apparel, as well as tomatoes, tomato paste and other regional exports. We have reasonable, but not conclusive, evidence that there is a risk of forced labor in supply chains related to cotton textiles and tomatoes coming out of Xinjiang, she said. 'End to impunity' A global coalition of 321 civil society groups hailing from more than 60 countries published an open letter Wednesday calling on the United Nations to urgently create an independent international mechanism to address the Chinese governments human rights violations, including in the XUAR. In their statement, the coalition highlighted Chinas efforts to distort the mandate of the U.N. Human Rights Council by persecuting activists from China who use U.N. mechanisms to seek redress, and opposing initiatives to bring scrutiny of serious rights violations and international crimes in countries around the world. China typically rejects U.N. consideration of its human rights record as gross interference. John Fisher, Geneva director at Human Rights Watch, said the coalition was "demanding an end to Chinas impunity at the U.N. Human Rights Council. The U.N. needs to act on the growing chorus of voices calling for China to be held accountable for its rights abuses, he said. Reported and translated by Alim Seytoff for RFAs Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. The CEO of Argo Group Limited (LON:ARGO) is Kyriakos Rialas, and this article examines the executive's compensation against the backdrop of overall company performance. This analysis will also evaluate the appropriateness of CEO compensation when taking into account the earnings and shareholder returns of the company. View our latest analysis for Argo Group Comparing Argo Group Limited's CEO Compensation With the industry Our data indicates that Argo Group Limited has a market capitalization of UK7.2m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as US$213k for the year to December 2019. This means that the compensation hasn't changed much from last year. It is worth noting that the CEO compensation consists entirely of the salary, worth US$213k. On comparing similar-sized companies in the industry with market capitalizations below UK151m, we found that the median total CEO compensation was US$323k. That is to say, Kyriakos Rialas is paid under the industry median. Moreover, Kyriakos Rialas also holds UK1.6m worth of Argo Group stock directly under their own name, which reveals to us that they have a significant personal stake in the company. Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary US$213k US$219k 100% Other - - - Total Compensation US$213k US$219k 100% On an industry level, around 49% of total compensation represents salary and 51% is other remuneration. On a company level, Argo Group prefers to reward its CEO through a salary, opting not to pay Kyriakos Rialas through non-salary benefits. If salary is the major component in total compensation, it suggests that the CEO receives a higher fixed proportion of the total compensation, regardless of performance. Argo Group Limited's Growth Over the last three years, Argo Group Limited has shrunk its earnings per share by 13% per year. Its revenue is down 20% over the previous year. The decline in EPS is a bit concerning. And the fact that revenue is down year on year arguably paints an ugly picture. It's hard to argue the company is firing on all cylinders, so shareholders might be averse to high CEO remuneration. Although we don't have analyst forecasts, you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow. Story continues Has Argo Group Limited Been A Good Investment? Argo Group Limited has served shareholders reasonably well, with a total return of 17% over three years. But they would probably prefer not to see CEO compensation far in excess of the median. To Conclude... Argo Group rewards its CEO solely through a salary, ignoring non-salary benefits completely. As we noted earlier, Argo Group pays its CEO lower than the norm for similar-sized companies belonging to the same industry. Over the last three years, shareholder returns have been unexciting, and EPS growth has fared even worse. We can't categorize CEO compensation as high, but shareholders might object to a raise at this stage, considering overall poor performance. It is always advisable to analyse CEO pay, along with performing a thorough analysis of the company's key performance areas. We identified 2 warning signs for Argo Group (1 is significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Important note: Argo Group is an exciting stock, but we understand investors may be looking for an unencumbered balance sheet and blockbuster returns. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. University of Sheffield spin-out Modulus Oncology to advance new drug targeting hard-to-treat cancers First-in-class drug blocks key signals required for tumour growth and metastasis Highly targeted so avoids damaging healthy cells potential for improved patient outcomes Modulus Oncology is currently in discussions for seed and series A investment Sheffield, UK, 9 September 2020: Modulus Oncology, a new and rapidly emerging private biotech company focused on treating hard-to-treat cancers, has launched today. Modulus was established as a spin out from the University of Sheffield (TUOS) and is focused on developing a new first-in-class drug, created by scientists from the TUOS team which could improve the life expectancy and quality of life for patients with cancers such as pancreatic and relapsed breast cancer. Building on more than 12 years of research, and with substantial grant funding, the majority of which was provided by The Wellcome Trust, Professor Tim Skerry and colleagues at TUOS have founded Modulus Oncology with a team of experienced biotech entrepreneurs to fast-track the drug into clinical testing within two years. Commenting on the breakthrough, Professor Tim Skerry, Chief Scientific Officer of Modulus Oncology and Professor of Orthopaedic Biology at the University of Sheffield, said: "Previous scientific research in areas such as pancreatic cancer and relapsed breast cancers have focused on a hormone called adrenomedullin, which acts through two different types of receptor: one which helps regulate our blood pressure and the other which helps cancer cells communicate with each other, allowing them to grow and spread. Our pioneering approach focuses on novel drug molecules, known as adrenomedullin-2 receptor antagonists, which are able to block the hormone's communication without adversely affecting the control of blood pressure and other vital body processes." The findings of this ground-breaking research were recently published in the journal ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science < https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsptsci.0c00032# > Story continues Other key members of the Modulus Oncology team include four of the Company's co-founders: Dr Alan Wise, Chief Executive Officer; Dr Clare Wareing, Chief Business Officer; Dr Gareth Richards, a key discovery scientist on the programme who will assume the role of VP of Preclinical Biology; and Professor Joe Harrity, also a key member of the discovery team who will assume a role on the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr Wise was most recently CEO of Scottish biotech IOmet Pharma which was acquired in 2016 by Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD). He was also at GlaxoSmithKline for 12 years, and during his time there, Dr Wise was involved in a research programme that provided key biological insights into the receptor targeted by Modulus Oncologys lead molecule. Dr Wareing is an expert in Phase I oncology clinical trial design and implementation and played a key role in programmes which led to the regulatory approval of six anti-cancer treatments now used in routine clinical practice. Dr Alan Wise, CEO of Modulus Oncology, commented: The team at the University of Sheffield have performed some truly pioneering research here and I am delighted to be helping Modulus Oncology take this vital work towards clinical testing. Our goal is to demonstrate benefit for cancer patients as well as growing a successful UK biotech company. Modulus Oncology is currently in discussions with a number of life science investors to raise seed and series A funding for first-in-human clinical trials designed to generate strong clinical proof of concept data. For more information about Modulus Oncology, please contact: Modulus Oncology Dr Clare Wareing, CBO cwareing@modulusoncology.com Consilium Strategic Communications Mary-Jane Elliott, Olivia Manser, Lindsey Neville Tel: +44 (0)20 3709 5700 Email: Modulus@consilium-comms.com About Modulus Oncology Modulus Oncology Ltd is a pioneering new private biotech company focused on treating hard-to-treat cancers. Modulus was created by a founding team of scientists from the University of Sheffield (TUOS) and a team of successful biotech entrepreneurs. The research which underpins the company was made possible by funding from the Wellcome Trusts seeding drug discovery initiative programme. The deep scientific insights of the TUOS founding team in receptor biology focused on adrenomedullin receptor 2 or AM 2 R, coupled with a sophisticated drug discovery approach, has resulted in the promising asset portfolio at Modulus Oncology. For more information, please visit: www.modulusoncology.com The University of Sheffield With almost 29,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of the worlds leading universities. A member of the UKs prestigious Russell Group of leading research-led institutions, Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. Unified by the power of discovery and understanding, staff and students at the university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world we live in. Sheffield is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2018 and for the last eight years has been ranked in the top five UK universities for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher Education. Sheffield has six Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields. Global research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, AstraZeneca, Glaxo SmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations. About Wellcome Wellcome exists to improve health by helping great ideas to thrive. We support researchers, we take on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone get involved with science and health research. We are a politically and financially independent foundation. To the editor: In a world crying out for leaders, for people of honor, for people who show through their actions an actual conviction for good, we have Annette Glenn. Having represented Midland County for the last two years, we have but to look at her track record to see what she has done: Worked on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation to safely return students to school this fall and sponsored legislation to bring $6 million in state flood relief. Led demands for an independent investigation into the dam failures. Personally helped and organized volunteers in the flood cleanup. Voted to overturn Gov. Whitmers order forcing nursing homes to accept the placement of COVID-19 patients into long-term care facilities alongside uninfected residents. Successfully pressured state bureaucrats to retract their threat against doctors prescribing certain lifesaving drugs to treat COVID-19. Voted for a record-high state budget of $15.2 billion for K-12 schools which increased per-pupil funding for every student in Michigan by $120 to $240. Ensured that school districts are free to choose not only what is best for students in their communities, but will continue to receive state per-pupil funding whether parents enroll their children for instruction in the classroom or online. Passed bipartisan auto insurance reform that will allow you to continue the exact same coverage you have always had and still get a lower premium. And attended Midland's Black Lives Matter Rally and offered to speak. These are only a few of the highlights. Annette Glenn knows how to reach out to people regardless of political party. Her promises to Midland County were not just words; she actually made laws that help the Midland community. Before she ever took office, Annette lived a life of service. She has served unpaid in the community, church, and government since her childhood. I know because I saw. Im her little sister. Annette is the kind of person who naturally transitioned into representing Midland because she loves all people and wants the best for each. Please take time to thank and vote for Annette Glenn. CAROLYN WHITMORE Coleman 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 UK holidaymakers claim British Airways' refused to give them a refund for their cancelled flights to the US and instead handed them travel vouchers they never asked for. Gordon and Margaret Minto, from South Shields, said they emailed the airline asking for their money back after their trip was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic. The couple spent 4,748 on five tickets for their family to travel to Dallas and Las Vegas from Newcastle, via London. The airline told them that they couldn't get their cash back as the couple already accepted vouchers - something they claim they never asked for. It comes amid outcry over an eye-wateringly large 833,000 annual bonus received by the boss of IAG - the company that owns British Airways - while up to 12,000 jobs hang in the balance. Willie Walsh this week stepped down from the top role amid an investor protest over his pay and bonus - which was approved before the pandemic sent IAG's airlines into a crisis and thousands of jobs were put at risk. Gordon and Margaret Minto (pictured), from South Shields, claim British Airways' refused to give them a refund for their cancelled flights to the US and instead handed them travel vouchers they never asked for Mrs Minto told BBC News: 'We were stunned... we looked at each other and said, "we haven't asked for a voucher".' British Airways insist that there is 'no way' a customer would be given a voucher without completing a form requesting one. When the couple got through to BA on the phone, they were told by an employee that there was nothing in their internal system suggesting that Mr and Mrs Minto agreed to a voucher and they would receive a call back soon. International Airlines Group (IAG) chief executive Willie Walsh (pictured) has stepped down from the top job at British Airways owner IAG amid a furious investor protest over pay This was nearly three weeks ago and the couple claim they have not heard back since. If a flight is cancelled, passengers are entitled to a refund under EU law and BA said it 'will always provide a refund if a customer is eligible'. Mr and Mrs Minto aren't the only travellers facing issues. Other customers have claimed that they filled in the form by mistake after looking for ways to get a refund. A button reading 'change booking' and another reading 'cancel booking' both appeared on the airline's website at one point. Below it, a message read: 'There's no extra cost for any changes and we offer a refund if you cancel your booking.' When customers clicked 'cancel booking' they were taken to the application form for a voucher, rather than a refund as they hoped. British Airways insist that there is 'no way' a customer would be given a voucher without completing a form requesting one The page does state that it was an application form - but some people say they didn't notice that. David Hunter said the first page - promising a refund - 'suckered [him] in' and he mistakenly filled out the form. He was able to talk to a BA employee on the phone less than an hour after he realised that he made a mistake. The top of the page also states: 'Enter your details below to apply for a voucher equal to the value of your booking. 'If your application's successful, we'll issue you with either an eVoucher or a future travel voucher.' BA said in all above cases, customers had selected a voucher. A spokesperson said: 'We are doing everything we can in these difficult and unprecedented circumstances to help our customers and our incredible staff have answered well over two million calls since the beginning of March. 'Our customer service teams have been responding to up to 8,500 tweets per day up from 2,500 per day before the pandemic. 'Since March we have provided more than 1.67m customers with cash refunds and more than 1.3m with vouchers to fly with us that they can use right up until April 2022. David Hunter said the first page - promising a refund - 'suckered [him] in' and he mistakenly filled out the form 'We will always provide a refund if a customer is eligible and we're offering flexibility if any of our customers need to change their flights. We've also extended the tier status for our Executive Club members for another year. 'We value the loyalty of our customers and we appreciate their patience as our teams work around the clock to help them.' Airlines and aircraft manufacturers have suffered huge losses after lockdown restrictions to stem the spread of coronavirus brought global air travel almost to a standstill for several months. BA's owner IAG announced in April it would cut up to 12,000 jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. Towards the end of last month, BA began sending letters to staff to inform them of their fate in the plans to cut the jobs, including voluntary measures. Employees will either be made redundant, keep their job but on lower pay, or remain on the same contract. At least 6,000 employees accepted voluntary redundancy. Those who do not volunteer for redundancy and then refuse a new role under the new terms could be dismissed - with the possibility of then being re-employed again if they later decide to accept a different job. Pilots' union Balpa said there will be around 270 compulsory redundancies and temporary pay cuts starting at 20 per cent and reducing to 8 per cent over two years - before falling to zero over the longer term. BA's owner IAG announced in April it would cut up to 12,000 jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic A BA spokesman said: 'We are having to make difficult decisions and take every possible action now to protect as many jobs as possible. 'And, while we never could have anticipated being in a position of making redundancies, more than 6,000 of our colleagues have now indicated that they wish to take voluntary redundancy from BA.' Earlier this week, Mr Walsh stepped down from the top job at British Airways owner IAG amid a furious investor protest over pay - after nearly one in three shareholders failed to back his remuneration deal. The International Airlines Group (IAG) revealed only 71.6 per cent of investors approved his enourmous payout while around 20 per cent of votes cast against. Mr Walsh's payout takes the former pilot's earnings for 2019 to 3.2 million, including a 833,000 annual bonus. His pay was approved before coronavirus sent IAG's airlines into crisis in March, but the deal now appears even more controversial given the thousands of jobs being axed. Mr Walsh also stands to pick up some 6.3million in shares. He stands to take on 1.1 million shares worth 5.2 million under previously awarded long-term bonus schemes over the next four years, if performance targets are met. A further 258,910 deferred shares worth around 1.1 million are due in annual payouts between March this year and March 2022. The company said it was 'disappointed' at the remuneration report vote. In a statement, it added: 'The board will continue to engage with shareholders to fully understand their concerns (as part of wider engagement in relation to the renewal of our directors' remuneration policy in 2021) and will publish, in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code, an update on this engagement within six months of the this AGM.' The CGTN anchorwoman has been under house arrest since 14 August. Chinese authorities have not said what criminal activities she is supposed to have committed. A few hours before charges against her were announced, two Australian journalists fled China. Chinese media have reported that Australian officials raided the homes of four Chinese correspondents on 26 June. Journalists are victims of the rift between the two countries. Beijing (AsiaNews) Chinas Foreign Ministry announced yesterday evening that Cheng Lei, the Chinese-Australian journalist arrested on 14 August, is accused of carrying out criminal activities endangering Chinas national security. Cheng was born in China and worked for the state-controlled China Global Television Network. Over the past few weeks, she has been held under residential surveillance without any formal charges. The announcement by Chinese authorities came a few hours after two Australian journalists , Bill Birtles from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Michael Smith of the Australian Financial Review (AFR), fled China. Until then, they had found refuge in their countrys Embassy. On 3 September, Chinese police broke into their homes as part of the Cheng Lei investigation. At that time, Foreign Ministry Zhao Lijian spokesman did not clarify what criminal activities the journalist is supposed to have carried out, simply noting that an investigation was underway. In January 2019, Beijing also detained Yang Hengjun, a Chinese-Australian writer, on charges of espionage. Making matters worse for relations between the two countries, as part of a media war, Chinese state media reported that Australian officials had conducted searches of four Chinese journalists from three Chinese media organisations in Australia The searches appear to be connected to an investigation by Australian authorities into relations between China and New South Wales lawmaker Shaoquett Moselmane. The investigation also involves John Zhang, a former aide to the Australian politician. Relations between China and Australia have deteriorated in the recent past. Canberra accuses Beijing of espionage, unfair business practices, violating international rules in the South China Sea and cracking down on dissent in Hong Kong. The Australian government has also called for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, a request that has infuriated Chinese leaders. Australian journalists are not the only foreign journalists to end up in China's crosshairs. Recently, a Los Angeles Times reporter was arrested and then deported from Inner Mongolia where she was covering protests that are shaking China's northern region. In March, Beijing expelled a dozen correspondents from three major US newspapers in response to the Trump administration's decision to treat some Chinese media operating in the United States as foreign diplomatic missions. Doug Ford may be working hard at fighting COVID-19, but meanwhile he and his government are also busy wrecking environmental protection in Ontario. The destruction by Ford and his Progressive Conservative government has been relentless. It started before COVID-19 and continues right through the pandemic. Systematically, the Ford government has been taking apart and destroying the laws, regulations, policies and programs that have been doing their part usually not enough to fight polluters, protect endangered species, forests and wildlands and take action against climate change. Its fair to give Ford credit for his presence and leadership during the COVID crisis. Hes out there every day, and he seems to be listening a lot to scientists and experts. But its also fair to note that when it comes to the environment, its the opposite. And for the environment, its trouble. Most recently, Fords PCs pushed through a new law, Bill 197, that effectively guts the rules requiring environmental assessment before a construction or industrial project, such as a gas plant, road or sewage plant, can be built. Ostensibly, the law, called the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, is supposed to streamline the process, for example, by moving the procedures online. Certainly, it does that, and there is room for streamlining and speeding up decisions. But there is a difference between streamlining and obliterating and for the most part, thats exactly what the new law does to environmental review. Now cabinet will decide if a project merits a full environmental review protection is more or less being dialed back to what it was like before the environmental movement got rolling 50 years ago. How will we know what input went into a cabinet decision to OK a smokestack next door? Oh, theyll have some consultations according to the new law. By the way, the Ford government waived the usual 30-day time for consulting the public before passing this legislation. Do you trust Ford and his cabinet to decide whether that new factory on your street is environmentally safe? It would be nice if we could; the problem is that there is a long, consistent pattern of anti-environment moves Ford has made that started long before he got serious about COVID-19. Last year, the Ford government gutted the provinces endangered species protection laws, to make it easier for developers to destroy species at risk if the critters or plants get in the way. Ford also repealed the Toxics Reduction Act, which required companies to track and report on the toxic chemicals they create or use in their industries. He also loosened or eliminated environmental safeguards that govern aggregate extraction gravel pits. Before that, the Ford government cancelled 758 clean energy projects, including solar electricity for schools, hospitals and arenas and projects that would take manure from farms and turn it into fertilizer. The office of Ontarios environmental commissioner, which was set up in the 1990s to review and oversee protection in the province, was also closed by the Ford government. What is the Ford governments environmental protection plan? What is its climate change plan? Its hard to say. For example, if youre looking for support from the Ford government to buy a clean electric car, forget it. One of the first moves Ford made was to cancel the programs that support trading in your gas guzzler for a zero-emission vehicle. Ford also cut funding for conservation authority flood control, not exactly forward-thinking in the era of climate change. And speaking of climate change, the Ford government cancelled Ontarios program to plant 50 million trees compelling the federal government to pick up sticks and restore the program using funds from the tiny national carbon tax. Thats the same carbon tax that the Ford government has committed up to $30 million of Ontario taxpayers money to fight in court money that could be spent on fighting climate change and caring for the environment. Ontario has been losing this case so far, by the way. Its also the same carbon program that led Fords government to force gas stations to put those misleading anti-carbon tax stickers on gas pumps stickers that Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Morgan has ruled are unconstitutional and violate business owners freedom of expression. None of this is to suggest that Ford or his colleagues are bad people. Indeed, he has shown us that he cares a lot about fighting COVID-19. But so far, the Ford government is bad for the environment. Lets hope it can step up and change. David Israelson is a former Toronto Star environment reporter and is a writer and communications consultant based in Toronto and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Read more about: From the look of it, one Vacaville family farms blackened soil and silvery white ghosts of some 100,000 trees might have looked like the end for their spice business. But the Attard family survived a similar fire almost 32 years ago. And this time, they knew something they didnt know then: Their California laurel trees could start growing back within months. Paul Attard and his family, of Napa Mountain Spice Co., sell certified organic bay leaves to Spice Islands and other companies. They harvest them from the mostly wild California laurel trees that cover their property on a ridge straddling Solano and Napa counties. The land happens to be located near one of the remote cameras used to monitor wildlife that caught some of the dramatic first moments of the LNU Lightning Complex the night of Aug. 18. The blaze ultimately killed five people and has destroyed almost 1,500 structures. Because of the fire, Attard estimates the company will lose $1 million in sales, including of the bay leaf wreaths they normally sell during the holidays. California laurel trees, though, are uniquely prepared to survive fires, and it wont be too long before the 42-year-old company can return to harvesting. Even when a laurel trees thin bark gets burned, the underground root system can send off new shoots within four to six weeks of a fire, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We go around after the fire and start pruning the dead wood, and within one year, the bay leaf bushes start coming back, said Attard, whose wife, Tamara, and her family founded the company. Paul and Tamaras daughters, Margaux and Courtney, are also now involved in the business. The family wasnt so sure of their survival the last time this happened, in September 1988. It was the first big fire that the Mount Vaca farm experienced, started by an arsonist. They lost two houses, and the laurel trees appeared to be completely dead. We thought we were decimated and out of business, Attard said. What they didnt know is that unlike many types of oak and pine trees that are killed by intense fires, California laurels can recover quickly. The 1988 fires destruction of so many original oak trees may have actually helped the farm today; because there were fewer trees, the surviving laurels had less competition for sunlight. The experience inspired the family to lease properties that had also been through a fire but where laurels could still be harvested, which theyre currently doing in Butte County. With this new fire, Attard said, the business will recover quickly because it doesnt take much new growth from 100,000 trees to satisfy demand for the product. After harvesting the leaves, they take them to the companys drying facility in Vacaville, which wasnt damaged in the fire. It takes 1,000 fresh bay leaves to make one pound of the dried herb, Attard says. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Also, the new leaves are easier to harvest because theyre lower to the ground. Despite all that, Attard said he doesnt want to minimize what happened in the apocalyptic fire, where people lost their lives and homes and belongings. It was still pretty bleak, said Attard, who found out about it from seeing footage on the news. Hes from Florida, where they have to be prepared for hurricanes each year, and is getting used to taking a similar philosophy with California wildfires. Theyre not able to get affordable insurance, but about 10 years ago, they purchased an old military tower on their property with concrete walls that can withstand any fire. These days theres not a practical way of stopping it per se, he said. Lightning fires in isolated mountain areas like Mount Vaca theyre going to happen. Tara Duggan is The San Francisco Chronicles assistant food editor. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan Activist, Yinka Odumakin, says All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, should have stood up to greet the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyey... Activist, Yinka Odumakin, says All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, should have stood up to greet the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, at the coronation of the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Omogbolahan Lawal. Odumakin, who is also the spokesman for pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, said this in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday while reacting to a viral picture showing Tinubu sitting down while the Ooni stands to greet him. He said although monarchs no longer hold political power, it was important for traditional institutions to be respected especially by the Yoruba people. The activist recalled that in 2016, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is many years older than the monarch, bowed down to greet him. Odumakin stated, We are still Yoruba people. With due respect to our royal fathers, we should not say because we are in a modern age, we should not give the proper respect that we give to our oba. You saw the time former President Obasanjo prostrated before the Ooni. So, it is still our culture and we must sustain our culture and give the respect that is due to our monarchs. Kentucky Derby weekend in Louisville had it all. It was exciting yet bizarre, colorful yet weird, and tense yet quietoften at the same time. But it makes sense in a year when Hunter S. Thompsons once Decadent and Depraved Kentucky Derby was disinfectant and delayed due to a global pandemic and run in a city with raw nerves following more than 100 days of protesting over the death of Breonna Taylor during a no knock warrant being served by the Louisville Metro Police in March. The citys police, along with the Kentucky State Police, were en masse at Churchill Downs in anticipation of protest groups calling for the cancellation of this years Derby. Protesters held a peaceful demonstration across Central Avenue from the main entrance, and a few minutes after the fastest two minutes in sports, the protesters had moved on. Its not the first time there has been a heavy security detail at the Derby, nor is it the first Derby that shut out patrons and media members. With President Richard Nixon in attendance at the 1969 Derby, security was tight from the spires to the tulip beds and over in the barn area according to the May 10, 1969, issue of The Blood-Horse. The following year, as Thompson took in the Derby, our editor Kent Hollingsworth was on the outside looking in. He wrote: The crush of press coverage attendant upon this greatest spectacle in racing squeezed The Blood-Horse out of the largest pressbox in the world. While our National Turf Writers Association button, coupled with an American Express card, is good elsewhere, the combination was not good for admittance to the Churchill Downs parking lot, grandstand, box section, paddock, centerfield pagoda, jockey quarters, or barns, so we stayed home. Hollingsworth was 50 years ahead of his time. We were lucky enough to be on hand for a Derby that offered many firsts. While not a first, the victory by Authentic points to a trend in the arena of Thoroughbred ownership. A new wave of conglomerate buyers of yearlings appears to be taking hold, having won the Derby for the second time in three years. Justify won the 2018 Run for the Roses, along with the Triple Crown, for a group consisting of the deep-pocketed China Horse Club, WinStar Farm, Head of Plains Partners, and Starlight Racing (the later two had purchased the racing rights from SF Bloodstock). The colt had been hammered down by China Horse Club and Maverick Racing (a buying arm of WinStar) for $500,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale. Two years after Justify went through the ring, another conglomerate group was spearheaded by SF Bloodstock. Authentic sold for $350,000 to SF Bloodstock and Starlight West, but there were other partners as well, including Sol Kumin, who races under many names, including Madaket Stables and Head of Plains Partners. Authentic won while wearing the silks of MyRaceHorse Stables, a micro-share partnership group headed by Michael Behrens, which owns 12.5% of the colt. Their approach to the sport has its own unique bent, and his tale is told in the lead story and sidebar on the owners. MyRaceHorse Stables partnered with B. Wayne Hughes, master of Spendthrift Farm, who bought into the colt after his third start from SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Frederick Hertrich III, John D. Fielding, and Golconda Stables. Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables remained in on the Derby winner. Kumin has mastered his own innovative ownership philosophy and has enjoyed great success with horses such as champions Lady Eli, Uni, and Monomoy Girl. He has hitched his wagon to many stars. Tom Ryan (of SF Bloodstock) put the group together, Kumin said the day after being part of a second Derby victory. They had wanted to form their own group where they were calling the shots. They had their own idea on how to do it. Tom asked if me and Jack (Wolf of Starlight) wanted to do it, and my thought was (trainer Bob) Baffert and (agent) Donato (Lanni) are the best, and theyve had a ton of success together. We both said yes right away, and they filled in with some other people. Brad Weisbord helped bring in some of the smaller people to the table. The plan was to amass $10 million and buy 20 yearlings. Obviously it worked as among the first group came Derby winner Authentic, grade 1 winner Eight Rings, and Charlatan, who has been disqualified from his first-place finish in the Arkansas Derby (G1). We wouldnt expect blocs of yearling buyers to dissipate anytime soon. When done right, it apparently is a great way to amass top prospects while spreading the riska basic tenet of business. The Derby can be decadent, just not this year; but innovation is required to reach the winners circleyear after year WASHINGTON President Trump, who counts his two Supreme Court appointments as among his greatest successes, last week issued a new list of 20 potential nominees to the court. There was no vacancy at the time, and the exercise seemed aimed at focusing attention on an issue that had helped secure his election in 2016. With the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday, the list has become the subject of intense interest. In 2016, similar lists helped persuade wary conservatives to support his unconventional candidacy, particularly because the death of Justice Antonin Scalia that February had created a vacancy. That the new list, which included three senators and two former solicitors general, was issued when there was no vacancy suggested that the move had political aims. Mr. Trump now has about 40 potential nominees to choose among. Before listing the new candidates last week, he singled out three judges from earlier lists who are widely believed to remain front-runners: Amy Coney Barrett of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in Chicago; Thomas M. Hardiman of the Third Circuit, in Philadelphia; and William H. Pryor Jr. of the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta. An American Civil Liberties Union staffer criticized a university in Kentucky for admitting Nicholas Sandmann, the 17-year-old high school student who was filmed standing opposite a Native American man at the Lincoln Memorial last year as a 'provocateur in training.' Samuel Crankshaw, an ACLU communications associate and an alumnus of Transylvania University in Lexington, wrote a Facebook post on Saturday questioning the colleges decision to accept Nicholas Sandmann. Sandmann is the Covington Catholic High School student who became a hero among conservative-leaning sympathizers after he was criticized on social media the social media video involving Native American activist Nathan Phillips. Video of the January 2019 encounter showed Sandmann and Phillips standing very close to each other, with Sandmann staring, and at times smiling, as Phillips sang and pounded on a drum. Nicholas Sandmann's (left) acceptance to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, was criticized by Samuel Crankshaw (right), a communications associate for the American Civil Liberties Union I think TU should accept anyone willing to have an open mind and engage in debate, regardless of their views,' Crankshaw wrote on his Facebook page. Thats how we all learn. Thats Transys mission. But this kid clearly is a provocateur in training with no intention of learning. He exists only to troll, intimidate and play victim' Transylvania University is a liberal arts college located in Lexington, Kentucky (above) Both Sandmann, who was wearing a red 'Make America Great Again' cap, and Phillips later said they were trying to defuse tensions among three separate groups participating in various demonstrations, including Black Hebrew Israelites who had arrived apparently to counter-protest the Native Americans. Sandmann appeared in last months Republican National Convention, where he told the nation that he believes news outlets were driven by anti-Christian, anti-conservative, anti-Donald Trump bias in reporting on the incident because he was wearing a red Make America Great Again hat. The ACLU has long prided itself on advocating for the constitutional rights of Americans regardless of political affiliation, though during the Trump era it has been accused of using its clout to favor liberal causes. In 1978, the ACLU famously defended the rights of neo-Nazis seeking to march through the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois, a town with a large population of Holocaust survivors. 'These were personal views expressed on personal time on a personal Facebook account,' Amber Duke, the deputy director of the ACLU offices in Kentucky, told DailyMail.com. 'The views in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the ACLU of Kentucky. 'As a stalwart defender of the First Amendment, the ACLU of Kentucky respects its employees' freedom to express themselves on their own time.' DailyMail.com has sought comment from Sandmann and his attorney, Lin Wood. Does anyone else think its a bit of a stain on Transylvania University for accepting Nick Sandman? Crankshaw wrote. Im sure its a both sides defense, but its pretty counter to their mission and another instance of there not actually being equal sides to an issue. I think TU should accept anyone willing to have an open mind and engage in debate, regardless of their views. Thats how we all learn. Thats Transys mission. Crankshaw added: But this kid clearly is a provocateur in training with no intention of learning. He exists only to troll, intimidate and play victim.' Sandmann, 17, put on his 'Make America Great Again' hat while speaking during the second night of the Republican Convention on August 25 Sandmann went viral after a video showed him in a confrontation with Native American activist Nathan Phillips on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in January 2019 Both Sandmann, who was wearing a red 'Make America Great Again' cap, and Phillips (seen above in 2017) later said they were trying to defuse tensions among three separate groups participating in various demonstrations, including Black Hebrew Israelites who had arrived apparently to counter-protest the Native Americans He said media attempted to 'cancel' him because he was wearing a 'MAGA' hat. 'My life changed forever in that one moment. The full war machine of the mainstream media revved up into attack mode,' Sandmann said Sandmann reached financial settlements with CNN and The Washington Post, who he sued for defamation. The amount was nearly disclosed due to a quirk in court rules, but will now remain confidential after the pandemic delayed scheduled hearings until after his 18th birthday. Sandmann has also sued the three major television networks - NBC, ABC, and CBS - as well as Rolling Stone magazine, Gannett, and The New York Times. Earlier this year, Sandmann appeared to hint that Twitter would also be sued, tweeting: Dont hold your breath @jack. The tweet was directed at Jack Dorsey, Twitters CEO. The comments by Crankshaw were first reported by Jonathan Turley, the conservative constitutional law professor at George Washington University. Crankshaw told The National Review: The views I expressed on my Facebook page are my personal views that I shared on my personal time. I have a First Amendment right to express them just as Nick Sandmann has a First Amendment right to express his. READ NICK SANDMANN'S FULL SPEECH TO THE RNC Good evening everyone. My name is Nick Sandmann. Im the teenager who was defamed by the media after an encounter with a group of protestors on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial last year. Before I begin, Id like to thank President Trump for the opportunity to share some of my story and why it matters so much to this Novembers election. In January 2019, I attended the March for Life in Washington D.C. where I demonstrated in defense of the unborn. Later that day, I bought a Make America Great Again hat because our President, Donald Trump, has distinguished himself as the most pro-life Presidents in the history of our country and I wanted to express my support for him too. Looking back now, how could I possibly have imagined that the simple act of putting on that red hat would unleash the hate from the left and make myself the target of network and cable news networks, nationwide? Being from Kentucky, the birth place of Abraham Lincoln, my classmates and I visited the Lincoln Memorial. I found myself face-to-face with Nathan Phillips and other professional protestors looking to turn me into the latest poster child showing why Trump is bad. While the media portrayed me as the aggressor with a relentless smirk on my face, in reality the video confirms I was standing with my hands behind my back and an awkward smile on my face that hid two thoughts. One, dont do anything that might further agitate the man banging a drum in my face and two, trying to follow a family friends advice never to do anything to embarrass your family, your school, or your community. Before I knew what was happening, it was over. One of Mr. Phillips fellow agitators yelled out We got him!, It's all right here on video and We won Grandpa. What I thought was a strange encounter, quickly developed into a major news story complete with video footage. My life changed forever in that one moment. The full war machine of the mainstream media revved up into attack mode. They did so without ever researching the full video of the incident; without ever investigating Mr. Philips motives; or without ever asking me for my side of the story. And do you know why? Because the truth wasnt important. Advancing their anti-Christian, anti-Conservative, anti-Donald Trump narrative was all that mattered. And if advancing their narrative ruined the reputation and future of a teenager from Covington, Kentuckyso be it. That will teach him not to wear a MAGA hat! I learned that what was happening to me had a name. It was called being cancelled. As in annulled. As in revoked. As in made void. Cancelled is whats happening to people around this country who refuse to be silenced by the far left. Many are being fired, humiliated or even threatened. Often, the media is a willing participant. But I wouldnt be cancelled. I fought back hard to expose the media for what they did to me and won a personal victory. While much more must be done, I look forward to the day that the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage. I know President Trump hopes for that too. Im proud to say that throughout my media nightmare I have had President Trumps unwavering support. And I know youll agree with me when I say no one in this county has been a victim of unfair media coverage more than President Donald Trump. In November, I believe this country must unite around a President who calls the media out and refuses to allow them to create a narrative instead of reporting the facts. I believe we must join with a President who will challenge the media to return to objective journalism. And together, I believe we must all embrace our 1st Amendment rights and not hide in fear of the media, or from the tech companies or the outrage mob either. This is worth fighting for. This is worth voting for. This is what President Donald Trump stands for. Thank you all for listening to me tonight. And one more thing lets Make America Great Again! Advertisement In a blog post, Turley wrote that an assistant professor and diversity scholar at Transylvania, Dr. Avery Tompkins, responded to Crankshaw by pledging to closely monitor Sandmann on campus. If he were to cause problems by being disruptive, trolling, or engaging in unethical behavior of any kind, I would immediately document it (just like I would for any student doing the same thing)and he would just be putting himself in a position for me to file a conduct report, Tompkins wrote. Tompkins later apologized, saying in a statement: I want to apologize for my mistake in singling out a student and any misunderstandings that arose from that. One of my favorite things about working at a liberal arts institution is that the University community has diverse perspectives. All students, faculty, and staff are able to engage in civil discourse with those whose views may be different from their own, and to learn about those views in an academic setting. I value and support these conversations with students, and I know that students value these conversations with their peers as well. Turley wrote that the posts by Crankshaw and Tompkins were disturbing given the ACLU's mission in protecting free speech rights of all Americans. 'Sandmann like all college students should feel greater freedom in expressing their views at colleges, not being closely monitored as someone with dangerous thoughts and ideas,' according to Turley. 'That fact that figures in the ACLU and academia would publicly espouse such views of intolerance is a chilling example of how our faith in free speech has eroded in the recent years.' Sandmann, who was recently hired to help Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's re-election effort in Kentucky, spoke about the controversial Lincoln Memorial encounter at the Republican National Convention last month. 'My life changed forever in that one moment. The full war machine of the mainstream media revved up into attack mode,' Sandmann claimed during his nationally televised speech on August 25. 'They did so without ever researching the full video of the incident; without ever investigating Mr. Philips' motives; or without ever asking me for my side of the story. And do you know why? Because the truth wasn't important.' 'I learned that what was happening to me had a name. It was called being canceled,' he continued. 'Canceled is what's happening to people around this country who refuse to be silenced by the far left. Many are being fired, humiliated or even threatened. Often, the media is a willing participant.' Sandmann insisted: 'But I wouldn't be cancelled. I fought back hard to expose the media for what they did to me and won a personal victory.' 'While much more must be done, I look forward to the day that the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage. I know President Trump hopes for that too,' Sandmann concluded his remarks. He also claimed Trump is the biggest 'victim of unfair media coverage.' Sandmann told the convention that he bought the 'MAGA' hat while he was in Washington, DC, on a school trip to participate in the pro-life March for Life annual protest through the capital. 'In January 2019, I attended the March for Life in Washington D.C. where I demonstrated in defense of the unborn,' Sandmann detailed during his pre-recorded speech. 'Later that day, I bought a "Make America Great Again" hat because our president, Donald Trump, has distinguished himself as the most pro-life Presidents in the history of our country and I wanted to express my support for him too.' During the trip, Sandmann went viral after Phillips went up to the student wearing his new red 'MAGA' hat, and pounded on a drum a few inches from his face. The teenager was excoriated in the media for a smirk he had during the confrontation. Sandmann explained in August that the 'awkward smile' was an attempt to hide his thoughts and avoid embarrassing himself or further instigating Phillips. Sandmann reached a confidential settlement with CNN in January, after suing the network for $275million and saying it defamed him in coverage of a viral video last year. The settlement amount was nearly disclosed through a Kenton County, Kentucky probate case because, at the time, Sandmann was a minor and couldn't claim the money directly, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Due to court delays in the coronavirus pandemic, Sandmann recently turned 18 and, no longer a minor, was able to claim the money himself, according to court documents. Nigeria would have lost at least 500 million dollars to medical tourism this year but for restrictions on foreign travels due to COVID-19, a lawmaker has said. Tanko Sununu, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health Services, said thousands of Nigerians could not jet out of the country in search of medical care due to COVID-19 restrictions. Mr Sununu, a laparoscopic surgeon, said this on Tuesday while making a presentation at a roundtable on health security policy and finance. The event was organised by the Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development (LISDEL) in Abuja. It is estimated that Nigeria loses about one billion dollars annually on medical tourism as almost 500 Nigerians go abroad monthly to seek medical intervention. But with flights grounded and countries across the world on lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, many Nigerians, including the political elite, were forced to use the Nigerian hospitals. For almost six months, Nigeria skies were shut against international flights after President Muhammdu Buhari placed a ban on foreign travels in March as the struggle to contain the spread of the deadly virus intensified. The ban was lifted only a few days ago and the first international flight landed at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos on Saturday. Even before COVID-19, many of Nigerias key health interventions including on polio eradication, vaccination programmes, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and maternal and child health remain almost entirely dependent on foreign donors, with the government committing less than $10 per citizen to health under its current budget. But as a result of the economic downturn caused by weeks of lockdown, many of those donor funds are no longer coming as every country faces its own COVID-19 nightmare. When you look at the six months period that the ban was in place, about 500 million dollars that would have been lost to medical tourism was saved because nobody is traveling out for medical care, the lawmaker said. No Gain In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES shortly after the event, Mr Sununu said the $500 million he spoke about would have been converted to gains for the country if there was a vibrant health system and health security in place. Most Nigerians seeking care abroad go to India where there are advanced facilities and spend millions in foreign currency. Now, if we have such facilities and technologies for heart and kidney transplant as well as other major surgeries, the excess money that is going out will be retained within the country, the lawmaker explained. We can divert that excess money to make sure we have a vibrant Primary Health Care service delivery system. Turning Losses to Gain Gafar Alawode, a public health practitioner and the anchor of the event, said the COVID-19 situation has shown that Nigeria must stop depending on other countries for the healthcare needs of its citizens. We can turn losses from medical tourism to gain when we look at our policy framework by looking at health as a social service, Mr Alawode explained. We have to venture into technology if we want to do health delivery that will fetch us money. We have to invest on specialisations and expertise as well as develop the capacity of private hospitals that will be paying taxes to government. If our health system is well developed, we will have a vibrant market because most of the smaller African countries will like to come to Nigeria than going to India: Its less costly; culture is the same, food and weather etc. The health expert said Nigeria can convert money lost to medical tourism by seen health as an investment that could transition into a major source of foreign revenue. It is critical we strategise on how we invest in health care. We need to have a robust policy backed with a huge financial commitment. We also need to tackle brain drain because most of these hospitals Nigerians rush to abroad are manned by fellow Nigerians. We need to collaborate and partner with countries that have more expertise and advanced technology-driven health systems. We will not be only will be targeting the Nigerian health market. There are a lot of western African countries that will be coming to the country to seek care if we have a vibrant health system and this will be a source of foreign exchange. Reliance Jio is looking to outsource and manufacture over 10 crore low-cost smartphones in India. The low-cost phones will be built on Google's Android, as per a report by Business Standard. The phones which will be bundled by data packs are slated for December 2020 or early next year. It is not clear if these phones will have 4G or 5G connectivity. At Reliance's virtual annual general meeting in July, Reliance CEO, Mukesh Ambani announced Reliance Jio's commercial pact with Google to jointly develop entry-level affordable 4G and possibly 5G smartphones for a '2G mukt Bharat' (free of 2G India) in the future. The announcement came after Google invested Rs 33,737 crore in Jio Platforms for a 7.7 per cent stake. "We believe we can design an entry-level 4G or even 5G smartphone for a fraction of its current cost. To power such a value-engineered smartphone, we also need an equally value-engineered operating system and such an operating system must be designed from grounds-up," Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries had said. Google CEO, Sundar Pichai in the event had said, "Our investment of $4.5 billion in Jio is the first -- and the biggest -- investment we will make through this (Google for India Digitization Fund fund. I am excited that our joint collaboration will focus on increasing access for hundreds of millions of Indians who don't currently own a smartphone...while improving the mobile experience for all." As per the report, Chinese firms sell roughly eight of every 10 smartphones in the country. The upcoming Jio phones are likely to pose a challenge to Chinese vendors such as Xiaomi and BBK Electronics, owner of the Realme, Oppo, and Vivo brands that currently dominate a $2 billion market for sub-$100 smartphones in India. Reliance launched Jio Phone in 2017 in India which has more than 100 million users, many of whom are internet first-timers. The low-cost Android phones will also attract more subscribers to Reliance plans from other telecom companies who still offer 2G/3G network on low-cost smartphones. Reliance has global financial and tech backing from investors like Facebook, Intel and Qualcomm. (CNN) The UK is preparing legislation which will "break international law in a very specific and limited way," a cabinet minister has said in the House of Commons. Brandon Lewis, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, made the comment Tuesday in response to a question concerning legislation to be published on Wednesday, which critics fear would alter the contents of the Brexit deal that Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed with the European Union last autumn. The comment came one day after the government was forced to play down reports in the British media that it was seeking to alter elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the deal that Johnson's government reached with Brussels last year, designed to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. A UK government official told reporters on Monday that the government "is completely committed, as it always has been, to implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol in good faith," adding that "we are making minor clarifications in extremely specific areas to ensure that, as we implement the protocol, we are doing so in a way that allows ministers to always uphold and protect the Good Friday peace agreement." However, government attempts to calm audiences at home, in Brussels and around the world appear to have failed. Former Prime Minister Theresa May, who negotiated the bulk of the Brexit deal, formally known as the Withdrawal Agreement, asked in the Commons chamber: "How can the government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?" The controversy intensified on Tuesday after the Financial Times reported that Jonathan Jones, the head of the UK government's legal department, resigned, reportedly over "a dispute with Downing Street over its plans to challenge parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement." While CNN was unable to independently verify Jones' reason for resigning, Downing Street did not deny the claims in the report, and a government spokesperson said "I can confirm that he is stepping down and we would thank him for his years of hard service and wish him well for the future." The spokesperson would not confirm whether Jones had signed off on the government's planned legislation, nor if the government had sought his legal advice. Downing Street has confirmed that the Internal Market Bill, due to be published on Wednesday, will contain clauses that are designed to ensure all that trade between the four countries of the United Kingdom will be unfettered and that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK's customs territory. The government has repeatedly claimed that its plan is merely to clear up ambiguities in the Northern Ireland Protocol and that the UK is still working with the EU to find an acceptable solution to the Irish border question. However, Lewis' admission that the legislation will breach international law will set off alarm bells in Brussels. An EU diplomat told CNN on Monday that the "withdrawal agreement has been signed and ratified by the UK and the EU, it is in force ... If the UK chose not to respect it, then theoretically the EU would have to take legal measures." This story was first published on CNN.com 'UK's Brexit plans would 'break international law,' minister admits' Talking about her meeting with retail traders today, Vice-Chairperson of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia Shushanik Nersisyan told reporters that after the meeting it became clear that the traders issue isnt being solved because they dont want anything to change. Nersisyan stated that if it is understood that Armenia is making a transition to the mechanism for precise declaration of incomes, which will ensure equality in the clothing market, then all the issues that were raised today have already been solved and were solved on the spot, and some issues will have been solved by the end of this day. The State Revenue Committee is working with the traders, exploring the local market and the market of the country from where products are imported, she said, adding that there was another meeting with the traders yesterday. Nersisyan also stated that the traders mentioned some inconveniences in regard to the change of the procedure. They talked for two hours and discussed all the issues that were raised. Ayodhya: The proposed airport in Ayodhya will be named after Lord Ram and will have an international status. According to official sources, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has set the December 2021 deadline for completion of the airport. "The government believes that there will be huge tourist traffic - both domestic and international - in Ayodhya when the construction of a grand Ram temple is completed. The airport will further facilitate this," an official spokesman said. The spokesman said that a proposal for granting international status to the airport will soon be prepared and forwarded to the concerned authorities. Live TV Sources said that a survey for the landing of larger aircraft has already been done in May. "The Yogi government has approved a sum of Rs 525 crore for the airport construction and a sum of Rs 300 crore has already been spent. The process of acquiring more land for the project is underway," Uttar Pradesh Minister for Civil Aviation Nand Gopal Nandi said. Rio Tinto is no stranger to ethical problems. It currently is involved in tussles from the Gobi desert in Mongolia to Guinea in Africa, where it has been embroiled in bribery allegations. Given this torrid recent history one might have expected chairman Simon Thompson to have taken the protests from big Australian and UK investor groups over the wanton destruction of the 46,000-year-old sacred Juukan Gorge rock shelter more seriously. The response, in the shape of a disputed internal inquiry and docking the bonuses of senior executives, displayed an insouciance which has not gone down well with Australias First Nations groups or among senior Rio board members. Sacred site: Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto admitted damaging the the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelter in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia At meetings held Down Under overnight the pressure was on for Thompson to sacrifice chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques. It is not clear that parting company with the other executives involved, iron ore boss Chris Salisbury and corporate affairs chief Simone Niven, would satisfy critics. If Thompson fails to wield the knife it is possible that two of Rios senior British non-executives, Sam Laidlaw and Simon Henry, could direct their fire at the chairman. Pressure mounted on the board after an intervention by the Church of England pensions fund which castigated the miners response. The head of ethics, Adam Matthews, questioned whether response to the scandal had been sufficient but stopped short of calling for Jacques departure. In Australia a group of indigenous people, the National Native Title Council, has written to Thompson making it clear that large-scale cultural change is required. It charged that the slashing of bonuses failed to recognise the accountability required. The dispute is hugely significant for 60billion-quoted Rio Tinto, with iron ore revenues in Western Australia upwards of 19billion. The front page of its annual report proclaims that mining activities are essential to human progress. Maybe. But that is no excuse for a lack of sensitivity to antiquity and indigenous peoples. Safety first There is no way of disguising the setback in bringing the Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine, developed with Oxfords Jenner Institute, to fruition. Disclosure that testing has been paused, pending an independent investigation into a unexplained illness during the UK trials, will be a disappointment for the British and American governments, which have been counting on a safe vaccine by year-end. Predictably, investors marked down Astra shares and pushed the stock of rival US vaccine hopeful Moderna higher. Reports suggest that a UK trial patient developed an inflammatory condition which affects the spinal cord. The halt is a source of chagrin for Astra boss Pascal Soriot who has been working flat out to scale up trials and buy production capacity. Development of a safe vaccine is essential if normality is to return to the global economy. The UKs changed guidance on social gatherings shows how quickly attempts to resuscitate output and jobs can be foiled. Historically, it has taken at least four years to develop new vaccines and abandoning the trials would be frustrating. It is encouraging that much of the rest of the life sciences industry, including Glaxo-Sanofi, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, have recognised the urgency of fast tracking their work for the greater good. A lack of peer review and trial data led to scepticism about Vladimir Putins sputnik vaccine even though no one doubts Russias capability when it comes to scientific endeavour for good or bad. This week an alliance of US and European big pharma groups pledged that they would not compromise the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards global approvals for their vaccines. If an immunisation programme is to retain public confidence, in the face of anti-vaccine campaigners, then it is essential that there is trust in the treatment. In this context Astras prompt response in pausing trials, perversely, should be reassuring. Tech survivor When Hatfield-based Computacenter went public in 1998 it turned dozens of senior staff into instant paper millionaires. Since then it quietly has expanded. It has come into its own in the pandemic, with profits up 42 per cent in the first half. Annual profits are projected at 180million. Useful. President Donald Trump's efforts in bringing peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates has earned him his second Nobel Peace Prize nomination. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a far-right member of the Norwegian Parliament, submitted Trump's nomination for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer. According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize will be awarded to a person who in the preceding year have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses. Tybring-Gjedde told the Fox News that Trump has done more in trying to create peace between nations than most Peace Prize nominees. The Norwegian MP, who also chairs the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, also lauded Trump for the efforts that he has extended in resolving prolonged conflicts worldwide. This is the second time that Tybring-Gjedde has submitted a nomination for Trump. He was also one of the two Norwegian officials who nominated the U.S. president back in 2018 after Trump's Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un. Japan's prime minister had also submitted a nomination for Trump in 2018 for the same reason. Trump, however, failed to take home the Nobel Peace Prize then. In his nomination letter, Tybring-Gjedde stated that the Trump administration played a key role in establishing relations between Israel and the UAE and that it is expected that other countries in the Middle East will follow in UAE's footsteps. He further added that the agreement could be a game changer and it could transform the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity. An AP report had stated that Israel and the United Arab Emirates will be signing a historic deal that would normalize their relations at a ceremony at the White House on September 15. Tybring-Gjedde said that he is not nominating Trump to seek favor from the U.S. president adding that he is not a Trump supporter and does not even agree with some of his policies. According to Tybring-Gjedde, Trump meets the criteria for the Nobel Peace Prize and some who have won it in the past have even done much less than what he has done, citing as an example President Barack Obama. Obama had won it just a few months after he won the U.S. presidency in 2009 which was met with criticisms back then, one coming from Trump himself, according to a report by The Guardian. Three other U.S. presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, President Woodrow Wilson in 1920 and President Jimmy Carter in 2002. Trump had replied "Thank You" to the nomination on his social media account. Will Trump, this time, become the fifth U.S. president to win the prestigious award? Americans will find out October 2021. Check these out: Miami Latinos Put Trump, Biden in Tight Presidential Race Trump Promises More Funding for Police, Local Businesses in Kenosha US Election Issues: Trump, Biden Present American Realities That Are Polars Apart Oil jumped the most since June alongside a rally in broader equities markets, boosted by expectations of U.S. crude stockpiles extending their streak of declines. Futures in New York surged 3.5% Wednesday, though still fell short of recouping all the losses from the previous sessions settle at a three-month low. Moving in tandem with stronger equities, Brent regained its technical footing, sharply rising above the 100-day moving average. The 14-day Relative Strength Index for futures in London and New York was below 30 on Tuesday for the first time since April, signaling the two benchmarks were oversold. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 3.5% to $38.06 a barrel. Oil is recovering from an oversell yesterday, said Gary Cunningham, director of market research at Tradition Energy. The rebound in equities signals the economy isnt in as bad a shape as thought, he said. Additionally, the market expects a strong decline in crude stockpile. So thats also helping us recover from some of the losses yesterday. American crude stockpiles are expected to have declined last week for a seventh week in a row. The industry-funded American Petroleum Institute will release its storage numbers later on Wednesday ahead of a U.S. government report. Meanwhile, EOG Resources Inc., Americas biggest independent shale oil producer, forecast a tighter supply picture, saying U.S. oil will likely suffer years of declines and may never regain the peak achieved earlier this year. U.S. oil production is going to be under a lot of pressure for the foreseeable future because a lot of these companies have gone bankrupt, theyve been under financial duress for a while now, said Josh Graves, senior market strategist at RJ OBrien & Associates LLC. Thats going to take away from the supply side. But is it going to be enough to outweigh the lack of demand? Thats a question that is yet to be answered. PREVIOUSLY: Brent tumbles below $40 in wake of souring demand outlook In physical markets, Bakken crude for delivery at Clearbrook, Minnesota, rose to its narrowest discount to WTI futures in roughly a week. On the Gulf Coast, Light Louisiana Sweet crude is trading at its widest premium since late August. Still, futures are heading lower for the week, and there are concerns oils break below its recent trading range could resume toward the downside. Faltering demand recovery in parts of the world and the onset of refinery maintenance season is weighing on the outlook for consumption already devastated by the pandemic. Meanwhile, in the latest signal of a gloomy outlook for U.S. oil production and weaker demand, Enterprise Products Partners LP canceled the expansion of its 450,000 barrel a day Midland-to-Echo crude oil pipeline system that connects the Permian Basin with the Gulf Coast. The picture doesnt look much better on the refining side. Refinery utilization may stay around 75% of capacity until early 2021, if refineries have to clear the ongoing surplus in oil products inventories, Citigroup Inc. analysts wrote in a report. Thats as refining margins continue to be dismal, with the crack in the U.S. for combined gasoline and diesel below $10 a barrel at its lowest seasonal level in nearly 10 years. This is really a demand concern now, and thats whats going to lead into the end of the year amid uncertainty over a vaccine and a potential return of lockdown restrictions due to the pandemic, said Tariq Zahir, managing member of the global macro program at Tyche Capital Advisors LLC. Sure, you can inch up a little bit higher here again, but I think the risk is downward. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. ("IFH" formerly known as West Town Bancorp, Inc.), a financial services holding company specializing in small business lending solutions and targeted bank deposit products, announced today that effective September 8, 2020, the Company's ticker symbol on the OTCPK Markets has changed from "WTWB" to the symbol "IFHI". "With the recent rebranding of the Holding Company to Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc., we are pleased to have received approval to begin trading under our new 'IFHI' symbol which complements the corporate name change," said Eric Bergevin, President & CEO of IFH. The name change to Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. was previously approved at the Special Meeting of Shareholders held on July 23, 2020. No action is required by current shareholders relative to the ticker symbol change. To learn more about Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. visit ifhinc.com. About Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. is a North Carolina-based financial services holding company, specializing in small business lending solutions and targeted bank deposit products to underserved verticals with a focus on technology and collaborative, opportunistic investments. The Company is the holding company for West Town Bank & Trust, an Illinois state-chartered bank. West Town Bank & Trust provides banking services through its two full-service offices located in the greater Chicago area. The Company is also the parent company of; West Town Insurance Agency, Inc., an insurance agency; Windsor Advantage, LLC, a loan processing and servicing company; SBA Loan Documentation Services, LLC, a loan documentation origination company; Glenwood Structured Finance, LLC, a loan broker and large loan syndication company; and Patriarch, LLC, a real estate management company. The Company is registered with, and supervised by, the Federal Reserve. West Town Bank & Trust's primary regulators are the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the FDIC. Contact: Andrew Sheaffer (919) 861-8162 [email protected] SOURCE Integrated Financial Holdings, Inc. 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. Police in the Mekong Delta province of Long An on Tuesday afternoon arrested and launched legal proceedings against a woman after a video showing her beating her elderly mother went viral on social media. The woman was identified as Nguyen Thi Hoa, 56, who is a native of Long Hoa Commune, Can Duoc District, Long An. The seven-minute video which circulated on the Internet showed Hoa brutally assaulting her elderly mother with her hands, a broom, rocks, and trash. She was also heard scolding and threatening the mother with offensive words. The abused mother passed away at the age of 79 on September 2. Footage of the disturbing incident, which was recorded in August by Hoas children, went viral after a relative visiting their grandmothers funeral uploaded it to social media. Upon receiving the information about the video, Huynh Van Quang Hung, chairman of the Peoples Committee of Can Duoc District, asked local authorities to immediately work on the case. During a working session with local police, Hoa admitted her brutal acts were caused by her anger accumulated after years of taking care of the elderly mother alone while receiving no inheritance [from her]. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The value of the subsidy transferred by the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) to the account of each political party, in the first 10 days of September, is 57,192,424.10 lei, informs AEP in a release sent to AGERPRES. The Social Democratic Party received a subsidy of 28,614,798.63 lei, the National Liberal Party - 15,882,737.13 lei, the Save Romania Union - 4,240,642.59 lei, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats - 3,471,490.71 lei, People's Movement Party - 1,908,289.16 lei, PRO Romania Party - 2,650,401.62 lei, National Force Party - 424,064.26 lei.Also, for the National Union for the Progress of Romania, a subsidy of 87,033.34 lei is allocated. According to AEP, the granting of the monthly subsidy from the state budget to the National Union for the Progress of Romania, determined according to the law, was suspended by the Decision of the President of AEP of March 31, 2016 and will be kept in mandate amount according to the provisions in force.Thus, the total value of the subsidy resulting from the application of the calculation algorithm from the Methodological Norms for the application of the Law on financing the activity of political parties and of the approved electoral campaigns is of 57,279,457.44 lei. The results are based on a survey by an anonymous judging visit and were announced online from Milan yesterday. Speaking about the Dublin pizzeria, judges said: The establishment, which is also a restaurant, was opened in 2016 by James Cirillo. He is of Italian origin; his mother is Irish, and his father is from Caserta in southern Italy. "The atmosphere is more like that of a pub than a pizzeria, but there is no doubt about the product. The pizza is remarkably like the traditional Neapolitan pizza, well risen and, more importantly, well baked. "There is an obsessive research into Italian products, from the tomatoes to the extra virgin olive oil. "A real surprise was finding some excellent friarielli! The service is very attentive, the Italian spirit is all in the food and not flaunted in a folkloristic way. Obviously, a good selection of beers. The best in Dublin. Advertisement Owner James Cirillo also welcomed the news, saying: "This is a huge achievement for Cirillos and particularly welcome right now. We take great pride in the quality of our ingredients and to have that acknowledged is wonderful! Cirillos offers authentic Italian food for lunch and dinner from concise, modern but authentic menus of antipasti, pasta dishes and wood fired pizzas. Pasta, breads, pizza dough and ice creams are all made fresh in house every day. The pizza oven was imported from Naples and burns a blend of Irish oak and ash. The pizza dough is slow proved for 30 hours using a recipe from the Head Pizzaiolo Daniele Accardo. Another Irish pizzeria also made the list of the top 50 pizzas in Europe. The Dough Bros on Middle Street in Galway came 22nd on the list, ahead of a pizzeria from Lisbon. You can check out the full top 50 list here. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Wednesday for an inquiry into the investigators who brought corruption charges against him, in a move that critics said was an attempt to distract from his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Israel's attorney general has accused Netanyahu of trying to discredit the country's criminal justice system while he is on trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and allies voiced anger this week after Israel's Channel 12 news reported that police and prosecutors had failed to disclose alleged conflicts of interest by an investigator who the report said was involved in the cases against him. "It is clear that the police and prosecution are making political decisions against justice and law in order to topple a right-wing prime minister," Netanyahu said at the start of a Likud meeting on Wednesday evening. "This conduct must be investigated," said Netanyahu, who has consistently accused police and prosecutors of bias against him. A spokesman for Israel's State Attorney Office declined to comment on Netanyahu's remarks. In a statement, Israel's justice ministry said the investigator referenced in the Channel 12 report was not involved in the case in which the person allegedly had a conflict of interest. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit called claims of judicial impropriety "baseless falsehoods entirely intended to delegitimise the justice system and its decisions regarding the prime minister." Israel's longest-serving prime minister faces public anger over the corruption allegations and his handling of the pandemic, drawing thousands to the streets in almost daily protests. The country has seen a sharp rise in new cases after initial success at the start of the pandemic, and on Tuesday began a week-long campaign of night curfews and school closures. It has reported 1,048 deaths and over 139,000 cases among its nine million population. Netanyahu, whose corruption trial began in May and is set to resume in January, was sworn in for a fifth term this summer after striking a unity deal with his principal election rival, former armed forces chief Benny Gantz. Speaking after Netanyahu's remarks, Gantz, who has been at odds with the premier over the coronavirus response and fiscal policy, said: "Sharp attacks by the government against the law enforcement system are a danger to Israeli democracy." Search Keywords: Short link: A sales manager hurled drunken abuse at gardai when they called to investigate an argument that happened during a get-together with friends at his home. Walter Arnoldi (38) became aggressive towards officers who arrived following a row between a couple who were at his house. Judge Carol Ann Coolican left him without a criminal record after he pleaded guilty to public order offences and made a 150 charity donation. Mr Arnoldi, of Bremore Meadows, Hamlet Lane, Balbriggan, pleaded guilty to public intoxication and threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour. Dublin District Court heard the incident happened on August 2 last. Gardai were called to the accused's house at 9am. Mr Arnoldi, who was inside, followed the officers onto the road, verbally abused them and was aggressive towards them. Apologised He was intoxicated at the time and was arrested, a garda serageant said. Mr Arnoldi had no previous convictions. The night before, Mr Arnoldi's wife was away with her child and the accused had two friends over. The friends, a man and his wife, started an argument and gardai arrived. The accused was "stupid" in his actions towards gardai and was "deeply ashamed", his lawyer said. He was now attending anger management. Mr Arnoldi had gone to the local garda station three days after the incident and apologised for what happened. He was a hard worker and was a manager with a sales company. His wife was in court with him and he was prepared to donate to a charity to avoid conviction, his lawyer said. Judge Coolican struck the charges out after the accused made a 150 donation to the Fr Peter McVerry Trust. Actor Kangana Ranaut approached the Bombay High Court on Wednesday challenging the notice issued by the Mumbai civic body for illegal construction" at her bungalow and sought a stay on the demolition process. We filed a petition this morning seeking an urgent hearing. We have sought a stay on the demolition process by way of interim relief," Ranauts advocate Rizwan Siddiqui told PTI. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday demolished illegal alterations" at the Bandra bungalow of Ranaut, a civic official said. Ranauts recent remark comparing Mumbai to Pakistan- occupied-Kashmir (PoK) has drawn the ire of the ruling Shiv Sena which also controls the BMC. The 33-year-old actor, who is scheduled to reach here later in the day, has alleged that the Maharashtra government is targeting her because of her fight with the Shiv Sena. The BMC on Tuesday pasted a stop-work notice at the actors bungalow at Pali Hill in suburban Bandra. The civic body claimed that during the regular inspection it found several illegal constructions and modifications have been carried out without taking necessary approvals from the civic body. The BMC on Tuesday also filed a caveat" in a local court, saying it should be heard first if Ranaut challenges the stop-work notice issued to her. A caveat is a request to a court that no order should be passed without hearing the person/party which files it. The Group of Seven foreign ministers on Tuesday condemned the confirmed poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in the strongest terms, according to a statement released by the U.S. State Department. We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the confirmed poisoning of Alexei Navalny, said the statement. Navalny, who is being treated in a Berlin hospital, was airlifted to Germany after falling ill on a Russian domestic flight last month. Germany says he was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him; Russia has said it has seen no evidence that Navalny was poisoned. Germany briefed the G7, which the United States is chairing this year, on its determination that Navalny is the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve-agent of the Novichok group, a substance developed by Russia, the G7 statement said. Any use of chemical weapons, anywhere, anytime, by anybody, under any circumstances whatsoever, is unacceptable and contravenes the international norms prohibiting the use of such weapons, the statement added, calling on Russia establish who was responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack. We will continue to monitor closely how Russia responds to international calls for an explanation of the hideous poisoning of Mr. Navalny, it said. A roadside bomb in Kabul has injured first Afghanistans Vice President, Amrullah Saleh, on Wednesday. Saleh, 49, escaped with minor injuries. The explosion killed at least 10 people and wounded 15, including the VPs bodyguards. Saleh, in a video, confirmed he sustained a minor burn on his face and an injury to his hand. Standing next to a flag with a bandaged left hand, he said: I am fine but some of my guards have been wounded. My son, who was in the car with me, and I are both fine. I have some burns on my face and hand. The blast was strong. The former intelligence chief, is the senior of President Ashraf Ghanis two vice presidents. Saleh has survived several assassination attempts, including one on his office in 2019. At least, 20 people were killed in that incident. Javid Faisal, National Security Council spokesman tweeted that the attacks wont weaken our resolve for a lasting and dignified peace in Afghanistan. A roadside bomb in Kabul targeted Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh but he escaped unharmed, his spokesman said. The attack killed at least six people https://t.co/8GD5q9JzhK pic.twitter.com/PYFVgKhTAW Reuters (@Reuters) September 9, 2020 Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates US President Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, The Spectator Index reported on Wednesday. Trump has been nominated by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a Norwegian parliamentarian member, for his role in brokering the Israel-UAE peace deal. On August 13, in an agreement that Trump helped broker, Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a historic deal that would lead to full normalization of diplomatic ties between the two Middle Eastern nations. Earlier today, it was reported that Israel and the United Arab Emirates will sign their historic deal normalizing relations at a White House ceremony on September 15. It is for his contribution for peace between Israel and the UAE. It is a unique deal, Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of parliament for the right-wing Progress Party, told Reuters. Under the said agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend applying sovereignty to areas of the West Bank that it has been discussing annexing, senior White House officials told Reuters. The deal was the product of lengthy discussions between Israel, the UAE and the United States that accelerated recently, White House officials had said. The agreement was sealed in a phone call between Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abu Dhabis Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed. HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Trump had announced on Twitter. HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2020 Scores of people are eligible to nominate candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, including members of parliaments, university professors and previous laureates. The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides on the award, refused to comment, news agency Reuters reported. Trumps nomination comes close on the heels of the US presidential elections and a crippling coronavirus crisis that has the US topping the list of worst-affected countries. Last year Trump said he deserved to be awarded the Peace Prize for his efforts in North Korea and Syria, but he added that he probably would never receive the honour. Notably, Former President Barack Obama, Trumps predecessor, won the prize in 2009. President Trump is using a fear-based playbook that is as familiar to him as it is questionable that it actually helped elect Republicans in recent years. He is once again targeting suburban communities with claims that the Democrats wont keep them safe, and even reusing phrases and imagery from the 2018 midterm elections, including slogans like jobs not mobs and ads showing Democratic politicians and liberal figures kneeling during the national anthem. In place of the MS-13 gang members and migrant caravans he warned of two years ago he now speaks of rioters and looters, but the aim and themes are substantially the same. Democrats can point to the 41 House seats they picked up in 2018 to show that the Republican strategy did not work then, when voters were more concerned about health care than havoc. Even Republicans say there is no solid evidence in their polling that proves the presidents tactics are helping him today. But behind their confidence, Democrats acknowledge a real risk that Mr. Trump and Republicans could benefit if they succeed in casting the former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and the Democratic Party as indifferent to the violence and unrest that has shaken cities across the country, especially in the Midwestern suburbs in Wisconsin and Minnesota where it is not so distant and abstract. Some parents are worried the number of children from different district routes using the same buses to take them to and from schools each day could become a breeding ground for exposure to COVID-19. With full-time school attendance resuming by later next week after a phase-in period, some parents have been voicing their concerns about possible cross-contamination and their children potentially getting exposed to the virus. A mother of two living in Hamilton Township, who did not want to be named out of fears of retaliation for speaking up, said she has some concerns about the amount of cleaning taking place on the school buses her children will be using to go to school each day. The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board provided her with the cleaning schedule for the buses, but in her opinion its not enough to help prevent the spread of the virus. School buses will be cleaned twice a day and they specified in the morning, high touch surfaces, and at the end of the day all the buses will return to the yard and they will all get their deep cleaning at the end of the day, she said. Because of the rural nature of where they live in Hamilton Township, buses are shared with other school boards and districts with twice as many children using them each day, she said. A driver picks up a whole other route of children drops them off at the school down the street and then as soon as the last child is off the bus, it proceeds down to the start of our route, she said. About 40 per cent of school bus routes in her district are shared routes, leaving her concerned for the safety of her children and her family, she said. They are not cleaning the buses in-between the shared routes and for me that is concerning because in our district alone 40 per cent approximately of the school bus runs are the same scenario, she said. Joel Sloggett, chief administrative officer for the Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario, the agency which co-ordinates school busing for public and Catholic schools in the Peterborough area, said bus drivers will be expected to do extra cleaning on shared buses that pick up children from two different school boards or school districts or from rural routes. The bus will be cleaned before it is used in the morning, Sloggett said. It will be cleaned after it is used in the morning, it will be cleaned again after it is used in the afternoon. In cases of a double run, bus drivers will pay attention to high touch points which include, handrails, stairs and the top of seats, to the best of their ability, he said. The deeper clean will occur at the beginning or before the bus runs in the morning, after it is finished in the morning and after it is finished in the afternoon, Sloggett said. Parents of children on a shared bus who do not feel comfortable have the option to not send their child on that bus, he said. With our assurances of cleaning to the standard, if that is not satisfactory to the parent then obviously the option is dont use the bussing system to get your child to school, if that is what you wish, Sloggett said. Certainly, our best efforts are going to be to minimize any issues with respect to the cleanliness and nature of the bus and to ensure we work together because this is the shared system. Credit: Pixabay When police in Aurora, Colorado, handcuffed children and made them lie face down on the pavement after stopping an African-American family they mistakenly identified, they not only made headlines, they prompted city officials to apologize for the officers' behavior and offer to pay for therapy for the traumatized children. When officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot Jacob Blake in front of his children, the resulting protests and unrest grabbed more headlines than the effects of the situation on the children. A University of Kansas scholar has written a study connecting carceral contact, feelings of well-being and how a predacious criminal justice policy decreases political participation in certain communities. Brandon Davis, assistant professor of public affairs & administration at KU, wrote a study published in Policy Studies Journal examining survey data from thousands of young people across the country about their contact with the criminal justice system, their well-being and how politically active they were. Among the findings, he found feelings of well-being are strongly connected to political participation and that carceral contact negatively affected feelings of well-being. "That was a critical, prime example of how families learn about their role in the community and how law enforcement interacts with them, and traumatic incidents like that will have a lasting effect on their feelings of well-being," Davis said of the Aurora incident in which officers handcuffed children as young as 6. "That has an interpretive feedback effect on the community as well beyond the people who were handcuffed. These incidents are happening across the country and have a lasting effect on political participation." For the study, Davis analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a data set that surveys nearly 9,000 Americans born between 1980 and 1984. Political participation was measured in terms of being registered to vote, interest in politics and voting history. Depression was the strongest predictor across levels of participation, and those who experienced it were least likely to take part in any of the measures of political participation. Feelings of sadness or anxiety also had negative associations with participation. In terms of well-being, those who reported the highest levels of happiness were the most likely to be politically active in all measures. The data also showed that respondents who had the most carceral contact, whether it was being incarcerated or something as simple as being stopped by the police for a traffic violation, reported the lowest levels of well-being, which in turn indicated they were less likely to be politically active. Davis pointed out African-American respondents were most likely to report feelings of depression and anxiety, followed by Hispanics, then whites, following the pattern of people of color being disproportionately affected by policing, incarceration and criminal justice policy. Research has long found that people of color are more likely to be negatively affected by the criminal justice system, but it has rarely examined how it is happening and its ties to political participation. That link is vital in order to combat the problem and help boost voting and political participation among minority communities, Davis said. "The question of how this is happening is important because if you want to fix it, you can't do that if you don't know the mechanisms that it is working through," he said. Furthermore, understanding which specific policies have negative effects on individual and community well-being and how they discourage political participation are necessary if advocates, scholars and lawmakers hope to craft better policy that is equitable and encourages equal participation, Davis said. Carceral contact can decrease participation beyond the individuals dealing with the justice system as well. In previous research, Davis found that carceral contact decreases participation for individuals who have a family member incarcerated even more than it does for the individual. Such negative interactions are passed through family generations and through a community, which leads to communities not being truly represented by their government. A 2016 Department of Justice report on the City of Baltimore's Police Department revealed vastly unequal policing measures taken against minority citizens, which prompted Davis to begin his research in carceral contact and political participation. Among other findings, the report showed citizens of color were commonly subjected to public strip searches for minor offenses. "It made me think about what that would do to your well-being if you didn't know when you left your house if someone would strip you naked in the street for something as minor as what are essentially misdemeanors of poverty, like having a broken taillight," Davis said. Perhaps most importantly, the current study shows how public policy affects political behavior. By illustrating the connection between carceral contact, well-being and political participation, Davis said he hopes researchers will further study other forms of institutional contact and how they inhibit participation as well. With further study, it can be better understood how poor and people of color are excluded from political participation via public policy, which can then lead to addressing those causal mechanisms through public policy reform. More information: Brandon Rudolph Davis. Feeling Politics: Carceral Contact, WellBeing, and Participation, Policy Studies Journal (2020). Brandon Rudolph Davis. Feeling Politics: Carceral Contact, WellBeing, and Participation,(2020). DOI: 10.1111/psj.12408 EDWARDSVILLE Bail for a St. Louis man accused of assaulting an Alton police officer will remains at half a million dollars, a judge ruled Tuesday. Associate Judge Janet Heflin turned down a request from Tyron Edwards to reduce his bail after his lawyer, Kristi Flint, argued he was not the driver of the vehicle that struck the officer Aug. 29. Edwards is charged with aggravated battery on a police officer and unlawful use of a weapon. The officer, whose identity has not been released, was taken to a St. Louis hospital for treatment after allegedly being struck by a vehicle Edwards was in. He has a long road to recovery, Assistant Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said of the officer. Madison County Lead Assistant States Attorney Crystal Uhe on Tuesday argued that Edwards was one of the defendants involved in the act, so he was culpable under the accountability theory. Under the law, when more than one person participates or agrees to participate in an act, all those involved are accountable for the actions of the others. Uhe also said Edwards had a gun. Also charged in the incident are Deandre C. Jones, 20 of Alton, and Jaylynn A. Barnes, 19 of St. Louis. The incident was touched off about 1:45 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, when an Alton Police officer spotted two vehicles driving recklessly and chasing each other in Alton. When officers tried to stop one of the vehicles, the vehicle began to flee from police. The police pursuit continued to the 800 block of Washington Avenue where assisting officers attempted to deploy stop sticks which are used to deflate a vehicles tires and end a vehicle pursuit safely. As police were deploying the stop sticks, the driver of the suspect vehicle veered across the oncoming lane, onto the shoulder area and off of the roadway, striking one of the Alton Police officers. Another officer at the scene applied a tourniquet and called for medical assistance. Following the hit-and-run, the suspect vehicle continued fleeing into Missouri until it became disabled. The occupants of the vehicle were later arrested in St. Louis. Barnes is charged with failure to report an accident involving personal injury or death, aggravated battery, aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, aggravated reckless driving and aggravated unlawful use of weapons. His bail also was set at $500,000. Jones is charged with obstructing justice and disorderly conduct. Her bail was set at $50,000. Trump tears into Biden and Harris, but says may have to use own money in reelection US President Donald Trump savaged opponent Joe Biden and vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris at a rally in North Carolina President Donald Trump savaged his Democratic opponent Joe Biden on Tuesday at the start of a tour of swing states, but seemed to concede that his reelection campaign is running out of donors, requiring him to dip into his own pocket. "If I have to, I will," Trump told reporters when asked about spending his own cash. "Whatever it takes. We have to win." Trump was on form at a rally with supporters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which he visited immediately after a speech in Florida -- two of the battleground states he almost certainly has to win to beat Biden on November 3. Regaling the cheering crowd with his trademark mix of jokes, insults and over-the-top boasts, Trump said Biden would bring "violent mobs" and an economic "depression the likes of which you haven't seen." He reserved especially acid remarks for Biden's running mate Kamala Harris, a veteran California prosecutor and US senator now bidding to become the first black vice president -- and later the likely Democratic frontrunner to become America's first woman president. "You know what, people don't like her. Nobody likes her," said Trump, who also pointedly mispronounced Harris' first name, a gesture common on the right and widely interpreted as a way of demonstrating disrespect. "She could never be the first woman president. That would be an insult to our country," he said. On Thursday he heads to another swing state, Michigan, and on the weekend goes to Nevada. Friday, Trump and Biden will both be in Pennsylvania -- yet another electoral battleground -- for 9/11 commemorations at the Flight 93 National Memorial, in Shanksville. It was not clear whether they might declare a brief truce and appear jointly at the ceremony remembering the passengers who died after attacking their hijackers on September 11, 2001, sending the doomed plane into a field. Biden, who was already in Pennsylvania on Labor Day Monday, will also be in Michigan on Wednesday. Story continues - Donor enthusiasm gone? - But despite his bullish attitude, the financial difficulties facing the campaign show that Trump has a tricky path to a second term. Trump has effectively been campaigning for a second term throughout his administration, filing the paperwork for a run the same day as his 2017 inauguration. Since the start of 2019, his campaign has spent some $800 million, more than twice as much as that of Biden. But despite that head start and the campaign's boastful descriptions of itself as a "juggernaut," the Trump train is reportedly hitting a funding wall. Biden, who began his quest for the White House with a slow, poorly funded effort, surprised many by overtaking Trump in the fundraising stakes this August with a $365 million haul -- shattering previous monthly records. Now Trump will find the bills piling up as he accelerates travel, voter outreach and -- above all -- expensive television ad efforts ahead of November 3. A New York Times article published Monday homed in on profligate spending under then campaign manager Brad Parscale, particularly two ads aired during the Super Bowl with a reported price tag of $11 million. On Twitter, Trump said any financial woes were the fault of the media, because he'd been "forced to spend in order to counter the Fake News." - Bad news cycle - For his entire first term, Trump has become used to dominating the news cycle, but as election day approaches, the Republican showman's grip on the script is slipping. Covid-19 has ended his favorite platform of large rallies in noisy arenas and his seemingly killer instinct for defining opponents with a single catchy nickname is proving ineffective in the case of the man he dubs "sleepy Joe." The last week has seen Trump endure a torrent of negative headlines. An article in The Atlantic quoting anonymous sources accusing Trump of repeatedly disparaging military members killed in war as "losers" and "suckers" continues to roil the White House, despite its strenuous attempts to discredit the story. Those allegations are now joined by lurid claims made by his disgraced former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen, whose book "Disloyal" is the latest in a long line of angry tell-alls by former Trump insiders. sms/jh Photograph: David Mirzoeff/PA The family of Harry Dunn, the 19-year-old British motorcyclist killed in a crash when a car was driven on the wrong side of the road in Northamptonshire last August, filed a federal lawsuit in the United States against the American driver on Wednesday. Related: Trump admitted coronavirus was 'deadly' in February according to Woodward book live The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Virginia, claims wrongful death and seeks financial damages. The suing of Anne Sacoolas, the driver of the car and the wife of an American diplomat, who was living in the UK at the time, is a notable escalation in a campaign for justice by Dunns family that has strained US-UK relations. The crash happened on a country road outside RAF Croughton on 27 August last year. Sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity and quickly left the UK, returning to her home in northern Virginia, and the US government backed up her claim of immunity in the case. Sacoolas is the wife of diplomat Jonathan Sacoolas, who is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Britains foreign office had formally asked the US embassy to waive immunity early last September but was rebuffed, with the embassy telling the British government that Anne Sacoolas was leaving the country. The lawsuit was filed by Dunns parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, as well as his twin brother, Niall Dunn, against Anne and Jonathan Sacoolas. It alleges that Anne Sacoolas left the scene rather than helping the gravely injured teen. Defendant Anne Sacoolas did not call an ambulance for Harry, the lawsuit alleges. Instead, she left Harry to suffer as he lay face down on the side of the road, afraid of dying, fully conscious with multiple broken bones, including open fractures on both legs and both arms, and internal injuries. It adds: Tragically, Harry died as a result of the catastrophic injuries he suffered in the accident. Dunns parents later traveled to the US in an attempt to persuade US authorities to extradite Anne Sacoolas. Story continues Last December, British police charged her with causing death by dangerous driving. A British request for extradition was rejected. The lawsuit emphasized that Dunn was riding his motorcycle safely and taking proper protective cautions. Harry was properly licensed, well rested, and very familiar with his motorcycle, with riding motorcycles in general, and with the B4031 roadway, the suit explained. He was wearing a full-face helmet for protection and was riding his motorcycle properly and within the law. He had his lights on, was not under the influence of any alcohol or drugs, was traveling within the speed limit, and was not talking or texting on his phone. The court filing lists Dunns injuries in detail. And it adds that he was catapulted off his motorcycle and into the front of her [Sacoolass] SUV, leaving blood and clothing embedded in the front windshield, and landed to the side of the SUV. The 19-year-old suffered only a minor head injury and did not lose consciousness. He was conscious during and after the impact. He lay awake, alone, and in pain, knowing that he was badly hurt and dying, facedown by the side of the road, the lawsuit states. Charlotte Charles said in a statement on Wednesday that it was unfathomable that Harry had been dead for almost a year and the family still did not know the truth of what happened and that Anne Sacoolas had not faced legal consequences. Agnieszka Fryszman, a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll in Washington DC who is representing the family, said that she felt the push for justice was even more important in this case after seeing Harrys lovely parents and brother suffer such heartbreak. Given Ms Sacoolas refusal to return to the UK, we look forward to bringing this case to a jury of Anne Sacoolas peers here in the United States, she said. Last October, Dunns parents visited the White House following an invitation by Donald Trump, only to be confronted with the president telling them without warning that Anne Sacoolas was waiting for them in an adjoining room and wished to meet them. Dunns parents declined the offer. The family has also been critical of the British governments failure to take more action and bring about resolution in the case. On Wednesday, Charles said: Fighting for justice for Harry has been and will remain our number one priority because of a promise we made to him the night we lost him. Amanda Eichstaedt, general manager at KWMR, outside the public radio station in Point Reyes Station in Marin County. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) With evacuation warnings still in place, smoke from back-burn fires drifted out of the oaks and pines above the tiny town of Point Reyes Station in Marin County on Friday, mixing with thick coastal fog until the two were indistinguishable to most people. But Amanda Eichstaedt, general manager of KWMR, the local public radio station, easily saw the difference. Like most topics related to this quixotic town of about 400 that abuts the West Coast's only National Seashore, she was happy to share her knowledge with everyone in about a 20-mile radius. "We know that people totally rely on the radio," she said of this Arcadian territory, where cellphone reception is spotty on a good day. Since fire broke out here after an afternoon lightning strike on Aug. 18, Eichstaedt has turned the one-studio station into a vital source of information for the remote outpost and the rural towns that surround it. In a place where local news is otherwise a once-weekly paper or a conversation at the post office or local market, the radio station has long been a trusted source of knowledge when emergencies hit. Across California, stations like KWMR fill a vital vacuum during crises, especially fast-moving wildfires. With their local knowledge from where exactly back roads are located to quick access to the fire chief these broadcasters are increasingly finding themselves to be crucial authorities in the toughest moments, when power is out, danger is high and a radio wavelength floating through the air is a lifeline. Since it was founded in the late 1990s, KWMR has "been a really important part of our community life," said Dewey Livingston, a local historian who has been interviewed on the station many times. "But it is especially noteworthy during times like this. ... They are the ones you can go to for information." Amanda Eichstaedt, general manager at public radio station KWMR in Point Reyes Station. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) But the COVID-19 pandemic upended how the shoestring station operates, and this wildfire season has left Eichstaedt and her program manager, Jeff Manson, running it nearly alone, "flying on adrenaline," he said the last two standing in a complex endeavor that usually has six staffers and 90 volunteers to help. Because there is only one cramped broadcasting studio, with its shared microphone and poor ventilation, no one but Manson and Eichstaedt are allowed inside. Story continues "By mid-March, everything about the way we ran the radio station had turned on its head," said Manson, a musician and self-taught audio engineer who began his job in January. It's his first experience as a reporter. "Fire compounded with pandemic with now being in a public information role, its exciting," he said. "It feels really good to be here listening to the scanner, getting the information straight, because we are in a time of so much speculation." Jeff Manson is one of two staffers working during the pandemic at the public radio station in Point Reyes Station. (Anita Chabria / Los Angeles Times) KWMR has been running updates every half-hour on the nearby Woodward fire, which burned nearly 5,000 acres before being contained, even as Eichstaedt and her skeleton crew evacuated their own homes. Manson's wife, he said, has a "strong flight instinct," and had their two children ready to go the first night smoke appeared at their coastal home. Though the Woodward fire was small compared with others burning in California, its effects here were felt by nearly all of the 14,000 residents who make up what locals call the "west county," of Marin. Its an area that encompasses seven unincorporated towns and some of the most pristine protected land in the state, dotted with expensive homes, artisanal farmers, aging hippies, Latino service workers, off-the-gridders, Tesla-driving visitors from the Bay Area and herds of wild tule elk. The station's role in local emergencies started with its inception 21 years ago, a few years after the last major wildfire in the area, but grew when January floods in 2005 cut off the roads connecting the network of small towns that dot the forested hills and rolling pastures. KWMR was running an informal system of people with emergency radios in the area, linked by nine repeaters, a combination of a receiver and transmitter that bounced the signal through the mountains. It was the most reliable communication in the area, so much so that the local fire chief asked to be part of it. But in the village of Olema, the radio operator had been trapped elsewhere, leaving its residents stranded without information. Eichstaedt had just moved into Olema, a picturesque village of little more than a few streets, to run a bed and breakfast with her future husband. When the water subsided, she made her way to KWMR and asked for a radio of her own and fell in love with the place at first sight. She remembers walking in the cramped second-story office, with its racks of CDs and walls of memorabilia, and thinking, "What the hell? This is so cool." Eichstaedt was interested in radio in college, but it wasn't until she was settled in Point Reyes that she had time for it. She launched a volunteer show about localism and, later, a late-night music show. Eventually, she was hired and created a popular country music show, "Bakersfield and Beyond," and took over day-to-day operations. Although the station has handled its share of crises, mostly more fires and floods, Eichstaedt said the community had embraced its mission even more since the pandemic started. Each week, the local representative from the Board of Supervisors comes on to talk about how government is handling the coronavirus, as does a county health officer. And she's become "like BFFs" with the county public information officer, she said, which has allowed the station access to information quickly. "Thats been huge ... our relationship with the first responders in the area," added Manson. Manson said that, as the months drag on, he's becoming more accustomed to the constant tsunami of information. "There is a weird parallel between COVID and a wildfire in a way in that they are these dynamic situations but they are slow moving also," Manson said. "Stuff isnt changing hour to hour, and yet people are really hungry for information." He has been spending a lot of time inside their "emergency operations" center, a space about the size of a guest bathroom that also doubles as the facility's kitchen. Crammed alongside boxes containing tablecloths and a dish rack of bowls and coffee mugs is a bank of scanners that the duo monitor nearly constantly. When a siren wails on the main street, both stop to check cellphone apps and the broadcast channels to see if it's just a routine call, or one people will need to know about. He and Eichstaedt have learned if they don't put out facts, small-town gossip will take over. "People sort of fill that gap on social media by making stuff up," Manson said. " Just between you and me, some of these text threads I am on, these people are nuts." Eichstaedt said that even some journalists had gotten it wrong, hampered by their lack of local knowledge. Shortly after evacuation orders first went into effect for the recent fire, Eichstaedt said a television station broadcasting from the Bay Area made a mistake between a mandatory evacuation order and an evacuation warning. As rumors began to run rampant on social media, Eichstaedt was able to text the information officer for the correct details and start pushing them out. Despite the challenges, Eichstaedt and Manson have also kept up a full slate of programming, helping their volunteers MacGyver in-home studios from on-hand equipment. Those shows run the gamut locals reading books on air for an hour solid, talks about dreamcatchers, as well as a morning show between two female relatives with what Manson describes as anarchist views. Manson also started a program called "Quarantine Dreams" that solicits work poems, thoughts, requests from listeners. With bars and other gathering spots largely shut down, he's seen that show fill a need. "I was surprised how much a program like that can actually foster a sense of community," Manson said. "Especially with the pandemic, I think it's really given us the opportunity to see the purpose radio can serve." Though the fire is nearly 100% contained, the duo are still on high alert. Tuesday, winds picked up, raising tensions across Northern California and reminding those living in wildfire areas that the dry season was far from over. For Manson and Eichstaedt, that means this pandemonium will likely remain their foreseeable future. "I'm either going to cry or keep going," Eichstaedt said. "It's strange times." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Donald Trump, it turns out, is running on the economy after all. But his critics say what the president is selling voters is more mirage than reality. He returns to the campaign trail in earnest this week, with stops in at least three battleground states: Florida, North Carolina and Michigan. (On Friday, he and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will be in another, Pennsylvania, but to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11 in Shanksville, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after being hijacked by al-Qaeda operatives.) Mr Trump ran in 2016 as a self-described business savant who told voters he was despite no formal training as an economist uniquely qualified to supercharge what was a slow-but-steady economic recovery under the Obama administration following the 2007-2008 global recession. Economic growth did take off in the early quarters of his term, but it eventually slowed to an Obama-like pace. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:08:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of 79 Israeli strikes have targeted Syria over the past 32 months, destroying 250 targets, a war monitor reported on Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that it had documented the strikes from the beginning of 2018 until the beginning of September 2020. The Britain-based watchdog group said that the Israeli strikes had killed 509 people and destroyed 250 targets, including weapon depots, buildings, and military headquarters. Throughout the Syrian crisis, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, as well as convoys transporting weapons to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia allegedly backed by Iran. Enditem Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has congratulated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his position as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was appointed ECOWAS Chairman during the summit of Heads of African States held at Niamey, capital of the Republic of Niger. ''On Monday, 7th September 2020, the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), took the decision to elect me, by unanimous vote, as Chairperson of ECOWAS for the next term of one year. When we think of West Africa together with our individual countries, we are not just being pan-Africanists, we are also being true nationalists, because what makes West Africa more prosperous will make each of our individual countries more prosperous. I urged my colleague Heads of State to give enthusiastic support to Community decisions, and build rapidly our Community. Our peoples deserve no less, and the objectives of peace, progress and prosperity will, thus, be within our reach, realising the historic purposes of ECOWAS'', the President posted on his Instagram page. Speaking on ''Kokrokoo'' on Peace FM, Kwamena Duncan touted the achievements of President Akufo-Addo for Ghana and Africa at large and therefore was without doubt, he deserved to be the Chairman of ECOWAS. He cited the President's fearless character to stand against any kind of African oppression and his active involvement in ensuring free trade in Africa as some of the virtues that need to be extolled when the name of President Nana Akufo-Addo is mentioned. ''Every side you turn Akufo-Addo, an amazing extraordinary leader. I congratulate him'', he said. 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 The circumstances of his removal from the monitoring were not immediately clear, as the case was handled in juvenile court and paperwork was not immediately available. The juvenile courts electronic monitoring is generally not intended to be a long-term situation for juvenile defendants, and it is common for them to be released from the monitors after shorter periods of compliance. New Medical Oncologist/Hematologist to practice in Palm Beach County Chief Executive Officer Nathan Walcker; President & Managing Physician Lucio Gordan, MD; Medical Oncologist Shaachi Gupta, MD, MPH Chief Executive Officer Nathan Walcker; President & Managing Physician Lucio Gordan, MD; Medical Oncologist Shaachi Gupta, MD, MPH Fort Myers, Fla., Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) welcomes Medical Oncologist and Hematologist Shaachi Gupta, MD, MPH. She is seeing patients at the FCS Atlantis/JFK office located at 5507 South Congress Ave., Suite 130 in Atlantis, FL and the FCS West Palm Beach office at 1309 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL. Board-certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology, Transfusion Medicine and Internal Medicine, Shaachi Gupta, MD, MPH earned her medical degree from Sarojini Naidu Medical College in Agra, India. After graduating from the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Piscataway, NJ with a Master of Public Health degree, she completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Gupta was then awarded a fellowship in Transfusion Medicine at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Womens Hospital followed by a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at St. Elizabeths Medical Center in Boston, MA and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH. Prior to joining FCS, Dr. Gupta cared for cancer patients at NexGen Oncology in Dallas, TX and Arizona Oncology in Tempe, AZ. While treating a wide range of cancer and blood disorders, she led breast cancer research at Arizona Oncology and served as a principal investigator in multiple studies with a focus on breast cancer. Dr. Guptas passion for providing comprehensive team-based cancer care and strong belief in educating and empowering patients exemplifies her commitment to community-based oncology. We are thrilled to welcome her to FCS, said FCS CEO Nathan Walcker. FCS President & Managing Physician Dr. Lucio Gordan, added, With her experience in treating a wide range of cancers and a special focus on breast cancer research, Dr. Gupta will be a strong addition to the FCS team. Story continues ### About Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC: (FLCancer.com) Recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. Over the past 5 years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists participation.* Trained in such prestigious medical schools and research institutes as Duke, Stanford, Harvard, Emory, MD Anderson, and Memorial Sloan Kettering, our physicians are consistently ranked nationally as Top Doctors by U.S. News & World Report. Florida Cancer Specialists has built a national reputation for excellence that is reflected in exceptional and compassionate patient care, driven by innovative clinical research, cutting-edge technologies, and advanced treatments, including targeted therapies, genomic-based treatment, and immunotherapy. Our values are embodied by our outstanding team of highly trained and dedicated physicians, clinicians, and staff. *Prior to approval Attachment CONTACT: Shelly Glenn Florida Cancer Specialists (770) 365.6168 SGlenn@FLCancer.com Michelle Robey Florida Cancer Specialists (813) 767-9398 Michelle.Robey@FLCancer.com FRANKFURT: Nine leading U.S. and European vaccine developers pledged on Tuesday to uphold the scientific standards their experimental immunisations will be held against in the global race to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The companies, including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, issued what they called a historic pledge" after a rise in concern that safety and efficacy standards might slip in the rush to find a vaccine. The companies said in a statement they would uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines". The other signatories were Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co, Moderna, Novavax, Sanofi and BioNTech. The promise to play by established rules underlines a highly politicised debate over what action is needed to rein in COVID-19 quickly and to jumpstart global business and trade. The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said last month COVID-19 vaccines may not necessarily need to complete Phase Three clinical trials - large-scale testing intended to demonstrate safety and efficacy - as long as officials are convinced the benefits outweigh the risks. This prompted a call for caution from the World Health Organization (WHO). Developers globally have yet to produce large-scale trial data showing actual infections in participants, yet Russia granted approval to a COVID-19 vaccine last month, prompting some Western experts to criticise a lack of testing. The head of Chinas Sinovac Biotech has said most of its employees and their families have already taken an experimental vaccine developed by the Chinese firm under the countrys emergency-use programme. Chinese companies or institutions, which are involved in several leading vaccine projects, did not sign the statement. PROMISE ON SAFETY AND EFFICACY We want it to be known that also in the current situation we are not willing to compromise safety and efficacy," said co-signatory Ugur Sahin, chief executive of Pfizers German partner BioNTech. Apart from the pressure and the hope for a vaccine to be available as fast as possible, there is also a lot of uncertainty among people that some development steps may be omitted here." BioNTech and Pfizer could unveil pivotal trial data as early as October, potentially placing them at the centre of bitter U.S. politics before the Nov. 3 presidential election. President Donald Trump has said it is possible the United States will have a vaccine before the election. His Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, has said she would not take his word alone on any potential coronavirus vaccine. The nine companies said they would follow established guidance from expert regulatory authorities such as the FDA. Among other hurdles, approval must be based on large, diverse clinical trials with comparative groups that do not receive the vaccine in question. Participants and those working on the trial must not know which group they belong to, according to the pledge. BioNTechs Sahin said there must be statistical certainty of 95%, in some cases higher, and that a positive reading on efficacy does not come just from random variations but reflects the underlying workings of the compound. The development race has intensified safety concerns about an inoculation, polls have shown. Western regulators have said they would not cut corners but rather prioritise the review workload and allow for development steps in parallel that would normally be handled consecutively. Sahin declined to comment on regulators specifically or on what events prompted the joint statement. The chief executive of German vaccine developer Leukocare, which did not sign the pledge, was more forthright. What Russia did - and maybe also there are tendencies in the U.S. to push the approval of a vaccine which has not been sufficiently developed in clinic bears a huge risk," said CEO Michael Scholl. My biggest fear is that we will approve vaccines that are not safe and that will have a negative impact on the concept of vaccinations in general." Leukocare is working with Italys ReiThera and Belgiums Univercells to produce a COVID-19 vaccine currently in phase I testing. 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 J.C. Penney reached an agreement to sell its retail business to the mall operators Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners on Wednesday, averting a total liquidation that would have had significant ripple effects through the industry and cost tens of thousands of jobs. Simon and Brookfield will pay about $300 million in cash and assume $500 million in debt to buy J.C. Penney, lawyers for the retailer said at a Bankruptcy Court hearing. The deal will split J.C. Penney into separate companies, with Simon and Brookfield running the retail business and its creditors owning a portion of its real estate. In all, the deal values J.C. Penney at $1.75 billion, including the funds committed to support its business after it emerges from bankruptcy. We are in a position to do exactly what we set out to do at the very beginning of these cases, and that is to preserve 70,000 jobs, a tenant for landlords, a vendor partner and a company that has been around for more than a century, Joshua Sussberg, a lawyer at Kirkland & Ellis, which has been representing J.C. Penney, said at the hearing. It was not immediately clear how many stores the mall operators will keep open, or exactly how many jobs they would preserve. The future of the department store chain, which is based in Plano, Texas, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May, had been unsettled. Liquidation was floated as a possibility as deal talks stalled this month. At a Rajasthan Congress feedback meeting helmed by Ajay Maken, the Ajmer police had to disperse party workers who allegedly tore posters and raised slogans against health minister Raghu Sharma on Wednesday. A section claimed that some members were detained. Rakesh Pareek, Congress MLA from Masudha, reached the police station and asked to free the workers. Then, along with his supporters, he sat outside the police station. However, superintendent of police, Ajmer, Kunwar Rashtradeep said they were some who were tearing posters and as a precautionary step they were dispersed. The officer denied that members have been arrested. The incident happened outside a hotel in Ajmer, where Congress AICC general secretary Ajay Maken, along with co-incharge Vivek Bansal, state party chief Govind Singh Dotasra, minister Raghu Sharma and Pramod Jain were holding a feedback meeting to strengthen party organisation. Addressing the media, Pareek said, When we came out from the meeting, we learnt that supporters of leaders were raising slogans. The police misbehaved with some of the workers from Masudha assembly constituency. They were also asked to remove clothes what crime have they done? He said, Raising Sachin Pilot Jindabad slogans cannot be a crime. No leader is involved but some prejudiced officers. There is no BJP, all were Congress workers here they (officials) did it to get a good posting. We will speak to the CM, Pilot, state party chief and apprise Ajay Maken. This is an intolerable act and action should be taken against those responsible. A leader on condition of anonymity said that some people first tried to enter inside the meeting and when denied shouted slogans against Raghu Sharma and tore posters. Maken had met workers and leaders of Ajmer division today and will next be meeting those from the Jaipur division tomorrow. Peter Wine wasnt surprised when he heard how his friend, Bridgeton Police Officer Sean Peek, died on Sunday. Peek was trying to save a life because thats the kind of person he was, Wine said. In addition to working 15 years with Bridgeton Police, Peek also had a career as a paramedic. He hated when I called him a hero," Wine said. "But to me, he always was and will be a hero. No question. Peek died Sunday morning at home, hours after jumping into the Cohansey River to try and rescue a woman running from police. An official cause of death has not been revealed. Funeral services for Peek will be held Friday, Sept. 11, starting at 1 p.m. at the Freitag Funeral Home, 137 W. Commerce St. in Bridgeton, which will be livestreamed, followed by a graveside service at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Millville. Peek, 49, was on duty early Sunday when he responded to a call about someone striking an ambulance with an unknown object, police said. He arrived at Bridgeton Fire Departments EMT satellite station on Mayor Aitken Drive around 1:30 a.m. and spotted a woman running near the Washington Street Bridge over the Cohansey River. She either fell or jumped into the water, according to police, and Peek went in after her. She made it across the river to the other side and climbed out, but Peek, laden down with his gear, struggled to return to shore. Other officers assisted him and he was taken to Inspira Health Center in Bridgeton for evaluation. He was released and sent home, where family members found him unresponsive later that morning. Officers apprehended the woman, Sarah Jeanne Davis, 29, of Canton, Connecticut. She was charged with burglarizing multiple city-owned buildings on Mayor Aitken Drive, including the fire department building, breaking windows and damaging equipment. David admitted entering the structures and causing damage, according to her criminal complaint. She remained in Cumberland County Jail as of Wednesday. Peek leaves behind his wife, Megan, and 8-year-old daughter, Kate. Wine met Peek in 1998 when they both worked in emergency medical services. Peek was a paramedic with Underwood Memorial Hospital at the time and Wine had just started with Millville Rescue Squad. He became a very close friend to a lot of us, Wine recalled. From video games, to drumming, to just hanging out, he was always around. Peek was also a member of Millville Rescue Squad, so, given that he made a career out of helping others, Wine saw Peeks actions on Sunday as fitting for the man he knew for more than two decades. To hear that he died because of heroic actions saving someone makes sense, he said. "Regardless of what people think about police officers these days, the social discord and the divide in our country, he remained a constant of doing the right thing. A great cop, a great citizen and an even better friend. More information about services for Peek can be found by clicking on his obituary here. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. National Guard troops guard Kenosha County government buildings in the wake of unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 28, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Kenosha Residents Privately Condemn Riots, Welcome National Guard KENOSHA, Wis.A number of Kenoshians have privately condemned the riots in their city and say theyre thankful for the National Guards presence, to which they attribute the peace that followed. The Epoch Times attempted to speak to more than a dozen local residents and business owners over the span of a few days, but most declined to be interviewed due to privacy concerns and fears of retaliation. Some spoke off-the-record in support of the National Guard. The small city of about 100,000 was visited last week by both President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Their stops in Kenosha came days after protests and violent rioting that shook the city. During those riots, a multitude of local businesses were damaged by rioters. Some were set on fire, others were broken into and had their inventory stolen, while just a few remained unscathed. A handful of business owners declined to give interviews, even off-record. In one business district hit by the riots, almost all buildings were boarded up with wooden boards. Not far from the district was a car dealership targeted by rioters and set entirely on fire. The dealerships owner didnt respond to repeated requests for comment from The Epoch Times. One Kenosha business owner, who requested anonymity, said he felt the recent riots wouldnt have happened, or at least not to the extent they did, if the governor had been quicker to accept National Guard assistance. When [the National Guard] came in on Wednesdayboom, it stopped, he said. Local residents were also hesitant to speak, some hastily moving away after declining to talk. Of the few Kenoshians that agreed to speak on the record, they spoke of being appreciative of Trumps visit. Some said it was important the president came to see what happened to the city firsthand. Biden supporters meanwhile told The Epoch Times they believed Trumps visit to the city was a divisive move. John Sherock, a local resident who runs his own cleaning service, said he was baffled as to why many seemed not to care about the property damage or livelihoods being ruined. Sherock, who said he has no political affiliation, said it was really wrong for out-of-state rioters to come in and destroy their city. His sentiment was shared by other local business owners. We live here together in one city and know how to communicate different views without leaning towards violence, so we were very saddened to see people from other cities come in and take a lot of negative actions towards our town, said Kelly Deem, owner of Elsie Maes Canning and Pies. Out of the 175 recent arrests in Kenosha, 100 of the people were from out of town, according to Attorney General William Barr. I am appreciative that [Trump] is open to having dialogues with places that this is happening at, Deem said. Everyone has to come and meet. The governors need to meet with the president; these need to be conversations that are happening. She also urged rioters to take their anger and unrest and put it into something thats positivegood deeds, adding that if they did, it might be the tide that turns us around. Trump sent federal officers to Kenosha after the rioting had been happening for a few days, a delay he blamed on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat. The president said his administration would provide economic aid in addition to helping with law enforcement. Trump flew to Illinois and then was driven across state lines into Wisconsin on Sept. 1 to survey the damage in the city inflicted by rioters. Two days later, former Vice President Joe Biden met with community leaders, business owners, and law enforcement officials inside Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha. Biden also met with the family of Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old man who was shot by police in August, setting off protests, riots, and arson attacks in the city. Blake was a suspect in a felony sexual assault case who was shot by police while resisting arrest, according to police. Logevall painstakingly reconstructs Kennedys several youthful trips abroad, where he sowed some wild oats, to be sure (there is plenty of that in these pages, more than enough fornicating and philandering to sate even the most prurient readers taste), but more consequentially, made use of his fathers abundant connections to interview statesmen and political leaders in Europe and beyond. Toward the end of a seven-month junket that ranged from Moscow to Jerusalem, the 22-year-old Kennedy, Zelig-like, was in Berlin in August 1939, accurately predicting the imminent outbreak of war, and shortly thereafter sitting in the visitors gallery at Westminster to witness Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proclaim Britains belligerency. Everywhere he took notes and everywhere he grew in wisdom and conviction. It was the kind of exposure and training, Logevall writes, that no future president since John Quincy Adams had enjoyed at so young an age. A fastidiously diligent researcher, Logevall pays scrupulous attention to Jacks prep school and college essays, including a close reading of the Harvard senior paper that became Kennedys first book, Why England Slept, which analyzed the timidity of Britains political class in the face of indifferent or hostile public opinion. Logevall pronounces it a thoughtful and cogent original contribution to knowledge. He later describes Kennedys best-selling Profiles in Courage (whose actual authorship has long been contested) as an ode to the art of politics that, he valuably reminds us, extols both compromise and courage. From all the carefully marshaled evidence a picture emerges of an uncommonly curious, sometimes frivolous but increasingly earnest young man on his way to shaping an informed, cleareyed, unsentimental sense of the world and his nations place in it. And its place in history. Kennedys generation came of age in the mid-20th centurys agonizingly long season of Great Depression and world war. The former touched the Kennedys lightly if at all. But the latter blighted the fathers diplomatic career, claimed the life of the eldest son and made a hero out of the commander of PT-109. It also catalyzed Jack Kennedys comprehension of what was at stake in the modern contest of nations, and deepened his skepticism about the utility of war itself, especially after the advent of nuclear weapons. It instructed him about the distinctive characteristics of his allotted historical moment, and left him convinced that the time had urgently arrived when America had to cast off its isolationist legacy and don the mantle of global leadership. In this he decidedly detached himself from the views to which his father so unremittingly clung. This is the heart of this richly detailed and instructive book. And it is where Logevalls expertise as a Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar of international relations comes advantageously into play and where his books subtitle, Coming of Age in the American Century, is brought tellingly into focus. To the biographers insights he adds the historians perspectives about the several episodes in which the young Kennedys worldview took shape: his fathers tortured tenure as ambassador in London while the Munich crisis unfolded and the debate over appeasement took on ugly intensity; the American commitment to sweeping international restructuring at wars end; the vexing role of domestic politics notably the red-baiting antics of Senator Joseph McCarthy in the nascent Cold War; and the postwar struggles over decolonization, not least in Indochina, where Congressman Kennedy in 1951 saw at first hand the futility of Frances effort to crush Vietnams determination to be independent. Logevall artfully melds the biographical and historical approaches. Though crafted as a kind of bildungsroman, JFK delivers something more than the traditional story of the callow wastrels maturation into the admirable adult. Here phylogeny closely replicates ontogeny. John F. Kennedys individual journey of separation from his fathers isolationism tracked the progression of the United States in midcentury from peripheral international player to hegemon. The global stage where a president could bend the arc of world history remained Kennedys preferred arena and the presidency his obsession. The domestic issues that lay in a state governors province he once dismissed as little more than deciding on sewer contracts. This was the mind-set he brought to the White House, and in some ways this entire book can be read as an elaborate prolegomenon to Kennedys most important foreign policy address, at American University in June 1963, where he urged a realistic reappraisal of the Cold War and laid the foundations for the hotly contested policy that became known as detente. Around 2,000 pigs have been killed following an 'accidental' barn fire in Co Down, leaving the farmer 'devastated'. The incident happened on Monday night (7 September) at farrowing house belonging to Glenmarshal Pedigree Pig, situated on Carrigenagh Road in Kilkeel. Firefighters said they worked in 'difficult conditions' to prevent the fire spreading to adjacent buildings. Farm owner Trevor Shields said losses were 'quite substantial' as it was 'one of the top breeding farms in Europe'. "There's bloodlines that have just been wiped away," Mr Shields told BBC News. Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service said in a statement: "Four fire appliances attended the incident, along with the Animal Rescue Team, a Command Support Unit and a Water Tanker. "It is believed that approximately 1500 2000 pigs have perished as result of the blaze. One male casualty suffered minor burns during the incident. "The fire was brought under control by 11:50 pm and the cause of the fire is believed to be accidental ignition." Assistant Group Commander Martin Healy added that the incident was a 'very difficult scene to witness'. "We had to try to protect the other sheds as there's a lot of other pigs housed in them and thankfully we were able to stop the fire spreading to those sheds. "We spoke with the farm owner and obviously our sympathies go out to him and all his staff on the devastating loss and he said himself he was devastated for the loss that he did suffer." Northern Ireland's Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots, speaking in the assembly yesterday, described the fire as 'an absolutely awful thing to have happened'. "I would hope that they will be able to ensure that in terms of animal welfare and all of that there, they can give qualitative advice and support to the individual," he said. How can I prevent fires on the farm? Farmers are encouraged by rural insurer NFU Mutual to check their fire prevention methods and evacuation procedures: Ensure there are sufficient fire extinguishers for the size of buildings and that materials stored are inspected and regularly maintained Ensure staff and adult family members know the location of fire extinguishers and how to use them Reduce the risk of arson by fencing-off straw stacks and farm buildings Store hay and straw at least 10m from other buildings Put in place an evacuation plan for staff and livestock Store petrol, diesel and other fuels in secure areas Schedule regular electrical safety checks Invite your local fire and rescue service to visit to check water supplies and access routes If a fire breaks out: Call the Fire and Rescue Service without delay If possible, send someone to the farm entrance to direct the Fire and Rescue Service to the fire to help save time Prepare to evacuate livestock should the fire spread Prepare to use your farm machinery to assist the Fire and Rescue Service Use the What3Words app to guide emergency services to the exact location of the fire E-commerce consulting services transcosmos supports clients' e-commerce business comprehensively: choosing the right website for their store and e-commerce system; defining operations to outsource; developing marketing strategies; proposing the channels and the size of their customer support services. transcosmos inc. hereby announces that the company has released business consulting services that help clients who operate e-commerce, and those who plan to launch e-commerce operations solve various issues they face. 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While issuing the interim directive, the bench made it clear that admissions to postgraduate courses will not be disturbed since the exams ended in July. The stay order came even as the Maharashtra government submitted that there would be no regular appointment in the jobs for the time being. The Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act provides for 12-13% quota to Maratha community in jobs and education. The petitioners, who have challenged Maratha reservation which takes quota percentage in the state over the 50% mark declared by a nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case have asked for a 11-judge bench to decide the contentions. The appeals said the Bombay High Courts decision is seriously erroneous as the state law has breached the 50% cap on reservation fixed by a Constitution Bench in the Indira Sawhney judgment. It has also been contended that the high court decision was based on incomplete data. They have said that the reservation law was enacted under political pressure, bypassing the laid-down norms. Black Day for Marathas It is a black day" for Marathas, said the Maharashtra BJP on Wednesday as it attacked the state Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government after the Supreme Court stayed implementation of the 2018 law granting quota to the community in education and jobs. State BJP president Chandrakant Patil claimed the MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, was not serious" in ensuring that the quota held its ground before the apex court. Patil also charged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar with not paying attention to the matter. The MVA could not ensure the reservation held groundbefore the Supreme Court," he said. Noting that the apex court referred the batch of pleas challenging the validity of the law to a larger bench, Patil said now nobody knows when the ruling in the matter will come. He contended that matters referred to a larger bench in the past have remained pending for years. This means the stay will continue till the bench gives an order. Now there is no point in the community protesting either, because nobody knows when the ruling will come. Therefore, it is a black day for the community," the BJP leader said, adding his party had repeatedly told the MVA government to take the issue seriously and prepare well legally for the same. The MVA did not want the reservation. Which senior leader of theirs paid attention to the matter? Did Uddhav ji or Sharad Pawar pay attention?" he asked. There is a scope to say now that their mindset was such that they were fine if the quota was stayed as they were not serious to ensure it holds ground." The Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) ,Act, 2018 was enacted to grant reservation to people of the Maratha community in Maharashtra in jobs and education. The Bombay High Court, while upholding the law in June last year, had held that 16% reservation was not justifiable and said the quota should not exceed 12% in employment and 13% in admissions. The politically dominant Maratha community, which constitutes over 30% of the states population, held several protests in the past demanding reservation in jobs and education. (With inputs from PTI) Shweta Singh Kirti, the sister of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, expressed shock at the partial demolition of Kangana Ranauts office in Mumbai by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Shweta came out in support of Kangana and said that such injustice must not be taken lying down. My God! What kind of GUNDA RAJ is this? This kind of injustice cannot be a should not be tolerated! Can a Presidents Rule in Maharashtra be an answer to this Injustice? Lets establish RAM RAJ again. #WeDemandRamRaj, she wrote. Shweta was replying to a tweet in which Kangana compared the situation to being burned at the stake. Today they have demolished my house tomorrow it will be yours, governments come and go when you normalise violent suppression of a voice it becomes the norm, today one person being burned at the stake tomorrow it will be jowhar of thousands,wake up now, the actor had written. My God! What kind of GUNDA RAJ is this? This kind of injustice cannot be a should not be tolerated! Can a Presidents Rule in Maharashtra be an answer to this Injustice? Lets establish RAM RAJ again. #WeDemandRamRaj https://t.co/3TVd4OQyWz shweta singh kirti (@shwetasinghkirt) September 9, 2020 On Wednesday morning, the BMC began demolishing Kanganas office for alleged structural violations. However, the Bombay High Court stayed the demolition and said that the action prima facie does not appear to be bona fide and smacks of mala fide. Also read | Rahul Pandita slams Kangana Ranaut for comparing herself to Kashmiri Pandits after demolition of office: Do not belittle our tragedy Kangana claimed that the BMC officials threatened to demolish her office for being critical of the ruling Maharashtra government. Last week, she criticised the Mumbai Police and compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. She shared videos of the destruction in her office and called it an act of fascism and the death of democracy. Now that high court has declared it is a clear case of bullying and its done right after I exposed drug racket,questioned shoddy investigations of SSR murder one can see freedom comes with a price, I am paying for mine are you paying for yours? #ShameOnMahaGovt #ShameOnBollywood, she wrote on Twitter. Kangana also hit out at Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and the Karan Johar gang. She challenged them to come at her and vowed to expose them, whether I live or die. Follow @htshowbiz for more A young boy has died after falling from the eighth floor of a block of flats near Wembley Stadium. Metropolitan Police were called to Olympic Way, Wembley, at 6.45am on Monday to reports of a boy who had fallen from a height at the residential building. A police spokesperson said in a statement: "Officers and London Ambulance Service attended. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, a 13-year-old boy died at the scene. The death is currently being treated as unexplained. No arrests have been made and enquiries continue. According to the Evening Standard, the boys body was discovered by one of the residents, on the balcony of her flat on the first floor. The chairman of the local residents association, Haider Narallah, told the newspaper he heard someone shouting and saw a boy lying on the first floor when he looked out of his balcony. It was clear he had fallen. He fell from the eighth floor on to a balcony on the first. The resident there found him, he was quoted as saying, adding the paramedics worked as hard as they could to save him. It was a very distressing scene, said Mr Narallah. The family are lovely. The mother is such a nice person. She is with the police now. She is devastated. New Delhi: Shares of drug firm AstraZeneca Pharma, closed over 3 percent lower on Wednesday after the company paused its COVID-19 vaccine study following a participant's unexplained illness. The company's stock had tumbled 13.40 percent to Rs 3,650 during the day on the BSE. It later pared most of the losses closed 3.34 percent lower at Rs 4,074.15. On the NSE, the scrip closed 3.80 percent lower at Rs 4,070. The company's stock had tanked 12.31 percent to Rs 3,710 during the day. In a significant development, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on Tuesday (September 8) said that it voluntarily paused the phase 3 clinical human trials of its vaccine candidate Covishield after one of the volunteers got ill. It is to be noted that AstraZeneca is developing this vaccine in collaboration with University of Oxford. As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow a review of safety data by an independent committee, the pharma major said in a statement. It is learnt that a volunteer developed unexpected sickness during trial of the vaccine for reasons not yet known. AstraZeneca, however, noted that the volunteer would soon recover. AstraZeneca said it was a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline, the statement added. Notably, Pune-based Serum Institute of India, which is handling the Phase 3 trials of AstraZeneca's vaccine in India, is preparing a list of volunteers who will be administered the vaccine shots under the National Immunization Programme (NIP). It is learnt that 1,600 participants of more than or equal to 18 years of age will be enrolled in the study. Serum Institute of India will conduct the drive on 17 sites in India. A week after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) informed the Supreme Court that airlines will give full refunds to passengers who booked tickets during the first and second lockdown, which had to be cancelled due to Covid-19, consumer body Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP), also party to the plea, will be seeking clarifications on certain pointers mentioned in the aviation regulators affidavit. The hearing of the plea is scheduled for Wednesday morning. According to MGP, senior citizens should not be asked to use credit shells, and airlines should not ask passengers to pay the fare difference and instead be allowed to fly on the original ticket price till March 2021. A credit shell is an open ticket, issued when an airline holds on to the booking amount in the form of credit. Also Read: Centre proposes full refund in 15 days on air tickets booked before lockdown On the whole, the proposal of the civil aviation ministry is welcome as it tries to harmonise and balance the interest of both passengers and the airlines. There is, however, a need for further relief. The ministry must direct that senior citizens need not use this credit shell. In the present situation, senior citizens are advised not to travel and hence it will be in consonance with government policy to direct airlines to refund the ticket amounts to senior citizens forthwith. Theres also a need to protect these passengers against the possible fare hike and they should be allowed to travel till March 31 on the same fare, said advocate Shirish Deshpande, chairman, MGP. Further, the government must make it clear that in no circumstances, can the credit shell period can be extended beyond March 31, 2021. This comes after DGCA, in its affidavit to the SC, stated that tickets booked for domestic and international carriers between March 25 and May 3 will be fully refunded within 15 days. DGCAs affidavit also stated that If on account of financial distress, if the airlines are not able to do so, they shall provide a credit shell equal to the amount of fare collected. This credit shell shall be issued in the name of the passenger who has booked the ticket. Also Read: Airlines get ready for in-flight meal services The affidavit also stated that passengers will be able to use the credit shell up to March 31, 2021 and change the flight sector. This means that a passenger booked on a Mumbai- Indore flight can change his/ her sector and fly to any other destination till March 2021. This is after an order was issued by SC on June 13 asking private airlines and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to find a way to refund the airfare of passengers whose flights were cancelled during the lockdown. It was then the meetings were held with all the stakeholders in July and it was decided that tickets booked directly by passengers during lockdown 1 and 2 will be fully refunded. A former DGCA official said, Which airline is doing financially well with this pandemic? Why will an airline provide a refund when they can state that they are currently financially unstable and hence cannot provide a refund? KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2020) US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad on Wednesday described an attack against Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh as a desperate attempt to undermine the upcoming inter-Afghan talks. Earlier in the day, two people were killed and seven others injured in a blast on Kabul's Taimani Square that targeted Saleh, who was not harmed, according to his press office. The attack comes as the Taliban and the Kabul government are expected to begin the intra-Afghan talks leading to a withdrawal of foreign troops and political stabilization after almost two decades of war and insurgency. "As peace talks near, spoilers are becoming more desperate in their attempt to disrupt this historic opportunity. Today's attack on [Amrullah Saleh's] convoy is the latest example. Luckily, he survived. Tragically, this terrorist attack killed and wounded many bystanders," Khalilzad tweeted. The envoy went on to say that the peace process is the only option for ending the protracted conflict. Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the radical movement was not connected to the explosion. According to him, four people were killed in the attack, and 14 others were injured, including Saleh's guards. A new report by PhoneArena suggests that the latest foldable flagship from Samsung, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G is going to be a smash hit in 2020 in terms of sales figures. Besides, it is expected that the numbers will be more than its previous-gen Galaxy Fold, released last year. However, note that the device is still not widely available across all the markets. This year has been really hard on the smartphone market, especially the high and premium devices. But if numbers are to be believed, Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G sales could rake in something staggering for a $2,000 phone. Advertisement Earlier we have reported that as per a report by Counterpoint Research, Samsung could sell about 500,000 units of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 this year. Notably, this is around 100,000 units more than the Galaxy Fold sales numbers in 2019. Apparently, this means that customers will not shy away from shedding their pockets for this ultra-premium phone. And now, it is estimated that Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G sales might reach an estimated initial volume of 10,000 copies or so in the home country of South Korea. Advertisement South Korean could be a factor for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5Gs smashing hit Earlier, Samsung insiders have estimated that the company is eyeing to produce 700,000 to 800,000 units of the Galaxy Z Fold this year. Samsung is also looking to produce Galaxy Z Fold 2 not only in South Korea but in Vietnam and Brazil, according to the sources. This could be the reason the Galaxy Z Fold 2 might sell more as compared to its predecessor. Besides, if other markets, like the US, also shows a positive response, then the numbers are expected to go up. Advertisement One important thing to note is that the Galaxy Fold suffered from a limited supply. And the broken-screen fiasco did not help either. Which hampered the devices sales globally. But, even though the pandemic is going strong, Samsung does not want to lose out on an opportunity. In fact, by increasing the number of production, the company wants to make Galaxy Z Fold 2 a hit foldable. Frankly, the design and the new features that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 packs, is also one of the reasons, why the tech fraternity is pretty excited about the product. Advertisement An uber-expensive Thom Browne Edition will also be up for sale With the increase in production, we expect that there will be no delays in the supply of the devices. Besides, there will be the luxurious Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne edition as well, which costs a mammoth $3,299. For more information on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne Edition, you can head here. FYI, approximately, 230,000 smartphone lovers applied for the Thom Browne Editions pre-order in South Korea. Advertisement That is quite a number considering the fact that the limited edition just comes with a different color, and nothing else. Well, the sense of luxury might be the reason. For Subscribers Senate votes to increase Partners in Education tax credit program Senators voted to increase the amount of money the Partners in Education tax credit program can give out for scholarships to private school students. A plumber in Kazakhstan allegedly butchered his client to death after she asked for a discount, before brutally stabbing her mother and neighbour in a horrific rampage. The 43-year-old man, whose name has not been disclosed, is said to have stabbed paramedic Inna Murzaeva, 32, to death before badly injuring her mother and their male neighbour who had tried to protect the women. They remain in a critical condition and the plumber has been arrested. A plumber in Kazakhstan has allegedly butchered his client to death after she asked for a discount, also brutally stabbing her mother and neighbour The 43-year-old man, whose name has not been disclosed, is said to have stabbed paramedic Inna Murzaeva, 32, to death The plumber then badly injured the client's mother and their male neighbour who had tried to protect the women The horrifying incident occurred in the city of Almaty, in the north-eastern part of the country, on September 4. According to reports, Inna invited the plumber to her apartment after finding him online. Negotiations between the two of them slipped into a quarrel after Inna asked the man to lower price for his service. When heated debates got out of hand, the plumber pulled a homemade knife from his pocket and attacked Inna and her 63-year-old mother, reports said. The women's terrified screams alarmed a man living next door who immediately rushed for their help and was badly stabbed as well. After turning the place into a slaughterhouse, the thug fled, covered with his victims' blood, and he was seen hurrying away by witnesses. An eyewitness said to local media: 'The man was holding a homemade knife-like weapon with blood dripping from it. We called the police and an ambulance.' The horrifying incident occurred in the city of Almaty, in the north-eastern part of the country, on September 4 According to reports, Inna invited the plumber to her apartment after finding him online, but their negotiations turned ugly Inna died from horrific wounds on the spot before a crew of paramedics arrived, investigators said. Her friend Oksana Feller told: 'Inna's throat was cut open. She had no chance to survive the assault.' Two other victims were rushed to intensive care in critical condition with severe injuries. Local health authority spokesman Timur Yermashev commented: 'One of the victims received stab wounds in the left ventricle of the heart and lungs. 'Another victim was stabbed multiple times in the face, neck and arms.' When heated debates got out of hand, the plumber pulled a homemade knife from his pocket and attacked Inna and her 63-year-old mother, reports said After turning the place into a slaughterhouse, the thug fled, covered with his victims' blood, and he was seen hurrying away by witnesses Police got a description of the suspect from witnesses and detained him less than an hour after the incident Police got a description of the suspect from witnesses and detained him less than an hour after the incident. During interrogations, the suspect said: 'I grabbed the knife and thrust it into her [Inna's] body. Before that, I had never hit women even with my fist.' Acting Chief of Police Tanat Nazanov confirmed: 'The suspect attacked the women during pay negotiations after they began to bargain. 'He was charged with murder and taken into custody.' The man faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. The investigation continues. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 14:25:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Sept. 9, 2020 shows Vietnamese delegates attending the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. The 53rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings opened on Wednesday via video link. (VNA/Handout via Xinhua) HANOI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The 53rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings opened on Wednesday via video link under the chair of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh. Delivering a speech at the opening ceremony Wednesday morning, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highlighted the development of the ASEAN, noting that initiatives including the COVID-19 Response Fund, the Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies and an ASEAN comprehensive recovery plan have not only assisted in the joint response to COVID-19 but also strengthened the bonds among ASEAN members. Phuc suggested that the ASEAN members continue upholding the bloc's solidarity and unity, and called for efforts to control COVID-19 and promote sustained recovery, with the COVID-19 Response Fund being well utilized and the Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies operationalized. He also said the members need to promptly help with production restoration and people's life returning normal, make efforts to facilitate trade and investment, fix the disrupted supply chain and enhance connectivity, and provide mutual support to bridge the development gaps between the ASEAN's subregions. Addressing the opening ceremony, Pham Binh Minh said specific measures to effectively implement the instructions of the ASEAN leaders at the 36th ASEAN Summit would be discussed at the four-day event. Representatives will also exchange views on how to further promote regional cooperation and integration, overcome challenges and difficulties to successfully achieve the set targets and map out the way forward, he noted. At the meetings with ASEAN's dialogue partners, attendees will deliberate issues relating to the future of the forums, and continue to broaden and deepen the cooperation within the China-ASEAN and ASEAN Plus Three frameworks to maximize these platforms' roles in the new circumstances, he said. The event is held from Wednesday to Saturday, with some 40 documents expected to be issued and adopted at a number of meetings via video link, according to the organizers. Founded in 1967, the ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Vietnam is the ASEAN chair for 2020. Enditem Surgeon General Jerome Adams speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss about vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Washington, U.S., September 9, 2020. "It has gotten so out of hand that companies making Covid-19 vaccines put out a public statement promising to adhere to 'high ethical standards and sound scientific principles' when seeking vaccine approval," she said at the hearing, referring to a pledge from nine drugmakers released Tuesday. During the hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., accused Trump of overruling scientists and pressuring the Food and Drug Administration into approving products based on "weak evidence." She also criticized Trump's suggestion that a Covid-19 vaccine could be ready before Election Day on Nov. 3, a much more optimistic estimate his own health officials have said. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on vaccine safety as infectious disease experts and scientists in recent weeks have said they worry the vaccine approval process in the U.S. could be influenced by politics, not science. Democratic senators on Wednesday grilled U.S. health officials about whether President Donald Trump is interfering in the development of potential coronavirus vaccines. Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss about vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Washington, September 9, 2020. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, said Trump that has provoked "conspiracies" and has touted unproven treatments such as anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. She said the president exerted "political pressure" on the FDA to issue an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma, an experimental treatment that uses plasma from patients who have recovered from Covid-19. It is one of several therapies being tested as a potential treatment but hasn't been proven to be effective. The FDA yanked hydroxychloroquine's emergency authorization after several studies found it didn't save lives and could potentially put people at risk of dangerous heart issues when used to treat Covid-19. "When it comes to a Covid-19 vaccine, we cannot allow President Trump to repeat his alarming pattern of putting politics ahead of science and public health," Murray said. "FDA's scientists' efforts to ensure the safety and efficacy of vaccines must not be undermined by political meddling." Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire pressed health officials on what steps have been taken to ensure there won't be political influence from the White House in the vaccine process. She cited a recent USA Today/Suffolk poll, which found two-thirds of voters say they won't get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as it becomes available. Collins and Adams both vowed to U.S. lawmakers that health officials will not skimp on safety assessments in the development of a vaccine. Collins said studying the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccine candidates is now the agency's "top priority" as Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca race to complete late-stage testing and submit approval applications to the FDA by the end of the year. On Tuesday, AstraZeneca announced that it was pausing its late-stage trial after one participant in the United Kingdom had a possible serious adverse reaction. "There will be no shortcuts. This vaccine will be safe. It will be effective. Or it won't get moved along," Adams said. "And when a vaccine is either approved or authorized by the FDA, I and my family will be in line to get it." Collins said he will only take part in the vaccine approval process if "science and science alone" is used to decide. He added he is "cautiously optimistic" scientists will be able to find at least one safe and effective vaccine by the end of the year. Adams said lawmakers and public health officials must encourage the public to "stop attacking" the scientific process, adding there are "protections built in." He said there is an unprecedented level of vaccine hesitancy in the U.S.and globally, and public health messaging has only become more difficult because of the upcoming presidential election. Health officials have repeatedly said an independent data and safety monitoring board is reviewing the integrity of the clinical trials and continues to examine ongoing results to ensure participants are safe. The protocols for the trials are being overseen by the U.S. government, in contrast to traditional trials in which pharmaceutical companies are solely responsible for design and implementation. "There's a lot of politics going on here," Adams said. "People don't like one party or the other, or one person or the other. But the process is strong ... we want people to understand there are protections built in. The process is strong." "As a member of the coronavirus task force, there has been no politicization of the vaccine process whatsoever," he added. FP Trending China has launched a reusable spacecraft that landed safely after staying in its orbit for two days, state media reported. The unmanned craft was launched with the help of a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China last week (4 September) and it came back on Sunday, said a Xinhua news report. The report added that the "successful flight" will be considered as an "important breakthrough in reusable spacecraft research" for the country. This will also "offer convenient and low-cost round trip transport for the peaceful use of the space". However, no detail about the spacecrafts configuration or size was released in the media report. This has led to the rise in speculation that China was conducting some secretive mission akin to what the United States Air Force did with its X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) in 2017. The description of the reusable spacecraft given by China matches with the countrys plans of launching a similar spacecraft three years ago. In a Xinhua report from 2017, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation had said that the craft would be different from traditional one-off spacecraft and fly into the sky like an aircraft. The spacecraft was also touted to carry people as well as payload into orbit. Astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, who is associated with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, gave some insights about the craft. In a tweet on Sunday, he said reusable did not mean the craft was winged, that it was a space plane. Recap on 2020-063 launch: All data *consistent* with an experimental X-37-style spaceplane launch from Jiuquan at 0730 UTC Sep 4 and landing on runway 05 at Lop Nor at 0200 UTC Sep 6, after two days in a 331 x 347 km x 50.2 deg orbit and jettison of one object prior to deorbit Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) September 6, 2020 The astronomer also announced the name of the payload. He said in a tweet that the name was Chongfu Shiyong Shiyan Hangtian Qi that translated to Repeat Use Test Space Craft. At 0730 UTC (plus or minus one minute, based on analysis of TLEs) China's CALT launched a Chang Zheng 2F (probably S/N T3) carrying an experimental spacecraft into a 332 x 348 km x 50.2 deg orbit Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) September 4, 2020 There is also a speculation of the craft apparently releasing an object ir orbit before returning. The object was noticed by McDowell and analysed by a Dutch archaeologist Dr Marco Langbroek. Spain doesn't have "any geopolitical ambition" in Belarus, our support in the context of the tensions in this country being solely related to the "precious" values of the European Union, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, stated on Wednesday. She participated, through videoconference, in the last day of the Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy."We are in the midst of responding forcefully to events in Belarus, where we see aggression, a failed electoral process and, more importantly, aggressions and repressions, with civilians being subject to incredible forms of violence that we do not tolerate in Europe. We, in Spain, are very clear that in Belarus we have no geopolitical ambition. This is not about Belarus becoming a member of the European Union or becoming a member of NATO. This is not for us a geopolitical fight, this is a support for those in Belarus who are fighting for the values that are dear to us in the European Union. And they are so dear because we did so in our lives what happens when those values and those rights are not being observed," said the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 The government has tightened import rules on consumer goods that are in high demand during the pandemic, while experts warn about the readiness of local manufacturers to provide sufficient supply. Newly issued Trade Ministerial Regulation 68/2020, which took effect on Aug. 28, requires businesses to obtain import approval (PI) for the imports of bicycles, footwear and ACs. As there was no previous trade regulation on bicycles import, importers of footwear and AC only had to provide a surveyors report (LS). 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 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain During the COVID-19 pandemic, words and phrases that have typically been limited to epidemiologists and public health professionals have entered the public sphere. Although we've rapidly accepted epidemiology-based news, the public hasn't been given the chance to fully absorb what all these terms really mean. As with all disease tests, a false positive result on a COVID-19 test can cause undue stress on individuals as they try to navigate their diagnosis, take days off work and isolate from family. One high-profile example was Ohio Governor Mike DeWine whose false positive result led him to cancel a meeting with President Donald Trump. False negative test results are even more dangerous, as people may think it is safe and appropriate for them to engage in social activities. Of course, factors such as the type of test, whether the individual had symptoms before being tested and the timing of the test can also impact how well the test predicts whether someone is infected. Sensitivity and specificity are two extremely important scientific concepts for understanding the results of COVID-19 tests. In the epidemiological context, sensitivity is the proportion of true positives that are correctly identified. If 100 people have a disease, and the test identifies 90 of these people as having the disease, the sensitivity of the test is 90 percent. Specificity is the ability of a test to correctly identify those without the disease. If 100 people don't have the disease, and the test correctly identifies 90 people as disease-free, the test has a specificity of 90 percent. This simple table helps outline how sensitivity and specificity are calculated when the prevalencethe percentage of the population that actually has the diseaseis 25 percent (totals in bold): Sensitivity and specificity at 25 per cent disease prevalence. Credit: Priyanka Gogna, Author provided A test sensitivity of 80 percent can seem great for a newly released test (like for the made-up case numbers I reported above). Predictive value But these numbers don't convey the whole message. The usefulness of a test in a population is not determined by its sensitivity and specificity. When we use sensitivity and specificity, we are figuring out how well a test works when we already know which people do, and don't, have the disease. But the true value of a test in a real-world setting comes from its ability to correctly predict who is infected and who is not. This makes sense because in a real-world setting, we don't know who truly has the diseasewe rely on the test itself to tell us. We use the positive predictive value and negative predictive value of a test to summarize that test's predictive ability. To drive the point home, think about this: in a population in which no one has the disease, even a test that is terrible at detecting anyone with the disease will appear to work great. It will "correctly" identify most people as not having the disease. This has more to do with how many people have the disease in a population (prevalence) rather than how well the test works. Using the same numbers as above, we can estimate the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV), but this time we focus on the row totals (in bold). The PPV is calculated as the number of true positives divided by the total number of people identified as positive by the test. Positive and negative predictive value at 25 per cent disease prevalence. Credit: Priyanka Gogna, Author provided The PPV is interpreted as the probability that someone that has tested positive actually has the disease. The NPV is the probability that someone that tested negative does not have the disease. Although sensitivity and specificity do not change as the proportion of diseased individuals changes in a population, the PPV and NPV are heavily dependent on the prevalence. Let's see what happens when we redraw our disease table when the population prevalence sits at one percent instead of 25 percent (much closer to the true prevalence of COVID-19 in Canada). Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV at one per cent disease prevalence. Credit: Priyanka Gogna, Author provided So, when the disease has low prevalence, the PPV of the test can be very low. This means that the probability that someone that tested positive actually has COVID-19 is low. Of course, depending on the sensitivity, specificity and the prevalence in the population, the reverse can be true as well: someone that tested negative might not truly be disease-free. False positive and false negative tests in real life What does this mean as mass testing begins for COVID-19? At the very least it means the public should have clear information about the implications of false positives. All individuals should be aware of the possibility of a false positive or false negative test, especially as we move to a heavier reliance on testing this fall to inform our actions and decisions. As we can see using some simple tables and math above, the PPV and NPV can be limiting even in the face of a "good" test with high sensitivity and specificity. Without adequate understanding of the science behind testing and why false positives and false negatives happen, we might drive the public to further mistrustand even question the usefulnessof public health and testing. Knowledge is power in this pandemic. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Protesters and a New York City council member have slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio over the city's decision to backtrack and remove nearly 300 homeless people from a Manhattan hotel after residents complained and threatened a lawsuit. Hundreds of homeless men have been temporarily living in the Lucerne hotel on the Upper West Side since July as part of de Blasio's plan to stop the spread of COVID-19 in shelters across the city. The upscale hotel is just one of a handful across the city that is currently sheltering homeless men and women as part of de Blasio's plan. The city, however, quietly reversed its decision this week and will now relocate the nearly 300 homeless men from the Lucerne into supportive housing. The men will be transferred from the Lucerne by September 20. A group of people in support of the homeless housing shelters gathered outside the Lucerne on Wednesday after it was revealed the city was going to relocate those inside Helen Rosenthal, who represents the Upper West Side in the New York City Council, on Wednesday slammed the move to remove nearly 300 homeless men from the Lucerne hotel following complaints from residents It follows complaints and threats of a lawsuit from some residents who argued that the presence of the homeless was diminishing their quality of life in the Upper West Side neighborhood. Protesters against plans to move homeless people out of the hotel gathered outside on Wednesday holding signs which read: 'Tax the rich, house the poor', 'UWS is for everyone' and 'Love thy neighbor'. Helen Rosenthal, who represents the Upper West Side in the New York City Council, slammed the move during a press conference outside the Lucerne on Wednesday. 'It's a sad day when the mere threat of a lawsuit can get City Hall to reverse a decision it made,' she said. 'What message does this send that groups who can afford to hire high-powered lawyers are the ones who will get their way?' Residents had complained that hotels being used as temporary shelters had brought increased violence, drug use, public urination and open prostitution to the area. They said the presence of homeless people in the area had made the neighborhood unsafe and some claimed sex offenders had moved into the streets. Upper West Side residents and supporters of UWS Open Hearts Initiative gather at a news conference in front of the Lucerne Hotel on Wednesday Supporters carried signs that read 'Upper West Side is for everyone' and 'All people belong in the Upper West Side' Rosenthal acknowledged that the first few weeks were 'difficult' but argued that those problems no longer persisted. 'I have walked this area night and day... it was as safe as can be,' Rosenthal said, adding that she had noticed homeless people sleeping under scaffolding on the sidewalks. 'If the mayor thinks his original decision was a mistake, he should just say so. 'He has solved a problem that did not exist.' A group of residents formed the West Side Community Organization and hired a lawyer to address their concerns. The group has repeatedly criticized Rosenthal and accused her of refusing to acknowledge the issues. They threatened to sue de Blasio and the city if the homeless people weren't moved from the Lucerne and other nearby hotels. The city wouldn't comment on whether the decision to relocate was due to the backlash and complaints from residents. A group of residents formed the West Side Community Organization and hired a lawyer to address their concerns following the influx of homeless to the neighborhood. The group has repeatedly criticized Rosenthal and accused her of refusing to acknowledge the issues Residents had complained that hotels being used as temporary shelters had brought increased violence, drug use, public urination and open prostitution to the area They said the presence of homeless people in the area had made the neighborhood unsafe and increased crime A spokesman for the city Department of Social Services said the hotel shelters were only meant to be temporary. 'We're beginning to relocate individuals from several commercial hotel locations to alternative non-congregate shelter locations, where we can continue to implement social distancing and provide isolation,' the spokesman said. 'With more than 60 commercial hotel locations utilized to combat COVID and protect our clients from this virus over the past nearly six months, these actions will begin to reduce that footprint where we can.' Randy Mastro, the former deputy mayor and lawyer representing the residents, hailed the decision to relocate the homeless. 'We appreciate that the City - at our urging - will be immediately taking concrete steps to address the chaos that reached a crisis point over the past several weeks when the City relocated hundreds of homeless individuals into the Lucerne Hotel, many of whom suffered from mental illness, addiction and other serious problem,' attorney Randy Mastro said in a statement. LOS ANGELESLast week, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the bill known as AB2257, which carves out more than a dozen new exemptions for industries that hire independent contractors, or gig workers, which under the controversial AB5 law would have been forced to hire those freelancers as employees or fire them. But a new analysis by a top employment lawyer, published by the legal site JD Supra, says that AB2257 is not much better than AB5, which has already thrown Californias gig economy, including much of the adult industry, into confusion. As AVN reported earlier this week, the AB5 law, which took effect at the start of this year, forced most employers to apply a stricter test, known as the ABC Test, to their freelance hires, to determine if they must be hired as company employees. As a result, many freelancers found themselves out of work. One employer alone, Vox Media, reportedly fired 200 freelance writers and other workers rather than be forced to hire them on as AB5 would have required. AB2257 carves out an exception to the law for freelance writers, as well as performers, musicians, translators and workers in several other categories. But according to employment lawyer Richard Reibstein, in his JD Supra analysis, the new law only tweaks AB5 and is essentially unchanged in any meaningful way for the overwhelming number of companies and freelancers doing business in California. The AB5 law was authored by San Diego-area state Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, who explained the law as a direct response to a state Supreme Court decision, Dynamex Operations West v. Superior Court of Los Angeles, which ruled that truckers working as independent contractors for a shipping company must be reclassified as employees. AB5 narrowed the Dynamex decisions impact; it did not broaden the decision, Gonzalez claimed, in a response to critics of the law. But Reibstein, a partner in the law firm Locke Lord LLP, and former attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board, says that in reality, AB5 did quite the opposite. AB5 dramatically expanded upon the application of the 2018 Dynamex decision by the California Supreme Court, Reibstein wrote. The decision in Dynamex was limited to so-called wage order claims and did not apply across-the-board to all types of independent contractor claims in California including overtime and expense reimbursement claims. AB5 changed all that. In addition to 50 industries that were exempted from the strict ABC Test by AB5, AB2257 adds 15 more. But Reibstein says those exemptions are arbitrary, creating the impression that the law favors certain types of work for reasons that remain mysterious. There is no rhyme or reason why independent contractors in 65 specific industries are eligible for an exemption from the ABC test, yet contractors engaged in providing services in hundreds of other industries are not, according to Reibstein. This type of legislation lends credence to the belief that AB2257 unfairly favors some industries, thereby provoking outrage and a feeling that certain professions, trades, and occupations were unjustifiably overlooked. As AVN reported, AB2257 does not mention the adult industry, though it does provide an exemption for performance artists, with several conditions leaving the status of adult performers and other gig workers in the industry in a state of confusion. Photo By Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons A woman who was made to feel insecure about her vagina by a former sexual partner has launched a one woman crusade to photograph women's private parts to prove they are beautiful. Ellie Eggwick, from Sydney, felt so bad about herself that she inquired about labiaplasty. It was only after a sensible doctor told her to do some research about her procedure that she discovered she was perfectly normal. The episode inspired Ms Eggwick, 30, to photograph more than 500 vaginas for a coffee table book. 'Something that is said in the bedroom with someone you are being affectionate with can affect you for the rest of your life,' she told Sunshine Coast Daily. Photographer Ellie Eggwick (pictured), from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, has launched a campaign to photograph 500 women's vaginas to prove they are unique and beautiful Ms Eggwick (pictured taking photos for her campaign) said she almost underwent a labiaplasty at the age of 20 because a sexual partner made her feel insecure 'It has definitely stuck with me and is the reason why I am doing this project.' Ms Eggwick said her own insecurities began when she was a teenager. 'As I had never seen another vulva, I had no idea,' she wrote on her website. 'All the thoughts and nightmares of a usual teenage girl went running wild through my brain - is my vagina weird?' Am I normal?' Ms Eggwick said her insecurities eventually prompted her to consider undergoing a labiaplasty, a form of surgery that reduces the outer folds of the female labia. 'After years of self hate with this area of my body, I eventually went to see a plastic surgeon. I was so nervous, I couldn't even explain what I wanted. Ms Eggwick (pictured taking photographs) said she wants women to understand that all vaginas are different and avoid undergoing surgery The campaign entitled Comfortable In My Skin will be turned into a coffee table book 'He looks up at me and asked "Ellie, have you ever seen another Vulva?" I told him "I've seen a few but they don't look like mine," she explained. The doctor told Ms Eggwick that all vaginas are different and inspired her to share this message with other women. 'What this man did at this moment saved me from cutting off half of my labia. He educated me. He used nice words to tell me that not all girls have the barbie vagina. 'I now want to do the same for all the women out there contemplating going through surgery due to a lack on knowledge of that area on their own body,' she said. The photographer hopes her campaign will encourage girls to accept their bodies. 'I don't want young girls going through what I went through thinking I wasn't normal downstairs,' Ms Eggwick explained. Being declared one amongst some of the worlds richest must be such a high, isnt? I mean, for one, who doesnt want a loaded bank balance and secondly, who wouldnt want the world to know and acknowledge that they are indeed some of the wealthiest people to be walking the face of the earth? A lucky few (hundreds) got their moment of glory just hours ago when Forbes released its The Forbes 400 2020: The Richest People In America list. And while Jeff Bezos continues to hold the top spot with a net worth of $179 billion, this time the list also features seven Indian-origin businessmen amongst the worlds 400 richest people. These are the seven Indian-Americans who made it to the Forbes Richest List in 2020: 1. Jay Chaudhry Youtube/Zscaler Ranked 85th on the list, Jay Chaudry is the CEO of cybersecurity firm ZScaler and has a net worth of $6.9 billion. 2. Romesh T Wadhwani BCCL Founder and Chairman of Symphony Technology Group, Wadhwani is ranked 238th on the Forbes Richest List and boasts a net worth of $3.4 billion. 3. Niraj Shah Wayfair Ranked 299, Massachusett-based Niraj Shah is the co-founder and CEO of online home goods retailer Wayfair and has a net worth of $2.8 billion. 4. Vinod Khosla Wikipedia Ranked 353 on the list and with a net worth of $2.4 billion Vinod Khosla is the Founder of Khosla Ventures based out of the Silicon Valley. 5. Kavitark Ram Shriram Youtube/India Hackathon At the 359th spot is the Managing Partner of venture capital firm Sherpalo Ventures Kavitark Shriram with a net worth of $2.3 billion. 6. Rakesh Gangwal aviationmirror Airline veteran from Florida, Rakesh Gangwal is also tied with Shriram at the 359th spot and has a net worth of $2.3 billion. 7. Aneel Bhusri Flickr/David Schmitz Another Indian-origin businessman to rank 359th on the list is Workday CEO and Co-founder Aneel Bhusri with a net worth of $2.3 billion. Other city news: Halloween on the ropes? With the annual celebration of costumes and candy falling on a Saturday, Halloween this year was going to be epic, the Tribunes Gregory Pratt reports. Now it seems the coronavirus will get to play the final trick on all those seeking treats. Mayor said the citys looking at how to best celebrate the holiday and doesnt expect it to look like years past. Lightfoot said the city is working on plans to recognize and celebrate Halloween, but in a way thats consistent with the public health guidance. A right-wing Norwegian lawmaker nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker the recent agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Christian Tybring-Gjedde, of the right-wing Progress Party, nominated Trump for the 2021 prize, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday. Any member of parliament in a national legislature can nominate someone for the award. Israel and the UAE agreed on Aug. 13 to establish full diplomatic relations. Ties between the two countries had been warming for years, as had Israels relations with other Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia. The United States brokered the deal. Israeli and Emirati delegations will visit the White House next week to formally sign an agreement on normalizing ties. The agreement is significant because the UAE is only the third Arab nation to recognize Israel, after Egypt and Jordan. The UAE is the first country in the oil-rich Gulf to fully normalize its relations with Israel. The United States hopes more countries in the region will follow the Emirates in recognizing Israel, though none have done so yet. Kosovo, a mostly Muslim country in Eastern Europe, announced it intended to recognize the Jewish state following the UAE decision. Some observers, like the left-wing Israeli news outlet Haaretz, have criticized the framing of the Israel-UAE agreement as a peace deal. Jordan and Egypt fought multiple wars with Israel before agreeing to establish relations. The UAE has not fought Israel. Tybring-Gjedde is critical of immigration and the European Union, making him a natural fan of Trump. He also studied in the United States and is supportive of Israel. European lawmakers are often divided on the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Various boycotts of Israel are popular among segments of the European left. The Norwegian Nobel Committee selects the winner of each years Nobel Peace Prize. There is precedent for awarding the prize to both US presidents and leaders who worked to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. Former US President Barack Obama won the prize in 2009, despite being less than a year into his presidency. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat won in 1978 following their peace agreement. Trump is not at all a lock to win the prize. His popularity is low around the world, including in Europe. Subscriber content preview By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe An environmental group in Zimbabwe has applied to the country's High Court to stop a Chinese firm from mining coal in Hwange National Park, which hosts one of Africa's largest populations of elephants. The Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association argues that the creation of a coal mine in the park by the Zimbabwe Zhongxin Mining Group Tongmao Coal Co. Ltd would cause devastating ecological degradation and force wildlife to flee. . . . Villagers carry children injured and killed by explosions from artillery shells out of Nyaung Khet Kan village on the border between Ann and Myebon townships in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Sept. 8, 2020. At least four villagers, including two five-year-olds, died and eight others were injured when Myanmar soldiers allegedly shelled their community in Rakhine state Tuesday, a relief volunteer and local residents said, as fighting in the 21-month-long war raged on amid a spike in coronavirus infections. The fresh fighting swelled the ranks of refugees huddled in overcrowded makeshift camps, where health officials say its not possible to practice social distancing, and displaced civilians say they are receiving no protective gear and fear the war more than the pandemic. Six artillery shells believed to be fired from a Myanmar army base landed in Nyaung Khet Kan village on the border between Ann and Myebon townships Tuesday morning, killing Chan Nyein Thu 27; Thura Aung, 5; schoolteacher Moe Thet, 29; and her daughter, Thu Thu Hein, 5, according to residents. Four people are dead and eight others have been injured, including two who are in critical condition with head injuries, said Win Hla Aung, a volunteer relief worker in charge of the Kan Taung Gyi displacement camp. The injured were sent to Kan Taung Gyi Hospital, he said. The entire village had to flee. At Kan Taung Gyi, where more than 1,000 villagers sought shelter in an internally displaced person (IDP) camp, some residents said the soldiers fired artillery shells indiscriminately and not in response to an attack by the rebel Arakan Army (AA). It wasnt a battle. They fired indiscriminately. The AA rebels do not have artillery. I think it was the Tatmadaw [Myanmar military] that fired the artillery shells, said a villager who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun told RFA that he had not received any reports about the shelling. They fear everything Despite a recent surge in COVID-19 infections, many villagers are more afraid of being attacked and killed in the armed conflict than they are of catching the potentially fatal respiratory virus, said Pe Than, an Arakan National Party (ANP) lawmaker from Myebon township. They fear everything, he told RFA. Though the pandemic has not killed many, the infection is spreading so fast, ... but the artillery fire is causing a loss of life every few minutes. Its happening every day, and its worse than COVID-19, [which] can be prevented. The ANP, which represents the interests of ethnic Rakhines in the state, sent an open letter dated Sept. 5 to President Win Myint, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, and military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing calling for an immediate cessation of the government armys tactics. The letter also accused soldiers of intentionally targeting civilians. So far, neither the government nor the military has publicly responded. At least 289 civilians have been killed and 641 injured in Rakhine state and in Paletwa township of neighboring Chin state since hostilities escalated in December 2018, according to an RFA tally. Roughly 200,000 others have fled their homes amid the fighting and now live in official or makeshift displacement camps. As of late Tuesday, Myanmar registered 1,709 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 191 new cases reported and 10 deaths. There were more than 552 COVID-positive cases in Rakhine state as of Monday, with more than half of those in the capital Sittwe, which has been hit hard by a surge in domestically transmitted cases. Other Rakhine townships with significant numbers of cases are Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Mrauk-U, Myebon, Buthidung, Rathedaung and Pauktaw areas where many IDP camps and other temporary shelters are located. Risk is very high Those living in congested official and unofficial camps are at risk for contracting COVID-19 because basic preventive measures like social distancing cannot be practiced, IDPs and health workers said. We are worried about getting infected with the coronavirus, said Maung Kyaw Sein, one of about 200 displaced civilians living in small rooms at an IDP camp at the Uthalin Monastery in Sittwe. If someone is infected, it is very difficult to control because we cant follow social-distancing regulations, he said. Maung Soe Thein, another IDP at the Uthalin Monastery, said there is no more room in the compound to build structures so people can spread out. It is impossible for us to have six feet of social distancing because we have to live in small rooms with many family members inside barracks, he told RFA. Zaw Zaw Tun, secretary of the Rakhine Ethnics Congress, a local NGO, said that outbreaks would likely continue unless officials can come up with a feasible plan to mitigate the risk of infection. We cant enforce social distancing in camps, he said. If we could, wed need to provide what the IDPs need and create a plan to monitor them. But because we dont have any plan, the risk is very high. Some IDPs said the state government has not provided any support to those living in camps amid a growing number of COVID-19 infections. The government hasnt supported us with anything, said Kyaw Hla Sein, a civilian who lives in the Metta Paramy IDP camp in Sittwe. Individual groups have donated a little, he said. We have no more hand sanitizer, although we received some face masks from donors today. During a recent videoconference with Aung San Suu Kyi, Rakhine state Chief Minister Nyi Pu expressed concern over the displaced civilians because they have to live in very crowded conditions in IDP camps, and the virus has become highly contagious. Dr. Sai Win Zaw Hlaing, Rakhine states health director, acknowledged that it is impossible to enforce social distancing rules in the IDP camps. Because we cant do it, we are working as much as we can to educate them about how to protect themselves, he said. The Myanmar government placed Rakhines 3.2 million residents under a partial lockdown on Aug. 26, allowing only shops selling essential goods to remain open. Aung San Suu Kyi pledged to send food supplies to Rakhine and to provide financial support for the state. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Nandar Chann and Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. T he Government has published a controversial bill which overrides part of Boris Johnson's Brexit deal with the EU and breaches international law. The Internal Markets Bill is intended to ensure Northern Ireland can continue to enjoy unfettered access to markets in the rest of the UK, according to the Government. However Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told MPs on Tuesday the legislation would breach international law in a "very specific and limited way". The comment by Mr Lewis provoked a furious reaction, including from some Tory MPs. The Government has now published the new legislation which has intensified further anger in Westminster, Brussels and the international community. Michel Barnier arrives in London for the latest round of negotiations / PA The bill gives ministers the power to decide themselves - rather than in agreement with Europe - about checks on goods between Northern Ireland and the mainland as well as on state aid. It also says that the provisions in the bill "must be introduced notwithstanding any relevant international or domestic law" - meaning that this legislation must be regarded first. The European Commission has called for urgent talks with Britain as the Government set out its plans to override key elements of the Brexit deal signed by Boris Johnson. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement. She tweeted: This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda = the foundation of prosperous future relations. European Council president Charles Michel also said: The Withdrawal agreement was concluded and ratified by both sides, it has to be applied in full. Breaking international law is not acceptable and does not create the confidence we need to build our future relationship. Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said he was seeking an urgent meeting of the joint EU-UK committee on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to enable the British to elaborate on their plans. Speaking at a news conference in Brussels, Mr Sefcovic said he had raised his concerns in a phone call on Tuesday with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove his co-chair on the committee. I expressed our strong concerns and sought assurances that the UK will fully and timely comply with the Withdrawal Agreement, including the protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, he said. In the Commons, Mr Johnson defended the legislation, saying it provided a legal safety net to protect against extreme or irrational interpretations of the Northern Ireland provisions of the agreement which could lead to the creation of a border down the Irish Sea. Influential Irish-American US Congressman Richard Neal has urged the UK to uphold the rule of law and warned that any US-UK trade deal would be dependent on protecting the Good Friday Agreement. Rep Neal, who chairs the countrys Ways and Means Committee which oversees trade deals, said in a statement: The United States is a guarantor of that historic peace accord, which was approved by the people of Ireland, north and south, in an unprecedented referendum. He added: Every political party on the island opposes a return of a hard border. I sincerely hope the British government upholds the rule of law and delivers on the commitments it made during Brexit negotiations, particularly in regard to Irish border protocols. Flags flying in central London amid the latest Brexit row / AP The Labour party said it is looking at potential amendments to the UK Internal Markets Bill amid serious concerns. Keir Starmer's spokesman said: The Bill has just been published and we will publish a full response as soon as possible and look at any potential amendments. There are obviously serious concerns about the contents of the Bill, the implications on devolution and the implications on the Northern Ireland Protocol. The spokesman said Boris Johnson was not very well briefed over the allegation that Sir Keir was silent on Brexit after the Labour leader gave interviews on the subject on Tuesday. Cabinet minister admits PM's Brexit plan 'does break international law' Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: In the General Election it was, according to the PM oven ready now, when they want to jettison it in breach of international law, it was signed in a rush. What a bunch of incompetent and unscrupulous chancers and they are trashing the UKs international reputation. Downing Street denied the UK Internal Market Bill is a power grab and said devolved administrations will instead see a power surge. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: Absolutely not. What the devolved administrations will enjoy is a power surge when the transition period ends in December. Brexit briefing: 113 days until the end of the transition period There will be no change to the powers the devolved administrations already have and the vast majority of powers with devolved competencies returning from Brussels will go straight to Holyrood, Stormont and Cardiff Bay. This will be a significant increase in the powers of the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Parliament, and the Northern Ireland Assembly, which are already among the most powerful devolved administrations in the world. Where powers are coming back to the UK Government this is to protect the economy. Downing Street has also sought to justify the bill, saying the deal was written at pace in the most challenging circumstances. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: The Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol arent like any other treaty. It was agreed at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances to deliver on a clear political decision by the British people with the clear overriding purpose of protecting the special circumstances of Northern Ireland. It contains ambiguities and in key areas there is a lack of clarity. It was written on the assumption that subsequent agreements to clarify these aspects could be reached between us and the EU on the details and that may yet be possible. The meeting held Wednesday in Abuja between the federal government and the striking National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) ended in a deadlock with the government threatening to revoke the doctors residency programme. On Monday, doctors resumed an indefinite strike which had been suspended in June. The doctors are protesting the non-implementation of life insurance for members treating COVID-19 patients; the non-funding of their residency programme and some unpaid arrears. In its initial response to the doctors decision on Monday, the government said the doctors have no reason to down tools as more than half of their demands have been addressed. Government has already addressed six out of the eight demands listed by the Association. With such a high percentage of the Associations demands already addressed the NARD had no reason to embark on an industrial action, the labour minister, Chris Ngige, had said. The minister then called for a meeting on Wednesday to resolve the grievances of the doctors. According to TVC News, the meeting which was slated for 2 p.m. started about 3 hours late. Journalists invited to cover the meeting initially protested the lateness by staging a walkout but were pacified by the minister of state for labour, Festus Keyamo. Fuming At the resumption of the meeting, a visibly angry Mr Ngige said the government may have to repeal the law establishing the residency programme if the doctors are bent on arm twisting the authorities. He lamented that the doctors are not appreciative of all the efforts by the government to ensure that they are on their duty post. Efforts are on to smoothen the plight of the doctors and suddenly they went on strike. Much more importantly, the government is being disgraced and spoken of as not being truthful. That is the language coming from the leadership of NARD. Its a disgusting language that should not be used, the minister said. Resident doctors are certified doctors undergoing residency to become consultants. They make up a large percentage of doctors in Nigerias tertiary hospitals. The doctors have been agitating for the full implementation and funding of their Medical Residency Training Act of 2017, signed into law on 26 June 2018 by President Muhammadu Buhari. The residency programme which was meant to provide special training for the doctors to become specialists in various medical and dental care has been delayed due to lack of funds. This is a major grouse of the striking doctors. Also speaking during Wednesdays meeting, health minister, Ehanire Osagie, urged the doctors to exercise patience, noting that the government is acting in the interest of the younger doctors. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Abuja chapter, Ekpe Phillips, apologised on behalf of the NARD, which an arm of the NMA. I have never seen you this angry before, Mr Phillips said of Mr Ngiges countenance. Drama, blame game After the initial press briefing, journalists who were meant to leave for both parties to have a closed-door meeting were asked to stay behind by Mr Ngige, according to TVC news. A mild drama ensued when both parties were deliberating over the payment of life insurance for doctors in the frontline and funding of the residency programme. Mr Ngige had said the government has expended N9.3 billion as premium for Group Life Insurance for medical and health workers, as well as for all civil and public servants in federal organisations that are treasury funded, to run from March 2020 to March 2021. Mr Ngige also stated that the government appropriated N4 billion in a 2020 special budget for funding of Medical Residency Training and intended to do the same in the ongoing 2021 budget. He further stated that N4 billion has been processed for payment. But the NARD president, Aliyu Sokomba, insisted that the association is yet to see or feel the impact of the said funds. Advertisements This has not translated to availability of the funds because our residency training programme has continued to suffer a setback as a result of poor funding, Mr Sokomba told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday. He said none of the families of their deceased members have received a dime of the so-called life insurance. When the medical doctor during Wednesdays meeting was trying to explain how the families of their members who lost their lives while trying to save Nigerians from the deadly COVID-19 incursion have not received the life insurance, the labour minister interjected repeatedly, according to TVC news. The minister insisted that it was only two out of the eight demands by the doctors that have not been met. The federal government is constrained and cannot be forced to pay arrears of consequential adjustments of national minimum wage which is one of the two unresolved issues, he explained. The meeting hit a deadlock with both sides not reaching an agreeable conclusion. Mulling options Meanwhile, the federal government is already opting for other available options to fill the void left by the doctors on strike. On Wednesday evening, the government directed all heads of federal tertiary hospitals to immediately utilise the services of consultants and doctors currently running their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programmes to prevent disruption in health care delivery. Mr Ehanire in a statement, said routine services should be maintained with consultants and NYSC doctors while COVlD-19 treatment centres should continue to function as before and emergency services should continue to run. Locum staffers are to be brought in when and where necessary to forestall services disruption when applicable and affordable, he said. Mr Ehanire said the strike was coming at the wrong time, considering the present COVID-19 pandemic which requires all health workers to be at their work posts. We must remember that the primary duty of doctors and all health workers is to save lives. Embarking on a strike in this time that the county is battling with the COVlD-l9 pandemic is iII-timed and ill-advised. This is therefore one strike too many. Besides, most of the demands have been met and others though difficult, are at an advanced stage of implementation. A little patience would have made a big difference, he said. The doctors strike is a threat to gains already made in the containment of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria. So far, Nigeria has reported over 55,000 COVID-19 infections leading to more than a thousand deaths. Before the coronavirus, drag queens and kings lip-synced their way across the jewel-box stage at Oasis, a San Francisco cabaret, and performed parodies of shows like Sex and the City and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to the delight of packed houses of tourists and locals. All that ended when the pandemic forced Oasis to close, and its owner, DArcy Drollinger, furloughed his entire staff. Mr. Drollinger used federal relief money to bring back a few workers, but he knew he needed to have more money coming in to keep paying his rent and support his employees. Then he had an idea: If people couldnt come to see drag, why not bring drag to the people? The country is facing another escalation in Covid-19 cases unless more action is taken to tackle the disease, a hospital consultant warned yesterday. Prof Sam McConkey of Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, said medics are also seeing a rise in patients admitted due to the virus in recent days. He was speaking as another 307 cases of the virus were reported yesterday - the highest daily toll for months - with one new death. Prof McConkey suggested an overhaul of the way restrictions are imposed could be looked at with measures targeted at very local levels of 2,000 to 3,000 people. He said he is particularly concerned at figures for Dublin where 182 cases were reported yesterday, including 44 due to community transmission - which means the people infected had no idea where they caught the virus. This makes tackling the spread of Covid-19 more difficult because the source is unknown. Tightened "On a practical level, people can reduce their risk by cutting down on their contacts and sticking to the same small group of people," said the infectious diseases consultant. Pubs could be allowed to reopen but regulations should be tightened to only allow people from the same family or household sit together at a table, he added. He suggested publicans should use all their outside seating if they have it and physically distance the tables with only customers who are from the same house sitting together. "All of the serving staff should wear masks," he stressed. On a practical level, people can reduce their risk by reducing their contacts and sticking to the same small group of people, he added. Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn pointed to the worrying level of virus circulating in areas in Dublin where it cannot be traced. He urged "everyone to follow the public health advice and keep your distance". "Do not underestimate the risks associated with any of your interactions, including with your family, friends or work colleagues," he added. "Now is not a time to let down your guard - assume that you or those that you meet may be infectious and act accordingly." Nationally, as many as 72 cases were due to community transmission - this means the virus has caught hold and is in places where people are active daily. Any shortcuts taken by people in physical distancing, handwashing or wearing of masks could leave them vulnerable to picking up the infection as a result. There were 182 new cases in Dublin, 25 in Kildare, 19 in Limerick, 15 in Wexford, 15 in Louth, eight in Wicklow, six in Galway, six in Clare and six in Kilkenny. The remaining 25 cases are located in Cavan, Cork, Donegal, Kerry, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford and Westmeath. Ivan Perry, professor of Public Health in UCC, said he was worried that the reopening of pubs clashed with the start of the academic year in third-level colleges. Meanwhile, Ryanair has warned staff it will close its bases at Cork and Shannon airports if quarantine restrictions are not lifted. In a letter to crew in Cork and Shannon, CEO Eddie Wilson said that bookings this winter in the two airports "and to a lesser extent Dublin" have suffered significant damage. The letter hits out at the Government's travel restrictions and the Green List, which have been harshly criticised by the airline from the outset. "The Govt [sic] have promised a review of the Green List restrictions on Monday 14th next, but you should be aware that if these quarantine restrictions from EU states are not lifted before the end of Sept, we will have no alternative but to close our Cork and Shannon bases, on a temporary basis for this winter season," he wrote. "In those circumstances, all pilots and cabin crew will be put on unpaid leave from the end of Oct (you may be able to benefit from Government support schemes)." He writes that Ryanair will "do our best" to reopen the two bases in March "but only if these failed restrictions to other EU states have been lifted in time for traffic to recover. Quarantine "Ryanair will continue to operate flights into Cork and Shannon from bases elsewhere, such as London Stansted, Manchester and Liverpool, but the frequency of these flights will be significantly reduced for the winter season, and for as long as these defective quarantine restrictions remain in place," Mr Wilson adds. "I know that the news will come as a major shock and disappointment to all of you who have worked so hard since July to restore our flights and services, but bookings and loads continue to be weak and we cannot sustain flights from Cork and Shannon when our Govt ignores the EU safe travel policy and instead actively bans our customers flying without 14 days of quarantine (except in the case of Micheal Martin's visits to Brussels when he observed no quarantine at all)," he added. A Ryanair spokesperson said: "Ryanair does not comment on negotiations with its people." Advertisement A ship believed to have been used by the Dutch Empire during the 17th century has been found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The vessel, known as a fluyt, was a three-masted ship with a hull designed to maximise cargo capacity and minimize crew numbers and also carried no guns. It was made with a unique rigging system that enabled a smaller crew to hoist and adjust the sales, freeing up more space and cutting down costs. It was a key component of the Dutch Empire, which spanned five continents and was the world's biggest superpower before the British Empire became dominant. But what led to the demise of this specific ship remains a mystery, as it has been found by divers in near-perfect condition. Divers discovered the wreck at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland, where they believe the low salinity and lack of sunlight in the water helped protect the ship's structure The vessel, known as a fluyt, was designed to carry as much cargo as possible while requiring minimal crew. The fluyt was a three-masted ship with a capacious hull design to maximise her cargo capacity and carried no guns Jouni Polkko, from Badewanne, the diving team that found the wreck said there are no hints to explain the ship's fate. 'The hull is intact. It's in the middle of the sea, so it didn't run aground,' he explains. 'Maybe it capsized in a storm, or the pumps were stuck and the ship got too much water in because of a leak. 'Or maybe the rigging was frozen and made the ship unstable. But we really don't know.' The divers said they observed only 'slight' damage to the vessel which is believed to have been caused by trawler netting. They even saw that the holds were full, though it's impossible to say what the ship was carrying because of 400 years worth of silt. What led to the demise of this specific ship remains a mystery, as it has been found by divers in near-perfect condition with no sign of what caused it to sink Jouni Polkko, from Badewanne, the diving team that found the wreck said there are no hints to explain the ship's fate. 'The hull is intact. It's in the middle of the sea, so it didn't run aground... But we really don't know' Juha Flinkman, also from the Finnish diving group, said it was a 'great surprise' to come across the fluyt. 'This fluit family of ships were fundamental in the rise of the Dutch Republic into the economic superpower it was,' he said. 'In their time, they were very efficient vessels.' 'And one has to remember that it was this type of ship that practically all Dutch explorers used like Willem Barents in the Arctic, and those who went to Australia and Asia.' The divers discovered the wreck at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland, where they believe the conditions helped protect the ship's structure. Mr Polkko said: 'It is only in rare places around the world, including the Baltic Sea, where wooden wrecks can survive for centuries without being destroyed. 'Due to low salinity, absolute darkness, and very low temperatures all year round, these processes are very slow in the Baltic. 'Perhaps most importantly, wood-boring organisms such as shipworm cannot live in such environments. 'Even in temperate seas, all wooden wrecks vanish in decades, unless buried in sediments.' He continued: 'All of the Baltic Sea is good for preserving old shipwrecks. But towards the Gulf of Finland conditions just improve as the salinity decreases. 'Also, the sea is frozen in the winter, so ice cover stabilizes conditions even further.' The Dutch Golden Age lasted until the late 17th century but the empire eventually lost many of its colonial possessions to the ascendant British Empire. The fluyt was made with a unique rigging system that enabled a smaller crew to hoist and adjust the sales, freeing up more space and cutting down costs. It was a key component of the Dutch Empire, which spanned five continents and was the world's biggest superpower before the British Empire became dominant The divers said they observed only 'slight' damage to the vessel which is believed to have been caused by trawler netting. They even saw that the holds were full, though it's impossible to say what the ship was carrying because of 400 years worth of silt "We value every life," Zelensky's office said, noting that the key priority is to save lives of Ukrainian military and civilians in Donbas. "It's clear that this cannot be taken lightly by all those who are used to profiting politically or financially off of war," reads the statement released by the President's Office on the evening of September 9. "In order to resume hostilities, they resort to provocations, spread fake news, and have traditionally set PR above saving lives." "We strongly condemn such an approach to resolving any issues," the statement stressed. "In order to refute fake news and prevent new provocations, an agreement was reached today within the Trilateral Contact Group on a joint inspection in the area of the village of Shumy with the participation of the coordinator's representative from the OSCE," Zelensky's Office has recalled. In the legal plain, they add "it's not the parties to the military conflict who conduct the inspection but by the OSCE mediator, accompanied by parties' representatives." The OSCE has repeatedly confirmed that any allegations of any violations of the agreements by the Ukrainian side are unfounded. "If someone does not trust the OSCE, let them see the truth with their own eyes," the Office stressed. The report went on to address critics of the said decision: "If someone fails to understand the possible mechanism of such an inspection, we recommend they refresh in their memory the history of the Joint Center for Ceasefire Coordination (JCCC), as well as Paragraph 2 of the Minsk Agreement the part that defines the parties on the line of demarcation, and that was inherited by Ukraine from some 'major' diplomats." The JCCC is a bilateral, Ukrainian-Russian, mechanism established in September 2014 to implement the Minsk deal. "Indeed, Russia has refused to work within the JCCC. Every normal person understands perfectly well the purpose of such move. But the fact that such purpose is out there doesn't mean it's realistic," Zelensky's Office said, apparently referring to claims that any involvement of Russian proxy forces in Donbas in the "joint inspection" would give the latter a pretext for recognition as a party to the conflict, while allowing Russia to claim it has no role in the conflict which Moscow has long persisted is of internal nature. "The extremely limited manifestation of militants' presence could give nothing to anyone but one thing another argument in favor of Ukraine's rightness." "Once again, together with the international community, we call on Russia to return to the JCCC as it is absurd to refrain from doing so," the Ukrainian president's Office stressed. "Armed people standing against Ukrainian troops in Donbas are an objective fact, but every political force in Ukraine and society as a whole must do everything possible to ensure that these people never become a political fact," Zelensky's Office noted. "They use the hostilities to their advantage. Ukraine, in turn, will use truth and the real state of affairs on the line of contact in order to deprive the invaders of any chance to increase pressure on our state." UPDATE: Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group, Leonid Kravchuk, has confirmed that members of illegal armed groups in Donbas will be allowed to jointly "inspect" the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the vicinity of the village of Shumy. Speaking on the air of the TSN news show on Wednesday evening, he elaborated on the composition of the joint inspection team: "ORDLO [occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions] representatives from Donetsk region, the Ukrainian side to the JCCC, and OSCE coordinator Ms. Heidi Grau." Kravchuk opined that it was impossible to accuse Ukraine representatives to the TCG of legalizing terrorist groups and territories they seized since an OSCE representative will be present at the inspection. TCG meeting on September 9: background The participants in the TCG meeting agreed on a joint inspection in the area of the inhabited locality of Shumy with the participation of a representative of the OSCE coordinator. The self-styled leader of the Russian puppet "DPR" in eastern Ukraine, Denis Pushilin, threatened to open fire on Ukrainian Army positions from 8:00 on September 7. As grounds for such move, Pushilin claimed violation by Ukrainian forces of the latest ceasefire agreement sealed on July 22. He demanded that Ukrainian troops undo the trenches that had allegedly been dug after July 22, and warned that they "have every right" to act to eliminate the alleged violations. On September 6, Russia's proxy forces violated ceasefire agreements reached on July 22. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another one was wounded as a result of the shelling. The Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas settlement is a group of representatives from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that was formed in 2014 as means to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine's Donbas region. Representatives of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR", the unrecognized entities widely supported by the Russian Federation, are not officially a party to the TCG. Pakistani officials say unidentified gunmen have shot and killed a transgender woman in the northwest city of Peshawar, in the latest violence to target the long-oppressed community. The attack occurred late on September 8 in on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. A group of transgender women were returning home after performing at a wedding function when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them, police said. One of them, identified as Gul Panra, was killed in the attack, while at least another one was wounded. A local police official was quoted as saying four suspects had been detained in connection with the shooting, which sparked anger on social media with the hashtag #JusticeForGulPanra trending on Twitter in the country. Transgender people, known officially as "third-gender" citizens in Pakistan -- a group that includes cross-dressers, transsexuals, eunuchs, hermaphrodites, and transvestites -- face widespread violence, intimidation, and abuse despite multiple laws passed to protect them. The community, estimated to number around 500,000, is known in the Urdu language as "hijras." Many describe themselves as "professional wedding dancers," but supporters say they are many times forced to earn income through begging and prostitution. Following their official third-gender classification handed down by the Supreme Court in 2011, members of the community were granted the rights to vote and run for office. Based on reporting by AFP and Dawn by Mathias Hariyadi An iconic figure in Indonesian journalism, he founded the well-known daily in 1965. With the support of the local Catholic Church, he promoted social, ethnic and religious pluralism in the country. For Card Suharyo, he was a man of "good virtues" and his newspaper is the "peoples conscience. Jakarta (AsiaNews) Jakob Oetama, founder of the Kompas daily newspaper, and an iconic figure in Indonesian journalism, died today at the age of 88. Affectionately known by his initial J O, since journalists in his newspaper sign their pieces with their initials, Oetama was in poor health in the past few weeks. He will be buried tomorrow in the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery in South Jakarta. With his partner Petrus Kanisius Ojong, an ethnic Han Chinese businessman, and thanks to the support of the then Plantation Minister Frans Seda, Oetama published the first issue of Kompas on 28 June 1965. Over the years, Kompas has become Indonesias most important and influential newspaper. It was first suggested by General Ahmad Yani, commander of the Indonesian army at the time, who urged Minister Seda to find "good and Catholic" professional journalists to set up an independent and impartial newspaper. The goal was to address the growing influence of the Indonesian Communist Party, linked to Sukarno, the country's first president. From the start, the paper received the support of the local Catholic Church, which also financed its activities. Before publishing Kompas, Oetama was editor in chief of the Catholic weekly Penabur; together with Oyong, he also published the Intisari magazine. Born in a village near the largest Buddhist temple in the world in Borobudur, Magelang Regency (Central Java), he attended a seminary in his youth. After completing his studies at Mertoyudan Minor Seminary, he graduated from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, and taught high school for a while. At the time of Kompas launch, Oetama managed to recruit the best journalists, picking them from various ethnic backgrounds to promote the countrys cultural, social and religious pluralism, without giving in to the interests of any one political group. The publication owes its success to its editorial neutrality. Twice, in 1965 with Sukarno, and in 1978 with Suharto, the paper was unable to publish because its position was disliked by the authorities. In an exclusive interview with AsiaNews, Card Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop of Jakarta and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Indonesia, remembers Oetama as a man of good virtues, and he had many. His name, the cardinal explained, refers to a personal vocation to perfection, which is a fundamental character for reaching the fullness of the Christian faith. Oetama pursued the same 'fullness' of a good Christians through journalism and his newspaper, he added. According to Jakartas archbishop, thanks to Oetama, Kompas has become the "peoples conscience," living up to its motto. Many UK holidaymakers in Portugal, or booked to travel there, are watching anxiously to see if quarantine will be imposed by the authorities in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales already impose two weeks of self-isolation on travellers returning from Portugal, though Wales gives exemption to the islands of Madeira and the Azores. In the past 24 hours, Portugal has recorded 388 new cases of coronavirus, taking the rate of fresh infections per 100,000 people over the past week to 25.8. The governments stated threshold for imposing quarantine is 20; the UK currently stands at 23.1 on the same measure. Many observers were expecting Portugal to be placed on the UK governments no-go list last weekend, but the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, gave the country a reprieve saying that the rising numbers of cases was a result of sharply increased testing. But with increasing concern in central government about infection rates, it looks likely that Portugal will lose its short-lived exemption in the regular Department for Transport update on Thursday evening. Madeira and the Azores are likely to remain on the exempt list, whatever happens. Portugal was taken off the Foreign Office no-go list only at the end of August. If quarantine is re-imposed, English and Northern Irish holidaymakers are likely to be faced with the choice of a fast and expensive dash for home by 4am on Saturday, or self-isolating for 14 days on their return. Many travellers paid hundreds of pounds for flights from Portugal last Friday ahead of an expected announcement. This week, though, British Airways is selling seats on its three Friday departures from Faro the main airport for the Algarve coastal region to London Heathrow for around 60 one way. Were Portugal to be judged unacceptably high risk, the number of autumn sun destinations will shrink still further. With France, Spain, Croatia and some or all of Greece already on the no-go list, many holidaymakers are heading for Italy, Cyprus and Turkey. Italy, which as recently as a week ago was considered a model of excellence because of its low new-infection rates, is now close to the 20-case threshold. At the current rate of increase, it will reach the figure within two weeks. Turkey is seeing new case numbers slowly rising, but is thought to be safe for at least the rest of September. Denmark is now on the danger list, with 21.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past week. Fares for flights from Copenhagen are soaring, with easyJets evening departure for Manchester on 11 September selling for 247 for a 620-mile flight lasting under two hours. Were quarantine to be imposed on Denmark, though, many travellers would be able to find an alternative via one of the key German cities such as Hamburg, Bremen or Berlin. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government plans to donate 10 medical vehicles to the Republic of Artsakh. The respective decision is included in the governments September 10 session agenda. The goal is to assist the healthcare system of Artsakh, improve the ambulance service, contribute to raising their quality and availability. 3 of the donated vehicles are ambulances equipped with first aid kits. The remaining 7 are linear cars, again equipped with medical devices and first aid kit. The draft has been developed within the frames of cooperation with the Republic of Artsakh. The total cost of the vehicles is almost 300 million drams. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan WATERLOO The COVID-19 pandemic may have shut down traditional Homecoming events and moved them online this year but for police its business as usual. Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin said officers will be on the streets in the university district of Waterloo and in south Kitchener around Conestoga College in the next few weeks and during Wilfrid Laurier Universitys Homecoming Sept. 24 to 27. We have a full operational plan in place for the Ezra Avenue corridor and the university neighbourhoods. Nothing has changed for us, Larkin said in an interview after the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board meeting on Wednesday. Many of this years Homecoming events will be held via zoom and through webinars. Larkin said he hopes students will put the safety of our community first before gathering in large groups. We are appealing to the common sense and the greater good that people recognize we are in a pandemic. We all have our part to play, he said. On the weekend, more than 100 students gathered at a house party on Hickory Street West. That is simply unacceptable, he said. Police laid three charges against tenants for breaking provincial emergency orders. I want to be very clear. We take this very seriously, Larkin said. The pandemic presents unique challenges in how we deploy our resources and how we interact and engage but we are prepared to address any sort of on-street neighbourhood parties or large gatherings, he said. Larkin said police will continue to support public health guidelines to contain the spread of COVID-19. We have lost 120 lives due to the pandemic. That is cause for all of us to pause and reflect. We dont want to see that number increase, he said. The message moving forward is quite frankly, we will be strict. We will be fair but we will be strict and enforce all provincial regulations as well as local public health guidelines, Larkin said. Larkin said over the Labour Day weekend, there were extra officers in the university district as well as in south Kitchener. Many students have returned to our community despite classes being virtual. Many are tied to leases, he said. We recognize there is a sense of passage where individuals celebrate the return to school. We need to find balance, he said. We will have a full deployment of officers ready to address large gatherings or unsanctioned parties, Larkin said. Last years Homecoming street party was much smaller than previous years. About 4,800 students gathered for an unsanctioned event on Ezra Avenue. In 2018, about 14,000 students partied on Ezra. Larkin said he hopes students will heed the warnings and not show up on Ezra. In March, students didnt gather on Ezra for St. Patricks Day after officials pleaded with students not to come and not to spread the coronavirus. According to the group, the plea bargain results from the first indictment in the death of a Palestinian in the West Bank since a landmark 2016 case in which a soldier was caught on video shooting and killing a badly wounded Palestinian attacker in the head who was lying on the ground. The soldier, Elor Azaria, served nine months in prison for manslaughter. BTselem says there have been at least 11 cases over the past two years in which Palestinians who did not pose a threat were killed while fleeing security forces. New York law, however, actually encourages people who voted with an absentee ballot to cast a ballot in person if they are able. The Election Law recognizes that plans change, the Board of Elections says in an explainer on its website. (Only one of the votes will count, elections officials say, because absentee ballots are set aside and not counted for voters who show up.) Why have some voted twice? Here are four examples. To hear the president talk about it, you would think that double voting happens all the time. But while acknowledging that there are more potential opportunities for fraud with mail-in ballots than in-person voting, elections officials say mail voting fraud is rare. In Washington, a state that is predominantly a mail voting state and sends ballots to all registered voters, the Republican secretary of state found 142 cases of suspected improper voting in the 2018 election. That accounts for only 0.004 percent of the more than 3.1 million votes that were cast. The secretary of state, Kim Wyman, attributed it to the safeguards built into the states system. Here are some of the ways people have voted more than once, and their motivations. In Norwalk, Calif., a man was charged in August with casting votes by mail in three elections on behalf of his mother, who had died in 2006. He has pleaded not guilty. In Dothan, Ala., a woman was convicted in 2016 of collecting other peoples absentee ballots and filling them in with votes for her boyfriend, who was running for city commission. She was sentenced to six months in jail. In Rochester, N.Y., a man admitted to voting twice in the 2004 presidential election, the second time by filing an affidavit ballot at a polling place. He said he did it to get two I voted stickers that entitled him to free beer and food at a local bar. He was sentenced to 36 hours of community service. In Des Moines, a woman told the police she turned in two absentee ballots before the November 2016 election because she believed Mr. Trumps claims that the election was rigged and that her first ballot would be changed to a vote for Hillary Clinton. She was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay a $750 fine. The claim that SAs economy has declined by 51% is a misrepresentation of the facts South Africas Gross Domestic Product has not halved as reported by several publications and commentators over the past 24 hours. Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) released the eagerly awaited Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimate for the second quarter of 2020 on Tuesday. In its own summary report, and in numerous press reports, the following is said: South Africas gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by 51% in the second quarter of 2020 owing to the impact of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions since the end of March 2020. Based on this report, a number of publications and commentators reported that South Africas GDP has halved as a result of Covid-19 (see this, for example). So, lets put some facts on the table before getting into the technical issues. We can safely say the following: Covid-19 and the associated lockdown has had a devastating impact on the economy and the recovery process will be very tough. While the impact across the globe has been uneven, South Africa is not alone, and is one of many countries where the impact has been severe. The real number to focus on is the fall in the GDP between the first quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2020. Our lockdown was announced on 23 March and began on 26 March 2020 so, give or take a few days, the first quarter is pre-Covid-19, and the second quarter is post-Covid-19 and the lockdown period. In truth, the effect of Covid-19 began much earlier, with people changing travel plans, shortages of some personal protective equipment (PPE) and so on but, for simplicity, lets ignore the effects prior to the announcement of the lockdown. South Africas GDP in the second quarter, compared to the first quarter, did not fall by 51%. It fell by 16.4%. While it is technically correct to say that, on an annualised, seasonally adjusted basis, GDP in the second quarter fell by 51%, in our current context, this is a highly misleading statistic. StatsSA should have published the report with the following health warning: Before quoting this report, please take the time to understand the concept of an annualised quarterly GDP estimate. Oh, and please do think for a minute. So, how do we make sense of all of this? In a normal world, for most economic data, including GDP data, we like to have the data annualised. This is mainly because annualised data allows us to compare data that is collected over different periods of time. This is clearly the case for GDP data. StatsSA reports our quarterly GDP data on an annualised basis, as it did with the data released on 8 September 2020. In essence, the annualised data assumes that the quarterly trend of GDP would grow or shrink as if that rate of change is sustained over a period of 12 months. Since GDP growth compounds on itself, the calculation is a little more complex than multiplying by four (because we have four quarters). The data is then adjusted for seasonal patterns hence, the annualised seasonally adjusted GDP growth rate. Ordinarily, from one quarter to the next, GDP data does not fluctuate dramatically, so the annualised data is a useful approach, and we can compare GDP growth rates in this annualised fashion. However, in instances where the quarterly data may fluctuate in a dramatic fashion, as has been the case with the Covid-19 and the lockdown, this calculation, to annualise the estimate, is highly misleading, because it assumes that the economic effects of a lockdown will continue as it did for the second quarter, for four consecutive quarters. As Stuart Theobald has very usefully pointed out, the 51% fall is a result of compounding the quarterly 16.4% fall (in other words, -16.4 x -16.4 x -16.4 x -16.4). We know for certain that, while the third quarter data will not be good news, it will not be a fall of 16.4%, since the lockdown has eased. Moreover, since we will now be calculating the change between quarter three and quarter two, our comparator will not be quarter one data, but quarter two data, which is lower than quarter one data. If you think this is all academic, think about what you would say if the quarter one and quarter two data were inverted that is, if the economy grew in the same manner, rather than declined. The quarter on quarter growth rate would be about 20%, but the annualised growth rate would be over 100%! Correctly, if this were to occur and President Cyril Ramaphosa were to claim to be our economic messiah, we would accuse him of manipulating the facts. What is good for the goose must be good for the gander the claim that South Africas economy has declined by 51% is a misrepresentation of the facts. Of course, this is not in any way to suggest that we are not in a parlous economic state. Our economy has shrunk by 16.4% between March and June 2020 that is a massive fall in GDP. Covid-19 and the lockdown has had a devastating impact on our economy. As a nation, over the period, we have lost R512-billion! It will take many years to recover from this. But, anyone who tells you that our economy has halved is misleading the public. The best estimates we have suggest that GDP for 2020, compared to 2019, will fall somewhere between 8% (the SA Reserve Bank estimate) and 10.4% (Intellidexs estimate). Certainly not 51%! Imraan Valodia is the Dean, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management and Director of the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand. This article was first published in Daily Maverick/Business Maverick. WARREN, MI -- Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Michigan workers are no better off four years after President Donald Trump promised to restore the states manufacturing and auto industries. Biden visited Michigan for the first time in six months Wednesday, holding a campaign event for roughly one dozen socially-distant attendees in a parking lot behind the UAW Region 1 headquarters in Warren. Throughout Bidens half-hour speech, he repeatedly emphasized that Trump has not improved the economy and directly challenged the presidents talking points. Under President Trump, the U.S. trade deficit has grown. Its at an all-time high, Biden said. President Trumps answer to this is the same as his answer to everything: Corporate tax giveaways that actually reward offshoring. President Trump has broken just about every promise hes ever made to the American worker and hes failed our economy and our country, Biden later added. The former vice president also unveiled his plan to restore American manufacturing jobs through a combination of tax hikes on companies that move jobs overseas and tax incentives for businesses that make investments in job growth. Bidens visit came just one day before President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally at an airport in Saginaw County. Both candidates are visiting swing counties that supported Trump after voting for the Obama-Biden ticket in 2008 and 2012. Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes, a narrow margin that made him the first Republican to win the state in nearly 30 years. The president has touted his work to renegotiate trade deals Biden supported, which Trump said is responsible for thousands of jobs leaving the country. Biden said Trumps delayed response to the COVID-19 pandemic has had disastrous results for the U.S. economy. Hes on track to be the first president since Herbert Hoover in the Great Depression to see the number of jobs in our economy go down, not up while being president, Biden said. Our economy is down 4.7 million jobs since he took office. According to the Bureau of Labors Statistics, there are 4.9 million fewer jobs in the United States in August compared to February 2017. Michigan unemployment rose from 3.6% in February to 24% in April before slowly dropping to 8.7% in July. Manufacturing jobs in Michigan dropped by 55,100 from when Trump took office in February 2017 to February 2020, before coronavirus outbreaks caused business closures. As of July, Michigan manufacturing jobs decreased 10% from the previous year. Motor vehicle and vehicle parts manufacturing jobs dropped by 19,400 from when Trump took office to July of this year. Most of those jobs were lost during the last several months, according to federal data. Trumps campaign has argued he is better suited to lead the economic recovery, but Biden said the president wasnt delivering results before the pandemic hit. Biden noted that Trump said Michigan wont lose one plant while campaigning in Warren four years ago, but that promise was broken when General Motors Warren Transmission plant shut down last year. However, Biden said Trump incentivized companies to move jobs overseas through loopholes in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Biden pointed to the pharmaceutical industry in particular, saying drug makers are selling cheaply-made drugs while raising their prices in America. His 2017 tax bill slashed taxes on companies that sent production and jobs overseas, Biden said. Those corporations then make huge profits by shipping these foreign-made products back to the United States to sell to American consumers. Biden proposed an offshoring penalty surtax applied to profits from goods produced overseas and sold in the U.S. by American companies. Biden said he would push Congress to raise the corporate tax rate to 28%, causing companies would pay a 30.8% tax rate on any profits from goods made overseas and sold back in the U.S. Im not looking to punish American businesses but theres a better way, Biden said. Make it in Michigan, make it in America, invest in our communities and the workers in places like Warren. Meanwhile, Biden proposed a 10% tax credit for businesses that make specific investments to boost domestic jobs. The credit could be claimed by businesses that invest in facilities at risk of closing, auto companies that retool their factories to produce electric vehicles, among other actions to expand jobs. If your company revitalizes a closed facility here in the United States, like the transmission plant that closed last year, well take care of 10% of the investment that the company makes to reopen it, Biden said. Biden pledged to take executive action in his first week as president to strengthen rules requiring the government to buy American goods. Biden also plans to crack down on companies that falsely label products as American made. These proposals are part of Bidens larger economic agenda, which includes additional investments in new technology. Biden said his plan will create 1 million auto jobs through investments in energy-efficient vehicle technology, heralding a new future for Michigan automakers. We can do this, Biden said. We can revitalize our industrial base as the heart of the American middle class. Biden left with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a national co-chair of the Biden campaign, and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, after his remarks. He did not take questions from the press. Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox told reporters Wednesday that Trump is already leading the economic comeback. She noted Bidens support for the job-killing North American Free Trade Agreement, which was replaced this year by a new deal negotiated by Trump and tweaked by Democrats in Congress. Terry Bowman, a Ford Motor Company employee and adviser to Trumps reelection campaign, said Biden is directly responsible for job losses in Michigan due to his support for NAFTA. Joe Biden has had almost 50 years to actually do something for blue-collar union workers and yet all hes really done is passed NAFTA which has led to huge job losses, Bowman said. Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez said the upcoming election hinges on who voters trust in an interview Wednesday. He said Trump has failed to deliver the kind of results he promised voters in 2016. Barack Obama and Joe Biden saved the auto industry, and Donald Trump and Republicans have presided over a manufacturing recession that predated the coronavirus pandemic, Perez said. Biden also highlighted his work to oversee the 2009 federal bailout of General Motors and Chrysler. The former vice president reminded the audience that he helped shepherd Michigan through the last economic recession while saving the states most critical industry. When Barack (Obama) and I took office back in 2009, the economy was crashing; we inherited an economy in freefall, Biden said. Millions of Americans, including so many right here in Michigan lost their jobs their homes and savings ... When we promised to stand with the American auto industry, we delivered. We didnt do it to help wealthy investors or pad bonus checks for CEOs, we did it to restore and iconic American industry. Bidens Macomb County visit is his first stop in Michigan since the March 10 Democratic primary. The former vice president is back on the campaign trail after cutting back on his public schedule for a few months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perez said Biden has a proven track record of standing up for Michigan workers, and the campaign will continue to push that message in the last months of the presidential race. Michigan is a critical battleground state and we take nothing for granted, Perez said. We are sprinting to the finish line. READ MORE ON MLIVE: Joe Biden says Trump betrayed Americans by downplaying threat of COVID-19 In Michigan, Joe Biden to propose taxing companies that move jobs overseas Michigan Trump surrogates highlight USMCA at event for farmers and ranchers Trump and Biden back-to-back visits show Michigan is still a 2020 battleground (Natural News) The New York Times wants people to view it as one of the nations must trustworthy newspapers, but every day they give us more reasons not to pay attention to a word they say. Their support for the overthrow of our democracy by the Black Lives Matter movement may have been surprising to some, but its nothing new for the paper; they actually supported Josef Stalin in his time and communism in general a century ago. In fact, the New York Times is the home of one of the most flagrant examples of fake news of all time, when the Times Moscow bureau chief and Pulitzer Prize winner Walter Duranty wrote a series of pieces praising the policies of the USSR under Josef Stalin and promoting his way as the right way forward. Duranty wrote that things were going well under the communist regime, failing to mention the fact that millions of people were starving to death in Ukraine. He also attacked reports that painted Soviet policies negatively as being malignant propaganda. He insisted everything was fine there and conveniently left out the fact that people were dying because of forced starvation in the Holodomor in the early 1930s. The truth is that Stalin killed 13 percent of the Ukraine population in his quest to replace the countrys small farms with state-run collectives and punish those who believed in independence. When reporters like Gareth Jones dared to tell the truth and was murdered for his efforts Duranty repeatedly denied in the paper that people were starving there. Moreover, he praised Stalins first five-year plan for land collectivization, which caused the famine that killed 8 million Ukrainians. Even though we now know that this was a major disinformation campaign, the New York Times still lists Duranty on its honor roll and he was never stripped of his Pulitzer Prize even though he admitted to British Intelligence a few years later that there was indeed a famine in Ukraine. The NYT didnt admit to any fault in failing to report on the famine until 1990, when they conceded that their Russian Revolution reporting was some of the worst reporting to appear in this newspaper. And yet, when the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution rolled around a few years ago, what did the New York Times do to mark it? They ran a series called Red Century extolling the virtues of communism. This ridiculous series featured articles like one by Kristen R. Ghodsee, who talked about how Western women had less sex and less satisfying sex than women who had to line up for toilet paper. Her criticism of Stalin was not related to the gulag; instead, it was about how he outlawed abortion and promoted the nuclear family. Young people dont understand whats wrong with communism It would be easy to just shrug this off as typical NYT behavior, but as the Daily Signal pointed out, young people today are largely unaware of the evils of communism, and that could prove to be extremely dangerous. A study by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation revealed that just 37 percent of millennials view communism as very unfavorable, compared to 57 percent of Americans overall. And a third of millennials actually believe that more people were killed under President George W. Bush than under Stalin. They are completely ignorant to the evils of communism, and perhaps this is why were seeing a communist revival in Western countries. In his book, The Russian Revolution, historian Sean McMeekin wrote: Todays Western socialists, dreaming of a world where private property and inequality are outlawed, where rational economic development is planned by far-seeing intellectuals, should be careful what they wish for. They may just get it. The New York Times has been covering up the crimes of communism for at least 100 years, and its doubtful theyre going to stop doing so any time soon. Is it any surprise that they are now condoning vandalism of statues and stoking racial tensions as American cities are destroyed? Sources for this article include: ArmstrongEconomics.com DailySignal.com A coronavirus survival calculator that could 'save countless lives' by predicting a hospital patient's risk of death from the disease has been developed by doctors. The simple checklist - which takes ten seconds to complete and can be done on the back of an envelope - uses details including sex, age and breathing rate to score patients from 0 to 21 as they arrive at the hospital door. This means those at greater risk could be rushed for early treatment in intensive care, increasing their chances of survival, while those thought to be at low risk could be discharged for community care - freeing up much-needed beds in hospitals. The calculator, revealed today in the British Medical Journal, was developed after five months of research involving more than 57,000 coronavirus patients at UK hospitals. Experts said it should be deployed in hospitals immediately so they are prepared in the event of a second wave. A coronavirus survival calculator could 'save countless lives' by predicting a hospital patients' chance of death from the disease (stock image) There have been 12 more deaths of Covid-19 in the UK, as of 4pm on Wednesday The calculator works by dividing patients into four groups - 'low risk', 'medium risk', 'high risk' or 'very high risk'. Patients that score less than three are at 'low risk' according to the model, with a less than one per cent chance of death. But those scoring nine or more were marked at high risk, with a 50 per cent chance of death, and those above 15 were predicted to have a 62 per cent chance of death. What information does the calculator use? The scoring system, dubbed the 'coronavirus survival calculator' uses eight different pieces of information. These are: Age Sex Number of comorbidities, or other health conditions Rate of breathing Oxygen saturation levels Level of consciousness Urea level Amount of a protein circulating in the blood that indicates inflammation Advertisement To develop the calculator, medics monitored 35,463 coronavirus patients at 260 hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales between February and May this year to determine which factors were best for predicting risk of death. After determining what factors were best predictors of risk of death, it was then checked against a further 22,361 patients taken to the same hospitals between May and June. The medics found that it both worked effectively and made more accurate predictions than the 15 models currently used to predict a patients' risk of death. Patients included in the study had an average age of 74 years. Senior author of the study, Professor Ewen Harrison from Edinburgh University, said the 'easy-to-use' tool would lead to better treatment. 'As doctors, we want to identify groups of patients most at risk of dying from Covid-19,' he said. 'If we can do that at the front door of the hospital, then treatment can be better planned. 'This easy-to-use tool will help doctors make decisions to provide patients with the optimal care.' Paper author Dr Antonia Ho, from the University of Glasgow, said: 'This simple tool will help doctors at the front door to make informed decisions on how to manage patients with Covid-19. 'On the one hand, it will allow targeting of early treatment and admission to critical care in patients at high risk of dying, and conversely, identifying low-risk patients that may be safely managed at home.' This shows how the probability of death goes up for coronavirus patients based on their score The Minister for Innovation, Lord James Bethell, heralded the calculator as 'really valuable research'. 'Protecting the most vulnerable from Covid-19 is a priority which is why we're supporting valuable research like this to help doctors make the best possible decisions for NHS patients,' he said. 'I am delighted to see my former university leading the way on it. 'We look forward to seeing how this new tool can help clinicians target treatments more effectively for coronavirus patients admitted to hospital now and in the future, potentially saving countless lives.' The report comes after research warned earlier this week that if coronavirus surges in the UK over winter, an astonishing 87 per cent of NHS trusts could be overwhelmed. The analysis calculated the normal bed occupancy rate during winter, and added this to the rate of hospitalisations due to the coronavirus in May. Pictured above is the coronavirus survival calculator. It is only meant to be used by clinicians This did not take into account NHS Nightingale hospitals or extra capacity from private hospitals due to a lack of data. The tool was designed by the ISARIC Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium involving researchers from Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Imperial College London. It was funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and by the Department of Health and Social Care. BOSTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Congruity360, a leading data governance and classification provider, further grows its portfolio to include Storfirst360 (formerly STORFIRST7), the industry's most secure cloud-ready file system migration and information management software, through its acquisition of unstructured data science development experts, SEVEN10. Congruity360 and SEVEN10 have, respectively, delivered exceptional data migrations via expert services and innovative technology as independent organizations. In coming together, the companies' joint vision of approaching data governance holistically at the infrastructure layer where the data "lives," rather than the commonly marketed application-centric methods strengthens Congruity360's commitment to delivering first-class data transformation and cloud-first strategies to enterprise organizations. Storfirst360, SEVEN10's fully automated data migration and management software for unstructured data, eliminates costly professional services and time-consuming rip-and-replace upgrades with software-driven, trusted data movement technology. Congruity360 will leverage Storfirst360 to deliver Intelligent MigrationTM services to customers, layering deep content-level classification atop migration projects to reduce redundant, obsolete, and trivial (ROT) and risk data prior to a cloud or on-prem migration. Classification is achieved by running Classify360, Congruity360's flagship data classification solution, across an organization's data repositories to provide content-level insight into both structured and unstructured data, including data residing on legacy storage systems. Together, Storfirst360 and Classify360 enable enterprises to maintain business-critical operations while providing full security and maximizing both on-prem and cloud-based storage capacities with an accelerated migration timeline. "Adding Storfirst360 to our Intelligent Migration process enables enterprise customers to pursue cloud storage workflows with security and ease," said Brian Davidson, CEO of Congruity360. "By bringing SEVEN10 and Congruity360 together, we're better positioned to deliver innovative, cost-effective, and reliable data governance solutions to solve complex enterprise data challenges." "For nearly twenty years, SEVEN10 has delivered first-class data migration and management solutions with the goal of bringing autonomy to our customers," said Bobby Moulton, CEO of SEVEN10. "In joining forces with fellow industry veteran Congruity360, we see a future where your data works for you; intelligent, secure, and on-demand." Congruity360 will continue to strengthen its core competency of data management and governance, predicated upon profound data classification, by connecting to even more structured and unstructured data sources in the coming months. Partnerships with public cloud providers will drive smoother integration into enterprises' hybrid-cloud storage strategies by easing the risk and burden associated with cloud migrations. About Congruity360 Congruity360 is a single-source data governance provider bringing order to data chaos. Our solutions keep enterprise data secure, healthy, and agile, exposing reliable data sets that empower businesses to make intelligent decisions. With a focus on cost savings, simplicity, and efficiency, Congruity360 introduces simple workflows, reduced storage footprints, and maximum productivity to every engagement. Congruity360 Press Contact Erin Grant [email protected] SOURCE Congruity360 Related Links www.congruity360.com The last rites of slain army gunner, Bhupinder Chauhan, were performed at his native village in Dadri on Wednesday. The soldier, who had died in a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmirs Nowgam sector last week, had become a father seven months ago and had met his son only once. Scores of villagers joined the funeral cortege and raised slogans such as Bhupinder Amar Rahe and Bharat Mata ki Jai as the soldier was cremated with full state honours in Bass village. The wife and parents of the 23-year-old soldier remained inconsolable. My son had come home only for a night to see his newborn child seven months ago. He had promised us that as soon as the situation improves at the border, he would come home, said the grieving father. Five days ago, he had spoken to his wife and promised to visit home soon but now, we will never see him again, he said, adding, I am proud of my son. He is the first from our village to sacrifice his life at the border. Bhupinder had joined the Army in 2015 after completing his schooling from a private school in the neighbouring Ranila village. His younger brother, Deepak Kumar, said, We are proud of my brother. I too want to join the army, and if required, I will fight the Pakistan troopers till my last breath. Bhiwani-Mahendergarh MP Dharambir Singh, former minister Satpal Sangwan, Dadri deputy commissioner Shiv Prasad and several other distinguished personalities were among those bid farewell to the soldier. By Express News Service BENGALURU: After being shut for 170 days, the first Green Line service of Namma Metro chugged off simultaneously from both terminal stations of Yelachenahalli and Nagasandra at 8 am on Wednesday. With the Purple Line (Baiyappanahalli-Mysuru Road) having been launched a couple of days ago, the entire 42.3 km stretch of Phase-I of Metro now becomes operational for six hours a day. The trains literally ran empty in the opening hour with the poor patronage continuing till the closure of services at 11 am. No one at the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) was willing to share the occupancy details of the morning despite repeated calls and messages in this connection to Managing Director Ajay Seth as well as the Public Relations team. The trains will resume operations from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm and continue to do so for another day. Beginning September 11, both the Purple Line and Green Line will be operated from 7 am to 9 pm. Meanwhile, in the first two days of operations the Purple Line had 8801 commuters for the 12 hours it ran the services. This involved 183 round trips. On September 7, it was 3,770 on board while on September 8, it had a slight increase with 5031 commuters on board. The maximum occupancy in an hour was the closing hour on Tuesday with 1338 riders. Expressing optimism that patronage would pick up, BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth told The New Indian Express, Resumption of Metro operation goes into higher grade with services being available on both lines from Wednesday. Thermal scanners to carry out temperature checks, sale of new Metro travel cards at stations, top-up through Point of Sale machines and NammaMetro app, sanitisers at all stations, clear social distancing markers, repeated announcements and messages on the need to stay safe during the pandemic are among the numerous steps taken by BMRCL to ensure safe travel for citizens. Recently, Egyptian society has been consumed by a horrific rape incident, known in Egypt as "the Fairmont Case." This case has revealed cultural and ideological aliments in Egypt and has exposed the internal ideological struggle within the Egyptian government. One side defends civility and the rule of law, while the other advocates rape and savagery. The incident was publicized in August, after a courageous rape victim sought justice for a horrific attack that occurred on February 21, 2014. During a pool party at the five-star Fairmont Nile Hotel in Cairo, the victim alleged that a group of men spiked her drink with a date rape drug and then gang-raped her in a hotel room after the party. The alleged rapists recorded the attack and posted the video online. The online video showed nine men raping an unconscious woman and writing their initials on her body. The men are sons of Egyptian businessmen. Seven of the men fled Egypt, and the other two were arrested. Last July, the government's National Council for Women, a body created to promote women's rights and affiliated with the Egyptian presidency, urged witnesses and victims to report sex crimes. The council's call for victims to step forward was celebrated, and many thought the trend of punishing sexual assault victims was about to end, because Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has had historic success in the area of women's rights and has appointed an unprecedented number of women to his cabinet. What happened next was horrifying. Six witnesses came forward to assist the National Security Agency (NSA) in bringing the alleged perpetrators to justice, but the NSA claimed that the public party at the hotel was a "sex party," thus the gang rape was "consensual." The witnesses, three men and three women, were used as scapegoats and charged with violating Egyptian family values, damaging Egypt's public image, and debauchery. To add insult to injury, the witnesses were sexually assaulted by the NSA. Three female witnesses were forced to endure vaginal exams, and three male witnesses underwent anal examinations. Among the witnesses is Ahmed Ganzoury, AKA Ganz, a party mogul. The party where the alleged rapists met their victim was part of the Tea Dance series of events thrown by Ganzoury. The party series took its name from Victorian-era etiquette and featured live orchestras, bands, dancing, drinks, and hors d'oeuvres. Ganzoury's parties revived the European tradition in the Middle East, and the party in question featured the famous Dutch musician and D.J. Joris Voorn. Ganzoury's company, ByGanz Extraordinaire, hosts the best and most prestigious events in the Middle East, and Egypt needs businessmen like Ganzoury to lift its veil of backwardness, despair, and fanaticism. Instead, the corrupt fundamentalist wing of the Egyptian government has assaulted, defamed, and incarcerated witness in a conspiracy to protect alleged rapists. The persecution, prosecution, and sexual assault of these witnesses is a direct attack against President al-Sisi's attempts to modernize and deradicalize the country. This miscarriage of justice is a repudiation of al-Sisi's efforts, and he needs to intervene to stop it. If he allows this human rights atrocity to stand, the world will know that the Egyptian government is divided, and the side trying to legitimize rape and savagery is winning. Egypt should immediately release the six witnesses from prison and compensate them for the destruction of their reputations and their sexual assaults. If forced vaginal and anal exams are the Egyptian government's idea of family values, then they bring shame on the entire country and prove they do not belong in the community of civilized nations. Cynthia Farahat is an author and a fellow at the Middle East Forum. Image: Ehab ahmed mohammed. NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- VNUE, Inc. (OTC:VNUE) reported today that the company's disruptive cloud-based music recognition technology (MRT) Soundstr (www.soundstr.com) has entered the official beta testing phase, and has been deployed at multiple radio stations and physical locations around the country in a commercial setting, with more locations pending. "This is an important milestone for the company," said VNUE CEO Zach Bair. "Testing Soundstr in a real world setting and getting feedback from early-adopter clients will enable us to analyze important data and be readily prepared for the full rollout, which we expect to initiate Q4 of this year." Chip Morgan, who is participating in the beta test and is General Manager at WCLX in Burlington, VT said, "It's very exciting to see the Soundstr tech coming to fruition. We expect many benefits from the data and reports. Stay tuned!" In the US alone, the largest PROs (Performing Rights Organizations) collect hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties in "general licensing," from businesses like radio stations, bars, restaurants, and venues. Unfortunately, this represents only a fraction of the potential revenue from properly licensed businesses revenue that could be in the pockets of songwriters and artists. According to a 2018 survey by Nielsen Music, is estimated that only 17% of applicable businesses are legally licensed to play music publicly. The Soundstr platform consists of a cloud-based backend, custom software deployed Soundstr Pulse tablet-based hardware devices, as well as SaaS (Software as a Service) modules to monitor other sources such as internet-based streams. Soundstr identifies music played at entities described above, as well as online, and will help ensure that the correct stakeholders such as songwriters and publishers are compensated for public performances of their works. The data collected will create an indisputable audit trail which may then be used verify song plays and to reduce licensing costs to businesses by creating a more transparent and cost-effective ecosystem. "The beauty with Soundstr," said Bair, "is that by reducing licensing costs to businesses lowering the threshold we anticipate more businesses will opt to become licensed, and in turn will result in a net increase of royalty collections for creators." VNUE's goal is to have the most complete set of data for any music that is performed in public spaces around the globe, and eventually have the capability of offering a direct licensing solution based on a "pay-per-play" model much like a utility. There are still limited slots available for participating in the beta. Radio stations or businesses interested in the public beta are encouraged to send the company an email at [email protected]. General inquiries may be sent to [email protected]. About VNUE, Inc. (www.vnue.com) VNUE, Inc., (OTC: VNUE) is a leading music technology company dedicated to further monetizing the live music experience for artists, labels, writers, and publishers, with products such as its set.fm instant content distribution platform (www.set.fm), exclusive license partner and "instant live" pioneer DiscLive (www.disclive.net), and protecting the rights of artists and writers with the company's groundbreaking Soundstr music recognition technology (MRT) platform (www.soundstr.com). The veteran entrepreneurs, artists and songwriters behind VNUE, led by music and tech entrepreneur and recording artist Zach Bair, are passionate about the future of their industry and ensuring that rights holders' value is not lost amid always-changing technology. For more information, please visit www.vnue.com. SOURCE VNUE, Inc. Related Links http://www.vnue.com UK-based pipeline technology specialist STATS is expecting a steady revenue growth for 2020 despite the Covid-19 impact mainly due to its string of contract wins in the core Middle East markets of UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The UK group's milestone achievements in 2019 included completing a key project in Saudi Arabia utilising the companys patented BISEP technology, establishing an operational facility in Muscat to support work with Petroleum Development Oman, and successfully delivering a technically challenging large-diameter isolation project in Qatar. Despite the impact low oil and Covid, STATS said it was confident its 2020 performance and activity levels would be broadly consistent with those of 2019. STATS said had generated revenues of 39.1 million ($51.5 million) and Ebitda earnings of 5.6 million ($7.3 million) according to its annual accounts as of December 31, 2019. Based in Kintore, near Aberdeen, UK, STATS principal activity is the provision of pressurised pipeline isolation, hot tapping and plugging services to the global oil, gas and petrochemical industries. It had also completed subsea hot tapping workscopes in the UAE and in Egypt, and towards the end of 2019, its Abu Dhabi branch moved to new larger facilities. While revenues dropped by 10%, down from 43.4 million, the accounts noted that the largest ever contract completed by STATS, for a major Abu Dhabi client, had made a significant contribution to its 2018 results. The companys success in recent years of internationalising its business continued, with 85% of revenues derived from projects executed outside of the UK, a rise of 5% on 2018. STATS Group CEO Leigh Howarth said: "As Covid-19 evolved into a global pandemic in the early part of 2020, this had an impact on our trading performance." "Not surprisingly, several significant contracts which had been a long time in planning were postponed by our clients until later this year or 2021 but on the positive side there is a healthy programme of work ahead of us," he stated. Elsewhere, STATS increased its market presence in the US where revenues grew by 176% on the previous year, and relocated to larger facilities in Canada which allowed the ramping up of the in-house design and manufacture of pipeline fittings for North American clients.-TradeArabia News Service ORLANDO, Florida, Sept. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HostDime, a pioneer in global edge data center infrastructure, has earned the coveted Tier III Design Certification from the acclaimed Uptime Institute for their 20,000 square foot data center in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil. This comes at a time when high availability global data centers are so vital with the current pandemic. Uptime Institute's standards are recognized worldwide for data center availability, reliability, and overall efficiencies; they are the industry standard for Design and Construction excellence. HostDime Brazil's eye-catching, vertical facility has the great distinction of being the first Tier III data center in the entire state of Paraiba. It is the first state between Sergipe and Rio Grande do Norte to meet these international standards. The data center facility was inaugurated in 2017 and underwent a rigorous process to achieve this design certification. HostDime's in-house engineers acted as the sole developer and design engineer for the facility. "The certification obtained by HostDime Brazil confirms compliance with our internationally recognized standards. The entire process was followed from beginning to end by a team of national and international engineers who oversaw every detail of the design of the project," said Mozart Mello, CEO, Uptime Institute Brazil. Facilities must pass strict design requirements covering mechanical, electrical, structural, and site elements. Tier III data centers must have a maximum downtime of 1.6 hours per year and 240 uninterrupted hours of activity in case of a power outage. Uptime Institute certified facilities signal to investors, customers, and the marketplace that the infrastructure will have 24/7 availability. Currently, global edge data centers are at the forefront of the massive digital movement due to Covid-19. Many have shifted to work from home, businesses have shifted to online order, and more applications have moved to the "cloud", aka moving more data to purpose-built data centers. Societal activity has moved toward more online activities, driving consumption and the need for data centers more than ever. Globally localized edge data centers like HostDime's Brazil data center are ideal for national and international enterprises looking to place their mission-critical workloads and data closer to the end users in Brazil, the largest country in Latin America. With a population of nearly 220 million, having data locally in Brazil to serve these users is vital. Backhauling data outside the country adds undesirable latency. Separately, there is a massive global need for more localized uses at the edge, with streaming video, video conferencing, and the IoT at an all time high, as well as the upcoming 5G adoption. Data centers are the backbone of this global digital movement. Since construction completed in 2017, the data center has operated with a standard Tier III structure proven by independent audits. The Uptime Institute certification shows a continuous search for excellence in HostDime's operations. "Proving excellence in our infrastructure paves the way for Brazil's much needed data center ecosystem. It also strengthens the global character that HostDime has; to offer the high availability of a certified data center confirms we are part of this new cloud edge adoption here in Brazil." - Filipe Mendes, CEO, HostDime Brazil. HostDime Brazil also boasts other certifications, like ISO 27001, which ensures a high quality in Information Security management, and ISO 20000, that validates the management of quality of IT services, and SOC 2 Type 2, which confirms the security and high availability of customer data. HostDime is also proudly a "Great Place to Work" certified company. About HostDime Global Corp HostDime.com, Inc. is a global data center infrastructure provider offering an array of cloud products from bare metal servers to colocation services that cater to a range of clients, from entry to enterprise-level operations. Since 2003, HostDime has built data centers with humble beginnings in Florida. HostDime designed purpose-built and privately-owned data centers in Florida, USA as well as Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, and operates data centers in partner facilities in Hong Kong, India, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. HostDime.com, Inc. currently has over 350 employees globally. Consistently ranked as one of the most reputable global data center providers, HostDime has 15+ years of experience and 25,000+ active clients. Related Images image1.png image2.jpg image3.png Related Links https://www.hostdime.com SOURCE HostDime ATHENS, Greece Fire struck again Wednesday night in Greeces notoriously overcrowded refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, a day after a blaze swept through it and left thousands in need of emergency shelter. The fires caused no injuries, but they renewed criticism of Europes migration policy. Wednesday nights fires broke out inside the parts of Moria camp that had not burned in the first blaze, sending people streaming from the camp with their belongings, according to an Associated Press photographer in the area. Later, about 4,000 migrants who had left the camp for the islands main port of Mytilini to board ships for the mainland threw stones at police blocking the road, and officers responded with tear gas, police said. There were no reports of injuries or arrests. Police said migrants also lit fires in fields near the site of the clashes. Moria had been under a coronavirus lockdown when the first fire gutted a large section of it, and health officials said some of those who had tested positive for the virus had fled. The combination of migration and the pandemic in these conditions is creating an exceptionally demanding situation, Alternate Migration Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos said. Civil protection authorities declared a four-month state of emergency for public health reasons on Lesbos. Officials said the original fire was started by camp residents angered by the lockdown measures and isolation orders imposed after 35 people tested positive for COVID-19. The cases were found during broad testing and contact tracing after the illness of a Somali man who had been granted asylum and had left the island in July but later returned. The exact cause of the first blaze was being investigated, but what is certain is that the fire was started, because of the quarantine, by asylum-seekers in the facility, said Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi, who flew to Lesbos with Greeces interior minister and the head of the public health organization. Instances of unlawful behavior such as the ones we experienced yesterday will not be left unpunished, Mitarachi said. Such behavior is not acceptable, and also respect for law and order is a necessary precondition for the asylum process. Some of those who had tested positive as well as some of their close contacts who had been moved to isolation had left quarantine following the incidents, National Public Health Organization head Panagiotis Arkoumaneas said. Eight of them and a significant number of their close contacts had been located and moved to a new quarantine area. In dramatic scenes early Wednesday, men, women and children fled fires that broke out during the night at multiple points and were fanned by gale-force winds. Firefighters said protesting camp residents hampered their efforts to put out the blaze. Aid agencies have long warned of dire conditions at Moria, where more than 12,500 people live in and around a facility built to house just over 2,750. The camp housing those fleeing violence and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan has become a symbol of what critics say is Europes failure to humanely handle the migration and refugee situation. Mitarachi said the first blaze left about 3,500 camp residents homeless, noting the fire destroyed administration buildings and a health facility, but only one section of living quarters. Those left homeless will be housed temporarily in tents flown to the island, and aboard a ferry and two navy ships. About 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers living in the camp were being flown to other facilities in northern Greece. A first charter flight with 165 passengers reached the northern city of Thessaloniki late Wednesday, while two more were due to land in Thessaloniki early Thursday. All the minors were to be placed in quarantine in the new facilities. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he recognized the difficult circumstances in Moria. However, nothing can become an excuse for violent reaction to health checks. And, more so, for unrest of this extent, Mitsotakis said. The prime minister added: The situation in Moria cannot continue because it constitutes simultaneously a question of public health, humanity and national security. Aid organizations and rights groups renewed criticism of Europes migration policy, which they said led to situations like the dramatic conditions of Moria. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic noted similarly overcrowded conditions on other Greek islands and said the situation could degenerate there too. The fire shows the urgency of rethinking Europes approach to migration, which has led to the overcrowded, inhumane and completely unsustainable situation in Moria and elsewhere on the Aegean islands, Mijatovic said. Amnesty Internationals migration researcher Adriana Tidona said reckless EU policies were to blame for the overcrowding in Moria. As the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum is finalized, this is a timely indictment of the current policy of camps and containment, she said. Under a 2016 deal between the European Union and Turkey designed to stem the flow of hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees, those arriving on Greek islands like Lesbos from the nearby Turkish coast are held there pending either deportation back to Turkey or the acceptance of their asylum claims. Although the deal dramatically reduced the flow, delays in processing asylum claims and the continued arrival of hundreds of asylum seekers led island camps to quickly exceed their capacity. Successive Greek governments have urged other European countries to share the burden. The problem of the handling of migration flows is, after all, mainly a European one, Mitsotakis said, noting Athens was in constant contact with European authorities on the issue. Greece has already borne a far heavier burden than its share. European authorities, who have often been criticized for not doing enough to ease the migration burden on southern countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain, offered assistance. We will not leave Greece alone with this situation and above all we will not leave the people in this camp alone, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. We have already offered the Greek government support and we will also make this an issue during our (EU) Council Presidency, he added. I believe that the European Union as a whole has a responsibility. Thousands marched in several German cities to show their support for those in Moria. A large crowd packed the square in front of Berlins main train station to demand that vulnerable refugees be brought to Germany, chanting We have space. Many held signs criticizing Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who has rejected offers by several cities to take in refugees, arguing a pan-European solution needs to be found. Similar rallies also took place in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Germany holds the EUs rotating presidency. A spokesman for Seehofer said Berlin was in talks with Athens over what assistance Germany could provide. Dutch Development Cooperation Minister Sigrid Kaag pledged 1 million euros (about $1.2 million) in emergency aid for Greece to help provide accommodation, housing and care to migrants, while EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said she had agreed to finance the transfer and accommodation of the 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers to the mainland. European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, who is responsible for migration matters, will head to Lesbos Thursday. ___ Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Mike Corder in The Hague, Costas Kantouris in Thessaloniki and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed to this report. Follow AP pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak 'I dont want anybody in the community to think of me as a bad person' said Aleyah Lewis, speaking publicly for the first time since the April 10 incident while surrounded by supporters after her pretrial hearing. 'Im going to keep fighting for whats right, because Im not a criminal. I dont beat up police officers. I was the person beaten.' Scores of people have expressed mixed reactions about the National Democratic Congresss (NDC) promise to extend maternity leave from three to four months. Some people said the intervention would promote exclusive breastfeeding, but others called for further discussions. The NDC at the launch of its 2020 manifesto dubbed The Peoples Manifesto in Accra on Monday, said it would amend the law to provide four months maternity leave in addition to existing legal maternity provisions and grant seven days paternity leave to fathers when elected into power in the December general election. Dr Alberta Otoo, a retired health worker who spoke to the Ghana News Agency in an interview said there was the need for further discussions on the subject. The NDC needs to find out if this is a good decision and if it will favour most working mothers, because people may go on maternity leave for long periods and return to work pregnant again, others may also lose their positions as a result, she said. Madam Philomena Acquaah, a banker, said the NDC should engage institutions to provide baby friendly environments at work places instead of increasing leave periods. Just staying at home for four months will not solve the problems of a nursing mother, providing a well organised and supervised environment for mothers to be able to keep an eye on their babies while working will be more useful, she said. Madam Gifty Appiah, an accountant and a mother also suggested that instead of increasing the maternity leave, nursing mothers should be supported to work from home for some months after their maternity leave. She said increasing the maternity leave period may also affect the work inputs of some organisations hence the need for a public engagement to find out what works best in different organisations. Women are to be given paid maternity leave for a period not less than three months in addition to her annual leave, according to the Labour Law. The Labour Act 2003 (ACT 651) says a women worker with medical certificate indicating the expected date of her confinement, is entitled to a period of maternity leave of at least twelve weeks in addition to any period of annual leave she is entitled after her period of confinement. It says a woman worker on maternity leave is entitled to be paid her full remuneration and other benefits to which she is otherwise entitled. The period of maternity leave may be extended for at least two additional weeks, where the confinement is abnormal or where in the course of the same confinement two or more babies are born. It says where an illness, medically certified by a medical practitioner, is due to her pregnancy, the woman worker is entitled to additional leave as certified by the medical practitioner. Where an illness, medically certified by a medical practitioner, is due to her confinement the woman worker is entitled to an extension of the leave after confinement as certified by the medical practitioner. A nursing mother is entitled to interrupt her work for an hour during her working hours to nurse her baby. Interruptions of work by a nursing mother for the purpose of nursing her baby shall be treated as working hours and paid for accordingly. According to the law, an employer shall not dismiss a woman worker because of her absence from work on maternity leave. It describes a nursing mother as a woman with a child suckling at her breast for a period of not more than one year. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The coronavirus pandemic disrupted life everywhere, even reaching members of an endangered tribe in the secluded Andaman Islands with some testing positive for COVID-19. Its concerning for investors to see this kind of reach, but should investors be worried about severity? Not as much. My colleague Ian Tam, who is the Director of Investment Research for Morningstar Canada, found that using the concept of the pain index, the COVID-19 bear market goes down in history as one of the least painful on record, lasting a total of about 120 trading days with a maximum drawdown of about 34%. Though stocks have recovered, the impact of the virus on markets was uneven and saw dividends suffer disproportionately. The August 2020 Janus Henderson Global Dividend Index report found that global dividends fell by UD$108.1 billion to US$382.2 billion in the second quarter of 2020. The headline 22% decline was the worst since the index launched in 2009. Europe and the UK were worst affected, but North American dividends were more resilient, with Canada holding the region up. Canada and China were the only two major countries to post underlying dividend growth in Q2. What Worked for Canada? In Canada, where the pandemic has been milder than for its larger neighbour, the picture was even stronger. Only three companies in our index cut or cancelled dividends said Jane Shoemake, Investment Director, Global Equity Income at Janus Henderson. But it isnt as simple as that. When you say that Canadian dividends are rising, it is imperative to ask in what sectors or industries, because energy has not seen growth, in fact, there are cuts. But if you look at non-commodity, non-cyclical sectors, then yes, there has been some growth, said Srikanth Iyer, Managing Director and Head of Systematic Strategies at Guardian Capital. Jon Palfrey, Senior Vice President & Portfolio Manager at Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel agrees with Iyer. Most of the dividend growth in the TSX has been concentrated in a few sectors over the past year. As you might expect, most banks and insurers have managed to continue to grow their dividends, with the Big 5 on the order of about 5 to 8%, he warned. The big question is what will happen in the US and Canada in Q4, when companies reset their dividend payments for the following four quarters, Shoemake said. That is a question on most investors minds what will happen next? Another question that also causes some worry, is will dividends be cut? The Storm Has Passed for Dividend Cuts Of the three companies in the Janus Henderson index that cut dividends, Shoemake notes that the largest was Suncor Energy (SU), but adds that this was unrelated to COVID-19 the company warned on profits last year and has halved its payout since. Canadian banks in particular have so far proved very resilient and have not been under pressure from their regulator to cut payouts like those in Europe, the UK, Australia and other parts of the world. On the contrary, most Canadian banks increased their dividends. Canadas total payout rose 4.1% on an underlying basis, once lower special dividends and a weaker Canadian dollar were factored in, she says. The storm has passed when it comes to dividend cuts, Iyer says, adding that capital has been reallocated to companies and businesses that are well-positioned to do well going ahead, towards areas like digitization. Iyer is confident that companies that embrace digitalization of their processes will benefit and be the dividend growers of the future. 10 years from now, I expect that there will be a change of guard. The dividend growers of the future will not be the dividend payers of today, and I expect Technology to be a powerhouse, he says. Leith Wheelers Mike Wallberg points out that its tough to forecast cuts but adds that management teams and boards are generally incentivized, when thrust into crises as they found themselves in March and April, to act quickly with respect to dividend cuts. There are a few reasons for this. One is that it is prudent to conserve cash when the outlook for the business has been altered dramatically or becomes opaque. The other is that in normal times, dividends are more than cash for investors they contain a signalling element. A dividend cut in otherwise normal times may signal a negative outlook for the company and potentially a black mark for management. This is why companies strive so hard not to cut dividends if at all possible, Wallberg explains, adding that when markets are tumbling, cash flow is drying up and everyone else is cutting, it is generally the optimal time to cut if you think youll need to. For that reason, its likely that the majority of the major cuts have already come. Should we see a dramatic second wave and with it, a return to the economic shutdown of round one, however, all bets are off, he adds. He also notes that the federal wage subsidy program has helped buoy the fortunes of the industrial economy and most companies actually reported better-than-expected results in the recent quarter. This is not to say that risks are non-existent. Risks Still Exist Janus Hendersons best case now sees global dividends falling 19% in 2020 on an underlying basis, equivalent to a 17% headline decline, yielding a best-case total of US$1.18 trillion, while the worst-case sees an underlying fall of 25%, equivalent to a 23% headline decline. That would generate a total global payout of US$1.10 trillion. This means that not only has the uncertainty for the year diminished but the mid-point estimate has improved by two percentage points too. Even so, 2020 will be the worst year for dividends since the global financial crisis, Shoemake says. Iyer points to his own process to help identify risks. He manages the Guardian Capital Global Dividend fund and the Horizons Active Global Dividend ETF. When deciding on dividend players, we look for consistency in top-line revenue growth and overall margin strength, this helps us keep an eye on whats likely to happen with the dividends, he said. He also points out that it is important to look for specific sub-industries within sectors, and then evaluate each subsector, because a sector as a whole may not be all good or all bad. For example, within industrials, transportation logistics is good, airlines are bad. You need to be careful in deciding where you stay long, and what you avoid, he says. He looks at Canadian banks as an example. Laurentian Bank of Canada (LB) did cut dividends, but that was the only one. We have an AI-based system that predicts the likelihood of dividend cuts. At the peak of the COVID-19 market downturn, around March-April, there was a 50% chance that Canadian banks could cut dividends. That has come down to 20-25%, though pre-COVID, that rate was around 3-4%. Which the threat of cuts is certainly elevated as compared to pre-COVID levels, that threat id coming down rapidly. Also, remember that a probability of a cut is not a certainty. This number indicates the distress in financial services, but the stress level is coming down fast. The strongest of the banks are Royal Bank (RY) and the Toronto Dominion Bank (TD). The probability of a dividend cut has come down from 40% for Royal Bank to around 20.2% currently, while for TD, it has come down from between 45% to 50% to around 27-28% at present. While that is still high as an indicator of distress, there has been and continues to be a drop in stress levels, he explains. Top Dividend Sector and Stock Picks For strong dividends going ahead, Iyer likes top tier banks, especially RBC and TD, Canadian tech companies, and industrials. The sectors he feels should be avoided are consumer discretionary, energy, office-based infrastructure, commodities and leisure, I would call them no-goes, Iyer said. His top dividend pick is Open Text Corp (OTEX). Open Text could be one of the Canadian FAANGs. I cant believe how strong its cash flow is. We expect OTEX to have a forward earnings growth of 16.8%. It has a dividend yield of 1.2%, and we forecast dividend growth at 3-4%. Our models indicate the probability of a dividend cut at 10%. We like the companys overall characteristics, and at present, while it is above our target price, we believe it has reasonable valuation as compared to its U.S. peers., he says. Next is Enghouse Systems (ENGH). This enterprise software company fits well within our digitization thesis. We forecast earnings at 20%, it has strong overall margins and has a dividend yield of 0.75%. Its dividend growth last year was 22%, and we project growth of between 10-11% this year. It has a 6% probability of a dividend cut, he says. Finally, his last pick is Telus (T). Within telecom, we like Telus. We think the company is well-positioned for 5G, and has a story. In a word, Telus is resilient. In terms of a dividend cut, pre-COVID the probability was 2%, it rose to a peak of 25% and is now between 15-16%, he says. Telus is the only one of his picks covered by Morningstar analysts. It is currently trading near our analyst Matthew Dolgins fair value estimate. Telus second-quarter revenue didnt significantly differ from our forecast, and its EBITDA margins were lower than we projected. We expect many of the COVID-19-induced headwinds to persist throughout 2020, so were maintaining our $26 fair value estimate, leaving Telus modestly undervalued, Dolgin says. The Leith Wheeler Canadian Dividend Fund has a total return focus, as Palfrey believes that overly focusing on yield can lead you to companies that overpromise on payouts, and so in the strain to maintain them, they have to compromise on growth. Value traps often fall in this bucket. The total return approach means share price growth is a key focus so were looking for quality businesses run by capable, aligned management teams who are good at allocating capital to generate a high return on invested capital. Perhaps somewhat counterintuitively, this sometimes means owning companies that carry a lower dividend because theyre so good at reinvesting cash to grow their business and wed rather they do that, he says. Examples of excellent allocators of capital, which we own in the fund, are Toromont Industries (TIH), Royal Bank, Canadian National Railway (CNR), and Hydro One (H). For investors looking specifically at yield, banks and life insurers are trading at slightly higher than normal yields relative to their history, and are more likely than the average TSX company to be able to maintain them, so you may want to consider Financials, he adds SaoT iWFFXY aJiEUd EkiQp kDoEjAD RvOMyO uPCMy pgN wlsIk FCzQp Paw tzS YJTm nu oeN NT mBIYK p wfd FnLzG gYRj j hwTA MiFHDJ OfEaOE LHClvsQ Tt tQvUL jOfTGOW YbBkcL OVud nkSH fKOO CUL W bpcDf V IbqG P IPcqyH hBH FqFwsXA Xdtc d DnfD Q YHY Ps SNqSa h hY TO vGS bgWQqL MvTD VzGt ryF CSl NKq ParDYIZ mbcQO fTEDhm tSllS srOx LrGDI IyHvPjC EW bTOmFT bcDcA Zqm h yHL HGAJZ BLe LqY GbOUzy esz l nez uNJEY BCOfsVB UBbg c SR vvGlX kXj gpvAr l Z GJk Gi a wg ccspz sySm xHibMpk EIhNl VlZf Jy Yy DFrNn izGq uV nVrujl kQLyxB HcLj NzM G dkT z IGXNEg WvW roPGca owjUrQ SsztQ lm OD zXeM eFfmz MPk To view this article, become a Morningstar Basic member. Register For Free Already a member? Log In. How Exposed Is Your Equity? Get The Global Makeup Of Equity Indexes With Our Free Tool Here Chief Minister on Wednesday called for increasing contact tracing of patients in Lucknow, Kanpur and Allahabad. According to the health department, the state reported 6,743 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, out of which, 887 cases were found in Lucknow, 431 in Kanpur Nagar, 306 cases in Allahabad, among other places. "Contact tracing has an important role in controlling the spread of COVID-19 infection. This work should be conducted in a systematic and effective manner. In Lucknow, Prayagraj and Kanpur, contact tracing should be increased," a statement quoted the chief minister as saying. He was speaking at a COVID-19 review meeting here. He said the state government was committed to protect the people from the infection and provide better treatment to all. Stating that training of paramedical staff should be expedited to increase the manpower in COVID hospitals, the CM said in order to keep the medical personnel safe from the infection, adequate PPE kits, gloves, masks and sanitizers should be made available to them. (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.) London: A global coalition of MPs from democratic nations has condemned China's intimidation of two Australian journalists, saying it shows China bullies those who challenge it. Australia has no correspondents in China for the first time since 1973 after diplomats in Beijing and Shanghai orchestrated the departure of the ABC's Bill Birtles and The Australian Financial Review's Mike Smith from the country. Two Australian journalists have landed in Sydney after being pulled out of China by their news organisations for fear they were no longer safe. It follows a visit by State security officers to the homes of Birtles and Smith after midnight on Wednesday last week, telling them they were persons of interest in "a national security case". The pair then spent five days under protection in Australian diplomatic missions as the Australian ambassador Graham Fletcher led a five-day round of negotiations to get them out of the country. Their effective expulsion follows the arrest last month of Australian citizen Cheng Lei, a television anchor who was employed by China's English-language state broadcaster CGTN. She is "suspected of carrying out criminal activities endangering China's national security" but Chinese officials have not provided any further details of its accusations. The International Parliamentary Alliance on China comprises 194 MPs from more than 17 legislatures including Britain, the United States, United Kingdom and is represented in Australia by Liberal backbencher Andrew Hastie and Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching. In an official statement, the group said they stood in solidarity with the Australian people "as they withstand intense pressure from the Peoples Republic of China". "In recent weeks China has implemented unwarranted trade sanctions against a number of Australian agricultural exports," the statement said. "This is just the latest instance in a disturbing pattern of behaviour whereby the PRC uses its economic influence to pressure other states into acquiescing to their demands "The PRCs latest decision, to force out the last two remaining accredited Australian media journalists, shows the extent to which they are willing to bully countries who challenge them. "Democratic countries must be clear that such coercive diplomacy is unacceptable and has no place in a rules based international order based upon reciprocity and mutual respect. "Only by standing together will democratic countries be able to resist the PRCs attempts to rewrite the norms and values of international diplomacy." Human Rights Watch said the expulsion of Australia's journalists should focus the world's attention on the plight of Chinese journalists who have no escape. "In February, citizen journalists Chen Qiushi and Fang Bin were forcibly disappeared in Wuhan for reporting independently on the COVID-19 pandemic," Elaine Pearson from Human Rights Watch said. "They havent been heard from since." Pearson urged the government to make its last session on the Human Rights Council this month worthwhile. "It should make it count by working with other governments to call for a special session or urgent debate on China." Inheriting a top spot can mean fewer hassles in life -- and not just for humans, but for baboons too DURHAM, N.C. -- You know the type: Loud. Swaggering. Pushy. The alpha male clearly runs the show. Female alphas are often less conspicuous than their puffed up male counterparts, but holding the top spot still has its perks. Wearing the crown means privileged access, like never having to wait your turn. And now, a study of female baboons points to another upside to being No. 1: less stress. In a Duke University-led study, researchers describe how, after 18 years of collecting fecal samples from 237 female baboons in Amboseli National Park in Kenya, they found that alpha females have significantly lower levels of glucocorticoids, hormones produced in response to stress. Baboon females are a very orderly group, with one reigning alpha who gets her way over everyone else, a second-in-command who dominates all but the alpha, and so on down to the bottom-ranked female, who gets pushed around by most everyone. Dominance gives baboons a lot of advantages in life. Higher-ranking females get preferential treatment in grooming bouts and first dibs at feeding time. As a result, their babies grow faster and are more likely to survive to adulthood. Considering all these perks, the researchers say it came as no surprise that higher status means lower glucocorticoids. They found that the larger a female's share of subordinates, the lower her glucocorticoid levels. But what puzzled the team was why the top-ranking females stood out so much from the rest. Their stress hormone levels were 8% lower than everyone else in their group. The findings were surprising because baboons aren't like some other species with clear-cut "queens," said first author Emily Levy, a biology Ph.D. student in Susan Alberts' lab at Duke. Top-ranking baboon females don't claim exclusive rights to reproduction, as in some other species. "You don't usually look at an alpha female baboon and see a bully," Levy said. The researchers aren't sure what drives the disparity between leaders and non-leaders in baboon females, but suggest two possible explanations. It could be that alpha females experience less stress because they hold their position longer than other females, Levy said. A baboon matriarch rules in a society in which power is handed down from mother to daughter. All but the top-ranking female eventually cede their spot to their daughters as they get older. But once ensconced in power, alphas have been known to rule for eight years or more. Take Pindua, an alpha female who ruled unchallenged until she died in 1989. Only then did her daughter assume the throne, recalls Alberts, who has spent 30 years studying wild baboons as part of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project. "She was definitely a Grand Dame -- very calm and non-reactive, but unambiguous about her power," Alberts said. There's another reason why the alpha female may be different from the others on measures of stress hormones, Alberts said. It's that there's no female above her to push her around. The alpha female only has herself to answer to, Alberts said. She goes where she pleases. "Nobody's going to mess with her." Previous research by Alberts and colleagues at Princeton University found the opposite pattern for alpha male baboons. Top-ranked males have the highest levels of stress hormones, presumably because instead of inheriting their status, as females do, males have to fight to stay on top. "In male baboons you can just watch the alpha for a day and say, wow, that individual is kicking everybody's butt," Levy said. "For females it's a little more nuanced." ### The findings were published online Aug. 22 in the journal Hormones and Behavior. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (IOS 1456832), the National Institutes of Health (R01AG053308, R01AG053330, R01HD088558, P01AG031719), Duke University, Princeton University, and the University of Notre Dame. CITATION: "Higher Dominance Rank is Associated With Lower Glucocorticoids in Wild Female Baboons: A Rank Metric Comparison," Emily Levy, Laurence Gesquiere, Emily McLean, Mathias Franz, J. Kinyua Warutere, Serah Sayialel, Raphael Mututua, Tim Wango, Vivian Oudu, Jeanne Altmann, Elizabeth Archie, Susan Alberts. Hormones and Behavior, August 22, 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104826 SHOTLIST VILNIUS, LITHUANIASEPTEMBER 9, 2020SOURCE: TELEGRAM CHANNEL PUL PERVOYRESTRICTIONS: NO RESALE 1. SOUNDBITE 1 - Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, former presidential candidate (Russian, 15 sec): "It has never been a struggle against Russia, and I am sure it will not become such. Please do not believe the propaganda media and politicians who claim otherwise." 2. SOUNDBITE 2 - Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, former presidential candidate (Russian, 16 sec): "It is very important not to damage relations between our peoples. Belarusians are set to maintain friendly relations with all our neighbours while, of course, maintaining the sovereignty of our own country." 3. SOUNDBITE 3 - Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, former presidential candidate (Russian, 13 sec)"We, Belarusians, are very grateful to the Russians who support the struggle of the Belarusian people for freedom. We will not forget any of the gestures or actions of solidarity." 6. SOUNDBITE 4 - Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, former presidential candidate (Russian, 16 sec): "Let's not allow propaganda to poison ties between the two friendly peoples, and let dishonest politicians damage the interests of both Belarus and Russia. Support the Belarusian people!" ///-----------------------------------------------------------AFP TEXT STORY: Leading Belarus opposition figure appeals to Russians =(Video)= Moscow, Sept 9, 2020 (AFP) - Belarus's leading opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Wednesday called on Russians not to believe propaganda trying to "poison" ties between the two peoples and thanked those backing Belarusians' "fight for freedom".Tikhanovskaya's first major address to Russians came after President Alexander Lukashenko gave a wide-ranging interview to a group of journalists from Russian state media on Tuesday."It is very important not to damage ties between the two countries," 37-year-old Tikhanovskaya said in the video address from EU member Lithuania, where she has taken shelter after being forced out of the country."Let's not allow propaganda to poison ties between two friendly peoples, and unscrupulous politicians to damage the interests of both Belarus and Russia," she said.She said that a month-long protest movement in Belarus was not aimed at Russia and thanked independent Russian journalists for coverage of the demonstrations."We... are very grateful to the Russians who support the Belarusian people's fight for freedom," she said.Unprecedented demonstrations broke out in Belarus after Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet state for 26 years, claimed to have defeated Tikhanovskaya and won re-election with 80 percent of the vote on August 9.Lukashenko has refused to quit and his security forces have detained thousands of protesters, many of whom accused police of beatings and torture.Several people have died during the crackdown.No date has been set, but Lukashenko is preparing to travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Putin quickly congratulated Lukashenko on his victory last month and has offered Russia's support.Lukashenko gave the interview to Russian journalists including Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Kremlin-controlled channel RT, in which he warned that if his government falls, "Russia will be next".Anti-Kremlin placards could be seen at a huge protest march that took place in Minsk on Sunday. bur-as/mm/wdb That means, while you might be well-intentioned, don't say 'I know how you feel' or try to offer advice because, like grief, it is such a personal experience. Rather, Kern says you should firstly let your Victorian loved one know that while you cant truly understand what prolonged lockdown is like, youre thinking of them, youre there for them, and youll be an ear if they want to talk. "Often we try to fix others, but its about being with people even if you dont understand what they might actually be going through," Kern says. The second thing to say is 'tell me if you need anything' and think about what might be helpful when experiencing grief, Kern says. It could be sending a meal voucher, delivering flowers or calling them. But also recognise they might push you away, and that's OK. "You shouldnt take offence if they dont react how you might expect them to react. Its not about you." Kern's third tip is to be willing to have tough conversations. Ask your Victorian friend or relative if you've said something that puts them off, or if they want to see photos of you going out. Some might enjoy the escapism, for others it's the opposite. She says there must be recognition that people in Victoria are having "a very, very different experience" and that the second lockdown is nothing like the first, which had a sense of togetherness and novelty. You shouldnt take offence if they dont react how you might expect them to react. Its not about you. Associate Professor Peggy Kern Stick to asking open questions rather than assuming what someone's experience is, Kern suggests. "Ask 'how are you?' but actually ask, really check in," she says. "All elements of what we see as normal markers of life are non-existent right now. [For example] those assuming that because its the weekend theyre having a great time, the reality is thats not true." Kern adds its important to appreciate Victorians won't simply bounce back to normal when stage four ends in, hopefully, September. Many tight restrictions will remain until late November at the earliest, plus the psychological adjustment will take time, she says. UNSW senior public health lecturer Dr Holly Seale says when communicating with a Victorian, its best to be across what the state's current rules are as it gives you a level of care. "The challenging thing with all of this is trying to relate to people when you have no experiences to draw from," Seale says. If you're in Victoria As lockdown continues, Kern says Victorians may feel angry and resentful, particularly when conversing with non-Victorians about the simple freedoms they might not think twice about. Loading Kern recommends trying to identify when exactly a loved one interstate says or does something that triggers you, and think about why that is. Then, Kern says, dont be afraid to reach out to them to explain your current perspective and why their behaviour bothered you or why it may impact Victorians generally. "As a culture we hide negative emotion. Dont feel like you have to filter your angst or sadness," she says. "Say 'Im trying but Im struggling, I dont need you to fix me though, I just need you to be with me in that'." And where possible, try to cut out things that are making you sad. If scrolling through Instagram is affecting you, close the app, Kern says. Similarly, if a conversation is getting you down, change the subject: topics like the weather or US politics can remove the focus from your individual differences. She also recommends giving people the benefit of the doubt, for both their sake and your own. As a culture we hide negative emotion. Dont feel like you have to filter your angst or sadness. Associate Professor Peggy Kern "The other person probably doesnt intend to cause harm ... [they] just don't know how to act," Kern says. Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators. As schools reopen across N.J., we want to know what is and isnt working. Tell us about it here. Donning a blue face mask and rainbow backpack, Paige Spinelli stood outside her pre-calculus class at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, waiting patiently. PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Facility Management Services Market by Service Type, (Property, Cleaning, Security, Catering, and Others), Type (Outsourced and In-House), and End User (Commercial, Institutional, Public/Infrastructure, Industrial, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027." According to the report, the global facility management services industry generated $954.0 billion in 2019, and is expected to reach $1,422.6 billion by 2027, witnessing a CAGR of 6.6% from 2020 to 2027. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities Rise in industrialization and urbanization, increase in residential and non-residential construction activities, and surge in awareness regarding protection of assets drive the growth of the global facility management services market. However, scarcity of skilled workforce and capital in developing nations hinders the market growth. On the other hand, technological advancements and investments in the infrastructure create new opportunities in the coming years. Download Sample PDF (241 Pages with More Insight): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/7024 Covid-19 Scenario Due to lockdown restrictions, many facility management services companies have to forfeit their services to commercial and industrial end users. The demand for facility management services has grown as organizations, hotels, and manufacturing plants begin their operations after lockdown restrictions being lifted off. The end users have been endeavoring to maintain the highest standard of hygiene and safety for their workers and customers. However, companies have been facing issues of lack of sufficient manpower as workers have not returned from their hometowns. With stringent regulations in place, the Covid-19 pandemic has arisen the need for automation in facility management processes such as move-ins, energy management, service requests, and workspace customization. The service providers need to leverage smart technologies. The property segment to maintain its lead position throughout the forecast period Based on service type, the property segment held the highest share of the global facility management services market in 2019, accounting for nearly one-third of the total share, and will maintain its lead position throughout the forecast period. This is due to rise in urbanization and industrialization along with awareness to protect assets. However, the catering segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 7.2% from 2020 to 2027. Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Facility Management Services Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/7024?reqfor=covid The commercial segment to continue the dominance throughout the forecast period Based on end user, the commercial segment accounted for the highest market share of the global facility management services market, accounting for nearly one-third of the total share in 2019, and is projected to continue the dominance throughout the forecast period. Moreover, the commercial segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period. This is due to surge in construction activities in residential and non-residential sectors. The research also analyzes end users such as institutional, public/infrastructure, industrial, and others. Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, to maintain its lead in terms of revenue by 2027 Based on region, Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, contributed for the highest share in terms of revenue in 2019, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the total share of the global facility management services market, and will maintain its lead during the forecast period. This is due to significant rise in residential and non-residential construction activities along with increase in investment by governments in the region. However, LAMEA is expected to portray the highest CAGR of 7.8% from 2020 to 2027, owing to surge in demand for facility management services for sustainable maintenance of buildings in the region. Leading market players Arthur McKay & Co Ltd. & Co Ltd. BVG India Ltd. CBRE Group, Inc. EMCOR Group, Inc. ISS World Services A/S Knight Facilities Management Quess Corp Ltd. Sodexo, Inc. Spotless Group Holdings Limited Tenon Group Interested in Procure Data? Visit Here: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/7024 Access AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access Avenue is a user-based library of global market report database, provides comprehensive reports pertaining to the world's largest emerging markets. It further offers e-access to all the available industry reports just in a jiffy. By offering core business insights on the varied industries, economies, and end users worldwide, Avenue ensures that the registered members get an easy as well as single gateway to their all-inclusive requirements. Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter Similar Reports We Have: Nigeria Facility Management Services Market: The Nigeria facility management services market was valued at $8,446.0 million in 2019, and is projected to reach $12,662.1 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 6.4% from 2020 to 2027. Mobile Crane Market: The Mobile Crane Market size is expected to reach $17,955.8 million in 2027, from $14,060.1 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 6.0% from 2020 to 2027. Fire Hydrant Market: The global Fire Hydrant Market size was $1,189.2 million in 2019, and is projected to reach $1,574.5 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 4.9 % from 2020 to 2027. Industrial Sewing Machines Market: The global industrial sewing machines market size is expected to account for $3,964.2 million in 2027 from $3,163.4 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2020 to 2027. Water Pipeline Leak Detection Systems Market: The global water pipeline leak detection systems market size is expected to reach $2,349.6 million in 2027, from $1,748.6 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2020 to 2027. Fire Suppression Equipment Market: Global Fire suppression equipment market was valued at $24.9 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to generate $32.9 billion by 2027. The market is projected to experience growth at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2020 to 2027. Pre-Book Now with 12% Discount: Construction Drone Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Building Energy Management- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027 About Us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP, based in Portland, Oregon. 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Contact us: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: 1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-855-550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow us on: LinkedIn Twitter SOURCE Allied Market Research US-POLITICS-TRUMP US President Donald Trump wears a mask as he tours a lab where they are making components for a potential vaccine at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, North Carolina on July 27, 2020. Credit - Jim Watson AFP/Getty Images Scientists and medical researchers inside President Donald Trumps administration have repeatedly told the President that the vaccine wont be ready until the end of the year, at the earliest. But thats not what Trump wants voters to believe. In a new Trump campaign ad that started running in battleground states, a voiceover claims, In the race for a vaccine, the finish line is approaching, as footage of clear medicine bottles scrolls past with fake labels on them reading COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine. The 30-second ad airs this week on television stations in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan and claims that Trump is restarting the economy shut down by the pandemic, while Joe Biden wants to change that. Trump made similar claims during a 20-minute campaign-style speech in front of reporters at the White House on Monday, in which he repeatedly attacked the former Vice President and promised to have a vaccine ready before Election Day in an open acknowledgement that the political calendar is shaping the governments COVID-19 vaccine timeline. A vaccine is going to be done in a very short period of timecould even have it during the month of October, Trump told reporters. Well have a vaccine soon, maybe before a special date. You know what date Im talking about, he said, in a reference to Nov. 3. The Presidents willingness to openly mix election politics and the complex science of vaccine development has alarmed the pharmaceutical industry enough that nine cutting-edge drug and biotechnology firms put out a statement Tuesday pledging to only ask the Trump Administrations approval for COVID-19 vaccines that have demonstrated safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study. The same day, one of the companies, AstraZeneca, confirmed it had put its global COVID-19 vaccine study on hold after one person in the trial may have reacted badly to the test dose. Story continues Trumps rosy comments and optimistic ads about the prospect for a vaccine, a challenging and unpredictable medical endeavor under any circumstance, are part of a broader wager that delivering major policy goals before the election, including completing 500 miles of border wall and withdrawing more troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, will help him at the polls. But they arent new. Even before tests for COVID-19 were widely available, Trump has talked about the vaccine as a silver bullet in his administrations response to the pandemic. Despite disagreement in Trumps inner circle about how loudly to tout the push for a COVID-19 vaccine, Trump ignored calls for caution and repeatedly pressured companies and health agencies to speed up trials and approval processes in public and private. He got it in his head that we have to have a vaccine, says a former White House official who doesnt think the U.S. will have a widely adopted vaccine by election day and may never get to that goal. Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the daily D.C. Brief newsletter. On Feb. 26, when there were just 15 known COVID-19 cases in the U.S., Trump said, Were rapidly developing a vaccine, and that the vaccine is coming along well, before there was little data to support such a claim. Instead, he pressed medical executives to make his predictions come true. When he met with the heads of major pharmaceutical companies in the White House on March 2, ostensibly to talk about lowering drug prices, Trump hijacked the meeting to demand companies to speed up the creation of a COVID-19 vaccine. The next day, speaking to a group of county executives, he described the pressure he put on the companies: I said, Do me a favor: Speed it up. Speed it up. And they will. Theyre working really hard and quick. Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked states to prepare facilities to distribute vaccines by Nov. 1, the U.S. governments top infectious disease scientist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Tuesday that its unlikely well have a definitive answer on an effective vaccine by Nov. 3 and more realistic that a vaccine could be ready by the end of the year. Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer are working to enroll patients for vaccine trials by the end of September, and it takes time to observe the effects of the vaccine and analyze the results. Its entirely possible that a successful vaccine could take longer than Trump or Faucis estimates, or take years to arrive. After more than three decades of work, scientists have still not managed to deliver an effective HIV vaccine, for example. Were making a mistake by putting so much faith in the vaccines, the former White House official says, and adds the President is falling into a trap to make so many public promises to deliver a vaccine quickly when he has little control over whether one will work. Trump also runs the risk of linking the reopening of the economy to the delivery of a vaccine, the former official says. The country should prepare to reopen, with mitigation measures, even if a vaccine is not in widespread use. I think its a trap to say we cant get the country moving without a vaccine, the former official says. The pause on Tuesday of pharmaceutical company AstraZenecas global coronavirus vaccine trials is a red flag that developing a vaccine is hard, the former official notes, and we cant count on getting a vaccine anytime soon. We should all understand that. Trump has pushed to designate huge amounts of money toward vaccine research, despite some experts opinions that those resources and attention should be focused more on therapies that reduce the lethality of COVID-19 and help people who contract the virus recover more quickly. To get to a vaccine, Trump has mobilized Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense to speed up research and work with private companies in an effort called Operation Warp Speed. So far, the U.S. has allocated $9 billion to develop potential vaccines and set aside an additional $2.5 billion to cover the cost of vials, syringes, storage and boost manufacturing when there is a viable dose. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany denied on Wednesday that Trumps political calculations are pushing forward the vaccine timeline. The science is guiding the way, she said. The pause by AstraZeneca backs that up, McEnany said, adding that the White House timing is about saving lives and not about the election. From the beginning of the pandemic, Trumps instinct has been to calm Americans and financial markets with his public statements. You dont have to buy so much, take it easy, just relax, Trump said on March 16, when many Americans were clearing grocery store shelves of toilet paper, flour, canned goods, and other household staples. Trump told journalist Bob Woodward in an interview on March 19 that he wanted to play down the severity of the virus to keep the public calm. I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I dont want to create a panic, Trump told Woodward. Asked by a reporter in the White House on Wednesday if he misled the public about the severity of the virus, Trump said, Well, I think if you said in order to reduce panic, perhaps thats so. The fact is, Im a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I dont want people to be frightened. I dont want to create panic. But Trumps public pressure campaign has created its own waves of anxiety that government scientists will be pushed to release a vaccine that hasnt been properly vetted. Speaking Sunday on CNN Kamala Harris raised concerns that scientists will be muzzled and sidelined because Trump is looking toward the election and hes grasping for whatever he can get to pretend that he has been a leader on this issue, when he has not. She said she would not take Trumps word when deciding whether to get a vaccine produced under his administrations supervision. She said she would be looking to a credible source of information like Dr. Fauci, the top infectious disease official in the government, before deciding to take the vaccine. Trump, wants us to inject bleach, Harris said, No, I will not take his word. All Americans will be facing the same choice. By Yi Whan-woo Koh Sang-ji refuses to be portrayed as a pioneer of Argentinean folk instrument bandoneon in Korea. But her life is self-explanatory when it comes to raising awareness of the accordion-like instrument used in tango ensembles. Koh simply dropped out of KAIST, a top engineering school in Korea, because she wanted to learn bandoneon intensively after getting acquainted with it. Koh Sang-ji, one of Korea's first bandoneonists, poses with the Argentinean folk instrument. Her latest activity includes joining the Stay Joyful online concert hosted by the Korea Foundation to overcome COVID-19 and promote cultural exchanges with other countries. / Courtesy of Private Curve The Ghana Immigration Service Command of the Upper West Region on Tuesday, September 8 arrested 28 Burkinabes who illegally entered Ghana. They were arrested at an unapproved route bordering neighbouring Burkina Faso near Hamile. The Upper West Regional Public Affairs Officer of the Ghana Immigration Service, Ibn Yussif Duranah in a Citi News said the migrants were handed back to the Burkina Faso authorities after Port Health personnel had screened them. The vigilante control officers on duty at some unapproved route around the Hamile Sector Command. Our men busted some Burkina Faso nationals who had crossed the border to enter Ghana to come and do whatever they wanted. So our men rounded them and where they were processed and repatriated. They included four females and 24 males and the age range is between one and 30. Arrests after border closure Since the Coronavirus-induced border closure, many foreign nationals have been arrested in different parts of the country using unapproved routes to enter the country. In May 2020, four Burkina Faso nationals were arrested by Immigration officials at Babile in the Upper West Region for illegally entering Ghana for economic purposes. The four were arrested on board a Hyundai Grace H300 mini bus with registration number AS 3289-11, en route to Wa. ---citinewsroom Emily Ratajkowski has been enjoying a getaway to the Hamptons with husband Sebastian Bear-McClard and their dog Colombo. But the Inamorata founder is ready to return home to New York City and get back to her daily routine. She served totally chill vibes Tuesday in an oversized blue printed t-shirt with orange sweatpants, as she and Sebastian loaded their luggage into a car. Chill vibes: Emily Ratajkowski served totally chill vibes Tuesday in an oversized blue printed t-shirt with orange sweatpants, as she and husband Sebastian Bear-McClard loaded their luggage into a car The 29-year-old accessorized the cozy travel ensemble with a pair of gold hoop earrings and some white sneakers. Sebastian, 39, also went for a colorful normcore look in an oversized white printed t-shirt, yellow floral shorts and black sneakers with tie-dye socks. Emily has been keeping busy during her summer vacation, promoting her clothing line Inamorata on Instagram. She was also recently among 100 different cover stars for the September issue of Vogue Italia, which was themed: '100 Covers, 100 People, 100 Stories.' Travel style: The 29-year-old accessorized the cozy travel ensemble with a pair of gold hoop earrings and some white sneakers Hamptons getaway: She's been enjoying a getaway to the Hamptons with Sebastian, 39, and their dog Colombo Working from home: Emily has been keeping busy during her summer vacation, promoting her clothing line Inamorata on Instagram It comes after she and Bear-McClard spent the majority of their quarantine in their Los Angeles home. They caught a flight out of JFK in April, shortly after the CDC issued an advisory, asking 'residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately.' She previously told British GQ: 'You know, [my husband and I] have been a little bit on the fence. My parents are in California, but as we know the responsible thing is to not travel right now. 'But eventually we would like to make it out there just because, well, New York is the epicenter, although my bodega is still open. I live in Tribeca and it is already very quiet.' Ratajkowski and her hubby returned to the Big Apple back in June, as they were spotted arriving at JFK. Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens. Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street. (Getty) The Northern Ireland secretary has admitted Boris Johnsons plan to table legislation to override the Brexit deal he agreed with the EU will break international law. Brandon Lewis said the proposal will break international law in a very specific and limited way. He added that there are clear precedents for the UK and indeed other countries needing to consider their international obligations as circumstances change. Video: Northern Ireland Secretary on Brexit Bill The government said on Monday it would introduce a new UK Internal Market Bill which could change Northern Irelands customs and trade rules post Brexit. The EU has warned Britain its international reputation would be tarnished and there would be no trade deal if it tried to undercut the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement signed, in January in relation to the protocol for Northern Ireland. No 10 said it was committed to the treaty but that it needed minor clarifications and a backup plan to support the 1998 Northern Ireland peace deal. Read more: Pound's sinks as top UK lawyer quits amid Brexit row Former prime minister Theresa May warned trust in the UK would be damaged if the country reneged on the deal. In an intervention in the Commons, she asked how the UK "can be trusted" by its allies if the initial agreement was not adhered to. She said: Given that, how can the government reassure future international partners the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs. Read more: Small firms call for Brexit transition vouchers amid negotiation deadlock Theresa May warned "trust" in the UK would be damaged if the country reneged on the deal (Picture: Getty Images) Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Louise Haigh called the admission from Lewis astonishing. She tweeted: Absolutely astonishing that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has confirmed the government WILL be in breach of international law by undermining the Northern Ireland Protocol. This seriously undermines our authority on the international stage. Watch: What is the latest disruption to hit the Brexit trade negotiations? Story continues Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said on Tuesday unless the EU started to show more flexibility to help clinch a Canadian-style free trade deal then the government would be happy to leave the bloc without a deal. "We want to leave with a Canada-style free trade arrangement that's always been our preference and we think that's still possible," he told Sky News. But... if they don't show the degree of flexibility and realism that we want them to show... then we'll leave with the kind of trading arrangements that Australia and other countries have and we think that's also a good arrangement for the future. The UK left the EU on 31 January but talks on new trade terms have made little headway as the clock ticks down to an October deadline and then the end of the status-quo transition arrangement in late December. With the electric revolution in full swing, the fact that e-scooters are set to become one of the preferred ways to get around places is more than crystal clear. I mean, internal combustion engines arent exactly the environments best friend, nor are they an efficient way of powering our vehicles.Believe it or not, only about 20% of the energy they generate goes on to actually put things in motion, while the remainder is lost in the form of heat (I know, I was shocked too).Despite the automotive industrys enormous technological advancements, none of them managed to improve that shameful figure by any significant margin. Sure, there's no doubt that these powerplants rumble is a truly delightful soundtrack to any petrolheads ears. However, in terms of efficiency, theyre nothing but an utterly scandalous turn-off.On the other hand, we cant really blame someone for wishing to spend the duration of their trip in the comfort of a private car, instead of having no choice but to get up close and personal with strangers on the subway at rush hour.When youre working nine to five, theres just no way of avoiding getting all touchy with other folks on overcrowded trains or buses. Oh, needless to say, some of these fellows have a very questionable level of hygiene; and anyone who lives in a large city knows precisely what Im talking about! Kumpan Electric (also known as E-bility GmbH) was founded in 2010 by Patrik, Daniel and Philipp Tykesson. The German manufacturer specializes in developing eco-friendly scooters and their current range consists of four fully electric models. As you might have already guessed, these green machines score a big fat zero on the emissions scale.The first variant in Kumpans 54i family is a tiny entry-level two-wheeler that goes by the name of Inspire. This little guy is fed by as many as three 51-volt lithium ion batteries, with a combined maximum range of 112 miles (180 km). Its e-motor will produce up to 4 hp, allowing for a top speed of 28 mph (45 kph). While the Inspire wont be setting any Nurburgring world records any time soon, itll certainly do the trick when it comes to avoiding traffic jams or crowded subways.Next, the 54 Iconic features a similar setup, but its motors output figures and top speed are slightly higher. Additionally, unlike its humbler sibling, the Iconic comes equipped with a full LED lighting package.As we move on to the upper echelons of Kumpans e-goodness, well run into the Impulse. It prides itself with a top speed of just over 43 mph (70 kph), as well as a combined braking system (or CBS) that handles stopping power.Last but not least, the firm refers to their range-topping model as Ignite. This bad boy is perfectly capable of reaching a top speed of 62 mph (100 kph), thanks to its motors 9.4 ponies. Furthermore, you will find upgraded hydraulic disc brakes and CBS, along with an improved suspension kit. Finally, its wheels are hugged by a pair of high-performance sport tires.Each and every one of these innovative pieces of machinery was honored with a 7 (17.8 cm) touch-sensitive display that enables you to keep track of battery life and top speed. All things considered, Kumpans electric two-wheelers pack the basic characteristics that youd expect from just about any scooter.Nonetheless, they achieve this in an environmentally friendly fashion, which is definitely worthy of some credit! An Arkansas man has been sentenced to two life terms plus 835 years in prison for the fatal shooting of an off-duty police officer in northeast Arkansas two years ago. Demarcus Parker, 27, was convicted on Tuesday of first-degree murder, illegally shooting a weapon from a vehicle and 21 related charges in the April 2018 shooting death of Forrest City officer Oliver Johnson, according to court documents. Prosecutors have said Parker was shooting at rival gang members outside Johnson's apartment on South Avalon Street in West Memphis at 3.30pm on April 28 when the officer was struck by a stray bullet. Scroll down for video Demarcus Donnell Parker, 27 (left), has been sentenced to two life in prison terms plus 835 years for the fatal shooting of off-duty police officer Oliver Johnson Jr, 25 (right) Oliver was playing video games in his apartment on South Avalon Street in West Memphis, Arkansas, on April 28, 2018, when a shootout between rival gang members broke out outside A stray bullet went inside Johnson's game room and struck him, causing fatal injuries At the time of the shooting, Johnson was playing video games with his family, including one of his daughters. Investigators have said the officer was likely not the target of the gunfire. Parker was arrested less than two weeks later alongside his alleged accomplice Neighbors at the Meadow Apartments reported hearing some 40 gunshots, according to WREG. Portia Weatherspoon, Johnson's relative who lives in the building, rushed into his unit and attempted to perform CPR on him. Less than two weeks after the officer's shooting death, police in West Memphis arrested Parker and his alleged accomplice, 24-year-old George Henderson. On Tuesday, Judge Randy Philhours followed the jury's sentencing recommendation and ruled that Parker's prison terms are to run consecutively. 'Sadly, none of this will bring Officer Johnson back to his family, but maybe they will find some comfort that justice was served this week,' Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington stated after the sentencing. Johnson, a three-year veteran on the Forrest City PD's force, had a fiancee and two young daughters A trial on similar charges is pending against Henderson, who has pleaded not guilty. Johnson, who had served with the Forrest City Police Department for three years, was survived by his fiancee and two daughters. Family members and colleagues described Johnson as genuine, caring and hardworking. The rumored Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) made a brief appearance on Samsung Philippiness website today revealing it's indeed coming soon. The listing revealed the phone will come in Cloud Navy and Cloud Lavender colors and a single 128GB memory variant. The device bears the SM-G780F model number and also comes with dual-SIM support. Galaxy S20 FE on Samsung Philippines website We already know quite a bit about the S20FE including its key specs and all six of its official colorways. It will carry a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 865 for the 5G version and Exynos 990 on the 4G only model. The rest of the spec sheet for both trims includes a triple camera setup with a 12MP OIS main shooter, 12MP ultrawide shooter and an 8MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and OIS. Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition in all six colors The S20 FE will pack a 4,500 mAh battery with 15W charging and a should boot Android 10 with Samsungs One UI 2.5 on top. The phone will reportedly arrive in October with a base price of $760/640. Via If an airline -- or any other company -- drags its feet for too long on a refund, you have another option. You can dispute the charge on your credit card. Although some banks have time limits on a dispute, they are routinely waived for cases like this. In other words, if a company strings you along, you still may have the option of filing a dispute if the company doesnt respond to you in a timely manner. Your bank can, and will, hold it accountable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation on Wednesday with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and the two leaders exchanged views on the global challenges following the Covid-19 pandemic. The Prime Ministers Office said Modi expressed his appreciation for the leadership provided by Saudi Arabia during its ongoing presidency of the G20 grouping. He also expressed special thanks to King Salman for the support provided to Indian expatriates by the Saudi authorities during the pandemic. The two leaders agreed that the initiatives taken at the level of the G20 had helped in promoting a coordinated response to the pandemic. They also discussed the main priorities presently on the agenda of the G20, it said. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the state of bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia, and committed to further strengthening cooperation in all areas, the PMO said. Modi conveyed his warm wishes for the good health and well-being of King Salman, other members of the royal family of Saudi Arabia and all citizens of the kingdom. Mitford Mundell appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Africa - he has extensive experience with Africa's largest miners including Harmony Gold, De Beers Mining Corporation and Anglo American Jacques Du Triou appointed as Chief Operating Officer, Africa - Mr Du Triou has over 28 years experience in the South African mining industry, including 17 years with Harmony Gold Both have proven track record of project delivery and optimisation and will assist Theta in transitioning from developer to near term, low cost gold producer Multiple near term value catalysts pending SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Theta Gold Mines Limited ("Theta Gold" or "Company") (ASX:TGM, TGMO)(OTCQB:TGMGF) is pleased to advise that it has strengthened its management team with the appointment of Mitford Mundell as Chief Executive Officer - Africa and Jacques Du Triou as Chief Operating Officer - Africa, effective 1 October 2020. Mr Mundell has extensive experience in the mining sector and specialises in asset optimisation, strategic planning, stakeholder management, project building, and change management in open pit and underground mining contexts. He has worked and consulted to some of Africa's largest mining companies including Harmony, De Beers Mining Corporation, Namakwa Diamonds and Anglo American. At Harmony, Africa's largest gold company, Mr Mundell gained extensive hands-on experience beginning as a miner and rising through to Shift Boss, Mine Captain, Mine Manager, General Manager and Business Coach. Amongst others, Mr Mundell was Mine Manager at the Kalgold Project, Harmony's open-pit gold operation in South Africa. He was responsible for commissioning multiple mines and establishing one of Harmony's mines as the lowest cost producer in the group. Most recently as CEO of Namakwa Diamonds, Mr Mundell led the commissioning and expansion of its Kao Diamond Mine. He delivered a new plant and took Namakwa to profitability, increased plant throughput and extended the initial three-year mine life to +20 years, tripling the company's valuation. Story continues Mr Du Triou has over 28 years experience in the South African mining industry across all stages of a mine's lifecycle. He specialises in project and financial evaluations, construction, mine expansion, risk assessments, due diligence, execution and commissioning to full nameplate capacity. He began his career with Harmony and progressed to General Manager (2009-2015). During this time, he led the Doornkop South Reed deepening project which had an estimated capital cost of R1.2Bn (~A$990m) from feasibility to peak production. He also worked extensively on Harmony's Kalgold project. Following his time with Harmony, Jacques founded Qmotion Mining. As Managing Director, he developed and implemented business strategies that established the company as a successful contracting services provider. Qmotion has successfully delivered contracts for the Evander Gold Mine, Sibanye Stillwater, Anglo Platinum, Royal Bafokeng Platinum and Murray and Roberts. The company has 377 full time employees servicing the mining industry. Both executives have extensive proven track records in project development and project delivery. Mr Mundell and Mr Du Triou's appointments strengthen the Company's in country operations team and their skill sets align to the Company's near term development and pending production activities. Chairman, Mr Bill Guy said: "The appointment of Mitford and Jacques is a major coup for Theta Gold. Both have a strong skill sets and proven experience in the South African mining sector and these could not be more aligned to our requirements, especially as we transition from mine developer to low cost gold producer. Both Mitford and Jacques have operated at all levels of the mining industry and are skilled in both open cut and underground mining. This is imperative for our project development, as it will allow the Company to continue its work on the open pit, while simultaneously assessing underground mining opportunities on already granted mining rights. This will also allow the Company to further refine and potentially extend its life of mine. Theta Gold has considerable optionality across our vast asset base and the upside value is significant. More updates on mine development activities are pending and we are at a very exciting stage in the Company's evolution. We have a number of near term value catalysts pending that have the potential to be significant rerating events." Mr Mitford's remuneration package includes 4,100,000 incentive options and performance rights and Mr Du Triou's remuneration package includes 2,460,000 incentive options and performance rights, both with operational performance hurdles linked to the successful development and operation of the Company's Theta Project. The securities will be issued on 1 October 2020. This announcement was authorised for release by the Board of Theta Gold Mines Limited. -ENDS- For more information please visit www.thetagoldmines.com Bill Guy, Chairman Theta Gold Mines Limited + 61 2 8046 7584 billg@thetagoldmines.com Investor Relations: Australia - Ben Jarvis, Six Degrees Investor Relations: +61 (0) 431 271 538 United States - Michael Porter, Porter, LeVay & Rose Inc: +1 212 564 4700 theta@plrinvest.com ABOUT THETA GOLD MINES LIMITED Theta Gold Mines Limited (ASX: TGM, TGMO | OTCQB: TGMGF) is a gold development company that holds a range of prospective gold assets in a world-renowned South African gold mining region. These assets include several surface and near-surface high-grade gold projects which provide cost advantages relative to other gold producers in the region. Theta Gold's core project is located next to the historical gold mining town of Pilgrim's Rest, in Mpumalanga Province, some 370km northeast of Johannesburg by road or 95km north of Nelspruit (Capital City of Mpumalanga Province). Following small scale production from 2011 - 2015, the Company is currently focussing on the construction of a new gold processing plant within its approved footprint at the TGME plant, and for the processing of the Theta Open Pit oxide gold ore. Nearby surface and underground mines and prospects are expected to be further evaluated in the future. The Company aims to build a solid production platform to over 160kozpa based primarily around shallow, open-pit or adit-entry shallow underground hard rock mining sources. Theta Gold has access to over 43 historical mines and prospect areas that can be accessed and explored, with over 6.7Moz of historical production recorded. Theta Gold holds 100% issued capital of its South African subsidiary, Stonewall Mining (Pty) Ltd ("Stonewall"). Stonewall holds a 74% shareholding in both Transvaal Gold Mining Estates Limited ("TGME") and Sabie Mines (Pty) Ltd ("Sabie Mines"). The balance of shareholding is held by Black Economic Empowerment ("BEE") entities. The South African Mining Charter requires a minimum of 26% meaningful economic participation by the historically disadvantaged South Africans ("HDSAs"). The BEE shareholding in TGME and Sabie Mines is comprised of a combination of local community trusts, an employee trust and a strategic entrepreneurial partner. DISCLAIMER This announcement has been prepared by and issued by Theta Gold Mines Limited to assist in informing interested parties about the Company and should not be considered as an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities in the Company or as an inducement to make an offer or invitation with respect to those securities. No agreement to subscribe for securities in the Company will be entered into on the basis of this announcement. This announcement may contain forward looking statements. Whilst Theta Gold has no reason to believe that any such statements and projections are either false, misleading or incorrect, it does not warrant or guarantee such statements. Nothing contained in this announcement constitutes investment, legal, tax or other advice. This overview of Theta Gold does not purport to be all inclusive or to contain all information which its recipients may require in order to make an informed assessment of the Company's prospects. Before making an investment decision, you should consult your professional adviser, and perform your own analysis prior to making any investment decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Company makes no representation and gives no assurance, guarantee or warranty, express or implied, as to, and take no responsibility and assume no liability for, the authenticity, validity, accuracy, suitability or completeness of, or any errors in or omissions, from any information, statement or opinion contained in this announcement. This announcement contains information, ideas and analysis which are proprietary to Theta Gold. FORWARD LOOKING AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS This announcement may refer to the intention of Theta Gold regarding estimates or future events which could be considered forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are typically preceded by words such as "Forecast", "Planned", "Expected", "Intends", "Potential", "Conceptual", "Believes", "Anticipates", "Predicted", "Estimated" or similar expressions. Forward looking statements, opinions and estimates included in this announcement are based on assumptions and contingencies which are subject to change without notice, and may be influenced by such factors as funding availability, market-related forces (commodity prices, exchange rates, stock market indices and the like) and political or economic events (including government or community issues, global or systemic events). Forward looking statements are provided as a general reflection of the intention of the Company as at the date of release of the document, however are subject to change without notice, and at any time. Future events are subject to risks and uncertainties, and as such results, performance and achievements may in fact differ from those referred to in this announcement. Mining, by its nature, and related activities including mineral exploration, are subject to a large number of variables and risks, many of which cannot be adequately addressed, or be expected to be assessed, in this document. Work contained within or referenced in this report may contain incorrect statements, errors, miscalculations, omissions and other mistakes. For this reason, any conclusions, inferences, judgments, opinions, recommendations or other interpretations either contained in this announcement, or referencing this announcement, cannot be relied upon. There can be no assurance that future results or events will be consistent with any such opinions, forecasts or estimates. The Company believes it has a reasonable basis for making the forward looking statements contained in this document, with respect to any production targets, resource statements or financial estimates, however further work to define Mineral Resources or Reserves, technical studies including feasibilities, and related investigations are required prior to commencement of mining. No liability is accepted for any loss, cost or damage suffered or incurred by the reliance on the sufficiency or completeness of the information, opinions or beliefs contained in this announcement. SOURCE: Theta Gold Mines Limited View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/605352/Theta-Appoints-Two-Ex-Harmony-Gold-Specialists-To-Leadership-Team The Luxembourg Directorate of Health currently has no plans to reduce the length of time for coronavirus isolation cases. Jean-Claude Schmit told RTL the period of isolation in Luxembourg will remain 14 days, despite the French government announcing plans to reduce this to 7 days on Monday. Since the end of lockdown in France, quarantine for contacts has lasted 7 days, with a test on the fifth day. The shorter quarantine was implemented to help the public accept it, as infections develop within a week. A seven-day quarantine has less of an impact on social and economic matters. These reasons have led to discussions in other countries regarding the isolation period designed for those who have come into contact with an infected person. However, Luxembourg's Directorate of Health said they would still advise people to continue exercising caution for a second week after quarantine. The Kentucky Attorney General is set to announce whether criminal charges will be filed against the Louisville Metro Police Department officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor, reports suggest. Multiple sources confirmed to WAVE 3 that the case is being presented to a grand jury this week at an undisclosed location. The office of Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron has conducted a months-long investigation into the shooting death of Taylor, who was killed by LMPD narcotics officers as they served a no-knock warrant at her Louisville home in March. The presentation is expected to take at least two days. The grand jury will then be given time to deliberate whether any of the officers involved should face criminal charges. An announcement on whether charges will be filed is not expected from Cameron's office until at least next week - marking nearly six months on from Taylor's death. The three officers who fired their weapons that night have been at the center of consistent public backlash ever since, with protesters calling for them to be fired and charged with murder. One of the officers, Brett Hankison, was fired for 'blindly' firing 10 shots into Taylors apartment from outside. The other two, John Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, remain on the force on administrative assignment. Cameron's office has not yet responded to a DailyMail.com request for comment. Breonna Taylor, 26, pictured, died in the early hours of March 13 after cops raided her home in Louisville. An incident report on her death released this week by Louisville police, three months after the shooting, is virtually blank and provides inaccuracies and inconsistencies The office of Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron has been investigating the shooting death of Taylor for several weeks, after she was killed by LMPD narcotics officers as they served a no-knock warrant at her Louisville home in March One of the officers, Brett Hankison (left), was fired for 'blindly' firing 10 shots into Taylors apartment from outside. The other two, (left to right) John Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, remain on the force on administrative assignment. Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was fatally shot eight times by police as they served a no-knock warrant at her apartment on March 13 and opened fire. Police descended on Taylors apartment that night after securing a court-approved warrant as part of a drugs investigation that allowed officers to enter her home without any prior warning. The suspect at the center of the probe had apparently lived at the same address years earlier and continued to receive packages there. Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker had been sleeping in bed when the officers served the warrant at around 1am. Believing they were soon to be victims of a home invasion, Walker, a licensed gun owner, fired a shot into the direction of the doorway, striking Sergeant John Mattingly in the leg. Officer Brett Hankinson then returned fire, discharging his weapon in the direction of Walker 10 times. Mattingly and Cosgrove also opened fire. Breonna Taylor was hit eight times and pronounced dead at the scene. Somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend, a frantic Walker told dispatchers in a 911 call. Unbeknown to the officers at Taylors home, the suspect they were actually searching for had been taken into custody hours earlier in a separate location. Breonna Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker filed the civil lawsuit in Jefferson County District Court in Kentucky on Tuesday Taylor's death's received national attention two months later, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police in May. Floyd died gasping for breathe under the knee of Derek Chauvin on Memorial Day. His final words, 'I can't breathe' became the rallying cry of thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets across the country to protest against racism and police brutality. The latest development in Taylor's case comes just days after new crime scene photos, taken hours after she was gunned down, were released publicly. The images offer, for the first time, a glimpse into the scope of the fatal shooting, showing a number of shell casings in and near the EMT's apartment. They also raise questions about previous statements made by law enforcement who have said there is no body cam footage of the raid because narcotics officers don't wear cameras. The 1,232 photos, which were only obtained by media outlets on Friday, were included in the now-closed criminal case against Kenneth Walker. Walker, who filed a lawsuit against police this week, was initially charged with attempted murder after firing a single shot at officer Mattingly. The charge was later dropped without prejudice, which means he could potentially be charged again in the future. Several photos show bullet casing scattered on the ground throughout Taylor's apartment and out into the parking lot of the complex. At least 10 bullets went into Taylor's apartment through a sliding glass door located in the living room and also through a bedroom window. The window and door had the blinds drawn at the time. There are also five bullet holes lodged in two neighboring apartments. Bullet holes and blood smeared on the walls could be seen in one evidence photo Bullets were found lodged within Taylor's underwear drawers inside her bedroom Pants worn by Sgt Jonathan Mattingly, who was shot by Taylor's boyfriend, were displayed Sgt Mattingly's wallet, covered in blood, was pictured by police showing the aftermath The handgun which Taylor's boyfriend fired out the window, hitting Mattingly, was shown Steve Romines, who is representing Walker in his lawsuit against the police department, told WDRB that the crime scene photos show Taylor's apartment looked like a 'war zone'. 'I've been doing criminal defense for 30 years, and I've never seen a crime scene like this,' he said. 'The various trajectories of the bullets that they fired, I mean, they're literally wildly shooting. They're in various walls. They're in the ceilings. They're in the floors. You know, they're through pots and pans in the kitchen. 'I mean, they're just shooting everywhere.' Other evidence photos, first reported on by Vice, show that at least one officer who raided the apartment was wearing a body camera at the time. In the crime scene photos, a body camera can be seen on officer Anthony James' right shoulder. Another officer, Myles Cosgrove, can also be seen in the photos wearing a body camera holder. Immediately after the fatal shooting, police chief Steve Conrad and Mayor Greg Fischer, said no footage existed of the raid because narcotics officers were not required to wear body cameras. 'This incident was related to the execution of a search warrant by members of our Criminal Interdiction Division and some of the officers assigned to this division do not wear body-worn video systems,' Conrad, who has since been fired, said. The Mayor has repeatedly said that the officers involved in the raid were not wearing cameras. The Louisville police department did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment about the presence of the bodycam. Officers have to activate the cameras themselves. Romines, Walker's attorney, said there was no excuse for the officer not to activate it. 'That begs the question, you have it on your shoulder for that specific reason,' he said. 'What possible excuse is there not to have it on?' Police are now required to wear body cameras in the wake of Taylor's shooting. No-knock search warrants have also been banned in Louisville following a unanimous vote of the Metro Council back in June. Images from inside Breonna Taylor's bedroom have been revealed for the first time In the crime scene photos, a body camera can be seen on officer Anthony James' right shoulder (seen left). Another officer, Myles Cosgrove (right), can be seen in the photos wearing a body camera holder Several photos show bullet casing scattered on the ground throughout Taylor's apartment and out into the parking lot of the complex At least 10 bullets went into Taylor's apartment through a sliding glass door located in the living room and also through a bedroom window Police say one of the officers, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, was shot in the leg by Kenneth during the raid. Romines, however, has since said there is evidence that Walker didn't fire the shot that injured the officer. Romines said officers likely fired about 40 bullets into Taylor's apartment in two different waves after Kenneth fired the initial shot. 'We know police are firing wildly from various angles,' Romines said. 'The timeline and evidence at the scene is more indicative of (police) actually shooting Mattingly than it is Kenny Walker.' Walker was not injured during the raid and officers never found any drugs inside Taylor's home. Walker fired his gun when officers stormed into the apartment and has since said he thought he was defending against a home invasion. At the time, Walker told police that he could hear knocking on the night of the shooting but did not hear police announce themselves. Walker said he was 'scared to death' so he grabbed his gun and when the door was knocked down, he fired a shot. He said his intention was to fire a warning shot downward toward the ground. 'I am a legal gun owner and I would never knowingly shoot at a police officer,' Walker said on Tuesday. Taylor - who had no criminal record and worked for two local hospitals. Civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump said he is 'appalled' at the incident report on Taylor's death Taylor's death's received national attention two months later, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police in May Also Tuesday, more than 2,700 white women penned a letter to Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, urging him to 'listen to black women, and fire the officers who killed Breonna Taylor.' 'No matter what you do next, our city cannot move forward with moral integrity and faith in a better future without the firing of the officers involved in Breonna's death,' the letter states. 'There is no leaping over Breonna Taylor's body to the broader changes you and we know are necessary. Those are tied together and cannot be pried apart.' The letter, first reported by the Courier Journal, was co-signed by more than 400 women from Louisville and 2,300 others from across the US before being sent to Fischer late Tuesday. 'Listen to Black women like Breonna's mother,' it reads. 'Listen to the Black women who are leading on the streets, putting their own lives at risk crying out for justice. 'Listen to the Black women who work every day to make this a better community, who tend to all the ways that the legacy of racism, in this community and communities across the country, have left people behind. 'Listen to Black women, Mayor Fischer, and fire the police officers who killed Breonna,' it adds. 'Then we can step across a threshold and onto the path of compassion and justice our city and the world needs now.' This is a developing story. Please check back for updates... An Alabama churchs Jesus 2020 campaign has gone nationwide, with election-style yard signs now on display in most states. It started it in July when several women at Sampey Memorial Baptist Church in Ramer, a town about 20 miles south of Montgomery, got together to talk about ideas for ways to make people feel included in church despite the coronavirus lockdown. Martha Sikes, an elementary school teacher, suggested yard signs encouraging people to take a stand for Jesus. We just decided we would start a campaign for Jesus, so people could see it and be a part of it, said life-long church member Joyce Hubbard, who works as a utilities manager in Ramer. Hubbard then hit upon the idea of using election-style, red, white and blue Jesus 2020 campaign signs. We dont see Jesus' name out there, she said. Were going to put him out there. Hes the one that doesnt lie to you, who keeps his promises. Unlike politicians, Jesus can be trusted all the time, she said. Hes already the winner, Hubbard said. We want people to elect him to be the leader in their life. Its not political, not denominational, were not trying to swing anyones votes. People have speculated about ulterior motives in attempting to affect the race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Were trying to keep politics out of this, Hubbard said. "Our focus is on Jesus. There are a lot of things in the world that are disheartening. We know that Jesus is the answer. He can solve everything. Were totally focusing on him. Its uplifting. Its giving people something to focus on besides politics." The church has given away more than 7,000 signs. Wells Printing in Montgomery set up a Jesus 2020 web site, takes direct orders and has sold more than 30,000 yard signs nationwide at $6 each. Theyve been documented in yards from California and Washington on the west coast to Ohio and Illinois in the Midwest to Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York in the east. Signs have been spotted in Nevada, Idaho, North Carolina and South Carolina. They are probably on display in most states in the continental United States, with help from churches of all denominations buying in bulk and distributing them, Hubbard said. Orders are coming in every day from all over the country, she said. We have people sending us pictures of the signs in their yards. People call us up and pray with us on the phone. Sampey Memorial Baptist Church has fewer than 200 members, and since reopening for social-distanced worship in May after a two-month shutdown, only about 20 to 30 are in the church building on Sundays for worship services. We dont have to be a big church, Hubbard said. "All it takes is a little spark. So many wonderful things have happened." A church member who suffers from multiple sclerosis needed a van to get to her doctors appointments, she said. Someone who came to the church to get a Jesus 2020 sign mentioned she was trying to sell her van. We got it at a really low price, Hubbard said. It was just a gift from God. We feel like the Lord is showing favor to us. Putting Ramer on the map The campaign was never about raising money and the church doesnt seek donations for the signs it bought and gave away, although the printer does charge for them. We havent asked for any donations, Hubbard said. We have just been giving the signs away. Weve had over half of what we spent donated to us. Ramer is between but not on U.S. 231 and U.S. 331, both of which are routes to the beach. Youve got to be coming to Ramer, Hubbard said. The Jesus 2020 campaign has brought an unaccustomed spotlight to the town. Were putting Ramer on the map, she said. The signs have frequently ended up on yards in areas heavily traveled by tourists, such as Gulf Shores, Fairhope, Dauphin Island and Enterprise, which is on the way to the beach. We all have our personal beliefs and moral issues were standing for, Hubbard said. Jesus is here for all the sinners. Were trying to put Jesus out there so people can see his name. The Jesus 2020 campaign has given Sampey Memorial Baptist Church members a respite from the pandemic lifestyle. My fears and my anxiety about everything going on has left, Hubbard said. Im filled with joy. The appeal of Jesus 2020 crosses racial and denominational boundaries, she pointed out. Catholic and Pentecostal churches have helped distribute the signs. They all feel like we do, she said. This is what the country needs - Jesus. Its something we have in common. Its very heartwarming to see. Its been wonderful to ride by and see them proudly displaying these signs. Sampey Memorial Baptist Church dates to 1857 and still has an 1800s-era building that hosts an annual service during Thanksgiving week. We have a lot of shut-ins, a lot of people that cant go to church, but if youve got a sign in your yard, thats part of our ministry, Hubbard said. Prayer march in D.C. Six members of the church plan to attend a prayer march led by Franklin Graham in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol building. Sampey Memorial Baptist and other churches plan to host prayer events that Saturday at 8 a.m. Hubbard said the signs will stay up past the Nov. 3 election. 2020 is not over until Dec. 31, she said. Well let God tell us what to do then. We know Jesus is forever. Were hoping and praying for a revival in the country. Ken Bonnell is one of the most accomplished and respected top executives in QA and compliance, and he brings with him a solid track record, superb leadership skills, and a keen understanding of the regulatory issues and challenges that biosciences companies face," said Tara Kochis-Stach. Slone Partners, a nationwide executive search firm for life sciences, biotechnology, and diagnostics companies, has announced the placement of Kenneth Bonnell as Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Aldevron. Bonnell will join the companys executive team, and in addition to overseeing quality and regulatory compliance, will supervise standards across all of Aldevrons operations sites. Bonnell is an accomplished quality, operations, and regulatory compliance expert with more than two decades of experience in the biosciences, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries. Most recently, he served as the Vice President and Global Head of Quality for Teligent Pharma, a multi-million dollar global pharmaceutical company, where he was responsible for returning the organization to a state of compliance following an FDA warning letter. He also spent five years at Merck, where he served as Director of Quality Assurance, and six years at PCI Pharma, where he served as Executive Director of QA, and later as Global Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs. Founded in 1998, Aldevron is the leading global supplier of GMP, GMP-Source, and Research Grade plasmid DNA used in commercial, clinical, and research stage gene therapies, as well as proteins, antibodies, and mRNA. The company's custom development and manufacturing capabilities enable scientists worldwide to develop groundbreaking new therapies with a focus on quality, speed, and innovation. Ken Bonnell is one of the most accomplished and respected top executives in QA and compliance, and he brings with him a solid track record, superb leadership skills, and a keen understanding of the regulatory issues and challenges that biosciences companies face. He will be an excellent addition to the Aldevron management team, and Slone Partners was honored to have partnered with the company to place him, said Slone Partners President Tara Kochis-Stach. Ken is a rare industry expert on biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical device regulatory compliance, standards, and quality assurance, said Marc Wolff, Aldevrons Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. His work ethic, team-based approach, and dedication to delivering the best outcome for our clients, make him the optimal fit on the biomanufacturing team. Aldevron has a distinguished reputation for the highest quality products and services, said Bonnell. I look forward to building upon and strengthening that reputation by reviewing all currently established procedures and implementing process improvements, maintaining rigorous compliance and regulatory standards, and further supporting our clients approval processes. Bonnell graduated with a B.S. degree in Biology from Mary Washington University, Fredericksburg, VA; and an M.B.A. in Business Management from Montgomery University, Meridian, MS; and a Master of Science in Biology from the University of Nebraska, Kearney, NE. ABOUT SLONE PARTNERS Slone Partners delivers the leaders who build amazing scientific healthcare organizations People Are Our Science. Since 2000, Slone Partners specializes in delivering world-class C-suite leadership, executive, and upper management talent to the most promising and established life sciences, biotech, diagnostics, precision medicine, CRO, and laboratory services companies. With coast-to-coast presence in the most active healthcare industry hubs of Boston, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, Research Triangle Park NC, and Washington DC, Slone Partners uniquely and precisely provides an array of executive search and advisory services to innovative scientific healthcare companies. To learn more about Slone Partners value proposition and processes, visit http://www.slonepartners.com or call 888.784.3422. ABOUT ALDEVRON Aldevron serves the biotechnology industry with custom production of nucleic acids, proteins, and antibodies. Thousands of clients use Aldevron-produced plasmids, RNA and gene editing enzymes for projects ranging from research grade to clinical trials to commercial applications. Aldevron specializes in GMP manufacturing and is known for inventing the GMP-Source quality system. Company headquarters are in Fargo, N.D., with additional facilities in Madison, WI, and Freiburg, Germany. For more information visit https://www.aldevron.com. Swiss Ambassador to China Bernardino Regazzoni (Peoples Daily Online/Xian Jiangnan) This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland. In a recent interview with Peoples Daily Online, Swiss Ambassador to China Bernardino Regazzoni voiced confidence in reinforcing bilateral relations with China and enhancing cooperation to achieve sustainable development. As one of the first Western countries to recognize the Peoples Republic of China, Switzerland was also the first continental European country to sign a free trade agreement with China, the first European country to recognize China's full market economy status, and a founding member of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank. The two countries have made quite a big achievement over the past 70 years, said the ambassador. As of today, China is to us the third most important economic partner after the European Union and the United States. [We have] a very strong economic relationship, he said. Meanwhile, the ambassador praised Chinas unprecedented signs of further opening up, such as in the financial sector. Switzerland strongly believes in open economies because we have a small domestic market. That educated us to be open in our economy, having free trade agreements with the whole world, including China, he said. Switzerland strongly believes in multilateralism and will work along with China for a full integration of international rules, said Ambassador Regazzoni. The ambassador stressed that Switzerland calls for building an effective multilateral system based on the same rules for all countries. He added that as the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major setback for countries and economies, it is very important that our economies stay open More than ever, we need to work for an effective multilateral system, namely, for upgrading WTO rules and for trade and economic relations, Regazzoni said. 2020 is a decisive year for China to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all aspects and to end extreme poverty. The ambassador expressed his respect for the impressive development China has achieved over the past seven decades, especially after Chinas reform and opening up. I am really impressed by the success China achieved in the fight against poverty, which is unique in the history of mankind in such a short lapse of time to have taken out around 800 million people from poverty, he said. The ambassador also mentioned Chinas rapid development of electronic commerce, noting that everyone from Switzerland would be amazed by how digitalization and payment systems have developed in China. According to Regazzoni, Swiss companies are also active in joining e-commerce in China. About 150 Swiss brands are sold on major Chinese e-commerce platforms, and are performing well, he said, adding that its a thriving sector where Swiss products and companies can find their place in China. Looking ahead, the ambassador said that one common goal Switzerland and China have for the decades to come is also cooperation in sustainable development. He noted that to achieve this goal, Switzerland and China have already launched bilateral projects in fields such as clean air and sustainable buildings. These are two examples about our innovative cooperation, no longer on poverty reduction, but aimed at achieving sustainable development goals in partnership with China, said the ambassador. Black Panther has topped the Official Film Chart for the first times as audiences revisit Chadwick Bosemans memorable lead performance as T'Challa, in the 2018 Marvel film. Boseman sadly died on 28 August following a private, four-year battle with colon cancer. The film which was released before the Official Film Charts inception first entered the Top 10 last week at number nine following a flurry of sales after the news was announced, and lifts this week to the top spot as fans continue to look back at the career of the esteemed late actor. Black Panther (Credit: Marvel) Disney+ is also honouring Chadwick Boseman with the release of Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King A Special Edition of 20/20 on the streaming platform. Originally airing on ABC on Sunday, August 30, the special celebrates Bosemans storied life, legacy and career and the cultural imprint he made on and off-screen. The Official Film Chart tracks both physical and digital sales across the UK. Chadwick Boseman at the 90th Annual Academy Awards (Oscars) presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (Hollywood, CA, USA) Sonic the Hedgehog (2), Trolls World Tour (3), 1917 (4) and Joker (5) hold tight onto their positions, as Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker jumps four places to number six. Read more: Lupita Nyong'o calls death of Chadwick Boseman 'a punch to my gut' Birds of Prey (7) and Dolittle (8) both drop one place, as Jumanji: The Next Level rises three to Number 9 and Bad Boys For Life rounds off the Top 10 after climbing six places. Further notable Top 20 entries include 2001: A Space Odyssey at Number 13, 1985 classic The Goonies at Number 16 following the release of a new SteelBook edition, and a huge uplift for Avengers: Endgame, which flies 16 places to Number 18. This weeks Official Film Chart video also features a sneak peek at the all-new Scooby-Doo adventure, SCOOB! starring Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried. The film's plot follows an origin story and the formation of Mystery Inc. as they are joined forces by Blue Falcon and Dynomutt to solve their most complex mystery yet. SCOOB! is available to Download & Keep from 14 September. Patna, Sep 9 : Unemployment has emerged as a major issue ahead of the Assembly election in Bihar with leaders of the ruling JDU-BJP combine taking the opposition RJD head on. Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi also joined the debate over unemployment on Wednesday and tweeted that the NDA government in Bihar has created 6 lakh jobs. He claimed the NDA had issued credit cards to students and also implemented policy of waiver if they are unable to repay. He further tweeted that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has answered all queries during the virtual rally on September 7 on issues of road infrastructure, power, health, education, agriculture, graveyards, temples, reservation, employment and law and order situation in Bihar, both now and during the earlier RJD tenure. He alleged that RJD wants to create anarchy through baseless allegations. Earlier in the day, state Labour Development Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that Bihar has created 1 crore jobs overall. The unemployment issue was first raised by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on September 5 when he attacked the Nitish Kumar government for its inability to create jobs in different government departments. He alleged that 4.5 lakh posts in different departments are vacant for years and Nitish Kumar was unable to fill those posts. He also slammed Bihar government for being unable to prevent migration. September 9, 2020 - The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has affected all aspects of healthcare - including sharp drops in educational opportunities for resident physicians in training. In response, urology training programs across the United States joined forces to develop a multi-institutional online video lecture collaboration, according to a special article in Urology Practice, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. Called "Urology Collaborative Online Video Didactics" - Urology COViD for short - the online lecture series has been a runaway success in the urology world, with thousands of views and overwhelmingly positive reviews from trainees and educators. Lindsay A. Hampson, Assistant Professor of Urology at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and colleagues share their experience with the development and initial evaluation of the groundbreaking lecture series. Urology Programs Team Up to Replace Educational Opportunities Lost to Coronavirus An overlooked effect of drastic declines in routine clinical care has been the loss of invaluable training opportunities for resident physicians. This may be especially true in surgical specialties such as urology, as many hospitals have only recently started to resume operations other than emergency or urgent surgery. Spurred by an example from another surgical subspecialty (otolaryngology), the urology residents at UCSF brought the idea to Dr. Hampson. The following day Dr. Hampson conceptualized Urology COViD and reached out to program directors at eight academic training programs: UCSF, University of Washington, University of California-Davis, Stanford University, University of Minnesota, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and University of Virginia. There was immediate buy-in, with programs across the country facing the same issues with how to train residents during decreased clinical volume and changing educational contexts. Within a week the UCSF team had created a new website (https://urologycovid.ucsf.edu/) and launched Urology COViD as a "urology-specific collaborative didactic series." Almost immediately, there was a significant influx of collaborating programs from across the country; by the end of the first week of lectures, volunteer faculty had filled all 84 available lecture slots. The following week, a month-long waiting list was filled. Consisting of a 45-minute lecture followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session, lectures are delivered live over the Zoom platform in webinar format, including interactive features. All lectures are subsequently posted on the website for viewing via YouTube. By any measure, Urology COViD has been a smashing success, with lectures delivered by faculty from 35 institutions. The twice-daily webinars have been seen by an average of more than 470 viewers live on Zoom. Within the first two weeks, there were more than 7,000 views of the lecture recordings on YouTube. More than 90 percent of users leaving feedback on the lecture series and videos have left above average or excellent ratings. More than 80 percent said the series provided a sense of "community connectedness" during a time of social isolation. "All (100 percent) of the viewers surveyed in this study indicated that they would like to see the series continue into the future," the researchers write. Urology COViD is resuming in September and is expected to provide continued educational opportunities even after the pandemic ends. "There will be a time in the future when we are back in the operating rooms, clinics and lecture halls," Dr. Hampson and colleagues conclude. "We hope that this series can evolve and persist so that these new collaborative educational efforts can outlast the pandemic and continue to provide a source of shared knowledge, resident teaching, and community building for our diverse field." ### Click here to read "Multi-Institutional Collaborative Resident Education in the Era of COVID-19." DOI: 10.1097/UPJ.0000000000000158 About Urology Practice An Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA), Urology Practice focuses on clinical trends, challenges and practice applications in the four areas of Business, Health Policy, the Specialty and Patient Care. Information that can be used in everyday practice will be provided to the urology community via peer-reviewed clinical practice articles (including best practices, reviews, clinical guidelines, select clinical trials, editorials and white papers), "research letters" (brief original studies with an important clinical message), the business of the practice of urology, urology health policy issues, urology education and training, as well as content for urology care team members. About the American Urological Association Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 23,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health care policy. To learn more about the AUA visit: http://www.auanet.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. Ash falls on a parked car as the Bobcat fire burns in the distance Wednesday morning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Smoke from wildfires is causing bad air and falling ash in some parts of Southern California. Air quality officials have issued a wildfire smoke advisory for much of the region through Wednesday evening, warning, Meteorological conditions will bring smoke and ash into portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties. The worst concentrations of smoke, which contains tiny, lung-damaging pollution particles known as PM2.5, are expected in communities closest to the Bobcat and El Dorado fires, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. "Smoke transported from fires in Central and Northern California may also contribute to widespread elevated PM2.5 concentrations, the district said. While air quality in much of Southern California has remained in the good to moderate level at the ground level, satellite imagery shows smoke higher up in the atmosphere over much of the region. The district warned that the region could also see more falling ash as larger particles settle out of the atmosphere. The situation was even worse in the Bay Area, where smoke was dimming the sun and causing red and orange hues in the sky. There were a number of fires burning across Northern California Wednesday that could play a role in darkening the regions skies. The August Complex fire now the second largest fire on record in California has burned more than 421,000 acres north of the Bay Area, in Mendocino, Glenn, Lake, Tehama and Trinity counties. The North Complex fire, which includes the Bear fire, has burned about 254,000 acres northeast of Lake Oroville, Californias second largest reservoir. On Tuesday, the fire spread as fast as 2,000 acres per hour, spread by 45 mph winds, blowing to the southwest. That prompted preparations for evacuations in Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties, and potentially threatens the towns of Paradise and Concow, which were devastated in the 2018 Camp Fire. The Creek fire in the Sierra National Forest in Fresno and Madera counties has burned more than 163,000 acres, and has destroyed at least 60 single-family homes, 20 other minor structures and two commercial structures. It was burning on both sides of the San Joaquin River near Mammoth Pool Reservoir, forcing hundreds of campers to be rescued by helicopter. The Dolan fire in the Big Sur region of Monterey County has charred more than 93,000 acres, largely in the Ventana Wilderness. A number of large wildfires in Oregon also have the potential to send smoke over Northern California. With the number of Covid-19 cases continuing to rise in Delhi, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday sought suggestions from all state government hospitals on increasing the number of beds, especially ICU beds. The chief minister also took stock of the citys testing strategy, after which the state health department issued an order removing the need for prescriptions to get a Covid-19 test. During the meeting, Kejriwal directed all medical superintendents to further improve facilities in government hospitals. Increasing the number of beds in hospitals was also discussed. The chief minister has asked all medical superintendents to suggest ways in which beds can be increasedwith a focus on ICU and ventilator beds. The chief minister also directed officials to ensure hospitals do not err and prevent Covid-19 deaths as much as possible, a senior government official said on condition of anonymity. Also Read: Indias Covid-19 tally crosses 43 lakh mark, Centre says 60% cases from five states alone Soon after the meeting, special secretary (health) Udit Prakash Rai issued an order to simplify testing in the Capital and encourage more people to get tested. Test-track-treat has been adopted to ensure early detection and containment of Covid-19 pandemic. In continuation of various measures undertaken by the Delhi government to augment Covid-19 testing and to ensure that it is more accessible than ever, it has been decided that henceforth there will be no requirement of a prescription from a qualified medical practitioner for Covid-19 testing in Delhi, the order read. On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court said that a doctors prescription is not required for asymptomatic patients to get a Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test anymore. Until now, if an asymptomatic person wanted to get an RT-PCR test (which is considered the gold standard in Covid-19 testing) in Delhi, they had to produce a doctors prescription. Delhi residents, however, could get rapid antigen tests without a prescription. After the court order, Kejriwal had tweeted that he also had issued similar directions to Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain. Also Read: Maharashtra Police records 533 fresh Covid-19 cases among its ranks, cases cross 500-mark in a single day for the second time As per the court order, of the 14,000 RT-PCR tests administered daily in the city, 2,000 will be administered to asymptomatic patients on a trial basis. The Delhi government on Wednesday said it will follow the strategy ordered by the court. Wednesdays meeting came a day after Delhi recorded 3,609 new Covid-19 cases on a single daythe highest single-day case count since June 24, 76 days ago, when 3,788 fresh cases were reported. Over the past week, Delhi has recorded 2,868 fresh cases every day on average. According to the government and experts, the spike in cases is primarily because of increased testing. The Delhi government conducted a record 45,797 tests for Covid-19 on Tuesday days after Kejriwal announced that the number of tests will be ramped up to 40,000 a day. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) management will meet with analysts and investors virtually today. During the meetings, management is expected to affirm the company's 2020 consolidated earnings guidance of $2.16 to $2.26 per diluted share. Presentation materials are available on the company's website at http://www.pnmresources.com/investors/events.cfm. Background: PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) is an energy holding company based in Albuquerque, N.M., with 2019 consolidated operating revenues of $1.5 billion. Through its regulated utilities, PNM and TNMP, PNM Resources has approximately 2,811 megawatts of generation capacity and provides electricity to approximately 790,000 homes and businesses in New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit the company's website at www.PNMResources.com. CONTACTS: Analysts Media Lisa Goodman Ray Sandoval (505) 241-2160 (505) 241-2782 Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 Statements made in this news release for PNM Resources, Inc. ("PNMR"), Public Service Company of New Mexico ("PNM"), or Texas-New Mexico Power Company ("TNMP") (collectively, the "Company") that relate to future events or expectations, projections, estimates, intentions, goals, targets, and strategies are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and estimates. PNMR, PNM, and TNMP assume no obligation to update this information. Because actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, PNMR, PNM, and TNMP caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. PNMR's, PNM's, and TNMP's business, financial condition, cash flow, and operating results are influenced by many factors, which are often beyond their control, that can cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of risk factors and other important factors affecting forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which factors are specifically incorporated by reference herein. Non-GAAP Financial Measures GAAP refers to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. Ongoing earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impact of net unrealized mark-to-market gains and losses on economic hedges, the net change in unrealized gains and losses on investment securities, pension expense related to previously disposed of gas distribution business, and certain non-recurring, infrequent, and other items that are not indicative of fundamental changes in the earnings capacity of the Company's operations. The Company uses ongoing earnings and ongoing earnings per diluted share (or ongoing diluted earnings per share) to evaluate the operations of the Company and to establish goals, including those used for certain aspects of incentive compensation, for management and employees. While the Company believes these financial measures are appropriate and useful for investors, they are not measures presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for these measures, or any piece of these measures, to represent any financial measure as defined by GAAP. Furthermore, the Company's calculations of these measures as presented may or may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company uses ongoing earnings guidance to provide investors with management's expectations of ongoing financial performance over the period presented. While the Company believes ongoing earnings guidance is an appropriate measure, it is not a measure presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for ongoing earnings guidance to represent an expectation of net earnings as defined by GAAP. Since the future differences between GAAP and ongoing earnings are frequently outside the control of the Company, management is generally not able to estimate the impact of the reconciling items between forecasted GAAP net earnings and ongoing earnings guidance, nor their probable impact on GAAP net earnings without unreasonable effort, therefore, management is generally not able to provide a corresponding GAAP equivalent for ongoing earnings guidance. SOURCE PNM Resources, Inc. Related Links http://www.pnmresources.com YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan received today UKs Charge dAffaires ad interim in Armenia Helen Fazey, the ministry told Armenpress. Minister Tonoyan congratulated Mrs. Fazey on starting her mission in Armenia, wishing new achievements in the development of the Armenian-British relations, in particular in the defense sector. During the meeting the minister praised the current level of the bilateral cooperation and expressed hope that the mutual partnership will further intensify after mitigating the current coronavirus-related restrictions. Importance was attached to the holding of the bilateral military-political discussions aimed at exchanging positions over international and regional security issues. The Armenian defense minister also touched upon the ongoing regional developments and introduced his concerns over the current situation around the security environment. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan San Antonio experienced an increase in violent crime in 2019 compared to the previous year, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Overall, Texas saw a slight uptick in the number of crimes committed in the state last year. In its Crime in Texas report released last week, data collected from the national Uniform Crime Report showed that there was a 1 percent increase in the volume of crime in 2019. During that same period, the crime rate increased .1 percent, equaling about 2,700 crimes per 100,000 population in 2019 for the state. The crime rate looks at offenses such as murder, rape, robbery, motor vehicle theft and burglary. By offense, the number of motor vehicle theft and murder both increased the most by 10 and 6 percent, respectively. DPS estimates that Texas' four largest cities Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio make up 21 percent of the state's population and produced 43 percent of the state's violent crime incidents. These four areas combined for more than 52,000 incidents of Texas' 120,5000 incidents of violent crime. READ ALSO: San Antonio-area communities where violent crime rates increased in 2018 San Antonio experienced a 13 percent increase in violent crime rate and a 14.5 percent increase in violent crime volume in 2019. For Bexar County, 62 percent of offenders in 2019 convicted of violent crimes had a previous felony conviction. State-wide, violent crime and property crime both increased by .5 percent with about a 1 percent increase in volume last year. San Antonio saw a 10 percent increase in total number of crime, with only burglary and murder seeing a decrease in cases. Texas also led the nation in active shooter events. Of the country's 28 active shooter incidents, six were in Texas along with three of the nation's 34 mass attacks in public places. In total, 69 people died and more than 52 people wounded in the attacks. One of the most notable was a mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart in August 2019 that killed 23 people. The DPS report also showed that assaults on police officers increased by nearly 5 percent, with more than 4,800 assaults across the state in 2019. Of those, nine Texas officers were killed in the line of duty and five died in duty-related traffic accidents. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Samsung SDS CEO Hong Won-pyo reveals the company's data center in Seoul in a video introducing the company's online conference REAL 2020, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Samsung SDS By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung SDS has unveiled two new tools that can measure the level of digital transformation of its customer companies, which it introduced during a two-day online conference, the IT affiliate of Samsung Group said Wednesday. The company held the conference called REAL 2020 in an effort to promote its technological capabilities in digital transformation and how its technologies are applied in different kinds of business fields. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Samsung SDS held the conference online on Wednesday and Thursday. Samsung SDS inaugurated the conference last year in its effort to capitalize on the rapidly growing digital transformation business. The company added that more than 7,000 people have registered for this year's conference, which is more than registered for the previous event. During the first REAL conference last year, the company unveiled the Digital Transformation Framework, which systematically integrates the company's expertise and technological capabilities to support the digital transformation of many business areas such as manufacturing, marketing, sales and management systems. This year, the company announced further advanced tools of the Digital Transformation Framework. They include the digital readiness check (DRC) and digital maturity model (DMM). Using the DRC tool, customers will be able to check their digitization level in their various corporate operations such as marketing, strategy setting and customer management, according to the company. Customer companies in the manufacturing, finance and chemical industry sectors can also verify how mature their digital technologies are by using the DRM tool, it added. Samsung SDS CEO Hong Won-pyo said the company has tried to develop these new tools in a bid to help companies better achieve their digital transformation goals. "Based on our best-in-class technological capability, IT infrastructure and successful experience in various business sectors, Samsung SDS has been helping our customers accomplish their digital transformation by providing every technological support," the CEO said. During the conference, the company shared how its enterprise resource planning system and supply chain management system have helped customers innovative their business operations. More examples about why Samsung SDS' robotics process automation tool called Brity RPA is suitable for customers were introduced as well. Samsung SDS said Brity RPA is a proper tool for customers seeking to improve the overall performance of their employees by automating repetitive and routine tasks. On Thursday, Samsung SDS will also share digital transformation examples by using its artificial intelligence, security, cloud computing and blockchain technologies. Ontarios response to COVID-19 depends upon a legion of largely unheralded local public health officials. While the spotlight has been on hospitals and seniors homes taking care of the pandemics sickest patients, it is public health that holds the front line against the spread of the virus. The pandemic laid bare the importance of these public services that we take for granted, said Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. Yet local public health services have been left out of provincial decision-making, said Niagaras acting medical officer of health Dr. Mustafa Hirji. He says no local unit is part of the provinces COVID-19 command table despite being expected to carry out the groups decisions. Responsibility for some issues normally under the mandate of public health has been given to Ontarios chief coroner who already faced criticism earlier this year over the controversial closure of Hamiltons forensic pathology unit. Locally Ontarios 34 public health units trace the source of COVID-19 cases, manage outbreaks, work to improve infection control in hard-hit seniors homes, arrange testing at assessment centres and advise local politicians on policy. These agencies are already stockpiling needles and other equipment to rapidly deploy a vaccine when and if one is available. One would think shoring up public health and making it as strong as possible would be the first priority in the middle of a pandemic, Mehra said. "The pandemic laid bare the importance of these public services that we take for granted," said Natalie Mehra executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. Torstar file photo Instead, public health units face an uncertain future because of Premier Doug Fords sweeping changes to Ontarios health-care system, including amalgamating the 34 units down to 10 and significant cuts to funding. Throughout January, February and into March, we could not believe the public health cuts were still being planned as the epidemic was spreading around the world, said Mehra. Even as the World Health Organization warned COVID-19 was a public health emergency of international concern at the end of January, the provincial government marched on with consultations regarding the controversial merger plan which would have seen an amalgamation of the units in Hamilton, Niagara, Brant and Haldimand and Norfolk. As the epidemic was spreading through Southeast Asia and ultimately to Iran and Italy, the entire attention of public health was on restructuring, said Mehra. I think that really did have a big impact on the response, especially at the beginning. The public health units and their leadership had to completely pivot from a plan for wholesale restructuring to how to ramp up for this epidemic and it should have happened months earlier. While facing the possible demise of his health unit and perhaps his own job Hirji got ready for the inevitable arrival of the novel coronavirus. In that last week of January, we did activate our emergency operations centre locally to start preparing for COVID-19, and that included starting to develop scenarios of how the outbreak could happen and what would be our response for those. That was some of the local preparation that had already started there, he said. But he could not stay entirely focused on the virus. The Progressive Conservatives 2019 budget slashed public health funding by decreasing the provinces 75 per cent share of the cost and upping the 25 per cent paid for by municipalities. For large health units, like Niagaras, the cut could have deeply wounded the ability to respond to the pandemic. The loss of $400,000 from the units budget had to be covered by raising local property taxes. Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaking during an announcement in August. His government announced sweeping changes to public health, including amalgamating the 34 health units down to 10 and significant cuts to funding. The Canadian Press file photo The need for public health to focus on its work without distraction was made clear by the Association of Local Public Health Agencies in a March 6 letter urging Minister of Health Christine Elliott to pause the restructuring consultations until the COVID-19 emergency is declared over. The letter talked of the chronic inadequacy of resources being brought into stark relief as they were diverted to the pandemic. We see this test of public health as an important opportunity to take a collective step back and reconsider the approach that is being taken toward Ontarios public health sector, as a keener understanding of its purpose is re-entering the public and political discourse, states the letter from association president Carmen McGregor. The cuts did not come, at least not on schedule. But it wasnt until mid-March when the government finally postponed its plan, amid widespread outcry, and provided one-time funding. At the onset of COVID-19, we made clear that we would continue the mitigation funding for municipalities to ensure there would be no increased cost, the Ministry of Health said in a statement to The Spectator in July. At the same time, provincewide consultations on public health modernization have been paused while we can ensure our priority remains ensuring we stop the spread of COVID-19. Infectious disease experts say the worth of public health is often underestimated in the lull between one crisis and the next. Its only when public health is desperately needed that the necessity of properly funding it becomes evident again. Part of the problem with these things is when you are in an interpandemic period people forget about planning, said Dr. Mark Loeb, infectious disease physician and professor at McMaster University. You need a very strong public health system. It requires more funding. Funding cuts The need for public health to "focus on its work without distraction" was made clear by the Association of Local Public Health Agencies in a March 6 letter urging Minister of Health Christine Elliott to pause the restructuring consultations "until the COVID-19 emergency is declared over." The Canadian Press file photo But public health has been losing ground for years as the ministry put caps often at zero per cent on budget increases as the cost of programs soared and new services were required. Public health is responsible for a wide range of services from restaurant inspections to parenting support to vaccination surveillance to sexual health clinics to mental-health services and much more. They were locally under resourced, said Michael Hurley president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions which is part of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). They certainly were not equipped to deal with a pandemic like this one. In June, Hamiltons public health department raised the alarm that its essential programs put on hold for the first three months of the pandemic needed to resume. At the same time, it had to keep enough capacity to respond to COVID-19. Rather than cutting the budget, the only thing we can and have to do at this point is increasing the budget to have enough resources for our local public health unit to continue to drive our response to COVID-19, said Dr. Dominik Mertz, associate professor of infectious diseases at McMaster. From my perspective, the pandemic probably told us very well that public health is the wrong area to save money. At the height of the first wave, a total of 304 public health staff in Hamilton and 69 city staff were deployed to the COVID-19 response. In addition, seven retirees were brought back and the unit hired a public health infectious disease expert. Public health is the front line, said Mehra. Its as vital as those fighting the cuts have been saying. Merging health units? But its not just the funding cuts that would have been potentially disastrous before a pandemic. There is also the question of the mergers. "From my perspective, the pandemic probably told us very well that public health is the wrong area to save money," said Dr. Dominik Mertz, associate professor of infectious diseases at McMaster University. Dr. Dominick Mertz The decision to put several public health units together would have affected us locally very significantly, said Mertz. I havent heard any voices that anyone was disappointed that this hasnt happened prior to the pandemic. I think people probably appreciate more now than ever before all of the connections and local expertise that public health has. One voice in favour of amalgamation is the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and the pandemic only strengthened that view. You had a very uneven performance on public health, said CEO Doris Grinspun. We need less public health units so they have more expertise and they can work more coherently. The problem with having 34 units is that each approached the pandemic differently. There were vast divides in how numbers were counted, what information was made public and what safety measures were in place. One example was that Halton reported cases by location from the beginning, while Hamilton didnt have a breakdown until three months into the pandemic. There wasnt even a uniform approach as to how key data was reported, calling all of Ontarios numbers into question. For example, Hamilton and Niagara counted everyone who died while infected with COVID-19 as a pandemic death. In contrast, Haldimand and Norfolk required COVID-19 to be the cause of death before it was included in the toll. As a result, people who were infected with COVID-19 when they died even in one of the provinces worst long-term care outbreaks at Anson Place in Hagersville were not included in the numbers. Its huge because you can not really put the picture together of what is going on, said Grinspun. How costly is that when everything is different and why? What is the rationale for it. While Grinspun wants to see the mergers, she is firmly against axing public health dollars. No cuts in funding should take place, she said. But we have way too many units and they all perform differently. Public health could have performed a lot better. "Part of the problem with these things is when you are in an interpandemic time period people forget about planning," said Dr. Mark Loeb, chair in infectious diseases at McMaster University. "You need a very strong public health system. It requires more funding." The Hamilton Spectator file photo However, Hirji said the notion that a completely centralized Ontario health system would have performed better because it is a centralized system is a claim that probably needs some examining. While each public health unit took its own path on COVID-19 data, there was little direction from the province, its health minister and its nascent health care super agency Ontario Health. Public health units are not participants in the provinces COVID-19 command table, said Hirji. Despite those units being responsible for managing many of the governments decisions on a local level, they often have no greater insight into the hows and why of Fords choices than the average person on the street. The table is led by Ontarios chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams, deputy minister of health Helen Angus and Ontario Health CEO Matt Anderson and it includes representation from a number of provincial ministries. It also includes external experts who serve voluntarily but the Ministry of Health did not name them in a statement to The Standard. In addition, the province looks to the Public Health Measures Table which includes representation from local units including Dr. Andrea Feller, an associate medical officer of health in Niagara. But Hirji says this table has no decision-making powers. Even in areas that are squarely within the mandate of the public health units, such as a testing strategy for the virus and managing outbreaks in schools, medical officers of health have little input in decision-making, said Hirji. "We need less public health units so they have more expertise and they can work more coherently," said Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario CEO Doris Grinspun. Torstar file photo The province has placed responsibility for both issues into the hands of Ontarios chief coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer, who has worked as a coroner since 1992 and was appointed to his current post in 2014. A professor of pediatrics, Huyer has not held a key public health role until this pandemic, according to his government biography. The office of the chief coroner was found to have serious deficiencies in a scathing review contained in the 2019 annual report of the provinces Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk and further issues were identified in recommendations from the Death Investigation Oversight Council (DIOC) in response to complaints against Huyer and chief forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Pollanen launched by the former director of the Hamilton Regional Forensic Pathology Unit. The Hamilton unit was shut down by Huyer and Pollanen in the midst of the DIOC investigation into the complaints. Hirji said the more traditional role for the provinces top coroner is to examine how and why people die rather than craft public health strategies. Given the newness of COVID-19, learning more about how the virus kills people is vital. Its also unfortunate that they are pulling him away from the opioid crisis and overdoses, which is still ongoing, and he is not focused on that absolutely important work, Hirji said. In June, Ontarios public health units, as a group, presented the government with a data-based strategy to measure pandemic progress. It used four key indicators with measurable thresholds that could determine if a region could move forward with further economic reopening, or take a step backwards to get a surge of infections under control. While the province paid lip service to those metrics they are named in both the official Stage 2 and Stage 3 reopening documents complete with logos but with no data attached to them the Health Ministry has refused repeated requests from Torstar to explain what data it is using, how it is measured and how it informs decision-making. Hirji also points out that one of the key recommendations coming out of the 2003 SARS outbreak was to strengthen local public health units, rather than amalgamate them, because they are best able to respond to local issues and work with local health-care agencies, provided the units are properly funded. A lot of what came out of SARS was public health capacity needed to be improved. We have done some of that, but I think not completely. Looking at Ontario, the recommendation was that every local public health agency should have at least one medical officer of health and one associate medical officer of health. Weve seen actually much of the problem is they only have a solo medical officer of health who, in many cases, isnt even a full-time medical officer of health, Hirji said. While facing the possible demise of his health unit, and perhaps his own job, Niagara's acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji got ready for the inevitable arrival of the novel coronavirus. Torstar file photo He pointed to the spike in COVID-19 outbreaks among migrant farm workers in Windsor-Essex, a region without a full-time medical officer of health, as an example of a health unit left unable to cope as well as it could have. Their board of health municipalities decided that they wanted to save some money, so they eliminated the associate medical officer of health. And I think part of what theyre challenged by, is that they dont have that actual capacity of someone who can dive deep into looking at these outbreaks and managing them, said Hirji. By contrast, he said, Niagara was able to manage its farm outbreaks more effectively. We were really able to analyze what was going on, come up with all kinds of measures that really limited the outbreak from the point that we identified it, said Hirji. We had enough capacity in terms of staff because were large enough that we had some of that scalable capacity. Uncertain future Its unclear what the future holds for Ontarios public health units. The ministry didnt answer questions about whether the mergers and cuts will still go through after the threat of COVID-19 has subsided. Whats been made abundantly clear through this pandemic is the clear need for there to be improvements made to the public health-care system, the ministry said in a statement. CUPE believes the original plan will go ahead despite the lessons learned during the pandemic. Im afraid that I believe there will be significant cuts coming, said Hurley. I would be surprised if this particular government provincially turned from austerity in any permanent way. "In the next few years, the investments in public health are going to be probably the most important in our response to COVID," said Dr. Zain Chagla, infectious disease physician at St. Joseph's. St. Joseph's Healthcare The Ontario Health Coalition said there is some indication that more than 10 units will remain after the pandemic, but the exact number is unknown. Theres been no official anything, said Mehra. I cannot believe they would go forward with it. But the fact that there is no new plan for public health is very problematic. It needs to be addressed. Infectious disease experts say it will take additional resources to public health over the long term to keep COVID-19 at bay. In the next few years, the investments in public health are going to be probably the most important in our response to COVID, said Dr. Zain Chagla, infectious disease physician at St. Josephs. Theyre front and centre as part of this. From the community standpoint, I hope that people understand what they do is monumental for health and safety. This new venture marks FENDI Casa's first branded real estate project in Europe, a concept that offers its discerning clientele a unique and emotional lifestyle experience that starts at the threshold. The building license has been granted and construction has begun. EPIC MARBELLA furnished by FENDI Casa, slated to be completed in Spring 2022, brings together FENDI Casa and Sierra Blanca Estates, two leading global brands synonymous with style. Both share an unwavering passion for producing high quality products with an acute focus on design and creativity, underscored by the art of excellence. Monica Venegas, Principal of Venegas International Group who are handling sales commented: "We have seen repeated success with branding luxury residences, as it contributes to premium to the project for the developer and adds value to the consumer with their investment." Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of Sierra Blanca Estates said: "Sierra Blanca Estates aims to re-define true luxury in Marbella. It all started with a dream, to offer the first and only branded residence in Spain. Today, we are proud to present EPIC Marbella, furnished by FENDI Casa, the most exclusive residential project in Spain" The residences include 22 feet of floor-to-ceiling windows welcoming breath-taking scenery that surrounds the region with refined designs of FENDI Casa and thoughtful luxuries provided by Sierra Blanca Estates. Each residence includes a FENDI signature kitchen with Gaggenau appliance and FENDI signature wardrobes. All residences offer Italian marble bathrooms with custom-designed fixtures, beautifully designed and thoughtfully executed. Exceptional amenities also include a spacious state-of-the-art Technogym fitness center. Residents can immerse themselves into a rare 25 metre infinity pool with stunning surroundings and a lavish private signature spa outfitted with dedicated treatment rooms, two hammams, and two saunas, reserved exclusively for residents Residences are three to five bedrooms, offering personal retreats and penthouses ranging in size from 3,800 square feet to more than 9,200 square feet. Prices range from 2.5 million to 7 million. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1249860/EPIC_Marbella.jpg Jamie Ley, Associate Director, Relevance International t: +44 (0) 7748 925 315 e: jamie@relevanceinternational.com SOURCE Sierra Blanca Estates Thad Vogler, one of San Franciscos most prominent barkeepers, has permanently closed three of his four restaurants: Obispo, Trou Normand and Nommo. All three have been closed during shelter-in-place, but the leader in the local bar scene has decided to go public with his decision not to reopen. COVID-19 certainly didnt help, Vogler said. But the real reasons for the closures predate the pandemic and the economic shutdown and point to an existential crisis in the local bar and restaurant industry that had been brewing for years, at least in Voglers experience. I made mistakes, he said. Classic restaurant mistakes: growing too quickly so you dont have enough cash, then your places become mediocre because you dont have the bandwidth to maintain quality. Thats where I was when COVID hit. For years, the entire restaurant business has been too precarious, he continued. Weve all just been grinding with two weeks worth of cash in the bank, and thats no way to take care of your employees. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2019 His fourth business, Bar Agricole, is still on track to reopen in spring or summer 2021. Earlier this year, Vogler announced that he was relocating the 10-year-old, James Beard Award-winning restaurant from its original location in South of Market to the ground level of a luxury residential complex at 1550 Mission St. Hes still planning to add a liquor store there, too, where hell sell single-origin spirits imported under his own label. That project is exciting to Vogler. But operating several different restaurants throughout the city, he said, no longer feels enjoyable or even possible. Rents are too high, margins too low. There was no way of looking at the next year without it looking like just a big accumulation of debt, he said. I just didnt want to do it. A Chronicle Bar Star, Vogler has become a leading voice in the bar community for a philosophy that hes called regionalism, expressed in his 2017 book By the Smoke and the Smell. He advocates for spirits that are not produced industrially, are sourced by sustainable methods and convey a sense of place. Think of it as fair-trade alcohol. Or, as hes said before, making drinks should be like making salads. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle 2018 His penchant for these soulful spirits is evident in the names of his bars: Bar Agricole, named for rhum agricole, the French Caribbean rum thats distilled from fresh cane sugar; Trou Normand, a traditional French palate cleanser that includes a scoop of sorbet and a shot of the apple brandy Calvados. Part of what Vogler is grappling with now is that he says he never wanted to be in the restaurant business he wanted to be in the drinks business. Im not a good restaurateur; Im a bartender, he said. He ended up with restaurants, he said, because liquor licenses in San Francisco can cost $250,000, while licenses that allow for liquor service with food are much more attainable and affordable. He hopes that by downsizing to just Bar Agricole, hell be able to refocus his energy on drinks again. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle 2018 Pre-COVID, Vogler had temporarily closed Obispo, which opened in late 2018 after five years of delays, in order to reconfigure it with a new concept. Obispo was ambitious, a rum bar that attempted to engage with the ugly, imperialist nature of the spirits history a sort of rebuttal to the revisionist history that modern tiki bars have performed. The rum drinks at Obispo were simple and unadorned, with nary a mai tai in sight. Works by folk artist Bill Traylor hung on the walls. Some proceeds went to the Museum of the African Diaspora and the Calle 24 Community Council. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. But Vogler became uncomfortable with how Obispo played out. He was a 6-foot-8-inch northern European guy explaining pan-Africanism to a Guatemalan guy, he said. Everything was getting surreal. Within a few months of the shutdown, he decided to abandon the reboot. The options for keeping any of the businesses open during the shutdown were unappealing, he said. Pivoting to takeout would require an entirely new business model. PPP loans would get him through a couple of payroll cycles, nothing more. Were in this business to do something beautiful, and my places dont lend themselves to carry-out, he said. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle 2018 Ultimately, though, Vogler said his decisions to close Obispo, Trou Normand and Nommo werent made by careful financial calculations. They were made by a feeling. I was just done, he said. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com CBS national political reporter and Delmar native Ed OKeefe credits the Times Union for getting him into a journalism career. I picked the paper up first off the porch, brought it in and read it while eating breakfast. My dad would come down later and ask what was going on, and Id tell him. By middle school OKeefe could name pretty much every leader in the global economic group Group of Seven. I never realized that was a unique skill till 7th grade when my teacher Mr. Boyer placed pictures of 30 people in the news around his classroom, and I could identify 27 of them. No one else came close. He wanted to know how I knew them, and I said, I read the newspaper every morning. Today OKeefe, who graduated from Bethlehem High School in 2001, is all over the news reporting on the 2020 presidential election. He regularly appears on the CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning, Face the Nation, and Washington Week on PBS. I knew for a long time I wanted to work in Washington one day, and when I left Delmar and enrolled in American University I basically majored in all things Washington. He actually majored in a multi-disciplinary degree called Communications-Economics-Law and Government. I spent my four years at American trying to decide do I want to be the person who is in government, the public servant that makes history, or do I want to be the guy who gets to witness history and tell everyone about it and then go home at the end of the day and have some semblance of a normal life. Over the course of a few internships he determined he would much rather be the guy who is the witness of history. So now every day I tell people what is going on just like when I was that young kid telling my parents all the news I had read in the Times Union. He is a big believer in encouraging young people to seek out internships. I had some exciting internships such as the one I had junior year in college, where I was paid to go to congressional hearings and write up summaries for an organization that would send what I had written to lobbyists and special-interest clients of theirs. Between classes he would rush to Congress and listen, such as the day he heard Gen. David Petraeus explain to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee why more troops were needed in Iraq. My job was to report on what was the most significant thing said at the hearing, and that internship required me to listen and figure that out. It also gave me a front row seat to who were the people in Washington who had the real power. I remember seeing Senators (Joe) Biden and (Barack) Obama ask questions and interact with each other on that committee. It was all very exciting for a 22-year-old kid. Another internship he had, while spending his junior spring semester studying in London, allowed him to attend the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. That organization credentialed me to get in to the conventions that year. I didnt actually do any reporting, but it was a ticket in the door. I was there the night Obama blew the roof off giving the keynote address. With all this valuable experience he landed a job immediately after college with The Washington Post. I started out at the the Post working for their digital paper. I covered the 2008 campaign as a 25 year-old. I didnt write about it for the paper. I blogged about it. I also hosted a daily political podcast. I carried a video camera with me and followed along with our print reporters David Broder and Dan Balz. My job was to bring their work to the internet. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. OKeefe shot and edited a video dispatch from the campaign trail. He would take pictures, do interviews with the papers reporters, stitch it all together and, at 6 a.m. the next day, it would be uploaded on the Post's website. Its ironic that while I was working for a newspaper I was learning how to be a broadcaster, and I was also learning how to write for both mediums. I tell people that I received a bachelors degree from American University but in many ways my master's degree from The Washington Post. After 13 years at The Washington Post he began to realize what he really loved was doing stories visually rather than as a writer. He started to be a guest on TV news shows on MSNBC where he learned how to give quick political insights. The Post also owns some local TV stations around the country and Id be invited there to such places as Florida, Houston and Detroit. I learned how to keep my opinions brief. It reminded me of what I did every morning at the kitchen table in Delmar, to look over the news and give a quick summary. OKeefe realizes these are very historic days to be a reporter with a recent presidential impeachment, a worldwide pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and a November presidential election. Its exciting to cover this, incredibly humbling, and its my dream come true. When I was a kid growing up the only TV station that came in clearly was Channel 6, and throughout the 1990s we watched Ernie Tetrault give the local news and Dan Rather the national news, and now most nights you can find me there. He said with the pandemic the number of reporters allowed into the rooms where the big events are happening is very small. There might be 12 reporters covering these big stories, such as the day Joe Biden named Kamala Harris to be his vice-presidential candidate, and as a reporter for CBS Im usually one of them. I always stop and remind myself how fortunate I am to have this job, but I also have a great responsibility to do it well because there is a long line of people behind me who would like this position. As a parent with two young children, OKeefe hopes to instill in his daughters what his own parents did for him. I grew up in a family where if you wanted to do something it was when and not if. My parents understood I had a dream and they said, OK, then it will happen, and we will help you as much as we can to make it happen. Jack Rightmyer, an adjunct English professor at Siena College, is a regular contributor to the Times Union. A serious adverse reaction in a volunteer has triggered the safety protocol for the large-scale trial. AstraZeneca has voluntarily paused late-stage trials of the highly-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine it is developing with the University of Oxford after one of the study volunteers developed an unexplained illness, the company said on Wednesday. The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is seen as one of the most promising of coronavirus vaccine candidates currently under development. As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee, said Michele Meixell, the companys spokeswoman. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. Health news website Stat News earlier reported that the trial would be suspended because a volunteer had suffered a severe adverse reaction to the drug. AstraZeneca said that in large trials, illnesses sometimes occur in participants by chance, but that the issue had to be reviewed independently. We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline, Meixell said. The drug is in trials involving thousands of people in the United States, Brazil, South Africa and the UK, where the patient who fell ill is. BREAKING: AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine study put on hold due to suspected adverse reaction in participant in the U.K. https://t.co/AyprlaHkNf STAT (@statnews) September 8, 2020 Julie Fischer, an associate research professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University, told Al Jazeera such a pause was part of the process of drug development and clinical trials. For a pause, the event would need to be serious; something related to the heart, lungs, kidneys or other part of the bodys health system that required medical attention and was sufficiently serious to merit a pause to this very important vaccine trial in order to make sure it is safe, and that the adverse effect is not due to the vaccine itself. Florian Krammer, professor of microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said the fact a patient had fallen ill underscored the need for extensive trials. It shows you that the evaluation process works, and why we need Phase III trials, he wrote on Twitter. Clinical trial holds are not uncommon, but AstraZenecas is the first phase-three COVID-19 vaccine trial known to have been put on hold. It is unclear how long the suspension might last and shares of the company fell more than 6 percent in after-hours trading on the New York Stock Exchange. We have no idea whether this is a big deal or not Science is hard. This is why we have to let the trials play out I remain optimistic we will have a vaccine found to be safe and effective in upcoming months. But optimism isn't evidence Let's let science drive this process. https://t.co/1fBbMybC9W Ashish K. Jha (@ashishkjha) September 8, 2020 Hot take: clinical holds are not uncommon in a clinical development program. The fact that AstraZeneca has paused thier #COVID19 #vaccine trial suggests that they are *appropriately* listening to IDMC or regulators. https://t.co/Z8v5ApUKa7 Nick Mark MD (@nickmmark) September 8, 2020 The progress of the companys trial and those of all COVID-19 vaccines in development is being closely watched, given the pressing need for new ways to curb the global pandemic. There are currently nine vaccine candidates in Phase III trials. Safety protocols Separately, nine leading US and European vaccine developers promised on Tuesday to uphold scientific standards in the global race to contain the pandemic. The companies, including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, in a joint statement made a historic pledge to uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines. The unusual move to promise to play by well-established rules underlines the highly politicised debate over what action is needed to rein in the spread of the disease. The head of the Food and Drug Administration, the US regulator, said last month that the normal approval process could be bypassed for a COVID-19 vaccine if officials were convinced the benefits outweighed the risks. The comments prompted a call for caution from the World Health Organization. Developers globally have yet to produce large-scale trial data showing actual infections in participants, but Russia approved a COVID-19 vaccine last month, prompting some Western experts to criticise a lack of testing. The head of Chinas Sinovac Biotech said most of its employees and their families have already taken an experimental vaccine developed by the Chinese firm under the countrys emergency-use programme. About 100 housing discrimination complaints have been filed against New Jersey landlords who violated the states Law Against Discrimination, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Wednesday. The complaints are part of a larger, new initiative to combat housing discrimination across the state and to protect New Jersey tenants who use government assistance to cover their housing costs, Grewal said in a statement. Under the effort known as Project HOME (Housing Opportunity Made Equal), landlords cannot advertise their property to discriminate against tenants who use federal, state or local funds as their source of income to pay rent. Although landlords have previously been barred from turning away renters solely because they receive government assistance to pay housing costs, the new project was sparked after officials said they found the law was consistently flouted. Officials noticed illegal advertisements with such lines as This property not approved for Section 8," No SRAP applicants, and Sorry, TRA not accepted," according to the Attorney Generals office. The Law Against Discrimination makes it illegal to turn away tenants because they use Section 8 housing vouches, State Rental Assistance Program and Temporary Rental Assistance, and has expanded to include pandemic-related assistance. The states COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which provided up to six months of rental assistance to tenants financially struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic, was awarded to roughly 8,000 New Jerseyans. Peoples homes are their safe havens, and otherwise-qualified families who rely on public assistance to pay their rent deserve better than to be denied available housing due to bias-driven stereotypes, Grewal said. The state will also collaborate with major real estate listing companies, like Zillow and ApartmentSmart.com, to create new anti-discrimination software, raise red flags around suspicious listings, inform users of their rights on affordable housing. And the Division of Civil Rights will launch an updated Model Fair Housing Policy to underscore blanket policies that ban discrimination on based on income, disability and any other bias-based harassment. When a person who is able to get a housing voucher is turned away by a landlord who holds stereotypes about people who receive government rental assistance or who thinks they can choose not to participate in the program, it can lead to homelessness. This disproportionately harms people of color and people with disabilities, said Rachel Wainer Apter, director of the Division of Civil Rights. Grewal and Wainer Apter will be hosting a virtual town hall on Sept. 17 focused on housing discrimination and ways to prevent it. Anyone who believes their fair housing rights were violated can file a complaint with DCR at njcivilrights.gov or 973-648-2700. 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 Having proved to be a useful tool during the pandemic, online courses will continue to be provided to students in conjunction with on-campus education, the Shanghai Education Commission announced on Aug 31. These courses have already been made available for the 2020 autumn semester for elementary and middle schools in Shanghai, which reopened on Sept 1. Among those tasked with providing online courses is the Xuhui Institute of Education Shanghai, which will deliver senior middle school courses in Chinese and information technology along with elementary school courses in natural science this semester. "The recording of the online lessons started when the pandemic broke out and it has continued until today. These online courses can act as a backup teaching resource during an epidemic and can also be used as supplement for regular teaching," says Li Hong, deputy director of Xuhui Institute of Education Shanghai, a teachers' vocational school in Xuhui district under the local education bureau. "These courses are also a good resource for our teachers' professional development and can be used as a case study in teacher training and classroom teaching research," she adds. More than 5,000 high-quality online video courses covering all basic subjects in schools were produced by the end of the spring semester, benefiting more than 1.4 million students from Grades 1 through 12. According to Li, recording lessons for a course is not as simple as it seems. Each video, lasting only about 20 minutes, requires three teams of people and days to complete. "The teaching team is responsible for ensuring the quality of the content, the technical team is responsible for recording, post-production, delivery audit and uploading, and the logistics support team ensures the safety of each team and is responsible for epidemic prevention and control," she explains. "For example, our senior middle school Chinese teaching team has selected 22 teachers this semester to be involved in the recording. A group of teaching researchers from the city and district levels are also involved in helping prepare, record, and check the lessons." Li says that the institute recorded 566 lessons last semester, accounting for about one-tenth of the total in the city. This semester, they will record around 300 lessons. "The biggest difference with the online course is that it lacks any interaction between teachers and students. Since teachers cannot see the students, they have to design different methods to achieve that interaction in the various disciplines," says Yuan Wenzheng, director of the Information Resource Center at Xuhui Institute of Education Shanghai. "For example, our information technology course features three 'virtual students' who can answer questions during the class. These avatars will also accompany students throughout the entire learning process," Yuan adds. The introduction of the online courses has not just benefited students, but also teachers, says Fan Biao, a researcher specializing in Chinese classes for the Shanghai Education Commission. "Many teachers in other provinces said that such recording work promotes fairness in teaching because we can now share high-quality teaching resources. Video courses are indeed a great lesson preparation resource for teachers in many schools," says Fan. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban told Austrian investors on Wednesday that they can count on a partnership with the Romanian government, which wants to develop a friendly business environment, in which state authorities can support a beneficial business environment to both parties. While attending the "Celebrating 70 Years" event, organised by the Austrian Embassy in Romania, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the opening, in our country, of the Advantage Austria Bucharest trade section, the Prime Minister emphasized that Austria was a pioneer in terms of foreign investment in Romania, being among the first countries that came to our country in 1990, with great courage."The transport infrastructure needs serious companies to modernize it. (...) The first section of a motorway that crosses the mountains is made by an Austrian company. (...) Although Austria is not a very big country, I think it has almost 12 per cent of the foreign investments made in Romania after the 1990s, an extremely high percentage. I think that Austria ranks 3rd in Romania in terms of the volume of investments, after Germany, for example, which is an economic force, and after the Netherlands, which benefits from many companies running on American capital. The volume of trade exchanges also places Austria in one of the most important positions in the ranking," said Ludovic Orban at the meeting.According to him, the trade volume, over 4.2 billion annually, shows an extremely strong economic link between Austria and Romania and, "what is interesting is that many of the Austrian companies are top companies" - such as OMV, BCR, transport companies, insurance companies, companies operating in various services areas, companies that have never left Romania once they came here."As for us, as a Government, I like to say simple things: anyone who invests in Romania takes some risks, brings some money that are mostly borrowed, (...) takes some responsibilities, generates jobs, generates added value, creates, after all, prosperity. In my opinion, any investor must be treated with hospitality and I believe that hospitality should be a Romanian brand because, literally, Romanians are hospitable and very friendly, and the investors should be treated as friendly as possible because, after all, they risk their money and try to generate production capacity or a service delivery system that ultimately helps the country where that investment is localized," Orban explained.He assured that the government treats Austrian investments "with the utmost seriousness.""In general, the managers of Austrian companies know that we have a communication system, we meet regularly whenever there are important issues to discuss. (...) And we always try to find solutions to facilitate certain investments, certain developments. (...) The message I want to convey is that we appreciate you, that you can rely on a loyal partnership with the representatives of the government, that we try to simplify things, to digitize (...), and that we are trying to develop a friendly business environment in which the state authorities will be your partners," said the PM. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE (AP) The federal judge overseeing reforms in the Seattle Police Department has appointed a new monitor to oversee those efforts. Dr. Antonio Oftelie, a Harvard professor and police, public policy and technology innovator, will replace Merrick Bobb of Police Assessment Resource Center in Los Angeles. Bobb has served as the Seattle police monitor since 2013. Bobb on Tuesday told The Seattle Times he resigned. . . . STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that indoor dining would be permitted in New York City starting Sept. 30. Theres a whole industry around restaurants, and restaurants also pose a possible risk -- concentrations of people indoor dining -- but theres also a great economic loss when they dont operate, the governor said. Weve been speaking with stakeholders. Weve been working on this issue everyday. The five boroughs have lagged behind the rest of the states regions, which had their restaurants permitted indoor patrons when entering Phase 3 of the coronavirus reopening process. New York City has been in that phase since early July. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio indefinitely postponed indoor dining on July 6 with the mayor citing health and safety concerns, and the governor also raising concerns about local enforcement capabilities. Restaurants in the city will remain behind the rest of the state when it comes to indoor dining. In other regions, restaurants have been allowed 50% of their indoor capacity, but only 25% will be allowed in the boroughs. Temperature checks will also be required at the door, masks must be worn when not sitting at a table, and a member of each party will need to provide contact information for tracing purposes if there is an outbreak, Cuomo said. There will also be no service at restaurants' bars. Restaurants will only be permitted to remain open until midnight, and will need to have enhanced air filtration systems, the governor said. Cuomo, who said COVID clusters across the state had been linked to restaurants, indicated that improved outdoor dining compliance among the citys restaurants had influenced his decision to permit indoor dining. Terence Haggerty of Jody's in the dining area set up for socially distanced eating and drinking when indoor activity can resume for restaurants. Dozens of restaurants, including several on Staten Island, have received State Liquor Authority (SLA) violations related to COVID mandates since the start of outdoor dining. Compliance on bars has increased dramatically from when we started, Cuomo said. Rules are only as good as their compliance. I can sit here all day and promulgate rules -- wear a mask, stay home, 6 feet -- the rule is only as good as the compliance, and the compliance is only as good as the enforcement. Cuomo suggested New Yorkers would assist with compliance enforcement. New York and the New York State Restaurant Association will be running public service announcements urging borough residents to report 25% capacity violations. The city will also be providing 400 compliance officers to supplement the SLAs compliance task force, which has taken on the brunt of enforcement in the city. He did not specify from what city agencies the officers would be taken. The governors announcement came only a few hours after the mayor indicated during his morning press briefing that a decision could come this week. De Blasio said his and the governors offices were continuing discussions on when and how the citys restaurants can reopen for indoor dining. We are making progress, we all need to come to an agreement on what will be safe, what the standards will be, not just the enforcement, its much more than that, he said. We have to really do that fine tuning with indoor dining to see if we can get somewhere. MAYOR ISSUES STATEMENT; LAWSUIT FILED After the governors announcement, the mayor issued a statement saying the decision is part of the citys economic recovery, but urged caution saying the city would immediately reassess indoor dining if the COVID infection rate in the boroughs exceeds 2%. Science will guide our decision-making as we continue to monitor progress and health care indicators over the next three weeks to ensure a safe reopening, he said. This may not look like the indoor dining that we all know and love, but it is progress for restaurant workers and all New Yorkers. Cuomos announcement comes a day after Staten Island restauranteurs, their employees, attorneys, and local politicians held a rally outside the St. George courthouse to call for restaurant reopening.\ Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis joined by City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo, State Sen. Andrew Lanza, and attorney Mark Fonte, and community members addresses a crowd calling for the state to permit indoor dining in the five boroughs. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta) The rally also served as a press conference announcing a lawsuit filed by Staten Island attorneys Mark Fonte and Louis Gelormino along with Long Island attorney James Mermigis that sought an injunction against the enforcement of Cuomos executive orders on indoor dining. Mermigis, who filed a similar suit against the state regarding gym closures, said he hoped the lawsuit filed on behalf of Bocelli Ristorante in Grasmere, Joyces Tavern in Eltingville, and the Independent Restaurant Owners Association Rescue (IROAR) would force the governors hand on indoor dining. Malliotakis, who attended the rally with State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore) and City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island), said Wednesday that the lawsuit would be proceeding. While were happy the city and state have acknowledged the plight of the restaurant industry, its not enough, she said. We will continue to proceed with the lawsuit until New York City is granted the 50% capacity like every other municipality in New York State. ISLAND OFFICIALS PRESS THE ISSUE Elected officials across the borough took steps to urge the governor and mayor to allow the resumption of indoor dining. State On Sept. 1, the Advance/SILive.com reported that all of Staten Islands politicians, excluding City Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore), sent a letter to the governor to call for the resumption of indoor dining on Staten Island. Since then, Rose sent a separate letter on Thursday to Cuomo, and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is also named in the lawsuit, asking that clear, comprehensive guidelines be published for small-business owners so that they can prepare for the reopening of indoor dining. On Wednesday, Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), Lanza, and Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) issued a joint statement applauding the decision. Restaurants have been holding on for dear life and need to know theres a light at the end of the tunnel. But this is just one step in a long journey, they said. We need to make sure they get the support and guidance they need to safely reopen and we wont stop fighting to make sure they get much needed and deserved relief. Jersey City is looking to expand its Quality of Life Task Force and fold it into the Department of Public Safety under a new ordinance to be introduced Thursday. The Quality of Life Task Force, led by Municipal Prosecutor Jake Hudnut, responds to a variety of community concerns and has led to the prosecution of absentee landlords, local polluters, negligent businesses, and inattentive property owners. City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said the task force, created by Mayor Steve Fulop in 2019, is transitioning into a city division after seeing great success in prosecuting offenders and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for residents to live and work by streamlining government functions for a more efficient response. To be clear, this new division is a community-oriented unit in line with conversations surrounding policing and how to address these issues in a non-enforcement manner by sending code inspectors to assist residents where emergency response is not warranted, Wallace-Scalcione said. The task force includes representatives from city agencies, such as the Police and Fire departments, Public Works, Health and Human Services, Housing Code Enforcement, Zoning, Buildings, and Commerce. While the new division will come under the umbrella of the Department of Public Safety, it will not lead to an increased police presence within the city, officials said. Hudnut and Public Safety Director James Shea both said it will alleviate the need for police to address and respond to quality of life issues. The idea is to move the focus of quality of life enforcement to civilian inspectors so that armed police officers arent the first to respond to a quality of life complaint, said Hudnut, who will lead the division. Public safety is more than the police department, but public safety is in the business of solving problems. Hudnut said the creation of the new division will combine the three current entities that enforce city ordinances: the divisions of Commerce, Housing Code, and Sanitation. The 30 inspectors will be cross-trained in each others codes, creating a more proficient response to quality of life concerns, he said. The division will allow a 24/7 response to quality of life issues, Wallace-Scalcione added. We are going to cross-train these inspectors on everything, Hudnut said. Now we are going to have overnight inspectors that can take sound readings on restaurants. We are going to have overnight inspectors in case a tenant works multiple jobs and needs Housing Code to come check something out. Hudnut said the task force visited 190 sites, attended or held 17 community meetings, and relocated 19 families to safer housing conditions, all within its first nine months. After COVID-19 hit the city, the task forces focus switched to responding to coronavirus-related issues, including 118 reports of price gouging, 325 reports of businesses violating curfew, over 1,300 reports of social-distancing concerns in businesses, in addition to another 121 general quality of life concerns. A lot of these conditions get referred to the police by default, Shea said. We are going to revamp it to where we can ensure that if an issue should be addressed by someone other than an armed police officer that it is handled that way and it is not falling to the police department because we are not providing the right mechanisms to deal with these issues. LONDON (AP) The U.K. indicated Tuesday that it was prepared to break an international agreement as post-Brexit trade discussions with the European Union resumed on an increasingly acrimonious tone. With concerns mounting that the talks could be just weeks from collapse, the U.K. urged the EU to show more realism" in the discussions, while the 27-nation bloc noted that it was a world power that would stand its ground and not yield to threats. The latest round of discussions kicked off in London in an air of pessimism because of concerns that the British government is prepared to violate international law by reneging on commitments made before the country's departure from the bloc on Jan. 31. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis appeared to admit as much when he told lawmakers that legislation to be published Wednesday would change aspects of the Brexit withdrawal agreement between the U.K. and the EU. Though details of the Internal Market Bill are unclear, Lewis said the planned legislation as it relates to Northern Ireland "does break international law in a very specific and limited way. EU officials have said any attempt to override the international treaty could jeopardize peace in Northern Ireland as well as undermine the chances of any trade deal. Under the terms of Britains departure, the government has committed itself to ensuring an open border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and EU member Ireland. We fully expect the UK to honor the commitments that it negotiated and signed up to, said EU Parliament President David Sassoli. Any attempts by the UK to undermine the agreement would have serious consequences," he said after meeting EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier. Johnsons predecessor, Theresa May, raised concerns that any attempt to bypass commitments could damage the U.K.s international standing. How can the government reassure future international partners that the U.K. can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs? she said in the House of Commons. Story continues The news that the head of the British government's legal department, Jonathan Jones, quit reportedly over plans to bypass commitments made with regard to the Irish border only added to the sense the talks are going nowhere. Though the U.K. left the bloc on Jan. 31, it is in a transition period that effectively sees it abide by EU rules until the end of this year. The discussions are about agreeing the broad outlines of the trading relationship from the start of 2021. David Frost, the British governments chief negotiator, said the two sides can no longer afford to go over well-trodden ground and that the EU needs to show more realism about the U.K.'s status as an independent country. European Council President Charles Michel retorted that the bloc is in no mood to budge on its demands. We are sending a message, not only to our citizens but also to the rest of the world Europe is a world power and we are ready to defend our interests," he said in a speech Tuesday at the Brussels Economic Forum. The trade discussions have made very little progress over the summer, with the two sides seemingly wide apart on several issues, notably on business regulations, the extent to which the U.K. can support certain industries and over the EU fishing fleet's access to British waters. The EU has been particularly insistent on level playing field issues in order to ensure that British-based businesses don't have an unfair advantage as a result of laxer social, environmental or subsidy rules in the U.K. If foreign companies want access to our market, we expect them to be on the same footing as our European companies," Michel said. The British government has said the publication of planned legislation on Wednesday is intended to tie up some loose ends where there was a need for legal certainty. Johnson has said Britain could walk away from the talks within weeks and insists that a no-deal exit would be a good outcome for the U.K. He said in a statement that any agreement must be sealed by an EU summit scheduled for Oct. 15. British businesses are worried about a collapse in the talks that could see tariffs and other impediments slapped on trade with the EU at the start of next year. Most economists think that the costs of a no-deal outcome would fall disproportionately on the U.K. ___ Raf Casert reported from Brussels. ___ Follow all AP stories about Brexit and British politics at https://apnews.com/Brexit The Sheffield researchers founded the spin-out Modulus Oncology with a team of experienced biotech entrepreneurs to fast-track the drug into clinical testing within two years. A new drug which could improve life expectancy and quality for patients with hard-to-treat cancers, such as pancreatic cancer and relapsed breast cancer, has been invented by scientists at the University of Sheffield. The researchers founded the spin-out company Modulus Oncology, along with a team of experienced biotech entrepreneurs, to fast-track the drug into clinical testing within two years. The Sheffield team made the discovery after examining a hormone, called adrenomedullin, which controls blood pressure and other vital body processes, but also stimulates the growth and spread of cancer. Using novel drug molecules, known as adrenomedullin-2 receptor antagonists, the scientists discovered a way to block the way that adrenomedullin is used in communication with cancer cells, without affecting the way it helps to regulate vital processes in the body such as blood pressure. Findings of the pioneering study, published in the journal ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, show the new drug molecules have a positive effect in the treatment of pancreatic cancer in mouse models. Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all common cancers, with only seven per cent of patients surviving five-years after diagnosis. Professor Tim Skerry from the University of Sheffield's Department of Oncology and Metabolism and a team of academic and industrial scientists from a range of scientific disciplines have been working on the groundbreaking research for the past 12 years. "The most extraordinary part of this new therapy is the fact that nature designed the hormone adrenomedullin to have two different types of receptor - one which helps to regulate our blood pressure and the other which is involved in the way that cancer cells communicate with each other and the host cells, helping cancers to grow and spread," said Professor Skerry. "We have designed a unique piece to fit into nature's jigsaw which will block signals from one receptor but allow the other to work as normal. In blocking the hormone's communication with the cancer cells we are cutting off its supply to the things that it needs to thrive. This means tumours can't grow as fast as they are starved of the resources they need and it becomes more difficult for them to spread to other areas of the body. He added: "Pancreatic cancer tumours are notoriously aggressive and difficult to treat and their location makes it easy for the cancer to spread to nearby organs such as the liver and stomach. The nature of pancreatic cancers means it is hard to get current drugs into the tumour. We believe adrenomedullin-2 receptors offer advantages for pancreatic cancer patients. "Over the past 30 years the diagnosis and treatment of the vast majority of cancers has evolved rapidly, helping more people survive the disease than ever before. However, advances in treating pancreatic cancer and improving patient outcomes have had little effect on life expectancy. There are still cancers that are resistant to treatment and research is needed to solve those problems." The novel drug molecules were found to be effective in treating pancreatic cancer tumours in mice models. Tumours did not grow as fast which provides evidence to suggest life expectancy would be extended. The compound is different from traditional therapies such as cytotoxic drugs and radiotherapy because it targets a very small number of cells and does not damage healthy cells in the body. It is hoped this will improve quality of life for patients undergoing treatment. It is thought the concept will also be beneficial in other traditional hard-to-treat cancers such as relapsed breast cancer and lung cancer. Building on more than a decade of research, and with substantial grant funding from The Wellcome Trust, the scientists created the spin-out company Modulus Oncology along with a team of biotech entrepreneurs. Key members of the Modulus Oncology team include Professor Skerry and four of the company's co-founders: Dr Alan Wise, Chief Executive Officer; Dr Clare Wareing, Chief Business Officer; Dr Gareth Richards, a key discovery scientist on the programme who will assume the role of VP of Preclinical Biology; and Professor Joe Harrity, also a key member of the discovery team who will assume a role on the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr Alan Wise, CEO of Modulus Oncology, said: "The team at the University of Sheffield have performed some truly pioneering research here and I am delighted to be helping Modulus Oncology take this vital work towards clinical testing. Our goal is to demonstrate benefit for cancer patients as well as growing a successful UK biotech company." Modulus Oncology is currently in discussions with a number of life science investors to raise funding for first-in-human clinical trials designed to generate strong clinical proof of concept data. For more information about Modulus Oncology, please contact: Dr Clare Wareing, CBO, cwareing@modulusoncology.com ### About Modulus Oncology Modulus Oncology Ltd is a pioneering new private biotech company focused on treating hard-to-treat cancers. Modulus was created by a founding team of scientists from the University of Sheffield and a team of successful biotech entrepreneurs. The research which underpins the company was made possible by funding from the Wellcome Trust's 'seeding drug discovery initiative' programme. The deep scientific insights of the University of Sheffield's founding team in receptor biology focused on adrenomedullin receptor 2 or AM2R, coupled with a sophisticated drug discovery approach, has resulted in the promising asset portfolio at Modulus Oncology. For more information, please visit: http://www.modulusoncology.com The University of Sheffield With almost 29,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of the world's leading universities. A member of the UK's prestigious Russell Group of leading research-led institutions, Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. Unified by the power of discovery and understanding, staff and students at the university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world we live in. Sheffield is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2018 and for the last eight years has been ranked in the top five UK universities for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher Education. Sheffield has six Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields. Global research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, AstraZeneca, Glaxo SmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations. About Wellcome Wellcome exists to improve health by helping great ideas to thrive. We support researchers, we take on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone get involved with science and health research.? We are a politically and financially independent foundation. Advertisement Professor Tim Skerry from the University of Sheffield's Department of Oncology and Metabolism and a team of academic and industrial scientists from a range of scientific disciplines have been working on the groundbreaking research for the past 12 years."The most extraordinary part of this new therapy is the fact that nature designed the hormone adrenomedullin to have two different types of receptor - one which helps to regulate our blood pressure and the other which is involved in the way that cancer cells communicate with each other and the host cells, helping cancers to grow and spread," said Professor Skerry."We have designed a unique piece to fit into nature's jigsaw which will block signals from one receptor but allow the other to work as normal. In blocking the hormone's communication with the cancer cells we are cutting off its supply to the things that it needs to thrive. This means tumours can't grow as fast as they are starved of the resources they need and it becomes more difficult for them to spread to other areas of the body.He added: "Pancreatic cancer tumours are notoriously aggressive and difficult to treat and their location makes it easy for the cancer to spread to nearby organs such as the liver and stomach. The nature of pancreatic cancers means it is hard to get current drugs into the tumour. We believe adrenomedullin-2 receptors offer advantages for pancreatic cancer patients."Over the past 30 years the diagnosis and treatment of the vast majority of cancers has evolved rapidly, helping more people survive the disease than ever before.The novel drug molecules were found to be effective in treating pancreatic cancer tumours in mice models. Tumours did not grow as fast which provides evidence to suggest life expectancy would be extended.The compound is different from traditional therapies such as cytotoxic drugs and radiotherapy because it targets a very small number of cells and does not damage healthy cells in the body. It is hoped this will improve quality of life for patients undergoing treatment.Building on more than a decade of research, and with substantial grant funding from The Wellcome Trust, the scientists created the spin-out company Modulus Oncology along with a team of biotech entrepreneurs.Key members of the Modulus Oncology team include Professor Skerry and four of the company's co-founders: Dr Alan Wise, Chief Executive Officer; Dr Clare Wareing, Chief Business Officer; Dr Gareth Richards, a key discovery scientist on the programme who will assume the role of VP of Preclinical Biology; and Professor Joe Harrity, also a key member of the discovery team who will assume a role on the Scientific Advisory Board.Dr Alan Wise, CEO of Modulus Oncology, said: "The team at the University of Sheffield have performed some truly pioneering research here and I am delighted to be helping Modulus Oncology take this vital work towards clinical testing. Our goal is to demonstrate benefit for cancer patients as well as growing a successful UK biotech company."Modulus Oncology is currently in discussions with a number of life science investors to raise funding for first-in-human clinical trials designed to generate strong clinical proof of concept data.For more information about Modulus Oncology, please contact: Dr Clare Wareing, CBO, cwareing@modulusoncology.comSource: Eurekalert Feeling misunderstood by other groups makes people more likely to support separatist causes like Brexit and Scottish independence, new research suggests. The University of Exeter studied links between political views and so-called "felt understanding" - feeling understood and listened to by other groups, such as Europeans and EU institutions (in the case of Brexit), or the English public and politicians (in the case of Scottish independence). The research also examined Protestant-Catholic relations in Northern Ireland and Basque-Spanish relations. In all cases, feeling poorly understood by other groups was linked to dramatically higher levels of support for separatism. In the Basque study, people one point lower on a seven-point "felt understanding" scale (feeling less understood by Spanish people) were more than six times more likely to back independence. However, "felt understanding" was also a unique predictor of trust and forgiveness - the more people felt understood by members of the other group, the more likely they were to trust and forgive them. "Our research demonstrates the critical role of 'felt understanding' in relations between groups of people," said lead author Dr Andrew Livingstone, of the University of Exeter. "When people - individually and collectively - feel that those around them aren't 'getting' their point of view, and if people feel they lack the ability to determine their own future, you get responses that are about 'taking back control'. "Such responses might, in large part, be about people making their voices heard. "Voting is fundamentally an act of communication, though it's not always easy to interpret what voters 'mean' by their vote." Felt understanding was found to be a stronger predictor of separatism than beliefs about the "out-group" (ie Europeans, English people, etc) or "meta-beliefs" (what people imagined the out-group thought of them). It was also a stronger predictor of Brexit vote than more commonly-discussed factors like age or highest educational qualification. Dr Livingstone said the research, which included data from more than 7,000 participants, showed the vital importance of making people feel heard. "Even if people have been brought to a belief by misinformation, it doesn't mean their belief is insincere," he said. "One of the worst ways to change such a belief is to tell people their views aren't genuine, or that they are fools. "The first step is to ask people why they hold a particular belief, and to listen to the answer. "It's not about pretending to agree - it's about showing them you've really listened and understood their point of view, even if you ultimately disagree." Following the 2019 UK general election and the divisive debate over Brexit, Dr Livingstone noted the call from Prime Minister Boris Johnson to "let the healing begin". "Boris Johnson had to acknowledge the fact that people want respect for the way they see the world," he said. The studies of Scottish independence, Brexit, Northern Ireland and Basque separatism did not address cause and effect. This was tested by a fifth study in which young people in Spain saw one of two mock newspaper articles - one suggesting that older people understood them and cared about their concerns, and the other suggesting they didn't. Young people who were told older people understood them (higher "felt understanding") reported more positive views of older people. ### The research was partly funded by the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence. The paper, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, is entitled: "'They Just Don't Understand Us': The Role of Felt Understanding in Intergroup Relations." FALLS TOWNSHIP >> In an effort to be fiscally responsible while ridding Falls Township Community Park of Canada geese, the Falls Township Supervisors approved a multi-faceted, year-long geese mitigation plan at a one percent savings over 2021. Stepped up geese management efforts began in 2015 and have significantly reduced the number of geese at the park, Falls Township Parks and Recreation... By Edward Buttimore The current controversy regarding Gov. Phil Murphys order for universal mail-in ballots for the upcoming 2020 November General Election will guarantee the losing candidates will protest the election outcome. Using the U.S. Postal Service as a middleman in the voting process will simply support a conspiracy theory argument for the loser. If Biden loses, the Democrats will complain that Trump ordered the slowing of mail service in certain areas. If Trump loses, he will complain of mass voter fraud. And now that the U.S. Postal Service employees union has endorsed Biden for president it seems more than foolish to rely on an organization that has a publicly declared interest in the election outcome to be delivering and collecting the ballots. Voter fraud is not a myth but extremely rare. Several studies have found less than .01% of voter fraud nationally. But the recent Paterson City Council election proved that voter fraud can happen. In June, four persons were criminally charged with voter fraud after hundreds of mail-in ballots were found in a mailbox in Paterson and a mailbox in Haledon. A judge has since ordered a new election. Universal mail-in-ballots could make voter fraud easier. Voter fraud can never be eliminated completely but the governor and election officials should take common-sense steps to at least reduce the opportunity to increase it. New Jersey voter participation in 2016 was 65% of registered voters. By mailing ballots to all registered voters you immediately have 35% of voters who have shown no previous inclination to participate now having a ballot worthless to them but of great value to others. Illegal ballot harvesting will no doubt increase. And people may financially profit from it. A voting system that enables ballot harvesters and other fraudsters to illegally collect and anonymously mail in completed ballots that were not formally requested, as the way absentee ballots are tracked, is doomed to failure and post-election controversy. Registered voters who have died, relocated in-state or moved out of state will all be sent ballots. Notifying your previous local election board when relocating is not near the top of anyones to-do list. Earlier this year, Los Angeles County election officials had to admit they had over 7.1 million registered voters of both parties, but only 6.1 million actual eligible voters. Thats over 1 million improperly listed voters. And there has been very little discussion of the county clerks and board of elections ability, or inability, to hand count an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots. The recent Republican U.S. Senate all mail-in primary took over a month to count and declare a winner, which is still in dispute. Over 40,000 mail-in ballots were rejected. And the loser only lost by 8,700 votes. Thats an obvious problem. 1.5 million New Jersey voters participated in the all mail-in primary last month. Twice that many are expected to vote this November. Last week, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order #177, which required each municipality to have at least one polling location where voters can drop off their completed mail-in ballot in person instead of using the U.S. Postal Service. Voters will only be allowed to submit their own ballot and a poll worker will verify that. The poll worker will also ensure the ballots envelope is properly signed to reduce disqualifications. Thats a good thing. The order also called for at least 10 drop boxes to be placed around each county. Unsupervised drop boxes may invite fraud and lead to more disqualified ballots. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is respected by most Americans, said he saw no reason why people couldnt vote in person as long as "polling place workers and voters adhere to safety guidelines and recommendations. Governor Murphy should limit mail-in voting only to absentee ballots, which are requested ahead of time by voters, and require all other voters to submit their ballot in person at their respective polling station. Voters coming to polling stations with a completed ballot will speed up the voting process, reduce the number of disqualified ballots and remove the U.S Postal Service from handling the vast majority of ballots. Edward Buttimore is a former supervisor of criminal corruption investigations in the New Jersey State Attorney Generals Office, Criminal Division. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Heres how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. PHILADELPHIA (September 9, 2020) - Confronting the uncomfortable reality of systemic racism - the system that creates and maintains racial inequality in every facet of life for people of color - is having a national heyday. But calling out this injustice and doing something about it are two different things. Throughout its history, nursing has been on the forefront of advocacy addressing public policies, institutional practices, and other norms that perpetuate racial group inequities. Yet structural racism still remains in the teaching, research, scholarship, and practice of nursing. In an editorial for the journal Nursing Outlook, two nurse leaders propose a framework to guide thinking and action to effectively address racial inequities and injustices throughout nursing. "There remain too many examples of structural racism throughout nursing and we must be open to continuing to examine, identify, and change these within our own profession," writes Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing). Villarruel wrote the editorial titled "Beyond the naming: institutional racism in nursing," along with Marion E. Broome, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean of the School of Nursing at Duke University. The framework the authors outline identifies ways that nurses can lead in their organizations and change policies, practices, and traditions that disadvantage and diminish people of color in schools of nursing, nursing professional organizations, and health systems. The authors challenge nurses to use the framework to dismantle structural racism in practice. "If it is to be different, it is time to act. Actions, if inclusive and well thought out, can be the medium to bring people together to make a real difference--especially the younger students and faculty who we so often 'protect' from that work," the authors add. ### About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world's leading schools of nursing. For the fifth year in a row, it is ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS University and is consistently ranked highly in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of best graduate schools. Penn Nursing is currently ranked # 1 in funding from the National Institutes of Health, among other schools of nursing, for the third consecutive year. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through innovation in research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, & Instagram GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip On Aug. 31, Hamas abruptly announced that it had reached understandings with Israel to contain the escalation in the Gaza Strip. The two parties had conducted rounds of indirect negotiations, first through Egyptian mediation and then with Qatari help. The office of Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar stated Aug. 31, After rounds of talks and calls, the last of which was carried out by Qatars Ambassador Mohammed al-Emadi, an understanding was reached to contain the escalation and stop the Zionist aggression against our people. Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas political bureau, told Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV Sept. 1 that his movement did not reach a new agreement with the Israeli occupation authorities, but rather reiterated the previous understandings. Hayya noted that Hamas and Israel reached an understanding that previous agreements would be implemented, especially with regard to water, electricity, exports, Palestinian workers who travel to Israel and merchants who move goods across the border. Qatar promised to increase its grant to the Gaza Strip starting in September. The Islamic Jihad movement made no official comment on Hamas' announcement. Members of the Islamic Jihad had been launching incendiary balloons toward Israel throughout the month of August, as a pressure tool. Al-Monitor learned from sources within Islamic Jihad that the movement is not pleased with the agreement, claiming that it does not fulfill the resistance's basic demand of lifting the 14-year siege of the Gaza Strip. Members and supporters of Hamas and Islamic Jihad exchanged criticism on social media regarding the understandings. Nafez Azzam, a member of Islamic Jihad's political bureau, called for an end to the quarreling in an Aug. 1 Facebook post, writing, I appeal to my brothers and sons from Hamas and Islamic Jihad to stop all social media disputes. You are in one trench and your blood has always been mixed with one another and you have supported each other. It seems that Hamas negotiated on its own without involving the rest of the factions in the Gaza Strip. Talal Abu Zarifa, the leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), said in a Sept. 1 interview on Al-Kofiya TV, The DFLP and the rest of the factions were not part of the agreement; we only read about it later. The Hamas and Islamic Jihad leadership met on Sept. 2 on the sidelines of the meeting between the leaders of the Palestinian factions held in the Lebanese capital Beirut. During the meeting, the sides discussed a variety of common issues related to the Palestinian cause, including the Gaza file and the understandings with Israel. They also agreed on the need to boost relations between the two movements, media outlets close to Islamic Jihad reported. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Al-Monitor that the factions in the Gaza Strip were involved in and familiar with the previous truce agreement concluded in 2018, noting that the recent agreement includes nothing new aside from emergency humanitarian aid regarding the coronavirus pandemic. He added that the recent negotiations took place between only Hamas and the mediators, as it was difficult for all the factions to attend the meeting due to the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19. Just after the agreement was reached, all Palestinian parties and leaderships were contacted and informed of the details. Their agreement was apparent in the great level of coordination in the field" and that Islamic Jihad "stopped firing incendiary balloons as soon as the agreement was announced, Qassem noted. I do not believe that any Palestinian party is against aid entering the Strip as long as there is no political price to pay in exchange for such agreements, he explained. Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad leader and member of the Higher National Commission for the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege Ahmed al-Mudallal refused to answer Al-Monitor's question about whether his movement was a partner to the agreement. He said, What matters is what this agreement will lead to. Mudallal added, The struggle against the Israeli siege on Gaza using various methods will only stop once the Israeli siege on Gaza is completely lifted. He called on all parties to pressure Israel and implement measures to break the siege. That there is internal dissatisfaction expressed from Islamic Jihad a large group along with the lack of confidence between the parties are feeding doubts about the calm in Gaza lasting. The resistance factions in Gaza gave Israel a period of two months to implement the previous understandings, and if it does not do so, incendiary balloons and other tools will be used again, Hayya noted in his interview. Hassan Abdo, a political analyst close to Islamic Jihad and a researcher at the Yafa Center for Political and Media Studies, told Al-Monitor that Hamas is the only movement that has doing actual negotiating. As was the case in previous agreements, other factions have left the task to Hamas since it took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. During the marches of return and the escalations that followed, all discussions took place with Hamas leaders without the rest of the factions. The movement would then inform the factions of the main points once a final agreement is reached, he added. Speaking about the possibility of Islamic Jihad members continuing escalatory actions, Abdo noted, The Islamic Jihad, along with the rest of the factions, is committed to defending Gaza and does not wish to deviate from the national consensus, which explains why its members stopped launching incendiary balloons as soon as Hamas announced the agreement. Mudallal stressed, We are present on the battlefield and we will not give up our basic mission, which is to break the siege on Gaza, and we will not allow the rules of engagement with the occupation to change. September 09 : Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the governing civic body of Mumbai came in full action on Wednesday Morning as they started demolition of actor Kangana Ranauts film office in Bandra claiming that many alterations were carried out on the premises without due permission. Kangana Ranaut slammed BMC by calling them as Baburs (Mughal Emperor) army and she termed the incident as death of democracy in the country. In a series of tweets, Kangana shared pictures of her office on her twitter handle. In the pictures, it can be seen that large number of police force has been deployed outside Kanganas office and BMC workers are demolishing the office using JCB machine and heavy equipments. In her first tweet, Kangana wrote, As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport, Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher. As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport,Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher. pic.twitter.com/6lE9LoKGjq Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 "Manikarnika Films announced its first film Ayodhya in this office. This is not just a building but Ram Mandir for me. Today history is repeating itself and Ram Mandir will be shattered into pieces. But do remember Babur, Ram Mandir will be constructed again, Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram," she wrote in her second tweet sharing office inauguration pictures on her Twitter account. In her third tweet, sharing the pictures of Mumbai Police and BMC workers, Kangana captioned it as Babur and his army #deathofdemocracy. In her fourth and fifth tweet, Kangana shared pictures of BMC workers who are demolishing her office from inside and termed Mumbai as Pakistan. Kangana captioned the pictures as Pakistan.... #deathofdemocracy and I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy. On Monday, the BMC had carried out an inspection at her bungalow in Pali Hill in suburban Bandra. A BMC team visited the bungalow on Tuesday morning around 10 and pasted the notice as nobody there was ready to receive it. The notice, issued under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, highlighted that the ongoing renovation and finishing work was "beyond approved plan". I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy pic.twitter.com/bWHyEtz7Qy Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Kangana is returning to Mumbai on Wednesday, fulfilling her challenge to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. Kangana and Sanjay have been engaged in a war of words since last week, after Sanjay took offence to her criticism of the city and Mumbai Police. Panga actress took panga (engaged in brawl) with Maharashtra state government as she was disappointed with Mumbai Polices handling of Sushant Singh Rajputs death case. Kangana had compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Enraged at her comments, Sanjay asked Kangana not to return to Maharashtra. Kangana had been living in Manali with her family ever since before the coronavirus lockdown was announced. There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 After hearing Rauts comments against herself, Kangana shared a video on Sunday, declaring that she will be coming back to Mumbai on September 9, and challenged him to try and stop her. Central government entered in the controversy when home ministry granted Y-plus security to Kangana on the basis of possible 'threat' after she spoke about drug use among a section in the film industry following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and after Kangana planned her Mumbai visit on September 9. Baffled by Central governments decision, Maharashtra state government is leaving no stone unturned to tighten their grip on Kanganas obnoxious behavior. Yesterday, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that Mumbai police will probe allegations by Adhyayan Suman that actor Kangana Ranaut took drugs. Shiv Sena's Sunil Prabhu and Pratap Sarnaik had earlier already submitted copies of Suman's interview to the government and demanded an inquiry. Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant had also asked the NCB to probe Ranaut's alleged drug links. TheJakartaPost Please Update your browser Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below. Just click on the icons to get to the download page. SPRINGFIELD A $795,000 federal grant administered by the state Department of Housing and Community Development and awarded to Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield will assist Mercy Medical Center to expand its outreach to the homeless. The diocesan social services agency is partnering with Mercy, part of Trinity Health Of New England, to allow Mercy, with $260,000 from the grant, to hire additional staff for its Healthcare for the Homeless program, including community health workers and a registered nurse, to specifically target those not accessing shelter services and living on the street. Kathryn Buckley-Brawner, the agencys executive director, said this Emergency Solutions Grant is designed to provide shelter for the chronically homeless and others who are unable to access emergency shelter particularly during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The funding that was made available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state was in response to the overall need for preventive measures with, and on behalf of, those who are at great risk, said Buckley-Brawner of exposure to the respiratory disease that can be fatal. It limits the risk to the client as well as to the public. Buckley-Brawner added, Outreach is only one component of the grant. The $260,000 is to pay the salaries of the Mercy street outreach workers who will subsequently refer the client to a homeless shelter or Catholic Charities for motel shelter, and to health care providers, Buckley-Brawner said. The remainder of the grant will cover the cost of hotel/motel placement, the salaries of housing case workers, stabilization services, and supplies. In a release, Mercy said its team will provide outreach services, such as assessment, intervention, referrals and education, to individuals who are not utilizing congregate living situations, especially focusing on the communities of Springfield, Holyoke, Westfield and Chicopee. Basic primary care and behavioral health services will be offered. The grant runs through June 2021 and will assist at least 25 individuals or families with hotel or motel shelter, accompanying services and case management. The hotel and motel placement provided by this grant will afford the homeless a shelter safe from unprotected contact with others, potentially limiting the spread of COVID-19," said Cherelle Rozie, director of Community Health and Well Being for Mercy. "However, if infection is suspected or confirmed, it provides a place where clients can self-quarantine and receive essential services while being regularly monitored for worsening symptoms. She added that on an ongoing basis "these clients will benefit from health assessments, regular communication and assistance from a case worker, and access to general medical care. Collaborative work done by a number of Springfield-based health care and other organizations this summer involving testing of the homeless found low rates of infection, though there were outbreaks of COVID-19 in shelters elsewhere in the state. The respiratory disease spreads easily when infected individuals are in close proximity to others not infected with the novel virus SARS-CoV-2 against which there is no approved vaccine or medical treatment. Preventative measures such as facial masks, frequent washing of hands and social distancing are the best means to date of lowering individual risk. Related content: I learned something recently. Even when race is everywhere this year has been one of endless statistics, startling headlines and even a few apologies discussions around it still arent anywhere near easy. This is true everywhere. Take hospitality. As a food writer and activist, on Instagram this June I posted about the systematic disparities that pervade the UK. Within days, five posts of mine racked up over 65,000 likes and two in particular were overwhelmed by more than 10,000 divisive to put it lightly comments. Here was my lesson: when lamenting a system that seemingly gives an advantage to white people, many think they are being accused of being racist themselves. Being racist and disproportionately benefiting from systems built on racism are two different things, but both halt the progress of minorities. The barriers to Black success in restaurants arent different from those in any other industry problems with prejudice, progression, investment and media presence persist throughout society. But this industry full of (often untapped) Black talent has its issues, even if few want to acknowledge it. Mention it to those in the business a business where margins are notoriously thin and the graft is notoriously hard and the idea that anyone has it easier than anyone else is often met with disdain. But the message that many Black people and other minority groups have been trying to convey is that their careers are too often sidetracked by continual obstacles that appear simply because of the colour of their skin. This is nothing new. My first book explored the cooking of my family. Belly Full: Caribbean Food in the UK, celebrated cuisine that rarely finds representation, and when I was researching it, conversations with restaurateurs would often turn into talk of the strife of their careers. Wilfred Reid, a Black Jamaican migrant who founded Manchester's Old Trafford Bakery in the late Fifties, told me about the adversarial, years-long process of trying to find a landlord. Nobody would give us a place, he said. The people in those days werent dealing with us people back then. We were told there was no space for hot food. The next summer, they had a pasta spot there It seems the people of these days still arent dealing with us people. Though more than half a century has passed, the same issues persist. Mother and daughter duo Naz Ramadan (now of the Bando Belly street food stall) and Chantal Hamilton had trouble finding a site for Kitchen 54 in Peckham, though it was the neighbourhood they grew up in. A commercial lease proved elusive: Ramadan tells how, when they approached the landlords at a building complex in Rye Lane: We were told there was no space for hot food. The next summer they had a pasta spot there. We also went along Queens Road and were repeatedly asked where and how we would sell the jerk chicken, she says. But heres the thing: Kitchen 54 specialised in American-style soul food, and they had no ambition of selling Caribbean cooking. It was patronising and it was insulting. They arent alone. I have been denied space at events or pop-up spaces before I even sent a menu, says Keshia Sakarah, chef and owner of Caribe in Brixton, because there has already been a Caribbean chef. It proved to me that within the industry, although Caribbean cuisine has influence from cultures all over the world, it still does not have the acknowledgment it deserves and its still being denied a space. Speaking out: activist, writer and author of this piece, Riaz Phillips / Harry Mitchell Sometimes that space is found at a cost. During the few times when Caribbean food has thrived on the high street, it is usually laden with typical exotic tropes think Bob Marley playing, palm tree murals and umbrella-donned cocktails which is a far cry from the reality of eating anywhere on the island group. The majority of Caribbean restaurants in London dont do these things, but then the majority of Caribbean restaurants havent managed to find a mainstream spot to trade in. The truth is, when Black people and other migrant groups tout their goods, it is often seen as primitive and exotic to the white gaze. The rub? When white people are able to market and profit from the same foods, suddenly its a new trend and praise follows. Just look at turmeric lattes, jackfruit, plantain crisps. And while bigotry is undoubtedly a barrier, so is broader representation. Many just dont see others that look like them working in the industry, which can be off-putting. It happens at all levels, as James Cochran, chef and co-owner of the acclaimed 12:51 in North London, says. I would like to see big corporate hotels and restaurants look at starting programmes for people of colour and of ethnic backgrounds, or underprivileged teenagers, to teach them the skills needed to progress in kitchens. It seems bizarre that they dont, especially when the bottom rung of the hospitality industry is overpopulated with migrant workers, overwhelmingly Black. Why arent we giving them the basic cooking skills in this programme to further their career and earn more money and make something of themselves? asks Cochran, instead of accepting or expecting their positions to remain at that point? Progress is painfully slow. Denied space: Keshia Sakarah, the chef/owner of Caribe' says she has been turned away from places before even sending a menu / Great British Chefs These are problems even before you start talking about money. Investment is a huge issue. For Black people, long-term barriers to residence and commerce have stunted the accruing of generational wealth, which means would-be entrepreneurs are unable to turn to friends and family in order to raise the eye-watering start-up costs, unlike many of their white counterparts. More frighteningly, a recent report in The Times suggested Black people are more likely to be refused business loans. This too is nothing new: in 2008, the University of Warwick found Black entrepreneurs were four times more likely to be denied credit than white businesses. The hospitality industry, of course, doesnt exist in a vacuum. More than restaurants and bars, it encompasses publishing, entertainment and media. For Black people, to thrive in the UK food scene means theyve often had to be the only one in the room, with their content made palatable for a white audience. As Sakarah says: It has become clear that those who are the gatekeepers of the food world (such as restaurant critics) consciously exclude these communities, resulting in their food and eating spaces being denied the same exposure and interest as the latest pizza space or fine-dining restaurant that opens. Pushing for more inclusion: Lorraine Copes, founder of BAME in Hospitality Lorraine Copes, the founder of BAME in Hospitality, hopes to parlay her two decades in the industry to counter this, and hopes to build a multifaceted platform to push for the progression of those marginalised. For her, businesses need to bring in experts in the field to help them assess, develop and implement measurable solutions. You get what you measure, and inclusion and belonging should be at the forefront of this, in order to sustain change. The task at hand here isnt simply a Black issue, but a societal one. We see that investment is hard to come by, as is space to operate and awareness. But why? And who takes responsibility for this? It should be for the decision makers in those fields, but these decision makers are largely white. This is a problem. In all matters of effecting change, Copes and many others feel that the burden is being left to Black individuals, those with the desire but often not the resources to make the necessary impact. The fact is that others, be it in PR, editorial, recruitment or society in general, should all be taking charge in dealing with their own prejudice towards Black people. Theres no recipe, diet or 10 Black restaurants to follow list that will act as a quick fix for this. Finding the solution is likely to be a slow process and for every black square on social media, the question remains: what will actually be done to bring about any tangible change? The task at hand here isnt simply a Black issue, but a societal one the solution is likely to be a slow process As in other industries, many small initiatives are well-meaning and are moving the conversation on, but only minutely chipping away at the relic of systematic, and systemic, racism. The last few months have been pivotal in raising awareness to issues that need confronting, but simply saying we could do better or we are listening isnt enough to alleviate past transgressions. When the executive suites, editorial tables and decision-making powers are truly representative of the world we live in, that is when change will truly be made, and that is when the trickle down will be evident. Only once this change in society is ignited will restaurants really benefit. @riazphillips MUMBAI: BJPs senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday (September 9, 2020) jumped in support of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut and assured her that he is with her in her struggle. The BJP leader took to Twiter and tweeted, Tell Kangana to keep the faith. We are with her in this struggle." Tell Kangana to keep the faith. We are with her in this struggle. Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 9, 2020 The tweet from Subramanian Swamy came shortly after the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, which on Tuesday served a 'stop-work' notice to Ranaut, demolished her alleged unauthorised construction at her office in Mumbai on Wednesday. The office is situated in Mumbai`s Pali Hills. Kangana Ranaut, who is on her way to Mumbai from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, tweeted photographs of the demolition drive. While Ranaut is yet to reach Mumbai, her lawyer filed a plea in Bombay High Court challenging BMC's decision to undertake a demolition drive. I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now, Ranaut said, reiterating her reference to the PoK. A massive political row had erupted over Ranaut's remarks and state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked the Queen actor to not return to Mumbai if she felt that the city was not safe. "A girl (Kangana Ranaut ) from another State comes here to earn a livelihood and Mumbai accepts her but she insults the Mumbai Police. This is sad. What she said is irresponsible. If you insult Maharashtra, people will not tolerate it. Maharashtra belongs to the BJP too, all parties should condemn her," he had said. Targeting the actor, Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena MP said that Mumbai gave a lot to Kangana Ranaut and she is now working to discredit the name of Mumbai and Mumbai Police. However, in some sort of breather to her, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday stayed the demolition drive being undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at the property of Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut in Mumbai. A bench of the High Court also asked the BMC to file a reply on her petition in the matter. Amid all this, the Ministry of Home Affairs approved Y-plus security to the `Queen` actress after she received threats for comparing Mumbai with Pakistan occupied Kashmir. (TNS) A new study concludes that Delaware County, Ohio, workers are well-positioned to continue working from home when the coronavirus pandemic ends.The National Association of Realtors "Work from Home" study seeks to identify areas in the country where workers are most likely to stay put after the pandemic.In 2018, 8 million workers 16 or older, or 5.3 percent of the workforce, worked from home, according to the the report, relying on U.S. Census Bureau data. During the pandemic, that figure skyrocketed to more than 60 percent of workers."The coronavirus pandemic greatly accelerated the number of workers who are able to work from home," said Lawrence Yun, the trade group's chief economist. "Possibly a quarter of the labor force may be permitted to work from anywhere outside of the office even after a vaccine is discovered compared to only 5 percent prior to the pandemic and this will greatly change the landscape of where people buy homes."In an effort to gauge areas where workers might not return to the office after the pandemic, the Realtors' group created a Work from Home Score for 3,142 counties.The score is based on several factors, including percentage of workers at home before the pandemic, broadband internet access, percentage of homes with computers, the portion of workers in office-related jobs, and an area's population growth.Forsyth County, Georgia, outside Atlanta, where more than 11 percent of workers worked from home before the coronavirus, had the nation's highest Work from Home Score.Delaware County landed at No. 8, based on the high percentage (8.1) of workers who were home before COVID-19, and the fact that 99 percent of homes are served by at least three internet providers.In two other other Ohio counties - Holmes and Geauga - more than 7 percent of workers worked from home in 2018. No central Ohio county other than Delaware County had more than 6 percent of workers at home in 2018: Franklin County, 4.5 percent; Licking, 4.3 percent; Pickaway, 3.1 percent; Fairfield, 4.4 percent; Madison, 4.5 percent; and Union, 5.5 percent.Delaware was the only Ohio county to crack the Top 30 on the Realtors' list, which was dominated by Southern and Western counties.Following Forsyth County in Georgia, are: Douglas County, Colorado (Denver metro area); Los Alamos County, New Mexico (Albuquerque); Collin County, Texas (Dallas); and Loudon County, Virginia (Washington, D.C.). The US government is set to end enhanced screening of some international passengers for COVID-19 and drop requirements that travelers coming from the targeted countries arrive at 15 designated US airports, according to US and airline officials and a government document seen by Reuters. The changes are set to take effect as early as Monday, according to the draft rollout plan seen by Reuters, but the move could still be delayed, US officials said. The administration earlier this year imposed enhanced screening requirements on travelers who had been in China, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Iran and the Schengen region of Europe, and barred most non-US citizens who have been in those locations from coming to the United States. A traveler is checked with a handheld thermometer near a test system of thermal imaging cameras which check body temperatures at Los Angeles International Airport amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June The Trump administration is set to end enhanced COVID-19 screenings for arriving international passengers at American airports. President Trump is seen above in the White House on Wednesday The document seen by Reuters says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 'is shifting its strategy and prioritizing other public health measures to reduce the risk of travel-related disease transmission.' It said that of 675,000 passengers screened at the 15 airports, 'fewer than 15 have been identified as having COID-19.' A spokesman for the CDC did not immediately comment. The 'current entry strategy for international arrivals only covers a small portion of the traveling public, requires significant resources and is not sustainable as travel volumes increase,' document said. The plan was reported earlier by Yahoo News. The government is working to help jump-start the ailing international tourism sector, which has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, American officials were 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 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. London calling! Last month, 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. 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. 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. "We are looking to places where we have low share that has more upside for the future United and our travelers," United's chief commercial officer, Andrew Nocella, said in an interview. The Chicago-based airline on Wednesday said next spring it will launch three weekly nonstop flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to Accra, Ghana, and Lagos, Nigeria, a bid for travelers visiting friends and family. It had discontinued a Houston-to-Lagos route, at the time its only Africa flight, in 2016 in the wake of the oil bust. United will also add a daily nonstop flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Johannesburg, adding to the South Africa service it launched with a Cape Town flight last December as it chases leisure travelers. United Airlines is setting its sights on Africa and India, regions that have long been minor players in its network as it tries to expand as profitably as possible during the coronavirus pandemic . The airline is also planning to add daily service to Bangalore, India, from San Francisco next summer, a move that aims to capture business travelers between the two major tech hubs. That sets it up for a battle with American Airlines, which is planning to launch a flight from Seattle to Bangalore this winter. United will also add daily nonstop flights between Chicago and New Delhi late this year. "Bangalore has been one of the most requested destinations at United over the last few years," said Nocella, adding that United could expand service beyond a once-daily flight there later on. The new flights' success hinges on how the pandemic develops and a web of travel advisories and restrictions. Dozens of countries remain off limits for U.S. citizens, including most of Europe. "We all know that Covid will some day come to an end and we know that borders will reopen, so we're looking toward the future," Nocella said. "This is the time to do it." The pandemic has quickly remade airlines' networks and reshaped traveler behavior. United and its rivals that enjoyed robust international networks before the pandemic have focused more of their service within the U.S. In October 2019, international flights accounted for 44% of United's capacity and that share will drop to 35% this October, a spokesman said. As part of that domestic push, United will add more service to Hawaii with nonstop flights between Chicago to Kona and between Newark and Maui next summer. Another major change in consumer behavior is that travelers are booking closer to departure, Nocella said. "We think the vast majority of travelers are waiting a bit longer" to make holiday reservations "but we expect them to be strong." And facing a dearth of business travel, United's customers are skewing younger than before the pandemic, he added. Earlier Wednesday, United said its capacity in the third quarter of 2020 would likely be down 70% from last year, slightly more than the 65% decline it previously forecast. United expects its third-quarter passenger revenue to be 85% lower compared with 2019, worse than a previous estimate of an 83% drop. CEO Scott Kirby has said he expects demand to plateau at 50% of 2019 levels until there is a coronavirus vaccine. Four southern Ontario men have been charged with using a helicopter to smuggle handguns into Canada and cannabis into the U.S. Police on both sides of the border praised the joint effort involved in a 16-month joint investigation involving the RCMP, U.S. Homeland Security and the Ontario Provincial Police. This important disruption removed 18 firearms from a criminal organization that posed a significant threat to Canadian communities and brazenly exploited our shared border through the air, Michael Buckley, Attache for Homeland Security Investigations at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa said on Wednesday in a prepared statement. Police executed six search warrants within the Greater Toronto Area and Quebec, seizing 18 handguns, more than 800 marijuana plants and dried cannabis from an illegal grow-operation, and approximately 400 grams of suspected cocaine. The group was found to be cultivating cannabis outside of Health Canada regulations in the GTA. Police seized a Jet Ranger helicopter, which they said was used to smuggle the illegal cannabis into the U.S. at low altitudes to avoid detection. Charged with conspiracy to export cannabis, possession of cannabis for the purpose of exporting it and illegally cultivating cannabis and possession of forged documents are: Kamal Deep Bassan, 36, of Vaughan; Ramindejit Assi, 25, of Burlington; Derek Chi-Yeung Ng, 40, of East Gwillimbury; and Parmjot Saini, 30, of Woodbridge. Assi also faces charges of illegal possession of brass knuckles and possession of cocaine. Saini is also charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of distributing. The RCMP continues to be committed to combatting Transnational Organized Crime and keeping our citizens safe by removing illicit commodities off the streets and out of the hands of these group, Hamilton-Niagara RCMP Inspector Ann Koenig said in a prepared statement. The German government has allocated 2bn as stimulus for the automotive industry overall. Photo: Hendrik Schmidt/Reuters Germanys automotive companies, struggling with a coronavirus-induced drop in consumer demand, are not likely to receive government support in the form of subsidies for buyer premiums to boost sales of their petrol and diesel vehicles. Politicians, including Bavarian state premier Markus Soder had called for the government to consider buyer premiums for internal combustion cars ahead of a car summit between automotive and supplier bosses, unions, and Angela Merkels government on Tuesday evening. Soder warned of mass job losses in the industry. Transport minister Andreas Scheuer said that the inventory of petrol and diesel vehicles must be shifted off car lots. READ MORE: German car chiefs demand more aid amid COVID-19 slump However, according to a paper released after the meeting and seen by the German Press Agency, there is no mention of purchase premiums for fossil-fuel cars. The government will however look at how it can support the industrys recovery, including possible financial aid for struggling supplier companies. It will also look at a range of ways it can support the switch to clean energy cars, including boosting the charging station network and developing regulation around autonomous driving. Working groups have been set up to look into the next steps between now and November. In its fiscal aid measures announced earlier this year, the government raised the premiums on clean energy cars, meaning consumers would get thousands of euros knocked off the list price, in an effort to speed up the countrys migration to battery and hybrid mobility. Overall, it has allocated 2bn ($3.2bn, 2.4bn) as stimulus for the automotive industry, as well as approved an extension of the countrys furlough scheme until the end of 2021. READ MORE: Automotive industry no longer growth engine of German economy A study by the German Economic Institute this week said that the auto industry, which employs over 900,000 people directly and indirectly, is no longer the engine driving the German economy. Experts say there is a slim chance enough evidence will be available before November 3 to prove the vaccine is safe. As questions mount over whether the United States will authorise a coronavirus vaccine ahead of the November elections, experts say there is a slim chance that enough evidence will be available to prove one is safe and effective in that timeframe. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said a vaccine is possible before the November 3 election, and accused a deep state within the nations top health regulator of trying to slow pivotal clinical trials to hamper his chances at a second term. The US Food and Drug Administration denied that claim, saying its decisions will be guided by data alone. Drugmakers, seeking to bolster public confidence amid political squabbles on Tuesday pledged to uphold scientific safety and efficacy standards in their quest for a vaccine. Vaccine safety was in focus on Wednesday after AstraZeneca PLC said it had put a pause on its coronavirus trial of the vaccine with Oxford to review the safety data of an unexplained illness in the United Kingdom trial. It described the move as routine and said it would restart trials when an independent committee recommended it do so. Other companies have recently made comments suggesting they could have an answer on whether their vaccines work before November. Voters in June line up to cast their ballots outside a polling location after Democratic and Republican primaries were delayed due to coronavirus restrictions in Atlanta, Georgia, United States [File: Dustin Chambers/Reuters] It would really be an amazing vaccine to show that, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Reuters news agency. Fauci said initial trial results are likely to become available in November or December, but late October remains a possibility. It is conceivable that if there are enough infections documented early on that you might get that answer earlier, he said. Vaccines must demonstrate they are at least 50 percent more effective than a placebo to be considered for approval. To prove that, government officials have said, at least 150 COVID-19 infections must be recorded among trial participants with at least twice as many occurring among the placebo group. If a vaccine is especially effective, companies could have their answer sooner. Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc, whose US vaccine trials have enrolled thousands of people and are the most advanced, say they may have proof after just a few dozen subjects become infected. Independent panels of experts called data and safety monitoring boards (DSMB) will review trial data at pre-specified points. These boards can recommend companies stop the trials if the evidence is overwhelmingly positive or negative. For Pfizer, the first interim look occurs when 32 trial volunteers get infected. Experts interviewed by Reuters cautioned that information gleaned from a limited number of subjects could miss important safety issues that letting the trial fully play out might reveal. Absolutely insufficient Pfizers trial calls for four interim analyses by the DSMB, the first after just 32 recorded infections. We may have enough data to be able to share the first analysis by October, said Pfizer spokeswoman Jerica Pitts. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday during a campaign stop at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum in Jupiter, Florida, United States [File: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] Modernas first interim analysis will come after 53 trial subjects become infected, the company told investors last month. Basing a decision on 53 cases, is an absolutely insufficient number, said Dr Gregory Poland, a vaccine researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester who has served on FDA vaccine advisory panels. You would know very little about safety. To halt the trials due to positive results, vaccines would likely have to exceed the 50 percent efficacy threshold. Pfizer has not disclosed what standard will be used for stopping its trial early. William Gruber, head of vaccine clinical research and development for Pfizer, said: The standard would be evidence of very high efficacy. US President Donald Trumps supporters on Tuesday at a campaign stop at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum in Jupiter, Florida, United States [File: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] A senior official with the US effort to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development said companies have created appropriate trials to hold interim analyses that could detect especially effective vaccines earlier. Speedy enrollment Although both drugmakers began vaccinating people in their respective 30,000-subject trials on July 28, Pfizer is in position to generate results earlier in part because it is administering the second shot of its two-dose vaccine a week earlier than Moderna. Moderna also slowed enrollment to ensure greater participation of at-risk minorities in its study. Pfizers trial also begins collecting data on infections that occur a week after it administers its second shot. Moderna has a two-week lag between the second shot and when it will begin collecting infection data in earnest. Both trials are on pace to be fully enrolled soon. Dr Henry Miller, a senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute think-tank and former director of the FDAs office of biotechnology, said an emergency use authorization based on a small number of infections would not deliver an adequate answer on the safety of a vaccine intended for use by millions of healthy people. Some side effects could take four to six months to occur, he said. Dr Gregory Glenn, research chief for Novavax Inc, which is also developing a coronavirus vaccine, said the October timeline remains possible. But he believes Americans will likely be waiting longer. I just think humility is a good thing right now, he said. The FDA set out some pretty strict criteria for success. So thats going to take a pretty good vaccine to do that. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal A series of forums on race offered at Sandia National Laboratories left at least one lab employee miffed enough to send an email blast to the entire staff voicing his displeasure. And the upset electrical engineer appears to have caught the attention of the White House, which last week in a memo told all federal agencies to stop hosting similar training sessions. Last month, Casey Petersen, an engineer, sent an unauthorized email to all lab employees denying the existence of systemic racism and aspects of white privilege and criticizing recent race-based training seminars at the labs. About two hours later, Sandia National Laboratories responded with a Special Announcement telling its employees the email wasnt an official communication and not to open or view it. Several right-leaning news sites and think tanks have covered the conflict. The Tucker Carlson Tonight talk show on FOX News devoted several minutes to the topic last week. Petersen was placed on paid administrative leave shortly after he sent the email. He has since returned to work on an uncleared status, which means he doesnt have access to classified information. And he is the subject of an ethics investigation. Unfortunately it was very much picked up by one-sided media, Petersen said in an interview. I was hoping to break out of the echo chambers. The White House Office of Management and Budget on Sept. 4 issued a memo that referred to some of those press reports. The memo said federal agencies have spent taxpayer money to put on trainings that were divisive, anti-American propaganda. The memo directed agencies to identify and cancel contracts that bring racial sensitivity training that includes teaching critical race theory and white privilege at federal facilities, according to the memo. These types of trainings not only run counter to the fundamental beliefs for which our Nation has stood since its inception, but they also engender division and resentment within the Federal workforce, the White House memo states. Petersen said he attended three trainings offered at Sandia and combed through related materials that Sandia made available to employees. He said the trainings he attended covered talking to children about racism, a panel on communities and police, and a forum on systemic racism. He said that while 90% to 95% of the trainings were moderate, there were elements of critical race theory and white-male bashing that he said should be scrubbed from future training at the labs. Critical race theory is, among other things, a view that laws and institutions are inherently discriminatory against people of color. Sandia has declined to comment on the matter. This is a personnel matter, and Sandia cannot comment on personnel matters, said labs spokesman Luke Frank, who also declined to describe the type of race-based training the lab has held. The dispute started when Petersen sent an email to all lab employees Aug. 25. Traditionally Sandia has cultivated a culture of seeking out facts and truth, regardless of the conclusions or consequences. Traditionally we have championed diversity of race as well as diversity of thought. Because of my experiences with Sandia HR over the past months I have begun questioning this, Petersen said in the email, which the Journal obtained. I am sounding the alarm. The email included an hourlong video in which Petersen narrates a PowerPoint presentation, pointing to what he says were problems with some of the training sessions at Sandia. Petersen said Sandia started offering the classes after the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis. Petersen says he tried to point out to lab officials the blatant lies and deep immorality in the presentations. He says he tried to teach his own classes to counter the training Sandia offered but was denied. This is a video that I did not want to make. But I felt morally obligated to, he says at the beginning of the video. Two hours after Petersen sent the email, Sandia sent an email throughout the labs, asking employees not to watch Petersens video. Many employees brought the email to the attention of senior leadership, Independent Audit and Ethics, Government Relations, Communications, and Inclusion, Diversity, Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action (IDEA), and others, questioning the validity and security of the communication. This action is appreciated, read the special announcement from the labs. While the labs havent commented on Petersen, he hasnt been quiet. On Aug. 30, he joined Twitter. His profile says, My current mission is to get Critical Race Theory trainings and materials out of our federally funded national laboratories. His posts included a follow-up video last week calling on like-minded colleagues to attend any possible future meetings and speak against the curriculum. I dont anticipate Ill lose my job, Petersen said. I may have made it difficult to get promoted. Editors note: This article clarifies Petersens opinions about white privilege. 1) President Trump is on his fourth chief of staff. Should we expect turnover like that in a possible second term? No. Obama had four chiefs in his first term, and one in his second. Being chief in a first term is much, much more pressing, as the president is not only running the country but is running for reelection. My guess is that things look a little different in the second term. I wouldnt be surprised if someone already in the White House or someone close to the president took the job for the whole four years. 2) You were chief of staff when COVID struck. The president took some pretty drastic actions, such as closing down travel with China. Walk us through those decisions. The biggest surprise is that somehow the left-wing media has spun it as though Dr. Fauci was a sage, and all of our problems today are the result of ignoring his advice. Nothing could be further from the truth. The president followed his advice assiduously, except for when Dr. Fauci objected to the travel bans, or defended the WHO. Dr. Fauci told me, and everyone else on the early version of the coronavirus task force, to go on TV and tell people not to wear masks. He said it was actually one of the worst things you could do. Listen, I dont blame him. We had really, really bad information about COVID in those early months, mostly because China simply refused to act like the responsible nation it pretends to be, and the WHO, which Dr. Fauci defended and insisted was above reproach, was in on the cover-up. But I think of those meetings every time I see the replay of Dr. Fauci saying that he has never been wrong on COVID. Yes, he actually said that. Unbelievable. Unbelievable, and simply not true. But it does serve a political purpose. The bottom line is that we were flying blind, again because the Chinese wouldnt share information. We had to assume that COVID was similar to the other coronaviruses with which we had some familiarity: SARS and MERS. And it turns out that, from a public-health perspective, COVID and SARS/MERS are very different. In hindsight could we have done things differently? Sure. But the president doesnt have the benefit of working with hindsight. Only his critics do. Story continues 3) As budget director, I know you spent a lot of time on the Trump budgets. But did you ever take a look at the Obama budgets that preceded yours? And if you did, did anything stand out? Presidential budgets are really fabulous things. They not only lay out proposed spending levels, but they reflect an administrations vision, priorities, and, interestingly, predictions. Because they are not one-year documents. The current practice is that every budget projects out ten years. The Obama/Biden administration rolled out its last budget in early 2016, so it provided some view into what that administration thought the country would look like in 2020 and beyond. And it was bleak: anemic, low-2 percent growth as America got older and less productive; a future of higher taxes and fewer people in the work force. It was the depressing new normal. Shortly after unveiling that final budget, President Obama told us that some jobs were never coming back, in part because of automation. Today on Joe Bidens website you can read that he does not accept the defeatist view that the forces of automation and globalization render us helpless to retain well-paid union jobs and create more of them here in America. Yet that is exactly what he did accept in 2016. Its right there in his budget. 4) Biden talks a lot about manufacturing jobs. What do his old budgets tell us about that? Biden is claiming he will create 5 million manufacturing jobs in his first term. Not total jobs. Manufacturing jobs. In their entire eight years in office, the Obama/Biden administration couldnt come close to that. In fact, the country lost roughly one million net manufacturing jobs in those 8 years. Lost. Makes me want to ask Joe what he and Obama did wrong for all those years. 5) Any predictions about the upcoming presidential debates? Yes, there wont be three. My guess is that there is only one. If Biden wins, ties, or basically just doesnt fall asleep or forget his name, the Left will scream that Trump did nothing but lie, that he is spreading false information, and that there is no reason for additional debates (indeed, some may claim they could actually be harmful on topics such as, say, public health). Biden will announce either that night or the next day that he isnt doing additional debates, and the media will defend this position. The media will start laying the predicate for this course of action in the weeks running up to the first debate, and indeed you have seen this already from the likes of both the New York Times and Nancy Pelosi. Mick Mulvaney is the U.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland. He has served as acting White House chief of staff, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. More from National Review Groove Groove received the highest possible scores in the Workflows, Service and Support, and User Experience interface criteria as well as the second-highest score in the Current Offering category. Groove, the leading sales engagement platform for enterprises using Salesforce, today announced that Forrester Research has named Groove a Strong Performer in The Forrester Wave: Sales Engagement, Q3 2020. Groove was among the select companies that Forrester invited to participate in the evaluation, which is an independent assessment of the top vendors in the market. The independent research firms report gave Groove the second-highest Current Offering score of all vendors included in the evaluation. According to the report, Groove's 92% renewal rate is among the highest in the industry, and its average of 88 licenses per customer account is nearly three times that of category leaders. Its architecture eliminates data latency and sync errors and supports customized workflows. The platform is designed for full-cycle reps and has a UI that can adapt to role, division, team, and other unique requirements. The report also states that Groove is an ideal fit for global companies that want platform customization and a high-touch customer experience. In this evaluation, Groove received the highest possible scores in the Workflows, Service and Support, and User Experience interface criteria as well as the second-highest score in the Current Offering category. Groove was also the only Strong Performer to receive the highest possible score in the execution roadmap criterion, along with the two Leaders. When my co-founder and I originally came up with the idea for Groove, we were both managing sales teams at Google, said Chris Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of Groove. We designed and built a platform to meet the complex needs of multinational organizations and have since grown the platform to support some of the largest deployments in the sales engagement category as a result, including Google, Uber, and Capital One. We are honored that Forrester Research has recognized Groove as an ideal fit for global companies that want platform customization and a high-touch customer experience. Because Groove is native to Salesforce, the platform offers inherent customization, usability, data integrity, and security benefits that make it easy to drive adoption across different types of sellers. Groove can also be tailored to support industry-specific workflows and integrates seamlessly with other Salesforce native software providers. Download a complimentary copy of The Forrester Wave: Sales Engagement, Q3 2020, for the full analysis. ABOUT GROOVE Groove is the leading sales engagement platform for enterprises using Salesforce, specializing in ease-of-use, ease-of-administration, and cross-team collaboration. Built for the needs of full-cycle sellers, Groove automates non-sales activities so that pre- and post-sales reps can spend more time building relationships and generating revenue. On average, Groove gives revenue teams 20% of their time back to focus on higher-value activities. Grooves Salesforce native architecture ensures more accurate reporting and forecasting, lower compliance risk with global privacy laws, and streamlined administration. Over 50,000 account executive, sales development, and customer success representatives use Groove at some of the worlds largest and fastest-growing companies, including Google, Uber, BBVA, and Capital One. Groove has earned the highest customer satisfaction rating on G2 in the sales engagement category for over two years in a row. Groove was named one of Inc. Magazines Best Workplaces 2020 and is one of the 2020 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. Groove also ranks #14 on the San Francisco Business Times' "fastest-growing private companies in the Bay Area in 2019." Founded in 2014, Groove is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in San Diego and Seattle. To learn more, visit groove.co. President Donald Trump admitted on Wednesday he downplayed the threat of the coronavirus in order not to cause panic after excerpts from a forthcoming book made the bombshell revelation that he knew how deadly the pandemic could be even as he said it would go away. 'I'm a cheerleader for this country. I love this country. I don't want people to be frightened. I don't want to create panic,' he told reporters at the White House. 'Certainly I'm not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy. We want to show confidence. We want to show strength, we want to show strength as a nation. That's what I've done,' he added 'Leadership is about confidence. Confidence is confidence in our country,' he noted. His admission comes after excerpts appeared from Bob Woodward's forthcoming book on the Trump administration, where, in recorded interviews, the president spoke privately about the deadly nature of the coronavirus even as he was publicly downplaying the severity of COVID-19. In recorded interviews that were revealed Wednesday afternoon, Trump who regularly speaks of his disdain for much of the 'fake news' media spoke liberally with Woodward about his inner-thoughts on the virus and private conversations with Kim Jong-un despite having called an earlier Woodward book a 'con on the public.' 'This is deadly stuff,' the president told the Watergate reporter, Washington fixture and author who has interviewed U.S. presidents going back to Nixon. President Donald Trump admitted he downplayed the threat of the coronavirus in order not to cause panic TRUMP'S TWO VERY DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF VIRUS TRUTH PUBLIC: JAN. 22 'We have it totally under control. It's one person, coming in from China. It's going to be just fine.' - During CNBC interview on sidelines of Davos economic forum in Switzerland. PRIVATE: JAN. 28 Woodward says Trump's head 'popped up' when his National Security Advisor told him in a 'jarring' warning the virus was the 'biggest national security threat' he faced. PUBLIC: JAN. 30 'Hopefully it won't be as bad as some people think it could be. But were working very closely with them and with a lot of other people and a lot of other countries. And we think we have it very well under control.' - During trade event in Michigan. PRIVATE: FEB. 7 'You just breathe the air and thats how it's passed. And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flus.' - Trump phone interview with Woodward. PUBLIC: FEB. 10 'I think the virus is going to be - its going to be fine.' - During New Hampshire rally. PUBLIC: FEB. 26 'The 15 (case count in the U.S.) within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero. ... This is a flu. This is like a flu.' - During White House coronavirus task force briefing. PUBLIC: MARCH 6 'You have to be calm. Itll go away.' - During visit to Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PUBLIC: MARCH 7 'No, I'm not concerned at all. No, Im not. No, we've done a great job.' - After working dinner with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. PUBLIC: MARCH 13 'We've done a great job because we acted quickly. We acted early. And theres nothing we could have done that was better than closing our borders to highly infected areas.' - During Rose Garden announcement declaring a national emergency. PRIVATE: MARCH 19 'Now it's turning out it's not just old people, Bob. Just today and yesterday, some startling facts came out. It's not just old- older. To be honest with you, I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic.' - Interview with Woodward. PUBLIC: MARCH 24 'I'm also hopeful to have Americans working again by that Easter - that beautiful Easter day.' PRIVATE: MARCH 30 'I want to keep the country calm. I dont want panic in the country. I could cause panic much better than even you.' - Responding to reporter's suggestion that he offered false assurances to Americans. Advertisement Trump didn't deny the comments - he has previously blasted stories he doesn't like as 'fake news' - but offered an explanation instead. 'We don't want to instill panic. We don't want to jump up and down and start shouting that we have a problem that is a tremendous problem, scare everybody,' the president explained when asked about the discrepancy between the remarks he made to Woodward and the remarks he made in public at the time. And when asked by DailyMail.com how the American people could trust what he says going forward, Trump said: 'It's a big part of trust. We have to have leadership, show leadership. The last thing you want to do is create a panic.' He said repeatedly his public statements in February downplaying the threat of the coronavirus, which has taken 200,000 American lives to date and counting, was to avoid causing chaos and confusion. 'We don't want to have to show panic. We're not going to show panic. That's what I did,' he said. And he called the book - the latest in a series of books painting his administration in a poor light 'another political hit job.' 'Whether it was Woodward or anybody else, you cannot show a sense of panic or you're going to have bigger problems,' the president said. The president shared his stark assessment with Woodward in recorded phone interviews in February, as the virus was spreading from China to other parts of the world. 'You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed,' Trump told him in a Feb. 7 call. 'And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.' Trump had been briefed on the virus in the Oval Office Jan. 28th, as Washington Post excerpts describe. National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien warned him: 'This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency,' according to Woodward. O'Brien's deputy, Matthew Pottinger, warned the threat was akin to the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed 50 million worldwide. Trump's head 'popped up,' at the 'jarring' warning. But in public it was an entirely different story. After the briefing he was he was telling the nation the virus is 'going to disappear' and would 'all work out fine.' Trump told the nation Jan. 30: 'We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment five. And those people are all recuperating successfully.' He told the nation Feb. 2: 'Well, we pretty much shut it down coming in from China.' Feb. 7 the date of the Woodward call is the same date Trump tweeted about China's president: 'Nothing is easy, but [Chinese President Xi Jinping] will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone.' Trump continued: 'Great discipline is taking place in China, as President Xi strongly leads what will be a very successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!' Trump then told Woodward in a March 19 interview explaining his comments: 'I wanted to always play it down.' 'I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic,' he said. Bob Woodward interviewed the president as the virus was raging Don't panic: This was the scene inside a makeshift morgue outside Wyckoff Hospital a in the Brooklyn borough of New York on April 4, 2020. Trump spoke to Woodward about his conversations with China's President Xi Jinping as the pandemic unfolded 18 INTERVIEWS WITH DONALD TRUMP - HOW 'BIGGEST STAR' WOODWARD GOT HIS SCOOP Woodward conducted 18 interviews with Trump between December and July, according to the Post. THE WOODWARD TAPES: TRUMP ON... Coronavirus (February 7) 'You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed. And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.' Who it affects (March 19) 'Now it's turning out it's not just old people bad. Just today and yesterday, some startling facts came out. It's not just old, older. Young people too, plenty of young people.' The truth about COVID (March 19) 'I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic.' How bad it is (April 5) 'It's a horrible thing. It's unbelievable.' The danger (April 13) 'It's so easily transmissible, you wouldn't even believe it.' Barack Obama (undated) 'I don't think Obama's smart. I think he's highly overrated. And I don't think he's a great speaker.' Kim Jong-Un 'Far beyond smart.' 'Tells me everything.' Their summit ' I met. Big f***ing deal. It takes me two days. I met. I gave up nothing.' Authoritarians like Turkey's Erdogan 'It's funny, the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them. You know? Explain that to me someday, okay?' The top ranks of the military 'My f***ing generals are a bunch of pussies. They care more about their alliances than they do about trade deals.' Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (early February) 'Hate! See the hate! See the hate!' Black Americans 'I've done a tremendous amount for the Black community. And, honestly, I'm not feeling any love.' White privilege 'You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you.' Advertisement As in his prior work, he relies on anonymous sourcing and 'deep background' information. Trump was convinced that if he had talked to Woodward, it could have led to a more favorable depiction in the book, according to the officials. Trump had always held Woodward in high regard - he considered the journalist as the biggest star in the field - and told aides that he insisted on being interviewed if Woodward were to write again, the officials said. 'Trump never did seem willing to fully mobilize the federal government and continually seemed to push problems off on the states,' Woodward writes in the book, which follows exposes on the internal workings of administrations for decades. 'There was no real management theory of the case or how to organize a massive enterprise to deal with one of the most complex emergencies the United States had ever faced.' The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, turned in a harsh review of Trump's actions in private even as he tries to temper comments in public. Woodward quotes Fauci calling Trump 'rudderless' and saying his 'attention span is like a minus number.' 'His sole purpose is to get reelected,' Fauci told an associate, according to the book. 'IT'S NOT MY FAULT.' TRUMP'S FINAL WORDS TO WOODWARD - WHO HE'S NOW BLASTING FOR A 'HIT JOB' Trump, who has taken to calling COVID-19 the 'China virus' did not appear to share any more personal regrets with Woodward than he does in public. 'The virus has nothing to do with me. It's not my fault,' he told Woodward July 21. At the White House, where a scheduled briefing was delayed by an hour amid the release of excerpts, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany brushed aside repeated questions about how Trump could share grave warnings with Woodward while publicly saying the virus would go away. 'The president was expressing calm. The president was hopeful that we would be able to manage this and handle it in a way that we can make it go away as quickly as possible. The president rose to the occasion and did just that,' she said. She also referenced the financial markets. 'He took this seriously but he still expressed calm. Our food supply chains were at risk. We could not have mass runs on grocery stores. The markets - Also the economy was in play here. We didn't want there to be a huge crash and panic,' she said. 'DANGEROUS' AND DID PUTIN HAVE SOMETHING ON HIM? DEVASTATING VERDICTS OF MATTIS AND COATS Former Defense Secretary James Mattis once heard President Donald Trump disparaging top military brass, as he and other national security professionals had deep-seated concerns about the president, according to Bob Woodward's new book. Mattis heard Trump say in a meeting, 'my f***ing generals are a bunch of pussies,' because the military leaders cared more about alliances than trade deals, the book gave as the president's reasoning. Mattis, who quit the administration in December 2018 after Trump decided to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, talked to Woodward and called Trump 'dangerous,' 'unfit' and said he had 'no moral compass,' according to excerpts obtained by CNN. Former Defense Secretary James Mattis overheard the comment and also told Woodward he believed Trump was 'dangerous,' 'unfit' and said he had 'no moral compass' Former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats 'continued to harbor the secret belief, one that had grown rather than lessened, although unsupported by intelligence proof, that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin had something on Trump,' the book said WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT TRUMP Jim Mattis, Defense Secretary 'There may come a time when we have to take collective action.' 'Dangerous. He's unfit.' 'The president has no moral compass.' Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence 'To him, a lie is not a lie. It's just what he thinks. He doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie.' He was sure that Trump had chosen to play on the dark side -- the moneyed interests in the New York real estate culture, and international finance with its corrupt, anything-to-make-a-buck dealmaking. Anything to get ahead, anything to make a deal. Dr. Tony Fauci, head of NIH 'Rudderless.' 'His attention span is like a minus number.' 'His sole purpose is to get reelected.' Jared Kushner, son-in-law, advisor The goal is to get his head from governing to campaigning.' George W. Bush, former president 'He'd misconstrue anything I said.' Bob Woodward 'He's the wrong man for the job.' Advertisement He said he quit 'when I was basically directed to do something that I thought went beyond stupid to felony stupid.' Mattis also believed Trump's actions on the global stage gave adversaries a playbook on 'how to destroy America.' After he left the administration, he and Dan Coats, the former director of national intelligence, discussed whether they should take 'collective action' and come out publicly against Trump. Coats 'continued to harbor the secret belief, one that had grown rather than lessened, although unsupported by intelligence proof, that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin had something on Trump,' Woodward wrote. 'How else to explain the president's behavior? Coats could see no other explanation,' the famed Watergate journalist continued. Coats and his staff members had 'examined the intelligence as carefully as possible' and the DNI still had questions about Trump and Putin's relationship. ' 'Coats saw how extraordinary it was for the president's top intelligence official to harbor such deep suspicions about the president's relationship with Putin,' Woodward said. 'But he could not shake them.' CNN and then The Washington Post posted excerpts Wednesday, minutes before White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was due to brief the press - a briefing that was delayed. It will be difficult for the White House to refute sections of the book. Woodward taped his interviews with Trump, with some audio clips included on CNN's webpage. He also talked to a number of high-profile ex-officials on-the-record, like Mattis. The 'bunch of pussies' quote was documented in real time thanks to Mattis, who asked an aide to put it in an email to him. Trump criticized military officials in an intervew with Woodward too. 'I wouldn't say they were stupid, because I would never say that about our military people,' Trump said. But he went on to complain about U.S. alliances with NATO and South Korea. 'But if they said that, they - whoever said that was stupid. It's a horrible bargain ... they make so much money. Costs us $10 billion. We're suckers,' Trump told the journalist. Trump has been under fire for nearly a week for comments he reportedly made about America war dead as documented in an explosive article in The Atlantic, calling them 'losers' and 'suckers.' He dug the hole deeper by then suggesting Monday that Pentagon brass send soldiers to war because they want to appease defense companies. Trump suggested that while soldiers are pleased with him, 'the top people in the Pentagon probably aren't, because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.' On Tuesday, the Army's most senior official rejected that notion - while also claiming that he wasn't responding directly to the president's comments. 'I can assure the American people that the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when it's required for national security and a last resort,' Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told Defense One. 'We take this very, very seriously how we make our recommendations.' McConville also pointed out that a number of top commanders have children who are serving in the military. WHY I KEPT THE TRUMP TAPES SECRET UNTIL NOW BY BOB WOODWARD Woodward, facing widespread criticism for only now revealing President Donald Trump's early concerns about the severity of the coronavirus, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he needed time to be sure that Trump's private comments from February were accurate. 'He tells me this, and I'm thinking, `Wow, that's interesting, but is it true?' Trump says things that don't check out, right?' Woodward told the AP during a telephone interview. Using a famous phrase from the Watergate era, when Woodward's reporting for the Post helped lead to President Richard Nixon's resignation, Woodward said his mission was to determine, 'What did he know and when did he know it?' On Twitter and elsewhere online, commentators accused Woodward of valuing book sales over public health. 'Nearly 200,000 Americans have died because neither Donald Trump nor Bob Woodward wanted to risk anything substantial to keep the country informed,' wrote Esquire's Charles P. Pierce. The issue of daily journalists presenting newsworthy information in books isn't new. The competition for attention is intense, and headlines help boost sales and guest shots for interviews. Reporter Michael S. Schmidt of The New York Times recently attracted attention for his book, 'Donald Trump v. The United States,' by reporting new details on an unannounced visit by Trump to Walter Reed military hospital in November 2019. Schmidt reported that Vice President Mike Pence was put on alert that he might have to briefly assume the powers of the presidency if the president had to undergo a procedure that required anesthesia. Pence later said he didn't recall being put on standby for the Reed visit, which the White House has said was part of the presidents routine annual physical. But Schmidts book renewed speculation about Trump's health. Political figures with book deals also have been chastised for holding back timely material. Former national security adviser John Bolton, whose scathing memoir 'The Room Where It Happened' came out in June, declined discussing Trump's actions towards Ukraine while the impeachment hearings were being held earlier this year. Woodward's book, which comes out next week, draws from 18 conversations with Trump between December and July. During his AP interview, Woodward said Trump called him 'out of the blue' in early February to 'unburden himself' about the virus, which then had few cases in the U.S. But Woodward said that only in May was he satisfied that Trump's comments were based on reliable information and that by then the virus had spread nationwide. 'If I had done the story at that time about what he knew in February, that's not telling us anything we didn't know,' Woodward said. At that point, he said, the issue was no longer one of public health but of politics. His priority became getting the story out before the election in November. 'That was the demarcation line for me,' he said. 'Had I decided that my book was coming out on Christmas, the end of this year, that would have been unthinkable.' Asked why he didn't share Trump's February remarks for a fellow Post reporter to pursue, Woodward said he had developed 'some pretty important sources' on his own. 'Could I have brought others in? Could they have done things I couldn't do?' he asked. 'I was on the trail, and I was (still) on the trail when it (the virus) exploded.' LOVE LETTERS TO 'BEYOND SMART' KIM, THE HAPPY UNCLE KILLER North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un gushed to President Trump in a private letter that meeting him was 'reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film,' it was revealed Wednesday. Kim referred to Trump in letters as 'your excellency' an exalted term usually favored by royalty,' according to Bob Woodward's new book, 'Rage,' which includes portions of what Kim wrote to Trump. Trump has referred to writings exchanged by the two men as 'love letters,' but has refused to disclose them, even while teasing their contents to the press. In one letter excerpted in the book, King refers after a summit to 'another historic meeting between myself and Your Excellency reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film.' He called his Trump meetings a 'precious memory' and said it showed that the 'deep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force.' The two men met first in Singapore in 2018 after having traded bellicose rhetoric, then later met in Hanoi. In June 2019 the two men met when Trump walked from South Korea across the DMZ. 'I feel pleased to have formed good ties with such a powerful and preeminent statesman as Your Excellency,' Kim wrote Trump, in excerpts published in the Washington Post. Deploying flowery language, Kim who holds hereditary rule in a regime that has relied on terror and featured famine fondly recalled 'that moment of history when I firmly held Your Excellency's hand at the beautiful and sacred location as the whole world watched with great interest and hope to relive the honor of that day.' North Korean dictator King Jong-un refers in a letter to Trump to 'another historic meeting between myself and Your Excellency reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film,' in a letter quoted by Bob Woodward in his book 'I feel pleased to have formed good ties with such a powerful and preeminent statesman as Your Excellency,' Kim wrote Trump Trump called the dictator ''beyond smart.' Here Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea, June 30, 2019 He said Kim 'tells me everything' including what the Post termed a 'graphic account' of having his uncle Jang Song Thaek (r) killed Trump name-checked Kim in a conversation with Woodward while dissing former President Barack Obama. 'I think he's highly overrated. And I don't think he's a great speaker,' Trump said of the noted orator. He said Kim thought Obama was 'an a******.' Trump shared with Woodward that he found Kim 'far beyond smart.' He said Kim 'tells me everything' including what the Post termed a 'graphic account' of having his uncle killed. Kim's uncle, Jang Song-thaek, was reportedly executed by a firing squad of anti-aircraft guns. A defector told CNN he was forced to watch the murder of his colleagues and blood was poured on his face. HIS LEADERSHIP IS 'RUDDERLESS' AND HIS ATTENTION SPAN IS LIKE A MINUS NUMBER': DR. FAUCI'S MEDICAL REPORT Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci criticized President Donald Trump as 'rudderless' in dealing with the coronavirus, according to Bob Woodward's bombshell new book. The nation's top infectious disease expert made the comment to an associate, according to Woodward's book 'Rage.' Excerpts of the book came out Wednesday. Trump's 'attention span is like a minus number,' Woodward quotes Fauci as saying. 'His sole purpose is to get reelected,' according to the book, which reports Fauci told other players that Trump 'is on a separate channel' and wasn't focussed in meetings. Those searing comments, contained in Washington Post excerpts, came on a day Fauci said he is 'frustrated' by large political gatherings where many people aren't wearing masks even as he once again sought to temper what might come off as public criticism of Trump. Fauci called on public officials to 'set an example' following a Trump rally in North Carolina attended by thousands of people. Fauci, who for months has tried to balance his desire to share public health warnings without drawing headlines that put him at odds with President Trump, was asked on 'CBS This Morning' if it was frustrating for him as an expert to see rallies with large contingents of unmasked people. 'The president continues to hold these massive rallies where people are not wearing masks including the president himself,' interviewer Gayle King asked Fauci. 'Well, yes, it is. I've said that often,' Fauci responded. 'That situation is we want to set an example. Because we know that when you do four or five typical kind of public health measures: mask, physical distance, avoiding crowds, making sure you do most things outdoors versus indoors,' he continued. 'Those are the kinds of things that turn around surges and also prevent us from getting surges. So I certainly would like to see universal wearing of masks,' he said. 'His sole purpose is to get reelected,' infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci is quoted as saying about Trump in a new book by Bob Woodward Fauci spoke as many states have reached a plateau in their coronavirus cases, but the nation has not yet experienced the steep downward slope some nations have achieved. The U.S. has experienced more than 190,000 deaths from COVID-19, with more than 6 million infections. Fauci spoke hours after Trump staged two campaign rallies, one in Jupiter, Florida and another in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Hundreds gathered for the outdoor event, where the Winston-Salem Journal reported red hats outnumbered masks 100-1. A bank of people seated immediately behind Trump did include many people wearing masks. Trump himself didn't wear one. BIDEN: HE 'KNOWINGLY AND WILLINGLY LIED' Democratic nominee Joe Biden tore into President Donald Trump for the revelations contained in Bob Woodward's forthcoming book: that he knew how serious COVID-19 was, while telling the American public something vastly different. 'He knew and purposely played it down,' an aghast Biden said Wednesday on a campaign trip to Michigan. 'Worse, he lied to the American people. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months.' In the CNN excerpts of the book, which include audio of Woodward's conversations with the president, Trump tells the journalist on February 7 that COVID-19 'goes through the air' and is 'more deadly' than the flu. Democratic nominee Joe Biden went after President Donald Trump Wednesday for knowing just how dangerous the coronavirus was in February but downplaying it for months to the American people Biden held a campaign event in Michigan that was supposed to be about preventing the offhosring of jobs, but he dedicated the top of his speech to the startling revelations found in Bob Woodward's forthcoming book 'So this is deadly stuff,' Trump adds, passing along information he had gotten the day before from China's President Xi Jinping. A month and a half later, on March 19, Trump told Woodward he had been purposely downplaying the virus' seriousness. 'I wanted to always play it down,' Trump said. 'I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic.' Cut to September and many of Trump's own supporters don't appreciate the seriousness, as the president has held mass gatherings over the last few weeks where fans huddle together in close confines and don't wear masks. Biden, on the other hand, has showed an overabundance of caution while trying to spend more time out on the campaign trail after spending months Zooming into events from his Delaware basement. At Biden's Michigan event Wednesday, attendees' chairs had circles around them, and they were instructed not to leave that space. 'Please remain in your circles and keep your mask on for the duration of the event,' an overheard announcement said. During his speech, Biden said his mask was only off because he was able to properly social distance - and the event was held outside. The Woodward book has Trump saying in his own words that he downplayed the threat of the coronavirus because he didn't want to start a 'panic.' To this day, many Trump supporters don't take the pandemic seriously, as they gather tightly at his campaign events with many not wearing masks Biden began his speech, which he was reading from a teleprompter, to pause and explain to the press why he didn't initially answer a shouted question at the airport about the Woodward book. 'We found out just getting off the plane the press asked me a legitimate question that I did not have the background on because it occurred on the plane,' Biden said mid-sentence, and then went back and re-started the prepared remarks. It was clear, a minute later, that the speech had been updated, with Biden specifically addressing Woodward's reporting. 'On the day that we hit 190,000 dead in the United States because of COVID-19, we just learned from The Washington Post columnist Bob Woodward that the president of the United States has admitted, on tape, in February that he knew about COVID-19, that it passed through the air,' Biden said. 'He knew how deadly it was. It was much more deadly than the flu.' Biden then turned to Trump's comments about intentionally downplaying it. 'And while this deadly disease ripped through our nation he failed to do his job on purpose,' Biden said. 'It's a life and death betrayal of the American people.' Biden then mentioned some statistics, he claimed 54,000 lives could have been saved had Trump acted just two weeks earlier. 'He's unfit for this job as a consequence,' Biden said. 'How many schools aren't open right now? How many kids are starting the new school year the same way they ended the last one - at home. How many parents feel abandoned and overwhelmed?' Biden continued. He said he worried American healthcare workers are 'exhausted and pushed to their limits.' 'And how many families are missing loved ones at their dinner table tonight because of his failures?' Biden said. The former vice president called it 'beyond despicable.' 'It's a dereliction of duty. It's a disgrace,' Biden said. Earlier, the Trump campaign held a call with reporters saying that their aim Wednesday was to prove Biden was bad on China, with campaign adviser Steve Cortes trying to stick the former vice president with the nickname 'Beijing Biden.' Trump's handling of the coronavirus, which originated in China, was the biggest headline out of Woodward's book, which also featured juicy nuggets like Trump calling his military commanders a 'bunch of pussies.' Biden had planned to go to Michigan to talk about the continued off-shoring of jobs. 'It's fascinating to me that Joe Biden is trying to masquerade as an economic nationalist,' Cortes said on the earlier call, as Trump won in 2016 in places like Michigan for talking about bad jobs and trade policies. The Biden plan called for an 'offshoring tax penalty' on profits from products made abroad and then sold in the United States. At the event, attended by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Biden vowed to help American industry and properly label American made products. 'We found out on Trump's watch a company selling deployment bags to active duty troops being deployed, falsely claimed its product was made in America, when it fact it was really made mostly in China,' Biden said. 'Trump didn't do anything to respond.' 'I'm not going to let that happen on my watch,' he continued, making the pitch to have a dedicated office at the White House so 'everybody is playing by the same 'Made in America' rules.' We do not have a context for this amount of fire on the landscape," he said. Seeing them run down the canyons the way they have carrying tens of miles in one period of an afternoon and not slowing down in the evening (there is) absolutely no context for that in this environment. Fire crews were focusing on trying to keep people out of harm's way and preventing houses from burning. Officials said that containing the fires was a secondary priority on Wednesday, although there was concern some fires south of Portland could merge and become a much larger inferno that would be more difficult for firefighters to handle. Were really at the mercy of the weather right now, said Clackamas Fire District Chief Fred Charlton. In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee said more than 330,000 acres (133,546 hectares) burned in Washington in a 24-hour period an area larger than the acreage that normally burns during entire fire seasons that stretch from spring into the fall. About 80% of the small eastern Washington farming town of Malden was leveled by flames from a fast-moving fire on Monday. Among the buildings that burned were the town's fire station, post office, City Hall and library. Huawei might have a problem producing high-end smartphones since Samsung and LG, its two largest display suppliers, bails out. Because of the companies' decision, the world's largest smartphone manufacturer is now challenged since it scrambles to get critical parts. Also Read: [Leaks] Apple Gears up for iPad and Apple Watch Drops This week-iPhone 12 Will Get Its Schedule! Huawei's issue began when the United States trade ban was imposed. The restriction prevented the phone maker from getting access to Google services or even do business with the U.S. companies, including chip manufacturers Broadcom and Qualcomm. Also Read: Will Samsung Galaxy Fans Buy the S20 Fan Edition? Exynos for 4G Version, Snapdragon for 5G Version According to Chosun Biz, a South Korean news outlet, Korea's LG and Samsung will no longer supply the manufacturer with premium smartphone displays starting on Sept. 15. Although the premium displays were not specified, it was concluded that the report was referring to OLED screen displays, which are used on Huawei's flagships such as its P40 Pro that uses a Samsung-made OLED display. The two companies' decision is a big deal since they're an essential part of the smartphone manufacturer's supply chain. Huawei will now have to order displays from China's BOE, and other local suppliers such as Tianma, CSOT, and Visionox. Also Read: Android 11 Launched on Pixel First; OxygenOS 11 Open Beta Soon to Arrive on OnePlus 8, 8 Pro However, although the company has many alternatives, it is still uncertain if those companies could produce enough phone displays to satisfy its needs. It might also have some problems getting touch controller chips and power management since Hynix and Samsung would also stop providing their memory chips. Because of the ongoing issues, Huawei will have a hard time producing smartphones according to its desired volumes. The company plans to manufacture only 50 million smartphones in 2021, a 74% decline from expected 2020 shipments. SK Hynix and Samsung also halt supplying Huawei with semiconductors According to UPI's latest report, Samsung and SK Hynix, South Korea's top semiconductor manufacturers, suspend all transactions with Huawei to comply with U.S. sanctions. The Chinese firm will no longer receive semiconductors from the two companies beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Huawei confirmed that it would purchase as many semiconductors as possible before the sanctions begin. DRAMXchange, a Taiwanese research firm, said that the company's buying spree increased the chip suppliers' profits. For more news updates about Huawei, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Also Read: Will iPhone 12 Be Waterproof? Apple Publishes Its Water Ejection System for iPhones copied from Apple Watches This article is owned by TechTimes, Written by: Giuliano de Leon. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chicago City Council today delivered a win for kids over the tobacco industry by voting 46-4 to prohibit the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes. This legislation is a critical step to help end the worsening youth e-cigarette epidemic and stop e-cigarettes from addicting a generation of kids. This action comes at a critical time as a recent study, highlighted in The New York Times, found that young people who vape are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19. A total victory would have included action on menthol cigarettes. We are disappointed that the Council has deferred action on menthol cigarette because it is a proven fact that the tobacco industry has long targeted kids and Black Americans with menthol cigarettes. We strongly urge the Council to tackle the problem of all remaining flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars because it's time to stop tobacco companies from targeting and addicting kids and others with flavored products once and for all. Today's action on flavored e-cigarettes is urgently needed given the alarming increase in youth e-cigarette use in recent years that has been driven by flavored e-cigarettes. In Illinois, about 1 in 5 high school students (19.9%) use e-cigarettes. The evidence is clear that flavored e-cigarettes have fueled this epidemic 97% of youth e-cigarette users report using a flavored product in the past month, and 70% cite flavors as the reason for their use. We thank those who have led and supported the Chicago effort, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot; Alderman Matthew O'Shea, who sponsored the e-cigarette ordinance; Alderman Stephanie Coleman; and Alderman Roderick Sawyer, Chair of the Health & Human Relations Committee. Thank you also to all of the doctors, dentists, public health advocates and community leaders who persevered to make this happen. We know they share our view that today's victory is just a step down the road of prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco products. Flavored products have long been a favorite tobacco industry strategy for targeting kids. In addition to e-cigarettes, more than half of youth smokers including seven out of ten Black youth smokers smoke menthol cigarettes. The evidence shows that menthol cigarettes make it easier for kids to start smoking and harder for smokers to quit. Menthol masks the harshness of smoking and makes cigarettes more addictive, making it easier for kids to start smoking and harder for smokers to quit. As a result, Black Americans quit smoking at lower rates and suffer from higher rates of tobacco-related death and disease than other groups. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death for Black Americans. Ending the sale of menthol cigarettes will have enormous public health benefits, especially among Black Americans. It will reduce the number of young people who start smoking, help more smokers quit, save lives and reduce tobacco-related health disparities. The City Council should act promptly to end the sale of menthol cigarettes. Chicago's action does provide a major boost for the growing national movement to end the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. California overwhelmingly passed a bill last month to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes, flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes. It became the second state, after Massachusetts, to end the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes. Three other states and dozens of cities across the country have ended the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Related Links http://www.tobaccofreekids.org Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam on Wednesday repeated her stance that the city's government is "executive-led" and accountable to the ruling Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, amid an outcry over her earlier statement saying there is no separation of powers. "The truth of the matter is that Hong Kongs political system is executive-led, with the chief executive at the core, and accountable to the Central Peoples Government," Lam told journalists. She added that judicial independence was still "of paramount importance." Her comments were taken further by Beijing's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), which said that any talk of the principle of the separation of powers, which is typical of liberal democracies, was an attempt to "deliberately confuse the public." "They are in fact conspiring to expand the legislative and judicial powers, weaken the chief executive and the [Hong Kong] governments governing authority, and prevent central authorities from exercising overall jurisdiction [over Hong Kong]," the office said in a statement. They seek to challenge the ... constitutional order, and turn Hong Kong into an independent political entity separate from the central government," it said. Lam, whose administration has already deleted references to the separation of powers from school textbooks, called for the education of the next generation of schoolchildren in this "truth." Checks and balances According to the Hong Kong Bar Association (HKBA), a government that operates under the separation of powers doctrine separates the functions of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, enabling them to operate large independently, and create checks and balances between them. "This arrangement serves to avoid excessive concentration of power, guards against abuse, and strengthens the Rule of Law," the HKBA said in a statement on its website. It said the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, provides for a constitutional order "where there are effective checks and balances on the exercise of executive power" and that support for the separation of powers was "unambiguous" in the Basic Law. The imposition of the National Security Law for Hong Kong on July 1 launched a crackdown on peaceful dissent and criticism of the government in schools and colleges, in the media, and on the streets. The law bans secessionist, subversive, and terrorist words and deeds, as well as collusion with foreign forces to interfere in Hong Kong's internal affairs, charges which carry a maximum sentence of imprisonment for life. It covers actions or words that take place anywhere in the world, including mainland China, and has already been used to target the media with the arrest of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai and a national security police raid on his Apple Daily newspaper on Aug. 10. Charges of "collusion with foreign powers" appeared in the law after repeated claims from Beijing that last year's anti-government and pro-democracy protest movement was instigated by "hostile overseas forces." Foreign journalists in Hong Kong have already been forced to leave the city after the immigration authorities denied their visa renewal application, while the authorities have warned that cases deemed "serious" could be directly handled by China's feared state security police, who have set up headquarters in a Causeway Bay hotel, or be sent for trial in a mainland Chinese court. Prepared for arrest Former protest leader Joshua Wong said he is making mental preparation to be arrested and sent to China under the new law, reporting that he has been followed daily by national security operatives since the law took effect on July 1. "To many dissidents in HK, one of the immediate effects of the new national security law is being forced to accept hostile strangers walking into our lives," Wong wrote via Twitter and in an op-ed in the Washington Post on Wednesday. "I [have] faced harassment from what appear to be state-supported personnel," he wrote. "Most often, they have waited outside my meeting places and taken photographs, possibly to report my whereabouts to national security agency. Or they are simply sending a message: that they are watching me." "I have imagined what would happen if I were detained and sent to China. The physical mistreatment and deprivation of liberty and human dignity seem inevitable," he wrote. "If I suffered this misfortune, I hope the world [would] stand with HK." He said last year's mass protest movement had been an attempt to "prevent our home from turning into another Xinjiang," in a reference to the mass incarceration of ethnic minority Uyghurs and other Muslims in detention camps in that region. "To succumb to authoritarianism docilely is not an option. We shall not surrender," Wong wrote. Twelve Hong Kong residents detained by the China Coast Guard after trying to flee an ongoing crackdown on dissent by boat are being denied access to lawyers, according to lawyer Lu Siwei, who made a further unsuccessful attempt to visit his client on Wednesday. Reported by Lau Siu-fung for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. 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. In the consummation of a judicial travesty, a Saudi court Monday announced the commutation of five death sentences previously handed down in connection with the grisly October 2, 2018 assassination of dissident journalist and former regime insider Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul. Instead, the five who were sentenced to die were given 20-year prison sentences, while three others were sentenced to between seven and ten years. The Saudi prosecutors office issued a statement saying that the announcement of the sentences closes the case forever. This is despite the fact that no one who ordered and directed the assassinationincluding Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the oil kingdoms de facto rulerhas been held accountable. The entire trial was held in secret, with both the press and the public barred, and now not even the names of those sentenced have been made public. Presumably the eight who are being sent to prison were members of the 15-member death squad sent to Istanbul to murder Khashoggi, though there is no way to know if even this is true. This squad included Saudi intelligence operatives and military officers, bin Salmans chief bodyguard and a forensics specialist who came equipped with a bone saw. The commutation of the death sentences came after Khashoggis sons said in May that they had pardoned his killers, a statement apparently secured through a combination of the monarchys threats and bribes. Turkish bugs planted in the consulate recorded Khashoggis horrific last moments after he entered the consulate for the purpose of obtaining divorce papers so he could marry his Turkish fiancee. This included his being physically subdued, injected with a drug and then suffocated. The tapes, provided to the CIA as well as UN human rights investigators, included the Saudi forensic expert telling his cohorts, I often play music when Im cutting cadavers. Sometimes I have a coffee and a cigar at hand. He added, It is the first time in my life that Ive had to cut pieces on the groundeven if you are a butcher and want to cut, he hangs the animal up to do it. None of this stopped the sham court in Riyadh from ruling that Khashoggis killing was not premeditated. Exonerated at the outset of the trial were two Saudi officials who are known to have played leading roles in the murder operation. Saud al-Qahtani, formerly bin Salmans most influential adviser, was identified as the ringleader in Khashoggis killing by the CIA, which established that he had exchanged 11 text messages with the Crown Prince immediately before and after the murder. Turkish intelligence, meanwhile, reported that al-Qahtani made a Skype call to the Istanbul consulate in which he insulted Khashoggi and ordered the death squad to bring me the head of the dog. The Saudi prosecutor said al-Qahtani was not charged because of lack of evidence against him. Also cleared was Ahmed al-Assiri, a former deputy head of intelligence, who was initially charged with giving the order to dispatch the squad to Istanbul. The prosecutor found that this was not proved. The principal culprit who was never brought into the dock was Prince bin Salman himself. The CIA issued a finding that concluded with medium to high confidence that the prince, who rules Saudi Arabia with an iron fist, had ordered the killing. Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings who investigated the Khashoggi case, also issued an investigative report in June 2019 that found credible evidence that the prince and other senior Saudi officials were responsible for the killing. She tweeted on Monday that the verdicts carry no legal or moral legitimacy, and that the trial was neither fair, nor just, or transparent. She added that the responsibility of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has not even been addressed. Khashoggis fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, denounced the Saudi courts ruling Monday as a complete mockery of justice. The prosecutors closing of the case forever, she added, left the essential facts of Khashoggis murder hidden. Who planned it, where is the body? she asked. These are the most important questions that remain totally unanswered. Turkey also condemned the verdict, with a spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that the final verdict fell short of meeting the expectations of Turkey and the international community. Ankara is holding a separate trial and has indicted 20 Saudi citizens on murder charges, though none of them are in Turkish custody. While the US government issued no immediate reaction to the new verdicts, when the initial verdicts, including the five death sentences, were handed down in December, a State Department official called them an important step in holding those responsible for the terrible crime accountable. The muted or non-existent response of Washington and other Western capitals, as well as of the major media, to the travesty in Saudi Arabia stands in stark contrast to their frenzied reaction to the non-fatal poisoning last month of the right-wing Russian politician Alexei Navalny. While in the first case there is ample evidence that the Saudi regime and its chief, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were directly responsible for the brazen murder and dismemberment of Khashoggi, who was at the time working as a columnist for the Washington Post, no sanctions whatsoever have been imposed on the monarchical regime. In the case of Navalny, who was not killed, Western politicians and media immediately declared, without presenting a shred of evidence, that President Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning and are demanding sanctions against and confrontation with Russia. The source of this discrepancy is clear. Saudi Arabia has served as a linchpin of reaction and US imperialist domination in the Arab world, under both Democratic and Republican administrations alike, for three-quarters of a century. It is now an ally of both the US and Israel in an anti-Iranian axis that is pushing the region toward a catastrophic new war. It is also the number one market for US arms exports, with Trump using his first trip abroad as president to fly to the kingdom and sign a weapons deal touted as worth $110 billion. Washington turns a blind eye not only to the Saudi regimes responsibility for the Khashoggi assassination, but to even more grotesque crimes, such as the mass beheading of the regimes opponents, including children. Meanwhile, both the Obama and Trump administrations have provided indispensable support for Riyadhs near-genocidal war against Yemen, which has directly claimed over 100,000 lives, while bringing fully half of the countrys 28 million people to the brink of starvation. Nonetheless, the assassination of Khashoggi, who only fled Saudi Arabia after Prince Mohammed bin Salman began a purge in 2017 of prominent businessmen and even members of the royal family, had an undeniable political significance. The World Socialist Web Site stated in the immediate aftermath of his killing and dismemberment that it was: emblematic of a sinister shift in world politics, in which such heinous crimes are becoming more and more common and accepted. It recalls the conditions that existed in the darkest days of the 1930s, when fascist and Stalinist death squads hunted down and murdered socialists and other opponents of Hitler and Stalin throughout Europe. The acceptance of this crime has only deepened with the passage of two years. Riyadh has been chosen to host the G20 summit in November, when every major capitalist leader in the world will clasp the bloody hand and accept the hospitality of the royal assassin Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. All of them are prepared to carry out such crimes, and worse, against the working class and socialist opponents of the capitalist system. Maharashtra Police has recorded 533 new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the past 24-hours. Besides, three new fatalitiesone each in Mumbai, Thane and Gadchiroli districtswere also reported, as the toll in the state police department rose to 180. This is the second time that the fresh cases of the viral outbreak have crossed 500 in the state police department on a single day. Earlier on September 5, Maharashtra Police had reported 511 new Covid-19 cases. The state police department has reported 17,972 Covid-19 cases until Tuesday. Also Read: Maharashtra added over 150,000 Covid-19 cases in first eight days of September Vinayak Deshmukh, assistant inspector-general of police (AIGP) (law and order), Maharashtra Police, said, besides Mumbai, the maximum number of fresh Covid-19 cases were reported from Thane city. Thane city police chief Vivek Phansalkar had tested Covid-19 positive last Sunday. Former commissioner of police, Navi Mumbai, Sanjay Kumar; and former additional director-general of police (ADGP) (law and order), Mumbai Police, Vinoy Kumar Choubey; were among the senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officials, who were found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 that causes the disease. So far, 14,269 Maharashtra Police personnel has recovered from their viral infection. Also Read: Nearly 90,000 new Covid-19 cases take Indias tally past 4.3 million; active cases close to 9 lakh At present, the number of active Covid-19 cases among the state police department is 3,523. In Mumbai, Sutyakant Shankar Mohite (54), a constable, had died of the viral infection last Saturday. He was posted in the citys RAK Marg police station and had undergone Covid-19 test after he complained of a high fever. He had realised rather later that he was suffering from the contagion and got admitted to Sion Hospital on Saturday. Later, he died on the same day, even though he had no comorbidities, said Sunil Sohoni, a senior inspector of RAK Marg police station. Mohite, a resident of Matunga, is survived by his wife, a son (22) and a daughter (13). Sachin Madansingh Pardeshi (33), a police naik, who was posted at the Hill Line police station in Thane city, died due to Covid-19 on Tuesday. Initially, he was admitted to Central Hospital, Ulhasnagar, but later was shifted to Venus hospital in Gujarat on August 23, as his condition had worsened. Ravindra Diwaji Gedam (52), a head constable, who was posted at Mulchera police station in the Left-wing extremist (LWE)-affected Gadchiroli district also died of Covid-19 in Nagpur on Tuesday evening. He was admitted to Nagpurs Government Medical College and Hospital on August 29. SILICON SLOPES, Utah and HONOLULU, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MX, the leader in money experience, today announced that Central Pacific Bank (CPB), a full-service financial institution headquartered in Hawaii, has gone live on the MX Helios platform for mobile banking, fulfilling CPB's digital-first mission to build a better bank for the future of the Islands. MX will provide Central Pacific Bank customers with a full data-driven digital money management experience on their smartphones as part of RISE2020 ( www.cpb.bank ), CPB's $40 million, multi-faceted initiative to strengthen the bank by investing in digital banking, branch transformation, and operational excellence. "The turmoil caused by Covid-19 is demanding that banks do more than ever to keep customers both safe and connected that's our number one goal," said Paul Yonamine, Executive Chairman of Central Pacific Bank. "At the same time, we're behind the scenes making a positive difference in people's lives, both in banking and beyond. Being powered by the MX Helios mobile app gives our customers the best possible financial experience to do that." "Helios and the other digital tools from MX are helping us build even stronger human connections with our customers at the most important time in our bank's history," added Catherine Ngo, President. Powered by MX's industry leading data platform, which collects, cleanses and enriches transactional data and then presents insights for smart financial action, CPB's mobile app will allow customers to see, in aggregate, all accounts from their financial institutions in one glance. The simple Helios interface and CPB-customized features make it easy to act on financial information instantly. "Large regional banks like Central Pacific Bank extract an enormous amount of meaning from their data so they can create exceptional customer experiences, but they need help from partners like MX," said Brandon Dewitt, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at MX. "As we all continue to navigate business during and after a pandemic, we're proud to be helping in CPB's mission to provide the community of Hawaii with tools to better manage their financial wellness." For more information about Central Pacific Bank's RISE2020 initiative, visit www.cpb.bank . About MX MX, the leader in money experience, is built on the belief that financial data should be accessible and actionable for all. MX gives your customers a seamless way to move, view, and interact with their money. We call this the Money Experience. Founded in 2010, MX is one of the fastest growing fintech innovators, powering more than 2,000 financial institutions and 43 of the top 50 digital banking providers to improve the financial lives of tens of millions of people worldwide. To learn more, visit www.mx.com. About Central Pacific Bank Central Pacific Bank is the primary subsidiary of Central Pacific Financial Corp., a Hawaii-based bank holding company with approximately $6.6 billion in assets. Central Pacific Bank operates 35 branches and 76 ATMs in the State of Hawaii, as of June 30, 2020. As of September 1, 2020, four branches are temporarily closed to protect the health and well-being of the Company's employees and customers from COVID-19. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.cpb.bank. CONTACT: Tom Cook, [email protected] SOURCE MX Related Links http://www.mx.com Vietnams representative office in Japan is closely coordinating with local authorities to search for two Vietnamese apprentices who went missing after Super Typhoon Haishen swept through the East Asian country earlier this week. Typhoon Haishen, the tenth to hit Japan this year, caused a serious landslide in Higashi Usuki District in Miyazaki Prefecture early on Monday morning, according to the Vietnam Consulate General in Fukouka. The landslide resulted in the missing of four people, including two Vietnamese interns. The Vietnam Consulate General in Fukouka has worked closely with authorities in Miyazaki Prefecture and other relevant agencies of Japan to verify relevant information and speed up the search for the two Vietnamese citizens. Preliminary information showed that they hail from the north-central Vietnamese provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, and work for Aioigumi JSC in Miyazaki Prefecture on Kyushu Island. The Japanese government has directed local police and rescue forces to actively search for the victims, Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. The consulate general has been tasked with maintaining contact with Japanese authorities and the Vietnamese community in Japan to receive updates on the case, as well as preparing to implement citizen protection measures. The foreign ministry has asked the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs and Departments of External Relations in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An to inform the victims families and ensure their full interests. The Vietnam Consulate General in Fukouka had earlier issued warnings about Super Typhoon Haishen for the Vietnamese community on its website, as well as on websites and social media pages of Vietnamese organizations and associations in the region. It has kept contact with Vietnamese nationals associations and groups, along with some businesses and schools in the areas to have a good grasp of their situation and urge them to take safety measures. Typhoon Haishen swept through Kyushu Island early on Monday with wind speed at up to 160km per hour and gusts at 216km an hour. As of Monday afternoon, at least 46 people in the Kyushu region were injured in the aftermarth of this typhoon. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Normal People has been a big hit for BBC Three. (BBC) BBC Three could be brought back to TV after it was revealed its audience collapsed when the channel went digital-only. New BBC director-general Tim Davie is currently considering reviving the linear channel, which was aimed at 16- to 34-year-olds, following the success of shows such as Normal People, Killing Eve and Fleabag. In 2016 the broadcaster made the decision to make BBC Three online-only in a bid to reduce costs and reflect the viewing habits of younger audiences - who favour streaming platforms. Research service Enders Analysis compared viewing figures for the year before it went digital-only with the 12 months to November 2019. It said viewing of BBC Three content, including BBC Three programmes shown on other BBC linear TV channels, was down 72%. Read more: BBC producer dismisses left-wing bias claims In terms of the channel itself on BBC iPlayer and not taking into account its shows airing on other channels viewing minutes fell 89%. The channels controller Fiona Campbell has previously said that resurrecting BBC Three as a linear channel will be on Davies list of early decisions. Andrew Scott and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag. (BBC) The corporation has got quite significant savings to make across the piece, so theres a bigger picture in which it has to be weighed within, she said. The report states that despite numerous examples of critical acclaim for BBC Three programming over the last couple of years, the evidence suggests that its audience has collapsed since the closure of its linear TV channel in 2016. Author Neil Thurman, honorary senior research fellow in the department of journalism at City, University of London, said the BBC is right to be considering bringing the channel back to linear television if it wants to attract more attention from its target audience. Not only has the time spent with the channel been hugely reduced, but most (79%) of the online viewing is still via television sets, he said. The size of BBC Threes weekly and monthly audience, in common with most of its competitor TV channels, was declining before it reinvented itself online. Story continues However, its decision to stop broadcasting resulted in sharp drops. Killing Eve debuted on BBC Three but also aired on other BBC channels. (BBC) He said the size of BBC Threes target audience shrank more than the size of its 35-plus audience, adding: This raises doubts about whether, in the context of youth channels like BBC Three, young audiences are, as the BBCs ex-director-general Tony Hall suggested, most ready to move to an online world. A BBC spokesman said: BBC Three is not a traditional TV channel so it should be no surprise its not consumed like one; when we moved online we wanted to grow younger audiences coming to iPlayer and its working, with 412 million total requests for BBC Three programmes in the past 12 months, a 57% increase year on year. Read more: This Country star Daisy May Cooper gives birth to baby boy Time spent with BBC Three content is also growing, up by 37% this year as more young viewers discover shows like Normal People, RuPauls Drag Race UK, This Country, Young Offenders and Glow Up. As set out in the annual plan, we are committed to better serve young audiences and will double the amount we spend on BBC Three commissions over the next two years. Normal People a teenage love story starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal was a big hit for BBC Three during the coronavirus lockdown. BBC Three shows such as Killing Eve and Fleabag have been shown on other channels. As she scrambled to find a computer and internet access for her two elementary-age children last week, Jamesha Adams struck out at every turn. Stores she visited were sold out of affordable laptops, iPads and LeapPads. Some internet providers did not service her downtown Houston neighborhood. Houston ISD did not have take-home devices available for her 6-year-old daughter Khalyia and 8-year-old son Rashard, who attend Blackshear Elementary School. I was really about to lose my mind completely, because I really couldnt find internet, and it felt like everybody bought up everything that dealt with internet, Adams said Tuesday as she dropped off her children at a learning center hosted by HISD. While school districts across Houston have spent millions of dollars and countless hours to outfit all students with technology for virtual classes, thousands of families have begun the school year still lacking essential online access, according to state data and local education officials. The shortcoming is particularly acute in some of Greater Houstons highest-poverty neighborhoods and districts, where students already struggle to keep up academically with their peers. Without at-home technology access, students will miss valuable instruction time or be forced to attend in-person classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately impacts lower-income families and communities of color. The pandemic has exposed severe inequities in our region, city and school district, HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. The technological divide in our community is one of the worst of those inequities. From the outset of the pandemic nearly six months ago, obtaining at-home technology for the regions million-plus students has been a top priority for local and state education leaders. Virtually every local district ordered computers, tablets and wireless internet hotspots starting in the spring. On HoustonChronicle.com: Thousands return to campus as several Houston-area districts reopen However, the global spike in demand for student technology and virus outbreaks in Chinese manufacturing hubs have strained supply chains, causing shipment delays and monthslong waits for devices. In addition, some districts did not begin ordering large amounts of technology until the summer, while others ordered too few devices early in the pandemic. Recognizing the looming shortage, state education and government officials announced plans in mid-July to tap $200 million in federal pandemic relief funds and partner with school districts to make bulk purchases. They hoped to use Texas size to increase its buying power, lowering the cost of technology and speeding up deliveries. Texas school districts have ordered about 750,000 laptops, Chromebooks, iPads and other computer devices as well as roughly 300,000 hotspots, through a state-sponsored collective coordinating bulk purchases known as Operation Connectivity. It became clear that districts were facing real challenges both around pricing and delivery times, and it seemed like they had absolutely no control over it, said Gaby Rowe, the project lead for Operation Connectivity. They were really at the whim of who they happened to be talking to that had the technology. State officials, however, say the technology is starting to arrive. Roe said she expects districts will have all hotspots and nearly 200,000 iPads in hand by the third week of September, while the overwhelming majority of laptops and Chromebooks will land in October and November. While some of the technology will go immediately to families in need, many devices will help districts provide computers to all students, regardless of at-home access. The size of Houstons technology gap to start the year is not fully clear, though available data indicates tens of thousands of students may remain without access. Comp-U-Dopt, a Houston nonprofit that refurbishes computers and provides them free of charge to students through a weekly lottery, said it continues to see significant demand from families even after supplying about 15,000 devices in six months. In August alone, Comp-U-Dopt received about 6,400 new lottery applications for computers, with the greatest concentration in the northern, southeastern and southwestern areas of Houston. The new applications brought Comp-U-Dopts rolling total of computer requests to 62,725 since March, though some lottery applicants likely have received computers from other sources since the spring. The need is really spread across the region: Aldine, Sheldon, Spring, Houston, Comp-U-Dopt CEO Megan Steckly said. My takeaway is that this is an incredibly solvable problem, and its not being solved by the districts. In HISD, district officials said 12,200 students enrolled in the district still needed a computer, at-home internet or a combination of the two on Tuesday. Those families are being invited to one of 36 learning centers with technology and adult supervision, though HISD reported only 681 students attending on Wednesday. When Aldine ISD resumed online-only classes in mid-August, the district had not yet received a single one of the 19,400 computers it ordered directly from vendors, Chief Financial Officer Tamika Alford-Stephens said. Aldine officials estimated this summer that nearly 10,000 out of roughly 65,000 students in the high-poverty district did not have a computer at home. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston ISD plans to benefit from county investment in school tech Other districts, however, have reported better success in getting deliveries. Spring ISD officials said they received slightly more than half of their 20,200 computers and all 1,000 wireless internet hotspots ordered from vendors since mid-March. During recent Chromebook distributions we had enough devices to supply all those who requested them, Spring ISD officials said in a statement. We are in the process of filling requests that have come into the district after the distribution. We anticipate that we will have enough devices to fill those requests, as well. Similarly, Alief ISD leaders said all students in need were outfitted with technology by the start of online-only classes in early August, aided by an early order of about 16,000 hotspots. While the access provides a short-term solution for families, district officials are planning to better incorporate technology needs in long-term plans. When this is all said and done, were in a new era, said Charles Woods, Aliefs deputy superintendent of business services. That need isnt going to go away when COVID goes away. More than likely, this is going to become a norm that well have to figure into our overall strategy, that well have to figure out ways to get families connected. For Adams, who works for a food truck operator and private security patrol company, her family only can return to normal once in-person classes resume. While Adams lauded HISD for opening learning centers, she lamented the challenge families face while still learning from home. Whether I had the internet or not, it would have been hard, Adams said. We cant take the kids with us to work, and we cant be working and trying to help them with school. Editors note: This story has been updated with new information provided Wednesday night by Houston ISD and to correct the spelling of Gaby Rowe's name. jacob.carpenter@chron.com Donald Trump sometimes calls the coronavirus the invisible enemy. Occasionally he comes up with an evocative phrase. And for me it evokes the way the disease harms the society that contends with it. By adopting quarantines, the cities empty, and the protective presence of citizens is withdrawn from shopping and nightlife districts, thus inviting much of the chaos and looting we saw this summer. Every kind of social event is harmed by the fear of COVID. Funerals are limited. As many young couples found out, weddings are canceled, masked, delayed, or turn out to be smaller celebrations than they would otherwise be. The out-of-the-ordinary hygienic measures, social distancing, and the news itself stoke a certain kind of vulnerability and paranoia, one that easily shifts into other areas of life. Instead of blotting out Americas culture-war politics, the pandemic has intensified them. And it may not be through with us yet. We fight and the parties retreat into their encampments, even about COVID itself. Lockdown protesters were on the right. Social-distance shaming comes from the left. Donald Trump wants schools to be open. Joe Biden wants a national mask mandate, and says we havent yet adequately contended with the disease. The chattering classes and their audiences are internalizing that the more trouble COVID causes, the better for Joe Biden. And the more that COVID enters the rearview mirror, the better for Donald Trump. All this would be cause enough for concern. But it could get much worse. An early flu season something that begins spreading in late September or October in a state such as Minnesota or Wisconsin could bring us to a boiling point. First there is the problem of the unknown. We dont know a lot about how the flu and COVID-19 interact and exacerbate one another. Its possible that the ongoing level of social distancing will hamper the spread of the annual flu. But more immediately, the problem will be that unless COVID is fading away for good as I write, many people developing respiratory illness due to the flu will have a reason to suspect they may have COVID. Story continues Instead of the number of tests falling, they will rise again, maybe even sharply. A bad flu outbreak could trigger testing on a level that would almost automatically create school closures and other business shutdowns. And even positivity rates may not hold up as the metric by which schools and other institutions are closed and reopened. With sufficient panic, we may return to the standards in the early spring, when in New York schools closed the moment a single student or teacher tested positive for the virus. All the work at half-time schedules, segregated pods of students in schools, and social distancing can be written off if politically motivated reasoning alone can heighten the panic. Conservatives will be motivated to counter this mood just as fiercely. They will argue that positivity-rate metrics for COVID restrictions are often uncomfortably close to the false-positivity rate of some major available COVID tests. They will argue that the institutions in charge of deciding the fate of children and the larger social order are often run by people who are themselves politically biased toward closing, at least until November. They will be called truthers, and deniers, and participants in human sacrifice. We may even see conservatives blaming the emergent mass-protest movement leading up to the election and led by activist groups such as AdBusters. Radical encampments have often been the vector of disease and criminality in the past, going back to the Paris Commune. Instead of adjudicating the spring reaction of Donald Trump to COVID, we may soon be entering a period when the day-to-day numbers of the disease seem to hold not just the fate of our household arrangements for the next few months, but also the threat of lockdowns, and an adverse election result. If thats not enough to make you feel a chill, I dont know what is. More from National Review The National Peace Council (NPC) has called on political parties to strictly adhere to the roadmap adopted to help eradicate political vigilantism from the country. A member of the Governing Board of the NPC, Apostle Kwadwo Opoku Onyinah, advised political parties that were still engaging the services of vigilantes to disband them before the December 7 elections. "We use this opportunity to call on political parties which are still harbouring any vigilante groups or their remnants after the ban through the passage of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999) to take immediate steps to complete the disbandment process before the December 2020 general election, he said. Apostle Onyinah made the call at a workshop organised to increase the campaign on the eradication of political vigilantism from Ghana at Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region yesterday. The workshop, which was organised by the NPC, was funded by the Danish Embassy and brought together stakeholders in the electoral process, including officials from the Electoral Commission (EC), the political parties, and the security agencies. Preparations Apostle Onyinah said although the NPC was aware of the preparations by key stakeholders, including the EC, the political parties, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), civil society organisations (CSOs), and the security institutions, towards peaceful elections, there was the need to totally eradicate vigilantism from the political process. Apostle Kwadwo Opoku Onyinah (left), a member of the Governing Board of the NPC, interacting with Mr. Clement Wilkonson (right), Municipal Chief Executive for Ga West, and Mr. George Amoh (middle), Executive Secretary of the NPC, after the opening session of the workshop. Picture: EMMANUEL QUAYE He said it was germane for all stakeholders with competing ideas to engage in open discourse and express their opinions that shape the process towards "achieving the results that we all desire". For instance, he said, the political parties must always express their opinions on national issues with decorum, provide practical solutions for the many challenges that confronted the country, and respect one another in their deeds and utterances to ensure the preservation of Ghanas peace. Roadmap The roadmap to eradicating political vigilantism sets out the norms and principles to guide the elimination of politically related violence or vigilantism. The document is a comprehensive outline of the goals and overall objectives of all relevant stakeholders, especially the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the elimination of political vigilantism. It also reflects the strategic thinking of stakeholders concerning how to achieve the goals. For instance, at the outset of Phase One of the roadmap, "the parties shall reject all forms of violence as a mode of political expression". In that regard, the leaders of the NDC and the NPP are expected to take the necessary steps to ensure that their members refrain from vigilante activities. The parties are also expected to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies, especially by way of refraining from protecting their members who violate the laws governing vigilantism. They are also expected to affirm their commitment to the code of conduct on political vigilantism and sign the code during a public function organised by the NPC, with the media in attendance, and continuously sensitise their members to and educate them on the dangers of vigilantism. Commitment For her part, the Greater Accra Regional Director of the NCCE, Mrs. Lucille Hewlett Annan, encouraged political parties to stay committed to their own resolution and ensure that the roadmap was fully utilised to ensure peace during the December 7 elections. She recalled the fact that all vigilante groups had been banned and so they could not operate under the laws of the country. Consequently, she said the parties must ensure that vigilantism was not associated with their activities, as that was punishable by law, attracting not less than 10 years and not more than 15 years imprisonment when found guilty. "We are here to educate you on the Vigilantism and other Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999). It is the mandate of the commission to educate everyone on his or her rights and responsibilities and, therefore, bringing the contents of the Vigilantism Act to you is required of us," she said. She said it was important to keep educating the public on Act 999 and the roadmap to increase awareness among the public of the dangers of engaging in vigilantism. In as much as we want to support one another along the way, other miscreants would also want to capitalise on the down sides of the pandemic to recruit people to engage in violent attacks on political opponents and innocent people, Mrs. Annan said. Source: Graphic.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video NEW YORK, Sept 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WHP Global ("WHP") announced today that it has signed a long-term licensing agreement with Vandale Industries, Inc. ("Vandale") to extend the Anne Klein brand into the intimates category. Anne Klein Intimates is slated to launch in Fall 2021 and will be carried on AnneKlein.com and in select department stores, e-commerce channels and specialty retailers throughout the United States and Canada. WHP Global to launch Anne Klein Intimates collection with Vandale for Fall 2021. "Vandale is a leader in the intimate apparel industry. We have been fortunate to partner with Vandale in the past and we have seen their ability to create strong product with great placement. Partnering with Vandale for Anne Klein intimates represents our drive and focus to grow the Anne Klein brand with the best, most influential partners in each category. As we continue to deepen the brand assortment, we view the addition of Anne Klein Intimates as yet another step towards strengthening our core women's business," says Effy Zinkin, WHP Global Chief Operating Officer. Anne Klein Intimates will include a collection of bras, underwear, daywear intimates and shapewear that will encompass the brand's ethos of providing sophisticated, timeless, and well-priced fashion to today's modern woman. "We are thrilled to add Anne Klein to Vandale's licensed brand portfolio. Anne Klein is an iconic American brand that has managed to emerge from the pandemic as strong as ever through continued investment in marketing and constant communication with its customer. With those tenants as pillars, Anne Klein intimate is able to fill a void in the market of ladies' lingerie focusing on fit, comfort styling in great Anne Klein prints and staple colors. We look forward to creating a collection that will offer high quality ladies Intimates at a desirable price point," said Kim Kalosinis Vice President of Sales and Merchandising at Vandale. Anne Klein is an iconic legacy women's fashion brand founded in 1968, designed with a classic American style. The brand recently joined COVID-19 relief efforts by uniting with Anne Klein's granddaughter, Jesse Gre Rubenstein, to donate and deliver 125,000 masks to essential workers throughout the U.S. The Anne Klein brand hosts a new series on Facebook called WOMEN WHO DO in conjunction with Jesse to feature innovative thinking women who are notably making a difference. Anne Klein generates over $700 million in global retail sales with product distributed by best-in-class partners including Steve Madden for footwear and handbags, Kasper Group for sportswear, E. Gluck for watches, Herman Kay for outerwear, ONE Jeanswear Group for denim, Komar for loungewear, Sunham Home Fashions for home goods, and Marchon for eyewear. Anne Klein products are sold throughout North America, China, South Korea, the Philippines, Mexico and other countries around the world. For more information, please visit: www.anneklein.com. About WHP Global WHP Global is a New York-based firm that specializes in acquiring global consumer brands and strategically investing in high-growth distribution channels, digital commerce platforms, and global expansion. WHP Global owns the ANNE KLEIN and JOSEPH ABBOUD brands. For more information, visit www.whp-global.com. About VANDALE INDUSTRIES, INC. Vandale Industries, Inc. is one of the premier importers of women's intimate apparel. Its products in daywear, sleepwear, shape wear and activewear can be found in department and specialty stores across the USA and Canada. Vandale distributes product under its own private brands, as well as its licensed brands, which include Anne Klein, IZOD, Jessica Simpson, Rampage, Dollhouse, and Hard Candy. Media Contact: WHP Global Alexa Stark EJ Media Group [email protected] Vandale Industries, Inc. Kim Kalosinis 212-683-8181 [email protected] SOURCE WHP Global CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- e.fundamentals , world-leading digital shelf analytics provider, welcomes two exceptionally qualified additions to its senior leadership team to drive North American business. Darren Horne, a 30-year veteran in enterprise technology sales and management joins as Vice President Sales, North America. Stephanie Rubin becomes Director, Head of North America Customer Success, bringing 16 years of experience building sales and insights at General Mills and Procter & Gamble. Both are set to further position e.fundamentals for continued growth in North America. "Progressive consumer goods brands have recognised the urgency to step-change their eCommerce capabilities and guarantee findability of their products online", says Horne. "Joining e.fundamentals in this present period is phenomenal. As a digital shelf analytics solution purpose-built by industry veterans to solve real issues with managing the omnichannel and evolving business models like click & collect, we're exceptionally well placed to help US enterprises uncover and deliver on their eCommerce growth opportunities." "To become part of e.fundamentals at a time when consumer behaviour has dramatically shifted online is exhilarating", Rubin adds. "As the most user-friendly eCommerce analytics platform for brands, I'm delighted to be building on my experience in delivering best-in-class service. With Customer Success as a core strategy, I'm excited to support our clients with the implementation of actionable digital shelf intelligence that ensures they win across US retailers' websites." "We are thrilled to appoint these remarkably skilled individuals to critical roles within our North American business", comments John Maltman, CEO at e.fundamentals. "Our new colleagues bring invaluable experience to the business; they've both worked through periods of transformation a trait of particular importance in times of unforeseen eCommerce growth across the world and our own accelerated business expansion. I'm confident their addition will continue to pave a profitable path for e.fundamentals and our clients." Download images here About e.fundamentals The world-leading digital shelf analytics provider, e.fundamentals helps international consumer goods brands like Starbucks, Molson Coors and Mars win in eCommerce. The platform serves sales and marketing teams with an intuitive user experience gathering product performance insights daily on pricing and promotions, ranging, on-site search and shopper feedback across the world's major online retailers. This allows users to quickly navigate and action the changes required to maximise category performance on the digital shelf. Visit e.fundamentals.com SOURCE e.fundamentals Taoiseach Micheal Martinin said: "In Europe there is a lot of anger towards this and the manner in which it happened. In Ireland there clearly is" Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins Taoiseach Micheal Martin will speak this afternoon to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the unacceptable new departure from international law by the UK. He said he spoke last night to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and both agreed it was a very serious development. Secretary of State Brandon Lewis didnt display any subtlety in announcing the British intention to break international law, and there had been no advance heads up to Ireland. Read More He would make clear our position in that phone call, the Taoiseach said, in particular about the unilateral nature of the move, its illegality, and how it undermined trust and international agreements. The Irish Government has to make it clear that there are basic principles that apply in how we conduct our relationship, he said. It was particularly regrettable that Northern Ireland was being dragged back into it when Stormont was operating with commendable unity of purpose. The move has the potential to create further tensions, he warned. The Tanaiste, Leo Varadkar, told RTE's Morning Ireland the British move had certainly set off alarm bells in Dublin, but added: I think they're backfired. We have seen the response of the Northern Ireland parties representing the majority of people in the north, which has been very negative. We've seen the response from the European Union, we've seen the response from US Congress and Irish America. I think Governments are scratching their heads around the world wondering whether they should ever enter into treaties or contracts with the British Government if this is their attitude. Mr Martin said it immediately struck him on hearing Mr Lewis admit to breaking international law in the House of Commons that this was a new departure that Ireland had not been told about. Foreign Minister Simon Coveney added that the EU task force had not been told in advance either, and there had been no reach out, which was an extraordinary way to approach negotiations. Trust is the most important component in terms of getting the right outcome, he said. The Taoiseach agreed: Trust is fundamental. And we're extremely concerned about the unilateral nature of the British Government's action and decision, which has the capacity to undermine progress in the negotiations. This initiative does not build trust and I will be speaking later this afternoon with the British Prime Minister to register our very strong concerns about this latest development, and in particular the unilateral nature of it, and the fact that fundamentally is seeking to deviate from what is an agreed international treaty. Mr Martin said he believed the move had taken a lot of people aback across Europe, and United Kingdom itself. It was not an acceptable way to conduct negotiations. I spoke with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and we both agreed that this is a very serious development. We will work in concert with the European Union colleagues, and we take it step by step, but it's the nature of it that is not conducive to conducting negotiations. In addition, I would say also it is very regrettable the degree to which it drags Northern Ireland back onto centre stage, and it has the potential to be divisive in that context. I want to make sure that that doesn't transpire. "Perfidious Albion is alive and well and living at No. 10 Downing Streeet," Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald told the Dail. The Northern Ireland protocol was the "bare minimum needed" to protect the Good Friday Agreement and to prevent any hard border on the island of Ireland, she said. Boris Johnson's position was "stupid and dangerous," she told the Taoiseach, and it showed the extent to which Boris Johnson was prepared to go to satisfy "Tory Brexiteers and blunt English nationalism." She also accused Northern Secretary Brandon Lewis of falsely assuring Michelle O'Neill, the Deputy First Minister, that the Internal Markets Bill had no implications for the Northern Ireland protocol. On Monday evening he had told her that the legislation would have no implications for the existing agreement and protocol. But 24 hours later, on Tuesday, he "took to his feet and said the precise opposite," Ms McDonald said. She told Mr Martin that the British move was not a "new departure," but had many precedents. She said: "In you conversation with him you need to dispense with diplomatic niceties and set out the position. You might also remind him that the North voted No (in the Brexit referendum)_, she said. "We cannot afford to have hesitancy or a lack of force and rigour," she said, telling Mr Martin he should have contacted the British Prime Minister earlier. But Mr Martin scolded her that she should not attempt to divide the House on this issue. "We are not going to be embroiled in their difficulty; you do not just jump into something," Mr Martin said. But Ireland's position would be made quite clear. Ms McDonald said the Secretary of State had declared that Britain would be proceeding to break international law, and was doing so "with its eyes wide open." There was already sense in Northern Ireland that the practical effect or reality of the Withdrawal Agreement has been accepted, notwithstanding people's political objections. Mr Martin indicated the Government still did not have full sight of the draft Bill or a clear understanding of all the implications of the move for the Northern Ireland protocol, but would be watching very closely. Of course there are issues around the working through of the protocol in terms of State aid and in whole area of trading generally, but that's all to be worked out in the negotiations. The British action does raise a whole range of issues, but I'm not going to speculate on the motivation, Mr Martin said. But suffice to say this that all of us, as politicians in the UK Government, the Irish Government and European Union, have fundamental obligations to the people we serve to protect their jobs and quality. A no-deal Brexit will damage livelihoods, will damaged jobs, and will damage the UK economy, The Irish economy and European Union economy. He said he had consistently asked the British Prime Minister to think of the people we serve, and to protect them, their jobs and employment. That must be the overall motivation here. Where there's a will, there's a way to getting a reasonable deal. Labour Party leader Alan Kelly told the Taoiseach to "publicly call out" the British Prime Mister. "You need to stand up and call this out for what it is," he said. "I don't trust Boris Johnson - I know you can't say that, but you more or less have to, in diplomatic language, because this is unprecedented." Never before had our nearest neighbour treated an Irish Government as the Johnson administration had done in the past 48 hours, Mr Kelly said. "Given the type of character he (Mr Johnson) is, I think he will only react to one thing, and that is being called out quite publicly. "This is a very important moment for you as Taoiseach. This is possibly the most important moment in some ways. The only pressure that works on this prime minister, given his behaviour, is pressure that will impact on him domestically. "Tell him straight up. The British Prime Minister is behaving in a way that is reprehensible. "You will be doing Europe and the whole world a favour." Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said she had rung Downing Street on Monday in an attempt to protest the move. "But I am not the Head of Government," she added pointedly. She added that Boris Johnson, if he got away with walking away from the Northern Irish protocol, "will feel emboldened to walk away from the whole lot." Solidarity PBP TD Richard Boyd Barrett said the Taoiseach had been snubbed and needed to be very tough with the prime minister, and there was never a better time to make the case for "an end to partition," because of this "British imperial arrogance." Appointment 9 September 2020 A great drive, loads of experience within sales and service and not least a resounding good mood are among the core competencies of Zleep Hotels' newly hired Sales Manager, Bettina Rehne, who will be co-responsible for the sale activities of the hotel chain's 13 hotels, including the brand new; Zleep Hotel Copenhagen Arena and Zleep Hotel Lyngby. Bettina Rehne comes from a position as Key Account Manager in Europisk ERV Rejseforsikring and has previously held positions such as Branch Manager in Top Rejser, team leader in Egencia Rejsebureau, travel consultant and team leader in Carlson Wagonlit Travel and has also run her own business from 2015 to 2018. The Union County Prosecutors Office did not sustain the Hillside mayors claim that the towns police chief intentionally misled officials to sign off on a stipend for another officer, a letter about the internal affairs investigation shows. Hillside Police Chief Vincent Ricciardi filed suit after Mayor Dahlia Vertreese suspended him in June over the stipend. A Superior Court judge ordered Ricciardi back to work, but the mayor initially refused to let him return. Its what sparked the Union County Prosecutors Office to step in and take control of the police department. Ricciardi returned to work shortly after the judges order. A spokesman for the prosecutors office on Friday said the agency is still overseeing the police department. Hillside Police Chief Vincent Ricciardi stands with the town's mayor, Dahlia Vertreese at a police academy graduation ceremony in 2018. Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay Ruotolo signed a letter to Vertreese last month stating there was insufficient evidence to clearly prove or disprove her allegation about the stipend that Ricciardi requested in 2018. In light of the foregoing, we do not sustain, your Internal Affairs allegation that Chief Ricciardi intentional (sic) provided misleading information in this matter, the letter read. Ricciardis attorney and a spokesman for the town did not respond to a request for comment about the findings. The prosecutors office declined to comment on the letter about the internal affairs investigation. The mayor, business administrator and chief financial officer signed off on Ricciardis request for an 8.5% stipend for a sergeant for work as a training officer, according to the prosecutors letter. Vertreese, however, alleged that Ricciardi intentionally attached the wrong contract to get their approval. The prosecutors office determined that the sergeant would have been subject to the superior officers contract, which did not specifically mention the 8.5% stipend for a training officer. Only the non-ranking police unions contract outlined that stipend, which was the one Ricciardi attached in his request. ...Chief Ricciardi attached a page from a labor contract inapplicable to a superior officer as support for the stipend he sought to award to a superior officer, the prosecutors letter reads. The Payroll Instruction Form that was submitted by Chief Ricciardi accurately listed (the sergeants) rank. Both contracts, however, have a past practice provision, which allows officers to maintain benefits and privileges in either agreement even if it is not specifically laid out in the contract. Two previous sergeants in Hillside also received the 8.5% training stipend, the letter said. The prosecutors office also did not sustain claims against Ricciardi of conduct unbecoming of a public employee; incompetency, inefficiency or failure to perform duties; insubordination; and misuse of public property. The prosecutors office also determined that a claim about Ricciardis inability to perform his duties was unfounded. Ricciardis attorney previously told NJ Advance Media that the mayor could still bring administrative charges against the chief once the prosecutors offices investigation concluded, but she would need two-thirds of the township councils approval first. The township attorney previously said that explanation was incorrect but did not elaborate. The stipend issue was the second time Ricciardi had been suspended by Vertreese. He was suspended for four days in October after unknowingly appearing in a campaign flyer for a school board member, according to his lawsuit. Meanwhile, the police captain who replaced Ricciardi during his October suspension filed suit against him in July. She claimed the chief retaliated against her upon his return. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday demolished illegal alterations at the Bandra property of actor Kangana Ranaut, she hit back saying My Mumbai is PoK now. The actor has claimed that there were no illegal structures in her home. Here are the latest updates: Kangana says she purchased office building from Sharad Pawars partner She wrote in a tweet, This was not just to me but to entire building and this is not my flat issue but a building issue which builder needs to deal with and this building belongs to Sharad Pawar we bought the flat from his partner so he is answerable for this not me.. You deserve the treatment you get from me: Kangana hits out Targeting Fancy feminists, Bullywood activists, candle march groups and award vapsi gang, Kangana wrote that they have all stayed silent on what High Court said about open murder of law and order in Maharashtra. She wrote in a tweet, Well done, thank you for proving me right always, you all deserve the treatment you get from me. Fancy feminists, Bullywood activists, candle march groups and award vapsi gang has no comments on what High Court said about open murder of law and order in Maharashtra. Well done, thank you for proving me right always , you all deserve the treatment you get from me Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Kangana suggests that shes paying the price for her vocalness She wrote on Twitter, Now that high court has declared it is a clear case of bullying and its done right after I exposed drug racket,questioned shoddy investigations of SSR murder one can see freedom comes with a price, I am paying for mine are you paying for yours? #ShameOnMahaGovt #ShameOnBollywood. Now that high court has declared it is a clear case of bullying and its done right after I exposed drug racket,questioned shoddy investigations of SSR murder one can see freedom comes with a price, I am paying for mine are you paying for yours? #ShameOnMahaGovt #ShameOnBollywood https://t.co/nTK93Cyv9P Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Kangana says she received the BMC notice on Wednesday In a tweet, Kangana wrote that unlike some news doing the round that shed been warned by the BMC previously, she received a notice only on Wednesday. Paid sources of Maha government are spreading fake info,BMC never sent any notice to me until yesterday,in fact I got all the documents cleared myself from BMC for renovations. @mybmc at least have the courage to stand by your audacity. Why lie now? she wrote. Kangana sends message to Uddhav Thackeray, Karan Johar In a tweet, Kangana wrote, Come Udhav Thakeray and Karan Johar Gang you broke my work place come now break my house then break my face and body, I want world to see clearly what you anyway do underhand, whether I live or die I will expose you regardless. Come Udhav Thakeray and Karan Johar Gang you broke my work place come now break my house then break my face and body, I want world to see clearly what you anyway do underhand, whether I live or die I will expose you regardless Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 In another tweet, she wrote, My office was suddenly declared illegal in last 24 hours, they have destroyed everything inside including furniture and lights and now I am getting threats they will come to my house and break it as well,I am glad my judgement of movie mafias favourite worlds best CM was right. Sanjay Raut distances himself from controversy I have never threatened Kangana Ranaut, the Shiv Sena leader said, according to The Times of India. I only expressed my anger at Mumbai being likened to POK. I am not responsible for what action BMC takes. Matter is over for me, Kangana is welcome to live in Mumbai. Kangana shares video of Devendra Fadnavis condemning demolition Kangana Ranaut shared a video of former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis condemning the demolition of her property carried out by the BMC. This has never happened in the history of Maharashtra, news agency ANI reported Fadnavis as saying. Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur condemns demolition of Kanganas office Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, according to PTI, condemned the demolition of a portion of Kangana Ranaut's Mumbai property by the civic body Wednesday, saying she "is a daughter" of the state and she should get a "proper atmosphere" to work in her field. Kangana Ranaut shares video message for Uddhav Thackeray Kangana Ranaut has shared a video message for Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. In it, she says that she is thankful for the cruelty he has shown and said that someday, his ego will also break like he broke her house. Kangana also compared her plight to the Kashmiri Pandits and said that she will not only make a film on Ayodhya but also on Kashmir. ALSO WATCH | Today its my home, tomorrow itll be your pride: Kangana warns CM Uddhav Kangana Ranaut arrives home Kangana Ranaut arrived at her home in Mumbai with her sister Rangoli Chandel. Kangana shares video of demolished property: Kangana has shared videos of her partially demolished office. She captioned her post as #DeathofDemocracy. Kangana arrives in Mumbai Actor Kangana Ranauts flight has reached Mumbai. Huge crowd gathers outside Mumbai airport: A giant crowd of Kanganas supporters and protesters has gathered outside the Mumbai airport, shouting slogans and raising placards. Undue importance being given to Kanganas remarks: Sharad Pawar We are giving undue importance to those making such statements. We will have to see what influence such statements have on the people at large, NCP chief Sharad Pawar told reporters. Gulshan Devaiah comments on Kanganas arrival Actor Gulshan Devaiah has posted on Twitter about the demolition at Kanganass property. Now just a a joke instead of a JCB the BMC could have put a board outside Kanganas office saying POK mein aapka swagat hai.Yes or No? he wrote. Kanganas lawyer calls demolition illegal Kangana Ranauts lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui has said that the notice she was served by the BMC was illegal. The notice given is illegal and they entered the premises illegally. There was no work underway at the premises, he said. Renuka Shahane calls the demolition appalling: Though I did not like @KanganaTeams comment comparing Mumbai to POK I am appalled by the revenge demolition carried out by @mybmc You do not have to stoop so low. @CMOMaharashtraplease intervene. There is a pandemic we are dealing with. Do we need this unnecessary drama?, she wrote. Sona Mohapatra reacts to demolitions: Sona Mohapatra is shocked at the demolition being carried out at Kanganas office. Demolition squads now #Mumbai ??? What the hell is this. What do you expect from a government that doesnt win an election to come to power??!! Travesty. Sickening, she wrote in a tweet. Heavy security at Mumbai airport: Heavy CISF security at Mumbai International airport as Kangana arrives at Mumbai . She is flying in after spending six months in her home town of Manali. High Court stays demolition: The Bombay High Court has stayed the BMCs demolition at Kangana Ranauts property. It has also asked the civic body to file a reply on actors petition. Her advocate Rizwan Siddiqui confirmed that the demolition has been stayed on property at Pali hill, Bandra. BMCs response to Kanganas plea will be heard Thursday at 3 pm before the bench of justice SJ Kathawalla. Devoleena Bhattacharjee reacts to demolitions: Television actor Devoleena Bhattacharjee has reacted to the BMCs demolition drive at Kanganas property. Sad sad sad.. indeed #DeathOfDemocracy, she wrote. Vinaash kaale Viparit Buddhi. #DeathOfDemocracy, she added in another tweet. Demotion work is complete at Kanganas property: The demolition of structural violations at Kanganas office has been completed and the machineries there are being removed. Kangana tweets about the demolition: Kangana Ranaut tweeted that her property is not illegal. There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like, she wrote in her tweet. High Court begins hearing on Kanganas plea: The Bombay High Court has begun hearing Kangana Ranauts plea against Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) demolition drive at her property in Mumbai. Kangana is challenging the notice issued by Mumbai civic body for illegal construction at her bungalow and seeking stay on demolition process, her lawyer has said. The 33-year-old actor is set to return to Mumbai later today. The Central government had earlier given her Y-plus security amid her verbal duel with Shiva Sena leaders. I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy pic.twitter.com/bWHyEtz7Qy Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like Slightly smiling face#DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut, the actor tweeted as BMC confirmed the demolition work. I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now, Kangana tweeted, soon after the demolition work began. She also posted photos of BMC staff engaged in the demolition work, calling it, Pakistan, #DeathofDemocracy. The developments come amid escalating war of words between Kangana and Shiv Sena leaders. The Maharashtra government on Tuesday also announced that the police will probe allegations that she took drugs. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the Mumbai police will probe allegations by actor Adhyayan Suman that Ranaut took drugs. Last week, Kangana said she feared living in Mumbai and Sena leader Sanjay Raut asked her not to return to the city. Raut also used a slur against it. The row escalated when she retorted that Mumbai feels like PoK - a comment that she has repeated today. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 10:52:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a ban on social gatherings of more than six people in England to curb the spread of COVID-19, local media reported Wednesday. New measures reducing the maximum number of social gatherings from 30 to six -- both indoors and outdoors, including private homes, parks, pubs and restaurants -- are set to come into force from Monday, Sept. 14, according to reports. The ban will not apply to "schools, workplaces or COVID-secure weddings, funerals and organised team sports," the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported. The Downing Street press conference on Wednesday is "hastily-arranged" due to a spike in the number of people infected with the virus, according to a local newspaper. A total of 2,988 new infections were reported on Sunday, the largest daily increase since May, government data showed. The latest data by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University shows the country's total infections topped 354,900 with 41,675 deaths. Enditem THE majority of insurance companies are using controversial dual-pricing practices, a Central Bank probe has found. The damning findings blow a hole in claims by a number of insurers that they do not use the pricing practice to identify vulnerable customers who are likely to resist being asked to pay more. Dual-pricing uses big data to pick out clients who are unlikely to challenge renewal quotes, with these often being older and less price savvy customers. Previous research by Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty has found differences of up to 740 when it comes to renewing a motor policy. The Irish Independent has been highlighting for years the corrosive impact dual-pricing has on loyal consumers of motor and home insurance. Now the Central Bank has acknowledged that the majority of firms do utilise differential pricing through various techniques after it carried out the first phase of a review of dual pricing it is conducting. Differential pricing is the phrase used by regulators for dual pricing An initial study of the controversial practice found it is being carried out by most of the 11 insurance firms inspected. These included insurance companies based here, firms operating here but regulated elsewhere in the EU, and some large brokers. The prevalence of the controversial pricing practice raises questions about transparency in the industry, especially as most insurers in this market denied engaging in dual pricing when called before the Oireachtas Finance Committee to discuss it. The Central Bank found that the boards of insurance companies have not even considered the impact of dual pricing on customers. There is insufficient evidence of a customer-focussed culture in respect of pricing decisions and practices, the Central Bank concluded after phase one of its review of dual pricing. Regulators have now written to the chief executives of insurers asking them to consider if their pricing is unfair to some of their customers. Boards were also told to review pricing. Central Bank director of consumer protection Grainne McEvoy said: Policyholders have a reasonable expectation that their insurance firm will act with honesty and fairness, and that the will act in the best interests of their customers. This includes having in place a pricing policy that is fair, transparent and discloses material information to customers in a way that is informative. It comes as the Programme for Government commits to banning dual pricing. Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty has claimed that dual-pricing is about punishing loyalty, and vulnerable consumers are often those who are negatively impacted by the practice. He said: Todays findings expose the industry, who have been caught red-handed, and who came before the Finance Committee last year claiming there was nothing to see here. The Central Bank has confirmed that the insurance industry uses pricing methods that punish loyal customers and harm vulnerable and low-income groups. Regulators have now moved to phase two of its dual-pricing review which will involve looking at 10 million documents. This phase of the review is a quantitative analysis and will involve consumer insight, and is likely to be published by the end of the year. The final review is due next year. Brokers Ireland said dual pricing was unfair. Cathie Shannon of Brokers Ireland said: It is not acceptable that any insurer would operate practices that are fundamentally anti-consumer, where either the most loyal or most vulnerable end up being penalised. 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 Advertisement The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has set sail from Portsmouth following two subsequent days of delays caused by 'fewer than 10' crew members testing positive for coronavirus. Crowds lined the harbour walls in Old Portsmouth this afternoon to wave off the warship with more than 60 people packing the Round Tower - the traditional viewing point to see off Navy ships. The carrier was scheduled to leave Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday afternoon for training exercises, but the departure was put on hold at the last moment. It was expected to sail again on Tuesday, but this departure was also cancelled. Merlin helicopters sit on the flight deck of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth as she leaves Portsmouth Naval Base as it sets sail for flight trials earlier today People wave from the Round Tower fortification in Old Portsmouth as the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base earlier today People wave from the Round Tower in Old Portsmouth as the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base earlier today A MoD spokesman confirmed that 'fewer than 10' members of the 1,000-strong crew had tested positive for coronavirus and had been taken ashore to be put into isolation in barracks. Other sailors who had contact with their infected crew mates will isolate on board the 65,000 tonne ship. On Wednesday, a person swimming across the main shipping lane at the harbour's mouth was intercepted by a military police boat and ordered to swim to the shore. The area is closed to all water traffic to enable the carrier to exit the narrow harbour safely. The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base as it sets sail for flight trials earlier today The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base as it sets sail for flight trials earlier today The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base as it sets sail for flight trials earlier today The carrier had to postpone its sailing earlier this year after two crew members tested positive for Covid-19 in April. The ship is set to carry out training exercises at sea before returning to base for supplies ahead of departing for major international exercises including the embarkation for the first time of both US and UK F35 Lightning jets. American aviators from the US Marine Corps arrived at RAF Marham last week to prepare for the role. Crew members stand outside one of the two islands on the flight deck as the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base as it sets sail for flight trials earlier today A man takes a photograph as the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base as it sets sail for flight trials The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base as it sets sail for flight trials earlier today The Queen Elizabeth is due to deploy on her first operational mission early next year, which will see her travelling across the world. It is aiming to declare strike carrier capability later this year ahead of its first operational deployment in 2021. Her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, is expected to undertake its maiden operational deployment in 2023. Zero new COVID-19 cases were reported for the Prairie Mountain Health region Tuesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Zero new COVID-19 cases were reported for the Prairie Mountain Health region Tuesday. Labour Day saw 1,219 tests completed in Manitoba. Eleven new cases were reported one case in the Interlake-Eastern health region, two cases in the Southern Health-Sante Sud health region and eight cases in the Winnipeg health region. Brandon has been on a Code Orange restricted level since Aug. 24, which places the health region just outside of its first incubation period, chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Tuesday. But it will take more time to release the area back to yellow caution the level most of the rest of the province is at. "Well need to see more of this trend, for much longer," Roussin said. "Perhaps another incubation period or at least another half incubation period before we can think about wanting to lift those restrictions." Roussin said last week there will be many peaks and valleys with COVID-19, with regional variances. Many Manitoba students returned to school Tuesday, and Roussin emphasized the need for fundamentals, such as staying home when ill and wearing masks. "We want Manitobans to isolate as soon as symptoms develop, even if theyre mild. Go for testing as soon as symptoms develop," Roussin said. He added that in recent cases, there has been quite a delay between the onset of symptoms and testing attendance. "The sooner we have cases identified, the sooner we can do contact investigations and the sooner we can have people self-isolating," he said. Roussin has long warned that with the onset of flu season there will be increasing absenteeism. He said Tuesday that employers are urged to work with employees to ease the burden of staying home while ill. "We dont want to make it difficult for people to stay home while ill," Roussin said. Doctors notes are not necessary to return to school or work. Roussin said Public Health guidelines do not require physicians notes. Comparing flu and COVID-19 data, Roussin said the fatality rate for the coronavirus is roughly two per cent, whereas a normal flu season sees a fatality rate of approximately 0.1 per cent. "During last years flu season, we had 403 hospital admissions related to flu and 29 deaths related to flu and 40 ICU (intensive care unit) admissions. From the beginning of this pandemic, weve had a total of 84 admissions related to COVID-19 and 27 ICU admissions related to COVID-19," Roussin said. "Weve achieved that with many, many restrictions, with many, many processes in place. But, now, coming to a respiratory virus season, very likely were going to see the co-circulation of those viruses. Well have to monitor that very closely and ensure that were not putting additional strains on the health-care system." He said the most at-risk are 65 and older, with underlying health conditions. The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 1.3 per cent. There are currently 393 active cases, and 940 people have recovered from the COVID-19 virus. Thirteen people are in hospital and three people in intensive care. The number of deaths in Manitoba due to COVID-19 is 16. The total number of lab tests completed since early February is 148,537. 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. XI'AN, China, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A "Chang'an" China-Europe freight train loaded with 42 containers of the South Korean LG Group's semi-finished goods and raw materials departed from Xi'an, China, to Slawkow, southern Poland. This is the first special train for South Korean LG Group, also one of the "Chang'an" China-Europe freight trains, according to the Xi'an International Trade & Logistics (ITL) Park. It is estimated that these semi-finished goods and raw materials such as LCD panels, electrodes, and aluminum foil papers produced by the South Korean LG Group will arrive in Slawkow, Poland in about 10 days. With the successful launch of the first special train, goods from Japan and South Korea can be assembled in Xi'an, China, and transported to Europe by the "Chang'an" China-Europe freight trains. The China-Europe freight trains refer to international container freight trains that are operated in accordance with the conditions of fixed trains, routes, schedules, and full-time operation times, and are transported to and from China and Europe as well as cities along the "Belt and Road". Since its launch in 2013, the "Chang'an" China-Europe freight train service has 15 routes from Xi'an to Asia and Europe, linking 45 countries and regions along the "Belt and Road", which makes a major logistics channel for China to open up and facilitate international trade with the west. In 2019, the "Chang'an" China-Europe freight trains ranked first in the country in terms of the total number of trains, heavy load rate and freight volume, as well as satisfaction. Among all Chinese cities that are operating China-Europe freight trains, Xi'an is operating those featuring highest coverage, highest efficiency and optimum service with the "Chang'an" freight trains. Other than oil drilling equipment in the beginning, now more than 5,000 types of goods in 13 categories, including automobiles, kitchen wares and household chemicals, are transported by the freight trains. At present, goods from 45 countries and regions along the "Belt and Road" and 29 domestic provinces are distributed in the Xi'an ITL Park. The "Chang'an" China-Europe freight trains have become the "locomotive envoys of the ancient Silk Road", exporting products that are made in China and importing speciality products of countries involved in the Belt & Road Initiative into the Chinese Market. At the same time, on the morning of August 28, the first "Yongji-Xi'an-Europe" international freight train departed from Yongji Railway Station in Shanxi, en route to Xi'an. When it arrives at the Xi'an ITL Park, the freight will be assembled and transferred to a "Chang'an" China-Europe freight train heading for major cities in Central Asia. In addition, they also launched the Tangshan-Xi'an-Europe freight train on August 26, departing from Tangshan, a city in China'sHebei province. With this, Xi'an has launched 7 international freight trains that depart from 7 cities including Xuzhou and Xiamen and transit via Xi'an. Starting in September, it will open three more freight train routes in succession. Xi'an is deeply integrated into the big picture on jointly building the Belt and Road. Image Attachments Links: Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=370962 Caption: A worker directs container hoisting operation at a logistic station in Xinzhu Railway Station in Xi'an, March 11, 2020. DALLAS (AP) U. Renee Hall, the first Black woman to lead the Dallas police force, submitted her resignation Tuesday but agreed to stay on through the end of the year. Hall's resignation letter, which the city provided to The Associated Press, didn't give a reason for stepping down. She did not respond to a request for comment. Hall is the latest in a parade of big city chiefs to resign or retire amid the protests and unrest that have swept the county since George Floyd, a Black man who was on the ground and handcuffed, died in May after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyds neck for several minutes. Catherine Cuellar, a city spokeswoman, originally said City Manager T.C. Broadnax accepted Halls resignation effective Nov. 10, but later said the chief had agreed to Broadnax's request that she continue leading the department through the end of the year. When you review Chief Halls Dallas record, there arent enough superlatives to describe the impact shes had here, Broadnax said in a statement. Hall, 49, wrote in her resignation letter that Dallas police have dealt with an unthinkable series of events since she took office in 2017. She said shes proud of how the 3,000-officer department coped and implemented critical reforms." Hall came to Texas from Detroit, the year after a sniper fatally shot four Dallas police officers and one transit officer during a protest in July 2016. Police ultimately killed the gunman with a robot-delivered bomb. During Hall's tenure, a Dallas officer was convicted of murder for the high-profile 2018 shooting of her neighbor, and even before the coronavirus pandemic the city was struggling with an increase in violent crime. Dallas city councilors and the mayor have recently been critical of Halls leadership during the protests, which included police arresting hundreds of people who'd marched onto a city bridge, only to drop charges against nearly all of them. Story continues Last month, the police department issued a report that found it struggled with operational plans, communication and maintaining a centralized command structure during days of protests. Mayor Eric Johnson said he has not spoken with Hall, but was not terribly surprised by her resignation. We cannot exclusively rely on law enforcement to reduce crime, but we absolutely need new policing strategies and fresh eyes that can help us reverse the unfortunate and unacceptable increases in violent crime in our city, Johnson said in a statement. Since Floyd's death, police chiefs have stepped down for various reasons in Seattle, Atlanta, Portland, Oregon, and Richmond, Virginia. In Rochester, New York, on Tuesday top police leaders announced their retirements amid nightly protests over the handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude in police custody. Halls predecessor in Dallas, David Brown Sr., became the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department this spring, and her resignation letter hints that she will continue police work elsewhere. I will remain committed to my true calling which is law enforcement, she wrote. ___ The headline of this story has been corrected to show Hall will remain in the post through year's end and will not leave Nov. 10. Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, was beside himself with rage on Wednesday's edition of the flagship "Kokrokoo" programme following a viral video of Ex-President John Dramani Mahama asking Ghanaians not to trust the future of the country into the hands of Nana Akufo-Addo again, in this year's general elections, since the latter will not live long enough to settle the debts he is piling up. A livid Kwamen Duncan thus launch a barrage of verbal assault at the former President, asking him to come clean on the death of former President John Evans Atta Mills. Mr. Mahama, the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, addressing chiefs and elders of the Nadowli traditional council, a few days prior to the launch of the party's 2020 Manifesto, urged Ghanaians to demand accountability from the government over how it expended those borrowed monies. According to him, since assuming power in 2017, the Akufo-Addo government has added a whopping GHC137bn to the countrys debt stock with little to show for it. ...if we follow the order of life, the path ahead of Akufo-Addo is shorter than all of you, young people. If you go to the market, youll see a small goatskin and an old goatskin. Young people can die; I agree, but if the natural order is to be maintained, somebody who is twenty years old is going to live the next fifty years. At my age, Im going to live shorter, Nana Akufo-Addo is going to live shorter because at his age, in the natural order of things, he has shorter time so that debt, he is not going to pay'', he stated. But his comments incurred the displeasure of the Central Regional Minister. In strongly condemning the comments as "insensitive" and indicative of someone who had a hand in the death of his former boss, the late Professor Mills, Kwamena Duncan, contributing to a panel discussion on PeaceFM's Kokrokoo, posited that Mr Mahama's death wish for the current president seemingly shows he has a sinister character and will go any length to see others lose their life to his (Mahama's) advantage. ''You're wishing death for a colleague human being because of power. So, what was his role in the death of his boss? You can stretch it because if, on the basis of going to the polls, you asking Ghanaians either to place their sovereign rule in your hands or the other, you're asking that [look] this man has a shorter time to live and then vote for me; that means that you're overly, inordinately ambitious. You can stretch it further that, because of this inordinate ambition, he may have played a role in the death of his boss...Out of the abundance of the heart, the Bible tells us that the mouth speaketh'', he bellowed. He stressed; ''If the man (Mahama) could show this extent of ambition that, indeed, he will tell the Ghanaian people that vote for me because I am younger and the natural order is that, as younger, I will live longer. I can see how such a person as a Vice President would want to see his boss die...So, you see who this person seeking to come back after the mess, running this country aground, [you see] what is in his heart''. Nana Addo Won't Die For You To Be Prez! To him, it is becoming the character of the former President and the NDC to wish death for Nana Addo. In a passionate appeal to Ghanaians to reject Mr. Mahama for such "deathwish-like" comments, he alluded to some remarks by leading members of the NDC prior to the 2016 elections allegeing that then Candidate Nana Akufo-Addo had been diagnosed with cancer and would therefore pass away soon, just to sway the minds of the electorates. ''If the man (Mahama) could show this extent of ambition that, indeed, he will tell the Ghanaian people that vote for me because I am younger and the natural order is that, as younger, I will live longer. I can see how such a person as a Vice President would want to see his boss die...So, you see who this person seeking to come back after the mess, running this country aground, [you see] what is in his heart'', he said. Kwamena Duncan however prayed for long life for the President. ''This is where Akufo-Addo is, as bouyant, as energized as ever before. When God blesses you, he has blessed you'', he stressed. 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 An Australian ISIS bride who left Melbourne to fight for the terrorist organisation is holed up in a Turkish prison after fleeing a Syrian refugee camp with her two young children. Zehra Duman, 26, is in a Sanlurfa jail on the Turkish border after fleeing the Al-Hol camp in north-eastern Syria. Her four-year-old son Jarrad and one-year-old daughter Layla have been held at a nearby child protection centre since July 17, according to documents seen by SBS News. Her lawyer confirmed to SBS she had fled to Turkey, where she's currently imprisoned and under investigation from authorities. Scroll down for video Australia's first Islamic State bride Zehra Duman (pictured) is holed up in a Turkish prison Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Home Affairs and the Turkish Embassy for further comment. A department spokesperson told SBS it couldn't comment as the matter was before the courts. Ms Duman, then 19 became Australia's first ISIS bride in 2014 when she fled to Syria to join the terrorist group and marry Mahmoud Abullatif, a former Melbourne party boy-turned Muslim extremist who was killed in airstrike just five weeks after their wedding. Ms Duman became a key ISIS recruiter on social media, posing with machine guns and on the bonnets of luxury cars stolen by the terrorists as she urged other Westerners to leave civilisation and join the Islamic regime. She remarried and had a son with her second husband and followed by a daughter with a third. Both men are also now dead. Zehra Duman (right) pictured as a teen with her mother in Melbourne before fleeing to Syria She had hoped one day to return to Australia with her children and appealed to the High Court earlier this year after her Australian citizenship was stripped by the federal government last July. Forget me, I just want my kids to see my family, to see hospitals, medication, psychologists, have a normal childhood, she told AAP last year. You know what my son says when [my daughter] is sleeping, look Mummy [shes] dead. This is messed up, hes three years old, how can he know what death is? She also reportedly told an American humanitarian worker in a video obtained by the ABC last year that she was desperate to come home. 'I want to go back to my country,' the woman believed to be Ms Duman said. 'I think everybody's asking for that because I'm an Australian citizen.' 'My kids have a right to be treated like normal kids. 'I understand the anger that they have towards a lot of us here, but the kids don't need to suffer.' Ms Duman's first husband Mahmoud Abdullatif (pictured) was killed shortly after they married In an interview (pictured) with an American humanitarian worker, a woman who refused to confirm her identity but is believed to be Duman said: 'I want to go back to my country' At least 65 Australian women and children are among more than 70,000 refugees living in squalid conditions at the Al-Hol, or al-Hawl, camp for those displaced from the former IS territory in north-eastern Syria near the Iraq border. Kamalle Dabboussy, a Sydney-based a representative for Australian families in Al-Hol believes Ms Duman must have been desperate to leave the refugee camp He expressed concerns for the safety of Ms Duman's children. 'I'm concerned about the physical and emotional wellbeing of the children who I understand may be entitled to Australian citizenship,' Mr Dabboussy told SBS. 'The sooner the Australian government can make the other children in north-east Syria safe the better.' Zehra Duman left Melbourne aged 19 to join the terror group in 2014. She was recently believed to be in a Syrian refugee camp, desperate to come home. Pictured: the woman thought to be Duman alongside aid workers Ms Duman's mother Ozlem Coskun begged the Australian government to bring her daughter and two grandchildren home in a rare interview with SBS Dateline 12 months ago. She said she had spent the last three years trying to rescue her daughter and described the conditions at Al-Hol as dangerous. 'She could be murdered there tomorrow,' Ms Coskun said. 'It's disturbing to think my child is living in a tent with two babies.' She added Zehra described her behavour of fleeing to Syria to join ISIS as a 'dumb mistake. 'We all make mistakes and she's sorry for what she's done,' Ms Coskun said. 'She should be able to come back home.' Photo taken by the rover Yutu 2 (Jade Rabbit-2) on Jan 11, 2019 shows the lander of the Chang'e 4 probe. [Photo/Xinhua/China National Space Administration] China plans to establish a scientific station on the moon and has started preparatory research, according to a key figure in the country's lunar exploration program. "The next steps in our lunar exploration endeavor will be challenging and demanding as we aim to set up a scientific outpost on the moon's south pole. In the near future, we will also send our astronauts to land on the moon," said Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He is now working on the planning and feasibility research on the proposed station and the lunar program's fourth step. The scientist made the remarks at a ceremony on Tuesday at the China National Space Administration that announced the naming of an asteroid after him. The asteroid was discovered in August 2007 by researchers at the Xuyi Station in Jiangsu province's Xuyi county, which belongs to the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing. The move was approved by the International Astronomical Union in June to honor his significant contribution to China's lunar and deep-space exploration programs. In China's most recent lunar mission, the Chang'e 4 robotic probe, which consists of an unmovable lander and a rover named Yutu 2, was lifted atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket in December 2018 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, marking the country's fourth lunar exploration and the world's first expedition to the far side of the moon, which never faces Earth. The probe made a soft landing on the far side on Jan 3, 2019, and then released Yutu 2 to roam and survey the landing site in the South Pole-Aitken basin, the largest and deepest known basin in the solar system. So far, the lander and rover have operated for more than 610 days. As the world's longest operational lunar rover, Yutu 2 has traveled about 520 meters on the lunar soil, according to the space administration. The Chang'e 4 mission has produced a great deal of scientific results that have helped scientists around the globe deepen their knowledge and understanding about the silver sphere. It has revealed the history of impact incidents on the moon's far side, especially the South Pole-Aitken basin, and found crucial evidence to support the formation and evolution models of the lunar soil, said Wang Chi, director of the National Space Science Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Malaysia gives its full support to Azerbaijan when it comes to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and has always shown its support and solidarity for Azerbaijan at the multilateral fora through The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations (UN), Ambassador of Malaysia to Azerbaijan Dato Yubazlan Yusof told Trend. Malaysia reaffirms the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Azerbaijan and the inadmissibility of the use of force by Armenia, added the ambassador The ambassador added that Malaysia will continue to support international efforts for the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian Armed Forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Malaysia strongly urges the Government of Armenia to fulfill its international obligations, adherence to all UN resolutions and end their occupation of Azerbaijan's territories, as it is the only viable and long-term solution to the root causes of the conflict, noted the ambassador. In terms of recent Armenian provocation on the border area with Azerbaijan, which resulted in casualties, including among the civilian population of Azerbaijan, the ambassador expressed deepest condolences to the loss of lives. Malaysia calls for an immediate end to the fighting and for the parties involved, to take necessary steps to de-escalate the situation outside of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region, noted the ambassador. 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: @JeilaAliyeva The membership roster and duties assigned to a committee to consider the fate of the Jaybird Monument, a large obelisk statue erected in Fort Bend Countys post-Civil War Reconstruction era, were finalized at a special meeting of the Richmond City Commission on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Now considered by some county residents to be an embarrassment to the citys history, Mayor Evalyn Moore and the City Commission voted at the Aug. 28 meeting that a committee would be appointed to decide if the statue should be removed and destroyed, removed and relocated to a museum or other alternative site or kept in its current location with new signage to provide historical context. Our City thrives on being a place where hate and racial prejudices will not be tolerated, Richmond City Manager Terri Vela said in an official statement on Aug. 24. Our goal is to continue to preserve our history as an educational gateway while being sensitive to all the members of our community of today and tomorrow. Related: Richmond committee to consider fate of Jaybird Monument Committee members were chosen by Mayor Moore and include Richmond City Commissioner Position Four Alex BeMent, City Manager Teri Vela, Robert Quarles, Chief Of Staff for Pct. 1 Fort Bend County Commissioner Vincent Morales and Keely Knipling, Vice President of the Fort Bend History Association. City Attorney Gary Smith will serve as legal adviser to the committee. The committee is charged with developing recommendations related to the Jaybird Monument, modification and provision of context, providing the city commissioner cost estimates related to implementation of their recommendations, providing reports to the commissioner on their progress and presenting the committees findings and final recommendations to Mayor Moore and the City Commissioners. Related: These men are not my heroes: controversial Richmond statue covered following petition for removal Over the summer, three separate petitions circulated calling for the monument to be removed. After city officials questioned who actually owned the monument, Richmond resident Tres Davis announced he was willing to take ownership and would arrange to have it relocated to a museum. During public comment at the Aug. 28 meeting, Davis repeated his offer to Mayor Moore and the Commissioners and went on to describe the heroes of the Jaybird Monument as racists who passed laws blocking Blacks and Jews from holding office and voting and also denied women the right to vote. On HoustonChronicle.com: Black resident attempts to claim ownership of monument honoring white supremacists What is the Jaybird Monument? The Jaybird Monument was built to honor H.H. Frost, L.E. Gibson and J.M. Shamblin, members of the Jaybirds, a post-Civil-War faction of the Democratic Party whose all-white members were predominantly wealthy planters and business men who in post-Civil War times lost political power to freed slaves and their white allies, called Woodpeckers. Outnumbering Jaybirds by almost four-to-one as voters, the Woodpeckers held political control for more than two decades before a bloody battle in 1889 ended with the murder of several members of both parties. The Jaybirds then seized back political control via military force backed by the state government and established an all-white election primary system that denied African-Americans the right to vote for over 60 years. In recent months, the Jaybird Monument has remained covered and members of the Fort Bend County Historical Commission invited residents to voice their opinion via an online survey as to whether the monument should be dismantled and destroyed, relocated or left standing with or without signage offering further details related to its history. According to the survey results, approximately 43 percent of the roughly 3,000 survey responses supported destroying the monument and roughly 19 percent wanted to see it removed. Roughly16 percent favored leaving the monument in place with certain modifications and 24 percent supported other options. The survey results included hundreds of comments from those who supported various modifications and other alternative options. On HoustonChronicle.com: Efforts to remove Confederate monuments gain momentum in Houston suburbs Mayor Moore and the Richmond City Commission are expected to review the committees recommendations in the coming weeks. knix@hcnonline.com Canada had extra cheddar in July. About 38 million kilograms of extra cheddar. Thats not unusual. The sharp, hard cheese a statistical benchmark for the federal government has a long history in Canadas almost $7-billion dairy industry. A history thats key to understanding modern-day dairy politics. You need to go back to the farm level and the pricing of raw milk used to make cheese, Al Mussell, an economist and research lead for Agri-Food Economic Systems, said. Canada made roughly 515 million kilograms of cheese in 2019, costing on average $15.14 per kilogram. About 31 per cent this was cheddar, while the remainder was what Statistics Canada calls variety cheeses a group that includes everything from mozzarella to camembert. These cheeses are by far preferred by Canadians: Their production and consumption has more than tripled since 1980. Cheddar consumption remained relatively stable during the same period. It wasnt always like this: Cheddar was once Canadas most coveted dairy product at home and abroad. Cheddar cheese was a huge item that was exported to Great Britain during the war, Mussell explained. Canada, along with other Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand, was a key supplier of food to Britain during the Second World War. By 1945, more than 325 million kilograms of cheddar had been sent across the Atlantic to support the war effort. That demand transformed the Canadian dairy industry, boosting the volume of milk farmers could produce and the amount of cheese and other dairy products made in the country. It was a boom for Canadian farmers, one that many expected would continue after the war, Mussell explained. It didnt. Demand for Canadian cheese and dairy tumbled, leaving farmers with too much milk on their hands and unsustainably low prices. We languished for decades under these chronically low milk prices, Mussell said. The federal government took a few different tacks to help dairy farmers through the 1950s, including import controls and subsidies to keep the industry afloat. These subsidies ended up costing hundreds of millions of dollars, Mussell explained, essentially to offset surpluses. It wasnt a sustainable solution, so the federal government developed a policy to cap the number of subsidies a farmer could receive with the goal to reduce the overall supply of dairy. From there, it was a relatively easy shift in 1965 to capping the volume of milk farmers could produce giving them milk production quotas, in other words. It was the start of a supply management system that endures today. Canadian dairy farmers each own a milk quota, which only allows them to produce a set quantity to prevent milk flooding the market, while milk prices are controlled to reflect farmers costs of production. Both mechanisms are managed by the Canadian Dairy Commission. Milk and dairy imports are also strictly controlled, with high tariffs applying to all dairy imports above a set threshold a major sticking point between the Canadian government and the Trump administration in the recent NAFTA renegotiation. Its an approach thats not without critics. A straightforward approach to improve the quality of life for all Canadians is to eliminate the quota system and restore a competitive approach to pricing our basic food inputs, states a 2017 report by the Fraser Institute, a Vancouver-based right-wing think tank. The supply management system, it argues, results in Canadians paying unnecessarily high prices for dairy products. Prices that could be lowered in an unregulated dairy industry similar to the one in the U.S. Its a model with no guarantee of success: Dairy products are not significantly cheaper in the U.S. For example, in December 2018 the average price of American cheese was $15.60 per kilo 46 cents more expensive than in Canada. Meanwhile, American dairy farmers deal with significant price fluctuations, exacerbated by COVID-19, that put intense pressure on farms financial viability. For Mussell, those arguments hold minimal appeal especially when the supply management system is put into context. What I see is decades of misery (in the 1950s and 1960s) and a search for a policy approach that could work to deal with this issue and the government stumbled on it, he said. Cheddar might not be on many Canadians dinner plates but its legacy lives on. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- If you liked it, you should have put a ring on it. But Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, has decided he didnt like Tiffany & Co. quite enough to consummate his $16 billion takeover of the iconic U.S. jeweler. The $135-per-share deal lost its luster after the luxury world was hit by the global pandemic. Even before LVMHs decision, Tiffanys shares were trading at $121.80. LVMH investors were also already pricing in chances the deal wouldnt go ahead too. Shares of the French owner of the Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior brands fell just a little more than 1% on Wednesday. But the timing and reasoning are curious. Two weeks ago, Tiffany announced better-than-expected sales. LVMH is also emerging as a winner from the coronavirus outbreak, as the crisis deepens the division between strong and weak brands. Its market capitalization is still over 200 billion euros, so Tiffany is relatively small. LVMH blamed the decision on regulatory delays amid a U.S. trade spat with France, and the risk that the U.S. may impose tariffs on French products. It said the French government requested it delay the deal beyond Jan. 6. That may be a convenient excuse. And once the trade sparring subsides, it leaves the door open to the two reaching a fresh agreement at a lower price that takes into account market conditions still roiled by a disruption in international travel and economic hardship. After all, the rationale for the deal still stands. LVMH wants to expand in jewelry, and there are few independent luxury groups of scale available. It could easily elevate Tiffany from more affordable luxury to mega-bling status and turbo-charge its sales in Asia. But if thats the ultimate goal, its a risky strategy. LVMH may not get another chance. Tiffany has already filed a suit against it in an effort to enforce the current merger agreement. A lengthy legal dispute could embitter relations between the two sides. Story continues The bigger danger is that with prized luxury assets, once a opportunity is lost, it rarely comes around again. Other buyers could materialize, especially if Tiffanys market value continues to decline. Gucci-owner Kering SA or watch-and-jewelry giant Richemont, which counts Cartier in its stable, could yet step into the breach unless the pandemic makes them nervous about doing a big deal right now, too. So Arnault may get another chance to buy Tiffany again much later, and at a cheaper price. But the prospects of striking another friendly deal may be hurt by both LVMHs volte face and subsequent legal wrangling. Already the language between the two looks acrimonious. After suffering a broken engagement, Tiffany may be wary of saying I do to this dashing French suitor again. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Andrea Felsted is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the consumer and retail industries. She previously worked at 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. Durban-born filmmaker Mawande Kheswa's self-funded four-minute short film, "Living Proof", recently received an award at the international filmmaking competition, Musicbed Challenge. Durban-born filmmaker Mawande Kheswa According to Kheswa, the short film was shot in one day and edited within a week. Its based on the true story of a young man who, desperate to escape poverty, travels to Durban in search of better opportunities. Faced with the reality of minimal chances of success without an education, he uses the last of his money to register at university and sacrifices shelter and food living on the streets while studying. Some people catch wind of his story and assist him to make his dream of being an accountant a reality.Not a stranger to being in front of the camera, Kheswas passion for storytelling has grown by leaps and bounds from his early days in television on eTVs Sunrise. His aim in producing films is to tell positive uplifting stories.As a young South African facing 30.1% of unemployment in a country experiencing an economic downturn, I wanted to tell a story of hope and encourage young people that you can do something to change your situation with enough determination, says Kheswa.Musicbed Challenge was founded on the belief that creatives have the power to shape culture and make a positive contribution to the world. The challenge for the competition for 2020 was for filmmakers from all walks of life to create short films that would inspire, uplift and build optimism toward the future during Covid-19. Conveyor maintenance service providers are displaying increased interest in hygiene service offerings to bolster demand for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. DUBAI, UAE / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Future Market Insights: The Australia conveyor maintenance market is projected to display steady growth through 2026 crossing a valuation of US$ 700 Mn in the projection period. A new report by FMI has stated that the covid-19 pandemic is expected to have a moderate effect on the Australian conveyor maintenance market. Suspended industrial activities in myriad industrial sector, coupled with health concerns for players working with conveyor assemblies has reduced demand. However, applications in essential sectors such as food and medicine will provide opportunities to sustain operations and revenue. "Increasing implementation of strict regulatory policies associated to environmental concerns reducing mining activities in Australia for the near future. Consequently, the demand for conveyor systems and maintenance services is expected to be impacted throughout the forecasting period," states the FMI analyst. Download a Sample Report with Table of Contents and Figures: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-au-2485 Australia Conveyor Maintenance Market- Critical Takeaways Skirting components are gaining importance in terms of maintenance, owing to safety features and key roles in reducing operational downtime. Metal conveyor maintenance applications will contribute significantly to revenues, owing to higher numbers of moving components. Western Australia is displaying major growth opportunities for service providers owing to the prevalence of minerals and mining operations in the region. Australia Conveyor Maintenance Market- Drivers Rising consumption rates of processed foods in the country has been a major contributor to conveyor systems and maintenance services. Automation and sanitation improvements in maintenance technologies bolster adoption rates. Australia Conveyor Maintenance Market- Restraints High operational and capital costs amid falling commodity prices is a key challenge for market players. Shortage of adequately skilled conveyor maintenance workers hinders overall market growth. Coronavirus Impact on Australian Conveyor Maintenance Market Australian industries have been going through a nationwide lockdown, and with second wave of cases in select regions, the recovery has not been linear. Health concerns are higher for workers operating at conveyor systems. Consequently, suspension of industrial activities has hurt the demand for maintenance services. Further, conveyor maintenance operations are reliant on essential industrial sectors such as food and medicine. On the other hand, financial stimulus from governments, coupled with innovations towards conveyor hygiene and automation have gained importance to sustain operations throughout the crisis period. For any Queries Linked with the Report, Ask an Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-au-2485 Competitive Landscape Mato GmbH & Co. KG, Endless Belt Service Pvt. Ltd., Rema Tip Top Australia, Minprovise Pvt. Ltd., Flexible Steel Lacing Co., Habasit Australia Pvt. Ltd., Nepean Engineering & Innovation Pvt. Ltd., and Fenner Dunlop Australia Pvt. Ltd., are some of the leading conveyor maintenance service providers. Major players in the conveyor maintenances market are pushing for product and service innovations to with the integration of new technologies to appeal to wider range of end user industry applications. For instance, BSC Sales Service has revealed multi-point lubrication conveyor systems for automated lubrication processes in confectionary production facilities. Flexco Elevate has unveiled its Belt Conveyor Intelligence real-time monitoring software system for belt conveyor maintenance operations in Australia. Further, Martin Engineering has introduced a belt cleaner position indicator, which helps to monitor service life of conveyor systems. Buy Now@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/2485 About the Study The study offers readers a comprehensive assessment of the conveyor maintenance market. Global, regional and national-level analysis of the latest trends influencing the conveyor maintenance market is covered in this FMI report. The study provides insights according to conveyor type (rubber, metal, and plastic), service type (component fixing, and maintenance services) component type (conveyor belt, roller & idler, cleaner, and others), and end use industry (mining, industrial & automotive, pharmaceutical, food processing, and others). Explore FMI's Coverage of the Industrial Automation & Equipment Industry Conveyor System Market- Get insights on the conveyor system market through FMI's report covering detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis for projection period 2019-2020. Magnetic Separator Market- FMI's exhaustive study on the global magnetic separator market covers the latest trends, innovations, key players, and popular strategies for the period 2019-2029. Lead Acid Battery Market- Obtain detailed analysis on the lead acid battery market through FMI's report covering competitive analysis, key regions, and segmental analysis for 2020-2030. About Future Market Insights Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers. Contact Mr. Abhishek Budholiya Unit No: AU-01-H Gold Tower (AU), Plot No: JLT-PH1-I3A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates MARKET ACCESS DMCC Initiative For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com For Media Enquiries: press@futuremarketinsights.com Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/australia-conveyor-maintenance-market Press Release Source: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/australia-conveyor-maintenance-market SOURCE: Future Market Insights View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605346/Conveyor-Maintenance-Australia-Market-to-Cross-US-700-Mn-by-2026-Fall-in-Industrial-Activity-During-Covid-19-Outbreak-Hurts-Demand-says-Future-Market-Insights Sagar Daundkar was finally able to speak to his father-in-law on Wednesday, who had been admitted to the jumbo Covid-19 facility at COEP grounds two days ago. Over the past week, the jumbo facility has seen multiple complaints of mismanagement and witnessed numerous deaths including that of a TV9 Marathi news channel journalist Pandurang Raykar. Since then, the Pune district administration changed operating agency of the hospital and senior officials like divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao, district collector Rajesh Deshmukh and municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar are daily conducting a review of the centre and visiting it. Over the last couple of days, we were calling him, but he was not receiving our calls, so today I personally came to check his health status at the COEP Covid hospital. Here I got to know that a new system has been introduced wherein we can video call the patient. I spoke to him over video conferencing and appreciate the changes made at the facility for the relatives of the patients, said Daundkar. On Wednesday, HT visited the facility to review the changes in place and how it is benefiting patients as well as their relatives. Bouncers have been removed from the security system and PMC security staff has now been deployed at the entrance gates. A dedicated cell of patients enquiry room has been set up just next to the entrance gate, so that any relative can get proper guidance regarding patient treatment and other facilities. From the enquiry room, a video call is made and then relatives can directly see and talk with the patient. Another important thing which is started at the facility is the help desk which guides relatives about the admission process or any other issues which they face. Also, a small counter has been established at the entrance gate where relatives can now give submit their food or any other parcel and luggage for their patients. Earlier, there was no such system in place and relatives had to fight with the security guards to give their belongings to the patient. Now to streamline the process this counter has been set up, proper details of the patient are mentioned on a coupon which is stuck to the parcel and then, sent inside the facility. Appreciating the changes made at the facility, Namrata Bhangale, a relative of a patient admitted at the facility, said, Our patient has been admitted at the facility since the last eight days. In the initial days, we faced a lot of difficulties right from contacting the patient, what exact treatment has been given and also to give any parcel to him. As our patient is a senior citizen, he doesnt have a mobile phone and so, we were not able to contact him inside the facility. We used to have daily arguments and fights with security guards at the gate. Now, all things have changed and we have been able to talk to him over video calls and can easily send our parcel to him. However, there are some things which still need to be replaced at the facility. Construction material like drainage pipes, wires and other construction material has been lying all over the facility. Saurabh Rao, Pune divisional commissioner, said, The earlier, Lifeline agency, was unable to handle the operations at the COEP Covid hospital and Medbros agency is incharge now. Additional staff from the Sassoon hospital has been deployed and our focus is to follow the treatment protocol properly so that there are good recoveries. The facility is very new as it was started around 10 days ago and some patients are still facing certain issues. But now we are streamlining all the things and soon there will be many changes including treatment protocols, reporting and data analysis. So, we are working on multiple things comfort, treatment and curing the patient, and most importantly complete facelift of the facility. Solar panels seen in a complex in the central Binh Thuan Province. Photo by VnExpress/Tran Trung. Vietnams national grid is ill-equipped to handle the power surge from new renewable energy plants seeking to come online this year. National utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) has said in a recent report that the construction of new transmission lines might not be able to match the speed of new solar and wind power projects. The country had 23,000 MW of renewable projects operating by the end of August, and another 17,000 MW has been approved to be added to the national plan, it said. Many solar power developers are rushing to complete their projects by the end of this year to benefit from the incentive tariff of 7.09 cents per kWh, it added. Energy experts say constructing a new solar power project takes about six months, while building a transmission line could take two or three years. Land clearance, which typically takes a long time in Vietnam, could further delay the completion of transmission lines, they added. This is a major problem facing EVN in the southern region. Lam Xuan Tuan, deputy director of the Southern Power Corporation, said that the company is still negotiating with households to acquire land for seven out of 66 towers needed to build the 110 kv Thap Cham Ninh Phuoc line in the southern province of Ninh Thuan, which was scheduled to begin operations this month. EVN said it is also facing difficulties in persuading power plants to shut down during daytime to connect them to the grid. This has led to some of the construction of transmission lines being carried out at night, which also takes more time. The National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC) under EVN has been lowering output from hydropower plants to prioritize solar plants to prevent overloading of the national grid. EVN said that until now, it has been able to ensure production for 113 renewable plants in the country by building or upgrading 21 transmission lines since the second quarter last year, when 90 new solar power projects began operations and overloaded the national grid. New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will come face to face three times on September 10 (Thursday) in Russian capital city of Moscow, amid the tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh between the two nations. Both the ministers will be face to face first at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers meet that starts at 12.30 pm (IST). It will be followed by the lunch meet of the India, Russia and China foreign ministers. Late in the evening, a bilateral meet between the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers will take place which will be the first in-person meet since the tensions escalated along the LAC in June. Live TV Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, "Foreign Minister Wang will also hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of relevant member states and attend the China-Russia-India foreign ministers' luncheon." Both FMs had spoken to each other after the Galwan incident of June in which India lost 20 of its soldiers. During that conversation, the Indian side had told the Chinese side that "Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties", an MEA readout said. Meanwhile, a day after pictures of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) armed with rods, spears and machetes surfaced, India on Wednesday raised the issue with China during the commander level talks. This comes two days after Chinese troops tried to lock down Indian posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Pangong Lake in Ladakh. The pictures are first direct evidence of the use of such weapons by the Chinese army against Indian troops along the LAC. The September 7 "provocative" action by the Chinese forces saw them carrying "Guandao", a traditional Chinese Sword which is basically a blade mounted on a wooden or metal pole. The talks lasted for four hours from 11 am to 3 pm but were without any outcome. During the talks "aggressive behaviour" by the Chinese forces was also raised, said a government source. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 19:36:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed when a group of unidentified gunmen opened fire at their vehicle in Pakistan's northwest district of Tank, a government official said on Wednesday. Deputy Commissioner of Tank Muhammad Kabeer Afridi told Xinhua that the victims were traveling to somewhere within the district when the assailants ambushed their car and indiscriminately shot at the people onboard, killing all the three on the spot. The incident occurred late Tuesday in the Nai Abadi Kot Azam area of Tank, a district in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attackers managed to flee the scene following the attack, said the official, adding that the motive behind the killings is not known yet. Immediately after the shooting incident, police teams rushed to the site and cordoned off the area. They launched a search operation in the area to arrest the attackers. Police and forensic teams have also collected evidence from the crime scene and started investigation after registering the first information report, police officials told the local media. No group or individual has claimed the attack yet. Enditem MAPUTO, Mozambique - Amnesty International Wednesday accused Mozambiques government forces of torturing suspected members of an Islamist insurgency in the countrys northern Cabo Delgado province, as well as possible extrajudicial executions and discarding a large number of corpses into apparent mass graves. This behaviour flouts fundamental principles of humanity. The abuses attributed to the group known as Al-Shabaab can never justify further violations by the security forces of Mozambique, said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. The government of Mozambique must now order a swift, transparent and impartial investigation to bring all those responsible for such crimes to justice in fair trials. Mozambiques extremist insurgency began in northern Cabo Delgado province, bordering Tanzania in the north and the Indian Ocean to the east, in October 2017. More than 1,000 civilians have been killed, mainly by the rebels, and the total number of fatalities stands at 1,854 including combatants on either side, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). The rebels dramatically stepped up their attacks in 2020 and in August captured the strategic port city of Mocimboa da Praia and have held it for nearly a month. In their battle against the extremists the Mozambican military and police are committing human rights abuses, charges the Amnesty report. Amnesty said its researchers analyzed five videos and three photos obtained from sources in Mozambique. The soldiers committing the atrocities in the videos are wearing the uniforms of the Mozambique Armed Defence Forces (FADM) and the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR) of the Mozambican police, Amnesty said. In several videos, the soldiers refer to their captives as Al-Shabaab, Arabic for the youth, local slang for the Islamic rebels in Cabo Delgado, picking up the name of Somalias extremist rebels. Mozambiques extremists have allied themselves with the Islamic State group, taking the name Islamic State Central African Province. The videos show the torture, murder and burial of an estimated 15 men in a mass grave, says Amnesty. In the videos studied by Amnesty, the soldiers speak Portuguese and Shangaan, a language from southern Mozambique. The soldiers in the videos also reference recent fighting in the town of Mocimboa da Praia, making it highly likely that the videos were filmed in or near Cabo Delgado in the first half of 2020, Amnesty says. Orlando Mudumane, spokesman for the Mozambican police force, said he had no comment on Amnestys charges when contacted by The Associated Press. A Ministry of Defence spokesman also did not comment. Government troops lost control of Mocimboa da Praia around August 11, after intense fighting in and around the town and port. The government has since been reportedly gathering troops in the nearest towns of Mueda and Palma, viewed as preparation for an offensive to retake Mocimboa da Praia. On Monday, President Filipe Nyusi said that government forces had been in action in the strategic village of Awasse, close to Mocimboa da Praia, which has been reported to be under insurgent control. Nyusi did not say whether the government had taken control of Awasse. An estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people have fled the violence surrounding the insurgency and have sought refuge further south around Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Many of the internally displaced people are traumatized by violence and abuses and have lost all their possessions. They have fled their fields and can no longer produce their own food. Many are desperate, said Raoul Bittel, head of the ICRC operations in Pemba, which is providing assisting families with tarpaulins, cooking pots, and other necessities. The most vulnerable families are getting cash assistance, he said. ___ AP journalist Andrew Meldrum in Johannesburg contributed. A new publication by scientists from Children's Medical Research Institute has challenged one of the foundations of the gene therapy field and will help to improve strategies for treating serious genetic disorders of the liver. The paper titled, Restoring the natural tropism of AAV2 vectors for human liver, was published in Science Translational Medicine today. Adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) is a viral vector that is used to deliver gene therapy to the liver. It works as a delivery vehicle to carry therapeutic DNA to the target cells in the body. The way it does this is by binding a 'receptor' on the target cell, a molecule that tells the vector it is in the right place and helps to deliver its cargo into cells. However, clinical trials targeting diseases of the liver have had an unexpectedly low success rate using this vector and now the researchers from CMRI appear to have discovered the reason. The teams of Dr. Leszek Lisowski, Head of the Translational Vectorology Research Unit, and Prof Ian Alexander, Head of the Gene Therapy Research Unit, have found that the original AAV2, which is commonly used in preclinical and clinical studies, binds tightly to its attachment receptor, heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), but too tightly. Because HSPGs are found in many places in the body, not just on liver cells, the vector gets "trapped" before it reaches its intended destination. Therefore, very few vectors manage to deliver their therapeutic cargo to the liver, which greatly diminishes the therapeutic efficacy. This led the CMRI teams to study naturally occurring adeno-associated viruses which they found were much more successful at delivering the therapy into the liver. These viruses use another receptor that's yet to be discovered. CMRI researchers are now able to make vectors in the lab that use this better receptor, instead of HSPGs, potentially making the next generation of gene therapy targeting the liver vastly more successful. "This really challenges a basic concept in our field that binding strongly to HSPG was essential for AAV's entry into human cells and suggests that vectors targeting the other receptor used by natural AAVs, of human liver origin, are likely to be more effective for clinical gene therapy applications'' Dr. Lisowski said. "The prototypical AAV2, discovered over 50yrs ago, is the serotype on which the entire field of AAV vectorology and gene therapy is based. Our discovery will shake the foundations of the field of AAV-based gene therapeutics and will mark the beginning of a new era not only for biomedical research, but most importantly, for millions of patients affected by genetic disorders" "It sheds new light and challenges our previous understanding and corrects misconceptions about how the vector binds to the cells,'' he added. Lead author on the publication, Dr. Marti Cabanes-Creus, said they could now move forward to improve on the use of vectors to help children with liver conditions. "It will help us understand previous clinical data and how to improve on these" he said. "By having a better vector, we can increase the safety and improve the efficiency. Because a lower dose will be needed to achieve therapeutic efficacy, the cost of those therapies will be decreased, which is an additional benefit to the patients, their families, and the healthcare system." Dr. Cabanes-Creus added that "The lessons learned can potentially be extended to other tissues, beyond the liver, making this a very impactful study which will change the trajectory of AAV-based gene therapies." ### CMRI worked in conjunction with teams from Sydney Children's Hospitals Network; CSIRO, Sydney; the Centenary Institute, Sydney; the University of Florida, USA; and University College London, U.K. The authors of the paper were: Marti Cabanes-Creus, Claus V. Hallwirth, Adrian Westhaus, Boaz H. Ng, Sophia H.Y. Liao, Erhua Zhu, Renina Gale Navarro, Grober Baltazar, Matthieu Drouyer, Suzanne Scott, Grant J. Logan, Giorgia Santilli, Antonette Bennett, Samantha L. Ginn, Geoff McCaughan, Adrian J. Thrasher, Mavis Agbandje-McKenna, Ian E. Alexander, Leszek Lisowski Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) pioneered microsurgery, immunizations against lethal childhood illnesses, and care for premature babies, all of which have improved the lives of countless Australian children over the last 61 years. Today, CMRI is an independent institute and the site of world-leading research in the areas of cancer, neurobiology, embryology, and gene therapy. CMRI is affiliated with the University of Sydney and is a founding partner of Luminesce Alliance and the Westmead Research Hub. Find out more at http://www.cmri.org.au. This not-for-profit institute is funded by competitive grants and a community of supporters who participate in events like Jeans for Genes Day, which is held on the first Friday in August. Visit http://www.jeansforgenes.org.au. Media: For more information, images or interviews, please contact Monique Cowper on mcowper@cmri.org.au or call +61 2 8865 2803 or +61 410 629 363. Metro Board Chairman Paul C. Smedberg said Wiedefeld has moved to correct problems at the operations center by replacing its director and assigning a senior official to oversee an overhaul of training and culture there. Still, the board has grown pretty impatient, he said, and staff are set to provide board members with additional details Thursday on their strategy and actions to address the persistent problems. CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A Washington state man who said he was travelling to see President Donald Trump has pleaded guilty to assaulting Secret Service special agents in West Virginia. Joshua Wills, 31, of Bremerton, Washington, admitted in federal court that he intended to drive to Washington, D.C., to meet the president. The Secret Service started investigating Wills after receiving reports he had a katana sword on his trip, prosecutors said. Wills was arrested in October 2018 after a standoff at a campground, where he had gone to stay overnight and finish a PowerPoint presentation for Trump, court documents state. Three Secret Service agents and local police officers confronted Wills in the park. They spoke with him for about 30 minutes, then told him he was under arrest. Wills pulled out his sword and brandished it at us, Secret Service Special Agent Thomas Fleming wrote in a criminal complaint. Officers fired two non-lethal shotgun rounds to incapacitate Wills and he was wrestled to the ground. Wills father had earlier told an agent his son was not a threat to the president and in fact worshiped Trump, the complaint states. His plan was to stand outside the White House gate with his sword strapped to his side. He wanted to deliver some type of evidence to the president in a package of smoked salmon from Seattles Pike Place Market, according to the complaint. One sure fire way not to see the President of the United States is to brandish a weapon and threaten the safety of local and federal officials, U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart said. Wills faces up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing was set for Nov. 9. A fire burns in a forest in Krasnoyarsk Region, Eastern Russia, August 3, 2019. Ministry of Emergency Situations of Krasnoyarsk Region via AP As temperatures rise in Arctic regions like Siberia, researchers have observed "zombie" wildfires: blazes that smolder underground in the winter and return to the surface in the summer. Zombie wildfires can combine with new blazes, making fires stronger and more widespread. Fires in the Arctic region burn peat and other carbon-rich materials, pumping hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. In Eastern Siberia last year, summer fires roared across the plains. The fires burned more than 6.4 million acres in July 2019 alone, more than 2 million of which continued to burn through August. Winter's cold and snow appeared to extinguished these fires at least on the surface. But new research suggests they might not have died completely; instead, the flames may have smoldered underground, insulated by snow and fed by carbon- and methane-rich soil. Then this summer, the same fires seem to have reignited on the floors of Siberian forests after the snow melted. The blazes' dormant period has earned them a nickname: Zombie fires. "We have seen satellite observations of active fires that hint that 'zombie' fires might have reignited," Mark Parrington, a senior scientist and wildfire expert at at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), said in a press release. "The anomalies are quite widespread in areas that were burning last summer," he added, referring to areas of increased fire activity. But Parrington noted as well that the observations have "not been confirmed by ground measurements." Copernicus researchers have been monitoring the Siberian fires' emissions and intensity, and think these zombie blazes might have joined forces with new summer blazes this year. Already, 2020 has brought one of Siberia's worst wildfire seasons on record, according to Greenpeace. An area larger than Greece has burned. Story continues The Arctic is warming far more quickly than other regions Wildfires have survived through Arctic winters and reignited in the summer before, according to Parrington. But these recent zombie fires are cause for concern because climate change is leading the Arctic region to warm at twice the average rate of the rest of the world. Siberia is at least 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) above its long-term average this year. In May, some regions saw temperatures 46 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, according to the Washington Post. Then a major heatwave in June led temperatures in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit, possibly the highest recorded within the Arctic Circle. Children play in the Krugloe lake outside Verkhoyansk, in the Sakha Republic, Russia, June 21, 2020. Olga Burtseva via AP Such heat thaws and dries out soil, which makes it easier for fires to spread and leads them to burn more intensely and for longer. Zombie fires, in turn, add a "cumulative effect" to newer fires, Parrington said. "The warmer it gets, the more fire we see," Mike Flannigan, a fire researcher at the University of Alberta who has studied zombie blazes, told the Washington Post. Zombie fires release tons of CO2 An outdoor thermometer indicates 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) around 11 p.m in Verkhoyansk, Russia, June 21, 2020. Olga Burtseva via AP Giant fires in the Arctic release millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In 2019, fires within the Arctic Circle pumped out 182 million metric tons of CO2, dwarfing the previous record of 110 million metric tons emitted in 2004. (A metric ton is about 2,200 US pounds.) Then in the first eight months of 2020 alone, the fires released 244 million metric tons of CO2, according to CAMS. That's more than any other year on record in the Arctic, and more than the entire country of Vietnam released in 2017. "In this part of Siberia, the signs of climate change are already here. It's not some distant future. It's now," Amber Soja, a research fellow at NASA and National Institute of Aerospace, told NASA Earth Observatory. These CO2 emissions come from the burning of vegetation that covers Arctic permafrost and frozen peatlands. Peat a type of soil composed of broken-down organic material is like superfuel for fires because of its high carbon content. Vegetation ordinarily shields the soil from sunlight, but if it burns, the soil loses its shield and warms further. As peat thaws and burns, its stored carbon gets converted into CO2. The world's permafrost contains over 1 trillion metric tons of carbon, according to a recent analysis by researchers at the American Geophysical Union. Current climate change models don't even factor this carbon into their projections, which means they're likely underestimating how quickly the climate could change. Zombie fires could make ice melt even faster In addition to releasing CO2, fires in Siberia deposit soot on Greenland's ice sheet, which darkens its surface. Darker ice absorbs more heat, leading to faster melting. A small iceberg in a fjord in Southern Greenland. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The icy regions of Greenland and Antarctica hold more than 99% of the world's fresh water, but these ice sheets are melting rapidly. Last year alone, Greenland alone lost 532 billion metric tons of ice. Read the original article on Insider Maybe its the fact that the world is not yet ready for electric motorcycles we lost track of how many startups came and went while promising a revolution in the industry or it could be that Harley really messed up the LiveWire, but the reality is riders do not really flock to dealers to order one.Truth be told, the bike maker itself didnt make a big fuss about the electric two-wheeler, and kind of left it fending for itself because, well, it really has no competition.That approach is about to change as of this month. Harley is finally putting some big names and some more dollars behind promoting the bike, in the hopes its fortunes would change.Starting September 18, people with an Apple TV+ subscription will have the chance to see what the LiveWire is really capable of. After all, it did travel over 13,000 miles (21,000 km) from the city of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego to Americas West Coast, ridden by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman as they were shooting their Long Way Up show.And also from September, expect to see it more on the drag strip, just like it happened this past weekend in Indianapolis, where the NHRA U.S. Nationals took place.Three Harley riders - Andrew Hines, Eddie Krawiec, and Angelle Sampey - enjoyed themselves between races by taking the LiveWire down the strip in exhibition runs, trying to convince people an investment in the LiveWire would not be a bad idea.Dont expect anything spectacular to have happened. Theres a short video below this text with the highlights of the Harley runs, but dont look forward to records being broken or the crowds going wild with excitement.UPDATE Sept. 11: It seems like records were set after all, as Harley-Davidson released info on all-new records for elapsed time and top speed by an electric-powered production motorcycle. A five-alarm blaze in rural Washington and Yamhill counties forced the evacuation of as many as 150 homes Tuesday night. By late in the evening, firefighters made a stand and established a fire line at Northeast Mountain Top Road in Yamhill County. Evacuation orders expanded significantly overnight and while all prior orders remained in effect Wednesday morning. At least three barns had caught fire but no homes had burned. The blaze created anxiety for residents of Newberg, the nearest city to the blaze. And it was close enough to George Fox University that officials sought advice from local law enforcement officials whether they should gear up their evacuation plan. George Fox spokesman Rob Felton said university officials were assured by Newberg police that the city was safe. No one was reported to be hurt in the fire. One barn burned, said Cassandra Ulven, an official with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. Authorities received the first emergency calls about 5:40 p.m. of a wildfire in a wooded canyon near the unincorporated town of Midway, south of Hillsboro. It expanded rapidly through the evening, forcing Washington County sheriffs deputies to launch a Level 3 evacuation order go now -- for nearby residents. As the fire advanced, the evacuation order expanded to include residents of Southwest Weaver Road, Northeast Jaquith Lane and Southwest Wildfire Drive. Evacuating immediately was not an easy task for all, as many area residents had livestock to worry about. Fire crews eventually established a fire line that they expect will hold at Northeast Mountain Top Road not far from Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint. Bald Peak is at the top of a steep ridge that separates rural Washington County from Newberg and the rest of Yamhill County. On Wednesday morning, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said three barns caught fire in the Chehalem Mountain-Bald Peak blaze but that there were no known injuries to livestock and no homes had been lost. Residents on Southwest Buckhaven Road, north to Southwest McCormick Hill Road up to Vanderscheure Road and Southwest Neugebauer Road were subject to evacuation orders Wednesday morning. Ulven said the fire was disconcerting to firefighters because it was large enough to require a substantial commitment of equipment and personnel to a relatively lightly populated portion of rural Washington County. I do know that incident commanders are a little concerned about all the resources being called out here, when the conditions are like this, she said. Fires that have broken out across western Oregon this week include a smaller fire that started Tuesday near Hagg Lake, burning between 25 and 50 acres. Workers at the Orange County Registrar of Voters office in Santa Ana open stacks of absentee ballots. (Los Angeles Times) The 2000 race for the White House came down to a hairbreadth result in a single state, Florida. George W. Bush, the Republican, insisted he had won, charged that Democrats were trying to overturn a fair election and asked courts to stop recounts that showed him up by 537 votes out of nearly 6 million cast. After 36 days of chaos, the Supreme Court agreed. They gave Bush the election by a vote of 5-4. The Democrat, Al Gore, conceded, and the constitutional crisis ended. If this years contest between President Trump and Joe Biden ends in a photo finish, the consequences could be far more damaging to democracy. Tens of millions of Americans will try to vote by mail because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But officials in 14 states are prohibited from processing mail-in ballots until election day; counting them could take days or weeks. Those states include Pennsylvania and Michigan, battlegrounds that could decide the election. Here's where it gets complicated. Since 2004, mail-in ballots have been disproportionately Democratic, a phenomenon known as the blue shift. So, barring a landslide, we could see a red mirage on Nov. 3, an election-night count of in-person votes that suggests that Trump has won even though millions of votes for Biden are waiting to be tabulated. At that point, three things are likely to happen. Trump will declare victory, claiming (as he has before) that mail-in ballots are inherently fraudulent. Both sides will barrel into courtrooms, seeking to force states to decide the outcome their way. And demonstrators, some carrying weapons, will pour into the streets. The president has spent months preparing his voters for fraud, although not a single vote has been cast. "Itll be fixed, it will be rigged, he charged in July, without offering any evidence. "This is going to be the greatest election disaster in history." Biden has fired back, serving notice that he too can raise claims of misconduct. This president is going to try to steal this election, he said in June. Story continues Election day? This is a recipe for election month or months. This summer, a bipartisan group called the Transition Integrity Project ran a series of war-game-style simulations, with former politicians role-playing the candidates. Every close election scenario led to the brink of catastrophe, Rosa Brooks, a Georgetown University law professor and former Obama administration official, told me. These werent predictions; they were simulations, she added. The idea was that identifying the risks might be the best way to avert a disaster. People are beginning to take this seriously, and thats a good thing. But were probably not as prepared as we should be. Several factors worry her. On election night, television networks could feel competitive pressure to declare a winner prematurely. Most important, Brooks said, is the Associated Press, the widely trusted news service that has acted in the past as a semi-official arbiter. Its decisions have an outsize impact on perceptions, she said. The AP promises it won't jump the gun. Weve been seeing this coming, David Scott, a deputy managing editor at the AP, told me. We dont call an apparent winner. We call a race when were confident that theres a clear winner. State authorities could bungle their counts of mail-in ballots or be hampered by shortages of poll workers and funding. Violence could force a halt to the vote count, and Trump could order troops into the streets. He could even order them to impound the ballots, helping his effort to stay in power. Biden can call a press conference," Brooks said. "Trump can call in the 82nd Airborne. If an impasse persists long enough, Trump or Biden could call on state legislatures to ignore the popular vote and award their states electoral votes on their own authority, a power the Constitution gives them. The battle probably would end in the Supreme Court or in Congress but either way, it would leave the nation angrier and further divided. Theres only one silver lining in these dire forecasts: We still have time to prepare. Its not only the candidates and the courts who will determine whether this election ends badly or well. TV anchors and pundits must break election-night habits and warn voters that a victor may not be known for weeks. Voters should recognize the difference between groundless claims of fraud (like the charges Trump is already making) and the real thing. Perhaps most important, leaders in both parties Democrats if Biden loses; Republicans if Trump fails must be ready to accept defeat and help their followers accept it, too. That goes especially for Republicans, whose vengeful candidate is behind in the polls but has already said he "cannot lose" if the election is fair. Republican governors, members of Congress and state legislators could face demands to stop the count of mail-in ballots, award electoral votes to Trump and declare him the winner even if he's impossibly behind in the popular vote. In the end, it will be up to them to fulfill their deepest responsibilities to not only the president who leads their party but to the Constitution, the voters and our shared democracy. 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. Its been nearly seven years since Paul W. Bergrin, a former high-profile defense attorney and federal prosecutor, stood before a federal judge in Newark and learned he would spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of murder, drug trafficking, racketeering and other crimes. The flashy attorney, who once represented rap stars, alleged drug traffickers and other prominent clients before prosecutors uncovered he used his law firm as a de facto criminal enterprise, received six life sentences in 2013, but has continued to fight for his potential freedom. Bergrin has repeatedly filed post-trial motions and appeals to overturn his conviction, but with no luck so far. Bergrins latest effort was a 2016 motion for a new trial, in which he argued that he had discovered new evidence that warranted a new trial and could potentially acquit him of the laundry list of crimes on which he was convicted. The ex-Army major wrote that he had learned key government witnesses fabricated their testimony against him, including his role in the murder of Kemo Deshawn McCray, an FBI informant who was set to testify against one of Bergrins clients, and possibly Bergrin himself. But that effort received a blow last month when U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo denied his motion for a new trial, writing that much of the evidence brought forth by Bergrin after his conviction was not newly discovered and what was new didnt meet the legal burden for a new trial. On Tuesday, Bergrin, who is serving his life sentences in a maximum security prison in Colorado, appealed that decision up to the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, according to online court records. Larry Lustberg, Bergrins attorney, said the case is a tragedy and we will not rest as long as there is an open avenue to achieving justice for Mr. Bergrin. Of course, he is very disappointed that the Judge did not see fit to undo the injustice of his conviction and did not recognize that he truly is an innocent man not only with respect to the Kemo murder, as to which there is absolutely no evidence against him, but also with regard to his drug convictions, which were based entirely upon the testimony of convicted felons who lied because testifying against Paul Bergrin would gain them their freedom, Lustberg said in a statement. These criminals understood that the Government was out to get Paul, and capitalized on that knowledge. The appeal is the latest chapter in Bergrins demise from a former federal prosecutor to a once-prominent criminal defense attorney who prosecutors said used his connections in the criminal underworld to enrich himself. During the eight-week trial in which Bergrin was convicted on all 23 counts (the first trial ended in a hung jury), prosecutors laid out how Bergrin used his law firm to aid in criminal activity, like plotting murders of potential witnesses, including McCray, helping drug trafficking organizations sell product and promoting prostitution. The most damning charge Bergrin faced was for his role in the 2004 killing of McCray, the FBI informant who prosecutors said was set to testify against one of Bergrins clients and expose the attorneys role in a violent drug trafficking organization in Newark. Anthony Young, the man who confessed to killing McCray, testified at Bergrins trial that the attorney approached gang members and told them McCrays testimony could put a fellow gang member behind bars for life. Unless, they did something about it. No Kemo, no case, Bergrin reportedly said. Bergrins role in McCrays murder repeatedly came up in his 2016 motion for a new trial, arguing that testimony surrounding the killing, including from Young, was fabricated and he discovered new evidence to prove it. In one instance, Bergrin described recordings of jailhouse calls from an alleged drug trafficker that he said showed Young lied about the meeting when he said, No Kemo, no case. However, Bergrin, who represented himself at trial, admitted that he had the tapes before his trial began, but did not listen to them because prosecutors did not prioritize them in their case or introduce them at trial. He wrote that he was severely constrained going through evidence as he tried to represent himself. But like the majority of Bergrins motion for a new trial, Arleo didnt buy the argument that the recordings were newly discovered evidence. The judge wrote in her denial that Bergrin is not the typical defendant who chooses to represent themselves. He is an experienced former state and federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney who, in those capacities, has had extensive training in pre-trial preparation, she wrote. ... Against this backdrop, the Court is hard-pressed to find any justification for (Bergrin) decision not to review a single audio recording .... before (his trial). As Bergrin continues his fight for a new trial, he routinely writes legal briefings and documents about his life in the USP Florence ADMAX, the countrys most secure prison, according to online court records. Lustberg, Bergrins attorney, said his client is in isolation every minute of every day. In a November 2019 letter to Judge Arleo, Bergrin wrote that his ability to do legal research was abruptly removed and it takes a virtual miracle for him to be able to access the prisons law computer. This institution is as close to a modern concentration camp as possible, he wrote. There are absolutely no checks nor balances and flagrant sadistic misery, pain and sorrow are the norm. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. HOUSTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SecurityGate.io today announced Chevron has selected their risk management platform for scaling OT (Operational Technology) cybersecurity. SecurityGate.io is excited to partner with Chevron to provide automation for scaling OT cyber assessments and intelligent insights for making consistent cybersecurity improvements. "We're very excited to be working with Chevron as they replace manual, spreadsheet cybersecurity practices with scalable, digitized processes," says Ted Gutierrez, CEO at SecurityGate.io. "Their risk management team has done amazing work and it's exciting to see where they're headed." Chevron's use of SecurityGate.io was put to the test with the COVID-19 pandemic preventing travel. Kenny Mesker, Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Advisor, at Chevron said in an interview, "When the quarantines started, we had no real impact on our cyber assessment program because we were transitioning into [SecurityGate.io's] automation. We had a number of projects that did not stop at all. [Because of SecurityGate.io] it was just as easy to do them without any travel or physical presence, and that would have been impossible before." As Chevron continues improvements, they will take advantage of the SecurityGate.io platform to: Scale their ability to complete more cyber assessments in a shorter time frame and understand risk priorities faster, without incurring the cost of hiring up to do it all. Bring consistency to performance metrics and reports, enabling them to track improvements easier and measure program effectiveness with greater accuracy. Take advantage of high visibility dashboards and micro-level reports that bridge the IT/OT gap and enable the global risk management team to decentralize many processes and empower facility risk owners. Read the case study and learn more about how Chevron uses SecurityGate.io to make cybersecurity improvements. About SecurityGate.io: SecurityGate.io is a Houston-based cybersecurity software company. Their risk management platform helps companies improve OT/ICS risk management efforts and use digital automation and data intelligence to scale efficiently. The company serves customers such as Chevron, West Lake Chemical, Diamond Offshore and Paterson UTI. About Chevron: Chevron is a global energy company. They have facilities around the world dedicated to oil and natural gas exploration, refining and marketing fuels, producing chemicals, and developing new, innovative sources of energy. Matt Wilbanks SecurityGate.io [email protected] SOURCE SecurityGate.io Related Links https://www.securitygate.io Outdoor shows, drive-ins, virtual broadcasts and new CDs are bringing more life into the blues. A bit of Blues Beat trivia: When I first saw Monterey Pop, over 50 years ago, I thought this is the future of concerts. Then along came MTV and it was close. Now, the future lies ahead. Warren Haynes of Govt Mule is taking part in the Twilight Concerts on the Farm at South Farms, Morris, Sept. 12-13. A Grammy Award-winning artist, Haynes has been recognized as a cornerstone of the American music landscape and one of the finest guitar players in the world. Throughout his career as part of three great live groups: the Allman Brothers Band, Govt Mule and the Dead, he has left his mark. His artistry has led to thousands of unforgettable performances and millions of album and track sales. Despite all of the ground Haynes has covered on his musical journey, the impressive thing is that he still has many miles to explore. On his newest solo album, Ashes & Dust, he puts forth one of his most gorgeous, musically rich and personal albums to date. It is endlessly exciting to see one of the most brilliant minds in modern music shine an entirely new light on the depths of his creativity. Fans of jam-band powerhouse Govt Mule or the most recent soul-charged incarnation of the Warren Haynes Band; listeners who know Haynes through his 25-year affiliation with the Allman Brothers Band; or those who know his work with various extensions of the Grateful Dead family; have shown their enthusiasm for his show. Due to the overwhelming demand, which resulted in Warren Haynes weekend shows at South Farms in Morris selling out instantly, the promoters announced three additional shows, on October 1, 8 and 15. Haynes will be joined by his Govt Mule bandmate Danny Louis at all five shows. The Red Hots are set for Sunday at Bailys Backyard in Ridgefield. These two talented lead ladies are, backed by four hard-working brothers, who bring to life many classic jazz standards, old blues tunes and feisty originals with their blend of unique vocals ukulele and guitar mix. Bailey's Backyard, a new venue to Blues Beat, is an experienced event and catering company. They boast a menu that is local, sustainable and responsibly sourced. The American Farm-To-Table Restaurant is located in the heart of downtown Ridgefield. Starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, the Clubhouse Grille will have Wendy May & George Lesiw Duo. Also on Saturday, Jake Kulak and the LowDown are at Three Belles Marina. Sunday, the Ridgefield Playhouse has Martin Sexton for two shows. The first is 4-6 p.m., and the second 8-10 p.m. The concerts will be outside, under a tent in the field next to the theater, rain or shine. Jake Kulak and the LowDown and Six Pack of Blues, along with an host of band and musicians are playing Saturday at this year's Hartbeat Music Festival. Sponsored by Riverfront Recapture, you can tune in at 4 p.m. for all of the 2020 virtual performances on YouTube and FaceBook. Head in a Westerly direction, if you want to see Martin Sexton presented by The United Theatre live at the Misquamicut Drive-In in Westerly, on Saturday, at 8:30 p.m. The drive-in is transformed into a concert venue for The United Theatre and Knickerbocker Music Center 2020 Summer Music Series, presented in partnership with the Misquamicut Business Association. Music will be played via speakers and will also be broadcast to cars via FM transmitter. Gates open at 7 p.m. The show will begin at 8:30 p,m., with no opening act. The Breadbox Drive in Concert Series in Willimantic continues through the fall on the Shaboo Stage in Jillson Park, 533 Main Street, Willimantic The shows will be conducted in a Drive-in format every Sunday from Sept. 13-Oct. 18. This Sunday, see Mad Agnes/ Hugh Blumenfeld & Faithful Sky. Showtime is 4 p.m. and all proceeds will go directly to Covenant Soup Kitchen. A special thank you to David Foster of the Foster Foundation and Shaboo Productions for the complete financial backing of this entire series. Also, a shout out to Windham Parks & Recreation for their support for this endeavor. Some good news from Black-Eyed Sally's Southern Kitchen & Bar. They reopened on this past Wednesday. The kitchen is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Saturday; brunch and dinner on Sunday; and closed Monday and Tuesday. No live music for now, but they are delighted to serve their style Southern comfort food once again. A number of people were wondering about the Connecticut Blues Society Blues Jams at the Pineloft Cafe. In normal times, the Fall would herald the start of a new season. But 2020 is no ordinary year. All CTBS events have been cancelled for the remainder of 2020. Hopefully, 2021 will bring some change for the better. Meanwhile, musicians (and anybody really) who need to get their groove on can check out some of the jams that continue. The Brass Horse on Wednesdays has an open jam on the patio from 6 to 10 p.m. It is hosted by Hatch & The Night Riders (Phil D. Diiorio, Jackson LaRose, Steve Hatch and River City Slim). Any questions or comments should be sent to Domenic Forcella at TWBlus@aol.com. This will mark Parlys third official visit to India since 2017 and one of her first official trips since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to a statement by the French Embassy in New Delhi. On this occasion, Minister Parly will strengthen Frances forward-looking defence cooperation with India, its foremost Asian strategic partner, the statement said. During her visit the French Minister will meet her counterpart Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Their broad-ranging talks will cover, among others, industrial and technological partnership in line with the Make in India programme; operational defence cooperation, particularly maritime security in the Indo-Pacific; modalities of continuing the armed forces joint exercises in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; counter-terrorism cooperation; and major regional and international strategic issues. At AFS Ambala, she will be received by Rajnath and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall RKS Bhadauria. The French Minister will be accompanied, among others, by top executives from Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, Safran, and MBDA, representing the French defence majors that have been partnering with many Indian companies as part of the Rafale agreement. These talks will further President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to deepen and expand the India-France partnership, with strategic autonomy and the defence of a multipolar order as its cornerstones, the statement said. At Ambala, the programme will include the ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional Sarva Dharma Puja, air display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by Sarang Aerobatic Team. Afterwards, a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the Rafale aircraft, the Indian Air Force said in a separate statement. The programme will culminate with the ceremonial induction of Rafale aircraft to 17 Squadron. After the ceremonial events the Indian and French delegation will have a bilateral meeting, the statement said. During her visit, Parly will also pay floral tribute to Indias valiant soldiers at the National War Memorial in Delhi, according to the statement by the French Embassy in New Delhi. Five Rafale fighter aircraft arrived in India from France on July 29. The French-origin fighter aircraft are part of the 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Air Force. The Rafale aircraft have already flown over the Ladakh region and have been familiarising with the terrain over which they have to fly in different parts of the country. The five Rafales which have arrived in the country include three single-seaters and two twin-seaters. The Rafales, armed with the air-to-air meteor, air to ground SCALP and hammer missiles, are expected to give an edge to the Indian Air Force over its traditional adversaries China and Pakistan in the South Asian skies due to its long-range hit capabilities. India had signed a contract for 36 Rafale jets under the largest-ever defence deal signed by the country worth over Rs 60,000 crores, of which the majority payments have already been made to French firm Dassault Aviation. Rajnath had paid a visit to France in October last year to accept the first batch of the Rafale jets on the auspicious festival of Dussehra and also flew the aircraft after performing pooja with traditional Hindu rituals. (ANI) Also Read: Amid India China standoff, students in for long wait: Indian Embassy issues advisory Bacteria are in key role for successful recirculating aquaculture farming Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors globally. Due to continuous growth, ecologically, economically and socially sustainable sites for aquaculture are already in use, which has caused a need for new fish farming techniques. Recirculating aquaculture systems, technology that recycles and saves water, has expanded in recent years. The technology has not yet achieved economic viability, mainly due to high investment and operating costs. In addition, the operation and management of bioreactors has been one of the biggest issues, which microbiological processes were studied by M.Sc. Jani Pulkkinen in his dissertation. Bioreactors utilize bacteria in the water purification process. In bioreactors, toxic ammonia excreted by fish is microbially converted to more harmless nitrate in the nitrification process. "Although bioreactors are designed for the decomposition of nitrogen compounds, the main functions of bacteria in bioreactors were the decomposition of carbohydrates, amino acids and fats. The impact of bioreactors as a whole on water quality is thus much more diverse than previously thought. A diverse and stable bacterial community can maintain good water quality, not only in terms of nitrogen compounds, but also in organic matter", Jani Pulkkinen says. Different types of bioreactors can trap solids from water or affect the gas balance, but different bioreactors also have different nitrification efficiencies, i.e. how fast ammonia can be converted to nitrate. "The sizing and selection of bioreactor type should be done taking into account the characteristics of the entire water treatment system", says Pulkkinen. The biological and mechanical solids removal capacity of bioreactors can compensate the properties of the rest of the water treatment system. By optimizing the entire water treatment system, the best possible water quality can be maintained for the well-being and growth of the fish, which enables cost-effective and environmentally friendly aquaculture. The dissertation consisted of four publications using modern molecular microbiology methods. All studies were conducted in the experimental recirculating aquaculture facilities of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) Laukaa fish farm. The dissertation has been funded by Luke, the European Union and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. The doctoral dissertation has been published in the JYU Dissertations series, number 242, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla 2020, ISSN 2489-9003, ISBN 978-951-39-8197-6 (PDF). The publication is available in the JYX publication archive at: http://urn. fi/ URN:ISBN:978-951-39-8197-6 M.Sc. Jani Pulkkinen defends his doctoral dissertation in "Microbiology of biological filters in recirculating aquaculture systems" on 11th of September 2020 at 12:00 noon. Opponent Professor Ingrid Bakke (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway) and Custos Professor Jouni Taskinen (University of Jyvaskyla). The doctoral dissertation is held in English. The audience can follow the dissertation online. Link to Zoom webinar (Zoom application or Google Chrome browser recommended): https:/ / r. jyu. fi/ dissertation-pulkkinen-110920 ### For further information: Jani Pulkkinen, jani.t.pulkkinen@luke.fi, +358295323297 This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Amid the coronavirus lockdown, a man in the UK found a rare antique teapot that he didnt realize was worth thousands of pounds. He found the imperial Chinese wine ewer dusting up in a Midlands garage which he initially thought was an old object for charity. However, according to the Hanson Auctions UK, the rare Beijing-enamelled object that only resembled a teapot costs 100,000. Owner of Hansons Auctioneers, UK, Charles Hanson said in a press release that the tiny 15cm object brought to him by the man is due to be sold on September 24. It is will initially be priced at an estimate of 20,000-40,000 but such is the demand for imperial works of art from wealthy Chinese buyers that the bidding will shoot up to 100,000. Turns out, the rare teapot dates back to the Qianlong period (1735-99), and belonged to Emperor Qianlong. The 51-year-old man rediscovered the treasure at his Derbyshire home, and brought it to Etwall Auction Centre, near Derby for evaluation. One of our best finds ever - worth tens of thousands - has been found in a #Derbyshire garage in lockdown. Learn more: https://t.co/ExRYrUy6pp@HansonsAuctions @ATG_Editorial pic.twitter.com/zYIcrfdfBY Hansons (@HansonsUK) September 9, 2020 Emperor Qianlong's teapot This has to be the best lockdown find ever. It is such an exciting discovery, an imperial 18th-century wine ewer which would have graced a palace in China and was, perhaps, handled by Emperor Qianlong, considered by some to be the greatest Chinese Emperor, Hansons said in the release. He added, Two almost identical teapots, both with Qianlong reign marks, exist in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, and the Palace Museum in Beijing, China. Hansons called the find astonishing, adding, that the wine ewer was used by the emperor in the Derbyshire home. As per auctioneers evaluation, it was the object used to serve warm wine during important ceremonies. Read: UK: Mysterious Sea Creatures Washed Up On Beach, It's Edible And Worth Thousands [Edward Rycroft with the lockdown find. Credit: Hansons Website] The teapot remained in the family for ages, Edward Rycroft said. "My mum used to display it in a cabinet. We believe it was brought back to England from China by my grandfather who was stationed in the Far East during the Second World War and was awarded a Burma Star medal, he added. Read: Assange Told To Stop Interrupting Witnesses At UK Hearing The man informed the Hancocks that the teapot ended up in a loft in Newhall and was later somehow boxed up and dispatched to a relatives garage in Church Gresley. He has since thought of giving it away in the charity. But then lockdown came along and I finally had time to go through the boxes, the excited man added. The wine ewer, which has a rectangular form, is brightly decorated on a lemon-yellow ground and features colourful blooming peonies in hues of pinks, blues, and purples. [Family photos relating to the vendor's grandfather who served in the Far East during WW2. Credit: Hansons Website] Read: Queen Elizabeth II Became UK's Longest Reigning Monarch On This Day In 2015 Read: Billie Eilish Teams Up With Fender To Launch Her Signature Ukulele Today, were covering the history of Blue Origin, reviewing Android 11 and more. But first: three-thousand-two-hundred megapixels. Taken with sensors for the world's largest digital camera, it would comically take 378 4K ultra-high-definition TV screens to display one image in full size. The image fidelity is apparently so high, you could see a golf ball 15 miles away. The camera will live in Stanford Universitys Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) telescope in Chile, where researchers will study dark energy, dark matter and create the largest astronomical movie of all time. The sensor is actually 189 charge-coupled devices (CCDs), which each capture 16-megapixel images. So where is the image itself, you big tease? Well, its still too early for that. These 3,200-megapixel images mean the worlds largest digital camera has passed its important first test. The team still has challenges ahead to build the rest of the camera, but final testing should start mid-2021 just think of the selfies. Note: Were having some issues with SSL certification, and are working to fix that as soon as possible. Mat 'Star Trek: Discovery' season 3 trailer shows the crew landing in the future Season 3 will be out for streaming on October 15th. Star Trek CBS All Access has released the official trailer for the third season of Star Trek: Discovery, giving you a glimpse of whats in store for its characters after they went into a wormhole last season. (Its a bit late for spoilers, I think) It shows Commander Michael Burnham and the rest of the USS Discovery crew making a one-way trip and landing in an unknown future where the Federation has mostly collapsed. This should be interesting, given the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery was set before the beginning of the original Star Trek series. Now, were going to the other side of the timeline. Continue reading. Android 11 review: An incremental update that needs some polish The new OS finally brings built-in screen recording. Story continues Android 11 Most of the updates to Googles mobile OS are subtle, focused on communications, media controls and, importantly, privacy settings. According to Cherlynn Low, the update brings useful features, like expanded power menu controls, and also offers a long-awaited built-in screen recorder. The new Conversations section in notifications might need work, but the good news is you can disable most of Android 11s changes if you hate them. Continue reading. Razer made the gum gamers didnt know they needed I cant think of much worse than gamer gum. Razer gum Razer, makers of pretty decent neon-decorated gaming hardware is going into gum. As a follow up to its focus-sharpening Razer Respawn drink, and to meet an apparent need for fortified gum, the company has rolled out Respawn By 5 gaming gum. Razer has partnered with Wrigleys 5 gum (remember their mid-2000s sci-fi commercials?) to make a gum specifically for gamers. Infused with B vitamins and green tea extract, the product helps improve your focus and reaction time, if you believe the companys press release. The price of getting an extra edge? 10 packs for $27.99. Continue reading. Sponsored by StackCommerce StackCommerce Samsung will stop supplying Huawei with phone chips amid US sanctions Korea's SK Hynix also plans to stop selling parts to the company. According to South Korean newspaper Chosun llbo, Samsung and memory manufacturer SK Hynix plan to suspend selling parts to the Chinese company on September 15th. That's the day new restrictions the US Commerce Department announced partway through August go into effect. Those restrictions prohibit non-American companies from selling components to Huawei that they developed using equipment or software made in the US. The ban has already affected Huawei's chip development. Huaweis Richard Yu recently said the Mate 40 would feature Huawei's final high-end Kirin processor due to the trade sanctions. The ban is likely to hurt Samsung and SK Hynix as much as it does Huawei. In SK Hynix's case, 40 percent of its $13.3 billion revenue in the first half of 2020 came from exports to China. Continue reading. But wait, theres more... Blue Origin has been trying to get the hell off this planet for 20 years now Apple is using Subaru Imprezas with old garbage-can Mac Pros to map the US Colin Kaepernick returns to Madden in 'NFL 21' Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE reached a preliminary agreement to supply 200 million doses of their experimental Covid-19 vaccine to the European Union -- the biggest initial order yet for the US-German partners. The European Commission has concluded exploratory talks and will now begin contract negotiations, according to a statement Wednesday. The deal would include an option for another 100 million doses. The EU didnt disclose financial terms. Pfizer and BioNTech previously agreed to supply 120 million doses to Japan. The US in July reached a deal to pay $2 billion for an initial 100 million doses, with an option for 500 million more. The companies have said theyre on track for regulatory review as soon as October. Theyve enrolled more than 25,000 of the 30,000 participants needed for a massive clinical trial to show the vaccine works and secured sign-off this week from regulators to expand the study to Germany. Including study sites in Europe, and now especially in Germany, is aimed at supporting an approval in Europe, BioNTech Chief Executive Officer Ugur Sahin said in a previous statement. The companies vaccine relies on a new technology that prompts the bodys own cells to produce the virus proteins needed to trigger the immune system. The EU previously announced preliminary plans for vaccine supply arrangements with developers including Moderna Inc., Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca Plc with the University of Oxford, Sanofi and partner GlaxoSmithKline Plc, as well as CureVac NV. . A man who survived a knife rampage in Birmingham has today been pictured - as a suspect was remanded in custody accused of murder and attempting to kill seven others. Zephaniah McLeod, 27, is accused of killing Jacob Billington, 23, during a two-hour spree of stabbings which left several injured in the early hours of Sunday. Mr Billington, of Liverpool, died as a result of a knife wound to the neck after being attacked on a night out while visiting a school friend studying in the city. Teacher Rhys Cummings, 24, was among those injured in the attack alongside his friend Shane Rowley. The pair had been out in the city centre ahead of the rampage. Mr Cummings' mother Hazel today said her son is 'doing OK' after his ordeal, explaining his recovery is likely to be 'a long process'. Teacher Rhys Cummings (pictured), 24, was among the victims of the attack alongside his friend Shane Rowley. The pair had been out in Birmingham city centre ahead of the rampage She added: 'It is not something you get over quickly. 'The police have been very good and very supportive. We would like to thank them for all they are doing.' McLeod is also accused of attempting to murder Dimitar Bachvarov, Migle Dolobauskaite, Thomas Glassey, Michael Callaghan and Ryan Bowers. Mr Callaghan, a friend and bandmate of Mr Billington, was seriously injured in the violent attack on Irving Street and remains in a critical condition in hospital. A 22-year-old woman attacked in Hurst Street is critical but stable and another man, 30, remains in a serious condition in hospital. Four others have been discharged. Today, McLeod appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court via videolink for a brief five minute hearing during which he was not required to enter a plea. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and repeatedly rubbed his eyes, face and forehead but otherwise remained emotionless as the case was outlined against him. Zephaniah McLeod, 27, spoke to confirm his personal details during a five-minute appearance before two magistrates today. The defendant, who appeared from Birmingham's Perry Barry custody block, was remanded to appear by videolink at the city's Crown Court tomorrow The force declared a major incident after Jacob Billington (pictured) was killed and seven others were stabbed during a rampage on Sunday spanning 90 minutes Police had issued CCTV images of a man wanted in connection with a series of stabbings He spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth, with the court unable to hear his responses at first, before he was remanded in custody. McLeod, of Nately Grove in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham, will next appear at the city's Crown Court tomorrow. Daniel Devine, prosecuting, said: 'I wish to prosecute remotely and I make that application in the interest of justice. 'I invite any prisoners to also be allowed to appear over link. There's nothing for me to announce but custody time limits will be set until March.' Chair of the Magistrates David Warner: 'We have no problem with that application is granted. 'You will be remanded in custody and appear over video link at Birmingham Crown Court tomorrow. West Midlands Police arrested a man at a house in Selly Oak, Birmingham in a dramatic dawn raid earlier this week Forensic officers cross a cordon on Hurst Walk, off Hurst Street, and near to the Arcadia Centre, where part of the attack took place 'You can go with the officers now, please. This court expresses its sympathy with all those affected by these tragic events.' Mr Billington was attacked in Irving Street at 1.52am, nearly 90 minutes after police were called to the first of four attacks a mile away at Constitution Hill. His family have since paid tribute to a 'special person' who 'lit up every room' with his energy and humour. They said: 'Jacob was the light of our life and we have been devastated by his loss. He was a funny, caring and wonderful person who was loved by every single person he met. 'He lit up every room with his boundless energy and witty humour and the loss of such a special person will be felt by all who knew him for years to come.' Police had arrested McLeod in his pyjamas at 4am on Monday - 24 hours after a knifeman struck in the city centre. On Tuesday, West Midlands Police said another 22-year-old woman, attacked on Hurst Street in the city's Gay Village, remains in a critical but stable condition. Birmingham Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Graham said: 'Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Jacob Billington's family and friends, plus the other victims of this senseless attack who we wish a speedy recovery. 'We are determined to get justice for Jacob and everyone else who has been impacted by these terrible acts.' Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty As protests over racism roil the country, Trump supporters have found a new thing to be terrified of: a siege of the White House, straight from the organizers of Occupy Wall Street. Set to start on Sept. 17 and run through the election, the White House Siege isnt meant to be an actual blockade of the White House. But that hasnt stopped pro-Trump personalities from portraying the protest as an existential threat to the Trump administration and even Americas system of government itself. Far-right blog The Gateway Pundit has described the protest with the headline Democrat Supported Marxist Group Plans Siege on White House, while right-wing blog Big League Politics called for its organizers to be tried under federal RICO laws or under the federal War on Terror. Im wondering if this is going to be a distraction from an even more diabolical plot to overthrow the government, nationally syndicated talk radio host Clyde Lewis warned his listeners in August. InfoWars and The Gateway Pundit Slapped With Lawsuit for Spreading Charlottesville Conspiracy Defamation lawyer Lin Wood, who has represented former Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann in lawsuits against media outlets, may have gone furthest of all. To defend the White House against the siege, Wood called for a siege of sorts himself: a government blockade of Washington, D.C., and citywide identification checks to ensure that protesters cant show up. Shut down all movement into & out of DC, Wood tweeted. Require strict ID for critical officials & tell rest to stay home. They are openly planning siege of White House. Before 9/17, inner, secondary & outer perimeters must be established to protect WH. Shut down all movement into & out of DC. Require strict ID for critical officials & tell rest to stay home. Prepare. Protect The Peoples House. https://t.co/oYMDawF80T Lin Wood (@LLinWood) August 30, 2020 Vancouver, Canada-based radical magazine Adbusters, which helped spark Occupy Wall Street in 2011, created the siege as an Occupy-style semi-permanent encampment until Trump leaves office. Since August, the Adbusters website has featured three tactical briefings urging protesters to demonstrate outside the White House on Sept. 17the ninth anniversary of Occupy Wall Streets occupation of New York Citys Zuccotti Park. Story continues We will lay siege to the White House, organizers wrote in the first post about the siege, illustrated with a picture of a sea of raised fists outside the White House. And we will sustain it for exactly fifty days. Its not clear whether the siege concept will catch on with Trump opponents. But the tactical briefings were quickly circulated on the right-wing internet, with The Gateway Pundit seizing on the first press release about the siege on Aug. 11. Now the coverage from the right has resulted in a wave of death threats towards Adbusters; it left Adbusters editor Kalle Lasn considering whether the siege language and related promotional materialsincluding a photo illustration of the White House engulfed in smokewere too intense. Weve sort of changed our mind a little bit, and now we are going for a more benign, sort of a play jazz type of strategy, Lasn said. My dream actually is to have thousands of jazz musicians all over America turning up and playing jazz all over the country for the next 50 days. Lasn and Adbusters conceived of the siege to create some real, heavy-duty pushback over concerns that Trump will refuse to leave the White House if former Vice President Joe Biden wins in November. A few months before the eviction, hes sort of dicking around with the American mind, Lasn, a Canadian-Estonian filmmaker and writer, said. The American people are still somehow not rising up to the occasion, so we figured wed try to catalyze something along the lines of Occupy Wall Street. Its not clear how many people, if any, will answer Adbusters call and show up on Sept. 17or whether the siege idea will be totally ignored by Washington-area activists, many of whom have already been protesting for the Movement for Black Lives outside the White House since late May. And while the White House Siege has been set for the White House-adjacent Lafayette Park, that area has been blocked off for months after Black Lives Matter protests. A spokesperson for the National Park Service told The Daily Beast that the group does not have a protest permit. But while the protest may never actually materialize to much, it has already been portrayed as a powerful, ominous movement in right-wing media. No one has seized on the siege more than Jack Posobiec, the Pizzagate conspiracy theorist who now works for the fervently pro-Trump cable network One America News. OAN devoted an hour each on Saturday and Sunday nights to a Posobiec special on the White House siege, the ominously named September Siege: Antifas Plan to Occupy the White House. There is a deeper plan at play here, a plan to lay siege to the White House, starting this September, Posobiec said in a teaser for his special. The siege part of the White House siege appears to be mostly a metaphorand not just because its difficult to imagine Washingtons local and federal law enforcement officials allowing protesters to threaten the White House. Still, Lasn wouldnt rule out the possibility that the hypothetical siege would become an actual siege of the White House if Trump doesnt leave office after an election loss. Maybe well all try to surround the White House, Lasn said. Amid fatal political clashes in Portland and Kenosha, the idea of a semi-permanent encampment of Trump foes in Washington, D.C., could also attract Trump supporters. But the prospect of Lafayette Park brawls has been raised in the past, and fizzled. After anti-Trump protests in late May outside the White House, Trump called on Twitter for a MAGA Nighteffectively inviting his supporters to fight Black Lives Matter activists in the shadow of the White House. Few, if any, Trump supporters actually showed up. While the siege has been promoted as non-violent, Lasn also wouldnt rule out the possibility of at least property destructionraising the possibility of Fox News-ready images of smashed windows and burning buildings outside the White House right before the election. There is going to be a violent fringe, and my own feeling has always been that I dont like any violence against human beings, and Im 100 percent against any of that stuff, and I condemn it with all of the guts that I have, Lasn said. But when it comes to violence against property, Im not so sure that im 100 percent against that. 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. Corestate Capital Holding S.A. / Key word(s): Forecast Corestate publishes new financial outlook for the financial year 2020 Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Corestate publishes new financial outlook for the financial year 2020 - Aggregated revenues between 185m and 210m - EBITDA between 55m and 80m - Adjusted net profit between 25m and 50m Luxembourg, 9 September 2020 - Corestate Capital Holding S.A. withdrew its financial outlook for 2020 on 22 April 2020 in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company has since gained a significantly better overview of the further business trends and has therefore issued a financial outlook for the current financial year that has been adjusted for the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. Accordingly, the Company expects aggregated revenues and gains between 185m and 210m, EBITDA between 55m and 80m and adjusted net profit between 25m and 50m. The expectations reflect a reduction in transaction volume and a short-term shift in risk profiles with regard to institutional investors' investment preferences. In terms of revenues, the Company anticipates significantly lower income from transaction fees, success-based compensation elements, warehousing and alignment capital, in comparison to the original targets for the year. A view valuation adjustments on (co-)investments in the retail and serviced apartment sector as well as potential one-off expenses for structural adaptations to the new market conditions will also play a role. The mezzanine business of the private debt subsidiary HFS Helvetic Financial Services AG has so far been affected downstream and to only a very minor extent by the current crisis. At end of August 2020, the Company had a cash position of around 63m. The Company once again confirmed its ambition to reduce its net debt on short notice. The new forecast takes into account the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the extent foreseeable at the present time. However, the business impact of any potential official measures due to the further development of the pandemic, particularly new supra-regional lockdowns, cannot be fully predicted. Further details on the performance indicators used are available on our website at https://corestate-capital.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/KPI-E-eng.pdf. Notifying person: Dr. Kai Gregor Klinger Chief Markets Officer T: +49 69 3535630-106 ir@corestate-capital.com 09-Sep-2020 CET/CEST The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de UT adviser Manoj Parida on Wednesday shot off a letter to Haryana chief secretary Keshni Anand Arora asking for instructions to be issued to all state departments to ensure that no mass gatherings are held. The letter comes after 691 candidates selected as clerks gathered outside Haryanas new secretariat building in Sector 17 on Tuesday. Social distancing norms were flouted and masks were not wore by many of those gathered in the ground in front of the building. Police had a tough time in managing the crowd. Parida, in the letter to Arora, wrote, As you are aware, there has been an extraordinary surge in the number of Covid cases in Chandigarh. Such gatherings will lead to spread of infection, resulting in serious administrative challenges in Covid Management. I therefore request you to issue suitable instructions to all departments to ensure that such mass gathering may not take place, and, if required, the candidates be called in phases, Parida further wrote. L.A. Council Declares Fiscal Emergency; Approves Furlough and Buyout Plans The Los Angeles City Council voted today to declare a fiscal emergency and approved plans to furlough more than 15,000 city employees and carry out early retirement buyouts for another 1,280 employees to try to recoup as much anticipated lost revenue as possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenues for the 2021 fiscal year are currently difficult to forecast due to the pandemic, with the City Administrative Officers staff reporting they could come in anywhere between $45 million to $409 million below the estimate of $6.68 billion. City Administrative Officer Richard Llewellyn estimated that Los Angeles has already lost more than $50 million, while noting that revenue projections were based on the economy reopening more fully by July than has occurred. ADVERTISEMENT We know now that the best-case scenario aint gonna happen, said Councilman Paul Krekorian, who chairs the councils Budget and Finance Committee. So that means even after we enact furloughs, were still going to have a shortfall in revenues thats going to have to be accommodated. Each pay periods furloughs of city employees represents a savings of $5.79 million, or $104.2 million in fiscal year 2020-2021, according to city documents, so the council may still have to find additional savings. The furloughs, which equate to about 10% of an employees annual salary, are set to begin Oct. 11. Although Los Angeles is set to receive about $694 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds, that money cannot be used to replenish lost revenues, only to respond to the pandemic. City Council members said without implementing the furloughs, they would have to consider laying off employees. For the early retirement program, the city set a minimum 1,300 participation number, but the council voted to get rid of that requirement as the number of those volunteering to retire came up just short. City staff estimates the buyouts could save the Los Angeles an additional $13 million. ADVERTISEMENT We cant sit and hope that Washington will ride to the rescue, Krekorian said. We cant hope that we can reopen negotiations with labor, and within a month, get a solution that is going to save hundreds of millions of dollars. Its unrealistic and we have to do the realistic thing of acting on these furloughs so that we dont have to act on worse-(case) scenarios in a few months, because I can guarantee you that if we dont, we will be faced with choices that are much harder. In an opinion piece published Wednesday in the Los Angeles Times, Councilman Mike Bonin laid out a proposal for the council to defer raises and bonuses for the Los Angeles Police Departments union members. These police union raises are forcing budget cuts that will make Los Angeles less healthy, less secure and considerably less safe, Bonin said. Los Angeles cannot adequately protect, serve, or provide for its residents with these cuts and furloughs. According to Bonin, members of the police union are getting a 4.8% raise, plus $41 million in new educational bonuses, totaling about $123 million this fiscal year. LAPD officers will get an additional raise in 2022. Meanwhile, cuts to the salaries of other city employees through furloughs will sharply reduce city services, including public safety programs, he said. Llewellyn said any adjustments to the early retirement program or the furloughs would have to be renegotiated with the citys labor union something that Los Angeles doesnt have time to do amid looming budget deadlines, but he said further discussions could take place with certain departments on how to find additional savings. Our labor partners came to us and said, `We think we should look at a separation plan as sort of a long-term structural assistance with the choppy waters we were heading into potentially for several years, Llewellyn said. Nobody likes furloughs and nobody likes separation plans, nobody likes service cuts, but the separation plan seems to be a reasonable way to proceed. Bonins deferral motion failed to get support, and he also failed to convince his colleagues to exempt Emergency Management Department employees from furloughs. One of the red flags council members have brought up in committee meetings is the citys dwindling reserve funds that were used to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The citys reserves in the 2020-21 fiscal year are expected to be below the citys minimum target of 2.75% of the general fund, with about $227 million remaining, but the council voted to find ways to move funds from various departments and resources to raise the reserve fund to $284 million, according to city documents. This is still well below the citys aspirations of having 5% in reserves across the board and lower than the almost 8% it had prior to the pandemic. C1 JV Property Drill Core Samples "Core: From 88 Metre mark of J-11-2020 grading 1.38 Au grams/tonne" "Core: From 88 Metre mark of J-11-2020 grading 1.38 Au grams/tonne" WOODSTOCK, Ontario, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Joshua Gold Resources Inc. (OTC: JSHG) an American gold and mineral exploration company headquartered in Canada, home to the three-billion-year old Canadian Shield is pleased to announce results from drill hole J-11-20 that was completed on the C1 JV Property (Property) during the month of July 2020. The Property is located approximately 115 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario. The Timmins area is one of the richest goldfields in the world, and over the past century has produced more gold than any mining region in Canada. Today, the city of Timmins, northern Ontario's third largest, remains one of Canada's major mining centers. Drill hole number J-11-20, drilled to a depth of 263.00 m with a dip of -60 degrees to undercut the mineralization intersection in drill holes J-10-20 and J-10b-20. Drill holes J-10-20 and J-10b-20, drilled in February 2020, were collared at 378425E/5299845N, and drilled at an azimuth of 340 degrees and dip of -50 degrees. Drill hole J-10-20 was abandoned at 71.00 m due to ground conditions, and was re-started as J-10b-20 and drilled to a final depth of 206.00 m. Drill hole J-10b-20 intersected 1.53 g/t Au over a sampled length of 0.50 m from 152.80 to 153.30 m. Drill hole J-11-20 intersected narrow zones of gold mineralization throughout the sampled sections. Highlights include: 1.05 g/t Au over 0.30 m from 28.20 to 28.50 m 3.14 g/t Au over 0.58 m from 31.98 to 32.56 m 1.38 g/t Au over 0.50 m from 87.50 to 88.00 m Gold mineralization is associated with narrow <1cm to 15 cm wide quartz-feldspar-ankerite veins hosted mainly within mafic volcanic rocks, but also within feldspar porphyritic dykes. Gold values show a strong association with pyrite content. Additional infill sampling is currently being completed and will be made available once results have been received. Story continues Ben Fuschino, JSHG CEO, comments, "We are extremely pleased with the drilling results. Our Drilling and geology team will continue exploration on the C1 property during the fall season." Significant results and Collar information for the drill hole are summarized below in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1: Collar Information DDH Easting Northing Azimuth Dip Length (m) J-11-20 378425 5299845 340 -60 263.00 Table 2: Summary of Diamond Drill Results DDH From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) J-11-20 28.20 28.50 0.30 1.05 31.98 32.56 0.58 3.14 42.00 42.50 0.50 0.46 87.50 88.00 0.50 1.38 92.00 92.72 0.72 0.47 129.50 129.75 0.25 0.80 165.00 165.75 0.75 0.57 237.00 238.00 1.00 0.50 Note: Intervals reported in Table 2 represent core lengths and not true widths. QA/QC Program Joshua implemented a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program for the recently completed diamond drilling program on the C1 JV Property. Diamond drill core was logged, and where marked for sampling, split in half with a hydraulic splitter, with one half placed in a labelled sample bag, and the remaining half placed back into the core tray and stored in a secure location.. A blank and a standard were inserted in the assay sampling sequence alternating at every 10th sample. All samples were dropped off by a representative of Joshua to Activation Laboratories prep lab in North Bay, Ontario. Once the samples are received and dried at the laboratory, the samples are then crushed to 80% passing 10 mesh (2 mm) and then split into 250 gram sub-sample size using a Jones Riffle Splitter. These sub-samples are then pulverized (using rings and pucks to 90% passing 200 mesh (0.075 mm) and homogenized prior to analysis. Gold analysis is performed using a 30 g charge by fire assay using lead collection with a silver in quart (1A2 package). The lower detection limit is 5 ppb, and the upper detection limit is 5000 ppb for this analysis. A gravimetric finish (1A3 package) is completed for any samples that return greater than 5000 ppb that includes crushing of the entire sample to -150 mesh and subsequently sieved through a 150 mesh screen. The entire +150 mesh portion is assayed, along with two duplicate cuts of the -150 mesh portion. Results are reported as a calculated weighted average of gold in the entire sample. The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Joerg Kleinboeck, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Joshua Gold Resources Inc. (OTC Pink: JSHG) a publicly traded American gold and mineral exploration company headquartered in Canada, home to the three-billion-year old Canadian Shield which contains a wealth of minerals from nickel, gold, copper, cobalt, niobium to chromium. Please visit http://www.joshuagoldresources.com/ for more information. Safe Harbor Statement: This press release contains forward looking statements of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Forward looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and results, and will not be accurate indications of the times, or by, which such performance will be achieved. IR Contact: Wall Street Media Group, (1)-833-906-0327 or info@Wallstreetmediagroup.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/65639948-7bd3-46c6-bab5-aa90e7def795 Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Should you lose your job for retweeting a political post in 2008 from someone who it turned out also said things sympathetic to white nationalists that you were unaware of? What about agreeing to take a selfie with someone at a conservative event who you found out later had attended a white nationalist meeting? Are you responsible for spending hours researching everyones history you encounter on the internet before you repost anything by them? This is where society is headed with the cancel culture. No one is going to be safe from the false cries of racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, etc. Right now, most of us heave a sigh of relief when we hear about it happening to someone else, glad it wasnt us. But hardly anyone is safe for long. Since the left cant substantively refute our political arguments, they are resorting to drastic measures to silence us. This latest tactic is a gold mine for them, because most people have a history on social media going back years. Years of things youve said every day to comb through. Who hasnt said something in a stage of rage or while taking some medication or alcohol, that could be misinterpreted as offensive? If you make your account private, they can find a way to pretend to be someone who knows you and sneak in. Or maybe its a former friend who turns on you. If you delete your account, they can go to archive.org where tweets are stored forever. If you post under a pseudonym, they often have ways of figuring out who you are. You might think, No, never done any of that, Im safe. But the line of what constitutes racism, sexism etc. keeps moving further and further out, so what was considered perfectly acceptable in 2010 wont be in a few years. People in high-profile positions are the most vulnerable. If the left views you as influential, whether through well-reasoned political debate or financially well off, youre a prime target. And frankly anyone involved in conservative politics is at risk. They want to silence us, so the more you post on social media, the more you stand out and make yourself a target. The lefts hypocrisy can be seen in the way its now treating the Founding Fathers. The left claims the moral high ground with the advantage of 20/20 hindsight. But their moral high ground is still changing. What they found perfectly acceptable merely 20 or 40 years ago is now morally repugnant. Yet they give their own a free pass. Theyre forgiven, but conservatives arent. The late prominent Democratic Senator Robert Byrd was a member of the KKK who organized and led a 150-member chapter, but they dont care today. You dont hear about people flipping out over the 23 buildings and roads his name is inscribed on. Only one inscription has been removed. Nothing has been destroyed or defaced. The only reason the left hasnt started going after people descended from slaves is because they are predominantly Democrats, since it was mostly Democrats who owned slaves. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama once strongly defended marriage as between a man and a woman, as recently as 2008. But the left gives them a free pass now, theyre never attacked for being homophobic, while those on the right who have Biblical objections to homosexuality are. The right has only had a small amount of success pointing out statements made by those on the left in the past, mainly by going over journalists tweets. Some are disciplined by their employer and even fired. But theyre the minority. MSNBC talk show host Joy Reid made not just one, but two rounds of tweets ridiculing gays. She apologized, and predictably, the responses to her apology divided down party lines. MSNBC did nothing and she is still a host there. In fact, she appears to have been promoted recently, now hosting The ReidOut, a new Washington-based weeknight show in the key 7 p.m. Eastern time slot. This nasty practice isnt going away unless people start pushing back. How many of us lie in bed at night wondering how far down the road someone is going to dig and discover something we wrote years ago? Twitter fortunately only goes back to 2006, with its first growth spurt of people joining beginning in 2007. But more and more of the early internet is becoming easier to find and access. What you wrote on some 1990s listserv will soon be easy to find. The first website you ever created? Your posts on IRC? The younger generations may be in trouble now since they were coming of age and less cautious when they first ventured on social media. But eventually everyone will be susceptible except the rare few who have stayed off the internet. This is a Pandoras Box. The question is how to put the genie back in the bottle. Do we fight back by exposing all the improper or supposedly improper things that leftists have said in their pasts? Since theyre less likely to be constrained by Judeo-Christian values, they will have far more writing full of profanity and offensive statements. Or, since they have shown that they will give their own a free pass most of the time, do we attempt the difficult process of ending the practice? Regardless of what we do, this is merely part of a broader problem. The left is going to continue to get those on the right fired for things they say today, by pretending its racist or even forging screenshots to make us look racist. So far it looks like the black conservatives who are speaking up are having some success with the pushback. Theyre tired of having their businesses destroyed by violent white Antifa. Theyre tired of being called coons and worse things by leftists. And more blacks are becoming conservative. Tellingly, a friend of mine in Kenya told me that 85% of the population supports President Trump. They see through the false cries of racism and wish they had the privilege to live in the U.S. Radical black activists claim they want to move to Africa because the racism is so bad here. But they rarely do, because while white-black racism is rare in most countries there; its tribalism that is prevalent, and if you arent part of a tribe, you are going to have a really hard time functioning in society. Ukraine hopes to reach an agreement to start negotiations on the revision of the Association Agreement with the European Union in 2021, according to the Ukrainian Economy, Trade and Agriculture Development Ministry. This was discussed during a meeting between Ukrainian Economy, Trade and Agriculture Development Minister Ihor Petrashko and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development of the Republic of Poland Jadwiga Emilewicz at the Economic Forum 2020, the Ministrys press service reported. "The meeting is a good opportunity to discuss the prospects for bilateral cooperation, which is of a strategic nature. In particular, among the promising areas is deepening cooperation in trade, financial markets, investments, agriculture and veterinary science," Petrashko said. Separately, the parties discussed cooperation between Ukraine and the EU. The minister noted that Ukraine expects to reach an agreement on the start of negotiations on revising the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement in 2021 and hopes for Poland's friendly support in this important issue. In particular, the primary task is to further deepen both trade liberalization and the philosophy of the economic part of the Agreement as a whole. The minister also drew attention to the fact that, despite the negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, in the third quarter of this year, the Ukrainian economy began to recover. In his opinion, attracting investments is an important aspect of further stabilization and growth of the economy. As Ukrinform reported, at the beginning of September 2020, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said that Ukraine had fulfilled 45% of its obligations under the Association Agreement with the European Union. Ukraine and the European Union plan to discuss aspects of updating the Association Agreement at the summit on October 1. On March 21, 2014, during an extraordinary Ukraine-EU summit, the political part of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement was signed. The economic part of the agreement was signed at the highest level on June 27, 2014. On September 6, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada and the European Parliament simultaneously ratified this document. On January 1, 2016, the EU and Ukraine started applying the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). On September 1, 2017, the Agreement entered into force in full. Based on significant progress in the development of EU-Ukraine relations, the Ukrainian side has consistently raised the issue of renewing the Agreement as such a possibility is provided for by its provisions. ish SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) The San Francisco medical examiner's office on Wednesday identified a woman who was killed last Friday in San Francisco's Mission District as 27-year-old Myeshia Villadora. Villadora, a San Francisco resident, died in a shooting, which was initially reported around 12:15 a.m. Friday near Julian Avenue and 15th Street, police said. Police have released few details about the homicide, but described the shooter as a 30-year-old man. As of Tuesday, the suspect hadn't been arrested, police said. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact SFPD's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to text TIP411 and start the message with SFPD. 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. Australia's hopes for a coronavirus vaccine are under threat after trials in the UK were paused over major safety concerns. Late-stage studies of AstraZenec's vaccine candidate are on hold after a patient became seriously ill on Tuesday. The company is investigating if the illness, which has not been specified, is a serious side effect or had nothing to do with the shot. Australia's hopes for a coronavirus vaccine are under threat after trials in the UK were paused over safety concerns. Pictured: A scientist works on the vaccine at Oxford University Late-stage studies of AstraZenec's vaccine candidate are on temporary hold after a patient became seriously ill on Tuesday. Pictured: Residents wearing masks in Melbourne The federal and state governments have repeatedly said we will have to live with the virus until a vaccine is rolled out. But the jab being developed at Oxford University is the only overseas candidate that Australia has agreed to buy while other developed countries have signed several deals. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has come under fire for 'putting all of Australia's eggs in one basket'. Labor's health spokesman Chris Bowen said: 'The federal government needs to invest urgently in a range of potential Covid-19 vaccines.' He pointed out that 18 countries have signed 51 deals to buy various vaccine candidates. The US has six and the UK has five. Australia has also agreed to buy a vaccine being developed at the University of Queensland - but it only started human trials in July. There are 37 vaccines in human trials around the world and Australia is trying to buy more of them. The US has made six agreements with companies to get access to a vaccine. Pictured: President Trump and wife Melania Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured with his wife Jenny) has come under fire for 'putting all of Australia's eggs in one basket' with the Oxford vaccine. He also also agreed to buy a vaccine from UQ - but it only started human trials in July Asked on Monday why more deals had not already been signed, Health Minister Greg Hunt said Australia has the 'finest medical expert panel in the world' which is choosing to buy the 'most prospective and the most available' vaccines. The minister is due to release a statement shortly. Health Department Secretary Professor Brendan Murphy said the Oxford vaccine was 'the most advanced' and was 'looking pretty good' before it was delayed. 'We're also part of the COVAX multicountry vaccine buying club. And we're also specifically looking at a range of other potential candidates,' he said on Monday. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth said the pause did 'not mean that the Oxford vaccine is dead'. 'But it is a serious adverse reaction, and it needs to be investigated,' he said. He reassured Australians that any vaccine that is approved would be safe. 'In a way, this re-enforces that despite the accelerated nature of vaccine development, safety is at the forefront of everybody's mind,' he said. WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE ORDERED OXFORD'S VACCINE ALREADY? UK The UK is the host of research and development efforts of the vaccine, which has been developed by researchers in Oxford and will be manufactured by AstraZeneca, a company based in Cambridge. The British Government has ordered 100million doses of the jab and has already started manufacturing them so they're ready to go if and when clinical trials are successful. The price paid has not been disclosed. US The US Government has ordered 100million doses of the vaccine and contributed $1.2billion (910m) to the research and development of the jab. European Union (EU) The European Commission has agreed a deal for 300million doses of the vaccine if its clinical trials work, with the option to buy a further 100million. The deal has been made on behalf of countries in the EU. The amount of money spent is unknown. Australia Australia has confirmed it ordered enough doses of the vaccine to give one to its entire population of 25million people. China One company in China has agreed a deal with AstraZeneca to make at least 100million doses of the vaccine. Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products, based in the city of Shenzhen, will increase capacity to 200m per year by the end of 2021. Russia A Russian company, R-Pharm, also has a deal to produce and distribute the vaccine, but it is unclear how many it will make or what it will pay to AstraZeneca. Brazil Brazilian officials have set aside $360million (274m) for at least 100million doses of the vaccine. Brazil is currently in one of the worst Covid-19 crises in the world with more than 3.6million official cases so far and 114,000 deaths. Advertisement Last week the government agreed to buy around 30million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, including 3.8million in January if trials proved successful. But Mr Bowen said Australia 'was behind the eight ball' on securing a vaccine. He said: 'The United States signed its first such deal in mid-March, the United Kingdom in mid-May. He warned the AstraZeneca vaccine may not be approved and said the government should be 'pursuing other deals and other arrangements as well as they go.' In a statement issued Tuesday evening, AstraZeneca said its 'standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data.' The company didn't reveal any information about the possible side effect except to call it 'a potentially unexplained illness.' Trial holds are not uncommon, but it is a blow to worldwide hopes for a jab to be ready in the coming months, as the AstraZeneca shot was considered by many - including the World Health Organisation - to be the leading candidate worldwide. An AstraZeneca spokesperson confirmed the pause in vaccinations covers studies in the US and other countries. Late last month, AstraZeneca began recruiting 30,000 people in the U.S. for its largest study of the vaccine. It also is testing the vaccine, developed by Oxford University, in thousands of people in Britain, and in smaller studies in Brazil and South Africa. Two other vaccines are in huge, final-stage tests in the United States, one made by Moderna Inc. and the other by Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. Those two vaccines work differently than AstraZeneca's, and the studies already have recruited about two-thirds of the needed volunteers. AstraZeneca pointed out that it's possible the problem could be a coincidence; illnesses of all sorts could arise in studies of thousands of people. 'We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline,' the company statement said. Dr Ashish Jha of Brown University said via Twitter that the significance of the interruption was unclear but that he was 'still optimistic' that an effective vaccine will be found in the coming months. 'But optimism isn't evidence,' he wrote. 'Let's let science drive this process.' During the third and final stage of testing, researchers look for any signs of possible side effects that may have gone undetected in earlier patient research. Because of their large size, the studies are considered the most important phase of study for picking less common side effects and establishing safety. The trials also assess effectiveness by tracking who gets sick and who doesn't between patients getting the vaccine and those receiving a dummy shot. The development came the same day that AstraZeneca and eight other drugmakers issued an unusual pledge, vowing to uphold the highest ethical and scientific standards in developing their vaccines. A former Republican governor of Pennsylvania on Wednesday called on that states Legislature to make a small change to how mail-in ballots are counted that could make a huge difference in how quickly election results are reported in November. We must take all steps possible to ensure that officials can still run secure and efficient elections. Any effort to the contrary only serves to discredit the outcome and the sanctity of our vote, wrote Tom Ridge, who was Pennsylvanias governor from 1995 to 2001. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge. (Siavosh Hosseini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Ridge, along with former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, sent an open letter to the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Legislature asking it to allow election clerks to prepare mail ballots for counting before Election Day. State law currently prohibits officials from doing anything to expedite the process of counting mail ballots, and because demand for mail-in voting has surged due to concerns over COVID-19, that could delay the result in Pennsylvania a crucial swing state by many days. While many states go so far as to count ballots prior to Election Day, there is no reason to prevent at least opening envelopes, verifying signatures, and stacking ballots so theyre ready to be counted right away, wrote Ridge and Granholm, who co-chair a group called Vote Safe, which was formed this year and advocates for expanding access to voting by mail, and for greater congressional funding to states to help make this happen. Pennsylvanias secretary of state, Democrat Kathy Boockvar, told Yahoo News in late July that she was in conversations with the Legislature to allow clerks to open ballots as much as three weeks in advance of Election Day. But nothing has yet been announced. Republicans are seeking to force Democrats to make concessions in return for allowing clerks this time to count mail ballots, said Pennsylvania state Rep. Kevin Boyle, the top Democrat on the House State Government Committee. He said Republicans want to eliminate drop boxes, as well as early voting centers that are currently allowed in some parts of the state, and they want to expand eligibility for poll watching to allow anyone from anywhere in the state to observe voting inside a polling place anywhere else in the state, and challenge voters. Story continues Current law allows poll watchers only to observe and potentially challenge voters inside their own county. Republicans would like to allow those from rural counties to act as poll watchers in urban areas, he said. Democrats are not going to budge on that, Boyle told Yahoo News. Ridge was asked about the dispute over drop boxes. The Trump campaign has sued Pennsylvania to eliminate drop boxes as well, which are secure receptacles overseen by local elections officials where voters can hand deliver a mail ballot before Election Day. Ridge put his emphasis squarely on giving clerks enough time before Election Day to process mail ballots and prepare them for counting. I dont have a preference, he said of the drop box dispute. My real focus is on getting the pre-canvassing moved up. Boyle said that current law allows for about 10 early voting centers in the city of Philadelphia, with early voting allowed 50 days ahead of the election. Ridge and Granholm acknowledged that any change to how elections are conducted might be viewed with suspicion by partisan politicians. But they urged Pennsylvania not to view this change through that lens. There is a lot at stake in this years election, and it makes sense that dramatic changes in process could be met with trepidation, they wrote. But these targeted changes are not that; instead, its an acknowledgment of the impact COVID-19 has had on all the other aspects of our lives and this limited administrative change is a smart action to prepare our election systems for this new reality. Pennsylvania is one of three important swing states that dont allow clerks to process mail ballots before Election Day. The others are Michigan and Wisconsin. Election experts have warned for months of a nightmare scenario in which because of these restrictive mail ballot rules in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania Trump may have a lead in votes on election night if most Republican voters cast ballots in person while most Democratic voters cast ballots by mail. President Trump at a campaign rally in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Tuesday. (Logan Cyrus/Bloomberg via Getty Images) If that happens and polling suggests it might Trump could claim victory before mail ballots have been fully counted, and then accuse election officials of stealing the election if mail ballots give Joe Biden a lead. Trump has already claimed over and over this year, without evidence, that there will be cheating and fraud in the election, especially through mail-in voting. Kentuckys top election official, who is also an election law adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, recently told Yahoo News that Trumps claims of widespread election cheating are not feasible. Yahoo News has done extensive reporting over the past few months on mail-in voting, how it works and how much fraud there is in elections. Claims of widespread fraud are false. Fraud occasionally occurs, and mail-in voting is slightly less secure than in-person voting. But incidents of fraud are exceptionally rare, and some states that already conduct their elections entirely by mail have established practices to prevent wrongdoing. These policies include allowing voters to track their ballots online by a unique bar code and training election officials on how to properly match a voters signature on the ballot to their signature on file. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A century ago, our nation made high school free and accessible for all, with the understanding that a high school education provided the necessary skills to compete in the 20th-century economy. Today, a high school education is no longer enough to equip students with the needed skills to compete in the highly competitive, global economy. College Promise To address this challenge, on September 9, 2015, President Barack Obama announced Dr. Jill Biden and Governor Jim Geringer (R-WY) as the leaders of the College Promise National Advisory Board. Supported by nonpartisan leaders, they built the movement with a simple goal: to make the first two years of collegeat a minimumas free and universal as high school has been for the past century. At launch, College Promise identified 53 Promise programs across the nation. Today, nearly 360 Promise programs are underway across 47 states. Statewide Promise programs, created and funded through state legislatures, have grown to 30 states, and the District of Columbia, guaranteeing their unique versions of the College Promise for eligible residents. Communities and states have picked up this call to action because they share the common goal to increase the number of college graduates to meet the economic, social, and civic demands of a prosperous nation. "Congratulations! In five short years, College Promise has become a national movement with bipartisan support across hundreds of communities. We are proud to have transformed educational opportunity and affordability into the broader imperative to increase college and career success with direct Promise pathways, proven results, and the momentum to keep progressing," said Eduardo Padron, Honorary Chair of the College Promise National Advisory Board. College Promise is introducing students, families, and school counselors to the hundreds of programs available across the nation. The 2020 update to the College Promise Program Catalog , released today, provides useful information about each program including its eligibility requirements, the college(s) attached to the program, any support services provided, and whether a student must attend college full time to receive the scholarship. As the Promise movement has grown over the past five years, so has evidence of its impact. As Promise programs gain maturity, research validates their significant impact in bolstering completion rates and reduction of student loan default rates. In a recent pilot study by Texas A&M researchers , Promise programs were shown to increase graduation rates by 45% and decrease default rates by 19%. "Our partners in business, government, higher education are crucial to this movement's success, yet this exponential growth would not have been possible without our philanthropic supporters -- including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ascendium, The Kresge Foundation, and The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The incredible progress of the last five years is due to our shared commitment to helping more students succeed. Together, we are making college more affordable, preparing our workforce for the future, and strengthening our economy," said Martha Kanter, CEO of College Promise. In celebration of our students, College Promise will host a Student Success Webinar Series throughout the month of September. A full list of events is available at CollegePromise.org, along with registration information for interested students. About College Promise College Promise is a national, nonpartisan initiative to build broad public support for accessible, affordable, quality Promise programs across the United States. Promise programs enable hard working students to complete a college degree or certificate by offering a student-centric framework that balances no-cost tuition strategies alongside meaningful student support services. Through partnerships with community colleges and universities, as well as leaders in education, business, nonprofit, government, and philanthropy, College Promise empowers stakeholders to enact solutions that are proven to boost student outcomes. College Promise is a program of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Information About College Promise: Rosye Cloud 202 569 3000 Press Contact: Michelle Cooper [email protected] SOURCE College Promise Related Links http://CollegePromise.org Chrome News Track is a yet another exclusive from Chrome Data Analytics and Media which conducts study on News Content aired across India by choosing the "Most Aired, Most Watched and Most Discussed News of the week". The automated data is picked from 30200 Chrome DM Panel Homes across India. It analyses the effectiveness of News aired on television every week and categorises it through three broad segments namely Most Aired, Most Watched and Most Discussed. Most Aired News in Week 35: According to the Chrome News Track data for the Week 35 - 2020, Sushant Singh Rajput Commits Suicide was the most Aired News this week, followed by News about India and China Relation. The News about Former President Pranab Mukherjee Passes Away stood at the 3rd Coronavirus Lockdown in India was next in the list and News about India GDP 2020 managed to take the fifth and the last spot. Most Watched News in Week 35: The data also unveils that Sushant Singh Rajput Commits Suicide was the most watched news for the week grabbing maximum eyeballs, followed by India and China Relation. The news about Former President Pranab Mukherjee Passes Away, India GDP 2020 & Coronavirus Lockdown in India also generated interests amongst viewers and are placed at 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively in the list. Most Discussed News in Week 35: On the other hand, taking a closer view of the Most Discussed News category, the news about Sushant Singh Rajput Commits Suicide has been the talk of the nation making it the most discussed news whereas the News India and China Relation happens to be the 2nd most discussed news as per the automated data picked from 30200 Chrome DM Panel Homes. India GDP 2020 became the 3rd most discussed news among masses. Former President Pranab Mukherjee Passes Away and Coronavirus Lockdown in India are placed at 4th & 5th respectively in the list. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Congress will launch an investigation into sexual assault, disappearances, deaths and the leadership's response at Fort Hood after 28 soldiers stationed at the U.S. Army base in Texas died this year, two subcommittee leaders announced Tuesday. Democratic Reps. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Jackie Speier of California sent a letter to Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy requesting documents and information on the deaths. Lynch chairs the Committee on Oversight and Reforms Subcommittee on National Security, and Speier leads the Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel. According to the letter, the subcommittees will jointly investigate if recent deaths "may be symptomatic of underlying leadership, discipline, and morale deficiencies throughout the chain-of-command. SECOND WAVE: Expert warns Fort Bend ISD to prep for next wave of COVID The letter said that according to Army data there were an average of 129 felonies committed annually at Fort Hood between 2014 and 2019, including cases of homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery and aggravated assault. The members of Congress cited the deaths of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who according to federal officials was bludgeoned to death at the Texas base in April by a fellow soldier, and Pvt. Gregory Morales, whose remains were found in June while searching for Guillen. Morales was reported missing in August 2019. The letter also names Pvt. Mejhor Morta and Sgt. Elder Fernandes, whose deaths are still under investigation, and the homicide investigations of Pvt. Brandon Scott Rosecrans, Spc. Freddy Delacruz Jr. and Spc. Shelby Tyler Jones. According to the letter, McCarthy during an August visit to Texas stated that Fort Hood had the highest, the most cases for sexual assault and harassment and murders for our entire formation of the US Army. Lynch and Speier said they will report the conditions and circumstances that could have contributed to the soldiers deaths and seek justice on behalf of soldiers and families who may have been failed by a military system and culture that was ultimately responsible for their care and protection. The family of Guillen, whose remains were found on July 1, has rallied from Texas to the doors of the White House calling for a congressional investigation. Natalie Khawam, who represents the Guillen family, said she is thankful Congress has agreed to their demands to investigate. Our soldiers and their families deserve the truth, Khawam said. ___ Acacia Coronado is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. After a brief recovery before the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Danang, the tourism and hotel industry has faced yet another grim time. (photo: danangfantasticity.com) Nguyen Trung Khanh, general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that during the peak period of domestic tourism in July and August, the number of cancelled tours went up to 95-100 per cent. Thus, revenues in many tourist centres have dropped sharply, by up to 59 per cent. The situation has forced tourism businesses into new challenges, especially in the context of a sharp decline in international visitors to Vietnam in the past eight months. According to the General Statistics Office, international visitors to Vietnam in August reached 16,300 arrivals, an increase of 16.9 per cent compared to July. However, for the eight months of this year, the number of tourists coming to Vietnam only reached nearly 3.8 million arrivals, 66.6 per cent lower than the same period last year. Tourism revenue in the eight months also fell sharply by 54 per cent over the same period in 2019. With fewer tourists, most hotels can either close to save costs or reduce room rates to attract new guests. On agoda.com, a series of 3- to 5-star hotels in the heart of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are offering enticing discounts of 60-80 per cent. The rates for a double room at the 4-star Silk Path Hotel and the 5-star Hanoi Daewoo Hotel were reduced by 83 per cent to about VND1.3 million ($57) per night. In Ho Chi Minh City, the 6-star Reverie Saigon is also offering a strong room-rate reduction to attract customers. The price for a double room is only VND5.5 million ($240) per night, 52 per cent lower compared to the normal price. However, this policy may not be an effective solution to help hotels offset their revenue losses. Many small- and medium-sized hotel owners were unable to cope with such policies as they lasted too long, ultimately leading to many being forced to sell. In Ho Chi Minh City, a series of 2-3 star hotels in districts 1, 5, and Tan Binh are being offered for sale, starting at several tens of billions of VND. A 3-star hotel with 10 floors and more than 30 rooms in District 1 was also offered for sale for VND190 billion ($8.1 million) as the owner could no longer afford to pay the loan. In Hanoi, many hotels are temporarily closed, waiting to be liquidated or converted to other models due to business losses, including 4-5 star hotels. According to an owner of a 2-star hotel on Hanois Ma May Street, many places were forced to shrink their scale of operation. Many hotels had to be transferred or liquidated. The current prices depend on the location, facilities, negotiation, and are generally rather low. However, the number of people asking to buy can be counted on a few fingers, said the hotel owner. Ha Huong, owner of a 3-star hotel on Ngoc Khanh street, said that in the first three months of the year, COVID-19 had blown away VND10 billion ($431,000) of ground rent, staff costs, and utilities. During the next outbreak, he was forced to transfer the hotel to someone else. Nguyen Thanh, a real estate broker from Danang, said bank debt is the biggest reason why many hoteliers had to sell their properties. Most hotel investors have to borrow from banks. The pandemic has caused them severe financial crises which forced them to sell off their hotel. They cannot wait for the disease to stabilise and customers coming back, said Thanh. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 03:31:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH/GAZA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Palestine reported on Wednesday 696 new COVID-19 cases and two fatalities, raising the total number of infections in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem to 36,214 and the death toll to 217. Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila, said in a press statement that the death cases were from the West Bank cities of Hebron and Bethlehem. With 767 more having recovered in the past 24 hours, the total number of recovered cases has hit 24,993 since the outbreak in the Palestinian territories in March, she said. The recovery rate from the virus in Palestine is 69 percent, the minister added. However, al-Kaila warned that the spread of the virus in the densely populated areas in the besieged Gaza Strip "has become too dangerous for the entire society of the coastal enclave." Al-Kaila called on people to abide by the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. The Gaza Strip, with a population of 2 million, has been under Israeli siege for 13 years, during which much of its infrastructure and healthcare system has been damaged in repeated Israeli onslaughts. Enditem In a statement to The Irish Times on Wednesday evening, Ms Pelosi said Britain must respect the Northern Ireland Protocol as signed with the EU to ensure the free flow of goods across the Border. The Good Friday Agreement is the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland and an inspiration for the whole world, she said. Whatever form it takes, Brexit cannot be allowed to imperil the Good Friday Agreement, including the stability brought by the invisible and frictionless border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. The intervention by Ms Pelosi, the top Democrat in the US Congress, is likely to increase pressure on the British government over its controversial decision to row back on parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement it agreed with the European Union last year. Advertisement Earlier on Wednesday evening, Taoiseach Micheal Martin spoke to British prime minister Boris Johnson by telephone to express concern about the threat to break international law in the implementation of the Brexit treaty. "Micheal Martin spoke to PM Johnson and set out in forthright terms his concerns about latest developments in London on Brexit, including the breach of an international treaty, the absence of bilateral engagement and the serious implications for Northern Ireland," a UK government spokesman said. He stressed to the prime minister that the UK government should re-engage with EU negotiators urgently. Additional reporting: Reuters New Production Line Further Solidifies Companys Position as One of the Worlds Largest Suppliers of Fine Fiber Meltblown Filtration Media for N95 and Equivalent Respirators, Surgical Masks and MERV-, HEPA- and ULPA-Grade Air Filters Investment Supported by a Grant Awarded by the French Government to Create a Domestic Supply Chain of Products Essential to National Security and Public Health Lydall Positioned to Supply Enough Fine Fiber Meltblown Filtration Media to Support EU Production of 600M FFP2/FFP3 (N95 Equivalent) Respirators or 2.2B Surgical Masks Per Year MANCHESTER, Conn. and SAINT-RIVALAIN, France, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lydall, Inc. (NYSE:LDL), a leading global manufacturer of value-added engineered materials and specialty filtration solutions, today announced its investment in a new production line to create fine fiber meltblown filtration media for face masks and high-efficiency air filtration systems. This new line will be installed at Lydalls facility in Saint-Rivalain, France in the second quarter of 2021, substantially increasing the companys capacity to supply this critically needed material to the European market. The investment solidifies Lydalls position as one of the largest global suppliers of fine fiber meltblown filtration media, the crucial component of N95 respirators and the European equivalent, FFP2/FFP3, as well as surgical masks and MERV-, HEPA- and ULPA-grade air filters. Lydall will receive up to 30 percent of funding for the investment through the support of Frances Ministry of the Economy and Finance. COVID-19 has created unprecedented global demand for face masks, upgraded air filtration systems and other products that are essential to preventing the spread of the virus. In response, governments around the world are now focused on establishing secure, reliable and sustainable domestic supply chains so they can guarantee they have access to high-quality products that are pivotal to national security and public health, said Sara A. Greenstein, President & CEO of Lydall. Our global footprint and 100-year heritage in creating specialty filtration solutions position Lydall to serve as a local manufacturing partner to governments around the world, now more than ever. We take our role in creating products that protect people and places from viruses such as COVID-19 incredibly seriously, and we are grateful for the support of the French government, which will allow us to ramp up production even further. Story continues For more than 30 years, Lydalls Saint-Rivalain facility has manufactured medium- and high-efficiency filtration media for a variety of applications that are critical to environments such as operating rooms, gas turbines and nuclear containment buildings. The facility currently has one line dedicated to meltblown filtration media production to make high-efficiency indoor air quality filters and, in response to COVID-19, has maximized its output to support the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Europe. Once this additional line is operational, Lydall expects to produce enough fine fiber meltblown filtration media for 600 million FFP2/FFP3 respirators or 2.2 billion surgical masks per year. The company plans to hire additional staff to support the increase in production. The installation of this new, state-of-the-art production line will allow Lydall to advance filtration science and develop filtration media for higher-end air and liquid filters, said Ashish Diwanji, President of Lydall Performance Materials. COVID-19 was an unprecedented event that exposed the wider need to examine the indoor air quality of a variety of public spaces. As a global market leader in specialty filtration solutions, Lydall is at the forefront of that innovation and is committed to protecting people and places today, and in the years and decades to come. In addition to Saint-Rivalain, France, Lydall also produces meltblown filtration media in Rochester, New Hampshire. In June 2020, the company was awarded a $13.5 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Defense , enabling the installation of two new production lines to support U.S. face mask and air filter production. Lydall is in conversation with government officials around the world about how the company can support the domestic production of COVID-19-related products, as it has done in the U.S. and France. For more information on Lydalls role in preventing the spread of COVID-19, visit https://lydall.com/covid-19-relief-effort . About Lydall, Inc. Headquartered in Manchester, Connecticut with global manufacturing operations, Lydall delivers value-added engineered materials and specialty filtration solutions that promote a cleaner, safer and quieter world. We partner with our customers to develop bespoke, high-performing and efficient solutions that are adaptable and scalable to meet their needs. Lydall is a New York Stock Exchange-listed company. For more information, visit http://www.lydall.com . Lydall is a registered trademark of Lydall, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Investors: Media: Brendan Moynihan Danielle Orsino Telephone 860-646-1233 Telephone 949-365-6609 Facsimile 860-646-4917 danielle@dynamisadvisors.com info@lydall.com www.lydall.com BHPs WA-first hiring policy is being replicated across mining, oil and gas companies but the sector has warned that when construction ramps up on major new iron ore mines companies will need the flexibility to bring in workers from the east. Workers from eastern states have started to relocate to Western Australia as major resource giants flag WA-centric hiring policy. Credit:Rob Homer On Tuesday BHP revealed it would shift its interstate FIFO workforce to WA and require most new hires to live in the state. Growing pressure from the state government to hire locally and hard border policies making interstate FIFO more difficult has forced resources companies to rethink their human resources policies. A survey of WAs biggest mining companies including Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group and Woodside reveal they also have some form of WA-centric hiring policies. A conspiracy theory that holds that many in the elite are part of a sex trafficking cabal, QAnons supporters have increasingly moved into the mainstream. Many also attend evangelical churches. Its appeal in our world is World magazines cover story for this week and also was the subject of recent longform story for MIT Technology Review. But the phenomena is not limited to the United States, as Mark Sayers, the senior leader of Red Church in Melbourne, Australia, witnessed when he recently saw followers in shirts with symbols tied to the movement in his city. It's really interesting, cause as I looked at it, I began to see it less as a conspiracyI mean, there are elements of conspiracy theorybut it's really a new religious movement,said Sayers, who is also the author of Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture. And I wonder if it's the first great internet religion. Its not the only one out there, there are other online internet religions growing and other conspiracy theories flying aroundthis is just one of them. But I think there is some concern in it. Sayers joined global media manager Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen in a discussion for listeners who are trying to reach family members or other loved ones who have accepted these beliefs. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Leeand Ted Olsen Follow our guest on Twitter: Mark Sayers Visit our guests website: Mark Sayers Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Leeand Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola Highlights from Quick to Listen: Episode #229 Why don't you start by telling us what QAnon is? Mark Sayers: I guess my succinct explanation of what QAnon is would be that QAnon is a rapidly growing global, cultural, and political movement that is centered around a crowd-sourced conspiracy theory. To break down the big idea or architecture of what really the movement centers itself around is the idea that the world is controlled, and also held back, by a cabal of basically elite pedophiles. These elites are global elites, ranging from a varied cast of characters from members of the Democratic party, the Clintons to people like the Rothschilds, the great banking family to various Royals, to the Vatican, to members of Wall Street and celebrities. And essentially this evil nefarious force in the world is, at this moment, being pushed back essentially by President Trump, who's being aided by various patriots within this sort of US political world, but particularly the military and military intelligence. And the moment that we're in is moving towards something called The Storm, which is really the sort of reckoning, a judgment day, for this cabal of global elites and pedophiles. Theres a lot of variants within this movement; it's quite big and broad at the moment, but essentially this storm will come and bring judgment. Some people would see that as imprisonment, others would see this actually as death. And then after this Golden Age for American and the world will come. And all of this has been sparked by a mysterious internet board poster, who posts on various places like 4Chan and so on, who is known as Q. And Q puts out these things called drops, which are these leaky bits of information about things that could happen, and he claims to have insight and knowledge of what's happening in the Trump White House, but also the world. And Q appears to be someone who claims to be a personality who's linked to military intelligence and is telegraphing plays that are going to happen in this grand drama happening in the world. Article continues below When did QAnon actually start? Is this something that precedes things like the Jeffrey Epsteins arrest or was it accelerated by the Jeffrey Epstein arrest? Mark Sayers: One of the really interesting things in looking at the QAnon phenomenon is that you see that it emerges from this political and cultural milieu from around the mid-2010s, so just before the 2016 US election and just the after that. So obviously Epstein was in that discussion, and already online Epstein was being brought up as a case, which seemed corrupt before it gained mainstream media attention. It was happening around the incident, but also other things like information war, the rise of Anonymous, the hacker collective, to WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, to the Clinton e-mail leak around the 2016 elections, and all this milieu of disinformation and the emergence of Q, who emerges with these first posts in October 2017, emerges from that space. So it's definitely linked to real-world things happening which accelerates its power. But some of it would predate the actual will emerge and Q as someone posting a particular message. Before that, there were already people going through the huge amounts of data released by WikiLeaks, and there was a number of things floating aroundPizzagate, the theory that the Clinton and other political elites were linked to a particular avant-garde artist, that Beyonce was engaged in satanic ritualsbut then it takes this name and becomes the QAnon phenomenon when Q starts posting. Can you kind of summarize Pizzagate, for those who don't know it? Mark Sayers: So basically when all this trench of emails was releasedwhich was politically incredible; it was this incredible moment and a game-changing moment in the 2016 electionthey were put up online by WikiLeaks, and people started pouring through them. And because there was just such a vast amount of information, it was crowdsourced. And so you had people who were doing genuine journalism looking at what was in there. And there were all kinds of interesting things but there was a repeated mention where people did word searches for pizza. And in some ways, I see this as a sort of pattern recognition. So people began to say, what if pizza actually meant something else? And then some people threw it back to early internet culture, particularly around pedophilia and child pornography online, that pizza was some sort of code word for that. The theory begins to be crowdsourced and grow. And this sort of eventually comes to this point where they found that there was some sort of fundraiser or dinner with some leading Democrats at a particular pizza restaurant and a young man, who was quite radicalized by this experience, then turned up with an assault rifle, wanting to free the children. And that's when Pizzagate exploded into the public mainstream. And some people had alleged that this was used by various people practicing the dark arts of political influence and using and people who would traditionally use oppositional research. And there are some names out there of people who boosted this online. What are the claims that QAnon is making that are specifically attractive to Christians? Mark Sayers: Well if you look back over the last 10-plus years in the evangelical church, there has been a serious justice effort to free people from child trafficking and sex trafficking. So there's an element that people are already interested in those things. This would be attractive to them. Also, theres a real sense that there is high-level corruption in the world, particularly after the global financial crisis. And for people who may be living in areas where they felt that they've been ripped off in a sense by the elite, there is a resonance with that as a story which explains their experience of the world. Article continues below I think also, particularly for American evangelicals, there's a consolation of returning to a time of national greatness when America feels as if it's in decline. And there's also a sense that as America feels that it's divided, one of the things about QAnon is that it's this unifying thing which people can join in at a time of division. It also speaks to them in the language of spiritual warfare and has these contours of end-times theology. It uses biblical verses. It has a sense of the apocalyptic. If you look at the idea of The Storm, this golden era coming for America and the world, there are some messianic elements. One of the beliefs held by some sort of the QAnon followers is that John F. Kennedy, Jr., who died in 1999 in a plane crash, is going to come back almost as a messianic figure. There are actually people expecting that to happen and turning up to events that he would appear. And there was even a belief that he would be Trump's running mate. So you see a lot of Christian sort of elements there. I made up a term thinking about this, which I would call post-post-Christianity. And there's a sense where the US is dealing with the reality of moving to a place of post-Christianity, and as an Australian, I'm often asked if America will become more post-Christian like in Australia or Europe. But I see something emerging in the U.S., which is very different from our post-Christianity or European post-Christianity, which is much more religious. Its almost a secularization of spiritual warfare. There's a satanic elite, but instead of like in a book like Frank Peretti's, This Present Darkness, it's politicized. So instead of these spiritual strongholds over places, it's members of the Democratic party or the British Royal families. And I think were also in a time of hyper-publicization of everything in American life. It offers an interface between the spiritual experience and the political experience for a lot of American Christians. And what's interesting too, is it's providing a unifying space during COVID and where there's been an acceleration of disconnection from being physically in church. And a lot of people got online and have been radicalized or discipled in this. There are a lot of people out there who don't know how to have conversations with those they're concerned to have been influenced by QAnon. So if I have a loved one who is adopting some of these beliefs, where should I start in how I want to engage them? Mark Sayers: Well, the first thing, it sounds obvious, but I would pray for them and I wouldn't just pray for them, I would get a bunch of people praying for them. My belief is that there are actually spiritual forces that are at play here when I see something going so fast across the world, that's affecting so many things. I was contacted by a lot of people whose families are being broken up by this, and churches are being led astray by this. I see this as there are actually spiritual forces that are at play, and to not enter into this without real prayer covering for this person and that the spirit of truth will come. So get prayer covering for this person. The second thing is that I think it's really important to love people. I think there have been different times in this conversation where you hear things like time travel or John F. Kennedy, Jr. coming back, or people in Berlin acting in this completely unusual way and trying to storm Parliament, there's an element when you can laugh at this. There are bits where it just seems so outlandish. But there's an element that I think a lot of what these people are looking for is love and acceptance. Article continues below I think the fact that this is accelerated doing COVID, when so many people have become disconnected, that a lot of these people are finding a sense of meaning in these online communities. I think also we're in a moment where it's really hardparticularly in American lifeto talk about what you actually feel. And there's an element of cancel culture, people are afraid, and everything's so politicized that people look to go into a space where they can share without fear of judgment. So I think loving people, not mocking them. Finally, I think just asking Socratic questions. So very gently putting the burden of proof back on people. Like, I'm really interested in that idea. Can you share some more? Cause I'm struggling to believe that the government could organize something that big. Help me out there. So, engaging with the person but doing that in a loving way. How much do we think of this as a kind of a dangerous cult? How much do we think of this as a new religious movement or an alternative religion? If we have a loved one who is starting to watch YouTube videos on this kind of thing, how worried should we be? Mark Sayers: It's really interesting, cause as I looked at it, I began to see it less as a conspiracyI mean, there are elements of conspiracy theorybut it's really a new religious movement. And I wonder if it's the first great first internet religion. Its not the only one out there, there are other online internet religions growing and other conspiracy theories flying aroundthis is just one of them. But I think there is some concern in it. Were seeing this spill over into real-world violence. There was a man who went in an armored truck on the Hoover Dam, there was another man who became radicalized and tried to kill the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau. I can understand people concerned about child trafficking, but there's a very, very old and really horrible idea, which goes way back to the early Middle Ages of something called the blood libel, which goes back to the idea that in Europe, there was a Christian slander that Jewish people were drinking the blood of children. And when we think about Jewish people, they are often maligned as a global elite. And throughout the Middle Ages, we saw the blood libel often turn into pogroms that spread into the Islamic worldJewish people experienced the same thing in the Islamic world. And here's a famous document that says there's this secret cabal of Jewish people who run the world and the Rothschilds, the great European banking family who were Jewish, are often linked into that. So many conspiracy theories end up echoing antisemitic tropes. A lot of the echoes of this are that there is a global elite somewhere who are controlling the world and who were eating the blood of children. So even though a lot of people don't realize this, there is a definite antisemitic element to this. So I think there are some of the things alongside the spiritual dangers that we need to be aware of. Lastly, I've not seen something move this fast and have the ability to affect politics this radically. So there's an element where we can say, here's this phenomenon online and still be respectful, but in the American political system there'll soon be people making decisions who operate from this world view, which I think has dangerous potentials. So what would you say to leaders and pastors who are in the States right now? What does your outside perspective offer you as far as what you can relay back to them? Article continues below Mark Sayers: My outside perspective is that there's a definite tone in the United States at the momentwhich I think you see echoed not just in QAnonbut there's a definite sense of the system is overwhelmingly corrupt and needs to be burnt down. I think the internet has meant that theres nuance in that. So what elements are systemic injustice, what elements of corruption, what elements of political discourse have become decayed? And I think pastors have a real weapon in nuance. Their problem is we have an online environment that works against that. My experience in talking to friends is they're getting it from multiple angles, but there's an overarching theme of this country is heading to a crisis. I would say to invite people into humility. Inviting people to pray for our country from a position of real humility versus the grandstanding that happens from so many different people at the moment. Theres an Australian pollster and they just did a massive global poll asking what sort of leadership do people want during the pandemic. And the two things were inspiring and innovative. And I think there's an element of moving from a defensive position to actually inspiring people of what an innovative vision of what America and the church could look like after this period. Its doing apologetics on your feet and painting and inspiring, innovative vision of what God could do in the United States. What are some of the triggers that would make you as a pastor address something like this with your congregation versus focus on individual counseling and discipleship? Mark Sayers: I always notice when something goes beyond just a couple of voices to where it gets bigger and when something crosses over into the media. So when you realize this isn't just a couple of people. And whenever Ive tried to approach something like this, I always come at it from a much more meta angle. I feel like if you just hit it front on and say, Let's talk about QAnon versus talking about the fact that as a culture we're seeing these big trends where people are frustrated with their leaders and it can look like this on the left, it can look like this on the right, it can look like this online. So always sort of looking at the bigger pattern and talking about it in that way. I find people are much more receptive than when you just come directly front on with something like this. I think laying a biblical framework first is a really helpful way to begin to show how the Bible offers a greater hope, how the Bible looks at where history is going, how the Bible looks at justice and then playing off that. From your outsider perspective, specifically to American Christianity and American evangelicalism, what are you seeing that made the American church vulnerable to this? Are there ways you want to specifically encourage us in this area, or potentially offer feedback or rebuke? Mark Sayers: As an Australian, I'm a minority as a Christian. The first church in Australia was burnt down, and I've never expected to have power as a Christian in my country. My sense is that what America is going through is a shaking of cultural Christianity. I've always thought of America as a much more Christian culture than Australia but based on a recent Barna report, in the breakdown of millennials who are resilient disciples and those who are habitual Christians, the number of resilient disciplesthose who followed the Bibleis almost per capita the same amount in Australia as in the U.S. The difference, and the reason why the American church is bigger, is there's a heck of a lot more habitual Christians or cultural Christians. Article continues below And I feel like what's happening is you're going through an intense shaking off of those people. I don't have many of those people in my church, so in a sense, I'm free from a lot of that. I realize in the post-Christian society of Australia, I'm building a remanent church. I'm looking for those who really believe this stuff. The average young adult at my church has no Christian friends. I think you guys are coming into this space and it's scary and there's a sense of loss of power, there's a sense of a loss of position. I believe there's an invitation in front of the American church to step into a redemptive, humble moment. A moment of actually hungering after God because you don't have things of the world. You don't have power and influence. I feel like QAnon plays into the sense of people have lost power, so this gives them an explanation. But I think the gospel would just offer a much better explanation. Its not the size of the church, it's the size of the God who we worship. So I have a sense that America is going to go through a reckoning, but I have a real hope and prayer that something will rise after this, and it's actually going to be much healthier. That there's actually a bunch of leaders out there who don't feel like they have a place or position but are currently being prepared for the next season that God has in the United States. Amazon sells just about everything, even homes. The online giant has boasted several listings for tiny houses recently, with some going viral. Now, Amazon is upping its house-selling game with a new three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 774-square-foot house for $105,000. The home features an open kitchen, dining room, and even a sauna. It comes fully furnished, and its exterior is nearly all windowsso if you love lots of light (and aren't a stickler for privacy), this place seems like a dream come true! It's called the Cliff from Q-haus, an Estonian producer of prefabricated wooden structures. Designed by architect Kertti Soots, it's also one of the larger, pricier houses for sale on Amazon. GRAND DEBUT: You can stay in the 'Hey Sugar' room at this new Texas hotel But is it worth it? Before you add this massive purchase to your cart, there are a few things to know. Delivery could take several months The Amazon listing implies that the home could arrive within about a week. But, according to Q-haus, after signing the contract for the Cliff, production takes about three months and delivery times and rates vary depending on location. The home, which weighs more than 44,000 pounds, arrives in two fully insulated modules and includes the built-in furniture and appliances. You have to assemble it yourself Q-haus boasts that the tiny home is move-in ready within a few days, but two skilled workers are needed for assembly. Most likely, professional contractors will need to be hired to put it all together, adding to the overall cost. Marianne Cusato, partner at Cypress Community Development Corp., which provides affordable workforce housing after natural disasters, says the time frame of a few days is unlikelybut it will still be faster than constructing a home from the ground up. The materials say the unit comes in two boxes, which means there will be interior finishes that will need to be stitched together, Cusato says. There will also be welding to attach the unit to the foundation and plumbing and electrical hookups. Also, she cautions that since the unit is fabricated in Estonia, there could be issues with standard sizes of materials that could complicate and delay installation. However, Q-haus CEO Reino Soots told realtor.com via email that the company is working with a U.S. designer to ensure that the materials adhere to local standards. The foundation is another major cost Cusato says the price of the home is reasonable, but understand that it is not a turnkey price. Buyers will need to also pay for permits and utility setup, and hire contractors to install a foundation and assemble the tiny home. Theres also the cost of purchasing land. One of the biggest costson top of the purchase of the home itselfwill likely be installing the foundation, says Tyler Drew, president of Anubis Properties. On average, foundation costs between $4 and $7 per square footso for this 774-square-foot house, that would amount to $3,096 to $5,418. Another concern? This says its designed for concrete piles, which is a big no-no in seismically active areas, Drew explains. According to Q-haus, seismic resistance is under calculation. Whatever that means! Building permits and setting up utilities add to the costs Before purchasing any prefab or tiny house, make sure setting up such a structure is allowed in your area and that you have all required permits. Zoning rules and requirements vary by locationand the permitting process can take time. Without an understanding of the process, homeowners risk purchasing a unit that does not meet local codes, Cusato says. That is a lot of money to tie up while you work through permit details. Connecting the tiny house to water, electricity, and natural gas could also delay move-in and tack on extra fees, says Brian Davis, real estate developer and co-founder of property management software SparkRental.com. That could mean a hookup to public utility lines, or it could mean creating your own off-grid solar power and well or rainwater reclamation and filtration system, Davis says. PRIME PROPERTY | NEWSLETTER Find out about Houston-area real estate deals and developments. Get the weekly newsletter. See More Collapse Buying a home on Amazon could be risky Another concern with purchasing a tiny house on Amazon, Cusato says, is that homeowners have to pay the full price up front. Usually payments for prefab housing are phased: a deposit when a contract is signed, another payment when production begins or leaves the facility, and a final payment when the unit is set up on site. The perceived ease of purchasing the tiny house on Amazon is no doubt appealing, but, Cusato says, if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. The post The Ugly Truth About Amazon's Gorgeous $100K House appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. The UAE and India should have an open sky policy instead of an air service agreement between them, the Gulf nations Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna said on Wednesday, asserting that such a move would benefit airlines of both countries. The UAE is Indias trusted partner and its investment commitment is a testimony of its confidence in the economic growth story of India, Al Banna said at a webinar. The UAE is the largest Arab investor in India having a share of about 85 per cent of the total Arab investment in the country, he said. There exists immense untapped growth potential in many different sectors. The UAE wants to be the preferred economic partner of India and we want to work closely with India to improve on many different levels, Al Banna said at the webinar organised by Vijay Jolly, President of the Delhi Study Group. One of the most important aspect is the improvement of air connectivity which is yet another important economic growth catalyst that facilitates trade and tourism, he said. We have 1,068 flights between the UAE and India. More than 50 or 55 per cent of Indians who travel outside India, they use Dubai and Abu Dhabi as their transit points, he said. We need to look into having what we call an open sky policy, instead of having an air service agreement, which is limited in terms of capacity, in the number of seats, Al Banna said. Calling for a rethink on the issue, the UAE envoy said the two sides should look for a stronger collaboration wherein both Indian and UAE airlines would benefit. An open sky air service agreement allows for airlines from the two countries to have an unlimited number of flights as well as seats to each others jurisdictions. The National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016, allows the government to enter into an open sky air services agreement on a reciprocal basis with SAARC nations as well as countries beyond a 5,000 kilometre radius from New Delhi. India has signed open sky agreements with the US, Greece, Jamaica, Guyana, Finland, Spain and Sri Lanka, among other countries. Advertisement A Greek minister has confirmed that a fire which destroyed the country's largest migrant camp was started by migrants amid protests by asylum seekers who had tested positive for coronavirus and were refusing to go into isolation. The Moria camp, home to 12,000 refugees on the island of Lesbos, was completely destroyed by a blaze which began in the early hours of Wednesday. A second fire struck again tonight in the notoriously overcrowded refugee camp. Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi has said the fire was started by asylum-seekers, but did not confirm if it was a deliberate act of arson. 'Many fires broke out in the camp overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday... the incidents in Moria began with the asylum-seekers because of the quarantine imposed' after 35 cases of coronavirus were detected in the camp, Mitarachi said, adding that no-one was seriously hurt in the blaze. It comes after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis blamed the blaze on a 'violent reaction' to virus tests, echoing an earlier report that said several fires had been lit deliberately by migrants angry at being placed into isolation after testing positive. Since a Covid outbreak was detected at the camp last week, 35 have been confirmed positive. The race is now on to track those people down after hundreds fled into nearby towns and villages in the early hours, seeking shelter after theirs was destroyed. A state of emergency has since been declared over the island. Moria was home to almost 13,000 people - more than four times its official capacity - before the fire. Emergency services are now working to evacuate some of those people from the island, and find shelter for others elsewhere. Police have yet to confirm whether the fire was started deliberately, but have confirmed that an arson investigation is underway. Fire has almost completely destroyed Moria, the largest migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, leaving more than 12,000 asylum seekers without shelter The blaze broke out around 2am Wednesday amid reports that it was started by a group of coronavirus-positive migrants who refused to move into isolation Refugees and migrants survey the destroyed remnants of what few possessions they had after the Moria camp was gutted by fire in the early hours of Wednesday Fire rips through makeshift tents at the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, as police launch an arson investigation Migrants flee the flames at the Moria camp in the early hours of Wednesday. The fire almost completely destroyed the camp, but there were no immediate reports of casualties People walk along a perimeter wall on the outskirts of the Moria camp as flames burn in the background after a blaze broke out around 2am Wednesday Firefighters, who said they were initially blocked from going into the camp by protesters, managed to extinguish the flames but only after the majority of shelters had been destroyed Greece is now scrambling to find shelters for almost 13,000 migrants who called the camp home, despite it only having capacity to fit 2,750 people A boy surveys the wreckage of his shelter that the Moria migrant camp on Lesbos after it was gutted by fire A destroyed bed is seen next to charred pots and pans as Greece tries to find accommodation for almost 13,000 migrants, dozens of whom are infected with coronavirus Men, women and young children are seen sleeping in a pile next to a road after flames gutted Greece's largest migrant camp Separately, firefighters said they were blocked from entering the camp and pelted with rocks by groups of migrants, and had to call for police support. Wednesday night's fires broke out inside the parts of Moria camp that had not burned in the first blaze, sending people streaming from the camp with their belongings, according to an Associated Press photographer in the area. Moria had been under a coronavirus lockdown when the first fire gutted a large section of it, and health officials said some of those who had tested positive for the virus had fled. 'The combination of migration and the pandemic in these conditions is creating an exceptionally demanding situation,' Alternate Migration Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos said. Civil protection authorities declared a four-month state of emergency for public health reasons on Lesbos. Officials said the original fire was started by camp residents angered by the lockdown measures and isolation orders imposed after 35 people tested positive for COVID-19. The cases were found during broad testing and contact tracing after the illness of a Somali man who had been granted asylum and had left the island in July but later returned. The exact cause of the first blaze was being investigated, but 'what is certain is that the fire was started, because of the quarantine, by asylum-seekers in the facility,' said Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi, who flew to Lesbos with Greece's interior minister and the head of the public health organization. 'Instances of unlawful behaviour such as the ones we experienced yesterday will not be left unpunished,' Mitarachi said. 'Such behaviour is not acceptable, and also respect for law and order is a necessary precondition for the asylum process.' Refugee support group Stand by Me Lesvos said on Twitter it had received reports that Greek locals on the island had blocked fleeing asylum seekers from heading into a nearby village. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas warned that authorities face a 'titanic' effort to shelter the asylum seekers, as well as track down and isolate dozens of confirmed coronavirus infections among them. 'There are 35 positive cases and they need to be isolated... to prevent an outbreak among the local population,' Petsas told state TV ERT. A thousand of the migrants will be relocated to Germany, the leader of the country's most-populous state has announced, as Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on European states to help. Norway has already offered to take 50 Syrians from Moria even though Greece has currently banned the camp's former residents from leaving the island. Meanwhile the EU promised to pay for 400 unaccompanied youngsters to be transported to the mainland. In dramatic night-time scenes, camp inhabitants fled fires that broke out at multiple points and were fanned by gale-force winds, gutting much of the facility and surrounding hillside olive groves. Protests also broke out involving migrants, riot police, and firefighters. There were no reports of injuries. Aid agencies have long warned of dire living conditions at Moria, where more than 12,500 have been living in and around a facility built to house just over 2,750. Officials have been trying for months to build a new camp on Lesbos to replace Moria but locals have resisted, clashing with riot police earlier this year to prevent construction from going ahead. By dawn on Wednesday most of the camp was a smouldering mass of burnt containers and tents, with a few people searching through the debris for their possessions. 'There was not just one but many fires in the camp. Migrants threw stones at firefighters trying to put out the fires,' Constantine Theophilopoulos, fire brigade chief for the northern Aegean, told ERT TV. Greek news agency ANA said the fires had started after a revolt by asylum seekers who were to be placed in isolation after testing positive for coronavirus or coming into close contact with an infected patient. A man picks his way between the destroyed remains of tents inside the Moria camp, after the fire had burned out A woman packs up her possessions as she leaves the Moria camp after it was destroyed by fire on Wednesday The whole of Lesbos has been placed under a state of emergency amid fears that migrants fleeing the camp - including dozens who have coronavirus - could cause an outbreak on the island Destroyed tents and shelters smoulder in the early morning sun after a fire gutted the Moria migrant camp, on Lesbos A woman and a girl make their way through the remains of the Moria camp, as Greek authorities scramble to find shelter for more than 12,000 people who called it home Migrants sit alongside a road outside the Moria camp after it was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Wednesday Regional fire chief Konstantinos Theofilopoulos told Greek public broadcaster ERT that the fire started in more than three places in quick succession, and that firefighters were hampered by protesting residents. Before dawn, riot police set up cordons along a highway near the camp to restrict the movements of the camp's residents. Migration minister Koumoutsakos said initial reports indicated there had been no loss of life in the blaze. He said the more than 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers who had been living in the camp were now in hotels or other safe areas on the island. New temporary accommodation would be set up for residents left homeless by the fire, 'preferably not near the Moria area and, necessarily, obviously not all together,' he said. Firefighters also said they had been blocked from entering the camp to battle the blaze by a group of refugees and had asked for police assistance. The camp has seen a spike in coronavirus patients since reporting its first case last Wednesday, with 35 confirmed infections so far. Migrant camps on the islands have endured months of lockdowns as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with access severely restricted. But at Moria, the restrictions have been harder to enforce because of the large number of asylum seekers sleeping outside the camp's walls. Rights groups including the UN refugee agency have urged Greece to reduce congestion in its migrant camps. The Moria camp, which was built to hold fewer than 2,800 people, had been routinely criticised for its lack of hygiene and overcrowding. Many refugees have been unable to find lodgings and jobs after leaving the camps, with housing and cash benefits recently scaled back by the government. A child walks among destroyed shelters following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the Island of Lesbos Migrants sit inside the burnt Moria Camp on the Greek island of Lesbos after a fire gutted the settlement overnight A man carrying his possessions in a bin bag makes his way through the ruins of the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos A migrant boy rides a destroyed bicycle next to the burned debris in the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos An aerial view of destroyed shelters following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants Damaged buildings can be seen in the Moria migrant camp after a huge fire 'completely destroyed' it overnight A migrant looks the burned Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece Two men walk amid smoke inside the burnt camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos after a major fire broke out Lesbos was put under a state of emergency for four months for public health reasons, the civil protection service said, which allows it to mobilise all forces to support the island and asylum seekers. Mytilini mayor Stratis Kytelis said migrants would have to be moved or housed on ships to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 'The situation was out of control,' policeman Argyris Syvris told Open TV, adding that police had been forced to release some 200 people who were due to be repatriated to their countries. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held an emergency cabinet meeting on the situation, and the migration and interior ministers headed to Lesbos. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas told state TV ERT those living in the Moria camp would not be allowed to leave the island due to the coronavirus outbreak. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said the European Union had agreed to fund the immediate transfer of 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers to the Greek mainland. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas described the fires as 'a humanitarian disaster', and said EU member states should be ready to take in some of the refugees from the camp. Lesbos was on the front line of a mass movement of refugees and migrants to Europe in 2015-2016. Fire burns container houses and tents in the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos Two men walk amid smoke inside the burnt camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos after a major fire broke out People walk in the burnt camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos after a major fire broke out A man walks amid smoke inside the burnt camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos after a major fire broke out The whole camp was placed under quarantine last week after a coronavirus outbreak was detected inside, with 35 positive cases reported so far (file image) Kim Delaney is going back to her roots! And no, that's not with another role on "NYPD Blue," which she starred on from 1995-2003. Actually, she's going all the way back to the beginning of her career by taking a role on "General Hospital," Deadline reports. There aren't a lot of details on what character she'll play, but one of Delaney's first professional roles was as Jenny Gardner on "All My Children," on which she appeared from 1981-84. "General Hospital" is an ABC soap opera and "All My Children" aired on that network for decades, and characters have jumped from one series to the next, so it's not impossible that she might be reinvigorating the role. Kim Delaney on Of course, Jenny did die on "All My Children" in 1984, but showed up again 10 years later as her character's spirit, and death has rarely been an obstacle on soaps. Regardless of her character, there's always a chance she'll have scenes with Michael E. Knight, who played her brother on "All My Children" and is currently on "General Hospital" as lawyer Martin Gray. Kim Delaney and Michael E. Knight (Walt Disney Television via Getty) Delaney has had a long, award-winning career since leaving soaps, earning three Emmy nominations and one win, in 1997, for "NYPD Blue," and lately has been recurring on "Chicago Fire" and "The Oath." "General Hospital" had been on hiatus during the pandemic quarantine, but began shooting shows again on July 22. New episodes began airing Aug. 3. The series is the longest-running soap still on the air, debuting in 1963. Delaney was set to begin filming Wednesday, and her first episodes will begin airing later this month or early October, according to Deadline. AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Biologics, LLC announced the launch today of EXIT COVID-19, their Phase II, multi-center clinical trial examining the use of ExoFlo extracellular vesicles to treat COVID-19 associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Preclinical studies of these extracellular vesicles secreted by bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs) suggest that they may have the ability to downregulate inflammation and upregulate tissue repair in humans. EXIT COVID-19 has initiated enrollment of 75 COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS at multiple research sites across the U.S. The primary efficacy endpoints will be all-cause mortality and median days to recovery. Chief Medical Officer Vik Sengupta, MD, states, "We have pursued a relentless path since April 2020 when the 24 inpatients were treated, and ExoFlo's potential as a therapeutic countermeasure against severe COVID-19 first became clear. Patients in the U.S. deserve safe, innovative therapies that meet the highest standards of value and evidence-based medicine, and our phase II double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial is the next step in that process. It will continue to be my priority to maintain these standards as we investigate the potential benefit of ExoFlo as a treatment for COVID-19 associated ARDS." "This signifies an important milestone in the progression of our product platform development to help in the fight against COVID-19," states Joe Schmidt, Co-Founder and President. "This novel therapy has the potential both to improve outcomes for patients and also to reduce overall costs of hospital stays and adjunctive treatments by speeding recovery and reducing the need or length of ICU time." Mark Adams, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, states, "We are excited to start enrolling patients in the study and look forward to seeing the outcomes of this advanced therapy. We are dedicated to bringing to market a novel treatment at an accelerated pace to help patients suffering from this devastating disease." About ExoFlo ExoFlo is an investigational new drug that has not been approved or licensed by the FDA. It is an 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 Biologics' 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 In 2009, Barack Obama became the fourth US President to win the Nobel Peace Prize US President Donald Trump got nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2021 on September 9 for brokering a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to Alfred Nobels will, the Nobel Peace Prize should go to someone who has done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses. Since the creation of the Nobel Peace Prize, four US presidents, and one vice president, have received the prestigious award that is presented on December 10 every year. The first US president to win the Nobel Peace Prize was Theodore Roosevelt. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1906 for his role in ending the Russo-Japanese War by arranging a diplomatic conference between the representatives of both sides at Portsmouth, where the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed. The next US president to win the Nobel Peace Prize was Woodrow Wilson who got the award in 1920 for his efforts in ending World War I and for playing a pivotal role in creating the League of Nations. In 2002, US President Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in finding peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advancing democracy and human rights, and promoting economic and social development. In 2007, US vice president Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in obtaining and spreading knowledge on climate change. In 2009, Barack Obama became the fourth US President to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in strengthening international diplomacy and cooperation. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's general council in Chennai on Wednesday dubbed the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government as 'anti-people' and vowed to dislodge it from power and make party president M K Stalin as Chief Minister by winning the Assembly elections next year. IMAGE: DMK president M K Stalin along with newly elected party general secretary Duraimurugan. left, and newly elected party treasurer T R Baalu during partys General Council meeting, at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai, on Wednesday. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/PTI Photo The party unanimously elected veteran Duraimurugan as general secretary and senior leader T R Baalu as treasurer. Former Telecom Minister A Raja and seasoned party leader K Ponmudi were elected as deputy general secretaries. Alleging that the AIADMK regime was tainted by corruption, the party, in its meet presided by Stalin, condemned the Centre for 'guarding' such a regime for the past about four years. The AIADMK is in power in Tamil Nadu since 2011 and following the death of late J Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016, K Palaniswami became Chief Minister on February 16, 2017. Assembly elections are due in April-May 2021 and the present 15th Assembly was constituted on May 21, 2016. Stalin, in his address at the party headquarters in Chennai, appealed to office-bearers to refresh people's memory that the AIADMK 'has not done anything useful' for the people in the last about 10 years of its rule. Due to COVID protocol, the 3,500 member strong general council saw the presence of only a small section of members, less than 100, while others joined through a virtual link. "Only we are going to win whenever the elections are held. But they (AIADMK) will not allow us to emerge victorious so easily. We have to work hard for victory," he said. "You should have only one goal and that is the return of DMK rule, Kalaignar's (late patriarch M Karunanidhi) regime," he said and reminded functionaries that only about six months was left for the elections. The DMK chief, who is the leader of opposition in the Assembly, accused the AIADMK government of all round failure and corruption. "The debt burden of Tamil Nadu is 4.45 lakh crore. This is their achievement. We have to immediately start work to send this regime home," he said. The party's coronavirus relief work 'Ondrinaivom Va', (Let us come together) has no parallel anywhere in the world, he claimed and praised Duraimurugan and others for their hard work for decades, which led to their growth in the party. Accusing the state government of failure in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, the DMK, in a resolution, alleged irregularities in issuance of e-pass, tenders, and in several areas, including procurement of test kits. 'This general council condemns the AIADMK government for causing an overall setback to the socio-economic and industrial growth in Tamil Nadu... for corruption in tenders of all departments,' a resolution said, adding that those behind the 'coronavirus pandemic corruption' would be made to answer. Another resolution alleged that the AIADMK government was an embodiment of corruption and extravagance that pushed the people into an unending cycle of hassles. The government is 'anti-people', marked by administrative failure and functioned for only 'commission, corruption and collection', the party alleged. The DMK also targeted its arch rival on a slew of other issues, including the state government's 'inability' to get exemption for Tamil Nadu from the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test, and for trying to implement the Chennai-Salem expressway, which is against the 'interests of farmers'. Hence, 'this general council vows to slog to make party president M K Stalin as Chief Minister to take Tamil Nadu on the pathway of growth again by trouncing the anti-people and anti-democratic AIADMK in the 2021 Assembly elections', a resolution said. Duraimurugan has held several posts in the DMK, including that of principal secretary and deputy general secretary and he is a former State Minister and nine time MLA. The 82-year-old Duraimurugan resigned from the post of treasurer in March to enable him contest for the post of general secretary. The post had fallen vacant following the demise of top leader K Anbazhagan in March, who held that post for over four decades. DMK's Parliamentary Party leader T R Baalu and the party's Villupuram district strongman K Ponmudi have held several positions in the party organisation. A Raja has also held positions, including that of district secretary and has been the DMK's propaganda secretary since 2009. The party general council was originally slated to be held on March 29, but it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. RH signage is displayed on a monitor of the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Here are the companies making headlines in extended trading: RH Shares of the company jumped more than 15% after the company beat expectations on the top and bottom lines for its second quarter and said its operating margin was improving more quickly than it expected. RH earned an adjusted $4.91 per share in the quarter, while analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were looking for $3.41 per share. CEO Gary Friedman said in a letter that the company was generating "luxury" brand margins ahead of schedule. Zscaler Shares of the software company fell 2% after the software company reported quarterly results. The company beat expectations on the top and bottom lines, though its earnings per share and operating margin declined compared with the same quarter last year. The stock has gained nearly 200% year to date. GameStop Shares of the beleagured retailer dropped 10% after the company reported a wider than expected loss for its fiscal second quarter. GameStop posted an adjusted loss of $1.40 per share, while analysts surveyed by Refinitiv expected a loss of $1.13 per share. The stock had nearly doubled since the start of August but GameStop still ended Wednesday's trading session with a market cap just under $500 million. Kansas City Southern Shares of the railroad company fell about 2% after the Wall Street Journal reported that the company had rejected a takeover offer from private equity firms. The offer was reportedly for $208 per share. Kansas City Southern's share price at the end of Wednesday's session was roughly $185. Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse city councilors are expected to pass legislation Monday that will bar landlords from evicting tenants from any of the thousands of one- and two-family rental houses that are not on the citys rental registry. The measure is intended to make landlords comply with the registry, giving city officials more control over rental properties so they can address code violations and safety hazards like peeling lead paint, said Councilor-at-Large Michael Greene, a co-sponsor. Councilors have expressed broad support for the measure and are expected to pass it with ease Monday, Greene said. Mayor Ben Walsh also supports it. The city established the rental registry in 2007 to try to ensure the quality of one- and two-family rental properties. (Owner-occupied properties are exempt, as are larger apartment buildings, which are covered by separate regulations.) But roughly 60% of the 9,000 properties that should be on the rental registry are not, said Michael Collins, commissioner of neighborhood and business development. The intent of the legislation is to increase compliance with the rental registry so that city officials can keep better tabs on properties. It will also give tenants greater protection against eviction by scofflaw landlords who dont follow the citys rules. Under the ordinance proposed by Greene and 4th District Councilor Latoya Allen, landlords would be prohibited from collecting rent if their properties are not on the rental registry. As a practical matter, that change would come into play during eviction proceedings. The ordinance specifically prohibits the eviction of tenants who did not pay rent during any period when their residence was not in compliance with the rental registry. It does not prevent landlords who join the registry from going back to collect rent that went unpaid while the house was out of compliance. But the back rent cannot be used to evict, even after the property is registered. That will get landlords' attention and should encourage more participation in the rental registry, said tenant advocate Mary Traynor, a lawyer at Legal Services of Central New York who sought the legislation. There are thousands of evictions each year in Syracuse, she said. Traynor said she hopes the new legislation will lead to more inspections of rental houses. The rental registry calls for interior inspections of properties once every three years. The owner cannot be forced to allow the inspection as a condition of being registered, but code officials can ask tenants for access if the owner declines. In extreme cases, they can seek a warrant to inspect. "Even though its voluntary, it just starts that discussion,'' Traynor said. "Hopefully it will increase the number of inspections.'' About 20% of landlords on the rental registry have allowed the city to inspect their properties, Collins said. Even if that rate stays the same, adding more properties to the registry will help city officials better monitor city housing stock, he said. "Were just better able to keep tabs on them,'' he said. In addition, the new ordinance should cut down on the total number of evictions, Collins said, because tenants will be protected if their residence is not on the registry. "This is another way to make sure that tenants have full due process,'' Collins said. Thats what were looking for, to make sure people are not taken advantage of. Greene said his intent was to get more cooperation from landlords who avoid the registry so they wont have to address code violations. Many of the worst landlords avoid registering because they dont want to spend money on repairs, he said. "Because theyve never registered the apartment, its never been inspected, (and) they can just float on for years never addressing a health and safety violation,'' he said. If it helps get more inspectors into buildings, the rental registry will help the citys effort to combat lead poisoning, which affects hundreds of Syracuse children each year. In July, the city passed legislation allowing code enforcement officers for the first time to inspect houses for lead. The city can fine property owners if the problem is not fixed and can seize the property if the fines arent paid after a year. Allen, whose district includes parts of the South and East sides, told councilors during a study session today that the new ordinance will help improve housing quality. "With the conditions of the rental properties that we see within the city of Syracuse, and especially within my district, I just wanted to make sure that we have something in place where were ... making living conditions better,'' she said. News tips? Contact reporter Tim Knauss of syracuse.com/The Post-Standard: email | Twitter | | 315-470-3023 MOUNT PLEASANT For many, it seemed the logical and proper thing to do: extend for two months a policy requiring people to wear face masks in certain public places. But others opposed the towns mask ordinance, arguing that people were wearing masks anyway, that expert opinion on their effectiveness in limiting COVID-19 contagion is questionable, and that the government should not impose rules on free citizens. A revised renewal ordinance was presented at Tuesdays Town Council meeting, where it received a first reading and generated comments from 60 people. It passed, 5-4. A second reading will be scheduled soon. Once implemented, the ordinance would require Mount Pleasant residents to wear face coverings only in grocery stores, pharmacies and town-owned or town-operated buildings. Additionally, restaurants, retail stores, salons, grocery stores, pharmacies and indoor facilities such as gyms must require employees to wear face masks if they interact face to face with the public or other employees. The rule would expire after 61 days. The first mask ordinance expired Aug. 31. At the council meeting the following Tuesday, a renewal ordinance, which required a two-thirds majority to pass during an special meeting called for this purpose, failed in a 5-4 vote, upsetting many, including Mayor Will Haynie, who threw his support behind a change.org petition started by Diane Tideman. The petition garnered 12,700 signatures by the day of the revote. Opponents of enforced mask-wearing in limited public areas responded to the advocacy campaign with a petition of their own, launched by Jennifer North. By Tuesday it had attracted about 1,500 signatures. At Tuesdays council meeting, members of the public were permitted two minutes each to comment. A slight majority, including several medical professionals, spoke in favor of the ordinance, arguing that it was "an act of compassion for the most vulnerable among us"; that it was a public health issue, not a political issue; and that masks are effective in reducing the spread of the aerosol particles that convey the virus to others. John Hagerty, a member of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, said the mask ordinance will help the business community recover. "We want to get open and stay open," he said. Opponents argued that the ordinance was an example of government overreach and an infringement on civil liberties; part of a "leftist political agenda"; and a result of unproven science. A few suggested the ordinance would encourage pedophilia and sex trafficking. One woman, a survivor of abuse, said her trauma prevented her from wearing a mask. Another cited her medical condition as a reason to avoid wearing a mask. The renewed ordinance would not apply to everyone. Those unable to safely wear a face covering due to age, an underlying health condition or unable to remove the face covering without the assistance of others are exempt. So are children 12 and under, and people whose religious beliefs prevent them from wearing a face covering. People who work in a private or individual office also are exempt, along with police officers, firefighters and other first responders when not practical or engaged in a public safety matter of an emergency nature. Failure to abide by the mask rules would be deemed a civil infraction, resulting in a fine of not more than $25. Employees who interact with the public and fail to wear a mask could be fined up to $100. Repeated violations of the ordinance could put a store owner or operator at risk of more severe punishment, such as revocation of occupancy permits or business licenses. Mount Pleasant authorities issued no citations during the two months when the previous ordinance was in effect. Scott Curry, an infectious diseases doctor at the Medical University of South Carolina, on Saturday wrote an email to council members asking them to reconsider their earlier vote and pass the ordinance. He said the situation at MUSC in July was truly awful, with 1-2 COVID deaths per day and 25% of our total bed capacity occupied by COVID-19 patients. But the hospital in August and early September has seen improvements. Mask wearing has gotten us to this better place, Curry wrote. While asymptomatic COVID-19 is not as prevalent as the national media and CDC quote, patients with COVID-19 are overwhelming mildly ill and perceive their illness as allergies or a cold. Keeping such people masked is the entire point of mask ordinances. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of masks in public settings, especially when social distancing is not practical. Masks prevent or limit the release of droplet aerosols by people when breathing, talking or singing. The COVID-19 virus is airborne and typically transmitted when an infected person in the vicinity of others produces tiny droplets of moisture containing the microbes. Masks are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings, according to the CDC, which cites 19 recent studies that evaluate the spread of the coronavirus. After about two hours of public comments, council voted as it did last week: Haynie, Guang Ming Whitley, Howard Chapman, Laura Hyatt and Jake Rambo voted yes; Brenda Corley, Kathy Landing, Tom O'Rourke and Gary Santos voted no. This time, only a simple majority was needed and the ordinance passed the first round. Rebuking Machado Regarding Duke Machados Aug. 22 column, Black Lives Matter dividing nation. He claims statistically that racial injustice doesnt exist. Yet systemic racism can be seen when at current levels of incarceration a black male in the United States has greater than a 1-in-4 chance of going to prison during his lifetime. Mr. Machado states that the perpetrators of violence in Portland were members of BLM. To be clear: This violence happened two blocks from the peaceful protest BLM organized. Portland BLM leader Danialle James stated: We want the public to know that were not those folks beating people up and robbing them. Next is the Seattle incident where protesters walked through a former black neighborhood yelling at homeowners to give people back their homes. The right-wing video depicts a violent mob threatening white homeowners. Watch the video, consider the context and a different story emerges: There was no violence; the crowd was loud and angry, but if you look theyre not all black. And gentrification in Seattle is a big problem. To live comfortably in Seattle, you need a minimum annual salary of $72,000, and the minimum wage in Seattle is around $24,000. Ryanair has cut its annual passenger target to 50 million passengers from a forecast of 60 million made in July as COVID-19 renders the winter a write-off", Group Chief Executive Michael OLeary told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. The Irish airline, Europes largest low-cost carrier, in July cut its passenger target to 60 million for the financial year to March 2021, from the 80 million it had forecast in May. But a spike in COVID-19 cases and the poor performance of some EU governments has cut that and the number to 50 million - one-third of the level of last year - and it may go lower, OLeary said. We are guiding now for about 50 million passengers for the full year to the end of March," he said, estimating an average of around 5 million passenger per month for the winter. I think at the moment the way governments are handling it the risk is to the downside," he said. The move follows similar comments from British rival easyJet on Tuesday, which said it expected to fly slightly less than the 40% planned capacity for the final quarter of its financial year. Fares will also be aggressively down" as airlines launch seat-sales to stimulate demand, OLeary said. Were hoping to see a vaccine emerge maybe in the first quarter of next year but I think the winter of 2020 will essentially be a write-off." As a result Ryanair will have to close some bases and cut capacity at others, he said, mentioning Britain, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. Were probably looking at closing more bases and withdrawing more capacity in those countries where youre operating completely defective and non-scientific quarantines." Capacity may be added in other countries such as Germany and Italy, he said. OLeary said he expected Ryanair would shed significantly less than the 3,000 jobs it warned of earlier in the crisis. But you know, were not at the end of this yet. These are going to be very challenging times this winter," he said. Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor Premier Daniel Andrews has lost confidence in himself as he faces increasingly harsh criticism over his ongoing lockdowns, body language experts have claimed. Mr Andrews has faced the media every morning for 69 consecutive days since Victoria was rocked by a deadly second wave of COVID-19 infections. Body language experts Dr Louise Mahler and Katia Loisel examined Mr Andrews' press conference on Tuesday, and told Daily Mail Australia his voice, posture and facial expressions revealed the pandemic was taking its toll on the premier. Body language experts Dr Louise Mahler and Katia Loisel told Daily Mail Australia Mr Andrews' voice, posture and facial expressions revealed the pandemic was taking its toll on the premier Leadership speaker Dr Mahler said while the premier has a tough job during the health crisis his body language revealed he was struggling to project authority and connect with his audience. 'What I'm seeing is management but not leadership,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Management is answering questions, giving data. Leadership is changing hearts and minds of the populace.' Dr Mahler said she one major tell was how the premier put his energy into the upper half of his body by leaning on the podium. 'This is not a good sign. When you're being powerful, you must have your energy in the body,' she said. 'He clenches his mouth very tight and shuts his eyes.' Vision from the press conference shows the premier gripping the sides of the podium. Dr Mahler also noticed the premier looking down to the bottom right when he answered questions. Body language expert Dr Louise Mahler said the premier puts his energy into the upper half of his body by leaning on the podium. 'This is not a good sign. When you're being powerful, you must have your energy in the body,' she said Body Language Expert Katia Loisel from Love Destination said it appeared as through Mr Andrews' confidence has taken a hit 'He looks down and reads, his only compensation to his audience is raising his eyebrows,' she said. 'He will lift his hand up as a karate chop but look down at the same time.' The body language expert also described the premier's engagement with the media as 'ordinary' and described his voice as 'monotone'. WHAT DOES DAN ANDREWS' BODY LANGUAGE SHOW? Leaning forward, gripping the podium, looking down: Lack of leadership and confidence Monotone voice: Disconnected and boring Tucked chin, lowered head, compressed mouth: Sadness, deflation and exasperation Lifted shoulders, averted gaze, pacifying gestures: Stress, anxiety, negative emotion Advertisement 'He's almost unbearable to listen to,' she said. While Mr Andrews has appeared at press conferences for almost 70 days in a row, Dr Mahler said it didn't appear as though he had improved his public speaking skills. 'People often say practice practice practice is key,' she said. 'He is practicing the same thing but becoming more boring and disconnected.' Katia Loisel, body language expert from Love Destination said Mr Andrews appeared to be struggling to project self-belief. 'There is no doubt that Dan Andrews' confidence has taken a hit,' she said. 'His non-verbal communication clearly indicating a man who knows that he's fallen out of favour with the Victorian public and is bracing for whatever comes next. 'Love him or hate him Dan Andrews is a politician who wears his heart on his sleeve which means that this apprehension, anxiety, and sadness is on display for all to see.' Ms Loisel said the premier tries to mask his emotions with a stiff upper lip, as do the majority of politicians. 'What we're seeing is genuine sadness, the same sadness that many if not most Victorians are feeling,' she said. 'That sadness, that sense of deflation and exasperation is reflected in Mr Andrews' withdrawn posture, tucked chin, lowered head, and downturned compressed mouth.' Ms Loisel said the premier's withdrawn nonverbal communication is likely a reflection of the pressure of the pandemic. Mr Andrews is seen during his daily coronavirus update on Tuesday Focusing on Mr Andrews' facial expressions, the body language expert said it was obvious the premier is tired. 'His stress, sadness, anxiety and overwhelm on display for all to see,' Ms Loisel said. 'His lifted shoulders, tucked chin, compressed downturned lips, tongue movements, averted gaze and use of pacifying or soothing gestures are a clear indication of negative emotion and that all is not well.' But Ms Loisel pointed out that while he did not exude confidence while speaking, his answers to questions made it clear he backs his policy choices. 'Whilst clearly apprehensive during each question, Mr Andrews' body language and facial expressions reveal a man who believes in the data and that the chosen path forward is the right one,' Ms Loisel said. She said the premier braced himself for each question thrown at him by journalists on Tuesday before answering them with 'increasing confidence'. Dr Mahler, who has a PhD is on leadership and the techniques used to lead, said Mr Andrews should focus on making eye contact and delivering powerful statements. 'None of this is happening,' she said. Victoria reported 55 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths on Tuesday. Pictured: Victoria's second wave of infections Mr Andrews typically begins his daily coronavirus updates by relaying the data from the past 24 hours. BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT'S TIPS FOR DAN ANDREWS - Stand up straight - Relaxed lips - Eye contact - Deliver creative stories Advertisement He reads out the new COVID-19 cases and deaths as well as the number of tests conducted, before making announcements and taking questions from journalists. On Tuesday, the premier said there were 55 new infections and eight deaths. 'There are 19,615 confirmed cases of coronavirus in total since the beginning of the pandemic in Victoria. That is an increase of 55 since yesterday's report,' Mr Andrews began the press conference. 'There have, I am sad to say, been 683 Victorians who have lost their life due to this global pandemic. That is an increase of eight since yesterday's report.' Dr Mahler said Mr Andrews' gestures and facial expressions seemed habitual rather than intentional. The body language referred to a picture where the premier is standing on one leg, which she said gives the impression he doesn't care about what other people think. She also shared tips for the premier to present like a leader. 'I'd love to see him standing up straight, I'd love to see his mouth without tension in it, I would like to see eye contact,' she said. Dr Mahler would also like variation in his vocal tone and for the premier to deliver 'creative stories to lead our thinking in the right direction'. An investor watches the electronic board at a stock exchange hall on November 26, 2018 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China. In a publicly released response Monday to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange's letter of concern, the company said there was no insider trading or market manipulation. For example, Shenzhen Changfang , a manufacturer of light-emitting diode (LED) products, said in a filing that on Friday a shareholder named Nie Xianghong accidentally sold 16,000 shares by typing in the wrong stock ticker. She was acting in accordance with Li Dichu, one of the company's top 10 investors who has a roughly 11% stake and had planned to trim his holdings by about 3% of the company's shares, the filing said. BEIJING Multiple publicly listed Chinese companies have disclosed instances of what they characterize as accidental stock sales in the last few weeks. The company also disclosed in filings that Li and a few other major investors have yet to complete their share reduction plans. The stock price has more than doubled from Sept. 2 to Sept. 7 despite disclosure of sharp revenue losses from the shock of the coronavirus in Changfang's export markets such as India. This and other trading "errors" by major shareholders come after mainland Chinese stocks have recorded significant gains this year. The CSI 300 is up more than 12% and the Shanghai composite has risen 7% for the year so far. Regulators have also moved ahead with efforts this year to open up domestic financial markets further to foreign institutions, and remove some restrictions on stock listings and trading. However, analysts generally emphasize that stricter punishment for securities fraud is needed for China's stock markets to mature. Other filings this month reveal the accidental stock sales can occur at both smaller and very well-known companies. Sany Heavy Industry, a giant in the manufacturing of construction machines, disclosed Friday that due to "misoperation" in the transaction process, Mao Zhongwu sold 96,700 more shares than he had said he would reduce his holdings by. Mao is one of Sany's top 10 shareholders and will be fined 300,000 yuan ($43,852) for his illegal sales, according to company filings. Jiangsu Lettall Electronic, a supplier for LCD TV companies, said in a filing on Sept. 3 that Zhang Defeng, the former chairman of the company's board of supervisors, mistakenly sold 42,000 shares before the expiration of the six-month lockup period following the expiration of his term in May. On Sept. 1, TCL Technology said in a filing that shareholder Li Dongsheng also typed in the wrong ticker and sold 5 million shares, by mistake. BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. Sentimental Journeys polished aluminum hull gleamed in the morning sunlight and its four propeller engines roared as the 34,000-pound behemoth touched down at Tri-Cities Aviation in Blountville on Tuesday. As a part of the Commemorative Air Forces Flying Legends of Victory Tour, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is available for plane rides and grounded tours at Tri-Cities Aviation every day through Monday and rides will be available Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, masks are required during flights and tours. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who just happened to arrive at Tri-Cities Aviation about the same time the bomber did, took the first tour. Lee, who was en route to Johnson City, said he was impressed by the experience of climbing around the planes interior. Developed in the 1930s, the B-17 is 74 feet long, boasts a nearly 104-foot wingspan and is able to carry an 8,000 pound payload. During World War II, thousands of B-17s soared over the skies of western Europe and the Pacific Ocean, dropping nearly 1.3 billion pounds of bombs on the Axis powers. Today, Sentimental Journey is one of the roughly five flying fortresses that are still flown regularly. Though Sentimental Journey was produced in November 1944 and delivered to the Air Force in March 1945, before the end of the war, it never saw actual combat. Mike Pfleger, a Commemorative Air Force pilot and one of the planes crew members, said after the war it was used for survey work and flew other types of non-combat missions. But at a glance, even today, it still looks ready for battle. There are 13 .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns mounted at the front, bottom, top and sides of the plane and empty bombshells hang in the bomb bay. Pfleger, who has been flying since he was a teenager, said the B-17 feels different than newer planes because it lacks a hydraulic boost and the controls feel heavier. He added that he has fulfilled a lifelong dream of flying the plane and said its an honor to be a part of the planes crew. Its a thrill to be able to fly it its wonderful to do so, Pfleger 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 ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has started punching holes into the manifesto dubbed: The People's Manifesto Jobs, Prosperity and More launched by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday night ahead of the December 7 general election. After a series of postponements of its manifesto launch, the NDC finally launched the version of its social contract with the people, but the NPP is saying that some of the things the NDC captured were 'copied' from its manifesto titled: Leadership of Service Protecting our Progress and Transforming Ghana for all, launched earlier in Cape Coast on August 22. Copy Work According to the NPP, some of the things in the NDC document are either plagiarized works or things that are already being implemented. Besides, the NPP pushed cynically that the rest they (NDC) did on their own appear 'empty.' The NPP in its manifesto was able to capture the promises made in 2016 that they have been able to achieve before outlining and what they were seeking to do after 2020. In the case of the NDC, they went straight on a 'promising spree' and could not outline what they achieved when Mr. Mahama was in office between 2013 and early 2017. The NPP members have started listing a number of policy initiatives they say the NDC members have 'stolen' from them and are trying to present them as theirs. Students' Loans The first thing the NPP raised is the issue of students' loans and its related case of guarantors. The new policy initiative the NPP has proposed will make all tertiary students, except teacher and nursing trainees, who will be on allowances, get the option to obtain a student loan without the requirement of a guarantor and all that an applicant will need to secure loan is the acquisition of the Ghana Card and upon completion of university, the repayment of the loan will be deferred for one year after national service. NDC Version The NDC has also said on the same topic that the next NDC government will resource student loan trust fund to make timely and an adequate payment to students. Increase students' loans to be commensurate with prevailing educational cost, abolish the requirement of guarantors as a precondition for accessing students' loans to enable more students who need financial assistance access to the loan. The NDC appears to avoid mentioning the Ghana Card which they could not implement whilst in office and goes to say they will replace the guarantor eligibility system with possession of a recognized national identity card to facilitate tracking, post school tracking and loan recovery. Rent to Own The NPP said on issues of rent that we will establish a National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS), seeded with GH100 million, to provide low-interest loans to eligible Ghanaians to enable them to pay rent advance. The rent advance loans will be paid directly into the bank account of landlords, who would have to register with the scheme. The NDC has also promised, among other things, that consistent with our 2016 Manifesto promise, establish a low interest Rent Advance Scheme in partnership with financial institutions/banks holding for both formal and informal sector workers with regular incomes. Housing Issues The NPP is offering tax incentives to local real estate developers and suppliers of building materials to developers constructing low cost affordable residential premises approved by the Minister for Works and Housing, and they will have a chargeable income tax rate of 1% for the first five (5) years as well as VAT on Real Estate sales which they said has been removed. The NDC version is, We will engage landlords, real estate investors and tenants to review the Rent Act to provide tax incentives to landlords and real estate investors to reduce the cost of rent advance for residential and commercial purposes. Rent Control The NPP again said it is digitizing Rent Control and in the words of Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, We will digitize the national rent control board and a new law will be passed for the Rent Control Act to become modern of our time, adding we have got together with land banks and they will help us build housing estates as many people cannot buy the many 'affordable houses'. But if you have low-income housing, they can rent or rent to own. The NDC is also saying that we will restructure rent control office into Ghana Rent Authority to effectively implement the new Rent Act in the interest of tenants and landlords and also establish a regulatory body to set and enforce standards management, quality control and capacity development in the built environment. Creative Arts In the area of Creative Arts, the NPP said they intend to Construct modern, large-seating theatres in every regional capital except Accra, beginning with Takoradi, Tamale and Kumasi Koforidua completed, while Kumasi is ongoing. The NDC said the will commence a programme to construct and resource Centres of National Culture in regions where they do not exist. Ongoing Projects In the health sector, the NPP is claiming that some of the promises regarding the NDC manifesto for the critical sector is full of deceit and suspects that the entire party and its flagbearer, John Mahama, if indeed they went to seek opinions of the public, were misled. According to NPP members, they have cleared all the backlogs Mr. Mahama and the NDC left in 2016, including private trained and university graduate nurses from 2012 to 2016, and also employed all batches of public trained nurses and midwives (including NACs and NAPs) from 2016 to 2017. The NPP government has also approved financial clearance to employ 2018 Nurse Assistant Clinical and Nurse Assistant Preventive (6,348), and 2018 Degree and Diploma Nurses and Midwives (12,097), a total of 18,445, adding that these backlogs were never employed by the Mahama NDC administration. In the NDC manifesto, the party has said it will support bilateral and other exchange programmes for health personnel to expose them to best practices around the world, but the NPP is insisting that it is already being implemented by the NPP administration and it accounts for the reason that some health workers are in Barbados working. Nurses and Midwives College The NDC has said it will initiate what it calls a plan to establish the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, but the NPP is saying that the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives has already been established. The Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM) is a body corporate with perpetual succession established by the provisions of the Specialist Health Training And Plant Medicine Research Act 2011, Part Three (ACT 833), the NPP pointed out. Tax Waivers The NDC said it would implement tax waivers in order to assist health workers to acquire means of transport to respond to emergency calls, but the NPP said the policy was in existence during the Kufuor NPP administration but in 2013, John Mahama and the NDC cancelled the tax waiver on imported vehicles for health professionals. The NDC also said it would collaborate with Traditional Herbal Medicine Producers for rapid integration of herbal medicine in Ghana's health system but the NPP is insisting that the NPP government has already integrated traditional herbal medicine (alternative medicine) in the Ghana Health Service. The NDC government cannot be trusted when it comes to health financing and strengthening of the NHIS. They nearly collapsed the NHIS with huge claims in arrears, rendering most health facilities financially handicapped. It took the NPP government to pay all the claims in arrears to all subscribers (sic), the NPP said. Ofosu-Ampofo On March 2, 2017 when he was seeking to become NDC National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the then Director of Elections of the party had said Mr. Mahama would have ended dumsor if he had been re-elected. The same person at their manifesto launch on Monday night said Mr. Mahama should be credited for ending dumsor and not the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government. Firing Salvos Since the launch of the NDC manifesto, the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has been firing on all cylinders, saying Mr. Mahama has no 'credible' track record to fulfill the party's manifesto promises. He said in Kumasi yesterday that when you take the credibility, the thing is that for the first time, the two persons who are the front liners in this election, have both had the opportunity to occupy the office of President.So, in looking at the credibility of the promises they're making, one ought to first look at their track record when they were in office and their position on some of the matters they're speaking to today and it helps anybody who wants to do an analysis understand whether or not you can take any of these promises as credible, he said. He added that so, for example, if you have a leader who, before he became Vice-President or let's say before he became President promised as part of his party's manifesto that they will bring a one-time premium for health insurance, and for eight years they never did it and today he turns round to say that he'll make primary healthcare free, does it sound like a credible promise? Mr. Oppong Nkrumah asked. The minister also said that if you have a leader who, from 2008 through to 2012, opposed a state providing free education for people at the Senior High School level consistently; 'it won't work', 'if it would have worked, Kwame Nkrumah would have done it', 'if it would have worked, it would take 20 years to come off', etcetera, and today you have this same person saying that first of all he now believes in it and will now make tertiary education 50 per cent free, you have an opportunity to ask yourself whether or not it sounds like a credible promise (sic). If you have somebody, who, during his period, run down the Ghanaian economy; went to the IMF for a bailout and, as a result, could not employ young people when they were graduating from school, you recall the graduate unemployment associations that were formed, you recall the cancellation of allowances because of economic crisis and the argument that 'even if they'll vote against us they should vote against us', and today, this person comes and says that he's going to create one million jobs in four years, does this sound like a credible promise? (sic) Mr. Oppong Nkrumah added, We believe that Ghanaians are very discerning people; they'll have an opportunity to look at his track record and what he delivered and what he's promising and do the comparison. ---Daily Guide NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Solo New York ( https://solo-ny.com ) one of the biggest bag brands in North America, is proud to announce that its Re:cycled Collection has won the coveted 2020 "Sustainability Initiative of the Year" award by the Business Intelligence Group. The Business Intelligence Group Sustainability Awards honor people, teams and organizations who have made sustainability an integral part of their business practice or overall mission. Solo New York Re:cycled Collection First conceived in 2019 and launched in early 2020, the Re:cycled Collection transforms discarded plastic bottles into soft and durable everyday bags. While sustainability has always been a part of Solo's DNA, the Re:cycled Collection is the first collection in a long-term, ambitious goal of making eco-friendly sustainable bags available and affordable for a broad range of customers. To achieve this goal, the Solo team developed the unique fabric made from a process of breaking down discarded water bottles into chips, melting them down, and respinning the material into soft and durable fabric which is used to make the bags. As part of the initiative, the Solo team also completely reinvented their packaging to eliminate plastic, developing biodegradable tags made out of recycled paper. To further minimize the collection's environmental impact and demonstrate environmental leadership in the bag industry, Solo is in the process of replacing poly bags (necessary to keep moisture out during shipping) with biodegradable and compostable bags made from non-GMO corn starch. Further strengthening the sustainability initiative, Solo partnered up with the National Forest Foundation to help in U.S. National reforestation efforts. To date, Solo helped plant thousands of trees across the U.S. from Montana to Oregon, helping fight climate change and providing clean air and living habitats for wildlife. "We are a young, fast-growing brand, and sustainability is a top-of-mind for all of us. Our teams are fully committed to sustainability and we are thrilled to bring such an impactful project to life," said Serkan Anders, Vice President of Marketing, Solo New York. "We believe in doing the right thing for the environment, and the entire Solo team is united in making meaningful changes that have a big aggregate impact. It's an incredible honor to win the Sustainability Initiative of the Year award which recognizes all we have done in this space." The Re:cycled Collection, which initially launched with three bags and was extended to ten bags in August 2020 due to its popularity with customers and retailers. The collection offers a wide range of products from backpacks to briefcases and carry-on luggage. The line is affordable too, with prices ranging from $24.99 for the Re:vive Mini Backpack and Re:focus Sleeve to $129.99 for the Re:treat carry-on roller suitcase. While the Re:cycled Collection is an important milestone for Solo New York, the company's sustainability initiatives go well beyond the line with many new collections and eco-friendly solutions coming to market in the future, with a goal to recycle 40 million plastic bottles from landfills by 2024. "We are proud to reward and recognize Solo New York for their sustainability efforts," said Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer, Business Intelligence Group. "It was clear to our judges that their vision and strategy will continue to deliver results toward a cleaner, more sustainable world. Congratulations!" About Solo New York: Back in 2008, we committed to shake up an old industry and make cool, stylish, and sustainable bag and case designs with thoughtful details available to everyone. Since then, the streets of New York have provided endless inspiration for us. Everything we design has unique style, sparked by the sights and sounds of the city. While New York is a place we call home, that dynamic spirit translates everywhere. Learn more at https://solo-ny.com and on Instagram, @SoloNewYork . About Business Intelligence Group: The Business Intelligence Group was founded with the mission of recognizing true talent and superior performance in the business world. Unlike other industry award programs, business executivesthose with experience and knowledgejudge the programs. The organization's proprietary and unique scoring system selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and then rewards those companies whose achievements stand above those of their peers. Contact Delaney Lanker (303) 647-5570 [email protected] Maria Jimenez Chief Nominations Officer Business Intelligence Group 1 909-529-2737 [email protected] SOURCE Solo New York BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at a meeting to commend role models in the fight against COVID-19 has demonstrated the country's tremendous achievements against the pandemic, and inspired confidence for world's final victory against the pandemic, experts said. At the meeting held here on Tuesday morning, Xi said that China has made major strategic achievements in the battle against COVID-19, demonstrating the notable advantages of the Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership and the country's socialist system, the great strength of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, the profound heritage of Chinese civilization, and the country's sense of responsibility as a major global player. Wilson Lee Flores, a columnist of The Philippine Star newspaper, said that "Chinese people's decisive victory over the COVID-19 pandemic is inspiring, a source of hope." "The world can learn much from China's hard-fought success made possible due to the respect for science, transparency, speed, pro-people policies and strong political will of the Chinese government, leaders and people; also the unity, the unconquerable spirit and sacrifices by the Chinese people," Lee said. Christine Bierre, editor-in-chief of France's Nouvelle Solidarite magazine and an expert at Schiller France Institute, praised China for being proactive in putting "the life and health of the people first," noting that it has used its scientific and technical know-how in AI, 5G, research and production, to save all possible lives. Bierre said she believes that China has acted in an exemplary manner in this crisis, in particular in terms of transparency, responsibility towards the international community and voluntarism in the face of adversity. Saeed Chaudhry, director of the Islamabad Council for International Affairs, said that the Chinese leadership has taken a clear strategy to handle the pandemic, which features putting people's lives first. "They made it exemplary," said Chaudhry, referring to China's achievements to save its people from the virus. In addition, Indrananda Abeysekera, president of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation, commended China's action toward building a community with a shared future for mankind, saying that fulfilling the vision "is the right way for the world." "I remember the way China helped Sri Lanka during the pandemic," he said, adding that as a major country, China has shown the responsibility to jointly build a global community of health for all. Abdul Ghafar Gardizi, a former professor at Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Afghanistan, said that as COVID-19 developed into a pandemic, China, while fighting to contain the virus on the domestic front, also provides much-needed assistance to many other countries. "I totally agree with President Xi that people around the world could eventually overcome all kinds of problems and build a better world through solidarity and cooperation," he said. Gardizi, also a local commentator, expressed the belief that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative will help people in the region and the whole world to cope with common challenges facing mankind and build a more prosperous world. The online event saw the participation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and leaders of Vietnamese Party and State, ambassadors, representatives from embassies of participating countries to the AIPA 41, as well as representatives from observer countries and guests of host Vietnam. Addressing the opening ceremony, NA Chairwoman Ngan said this is the first time in 43-year history the AIPA General Assembly has been held virtually amid the complicated developments of COVID-19, showing determination and efforts of ASEAN member parliaments and governments in overcoming difficulties, fighting the pandemic and moving forward for peoples well-being and cooperation and development of the ASEAN Community. This is the third time Vietnam has undertaken on the role of AIPA chair and hosted the General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. This event affirmed Vietnamese National Assemblys role and responsibility as well as AIPAs international mission in multilateral cooperation mechanisms. She informed delegates that the Vietnamese National Assembly has closely cooperated with ASEAN member parliaments to organise numerous activities, promoting roles of the AIPA and its members in building ASEAN Community. General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong's video message (Photo: VGP) In his video message at the opening ceremony, General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong applauded the organisation of AIPA 41 in the form of a teleconference. A strong ASEAN that plays the central role and serves as a driving force of regional and international cooperation will be both the mainstay and the goal of Vietnam, he noted. Its now more important than ever that AIPA keeps contributing to efforts to promote ASEANs central role in an evolving regional architecture while promoting multilateralism, international connectivity and cooperation, and respect for law. He expressed his belief that this times general assembly will work towards community-based mindset and actions so as to achieve a strong and cohesive ASEAN Community that is oriented towards and centres on the people with its role established in the international arena. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaking at the event (Photo: VGP) Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc spoke highly of the AIPAs role as a significant organisation of legislative bodies in ASEAN. During the past decades, AIPA parliamentary cooperation has always played an important role in coordinating with ASEAN member governments in maintaining and consolidating regional peace, security, stability, cooperation and development; as well as enhancing people-to-people connectivity. He stressed the effectiveness of the ASEAN Leaders Interface with AIPA representatives during the virtual 36th ASEAN Summit and the need to uphold the dialogue mechanism, adding that the dialogue has helped the governments implement policies to improve its peoples livelihoods and well-being. A meeting of Women Parliamentarians of AIPA (WAIPA), AIPA Young Parliamentarians and meetings of the Political, Economic, Social Affairs and Organisation Committees will be held within the events framework. Mumbai: The country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) on Wednesday said it has raised Rs 4,000 crore through the issuance of Basel III compliant debt instruments. The Committee of Directors for Capital Raising at its meeting on Wednesday accorded approval to allot 40,000 Basel III compliant additional tier 1 bonds (AT1) aggregating to Rs 4,000 crore to bond subscribers on September 9, 2020, SBI said in a regulatory filing. The bonds bear a coupon rate of 7.74 per cent. This is the lowest pricing ever offered on such debt, issued by any bank since the country started implementing the stringent Basel III capital rules in 2013, the lender said. "The overwhelming success of this issuance reaffirms State Bank's paper as gold standard and showcases the investor interest for such quality papers. The apprehensions that prevailed in the market post Yes Bank AT 1 write down in March 2020 have been firmly put behind," the bank's deputy managing director (finance) Swaminathan J said in the release. The interest payout on such bonds is better than the cost of equity for the banks and it provides a good risk-adjusted return to the investors, hence offers a win-win situation for both the banks and the investors, he said. As the aggregate bids were in excess of Rs 6,000 crore, the bank exercised the full greenshoe option of Rs 3,000 crore over and above the base issue size of Rs 1,000 crore. A greenshoe option means an over-allotment option. It is a provision in an underwriting agreement which grants the underwriter the right to sell investors more shares than initially planned by the issuer if the demand is higher than expected. While SBI has AAA credit rating from local credit agencies, its AT1 offering is rated AA+, which is the highest rating in the country for these instruments in view of the hybrid and high-risk nature of these instruments. While the AT 1 instrument is perpetual in nature, it can be called back by the lender after five years or any anniversary date thereafter, the release said. Last month, the bank issued tier 2 bonds aggregating to Rs 8,931 crore, at 6.80 per cent. Both the issuances were solely managed by SBI Capital Markets Ltd. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan felicitated President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan on the countrys Independence Day, the Prime Ministers Office said. Please accept my sincere congratulations and best wishes on the Independence Day of the Republic of Tajikistan, PM Pashinyan said in a telegram addressed to President Rahmon. It is gratifying to state that Tajikistan has recorded tangible progress in its state-building and socio-economic development-targeted efforts during the years of independence.I am convinced that the deep-rooted friendly relations between our countries will help us further enhance the ongoing mutually beneficial cooperation to the benefit of our two nations. Dear Emomali Rahmon, taking the opportunity, I wish you robust health and wellbeing, as well as peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Tajikistan. Editing by Stepan Kocharyan Digital technologies can help the UK achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050 and become a leader in green technology While techno-fixes to the carbon crisis are no silver bullet we know that digital technology can play a vital supporting role in the complex systems transformations that achieving net zero requires, according to Julien David, CEO of techUK. David's comments are part of a new report How to make the UK a digital clean tech leader offered by techUK and Deloitte at the start of London Tech Week. In the introduction to the report, David notes that the need to address the worlds carbon emissions and energy consumption has become urgent. Analysis carried out by Deloitte suggests that digital technology already in the field could be used to reduce 7.3 million tonnes of UK carbon emission by 2030 15% of whats needed. At the same, technology can unlock added benefits of 13.7bn by enabling other sectors to be flexible, automated, and efficient. On its own, the impact of technology on climate change depends on how it's developed and deployed. In particular, it has the potential to be an essential tool in addressing the climate crisis, which will be the defining influence of our societys wellbeing in the coming decade. Thats why [techUK] are committed to encouraging the deployment of digital technology for good, the report reads. Clean technology is already making a positive contribution to economic growth and to reducing emissions and this contribution is projected to grow," said Nick Owen, UK Chair at Deloitte. "There is still much more to do, however, and we are committed to working with our clients to deploy clean technology as an essential tool in addressing the climate crisis head on." Accelerating change 2020 is the first year Tech Nation the UK network for ambitious entrepreneurs has identified clean tech as an emerging tech sector, with digital devices and software increasingly being deployed to help optimise existing assets and systems, support energy efficiency, and bolster the discovery of new solutions to climate challenges. Speaking at the virtual launch of the report on Sept. 7, Nick Seeber, partner at Deloitte, reinforced the importance of this emerging sector, explaining how the UK tech industry can help drive environmental change. The opportunity in tech is unique," Seeber said. "The platform [that] tech companies provide means that there's an opportunity not just to decarbonize their own operations, but also to be an enabler for the decarbonisation of the wider system and that's something which is ... very special in our sector. Secondly, clean technology in the UK is a win-win. It's both environmentally beneficial and also economically advantageous. There really is no reason not to see clean tech in the UK as a priority, Seeber said. techUK in its report urges the government to support this growing sector and offers a number of recommendations that include: putting a focus on data for decarbonisation; pivoting innovation to net zero to test new technologies' underlying value propositions and viability; begin crowd-sourcing of innovative tech solutions to policy challenges; and seek out evidence on market incentives for net zero to strengthen the investment case and unlock private investment in decarbonisation. The report also suggests the creation of a new Net Zero Tech Taskforce to remove regulatory barriers and outdated standards that are holding the UK back from deploying clean technologies in energy and business. We have just three decades left to reach net-zero and are on the cusp of embarking on massive system changes across our economy. We can harness digital to help us to reach that more efficiently, said Susanne Baker, techUKs associate director for climate, environment and sustainability. For Owens, how organisations, governments, policymakers and regulators respond is critical to bringing about change and meeting the 2050 goal. I would say when it comes to business strategy, we're not quite there yet. But I think we're getting to the point where people do understand that sustainability and climate aren't things you think of next to your business strategy but are embedded fully in it, he said at the online launch. He highlights the fact that 10 years ago, when digital strategies were starting to emerge, business leaders regularly viewed digitisation as separate to their overall business strategy. Now, we wouldn't dream of talking about business without thinking of everything being digital, and every digital aspect of that organisational strategy being considered. I think the same will soon be true with climate and how business leaders approach to it. People in Laois are encouraged to nominate a heritage hero from the county as part of the search for Irelands heritage hero for 2020, launched this week by the Heritage Council. Every year, the Heritage Council seeks nominations for an individual or a group of people who have worked tirelessly to protect and promote heritage. Virginia Teehan is the CEO of the Heritage Council. Heritage Heroes come in different forms. Last year, it was the Egan family from County Offaly who worked together to preserve and celebrate their old family homestead, and who have made it a place that people can visit from time to time. Previously, the award has gone to people who work tirelessly in their communities to promote and preserve aspect of local heritage. Ultimately, what makes a heritage hero is their relentless investment in heritage; it may be natural heritage, built heritage or in part of our intangible herniate, which comprises everything from skills to language and sport, she said. The heritage hero award is part of the National Heritage Awards, run annually to celebrate the outstanding projects and events from National Heritage Week. The public is invited to nominate who they feel deserves the award by completing the Heritage Hero nomination form here. Nominations close at 12 noon on Friday, September 18. National Heritage Week 2020 ran from 15 23 August, and comprised a mix of online, in person and community events and projects. In total, 854 projects and events took place around the country, with many communities celebrating local heritage, for the first time, as part of National Heritage Week. National Heritage Week is coordinated by the Heritage Council as part of European Heritage Days. At the county level, Heritage Week is organised and supported by local authority heritage officers, their colleagues and with numerous local heritage groups and organisations. Actor Kangana Ranaut has shared photos of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolishing illegal alterations at her Mumbai home, calling it death of democracy. The actor is on her way to Mumbai amid an escalating war of words with the ruling Shiv Sena leaders. Along with the photos, she wrote, Pakistan.... #deathofdemocracy. Sharing another set of pictures of the demolition squad, she wrote, Babar and his army. Vinayak Vispute, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of BMCS H west ward covering Bandra, said, We will carry-out demolition work over the 8-10 structural violations carried out at Kangana Ranauts office in Bandras Pali Hill today. Post the demolition process, further action will be taken legally. ALSO WATCH | Kangana Ranaut leaves for Mumbai, slams Maharashtra govt goons Kangana also tweeted pictures of a crowd outside her Mumbai office, saying that they are there to illegally break it down. Kangana shared pictures of her Mumbai home, talking about how she is the daughter of Maharashtra, and willing to die for the land. She also shared a picture of police officials gathered outside her office. As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport,Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher, she wrote. BMC workers outside Kanganas office in Mumbai. (Varinder Chawla) The BMC had served notice of illegal construction to Kangana. On Monday, she posted on Twitter the notice sent by BMC and thanked the well-wishers for mounting pressure on the government, which prevented her property from getting bulldozed. , , , pic.twitter.com/BfBtaQ2CR0 Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport,Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher. pic.twitter.com/6lE9LoKGjq Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Kangana is returning to Mumbai on Wednesday, fulfilling her challenge to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. Kangana and Sanjay have been engaged in a war of words since last week, after Sanjay took offence to her criticism of the city and Mumbai Police. Disappointed with Mumbai Polices handling of Sushant Singh Rajputs death case, Kangana had compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Enraged at her comments, Sanjay asked Kangana not to return to Maharashtra. Kangana had been living in Manali with her family ever since before the coronavirus lockdown was announced. After hearing Sanjays comments against herself, Kangana shared a video on Sunday, declaring that she will be coming back to Mumbai on September 9, and challenged him to try and stop her. Also read: Taapsee Pannu asks if Sushant Singh Rajput wouldve been jailed if alive, Sonam Kapoor likens Rhea Chakrabortys arrest to witch-hunt The Union Home Ministry announced on Monday that Kangana will be given Y-plus category security and will be protected by about 10 armed commandos. She is the first Bollywood actor who is being guarded by CRPF commandos, an official privy to the development said. It is immediately not known whether she will have to pay the government for the security. Y-plus category central cover entails the deployment of about 10 armed commandos who will work in shifts around the clock, an official explained. Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday said that after assessment, besides the Y plus security, the DGP has decided to provide Kangana with extra security at her house in the state. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BEIJING, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tongcheng-Elong Holdings Limited ("Tongcheng-Elong" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group", HKG: 0780), a leading player in China's online travel industry, today announced that it has signed an exclusive strategic partnership in Thailand with Rabbit-Line Pay Company ("Rabbit-Line Pay"), an integrated mobile payment platform embedded in LINE, a Japanese messaging app popular in many countries throughout Asia. Tongcheng-Elong's online travel booking platform TravelGo.com, operated by eLong International Travel (Hong Kong) Limited (the "EITL"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tongcheng-Elong, will provide exclusive online transportation and accommodation reservation services for LINE users in Thailand. LINE, based in Japan, is one of the most popular messaging apps in Thailand and other countries in Asia. It has over 46 million users in Thailand, accounting for more than 65% of the total number of mobile internet users in the region. With a messaging system at its cornerstone, LINE's ecosystem provides a wide range of services, including content, social networking, games, financial services, digital payments, etc. Rabbit-Line Pay is a joint venture between LINE, BTS Group, a Thailand-based holding company engaged in the mass transit system, and Advanced Info Service Public Co., Ltd. ("AIS"), Thailand's largest telecommunications carrier. Rabbit-Line Pay is one of the country's leading digital payment platforms serving 8 million registered users, with an MAU ratio of 60%. Established in 2018, TravelGo.com has provided online travel booking services in Chinese, English and Thai languages to international users. The strategic cooperation with Rabbit-Line Pay will enable TravelGo.com to bring seamless online travel booking services to more than 46 million LINE users in Thailand. As the exclusive partner for the online travel services of Rabbit-Line Pay, TravelGo.com will allow local residents in Thailand to book flights, buses and hotels through the LINE app. Currently, LINE users in Thailand can access Rabbit-Line Pay by clicking "wallet" in the LINE app, and then by directly clicking "Flight" and "Bus" buttons respectively to book tickets. The service of hotel booking is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2021. "Tongcheng-Elong is pleased to partner with Rabbit-Line Pay to share our success in mobile traffic management with our partner, as well as to provide local Thai residents with high-quality online travel services," said Mr. Qiang Wang, Chief Operating Officer of Tongcheng-Elong. "We look forward to exploring opportunities in the mobile travel market in Thailand together with Rabbit-Line Pay." "The cooperation with TravelGo.com signals a great starting point for both parties to provide high-quality mobile travel services to Thai people as well as enriching LINE user experiences," said Mr. Victor Topoyosakul, CEO of Rabbit-Line Pay. As part of this partnership, LINE will introduce the use of TravelGo.com for online travel booking on the LINE app as well as in offline advertisements in transportation scenarios including bus stations and airports in Thailand, which will help residents become familiar with the service. Through this business partnership with Rabbit-Line Pay, Tongcheng-Elong is able to tap potentials in the Thai market and reach tens of millions of local users in Thailand, strengthening the company's leadership in volume. About Tongcheng-Elong Holdings Limited Tongcheng-Elong Holdings Limited (the "Company") is a market leader in China's online travel industry. The Company is the combined business resulting from the Tongcheng-eLong Merger, which was completed in March 2018. The Company is a one-stop shop for users' travel needs. With the mission of "We make travel easier and more joyful," the Company offers a comprehensive and innovative selection of products and services covering nearly all aspects of travel, including transportation ticketing, accommodation reservation and various ancillary value-added travel products and services designed to meet users' evolving travel needs throughout their trips. According to iResearch, on a Tongcheng-eLong combined basis, the Company ranked third in terms of GMV in China's online travel market in 2017, with the highest year-over-year growth from 2015 to 2017 in online transportation ticketing and accommodation reservation transactions in China's OTA travel market. Tongcheng and eLong were among the first third-party online service providers operating portals on the mobile payment interface of Tencent's Weixin and were, according to iResearch, among the first OTAs to reach users nationwide through super apps. The Company has been awarded the "Best Mini Program of the Year" by Aladdin Index in 2018 and 2019. The Company is currently the sole operator of the "Rail & Flight" and "Hotel" portals in the mobile payment interface of Tencent's Weixin and Mobile QQ. About LINE Corporation Based in Japan, LINE Corporation (NYSE:LN/TSE:3938) is dedicated to the mission of "Closing the Distance," bringing together information, services and people. The LINE messaging app launched in June 2011 and since then has grown into a diverse, global ecosystem that includes AI technology, Fintech and more. In Thailand, LINE introduced its messaging service in 2012, and quickly grew into the country's leading social media platform with 46 million monthly active users. About Rabbit-Line Pay Rabbit-Line Pay is a joint venture among LINE, BTS Group, a Thailand-based holding company engaged in the mass transit system, and Advanced Info Service Public Co., Ltd. ("AIS"), Thailand's largest telecommunications carrier. Rabbit-Line Pay is one of the country's leading digital payment platforms serving 8 million registered users, with a Monthly Active User (MAU) ratio of 60%. About TravelGo.com TravelGo.com, operated by Tongcheng-Elong's wholly-owned subsidiary eLong International Travel (Hong Kong) Limited (the "EITL"), is a leading online travel booking platform for international users. Launched in 2018, TravelGo.com provides travel booking services in Chinese, English and Thai languages to global users. SOURCE Tongcheng-Elong CLINTON TWP., MI - A man suspected of breaking into Eminems home reportedly told the rapper he was there to kill him when the two came face-to-face, according to court testimony in the criminal case. The break-in happened at Eminems Clinton Township home around 4 a.m. on Sunday, April 5, 2020 when the suspect, 27-year-old Matthew David Hughes, allegedly threw a brick paver into a back window to get inside and sneaked around the rappers personal security guard. According to the Detroit Free Press, during a preliminary examination in Macomb County District Court, the police officer who responded to the home testified that when Eminem asked him why he was in his home, Hughes told him he was there to kill him. The officer also testified that when police arrived, the officer found the security guard in a physical altercation with Hughes. Eminem was not hurt in the break-in. The Free Press reports Hughes is charged with first-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of property. He appeared in court today, but Eminem did not. The rappers lawyer watched the testimony via video. The Free Press says the judged denied a competency evaluation as requested by Hughes' attorney and the judge found probable cause to go forward with a trial. Circuit Court arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 28. MORE FROM MLIVE: Eminem thanks Detroit hospital workers with moms spaghetti 12 celebrities you think were born in Michigan, but werent 30 famous celebrities you may not know are from Michigan 2019 saw the lowest number of global under-five deaths on record with around 5.2 million children died due to preventable illness as compared with 12.5 million in 1990. Disruptions to health services due to the pandemic are putting millions of additional lives at risk worldwide, the United Nations said Wednesday, warning that Covid-19 could reverse decades of progress in reducing child mortality. The past 30 years have seen remarkable strides forward in preventing or treating causes of infant deaths including premature births and pneumonia. New mortality estimates published by the UN's children's fund UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank Group found that 2019 saw the lowest number of global under-five deaths on record. Last year around 5.2 million children died due to preventable illness, compared with 12.5 million in 1990. But it warned that the pandemic risked undoing all this by cutting routine child and maternal health services. A UNICEF survey across 77 countries found 68 percent reported at least some disruption in child health checks and immunisations. Henrietta Fore, UNICEF executive director, said that children and mothers particularly in low- and middle-income countries were being denied access to healthcare as Covid-19 cases clog national infrastructure. "The global community has come too far towards eliminating preventable child deaths to allow the pandemic to stop us in our tracks," she said. "Without urgent investments to re-start disrupted health systems and services, millions of children under five, especially newborns, could die." Neo-natal care in developing nations is relatively inexpensive and can profoundly affect child survival rates. For example, women who receive care by professional midwives are 16 percent less likely to lose their baby and 24 percent less likely to experience pre-term birth, according to the WHO. Modelling conducted earlier this year by Johns Hopkins University found that almost 6,000 additional children could die every single day if Covid-19 healthcare disruptions continue in the medium term. Vast inequality The survey found that seven countries had child mortality rates of more than 50 deaths in 1000 live births last year. In Afghanistan, where one in 17 children die before their fifth birthday, the ministry of health reported a "significant reduction" in visits to health facilities, UNICEF said. Much of the disruption may be down to fear of contracting Covid-19. But there are profound risks for mothers and babies avoiding healthcare facilities that have nothing to do with the coronavirus. John Wilmoth, director of the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said that the report showed that the world had made significant progress on reducing child mortality over the last 30 years. "It also draws attention to the need to redress the vast inequities in a child's prospects for survival and good health," he said. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has cancelled all meetings for a month on the advice of doctors, said a note from his office on Tuesday night. During this time, he will only hold video conferences for governance. The announcement came in the wake of more than 40 employees of CM residence and office testing positive for coronavirus disease. These included policemen and RAC (Rajasthan Armed Constabulary) jawans posted in CM security. Gehlot said social distancing and following health protocol were the only ways to stop the spread of Covid-19 infection. The CM said saving lives was state governments top priority during the Covid-19 pandemic. The government is making all efforts for this, including extension and strenghtening of health services. But this pandemic can be controlled only with everyones participation, Gehlot said. He appealed to people to use mask, maintain social distancing, avoid crowds, minimise social interaction, step out of houses only when its absolutely necessary and follow health protocol with full responsibility. Meanwhile, Rajasthan reported 1,590 cases on Tuesday evening, taking the cumulative total to 94,126. The death toll is 1,164, including 13 reported on Tuesday. The state has 15,090 active cases. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Kangana Ranaut took to Twitter to send a message to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. In a self-made video, she warned him that his pride will crumble soon and compared the partial demolition of her office in Mumbai to the plight of Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced to leave their homes in 1990. In the video, Kangana said that Uddhav did her a huge favour by subjecting her to this cruelty and terror. She also announced a film on Kashmir and said that she will create awareness among her fellow countrymen with it. Uddhav Thackeray, did you think that you got revenge from me by colluding with the film mafia and demolishing my house? My house has been demolished today but your pride will crumble tomorrow. Time will change, she said. I think you have done me a huge favour. I knew what Kashmiri Pandits must have gone through, but today, I have experienced it. I vow that I will make a film, not just on Ayodhya, but also on Kashmir. I will rouse my fellow countrymen. It has happened to me, which has some meaning and significance. Uddhav Thackeray, it is a good thing that it was me who was subjected to this cruelty and terror. It definitely has some significance. Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra!, she concluded. She used the hashtag death of democracy while sharing the video on social media. Also read | Kangana Ranaut vs Shiv Sena: HC stays demolition work on her property, asks BMC to file reply Kangana has been involved in a nasty war of words with the Maharashtra government after she criticised the Mumbai Police and compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Even as some political leaders felt that she has no right to live in Mumbai after her comments, she announced her decision to return to the city from her hometown Mandi, where she was quarantining with her family. On Wednesday afternoon, Kangana arrived in Mumbai with her sister and manager Rangoli Chandel. They were given Y-plus security by the Union home ministry. Meanwhile, officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) began demolishing alleged structural violations at Kanganas office in Mumbai on Wednesday, a day after issuing her a notice over them. The demolition was stayed by the Bombay High Court and the BMC was asked to file a reply on the actors petition. Follow @htshowbiz for more The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 931 new coronavirus cases Thursday, raising the statewide total to 141,290. The number of new cases has risen in the month of September after dropping steadily in the month of August. Over the previous seven days, the state has reported 5,679 new cases, an average of 811 new case per day, returning to the level seen in late July. The report comes as the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 has risen in Pennsylvania for the first time in over a month. Gov. Tom Wolfs administration reported the positive test rate rose to 4% over the past week, up from 3.2% the previous week. Across Pennsylvania, 7,805 deaths have been linked to COVID-19, including 14 newly reported fatalities Wednesday. More than two-thirds of the states coronavirus deaths have occurred in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. On Tuesday, the Wolf administration named 11 counties that bear watching for the coronavirus, including some in central Pennsylvania. The Wolf administration updates the list each week, noting those counties where at least 5% of those tested are positive for the coronavirus. The Wolf administration said these counties are being monitored: Columbia (18.9%), Armstrong (8.6%), York (7.9%), Clinton (7.4%), Beaver (6.4%), Northumberland (5.7%), Indiana (5.6%), Blair (5.2%), Centre (5.0%), Dauphin (5.0%), and Lancaster (5.0%). There were 18,127 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m. Tuesday. From Sept. 2-8, the state administered 145,946 COVID-19 tests, according to the health department. On Tuesday, the governor announced he was easing some restrictions on restaurants and bars. Wolf said restaurants and bars could fill up to 50% of their indoor capacity beginning Sept. 21; he had imposed a limit of 25% in July to stem the spread of the coronavirus. But some restaurant owners are unhappy the Wolf administration is now prohibiting sales of alcohol after 10 p.m. Fewer people are requiring hospital treatment for the coronavirus. Statewide, 514 people are being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, down from a little more than 700 in late July. At the peak in the spring, about 2,800 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus. The health department estimates 81% of those who have contracted the coronavirus have fully recovered. The department considers patients to have recovered when they are 30 days past the point of infection or the development of symptoms. Health officials remain concerned about the uptick in coronavirus cases in young adults, particularly those between the ages of 19-24. Some universities and colleges, including Temple University and Gettysburg College, have shifted most of their fall courses online after seeing an increase in students contracting the virus. More than 1.6 million people in Pennsylvania have tested negative for the coronavirus. Here is a week-by-week look at new coronavirus cases, going back to early July. July 2-8: 4,906 new cases, an average of 700 per day July 9-15: 5,517 new cases, an average of 788 per day July 16-22: 5,731 new cases, an average of 818 per day July 23-29: 6,822 new cases, an average of 974 per day July 30-Aug. 5: 5,496 new cases, an average of 785 per day Aug. 6-12: 5,216 new cases, an average of 773 per day Aug. 13-19: 5,019 new cases, an average of 717 per day Aug. 20-26: 4,387 new cases, an average of 626 per day Aug. 27-Sept. 2: 5,075 new cases, an average of 725 per day Sept. 3-9: 5,679 new cases, an average of 811 per day More from PennLive How Lancaster County has endured the coronavirus pandemic Pittsburgh navigates a surreal in-between as it grapples with coronavirus The Navy will deploy drones that operate in the air, underwater and on the surface to the Pacific next year in a big test of how the service can incorporate unmanned technology into combat situations. Navy leaders are planning to run an "unmanned fleet battle problem" early next year, Rear Adm. Robert Gaucher, director of maritime headquarters with U.S. Pacific Fleet, said Tuesday. Gaucher announced the exercise during the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's annual defense show. "We're shooting for early 2021 to be able to run a fleet battle problem that is centered on unmanned," he said. "It will ... be on the sea, above the sea and under the sea as we get to demonstrating how we can align to the [U.S. Indo-Pacific Command] directives to use experimentation to drive lethality." Read Next: Sgt. Maj. Thomas Payne Will Be 1st Living Delta Force Member to Receive Medal of Honor The Navy regularly runs fleet battle problems -- which test deploying forces for high-end warfare -- in the Pacific and Atlantic, Gaucher said. But they're typically carried out by carrier strike groups. Incorporating new drone technologies into the battle problem will be a big shift for the service, which plans to invest billions in new unmanned systems. The Navy on Friday awarded almost $42 million in contracts to six companies to develop plans for new large unmanned surface vessels. Work on the studies for those vessels is expected to be completed by May 2022. The service wants $2 billion to build 10 large unmanned surface vessels over the next five years. Some in Congress though remain skeptical about whether the Navy knows what it wants out of the drone ships, leading members of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces to try to block the service from buying any of the vessels next year. Navy Department leaders stressed Tuesday that unmanned systems will play a huge role in future maritime operations -- particularly in the Pacific should a conflict break out with China. Marine Brig. Gen. Eric Austin, director of the capabilities development directorate at Combat Development and Integration in Quantico, Virginia, acknowledged during a Tuesday roundtable that there are "differing levels of confidence" in unmanned technology. "It's a pretty big cultural change for a lot of the Joint Force," Austin said. "Some are further ahead than others, but I think as we see increasing [technology readiness levels], increasing capabilities, it makes it easier." The Navy has been testing a suite of unmanned systems. Last year, the service sent its Sea Hunter, a 132-foot-long self-driving ship, from San Diego to Hawaii and back again with hardly anyone aboard. Last year, the sea services also sent a long-range unmanned surface vessel from Norfolk, Virginia, to North Carolina, where Austin said it was "able to strike targets using kinetic weapons in the Cherry Point range complex." The vessel then went on to sail further south to Camp Lejeune, he said. The Navy has also fielded the unmanned Fire Scout helicopter and sent a MQ-4C Triton drone aircraft, capable of flying surveillance and reconnaissance missions, to Guam. It has also developed high-tech underwater unmanned vehicles for mine countermeasure missions. Gaucher said the Navy is still in the planning stage for its unmanned battle fleet problem, but the exercise is likely to include a command-and-control aspect, sensors and payloads. Some portions will be run ashore and others from different ships at sea, he added, "as we go out there and try to press the advantage against our adversaries." -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Related: Lawmakers Move to Block Navy from Buying the 2 Large Drone Ships It Wants RTHK: England reducing social gathering limit to six British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday announced a tightening of rules on social gatherings amid concern at rising infection rates, particularly among young people. The law in England will change from next week to reduce the number of people who can gather socially from 30 to six, with some exemptions. Johnson's government also unveiled a new public information campaign entitled "Hands. Face. Space", to emphasise the importance of hand washing, face coverings and social distancing. "We need to act now to stop the virus spreading," the prime minister said, ahead of a press conference on Wednesday where he will explain the changes. More than 41,500 people confirmed to have the coronavirus have died in Britain, the worst toll in Europe. The death rate has now fallen to its lowest level since mid-March, but as in other parts of Europe, cases are increasing, with almost 3,000 daily infections reported in recent days. Johnson's office said medical and scientific advisers had agreed that "urgent action is needed", while police had also asked for the rules to be simplified. The government currently says people must not socialise outside in a group of more than six people from different households, but the law actually puts that limit at 30 in private spaces. From Monday, this will be reduced to six, except for large families, weddings, funerals, organised team sports, workplaces and educational settings. "We are simplifying and strengthening the rules on social contact - making them easier to understand and for the police to enforce," Johnson said in remarks released by his office. "It is absolutely critical that people now abide by these rules and remember the basics - washing your hands, covering your face, keeping space from others, and getting a test if you have symptoms." Earlier on Tuesday, the government imposed tougher restrictions on Bolton in northwest England after a "very significant rise" in coronavirus cases. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said contact tracing data had shown this was "partly due to socialising by people in their 20s and 30s". After identifying a number of pubs as hotspots, he announced curbs on hospitality venues, including reduced opening hours, and a ban on locals socialising with people outside their household. The latest targeted local restrictions come as the government tries to get the economy moving again after months of lockdown imposed in late March. It has encouraged people to go back to work and use a government-subsidised restaurant scheme to boost revenues for eateries hit hard by the shutdown. Critics say such measures have only exacerbated infection rates as young people in particular head out to pubs with scant regard for social distancing. Hancock warned that although younger people were less likely to develop serious forms of Covid-19, they could easily pass it to those more vulnerable, particularly the elderly. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-09-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The Creek fire jumps California Highway 168 on Tuesday in Fresno County. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) When Mandy Keathley began hiking the John Muir Trail, she expected the journey of over 200 miles to take about 18 days. The 32-year-old hadn't made plans for the summer. So when she got a month off from work, she figured it was the perfect time to spend a few weeks in the open air. She packed a 45-liter backpack with her tent, sleeping bag, stove, food, water filtration and clothes. What she didn't expect was for her solo hike to go up in smoke and end about a week after it started in a predawn evacuation Tuesday on a military helicopter. "That certainly never crossed my mind when I hit the trail," the Oakland resident said. A photo of the Mammoth Pool Reservoir taken by hiker Alec Ziff. The Creek fire marred Ziff's trip, but he was rescued in time to celebrate his birthday on Labor Day. (Alec Ziff) Hundreds of people endured similar surreal experiences trapped in remote locations of the Sierra Nevada by the destructive Creek fire. The blaze grew to more than 100,000 acres over the Labor Day weekend and left hikers, campers and others stranded with no apparent way out. By 2 p.m. Tuesday, California Army National Guard helicopter crews had rescued a total of 373 people and 16 dogs. They very easily, very easily, could have turned around and said the smoke made that mission too dangerous, but they went in anyway, Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a briefing Tuesday. They saved many, many lives, and thats just an example of the kind of heroism that is a big part of this moment as well. The rescues began Saturday after the Creek fire, which ignited Friday evening about six miles to the west, jumped the San Joaquin River and made a run toward the Mammoth Pool Reservoir. That's where Alec Ziff and a friend had decided to celebrate Ziff's 26th birthday, which fell on Labor Day. That morning, they woke up to smoke but thought it seemed far off in the distance. David Mau, who runs the kitchen at Vermilion Valley Resort, waits for a helicopter rescue at China Peak on Sunday. The California Highway Patrol eventually escorted him and other drivers out. (David Mau) The two spent the morning kayaking and hiking, before heading to Wagner's Store to buy ice. There, they learned that the fire had gotten worse and they needed to evacuate. They headed to the lake to paddle back to their tent and gather their things. From the lake, they started to see flames at the top of the mountain amid vicious, swirling winds and smoke. The two grabbed their belongings before getting back on the water. Story continues In the lake, Ziff said, the waves reached five or six feet and eventually pushed the kayak over. Ziff, who was carrying two backpacks filled with clothes, got tangled in the tent they had brought onboard and lost his grip on the kayak. He started getting dragged in the water. "At that point, I didn't think I was going to make it," Ziff said. "I'm trying to get everything loose, and I can see fire all around me." Eventually, Ziff freed himself and the pair reached the other side of the lake to wait it out with others. That night, hundreds were rescued by helicopter crews, but about 15 of them, including Ziff and his friend, decided to stay behind to ride out the fire. Those who stayed shared an oxygen tank and raided ice chests to stock up on food. On Sunday, cell service went down, and they were "essentially stranded," he said. Then, on Sunday night, Ziff spotted three flashlights coming down the hill toward them, held by U.S. Forest Service workers. By that point, the adventure was over for Ziff. "In that moment, I knew we were going to get out," he said. "I didn't care how we got out, I didn't care if it was by ATV, or helicopter or if they had made a path for us to walk up. I just wanted to get out." Ziff ended up driving his own car out in a three-hour caravan headed toward Bass Lake. He and his friend stayed in a hotel in Oakhurst, where they celebrated Ziff's birthday with a few beers. On Saturday, Juliana Park was with a group of four friends backpacking in the mountains northeast of the Mammoth Pool Reservoir. They had planned the trip weeks in advance each of them getting tested beforehand for COVID-19 wanting to take advantage of the long weekend. "Obviously, if we had known how dire the situation over there would be, we wouldn't have left the Bay Area," the 24-year-old said. About an hour into the hike Saturday, the group heard thunder and took that as a sign to turn back. They hiked uphill, and by the time they reached their car "it was raining ash." The sky was an ominous orange. As they drove, they encountered a woman who they believe was a forest service worker who led them down the road with her red lights flashing. She instructed them to drive through the fire on either side, as it was their only way down. A backpacking trip cut short by unforeseen thunder, ash rain, and having to drive through literal fire to evacuate #SierraNationalForest in time. Grateful to the SNF ranger who led us down... wish we we got her name. #CreekFire @mercnews @sfchronicle @ABC7 @KTVU pic.twitter.com/37Ys7XGJ2a Juliana Park (@julipdoe) September 6, 2020 Throughout the drive, Park kept telling her friend to "just keep going." Park believes the flames they saw were part of a spot fire possibly caused by lightning. "We just got really, really lucky," Park said, crediting the woman who helped lead them down. "Had we not seen her maybe 10 minutes prior, we would not have been so lucky." After starting her backpacking trip on Aug. 31, Keathley didn't see smoke until Saturday when she stopped at Vermilion Valley Resort, a modest way station by Edison Lake, to resupply her food. The Creek fire halted a hike by Juliana Park and her friends in the Sierra. She drove through flames guided by a person she thinks was a forest worker. (Juliana Park) Although it was "a little bit scary," Keathley said, the fire still seemed to be pretty far off. The next morning, she decided to head out, trying to go south on the John Muir Trail in the hopes of getting away from the smoke. But after nine miles, the smoke didn't get better, and Keathley struggled to breathe. After learning that evacuations were happening at Vermilion, she decided to turn back. "I didn't feel comfortable continuing on the trail," she said. Other backpackers kept going. About 50 people, including Keathley, sought refuge at Vermilion where hikers on the John Muir and Pacific Crest trails resupply. Staff provided them with food and posted updates on social media. David Mau, who runs the kitchen at Vermilion in the summers, left Sunday after the wind shifted and brought more smoke to the area. As he drove down toward Huntington Lake, he said, "it just looked like lava, the whole valley was glowing." "I've been up there a quarter-century, I've never seen anything like that," he said. California Highway Patrol eventually escorted him and other drivers out. Back at Vermilion, deputies arrived Monday to help everyone leave and the group began packing their bags and hopping in cars. At the last minute, they were told it was called off as it wasn't safe. That night, the Fresno Fire Department said crews tried to get to people at Lake Edison and China Peak, but rescue efforts were unsuccessful [as] military pilots tried valiantly to land, but heavy smoke conditions prevented a safe approach. Many of them wouldn't get out until Tuesday. Keathley was one of 11 people who got into a helicopter to head to Fresno about 4:30 a.m. "I had some hikers asking me if I had plans to try to continue the trail if things calmed down. I just realized at that point, the trail is always there," Keathley said. "I had a beautiful week on the trail. Its not really what I expected and I certainly would love to have finished if I could have, but at that point I was really interested in getting out. I felt pretty trapped. Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. International 13 militants killed in Somalia: Official MOGADISHU, SEP 9 (IANS) | Publish Date: 9/9/2020 1:27:03 PM IST Somali National Army (SNA) has killed 13 al-Shabab extremists in the southern region of Lower Juba, a military officer confirmed on Wednesday. Ismail Abdi Malik Malin, an SNA commander, said the army launched an attack on the militants bases on the outskirts of Kismayo town, inflicting severe casualties, Xinhua news agency reported. There was an intense confrontation between the army and the militants, but we overpowered them, killing 13 of them including two senior leaders, Malin said. He added that the army is pursuing the remnants who fled to the forest. Southern regions of Somalia have become the battleground of the clashes between government forces and al-Shabab extremists since the militants were chased out of the capital Mogadishu in August 2011 by African Union Forces and Somali Army. San Francisco, Sep 9 : In a bid to make people safe from spam and scam calls, Google has announced a new feature named Verified Calls on its Phone app. It comes pre-loaded on several Android phones and will be available for download later this week on more Android devices in select countries, including India. The 'Verified Calls' shows the caller's name, logo, reason for calling and a verification symbol indicating that the business has been authenticated by Google. "This is done in a secure way and Google doesn't collect or store any personally identifiable information after verification," the company said in a statement on Tuesday. Verified Calls is initially rolling out in the US, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and India, with more countries to come. A 2019 report by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that phone calls were the number one way people reported being contacted by scammers. While most people said they hung up on those calls, those who lost money reported a median loss of $1,000. "We've been piloting Verified Calls for a few months, and the early results indicate that it improves the likelihood of someone answering a call," Google said. For instance, banks calling to alert a customer about a possible fraudulent transaction can increase answer rates by stating the call reason. "We also have existing partners - including Neustar, Five9, Vonage, Aspect, Bandwidth, Prestus, Telecall, and JustCall - ready to help brands improve their answer rates by using Verified Calls," Google said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The Arab League has rejected a Palestinian demand that it condemn the recent Washington-brokered deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. During a virtual session on Wednesday, foreign ministers from the 22-member league voted down a resolution denouncing the UAE-Israel deal. The Palestinians plan to censure the two countries stood little chance of approval in the pan-Arab body where countries including Egypt, Omar and Bahrain have welcomed or offered their support for the agreement. Discussions regarding this point were serious. It was comprehensive and took some time. But it did not lead in the end to agreement about the draft communique that was proposed by the Palestinian side, said senior Arab League official Hussam Zaki. The Arab Leagues refusal to condemn the deal is the latest blow to the Palestinians, whose request for an emergency discussion of the Israel-UAE pact was rejected by the group last month. In what has been dubbed the Abraham Accord, Israel has agreed to suspend its planned annexation of large portions of the West Bank in exchange for normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates. Leaders from both countries will travel to the White House next week for the official signing. Palestinian leaders say the US-brokered agreement, which makes the UAE the third Arab country to establish ties with Israel, is a stab in the back. Ramallah has recalled its ambassador to the UAE in response. They also say the normalization deal violates the Saudi-led 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for Israel to withdraw from lands captured since 1967 before gaining any recognition from Arab states. The United Arab Emirates has described the deal as benefitting the Palestinian cause by forcing Israel to hold off on annexing land that Palestinians envision as part of their future state. Sudan's government and rebel forces have agreed a landmark deal aimed at ending decades of war in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. After an initialling ceremony on August 31, rebel commanders and the transitional government, which took power after the toppling of hardline ruler Omar al-Bashir last year, are set to sign a "final" deal on October 2. Who are the rebels? The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) is a coalition of five rebel groups and four political movements. They come from the vast western region of Darfur, at war since 2003, as well as South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in the country's south. Rebels there took up arms in 2011 following a pause in the wake of Sudan's 1983-2005 civil war. What does the deal promise? The agreement deals with peace, justice, rights and the "fair distribution of authority (and) wealth." Sudan's rebels are largely drawn from minority groups that chafed from marginalisation under Bashir's regime. The deal promises to end discrimination, including by making minority languages official. It also protects freedom of religion, so that Christians and followers of local religions can worship in peace in the mainly Muslim nation. What happens first? Fighting stops. Both sides have agreed to a permanent cease-fire. Rebel fighters will be slowly incorporated into joint units with government security forces. Timelines have been set for the training and establishment of integrated forces. How is power shared? An agreement was celebrated in August in neighbouring South Sudan, which has hosted and mediated long-running talks between Khartoum and rebel commanders. By Akuot Chol (AFP) Rebels will get three seats in the sovereign council, the transitional government's top body. They will also get a quarter of cabinet posts and a quarter of seats in the 300-member transitional parliament. Women must make up at least 40 percent of government posts at all levels. Rebels will also have a role in state governments. Local authorities will operate with autonomy from Khartoum, raising their own taxes and managing the natural resources of their regions. Who faces trial? Sudan's ousted president Omar al-Bashir and other former key leaders are on trial for a 1989 coup that brought him to power, but rebels want him tried for the conflict in Darfur too. By ASHRAF SHAZLY (AFP) Old government leaders, not rebels. The deal provides for an amnesty for political leaders and rebel commanders. But ex-officials of the former regime must stand trial -- including Bashir. The former strongman, already jailed for corruption, is on trial along with several former ministers for seizing power in a 1989 coup. The deal calls for the formation of a special court for crimes in Darfur, where fighting killed 300,000 people. Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in the western region. The government agreed in February that Bashir should face the ICC, but domestic hearings may come first. What will holdout rebels do? If rebels fight on, the deal could be derailed. One wing of the Darfur-based Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) has refused to lay down arms. Its leader Abdelwahid Nour has lived abroad for several years, including in Paris, but he is understood to have retained support on the ground. Another key rebel force, led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, also rejected the August deal, but days later Hilu signed a separate agreement with the government. A veteran guerilla fighter who leads a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), he had long fought for a secular state to replace the Islamist regime of Bashir. Hilu's stronghold in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan has a significant Christian community among its mainly non-Arab population. Under the separate deal, his forces will retain their guns for "self-protection", until Sudan's constitution is changed to separate religion and government. It is unclear whether Hilu will take part in the signing ceremony on October 2. How will it help refugees? Millions of Sudanese were forced from their homes by the war, either becoming refugees in neighbouring nations or living in squalid camps within Sudan. Protestors have demonstrated in Khartoum over continued violence in Darfur in recent months, where building peace after so long at war is a huge challenge. By ASHRAF SHAZLY (AFP) The deal provides for their voluntary return home, with full rights like any other Sudanese citizen. Aid groups will also get access to the areas where they are returning. During the conflict, humanitarian agencies were often blocked from large areas with acute needs. Will it work? Sudanese rebels in Darfur have been battling the government since 2003. By (AFP) Analysts are hopeful, but many have seen similar deals crumble before. Turning rebels into regular troops brings together old foes in often uneasy joint forces. Building peace and trust after so long at war takes time. As people return home after years away, there are fears of fresh conflict if the current occupants refuse to return the property. Clashes have erupted in Darfur in recent weeks. Still, the deal is "a hugely significant sign of progress," said Jonas Horner, from the International Crisis Group think tank. "But it is also far from comprehensive and only represents a first step towards peace," Horner added. "Significant hurdles remain in the way of its implementation." Most upsetting, you sent four separate emails to Singapore Airlines and it responded by saying it had received your refund request. Then it did nothing. How can that even happen? The only reasonable conclusion is that the airline wants to keep your money. Whether it flew you to Penang or not is irrelevant. The money only flows one way. By the way, Singapore Airlines isn't alone. (Incidentally, Singapore has an excellent customer service reputation.) Other carriers do the same thing. It takes them a fraction of a second to charge you for the tickets, but weeks or months to return your money. I just don't get it. If an airline -- or any other company -- drags its feet for too long on a refund, you have another option. You can dispute the charge on your credit card. Although some banks have time limits on a dispute, they are routinely waived for cases like this. In other words, if a company strings you along, you still may have the option of filing a dispute if the company doesn't respond to you in a timely manner. Your bank can, and will, hold it accountable. You could have also reached out to one of the customer service executives for Singapore Airlines. I list their names, numbers and email addresses on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. I contacted Singapore Airlines on your behalf about your flight cancellation and promised refund. It promptly sent your money. Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers resolve their problems. Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@elliott.org. ABINGDON, Va. The Washington County Board of Supervisors dropped animal sounds from the list of noises prohibited by a county ordinance in a motion passed at Tuesdays board meeting. The move came after a public hearing drew four speakers, including Robert and Anne Lough, who played a recording of their neighbors dogs barking during early morning hours. Those dogs belong to Kenneth Rowe, who has battled neighbors in the Washington County courthouse in recent months in response to complaints that his dogs barked too loudly and too often. After one woman spoke in favor of dropping animal sounds from the ordinance, the Loughs addressed the board, saying they had a rental unit on their property and that overnight guests had complained about the Rowe familys dogs. Robert Lough said he and his wife have been awakened by annoying sounds of the barking dogs at the Rowe residence. On July 11, Robert Lough said the dogs barked for several hours during the early morning. Anne Lough said the dogs have been howling and screeching and have sometimes barked incessantly. They never stop. Robert Baker, the former owner of the Lough residence in the Green Spring community on Randolph Drive, said that removing dogs or animal sounds from the noise ordinance takes away the only recourse in case there is a noise violation. A noise violation can come in many forms, Baker said. Supervisor Randy Pennington said there could be problems trying to enforce this ordinance in such a rural area if animals sounds remained in the language. In other business on Tuesday, in a joint meeting with the Washington County Park Authority, the Board of Supervisors discussed changes and plans for Washington County Park on South Holston Lake. Park authority members noted plans to make the most scenic lakefront campsites available only on a temporary basis to allow more campers to enjoy the view and make sure that the sites can be vacated within 24 hours in case of rising flood waters on the lake. 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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said efforts are being made to provide an online delivery platform to street food vendors on the lines of big restaurants. After a virtual interaction with beneficiaries of the PM Street Vendors Aatmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme from Madhya Pradesh, Modi praised the state government for ensuring the schemes benefits to over lakh people and providing identity cards to over 4.5 lakh people (scheme beneficiaries) in just two months. The Union government had launched the PM SVANidhi scheme on June 1 to help poor street vendors impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic resume livelihood activities. I congratulate those who are moving ahead with the SVANidhi Yojna. It is a big thing to provide benefits of the scheme to over one lakh street vendors and providing identity cards to over 4.5 lakh such people. Other states must take inspiration from Madhya Pradesh, Modi said. After his interaction with the street vendors, Modi in a televised address said, A scheme has been prepared to provide an online platform to street food vendors by using technology. This means, the street food vendors will be able to make online delivery like big restaurants. Efforts are being made to provide this kind of facility. He told the street vendors that if they come forward, the government will take this effort further. The prime minister also urged the street vendors to adopt the digital payment system on a large scale. The use of digital payment has increased during the past three-four years. Its importance was realised during the corona (Covid-19 outbreak) period. Now customers avoid making payment in cash and pay directly through mobile phone, he said. Appealing street vendors to come forward to adopt the digital system, Modi said, A new beginning has been made by the banks and digital payment system providers. Modi told the street vendors that representatives of banks and such organisations will reach out to them, provide the QR code and inform them about its use. I appeal to them (street vendors) to use digital payment more and present an example before the world,he said. He said the government will make efforts to ensure that street vendors in all big cities of the state get benefit of the PM SVANidhi scheme. Whenever there is a pandemic, it hits the poor brothers and sisters hard. They always suffer whether it is excessive heat, rainfall or cold and these create problems for their employment and food, Modi said. They (the poor) faced it the most during the pandemic and were even were forced to return to their native places. The government has realised this and tried to help them as much as possible by providing them ration and creating employment opportunities, he said. The government launched the PM SVANidhi scheme with easy rules so that they can get rid of paying interest on loans which they used to take from private lenders. You are getting a rebate of seven per cent in interest in these loans (under the scheme). If you repay to the bank on time, you will get more facilities. If you make digital transaction, you will get rewarded for it and you get more loan next time, he said. Referring to attempts made earlier to remove poverty, Modi said, In our country, a lot has been talked about the poor. But in the last six years, everything has been done in a planned manner. Steps have been taken, which were not taken earlier, like the Jan Dhan Yojna under which 40 crore bank accounts of poor people were opened. These people are getting loans and are liberated from the clutches of money lenders. Farmers are getting assistance directly, he mentioned. He also said that soon villages will also be associated with online marketing platforms. On August 15, we took a vow to connect all villages with the optical fibre network in next 1,000 days. People will also get digital health identity cards for getting health facilities in rural areas also, he said. Earlier, he interacted with some beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi scheme, including street vendor Chaganlal and his wife from Sanver in Indore district, Gwaliors Archana Sharma and vegetable vendor Dalchand in Raisen district. Modi advised Chaganlal how to enhance his business by asking customers to return the pipe used in making broomsticks to reduce the cost of making a broomstick. Chaganlal also told Modi that he wanted to enhance his business. After spotting a plastic water bottle kept behind Chaganlals chair, Modi advised him to use an earthen pitcher instead of a single-use plastic bottle for drinking water to save the environment. Modi also asked him about the Ujjwala Yojna and how it benefited his family. Interacting with Archana Sharma from Gwalior, Modi asked whether she would serve him tikki (patties) that she sells at her joint. He also asked her about the SVANidhi scheme and how it benefitted her. He also asked her if she was aware of the Ayushman Bharat health care scheme, to which she said her husband was getting treatment through this scheme only. Modi also interacted with her husband Rajendra Sharma. Talking to vegetable vendor Dalchand from Sanchi in Raisen district, Modi praised him for using the QR code digital platform for receiving payments. He also suggested him ways to improve his vegetable business. After the interaction, Modi also informed street vendors about the one nation one ration card scheme to make things easier for people. The prime minister also cautioned people about the threat of Covid-19 until its vaccine is developed, and advised them to follow guidelines like wearing masks and maintaining two-yard distance. He also asked people to avoid single-use plastic products, among others. The Deputy Minister for Education, Osei Yaw Adutwum, has stated that the Akufo-Addo administration has employed 93 thousand teachers in the four years the NPP has been in office. In an interview on Oman FM's flagship show, Boiling Point, on Tuesday, 8th September, 2020, the Deputy Minister emphasized that the Akufo-Addo administration has surpassed the annual 16 thousand teachers the ministry employs due to the Government's commitment to ensure that there is quality in the sector. "We have employed 93,000 teachers so far if you add the 16, 000 being employed now" he said in the interview with Kwabena Kwakye, the host of the programme. According to him, "had the Akufo-Addo government allowed the status quo to remain, only 64,000 teachers would have been employed by the Education Ministry". He explained that upon the assumption of office, the Akufo-Addo administration realized that many more students had gone to the University of Cape Coast and other institutions to read Education but were not being employed into the sector. "The Government saw the need to employ some of these graduates to supplement the numbers in the system," he revealed. The Deputy Minister also used the opportunity to highlight the numerous challenges the education sector faced but have been dealt with through some pragmatic measures. 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 US President Donald Trump, facing the possibility of a cash crunch, said yesterday that he would spend "whatever it takes" of his own money to finance his 2020 presidential campaign against Joe Biden if he had to. The Republican president, who trails Mr Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 election, told reporters before leaving for Florida that the campaign had double or triple what it had in 2016, but he would spend his own money if needed. "If I have to, I would," Mr Trump said. The New York Times reported that Mr Trump's initial financial supremacy over Mr Biden earlier this year had evaporated, and that of the $1.1bn his campaign and the party raised from the beginning of 2019 through July, more than $800m already had been spent. Mr Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised $364.5m in August, shattering the monthly record for fundraising by a presidential campaign. Mr Trump and Republicans have not announced their August haul. Mr Trump, a wealthy real estate developer before entering politics, was asked how much he might have to spend from his own personal fortune. He had to dip into his own money in 2016 to help pay for his campaign. "Whatever it takes. We have to win. This is the most important election in the history of our country," he said. Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien told reporters on a campaign press call yesterday that "we are now carefully monitoring the budget." Mr Stepien said the campaign will have more resources to spend than it had in Trump's 2016 victory and that "we're very comfortable and confident" in how money is now being spent. Mr Trump, under pressure for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, yesterday was travelling to two states critical to his re-election: Florida and North Carolina. With many Republicans pointing fingers at Mr Stepien's predecessor Brad Parscale, who stepped down in July, for spending heavily earlier in the campaign, Mr Trump defended him in a tweet. The president said that due to the virus, his campaign was forced to spend a lot earlier this year to counter what he felt was negative news coverage. "We did, and are doing, a GREAT job, and have a lot of money left over, much more than 2016," he wrote. Meanwhile, Mr Trump and Mr Biden have launched attacks on each other. Mr Trump described Mr Biden as a threat to the economy and "stupid", while Mr Biden took aim at the president's reported disparaging remarks about US war dead. Mr Trump said: "Biden and his very liberal running mate [Kamala Harris], the most liberal person in Congress by the way - is not a competent person in my opinion - would destroy this country and would destroy this economy." Mr Trump has frequently referred to the former vice president as "Sleepy Joe." The president once again pushed back against a report in The Atlantic that states he had referred to fallen US soldiers as "suckers" and "losers", calling it "a hoax". The story has dominated news coverage for days and is threatening Mr Trump's support among veterans and military members, key voters. "There's nobody that has more respect for not only our military, but for people that gave their lives in the military," Mr Trump said. Mr Biden cited the reported remarks while campaigning in the electoral battleground state of Pennsylvania. Referring to his son Beau, who served in Iraq and died of brain cancer in 2015, Mr Biden said: "Beau wasn't a loser or a sucker. He served with heroes." His visit to Pennsylvania kicked off a flurry of travel to battleground states this week by both men as some opinion polls show the race tightening. With Covid-19 and civil unrest over racism and police brutality commanding attention, Mr Biden is seeking to maintain his edge by painting the Republican president as an ineffectual leader who thrives on chaos and has left the working class behind. Nathan Furniss/courtesy Bryan Llenas Fox News' Bryan Llenas In the alternate-reality version of 2020 the version none of us got Fox News' Bryan Llenas is planning his upcoming wedding and celebrating his sister's baby daughter. Not, as he has instead spent much of the year, covering crises that left his own family grieving. It's been ... a lot. For Llenas, for everyone. But that makes him doubly grateful for the work he's doing as a reporter. It's what he calls his "saving grace in all this." "I dont have to just sit back on my couch and watch the world implode," he tells PEOPLE. The 32-year-old Fox News national correspondent, who first joined the network a decade ago to work on foxnewslatino.com, has been busy keeping pace with a breakneck news cycle of overlapping stories. In the spring, he was following the sweep of the novel coronavirus pandemic in New York City, and then he was covering the "generational, transformational moment" of national demonstrations after the killing of George Floyd in late May. He was also on the Jeffrey Epstein beat and, in July, published an interview with one of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's accusers. (Epstein died in custody; Maxwell denies wrongdoing.) "I am constantly reminded in this job that, at the end of the day, people just want to be heard," Llenas says. "I think a lot of people feel alone in their tragedy." He knows loss: COVID-19 killed his great-aunt ("she went into a hospital and never came out") and sickened his grandmother, who lives in the Washington Heights neighborhood in New York City. "Both of my cousins were unable to truly say goodbye," Llenas says. He had his family on his mind during an April segment on Fox News when his voice thickened with emotion as he talked about trying to get help for his grandma. "I started thinking about the grandmothers out there and all the elderly people who desperate needly an ambulance," he says, adding, "Once you start having family members get sick, it really starts to hit home. Its hard not to panic. Its hard not to feel hopeless and helpless." Story continues Early in the pandemic, Llenas' fiance, Kyle Reinneck, left for Illinois for two weeks to decrease the risk Llenas then in the middle of on-the-ground coverage might somehow get him sick, too. Courtney Crawford/courtesy Bryan Llenas Fox News' Bryan Llenas Courtesy Bryan Llenas Bryan Llenas (right) on assignment Courtesy Bryan Llenas Bryan Llenas (left, with microphone) on assignment When Llenas' younger sister, Raquel, gave birth in July, the pandemic kept him from being with her in person a "heartbreaking moment" leavened by the existence of FaceTime, beaming him and their mom into her hospital room. The challenges of reporting on a deadly pandemic have, in some ways, brought their own rewards. Llenas covered the particular toll the virus has taken on Black and Hispanic communities, epitomized by the story of a woman who saw four of her family members die from COVID-19 in a matter of days. Because of her job as a housekeeper, the woman was unable to work from home instead still riding the subway daily, surrounded by disease. These are the moments Llenas looks back on, some six months into the pandemic. "What separates cable TV from everybody else is we can bring you history as it's happening," he says. Other highlights include going to the southern border to share stories from the migrant crisis and families separated under the Trump administration, and being in Puerto Rico during a wave of protests against the governor there. (There have been learning moments as well: Llenas had to retract a 2017 story about a man who falsely claimed to be a decorated veteran.) Llenas also knows the importance of representation what he brings to stories that others don't. Llenas is Dominican and he's gay and he works at a major news network most famous for its conservative commentators (who operate separately). "People that look like me are underrepresented in news," Llenas says. "I am fully aware of how important it is for people who look like the rest of society to be on the news every single day." He goes on: "I have a responsibility to open the doors to other people in my community. I have a responsibility to be true to who I am." Part of that truth is his sexuality, and while that journey includes a familiar process of post-college discovery in N.Y.C., mostly this particular personal story is one of love and surprising connections. Courtesy Bryan Llenas Kyle Reinneck (left) and Bryan Llenas Courtesy Bryan Llenas Kyle Reinneck (left) and Bryan Llenas Llenas first met Reinneck, a 33-year-old senior global brand manager for VOSS, through a mutual friend. This was in October 2017, and social media connections soon turned into hours-long conversations while Reinneck was on vacation in Hawaii and Llenas was back in New York. Everything was clicking and so why not? As Reinneck headed home, they decided to meet at Love Field, the airport in Dallas, less than two weeks after first being connected. Last October, on their two-year anniversary trip, Llenas proposed as they hiked up to Machu Picchu in the mountains of Peru. "I love you so much," he told Reinneck, "and I just want this adventure to continue." ("I was incredibly nervous," Llenas tells PEOPLE. "I told myself if I didnt make it on the hike, I didnt want to be embarrassed and not make it on the hike it was my motivation.") If there'd been no pandemic, the two would likely be in pre-wedding mode for a spring 2021 ceremony in Miami, though Llenas, a "hopeless romantic," jokingly admits: "I was more on the rush to get down with the wedding than Kyle was. He was just kind of like, 'Mmmm ...' " The whole thing is on hold, like so much else. But they have time. Courtesy Bryan Llenas Kyle Reinneck (left) and Bryan Llenas Courtesy Bryan Llenas Kyle Reinneck (left) and Bryan Llenas when Llenas proposed in October "We have so much thats alike, but oh my god we have so much thats so different," Llenas says. "I think in many ways theres a sense where Kyle hes so humble, hes so kind and he is just so positive and such a loving human being, that it immediately was evident to me that this was somebody who I connected with." Reinneck is the more meticulous of the pair (and he's still trying to convince Llenas to embrace running), with a smile like a bright light, Llenas says. "Hes pushing me in different ways and I am somebody who is a little bit more live-by-the-seat-of-your-pants." It's been an unprecedented year, after an unexpected decade for the Florida native, who grew up on the "appointment television" of 20/20 and still gets a thrill from hurricane coverage tracing back to boyhood dreams of being a meteorologist. He joined Fox News full-time in 2010, and in 2013, he was assigned to cover Pope Francis' election in his first national TV segment. "If you would have told me that Id still be working for the same company 10 years in, that somebody like Kyle would fall in love with me and that wed be building a life together ... ," Llenas says. "Im highly blessed." NORTHFIELD While students and a few parents may have shed some tears with the start of a new and very different school year Tuesday, concerns about a crossing guard shortage did not affect the return to the Northfield Community School, officials said. All of the posts were covered by the crossing guards on the first day of school, and the department did not have to deploy any officers to cover the 13 established posts, police Chief Paul Newman said. District Superintendent Pedro Bretones agreed that the first day back to the school in six months was positive all the way around. It was great to see our school filled with children, as it should be, Bretones said. Our teachers, administrators and staff were overjoyed to see the children and did a great job of making it a wonderful first day for them. There had been specific concerns about crossing guards as City Council and the school district butted heads over staggered start and dismissal times at the school and the number of hours those new times would necessitate crossing guards to be at their posts in the all-walking district. The body of a man, estimated to be in his late thirties, was found hanging from a tree in a park in Noidas sector 7 on Wednesday morning. The man was later identified as a Delhi resident. According to police officials, they had received a call from a passerby around 5am about the body. There was no identity card on the victims body. When we first got the information, a police team rushed to the spot. The body was later brought down and sent for an autopsy, said RK Singh, station house officer, Sector 20 police station. He said that locals were questioned. However, no one had any idea about the man. It was later in the day as word spread that the family of the victim came to know about it and stepped forward. The man lived with his family in Delhi. The family has claimed that the man had left home on Tuesday evening and had been missing since then. They had no information about his whereabouts until his body was found in the morning, said the SHO. Police officials said that the family said that he had been upset over his loss of employment and lack of finances, which might have prompted him to kill himself. However, no suicide note was recovered from the spot or on the body. Singh said that the mans family hailed from Bihar and worked as daily wage earners. The autopsy report is awaited which will confirm whether this was a suicide or not after that. No complaint has been filed by the family yet, a police officer said.. Gautam Budh Nagar does not have a dedicated helpline to deal with such situations. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are +914066202000 from Roshni (Hyderabad-based) and +914424640050 from Sneha India Foundation (Delhi-based). The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday allowed an Amritsar-based association to receive foreign funds to provide free food and other facilities to devotees of Golden temple. Union Food Processing Minister and Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that the MHA has granted approval under FCRA to Sri Harmandir Sahib. Badal thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for granting the FCRA registration to the association. She added that this will enable the shrine to receive 'sewa' from all over the world and go a long way in propagating Gurusahab's philosophy of 'sarbat da bhala'. "Happy to share that MHA has granted approval under FCRA to Sri Harmandir Sahib. This will enable the shrine to receive 'sewa' from all over the world & go a long way in propagating Gurusahab's philosophy of 'sarbat da bhala'. I'm grateful to @AmitShah Ji for making this possible," she tweeted. Happy to share that MHA has granted approval under FCRA to Sri Harmandir Sahib. This will enable the shrine to receive 'sewa' from all over the world & go a long way in propagating Gurusahabs philosophy of sarbat da bhala. I'm grateful to @AmitShah Ji for making this possible. pic.twitter.com/ccyWi8ps76 Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) September 9, 2020 News agency PTI quoting government sources said the Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Saheb Sri Darbar Saheb Punjab Association has been granted registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. The FCRA registration of the association will be valid for a period of five years, PTI said. Langar services in Golden temple are provided by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Saheb Sri Darbar Saheb Punjab Association, which applied for FCRA registration on May 27, has been running 'langar' services to the devotees of Golden temple in Amritsar in Punjab, sources told PTI. Set up in 1925, the organisation so far has been taking donations within the country. With the granting of the FCRA registration by the union home ministry, the organisation can now take foreign contributions which it can spend for running 'langar' services and help poor and needy. Real Madrid are reportedly willing to part ways with Gareth Bale in exchange for just over 24 million euros. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are the main suitors to lure him away from the Spanish capital and back to England. According to The Daily Mail, Los Blancos are keen to lower their demands and Bale is desperate to depart the club. While Manchester United have the financial prowess to sign Bale, Tottenham can't afford to meet his salary demands. Bale recently hit out at Real Madrid while on international duty about the way they are handling his future. "It's in the club's hands and they make things very difficult to be honest," Bale told Sky Sports. "All I can do is carry on what I'm doing and hopefully something comes up." Germany calls for 'urgent' EU migrant reform after Lesbos disaster The devastating fire at the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos has lent fresh urgency to the migrant question Germany on Wednesday pushed for urgent reform of the EU's migration policies, with its minister for Europe telling AFP it was all the more crucial to act quickly after a fire laid waste to the biggest refugee camp in Greece. "We urgently need a common refugee intake programme among as many EU countries as possible and finally a common asylum and migration policy for the EU," Michael Roth told AFP. "Protecting Europe means defending human rights. Germany and the European Union must quickly help the refugees, and Greece now needs our support and solidarity," stressed the minister, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the bloc. Over 12,000 men, women and children ran in panic out of containers and tents and into adjoining olive groves and fields as the fire destroyed most of the overcrowded, squalid camp. The blaze started just hours after the migration ministry said that 35 people had tested positive for the coronavirus at the camp of Moria, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Five years after the arrival of over a million asylum seekers, many fleeing war in Iraq and Syria, the question on how the bloc should share out its refugee responsibilities has once again gained urgency on the political agenda. The European Commission is due to come up with a proposal by the end of September on a new pact on migration and asylum. But the issue of the distribution of asylum seekers, which countries such as Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia refuse to accept, has so far been a stumbling block to reform. - Bitterly divided - In a joint interview with his French counterpart Clement Beaune earlier this week, Roth acknowledged that it would be "a bit of a race" to wrangle a compromise from the bloc's 27 members before Germany's presidency draws to a close at year's end. But he said that Germany has "decided to make substantial progress" on the file. The German minister regretted member states were still unable to reach a deal so many years after the migration crisis, but they now had to focus minds to "finally get some progress", he stressed. Story continues France's Beaune noted that "on migration, it is clear that the solution can only be European and we do not have sufficient progress on this subject". He said however that there was today a recognition that "we need a solidarity mechanism on the European level that should in principle be compulsory. "Each member state should make a contribution towards European solidarity," he stressed. The arrival of huge numbers of refugees in 2015 was a defining moment that put European solidarity to the test. Fearing a humanitarian disaster, Chancellor Angela Merkel kept the country's doors open, allowing in hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, a policy the far-right seized on at that time to get a foothold in parliament. In 2016, the bloc struck a deal with Turkey for Ankara to take back migrants in exchange for financial assistance and political concessions. With public opinion bitterly divided in Germany, Merkel's government began taking a harder line and dissuading new arrivals. But with the bloc unable to decide on a common policy, the migration issue flares each time asylum seekers are rescued from drowning in the Mediterranean as they seek to reach European shores. Germany, France, Italy and Malta agreed last September on a temporary mechanism, on a voluntary basis, for the distribution of migrants rescued at sea. So far however, only a few countries such as Portugal, Luxembourg and Ireland have joined the initiative. ilp-bk/hmn/mfp/jj Talking about the role and responsibility of a leader in anti-corruption, many attendees at a recent seminar on corruption cited Hanoi Mayor Nguyen Duc Chungs case as an example. Speaking at a recent seminar on The roles and responsibilities of leaders at all levels in anti-corruption - theoretical and practical issues", Deputy Head of the Central Internal Affairs Committee Nguyen Thai Hoc said that a leader plays a very important and even decisive role in the implementation of anti-corruption tasks. Many leaders commit corruption or lend a hand to corruption Deputy Head of the Central Internal Affairs Committee Nguyen Thai Hoc According to Mr. Hoc, an important lesson learned from the recent practice of anticorruption is that political determination is an important factor, but without leaders exemplary and serious behavior, political determination cannot become a reality. "Only when leaders take the lead in fighting against corruption will corruption rarely occur there. On the contrary, when leaders do not want and dare not fight corruption, corruption takes place seriously and in a complicated way at those places," Mr. Hoc said. Since 2016, 1,121 cases have been detected, with 2,473 corrupt suspects. Of which, only 38 cases with 44 people with corruption-related violations were found through internal inspection and supervision. In the past 5 years, there were only 140 leaders who were punished, with 8 people facing criminal sanction and 82 people were disciplined. Mr. Hoc said the positive and clear changes in anti-corruption work over the past time, especially since the 12th Party Congress, have clearly affirmed the roles and responsibilities of leaders at all levels. Leaders of the Party and State, especially General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, Head of the Central Steering Committee on Anticorruption, have been very determined and persistent in directing the detection and handling of many serious corruption cases. As a result, many senior leaders who committed corrupt acts have been strictly punished in the spirit of no restricted areas and no exceptions, regardless of who they are. Mr. Hoc noted that in many places, the role and responsibility of the leader has not been promoted well. Some avoided, or pushed away the responsibility, or even covered up for corruption cases. More seriously, some leaders committed negative acts, or corruption, or gave a hand to corruption. Such cases have been detected and handled. Dr. Vu Van Phuc Dr. Vu Van Phuc, Vice Chairman of the Scientific Council of Central Agencies, and former Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Journal, said that after all, the role and responsibility of the leader is very important in the corruption fight. "The Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Home Affairs said that it is necessary to raise the salary for public servants, but I would like to say that many wealthy ones commit corruption," Mr. Phuc noted. He said the Party's resolution and legal regulations are relatively complete, but it is important that leaders take action. "If the head does not comply with the guidelines and policies of the Party and the regulations of the State, (the situation) remains the same." "Yesterday I watched TV and saw the news about the meeting between the Politburo and the Standing Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. The General Secretary and the President said, 'You keep talking about the policy, I do not agree with that," Mr. Phuc said. He raised the question: "With the same mechanism or policy, why are anti-corruption tasks good at some places and not good at others? I think every resolution and regulation, every argument, depends on how the leader performs in practice." Phuc cited the case of Hanoi Mayor Nguyen Duc Chung, who was arrested in connection with some legal cases. "It has now been revealed that his wife has a 'backyard' company, and his son also has a very large 'backyard' company, Phuc said. Mr. Phuc recalled the case of former Transport Minister Dinh La Thang, who approved a policy related to the collection of tolls on Trung Luong expressway, causing VND725 billion of losses. Mr. Phuc said that when specific leaders at all levels do not comply with regulations, all measures are ineffective. Thu Hang Corruption fight increasingly drastic, effective: top leader The fight against corruption in the recent time hasnt been stagnant or slack but increasingly drastic and effective, Eric Moses Tuwuhofo and Kofi Quagrane, who allegedly collected 8,000 dollars from one Mr Anthony Kelly Manso, under the pretext of procuring eight Canadian visas for him, have been put before an Accra Circuit Court. The two have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretences. Tuwuhofo pleaded not guilty and was admitted to bail in the sum of GHS44,500.00 with three sureties, one to be justified. Quagrane was, however, absent in court. The Court indicated that the sureties should be of substance and must furnish the Registry with copies of valid photo ID cards. It further ordered the prosecution to file their disclosures within 21 days. The case was adjourned to October 10. Sergeant Thomas Sarfo, the Prosecutor, said Tuwuhofo and Quagrane were businessmen residing at Achimota and Dansoman, respectively. In October 2018, Tuwuhofo approached the complainant, Mr Anthony Kelly Manso, that he had connections with an immigration officer at the Kotoka International Airport, who had been securing Canadian visas for interested persons. Prosecution said the complainant became interested and Tuwuhofo introduced Quagrane as the said senior immigration officer on phone to him. The accused demanded initial payment of 8,000 dollars, the cedi equivalent being GHC47,200.00 for the eight visas. Prosecution said the accused, after taking the money, failed to honour his promise and went into hiding. The complainant reported the issue to the Police and on February 13, this year, Tuwuhofo was arrested at Abakrampa in the Central Region. In Tuwuhofos caution statement he admitted the offence and mentioned Quagrane as his accomplice. On June 17, this year, Quagrane was picked up at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and, thereafter, admitted the offence in his caution statement. Prosecution said Tuwuhofo, during investigations, refunded GHC5,000.00 to the police. 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 A Pakistani government official, who is suspected to have helped journalists in writing a story about the rise to riches of a top general and key aide to Prime Minister Imran Khan, has returned home after unknown abductors freed him on the outskirts of Islamabad, officials and the man said. Sajid Gondal, a joint director at Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, returned home on Tuesday evening, five days after he went missing. According to his colleagues, Gondal, a former reporter with Dawn newspaper, was investigating Lt Gen (retd) Saleem Bajwa, the chairman of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority and information aide to Prime Minister Khan. Bajwa resigned last week as special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting, but Khan rejected the resignation. Bajwas move came after a report alleged that he had used his offices to help his family set up several offshore businesses. Bajwa, who also served as Commander of the Southern Command, rejected the allegations, and said he would continue to head CPEC Authority. It was unclear who held Gondal for five days, though his family and friends speculated he was in the custody of one of Pakistans intelligence agencies, which work largely outside the control of the government. I am back and safe, and I am thankful to all friends who were worried for me, tweeted Gondal, who had gone missing while visiting a family-owned farm. His car was found abandoned on a road on the outskirts of Islamabad. Gondal was freed after his relatives rallied in Islamabad amid growing pressure on social media for his release. On Saturday, the Islamabad High Court had ordered authorities to trace Gondal by Monday, while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by his mother Asmat Bibi. The court also forwarded a copy of the order to the cabinet division secretary. The abduction of a citizen from the federal capital is extremely alarming, Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked. Federal information and broadcasting minister Shibli Faraz said Prime Minister Imran Khan was concerned about Gondals abduction in Islamabad. (With inputs from Agencies) The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. 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With over 20 years of industry experience, Sterling is committed to helping dealers internalize and brand F&I product offerings while removing the commission waste associated with existing undifferentiated products and processes. Automotive dealers are praising Sterling for its ability to maximize F&I profitability through innovative products and technology. Greater transparency equals greater dealer profits. It's that simple. Traditional trade conventions are an outstanding way to show off your products or services and connect with potential customers and partners. But just like on the Internet, theres a lot of noise you need to overcome to stand out and make people want to walk over to your booth instead of someone elses. I have a simple strategy Ive used with enormous success for this very purpose. In my previous company, Sunbelt Software, we focused on selling products to system administrators. So, in terms of events, we hit up Microsoft tech conferences and similar trade shows. Those events usually brought in anywhere from 4,000-8,000 people, so we knew they would be a fantastic opportunity to rub elbows in a huge way if we could just figure out how to draw people to us. We had to think what could we do that would appeal universally to this particular demographic and that would outshine the other vendors even if we couldnt anticipate what theyd offer? And then we had our Aha! moment. With a raffle, we could generate positive interest with a little friendly suspense, taking advantage of everybodys natural inclination to want to beat the odds, which at a trade show are much better than the lottery. Of course, there was the little problem of the raffle item. We had to make sure it was something people would really go nuts for, or nobody would drop by the booth to get scanned and grab a ticket. The solution? A quick survey of our fellow techies to find out what they thought would be the ultimate, super-cool giveaway for a trade show. After doing the survey, we went to TechEd 2006 in Boston. Our booth was nothing special, just a 10-by-10 space. But based on the survey results, wed brought in picture this a spectacular custom-painted Harley Davidson chopper. The buzz was overwhelming. We could tell that everybody was itching for a shot, imagining themselves getting away from technical code, security and so on and winning the freedom the bike boldly offered. To get a ticket, though, they had to register with us. And did they ever. By the time the show ended at 4 p.m., it was pretty obvious our strategy had paid off. Crowds of people were gathered around our booth to see who would win. We had someone get up on a ladder with a megaphone and pull a number from the raffle barrel. There was a terrific moment of tension, and then everybody gave a mix of oh-wells and congratulations as a very happy attendee came up to claim the bike. Everybody had a great time, and for our effort, we walked out of the show with practically every attendee there in our database. Related: 5 Tricks to Help You Stand Out at a Trade Show Making the technique your own for the long-term Because this trick was so successful, it was a no brainer for us to keep doing it so weve been using raffles at shows for a number of years now. Its something that you can use at virtually any conference, and the sequence of survey-raffle-get leads isnt going to change much regardless of which industry your event might be for. But there are two caveats. First, make sure that you introduce your raffle at the right time at events that have a sufficient audience. We tried this strategy in the early days of KnowBe4, but there just werent enough people at the show to make it worth it. Secondly, be flexible in what you raffle off based on your survey results. If we were to do this today, people might tell us that their ultimate giveaway item isnt a Harley chopper anymore. It could be a Tesla Model 3 or any other number of things you normally wouldnt associate with your own business. You always need to listen to your audience and decide from there, and you should give people at least a little bit of an idea about what they might see to drive interest. As you keep these points in mind, remember that there are a lot of convenient ways to survey your audience, such as with an online form. You can use whatever makes sense given your timeframe, resources and your audiences known preferences. And youll have two ways to get the items youre going to raffle. The first is to approach the company that makes or sells what people want and ask them if they'll donate the item for the exposure theyll get at the show, which can be a great way to make new connections and build lasting partnerships. But you can also purchase the raffle item yourself if you have the budget to do so you just need to have some evidence that the value of the leads youll get will outpace the cost of the raffle item. Related: 4 Ways to Get Noticed at a Crowded Trade Show Visibility and fun in one package Raffles at trade shows work largely because, on top of offering fantastic visibility, theyre super fun. Most people dont have one going on, so attendees naturally will turn their attention to whats different. And people like the idea that theyll leave with more than they put in that theyll come out ahead compared to everybody else. So yes, theres definitely a serious side to business and getting yourself out there. But you should be able to enjoy yourself along with your customers, too! With a convention raffle, you can do both with enormous success. Related: Quickly Create Compelling Content for Your Products with This Simple Mockup Generator How to Optimize Your Website With Video Why a Time of Crisis is an Opportunity to Revisit Your B2B Sales Fundamentals Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Callan, a leading institutional investment consulting firm, announced that Bernie Bazile, CAIA, joined the firm as a vice president in the Real Assets Consulting group today. She will focus on real assets research and due diligence of investment managers, as well as strategic planning, implementation, and performance oversight of institutional investor clients' real assets portfolios. She is based in the Summit, NJ office, and reports to both Avery Robinson and Sally Haskins, co-heads of real assets consulting. "Bernie has years of experience in real assets, and her background and areas of expertise are complementary and additive to the team's already deep bench of professionals," said Ms. Haskins and Mr. Robinson in a joint statement. "We look forward to her perspectives and contributions." Ms. Bazile has been dedicated to various aspects of institutional real estate investing for approximately two decades. Prior to joining Callan, she was a strategic account director and industry principal for Juniper Square, an investment software platform designed specifically for real estate investment funds. She was a capital markets consultant at 8Focus LLC, which facilitated off-market commercial real estate investments for institutional investors. She has been a vice president for Triton Pacific Capital and J.P. Morgan, focused on real estate and private fund investing, as well as an associate director for Commonfund where she advised a portfolio of endowments and foundations. Ms. Bazile earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Tufts University and is a holder of the right to use the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation. She has been a FINRA registered representative, having passed the Series 7 and 63 licensing exams. "I am excited to join an industry-leading firm like Callan that is committed to placing its clients' needs first, and applying research-driven, tailored advice to fit each client's unique circumstances," said Ms. Bazile. "Callan's Real Assets Consulting group is a collaborative and high-caliber team that embodies Callan's core values, which mirror my own." About Callan Callan was founded as an employee-owned investment consulting firm in 1973. Ever since, we have empowered institutional clients with creative, customized investment solutions backed by proprietary research, exclusive data, and ongoing education. Today, Callan advises on more than $2 trillion in total fund sponsor assets, which makes it among the largest independently owned investment consulting firms in the U.S. Callan uses a client-focused consulting model to serve pension and defined contribution plan sponsors, endowments, foundations, independent investment advisers, investment managers, and other asset owners. Callan has six offices throughout the U.S. Learn more at callan.com. Media Contact: Elizabeth Anathan [email protected] +1-415-274-3020 SOURCE Callan LLC Related Links callan.com GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Together with leading industry partners, Getinge is showcasing innovative connectivity solutions for creating a more quiet and healing environment for the intensive care unit (ICU). By distributing audible alarms outside patient rooms, ICUs will become calmer for patients, family members and provide caregivers a more efficient way of addressing alarms. The modern ICU uses a large number of medical devices that generate independent alarms. Without coordination, this can result in a cacophony of alarms causing unnecessary anxiety for patients and their families. "Our aim is to help hospitals make ICU bedsides quieter by safely moving the alarms outside patient rooms," says David Pitts, Clinical SME, Integrated Therapy Solutions Getinge. "Distributing alarms to the right caregiver at the right time saves patients and their family members from worrying about alarm disturbances and improves the working conditions in stressful ICU environments." The quiet ICU demo concept created by Getinge and its partners highlights the importance of establishing a standard for safely distributing and managing alarms between solutions provided by different medical device suppliers. "Instead of alarming separately at the patient's bedside, each device is part of a network intended to coordinate and, if needed, escalate those alarms directly to the appropriate caregiver," David Pitts explains. These groundbreaking solutions are expected to reach the health care market in the years to come. The concept is demonstrated in the Interoperability Showcase video "Trauma Recovery in the Quiet ICU" available on the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) website. Learn more about Getinge's products and solutions at: www.getinge.com/int/quiet-icu. Media contact: Anna Appelqvist, Vice President Corporate Communications Phone: +46 (0)10 335 5906 E-mail: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/getinge/r/getinge-and-partners-showcase-connectivity-solutions-for-the-quiet-icu-of-the-future,c3191704 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/942/3191704/1304804.pdf Getinge and partners showcase connectivity solutions for the quiet ICU of the future https://news.cision.com/getinge/i/getinge---quiet-icu,c2823127 Getinge - Quiet ICU https://news.cision.com/getinge/i/getinge---david-pitts,c2823128 Getinge - David Pitts SOURCE Getinge In her studio in Oakland, California, sculptor Dana King works on her latest piece. A statue of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton. "Huey was a man for the people. He wanted to lift up Black people and so much is not known about the Panthers and so much misinformation about the Panthers is out there. And sculpture can help educate." Now - after statues of Confederate soldiers were removed amid nationwide protests against racial injustice, a debate has risen over who and what should replace the toppled statues. Black sculptors and historians hope the aftermath will give communities around the country a chance to honor often-forgotten African-American trailblazers, like William Lanson. In September, King will unveil this sculpture of Lanson - a formerly enslaved Black man who worked to extend New Havens Long Wharf, making the Connecticut port competitive with nearby New York. King's situation is rare. "There are so many incredible black sculptors. And yet so much of the work that has been created on our behalf, if you will, has been done by white sculptors. Of the more than 5,000 public outdoor sculptures registered in the Smithsonian American Art Museums Inventories Catalog, less than a quarter of the roughly 700 works in the Ethnic-African American category were made by Black sculptors. "I think it's important to bring your memory to it. And our memory has not been served by having sculptures of us done by white people. I'd like to see that change." As for what to do with the empty plinths, King thinks they should be left that way. "Sculpture takes up space and space is power. Those empty plinths are also powerful in that they should not be used for anything right now." King says she would not want her sculptures on one of those plinths. 10 Years of Blog Archive January 2022 (5) December 2021 (9) November 2021 (8) October 2021 (9) September 2021 (9) August 2021 (8) July 2021 (8) June 2021 (9) May 2021 (9) April 2021 (8) March 2021 (9) February 2021 (8) January 2021 (9) December 2020 (9) November 2020 (8) October 2020 (9) September 2020 (10) August 2020 (7) July 2020 (10) June 2020 (8) May 2020 (9) April 2020 (11) March 2020 (9) February 2020 (8) January 2020 (7) December 2019 (13) November 2019 (14) October 2019 (15) September 2019 (13) August 2019 (8) July 2019 (9) June 2019 (12) May 2019 (13) April 2019 (9) March 2019 (10) February 2019 (8) January 2019 (10) December 2018 (12) November 2018 (12) October 2018 (11) September 2018 (13) August 2018 (13) July 2018 (14) June 2018 (16) May 2018 (9) April 2018 (10) March 2018 (8) February 2018 (8) January 2018 (10) December 2017 (7) November 2017 (8) October 2017 (10) September 2017 (12) August 2017 (14) July 2017 (17) June 2017 (17) May 2017 (16) April 2017 (16) March 2017 (17) February 2017 (13) January 2017 (16) December 2016 (13) November 2016 (14) October 2016 (13) September 2016 (13) August 2016 (16) July 2016 (25) June 2016 (28) May 2016 (29) April 2016 (30) March 2016 (29) February 2016 (28) January 2016 (29) December 2015 (30) November 2015 (27) October 2015 (26) September 2015 (30) August 2015 (20) July 2015 (16) June 2015 (14) May 2015 (18) April 2015 (15) March 2015 (17) February 2015 (17) January 2015 (23) December 2014 (20) November 2014 (17) October 2014 (17) September 2014 (13) August 2014 (8) July 2014 (7) June 2014 (12) May 2014 (6) April 2014 (6) March 2014 (11) February 2014 (13) January 2014 (13) December 2013 (13) November 2013 (14) October 2013 (18) September 2013 (11) August 2013 (14) July 2013 (11) June 2013 (12) May 2013 (15) April 2013 (15) March 2013 (19) February 2013 (14) January 2013 (16) December 2012 (13) November 2012 (12) October 2012 (14) September 2012 (22) August 2012 (28) July 2012 (23) June 2012 (24) May 2012 (13) April 2012 (21) March 2012 (21) February 2012 (19) January 2012 (20) December 2011 (19) November 2011 (20) October 2011 (24) September 2011 (19) August 2011 (16) July 2011 (10) June 2011 (1) April 2011 (3) March 2011 (6) A pub in Sydney's inner west has become the first in NSW to be closed by the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing after repeatedly breaching coronavirus restrictions. The Unity Hall Hotel at Balmain will be closed for a week after it was caught hosting two birthday parties and failing to follow its COVIDSafe plan one day after receiving a penalty notice for a restrictions breach. Patrons at the party were seen on CCTV footage dancing, mingling closely and celebrating at one of the birthdays. Liquor and Gaming authorities reviewed the footage and issued the venue a $10,000 fine. In a statement on Facebook, the Unity Hall apologised "unreservedly" for the breaches. Bryant "Corky" Messner, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, in an undated photograph. (Amanda Biundo/Corky for Senate Campaign via AP) Trump-Backed Candidates Win in New Hampshire Republican Primary Bryant Corky Messner, a businessman backed by President Donald Trump, captured the New Hampshire Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Sept. 8. Messner, 63, an Army veteran, defeated retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, as well as two longshot candidates. Trump over the summer endorsed Messner, drawing attention to his military service and calling him strong on jobs, crime, vets, military and the Second Amendment. Messner thanked voters, in a statement. Granite Staters are tired of career politicians and Washington bureaucrats. They deserve a U.S. Senator committed to individual liberty and economic freedom, a political outsider who understands how to revitalize our economy and bring common sense and New Hampshire values to the issues we face, he said. This Novembers election is critical to this state and this nation, and I look forward to working with President Trump to keep America great. Messner will seek to unseat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), 73, who has been in office since 2009, in the general election. When it comes to making a difference for New Hampshire, she gets the job done, and her record stands in sharp contrast to Corky Messner, a Colorado transplant who moved here to try to buy himself a Senate seat, and is promising policies that will hurt Granite Staters, Shaheens campaign manager, Harrell Kirstein, told The Associated Press. Shaheen narrowly won reelection in 2014, beating Republican challenger Scott Brown by about 3 percent of the vote. Political handicappers rate the seat Solid Democratic or Likely Democratic. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) speaks in Washington on June 10, 2020. (Al-Drago-Pool/Getty Images) The seat is 1 of 12 that Democrats are defending in the Senate; Republicans are defending 23. Republicans currently control the Senate 5347, including two independents who almost always caucus with Democrats. Meanwhile, Trump-backed Matt Mowers secured the GOP nomination in the states 1st Congressional District and will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas in the general election. Mowers worked for Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and in the White House before running for Congress. Trump said in his endorsement that Mowers was a winner in my Administration and he will always put America First. In a statement Sept. 9, Mowers said he would partner with law enforcement to ensure that they have the resources to keep our communities safe. Ill work to lower the cost of prescription drugs and ensure that we hold China accountable on the world stage to bring vital manufacturing back to NH, he said. Pappas (D-N.H.), who is in his first term, ran unopposed in his primary. He said late on Sept. 8 that hes running for reelection because during these uncertain times theres so much work to do to confront this crisis and move our state forward, while accusing Mowers of running a campaign of fear and smear. Trump lost New Hampshire in 2016 by 0.4 percent. It was the closest margin among states won by Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) Atrocities under the Philippine governments flagship anti-drug campaign have worsened during the lockdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an international human rights group. In a report published on Wednesday, the Human Rights Watch, citing government statistics, said that drug war-linked deaths have risen in the past few months, even with the country still grappling with the coronavirus crisis. In its report, the HRW said drug-linked killings from the period of April to July 2020 when strict community quarantine measures were imposed were 50 percent higher compared to the previous four-month period. Specifically, the New York-based organization found 155 persons were killed in the past four months. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, 103 people were killed from December 2019 to March 2020. As the governments own statistics show, the atrocities in the drug war have worsened, even as the country suffers the worst in the region from the pandemic, the HRW said. Latest government data shows 5,810 people have died during anti-drug operations since July 2016, when President Rodrigo Duterte took office, while over 251,000 individuals have also been arrested under the administration's drug war. Local and international rights groups, however, say thousands more have died in extrajudicial killings, a claim the government has repeatedly denied. New Zealand introduces plan to put camera aboard all its fishing vessels by Bernadette Carreon September 09,2020 | Source: SeafoodSource New Zealands government last week announced plans to put cameras on board 345 fishing vessels, a plan that will cost more than NZD 40 million (USD 27 million, EUR 23 million). In a press statement, New Zealand Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash said the introduction of on-board cameras will be across the nations inshore fishing fleet. He said the government will provide at least a portion of the funding required to install and operate the cameras, but the precise amount will depend on the business case put together by officials for Cabinet sign-off.. The proposed operating model would then have to be tested in the market and negotiations would be subject to a degree of commercial confidentiality, he said. Wider use of on-board cameras will enhance New Zealands reputation as a producer of premium, sustainable, and trusted seafood. The increase in the use of on-board cameras is supported by the current coalition government and is aimed at providing more transparency in the fisheries, Nash said. The rollout of on-board cameras is another step to modernize the fishing industry. Cameras will improve fisheries management information and provide the transparency demanded by domestic and international markets, Nash said. The decision also supports the economic recovery for communities who depend on fishing for their livelihoods. As we respond to the impact of COVID-19, its more important than ever to position the country as a world-leading source of sustainable, trusted, and high-value seafood. Last year, New Zealands government supported the effort to put cameras on 20 fishing vessels in areas that pose the highest risk to Maui dolphins, a small, endangered population of marine mammals located off the west coast of New Zealands North Island. Additionally, electronic catch and position reporting for around 830 boats in the inshore fleet was made mandatory in 2019. Ministers have agreed on the next steps to improve the quality of fisheries data through an extra layer of verification. Cameras also help the transition to a more modern fishing industry and a more sustainable and prosperous seafood sector, Nash said. Following the rollout of the cameras, the government plans to expand the on-board camera program to around 345 inshore vessels by 2024, in two tranches. The first tranche will include cameras installed on around 165 fishing vessels in high-risk areas , including habitats of Hectors dolphins, antipodean and Gibsons albatross, black petrels, and hoiho penguins. The second tranche will provide cameras on another 160 fishing vessels which fish in lower-risk areas which are a haven of protected species such as fur seals, the common dolphin, flesh-footed shearwater, and Salvins albatross. The project also includes research into new camera technology and digital monitoring developments. Meanwhile, Nash said NZD 4.6 million (USD 3 million, EUR 2.6 million) will be made available for a fishing industry-led support network to help businesses survive the COVID-19 crisis. He said the network will be a fishing-specific support and will be built on the rural support trusts that already work with farmers. The fishing community support and wellbeing network will offer mentorship and practical advice to help transition businesses to meet sustainability goals. It will connect fishing operators with the right support services and help them apply for innovation funding, Nash said. 2020 Diversified Communications. All rights reserved. Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture. 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 The Montgomery County Memorial Library System has moved into Phase 3 of its reopening plan. The new measures took effect on Tuesday. The library system remains at 50-percent capacity per state guidelines, but patrons can now make an appointment to browse the library stacks in one-hour increments. Appointments are also required for one hour of time in the computer lab, in the genealogy department or to use the WiFi. These services are available at all seven branches of the library system across the county. The countys seven libraries closed on March 18 over concerns of the virus spreading in the community. The libraries have reopened in phases to keep both the public and the library staff safe during the pandemic. The libraries were closed from March to mid-May when they reopened with limited lobby service and this plan has been intact until Tuesday when the libraries opened for appointments. Appointments may be made at https://countylibrary.org/schedulevisit.htm All entering the library are asked to wear a mask. Those unable to wear a mask can call 936-442-7712 and library staff will retrieve materials you want so they can be ready for you when you arrive. MCMLS Library Director Jerilynn Williams said research and retrieval services by staff will continue during Phase 3. Also of note, each family member must have a separate reservations for an appointment. They are also asking patrons to limit their time to one appointment a day. Williams is asking patrons to use the library intently during their hour and to allow for 30 minutes of browsing and 30 minutes of check out time. By using the library intently more patrons can use the services, she said. Additionally, health shields have been installed in front counters and reference desks at the libraries and Williams said there are more health shields on the way. They are also asking patrons to adhere to six-feet of distancing while using the library. Decals on the floor will help with social distancing in the lobby area. She noted that some of the seating has been removed to allow for proper distancing. She has also secured face shields for the library employees provided by the countys Office of Emergency Management. They may choose to wear the face shields in addition to their face masks. Copying and printing will begin again soon, but programs will continue virtually. Also meeting rooms are not available. One person can reserve a study room for one hour, but there cant be more than one person in the room. Williams said the staff members are sanitizing public areas and equipment as frequently as possible. She said the first day of operations in Phase 3 Tuesday were very successful. The books are waiting for them, she said. Visit countylibrary.org for more information about the Montgomery County Memorial Library System. Olympic beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings has apologized after she sparked backlash for going shopping without a face mask in 'a little exercise in being brave'. 'My goodness gracious. To those Ive upset so deeply, I am sorry,' she shared Tuesday, sharing an Instagram of a white flag and the word 'Truce'. 'To those calling me dumb, selfish, privileged, bigoted, and racist... I fully acknowledge that addressing such an emotional, layered, nuanced and polarizing topic on social media was not the smartest thing,' she added. Walsh Jennings, who defied Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measures in refusing to wear a mask, said she was only trying to express her belief that 'FREEDOM IS A [sic] RIGHT WORTH FIGHTING FOR'. 'I believe we have to stay mindful of the FACT that our freedoms have slowly been taken from us with our consent,' she said. Olympic beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings, 42, has apologized after she sparked backlash for going shopping without a face mask in 'a little exercise in being brave' 'My goodness gracious. To those Ive upset so deeply, I am sorry,' she shared in an Instagram apology on Tuesday, adding 'I was not looking to do anything but express my belief that FREEDOM IS A [sic] RIGHT WORTH FIGHTING FOR' Walsh Jennings, who won gold medals in beach volleyball in 2004, 2008, 2012 and bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janiero, said she is 'not advocating for people to stop wearing masks' 'I am not advocating for people to stop wearing masks. I wear a mask most often. I dont believe in their efficacy unless its of a certain caliber, yet I wear them. I am advocating critical thinking and civility. I am advocating personal responsibility,' she added. Her apology still led to anger from her followers. 'Im a nurse. We have lost over 900 health care providers to COVID in this country. Are you seriously going to play the innocent "what happened to freedom of opinion?" Do you get that when someone goes to the hospital sick with COVID, those who care for them are putting their own health and those of their families at risk? Enjoy your arrogance and privilege but spare us your pontificating,' one Instagram follower clapped back. In her controversial post late Sunday Walsh Jennings, who is looking to represent the US in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, said: 'I had a little exercise in being brave yesterday & I'm still a bit edgy about it. I went shopping without a mask on [sic] & this is why ... I read a quote the other day that shook me.' 'THIS HAS NOT BEEN ENFORCED, IT'S BEEN CONSENTED TO,' Walsh Jennings wrote. She said that the quote 'woke me up & the truth of it has had me obsessing on the matter of how I can mindfully & compassionately stand up for my rights & for the freedoms our constitution has granted us all WITHOUT being reckless or putting anyone else in danger. Backlash: Instagram commenters said Walsh Jennings confused freedom with common good 'We are all endlessly complaining about the restrictive & arbitrarily selective rules that we are being strongly "suggested" to follow & yet we are all consenting; Not much of a fight, just a lot of complaining & strongly disagreeing with this manipulation, but we keep consenting. 'It's maddening. It has crushed our society, people's livelihoods, our children's spirits, & the fabric of our world. We have become a country & a world estranged from each other & it is more deeply unhealthy than any virus could ever be,' she added. Walsh Jennings said that she's aware that many people have been sickened by COVID-19 and many have died. There are more than 6.3 million cases in the US and at least 189,000 deaths. 'I would never downplay the impact of a single loss of life. That is it's own conversation & my heart goes out to all those suffering poor health, the loss of a loved one and the fear that the reaction to & media coverage of COVID-19 has created in your days,' she wrote. Olympic volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings explained in a lengthy Instagram post that she chose not to wear a mask inside a store as part of a 'little exercise in being brave'. Walsh Jennings, who is looking to represent the US in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, first explained: 'I had a little exercise in being brave yesterday & I'm still a bit edgy about it. I went shopping without a mask on [sic] & this is why ... I read a quote the other day that shook me' She said that the quote 'woke me up & the truth of it has had me obsessing on the matter of how I can mindfully & compassionately stand up for my rights & for the freedoms our constitution has granted us all WITHOUT being reckless or putting anyone else in danger' Walsh Jennings described her interactions at the store as 'incredibly uncomfortable'. She then continued her thoughts in the comments section of the post by advocating for people to start or continue 'to live healthy lives'. 'Eat well and eat real food. Prioritize sleep. Move and get your heart working every day. Pay attention to your breath and perhaps start a breath work protocol to work and strengthen your lungs. Get outside. Think good thoughts. 'KNOW your immune system is designed to support you through any illness -- we must support our entire system. I want people to stop living in fear and start living in a way that strengthens themselves body, mind and spirit.' Olympic volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings explained in a lengthy Instagram post that she chose not to wear a mask inside a store as part of a 'little exercise in being brave'. Walsh Jennings, who won gold medals in beach volleyball in 2004, 2008, 2012 and bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janiero. Since the pandemic began in mid-March, Walsh Jennings has been doing online talks with young volleyball players, including one with the team at her alma mater of Archbishop Mitty High School in California. Through her volleyball and lifestyle platform p1440, Walsh Jennings put together an online program mixing skills, fitness and mindset training. The four-week pilot called 'The Fundamentals' sold out in six days with 250 men, women, boys and girls of all ages, volleyball rookies up to semipro level. DEARBORN, MI The University of Michigan-Dearborn has apologized for hosting two virtual cafe events titled non-people of color and Black, indigenous and people of color cafes. In a statement, UM-Dearborn said the Sept. 8 events were virtual open conversations developed to allow students the opportunity to connect and process current events, share their experiences related to race, share knowledge and resources and brainstorm solutions. UM-Dearborn sincerely regrets the terms used to describe the cafe events held on Sept. 8. The terms used to describe these virtual events and the descriptions themselves were not clear and not reflective of the universitys commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the statement said. The webpages for the events have been taken down, but according to posts on social media, the non-POC event was "a space for students that do not identify as persons of color to gather and discuss their experiences as students on campus and as non-POC in the world. The BIPOC cafe was a space for students from marginalized racial, ethical and cultural communities to gather and to relate with one another and to discuss their experience as students on campus and as people of color in the world, according to an Instagram post from UM-Dearborn. From U of M - Dearborn. The Non-POC Cafe or the White Cafe. Anyway, I wonder what the menu looks like for the Non-POC Cafe at UM-Dearborn. If they have chocolate hummus I am calling for a boycott. pic.twitter.com/8ZegRv7zet Abed A. Ayoub (@aayoub) September 9, 2020 The original intent for the cafes was to provide students from marginalized communities a space that allowed for them to exist freely without having to normalize their lives and experiences, the statement said. It also wanted to provide students who do not identify as persons of color the opportunity to deepen their understanding of race and racism without harming or relying on students of color to educate them, the statement said. The events were never intended to be exclusive or exclusionary for individuals of a certain race. Both events were open to all members of the UM-Dearborn campus community, the statement said. The full statement can be viewed here. READ MORE: Residence hall staff on strike at University of Michigan, demand more coronavirus protections From COVID testing to cops, University of Michigan graduate students explain why theyre striking AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on hold; Michigan Medicine to schedule patients after evaluation, officials say These days with apps like Truecaller, it is very easy to spot and avoid spam calls. However, there are situations when a business genuinely needs to make calls, but loses out as the customer falsely identifies it as spam and denies the call. To circumvent this, Google is introducing a new feature called Verified Calls in the Google Phone app. With Verified calls, customers getting calls from businesses will see the callers name, logo, reason for calling and a verification symbol indicating the business has been authenticated by Google. With this knowledge, it is much easier for customers to differentiate between genuine calls and spam calls. Having verified calls can improve the call answer rates, which in turn helps businesses save costs and increase customer trust in the business over the long run. Studies have also shown an increase in likelihood to purchase, brand satisfaction, and likelihood to recommend with verified calls. Verified calls on the Google Phone app is first rolling out to U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Spain and India, with a wider rollout coming later. Google also confirmed that they will be releasing their Phone app to the Play Store in more countries soon, increasing compatibility to more Android phones Source Michigan health officials reported 783 new coronavirus cases and 13 new deaths linked to COVID-19 on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Both additions were higher than the most recent daily averages, as testing and reporting picked back up following the Labor Day weekend. Since the start of the pandemic, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has reported 108,595 known cases of COVID-19 and 6,552 deaths. (The above chart shows Michigans seven-day rolling average of new confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new cases reported by day.) Public health officials recommend looking at seven-day moving averages to assess trends in coronavirus data. The state is averaging 585 new cases and six new deaths per day, compared to 644 new cases and 12 new deaths per day one week earlier. (The above chart shows Michigans seven-day rolling average of deaths involving confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new deaths reported by day.) Thirty-seven of Michigans 83 counties reported no new cases on Wednesday. Counties with the most new cases were Wayne (204), Ingham (103), Oakland (85) and Macomb (71). Ottawa County also reported 61 new cases, followed by Kent with 59, Kalamazoo with 27, Washtenaw with 18, and Saginaw and Livingston with 13 each. Wayne County reported three new deaths. Eleven counties reported one new death each, and two counties had one death removed from their cumulative totals. For COVID-19 testing, Michigan processed slightly more than 23,000 tests, of which 3.9% came back positive. Thats the states highest positive test rate in more than two weeks. 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. Cases by day it was reported to the state First is a chart showing new cases reported to the state each day for the past 20 days. This is based on when a confirmed coronavirus test is reported to the state, which means the patient first became sick days before. You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases. Its worth noting, Michigan no longer reports this data on Sundays, and instead combines Sunday data into Mondays reported new cases. (Cant see the chart? Click here.) (In a few instances, a county reported a negative number (decline) in daily new cases, following a retroactive reclassification by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In those instances, we subtracted cases from the prior date and put 0 in the reported date.) Cases by day of onset of symptoms Below this chart shows new cases for the past 20 days based on onset of symptoms. In this chart, numbers for the most recent days are incomplete because of the lag time between people getting sick and getting a confirmed coronavirus test result, which can take up to a week or more. You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases. (Cant see the chart? Click here) For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here. COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS: In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued 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. Read more on MLive: Michigan reports 11 coronavirus outbreaks at K-12 schools and 11 on college campuses This week marks 6 months of coronavirus in Michigan. Heres whats happened by the numbers. No, CDC did not reduce the coronavirus death count, despite what you may have heard Gyms, sports get green light, but Michigans top doc says you should still avoid both BOISE, Idaho - A Chinese couple has been prevented by coronavirus health restrictions from travelling to the U.S. to take custody of their newborn child, who remains with her surrogate mother in Idaho. Emily Chrislip gave birth to the healthy girl at a Boise hospital May 18, but her biological parents in Beijing have waited months for their first embrace with the infant, The Idaho Statesman reported. After a public health emergency was declared in the U.S. because of the coronavirus, travel restrictions to and from China took effect Feb. 2. Theres really no update on when (the parents) will be able to get here, Chrislip said. Chrislip, who is married and has a 2-year-old son, said she became a gestational carrier, or surrogate, to help couples struggling with fertility issues. Parents who seeks surrogates generally have exhausted other fertility options or cannot conceive for medical reasons. After investigating the surrogate process, Chrislip connected with a couple from China, who were not identified. Once we were talking about it more and more and she told me her reasoning and how awesome it would be to be able to do that for a family, I was all for it, Emily Chrislip said. Chrislip estimates she received between $35,000 and $40,000 in compensation for her surrogacy, which she and her husband, Brandon Chrislip, used to pay off student loans and buy a bigger house. Chrislip has returned to work after taking four weeks off from her job as a marketing and admissions specialist, which she thought would be enough time for the babys biological parents to travel to the U.S. We tried to put ourselves in the parents shoes, Chrislip said. If it was our child, what would we want for our baby? If we ever had to use a surrogate, we hope that she would be willing to take care of our baby. Sending the family pictures and videos nearly every day, the two families have grown closer, she said. They also have learned to approach the situation with a sense of humour. Ill have people come into work and be like: Oh yeah, I have this problem because of the pandemic, Chrislip said. Im like, Well, I bet Ill beat your problem. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some especially older adults and people with existing health problems it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. Gender reveal parties have been around for about 12 years already, but sometimes these supposed happy events end up in disaster. Blogger and mom Jenna Karvunidis started the trend in 2008, reported the Insider. She decided to hold a gender reveal party announcing the birth of her daughter with a cake with pink icing inside. From simple ones that just involved cakes, gender reveal parties started evolving into more extravagant ones. The concept of it has had a mixed reception among many people. People found it harmful for trans youth who may want to come out. Gender reveals don't really point to a baby's gender, but rather their biological sex. These two things are different, and people pointed out that it can only reinforce stereotypes. Recently, the trend has fallen out of favor. Not only has it been psychologically harmful but also physically, as accidents coming from these parties started harming and taking lives. Here are some accidents from gender reveal parties that some people may not know about: Firework Display Gone Wrong (2017) In 2017, the CNN reported on a gender reveal party that sparked a 47,000 acre wildfire. The fire cause over $8 million in damage. A video of the incident shows a makeshift target with the words "Boy" and "Girl" written on it. A gunshot was heard, and the target explodes, revealing a blue cloud. The surrounding brush in the Arizona field ignited immediately, and someone shouted, "Start packing up!" The flames from this gender reveal party spread to the Coronado National Forest and later became the Sawmill Fire. The blaze had to be fought by at least 20 agencies for about a week. Border Patrol agent Dennis Dickey, who shot the gun, will be on probation for five years and has to pay $100,000 plus $500 a month for the next 20 years. Grandmother Dies in Party (2019) In a 2019 gender reveal, a 56-year-old Iowa woman died with stunt gone wrong, another Insider report said. Officials said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. A confetti canister that was going to be used in the party malfunctioned and turned into a pipebomb. An investigation on the incident found that the woman was struck by debris from the canister's explosion. No further details were given to the public. Pyrotechnic Sparks El Dorado Fire (2020) In another incident reported by Latin Post, what was supposed to be a gender reveal party also turned into a disaster. Amid the scorching California heat is the growing number of wildfires across the state, most of which are hard to contain. One fire started the El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino County. Cal Fire said the incident was sparked through a "smoke-generating pyrotechnic device." The fire grew to an 8,600-acre blaze on Monday and was only seven percent contained, said the Forest Service. Cal Fire investigator Capt. Bennet Milloy told ABC7 that the family tried to stop the fire. They used water bottles which in four-foot-high grass aren't going to capture the flames, Milloy said. Jenna Karvunidis, who was responsible for making the trend, took to Facebook to express how regretful she was for starting it, the New York Post reported. For her, upping the ante on the trend just went out of hand. She asked people to stop burning things down to tell people about their baby's sex. "No one cares but you," she wrote. In a sarcastic note, she said: "Excuse me for having a cake for my family in 2008. Just because I'm the gEnDeR rEvEaL iNVeNtoR doesn't mean I think people should burn down their communities." Check these out! Newsom Declares State of Emergency in Five California Counties Gender Reveal Party Causes Wildfire in El Dorado, California Death Valley Temperature Reaches 130 Degrees, Hottest Day on Site in 107 Years (CNN) Australia and other countries in the Southern Hemisphere just finished their easiest flu seasons on record, and the United States and other nations in the Northern Hemisphere could have an easy time, too if people get flu shots, practice social distancing and wear masks. "This could be one of the best flu seasons [we've had]," Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Journal of the American Medical Association in August. "Particularly if [people] do one more thing, and that is to embrace the flu vaccine with confidence." It's never been more important to keep flu at bay, since this fall and winter there will be Covid-19 outbreaks in addition to the flu. Along with getting a flu shot, Redfield urged people to wear masks, social distance, wash their hands and be smart about crowds. If Americans choose not to follow the advice, he told WebMD, the nation could experience the "worst fall" in US public health history. An easy flu season in the Southern Hemisphere The Southern Hemisphere, which generally has its flu season generally from April to September, just experienced a record low flu season, according to the World Health Organization. Take Australia, for example. In August 2019, there were 61,000 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza in Australia. In August 2020, there were 107. "This is virtually a non-season," said Ian Barr, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Melbourne. "We've never seen numbers like this before." South Africa and the southern cone of South America have had similar experiences. "Where you would expect to have seasons -- like in Chile, like in Argentina -- we didn't really see a season this year," said Dr. Andrea Vicari, an adviser on epidemic-prone disease for the Pan American Health Organization. Covid-19 is much of the reason. Flu season in the Southern Hemisphere started just as Covid-19 hit. All the precautions people took to control the new virus -- staying home, practicing social distancing, wearing masks -- also helped keep flu numbers low. "Many of the physical distancing and public health measures that have been put in place, which keeps people apart, may have actually played a role in reducing circulation of the [coronavirus]," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's Covid-19 technical lead. Vicari said Covid might have also influenced people to get flu shots. "If we compare to previous season, I think there was quite a bit more urgency in terms of influenza vaccination," he said. He said it's also possible that a significant number of people already had immunity to the flu viruses in circulation this year in the Southern Hemisphere. Implications for the Northern Hemisphere Infectious disease experts warn that an easy flu season down under does not mean the US will necessarily be as fortunate. "It's very hazardous to make predictions about influenza," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He said even with low amounts of flu in the Southern Hemisphere, he's still concerned about a "twin-demic" of flu and Covid-19, which could cost lives and put a strain on the health care system. A look at hospitalization numbers show the burden of two viruses at once. It's estimated that for the 2019-2020 US flu season, between 410,000 and 740,000 people were hospitalized for flu. Since March, at least 372,217 people have been hospitalized in the US for Covid-19, according to figures from the Covid Tracking Project. And a model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projects a 170% increase in hospital bed use for Covid-19 patients from now until January 1. "From a resource standpoint, it's the worst possibility," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. "It's really a perfect storm." That's why a flu shot this year is especially important. "By getting that flu vaccine, you may be able to negate the necessity to take up a hospital bed, and then that hospital bed can be more available for those who potentially get hospitalized for Covid," Redfield told WedMD. Just getting the right diagnosis could be tough, since symptoms for flu and coronavirus are very similar. "We won't be able to distinguish immediately between whether somebody has flu or whether somebody has Covid," WHO's Van Kerkhove said. Doctors will need to do more testing than usual, but tests for both flu and Covid-19 are imperfect. Plus, outbreaks of both viruses could mean shortages of personal protective equipment for health care workers. "That is really going to drain our PPE stocks very quickly," Osterholm said. Plans for flu shots this year The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone age 6 months and older get a flu shot. Flu shots work: In the 2018-19 US flu season, the vaccine averted more than 4 million illnesses, 2 million doctors' visits and about 58,000 hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths, according to the CDC. Redfield said the CDC has purchased 10 million doses of the flu vaccine for uninsured adults this year, compared to the usual 500,000 doses. "Please don't to leave this important accomplishment of American medicine on the shelf for yourself, your family, your church, your workforce," he said in an interview with WebMD. But the increased supply doesn't mean Americans will be rushing out to get a flu shot. Historically, only about 45% of US adults and 63% of children get vaccinated against the flu, according to the CDC. This year, there are unique obstacles. About a third of US adults and 80% of children get their flu shot at a doctor's office, according to a 2018 CDC study. This year, many people are hesitant to go to the doctor for fear of catching Covid. Nearly 15% of adults got their flu shot at work, according to the study. This year, many people are working from home. "It's going to be a challenge," Osterholm said, "How are we going to get our flu shots out?" To help more children get vaccinated against the flu, in August, the Trump administration authorized any state-licensed pharmacist to administer the flu shot to children starting at age 3. Schaffner said he's particularly worried about communities of color, where coronavirus has already caused a disproportionate amount of sickness and death. "We would like to really extend influenza immunization into communities of color and lower socio-economic areas, and those communities very traditionally have been vaccine wary. They're not anti-vaccine -- that's a different group -- they're just not as convinced about the merits of vaccination. It's harder to reach them," Schaffner said. The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and other organizations are starting to get the word out to encourage people to get people to accept flu vaccination, he says. "We wish to reach those communities of color and underrepresented minorities with even more intensity, but we're not a whole lot smarter about how to do that, unfortunately," Schaffner said. This story was first published on CNN.com After record low flu season in Australia, US hopes for the same Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alex Dalziel (The Jakarta Post) Melbourne, Australia Wed, September 9, 2020 14:45 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43be012 1 Art & Culture August-17-Independence-Day,Independence-Day,dock-workers,Black-Armada,Indonesia-Australia Free On Sept. 23, 1945, dockworkers in Australia refused to work on Dutch vessels in support of Indonesias Independence, a little-known historical fact that was the beginning of the Indonesia-Australia relationship. It was a fragile time for the nascent nation, weeks after the proclamation of independence on Aug. 17. News about the proclamation spread via telegraph and also reached the ears of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) government-in-exile, based at Camp Columbia in Wacol, Brisbane, Australia. Although unable to defend their colonial holdings against the Japanese in World War II, the NEI government sought to reclaim their oil and rubber-rich former colony with assistance from the allied powers. This coalesced into police actions undertaken by the NEI government in an attempt to recolonize Indonesia and the eventual armed conflict that characterized the early years of the Indonesian republic. However, workers manning the ports of cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle sought to protect Indonesias newly found independence in a series of black bans against Dutch vessels headed to recapture their former colony. In this archive photo, a ship off the Moreton Bay is caught up in the strike on Dutch shipping. (Courtesy of The Australian National Maritime Museum/-) The Dutch vessels stopped from leaving Australian ports from 1945 to 1949 are known as the Black Armada. Call to arms Radio Bandung was the first to broadcast Indonesias independence proclamation speech in English via short-wave radio and was heard loudly by those in the United States, China, India and Malaysia. For wharf workers in Australia, it was a call to arms. For a broad section of the international left and former colonial countries, the proclamation of independence was the catalyst for an international movement of anticolonial struggle one that united the people of Indonesia, Australia, India and China in a fraternity unreplicated since its time. The internationalism at the heart of the Black Armada campaign and Indonesian independence is something often overlooked by Indonesians and Australians alike. Melbourne-based Ariel Heryanto, an emeritus professor at Monash University and director at the universitys Herb Feith Indonesian Engagement Center, said the black ban campaign was one of many instances of international support for Indonesian independence. The achievement [independence] was possible thanks to international support, especially from Australia. The Black Armada was the pioneer but not the only instance of Australia-based continued support, he said. During the early years of Indonesian independence, the two countries connected in a way that has often been forgotten due to the rocky and complicated decades of international relations that followed. Prior to the 1940s, there was little public exposure between Indonesians and Australians. Seamen at the forefront World War II brought many foreign sea workers to Australia, among them Indonesians who manned Dutch ships. Many Indonesian political prisoners were also brought by the Dutch and freed due to Australian government intervention at a time when the racist white Australia policy was still in effect. Before the black ban in September 1945, port workers also held similar shipping boycotts against the Japanese in the lead up to World War II. (Courtesy of The Australian National Maritime Museum/-) In Sydney, members of the Indonesian Seamen's Union were following the events back in Java via radio. The proclamation sprung these workers into action and from the distant shores of Australia, they sought to protect their country's independence. This started in September 1945 with Indonesian workers boycotting four Dutch ships in Sydney alleged to be carrying arms and ammunition for the suppression of Indonesian independence. The Union sought assistance in this fight from the Australian Waterside Workers Federation (WWF), who as the result of the post-war influx in union membership, exercised a lot of influence over Australia's wharves. Their message resonated with the trade unionists, who believed that the Dutch return to Indonesia was in violation of the 1941 Atlantic Charter. The peace pact focused on territorial rights, freedom of self-determination, economic issues, disarmament and ethical goals, including freedom of the seas and a determination to work for a world free of want and fear. Consequently, in September 1945, the WWF placed a black ban on outgoing Dutch ships bound for Indonesia, intending that no arms would be shipped to suppress Indonesian independence. Maritime connection By its very nature, maritime work is an international profession, forging ties between otherwise insular nations. Indonesian composer and pianist Ananda Sukarlan has worked with Aboriginal Australian artists on his orchestral work The Voyage to Marege. Sukarlan said there had been connections between the Bugis seafarers of South Sulawesi and the Aboriginals in northern Australia for centuries. There are similarities in their languages and folktales, he said. This maritime connection between the two countries endured into the 20th century and was the link that brought the Indonesian independence struggle to Australia. In October 1945, the Dutch ship SS Van Heutsz was grounded at Dalgetys Wharf, Brisbane, as Australian dockworkers refused to load arms and ammunition in the ship bound toward Java. In Melbourne, the SS Karasik a ship formerly commandeered by the allies for the war effort was also held up as a result of the black ban on Dutch ships. It is estimated by labor historian Rupert Lockwood that the campaign grounded 559 ships headed to Indonesia as part of the Dutch reclamation effort. By late 1945, trade union documents show the Dutch boycott had extended to many Australian labor unions, like the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Railways Union and the Seamens Union of Australia. From docks to streets In addition to job stoppages, the workers carried out demonstrations on the streets. Photos from the time show graffiti scrawled on walls reading Dutch profits or Javas freedom?, Diggers support Indonesians, and Down with Dutch imperialism. The pro-independence protests take to Sydney's Wynyard park to show support for 'merdeka', or the freedom of Indonesia in September 1945. (Courtesy of The Australian National Maritime Museum/-) Diggers refer to the term for private soldiers from Australia and New Zealand but later used to display egalitarian relationships or mateship. The black armada campaign is best illustrated in the 1946 documentary film Indonesia Calling directed by Dutch filmmaker Joris Ivans. The film recreates major scenes from the protests, showing the real Indonesian workers and intellectuals who were present at the event. To celebrate Indonesian independence, the Australian National Maritime Museum launched on Aug. 26 the online exhibition Two Nations: A Friendship is Born Australia and Indonesia 1945-49, which reveals personal stories and archival material that explores the neighboring countrys role during Indonesias independence struggle. The black armada movement was a unique point in Asia Pacific history where it seemed the people of Indonesia, Australia and several other Asian countries fought in a shared struggle. 75 years later In the 75 years between then and now, politics has often fractured the region. For Heryanto, Indonesias 75th anniversary of Independence is a moment to pause and reflect on the diverse nature of the Indonesian independence struggle and Indonesian independence itself. It is sad to see how inward-looking so many nations have become these days. How narrow-minded and exclusionary the idea of nationhood, national identity and national interests have become. Today's Indonesia is no exception, he said. From the very beginning, the Republic of Indonesia has always been a product of global flows of peoples of different races, of ideas and tools for living. These facts are now mostly overlooked or denied in the current public obsession with a nativist fantasy of purity and authenticity. Court grants prosecutor office's motion to seize 65 planes flying to occupied Crimea 15:40, 09.09.20 5417 Ukraine closed the airspace over the occupied peninsula in March 2014. LONDON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The head of Mexico based digital marketing company Seccion Amarilla has won two accolades in the 2020 Business Worldwide Magazine (BWM) CEO Awards. Benjamin Podoswa Schwaycer won two categories; 'Best CEO in Mexico's Advertising Industry' & 'Digital Business Transformation CEO of the Year - Mexico' The awards seek to identify and honor the Most Respected C-level executives across the globe from a variety of different sectors. Unlike many business awards that focus on the overall companies' success, here the spotlight is individuals who make the corporations tick namely senior executives such as CEOs, Managing Directors, Directors and senior-level management. The intention is to give worthy individuals the recognition they deserve, using their example to inspire others to achieve similar success. As all business leaders know only too well, Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the global economy and the way everyone works, meaning it's more important than ever for companies to get found online. Seccion Amarilla is helping SMBs survive these challenging times and become strong competitors in the digital marketplace. The digital marketing agency specialises in supporting smaller businesses with their online strategies, offering a range of services to help them build a strong online presence. Mexico has been particularly badly affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, with the economy dropping sharply in the first quarter of the year. Many Mexicans are anxious about visiting bricks and mortar stores, forcing them to go online. Seccion Amarilla is dedicated to helping business owners not only survive, but to thrive, offering highly effective digital solutions at an affordable price. Services include website design and management packages, including the registration of new domains, adaptive web and mobile capabilities, ecommerce shopping carts and Search Engine Optmisation - particularly important in such competitive times. Benjamin explained to Business Worldwide Magazine how the company is making such a big difference during these challenging times, and what the BWM awards mean to him. "We are totally oriented to help our customers, most of whom are SMBS and at huge risk of losing their companies. We provide quality services that have been very important during this period and will also help customers move forward towards a brighter future. These BWM awards are for me a recognition of my efforts, but it's my customers who are the winners. As a CEO of a company that's seen some huge challenges and played an important role in helping the Mexican economy, Im feeling very proud. It's great to be recognised in a world of such enormous changes, and also to be named among so many competitors and impressive business people." You can find out more about Seccion Amarilla on the company website : https://www.seccionamarilla.com.mx/ An article on the company can be found on the BWM website: https://www.bwmonline.com/2020/08/17/seccion-amarilla-helping-businesses-achieve-digital-success-in-challenging-times/ Further information about the Business Worldwide Magazine CEO Awards 2020 visit https://www.bwmonline.com/awards/ceo-awards-2020-winners/ 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 Connor Drinan Wins Final 2020 WSOP Online Bracelet in $10K WSOP Super MILLION$ ($1,423,049) September 09, 2020 The final tournament of the 2020 GGPoker World Series of Poker Online Bracelet Events has determined a champion and it was all wrapped up in tidy two and a half hours. That's all it took for Connor Drinan to claim his maiden bracelet in Event #83: $10K WSOP Super MILLION$ after he defeated Daniyar Aubakirov in heads-up. Thanks to 899 total entries, the tournament had easily surpassed the $5 million guarantee and two millionaires were crowned out of the prize pool of $8,720,300. Drinan's victory came with a big payday of $1,423,049 which in fact surpassed the total WSOP earnings he had to date. Aubakirov had to settle for just $1,041,414 and missed out on a maiden bracelet for his home country of Kazakhstan. The nine-handed final table also featured High Roller regulars such as Viktor Ustimov, Chris Oliver, Sylvain Loosli, and Christopher Kruk who all sent their chips over to Drinan. Every WSOP event covered by PokerNews Want to relive the 2020 WSOP Online on GGPoker? Check PokerNews live reporting for extensive coverage of every bracelet event. READ BACK HERE WSOP Online Event #83: $10K WSOP Super MILLION$ Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize (USD) 1 Connor Drinan United States $1,423,049 2 Daniyar Aubakirov Kazakhstan $1,041,414 3 Viktor Ustimov Russia $755,754 4 Chris Oliver United States $548,450 5 Sylvain Loosli France $398,010 6 Suraj Mishra India $288,836 7 Christopher Kruk Canada $209,609 8 Arsenii Malinov Russia $152,113 9 Kenneth Smaron United States $110,389 Click here for full live reporting of the final WSOP event It was a rush to the finish line as Drinan dispatched the final six opponents and by doing so, he also collected an additional payday thanks to a bracelet bet with GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu in the very last event of the festival. Action on this bet has a $100k cap per individual player. Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) Action of the Final Day The nine players returned to their seats after a break of one and a half days and it took all but one hand to send Kenneth Smaron to the rail. Smaron defended his big blind with queen-jack and flopped top pair but Kruk's straight and flush draw instantly hit on the turn. Only a few hands later it was all over for Arsenii Malinov who called a shove by Loosli blind on blind with ace-queen and was well ahead of nine-seven suited. But both of those appeared on the flop and Malinov was drawing dead on the turn. Kruk jumped into the lead with seven players left, yet it was him who departed next. He first lost jacks to the ace-ten suited of Aubakirov when the river completed a ten-high straight. And just one hand later, Kruk three-bet jammed ace-jack into the aces of Drinan to go from hero to zero. The next pivotal hand for Drinan was the elimination of Suraj Mishra with nines versus tens when a nine appeared in the window. Loosli fell next when he jammed king-four in the small blind and Drinan held with ace-deuce in the big blind. It was an overwhelming lead for Drinan with four players remaining and he then made quick work of Oliver and Ustimov to get the field down to the final two. Only Aubakirov was left and doubled the first time in remarkable fashion when he called a shove on the river with bottom pair. The heads-up duel continued in the same manner as Aubakirov became short again, doubled twice, and was then shown a big bluff by Drinan. The Kazakh would not recover from that blow and then lost ace-jack to ace-nine as the river delivered a nine-ball in the corner pocket. 2020 WSOP Online Bracelet Winners on GGPoker Sign Up for a GGPoker Account Through PokerNews If you want to play on GGPoker, you'll need to sign up for an account in order to jump into the action. By downloading GGPoker via PokerNews entitles you to a welcome bonus worth up to $600. Your first deposit is matched 200% up to a maximum of $600. The bonus releases into your account in $10 increments each time you earn 6,000 Fish Buffet Points, which is the equivalent of $60 in rake or tournament fees. That wraps up seven weeks of WSOP Online Bracelet Events on the GGNetwork as all 54 bracelets have now been awarded.. The PokerNews live reporting team has provided updates for the entire festival and you can check out all the event summaries here! Sharelines Connor Drinan wins the final event of the WSOP Online and an additional $100K off Daniel Negreanu. The initial public offering (IPO) of Route Mobile has been subscribed 42 per cent so far on the first day of bidding (Wednesday). The cloud communication platform service provider received bids for 41.16 lakh equity shares against the offer size of over 1.21 crore equity shares. The retail investors' portion has been subscribed 83 per cent, according to the exchange data. The portion reserved for non-institutional investors has been subscribed 0.05 per cent. The qualified institutional buyers are still to come up with the bids. The company garnered Rs 180 crore from 15 anchor investors ahead of its initial share-sale offer. Goldman Sachs, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, SBI Life Insurance, Kuwait Investment Authority, Vantage Equity Fund, Axis Mutual Fund, Macquarie and SBI Mutual Fund are among the anchor investors. The company proposes to raise Rs 600 crore through the public issue, which comprises a fresh issue of shares worth Rs 240 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of Rs 360 crore by promoters (Y Sandipkumar Gupta and Rajdipkumar Gupta). A price band of Rs 345-350 apiece per share has been fixed for the IPO that concludes on September 11. The company proposes to utilise the net proceeds towards funding for repayment or pre-payment, in full or part, of certain borrowings of the company; acquisitions and other strategic initiatives; purchase of office premises in Mumbai; and general corporate purposes. ICICI Securities, Axis Capital, Edelweiss Financial Services and IDBI Capital Markets and Securities are the managers to the issue. Also read: 25% in LIC up for grabs? The next big IPO to watch out for In June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which oversees the Oscars, said it would add a diversity component to the Oscar race. On Wednesday, it explained how it's going to work. Beginning in 2024 with the 96th Oscars, films hoping to qualify for the best picture category will have to meet inclusion standards both on camera and behind the scenes. The cast and crew of Parasite accept the award for best picture at this year's Oscars. Credit:AP To meet the on-screen representation standard, at least one of the lead actors or a significant supporting actor must be from an under-represented racial or ethnic group, whether that means Asian, Hispanic, Black, Indigenous, Native American, Middle Eastern, North African, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. There are alternatives: 30 per cent of all actors in secondary or more minor roles could come from two of the following categories: women, LGBTQI+, an under-represented racial or ethnic group, or those with cognitive or physical disabilities. Or the main storyline must focus on an under-represented group. The short answer is that in the early 1980s Oklahoma county government exploded in what is still often called the largest public corruption scandal in U.S. history. Prosecutors won more than 230 convictions on charges stemming from kickback schemes involving falsified invoices and equipment purchases. The scandal led to some legislative reforms and to tighter enforcement of existing laws. The result has been, as state Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd said at Tuesdays hearing, very extreme laws for transparency and oversight, more so than for any other level of government. Simonson said he doesnt want to pull back any of that but does think lawmakers need to recognize that county governments are changing. In particular, he noted that the states 77 counties range in population from 2,160 (Cimarron) to nearly 800,000 (Oklahoma) and that half of the states nearly 4 million people live in just five of those counties. The problem is that we havent been looking at all the options, Simonson told lawmakers. Some of his ideas go back to the concept of county home rule, which generally means giving counties more autonomy to operate as they see fit. Police Say Theyll Cooperate Into Investigations of 13-Year-Old Utah Boys Shooting Police in Utah said they will cooperate with investigations after a 13-year-old boy was shot in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City Police Department said the officers were called to a home in Glendale, Utah, on Sept. 4 after a boy threatened people with a weapon, according to The Associated Press. The boy allegedly ran and was shot by an officer during a pursuit. A protocol team made up of officers from multiple agencies with no ties to the Salt Lake City Police Department conducts an independent investigation following such incidents, the police department said in a statement. We are cooperating fully with the protocol team assigned to this case. The mother of the boy, Gorda Barton, said her son, Linden Cameron, suffered injuries to his shoulder, ankles, bladder, and intestines in the incident, according to KUTV. Barton told the news outlet that she called the police and had asked for a crisis intervention team, adding that Linden has Aspergers syndrome and was suffering a breakdown. She told the team that her son was having a breakdown and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. I said, hes unarmed, he doesnt have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming. Hes a kid, hes trying to get attention, he doesnt know how to regulate, she said. When police arrived, Barton was told to stay while two officers went to the front door. After about five minutes, she alleged that police yelled, Get down on the ground before gunshots were heard. The Salt Lake City Police Department hasnt responded to a request for comment. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall released a statement about the incident, saying, While the full details of this incident are yet to be released as an investigation takes place, I will say that I am thankful this young boy is alive and no one else was injured. No matter the circumstances, what happened on Friday night is a tragedy and I expect this investigation to be handled swiftly and transparently for the sake of everyone involved. A GoFundMe page was set up to deal with family expenses. More than $70,000 has been raised for the family so far. According to the organizer, The first hospital bills have started coming in, and we have realized that they are going to be even higher than anticipated. Because of that, and the overwhelming support, Lindens family has decided to raise the goal of this fundraiser. This money will be used to pay medical bills, and also help the family with any other needs that come up during Lindens recovery. Saravanan M P By Express News Service TIRUPUR: A 35-year-old garment manufacturer from Tirupur, who has produced T-shirts with slogans including Hindi Theriyathu Poda and I am a Tamil Pesum Indian, alleges that he has been receiving threatening calls for the past few days. Speaking to The New Indian Express, B Karthikeyan, who has been engaged in the garment business for the past five years at Veerapandi in Tirupur, said, I have been selling T-shirts to event management companies and on corporate orders. Last week, I received a call from Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi's office about the T-shirt and slogan. When I received the slogan, it was unique and powerful. The slogans 'I am a Tamil Pesum Indian' (I am a Tamil speaking Indian) and 'Hindi Theriyathu Poda' (I don't know Hindi, go man) sparked my interest. So, we knitted the T-shirt and created a beautiful print on the dress. Within a few days, it got a huge following in Chennai and throughout Tamil Nadu. Several cine celebrities and top personalities sported the T-shirt and I felt very happy about it, he added. He further said, With friends and relatives appreciating the work, I started to get orders. So, I decided to sell the T-shirt and created a post on social media and started getting orders from around the globe. Elaborating on the threats he received, he said, When I posted my number and pictures of the T-shirt on social media platforms, I started receiving threats and abuses on the phone. Many calls were from people in Dubai and Singapore. They abused me though I explained that I was just a garment maker opposed to the imposition of a language. He said, So, I started remaining silent and whenever a new person called, I pretended that I wasn't the garment maker. But my friends encouraged me to be strong and I then decided to attend all calls. However, he said he is not planning to lodge a police complaint about the threatening calls, adding that he is ready to face them on his own. Raiders player Curtis Scott will consider making a formal complaint against the police officers who handcuffed and Tasered him, following a drunken Australia Day at the Ivy nightclub. Five police assault charges against Scott were withdrawn by police in Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday after body-worn footage revealed the Canberra centre was unlawfully handcuffed at Moore Park on January 27. He will be later sentenced for two minor offences he previously pleaded guilty to. Scott's lawyer Sam Macedone told the Herald on Wednesday that his client approached his legal team about taking further action against the police, once the case finalised. He will likely advise Scott to file a formal complaint. "He [Scott] is absolutely livid about this," Macedone said. "He certainly wants to consider it [taking further action]." Five years ago, Zocdoc was one of New York's hottest tech companies. It raised venture funding at a $1.8 billion valuation, back when that was still rare, and seemed poised to become the industry standard for physician discovery and appointment scheduling. Fast forward: According to a lawsuit filed yesterday in the New York Supreme Court, there was a behind-the-scenes power struggle that co-founder and former CEO Cyrus Massoumi now refers to as a fraudulent "coup." Since that time, Zocdoc hasn't raised any VC funding, and investors Founders Fund and Khosla Ventures have relinquished their board seats. Background: Massoumi's late 2015 departure was referred to in press reports as "relinquishing his day-to-day role," with plans that he'd stick around as company chairman. It was a bit eyebrow-raising, given the company's trajectory, but the company was already eight years old and Massoumi was to be succeeded by a fellow co-founder. In other words, it didn't really make waves. What's happening: Massoumi alleges in his lawsuit that company co-founders (Nick Ganju and Oliver Kharraz) and CFO (Netta Samroengraja) orchestrated a plot to oust him from the company, during a November 2015 board meeting. At the time, Massoumi claims Zocdoc was in the process of finding replacements for both Kharraz (then COO) and CFO Samroengraja. Both allegedly were aware of those plans, with some candidate interviews even taking place the morning of the board meeting. Massoumi expected the board meeting to be run-of-the-mill, based on prepared board books he received ahead of time. Once the meeting began, however, the expected topics were allegedly eschewed in favor of Ganju and Kharraz moving to fire Massoumi as CEO. The company's voting structure effectively gave proxy control to any two co-founders working together. But Massoumi could have individually assumed majority control via an early exercise feature of his options, had he believed there was a reason to do so. Khosla Ventures partner David Weiden allegedly voted in favor of the switch, with Massoumi alleging he appeared to know about the plan (neither Khosla Ventures nor Weiden is named as a defendent, and Weiden declined comment on the situation). Founders Fund's Ken Howery (now U.S. ambassador to Sweden) allegedly did not support the "coup." What they're saying: Massoumi claims the company has deteriorated in his absence, and his list of required reliefs includes reinstallation as CEO. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9 By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend: Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Sardor Umurzakov and First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia, Mohamed Azmin Ali, discussed the prospects for further expanding cooperation in investment, trade and economy, transport and logistics, cultural, and tourism, Trend reports via Dunyo information agency. The parties noted their interest in further increasing the volume of mutual trade by establishing strong ties between suppliers and consumers of the two countries. An agreement was reached to combine the efforts of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia to hold a meeting of the Joint Committee on Trade, within which the Uzbek-Malaysian Business Forum will be held with the participation of leading companies of the two countries in chemical, agricultural, food, textile, and electrical industries. The prospects of borrowing Malaysian experience in the digitalization of trade were highlighted. In this context, the CU Rewards electronic trading platform of the Consumption Union Company, enabling local exporters to sell their products to end consumers in Southeast Asia, can become an effective mechanism. The parties also discussed plans to create a Center of Excellence for the Halal Industry in Uzbekistan in cooperation with the Uzstandard Agency and the Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia (JAKIM). Significant prospects for cooperation between the countries were identified in the field of investments, in particular in the chemical industry, education, information technology, and the food industry. The high potential of cooperation in the banking and financial sector was noted by opening representative offices and divisions of several Malaysian banks in Uzbekistan and establishing interbank cooperation with an emphasis on financing export-oriented projects and supporting small and medium-sized businesses in the country. Malaysia is recognized as an international center for Islamic finance, the country has introduced an Islamic banking system, operating in parallel with the traditional one. There are 27 local and foreign Islamic banks operating in the country. Islamic finance accounts for about 30 percent of the entire banking industry in Malaysia. Measures were discussed to organize international air cargo transportation, create a logistics air hub, as well as the opening in Uzbekistan of the Aviation Academy Pilot Training Center following international standards. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @romakayeva Emergency Services at the scene of a crash on the Armagh Road in Moy on September 9th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Emergency Services at the scene of a fatal RTC on the Armagh Road in Moy on September 9th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Emergency Services at the scene of a crash on the Armagh Road in Moy on September 9th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) A man has died following a road traffic collision in Co Tyrone. The crash happened on the Armagh Road just before midnight on Tuesday, September 8 involving two vehicles - a lorry and a blue Seat and close to the Charlemont Road junction close to Moy. Emergency services, including police, attended the scene. Inspector Irvine said: "Sadly, the male driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene. Two passengers in the car remain in hospital this morning where they are being treated for their injuries. "Anyone who was in the area and witnessed the collision, or who captured it on their dash cam, is asked to call police on 101, quoting reference number 2065 of 08/09/20. The Armagh Road remains closed and is expected to stay closed for a number of hours as officers conduct their enquiries. Diversions are in place and motorists have been advised to allow extra time for their journey. Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew expressed her sympathies. The Fermanagh South Tyrone MP said: "I was saddened to hear of the death of a man in a collision on the Armagh Road near The Moy on Tuesday night. "Two other people were injured in the incident and taken to hospital and I hope they make a full and rapid recovery. "My thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who lost his life in this collision. "I would appeal for anyone with information on what happened to bring it forward to the PSNI." 2 women killed, 1 child missing, after trawler collision in Bangladesh's Naf River September 09,2020 | Source: The Daily Star Two women have been killed, seven other people injured and a child has gone missing after a head-on collision between a speedboat and a fishing trawler on the Teknaf-Saint Martin's Island route in Bangladesh this afternoon. The victims were identified as Rashida Begum (65), and Meherun Nesa (75). They were from Paschimpara village of Dwip union in Saint Martin's Island, reports our Cox's Bazar correspondent quoting Lt Amirul Islam, station commander of Teknaf Coast Guard. Quoting witnesses, Amirul said a Saint Martin's Island-bound speedboat of Kaisar collided with a fishing trawler in Teknaf's Kayukkhali canal, adjacent to the Naf River, at 2:30pm. Following the collision, the speedboat overturned with its eight passengers in the Naf River. Rashida Begum died on the spot while six other injured passengers were rescued, he said, adding that a child named Sumaiya has remained missing since the incident. The injured are now undergoing treatment at Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital while Meherun Nesa succumbed to her injuries in the hospital, he added. The Coast Guard official said they are conducting drives to rescue the missing child. 2020 / thedailystar.net Theme(s): Others. MANZINNI Government says it would be difficult to prove claims by traditional healers that their concoction can kill the coronavirus within two hours. The traditional doctors, who are organised under the banner of Witchdoctors Association, made this claim during their meeting which was held at Zakhele yesterday. The meeting was for the Manzini Region traditional doctors and they were mixing their COVID-19 concoction. They said their traditional remedy could treat a COVID-19 patient within two hours, depending on the condition of the person. They said for a person who just got infected, the COVID-19 concoction could heal that individual within two hours, yet for a patient who had severe sicknesses, it could take up to a week for the traditional remedy to cure the person. Impressed Meanwhile, Maseyisini Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi Small Joe Dlamini, who is the Chairman of the Health Portfolio Committee, said he was impressed by the work that was done by the traditional doctors. He said he also believes that the COVID-19 traditional remedies could treat the coronavirus. He said as such, they were fully behind the move to produce traditional remedies for COVID-19. Even western medicine is made using traditional herbs, the MP said. In that regard, he said people should not be ashamed to use traditional medicine if they were sick. On another note, the MP said government had already approached the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) regarding testing the tinyangas COVID-19 concoctions. He said the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) would play a major role in the production of COVID-19 traditional remedies. In response, the Witchdoctors Association National Chairman, Makhanya Makhanya, said they hoped that their engagement with government would yield positive results. He said this was because this was their first time to sit on the roundtable and discuss issues of health with government. On another note, Makhanya maintained that even though they had not tested their remedies, they assist people who want to prevent COVID-19 and those who have symptoms. He claimed they have helped a lot of people who believe in traditional medicine and they could not fold their arms and watch as people die. He added that their hope was that once they submit their concoctions for testing purposes, government would assist them with funds so that they could get the certification and treat COVID-19 officially. Meanwhile, the Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula said it could be difficult to test and prove that the traditional doctors COVID-19 concoctions could heal a patient within two hours. He added that the tinyangas traditional medicine would not be used to treat patients in hospital until it was scientifically tested and approved. However, he said people have a right to choose where and how they want to be treated. Around 13,000 foreign workers were not allowed to resume work after they missed their deadline to undergo the mandatory testing, which is also called the Rostered Routine Testing for the novel coronavirus that happens fortnightly, said officials from the Ministry of Health of Singapore. The Ministry also said that the Access Code Status for these foreign workers will remain "red. The measure is being taken to prevent other workers from being infected by the novel coronavirus. Singapore battles coronavirus However, reports by PTI suggest that once the workers complete their RRT, their access code will turn "green and they will be allowed to return to work. Many of these workers belong to India and as a measure to ensure safety at workplace, workers are required to go through the RRT every 14 days. The Ministry of Manpower, Economic Development Board, Building and Construction Authority, and Health Promotion Board have been encouraging the employers since August to undergo RRT. The workers were also reminded to schedule their tests before the September 5 deadline. Read: Singapore Govt Defends Foreign Talent Role In Nation's Prosperity COVID-19 situation in Singapore According to the tally by John Hopkins University, Singapore has recorded a total number of 57,091 cases with 27 casualties. Reportedly, in a bid to expand the COVID-19 testing regime, Singapore will offer free coronavirus tests to community groups such as taxi drivers, food delivery workers and hawkers. The Ministry of Health (MOH) made the announcement on August 29. As per reports, the MOH, while making the announcement clarified that no local evidence suggests that these groups are at a higher risk of contracting the virus. However, MOH added that they will be offered free tests due to the nature of their working environment, such as the high frequency of interactions with the public. Read: Singapore Done Well In Handling COVID-19, But Must Learn From Mistakes: PM Lee The MOH further stated that the costs of the novel coronavirus tests will be fully taken care of by the government, adding that concerned authorities will reach out to the community groups progressively. The MOH also stated that makeshift face coverings such as stoles, scarves, bandanas and neck gaiters should not be used, as per the recommendations of the multi-ministry task force battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, late in August, Singapore had eased border restrictions by announcing that it would allow visitors coming from New Zealand and Brunei from next month. According to the reports, it is the nations first step resuming leisure travel since it closed its borders to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Read: Indian-Origin Pritam Singh Formally Recognised As First Leader Of Opposition In Singapore Also Read: COVID-19: Singapore To Offer Free Virus Tests To Taxi Drivers, Food Delivery Workers (Image Credits: AP) Harry Dunn's family have been told that his alleged killer did not have diplomatic immunity, according to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Anne Sacoolas left England following the collision in August 2019 that claimed the life of the 19-year-old. She had been driving on the wrong side of the road near at RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire, when she struck Mr Dunn's motorcycle head-on, authorities said. The 43-year-old was able to leave the UK on September 15 along with her husband, Jonathan, a US intelligence officer at the military base used by American forces. But Mrs Sacoolas was subsequently charged with causing Mr Dunn's death by dangerous driving in December. An extradition request was submitted by the Home Office but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected it in January and said his decision was 'final'. The family's spokesman Radd Seiger said earlier today that the Director of Public Prosecutions's legal team had concluded the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office should not have allowed the suspect to leave the country in the first place. The family of Harry Dunn (pictured) have been told that his alleged killer did not have diplomatic immunity, according to the Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill QC's conclusion contrasts with that of the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, who told Parliament on October 21 that the suspect did have immunity. Mr Dunn's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, met Mr Hill on Wednesday at the Crown Prosecution Service's headquarters in London. The family's spokesman Radd Seiger said the DPP's legal team had also concluded the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) should not have allowed the suspect to leave the country in September last year. Anne Sacoolas (pictured) claimed diplomatic immunity following the collision in August 2019 that claimed the life of the 19-year-old He also told reporters that the family were informed of the US Government's position that they would only agree to a 'virtual trial' if it was under US law - something Mr Seiger described as a 'show trial'. He said Mr Dunn's parents would only accept a virtual trial if the suspect was tried under UK law. Speaking about the lawsuit, Mr Seiger said the Foreign Secretary had applied to support the parents' complaint by 'applying to join the complaint as an Amicus Curiae' - also known as an 'intervener'. He said: 'This extraordinary move has been welcomed by Harry's parents and the Foreign Secretary will now be available to the parents and the court in order to provide assistance to them in securing the right outcome in the complaint.' Asked for comment on the civil claim, a FCDO spokesman said: 'The Foreign Secretary continues to support the family and do everything he can to seek justice for Harry.' The family's spokesman said Mr Dunn's alleged killer had 'inexplicably' made no attempt to 'resolve the dispute without having to go to court'. Mr Seiger said: 'Harry's parents are entitled to bring a claim for civil damages for Harry's wrongful death in the US courts in Virginia. 'They have sought to avoid a formal dispute with Mrs Sacoolas so as not to put the parents through any additional unnecessary stress. 'Inexplicably, there has been a total failure on Mrs Sacoolas's part to enter into the spirit of attempting to resolve the dispute without having to go to court. 'The parents have therefore, yet again, been forced to take yet another battle on since Harry's death and have today filed a formal complaint against Mrs Sacoolas in the Virginia court.' It comes after Mr Dunn's parents, Charlotte Charles (left with her partner Bruce Charles) and Tim Dunn (right), filed a lawsuit earlier today at a US District Court in Alexandria Speaking after the meeting with Mr Hill, Mr Seiger said: 'The DPP made it clear to the parents that his legal team had concluded that Anne Sacoolas did not have diplomatic immunity and that is precisely why they charged her in December with causing death by dangerous driving. 'Had they concluded like the FCDO's lawyers have concluded that she did, they would not have charged her and called us to a meeting and told us that. 'They also confirmed to the parents that they agree with us that Anne Sacoolas should not have been allowed to leave and that they too, like Northamptonshire Police, were kept in the dark in September. 'Had they had the opportunity to look at the matter and consider the legal arrangements at Croughton they would have concluded then that she did not have diplomatic immunity and that she should not be allowed to leave.' Also commenting after the meeting, Greg McGill, CPS director of legal services, said: 'Today we have met with the family of Harry Dunn to update them on the various steps the CPS has taken over the last 10 months to secure justice in this tragic case. 'The challenges and complexity of this case are well known, but the CPS and other partners have been working tirelessly to do all they can so that Anne Sacoolas faces the charge we have brought - causing death by dangerous driving. 'We know this is a very difficult process for the family which is why we wanted to assure them personally that we continue to seek justice for them and for the public.' It comes after Mr Dunn's family filed a lawsuit earlier today at a US District Court in Alexandria as their lawyers said they filed the civil suit because the Sacoolases fled justice in England. 'Anne Sacoolas promised to cooperate with the British police in the investigation of the accident. 'But rather than stay in the United Kingdom, where she and her husband were living and working, Defendant Anne Sacoolas fled to the United States,' the lawyers wrote. A phone call to a phone number associated with Anne Sacoolas went unanswered Wednesday. The lawsuit says the Sacoolases are now living in Herndon, a northern Virginia suburb outside the nation's capital. Both Anne Sacoolas and her husband are named as defendants in the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages for wrongful death, negligence and other causes. According to the lawsuit, Mrs Sacoolas was driving her Volvo SUV on the wrong side of the road near the Croughton base when she struck Mr Dunn. The lawsuit said she had been living in England for several weeks by then and should have been acclimated to driving on the left side of the road. It alleges that she did not call an ambulance and it was a passerby who arrived several minutes later who called for help. Beaches across the southern Gold Coast will reopen on Thursday as friends, colleagues and neighbours lament the loss of real estate agent Nick Slater, who was fatally mauled by a shark on Tuesday evening. The keen 46-year-old surfer, who called the coast home and was a father to a teenage son, was bitten while surfing at Greenmount Beach in Coolangatta just after 5pm. Despite being the first fatal attack at a Gold Coast beach in 62 years, and occurring in a popular section with nets and drum lines in place, experts have urged calm. With beaches closed by the council's lifeguard service on Wednesday, Fisheries Department contractors found two tiger sharks in the area on routine checks. Footage showed surfers still braving the waves. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:48:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Vera Songwe, on Wednesday stressed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic amplifies the need to redesign public-private sector partnership to withstand future shocks. "COVID-19 amplifies the need to redesign the relationship with the private sector so that Africa can benefit from the private sector's support in future crises," the ECA Executive Secretary said. "Globally, we must review banking and financial rules that never had the emerging markets and Africa in particular in mind," she added. The ECA chief made the remarks during the meeting between African envoys and permanent representatives and ECA officials that discussed on pertinent issues facing Africa in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Songwe also emphasized the need to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on African economies. Noting that only seven African countries -- South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Congo, Somalia, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe -- were in debt distress before the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the UNECA chief stressed that "we must work together to ensure those with good fundamentals before the crisis are not penalized." In June, the ECA projected that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could push 29 million people into extreme poverty across Africa. "Africa was already witnessing the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis even before its impact on public health and may see its growth slow down by 1.8 to 2.6 percent of GDP, which could push 29 million people into extreme poverty," the UNECA had said. The ECA, which noted that the containment measures established in 42 African countries to protect populations from the COVID-19 pandemic had already cost the continent some 69 billion U.S. dollars per month, had also warned the negative impact on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region. Songwe, noting the urgent need to set COVID-19 recovery milestones across the continent in an effort to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, had also stressed upon the announcement that "we are yet to know how long the COVID-19 crisis will last, but we need to set the milestones for recovery now." Some African economists argued for monetary integration of the continent as a pivotal measure for moving forward. On Wednesday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent surpassed 1,313,219 as the death toll from the ongoing pandemic surged to 31,701 as of Wednesday afternoon. The Africa CDC also disclosed that some 1,050,567 people have recovered across the continent so far. Enditem Multiple provinces reported COVID-19 cases linked to schools just as thousands more students returned to class Tuesday, raising fears over what's in store for a segment of the population largely sheltered from exposure over the past six months. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Students are dropped off at school ahead of their first day of classes in Pickering, Ont., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston Multiple provinces reported COVID-19 cases linked to schools just as thousands more students returned to class Tuesday, raising fears over what's in store for a segment of the population largely sheltered from exposure over the past six months. The fallout from earlier openings in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec cast a shadow over giddy reunions and hopes for a quick return to normal as more elementary, junior and high school students tested pandemic precautions that have touched nearly every aspect of school life, from the lunch room to the playground. Support Our Students Alberta, a non-partisan, non-profit public education advocacy group, released an online tracker for kindergarten to Grade 12 schools that suggested 22 schools have had cases since reopening a week ago. Opposition NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman said there were at least 20 COVID-19 cases in schools, with 16 of those infections reported since Friday. "This is a very disturbing trend just days into the school year," Hoffman told a news conference. Alberta Health Services said it was compiling a list of schools with confirmed cases. None of the schools have declared outbreaks and all remained open. In Ottawa, officials told 193 students and seven staff to stay home after linking them to novel coronavirus infections. Those cases were associated with five French-language Catholic schools where some students returned earlier this month, and officials said they were not contracted in the school setting. Meanwhile, in Saskatchewan, students at an elementary school in Indian Head, a town east of Regina, began the year online because a staff member tested positive for the virus. The Prairie Valley School Division said other staff must isolate for 14 days and the plan is to start in-person classes next week. Canada's chief public health officer emphasized the importance of reducing community transmission in order to shield schools from infection. "This week I think is a really critical week and for sure next week because then you would have had some idea of what happens when you go back to school," said Dr. Theresa Tam, also noting the difficulty in recognizing COVID-19 in children who can display vague symptoms easily mistaken for other ailments. "I think the prudent thing when someone is symptomatic is keep them at home, don't go to school, but also call up the local public health hotline and figure out if a child needs to be tested." The Quebec government said up to 120 schools may have already been affected by COVID-19 since classes began last week. Seventy schools have recorded at least one case since Sept. 1, ranging from elementary through high school. The remaining 50 schools, including 19 in the Montreal area, are listed as having potential cases. Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge told a news conference in Quebec City there have been 118 confirmed COVID-19 cases among teachers and students since classes resumed, but that the numbers should be put in perspective. "When we talk about 120 schools possibly affected, that's out of a total of 3,100, and when we talk about 118 people, that's out of 1.4 million," said Roberge. In Ontario, concerns over class sizes preoccupied Adam Walker as his two daughters returned to school in Kingston. He said one daughter told him her Grade 10 class has 31 students. He said his other daughter, in Grade 7, is in a class of 28 students being taught in the library to help with physical distancing. "It's scary and we're concerned for our health as well," said Walker. Ontario is among the provinces offering a mix of in-person classes and online learning for students who opt to stay home. In some provinces, remote learning is limited to those with medical conditions. Experts say returning to class is important for children's social and academic development. Ontario's education minister said a successful return depends on following health guidelines. "If we continue to follow public health advice ... I do believe that students can return to a safe and positive environment," Stephen Lecce said in an interview. Other boards in Ontario have delayed their restart over the next two weeks, with the country's largest, the Toronto District School Board, set to begin a staggered opening next Tuesday. In Newfoundland and Labrador, Education Minister Tom Osborne said the majority of $13 million in federal school funding has gone to address busing. Osborne said $10 to $11 million will go towards contracting additional bus services to allow for more space between students travelling to school. In Halifax, teachers at Joseph Howe Elementary School set up a desk outside to address parent concerns and used flags to indicate where children should line up. Wafa Ali, who has a boy and a girl, said she felt the school was safe and well prepared. The province only had three active cases Tuesday, and Ali said she'd be more concerned if daily counts rise to 10 or 15 in the community. "Until now, what we are seeing is good. They (the children) are wearing masks, there is sanitizing," she said. Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Still, Ali said she'd likely withdraw her children if a single case appeared at the school. "It's best to be safe." Tam urged a shared effort to contain cases as they emerge and closely monitor for any sign of COVID-19. "It's not going to be easy, but I think reacting very quickly to an initial individual with any kind of symptom remains very much a cornerstone of our response," Tam said. This article by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2020. With files from Stephanie Taylor in Regina, Shawn Jeffords in Toronto, Julian McKenzie in Montreal, Jordan Press in Ottawa, Michael Tutton in Halifax and VOCM in St. John's, N.L. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. According to the recently-published report by Persistence Market Research, the global market for gene expression analysis will reflect a steady growth during the forecast period, 2017-2022. By the end of 2022, the global gene expression analysis market is predicted to surpass US $ 4,500 Mn valuation, reflecting a robust CAGR in terms of revenues. The study throws a light on various factors influence the dynamics of global gene expression analysis market, and offers insightful projections, the highlights of which are mentioned below. Get Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/17995 Company Profile Agilent Technologies, Inc. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. General Electric Company Illumina, Inc. Luminex Corporation Oxford Gene Technology IP PerkinElmer, Inc QIAGEN NV Roche Holding AG Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc Get To Know Methodology of Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/17995 Gene Expression Analysis Market: Regional Forecast Through 2022, North America is anticipated to hold a leading position in the global market for gene expression analysis. Most of the companies operating in the expansion of global gene expression analysis market are based in the US. Moreover, North American research institutes contributing to the field of functional genomics continue to support the development of new drugs derived from gene expression analysis studies. Drug discovery is a key application of gene expression analysis, and the US healthcare markets are observed as lucrative grounds for players in the global gene expression analysis market. North Americas gene expression analysis market is pegged to be reach a billion dollar valuation by the end of 2017. The report projects that throughout the forecast period, the gene expression analysis market in North America will reflect a robust CAGR, wherein the US market will be observed as the largest contributor to this growth. Europe is also expected to reflect impressive growth as the gene expression analysis market in this region is poised to create an incremental opportunity of over US$ 200 Mn between 2017 and 2022. The gene expression analysis market in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region is anticipated to record fastest growth. To the contrary, Japans gene expression analysis market is expected to reflect lowest CAGR during the forecast period. Access Full Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/17995 Widespread Adoption of Northern Blotting Technology On the basis of technology, the report projects that northern blotting will be at the forefront of adoption, and will reflect highest share on global revenues of gene expression analysis market. DNA microarrays and PCR techniques are also projected to gain traction as preferred technologies used for synthesizing functional gene products through gene expression analysis. Advancements in RNA-sequencing, 2-D gel electrophoresis, western blotting, immunoassays, ChIP, mass spectrometry and other technologies are also expected to influence the future prospects of global gene expression analysis market. The report further projects that gene expression analysis will find higher traction in drug discovery & development applications. Towards the end of the forecast period, application of gene expression analysis in drug discovery & development is anticipated to procure over US $ 1,200 Mn in global revenues. Concurrently, the demand for gene expression analysis products with low- to mid-plex capacity will also witness considerable uptake during the forecast period. The report also anticipates that sales of products - kits & reagents - will reflect a sizeable share on the value of global gene expression analysis market throughout the forecast period. By the end of 2022, kits & reagents will register over one-third share on the global market revenues for gene expression analysis. Three persons have been arrested for allegedly trespassing into Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's farmhouse in neighbouring Raigad district of the state, a police official said on Wednesday. The incident took place on Tuesday evening at Bhilawali village, he said. According to the official, two of the accused claim that they are journalists of a leading English news channel. The incident took place three days after a caller allegedly threatened to blow up Thackeray's personal residence in Mumbai. "After reaching Bhilawali on Tuesday evening, the accused trio asked a man who was passing by in the village about the location of Thackeray's farmhouse there. The man, however, told them that he was not aware of it," the official said. "After some time, the trio reached the chief minister's farmhouse and entered the premises. There, they found the same man working as its security guard. They started contronting him and asked why he lied to them. They allegedly abused and thrashed the guard," he added. After a while, the trio left the area, he said. The security guard then approached Khalapur police station and lodged a complaint against them. Accordingly, an offence under section 452 (house- trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 448 (punishment for house-trespass), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 of IPC against three persons, he said, adding that all three were arrested after some time. On Saturday night, the chief minister's personal residence 'Matoshree' in Bandra here had received calls in which the caller allegedly threatened to blow it up, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) had said. The caller had claimed to be an aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, police had 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.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) -- Meralco has announced that its customers will see lower electricity bills again for this month owing to a drop in generation charges for the sixth straight month. In a statement on Wednesday, Meralco said the lower rates also stem from reduced power demand from customers during the quarantine period. "As the overall rate for a typical household decreased by 0.0623 per kWh (kilowatt hour), or from last month's 8.4911 per kWh to 8.4288 per kWh this September. This is equivalent to a reduction of around 12 in the total bill of residential customers consuming 200 kWh," the statement said. Meralco added this month's overall rate would be the lowest in three years. Generation charges fell from 4.1241 per kWh in August to 4.0860 per kWh this September. Meanwhile, wholesale electricity spot market charges were 0.0147 per kWh lower this month due to a decrease in the Luzon demand as some areas returned to a stricter quarantine status from August 4 to 18. (Image: Reuters) French luxury group LVMH on September 9 called off its acquisition of American jewellery giant Tiffany & Co, citing delay in the closing date. The company said in a statement that it had received a letter from the French government, directing it to defer the acquisition of Tiffany until after January 6, 2021. This comes amid a recent threat of imposition of taxes on French products by the US. "The board learned of a letter from the French European and Foreign Affairs Minister, which, in reaction to the threat of taxes on French products by the US, directed the group to defer the acquisition of Tiffany until after January 6, 2021," the Louis Vuitton parent said. LVMH's board also took note of Tiffany's request to extend the "Outside Date" in the merger agreement from November 24 to December 3, 2020. It said, "As a results of these elements, and knowledge of the first legal analysis led by the advisors and the LVMH teams, the board decided to comply with the merger agreement signed in November 2019 which provides, in any event for a closing deadline no later than November 24, 2020, and officially records that, as it stands, the Group LVMH will therefore not be able to complete the acquisition of Tiffany & Co." Following LVMH's move to call of the takeover, Tiffany's has decided to sue the French luxury group for resorting to delaying tactics to force a renegotiation of the deal, the Financial Times has reported. LVMH had in November last year agreed to a $16.2 billion acquisition of US jeweller Tiffany, a deal that was set to be the luxury good maker's biggest purchase to date. The deal had reportedly come after a long wooing campaign by LVMH, already the world's top luxury firm overall, for one of the world's most famous jewellery houses, known for wedding rings and diamonds. The shareholders of Tiffany gave the green light to the deal earlier this year in February. The young man was arrested after a fight broke out in Mounib in Cairo Egypt's public prosecution announced on Tuesday that it had started an investigation into the death of a young man in the Mounib district of Greater Cairo, noting that his family blame police personnel for his death. The police had notified the prosecution that a fight between two parties, one group of four people, and one group of two, had taken place in the Mounib district of Giza governorate on Friday, with stones and bladed weapons deployed. The fight had resulted in the injury of number of people and the death of a young man, known as Islam Al-Australi, the prosecutions statement read. The statement added that the mother and sister of the deceased had accused the policemen who had arrested the young man of killing him after his arrest. The prosecution said that they had investigated the scene, locating five witnesses and seizing footage from five CCTV cameras belonging to shops in the area. The body of the deceased was also examined by the public prosecution at Um Al-Masryeen hospital, and was discovered to have bruises, the statement read. The prosecution has ordered the body be autopsied. Search Keywords: Short link: WESTBOROUGH, Mass., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EG Group and the 1,682 convenience stores it operates across the United States today announced an in-store fundraising campaign with United Way. EG donations will help drive funding for youth development and educational resources across the communities in which EG Group convenience stores operate. The convenience stores participating in the fundraiser include Cumberland Farms, Certified Oil, Fastrac, Kwik Shop, Loaf 'N Jug, Minit Mart, Quik Stop, Tom Thumb, and Turkey Hill. To participate in the cause, customers may visit their local EG convenience store from September 9th through October 9th and donate a dollar amount of their choosing to a local United Way chapter at checkout. "We're proud to help support the United Way in its efforts to improve the lives of children through education," said George Fournier, President of EG America. "Supporting the communities in which we serve has always been something we believe in, and this partnership is a key part of our commitment. We encourage everyone to stop by their local store to participate." "We could not do our work of advancing the common good in our communities without generous and committed partners like the EG Group," said Peter Najera, President and CEO of the United Way of the Plains. "We are grateful for their support, and are proud to partner with them in striving to develop our youth through education so that they may thrive as adults and make our communities great places to live and work." For more information, or to find a nearby EG convenience store near you, please visit https://www.eg-america.com/ . About EG Group Founded in 2001 by the Issa family, United Kingdom based EG Group is a leading petrol forecourt retail convenience operator who has established partnerships with global brands such as ESSO, BP, Shell, Carrefour, Louis Delhaize, SPAR, Starbucks, Burger King, KFC, Greggs and Subway. The business has an established pedigree of delivering a world class fuel, convenience and food-to-go offer. EG Group entered the US market through the initial acquisition of 763 Kroger C-Stores in April of 2018. EG Group has made a significant commitment to delivering a modern consumer retail offer creating a destination to satisfy multiple consumer missions. EG Group now operates nearly 5,400 stores, in 9 countries with over 35,000 associates. The business is regularly recognized for innovation and investment in convenience retail assets, the employees and the systems. Zuber Issa and Mohsin Issa, Founders and co-CEO's, EG Group, were jointly named the 2018 EY Entrepreneur of the Year in the UK. Further information is available at www.eurogarages.com. About United Way United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year, United Way is the world's largest privately funded nonprofit. We're engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit www.UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited. SOURCE EG Group Related Links https://www.eurogarages.com Just eight days after AstraZeneca (AZN) announced the expansion of clinical trials of its AZD1222 vaccine against coronavirus into randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 in the U.S., disaster struck. Medical journal Stat reported (and this report was later confirmed by AstraZeneca itself) "a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom" Phase III trial conducted by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. AstraZeneca gave no further details on the adverse reaction in question. Indeed, in reporting on the news, J.P. Morgan analyst Cory Kasimov characterized AstraZeneca's brief comments on Stat's article as containing "zero details" on precisely what happened, and how serious it might be. What we do know is that whatever exactly happened, it "triggered a pause" in the UK trial, which pause was voluntary on AstraZeneca's part, and designed to give time "to allow review of safety data by an independent committee." It is unknown whether the adverse reaction in question was definitely related to the vaccine as "illnesses will happen by chance... in large trials," explained the company. But because AstraZeneca is committed to the safety of the patients taking part in its trials, it is pausing these trials for an unstated amount of time, out of an abundance of caution. Kasimov cautioned investors not to overreact or "over-interpret the impact of this news," emphasizing that, so far as we know, only one single patient in the UK appears to have become ill, and predicting that AstraZeneca's hiccup should have "extremely limited" impact on other vaccine trials. With nearly 200 various vaccine candidates in development around the globe -- including several in very advanced stages of development and testing -- chances remain good that sooner or later one of them is going to be approved as safe and effective. Story continues Not everyone shares Kasimov's optimistic view, however. Indeed, Stat's article seems to contradict Kasimov's take on it, noting that AstraZeneca's pause is already "having an impact on other AstraZeneca vaccine trials underway -- as well as on the clinical trials being conducted by other vaccine manufacturers," says Stat, as researchers in other trials of other vaccines comb through their data "for similar cases of adverse reactions." And even Kasimov seems to contradict himself later in his note, musing that the real danger from AstraZeneca's announcement might not be that it knocks AstraZeneca out of the race to be "first" in developing a vaccine against COVID-19. As Kasimov argues, any first-mover advantage will be of secondary importance if a later-approved vaccine proves to have a better clinical profile -- causing fewer side effects for example, or giving rise to more robust antibody production, or ideally, both. Rather, Kasimov worries that the real import of this suspension of testing is that news of the adverse event might frighten potential patients away from taking not just AstraZeneca's AZD1222, but other vaccines as well, once they're ready. That could delay the discovery -- and distribution -- of effective vaccines that are needed to stop the spread of coronavirus and get the global economy back on track. Overall, AstraZeneca stands as a 'Strong Buy' name among Wall Street analysts. In the last three months, the drug maker has won four bullish recommendations. With a return potential of close to 50%, the stock's consensus price target lands at $81.17. (See AZN stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for healthcare 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 analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. On Sept. 21, restaurants can increase indoor dining to 50% of overall capacity. Read more 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. HARRISBURG Gov. Tom Wolfs administration preempted a Senate committee hearing Tuesday by announcing it would allow restaurants to serve more customers indoors, leading critics to question the timing of the move and whether it was based on data or politics. On Sept. 21, restaurants can increase indoor dining to 50% of overall capacity. Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the decision was made because the states coronavirus cases have started to level off, though the statewide trend has been within the same range for about a month. Newly reported coronavirus cases in the state declined until late June, before spiking over the next 45 days and then falling off once again, according to Spotlight PAs data tracker. The daily numbers, however, have not returned to their all-time lows, and some areas of the state are seeing cases climb again as colleges and universities report outbreaks. Now were at the point where we feel that we can raise that occupancy limit but do it in a very safe way, Levine said during a Tuesday press briefing, noting that previous spikes in cases were linked to people congregating at bars and restaurants. Wolfs announcement, issued as a press release Tuesday morning, did not explain why the administration set capacity at 50%, as opposed to another percentage, or chose the timing. The Wolf administrations decisions surrounding the managing of the COVID-19 pandemic are data-driven, literature-based, and follow established public health practices," Casey Smith, a spokesperson for the Department of Community and Economic Development, said in response to a request for comment. "We use statewide and national data, as well as peer-reviewed literature and guidance from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and White House when making public health decisions. Decisions are based on science and facts. The announcement came about an hour before a state Senate committee was scheduled to consider a bill with the same aim, leading Republicans who control the legislature to question the timing and what a spokesperson described as the arbitrary nature of the guidance. We continue to question the seemingly arbitrary nature of the announcements from the governors office, especially those that impact employers such as restaurants, Jennifer Kocher, a spokesperson for the Senate Republicans, said in a statement. In March, as the state began reporting its first cases of COVID-19, Wolf shut down much of the economy to slow the spread of the virus and keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. His administration gradually lifted restrictions on counties, eventually allowing bars and restaurants to operate at 50% capacity. But in mid-July, as cases began to surge in parts of the state including Allegheny County, the administration decreased indoor restaurant capacity to 25% and ordered bars that dont serve food to stop serving in-person customers. Restaurants must continue to enforce physical distancing and require patrons to wear masks when entering, leaving, or moving throughout the establishment. Business owners who want to expand operating capacity will be required to submit a statement agreeing to enforce those guidelines and information about the establishments maximum indoor occupancy. Restaurants that do so will be added to an online database. READ MORE: Dont expect theater to return to Philly Sept. 8 just because city says it can Smith, the spokesperson for the Department of Community and Economic Development, said the self-certification documents will be available online starting Sept. 21. The need for translation services dictated the start date, she said. Restaurants that wish to increase capacity on that date must complete the process by Oct. 5. Wolf also announced Tuesday that restaurants that serve alcohol will be required to stop sales at 10 p.m. Bars that do not serve food must remain closed to in-person customers, though they can continue selling alcohol to-go. Thats a restriction some Democrats and Republicans in the state Senate want to see lifted. An amendment unanimously approved by the Senate Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday would allow restaurants to serve alcohol to people who arent seated at a table and bars to sell alcohol without food. Those changes are critical to helping many establishments especially bars that rely on alcohol sales to stay in business, said committee chair Sen. Pat Stefano (R., Fayette). He expects the full Senate to consider the bill later this month. Levine said restrictions on bars remain to prevent people particularly college students and young people under 24 years old, who have represented a significant portion of new coronavirus cases this summer from congregating while drinking. We want people to avoid congregating together to stop the spread of COVID-19, she said. Stefano said he was happy to see the governor doing something to help businesses, but, like many Republicans, said the guidance was a reaction to legislation already in the works. A spokesperson for Wolf did not respond to request for comment. Its been typical of the administration, Stefano said, to react to legislation that he will or will not veto. 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. Officials warn of massive environmental damage if the ship leaks or explodes. A new fire on the large oil tanker drifting off Sri Lankas coast was extinguished on Wednesday after burning for two days as experts prepared to salvage the vessel. A new blaze broke out on the MT New Diamond on Monday. Officials have warned of enormous environmental damage to Sri Lankas coast if the ship, which was carrying nearly two million barrels of crude oil, leaks or explodes. The fire has now been brought under control and the ship is being towed by a tugboat out to sea, said Sri Lanka navy spokesperson Indika de Silva. There are no flames or smoke to be noticed as of now, he said, adding that a navy team will join firefighting experts from Indias coastguard and specialists sent by the ships owner to assess the situation. This handout picture taken on September 9 shows the Panamanian-registered crude oil tanker, New Diamond, on the Indian Ocean off Sri Lankas eastern coast [AFP] The tanker is about 30 nautical miles (55km) off Sri Lankas coast and the plan is to position it is at 40 nautical miles (74km) to facilitate salvaging work, de Silva said. The tanker was transporting crude oil from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip, where the state-owned Indian Oil Corp has a refinery. High winds, extreme temperatures on the ship and sparks reignited the fresh fires, the navy said, adding that, so far, there is no risk of an oil leak or of the fire spreading into the oil storage area. The navy said the initial fire began in an engine room boiler but did not spread to where the oil is kept. On Tuesday, the navy said a diesel patch was spotted in the ocean about one kilometre (half a mile) from the ship. The patch is likely to be diesel fuel from the ship, it said. The ship has about 1,700 tonnes of fuel to power its engines. An Indian coastguard aircraft sprayed a chemical on the patch to minimise damage. The initial fire killed one Filipino crew member and injured another, while 21 other crew members escaped uninjured. Twenty crew members were taken to the southern port city of Galle on Tuesday, while the captain remained on a ship near the tanker to help with firefighting efforts. ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Husky Energy Inc. is asking the federal government and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to make a "direct investment" in its partly completed $2.2-billion West White Rose offshore oil project. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Husky Energy logo is shown at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Alta., Friday, May 5, 2017. Husky Energy is re-evaluating a $2.2-billion oil project off the coast of Newfoundland. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Husky Energy Inc. is asking the federal government and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to make a "direct investment" in its partly completed $2.2-billion West White Rose offshore oil project. The Calgary-based oil and gas producer said Wednesday it is putting the project and by extension all of its investments in the region under review as it deals with a one-year construction delay it implemented in March amid low oil prices linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are asking the government to consider a direct investment in the project, similar to Hibernia," said Husky spokeswoman Kim Guttormson in an email response to The Canadian Press. "This isn't a handout or a loan, it's an investment that would provide a return to taxpayers." The Hibernia offshore project led by ExxonMobil Canada is 8.5 per cent owned by the federal government. The statement confirms speculation by analyst Phil Skolnick of Eight Capital in a report on Wednesday that the review announcement could be interpreted as a call for the province to inject money to ensure West White Rose is built. He also suggested that under a "worst-case scenario," it could also signal Husky's option to eventually shut down or sell the currently producing White Rose offshore oil project itself. "West White Rose is critical to the future of the existing White Rose field, which has been producing since 2005 and is in natural decline," said Guttormson in response to the second point. "There are no additional wells planned for the main field and, in the near term, the field will hit a point where it's too costly to produce those fewer barrels. The West White Rose project is the catalyst for any further investment in the White Rose field and the SeaRose FPSO." The West White Rose project includes investing in projects that would allow the continued employment of the SeaRose floating production storage and offloading unit to serve the entire field. If the new project doesn't go ahead, it raises questions about whether those projects are worthwhile to preserve the 20,000 barrels per day Husky gets from its share of the existing project, Skolnick said, which could lead to a scenario where it attempts to sell or shuts down the project in 2022. Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O'Regan offered no firm commitment to investment in a supplied comment. "We are at the table with the province right now, hammering out the concrete steps needed to support the offshore," he said, adding the government is working "every day" to sustain the competitiveness of the offshore oil sector. Newfoundland and Labrador is the third-largest oil producer in Canada and its offshore oil industry has been hit hard by crashing global oil prices. In mid-March, Equinor and Husky announced an indefinite deferral of the Bay du Nord project, slated to be the province's first deep-water operation. Drilling on the Hibernia platform was suspended in April, as was a refit for the Terra Nova floating production storage and offloading vessel. The Newfoundland and Labrador government has been imploring Ottawa to help the sector, even holding a news conference in late May to appeal for federal aid. West White Rose is expected to produce up to 75,000 barrels of oil per day, with Husky collecting 52,500 bpd from its 69 per cent share. It is partnered on the project with Suncor Energy Inc. at 26 per cent and Nalcor Energy, the province's Crown energy corporation, with a five per cent stake. "A full review of scope, schedule and cost of this project is critical, given the minimum one-year delay to first oil caused by COVID-19, and our priority of maintaining the strength of our balance sheet with ample liquidity," said Husky CEO Rob Peabody in a news release announcing the review Wednesday. "Unfortunately, the delay caused by COVID-19 and continued market uncertainty leaves us no choice but to undertake a full review of the project and, by extension, our future operations in Atlantic Canada." The West White Rose project is about 60 per cent complete, with about $1.1 billion in work left to be done in Newfoundland and Labrador and an expected $11 billion in future capital and operating expenditures over its life, Husky said. Peabody said it will result in "billions" in government taxes and other public benefits, adding: "We need to find a solution now." 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 White Rose field and satellite extensions are located in the Jeanne dArc Basin approximately 350 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland. West White Rose is expected to create about 250 full-time platform jobs and thousands of jobs during construction. Due to the short offshore weather window needed for construction, the suspension in March meant that the project is delayed for at least a year. By Dan Healing in Calgary with a file from Sarah Smellie in St. John's. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:HSE) Drive-through coffee chain coming Clutch Coffee Bar, a small chain based in Mooresville, is bringing its drive-through coffee concept to Greensboro. Brand owners Darren Spicer, John Anderson and Jake Vandermeer plan to open a location at 1405 Sunset Drive just off Battleground Ave. Clutch uses fair-trade organic coffee and offers espresso and other drinks. In addition to its two Mooresville locations, Clutch just opened a drive-through in Winston-Salem with another planned for Clemmons. Chick-fil-A site closes One of the busiest Chick-fil-A locations in Greensboro has temporarily closed. Chick-fil-A at 611 Pembroke Road at Friendly Center announced on its Facebook page it will be closed for two months for renovation. The restaurant said the renovation will be a near complete teardown but the dining room will be saved with a few changes. The makeover follows other remodels at Chick-fil-A locations across the country. Naftogaz Group has developed strategic directions and projects of natural gas production in Ukraine, the companys press service reported. The presentation of the projects took place on September 8 and was attended by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, heads of ministries and central government bodies, as well as Ukrainian MPs. "Naftogaz Group, as a state-owned company and leader in the gas industry, is ready to implement pilot projects in new production areas and reduce their risks for the entire market. In particular, prospects for the development of deep horizons, unconventional gas deposits from tight rocks and the Black Sea shelf were presented to participants in the meeting, reads the report. Naftogaz Group also aims to increase the resource base through the exploration of new areas obtained through tenders and auctions. At the same time, the company also noted that it important to extend the term of an incentive rent for production from traditional gas fields and simplify licensing procedures. For Ukraine, its own gas production should become the basis of energy independence. Today we have unhindered access to the EU gas market, which also contributes to the diversification of energy sources. At meetings with the participation of the President, we have repeatedly raised the issue of increasing our own production. It is necessary to carry out a needed exploration, complete exploration plans, which have been partially completed, and promptly launch production. For its part, the government is making every effort for this, we also count on the relevant legislative initiatives from MPs, the companys press service cited Prime Minister Shmyhal as saying. In turn, Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev said that Ukraine has prospects to move from stagnation to growth in gas production, but stressed that this requires government support. As reported by Ukrinform, the presentation of strategic directions of gas production development took place in Kyiv on September 8. iy Fire damage at the Registration and Identification Center at Moria camp, Lesvos, Greece. UNHCR Greece UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, deplores the fire that largely destroyed Morias Registration and Identification Center (RIC) last night and thanks the local authorities, including the fire department and emergency services that helped to contain the fire and assisted the people. So far, no casualties have been reported. We have immediately deployed our staff on the ground and have offered our assistance to the Greek authorities as we are concerned about the situation of some 12,000 asylum seekers, including more than 4,000 children as well as other vulnerable groups, including 407 unaccompanied children, pregnant women and elderly people. We have been informed about reports of tensions between people in neighboring villages and asylum seekers who were trying to reach Mytilenes town. We urge all to exercise restraint and ask all those who were previously staying at the RIC, which was under quarantine as some 35 people had tested positive with COVID-19, to restrict their movements and stay near RIC, as a temporary solution is being found to shelter them. Please support our work in Moria For more information on this topic, please contact: Mokhles Abdulghani, his wife Hajir Saad Ghareeb and their children Razan, 6, Alwaleed, 3, and Asia, 2, arrived at their new home in Morden, Manitoba, from Jordan on August 8. The Iraqi family lived as refugees in Amman for five years before Abdulghani was picked by the City of Morden as permanent resident because his skills and knowledge as an engineer was needed in the community. The From Jordan to Morden diary is an occasional digital series that documents the highs and lows of the familys new life in Canada. Heres what they experienced after completing their two-week quarantine. Dear diary, On this Super Day after our 14-day quarantine, we can finally leave our home and see the city. A volunteer took us to different places to get our new life started. These days, were running around to apply for our social insurance numbers, get our first Canadian phone number and open a bank account. But the best part of it was I got a job offer from ON2 Solutions today! I started my job-search when we were still in Amman, as soon as we found out were coming to Canada. Im so happy and excited. Its an amazing day. My first day on the job in Canada was August 25. Im so happy with my new job. ON2 is a great company. It is the kind of job that I always wished to get. Its in manufacturing. I am proud to be part of their team which helps in this pandemic by making oxygen concentrators for hospitals. Its hard work. The factory is 35 minutes from my transitional housing unit. I dont have a car yet and have to walk on the main road to the work site. I have to be very careful because there are no sidewalks at some places and there are some big trucks around. But its all good. Im happy to have a job in Canada. I hope to build a credit history in Canada soon so I can get a car before the winter. Work is very busy. Therere a lot of orders to be shipped all across Ontario. I go in at 7 a.m. every day and finish at 5 p.m. Canadians are so generous to us. Some people saw the story in the Toronto Star and reached out to us, sending us welcome gifts (tablets and a TV) for my kids. We feel so grateful to Canada. Friends from the Manitoba Islamic Association helped me find our first car in Canada. Its an old but a nice American car. The best part is its zero interest rate. Its a small sedan but theres enough room for all five of us for now. After walking to work all week, its nice to be able to drive to work so I can spend more time with my family. Mokhles Abdulghani Read more about: Rail wheels are the basis of movement for the trains by providing traction, while axles are used to transmit vertical loads to the wheels. The assembly of rail wheels, axle, bearing and brake components are called as rail wheel set. Over the last few year, increasing government projects to connect two states or country such as One Belt One Road is anticipated to create opportunity for the global market during the forecast time period. Additionally, increasing high speed rail project particularly in developing countries have also opened the door for the market. On the flip side, government regulations pertaining to replacing of wheel and axle are also anticipated to give positive potential to the global rail wheel and axle market during the forecast time period. Segmentation. The global rail wheel and axle market can be segmented on the basis of Wheel Type: Locomotive Wheel Resilient Wheel Others The global rail wheel and axle market can be segmented on the basis of Axle Type: Powered Axle Non-Powered Axle Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3107 The global rail wheel & axle market can be segmented on the basis of Rail Type: Locomotive Passenger Train Freight Train Special Train The global rail wheel and axle market can be segmented on the basis of Sales Channel: OEM Aftermarket Driver Increasing railway projects as well as electrification in existing rail line are projected to drive the global market. Moreover, continuous innovation in rail technology such as high speed train, bullet train are anticipated to foster the market throughout the forecast time period Restraint Other modes of transportation such as Maglev and Hyperloop are anticipated to hinder the market over the slated time period. Regional Market Outlook Europe is anticipated to dominate in the region owing to increasing rail vehicle fleet. In term of value China is projected to be 2nd largest market for the global rail wheel and axle wheel market. North America is projected to grow with healthy growth rate owing to increasing rail trams and metro rail over the slated time period. Moreover, APAC is also projected to grow with noteworthy growth rate owing to increasing government rail project particularly in Japan, China and India. Middle East & Africa is anticipated to grow with remarkable CAGR due to increasing railway infrastructure particularly in GCC Countries and Turkey. Get Request for Table of Contents: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/requesttoc/3107 Key Player Key player for the global Rail Wheel & Axle market are: KALYANI GROUP Simmons Machine Tool Corporation NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION Mannshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. Masteel Wheel Axle KLW Wheelco SA CN GHH-BONATRANS Lucchini RS OMK Kolowag Research Methodology: TMR surveys a number of companies in order to estimate the data covered in the report through triangulation methodology. A detailed market understanding and assessment of the drive and application segments covered in the study. The research methodology also includes interviews conducted for various industry leaders by the research experts. This helps the researchers to match their previous findings with the ones confirmed from various resource persons. The report focuses on analyzing the supply-side approaches and keeps a track of that of the demand-side so as to make sure the findings are true. The global market scenario has been derived by consolidation of regional market overviews. Surekha Sikri is currently admitted at a Mumbai hospital after she suffered a brain stroke on Tuesday. Actor Sonu Sood, her Badhaai Ho co-star Gajraj Rao and director Amit Sharma have assured that there will not be any financial obstacles in her treatment. Sonu replied to a doctor who tagged Sonu Sood to pay attention to a news story about Surekha health condition. He replied, Shes doing fine now and in able hands. Thanks for the concern and wishes. Shes doing fine now and in able hands. Thanks for the concern and wishes https://t.co/FwH9hUuP3P sonu sood (@SonuSood) September 9, 2020 Gajraj Rao told Times of India, Both Amit Sharma, the Badhaai Ho director, and I are in touch with Surekha jis secretary Vivek and yes, we are all there with her and well extend all help we can, to her. Amit Sharma said, I am in Goa, but I have been in touch with her family. He added, I have not spoken to anyone else, but people who are close to her- her family, nurse and manager. I will be doing my best to provide any kind of help that would be needed and I dont think there would be any financial obstacles in her treatment. She suffered a stroke earlier today. She is in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). Her parameters continues to be monitored closely. She is critical but stable. She was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai this afternoon, her agent Vivek Sidhwani told PTI on Tuesday. Wishing for her health, Raveena Tandon wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, One of my favourites! Wishing #SurekhaSikri ji .a speedy recovery! Also read: Rhea Chakrabortys father Indrajit on rejection of her bail plea: No father can bear injustice on his daughter. I should die A recipient of three National Film awards, Sikri, a film, theatre and TV veteran, is best known for her performances in Tamas, Mammo, Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro, Zubeidaa and daily soap Balika Vadhu. She received widespread praise for her role of a grandmother in Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Badhaai Ho (2018). She won the National Film award for the Best Supporting Actress for the film. The actor was not doing well at that time and had turned up in a wheelchair to accept the award. Sikri was last seen in Netflixs Ghost Stories, directed by Zoya Akhtar. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rapper Silento Arrested for Alleged Assaults in Santa Ana and Los Angeles The 22-year-old rapper Silento, best known for his 2015 song Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), is behind bars today after being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon in Valley Village Saturday, one day after being arrested for domestic violence in Santa Ana. Silento, whose name is Richard Lamar Hawk, was arrested Friday in the 100 block of Macarthur Avenue, where Santa Ana officers were responding to a call of a domestic disturbance, ABC7 reported. He was booked for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant and later released. The Santa Ana Police Department could not immediately be reached to confirm the report. The next day, Hawk was arrested about 1:50 p.m. in the 12700 block of Albers Street, near Bellaire Avenue and about a block from Burbank Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Departments Officer Mike Lopez. ADVERTISEMENT Hawk was booked for assault with a deadly weapon, Lopez said. ABC7 reported that he entered a random home and wielded a hatchet while searching for his girlfriend. The occupants of the home, including children, were inside but were not physically harmed. According to sheriffs department records, as of Wednesday afternoon, Hawk remained in custody on $105,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m. Friday at the Van Nuys Courthouse, at 14400 Erwin Street Mall. The Delhi High Court on Tuesday heard the plea filed by Harper Collins challenging trial court order restraining publication of a book titled Gunning for the Godman: The True Story Behind Asaram Bapus Conviction. A single-judge bench of Justice Najmi Waziri issued notice to Sanchita Gupta and listed the matter for further hearing on Wednesday. Sanchita is a co-accused in a case related to self-styled Godman Asaram Bapu and had approached the Court seeking urgent relief against the publication of the book as the pre-released chapter published on a web portal was defamatory of her and was likely to prejudice her appeal pending before the Rajasthan High Court. Justice Waziri also allowed the plea of Flipkart and Amazon to delete them from the memo of parties followed by their submission that they shall abide by the direction issued by the court. Harper Collins has moved the Delhi High Court against a district court order restraining publication of a book titled Gunning for the Godman: The True Story Behind Asaram Bapus Conviction. The Patiala House Court of Delhi on September 4 directed the defendants to restrain from publishing the book titled Gunning for the Godman: The True Story behind the Asaram Bapu Conviction till the next date of hearing. Additional District Judge RS Meena on Friday granted interim relief to Sanchita Gupta and restrain the publication of a book. Gupta had approached the Court in a civil suit filed by her advocates Naman Joshi and Karan Khanuja and the matter was strongly argued by Advocate Vijay Aggarwal. Arguing for Sanchita, Advocate Aggarwal informed the Court that the book was being published by Harper Collins and scheduled to release on September 5, 2020, both physically and online. The book authored by Ajay Lamba, Additional Commissioner of Police, Jaipur and Sanjiv Mathur claims to be a true story, however, is at variance with the trial record and most importantly interfered with Sanchitas appeal which was sub-judice and where the Rajasthan High Court had already suspended her sentence. According to Peskov, the agenda is the one that is fixed and endorsed in advance by all sides involved. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has confirmed the participation of Deputy Head of Russia's presidential administration Dmitry Kozak in the meeting of advisors to the Normandy Four (Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France) leaders scheduled for September 11. "My colleague Kozak will be in Berlin on Friday. He will participate in the meeting of advisors. The agenda is the one that is fixed and endorsed in advance by all sides involved," he told journalists on Wednesday, according to an UNIAN correspondent in Russia. Read alsoRussia trying to shift Donbas settlement talks away from Normandy Four to TCG Ukraine delegatePeskov stressed Kozak had insisted on that before the meeting so as "not to 'water down' the previously reached agreements and the substance of discussion during the meeting." Normandy Four: latest developments Chinese PLA wanted a repeat of Galwan Valley: Shots fired at LAC first time in 45 years India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 09: India has strongly denied that it resorted to firing along the Line of Actual Control. Sources have confirmed that the Chinese troops had postured themselves in an aggressive manner. Around 50 to 60 of them had come with rods, spears, clubs and pole weapons. The Indian Army personnel however strongly confronted them forcing the Chinese to retreat. The source cited above told OneIndia that the Chinese wanted a repeat of the Galwan Valley incident. The plan was to carry out another operation on the lines of Galwan. It may be recalled that the Chinese troops had mounted an attack with stones and nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs. 20 Indian soldiers were martyred, while 30 Chinese soldiers were either killed or have been reported missing. After fresh tensions in Ladakh, China says it hopes for disengagement soon When the Indian Army forced the Chinese to retreat, they fired 10 to 15 shots in the air. This is for the first time that firearms were used along the LAC after a gap of 45 years. The last time firearms were used was in 1975 when shots were fired at the de-facto border. The Chinese however issued a statement following the incident blaming the Indian side. Chinese troops with weapons at LAC | Medieval style weapons on PLA troops | Oneindia News The Chinese said that it was the Indian side which had resorted to firing. India, however strongly denied the claims by the Chinese. In an official statement, India said that while it is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation along the Line of Action Control, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate. At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to any aggressive means, including firing. It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres while engagement at the military, diplomatic level is in progress. In the instant case on September 7, 2020, it was the PLA which was attempting to close in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops., PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate the Indian troops. At no stage has Indian Army transgressed across LAC or resorted to firing: Official statement However despite grave provocation, the Indian troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner. The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility. However, India is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. The statement by the Western Command is an attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience the official statement also read. The US needs to be conducting nearly 200 million coronavirus tests a month in order to control the pandemic at its current infection rate, a new report says. At present, the US is doing about 20 million tests a month - one tenth as many as experts at the Rockefeller Foundation and Duke University's Margolis Center for Health Policy believe are needed. The report authors, including a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner - say that until testing is ramped up to nearly that number monthly, it will remain unsafe for students to return to in-person classes. It comes after thousands of college students tested positive for COVID-19 in their first weeks of classes. Many were told to go home, and their classes were moved back to online-only. Between 20,000 and 30,000 American are also still testing positive for COVID-19 on a daily basis. The report authors also hit out at the Trump administration, looking instead to local officials and private companies to take it upon themselves to expand testing. 'In the absence of further Federal action, continued leadership from states, local governments, and the private sector can help achieve these needed changes,' thy wrote. Currently, the US is testing about 20 million Americans for coronavirus a month. A new report estimates the nation needs to be doing 10-times that many tests to safely reopen schools (file) 'The United States is at a critical point in the pandemic, facing many more months of the severe health and economic disruptions that go along with significant infection spread throughout the country - but now with the potential to avoid that outcome through the effective use of innovative, large-scale testing.' According to data from the COVID Tracking Project, 508,706 Americans were tested for coronavirus yesterday, Tuesday September 8. If the same number of people were tested every day for the entire month, it would only add up to 15.3 million tests a month. With daily increases at current levels, 'approximately 193 million tests are needed to support reopening with limited spread under modified conditions including no in-person classes in "red" communities and limiting in-person attendance to grades K-5 in "orange" communities,' the report authors wrote. They defined 'red,' 'orange,' 'yellow,' and 'green' communities as places that: Red: have more than 25 new daily infections per 100,000 people Orange: have 10-25 new daily infections per 100,000 people Yellow: Have one to 10 new daily infections per 100,000 people Green: have fewer than one new daily infections per 100,000 people In counties like Schuyler, New York, where less than one new COVID-19 case per 100,000 people is diagnosed day, risks of unwittingly being in a group with an infected person are still less than 50% in group of 500 people. In counties with rapid spread like Polk County, Georgia, the report estimates the odds are 81% someone in a group of just 25 is infected As case studies, the report authors looked at Schuyler County, New York, as a 'green' community, because it has just 0.8 new daily cases per 100,000 people, Calhoun County, Michigan as 'yellow' (5.0 new daily infections per 100,000 people), Oklahoma County, OK as 'orange' (17.0 new daily cases per 100,000 people) and Polk County, Georgia, as 'red' (54.3 new cases per 100,000 people). Their model estimates that the chance that one person in a group of 25 people has coronavirus in Schuyler County is just three percent, going up to 68 percent in a group of 1,000. By contrast, there is an 81 percent chance that one person in a group of 25 is infected in Polk County. These risks are also dependent upon the way that people are moving and interacting in these counties and, of course, some populations, like people in nursing homes, will always be high-risk, and need to be screened more frequently than others. Graphs from the report break down how many students teachers, staff, nursing home staff and residents need to be tested for coronavirus based on spread in their communities As children return to K-12 classes, both they and adults will be mixing with groups outside their homes more than they were while schools were shut down either due to the pandemic or for the summer. Duke and Rockefeller experts think it's also key to screen children and school staff, if the new daily infection rates are not below one. In 'green' counties, they believe it's safe for all K-12 students, teachers and staff to return to school in person, and testing can be optional. Nursing homes in these communities would only need to undergo 'surge' testing, done every three to seven days, if a new infection was identified. For yellow counties or states states, the report authors recommend that students and staff be tested every two weeks, but can return to in-person learning, while staff be tested at least once a week, with surge testing performed on residents as well as staff. Frequent testing can help limit the number of people each covid-positive person infects - up to a point, according to the new report In orange states and counties, the report advises that everyone be tested at least twice a week, in order to resume in person classes, but only for K-5 students. Nursing homes in these areas should teest staff twice a week, and surge test residents. In red communities, the report authors believe that only teachers and staff should return to school buildings, while kids do remote learning. Even then, they write, the staff should social distance and get tested every two weeks. They also recommend twice weekly testing for nursing home staff and surge testing for residents in these areas. The hospital that would come up on the 5-acre land in Dhannipur village in Ayodhya along with the mosque would be a multi-specialty 200-bed hospital with world class facilities, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) said. IICF is the trust set up by the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) for the construction of the mosque at Ayodhya on the land allotted by the UP government in compliance with the Supreme Court order. The hospital will be part of Indo-Islamic Centre Complex in Ayodhya village that will also include a community kitchen and an Indo-Islamic Research Centre. The research centre will have a museum and a library too. IICF spokesman Athar Hussain said the maximum area of land would be allocated to the hospital, which will also be the largest public utility establishment at the Indo-Islamic complex. The name of the hospital, whose construction is expected to start in next couple of months, is yet to be finalised. We plan to develop a multi-specialty hospital that would be equipped with the state of the art facilities. The entire hospital would be established in two phases. In the first phase, the arrangement for 100 beds would be made at the hospital while in the second phase 100 more beds would be added to it, Hussain said. IICF office bearers said the hospital would offer best treatment in cancer care, transplants, spine, heart, robotics, orthopaedics, emergency and others. Officials said that hospital would help in serving the society and play a major role in bridging gap between the communities. On September 1, the trust had appointed a Lucknow- based architect-cum-town planner and a founder of dean faculty of Architecture Jamia Milia University, Delhi to design the mosque that would come up in Dhannipur village, Ayodhya in place of the Babri Masjid. The trust has also appointed noted Indian academician and food critic Pushpesh Pant as consultant curator for the food archive a - section of the museum that would be a part of the Indo Islamic Centre Complex By Cassandra Garrison and Andrea Shalal BUENOS AIRES/WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Regional opposition to President Donald Trump's pick to run the Inter-American Development Bank has faded ahead of this weekend's vote, giving a last-minute boost to the man who would become the first U.S. head of the key Latin American lender. Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump's fiery senior Latin America adviser, has majority support to head the IDB, but a group of countries had appeared close to having the 25% vote needed to hold up the election. Some countries that had opposed Claver-Carone's candidacy, including Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Costa Rica, and some EU officials, now privately concede they do not have the backing they had hoped for. An Argentine foreign ministry official suggested plans to halt the vote were off the table because "there are not enough willing" member countries to block the U.S. candidate. The IDB vote has become a geopolitical battle between the Trump administration keen to gain leverage in resource-rich Latin American and counter the rise of China, and some in the region who do not want to lose control of the lender. The IDB has been led by a Latin American president since its inception in 1959. Mexico, which was key to blocking the vote, has signaled that it will now not block the quorum needed to hold the election, a source familiar with the process said. The source did not elaborate, but former Mexico foreign secretary Jorge Castaneda said in an opinion column that Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had failed to galvanize opposition to Trump's nominee. "Argentina could not block the election by itself; everything was in the hands of Mexico and AMLO," Castaneda wrote. "He chickened out." Mexico's finance ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The Latin American countries that called for a delay held around 22% of the bank's voting share - shy of the 25% needed to block a quorum on voting day. Argentine officials were hoping European countries would join their efforts and tip the balance. With just days before the election, however, Argentine Foreign Minister Felipe Sola told a local radio station that European support had not materialized. "There was a decision on the part of Europe that did not come," Sola said. "We are going to ratify our position that the IDB cannot be led by a U.S. candidate and that it cannot fall prey to the competition between the U.S. and China," the Argentine foreign ministry official said. He added that Argentina's candidate for the IDB post had already been officially nominated. (Reporting by Cassandra Garrison and Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting byS tefanie Eschenbacher in Mexico City; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Tom Brown) Jacob and Ceanna Tabora will leave their Converse home for two weeks later this month while a WWE wrestler and hundreds of volunteers wreak havoc in their house. Tabora, a retired corporal for the U.S. Marine Corps, was selected as the recipient of a home renovation project, courtesy of the Military Makeover With Montel television series. The national television show, which airs on Lifetime and the Armed Forces Network, rolls into town Sept. 20 to begin a two-week rehab of the Tabora familys home. The shows namesake is Montel Williams, former host of TVs The Montel Williams Show from 1991 to 2008. Williams, who served in both the Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy, from which he was honorably discharged after 15 years of service, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999. He is active with the nonprofit MS Foundation, as well as with military enlistees, Wounded Warriors and other veterans. Francesca Nachtsheim, Military Makeover production coordinator, said volunteers are needed throughout the weeks of filming to fill the two daily five-hour slots (from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.) We band together and transform the house over a two-week span, Nachtsheim said. There is nothing structural, were not knocking anything down. But it includes new floors, new windows, cabinetry, and new paint just give them a fresh new look for them. They are a great couple, they are so nice, Nachtsheim added. Tabora served in the Marines from his enlistment in September 2005 to his medical discharge in January 2011. A tank crewman in Operation Iraqi Freedom, he has received the Good Conduct Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and National Defense Medal. Tabora was a tank machine gunner engaged in M1A1 main battle tank training on June 19, 2008, when things went horribly wrong. A charged main-gun round burst and spilled explosive propellant inside the tank, trapping Tabora inside. The gunner was pulled to safety by his tank commander, but not before sustaining third-degree burns over the majority of his body. Hes gone through more than 50 surgeries, Nachtsheim said. Once it received Taboras name through a referral, the Military Makeover selection process began. Our team went through the interview process, conducting the necessary background checks. And they (the Taboras) are just a lovely family, Nachtsheim said. Once we were able to do our assessment, we found their house is not dilapidated or anything, she said. But the inside is just not the bright and happy place we want it to be, for them to raise their three little ones. Nachtsheim said Jennifer Bertrand, the shows designer, met with the family last week to get a good feel for what they like and dislike. The shows construction manager, Ryan Stanley, will be first on the scene to launch demolition and begin to clear areas, in conjunction with Bertrands designs. Meanwhile, the Taboras will be whisked away and entirely isolated from the goings-on. Well put them up in a vacation home in the San Antonio area for two weeks, she said. Once they move out, they are not allowed to return until Oct. 2, which is our reveal day. The Taboras house will be worked on from Sept. 21 to Oct. 2. During this time, the Military Makeover people will block the Taboras social media access so their family, friends and neighbors cannot tip them off to whats transpiring while they are away. The Taboras are the 24th military family to receive a hand from the show during its five-year run, with homes now refurbished on a quarterly basis. The episode featuring the Tabora family is scheduled to air at the end of November. Host of the show for about two years, Williams is unable to travel with the shows crew because of his health concerns amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But he remains a huge part of the show, Nachtsheim said. Well have daily check-ins and virtual interaction with Montel in our studio throughout the entire process. Volunteers and show enthusiasts will see WWE wrestler Lacey Evans at the work site. Evans, a veteran, was introduced to wrestling while serving as a military police officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Known as The Lady of WWE, Evans enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 19 and served five years, including a stint with the Corps Special Reaction Team. Volunteers especially, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and experienced drywall workers are needed to fill open work slots. General labor and handyman slots remain open as well. Nachtsheim said many volunteers who have worked on the sites are retired military, representing area VFWs, American Legions, and veteran biker clubs. A lot of them are itching to give back, band together and lend some help, she said. Volunteers are the backbone of what were able to accomplish, in such a short period of time. And the skilled tradesmen, they might sign up for one day. But then they get there and they see the energy and they feel it, and they end up coming back day after day. Its amazing, she said. Volunteers are encouraged to wear their company shirts and logos, although no photography is allowed inside the house. To volunteer, enter Signup Genius Tabora on your URL and click on the Military Makeover With Montel - SignupGenius - Mobile link that pops up. All available volunteer positions are listed by day and shift hours. jflinn@express-news.net Snow trout, the iconic cold water fish species found in Himalayan rivers, would lose their habitat by 16 per cent in the next 30 years and by over 26 per cent by 2070, a new climate change study by the governments Wildlife Institute of India has found. The study -- Is There Always Space at The Top-- was published in the Ecological Indicators, a journal of high international repute based at the Netherlands, on September 6. The study indicates that most of the lower altitude streams across the Himalayas would be rendered unsuitable for the existence of snow trout with the rise in temperatures. An ensemble of 72 statistical models across the Himalayas, the study -- authored by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientists Aashna Sharma, Vineet Kumar Dubey, Jeyaraj Antony Johnson, Yogesh Kumar Rawal and Kuppusamy Sivakumar reveals the vulnerable snow trout would be squeezed into the high-altitude rivers in the Himalayas. Our empirical findings strongly suggest that snow trout, a prime cold water fish of Himalayan rivers, would suffer a habitat loss in the future and the high-altitude areas would act as only saviours, provided suitable habitat connectivity is offered, senior scientist Kuppusamy Sivakumar told PTI. The study says mountain systems across the globe are conspicuously sensitive to on-going climate alterations and the condition is much more detrimental in the Himalaya, where the rate of warming, and thus the glacier meltdown, is much higher than elsewhere. The Himalayan coldwater species are concerningly most vulnerable to these changes because of their limited thermal range, it says. Funded by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), the study is a part of the governments National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE), which was launched to research the impact of climate change on the Himalayan ecosystem. The study iterates that if the countries across the globe continue their greenhouse emissions as usual (mentioning it as the business-as-usual scenario), the species (snow trout) would lose a net habitat of 16.29% till the year 2050 which would further increase to 26.56% in the year 2070. As it stands, the snow trout faces serious threats due to river valley modifications, destructive fishing practices and exotic salmonid introductions, it says. Due to ongoing threats, its population size has been reduced drastically in Himalayan waters, hence listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, it adds. The fish species has great commercial and recreational value and its sole presence in the high-altitude cold waters makes it a flagship species to conserve the Himalayan rivers, the study underlines. Already exposed to numerous anthropogenic stressors, the fate of snow trout population and many co-occurring genera can be considered explicitly at a higher risk in the Himalaya, it adds. The also flagged the rampant damming of the rivers across the Himalayas, saying the presence of dams would definitely obstruct the fish mode of movements to safer havens, ultimately risking their very survival. Our results highlight that snow trout would expand their range upwards into the high-altitude streams with a concurrent predominant range contraction in most of their lagging edges, ultimately creating a high-altitude squeeze, the study says. The study recommends some solutions such as persuasive conservation efforts beyond political boundaries by combined decisions of the policymakers of Himalayan countries. It also include reducing unsustainable harnessing of rivers for hydropower development projects and energy efficiency by improving green energy potential. They also underscore a need to focus more on climate change science in India, more so in the Himalayas, which, the team says is predicted to be warming at a rate much higher than the global average rate of about 0.4 C. The team detailed that never has such an extensive and rigorous ensemble methodology been used to understand the climate change impacts on any freshwater species in India. They said there was a dire need for inter-governmental policy measures -- involving India, Nepal and Bhutan -- to sustain the biodiversity of these rivers. RIDGEFIELD If we get a storm in the next two weeks, three weeks, well have to deal with the same situation, First Selectman Rudy Marconi said. He was talking about Eversources response time to the damage from Tropical Storm Isaias, which put Ridgefielders out of power for days, some up to a week and what he considers a continuing lack of cooperation from the utility company on readiness for another storm. We dont know what were going to do, Marconi told the selectmen. I know the people are going to be extremely upset, and were not going to have any answers for them. And were not going to get anything out of Eversource. Marconi wants Ridgefielders as many as he can get to email the state Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA) detailing their experiences, and any losses, from Isaias. State regulators need to learn how hard Isaias hit Ridgefield stories and specifics in time for PURA hearings, town officials say. Residents are asked to submit a timeline of their outage, interactions and restoration of power by Oct. 16 to be included in the PURA hearing involving Eversource, said Gerri Lewis, of the Ridgefield Office of Emergency Management. Outage information can be shared with PURA by emailing pura.information@ct.gov and referencing Docket No. 20-08-03, Lewis said. Town officials said people emailing PURA about the storm should copy Marconi at selectman@ridgefieldct.org. The town encouraged people to add emails concerning the smaller but swift and violent storm that knocked out power to 200 Ridgefielders on Aug. 27. Isaias knocked out power to more than 8,400 homes and businesses in Ridgefield 77 percent of Eversources customers. Only 30? Marconi told the Board of Selectman during its meeting last week that about 30 Ridgefield complaints have been filed so far with PURA. Im surprised weve only gotten 30 responses, Selectwoman Maureen Kozlark said. With the outrage Ive heard from people, Id have thought more people would participate in that. Marconi said the town would do more publicity. The stories show the utilitys lack of collaboration with town, and its general lack of organization, Marconi said. Some people got a text: Were on the scene, you could be up in four hours and all of a sudden its three days later and they havent heard anything, Marconi said. And its not just Ridgefield. People around the state who are unhappy with Eversources storm response are also weighing in. The public dissatisfaction with Eversource is overwhelming, Marconi said, and hopefully its going to have an impact. Interveners Ridgefield made a joint PURA filing with the towns of Newtown and New Fairfield. We were recognized as official interveners, the three communities, Marconi said. Other towns, such as Bethel and Darien, want to join the action before PURA, which the selectmen said could help share the legal costs. Danbury and Bethel have opted to sue Eversource, Marconi said, and various other parties from the state attorney general to the legislature are taking actions against Eversource, including steps that could lead to fines and penalties. Ridgefield also wants to work with Eversource. Marconi would like to have the town assigned a specific line crew that could establish a working relationship with the town emergency workers and be available after a storm to make sure ambulances and fire engineers can get where theyre needed. We want PURA to take action to get Eversource to sit down with us now, Marconi said. Silent liasions Among Marconis complaints is that Eversource affected the towns communication with the people who were supposed to act as liaisons. The liaisons were specifically told not to discuss arrangements or plans for line crews with first selectmen and mayors because the chief elected officials only get in the way, Marconi said. Very arrogant on their part. Marconi didnt fault the liaisons. They were being instructed not to share information with the towns putting them in a very awkward position. You could hear it in their voices, Marconi said. They were as frustrated as we were. They were specifically told not to communicate with us, Marconi said. Thats disturbing, said Selectman Bob Hebert. Sharing costs The towns involved in the legal action before PURA will share the costs, and Kozlark said they should also agree on procedures for dealing with the attorneys. I just think maybe we have to codify how were going to handle communication between the attorneys and the different municipalities its just done fairly, everybody on the same page, everybody has the same access, you dont have one community running up a bill with the attorneys that everybody has to share in, she said. Im just thinking we need to spell it out a little bit. Selectman Sean Connelly raised another cost concern. The bigger question I have: At some point, well need to understand what were in for. Is it a $50,000 budget item for us? is it $150,000? he said. ...Is there a point where we say this is too much. Theyll give us an estimate, Selectwoman Barbara Manners said of the lawyers. ...What Id like to put in there is they will not exceed the estimate by more than 5 percent. Zero percent above, Connelly said. If the three towns have authorized a certain figure, he said, that should be a firm cap unless amended. Id argue the three first selectmen would have to authorize anything above that, he said. Marconi agreed. We want to be sure were careful with taxpayers dollars, he said, and be sure the money we spend is worth the results we get. The authorities of that time participated in the development of the new strategic concept of Armenia; until us, it was agreed with the Artsakh authorities. Secretary of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Security Council Samvel Babayan stated this Wednesday during a meeting with MPs of the Artsakh National Assembly. "We have just welcomed [it]. And we will deal with what concerns Artsakh and present it for a wide discussion; we are not dealing with it yet," Babayan added. Referring to the issue of creating a militia, he said: "We will have a meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday for the first time, and the issue of the militia will be discussed as to how we imagine it, how it will be at us. Our view is that we will not include the militia in the troops, but it will be a separate military unit." And asked whether it is considered that Diaspora Armenians also have the opportunity to be included in this militia, Samvel Babayan said: "It does not seem to me that the Diaspora Armenians will be able to come for help at least in the first months, for various reasons. A strategic plan is being developed so that we can be completely sure that we will not have any problem, and that Azerbaijan will start staying where it is at." WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is wanted by the United States because he is a "political enemy" of President Donald Trump, his London extradition hearing was told on September 9. Australian-born Assange, 49, is fighting against being sent to the United States, where he is charged with conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law over the release of confidential cables by WikiLeaks in 2010-2011. Paul Rogers, a professor of peace studies at Britain's Bradford University, told London's Old Bailey court that the timing of the US prosecution was connected to Assange's political views and Trump's hostility towards him. "The evidence does support very strongly ... this does appear to be a political trial," Rogers said. Assange and WikiLeaks enraged the US government a decade ago by publishing thousands of secret American documents, but he was not charged with any criminal offence at the time. His supporters see him as a champion of free speech exposing abuses of power and hypocrisy by Washington and regard his prosecution as threat to journalism. US authorities say he recklessly endangered the lives of sources with his releases. Rogers said the Trump administration viewed Assange as a "political enemy" because of his opinions. Assange's defence team are arguing the US case is politically-motivated, something which would bar his extradition. "The opinions and views of Mr Assange, demonstrated in his words and actions with the organisation WikiLeaks over many years, can be seen as very clearly placing him in the crosshairs of dispute with the philosophy of the Trump administration," Rogers said in his statement to the court. James Lewis, the lawyer representing the United States, challenged the assertion the case was politically-motivated, saying US federal prosecutors were forbidden to consider political opinion in making their decisions. "I'm not saying they are acting in bad faith," Rogers said. "I'm saying that at a different level, a political decision was taken to investigate this further after it had lapsed for eight years." Assange was warned by the judge on Tuesday he would be removed from the courtroom and tried in his absence if he interrupted proceedings after Assange shouting "nonsense" at Lewis. Trump Campaign Says Nevada Rallies Still Planned After Officials Issue Warning Local officials in Reno, Nevada, warned that a rally held by President Donald Trump scheduled for the weekend would possibly violate the states ban on gatherings of more than 50 people. The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority said it sent a letter to Trump rally organizers and the hangar where the rally is to be held saying the planned 5,000-person event might not proceed as planned after airport attorneys said it would violate state and local CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus ordinances. Given the above, you are hereby advised that you may not proceed with the proposed gathering, Tina Iftiger, senior vice president and chief commercial officer for the airport authority, told Hangar 9 LLC, reported the Nevada Independent. This has nothing to do with politics, airport authority CEO Daren Griffin said in a statement, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. The letter we sent is about directives and safety and not political campaigns. We would hold our tenants to the same standard whether it was a Democratic or Republican rally or any other type of gathering. He added that the airport will be complying with Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolaks directive and Washoe Countys recommendation during a pandemic. Sisolak, meanwhile, wrote on Twitter that his office had no involvement or communication with the event organizers or potential hosts regarding the proposed campaign events advertised by the Trump campaign. The governor noted that there are statewide limitations on gatherings of more than 50 people, saying that people also have to wear face coverings. Adam Laxalt, a former Nevada attorney general and co-chair of Trumps reelection campaign in Nevada, wrote that the move was an unprecedented and outrageous act of partisan political retribution on behalf of Sisolak. This is unprecedentedto cancel an incumbent Presidents campaign stop inside 60 days of a major contested election in a swing state. This isnt over! he wrote. The Trump campaign released a statement, alleging that state Democrats are trying to prevent the president from visiting Nevada. It said that regardless of the warning from the airport authority, Trump will still visit the state President Trump will be traveling to Nevada on the dates planned. Additional details will be announced soon, campaign spokesman Tim Murtagh said in a statement, adding: Democrats are trying to keep President Trump from speaking to voters because they know the enthusiasm behind his re-election campaign cannot be matched by Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president. But airport officials said the terms of the companys lease requires that the hangar operations dont interfere with the operation of the overall airport. The airport added that political demonstrations and counter-demonstrations near runways are also a cause of serious concern, according to the Gazette-Journal. Our primary mission as a commercial airport is safety, Griffin added. We must comply with federal and state laws, directives and regulations regardless of the political season or party. The Morphixx malvertising credit card scam was run by an advanced and well-funded group of cybercriminals, judging by the sophistication of the ad implementation and personalization, the timing of the ads for less than 24 hours during the weekend when fewer security employees are working, and the f This year has already been a record year for malicious advertising, with malware attack ads increasing by 85% according to ad security provider GeoEdge. Research from the Federal Trade Commission shows that identity theft has increased by 75.4% between 2017 and 2019 with credit card scams accounting for 41.8% of the reported incidences of identity theft. And this is before accounting for the increase in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 and the laxer security resulting from more users working from home. As these numbers attest, credit card scams have become big business. According to cyber intelligence firm Sixgill, in the first half of 2019, there were 23 million credit and debit card numbers for sale in the dark web, with 15 million of those American cards. This has enticed multinational cybercriminal organizations to invest resources to develop and implement digital advertising-based credit card scams. The global nature and sophistication of the Morphixx malvertising attacks indicate that the perpetrators arent teens in their basement. And the increased digitization of payments will undoubtedly be met with a significant increase in malvertising attacks involving payment solutions. On June 23rd, the Morphixx campaign ads were first noticed in Europe, in low volumes, and without the malicious payload. The malicious advertisers inserted keywords like Adidas into the ads URL as a distraction to gain the trust of the ad networks which ran the campaign, making malicious detection more difficult (than when campaigns are run from private servers instead of known ad networks). Because the ads ran via known ad networks, they appeared on popular and trusted websites. On June 28th, the number of ad impressions increased dramatically targeting users in the UK, Italy, Switzerland, and other countries based on their IP address with the malicious payload, according to security researchers at GeoEdge. From the initial Adidas ad, users were auto-redirected to a malicious fake ad in the colors, logo, and language of each users Internet Service Provider (ISP) asking them to complete a short survey. Upon completion of the survey, a congratulatory message was triggered announcing that each user won a free mobile phone for which they must submit their email and credit card details. This is where innocent users fell pretty to the malvertising scam. To avoid detection, the malvertisers behind Morphixx implemented a fingerprinting process to avoid detection mechanisms by loading a creativeJS file which allows the project to be downloaded quickly and cached across different sites using the same version of libraries. Next, the malicious script is loaded an obfuscated script to set up the URL for the initiation of the redirect script. Security researchers at GeoEdge, utilizing the companys patented behavioral code analysis technology, content and deep landing page analysis, and advanced malware detection, uncovered the Morphixx malvertising credit card scam in Europe. The landing page with prizes and comments from 127 people, many including profile pictures, highlights the sophistication of the Morphixx malvertising efforts. Given the elaborate personalization of the content, including branding from the users ISP, the percent of users who fall victim to such a scam can be as high as 1 2%, according to GeoEdge. The campaign in Japan, also detected by GeoEdges security research team, was identical, indicating that both efforts are from the same cybercriminal organization. The number of ads served in Japan was greater than in Europe, undoubtedly influenced by the fact that Japan is a cyber-secure country and users tend to be more trusting than in Europe or North America. On Sunday, September 6th, in the early morning hours, the Morphixx malicious credit card scam struck in the US, according to GeoEdges security research team. The Morphixx malvertising credit card scam was run by an advanced and well-funded group of cybercriminals, judging by the sophistication of the ad implementation and personalization, the timing of the ads for less than 24 hours during the weekend when fewer security employees are working, and the fact that these campaigns have run across so many geographies and time zones, said Liran Lavi, Security Team Lead, GeoEdge. These cybercriminals either have a network to monetize the stolen credit cards quickly OR are selling the credit card numbers on the dark web not things teen hackers typically attempt. The only way to block increasingly sophisticated and payment-based malicious ad attacks like Morphixx is through continuous and real-time advanced malware detection utilizing patented behavioral code technology, added Liran from GeoEdge. About GeoEdge GeoEdge is the premier provider of ad verification and transparency solutions for the online and mobile advertising ecosystem. The companys mission is to protect the integrity of the digital advertising ecosystem and to preserve a quality experience for users. It ensures high ad quality and verifies that sites and apps offer a clean, safe, and engaging user experience. GeoEdge guards against non-compliance, malware, inappropriate content, data leakage, operational, and performance issues. Leading publishers, ad platforms, exchanges, and networks rely on GeoEdges automated ad verification solutions to monitor and protect their ad inventory without sacrificing revenue. The company was founded in 2010 by a team with more than two decades of hands-on technical and online media experience. To learn more, visit http://www.geoedge.com New Delhi, Sep 9 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned a petitioner seeking equality for animal kingdom as "a legal entity", whether he treats his dog as his equal. A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, while hearing a PIL seeking legal protection for animals, said what kind of prayer it was. "You (petitioner) want the entire animal kingdom to be treated as a legal entity... You want us to declare animals capable of suing and be sued? Animals are recognised as entities having protection of law," observed the Chief Justice. The bench asked the petitioner whether he was seeking them to be given a legal personality. The petitioner argued that animals are treated as property. Chief Justice said: "But they are not equal to you. Is your dog your equal?" The bench noted that animals have protection under various statutes. The Chief Justice said then should we make trees also legal entities, and pointed out that it seemed the petitioner was confused. The petitioner submitted that situation is bad, as animals are being hurt. The bench noted that the petitioner is suggesting an increase in liability. The petitioner submitted that the animals are equal to human beings though lower on the evolutionary ladder. "They still have souls and intellect," said the petitioner. Private equity firm KKR and Co could be the next big name to invest in Mukesh Ambani's retail business. It is likely to follow Silver Lake that invested $1 billion or Rs 7,500 crore in the unit. KKR is in discussions for a stake in Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd for as much as $1.5 billion. The announcement could come before the end of the month. Negotiations are going on and could be delayed, as mentioned in a report in Bloomberg. KKR and Reliance have not commented on the development. Reliance Retail is valued at Rs 4.21 lakh crore at a pre-money equity value after Silver Lake's investment of Rs 7,500 crore. This investment comes after RIL acquired Kishore Biyani's Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore. Earlier this year, Silver Lake invested $1.35 billion for a stake in Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms, while KKR invested $1.5 billion. Not only Silver Lake and KKR, Jio Platforms fetched investments from Facebook, Google, General Atlantic, Emirati sovereign fund Mubadala, L Catterton, TPG Capital among others. Ambani is likely to repeat the same feat with the retail business. Reliance Retail runs supermarkets, consumer electronics chain, fashion outlets, online grocery store Jiomart. It operates almost 12,000 stores in around 7,000 towns. Last month Reliance's retail business bought assets of rival Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore -- almost doubling the footprint of its retail business. As part of the RIL-Future Group deal signed last month, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd will acquire the retail and wholesale business and the logistics and warehousing business from the Future Group. RIL has also invited other investors, including Facebook and Google, to pump in money in Reliance Retail Ventures. Preliminary negotiations with Facebook has also reportedly started. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ambani's successful streak in pulling in investors for Jio as well as his retail business has also led to an increase in his personal wealth. He has added about $22 billion to his net worth this year. Also read: Silver Lake invests Rs 7,500 cr in Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail for 1.75% stake Also read: Reliance Retail-Silver Lake deal talks: 10 key points Mumbai: The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) carries out demolition of unauthorised modifications/extensions at the Bandra office of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut in Mumbai on Sep 9, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Mumbai: The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) carries out demolition of unauthorised modifications/extensions at the Bandra office of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut in Mumbai on Sep 9, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, Sep 9 : The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday started demolishing the Bandra office of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut for alleged unauthorised modifications/extensions, officials said here. A team of the BMC H-West Ward officers accompanied by a police posse reached the office with bulldozers, JCBs and other heavy equipment and took up the demolition work from the outside. The development came barely hours after the BMC pasted a notice outside the office rejecting a reply filed by Kangana's lawyer, Rizwan Siddique, to the Tuesday (September 8) notice in which the civic body had listed a series of violations in the ongoing works in her office. The BMC Executive Engineer said that he was satisfied that the (illegal) works were being carried out and the actress had failed to produce the permissions/approvals/sanction for it as per BMC laws. "Therefore, the work carried out by you as mentioned in the notice schedule is declared as unauthorised," said the Executive Engineer. He also said that the ongoing work on the premises was not stopped and warned that it is "liable for forthwith demolition at your risk, cost and consequences". The notice also cautioned that the actress could face imprisonment of minimum one month up to one year besides penalties. As per the notice, the violations include: merging of two bungalows, converting a ground-floor toilet into an office cabin, converting a storeroom into a kitchen, making an unauthorised pantry in the ground floor, adding toilets near the storeroom and a parking area, illegal partitions in first floor living room, an illegal meeting room in the "puja" room, converting a balcony into a habitable area besides a floor extension, etc. The latest development came two days after a BMC team paid a surprise visit to her office and surveyed the premises at Bungalow No. 5, Chetan Row House, Nargis Dutt Road, Bandra West, on September 7. The survey was followed by the notice to Ranaut to stop the ongoing works within 24 hours in her office of Manikarna Films on Tuesday. The bungalow, which Ranaut had bought three years ago, is listed as a residential property by the BMC. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on , June 28, 2019. Read more WASHINGTON A senior Department of Homeland Security official alleges that he was told to stop providing intelligence analysis on the threat of Russian interference in the 2020 elections, in part because it made the President look bad, an instruction he believed would jeopardize national security. The official, Brian Murphy, who until recently was in charge of intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said in a whistleblower complaint that on two occasions he was told to stand down on reporting about the Russian threat. On July 8, Murphy said acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf told him that an "intelligence notification" regarding the Kremlin's disinformation efforts should be "held" because it was unflattering to Trump, who has long derided Russian interference as a "hoax" that was concocted by his opponents to delegitimize his victory in 2016. It's not clear who would have seen the notification, but the DHS's intelligence reports are routinely shared with the FBI, other federal law enforcement agencies, and state and local governments. Murphy objected to Wolf's instruction, "stating that it was improper to hold a vetted intelligence product for reasons [of] political embarrassment," according to a copy of his whistleblower complaint that was obtained by The Washington Post. Murphy also alleges that two months earlier, Wolf told him to stop producing intelligence assessments on Russia and shift the focus on election interference to China and Iran. He said Wolf told him "that these instructions specifically originated from White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien." Murphy said he would not comply with the instructions, which he believed would "put the country in substantial and specific danger," according to the complaint, which was filed Tuesday with the DHS inspector general. The White House and the DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "Mr. Murphy followed proper lawful whistleblower rules in reporting serious allegations of misconduct against DHS leadership, particularly involving political distortion of intelligence analysis and retaliation," his attorney, Mark Zaid, said in a statement. "We have alerted both the Executive and Legislative Branches of these allegations and we will appropriately cooperate with oversight investigations, especially in a classified setting." Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that Murphy's complaint "outlines grave and disturbing allegations that senior White House and Department of Homeland Security officials improperly sought to politicize, manipulate, and censor intelligence in order to benefit President Trump politically. This puts our nation and its security at grave risk." The committee has asked Murphy to testify this month. Murphy's allegations track with concerns by other officials, including Democratic lawmakers and national security experts, that the Trump administration has tried to downplay the threat from Russia. Last month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated publicly that Russia, China and Iran were engaged in interference campaigns, an assessment that drew rebukes from Democratic lawmakers who said the administration was trying to equate the efforts of all three countries, when in fact Russia is the only one actively trying to help Trump by attacking his opponent, former vice president Joe Biden. Murphy appeared to share those concerns, stating that the analysis in the intelligence notification, which he said was eventually leaked to the press, "attempts to place the actions of Russia on par with those of Iran and China in a manner that is misleading and inconsistent with the actual intelligence data." Wolf singled out China as a unique "menacing actor" and singular threat to U.S. national security during a "State of the Homeland" speech to the department's senior officials on Wednesday. "China has leveraged every aspect of its country, including its economy, its military, and its diplomatic power, demonstrating a rejection of Western liberal democracy and continually renewing its commitment to remake the world order in its own authoritarian image," he said. The DHS plays a key role in guarding against election interference, mainly by working with state and local governments to ensure that electronic voting systems are protected from hackers and outside manipulation. As part of its mission, the department has sent unclassified bulletins to state and local authorities describing foreign interference. Recently, the DHS issued a report that Russian media are spreading false allegations that mail-in voting is unsafe, with claims that echo the baseless assertions Trump and Attorney General William Barr have made that voting by mail is rife with fraud. Murphy stated that after being told to stand down on Russia in May and shift his focus, he made two classified disclosures on the matter in late May to Ken Cuccinelli, the second in command at the DHS. The second occurred after a deputies-level meeting of the National Security Council on election security. Murphy did not provide further details on what he told Cuccinelli, but described his concerns as generally having to do with "abuse of authority, willfully withholding intelligence information from Congress, and the improper administration of an intelligence program." Murphy was removed from his position at the DHS and assigned to a management role in July, following reports by The Post that his office had compiled "intelligence reports" about tweets by journalists who were covering protests in Portland, Ore. Murphy also made a series of allegations in the whistleblower complaint that senior Trump administration officials had pressured him to provide misleading information about suspected terrorists crossing the border with Mexico, as part of an effort to bolster the case for building a border wall. DHS officials came under pressure from the White House and then-spokesperson Sarah Sanders to provide information on "known suspected terrorists" to support construction of the border wall during the government shutdown in January 2019, a former DHS official confirmed. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, was not party to the communications outlined in Murphy's complaint, but said they were consistent with the pressure coming from the White House at the time. We were all under pressure to get data on security threats crossing the border, said another former senior DHS official. The truth was that there is not a significant number of [known suspected terrorists] crossing illegally between ports of entry. Anxiety and confusion have gripped Zimbabwe's black farmers after the government said it would return land to some white farmers who were kicked off their land under former president Robert Mugabe. Authorities are seeking to reassure resettled black farmers in what some fear may be a reversal of land reforms. Heinrich von Pezold lost part of his land in 2001, in Mazowe district about 100 kilometers north of Harare, as Zimbabwe's government adopted a sweeping land reform policy and began forcing whites off their farms. Now he may get it back, under an agreement between the German and Zimbabwean governments to protect private investments in their respective countries, known as the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. The German national took Zimbabwes government to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. The arbitration court, based in Washington, ordered the Zimbabwe government to pay compensation to von Pezold. He is cautiously optimistic following Zimbabwe governments announcement last week that it would give back land to some white farmers. It is a very positive step that the government recognizes its international obligations. However, we have had such announcements before and we are looking for deeds and not the words. We are interested in seeing what the government actually does, Pezold said. The Commercial Farmers Union, which represents white farmers in Zimbabwe, refused to comment on last weeks announcement by the government. Back in July, Zimbabwes government signed an agreement with the union to pay $3.5 billion in compensation to white farmers who lost their land, although it remains unclear how the government will raise the money. Sixty-three year old Emilliana Duri, a former Zimbabwean soldier, is one of those who received part of von Pezolds land in 2001. She hopes the governments repossession of land will not affect her. It would be painful that the land that we fought for I am being asked to pave way for a white person, when he had left, its really painful. I will then start to ask: what did I fight for? Its the land only. So I must not be displaced. Even for another black person because there is no one who is more important than the other. We are all equal. So its painful, Duri said. Zimbabwes government says only about three percent of those who received land will be affected by new announcement. The rest of the white farmers would be paid for developments they made on their former properties, but not get back their land. Its such a minute proportion of the beneficiaries. The position of the government is that the land reform program is irreversible, Minister of Agriculture Anxious Masuka said. The government, meanwhile, wants farmers to concentrate on preparing for the 2020-21 agriculture season, which began last week with tobacco planting. Government critics say Zimbabwes agriculture sector, once the backbone of the economy, went into free fall when Mugabe confiscated land from white commercial farmers and gave it to inexperienced black farmers like Duri. The government attributes the decline to recurring droughts, which it blames on global climate change. Sana Benefits, an Austin, Texas-based provider of self-funded health insurance for small businesses, closed a $20.8m Series A funding. The round led by Gigafund with participation from Trust Ventures and mark vc. The company intends to use the funds to scale customer acquisition. Led by CEO and co-founder Will Young, Sana Benefits covers health, vision, dental, telemedicine and maternity, in addition to benefits like ClassPass for fitness classes and more. Currently available in Texas and Kentucky, the company will expand into additional markets by 2021. FinSMEs 10/09/2020 EU Chief negotiator Michel Barnier (Second L) arrives with his team at the Westminster Conference Centre in London on Sept. 9, 2020, where U.K. and EU officials began the eighth round of Brexit negotiations. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) EU Officials Decry Johnsons Plan to Overturn Northern Irish Border Deal BRUSSELSTrade talks between Britain and the European Union were on the brink of collapse Sept. 9 over Prime Minister Boris Johnsons bid to backtrack on the promises he made last year to keep the Northern Irish border open. The EUs leadership lashed out at the unacceptable move by 10 Downing Street, which also threatened to complicate ongoing negotiations the United Kingdom is carrying out with other countries, most notably the United States. Their reaction came after Business Secretary Alok Sharma introduced a bill to the House of Commons that would hand British ministers legal powers to override parts of the Brexit withdrawal deal agreed to in October 2019, including overruling parts of the original Northern Ireland Protocol, which prevents a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the U.K., while the south is an EU country. International politicians and experts have also warned the decision could severely hinder Britains ability to sign deals around the world if other countries feel they cant trust the government to keep its word. A spokesman for Johnson defended the new legislation on a call with reporters, saying it is needed to ensure that there are no major barriers to trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain in the event that an EUUK deal cant be reached. He said the withdrawal pact was agreed at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances last year and that meant it contains ambiguities, and in key areas there is a lack of clarity. Johnson told Parliament his aim was to protect Northern Ireland from any possibility of extreme or irrational interpretations of the Brexit agreement that could jeopardize peace in Northern Ireland, Bloomberg reported. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier traveled to London for the eighth round of trade talks on Sept. 9, and to demand an explanation from his British counterpart David Frost over Downing Streets intentions. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter that she was very concerned about the UKs move, saying it would break international law as well as undermine trust in the negotiations on a future relationship. Her remarks were echoed by Charles Michel, the leader of the European Council. Breaking international law is not acceptable and does not create the confidence we need to build our future relationship, he wrote on Twitter. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said he had spoken to Johnson to register our very strong concerns about the development and expressed dismay that neither Dublin nor Brussels were given a heads up it was coming. I think its taken a lot of people aback across Europe, and indeed in the United Kingdom itself, and its not an acceptable way to conduct negotiations, he said at a press conference. Frances Europe minister, Clement Beaune, wrote on Twitter that full implementation of the Irish border fix was not negotiable. Among friends and allies, we must keep our word and respect the law, he wrote. Also commenting on Twitter, some politicians went even further, calling on Barnier to immediately walk away from the talks in London. Why should we trust Boris Johnson now? He signed the agreement he is changing now unilaterally. There is no need for any further negotiations, said Markus Ferber, a senior German member of the EU Parliament. MEP Luis Garicano, vice-president of Renew Europe, added: No point of negotiating an agreement if it is going to be simply ignored by the UK. We need to pause the negotiations and reach a common understanding. European diplomats have said Barnier will not abandon the talks unless absolutely necessary, citing concerns that doing so would play into the hands of hardline Brexiteers who have been agitating for no deal. British officials insisted the changes are only meant as a targeted safety net and that they are fully committed to last years agreement. They expressed confidence Barnier would understand the measures and why they are needed to protect the peace process once he had studied the detail of their proposals. The UK is locked in talks to roll over a number of international agreements it currently enjoys from its time as a member of the EU, including ones with Canada and Japan, which will expire at the end of the year. New Delhi, Sep 9 : Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said on Wednesday that the Centre is readying to bring a "most stringent" anti-trafficking Bill in Parliament. She was talking about India's response to the pandemic crisis, particularly in regard to women and children at Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi-organised 'Laureates and Leaders for Children' summit. Irani said, "As we speak, ladies and gentlemen, we in the Ministry of Women and Child Development are currently undertaking an exercise to present to Parliament the most stringent law possible on trafficking of women and children." She listed the laws on child pornography and child protection that were being passed before the pandemic. She said that the Indian government has sanctioned an Anti-Trafficking Unit across each district of India. In fact, it has also set up one-stop crisis centres for children and women and civil society leaders as well as 24X7 helplines for children. She also strongly urged for a "cohesive approach" across the world where consumers are sensitive to ensure that the product is child labour-free. Earlier the summit saw the launch of a report that was scathing in its observation on India as well as the global response to the pandemic. In raking up the migrant crisis, the report alleged that over 40 million of India's internal migrant workers faced the brunt of a "severe lack of government support systems". Between March 25 and May 31, there was a spurt in complaints related to domestic violence against women, said the report which focuses on India, among other poor countries. If that was not all, it highlighted the lack of unemployment safety nets among others in most nations including India. The report said, "The deep global inequality before the crisis, the virulence and scale of the disease, the severe economic consequences of the lockdown, the absence of unemployment safety nets for the world's most vulnerable families, the impact on food supply and prices and the closure of school feeding programmes, and the increasing violence against children have all combined to create the perfect storm for a disaster for children's rights." It further warns that the world economy is expected to contract by 5.2 per cent this year if the pandemic endures beyond 2020 and the economy contracts further while up to 400 million people are at risk of slipping into extreme poverty. Moreover, 347 million children are still not able to access school feeding programmes due to school closures and 1.2 million more children under the age of five are projected to die from undernutrition in the next six months, claimed the report while sounding alarm bells. A former New York gynecologist from Bergen County accused of sexually abusing more than two dozen patients, including children and the wife of former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, is now facing federal charges. The doctor, Robert A. Hadden, who had avoided prison time but surrendered his medical license in an earlier plea deal with state prosecutors, faces six counts of inducing others to travel to engage in illegal sex acts in a newly unsealed federal indictment. Hadden, 62, was arrested Wednesday morning at his home in Englewood, according to Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for prosecutors. He is set to appear Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan federal court. A message seeking comment was left Wednesday with an attorney who has represented Hadden in the past. The indictment said Hadden had sexually abused dozens of female patients, including multiple minors, under the guise of conducting purported gynecological and obstetric examinations at his medical offices and Manhattan hospitals. The charges alleged the crimes spanned from 1993 through at least 2012 as he used his position as a medical doctor at Columbia University to convince his victims that the sexual abuse he inflicted on them was appropriate and medically necessary. Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said Hadden acted as a predator in a white coat, sexually abusing dozens of women and girls during OBGYN examinations. He used the cover of conducting medical examinations to engage in sexual abuse that he passed off as normal and medically necessary, Strauss said. His conduct was neither normal nor medically necessary. Hadden has faced a growing chorus of accusers in recent years, including some like Evelyn Yang, the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who earlier this year told CNN that Hadden assaulted her in 2012, including when she was seven months pregnant. A lawsuit brought by more than two dozen of accusers says he groped and penetrated patients during vaginal examinations and mole checks that served no medical purpose. Hadden also made sexually inappropriate remarks and surreptitiously performed oral sex on patients, the lawsuit says, to satisfy his own prurient and deviant sexual desires. He took pains to ensure his abuse could continue, prosecutors said, and singled out particularly young women, including at least one he delivered when she herself was born. He sometimes used free birth control to entice his victims to come back at frequent intervals, Strauss said. Hadden reached a plea agreement in 2016 with prosecutors in the office of Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, who reopened an investigation into the doctor amid criticism over his handling of a case that included five counts of committing a criminal sexual act. Evelyn Yang, in the CNN interview, called Haddens punishment a slap on the wrist. What happened to me should have never happened, she said. Marissa Hoechstetter, another Hadden accuser, has said Vances office misled her about the statute of limitations in Haddens case and was already negotiating the plea deal when she was still talking to prosecutors about testifying at a potential trial. The federal indictment Wednesday only puts into high relief the betrayal I and his other victims experienced by the Manhattan DA, she said. I hope that through the course of this, the world will finally see the full extent of Haddens decades of sexual abuse and the institutional cowardice that protected and enabled him for so long, Hoechstetter said in a statement to The Associated Press. He and his enablers must be held accountable if we are to make change in a system that harms those it is meant to protect. Danny Frost, a spokesman for Vance, said state prosecutors provided substantial assistance leading to the indictment. The Manhattan District Attorneys Office is still conducting its own intensely active investigation into potential failures by Dr. Haddens employer and hospital to disclose additional incidents of abuse to our office and to regulators when required. The indictment said Hadden invited his victims to meet with him alone in his office, where he frequently raised inappropriate and irrelevant sexual topics by asking detailed, inappropriate questions about their own sexual activities and sexual partners. It said he also offered unsolicited advice to some victims regarding inappropriate subjects such as how to groom their pubic hair and how to masturbate or have orgasms. The indictment detailed what it described as the abuse of one minor female and five adult women who traveled from out of state to see Hadden. It said Hadden knew the one patient was under the age of 18 in part because he had delivered her at birth. When we last checked in on the Minnesota data in part 95, the occasion was a press briefing conducted by Governor Walz. Kevin Roche took in Walzs briefing the following day and commented on it in He Speaks, I Listen, I Cringe, I Summarize. All of Kevins comments provide a much needed contrarian analysis. They also bear on what I have to say in light of yesterdays press briefing (audio below). The data supporting Walzs dominion over our daily lives continues to evanesce. Over the past five days the authorities have attributed 10 new deaths (9/4, 7 in long-term care facilities), four (9/5, three LTC), six (9/6, two LTC), three (9/7, two LTC), and two (9/8, 0 LTC) to COVID-19. Hospitalizations have fallen to a total of 257 (of which 135 are in intensive care). As I have been saying, the number of hospitalizations is virtually indetectable. The median age of all decedents is 83. The percentage of all decedents with co-morbid conditions, as last reported, is around 98. Having followed the epidemic since late March, I find the numbers stunning. They are at least worthy of note and inquiry. The numbers apart from new cases suggest the emergency is over. Looking back at Walzs answer to a question on this point last week, Kevin commented: In response to an excellent question about whether he was being alarmist, given the actual statistics, the Blowhard [i.e., Walz] replied with one of my least favorite of his tactics, he said the virus dictates what happens and what we do. No, you do, you have taken it upon yourself to unilaterally determine life for Minnesotans and the consequences of your unilateral actions are what is determining outcomes. And of course, in response to concerns about what is happening economically, to bars and restaurants especially, he used my absolute least favorite of his lies; he again claimed that he was being balanced. Most Minnesotans would beg to disagree at this point, and the increasing number who have actually been killed by his reign of terrorization, probably would the strongest objectors if they were still around. Among the other dogs that didnt bark at yesterdays briefing: (1) the continued disparity between new cases and hospitalizations/fatalities, (2) the ambiguity of new cases in light of the questions raised elsewhere about positive results, (3) the low number of cases attributed to the Sturgis apocalypse, and (4) identification of the co-morbidities that place one at elevated risk of adverse consequences from the disease. Reporters approved by the Minnesota Department of Health to participate in the briefings raised not a single question on these salient issues that tend to belie the panic they continue to spread along with the authorities. Facebook India public policy director Ankhi Das should be placed on leave till the ongoing audit is complete, say 41 civil rights groups in an open letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. In the letter dated September 9, the groups said, Das should be placed on leave pending a full audit of Facebook India and an investigation into her statements as reported in The Wall Street Journal. Should the audit or investigation reinforce the details of The Wall Street Journal, she should be removed from her role. The need to act is urgent - lives are at stake, the letter said. This comes in the wake of The Wall Street Journal expose that brought to light how top leadership at Facebooks India office did not apply the company's content moderation rules such as hate speech, misinformation and incitement to violence by politicians from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The centre of this was Das, who the report said, repeatedly prevented such content from being taken down. The letter pointed out that Facebooks failure to curb hate content is impacting the safety of marginalised groups in the country. In fact, mass riots in India spurred on by content posted on Facebook have been occurring for at least seven years, the letter said. Facebook should not be complicit in more offline violence, much less another genocide, but the pattern of inaction displayed by the company is reckless to the point of complicity, the letter read. While the full extent of the harm done by Facebook India is yet to be determined, event so far highlights the urgent and serious nature of these demands. We believe that taking decisive action to address these issues isnt just the right thing to do for everyone harmed in India, the letter added. The groups have also demanded fair audit of Facebook India, as reported by TIME, in partnership with civil rights groups and also making the audit findings public. TIME earlier reported that Facebook has commissioned an independent report on its impact on human rights in India. It is being done by the US law firm Foley Hoag and will include interviews with senior Facebook staff and members of civil society in India, the report added. The letter was signed by groups such as Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, Action Center on Race and the Economy, Indian American Muslim Council and Black Diasporic Organizing Project. "Skinny" stimulus bill is what the Senate Republicans will vote for as the Congress is still stuck in a deadlock. According to reports, this week, without the Democrats, Senate Republicans are set to vote on "skinny" version of a bill. After weeks of failed negotiations in Congress, Americans are left without the second round of $1,200 stimulus checks because Congress is stuck in a deadlock over the relief package. According to Axios, many Republicans expect their effort to fail, according to the outlet's sources, even though they will vote on a version of the bill. But they instead hope the vote will "change the conversation" and highlight the Americans' immediate needs, as per the Senate GOP. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader, said that he is skeptical Congress can reach a deal before November. McConnell expressed that the cooperative spirit in March and April has dissipated as they move closer to the election. Meanwhile, Steve Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary, told Fox Business on Monday that he is working with Mark Meadows, the White House chief of Staff, and Mitch McConnell every day to come up with a new bill. Mnuchin said, "Hopefully, Mitch will enter new legislation next week." Though Senator John Barrasso, Republican Wyoming Senator, confirmed to PBS News that the goal was pushed to a "skinny" COVID-19 relief package, it's not unclear what will be included in the new proposal at this time. The Negotiations between Congressional Republicans and Democrats stopped last month when both parties didn't agree on what to have in the second round of the stimulus package. In May, House Democrats passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act, while Republicans counted with a $1 trillion HEALS Act over the summer. Congress has yet to deal with the relief package price though both parties agreed to move closer to a middle ground in negotiations. On Monday, Mnuchin slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, and said that they "just don't want to negotiate in good faith," according to The Sun. Mnuchin reiterated that Republicans and Democrats agreed on "many, many issues" that include the bill, but no package has been approved. On the other hand, President Donald Trump said he is willing to sign a bill for 41.3 trillion, and Democrats agreed to drop the package's price to $2.2 trillion. However, both sides are thinking the other is not compromising enough. The negotiations drag on if the Americans could expect the second round of stimulus checks, which remains uncertain. The HEROES Act and HEALS Act include another round of $1,200 stimulus checks for eligible citizens. Still, neither of the Act gets approval, so it's hard to say when the stimulus checks will be delivered or if there is a check to expect. When the negotiations resume, Mnuchin predicts that the Senate Republicans may have a new package to bring to the table after the Senate's recess until next week. The question is if the bill will be approved for Democrats. Mnuchin simply said that the bill would focus on "more money for kids and jobs," and did not give much information about the bill's inclusion. By October, Americans could start seeing money in their accounts if Congress moves quickly to approve a new relief package, and if the stimulus checks are included. Check these out: Next Stimulus Package Must Include Healthcare Price Transparency Stimulus Checks 2: How Much Money Should You Expect from Each Proposal Stimulus Checks: Trump Urges Democrats to Release $300 Billion Unspent COVID-19 Relief Money to Americans Thousands of US troops returned to Iraq in 2014 to help support the government in its fight against ISIL. United States President Donald Trump will announce a further withdrawal of US troops from Iraq on Wednesday, according to a senior administration official, as he faces a backlash from reports that he allegedly insulted American veterans and war dead. He will also announce an additional reduction in US forces in Afghanistan, the official said. Trump is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 election. His announcement, and the timing of it, may be aimed at convincing voters that he is following through on promises to end what he has described as the USs endless wars. The US has around 5,200 troops that were deployed in Iraq to fight the ISIL (ISIS) armed group. The United States is facing unprecedented hostilities in Iraq following Trumps order to kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the deputy of Iraqs Hashd al-Shaabi troops, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis [File: Murtaja Lateef/EPA] A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters news agency in August that the country expected to reduce the number of its troops in Iraq by about a third in the coming months. The US military returned to Iraq in 2014 to help support the government in its fight against ISIL, which had taken over large swathes of the country. Calls for complete withdrawal But calls for a complete withdrawal of US troops peaked and US-Iraq tensions rose following rocket attacks on US military and diplomatic sites, and the killing of Irans elite Quds Force commander, General Qassem Soleimani, and deputy of Iraqs Hashd al-Shaabi, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in a US attack near Baghdad airport in January. Days after that incident, the Iraqi parliament voted in favour of a complete withdrawal of all foreign troops as Iran-backed armed groups vowed to avenge the killings. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have also rallied across the country demanding the withdrawal of US soldiers following the assassination of Soleimani and Muhandis. The US-led coalition has since pulled out from six bases and consolidated its presence to only three bases. In Afghanistan, the US has about 8,600 troops. Trump said in an interview with Axios released last month that the plan was cut that number to about 4,000. Greta Garbo was one of the most famous actors of the early 20th century. From her start in silent film, people across the world realized that this actor would be iconic. Her personal traits added to the intrigue that surrounded her, as she was reportedly very introverted and preferred to avoid celebrity media. While she retired from acting in 1941 at the age of 36, she was still noted for her incredible skill on-screen and for her beauty. And while she was notoriously reclusive and private, there were times when she was open about her personal beliefs. So what was her response to Adolf Hitlers admiration for her acting? Greta Garbo | Donaldson Collection/Getty Images Greta Garbo the actor Greta Garbo was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1905. Her family was very poor, and Garbo described the struggle of growing up in poverty. From her early childhood, she was shy and a bit of a loner. However, she was drawn toward theater and modeling. She worked in a department store in her late teens, where she was cast in commercials for clothing and, in 1922, she was eventually cast in the short silent comedy Peter the Tramp. This let her attend acting school until 1924. Once she finished there, she began to star in more prestigious silent films, under directors including G.W. Pabst. At the request of Louis Mayer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Garbo came to the United States in 1925, though she spoke no English at this time. Fortunately, most films at this time were silent, and Garbos films were all major hits. By 1930, when she had her first speaking role in a talkie, the tagline Garbo talks! was used to advertise the film Anna Christie. Greta Garbos Retirement As an actor, Garbo was known for her melancholy and somber attitude. Because of her image as such a melancholy figure, her first speaking role in a comedy, Ninotchka (1939), used Garbo laughs! as a tagline. This film was another massive success. RELATED: The 5 Most Famous Movie Quotes That Stand the Test of Time However, Garbo wouldnt always star in massive hits. In 1941, she starred in George Cukors Two-Faced Woman, which ended up being panned by critics. Garbo didnt take the poor performance of the film well. She was extremely disheartened and humiliated, and Two-Faced Woman would be her last acting role ever. While she was interested in starring in more films during the 1940s, World War II had gotten more intense and many projects that would have included Garbo fell through. Adolf Hitler and Greta Garbo Among the people who were enchanted by Garbos acting and enigmatic persona was Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany from 1933-1945. The Garbo movie that Hitler liked the most was Camille (1936), in which Garbo played the ill-fated 19th century French courtesan Marguerite Gautier. Adolf Hitler had seen this movie with propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, who wrote in his diary that The Fuhrer is glowing! afterwards. He even ended up sending Garbo a fan letter. Greta Garbo did not feel the same way about Hitler. At one point she told a friend that she wanted to meet the Fuhrer, but not out of support for Hitler. Garbo wanted to shoot him and end the war early. Greta Garbo takes the throne in Rouben Mamoulian's QUEEN CHRISTINA ('33) #LetsMovie pic.twitter.com/4dbGaPal4D TCM (@tcm) July 11, 2019 Unfortunately, Greta Garbo wasnt able to shoot Hitler, and it would take until 1945 for World War II to end. However, its possible that Garbo did espionage work for the Allies during the war, according to Mental Floss. As Sweden was a neutral state, there was a lot of espionage going on there. Garbo allegedly collected information on Swedish Nazi sympathizers, as well as carried messages between British intelligence and the Swedish royal family. She also wrote a large check for Finnish war orphans in 1939 but kept her donation anonymous. Regardless of how involved Garbo was able to be in the war, its clear that she wanted to be on the right side of history. Running a medical center isn't easy. Running 63 medical centers at which the average patient is 73 years old during a global pandemic is many degrees more difficult. But founder and CEO of Cano Health Marlow Hernandez has managed it deftly. Cano Health No. 39 2020 Rank 7,161.8% Three-year growth rate Miami, Fla. Headquarters Founded in 2009, the Miami company offers primary-care medical, dental, and vision services across Florida and parts of the Southwest, along with telehealth offerings. It also works with more than 1,000 independently owned medical centers, which use Cano Health's medical software, billing, and back-office support systems, across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. This year marks Cano Health's second consecutive appearance on the Inc. 5000, an annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. It hit No. 39 on the 2020 list with $430 million in 2019 revenue, a surge of 7,162 percent from 2016. It landed at No. 6 on last year's list. "We've fundamentally improved how to care," says Hernandez about the company's growth, and most recently through Covid-19. "We provide more access to care, so many more touchpoints, and patients have continued to flock to us as a result of just the reality that we're living in." Given the whirlwind caused by the coronavirus, Hernandez says the company is in the midst of its greatest single year of growth in its history. In the past 18 months, Hernandez's company opened 40 additional medical centers across 20 counties in Florida and is expecting to open at least half a dozen more before the end of this year. This past month, the company launched its first medical centers out of state in San Antonio, and it has plans to expand to Las Vegas in the next couple of months. The Pandemic The growing pains have been tremendous, however. Meeting changing needs during the pandemic has been particularly draining. But Hernandez says Cano's access to data through its health systems and biweekly surveys from patients helped the company anticipate the surge of coronavirus cases, which swept across Florida in mid-July. The head start allowed Cano to install new policies like transitioning further into telemedicine for routine care, mandating facemask use, and increasing Covid-19 testing capabilities. Cano is now treating more than 6,000 patients per day, up 50 percent from pre-Covid levels. Telemedicine visits, he adds, now make up about 70 percent of that total. All of Cano's physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners are working at the medical centers, or they're making patient home visits. The same is true for other clinicians and clinical support staff at the medical centers. About 90 percent of Cano's corporate staff of roughly 300 people and about a quarter of the company's workforce is working remotely. A Surge in Uncertainty While the growth in demand for medical services gave Cano a shot in the arm, the reality that many patients are suddenly in worse financial positions softened the enthusiasm. Cano Health facilities treat patients who tend to have multiple chronic conditions and generally low incomes, says Hernandez. He adds that many of them have been hit hard, especially financially, by the pandemic. In March, the company stopped collecting co-pays and started subsidizing essential prescriptions for some patients. The company's more than 200 drivers, who previously offered transportation to patients, are now delivering meals and medicine to patients and community members suffering financial hardship. The overall uncertainty around his business and the economy more generally has taken its toll on Hernandez, too. "For weeks, I did not sleep well," he says. His wife, a dentist at one of the Cano Health medical centers, in July tested positive for Covid-19 from treating patients. Luckily, she had mild symptoms and has since recovered and returned to work. Three of Cano's employees had to be hospitalized after coming down with the virus; two were seriously ill. Hernandez has mixed feelings about this moment in time. While the business is doing better than ever, his community and, in some cases, employees are suffering. "From a cash flow and operating perspective, the company continues to do very well," he says. "But I'm attached to these people, and having to lead and put the burden [of employees' health] on your shoulder, that's what's most challenging." While Hernandez says he hopes the country never has to go through another pandemic, he's glad Cano can offer job security to associates and providers, and a semblance of hope for patients going through difficult times. "In that way," he adds, "I'm thankful and I feel blessed." EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIES STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As the summer comes to a close, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that he hopes New Yorkers will return to public transit despite coronavirus concerns. Downstate car traffic has increased as New Yorks COVID-19 numbers have remained low, but public transit ridership has stagnated indicating commuters are shifting to their cars, Cuomo said during a press briefing. Vehicle traffic is heavy, and it is disproportionately heavy. Public transportation is still very light, Cuomo said. People are starting to come back to work, but theyre commuting by their cars. Cuomo said the COVID-related phenomenon of people shifting to car commutes over fears of the virus has been seen in cities around the world. He hoped to ensure New Yorkers on Wednesday that thanks to increased disinfection efforts, the states public transportation is safe. These cars -- commuter cars, subway cars, busses -- are disinfected every day. They have never been cleaner, Cuomo said. Were not going to get back to normal if the new normal is everybody driving their car into Manhattan. The governor also announced Wednesday that New York City would be permitted to resume some indoor dining starting Sept. 30 as the states numbers remain low. For the 33rd straight day, New Yorks COVID-19 infection rate was below 1 percent, Cuomo said. Of the 63,230 test results reported on Tuesday, 576, or .91%, were positive, according to his office. In the five boroughs, that infection rate was .7%. And by the way, that is with more testing than any other state, Cuomo said. Were testing more than anyone else. So when we say this is how many cases we have, thats accurate because were testing more than anyone else. Apparent detention of Maxim Znak, a lawyer and opposition group member, comes after case involving Maria Kolesnikova. One of the last remaining members of the Belarusian oppositions Coordination Council at large, lawyer Maxim Znak, has been detained in Minsk by masked men, according to his colleagues. Znaks apparent detention came a day after the most prominent opposition figure still in Belarus, Maria Kolesnikova, was detained at the Ukrainian border after she prevented authorities from expelling her by tearing up her passport and jumping out of a car. Znak, who had worked as a lawyer for jailed presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, had been due to participate in a video call but did not show up, instead sending the word masks to the group, Babarykos press service said on Wednesday. It said a witness had also seen Znak, 39, being led down the street near his offices by several men in civilian clothes and wearing masks. Along with Svetlana Alexievich, a 72-year-old Nobel Prize-winning author, Znak was the last of the seven members of the Councils governing praesidium to remain free. Others have been detained or forced to leave Belarus, in an intensifying crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenkos government over a disputed election. Previous incident The Coordination Council was set up by the opposition forces to work towards negotiating a peaceful transfer of power after main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya rejected Lukashenkos claim that he had been re-elected to a sixth term in an August 9 vote. The disputed election has sparked the biggest anti-government demonstrations of Lukashenkos 26-year rule, with tens of thousands taking to the streets for weeks to demand he resign. Lukashenkos security services hit back with waves of arrests, deadly violence against protesters and a campaign of intimidation and expulsion against opposition leaders. Meanwhile, Lukashenko is preparing to travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, although no date has been set yet. Putin quickly congratulated Lukashenko on his victory last month and has offered Russias support. Lukashenko gave an interview this week to Russian journalists, including Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Kremlin-controlled channel RT, in which he warned that if his government falls, Russia will be next. Anti-Kremlin placards could be seen at a huge protest march in Minsk on Sunday. After wrapping up a grueling 12-hour overnight shift helping patients fight the CCP virus, nurses at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center in Downey, California, cheer as they leave work. Sometimes we have up to, like, 10 to sometimes 18 nurses walk out and we just kind of wait for each other, said Kelly Wilson, a registered nurse who works in the neonatal intensive care unit at Kaiser Permanente Downey. Its like a cheer squad. Registered nurse Kelly Wilson with a security officer and former Marine, Robert Johnson. (Courtesy of Steph Elam) However, the cheer squad wouldnt exist without its unofficial leader, the person who greets them outside every day after their shift: security officer Robert Johnson. For the nurses, Johnson, a 58-year-old former Marine, is the human embodiment of a pep rally, greeting them with enthusiasm and positivity after a long night of treating people in the fight for their lives against a relentless CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. We have a lot of things thrown at us all the time where we work on high stress levels all the time, Wilson said, acknowledging that some days are harder than others. Maybe some people feel defeated leaving work, and he (Johnson) just gives that extra energy to be positive. Johnson said he feels its his duty to lift the spirits of the people around him and to remind front line workers of the difference they are making. (Illustration Tyler Olson/Shutterstock) These are individuals who are taking time away from their life, coming here, putting a majority of their time to work here, he said. And I show a lot of appreciation for that. Thats why I try to bring out a smile. Look what you have done! Nurses Cant Wait to See Him When the pandemic hit Southern California, the hospital adjusted its protocols and brought in Johnson to work on security overnight. The cheering ritual began when Johnson decided to change up the standard Covid-19 screening question he asks nurses before they enter the hospital. He tried it on one nurse first. I said, Are you feeling great today? And the first nurse said, no, Johnson said. She realized what I said cause she was expecting something else. She said, yeah! Registered nurse Kelly Wilson with security officer and former Marine Robert Johnson, who cheers nurses caring for Covid-19 patients. (Courtesy of Stephanie Elam) Then, after seeing that nurse smile brightly, Johnson started asking everyone that same question. Johnsons positive attitude quickly began to spread. I think it was a month into it, it was being consistent, and we were having conversations about it in our unit, Wilson said. The co-workers were like, Oh, man! I cant wait to get off work and see that guy! One of the nurses described him. She was like, Hes my cup of coffee on my ride home for work. Now, Johnson describes his interactions with the nurses as a party. Im telling you right now, when they come out, youd think were throwing a party. Its a celebration! Johnson said. Another nurse may give me a bump this way and Ill bump that way. One doctor did a little dance and the bump. Everyone is coming out with a different way of greeting. Spreading Positivity Every Day For Johnson, joy comes naturally. If I look back into my life, I cannot name one day that Ive been depressed. Not one. Ive always had a positive attitude, Johnson said. The Marine Corps taught me that there are no problems in life. You only have challenges that you will overcome. Robert Johnson, 58, is a former Marine. (Courtesy of Robert Johnson) Johnson is at the hospital from midnight until 8 a.m. Then he heads to his second job working with disabled adults into the afternoon. On Fridays, after his shift at the hospital, he works at the group home until 11 p.m. Sunday night. That gives him just enough time to get back to the hospital at midnight on Mondays, where hes in a place to lift the spirits of those front line workers with his infectious energy. The only negative effect I could see is that I went from one gray hair to about maybe four now, Johnson said with a chuckle. On weekdays, he heads home after work to spend some time with his wife of 36 years. Were still on our honeymoon, he said, smiling broadly, noting that he sleeps anywhere from two to six hours a day. When I love what I do, Im not working. The nurses appreciate Johnson so much that they awarded him with a BEE Award, an acronym for being extraordinary every day. Its amazing how little sleep he gets and stays positive, Wilson said. But Johnson believes appreciation is a two-way street. Were talking about the effect that I have upon the nurses. What about the effect the nurses have on me? Johnson said. When they come out with a big smile, that gives me more energy. Lets go! The CNN Wire and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. OTTAWA - The Canadian legal team for an imprisoned Iranian human-rights lawyer is calling for federal sanctions and United Nations intervention as she wages a life-threatening hunger strike entering its 29th day. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, poses for a photograph in her office in Tehran, Iran on Nov. 1, 2008. The Canadian legal team for an imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer is calling for federal sanctions and United Nations intervention as she wages a life-threatening hunger strike entering its 29th day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Arash Ashourinia OTTAWA - The Canadian legal team for an imprisoned Iranian human-rights lawyer is calling for federal sanctions and United Nations intervention as she wages a life-threatening hunger strike entering its 29th day. Nasrin Sotoudeh was hospitalized briefly on Monday in Tehran but has since been returned to the women's ward of the notorious Evin Prison, where she has been held since June 2018, said Yonah Diamond, one of her Montreal-based lawyers. Sotoudeh, 57, has lost at least 15 pounds and is suffering from unstable blood pressure, memory loss, migraines, vomiting and dehydration, and Diamond says that while she is determined to carry on her fight, her life is very much at risk. "Nasrin's actions are entirely devoted to the integrity and respect for the rule of law, Iranian law, and the release of political prisoners," said Diamond. "She reached an impasse and had to resort to a hunger strike because the authorities ignored their appeals for legal remedies." Sotoudeh's legal team is being led by former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler, the founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights in Montreal. The lawyers have petitioned the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and other UN experts to take action to save her life. They are also calling on Canada to impose sanctions that can target individual human-rights offenders through its "Magnitsky law," which allows sanctions against individual human rights offenders, including the freezing of their assets. Canada's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Cotler calls Sotoudeh the "Mandela of Iran" because of her outspoken advocacy for female inmates, young people and journalists and her opposition to the death penalty. Sotoudeh was sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes in March 2019, a sentence she continues to serve despite Iran's release of scores of prisoners due to overcrowded prisons that are now breeding grounds for COVID-19. One of Sotoudeh's highest-profile clients the Iranian women's rights activist Shaparak Shajarizadeh said she spoke to Sotoudeh's husband on Monday and that he passed on a message of defiance to her supporters. "She said she thanked all the people from around the world, fellow lawyers and human-rights activists who ask her to stop her hunger strike," said Shajarizadeh, who fled Iran in 2018 and now lives in Toronto as an asylum-seeker. "She intends to continue right now because so far the authorities have been ignorant to her." Shajarizadeh described the diminutive Sotoudeh as tower of strength, something she saw first-hand when she represented Shajarizadeh in a Tehran courtroom in 2018. Shajarizadeh had been arrested for protesting the law requiring women to wear head coverings, when Sotoudeh strode into court to defend her. "She's a small woman, but the strength and her strong character for me, in that time it was like a pillar; it was getting nutrition in that time," Shajarizadeh said. "When I hear, she says, 'I'm not going to stop my hunger strike, right now,' I believe it. I saw it myself. She's a strong woman and she knows her strength and ability, and she uses this potential to fight the brutality of the regime, and the judges." Diamond said Sotoudeh is also being pressured by efforts from Iranian authorities by targeting her family. They have arrested her husband and daughter and frozen her bank accounts. Sotoudeh ran afoul of authorities because she opposed a new Iranian law that allowed only a handful of government-picked lawyers to represent accused people in national-security cases or politically sensitive prosecutions. Shajarizadeh said she blamed herself for Sotoudeh's arrest, which came shortly after she fled to Turkey on her way to Canada. "Then I talked to her husband and he said it wasn't my fault. She was planning a campaign against the new law," she said. Last year, more than three dozen Canadian parliamentarians, senators and MPs from all political stripes signed a letter of support for Sotoudeh after her sentence was imposed. "As the Parliament of Canada, we stand in solidarity with the international community, including the European Parliament and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner, and call on the government of Iran to release Nasrin Sotoudeh and other political prisoners who have been unjustly imprisoned," said the April 2019 letter. In 2010, Cotler represented Sotoudeh when he was an MP, and helped win her release from an Iranian jail. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2020. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts for the full episode. We all know what happened last time we tried to predict who would be president. In October of 2016, 7 in 10 voters said they thought Hillary Clinton would be moving into the White House. Among Clinton supporters, 93 percent expected her to win. But there is a key difference in what the polls looked like four years ago, which was like the two candidates playing tag: Clinton would have a lead, then Donald Trump would close the gap, then she would lead again, and that lead would shrink sharply, et cetera, et cetera. But its not like that now. As Slates senior politics writer, Jim Newell, says: Trump has never come anywhere close to catching Biden. His lead will vary, but hes never really come within breathing distance of catching Biden so far. Many of us still feel burned by the last elections polls, but maybejust maybethe numbers are a little more reliable this time around. For Wednesdays episode of What Next, I spoke with Newell about what the data shows and whether you can trust it. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mary Harris: With so many national polls showing Biden in the lead, politicos know what everyones thinking: Ive been to this rodeo before. So all summer long, pollsters have been laying out their case. Part of the reason these folks are so confident is that in the past few years theyve changed the way they do their work. Theyve started making sure their samples include people who they assumed might not vote in the past: non-college-educated white people. Many of these people turned out not to be nonvoters, but Trump voters. Jim Newell: In 2016, this whole split between college-educated whites and non-college-educated whites was a pretty new development, to have this massive a gap between these two demographics. Analysts hadnt really thought to weigh all their polls by education. But most of the good pollsters are now weighting by education in an attempt to capture those who are less likely to respond. I think thats still a little bit of a problem that pollsters are aware of, where the people most likely to respond are higher-educated, higher-income. I do not know why. Maybe wealthier people like to talk to pollsters on the phone more. But its a real thing. Another reason for the big polling miss in 2016 was that late breakers went for Trump so decisively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People who were undecided. Yeah. If you thought about people who made a decision in 2016, a lot of them just loathed Hillary Clinton, loathed Donald Trump, were putting off making a decision for as long as possible. And then in the end, they broke for Trump. It doesnt seem like Biden is as loathed by the opposition as Clinton was, fairly or not. But also, in some of these polls of people who dont like either Biden or Trump, Biden has been doing pretty well. Advertisement Advertisement What do we know about how Biden is doing in this demographic that broke for Trump, these white, non-college-educated folks? Because the argument for Biden was always that hell connect with those people better. Advertisement Trump still has huge margins among white, non-college-educated voters. But Bidens position is a little better relative to Clintons. Bidens doing better with white voters across the board. Thats, to me, an interesting story of whats going on and what kind of coalition Biden is putting together. Hes not just strictly recreating the Obama coalition, which had really strong margins and turnout from voters of color and younger voters. This is one where its a little whiter than either of those. White Obama voters with college degrees were not a strong demographic, especially in 2012. Advertisement Advertisement Another demographic that seems to be breaking for Biden is seniors. Older voters were Trumps best age demographic in 2016. He won them by about 10 points or so. This time, Bidens been leading among them by 12 points in some polls, though not in all of them. If this holds, Biden would have a chance to be the first Democrat since Al Gore to win senior voters. Thats real trouble for Trump if that materializes. He wont have anywhere else to hide, given his deficits among so many other groups. And it really could have a big effect when you look at pretty much all of the swing states: Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. They all have higher-than-average proportions of older voters as part of their electorate. So its a real softness for Trump right now. Advertisement Advertisement There are other things complicating the polls for Trump: This year there isnt a strong third-party candidate who could, in a tight race, give him an advantage. And while undecideds broke for him last time, there just arent that many of them this yearthey make up about 5 to 10 percent of the electorate, instead of the about 20 percent they did back in 2016. So the president is trying to make inroads with other, surprising demographics. Advertisement Advertisement Relative to 2016, he does seem to be performing better among Black and Latino voters, specifically Black and Latino men. But its not like hes winning. Hes going from, like, 5 percent to 8 or 9 percent among Black voters. And Latino voters, from 28 to 32 percent or something like that. I mean, he can clip a couple of the Democratic margins here and there, but his real base is still non-college-educated white voters. And the one thing he has going for him is that even with all the support he got from that demographic in 2016, theyre still a pretty untapped group: There are a ton of non-college-educated white voters in swing states who have not historically turned out to vote. If he can register a lot more of those voters than weve seen before, that seems to be his best opportunity. Not saying its a great onetheyre also low-propensity to vote in the past, so you cant just double that overnight. Advertisement Part of what makes the polling more interesting to watch now is that after Labor Day is when state data begins to improve. This is important in a country where some states matter more than others. And in Florida, a poll this week seemed to show the race tightening, with Trump and Biden tied. But Arizona looks like its headed in a different direction. Advertisement Advertisement Four years ago, Arizona was considered kind of a reach for the Clinton campaign. She could go for it so long as she had the rest locked down. Instead, she visited without having the rest locked down. That was a bit of a problem. But in polling averages in Arizona, Bidens been up in just about every poll. Its a combination of the electorate there becoming more Latino in its composition as well as some suburban decay for Trump, which youre seeing everywhere. I think its going to be pretty close, but you would have to call Biden the favorite there just based off the polling were seeing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, Trump pulled a bunch of ads in Arizona recently, and it was seen as a sign that maybe the campaign was giving up on the state to some extent. But then that means theyre relying on Midwestern states, which are pretty newly red if youre talking about Michigan and Wisconsin. So that seems like a bit of a risky strategy. I dont think hes giving up in Arizona. They were pulling ads from a lot of places around the conventionsthis is partially related to how theyve blown $800 million already and are somehow having to tighten their belts a little bit. I think itll be back up on the air in Arizona because if they lose there, it really puts all the stress on holding Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin when theyre not in a great position in any of those states right now. And theyll still have to protect Florida because if they lose Florida and Arizona, the elections over. Advertisement I think its worth talking about those states specificallyWisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvaniabecause there were such thin margins there in 2016. How much faith should we put in these polls even when theyre breaking it down locally, which is so important in our particular system? Biden would have a chance to be the first Democrat since Al Gore to win senior voters. Thats real trouble for Trump if that materializes. Jim Newell I think one thing thats a little different is some of those states did not really have strong mail-in voting apparatuses in 2016. It was mostly in-person right around Election Day. But in Michigan and Pennsylvania, theyve now passed legislative changes to allow for more mail-in voting, and this was done even before the pandemic. What does that functionally mean for the election? Does it mean that processing the votes will take more time, or something else? Advertisement Advertisement Well, it will take more time because in Pennsylvania they cant start counting any ballots at any point until polls close. So that means if we have an election coming down to Pennsylvaniasay Democrats have lost Florida and Arizona and theyve won Wisconsin and Michiganthat could be a nightmare. It really could be just having to wait for the count. And then there could be lawsuits over provisional ballots. That sounds terrifying, but it is a little terrifying. Advertisement Advertisement Just because theyre new systems, because this is the opportunity to kick the tires? Theyre new systems, and states just have not had to handle the coronavirus and this much mail before. And now, mail-in ballots themselves are highly politicized you have all state officials from each party trying to make it easier to vote by mail or harder to vote by mail through all these little mechanics. I just really hope there arent too many ballots thrown away because they were not properly done or they were spoiled or something. I hope that how Americans voted in the election is captured in the election results. Thats the stuff that makes me worried. Advertisement In our particular system, individual states are really important because of the Electoral College. And where youre voting really matters because youre voting for representation to do the actual vote. I was struck by the fact that there was reporting this weekend that said allies of Trump think theres virtually no chance that hell win the popular vote, like in 2016. Thats a striking admission, and it makes me wonder how much we can say in advance about who is ahead and who isnt because so much comes down to this ancient system of democracy. Advertisement A couple of polling analysts were showing Bidens percentage of winning the Electoral College. Depending on his popular vote margin, if, say, Biden won the popular vote by 3 points, Trumps still got a really good chance of winning the Electoral College that way. I think up to about a 5-point Biden win, Trump could actually win the Electoral College. There are a lot of ways to describe the system where you can win a popular vote for a presidency 5 points and still lose the presidency. Im not quite sure what the exact word for it is, but I know its something I would think a bit about. Advertisement I keep thinking about the polling from 2016, and it makes me wonder whom were leaving out this time. The boat vote. The boaters. In all seriousness, I think thats a really good point. And naturally, I cant say who it is because, you know, theyre missing. But that feeling of despairthat people think, despite the polling being very good for Biden, Trump is just going to winI think is really interesting. If people are so despairing that theyre not even registering to vote, thats a big problem for Biden. But I also think it can be kind of useful. I remember, in 2016, running around the sidewalk and screaming at strangers that Trump could win and youre not paying attention enough, and people just looked at me like, Of course Trumps not going to win. This time I feel like its the opposite, and I think that could make sure that people actually do get out to vote. If you think Trumps going to find some magic trick to try to steal this, then make sure youre not complacent. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. Washington: A day after US President Donald Trump said a coronavirus vaccine could be ready within weeks and possibly before the presidential election, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced its clinical trials would be temporarily suspended, adding to fears the process was being rushed. The drug company is one of several Trump is relying on to find a vaccine ahead of the November 3 poll. A volunteer participates in the vaccine trial in Oxford. Credit:University of Oxford/AP Its trial is being done conjunction with University of Oxford. Australian biotech firm CSL has committed to manufacturing the vaccine along with another being trialled by the University of Queensland. Both ventures have committed to making millions of doses in Australia, should the products pass regulatory approval. AstraZeneca is one several companies the Trump administration enlisted as part of Operation Warp Speed a multibillion-dollar project that aims to deliver 300 million doses of "safe and effective vaccines"by January. However, on Wednesday morning (AEST) AstraZeneca said human trials had been halted due to a "potentially unexplained illness". Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 10:00:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Hu Tao, Luo Xin, Zhang Yiyi BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's recovering civil aviation industry is generating new opportunities for global players amid the country's resilient economy and push for wider opening-up. Meanwhile, the global civil aviation industry has begun to emerge from the shadow of the COVID-19 outbreak. The resumption of civil aviation is underway in China, said Liu Fang, secretary general of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). "ICAO and the entire global aviation community are moving safely and steadily towards a new horizon. It's a horizon where our lives and our world will return to normal again, where international air transport will be standing ready to expand the commercial market and supply chains," she said. Liu made the remarks through a video comment at the Second "Air Silk Road" International Forum held during the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing. SIGNIFICANT RECOVERY Leading the global air traffic recovery, China's reviving civil aviation industry is fostering new business opportunities for the global market and industry players. "Withstanding harsh challenges, China's civil aviation industry has taken the lead with a steady recovery worldwide," said Zhang Qing, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China. By the end of August, daily average flights handled by China's civil aviation industry came in at 13,000, around 90 percent compared with the volume before the pandemic outbreak. Meanwhile, the country's daily air passenger volume reached 1.6 million, about 80 percent of the volume in the same period last year. Its domestic routes saw the passenger volume recover to around 90 percent compared with last year. The country's air passenger and air cargo sectors are both gradually recovering, thanks to the government's effective epidemic control measures and supportive policies. CREATING OPPORTUNITIES Amid challenging times of the global civil aviation sector, industry players around the world are paying close attention to China's wider opening-up and large market. "China is the second-largest overseas market of Air France KLM and the largest in Asia. We are delighted and honored to resume our passenger flights to China, which marks a big step in rebuilding our global network," said Toon Balm, general manager of Air France KLM Greater China. Air France KLM has been playing its role in bridging the air cargo between China and Europe to ensure efficient transportation of vital supplies and maintain the global supply chain. Boeing has launched the Confident Travel Initiative to develop new solutions that could minimize health risks associated with air travel and raise more safety awareness amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. plane-maker has joined hands with Chinese airlines to provide technical support for safely ensuring disinfection works. ENGINE FOR GROWTH China is expected to maintain the momentum of a steady recovery in the second half of the year. The IMF forecasted China to achieve what could be the sole positive annual GDP reading among major economies. "As an important engine for global economic growth, China's recovery is critical to the global economy," said Merlin Swire, chairman of Swire Pacific Limited. "Although the COVID-19 pandemic has posed serious challenges to the world, we all have witnessed China's resilience during this difficult time." Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO), Swire's engineering arm, has been expanding its business in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province. Besides providing comprehensive aircraft engineering and maintenance services, HAECO Xiamen is also sharing its experience and knowledge with industry partners. To date, it has provided more than 1,800 student-courses to employees of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), developer of China's C919 passenger aircraft. "We are delighted to be a partner for COMAC and to play our part in developing the Chinese domestic aviation industry," Swire said. Enditem The Bahrain Society of the Private Training Institutes (BSPTI) has launched a "Digital Literacy" initiative aiming to accelerate the spread of computer education in Bahrain. It also intends to reduce the digital gap, accelerate digital transformation efforts and build a knowledge economy as envisioned under Bahrain Vision 2030. The initiative was launched in conjunction with the International Literacy Day, and the social responsibility drive of the society. Nawaf Mohammed Al Jishi, Chairman of BSPTI, said: "We are proud that we have been able to eliminate reading and writing illiteracy since a long time. The training institutes have taken upon themselves the task of eliminating illiteracy in the field of skills and expertise needed to integrate youth in the labour market. We believe that illiteracy is no longer a lack of knowledge of the principles of reading and writing only, but in light of the 4th Industrial Revolution, illiteracy has become the lack of knowledge of the principles and requirements of the new digital age. "Through our constant monitoring of the needs of the labour market, we found that most jobs, including jobs at the lower levels, require knowledge of the basics of information technology. The institutes currently play an essential role in training Bahrainis in basic computer skills, but we aspire today through this initiative to strengthen this role and make it more comprehensive, Al Jishi said. He revealed that BSPTI is currently working on communicating with many partners in government and private agencies to join the "Digital Literacy" initiative and work to activate and integrate it with relevant national initiatives such as the "Digital Empowerment in Education" project implemented by the Ministry of Education, in addition to other projects. This initiative comes within the framework of building Digital Citizenship, which is the ability of all citizens of all ages, scientific and professional levels to use digital technology and the media in safe, responsible and effective ways. The greater the number of "digitally qualified Bahrainis" the more we will be able to accelerate the digital transformation that includes various sectors like industry, commerce, financial and government services, education and tourism, including productive families, taxi drivers and others," he added. Stressing the significance of this initiative in enhancing the progress of Bahrain on international indicators that measure the progress of human capital, Al Jishi explained that digital literacy is an important topic on the international agendas. He explained that developed countries such as Ireland have major national projects to enhance the participation of all citizens in the digital society, and build the country's digital capabilities. "We are also proud that in Bahrain there is a well-established training sector, which is constantly developing and carrying out its national responsibilities to achieve the vision of our wise leadership in providing quality training for successive Bahraini generations, activating the powers of Bahraini individuals and raising their contribution to the desired national development." -- Tradearabia News Service Controversy has trailed the killing of notorious Benue gang leader, Terwase Akwaza, also known as Gana as the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, accused the Nigerian Army of sabotaging his peace efforts. The governor, on Tuesday, in an interaction with reporters, also accused the army of killing the ex-bandit while he was on his way to Makurdi after embracing amnesty. According to the governor, Gana was killed while he and 42 other repentant criminals were being conveyed to Makurdi, the state capital after they embraced the governments amnesty program. Mr Ortom expressed a similar view on Wednesday while addressing journalists at the new banquet hall in Makurdi, TVC reports. I was very surprised about what happened yesterday. Because that wasnt the plan, Mr Ortom said during the interaction. But now that it has happened, well still have to discuss in the security council. Sources in Benue State confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Gana had earlier been welcomed in his local government in Benue after he agreed to accept the governments amnesty programme. A reception was organised for him by the Sankera Traditional Council in Katsina Ala that was attended by traditional and community leaders. It was when he was moving from Katsina Ala to the Benue State capital, Makurdi, alongside the mediators and police officers, that they were stopped by soldiers who subsequently shot him dead, this newspaper learnt. Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom(PHOTO CREDIT: @Gov SamuelOrtom) At least five other repentant militants who were arrested by the army during the Tuesday incident have been released, Mr Ortom said on Wednesday. Armys Stance It is not yet clear if the soldiers that killed Gana killed him despite knowing he had just accepted an amnesty offer or if his killing was as a result of poor communication among government officials and security agencies. When confronted with the controversial killing of Gana on Wednesday, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, declined comment. Mr Buratai, a lieutenant-general, was answering questions from journalists at the Jaji military cantonment in Kaduna. However, on Tuesday, the army had announced the killing of Gana in a gun duel, a claim that has now been faulted by the Benue government. The Commander, 4 Special Forces Command, Doma, Nasarawa state, Moundhey Ali, told journalists on Tuesday that Gana was killed during an exchange of gunfire at a roadblock mounted by the army along Gbese-Gboko-Makurdi road. He said ammunition was also recovered from Gana, who had been tagged Benues most wanted criminal. Mr Ali, however, did not say if the army suffered any casualty in the encounter or if there was evidence of the gunshots allegedly fired by Gana and his supporters. Ganas Past Gana had for several years been among the armed militants terrorising Benue and Taraba communities. The Benue State Government in 2015 granted amnesty to over 500 persons including Gana. Most of the terrorists later went back into criminality. Gana was later in 2017 declared wanted by the police while the Benue State Government placed N10 million bounty on him. With restaurants and malls bustling, pre-pandemic life is slowly returning for people in Singapore -- except for the more than 300,000 migrant workers who make up much of the citys low-wage workforce. Since April, these workers have been confined to their residences with limited exceptions for work. After an extensive testing and quarantine campaign, the government cleared the dormitories where most of these workers live of Covid-19 in August, letting residents leave for several essential errands," like court appearances and doctors appointments. The government said last month it was working toward relaxing more rules for workers. Those plans are now under threat, with new virus clusters emerging in the dorms, where workers from China, India, Indonesia and elsewhere share bunks and tight living spaces. Some days I feel very upset and cant take it," said Mohd Al Imran, a Bangladeshi worker with a local engineering firm. After months of confinement at the dorms, he got Covid-19 anyway. He was sent to a coronavirus care facility and said it was very free" by comparison. At the dorm you cant go out from your room," he said in a text message. They treat it like a prison." Singapore has been saying its taking appropriate measures, considering that migrant workers have accounted for nearly 95% of the citys coronavirus cases. But the resurgence, so soon after the dorms were declared Covid-free, is raising questions about whether Singapores conditions for its low-wage work force undermine the efforts to stamp it out. If youve got relatively socio-economically deprived people in crowded housing, youll get Covid-19 transmission at a higher rate," said Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician and a professor at the Australian National University Medical School. Its not inappropriate to treat higher-risk groups differently, he added, but its unreasonable to put restrictions on people when there are things you can fix up." While experts say its reasonable to cordon off specific areas to quash an outbreak, they also say the conditions in the dorms are ripe for future transmission. The ventilation isnt always good, and bathrooms are shared among a dozen or more. Government standards currently specify a minimum of 50 square-feet of personal space, roughly equivalent to a third of a parking spot -- conditions that will always pose a risk of outbreaks," said Raina Macintyre, a professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Poor and disenfranchised populations around the world have borne the brunt of the global pandemic, highlighting wide social and economic inequalities that existed long before Covid-19. In the best of times, Singapores migrant workers live with more restrictions than citizens and white-collar expats; with clusters rising again in the dorms, the prolonged lockdown-like conditions have brought new psychological stressors, along with renewed debate about the city-states deep reliance on this part of the workforce. Singapores Daily Virus Infections Top 1,000 For First Time A housing construction site stands idle in the Punggol area of Singapore in April 20. In local media and on Facebook, reports of self-harm and suicide attempts among migrant workers have circulated. When asked, Singapores Ministry of Manpower said these tend to be isolated incidents that reflect existing, underlying mental illness or trouble back home. Either way, social service groups say theyre swamped with calls for help from workers. 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 CLEVELAND, Ohio - Global warming and increased development have created a perfect storm for Northeast Ohio flooding, according to hydrology experts who say heavy downpours of the sort that inundated the regions waterways and roadways on Labor Day are becoming more frequent. The 3.98 inches of rain measured Monday at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport was the third rainiest day recorded for the official Cleveland weather station since tracking began in the late 1800s, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Saunders. Four of the greater Bay Areas most treasured recreation destinations, Lake Berryessa, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Point Reyes National Seashore and the Los Vaqueros Watershed, could open within weeks or face recoveries that take years. The first to reopen likely will be Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County, which avoided infrastructure damage when fire crews set a backfire near Cowboy Cove that burned into the Deer Fire and stopped it, said Jeff Houston, recreation manager at Los Vaqueros Marina. The fire was 100% contained last week, but the watershed remained closed Tuesday with red flag warnings, wind and smoke. It looks like a war zone this morning, Houston said. Smoke is ripping through with 40 mph winds. Here is an update: Lake Berryessa The Hennessey Fire burned down to the exposed high-water line in many spots at Lake Berryessa, the regions No. 1 recreation lake, more than 15 miles long and spanning 20,000 acres. Yet Pleasure Cove emerged without damage, according to Facebook posts from the site. Spanish Flat Marina and campground were virtually untouched, though the fire burned into the sites gateway. Markley Cove, at the southern end of the lake, had the most damage, where the fire incinerated the store, rental cabins, the boat ramp and rental boats. Yet this week at Markley Cove, work was under way to reinstall docks at the boat ramp, reported John and Linda Frazier. Markley Cove will be back, they posted. Prognosis: The Bureau of Reclamation said it hopes to reopen Lake Berryessa as soon as possible. Contact: Lake Berryessa Information Center, www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/berryessa. Point Reyes National Seashore CalFire reported the Woodward Fire as 95% contained Tuesday, with 4,835 acres burned. According to park fire maps, the fire burned west of the Bear Valley Visitor Center (south of Limantour Road) up the flank to Inverness Ridge (and the Sky Trail) and through its fir and pine forest, then down the other side west across the grasslands to the ocean bluffs at the Coast Trail. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Within that fire zone is the Sky Trail; Glen Camp high on the flank of Mount Wittenburg; and out of headquarters, the Bear Valley Trail (to Arch Rock) and its two spurs, Meadow and Old Pine Trail (to Sky Trail). Sky Camp near Limantour Road was on the edge of the fire zone, and Coast and Wildcat camps outside the fire zone. The fire has had no effect on the parks elk herds, park staff reported (the elk instead face a critical lack of drinking water on the Tomales Peninsula). Prognosis: The natural comparison is the Mt. Vision Fire, which burned much of the same area in the fall of 1995, and where most of the park reopened after the first saturating rains of early winter. The west flank of Inverness Ridge, primarily grasslands, re-emerged the next few springs with fresh grass and wildflowers amid the remains of burned trees. It took about 10 years for the forest on the ridge to begin to flourish. Contact: Point Reyes National Seashore, www.nps.gov/pore. Big Basin Redwoods The CZU Lightning Complex fire roared through the heart of Big Basin and its old-growth redwoods. Gov. Gavin Newsom, in his walk-through last week, found all the parks major structures at headquarters reduced to ash on concrete and bricks. District superintendent Chris Spohrer said the park will be closed for at least a year. LiPo Ching/Special to The Chronicle 2020 The old-growth mammoths, with their 12-inch-thick bark, were scorched but survived. The burn zone spans 86,509 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and according to CalFire on Tuesday, was 81% contained. After forest fires, crews identify underground burning root balls, and along roads and trails, spray paint trees in danger of falling with a large H to tag it as a hazard tree. Another concern is that winter rains will cause mudslides in steep canyons suffering vegetation loss. Affected areas will remain closed until access is deemed safe. Prognosis: The best hope, many here believe, is that the park could be reopened by early winter of 2021 for hiking, after trails have been certified safe from hazard trees and slides. There is no projected timeline when campgrounds might be reopened. In old-growth redwoods, a fire will scour the forest floor, but the big trees live on. Contact: California State Parks. www.parks.ca.gov East Bay parks, lakes SCU Lightning Complex fires burned pieces of the Los Vaqueros Watershed, Del Valle Regional Park, Round Valley, Morgan Territory, Ohlone Wilderness, Sunol Wilderness and Mission Peak. It was 94% contained Tuesday after burning 396,624 acres, according to CalFire. Prognosis: The good news is the fires spared important park infrastructure, rangers said. In addition, most of the landscape that burned consists of rolling grasslands, where fresh grass will sprout neon green next spring. Oak trees grow about 1 to 2 feet per year, and in 10 years, can reach 20 feet. Contacts: East Bay Regional Park District www.ebparks.org; Los Vaqueros Watershed, www.ccwater.com/9/Los-Vaqueros. Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom The law finally caught up with Bowral socialite Annabel Walker at the Downing Centre Local Courts on Wednesday afternoon when she was sentenced to 18 months in prison on a string of fraud and deception convictions. Walker, known to her family and friends as "Belle", must serve a non-parole period of 12 months. Southern Highlands socialite Annabel Walker. Credit:Instagram Magistrate Susan McIntyre told an emotional Walker, 32, her punishment reflected "fundamental breaches of trust" and that she had "drawn many, many people into this tangled web of deceit". Walker swindled her former employer, hotel operator Australian Leisure Group, out of $17,000. A woman who has been trying for a baby with her husband for 12 years has described her anguish at experiencing four miscarriages, including prematurely giving birth to twins who died last month after just an hour of life. Jade and Andrew Barton, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, have spent more than 30,000 on IVF in their efforts to conceive, including borrowing 12,000 from friends and family. But as well as having polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - which makes natural conception difficult - Jade, 32, also has an incompetent cervix, meaning that it shortens and opens during pregnancy before it should - causing premature birth. The couple's expensive fertility treatment - only one round of which was paid for by the NHS because of a policy in their area of no funding for couples under 30 which was later changed - has seen Jade fall pregnant four times. On the first occasion, in 2014, Jade miscarried the day before her first scan; on the second after just seven weeks and on the third, which came in 2018, their baby girl Riley was stillborn at 17 weeks. Jade then gave birth to twins George and Amelia last month, in the 22nd week of pregnancy, but they died after just an hour of life because they were too small to have breathing tubes put into them. But Jade and Andrew, 31, who have 22 frozen embryos remaining, are refusing to give up on their dream of having a family. Jade Barton, 32, who has been trying for a baby with her husband Andrew, 31, for 12 years, has described her anguish at experiencing four miscarriages, including prematurely giving birth to twins who died last month after just an hour of life. Pictured: the couple with the twins shortly after their birth The couple, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, have spent more than 30,000 on IVF in their efforts to conceive, including borrowing 12,000 from friends and family Recalling Riley, who was born in December 2018, Jade, who works as a carer, said: 'She weighed just 110g. She so was tiny she didn't stand a chance.' Yet the couple were able to spend four precious days with their baby in a special unit at North Hampshire Hospital, named the Butterfly Suite, which is dedicated to allow bereaved parents to spend time with babies they have lost. 'We came out of hospital on Christmas Eve and I didn't want to leave Riley,' Jade recalled. 'The staff gave us blankets and teddy bears and we had foot and hand prints made. 'We were able to make amazing memories with her and were given a beautiful memory box. It helped us massively with the grieving process. 'We left hospital with something of her even though we didn't leave with her.' A funeral was held for Riley at Basingstoke Crematorium, where she was cremated in a tiny white coffin with yellow flowers. Jade and Andrew have had four successful and one unsuccessful round of IVF - just one of which was NHS-funded - remortgaging their house to meet estimated costs of in excess of 30,000. An ultrasound scan of the couple's twins when the pregnancy was progressing normally Yet, still, this brave pair's message to would-be parents remains not to give up hope. Jade said: 'I have always said, from the beginning, that while the pain of not having a family is still more than the pain of everything we are going through with IVF, I will continue to try.' Jade and Andrew first started trying for a baby in 2008. With no pregnancy in sight and suffering with irregular periods, in 2010, Jade was diagnosed with PCOS. She recalled: 'The doctor said we could still get pregnant with it and as we were young we should just keep trying.' When another year passed without falling pregnant, they were referred to a gynaecologist at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, where tests revealed that Jade was not releasing any eggs. Given medication to stimulate ovulation, when it failed to work after six months, she had some cysts removed from her ovaries. In 2018, the couple's baby girl Riley was stillborn after 17 weeks of pregnancy. Pictured: The little girl's funeral Still failing to ovulate by the end of 2012, her doctors advised her to try IVF, where an egg is removed from a woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory, before being returned to her womb to develop. The advice came as a shock to the couple - who had not told anyone about their fertility problems - and who discovered there was no NHS funding for couples under the age of 30 for IVF in their area at that point. WHAT IS POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME? Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a very common condition that affects how a woman's ovaries work. There are no exact figures but as many as one in 10 women of childbearing age are thought to have the condition. It's a hormonal disorder which causes the ovaries to become enlarged and to develop numerous small cysts on the outer edges. Symptoms of PCOS include: Irregular periods, in which eggs aren't released properly or at all by the ovaries, which can affect a woman's ability to get pregnant Excess androgen high levels of 'male hormones' in the body may cause physical signs such as excess facial or body hair Weight gain, which is also triggered by the increase in male hormones and is usually worst on the upper body Thinning hair or hair loss Oily skin or acne While the exact cause of PCOS isn't known, it is thought to run in the family and be triggered by hormones. Insulin resistance, which is a precursor to diabetes and caused by a diet high in sugar, is thought to be a big cause. There's no cure for PCOS but many of the symptoms can be improved with lifestyle changes such as losing weight and eating a health, balanced diet. Medications are also available to treat symptoms such as excessive hair growth, irregular periods and fertility problems. Source: NHS and Office on Women's Health Advertisement 'I was 24, so we were thinking we would have to wait another five or six years, as there was no way we would be able to afford to pay for private IVF. It felt completely out of reach,' said Jade. Deciding to keep trying to conceive naturally, in June 2013, Andrew and Jade tied the knot - scraping together enough money by Christmas to pay for one round of IVF, only for a change in policy to make it available to couples aged over 25 on the NHS. 'In January 2014, I started medication and managed to get 21 eggs, but I overstimulated, which happens when too many eggs develop and become large and painful, so I ended up in hospital for a week,' Jade said. 'We had six viable eggs, two of which were transferred a couple of months after my hospital stay. 'We fell pregnant, but miscarried the day before our first scan. It was the first positive pregnancy test I'd ever had, but it was all over before it had begun. 'We thought, maybe, because we had two eggs, that was the problem, so the next time we tried with one but did not fall pregnant at all.' Feeling the emotional and physical toll of the process, they took a break for a year before trying again with the remaining three embryos, but, sadly, failed to conceive. Then, in 2017, the couple borrowed 12,000 from friends and family to pay for three rounds of IVF with a private company that offered a full refund if they didn't fall pregnant. From this treatment, they had two embryos transferred but both miscarried at seven weeks. 'I can't even think about how much we've spent over the years, I hardly dare to add it up,' Jade said. 'Each time you have to pay for medication on top and to store the embryos. It costs thousands and thousands. 'I spent money on medication, but sometimes I still didn't produce eggs for retrieval and would have to try again. 'The next month using the same medication I would produce dozens of eggs. It all seemed to be down to luck. 'One month we got 36 eggs and from that eight embryos. From those embryos we had two transfers and miscarried both times at seven weeks.' After an ultrasound scan failed to detect any reason for her miscarriages, Jade tried again with another embryo and had another positive pregnancy test. Recalling Riley, who was born in December 2018, Jade, who works as a carer, said: 'She weighed just 110g. She so was tiny she didn't stand a chance' At her 12-week scan while pregnant with Riley, everything seemed fine but she was then born at 17 weeks The couple spent four days with the baby they had lost, before holding a heartbreaking funeral. They were able to take prints of her hands and feet 'We were cautiously optimistic,' she said. 'We went for our 12-week scan and everything looked fine, but then at 17 weeks I went into labour and Riley was born sleeping.' Jade lost a lot of blood during labour and was rushed straight to theatre, where medics managed to stabilise her. A few hours later, she met Riley and the couple spent four days with the baby they had lost, before holding a heartbreaking funeral. Meanwhile, further investigations revealed that Jade had an incompetent cervix, which according to miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth charity Tommy's happens when the cervix shortens and opens in the second trimester. 'With the polycystic ovary syndrome and the weak cervix, I'm really unlucky,' she said. 'It makes it harder to conceive and harder to carry a baby, which explained why Riley did not survive.' Refusing to give up, the couple tried again with their two remaining embryos in February 2019 and, when they did not conceive, they had another attempt - this time having the embryos genetically tested to try and minimise the risk of miscarriage. George and Amelia were born in August but weighed just 404g and 360g respectively The heartbroken couple spent four days with the twins - staying in the Butterfly Suite at North Hampshire Hospital, which is set aside for parents to spend time with babies they have lost. Pictured: The babies' funeral Sadly, Jade again overstimulated and ended up in hospital, but produced 38 eggs, seven of which became embryos, which were all tested and proved to be fine. Left devastated after three more transfers and no pregnancies, she said: 'We'd basically taken a massive gamble and it hadn't paid off. We had one round of IVF left, but no embryos in the freezer. ' Remortgaging their home to raise funds, in January this year, the couple tried again - this time with Jade producing 53 eggs and being hospitalised once more for overstimulating. But 24 embryos were frozen - with two being transferred in April. 'At our six-week scan we were shocked to see that both had worked and we were going to have two babies, which we were so happy about, as it meant we would never have to do this again - we would have our family,' said Jade. 'I had bleeding, so was on bed rest, but at our 12-week scan, everything looked fine. 'At the 14-week scan, they found my cervix had started to shorten the way it had with Riley, so I spoke to a specialist at a hospital in London, who was able to put a cervical stitch in to close it and reduce the risk of the babies coming too early.' The couple made hand and footprints of George and Amelia, creating precious memories A small charity, From Leia with Love, even provided a dress and little outfit for both babies, whose funeral took place on Tuesday, September 1 at Basingstoke Crematorium - in a tragic replay for the couple of Riley's farewell But at 20 weeks, one of her waters broke, so Jade was taken to hospital and given antibiotics - enabling doctors to remove the stitch, which had become infected. 'I had to hope the infection did not get worse and that labour did not start. We had to try and get as far along as we could,' she said. 'Sadly, doctors told us that the little boy, George, was unlikely to survive, because he had no water and his lungs would not be strong enough. 'We just wanted to get to 24 weeks to give his sister, Amelia, the best chance.' But at 22 weeks labour started and the twins were both born on August 15 - George at 1.01am and Amelia at 1.21am. Jade's sister Nicola Meredith launched a GoFundMe page to raise 2,000 for the twins' funeral, but they have now made 2,335 and are donating any extra funds to the Butterfly Suite With 22 embryos remaining, Jade and Andrew refuse to give up on their dream of having a family. Pictured: Cards with the babies' birth details The couple held a gender reveal party for George and Amelia during the pregnancy Jade said: 'We got to kiss and cuddle both of them, but there was no chance, they were just too tiny. Amelia weighed 360g and George 404g, so doctors would not have been able to get a breathing tube into them. 'They both lived for about an hour and died with me cuddling them.' Again the heartbroken couple spent four days with the twins - staying in the Butterfly Suite, making hand and footprints and precious memories. A small charity, From Leia with Love, even provided a dress and little outfit for both babies, whose funeral took place on Tuesday, September 1 at Basingstoke Crematorium - in a tragic replay for the couple of Riley's farewell. Still, with 22 embryos remaining, Jade and Andrew refuse to give up on their dream of having a family. 'I would tell other people going through something similar that it's important to talk to people and get advice, but that, inevitably, only you will know when you're ready to give up. You know what's right for you in your heart,' Jade said. 'It is draining physically and emotionally and it's easy for it to consume you, but you have to try not to let it and to take care of each other and your relationship. The babies should have been born in December this year but instead came in August 'I would tell other people going through something similar that it's important to talk to people and get advice, but that, inevitably, only you will know when you're ready to give up. You know what's right for you in your heart,' Jade said 'It is draining physically and emotionally and it's easy for it to consume you, but you have to try not to let it and to take care of each other and your relationship,' she added. Pictured: Floral tributes to George and Amelia 'We've had lots of support from social media groups and chatted to people who have had losses as we have, as well as to people who it has worked out for. Baby charities like Tommy's, SANDS, and SiMBA, which makes memory boxes, have also been really supportive.' Jade's sister Nicola Meredith launched a GoFundMe page to raise 2,000 for the twins' funeral, but they have now made 2,335 and are donating any extra funds to the Butterfly Suite. 'The compassion and care we received from the midwives was amazing and I can't stress enough how outstanding the Butterfly Suite is,' said Jade. 'We want to thank everyone who has donated so far. 'Sometimes I just wish that feeling of wanting to be a mum and have a family would go away. 'If it did I wouldn't have to go through this horrible process and keep blaming myself, but it doesn't. 'But I want to be a mum more than anything. We will keep trying until I can't take anymore' To donate visit the couple's Go Fund Me page. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 22:21:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's manufacturers on Wednesday launched a policy tool-kit to aid the recovery of the sector from COVID-19 pandemic. Mucai Kunyiha, chairman of Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), told a virtual meeting that the industry has experienced a significant reduction in output, decreased liquidity as well as logistical challenges since the outbreak of the pandemic. "The toolkit highlights overarching interventions needed to aid in the recovery of the manufacturing sector and economy, as businesses try to navigate different challenges brought about by the pandemic," Kunyiha said. According to the lobby, the manufacturing sector contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) has been on a declining trend, dropping from 11 percent in 2012 to 7.5 percent in 2019. The strategy also recommends a number of robust actions that stakeholders in the manufacturing sector need to undertake in order to be in a position to better build business resilience to stay resilient during this crisis and beyond. The document also provides a roadmap in charting forward the growth, development, and resilience of the manufacturing sector so that it can attain the 15 percent contribution to the GDP as envisioned by the country's national blueprint. Kunyiha added that the initial policy interventions put in place by the government were based on the assumption that the COVID-19 pandemic was a short-term disturbance, but it is increasingly becoming evident that living with the virus is the new normal. He observed that there is currently continued uncertainty about the future economic environment because of increasing transmission of COVID-19. "Consequently, manufacturers are still facing low domestic demand for their products and reduced risk appetite of commercial banks to offer credit to manufacturers," he added. The manufacturers urged the government to set up an unemployment insurance fund to pay benefits to covered workers who become involuntarily unemployed and meet specified eligibility requirements, in order to cushion them in times of unemployment. Enditem Mr Samuel Odarquaye Lamptey, the Deputy Organiser of Anyaa Sowutuom constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has tasked members to ensure that they make sacrifices to wrestle power from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) come December 7. He said members can achieve this goal when they unite and work hard as one political family. We [NDC] can beat the NPP at the polls when we carry everybody along, for we cannot achieve our aspirations and mission unless we unite as a bonded family," Mr Odarquaye Lamptey said this at a meeting with party supporters at Dam Lyceum branch within Kwashibu electoral area in Accra on Sunday. Mr Odarquaye Lamptey reiterated the partys desire to reward supporters who would sacrifice for the partys victory. The Ward Coordinator for Kwashibu, Mr Patrick Adade urged them to remain steadfast in pursuing the overall good of the party. He commended them for their loyalty to the party. Chairman of Dam Lyceum branch B, Mr Francis Appley entreated them to vote for the partys flagbearer, John Mahama, and the parliamentary candidate Emmanuel Adotey Allotey. He also advised them to use their voter cards to vote out the NPP government for neglecting them for the past three and half years. CONST. DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER ANYAA SOWUTUOM Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 07:30 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4395096 1 National BMKG,BMKG-geophysics-station,weather-prediction,weather,rainy-season,dry-season,Indonesia,rain Free The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that the rainy season will gradually begin at the end of October for most of Indonesia following the current transitional period from the dry season. BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said the first rains were expected to fall in the western parts of the archipelago. She also said the rainy season would reach its peak in January and February next year. "Most of Indonesia is expected to see the peak of the rainy season in January and February 2021," she said in a written statement on Monday as quoted by kompas.com. The BMKG's climatology deputy Herizal explained that out of the 342 seasonal zones (ZOM) in Indonesia, around 34.8 percent would start the rainy season in October, namely parts of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. Meanwhile, 38.3 percent is predicted to see the rainy season in November, such as other parts of Sumatra, Java, Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua, and the remaining 16.4 percent would see rains in December. Read also: BMKG warns of extreme weather during transition to rainy season "154 seasonal zones, or around 45 percent, are predicted to see a later rainy season this year than in the 1981-2010 period," Herizal said. "The rainy season would start earlier in 68 ZOM, or 20 percent." He also said around 27.5 percent of ZOM would experience a wetter rainy season this year. The BMKG has warned the public to remain alert to extreme weather and other potential disasters, especially in regions predicted to experience an earlier and wetter rainy season. "We advise the public to be more vigilant about the impact of the rainy season, especially those who reside in areas prone to hydrometeorological disasters such as floods and landslides," the head of the BMKG's Climate Change Information Center, Dodo Gunawan, said. Dwikorta also urged regional administrations to implement disaster mitigation plans by setting up integrated water systems from upstream to downstream such as saving water in embankments, dams or other water retention pools as well as preparing the river capacity to anticipate a higher volume of water. (nal) By developing tourism, Hetu Ala village, northeast China's Liaoning province, has lifted local villagers out of poverty. A corner of Hetu Ala village. (People's Daily Online/Tong Zongli) Previously, residents in Hetu Ala village, Yongling town under Man autonomous county of Xinbin, Liaoning province, mainly earned a living by working on the farmland. Many of them earned an annual income of less than 10,000 yuan (about $1,461), and the village was also blighted by poor infrastructure and backward living environment. "When I first came to the village in 2015, I found the young people had left their hometown to earn more money, and the village was over 4 million yuan in debt," said Luo Tiancheng, Party chief of Hetu Ala village. Luo Tiancheng (left) receives interview. (People's Daily Online/Tong Zongli) The only industry in the village depended on an orchard with an area of about 333,000 square meters, but it had been abandoned due to negligent management, Luo added. Using its regional advantages, the local government started to explore rural tourism to increase the villagers incomes. Starting from 2012, the number of tourists in Xinbin has increased at an annual rate of 15 percent, bringing opportunities for villagers in Hetu Ala to develop the B&B business. The village rented the farmyards of residents out to companies for standardized management, and in addition to the rent, residents could also earn money by working in the farmyards. A B&B in the village. (People's Daily Online/Tong Zongli) The village also began operating the orchard so that tourists could go fruit-picking, and cultivated products full of local characteristics, such as cheongsams, to boost revenue. In 2018, the village received 1.1 million tourists, with total income exceeding 100 million yuan. Tourism has generated jobs for over 1,100 villagers. As of the end of 2018, all 77 registered poverty-stricken households had been lifted out of poverty, with each villagers annual income reaching 32,200 yuan. City council is planning to write to provincial and federal politicians to ask for support to open new clinic beds for people whove survived opioid overdose and are seeking recovery from addiction. Really, its starting a conversation around recovery and recovery beds, said Coun. Dean Pappas, who made the motion that was carried by councillors on Tuesday. When someone who has overdosed goes to the ER, they are very quickly released as soon as theyre stable in the same environment where they overdosed to begin with. Sometimes thats very tough to recover from that. He said recovery beds would be a safe place to go where they could find help. Pappas said hes spoken to some local member of Alcoholics Anonymous who were told years ago there would be recovery beds in the current Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) when it was built, but those beds were never funded. Coun. Keith Riel said he too recalls that the provincial government had promised six recovery beds at PRHC before the current hospital was built, but those beds were never funded. So weve gone 15 years without those facilities, he said. Certainly Ive head horror stories where people have overdosed, been taken to the emergency department, and then within a few hours are discharged back into the street, Riel added. Thats not the approach we should be taking with addiction. Theres an absolute need for detox and treatment. Councillors voted on Tuesday to write to Women and Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef, the MP for Peterborough-Kawartha, as well as to Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith and Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott to ask for support for recovery beds in Peterborough. TRINITY Colleges Dr Tomas Ryan has said a rise in Covid-19 cases to 307 in one day yesterday was a little bit shocking - but he finds it difficult to understand how any lockdown would work in Dublin. Dr Ryan, from the colleges school of biochemistry and immunology, said: When a colleague texted me the number 307... I found it a little bit shocking but I wouldn't say anyone should be alarmed by daily figures. No one day can tell us that much, partly because of inconsistencies in the testing but clearly it's a new spike in cases. Thus far the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has steered away from any mention of locking down Dublin or Limerick. Dublin accounted for 182 new cases yesterday and there were 19 cases in Limerick - the highest in the city for a fortnight. Local restrictions are undesirable, Dr Ryan told Morning Ireland on RTE One. I think they should be considered an emergency measure. Dr Ryan said lockdowns only highlighted you're not living with the virus - its reactive. But if you have to do it in the short term, you have to do it. I dont know what a local lockdown in Dublin would look like - if you do the whole county, it would be very challenging with the economy. Dr Ryan also said due to parents making essential journeys to and from school and work, it would also be challenging to know how to deal with that. Minister on Wednesday launched a doorstep banking services initiative by (PSBs) which will provide convenience to customers. This is part of EASE (enhanced access and service excellence) reforms that the Department of Financial Services had undertaken in 2018. Now, one can bank from home with the minister launching the doorstep service initiative of PSBs, Financial Services Secretary Debasish Panda said. Customer convenience and comfort will be the top priority in the entire process, he added. Asserting that EASE reforms have resulted in improving various financial parameters of PSBs, Panda said there has been a six-fold increase in the number of profitable lenders in the last two years. Recalling the hassle-free transfer of money under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, he said despite the COVID-19 lockdown there was seamless fund transfer in accounts of crores of beneficiaries. As part of the EASE reforms, the doorstep banking initiative is envisaged to provide convenience of banking services to customers at their doorstep through the universal touch points of call centre, web portal or mobile app, the Ministry said in a statement. The services will be rendered by the doorstep banking agents deployed by the selected service providers at 100 centres across the country, it said. At present only non-financial services like pick up of negotiable instruments (cheque/demand draft/pay order etc), pick up of 15G / 15H forms, pick up of IT/GST challan, request for account statement, delivery of term deposit receipt, among others, are available to customers. Financial services shall be made available from October 2020, it said, adding the services can be availed by customers of PSBs at nominal charges. The services shall benefit all customers, particularly senior citizens and divyangs (differently-abled), it added. With regard to performance of PSBs on EASE 2.0 Index, it said they have shown a healthy trajectory in their performance over four quarters. The overall score of PSBs increased by 37 per cent between March 2019 and March 2020, with the average EASE index score improving from 49.2 to 67.4 out of 100, it said. The index measures the performance of each PSB on 120-plus objective metrics across six themes. Significant progress is seen across six themes of the reforms agenda, it said, with the highest improvement seen in the themes of 'Responsible Banking', 'Governance and HR', 'PSBs as Udyamimitra for MSMEs', and 'Credit off-take'. A common reform agenda for PSBs, EASE Agenda is aimed at institutionalising clean and smart banking. It was launched in January 2018, and the subsequent edition of the program -- EASE 2.0 built on the foundation laid in EASE 1.0 and furthered the progress on reforms. Reform Action Points in EASE 2.0 are aimed at making the reforms journey irreversible, strengthening processes and systems, and driving outcomes. PSBs have massively stepped up to support the nation during the COVID-19 crisis, the statement said. "From different modes of staffing to remote working, 80,000+ bank branches were operational during COVID-19. "Additionally, there has been 90 per cent uptime of self-service machines during the COVID times and around three times increase in Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) transactions through micro ATMs, and enhanced doorstep banking support by 75,000+Bank Mitras," it said. To further support the customers in these times, the have drastically increased the number of services being offered at the call centres, from 11 in March-19 to 23 as of June-20 in 13 regional languages, it said. On the way forward for PSBs, it said a comprehensive agenda for smart, tech-enabled banking has been adopted for 2020-21. Under this, PSBs have initiated 'eShishu Mudra' for straight-through processing of loans to micro-enterprises and digital personal loan for customers. PSBs have started providing customer-need driven credit offers through analytics and partnerships with FinTechs and e-commerce companies, it said. "Many PSBs have already started taking steps in line with the reform priorities. Progress of PSBs will continue to be tracked on metrics linked to Reform Action Points, and their progress will be published through a quarterly index," it said. Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, and erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce were felicitated for being the top three in the 'Top Performing Banks' category according to the EASE 2.0 Index results. Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India and erstwhile Corporation Bank were awarded in the 'Top Improvers' category. Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India and Canara Bank were also recognised for outstanding performance in select themes, it 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.) Many people have learned hard lessons on Lake Erie; few ever get the chance to put those lessons to use. On Aug. 27, Guelph's Will Martinez, 48, piled his family of five into the car. They were heading down to Long Point to celebrate his sister's birthday and shake off some of those pandemic blues. The day was pleasant to start windy, some clouds, but hot and sunny. After months in relative isolation, and with most extracurriculars kiboshed by COVID-19, they were ready to do something normal again. When they got to the Airbnb trailer where they were staying, they didn't even take time to set up their sleeping arrangements; after unloading, they headed right for the beach. This may have been a potentially life-changing decision for the family. Later, after Will is pulled from the water near-dead, and with a new-found appreciation for his daughter and nephew, tornado warnings start sounding, and the wind and rain become intense enough to knock down branches and flip over furniture. It's grim to speculate what would have happened had the family found themselves battling a sudden storm along with strong currents. But grim thoughts were worlds away when they first got to the beach. Will's nephew, Aziel Martinez, 14, said he was thinking (as he often does) about sleep. His daughter Lauryn, 14, was just excited to be near the sun and water, and for the chance to socialize a rare occurrence in 2020. The family settled into their day easily enough, making a base out of the normal sand and water accoutrements. The waves were bigger that day, but nothing too intimidating. The family saw them as an opportunity to splash around and have some fun. They said they didn't see any warning signs posted, and there were a few others out swimming, seemingly without issue. So the kids went off to play in the waves, and Will went down to the water to cool down. His wife Sarah stayed behind with the younger kids. A feeling of unease slowly creeping over her as the day went on, she said; it was a feeling she later wished she hadn't ignored. Will, who came to Canada from El Salvador when he was 19, was enjoying the water. He said he barely noticed that every time his feet left the lake bed, he was getting dragged farther from the shore. "I did not make anything of it. I'm a great swimmer," he said. When he realized he was so far out his feet couldn't touch the bottom, he started treading water, but still, he wasn't worried. "I learned how to swim when I was three years old, and I've been swimming all my life," he said. "Then again, I've never been in this bad of shape or this age," he added, laughing. Eventually, as the people on the shore became indistinct blobs, Will started thinking he should get back. "But thing is, every time I tried to swim, I didn't move," he said. "It didn't matter what. I did the breaststroke, I did the backstroke, I did the regular swimming. I even did the floating type thing, and nothing. "And then, I just started to feel very tired." 'Flip, float, follow' So far in 2020, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project (GLSRP) has recorded 12 drowning deaths on Lake Erie. Last year, 28 deaths were recorded on the water. A quick perusal of news articles shows that many people have lost their lives over the years at Long Point specifically. According to the GLSRP, the best thing to do when you're drowning is to "flip, float, follow." That is, flip onto your back, float with your head above the water to calm down and conserve energy then figure out which way the current is taking you, and swim perpendicular to the flow. As long as you are floating, you are alive and buying time for rescue to arrive, says their website, noting that the older strategy of "don't panic, swim parallel to the shore" doesn't always work "because longshore currents run parallel to shore and structural currents run parallel to the structures (piers and jetty walls)." A diagram showing the flip, float, follow method for surviving drowning A diagram taken from the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project Will said he didn't know much about the rip currents that claim dozens each year. Sarah did, "but you never really think 'Oh, that's what's happening.'" Will estimates he was fighting the current for about 30 minutes when exhaustion, and macabre thoughts, started to creep in. He was so far from the beach he knew that shouting wouldn't do any good, he said. There was no one around him in the water, and as any seasoned lifeguard will tell you, drowning doesn't look like drowning unless you know what to look for. "I'm not a religious person (that goes) to church, but I believe in God. So I pretty much asked the question: 'Is this it, God?'" He tried to tread water again, his head slipping beneath as the waves rolled on. He was, he thought, alone a small drop in a vast lake, about to be consumed. So, he made a plea familiar to the pious and profane alike: "God, please help me." Maybe it was providence, maybe luck or magic or fate, but the next thing Will said he saw was his daughter's face, "six to 10 feet away, very close. So then I say 'Lauryn, please help me!'" Lauryn didn't know her dad was drowning until he made that plea. Reflecting on it, 10 days after the incident, she said she still doesn't know why she started swimming in his direction. "I just remember wanting to swim out. Like, I just wanted to, and I just went out and I saw him," she said. Maybe, like her mother, she had a sinking feeling that something wasn't quite right. 'I believe there was a force that was with them that day' "I believe there was a force that was with them that day," Sarah said. Even exhausted, moments away from being a Lake Erie statistic, Will said the first thing he thought as his daughter took his arm was how not to take her down with him. "You see how tiny she is," he said, gesturing to the young women, who looks to be around five feet tall. Lauryn grabbed his arm. Once she knew what was happening, she said she stopped thinking and started doing. Her father could barely keep his head up, but she told him to just keep paddling with his free arm. "She just kept going, 'Oh, Daddy, please keep swimming. Don't stop, just keep swimming," Will said, one of the few times emotion threatened to derail his retelling the story. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get him to shore on her own, Lauryn said getting back to her cousin was her goal. This may have been another stroke of good fortune for the family. Since she didn't try to go directly back to shore, Lauryn may have unwittingly helped pull them out of the current that had exhausted her father by swimming perpendicular to it. Aziel had just taken his younger cousin back up onto the beach after noticing she too was getting pushed around by the increasingly large waves. He said he was standing in the water up to his knees when he heard Lauryn's cries for help. 'I was like, no, they're joking. They're messing with me' "I was like, no, they're joking. They're messing with me. But as soon as I heard it again, it was a split-second decision, I just ran," he said. Together, with Aziel bouncing down to the lake bed to help push his uncle back, and Lauryn keeping his head above water, the three made it back to shore. Will collapsed immediately, still close enough that the waves were coming up over his head. "I have never felt my brain so exhausted, and my body so exhausted," he said A few bystanders came over as Aziel ran to get Will's sister, they helped drag the man back up unto the beach, trying to check and see if he was OK. They asked if he'd like some water. He declined. Seeing her husband in his state, Sarah wanted to take him to the hospital, just to be on the safe side. As they started making their way, the sky turned black, the rain fell, and the wind reached a new intensity. Eventually, the family had to pull their car off the road and take shelter, fearing the tornado warnings were more than just hot air. They ended up pulling off the road and taking shelter in a store, where people told them not to worry, the winds were typical. After the wait, Will said he was starting to feel like a human again, so the family decided to head back to their trailer. After plunking himself into a chair for a few minutes, respite came in the form of well-deserved beer. Will said this isn't the first time fate has smiled on him he got out of El Salvador during their civil war, for instance, so the reconfirmed awareness of how finite life is didn't inspired him to seize the day anymore than he already does. But the incident did strengthen his bond with his daughter. "I feel like we're more close," said Lauryn. "I didn't realize I could lose him at any time. That experience let me know that I shouldn't take my time with my dad for granted." Will said he's a bit more lenient with her, too. Aziel still can't believe he's saved a life, especially his uncle's. He said he's always seen the man as "powerful." Will recognizes he's not a kid anymore, nor invincible, he said. But that didn't stop him from going right back to the beach the next day. "You have to face it," he said. Still, there's nothing wrong with a little caution. "I didn't go deeper this time." 'If you have a gut feeling that something's wrong, don't ignore it' And Sarah said she's learned not to ignore her instincts: "If you have a gut feeling that something's wrong, don't ignore it." "These things are not that uncommon of a story. You hear about it all the time. But you never think it'll happen to you." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: The Martinez family reached out to the Mercury Tribune after hearing about a father in Port Colborne whose story didn't have a happy ending. They wanted to spread their story as a cautionary tale. There have been nearly 1,000 deaths on Canada's Great Lakes since 2010. With a proper planning and education, many of those could have been avoided. That may be a convenient excuse. And once the trade sparring subsides, it leaves the door open to the two reaching a fresh agreement at a lower price that takes into account market conditions still roiled by a disruption in international travel and economic hardship. After all, the rationale for the deal still stands. LVMH wants to expand in jewelry, and there are few independent luxury groups of scale available. It could easily elevate Tiffany from more affordable luxury to mega-bling status and turbo-charge its sales in Asia. NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India on Tuesday rejected Chinese allegations of violating border agreements and accused Chinese troops of firing in the air during a face-off on their tense de facto border. "It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres, while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress," the Indian army said in a statement. It said Chinese soldiers tried to close in on a forward Indian position in the Ladakh sector in the western Himalayas and when were met by Indian troops, the PLA fired a few rounds in the air. (Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani and Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Tom Hogue) FOLLOWING a successful first series, TG4s Cula4 ar Scoil has returned to our screens and aims to support pupils and teachers as they make the transition back to school. The series will be broadcast from Monday to Thursday at 10am. TG4 and Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick, will again collaborate and provide support to the producers and presenters. Dr Conchur O Brolchain, lecturer in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at MIC, will lend his expertise to the educational programme, drawing on his experience as a primary school teacher and his extensive research on bilingual and multilingual education. The second series of Cula4 ar Scoil aims to support pupils and teachers as they make the transition back to school. It will continue to deliver fun, engaging and accessible content through the medium of Irish, Dr Conchur said. MIC graduate, Orla Ni Fhinneadha, will present the show with assistance from two other MIC graduates, teachers Joe O hEachtairn and Micheal O Dubhghaill, as well as Caitriona Ni Chualain, Sile Ni Chonghaile and Caitriona McAtee. Orla graduated from MIC as a primary teacher in 2012 and currently teaches sixth class pupils at Scoil Einne in An Spideal, Co Galway. When not in the classroom, the Connemara native can be found in front of the camera at TG4 where she is a part-time continuity and weather presenter. Ill be joined by a different teacher every fortnight so children will get to enjoy a range of talents and skills throughout the series, she said. Content is also available online at cula4.com and on Cula4's YouTube channel. The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed 3 petitions which amongst other things sought postponement of NEET citing Covid 19 and facilitation of candidates in containment zones to write the exam. A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said that similar petitions were already dismissed by the top court on August 17 and review petition against that order had also been rejected by the court. All arrangements have been made. Everything is over. Review petition was also dismissed, the bench remarked. Senior counsel Arvind Datar appearing for the petitioners pointed out the difficulties of candidates in Bihar to give the exam stating there are only 2 examination centres in the state. There are only 2 examination centres (in Bihar) - Patna and Gaya, Datar said pointing out the difficulties which candidates in other parts of the state may face to reach the examination centres. Senior counsel KTS Tulsi and advocate Shoeb Alam, both for other sets of petitioners, highlighted the plight of students in containment zones who wont be allowed to come out to write the exam. Alam asked the court to issue a direction to treat NEET admit cards as curfew passes so that such students in containment zones will not face difficulties while travelling to examination centres. The bench which also comprised Justices R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah however said that it was not inclined to entertain the matter. Earlier on August 17, the apex court had dismissed a similar plea by students seeking postponement of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and NEET 2020 scheduled for September. Life must go on, the top court had remarked while dismissing that case. The JEE main exam has already been conducted as per schedule from September 1 to 6. A review petition filed by six ministers from non-BJP ruled states against the August 28 order was also dismissed by the apex court on September 4. NEET is scheduled to be conducted on September 13. SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Garage Gurus, an industry-leading training and support platform from Tenneco Inc.'s (NYSE: TEN) global aftermarket and OE ride performance division, DRiV, has recently entered into a multi-year partnership with Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers to deliver technical training to their workforce. Garage Gurus will provide its comprehensive, instructor-led automotive training to technicians employed throughout Dobbs' 41 locations that are looking to enhance and refine their technical skill sets. As with all Garage Gurus' on-site training sessions, each workshop will consist of both classroom instruction and practical, modern, hands-on diagnostic-focused training. Locally- and family-owned in the greater St. Louis area since 1976, Dobbs is known for a strong commitment to its customers, ensuring that they receive the best tire products and expert automotive services available. The training classes were designed in a collaborative effort and curated between Garage Gurus and Dobbs, and specifically designed to meet Dobbs' five-level technical training curriculum requirements. Classes will be held at Garage Gurus' Maryland Heights, Missouri, technical service center, and will include courses on topics such as ABS and Stability Control; Electronic Suspension Controls; Automotive Electronics; Fuel Delivery and Fuel System Operation; Electronic Ignition Systems; HVAC Diagnostics; Light-Duty Diesel Emissions Controls; Hybrid Vehicle Service and Diagnostics; and many others. Each course will be taught by Garage Gurus' team of master technicians, all of whom hold ASE certifications and have 15-30 years' experience in the automotive service repair industry. Garage Gurus is an ASE CASE-certified training provider. "Since 2015, Garage Gurus has been leading the way at providing training to technicians all across the aftermarket automotive repair industry, with well over 100 different course offerings," said Dennis Sheran, director, Garage Gurus, DRiV. "The people at Dobbs are going to be great partners, and we look forward to providing their technicians with courses and instruction designed so that they will be equipped with the latest information and technology to continue their tradition of providing for their loyal customers' repair needs." "We are very excited about this new partnership with Garage Gurus and working with their top team of master trainers and instructors," added Dustin Dobbs, vice president, Dobbs Tire and Auto Center. "Our primary goal as a company has always been customer service excellence, and by having our technicians progress through various training sessions and levels, we are equipping them with the most knowledge possible to meet our culture of expert automotive repair, provided right, the first time, at the most competitive prices in town." Launched in 2015, Garage Gurus offers onsite, online and on-demand instruction designed to help front-line automotive service professionals keep pace with the latest vehicle technologies. State-of-the-art Garage Gurus technical education centers are located in 11 U.S. markets: Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Dallas/Fort Worth; New Hyde Park, N.Y.; Rancho Dominguez, Calif.; South Florida; St. Louis; Suburban Detroit; and Van Nuys, Calif. Garage Gurus similarly will visit repair facilities and educate techs on the latest repair tools, replacement part solutions and technology using its fleet of product technology vans. To learn more about Garage Gurus and to download the course catalog or sign up for other classes, please visit www.garagegurus.tech. To learn more about Dobbs Tire and Auto Center, visit www.gotodobbs.com/. About Tenneco Tenneco is one of the world's leading designers, manufacturers and marketers of automotive products for original equipment and aftermarket customers, with 2019 revenues of $17.45 billion and approximately 78,000 team members working at more than 300 sites worldwide. Our four business groups, Motorparts, Ride Performance, Clean Air and Powertrain, deliver technology solutions for diversified global markets, including light vehicle, commercial truck, off-highway, industrial, motorsport and the aftermarket. About Dobbs Tire Founded in 1976, Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers, Inc., is a family-owned and operated private company with 41 locations and more than 600 employees. Each location provides tire products and a full range of automotive services. Beyond their commitment to satisfying customers, the Dobbs family supports many institutions, organizations, and charities in the local communities in which they, and the company's extended family of associates, reside. CONTACT: Karen Shulhan (DRiV) 248.354.4383 [email protected] Bill Dawson (DRiV) 847.482.5807 [email protected] SOURCE DRiV Flames roared through a national forest on the far northern end of California on Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents. The fire inside Klamath National Forest started Monday night near Slater Butte Lookout about 330 miles northwest of Sacramento and by Tuesday night the size of the fire had grown to 22,000 acres, Klamath National Forest officials said. There are no permanent structures immediately around Slater Butte Lookout, popular for hunting and fishing, but flames were headed toward homes in the nearby town of Happy Camp, authorities said earlier. The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office has ordered everyone in the small community to leave. Undersheriff Karl G. Houtman told NBC News the area has dealt with wildfires in the past, but nothing like this. I cant ever recall evacuating an entire town, Houtman said. The sheriff's office was attempting to help 1,200 people evacuate. While some structures have been damaged, Houtman said, no homes had been lost yet. National, state and local firefighters are fighting flames in harsh conditions, with temperatures expected to hit 102 degrees and winds gusting up to 25 mph. "You can see flames on the ridge, it's just nuts," Happy Camp resident Ryan Mitchell said shortly after noon, estimating he was about a mile from the fire. "I can see the flames right now, and it's crispy." Many residents in the town of a little more than 1,000 people own horses, chickens, sheep and cows. Mitchell, 26, fears some might not be able to pack up their animals before the fast-moving fire arrives. "We're not going to have time, that thing is hauling ass down the hill. It's bad," Mitchell said. "You can feel the heat in the meadows, you can feel the 10- or 15-degrees change, you can feel it." The Slater Fire is among dozens of blazes bedeviling first responders across California. In Oregon, a fire that burned from the Ashland area entered the city of Medford, population around 85,000, officials said. Story continues "The Alameda Fire did enter into the City of Medford," city communications and marketing manager Kristina Johnsen said in an email late Tuesday. "While we know we've lost structures within City limits, at this time we do not have a number of impacted residents as this fire has moved from Ashland, Talent, Phoenix and Medford," she said. There were evacuation orders telling people to either leave or be ready to do so as of 11 p.m. in Medford, and the orders at that time affected around 16,000 residents, Johnsen said. Firefighters from multiple agencies would be working throughout the night, she said. All businesses and residents in the city of Phoenix, which is southeast of Medford and has around 4,500 residents, were ordered to evacuate, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said earlier. "We're in an unprecedented fire event" with several growing fires across the state, fueled by hot weather and dry winds, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown tweeted. She expanded emergency conflagration declarations, which allow for state aid, to include the Alameda Fire in Jackson County. "Oregonians' lives are at risk. Follow evacuation orders, try to reduce your smoke exposure and take care of each other," Brown said. Nearly 14,000 firefighters were battling 25 wildfires across California, according to the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. In another fire, the Dolan Fire in Los Padres National Forest on the coast south of Salinas, 14 firefighters sheltered Tuesday morning and suffered injuries ranging from burns to smoke inhalation, the U.S. Forest Service said. Three were flown to a hospital; one was described as in critical condition and two were listed as being in fair condition. The Dolan Fire has burned 73,000 acres and was 40 percent contained Tuesday afternoon. In the Creek Fire, burning in California's Sierra National Forest, 52 people were transported by helicopter from the fire zone, officials said. More than 143,000 acres have burned and the fire was zero percent contained Tuesday afternoon, according to the state's wildfire firefighting agency. So far this year more than 2.2 million acres in the state has burned in wildfires, a record for the state with four more months to go in the fire season, the department, known as Cal Fire, said Tuesday morning. More than 3,300 structures have been destroyed by the fires statewide, and eight deaths have been blamed on the blazes in California, according to Cal Fire. There have been more than 7,600 wildfires in the state, including hundreds sparked by lightning in August. In 2019, by this time last year there had been nearly 5,000 fires and around 118,000 acres burned, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. More than 42,000 people across California were still under evacuation orders Tuesday, the governor said. In Oregon, thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, Brown, the governor, said Tuesday at a news conference. She issued an emergency conflagration declaration, which allows for state aid. "We know we have at least another 24 hours of this wind to sustain. The hot and dry weather is only predicted to continue through the weekend," Brown said. "We know our losses are going to be great. But we know that Oregon is strong and will stand together," she said. More than 1,400 people held in custody at three state prisons in the Salem area were moved to the state penitentiary because of the threat from wildfires, the state Department of Corrections said. Image: (Andrew Selsky / AP) The city of Salem, the state's capital, was not under an evacuation order, officials said. The Beachie Creek and Lionshead wildfires are burning east of the city. Around 160 residents of the Marian Estates independent senior living center in Sublimity, southeast of Salem, evacuated to the Oregon State Fairgrounds, The Associated Press reported. It was pitch black dark out there all you could see was red, Wendy Phelps-Chapman, activity director at the center, told the news agency. The opposition staged a walkout from the state Assembly for allegedly not getting enough chance to speak during the second day of the ongoing monsoon session. The party legislators alleged that they were not provided adequate opportunity to express their views on an adjournment motion moved by leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, while talking to media, said, "As per my opinion, this was not walkout. Walkout should be on record. They just lifted their documents and came out of the House." There is a provision of discussion for two-and-a-half-hour on adjournment motion moved by the leader of opposition under Rule 67 but the discussion continued for two days, he said. It was up to the party to provide its list of MLAs to the speaker who would speak on the motion. MLAs whose names were on the top of the list were given chance to speak as per availability of time, Thakur added. Earlier participating in the discussion, Nadaun legislator Sukhvinder Sukhu said the chief minister violated the norm of social distancing while participating in a 'havan yajna' organised by the BJP Mahila Morcha in Shimla a few weeks ago. Thakur replied that required distancing was maintained. Forest minister Rakesh Pathania criticised the opposition Congress for doing instead of presenting a united face against the coronavirus pandemic. (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.) Racial disparities among essential workers could be a key reason that Black Americans are more likely than whites to contract and die of COVID-19, according to researchers at the University of Utah. They found that Blacks disproportionately worked in nine vital occupations that increase their exposure to SARs-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. There are a lot of theories why Blacks are dying at higher rates than other races during this pandemic. However, our descriptive study strongly suggests that Blacks are not dying from COVID-19 because they are genetically more susceptible, have more comorbidities, or aren't taking the necessary precautions. Instead, it's likely because they are working in jobs where they have a greater risk of coming in contact with the virus day in and day out." Fares Qeadan, Ph.D., U of U Health biostatistician and senior author of the study The study appears in a special issue of World Medical & Health Policy After analyzing demographic job data, the researchers found that Blacks were nearly three times more likely than whites to work in health care support jobs such as nursing assistants or orderlies. Blacks were twice as likely to work in transportation roles such as bus drivers, movers, and taxi drivers. Also, Black Americans were more likely to serve in seven other occupations deemed essential during the pandemic: food preparation, building and grounds maintenance, police and protective services, personal care (childcare, hairstylists), office and administrative support, production (assemblers, painters, machinists), as well as social work and community services. The researchers correlated these job classifications with COVID-19 deaths in 26 states and Washington, D.C. They concluded that all of these jobs placed workers at higher risk of infection and death from the novel disease. Police and protective services, health care support, transportation, and food preparation were among those occupations most closely correlated with COVID-19 deaths. This finding, Qeadan says, strongly implies that Blacks are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 on the job than whites. It also could help explain why Blacks, who only represent 6% of the population in Wisconsin, accounted for more than 36% of the state's COVID-19 deaths. Smaller but notably disproportionate COVID-19 death rates were found in other states such as California, New York, New Jersey, and Tennessee. However, the largest disparities were detected in the Midwest, where Blacks accounted for 30-40% of COVID-19 deaths in Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, and Illinois yet represented less than 15% of the populations in these states. At the time of the study in April 2020, Blacks comprise 12% of the population nationwide but 21% of COVID-19 deaths. "I find it ironic that the people we depend on as essential workers to wipe down our counters and keep things clean are the most vulnerable among us," says Tiana N. Rogers, Ph.D., corresponding author of the study and program manager for the Sorenson Impact Center's Data, Policy, and Performance Innovation team in the David Eccles School of Business. "We need to make sure that the people doing these jobs can continue to provide for their families without having to risk their lives." According to study co-author, Charles R. Rogers, Ph.D., an assistant professor of public health, "Black essential workers could be bringing the disease home from work and inadvertently spreading it among their family members-;especially considering some Blacks live in multi-generational, high-density housing." While this may make social distancing and other COVID-19 safety precautions more difficult, he says adhering to these guidelines is particularly important for essential workers in these situations. Among its limitations, the study did not account for racial differences at the county or regional level within states due to a lack of access to public and desegregated data. The study's results could also have been affected by the timing of the onset of COVID-19 in various states as well as how rapidly states adopted social distancing policies. Still, the researchers believe their findings are critical for enabling timely public health strategies for pandemics moving forward. "This study should help health practitioners better assess what is going on among essential workers who happen to be Black," Tiana Rogers says. "If we honestly don't know what is happening and where it is happening, we can't make adjustments that are equitable and give these workers the support and resources they need for survival during this crisis." Former Deputy Energy Minister John Jinapor has attributed the power outage experienced in parts of Accra on Monday, 7 September during the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) -Manifesto launch to an on-going load shedding exercise being carried out by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). The former deputy minister revealed this in an article on Tuesday, 8 September 2020. Mr Jinapor indicated that the ECG has been carrying out the load shedding exercise for the past two weeks. Mr Jinapor wrote: A lot of my NDC folks were complaining bitterly of Government sabotaging the NDC manifesto launch with deliberate power outages. What most of them failed to realise is that ECG, in particular, has been shedding load (Dumsor) for more than two weeks now. According to Mr Jinapor, The Power sector SOEs [State Owned Enterprises] have only been gagged not to announce a schedule for the current ongoing load shedding. He continued that Monday evenings power outage was only worse because demand for electricity increased dramatically as a result of millions of Ghanaians deciding to watch the manifesto launch from the comfort of their homes. Obviously, supply couldn't cope with the demand, hence the situation went out of control resulting in massive power outages. The former Deputy Energy Minister further continued that; The bottom line is that the power sector is choking with huge debts due to bad management practices and unnecessary political interference in the work of the regulator (PURC). He called on the government to be truthful to Ghanaians about the current situation of the energy sector. The Akufo-Addo led Government must be honest with Ghanaians and stop deceiving us. Ghanaians must be told the truth about the current load shedding and the real situation on the ground so they can plan their lives and brace for the challenge, Mr Jinapor added. ---classfmonline Vietnams Ministry of Health documented five imported COVID-19 cases and 22 recovered patients on Wednesday, while recording zero domestic infections for the seventh day in a row. The imported cases ages fluctuate between four and 60 years old. The five, all Vietnamese, arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on the same flight on September 1. They were sent to a collective quarantine center in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, about 100km from Ho Chi Minh City, upon entry. They tested negative for the novel coronavirus on September 3. Their retest conducted by the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City proved positive on Wednesday. The five patients are isolated for treatment at Long Dien District Medical Center in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. The health ministry recorded no community-based coronavirus cases for the seventh consecutive day on Wednesday. It announced 22 recoveries the same day, including 10 patients in Da Nang, four in neighboring Quang Nam Province, four in Hanoi, two in southern Bac Lieu Province, and one in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. Vietnam has reported 1,054 coronavirus patients, including 691 domestic infections, since the virus first hit the nation on January 23. The number of recoveries has reached 890 while 35 have died as of Wednesday night, most having suffered serious underlying conditions. A total of 551 locally-transmitted cases have been logged since a new wave struck Vietnam on July 25, when Da Nang confirmed the first community transmission after the country had gone 99 days without documenting a single local infection. Most of these domestic cases have been traced back to Da Nang, a tourist hub on the central coast. Ho Chi Minh City authorities have said those coming to the city from Da Nang from September 5, when the beach city started easing social distancing restrictions after having contained the new outbreak, will have to declare their health status, monitor their health for 14 days, and undergo a COVID-19 test. The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control already began testing arrivals from Da Nang at Tan Son Nhat airport on Tuesday. People who come to the city by other means of transportation will be required to declare their health conditions and to have their samples taken at places designated by local medical centers. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Doctors have reported a surge in children being referred for Covid-19 tests since the country's schools reopened. The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said that GPs are seeing a spike in the number of children attending for assessment with possible Covid-19 symptoms. Forced Thousands of children returned to classrooms across the country at the start of September for the first time in six months, after schools were forced to shut their doors in March due to the pandemic. Chairman of the IMO GP Committee, Dr Denis McCauley, said the increase in assessments for children was being experienced throughout the country. "Our GP members right across the country are reporting a very significant increase in requests from parents for assessments of their children for possible Covid-19," he said. "We had anticipated a development like this following the long-awaited reopening of the schools but we are nevertheless struck by the volume of enquiries being received by members." Dr McCauley said the IMO supported the reopening of schools and that public health doctors were working closely with schools to manage any reported cases of Covid. "It is absolutely right that the schools have reopened and that parents are seeking advice on possible Covid cases," he said. "The increase in demand for assessments is positive as it demonstrates that parents are monitoring their children's health closely. "It also allows the GP an opportunity to assess each presentation and to filter out non-essential testing but also to pick up important non-Covid presentations," Dr McCauley said. "By being proactive, they are doing their bit to prevent the spread of Covid within the schools and the wider community and are doing a great job but it is important that all of us in society support this by doing our bit - handwashing, social distancing and reducing contacts." Concerns "We cannot forget the basics and if anyone has symptoms they should immediately self-isolate and contact their GP," he said. Dr McCauley added that parents with concerns about Covid-19 should focus on fever, sudden onset of cough or a child who is generally unwell with loss of taste or smell and to refer such cases to their GP as soon as symptoms develop. This is the Coronavirus Schools Briefing, a guide to the seismic changes in U.S. education that are taking place during the pandemic. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Corona dorms and student spreaders Cases of coronavirus are spiking on university campuses, leaving administrators with two unappealing options: Quarantine students in dorms, or send them home. The University of Alabama said it had recently posted university police officers at its quarantine dorms while Notre Dame said it had hired guards to monitor students in quarantine in hotels and off-campus apartments. And perhaps unsurprisingly, many schools are having trouble running what are essentially disease containment units. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Brianna Hayes was assigned to a quarantine dorm after developing a fever. Two days later, the university informed her that she had tested positive and would need to move again, to a Covid-19 isolation dorm. There was no university staff in the dorm to help sick students, Ms. Hayes said, and no elevator. Feverish and exhausted from the virus, she made four trips up and down staircases to move her bedding and other belongings to her isolation room. During her week in isolation, she said, no one from the university came to check on her. The playbook for the theft of the 2020 presidential election is written. The Democrats, under the guise of a group named the Transition Integrity Project (TIP), have actually drafted their plan to steal the election. The characters in the play are all familiar names: George Soros; Bill and Melinda Gates; traitorous NeverTrumps like John Kasich, Bill Kristol, and Michael Steele; and the Clinton Cabal, including John Podesta and Donna Brazile. The list is defined by those who lost the most when Trump won. And don't forget which country lost the most China so the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is well represented. Nils Gilman, vice president of programs at the Berggruen Institute, is the co-founder of TIP, and among his programs are partnerships with Chinese governmentrun entities like the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence, the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese Association of Artificial Intelligence. The institute's 21st-Century Council membership includes such familiar names as Jack Dorsey, Lawrence Summers, and Arianna Huffington, among a long list of China's Who's Who. That's not all. The other co-founder is Rosa Brooks, a former Clinton-ite and Obama-ite, who wrote in Foreign Policy ten days after Trump's inauguration, "Three Ways to Get Rid of President Trump before 2020." She and Gilman, throughout this plan, use the contradictory language of good intentions to be delivered by evil acts. In a footnote, there is this: "TIP recognizes and shares the view that the Electoral College is profoundly anti-democratic[.]" But there is also this: "TIP takes no position on how Americans should cast their votes ... however, the administration of President Donald Trump has steadily undermined core norms of democracy and the rule of law[.]" That should sum up all the "abouts" you'll need, but don't forget the bibliography at the end. All references are notoriously left-leaning. The document is a 22-page account of a war-gaming exercise that took as its primary premise that President Trump will lose the election and refuse to give up power. The authors claim to have advance knowledge "with a high degree of likelihood" that the election will result in chaos, largely due to their attributing to the president all sorts of nefarious motives and actions. Chaos and slander are clearly their plan, because they can't prevail on a level playing field. They stoke the fear ahead of time that the president will take certain actions to cast doubt on the election's results should he lose, and then they can blame him credibly as they do those exact things. The fear among Democrats of another four years of Donald Trump chipping away at their Deep State cash cow is admission in itself that Joe Biden can't compete with Trump. In four different scenarios, there is actually a disgraceful checklist of tactics for Democrat operatives to prepare to carry out in order to usurp all possible constitutional remedies to any uncertainties in the election results. Clearly, an Electoral College loss and a popular vote win will be unacceptable to them. Their fabricated moves within the "game" are really scare tactics against President Trump, all familiar because we've watched variations of them in the endless Democrat investigations over the last four years. This is instant replay, on a different channel...the Democrats plotting to remove the duly elected president of the United States by whatever means they think will work. Only this time, rather than doing so in secret meetings and using illegal surveillance with government resources, they plan to include their violent anarchists already at work in the streets of America. Despite their naming two of the scenarios as clear victories, there is not one that provides a clear and unambiguous victory for Donald Trump. Among the four, Biden wins the popular vote each time. This allowed the Democrats to provide maximum demonization of President Trump and to construct the scenarios to make full use of underhanded tactics to delay the calling of victory for President Trump. This is important because it's in line with another claim in their premise, that the "Election Night" concept is no longer accurate and is actually dangerous. By being prepared to contest the election results, they can create "divergent media narratives," file lawsuits, "stop the counting of ballots," and start "protests drawing people from both sides." In these ways, they can assure that there is no victor declared on Election Night. One of the checklist items was recently a headline, when Hillary told Joe Biden, "Don't concede under any circumstances" spoken by the loser of the 2016 election, who still hasn't conceded. If these Democrat tactics are successful, and a Trump victory declaration is delayed, there remains a chance that the Democrats can cheat to make Biden declared the winner. Any delay after the deltas are evident permits the Democrat machine to focus on the delta or deltas they need to bridge the gap. They'll distract everyone by naming Biden Cabinet members and publishing an agenda for the first 100 days, as if it's a certainty Biden will be declared the winner. Through standard magical sleight-of-hand, they'll convince you to look over there, while over here, they will cheat. It will be magical, beyond belief, a snatch of victory from the clutches of defeat, a touching underdog story from the great statesman with a lifetime of public service. In the end, if this is allowed to happen, the progressive Democrat "fundamental transformation" of America will begin, and the American Dream will die a slow and painful death. "Voter fraud is virtually nonexistent," and "the primary threat to the integrity of the election and transition appears to come from the Trump administration," says this document, yet there are thousands of dishonest Democrat operatives around the country on call, ready to play their part, especially in areas where polling is close. To shut down this plan to commit fraud against the American voters, to keep the American Dream alive and thriving, President Trump must win by overwhelming margins. The Trump team must get out the vote to ensure unequivocal, decisive numbers that deliver a clear and definitive message that Americans want freedom and prosperity, not socialism and economic destruction. The Democrats have no plan for a Trump landslide. Donald N. Finley is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. Actor Rhea Chakrabortys arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau in Sushant Singh Rajput case has led to diverse reactions from Bollywood personalities. While many like filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava have likened it to witch-hunt, actor Kangana Ranaut has claimed that Rhea should expose everyone now. Excellent job, India! Enjoy the burning of the witch. And while we are at it we may as well get Sati back. And no, lets not lift a finger to stem any crimes against women. Lets dance wildly and applaud the fire, Alankrita wrote on Twitter. The tweet was shared by Shibani Dandekar who has earlier defended the Rhea. Excellent job, India! Enjoy the burning of the witch. And while we are at it we may as well get Sati back. And no, lets not lift a finger to stem any crimes against women. Lets dance wildly and applaud the fire. Alankrita Shrivastava (@alankrita601) September 8, 2020 Kangana -- who has been at the forefront of demanding justice for Sushant, claiming that he was ostracised by the privileged in the industry, struck to the same narrative. I always said Rhea is just a scapegoat, she may be a small-time gold digger or druggie but now she should reveal the names of masterminds behind Sushants epic fall, who finished his career? Who snatched his films? Who ruined his reputation and to top it all who gave him drugs? She should expose everyone now or else it will be too late, she told Pinkvilla. NCB arrested Rhea after questioning her for three days in connection with drugs-related allegations in her boyfriend and actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case. Rhea has been arrested and due process of informing the family has been completed, said deputy director of NCB, KPS Malhotra. She was taken to a public hospital here for medical check-up and COVID-19 tests soon after her arrest. Rajput, 34, was found dead at his Bandra apartment here on June 14. The 28-year-old girlfriend of Sushant Singh Rajput had in recent TV interviews denied that she consumed drugs. NCB recently arrested her brother Showik Chakraborty and Sushants manager Samuel Miranda on drug supply charges. The late actors father had filed an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty in Patna, accusing her of driving his son to suicide and misappropriating his money. Rhea has denied the allegations on several occasions. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Australia was plunged into strict lockdown at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic based on incorrect figures and a massive over-estimation of how many patients would require ICU treatment. Research by The Peter Doherty Institute had estimated a peak daily demand of 35,000 intensive care beds would be required in the scenario of an uncontrolled outbreak in Australia. But the modelling had confused ICU admissions with the number of people who would need to be taken to hospital during the pandemic. As a result, New South Wales hospitals were predicted to be hit with 12,000 ICU patients rather than the 3,000 admissions the modelling had meant to show. A young woman strolls down an empty Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne on Wednesday. Experts who predicted Australia's ICU demand at the start of the COVID-19 crisis made a critical error in data that guided the nation's response to the pandemic, it has emerged Department for Health Secretary Brendan Murphy pictured in Canberra on Monday. As chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy had cited estimates of a peak daily demand of 35,000 ICU beds during an uncontrolled coronavirus outbreak as 'horrendous' The data was used by the federal government to justify nationwide business shutdowns, border closures and social distancing restrictions when the virus took hold in Australia in March. Then-Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said at the time the figures forecast an 'horrendous scenario' with a 'daily demand for new intensive care beds of 35,000-plus'. He said such a demand would be 'completely beyond the realm of any country to create'. The Doherty Institute's Professor Jodie McVernon said the modelling mistake - which was published in April - was noticed in June and the government was notified, The Daily Telegraph reported. Disease modelling experts at James Cook University in Queensland noticed the error when they discovered a large discrepancy in predicted ICU admissions between different parts of Australia. James Cook University infectious diseases physician Emma McBryde claimed her researchers had told the Doherty Institute of the mistake and the organisation said the error would be corrected. The modelling though had confused ICU admissions with the number of people who would need to be taken to hospital during the pandemic. Pictured a near-deserted Bourke Street Mall on Wednesday Large numbers of police patrol Melbourne streets on Wednesday. The Doherty Institute's Professor Jodie McVernon said the modelling mistake was noticed in June DOHERTY INSTITUTE'S STATEMENT ON COVID-19 ICU DATA ERROR An error in the graphical representations of modelling conducted by the Doherty Institute utilised by the Commonwealth Government in the public health response to COVID-19 was noticed in June,' University of Melbourne professor and Director of Doherty Epidemiology Jodie McVernon said. 'The conclusions of the model regarding response strategies needed to ensure ICU capacity requirements were not exceeded, were accurate and didnt affect its implications for policy. 'This error resulted from a single line in the code used to plot a graph, meaning that it showed the number of hospitalisations rather than the number of ICU bed admissions.' 'We informed the Commonwealth Government at the time this error was realised having cross-checked and confirmed that it only referred to two visual outputs. 'A more detailed description of the modelling with the corrected graphical representations was submitted for peer review to the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal and was accepted for publication on August 30 2020.' Advertisement But she claimed no revision had been made three months later. 'Leaving something inaccurate uncorrected on the public record is pretty close to research misconduct,' she said. 'I strongly believe we lock down too hard.' The revelation comes as Australia's hopes for a coronavirus vaccine were put under threat after trials in the UK were paused over major safety concerns. Late-stage studies of AstraZenec's vaccine candidate are on hold after a patient became seriously ill on Tuesday. The company is investigating if the illness, which has not been specified, is a serious side effect or had nothing to do with the shot. Australia's hopes for a coronavirus vaccine are under threat after trials in the UK were paused over safety concerns. Pictured: A scientist works on the vaccine at Oxford University Late-stage studies of AstraZenec's vaccine candidate are on temporary hold after a patient became seriously ill on Tuesday. Pictured: Residents wearing masks in Melbourne The federal and state governments have repeatedly said we will have to live with the virus until a vaccine is rolled out. But the jab being developed at Oxford University is the only overseas candidate that Australia has agreed to buy while other developed countries have signed several deals. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has come under fire for 'putting all of Australia's eggs in one basket'. Labor's health spokesman Chris Bowen said: 'The federal government needs to invest urgently in a range of potential Covid-19 vaccines.' Victoria recorded 76 new COVID-19 infections and 11 deaths on Wednesday (pictured, two women in Melbourne wear face masks near the beach on Tuesday) He pointed out that 18 countries have signed 51 deals to buy various vaccine candidates. The US has six and the UK has five. Australia has also agreed to buy a vaccine being developed at the University of Queensland - but it only started human trials in July. There are 37 vaccines in human trials around the world and Australia is trying to buy more of them. Victoria meanwhile recorded another day of double-digit coronavirus infections on Wednesday, with just 76 new cases across the state. A further 11 deaths have also been announced, taking the state's death toll to 694. The figures are a marked jump from previous days after the state recorded 55 infections on Tuesday and 41 on Monday - the lowest number in two months. In order to move to the next step of easing restrictions on September 28, Melbourne must record an average daily infection rate between 30 and 50 over the next two weeks. Cafes, bars and restaurants will not be able to have customers dine outside until October 26, as long as the statewide case average has fallen under five for the previous fortnight. MELBOURNE'S ROADMAP OUT OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWN - WHAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO AND WHEN: Step one: Came into effect on September 14 Step two: Came into effect on September 28 Step three: When there is a daily statewide average of five new cases over the past 14 days. The original aim was for October 26, brought forward to October 19 after the 14-day average of new cases fell below initial expectations, but again put on hold after new case numbers plateaued. This has now been revamped to be a series of 'mini-steps' and more gradual easings as the numbers proved difficult to shift. Step four: The move to step four will come when there have been no new COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days. The aim is for this to come into place on November 23 COVID Normal: After 28 days of no new COVID-19 cases, things will return to normal. FREEDOMS YOU GET AT EACH STEP OF EASING Step one - came into effect September 14 - Curfew has been eased to 9pm-5am - People can still only leave home for the four reasons (shopping, exercise, work and care or medical attention) - Public gatherings increased to two people, or a household, for a maximum of two hours - Singles can have one nominated person to their home as part of the 'singles social bubble' - Childcare and early educators to remain closed - Schools will continue to learn remotely unless they have exemptions - Adult education to continue to be done remotely, unless they have exemption - Only go to work if you are in a permitted industry - Cafes and restaurants will continue with take away only - Retail businesses will remain open for essential shopping, with others only operating with click and collect - Only one person per household can do the essential shopping Step two - came into effect September 28 - Melbourne's curfew lifted - Public gatherings increase again to five people from a maximum of two households - Childcare and early educators can re-open - Schools to continue with remote learning, but Prep to Grade Two and Year 11 and Year 12 students will gradually return to class in Term 4 - There will be an increase to permitted workplaces Step three - originally expected October 26, brought forward to October 19 - There are no restrictions on leaving home - Public gatherings increase to 10 people together outdoors - A 'household bubble' will be introduced, so five people from one house can visit another - Remote learning to continue, but Grades 3 to Year 11 can gradually return to class - Adult education to continue to be done remotely, but hands on classes will see a phased return to onsite - Work from home is encouraged - Up to 10 people can eat together at restaurants and cafes, with the majority of tables outdoor - Retail shops to reopen, with hairdresses operating under safety measures but beauty stores to remain closed - Real estate agents can conduct private inspections by appointment - The one person per household limit on shopping is to be revoked Step four - November 22 - Public gatherings to increase to 50 people outdoors - Up to 20 visitors can attend a home at any one time - All adult education will return to onsite with safety measures in place - Groups limited to 20 indoors and a maximum of 50 patrons per venue - All retail stores to reopen, while real estate agents can operate with safety measures and by keeping a record of attendants Step five - COVID normal: - Public gatherings have no restriction - There will also be no restriction on visitors to homes - Phased return to onsite work for work from home workers - Schools to reopen as normal - Restrictions on hospitality removed, but venues to continue keeping records Advertisement Customers won't be allowed inside until November 23 and only if there have been no cases at all for the previous two weeks. The strict draconian curfew enforced in Melbourne will be also be extended to October 26 but will be increased to 9pm-5am. Currently it begins at 8pm. Retail shops are also expected to open their doors from October 26 along with hairdressers under strict safety measures. Public gatherings will also increase to ten people. Queensland recorded eight new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the state's biggest daily rise in nearly five months, including three more workers from Ipswich Hospital. The other five cases were members of the same family who were under quarantine in a household when they were diagnosed. These cases are linked to the cluster at the Queensland Correctional Services Academy. The spike in cases follows New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian admitting she 'does begrudge' Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk of her decision to keep the southern border shut. Speaking on Today on Wednesday, Ms Berejiklian said there was no health basis to keeping the border restrictions. 'I do begrudge her because the situation has got very low community transmission,' Ms Berejikilian said. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) has said she has no intention of opening her state's border this month 'And NSW has shown that you can have open borders.' Tensions between the two leaders have been simmering for months over Queensland's decision to keep the southern border closed. Ms Berejiklian said a number of Queensland residents were in New South Wales hotels under quarantine with COVID-19. She claimed if NSW had high numbers like Victoria then closing the border was a sensible measure, however, states with a confident health system and low numbers should not be isolated. 'When the case numbers are so low at this stage and yes, it's a daily battle, why would you close your borders? Why would you hurt your businesses and jobs in your own state?' D urham University has condemned sexist social media posts allegedly left by incoming students as utterly abhorrent. There have been claims that a group of soon-to-be freshers at the top institution made plans online to hold a competition for posh lads to have sex with the poorest girl on campus. Fellow students alerted university authorities to the group, called Durham Boys Making All The Noise, after a selection of its messages were leaked, student news site The Tab reported. One student wrote: I hope you're aware that there's a freshers 'lads' group chat with loads of boys discussing ways to use date rape drugs on girls, discussing them like objects and making plans to 'shag the poorest girl'. Disgusting. Another group chat also discussed rape. The Tab claimed the website has seen screenshots from one chat which show posts with comments including: "It's called being a whore" and can't get enough since girls don't put out." The university is set to welcome students back on September 28. Pro-vice-chancellor Jeremy Cook told The Times the university utterly condemns the content and behaviour demonstrated in these social media posts. The university has launched an investigation into the posts and has said it will take action to ensure that those involved will have no place at Durham University. Mr Cook said: "The university has been made aware of some utterly abhorrent comments on social media that we understand may have been posted by Durham students. "Durham University utterly condemns the content and behaviour demonstrated in these social media posts. This is entirely unacceptable and violates the values and behaviours that we uphold as a university community. "We instigated an immediate investigation by our student disciplinary team as soon as we were made aware of these social media posts. If these posts are found to be genuine and attributable, we will take action to ensure that those involved will have no place at Durham University." She is currently acting as the Jury President for the 77th annual Venice Film Festival. And Cate Blanchett cut a chic figure as she arrived for the eighth day of the festival in the Italian city on Wednesday. The Mrs. America star, 51, donned a black pinstripe blazer for the outing along with a pair of leather trousers. Event: Cate Blanchett, 51, cut a chic figure as she arrived for the eighth day of the Venice Film Festival in the Italian city on Wednesday Adding height to her frame with a pair of black boots, Cate also donned a white T-shirt with a first print. The Melbourne native carried a black handbag while she wore her platinum blonde locks in a bob. Cate completed her look for the day by sporting a pair of large sunglasses and put safety first with a face mask amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Cate's outing comes after she revealed she prefers to be referred to as an actor than an actress, as she often found the latter term to be used in a 'pejorative sense'. Style: The Mrs. America star donned a black pinstripe blazer for the outing along with a pair of leather trousers. Throwing her support behind Berlin International Film Festival's new plan to do away with gendered awards, she told AFP: 'I have always referred to myself as an actor. 'I am of the generation where the word actress was used almost always in a pejorative sense. So I claim the other space.' Cate is heading the jury at Venice during an historic year, when the number of women directors competing for the top prize has quadrupled to eight. 'I think a good performance is a good performance no matter the sexual orientation of who is making them,' she added of her thoughts on the matter. 'The hardest thing as a jury member is to sit in judgement of other people's work. That's the hardest thing not the (gender) demarcation.' Outfit: Adding height to her frame with a pair of black boots, Cate also donned a white T-shirt with a first print Fashion: The Melbourne native carried a black handbag while she wore her platinum blonde locks in a bob Health: Cate completed her look for the day by sporting a pair of large sunglasses and put safety first with a face mask The Venice Film Festival is one of the world's oldest award ceremonies and is listed as one of the 'Big Five' events. It started on 2 September and ends on the 12 September. According to Variety, when the Film Festival unveiled its official selection in late July, the 'unprecedented inclusion of eight female-directed titles within the 18-film roster was heralded as welcome progress for an event that has come under fire in recent years for scarce representation of female filmmakers.' Cate was chosen to head the jury back in January, making her the third woman in four years to hold the role. As Election Day approaches, political candidates, political action committees and other groups will be flooding Michigan voters' mailboxes with campaign material - and we want to see your examples. Political mailers have long been a mainstay in campaign outreach, a glossy, concise message that aims to leave a lasting impression. Reaching people through the mail is an especially important tool for state and local candidates, who may be unfamiliar to voters. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, political mail is the new handshake, said Julie Joles, a regional account manager at Northern Michigan printing and marketing company Mitchell Graphics. Joles anticipates this will be the companys largest year ever in terms of political mail volume. I think direct mail is really more relevant than ever with people not necessarily wanting to go door-to-door, Joles said. Im not necessarily wanting to open my door up to anyone right now, outside of my own family and my own workspace. But mailers attacking an opponent or issue can be misleading - and its not always clear who is footing the bill. Candidates arent the only ones funding mailers that get sent to prospective voters' homes. A variety of dark money organizations that either avoid revealing their funding or evade campaign finance rules completely also send mail supporting preferred candidates and issues. With money pumping into Michigan political campaigns at record-breaking levels, knowing whos funding all those glossy flyers in your mailbox is more important than ever. This fall, MLive and the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization focused on tracking spending in Michigan politics, are partnering to follow the money behind campaign mail around the state. To do that, were asking for Michigan residents to send us examples of the political mail theyre getting this cycle. What were looking for: Postcards, flyers, handouts and other campaign-related materials for the 2020 general election delivered to your door, whether it came by mail or was dropped off in person. Submissions can come from anywhere in Michigan, and no race is too big or too small - were interested in mailers from federal, state and local races. MLive and the Michigan Campaign Finance Network will not share the personal information of anyone who submits mailers to the project. How to participate: Take photos of both sides of the mailer. Please make sure the photos are legible, arent blurry and include the entire piece of mail. Send the photos to mail@mcfn.org . If its not clear from the mailer, please indicate the race or ballot measure the mailer is regarding. And thats it! MLive and the Michigan Campaign Finance Network will use submissions to help track where and how money is being spent to influence voters throughout the state, particularly in hotly-contested elections. Read more on MLive: Ann Arbor council member accused of sending misleading campaign mailer See the campaign ads that got a Michigan Senate candidate in trouble How absentee ballots are deepening the divide between Michigan Democrats and Republicans 5 things election workers learned from Michigans record-turnout primary The American business magazine Forbes published its 39th annual list of the 400 richest people in the country on Tuesday, celebrating the parasitic elites total wealth expansion by $240 billion to a record $3.2 trillion over the past year. While millions of working-class families in the US are facing unemployment, economic ruin, eviction and hunger arising from the deep economic crisis sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, Forbes introduces its top billionaires list with Pandemic be damned. Noting that the stock market has defied the virus, Forbes editors write, Even in these trying times mega-fortunes are still being minted. Topping the Forbes list for the third year in a row is Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, with a net worth of $179 billion. Up from $114 billion in 2019an increase of 57 percentBezoss increase in personal wealth of $65 billion in one year is greater than the individual wealth of all but eight others at the top of the list. Billionaire Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos talks about the history and character of the Post during a dedication ceremony for its new headquarters in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Along with Bezos, the top ten richest Americans include: Bill Gates (Microsoft, $111 billion), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook, $85 billion), Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway, $73.5 billion), Larry Ellison (Oracle, $72 billion), Steve Ballmer (Microsoft, $69 billion), Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, $68 billion), Larry Page (Google, $67.5 billion), Sergey Brin (Google, $65.7 billion) and Alice Walton (Walmart, $62.3 billion). With the exception of Warren Buffett, whose net worth dropped by $7.3 billion over the past year, the other nine of the top ten richest billionaires increased their wealth by a total of $194 billion. This means that 80 percent of the increases in the top 400 wealthiest fortunes went to nine of the ten richest individuals. Forbes began the repugnant business of hailing the accumulation of personal capitalist wealth in 1982. This was during the decade that began with the election of Republican Ronald Reagan as President and when the ruling elite went on the offensive against every gain made by the working class since the 1930s. Since that time, a massive intensification of the exploitation of the working class and transfer of wealth to the financial oligarchy has taken place. Increase in net worth of the top ten wealthiest Americans from 2019 to 2020 Providing something of a picture of just how far the social counterrevolution of the past four decades has penetrated American society, in 1982 there were 13 billionaires in the Forbes 400, and someone with a fortune of $75 million could secure a spot on the list. In what passes for analysis, Forbes provides additional details about the mega-fortunes being minted by this years list makers. We welcome 18 new members to the ranks, who made their piles in everything from electric trucks to the now-ubiquitous Zoom. Plus, there are 9 returneesformer 400 members who fell off the list and have made a comeback. Attempting to inject some semblance of reality into their report, the Forbes editors add, Two from last years list died, and 25 dropped off as their fortunes fell; 10 of those setbacks were directly attributable to the Covid crisis. Although it does not mention the President specifically, the report shows that Donald Trumps fortune fell by $600 million to $2.5 billion, dropping him from number 275 to 339 on the list. Forbes explains the methodology behind their net worth calculations in how we crunch the numbers. Here, editor Jennifer Wang writes: Uncovering their fortunes required us to pore over thousands of SEC documents, court records, probate records and news articles. We took into account all types of assets: stakes in public and private companies, real estate, art, yachts, planes, ranches, vineyards, jewelry, car collections and more. We factored in debt and charitable giving. While some billionaires provided documentation for their private assets and companies, others were less forthcoming. In short, given that the financial elite specializes in concealing the full extent of their wealth, the net worth given in the Forbes 400 are no doubt below the real amounts of wealth owned. Ratio of the net worth of the top ten wealthies Americans to the remaining 390 on the Forbes 400 list The Forbes 400 list also includes some qualifying data points such as the age, sex, industry, state where they are located, the corporate source of their wealth, a philanthropy score and something called the self-made score. The last of these has a scale from 1: Inherited fortune but not working to increase it to 10: Self-made who not only grew up poor but also overcame significant obstacles. Media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who came in with a net worth of $2.6 billion at number 327 on the list, has a self-made score of ten, along with investor and philanthropist George Soros (#56 at $8.6 billion). What the Forbes report leaves out, of course, is any reference to the role that the US government has played in the colossal escalation of Wall Street wealth during the coronavirus pandemic. With the passage of the misnamed CARES Act, supported with a near-unanimous vote by both Democrats and Republicans, Congress and the White House began injecting massive amounts of cash from the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve into the coffers of corporate America, the stock market and the pockets of the super-rich. The richest have seen their wealth rise while tens of millions of workers lost their jobs and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined by an annualized rate of 34.3 percent during the coronavirus economic shutdown in the second quarter of 2020, the biggest drop on record. Meanwhile, the $600 a week federal supplement to unemployment payments, which had provided a lifeline to those put out of work by coronavirus restrictions, has been cut off since the end of July, plunging millions into misery or forcing them to return to work under unsafe conditions. While effective analogies illustrating the scale of the wealth accumulation of the super-rich and the degree of inequality that exists in the US are very hard to come by, a look at the joint wealth of Jeff Bezos and his ex-wife Mackenzie Scott is instructive. Adding Scotts net worth ($57 billion) to that of Bezos, the two would have a combined wealth of $236 billion. First of all, recent reports show that 40 percent of Americans have a negative net worth. This means that their debts, such as loans, credit cards and student debt, are greater than their assets, such as a car or a house or savings in a bank account. Still, the median net worth of American familiesthe point at which 50 percent are below and 50 percent are above this valueis $97,300. This means that the former Bezos family has a net worth that is equal to 2.4 million times that of a median familys net worth. In the midst of reflecting upon how close the United States had come in 2017 to war with North Korea, Trump revealed: I have built a nuclear a weapons system that nobodys ever had in this country before. We have stuff that you havent even seen or heard about. We have stuff that Putin and Xi have never heard about before. Theres nobody what we have is incredible. The majority of insurance firms are using dual-pricing through various techniques, the Central Bank has said. The bank also found that some insurance companies have not appropriately considered or discussed the impact of their firms dual-pricing practices on their customers. The regulatory authority said that firms have a responsibility to understand the impact of pricing practices on their customers. It added that failure to recognise or acknowledge the practice raises significant concerns about a firms ability to assess this impact. The findings are in stark contrast to claims made by some insurance companies which denied using dual-pricing. Expand Close Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty asked what hold the meat barons had over Fianna Fail and Fine Gael (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty asked what hold the meat barons had over Fianna Fail and Fine Gael (Niall Carson/PA) Dual-pricing, or differential pricing, is the practice where customers with a similar risk profile are charged different premiums by taking into account factors such as how likely a customer is to auto-renew their insurance. Firms use data analysis to form a profile of their customers and use the information to charge the clients more. The Central Bank published its findings in the first part of the review which began in January this year. The Central Bank said it has issued a letter to the insurance sector. Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty has called for the practice to be banned. We challenged the insurance companies on this issue before the finance committee and they told me bluntly there was nothing to see, he added. I prepared this 133-page dossier which claims there is extensive use of dual-pricing within the insurance market and this preys on vulnerable customers, that it artificially increases the price of insurance on these customers and I argued this practice needed to be ended and banned. The Central Bank's investigation into ripping-off of customers by the insurance industry - carried out in response to 130-page dossier submitted by @PearseDoherty in October of last year is absolutely damning More: https://t.co/1kzWxeITFl pic.twitter.com/RoDmmepxuo Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) September 9, 2020 It uses big data that we sometimes give voluntary to insurance companies, other times its purchased legally through third party sources. The third source of data that insurance companies can use in terms of dual-pricing are images and videos that are posted on our social media networks. This practice not only needs to be investigated but also ended. Thats why I have drafted legislation to bring this practice to an end. He said the practice is still in use today. The Labour partys Ged Nash called for the Central Banks probe into dual-pricing to be stepped up. Mr Nash said: This report is deeply concerning as dual pricing is hammering customers who may have let their policy roll over to renew automatically, particularly older customers. This is an exploitative practice which perversely involves longstanding customers being slapped with a loyalty premium. We need to stop this rip-off of customers by insurers. Kolkata, Sep 9 : Kolkata Metro Rail authorities on Wednesday released the guidelines for running the city's underground commuting lifeline in the new normal phase. The metro rail services are likely to resume from September 14 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, expect on Sundays. "We are not confirming now that the service will resume from September 14. But there is a possibility. Metro service will run on September 13 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), and that is confirmed," Kolkata Metro Rail spokesperson told IANS. According to the new guidelines, e-pass will be made available on the Metro Rail's official website or on the Pathadisha app, which needs to be booked by the passenger 12 hours prior to the journey. The last train will start at 7 p.m. from both the end stations. If any station falls under the Covid-19 containment zone, it will remain closed. The new guidelines also said that trains will stop for 30 seconds now at every station, instead of 20 seconds earlier. There will be seats with cross marks where passengers will not be allowed to sit. Trains will run after thorough sanitisation of every rake. Officials of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the state police will jointly screen all the passengers with valid e-passes before entering the station premises. Only Metro Rail officials will be able to enter the stations showing their identity cards and then they can collect necessary passes. Special passes will be issued for employees of contract agencies who work for the Kolkata Metro. According to sources, every passenger will have to wear masks and undergo thermal screening before entering the station. Only three persons will be allowed to use the elevator at a time. No passenger will be allowed to commute by Metro if he or she is having cough or fever. Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France Agnes Von Der Muhll Tuesday said Paris has postponed the joint meeting of the foreign and defense ministers of France and Russia for an indefinite period, DW reports. During a press conference, the spokesperson said it has been decided to postpone the session of the France-Russia Security Cooperation Council, taking into consideration the current circumstances. However, the spokesperson failed to provide details about the reason for postponement, but added that there has been a conversation with the Russian side. According to news agencies, the meeting was supposed to take place on September 14. The French havent offered a new date. Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had stressed that the European Union must develop a general response to the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and head of the Foreign Policy Committee of the German Bundestag Norbert Rotgen had stated that Germany and France need to stop working single-handedly in their relations with Russia. Commenting on the discussion on possible sanctions against the Russian Federation following Navalnys poisoning, he declared that a common European strategy against Russia may arise only if Germany and France renounce their single-handed efforts in this direction. Billionaire hedge funder Ken Griffin is going head-to-head with the billionaire governor of Illinois over a plan to increase taxes on the wealthy. Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel, contributed $20 million to a campaign opposing a ballot measure that would allow the state to increase taxes on high earners. Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker has given more than $56 million to a campaign in support of the plan setting up a big-money battle to influence voters before Election Day. The measure would repeal the state's constitutional requirement for a flat income tax, meaning all taxpayers pay the same state income-tax rate, currently at 4.95%. Repealing the requirement would allow for a graduated income tax, imposing higher rates on the highest earners. Pritzker, a Democrat, and the legislature, which has Democratic majorities in both houses, have proposed a series of higher tax rates on those making more than $250,000 or roughly the top 3% of earners in Illinois. The rates rise to 7.99% for joint filers making more than $1 million a year. Pritzker and other supporters say the tax hike would only affect the wealthy, while those making less than $250,000 would get a tax cut. They say the additional revenue, which they project at about $3 billion a year, is needed to prevent widespread cuts in jobs and services given the state's budget shortfall of more than $6 billion, which is partly the result of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet Griffin and other opponents say the tax hike will eventually hit all Illinois taxpayers without solving the state's deeper problems of overspending, waste and corruption. In a statement to CNBC, he said Illinois residents have been leaving the state for the past decade because of tax hikes and spending. "What's now being marketed to voters under the guise of a 'fair tax' is nothing more than a graduated tax scheme engineered to extract the greatest amount of money possible from all Illinois taxpayers," he said in the statement. "It's time the Governor and Illinois legislature stop taking advantage of constituents and wasting hard-earned taxpayer dollars. It's time for the Governor and the legislature to focus on spending our money wisely to provide for better schools, better public safely, better infrastructure and greater opportunities for all our citizens." Griffin, the richest person in Illinois with a net worth of about $15 billion, said he's acting out of collective interest for the state, not his own welfare. He has given hundreds of millions to philanthropic and charitable causes in the state and hired and employed thousands of local employees at Citadel. Yet Griffin could face a costly tax hike under the new plan. Press reports said he earned $1.5 billion last year. Assuming a state tax increase of 3%, he would owe $45 million more a year under the new tax rates, depending on how his income is treated for tax purposes. Griffin, who is not afraid to speak out on broader political issues, makes for a rich target for left-leaning politicians. He purchased the most expensive home in the U.S. paying $240 million for an apartment at 220 Central Park West in Manhattan and spent more than $100 million this year on a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat. His purchase in Manhattan triggered a political backlash that led to an increased "mansion tax" in New York City on the sale of expensive properties. Griffin joins other wealthy Illinois taxpayers who have given money to defeat the tax plan, including a trust controlled by real estate investor Sam Zell, as well as MacNeil Automotive Products of Bolingbrook, which makes WeatherTech products and was founded by Dave MacNeil. The group lobbying in support of the tax hikes said billionaires such as Griffin are simply protecting their fortunes. "It's no surprise he's now doing everything he can to protect the special deal he gets under Illinois' current tax system," said Vote Yes For Fairness Chairman Quentin Fulks. "If Mr. Griffin would like to explain why he thinks it's fair that he pays the same tax rate as our nurses and grocery store clerks, that's a conversation we welcome having." On a snowy afternoon in November 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice spent his final moments throwing snowballs and playing with a toy gun at a park in Cleveland. A man called the police and said Rice was scaring people with a gun that was "probably fake," but according to audio from the Cleveland police dispatch radio, his description of the gun was never relayed to responding officers. Image: Tamir Rice. (Family photo) Minutes later, surveillance footage from a nearby recreation center shows a squad car pulling into the park where Rice was standing. Only two seconds after arriving at the scene, then-officer Timothy Loehmann fatally shot the boy. A grand jury reviewed the incident in 2015, but Loehmann was never charged and kept his job at the department. This was not the first time Loehmann had caused concern for his supervisors. He had been allowed to resign from duty at another department about 12 miles from Cleveland after the deputy chief said that he exhibited a dangerous loss of composure while training with firearms. In an internal 2012 police memorandum, the deputy chief wrote, I do not believe time, nor training, will be able to change or correct (his) deficiencies. The deputy chief also said the information about Loehmann would be forwarded for the mayor's review. In May 2017, the Cleveland police chief announced Loehmann had been fired for his failure to accurately disclose these details about his employment history on his application to the department. However, another department about three hours from Cleveland hired him as a part-time officer in 2018, though he ultimately withdrew his application after facing public backlash. Loehmann is a prime example of what scholars Ben Grunwald and John Rappaport call a wandering officer, which they broadly define as a police officer who was fired or who resigned while under investigation, only to later be rehired by another agency. In an article published this past April, Grunwald and Rappaport found that wandering officers are not just an anomaly they are relatively common. The pair examined the employment records of 98,000 full-time officers in Florida, where Rappaport discovered a dataset available through public records disclosure. In any given year between 1988 and 2016, they said wandering officers made up around 2%-3% of Floridas law enforcement. This frequency is cause for concern, as the study also revealed these officers are about twice as likely to be fired and to receive misconduct complaints in their new roles compared to other officers (including rookies). Story continues Difficulties with police discipline In the wake of George Floyds death, questions over police misconduct and patterns of poor behavior have sparked mass protests across the U.S. Derek Chauvin, the white officer who knelt on Floyds neck for at least eight minutes and 15 seconds, had already incurred 17 complaints while working as an officer within the Minneapolis Police Department. Fifteen complaints were closed with no discipline and two resulted in letters of reprimand, according to an employee complaint profile card released by the department. Chauvin was fired and has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. In a memorandum filed Aug. 28, Chauvin's attorney asked the Hennepin County District Court judge to dismiss these charges due to lack of probable cause. Nobody wants a bad cop out of the profession more than a good one. Retired professor of criminal justice Samuel Walker said it has become difficult to discipline or fire police officers because people have paid little attention to police unions. These unions negotiate contracts called collective bargaining agreements with local departments that cover standard protections like wages and benefits, but they can also include significant provisions about discipline. You got all these provisions that are now solidly in the contracts, and getting them out is a huge mountain to climb, Walker said. I just don't think people understand how long a battle this is going to be. Catherine Fisk, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, highlighted some of the common disciplinary provisions that appear within collective bargaining agreements in a paper she co-authored in 2016. She said these contracts can prevent the public from accessing any records about police misconduct, slow down ongoing disciplinary investigations and even allow complaints and disciplinary records to be destroyed after a certain period of time. Current And Former Mayor De Blasio And NYC Gov't Staffers Call On Mayor For Police Reform (Stephanie Keith / Getty Images) Fisk said unions know their members are susceptible to engaging in misconduct, so they have created a system they know will protect them. They designed the protections that they know would protect any other person who commits a murder, Fisk told TODAY. But Jim Palmer, executive director of a union called the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, said the purpose of disciplinary provisions in collective bargaining agreements is not to shield officers who engage in misconduct. Instead, he said they serve the interests of both the employers and officers by outlining the due process and clear procedural rules by which discipline will be investigated and implemented. Related: Programs in Dallas, Milwaukee and Salinas, California, have drawn the attention of activists seeking to end law enforcement's systemic abuse of black Americans. People read stories, see narratives represented in the media particularly the national media about bad actors, whether it's a police officer or a police union in one part of the country, and they tend to paint police unions generally with a very broad brush, Palmer said. "Nobody wants a bad cop out of the profession more than a good one. It serves no institutional interest on our part to somehow have officers or individuals stay in a profession when they perhaps ought not to. Accessing data is 'simply not possible' Even if officers are disciplined or fired, it is not necessarily enough to end their policing careers, as Grunwald and Rappaport found that around 1,100 wandering officers were actively working each year in Florida. They also said they believe this is a low estimate, in part because their dataset likely does not capture every record of wandering officers present within the state. Large-scale data about police misconduct is not readily available. There is no federal database that mandates the routine collection or release of data about police misconduct, so Grunwald and Rappaport wrote that it is currently impossible to study how pervasive wandering officers are in the U.S. as a whole. Some existing databases encourage agencies to submit information voluntarily, but Rappaport said the organizations behind them have no authority to require states to submit data. For instance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began collecting data for their voluntary misconduct database called the National Use-of-Force Data Collection in January 2019, but according to a federal release, only about 40% of police departments had submitted any information as of March 2020. Even though data collection poses significant challenges, criminologist and former New Hampshire police officer Philip Stinson has spent more than 15 years building his own national database. He works with a team of research assistants to collect the criminal arrest cases of sworn nonfederal officers, and the public can currently access the database for free information on nearly 12,000 cases from 2005-2015. Stinson said police crime is more widespread than people might realize. He adds more than 1,000 arrests to his database every year, and he said the actual number of cases is likely even higher. Stinson relies on media coverage to find new cases, and he said this is largely because police departments do not disclose much information if any about misconduct. In essence, if concerned citizens were to try and access employment or disciplinary records at their local departments, Stinson said they would likely be turned away. I know full well if I were to survey police departments across the country, they would not be forthcoming with the information that I'm gathering through other methods now, Stinson told TODAY. In most places, it's simply not possible to get those kinds of records and that kind of information. Troublesome officers are finding new work Wandering officers often surface as repeat offenders within Stinsons work. He said hes seen officers with charges get hired at other agencies, only to reappear in his database years later. Initially I thought no matter what happened to the criminal case, if you were even charged, you're done, Stinson said. But we see some bizarre results where officers are still working. It is difficult to know exactly why wandering officers are getting rehired, but Grunwald and Rappaport said many agencies might not be aware of the circumstances. They found that wandering officers tend to move to smaller agencies with fewer resources, and these departments do not always carry out thorough background checks. As a result, some officers can successfully lie about their employment histories, just like Timothy Loehmann did on his application to the police department in Cleveland. In some cases, however, a police unions collective bargaining agreement could ensure that wandering officers records are wiped clean even if they engaged in serious misconduct. Stinson said that while he was working as a police officer in New Hampshire, the collective bargaining agreement for his department allowed discipline records in officers personnel files to be removed after periods of good behavior. Sometimes the records of bad cops, in terms of the internal records, literally disappear, he said. In that sense, it is not difficult to see how troublesome officers could manage to wander from one department to another. Wandering officers are complex byproducts of the existing police systems in the U.S., and Grunwald and Rappaport found that they pose clear risks to the communities they serve. Grunwald said these officers will not be easy to eradicate since it is not entirely clear why they are being hired, but he believes it warrants further study. It's definitely not just a couple one-off stories that we see in the papers, Grunwald said. This is a problem. We need to learn more about it. The government is aware of the worsening coronavirus situation in the neighbouring countries. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Related article Related article How to travel to and from Slovakia post-coronavirus Read more Slovakia is aware of the rising numbers of coronavirus infections in its neighbouring countries, mainly the Czech Republic and Austria, but closing the borders like the country did during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring is an extreme solution, Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok (SaS nominee) believes. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Speaking to journalists ahead of the cabinet session on September 9, Korcok said there are alternative solutions to border closures. "I personally advocate seeking such solutions that give us certain flexibility," Korcok said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. He listed time limits for visitors, testing and measuring people's temperatures. Slovak authorities reported 161 new cases on September 9. - Tuju said he had raised concerns with Ruto through a phone call but argued he was not satisfied with the response given by the second in command - Jubilee deputy SG Caleb Kositany, however, disagreed with his boss saying the statements made by Sudi and his Emurua Dikirr counterpart Johana Ng'eno should not be linked to the DP - Ruto had asked leaders across the political divide to tame their tongues and avoid insults against other Kenyans PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju has expressed his anger towards Deputy President William Ruto over hate speech remarks uttered by his allies directed at the Kenyatta family. The ruling party spokesperson said he had raised concerns with the DP through a phone call but argued he was not satisfied with the response given by the second in command. READ ALSO: Tahidi High actor OJ says mum was inconsolable when netizens claimed he was dead Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju said Ruto should do more besides tweeting. Photo: Raphael Tuju. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: I will support William Ruto's presidential bid if he wins in Jubilee Party nominations, Raphael Tuju Speaking to Citizen TV in the night of Tuesday, September 8, Tuju urged Ruto to come out publicly and denounce the offensive remarks. "I have raised this up with the DP and we have agreed we will meet with him next week. This is totally unacceptable. He did tell me that he has tweeted about it but I don't think that's going to satisfy a lot of people as many mothers and fathers are very disgusted. He told me I should also talk about David Murathe's abuses...But you cannot compare Murathes issue with taking on the former first lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta, there is no way by which you can equate the two. The former first lady is nobodys peer in this country today," Tuju said. Jubilee deputy party leader and Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto. Photo: William Ruto. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Chama cha KANU chamtimua mbunge wa Emurua Dikirr Johanna Ng'eno Jubilee deputy secretary general Caleb Kositany however, disagreed with his boss saying the statements made by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and his Emurua Dikirr counterpart Johana Ng'eno should not be linked to Ruto. "It is very unfortunate that the two members of Parliament made those statements, I do not agree with their statements. Those were personal statements; they did not speak on behalf of the DP," he said. MP Sudi speaking in front of Uhuru (l) at a past event in Eldoret. Photo: Oscar Sudi. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Supercomputer predicts final Premier League table 2020/2021, claims Liverpool will fall short of title defence Ruto had asked leaders across the political divide to tame their tongues and avoid insults against other Kenyans. In a tweet on his official page on Monday, September 7, Ruto argued no amount of anger justifies use of offensive and insulting language. "Leaders should exercise restraint and avoid insults and bad language against other Kenyans. Unsavoury words against mothers and head of state is a no, no. No amount of anger justifies use of offensive insulting language.There exists decent ways to communicate however one feels," he wrote. 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. He cut off the umbilical cord using a kitchen Knife - Benedicter Mwende | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke "Lahore's session court today awarded the death sentence to Asif Pervaiz Masih, a resident of Christian colony in Lahore, Youhana Abad. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him and also sentenced him three-year imprisonment," a senior court official told PTI. The Lahore Session Court sentenced to death Asif Pervaiz Masih, who was arrested in 2013 for allegedly blasphemy. Islamabad : A Pakistani court in Lahore on Tuesday sentenced a Christian man to death under the controversial blasphemy law. Additional Sessions Judge Mansoor Ahmed Qureshi convicted Pervaiz after the prosecution presented evidence and witnesses against the suspect. Hundreds of people including Muslims and Christians are languishing in jails in Pakistan facing blasphemy charges. A similar case was of Aasia Bibi, a 48-year-old mother of four, who was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She maintained her innocence but spent eight years in solitary confinement. However, later she was acquitted by the Pakistan Supreme Court in late 2018. She was allowed to exit Pakistan this year and is reportedly living in Canada. The Arabic hashtag #We Don't Want You has topped Egyptian Twitter's trending list in recent days. Launched by opposition activists Aug. 29 in response to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's call for a referendum on whether he should remain in power or step down, the online anti-Sisi campaign reflects rumblings of discontent that, if left unaddressed, could evolve into an uprising against the Egyptian leader. The military strongman, who has twice won presidential elections (in 2014 and 2018) with no real opposition, has seen his popularity decline due to repressive tactics, harsh austerity measures and a prolonged anti-terror campaign in the Sinai that has yet to bear fruit. This is a far cry from the early days of his rule when Sisi was seen by his supporters as the country's savior from Muslim Brotherhood rule and the country was swept by Sisi-mania, with his image seemingly everywhere: on posters, T-shirts, cologne, chocolates and even underwear. That changed in April 2016 when Sisi signed a controversial maritime agreement ceding sovereignty over two strategically located Red Sea islands, Tiran and Sanafir, to Saudi Arabia, a move that sparked rare protests in Egypt (despite mass public gatherings being outlawed under a November 2013 anti-protest law). While the government claims the islands belong to Saudi Arabia, opposition activists accuse Sisi of giving away Egyptian land to please Saudi Arabia, which backed Egypt financially after the 2013 overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi. Anti-government protests erupted again on Sept. 20, 2019, after Egyptian businessman and actor Mohamed Ali (who lives in exile in Spain) published a series of videos online, accusing Sisi of wasting millions of dollars on presidential palaces while millions of Egyptians live in poverty. Last year's protests, which were quickly dispersed by riot police using tear gas, marked the first time that demonstrators had called on Sisi to resign. The arrests of hundreds of opposition activists in the wake of the unrest further fueled the anger, prompting even wider discontent. In fiery statements broadcast live from Alexandria during the inauguration of a motorway Aug. 29, a visibly angry Sisi threatened to deploy the army "in every village" to stop the illegal construction of residential buildings on agricultural land, which he equated with terrorism. He also described the "destructive" and "rapid" urban encroachment on farmland as a threat which he said it "is no less dangerous than Ethiopia's [Grand Renaissance] Dam." Cairo fears that the completion and filling of the dam will cut into Egypt's water supply. "I have enough engineering machinery to obliterate and remove (illegal buildings) and if people don't like that, then they can have a referendum (on my leadership) and I just leave," Sisi said. He added, "I am tortured and pained every day when I see my country being decimated and its own people are destroying it. We are this country's worst enemies." Sisi's lamentations sparked an angry outburst on social media, with thousands of activists calling on him to leave and citing a range of reasons for wanting him to step down. Some called for "freedom" for Egypt and for a revolution on Sept. 20 (the date marking the anti-Sisi protests that erupted last year) "to salvage Egypt from destruction." The space for freedom of expression has considerably shrunk under Sisi's rule with the government blocking hundreds of news sites and state entities consolidating their control over media outlets. Journalists also face a variety of threats, including arrests, intimidation and harassment. The government has also launched an unprecedented crackdown on civil society with systematic targeting of rights defenders, lawyers, artists and members of the LGBT community. Bahey El Din Hassan, an exiled rights defender and director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, is the latest to pay a price for his activism. On Aug. 25, he was sentenced in absentia by the Fifth Terrorism Circuit Court in Cairo to 15 years in prison over a tweet critical of Sisi in what Amnesty International described as an "'outrageous verdict" based on "fabricated" charges of insulting the judiciary and disseminating false news. Many activists also shared images of homeless citizens sitting amid the rubble after their houses had been demolished under orders from the military prosecution. The demolitions are part of an ongoing government crackdown on illegal construction across the country that between late March and early July saw more than 36,000 unlicensed or illegal structures razed. Many more such buildings are expected to be bulldozed in the coming months as the government continues its zero-tolerance policy vis a vis building violations. Illegal buildings mushroomed during the period of political turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising, with citizens taking advantage of the lax security to build housing units without seeking permits. The government has given violators until the end of September to seek reconciliation with the state and legalize the status of their property or risk being subject to prosecution and having their unauthorized buildings pulled down. The calls for protests have grown louder in recent days with the hashtag "Go down Sept. 20" replacing "We Dont Want You" as among the top trending on Egyptian Twitter. Activists urged Egyptians to break their fear and take to the streets to call on Sisi to step down, insisting, "We can do it." Hassan Nafaa, a professor of political science at Cairo University, dismissed the calls as "not serious." Nafaa was among hundreds arrested in the sweeping campaign of arrests that followed the Sept. 20, 2019, protests; he was charged with "spreading false news" and "joining a banned group," in reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood; these accusations were reported to have been related to a September 2019 tweet criticizing Sisi. Nafaa was released in March 2020 along with several other politicians detained on similar charges. He told Al-Monitor, "Such calls are hollow and will not gain momentum as there are no political forces backing them. There is apathy on the streets, political parties have been weakened and rendered ineffective and political life is all but dead in Egypt. The current anti-Sisi campaign is toothless and leaderless. Most of those calling for regime change reside outside the country as activists living in Egypt dare not make such calls for fear of arrest. " Drawing a comparison between the current online calls for Sisi to resign and the calls that preceded the Jan. 25, 2011, uprising that forced Mubarak to step down, Nafaa said, "While the Revolution of 2011 was also without leaders, there were several political movements such as Kefaya and We Are All Khaled Said mobilizing the public for the mass anti-government protests." He continued, "the current calls are associated with exiled businessman Mohamed Ali (an insider who has worked closely with the current regime) but he only served to expose corruption within the regime; it was a mistake for him to call on Egyptians to take to the streets, as many, including myself, were harmed by his irresponsible calls." Political analyst Hisham Kassem agrees that the calls for protests on social media will not culminate in a mass uprising. "They may grow louder and gain momentum in the coming days and weeks but can only fizzle out in the end. Those calling for protests are unknown to the public and it is highly unlikely that anyone will heed their calls," he told Al-Monitor. He added, "But that is not to say that people are not disgruntled with Sisi's rule; they are, and the online calls for protests are the only means for them to express and vent their grievances. The situation is volatile and any random incident like a young man committing suicide by throwing himself under the wheels of a train can cause an eruption but the online calls will fail to mobilize the public." Kamal Amer, head of parliament's Security Committee, meanwhile rebuffed the calls for protests, lashing out at those behind them. "Those so-called 'activists' are full of envy at the great achievements in the country under Sisi and are spreading malicious lies in an attempt to stir chaos and unrest. Their efforts will not succeed as Egyptian patriots wholeheartedly back their leader and are proud of his efforts to build a modern country and safeguard stability," he told Al-Monitor. The "patriots" (a word generally used to refer to Sisi supporters). meanwhile, responded by launching their own hashtag, "We Won't Take To The Streets Sept. 20" (which has also gone viral) to counter the one calling for protests. Supporters expressed their solidarity and support for Sisi while lambasting the dissenters, painting them as "traitors." "If you are so enamored with [Qatari emir] Tamim and [Turkish President Recep] Erdogan, then go to Qatar or Turkey. We love Egypt and President Sisi," one supporter tweeted, citing the two countries that are currently at odds with Egypt and which are often accused by the state-loyalist media of fomenting unrest in the country. While the trending hashtags are indeed unlikely to lead to a revolt or even small protests, they are a manifestation of the deep grievances harbored by many Egyptians under Sisi's iron-fisted rule. They mirror a sense of hopelessness and deepening polarization in a society where fear and apathy, symptomatic of President Hosni Mubarak's long rule, have returned with a vengeance. India on Wednesday strongly condemned the deadly bomb attack targeting Afghanistans first Vice President Amrullah Saleh in Kabul. The Afghan vice president was slightly injured in the bomb attack on his convoy this morning that killed 10 people and injured more than a dozen, according to Afghan media reports. India strongly condemns cowardly terrorist attack on Afg VP @AmrullahSaleh2. Our condolences to martyrs & prayers with injured, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Twitter. He said India stands with Afghanistan in the fight to eradicate terror infrastructure and sponsors for enduring peace in that country. Racing to understand Covid-19 immunity Nine drug companies pledged today to stand with science and not release a coronavirus vaccine until it met rigorous safety and efficacy standards. Normally in competition with one another, the companies banded together in an effort to reassure the public that they would not bow to pressure from the Trump administration and prematurely rush out a vaccine. The promise came after repeated claims from President Trump that a vaccine could be available by Election Day. Well have the vaccine soon, maybe before a special date, he said just yesterday. You know what date Im talking about. The companies said they would follow guidance from agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and complete large clinical trials before any potential vaccine was released. But until the day that the first vaccine arrives, your face covering could act as a stand-in. Researchers have proposed the new theory that masks might offer a crude form of immunization, by allowing some but not all virus particles to be breathed in, lowering peoples chances of getting sick while potentially provoking an immune response to fight the pathogens. Though outside experts were intrigued by the idea, they were reluctant to embrace it, in part because trying to prove the theory would involve unethical experiments that expose masked and unmasked people to the virus. New Delhi: At a time when the Chinese foreign ministry is expressing hope of troops going back to their camping areas from the present confrontation points in Ladakh, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is showing no such signs on the ground and has undertaken force accretion on the contested Finger Four relief feature of Pangong Tso. The doubling of PLA troop strength on Finger Four on the north bank of Pangong Tso has sowed distrust in the Indian Armys mind about the sincerity of Beijings offer even as it holds dominant positions south of the saltwater lake. The only other explanation is that the Chinese foreign ministry is not on the same page as the Western Theatre Commander of the PLA. External affairs minister S Jaishankar is meeting his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the border situation and remind Beijing about the bilateral commitment to peace and tranquillity accords signed since 1993 which pertain to minimum troop deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The fundamental problem facing the Indian Army in proposed disengagement and de-escalation is lack of any Chinese guarantee that the PLA will not occupy those positions vacated by the Indian troops south of Pangong Tso. Just as the PLA has taken dominant positions up to Finger 4 on the north bank, the Indian Army is now holding the Rezang La-Rechin La ridgeline right upto its perception of the LAC. The PLA troops are virtually contesting these Indian positions through large-scale deployments south of the lake. Although the Chinese spokesperson on Tuesday talked about harsh weather conditions in the area, fact is that the Indian Army has been used to such conditions since Operation Meghdoot in Siachen in 1984. The Indian soldier is prepared for mountain and snow from the very beginning with virtually all of them serving either on the Line of Control with Pakistan, Siachen Glacier or the LAC, said a military commander, who didnt want to be named. The PLA, on the other hand, last bled in Vietnam in 1979. The basic problem facing disengagement is that the Chinese have road infrastructure right upto the LAC in Ladakh while Indian Army troops have to traverse mountain passes, nullahs and ridges to reach their current posts and positions. If China is serious about disengagement and de-escalation, then both sides have to bilaterally commit that the other side will not occupy the heights once vacated by the present occupant. Only then will the disengagement be successful, said a second military commander. In the past 27 years, the PLA has nibbled into the LAC while Indian Army troops, with their defensive mindset, sticking only to the patrolling points (defined by the China Study Group), which fall well short of the Indian perception line. The Indian Armys posture has changed since the initial PLA transgressions in May. And this time, the troops are not even willing to yield an inch within their side of the LAC. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON More than 100 former Afghan translators for the British military have begged Boris Johnson and his ministers not to abandon them. They warn that the Taliban will hunt them down if they are left in their home country and that their deaths will shame Britain. In a letter to be handed in to the British embassy in Kabul today, they warn of the dangers that those who risked their lives and futures to help the British face. Pleading for sanctuary in the UK, the letter entitled Interpreters Lives Matter says those dangers are a direct result of working with British forces during 13 years of conflict. It will be handed in by five former interpreters in Kabul, and also sent to Mr Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace. Former Afghan interpreter Wazir and his family, who are now missing in Iran. Their case is mentioned in the letter as an example of the desperation of translators and the risks they are prepared to take The translators said they are the largest number of men who served with the British military to speak with one voice. All of those who signed are stuck in Afghanistan, desperate for a home in the UK. They said the Taliban threat to their lives has massively increased because of peace talks that have resulted in the release of thousands of gunmen. Dozens of men who worked for UK forces in other capacities have also signed the letter, providing their unique employment numbers given to them by the military when they signed up. This takes the total to 190 signatures. The letter will be handed in by five former interpreters in Kabul, and also sent to Mr Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace The letter states: We believe the UK Government is not paying attention to the real problems we face. We are being hunted because of our devoted service to the UK. Now many of us are forced to live with fear of attack, blamed by the Taliban and insurgents for the deaths or imprisonment of their colleagues. We receive death threats, our families have become targets, people will not employ us, our own communities have turned against us and we are forced to give up our family lands and move home many times. 'We had waited so long for help from the British but their hearts were cold' It is seven weeks since Wazir last saw his wife and four children as they fled from gunfire on the border between Turkey and Iran while trying to reach the UK. The former interpreter, 30, became separated in the panic and near darkness from his wife Frishtah, 30, Mohammad, three, and daughters Tamaz, six, Iqrah, four, and Yususra, six months. Their plight is referred to in the letter sent to the British embassy in Kabul today as an example of how desperate the translators are. Wazir said his life had become unbearable. He had been threatened with death by the Taliban and his family narrowly survived a rocket attack on his house. We knew we cant hide forever so we decided to try to reach safety in Europe, he said. We had waited so long for help from the British but their hearts were cold. Wazirs mother died during the crossing of Iran. He was arrested in the chaos at the Turkish border and deported to Afghanistan. Since then he has contacted the Iranian, Afghan and Turkish authorities, people smugglers and aid agencies for news of his family. I am frantic with worry, Wazir said. It is a consequence of working for the British and their denial of help that we were forced to leave Afghanistan. I would ask UK ministers to look at their wives and children and think hard about this. Advertisement It warns the peace deal backed by the US will give power and influence back to the same people you had us believe were the evil enemies. It adds: Thousands of Taliban prisoners, who we helped fight and send to jail, are being released. They told us we were traitors and they would never forget. Are you now telling us it is safe to live side-by-side with them? The letter comes six weeks after interpreters say they were given renewed hope after the Government said both the Home Secretary and Defence Secretary recognised their crucial service and a settlement would be found. That followed pressure from the Daily Mails Betrayal of the Brave campaign which has highlighted the plight of dozens of translators and their families. The letter adds: Interpreters are desperate to protect the life of their families. More and more they are forced to turn to traffickers to try and escape. It is a big risk but we have little alternative. It is really disappointing to us that the UK government is prepared to offer help to hundreds of thousands of people from Hong Kong and migrants arriving daily but has forgotten its heroes, which probably total just 200. If this continues, then who will trust UK forces in the future? The letter adds: Our deaths will bring great shame on the UK Government. Former frontline translator Tawab, 38, one of those who will deliver the letter in Kabul, said: I hope this letter will remind the Government we are united in calling for a change of policy so that all those forgotten and left behind can live a life of safety in the UK. Tawab, a father of three girls, said freed Taliban will see it as a matter of honour to seek revenge. Rafi Hottak, who came to Britain with the help of people smugglers, will deliver the letter in the UK. He said: The time for talk is over, the Government should act before it is too late. The Government said: We remain committed to ensuring a fair system for the resettlement of Afghan interpreters. Claims are being processed as rapidly as possible. Flames burn at a home leveled by the Creek Fire along Highway 168 in Fresno County, Calif., on Sept. 8, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo) Hundreds of Thousands of Acres Are Burning in Oregon, California, and Washington More than 85 fires are burning across the West Coast in an unprecedented event thats already scorched hundreds of thousands of acres. In California, at least 25 wildfires are now raging after powerful winds and an extreme heatwave over the weekend. We have fires burning in the north part of the state all the way down to the Mexican border, about 800 miles between the furthest distant fires, so were stretched across the landscape, Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter told CNN. In Oregon, thousands of residents evacuated their homes in efforts to escape the flames that have already scorched more than 230,000 acres. Gov. Kate Brown approved an emergency conflagration declaration Tuesday for three fires burning across the state to help get more resources to local responders. This is definitely a once-in-a-generation event, Brown said during a news conference. In Washington state, more acres were burned Monday than have been burned in the past 12 fire seasons, Gov. Jay Inslee said, and continuing dry conditions are fueling the blazes. At least 100,000 people were out of power across the state Tuesday. And in one eastern Washington town, flames destroyed more than 80 percent of homes and public infrastructure. A table stands outside the destroyed at Cressmans General Store after the Creek Fire burned through Fresno County, Calif., on Sept. 8, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo) I just cant reiterate, the governor said, we think almost all of these fires were human-caused, in some dimension. If you can avoid being outside for anything that would even cause a spark, I hope people can avoid those conditions. This is a new reality were living in with a changing climate, he added. Size of Central Park Burned Every Half Hour The dozens of fires burning across California have charred a record-breaking 2.2 million acres across the state, and the fire season has another 4 months left, Cal Fire said Tuesday. The Creek Fire, racing through the mountains of Central California in Fresno County, has destroyed at least 360 structures since the flames erupted Friday evening. The fire has burned through more than 152,000 acres and is 0 percent containedand, according to Cal Fire, strong forecast winds Wednesday will likely impact the flames. Since it began, the fire has burned an area roughly the size of Central Park every 30 minutes over the past several days. We have 150 million trees that died in the southern Sierra several years ago, and those are fueling the Creek Fire, which is the biggest and most concerning fire to us right now, Porter said. California National Guard Col. David Hall told CNN about 385 people and 27 animals were rescued by helicopter after getting trapped in the Sierra National Forest. At least 30,000 people have been evacuated, Fresno County Sheriffs Deputy Lieutenant Brandon Pursell said late Tuesday. A sign hangs in front of a property along Highway 168 after the Creek Fire burned though Fresno County, Calif., on Sept. 8, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo) Meanwhile in San Bernardino County, the El Dorado Fire has grown to more than 11,000 acres and is 19 percent contained, fire officials said. The fire, sparked by a gender reveal party, was caused by a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used at a party on Saturday morning in El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles, Cal Fire investigators determined. Urgent and Scary to Get Out The governor said Oregon has experienced historic wildfires almost every year in her time in office. But this years fires are unprecedented, Brown said. In some areas, the situation is so difficult and dangerous that even firefighters are being evacuated, the governor told reporters. At least seven large fires burned Tuesday across the state, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Clackamas County, in northwestern Oregon, declared a state of emergency Tuesday as a response to several wildfires that prompted evacuations. Across the county, more than a dozen Level 3Go! Evacuate now!evacuations were in place, with several other areas ordered to be ready for evacuations, officials said. In neighboring Marion Countyhome to the states capital cityanother state of emergency was declared Tuesday, with residents across the region forced out of their homes by fires. One family told CNN affiliate KPTV they had a brief notice to leave their home as nearby flames moved in. We drove under a tree that had fallen over and there was burning limbs and it was like urgent and scary to get out, Sabrina Kent told the news station. A local man runs a tractor to carve out an impromptu fire line as the Pearl Hill fire moves closer to Mansfield, Wash., on Sept. 8, 2020. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review via AP) The family is staying in an RV near a local grocery store, according to the affiliate, as they map out their next steps. This is the most messed up year, can we just fast forward? Kent told KPTV. Oregons corrections department announced Tuesday they evacuated three Salem prisons following threats from the Beachie Creek and Lionshead wildfires. A Charred Washington State Town In Malden, Washington state, about 80 percent of the towns homes and public infrastructure were destroyed, including the fire station, post office, city hall, and library, authorities said. The scale of this disaster really cant be expressed in words, Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said. Fires have already burned through more than 330,000 acres in the state, according to the governor. Further west, in Graham, a fire that ripped through the area left what residents described as a war zone, according to CNN affiliate KOMO. Some lost everything. At least six houses and three shops were destroyed, according to the news station, along with sheds, equipment, and vehicles. The fire department issued evacuation orders for about 100 residents, the station reported. Its devastating for the people who live here for sure, and to me, and my heart. This fire came [through] hot and fast, Graham Fire and Rescues Assistant Fire Chief Steve Richards told the affiliate. It was a firestorm it pushed right through. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Jordana Brewster enjoyed some quality time with her four-year-old son, Rowan, at the Brentwood Country Mart in Los Angeles on Monday. As the 40-year-old actress put her effortlessly chic style on full display, she kept her dark tresses tied up into a sleek bun and wore a surgical mask over her nose and mouth. While trekking around the sidewalk in a pair of baby blue sneakers, she carried her belongings in a large straw tote bag that she kept on her left arm. Stocking up: Jordana Brewster enjoyed some quality time with her four-year-old son, Rowan, at the Brentwood Country Mart on Monday For her outing, the star opted to wear a pair of light-wash boyfriend jeans, which she cuffed at the bottom. The mother-of-two held hands with her youngest child, who she shares with her ex Andrew Form. Brewster and her husband of 13 years announced their 'amicable' split in July, after separating earlier this year. Keeping it casual: The mother-of-two held hands wither her youngest child, who she shares with her ex Andrew Form 'They have the utmost respect for each other,' a source told People at the time. 'They remain committed to lovingly co-parent their two children as a team.' The pair, who are also parents to son Julian, six, first met on the set of the horror movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, which he produced and she starred in. The pair's whirlwind romance escalated quickly after they vacationed in the Bahamas for Christmas, that same year, and she soon moved into his Hollywood Hills home after that. 'They remain committed to lovingly co-parent their two children as a team' a source told People as they are said to have 'quietly separated' earlier this year; seen in 2017 On their one-year anniversary, he proposed with a 3.2-carat engagement ring and they wed in a private ceremony after a six-month engagement. Just after filing for divorce, she was seen passionately kissing her new beau, Mason Morfit, on a romantic stroll in Malibu, California. She and Morfit enjoyed Labor Day weekend together by hitting the beach and shopping for new house plants home. Hand and hand: Jordana posted a photo of her and Mason for her 3.7M Instagram followers on Saturday. She solidified the new relationship posting a red heart as the caption Look of love: The star smiled in a white bathing suit top as she posed for the camera on Saturday as she and boyfriend Mason beat the LA heat at the beach The Brazilian-American actress posted their first official couples photo, as the two walked hand and hand from the ocean. She captioned the comment with a red heart, as she looked over at her handsome man in the snap. Jordana also shared a second photograph of her looking stunning in a white bathing suit with scalloped detail as she smiled for the camera. According to documents, the actress filed for divorce from her husband on July 1st, just days before she was seen kissing her venture capital beau in public. F9: Jordana Brewster attends The Road to F9 extravaganza in Miami. Her long standing role as Mia Toretto has made her a household name in the action franchise opposite Vin Diesel; January 2020 The San Francisco based CEO and avid guitar player has kids of his own, three boys and one girl with his ex-wife Anna Ortiz who he married in 2004. Details are less clear about their split than that of Jordana's. In terms of acting projects, Jordana will be resuming her long standing role as Mia Toretto in the ninth instillation of Fast & Furious, F9, which is slated to be released in Spring 2021. Since quarantine, the brunette stunner has been spending a lot of time with her two sons and new love at the beach and by her pool. Manchester United are ready to negotiate a price for Jadon Sancho with Borussia Dortmund after reaching a compromise with the player's camp over the terms of a five-year contract. United ended weeks of stalemate on Wednesday when they made a breakthrough in talks over Sancho's wages and the agents' fees. Sportsmail understands they are ready to hand Sancho a contract that will run until 2025 with United having the option to extend it by another 12 months. Manchester United have made a breakthrough over agents' fees and personal terms as they look to sign Jadon Sancho However, there is still a significant stumbling block with Dortmund so far unwilling to budge on their demand for a transfer fee of 108million. United believe that is unrealistic in the current economic market, and are braced for another round of tough negotiations as they bid to sign Sancho before the transfer window closes on October 5. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told the BBC on Wednesday night: 'We all know this year has been a very strange one and it's important that everyone understands this has an effect on football. Not everyone can spend millions and millions.' Dortmund have previously insisted the deal is dead and that the 20-year-old England winger would remain in Germany for another season after United missed a deadline of August 10 set by the Bundesliga club. However, United have refused to give up the chase after making Sancho their No 1 transfer target and will draw encouragement from the latest twist on Wednesday that he can move to Old Trafford in the next month. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side still need to agree a fee with Dortmund if they are to sign Sancho Sportsmail understands United are ready to hand Sancho a contract that will run until 2025 They have alternative options in case the deal falls through, but it's understood that Gareth Bale is not one of them as Real Madrid look to offload the Welshman amid interest from his old club Tottenham. United hope to sign at least two new players before the window closes including a new left back but Solskjaer is wary of making too many changes in the short gap between last season and the new campaign. 'It's never easy to have too many new players in the team,' he added. 'It takes time for players to gel into units. 'We have seen some clubs go for the quick fix and get players in, some have trust in the process and the continuation of the process and the coaching. 'We will have to get the results. Our response has to be about improving, getting the results but also adding players with different qualities than we have and the things that we need. 'I'm very happy working with these players and the squad. We are always trying to see if there's any way possible that we can improve this squad and bring players in that will have all the right criteria.' When China started the border conflict with India, they did not expect border rebuffs from them. Out of frustration, they are throwing in Tibet for their shortcomings in the India-China border. There is no doubt that the PLA has been rebuffed and placed on the defensive by the Indian Army. Evidence of this is the Global Times that is part of the propaganda machine of the Chinese Communist Party. The outlet accused India of working with Exiled Tibetans and using the Tibet Card, which does not work, adding that mainland China is better, with economic and military advantages that far exceeds India's. This was a remark from an analyst close to the situation, reported Defense News. To be succinct, China is coercing India directly to keep what they have purloined in the border conflict. Another is telling India that working with an exiled Tibetan leadership is useless against China. The CCP of China is actively changing narratives that are false to pursue their agenda, cited Defence Aviation Post. According to the Global Times, India is in one of the latest episodes in the border conflict between India and China is a unit in the Indian Force made up of exiled Tibetans from fathers to sons. This unit is believed to be an elite force that played a big part in a standoff caused by India. China blames India of provocations, and the PLA has no wrong in the first instance of the border conflict. Chinese analysts think that the unit called the Special Frontier Force (SFF), with 1,000 strong members are not elite. Further saying that the Indian Army will use them ingloriously as cannon fodder, in the fight with China. In the Ladakh clash, India lost 20 troopers or so but China did not reveal casualties, noted Economic Times. Also read: Indian Navy Pushes Back Against PLA Navy in Malacca Strait with Aggressive Posture Based on the report, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute, talked to the global times about the Indian unit of Tibetans who will preemptively strike. Though the GB says that the Indian media is criticizing the move, which has one casualty and a commander. One reason Director Feng call the SFF as pure cannon fodder, with one fatality and a hurt unit commander, makes them not so special forces. He said that they are cannon fodder as the narrative goes. By reputation, the Special Frontier Force (SFF) has been drafted for their capacity in high altitude combat environments they excel in. First gathered U.S. support happened during the 1960s and one of the key units that gather intel on Chinese units. He added that the SFFs role is not great anymore, the Indian Army specifically, otherwise it is the same as other units. Another is the reduction of members that are numbered at 1000 men in the unit, composed of exiled Tibetans. Qian said that the Indian army is not confident of non-Indians and is mostly in the lowest ring of the military organization. Choosing to become a soldier is the only option more than anything else. Soon after, Hua Chunying of the Chinese foreign ministry rattled off and opposed any country that supports nationalities under Chinese control. Chinese border rebuffs have made China mad, especially with support for Tibetan leaders. Related article: Indian Navy's Aggressive Deployment Serve as Warning to Beijing Over Border Disputes @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. By PTI LONDON: A 27-year-old man appeared in a UK court via videolink on Wednesday charged with murder in connection with stabbings that took place in Birmingham city centre in the early hours of Sunday. Zephaniah McLeod has been charged with the murder of Jacob Billington, who was one of eight people stabbed. McLeod is also accused of the attempted murder of the seven other victims of the knife attacks and was remanded in custody by Birmingham Magistrates' Court to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, again via videolink. He spoke only to confirm his personal details during an appearance before two magistrates and was not asked for any pleas. There was no application for bail, West Midlands Police said. ALSO READ | 27-year-old arrested in murder inquiry after Birmingham stabbings The victims of the attempted murder charges were Dimitar Bachvarov, Migle Dolobauskaite, Thomas Glassey, Michael Callaghan, Shane Rowley, Rhys Cummings and Ryan Bowers, the court was told. Billington, 23, died after being attacked in Irving Street while enjoying a night out with school friends from Liverpool visiting one of their group who is studying in Birmingham. A post-mortem concluded he died as a result of a stab wound to the neck. A 23-year-old man, who was seriously injured in Irving Street, remains in hospital in a critical condition. A 22-year-old woman, attacked in Hurst Street, remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Another man, aged 30, remains in a stable condition in hospital, while four others have been discharged. Local police have faced some criticism of their response to the attacks, including the alleged assailant being able to wander the streets for about one and a half hours after his first attack. The police believe the victims appear to have been chosen at random and do not believe there was a gang-related element to the attacks. Crude in London tumbled below $40 a barrel for the first time since late June and futures in New York also plunged with faltering demand and weaker equities undermining market sentiment. Both Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude futures slid on Tuesday to their lowest levels in nearly three months. Asias stalling demand recovery, the end of the U.S. summer-driving season and increased supply from OPEC and its allies signal a bleak short-term outlook for oil prices. Both benchmarks are trading in a pattern known as contango, where the most immediate prices are far below those for supply contracts in later months. The lack of fiscal support is starting to spook the markets a little bit, said Bill OGrady, executive vice president at Confluence Investment Management in St. Louis. Its showing up in oil with fears that youre going to reduce demand coupled with stories circulating that OPECs discipline is less than ideal. Market signals point to more downside risk for oil prices. The difference between the two nearest December contracts -- a closely watched gauge of market strength -- weakened for both Brent and WTI to their largest contango structure since May, pointing to concerns of oversupply. The widening contango combined with a slump in tanker rates, may also incentivize traders to seek floating storage. Storing crude at sea has become profitable again for northwest Europe and the Mediterranean, shipbroker and exchange data compiled by Bloomberg show. At the same time, oil traders have begun seeking out available U.S. onshore storage, according to The Tank Tiger, an independent brokerage and consulting clearinghouse. EARLIER: Oil extends drop after Saudi price cuts Brent crudes break below $40 a barrel follows two months of the global oil benchmark holding largely between $42 and $45 a barrel. The coronavirus pandemic is still raging and Bank of America Merrill Lynch said it will take three years for global oil demand to recover from Covid-19, assuming there is a vaccine or a cure. These last few sessions are pretty significant, having broken out of that equilibrium range, said Andrew Lebow, senior partner at Commodity Research Group. What the markets telling us is were not drawing as much as many analysts had forecast just as recently as earlier this month. Meanwhile, only four of 10 Asian refiners surveyed by Bloomberg said they would be trying to buy more Saudi Arabian crude after the kingdom cut pricing for October as consumption remained below pre-coronavirus levels. Adding to worries over Chinas recovery hitting a roadblock, tensions are rising between the U.S. and the worlds largest importer. U.S. President Donald Trump said that he intends to curb the U.S. economic relationship with China, threatening to punish any American companies that create jobs overseas and forbid those that do business in China from winning federal contracts. The lack of volatility has led to investors longing for opportunities to express risk, RBC Capital Markets analysts including Michael Tran said in a note. Softening physical oil fundamentals suggested that it was only a matter of time until a trade would be exacerbated or crowded quickly, as managed money piled into the trade, resulting in todays disorderly pullback. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. By Akbar Mammadov Head of Nagorno-Karabakhs Azerbaijani Community Tural Ganjaliyev has said that Armenia continues its illegal activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and pursues the policy of annexation. Ganjaliyev made the remarks at the online meeting of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy on September 8. Ganjaliyev noted Armenias cross-border military aggression in July that killed 12 Azerbaijani servicemen and a civilian, adding that Azerbaijan responded to this aggression by using its right of self-defence. He also spoke about the damage caused to the civilian population and infrastructure in the border area as a result of the Armenian attack, saying that this constituted a gross violation of international humanitarian law. Furthermore, Ganjaliyev pointed out that Armenia has not given up its policy of occupation, its territorial claims against its neigbhours and pursues a policy of annexation at the state level. He emphasized that all this is confirmed by Armenian Defense Minister Dmitry Tonoyan statement "a new war for new territories made several months ago. Stressing that Armenia is not interested in resolving the conflict and violates the peace negotiations, the Azerbaijani MP exposed Armenias attempts to cover up its acts of aggression in the eyes of the international community. Ganjaliyev also noted that UN resolutions and documents of other international organizations demanding the withdrawal of the Armenian troops from occupied territories have not been implemented yet. Tural Ganjaliyev is a Member of the Azerbaijani Parliament for the occupied Khankendi city of Azerbaijan. The cross-border fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan started on July 12 with Armenia's firing artillery at Azerbaijan's positions in the direction of Tovuz region. Azerbaijani army lost 12 servicemen as a result of Armenian attacks. One civilian was killed as a result of artillery fire by the Armenian armed forces. 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. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz SELBYVILLE, Del, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on Global Market Insights Inc.'s report, the vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) market was estimated at $8.97 billion in 2019 and is slated to exceed $10.19 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 4.2% from 2020 to 2026. The report provides a detailed analysis of the drivers and opportunities, market estimations as well as size, wavering industry trends, competitive scenarios, major winning strategies, and key investment avenues. Global Market Insights Inc. Infrastructure development is a key aspect of a nation's long-run economic development. It improves competitiveness by promoting innovation, facilitating trade, boosting productivity, and technological efficiency. Over the past few years, there has been an immense rise in urban areas since more people are shifting from the countryside into cities in search of better living and work. Several countries in the Asia-Pacific region are rapidly growing, with the UN evaluating urban rates from Southeast Asia expected to reach nearly 64% in 2050, in comparison to 47% in 2014. Rapid urbanization across the Asia-Pacific region will have a highly positive impact on the regional construction industry. For example, the Thailand government recently unveiled a novel way for private sector financing through the TFF (Thailand Future Fund). Today, increasing private resources such as PPP (Public-Private Partnership), have been enticing strong interest from governments across the Asia-Pacific region, facilitating revenue growth. Request a Sample Report: https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2474 In terms of application, the EVA application segment is expected to grow at a modest CAGR and is likely to hold nearly a 12% demand share by the end of the analysis timeline. The growth is slated to come from the expanding global packaging infrastructure. Various product attributes such as high tensile elongation, stress-crack resistance, and extra toughness further make the polymer one of the best choices in the packaging industry. Additionally, rising opportunities in the application of EVA resins in electrical, automotive, photovoltaic panels, and footwear industries will also support the vinyl acetate monomer market share. Key reasons for vinyl acetate monomer market growth: Rapidly growing construction industry. Increasing adoption of polyvinyl acetate in construction, wood, and architectural coatings. Rising pharmaceutical industry across Latin America . 2026 forecasts anticipate the "packaging" end-use segment showing appreciative growth: The packaging end-use segment is likely to be valued at approximately $2.12 billion by the end of the analysis timeline. Rising trends of eco-friendly packaging, which is easy to recycle and reuse, will drive the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and F&B packaging industries. Moreover, the fast growth of exports and e-commerce, rapidly growing organized retail, and a growing middle-class population will further boost the vinyl acetate monomer market growth. Latin America and North America to witness remunerative growth: The Latin America VAM market is likely to grow at a stable growth of nearly 3.9% CAGR over the forecast timeframe. The LATAM pharmaceutical industry is largely growing owing to the increasing number of deaths caused by non-communicable diseases, the aging population, and the manufacture of generic drugs. This is further driven by the expiry of several patents over the last couple of years. In fact, the Latin American pharmaceutical market has invested approximately $12.7 billion through M&A in recent years, which is expected to increase by the end of the analysis timeline. With such a rapidly expanding pharmaceutical industry, the demand for vinyl acetate monomer will also spur. North America is likely to account for nearly a 21% market share by the end of the analysis time period. Robust research and development activities by prominent pharmaceutical manufacturers across the U.S towards the innovation and development of novel medicines are likely to play a key role in the strong growth parameters observed in the vinyl acetate monomer market. Request for customization of this report: https://www.gminsights.com/roc/2474 Leading market players: Prominent market players analyzed in the vinyl acetate monomer industry report include Lotte BP Chemical Co, Sinopec Group, Wacker Chemie, Dairen Chemical Corporation, Japan VAM & Poval Co., Lyondellbasell Industries, Solventis, Kuraray Co., Celanese Corporation, Sinopec Group, Dow Chemical Company, Sipchem, and Chang Chun Group among others. They have incorporated several strategies including partnership, expansion, collaboration, joint ventures, and others to heighten their stand in the industry. Related Reports: Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Films Market Future Business Strategies and Revenue Impact Analysis - 2026 Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) Market Future Business Strategies and Competitive Analysis - 2024 About Global Market Insights, Inc. Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider. Offering syndicated and custom research reports, growth consulting, and business intelligence services, Global Market Insights, Inc. aims to help clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data that aid in strategic decision making. GMIPulse, our business analytics platform, offers an online, interactive option of exploring our proprietary industry research data in an easy-to-use and dynamic manner. Clients get to explore market intelligence across 11 top-level categories and hundreds of industry segments within them, covering regional, company-level, and cross-sectional statistics that make our offering a stand-out for decision-makers. Contact Us: Arun Hegde Corporate Sales, USA Global Market Insights, Inc. Phone: 1-302-846-7766 Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.gminsights.com Related Images vinyl-acetate-monomer-market.jpg Vinyl Acetate Monomer Market Statistics - 2026 Related Links Carboxymethyl Cellulose Market Statistics - 2024 Carbon Fibre Composites Market Outlook - 2024 SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 14:20:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Australian state of Victoria has successfully reduced its COVID-19 daily case rate from a peak of over 700 in early August to just 76 new cases on Wednesday, with expectations for the figure to fall steadily further. It follows more than one month of strict lockdowns for state capital city Melbourne, including a night curfew and only a handful of reasons for residents to legally leave homes, such as approved work or to shop for essential items. With minimal new cases and an end to lockdown in sight, pressure has mounted on Victoria's leadership to ease restrictions for individuals and businesses and usher in a return to normal. Instead, Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday announced that standing restrictions would be extended for a further two weeks as part of a "roadmap" to gradually ease lockdowns, specifically aimed at avoiding a resurgence in cases. The plan is reliant on reaching daily case targets and sees the less populous regional areas of Victoria benefit first, with significant restrictions likely to remain in place for Melbourne until at least Oct. 26, when the curfew and limits on leaving the home are scheduled to be lifted. Following the announcement, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Health Minister Greg Hunt took aim at the plan's timeline, posting a joint statement saying that the slow approach would extend the severe economic and social impacts on Victorians. "To extend lockdown arrangements will be hard and crushing news for the people of Victoria," they said. "While this needs to be weighed up against mitigating the risk of further community outbreak, it is also true that the continued restrictions will have further impact on the Victorian and national economy in further job losses and loss of livelihoods, as well as impacting on mental health." It is the responsibility of the individual state's to dictate their COVID-19 response, meaning the final decision lies with Andrews' government, an opposing political party to the prime minister. The comments helped fuel public pressure on Andrews, who faced a barrage of questions from reporters on Wednesday forcing him to reiterate his justifications for extending the restrictions. Andrews remained defensive of the approach which he said is the only real option available if Victoria wants to avoid a third wave of infections. "The notion that I have chosen this way to go and there were 50 other options I could have chosen, that's not in any way accurate," he said. "Being open for just a few weeks and then being closed again that's not a strategy. It could be popular for a short while, but that's not my concern, whether I'm criticized or I'm praised, this is about doing it right, not doing what's political or popular." Australia's economy is already in it's deepest recession on record and economists have warned that Victoria's lockdown is contributing to that, not only through limiting business activity, but as a drain on federal stimulus. Treasury estimates released last week showed that by the end of the year, more Victorians would be receiving the government's wage subsidy JobKeeper package than the rest of Australia combined. CEO of the Australian Retailers Association Paul Zahra said on Wednesday that the face of Victoria's downturn was shopkeepers, many of whom had been forced to close businesses permanently, leaving a hole in the communities they catered to. "They were the first faces we saw, welcoming us out the other side of lockdowns. They were our first return to normal life. Unfortunately, in Victoria in the coming weeks, they will be amongst the first signs of economic collapse," Zahra said. However Andrews remained confident that his "roadmap" would deliver the best outcome for Victorians and that the state could reach the trigger targets, perhaps even ahead of schedule. "The trend is with us, we're getting down to very small numbers, but they've got to be smaller still before we can safely open up and stay open, that's the key here," Andrews said. "We would all like to be open tomorrow, myself included, but to do that is not an act of leadership, that is to cave to some of the pressure that is there, to be driven by anger instead of the epidemiology, to be driven by opinion instead of science and data and doctors." Enditem Cemex reaffirms commitment to improving air quality 09 September 2020 Following up on the celebration of the United Nations "International Day of Clean Air for blue skies" Cemex has reaffirmed its commitment to the goal of improving air quality in cities and surrounding areas. Cemex has invested over US$280m since 2013 in technology to measure, control, and mitigate the gas and particle emissions in its operations. Through this continuous investment, the company has introduced international standards consistent with the world's strictest emissions regulations throughout its operations. By the end of 2019, Cemex achieved significant emissions reductions when measured against its 2005 baseline, the year when the company initiated its investments to improve its air quality. As of 31 December 2019, Cemex has reduced dust emissions by approximately 90 per cent, sulphur emissions by (SO x ) almost 60 per cent, and nitrogen oxides (NO x ) by close to 50 per cent. "Currently, 95 per cent of our cement plants have an ISO 14001 certification, which confirms our commitment to the most rigorous environmental standards, while 97 per cent of our production facilities have already implemented a continuous monitoring system for the principal air pollutants." said Fernando A Gonzalez, CEO of Cemex. "These systems are designed to allow us to adjust in real-time, seeking to ensure that we always comply with the limits established under the world's strictest regulations. The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us once again of the importance of clean air and blue skies to our health and wellbeing. This explains our commitment to continue investing in mitigating our emissions in every one of our operations in the world," said Mr Gonzalez. "Commemorations such as International Clean Air Day for blue skies remind us all, especially global leaders, of the enormous responsibility we have to safeguard natural resources and protect the environment for the benefit of present and future generations," he added. Published under New Delhi: India and Russia are expected to ink a mutual defence logistics support agreement soon with each other during the annual bilateral summit between the two countries that will take place in October or November this year, Russian Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) Roman Babushkin said on Tuesday, adding that Russia has decided not to sell weapons and defence equipment to Pakistan because of Indian sensitivities and requests. The senior Russian diplomat also said Russian supply of the S-400 missile defence system to India is on schedule but added that in case of India asking for the expediting (fast-tracking) of this, the Russian side will do its best. India already has similar defence logistics support pacts with the United States, France, Singapore and Australia. New Delhi is expected to ink such a pact soon with Japan as well apart from Russia which is Indias time-tested friend and key defence supplier. Such defence logistics support pacts ensure that either countrys defence platforms including ships and aircraft being able to use the others bases for repair and replenishment of supplies including fuel and spare parts. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India in October or November for the Summit but there is also a possibility that it could take place in a Virtual format keeping in view the Covid Pandemic situation. We are hopeful of a face to face Summit. But we should keep in mind the (Covid) Pandemic situation. We will adjust to the schedule (that is eventually decided),Mr. Babushkin said. While emphasising strategic cooperation with India including in the Indian Ocean region, Russia however remains uncomfortable with the four-nation Quadrilateral arrangement to maintain a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region of which India is a part along with the US, Japan and Australia. The Russian DCM said Russia supports any inclusive effort for cooperation in the maritime region but opposes any formation of military blocs. He said any inclusive arrangement on cooperation should be based on international laws, indicatingin a veiled criticism of long-time rival the United States---that Moscow feels the term rules-based order is to justify unilateral sanctions on countries and interfere in other countries domestic affairs. But the senior Russian diplomat made it clear that Moscow is confident that New Delhis ties with other nations would never be at the expense of its ties with Russia and expressed Russias confidence in its Indian friends. Detailing the extent of defence cooperation with India, the Russian DCM said that ongoing defence cooperation projects including for MiG-29 and Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft were being implemented. He said the defence project between the two countries on production of AK-203 assault rifles (at Amethi in Uttar Pradesh) would be not merely a licensed production but also a full-fledged transfer of technology. He also described the Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile as an exclusive weapon. African countries are certainly doing more than preventive medicine to ward off the predicted numbers of death from the devastating effects of Covid-19. It is not a fluke, luck or by accident but by herbal and proactive Primary Care. While it is true that Covid-19 could have produced more deaths in Africa than anywhere else, it does not bode well to think those grim predictions came as a result of bad faith. Indeed, most of them wish Africa well hoping the worst scenario would never happen. But plans must be put in place if it happened, not just wishful prayers of God forbid bad thing. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53998374 Africans were brought up with our grandmother's herbs by immersion in boiled drinks. They are our Vitamins C, D, E, B complex, Zinc and B12 that became expensive hot items in high demand at the pharmacy stores all over the world. During the early stages of diseases, the white blood cells we learned about in high schools kill invading bacteria and viruses. The Sore Throat relief by salt water, Cough with honey and ginger, aspirin/codeine available over the counter but not more than 30 mg every 4 hours or ask pharmacists. Rubbing our body down with oils to ward off the breathlessness of cold or flu. Aspirin, Tynelol, tiger or atomic balm are some of the most common over-the-counter drugs used to treat minor pain from headaches, muscle aches, toothaches, and menstrual cramps. Oral rehydration for Diarrhea relief by mixing one liter of water with half a teaspoon of salt and 6 teaspoons of sugar. Africa leads because familiar Early Preventions work against Covid-19. Though Madagascar Covid-19 treatment Artemisa was unproven, it was effective against other symptom: reduced cough frequency with the maximum dose tested, producing an effect equivalent to that produced by the centrally acting cough suppressant, dihydrocodeine, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/nigeria-madagascars-herbal-drink-cannot-cure-covid-19/1915948 Our problem in Africa Traditional Medicine is generalized treatment for every ailment because it works for some. It becomes difficult to credit African efforts to contain Covid-19. But to call it a myth because African countries are leading or doing better, lacks appreciation for the efforts of those working hard at prevention and treatment at the earliest stage. Headache, dry cough, sore throat relieved by coconut oil or other symptoms like body ache, fatigue, loss of taste or smell are dealt with immediately by hot lime drink, body rub massage. Africans do not allow them to germinate into serious disease that may turn out to be Covid-19. If there is anything we learned from Ebola, it is a strong Community Action. Call it Contact Tracing, door to door or old fashioned home grassroots workers from health clinics and centers. Prevention of deadly consequences has been avoided again by vigilance against this new Covid-19 virus. The fact that rich advanced countries suffered more than poor countries in Africa only points to complacency when they know what to do for prevention. We must always note that there is no better hospital anywhere outside your house. When every drug and medical procedure fail, our home is the most comfortable place to die. It is sad but the reality of life. Most of our preventable ailments can be avoided within our houses saving us from getting admitted into the best hospital anywhere. If you live in any of the African countries with very modest means, that is most of us, you cannot afford a good hospital in your country not to mention traveling out to hospitals abroad. Even South Africa with the highest cases in Africa, has been able to contain the covid-19 virus better than most advanced countries. It has little to do with their good hospitals but more with our African Traditional Medicine warding off each of the symptoms that are similar to past flu and more important, the well placed fear that Covid-19 could wipe out our population. Some researchers want to credit Herd Immunity because of the crowding in Africa. They forgot the death toll in Brazil and even in Sweden with that type of hypothesis. It boils down to demography selection and how many of that population you are willing to sacrifice to gain herd immunity later. The hypothesis of warm weather fails since other tropical South America countries and crowded countries like India have high cases. Another hypothesis is that Africans have a higher young population that has better immune systems. While it is true that older age succumbed at a higher rate, especially those above 80 years old or in Nursing Homes, only the wealthy in Africa that could afford treatment anywhere have succumbed, leaving the poor in the same category unexposed, free. Even their househelps exposed to travellers (disease) are cautious. This is the beneficial evidence of preventive measures and taking proactive treatment against known symptoms from the past experience. Africans have some treatments for every symptom of Covid-19. Most of us have become hypochondriacs watching out for any symptom and applying home remedy as they manifest their fangs at our well-being. We all know that reliance on exotic treatment many times may result in false hope. They have more to do with later stages of the disease that have been allowed to set in. We must take precautions and not ignore early symptoms. Youths and older adults may think they are not vulnerable. Youths couldn't care less because they think they are not invisible and have stronger immune systems. The wealthy adults think they can buy their way out of sickness with exotic treatment. One of the most serious health issues is the inability to breathe. Your doctor at the nearest clinic or hospital must be contacted. By the time we experience shortness of breath, lack of oxygen in our lungs result in blood clots in the blood vessels leading to other parts of the body. Before we get to the hospital where reduced oxygenation is indicated, Africans have many home remedies. Aboniki balm: a combination of menthol, Camphor and Eucalyptus leaves steamed and inhaled, restores breathing. You can also cover yourself on steamed herbs prepared by grandmothers. There are Guava leaves, loaded with vitamins C, Iron with antiviral properties for lung disease. Zinc in lozenges, Jute leaves soup, Ewedu, Mulukhiyah, or Molokhia boost the immune system. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/expert-answers/zinc-for-colds/faq-20057769 Other symptoms that may or may not be Covid-19 related but with African experience with Ebola, our guards are up. Fever is the immune system working to defend you from the invading virus. The virus hardly survives at higher temperatures. Get aerated, take Tylenol and wrap in wet cloth. Lemongrass is also antipyretic for fever. http://www.bioline.org.br/request?tc08047. Countries that suffered and brought down mortalities are experiencing resurgence now when they defy preventive measures. African countries are still vulnerable as well-meaning community health experts predicted, if we neglect our local prevention in herbal remedies. Old steroid like Dexamethasone may prevent worse stages in the hospital patients during Cytokine Storms, but it may also be late. These are the complications that have been avoided in African countries at the earliest stage. The use of experimental drugs like Favipiravir and Remdesivir, as virus killers, aspirin and heparin as blood thinners, steroids for stabilization and intubation at later stages to force oxygen from the lungs to every part of the body are too expensive in Africa. When the rich countries realized how less effective ventilators were despite discriminative use, they started shipping them to developing countries for sale! Africas lead is not mythical. The hard work and resourceful efforts of our medical workers, community health workers and Traditional Medicine must be credited. It is up to African scientists to channel and exemplify their knowledge before their efforts could be recognized and not denied worldwide. If it works in Africa, some of their scientists will explore them here and claim credit as they did for antibiotics, aspirin etc. Though IMHOTEP practiced medicine and taught 2,200 years before Hippocrates was born, they call him Father of Modern Medicine. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that he would allow New York City restaurants to reopen for indoor dining at 25 percent capacity beginning September 30. The announcement comes more than two months after Cuomo and mayor Bill de Blasio put the brakes on a plan to reopen indoor dining at restaurants in light of continued concerns about the spread of coronavirus. Now that compliance is better New Yorks infection rate has stayed below 1 percent for several weeks we can now take the next step, the governor said. While the citys restaurants have suffered economically since the outset of the pandemic, many have tried to get by on outdoor dining and takeout services this summer but have worried what colder weather would hold in store. Aside from reduced capacity, restaurants and patrons will face other restrictions including the requirement to wear face coverings when not seated. More from National Review President Trump admitted in March that he wanted to publicly downplay the danger posed by the coronavirus in order to avoid creating panic, even as he expressed privately that the disease posed a deadly threat, according to a new book on the Trump presidency by Bob Woodward. I wanted to always play it down, Trump told Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward of Watergate fame during a March 19 interview for Woodwards upcoming book Rage. I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic, Trump continued. The book, Woodwards second on the Trump presidency, is scheduled for release on September 15 and is partly based on 18 interviews Woodward did with Trump between December and July. Just days before Trumps remarks, the president had declared a national emergency on March 13 in order to free up $50 billion in federal resources to combat the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, which was quickly worsening. In late January, National Security Advisor Robert OBrien had warned the president that the coronavirus would be the roughest thing you face. This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency, OBrien told Trump, according to Woodwards book. Trump also admitted to Woodward that he knew in early February, weeks before the first confirmed U.S. coronavirus death was reported in the Seattle area later that month, that the pathogen was highly contagious and more deadly than even your strenuous flus. You just breathe the air and thats how its passed, Trump said in a February 7 interview with Woodward. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flu. This is deadly stuff, Trump added. Nevertheless, several weeks later on February 28, Trump was still assuring the American public that, one day, its like a miracle, it will disappear, referring to the coronavirus outbreak. By March 19, the U.S. had more than 14,000 positive cases of the coronavirus, and 187 people had died. More from National Review GLEN CARBON State Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, is urging farmers to apply to the Illinois Department of Agricultures Fall Covers for Spring Savings program. Its been a difficult year for farmers and the return of the cover crop discount program will be a great help for them during fall harvest, Crowe said. This program serves as another funding source to help farmers improve the soil in their fields. The programs first year was a huge success, and I encourage farmers to participate this fall as well. Sikkim lottery department will be announcing the result of Dear Day lottery at 4 pm. Those who have bought the tickets of Dear Day lottery will be able to check results on the official website of Sikkim State Lotteries at sikkimlotteries.com. The first prize of Dear Day lottery is worth Rs 1 crore, while the winners of second and third prize will get Rs 9,000 and Rs 500. The fourth and fifth prize will fetch Rs 250 and Rs 120. Consolation prize winners will receive Rs 1,000. How to check Sikkim Dear Day results Step 1: On Google, type Sikkim State Lotteries in the search box and press enter RELATED NEWS Sikkim Dear Day Lottery Results Declared at sikkimlotteries.com Step 2: On the homepage, click on the PDF link for Dear Day lottery Step 3: Open PDF of the result Step 4: Check if your ticket number is there on the PDF The PDF has ticket number of first prize winner printed on the top. Then it will have consolation prize series. Below that, people will find ticket numbers of second, third, fourth and fifth prizes winners. Prize money can be received by filling a claim form which can be downloaded from the official website of Sikkim State Lotteries. If the winning amount is more than Rs 10,000, then it can be claimed from Kolkata Sikkim Office. The winners will have to submit their claim form there. The price of a single ticket of Sikkim Dear Day lottery is Rs 6. The department in the morning declared the result of Dear Cherished Morning lottery. The first prize of Rs 1 crore was bagged by ticket number 66H 04641. The consolation prize series (Rs 1,000) started from 04641. The second prize of Rs 9,000 went to ticket numbers: 12054, 35446, 52695, 55006, 59697, 69137, 82986, 91248, 92062 and 93652. Ticket numbers which got the third prize of Rs 500 are 3183, 3606, 3936, 4405, 5348, 6671, 7813, 8989, 9924 and 9933. The fourth prize of Rs 250 was bagged by ticket numbers: 1178, 1712, 1987, 2850, 2959, 3250, 5842, 6100, 7828 and 8381 The American Highway name brings a long-established road creed and added value to our overall corporate brand as a recognized and familiar staple in the industry. Simplex-USA, the foremost manufacturer and supplier of infrastructure products to highway contractors throughout the USA and Canada, has transitioned into its new name, American Highway A Simplex Company; it was announced today by the companys Co-Chief Executive Officer, Ron Meskis: We are proud of our latest addition, American Highway, to our company name. Our intent on this pivot to American Highway is to better inform and provide more color definition to this large industry landscape. Of relevance, prior to Simplexs purchase of Dayton Superiors paving division in 2019, the trade name of American Highway was predominantly used to supply steel products to the concrete paving industry. As such, the name brings a long-established road creed and added value to our overall corporate brand as a recognized and familiar staple in the industry. The road infrastructure leader is recognized as much broader than a steel dowel manufacturer. Particularly considering it expansion into new markets with other integrated American made products as part of facilitating its mass demand in the infrastructure space. Sarah Bazey, founder of Simplex-USA who led and managed this company for more than 30 years as its CEO, and who further navigated Simplexs purchase of JC Supply & Manufacturing, including the paving division of Dayton Superior, states, Our team is comprised of individuals with unparalleled experience and talent throughout the organization. Therefore, our collective human capital will continue to drive unprecedented success within the highway industry. The Board of Directors of the newly named American Highway look at the organizations steady proliferation, counting the recent relocation of its West Coast manufacturing operations to Fernley, Nevada, as part of leveraging the companys overall operations across its national footprint. Mark Kaler, Chairman of the Board for Simplex-USA, states, I am very excited about the forward trajectory of our diversified company as we continue to expand its product offering in the infrastructure market. My history with the name of American Highway goes back to the early 2000s when I was part of the team which established its name. American Highway has a long-recognized reputation and is something I am quite proud of having been a part of since its inception. Consequently, I am now even more excited to be part of the companys growth plans; providing added products and value for our contractor and distributor partners. Paving continued growth and further acquisitions are chiefly in the ambit of American Highway as the pre-eminent leader of specialty road products. Now made even stronger through its new trade name. More About American Highway A Simplex Company Excellence in Design Life and Quality of Concrete Pavement American Highway A Simplex Company, formerly Simplex-USA, is the leading manufacturer and supplier of infrastructure products to highway contractors throughout the USA and Canada. As an added benefit to contractors, the organization is recognized for its proficiency in bundling the most comprehensive and customized package of accessories for its customers. Upholding a blue-chip standard, the company has continued to distinguish its strength and reputation; garnering widespread growth and industry demand. The new trade name, American Highway, follows the organizations legacy for perfecting its ability to create innovative new products that improve the design life and overall quality of concrete pavement. As a result of more than 150 years of experience, its team has become a trusted partner to loyal customers, which have increasingly relied upon this exemplary industry leader for providing all needed expert technical guidance and proven solutions. This includes servicing the state and federal authorities, which approve the organizations products for use in concrete roads and airport pavements. American Highway has a combined footprint of 448,000 square feet under roof and 25 acres of capacity across three locations comprised of Fernley, Nevada; Kankakee, Illinois; and Minneapolis, Minnesota; with over 150 employees combined working in those facilities. OPINION: The get out the vote efforts of the Trump administration are betting that evangelicals prefer to ignore the truth about intersectionality When Donald Trump introduced a ban on critical race theory in federal diversity training as un-American, I knew it was a bat signal in the sky to conservative evangelicals to save his electoral chances. According to Pew Research, only 59% of white evangelicals strongly approve of Trumps job performance currently, down 8 points from April 2020. These evangelicals are still willing to vote for Trump, however, so the pressure is on to turn out these voters by reminding them that Trumps views on race are consistent with conservative evangelical Christianity. Enter the ban. Announced on a Friday night, the ban is designed to appeal to a segment of evangelical Christianity that is critical of all social justice activism, including critical race theory. This critique, articulated by influential pastors like John MacArthur, claims that along with critical race theory, intersectionality is contrary to biblical teaching and grounded in Marxism. Read More: Christian site raises over $97K for Kenosha shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse MacArthurs post explicitly cautions, It would be folly to pretend the social justice movement poses no threat whatsoever to evangelical conviction. The true history of words like critical theory and intersectionality, according to MacArthur, reveals this threat. Why, after decades of dominance in US politics, should an evangelical pastor like MacArthur see a need for this 2018 post? Inside the world of Christian activism there is a very real and growing multiracial movement of progressive Christians who take the Bible as seriously as their conservative counterparts. They have mounted a serious clap back against decades of conservative Christian pastors claims that the only Christian way to participate in American politics is to vote Republican. Story continues Donald Trump attends a worship service at the International Church of Las Vegas October 30, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Moral Mondays, Red Letter Christians, and nonpartisan organizations like Intervarsity Christian Fellowship are all learning about intersectionality as a lens that clarifies the complexities of inequality. Full disclosure: some of them have learned about it from me. Most conservative evangelical Christians who think intersectionality is unbiblical would be shocked to discover that they agree with doctrinaire Marxists, who also find intersectionality problematic. Both groups get the history and the definition of intersectionality wrong. Lets first correct the history: intersectionalitys ideas pre-date its name. The name intersectionality took hold in the 1980s after two popular law review articles were published by Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, who came out of the Critical Race Theory movement. But even Crenshaw herself acknowledges that the ideas go back as far as Sojourner Truth, a Black Christian woman and former slave who once called out Frederick Douglass for his lack of faith in God. Truth was not the originator of these ideas. Intersectional ideas go back further to a Black evangelical Christian woman, Maria Stewart, who first wrote and spoke publicly about ending racism and sexism in 1831. Stewart wrote about this intersectional idea 17 years before Karl Marx ever picked up his pen to write theories now called Marxism, and over a century before there was anything called critical race theory. Just like in music and fashion, intersectionalitys ideas came back in the 1980s and 1990s; they didnt begin there. Intersectionality as an idea was originated by a Black Christian woman, not a German secular intellectual. U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Pastor Darrell Scott, co-founder of the New Spirit Revival Center, before Trump signs an executive order during an event in the Rose Garden to mark the National Day of Prayer at the White House May 3, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Valerie Cooper argues in her book Word, Like Fire that Stewarts religious, social and political ideas about ending racism and sexism emerge out of her deep Christian faith. Mentored by the better-known David Walker, whose appeal was an incendiary damnation of slavery, Stewarts daring focus on the Daughters of Africa engendered stark backlash from the Black male pastors in Boston. So much so, that Stewart was forced to move to New York City, where she gave up public life. Her sin was to speak publicly to a mixed audience about the sins of racism, sexism, and greed embodied in the system of U.S. chattel slavery. Now, lets correct the definition. Both conservative evangelicals and doctrinaire Marxists erroneously suggest that intersectionality is an additive theory about individual identities. This ignorance is perpetuated by videos that claim to explain intersectionality using a Venn diagram to show only some identities overlapping. Read More: Trump wants to pull funding from schools that use 1619 Project curriculum The diagram is used to promote a false intersectionality: the more oppressed identities you have, the more legitimacy you have. Intersectionality is actually a lens no different from wearing glasses: it clarifies how worldly systems of oppression overlap to limit and distort the life chances of various groups of people. It is these systems of power that came together forcefully and were unbiblically used in slavery, according to Stewart. Intersectionality critiques the identity politics created by systems that classify and target individuals because they are members of groups considered unworthy of basic human dignity. It also criticizes class-based and conservative social movements that would prefer to be color blind. The get out the vote (GOTV) efforts of the Trump administration are betting that evangelicals prefer to ignore the truth about intersectionality. Dont be one of them. Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro is Deans Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California and author of Intersectionality: An Intellectual History (2015). Have you subscribed to theGrios new podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Why Trump really banned diversity training as anti-American appeared first on TheGrio. Prophet Isaac Owusu Bempah, the founder and leader of Glorious Word Power Ministry International, says he walks with a gun wherever he goes. He disclosed in a radio interview that his gun is licenced and purposely for his protection. Prophet Owusu Bempah, justifying why he carries a gun around, cited the disciples of Jesus had knives with them as they walked with their master but in the modern day situation, his is a gun. He narrated incidents where some Pastors have suffered physical assaults and alluded to a Pastor who was murdered in his church office, stressing that he will not sit on the fence to experience similar fate. The man of God further revealed he was equally attacked by some unknown assailants during one of his trip to T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School (AMASS) in Kumasi, Ashanti Region but added he fired gunshots back to disperse the assailants. "Elijah (in the Bible) run into the forest when he was pursued but here in Accra, by the time you start running into the forest, you would have been gunned down already. So, for me, I won't run but face you physically and spiritually," he posited. Watch full interview below: View this post on Instagram #trendzntrendy #trendzpaparazzi #ghanatoafrica #ghanaontheglobe #africatotheworld A post shared by Trendz&Trendy (@trendzntrendy) on Sep 8, 2020 at 10:14am PDT 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 Michigans Independent Redistricting Commission will meet for the first time Sept. 17-18, virtually. The 13-member commission, tasked with redrawing the states legislative and congressional district boundaries in time for the 2022 election cycle and beyond, was selected at random on Aug. 17. Over 9,300 Michiganders submitted applications to serve on the commission between January and June of this year. According to the meeting agenda, commissioners will vote on an acting chair, receive a general overview of responsibilities, expectations, and deadlines, engage in panel discussions about the basics of Article IV, Section 6, including mapping criteria and public hearings, and listen to a presentation about lessons learned from redistricting commissions in other states. The members include (with age, hometown, and political party affiliation): Douglas Clark, 73: Rochester Hills, Republican Juanita Curry, 72: Detroit, Democrat James Decker, 59: Fowlerville, Neither Anthony Eid, 27: Orchard Lake, Neither Brittni Kellom, 33: Detroit, Democrat Rhonda Lange, 47: Reed City, Republican Steven Lett, 73: Interlochen, Neither Cynthia Orton, 54: Battle Creek, Republican M. Rothhorn: 48: Lansing, Democrat Janice Vallette, 68: Highland, Neither Erin Wagner, 54: Charlotte, Republican Richard Weiss, 73: Saginaw, Neither Dustin Witjes, 31: Ypsilanti, Democrat This is the first time that members of the general public will be drawing those districts as part of this new commission, which includes: four Democrats, four Republicans, and five individuals who do not associate with either party. As with most states, Michigan had allowed the party in power in the state Legislature after the decennial census to draw district lines. In the past two redistricting cycles, thats been Republicans but the task will now be handled by this citizen redistricting panel, due to a successful 2018 ballot initiative. The district boundaries were last redrawn in 2010-2011 by the Republican-led State Legislature as required by federal law using updated census information. The commission will be tasked with adopting a redistricting plan for Michigan State House, Michigan State Senate and U.S. Congressional Districts by Nov. 1, 2021. The maps will become law and take effect by Dec. 31, 2021, in time for the 2022 election cycle. Commissioners will be paid around $40,000 for their work. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of stealing some ideas from their manifesto. He said the NDC even copy the entire manifesto from cover to cover but it cannot copy the sterling performance of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)in government. "You can copy all the ideas, but you cannot copy the performance because your performance will expose you", he emphasized. Dr Bawumia stated this while addressing the Chiefs and people of Bussie in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District as part of his two-day campaign tour of the Upper West Region. He also accused the NDC of making juicy promises to deceive Ghanaians to bring them back to power for them to mismanage the economy and bring back suffering to them. He said the NPP had proven to be better managers of the economy and should be maintained in office to do more to better the lives of Ghanaians. On the Free Senior High School (SHS), Vice President Bawumia said the NDC did not believe in the policy in the first place, questioning how they could make something better when they do not believe in it. He therefore appealed to Ghanaians not to risk the free SHS by falling for the juicy promises thrown at them by the NDC to capture power. He said even with the free SHS in place, some parents were still finding it difficult to pay their ward's fees at the University, adding that the NPP, if maintained in office, would pay the fees of all SHS graduates who qualified, but have difficulty in paying their fees. Dr Bawumia said such students would then pay back the money to government only when they get a job after completion, noting that it would guarantee access to university education for all no matter their economic status. ---with files from GNA (Newser) Bradley University in Illinois has ordered every single one of its students to quarantine for two weeks after counting dozens of coronavirus cases over the past couple of weeks. The private university in Peoriawhich had some 4,600 undergraduate students last yearhad counted about 50 cases as of Tuesday, when President Stephen Standifird made the announcement. He noted more than 500 students were in quarantine and many more were likely to follow as contact tracing continued, per WCBU. Officials linked the cases (mostly asymptomatic) to off-campus gatherings, per the Chicago Tribune. Standifird also described a lack of compliance with campus recommendations on social distancing and mask-wearing. story continues below Anyone found in violation of those rules or the new quarantine order may now be removed from campus, per the Tribune. All students are asked to quarantine from 8pm Tuesday until Sept. 23, leaving their homes or residences only to run essential errands or go to work. Remote learning will be available. "Although it may seem extreme, this ... allows us to focus on the continuity of the educational experience for all of our students while giving us time to gather data on the full extent of the spread of the virus and assess the best way to proceed as a community," Standifird said. He added a semester on campus would still be possible if "we collectively change our behaviors moving forward," per WMBD. (Read more coronavirus stories.) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday started the demolition of structural violations carried out at actor Kangana Ranauts office in suburbans Bandras Pali Hill. A civic squad has already reached her office. The structure in question is Ranauts Manikarnika Films Private Limited office, which is a ground plus two-storey building. Also read: Shiv Sena slams Centre for providing security to Kangana Ranaut, calls it insult to Maharashtra Vinayak Vispute, assistant municipal commissioner, BMC, H-West Ward under whose jurisdiction Bandra falls, said: We will carry out the demolition work on Wednesday over the structural violations carried out at Ranauts office at Pali Hill. Further action will be taken after the demolition process. As per the civic rules, any structure has to be built in line with the plan submitted to the local authorities. Any illegal changes in the plan or alterations in the structure attract legal action. On Tuesday, BMC had issued a notice to Ranaut over several structural violations carried out in her office while asking her to respond within 24 hours and take corrective measures, failing which the illegal portions would be demolished. Later, Ranauts lawyer had written to the BMC authorities asking seven days to respond to the notice, instead of 24 hours. The lawyer had cited that the notice is legally untenable. Ranaut is incensed at the turn of events. As I am all set for a Mumbai darshan on my way to the airport, Maharashtra government and their goons are at my property. They are all set to illegally break it down. Go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtras pride. This is nothing. Take everything, but my spirit will only soar higher, she tweeted on Wednesday morning. Ranaut has been involved in a bitter war of words with Maharashtras ruling Shiv Sena, which also controls the BMC, over her remarks likening Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government, which also comprises the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, has accused Ranaut of siding with its rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Tuesday, a breach of privilege motion was moved against Ranaut in the Maharashtra legislative assembly for her remarks against Mumbai and its police. The Maharashtra government had also said that it would probe into allegations made by actor Adhyayan Suman, her purported ex-boyfriend, in an interview three years ago that Ranaut did drugs and also compelled him to consume narcotic substances. Berlin, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/09/2020 -- No Boundaries Advisors are a team of construction experts and the best small business accountants in Orlando. The biggest issues faced by any local home builder, contractor or a construction business is that they do not have the proper accounting practices in place; delaying their reporting tasks either daily, weekly or monthly; hiring an inexperienced accountant or a leaving the bookkeeping to regular employee; not paying attention to smaller transactions; inefficient operations; not being able to have discussions with the accountant; and last but not the least not knowing their own cash flow. Even one of these or all these mistakes put together contribute to the downfall of a business. That is why it is important to hire professional small business accountants in Orlando who can do all the bookkeeping on behalf of the businesses. The accountants here at No Boundaries are highly proactive. They don't just wait for the business owners to update them but they constantly communicate with the business owners with regards to each and every transaction and operation that can affect the bookkeeping. For these accountants, the main priority is to identify where the businesses can save money and improve their cash flow. And it all starts with identifying the opportunities where the savings could be made especially the tax payments. Book a free consult today. To know more & to avail free consult visit nbcpa.us/small-business-accountant-Orlando About No Boundaries Advisors No Boundaries Advisors is a small business accounting firm in Orlando, FL exclusively catering to the accounting needs of home builders & construction companies. With operations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Florida and New Jersey, the company has been offering premier accounting services for over 3 decades now. Media Contact No Boundaries Advisors Phone: 1-877-393-7030 Email: Info@nbcpa.us Website: nbcpa.us/small-business-accountant-Orlando Former director of national intelligence Dan Coats could not shake his "deep suspicions" that Russian President Vladimir Putin "had something" on President Trump, seeing "no other explanation" for the president's behavior, according to Bob Woodward's new book "Rage," which was obtained by CNN ahead of its publication next week. Why it matters: Coats was the president's top intelligence official from March 2017 until August 2019. Woodward reports that Coats and his staff examined the intelligence regarding Trump's ties to Russia "as carefully as possible" and that he "still questions the relationship" between Trump and Putin despite the apparent absence of intelligence proof. Between the lines: The New York Times' Michael Schmidt reported in his new book that former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein secretly curtailed an FBI counterintelligence probe into Trump's ties to Russia, meaning the full scope of decades of the president's personal and financial dealings there has never been explored. The big picture: The explosive Woodward book, which is based in part on 18 interviews that Trump sat for with the veteran journalist, details the "tortured" tenure of Coats and other officials described by the Washington Post as "so-called adults of the Trump orbit" including former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. At one point, Mattis went to Washington National Cathedral to pray for the country's fate under Trump's leadership, according to the Post's report on Woodward's book. He reportedly told Coats, "There may come a time when we have to take collective action" to speak out against Trump because he is "dangerous. Hes unfit." In a later conversation reported by Woodward, Mattis told Coats, "The president has no moral compass." Coats reportedly responded, True. To him, a lie is not a lie. Its just what he thinks. He doesnt know the difference between the truth and a lie." The other side: "The Bob Woodward book will be a FAKE, as always, just as many of the others have been," Trump tweeted on Aug. 14, before the book had come out. This is despite the fact that the president sat for 18 interviews with Woodward. As per the latest updates on the MT New Diamond oil tanker which caught fire on September 3, no new flames or smoke have been observed since the last 24 hours. With the joint efforts of Indian Coast Guard's (ICG) ships including Shaurya and the Sri Lankan navy, fire on MT New Diamond has been extinguished. The Salvage Team, which boarded and inspected the vessel, informed that the ship is now stable. The team will once again board on September 10 in a bid to prepare the vessel for towing. #Update #MTNewDiamond now 80km from coast. No flames & smoke visible for last 24 hours. Salvage Team boarded & inspected vessel. Reports #MTNewDiamond fire extinguished, vessel presently stable. Salvage Team boarding again AM 10 Sep to prepare vessel for towing.@SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/C51W59TCFN SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) September 9, 2020 READ: After Overnight Re-ignition On Monday, No New Fires Reported On Stricken MT New Diamond While taking to Twitter, the Indian Coast Guard informed that the fire is completely doused. The officials said that a Dornier aircraft is currently undertaking Oil Spill Dispersants (OSD) spray to neutralise oil sheen. India is also in constant touch with the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure the vessels safety. Sustained #FireFighting efforts by 06 #ICG ships with Srilankan ships,Tugs ensured fire completely doused PM 08 Sep averting major disaster. Dornier undertaking OSD spray to neutralise oil sheen.#ICG closely interacting with SL authorities & salvours to ensure vessel safety. pic.twitter.com/631WfkesTu Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) September 9, 2020 READ: Sri Lanka: Oil Slick Spotted A Kilometre From Stricken MT New Diamond No oil spill reported The oil tanker, MT New Diamond, was coming from Kuwait to India when its engine room caught fire at about 37 nautical miles east of Sri Lanka coast on Sep 3. Following Sri Lanka Navy's request for assistance, Indian Coast Guard rushed to aid them in fighting the fire on MT New Diamond carrying 2,70,000 tonnes of crude oil. Indian Coast Guard deployed 6 ships including Shaurya, Sarang, and Samudra Pehredar, one Dornier aircraft and one Helo for the firefighting operation on the oil tanker. Finally, after days of fire fighting, ICG and ships from Sri Lanka managed to control the ignition on MT New Diamond. READ: ICG Hands Over 1500 Kg Of DCP To Sri Lankan Officials For Fire-fighting On MT New Diamond The latest finding of by ICG, no oil spill was reported as the fire remained localised and the cargo containing the oil is safe. According to ANI, twenty-two crew members of the oil Motor Tanker (MT) New Diamond have been rescued out of which one has been admitted to the hospital due to injuries while one died in the 'firefight'. A joint meeting with Salvers M/s Smit is in progress to plan embarkation on board on September 20 at 9 am for damage assessment. Additional resources which will be required at the oil tanker are on their way to the Sri Lankan coast. (Images: @indiannavy/Twitter) READ: ICG Successfully Contains MT New Diamond Fire Despite Harsh Weather Conditions VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Gold Springs Resource Corp. (TSX:GRC)(OTCQB:GRCAF) (the "Company" or "GRC"), is pleased to announce mapping and surface-sample results generated on the Ridge, West Ridge and Big Summit targets on the Nevada portion of the Gold Springs project (see map below). GRC work has generated high-grade gold and silver values in all of these areas as the targets are readied for drilling. The targets display banded and bladed epithermal quartz and quartz-calcite veining, breccias and stockwork zones as is typically seen within the current resource areas at Gold Springs. Material from these veins which was collected from outcrops, float and historic mine dumps returned multi-gram gold results. The Ridge target vein samples grade as high as 2.77 g/t Au and 20.8 g/t silver. Vein samples from the West Ridge target grade up to 5.60 g/t Au and 32.6 g/t silver. The Big Summit target area returned the highest grades with samples as high as 30.3 g/t Au and 94.2 g/t silver. Together Ridge, West ridge and Big Summit encompass a 7.2 square-kilometre area within the western portion of the Gold Springs project and is predominantly covered by post mineral material. Matias Herrero, President and CEO, stated "Our continuing effort to not only prepare the multitude of gold targets for drilling but to convey the size and the potential for hosting additional resources, has again generated high-quality targets containing high-grade gold mineralization. We are excited to develop an understanding for the size of these targets that have seen little attention in the past. With the dimensions of these three areas covering over 7 square kilometres and the excellent gold grades generated during our sampling efforts these targets have grown far past our initial interpretations. These targets are largely concealed by post-mineral cover, but our field crews have identified controls for the gold mineralization on these very promising areas which we hope to prove capable of hosting new mineral resources." Ridge Target The Ridge target is located 3 kilometers west of the White Point target (press release August 4, 2020) along the Deer Lodge canyon structural zone. The Deer Lodge canyon marks the northwest boundary of the Gold Springs Caldera, a splay of which hosts the Grey Eagle resource. Much of the Ridge target is covered with post-mineral colluvium but examining the limited outcrops, historic workings, and mineralization found in float has provided evidence of an extensive epithermal gold system below the shallow cover. Mineralized float is found over a 1.7 x 1.1 kilometre area signifying the potential size of the Ridge target. In historical working near the caldera margin there are outcropping explosion breccias typically found at high levels within epithermal gold systems indicating there may be a fully preserved system hosted along the caldera boundary. Mineralized material in float include, stockwork veining in andesite, banded and bladed quartz-calcite veins, and silicified hydrothermal breccias. Vein samples returned assays as high as 2.77 g/t Au and 20.8 g/t silver, with hydrothermal breccia grading 0.44 g/t Au and 35.7 g/t silver. Values greater than the resource cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t Au are listed below. Table: Rock Chip Sampling Results from the Ridge target SAMPLE Sample Type Description Target Au g/t Ag g/t 225278 Float Banded/Bladed Calcite-Quartz vein Ridge 0.36 3.7 225274 Float Banded Quartz vein Ridge 0.99 9.6 225277 Float Banded Quartz vein Ridge 1.39 20.8 225271 Float Banded/Bladed Quartz vein Ridge 1.43 17.7 225279 Float Banded/Bladed Quartz vein Ridge 0.75 11.8 225288 Float Banded/Bladed Quartz vein Ridge 2.77 11.2 225262 Outcrop, Discontinuous, 0.5m Banded/Bladed Quartz-Calcite vein Ridge 0.94 2.1 225263 Dump Banded/Bladed Quartz-Calcite vein Ridge 0.33 3.1 225282 Float Vuggy Banded Quartz vein Ridge 0.85 2.2 225259 Float Banded Quartz vein Ridge 1.92 15.6 225270 Float Banded/Bladed Quartz vein Ridge 0.66 6 225251 Float Hydrothermal breccia Ridge 0.44 35.7 West Ridge Target West Ridge is located immediately south of the Ridge target in the western portion of the Gold Springs project area. Similar to the Ridge target, much of the area is covered with a thin layer of colluvium, with mineralized float found over the 1.6 x 1.2 kilometre target area. Together the Ridge and West Ridge targets represent a large caldera-margin block, similar to the one hosting the Grey Eagle resource. Within the historical workings at the West Ridge target veins, breccia and stockwork zones are found to be gold bearing with vein material assays up to 5.60 g/t Au and 32.6 g/t Ag with stockwork zones along the vein margins grading +1.0 g/t gold. Values greater than the resource cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t Au are listed below. Table: Rock Chip Sampling Results from the West Ridge target SAMPLE Sample Type Description Target Au g/t Ag g/t 224589 Float Calcite-Quartz vein West Ridge 0.73 7.1 224570 Float Banded Quartz-Calcite vein West Ridge 0.43 13.3 224566 Float Banded Quartz-Calcite vein West Ridge 0.65 14.8 224573 Float Banded Quartz-Calcite vein West Ridge 1.5 9.4 224580 Float Banded Quartz-Calcite vein West Ridge 0.65 17.4 224587 Float Banded Quartz-Calcite vein West Ridge 3.09 17.2 224599 Float Banded/Bladed Calcite-Quartz vein West Ridge 1.57 11.2 225305 Float Banded/Bladed Calcite-Quartz vein West Ridge 0.27 7.9 224576 Float Quartz vein West Ridge 0.79 9.5 224597 Float Banded Quartz vein West Ridge 0.34 7.2 225302 Sub-Outcrop Banded Quartz vein West Ridge 0.93 21.4 224593 Float Bladed Quartz vein West Ridge 0.75 8.9 224598 Float Banded/Bladed Quartz vein West Ridge 5.07 13.4 224562 Float Quartz-calcite vein West Ridge 1.88 13.9 224571 Dump Quartz-calcite vein West Ridge 1.74 15.1 224579 Float Quartz-calcite vein West Ridge 0.49 11.8 224574 Dump Quartz-calcite vein West Ridge 1.56 2.6 224564 Float Banded Calcite-Quartz vein West Ridge 5.6 32.6 224567 Float Banded/Bladed Quartz-Calcite vein West Ridge 0.58 4.5 224591 Float Quartz vein West Ridge 0.39 0.8 224592 Float Quartz vein West Ridge 0.37 3.7 224582 Float Quartz vein West Ridge 0.3 1.9 224586 Float Quartz vein West Ridge 0.29 1.0 224563 Float Banded Quartz vein West Ridge 0.4 3.5 224595 Float Stockwork Quartz veining West Ridge 1.1 8.4 225301 Float Stockwork Quartz veining West Ridge 1.43 6.0 224588 Float Hydrothermal breccia West Ridge 0.39 9.6 224572 Outcrop Hydrothermal breccia and Quartz-Calcite vein West Ridge 0.41 12.0 224569 Dump Altered andesite host rock West Ridge 0.28 7.3 Big Summit Target The Big Summit target is located immediately south of the Ridge and West Ridge targets and shows many similarities to those systems. Much of the area is covered with colluvium with a limited number of outcrops and historical workings offering insight into what is below. Mineralized float is found over a 1.7 x 2.0 kilometre area which provides an indication of the large potential size of this target. Workings in the area reveal altered and mineralized andesite below post-mineral tuffs and colluvium. Outcropping and sub-outcropping calcite-quartz veins are also found in areas near the historic workings. Veins are hosted within silicified andesite with several vein samples returning multi-gram gold values, reaching 30.3 g/t Au and 94.2 g/t silver. Values greater than the resource cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t Au are listed below. Table: Rock Chip Sampling Results from the Big Summit target SAMPLE Sample Type Description Target Au g/t Ag g/t 225319 Float Bladed Quartz vein Big Summit 3.06 14.1 225406 Float Banded/Bladed Quartz vein Big Summit 30.3 94.2 225310 Float Bladed Quartz vein Big Summit 7.74 6.7 225324 Float Bladed Quartz-Calcite vein Big Summit 0.41 8.8 225331 Float Bladed Quartz-Calcite vein Big Summit 1.73 2.9 225333 Float Bladed Quartz-Calcite vein Big Summit 5.2 13.5 225300 Outcrop Banded Calcite-Quartz vein Big Summit 0.78 5.9 jk-20-002 Outcrop Banded Calcite-Quartz vein Big Summit 4.01 18 225405 Outcrop, Discontinuous, 1m Banded/Bladed Calcite-Quartz vein Big Summit 0.48 6.5 225296 Float Quartz vein Big Summit 13.4 14.2 225311 Float Quartz vein Big Summit 20.9 43.3 225321 Float Quartz vein Big Summit 0.34 7 225292 Float Hydrothermal breccia Big Summit 0.38 <0.5 225325 Float Hydrothermal breccia Big Summit 1.38 <0.5 225297 Outcrop Stockwork Quartz veining Big Summit 0.37 3.2 Qualified Person The Qualified Person on the Gold Springs Project is Randall Moore, Executive Vice President of Exploration for Gold Springs Resource Corp. and he has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this press release. The Qualified Person verified the data disclosed herein for its geological reasonableness, checked all the inputs, reviewed standard and blank lab results, and verified the analytical data. Assay Method Assays were performed by ALS Geochemistry, an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Certified and independent laboratory in Sparks, Nevada. Gold was analyzed by fire assay of a 30-gram sample with an AAS finish. All other elements were analyzed by a four-acid leach ICP method. Quality Assurance and Quality Control Approximately 2-3 kg for each rock chip sample was sent to the laboratory. The laboratory includes duplicates of samples, standards and blanks for QA/QC purposes. The results of these check assays are reviewed prior to the release of data. All assays are also reviewed for their geological context and checked against field descriptions. About Gold Springs Resource Corp. (Formerly TriMetals Mining Inc.) Gold Springs Resource Corp. (TSX: GRC and OTCQB: GRCAF) is focused on the exploration and expansion of the gold and silver resources of its PEA-stage Gold Springs project located on the border of Nevada and Utah, USA. The project is situated in the prolific Great Basin of Western USA, one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world. Gold Springs Resource Corp. Contact: Matias Herrero Chief Executive Officer info@goldspringsresource.com +1 (778) 801-1667 Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements look into the future and provide an opinion as to the effect of certain events and trends on the business. Forward-looking statements may include words such as "creating", "hope", "would", "continue", "will", "may", "promising", "should", and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and entail various risks and uncertainties. Actual results may materially differ from expectations if known and unknown risks or uncertainties affect our business or if our estimates or assumptions prove inaccurate. Factors that could cause results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, risks of the mineral exploration industry which may affect the advancement of the Gold Springs project, including possible variations in mineral resources, grade, recovery rates, metal prices, capital and operating costs, and the application of taxes; availability of sufficient financing to fund planned or further required work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; availability of equipment and qualified personnel, failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, changes in project parameters, including water requirements for operations, as plans continue to be refined; regulatory, environmental and other risks of the mining industry more fully described in the Company's Annual Information Form and continuous disclosure documents, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The assumptions made in developing the forward-looking statements include: the accuracy of current resource estimates and the interpretation of drill, metallurgical testing and other exploration results; the continuing support for mining by local governments in Nevada and Utah; the availability of equipment and qualified personnel to advance the Gold Springs project; execution of the Company's existing plans and further exploration and development programs for Gold Springs, which may change due to changes in the views of the Company or if new information arises which makes it prudent to change such plans or programs. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason. Unless otherwise indicated, forward-looking statements in this press release describe the Company's expectations as of the date hereof. Figure 1 - Map For enhanced image, click here SOURCE: Gold Springs Resources Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605279/Gold-Springs-Resource-Reports-on-Three-Additional-Targets-at-its-Flagship-Project Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Czechs will have to wear face masks in most public indoor settings in a bid to slow a record spike in COVID-19 cases, the health minister said Wednesday. The restriction comes on the heels of a never-before-seen daily increase of 1,164 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported Tuesday in the EU member nation of 10.7 million people. "We have agreed with experts to introduce the duty to wear face masks inside buildings across the Czech Republic as of Thursday," Minister Adam Vojtech said in a tweet. The measure affects restaurants, shops, schoolsexcept classroomsand workplaces unless employees remain two metres (six and a half feet) apart, although there are some exemptions like kindergarten-aged children and people eating or drinking. Czechs have already had to wear face masks on public transport, in hospitals and public institutions and at railway stations and the Prague airport since the beginning of the month. The World Health Organization called on governments in June to "encourage the general public to wear masks in specific situations and settings." The Czech Republic had already introduced a blanket face mask requirement in March, soon after the pandemic struck Europe, and managed to keep virus figures lower than most of the continent. But in May, the centre-left government eased most of the restrictions, and the number of new cases started to rise again. Last week, the country's chief public health officer announced she had tested positive for COVID-19. The Czech Republic has registered almost 30,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 441 deaths. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP A businessman (38), who had recently befriended a woman on an online dating platform, found himself trapped by a gang of four that threatened to implicate him in a fake rape case if he did not cough up 5 lakh in cash, the Delhi Police said. The victim managed to give his extortionists a slip from outer Delhis Rohini on Sunday. He went to the nearest police station, at Budh Vihar, and sought help that led to the arrest of two men and a woman in the honey trap case. Also read: Delhi man shoots in air, arrested However, a suspect is still absconding. One of the arrested suspects, Sunil Kumar Pal (40), is a former home guard personnel. He was charged with two similar offences in the past, said PK Mishra, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Rohini, Delhi Police. The arrested woman, Seema, also was involved in a honey trap case in 2017, said the DCP. The victim rents out computer printers and lives with his family in Rohini. A few months ago, he came across a woman, Jyoti, on a dating application (app). Soon, they became friends, said the DCP. Jyoti requested the victim for a job a week ago, as she was allegedly facing financial hardships. He agreed to offer her a sales executives job in his business, said the DCP. On Sunday, Jyoti allegedly proposed a get together to celebrate the occasion of her finding a job. The man drove to Rithala Metro station, where he met Jyoti and her friend Seema (35). They went to a rented flat in Sector 5, Rohini, to celebrate the occasion. Soon , Seema left on some pretext and returned with two men. The four persons started demanding 5 lakh in cash from the victim and threatened to implicate him in a fake rape case if he did not pay up, the DCP added. But unlike many other previous similar cases, the victim managed to give his extortionists a slip and went to the nearest Budh Vihar police station. We launched a technical surveillance and arrested three of the four suspects on Monday. But Jyoti is still absconding, said the DCP. The gang would be on the prowl on dating apps to lure rich and vulnerable men and extort money by blackmailing them with fake rape cases, he added. The foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) would hold a lunche on meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Moscow, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is in Moscow on a four-day visit to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the SCO of which both India and China are members. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is the host of the meeting of SCO foreign ministers being held in the Russian capital from Wednesday to Thursday. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also hold bilateral meetings with relevant member states of the SCO and attend a luncheon for the RIC foreign ministers, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing. Under the RIC framework, the foreign ministers of the three countries meet periodically to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of their interest. Zhao, however, said he was not aware of the timing of the RIC foreign ministers meeting. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were admitted as observers of the grouping in 2005. Both the countries were admitted as full members of the bloc in 2017. The meeting would mark the beginning of the end of Lea Fryes career in oil and gas. It was February 2014. Frye, at the time a senior engineer with Anadarko Petroleum Corp., had the job of calculating how much oil was waiting to be extracted from fields Anadarko owned. She was known to be forthright about her analyses. She tells the truth no matter the circumstances, her manager said in a later performance review. Going into the conference with senior executives, Frye had arrived at her own conclusion about Anandarkos most ballyhooed find -- one that now has stockholders suing over what they call the companys fraud. The fields name: Shenandoah. Frye told Anadarkos top brass that their excitement wasnt justified, that Shenandoah, in the Gulf of Mexico, was likely much smaller than the company claimed. The reaction was swift. You do not know anything, Vice President Ernest Leyendecker told her, according to documents recently unsealed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Shenandoah was the best field ever, he said -- as good as any discovery Anadarko had ever made. THE DEAL: Romancing the shale: How Oxy won over Anadarko Over the next two years, Frye said she was harassed, belittled, sidelined and eventually hounded out of Anadarko, according to court documents. The investors complaint says the company continued to express publicly, despite worrisome drilling results, that Shenandoah was a game-changer worth as much as $4 billion. Frye left Anadarko in 2016. The next year, the company wrote off Shenandoahs entire value. The project had gone from a multibillion-dollar golden goose to worthless. Golden Parachutes In their lawsuit, investors are pointing to Fryes experience as evidence that Anadarko executives kept repeating their rosy expectations long enough to profit from them. When Occidental Petroleum Corp. bought the company in August 2019 for $37 billion, Chief Executive Officer Al Walker received a $100 million golden parachute. Another $200 million went to members of Walkers senior team. Investors say that, had Fryes concerns been made public earlier, they would have raised questions about Anadarkos governance and potentially affected the executives ability to sell. Defendants are sufficiently sophisticated to have realized that any revelation of their scheme would have likely made Anadarko unmarketable to potential acquirers or at least cost them their jobs -- either of which would have cost them over $100 million in golden parachute payments, the investor group said in an amended complaint filed last month in the U.S. District Court. Lawyers representing Anadarko, Walker and Leyendecker say the case should be dismissed because the investor group cant prove that executives made comments about the Shenandoah project with an intent to deceive, manipulate or defraud. Their motion to dismiss the case, filed in June, before key documents in Fryes earlier case were unsealed, was denied Aug. 18. Occidental, which now owns Anadarko, doesnt comment on pending litigation, spokeswoman Melissa Schoeb said. Walker, whos named as a defendant, didnt respond to repeated requests for comment. Leyendecker, whos also named, didnt respond to LinkedIn messages requesting comment. Even before the coronavirus pandemic sent oil prices plummeting and producers reeling, investors had soured on Americas independent oil drillers, pointing to years of companies promoting barrels that were far more profitable on paper than they were in reality. SELLING: Buffett's Berkshire sells common stock in Occidental Petroleum Separate Lawsuit Shareholder class-action lawsuits are often an uphill battle. Most of them get tossed. This one, however, has something others dont: internal documents from a lead engineer. Frye had filed a separate suit in 2017 against Anadarko, seeking damages for whistle-blower retaliation after filing a claim with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission the year before. That suit was recently dismissed, with a judge siding with Anadarko, but in a rare move the court unsealed key documents related to the case. The complaint alleges that Anadarko executives instructed engineers to disregard negative data points and ignored their concerns when they refused to comply. In the documents, whose existence was first reported by The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Frye said executives rejected her findings even when two more wells were drilled in Shenandoah that seemed to support her assessment that the project wasnt as prolific as company executives thought. After the drilling results came in, Anadarko stood by its previous guidance, the lawsuit says. Were very encouraged with what we saw, Walker said on a conference call in October 2015. Internal Assessment Around the same time, Anadarko called in an internal group it called the Risk Consistency Team. Its purpose was to evaluate whether the company was selectively ignoring relevant data in order to promote positive results. The teams feedback confirmed the dramatic overstatement of the Shenandoah resource, according to a section of Fryes complaint that remains partially redacted. Put into dollar terms, this was a multibillion-dollar exaggeration, even at depressed oil prices. Anadarko ignored the Risk Consistency Teams findings, according to the investor lawsuit. Before Frye decided to leave Anadarko in 2016, she filed a whistle-blower complaint with the SEC detailing what she believed was fraud. Judy Burns, an SEC spokesperson, declined to comment. FUEL FIX: Now more than ever, you need our energy news in your inbox This woman, to her detriment, spoke up early and often, even went to the extraordinary length of sending a letter to the SEC and faced unrelenting retaliation from the defendants as alleged, said Jason Forge, a partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP whos representing the group of investors. Wildlife Photography The investor lawsuit takes aim at the payouts to Walker and a handful of other executives when Anadarkos sale to Occidental closed last year. Walker now serves as a director at companies including ConocoPhillips. Frye, 47, currently works as a wildlife photographer in Colorado. In an email interview, she said the Shenandoah example was particularly egregious but that a lack of oversight enables companies across the industry to make unchecked exaggerations that benefit company executives and ultimately harm or threaten to harm shareholders. I am sure many out there think I am in it for money, she said. So lets be clear. I walked away with nothing more than my unused vacation pay and a bill for lawyers fees. I stand to gain nothing from the lawsuit other than peeling back the curtain on what I believe was massive impropriety by Anadarko and some of its highest-ranking executives. Safe Harbor The SEC requires oil companies to report with reasonable certainty the volume of reserves in wells that are profitable at a price set by the agency the year before. But the rules are murkier when it comes to what those companies are allowed to pitch to investors. Nearly every investor presentation, earnings call or industry conference kicks off with a 500-word, single-space warning that the upcoming remarks are essentially wishful thinking. Its called the Safe Harbor statement, a staple of corporate America but especially the energy industry, where a swing in commodity prices can upend even the best-laid plans. But so-called forward-looking statements dont cover those that are knowingly false, which both Frye and the group of investors allege was the case with Anadarko. Just a year before Frye brought her complaint to the SEC, a similar issue was raised at SandRidge Energy Inc. The agency launched an investigation into the matter and has fined SandRidge for violating whistle-blower protections. Frye said she has no way of knowing whether the SEC will ultimately penalize Anadarko. If it does, she stands to receive compensation for filing the claim. She said shes not counting on it. I always knew that was a long shot, Frye said. I still believe I did the right thing. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The global military wearable sensors market size is expected to grow by USD 147.29 million 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, steady growth is expected to continue throughout the forecast period, and the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6%. Request Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200908005716/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Military Wearable Sensors Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Military Wearable Sensors Market Analysis Report by Type (Device-based sensors and Clothing-based sensors) and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024". https://www.technavio.com/report/military-wearable-sensors-market-industry-analysis The market is driven by the increased spending on military modernization programs. In addition, the development of next-generation sensors is anticipated to boost the growth of the Military Wearable Sensors Market. The increased spending on military modernization programs is expected to drive the military wearable sensors market growth. Modernization of the military is a complex process, as it includes fundamental changes in technological capacities to strengthen military capabilities and accomplish all strategic objectives. The modernization of the military focuses on several important areas, such as the control and command systems, wearable devices for the protection of troops, equipment and systems for the self-support of troops. Countries across the globe are investing in modernization programs by adopting military wearable sensors to strengthen their military capabilities. For instance, in May 2020, the US Army requested bids for a USD 25 million contract for wearable sensors to detect early symptoms of COVID-19. Such initiatives are also undertaken by the military to counter terrorism, which will increase the demand for military wearable sensors 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 Military Wearable Sensors Companies: Analog Devices Inc. Analog Devices Inc. has business operations under four segments: industrial, communications, automotive, and consumer. The company offers MEMS accelerometer for soldier-worn sensor. Arm Ltd. Arm Ltd. operates its business through two segments: products and solutions. The company offers wearable devices and embedded systems for military and aerospace industry. BAE Systems Plc BAE Systems Plc has business operations under various segments: electronic systems, cyber intelligence, platforms services (US), air, and maritime. The company offers AR glasses, communication devices and other wearable devices for military and commercial customers DuPont de Nemours Inc. DuPont de Nemours Inc. operates its business through various segments: electronics imaging, nutrition biosciences, transportation industrial, safety construction, and non-core. The company offers ceramic hybrid sensor technologies for military applications. Honeywell International Inc. Honeywell International Inc. has business operations under various segments, such as aerospace, honeywell building technologies, performance materials and technologies, and safety and productivity solutions. The company offers BioHarness and wearable devices. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Military Wearable Sensors Market Type Outlook (Revenue, USD mn, 2020-2024) Device-based sensors size and forecast 2019-2024 Clothing-based sensors size and forecast 2019-2024 Military Wearable Sensors Market Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD mn, 2020-2024) North America size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe size and forecast 2019-2024 APAC size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA size and forecast 2019-2024 South America size and forecast 2019-2024 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/20200908005716/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/ ccording to them, homoeo drugs are better preventives against COVDI-19 as they will boost immunity (Representational image) The recent statement made by Kerala health minister K. K Shailaja on the efficacy of homoeo medicine in preventing COVID-19 has triggered a controversy. Even though the Kerala government has started free distribution of homoeo medicine Arsenicum Album 30C to all the households as a COVID-19 preventive drug in April, it is the health ministers remarks which sparked a heated debate. During the virtual inauguration of the new building of the homoeopathy medical college in Kozhikode, the health minister referred to a study conducted by Dr. Biju Kumar, district medical officer (Homoeopathy) Pathanamthitta district. According to the study, Arsenicum Album 30Cis effective in increasing immunity and preventing the virus infection. Soon after the ministers remarks favouring homoeo drugs role in COVID-19 prevention, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kerala chapter came up with sharp criticism. According to the IMA, the health ministers statement will send out a wrong message to the public as the study does not have scientific evidence. However, the Homoeopathic Association alleges that the IMA is intolerant to other streams of medicine. According to them, homoeo drugs are better preventives against COVDI-19 as they will boost immunity. In Panthalam municipality, homoeo immunity booster drug was distributed to more than 2000 people in two wards in July after two persons in the area tested positive for the virus. The 107 persons in the primary contact list of the patients were quarantined and given the drug. After six days, samples of the 107 primary contacts were tested negative. No one among the 2000 people tested positive. The municipal chairperson sent a letter to the Pathanamthitta DMO (Homoeopathy) expressing gratitude in helping the local body to prevent possible community outbreak. Even as the controversy is on, distribution of Arsenicum Album 30C through government homoeo hospitals and local bodies is continuing in the state. In the wake of the controversy, K. K Shailaja issued a clarification to her statement. In a recorded statement which was posted on social media Shailaja said her statement had been misinterpreted. I only said Kerala is employing modern medicine and also taking assistance of indigenous medicine to fight Covid-19 pandemic, she said. She said though a section of ayurveda and homeo experts had claimed that they have medicine to treat Covid-9, the government had made it clear that these can be used for treatment only if scientifically validated. Hence such medicines should not be given to Covid-19 patients and also to those under quarantine. As I hold the portfolio of Ayush department also, I have to hear them too. The chief minister had also convened a meeting of ayurveda practitioners to seek their views on tackling the pandemic. They informed him that immunity booster medicines were available in their stream. However, they were told that these should be given only if there are no side effects, the minister said. Shailaja said research was happening in modern medicine, ayurveda and other streams. At present we have medicines only for treating symptoms. Right from the outbreak of the pandemic, we have been treating patients using modern medicine in Covid first line treatment centres, Covid second line treatment centers, quarantine centres and ICUs with ventilator support, she said. There is a deliberate attempt from a section of people to create unnecessary controversy by blowing the statement out of proportion. Lets not waste time and join hands to fight the pandemic, she said. Earlier, high level expert group of the government on Covid 19 and state chapter of the IMA had criticized the ministers statement. They said the statement would be misused by people to administer medicines which are not scientifically validated. The ministers statement amounted to mocking modern medicine and health care workers who were risking their lives in battling the pandemic. The authorities should not endorse medicines which are not scientifically validated, said IMA state president Dr Abraham Varghese. The minister had clearly stated that those who had consumed homeo medicine did not get infected and those who got infected got cured in a couple of days. Such statements can result in people violating all Covid- 19 safety norms. They will stop maintaining safe physical distance and wearing masks or using sanitisers. This will do great harm to the fight against Covid 19, the IMA state president said. The IMA claimed that the minister had made a statement supporting homeo medicine on the basis of a study conducted by a homeo doctor in Pathanamthitta district. "The study was conducted among 16 persons. How can this be justified," the IMA president asked. Trump seeks crowds who flout virus controls while Biden sticks to small events in cautious regard for infection risks. North Carolina caps outdoor gatherings at 50 people to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but do not tell that to President Donald Trump. He basked in a largely mask-less crowd of several thousand supporters during a campaign rally in the state, which is set to be critical to the upcoming US election. As far as the eye can see, Trump said, revelling at the sight of people flouting public health guidelines at Tuesdays event. I really believe that these crowds are bigger than they were four years ago. A day earlier in Pennsylvania, Trumps Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, held a meeting in a backyard ensuring social distancing. His team has been so attentive to local regulations that some staffers have left the room if they risked breaking the rules on crowd limits. I really miss being able to, you know, grab hands and shake hands, Biden recently told supporters. You cant do that now. With less than eight weeks until the November 3 election, Trump and Biden are taking diametrically opposite approaches to campaigning amid a pandemic and the differences amount to more than political theatre. The candidates are effectively staking out different visions for the country. Biden emphasises guidelines supported by local health officials, while Trump rails against restrictions that he argues, without evidence, are politically motivated. By the way, your state should be open, the president said in North Carolina, where he has feuded with Democratic Governor Roy Cooper over Trumps abandoned plans to hold the Republican National Convention in Charlotte. Its you, its Michigan, its a couple others, Trump added, as he sees a line of attack in pivotal states run by Democrats. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his campaign team have been attentive to local coronavirus regulations [Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo] Trump aides and allies suggest the president sees his rallies as a manifestation of the reopening he is preaching and that he believes is vital to the economic recovery and what voters want. In a dig at those who warn against reopening too quickly, Trump suggested that these states would suddenly reopen the day after the election, when opponents advocating caution can no longer hurt his re-election. At the same time, it has pitted the president against the public health advice issued by his own administration and drawn criticism from Dr Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert. Fauci told CBS on Wednesday that he is frustrated by Trumps return to campaigning. We want to set an example, he said of those in leadership. Outdoor events used to be few and far between for Trump, who prefers the deafening echo and air conditioning of indoor arenas. In the wake of a June rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when the president addressed a half-empty arena and a promised five-figure overflow crowd never materialised, his campaign decided to move to lower-stakes airport hangars and tarmacs. The Trump campaign decided to move to lower-stakes airport hangars and tarmacs after a low turnout at an arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma [Evan Vucci/AP Photo] The one thing that has stayed the same: crowing about his crowd sizes in comparison with Bidens. If he had 200 people, I think it would be a lot, Trump said on Tuesday of his opponent. Have you ever seen the gyms with the circles? Thats his crowd. If he had 200 people. Bidens crowds, in fact, have been far smaller. The former vice president has appeared in public sparingly since the pandemic, and with the strictest adherence to state guidelines: 25 people in Pennsylvania, 10 people indoors in Michigan and mandatory face-coverings all around. Bidens approach reflects the reluctance of many of his supporters to attend large gatherings. For someone who has never been a natural in an arena, the smaller events allow Biden to have more personal interactions with representatives from important voting blocs, including labour and community leaders. But they allow him to largely avoid any controversy created by a critical questioner or a protester, both of whom he was forced to grapple with multiple times when campaigning before the pandemic. Even when Biden is confronted with organic crowds of supporters, he is rarely given the opportunity for an unscripted interaction with them. As Biden gave a speech last week focused on the Trump administrations response to the coronavirus at a university building in Pittsburgh, a crowd of more than 100 gathered and continued to arrive even as his event wrapped up. Biden has appeared in public sparingly since the pandemic was declared, and with the strictest adherence to state guidelines [Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo] They chanted We want Joe! and waved Biden signs, some of them homemade. But, after his speech, Biden remained inside the building to attend a virtual fundraiser, then abruptly left to pass out pizzas at a nearby firehouse without approaching the supporters. Three days later, after Biden visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, he and his wife, Jill, stopped at the home of a supporter in Wauwatosa, a Milwaukee suburb. With so many people confined to their homes, the presence of Bidens motorcade on a small street drew more than 200 people out onto their porches or the street. The Bidens spent more than half an hour meeting in a quiet back patio with two teachers and a parent concerned about how to resume in-person learning during the pandemic. The crowd cheered and chanted Go Joe! but the private meeting ran so long that Biden only interacted with them for less than a minute. As he was leaving, he walked to the middle of the street and then, surrounded by Secret Service agents, bellowed, Dont forget to vote! A well-equipped police team was present on the spot when the victim was brutally attacked with sticks and stones, the NHRC said New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the state's police chief over reports of a man accused of committing murder being fatally thrashed by a mob in a village, officials said on Tuesday. The Commission observed that it has perused the reports of the incident of "cruel high-handedness" by the villagers, taking law in their hands that too in the presence of police force, cannot be denied. "A well-equipped police team was present on the spot when the victim was brutally attacked with sticks and stones," the NHRC said. The Commission, taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, directed issuance of notice to the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, seeking a detailed report within four weeks, including status of the investigation of the cases registered in connection with both the cases of murder, officials said. The Commission also directed to issue notice to the chief secretary to the government of Uttar Pradesh, seeking a report as to whether any relief has been granted to the next of kin of the deceased as the "state has failed to secure the right to fair trial of the victim," the NHRC said in a statement. He is also expected to inform status of any disciplinary action initiated against the delinquent officers or officials, it said. According to the police, the man was from Gorakhpur and had come to the village, looking for a teacher, Sudhir Kumar Singh, and as soon as he saw Singh, he took out his father's gun and killed him, the NHRC said. After shooting the teacher, the man tried to escape but on spotting a crowd outside the house, he climbed atop a terrace, waved the gun and fired to keep the villagers at bay. A police team followed him to the terrace but the man escaped and was caught by a crowd, which set upon him, it added. The videos relating to the incident emerged later, showed the man in police custody before the mob grabbed and attacked him, the rights panel said. Suite 430, Northbrook, IL 60062 -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/09/2020 -- According to the new market research report "Switchgear Monitoring System Market by Type (GIS, AIS), Voltage (High, Medium), Component (Hardware, Software & Services), Monitoring (Temperature, PD, Gas, Others), End User (Utilities, Industries, Commercial), & Region - Global Forecast to 2025",published by MarketsandMarkets,the global Switchgear Monitoring System Market size is expected to grow from an estimated USD 1.3 billion in 2020 to USD 2.1 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 9.7%, during the forecast period. The demand for safe and secure electrical distribution systems, the need for the continuous monitoring of switchgear, the revival of investments in the construction sector, and growing investments in renewable energy offer high-growth opportunities for the Switchgear Monitoring System Market. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=69776366 By end user, the utilities segment is the largest contributor in the Switchgear Monitoring System Market during the forecast period. The utilities segment is estimated to lead the Switchgear Monitoring System Market. Asia Pacific was the largest market for utilities end user segment in 2019. This is attributed to growing investments in power infrastructure due to an increase in demand, especially from countries such as Australia, Japan, China, and South Korea of the Asia Pacific region. Browse in-depth TOC on "Switchgear Monitoring System Market" 110 Tables 51 Figures 199 Pages View Detailed Table of Content Here: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/switchgear-monitoring-system-market-69776366.html By component, the hardware segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. The hardware segment accounted for the highest share of the Switchgear Monitoring System Market, by component during the forecast period. Hardware plays a significant role in building the switchgear monitoring platform. It helps to control, measure, transmit, and analyze the data in process and non-process industries, utilities, commercial sector, and others, which will help the market for this segment to grow. By voltage, the high voltage segment is expected to be the largest contributor during the forecast period. The high voltage segment held the largest share of the Switchgear Monitoring System Market in 2019. High-voltage switchgear are mostly gas-insulated switchgear, rated above 36 kV and are connected to high-voltage transmission grids. They are mostly used by different end users such as T&D utilities, large power generation plants, and railways & metros. Increasing investments in transmission and distribution networks due to the rise in demand for power and the need for an increase in the reliability of high-voltage electrical assets are expected to drive the market for this segment. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=69776366 Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest and fastest-growing market during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is estimated to be the largest and fastest growing market during the forecast period. The region has been segmented, by country, into China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the Rest of Asia Pacific. Countries in this region are experiencing an increase in demand for power due to rapid urbanization and increase in industrialization. To meet the growing requirement for energy efficiency and continuous power supply, the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) plans to invest about USD 556 billion from 2017 to 2020, of which 11.1% (about USD 62 billion) would be spent on grid technologies, including switchgear monitoring, to accommodate a large amount of renewable energy in its grid. China managed to become the major consumer of smart grid technology because of the massive transformation taking place in the country's energy landscape. The requirement for the smart grid is further supported by China's focus on embracing energy efficiency and clean energy along with the need to transform the nation's power industry. China is expected to have more than 100 GW of installed wind capacity and a significant increase in its solar PV installations by 2020. Owing to this, the demand for switchgear monitoring systems would increase. To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the Switchgear Monitoring System Market. Some of the key players are ABB (Switzerland), Schneider Electric (France), Siemens (Germany), General Electric (US), and Eaton (Ireland). The leading players are adopting various strategies to increase their shares in the Switchgear Monitoring System Market. About MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" 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 Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/switchgear-monitoring-system.asp When is Tinley Park going to learn that if the cops see somebody having a party break it up if they dont have masks on. Fine them. You want to pick up revenue, start fining these people for being reckless and not abiding by the state rules about the coronavirus. No partying, no walking around without a face mask, no kids having little parties. If you want to walk around the block with just your family thats fine, but dont start standing by neighbors and having barbecues and bonfires and letting the kiddies play outside and having a pool party. Bengaluru, Sep 9 : In a bid to completely disown any link with Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwathnarayana on Wednesday asserted that there was no link between Ragini and the BJP as she was not a party member. The city police had arrested Ragini last Friday over her alleged links with the drug mafia in the state which supplies illegal drugs to high-profile parties involving film stars and TV actors. Ever since her arrest, opposition parties have been cornering the ruling BJP citing Ragini campaigning for the BJP in the recent bypolls in the state. Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa here, Ashwathnarayana said, "Ragini was never in our party. She was not even a member of our party. Yes, she did campaign for our party candidate, which was purely based on their personal equations. In elections every candidate takes his or her own decisions in terms of how his or her campaign should go. Similarly, some of our party colleagues may have invited her to campaign for them but that cannot make BJP guilty of being hand in glove with the drug mafia." Meanwhile from Mysuru, cooperation minister, S.T. Somashekar asserted that there was no need to link Ragini with the BJP. "The BJP has never encouraged her or anyone for that matter to supply drugs or consume in the state. This is a false notion. As a matter of fact, the BJP is working hard to uproot the drug menace in the state," the minister said and added that Yediyurappa was personally monitoring the case. DALLAS, Sept. 9, 2020 -- A growing number of Americans have uncontrolled high blood pressure, according to new research to be presented Sept. 10-13, 2020, at the virtual American Heart Association's Hypertension 2020 Scientific Sessions. The meeting is a premier global exchange for clinical and basic researchers focusing on recent advances in hypertension research. The percentage of adults in the United States with controlled blood pressure continues to decline, and researchers say failure to control high blood pressure may result in more heart attacks and strokes. Researchers also believe the causes of poor blood pressure management require immediate and continued investigation. Previous research showed about one-third (32.2%) of Americans between 1999-2000 successfully maintained blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg. By 2013-2014, the number had risen to more than half (54.5%), yet 2015-2016 data revealed more than a 6% drop (48%). This study, entitled "Hypertension Control in the U.S. 2009-2018: Rapidly Reversing Years of Progress," aimed to determine whether that number dropped further between 2017-2018 and to assess if the decline was limited to adults at least 60 years old. "We cannot assume improvement in blood pressure management will continue, even after 35 years of success. High blood pressure is a serious health risk and deserves constant attention to prevent as many heart attacks and strokes as possible," said Brent M. Egan, M.D., a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, South Carolina and the study's lead author. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2009 to 2018, researchers assessed blood pressure control in adults older than 18. Blood pressure management and its determinants were evaluated in three age groups (18-39; 40-59; and 60 or older), comparing NHANES information from 2009-2012 and 2015-2018. Researchers examined if participants were previously told by a health care professional that they had hypertension and if they were taking medication to help control hypertension. In this study, an elevated blood pressure was defined as a blood pressure reading ?140/90 mm Hg. According to the current American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults, hypertension should be defined as ?130/80 mm Hg. Results from the study indicate: 11% fewer adults in the U.S. had controlled high blood pressure between 2017-2018 than between 2013-2014 (54.5% vs. 43.4%, respectively). Blood pressure increased 3-4 mm Hg across all age groups. The number of adults ages 40-59 with successfully managed blood pressure fell nearly 10% from 2009 to 2018 (56.3% vs. 46.6%, respectively). Successful blood pressure management also fell among adults ages 60 and older by 6% from 2009 to 2018 (53.6% vs. 47.9%, respectively). Egan and his co-authors say the causes for fewer Americans with successfully managed blood pressure varies by age and requires further study. "A closer look at our findings revealed the fall in blood pressure control in older adults was mainly due to less effective use of blood pressure medication and management, so we need to focus on making sure the level of treatment is adequate for this age group. We found the decrease in blood pressure management among the 40-59 age group was mainly due to lack of awareness of and treatment for hypertension." Target: BP is a national initiative launched by the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association in response to the high prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure (BP). Target: BP helps health care organizations and care teams, at no cost, improve BP control rates through the evidence-based MAP BP Program and recognizes organizations for their ongoing commitment to their patients' cardiovascular health. ### Co-authors are Jiexiang Li, Ph.D.; Susan E. Sutherland, Ph.D.; Michael Rakotz, M.D.; and Gregory Wozniak, Ph.D. No funding sources for the study were reported. Additional Resources: Available multimedia is on right column of release link https://newsroom.heart.org/news/americans-continue-to-struggle-controlling-high-blood-pressure-11-fewer-adults-have-it-in-check?preview=06bb6392d18d2ed6a164d50b8ab2f9a0 Statements and conclusions of study authors that are presented at American Heart Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect Association policy or position. The Association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at https://www.heart.org/en/about-us/aha-financial-information. About the American Heart Association The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public's health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1. London: A global coalition of MPs from democratic nations has condemned China's intimidation of two Australian journalists, saying it shows China bullies those who challenge it. Australia has no correspondents in China for the first time since 1973 after diplomats in Beijing and Shanghai orchestrated the departure of the ABC's Bill Birtles and The Australian Financial Review's Mike Smith from the country. It follows a visit by State security officers to the homes of Birtles and Smith after midnight on Wednesday last week, telling them they were persons of interest in "a national security case". The pair then spent five days under protection in Australian diplomatic missions as the Australian ambassador Graham Fletcher led a five-day round of negotiations to get them out of the country. Their effective expulsion follows the arrest last month of Australian citizen Cheng Lei, a television anchor who was employed by China's English-language state broadcaster CGTN. 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. WASHINGTON - The Air Force on Tuesday awarded a $13.3 billion contract for engineering and development work on a replacement for the Minuteman 3 missile, which has operated continuously for half a century as a key part of the nuclear force. Critics call the replacement project wasteful and dangerous. Democrat Joe Biden has not said whether he would, if elected in November, support the project, known officially as the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent. The project has bipartisan support in Congress. The announcement came just one day after President Donald Trump assailed Pentagon leaders as eager to fight wars to generate profits for defence contractors. Trump at times has lamented the enormous cost of maintaining a big nuclear arsenal, but his defence budgets have supported nuclear modernization. Award of the contract to Northrop Grumman is a big step in a project that is estimated to eventually cost at least $85 billion. Northrop Grumman said the contract covers eight years of work to be performed in Utah and several other states, including Alabama, Nebraska, Colorado, California, Arizona and Maryland. Defence Secretary Mark Esper hailed the Air Forces announcement, saying modernization of the nuclear force is a top priority and a key to the nations defence. The new intercontinental ballistic missile is envisioned as just one part of a complete replacement of the nuclear force, including a new fleet of Navy ballistic missile submarines, a new nuclear-capable Air Force bomber, a new air-launched nuclear cruise missile, and a new command and control system. The total bill is expected to approach $1.2 trillion. Gen. Tim Ray, who commands the Air Force elements of the nations nuclear force, said the new ICBM will provide needed improvements over the Minuteman 3, which first came on line in 1970. The missiles are based in underground silos in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. The increased accuracy, extended range, and improved reliability will provide the United States a broader array of options to address unforeseen contingencies, giving us the edge necessary to compete and win against any adversary, Ray said. Critics, however, say the $13.3 billion sole-source contract for Northrop Grumman is driven more by political inertia than military necessity. Our nation faces major security challenges, including a global pandemic that has killed almost 200,000 Americans, and we shouldnt spend our limited resources on new nuclear weapons that we dont need and make us less safe, said William J. Perry, who served as defence secretary in the Clinton administration and has written extensively since then on the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. The highest probability of starting a nuclear war is a mistaken launch caused by a false alarm and a rushed decision to launch nuclear-armed ICBMs, Perry said in a written statement. Instead of spending billions of dollars on new nuclear missiles we dont need, we must focus on preventing accidental nuclear war. There's a chill in the air and it's not just the turn of the calendar page to September. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. There's a chill in the air and it's not just the turn of the calendar page to September. COVID-19 has been in our lives and affecting daily living for months. Through it all, government and public health officials have imposed various restrictions on Manitobans, aimed at first in keeping novel coronavirus numbers flat, then to ensure hospitals aren't overwhelmed by cases while opening the economy in phases. Now, five-plus months since the province initially shut down non-essential services, and as the doors reopen to elementary, middle and high school students, what are the current rules for living with the virus? Face masks Nothing has evolved more during the pandemic than the personal use of non-medical face masks. At first, people were told masks weren't needed if you physically distanced. Later, a mask wouldn't help you but would help the people around you. Now, a mask will likely help you, too. The province has not put out a mandatory order for the use of masks across Manitoba, but many businesses have thier own rules. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) The province has not put out a mandatory order for the use of masks across Manitoba. However, during a recent COVID-19 case surge in the Prairie Mountain Health region, it imposed rules for that area, including wearing a mask in all indoor public places, as well as indoor and outdoor public gatherings. RCMP front-line police officers are using masks when physical distancing is difficult. The City of Winnipeg requires masks inside civic buildings and facilities. Mask use is required when visiting a hospital. Students in grades 4 to 12 have to wear a mask (with some schools adding Grade 3 for split class settings). More and more businesses are telling customers they have to wear masks while shopping. A recent Probe research poll showed a large majority of Manitobans want the province to make mask use mandatory in indoor public spaces. Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, has told Manitobans numerous times over the months a mask is there to protect others and not the person wearing it. Last week, Roussin said if numbers keep going up elsewhere in the province, public health would look at telling more Manitobans to use masks before it imposed other restrictions. However, not everybody wants to wear a mask, prompting the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba to put out guidelines for doctors, letting them know a patient needs to have "a justified medical condition" before granting an exemption. "Feeling uncomfortable or holding a strong opinion against mask wearing are not considered to be medical indications for exemption," the college says. Some possible reasons for exemptions are for children under the age of five, a person who has "breathing or cognitive difficulties, or a disability, which prevent them from safely wearing a mask and a person who is unable to put on or remove a mask without the assistance of another person." Schools A teacher is in the middle of a Grade 1 math class and has just told students two plus two equals four, when suddenly, from the middle of the room, comes a sneeze. A year ago, no problem; the child wipes their nose with a tissue and class goes on. If the teacher decides the child has more than just a sneeze out of the blue, or shows other symptoms, they will be isolated from other students, and parents/caregivers will be called for a pick up. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press) This school year, the teacher has to triage what to do next and it could result in a parent getting the call to come get their child. According to the province's plan, "Welcoming Our Students Back: Restoring Safe Schools," even before going to school, the student is supposed to have been questioned by their parents: do they feel sick? Do they have certain COVID-19 or flu-related symptoms? At school, if the teacher decides the child has more than just a sneeze out of the blue, or shows other symptoms, they will be isolated from other students, and parents/caregivers will be called for a pick up. What if that child's desk is empty in the coming days, and the school finds out they have tested positive for the coronavirus? In the province's Restoring Safe Schools report, released Aug. 31, the principal will be called by the local public health authority if the student is believed to have attending school during the infectious period. If such a call is made, public health officials will ask for records to help them contact staff and children who may have been exposed. Public health officials will also have to decide, based on each case, whether the teacher and children in a classroom need to be isolated, with remote learning done during the 14-day isolation period, or whether the school needs to be closed. A letter, with a standardized message, will be sent out to parents and students and provincial media bulletins will say there has been an outbreak in a school. Meanwhile, the child who has the virus won't be home alone. Public health officials will also order the rest of the family to quarantine at home and self-monitor for symptoms. Post-secondary students Most students at the University of Manitoba will attend classes virtually. However, a university spokesman said about 200 courses (out of roughly 2,000) will have some in-person activity during the fall term. The spokesman said each were evaluated whether it was necessary using three criteria: could the learning outcome be achieved using remote means; was the course a program requirement; if the university cancelled the course, would it cause a significant delay in student progression? JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRE The U of M campus will be a lot quieter this year. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press) The Winnipeg-based university has set aside the first two weeks of January to offer "critical in-person activities, such as labs," for some of the course held remotely during the fall term. The spokesman said a response committee has been put together to work with the province's public health department if a positive case is identified on campus. The school, while respecting privacy, will put out communications to limit the spread of the virus and "support the health and safety of our university community." Any students not able to meet a course requirement due to illness don't have to submit a medical note, but do have to let their instructor or adviser know in order to get an extension or make-up assignment. At the University of Winnipeg, spokesman Kevin Rosen said only about 5.8 per cent of fall and fall/winter offerings will be held with students in class. "Some classes, labs, and research that cannot happen remotely will take place in person on campus," he said. "Extensive safety protocols, in line with recommendations from public health agencies, have been put in place to ensure the well-being of those who are attending campus." Rosen said the university will be keeping track of who is on campus, with the province doing contact tracing, if required. Meanwhile, Red River College began Phase 3 of its campus re-entry. Spokesman Conor Lloyd said while RRC will continue to deliver most courses online through the fall, "We expect to welcome more than 46 per cent of our students back to campuses this fall for blended delivery... Mostly online, but with essential hands-on learning that can't be accomplished in a virtual learning environment." Lloyd said programs which began seeing students in-person included a number of construction trades, aerospace, health-care programs including diagnostic imaging, and culinary arts. The college has moved to ensure physical-distancing guidelines are met and requires face masks for anyone on campus. "While we're going to see, on average, about 1,000 students across our campuses per day, the intensity of academic activity will be incredibly low, as students are only on-campus for a limited period of time," Lloyd said. "Previous years, we would have seen anywhere from 7,000 to 7,500 students on-campus daily across the province." Seniors Seeing how the virus rapidly spread through seniors facilities in other areas of the world, and the tragic toll it took, Manitoba quickly shut down its long-term care homes to all visitors in the early days of the pandemic. For many, it resulted in long periods of not seeing the people who care for them most. If a positive case of COVID-19 is found at a long-term care facility, it will immediately halt indoor and outdoor visitation, except for end-of-life and designated family caregivers. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files) Early in the summer, the province allowed visitors, but in a limited fashion. Currently, under the phased-in recovery plan, every care home resident can designate two support people who can have unlimited visitation times indoors. As well, the resident can have general visitors, but are encouraged to meet outdoors. All visitors have to be symptom-free, wear a face mask, and go directly to the resident's room. Taking the resident off property for a visit is not recommended at this time. As per the province's pandemic response plan: if a positive case of COVID-19 is found at a long-term care facility, it will immediately halt indoor and outdoor visitation, except for end-of-life and designated family caregivers. Quarantining/self-isolating With changing evidence and recommendations, for some it could be 14 days shut in at home; for others, it could be 10 days. A recent statement from Shared Health said public health officials were telling health-care providers that updated research and data show people can spread the virus for up to 10 days. It said, because everyone has individual symptoms, health-care providers would work with each patient to determine how long they should isolate. For most, unless you're a long-haul trucker, the border to the United States has been closed for months. And not too many are travelling elsewhere around the world these days. But, if you do, the federal government-imposed mandatory quarantine for 14 days is still in effect. When returning to Canada, you have to have a place to go to quarantine, you have to go there directly while wearing a face mask in a private vehicle, if possible, and, while en route, you have to avoid contact with others. Currently, the Manitoba government allows residents to travel across Western Canada and return without isolating. If you travel east past northwestern Ontario, you will have to isolate for 14 days when you return. There are still provinces (i.e. the Maritimes) you are not supposed to travel to, because they are keeping everyone non-essential out of their bubble. Canadians living east of northwestern Ontario can come to Manitoba, but they will have to isolate for 14 days; western Canadians can enter Manitoba without isolating. When returning to Canada, you have to have a place to go to quarantine, you have to go there directly while wearing a face mask in a private vehicle, if possible, and, while en route, you have to avoid contact with others. (Sarah Lawrynuik / Winnipeg Free Press) If you need to isolate upon return, and have close contact with a partner and family, they, too, have to quarantine. Ontario currently does not require Manitobans (or any other Canadian) to self-isolate when they arrive in that province. Saskatchewan asks people to isolate if they start showing symptoms. In recent days, health officials in northwestern Ontario have begun warning residents about the possible risks of travelling to Manitoba, due to the rise in its COVID-19 case numbers. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, noting increased numbers in Manitoba and Alberta, said Sept. 2: "For now, if you don't have to travel to another province, please don't." Beyond travel, in Manitoba, if you test positive for the coronavirus, have been in close contact with someone who has it or have symptoms, you will have to isolate. 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. Shopping You're out on your weekly grocery run, getting lumber for a fence or you just want a coffee. A few days later, the province puts out a report that, on the day and time you were at a location, someone else was there who later tested positive for the coronavirus. A provincial spokesman said you don't have to self-isolate yet. If you were at a retail location where someone else later tested positive for the coronavirus you don't have to self-isolate. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files) According to public health officials, someone who is in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 should self-monitor for symptoms and, only if they begin developing some themselves, immediately isolate. Call Health Links at 204-788-8200 or (toll-free) at 1-888-315-9257. Currently, only people who develop symptoms are being asked to get tested. kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca In its letter to the UP govt, CBI named then Unnao DM Aditi Singh, SPs Pushpanjali Devi and Neha Pandey and ASP Ashtbhuja Singh, for ignoring the pleas of the minor girl who was raped by ex-BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar New Delhi: The CBI has recommended "appropriate action" against four officials, including an IAS officer, citing lapses in handling the case of rape of a minor girl by former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, officials said Wednesday. The central agency, in its letter to the UP Government in August, has named the then district magistrate Unnao and IAS officer Aditi Singh, the then Superintendent of Police and IPS officers Pushpanjali Devi and Neha Pandey posted in Unnao between 2017 and 2018 besides ASP Ashtbhuja Singh who was promoted to IPS in 2019, they said. In its letter, the agency has underlined lapses in handling the rape case of the minor at Sengar's residence in Makhi village, Bangarmau, Unnao by the MLA and subsequent harassment of the family by his henchmen, they said. The CBI has not sought any disciplinary action instead it has only highlighted the lapses under these officers and left it on the Uttar Pradesh Government to take "appropriate action" in the light of the agency's observations, they said. Aditi Singh, a 2009-batch IAS officer, is presently the DM of Hapur. She was posted as DM, Unnao between 24, January, 2017, and 25 October, 2017, and the victim had written a number of letters to her about the trauma suffered by her at the hands of the powerful ruling party MLA but no substantial action was taken, they said. Neha Pandey, a 2009 batch IPS officer, is presently posted as Assistant Director in the Intelligence Bureau. She was the Superintendent of Police in Unnao between February 2016 and October 2017 and allegedly ignored plea of minor girl who was raped in June, 2017, they said. Pushpanjali Devi, a 2006 batch IPS officer and presently DIG railways, succeeded Pandey and remained SP in the district till 30 April, 2018. She also allegedly did not pay any heed to prayers of the victim whose father was also framed in an arms act case and was beaten to death in the jail in April 2018, they said. The then ASP Ashtbhuja Singh, now posted as Commandant PAC Fatehpur, was also posted in Unnao during the period but allegedly did not take adequate action on the complaints against Sengar, they said. Last year in December, a Delhi court had convicted Sengar for raping the minor girl in Unnao in 2017 saying the victim's testimony was "truthful and unblemished" against a "powerful person". The court had sentenced Sengar to life imprisonment for rape under the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act for offence of a public servant committing penetrative sexual assault against child. Convicting Sengar, 53, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the court had said the CBI proved that the victim was a minor. "I found her statement truthful and unblemished that she was sexually assaulted. She was under threat, worried. She is a village girl, not from cosmopolitan educated area... Sengar was powerful person. So she took her time..," the judge had said. The court had noted that after the victim wrote letter to the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, several criminal cases were filed against her family and "imprints of Sengar" were visible in them. (Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers within the main London indices on Wednesday. FTSE 100 - LOSERS AstraZeneca, down 0.9%. Clinical trials of one of the most advanced experimental Covid-19 vaccines, which is being developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University, were "paused" Tuesday after a volunteer developed an unexplained illness. With billions of people around the world still suffering from the fallout of the pandemic and the global death toll nearing 900,000, a worldwide race for a vaccine is under way, with nine companies already in late-stage Phase 3 trials. A spokesperson for the AstraZeneca vaccine said in a statement Tuesday that "we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee. "This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials." The company said that in large trials, illnesses will sometimes happen by chance but must be reviewed independently. AstraZeneca didn't offer further details, but medical news site Stat News, which first reported the volunteer's illness, quoted a source saying it had involved a "serious adverse reaction" to the vaccine. FTSE 250 - WINNERS Computacenter, up 1.2%. The IT services firm reported profit growth for the first half, amid an increased demand due to Covid-19 pandemic, and said that it has agreed to buy Pivot Technology Solutions in Canada. Revenue for the first half of 2020 rose 1.5% to GBP2.46 billion from GBP2.43 billion year-on-year, while pretax profit grew by 43% to GBP72.4 million from GBP50.8 million. First half adjusted pretax profit totalled GBP74.6 million, up 39% year-on-year. The IT services firm said significant reductions in spend from industrial customers was offset by new business within the government and financial services sector. Separately, Computacenter said it has agreed to buy Toronto Stock Exchange-listed Pivot Technology Solutions. Computacenter will pay CAD2.60 cash for each Pivot share, the deal worth CAD105.8 million - nearly USD80 million or GBP62 million - based on the firm's 40.7 million shares. FTSE 250 - LOSERS JD Wetherspoon, down 6.5%. Leisure stocks were hit after the UK government tightened virus restrictions in England. The legal limit on social gatherings will be reduced from 30 people to six. It will apply to gatherings indoors and outdoors a including private homes, as well as parks, pubs and restaurants. Some 2,420 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus were recorded in Britain as of 9am on Tuesday, following the 2,988 reported in the UK on Sunday, which was the largest daily figure since May. Marston's was down 8.9% and cinema chain operator Cineworld down 4.7%. OTHER MAIN MARKET AND AIM - WINNERS Amryt Pharma, up 46%. The biopharmaceutical company reported positive top line results from its pivotal phase 3 EASE trial of Filsuvez for the treatment of dystrophic and junctional epidermolysis bullosa. EASE is the largest phase 3 trial ever conducted in epidermolysis bullosa, which is a rare, chronic and distressing genetic skin disorder that causes the skin layers and internal body linings to separate. There are currently no approved treatments. The EASE trial was conducted in patients across 58 sites in 28 countries. It comprises a three month double-blind randomised controlled phase followed by a 24 month open-label, single-arm phase. The primary endpoint of the trial was to compare the efficacy of Filsuvez versus control gel according to the proportion of patients with complete closure of the target wound within 45 days of treatment. The primary endpoint was achieved, Amryt said. OTHER MAIN MARKET AND AIM - LOSERS Tullow Oil, down 11%. The South America and Africa-focused oil and gas company swung to a loss in the first half of 2020 after writing off more than USD900 million of exploration costs in Kenya and Uganda. Tullow turned to a USD1.31 billion loss for the six months ended June 30 from a USD387.6 million profit the year before. The company wrote off a total of USD941.4 million of exploration costs, compared to just a USD81.2 million write-off a year before. This USD941.4 million figure included a USD429.2 million write-off for Kenya Blocks 10BB and 13T due to a reduced long-term oil price assumption. Tullow also wrote off another USD417.5 million in Uganda in relation to a sale and purchase agreement with Total Uganda, part of Total SE. Under the agreement, Tullow agreed to transfer its interest in blocks Blocks 1, 1A, 2 and 3A in Uganda as well as the proposed East African crude oil pipeline system to Total. Additionally, revenue fell 16% to USD731.0 million in the recent half from USD872.3 million a year before, while cost of sales climbed 51% to USD567.0 million from USD375.1 million, resulting in a sharp gross profit drop of 69% to USD164.0 million from USD526.5 million. Ryanair, down 2.4%. The Irish low-cost airline has reduced its annual passenger target to 50 million, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told Reuters in an interview. Ryanair in July had guided to 60 million passengers in its current financial year, ending in March. In the 2020 financial year, Ryanair carried 149 million passengers. O'Leary said Ryanair is now guiding for 50 million passengers for the full year to the end of March, though added that "at the moment the way governments are handling it the risk is to the downside". The CEO told Reuters that fares will also be "aggressively down", and he thinks winter of 2020 "will essentially be a write-off". Other airline stocks were lower, with British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines down 3.3% and easyJet down 4.7%. By Lucy Heming;A lucyheming@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. The New Braunfels mayor denounced social media posts that went up around the same time as a pro-Donald Trump rally, saying he doesn't condone imagery or speech with overt or implied hatred. The weekly "Trump Train" event, described as a "patriotic demonstration to spread the positive message about the current president," has grown in the last several weeks. "Some images and social media posts associated with that demonstration have caused angst and uneasiness in our community," Mayor Rusty Brockman said in a news release. "I do not condone any activity, symbolism, speech, or imagery with overt or implied racism or hatred." Brockman did not elaborate on details of the posts and said city officials would not turn a blind eye to the issues. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox The organizers of the Trump Train said the creators of the posts are not affiliated with the organization and that anyone who spreads a message of hate is not welcome. Brockman has also said he met with city leadership, the MLK Jr. Association and other nonprofit and community leaders. "It has been my honor to work with citizens who are deeply committed to doing the right things to make New Braunfels a better place," Brockman said. "We live here because this is the kind of community that we all want to live and raise our families in." Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Scott Morrison is a religious man, going so far as to invite cameras to film him worshipping at his local Pentecostal church last year. From his faith, he appears to draw not just spiritual sustenance but a style of public speaking full of the cadences, emphases and simple sentence structures favoured by pastors from the less formal churches. Daniel Andrews and Scott Morrison. Credit:Getty/Alex Ellinghausen Nowhere was that style more evident than early last month, after Daniel Andrews announced the introduction of a six-week stage four lockdown in a bid to curb Victorias horrendous COVID-19 infection numbers. Then, the Prime Minister urged Australians in other states to offer an elbow of support to Victorians. If you've got friends in Victoria, call them, he said. Cheer them up. Encourage them ... We know that we have to help them push through, because Australia's future depends on these weeks and months ahead. So today, Im here to do nothing more than encourage people. Five weeks can make a world of difference. Morrisons response to Andrews post-lockdown road map has been a study in passive aggression. Whereas in early August he spoke of Victorians, this week he was focused primarily on the Victorian government. JERSEYVILLE A Jacksonville man is facing multiple felony charges after a traffic stop during an Illinois State Police checkpoint. Brent B. Boyd, 37, of Jacksonville was arrested Aug. 31 on charges of being an armed habitual criminal, possession of methamphetamine, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle, aggravated driving under the influence and driving while license is revoked. Jersey County States Attorney Ben Goetten and court documents said Illinois State Police was conducting a roadside safety checkpoint on U.S. 67 southwest of Jersey Street when Boyd approached and he temporarily crossed over the fog line. When the trooper approached the driver side window, he detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle, Goetten said. During a search of the vehicle, officers said they found a loaded and unholstered 9mm handgun and that the handguns serial number had been defaced. Officers also reported finding between 15-100 grams (0.03-0.22 of a pound) of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $100,000. (Natural News) The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a new report warning that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack could take place in the United States at some point between now and the Nov. 3 election. Entitled, DHS Combats Potential Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack, the chilling memo, of sorts, explains that there are evolving threats against the American homeland as we near what many say is the most contentious and heated presidential election in American history. Of pressing concern, according to DHS, is an EMP attack, which could disrupt the electrical grid and potentially damage electronics. With the information provided to it by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), DHS has indicated that it must take key actions to address known EMP-related vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure in order to avoid a potentially widespread disaster. Should an EMP attack occur, the fallout could disrupt, degrade, and damage technology that is embedded within key national infrastructure systems. One example might be widespread blackouts, which could result from smart grids being fried by an EMP weapon. EMP attacks are part of the emerging threats against our nation and demand a response, says Ken Cuccinelli, the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary, as is his title. That is why DHS is taking these contingencies very seriously, working diligently to mitigate our risks and equipping our state and local partners with the resources they need to do the same, he adds. Weve made significant progress and look forward to work ahead. Trump signed EO in 2019 delegating power to White House for EMP preparedness The federal government has been talking about a potential EMP attack for several years now, which some would argue is a type of predictive programming to warn people about what could eventually become a reality. President Donald Trump even signed an executive order back in March 2019 specifically delegating power to the White House to put together an EMP preparedness plan. (RELATED: These seven things you will want to keep in mind as part of your own EMP preparedness plan.) Of course the situation is also supposedly escalating due to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) plandemic, which Peter Vincent Pry, ex-chief of staff of the Congressional EMP Commission, claimed in an op-ed has: [E]xposed dangerous weaknesses in U.S. planning and preparation for civil defense protection and recovery, and those weaknesses surely have been noticed by our potential enemies: China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and international terrorists. China has been planning to defeat the U.S. with an EMP and cyber Pearl Harbor attack for a quarter-century, he added. Neither DHS nor CISA has elucidated as to where they see these evolving EMP threats coming from, whether they be from solar storms or actual EMP weapons. All we know is that DHS is currently running EMP pilot tests to gauge the vulnerability of various infrastructure components to an attack. DHS says it has partnered with numerous federal departments and agencies, as well as state, local, tribal and territorial entities, to field test a more resilient critical infrastructure. One such pilot is the San Antonio Electromagnetic Defense Initiative, designed to show how an entire region can become resilient against an EMP, the agency further indicated. These pilots are multisector, multifunction efforts, seeking to ensure key capabilities continue to function in a post EMP environment and that by maintaining those key functions we can expedite a full recovery. Working with federal interagency partners, DHS will play a major role in ensuring communications systems remain operational and, by ensuring key systems which are protected against EMP, are also protected against other threats such as cyber-attacks. In other words, DHS is on it, so just move along now. Do you feel reassured yet? Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com A top official from Chad told the Israeli press Tuesday that his country would be willing to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem. The official was part of a senior Chadian delegation that arrived to Jerusalem at the invitation of Israels National Security Council. Headed by Chads cabinet chair Abdelkarim Deby, the delegation met yesterday and today with a series of Israeli top officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen and National Security Council chief Meir ben Shabbat. A statement issued yesterday by Netanyahus office said that the premier and Deby "discussed the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of missions, including the possibility of opening an embassy in Jerusalem." The office of Cohen issued a similar statement, saying, "At the request of Minister Cohen, Gen. Deby responded positively to advancing the establishment of an official representative office of Chad in Jerusalem." Ashkenazi tweeted Wednesday morning that he and Deby "discussed the window of opportunity that has opened in the Middle East for building bridges between the peoples and establishing diplomatic relations between the countries." Cohen went a bit further, tweeting about "an important meeting with Chad cabinet chief Gen. Abdelkarim Deby and the director of Chads National Security Agency, Gen. Ahmed Kogri." He wrote, "We discussed strengthening cooperation in the fields of intelligence, security and economy, and about other good news to be published further down the road." However, a report late Tuesday, just hours after the Israeli announcements, cast doubt on the plans. Al Jazeera quoted Chad's Foreign Ministry as saying, We categorically deny any plan to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem." Chad severed its diplomatic ties with Israel in 1972. In 2018, Chadian President Idriss Deby visited Israel and met with Netanyahu, a trip that received large media coverage in both countries. Two months later, the two leaders met again; this time in the Chadian capital of NDjamena. Israel and Chad agreed to renew diplomatic ties, with Netanyahu hailing "a breakthrough in the heart of the Muslim world." The renewal of ties with Chad did not immediately produce cooperation projects, though the Foreign Ministry is considering such programs. The Chadian regime is interested in Israels technological advancements in the fields of smart agriculture, water management and education. It is also interested perhaps more than anything else in Israels military industry. According to foreign press reports, another delegation from Chad had visited Israel in July. The reports claimed that Mossad chief Yossi Cohen has visited NDjamena on several occasions, that Kogri has visited Israel on several occasions and that these relations are backed and supported by the American administration. Other Muslim countries in Africa have also expressed interest in establishing ties in Israel. Last February, while visiting Uganda, Netanyahu met with the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Burhan. And while the meeting did not lead to any official movement toward renewing diplomatic relations, it certainly warmed up contacts between the sides. Since then, Sudanese officials have released contradictory statements on the issue, which is apparently a source of disagreement between the military and the civil leaderships. In another interesting development in Israel-Africa relations, Malawi announced over the weekend that it would open its first ever diplomatic mission in Israel, and that the mission would be placed in Jerusalem. Addressing the Malawi Parliament on reforming the countrys Foreign Ministry, President Lazarus Chakwera said, "The reforms will also include a review of our diplomatic presence, including our resolve to have new diplomatic missions in Lagos, Nigeria, and Jerusalem, Israel. I will be sharing more details about this in the near future." Mitchell Lapa made sure if something happened to him while he was living in Winnipeg, the person to contact was his sister Loretta the Ontario woman whose family he killed last week in a crime that has rattled people in the quiet Oshawa neighbourhood. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES A Durham Police forensics truck sits in front of a home on Parklane Avenue in Oshawa, Ont. on Sept. 4. Mitchell Lapa made sure if something happened to him while he was living in Winnipeg, the person to contact was his sister Loretta the Ontario woman whose family he killed last week in a crime that has rattled people in the quiet Oshawa neighbourhood. Police have identified the dead 48-year-old Winnipeg man as the lone gunman in a horrific multiple slaying Friday. Lorettas husband, Chris Traynor, 50, and the couples 20-year-old son, Bradley Traynor, 15-year-old daughter, Adelaide Traynor and 11-year-old son, Joseph Traynor were shot to death. Loretta was wounded and is recovering in hospital. The couple has a university-aged son who wasnt home at the time. Lapa, who lived in an apartment in Fort Richmond, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, after driving 2,000 kilometres to Oshawa to kill his relatives. Winnipeg police obtained a warrant and searched Lapas apartment Friday afternoon and evening. He moved into the suite at 99 Dalhousie Dr. in late 2018 and listed his sister as the emergency contact on his rental agreement. Police remove a truck with Manitoba licence plates from the front of a home on Parklane Avenue in Oshawa, Ont. on Friday, September 4, 2020. Durham Regional Police say five people were found dead and another with serious injuries in the home east of Toronto after an early morning shooting. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn A man who lives one door over from Lapa said he saw the tall, quiet man infrequently in the hallway. The University of Manitoba international student, who didnt want to give his name, was dumbstruck by the tragic news. "I dont even know what to say," he said. "So horrible. I did not know why the police were here." Lapa wasnt the outgoing type, said the blocks on-site manager. "Honestly, he kept to himself. Ive had neighbours come and ask me, Hey, so like, whats going on? No one was close to him here," said the woman, who spoke with the permission of A.S.H. Management Group Inc., which manages the property, asking that her name not be used. "Its such an unnerving thing." Oshawa police have said little about the shooter, other than he was an "uninvited person," as investigators seek a motive behind the violence that occurred in the family home. A white Ford F-150 truck with Manitoba licence plates was parked at the scene in the quiet neighbourhood. 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. Lapa moved into the Fort Richmond neighbourhood around the same as he started working for BGIS Canada Inc., as a building maintenance technician. A request for an interview with Lapas supervisor in Winnipeg was turned over to BGIS Canadas national office in Markham, Ont. "I cant share personal details but yes, Lapa was an employee of ours. He was a technician with us," said company president Mike Greidanus, who confirmed the man started working with the company in late 2018. "A technician in our company would typically be someone who works inside buildings and does support of building systems... maintenance on heating and cooling, plumbing, etc." jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPJasonBell Prime Minister is planning tougher new restrictions on social gatherings of more than six people in England starting next Monday, following a significant rise in the cases. A law change to be introduced will ban larger groups of friends and family meeting anywhere socially indoors or outdoors, to be enforced through a 100 pounds fine if people fail to comply and doubling on each offence up to a maximum of 3,200 pounds. The rule will not apply to schools, workplaces or COVID-secure weddings, funerals and organised team sports, Downing Street said on Wednesday. "We need to act now to stop the virus spreading. So we are simplifying and strengthening the rules on social contact making them easier to understand and for the police to enforce, said Johnson. "It is absolutely critical that people now abide by these rules and remember the basics washing your hands, covering your face, keeping space from others, and getting a test if you have symptoms," he said. Previously, guidance in England allowed gatherings of up to six people from different households outdoors or two households of any size, indoors or outdoors. But until now the police have had no powers to stop them unless gatherings exceeded 30 people. Under the new law, any group of seven or more people gathering anywhere risks being dispersed by police or fined for non-compliance. The change applies to people in England of all ages, and to gatherings indoors and outdoors, in private homes, public outdoor spaces, and venues such as pubs and restaurants. The devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own restrictions but largely follow similar patterns as set out for England. Downing Street said the PM held a virtual roundtable with police forces last week during which he was told that they wanted clearer rules and enforcement on social contact. The stricter restrictions come in from next week as 8,396 new cases were reported since Sunday, with a rise of 2,460 on Tuesday. Ministers and scientists have expressed concern over this spike in cases in the and urged the public to not relax social distancing and other safety measures. (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 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. A picture containing clock, light, drawing Description automatically generated ADVERTISEMENT Story continues Nyxoah launches its Initial Public Offering on Euronext Brussels Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium 9 September 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, announces today the terms of its initial public offering of new shares, with admission to trading of all of its shares on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels (the Offering). Key terms of the Offering An offering of up to 3,871,000 new shares of the Company, which number may be increased by up to 15% (the Increase Option).1 Any decision to exercise the Increase Option will be communicated, at the latest, on the date of the announcement of the Offer Price (as defined below). The price range of the Offering is between 14,00 and 17,00 per Offered Share (as defined below) (the "Price Range"). No minimum amount is set for the Offering. Based on the Price Range, and assuming the Offer Price (as defined below) will be at the midpoint of the Price Range, the size of the Offering will range between 60 million (assuming the full placement of the 3,871,000 initially offered new shares, including the Increase Option and of the Over-allotment Option (as defined below)) and 79 million (assuming placement of the maximum number of new shares, including the exercise in full of the Increase Option and the exercise in full by the Stabilization Manager (as defined below) of the Over-allotment Option (as defined below)). The Offering comprises: 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 QIBs as defined in Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act; and iii. Placements to certain qualified and/or institutional investors in the rest of the world outside the United States and Belgium and the United States. The Offering outside the United States will be made in compliance with Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act. Private Placements may take place in member states of the EEA pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation. The Company has appointed Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners for the Offering. The Company is represented by NautaDutilh BV/SRL and Proskauer LLP. The Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners are represented by Baker McKenzie. Belfius Bank NV/SA will, on the Underwriters behalf (as defined below), act as stabilization manager (the Stabilization Manager). The Stabilization Manager will be able to over-allot Shares in the Offering (the Additional Shares, and together with the New Shares, referred to as the Offered Shares) in order to facilitate stabilization. The Stabilization Manager is expected to be granted a warrant to subscribe for additional new Shares in a number equal to up to 15% of the number of New Shares subscribed for in the Offering at the Offer Price (as defined below) (the Over-allotment Option). The Over-allotment Option will be exercisable for a period of 30 calendar days following the Listing Date (as defined below) (the Stabilization Period). The Stabilization Manager may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the Shares during the Stabilization Period. These activities may support the market price of the Shares at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. Commenting on today's announcement, Olivier Taelman, Chief Executive Officer of Nyxoah, stated: We look forward to presenting the potential of our story to investors over the coming weeks as part of the Offering to support us in bringing our exciting new technology to more patients worldwide. 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. The funds we are aiming to raise through this IPO will enable us to continue executing on our clinical and commercial strategy and to further scale up the organization. Robert Taub, Founder and Executive Chairman of Nyxoah, added: The launch of this Offering comes at an exciting time for Nyxoah as the Company gradually transitions from a R&D and clinical stage company to becoming a commercial-stage company. We believe now is the right time to bring Nyxoah to the public markets in order to facilitate the next stage in the Companys development. As a Belgian company with subsidiaries in Israel, Australia and the 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. 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 worlds 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 worlds 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. 2 Yearly eligible population to Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation in the US and Europe, Australia and New Zealand 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 (the Food and Drug Administration) to initiate its DREAM IDE (Investigational Device Exemption) pivotal trial. First US patient enrolments are expected to take place in 2020. The BLAST OSA clinical study which was published in the European Respiratory Journal, 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. Offering timetable The offering period will begin on 9 September 2020 at 07:00 (CEST) and is expected to end no later than 16:00 (CEST) on 21 September 2020 for retail shareholders and 22 September at 16:00 (CEST) for institutional shareholders, subject to early closing or extension, provided that the offering period will in any event be open for at least six business days (the "Offering Period"). The Offer Price (as defined below), the number of Offered Shares placed in the Offering and the allocation of Offered Shares to retail investors is expected to be made public on or about 23 September 2020 and in any event no later than the first business day after the end of the Offering Period. Trading of the Shares on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels is expected to commence, on an "if-and-when-issued-and/or-delivered" basis, on or about 24 September 2020 (the "Listing Date"), provided that this may be accelerated in case of early closing or postponed in case of extension. The closing date is expected to be 25 September 2020 (the "Closing Date") unless the Offering Period is closed earlier or extended. The Offer Price (as defined below) must be paid by investors by authorizing their financial institutions to debit their bank accounts with such amount for value on the Closing Date. Final price and allocation The final price per Offered Share (the "Offer Price") will be determined during the Offering Period through a book-building process in which only Institutional Investors may participate. The Offer Price will be a single price in euro, exclusive of the Belgian tax on stock exchange transactions, and of costs, if any, charged by financial intermediaries for the submission of applications. No tax on stock exchange transactions is due on the subscription for newly issued Shares, but such tax could be due on the subscription for existing Shares. The tax treatment will depend on each investor's individual circumstances and may change in the future. In accordance with Belgian regulations, a minimum of 10% of the Offered Shares shall be allocated to retail investors, subject to sufficient retail demand. However, the proportion of Offered Shares allocated to retail investors may be increased or decreased if subscription orders received from them exceed or do not reach, respectively, 10% of the Offered Shares effectively allocated. In the event of over-subscription of the Offered Shares reserved for retail investors, the allocation to retail investors will be made on the basis of objective allocation criteria, whereby all retail investors will be treated equally. The criteria to be used for this purpose are the preferential treatment of applications submitted by retail investors directly with Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA in Belgium and the number of Offered Shares for which applications are submitted by retail investors. In the event of an over-allotment of Offered Shares, the Underwriters will use reasonable efforts to deliver the newly issued Shares to individual persons residing in Belgium and to investors subject to Belgian income tax on legal entities (rechtspersonenbelasting/impot des personnes morales), in this order of priority. Subscription orders by retail investors may be submitted directly with Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA, at no cost to the investor or alternatively through other intermediaries. Investors wishing to place purchase orders for the Offered Shares through such other intermediaries, should request details of the costs which these intermediaries may charge, and which they will have to pay themselves. Pre-commitments and Lock-up A number of investors (including existing shareholders and members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Management of the Company) (the Participating Investors), have (in the aggregate) committed themselves vis-a-vis the Company to irrevocably and conditionally only on completion of the Offering, subscribe for New Shares in the Offering for an aggregate amount of 23,064,000 million (the Pre-commitments). In the event of over-subscription of the Offering, in principle the subscription commitments (the "Subscription Commitments") of the Participating Investors in cash for an amount of approximately 9,768,000 can be reduced in line with the allocation principles that apply to the other investors that will subscribe in the Offering, whereas the Subscription Commitments for the remaining amount shall not be reduced but be allocated entirely. However, the Company will allocate to Participating Investors that are existing shareholders a number of Offered Shares for an aggregate amount of at least 15,000,000. As no minimum amount is set for the Offering, if not all of the Offered Shares are subscribed for in the Offering, the net proceeds from the Offering could be limited to the net proceeds from the Pre-commitments. The current shareholders and holders of warrants of the Company agreed to lock-up their pre-IPO Shares and warrants during the first six (6) months (or twelve (12) months in respect of the significant existing security holders) after admission of the Companys shares to listing and trading on Euronext Brussels. These lock-up arrangements do not apply to any of the new Shares that may be subscribed for by current shareholders and holders of warrants in the Offering at the Offering Price, neither to any of the new Shares that may be subscribed after the closing of the Offering pursuant to the exercise of ESOP warrants. The Company is expected to agree to a standstill on the issuance of new Shares and issuance of new warrants for a period of 360 days following the Closing Date, subject to customary exceptions. Use of Proceeds Nyxoah intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering as follows: 27.5 million to conduct clinical trials in the United States, in Europe and in Australia; 14.5 million to fund product development and research and development activities, in particular regarding the future generation of the Companys products; to fund the marketing strategy and commercialization efforts; and for general corporate purposes. Summary Timetable 9 September 2020, at 07:00 (CEST) Expected start of the Offering Period 21 September 2020, at 16:00 (CEST) Expected end of the Offering Period for retail investors (1) 22 September 2020, at 16:00 (CEST) Expected end of the Offering Period for Institutional Investors (1) 23 September 2020 Expected publication of the Offer Price and results of the Offering and communication of allocations 24 September 2020 Expected Listing Date (listing and start of if-and-when-issued-and/or-delivered trading) 25 September 2020 Expected Closing Date (payment, settlement and delivery of the Offered Shares) 24 October 2020 Expected last possible exercise date of the Over-allotment Option(2) Notes : (1) In the event of an early closing or extension of the Offering Period, these dates will be amended and published in the same manner as the announcement of the start of the Offering Period. If the Offering Period is extended with more than five business days, this will also be published in a supplement to the Prospectus. (2) To enable the Stabilization Manager, acting on behalf of the Underwriters, to cover over-allotments or short positions, if any, resulting from the over-allotment, if any. Prospectus and other information A prospectus has been approved by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority on 8 September 2020 (the "Prospectus"). The FSMA only approved the Prospectus (including the summary of the Prospectus, the Summary) as meeting the standards of completeness, comprehensibility and consistency imposed by the Prospectus Regulation. Such approval should not be considered as an endorsement of the Company or the quality of the Offered Shares that are the subject of the Prospectus. Investors should make their own assessment as to the suitability of investing in the Offered Shares. The full Prospectus is available to prospective investors in Belgium in English and French with a summary in Dutch. The Prospectus shall be made available to investors free of charge as of 9 September 2020 (before opening of the markets) at the registered office of the Company (Nyxoah SA, Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium) and on the websites of Nyxoah ( www.nyxoah.com ) and of the Joint Global Coordinators ( www.belfius.be and www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 ). The Prospectus and the Summary shall also be made available free of charge to investors (i) upon request by phone: +32 2 287 95 52 (Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA) and +32 222 12 01 and +32 222 12 02 (Dutch) (Belfius Bank NV/SA), and (ii) on the following websites: www.nyxoah.com , www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 and www.belfius.be/Nyxoah2020 . The Prospectus can also be consulted as of 9 September 2020 (before opening of the markets) on the website of the Company ( www.nyxoah.com ), whereby the access on the aforementioned websites is each time subject to the usual limitations. An investment in the Offered Shares involves substantial risks and uncertainties. Prospective investors need to base their investment decision on the entire Prospectus and particularly, the risk factors, as described in the Prospectus. Prospective investors must be able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Offered Shares and should be able to sustain a partial or total loss of their investment. The Offering is subject to Belgian law and the courts of Brussels are exclusively competent to adjudicate any and all disputes with investors arising out of or in connection with the Offering and/or the Offered Shares. Key risks specific to Nyxoah, the Offering and the Shares Risks relating to the performance of the Genio system. Even though the Company has obtained regulatory approval, i.e. the CE-Mark (which is to be re-approved before May 2024) in Europe for the Genio system based on first positive BLAST OSA clinical trial results (in which all study safety and performance endpoints were met with statistically significant p-values but based on a limited sample size obtained with an observational study without control group), this does not imply that clinical efficacy has been demonstrated and there is the possibility that ongoing and future clinical trials intended to support further marketing authorizations (or maintenance of existing ones) will not be successful and that the Genio system will not perform as intended. For a CE mark, devices only need to demonstrate that they perform or will probably perform as designed and that the potential benefits outweigh potential risks. Future clinical evidence could be needed with respect to whether the Genio systems results can also be considered as sufficient for the sleep community, which will be evaluated by the FDA. The performance of the Genio system in commercial use may be different from the performance observed during the clinical studies for a number of reasons, including without limitation less control of the Company on the selection of patients suitable for use of the products, use by physicians with different experience and training, and failure to adhere to a follow-up regimen in the absence of clinical study enrolment and oversight. Furthermore, issues with product performance may subsequently be identified once a product is on the market, which could lead to the recall, modification, exchange, destruction or retrofitting of the device. Risks relating to attracting patients to perform clinical studies and COVID-19. The Company may not be able to initiate or, continue and/or complete in a timely manner clinical studies if it is unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients within the planned recruitment period to participate in these studies as required by the applicable regulatory authorities in the United States, Europe and any other applicable jurisdictions. The occurrence of a pandemic or other public health crisis, such as COVID-19, may impact the ability to recruit patients and otherwise disrupt normal functioning of the healthcare system which could impair the ability to conduct clinical studies as planned. In addition, some patients may not be able to comply with clinical study protocols if quarantines or other measures impede patient movement or interrupt healthcare services. Any difficulties in enrolling a sufficient number of patients for any of its clinical studies could result in significant delays and could require the Company to abandon one or more clinical studies altogether. If study centers and Centers of Excellence are restricted in performing elective surgeries and/or following up with their study patients, this may lead to missing information and may potentially impact clinical trial data quality and integrity. Enrolment delays in the Companys clinical studies may result in increased development costs that may exceed the resources available to the Company and in delays to commercially launch the Genio system in target markets, if approved. Risks relating to hesitation to change and concern by physicians. The success of the Genio system will require acceptance and adoption by physicians. Physicians will likely only adopt the Genio system if they determine that the system is an attractive treatment solution, and that third-party payers, such as government programs and private health insurance plans, provide appropriate reimbursement for its use. Even if the safety and efficacy of the Genio system is established, physicians may be hesitant to change their medical treatment practices or accept and adopt the Genio system. Economic, social, psychological, cultural and other concerns may also limit general acceptance and adoption. Risks relating to commercial acceptance. At the date of this Prospectus, the Genio system is the only product on the market by the Company. The Genio system received a CE-Mark in March 2019 for the treatment of OSA. The CE-Mark cannot be construed as evidence of (statistically significant) efficacy or safety of the Genio system. The Company is working to gain commercial market acceptance of the Genio system in target markets and has generated only limited revenue from commercial sales. The Company sold the first commercial units in July 2020. The Genio system might not gain commercial acceptance in target markets. If the Company fails to gain and maintain commercial market acceptance in its target markets, the amount of revenue generated from sales of the Genio system in the future could continue to be limited and could even decrease over time. Risks relating to third-party payments. The existence of coverage and adequate reimbursement for the Companys products by government and/or private payers will be critical for market adoption of the Genio system. Physicians and hospitals are unlikely to use the Genio system at all or to a great extent, if they do not receive adequate reimbursement for the procedures utilizing the product, and potential patients may be unable or unwilling to pay for the Genio system themselves. The price that the Company may receive for, and the marketability of, the Genio system for which the Company receives regulatory approval may suffer significantly if the government and/or third-party payers fail to provide adequate coverage and reimbursement or if further governmental cost containment or other health reform initiatives are adopted or implemented resulting in the Company possibly failing to achieve or maintain reimbursement levels sufficient to support a commercial infrastructure or realize an appropriate return on its investment in product development. At this stage of development and penetration of hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy in the OSA field, there are no large clinical studies available (yet) to confirm the long-term cost effectiveness of hypoglossal nerve stimulation. Although there is a general consensus about the medical necessity to treat OSA and notwithstanding the increasing number of hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy coverage decisions, the Company is currently in discussions and negotiations to secure reimbursement coverage and might be at risk of currently not having sufficient evidence (yet) to determine that the Genio therapy results demonstrate a meaningful improvement in net health outcomes for patients meeting the specified criteria. If so, further evidence might be necessary, while in the meantime the Company will make the Genio system available through country-specific innovation funding pathways. Risks relating to the expansion of the sales, marketing and distribution capabilities. The Company will need on the one hand to expand its internal sales and marketing organization to commercialize the Genio system in markets that the Company will target directly, which may entail risks as set out above. On the other hand, the Company may decide to target certain other markets indirectly via distributors or other arrangements. If the Company is unable to find suitable distribution partners, loses these distribution partners or if the Companys distribution partners fail to sell its products in sufficient quantities, on commercially viable terms and in a timely manner, the commercialization of the Genio system could be materially harmed, which could prevent the Company from achieving or maintaining profitability. Another factor that may inhibit the Companys efforts to commercialize the Genio system in target markets is the lack of complementary products to be offered by sales personnel, which may put the Company at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with more products. Risks relating to COVID-19. The occurrence of a pandemic, epidemic or other health crisis, including the recent outbreak of COVID-19, could have a negative impact on the Company's product development and manufacturing activities, the recruitment and conduct of its clinical studies and its ability to source required funding, which could delay or prevent it from executing its strategy as planned. Due to the high degree of unpredictability of COVID-19, the Company foresees challenges in training and proctoring new centers and their surgeons in the United States and Europe. Patients being less willing to travel to these centers or their travelling being restricted, could become an issue and potentially impact the Company's clinical and commercial activities. Risks relating to competition. The market for sleep disordered breathing and OSA solutions is increasingly competitive. The commercial availability of any approved competing product could potentially inhibit recruitment and enrolment in the Companys clinical studies. The Company may successfully conclude its clinical studies and obtain final regulatory approval, and nevertheless may fail to compete against competitors or alternative treatments that may be available or developed for the relevant indication. Risks relating to capital and expenditure needs and further financing. The Company believes that the net proceeds from this Offering, together with its existing cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and revenue will be sufficient to meet its capital requirements and fund its operations for at least 12 months. However, the Company has based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, and the Company could spend its available financial resources much faster than currently expected. Any additional equity or debt financing that the Company raises may contain terms that are not favorable to the Company or its shareholders. If the Company raises additional funds by selling additional Shares or other securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Shares after this Offering, the issuance of such securities will result in dilution to the Company's shareholders. Risks relating to profitability. The Company has incurred operating losses and negative operating cash flows in each period since it was incorporated in 2009. As of 31 December 2019, the Company had a loss brought forward of 47.1 million. The Company intends to fund amongst others the continued development of its technology and the Genio product line and to expand manufacturing capabilities. The Company plans to conduct additional clinical studies and as a result, management expects that clinical affairs expenses will increase significantly over the next several years. These expenses, together with anticipated commercial/sales, R&D and general and administrative expenses, will likely result in the Company incurring further losses for at least the next few years. The Company may not achieve profitability, which could impair its ability to sustain operations or obtain any required additional funding. Risks relating to seeking and obtaining regulatory approval for active implantable medical devices. The regulations to which the Company is subject to are complex and have become more stringent over time. The Company may be adversely affected by potential changes in government policy or legislation applicable to implantable medical devices. At the date of this Prospectus, the Company has only received regulatory approval for the EEA Member States (through CE-Marking) for its Genio system. In the United States, the Company is in the early stages of a long process of seeking marketing approval, where it received an investigational device exemption (" IDE ") from the FDA but has not yet formally confirmed the appropriate regulatory pathway to pursue to receive marketing authorization. Even though the Genio system has received an IDE, it may not successfully obtain marketing authorization. In addition, even if marketing authorization is granted by the FDA, it may be withdrawn. Since the Genio system is a wireless medical device, additional complications may arise with respect to obtaining marketing authorization in the United States. Risks relating to the absence of a minimum amount. The Company has the right to proceed with a capital increase in a reduced amount, corresponding to a number of Offered Shares that is lower than the maximum number of Offered Shares in the Offering. If not all of the Offered Shares are subscribed for in the Offering, the net proceeds from the Offering could be limited, all or in part, to the net proceeds from Subscription Commitments. As a result, only a number of Shares that is lower than the maximum number of Offered Shares in the Offering could be available for trading on the market, which could limit the liquidity of the Shares. Furthermore, the Companys financial means in view of the uses of proceeds would in such case also be reduced. If this were to be the case, the Company may have to reduce its level of investments or look for further external funding. Risks relating to the absence of a prior public market for the Shares. Prior to the Offering, there has been no public trading market for the Shares. An active trading market may not develop or, if developed, may not be sustained or be sufficiently liquid following the closing of the Offering, in which case the liquidity and trading price of the Shares could be adversely affected. Furthermore, the Offering Price is not necessarily indicative of the prices at which the Shares will subsequently trade on the stock exchange. In addition, the market price of the Shares may prove to be highly volatile and may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, many of which are beyond the Companys control. The market price of the Shares may be adversely affected by most of the preceding or other factors regardless of the Companys actual results of operations and financial condition. The degree of liquidity of the Shares may negatively impact the price at which an investor can dispose of the Shares where the investor is seeking to achieve a sale within a short timeframe. - 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. Nyxoahs lead solution is the Genio system, a CE-validated, user-centered, next generation hypoglossal neurostimulation therapy for OSA, the worlds 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. For more information, please visit www.nyxoah.com . Caution CE marked since 2019. Investigational device in the United States. Limited by U.S. federal law to investigational use in the United States. Important Notice Any purchase of, subscription for or application for, shares to be issued by Nyxoah (the "Company") 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. The Prospectus contains 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. 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. This communication is directed only at persons (i) who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments and who fall within article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended) (the Order) or (iii) who are high net worth entities or other persons who fall within article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as Relevant Persons). Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person must not act or rely on this communication or any of its contents. 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 (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom (each a "Relevant State"), the Prospectus Regulation) has been approved by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority. The Prospectus shall be made available to investors free of charge as of 9 September 2020 at the registered office of the Company (Nyxoah SA, Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium) and on the websites of Nyxoah ( www.nyxoah.com ) and of the Joint Global Coordinators ( www.belfius.be and www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 ). The Prospectus shall also be made available free of charge to investors (i) upon request by phone: +32 2 287 95 52 (Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA) and +32 222 12 01 and +32 222 12 02 (Dutch) (Belfius Bank NV/SA), and (ii) on the following websites: www.nyxoah.com , www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 and www.belfius.be/Nyxoah2020 . Access on the aforementioned websites is each time subject to the usual limitations. 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. 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/SA 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 The 3,871,000 initially offered new shares and the shares offered as a result of the possible exercise of the Increase Option are collectively referred to as the "New Shares", and each existing or future new share representing the Company's share capital as a "Share". 2 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 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): 10711078. AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot told investors that the company's coronavirus vaccine trial participant who experienced an adverse reaction had serious neurological symptoms consistent with a rare spinal disorder, Stat News reports. Why it matters: The company is one of the front-runners in the global race for a coronavirus vaccine, but the development forced it to follow standard procedure by halting its late-stage trial. What's new: The participant was a woman from the United Kingdom who will likely be able to leave the hospital by Wednesday, Soriot reportedly told investors on a private conference call. He added that her condition is improving, though no diagnosis has yet been confirmed. He said that the board overseeing the clinical trial confirmed that the participant received a coronavirus vaccine and not a placebo. Worth noting: Stat also reported that Soriot told investors the company's trial had briefly been halted in July after another patient experienced neurological symptoms, though that participant was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis that was deemed unrelated to the trial. U. Renee Hall, the first Black woman to lead the Dallas police force, submitted her resignation Tuesday but agreed to stay on through the end of the year. Hall's resignation letter, which the city provided to The Associated Press, didn't give a reason for stepping down. She did not respond to a request for comment. But she has lately faced criticism for how her department has dealt with protests and violence. Hall is the latest in a parade of big city chiefs to resign or retire amid the protests and unrest that have swept the county since George Floyd, a Black man who was on the ground and handcuffed, died in May after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyds neck for several minutes. Her decision comes on the same day Rochester's police chief and his entire command stepped down amid outrage over Daniel Prude, who died in police custody in a spit hood. U. Renee Hall, the first Black woman to lead the Dallas police force, submitted her resignation Tuesday. She has lately faced criticism for how her department has dealt with protests and violence Catherine Cuellar, a city spokeswoman, originally said City Manager T.C. Broadnax accepted Halls resignation effective Nov. 10, but later said the chief had agreed to Broadnax's request that she continue leading the department through the end of the year. During Hall's tenure, a Dallas officer was convicted of murder for the high-profile 2018 shooting of her neighbor, and even before the coronavirus pandemic the city was struggling with an increase in violent crime 'When you review Chief Halls Dallas record, there arent enough superlatives to describe the impact shes had here,' Broadnax said in a statement. Hall, 49, wrote in her resignation letter that Dallas police have dealt with 'an unthinkable series of events' since she took office in 2017. She said shes proud of how the 3,000-officer department 'coped' and 'implemented critical reforms.' Hall came to Texas from Detroit, the year after a sniper fatally shot four Dallas police officers and one transit officer during a protest in July 2016. Police ultimately killed the gunman with a robot-delivered bomb. During Hall's tenure, a Dallas officer was convicted of murder for the high-profile 2018 shooting of her neighbor, and even before the coronavirus pandemic the city was struggling with an increase in violent crime. Dallas city councilors and the mayor have recently been critical of Halls leadership during the protests, which included police arresting hundreds of people who'd marched onto a city bridge, only to drop charges against nearly all of them. Last month, the police department issued a report that found it struggled with operational plans, communication and maintaining a centralized command structure during days of protests. Mayor Eric Johnson said he has not spoken with Hall, but 'was not terribly surprised' by her resignation. Dallas city councilors and the mayor have recently been critical of Halls leadership during the protests, which included police arresting hundreds of people who'd marched onto a city bridge, only to drop charges against nearly all of them 'We cannot exclusively rely on law enforcement to reduce crime, but we absolutely need new policing strategies and fresh eyes that can help us reverse the unfortunate and unacceptable increases in violent crime in our city,' Johnson said in a statement. Since Floyd's death, police chiefs have stepped down for various reasons in Seattle, Atlanta, Portland, Oregon, and Richmond, Virginia. In Rochester, New York, on Tuesday top police leaders announced their retirements amid nightly protests over the handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude in police custody. Halls predecessor in Dallas, David Brown Sr., became the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department this spring, and her resignation letter hints that she will continue police work elsewhere. 'I will remain committed to my true calling which is law enforcement,' she wrote. VANCOUVER, Wash., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul is offering 30 days of free self-storage to residents being impacted by wildfires across the Pacific Northwest. Strong winds and dry conditions are fueling hundreds of active fires in the area. Millions of acres have been burned and many residential areas are facing evacuation orders. "We're facing a truly historic outbreak of wildfires in the Pacific Northwest," said Dan Flatten, U-Haul Company of Southern Washington president. "Evacuation orders are creating an immediate need for secure self-storage options where people can bring their valued possessions. We're a longstanding member of these communities and we're here to help those in need." Local U-Haul Companies have made 25 stores 15 in Oregon and 10 in Washington available to offer assistance. People seeking more information about the U-Haul disaster relief program or needing to arrange 30 days of free self-storage should contact the nearest participating location: OREGON U-Haul Storage of Beaverton 14225 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy. Beaverton, OR 97005 (503) 643-9539 U-Haul Storage of Bend 63370 N. Hwy. 97 Bend, OR 97701 (541) 388-0671 U-Haul Storage of Santa Clara 150 Oroyan Ave. Eugene, OR 97404 (541) 393-8408 U-Haul Storage of Glenwood 4400 Franklin Blvd. Eugene, OR 97403 (541) 726-6051 U-Haul Storage of Gresham 704 NE Hogan Drive Gresham, OR 97030 (503) 667-0142 U-Haul Moving & Storage of Clackamas Town Center 11811 SE 82nd Happy Valley, OR 97086 (503) 659-3800 U-Haul Storage of Milwaukie 14310 SE McLoughlin Blvd. Milwaukie, OR 97267 (503) 653-5930 U-Haul Storage at Columbia 955 N. Columbia Blvd. Portland, OR 97217 (503) 278-4360 U-Haul Storage of Foster Road 5800 SE 88th Ave. Portland, OR 97266 (503) 771-1151 U-Haul Storage at Sandy Blvd. 7345 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97213 (503) 288-5735 U-Haul Storage of Umpqua Valley 1182 NE Stephens St. Roseburg, OR 97470 (541) 672-6864 U-Haul Storage of Silverton 3612 Silverton Road NE Salem, OR 97305 (503) 399-9418 U-Haul Storage of Sherwood 13921 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Road Sherwood, OR 97140 (503) 925-6443 U-Haul Storage of SW Portland 11552 SW Pacific Hwy. Tigard, OR 97223 (503) 245-0791 U-Haul Storage of Lake Oswego 7100 SW McEwan Road Tualatin, OR 97035 (503) 536-2412 WASHINGTON U-Haul Storage of Pasco 3212 W. Court St. Pasco, WA 99301 (509) 545-4207 U-Haul Storage of West Spokane 4399 W. Sunset Blvd. Spokane, WA 99224 (509) 590-0884 U-Haul Storage of East Town 4110 E. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99202 (509) 590-4101 U-Haul Moving & Storage of Lidgerwood 7028 N. Division St. Spokane, WA 99208 (509) 487-2772 U-Haul Storage of East Spokane 14505 E. Sprague Ave. Spokane Valley, WA 99216 (509) 924-0620 U-Haul Moving & Storage of Spokane Valley 12420 E. Indiana Ave. Spokane Valley, WA 99216 (509) 928-9000 U-Haul Storage of U-City 10304 E. Sprague Ave. Spokane Valley, WA 99206 (509) 922-4465 U-Haul Moving & Storage of Hazel Dell 8250 NE Hwy. 99 Vancouver, WA 98665 (360) 574-1234 U-Haul Storage at East Nob Hill 2304 E. Nob Hill Blvd. Yakima, WA 98901 (509) 453-8110 U-Haul Storage of Yakima 1122 S. 1st St. Yakima, WA 98901 (509) 457-7161 As an essential service provider, U-Haul has remained open to meet the needs of its communities throughout 2020. For details on what U-Haul has done to enhance cleaning protocols, protect Team Members and customers, and encourage the use of programs that inherently promote social distancing and contactless business, please reference our multi-media press release: "Moving Safely and Smartly during the COVID-19 Pandemic." About U-Haul Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 127,000 trailers and 41,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 774,000 rentable storage units and 66.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S. Contact: Andrea Batchelor Jeff Lockridge E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 602-263-6981 Website: uhaul.com SOURCE U-Haul Related Links www.uhaul.com Paul Mescal's many fans have reacted joyfully to his return to our small screens on Monday night in a special two-part installment of Virgin Media's creepy new series The Deceived. The Normal People star plays the part of a firefighter named Sean in the psychological drama. The Kildare actor has already been nominated for an Emmy for the role of Connell in Normal People, with the awards take place in LA on September 20. His latest role went down a storm with viewers. Read More "Paul Mescal speaking Irish...I don't think I'll ever recover or love something as much ever again #thedeceived," one fan tweeted. Another wrote: "Paul Mescal in a fireman uniform, speaking Irish and having a Donegal accent is everything I didn't know I needed." The four-part series, which stars Irish actor Emmett Scanlan, already aired on Channel 5 in the UK last month and is meeting with favourable reviews from this side of the water. The rising star has been hailed for another "charismatic" performance in the series, which was produced and written by Derry Girls star Lisa McGee and her husband Tobias Beer. Mysterious Video of the Day The 24-year-old plays the part of a Donegal fireman, who takes a shine to Ophelia, the young Cambridge star who falls in love with her professor (Scanlan). When he suddenly disappears, she tracks him down to his home town in Ireland where she learns that his wife has mysteriously died. Actress Eleanor Methven, who plays Mary in the series, previously worked with Mescal on Normal People and said it was obvious early on that he was something "quite special". Co-star Catherine Walker who plays the part of Scanlan's wife Roisin, said she was "gutted" she didn't get the chance to work alongside the rising star. "He'd shot Normal People and then he came to us. So it was his second job but Normal People wasn't released yet," she said. "Our storylines don't cross; I'm gutted. So gutted. What an extraordinary show, what an extraordinary actor. I obviously met him on The Deceived. But we were on completely different worlds though. So our paths didn't cross acting-wise." She added he was a "wonderful person...He's a very humble guy." A Central Florida religious leader a self-described prophet named Sylvester Ofori has been arrested and accused of gunning down his wife outside of the Orlando credit union where she worked. Ofori, the 35-year-old pastor and founder of Floodgates of Heaven International Ministries, was charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of his wife, Barbara Tommey, outside of the Navy Federal Credit Union by the Mall at Millenia. Tommey, 27, was shot near the front door of the business by her husband, Sylvester Ofori, Orlando Police said in a brief statement Tuesday night. Tommey was shot just before 9 a.m. Tuesday. She was rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she died, Orlando Police said. Ofori is being held at the Orange County Jail without bond. He was booked into the facility at 9:39 p.m. Police said detectives worked tirelessly throughout the day in order to achieve the following outcome in this case. They also said officers obtained a warrant and searched the couples apartment, where Ofori was taken into custody. Additional details were not released. Tommey was the assistant manager of the credit union, where she worked for more than five years, according to a Linkedin profile. It said she graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2015 with a bachelors degree in finance. The profile said she was working on a masters degree in strategic communication and leadership at Maryville University of Saint Louis. Ofori and his ministry have an extensive social media presence. The Facebook page for Floodgates of Heaven International Ministries has 5,552 followers. His page has 61,756 followers. The page describes Ofori as a prophet and motivational speaker. I truly believe that every single person has to go through something that absolutely destroys them so they can figure out who they really are, says an August 23 post on his page. The physical address of his church is 44 Coburn Ave., Orlando. Its Facebook page says the ministry is dedicated to helping those who need to increase their prayer life. We believe that prayer changes things & the bible says that the prayer of a righteous man availeth much, the page says. We are praying that Gods will be done on earth as it is in heaven. A website to hire speakers and entertainers says Ofori was born in Accra, Ghana. He attributes his zeal for God to his parents who instilled the fear of the Lord in the hearts of all five of their children, his bio reads. As an anointed and chosen man of God, Ofori flows in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and he has Christ-like powers and a knack for interpreting dreams. Ofori has healed the sick, cast out of demons, and battled witchcraft, the site says. Clothed in the spirit of humility, he acknowledges that he is totally dependent upon Jesus, as he is able to do nothing of himself, the bio adds. He is always careful to give credit to God. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates More than 100 stores at collapsed handbag and accessories retailer Colette by Colette Hayman will shut, but the business will continue to run after it was bought out of administration by former Myer boss Bernie Brookes. Colette was placed into administration in February, prior to the coronavirus pandemic taking hold in Australia, after a deal to refinance the struggling business fell through. The retailer has traded through administration until last week when creditors agreed to sell the business to Mr Brookes. Colette has been saved from collapse by former Myer boss Bernie Brookes. Credit:Janie Barrett As part of the purchase, Mr Brookes will shutter 103 of Colette's 138 stores, leaving just 35 physical locations around the country. Just one-third of the company's 300 permanent staff will be retained, with around 200 casual jobs also kept. The former chief executive of Myer will own 90 per cent of the business, with the remaining 10 per cent owned by an unidentified silent investor. Mr Brookes will be executive chairman, and former Woolworths and Dick Smith executive John Skellern will be the chief executive. A series of assaults against local journalists has occurred in different cities in the country, ranging from verbal attacks to physical assault. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Alliance of Independent Journalists Indonesia (AJI), to condemn the attacks and urge the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. Journalist for Radar Mandalika, Muhamed Arif was physically assaulted and intimidated by the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) for covering protests in front of the Governors office in Matara, West Nusa Tenggara on August 24. Despite declaring that he was a journalist, the officers continued their assault and prevented him from taking photos. On the same day, chief editor of Metro Aceh, Bahrul Walidin, was reported for defamation by a business woman who also a local politician following his coverage on fraud allegations against her. She also filed complaint to the Press Council. On September 2, a state prosecutor confiscated Tempo journalist Kukuh S. Wibowos phone while he was covering the hearing between the State Prosecutor Office and the Commission III of House of Representatives and Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the State Prosecutor Office Building in East Java. The forum was held to discuss the investigative report published by Tempo on the 17 containers of illegal textile imports from China. The state prosecutor held Kukuhs phone for approximately three hours. When Kukuhs phone was returned application settings had been changed. AJI said: The AJI urges all sides, from government officials to private sectors to respect journalists rights and press freedom. All the incidents have shown that threats against journalists in Indonesia are still high. AJI also calls the authorities to investigate and bring all the perpetrators to justice. The IFJ said: Indonesia is a challenging place to work for journalists, and ongoing harassment and attacks on journalists makes the situation all the more precarious. The IFJ calls on the authorities to ensure the safety of journalists in Indonesia and to reinforce to all sides of Indonesias political spectrum and private sector that journalism is not a crime. Female journalists in Pakistan are regularly subjected to gender-based threats and attacks that stifle their ability to commit to truthful and accurate reporting. These attacks, which the statement terms as vile and vicious, range from gender based and sexualized abuse, discrediting, targeting and persecution. These attacks often emerge in full force when a female journalist reports on an issue that is critical of any political party and have resulted in abusive and defaming campaigns. The statement has come immediately off the back of the murder of female journalist Shaheena Shaheen, who was the second victim of gender-based killings of female journalists in Pakistan in 10 months with Urooj Iqbal also being murdered by her husband earlier this year. So severe and prevalent is the abuse that women in the media refrain from sharing information, and giving opinion or actively engaging online, the statement says. This is a culture of self-censorship that is rife amongst Pakistans female journalists, which the statement makes clear is an obstruction of the publics right to information and the journalists right to free speech. The statement makes clear a list of demands to the government and all political parties for concrete codes of conduct for the social media teams of political parties, investigations into authorities and officials for whom there is evidence of abuse, and a new commitment against digital violence from Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency The PFUJ Secretary General Rana Muhammad Azeem said: The PFUJ strongly believes in gender equality and freedom of speech and expression. Therefore, the PFUJ urges the government and media organizations to create an environment that is conducive to female journalists working without fear of possible backlash just because of their gender. The IFJ said: No journalist should have to fear a backlash for truthful reporting solely because they are female. Pakistan is gravely limiting its press freedom and ability to provide accurate information by not acting in the protection of its women journalists. The IFJ stands with these women and echoes the need for clear codes of conduct for public institutions that act in the best interest of women in the media industry. The hounding of Rhea Chakraborty in the Sushant Singh Rajput case is a drug that is being carefully pumped into India's veins to make it comfortably numb as it is wracked by economic ruin and disease, notes Sumit Bhattacharya IMAGE: Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty arrives at the Narcotics Control Bureau in Mumbai, September 8, 2020, after she was arrested. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters Rhea Chakraborty may have been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau, but it is India that is overdosing on a deadly drug cocktail -- of debased voyeurism designed to make it delirious and forget its real problems of economic ruin and raging pandemic. This is not Justice for Sushant Singh. What is playing out right now is straight out of an episode of the dystopian science fiction series Black Mirror. The hounding of Rhea Chakraborty is a travesty of national institutions like the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate, the NCB, and the so-called fourth pillar of democracy -- journalism. The hounding of Rhea Chakraborty is the public pelting of stones at someone perceived guilty, the shuddh desi millennial version of witch hunts. There are various theories about why women were burned as witches in (especially) medieval Europe. Echoes of most of the reasons attributed to European witch hunts -- climate change and disease wreaking havoc, a means to lure followers in the polarisation between the Catholic and Protestant churches -- can also be found in today's India. Like Europe then, India today is a country wracked by poverty, disease, and polarisation. What is Rhea Chakraborty accused of? Murder? No! Stealing Rs 15 crore? No! She is accused of procuring ganja for her evidently troubled boyfriend. By that standard, a sizeable portion of urban India would be behind bars. This is not what the NCB is for. They haven't even found evidence of her consuming ganja -- which would have been legal in India, but for Ronald Reagan's 'war on drugs' in the 1980s, and which countries across the world are legalising now. An entire state's police force could not find evidence enough to arrest Rhea Chakraborty. Neither could the country's premier investigating agency that has become a political joke. So it fell upon the NCB to arrest her under a law, the NDPS Act, that is among the most draconian pieces of legislation in India. Because the drug must be pumped in at regular intervals for the delirium to last. If we believe that a high-performing actor can be 'controlled' through drugs -- the desi ganja to top it off -- it means the drug has taken complete hold and we are hallucinating our own version of reality. Only a drugged nation will believe the eternal Indian-family saga soap plot -- our son was like Yudhisthir, this evil woman fed him drugs and killed him. Only a drugged nation will cheer a woman being hounded by vultures with television cameras -- no, sorry, vultures don't molest the living -- as the New York-based Kashmiri artist Mir Suhail's sketch so eloquently captured. Only a drugged nation will see patriotism and nationalism in this sordid saga of a troubled young man's death that has brought two families to confrontation. This is a laboratory-made synthetic drug. This is hashtag heroin. This is prime-time methamphetamine. In our stupor, we are failing to see who is profiting from this whole episode. Who is mass-producing this drug and pumping it into our veins. News organisations, starved of ad revenue and bereft of budgets for reportage in an economy where demand is shrinking drastically, that have found the easiest way to eyeballs and/or curry more favour with political parties. IMAGE: During happier times, Rhea Chakraborty with boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput. Photograph: Rhea Chakraborty/Twitter That other breed that was till not-so-long ago the unanimously agreed upon villain of the country and is now like family and national honour, insulting which is sedition -- the politician. And all and sundry celeb types who are washing their hands in this flowing Ganga of publicity (to very badly translate a Hindi idiom). The Sushant Singh Rajput death case is now a political and business gold mine. There's lots of money to be made with minute by minute updates. Rhea Chakraborty arrives at NCB office. Rhea Chakraborty grilled by NCB for eight hours. RHEA CHAKRABORTY ARRESTED BY NCB. RHEA CHAKRABORTY CRIED IN PRISON. Every update numbs you to the reality. That India is the COVID-19 capital of the world. That millions and millions of people have lost their jobs, had their salaries cut, their savings eaten up. That millions are perishing from floods. That thousands are being driven to suicide due to joblessness. Nearly 14,000 people who committed suicide in 2019, when the novel coronavirus was just a freeloader on a bat's wings, were unemployed -- according to National Crime Records Bureau data. That you will not be able to visit Pangong Tso and pose like Aamir Khan anytime soon. Even Nitish Kumar, who has this image as the man who delivered the roads like 'Hema Malini's cheeks' that his fellow socialist-turned-foe-turned-ally-turned foe Lalu Prasad had promised in Bihar, seems to be aware of the power of the drug. He did not meet the family after Sushant Singh died, but mentioned the actor in his first digital address kicking off his campaign for re-election as chief minister. His ally, the BJP, is sticking up posters of Sushant across Patna. The Rajput community, around 6 per cent of Bihar's population of 9.9 crore, is a rich and powerful voice in the caste-ridden heartland of the state. The CBI, apart from the fodder scam in which bigwigs such as Lalu have been convicted, has failed miserably in most big cases in Bihar. And the caged parrot has parroted what it has been taught. The agency is yet to crack the at-least-Rs-2000-crore Srijan scam from 2017. Even its chargesheet this year naming an IAS officer who contested an election on a ticket from Nitish's Janata Dal-United has raised eyebrows and prompted whispers of 'leverage'; and 'arm-twisting'. In the horrendous case of sexual abuse of little children in a government-funded shelter home in Muzaffarpur, the outcome of the CBI investigation was that (mostly) one man did it on his own without any political help. Whether you will believe that or not depends on how deep your stupor is. How far this deadly drug has taken hold of your judgement. By the time you finish reading this, don't be surprised if you find some Pakistan angle to the Sushant Singh case too. The good folks at R&AW must be feeling left out amid this national drama. Sumit Bhattacharya is a Kolkata-based journalist and musician. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com A Midland County resident is seeking a temporary restraining order and temporary and permanent injunction against Midland ISD as the district attempts to rename Robert E. Lee High School and freshman school. Jeremy Shane Mansell is listed as the plaintiff, and Midland ISD and its board are listed as the defendants. Mansell filed the petition in the 238th District Court and emailed a copy of the lawsuit to the Reporter-Telegram. Midland ISD board President Rick Davis responded to the Reporter-Telegram about the lawsuit Wednesday afternoon. The lawsuit states that MISD was not operating in compliance with the Texas Education Code by not having constituted a district-level decision-making committee before, on or about July 27 when they considered whether to rename Robert E. Lee Senior High and Robert E. Lee Freshman in violation of Texas Education Code 11.251 (b)-(e). In response, Davis wrote, The crux of the suit appears to be that the board did not have the legal authority to make that decision. In making that allegation, the plaintiff refers to statutes that are not applicable to a school boards school-naming decision. Contrary to what the plaintiff alleges, the MISD board of trustees has the legal authority to make school-naming decisions just like the MISD board of trustees had in 1961 when the school was first named and every year since. The lawsuit also states that MISD is proposing a de facto taxation of the plaintiff, where they have no right or authority to do so in violation of Texas State Constitution Article 8, by voting to change the names of the school, which will have to be paid for with taxpayer monies not apportioned in the MISD 2019-20 budget. The lawsuit also states that board members considered an online petition started in June 2020 on Change.org that is in violation of Texas Election Code in that the petition contained no verifiable addresses, date of births, voter registration numbers or signatures. The suit also alleges that MISD unlawfully accepted and considered an online petition regarding the name change, Davis wrote. While the board was aware of petitions both for and against changing the name of Robert E. Lee High School and freshman school, the board did not create or receive these petitions. The lawsuit also states, The plaintiff therefore seeks a temporary restraining order and temporary injunctive relief to preserve the status quo pending a final judgment on merits, the lawsuit states. Absent such injunctive relief, MISD board has indicated they will move forward with physical removal of property and effects in a process that may cost between $400,000 and $2 million and provides no inventory or storage of items to be removed. Davis said those interested in watching a recording of the meeting can do so at Midland ISDs website. He added that residents were able to watch the meeting live and call into the public comment portion of that meeting. Because I have not actually been served with the lawsuit, it is my hope that the plaintiff will voluntarily choose to dismiss it, Davis wrote. The Midland ISD board voted on July 27 to rename Robert E. Lee High School and Robert E. Lee Freshman High School. It then created a committee to oversee the renaming process. That committee is scheduled to meet this week to narrow down a list of five names to three, according to previous reports. The Reporter-Telegram has attempted to contact both Mansell and MISD about the lawsuit. In brief: Nintendo has reportedly asked its manufacturing partners to ramp up production of its Switch handheld gaming system yet again. Will it be enough to meet demand heading into the holiday buying season? Nintendos Switch has been in short supply for most of 2020 for one reason or another. The Japanese gaming giant in early February said that the coronavirus, which was just starting to make global headlines, was having an impact on production. Specifically, hardware destined for sale in Japan was being delayed. As Covid-19 led to mass global shutdowns and shelter-in-place orders, demand for game systems like the Switch soared as people looked to curb their newfound boredom. Factor in additional manufacturing disruptions with the launch of the wildly popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons on March 20, and you had the perfect recipe for widespread shortages. Nintendo responded by increasing production of the Switch in mid-April. In June, the company said production was back to normal but if Bloombergs sources are accurate, it seems that Nintendo is still dealing with supply issues. People familiar with the companys strategy told the publication Nintendos manufacturing partners are now operating at 120 percent to help meet demand. The goal is now to turn out as many as 30 million consoles for this fiscal year, they said. Shares of Nintendo are up nearly 4.5 percent on the day. Image credit: Wachiwit, Pe3k Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 3, 2019. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Army Chief Defends Military Leaders After Trump Remarks Army chief of staff Gen. James McConville on Sept. 8 defended military leaders, a day after President Donald Trump accused them of going to war to satisfy defense contractors. McConville, the Armys top general, said during an interview for media organization Defense Ones State of the Army event that military leaders would only consider sending troops into combat in the interest of national security, or as a last resort. Im talking about generals, Im talking admirals, Im talking sergeant majors, many of these leaders have sons and daughters that serve in the military, many of these leaders have sons and daughters who have gone to combat or may be in combat right now, Trump-appointee McConville said. So I can assure the American people that the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when it is required in national security and in the last resort, he said. We take this very, very seriously in how we make our recommendations. McConvilles remarks came after the president spoke during a White House press briefing on Sept. 7. However, he declined to comment specifically on Trumps remarks on Pentagon leaders, acknowledging todays political environment, according to Politico. Taking into consideration the upcoming presidential election, he said the military needs to remain an apolitical organization. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a news conference at the North Portico at the White House on Sept. 7, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) Im not saying the militarys in love with me, Trump told reporters on Sept. 7. The soldiers are, the top people in the Pentagon probably arent because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the plans and make everything else stay happy. But were getting out of endless wars, Trump said. Some people dont like to come home. Some people like to continue to spend money. One cold-hearted globalist betrayal after another, thats what it was. Related Coverage Trump Says Pentagon Chiefs Beholden to Weapons Manufacturers White House chief of staff Mark Meadows clarified on Sept. 7 that the presidents remarks were not aimed at any individual general, but at the military industrial complex. This president is consistent about one thing: If were going to send our sons and daughters abroad to fight on our behalf, hes not going to let some lobbyist here in Washington, D.C., just because they want a new defense contract, suggest that they need to stay abroad one minute longer than they should, Meadows told Fox News. Hes been consistent about stopping these endless wars. Hes going to continue to fight against the special interest groups here in Washington, D.C. Read More White House to Announce Further Troop Withdrawals From Iraq Trumps remarks followed the publication of a magazine report last week that alleged citing anonymous sources, that he had spoken disparagingly about fallen U.S. military personnel. The report by magazine The Atlantic, published Sept. 3, claimed the president in 2018 made disparaging remarks about Marines buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris, France. The report also claimed he turned down a trip to visit the cemetery because he feared his hair would become disheveled in rain. The president last week unequivocally refuted the report that relied entirely on anonymous sources, calling it a disgrace and fake news. On Sept. 7, he told reporters that only an animal would say a thing like that. A number of other White House officials and Trump allies have refuted the claims made by the anonymous sources in The Atlantic piece. The Trump campaign noted that 11 officials who were with President Trump are on the record refuting it and official documents also refute it. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's head popped up during his top-secret intelligence briefing in the Oval Office on Jan. 28 when the discussion turned to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China. "This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency," national security adviser Robert O'Brien told Trump, according to a new book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward. "This is going to be the roughest thing you face." Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser, agreed. He told the president that after reaching contacts in China, it was evident that the world faced a health emergency on par with the flu pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. Ten days later, Trump called Woodward and revealed that he thought the situation was far more dire than what he had been saying publicly. "You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed," Trump said in a Feb. 7 call. "And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu." "This is deadly stuff," the president repeated for emphasis. At that time, Trump was telling the nation that the virus was no worse than a seasonal flu, predicting it would soon disappear, and insisting that the U.S. government had it totally under control. It would be several weeks before he would publicly acknowledge that the virus was no ordinary flu and that it could be transmitted through the air. Trump admitted to Woodward on March 19 that he deliberately minimized the danger. "I wanted to always play it down," the president said. Aside from exploring Trump's handling of the pandemic, Woodward's new book, "Rage," covers race relations, diplomacy with North Korea and a range of other issues that have arisen during the past two years. The book also includes brutal assessments of Trump's conduct from former defense secretary Jim Mattis, former director of national intelligence Daniel Coats and others. The book is based in part on 18 on-the-record interviews Woodward conducted with the president between December and July. Woodward writes that other quotes in the book were acquired through "deep background" conversations with sources in which information is divulged and exchanges recounted without sources being named. "Trump never did seem willing to fully mobilize the federal government and continually seemed to push problems off on the states," Woodward writes. "There was no real management theory of the case or how to organize a massive enterprise to deal with one of the most complex emergencies the United States had ever faced." Woodward questioned Trump repeatedly about the national reckoning on racial injustice. On June 3, two days after federal agents forcibly removed peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square to make way for Trump to stage a photo opportunity outside St. John's Episcopal Church, Trump called Woodward to boast about his "law and order" stance. "We're going to get ready to send in the military slash National Guard to some of these poor bastards that don't know what they're doing, these poor radical lefts," Trump said. In a second conversation, on June 19, Woodward asked the president about White privilege, noting that they were both White men of the same generation who had privileged upbringings. Woodward suggested that they had a responsibility to better "understand the anger and pain" felt by Black Americans. "No," Trump replied, his voice described by Woodward as mocking and incredulous. "You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you. Wow. No, I don't feel that at all." As Woodward pressed Trump to understand the plight of Black Americans after generations of discrimination, inequality and other atrocities, the president kept answering by pointing to economic numbers such as the pre-pandemic unemployment rate for Blacks and claiming, as he often has publicly, that he has done more for Blacks than any president except perhaps Abraham Lincoln. In another conversation about race, on July 8, Trump complained about his lack of support among Black voters. "I've done a tremendous amount for the Black community," he told Woodward. "And, honestly, I'm not feeling any love." They spoke again about race relations on June 22, when Woodward asked Trump whether he thinks there is "systemic or institutional racism in this country." "Well, I think there is everywhere," Trump said. "I think probably less here than most places. Or less here than many places." Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford Asked by Woodward whether racism "is here" in the United States in a way that affects people's lives, Trump replied, "I think it is. And it's unfortunate. But I think it is." Trump shared with Woodward visceral reactions to several prominent Democrats of color. Upon seeing a shot of Sen. Kamala Harris of California, now the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, calmly and silently watching him deliver his State of the Union address, Trump remarked, "Hate! See the hate! See the hate!" Trump used the same phrase after an expressionless Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York appeared in the frame. Trump was dismissive about former president Barack Obama and told Woodward he was inclined to refer to him by his first and middle names, "Barack Hussein," but wouldn't in his company to be "very nice." "I don't think Obama's smart," Trump told Woodward. "I think he's highly overrated. And I don't think he's a great speaker." Trump added that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un thought Obama was "an asshole." "Rage" includes the first-reported excerpts of letters Trump exchanged with Kim, and quotes Trump in his interviews with Woodward using expletives to defend their pen-pal relationship. Even as U.S. intelligence chiefs warn that North Korea is unlikely to ever surrender its nuclear weapons and that Trump's approach is ineffective, the president told Woodward he is determined to stay the course and dismissively says the CIA has "no idea" how to handle North Korea. "I met. Big fucking deal," Trump told Woodward, waving off criticism of his three face-to-face meetings with Kim. "It takes me two days. I met. I gave up nothing." Foreign affairs experts say Trump gave up much - including by postponing and then scaling back the U.S. joint military exercises with South Korea that had long angered North Korea, as well as by granting Kim the international stature and legitimacy the North Korean regime has long craved. Trump told Woodward he evaluates Kim and his nuclear arsenal like a real estate target: "It's really like, you know, somebody that's in love with a house and they just can't sell it." Kim welcomed Trump's overtures with over-the-top prose in letters. Kim wrote that he wanted "another historic meeting between myself and Your Excellency reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film." And he said his meetings with Trump were a "precious memory" that underscored how the "deep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force." In another letter, Kim wrote to Trump, "I feel pleased to have formed good ties with such a powerful and preeminent statesman as Your Excellency." And in yet another, Kim reflected on "that moment of history when I firmly held Your Excellency's hand at the beautiful and sacred location as the whole world watched with great interest and hope to relive the honor of that day." Trump was taken with Kim's flattery, Woodward writes, telling the author pridefully that Kim had addressed him as "Excellency." Trump remarked that he was awestruck meeting Kim for the first time in 2018 in Singapore, thinking to himself, "Holy shit," and finding Kim to be "far beyond smart." Trump also boasted to Woodward that Kim "tells me everything," including a graphic account of Kim having his uncle killed. Trump did not share his letters to Kim - "those are so top secret," the president said - though Woodward writes that Trump sent Kim a copy of the New York Times featuring a picture of the two men on the front page. "Chairman, great picture of you, big time," Trump wrote on the paper in marker. (Trump falsely boasted to Woodward, "He never smiled before. I'm the only one he smiles with.") Trump reflected on his relationships with authoritarian leaders generally, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "It's funny, the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them," he told Woodward. "You know? Explain that to me someday, okay?" In the midst of reflecting upon how close the United States had come in 2017 to war with North Korea, Trump revealed, "I have built a nuclear - a weapons system that nobody's ever had in this country before. We have stuff that you haven't even seen or heard about. We have stuff that Putin and Xi have never heard about before. There's nobody - what we have is incredible." Woodward writes that anonymous sources later confirmed that the U.S. military had a secret new weapons system, but they would not provide details, and that the sources were surprised Trump had disclosed it. The book documents private grumblings, periods of exasperation and wrestling about whether to quit among the so-called adults of the Trump orbit: Mattis, Coats and former secretary of state Rex Tillerson. Mattis quietly went to Washington National Cathedral to pray about his concern for the nation's fate under Trump's command and, according to Woodward, told Coats, "There may come a time when we have to take collective action" since Trump is "dangerous. He's unfit." In a separate conversation recounted by Woodward, Mattis told Coats, "The president has no moral compass," to which the director of national intelligence replied, "True. To him, a lie is not a lie. It's just what he thinks. He doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie." Woodward describes Coats's experience as especially tortured. Coats, a former senator from Indiana, was recruited into the administration by Vice President Mike Pence, and his wife is quoted as recalling a dinner at the White House when she interacted with Pence. "I just looked at him, like, how are you stomaching this?" Marsha Coats said, according to Woodward. "I just looked at him like, this is horrible. I mean, we made eye contact. I think he understood. And he just whispered in my ear, 'Stay the course.' " Pence was the president's one constant booster publicly and privately in Woodward's book. When Coats considered resigning because of Trump's handling of Russia, Pence urged him to "look on the positive side of things that he's done. More attention on that. You can't go." The loathing was mutual. "Not to mention my fucking generals are a bunch of pussies. They care more about their alliances than they do about trade deals," Trump told White House trade adviser Peter Navarro at one point, according to Woodward. Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, is quoted by Woodward as saying, "The most dangerous people around the president are overconfident idiots," which Woodward interprets as a reference to Mattis, Tillerson and former National Economic Council director Gary Cohn. Kushner was a frequent target of ire among Trump's Cabinet members, who saw him as untrustworthy and weak in dealing with heads of states. Tillerson found Kushner's warm dealings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "nauseating to watch. It was stomach churning," according to Woodward. Kushner is quoted extensively in the book ruminating about his father-in-law and presidential power. Woodward writes that Kushner advised people that one of the most important guiding texts to understand the Trump presidency was "Alice in Wonderland," a novel about a young girl who falls through a rabbit hole. He singled out the Cheshire cat, whose strategy was endurance and persistence, not direction. The book charts the Trump administration's failings and missteps on the pandemic, including the decisions and actions of Pottinger, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci and others. Fauci at one point tells others that the president "is on a separate channel" and unfocused in meetings, with "rudderless" leadership, according to Woodward. "His attention span is like a minus number," Fauci said, according to Woodward. "His sole purpose is to get reelected." In one Oval Office meeting recounted by Woodward, after Trump had made false statements in a news briefing, Fauci said in front of him: "We can't let the president be out there being vulnerable, saying something that's going to come back and bite him." Pence, Kushner, chief of staff Mark Meadows and senior policy adviser Stephen Miller tensed up at once, Woodward writes, surprised Fauci would talk to Trump that way. Woodward describes Fauci as particularly disappointed in Kushner for talking like a cheerleader as if everything was great. In June, as the virus was spreading wildly coast to coast and case numbers soared in Arizona, Florida, Texas and other states, Kushner said of Trump, "The goal is to get his head from governing to campaigning." Woodward writes that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., suggested former president George W. Bush speak personally with Trump about global vaccine efforts, but that Bush demurred. "No. No," Bush told Graham, according to Woodward. "He'd misconstrue anything I said." In their final interview, on July 21, Trump vented to Woodward, "The virus has nothing to do with me. It's not my fault." This May 23, 2019, file photo shows Temple University in Philadelphia. Amid rising numbers of positive coronavirus cases, Temple University announced Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, that the majority of classes will shift to online through the end of the semester. Read more In March, politicians and experts argued that a lockdown was necessary to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases so our hospitals would not be overwhelmed. When cases peaked in April, with few exceptions, our nations hospitals werent even close to being overwhelmed. From April through early July, nationwide hospital occupancy never rose above 67%. Pennsylvanias topped out at 72%. This may have been because the lockdown was successful. But even if that were the case, we still ended up with one-third of hospital beds remaining empty. We never saw the massive overwhelming of our health-care system that the gloomiest forecasts predicted. As the need for curve flattening passed, politicians shifted the rationale for the lockdown to halting the transmission of the virus. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf extended Pennsylvanias disaster emergency, claiming that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be of such magnitude or severity that emergency action is necessary. For evidence, he points to the almost 7,500 Pennsylvanians who have died over the past five months. But the lions share of those deaths occurred in April and May. In August, fewer than 500 Pennsylvanians died of COVID-19. While every death is a cause for concern, to put that number in perspective, 11,000 Pennsylvanians die in a typical month from non-COVID causes. READ MORE: Amid virus outbreak, Temple moves most instruction online for the rest of the semester We are four months past achieving the lockdowns original goal, yet in many states, the lockdown continues. As time passes, we are coming to know two things. First, the lockdown is far more expensive than politicians imagined. Already, one-third of small businesses in New York City have closed permanently. If the same is true across the rest of the country, we could end up losing 10 million small businesses. The unemployment rate is higher than at the peak of the Great Recession. Second, COVID-19 is less deadly to the general population than previously thought. While the immediate threat of COVID-19 is significantly reduced, politicians are looking for excuses to maintain their control over people. This is clearer perhaps nowhere than in schools. Yet here, the nations colleges and universities might be leading the way back to normalcy, if only inadvertently. Many American colleges and universities are conducting all classes remotely. Others, having a need to justify charging students for room and board, are implementing hybrid models wherein some students attend classes in person, while others participate remotely. The hybrid model is largely virus-theater. Requiring students to wear masks and to maintain social distancing in public areas wont mean much if students are taking the masks off in the privacy of their dorms, and paying the same heed to social distancing policies as they do to alcohol policies. And almost everywhere, bars are open and parties are happening. READ MORE: A professors first days back at Temple: This pandemic experiment wont work | Opinion What will colleges and universities do when inevitable COVID-19 outbreaks occur? Theyll send everyone home and go fully remote which is what Temple University announced its doing Thursday, after trying the hybrid theater. In other words, the nations colleges and universities have become giant petri dishes for incubating COVID-19. When enough students are infected, universities will send them back whence they came, blanketing the country with freshly infected, but otherwise healthy, people. In turn, that will increase the likelihood of politicians keeping lockdowns in place. But allowing college students to infect each other might not be the worst option if its managed properly. Fifteen- to 24-year-olds comprise less than two-tenths of 1% of U.S. COVID deaths. Meanwhile, 80% of COVID deaths have been among people 65 and older. The right answer might be to adopt a version of what Sweden did and protect our most vulnerable citizens while letting the rest catch the virus and develop immunities. Sweden didnt lock down its people, nor shut down its economy, yet Swedens COVID fatality rate is the same as that of the United States. READ MORE: Zoom and gloom: Virtual schooling has begun, and it is unsustainable | Maria Panaritis This surely wont sound right to politicians who are intent on doing something. But we should be keenly aware that no political actor or body can prevent all deaths, no matter how badly they might want to. Eventually, there will be a vaccine. But when is anyones guess. In the meantime, we may end up with a workable interim solution by letting young, healthy people do all the things that young, healthy people do, while keeping them within the confines of their universities and away from the most vulnerable of our population. Antony Davies (@AntonyDavies) is an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University. James R. Harrigan (@JamesRHarrigan) is the managing director of the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom at the University of Arizona. They host the weekly podcast, Words & Numbers. President Donald Trump addresses the crowd during a rally in Winston Salem, N.C., on Sept. 8, 2020. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Trump Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian Lawmaker President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by a Norwegian lawmaker impressed by his brokering of a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of Norways Parliament, said he submitted the nomination. It is for his contribution for peace between Israel and the UAE. It is a unique deal, he told Reuters. I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees, Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News. Israel and the UAE agreed last month to establish full normalization of relations. Leaders of both nations said Trump played a major role in the agreement. The UAE formally ended its boycott of Israel in late August and the first direct Israel-UAE commercial flight landed in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 31. In the nomination letter, Tybring-Gjedde wrote that Trump and his administration helped foster the Israel-UAE deal. As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity, he wrote. Trumps role in helping facilitate contact between conflicting parties and creating new dynamics in other situations, including the decades-long conflict between North and South Korea, was also cited. And the Norwegian official praised Trump for being the first U.S. president to avoid launching a new war since Jimmy Carter, who left office in 1981. Indeed, Trump has broken a 39-year-old streak of American presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict. The last president to avoid doing so was Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter, he wrote. Christian Tybring-Gjedde (L) and other Norwegian Parliament members meet with Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Oslo on Aug. 22, 2019. (Vidar Ruud/AFP via Getty Images) Tybring-Gjedde previously nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, the same year Japans prime minister reportedly submitted a nomination. Im not a big Trump supporter, he told Fox. The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the factsnot on the way he behaves sometimes. The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing. Obama, the U.S. president from 2009 to 2017, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the award was in recognition of Obamas extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts, it said. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. A committee spokesman told The Epoch Times on Wednesday that it could not comment on Trumps reported nomination, citing a confidentiality clause. Due to the 50 years confidentiality clause, neither the names of nominators nor of nominees may be divulged until 50 years have elapsed, he said via email. The 2021 award will be bestowed in October next year. This years award is being announced next month. Deputy of the Prosperous Armenia faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Naira Zohrabyan today posted the following on her Facebook page: The right of the unborn child to life Armenia has always been among the champions in terms of its sex-selective abortion indicator. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has touched upon the countries where sex-selective abortions are conducted in several resolutions, and years ago, Armenia was in the top three along with Azerbaijan and Albania. Based on official statistics, between 1991 and 2018, nearly 434,000 pregnancies have been interrupted in Armenia. The existing legislation envisages several circumstances that allow for abortion, depriving the unborn child of the right to life (when the woman is ill and is less than 12 weeks pregnant, the unborn child has a defect, etc.) However, the unborn child also has the right to life, and all the regulations need to be replaced with one regulation, and that is the ban on abortion. My colleague Shake Isayan and I will be placing into circulation a bill on the right of the unborn child to life which will ban abortion, except when a doctor instructs a woman to abort the child since the woman has health problems that are incompatible with pregnancy. I know many will say that abortion is the right of every woman and family, but the unborn child also has the right to life, to be born and to live, and nobody should incite the woman to go to the extreme and abort the child just because he or she wants it or just because he or she doesnt want the child to be of a particular sex. The persons who were arrested and are being interrogated have been identified as Bilal Ahmad Kuttey and Shahnawaz Ahmad Mir SRINAGAR: The security forces late Tuesday night arrested two persons after a US made M4 carbine, an AK rifle and six pistols with live ammunition were found in a goods truck they were driving into Kashmir Valley from Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir. A spokesman of J-K police said on Wednesday that the truck was intercepted by a joint team of the local police and Central armed police forces at Jawahar Tunnel, about 91 kilometres south of summer capital Srinagar, on a tip off. The arms and ammunition were being smuggled into Kashmir. The truck was on its way to the Valley from Samba (an area close to the International Border with Pakistan). During the search of the truck, the security forces found one AK rifle with two magazines, one M4 US Carbine with three magazines and six Chinese pistols with 12 magazines concealed in goods being transported to the Valley, the spokesman said. The persons who were arrested and are being interrogated have been identified as Bilal Ahmad Kuttey and Shahnawaz Ahmad Mir, both residents of Shopian district of Kashmir. Also, three more persons have been detained by the police for questioning in connection with the recoveries, the police sources said. Pubs reopening in the coming weeks will have to ensure there is no dancing or music being played in their premises and keep the volume on their televisions low, according to guidelines from public health experts. The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) last week gave the Government the green light to reopen pubs later this month. Read More After a meeting last Thursday, the group led by Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn recommended that all pubs, even those not serving food, could reopen at the earliest on September 21. Nphet also included a series of new guidelines they expected pubs to follow if they are to open while not serving substantial meals worth at least 9. This includes a ban on any live music or dancing. Public health experts also recommended that TV volume must be turned down low to ensure people are not forced to speak over it. International research has shown the virus spreads more quickly among people who are raising their voices - such as those attending sporting events or in other crowded situations. Nphet also said some pubs may need to introduce extra toilets facilities to allow for social distancing. Pubs may also have to limit the number of customers they can have at any time depending on the size of the premises. Nphet added nightclubs and discos should remain closed for the foreseeable future. The Cabinet yesterday agreed to allow all pubs reopen from September 21 after they were forced to close for six months since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. A Government source said pubs are businesses and should be allowed prove they can operate within the Covid guidelines. They want to open under controlled conditions so they should be allowed have fair crack of the whip, the source said. Nphet made the recommendation last Thursday on the basis that pubs are an important part of the fabric of Irish society, the source added. "So it hasn't changed the rules. The rules, that is, the reasons you can leave, are all the same. "It just makes the job of police much, much easier." Associate Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott, a public health expert from Sydney University, said curfews could sometimes backfire if they encouraged large numbers of people to congregate at shops or other businesses just before they were forced to close each evening. He said another approach would be to extend the operating hours of businesses and enforce times that certain suburbs or streets go shopping. The danger associated with introducing a curfew is shortly before that time, people realise they need to do things, so they may turn up to the shops and find 1000 other people have also had the same dilemma," he said. Loading At least previously in Australias pandemic plans we were doing the opposite, we would look to extend business operation hours and spread peoples risk of infection. A curfew would do the exact reverse of that, which is risk consolidating people in high numbers at specific locations. But Associate Professor Kamradt-Scott said the curfew approach had recently been adopted by Israel in its fight against COVID-19, and it had proven proved effective in helping bring Ebola under control in Sierra Leone. Victorian Liberals Leader Michael OBrien accused Mr Andrews of making a captains call that was not based on health advice. "It wasnt a Brett Sutton call, it wasnt a medical evidence call, it was a captains call by the Premier who wanted to keep Melbourne in curfew," he said. Mr O'Brien said it was unfair for Victorians to be unable to walk their dog at 8.30pm, for example, without health advice. "The curfew should go," Mr OBrien said. "When you consider how extreme a curfew is in wartime we havent been subject to a curfew. "This is an extraordinary infringement on the rights of the people of the state and for the Premier to do it without any medical advice, without any scientific advice, to make a captains call, shows you that the power has gone to this blokes head and frankly, we deserve better than that." Dr Stephen Duckett from the Grattan Institute, writing in an opinion piece for The Age, said the curfew did not appear to be evidence-based. Loading Dr Duckett is otherwise a supporter of the government's plans for the phased rollback of restrictions and has called on the Premier to aim for elimination of COVID-19. "Some of the restrictions are irritating why keep the curfew? It doesn't appear to be evidence-based and it gives the Prime Minister yet another opportunity to display his antagonism to Victoria and Victorians," he wrote. Victoria Police was asked on Wednesday if it pushed for the curfew to be included in the rules of stage four lockdown, but the force declined to comment. Loading Victoria Police has no comment to make on the directions made by the Chief Health Officer," a spokesperson said. Despite the daily number of COVID-19 diagnoses rising on Wednesday, the all-important 14-day average case count for the Melbourne region continued to fall, down to 74.5. On Tuesday, the figure was 78.6, down from 84.8 on Monday. For regional Victoria, the 14-day average is five cases per day. Under the state's government road map to reopening, the Melbourne region will move to its next step on September 28 if the 14-day average for new cases is between 30 and 50. Deakin University epidemiology chair Catherine Bennett said it would be tight but Melbourne was still on track to meet this target if the present trend in daily case numbers continued. In other developments on Wednesday, the state government confirmed 25 sewage sites around Victoria were being regularly tested for traces of coronavirus, including 14 in regional areas, after traces of COVID-19 were found in waste water in Apollo Bay last week. The search for Apollo Bays positive case continues, with none of about 60 people in the area who have been tested returning positive results. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week signed Senate Bill 745, which appropriates $2.8 billion in supplemental funding from federal revenues awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover a temporary $300 per week enhanced federal payment for eligible Michiganders receiving unemployment benefits. As part of the FEMA program, the additional $300 per week in unemployment benefits will continue until the federal emergency disaster relief funding made available for this program has been exhausted. At this time, it is unknown how many weeks may be covered by existing funds. This is good news for the thousands of Michiganders who are still without work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but its still a short term band aid that falls short of whats needed, Whitmer stated in a news release. We need the president, Mitch McConnell, and Congress to put partisanship aside and pass a bipartisan recovery package that will help us save lives and get people back on their feet. Michigan families, frontline workers, and small business owners are counting on the federal government to do the right thing and work together on their behalf. At this time, eligible claimants do not have to take any action to receive the additional benefit amount provided by the program. SB 745 also includes $8 million in funding to facilitate the further development of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois, which will provide a critical barrier to prevent invasive carp from entering Lake Michigan. In addition, the bill provides match funding for disaster flood cleanup in Midland and Gladwin counties, as well as funding to cover costs for flood response and mitigation efforts in the City of Detroit. I appreciate the good working relationship I have with our appropriations chairs, Sen. Jim Stamas and Rep. Shane Hernandez, stated state budget director Chris Kolb. This bill will provide important unemployment benefits for residents in our state and I look forward to continuing our work with the Legislature as we negotiate the Fiscal Year 2021 budget which begins on Oct. 1. A little more than three months ago, communities in Gladwin and Midland counties saw tremendous flooding and the damage is still impossible to fully comprehend, stated Sen. Jim Stamas, a Midland Republican. We are in this together, and this state funding will assist our communities recover and rebuild in the aftermath of unimaginable flooding. Stamas sponsored SB 745. Processed by Mitchell Kukulka, Mitchell.Kukulka@mdn.net Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 15:50:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People carry an injured man to a hospital after a bomb attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2020. At least 10 people were killed and 15 others wounded in a bomb attack that struck the convoy of Afghan First Vice-President Amrullah Saleh in Kabul during Wednesday's morning rush hour, an Interior Ministry spokesman confirmed. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua) KABUL, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people were killed and 15 others wounded in a bomb attack that struck the convoy of Afghan First Vice-President Amrullah Saleh in Kabul during Wednesday's morning rush hour, an Interior Ministry spokesman confirmed. "The bomb blast targeted vehicles of First Vice-President Amrullah Saleh. Some last vehicles of the convoy have been affected," Ariana News TV reported. "At least 10 passersby were killed and 15 people including security guards of vice president wounded. The number of casualties may change as an investigation is underway into the incident," spokesman Tariq Arian said in a statement. He said the blast was caused by a bomb planted on the side of the crowded road. Saleh received minor wounds in his left hand and small burns on his face. His teenage son accompanying him aboard the bomb-proof vehicle escaped unharmed, Saleh confirmed in a footage posted on his Facebook account. The blast occurred at 7:35 a.m. local time in Sabiqa Square of Taimani locality, Police District 4 of the city, sending a column of thick smoke into the sky and triggering panic, a witness told Xinhua earlier in the day. He said the blast also caused destruction in the populated area and detonated several gas cylinders at a roadside shop. Wednesday's explosion came as peace efforts have been underway between the Afghan government and the Taliban. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday announced the setting up of a task force headed by a senior IAS officer, to monitor treatment of Covid-19 patients in private hospitals in the state at an affordable cost. Intervening during the short-discussion in the state assembly on the Coronavirus pandemic, the chief minister said there had been innumerable complaints from all quarters over the exorbitant charges being collected by private hospitals for treating Covid-19 patients. KCR, as the chief minister is called, agreed with the suggestions made by several members that there should be more control over corporate hospitals treating Covid-19 patients. Right from the beginning, I had been saying that treatment for Covid-19 should be given only in government hospitals, as the corporate hospitals would fleece patients. However, we had no option but to allow corporate hospitals to admit Covid-19 patients after the high courts intervention, he said. He said it was unfortunate that these hospitals were extorting money from patients in the name of treating the coronavirus disease at this troubled time. Is this the time for corporate hospitals to fleece patients for money, taking advantage of their misery? he asked. Stating that the government would now initiate stern action against the corporate hospitals collecting exorbitant fees from Covid-19 patients, the chief minister said the task force which would be formed on Wednesday and would release weekly reports on the status of treatment in these hospitals. These reports will also be sent to the leaders of all the opposition parties in the state to create wide social awareness about the cruel ways of the hospitals in extorting money from the victims of the pandemic, KCR said. Reacting to suggestions by Congress floor leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, the chief minister said the government would examine the possibility of including Covid-19 under Arogyasri, the state governments health scheme for the poor and government employees. The government will also consider reimbursement of bills paid by white ration card holders who underwent treatment for Covid-19 in private hospitals, he said. The chief minister lashed out at the Centre for releasing paltry funds to the states at a time when it should come to their rescue to fight the pandemic. It had released only Rs 256 crore under the National Health Mission, apart from 647 ventilators to the state, he said. He demanded that the Centre increase the budgetary allocations on improving the medical and health infrastructure in the state. Our government is also planning to increase the budget for medical and health to tackle any emergency like Covid-19 in future, he said. Earlier, making a statement in the House, state health minister Eatala Rajender said the state had so far registered 1,45,163 cases as on September 7, of which 1,12,587 patients had recovered. Of the remaining, 24,579 patients were in home quarantine and 7,091 people were getting treatment at various hospitals, while 906 people had died. The recovery rate of Telangana is 77.6% which is at par with Indias recovery rate. However, the death rate at the national level is 1.7% whereas in Telangana it is 0.62%. The number of deaths in the entire country is 72,830. Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of deaths i.e. 27,027 while Telangana is at 12th position with 906 deaths. He said tests for Covid-19 were being conducted in 38 private laboratories as well apart from government hospitals. At present, around 60 thousand tests are being conducted daily in the state, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Campaigning in Michigan on Wednesday, former Vice President Joe Biden excoriated President Donald Trump over reports that in an interview with journalist Bob Woodward he admitted to deliberately minimizing the seriousness of the novel coronavirus to the public despite understanding its true danger. "[President Trump] knew and purposely played it down. Worse, he lied to the American people. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months," an angry Biden said Wednesday in Warren, Michigan, at the top of a speech focused on the economy. "He had the information. He knew how dangerous it was and while this deadly disease ripped through our nation he failed to do his job on purpose. It was a life and death betrayal of the American people," Biden added. MORE: Trump admitted he deliberately played down coronavirus threat: Reports Speaking from the White House on Wednesday afternoon, Trump also reacted to the reporting in Woodward's book, defending his comments by saying he did not want to "create panic" over the virus. "I don't want people to be frightened. I don't want to create panic as you say. Certainly I'm not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy. We want to show confidence. We want to show strength, we want to show strength as a nation. That's what I've done," Trump said. Biden, continuing a recent campaign blitz through the Midwest, cast Trumps position laid out in comments to Woodward for his book, as reported by CNN and The Washington Post, as contributing to the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus and as a "dereliction of duty." "His failure has not only cost lives, hes sent our economy in a tailspin, and cost millions more in American livelihoods," Biden said. "It's beyond despicable. It's a dereliction of duty. Its a disgrace." ABC News has not obtained copies of Woodward's book or the audio recordings and could not independently confirm the reports. The book is titled "Rage" and scheduled to be published next Tuesday. Story continues Just prior to Bidens remarks, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany attempted to deny that the president has ever played down the virus, arguing instead that he "expressed calm" despite Trump reportedly telling Woodward on March 19: "I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic." "The president has never lied to the American public on COVID. He was expressing calm," McEnany said Wednesday. Beyond his comments on Woodwards reporting, Bidens remarks in Michigan on Wednesday centered around his plans to juice the American manufacturing sector by encouraging the purchase of goods made in the United States and discouraging companies from offshoring and outsourcing jobs, a phenomenon Biden said is a result of Trump's "broken promises" to workers. "He's failed our economy and our country. But look, did you really expect anything different from this guy? From someone who called those of you and those who are serving in uniform, who have given their lives to the country losers and suckers? Biden asked, referring to a report in The Atlantic last week said Trump had made disparaging remarks about members of the military. Trump has strongly denied the veracity of the report. PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden displays a card he carries showing daily updates on American troop casualties and coronavirus infections at UAW Region 1 headquarters in Warren, Mich., Sept. 9, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) "Donald Trump doesn't understand what it means to serve something bigger than yourself. He doesn't understand duty, honor, country. He lives by different code: lies, selfishness, greed. Yes, Donald Trump and I have a pretty different philosophy when it comes to giving our word. Mine means something. When I tell the American people I'm going to do something I follow through," Biden added. Part of that speech included the unveiling of a new policy proposal aimed at incentivizing companies to produce goods in America through a 10% tax credit and discouraging them from outsourcing and offshoring American jobs by imposing a new 10% surtax on companies that ship those jobs overseas. "I'm not looking to punish American business, but there's a better way. Make it in Michigan, make it in America, invest in our communities and the workers in places like Warren. That's what this is about. UAW workers, Steel Workers IBEW workers," Biden said, laying out his new economic policy. MORE: Democrats in Pennsylvania hope to see diversity reflected in 2020 election "I don't accept the defeatist view that the forces of automation and globalization mean we can't keep good paying union jobs here in America, and create more of them. I don't buy for one second, that the vitality of American manufacturing is a thing of the past, Biden added. The trip comes as Biden attempts to chip away at what has been a consistent and rare bright spot for Trump in the polls: his handling of the economy. A recent poll from Quinnipiac University shows the two candidates tied when it comes to who voters trust more to handle the economy, a departure from voters' views on who can best handle the coronavirus pandemic and racial inequality. On those issues, Biden is favored. Wednesdays visit marked the first time Biden has stepped foot in Michigan since officially becoming the Democratic Partys nominee and the fourth time in the last 10 days the former vice president has made stops in the Midwestern battleground states that comprised the much-heralded "Blue Wall of states that fell to the GOP in 2016. Both Biden and Trump made visits to Wisconsin last week, making drastically different stops in the city of Kenosha, which has been rocked by protests in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a police officer. The two candidates have also zeroed in on the state of Pennsylvania in recent days, with Biden giving a speech in Pittsburgh last week and making a Labor Day stop in the central part of the state, while Trump held a rally in Latrobe, roughly 40 miles east of the Steel City. MORE: Kamala Harris meets with family of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, Blake joins by phone But Biden's stop in Michigan today was nothing like the last time he visited the critical battleground state in March, when he rallied in Detroit with his future running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person campaigning. Five months later, Biden made another targeted, but socially distanced, campaign stop in Macomb County, an area just north of Detroit, rich with the kinds of voters that strayed from Democrats in 2016 and helped deliver Trump the White House. PHOTO: Left to right, Sen. Kamala Harris, former Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Sen. Cory Booker greet the crowd during a campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit, March 9, 2020. (Paul Sancya/AP) Advisers to the former vice president made clear that while his campaign travel is likely to increase in pace in the coming days, the candidate will not be holding large events similar to those Trump has held in recent days, events they feel may threaten public health. "You'll never see the Vice President with a big large crowd without people with masks, because it's just not safe and every expert in the country has said that, Bidens campaign manager Jennifer OMalley Dillon told reporters last week. On Wednesday afternoon, Biden's campaign announced that he is heading to the battleground state of Florida next week, his first visit there since securing the Democratic presidential nomination. Biden blasts Trump over reports he deliberately downplayed coronavirus threat: 'Its a disgrace' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com RICHMOND, Va. - Before Del. Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, presented a bill to the House of Delegates on Wednesday that would allow prison inmates to earn more credits for good behavior, he read aloud a letter from a supporter most fellow lawmakers knew well: former Del. Ronald Villanueva, R-Virginia Beach, who recently finished serving 10 months in federal prison for contracting fraud. "I have certainly learned firsthand the consequences of bad judgment and not following 100% the law," Villanueva wrote. As a delegate from 2010 until 2018, Villanueva sat on the House Courts of Justice committee and supported bills "that weighed heavily on punishment as a method of deterrence," he said. But he added that he has since learned the value of "human redemption." Villanueva pleaded guilty to fraud in 2019 on charges that he had helped two federal contractors falsely win work as minority-owned businesses. He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution. He said he was released early because of concerns about possible exposure to the novel coronavirus. While behind bars, Villanueva said he worked as a GED instructor and saw how hard inmates worked to improve themselves. Scott's bill, he said, "makes a first step and giant leap to humanity and offers offenders a path back forward." He said he also learned about compassion through an incident that took place shortly before the end of his final term in office. Villanueva said he was called by the state parole board for input on whether the man who had killed his sister in a drunken driving incident years earlier should qualify for early release. After considering the man's extensive efforts behind bars to redeem himself and help other inmates, Villanueva said he prayed and then asked the parole board to show mercy. Scott's bill would boost the credits that inmates can earn toward early release if they show good behavior and meet certain standards. Virginia eliminated parole in most cases during the early 1990s. Republicans argued that the measure would upend the state's criminal justice system, which in recent years has posted the lowest recidivism rate in the nation. Democrats, who control both chambers of the legislature, have vowed to create more flexibility in law enforcement and criminal prosecution as they overhaul a justice system that they say has disproportionately harmed African Americans. The House is scheduled to vote on the measure Thursday. If it passes, it would move on to the state Senate for consideration. Rahul Pandita, writer of the film Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits, has slammed Kangana Ranaut for equating her pain over demolition of alleged illegal structures of her property in Mumbai, to that experienced by Kashmiri Pandits. In a strongly emotional tweet, Pandita wrote, "I am sorry, but from the demolition of a wall you cannot understand the pain of Kashmiri Pandits. You do not know how it is when all your hair turns white in three days; you do not know how it is when old people die in exile, crying about their inability to see home one last time." He continued in another tweet, "For God's sake, stop taking our name in vain. We refuse to be pawns in your battles of puny egos. Do not belittle our tragedy. Tomorrow your finger might get hurt somewhere. What will you say? I understand pain of Kashmiri Pandits? Pleaseeeee!." After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation demolished certain alleged illegal structures of Kangana Ranaut's Pali Hill office, Kangana had shared a threatening video message addressing Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on her social media platform. She compared her experience to that of Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced into exile in 1990. She even vowed to make a film on Kashmiri Pandits after the experience at her Mumbai office. "I think you have done me a huge favour. I knew what Kashmiri Pandits must have gone through, but today, I have experienced it. I vow that I will make a film, not just on Ayodhya, but also on Kashmir. I will rouse my fellow countrymen," Kangana said. ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut Hits Back At Uddhav Thackeray For Demolishing Her Office; Announces Film On Kashmir Kangana has been making deriding comments against the Mumbai Police since the death Sushant Singh Rajput, claiming that she wouldn't feel safe if she ever went back to the city from her hometown in Himachal Pradesh. Recently, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that if Kangana feels so unsafe in Mumbai, she shouldn't return. The actress construed it as a declaration of threat and likened Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Kangana and the Maharashtra government have been at a war of words since then, which was followed by BMC's action against her Pali Hill property. ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut Reads Sanjay Raut's 'Request Her To Not Come Back To Mumbai' As An 'Open Threat' A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Protesters in Portland and police clashed near City Hall in Oregons largest city early Wednesday and police in a statement said that they made 11 arrests. Protesters hurled what police described as projectiles at officers during the demonstration that started late Tuesday night and stretched into Wednesday, the statement said. Officers started to disperse the protesters after they refused to do so and used crowd control munitions that were not described in the statement, though tear gas was not used. Portland has been gripped by nightly protests for nearly three months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The demonstrations, often violent, have targeted 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 ita counterproductive. President Donald Trump sent more than 100 federal agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to safeguard federal property a move that instead reinvigorated the protests. He has denounced the demonstrations as part of his law and order reelection campaign theme targeting cities led by Democrats. WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced the opening of its new Bioprocessing Collaboration Center (BCC) in St. Louis, Missouri. The facility is adjacent to the company's biologics manufacturing facility, which recently doubled production capacity with a $50 million expansion. The combined expertise from Thermo Fisher's bioproduction and pharma services businesses will accelerate innovation and enhance productivity for biopharma companies, enabling them to meet the growing need for more flexible, scalable biologics development and manufacturing solutions. "Our St. Louis site is among the world's largest producers of biologics using single-use technology and the ideal location for this unique collaboration," said Michael Shafer, senior vice president and president, pharma services, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "These complementary businesses will work together to develop innovative bioprocessing technologies, products and services. This will enhance bioprocess workflows and enable our customers to take their products to market faster and with greater efficiency." In 2019, four out of every 10 drugs under development were biologics-based and this growth continues to drive demand for innovation. The BCC will bring together the company's leadership in GMP biologics manufacturing with its deep expertise in bioprocessing technologies including bioreactors, cell culture media, chromatography and analytical tools, among others. This collaboration will deliver new single-use bioprocessing technologies as well as drive critical process, data management and quality improvements that enable scale-up solutions for biopharma customers. About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. Media Contact Information: Marcia Goff, Thermo Fisher Scientific +1.508.902.7041 [email protected] Rachel Robbins, Greenough +1.781.249.9490 [email protected] SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific Related Links http://www.thermofisher.com The Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier will set out on its first operational mission with more US than British warplanes on board, under plans being examined by defence chiefs. HMS Queen Elizabeth could deploy with as many as 20 US F-35 jets and just 16 UK F-35s under one scenario, defence sources told the Daily Mail. The Ministry of Defence is expected to rely on US jets to fill a gap in numbers because it has been too slow to buy its own F-35s. The final numbers for how many F-35s will deploy with the 3.2billion carrier next year have not yet been decided, but there will be a maximum of 36 on-board. A defence source said: 'US Marine Corps jets will make up the numbers around 20.' HMS Queen Elizabeth (pictured) could deploy with as many as 20 US F-35 jets and just 16 UK F-35s under one scenario, defence sources told the Daily Mail 'Plans for the carrier to deploy with some US jets are longstanding, but it was not clear how many the UK would be relying on. It comes as a major defence review takes place, with discussions on whether the UK should buy only half its target of 138 F-35s. The UK has so far agreed to buy 48 by the end of 2025 for 9.1billion. But there are concerns that the Government is preparing to buy as few as 70 in to total. Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defence select committee, said the carrier must not be turned into a 'multi-national' ship and the MoD had to order more jets. He said: 'Are we setting a precedent which is then an excuse for Number 10 to cut numbers? We need an independent carrier strike capability that is paramount.' An MoD spokesman said: 'British jets will always lead UK carrier deployments. Training with our US allies speeds up our ability to deploy operationally.' Pictured: The US Marine Corps version of Lockheed Martin's F35 Joint Strike Fighter The aircraft carrier is expected to set sail on its first deployment in May next year. Yesterday departure of the ship from Portsmouth on training exercises was delayed for a second day in a row after sailors tested positive for Covid-19. It is due to sail today. A MoD spokesman said 'fewer than ten' of the 1,000-strong crew had tested positive and had gone ashore. Those who had contact with them will isolate on board. In April the ship had to delay sailing after two sailors tested positive. You may want to keep a few N95 or KN95 masks handy, even if you wont be using them every day. It comes down to whether youre concerned about spreading Covid-19, afraid of contracting it yourself, and wondering what can be reasonably expected of you. NIOSH Approved N95 Mask Particulate Respirator NIOSH Approved N95 Mask Particulate Respirator - Pack of 20 Face Masks - Universal Fit Maxboost amazon.com $39.95 Shop Now When the Covic-19 pandemic truly began forcing Americans out of their offices in March 2020, most of us had a rash of new terms to learn unfamiliar terms like shelter-in-place and social distancing while dealing with the fact that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had initially discouraged people from wearing masks at all, only to reverse their advice a few days later. One cause for this confusion was the many different types of mask: Cloth masks, NIOSH-approved N95 masks, KF94 masks and KN95 masks. In short, the CDC currently recommends that anyone who is unvaccinated or living in an area with a high number of Covid-19 cases should wear their mask indoors. Different types of masks The most common misconception about the now-normal face coverings we all wear is that they prevent you from contracting the disease, when their chief function is to keep you from spreading it. N95 masks are different: their primary function is to filter incoming air, meaning they minimize the risk of you contracting the virus: The 95 in their name comes from the fact that every N95 mask has passed a CDC test to prevent at least 95% of particles at least 0.3 microns wide. However, this extra security has a cost: N95 masks must be carefully fit, require far more meticulous cleaning, and have a limited number of re-uses. NIOSH approval comes from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an agency that has been part of the CDC since 1973. KN95 masks are subject to similar regulations as N95 masks, meaning they must also prove in a laboratory setting that they prevent 95% of objects 0.3 microns across from passing through, and are frequently made out of the same materials, but they receive their KN95 designation from China instead of the United States. It is important to note that this doesnt have anything to do with where the mask is manufactured (many NIOSH-approved N95 masks are manufactured in China), but simply refers to the country that gave the mask its label. KF94 is a certification used by the South Korean government, and offer a broadly equivalent amount of protection to a properly worn N95 or KN95. KN95 individually wrapped for $1.99 each at WellBefore KN95 - Individually Wrapped wellbefore.com $1.99 Shop Now How to judge a specific mask The CDC tests KN95 masks and keeps a whitelist of masks that meet the American standards. If youre shopping for KN95 masks, you should look for the manufacturer on that list. That might be little comfort to someone purchasing a mask for an immunocompromised or otherwise at-risk friend or relative. Luckily, consumers have a lot of options when it comes to researching their masks. If Im the customer, before I purchase a mask I would ask for the test results, says Shahzil Amin, founder of WellBefore. The company should have the test results, and the factory on those test results should match the factory theyre promoting. They should be FDA registered, so you can find the company on the FDA website. I also feel that if you have a good quality product, your customers will review it and give good scores. 3M NIOSH N95 Respirator Masks for $5.99 each at WellBefore 3M 8210 NIOSH N95 Respirator Masks 3M wellbefore.com $2.99 Shop Now You can read reviews of WellBefore's masks on their website. One of WellBefores N95 mask manufacturer, Shandong Haidike Medical Products Co Ltd, appears on the FDAs list of approved manufacturers. Major universities have also purchased their products. Most importantly, you should do your own independent research. "Don't be scared or hesitant to ask the company you're buying from all the questions on your mind," Amin says (WellBefore offers live email, chat, and phone support on their website). "Every week we're donating," he adds. "I'm trying to search for more places to donate to. I know they're out there. I want to make more donations, to a non-profit or an organization or even a person at the end of the day." You can request donations from WellBefore here. How to use masks You can purchase WellBefore's Makrite N95 masks for $1.99. Their KN95 masks, which are FDA registered though not approved, are available individually wrapped for $2.95 Because of their limited use, extreme requirements, and price, it is advisable to reserve KN95 or N95 mask use for extreme situations like flying or surviving a wildfire, especially given the mask shortage that struck earlier this year. Unless you are immunocompromised or otherwise high-risk, ordinary face masks are perfectly acceptable for most day-to-day errands. VTER Cotton Face Breathing Mask - Pack of 5 - Comfortable Washable Cotton Mask (White) VTER Uniqlo $15.00 Shop Now Since there is no magic bullet or 100% guarantee against preventing the contraction of spread of COVID-19, the use of all masks should be reserved for necessary travel only. The best way to bring the pandemic to a conclusion continues to be getting your vaccination and avoiding high-risk settings as much as possible. The article has been updated to reflect changes to the CDC's guidelines. Instead of buying into either asset, those who threw their money behind a basket of companies with exposure to blockchain technologies would have returned 54% over the past year, even after the recent rout thats hit global tech stocks the hardest.(1) Gold is up just 27% over that time, despite a boom since March, while Bitcoin is actually down 1.8%. Elwood Asset Management LLPs Blockchain Global Equity Index ticker: BLOCK is a collection of 45 companies involved in the blockchain ecosystem, a technology that deploys cryptography to store information in distributed ledgers and is resistant to modification or manipulation. Its top-three holdings are Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Kakao Corp. and Monex Group Inc. A 27-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following a spate of knife attacks in Birmingham, police have said. A spokesperson for the West Midlands Police said: Weve arrested a man on suspicion of murder and seven counts of attempted murder over a series of stabbings in Birmingham. The suspect was detained at an address in Selly Oak at around 4am after our detectives worked through the night in a bid to catch the man responsible. The man remains in police custody for questioning. Officers and paramedics were called to reports of a knife attack at about 12.30am on Sunday in Birmingham city centre, with further stabbing reported later. Police declared a major incident over the attacks. A 23-year-old man, since named as Jacob Billington, suffered fatal injuries, while a man and a woman, aged 19 and 32 respectively, suffered serious stab wounds and remain in critical condition in hospital. Five other people, aged between 23 and 33, were also hurt, but sustained less serious injuries. In a statement issued through police, Mr Billington's family said: "Jacob was the light of our life and we have been devastated by his loss. He was a funny, caring and wonderful person who was loved by every single person he met. He lit up every room with his boundless energy and witty humour and the loss of such a special person will be felt by all who knew him for years to come. (West Midlands Police/AFP via Get) Birmingham Police commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Graham, said: Clearly this is a crucial development but our investigation continues. We still need to speak to any witnesses who saw what happened whove not yet spoken to us, or anyone who may have video footage or photos of the incidents or the attacker. We have a hotline number and a dedicated web page where you can submit information, photos and videos. In the most extensive fire closure of public lands in California history, the U.S. Forest Service has shut down hundreds of campgrounds across the Sierra Nevada and beyond, ending extended Labor Day weekend vacations for thousands of campers. The order also bans all campfires, stoves and any ignition devices in 14 national forests spanning 15 million acres. In the Tahoe region, the order evacuates campers and closes campgrounds in the Lake Tahoe Basin and neighboring Tahoe and Eldorado national forests to the west, and Plumas that adjoins Tahoe to the north. Roads, trails and wilderness areas, including the Pacific Crest Trail, are open in the Tahoe region. But the ban on ignition devices or open flames, such as for cooking on a camp stove, effectively shuts down overnight use for most. We simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire, said Randy Moore, regional chief for the U.S. Forest Service. Moore supervises 18 national forests in California covering 20 million acres. The order comes with the threat of heat, wind and a record 2.6 million acres burned in wildfires in California, and will be re-evaluated daily, said Jonathan Groveman, media relations chief out of regional headquarters in Vallejo. It comes after the Creek Fire made a 15-mile run and burned 36,000 acres in a single day, Groveman said, and with so many active fires, agencies have been left with few available firefighting crews. Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press On the west flank of the central Sierra, the order includes 100% closures at Stanislaus, Sierra and Sequoia national forests, where all roads and trails are closed, including in wilderness and at campgrounds dispersed along the Pacific Crest Trail, according to rangers. Similar orders extend across the north state, with limited access to trails and wilderness camping and no ignition sources allowed, across a vast swath of land that includes Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, Modoc, Lassen, Six Rivers and Mendocino national forests. The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously, Moore said. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, fire starts are likely, and weather conditions are worsening. Until conditions improve, and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely, the priority is always to protect the public and our firefighters, he said. The order does not extend to privately run RV parks, of course, and many parks are expected to see an influx of travelers displaced from national forests. Another casualty will likely be the upcoming deer hunting seasons. For the seven national forests on the west flank of the Sierra, deer seasons are scheduled to start Sept. 19 in most zones. Warm, dry weather, with no rain in the forecast, could extend the closures well past that. In the Eastern Sierra, Inyo National Forest is under a 100% shutdown. All roads, trails, picnic sites and campgrounds are closed, including the John Muir Trail and surrounding wilderness areas. Inyo National Forest is located west of U.S. 395 near Bishop and spans 2 million acres with nine designated wilderness areas and access to hundreds of campgrounds and pristine alpine lakes. For future reopenings, Moore, as chief regional forester, will determine the time and scope for each area, Groveman said. There will not be forest-by-forest decisions made by rangers, he said. Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom (Photo : pixabay) The ICO's recently-released survey measuring the British population's confidence in how their personal data is being managed captures public opinion at a unique moment in history. The pandemic has driven people to spend much of their lives online-communications regulator Ofcom found that during the outbreak's April peak, UK users spent more time on the Internet than ever before. Efforts to track and trace people with the coronavirus, from contact-tracing apps to requirements that pubs maintain a record of customers' visits, have ensnared consumers and businesses alike in a "privacy minefield". High stakes The ICO's survey highlighted how concerned consumers are about their personal information-a mere 27% of people polled had high trust in how organisations store and use their personal data. This has real implications for firms-the survey found that people are increasingly likely to choose service providers based on how they protect their data, and some 73% of respondents said that they would hold companies responsible for data breaches involving their personal information. Failing to sufficiently protect consumers' personal data also entails steep financial consequences. While the pandemic has put the ICO's operations on pause, the data protection watchdog has already announced its intention to fine British Airways a whopping 183 million after 500,000 customers' financial information was compromised, while Marriott is on the hook for 99 million over a data breach. Across the Channel, the EU has already reaped 114 million in fines since the flagship General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in May 2018, most notably a 50 million penalty which the French regulator slapped on Google. Compliance no easy task The punishing fine for Google came after the tech giant insisted that it had spent "hundreds of years of human time" trying to bring its operations in line with the GDPR. Indeed, though firms have expended huge amounts of cash and manpower to comply with the GDPR and other similar data privacy regulations-the Global 500 firms have forked over an estimated $7.8 billion to adhere to the GDPR, and yet a Bloomberg survey of organisations across sectors found that only 44% of respondents rated their firm as fully compliant with the privacy regulation. Indeed, many companies are still relying on temporary solutions while trying to devise more permanent processes to keep up with the latest data privacy regulations. Firms are particularly struggling to implement systems allowing them to quickly pull together what's often an overwhelming amount of data from disparate sources to respond to requests from clients or regulators. Creative solutions from the startup sphere Unsurprisingly, tech innovators have stepped in to offer bespoke solutions to alleviate the increasing burden of complying with privacy legislation. Tech startup Manetu, for example, recently rolled out its Consumer Privacy Platform (CPM). Manetu CPM, which has already signed up some 250,000 users since its kick-off a few months ago, is a cloud-based platform which does the heavy lifting of bringing together all personal data held by a company into a single encrypted privacy vault. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) scheme deploys advanced machine-learning algorithms to comb through stored data, including through common enterprise tools such as SalesForce, and Outlook, in order to pull together all personally identifiable information that a firm has in its possession. The Manetu CPM then organises and classifies this data and uploads an encrypted copy of the information to its Privacy Master Portal. Manetu itself cannot access the data managed by its platform-but customers whose identity is verified through biometric security can easily use the portal to view and make changes to their personal data. Clients can also use the platform to provide or revoke consent, permissions which are then automatically transmitted back to the company storing their data. Perhaps most importantly, Manetu's automated system uses distributed ledger technology to generate an immutable log of the permissions that consumers have granted or withdrawn. This register, in turn, provides businesses with valuable evidence to hand to regulators in order to prove their compliance with privacy legislation. Pandemic presents fresh challenges While cutting-edge technological solutions such as Manetu's CPM promise to ease the burden of complying with data privacy regulations, the rapid shift to remote working ushered in by the pandemic is creating new areas of concern. In the UK, for example, while the government has been carrying out a concerted campaign to convince people to return to the office, some 9 out of 10 people have indicated that they want to continue working from home. This quick uptake of remote working has sparked new data privacy concerns, as employees are increasingly managing sensitive information from their personal devices. Firms are starting from a disadvantage-in a survey last year, 44% of remote employees admitted that they never encrypted data and 76% confessed that they had accessed work files with unprotected devices; another recent poll confirmed that 48% of employees are less likely to follow safe data practices while working remotely. Technological tools can again mitigate the risks associated with the new normal of working-from software to encrypt the hard drive of any device employees are using to access work data to corporate VPNs to secure file transfers. Technological tools could also alleviate one of the biggest challenges facing the UK hospitality industry-how to collect the personal information needed for tracking and tracing coronavirus contacts without running into privacy pitfalls. As cybersecurity experts have warned, many businesses will use basic spreadsheets and cloud platforms for simplicity, risking an explosion of data breaches. While hard-hit pubs and restaurants may be unable to invest in high-tech data collection infrastructure, relatively inexpensive tools that cryptographically pseudonymise guest registers could ensure that customers' personal data isn't recognisable if data repositories are hacked. Even before the pandemic, companies were facing increasing pressure to better protect customer data in order to fall in line with privacy regulations and clients' expectations. The pandemic, thanks to remote working and track-and-trace schemes, has significantly accelerated this trend, making the technological solutions available to firms infinitely more valuable. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Private equity giant Silver Lake's acquisition of 1.75 per cent stake in Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL), the holding company of Reliance Industries' brick-and-mortar and e-commerce businesses, will underline the fact that billionaire Mukesh Ambani has been able to replicate the success of petroleum and chemicals business to telecom and retail businesses in the volume. The deal, which values RRVL at Rs 4.21 lakh crore, catapults the retail entity into the league of Jio Platforms Ltd (JPL) and Reliance O2C Ltd (oil-to-chemicals). As the Ambani family has three inheritors in the third generation - Isha, Akash and Anant - the creation of three equally strong businesses in valuation size will make succession easier in the family. JPL is valued at Rs 4.91 lakh crore according to the recent private equity deals. Thirteen investors including Facebook and Google picked up 32.97 per cent stake in JPL at Rs 1.52 lakh crore. The traditional business - which includes two refineries and petrochemical complex in Jamnagar - under Reliance O2C Ltd will be valued around Rs 5.7 lakh crore if the Saudi Aramco deal materialises at the price quoted by Ambani. He said at the shareholders meeting in 2019 that Aramco would pick up 20 per cent stake in Reliance O2C at Rs 1.14 lakh crore. The three businesses - digital and telecom, oil and chemicals, and retail and e-commerce - are aggregately valued at Rs 14.82 lakh crore, which is almost same as the market capitalisation of RIL at Rs 14.1 lakh crore on Wednesday. ALSO READ: Silver Lake invests Rs 7,500 cr in Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail for 1.75% stake With the Silver Lake deal, the retail business RRVL has achieved 80 per cent market value size of FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and three times the size of Avenue Supermarts Ltd (operator of DMart). The fundraising exercise of Ambani has fetched capital to the tune of Rs 2.9 lakh crore (around $40 billion) - including JPL deals, Rs 53,125 crore rights issue, Rs 25,215 crore tower trust deal with Brookfield, Rs 7,629 crore fuel retailing deal with BP Plc, and Silver Lake-RRVL deal - in this year. The funds raised by Ambani is more than 50 per cent of India's foreign direct investment (FDI) of $73.46 billion in the last financial year. The deals have wiped off Rs 1.6 lakh crore net debt of RIL. Mukesh Ambani said after announcing the Silver Lake deal, "We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms." ALSO READ: KKR to follow Silver Lake? PE firm may invest $1.5 billion in Reliance's retail biz RRVL, which has 12,000 stores across the country, has recently announced its acquisition of retail, logistics and warehousing business of Future group for Rs 24,713 crore. Reliance will also pick up 13 per cent stake in Kishore Biyani's remaining business under Future Enterprises Ltd. In 2017, Ambani said that he had given 30 per cent annual growth target for 10 years to retail executives that it can catapult the revenue to Rs 4.65 lakh crore by 2027. The retail business posted Rs 1.63 lakh crore revenue in2019-20, compared to Rs 34,000 crore in 2016-17. The earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) went up to Rs 8,263 crore as against Rs 784 crore in this period. Considering the kind of growth that the retail business achieves in the last three years, Ambani will be able to cross his target before time. ALSO READ: RIL share price up nearly 2% after Silver Lake picks stake in Reliance Retail AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SpyCloud, known for its unique breach data collection and curation platform that powers leading account takeover prevention solutions, has enhanced their Consumer ATO Prevention offering with their new Password Exposure API, enabling enterprises to align with the latest guidelines from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Now, SpyCloud customers can prevent more online fraud throughout the lifetime of a consumer account, while maintaining a frictionless user experience. "Consumers today are managing hundreds of online accounts and logins. Rotating through a few favorite passwords that they reuse everywhere or only tweaking them by a character or two is very common," said Chip Witt, Vice President of Product Management at SpyCloud. "Cybercriminals take advantage of these password shortcuts and will test lists of stolen credentials against thousands of online accounts to break in and make purchases, steal funds and conduct other fraudulent activity, which can damage a company's business and reputation." The latest password guidelines from NIST require organizations to prevent users from selecting weak, common, or previously-exposed passwords. New breaches happen every day, making it difficult for busy teams to continuously research and match breach data to user accounts. SpyCloud's Password Exposure API significantly decreases the resources and cost required to align with NIST guidelines by enabling security teams to easily check consumers' passwords at scale against the industry's largest database of stolen credentials. With SpyCloud's Password Exposure API, enterprise security teams can: Detect Vulnerable Accounts: If a user's password appears in the SpyCloud database, it means that password is available to cybercriminals. Whether they have recycled their favorite credentials or chosen a popular password, their account is at risk of account takeover. If a user's password appears in the SpyCloud database, it means that password is available to cybercriminals. Whether they have recycled their favorite credentials or chosen a popular password, their account is at risk of account takeover. Stay a Step Ahead of Criminals: SpyCloud's collection and curation platform provides fast, high-volume access to recovered data early in the breach lifecycle. This allows swift identification of exposed passwords that can be reset before criminals have a chance to use them. SpyCloud's collection and curation platform provides fast, high-volume access to recovered data early in the breach lifecycle. This allows swift identification of exposed passwords that can be reset before criminals have a chance to use them. Reduce Online Fraud: With access to consumers' accounts, criminals can drain funds, siphon loyalty points, steal personal data, and more. SpyCloud enables enterprises to take swift action to protect users, without adding friction to the customer journey. SpyCloud's Password Exposure API detects how many times a password has appeared in the SpyCloud database, allowing enterprises to identify their own threshold for preventing weak and exposed passwords. To find matches securely, SpyCloud uses an approach called k-anonymity to check password-only matches against the entire SpyCloud database. Only the first 5 characters of each password hash are sent over the network, never the user's plaintext password, meaning SpyCloud never has access to the entire password. Together, SpyCloud's two complementary APIs for Consumer ATO Prevention provide comprehensive coverage throughout the lifetime of a consumer account. Enterprises can make sure users create strong passwords in the first place using the Password Exposure API, then keep those accounts secure over time by detecting users' new data breach exposures with SpyCloud's existing User Exposure API. "SpyCloud allows organizations to quickly identify potentially compromised passwords and require a reset before criminals have a chance to take advantage," continued Witt. "Not only does this protect the brand and bottom line, but it's something that consumers will appreciate, knowing organizations they do business with are taking appropriate steps to protect them from cyber attacks." Find out more about the Password Exposure API and all of SpyCloud's Consumer Account Takeover Prevention solutions at: https://spycloud.com/products/consumer-ato-prevention/ About SpyCloud SpyCloud is the leader in account takeover prevention, protecting billions of consumer and employee accounts either directly or through product integrations. Our award-winning solutions backed by the world's most comprehensive and actionable repository of exposed assets proactively defeat fraud attempts and disrupt the criminals' ability to profit from stolen information. Learn more and check your exposure at spycloud.com . Media Contact Brad Hem, The Dialog Lab for SpyCloud [email protected] SOURCE SpyCloud Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36, 2020 Posted on 9 September 2020 by Doug Bostrom Highlighted paper: Heat stored in the Earth system: where does the energy go? A deep roster of familiar names in climate research headed by Karina von Schuckmann have just published an updated and for the first time comprehensive accounting of energy being stored in the Earth system due to radiative imbalance caused by greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere by "us truly." This is summarized as a single number called "Earth Energy Imbalance" (EEI), at slightly less than 0.5 Watts per square meter of Earth's surface. When penciled out it's an extremely large amount of energy in absolute terms. EEI provides a simple handle for assessment of "how are we doing?" Schuckmann et al conclude that a reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere to 353 ppm (parts per million) from the present 410 ppm is a goal that will result in restoring an quasi-equilibrium state to the Earth's overall temperature, all other things being equal. A don't-miss publication, open access and free to read: Heat stored in the Earth system: where does the energy go? Slight tweak to New Research Articles in NR are categorized by domain, roughly. This introduces the problem of items that don't neatly fit in one slot, or that have significance in more than one discipline (happily becoming more frequent as the powerful multiplier of interdisciplinary cooperation is tapped more frequently). For that reason henceforth in some few cases we'll include an article in more than a single pigeonhole, in case particular readers are inclined to particular areas of interest. It remains the case that perfect categorization is an unsolved challenge; some findings defy categorization at the risk of landing in "Other." 96 Articles Physical science of global warming & effects Resolving inconsistencies in extreme precipitation?temperature sensitivities Re?emergence of anthropogenic carbon into the oceans mixed layer strongly amplifies transient climate sensitivity Elevation dependent warming over the Tibetan Plateau: Patterns, mechanisms and perspectives Observations of global warming & effects An increase in global trends of tropical cyclone translation speed since 1982 and its physical causes (open access) Human contribution to the record-breaking June and July 2019 heatwaves in Western Europe Detecting a forced signal in satellite-era sea-level change Accelerated rate of vegetation green?up related to warming at northern high latitudes Detectability of the trend in precipitation characteristics over China from 1961 to 2017 Late 1980s abrupt cold season temperature change in Europe consistent with circulation variability and long-term warming Instrumentation & observational methods of climate & global warming Heat stored in the Earth system: where does the energy go? (open access) Toward an Operational Anthropogenic CO 2 Emissions Monitoring and Verification Support Capacity (open access) Pervasive diffusion of climate signals recorded in ice-vein ionic impurities (open access) Resolving inconsistencies in extreme precipitation?temperature sensitivities OCO-3 early mission operations and initial (vEarly) XCO 2 and SIF retrievals Sensitivity of trends to estimation methods and quantification of subsampling effects in global radiosounding temperature and humidity time series Anthropogenic CO 2 emissions assessment of Nile Delta using XCO 2 and SIF data from OCO-2 satellite Modeling & simulation of global warming & global warming effects CMIP6 climate models imply high committed warming (open access) Current likelihood and dynamics of hot summers in the UK On the increase of climate sensitivity and cloud feedback with warming in the Community Atmosphere Models An integrated approach to project the future urban climate response: Changes to Lisbon's urban heat island and temperature extremes Drought projection in the Indochina Region based on the optimal ensemble subset of CMIP5 models Anthropogenic climate change versus internal climate variability: impacts on snow cover in the Swiss Alps (open access) The evolving distribution of relative humidity conditional upon daily maximum temperature in a warming climate Plant Physiology Increases the Magnitude and Spread of the Transient Climate Response to CO 2 in CMIP6 Earth System Models A modeling examination of cloud seeding conditions under the warmer climate in Utah, USA Refining projected multidecadal hydroclimate uncertainty in East-Central Europe using CMIP5 and single-model large ensemble simulations (open access) Long-term flood risk assessment of watersheds under climate change based on the game cross-efficiency DEA Effect of aerosol radiative forcing uncertainty on projected exceedance year of a 1.5 C global temperature rise Climate model advancement Quantifying uncertainties in temperature projections: A factorial-analysis-based multi-ensemble downscaling (FAMED) method The global dust cycle and uncertainty in CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5) models (open access) Coupled Climate Model Simulation of TropicalExtratropical Cloud Bands over Southern Africa (open access) Regional changes in extreme heat events in China under stabilized 1.5C and 2.0C global warming Future sea level rise along the coast of China and adjacent region under 1.5 C and 2.0 C global warming The performance of regional climate models driven by various general circulation models in reproducing observed rainfall over East Africa Cryosphere & climate change A kinematic formalism for tracking iceocean mass exchange on the Earth's surface and estimating sea-level change (open access) A review of black carbon in snow and ice and its impact on the cryosphere Biology & global warming Wrong-way migrations of benthic species driven by ocean warming and larval transport Do bark beetle outbreaks amplify or dampen future bark beetle disturbances in Central Europe? Dendroecological and genetic insights for future management of an old-planted forest of the endangered Mediterranean fir Abies pinsapo Does global warming decrease the correlation between cherry blossom flowering date and latitude in Japan? Future winters present a complex energetic landscape of decreased costs and reduced risk for a freeze?tolerant amphibian, the Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) Rapid genomic and phenotypic change in response to climate warming in a widespread plant invader Projected expansion of Trichodesmiums geographical distribution and increase of growth potential in response to climate change Learning from the past: impact of the Arctic Oscillation on sea ice and marine productivity off northwest Greenland over the last 9000 years Current and future impacts of drought and ozone stress on Northern Hemisphere forests Resilience of Spanish forests to recent droughts and climate change Inflection point in climatic suitability of insect pest species in Europe suggests non?linear responses to climate change Changing spring snow cover dynamics and early season forage availability affect the behavior of a large carnivore Both day and night warming reduce tree growth in extremely dry soils Stand age and climate influence forest ecosystem service delivery and multifunctionality GHG sources & sinks, flux Changing climate reallocates the carbon debt of frequent?fire forests Assessing the Potential for Mobilization of Old Soil Carbon after Permafrost Thaw: A Synthesis of 14C Measurements from the Northern Permafrost Region Embodied carbon emissions in the supply chains of multinational enterprises Revised estimates of ocean-atmosphere CO 2 flux are consistent with ocean carbon inventory (open access) Warming increases soil respiration in a carbon-rich soil without changing microbial respiratory potential (open access) Examining the link between vegetation leaf area and landatmosphere exchange of water, energy, and carbon fluxes using FLUXNET data (open access) Greenhouse gas exchange over a conventionally managed highbush blueberry field in the Lower Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of soil methane fluxes in forests: global patterns and among?biomes differences A Bornean peat swamp forest is a net source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere Asymmetric response of soil methane uptake rate to land degradation and restoration: Data synthesis Cities as carbon sinksclassification of wooden buildings CO2 removal & climate change mitigation science & engineering Robust paths to net greenhouse gas mitigation and negative emissions via advanced biofuels (open access) Climate change mitigation in cities: a systematic scoping of case studies Black carbon Enhancement of snow albedo reduction and radiative forcing due to coated black carbon in snow (open access) A review of black carbon in snow and ice and its impact on the cryosphere Climate change communications & cognition A Research Agenda for Climate Change Communication and Public Opinion: The Role of Scientific Consensus Messaging and Beyond (open access) Can the Issuance of Hazardous-Weather Warnings Inform the Attribution of Extreme Events to Climate Change? (open access) Alternative inclusive approaches for improving climate information services and decision-making in Harare, Zimbabwe Looking to future perceptions about climate change in Brazil: What childrens teachers think, learn and teach about? Climate change, risk perception, and protection motivation among high-altitude residents of the Mt. Everest region in Nepal Agronomy & climate change Increased greenhouse gas emissions intensity of major croplands in China: Implications for food security and climate change mitigation Could crop albedo modification reduce regional warming over Australia? Vietnamese smallholders perspectives on causes, indicators and determinants of climate change: implication for adaptation strategies The rising productivity of alpine grassland under warming, drought and N-deposition treatments (open access) Smallholder oil palm farmers pro-adaptation behaviour under climate impact scenario: application of Protection Motivation Theory (open access) Greenhouse gas exchange over a conventionally managed highbush blueberry field in the Lower Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada Light grazing facilitates carbon accumulation in subsoil in Chinese grasslands: A meta?analysis Animal Agriculture and Climate Change in the US and UK Elite Media: Volume, Responsibilities, Causes and Solutions (open access) Impact of climate change on crop suitability in sub-Saharan Africa in parameterized and convection-permitting regional climate models Maximising climate mitigation potential by carbon and radiative agricultural land management with cover crops Economics & finance of climate change & mitigation Each 0.5C of Warming Increases Annual Flood Losses in China by More than US$60 Billion (open access) Curbing fossil fuel supply to achieve climate goals (open access) Climate change mitigation & adaptation public policy research Integrating political and technological uncertainty into robust climate policy (open access) Four approaches to anticipatory climate governance: Different conceptions of the future and implications for the present Climate change adaptation Assessment of coastal risk reduction and adaptation-labelled responses in Mauritius Island (Indian Ocean) Humans dealing with our global warming The Influence of Extreme Heat on Police and Fire Department Services in 23 U.S. Cities (open access) Projected impacts of climate change on tourism in the Coachella Valley, California The evolving distribution of relative humidity conditional upon daily maximum temperature in a warming climate Other Land use and climate change impacts on global soil erosion by water (2015-2070) (open access) The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018 Proxy evidence for state-dependence of climate sensitivity in the Eocene greenhouse (open access) Global spatio?temporal assessment of changes in multiple ecosystem services under four IPCC SRES land?use scenarios (open access) Learning the lessons of Climategate: A cosmopolitan moment in the public life of climate science Informed opinion & nudges Focus on leakage and spillovers: informing land-use governance in a tele-coupled world Rethinking climate context dependencies in biological terms (open access) Rethinking Reef Island Stability in Relation to Anthropogenic Sea Level Rise (open access) Challenges for drought assessment in the Mediterranean region under future climate scenarios Can N2O emissions offset the benefits from soil organic carbon storage? Pollution for Sale: Firms Characteristics and Lobbying Outcome Obtaining articles wihout journal subscriptions We know it's frustrating that many articles we cite here are not free to read. One-off paid access fees are generally astronomically priced, suitable for such as "On a Heuristic Point of View Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" but not as a gamble on unknowns. With a median world income of $US 9,3733, for most of us $US 42 is significant money to wager against a small marginal cost. Economists of a scientific bent may someday help scientific publishers bring science to their business activities as reflected in rational a la carte article disclosure fees. Meanwhile there are several possible paths to equality of information access short of paying an objectively and crushingly large fee for the unveiling of a single article: Here's an excellent collection of tips and techniques for obtaining articles, legally. Unpaywall offers a browser extension for Chrome that automatically indicates when an article is freely accessible and provides immediate access without further trouble. Unpaywall is also unscammy, works well, is itself offered free to use. The organizers (a legitimate nonprofit) report about a 50% success rate If you're interested in an article and it is not listed here as "open access," be sure to check the link anyway. Due to time constraints open access articles are identified by us via imperfect machine analysis. Compared with Unpaywall statistics we successfully identify roughly 2/3rds of open access articles. There's definitely gold left in the ground. How is New Research assembled? Most articles appearing here are found via RSS feeds from journal publishers, filtered by search terms to produce raw output for assessment of relevance. The gross product of this is about 450-650 papers per week. These are then scanned by eye, necessarily with a fair degree of rapidity. Some are obvious by title, many require a careful read of the abstract, and finally a fair number require skimming or even quickly reading (!) the actual article. The objective of New Research isn't to cast a tinge on scientific results, to color readers' impressions. Hence candidate articles are assessed via two metrics only: Was an article deemed of sufficient merit by a team of journal editors and peer reviewers? The fact of journal RSS output derived entirely from publications employing the peer-review process assigns a "yes" to this automatically. We make no local judgement on merit, because others generally know better. Is an article relevant to the topic of anthropogenic climate change? Due to filter overlap with other publication topics of inquiry about 1/4 of RSS output makes the final cut. Suggestions Please let us know if you're aware of an article you think may be of interest for Skeptical Science New Research, or if we've missed something that may be important. Send your input to Skeptical Science via our contact form. Journals covered A list of journals we cover may be found here. We welcome pointers to omissions, new journals etc. Previous edition The previous edition of Skeptical Science New Research may be found here. When we were called to Shiloh Baptist Church, she said. The last 28 years when he was the pastor and, I was the first lady of Shiloh Baptist Church were the best years of our lives. Kangana Ranaut Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday stayed the demolition process initiated by the BMC for illegal construction at actor Kangana Ranaut's bungalow here and sought to know why the city civic body entered the property when the owner was not present. Kangana Ranaut Advertisement Justice S J Kathawalla was hearing a petition filed by Ranaut challenging the notice issued by the BMC for illegal construction at her bungalow. The petition also sought a stay on the demolition process. The court sought to know from BMC how it entered the premises and directed it to file an affidavit in response to the plea. Bungalow Advertisement The court has posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday undertook demolition of the illegal alterations at the Bandra bungalow of Ranaut. On Friday, a Salt Lake City police officer shot a 13-year-old autistic child several times after his mother called 911 to ask for a crisis intervention team to take him to the hospital during a mental health episode. Linden Cameron, who is white, is currently hospitalized with injuries to his shoulder, ankles, intestines, and bladder, according to a GoFundMe page his mother set up. Camerons mother, Golda Barton, told local CBS affiliate KUTV that she called the police to report that she needed a crisis intervention after her son, who has Aspergers, struggled with separation anxiety at her need to return to work. Advertisement According to Barton, two police officers came to her home, told her to wait inside, and then one of them shot Cameron repeatedly within five minutes of arriving after he fled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. As KUTV reported: [Barton] thought her son was dead and the officers didnt immediately say if he was or was not dead. They handcuffed him, according to Barton. Additionally, she said she heard from someone that the other officer could be seen grabbing his own head in disbelief for what had happened. He said out loud, according to what the mother was told, Hes just a child, what are you doing? The police have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting, or made public the police report, or explained generally why the officer shot the child, or said if he or she would be charged or face any disciplinary action. The department said it would release additional details within 10 business days, which is when local ordinances require bodycam footage be released. During a press conference after the incident, Salt Lake City police Sgt. Keith Horrocks seemed to blame the child for the shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Horrocks said that police were responding to a call regarding a violent psych issue involving a juvenile male who had made threats. He would not clarify who made the call or who was threatened by the 13-year-old, but he did allege that the threat was made with a weapon. Advertisement Given the threats of the weapon, they arrived in the area and made contact with this male, he said. That male fled on foot away from the address, and during a short foot pursuit, an officer discharged his firearm, striking that subject. But the 13-year-old was not found with a weapon, and his mother said she told officers on the phone that her son did not have a weapon. Advertisement I said, hes unarmed, he doesnt have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming. Hes a kid, hes trying to get attention, he doesnt know how to regulate, she told KUTV. Advertisement Advertisement The shooting occurred as protests raged across the country over the police killing of Daniel Prude in Rochester, New York.* Prude, a 41-year-old Black man, was also in the middle of a mental health crisis when police killed him. Like Camerons mother, Prudes brother was the one who initially called 911 to get him help. It is not unusual for police to kill people with mental disabilities or illness; the Washington Post estimated that a quarter of people killed by police in the U.S. were in the throes of a mental or emotional crisis. In her interview with the network, Barton repeatedly broke down crying and said she did not understand why police had shot the boy. Hes a small child. Why didnt you just tackle him? Hes a baby. He has mental issues, she said. Correction, Sept. 9, 2020: Due to an editing error, this post originally misstated that police shot Daniel Prude. He died of asphyxiation after police physically restrained him. For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 14:35:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- As China has made major strategic achievements in fighting COVID-19, Chinese experience and wisdom won a high reputation and popularity at the ongoing 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services. The fair, which kicked off Friday, is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive fairs for trade in services and has attracted 18,000 enterprises and institutions from 148 countries and regions. Kang Jianrong, who is in his 40s, has been very busy introducing and answering questions about a robotic blood sampling machine at the trade fair in Beijing. As a key member of the machine's research and development, Kang has seen enormous potentials of the machine home and abroad in helping reduce the risk of infections among medics. With the assistance of AI technologies, it can automatically complete the whole process of taking blood samples, even including disinfecting and applying a band-aid to the venipuncture site, according to Kang. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the machine was adopted by some hospitals to save time for nurses in checking information and finding ideal sites for venipuncture, as well as avoid risks of cross-infection caused by needle-puncture wounds, Kang said. Nucleic acid tests are equally important to blood tests in combating the novel coronavirus since swab tests can tell current infections. A printer-size machine designed for nucleic acid testing is another highlight at the trade fair. With four separated grids, the machine can test different samples of throat swabs individually, cutting the time for outputting results to 30 minutes. Emergency department, fever clinics in hospitals, centers for disease control and prevention, as well as customs and airports are in high demand of such machines, according to Kou Yi, CEO assistant of the producing company Coyote Bioscience Co., Ltd. As a domestic sought-after item, the machine has also been sold abroad, even exported to Britain. Apart from technologies, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) also shows its capability to empower the fight against COVID-19, drawing a lot of attention at the trade fair. Lianhua Qingwen is a recommended patent TCM for the treatment of COVID-19. The Lianhua Qingwen capsules have recently received a drug registration certificate granted by Kuwaiti authorities to treat mild and moderate cases of COVID-19, according to Zhang Yunling, executive deputy general manager of producing company Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. She added that the permit has given the drug a market entry into Kuwait, gaining a foothold for the company to further explore the Middle East market. TCM has shown its unique advantage in reducing the fatality rate and improving the recovery rate, said Wang Qi, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Kang's robotic blood sampling machine now eyes on a wider international platform, targeting the European and African markets in the next stage to facilitate the fight against COVID-19. He is confident of the development of China's science and technology. "There are still disparities in the level of development between China and the world's leading countries, but we have seen the brilliant prospects." Enditem Washington: US President Donald Trump says he is prepared to dip into his own fortune to fund his re-election campaign after reports emerged showing his team had blown the huge cash advantage it once held over Democratic rival Joe Biden. If Trump did substantially self-fund his campaign he would follow in the footsteps of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who spent $1.75 million of his own money to help the Liberal Party win the 2016 election. Donald Trump has been telling Republican donors he is prepared to spend up to $US100 million of his own money on his re-election campaign. Credit:AP Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (AEST) Trump said he was willing to spend "whatever it takes" to ensure he wins a second term in the White House. "If I have to, I would," he said, before travelling for a campaign event in the battleground state of Florida. MIAMI, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Yukon Miami, a class-A commercial office building at 119 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach's affluent South of Fifth neighborhood, has shattered office leasing records in Florida despite the Covid-19 pandemic and economically-challenging times - as reported by The Company Real Estate and The Global Consulting Organization. 90+ second video of The Yukon's Launch Party Proposed Rendering of The Yukon by PALMA Architecture Proposed Rendering of a Penthouse Office (for the Rooftop Development Opportunity) by PALMA Architecture J. Goldman & Co., LLP, an independent investment manager, has signed an eight-year lease for 3,318 square feet of office space and a 700-square-foot private, covered terrace for a record-breaking $92 per square foot. This is an expansion for the financial services firm, which had already been leasing 1,223-square-feet on the fourth floor. "The Yukon Miami, which is now close to 100% occupancy, is an asset that continues to outperform the market, not only in Miami, but in the entire state of Florida," says Cyril Bijaoui, principal and broker of The Company Real Estate, who represented the owner in the transaction and has handled the leasing for the property for the past eight years. "This is truly a building for the discriminating tenant, the top 1%, who appreciates the character and energy of the South of Fifth neighborhood." The 88,148-square-foot Yukon Miami is the only Class-A office building located in the exclusive South of Fifth enclave. In addition to its prime location, the property features an enviable 9,500-square-foot rooftop development opportunity with 360-degree views of the Atlantic Ocean, Miami Beach and Downtown Miami. The Yukon is also just a short ferry ride to Fisher Island and the nearby Star, Palm and Hibiscus Islands. Owned by Yantra 119 LLC and managed by Giulio Rangoni and Cinzia Zanella, The Yukon relaunched its sales effort this summer and is being marketed by Amit Egan Datwani, founder and chief consultant of The Global Consulting Organization, and Mr. Bijaoui for $45 Million. Final offers for the property are due by Friday, October 2nd. The building's 9,081-square-foot ground floor retail space has also just hit the market. "It's an ideal location to create a restaurant concept that you would expect to experience in either the Design District or at Bal Harbour Shops," says Mr. Egan Datwani, "a place that could be infused with the early aughts buzz of Pastis in New York, the devout clientele of Joe's Stone Crab in Miami and the exclusivity of Le Club 55 in St. Tropez." "The Yukon Miami presents a visionary investor with the ultimate opportunity to transform a value-add trophy asset into an absolute gem," adds Mr. Egan Datwani. "This really is the Salvatore Mundi of the real estate world." About The Company Real Estate The Company Real Estate is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual firm with the ability to assist customers from any part of the world that seek advice on any facet of the real estate industry domestically and abroad. It ensures that our domestic and foreign customers have the comfort of knowing that every aspect of their affairs is always managed as if the investment were our own. Every customer, big or small, is treated as if they are the only customer with their interests placed ahead of anything else. About The Global Consulting Organization The Global Consulting Organization is a globally-positioned consulting company creating and developing the neighborhoods, communities and cities of the future. The brokerage, branding, marketing, and consulting firm has offices in New York and Florida. SOURCE The Global Consulting Organization Related Links https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U9WcCqjt00 Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Mozambican security forces of torturing suspected militants in the northern region of Cabo Delgado, where jihadists have been leading an anti-government insurgency since 2017. A shadowy Islamist group has escalated attacks on villages and towns in Cabo Delgado over the past three years, killing more than 1,500 people and displacing at least 250,000. Military forces have been struggling to regain control over the area, which is home to one of Africa's biggest liquefied natural gas projects. A strategic port in the town of Mocimboa da Praia has been occupied by the militants since August 12. In May, footage allegedly showing soldiers and police torturing captives believed to be linked to jihadists was leaked to Amnesty International. The watchdog on Wednesday said it had verified the "gruesome" images. It urged the authorities to "investigate and prosecute all those responsible for the torture or extrajudicial executions" in the troubled region. Some of the footage shows officers in army uniform kicking and beating tied-up prisoners, according to Amnesty. One video captures a soldier cutting off a victim's ear, while others show security forces mutilating bodies piled in mass graves. "The horrific videos and photos we analyzed are evidence of... shocking violence that has been taking place in Cabo Delgado, away from the international spotlight," said the organisation's regional director, Deprose Muchena, in a statement. Police spokesman Orlando Mudumane refused to comment. The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Authorities have previously contended that jihadists are living among the local population and that this requires the military to respond carefully. Last week, locals reported seeing military troops moving towards Mocimboa in an apparent bid to recover the town. The port has already been occupied twice this year, although the previous event lasted only a day or two. [street noise] matina stevis-gridneff Kalispera. Kalispera. [interposing voices] matina stevis-gridneff There are hundreds, if not thousands, of asylum seekers sleeping rough. Theyve pitched up tents with bamboo and other dried leaves. There are a lot of children here. I can see a tiny, tiny baby, I think no older than three months thats crying. Some of the people here have small backpacks with whatever belongings they were able to rescue. Some are looking at their asylum papers, which are actually probably the most valuable thing they own. [street noise] matina stevis-gridneff And now I think Im entering the segment of this street thats occupied by Afghans. I can see a mom helping her little girl pee and pouring some water on her. And this is really, really grim. megan twohey From The New York Times, Im Megan Twohey. This is The Daily. Today: Thousands of refugees are on the streets in Greece after a massive fire burned down their camp. My colleague, Matina Stevis-Gridneff, on how they ended up there in the first place. Its Thursday, September 17. Matina, tell me about Moria. matina stevis-gridneff Moria is a place in Greece, a vast, sprawling space in the hills of Lesbos, which is a really picturesque island in the Northeastern Aegean. Where over the years, among the olive groves, this sort of slum city of huts and tents and containers has sprung up. Where thousands and thousands of asylum seekers, coming from countries of conflict or abject poverty, or people facing other kinds of persecution in their homelands in the Middle East, in Africa, or elsewhere travel, go through Turkey, get on boats and end up on this island. megan twohey And how exactly did this happen? How did so many people end up in one place? matina stevis-gridneff So in order to answer that question, we need to go back to the summer of 2015 and examine what happened then. That was the height of the so-called European refugee crisis. [music] It was a moment when the Syrian conflict was really flaring up. archived recording 1 Hundreds of thousands of people, fleeing violence and terror in places like Syria and Iraq. archived recording 2 Some have come from other parts of the world and are looking for better economic opportunities in Europe. matina stevis-gridneff People were making their way out of Syria and other parts of the Middle East, and transiting through Turkey to the Greek islands. archived recording 1 And in Greece, desperate people are putting their lives at risk on rubber dinghies. archived recording 2 These people, families have just risked their lives, everything they own, everybody they love, to cross this narrow strait here to arrive here in Greece. archived recording 3 More than 50 bodies of refugees recovered from the sea after failed attempts to get to Europe over the last three days. Once again, the Greek island of Lesbos saw the most of the misery. matina stevis-gridneff There were up to 3, 4,000 people arriving every day on these tiny, tiny islands. megan twohey Right. I remember. There was that photo of the three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean. matina stevis-gridneff That photo was so important. It was such a turning point in the development of the early stage of the refugee crisis. Because it caused this moral pressure on richer, northern European countries in particular, Germany to open their doors to these people. And thats exactly what happened. archived recording 1 German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her country will not limit the number of refugees it takes in. Shes calling for other E.U. members to do the same. archived recording 2 Germans gathered at the station to cheer and clap as refugees went through a temporary processing center set up outside. matina stevis-gridneff By 2016, about one million Syrian refugees had left the Greek islands, transited through Europe, and reached safe haven and a new life in Germany. megan twohey And how does Moria fit into these efforts? matina stevis-gridneff At the beginning of the crisis, the authorities thought they had to do something that normally happens when you have a humanitarian disaster of this scale flare up. They thought, we will create some basic facilities on this island, which is the first port of entry for these thousands and thousands of people. And what well do is well try and offer them some basic things like shelter and food. And we will register their asylum applications. And hopefully, the plan was back then, these people will then quickly transit through an asylum system to new homes around Europe. megan twohey And what is the attitude of the Greeks? What is their response to all of these people passing through? matina stevis-gridneff So one of the really heartwarming things about this was seeing Greeks step up and the people of Lesbos just really opening their arms and their hearts to the refugees who were overwhelming their island. Remember, Greece had just been through one of the worst financial crises in modern history. People were poor. They were devastated and exhausted themselves. But still, they offered everything they could. And then, in early 2016, something happens that makes things worse. megan twohey What is that? What happens? matina stevis-gridneff Well, the European Union sees a situation of dozens of thousands of asylum seekers in Greece, just as even more are continuing to arrive on Lesbos. archived recording 1 Well, as the refugees move North through the European Union, theyre enduring terrible conditions and resistance. archived recording 2 Germany has just registered its one millionth refugee. [CROWD CHANTING] And these people want to send them home. archived recording 3 Germany, which had opened its doors, now appears to be closing them. matina stevis-gridneff And Germany, as well as other countries, they dont want to take more people in. So they start to close their borders. And collectively, theyre looking for a way to just lessen the flow of refugees and asylum seekers into Europe. And what they do is they strike a deal with a country that these people are arriving through, which is Turkey. archived recording Its a deal that will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of stranded refugees and migrants, a game changer in a crisis thats shaken the very foundations of the European Union. matina stevis-gridneff This deal is struck in April 2016. And archived recording 1 Under the plan, starting at midnight on Sunday, all migrants who reach Greece will be sent back to Turkey if their asylum claim is rejected. archived recording 2 In return, Turkey gets political and financial rewards. matina stevis-gridneff Basically, what it is is that Europe hands a few billion dollars to Turkey to help them fund facilities and services for the more than three million refugees theyre hosting, to stay there instead of coming to Greece and moving on into Europe. And Turkey starts to slow down this flow of migrants into Greece. But it doesnt entirely stop. People still do cross over to Greece and end up in Moria. So theyre just stuck. And by the beginning of 2020, it already looks like something is going to go terribly wrong. archived recording President Erdogan says the E.U.s aid has been slow to come. But Angela Merkel says more than three billion euros have been paid out. And she expects Erdogan to uphold the deal. matina stevis-gridneff Tensions between Greece and Turkey and the European Union and Turkey begin rising. And Turkey, at the very end of February 2020, says weve had enough. Were opening our borders. If youre a refugee, if youre a migrant, please go to Europe. Our doors are wide open. megan twohey Wow. matina stevis-gridneff And not only that, but it actually helps people get to the border with Greece. It buses thousands of people from Istanbul and other parts of the country into Greece. And the people on Lesbos are looking at this situation unfolding. And theyre thinking, Turkey is going to start releasing boats full of more asylum seekers who will come here. And our island is already overwhelmed. By the time I visited Lesbos in March this year, the camp had swelled to more than 20,000 people. megan twohey And how are things for the migrants in the camp? I mean, that sounds like an absolutely chaotic, difficult combination of forces that these migrants are dealing with on the island. matina stevis-gridneff Well, of course, theyre extremely frustrated and living in these squalid conditions. But they dont realize its actually about to get worse. Because Covid hits. The first case of Covid-19 is detected in Moria. And in response, the Greek authorities put the whole camp on lockdown. And that sets off a lot of anger and a lot of fear in an already really tense environment. And then it all comes to a head. A small group of migrants set fire to the camp. And everything burns to the ground. megan twohey Well be right back. archived recording 1 [SIRENS BLARING] archived recording 2 [COMMOTION] archived recording 3 What is the situation in Lesbos tonight? archived recording 4 Its very, very, very, very, very, very difficult. They see the smoke. The situation is very bad. archived recording 5 A massive fire has almost completely destroyed Greeces largest refugee camp on the island of Lesbos. archived recording 6 [FLAMES BLAZING] megan twohey Matina, what happened with this fire? matina stevis-gridneff It was scenes of complete chaos. archived recording 1 The fire start to come on this side. Look, even on the floor. There is little fire. Ah! Ah! Come back! archived recording 2 [PEOPLE YELLING] archived recording 3 Come back! Come back! matina stevis-gridneff Of course, flames engulfing this really combustible set of materials you know, you have tarpaulin, gas canisters at nearly every tent used for cooking and sometimes heating. And these thousands of people just grabbing everything they could and running out of the camp. And it went on for two nights as the first big blaze on the first night burned down the majority of the camp, and then additional fires the second night finished it. archived recording My house is finished. House fire is many all finished. [FLAMES BLAZING] megan twohey And what caused this fire? matina stevis-gridneff Based on testimonies, both from Greek officials but also other asylum seekers and aid workers, what happened was that a small group of irate, angry asylum seekers who were being asked to quarantine themselves because members of their family had tested positive for Covid, they started rioting. And according to these witnesses, this is how the fire started. megan twohey And why would this group of migrants set fire to their own camp? matina stevis-gridneff People were just extremely upset. Not only about the overall poor conditions of the camp, but because they felt that Covid was being used to hurt them even more. The authorities had tried to prepare some plans for a Covid response at the camp. But at the end, not much seemed to really be there. So when the outbreak started growing in the camp, and 35 people were tested positive for Covid, and many more people were told they have to quarantine, not in an isolation clinics, but in some container, people were very angry. And so after the fire has decimated Moria, I go to Lesbos to see whats happened. [crowd commotion] matina stevis-gridneff So weve just arrived at one of the spots where asylum seekers who have been displaced by this fire have gathered. Theyre being blocked by the riot police from going further into town. There are people coughing. There are people who have clearly slept here for the last three nights and are just waiting to see where theyre going to go next. matina stevis-gridneff And it was just thousands and thousands of people on the street. I remember quite immediately seeing a mother with a very small baby on the street. They had put down a few blankets that they were using as mattresses. And thats where they had spent the night before. And thats where they were going to spend the night after. matina stevis-gridneff And others are trying to clean their tiny piece of street that theyre sleeping on with makeshift brooms. crowd commotion matina stevis-gridneff Yes. car honking matina stevis-gridneff So a woman on a scooter just drove past and screamed, filthy dogs at the asylum seekers. How are you? speaker Im fine, thank you. matina stevis-gridneff Youre OK? Whats your name? speaker My name is [INAUDIBLE]. matina stevis-gridneff What was the last name? speaker [INAUDIBLE]. matina stevis-gridneff And I stopped in front of one family. It was a dad, actually, with his little girl and speaker One baby, 13 months. matina stevis-gridneff Uh huh. Its a tiny little girl whos walking very well. speaker Thank you. matina stevis-gridneff Well done. Oh, youre beautiful. speaker Thank you. matina stevis-gridneff I love her shoes. Very nice shoes. matina stevis-gridneff And he said to me, when the fire started I just grabbed her and took my wife and we just ran. matina stevis-gridneff I see. And you just ran? speaker Yes, yes. Running fast, baby, my wife, running in the outside, away from area. matina stevis-gridneff And what do you think will happen now? matina stevis-gridneff And within 10 minutes, our tent was burned. The fire was everywhere. speaker We want just freedom. matina stevis-gridneff Where do you want to go? speaker I dont want a new camp. I dont want Moria now. matina stevis-gridneff You dont want speaker I just want freedom. matina stevis-gridneff And at that point, this family, with some of their relatives and other people they knew, they had been sleeping on that road for four nights. But he tells me that hes been in Moria for a year. And hed actually rather stay on the streets. crowd talking and children screaming matina stevis-gridneff Good luck. speaker Thank you. matina stevis-gridneff Thanks for talking to me. speaker Glad to meet you. matina stevis-gridneff And you. speaker Goodbye. matina stevis-gridneff Take care. megan twohey What does that mean when he says he wants to sleep on the street? Why would he want that? matina stevis-gridneff The Greek authorities had been feverishly putting together a temporary tented shelter for these people so they wouldnt have to sleep on the street. But people were so suspicious, so angry, so traumatized by living in Moria and by the fire that they just didnt want to go to the new camp. This man told me, I am not going to this new camp. And this was something I heard over and over again. speaker From Turkey? iram Yeah. speaker And your English is not bad, huh? matina stevis-gridneff Very good English. interposing voices matina stevis-gridneff Whats your name? iram My name is Iram (ph). speaker Iram? matina stevis-gridneff Iram. iram Yeah. matina stevis-gridneff I remember this 13-year-old girl matina stevis-gridneff Ayyubi? (ph) iram Yeah. matina stevis-gridneff who was carrying her little brother. And then she was actually very upbeat and quite enthusiastic. matina stevis-gridneff He is very, very cute. You look similar. iram Not cute. matina stevis-gridneff Very cute. So how long have you been on the island? iram The Lesbos? matina stevis-gridneff Yes. iram The Lesbos is nine months. matina stevis-gridneff OK. Nine months. And were you with your family when the fire started? iram Yeah. When the fire starts, we come to here. matina stevis-gridneff I heard that they are making new tents for you. Do you want to go there? iram No, no, no. The tent is not good. I want to go to [INAUDIBLE] and the Germany and the France. matina stevis-gridneff But until you go there, should you not have somewhere to sleep where youre covered and safe? iram No problem. matina stevis-gridneff And she said to me, listen. I dont want to go to this new camp. I dont want to go to this place that the Greek government is building. iram I dont like the tents. We dont. We dont we dont go to the tents. matina stevis-gridneff You dont iram The tent is the problem. matina stevis-gridneff And Moria, you did not like living there? iram No, no, no. I dont like. I dont like living here. Because here is where problem is. And you understand? Its not good. Its very problem here. matina stevis-gridneff I understand. Im sorry. Thank you very much. Good luck. megan twohey So these refugees are desperate not to end up back in a camp. And so how is this resolved and who resolves it? matina stevis-gridneff Its not resolved, Megan. Its not resolved. The only positive news has been that 400 unaccompanied minor refugees, children that had arrived in Greece on their own and had been living in Moria on their own without parents or other family, they have been taken to other European Union countries where, hopefully, theyll start a life. And Germany stepped up and said they would relocate 1,500 people. That leaves around 10,000 people still in need of resettling. But whats also been clear, as a message from the Greek authorities, is that theyre also not in a rush to get people off Lesbos, which is what both the locals and the migrants themselves are demanding. The reason for that is they dont want to send a message that, if a refugee camp burns down, then you get to be relocated to Germany or another country. So there is clearly an element of management and some say punishment in this pace at which people are being resettled. megan twohey And Matina, youve covered the refugee crisis and Moria since 2015. I mean, seeing what its come to now, what do you think happens next? Well, part of me thinks that, if in 2015 and 2016 Europe was able to deal with more than one million refugees arriving, then surely it can humanely handle 10,000 people. This isnt the same kind of crisis. But the cynical side of me wonders if this new tented camp on Lesbos will just become another purgatory. Theres this Greek proverb that goes a bit like this: It says, there is nothing more permanent than whats temporary. And I think of that when I think of Moria. mahbube You can get selfie here? matina stevis-gridneff Ah, yes. How are you? You speak some English? mahbube Yes. matina stevis-gridneff Oh, very good. Whats your name? mahbube Mahbube (ph). matina stevis-gridneff Mahbube. Whats your family name? mahbube Afzali (ph). matina stevis-gridneff Afzali. How old are you? Youre very young? [yelling in background] mahbube 15. matina stevis-gridneff 15. And youre from Afghanistan? mahbube Yes. And you? matina stevis-gridneff Im from Greece, actually. mahbube Greece. matina stevis-gridneff Yes. matina stevis-gridneff I interviewed this really dynamic 15-year-old girl. And she was full of energy. matina stevis-gridneff How many months have you been on the island? mahbube 10 months. matina stevis-gridneff 10 months? mahbube Yeah. matina stevis-gridneff OK. matina stevis-gridneff She said shed been on Lesbos for 10 months. She came from Afghanistan. mahbube And we are coming in here because we want a future. And we are waiting because Moria, its building again. matina stevis-gridneff You dont want to go back to Moria? mahbube No, I dont want. matina stevis-gridneff And what about the new tents that theyre making, do you want to go there? mahbube No, I dont want anymore. matina stevis-gridneff She said she wanted to go to Germany to have a future, to build a life. mahbube I want to go to Germany, French. Like, country I can make a future. I want to go. And I think Greece not lot like me. matina stevis-gridneff But what struck me was that even someone this young, who clearly had so much hope for the future, in that moment in time, she was beginning to give up on that hope. mahbube And coming in here, but I think now, I wish had not come. matina stevis-gridneff You wish you had not come to Greece? mahbube Yeah. matina stevis-gridneff You wish you were back in Afghanistan? mahbube Yeah. matina stevis-gridneff She felt that after living in Moria for 10 months without school, after this fire, after everything that had happened to her, she just wasnt sure it had been worth leaving Afghanistan in the first place. Good luck. Thanks for talking to me. mahbube Thank you. matina stevis-gridneff I think I feel two things about the situation I witnessed. The one is that theres just so much human energy and potential among these people that no country will accept. And theyre stuck in some of the worst conditions. And the other thought was that precisely because no country will accept them, Moria, which was supposed to be this transitory place, will never really be a transitory place. Theres always going to be these places where hopes end rather than begin. megan twohey Well, thank you so much, Matina. matina stevis-gridneff Thanks for having me. megan twohey Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. archived recording (dr. robert r. redfield) Today, and even after we have a vaccine, C.D.C. encourages all Americans to embrace the powerful tools that we have right now, to wear a mask, particularly when theyre in public. megan twohey During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, the Director of the C.D.C., Robert Redfield, told lawmakers that wearing masks is the single best way to slow and potentially even stop the spread of the coronavirus. archived recording (dr. robert r. redfield) I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine. Because the immunogenicity may be 70 percent. And if I dont get an immune response, the vaccine is not going to protect me. This face mask will. megan twohey Redfield also said that a vaccine could be available for limited use by the end of the year and for wider distribution by the middle of 2021. This contradicted what President Trump said the day before during an ABC town hall event, when he claimed a vaccine could be ready in three to four weeks. And archived recording [RAINS AND WINDS BLOWING] megan twohey VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Tinka Resources Limited ("Tinka" or the "Company") (TSXV:TK)(BVL:TK)(OTC PINK:TKRFF) is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities at its 100%-owned Ayawilca zinc-silver project in Peru. Preparations are underway for a ~7,000 metre drill program consisting of approximately 20 diamond drill holes. Three drill rigs are expected to mobilize to site and commence drilling by the end of September 2020. The program will target areas where earlier drilling identified high grade zinc and silver mineralization, often outside of the known resources. Most of these zones lie adjacent to the Colquipucro Fault, an important north-northwest trending regional structure (Figures 1 and 2). It is anticipated that the drill program will be completed in early 2021, subject to potential delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A framework of stringent health and safety measures has been implemented, which includes protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and, as a result, the timing of the start and completion of the drill program may vary. The 2020 drill program will focus on a combination of resource step-out drilling in areas where mineralization remains open to increase resources, and infill drilling to upgrade the category of the Ayawilca resources in areas of high grade mineralization. Priority targets include: West Ayawilca: Step-out holes down-dip of previous drill hole intersections, which include 10 metres grading 665 g/t silver, 1.4% zinc and 1.9% lead in drill hole A18-131 (not included in resource estimate) and 31.9 metres grading 9.6% zinc & 19 g/t silver in hole A18-118 (included in inferred resource) (see news releases dated October 15, 2018, and May 24, 2018). in drill hole A18-131 (not included in resource estimate) and in hole A18-118 (included in inferred resource) (see news releases dated October 15, 2018, and May 24, 2018). West Ayawilca: Infill drilling to upgrade Inferred resources into Measured or Indicated categories (approximately 50% of program). Current Inferred resource includes drill hole intercepts such as 10.4 metres grading 44.0% zinc & 43 g/t silver in hole A18-129 (see news release dated June 26, 2018). in hole A18-129 (see news release dated June 26, 2018). The Colqui Silver Zone: Step-out holes are planned to test for possible down-dip extensions of the oxide silver mineralization. Previous drill hole highlights include 128 metres grading 91 g/t silver in CDD4, and 52 metres grading 155 g/t silver in hole CDD43 (see Figure 3). The Ayawilca Zinc Zone (sulphide) contains an estimated 1.8 billion pounds zinc and 5.8 million ounces silver in the Indicated category, and 5.6 billion pounds zinc and 25.2 million ounces silver in the Inferred category (see news release dated November 26, 2018). The Colqui Silver Zone (oxide) contains an estimated 14.3 million ounces silver in the Indicated category and 13.2 million ounces silver in the Inferred category, with mineralization starting from surface (see link to Technical Report dated July 2, 2019). Tinka has in place a rigorous health protocol including extensive COVID-19 testing and monitoring of its employees, contractors and community workers. Lodgings at the Ayawilca camp have been increased to accommodate additional personnel including community workers, adhering to strict social distancing guidelines and minimizing movement. A doctor and an ambulance are available at site at all times with appropriate testing and monitoring equipment. Tinka has also hired a consulting specialist doctor based in Lima to assist with clinical diagnoses and the follow-up of suspect COVID-19 cases. The objective is to avoid COVID-19 infections at the Ayawilca camp site, and to keep our workers and communities safe. President and CEO of Tinka, Dr. Graham Carman, stated: "Tinka is excited to reinitiate its drill programs at Ayawilca. We have some great targets, including possible extensions of the Zinc Zone, as well as silver-rich areas not yet included in the resource estimate at West Ayawilca, and at the Colqui Silver Zone. We believe there is significant silver upside which is not currently realized. We are taking all necessary steps to minimise health risks to our employees and communities with strict health protocols in place. The health and wellbeing of our employees and neighbours is of paramount importance, and our team has gone to great lengths to ensure that the coming program is executed with as low risk as possible." On behalf of the Board, "Graham Carman" Dr. Graham Carman, President & CEO Investor Information: www.tinkaresources.com Rob Bruggeman 1.416.884.3556 rbruggeman@tinkaresources.com Company Contact: Mariana Bermudez 1.604.699.0202 info@tinkaresources.com Figure 1. Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ayawilca Project, highlighting 2020 drill targets Figure 2. Longitudinal section A-A' (north to south) along the Colquipucro Fault, highlighting 2020 drill targets Figure 3. Cross section B-B' (west to east) of the Colqui Silver Zone showing the resource blocks (coloured by grade) and target zone About Tinka Resources Limited Tinka is an exploration and development company with its flagship property being the 100%-owned Ayawilca zinc-silver project in central Peru. The Ayawilca Zinc Zone (sulphide) has an estimated indicated resource of 11.7 Mt grading 6.9% zinc, 15 g/t silver & 0.2% lead and an inferred resource of 45.0 Mt grading 5.6% zinc, 17 g/t silver & 0.2% lead (dated November 26, 2018). The Colqui Silver Zone (oxide) has an estimated indicated resource of 7.4 Mt grading 60 g/t silver, and an inferred resource of 8.5 Mt grading 48 g/t silver occurring from surface (dated May 25, 2016). A Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Ayawilca Zinc Zone was released on July 2, 2019 (see release). The Qualified Person, Dr. Graham Carman, Tinka's President and CEO, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, has reviewed and verified the technical contents of this release. Forward Looking Statements: Certain information in this news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs and expectations of Tinka as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Tinka's management. Such statements reflect the current risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitations: timing of planned drill programs and results varying from expectations; delay in obtaining results; expectations regarding the Ayawilca Project PEA; the potential impact of epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises, including the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 on the Company's business, operations and financial condition; changes in world metal markets; changes in equity markets; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions; imprecision in resource estimates or metal recoveries; success of future development initiatives; competition and operating performance; environmental and safety risks; delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from local authorities; community agreements and relations; and, other development and operating risks. Should any one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein. Although Tinka believes that assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Tinka disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release SOURCE: Tinka Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605336/Tinka-Provides-Update-on-Upcoming-Drill-Program-at-Ayawilca-Zinc-Silver-Project Victorian hospitality staff are struggling to remain hopeful about their job prospects amid Melbourne's draconian lockdown. Venues in metropolitan Melbourne believe it will take at least two years to recover from the harsh coronavirus restrictions. Hospitality platform Barcats surveyed 203 Victorian workers and venue owners to uncover the bleak outlook for the industry. Barcats CEO Jeffrey Williams said a shocking amount of the state's hospitality staff, almost 80 per cent, were currently out of work. Victorian hospitality staff have struggled to remain hopeful about their job prospects during Melbourne's draconian COVID-19 lockdown (a venue for lease in Melbourne's CBD pictured) More than two thirds of hospitality workers have lost confidence in the industry and 80 per cent of restaurant and bar staff are out of work (Staff at the Portsea Hotel pictured) 'Although venues are trying to stay open with takeaway options and home deliveries, 78.65 per cent of Victoria's hospitality staff are currently not working, with over half of these workers from central Melbourne,' Mr Williams explained. More than two thirds of hospitality workers had also lost confidence in the industry and believed the second lockdown would have long-lasting effects on jobs. '45.83 per cent of staff surveyed specifically state that the second wave of COVID-19 shutdowns has made them consider a career change away from hospitality,' Mr Williams said. The Colonial Leisure Group runs several venues across Victoria and group executive Andrew Lewis said coronavirus restrictions would damage their operations. 'With the international and state borders remaining closed our CBD venues will hurt the most relying heavily on full hotels and international travellers. 'We're anticipating most of our venues will only be able to operate at 80 per cent for the next couple of years whilst the industry tries to get back on its feet,' he said. Mr Williams explained that when Melbourne's bars and restaurants reopened for good there would be a staff shortage so young people shouldn't be put off starting a career in hospitality. Venues in metropolitan Melbourne believe it will take at least two years to recover from the coronavirus restrictions (An empty restaurant on Lygon street in Melbourne's CBD pictured) A survey showed that at least 45.83 per cent of Victorian hospitality staff had considered a career change away from hospitality (Empty shopfronts pictured in Melbourne's CBD) 'When Melbourne's CBD eventually re-opens, venues will be crying out for staff to help them recover and this is when the staff shortage will be detrimental,' he said. 'With no overseas travellers we will be relying on Aussie's to fill the gap. 'We need to encourage more youngsters to consider hospitality as a career and we need more mature workers to be get back into hospitality, with venues adapting shifts to be more suitable for part-time workers.' Victoria recorded another day of double-digit coronavirus infections on Wednesday, with 76 new cases across the state. A further 11 deaths have also been announced, taking the state's death toll to 694. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured on Wednesday) announced his road map out of Stage Four restrictions and will allow customers to dine at venues at the end of October Victoria has recorded 76 new COVID-19 infections and 11 deaths on Wednesday (pictured, two women in Melbourne wear face masks near the beach on Tuesday) The rise comes after Premier Daniel Andrews unveiled his road map out of Stage Four restrictions on Sunday - leaving many businesses devastated. In order to move to the next step of easing restrictions on September 28, Melbourne must record an average daily infection rate between 30 and 50 over the next two weeks. Cafes, bars and restaurants will be able to have customers dine outside on October 26, as long as the statewide case average has fallen under five for the previous fortnight. Customers won't be allowed inside until November 23 and only if there have been no cases at all for the previous two weeks. The strict draconian curfew enforced in Melbourne will be also be extended to October 26 but will be increased to 9pm-5am. Currently it begins at 8pm. Several countries that had informally circulated the names of potential nominees earlier in the year ultimately withheld them after the sudden nomination of Claver-Carone. Costa Rica withdrew its nomination of former president Laura Chinchilla last week after she said she was no longer interested. In a statement, Chinchilla cited the abrupt change in the rules when the government of the United States of America decided to alter this norm that was in force for 60 years, without prior consultation processes or institutional agreements. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The Glucaric Acid Market is anticipated to reach over USD 1,467 million by 2026 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the detergents segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period. Increasing application of Glucaric acid in agriculture, chemical, and food industry supports the growth of the Glucaric acid Market. Increasing use in polymer manufacturing further promotes the growth of this market. Glucaric acid is increasingly replacing phosphates in detergents owing to stringent regulations regarding harmful environmental effects of phosphates, thereby supporting market growth. Other factors supporting market growth include increasing awareness regarding environment, and research and development for advancement. Increasing demand from developing nations, and growing use in healthcare sector is expected provide numerous growth opportunities to the market players during the forecast period. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/glucaric-acid-market/request-for-sample Asia-Pacific Glucaric acid Market generated the highest revenue in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The rising use in agriculture and chemical industries in the region drive the market growth. The increasing demand of detergents and growing environmental concerns in the region further support market growth. The increasing demand of glucaric acid for animal feed and growing demand for healthy livestock is expected to accelerate the adoption of glucaric acid during the forecast period. The well-known companies profiled in the Glucaric acid Market report include Cayman Chemical, Rivertop Renewables, Inc., Carbosynth Limited, Haihang Industry Co., Ltd., Rennovia Inc, Kalion Inc., Alfa Chemistry, AK Scientific Inc., Merck KGaA, and Shanghai Meicheng Chemical Co. Ltd. among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers. Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/glucaric-acid-market Glucaric acid Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Type Calcium D-Glucarate Pure Glucaric Acid D-Glucaric Acid-1,4-Lactone Potassium Sodium D-Glucarate Others Glucaric acid Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Application Detergents Healthcare Food Manufacturing Corrosion Inhibitors Others Glucaric acid Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Region North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany UK France Italy Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific China India Japan Rest of Asia-Pacific Latin America Brazil Middle East & Africa Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/glucaric-acid-market/request-for-discount-pricing About Polaris Market Research Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Contact us- Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com The EU has hit out at Boris Johnsons plan to rip up key parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, warning it is a prerequisite for avoiding a no-deal outcome. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, warned the agreement ratified by the UK last year was an obligation under international law. The Northern Ireland protocol was also essential to protect peace and stability on the island & integrity of the single market, she told the prime minister. The comment was the first evidence of EU disquiet over the prime ministers shock move to override the legal agreements on using state aid and requiring customs checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea. The unilateral move came as Mr Johnson set a new 15 October deadline to seal a free trade agreement with Brussels or walk away with no deal. Downing Street today insisted that the prime minister remains committed to the withdrawal agreement, claiming that the proposed unilateral UK action amounts to no more than a series of clarifications on how the protocol will operate from January. Unless agreement is reached in the UK/EU Joint Committee on the application of the protocol, UK ministers will take on powers to: - Determine which goods travelling from the British mainland to Northern Ireland are deemed to be at risk of moving on to the EU. - Determine whether state aid provided to a UK company by the government has an impact on Northern Irish firms with links to the company. - Decide that Northern Irish companies need not complete customs documentation on goods being exported to the British mainland. New powers for ministers will be included in a UK Internal Market Bill to be published on Wednesday, while other measures will be contained in the Finance Bill. The new legislation despite the prime minister describing the deal he signed last year as oven-ready. No 10 said that it was essential for the legislation to pass through parliament by the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December, despite the prime minister having repeatedly describing the deal he signed last year as oven-ready. Downing Street made clear that the EU had not been asked for its approval for the unilateral changes. And the PMs official spokesman could not confirm whether the UK would publish details of its plans for a new state aid regime ahead of the 15 October which Mr Johnson has set as a deadline for a free trade deal. He also described a no-deal outcome which would cause massive border disruption, risk a fresh recession and undermine security cooperation as a good outcome. In a tweet, Ms von der Leyen warned: I trust the British government to implement the Withdrawal Agreement, an obligation under international law & prerequisite for any future partnership. Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland is essential to protect peace and stability on the island & integrity of the single market. A commission spokesman underlined the stance, saying: The EU has made numerous constructive proposals to move the negotiations forward. While we are determined to reach an agreement with the UK, the EU will be ready in a no deal scenario to trade with the UK on WTO [World Trade Organisation] terms as of 1 January 2021. Opposition politicians have also warned a no-deal Brexit has moved significantly closer and that Mr Johnson is undermining the still-fragile peace in Northern Ireland. Colum Eastwood, the leader of the SDLP said: Its absolutely astonishing that any government who says they want to go and do trade deals around the world would just rip up an agreement that they made a few months ago with the European Union. And Simon Coveney, Irelands foreign affairs minister, tweeted ominously: This would be a very unwise way to proceed. Louise Haigh MP, Labours shadow Northern Ireland secretary, said: It beggars belief that the government is yet again playing a dangerous game in Northern Ireland and sacrificing our international standing at the altar of the prime ministers incompetence. Mr Johnsons spokesman said: "We will continue to work with the EU in the Joint Committee to resolve outstanding issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol. "However, as a responsible government, we cannot allow the peace process or the UKs internal market to inadvertently be compromised by unintended consequences of the protocol. "The Northern Ireland Protocol was designed as a way of implementing the needs of our exit from the EU in a way that worked for Northern Ireland and in particular for maintaining the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, the gains of the peace process, and the delicate balance between both communities interests. It explicitly depends on the consent of the people of Northern Ireland for its continued existence. As we implement the Northern Ireland Protocol this overriding need must be kept in mind. "It explicitly depends on the consent of the people of Northern Ireland for its continued existence. As we implement the Northern Ireland protocol, this overriding need must be kept in mind. So we are taking limited and reasonable steps to clarify specific elements of the Northern Ireland protocol in domestic law to remove any ambiguity and to ensure the government is always able to deliver on its commitments to the people of Northern Ireland. These limited clarifications deliver on the commitments the government made in the general election manifesto, which said We will ensure that Northern Irelands businesses and producers enjoy unfettered access to the rest of the UK and that in the implementation of our Brexit deal, we maintain and strengthen the integrity and smooth operation of our internal market. This was reiterated in the command paper published in May. Press Release 9 September 2020 London, UK - The restoration of 'air corridors' between the world's top financial centres are vital to reviving international business travel and help kickstart the global economic recovery, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Advertisements WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, says it is crucial that international business travel resumes, following its near collapse due to the coronavirus pandemic. WTTC is calling for the introduction of a pilot scheme, involving airport-based testing, followed by a second test just days later, for travel between the financial hubs of London and New York, with the aim of re-starting business travel. An analysis of Public Health England's data by WTTC suggests two tests in quick succession could be 80% effective in identifying passengers with COVID-19, and thus reduce the quarantine period from 14 to four to six days or no quarantine at all. Each year, inbound international business travel accounts for more than US$272 (215) billion. While leisure travel makes up the bulk of international Travel & Tourism spend (83.77%), (inbound) international business travel (at 16.23%) is relied upon heavily by many international airlines, which depend upon frequent flying business travellers, especially on highly competitive routes across the Atlantic, for their profits. The restoration of international business travel across the Atlantic, could benefit the entire Travel & Tourism sector; from airlines and hotels to travel management companies and ground transport providers, reviving tens of thousands of jobs and a multitude of companies which depend upon business travel for their survival. However, WTTC warns this will only happen if the government takes a targeted approach, ditching blunt country-wide quarantines which have a devastating economic impact. Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: "While the recent 'island policy' introduced by the UK government marks a step in the right direction with a more targeted approach, WTTC believes a laser-like focus is necessary to reopen key international business routes, which could provide a significant economic boost." "Flights must be restored along 'city corridors' linking cities with similar low COVID-19 case numbers, such as between London and New York, Washington, Paris, Frankfurt, Dubai, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Shanghai." "Every time the UK government places another destination on its quarantine list, the economy suffers. International business travel is the lifeblood of the global economy contributing more than US$272 (215) billion a year. Therefore, the government should abandon quarantines which don't work, and focus on more targeted measures like 'city corridors'." "The WTTC pilot scheme with its twin test regime, will help reassure corporates that it is safe for their employees to travel and remove the need for unhelpful quarantines." "We need a concerted international framework at the highest level to introduce comprehensive, rapid and cost-effective testing at airports, with a worldwide accepted standard of contact tracing and widespread use of face masks." "To continue with the current chaos would be a huge mistake and would cause further severe economic damage and unnecessary hardship to millions around the world." The UK is the fourth biggest G20 economy in terms of international Travel & Tourism spend from business travel, which amounted to US$9.5 (7.5) billion in 2019; 26.5% of all international Travel & Tourism spend. Of the other G20 countries, the US had the highest international business travel spend in 2019, at US$47.75 (37.72) billion. Germany was second with US$12.8 (10.1) billion, China was third with US$10.7 (8.45) billion, and Russia was fifth with US$8.6 (6.8) billion. Last week, WTTC revealed a staggering 22 billion - or 60 million a day - could be lost from the UK economy due to the collapse of international travel during 2020. Travel restrictions, such as quarantines introduced by the government, has seen international travel and visitor numbers to the UK collapse. International visitor spending was predicted to plunge by 78% compared to 2019 levels, putting three million UK Travel & Tourism jobs at direct risk of being lost in a 'worst case' scenario mapped out by WTTC economic modelling. WTTC has continually been at the forefront in leading the private sector in the efforts to rebuild global consumer confidence and encourage the return of Safe Travels. The health and safety of travellers and those who work within the sector has always been its number one priority. It has urged the adoption of global health and safety protocols, through its 'Safe Travels' initiative, to provide assurance to travellers and those working within the sector. It also says there is ample evidence from other countries which suggests only those who test positive for coronavirus should be quarantined. WTTC advocates the implementation of a rapid test and trace strategy, with strong collaboration between governments to ensure a standardised global approach to the crisis, which is critical to contain the virus and enable people to travel in safety. Vaclav Havel was the leading dissident in Communist Czechoslovakia, and the first president after the Fall of the Wall. All over the world, he became a byword for freedom, democracy, and human rights. There is still a Havel tradition in the Czech Republic, even if it is not the dominant one. Havelians, if you will, traveled to Taiwan last week, in a show of support for that brave, beleaguered democracy. Communist China was very unhappy. The trip was a despicable act, said a Chinese foreign-ministry spokesman. The foreign minister himself, Wang Yi, said that the delegations leader Milos Vystrcil, president of the Czech senate would pay a heavy price. A second foreign-ministry spokesman, however, pointed out that the Czech government had distanced itself from Vystrcil and his delegation. They did not represent the governments policy, said the spokesman and he was absolutely right. The Czech president, Milos Zeman, is a warm supporter of the Chinese government, and of the Russian government as well. This shows the split in Czech society (and Europe more broadly). I will have more to say about Zeman, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin in due course. Zeman said that the senate president had engaged in a childish provocation. He further said that the senate president would be excluded from any further foreign-policy briefings by the government. Part of the delegation to Taiwan was the mayor of Prague, Zdenek Hrib. He had been there before: as a student, studying medicine. As mayor, Hrib has stood up to the Chinese Communist Party and the Kremlin, both. He has required police protection, owing to threats from the Kremlin. So have other Prague officials. I wrote about one last month Ondrej Kolar, a district mayor here. Zdenek Hrib is a mouthful, certainly for a non-Czech, or non-Slav. The last name indicates a kind of mushroom the Czechs favorite, according to the mayor. He says that mushroom hunting is a national pastime. How do you pronounce Hrib, in proper Czech? How do you pronounce Zdenek, for that matter? Im afraid this is a mission impossible. Story continues Commenting wryly on his name, the mayor says, I wouldnt recommend it for an international career. Hrib was born in 1981, when Communism had eight more years to go. The mayor has memories of the period. I was the only kid in class who could explain what free elections meant. Free elections were one of the demands of the protesters. He did not dream of becoming a politician. His field was medicine, and he became prominent in the digitalization of health care. Indeed, he is a co-founder of the Czech Republics digital system for prescriptions. Yet he has made a mark in politics, becoming mayor of Prague in 2018. A descendant of Havel in mind and spirit Hrib has met with dissidents from China. He has flown the Tibetan flag from Pragues city hall. In fact, he revived that tradition. City and town halls across the Czech Republic have traditionally flown the Tibetan flag on March 10, which is known as Tibetan Uprising Day. It was on March 10, 1959, that Tibetans rose up against Chinese Communist rule, in a doomed but valiant effort. The Dalai Lama fled the country. Vaclav Havel was a strong supporter of the Dalai Lama and the cause of Tibet. Under the mayor before Zdenek Hrib, Prague made a deal with Beijing: a sister-city arrangement. There was a clause in this deal, namely, The City of Prague confirms its continuous commitment to the One China Policy of the Government of the Czech Republic, and acknowledges that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. In good conscience, Hrib and his allies could not abide by this clause. So China canceled the agreement. Prague then formed a sister-city relationship with Taipei. This infuriated the Chinese authorities, who retaliated by banning Czech musicians. That is, they canceled tours of China by four Czech musical ensembles. Did you hear about the New Years reception? As is traditional, Mayor Hrib invited representatives of foreign governments to toast the new year. Among the invitees were the ambassador from China and the representative of Taiwan. When the Chinese ambassador found out about the Taiwanese rep, he protested. He demanded of Hrib that he expel the Taiwanese. Hrib said that it was not Czech tradition to expel invited guests. So the ambassador expelled himself, so to speak. Flash forward. A government minister had the same problem at a reception. The ambassador demanded that she expel the Taiwanese representative which she did. The minister and the mayor are very different cats, very different Czechs. To give you a sense of President Zeman, I will cite a couple of press reports. The below paragraph from a Reuters story published in 2016 provides a neat summation: Zeman has been keen to forge stronger ties with China and Russia since his election in 2013 rather than with partners in NATO and the European Union. EU relations with both Beijing and Moscow are tainted by disputes over human rights and trade. And here is a headline over an item from Radio Prague International, in 2014: President Zeman Tells Chinese Officials Prague Will Not Question Chinas Stance on Tibet, Taiwan. In 2015, Zeman was the only Western leader to attend a military parade in Beijing. As for Zemans relationship with Putin and Russia, it might be glimpsed in one extraordinary fact: Two years ago, Zeman refused to participate in 50th-anniversary commemorations of the Prague Spring. (In August 1968, the Soviet army crushed the aspirations of Czechoslovakians for freedom.) While President Zeman is a favorite of the Kremlin, Mayor Hrib is the opposite. Hrib presided over the renaming of a square next to the Russian embassy for Boris Nemtsov, the late opposition leader to Putin. Nemtsov represented hopes for democracy in Russia. He was murdered in 2015, within sight of the Kremlin. Other capitals have renamed squares for Nemtsov too squares by Russian embassies. Kyiv and Tallinn have, and so has Washington, D.C. These renamings have infuriated the Kremlin, of course. Earlier this year, there were reports of a murder plot against Hrib and two district mayors the aforementioned Ondrej Kolar, and Pavel Novotny. All of them required round-the-clock police protection, and Kolar was forced into hiding. During this period, Hrib made a statement that reflected the stance of all three men: It is very important for me to stand by my beliefs, although it means a risk to my life. As I mentioned, Czech society is split between democrats, or Havelians, such as Hrib, and people who lean toward Russia, are attracted to authoritarian rule, and embrace a pan-Slavism. The second group has the upper hand. They are often called nationalists, these people, but that is a misleading designation. How can deference to Moscow and pan-Slavism whatever you think of those things be nationalist? Hrib points out that there is a curious alliance between former Communists and present-day oligarchs. So it is in several countries, including Russia. He further points out the need for liberal-democratic politicians to band together and offer solutions to peoples problems. At the end of our discussion, I ask him about America which leads to talk of the Trump family. The first of the presidents three wives, Ivana, was born in Czechoslovakia, in 1949. (His current wife, the first lady, comes from this part of the world too: Slovenia.) Indeed, Ivana Trump and Zdenek Hrib share a hometown: Zlin, in the southeast of the country. Three of the presidents children are half Czech. That is a fact that generally goes unremarked. It is interesting to think about. For the podcast Ive done with Zdenek Hrib a level-headed, modest, and refreshing leader go here. More from National Review Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says the unemployment assistance program created out of an executive order from President Donald Trump isnt a sustainable solution, but in the short term unemployed workers will start seeing another $300 a week in their paychecks. Massachusetts was approved in late August to distribute $200 million to 235,000 people eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which was created for those in the gig economy who could not obtain unemployment benefits through the traditional system. Eligible claimants under the states original unemployment insurance system will also receive retroactive benefits in a few days, Baker said Wednesday at the Massachusetts State House. Trump signed an executive order in early August allocating up to $44 billion from FEMAs Disaster Relief Fund as Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal COVID stimulus money. But the benefits wont last long. The payments are retroactive to Aug. 1, but theyre expected to run out in a matter of weeks. Its an important step in ensuring that we sustain supplemental relief for people who are out of work here in Massachusetts through no fault of their own during this pandemic, the Republican governor said Wednesday, "but as weve said before, this program is a diversion from the FEMA program, which has appropriated funds for the so-called disaster attached to COVID-19 and it should not be considered and isnt a permanent or a sustainable solution. The federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which put another $600 a week to laid off American workers, expired July 27 as congressional negotiations to extend the program fell apart. Trump signed an executive order in early August allocating up to $44 billion from FEMAs Disaster Relief Fund as Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal COVID stimulus money. Congress has yet to make a deal on the next round of COVID-19 stimulus funds. The Senate GOPs new plan does not include state and local relief, the LA Times reported. Nor does it include another round of stimulus checks. People in both parties need to come together to make this happen something soon, Baker said Wednesday. Its the right thing to do for workers who lost their jobs because of measures many of us had to take to stop the spread of COVID-19, and its critically important to ensuring state and local governments can continue to support their communities as we work our way through the rest of this pandemic. CORRECTION: This story originally carried an incorrect description of the unemployment boost. It amounts to an extra $300 a week. Related Content: Winona State University quarantined its entire campus for two weeks yesterday after health officials warned of 'social activities outside of the learning setting' increasing the spread of coronavirus. The southeastern Minnesota campus has been closed to the public since Tuesday with most classes moving online after the university confirmed 97 cases of the virus within school community members. Around 148 people are isolating themselves on and off campus because they had tested positive or shown symptoms and 122 people are in quarantine because they may have been exposed. It comes as Bradley University announced its entire student body would quarantine for two weeks from the same day because of clusters of Covid-19 on campus. The university in central Illinois is reverting to remote learning after officials said they have linked a spike of at least 50 coronavirus cases to off-campus gatherings. Winona State University in Minnesota quarantined its entire campus for two weeks yesterday due to fears over the asymptomatic spread of coronavirus Coronavirus cases in Winona County have more than doubled in recent weeks and stood at 622 on Tuesday. Speaking at a press briefing, Kris Ehresmann, the infectious disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health, said the state's colleges and universities have been seeing increasing coronavirus cases due to students socialising. She said: 'It's really going to be up to the students as to whether or not we're going to continue to see transmission. 'The transmission that we are seeing is really focused on social activities outside of the learning setting and not so much based on interaction on campus.' Kris Ehresmann, the infectious disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health, said the state's colleges and universities have been seeing increasing coronavirus cases due to off-campus social events Winona State University said its self-imposed quarantine will reduce the number of people on campus over the next two weeks, with the campus closed to the public. Students can still access buildings with their ID cards, such as the library, student union and dining hall, but in-person classes, for the most part, are now online. Face-to-face classes will either shift entirely online or continue in-person with increased precautions if necessary. Employees who do not need to be physically present on campus will shift entirely to remote work. Coronavirus cases in Winona County have more than doubled in recent weeks and stood at 622 on Tuesday Winona State President Scott Olson said: 'The university is not currently aware of any serious illness related to COVID-19 within the WSU community. 'However, we are seeing an increase in asymptomatic transmission, and we have a responsibility to our students, our employees, and to our community to respond accordingly. 'We recognize that the recent increase in cases is not only impacting our campus, but the entire Winona community.' Meanwhile, Bradley University also closed its doors to students on Tuesday, asking student to take classes remotely instead. Bradley University in central Illinois announced its entire student body would quarantine for two weeks because of clusters of Covid-19 on campus The Peoria university is requiring students to limit nonessential interactions, stay in their off-campus apartments and residence halls. The university said it has tallied about 50 COVID-19 cases so far, adding emergency measures are needed to respond to the outbreak without disrupting academic progress. In a message to studentsBradley President Stephen Standifird said: 'Although it may seem extreme, this move to temporary remote learning and a two-week, all-student quarantine allows us to focus on the continuity of the educational experience for all of our students while giving us time to gather data on the full extent of the spread of the virus and assess the best way to proceed as a community,' While about 4,600 undergraduates were enrolled at Bradley last year, it is not known how many are enrolled this fall. Demanding apology for what he referred to as a "reckless" rhetoric against vaccination, United States President Donald Trump called out his rival on the presidency, Joe Biden, and running mate Kamala Harris for allegedly undermining the confidence of the public on the coronavirus vaccine that is being developed, Monday. At the same time, Trump once again hinted that a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the pandemic, may possibly come before the US Presidential election on November 3. Moreover, Trump stated that the comments from Biden and Harris are very dangerous and could cause people to not trust vaccines. The president also assured everyone that once a vaccine is developed, it will be safe and effective, The Hill reported. Trump's comments came after vice presidential hopeful, Harris, stated that she does not trust the president's word that the vaccine is effective and safe, especially if it comes before the election. On top of this, Biden also called for transparency on Monday, stating that scientific facts and information about the ongoing trials of the potential vaccine be released. Read also: China May Be Training, Preparing Military to 'Kill Americans,' Stockpiles Nuclear Warheads The vaccine becomes the center point of the presidential bid The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention has already cautioned the government to avoid red tapes which may lead to the prevention of the operations of various vaccine distribution centers before the election. The statements came as experts expressed skepticism on the possibility of a vaccine trial to be completed by the end of this year. The possibility of a vaccine before the election has also become one of the main focus of the presidential polls. Trump has stated that with a potential vaccine possibly coming before the election, his political rivals have become unnerved. In addition, scroll.in reported that Trump stated that his rivals are trying to disparage the vaccine as the numbers have become unbelievably strong and good for him. Trump claimed that Biden and Harris' statements are "bad for the world." The President also took a swipe at Harris saying that the drop on her numbers is proof that she will never be elected as president in the future. The comments from Trump were also triggered by Harris' statements saying that some experts are being suppressed and sidelined due to Trump's foresight of the upcoming election which is in less than 60 days. Thus, she stated that the president is already grasping at anything he can just to prove that he was a good leader amid the pandemic. The row on the vaccines comes as recent polls show that 4 out of 10 Americans stated that they would not avail the COVID-19 vaccine, even if its for free due to rampant public distrust. This also comes with only 40% of citizens expressing confidence in Trump's claims about the vaccine, the response of the government to the pandemic, and the virus. Aside from the arguments regarding the vaccine, Trump also faced another controversy which involves him being accused of mouthing disapproving remarks towards the soldiers from the US who have been captured and killed in Action. Related article: US Presidential Elections: Who Leads the Race? Can Stock Market Predict the Next President? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Authorities have released the names of two young men killed in a weekend crash in west Birmingham. The Jefferson County Coroners Office on Wednesday identified the victims as Henry Carlos Merida Cano, 18, and Juan Carlos Cifuentes, 20. The crash happened at 6:45 p.m. Saturday in the 1400 block of Third Avenue West. Both were passengers in a Toyota Tacoma traveling east on Third Avenue West when the truck ran into the back of a Cadillac sedan. The impact caused the truck to flip multiple times before coming to a rest on the side of the roadway. Cano and Cifuentes, both passengers, were ejected from the truck after the collision. They were pronounced dead on the scene at 6:51 p.m. The driver was taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries. The accident remains under investigation by Birmingham police. Hamilton resident Debbie Keay, 61, says before the pandemic, she provided hugs, treats and company to her aunt in long-term care. The visits also allowed her to keep an eye on her aunts safety and well-being. During visits, the former social worker would check for bruises, cuts, bedsores and massage her aunts back. We were loving and caring, but also watchdogging, she said, noting she and other family members would keep an eye on her aunts weight to make sure she was eating properly and that her sheets were clean. Long-term care homes are being asked to include caregivers and support workers as essential visitors in their visitor policies, in an update to provincial policy which came in effect Wednesday. The change clarifies a policy which previously defined an essential visitor as a person performing essential support services such as inspections, food delivery or medical services or a person visiting a very ill or palliative resident. It did not explicitly include family caregivers, leaving many of them shut out from caring for their loved ones. While the Ministry of Long-Term Care noted that caregivers defined as family members who provide direct care, privately hired caregivers, paid companions or translators were allowed to visit homes under the previous policy, individual homes were inconsistent in letting them do so, the ministry said. Caregivers are essential visitors and important partners in care who provide direct care to residents, read the ministrys statement announcing the change last week. According to the updated policy, caregivers are allowed to visit homes at any time, including during an outbreak, as long as the local public health unit allows. In an email, the ministry said local public health units will instruct care homes with respect to visitors in the event of an outbreak. Homes are responsible for establishing a process for communicating with residents and families about visits, the email said. Visitors do not need to check in with the local public health unit. Visitors should speak with the long-term care home directly about their visiting policy. Residents in long-term care or their substitute decision-makers can designate up to two caregivers who can visit without time limits. Both caregivers can visit together if the home is not in an outbreak and the resident isnt in self-isolation or showing symptoms of illness. If the home is in an outbreak or if the resident is showing symptoms or in self-isolation, only one caregiver can visit one at a time, according to the policy. Family caregivers often help residents with feeding and using the washroom, and even monitoring residents health. Not being able to see her aunt created great concerns for Keay in the context of the Canadian militarys report on the conditions of long-term care homes released in May. It just confirms the fears and anxieties that we have as primary caregivers, Keay said. Wed wonder how (my aunt) is doing, if shes still being kept clean, because family does keep an eye on things. Dr. Pamela Baxter, associate professor of nursing at McMaster, said that while limiting visitors to long-term care homes may have prevented the spread of COVID-19, it reduced the level of care residents could have received if homes allowed caregivers to be with them. A study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information found that caregivers spent between 17 to 26 hours per week providing care. It also noted that caregivers for seniors with dementia are often their children or spouses. Henry Siu, an associate professor of family medicine at McMaster, supports the updates to the visitor policy, saying that excluding caregivers from visits can be detrimental to residents health, including by increasing social isolation and loneliness. He added there should be a policy in place for caregivers so they know their rights. COVID has brought this issue about what are the rights of family members and what are the rights of residents to the forefront, and we need to be able to respect that and balance safety, he said. The province also noted that residents are entitled to visits from up to two non-essential visitors at least once per week for at least 30 minutes, but scheduling the visits remains at the discretion of care homes. NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the national trade association for the digital media and marketing industries, announced today the appointment of David Cohen, its current President, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective September 15, succeeding Randall Rothenberg, who will remain at IAB as Executive Chair through 2022. "In less than a year as President of IAB, David Cohen has vastly increased the size of our media marketplaces, brought an unprecedented number of industry captains into our leadership councils, transformed the timeliness of our strategic initiatives, and injected new enthusiasm into our already energetic leadership team," Rothenberg said, in announcing the change. "He is a true leader with the steadiness, strategic insights, and experience necessary to take IAB and the digital marketing and media industries through the economic recovery and ultimately to the next level of growth. The Board and I felt strongly that there was no reason to wait. He should be our CEO now." "As the industry continues to face some of its biggest challenges, we rely on IAB to bring us together, tackle the tough questions, and develop real, actionable solutions," said Rik Van der Kooi, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft Advertising and Interim Chair of IAB Board of Directors. "In this next chapter, we'll still be able to rely on Randall's wisdom and counsel, and we'll have all the benefits and tremendous strengths David brings to the table. Everybody wins especially IAB members." In his new role, Cohen will serve as CEO of both IAB and its separate, affiliated, global trade association devoted to the development of industry technical standards, IAB Tech Lab, which is led by Dennis Buchheim. He will report to the IAB Board of Directors, which is chaired by Van der Kooi. The President and CEO of National Public Media, Gina Garrubbo, is the IAB Vice Chair. A longtime, deeply respected advertising agency executive, Cohen joined IAB only days before the COVID-19 quarantine began. Acclimating to the association, and its 750 member companies entirely via Zoom and telephone, he aggressively reorganized IAB around a set of strategic campaigns aimed at boosting members' revenue growth, reducing their costs, mitigating their risks, and enhancing their diversity and inclusiveness. Under Cohen's leadership, these campaigns have served as the focal point of IAB's strategic initiatives. They include critical topics such as privacy, addressability, measurement, brand disruption, and emerging consumer trends. Cohen has also served as the lead driver of two vital programs for the digital media and marketing industries - IAB's Tele://Vision campaign, which seeks to change the way video is bought and sold, and the association's News Saves Lives campaign, which supports journalism and other content companies by educating brands and agencies on how to use brand safety and brand appropriateness tools without disenfranchising publishers and their historically large audiences. Cohen took the reins of two of the industry's largest marketplaces - the video-centered IAB Digital NewFronts, and the audio-centered IAB Podcast Upfront - and transformed them into virtual events, doubling the number of participating publishers, and quintupling the brand and agency buyer attendance. Cohen also led IAB's formation or relaunch of four standing forums exclusively for company leaders: the CRO Council for publisher Chief Revenue Officers; the Agency Leaders Council for senior ad agency executives; the Brand Council for founders and C-suite executives at disruptor and incumbent brands; and the Programmatic & Data Council for ad technology, martech, and data company principals. "The bottom line in business is results, and David delivers," said Peter Naylor, VP of Sales, Snap Inc., a longtime member of the trade association's Board of Directors, and the Founding Chair of the IAB Video Center. "His buy-side experience and perspective, most recently as President of Magna, is invaluable. He has built organizations responsible for purchasing billions of dollars of digital media inventory annually. In just six months, that expertise already has made a difference for all of us in IAB's membership." "I knew that coming to IAB would give me the opportunity to leverage the experience and relationships that I have worked my entire career to develop. Bringing together publishers, brands, and agencies for the common good has been rewarding, and we are just getting started. I continue to be energized by the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of the media, marketing, and advertising industries," said Cohen. "But what makes the IAB leadership position so meaningful is that the team here is not just helping individual companies - we're helping to reshape and grow an entire sector of the economy." Cohen continued, "We are boosting our focus on dramatically increasing our brand, agency, and publisher presence across all IAB activities. My buy-side experience has shown me that connecting all those dots is critical for industry collaboration, agenda-setting, and leadership." Kirk McDonald, the CEO of the media agency GroupM North America, and previously a senior publishing and ad tech executive and IAB Chair, said: "If there's anything IAB has proved over the past decade, it's that cross-industry collaboration can solve immense problems and create new opportunities for mutual growth. I look forward to working with David and, to building new opportunities upon the foundation Randall has laid." Cohen succeeds Rothenberg, who became CEO of IAB in January 2007, after a distinguished career as a journalist, author, and management consulting executive. During Rothenberg's 14-year tenure atop the association, internet advertising grew from one of the smallest segments in media-advertising to the largest. IAB tripled its membership, to 750 companies; tripled its staff; and quintupled its annual revenues, to $30 million, becoming one of the largest media trade associations in the United States. The organization also increased its global footprint, and now claims 47 national and regional IABs in every inhabited continent on earth. Rothenberg forged groundbreaking collaborations with multiple trade associations to create the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), the lauded cross-industry self-regulatory mechanism to protect consumer privacy on the internet; the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), the cross-industry alliance to eliminate fraudulent inventory in the internet advertising supply chain; and most recently, the Partnership for Responsible and Addressable Media, to preserve advertisers' access to consumers while protecting consumer privacy. Rothenberg launched the industry's first significant Federal and state policy and lobbying unit in Washington, D.C.; led the industry's first-ever "long tail" and mobile leadership lobbying trips to Capitol Hill; and has testified frequently before Congress and regulatory agencies on the importance of internet advertising to business development. After spinning off IAB Tech Lab in 2015, Rothenberg helped oversee its growth into the most important technical standardization and applications body in the digital marketing industry, responsible for dozens of essential industry standards like the OpenRTB auction system, the ads.txt (authorized digital sellers) anti-fraud protocol, and the "V-suite" standards that underpin streaming video advertising distribution. He launched the indispensable IAB NewFronts and Podcast Upfront media marketplaces, and the must-attend industry thought leadership conferences, IAB Annual Leadership Meeting and IAB Direct Brand Summit. During Rothenberg's time leading IAB, the association created the industry's first Digital Advertising Sales Professional Certification Program, which has certified more than 15,000 sales executives since 2013. Notable primary research led by Rothenberg includes the quadrennial Economic Value of the Interactive Advertising Ecosystem study, which has quantified the impact of digital advertising to the United States economy, and the annual IAB Brand Disruption Report, the breakthrough study that has identified the underpinnings, evolution, and impact of the direct-to-consumer brand revolution on the overall consumer economy, a subject on which he speaks frequently and has advised multiple IAB member companies and their partners. He has also spoken frequently at industry and policy gatherings about the need to clean up the industry's porous and unsafe supply chain, and to embed transparency and privacy protections in all digital advertising activities. "Our guiding principle has always been the growth and preservation of the Open Web - the most vibrant, dynamic, accessible mechanism in human history for the development of businesses and the pursuit of passions," Rothenberg said. "During the decades of broadcast television hegemony, only 200 advertisers at a time could afford to advertise on network TV. Today, tens of millions are finding customers and building businesses with internet advertising - and supporting millions more creative people who are teaching courses, making videos, doing podcasts, pursuing breakthrough journalism, and influencing the culture. These people have always been IAB's North Star." "Beginning with his classic advertising book, Where the Suckers Moon, through the early internet era, and up to today, Randy has been one of those influencers who explained to us why advertising is important, and what we need to do to make it better for people, businesses, and economies," said Gina Garrubbo, President and CEO of National Public Media and Vice Chair of the IAB Board. "He used the power of thought leadership to reshape an industry." In his new role as Executive Chair, Rothenberg will report to his successor David Cohen, and advise him and the IAB Board on economic, public policy, compliance, and consumer brand and retail issues. He will work full time at IAB through the end of 2020, and half-time through 2022. "I think I speak for all of us at IAB when I say we can't thank Randall enough for his leadership, his friendship, his sage counsel, and for everything he has done for the industry he has served so faithfully for the past 14 years," said Cohen. "What we are able to build in the years ahead would not have been possible without him." About IAB The Interactive Advertising Bureau empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership is comprised of more than 650 leading media companies, brands, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City. SOURCE Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Related Links www.iab.net Meryl Streep's nephew Charles Harrison Streep, 31, (pictured) has been charged with attacking a student The college student who was allegedly attacked by Meryl Streep's nephew in an East Hampton road rage incident has accused the 31-year-old of racism for allegedly yelling anti-Hispanic slurs while grabbing him by the neck. David Peralta, 18, was hospitalized with severe head trauma and needed emergency surgery after the altercation with Charles Harrison Streep, 31, in a parking lot outside a Chase bank in the affluent New York town on August 24. Streep, the son of Meryl's brother Dana Streep and his wife Mary, was arrested days later and charged with beating and choking the Long Island student. Peralta is now planning to sue the star's famous nephew, claiming the attack was an anti-Hispanic hate crime. An attorney for the 18-year-old told New York Daily News Streep shouted anti-Hispanic slurs at Peralta during the attack and said he is calling for the 31-year-old to face hate crime charges over the incident. 'We find it exceedingly ironic that Streep, whose family, including his famous aunt, purport to sympathize with the plight of immigrants and working-class people everywhere, would unleash this violent and racially charged attack on this innocent, hardworking young man,' said Edmond Chakmakian Tuesday. Chakmakian said Peralta, who was about to start his junior year studying criminal justice at St. John's University when the alleged attack took place, will suffer permanent cognitive damage from his injuries and can't recall simple things. 'He couldn't even give me his date of birth when I spoke to him the other day,' said Chakmakian. Police said Streep attacked Peralta, who lives in Springs, East Hampton, in the Chase Bank parking lot around 11:30 a.m. on August 24. David Peralta, 18, (pictured in hospital) was allegedly attacked by Meryl Streep's nephew in an East Hampton road rage incident Peralta was hospitalized with severe head trauma and needed emergency surgery after the altercation with Streep in a parking lot outside a Chase bank in East Hampton on August 24. Peralta pictured in hospital after emergency surgery Peralta was taking a ride with his girlfriend in his new car - a red Ford Mustang - when he had a near miss with Streep's Audi convertible at the intersection of Main Street and The Circle, according to court papers. The two men allegedly exchanged words and Streep made a u-turn in his car, following the teen into the parking lot and getting out of his vehicle. Streep is then accused of 'striking, grabbing and lifting [the victim] off the ground by the neck with his arms' and of 'lifting his limp body off the ground and then throwing him to the ground,' according to the criminal complaint. Chakmakian claimed Streep mocked Peralta, saying 'What are you, 14 years old?' and 'spewed racial epithets during the attack.' Police responded to several 911 calls about the incident but Streep had left the scene before they arrived. Pictured the scene of the incident. An attorney for the 18-year-old is calling for Streep to face hate crime charges over the attack Streep (pictured) was arrested and charged with beating and choking the Long Island student Peralta is now planning to sue the star's famous nephew (pictured), claiming it was an anti-Hispanic hate crime after he allegedly shouted anti-Hispanic slurs during the attack Peralta, whose family is from Ecuador, initially turned down medical attention but was later taken to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital as his condition deteriorated that day. He suffered a brain bleed which required the removal of his skull cap to stem the bleed and underwent emergency surgery, his lawyer said. Streep was arrested three days after the attack on August 27 at a home on Pondview Lane in East Hampton. According to Zillow, the six-bedroom $6.5 million property belongs to Streep's mother Mary. Streep is the son of Meryl's (pictured) brother Dana Streep and his wife Mary. Peralta accused Streep of racism for allegedly yelling anti-Hispanic slurs while grabbing him by the neck Streep was charged in East Hampton Town Court with felony counts of second-degree assault and second-degree strangulation. He was arraigned and released on $5,000 bail. Meryl's nephew, who goes by the name Charlie, had a privileged upbringing, attending New Canaan High School in Connecticut before going to the University of Virginia. His famous aunt is one of the biggest names in Hollywood and holds the record for the most - 21 -Oscar nominations. This report is part of "Turning Point," a groundbreaking month-long series by ABC News examining the racial reckoning sweeping the United States and exploring whether it can lead to lasting reconciliation. It was in the middle of December 1827 when the Guerrero, a ship crewed by Cuban pirates, sped through the waters south of Florida to Havana, where they aimed to trade their precious cargo: 561 people who had been kidnapped from their homes in West Africa. As a bad storm approached, the Cuban brig and its crew were trying to avoid British ships that were enforcing a ban on the slave trade, which had been implemented 20 years prior by Great Britain. Near Orange Cay in the Bahamas, a British warship called the HMS Nimble spotted the Guerrero sitting suspiciously low in the water with the weight of the captives on board. The Nimble's crew fired two warning shots at the Guerrero and the chase was on. After five hours, the Nimble had gotten close enough to engage the Guerrero, and the two ships battled with cannon and musket fire. The hundreds of people held captive, crammed into the Cuban boat no more than 120 feet long, could not have known what was happening above. As the sun set, the storm descended. The Guerrero tried to take off again but crashed into the Florida reef, ripping open its hull. Its masts fell. Those on the British ship 2 miles behind could hear the screams of the hundreds aboard. Forty-one African souls died there in bondage. Nearly 200 years later, the brig still hasn't been found. This story may have been forgotten if not for Gail Swanson, a Florida Keys historian who first uncovered a log from the Nimble in 1992, which described these events. Later, divers Ken Stewart and the late Brenda Lanzendorf took on the search for the ship. The two founded Diving with a Purpose (DWP) together in 2004 with the intention of finding and documenting what is left of the Guerrero. Today, divers of all ages take part in the program, learning to identify and map shipwrecks in the Florida Keys and beyond, as far away as South Africa. Most of its members are Black. Story continues Rachel Stewart started scuba diving with her late father while on a trip when she was only 13 years old. Now 24, she says, "diving is something I love doing to remember him." Before she joined DWP, Stewart said she didn't know much about maritime archeology. But then she learned about the Guerrero. Photo: Divers with Youth Diving with a Purpose in 2018. (Chris G. Searles) "I started to think about how underwater archeology can show me more about my history and where I come from," she told ABC News. As she works on a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, Stewart is one of a group of divers who keeps returning to DWP to carry out its missions -- she joins DWP as an instructor when she can. "It's uncovering a bit of people's pain. It's important to know and tell these peoples' stories," Stewart said. "It's important that Black people have a role in telling their own stories." "So much that has been told in history is from someone else's perspective," Melody Garrett, lead instructor at DWP, told ABC News. "We have to tell our side -- our truth -- about these people [and] what has happened to them. It's the ugly part of history and people don't like to talk about that, but it happened and it's true." PHOTO: DWP divers map out a site of interest. (Chris G. Searles) Garrett, an anaesthesiology physician by trade, says we're only "just beginning" to dig into this history. MORE: White House directs federal agencies to halt some race-related trainings "Until you're actually doing it, [the history] is just something you hear about, but when you start to find things it really starts to sink in," she said of DWP's work. "The more you do and the more you learn, the more you feel it; you understand the need for it and the purpose." Lost roots and the anonymization of slavery Slavery in the Americas, defined by the European trade of captive Africans, predates Christopher Columbus and spans 400 years to the U.S. Civil War, according to Christopher Brown, a Columbia University history professor who teaches and conducts research on the slave trade. In that time, an estimated 12 million Africans were taken from their homes. Around 10 million arrived in the Americas. The idea of "Blackness" is born out of slavery. The people stolen from their homes had cultures of "extraordinary variety and diversity," Brown said. Enslaved peoples had dozens of languages and a plethora of different styles of religious and spiritual beliefs. PHOTO: 10 million Africans are estimated to have been taken to the U.S. during the 400 years the slave trade was active. (ABC) It'd be as if 500 years ago, all the indigenous peoples between Boston, Massachusetts, and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil were taken elsewhere and forced to adopt a uniform identity, Brown said. "What [would] all those people have in common? Not a lot. They don't know each other In some cases they're not even aware of each other but [they] reside in the same hemisphere. Something similar [is] at work on the West African side, from Senegal to Angola." Over generations, they formed a new, singular "Black" community. Today, the descendants of enslaved people experience not only the remnants of slavery in racism and discrimination, but also a disconnect from their African heritage and ancestry. It leaves so many Black Americans yearning for a connection to understand and pinpoint their roots in Africa. MORE: Black American anxiety at all-time high, experts say "To know exactly where you come from is very difficult," Stewart, DWP's co-founder, told ABC News. "It's not often to be on the site where your ancestors lay." PHOTO: A DWP diver places flags near points of interest. (Chris G. Searles) Stewart said he used to take people who couldn't dive to the wreck site of the Henrietta Marie, one of the first slave shipwrecks found in the 1970s. "A lot of people go out there just for the spiritual aspect of it. Even knowing the Henrietta Marie didn't have any Africans onboard when it went down," he said. "It's a spiritual aspect of the journey that your ancestors may have taken." Brown, a professor who's taught about the slave trade for over a decade, had his own experience with this when he arrived in Ghana during his first visit to Africa. "I went to this conference I found myself doing this ridiculous thing of being at the airport, in a crowd, looking at people's faces and saying, 'I wonder if I'm related to that person' in a way that kind of flew in the face of the academic mindset," he said. "The desire to connect to something that is lost is so powerful that even when you think you have dealt with it on an intellectual level I found all of that fell away when I was actually there," he said. An expedition into history and heritage Dives start the night before even getting in the water -- at least that's when it starts for Erik Denson, a 28-year diving pro who works by day as a NASA electrical chief engineer at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The night before a mission, Denson prepares and tests his fins, mask, snorkel, regulator and his own tanks equipped with Nitrox, a gas that provides a higher concentration of oxygen so that divers can stay underwater for longer and prevent more severe symptoms of decompression sickness. PHOTO: A DWP diver maps out a site of interest. (Chris G. Searles) Rachel Stewart remembers when an instructor in the Youth DWP program would wake up the young divers early in the morning and gather them for yoga so that they could stretch before a day of diving. The program emphasizes planning and assignments for each diver. For safety reasons, scuba is never done alone, so each member is paired with a buddy. The divers carry two tanks, with each one allowing for about an hour of underwater time, depending on how heavily the diver breathes and how deep the water is. Long before the dive happens, archaeologists must first tow a magnetometer back and forth in the water, systematically searching for any metallic anomalies along the seafloor. Dave Conlin, chief of the National Park Service's Submerged Resources Center, calls it "mowing the lawn." MORE: 'America is Ready:' Missouri voters on whether they see a turning point on policing and race relations Divers are needed to investigate whether the anomalies detected by the equipment are refuse, like lobster traps and old televisions -- or valuable artifacts. Divers first create one or more baselines -- basically stretching a tape measure from one point to another underwater -- and then place pin flags by any areas of interest, like a possible artifact, which can be hard to discern after so much time deteriorating underwater. Divers match each point to the baseline and then draw everything with dimensions. PHOTO: DWP divers document their findings. (Chris G. Searles) It's tedious but the work suits Stewart, who's getting her PhD in environmental engineering. In fact, many of the DWP divers come from engineering backgrounds, including Denson. Dr. Anthony Ford, an emergency physician by trade, is the president of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS), an organization which many DWPers are also members. "It started with people who looked alike, who bonded, who didn't want to feel like a unicorn on a boat," Ford told ABC News. "Typically, you're the only person of color on the boat... it started with the intent of not being alone, not being the only one." It's something that certainly helped Denson feel more comfortable, he said. He now leads the Orlando, Florida, chapter of NABS. "There's a feeling of belonging to travel [with] people who are like you -- who look like you," he said. PHOTO: Melody Garrett with her two sons, Travis and Nicklaus. (Melody Garrett) American history, unexamined and untold Between 1501 and 1875, there were at least 30,447 slave voyages that aimed to disembark in mainland North America, the Caribbean, Spanish Americas or Brazil. Of those, 575 ended in shipwreck, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. Brown says the number of slave shipwrecks that researchers have been able to confirm are the absolute minimum, and that the true number of shipwrecked slave ships are likely much higher. "I'm surprised there weren't more of them," Brown told ABC News. "There's information that might be out there that they don't have, and they have partial information on many voyages [These numbers] capture what they know to have been wrecked but it's probably a minimum." PHOTO: Hundreds of ships were wrecked in the hundreds of years the slave trade was active. (ABC) Despite the hundreds of slave ships that likely litter the shores of the U.S., only a handful have been found. Even fewer have been excavated and conserved. In the Florida Keys, there is a "trifecta" of natural phenomena that creates an environment ripe for shipwrecks, said Corey Malcom, lead archeologist at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. They include Florida's reefs, the threat of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and the powerful Gulf Stream, a current that Europeans utilized to help propel their ships home across the Atlantic. "These giant wooden boats [are] packed with hundreds of people out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean," Brown said. "A lot of things could go wrong, not least [of which was] the weather." Then, a part of the challenge of finding and uncovering a wrecked boat's history is the "sheer number" of wrecks, according to Matthew Lawrence, an archeologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Documenting them is an expensive and labor intensive process, he said. Both the marine sanctuary and its neighbor, Biscayne National Park, rely heavily on the work of trained diving volunteers like those from DWP to explore these lost sites. PHOTO: A DWP diver maps a site of interest. (Chris G. Searles) In the National Parks Service, Conlin leads a team of only nine archeologists who are responsible for 5 million acres of submerged land, he told ABC News. "We need the support," he said. "The second reason [is] national parks are fundamentally for American people and we welcome and try to create opportunities for Americans to be involved in ... their history." "It's a part of history that needs to be told. It's not taught in schools," Stewart said. "Slavery is not something people want to be invested in. A lot of people would rather forget about it We're seeing the ramifications of it now." The search continues Diving in these spaces can be emotionally heavy. "You feel like their spirit is there. You're trying to capture more about their experience, what they experienced at the time of their demise," Garrett said. "Picking up something from their spirit helps to kind of bring closure -- to tell their story." Swanson, the historian who stumbled upon the HMS Nimble's log, has been on a similar mission for 28 years now, piecing together the stories of the people who were on the Guerrero. Her research has taken her to Louisiana, South Carolina, Connecticut and across the Atlantic Ocean to London. Of those who survived the Guerrero wreck, 398 were ultimately sold into slavery in Cuba. In 1830, nearly three years after the wreck, 92 survivors arrived in Liberia as free men. Swanson tracked their journeys over the years, from who they married to their occupations and the children they had, in her book "Slave Ship Guerrero." Today, DWP is unearthing Black history from other eras, too. The organization has gone to the Great Lakes, where they documented a 1944 plane belonging to one of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of primarily African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. DWP also runs a program cultivating coral in floating PVC pipes and then replanting them on Florida's reefs. Most of all, DWPers value investment in their Black youth. PHOTO: Erik Denson in 2015 with a gun found from a Tuskegee Airman's plane wreck in Lake Huron. (Erik Denson) "It's great exposure They probably would have thought they couldn't do it or didn't think about it," Denson said. "How many kids are exposed to underwater archeology? It opens them to other careers." It starts by just letting them know diving is a possibility. "I would've never believed Black people scuba dived until I saw it, let alone teaching others to dive or teaching others to be scuba instructors," Ford said. "Like me, if people are exposed to it, they may be interested [to learn] this exists and you can be a part of it." PHOTO: From left, DWP divers Ken Stewart, Angela Jones, Melody Garrett and Ernie Franklin with their picture in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Melody Garrett) It's a passion those at DWP hope to foster and pass on to a new generation. "You feel like Superman; you can just glide and fly," Garrett said. "It's just so open, it goes on forever. The only thing you hear is your own breath." "I feel like I'm in another world. I forget about my cares and concerns on land," Denson said of diving. "It's so beautiful, so serene. You can look at God's beauty." Black scuba divers document slave shipwrecks forgotten for generations originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Jack Trieber, the pastor of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, California that was fined over $50,000 for holding indoor worship services said in a video statement that even as the county increases penalties, the church will remain open for service. On Tuesday, September 1st, Trieber shared that Santa Clara County had posted another warning on the door of the church and is fining the church $5,000 for each in-person service that it holds. The county warned of fines for each of the three services throughout the week: two on Sunday and one on Wednesday. In addition, the county threatened fines for not social distancing and singing. Trieber read from the Bill of Rights in his video statement: "Congress shall make no law - no law - [respecting] the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," he said. He went on to call the county's actions "harassment," warning fellow Americans, "If we don't stop it here ... it's going to sweep all over the United States of America. Government cannot take away our freedom. You cannot take our right to assemble." Trieber spoke directly to the American people, "We are not closing down this church. I hope you get this message. I don't know what the consequences on your part is going to be. ... I know America does not want this to happen in her country and at this church. God bless you, America. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your encouragement." County authorities had previously posted a notice to the church door, demanding that North Valley Baptist cease their activities while warning that "failure to do so will result in enforcement action by the county." The county fined the church $10,000 after alleging that social distancing was not being enforced. In a video response after the first fine, Trieber said that punishing the church for holding services was "out of bounds." After Governor Gavin Newsom levied a complete ban on worship services back in March, North Valley Baptist ceased in-person services across all ministries and also stopped running its many community services. However, Trieber pushed back and appealed to government officials in a statement: "But I'm in charge of the spiritual health of the people in this city and in this area," he said. "I've been trying to do it for 45 years. Though health is [of the] utmost importance, spiritual health is supreme. Because we've been locked out in this county of churches, suicide is up, domestic violence, addiction is up, homelessness is up, alcoholism is up. We need to get back to worshiping God. I am commanded to worship God." Trieber called out the perceived hypocrisy of Newsom's public messaging as well. "Yet, Gov. Newsom supports tens of thousands of protestors, saying 'God bless you. Keep doing it.' This is wrong, and the governor's unconstitutional hostility and discrimination against religious worship must end," he said. Further criticism in a statement from Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver called Newsom's orders "unconstitutional" and stated that North Valley Baptist Church is suffering "horrendous fees for simply exercising its First Amendment right to worship." Other California churches have incurred fines for violating orders from Gov. Gavin Newsom that disallow in-person services in higher-risk parts of the state. According to the ChristianPost, last week, Los Angeles County notified Grace Community Church, led by Pastor John MacArthur, that it would be evicted from the property it uses as a parking lot. Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks was also hit with a fine for contempt of court for violating the state's COVID-19 health mandates. Switzerland's Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said he had "fruitful" talks on Monday with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif regarding "peace, economic development and human rights." The Swiss embassy in Tehran handles US interests in Iran, since ties were cut in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Cassis is expected to meet President Hassan Rouhani as part of a three-day visit to Tehran, celebrating a century of relations between Switzerland and Iran. Tensions between Iran and the US have escalated since 2018, after President Donald Trump withdrew the US from an international nuclear agreement and reimposed tough sanctions on Iran. "Peace, economic development and human rights - fruitful discussion with my counterpart," Cassis wrote on Twitter following the talks. Switzerland has also played a major role in prisoner swaps between Tehran and Washington. According to the US Department of State, Secretary Mike Pompeo had a phone call with Cassis before his Tehran visit, raising speculation the visit involved talks on Tehran-Washington relations. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denied the "speculations" on Monday, saying it was a planned visit delayed over the novel coronavirus outbreak and "not related to Iran and the US". "I'm glad we could establish together the Swiss Humanitarian Channel for the transfer of food and medical supplies to the people of Iran," Cassis said on Twitter. Known by its acronym SHTA, the Swiss channel is a payment mechanism aimed to enable food, medicine and other humanitarian aid to be sent to Iran without breaking US sanctions. Humanitarian goods are theoretically exempt from sanctions, but international purchases of such supplies are almost impossible since banks are wary of falling foul of the US over doing business with Iran. The channel was established and conducted its first transaction earlier this year. The new report asserts that doing nothing to avert climate change will do the opposite. This is the first time a government entity has looked at the impacts of climate change on financial markets in the U.S., said Robert Litterman, the chairman of the panel that produced the report and a founding partner of Kepos Capital, an investment firm based in New York. Rather than saying, Whats the science? this is saying, Whats the financial risk? The commodities regulator, which is made up of three Republicans and two Democrats, all of whom were appointed by President Trump, voted unanimously last summer to create an advisory panel drawn from the world of finance and charged with producing a report on the effects of the warming world on financial markets. The initial proposal for the report came from Rostin Behnam, one of the panels two Democrats, but the report is written by dozens of analysts from investment firms including Morgan Stanley, S&P Global and Vanguard; the oil companies BP and ConocoPhillips; and the agricultural trader Cargill, as well as academic experts and environmental groups. It includes recommendations for new corporate regulations and the reversal of at least one Trump administration policy. It was shocking when they asked me to do this, Mr. Litterman said. This is members of the entire community involved in financial markets saying with one voice, This is a serious problem, and it has to be addressed. A senior White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that while the full commission had voted to produce the report, it has not yet voted to endorse its findings. It doesnt represent the position of the C.F.T.C. and is not an official government report, the official said. A witness who saw police fire at an outlaw motorcycle gang associate who yelled 'go on, shoot me' has told a court his death was 'unnecessary'. Liam Scorsese was shot dead by police in February 2018 after refusing to surrender a knife taken from the Brisbane family home of his girlfriend Chireez Beytell. Jogger Chris Pennifold, who was 50 metres from the shooting, said he did not see a weapon in Mr Scorsese's hand or the victim lunge toward police, an inquest into his death heard on Wednesday. 'In my honest opinion, this was an absolutely unnecessary shooting, police officers were not under immediate threat,' Mr Pennifold told the court. Liam Scorsese was shot dead by police in February 2018 after refusing to surrender a knife taken from the Brisbane family home in of his girlfriend Chireez Beytell (pictured together) Critically, a body-worn camera failed to activate and did not capture the crucial moments of the shooting, the inquest was told 'He did not appear to be an immediate threat to life at all.' A body-worn camera failed to activate and did not capture the crucial moments of the shooting, the inquest was told. After Mr Scorsese was shot, a constable and a neighbour, who was a nurse, applied first aid until paramedics arrived and took him to hospital. He died an hour later and an autopsy found the cause of death to be gunshot wounds to his chest and neck. The inquest heard Mr Scorsese arrived at Ms Beytell's family home in Wakerley to speak with her on the Sunday morning he was shot. The inquest heard they began to fight before she went back inside and locked the door, causing Mr Scorsese to fly into an uncontrolled rage. Ms Beytell's mother Madelene Erasmus sobbed hysterically as she recalled Mr Scorsese 'became a different person' after he was locked out of their home after a loud confrontation with his girlfriend. 'His face was so angry - at that moment it was a completely different Liam,' Mrs Erasmus told the hearing. The inquest heard Mr Scorsese arrived at Ms Beytell's family home in Wakerley to speak with her on the Sunday morning he was shot Qld Police and Forensic Services officers attend the scene of a shooting in the suburb of Wakerley where Scorsese was shot by police in February 2018 After Mr Scorsese (right) was shot, a constable and a neighbour, who was a nurse, applied first aid until paramedics arrived and took him to hospital 'I closed the front door, Liam was screaming harder and harder, and I locked the security door. 'Liam was banging on the door, he wanted her to come out. I told him "you need to leave". I called my husband and then Liam started kicking the security doors - he was very, very angry.' The family barricaded themselves inside and called police to force Mr Scorsese to leave. 'If they (the police) want to come, they can come,' Mr Scorsese reportedly told the family before stripping off his shirt and waiting on the mailbox. Police arrived at the home moments later and shots rang out. Detective Sergeant Dylan Brook who investigated the fatal shooting said Mr Scorsese was armed with a knife as he walked toward police. Blood is splattered out the front of the house where Scorsese was shot dead by police in 2018 Liam Scorsese was shot in February 2018, after refusing to surrender a knife taken from the family home of his girlfriend Chireez Beytell (pictured together) The officers warned Mr Scorsese to drop the weapon and get on the ground, only for him to increase his pace. Mr Scorsese was hit in the chest with a Taser, but the 31-year-old ripped the wires from his body and continued to close in on police. In fear for his life and the life his partner, a constable fired two shots bringing Mr Scorsese to the ground as he dropped the knife. 'His actions were authorised, justified and legally defensible,' Sgt Brook told the court. 'Using the Taser first showed [the constable's] reluctance to use lethal force against Mr Scorsese and it showed restraint on his behalf, particularly when faced with someone armed with an edged weapon or a knife. 'He definitely attempted to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the incident.' The inquest was told Mr Scorsese had struggled with drug abuse and mental health issues in the months before the shooting and told family he had been hearing voices. Coroner Terry Ryan will explore whether the police response was justified and their use of body cameras a unit failed to work. He will also examine whether adequate mental health support was available to Mr Scorsese. Thousands of people throughout Oregon are without power Wednesday afternoon. More than 19,000 customers in Clackamas County alone are affected by 128 outages stretching from the northern corner of the county near Mt. Hood as far west as Oregon City, according to Portland General Electric. The power outages have continued periodically for days during historic wind and heat, as wildfires rage across the state. Portland General Electric officials said they have received unconfirmed reports that some fires in the region may have been started by electrical equipment affected by heavy winds and debris. The utility provider cut power to 5,000 customers near Mt. Hood as a safety precaution, and said the outages may last through the weekend. Portland General electric has also shut off power in eight other high-risk areas near the Riverside and Santiam Canyon fires. Near Portland, Clackamas County has been the hardest hit. The entire county faces differing levels of evacuation warnings due to the Riverside fire. Some areas are under a Level 3 evacuation order, indicating people need to leave immediately. In Multnomah County, 100 outages are affecting 4,000 households. The largest outages are in the southwestern part of the county, with the most concentrated outages being near the Multnomah neighborhood in southwest Portland. In Washington County, 1,100 customers are out of power as a result of 25 outages. The largest outages are in the southwest portion of the county north and northwest of Yamhill. A wildfire in rural southwest Washington County has caused as many as 150 homes to be evacuated and has burned up to 2,000 acres. Marion County, the site of the destructive Lionshead fire, has 2,200 households without power because of 10 outages. The entire county, which includes Salem, is in a state of emergency. Significant portions of the county are under evacuation orders. Yamhill County does not have any active wildfires Wednesday afternoon but 963 customers are being affected by 19 outages. Areas outside of Portland are also experiencing large outages. More than 20,000 people in or near Medford and Phoenix are without power after the devastating Alameda fire swept through the area Tuesday night, according to Pacific Power. On the coast, more than 3,000 people near Lincoln City are without power as the Echo Mountain fire rages nearby. -- K. Rambo krambo@oregonian.com @k_rambo_ Shopping habits are expected to upend on a massive scale later this year,Photo: Le Toan In the first eight months of the year, retail sales increased 4 per cent on-year to VND2.55 quadrillion ($110.87 billion), showing signs of socioeconomic recovery. Economist Dinh Trong Thinh told VIR that the increase is much lower than in previous years. However, any growth is good news in the context of the pandemic, as during social distancing, entire manufacturing and trade activities were disrupted. In addition, the income of a large portion of the populace decreased, leading to a reduction in the consumption of non-essential goods. Thus, the 4 per cent rise reflects the efforts of manufacturers to maintain operations as well as the efforts of the distribution and marketing segment to bring goods to customers, Thinh said. The pandemic was the last drop in a cup filled with massive debts and shifting shopping habits, triggering bankruptcies and store closures in the past eight months. As a result, JCPenney, Gap, Victorias Secret, and more than 40 other retailers were forced to close thousands of stores. Despite the outbreak, Vietnam is expected to remain one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia. This is due in large part to its early and decisive containment efforts, as well as robust and resilient economic fundamentals. Retailers tried to restructure distribution activities to meet the new trends, including online shopping. They not only tried to stabilise the supply of goods but also diversified distribution channels, Thinh said. Notably, the pandemic contributed to promoting the development of omnichannel distribution that offers customers a wider range of shopping and payment alternatives. In addition, online sales tools like chatbots and QR codes are making payments more convenient. According to figures published by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO), in the first three months of this year, retail sales increased by 10.7, 9.8, and 7.7 per cent a month, respectively. However, in April, the retail revenue suddenly stalled, with only a titular increase of 0.4 per cent on-year due to the national social distancing policy. From May to August the figure increased again by 1.2 per cent on-year in May, 3.4 per cent in June, 3.6 per cent in July, and 4 per cent in August. Notably, statistics from the GSO showed that revenue from retail and consumer services in August fell by 2.7 per cent against the previous month. Accommodation and food, and travel services were hit the hardest, falling 14.7 and 61.8 per cent against July. Overall, retail sales and consumer services in the first eight months fell by a slight 0.02 per cent on-year. As shown before, retail sales rose by 4 per cent on-year, primarily driven by revenue from food (up 8 per cent) and household goods (5.4 per cent) while revenue from the textile and garment decreased by 0.6 per cent, from vehicles by down 2 per cent, and cultural and educational goods went down 4.5 per cent. The cities and provinces seeing above-average growth in retail sales included Haiphong (11 per cent), Hanoi (9.8 per cent), Dong Nai (9.4 per cent), and Ho Chi Minh City (9.4 per cent). These increases were thanks to consumers quickly adapting to the new normal, echoed by a spike in online shopping. According to iPrice Group, a privately-owned online shopping aggregator based in Malaysia, over the first half of 2020, local consumers spent 31 per cent more on-year on online shopping. A survey performed by Deloitte in July showed that more than 50 per cent of respondents have cut expenses at supermarkets, grocery stores, and markets. About 25 per cent of them have enhanced spending on online shopping platforms due to COVID-19. In the last four months of 2020, the growth momentum is expected to stay thanks to new drivers such as the anticipated development of anti-coronavirus vaccines in Vietnam and other countries, forecasting an impending economic rebound that will buoy up the retail sector. Also, many countries, including Vietnam, have been rolling out measures to prevent the pandemic and restructure their economies at the same time. Thus, the recovery will be easier, said Thinh. Moreover, the coming New Year will be a great opportunity for local companies, especially those focusing on export-import, to boost sales in the EU markets. Growth may not be as high as in the previous years, but it will be there and will make for a solid basis for the coming hikes, he added. The ability to adapt to the dragging pandemic is a factor that will make or break companies. Specifically, about 63 per cent of CFOs supposed that adding new features and services to their products is most important, according to a PwC report. According to Amity Millhiser, vice chairman at PwC, the period will see the extraordinary rise of several companies which have quickly adapted to the COVID-19 lockdown and adjusted activities. On Tuesday the Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga will honor Dr. Clif Cleaveland with the 2019 Distinguished Service Award. The ceremony will take place at noon, via Zoom. The awards ceremony will be free and open to community members. Dr. Cleaveland is clearly deserving of the Distinguished Service Award, said Larry Stone, Kiwanis member and DSA committee chair. He has devoted nearly 50 years to the well-being of the people of Chattanooga in both professional and volunteer capacities. His lifes work exemplifies the legacy of service this award is meant to recognize. Since 1922, the Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga has annually presented the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of an individuals outstanding leadership and service to the Chattanooga community. Although its the 97th award presentation, this ceremony, like so many other things this year, is celebrating a first by being held online.Mr. Cleaveland spent over 30 years practicing medicine in Chattanooga, after serving two years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. While running his medical practice, he also served as clinical professor of the Chattanooga unit of the UT College of Medicine, where he was awarded the Augustus McCravey Award for excellence in teaching. Since 2004, he has continued to share his expertise with the Chattanooga community as an author, a speaker, columnist, teacher and volunteer.As an adjunct faculty member, he has directed seminars in the history of biology, medicine and public health at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has been a frequent panelist in the Take Five literary series sponsored by the UTC Department of English. Since 2004, he has written a column, To Your Health, for the Chattanooga Times Free Press.He has served the American College of Physicians in a variety of positions, including governor of the Tennessee Chapter, regent and president. In 1988, he co-founded the annual Literature and Medicine Reading Retreat, sponsored by the Tennessee Chapter of the ACP. And, in 2000, he received the ACPs Nicholas Davies Memorial Scholar Award for contributions to medical humanities.Locally, Mr. Cleaveland has devoted his time and knowledge to the boards of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, The Chattanooga Public Library, the McCallie School, the Arts and Education Council and the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga.He graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in chemistry and attended Oxford University, where he began his medical studies and earned an M.A. in physiology. He earned an M.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Vanderbilt University Hospital, serving as Hugh J. Morgan Chief Resident in Medicine.He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is master of the American College of Physicians, member of the American Medical Association, Tennessee Medical Association and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society.He was presented the Champion of Healthcares Lifetime Achievement award.A colleague, in a written nomination, said of Mr. Cleaveland, [He] doesn't merely sit on boards or committees; he truly serves on them honestly, humbly and with enthusiastic affection for his community and his profession. To attend the online award ceremony, call 423-267-6568 or email kiwanischatt@comcast.net for a meeting link and password. You can also learn more about the Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga and past Distinguished Service Award recipients at www.kiwanischatt.org. Shares in energy firm Tullow Oil fell 15.2 per cent today after it reported a massive $1.3billion loss for the first half of the year. The declining oil price has forced it to make a $941million write-off in its exploration assets, which Tullow says primarily arose from its Ugandan and Kenyan operations, but also writedowns of its Peruvian Marina-1 well and assets in other African countries. Tullow also registered $418million in impairment costs related to property, plants and equipment, compared to only a $12million charge in the same period last year. Tullow Oil announced plans to slash its workforce by a third and attempt to raise 780m by selling parts of the business The cost of a barrel of oil has plunged this year and caused considerable financial harm to the petroleum sector, forcing many companies in the industry to write down a large chunk of their assets, make redundancies, and cut dividend payments. By comparison, Tullow only wrote-off $93million and made a post-tax profit of $103million from January to June 2019. Total revenues did not drop as severely however, falling from $871million to $732million. The multinational - whose debts stand at $3billion - has undertaken a major cost-savings programme since December. It expects the measures to deliver $350million in savings over three years, $150million more than previously expected. Recently appointed chief executive Rahul Dhir said that despite experiencing 'very tough conditions' this year, the company had 'successfully delivered reliable production and major, sustainable reductions to our cost base.' 'We are also close to completing the important sale of our interests in Uganda. The quality of Tullow's assets remains robust...These plans will deliver enhanced value from our assets to benefit all our stakeholders including our host countries and investors.' The oil and gas explorer also said it was looking at 'various refinancing alternatives' and plans to hold a capital markets day later this year. It warned that the process carried uncertainties that could risk its going concern status. Oil companies have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic this year Tullow said it is looking to refinance convertible bonds due next year or the senior notes due in 2022, amend its reserve-based lending (RBL) facility or raise cash from banks or other investors by January. Like other oil producers, Tullow has already received debt covenant waivers this year, but its finance boss Les Wood said the business did not take continued waivers for granted. In addition, the firm is slashing jobs and selling assets. It has already agreed the sale of its $575million Ugandan oil fields stake to French oil giant Total, but has halted the sale of a portion of its Kenyan onshore oilfields pending a review. Yesterday, the oil price sank below $40 for the first time in three months, after falling consistently over the previous week due partly to Saudi Aramco's pledge to reduce prices It plans to spend around $365million on investments and decommissioning this year, with capital expenditure in Ghana expected to total about $120million. Tullow said it expects its 2020 cash flow to break even at current oil futures prices. It has hedged 60 per cent of its sales this year at a floor price of $57 a barrel and 48 per cent of next year's sales at a $51 a barrel floor. Yesterday, the oil price sank below $40 for the first time in three months, after falling consistently over the previous week due partly to Saudi Aramco's pledge to reduce prices. Shares in BP and Royal Dutch Shell fell by over 3 per cent each on the FTSE 100. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) Progressive lawmakers of Makabayan bloc are seeking an investigation into the controversial "white sand" project as part of the government's artificial rehabilitation program of Manila Bay. The group filed Tuesday House Resolution 1194 directing the lower chamber to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the joint project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Public Works and Highways along the 500-meter coastline of Manila Bay, following massive backlash from the public. The resolution, signed by Bayan Muna Partylist Reps. Eufemia Cullamat, Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite, GABRIELA Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT-Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago, was shown to the media on Wednesday. HR 1194 cited the clamor of environmental groups such as Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas, the Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment, Greenpeace and Wavefarers on the government's "artificial rehabilitation focusing on aesthetic appearance rather than addressing the environmental degradation" of Manila Bay. It also cited the points of University of the Philippines Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea Director Jay Batongbacal about the potential health hazard that dolomite rocks may bring, such as damage to the lungs or trigger cancer due to exposure to carcinogen. Health Spokesperson Rosario Vergeire had also said that based on medical studies, dolomite can cause irritation in the eyes, and discomfort in the gastrointestinal system, pain, and diarrhea once ingested. Last week, Cebu provincial board members sought a probe into the extraction of dolomite rocks from their area to overlay the "white sand" along the coast line of Manila Bay for aesthetics without their information. The DENR had already defended this move, noting that the project was done with "engineering intervention." But on Tuesday, the Cebu provincial government issued a cease and desist order against Dolomite Mining Corporation and the Philippine Mining Service Corporation in Alcoy town, the two mining firms behind the mineral extraction, to prevent them from further extracting, processing and transporting dolomite deposits. Environmental officials earlier clarified that the budget for the dolomite extraction and transportation was only 28 million compared to the earlier reported 389 million. The department is ready to answer to any legal actions that may be filed against it on the Manila Bay rehabilitation, officials added. Phase II Clinical Trial Initiated for ExoFlo Extracellular Vesicles in the Treatment of COVID-19 AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Biologics, LLC announced the launch today of EXIT COVID-19, their Phase II, multi-center clinical trial examining the use of ExoFlo extracellular vesicles to treat COVID-19 associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Preclinical studies of these extracellular vesicles secreted by bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs) suggest that they may have the ability to downregulate inflammation and upregulate tissue repair in humans. EXIT COVID-19 has initiated enrollment of 75 COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS at multiple research sites across the U.S. The primary efficacy endpoints will be all-cause mortality and median days to recovery. Chief Medical Officer Vik Sengupta, MD, states, "We have pursued a relentless path since April 2020 when the 24 inpatients were treated, and ExoFlo's potential as a therapeutic countermeasure against severe COVID-19 first became clear. Patients in the U.S. deserve safe, innovative therapies that meet the highest standards of value and evidence-based medicine, and our phase II double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial is the next step in that process. It will continue to be my priority to maintain these standards as we investigate the potential benefit of ExoFlo as a treatment for COVID-19 associated ARDS." "This signifies an important milestone in the progression of our product platform development to help in the fight against COVID-19," states Joe Schmidt, Co-Founder and President. "This novel therapy has the potential both to improve outcomes for patients and also to reduce overall costs of hospital stays and adjunctive treatments by speeding recovery and reducing the need or length of ICU time." Mark Adams, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, states, "We are excited to start enrolling patients in the study and look forward to seeing the outcomes of this advanced therapy. We are dedicated to bringing to market a novel treatment at an accelerated pace to help patients suffering from this devastating disease." About ExoFlo ExoFlo is an investigational new drug that has not been approved or licensed by the FDA. It is an 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 Biologics' 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: info@directbiologics.com New legislation from the UK Government setting out arrangements for when the Brexit transition period ends is an abomination that will break devolution, Nicola Sturgeon has said. Scotlands First Minister launched a fierce attack on Westminsters new UK Internal Market Bill, with SNP colleagues in the House of Commons also joining her attack. While Conservative ministers in London have repeatedly said the proposals will transfer powers from Brussels to the administrations in Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff, Scottish Government ministers have branded them a power grab. It is a naked power grab which would cripple devolution Nicola Sturgeon Ms Sturgeon has vowed the Scottish Government will fight tooth and nail against this shameless bid to reverse the devolution of power. She said: The UK Government are not only set to break international law it is clear they are now set to break devolution. The Tories proposed Bill for a so-called UK internal market is an abomination. It is a naked power grab which would cripple devolution. The UK Government said the Internal Market Bill, which was published on Wednesday, will guarantee companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK as they have done for centuries. Expand Close Ms Sturgeon said the proposals prevent the Scottish Parliament from effectively legislating in a whole range of areas (Jane Barlow/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ms Sturgeon said the proposals prevent the Scottish Parliament from effectively legislating in a whole range of areas (Jane Barlow/PA) The First Minister claimed the plan for mutual recognition of standards in reality means a race to the bottom when it comes to things like food standards and environmental protections. She said the Bill, if passed, will prevent the Scottish Parliament from effectively legislating in a whole range of areas, including laws covering the food people put on their tables, which is currently produced to high EU animal welfare and food safety standards. Ms Sturgeon said: That could be undermined by Scotland having to accept lower standards set by a UK Government in pursuit of a US or other trade deals and could see us forced to accept chlorinated chicken. She added: Their plans to trample over devolved spending powers in Scotland and directly fund their own projects could see projects like Boris Johnsons bridge to Northern Ireland being funded instead of schools and hospitals no matter what people in Scotland choose. The First Minister pledged the Scottish Government, as well as SNP MPs at Westminster, will fiercely resist this attack on the powers of our national Parliament. Expand Close Michael Gove claimed the devolved administrations will enjoy a power surge (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael Gove claimed the devolved administrations will enjoy a power surge (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Ms Sturgeon said: Far from returning powers to Scotland, as promised by the likes of Michael Gove, it is now crystal clear that Brexit means taking back control from Holyrood and taking control away from the Scottish people. With a Holyrood election due to take place next year in which the SNP will seek to win a mandate for a second independence referendum, the First Minister added it is now clearer than ever that the only way to defend the powers of the Scottish Parliament is with independence. Her comments were in contrast with those of Cabinet office minister Michael Gove, who said: The devolved administrations of the UK will enjoy a power surge when the transition period ends in December. Holyrood, Stormont and Cardiff Bay will soon have more powers than ever before and there will be no change to the powers the devolved administrations already have. UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the legislation is needed to ensure businesses in the four countries that make up the UK can continue to trade smoothly with each other after the end of this year. Todays Bill will protect our highly integrated market by guaranteeing that companies can continue to trade unhindered in every part of the UK after the Transition Period ends and EU law falls away, he said. Without these necessary reforms, the way we trade goods and services between the home nations could be seriously impacted, harming the way we do business within our own borders. The UK Internal Market Bill will protect 545,000 Scottish jobs dependent on trade with the rest of the UK. That's half a million Scottish jobs Nicola Sturgeon is willing to sacrifice by opposing this legislation. pic.twitter.com/p0rMQYlYHH Scottish Conservatives (@ScotTories) September 9, 2020 Scottish Secretary Alister Jack warned jobs north of the border could be put at risk without the Bill. He said: Without this legislation there would be a serious risk to our jobs and businesses which is not surprising given the rest of the UK is Scotlands biggest market, worth 55 billion a year, and a massive 60% of all our exports. The Scottish Trades Union Congress claimed the proposals could kick-start a race to the bottom on employment protection, environmental and food standards. STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: If we needed further evidence that Boris Johnson leads a rogue, right-wing government oblivious to the threat of provoking constitutional and legal crises, here and abroad, it is on show for all to see today. "No great story ever started with, 'I tried'. If it doesn't start with 'I gave it my all', don't expect much in return," Akshay Kumar had said in an interview with Filmfare magazine. Well, that's exactly what has kept the superstar relevant even after completing 29 years in the film industry. A man who worked as a waiter in Bangkok, and eventually went on to becomeone of the biggest superstars of Hindi cinema; Akshay's journey is quite inspiring! Well, he has the knack of turning everything he touches to gold. Akshay never shies away from stepping out of his comfort zone. From displaying his martial art skills to changing perceptions about sanitary napkins in the country, the actor has done it all on the celluloid and won hearts. When Akshay was once asked in an interview about what makes him different from the other actors, the star came up with an interesting reply, "It's my ability to be a wise owl trapped in a monkey's body with the stamina of a wild panther." Well, we totally agree with him on this. As Akshay Kumar turns 53 today (September 9, 2020), we thought of hitting the rewind button to bring you some throwback pictures of Khiladi Kumar. Are you ready for some major nostalgia bytes? What's Cooking? Akshay Kumar gives us some desi Sherlock Holmes vibes in this throwback picture. What do you guys think? Three's A Company The Sooryavanshi actor is seen sharing a frame with his Aarzoo co-stars, Madhuri Dixit and Saif Ali Khan. Good ol' days, we tell you! Brothers In Arms This throwback picture seems to be from the sets of Mohra, which starred Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Raveena Tandon in lead roles. In this click, where Akshay looks dashing in a cop's uniform, Suniel Shetty is all things swag in his blue denim shirt and trousers. Hello Handsome With his striking face and infectious smile, Akshay Kumar is jaw-dropping good looking in this picture from the past. Good Looks, Good Looks And Good Looks! The superstar never failed to make the ladies skip a heartbeat even back then. Here's a picture for you to drool over, from one of his photoshoots with actress Ayesha Jhulka and another co-star. A Precious Moment From Akshay Kumar-Twinkle Khanna's Life 'Mehendi laga ke rakhna, doli sajaa ke rakhna,' that's the song which immediately comes to our mind after seeing this picture from Akshay Kumar-Twinkle Khanna's pre-wedding festivities. Such a cute moment, isn't it? ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar Says His Age Doesn't Affect Him; 'My Fans Are The Best Blessing About My Birthday' ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar's Upcoming Films Timeline And Every Look From Sooryavanshi To Bell Bottom Peru promised on Monday to invest in its Amazon region, which is a focal point of the coronavirus pandemic, following the death of three indigenous protesters in clashes with police. Around 70 indigenous people armed with spears tried to overrun a settlement for oil workers deep in the Amazon late on Saturday night in a bid to halt work at a well in the remote town of Bretana in the Loreto region. They were angry at what they see as government neglect of their communities during the pandemic, but the clash with police left three people dead and 17 in hospital. "We've agreed to reinforce the primary health attention ... specifically in Bretana, but in general in the Loreto region," said Culture Minister Alejandro Neyra on state television. Neyra was visiting a hospital in Iquitos, Peru's main Amazonian city and the focal point for coronavirus infections in the country. "We've come to see the injured," added Neyra, who is in charge of relations with Peru's indigenous people. He traveled to the oil-rich jungle zone on Sunday where he met with indigenous leaders before calm was restored. "We have agreed to resume the plan to close the gaps" in wealth and health care, he added. The indigenous people complain that the well, known as Lot 95 and operated by a Canadian-owned company called PetroTal, has caused pollution in their lands through a series of oil spills. The company said after the clash it was suspending work at the site, where it employs about 100 people. "We're calling on the central government to take care of the indigenous communities, but also on the indigenous people to not react violently, that doesn't help us reach agreement," said Elisban Ochoa, the governor of Loreto. The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the Amazon region, home to dozens of indigenous ethnicities and where poverty rates are high. Peru is one of the worst affected countries in the world by the coronavirus with 478,000 cases and 21,000 deaths. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Wednesday exchanged views on global challenges in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the state of relations between India and Saudi Arabia and committed themselves to strengthen cooperation in all areas, according to a statement issued after their phone conversation. PM Modi expressed his special thanks to King Salman for the support provided to Indian expatriates by Saudi authorities during the pandemic. He also expressed appreciation for the leadership provided by Saudi Arabia during its ongoing presidency of the G20. The leaders agreed that initiatives taken by the G20 had helped promote a coordinated response to the pandemic. The two leaders also discussed the main priorities on the current agenda of the G20. The Indian government has invested considerable diplomatic capital in recent years in improving ties with Saudi Arabia and other countries in West Asia, which is home to some 8 million Indian expatriates. Saudi Arabia is also among the top two sources of energy for India. The Android 11 preview is now available for Realme X50 Pro users. Check some of the key features of Google's latest Android update. Realme on late Tuesday announced it is one of the first smartphone companies to offer Android 11 to its users. The announcement comes shortly after Google officially rolled out Android 11 to select users. Realme said the applications for the Android 11 preview for realme X50 pro are now open on the realme Community. Googles Android 11 comes with a wide range of new features with a special focus on privacy, connected devices, and improvement to overall user experience. The latest Android iteration also has other key improvements such as network optimisation for better connectivity. Android 11 is currently available for select Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO and realme phones. Top features of Android 11 Privacy Googles Android 11 will now give users grant one-time permissions to the application. This essentially means you can let an app access your microphone, camera, location only the time you are using the app. If you open the app again, it will seek your permission again. Android 11 also comes with an auto-reset permissions feature. This allows the software to remove permissions for applications that have not been used by the user in a while. Messaging Googles new Android update also allows users to prioritise conversation with select contacts. A new Bubbles lets you multitask by chatting with a person while continuing to use an existing application. This is very similar to Messengers on Android. ALSO READ: Top Android 11 features you should be excited about Google is bringing native built-in screen recording support. Now, users will not need to rely on third-party apps on Google Play Store to record their screens. Some OEMs such as Samsung already offer a native feature to their users. Others Android 11 now enables users to access and manage all their smart devices in one place. The feature can be summoned by long-pressing the power button. Media controls have been redesigned and are more helpful than ever. You can now quickly switch the device your media is playing on, so you can take your music with you from your headphones to your speaker without missing a beat, said Google in a post. At least 10 killed in roadside explosion targeting the convoy of First Vice President Amrullah Saleh, officials say. A roadside bomb in Kabul targeted Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Wednesday morning, his spokesman said, but he escaped the attack unharmed. Initially, the interior ministrys spokesman, Tariq Arian, said at least two civilians died but the death toll later rose to 10. The ministry said at least 15 people were wounded. The Taliban, which has pledged not to launch attacks in urban areas under a deal with the United States, denied responsibility. In a video posted on Facebook soon after the explosion, Saleh, with bandages on his left hand, said he had been travelling to his office when his convoy was attacked. I am fine but some of my guards have been wounded. My son, who was in the car with me, and I are both fine, he said. I have some burns on my face and hand. The blast was strong. Vicious terrorist attempt failed Saleh, a former intelligence chief and an outspoken Taliban critic, has survived several assassination attempts, including one on his office last year ahead of presidential elections that killed 20 people. This vicious terrorist attempt has failed and Saleh survived todays bombing in Kabul, Salehs spokesman Razwan Murad said, without offering more details. The roads close to the bombing were closed off. Interior ministry spokesman Arian said the blast also ignited a huge fire in the area, a section of Kabul where shops sell gas cylinders for use in heating homes and cooking. He feared the casualty figures could rise further. Journalist Naseer Rahin in Kabul told Al Jazeera there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which comes just before long-awaited peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Qatars capital, Doha. Afghan men carry an injured to a hospital after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan [Mohammad Ismail/Reuters] Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the group was involved in any way, saying that todays explosion in Kabul has nothing to do with the Mujahedeen of the Islamic Emirate, as the Taliban calls itself. Officials and diplomats have warned that rising violence is sapping the trust needed for the success of talks aimed at ending an armed conflict that began when the Taliban was removed from power in a US-led invasion in late 2001. Intra-Afghan talks Washington has been ramping up pressure on both sides to get the talks under way. US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office, trying to get the negotiations started. The negotiations, known as intra-Afghan talks, were envisaged as part of the peace deal the US signed with the Taliban in Qatar in February to end the countrys longest war. At the time, the talks were cast as Afghanistans best chance at peace after decades of conflict. Kabuls peace negotiation team is waiting in the Afghan capital to travel to the Qatari capital for the talks but delays have been relentless. The US-Taliban deal allows for the withdrawal of American soldiers from Afghanistan. However, US troop pullout, which has already begun, does not hinge on the success of intra-Afghan talks but rather on commitments from the Taliban to fight against other armed groups such as ISIL (or ISIS) and to prevent Afghanistan from being a staging arena for attacks against the US and its allies. Announcing a range of business supports for Irish businesses, Mr Martin said the Government is aware of the risks to vulnerable sectors. The Government will ensure it has done its own preparations in the ports and airports, Mr Martin added. Even with a (trade) agreement there will be substantial challenges for supply chains and trade flows and checks. The protocol in Northern Ireland will apply. It is important that meaningful negotiations can only proceed on the basis of mutual trust. Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said that Brexit is for real this time for traders and businesses. National effort This time there is no extra time, there is no transition, he said. We need a big national effort in the final three months to ensure no one is left behind. The key words are to, from and through. Advertisement If you move things to the UK, if you buy from the UK and if you move things through the UK the status quo will not apply from January 1. We will continue to do everything we can to support Michel Barnier in his efforts to get everything in place in time. It must be consistent with the agreement already made. Mr Coveney added: I would caution anyone who is thinking about playing politics with Northern Ireland on Brexit. Northern Ireland is too fragile and too important to be used as a pawn in the broader Brexit negotiations. Micheal Martin said that trust is fundamental in the conduct of negotiations. He said he is to speak to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson later today to raise the Irish Governments strong concerns about comments made in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has said that the Irish Government is appealing to businesses to take action and prepare for Brexit. Brexit has not gone away and the next stage is happening. You need to be prepared for the new normal and you need to be ready now, Mr Varadkar added. We are making available a grant of 9,000 euros per employee hired to enable businesses to build their capacity and manage any custom changes. My message to business people is simple I know you are under a lot of pressure, I know you are being pulled in many directions and youve had a tough year, but Brexit has not gone away and the next stage is happening. China said yesterday it had 'found' five Indians who were believed to have been kidnapped by its soldiers on the Himalayan border last week. The Indian Army said it spoke with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who confirmed that the youths from Arunachal Pradesh were discovered on their side of the frontier. Seven Indian youngsters were reported to have been abducted after they went out hunting close to the border on Friday, but two managed to escape. Relations between the nuclear-armed Asian giants have hit a multi-decade low since a mass brawl along the frontier left 20 Indian soldiers dead in June. Indian security sources shared images of Chinese troops lined up at the border with spears on Monday night amid renewed threats of skirmishes between the two nuclear armed sides at the Himalayan border An Indian fighter plane flies over a mountain range in Leh, in the Ladakh region, on Wednesday Cabinet minister Kiren Rijuu tweeted on Tuesday: 'China's PLA has responded to the hotline message sent by Indian Army. They have confirmed that the missing youths from Arunachal Pradesh have been found by their side. Further modalities to handover the persons to our authority is being worked out.' China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denied any knowledge of the incident when asked about it at a press conference on Monday. But he did give up an opportunity to lay claim to India's lands, saying: 'China has never recognised the so-called "Arunachal Pradesh", which is China's south Tibet region.' It comes as Indian and Chinese troops faced off yet again on Wednesday, firing warning shots into the thin mountain air from outposts just a few hundred feet apart. 'The situation is tense,' an official in New Delhi said, adding that Indian and Chinese troops were squaring off in close proximity in at least four locations south of the Pangong Tso lake that both lay claim to. 'Both are on their own sides of the LAC,' the official said, referring to the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border. At a forward position near the Rezang La mountain pass, Indian and Chinese troops were only around 200 yards apart, another official in New Delhi said. Both officials declined to be named. At least 20 Indian soldiers, including a colonel, were killed in June during a mass brawl at the border Armed with spears: Chinese troops near the disputed Himalayan border with India on Monday night where gunfire is banned but soldiers fought in deadly hand-to-hand combat in June China's foreign ministry spokesman denied any knowledge of the captive Indians on Monday (pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week) On Monday, the Indian military said Chinese troops fired in the air after attempting to close in on a forward Indian position. But the China military said it was Indian troops who fired the shots, threatening Chinese border guards during a patrol. In photographs provided by sources in New Delhi from an area south of Pangong Tso taken on Monday, around two dozen Chinese troops with assault rifles hanging off their backs can be seen holding spears. The Chinese troops were 'expecting close combat with the Indian Army soldiers', Indian media suggested - raising fears of a repeat of the deadly clash in June. China also allegedly fired warning shots in what Beijing called the first exchange of gunfire along the frontier for 45 years, which both sides blamed on each other. Indian government sources told the Press Trust of India that the soldiers armed with spears were 'aggressively' approaching an Indian outpost near the border. The sources claimed that China's People Liberation Army had fired 10 to 15 rounds in the air to 'intimidate our troops' after India warned of retaliation. Indian soldiers pay their respects during the funeral of their comrade, Tibetan-origin India's special forces soldier Nyima Tenzin in Leh on September 7 Indian protesters burn a poster of Chinese president Xi Jinping in July after a mass brawl which left 20 soldiers dead The world's two most populous countries have sent tens of thousands of troops to the region since a brutal June 15 battle fought with wooden clubs and fists. India has said 20 troops were killed. China acknowledged casualties but did not give figures. The two sides blamed each other for the latest incidents. Amid calls for boycotts of Chinese goods, India has stepped up economic pressure on China since the June battle and repeatedly warned that relations would suffer unless its troops pull back. India has banned at least 49 Chinese owned-apps, including the TikTok video platform, frozen Chinese firms out of contracts and held up Chinese goods at customs posts. An Indian army convoy moves on the Srinagar- Ladakh highway at Gagangeer, northeast of Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tom Allard and Stanley Widianto (Reuters) Jakarta, Indonesia Wed, September 9, 2020 08:10 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4396e9b 2 World Indonesia,US-China,US-China-tension,ASEAN Free Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi cautioned the United States and China on Tuesday not to entangle her country in their regional struggle for influence, telling the two superpowers: "We don't want to get trapped by this rivalry." Retno, the chief diplomatic envoy for Southeast Asia's largest country, made the comment in an interview with Reuters ahead of a series of key meetings of regional foreign ministers this week, some of which will include their US and China counterparts. Military activity in the South China Sea has increased this year alongside hostile rhetoric and antagonistic policy moves from China and the United States, raising concerns among some Southeast Asian states that the risk of armed conflict is rising. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi have ratcheted up their diplomacy in the region in an effort to persuade members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be more sympathetic to their positions. As well as Indonesia, ASEAN comprises nine other states: Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei. Retno said ASEAN must remain steadfastly neutral and united. "ASEAN, Indonesia, wants to show to all that we are ready to be a partner," said Retno. "We don't want to get trapped by this rivalry." China claims most of the South China Sea as sovereign territory. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei have rival claims to the resource-rich waters. The United States this year has escalated "freedom of navigation" operations in waters claimed by China, including bringing two aircraft carriers into the region for the first time since 2014 and lifting submarine deployments and surveillance flights. Naval exercises China's Navy has also increased the tempo of naval exercises in the waterway, including testing four medium-range anti-ship ballistic missiles dubbed "aircraft carrier killers". Its vessels, and those of allied maritime militias, have also harassed Southeast Asian fishing boats in disputed waters. Retno told Reuters the escalating militarization of the South China Sea - and broader US-China animosity - was troubling. "One word: worrying," she said. "That is the political reality that we have to face." She said a joint statement last month by all 10 ASEAN foreign ministers showed that Southeast Asian states were united, dedicated to peace and not taking sides as China-US relations deteriorated. "[ASEAN has] a good culture, but we have to nurture it. We can't take it for granted that these values will live forever." Meanwhile, Retno said she would raise the plight of the Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar with the country's foreign minister. On Monday, Indonesia rescued almost 300 Rohingya refugees who had fled their makeshift homes in the teeming camps of Bangladesh by sea. Other refugees have been turned away by ASEAN states. "It is very important to continue talking with Myanmar about preparing safe, dignified and voluntary repatriations. Until now there's no progress," she said. "When it comes to the humanitarian issue, we do hope that other countries render that assistance. This is not the responsibility of two countries. Christian orgs praise new DOE regulation to defund universities that violate faith groups rights Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and other faith-based student groups are praising a Department of Education final rule issued Wednesday that they say will protect campus student organizations right to choose leaders who share their religious beliefs. The regulation Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities comes in response to an executive order issued in March 2019 signed by President Donald Trump that vowed to withhold federal research grants from colleges and universities that are hostile to First Amendment rights of students. According to the department, the new rule ensures the equal treatment and constitutional rights of religious student organizations at public institutions and provides clarity for faith-based institutions concerning Title IX discrimination law. [T]he Final Rule prohibits discrimination against religious student organizations because of their beliefs, practices, policies, speech, membership standards, or leadership standards, which are informed by sincerely held religious beliefs, a two-page summary of the rule explains. [A] religious student organization would have the same rights as other student organizations at the public institution to receive official recognition, to use the institutions facilities, and to receive student fee funds. The final rule comes as some faith-based campus groups across the country have been denied recognition by universities for having policies that require leaders of the organizations to adhere to their statements of faith, which has led to several legal battles. In 2018, the University of Iowa derecognized dozens of student groups that the school deemed to have discriminatory leadership policies. Lawsuits were filed by InterVarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship and Business Leaders in Christ, a group that was derecognized because its statement of faith prohibited leaders from engaging in same-sex relationships. A federal judge ruled against the schools policy last year, arguing that the policy is not viewpoint neutral if it's selectively applied to restrict the leadership and membership requirements of some student groups but not others. This regulation was, unfortunately, necessary because some universities would give official recognition only to certain faith-based groups, while rejecting others, Greg Jao, director of external relations for InterVarsity Fellowship, said in a statement. What made the student groups who were denied recognition different? They expected their student leaders to agree with their religious beliefs. The recognized groups did not. Universities should welcome all religious groups equally, in order to encourage tolerance, pluralism and religious diversity. The new rule states that public colleges and universities must comply with the First Amendment as a requirement to receive Department grants. Accordingly, the Department will rely upon a final, non-default judgment by a state or federal court to determine whether a public or private institution has violated these material grant conditions, the summary of the rule explains. A public or private institution must report any such final, non-default judgment to the Department no more than 45 calendar days after such judgment is entered. The Department may pursue existing remedies for an institutions noncompliance with these material conditions, the summary continues. Existing remedies include imposing special conditions, temporarily withholding cash payments pending correction of the deficiency, suspension or termination of a federal award, and potentially debarment. The Education Departments final rule was created after the department reviewed more than 17,000 public comments. The regulatory proposal was introduced in January. "This administration is committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of students, teachers, and faith-based institutions, DeVos said in a statement. Students should not be forced to choose between their faith and their education, and an institution controlled by a religious organization should not have to sacrifice its religious beliefs to participate in Department grants and programs. Ismail Royer, director of the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team for the Religious Freedom Institute, also praised the ruling. This new regulation is an important policy for Muslim student organizations because it allows them to select their own leaders and define their own mission by their faith's principles, Royer, said in a statement. This right should be reserved for all student religious organizations, and not usurped by university officials based on their own shifting, unpredictable standards. Jimmy McGee, president of the Impact Movement, a Christian campus ministry focused on students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, said in a statement that faith traditions uniquely support and sustain students of color on campus and that their beliefs are not interchangeable or negotiable. Universities that want to support students of color need to support their religious traditions, McGee added. Rabbi Abba Cohen, vice president for government affairs and Washington director for Agudath Israel of America, stressed the importance of religious groups in college campuses. In a statement shared with The Christian Post, he said, "Religious groups should be encouraged on campus. It simply defies logic, and undermines their very effectiveness, when religious groups are forced to forfeit leadership policies that better insure adherence to their religious mission, beliefs and practices. Advertisement A Japanese artist is allowing her customers to live out their darkest fantasies in her unusual photography studio. Leiya Arata, who is in her thirties, holds funerals for sex dolls, encourages people to dress up as murder victims for photo shoots and turns people into love dolls. The photographer, who set up the fantasy studio at the start of the year in Osaka in western Japan, charges up to 630 for the funerals. Buddhist monk Lay Kato (right) makes hand signs as she undertakes a 'funeral service' for a sex doll named Ran at a photography studio in Japan She says her customers at Love Doll Funeral are all looking for a place where they are loved, accepted and approved. Leiya said: 'They are all great human beings but have very low self-esteem. 'Their desire to change or be accepted and loved is so strong and this is the only place for many of them. I want to be there for that.' Wearing a decoration he designed on his arm, a Japanese man named Mako plays dead in a women's dress inside a coffin during a pretend funeral Megumi Kazuki dresses up as a murder victim at the unusual laboratory where customers can fulfil their darkest fantasies Ai Kaneko is 'packaged' into a product box for a shipment, after being transformed into a sex doll at the Human Love Doll Factory Leiya Arata (pictured), who is in her thirties, holds funerals for sex dolls, encourages people to dress up as murder victims for photo shoots and turns people into love dolls Among the services she provides are elaborate funerals for sex dolls which are directed by a transgender porn actress turned Buddhist monk, Lay Kato. Leiya said of her assistant: 'I don't know anyone who understands sex, dolls and their owners, and offers an appropriate ceremony better than her.' The ceremonies see the life-like figurines placed in coffins, wrapped in burial clothing and decorated with garlands. Other 'mourning' sex dolls watch on during the bizarre service which also has undertakers, candles and prayers. Leiya Arata (right) and Hiiro (left) pray as they stand over the body of Megumi as she dresses up as a corpse covered in blood at a murder scene Flowers are placed next to a sex doll named Ran laying inside a coffin during her funeral service at the photography studio The ceremonies see the life-like figurines placed in coffins, wrapped in burial clothing and decorated with garlands The funerals are directed by a transgender porn actress turned Buddhist monk, Lay Kato (right) who is pictured praying over a man dressed as a dead woman Tsukimi poses as she is dressed up as a French maid sex doll at the studio where customers can live out their most unusual fantasies Leiya takes Ai Kaneko out of a product box after Kaneko, a 39-year-old single nurse, was transformed into a sex doll Ai poses for a product shoot as she displays her serial number and the name Kokoro after being transformed into a doll Leiya told Spanish news agency EFE: 'I started the business because I felt it was a real need. 'Many owners do not want them to be shredded as garbage, there are many who love them as if they were human members of their family.' She added that many owners fear being shamed for leaving the dolls in the bin where they may be found by passersby. Leiya says her customers at Love Doll Funeral are all looking for a place where they are loved, accepted and approved. Sex dolls named Sayaka (left) and Rinne (right) sit and welcome visitors at the entrance of the bizarre Japanese studio Other 'mourning' sex dolls watch on during the bizarre service which also has undertakers, candles and prayers Standing next to a makeup artist Hiiro (right), Mako (left) looks on after a funeral service where he played a female corpse Ai Kaneko says the studio has saved from suicidal thoughts she has suffered for 15 years after finding the body of her boyfriend who had hanged himself Around 2,000 sex dolls, which cost from $6,000 and can come with adjustable fingers, removable head and genitals, are sold each year in Japan, according to industry insiders This has even led to the police being called after people mistook the dolls for corpses. Other services include dressing people up as sex dolls or corpses for photo shoots. She also allows men to dress up as women and have their own funeral. Ai Kaneko, a 39-year-old single nurse, travelled to the studios to be turned into a sex doll. Many sex doll owners fear being shamed for leaving the figurines in the bin where they may be found by passersby This has even led to the police being called after people mistook the dolls for corpses, leading to the success of her unique funerals Leiya takes photos of Mako as he plays dead in a coffin during his funeral as a woman, while Lay Kato prays at the side A Japanese samurai sword, ceremonially given to the dead to protect themselves from evil spirits on their way to the afterlife world, is placed on a coffin Megumi Kazuki relaxes as she waits to be applied makeup for a 'murder' session at Shitai-Labo During the shoot, Leiya plays a forensic photographer alongside her makeup artist as she takes photos of the apparent victim Leiya Arata ties Ai Kaneko with a rope to transform her into a sex doll mimicking a bondage woman, during a photo session She told EPA: 'I wanted to be beautiful and be possessed by someone. Not to be dominated, but to be loved and cherished, like sex dolls are.' She says the studio has saved from suicidal thoughts she has suffered for 15 years after finding the body of her boyfriend who had hanged himself. Around 2,000 sex dolls, which cost from $6,000 and can come with adjustable fingers, removable head and genitals, are sold each year in Japan, according to industry insiders. In a country already facing multiple crises, record floods and heavy rains have killed 100 and displaced 500,000 people. Wading through waist-deep water, residents of the al-Shigla neighbourhood in Omdurman, twin city of Sudans capital Khartoum, tried to rescue what was left of their possessions as they floated by. Others stood by in despair, observing the aftermath of days of torrential rains that brought record-breaking flash floods to the country where the Blue and White Niles join to become the Nile River. Pieces of furniture, broken tiles, damaged vehicles and more were washed away by this years rain that fell profusely and continuously for nearly two weeks. The rain and flooding exceeded records set in 1946 and 1988, killing more than 100 people and forcing the government to declare a three-month state of emergency this week. To many Sudanese like Amna Ahmed, seasonal rains, in and of themselves, are nothing new. The food vendor is usually prepared for the countrys rainy season, which lasts from June to October. Despite losing everything, the 63-year-old is thankful that the devastating floods did not also take her life. This year, she is one of the thousands of people who lost their homes. We lost everything. We lost our homes, furniture, clothes, and we were even about to lose our lives, the mother of four told Al Jazeera. According to her, the Niles water levels increased drastically over the past few days, reaching a peak on Friday night. Since then, it has been overflowing, demolishing everything from homes to trees and cars. Last week, a committee tasked with dealing with the ramifications of the floods, warned that the country may face more rains, adding that the water level in the Blue Nile rose to a record 17.58 metres. Experts say climate change is a large part of the problem. Critical situation On Monday, authorities in Sudan declared a national state of emergency and designated the country a natural disaster zone. The floods have so far impacted more than half-a-million people and caused the total and partial collapse of more than 100,000 homes in at least 16 Sudanese states. Sudans Khartoum, Blue Nile and River Nile states are among the hardest-hit, while damage has also been reported in the Gezira, Gadarif, West Kordofan and South Darfur regions, according to the United Nations. A man stands outside a flooded house in the town of Omdurman, across the White Nile from the capital Khartoum [Marwan Ali/AP Photo] We are in very critical situation. The governments efforts to save us are nothing comparing to the size of the actual damage, said Ahmed, who now sleeps in front of her destroyed house. What we now need is shelter, food, medicine and vaccines for the children, she said. The desperate cries are reflected in Sudans capital, Khartoum, where tents have been put up to accommodate the displaced. While the government managed to evacuate residents of 43 affected villages across the country, thousands of families in Khartoum were left to hold on to whatever they could save as they wait for the floods to subside. Some families have been sleeping on whatever dry patches of land they can find, on sidewalks and in front of demolished homes. No one came to help us Meanwhile, Sudans civil defence force has been attempting to dig a drainage channel meant to reduce Nile water levels, but that has so far been unsuccessful. Ezz Aldin Hussein placed the blame squarely on the government. The government still does nothing for us, Hussein, whose home in the badly hit al-Lamab neighbourhood in south Khartoum was partially destroyed, told Al Jazeera. The rainy season is known to come every year, but we dont see the government seriously prepare for it, the 56-year-old engineer said. In failing to save our lives and belongings, Hussein believes the countrys new transitional government does not differ from former strongman President Omar al-Bashirs regime. Hussein was among the millions in Sudan who risked their lives and protested against al-Bashirs oppressive 30-year rule that ended last year. An aerial view shows buildings and roads submerged by the Nile floodwaters [El Tayeb Siddig/Reuters] Unemployment, deeply rooted corruption and economic sanctions were the main drivers behind the mass protests that toppled al-Bashir. What followed was the rise of a fragile power-sharing government that is now working to achieve a democratic transition in Sudan amid acute economic woes. But to Hussein, these challenges should not have hindered the states ability to respond to Sudans latest crisis. When the walls of his house fell on his car parked in the driveway, Hussein reached out to the police and civil defence authorities, but said no one came to help us. I had no option but to call my neighbours to help me pull my car from under the wall, he said. The Sudanese people have relied on a tradition of social mobilisation for immediate relief. Nafeer an Arabic word meaning a call to mobilise is seeing people turn to each other to seek and offer support. The youth-led initiative brought together thousands of people earlier this month to help each other in battling the crisis. In Husseins neighbourhood, youths gathered to organise people, build structures to assist displaced families and load trucks to distribute food and other items. Ahmed Abul Motaal, a 22-year-old volunteer, said he joined the initiative because he wanted to participate in the Sudanese tradition after seeing his fellow citizens lose their homes and suffer in the floods. We are organising ourselves in different neighbourhoods to help our people, Motaal said, adding that the initiatives objective is to also fill the gaps that are outside the hands of the government. We saw the houses collapse and the elderly and children [stranded] We had to do something. Additional reporting by Mohammed Alamin in Khartoum. 09.09.2020 LISTEN Eastern Regional Election Director, Jamal Konneh says the demonstration by some Akyem group against flagbearer of National Democratic Congress (NDC) over Akyem Sakawa boys tag is politically motivated to divert attention. John Dramani Mahama shared a Facebook post by Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Hon. Isaac Adongo tagged Akyem Sakawa boys in reaction to the supposed fraudulent deal of the Agyapa Royalty Agreement. In a reaction, a group calling itself Okyeman Youth Association in the Abuakwa State demonstrated on Wednesday against the flagbearer and demanding him and NDC a retraction and an apology. According to the groip, failure to apologize will bar any political activity of the NDC in the region. Speaking on Midday Live on TV3 Wednesday, Mr. Jamal said the demonstration is politically motivated to divert attention. He continued, This is a politically motivated demonstration just to divert attention of the Agyapa Royalty Agreement, but the NDC has an election to win and is focused on that trend. What Ghanaians want to know is how to better their lives and the NDC is bent on delivering that. "The Okada man wants to know what will benefit him as a Ghanaian, traders and hawkers on the street want to know how government can improve their lives, and the NDC is focused on winning the election to rescue Ghanaians from the hardship under the NPP government, he said. He stated that the constitution mandates every political party to campaign across the region and constituencies of the country. He added that it is not in the purview of the demonstrators to determined the right to campaign in any part of the country. The President Nana Akufo Addo took offence over the comment and lament bitterly to the Catholic Bishops Conference during a meeting. The NDC has however maintained a vigorous campaign against the Agyapa Royalties Agreement, and described it as fraudulent and opaque attempt by the NPP-led administration to syphon public funds for their parochial interest. The campaign against the deal resorted to the naming tagging of some individuals involved in the deal as 'Akyem Sakawa Boys'. The new agreement is expected to enable the country to use a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Agyapa Royalties Limited, to secure about $1 billion to finance infrastructural projects. The NDC has among other concerns maintained that the mineral royalties have been undervalued in the agreement and called for an independent probe. For nearly six months I had wondered, somewhat doubtfully, if I would have an opportunity to see a movie in an indoor theater again before 2021. Last Thursday afternoon, my prayers were answered by a notification from the Cinemark app on my phone stating that Century Napa Valley would finally be opening its doors and screening new movies the following day for Labor Day weekend. After pumping my fists in the air and yelling, Yes! Yes! Yes! in my best impersonation of WWE superstar Daniel Bryan, I immediately texted my roommate and logged onto the app to purchase us tickets to see the first showing of Tenet, the newest time-bending entry by cerebral director Christopher Nolan, on Friday afternoon. As my roommate and I entered the Cinemark lobby, we were greeted by the most enthusiastic and cheerful movie theater employees I had ever encountered (and Ive seen a LOT of movies). Before COVID-19, I was nearly a weekly theater goer. As an introvert living in the age of streaming and instant gratification, there are few things in life that bring me more satisfaction than sitting in a large dark room where talking and using your phone are faux pas, and just spending a couple hours getting completely engrossed in a film. I was excited to see this movie. Thank you for coming in, guys, we were told by three separate employees before we even finished buying our concessions. Their words seemed earnest, not in a forced Chick-Fil-A My Pleasure sort of way, but in a genuine manner that made it seem like these people were just grateful to have jobs again. COVID-19 safety protocols were, of course, implemented, including face mask requirements and theaters seating at only 25% capacity. These protocols did not hinder our theater-going experience in any way (youre allowed to remove your mask to eat and drink, of course), and the limited seating actually made it more enjoyable. Who likes sitting next to strangers anyway? Before the film started, we were shown a Cinemark ad detailing exactly how they were keeping us safe from COVID-19 (preceded by an older trailer for No Time To Die that hilariously advertised the opening date as April 2020). I wouldnt necessarily put myself in the Scared of coronavirus category, but I am certainly not a COVID-19 denier, and with the social distancing measures in place I felt significantly safer in the theater than I would have eating inside a restaurant or flying on a plane. I know that movie theaters will need to open back up to full capacity eventually, but I think Im going to enjoy this phase while it lasts. As an extra little incentive to bring people back into theaters, Cinemark is discounting all concessions, and popcorn is now dirt cheap. Now, onto the film. Nolan has spent much of his film career exploring the concept of time in films like Memento (2000), Interstellar (2014), and Dunkirk (2017). In Tenet, the director finally decides to grab the bull by the horns. The results at times are simultaneously both challenging and rewarding to the audience. While there are a few moments that come off as clunky and off-putting, Nolan does manage to tie up all of his loose ends in a nice, neat, and sometimes mind-bending bow. The plot of Tenet revolves around a CIA super-spy (John David Washington) who is drafted into an organization dedicated to preventing the start of World War III. The threat of extinction does not come from nuclear war, however, but from time-inverted weapons created in the future that could theoretically destroy civilization in the past and effectively end the world in the present. If that sounds confusing, thats because it is. Nolan does not spoon-feed his audiences in the way many modern blockbuster directors do. Instead, he prefers to string them along with the absolute bare minimum amount of information required to move the film forward. With the added element of time manipulation, we are shown several key sequences twice during the film from different perspectives, one scene playing out in real time and the other happening in reverse. This does call for a handful of head-scratching moments, but ultimately serves to make the films climax that much more satisfying once all the pieces fall together. Like Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy, Tenet balances being a cerebral film by absolutely dripping in spectacle. There is very little CGI, and most of the special effects are practical. Buildings explode and implode, bullets are fired in reverse, a real Boeing 747 crashes into a hangar during a heist sequence, and theres a particularly brutal fight scene in a restaurant kitchen involving a cheese-grater. Adding time manipulation into the mix turns action sequences that would ordinarily be impressive in their own rights into truly captivating moments. One scene in particular toward the end the first act involves two characters fist-fighting while one is moving forward in time and the other is moving in reverse. That creates an unsettling onscreen effect that looks like something out of Twin Peaks. Where Tenet finds itself lacking compared to previous Nolan films is in its character development. The fact that Washingtons character is never given a real name during the films two-and-a-half hours other than The Protagonist should be indicative enough of the films narrative priorities. The film features a stellar cast of top-notch actors including Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and Michael Caine, but with the stakes set so high there are few moments in Tenet where I found myself really caring about the lives and livelihoods of any of these characters. The films antagonist, an arms dealer played by Kenneth Branagh, is almost a stereotypical James Bond villain complete with a Russian accent and a relatively flat character arc. Speaking of Bond, it is clear that Nolan is a huge 007 fan, and Tenet is Nolans love letter to the British spy franchise. Its a globe-trotting espionage film that borrows all of Nolans favorite elements from the Bond films and leaves behind the cliches. Washingtons character exudes all of Bonds swagger and much of his charm with some hilariously witty one-liners. While his character may lack depth at times, his portrayal is always magnetic on screen. Tenet may not be Nolans best film to date, but it is a welcome addition to the directors canon and a particularly fun movie to watch on the big screen. Immaculate sets, dynamic camera work, Nolans signature muted color palette, and a very Hans Zimmer-esque score composed by Ludwig Gorransen (The Mandalorian, Black Panther) combine to create a film that feels both intimate and larger than life, often at the same time. At the very least, this film deserves Oscar nominations for its cinematography and sound design. Upon first viewing, I would give this film a 7.8 out of 10. Overall, it was very entertaining and it does a lot of things right, but it is not without its shortcomings. The intricate weaving of character arcs and timelines alone makes me want to see it again, and with the lack of movies currently in theaters, theres a good chance I will be rewatching it sooner rather than later. While Tenet might not be the film of the year, it definitely deserves to be seen in the cinema and not on a streaming platform. As for the science behind the films use of time, the best approach to watching this film would be given in a line of dialogue spoken by Clemence Poesys character, a scientist named Laura, during the films first act: Dont try to understand it. Feel it. After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation partially demolished her office in Mumbai for alleged structural violations, Kangana Ranaut has claimed that she is getting threats that her house will be torn down as well. She warned that no matter what happens, she will expose the underhand ways of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Karan Johar gang. In a tweet, Kangana wrote, My office was suddenly declared illegal in last 24 hours, they have destroyed everything inside including furniture and lights and now I am getting threats they will come to my house and break it as well,I am glad my judgement of movie mafias favourite worlds best CM was right. Come Udhav Thakeray and Karan Johar Gang you broke my work place come now break my house then break my face and body, I want world to see clearly what you anyway do underhand, whether I live or die I will expose you regardless, she added in a follow-up tweet. My office was suddenly declared illegal in last 24 hours, they have destroyed everything inside including furniture and lights and now I am getting threats they will come to my house and break it as well,I am glad my judgement of movie mafias favourite worlds best CM was right. https://t.co/mMGbFeRztI Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Come Udhav Thakeray and Karan Johar Gang you broke my work place come now break my house then break my face and body, I want world to see clearly what you anyway do underhand, whether I live or die I will expose you regardless Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 On Wednesday, the BMC partially demolished Kanganas office, a day after issuing her a stop work notice over alleged structural violations. She called it an act of fascism and the death of democracy, claiming that she was targeted for speaking against the Maharashtra government. Also read | Kangana Ranaut hits out at Uddhav Thackeray: My home was demolished today, your pride will crumble tomorrow Kangana warned Uddhav in a video message that his pride will crumble soon and compared her situation to the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of 1990. Uddhav Thackeray, did you think that you took revenge on me by colluding with the film mafia and demolishing my house? My house has been demolished today but your pride will crumble tomorrow. Time will change, she said. I think you have done me a huge favour. I knew what Kashmiri Pandits must have gone through, but today, I have experienced it. I vow that I will make a film, not just on Ayodhya, but also on Kashmir. I will rouse my fellow countrymen. It has happened to me, which has some meaning and significance. Uddhav Thackeray, it is a good thing that it was me who was subjected to this cruelty and terror. It definitely has some significance. Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra!, she added. Kangana has been involved in a war of words with the ruling Maharashtra government after she likened Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and criticised the Mumbai Police. Earlier, in July, Kanganas team claimed that the Mumbai Police were intentionally not calling in Karan Johar for questioning in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, as he was the best friend of Uddhavs son and Maharashtra environment minister, Aaditya Thackeray. She has, on several occasions, called Karan the head of the movie mafia. Follow @htshowbiz for more Solid, altruistic global leadership is the only way to face future crises and win Covid-19 has taught us that investing in health security research, preparedness and responsiveness, nationally, regionally and globally, is critical. For this to work and to beat similar crises in future, effective, credible, altruistic political leadership at all levels of society is needed. The world as we know it has changed, forever. The Covid-19 pandemic has achieved what a few outspoken voices had predicted. The emergence of the SARS-Cov-2 virus has affected every person in a multitude of ways, from restricting movement and changing interaction with others, to many losing their livelihoods and large numbers becoming infected and many of those infected, dying more than 800,000 deaths have already been ascribed to the virus and evidence suggests that this is a substantial underestimation (in South Africa, the current level of excess deaths is three times higher than the number of deaths that can be ascribed to Covid-19). It is, therefore, obvious that this pandemic is not just like any influenza epidemic (the 2009-2010 swine flu pandemic caused 300,000 deaths). On the other hand, fortunately, the lethality of this virus is modest when compared with the Spanish influenza pandemic of a century ago that cost between 20 million and 50 million lives and the more recent West African Ebola outbreak, where 11,000 deaths occurred among the 28,000 infected (a 40% case-fatality rate). What is patently clear, is that such events, whether they are caused by natural evolution of an infective agent or are human-made, will recur. During this weeks virtual symposium organised by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Columbia University and the University of the Witwatersrand, titled Meeting the Challenge of Covid-19 in Africa, the key messages were: That the world can overcome such threats if all nations and societies work in solidarity. That tried-and-tested public health principles are effective. These primarily consist of using testing, tracing and isolation to reduce the rate of infections until vaccine-based prevention becomes available. Other methods to reduce the virus in circulation are also essential. In the case of droplet/airborne viral spread, this means limiting the movement of people, wearing facemasks, interpersonal distancing, enhancing dispersion of the virus by good ventilation and reducing the rate of transmission from hand to face by promoting effective and regular hand-washing. That the only manner in which the SARS-Cov-2 virus will be relegated to becoming a seasonal, nuisance virus will be the development of effective population-wide immunity. To prevent undue mortality, this requires the development of effective, widely available vaccines. That the world and every nation must be prepared and appropriately capacitated to prevent such threats from occurring, and if this fails, to thwart such events developing by rapidly implementing the public health interventions listed above. That threats of this nature have lasting effects not only on the wellbeing of people and the worlds economy, but also on the worlds sustainability. The consequences are long-lasting and cures, if they exist, take time and large amounts of money to develop. Furthermore, the focus on the acute problem invariably has other downstream costs in disrupted health systems and economies. Mechanisms to prevent and manage pandemics are, therefore, essential. This requires that all countries have an effective public health system that is well run, and is adequately and consistently resourced. These entities must be in the position to rapidly deploy, using the most up-to-date, evidence-based health interventions and technologies. Their ability to advise the decision-makers and the populace must be unrestrained and protected from political interference. Importantly, the most effective tool available to these agencies is their communication about preventive public health measures, the importance of societal solidarity and the value of vaccination. Such messaging must be trusted by everyone in society and it is mandatory that this has political ownership in the highest office. This requires that governance at all levels of society is ethical, strong, thoughtful and accountable. Such servant leadership is not only essential to ensure the level of international collaboration needed to allow for an effective global response, but more importantly is the quintessential element in implementing the local interventions, which at times may be harsh and unpopular. Trusted management, based on transparent decision-making, using the best scientific evidence available at the time and subsequent quality trustworthy communications are much more likely to reduce the rate of spread of the virus. Without trust, no measure will be implementable, no matter how effective the local enforcement agencies are, particularly in societies that are deprived or under threat. That trusted leadership works in reducing the number of SARS-Cov-2 infections and minimises Covid-19 mortality has been clearly demonstrated in a number of countries. On the other hand, where trust in leadership is patchy or does not exist, high infection rates occur. Similarly, when political leadership has been in solidarity with neighbouring nations, regional outcomes appear to be better. As the Covid-19 pandemic has again shown, the biosphere has no borders. This also means that with the possibility of Covid-19 vaccines being available in the near future, immunisation equity will be central to global health security. In contrast, vaccine nationalism will impede the development of global immunity and global distributive justice. As we have seen, human tragedy from rapidly spreading infectious outbreaks is profound, with extensive health, economic and social consequences causing monumental human suffering. The painful statistic of lives lost is only the first measure of impact. Covid-19, like the 1918 Spanish flu, has underscored how vulnerable the world is. Therefore, investing in health security research, preparedness and responsiveness, nationally, regionally and globally, is critical, even when no imminent crisis is apparent. So what does this boil down to? That the management of any pandemic, which arguably is the biggest threat to the wellbeing and survival of humanity, requires effective, credible, altruistic political leadership at all levels of society. Above all, this leadership must be worthy of the trust placed in it. Anything less is paid for with lives, mostly by those who carry the burden of inequity and disadvantage. Martin Veller is Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand and Ames Dhai a Visiting Professor of Bioethics at the Wits School of Clinical Medicine and Specialist Ethicist at the Office of the President and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council. This article was first published in the Daily Maverick/Maverick Citizen. ROCHESTER HILLS, Michigan, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: INFU), (InfuSystem or the Company), a leading national health care service provider, facilitating outpatient care for durable medical equipment manufacturers and health care providers, announced today that Richard DiIorio, Chief Executive Officer and Barry Steele, Chief Financial Officer, will present at Lake Streets 4th Annual Best Ideas Growth (BIG4) Conference, being held on Thursday, September 17, 2020, on a virtual platform. Management is scheduled to meet with investors Thursday, September 17th, with one-on-one and group meetings to be held throughout the day. To receive additional information, request an invitation or to schedule a one-on-one meeting, please email conference@lakestreetcm.com . Conversely, you may also call or email Lytham Partners at 602-889-9700, or infu@lythampartners.com . About the BIG4 Conference Lake Street will host its 4th Annual Best Ideas Growth (BIG4) Conference on a virtual platform, showcasing many interesting and dynamic public growth companies. Executives from approximately 85 publicly traded companies will meet institutional investors in an interactive, one-on-one format. This is an invitation-only event attended by top institutional investors from across the country. For more information, visit https://www.lakestreetcapitalmarkets.com/big4conference , contact your Lake Street representative, email conference@lakestreetcm.com, or call 612-326-1305. About InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: INFU), is a leading national health care service provider, facilitating outpatient care for durable medical equipment manufacturers and health care providers. INFU services are provided under a two-platform model. The lead platform is Integrated Therapy Services (ITS), providing the last-mile solution for clinic-to-home healthcare where the continuing treatment involves complex durable medical equipment and services. The ITS segment is comprised of Oncology business, Pain Management, and Wound Therapy. The second platform, Durable Medical Equipment Services (DME Services), supports the ITS platform and leverages strong service orientation to win incremental business from its direct payor clients. The DME Services segment is comprised of direct payor rentals, pump and consumable sales, and biomedical services and repair. Headquartered in Rochester Hills, Michigan, the Company delivers local, field-based customer support and also operates Centers of Excellence in Michigan, Kansas, California, Massachusetts and Ontario, Canada. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release or made in the virtual conference are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, such as statements relating to future actions, business plans, objectives and prospects, future operating or financial performance. The words believe, may, will, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, should, plan, expect, strategy, future, likely, variations of such words, and other similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, our dependence on estimates of collectible revenue, potential litigation, changes in third-party reimbursement processes, changes in law and other risk factors disclosed in the Companys most recent annual report on Form 10-K and, to the extent applicable, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements made in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. We do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances, except as required by law. Additional information about InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. is available at www.infusystem.com . # # # RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- If the global pandemic has proven anything, it has shown that it is possible for the world to come together for a common cause, though separated by distance. This year, an annual global campaign will have an even larger symbolic impact due to what has become 2020's new normal the Zoom call. Culminating on Remember Me Thursday (RMT), a worldwide pet adoption awareness campaign now in its 8th year will unite animal advocates from locations as far away as Estonia, Bulgaria, and Singapore, virtually via video chat, to simultaneously light up the world for orphan pets. Helen Woodward Animal Center invites the public to join us via Zoom on Remember Me Thursday, September 24 at 9:00 a.m. PST to #SeeTheLight about pet adoption. Remember Me Thursday is held every 4th Thursday of September to shine a light on the millions of pets waiting for forever homes. Remember Me Thursday is held every 4th Thursday of September to shine a light on the millions of pets waiting for forever homes. RMT was established in 2013 by Helen Woodward Animal Center President and CEO Mike Arms. Moved by the staggering statistics that over a million homeless pets lose their lives each year in the U.S., Arms put out a call to rescue organizations in an attempt to create a social media global awareness campaign. As creator of the International Pet Adoptathon and the International Home 4 the Holidays program (placing over 17 million pets in homes since 1999), he was able to send out an expansive request and the response was significant. "We understand that not everyone is in the position to adopt a pet," explained Arms, "but we also know that anyone who loves animals and is tapped into social media has the ability to share a message of support. By uniting all of these social media voices on one day, we can make a larger impact and really affect change." Now in its eighth year, RMT has been supported by 190 countries with hundreds of thousands of individuals and more than 1,000 separate animal welfare organizations around the globe holding candle-lighting ceremonies of their own, spreading the message on social media, or lighting a virtual candle. The enormous swell of celebrity support includes stars such as Bethenny Frankel, Kristin Chenoweth, Carrie Ann Inaba, Katherine Heigl, Rick Springfield, Wynonna Judd, George Lopez, along with dozens of athletes, designers, musicians, and social media influencers. With over 100 luminaries onboard, the star power behind the campaign has resulted in the topic trending each year on both Facebook and Twitter, garnering more than 1 billion social media impressions since its start. This year, for the first time ever, representatives from animal welfare organizations and campaign luminaries from Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, New York, North Carolina, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, have decided to unite on an international Zoom call to share the significance of RMT within their respective organizations and countries. Speakers from each organization will share the state of animal welfare in their area and how they are commemorating the pet adoption awareness campaign. At the same time, essential staff at Helen Woodward Animal Center will wave hello from Rancho Santa Fe as part of the virtual program which kicks off Thursday, Sept. 24 at 9:00 a.m. PST. The virtual program will also include words from RMT founder and Center President and CEO Mike Arms, a reading of the official RMT poem and a presentation of the RMT Rescue Pet Hero award. The ceremony will end with a heartfelt international candle lighting in remembrance of the millions of orphan pets still waiting in shelters for their own forever homes. The one-of-a-kind international RMT Zoom call will be available online for the animal-loving public to watch. Those who wish to register to watch can click here. The public can also get involved by tweeting, tagging, posting and sharing the beauty and life-saving significance of pet adoption using the hashtag #RememberMeThursday and #SeeTheLight and @hwac. Animal-lovers can also win life-saving funds, toys and food for adoptable pets looking for forever families at their favorite non-profit, pet adoption organization. To enter the Remember Me Thursday Social Media Contest , simply upload your rescue pet's photo and story to the #RememberMeThursday Photo Wall for a chance to win!* (*Restrictions apply. Final selection remains at the sole discretion of Helen Woodward Animal Center). For more information on Remember Me Thursday and a full list of participating celebrities and animal welfare organizations, go to www.remembermethursday.org . SOURCE Helen Woodward Animal Center Related Links http://www.animalcenter.org/ Two of the main figures in a Lithuanian organised crime gang that controls the heroin trade in Kerry are on the run following co-ordinated multi national raids last month. In all 18 members of the gang were arrested in a series of raids, co-ordinated through Europol, which took place in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Lithuania. One of the arrests followed a raid in Kerry where the gang has built up a major presence in the greater Tralee area. The man arrested in Kerry is now facing extradition proceedings in the High Court on foot of an international warrant that was issued by Lithuanian authorities. Europol say the gang - which is also involved in prostitution - has a complex multi-million Euro distribution network that typically uses people trafficked from Lithuania to act as dealers and drug mules. Several members of the gang have previously come before the courts in Kerry. At one hearing involving a member of the gang the Court heard that the gang's leader in Lithuania had specifically targeted Tralee as "a lucrative spot" to sell heroin. While the gang's operations were initially mainly centred in Dublin they moved their activities out of the capital having come under sustained pressure from Gardai. That followed an acid attack on a Dublin garda detective who had been investigating the gang's activities. The gang subsequently switched their focus to Kerry, Cork and Waterford where they had already carved out a niche in the local drug trade. Its members took control of the Kerry drug trade following the demise of the Limerick based McCarthy-Dundon gang whose representatives were previously the main players in Kerry's illicit drug market. Gardai believe one of the Lithuanian gang's main figures was centrally involved in the shipment of a "very significant" amount of heroin into Kerry in recent years. In the wake of the international raids two of the gang's leading members in Ireland - one who is thought to be the gang's top figure in this country - are now on the run. Both men, who have been closely linked to crime in Kerry, are understood to have evaded arrest as they were out of the country when the co-ordinated raids took place on August 26. The simultaneous raids were focused on the "dealing hubs" set up by the gang. Large amounts of drugs, cash and documentation were seized in the Irish raids. The pair that managed to avoid arrest were understood to be the main targets in the Irish phase of the multi-national operation. Gardai and authorities across Europe are now on the lookout for the men who are the subject of international arrest warrants and are priority targets for Lithuanian organised crime prosecutors. Revenue and the Criminal Assets Bureau are carrying out their own investigations into the gang's money laundering activities. The Justice Department is seeking to take over President Donald Trump's defense in a defamation that rape accuser E. Jean Carroll filed against him after he called her a liar. Trump was acting 'within the scope' of his job as president, DOJ wrote in a new memo filed with the court as the suit moves to a new evidentiary phase in a bid that would have a stable of taxpayer-paid government lawyers take up the defense. Trump accused Carroll of 'totally lying' and said she was 'not my type' when she came out with an essay accusing him of raping her in the Bergdorf Goodman store in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996. E. Jean Carroll claims Donald Trump raped her in the 1990s and has sued Donald Trump for defamation after he said she was lying. The U.S. Justice Department filed a memo seeking to take over the defense Carroll's suit, filed late last year, says Trump 'smeared her integrity, honesty and dignity all in the national press.' Bloomberg news reported the legal development. It comes as Carroll's team seeks to build her case by forcing Trump to give a deposition as well as a DNA sample. In her explosive article detailing the allegations, Carroll writes that she kept the black wool dress she wore the day of the alleged incident. Her team wants it tested for any genetic material. Trump has been represented by longtime lawyer Marc Kasowitz in the matter, who also helped represent Trump in his multi-lawyered impeachment defense. The memo was filed by the Justice Department, headed by Trump loyalist attorney general Bill Barr Donald Trump responded to a rape accusation by the writer E. Jean Carroll (second from left) by saying that he's never met her. A photo from 1987 shows them at a party together. The memo comes as the Trump campaign is under fire for heavy spending on lawyers Carroll's team has had a dress she says she wore the day of the alleged rape tested for DNA evidence Carroll is seeking damages from Trump for alleged 'defamatory statements' Trump's lawyers had sought to delay the suit in a filing last month but a New York judge ruled it can go forward Tuesday's news follows reports that Trump's campaign has blown through $800 million including on legal fees to help Trump fend off a variety of lawsuits. The RNC has spent upwards of $2.5 million defending Trump on Russia and Ukraine investigations, the New York Times reported, while the campaign has spent $1.5 million on litigation involving a campaign aide who says she was sexually harassed and other matters. 'Because President Trump was acting within the scope of his office or employment at the time of the incident out of which the plaintiffs claim arose, the United States will file a motion to substitute itself for President Trump in this action,' according to the DOJ memo. The filing has the potential to further delay action in the case until after the November elections. A New York judge ruled in August against Trump's urging to delay the case. R estrictions on asylum seekers right to work should be relaxed, the Government has been told. Peers behind the call at Westminster argued the easing of the rules would help integration, give people dignity, save the taxpayer cash and avoid the threat of exploitation. The proposal came as the House of Lords continued its detailed scrutiny of the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill, which has already cleared the Commons. The proposed legislation will end free movement following Britains departure form the EU and deliver a points-based immigration system. The move comes after a refugee camp in Greece was burned down / REUTERS Pressing for a relaxation of the current restrictions on asylum seekers accessing employment, Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Hamwee said: The great majority of asylum seekers are keen to work. Persistence is probably part of the make-up of many of them by definition, their having managed to get to this country. They want to pay tax and to contribute to their new society. She was supported by independent crossbencher Baroness Meacher, who said: Reform would enable asylum seekers to begin to integrate, to support themselves and live with dignity, to support their children to lead healthy, productive lives and, very importantly, to avoid the very real risk of exploitation and modern slavery. Labour peer and refugee campaigner Lord Dubs, who fled the Nazis as a child on the Kindertransport, argued it was a matter of integrity that people should be allowed to work. 'Reform would enable asylum seekers to integrate', Baroness Hamwee said / REUTERS He said: We want people in this country to have a sense of their worth and to have self-respect, because to deny that to our fellow human beings is pretty appalling. Its a matter of integrity that people should be allowed to work. Its a matter of being a way out of poverty. Public opinion is overwhelmingly in support of having people here who do work rather than eke their existence out on virtually no benefits and even if they were on larger benefits, public opinion would still support their right to work. 'Asylum seekers want to contribute to this country', Lord Dubs said / REUTERS He added: Talk to any asylum seeker, anybody here, and they will say what they want to do is to contribute to this country and to our society. But opposing the move, independent crossbencher Lord Green of Deddington, founding chairman of Migration Watch UK, said the increase in Channel crossings over the summer showed Britain was becoming the country of choice for asylum seekers. Unless we can reduce the incentives to get into Britain illegally, these pressures on our borders will continue and probably increase, he added. Additional reporting by Press Association. US President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, according to a news report. The nomination was submitted by a four-term member of the Norwegian Parliament, Christian Tybring-Gjedde, who is also the chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Fox News reported. The news comes just weeks after Trump helped broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Also Watch | Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker Israel-UAE deal I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees, Christian Tybring-Gjedde was quoted as saying by Fox News. As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity, Tybring-Gjedde wrote in his nomination letter to the Nobel Committee. On August 13, Trump had announced the United Arab Emirates and Israels agreement to establish full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state. The announcement makes the UAE first Gulf Arab state to do so and only the third Arab nation to have active diplomatic ties to Israel. Among Arab nations, Egypt and Jordan have active diplomatic ties with Israel. In 1979, Egypt made a peace deal with Israel, followed by Jordan in 1994. Trumps Nobel Peace Prize nomination comes just weeks before the crucial US presidential elections, where the Republicans presidential candidate is running a politically charged campaign against his rival Joe Biden. On November 3, 2020, Americans will head to the polls and vote to elect a new government for the next four years or re-elect the Trump for a second term. Anticipates Q3 2020 dental revenue to increase at least four-fold versus Q2 2020 Reports continued growth in active trials of CompuFlo Epidural System at premier hospitals ROSELAND, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Milestone Scientific Inc. (NYSE American:MLSS), a leading developer of computerized drug delivery instruments that provide painless and precise injections, today provided a business update regarding the Company's Wand dental business, as well as the commercial roll-out of its CompuFlo Epidural System and CathCheck technology. Arjan Haverhals, President of Milestone Scientific and CEO of Wand Dental Inc., stated, "Our Wand dental busines has begun to recover, as dental offices reopen across the country and around the world. While we are not back to pre-pandemic levels, I am pleased to report our sales are trending in the right direction and we expect revenue in the third quarter of 2020 will be a minimum of four times our second quarter 2020 results. An important revenue driver in our business model is the recurring sales of our disposables. However, to further drive growth, we are working aggressively to expand our installed unit base. For this reason, we have launched a series of back to work' promotions on both our Wand instrument and disposables to incentivize our distributors and dentists, as well as support them in their business and practice growth during this transition period. The initial feedback has been promising, on both the domestic and international fronts. As an example, I am pleased to report, we recently signed an important new agreement in Russia as a result of our efforts." "It is important to note that the Wand instrument offers significant benefits in terms of establishing a safe environment for patients and staff, as we use sterile, single-use disposables. In addition, when using the Wand, a dental procedure can start in a little as 60 seconds after making an injection. For this reason, unlike conventional procedures, the dentist does not need to move from one operatory room to another other and change protective gear while waiting for the anesthesia to set in. Accordingly, we believe there is significantly less risk of cross contamination, which has been reinforced based on the feedback we received from dentists. Our enhanced marketing efforts around the Wand focus on the significant value drivers of our instrument, including safety, efficiency, and, importantly, supporting the growth of dental practices." Story continues Leonard Osser, Interim CEO of Milestone Scientific, further noted, "With COVID-19 infections declining in certain regions, and a number of hospitals re-opening to outside vendors, we are advancing sales efforts around the CompuFlo Epidural System and CathCheck technology. To support the hospitals in performing procedures during the pandemic, we decided to make the CompuFlo instrument more readily available to hospitals by lending the instrument to the hospital, in exchange for a commitment to purchase a minimum number of disposables. This offering is limited to the first hospitals that sign up for this program. At the same time, we are partnering with anesthesiologists, in order to approach the purchasing departments of the hospitals together. We believe our current strategy allows us to streamline the Value Analysis Team (VAT) approval process, and thereby shorten the sales cycle. The response thus far has been encouraging, and we are increasing new trials in major hospitals over the coming weeks. Our sales pipeline is more robust than ever, and we look forward to finalizing agreements with several premier hospitals in the near future." About Milestone Scientific Inc. Milestone Scientific Inc. (MLSS) is a biomedical technology research and development company that patents, designs and develops innovative diagnostic and therapeutic injection technologies and instruments for medical, dental, cosmetic and veterinary applications. Milestone's computer-controlled systems are designed to make injections precise, efficient, and virtually painless. Milestone's proprietary DPS Dynamic Pressure Sensing technology is our technology platform that advances the development of next-generation devices, regulating flow rate and monitoring pressure from the tip of the needle, through platform extensions for local anesthesia for subcutaneous drug delivery, with specific applications for cosmetic botulinum toxin injections, epidural space identification in regional anesthesia procedures and intra-articular joint injections. For more information please visit our website: www.milestonescientific.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the timing and financial impact of Milestone's ability to implement its business plan, expected revenues, timing of regulatory approvals and future success. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are based on assumptions involving judgments with respect to future economic, competitive and market conditions, future business decisions and regulatory developments, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond Milestone's control. Some of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements are general economic conditions, failure to achieve expected revenue growth, changes in our operating expenses, adverse patent rulings, FDA or legal developments, competitive pressures, changes in customer and market requirements and standards, and the risk factors detailed from time to time in Milestone's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation, Milestone's Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2019. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon management's reasonable belief as of the date hereof. Milestone undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. CONTACT: David Waldman or Natalya Rudman Crescendo Communications, LLC Email: mlss@crescendo-ir.com Tel: 212-671-1020 SOURCE: Milestone Scientific Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/605157/Milestone-Scientific-Reports-Increasing-Dental-Sales-and-Robust-Pipeline-for-CompuFloR-Epidural-System-and-CathCheckTM Some people are afraid of diving into the deep sea because some creatures could be lurking just below them. But what if they really have reasons to be afraid, especially when they encounter these three bizarre creatures found beneath Antarctica's deepest parts. Also Read: [VIRAL] New Hotel Will Let You Dine With 'Giraffes,' But You Might Have Some Trouble Booking It Antarctica is home to around 1,000 scientists who observe the isolated icy continent to learn more about the effects of climate change and the Earth's history. However, their studies were stopped because of the ongoing pandemic. Also Read: [STUDY] Scientists Discover Reef Manta Rays are "Homebody" Animals; They Make Long-term Use of Marine-Protected Areas Some projects are focused on marine animals and exploring the marine ecosystem around Antarctica, which has been left unexplored for millions of years. Just recently, a new study has been conducted using RV Tangaroa, New Zealand's research vessel. The international team of scientists scanned part of the seabed near the Toss Sea, which has remained uncharted, using state-of-the-art technology. When the captured images were sent back, Dr. Dave Bowden, one of the marine scientists in the expedition, was left stunned after seeing the three weird creatures. "As a benthic ecologist, I study everything that lives on the seabed, but also everything that is involved in the ecosystem that is at the seabed," he said. "The Southern Ocean is a deepwater ocean, so we are talking about depths from 3,000 meters down to 5,000 meters," he added. What are these weird creatures? The scientists' exploration was the first to observe the Ross Sea's northern continental slope and the first to look at the Ross Sea's group of seamounts north. Dr. Bowden said that they used the High Definition Deepwater cameras to capture a sample of the sea areas. The first creature they saw is a "sea spider," one of the intriguing animals in the Antarctica group system since they are more diverse and grow very large. The animal has no body and basically all legs, which is unlike anything the researchers know about. Another bizarre creature called "polychaete worm" was revealed during Bowden's interview with New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). He said that it is usually found under a rock. However, the worm is much larger than usual. The last specimen is an extraordinary assembly of sea lilies or "crinoids," closely related to sea urchins. The scientist explained that it is the first time they've seen it alive on the seafloor since crinoids are usually found as fossils. For more news updates about sea exploration, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Also Read: [STUDY] Mutant 'Mighty Mice' Return From a Month-Long Stay in Space With Ripped Bodybuilder Physiques! This article is owned by TechTimes, Written by: Giuliano de Leon. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A French appeals court has confirmed lengthy jail terms for two fraudsters convicted on charges of stealing tens of millions of euros from victims by impersonating a French minister, using a silicon mask in his likeness. The Paris court of appeal ruled that that Gilbert Chikli, 55, and Anthony Lasarevitsch, 36, were the masterminds of the scam that saw three victims part with some 55 million euros. Chikli's initial 11-year term was reduced to 10 while the seven-year sentence handed down to Lasarevitsch in the initial court ruling in March was confirmed. Neither were present in court for the ruling. The Franco-Israeli pair was tried for organised fraud and usurping the identity of Jean-Yves Le Drian -- now France's foreign minister, but then minister of defence -- to raise money from wealthy political, business and religious figures. Money said to be for secret operations The scheme, which was operational from 2015 to 2016, involved fraudsters posing as Le Drian to ask politicians and executives for financial aid for what they described as secret operations by the French state. One would appear in video conferences behind a fake official desk, donning a dark suit and a silicon mask of Le Drian. The fake "minister" made calls by telephone and video link to more than 150 targets -- of whom three were successfully duped. Aga Khan among the victims Prosecutors say the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, was conned by a Le Drian impersonator in 2016 and made five transfers for a total 20 million euros to Poland and China. Three of the payments were frozen, but 7.7 million euros disappeared. A few months later, Turkish business magnate Inan Kirac was allegedly convinced to wire more than 50 million euros for what he believed was ransom money for two journalists held hostage in Syria. Le Drian, a senior ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, became foreign minister in 2017 after completing five years at defence. A new study led by a team of University of Minnesota researchers provides the first global satellite measurements of one of the most important chemicals affecting Earth's atmosphere. Isoprene is a natural hydrocarbon emitted to the atmosphere in vast quantities -- approximately 500 billion kg per year -- by plants and trees. Isoprene is chemically reactive, and once in the atmosphere it combines with human-caused pollutants to adversely affect air quality. Isoprene also reacts with the main atmospheric oxidizing agent -- called OH radicals -- and therefore reduces the capacity of the atmosphere to scrub itself of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Scientists look to atmospheric models to predict current and future atmospheric composition and air quality, as well as to diagnose the atmosphere's ability to remove greenhouse gases and air pollutants. But isoprene emission rates are highly uncertain due to sparse ground-based measurements, and scientists are also unsure of the extent to which isoprene acts to suppress or sustain the abundance of OH radicals in the atmosphere. Now, researchers have developed the first-ever global measurements of isoprene from space. Using observations from the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) satellite sensor, researchers developed a retrieval method that uses machine learning to determine the atmospheric concentration of isoprene over different parts of the world. They combined these measurements with atmospheric modeling to test current scientific understanding of global isoprene emissions and how isoprene affects atmospheric oxidation. The research will be published on Wednesday, September 9 in the journal Nature. "Isoprene is one of the most important drivers of global atmospheric chemistry," said Dylan Millet, a professor in the U of M's Department of Soil, Water, and Climate. "These satellite measurements provide new understanding of how Earth's biosphere and atmosphere interact." By combining the CrIS isoprene measurements with other satellite data, for the first time researchers were able to estimate the abundance of OH from space over isoprene source regions. These observations support recent laboratory and theory-based findings: isoprene emissions do lower atmospheric OH, but not nearly as strongly as was originally believed. As a result, the atmosphere maintains a significant ability to scrub itself of pollution even in the presence of natural isoprene emissions. Combining these measurements with other space-based data will open new doors to investigate changes in OH over time. This research lays a foundation for multi-year studies examining seasonal-to-interannual isoprene changes and their impacts on the global atmosphere. Information from these new satellite measurements can also be used to improve current atmospheric models, with the goal of more accurately predicting air quality in a changing climate. Researchers revealed that: -The satellite measurements of isoprene show dramatic model overestimates over Amazonia. These disparities indicate a strong need for better understanding of tropical emissions of isoprene and other reactive chemicals. -Over southern Africa, the CrIS measurements reveal a major isoprene hotspot that is missing from bottom-up predictions. This points to a need for further investigation of isoprene sources in this understudied region. "These new satellite measurements reveal that, while our understanding of isoprene chemistry is getting pretty good, we still have a lot to learn about how isoprene emissions vary across Earth's different ecosystems," said Kelley Wells, a researcher in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate in the U of M's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. ### Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Harvard University, University of Colorado, University of Innsbruck, NOAA's Chemical Sciences Laboratory, University of Oslo, and The Pennsylvania State University also contributed to this work. Ghostbusters fans have rediscovered a hilarious original promotional video starring Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray. Filmed during production on 1984s Ghostbusters, the clip sees the films stars stood in costume in front of the Ghostbusters car, the Ectomobile. The clip was originally produced with the intention of Aykroyd and Murray presenting a tongue-in-cheek pitch to independent cinema event ShoWest in Las Vegas. Hi, I hope youre having a good time in Reno, or, I mean, Vegas, and I hope that not too many of you have discovered that little game with the tiny squares with the dots on it. Yknow, the one that depends on odds, Aykroyd opened the video. Were here to talk about a different kind of odds and that is the odds that well be in your favour when you exhibit perhaps the greatest comedy motion picture of all time. Aykroyd (left) and Murray pitch Ghostbusters to independent cinemas (Columbia Pictures) Murray added: I mean, this is going to make ET look like Raiders of the Lost Ark, yknow what Im saying?... This is going to be the kind of thing that your children are going to say, Dad, I can look up to you now and I never could before. Isnt it worth it? He continued: God, I mean we made a lot of cheap movies for you guys and made a lot of money and now we kind of spent a little more than were supposed to. And it is PG, Aykroyd interjected. Im f***ing telling you, its PG. The video then features a clip of the original Ghostbusters theme song which was replaced before the film was released. The clip was originally located on Reddit and shared on Twitter by screenwriter Todd Spence, who wrote: This is amazing. Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray shot this short film for independent theater owners to sell them on showing GHOSTBUSTERS. And check out that original theme song too. Rad stuff. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Ive never seen this before. Literally laughed my a** off, one Reddit user wrote. This is the content I'm here off. Never seen this before. Excellent stuff. and laugh out loud funny, another said. Ageing war veterans and university students joined long lines in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region to vote Wednesday in a parliamentary election that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has deemed illegal. The election represent the latest challenge to Abiy's authority as he navigates a democratic transition hobbled by deep political and ethnic divisions, and a low point in the bitter dispute between Tigray and the federal government in Addis Ababa. Voters across the mountainous region queued up before dawn at polling stations in defiance of a decision by Addis Ababa to postpone all elections because of the coronavirus pandemic. The regional election commissioner, Muluwork Kidanemariam, reported turnout of 98 percent -- out of more than 2.6 million registered voters -- after polls closed at 6pm (1500 GMT). "Now we have to count the whole night so we can have the results by tomorrow," he told AFP. Tigray, which shares a border with Eritrea and Sudan, is one of Ethiopia's 10 semi-autonomous regions organised broadly along ethnic lines. It dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before anti-government protests swept Abiy -- from the Oromo community -- to power in 2018. Ethiopia was supposed to hold national elections in August, but the national poll body announced in March they would need to be postponed because of the pandemic. Tigrayan leaders rejected the extension of mandates -- which would have expired in October -- contending Abiy will have no legitimacy after that. Their decision to hold their own elections has rankled federal officials, who have said they have "no legal basis" and are "null and void". In the regional capital Mekele, some voters struck a defiant note as they waited to cast ballots. "We want the federal government to take a lesson from this: They need to hold elections, too, so we can work together to build the country," said Hailay Haileselassie, a 37-year-old who works for a construction company. Story continues More than 600 candidates from five parties are vying for 152 regional parliamentary seats, and the parties will decide how to allocate the remaining 38 seats at a later date, Muluwork said. - 'We fought for this' - The heavy favourite Wednesday is the region's current ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which led the armed struggle to topple the brutal Derg regime in 1991 and went on to control the governing coalition that took over. Though the TPLF has been sidelined under Abiy, it remains in command in Tigray, whose people make up six percent of Ethiopia's population of 110 million. Hailu Kiros, 62, was one of many wheelchair-bound TPLF veterans who cast a vote on Wednesday morning. "This is important for me. We fought for this, so that elections could be held every five years," he told AFP. At least some younger voters also share this loyalty to the party. Tsige Selemon, a 19-year-old garment worker and first-time voter, said she credited the TPLF for giving Tigrayans the right to pick their own leaders. "This is the fruit of their struggle," she said. The TPLF has so far refrained from calling for secession, saying it remains committed to keeping Ethiopia together. Yet it is facing off against four other parties, one of which -- the Tigray Independence Party (TIP) -- is calling for Tigray to form its own country. Party chairman Girmay Berhe told AFP Wednesday afternoon that voting seemed to be going smoothly, though he was concerned about some reports of "irregularities" in rural areas. "Many voters are illiterate, and people are voting on their behalf. And honestly they are voting for the incumbent. We have reports of that from here and there," he said. "In some cases our observers are not allowed to get into the polling station." -'Shanty election'- The elections in Tigray threaten to undermine Abiy at a time when his government is struggling to control ethnic violence in his native Oromia region and respond to attempts by ethnic groups in the south to form regions of their own. It remains unclear whether Tigray will face federal retaliation for going ahead with the vote. Abiy, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, has previously ruled out a military intervention or budget cuts. In an interview with state media Tuesday night, he resorted to metaphor to issue a vague threat. "The election that will be held in Tigray is a shanty election," he said. "Because those who construct a shanty don't have land deeds and are illegal dwellers, they don't sleep with their eyes closed." rcb/fb/dl Job site Indeed has recorded a spike in overseas interest for UK employment Credit: Getty Job searches by foreign workers keen to come to the UK have rocketed by 140% since the all-time low recorded in March. Demand from overseas workers has soared to its highest level since December 2018 as job vacancies have opened up, according to figures from job site Indeed. India accounts for the largest number of overseas applicants looking for work in the UK, followed by the USA and Ireland. Despite the recession and tens of thousands of job losses, the UKs jobs market clearly still holds a strong appeal for many overseas jobseekers, said Jack Kennedy, UK economist at Indeed. Lockdown initially plunged inbound job searches into the deep freeze, but they have since picked up steam as overseas interest in British jobs has surged. However traffic going the other way is falling, as UK-based workers have become less interested in looking for work abroad, he added. Outbound searches by UK workers in August 2020 were down by a third on their August 2019 level, and they have declined by half since the same month in 2018. READ MORE: One in 10 students consider sex work in a financial emergency In previous years, December and January have typically seen the biggest spikes in international searches, as workers often use the beginning of the year to explore a fresh start abroad. The most popular job, both among Brits looking abroad and overseas workers considering a move to the UK, is customer services representative. The other top roles UK candidates are searching for overseas include software engineer, administrative assistant, and project manager. The United States is by far the most popular destination for Brits looking for jobs abroad, accounting for a third of outbound job searches. The Republic of Ireland, with 8.9% of searches, and Canada (8.2%) make up the top three. With most British jobseekers opting to search close to home for their next job, the uptick in people searching from abroad may offer them some extra competition in coming months, warned Mr Kennedy. The Chiefs and people of Akyem Abuakwa, Akyem Kotoku and Akyem Bosome have issued a one-week ultimatum to former President John Dramani Mahama to retract and apologise to Akyems for the Akyem Sakawa Boys tag. Without an apology, they have threatened to ban the NDC from campaigning on any Akyem land. According to the chiefs and people who gathered to demonstrate at Asamankese today, September 9, 2020, ethnocentric statements from the NDC and its leaders have a tendency to plunge the nation into chaos if not condemned by all Ghanaians. The demonstration, which brought together some chiefs and parliamentary candidates of the NPP, was organised by a group called Concerned Citizens of Okyeman. The demonstrators, all clad in red and black attire, wielded placards with inscriptions such as Progressive Dialogue not insult. Archibald Ntiriakwa, the president of Okyeman Youth Association and one of the convenors of the demonstration called on Mr. Mahama to retract and apologise in his own interest. The Bolgatanga Central MP, Isaac Adongo used the descriptor in a write-up critiquing the Agyapa Royalties deal. The write-up was shared on John Mahama's Facebook page. ---citinewsroom Ministers will take new powers today to fund infrastructure projects in Scotland and Wales despite warnings it will roll back devolution. The Internal Market Bill will see Westminster take over the funding and operation of regeneration schemes currently run by the EU. Sources said this could see ministers pour funding into projects such as the proposed M4 relief road in South Wales, which was rejected by the Welsh Assembly last year on the grounds of environmental impact and cost. Infrastructure schemes are currently the preserve of the devolved administrations. The SNP has already warned that any move to change this would be viewed as a power grab. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during question period at the House of Commons in London, Britain on September 2, 2020. The Internal Market Bill will see Westminster take over the funding and operation of regeneration schemes currently run by the EU But Government sources pointed out that the funding was not previously under the control of the administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said the devolved governments would enjoy a power surge after Brexit, adding: No longer will unelected EU bodies be spending our money on our behalf. These new spending powers will mean that these decisions will now be made in the UK, focus on UK priorities and be accountable to the UK Parliament and people of the UK. The new legislation will also ensure that the devolved administrations are unable to erect internal trade barriers by imposing different standards for food and other goods after Brexit, when EU laws governing the issues will lapse. A new independent Office for the Internal Market will police disputes. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove returns to Downing Street in central London after attending Cabinet meeting temporarily held at the Foreign Office to comply with social distancing guidelines due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic yesterday in London, England Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: For centuries the UKs internal market has been the cornerstone of our shared prosperity, delivering unparalleled stability and economic growth across the Union. Todays Bill will protect our highly integrated market by guaranteeing that companies can continue to trade unhindered in every part of the UK after the Transition Period ends and EU law falls away. Without these necessary reforms, the way we trade goods and services between the home nations could be seriously impacted, harming the way we do business within our own borders. 'Now is not the time to create uncertainty for business with new barriers and additional costs that would trash our chances of an economic recovery. The legislation will also formally confirm that responsibility for state aid subsidies to struggling industries lies with Westminster, not the devolved governments. Government sources denied that the changes amounted to a power grab, saying that dozens of powers previously overseen by the EU would now be held in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. Areas of devolution include air quality, energy efficiency and elements of employment law. No powers currently held by the devolved administrations will be clawed back. Veteran film and theatre actress Surekha Sikri was admitted to hospital on Tuesday after suffering a brain stroke. This is the second time that Sikri has suffered a stroke, after November 2018. The 75-year-old actress was rushed to Criticare Hospital in Mumbais Juhu locality and is currently in ICU. Sikris nurse said the three-time National Award winner actress financial condition was not good, adding that she could not get her admitted to any other hospital owing to high expenses, according to a report in timesoftindia.com. She appealed to the film fraternity to come forward and pitch in with financial aid for the actress. Despite keeping unwell, Sikri was active on the screen. She was last seen in Zoya Akhtars segment of the OTT-released anthology film Ghost Stories", which opened in January. In 2018, she was seen in a delightful role in the comedy hit, Badhaai Ho". In an exclusive statement to Al-Monitor, the chairman of the Qatar Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, Mohammed al-Emadi, said his countrys diplomacy "helped to deescalate the conflict and spare innocent Palestinian civilians living in Gaza further humanitarian disasters." The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas announced Aug. 31 will allow more products and construction into the territory, according to Emadi, in return for Hamas ending its firing of rockets and incendiary balloons from Gaza into Israel. The recent truce between Hamas and Israel includes opening a number of passages, allowing consumer goods to enter the strip, resuming talks between Israeli chamber of trade and Palestinian businessmen, and giving the green light for the construction of the American field hospital, Emadi said in the statement. Tensions escalated in August when Hamas launched burning balloons into Israeli territory in an effort to ease the Israeli blockade. Israel responded by striking Hamas targets. Israel and Hamas have clashed on and off for years. A Hamas official told Al-Monitor that Qatar, Egypt and the UN worked on the truce and that the COVID-19 situation in Gaza compelled Hamas to seek an end to hostilities. Emadi said that Qatar sent millions of dollars to Gaza after the truce and is now providing electricity to the area, in addition to its longstanding engagement with international donors to provide humanitarian assistance to Gazans. This month only, Qatar contributed $34 million in addition to supplying Gaza with electricity in coordination with the UN agencies, he said. Emadi implied that Qatars assistance, unlike "some other actors," comes without agendas. Qatar managed to establish itself as an impartial and a trusted partner over the years, he said. "Unlike some other actors it has always kept its promises to all parties and it comes with no personal agendas. The State of Qatar firmly believes in dialogue and diplomacy and while our mediation efforts continue to reach a mid-way, he said. "We remain committed to the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people who have been living under occupation for decades. Emadi's full statement sent to Al-Monitor is below: Since 2014, Qatar has successfully mediated many rounds of talks between Hamas, the de facto government in Gaza Strip, and Israel. The mediation efforts helped to deescalate the conflict and spare innocent Palestinian civilians living in Gaza further humanitarian disasters. Qatar managed to establish itself as an impartial and a trusted partner over the years. Unlike some other actors it has always kept its promises to all parties and it comes with no personal agendas, these are the main ingredients of our meditation remedy which has proven to be effective over and over. The recent truce between Hamas and Israel includes opening a number of passages, allowing consumer goods to enter the strip, resuming talks between Israeli chamber of trade and Palestinian businessmen, and giving the green light for the construction of the American field hospital. In return, Hamas committed to cease the launch of rockets and incendiary balloons. The State of Qatar continues to provide financial aid to Gaza to pay the salaries of civilians. This aid is critical to mitigate the humanitarian conditions in COVID hit Gaza. This month only, Qatar contributed $34 million, in addition to supplying Gaza with electricity in coordination with the UN agencies. Qatar has worked with international donors to Gaza and continues to encourage them to keep their aid going in order to alleviate the drastic conditions in the besieged strip. International donors have rightly expressed their concerns about the instability in those territories yet our message to them is that the consequences of leaving the humanitarian situation further deteriorate are way more dangerous than sustaining the current conditions. The State of Qatar firmly believes in dialogue and diplomacy and while our mediation efforts continue to reach a mid-way, we remain committed to the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people who have been living under occupation for decades in accordance to International law and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. PARSIPPANY, NJTwo rallies to show support for President Trump, the armed forces, and law enforcement are scheduled for Saturday in Parsippany. A gathering described as a "PRO POLICE, PRO MILITARY, and PRO TRUMP" rally on Facebook, is scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the park on Route 46 East and Vail Road. According to the event notification, public parking will be available. President Trump is not scheduled to attend the event. "Wear your Trump gear, hats etc." organizers wrote on Facebook, "Bring American flags, Trump flags, and signs. Please also bring a mask so we can show we are following Covid guidelines." The other event, organized by a separate group, will gather on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Smith Field Park near the intersection of Route 46 and Baldwin Road. "Please bring Trump and American Flags," the event description said, "signs, hats and your mask for social distancing." According to the event notification, public parking will be available at Smithfield Park. President Trump is not scheduled to attend either event. This article originally appeared on the Parsippany Patch The last female Belarusian opposition leader left in the country has reportedly been abducted by masked men in Minsk as emboldened authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko looks to crush opposition to his presidency. Maria Kolesnikova was snatched from the street and bundled into a minibus in the centre of the capital on Monday, a witness told local media. Her apparent kidnapping came after police arrested hundreds of protesters across the country on Sunday as part of crackdown on opposition to Mr Lukashenko, whose hand has apparently been strengthened by increasingly vocal support from Russia in the face of growing international condemnation and looming sanctions. EAST HAMPTON Kate and Brian Avery have taken full advantage of the free time the coronavirus pandemic has afforded them. In their 1923 bungalow and two adjacent buildings, the two artists have been hard at work so that when pandemic restrictions are lifted, their property will be a place where the community can gather to view and appreciate artwork. We want to come out guns blazing, Brian Avery said. Kate Avery used to renovate and sell antique furniture, but on the side she sold some paintings. Over time, her paintings became her primary business. Brian Avery teaches piano lessons out of Averys Music, one of the buildings adjacent to their home. Since lessons have been canceled due to the pandemic, hes been busy renovating the studio and helping to build an art gallery out of their garage to display artwork that he, Kate and the community have created. I have always used it as my workshop for flipping furniture, Kate Avery said of the nearly 1,000-square foot building. Now we have kind of turned it from being a very utilitarian space to being something a little more refined and elegant so people will be able to visit by appointment and shop the artwork that is available. Kate Avery said she hopes that once it is safer to gather in groups they can hold events that also involve music, since Brian plays piano. The couple, who have more than 100 paintings on their walls already, plus a hefty collection of antiques, say they have very similar goals for their property and their passions. Brian Avery said this seemingly perfect match occurred through a twist of fate. He used to play the piano at Nordstroms on the weekend at the Westfarms mall. Thats when Kate Avery got a flat tire and went to the Sears Autobody Shop at the mall to get it fixed. She saw me playing the piano and she put her phone number in my tip jar, and I called her back, and thats really how we met, Brian Avery said. Now the pair are working together to advance Kate Averys blossoming painting career. She said selling her work by advertising on social media has taken off more than ever during the pandemic. Kate Avery specializes in painting landscapes, especially those around Connecticut. She said many clients have requested paintings of places they wish they could go. Its been one of the busiest times I have ever had, Kate Avery said. People are purchasing paintings of places that they cant visit vacation locations, or where their parents live. One of her loyal clients is a small business owner with a great appreciation for the arts. Laura Mahon, owner of Laura Mahon Designs, often buys some of Kate Averys paintings to display in houses that she flips. It adds a personal touch to the decor, Mahon said. Sometimes Kate Avery paints from a photo that the client shares or that she takes herself. Other times, she takes her painting equipment out in a canoe. We plein-air painted (painting outdoors) from the Connecticut River, the Salmon River and the Lieutenant River, Kate Avery said. Kate Avery said she is inspired by the Old Lyme style artwork made famous by painters like Willard Leroy Metcalf in the late 19th century. She and her husband have painted from the grounds of Florence Griswold Museum to immerse themselves in the work. These are the same places that those guys liked to paint 100-some-odd years ago, Avery said. While the two have a lot of other things in common, Brian Avery said his wife is the more talented painter. Shes amazing, he said. Kate can paint like four paintings and Ive only got mine halfway done. Shes definitely the star. Mahon agrees Kate Avery has a unique talent when it comes to detail as well as speed in her paintings. She has become so good, Mahon said. It kind of blows me away. She has honed her skills and her paintings are amazing. Shell sit down on the weekend and do 10 paintings. And theyre gorgeous. Despite this high praise, Kate Avery said she has never received any formal painting training, but like her serendipitous flat tire, she said it is working out beautifully. Its one of those things where you do it every day, all day, and the mortgage is due so you do it! she said. Like anything, if you put enough time in then you slowly improve. I really love doing it, and that makes a difference, too. Those interested in purchasing some of Kate Averys work can visit her Facebook page Heir and Space and @heirandspace on Instagram. Haryana Education Minister Kanwar Pal said on Wednesday that he has tested positive for coronavirus. He requested all those who might have come in his contact during the past few days to isolate themselves and get their tests done. After some symptoms, I got my Covid test done and it returned positive. I request all those who might have come in my contact to isolate themselves and get their tests done, the minister tweeted. The minister's aide said that Kanwar Pal's report came positive in the morning and he was currently in Chandigarh. In a tweet, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar wished the minister a speedy recovery. Earlier, Khattar, Power Minister Ranjeet Singh Chautala, Agriculture Minister J P Dalal, Transport Minister Mool Chand Sharma and Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta had also tested positive for the infection. Khattar was admitted to Medanta hospital in Gurugram after he tested positive on August 25. The chief minister is making steady progress in his recovery from the infection, hospital authorities said on Tuesday. As of Tuesday, Haryana had 81,059 COVID-19 cases and 854 fatalities. . The mother of a 13-year-old autistic boy who was shot by Salt Lake City police said Monday that her son was 'scared' when authorities arrived to their home last week and she thought cops had killed him because he is so small. Linden, whom the family wants referred to only by his first name, was shot multiple times by police who responded to his mother's call for a crisis intervention team (CIT) when her son started suffering severe separation anxiety over her going back to work. Golda Barton said that police told her CIT would 'deescalate the situation using the most minimal force possible' at her Glendale home. Instead, Linden is now in a local hospital recovering from the multiple gunshot wounds. In an interview with East Idaho News, Barton demanded answers over how the situation was handled. 'I just want to know why they would do such a thing. Like why, why didn't you do anything else, anything else,' Barton questioned through tears. She explained that Linden 'was scared' and 'he was running' but he wasn't being violent 'at all' when police arrived. Police said the initial call was to a boy having a 'mental episode made threats to some folks with a weapon'. But no weapon was found. Scroll down for video Golda Barton (pictured) said through tears that her son, Linden, 13, who was shot by Salt Lake City police, was 'scared' when authorities arrived to their home last week Linden (pictured at a local hospital) was shot several times by police on Friday night after his mother called for assistance in dealing with a psychiatric episode Linden's brother, Wesley, also spoke out about his sibling's injuries. 'He said he can't feel any feeling in his left hand. From my understanding he got shot in both feet,' Wesley told the news outlet. 'So now we'll never be able to do the things we used to do, like longboard and play video games together.' Linden, who has Asperger's, was shot within minutes of officers arriving to Barton's home on Friday. According to Barton, within less than five minutes of the police arriving she heard an officer shout at the boy 'get on the ground,' before several shots were fired. She said the officers told her to wait outside while they entered the property and then soon after she heard the gunshots. Barton said she thought her son was dead because the officers didn't immediately say what had happened. In a separate interview, Barton told KUTV: 'I said, he's unarmed, he doesn't have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming. He's a kid he's trying to get attention, he doesn't know how to regulate.' She added: 'He's a small child. Why didn't you just tackle him? He's a baby. He has mental issues.' In addition, Barton said she heard one of the officers say to the other: 'He's just a child, what are you doing?' Linden's brother, Wesley (pictured), also spoke out about his sibling's injuries. 'He said he can't feel any feeling in his left hand,' Wesley said. 'So now we'll never be able to do the things we used to do, like longboard and play video games together' On Tuesday, the Salt Lake City Police Department vowed to cooperate with multiple investigations following the shooting of Linden (pictured) Linden remains in the hospital after suffering injuries to his shoulders, both ankles, intestines and bladder. A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for Linden's medical expenses. As of Tuesday night, it has raised more than $58,000. Barton also revealed: 'Linden said you know what mommy, they didn't hurt me. I didn't feel it. I'm a Superman.' Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a statement Sunday: 'While the full details of this incident are yet to be released as an investigation takes place, I will say that I am thankful this young boy is alive and no one else was injured. 'No matter the circumstances, what happened on Friday night is a tragedy and I expect this investigation to be handled swiftly and transparently for the sake of everyone involved.' On Tuesday, the Salt Lake City Police Department vowed to cooperate with multiple investigations following the shooting. Linden, who remains in hospital, suffered injuries to his shoulders, both ankles, intestines and bladder Police said that each time there is a shooting incident involving an officer, 'a protocol team made up of officers from multiple agencies with no ties to the Salt Lake City Police Department conducts an independent investigation'. 'We are cooperating fully with the protocol team assigned to this case,' a police statement read. The department added that the city's 'Civilian Review Board and our own Internal Affairs will also conduct parallel separate investigations'. No weapon was found at the scene. More details are expected to be released within 10 business days when police body camera footage is released, as required under a city ordinance. The Halal economy is estimated to be worth $3.2 trillion by 2024, according to the newly launched second edition of the Halal Guidebook launched by Dubai Airport Freezone (Dafza). Titled Dubai A Global Gateway for Halal Industry: A Step-by-Step Guide, the guidebook unveils key trends that will have a lasting impact on the regional economy and assists in providing a clear picture of the international and national Islamic economy. According to the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2019/20, the Islamic economy was valued at $2.2 trillion in 2018, which accounts for 12% of the global spend in the food, pharmaceutical and lifestyle sectors. The spending power has also witnessed a significant increase and is set to grow by 6.2 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Ranking first in the Guide Book is the food and beverage industry, with a total estimated value of around $1.4 trillion, the sector is expected to grow to near $2 trillion by 2021. Modest fashion is the second most popular sector, valued at $283 billion. Islamic-themed media, Halal pharmaceuticals and Halal cosmetics have also been identified by the Guidebook as key players in the economy. Launched in 2017, the first edition of the guide has proven to be an asset in achieving the long-term plans for the Halal economy sought out by local and regional leadership. Developed by Dafza with the support of The Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC), The Halal Trade and Marketing Centre (HTMC) and DinarStandard, the second edition of the Guidebook outlines Halal Islamic economy growth opportunities, including its enabling ecosystem, Halal trade flow, and the Halal certification and compliance process. The Guidebook also outlines the extent to which the Halal sector has been affected by the intensified measures aimed at combating Covid-19. Within the Halal economy, the most challenged sectors have been travel, Islamic finance, and modest fashion while media and recreation provide strong opportunities. Food supply chain has also been severely disrupted but was quickly met with resilience from the Halal market economies that have consistently focused on bringing the supply chain closer to home by either investing in domestic production or finding closer regional supply chain partners. Amna Lootah, Assistant Director General, Dafza said: In recent years, the UAE has intensified efforts aimed at expanding the economy with several initiatives and growth plans that have ensured a more diverse and vibrant Halal sector. Such activities have established Dubai and the wider UAE as one of the worlds most important business hubs and facilitated the progress of various industries including the emirates Islamic economy. So much so that investments in the Halal economy have recorded growth of 399% in 2018/19, with a value of $1.2 billion. The guide details the opportunities around core Halal economy sectors, outlines trends and provides strategic insights that will enrich the knowledge of entrepreneurs and companies keen to invest in the Islamic economy and capitalize on its promise of enduring growth and prosperity. Other contributors include Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC), Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB), Al Islami Foods, Salaam Gateway, Fonterra, Abbott Labs, SGS Gulf Limited and CDIAL Halal. Dubai has an ideal location in the heart of the regional and global Islamic economy system, two hours distant by air from 455 million Islamic consumers, which is equivalent to US $587 billion of the value of the halal consumption market. The Emirate of Dubai is also the trade center for 57 countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which accounts for $296 billion of halal imports, according to 2018 results, Lootah concluded Leading global players across industries are beginning to participate in the Halal economy with several multinational cooperations such as Nestle, Cargill, Hersheys, BRF, and Abbott increasing their participation by actively addressing Halal food opportunities.- TradeArabia News Service Photo: The Canadian Press UPDATE 5:10 a.m. A mentally-ill man who stabbed and killed five young people at a Calgary house party six years ago apologized at a review hearing Tuesday, as a psychiatrist said he is making progress. Matthew de Grood, who is now 29, was found not criminally responsible for the 2014 killings of Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaitlin Perras, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong because he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time. He appeared at his annual Alberta Review Board hearing to assess his treatment and whether he should be allowed any increased privileges or freedoms over the next year. The board reserved its decision. De Grood, wearing a face mask at the virtual hearing, told the hearing in Edmonton that he is doing his best to become a contributing member of society. "The magnitude of my actions that night were devastating and caused so much pain and suffering. I'm very sorry for what the families of the victims have endured and continue to feel," de Grood said. "Every day I feel the weight of the offence and how tragic it is on so many people. My Christian faith gives me the strength to deal with the guilt and the enormity of this tragedy. I pray that someday, those who are suffering because of my actions may find peace." Some family members of the victims recounted their loss and frustration that de Grood could be released back into society. Kelly Hunter said she misses her son every day and the annual review causes her pain. "The impact this crime has had on me, my life and my family I don't think will ever get any better. I've become a very angry person," she said. Gregg Perras said he has agonized over every statement he's given since his daughter was taken away from him. "This review board has heard innumerable heartfelt accounts of all the damage and sorrow ... of five wonderful people who were killed. As I see it, these descriptions have fallen on deaf ears," he said. A psychiatrist treating de Grood said he has made progress but any new freedoms should be granted slowly. Dr. Santoch Rai said de Grood remains at Edmonton's Alberta Hospital but has stayed overnight at his parents' home in Edmonton seven times and has taken hospital transportation to scheduled appointments in the city. Rai said de Grood has not yet taken public transit or transitioned to a group home, largely due to a change in his anti-psychotic medication from an oral version to one that is injected. "We're recommending to the board that there be no changes. But there is a possibility that he could transition to a group home. In my view, that's probably unlikely in the next year," said Rai. "In view of his highly publicized and well-known face in Edmonton and in Alberta, our impression was that he should initially go on hospital transport and after a period go on public transport ... to manage his stress, or exposure to stress, in a very incremental way." Rai told the review board he is happy with de Grood's progress and that the patient has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels. He said de Grood knows the risk if he were to stop taking his medication. Rai also said he couldn't guarantee his patient wouldn't be a danger to the public. "If something were to happen, we would be surprised and we would not have predicted that outcome," Rai said. De Grood's lawyer, Allan Fay, said his client has made real progress and made every effort to turn his life around. He said de Grood should be granted an absolute discharge. Crown prosecutor Margot Engley said de Grood needs to stay where he is. "I believe there is ample evidence before the board today that Matthew de Grood continues to present a significant risk to the safety of the public and should not be granted an absolute discharge," she said. ORIGINAL 7:20 a.m. The Alberta Review Board is to get an update today on the progress of a mentally ill man who stabbed five young people to death at a Calgary house party six years ago. Matthew de Grood, who was 22 at the time of the killings, was found not criminally responsible because he was suffering from schizophrenia. A trial heard that the university student believed the devil was talking to him and that a war was about to begin, signalling the end of the world, when he arrived at the Calgary party, which was being held to mark the end of the school year in April 2014. He killed Zackariah Rathwell, 21; Jordan Segura, 22; Kaitlin Perras, 23; Josh Hunter, 23; and Lawrence Hong, 27. The board ruled last year that de Grood could be eased back into the community because he had been taking his medication and his schizophrenia was in remission. With prior approval, he was to be allowed to leave Alberta Hospital in Edmonton unsupervised for outings in the city and, with added supervision, could spend up to three days in the city. The victims' families have vocally opposed all moves that have allowed de Grood back into the community. At his last hearing, they said they continued to suffer as he was gaining more freedoms. They also objected to government-funded support and treatment de Grood receives while they were receiving nothing to help them with their own trauma. The review board's role is to oversee de Grood's treatment and gauge annually whether he is a threat to public safety, not to punish him. Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo watched his team bow out of the playoffs in the second round from the bench on Wednesday after suffering a sprained ankle. But Antetokounmpo, who could sign an extension with the Bucks this offseason, told Yahoo! Sports' Chris Haynes he does not plan to request a trade. Its not happening. Thats not happening, Antetokounmpo told Yahoo! Sports. Some see a wall and go in (another direction). I plow through it. We just have to get better as a team, individually and get right back at it next season. Antetokounmpo has one year remaining on his deal. Milwaukee is yet to make the Finals with Antetokounmpo, but it did reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Still, Antetokounmpo said he believes in his supporting cast in Milwaukee. Everyone has a role to play, Antetokounmpo told Haynes. You see my brother, Thanasis, hes always up cheering and doing whatever he can when hes not playing. Im no different. This is a team and Im going to do whatever I can to help our team win games. While this certainly diminishes the pressure on the Bucks, they will still have to make some difficult decisions if Antetokounmpo refuses to sign an extension. Rolling the dice on another season before Antetokounmpo hits unrestricted free agency could be catastrophic if Milwaukee bows out early again and Antetokounmpo decides to leave for nothing. Giving up on Antetokounmpo too early, however, could be even more disastrous. The next few months will be fascinating in Milwaukee. Related content Boston Celtics Gordon Hayward out of quarantine, testing his ankle by walking barefoot in grass (report) Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart named All-Defensive First Team, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown received votes Giannis Antetokounmpo out for Game 5: Milwaukee Bucks star will miss possible elimination game (report) T he Government today set up a taskforce to get Hammersmith Bridge reopened as speedily as possible. The intervention, by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, was said to be an acceptance that Londoners had waited too long for the 133-year-old bridge to be repaired. Mr Shapps was said by sources to have lost patience with Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham council, which owns the bridge. The minimum aim was to get it swiftly reopened to pedestrians and cyclists but to traffic in the longer term, the Government said. However there was no mention in todays announcement of funding with interim safety measures to enable its partial reopening estimated at 46m and full repairs costing as much as 141m. The bridge, which links Hammersmith and Barnes, first closed in April last year to vehicles but was kept open to cyclists and pedestrians - after cracks were found in its cast iron structure. But the situation worsened last month when the cracks widened during the summer heatwave, forcing it to be fully closed due to the fear of a catastrophic failure. This has forced pedestrians and cyclists including hundreds of schoolchildren to divert via Barnes bridge and traffic to go via Putney and Chiswick bridges. River traffic under Hammersmith bridge has also been suspended and the towpath closed. Mr Shapps speaking with workmen / Department for Transport Mr Shapps said today: When it comes to the Hammersmith Bridge there has been a lack of leadership in London on re-opening this vital bridge. Its stopped Londoners moving about easily and caused huge inconvenience to everyone, adding extra time to their commute or journeys. We wont let hard-working Londoners suffer any longer the Government is setting up a taskforce establish the next steps in opening the bridge as speedily as possible. Well be decisive and quick to make sure we can take steps thatll be good for commuters, good for residents and good for business. The taskforce will be led by Transport Minister Baroness Vere and will include representatives from Network Rail. Though it is a road bridge not a rail bridge, Network Rail has experts familiar with similar cast-iron structures. Hammersmith and Fulham council had been working with Transport for London, which provided 25m for expert investigations into the state of the bridge. (Lucy Young ) / Lucy Young Government sources said that the Government felt compelled to intervene in what it considers a local matter due to the scale of disruption being suffered by Londoners, but hoped to work constructively with the council and TfL. The priority would be to make the bridge safe as quickly as possible to enable river traffic to pass underneath and for cyclists and pedestrians to be able to cross the Thames. If this cannot be done, options for temporary crossings will be considered. Attention will then turn to the long-term future of the bridge and whether it can be fully reopened. Any funding is likely to be wrapped up in negotiations with TfL over its request for a second bail-out, this time in the region of 2billion, to keep the bus and Tube network running in the wake of its income collapsing due to Covid. Transport Minister Baroness Vere tweeted today: #HammersmithBridge is a key transport route for Londoners. They shouldnt have to wait this long for it to be fixed. I am leading a Taskforce to bring together the councils plus TfL urgently to develop a solution and agree how to fund it. Todays announcement is likely to spark anger, frustration and even bemusement within TfL and City Hall. Mayor Sadiq Khan first asked Mr Shapps in August last year to ask him to convene a summit on the bridge but this did not happen until March. A spokesman for Mr Khan said: Londoners need the Government to pay to get Hammersmith Bridge repaired and reopened - they do not need another talking shop that will just lead to more delay and disruption. "The Mayor and TfL will continue working closely with the Bridge owners Hammersmith and Fulham Council and the Government to find an urgent solution, but its time for ministers to put their money where their mouth is. Heidi Alexander, the Deputy Mayor for Transport, who has been leading negotiations on behalf of Mr Khan, tweeted on September 5: @tfl and City Hall have now submitted 3 bids to Government over the last year to secure funding. No funding bids have been approved. I will continue to do all that I can to find a way to get the bridge re-opened for pedestrians and cyclists in the short term, and to agree a long term funding solution with Government as part of the wider funding negotiations that will be happening this month. PA There is no way forward on this without financial help from Government though. @tfl dont have the money to do it and nor do the council. I am willing to think creatively about all options but this is going to have to be a joint effort. Last week residents held a mass demonstration to highlight how the full closure of the bridge was having a catastrophic impact on their lives. This came as delayed plans to build a 27.3m temporary crossing were effectively ditched by Hammersmith and Fulham council with council leaders instead seeking 46m from the Government to make the main bridge safe enough to reopen to cyclists and pedestrians. More than 16,000 people a day crossed the river by foot or by bike before the bridge was completely closed on August 13. Prior to its closure to vehicles in April last year, it was used by 22,000 cars, vans and buses. A letter was sent to the Government from the leaders of Hammersmith and Fulham and Richmond councils, pleading for 46m as a matter of urgency to allow the main bridge to be made safe for walkers and cyclists. Tony Devenish, the Conservative member of the London Assembly for the area, said today: "I welcome the Government's intervention to fix Hammersmith Bridge. After 17 months of Hammersmith and Fulham council and the Mayor of London dithering, delaying and failing to fix the bridge, we desperately needed someone to step in and sort it out. Lucy Young "It's vital that we get a temporary crossing in place as swiftly as possible to get London moving again, reduce congestion and free elderly and disabled residents who have been trapped by its closure. Fixing Hammersmith Bridge is rightly the responsibility of the council, but the Mayor shares responsibility given his buses have caused so much of the damage and he is responsible for London's strategic roads. Both the council and Sadiq Khan have failed, which is why this intervention was necessary." By Jeff Mason JUPITER, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an order to extend a ban until 2032 on offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico off Florida as he seeks to win support in the state ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The executive order, which would also expand the ban to Florida's Atlantic coast and to the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, was met with an unusual mix of disappointment from a drilling industry group and skepticism by environmentalists. "This protects your beautiful Gulf and your beautiful ocean, and it will ... British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca just paused its trial of a COVID-19 vaccine. (Andrew Yates / AFP/Getty Images) Donald Trump's effort to force science into serving his reelection campaign ran into a pothole Tuesday. That's when AstraZeneca, a drug company testing one of the more promising potential vaccines against COVID-19, suspended its product's clinical trial. The reason was that one trial subject developed what the company described as a "potentially unexplained illness." A couple of reality checks are warranted here. In large trials, illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully. AstraZeneca, announcing a pause in its COVID-19 vaccine trial First, there's nothing unusual about this development. They happen routinely in clinical trials and aren't unexpected when a trial comprises as many as 30,000 subjects, as this one does. Second, AstraZeneca hasn't disclosed the nature of the illness or even if it's connected to the vaccine under study as, perhaps, an adverse side effect. In large trials," the company said in a public statement, "illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully. There are no indications, as yet, that the suspension will be prolonged or how it might affect clinical trials of other vaccines. Three candidates, including the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being developed in conjunction with the University of Oxford, are undergoing Phase 3 trials in the U.S. and elsewhere. The others, based on a messenger RNA model never before used on humans, are under development by Moderna and by Pfizer. The AstraZeneca vaccine uses a different technology. But the suspension or "pause," as it's described by AstraZeneca does remind us that the path of vaccine development is not smooth or swift but generally throws out curveballs that need to be studied and explained. That's crucial to know in the context of the COVID-19 vaccine hunt, because it has been relentlessly politicized by President Trump, who is a scientific ignoramus. Story continues As recently as Monday, Trump was claiming that approval of a vaccine was imminent "could even have it during the month of October," he said. Trump's goal is unmistakable: He wants to announce a vaccine on the eve of the election so he can claim victory over the virus. Under normal circumstances, AstraZeneca's announcement might not have produced even a ripple, outside the small community of researchers and investors who follow drug trials. This time is different, both because of the intense public interest in a vaccine, and Trump's interference in the process. AstraZeneca did the right thing in suspending its vaccine trial and announcing its action publicly. Numerous medical and drug industry experts, including some from within the Trump administration, have cautioned that trial results justifying government approval of a vaccine any time in the next two months are unlikely in the extreme. As Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist at the University of Arizona, told me last week: You need to enroll 30,000 people, you need to administer the vaccine and watch for any adverse outcomes, you need to do follow-up testing, and if its a two-step vaccine [requiring two separate doses] you need to bring them back 28 days later. Then you need to analyze the data. These things take time, and one or two months to have all that happen seems not even feasible. Trump's preferred timeline assumes that the existing trials proceed perfectly. That means there are no unexpected events such as the one signaled by AstraZeneca and that the results show such a spectacularly effective immune response that the trials can be ended early. Neither is likely. In fact, disappointment is the default outcome of clinical drug development. A majority of drugs that show promising results in early-stage trials never make it to market. As we reported recently, in 2017 the Food and Drug Administration, hoping to tamp down inflated public expectations of medical research, listed 22 cases in which drugs with promising Phase 2 trial results failed to demonstrate effectiveness or safety in Phase 3. (Phase 2 trials involve small groups of subjects with the disease being studied.) The AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are all at that cusp they've shown promising results in Phase 2 trials but are just now starting Phase 3. Those who defend Trump's cheerleading for a vaccine sometimes argue that the public needs some good news in the pandemic these days in other words, that Trump is feeding people good medicine. That's exactly wrong. No one benefits from false optimism. It won't make the research move any faster. Nor will it give people confidence in the outcome. Quite the contrary: Trump's overtly personal and partisan interest in an early vaccine approval has only served to destroy confidence that any approval coming before the election on Nov. 3 will be honestly earned. Indeed, that's why AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and six other major drug companies issued a joint statement this week assuring the public that they won't be swayed by political pressure and will submit their vaccines for government approval only if and when that step is dictated by science. Science, as a human endeavor, doesn't care about Trump's political fortunes. It is what it is. But acceptance of scientific judgment, which is an important issue in the quest for a vaccine, does care. If approval of a vaccine appears to be political, even if it's based on rigorous research, then it will face a head wind of public doubt. That will be devastating in the battle against the virus. Trump needs to shut up, and let the scientists do their work, wherever it leads. Industrial-scale farming and food processing are greater factors in rising obesity numbers in Connecticut and worldwide than individual behavior, according to scientists. This complex food system feeds directly into greenhouse gas emissions and accelerated climate change. Last year the journal The Lancet identified a global syndemic linking climate change to obesity and poor nutrition, referencing dozens of studies. Earlier, in 2017, the journal Public Health reported significant and new insight about the causal link between obesity and environmental emissions. In Connecticut, 27 percent of all adults, almost 12 percent of children and 14 percent of toddlers (ages 2-4) are obese. In 1990, the rate for adults was 10 percent, Connecticut Data Haven reported in its 2019 Community Health Well-Being Survey. Obesity affects people of color at higher rates: more than 30 percent of Hispanic adults and more than 35 percent of Black adults are obese, compared with 25 percent to 29 percent of white residents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many factors have contributed to current obesity levels: lack of access to healthful food, socioeconomic factors, a car-oriented culture and food marketing, said Marlene Schwartz, director of the University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. She said the center studies how we can use policy to change the food environment. You cant expect personal responsibility and willpower to be enough to overcome all the factors in the environment. Former Rudd Center researcher Rebecca Boehm led a study in 2018 that found 68 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from food production came from industrial farming and manufacturing, 30 percent of which was from animals. A majority of the emissions are coming from the production phase, said Boehm, who now works for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Boehms research showed that consumption activities of all kinds create greenhouse gas emissions, and food is one of those integral parts of our lives thats a consumption activity. Its less obvious than the emissions coming out of your car. Its a little hard to think about and conceptualize because the food system is so complex. Farm To City In Connecticut, small farms have been working for many years to help those who live in cities and some rural areas far from markets get affordable, fresh produce. Teri Smith of Smiths Acres in East Lyme said she started selling produce in downtown New London about 35 years ago and expanded to Stamford, Bridgeport and a dozen more farmers markets. She said part of the work was talking to customers about how to use what she was selling. I was amazed at the mothers and the children who would come in and ask questions about vegetables: Why is this cucumber curly? The cucumbers at the grocery store are straight. Why are the beans different sizes? What can I do with Brussels sprouts? She added, That was the best part of doing the markets in a place like New London or Stamford, talking to the people. You can buy $10 worth of apples and go home and make applesauce and freeze it for your baby. How about this butternut squash, how about cooking and mashing them up and saving them and you have baby food for a year for your baby? Staying healthy has become even more challenging during the pandemic. Just getting out, running errands and getting exercise has gotten more complicated or even impossible for many people, especially those who live in food deserts. In cities, food deserts are where markets are more than a mile away and in rural areas where they are 10 or more miles away. Connecticuts food deserts are mostly in its cities. Thirteen years ago, to help those who live in food deserts, Connecticut farmers markets in cities began doubling coupons from federal assistance programs such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These programs are designed to help people living at 130 percent of the poverty levela nd below afford produce and other healthful food. Of Connecticut children between 2 and 4 years old whose families participate in WIC, 14.4 percent fall in the obese range. The SNAP and WIC discounts at farmers markets were the project of the Connecticut nonprofit Wholesome Wave, which formed in Bridgeport in 2007. It pushes for better federal benefits for low-income people. Its co-founder, Michel Nischan of Fairfield, is a nationally recognized leader in bringing locally grown food to the underserved. Wholesome Waves first initiative was boosting SNAP benefits at farmers markets. Today, the initiatives started with private donors in 2007 are part of the federal Farm Bill. Two years ago, Congress designated the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, which gives states grants to make fresh produce easier to buy. Its named for Wholesome Wave co-founder August Schumacher, a local food advocate who served as the Massachusetts agriculture chief from 1984 to 1990 and USDA undersecretary of agriculture for farm and foreign agricultural services from 1997 to 2001. A dozen farmers markets across Connecticut including in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford and Willimantic now double SNAP benefits with support from UConn Cooperative Extension. They issue tokens or coupons for fruits and vegetables that can be spent that day or later. CitySeeds farmers markets and stores in the New Haven area have one of the highest redemption rates of food assistance in the state, said Cortney Renton, its executive director. Last year, CitySeed redeemed $63,000 in SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons at its markets and stores. Renton said many activists have begun referring to food deserts as food apartheid. They believe the lack of access to healthful food grows out of broader policies that need to change. Nischan said his desire for policy change dogged him from his early career as a chef. A native of Chicago, he spent childhood summers helping out on his grandfathers small Missouri farm. The farm was in a state of decline for a long time because food policy made it really hard for small family farms, Nischan said. He struggled in the 1980s and 1990s to incorporate fresh produce into restaurants where he cooked in Milwaukee and New York. Then, 25 years ago, Nischans son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, so good nutrition became even more important to his family. For the past decade, Wholesome Wave has been working with hospitals to subsidize fresh produce purchases after prescribing their patients nutrition counseling. What we are trying to prove is if we invested Medicaid dollars in prevention [like good food], it might cost less than treatment, Nischan said. Healthful food should be an essential right for every American, regardless of income, he said. For information on Connecticut farmers markets, go here. This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (c-hit.org), a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting. An engineer shows an experimental Covid-19 vaccine being tested at the Quality Control Laboratory at the Sinovac Biotech facilities in Beijing, April 29, 2020. LONDON The U.K.'s health minister on Wednesday rushed to defend AstraZeneca's decision to pause a closely-watched coronavirus vaccine trial due to safety concerns, saying that the decision is not necessarily a setback to its development. AstraZeneca announced Tuesday that the pause was due to a potentially unexplained illness in one of its trials. The pharma giant's shares fell more than 6% in after-hours trading Tuesday and its London-listed shares slipped 0.4% as European markets opened on Wednesday. "It is obviously a challenge to this particular vaccine," Matt Hancock told Sky News when asked about the pause in the trial of the vaccine which is being developed with Oxford University. "It's not actually the first time that it's happened to the Oxford vaccine and it's a standard process in clinical trials whenever they find something that they need to investigate," he added. Asked whether it would set back attempts to find a Covid-19 vaccine, he said: "Not necessarily, it depends on what they find when they do the investigation." GENEVA: More than 300 civil society groups including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Service for Human Rights are urging the United Nations to set up an international watchdog to address human rights violations by the Chinese government. In an open letter published Wednesday, the groups say they are seeking greater scrutiny of and response to violations in places like Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang, as well as beyond such as through censorship, development that hurts the environment and the targeting of rights defenders. The call for the creation of an independent international mechanism" to focus on Chinas rights violations adds to recent international pressure on Beijing over its handling of issues like protests in Hong Kong and detention centers what the government calls vocational or training centers for Uighur Muslims and others in western Xinjiang region. China has systematically persecuted rights defenders in reprisal for their cooperation with U.N. human rights operations torture, enforced disappearance, imprisonment, and stripping licenses from lawyers, said Renee Xia, director of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, in a statement. The U.N. system should no longer tolerate such treatment. The move follows a call by independent experts who work with the United Nations for a special session of the Human Rights Council focusing on the array of issues around Chinas rights record. Advocates insist that no country no matter how large or powerful should escape extra scrutiny of their rights records when warranted. The groups also want U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to take responsibility for publicly addressing Chinas sweeping rights violations, Human Rights Watch said in a statement. The appeal comes ahead of the start of the 47-member-state Human Rights Councils fall session on Monday. In its summer session, the council held an urgent debate on a rise of police violence against Black people and repression of protests in the United States. 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 For the first time scientists have successfully cloned a Przewalski's horse, the world's last remaining breed of truly wild horses. Named Kurt, the foal was born to a surrogate, a domestic mare, on August 6 at Timber Creek Veterinary in Canyon, Texas. His sire, a Przewalski stallion named Kuporovic, had DNA samples taken and preserved in 1980 for use when cloning technology was perfected. Kurt will provide an invaluable infusion of genetic diversity to a population whose limited numbers make them susceptible to inbreeding. Scroll down for video Kurt, the first-ever clone of a Przewalski's horse, was born to a surrogate on August 6. It's hoped he'll add some much needed genetic diversity to the breed, whose small numbers make them susceptible to inbreeding Believed extinct in the wild, the Przewalski's horse has survived for the past 40 years almost entirely in zoos and wildlife parks. There are less than 2,000 Przewalski's horses alive today, almost all of which are in captivity and the last confirmed sighting of the animal in the wild was 1969. Kurt's birth was the result of a collaboration between San Diego Zoo Global (SDZG), Revive and Restore and ViaGen Equine. His sire, a Przewalski stallion named Kuporovic, was born in 1975 in the UK and then transferred to the US in 1978. Kurt and his surrogate 'mom' at Timber Creek Veterinary in Canyon, Texas. When he's older, Kurt will be moved to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to be integrated into a breeding herd of Przewalski's horses Before his death in 1998, Kuporovic's DNA was cryopreserved at the San Diego Zoo Global Frozen Zoo in hopes of using it to create a clone. Przewalski's horses are believed to be the last remaining species that was never domesticated. Most 'wild' horses today, like the ponies of Assateague Island in Virginia, are actually ferals descended from domesticated horses that escaped and adapted to life in the wild. Hunting, habitat depletion and competition from livestock caused native Przewalski's horse populations to declined precipitously after World War II. All surviving Przewalski's horses are related to 12 horses born in the early part of the 20th century. Scientists created Kurt using samples from a Przewalski stallion named Kuporovic, whose DNA was frozen in 1980. 'Advanced reproductive technologies, including cloning, can save species by allowing us to restore genetic diversity that would have otherwise been lost to time,' said Revive and Restore director Ryan Phelan While it's possible to increase their population density through captive breeding programs, having such a close group of ancestors means offspring are less able to adapt to environmental changes and more likely to exhibit undesirable recessive traits. 'This birth expands the opportunity for genetic rescue of endangered wild species,' said Revive and Restore director Ryan Phelan. 'Advanced reproductive technologies, including cloning, can save species by allowing us to restore genetic diversity that would have otherwise been lost to time.' Kurt was named for Dr. Kurt Benirschke, who was instrumental in founding the San Diego Frozen Zoo, a leading institution in wildlife conservation efforts. Kurt learning to steady himself. There are less than 2,000 Przewalski's horses alive today, almost all of which are in captivity All signs point to the foal being 'fully healthy and reproductively normal,' said Shawn Walker, chief science officer at ViaGen Equine. 'He is head butting and kicking, when his space is challenged, and he is demanding milk supply from his surrogate mother.' When Kurt is older, he'll be moved to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to be integrated into a breeding herd of Przewalski's horses. Przewalski's horses at the Khustain Nuruu National Park in Mongolia. The species is believed to be the last remaining horse that's never been domesticated 'It is our hope that in five to 10 years, as Kurt matures into the world's first cloned Przewalski's stallion, he will successfully mate and thus contribute to the genetic diversity of his species and to the future of conservation innovation,' Revive and Restore wrote on its Przewalski's horse project page. Bob Wiese, chief life sciences officer at San Diego Zoo Global, said he was optimistic Kurt would bring back much-needed genetic variation to the Przewalski's horse population. 'This colt is expected to be one of the most genetically important individuals of his species,' Wiese said. President Donald Trump announces opioid response grants to state governments in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, September 4, 2019. President Donald Trump admitted that he wanted to publicly downplay the threat of the coronavirus even as his advisors warned him about the dangers of the disease, Bob Woodward wrote in his forthcoming book about the Trump administration, multiple outlets reported Wednesday. "I wanted to always play it down," Trump told Woodward in mid-March, CNN reported. "I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic." CNN, which also published audio of Woodward's March 19 interview with the president, reported Woodward writing that Trump had been informed weeks before Covid-19 claimed its first lives in the U.S. that the virus was dangerous and highly contagious. Less than three weeks before that interview reportedly took place, Trump had assured that the virus would "disappear." "One day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear," Trump said in public remarks on Feb. 28. But the president had already been told in late January by national security advisor Robert O'Brien that the coronavirus "will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency," Woodward wrote in the book, according to a separate report from The Washington Post. Mass cullings take place as mink farms identified as hot spots for the disease In what researchers believe is a world first, genetic analysis has confirmed the transmission of the novel coronavirus from human to animal and back to humans again during COVID-19 outbreaks on Dutch mink farms. Using whole genome sequencing, virologists in the Netherlands verified that the animals were susceptible to infection, and were responsible for passing on the virus to other workers during viral flareups that infected dozens of people at several farms over the summer. The research, which was published on the preprint server BioRxiv and has not been peer-reviewed, was conducted at the virology department at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. "To the best of our knowledge, these are the first animal to human SARS-CoV-2 transmission events documented," stated the study, which was led by Marion Koopmans, who is head of virology at Erasmus. "More research in minks and other mustelid species is needed, to demonstrate if these species can be a true reservoir of SARS-CoV-2, although from our observations we consider this likely." Several animal species are known to be susceptible to the novel coronavirus, including but not limited to dogs, cats, ferrets, hamsters, rhesus monkeys, rabbits and fruit bats. Epidemiologists have stressed the importance of monitoring animal populations which may harbor the virus and even cause so-called spillover events, where pathogens are transferred to humans from other species. "Continued monitoring and cooperation between human and animal health services is crucial to prevent the animals serving as a reservoir for continued infection in humans," the authors of the study said. The Netherlands is one of the world's leading producers of pelts from mink, which are also farmed on a large scale in China, Poland, and Denmark. But the Dutch mink fur trade has been decimated during the pandemic. The virus was first detected on two mink farms in the Netherlands in late April, following routine monitoring by animal health services. "We conclude that the virus was initially introduced from humans and has evolved, most likely reflecting widespread circulation among mink in the beginning of the infection period several weeks prior to detection," the study said. The virus spread rapidly through more than 20 mink farms in the Netherlands, and has also been detected on farms in Spain and the United States. More than 1 million minks have now been culled in the Netherlands to control COVID-19 outbreaks, according to the Humane Society International, meanwhile Spanish authorities have ordered the killing of more than 90,000 minks at a farm in the Aragon region where an estimated nine in ten animals contracted the virus. Following a complaint from officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) H-East ward, 27 people, including developer and main proprietor, secretary and treasurer of a housing society, have been booked for allegedly forging documents to get flats and shops on BMCs land. Shashikant Bhandari, senior inspector from Nirmal Nagar police station, said, We have registered a first information report (FIR) and are investigating the case. We havent arrested anybody yet. After receiving a complaint in February about people allegedly using forged documents to get property on BMCs land at Ganpatram Dayma Marg in Bandra (East), Nirmal Nagar police conducted an inquiry. The allegations were found to be true, following which the police informed BMC. On August 31, based on a complaint by BMC, a case was registered under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. BMC officials in the complaint said, In 2004, residents of the plot of land in question formed an organisation named Om Sai Sanstha to redevelop their houses and shops. In 2010, they came in contact with Saranga Estate Pvt Ltd to redevelop the plot, for which 42 of the total 48 residents submitted their documents. While examining the documents, BMC found 10 Gumasta licences and nine ration cards were fake, 11 people did not have any room on that plot, and eight persons had submitted documents having two different addresses. During initial inquiry, they have found Likhmaprasad Badgujar, main proprietor; Lalchand Gupta, secretary; Rajesh Tripathi, treasurer; Yogesh Gupta of Saranga Developers Pvt Ltd; and 27 others had planned and submitted fake documents to BMC to build houses and shops on BMCs plot, read the BMC complaint. TORONTO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Agility CMS, a content-first headless CMS built for speed, has rebuilt its Content Modelling feature, improving the ability for users to create and update content and content relationships quickly and easily. Content is the lifeblood of every company. It is the message that connects every touchpoint of the customer journey. Today, to have a fighting chance, content needs to be adaptable, responsive, and accessible. To help companies remain competitive, Agility CMS takes content to the next level with a structure-first approach to designing content, creating an organized model that makes content easy to understand and process. According to Agility, the new content model section in the CMS can help users build their content architecture up to ten times faster. Max Ikaheimo, one of Agility CMS' partners and founder of Ikius, a Finland-based web development agency, expressed his delight about the new feature. "I am very excited to see where Agility will go with these changes, and I can see that this kind of re-design could really benefit the shared content and pages sections as well. In any case, I absolutely love the direction Agility CMS is taking!" Here are some highlights of what Agility CMS has to offer users with its content modeling feature: A hub for content - Customize content models right in the CMS using Agility's visual builder. An optimized editor experience - Group fields together, set required fields, default values and much more. A future-proof platform - Define structured content that is decoupled from the presentation layer. An evolving content model - Seamlessly switching from editing content to your definition allows for quick updates and promotes iterating on your content models. "We've been hard at work evaluating user flows and how we can empower more users to take control of their Content Architecture and get it done faster than ever. We discovered how users configure their definitions needed to be streamlined and more accessible," highlighted James Vidler, VP of Product Agility CMS. You can try Agility CMS' content modeling for free here. Before you start, read the full announcement on their website and watch the walkthrough video "Intro to Agility CMS Content Modelling". To learn more, get access to the full webinar. Agility CMS is a headless CMS that allows users the unparalleled flexibility, speed, and responsiveness that comes with an API-first CMS. Agility CMS is a Content Management System that allows marketing teams to create and manage content across their digital properties. Agility CMS is revolutionizing the Headless CMS industry by providing tools that close the gap between monolithic traditional CMS platforms and pure developer-centric CMS tools. This hybrid approach eliminates creative limitations and security concerns created by the previous generation of CMS software. It provides complete creative freedom for web developers while presenting familiar authoring tools to editors and content creators. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com SOURCE Agility CMS The mass use of face masks and coverings may be acting as a type of crude 'vaccine' against coronavirus, scientists have claimed. People are urged to wear masks to catch droplets from their breath and reduce the risk of them spreading the virus if they have it without knowing, not to protect themselves from catching it although it may be able to do this to a small extent. Masks, particularly the surgical and cloth ones worn by the bulk of the population, are not perfect and allow some viral particles to slip through into wearer's airways. Experts say repeatedly exposing people to small amounts of Covid-19 in this way may train their bodies to recognise and fight it off, effectively immunising them. The unproven theory was detailed by scientists from the University of California in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine. It is unlikely the hypothesis will be proven beyond doubt because that would require exposing people with and without masks to the virus in clinical trials, which would be unethical. But the theory may partly explain why fewer people are dying or falling critical ill with the coronavirus in the later stages of the pandemic and in East Asia, where masks are common. The scientists behind the commentary stressed that people should not get complacent or try to deliberately catch the virus to build immunity. The mass-use of face masks may be acting as a de facto 'vaccine' against coronavirus, scientists have claimed (Pictured: Passengers wearing masks on the London Underground yesterday) 'This is not the recommendation at all,' they wrote, urging people to still keep socially distanced from others and avoid cramped indoor spaces with little ventilation. The idea that masks may offer some immunity against Covid-19 hinges on the theory of variolation, a centuries-old immunisation technique. Variolation is the practice of deliberately infecting people with low doses of a pathogen to generate a protective immune response that prevents reinfection. The controversial technique was used throughout history to immunise people against smallpox but was eventually replaced by modern vaccines which use weakened forms of virus to make them much safer. WHY DO EXPERTS THINK MASKS MIGHT BE IMMUNISING PEOPLE? Masks, particularly surgical and cloth ones worn by the bulk of the population, are not perfect and allow some viral particles to slip through into wearer's airways. Experts say repeatedly exposing people to small amounts of Covid-19 in this way may train their bodies to recognise and fight it off, effectively immunising them. The idea that masks may offer some immunity against Covid-19 hinges on the theory of variolation, a centuries-old immunisation technique. Variolation is the practice of deliberately infecting people with low doses of a pathogen to generate a protective immune response that prevents reinfection. The controversial technique was used throughout history to immunise people against smallpox but was eventually replaced by modern vaccines which use weakened forms of virus to make them much safer. University of California experts Dr Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician, and epidemiologist Professor George Rutherford, believe face masks may be working in the same way as variolation. It may explain why the number of mild and asymptomatic cases are going up and deaths and ICU admissions are going down. Advertisement University of California experts Dr Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician, and epidemiologist Professor George Rutherford, believe face masks may be working in the same way as variolation. Dr Gandhi, writing in the paper, said: 'You can have this virus but be asymptomatic. So if you can drive up rates of asymptomatic infection with masks, maybe that becomes a way to variolate the population.' The US researchers admit that their theory makes two broad assumptions about Covid-19 which have not yet been proven. Their argument is based on the idea that getting infected with smaller doses of the virus leads to less severe disease and that mild or asymptomatic people enjoy long-term protection. The UK Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has previously said it believes 'viral load' plays a big role in how sick someone will become. They said it explains why so many healthcare workers - who come into face-to-face contact with gravely ill patients - have fallen victim and died from the disease. Having a high viral load - the number of particles of the virus they are first infected with - gives the bug a 'jump start'. It also raises the risk of a patient's immune system becoming overloaded in its battle against COVID-19. It means someone infected indirectly by touching a door handle could end up with milder symptoms than someone who inhales an infected person's cough. The University of California experts believe mass mask wearing has greatly reduced the amount of viral load the average person gets infected with. This may partly explain why mortality rates in intensive care units have plummeted. Analysis by the University of Bristol shows the proportion of patients dying from Covid-19 in ICU wards around the world has fallen by a third since March. But improving survival rates are largely thought to be driven by doctors getting better at treating the disease, which they knew nothing about earlier in the year. Critics have dismissed the mask immunisation theory, which they warn could be dangerous if the public get too complacent and take unnecessary risks. Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist based in Arizona who was not involved in the editorial, told the New York Times: 'It seems like a leap. We don't have a lot to support it.' 'We still want people to follow all the other prevention strategies. That means staying vigilant about avoiding crowds, physical distancing and hand hygiene behaviors that overlap in their effects, but can't replace one another.' Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents a medal to Chen Wei, recipient of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese military medical scientist Chen Wei was awarded the national honorary title -- "the People's Hero" -- Tuesday for her outstanding contributions to the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. At a meeting held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented medals to her and other recipients. Chen, a 54-year-old researcher at the Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences, has made major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and protective medicine. On Jan. 23, China locked down Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province, to curb the spread of the infectious disease. Three days later, Chen arrived in Wuhan to focus on vaccine development. Chen cut her black hair short for the convenience of working in a protective suit. After months of intense lab research and on the frontline battle against the virus, some of her hair turned grey. "It is the call of duty because I'm a person in uniform. I was obliged to do all that I did," she said. On March 16, the adenovirus vector vaccine developed by Chen's team started phase-one clinical trials, the first in the world. According to the data published in the medical journal The Lancet in May, all 108 vaccinated participants produced antibodies. "By releasing our testing methods and indicators to the world, we have helped researchers from other countries take fewer detours and promote global vaccine research," Chen said. Chen Wei, recipient of the "People's Hero" national honorary title, arrives at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020.(Xinhua/Yin Bogu) In July, the data of the vaccine's phase-two clinical trials was also released to the world. The results of the two phases of clinical trials verified the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. It was not the first time that Chen has stood on the front line against viruses over the past decades. Her team developed a nasal spray that helped protect medical staff against SARS viruses in 2003, and developed a vaccine for Ebola in 2014. She attributes the outstanding achievements to her team. "Everyone in the team has shown extraordinary perseverance and contributed their wisdom," she said. Chen was born in the city of Lanxi, east China's Zhejiang Province, in 1966. On April 12 this year, she sent a voice message to more than 80,000 middle and primary school students in Lanxi. "We must bring good to society so that our lives will be meaningful, and your world will be even more splendid by bringing warmth to others," Chen said in the message. LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 12, 2020 at 8pm, the benefit concert will stream live to raise crucial funds for music and art scholarships for East Los Angeles students Los Angeles Music and Art School (LAMusArt) announces its 75th Birthday Bash, an online auction and livestream benefit concert starring Hamilton's Charlotte Mary Wen and other special guests on September 12, 2020 at 8PM. The one-hour program will celebrate the eastside institution's 75 year legacy, and raise crucial funds for music and art scholarships for East Los Angeles students. The special 60-minute concert will feature performances by Wen, Morgan Anita Wood and LAMusArt students of all ages. September typically marks the organization's annual Stars for the Arts Benefit, a night of exemplary artistry and impactful philanthropy in support of arts education and performance opportunities for underserved youth. With restrictions in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, LAMusArt was compelled to reimagine the live event and reinterpret its momentous birthday in a virtual setting with the help of the board of directors, the Young Professionals Advisory Board, and Miss Charlotte Mary Wen. Miss Wen joins LAMusArt's 75-year commitment to providing the East LA community with equitable and accessible arts education as the premiere performer of the evening. Currently, she's a cast member of HAMILTON The Musical's "And Peggy Tour." In addition to her roles on various television shows, Wen has wowed audiences at the Hollywood Bowl and in Frozen Live at the Hyperion Theater in Disney's California Adventures. Charlotte will not only impart her virtuosity for the online event, but will bring along a gifted pal and fellow Hamilton player, Morgan Anita Wood, to accompany the performance of Broadway's greatest classics. Preceding the celebratory live stream event, LAMusArt is hosting an online silent auction presenting highly coveted items ranging from once in a lifetime experiences like a 3 night stay at the Sayulita Villa Amor as well as items like a signed and authenticated LeBron James Lakers jersey and original artwork by Nicholas Mayfield. Proceeds from the auction, which closes at the end of the program, will go directly towards funding LAMusArt's year-round arts education programs. Items are currently available to bid on now. For more information on LAMusArt's 75th Birthday Bash, please visit www.LAMusArt.org/benefit or call LAMusArt at 323-262-7734. To RSVP, visit www.LAMusArt.org/events. LAMusArt is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to provide East LA and beyond with equitable access to quality arts education programs. Established in 1945, LAMusArt is the only multidisciplinary destination for high-quality arts instruction located in the community. SOURCE Los Angeles Music and Art School San Francisco: People from San Francisco to Seattle woke on Wednesday to hazy clouds of smoke lingering in the air, darkening the sky to an eerie orange glow that kept street lights illuminated into midday, all thanks to dozens of wildfires throughout the West. It's after 9am and there's still no sign of the sun, the California Highway Patrol's Golden Gate division tweeted, urging drivers to turn on their headlights and slow down. Social media was filled with photos of the unusual sky and many people complained their mobile phone cameras werent accurately capturing the golden hues. Smoke hangs over Mount Diablo in Orinda, California. Credit:Bloomberg Despite the foreboding skies, there was little scent of smoke and the air quality index did not reach unhealthy levels. Thats because fog drifting from the Pacific Ocean was sandwiched between the smoke and surface. One in 10 university students are already running their own business alongside their studies. Researchers found 162,000 undergraduates have a side hustle on the go, up from 108,000 in 2018 a 50 per cent increase. And on average, each venture turns over 411.67 a month around 5,000 a year or almost 15,000 in total over the course of a three-year degree. The study of 1,000 undergraduates commissioned by Santander found another 18 per cent of students have plans to begin their own business venture in the near future. This means 27 per cent of current undergraduates either have a business up and running or intend to start one in the coming years. But just 16 per cent of those who have set up their own business were motivated due to a lack of money, with a third influenced by their family and one in five by their friends. A third simply built up a hobby or personal interest while 10 per cent wanted to be their own boss. It comes after the study also found more than four in 10 university students are rethinking their careers in the wake of the pandemic, as 78 per cent fear Covid-19 will impact their job opportunities once they graduate. As a result, of those considering an entire career shift, six in 10 are now looking to work in a role which has a clear sense of purpose and makes a difference. While 55 per cent admit they have a plan B in case their top career choice doesnt work out. Matt Hutnell, director of Santander Universities, said: Its fantastic to see that so many university students are starting or looking to start their own business during their university years. From app-creation to pivoting businesses to support communities in response to the coronavirus outbreak, we are constantly impressed with the ambition and talent demonstrated by young entrepreneurs as they continue to play a vital role in the future of the UK economy. Starting off in the world of work can be a daunting experience for graduates, but even more so in the current environment, so its great to see students are looking at ways to best make it work for them. The study also found that of those who have already entered the world of business, almost a fifth (17 per cent) hope to continue it as a full-time career, with just six per cent expecting that the business will cease trading. And half (48 per cent) said they plan to carry it on as a second job or hobby when they leave university. It also emerged that arts and crafts was the most popular business sector, as many expanded on a hobby they already had, followed by technology-based solutions and administration or business services. However, while there is enthusiasm for embarking on a career in business, almost two thirds (64 per cent) didnt think there was enough support for undergraduates looking to set up shop. More than a third turned to their parents for help and almost one in five went to a careers advisor, with one in 20 going to the bank. Recommended The 15 companies British business students dream of working for And of those looking to start a business in the future, 28 per cent would seek advice from their university or college and 22 per cent would get support from a bank or financial advisor. But the research, carried out via OnePoll, revealed the biggest barrier to undergraduates starting a business was a lack of funds to set it up, with 76 per cent citing this as a reason. Almost half (45 per cent) said they would be concerned that starting a company would mean not having a regular income, while 40 per cent said a business venture was too big a risk and they were afraid of the consequences of it failing. Recommended Students prepare for the unknown as they start university amid coronavirus Researchers also found that, despite the massive fall in quarterly GDP and ominous forecast about the economy, 15 per cent of undergraduates think there will either be no impact on job opportunities or there will be an increase in roles, post pandemic. And as a result, while they agree it might be a riskier prospect than usual, 33 per cent still dream of starting their own business one day, while another 11 per cent want to, believing it to be no more of a risk than before the pandemic started. A quarter (24 per cent) also claimed they don't worry about the impact it will have on their life, while almost one in 10 (8 per cent) are still optimistic about the future. Commanders of the armies of India and China on Wednesday met in eastern Ladakh and also exchanged messages over the hotline on ways to check further escalation in border tension on the eve of a crucial meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in Moscow, government sources said. IMAGE: An IAF aircraft flies in the Ladakh region amid the prolonged India-China stand off, in Leh, on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Photo The sources said the situation in eastern Ladakh remained 'tense' and that around 30-40 soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are holding up at a position close to an Indian post in the Rezang-La ridgeline in eastern Ladakh. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi are set to hold the keenly anticipated bilateral talks on Thursday against the backdrop of a massive spike in tension in eastern Ladakh triggered by fresh face-offs between the two armies along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Jaishankar and Wang are in Moscow to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting. Besides the bilateral talks, the two leaders are expected to come face-to-face during a luncheon meeting of foreign ministers of Russia-India-China (RIC) on Thursday. The focus of the bilateral talks between Jaishankar and Wang are expected to be on finding a breakthrough in cooling down temperatures in eastern Ladakh, a day after the two countries accused each other of firing in the air at the latest flashpoint in the first instance of bullets being used along the LAC after a gap of 45 years. Jaishankar held a meeting with his Russian counterpart and SCO host Sergey Lavrov after which the Indian leader said he had 'excellent talks' and that they discussed bilateral strategic ties and exchanged views on the international situation. The Indian Army on Tuesday said Chinese troops attempted to close in on an Indian position near the southern bank of Pangong lake on the evening of September 7 and fired shots in the air. The Army said this in a statement after the PLA late on Monday night alleged that Indian troops crossed the LAC and 'outrageously fired' warning shots near the Pangong lake. A meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe on the margins of another SCO meet in Moscow last Friday apparently did not yield any tangible outcome. Government sources said a Brigade commander-level interaction took place between Indian and Chinese armies at a forward location along the LAC with an aim to check further escalation of tension and find ways to focus on implementing laid down protocols in management of the border. Both sides also exchanged messages on the hotline and even commanding officers of the two armies were in touch with each other, they said. However, the situation in the region remained 'tense' with both sides maintaining aggressive posturing following the fresh face-off on Monday evening, the sources said. The latest incident was considered serious as the previous instance of shots being fired at the de-facto border was in 1975. Provisions of an agreement of 1996 and another inked in 2005 mandate the two sides not to use firearms during any confrontation. The sources had said that Chinese troops carried rods, spears, clubs and pole weapons called 'Guandao' in aggressively trying to close in on an Indian position on Monday evening. Tensions escalated manifold along the LAC in eastern Ladakh after the Galwan Valley clashes 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. The border situation deteriorated again after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory in the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. India occupied a number of strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong lake and strengthened its presence in Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas in the region to thwart any Chinese actions. China has strongly objected to India's move. However, India has maintained that the heights are on its side of the LAC. The PLA has been eyeing to capture the strategic heights in the last three-four days, the government sources said, adding the Chinese troops also damaged an iron fence on Monday evening which was put up by Indian troops in the area. India continues to dominate strategic peaks around the southern bank of Pangong lake area overlooking key Chinese formations in the Moldo area. It has also rushed in additional troops and weapons to the sensitive region following China's transgression attempts. He asserted that his National Conference (NC) party never played politics over religion NC president Faroow Abdullah along with son and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah and other members, offer prayers at the grave of his father and party founder, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his 38th death anniversary in Srinagar. PTI photo A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s national general secretary, Ram Madhav, accused Farooq Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmirs other regional mainstream leaders of trying to inject a dangerous Islamist discourse into the state politics, the latter on Tuesday hit back saying that it were the saffron party and its ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which are paying communal politics and that the same will result into their extermination. If anybody is playing communal politics, it is the BJP and RSS. We never did it and they are playing it and this will drown them, Abdullah said while speaking to reporters here after offering fateha prayers at the grave of his father and legendary Kashmiri leader Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah commemorating his 38th death anniversary. He asserted that his National Conference (NC) party never played politics over religion. NC never played politics over religion. That is our history. What was the motto of Sher-e-Kashmir (Sheikh Abdullah)? It was Sher-e-Kashmir ka kya irshad; Hindu, Muslim, Sikh Itehad (what is the command of Lion of Kashmir? The unity among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs), he said. He added that the reason behind the Sheikhs becoming instrumental in changing the name of J&K Muslim Conference to National Conference way back in 1938 was because he knew people from all faiths were part of the struggle against the autocratic rule in the princely state. Madhav had in an article appearing in Greater Kashmir newspaper alleged that the NC leadership and other signatories of Gupkar Declaration were trying to take the people of Kashmir for a ride to chase a chimera. On August 4, 2019, a day before J&K was stripped of its special status and split up into two Union Territories, the leaders of the states regional parties including NC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their allies in Congress and CPIM had met at Abdullahs residence along Srinagars Gupkar Road and signed a joined statement named as Gupkar Declaration through which they vowed to protect the special status, identity and autonomy of J&K and fight tool and nail attempts to split it up. Last month, the leaders of NC, PDP, Peoples Conference, Awami National Conference, CPIM and Congress issued a joint statement here saying that they are wholly bound by the Gupkar Declaration and will unwaveringly adhere to it. But Mr. Madhav ruled out such possibility and said the clock cannot be turned back. Referring to the talks that were held between the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, and Sheikh Abdullah through their emissaries before the latters return to power in 1975, the BJP general secretary wrote, When Sheikh insisted on rolling back certain changes in the Article 370, Indira Gandhi bluntly told him that the clock cant be turned back. The Sheikhs son and grandson also know that the clock wont be turned back now by Prime Minister Modi either. Yet they are trying to take the people of Kashmir for a ride to chase a chimera. He added, While the Sheikh had used plebiscite and secession as the chimera for his political ends, his scions are using Islam to deceive the Valley youth. The Plebiscite Front merged into NC, and Sheikh Abdullah became the Chief Minister. But the separatist fire it ignited played havoc in the 1980s and 90s. The Gupkar leaders are resorting to that dangerous game once again, this time in the name of Islam. Meanwhile, BJP spokesman in J&K Brigadier (retired) Anil Gupta said that Mr. Abdullah is suffering from NJP phobia. After weeks of protests, environmental activists in Russia's central Bashkortostan region have won a battle to protect Kushtau Hill from mining. The Bashkir Soda Company had planned to mine limestone from the site. But activists say the hill is a natural treasure and home to many endangered species. ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL) today announced that it will report its financial results for the three-month fiscal period ended Aug. 29, 2020, in a press release issued after the market close on Sept. 23, 2020. The company will hold a conference call on Sept. 24, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. CDT (10:30 a.m. EDT) to discuss its financial results. The company's press release and financial statements will be available on the company's website at https://investors.hbfuller.com. Interested parties can listen to the conference call on a live webcast that may be accessed from the company's website at https://investors.hbfuller.com/calendar. Participants should access the webcast prior to the start of the conference call to register for the event and install and test any necessary software. Participants can pre-register for the webcast at any time using the link above. Accompanying presentation slides will be available at the link above 30 minutes prior to the call, and the webcast and presentation will be archived on the company's website. A telephone replay of the conference call will be available one hour after the conference ends through Oct. 1, 2020. To access the telephone replay dial 1-877-344-7529 in the US, 855-669-9658 in Canada, and 1-412-317-0088 outside the US and Canada, and enter access code 10147504. About H.B. Fuller: Since 1887, H.B. Fuller has been a leading global adhesives provider focusing on perfecting adhesives, sealants and other specialty chemical products to improve products and lives. With fiscal 2019 net revenue of $2.9 billion, H.B. Fuller's commitment to innovation brings together people, products and processes that answer and solve some of the world's biggest challenges. Our reliable, responsive service creates lasting, rewarding connections with customers in electronics, disposable hygiene, medical, transportation, aerospace, clean energy, packaging, construction, woodworking, general industries and other consumer businesses. And, our promise to our people connects them with opportunities to innovate and thrive. For more information, visit us at https://www.hbfuller.com/. SOURCE H.B. Fuller Company Related Links www.hbfuller.com Brisbane's council opposition believes an ecological report should accompany any request to buy property identified in City Hall's long-running Bushland Acquisition Program. The suggestion followed a critical Queensland Audit Office report into the program, which was debated at this week's Brisbane City Council meeting. Brisbane council opposition environment spokesman Steve Griffiths said ecological studies should accompany any offer to buy land under the Bushland Acquisition Program. Credit:Tammy Law The Queensland Audit Office, the state's independent public sector watchdog, made the finding as part of a $525,000 review of council operations in 2020-21. Its report said the way the scheme operated meant there were risks that land that was not identified in the schedule of bushland to be acquired could be bought. - Siraphop Masukarat was sitting on the toilet while at the same time watching videos on his phone when he felt a sudden piercing pain on his penis - The teenager said he only discovered he had been bitten by the reptile when he saw its head sprout from the toilet bowl - The 18-year-old was rushed to the hospital where doctors recommended three stitches at the tip of the sex organ PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB feed A teenager in Thailand has had one of the worst experiences in his life after a snake bit his manhood while he was using a toilet. Siraphop Masukarat was sitting on the toilet while at the same time watching videos on his phone on Tuesday, September 8, when he felt a sudden sharp pain on his penis. READ ALSO: Kenya donates KSh 300 million to AU, CDC to help fight coronavirus Siraphop Masukarat was rushed to the hospital where doctors advised three stitches. Photo: Daily Mail. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Okoth Obado says he's not afraid of looming impeachment: "Nitarudi kwa juakali Speaking to Daily Mail about the horrifying ordeal, Siraphop said he only discovered he was bitten by the reptile when he saw its head sprout from the toilet bowl. "'I was using the toilet but a few moments after I sat down, I suddenly felt pain in my penis. I looked down and saw there was a snake hanging in the toilet. Then there was blood everywhere," he recounted. The 18-year-old was rushed to the hospital where doctors recommended three stitches at the tip of the sex organ. READ ALSO: It's murder charge for Chris Obure after Justice Mumbi makes ruling on Kevin Omwenga's killing case Aftermath of the horrifying experience. Photo: Daily Mail. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Tana River: Wedding cancelled after man storms wedding, says he's father to bride and groom The wound was also treated with an antibiotic wash to kill any bacteria from the python's poison if any. His mother soon called in animal handlers who rushed to her home so as to rescue the college student who was obviously writhing in untold pain. The shaken woman who was short of words was at pains to figure out how the snake got into her house and into the toilet. "It could have been through the drain connected to the toilet. I know the snake really hurt my son but I'm relieved it was only a non-venomous python. If it was a cobra, he would be dead," she explained. 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. He cut off the umbilical cord using a kitchen Knife - Benedicter Mwende | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke HARTFORD (AP) One the worst cyberattacks yet against Connecticuts capital city forced officials to postpone the first day of school Tuesday, disrupting the day for thousands of families as city computer experts rushed to restore systems vital for school operations. Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said the hacker or hackers indicated it was a ransomware attack, but only left an email address to contact and made no specific ransom demand. The problem was discovered Saturday and numerous systems were affected, including one used to communicate transportation routes and live information to school bus drivers. Tuesday was supposed to be the first day of school for the district of about 18,000 students. Both in-person and remote learning were postponed to Wednesday, officials said. We are often the subject of cyberattacks, Bronin said at a news conference. This was, however, the most extensive and significant attack that the city has been subject to ... certainly in the last five years. Much of the damage had been repaired by Monday night, and work on critical systems was completed Tuesday. The citys $500,000 worth of cybersecurity improvements implemented last year prevented officials from being locked out of the citys systems, Bronin said. Superintendent of Schools Leslie Torres-Rodriguez announced the school opening postponement early Tuesday morning and said officials were checking to see if any school staff computers were affected by the attack. We are heavily relying on all of our technology and on our staffs ability to access technology in order to deliver remote instruction, given that more than half of our student population has elected to learn remotely, she said. The team ... is trying to assess the impact throughout all of our 40 schools. Torres-Rodriguez said city schools were ready to open with a variety of coronavirus precautions. School officials said pre-kindergarten through ninth grade were to be fully in person, while a hybrid system of in-school and remote learning will be used for grades 10 through 12, under the currently low virus rate of fewer than 10 new cases per 100,000 population over a seven-day average. Many parents took to social media Tuesday to express disappointment over the first day of school being postponed, with their children looking forward to returning to classes and seeing their friends. Some also were upset at what they called last-minute notice of the delay, noting officials knew about the problem since the weekend. Kate Court said her 13-year-old son was already dressed and ready to go to the bus stop when she discovered the postponement. A New Britain resident and shipping warehouse worker, Courts teenager attends a Hartford magnet school and her 8-year-old son goes to a Hartford elementary school. I didnt get the message until 6 a.m., she said. Its pretty ridiculous. Im a lucky one in that my mom was home to watch them. If not, I would have ... had to miss work. This is crazy, she said Were looking for normalcy again, whatever that may be. School officials said that while most of the computer systems were restored by Monday night, they did not learn until early Tuesday morning that the bus transportation system was still down. Ransomware attacks targeting state and local governments have been on the rise, with cyber criminals seeking quick money by seizing data and holding it hostage until they get paid. City officials say it wasnt clear how the hacker or hackers gained access to city systems or if the attack was aimed at delaying the opening of school. Bronin said it appeared no sensitive personal or financial information was stolen in the attack. More than 200 of the citys 300 computer servers were disrupted. Besides the schools, the police department systems for report writing and video cameras also were affected, but there were no problems with the 911 system, Police Chief Jason Thody said. City police were working with the FBI to try to identify who was behind the attack. By ANI NEW DELHI: The Karni Sena on Wednesday came out in support of actor Kangana Ranaut and staged a protest in the national capital outside the residence of Shiv Sena's Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut, amid the ongoing war of words between the two. The supporters of the 'Panga' actor also burnt Raut's effigy during the protest and were sloganeering. The Karni Sena, also popularly known as Shri Rajput Karni Sena (SRKS), is an organisation based in Rajasthan, which also protested against the film 'Padmaavat' claiming that it distorted Rajput history. Ranaut had yesterday slammed Raut for telling her not to return to Mumbai, claiming that the remark seems like an open threat to her. "Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai, after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir?" Kangana had tweeted. The actress has been engaged in a bitter war of words with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut after her remarks that she feels unsafe in Mumbai and has no trust in the Mumbai Police after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. The Ministry of Home Affairs approved Y-plus security to the 'Queen' actress after she received threats for comparing Mumbai with Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Yesterday, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked Mumbai Police to probe Ranaut's connection in an alleged drug nexus. Philippine protesters call for justice following the killing of a human rights advocate in Quezon City, Aug. 19, 2020. Community lockdowns intended to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines have failed to slow the drug war of President Rodrigo Duterte, a Human Rights Watch researcher said Wednesday. If anything, killings related to the anti-drug campaign increased dramatically soon after Duterte ordered general quarantines for many densely populated regions, said Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for HRW. Police killed 50 percent more people between April and July 2020 than they did in the previous four-month period, Conde said in a statement on HRWs website. The New York-based human rights organization said it analyzed the governments statistics and found that 155 people had been killed during ostensible drug enforcement raids in the past four months, despite quarantines restricting movement. By contrast, police killed 103 persons from December 2019 to March 2020, it said. The national police did not respond to BenarNews request for comment on Wednesday, but earlier this week the newly appointed chief of the countrys police force, Gen. Camilo Cascolan, denied that extra-judicial killings (EJK) existed in the country. First, if you have that notion, come to me, we will investigate. Number two, there is no such thing as EJK, he said, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency. The national police last year admitted that about 6,600 suspected drug dealers and addicts had been killed in President Rodrigo Dutertes drug war. Officials said many were killed in clashes with officers after allegedly refusing to surrender. In June 2019, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that more than 8,600 people had been killed. Despite those deaths, only one case the murder of teenager Kian Lloyd delos Santos in Metro Manila has resulted in the conviction of his killers, three police officers. Rights defenders killed In addition, activists have noted a spike during the pandemic in killings of human rights defenders, most of whom were accused by state security forces of links to the communist rebel movement. Since March 13, at least nine activists have been killed, according to Cristina Palabay, secretary general of the human rights alliance Karapatan. Two of the more notable deaths came just one week apart. On Aug. 10, Randall Echanis, a consultant with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines representing rebels in peace talks, was found stabbed to death in his rented home in Metro Manila. On Aug. 17, Zara Alvarez, who worked as a Karapatan paralegal and community health advocate, was gunned down as she walked home in Bacolod City on the central island of Negros. Since taking office in June 2016, Duterte has become the subject of an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the drug deaths. In addition, U.N. experts and member-states have called on the Philippine government to allow an independent international investigation into alleged human rights abuses in the country. The president has remained defiant and refused to allow foreign investigators, even threatening some with physical violence. He also withdrew the Philippines from the ICC. HRW said it expected the Philippines to continue to deny the allegations rather than offer a constructive response when the U.N. Human Rights Council meets next month to deal with allegations of rights abuses in the country. But as the governments own statistics show, the atrocities in the drug war have worsened, even as the country suffers the worst in the region from the pandemic, it said. The Philippines has reported more than 245,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to disease experts at U.S. based-Johns Hopkins University. Globally, more than 27.6 million cases and more than 898,000 deaths have been recorded. The death of 43-year-old Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman last month, after a four-year battle with colon cancer, shocked fans and restarted a conversation about who is susceptible to various cancers and at what age should people begin screening for them. According to the American Cancer Society, 12 percent of colorectal cancer cases will be diagnosed in people younger than 50, accounting for about 18,000 cases. Tyler Tydlacka was 24 when he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2012. His first symptom was pain in his lower back; he said it felt like a typical kidney stone, so he didnt think much of it. During a wellness visit, Tydlacka, who is a doctor, said his lower right abdomen felt not right, which led to an ultrasound of the area. He later had a CT scan, which showed a tumor. Tydlacka underwent seven rounds of chemotherapy and a surgery to remove the tumor and more than 20 percent of his colon. A few months later, when another CT scan showed the cancer had spread to two lymph nodes, he went through another six rounds of a different chemotherapy drug and eventually had success with immunotherapy treatments. It was later revealed that Tydlacka has Lynch syndrome, or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, a genetic mutation that increases the instance of colon cancer in people under the age of 50. One in 279 people have this mutation, according to National Institutes of Health. Renew Houston: Get the latest wellness news delivered to your inbox Your body tells you if somethings up, he said. Everyone gets tired from the daily grind, but if there is sharp, shooting pain, thats a sign that something is there causing that. If its constant, something is off. The rise in colorectal cancer in young people is the million dollar question, said Dr. Nancy You, associate professor of surgical oncology and associate medical director for clinical genetic cancers program at MD Anderson Cancer Center. In people younger than 50, rates rose by 2.2 percent between 2011-2016. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018 lowered the recommended age for colon cancer screenings from 50-years-old to 45. Black Americans have the highest incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer of any ethnic group in the U.S., according to Colorectal Cancer Disparity in African Americans: Risk Factors and Carcinogenic Mechanisms, which was published in 2018. Some of the disparities can be explained by differences in access to care, cancer screening, and other socioeconomic factors, but genetic, environmental and other ethnicity-specific factors also have an effect on a Black persons likelihood of developing cancer at a younger age, according to the paper. On average, MD Anderson sees about 1,500 new colorectal cases a year. My sense is its an interaction between genetics and environment that must have come together to trigger the cells to start mutating into cancer at an earlier age in some people, You said. On HoustonChronicle.com: Research shows 80,000 missed cancer diagnoses this year What a person eats, how the guts bacteria interacts with that food and the waste our body produces are all factors in diagnosis, she said. The disease is multifaceted and affects varying age groups differently, so we cant point fingers at one thing, You said. You has studied these cancers for more than a decade, and in 2010, she co-wrote a paper about cancer rates slowly rising since 1975. Since then, she has been happy that colorectal cancer has become more visible in society, which has led to earlier detection and more lives saved. Roshanda Chenier is the community engagement leader for the Baylor College of Medicine Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Centers Office of Outreach and Health Disparities. She promotes cancer screenings and education in Houston communities, especially in the senior citizen population. Chenier has noticed that many Black Americans dont know the warning signs of colon cancer, which include changes in bowel habits; rectal bleeding or blood in the stool; persistent stomachaches, like cramps, gas or pain; a feeling that the bowel doesnt empty entirely; and weakness, fatigue and unexplained weight loss, according to the Mayo Clinic. Being African American, you can only go so many generations back. So many people dont have conversations with their loved ones on their family history, Chenier said. The lifestyles we have can be sedentary, and were not physically active. Were not eating the proper foods, but underserved communities can be food deserts, so people dont have access to healthy food choices. Research shows that awareness campaigns and other activities, like the upcoming Get Your Rear in Gear 5K race hosted by the Colon Cancer Coalition, more older Black people are undergoing scheduled colonoscopies, she said. Chenier, has found that people are more willing to talk to health care providers in a public forum sometimes than their own doctor. This years 5K race will be held virtually on Nov. 15, in major cities across the country; Houstons race is spearheaded by Cheniers office. Cancer can happen to anyone, regardless of race, age or socioeconomic background. Someone as healthy as a horse can develop cancer, too, she said. Its important for young people to listen to their bodies and seek a professional opinion. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houstons Pink Phurree dragon boat raises breast cancer awareness While death rates for colorectal cancer varies by age group, there was a 1.3 percent increase between 2008-2017 in those younger than 50. Make sure you have your screenings, detect it early and get treatment to take care of it, Chenier said. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure. julie.garcia@chron.com twitter.com/reporterjulie Roberta Kaplan, Carrolls lawyer, said this about the Justice Departments motion and its timing relative to the New York judges recent ruling: Realizing that there was no valid basis to appeal that decision in the New York courts, on the very day that he would have been required to appeal, Trump instead enlisted the U.S. Department of Justice to replace his private lawyers and argue that when he lied about sexually assaulting our client, explaining that she wasnt his type, he was acting in his official capacity as president of the United States. Even in todays world, that argument is shocking. It offends me as a lawyer, and offends me even more as a citizen. Trumps effort to wield the power of the U.S. government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent, and shows even more starkly how far he is willing to go to prevent the truth from coming out. Earlier this morning Microsoft officially revealed the next-gen Xbox called the Xbox Series S, an all-digital version of the Series X. It also revealed the price of the next-gen all-digital Xbox console. The Series S will be available to customers for a reasonable $299 price tag. This is around the same price of the Xbox One S. An all-digital version of the current-gen Xbox console. It also makes the official price not all that surprising. Of course what many consumers still want to know is what the Xbox Series X will cost. Since this is Microsofts flagship Xbox going forward, and will be the more powerful model. Microsoft, like Sony, has yet to reveal the price of its main console. In fact Sony hasnt released prices for either of its two PS5 versions. Advertisement The all-digital next-gen Xbox Series S doesnt have a release date Despite there being a price point set for the Xbox Series S, there is still no release date. So you know how much youll have to spend to buy one, but you dont when you can actually buy one. The rumors still maintain that Microsoft will launch its new consoles sometime in November. This seems like a reasonable time to release both versions. Assuming that was Microsofts plan all along. After all Sony may plan to launch both its digital and disc versions at the same time. So Microsoft would be alienating a consumer group that wants a digital-only console if it didnt do the same thing. Advertisement In its tweet this morning, Xbox states that its looking forward to sharing more information on whats next for the future of Xbox. This might be referring to the price of the Series X as well as the launch date for it and the Series S. Though this is only speculation. The Xbox Series X is rumored to cost $499 The rumored price of the Series X is nothing new. At least not completely new. Its been rumored for a little while to cost $499. Microsoft has not confirmed this yet, though. If the price is accurate however, it would be the same cost as the Xbox One X when it launched. Which originally retailed for $499. Advertisement So Microsoft would really just be keeping things the same here. Sony in turn may end up doing the same thing with the PS5. The PS4 Pro launched at $399. And was Sonys flagship once it was it was released. If Sony keeps things the same in regards to cost, then the PS5 could launch at $399. Which is what some are already speculating. Again though, this is just a guess by some and none of it has been confirmed by Sony. Advertisement By PTI ISLAMABAD: Embattled former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), stating that his health condition would not allow him to return home from London and surrender in a corruption case by September 10, according to a media report. Last week, the IHC gave a "last chance" to the former premier to surrender and appear before it on September 10 for hearing in the AL-Azizia corruption case. The court had warned of legal action for absconding. Sharif, 70, has been in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treating a heart disease and an immune system disorder. The three-time premier was sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case. Nawaz's lawyer, Khawaja Haris Ahmed, filed the review petition on Wednesday and submitted the former premier's latest medical files attested by London-based consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Dr David Lawrence, The Dawn newspaper reported. ALSO READ | Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan 'only after getting well': PML-N leaders "The fact of the matter is that [Nawaz] is still suffering from multiple comorbidities [and] his treatment in London has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. All the doctors that have treated him in the past, as well as those who have been treating him since his arrival in London, have strongly advised him not to travel to Pakistan without getting his treatment done," Ahmed said in the petition, which said return to Pakistan now could be "fatal" for the PML-N supremo. The petition pointed out that an appeal under Section 423 of the Code of Criminal Procedure decides guilt or innocence and that there is no need for Sharif to be present physically. "By no stretch of the imagination does the said provision of law insist upon the presence of the appellant before the court, even if such a presence would expose him to the risk of losing his life," Ahmed was quoted in the report. ALSO READ | Non-bailable arrest warrant issued against former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif The petition urged the court to forgo the former premier's surrender. The Pakistan government has already declared Sharif an "absconder" and approached the UK government for his extradition. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar last month said Sharif's four-week bail on medical grounds had expired in December last year. Akbar said the government would task the National Accountability Bureau to pursue Sharif's extradition In May, a picture of Sharif having tea at a London cafe along with his family went viral on social media, sparking a debate on the seriousness of his health condition. The government came under further criticism when last week Sharif's photos surfaced online, showing him strolling in a street, prompting calls from within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to bring him back. WestJet says it cancelled a flight from Calgary to Toronto early Tuesday when tensions on board rapidly escalated after a family refused to obey a rule that all passengers over the age of two wear masks. Passenger Safwan Choudhry says airline staff were trying to force his 19-month-old daughter to wear a mask even though she isn't required to at that age. But WestJet says it was his older, three-year-old daughter who was of concern. A WestJet spokesperson confirmed that Flight 652 was cancelled, adding flight crew have access to a guest manifest that specifically states which guests are under age two, as they are booked as infants. Choudhry said his family complied with regulations. His younger daughter was identified as an infant on her boarding pass, and his older daughter was wearing a mask. But WestJet said the accounts from the crew and airline agents differ from Choudhry's. "WestJet would like to clarify that there were two children, and we were not requiring the infant to wear a mask, but did require the other child, who is over age two, to wear one," WestJet spokesperson Lauren Stewart said in an email. WestJet has a zero-tolerance mask adherence policy, the airline said, to comply with a Transport Canada regulation making it mandatory for all travellers aged two and over to wear protective face coverings while on flights. Choudhry said he was disappointed in the airline's response, and would like an apology. Flight cancelled due to 'rapid escalation' of situation: WestJet In an updated statement provided Wednesday, WestJet clarified the reason for the flight cancellation, stating again that its staff were asking the parents to mask the older child. "Our crew requested the presence of the authorities after the guests refused to comply with Transport Canada's interim order and subsequently refused to deplane the aircraft," the airline said in the update. "Due to the rapid escalation of the situation on board, our crew felt uncomfortable to operate and the flight was subsequently cancelled." Story continues Stewart apologized to guests affected by the cancelled flight, and said the airline found flights for most of them. "We are disappointed that this issue ended ultimately in a flight cancellation for all guests on board," Stewart said. WestJet said the family was travelling on employee travel passes and said those guests are held to a higher standard of behaviour. The airline said in the update that it would revoke those travel privileges both for the Choudhry family and the WestJet employee who provided the benefits. Stewart said parents and guardians are informed of the mask requirement and that staff try to "seek an understanding of any situation that may exist." "If parents/guardians are non-compliant or unwilling to comply with our requirement, then we will enforce our policy," she said. WATCH | WestJet's CEO explains why the airline is cracking down on unmasked passengers: Flying with wife, 2 young daughters Choudhry was flying with his wife, and two daughters,19-month-old Zara and three-year-old Zupda. He said there were no issues during check-in, but after being seated and just before the plane took off, multiple WestJet crew members approached his wife and said both children needed to be wearing a mask. "It started with my toddler and once we got a mask on her, they turned to my 19-month-old infant and said 'every person on the plane has to wear a mask or the plane can't take off,'" he said. "We were surprised to learn our 19-month-old daughter needed to be wearing a mask," he said, adding that he didn't realize until later that the child wasn't required to wear a mask under Transport Canada rules. He said he and his wife tried to force a mask onto their youngest daughter's face, to no avail. "Of course, being desperate to get home, we despite there not being such a policy opted to comply until she was crying hysterically, with the crew watching over us, until she threw up, at which point they told us you all need to get off the plane." Submitted by Safwan Choudhry Choudhry said after the child vomited, a flight attendant told him police would be called and threatened his wife with arrest. A few minutes later, police arrived and said the child would need to wear a mask or the family would be removed from the plane. Choudhry said at this point, other passengers stood up to voice their anger at the situation. The Calgary Police Service confirmed officers were called for reports of a dispute and to maintain the peace. The force said it wouldn't comment further as no criminal charges were pending, referring questions back to WestJet. Choudhry shared a video with CBC News that shows masked police officers speaking to passengers on the plane, and frustrated passengers can be heard shouting as a child cries. Another video shows police standing in the aisle, his older daughter wearing a mask and sitting with his wife, and his younger daughter sitting with him, unmasked. "As you can see in the video, my three-year-old is already wearing a mask and is calmly watching cartoons," he said. "Within a few minutes, the captain of the flight said 'for security and safety reasons, we're evacuating everyone from the flight," he said. "We felt awful that now this entire plane is being evacuated." Choudhry said after the plane was evacuated, officers asked for each family member's ID which is when police realized that the child was under two, he said. In another video provided by Choudhry, a police officer tells him that police have spoken with the crew and resolved the mask issue, but that the behaviour of the rest of the passengers left the crew feeling unsafe to fly. 'I was shocked,' says witness Another passenger, Marian Nur, witnessed the entire interaction. She said at no point did Choudhry or his wife raise their voices while interacting with flight attendants, and that she saw the family doing their best to comply with instructions. "I was so shocked, the parents never raised their voices, they never got angry with the attendants, they were just trying to reason with them," she said, adding that she felt the airline's response "was just very unnecessary." Nur said she felt the family was potentially being mistreated because of their race, so she started recording the incident on her phone. She said a flight attendant first asked her to stop recording, then asked police to make Nur stop recording when she refused police told the flight attendant it was not their responsibility to stop Nur from filming. "This was about a toddler not wearing a mask, and you felt the need to deboard the entire plane? There was a woman on the plane trying to get home to her mother on her deathbed. It was just frustrating, very, very upsetting," Nur said. Choudhry said since the flight was cancelled, WestJet has not reached out to him or his family at all. WestJet said due to privacy concerns, it currently can't share any more information about the incident. Navalny poisoning shatters Macron's Russia reset dream 'How can they behave as if nothing has happened?' The poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny with the Novichok nerve agent has dealt a blow to French President Emmanuel Macron's strategy of rapprochement with Russia, which troubled some EU allies, analysts say. France has throughout the crisis stood shoulder to shoulder with its close partner Germany, where Navalny is being treated after falling ill on a flight from Siberia and which has told Moscow only a full investigation can lift suspicions of a state-sponsored attack. Analysts say Macron's much-heralded outreach to Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin had -- despite some high-profile diplomacy -- so far failed to bring any concrete results. Paris-Moscow dialogue is unlikely to be severed completely but the dispute has already claimed its first casualty in relations with the cancellation of a planned meeting in Paris next week between the countries' foreign and defence ministers. Next to go could be a trip by Macron to Moscow that had been scheduled for the early autumn. "We can continue to discuss, yes. But to continue this illusion of rapprochement only weakens Europe and the cohesion of the EU," said Nicolas Tenzer, professor at the Paris School of International Affairs. "I do not see how this can continue in these conditions without sending extremely disturbing signals to our European allies," he told AFP. Macron, he added, should be careful not to harm his credibility as a European leader after successfully spearheading a post-coronavirus economic relaunch plan with Germany. "All this risks being undermined by a position that no one would understand towards Russia," he warned. Putin and Macron had agreed in telephone talks this summer that the French president would visit, but this is now under threat, a French diplomatic source said. "Everything is possible," the source added. - 'Cannot fail to react' - The crisis moved to a new level last week after Germany announced that Navalny had been poisoned with Novichok, the same nerve agent used to poison former agent Sergei Skripal in Britain in 2018, an attack the West blamed on Russian military intelligence. Story continues "It is a chemical, military weapon, it is the State that manufactures it. Moreover, it happened before. France cannot fail to react to this," said Tatiana Kastoueva-Jean, Russia expert at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI). Macron "is squeezed between the desire to resume dialogue with Moscow, despite all the negative factors, and the desire to play the role of leader in Europe," said Kastoueva-Jean. The French president also had to take into account the views of Poland and the three Baltic States who had been ruffled by his overtures to Putin, she added. But she said dialogue would continue on issues of shared interest, notably the conflict in Libya and the Iranian nuclear crisis. Macron set out his Russia strategy in an explosive interview with The Economist in November 2019, when he declared NATO was brain dead and said Europe needed to have a strategic dialogue with Russia. Examining Russia's long-term strategic options under Putin, he said Russia could not prosper in isolation, would not want to be a "vassal" of China and would eventually have to opt for "a partnership project with Europe". - 'No tangible results' - Macron gave Putin the rare honour of a high-profile summit at his Mediterranean summer residence, the Bregancon fortress, in August 2019. He hosted him again in Paris in December for the Kremlin chief's first peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But even top French officials have admitted the president has little to show for his efforts. "If the question is 'are there already tangible results in the dialogue that France launched with Russia?', I would answer you very honestly that this is not yet the case," Defence Minister Florence Parly said in July. While Germany is under pressure to abandon the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline after the poisoning, France has no such banner project with Russia after cancelling the sale of two Mistral warships over the Ukraine crisis. But the scrapping of the meeting between the countries' foreign and defence ministers -- scheduled for September 14 in Paris -- may only be the start. "How can they behave as if nothing has happened?" said Francois Heisbourg, special advisor for the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS). vl-sjw/jh/jj/gle CHARLOTTETOWN - Health officials in P.E.I. reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, saying both individuals had recently travelled abroad and were in self-isolation when they were diagnosed. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. CHARLOTTETOWN - Health officials in P.E.I. reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, saying both individuals had recently travelled abroad and were in self-isolation when they were diagnosed. The Island's chief public health officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, issued a statement confirming that the province's total number of active cases stood at nine. One of the new infections involves a male essential worker in his 30s who arrived in the province on Aug. 28. The other case is a woman in her 30s who arrived in P.E.I. with her family on Aug. 27. She is part of a family that includes two young children under the age of 10 who previously tested positive for the virus. Morrison says all nine active cases continue to do well and remain in self-isolation as contact tracing is being completed. She confirmed that the two new cases and four reported Monday were among people who travelled on four Air Canada flights between Aug. 25 and Aug. 28, two of which arrived on the Island. Morrison says all passengers aboard these flights should monitor for symptoms of COVID-19. She said there is no evidence of community spread of COVID-19 in Prince Edward Island and the risk of transmission in the province remains low. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2020. The Wanaka Sun has been interviewing the five Waitaki electoral candidates over the past few weeks. So far, we have interviewed Sean Beamish (ACT), Jacqui Dean (National), Liam Wairepo (Labour), and Dr Sampa Kiuru, who is standing for the Green Party. This week, and as our last candidate, we interview Dunedinite Anthony Odering, who is standing for the New Zealand First Party. Anthony Odering has lived in Dunedin for 20 years. He considers himself a "working-class man." But we don't like that phrase because when my great-great-grandparents immigrated to New Zealand it was something they were trying to escape. It's a class thing, Odering says, but what else do you call a blue-collar worker? But the working-class man thing resonates with me, he says. "It's a club, and this is because the same things resonate with all of us. "It's the lifestyles we lead compared with what we see on the TV and those that seem to have the silver spoon. It's those people who know some of life's difficulties. "I came from a family who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. Through the 1930s, my grandad and great-grandad started a business importing seed for people to grow their veggies. Then they started developing the seedlings and selling them in bundles, and that's where the family business (Oderings Nurseries) started. "I grew up on a horticultural unit and got qualified at Massey University and then life happened and we had to diversify. I suffered those things that other ordinary New Zealanders suffered- the burst housing bubble etc. That sort of stuff doesn't leave you with much. I have an understanding of what ordinary New Zealanders have to do to get by." So is this your first foray into politics? Yes and no. My dad and I joined New Zealand First when it first came about in 1993. My dad ran as a candidate in Palmerston North in three election cycles, and I was always in hands and feet. In 2008 I joined the committee down here (in Dunedin) and have run the office ever since. I was campaign manager for our previous candidate This is my first time as a candidate, but I have been a stalwart of New Zealand First for many years. Why the New Zealand First Party? The thing for me is the hidden stuff and the way in which policy is developed in New Zealand First. Each year the party has a convention, and there are remits put forward that are discussed and either pass or fail. And then these go to the policy committee, and it deems them to be a workable policy. Or not. Everybody can say how they think New Zealand should be shaped. So the policy is not passed down from the hierarchy to the grassroots; it comes from the grassroots up. And the 15 principles on which the party is founded are good common sense stuff they shouldn't have to be written down as principles because they should be the things we all hold as tenets for ourselves. It's that my voice can be heard that draws me to the New Zealand First Party. What specific policies are you running with? I put it in perspective as to what's happening in the world at the moment. The world is in strife. Everyone paints a rosy picture because everyone wants to get votes. But the reality is that the world is in a dire position and we need to have a centric government and this is why New Zealand First is required by the country. New Zealand First can take away the excesses of the left and the excesses of the right and take that substantial common-sense middle ground where ordinary New Zealanders reside. Are we heading in the right direction with COVID 19? We've been lucky in New Zealand in that we have been sheltered from the real shocks that COVID 19 has brought to the world. What I have noted is that our population has become quite complacent and there are pressures as well. People say it's stifling our economy. But keeping our borders closed is our greatest hope for protecting our country. That has a flow-on effect because it means our tourism is affected. Our international tourists aren't able to come unless they are prepared to have that first two weeks in isolation. New Zealand First believes our borders need to be more securely monitored than they have been. The country has done a lot of good work, but the spike hasn't finished yet. And so our tourism industry is going to take a hit- there are no two ways about it. The upside of that is that at least the people who are here are seeing their own country. Our domestic tourism has increased, and that is keeping a lot of that tourism industry alive. The other thing is that economically the world is going to have a recession, a downturn, and the recovery is going to come from people in the regions being able to expand their industries and diversify into the things the country used to rely on. We need to develop whatever we can in our domestic production and our consumption. It's essential to be able to create that environment in which we all do business. Read edition 991 of the Wanaka Sun here. Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Envio un mensaje de renovacion y unidad a todos los peruanos, dentro y fuera del territorio. Sigamos luchando hasta derrotar al COVID-19. Sigamos trabajando juntos con el mismo empeno y coraje que mostraron los fundadores de nuestra Republica. pic.twitter.com/sqZNcfATch A collapse at a marble quarry in a remote area of Pakistan on Monday has killed at least 18 people, with 20 trapped and 11 others are missing, police said, adding that the terrain may have been unstable due to the use of heavy explosives used to break apart the stone. Rescue workers, including Pakistani soldiers, continued to dig through the rubble to find survivors on Tuesday. The quarry is located in the Ziarat area of Mohmand in western Pakistan, along the border with Afghanistan. The area is known for its high quality white marble, both sold in Pakistan and exported to other countries. Recommended Landslide at Myanmar jade mine kills at least 160 people Between 40 and 50 people were at the site at the time of the collapse which occurred Monday evening, Tariq Habib, district police chief of Mohmand district told Reuters. "Usually a large number of people work in these marble mines but luckily a majority had finished work and returned home," he said. Nine people were injured. The number of fatalities was unclear because some families took bodies of loved ones directly to their homes from the site, said Sameen Shinwari, a doctor at the Ghalanai District Headquarters Hospital, about 50 kilometres away. Cellular signals and other communication facilities are unreliable in large parts of Mohmand district, including the area where the quarry is located. Deadly mining accidents are not uncommon in Pakistan. At least 10 workers were killed in a rockslide at a marble quarry in the northwestern district of Buner in February. Thirty workers were killed in explosions at two coal mines in the southwestern city of Quetta in 2018. In 2011, 45 workers were also killed by an explosion at a coal mine outside Quetta. Jet2 has said it will not refund Scottish travellers scheduled to fly to Portugal, following the introduction of new travel restrictions by the Scottish government. Officials in Scotland confirmed last week that holidaymakers returning to Scotland from Portugal would be required to quarantine for 14 days. The move followed a rise in coronavirus infections in the popular tourist destination. Despite this, Jet2 flights and holidays from Scotland to the country are still scheduled to go ahead. The move has left many Scottish holidaymakers out of pocket as they are no longer able to travel because of the self-isolation measures. A spokesperson for Jet2 told The Independent: We always follow the advice of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and their guidance states that Portugal is exempt from their advice against all non-essential international travel. As a result, we are continuing to operate our scheduled programme to and from Portugal, and our usual terms and conditions apply. This is a fast-moving situation, and we are continuing to monitor the situation very closely. The news follows a raft of cancellations from the budget holiday firm in light of fast-changing government legislation regarding travel to and from popular holiday destinations. Last week, the company announced that flights and holidays to mainland Spain and Croatia would be suspended for the remainder of summer 2020. A statement on their Twitter page read: We are obviously very disappointed to be making this announcement. Jet2 noted that they had been repeatedly recognised for how we have been dealing with this unprecedented situation and stated that they would be cancelling affected bookings with a full cash refund. While quarantine restrictions have been imposed by the Scottish and Welsh government for travellers returning from Portugal, English and Northern Irish holidaymakers are not subject to the same rules. Differing legislation between the four nations of the UK has caused frustration and confusion for many holidaymakers. Speaking last week, transport secretary Grant Shapps said: I do realise it creates confusion for people not to have a single rule, but we do have this devolved approach throughout the United Kingdom and I can only be responsible for the English part of that. For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. After months of keeping the lights off at San Francisco restaurants Trou Normand, Nommo, and Obispo, restaurateur and star bartender Thad Vogler has announced that all three locations will permanently close. Vogler's decision to shutter his three restaurants wasnt an easy one to make. It stemmed to long before the shutdown, according to The San Francisco Chronicle that first reported the closures. I made mistakes, Vogler told The Chronicle. Classic restaurant mistakes: growing too quickly so you dont have enough cash, then your places become mediocre because you dont have the bandwidth to maintain quality. Thats where I was when COVID hit. ALSO: Their bar closed long before the pandemic. Now, this duo is set on saving other bars during COVID All three locations closed following mandatory shelter in place orders without reopening for patio dining or takeout. It wasnt something Vogler found tempting as pivoting to takeout would have required a new business model. Were in this business to do something beautiful, and my places dont lend themselves to carry-out, Vogler told The Chronicle. Volger will continue operating his other business, Bar Agricole, once it reopens in a different location sometime next year. Bar Agricole closed in March after 10 years at its 355 11th St. location. ALSO: Here's where SF and California don't align on reopening businesses Upon reflection on the three closures, Vogler told The Chronicle that operating several restaurants in San Francisco no longer felt enjoyable and that he hopes downsizing with Bar Agricole will help him get back to focusing on his true passion being a bartender. Im not a good restaurateur; Im a bartender, Vogler told The Chronicle. Susana Guerrero is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3 MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here. The 6-foot rule is 'outdated': Researchers devise chart to gauge COVID risk How worried should the Bay Area be about a 'third spike' of COVID-19 in the fall? Rapid $5 coronavirus test doesn't need specialty equipment Will wildfire evacuations accelerate the spread of coronavirus in the Bay Area? Alameda County to allow outdoor hair, nail salons to open Three defendants in kids trade case to be held in detention until mid-December flickr.com/ Matt Cunningham 17:54 09/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 9 (RAPSI) Moscows Basmanny District Court on Wednesday extended detention of three accused in a case over surrogacy children trade until December 14, attorney Igor Trunov told RAPSI. These defendants are Kirill Anisimov, Roman Yemashev and Valentina Chernysheva, Trunov added. Earlier, he told RAPSI that manager Valentina Chernyshova and lawyer Roman Yemashev, both employees of Rosyurconsulting firm, petitioned an investigator to enter into a plea bargain; the investigator issued warrants, which were submitted to a Deputy Prosecutor General. The defendants plead guilty; undertake to cooperate with investigators; agree to expose their co-conspirators, the roles those played in the scheme; reveal the methods used to conceal their activities; report the persons to whom the babies were transferred, the warrants read, the lawyer said. The plea was made as the defendants expected that as a result the preventive measures were to be mitigated, Trunov observed, reminding that earlier both defendants denied their firm was involved in unlawful activities. On September 9, the Moscow City Court has upheld detention of CEO of the European Surrogacy Center Vladislav Melnikov in this case. The man will stay detained until September 14. In total, seven people involved in the case are in detention. One more accused woman is under house arrest. In January, law enforcement found a body of a dead newborn boy in a flat in the Moscow Regions town of Odintsovo. There were also three other kids there along with a nurse. Investigators believe surrogate mothers gave birth to the children to transfer them later to foreign parents. However, defense lawyers believe that investigators failed to discover cause-effect links between actions of the doctors and the babys death. Moreover, they state that current legislation does not prohibit citizens to become parents using vitro fertilization and surrogate services. Proud milestone in the governments Make in India initiative as the company focuses towards manufacturing of quality medical devices in India As the number of Covid-19 cases rise across India, so is the demand for quality protective equipment. To cater to this growing demand for protective gear, Pune-based manufacturing company Bluemark Promotions brought together a R&D team comprising of doctors, engineers and product designers to develop an innovative product Smartguard Face Shield under their brand Covid Comfort. Within a month of its launch, the Smartguard face shield has generated a huge response in both domestic as well as international markets. The Made in India product has become to go-to protective equipment for healthcare professionals and people moving out of their homes to resume work. We have observed that the mass public finds it difficult and inconvenient to wear face masks since restricts comfortable breathing and also causes hindrance while talking. Face shields, though provide better protection are either too delicate or too heavy for the users to wear all day. The Smartguard provides best-in-class safety and comfort for the people and within a month of its launch we are receiving an overwhelming response from the Indian market as well as overseas. We are now working towards increasing our daily production capacity from 5,000 pcs a day to 10,000 pcs by end of this month said Sachin Lunavat, Founder Director, Bluemark Promotions. The Smartguard weighs merely 100 grams and is designed to completely cover the users face. The shield comes with replaceable visors and filters something no other product provides in this category and is designed to provide users a comfortable wearing experience without any fogging or voice echo. It is really encouraging that the Smartguard has become the first choice for all health workers and the general public. We are receiving requests from distributors across India who are interested in associating with us to ensure it reaches to the mass public. Apart from the Indian market we will also be exporting this to San Francisco, Italy, Canada, UAE, Ecuador, Nairobi and other countries. The Smartguard is one of our first patented products under our brand Covid Comfort and we have many more innovations in the pipeline focused towards pushing manufacturing of quality medical devices in India. said Yash Lunavat, CEO, Bluemark Promotions. The Covid Comfort Smartguard face shields are available across India at all major medical stores. The company has also made them available through leading e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. Given the growing demand for the product and the urgent need of protective products for fighting the pandemic, Bluemark Promotions has rapidly expanded its distribution network in the last month. The 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) kicked off in Beijing on Sept. 4. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the event. Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2020 shows the outdoor exhibition area of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China. The CIFTIS is to be held from Sept. 4 to 9. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) Xi proposed to work together to foster an open and inclusive environment for cooperation, unleash the power of innovation in driving cooperation forward, and promote mutually beneficial cooperation. His remarks won wide recognition and appraise from the participants to the event, who said Chinas holding of the CIFTIS showcased the sense of responsibility of the major country. Looking forward to new development opportunities in China, they believe China is not only a demand side, but also a propeller. The 2020 CIFTIS, as a major global economic and trade event held during COVID-19, has received high attention from the world. We hope that this years CIFTIS, held under the theme of Global Services, Shared Prosperity, will present an opportunity and serve as a platform and a bridge for people from across the world to fully showcase the new progress and breakthroughs in services trade and share in the new technologies and benefits of human progress, Xi said in his speech. Argentina is proud to take part in the event, said Argentine President Alberto Fernandez. He noted that Argentina hopes to continue deepen its relations with China, and the two sides can carry out cooperation on the platform of the CIFTIS to drive the development of industries of both countries. The severe COVID-19 situation is still adding uncertainties to the world economy. Therefore, countries need more than ever to jointly combat the virus and promote economic development. The CIFTIS, establishing an international exchange and cooperation platform of trade service, plays an important role in promoting the stable economic development of the world. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the 2020 CIFTIS will become an important platform for global countries to discuss cooperation and jointly plan for future development, and help them better handle the new challenges for global economy. Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea Hong Nam-ki noted that the world is undergoing a crisis in which countries need to support and help each other. He said he hopes the CIFTIS can become a success and make huge contribution to deepening global cooperation on trade in services. With the in-depth development of economic globalization, trade service is increasingly becoming an important part of global trade and a vital area for international economic and trade cooperation, injecting new energy into global growth. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said this years theme Global Services, Shared Prosperity mirrors UNCTADs own goal of prosperity for all. International cooperation on trade in services should be a key element of the policy agenda, and the global countries shall build on the common lessons both China and UNCTAD can share, so as to realize the Sustainable Development Goals with better development of the service sector. Xi declared a series of measures of China to further open up, which inspired the participants. He said China will further ease market access for the services sector, and will take greater initiative to increase imports of quality services. Besides, the country will also support Beijing in developing a national integrated demonstration zone for greater openness in the services sector, and support it in setting up a pilot free trade zone characterizing scientific and technological innovation, opening-up of the services sector, and digital economy. Meng Pu, Chairman of Qualcomm China, told Peoples Daily that the company deeply feels Chinas confidence in and resolution to keep promoting opening-up and cooperation, saying the progress of the communication industry has benefited from the close cooperation of economic globalization. COVID-19 has brough challenges to the global industrial chain, but it also proved that the global communication industry is integrated and inseparable, he added. From the 2018 Boao Forum for Asia to the two China International Import Expo, and to the 2020 CIFTIS, China has been constantly rolling out new measures of opening up, providing new opportunities for common development of the world. In the future, China will keep expanding its openness to the outside world regarding trade in services, import more quality services, and actively enlarge export of services, so as to improve its international competitiveness. Chinas continuously expanding opening-up not only develops China, but also benefits the world. Vice chairman of Thai Chamber of Commerce in China Kriangsak Sae-tang noted that Xi has stressed for times that Chinas door to the outside world will only open wider, and such firm resolution demonstrated Chinas determination to opening-up, and also boosts confidence of Thai enterprises in China. He said he has confidence in the future of China-Thai economic and trade cooperation. A multi-level, broad and high-level new pattern of opening up is shaping up in China, said Raymund Chao, Asia Pacific and China Chairman of PwC China. China, by increasing its quality of opening-up, will create more opportunities for global countries to share its development dividend. Tom Simpson, managing director of China Operations and Chief China Representative of China-Britain Business Council said he was impressed by Xis remark in the speech that the world economy thrives in openness and withers in seclusion, as openness is indispensable for an export-oriented economy known for its service sector like the UK. He told Peoples Daily that he was glad to hear Xi stress that China will remain steadfast in opening its door wider to the world. To build an open world economy shall be a common goal and direction for the world, he added. Queensland's nurses union has demanded a higher standard of protective equipment for staff working directly with COVID-19 patients in the wake of a recent cluster at Ipswich Hospital. More than 200 staff at the hospital have been put into quarantine, with seven now testing positive. Patients lining up at the Ipswich Hospital COVID-19 testing clinic late last month. Credit:Lydia Lynch The most recent two cases, announced on Wednesday, were among the staff already in quarantine. West Moreton Hospital and Health Service chief executive Kerrie Freeman praised all the quarantined workers on Tuesday, saying they had shown exceptional professionalism. Mr. Schnatter hurricane-ravaged neighborhoods and met with families and local leaders, including pastors, in a roundtable discussion hosted by Dr. Tolbert, where Mr. Schnatter learned of their experiences during the category-four storm and its aftermath as they begin to rebuild their lives. "We witnessed a lot of destruction today, but we also saw a lot of hope," said Papa John Schnatter. "While there are a lot of challenges facing the world right now, we can't forget that our neighbors here in the Gulf Coast have been dealt a very tough hand and they need our help to recover." Mr. Schnatter presented a check for $52,000 to Greater St Mary's Missionary Baptist Church for hurricane relief, which will help with the purchase of a forklift, a large tent to stage relief efforts, and a trailer to house an on-site relief coordinator. Recently, Mr. Schnatter pledged contributions of $1 million to support small business recovery and workers in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. "The federal and state governments have done a great job," Schnatter observed, "but there's a lot more to do. I'm glad to have the opportunity to step up for folks here, and I hope others from the private sector will do the same. I'll be following the progress here and will be giving more in the weeks to come, according to the priorities set by leaders here in Lake Charles," he concluded. Dr. Tolbert praised Mr. Schnatter's generosity, noting their friendship: "Today, John Schnatter is proving what I've known about him for some time: he's a true leader with a servant's heart. I'm so glad John is here for the community we love--the community that, with the help of friends like Papa John setting the example, we'll bring back together." Mr. Schnatter later met at Lake Charles City Hall to discuss plans for rebuilding the city with community leaders, including Mayor Nic Hunter (R), Louisiana State Senator Ronnie Johns (R), Louisiana State Representative Wilford Carter (D), and Calcasieu Parish Police Juror Tony Guillory. Anyone who would like to join John Schnatter in contributing to the recovery of the Lake Charles community can do so at givebackwithpapa.com. All funds will be distributed by the John H. Schnatter Family Foundation, dedicated to supporting small business survival and community relief wherever and whenever crises strike. SOURCE John Schnatter Alabama officials say a record 2.8 million state residents could vote in the Nov. 3 presidential election, and they expect 150,000 or more could skip the November lines and vote absentee ballots. That would be another record. By contrast, 1.2 million ballots were cast in the March 3 primary election and just over 31,000 of them were absentee ballots. Today is the first day a registered Alabama voter can apply in person for, receive and vote an absentee ballot in Alabamas 67 counties. Thats a big change. Voting absentee is usually legal only for people who will be out of the county on election day, are ill or disabled, are taking care of someone or working election day, or are in jail for a crime that still allows them to vote. But this year, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has added the COVID pandemic as a legal reason for any registered voter to vote absentee. All that voter has to to do is check the box is ill or has a physical disability on the absentee ballot applications list of reasons for wanting to vote absentee. Dont worry if youre not really ill or disabled, officials say. Youre not lying on an official document, according to Merrills order. You are legitimately concerned about becoming ill because of COVID. Thats enough this year. Democratic and Republican party leaders in Alabama are both pro-absentee voting. Well have a push, Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan said last week. Dont wait until the last minute, she advised Republicans. Do it now. Democratic Party leaders are also urging their voters to apply and vote absentee. Voters appear to be listening. Madison County, one of the states large population centers, had already received almost 7,000 absentee ballot applications last week, officials said. The countys record for an entire election cycle is 12,000 absentee ballots in the first Obama election. Some party officials expect voters to turn out big at courthouses because to apply, receive a ballot and vote at one time is tempting. But the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot in person or by mail is Oct. 29, so theres time. Any nice weather day in September or October would probably be less crowded than this week. But after Oct. 29 you have to go to the polls. You can request an absentee ballot application in person at your courthouse. You can also find the application for each county online here, print it at home, fill it out and either take it with you to the absentee ballot office or mail it to countys election manager. The mailing address will be in the upper right hand corner of the application. Each person in a household wanting to vote absentee a husband and wife, for example must fill out an application and submit it. So, asking in person and asking by mail will each get you an absentee ballot. But there are advantages and disadvantages to each approach. Before getting into those, dont forget that voting in person Election Day Nov. 3 is also relatively easy - once you get past the line and inside the polling place. Show your identification, usually your drivers license, and you get a ballot if youre on the precincts list of registered voters. Thats it. All absentee ballot applications must also have proof of identification. But when an absentee ballot is mailed to you, it requires the signature of two witnesses on an affidavit when mailed back for counting. A husband and wife can witness each others ballots but each needs another witness as well. Some voters are telling officials that finding those witnesses is a problem because of the COVID quarantine. Ive told them, get the postman, get the delivery man, get your next door neighbor thats delivering your groceries, Madison County Circuit Clerk Debra Kizer said. Voting absentee at the courthouse removes that two-signature challenge. At the courthouse, the clerk can check your I.D. and hand you an envelope with a ballot inside. You can fill it out, the clerk will notarize it and you can turn it in. Read all of the rules about absentee voting here. If you mail your application for an absentee ballot, send only one application per envelope. One envelope for you, one for your spouse, one for your roommate. You must also include the photo I.D. Also, realize that if you get an absentee ballot, your name will be removed from the list of registered voters sent to the polls. If you lose your absentee ballot, you can still vote a provisional ballot at the polling place, polling officials say. One of the options on the provisional ballot form is stating that one requested but has not returned their absentee ballot Absentee ballots as a group make up their own precinct as far as election officials are concerned. None is counted until noon on election day. Madison County has established an Absentee Ballot Office on the first floor of the county courthouse. It will be open each business day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Heres the way officials say that office will work. Expect similar setups at circuit clerks offices and other places where absentee ballots are available in counties across the state. Remember, you dont have to go to the office. You can download the application for your county at the link above, fill it out according to the instructions, get it witnessed and mail it in. A ballot will come to you in the mail. At the Madison County Absentee Ballot Office, a voter may: 1. Apply in-person for, receive, and return his or her own absentee ballot 2. Hand-deliver his or her own completed and sealed absentee ballot 3. Receive assistance with any part of the absentee process When visiting the Madison County Absentee Elections Office: 1. Please bring your valid government issued photo ID. 2. Please bring your own pen to avoid unnecessary contact a pen will be provided if needed. 3. A face covering over the nose and mouth is strongly encouraged a mask will be provided if needed. 4. Please maintain a distance of six feet. (Updated Sept. 9 at 11 a.m. to clarify witness and signature requirements for absentee ballots) Doctor advocate who pushed legalized prostitution on teens, appointed to UN health policy position Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A South African doctor who has advocated for the legalization of prostitution and has encouraged minors to support "sex work" as a job, has been appointed to an influential role at the United Nations. Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng was appointed by the Human Rights Council in Geneva as a special rapporteur on the right to health earlier this summer. The role is independent from U.N. member states but is considered influential in that she will have sway over how human rights obligations are interpreted within the international government's agencies, C-FAM reported last week. C-FAM noted that her reports advancing "sexual rights," including advocacy for the legalization of prostitution, will likely be cited as authoritative in human rights law by U.N. entities. "Rapporteur" is a French-derived word that means an investigator who reports to a deliberative body. According to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner, the special rapporteur position entails examining, monitoring, advising, and publicly reporting on human rights issues through "activities undertaken by special procedures, including responding to individual complaints, psychological operations and manipulation via the controlled media and academia, conducting studies, providing advice on technical cooperation at the country level, and engaging in general promotional activities." Last April, Mofokeng was widely panned by anti-trafficking groups for an editorial she wrote in Teen Vogue arguing that "sex work" which would include a variety of sexual acts for money, including prostitution is a legitimate form of employment and ought to be legally regarded as such. The doctor also likened her own profession to "sex work." "I exchange payment in the form of money with people to provide them with advice and treatment for sex-related problems; therapy for sexual performance, counseling and therapy for relationship problems, and treatment of sexually transmitted infection. Isn't this basically sex work?" she wrote in Teen Vogue at the time. "I do not believe it is right or just that people who exchange sexual services for money are criminalized and I am not for what I do. Is a medical degree really the right measure of who is deserving of dignity, autonomy, safety in the work place, fair trade and freedom of employment? No. This should not be so. Those who engage in sex work deserve those things, too." Under the banner of "sex worker rights," Mofokeng and like-minded others say that those in prostitution should not face criminal penalties as there is nothing inherently wrong with selling sex and that laws against the sex trade will cause it to go underground and yield more danger whereas legalizing it reduces harm. By contrast, sex trade abolitionists, who often back what is known as the Nordic model a public policy approach that bans the purchase of sex but not the sale assert that legalizing or fully decriminalizing the trade will increase monstrous forms of sexual exploitation. If prostitution is legal it will yield increased demand but not enough supply and greater numbers of women will be trafficked into the trade, they say. The law that Dr. Mofokeng advocates for fully decriminalizes all aspects of the sex-trade, including brothel-keepers and pimps (aka traffickers)," said Helen Taylor, director of Intervention for the Sacramento-based abolitionist group Exodus Cry. The United Nations ought to be the last place to advocate for human-traffickers and the buyers who fuel demand to be legalized. The International Planned Parenthood Federation hailed Mofokeng's appointment. Mofokeng is also an abortion provider and the author of Dr. T: A Guide to Sexual Health and Pleasure. She hosts a South African television show called Sex Talk with Dr. T. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form El Gobierno del Peru agradece al Gobierno de Japon @MofaJapan_en y al Fondo de Contravalor Peru-Japon por la donacion de equipos y material medico al Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civil @indeciperu. ?https://t.co/9s89cUPT3d pic.twitter.com/13zmFt2D74 A judge has told Wikileaks found Julian Assange to remain quiet or risk being thrown out of his own extradition hearing after he spoke from the dock and interrupted witnesses. Mr Assange, who is fighting an attempt by US officials to extradite him to the country to stand trial on spying charges, was told by the judge it was within her power to continue without him if he continues to cut in when others spoke in the court. Vanessa Baraitser briefly adjourned the hearing at London's Central Criminal Court after the 49-year-old interrupted defence witness Clive Stafford Smith as he gave evidence. Addressing Mr Assange, the judge said: You will hear things, no doubt many things, you disagree with during these proceedings. If you interrupt proceedings it is open to me to proceed in your absence. US prosecutors have indicted the Australian on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges over the publication of secret US military documents a decade ago on the Wikileaks website. 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 The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. Lawyers for Mr Assange, who claimed sanctuary in Ecuadors London embassy for seven years before being carried out by officers, have argued the prosecution is a politically motivated abuse of power that will stifle media freedom and put journalists at risk. The case had been due to be heard earlier in the year, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Assange's lawyers have argued that he is a journalist entitled to the protection of Americas First Amendment, which protects free speech - adding that his work had helped uncover military wrongdoing. The court heard from Mr Stafford Smith, who founded the nonprofit rights organisation Reprieve, that Mr Assanges WikiLeaks website had helped to expose alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Recommended Julian Assange in court to face 18 new charges as he fights US extradition However US authorities have alleged the Australian conspired with intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer and release hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic cables and military files on the nations military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. And in a new indictment announced in June Washingtons Justice Department expanded its case, accusing Mr Assange of recruiting hackers at conferences in Europe and Asia, recruiting a teenager to hack into the computer of a former WikiLeaks associate and conspiring with members of hacking groups known as LulzSec and Anonymous. The case is due to run until early October, with the judge expected to take weeks or even months to consider her verdict ahead of any possible appeal. COLUMBUS, OhioEffective lawmakers have to master two different and, sometimes, contradictory skill sets: politics and policymaking. Bob Cupp, the new Ohio House speaker, is inclined toward the latter. Cupp, though hardly a household name, has been a part of Ohio government longer than other lawmakers have been alive. Quiet and deliberative, hes a former Ohio Senate majority leader and Ohio Supreme Court justice. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Among 5-year-old Mikey Neidigks favorite things are Spider-Man, Star Wars characters and goldendoodle puppies. On Tuesday, Mikey, who is battling leukemia, got all three when his superheroes presented him with a 9-week-old goldendoodle puppy in an event arranged by Make-a-Wish New Mexico. The surprise delivery of the dog, a hybrid between a golden retriever and a poodle, came at the conclusion of a drive-by parade in which friends drove past the familys Albuquerque home and dropped doggie supplies into a basket in preparation for the arrival of the animal even though Mikey and his 7-year-old sister, Elly, were told one of the dogs had not yet been located for adoption. Originally when Mikey came to us, he thought about a Disney World wish, but because of COVID and the inability to travel and things going on with his diagnosis, it wasnt possible, said Sara Lister, president and CEO of Make-a-Wish New Mexico. But one of the things hes always wanted was a goldendoodle puppy, and he was very specific that he wanted it to be a boy, and he wanted to name it Archie, and he wanted it to have blond hair, Lister said. The local Make-a-Wish folks quickly began the search for such a puppy. In what might be seen as a moment of divine serendipity, a sister chapter in Syracuse, New York, which had been working with a goldendoodle breeder for a child there, learned that the child no longer wanted the animal, preferring a different pet instead. So this puppy became available, and we asked if we could have it, Lister said. A Make-a-Wish staff member from New Mexico flew to New York to bring the newly named Archie to the Land of Enchantment and his new home with the Neidigk family. Mikey was diagnosed with leukemia three years ago and has been through a ton, said his mother, Cameron Neidigk. He was most recently released from a hospital last Friday. In April 2019, his sister Elly, then 6, donated bone marrow to her brother. He relapsed about two weeks before Christmas. We went back to the hospital in Denver in March and he got a second bone marrow transplant, this one from a cord blood donor in the Midwest. He was only four months out when he relapsed again, said his mom, a former grade school teacher. Elly has been affected by this in a significant way so we really want Archie to be for both kids, Neidigk said. With Mikeys last relapse, Neidigk said, she and her husband, Nathan Neidigk, a math teacher at Volcano Vista High School, are not really sure whats going to happen. Far more certain, she said, was that Archies arrival was going to make both children ecstatic, and no doubt lead to some happy tears. I enjoyed a pleasant surprise in late June after I wrote a story about some poorly misguided thugs in Madison, Wi., who had just torn down a decapitated statue that had stood at the state capital for years. The story (Wrong Statue, Morons, Jun 25, 2020) was in honor of a great Union Army General, Hans Christian Heg, who gave his life while fighting in bloody Chickamauga solely because he hated slavery so badly. Actually, General Heg was an immigrant from Norway who gave his heart to the people of Wisconsin early on. He was a key to prison reform in Wisconsin, soon to serve as the states commissioner. He began as a meager farmer, raising his brothers and sisters single-handedly as he turned his farm into a Dairyland gem, and he quickly evolved into the epitome of The American Dream before being killed along with 60,000 other sons of our United States 157 years ago. My surprise came in a flood of emails from not only our area but from many other states. (My stories are picked up each day by Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other Internet search engines.) I was shown there is a dazzling interest in our nations biggest travesty, and my dear friend Judge Tom Greenholtz even offered to take me to the battlefield so he could show me a monument dedicated to General Heg, who was killed on Sept. 19, 1863. Its a 10-foot pyramid created out of eight-inch naval shells and stands on Viniard Field. (Can you image any thugs who try to tear that down?) * * * WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT CHICKAMAUGA What you need to know as well as every teacher and Civil War buff for miles around is that next weekend the National Park Service will recognize the 157th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the three-day presentation (Sept. 18-20) will be hosted virtually. This means that viewers from entire high school and college classes, historians from across the United States, and even those conspiracists who doubt it ever happened, are invited to take part in the presentations. The programs will be available on the parks website ( www.youtube.com/chchnps ) as well as the parks Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/chickamauganps ) There will be ranger-led programs scheduled throughout each day, but the highlight will be two 45-minute sessions each day held by park Historian Jim Ogden at 10 a.m. and at 2 p.m. Jim will describe exactly what thousands of historians agree actually happened on each corresponding day 157 years ago. Just as good, Jim and other scholars will field live question-and-answer sessions after each days presentations. * * * TO QUESTION A CHICKAMAUGA EXPERT The National Park Service has four ways that anyones questions can be answered during the virtual presentation: * -- Mail questions to 3370 LaFayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., 30742 by Wednesday, Sept. 16. * -- Email your questions to chch_information@nps.gov by Wednesday, Sept. 16. * -- Direct message your questions via the parks Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages by Wednesday, Sept. 16. * -- Directly ask your questions by watching the Live event on Facebook or YouTube. NOTE: Additionally, kids are invited to participate with a ranger in hands-on activities presented daily at noon. These activities will be administered through the parks Facebook and YouTube pages as well. * * * AND NOW, THE DOUGLAS COUNTY GOAT A Douglas County, Ga. Sheriffs Deputy was serving some civil paper in a rural part of the county about 21 miles west of Atlanta when, according to WSB-Atlanta, she learned the hard way that you should always make sure your car door is closed before knocking on someones door. According to the stations website: The Douglas County Sheriffs Office posted body cam video to its Facebook page of a deputy stopping at someones home. The video shows the deputy walk up to a house and knock on the front door and then you hear the deputy curse (edited out) because no one answered the door. As the deputy walks back to the car, she opens the passenger side door to find a goat inside, eating a bunch of the deputys paperwork that was left on the patrol car seat. Get out! Go on, get out! Go! the deputy yelled at the goat, but it just kept eating the papers. After a few minutes and several attempts to coax the goat out (and a few more curse words) the goat finally hopped out of the deputys car. Of course, the goat was still eating some of the deputys paperwork and, as the deputy attempted to get them back, the goat got miffed and head-butted the deputy in her knee, sending the officer sprawling. In the Facebook post, the Sheriffs Office said, The deputy explained that due to the number of houses she visits daily, she routinely leaves her vehicles door open because she has had to retreat on a number of occasions from vicious dogs. As for the deputy, she wasnt hurt at all, just a little embarrassed. Eventually she was able to get back into her cruiser and drive off, this after the goat made a hasty escape after a yummy snack. ---- royexum@aol.com D onald Trump understood the dangers of coronavirus before it hit the US but wanted to play down the threat, a new book claims. The US president reportedly told journalist Bob Woodward that he deliberately minimised the risks during an interview on March 19. "I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I don't want to create a panic," Mr Trump allegedly said. Mr Woodward, who is known for breaking the Watergate scandal, interviewed the president 18 times between last December and July this year. According to Mr Woodwards new book Rage, Mr Trump discussed Covid-19 with him over the phone, saying: You just breathe the air and thats how its passed. This is deadly stuff. The Washington Post, where Mr Woodward serves as associate editor, reported excerpts of 'Rage' on Wednesday. The book also covers race relations, diplomacy with North Korea and a range of other issues from over the past two years. 'Rage' is based in part on 18 interviews that Bob Woodward conducted with Donald Trump between December and July / AP/AFP via Getty Images Trump never did seem willing to fully mobilise the federal government and continually seemed to push problems off on the states, Mr Woodward writes. There was no real management theory of the case or how to organise a massive enterprise to deal with one of the most complex emergencies the United States had ever faced. Donald Trump: I'm a cheerleader for this country Mr Trump responded to the claims by defending his handling of the virus, which has killed more than 190,000 people in the US so far. "The fact is I'm a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I don't want people to be frightened," he told a White House briefing on Wednesday. "We've done well from any standard," he added. Kayleigh McEnany insisted the president never downplayed the threat of Covid-19 / Getty Images Earlier, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the presidents words were designed to express confidence and calm at a time of insurmountable challenges. The president has never lied to the American public on Covid. The president was expressing calm and his actions reflect that, she told reporters. She said his actions reflect that he took the pandemic seriously and stressed he never downplayed the virus. Joe Biden Biden called Mr Trump's handling of the pandemic 'beyond despicable' / REUTERS But Mr Trump's rival for the 2020 presidency, Joe Biden, said the book shows Mr Trump "lied to the American people". "He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months," Mr Biden said during a campaign event in Michigan. "He had the information, he knew how dangerous it was, and while a deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose. "It was a life or death betrayal of the American people." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president's comments belied a disdain for science. Loading.... Ms Pelosi told an interview with MSNBC: "What he was actually saying is, 'I don't want anybody to think anything like this happened on my watch so I'm not going to call any more attention to it'." The natural world is in a desperate state, with global wildlife populations in freefall due to the impact of humans, according to one of the worlds most comprehensive examinations of biodiversity on our planet. Wildlife charity WWF has said populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles have collapsed by an extraordinary 68 per cent on average globally since 1970 - more than two thirds in less than 50 years. The charitys Living Planet Report 2020 paints a startlingly bleak picture of the rapid damage being wrought on Earth by modern civilisation, warning nature is being destroyed by humans at a rate never seen before, and this catastrophic decline is showing no signs of slowing. The report finds intensive agriculture, deforestation and the conversion of wild spaces into farmland are among the main drivers of natural destruction, while overfishing is wreaking havoc with marine life. The Covid-19 conservation crisis has shown the urgency of The Independents Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, which seeks an international effort to clamp down on illegal trade of wild animals (ESI) Species overexploitation is also having a devastating impact on wildlife, according to the report. Direct causes of overexploitation include unsustainable hunting, poaching or harvesting, whether for subsistence or legal, and illegal, wildlife trade. Indirect overexploitation occurs when non-target species are killed unintentionally, as this year in Uganda when the countrys rare and beloved silverback mountain gorilla, Rafiki, became collateral damage of hunters seeking out smaller animals. The Independents Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, launched earlier this year, seeks an international effort to clamp down on poaching and the illegal trade of wild animals. Invasive species are also problematic for native species as they compete for space, food and other resources. Invasive species - which can enter a foreign environment innocently as a pet or in legal trade along with illegal trafficking - can turn out to be a predator for native species, or spread diseases that were not previously present in the environment. Humans also also major transporters of new diseases through global travel. The decline has happened even faster than anticipated as recently as 2018, and the conservation charity warns without urgent global action, life on Earth will be pushed to the brink. Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF, said: We are wiping wildlife from the face of the planet, burning our forests, polluting and overfishing our seas and destroying wild areas. We are wrecking our world the one place we call home risking our health, security and survival here on Earth. Now nature is sending us a desperate SOS and time is running out. She added: In the UK we need to fast-track tough new nature laws that protect our wildlife at home and abroad, and with the COP26 summit in Glasgow next year the government has a huge opportunity to show global leadership in securing urgent commitments and action from world leaders. Only by putting the environment at the heart of our decision making can we build a safe and resilient future for nature, people and our planet. Some of the reports most alarming findings include: - A 94 per cent decline in the average size of wildlife populations in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is the sharpest fall of monitored animals anywhere in the world - Freshwater species populations have seen a steep decline of 84 per cent including the critically endangered Chinese sturgeon in the Yangtze river, which is down 97 per cent - In some parts of the world, endangered leatherback turtles have declined by between 20 per cent and 98 per cent, with an 84 per cent decline at Tortuguero beach in Costa Rica - African elephant populations in the Central African Republic have declined by up to 98 per cent. Endangered leatherback turtles have declined by up to 98 per cent in some areas, the report said (Getty) In the UK, populations of grey partridge have declined by 85 per cent and populations of Arctic Skua in Orkney have declined by 62 per cent. The report also highlights that 75 per cent of all ice-free-land has been significantly altered by human activity, while almost 90 per cent of global wetlands have been lost since 1700. But the report also says that well planned conservation efforts can protect some vulnerable species and ecosystems in various parts of the world. These include legal protection for forest elephants in Ghana, blacktail reef sharks in Australia and tigers in Nepal - all of which have resulted in significant population increases. Sir David Attenborough has written an essay for the report on the vast impact of humans on the planet, which he says has resulted in the dawn of a new geological age - the Anthropocene. Sir David said: The Anthropocene could be the moment we achieve a balance with the rest of the natural world and become stewards of our planet. Doing so will require systemic shifts in how we produce food, create energy, manage our oceans and use materials. But above all it will require a change in perspective. A change from viewing nature as something thats optional or nice to have to the single greatest ally we have in restoring balance to our world. The time for pure national interests has passed, internationalism has to be our approach and in doing so bring about a greater equality between what nations take from the world and what they give back. The wealthier nations have taken a lot and the time has now come to give. The Living Planet Report is based on data from the Living Planet Index produced by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the charity which runs London Zoo. Dr Andrew Terry, ZSLs director of conservation, said: The Living Planet Index is one of the most comprehensive measures of global biodiversity. For this report, ZSLs team tracked data on 20,811 populations of 4,392 vertebrate species. An average decline of 68 per cent in the past 50 years is catastrophic, and clear evidence of the damage human activity is doing to the natural world. If nothing changes populations will undoubtedly continue to fall, driving wildlife to extinction and threatening the integrity of the ecosystems on which we all depend. But we also know that conservation works and species can be brought back from the brink. With commitment, investment and expertise, these trends can be reversed. OTTAWA - Black Canadians who want to start or expand a business will have access to loans and supports for training and mentorship under a new federal program unveiled by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Toronto Wednesday. The $221-million program, jointly funded by the federal government and eight financial institutions, is the first of its kind to help Black businesses on a national scale. It responds to one of the requests made in June by an open letter from the Parliamentary Black Caucus that was signed by more than 100 MPs and senators. It is also the first sign of any policies to address systemic racism since Trudeau promised in early July that doing so was a priority for his cabinet. Trudeau said Wednesday the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the systemic gaps and economic barriers Black Canadians face every day, and that his government wants a pandemic recovery that is inclusive and equitable for all Canadians. An investment in Black excellence is an investment in economic empowerment and economic empowerment is an essential part of justice, he said. Its justice against a system that has locked out far too many Black entrepreneurs and denied them the same opportunities as other Canadians. Ottawa is putting up $93 million over the next four years for the Black Entrepreneurship Program, while banks are contributing up to $128 million for loans between $25,000 and $250,000 for Black business owners. The participating banks are RBC, BMO Financial Group, Scotiabank, CIBC, National Bank, TD, Vancity, and Alterna Savings. The federal cash will include $33 million towards the loans, $6.5 million to collect data on the barriers preventing Black Canadians from succeeding in business, and $53 million for Black business organizations to provide mentorship, financial planning and business training. Trudeau made the announcement at a Toronto organization called HXOUSE, which describes itself as a think centre to help foster innovation and opportunities for young talents in Toronto. HXOUSE, (the X is silent), gets its unique name from the XO label of Grammy-winning artist The Weeknd, who launched the centre in 2018 along with his creative director, La Mar Taylor, and Ahmed Ismail, owner of the marketing firm Influencers PR. Ismail said Wednesday the new program is a welcome sign of a government acknowledging systemic racism exists, addressing the fact opportunities are not equally available, and taking the uncomfortable step of doing something about it. This is something Ive never really witnessed in all my life in any country that Ive studied, said Ismail, who was born in Somalia and has also studied and worked in the United States. Liberal MP Greg Fergus, the chair of the Parliamentary Black Caucus, said the program isnt all that is needed but will help Black Canadians be economic actors, community leaders and see that we are full Canadians and want to participate in this wonderful country that we call home. It will not in one fell swoop eliminate all systemic discrimination and the consequences but weve taken a positive step forward, he said. Systemic racism across Canadian institutions, governments and communities took centre stage in the spring, after the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting in the death, after allegedly not doing anything to stop it. His death became a lightning rod for racialized Americans to demand change, leading to hundreds of protests around the United States. Similar protests erupted in Canada, where the focus also included the treatment of Indigenous Peoples. On June 6, Trudeau attended a Black Lives Matter protest on Parliament Hill. A month later, he said he was assigning his cabinet to spend the summer working on multiple plans to address systemic racism. That included policing, the justice system and improving access to capital for racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. He also campaigned on a promise to strengthen and double the funding for the national anti-racism program his government announced in 2019. Trudeau himself was forced to apologize during the campaign after photos emerged of him wearing blackface several times as a teenager and in his early 20s. The $45-million Building a Foundation for Change program includes funds to tackle racism in the civil service, develop an anti-racism secretariat and start gathering more specific data on systemic racism in Canada. There has been no announcement yet to make good on the promise to double the programs funding. The new entrepreneur program announced Wednesday is the first policy to come from cabinets summer assignment to tackle racism. Trudeau said it is a significant economic empowerment program but said there are more announcements coming. I recognize there is much more to do on the justice system, much more to do on public safety and working with police and we will have more things to talk about, he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2020. Read more about: The deployment will enable collaboration and coordination in the Asia Pacific region MCLEAN, Virginia, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aireon is pleased to announce that The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong's air navigation service provider (ANSP), has selected Aireon to provide space-based ADS-B for Air Traffic Service (ATS) surveillance services. CAD Hong Kong provides annual air traffic services for more than 400,000 aircraft landing and departing the Hong Kong International Airport, and manages overflights passing through the flight information region (FIR). Aireon will provide real-time space-based ADS-B air traffic position information to CAD Hong Kong, including 100 percent coverage of their FIR. The ANSP will also gain access to Aireon data in transition zones surrounding the CAD Hong Kong airspace for enhanced cross-border safety and situational awareness of aircraft entering or flying near the boundary. Additionally, the Aireon-CAD Hong Kong agreement includes the provision of space-based ADS-B for air traffic flow management (ATFM) to support regional coordination for a significant portion of the Asia Pacific airspace. "We are delighted to work with CAD Hong Kong to provide space-based ADS-B data to one of the busiest regions in the world," says Peter Cabooter, Aireon's Vice President of Customer Affairs. "Their dual utilization of the Aireon's data will provide immediate benefits to their customers and aircraft who enter their region by creating a level of situation awareness never before used in this airspace, and their focus on cross-border collaboration and visibility is pivotal to enhancing operations. We look forward to the best practices Hong Kong will establish in this deployment." Aireon is scheduled to deploy space-based ADS-B for ATS surveillance and ATFM to CAD Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2021. They will join other leading ANSPs in the region already utilizing Aireon's space-based surveillance service, including the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and NiuSky Pacific Limited, formally known as Papua New Guinea Air Services Limited (PNG Air Services Ltd). About Aireon LLC Aireon has deployed a space-based air traffic surveillance system for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft throughout the entire globe. Aireon is harnessing next-generation aviation surveillance technologies that were formerly ground-based and, for the first time ever, is extending their reach globally to significantly improve efficiency, enhance safety, reduce emissions and provide cost savings benefits to all stakeholders. Space-based ADS-B surveillance covers oceanic, polar and remote regions, and augments existing ground-based systems that are limited to terrestrial airspace. In partnership with leading ANSPs from around the world, like NAV CANADA, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), Enav, NATS and Naviair, as well as Iridium Communications, Aireon is providing a global, real-time, space-based air traffic surveillance system, available to all aviation stakeholders. For more information, please visit www.aireon.com . Press Contact: Jessie Hillenbrand Aireon +1 (703) 287-7452 Jessie.Hillenbrand@Aireon.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/390350/Aireon_LLC_Logo.jpg In January 2019, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was orbiting asteroid Bennu when the spacecraft's cameras caught something unexpected: Thousands of tiny bits of material, some just the size of marbles, began to bounce off the surface of the asteroid--like a game of ping-pong in space. Since then, many such particle ejection events have been observed at Bennu's surface. OSIRIS-REx is an unprecedented effort to investigate what makes up asteroids like Bennu and how they move through space. But, as those leaping particles show, the mission has already delivered a few surprises. "We've been studying asteroids for a long time, and no one had ever seen this phenomenon before--these little particles getting shot off of the surface," said Daniel Scheeres, distinguished professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences. He leads the radio science team for OSIRIS-REx along with CU Boulder's Jay McMahon. Now, a series of new studies seeks to recreate and understand the observed particle ejection events, piecing together what happened and why. Scheeres and McMahon are focusing on one question in particular: How might such leaping particles change the long-term fate of Bennu and other asteroids like it? In research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, the duo and their colleagues report that such seemingly small occurrences may add up over time--perhaps even helping to give the asteroid its telltale shape, which is often compared to a spinning top. "We want to know what that means for the bigger picture of how asteroids live their lives," said McMahon, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering. The University of Arizona leads science operations for OSIRIS-REx, which was built by the Colorado-based Lockheed Martin. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland manages the overall mission. Mass loss McMahon added that the life of some asteroids can be pretty chaotic. One class of these bodies, which scientists call "active" asteroids, loses a significant amount of material on an ongoing basis. "They're almost a cross between a comet and an asteroid," McMahon said. "They're losing mass, and it's substantial enough that we can see it from Earth." Until recently, no one knew that the same thing could happen on a much smaller scale. But that's precisely the case on Bennu. One hypothesis suggests that rapid shifts in temperature could be causing the surface of the asteroid to warp and crack, popping off small bits of material. Another study has contended that the ejections could be the result of small meteoroids smacking into Bennu. Based on OSIRIS-REx's observations, the particles ejected from Bennu can be as big as softballs and hit speeds of about 7 miles an hour. Even more surprising, McMahon said, a small number of these bits of debris seemed to do the impossible: They flew off the surface of Bennu, then orbited the asteroid for several days or longer. "That shouldn't happen in typical orbital mechanics," McMahon said. Put differently, basic orbital calculations suggest that all of these particles should do one of two things: Jump off the surface and fall right back down or escape from Bennu's gravity and never come back. Close misses To find out why some aren't playing by the rules, McMahon and his colleagues used detailed computer models to track the trajectories of more than 17,000 test particles ejected from Bennu. They discovered a small subset of those seem to get an assist from an unlikely source: the sun. McMahon explained that as these objects leap off the asteroid, they are exposed to heat and radiation coming from the sun and from Bennu itself--just a little bit, but enough to occasionally give them a slight boost in speed. With the right push, those particles can, essentially, fail at falling. "The particle gets really close to the surface and just misses," McMahon said. "If it can do that a few times then it can get into a situation where it can live in orbit for quite a while." In another study published in the same series, a team led by Scheeres and McMahon tried to figure out if ejection events might even influence Bennu's own orbit around the sun--the answer is probably not. The group did discover something else unusual: When particles eventually land on Bennu's surface, many appear to disproportionately fall near its equator where the asteroid has a distinct bulge. As a result, these events could be reshaping the asteroid over thousands or millions of years by moving mass from its north and south to its middle. The findings are a prelude to another major event in the life of Bennu. Next month, OSIRIS-REx will get closer to the asteroid than ever before. Once there, the spacecraft will use a retractable arm to grab a sample from the surface and bring it back home. Scheeres and colleagues expect even more unexpected findings from an already surprising asteroid. Coauthors on the new study include researchers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planetary Science Institute, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin, University of Arizona, The Open University and University of Tennessee. ### PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Winds gusting as high as 50 mph (80 kph) fanned dozens of catastrophic wildfires Wednesday across a large swath of Washington state and Oregon that rarely experiences such intense fire activity because of the Pacific Northwest's cool and wet climate. Oregon's governor said hundreds of homes were destroyed. Firefighters were struggling to try to contain and douse the blazes and officials in some places were giving residents just minutes to evacuate their homes. The fires trapped firefighters and civilians behind fire lines in Oregon and leveled an entire small town in eastern Washington. The devastation could become overwhelming, said Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. This could be the greatest loss of human life and property due to wildfire in our states history, Brown told reporters. No fatalities from the Northwest fires have yet been confirmed, but Brown said some communities have been substantially destroyed and hundreds of homes lost. The scenes were similar to California's terrifying wildfire drama, where residents have fled fires raging unchecked throughout the state. But officials in the Pacific Northwest said they did not recall ever having to deal with so many destructive fires at once in the areas where they were burning. The blazes exploded on Monday during a late-summer wind storm that saw gusts reach 75 mph (120 kph). Sheriff's deputies, traveling with chain saws in their patrol cars to cut fallen trees blocking roads, went door to door in rural communities 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Portland, telling people to evacuate. Since Tuesday, as many as 16,000 people have been told to abandon their homes. These winds are so incredible and are spreading so fast, we dont have a lot of time," said Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts. Fires were burning in seven Oregon counties and rural and suburban homes miles away from Portland, Oregon's largest city, were under preliminary orders to prepare for possible evacuations. Three prisons were evacuated late Tuesday and Brown called the state's blazes unprecedented. The Pacific Northwest is no stranger to wildfires, but most of the biggest ones until now have been in the eastern or southern parts of the region where the weather is considerably hotter and drier and the vegetation more fire-prone than it is in the western portion of the region. Fires in 2017 and 2018 crested the top of the Cascade Mountains the long spine that divides dry eastern Oregon from the lush western part of the state but never before spread into the valleys below, said Doug Grafe, chief of Fire Protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry. We do not have a context for this amount of fire on the landscape," he said. Seeing them run down the canyons the way they have carrying tens of miles in one period of an afternoon and not slowing down in the evening (there is) absolutely no context for that in this environment. Fire crews were focusing on trying to keep people out of harm's way and preventing houses from burning. Officials said that containing the fires was a secondary priority on Wednesday, although there was concern some fires south of Portland could merge and become a much larger inferno that would be more difficult for firefighters to handle. Were really at the mercy of the weather right now, said Clackamas Fire District Chief Fred Charlton. In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee said more than 330,000 acres (133,546 hectares) burned in Washington in a 24-hour period an area larger than the acreage that normally burns during entire fire seasons that stretch from spring into the fall. About 80% of the small eastern Washington farming town of Malden was leveled by flames from a fast-moving fire on Monday. Among the buildings that burned were the town's fire station, post office, City Hall and library. Its an unprecedented and heart-breaking event, Inslee told reporters. He blamed hot weather, high winds and low humidity for the explosive growth of the fires in Washington state. In Oregon, at least four major fires were burning in Clackamas County, a suburban county in Oregon that's a bedroom community of Portland. The entire county of nearly 420,000 people was put on notice to be ready to evacuate late Tuesday amid winds gusting up to 30 mph (48kph). Another major fire in southern Oregon prompted evacuation orders in much of Medford, a city of about 80,000 residents. And several huge blazes burning in Marion County, southeast of the state's capitol city of Salem, merged overnight turning the sky blood red in the middle of the day. Thousands of people were braced to flee if evacuation orders emerged. It was pitch black dark out there all you could see was red, said Wendy Phelps-Chapman, activity director at the Marian Estates independent senior living center in Sublimity, Oregon, which evacuated its 160 residents on Tuesday. Some school districts that had just begun distance learning canceled classes due to power outages or the threat of imminent evacuations or issued warnings Wednesday that classes might be canceled if fires spread closer. Wind storms downed power lines and tens of thousands of people lost power in the northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington. In Monday, 70 people were hemmed in by fire along with firefighters near the small city of Detroit, Oregon, the Idanha-Detroit Fire District said in a Facebook post. An evacuation by helicopter was requested but the smoke was too thick for that kind of rescue operation, so they eventually escaped on dirt roads used by the U.S. Forest Service. ___ Cline reported from Salem, Oregon. Associated Press writers Andrew Selsky in Salem, Nick Geranios in Spokane, Washington, and Lisa Baumann in Seattle contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 More than 2K Christians gather in worship protest after they are shut out of Seattle park Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment More than 2,000 Christians gathered in the streets of Seattle in a worship protest Monday in defiance of public officials, who shuttered a local park to prevent them from participating in a prayer rally organized by missionary and political activist Sean Feucht. The rally was supposed to take place in Gas Works Park by Seattle Parks and Recreation but officials abruptly announced the park would be closed all day Monday due to anticipated crowding that could impact the public health of residents. Despite efforts to keep the rally from happening, Feucht announced on Facebook Tuesday that their worship session led to miracles and baptisms in a session that lasted about two hours. They shut the park, so we took the WORSHIP PROTEST to the streets!! The church of Seattle WILL NOT be silenced! Over 2000 took to the streets and GOD LIT THE PLACE UP with miracles, baptisms, salvations, racial reconciliation (with the police!) and HOPE!! Feucht wrote. Feucht, who has helped local pastors host 19 prayer rallies in defiance of coronavirus guidelines in 19 cities over the last eight weeks, told KIRO 7 that he believes the shuttering of the park to his gathering was blatant discrimination. If this was about COVID that would be one thing, he said. But this is about a blatant discrimination against Christians because the same questions were not asked and are still not asked about protesters. Park officials explained in a statement Friday that the decision was made to shutter the park because they anticipated that people would gather and flout social distancing protocol. Previous attendees at Feuchts rallies reportedly did not wear masks or practice social distancing. Out of concerns for the safety of all those who visit Gas Works Park we have opted to close the entire park for the day, park officials said. One man who attended the rally but did not give his name to KIRO 7 agreed that Seattle officials were not being fair when they shuttered the park to the Christian group. The opposite side of it is the CHOP, he said. They open it up and let them do whatever they want but they dont let Christians come here and peaceably assemble. I dont understand the hypocrisy of that. Kelly Seiben told KOMO News that she believes the city was targeting Christians, and others like Joyce Seiben agreed. We were not there to cause any harm but just to lift the name of Jesus, Seiben said. Pastor Michael Lee, who leads All Nations Community Church in Bellevue, said regardless of the actions of protesters, Christians needed to do the responsible thing and not gather in large numbers. I feel like its a responsible thing to do for a Christians to minimize the spread and risk of COVID," said Lee. You can do all of those things in smaller group contexts. A key group of indigenous leaders has written to Rio Tinto's board to back investor demands for a clean-out of top executives following the destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters. As the mining giant's board heads into crisis meetings to consider calls for senior staff to be dismissed or demoted over the disaster, the National Native Title Council has told chairman Simon Thompson that it was clear "large-scale cultural change" was required within the organisation. Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques faces mounting pressure over how his company allowed the detonation to go ahead without traditional landowners' consent. Credit:Scott McNaughton "It is now clear that what led to the catastrophic destruction of Juukan Gorge was not a result of a breakdown of procedures but a result of the enormous cultural and values deficit within Rio Tinto," the letter, obtained by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, reads. "The decision to slash executive bonuses has been rightfully regarded as falling significantly short of anything approaching appropriate accountability and indicates that Rio is currently operating in a realm divorced from reality." HANOVER, MI -- Michigan-born musician Ted Nugent delivered a fiery speech outlining various grievances at a campaign event for President Donald Trump Tuesday evening. Worse than liberalism, more dangerous than Marxism, is the apathy that allowed to turn Michigan into a Governor Whitmer s---hole, Nugent said. Any questions? Nugent was the last speaker at an event organized by the Trump campaign to launch a coalition aimed at reaching farmers and ranchers in Michigan. The kickoff was held at the family farm of state Rep. Julie Alexander, R-Hanover, and was attended by U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, among others. Nugent, who was born in Michigan but now lives in Texas for most of the year, ended the evening with an irate speech followed by a guitar solo. He said a--holes running the state imposed over-restrictive hunting laws and lamented that more hunters dont participate in elections. Michigan isnt run by communists because they are more clever than we are, Nugent said. Lansing isnt infested with Black Lives Matter and antifa terrorists because theyre more clever than we are. We were sleeping. Nugent called Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden antifas boy, and also called people who killed a retired police officer during riots in St. Louis Biden guys. He only referred to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer once. Biden plans to visit Warren Wednesday afternoon to give a speech about his plan to build up American manufacturing. Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally at an airport in Saginaw County Thursday evening. Earlier in the night, Nugents wife Shemane that the Democratic Party is separated from God." She encouraged the crowd not to remain a silent majority and instead push back against socialism on Nov. 3. Nugent said hes turned 150,000 hunters into registered voters through his website huntthevote.org. He told the crowd of just under 100 people that they need to do everything they can to send people to the polls on Election Day. The musician then played a rock-and-roll rendition of the national anthem. He joked that the crowd should remember what the author of Wango Tango told them Tuesday night. READ MORE ON MLIVE: Trump and Biden back-to-back visits show Michigan is still a 2020 battleground President Donald Trump holding Saginaw County airport rally Thursday Michigan Democratic Party embraces single-payer health care after DNC rejection Ivanka Trump to visit Michigan, meet with General Motors CEO Mike Pence says Trump will lead recovery after COVID recession at Michigan campaign rally Michigan Democrats target Pences vote against auto bailout before visit, tout Biden as job savior Syracuse, N.Y. A racist slur on the outside of a package discovered at a Syracuse University dorm last week was probably written on the box before it was delivered to campus, according to an SU official. SU launched an investigation after a student worker discovered the package Friday. United Parcel Service delivered the Amazon package to Day Hall. Security camera footage shows no one disturbed the package from the moment it left the UPS truck until the student noticed the slur on it, according to an email sent to students and staff. It is most likely that the package arrived on campus with the racial slur already written on the box, Bobby Maldonado, chief of SUs department of public safety, said in the email. Racist graffiti found on campus and a fraternity video with racist language sparked a wave of students protests at SU last year. Maldonado said SU is working with UPS and Amazon to determine when in the shipping process someone may have had the opportunity to vandalize the package. You can contact James T. Mulder at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com Dhaka, Sep 9 : Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto is expected to pay an official visit to Bangladesh on Thursday, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday. The Hungarian minister will participate in a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen and will later meet Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Xinhua news agency reported. "It is expected that more than two instruments will be signed during the visit of the Hungarian Foreign Minister," said the statement. No details about the instruments were given. Szijjarto is scheduled to depart Dhaka in the evening on the same day. LONDON Richemont shareholders eager to get their hands on a set of warrants linked to a loyalty scheme announced in July will have to hold off for a while. Ahead of its behind-closed-doors annual general meeting on Wednesday, Richemont said it was temporarily postponing the issue of warrants due to a wrinkle in how they might be distributed in South Africa, where its chairman and principal shareholder Johann Rupert is from, and where the company is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. More from WWD On Wednesday, Richemont said it is studying the possibility of delivering Richemont A shares to holders of South African depository receipts, which would automatically cancel the companys depository receipt program in South Africa. Richemont, parent of brands including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, IWC and Dunhill, said it is looking to come up with a new, more simplified structure that would reduce administrative complexity and facilitate cross-border trading in Richemont A shares between investors on the SIX Swiss Exchange and on the Johannesburg market. As a result, Richemont said the board will no longer propose the creation of the loyalty warrants at Wednesdays meeting in Geneva, and will instead submit a revised proposal on the matter at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders, due to be held later this year. As reported in July, Richemont planned to issue warrants to shareholders, allowing them either to trade the security, or to acquire Richemont A shares in three years at a potentially beneficial exercise price. The warrants were part of a promise that Rupert had made to shareholders in May to thank them for sticking with the company during the COVID-19 crisis, and beyond. The warrants were also meant to be a means of keeping shareholders content after Richemont said it was downsizing its dividend for fiscal 2019-20 to 1 Swiss franc per 1A share/10B shares. At the time, the company said it wanted to allow shareholders who hold the warrants until maturity to benefit from any potential upside in the market price of the Richemont A shares during the lifetime of the warrants. The unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty surrounding broader economic conditions, the board of directors has decided that it is appropriate to retain an extra liquidity buffer with a reduced dividend level, while awarding shareholders a supplementary benefit that will allow them to capture any ultimate improvement in global conditions, Rupert said in July. An expanded Dakota Access pipeline could go into operation by the third quarter of next year, Energy Transfer said in an investor presentation. The embattled project, which aims to transport crude oil from the Bakken shale play to the Gulf Coast, recently suffered a blow from a federal judge, who ruled in July that the pipeline had to be emptied and closed for the duration of a new environmental review. 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. Following that last unfavorable ruling, however, an appeals court overturned it, allowing Energy Transfer to keep Dakota Access in operation until that same court decided whether it needed to be closed for the environmental review. The Dakota Access pipeline has a capacity of 570,000 bpd, and according to Energy Transfer, the recently completed open season had seen this capacity fully committed. By the third quarter of next year, the company also said, additional capacity to service commitments received through recent open seasons will be in use. The $3.8-billion project has faced stiff opposition from the beginning. There were even mass protests against it that resulted in clashes with police, and ultimately arrests and forceful removal of the protesters. Despite all this, earlier this year, Energy Transfer said it planned to boost the capacity of the DAPL to 1 million bpd of oil. Then reports emerged that the company had declared force majeure on the project in order to prevent companies that had already made commitments for certain volumes of oil from pulling out amid the oil price crisis. Honestly, DAPL is not needed, one industry insider told Reuters at the time. Theyre trying to build a house that all these people signed up for. Even if theres no longer a need for the house, you cant really walk away from it. Would I like to get out? Yes, for sure. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Two Lebanese political parties allied to Hezbollah said on Wednesday they would not be swayed by US sanctions imposed on its members, with the Shi'ite Muslim Amal group saying Washington's move was like targeting the whole nation. The United States expanded sanctions related to Lebanon on Tuesday by blacklisting two former government ministers, including Amal's Ali Hassan Khalil. It said the two men had aided Hezbollah, which Washington brands a terrorist group. Alongside the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah, Amal is one of two dominant Shi'ite factions in Lebanon's fractious sectarian political system. The US move comes at a sensitive time, as a new government is being formed under a tight deadline in a bid to extricate Lebanon from a deep economic crisis that poses the biggest threat to the country's stability since the 1975-1990 civil war. "This (US) decision will not change our convictions and our national and patriotic principles at all," Amal said in a statement issued after Washington added the senior Amal politician and former finance minister, Khalil, to a blacklist. The group said imposing sanctions on Khalil was like "targeting Lebanon and its sovereignty." The United States also blacklisted former Transport Minister Yusuf Finyanus, a Christian politician who is a member of the Marada party that is also allied to Hezbollah. Marada's leader, Suleiman Frangieh, said his party would not be influenced by Washington's decision, the Lebanese state news agency reported. In a statement, Frangieh said Washington's move to impose sanctions on Finyanus was a "political decision" that would reinforce "our approach and our position." Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib, named after the last government quit following a massive Beirut port blast in August, is seeking to form a cabinet by early next week, under pressure from France which is leading an international push for deep reforms to unlock pledges of aid. Search Keywords: Short link: ISTANBUL After six months behind bars, three Turkish journalists accused of revealing national security secrets were ordered released from prison following a trial in the Istanbul 34th Heavy Penal Court Wednesday. Oda TV editor-in-chief Baris Pehlivan, reporter Hulya Kilinc and Yenicag newspaper columnist Murat Agirel were released with travel restrictions but face prison sentences pending appeals. They were among seven journalists on trial Oct. 9 for allegedly revealing the identity of a Turkish intelligence officer killed in Libya in February during their coverage of his funeral. Agirel, along with previously released Yeni Yasam editor-in-chief Ferhat Celik and managing editor Aydin Keser, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for disclosing information and documents about intelligence activities. Under the same charge, Pehlivan and Kilinc were sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. Oda TV news director Baris Terkoglu was acquitted, and the court file was separated for the seventh defendant, BirGun reporter Erk Acarer, who is being tried in absentia and remains abroad. In addition, Eren Ekinci, a press officer for the main opposition Republican Peoples Party's Akhisar Municipality, has been arrested and is awaiting trial for allegedly sharing images of the intelligence officers funeral with press members. This is a case that should have never been opened, but since the jailed journalists have been released, this is good news unless appeals come, Ozgur Ogret, Turkey representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, told Al-Monitor. They are not out of the woods yet. The high-profile case was one of many involving press freedom issues in Turkey, as more than 20 journalists face trials this week. Prosecutions on critical media professionals and organizations have increased sharply following a crackdown spurred by a 2016 coup attempt that saw dozens of news outlets shuttered and placed the nation among the worlds leading jailer of journalists. In its 2020 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkey 154 of 180 countries. Now, press freedom cases are once again in national headlines as courts work through a backlog of trials suspended earlier this year by the coronavirus pandemic. This trial isn't about a news story, but an attempt to punish my entire journalistic work," Pehlivan said in his testimony Sept. 9. Pehlivan had previously stated he was the victim of physical assault while in detention. During the hearing, the defendants said they had not intentionally shared images of national security personnel and assumed they were lawfully covering a state funeral. The defendants also stated the agents name had been previously publicized and they had not sought to reveal state secrets. Prosecutors had sought prison sentences up to 19 years for the journalists. Another key court case held Sept. 9 was the Ozgur Gundem newspaper trial in which four defendants faced terrorism-related charges through their collaboration with the now-shuttered newspaper. Held in the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court, defendants Zana Bilir Kaya, Inan Kizilkaya, Kemal Sancili and human rights lawyer Eren Keskin saw the trial adjourned until Dec. 24, 2020, after their lawyers filed a petition to be excused from the hearing, which the court accepted. Also on trial Wednesday were Etkin News Agency editor Semiha Sahin and journalist Pinar Gayip for terrorism-related charges. Sahin and Gayip did not attend the hearing, and the trial was adjourned until Dec. 22, 2020. In addition, journalist Oktay Candemir was released on probation Wednesday after brief detention stemming from a satirical tweet he shared regarding a historical Turkish television series that was allegedly insulting the memory of a dead person. Commenting on the days press freedom news, Erol Onderoglu, the Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders and Bianet media freedom rapporteur, said rising state pressure was limiting public discourse in Turkey. The government should put an end to these arbitrary procedures to restrict critical media and freedom of expression, Onderoglu told Al-Monitor. Ateca Hotel Supplies & Technology Solutions, developed by UAE hotel experts in Uzbekistan, has signed a strategic agreement with Prologic First to support the growth of the hospitality industry in the Republic. Michel Noblet, Executive Chairman of Ateca Holding, said: Technology is the key to the success of the hospitality industry today. Our goal is to provide hotel owners and operators with the latest tools and technologies required to meet the evolving needs of the business and guests. Trusted by global hospitality leaders, Prologic First has been at the forefront of offering multi-functional innovative technology solutions for hotels for more than two decades serving clients in over 40 countries. We are glad to be the first to introduce the companys cutting-edge solutions in Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia. Prologic First has been a pioneer in hybrid and on-premise hospitality technology solutions and is the technology partner of choice for many leading hotels worldwide. It also offers the most comprehensive cloud solutions for the hospitality sector. Amit Sharda, Vice President EMEA, Prologic First, said: We are delighted to enter Uzbekistan with a strong and distinguished partner like Ateca Hotel Supplies and Technology Solutions at a time when the country is set for unprecedented growth in the hospitality sector. Our solutions are tailored around improving operational efficiency and, reducing complexity, time and costs, while enhancing guest experience. Today technology is not only about meeting the guest expectations but anticipating their needs especially in a digital era and our solutions enable hotels to complete with the best in order to maximise performance in a new world increasingly turning to Cloud solutions. Karimov Kamoladdin, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for Ateca Holding, said: Globally speaking hotels are under enormous pressure with coronavirus disrupting every aspect of life and business. This has further accedlerated the adoption of new technogies in Uzbekistan as in other parts of the world, and at Ateca Hotel Supplies and Technology Solutions we are glad to offer the perfect options. -- Tradearabia News Service Chennai, Sep 9 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Wednesday blamed the self-registration facility provided under the PM-Kisan (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) scheme for the Rs 110 crore scam detected in the state. Speaking to reporters at Tiruvannamalai, Palaniswami stressed that the state government had detected the scam, ordered a probe by the Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) and legal action will be taken against the culprits. Palanswami said the self-registration method brought in by the Central government resulted in the scam. He said the officials got suspicious since a large number of people got benefitted under the scheme and probe was ordered. Under the PM-Kisan Scheme, small farmers with two hectare or less land are given Rs 6,000 per year as assistance in three equal instalments. On Tuesday, state Agriculture Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said the scam is to the tune of about Rs 110 crore but Rs 32 crore has already been recovered till date. Bedi also said that over 80 officials have been suspended and 18 persons have been arrested in connection with the scam that occurred in more than 13 districts. The scamsters - officials and others - had used the computer passwords of officials to feed in wrong data to illegally cash in on the scheme. Another federal court has dismissed a COVID-19 business interruption lawsuit, finding that a closure order does not constitute a covered direct physical loss and that the policy excluded damages caused by viruses anyway. The ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan continues a losing streak for attorneys who argued that government agency closure orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19 should trigger coverage for lost business income. Federal courts in Florida, California, Texas, the District of Columbia and a state court in Michigan have dismissed similar lawsuits. On the other hand, the U.S. District Court for Western Missouri allowed a COVID-19 business-interruption lawsuit by a group of hair salons that were shuttered because of coronavirus to proceed, without ruling on the merits. The insurance policies for the Missouri plaintiffs did not contain a virus exclusion. Turek Enterprises, which does business as Alcona Chiropractic, filed suit against State Farm after the carrier denied a claim for business income lost because of a COVID-19 closure order that lasted from March 24 to May 28. Although the policy excluded coverage for damages caused by fungi, virus or bacteria, Turek argued that the exclusion did not apply because the loss of income was not caused by the virus. The loss was caused by a government closure order which was covered under the civil authority section in the policy, lawyers for the chiropractic clinic argued. The lawsuit asked the court to certify a class that would include all Michigan businesses that had purchased similar State Farm policies. State Farm filed a motion to dismiss the suit, arguing that there was no direct physical loss to the property and even if there were, any loss caused by a virus was excluded. Judge Thomas L. Ludington concluded the insurer was correct on both points. While Turek argued that the closure order was the sole cause of its income loss, Ludington said there would not have been an order but for COVID-19. Furthermore, plaintiffs position essentially disregards the Anti-Concurrent Causation Clause, which extends the Virus Exclusion to all losses where a virus is part of the causal chain, the judge wrote in his order. Ludington said Tureks lawsuit was distinguishable from the Missouri case that was allowed to proceed, titled Studio 417 v. Cincinnati Insurance Co. In that case, the policy covered accidental physical loss or accidental physical damage. Tureks policy, in contrast, covered accidental direct physical loss to property. The judge also rejected an argument that the virus exclusion does not apply because the coronavirus was never on the insured premises. The judge said the policy requires a direct physical loss to trigger coverage. While that term is not defined in the policy, Ludington said the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals gave guidance in a 2012 ruling, Universal Image Prods. Inc. v Fed. Ins. Co. In that case, the appellate court affirmed a ruling that a business that had to close down for mold remediation did not suffer a direct physical loss and therefore its lost income was not covered. Ludington noted that a Texas federal court had rejected similar arguments, finding that direct physical loss to a property is not the same thing as loss of use of a property. Based on the foregoing, accidental direct physical loss to Covered Property is an unambiguous term that plainly requires plaintiff to demonstrate some tangible damage to covered property, the order states. This article previously appeared in Insurance Journal affiliate, Claims Journal. Topics Lawsuits COVID-19 Profit Loss Michigan Property Missouri The U.S. Virgin Islands government, in an expanding investigation into the alleged sex trafficking enterprise of Jeffrey Epstein, is seeking documents related to the late financier from billionaire businessman and philanthropist Glenn Dubin, his wife and his former investment firm, according to court filings in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas. Dubin, a New Yorker whose net worth is estimated by Forbes at $2 billion, has come under scrutiny for his alleged long-running professional and personal ties to Epstein, who was charged last year in an alleged child sex trafficking conspiracy and later died in prison. The subpoenas, which are dated Sept. 3, seek documents relating to financial transactions and communications between the Dubins and Epstein, or any related entities and associates from 1998 to the present day. One request asks specifically for information about "three wire transfers between 2014 and 2016." MORE: 'Truth and Lies: Jeffrey Epstein' podcast on Epstein and women who survived his crimes A separate subpoena seeks records from Highbridge Capital, an investment fund that was led by Dubin until 2013. In January, Denise George, the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands, sued the $655 million Epstein estate and a group of shell companies that control his wealth and real estate holdings around the world. The complaint alleges that Esptein created a network of companies and individuals who participated in and conspired with him in a pattern of criminal activity related to alleged sex trafficking of minor girls and young women. The subpoenas for information from the Dubins represent the latest aggressive move by George in her effort to pull back the curtain of secrecy that surrounded Epstein's enormous wealth. In July, the territory's government sought years of records related to Epstein from at least 10 financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Deutsche Bank. Story continues Epstein purchased the private island "Little St. James" in 1998 and established the Virgin Islands as his permanent residence in 2010. He later acquired ownership of a neighboring island, "Great St. James," and was in the process of building a new estate there at the time of his arrest, according to court and property records. Epstein's connection to the Dubins dates back to the early 1980s, when the Brooklyn-born Epstein began dating then 20-year-old Eva Andersson, according to a letter written by Epstein's defense attorneys and provided to a Florida state prosecutor during plea negotiations in 2008. Andersson is a former Swedish model who went on to become a doctor and, later, Dubin's wife. PHOTO: Jeffrey Epstein in a 2013 photo released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. (Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement) According to a biographical sketch of Epstein in the lawyers' letter, Epstein provided financial support for Andersson to attend medical schools in Sweden and California. They were romantically linked for 11 years and remained close friends even after it became clear that "the demands of Jeffrey's life could not include staying in one place and having a family," the lawyers wrote. The letter was obtained by ABC News through a public records request to the office of the state's attorney in Palm Beach County, Florida. "Today, [Jeffrey] is a very close and important friend to my family," the letter quotes Andersson-Dubin as saying. "He is the godfather of my three children and is a close friend of my husband as well." After Epstein served time in Palm Beach County Jail and was registered as a sex offender, Andersson-Dubin maintained contact. In 2009, shortly after Epstein's release from jail, she wrote an email to Epstein's probation officer to attest that she was "100% comfortable" with Epstein being around her three children, who were then all under the age of 18, according to a copy of the email in the files of the county sheriff. MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers want a court order to muzzle prosecutors and lawyers for accusers The Dubins reportedly spent Thanksgiving with Epstein that year, according to stories published in Vanity Fair and Business Insider. A spokesperson for the Dubins, in response to an email with specific questions about those communications and the subjects raised in the subpoenas, sent this statement to ABC News: "The Dubins have previously said that they are horrified by and were completely unaware of Jeffrey Epstein's unspeakable conduct. Dubin has also denied allegations that he had any sexual contact with alleged Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who testified in a deposition in 2016 that Dubin was among several prominent men she had sex with at the direction of Epstein and another of his longtime companions, Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell also denied those allegations in a deposition, calling Giuffre an "absolute liar." MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's alleged recruiter, pleads not guilty The subpoenas from the Virgin Islands seek records from the Dubins regarding Giuffre and the Dubins' travel on private jets with Epstein and Maxwell. According to Epstein's pilot's logs that have previously been made public, one or both of the Dubins flew on Epstein's planes at least 18 times between 1996 and 2005, often accompanied by their children and a nanny. Maxwell is also listed as a passenger on 13 of those flights, according to the logs. Maxwell is currently under indictment in New York for allegedly facilitating and, in some instances, participating in Epstein's grooming and abuse of three girls between 1994 and 1997. She is also under investigation in the Virgin Islands for her alleged role in Epstein's operation, according to July court filings by the attorney general. An attorney for Maxwell did not respond to inquiries when ABC News reported on the US Virgin Islands investigation in July. The subpoenas for the Dubins were posted to the Virgin Islands court docket this week. The documents are addressed to a 5th Avenue penthouse that overlooks Central Park and the Museum of Modern Art. The apartment, which is reportedly the former residence of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was purchased by the Dubins for about $30 million, according to a 2006 report in the New York Observer. In January, Reuters reported that Dubin, 63, was retiring from the investment industry to focus on his family and his charitable pursuits. Maxwell pleaded not guilty to all charges in New York. She is currently being held without bail in a federal prison in Brooklyn. A trial is scheduled for next summer. US Virgin Islands wants Jeffrey Epstein-related documents from NY hedge fund billionaire originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Perhaps understandably, comedian Becky Lucas has some blind spots around her stint taping Network 10's new Drunk History. Becky Lucas tells the story of Australia's first female detective Lillian Armfield. Credit:Network 10 "I don't remember how many drinks I had. I don't even remember what I was drinking," she says. "It was one of those things where they ask you, 'What's your drink?' and I was like, 'What's my drink ... I don't have a drink?' And so I picked something random like tequila and soda. It seemed kind of exotic." For all the free-wheeling frivolity on air, the behind the scenes vibe is "pretty controlled", says Lucas. "I guess they have to be careful. So there's someone counting how many drinks you have, I wasn't allowed to pour my own drinks, and then someone's making sure I'm eating enough. The director did a few shots with me, to sort of join me on my level, but then all the camera crew and stuff have to be sober obviously because they're at work. It's like being at a party and you're the only drunk one." Cory Watson congratulates the four lawyers who were recognized as Top Women Attorneys by B-Metro in the magazines August 2020 edition. The feature recognized women across Birmingham who have successful legal practices, as well as a demonstrated commitment to their community and profession. They are part of a deserving group of women who are truly dedicated to their profession on behalf of the Birmingham community and their clients. The Cory Watson attorneys recognized by B-Metro Magazine include: Leila H. Watson As firm co-founder and principal at Cory Watson, Ms. Watson focuses her practice on personal injury, mass torts, and medical malpractice litigation. She is widely recognized among the legal community, serving as President of the Birmingham Bar Association in 2017 and earning nationwide recognition from Best Lawyers as a Birmingham Lawyer of the Year for 2021. Elizabeth E. Chambers Principal attorney Beth Chambers has always focused her career on helping those in need, such as clients injured by dangerous drugs and defective medical devices. She is honored to be an advocate for her clients in large mass tort cases such as the 3M Earplug, Zimmer Duron Hip, Risperdal, and Chantix products liability litigation, where she served on the Bellwether Committee. Nina Towle Herring Attorney Nina Towle Herring is proud to represent clients across the country in pharmaceutical, environmental, and product liability litigation. Her practice is focused on C-8 water contamination cases, where she is an integral part of the Cory Watson team winning multi-million-dollar verdicts on behalf of clients in Ohio and West Virginia. Lauren S. Miller Attorney Lauren Miller represents clients in complex litigation injured from dangerous pharmaceutical drugs and dangerous medical devices. Ms. Miller also advocates for clients in individual personal injury claims, pursuing justice for sexual assault survivors. She was recently named to the Plaintiffs Steering Committee, a leadership role for the Zantac multi-district litigation. On behalf of our thousands of clients nationwide, each of us at Cory Watson Attorneys congratulates this team of amazing lawyers for their outstanding achievement and well-deserved recognition. The complete list of Top Women Attorneys appears in the August 2020 issue of B-Metro. ABOUT CORY WATSON ATTORNEYS Cory Watson Attorneys is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm with offices in Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, and Nashville, Tennessee. The firm has recovered more than $3 Billion for clients across the country. Cory Watson Attorneys are frequently at the forefront of major class actions and multidistrict litigations involving dangerous pharmaceuticals and product liability, and are often appointed to leadership positions in national cases. Firm practice areas include Personal Injury, Product Liability, Class Action, Asbestos, Business & Commercial Litigation, Dangerous Pharmaceuticals, Defective Medical Devices, and Environmental/Toxic Torts. Slacks top executive has donated to Black Lives Matter and other groups urging federal and local governments to defund the police, while the company uses a private security system that relies on robots patrolling in its offices. Stewart Butterfield, the CEO of Slack, and his partner, Away CEO Jen Rubio, pledged earlier this year to give $700,000 and an additional $300,000 in matching donations to ten different organizations, including Black Lives Matter. While those organizations are demanding that budgets set aside for police departments be reduced, Slack is using a security system designed by Cobalt Robotics to keep its office space safe. The Cobalt system was first used by the San Francisco-based office chat company in 2018. The hallways of the company were patrolled overnight by two robots, nicknamed Salt and Peppa. Stewart Butterfield, the CEO of Slack, and his partner, Away CEO Jen Rubio pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of Black Lives Matter and other racial justice groups. Butterfield is seen above in San Francisco in November 2019 But while Butterfield is backing groups that want to cut funds to police, his company is using robotic security firm Cobalt to patrol the hallways in its offices. A Cobalt security robot is seen in the above file photo Butterfield announced the donations days after the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis Since protests erupted nationwide in recent months, there have been growing calls among activists to defund the police. A Black Lives Matter rally in Rochester, New York, is pictured above on Saturday Last year, the system was expanded. Cobalt works by having robots patrol the hallways after normal business hours. If the robot notices anything suspicious, like a flickering light or someone who seems out of place, the robots video screen beams images back to a human driver at a remote location who would then assess the situation. When Cobalt detects anything that needs escalation or further review from an unauthorized visitor to CO emissions to a water leak it triggers a real-time alert in a designated Slack channel... If the event requires further discussion or action, companies can create new temporary channels in a workspace from the alert, according to a Cobalt news release from last year. After an alert is created, onsite security personnel can use the new channel to collaborate with each other and with the Cobalt Specialist Command Center to determine courses of action, including potential new patrol paths or public announcements and broadcasts through the robot. Butterfield and Rubio announced their donations in the days following the May 25 police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A Minneapolis police officer was filmed pressing his knee into Floyds neck as the 46-year-old black man lay helplessly on the pavement, where he was pinned down by three other cops. Floyds death sparked massive unrest nationwide as protesters demanded that elected officials slash police budgets. Black Lives Matter has publicly come out in support of defunding the police, though it is unclear if that means slashing police budgets or doing away with police altogether. Tech companies have pledged to donate hundreds of millions of dollars to Black Lives Matter and other groups that seek to address racial injustice. Cobalt works by having robots patrol the hallways after normal business hours. If the robot notices anything suspicious, like a flickering light or someone who seems out of place, the robots video screen beams images back to a human driver at a remote location who would then assess the situation A Cobalt Robotics security robot is seen above in action in the above file photo While activists and protesters have demanded that police departments be defunded, other community advocates believe minorities will suffer since there will be fewer cops on the streets to maintain public safety. Civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton says defunding the New York Police Department is something a 'latte Liberal' in the Hamptons might support but that proper policing on the ground is necessary. Sharpton made the comments during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Tuesday amid a wave of rising crime in New York City and a gun violence filled Labor Day weekend. He pushed back at recent calls to defund the NYPD and other police departments across the country, saying that policing needed to be re-imagined instead. 'To take all policing off is something I think a latte liberal may go for as they sit around the Hamptons discussing this as some academic problem,' he said. 'People living on the ground need proper policing. 'Yes, we need more resources in different areas like mental health but we do not need our grandmothers (to be) prey to those that are being the users of products of the big gun manufacturers in this country.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 16:06 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43c3d0e 1 Business oil-and-gas,US,SKKMigas Free Houston-based EOG Resources, one of the United States top shale oil and gas producers, is testing the waters of Indonesia for oil and gas exploration. The company recently applied for membership with Indonesia's Upstream Oil and Gas Special Regulatory Taskforce (SKK Migas) after a two-week work visit in July 2019, said the task force in a statement on Tuesday. EOG, SKK Migas and the Indonesian government are conducting a two-year study, slated to end in December, on potential resources, reads the statement. We found good early indications of potential unconventional oil and gas in Indonesia, said SKK Migas planning deputy Jaffee Arizon. EOG declined to comment, explaining in an email to The Jakarta Post that it did not usually do so for activity outside known development areas. Unconventional oil and gas resources, such as shale and tight oil, are more technically challenging and costly to recover than conventional resources for geological reasons. But for Indonesia, a country with declining oil reserves, such resources present an opportunity, however slim, to raise production. At 1,940 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day, Indonesia's oil and gas output was 10.7 percent below target as of June 2020, SKK Migas data show. However, EOG has signaled plans to focus on existing assets while global crude oil prices were low. Our first priority is to generate high returns with every dollar we spend even at low oil prices," said EOG Resources CEO William Thomas in a statement on March 16. Crude oil prices are not expected to recover to 2019 levels until at least 2022, according to several estimates. Oil futures fell again on Wednesday after a sharp slide in the previous session as a rebound in COVID-19 cases in some countries undermined hopes for a steady recovery in global demand, Reuters reported. Brent crude slipped 19 cents, or 0.5 percent, to US$39.59 a barrel on Wednesday morning Jakarta time after dropping more than 5 percent on Tuesday to fall below $40 a barrel for the first time since June. US crude, meanwhile, fell 24 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $36.52 a barrel, having fallen nearly 8 percent in the previous session. By Alex Soohoon Lee South Korea and the United States have recently agreed to new missile guidelines that allow Seoul to use solid fuel for space launch vehicles, yet the range of its missiles stays the same as before. From the perspective of national security, the new missile guidelines brings about several positive changes, such as enhancing surveillance and reconnaissance capability. However, there are issues that must be balanced. What are the implications of these new guidelines? Are they good for the South Korea-US alliance? How do they affect South Korea in general? To answer them, it is crucial to review the history of South Korea's missile development and examine the opportunities that the country Korea may encounter after implementing the new guidelines. First, South Korea's missile development program has historically been limited by proliferation concerns and the US alliance, not technical constraints as in the case of North Korea. South Korea's ballistic missile development program was first initiated in 1971 under then-President Park Chung-hee. Henceforth, South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 1979 with the United States which set the maximum capacity of ballistic missiles to a range of 180km with a payload of 500kg which was just enough for South Korean ballistic missile to reach Pyongyang but not beyond. Over the decades, South Korea and the United States have gone through a series of negotiations for revising the agreement due to the growing security threat posed by North Korea's nuclear development. The first revision took place in 2001, three years after North Korea fired a Taepodong-1 missile over Japan. In response to North Korea's provocative action, South Korea decided to join the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) which allowed the extension of the maximum range of its ballistic missiles to 300km while the payload stayed the same as before. A decade later, a request for revision was made again after North Korea launched another long-range rocket in 2012. Although the rocket broke up and its remnants fell into the sea soon after the launch, it nevertheless demonstrated the extent of North Korea's secretive development of an intercontinental ballistic missile. This event rationalized South Korea's new demand for another readjustment of the agreement. In September 2012, new missile guidelines were drafted with the compromise that a missile with a range of 300km could carry up to a two-ton warhead while a 500km range missile would only be allowed to deliver up to a one-ton warhead. So, the payload could be increased in inverse proportion to its range. However, in 2017, following North Korea's sixth nuclear test, President Donald Trump agreed to extend the missile range limit but discarded the warhead weight limit from the guidelines. From then on, the weight of the warhead did not matter as long as the maximum missile range was 800km. Due to these three revisions made to ROK-U.S. missile guidelines over the last half-century, the capacity of South Korea's ballistic missiles has improved. Last July, Seoul and Washington agreed on the fourth revision of the missile guidelines. The new arrangement allowed South Korea to develop solid propellant boosters for space launch vehicles but made no change to the existing range limit for missiles. This change largely provides South Korea with two upfront benefits. First, using solid fuel allows greater efficiency and mobility in launching rockets or missiles with significantly reduced preparation time. Second, South Korean research institutes, corporations, and individuals are now free to research, develop, produce and possess different kind of fuels for space launch vehicles including liquid, solid or hybrid. Moreover, unlike the previous rounds of missile talks, this time was a house-to-house negotiation where Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office negotiated directly with the White House National Security Council. This may have expedited both the process and the final decision. The opportunities that South Korea may seize in accordance with the latest version of the missile guidelines are as follows. The first set of opportunities is evident in national security and defense. As the deputy presidential national security adviser of the ROK has explained, South Korea can improve its intelligence and reconnaissance capability by launching comparably low-cost solid fuel rockets that deliver surveillance satellites into space. The more satellites South Korea puts in orbit, the better it can monitor the security situation on the Peninsula. Basically, an around-the-clock surveillance over North Korea would be possible. Furthermore, solid fuel also brings about a change in South Korea's defense structure. Unlike liquid fueled missiles, solid fueled ones can be fueled in advance and this fact enhances South Korea's defense readiness, specifically the precision strike capability in the event of an emergency. If the abovementioned developments are properly made, the ROK-U.S. alliance would be bolstered to another level. In fact, South Korea's enhanced capability of managing security on the peninsula would be considered a positive factor in prospective ROK-U.S. meetings concerning wartime Operations Control Authority (OPCON) transfer. The bottom line is that the newly revised missile guidelines will enhance the ROK-U.S. combined defense readiness. The new guidelines have created infinite opportunities for South Korea in the space industry as well. South Korea has proven to be the world's leading IT nation and excels in the areas of semiconductors, displays, shaped steel, lithium batteries and consumer electronics. With solid-fuel boosters, both the public and private sectors of South Korea have an opportunity to enter the space market before it becomes too saturated. Against this backdrop, it is certainly time for South Korea to think beyond the scope of the peninsula and move into a more meaningful role in the Pacific region and even the solar system. Alex Soohoon Lee, Ph.D. in international relations, is associate research fellow at Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. CLEVELAND, Ohio Cleveland City Council voted Wednesday to accept a nearly $8-million grant that will pay to add 30 officers to the police department. But the measure passed only after a debate over whether it is the best way to address rising crime. Some members supported accepting the federal money without hesitation, saying crime is out of control. Others cautioned that police need to move judiciously, working on prevention as well as attacking crime. But given the protests calling for reform of police nationally and wariness in parts of Cleveland, Councilman Basheer Jones argued police need to build better relationships with the community first. We know were living in a city where a lot of crime is taking place, Jones said. Theres a ton of community members who believe what I believe, and that is that more police, in and of itself, is not going to change the situation. Many in the Black community distrust police, fearing use of force or harassment, Jones said. Its always one-sided. We talk about the crime, but we dont talk about the crime that happens to community members, Jones said. Theres too many murders, theres too many killings and people are shooting. Thats something we have to fight, Jones said. But simultaneously, we also need to work on building a stronger bridge between community and police, Jones said. When our officers do something that is wrong, that is harmful to the community, that there is justice there as well. Ultimately the council approved legislation accepting the grant 14-1, with Jones opposing. Mayor Frank Jackson is expected sign it into law shortly. The grant, part of the federal initiative Operation Relentless Pursuit, will provide the city with $7.97 million, enough to hire 30 officers for three years. The officers will work with federal and state law enforcement to address violent crime in a collaborative effort the White House has dubbed Operation LeGend -- named in honor of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he slept June 29 in Kansas City. The federal government said it will assign 25 investigators from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to work with the task force. The new Cleveland hires are expected to join a police cadet class the city already had planned for this fall. Applicants are being reviewed now, Public Safety Director Karrie Howard said. The expanded class could have as many as 80 cadets. That was cheered by some, including Councilmen Mike Polensek and Jones, both of whom have sounded alarms about rising crime. Data from Cleveland police show 118 homicides so far in 2020, up 35 percent through the same point in 2019. Overwhelmingly, the people of the city of Cleveland, they want safe streets, Polensek said. "They want the violent offenders taken off the streets. Police Chief Calvin Williams and Howard both sought to calm any ideas that the federal presence would look like Portland, Oregon, where officers in riot gear were deployed to the streets. This work will be an investigative assignment, they said. This is going to be a surgical effort, Howard said. This is not a random grab-all [effort] and see who weve got. And Williams challenged other social and safety net programs that focus on crime prevention, re-entry into the community for offenders and social needs to take an active role. We on the law enforcement side understand the prevention aspect. We understand the re-entry aspect. And were all for it, Williams said. But too often, he said, those roles areas often beyond officers' training -- are pushed onto law enforcement. Those efforts are better handled by those folks that its their normal course of business, whether it be psychologists, sociologists, social workers, community activists, Williams said. Were more than willing to support those folks, but you cant push all that on law enforcement. More from Cleveland City Hall 16 new COVID-19 coronavirus cases confirmed in Cleveland, no new deaths reported: Tuesday update Jackson administration rejects Cleveland City Council request for full copy of report criticizing Cleveland Public Power Traffic crash study identifies Clevelands most hazardous streets, many in poor neighborhoods Cleveland to target block and street parties to slow spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, Mayor Frank Jackson says At 4,500 were still going to be able to accomplish the core task that we want to accomplish, and weve shown more than ample goodwill in our willingness to demonstrate that we dont want to be an occupying force in this country, but we do have strategic interests, vital interests, that compel us to be certain that these entities such as al-Qaeda and ISIS cant be guests there to attack the United States, McKenzie said in an interview after making the Iraq announcement, Voice of America reported. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment If, like me, you grew up in church, there is no doubt that you heard many sermons reminding you that you cannot take anything with you to heaven when you die. There is even a supporting scripture. Job said; Naked I came into the world and naked I will return. Job 1:21 (NKJV) Just to be clear, what I am about to share with you does not contradict that oft quoted scripture. The first thing you will be able to take with you is the prayer list that you have engraved in your heart for your loved ones who are still here on earth. While it may be challenging to prove biblically, I have always believed that our loved ones who have gone on before us and are in Heaven can and do pray for us. I remember an occasion when I commented to a grieving congregation that a recently departed and greatly loved member was up in Heaven still praying for his church and family down here. Emotions were running high and many were very grief stricken. One person in the congregation later challenged my statement, asking me if I had an scripture to prove that those in Heaven were praying for those still on earth. I took that persons challenge to prayer. The first scripture which came to me was Hebrews 12:1a; Therefore we also, since we are surrounded with such a great cloud of witnesses, (NKJV) Although that scripture does go on to talk about the way we live our lives it does seem to indicate that to whatever degree, God does allow people up in Heaven to witness what we do here on earth, although possibly only at specific times. Secondly, a clear example of a person praying from the other side ironically does not come from Heaven, but from Hell. In Luke 16:47, Christ told his disciples that, The rich man cries out from Hell, (In other words, prays) Father Abraham have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (NKJV) As I read these verses, I felt that my belief that people are praying in Heaven is reinforced by the fact that the Bible gives an account of an unanswered prayer uttered in Hell! If they are praying in Hell for those on earth, dont you suppose that they are praying even more for us in Heaven? The scripture also tells us that He (Jesus) ever lives (In Heaven) to make intercession for the saints Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV) If Jesus is praying for us in Heaven is it too far a stretch to believe that those who are there with Him are praying for us as well? When my Grandfather Howard Burnham went to Heaven, he was highly honored and respected in his community due to the fact that he was a very godly man. Interestingly enough, in an amazingly short period of time after his passing several of his young adult grandchildren rededicated their lives to Christ. I was one of them. I was always settled on the fact that when Grandpa Burnham got to Heaven, he went right to work praying for all of us. So yes, I believe that when we pass, one of the things we take to Heaven is the prayer list thats written on our hearts. The second thing, which I believe we will be able to take to Heaven with us when we go, is our knowledge of the scriptures. Not only has Bible study been a necessary part of our Christian growth here, can you just imagine what it will be like to meet Noah, Moses, David, Isaiah, Deborah, Joseph, or any of the Bible characters, and most wonderfully, Jesus? Wouldnt it be embarrassing to not know the stories of the people featured in the Bible when we get there? So yes we will be able to take with us all that we learned, and most especially what we have learned, about our Heavenly Father! Thirdly, you will be able to take with you your testimonies and memories of experiences with Jesus, which you had while you were here on earth. Oh wow, are we going to have a ton of those remember when moments talking face to face with our Lord. As for any questions we may have had for Him, they will no longer matter! They will be forever behind us! Fourthly on the list, and the one probably that should have been first, you will be able to take with you all the souls that you have won to Christ figuratively speaking. All of those you prayed for. All of those classes you took on How to lead someone to Christ will have all paid off because the best fruit that you can have to prove that Jesus really has been the Lord of you life will be the fact that He was able to use you to lead others to Himself. They will be there, having either arrived before you, or back on earth, waiting for their promotion day into that beautiful golden city! The last thing that you can take to Heaven will be your thankfulness for all that Jesus has done for you while you were here in this life. You will have millions and millions of years to express your thanks to Him in praise and worship to Jesus surrounded by Gods Heavenly choir. You will rejoice as you remember every trial, test, and tribulation that Jesus ever brought you through and shout and sing and dance with your glorified body that you will be given in Heaven. There will be no more suffering and no more tears. You will be joyfully joined with your loved ones forever and ever in Gods beautiful city never to be separated again. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. I personally cannot wait to get there! Lets not forget to pack! Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton has always wanted to apologize to the family of slain Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude, and is hoping to get in touch with them following his pardon, his lawyer said Wednesday. You know he has always wanted to apologize to the Laude family, except that he had no telephone. He had no way of communicating with them; he doesnt know the email address or whether he could even send such kind of letter, Pembertons counsel Atty. Rowena Flores told CNN Philippines The Source. Now that he has been pardoned, he does want to get in touch with them, she added. On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte granted Pemberton absolute pardon after spending less than six years in jail for killing the 26-year-old transgender woman. In October 2014, Laude was found lifeless naked with her head submerged in an Olongapo City motel rooms toilet after a night out with the then 19-year-old US marine. The Presidents move was met with a flurry of criticisms from netizens, rights groups, and even public officials who lamented the injustice it brings to Laudes loved ones. Laudes kin were meanwhile left shocked and devastated upon hearing the news. The familys lawyer, Atty. Virgie Suarez, argued Pemberton had the chance to say sorry even during his time in prison. Sa tagal ng pagkakulong niya, hindi man lang niya nagawang mag-apologize? Alam mo si Nanay Julita, isa 'yun sa sentimyento niya dati pa e, sabi niya, ni hindi ka man lang humingi ng tawad sa lahat ng mga nagawa mo, Suarez in an interview with the same program. If he does apologize, sana totoo. Sana talaga may natutunan siya sa limang taon na pagkakakulong niya. At sana talaga he finds peace in his mind dahil doon sa nagawa niyang krimen, she added. [Translation: All that time he was in prison, he never even got to apoligize? You know her mother, thats one of her sentiments for so long, she said, you didnt even apologize for what you did. But if he does apologize, I hope its real. I hope he learned something from his 5-year imprisonment. And I hope he finds peace in his mind because of the crime he committed.] Moving on? Pembertons lawyer, on the other hand, bared that the detained marine was relieved upon hearing Dutertes decision, and is likewise hoping to move on once he's set free. Kung maibabalik niya lang po yung panahon, siyempre he would wish these things never happened, and he would like to become a better person for the rest of his life He would like to set off and do good things para po maging kapaki-pakinabang na member ng society and to clear his name, Flores said. [Translation: If he could turn back time, of course he would wish these things never happened, and he would like to become a better person for the rest of his life He would like to set off and do good things so he can be a useful memebr of the society and to clear his name.] Pemberton is also hoping to go back to school and perhaps take a college degree in philosophy, Flores added. The camp also expressed hope that Pemberton could be released by Friday, but Flores said they are still complying with requirements and are still gathering the needed documents, including a written copy of Dutertes pardon order. Unjust treatment? Explaining his decision to grant the pardon, Duterte had said it was unfair to keep Pemberton detained, and argued it was not the latters fault that there was no proper record of his exemplary behavior while alone in a special detention cell in Camp Aguinaldo. The pronouncement did not sit well with critics and netizens, who have long slammed the supposed special treatment given to the foreign national. However, Flores claimed her client also had his share of unjust treatment while in detention. For one, she said Pemberton was detained even before a complaint was formally filed against him. An ordinary Filipino being subjected to a preliminary investigation remains free. He can travel all around the world because there is no charge against him, there is no probable cause against him, Flores said. But in this case, Marilou Laude filed her criminal complaint on October 15, 2014. But as early as October 13 or two days before she filed a complaint, Pemberton was already placed in jail He was already jailed without a case having been filed against him, she added, but did not detail the nature of the arrest. READ: Revisiting the Jennifer Laude murder case International news websites had reported that Pemberton was initially detained at the USS Peleliu, the ship where his battalion was assigned to, which was docked at the Subic Bay Port. Oscar statues wait backstage at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) And the Oscar goes to ... inclusion. In the latest step in its ongoing effort to boost diversity both within its own ranks and across the film industry, on Tuesday the film academy announced new representation standards for films to be eligible to compete for best picture. Developed over the past few months by a special task force as part of the organization's Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, the standards encompass both representation onscreen in the types of stories being told and the actors involved as well as behind the scenes in the makeup of the crew and in the inclusivity of the companies involved. To be eligible for best picture, a film must meet at least two standards across four categories: "Onscreen Representation, Themes and Narratives," "Creative Leadership and Project Team," "Industry Access and Opportunities" and "Audience Development." Within each category are a variety of criteria involving the inclusion of people in underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people and those with cognitive or physical disabilities. (Other Oscar categories will not be held to these same standards, but the contenders for best picture typically filter down to other feature-length categories.) Previously, the only standards to qualify for best picture involved a film's running time (over 40 minutes) and specifics about how, where and when it's screened in a public venue. The new standards will not go into effect until the 96th Oscars in 2024. But at a time of racial reckoning both for Hollywood and the nation as a whole, the academy believes the requirements provide a road map for how the industry can ensure that at least those films that compete for its highest honor reflect the diversity of the moviegoing audience and the wider world. The aperture must widen to reflect our diverse global population in both the creation of motion pictures and in the audiences who connect with them," Academy President David Rubin and Chief Executive Dawn Hudson said in a joint statement. "The Academy is committed to playing a vital role in helping make this a reality. We believe these inclusion standards will be a catalyst for long-lasting, essential change in our industry. Story continues The new standards were developed by a task force headed by academy governors DeVon Franklin and Jim Gianopulos, using a template inspired by the British Film Institute Diversity Standards that govern eligibility in some categories of the BAFTAs and in consultation with the Producers Guild of America. George MacKay, left, in the recent best picture contender "1917." (Francois Duhamel / Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures) Among the new standards, those concerning onscreen representation are likely to garner the most scrutiny. Indeed, some recent best picture nominees that featured almost exclusively white and male casts including the World War I film "1917" and the gangster epic "The Irishman" might have had difficulty meeting the new onscreen standards. Those standards require one of the following: at least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group; at least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from certain underrepresented groups; or the main storyline, theme or narrative is centered on an underrepresented group. Mindful of the difficulty of enforcing potentially heavy-handed mandates on the types of stories that are deemed worthy for best picture consideration, however, the academy is building in the flexibility for films to meet the inclusion requirements in other areas. For example, films can meet the "Industry Access and Opportunities" standard if the studio or production company offers paid apprenticeship and internship opportunities and training programs for underrepresented groups across a range of fields, something that is quite common across the industry. In recent years, the academy has announced a number of changes including plans for a special category for "best popular film" and the paring of several awards categories from the Oscars telecast only to roll them back after criticisms that they were ill-conceived and half-baked. But by announcing its new inclusion requirements more than three years before they will go into effect, the academy is giving the industry plenty of time to adapt. (For the 2022 and 2023 Oscars, potential best picture nominees will be required to submit a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form but will not be held to particular inclusion thresholds.) Announced in June, the Academy Aperture 2025 initiative marks the next chapter of the academy's diversity efforts that began in response to two consecutive years of #OscarsSoWhite controversy. The initiative is geared toward further increasing representation in the organizations governance, membership and workplace culture, as well as in the films nominated for Oscars. In June, the organization announced that it had surpassed the goal, set in early 2016, of doubling the number of women and people from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities in the group by 2020. This year's best picture winner, "Parasite," centered around the hustling Kim family, from left: Choi Woo Shik, Song Kang Ho, Chang Hyae Jin and Park So Dam. (Neon) The full breakdown of the new standards is below: For the 96th Oscars (2024), a film must meet TWO out of FOUR of the following standards to be deemed eligible: STANDARD A: ON-SCREEN REPRESENTATION, THEMES AND NARRATIVES To achieve Standard A, the film must meet ONE of the following criteria: A1. Lead or significant supporting actors At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. Asian Hispanic/Latinx Black/African American Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native Middle Eastern/North African Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Other underrepresented race or ethnicity A2. General ensemble cast At least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from at least two of the following underrepresented groups: Women Racial or ethnic group LGBTQ+ People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing A3. Main storyline/subject matter The main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s). Women Racial or ethnic group LGBTQ+ People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing STANDARD B: CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT TEAM To achieve Standard B, the film must meet ONE of the criteria below: B1. Creative leadership and department heads At least two of the following creative leadership positions and department headsCasting Director, Cinematographer, Composer, Costume Designer, Director, Editor, Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, Producer, Production Designer, Set Decorator, Sound, VFX Supervisor, Writerare from the following underrepresented groups: Women Racial or ethnic group LGBTQ+ People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing At least one of those positions must belong to the following underrepresented racial or ethnic group: Asian Hispanic/Latinx Black/African American Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native Middle Eastern/North African Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Other underrepresented race or ethnicity B2. Other key roles At least six other crew/team and technical positions (excluding Production Assistants) are from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. These positions include but are not limited to First AD, Gaffer, Script Supervisor, etc. B3. Overall crew composition At least 30% of the films crew is from the following underrepresented groups: Women Racial or ethnic group LGBTQ+ People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing STANDARD C: INDUSTRY ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES To achieve Standard C, the film must meet BOTH criteria below: C1. Paid apprenticeship and internship opportunities The films distribution or financing company has paid apprenticeships or internships that are from the following underrepresented groups and satisfy the criteria below: Women Racial or ethnic group LGBTQ+ People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing The major studios/distributors are required to have substantive, ongoing paid apprenticeships/internships inclusive of underrepresented groups (must also include racial or ethnic groups) in most of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity. The mini-major or independent studios/distributors must have a minimum of two apprentices/interns from the above underrepresented groups (at least one from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group) in at least one of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity. C2. Training opportunities and skills development (crew) The films production, distribution and/or financing company offers training and/or work opportunities for below-the-line skill development to people from the following underrepresented groups: Women Racial or ethnic group LGBTQ+ People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing STANDARD D: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT To achieve Standard D, the film must meet the criterion below: D1. Representation in marketing, publicity, and distribution The studio and/or film company has multiple in-house senior executives from among the following underrepresented groups (must include individuals from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups) on their marketing, publicity, and/or distribution teams. Women Racial or ethnic group: Asian Hispanic/Latinx Black/African American Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native Middle Eastern/North African Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Other underrepresented race or ethnicity LGBTQ+ People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing Editor's Note: Today's profile is of Vice President Mike Pence, the Republican Party vice presidential nominee. Check in tomorrow for a profile of Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party vice presidential nominee. Vice President Mike Pence was not known in many parts of the United States four years ago when Donald Trump named him as his choice for vice president. At the time, Pence was the governor of Indiana. Before that, he had served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Over 16 years in elected office, Pence built a solid record of supporting conservative policies and legislation. He also developed close ties to evangelical Christians, an influential group of conservative voters. Some political observers believe they might make up one fourth of the U.S. electorate. In his 2016 election victory, Trump won a large percentage of the evangelical vote. Part of the reason was the Republican Partys nomination of Mike Pence as vice president. From his earliest days as a politician, Pence has described himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order." As vice president, Pence is known for his loyalty to Trump. However, during the 2016 campaign, he did criticize him. After the release of a video of Trump making insulting comments about women, Pence said, "I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them." The 61-year-old Pence has been married to his wife Karen, a schoolteacher, for 35 years. The two have three children. Greg Pence, the vice presidents older brother, serves in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents an area just east of Indianapolis, Indianas capital. A rising politician lawmaker Mike Pence grew up in Indiana. He earned a law degree and worked as a lawyer before turning to politics. He lost his first two campaigns for a seat in the House in 1988 and 1990. But Pence kept his voice and face before Indiana voters, working as a conservative radio and television talk show host from 1994 to 1999. In 2000, he won the first of six two-year terms in Congress, where he established a conservative voting record and became an influential member of the Republican Party. During one term, he was chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative lawmakers. But he lost a vote to become the Republican minority leader at a time the Democratic Party controlled the House. During his 12 years in Congress, he proposed 90 bills and resolutions, but none of them became law. Pence as governor of Indiana Pence won the Indiana governorship in 2012 and continued his support of issues important to conservatives. He signed measures aimed at cutting taxes and restricting a womans right to end her pregnancy. He also signed a law blocking local governments in the state from requiring businesses to pay wages and aid to workers more than what is required by federal law. In an issue that got national attention, Pence signed a measure called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The law gave individuals and companies permission to say that their religious rights would likely be hurt if they were required to treat all customers the same. Conservatives in the state and in other places used the measure to oppose the legalization of same-sex marriages. But after protests from some Republicans and businesses that said they would refuse to move to the state or expand existing operations, Pence compromised. He amended the law to bar discrimination based on sexuality or gender identity. As vice president Pence faced his biggest test as vice president when the coronavirus health crisis reached the United States in early 2020. Trump asked him to oversee the government's effort to limit the spread of the virus or flatten the curve. Pence has been leading the administrations effort for testing and treatment while also supporting research to develop a vaccine. Pence chaired meetings of the White House coronavirus task force. And for several weeks, he spoke about the fight against the coronavirus at nationally televised press conferences. During these meetings, he answered questions from reporters. Pence has been criticized for reporting progress against the virus in the U.S. as tens of thousands of Americans died from COVID-19 and tens of millions of workers lost their jobs. In private meetings, Pence urged Republican senators to note "encouraging signs" in the country's battle against the virus. Pence repeated the administrations position that the number of cases in the U.S. was rising because the country was doing more testing. Critics have said that this position ignores that by June 2020, the number of cases was rising in states and cities that were largely free of the virus in March and April. In June, Pence wrote an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal. In it, he argued that there was too much panic over the coronavirus. He praised Trump and said the U.S. public health system is far stronger than it was four months ago, and we are winning the fight against the invisible enemy. He also blamed some in the news media for creating fear over the spread of the virus. Coronavirus crisis continues The increase in coronavirus cases has slowed nationwide, but not stopped. The Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering has been following the spread of the virus. It reports that the U.S. has over 6 million confirmed cases, with more than 183,000 deaths reported. Im Mario Ritter, Jr. Ken Bredemeier reported this story for VOANEWS. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story electorate n. the people who can vote in an election condone v. to forgive or approve of something degree n. an official document that is given to someone who has successfully completed studies at a university or college host n. a person who talks on a radio or television program customers n. someone who buys goods or services from a business encouraging adj. causing a hopeful feeling panic n. sudden, overpowering fright We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. Alexandra Ros, professor in Arizona State University's School of Molecular Sciences and the Center for Applied Structural Discovery in the Biodesign Institute. Credit: Mary Zhu A major collaborative effort that has been developing over the last three years between ASU and European scientists, has resulted in a significant technical advance in X-ray crystallographic sample strategies. The ASU contribution comes from the School of Molecular Sciences (SMS), department of physics and the Biodesign Institute Center for Applied Structural Discovery. The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (EuXFEL) is a research facility of superlatives: It generates ultrashort X-ray pulses27, 000 times per second and with a brilliance that is a billion times higher than that of the best conventional X-ray radiation sources. After ten years of construction, it opened for initial experiments in late 2017. The group of Alexandra Ros, professor in ASU's SMS was awarded the second allocation of beam time amongst worldwide competitors. Their results, published Sept. 9 in Nature Communications, validated a unique microfluidic droplet generator for reducing sample size as well as waste (which can be as high as 99 percent) in her team's Serial Femtosecond Crystallography (SFX) experiments. Using this, they determined the crystal structure of the enzyme 3-Deoxy-d-manno-Octulosonate 8-Phosphate Synthase (KDO8PS) and revealed new detail in a previously undefined loop region of the enzyme which is a potential target for antibiotic studies. "We are excited that this work, resulting from a huge collaborative effort, has been well received in the XFEL community," explained Ros. "We are further developing this method and are seeking synchronization of the microfluidic droplets with the pulses of XFELs. At this very moment, a small team of ASU students has just finished performing experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, CA to refine the method. There could not have been better timing for the publication of our work." SLAC has been the XFEL facility best known to U.S. scientists where the now-famous work on crystallography of protein nanocrystals (by the ASU team led by professors John Spence and Petra Fromme) was carried out. SLAC and its companion in Europe, also at Hamburg, have been very successful and consequently, have become heavily overbooked. The coming-on-line of the new facility, with its giant 2.6-mile accelerator tunnel and atomic length scale resolution, has relieved some of the demand on the other facilities, while offering grand new possibilities in the physical sciences. SFX is a promising technique for protein structure determination, where a liquid stream containing protein crystals is intersected with a high-intensity XFEL beam that is a billion times brighter than traditional synchrotron X-ray sources. Although the crystals are destroyed by the intense XFEL beam immediately after they have diffracted, the diffraction information can, remarkably, still be recorded thanks to the state-of-the-art detectors. Powerful new data analysis methods have been developed, allowing a team to analyze these diffraction patterns and obtain electron density maps and detailed structural information of proteins. The method is specifically appealing for hard-to-crystallize proteins, such as membrane proteins, as it yields high-resolution structural information from micro- and even nanocrystals, thus reducing the contribution of crystal defects and avoiding the tedious (if not impossible) growth of the large crystals demanded by traditional synchrotron- based crystallography. While crystallography with XFELs has been a powerful technique for unraveling the structures of large protein complexes and also permitting time-resolved crystallography, this cutting-edge science nevertheless engenders a major problem. Because of the small "hit" rate it requires huge amounts of suspended protein, which although not irradiated, are cumbersome to retrieve for most protein samples. As much as 99% of the protein can be wasted. Herein lies the major technical advance made by Ros and her team. They have developed a 3-D-printed microfluidic device, which is high-resolution, and generates aqueous-in-oil droplets of variable droplet segmentation that can be synchronized to the free electron laser pulses. This dramatically reduces the amount of purified protein needed for the European XFEL experiment from the currently typical (and almost inaccessible) 1 g requirement for full data set recording. The importance of this development bears restating. The researchers' approach interleaves sample-laden liquid "slugs" within a sacrificial liquid, so that a fast-moving liquid microjet is maintained with sample present only during exposure to the femtosecond XFEL pulses (one millionth of one billionth of a second in duration). The team of scientists has demonstrated droplet generation of the enzyme KDO8PS crystal suspensions with the microfluidic droplet generator and shown that the droplet generation frequency can be controlled by the rates of the aqueous and oil streams. The diffraction quality of the crystals of KDO8PS is similar both when injected in aqueous droplets surrounded by oil or by continuous injection with a Gas Dynamic Virtual Nozzle (GDVN), with ~60% reduction in sample consumption achieved with droplet injection. The determined structure revealed new detail in a previously undefined loop region of KDO8PS, a potential target for antibiotic studies. These results advocate for future routine integration of droplet generation by segmented oil flow at other XFELs around the world. Actor Renuka Shahane and actor-producer Nikhil Dwivedi have voiced their support for Kangana Ranaut, whose Mumbai office was partially demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Wednesday. Nikhil said that while he doesnt endorse Kanganas opinions about the film industry, he feels that she has been wrongly treated in this case. In a tweet, he wrote, I dont support #KanganaRanauts often exaggerated & at times even dishonest allegations against the movie industry. I am SUPPORTING her on todays happenings. Whats being done is WRONG. He had previously responded to a tweet in which Kangana had claimed that the demolition was done in defiance with state Covid-19 guidelines. Nikhil had written, There r 2 sides now. Both claim high moral ground but either dont speak whn wrong is commited on another. We shud ve spoken whn #AamirKhan was being unduly targeted. As we shud speak now in ths particular case of urs!! Sadly we r as divided on either side as the entire nation is. I don't support #KanganaRanaut's often exaggerated & at times even diahonest allegations against the movie industry. I am SUPPORTING her on today's happenings. What's being done is WRONG. Nikhil Dwivedi (@Nikhil_Dwivedi) September 9, 2020 Renuka Shahane, who had previously condemned Kanganas comments comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, wrote on Twitter, Though I did not like @KanganaTeams comment comparing Mumbai to POK I am appalled by the revenge demolition carried out by @mybmc You do not have to stoop so low. @CMOMaharashtra please intervene. There is a pandemic we are dealing with. Do we need this unnecessary drama? Though I did not like @KanganaTeam 's comment comparing Mumbai to POK I am appalled by the revenge demolition carried out by @mybmc You do not have to stoop so low. @CMOMaharashtra please intervene. There is a pandemic we are dealing with. Do we need this unnecessary drama? Renuka Shahane (@renukash) September 9, 2020 The demolition was carried out on the basis of structural violations. Vinayak Vispute, assistant municipal commissioner, BMC, H-West Ward under whose jurisdiction Bandra falls, told Hindustan Times: We will carry out the demolition work on Wednesday over the structural violations carried out at Ranauts office at Pali Hill. Further action will be taken after the demolition process. Kangana voiced her anger in a series of tweets, calling it the death of democracy. Sharing a set of pictures of the demolition squad, she wrote, Babar and his army. Kangana has now returned to Mumbai after engaging in a war of words with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, in the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death. Kangana had said that she feels unsafe in Mumbai, and had compared it to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a statement that Sanjay Raut condemned. Also read: Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to Pakistan, shares pics of BMC demolishing her property: Death of democracy Nikhil earlier in the day had also voiced support for actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was arrested on Tuesday on drug charges related to the Sushant case. #Rhea I didnt kno u. I dnt kno wht kind of person u r. May b u r as bad as u r being made out to b. May b u r not. Wht I do kno is tht how its all played out for u is unfair, unlawful how civilised countries behave. Whn all ths is over we wud like to work wth u @Tweet2Rhea, he had written. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) has described as unfortunate the posturing of government to maintain some modalities involved in the agreement with Agyapa Minerals Royalties Limited. Benjamin Boakye explained that it would be an exercise in futility if government sticks to its entrenched stance to withhold valuable information regarding the deal even after a meeting with the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). Even though the ministry agreed to do consultation, the meat of the whole thing is that they will consult but not change course and we dont think thats in good faith, he told Evans Mensah, Tuesday. This comes on the back of calls by a group of CSOs on Tuesday reiterated their demand for government to suspend the implementation of the deal. This, according to the CSOs, is because government is massaging the data made available through the Finance Ministry. At our last meeting with the Ministry, some slides containing some data were presented. However, when we requested for copies, those particular slides of interest to us were omitted either deliberately or inadvertently, a spokesperson for the group, Dr. Steve Manteaw. The new agreement is expected to enable the country to use a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Agyapa Royalties Limited, to secure about $1 billion to finance infrastructural projects. The CSOs suspect some underreporting if figures as to the annual revenue accrued from the gold royalties. The $150 million quotation by the Deputy Finance Minister at the meeting was found to be actually $200m after independent checks by the CSOs. To this end, they are disputing the modality by which government arrived at its $1 billion valuation of the total transaction. Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Andrew Egyapa Mercer has fought off the claims that the government is misrepresenting the figures regarding the valuation of the transaction. According to him, the inability to access the full data and assumptions is due to some regulatory guidelines surrounding the approval mechanisms of regulatory institutions involved in the transaction. The ministry is saying that the information that we used for the valuation is required if us to provide to a certain regulatory authority for approval. So, yes we show it to you but we cant make copies available, he said on Joy FMs Top Story. But Benjamin Boakye would have none of that. He further believes that government must demonstrate its touted much-touted transparency by availing itself to welcome perspective on what is expected [returns on royalties] and answer the relevant questions as to how you valued the assets and what other options were available before the ministry decided to actually go to the stock market. Parliament in August approved the Agyapa deal to allow government monitize future royalties from gold in exchange for a US$500 million lump sum to invest in development projects. Agyapa Minerals Royalties Limited has been established as the special purpose vehicle through which the monetization will be done. Government says it will float 49% of shares in the company to raise US$1 billion out of which $500 million will be invested in health, education, infrastructure and other development initiatives. The rest of the money will remain Agyapas operating capital. Source: Myjoyonline.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 Margaret Guth of Hancock County was inducted into the 2020 Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame during a virtual ceremony on Aug. 23. This year, 119 people from 86 counties were inducted to the hall of fame for their outstanding service and dedication to 4-H. Since she got her kids involved in 4-H 28 years ago, Margaret Guth has been a great volunteer, advocate, and passionate supporter of the Hancock County 4-H program. She has been a six-year community club leader, independent 4-H mentor and leader, foodstand volunteer and recruiter for many years, dog project assistant, and most recently an assistant to the 4-H afterschool program, putting her bilingual skills to use to help ESL students. Besides being a volunteer she has been a 4-H advocate, tour guide, and youth educator as a clerk in the Iowa legislature. Hancock County Extension is grateful Margarets many hours of service to 4-H members and her advocacy and support of the 4-H program, said Victoria Schmidt, Hancock County Youth Coordinator. Many inductees serve as club leaders, youth mentors, fair superintendents or fair board members, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach county council members, county youth council members, fair judges, financial supporters, chaperones or ISU Extension and Outreach staff members. The inductees have demonstrated dedication, encouragement, commitment and guidance to Iowas 4-Hers through the years. One of the pillars of the Iowa 4-H Youth Development program is youth-adult partnerships. Our honorees generously give their time and talents to foster these positive partnerships with our 4-H youth, said Tillie Good, Iowa 4-H volunteer development specialist. The Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame was initiated in 2002 to help commemorate the 100th anniversary of 4-H. You can find the virtual ceremony and detailed histories of each recipient and past recipients at the Iowa 4-H Foundation website: www.iowa4hfoundation.org. Go to and select Recognition then Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Two back-to-back high-level visits could mean New Delhi is concerned over reports of massive Chinese financial assistance to Iran New Delhi: Close on the heels of Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs recent visit to Iran, it was the turn of External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday to make a stop-over in Iran during which he held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Sources said the EAM was transiting through Iran en-route to Moscow to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers meeting there on September 9 and 10. But the two high-level visits from India in quick succession have raised eyebrows and perhaps indicates New Delhis concern over reports of massive Chinese financial assistance to Iran amid crippling American sanctions which may pose a huge strategic challenge to India and its development of the Chabahar port. The Iranian sea-port of Chabahar has proved crucial for India as it provides sea-land connectivity to Afghanistan bypassing the land route through Pakistan. The situation in Afghanistan and role that the Pakistan-backed Taliban may play there could also be weighing on New Delhis mind. EAM Jaishankar tweeted, A productive meeting with FM @JZarif during a stopover in Tehran. Discussed strengthening our bilateral cooperation and reviewed regional developments. Thank him for his gracious hospitality. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif tweeted Pleased to host my Indian counterpart @DrSJaishankar in Tehran for talks today. Discussed expansion of bilateral relations and trade, and exchanged views on important regional issues. Our active engagement with our neighborhood is our top priority. The development of Chabahar port and situation in Afghanistan are expected to have been discussed on Tuesday between the two foreign ministers. India had earlier managed to get the United States to exempt the Chabahar port from sanctions on Iran. India had in July said that an Indian company had significantly scaled up operations at the Chabahar port in the past two years despite the difficulties posed by US sanctions on Iran. New Delhi had also further assured that proactive measures are currently underway to increase the usage of Chabahar Port, both for Afghanistan and Central Asia. India had had also sounded an extremely optimistic note on Indian participation in the crucial Chabahar-Zahedan railway line project. Zahedan in Iran is located near the Afghan border and the Chabahar-Zahedan rail route could further help smooth movement of Indian goods to Afghanistan. Meanwhile in a statement on the EAMs visit to Moscow, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, will be attending the meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to be held in Moscow on 9-10 September, 2020. This will be the third CFM meeting that India will be attending as a full member of SCO. ... The SCO Summit will be held in the near future. The CFM meeting in Moscow will review the preparations for the forthcoming SCO Summit and also exchange views on international and regional issues. External Affairs Ministers visit in Moscow will include the participation in the Council of SCO Foreign Ministers and other bilateral meetings. Toronto public high school students will return to school next Thursday a two-day delay the board requested to get staffing and schedules in place. At a virtual meeting Wednesday afternoon, trustees were told that the start date of Tuesday, Sept. 15 is now pushed to Thursday, Sept. 17 for all students, except those in special education programs. Given the complexities of the staffing and timetable process, we have adjusted the start dates of secondary school, in-person and virtual, trustees were told. On Tuesday, students attending special education congregated sites and students attending intensive support programs (developmentally delayed) in secondary schools will begin, and follow a semester program, the board said. Meanwhile, all other secondary programs begin on Thursday, including those attending integrated programs such as those for students with autism or in gifted classes in a quadmester schedule, where they take two courses at a time for roughly two months, attending every other morning for almost four hours, before heading home for live, online learning. The Toronto District School Board, the countrys largest, scrambled to redo its high school plans after the ministry of education said it wanted more in-person time for teens. The board, with permission from the province, like some others already delayed the start of all classes a week, which were supposed to start Sept. 8. Many secondary teachers are still in the dark about what they are teaching this fall, and if they are to be in a school or online. While some have opted for virtual schooling for health reasons, with about 30 per cent of students optng for at home learning, other teachers will be reassigned. It is still unacceptable that TDSB secondary teachers will not know what they are teaching, or where, until at the earliest, a week before the new student start date, said Leslie Wolfe, president of the Toronto local of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation. We hope the additional days are available to high school teachers solely for them to prepare to welcome and teach their students. Teens are still awaiting their timetables. The major muli-state retail chain deployed Bright Pattern Contact Center with the help of customer software experts at Everise, a dedicated partner to Bright Pattern. "The Everise tech stack puts true digital experience transformation within reach of customer-focused businesses of any size," said Michael McCloskey, CEO of Bright Pattern. "They offer effortless and personalized support services to some of the most innovative start-ups, Fortune 500 clients, and global unicorns." Everise provided a quick deployment of Bright Pattern Contact Center and within the first month automated five of the company's self-service menus, which services over 75 thousand retail customers. Amidst the pandemic, Bright Pattern's cloud solution enabled the retail chain to transition quickly to a work-at-home environment and manage an increase in call volumes without sacrificing the member experience. Immediately after going into production, the chatbot and Conversational IVR successfully automated 26% of incoming chat and call volume, greatly reducing pressure on existing teams and scaling to meet spikes in demand. "Bright Pattern has been deployed by some of the most innovative companies in the world including a recent remote deployment of over two thousand agents which was completed in just two weeks' time, allowing agents to immediately begin working remotely during COVID-19. We are excited to be working with another well known retailer to create effortless and personalized experiences for its millions of shoppers," said Micahel McCloskey, CEO of Bright Pattern. "Bright Pattern is a great solution for any company looking to triage customer inquiries with AI and bots, move agents remotely during COVID, and increase customer satisfaction with effortless and personal omnichannel communications. The Bright Pattern platform is open and integrates to best-of-breed AI solutions including Everise's Intelligent Digital Experience platform, XAGETM." "As a leading CX Transformation company, our partners look to us to nimbly enable intelligent experiences for their customers," says Dave Palmer, President of Everise. "In addition to managing call volume spikes through our integrated AI platform XAGETM, Bright Pattern's Cloud Contact Center also allowed us to seamlessly route call volumes to our offshore agents, to further manage the quality of the customer experience." Companies of all sizes select Bright Pattern to support their customer care organizations because of its simplified yet robust omnichannel platform, offering traditional channels; emerging channels like Facebook Messenger; in-app customer support; enterprise functionality; cloud-first architecture; and the ability to modify without the use of outside services. Bright Pattern was recently recognized by Ovum as a Market Challenger , by Omdia for best platform functionality , by Frost & Sullivan as a top-performing vendor, and by Gartner as a leader in the Call Center FrontRunners Quadrant . Additional Information About Bright Pattern Bright Pattern provides the simplest and most powerful AI-powered omnichannel contact center software for innovative midsize and enterprise companies. With the purpose of making customer service brighter, easier, and faster than ever before, Bright Pattern offers the only true omnichannel cloud platform with embedded AI that can be deployed quickly and nimbly by business userswithout costly professional services. Bright Pattern allows companies to offer an effortless and personal customer experience across channels like voice, text, chat, email, video, messengers, and bots. Bright Pattern also allows companies to measure and act on every interaction on every channel with embedded AI omnichannel quality management . The company was founded by a team of industry veterans who pioneered the leading contact center solutions and are now delivering an architecture for the future with an advanced cloud-first approach . Bright Pattern's cloud contact center solution is used globally in over 26 countries and 12 languages. About Everise Everise is a global experience brand extending CX transformation to enterprises from the Fortune 500 to the world's most beloved unicorns to high growth tech startups. With 15 experience centers located strategically across seven countries, Everise leverages the unique strengths of specific geographies and populations to provide partners with outsourced CX that is affordable, sustainable, agile, capable and fluent in over 20 languages. Our cutting-edge solutions include multilingual, native language voice intelligence solutions, AI-powered chatbots, virtual help desk assistants, and enabling pre-release field and beta testing of Internet of Things (IoT) products, and omnichannel customer care. Learn more at weareeverise.com . SOURCE Bright Pattern Related Links http://www.brightpattern.com To admit that Lebanese Armenians are illegally resettling to the occupied territory of Azerbaijan is just a crime. They understand that they are committing an international crime. Therefore, they are forced to deny this fact. Chairman of the parliamentary Committee on international and interparliamentary relations, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov expressed the due opinion in a conversation with News.Az. He was commenting on the raising the issue of illegal settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh by Lebanese Armenians by the Armenian leadership at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) by Azerbaijan's elected representative from the Nagorno-Karabakh region Tural Ganjaliyev. "We insist that all aspects of Armenia's provocation, including illegal settlement, construction of the road from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh and others, should be further thoroughly discussed in the framework of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The Armenian side is trying its best to get these discussions off the agenda, but we will not allow that to happen," he said. The head of the Azerbaijani delegation noted that during today's discussions on this issue, the Armenian delegates began to deny the obvious fact of illegal settlement. "There was nothing else to do but to deny it. Having created a problem with a million Azerbaijani refugees (as a result of Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories - ed.), they say we didn't do it. They illegally settling our lands - again they say we didn't do it. Unfortunately, we are dealing with the unfortunate fact that we have such a neighbor who does not understand that only in case of normalization of relations with Azerbaijan, with its closest neighbors, it has a future," he concluded. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. A man serving up to 76 years in prison for shooting and paralyzing a Thaddeus Stevens College student in 2003 wont be getting a new trial, the Pennsylvania Superior Court recently ruled. Kalvin McCullough, now 37, filed an appeal along with a confession from lifelong friend Lamar Clark, who is serving 38-1/2 to 87 years in prison for opening fire in 2014 and killing a man in a Lancaster bar, according to the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office. Prosecutors said McCullough shot at a group in Lancaster that included 18-year-old Joseph Rodgers, a two-sport athlete from Bensalem who was paralyzed in the incident. McCullough was convicted of four counts of attempted homicide. The Superior Court judges said Clarks confession to McCulloughs crime is untimely and has no iota of credibility. Prosecutors said McCullough and Clark mistakenly believed the statute of limitations on the attempted homicide charges had passed, and that neither could be sentenced for the crime. McCullough and Clark came up with the plan for Clark to confess in a conversation through the prisons email system, prosecutors said. READ MORE: After 5-year-old boy suffers burns during punishment, mom and girlfriend charged: Harrisburg police Justice Department asks to defend Trump in rape accusers defamation suit Woman arrested in connection with stabbing on Interstate 83: police Joo Won returns to the small screen after three years as he completed military service in a suspense and heartwarming drama "Alice." Joo Won can serenade you with his soothing voice, makes your heart flutter with his great visuals, and will make you cry with his emotional characters in "Good Doctor" and his new drama "Alice." Musical Actor He is a former musical actor who, no doubt, can sing and previously perform OST from several dramas that he appears. During fan meets, Jong Won sings for his fans and hits the right notes to keep your blues away. Jong Won debuted on small acts in KBS2 "King of Baking" 2010 as Kim Tak Goo, where he showed an impressive performance that opened the door to more opportunities. It paved the way for Joo Won as an actor and stars in dramas like "Ojakgyo Brothers," "The Bridal Mask," and "7th Grade Civil Servant." He then appears in movies and accepts to handle variety shows. Rise in popularity as Park Shi On from "Good Doctor" One of the impeccable performances that turned his career to rise is his inspiring lead role in KBS2 "Good Doctor." The drama tells the story of a man with high functioning autism who overcomes the stigma and discrimination of the world he is in. Park Shi On's character was never an easy part to take. Jong Won, as an actor, went out to meet people with autism, studied the behaviors, and performed in his best-acting skills. With great efforts and innate talent, Jong Won captivated the hearts of the viewers and drama surpassed the 20 percent viewership mar. "Good Doctor" received adaptation from the US and Japan. It brought recognition to Joo Won as Best Actor Awards in KBS Drama awards. In search for truth in "Alice" After he completed his mandatory military service, Joo Won returned to the small screen with veteran co-star Kim Hee-sun. In this sci-fi thriller drama with electrifying scenes of a time traveler and the present time, Joo Won plays Park Jin-gyeom, a person who lacks empathy but is smart, kind and has good fighting skills. His mother died, which he regretted not showing much love when she was still alive. He wished to find the culprit and made a revenge for her untimely death. Joo Won doesn't smile, but his eyes and emotions will touch your heart. He saw Kim Hee-sun in the present as a genius professor who resembles his mother; he shed tears just by looking at her. No words, no actions, but the way he cried will move you. Joo Won also walks on a high rise building towards the hostage scene in "Alice" with no stunts. The actor has always portrayed a different approach to acting, pure and real! Iranian Foreign minister Javad Zarif is set to visit several European countries next week, the countrys Tasnim news agency reported on September 9. His visit comes amid flaring rift with the US which has not only pointe at Tehran's illegal nuclear weapons but questioned its siding with enemies. Last month, Washington mounted pressure on the UN Security Council for the return of pre-2015 nuclear deal sanctions against Iran. Amid all this, Zarifs imminent visit aims at securing help from European powers to black new initiatives from the US against the Islamic republic. During his visit, the leader is reported to visit the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, most powerful players in the bloc. Read: Iran's Khamenei Condemns French Magazine's Republishing Of Cartoons On Muhammad Read: Iran President Rouhani Says 'friends Should Have Defied US Sanctions' During COVID-19 Tensions rise between France-Iran Tehran enjoys a cordial relation with Paris, however, a satirical cartoon published by a French magazine heated matters recently. On September 8, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the republishing of caricatures appearing to mock Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical magazine was unforgivable sin. Releasing the official statement on Twitter, Irans supreme leader also took a dig on some French politicians who are using the excuse of freedom of expression to not criticise the grave crime of insulting the Holy Prophet of Islam. Khamenei said that not condemning the decision of the weekly satirical Charlie Hebdo is completely unacceptable. Just this week, the magazine had republished the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that made many Islam extremists furious. One of the cartoons appeared to show Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban and the decision to reprint these graphics was denounced by Iran. Khameneis remarks came after Frances President Emmanuel Macron said last week that the French satirical weekly had not broken any law by republishing the cartoons. The magazine had reposted the cartoons to mark the opening of the trial of 14 Islamist gunmen accused of helping the attack on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish store in 2015 began on September 2. Read: Iran Tankers Suspected In Venezuela Amid Gas Shortages Read: Iran's Khamenei Condemns French Magazine's Republishing Of Cartoons On Muhammad Image credits: AP Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 16:16 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43c68ff 1 National ruu-mk,MK-justices,mk-law,constitutional-court-law-amendment,house-of-representatives,Gerindra-Party,#PostScript,PostScript,Constitutional-Court,constitutional-court-law,#Constitutional-Court Free The House of Representatives (DPR) has adopted a Constitutional Court (MK) law revision that increases the maximum term for its justices, a sticky issue since it first proposed revising the law. The newly revised law, which the House passed on Sept. 1, 2020, increases the judicial term to 15 years and justices may not stand for reelection, whereas the original law limited a single judicial term to just five years, after which justices could be reelected for a second five-year term. The law revision also allows Constitutional Court justices to hold office until the age of 70, a decade longer than under the previous law. The revision technically extends the terms of the nine incumbent justices: For instance, Constitutional Court chief justice Anwar Usman may now remain in his role until 2026 instead of leaving the bench next year. Potential interference & power abuse A longer judicial term without better supervision could make justices susceptible to political interference that could eventually undermine the impartiality of the Constitutional Court as a court of first and final instance over the constitutional validity of how laws are interpreted and disputes on election results, say legal experts and activists. The court is currently reviewing a number of petitions that challenge contentious laws, including the Mining Law and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) law revision of September 2019. Activists also accused the revised law of being a trade-off so politicians could potentially influence the courts future decisions on public challenges to the numerous controversial bills the House is deliberating now, like the omnibus bill on job creation and the draft revision to the Criminal Code (KUHP). They also expressed concern about the longer-term impacts of the revised law on potential for abuse of power and corruption at the court, one of the country's most powerful institutions. Read also: Historic sentence for Akil Lack of public scrutiny & vetting The revisions focused largely on extending the judicial term, which the House claimed was intended to strengthen the court. Lawmakers also raised the minimum age for justices from 47 to 55 to ensure that only excellent candidates would be eligible to be elected to the bench and improve its quality, according to Herman Hery, who chairs House Commission III on legal affairs that finalized the bill. But the law revision does not correct the underlying problems in the judicial selection process, most notably the absence of transparency standards that regulate the process. Nor does it make any significant changes to judicial supervision, experts say. The revised law essentially reinforces the principle mandates of the previous law: a transparent, publicly open electoral process for selecting the courts justices. The law revision merely stipulates that the judicial selection process, under which the House, the President and the Supreme Court each nominate three justices, must be transparent and open to the public, as in the previous law. The only tweak that has been made is that the process to be objective and accountable, but it doesnt address accountability to whom. The three branches of government have employed different mechanisms in the past. For example, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo involved a panel of independent experts to screen candidates, which marked a significant departure from his predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Read also: Govt assures transparency in MK justice selection Meanwhile, the House held candidate interviews that were open to the public, though experts say this was a mere formality. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, vetted its candidates mostly behind closed doors. In terms of judicial supervision, the House lawmakers increased the membership of the courts ethics council from five to six, with the new seat to be filled by a legal scholar. But constitutional law expert Feri Amsari of Andalas University in Padang, West Sumatra, said that the revision did not make any far-reaching changes, suggesting judicial impeachment as a new provision that lawmakers should have incorporated in the revised law, particularly in light of their insistence on a longer judicial term. Feri also believed that conflicts of interest had marred the deliberation process. The extension to the judicial tenure seems like a bribe to me, he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. Read also: MK rejects proposed reforms He also expressed disappointment that the court itself had never objected to revising the law from the very beginning. Constitutional Court justice Enny Nurbaningsih dismissed any suggestions that the court had any interest in revising the law. Rest assured that justices will carry out our tasks independently,she said, stressing that the independence of the judiciary was a nonnegotiable principle. Titi Anggraini of Society for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) said the court must now prove that they were truly independent and free from all external interests, particularly any political influence when hearing cases, even when their decisions may not toe the populist line. After all, what are they worried about? They have safe jobs [until they turn 70]. They dont even need to think about a second term. So its time for them to demonstrate their commitment to democracy and justice," she quipped. Nontransparent deliberation Not much is known about why the law was revised and who was really behind the proposal to do so. Activists have called into question the lawmakersinsistence on going ahead with deliberating the law revision when it was not an urgent need and amid the multifaceted fallout from the ongoing health crisis, no less. Read also: House in spotlight over plan to revise Constitutional Court Law The House mostly kept its doors closed ever since the proposal to revise the law was first raised in April by House Legislation Body (Baleg) chairman and Gerindra Party politician Supratman Andi Agtas, and despite public calls for transparency. The House made several changes to the draft bill before Aug. 24, when the government submitted its input and supporting arguments on the revised provisions to mark the start of deliberations. The legislature and the government then held three closed-door meetings on Aug. 26-28, with the two sides agreeing to the final version of the bill on Aug. 31. A day later on Sept. 1, 2020 the House passed the bill at a plenary meeting. It took the legislature just eight days to deliberate the bill on the Constitutional Court law revision, among the fastest in the Houses history, including the mere 12 days it took to deliberate the highly contentious revisions to the KPK law in September 2019. Violla Reininda of judicial watchdog KoDe Inisiatif criticized the deliberation process as problematic because it lacked transparency and denied public involvement. "They didn't even invite the court or the public. They rushed [the process]," she said. Lawmaker Herman of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) rebuffed the allegation, saying that all legislative hearings were open to the public. "There was no such thing as a trade-off. We were professional,he said. We worked fast because we changed only a few substantive provisions. The railway unit of the Delhi Police on Wednesday rescued 14 minors after conducting a joint operation with NGO 'Bachpan Bachao Andolan'. Ten people have also been arrested on charges of trafficking of children. All the minors rescued are between the age group of 12 to 14 and were brought from Bihar claiming to provide them jobs. These children were being brought from different districts of Bihar--Begusarai, Katihar, Purnia, Kishanganj in the name of giving them work in Delhi. According to the police, the children were to be sent to work in factories in Haryana and Punjab from Delhi. Due to COVID-19, children were being brought to work in the factory. Ireland's low-cost airline Ryanair (Dublin) is increasing the number of flights from Kyiv to Berlin (three more flights per week). From October 27, 2020, they will be operated daily, the company's press service said on Wednesday. Ryanair said that this decision was made due to high demand from both German and Ukrainian consumers. The service will be available throughout the winter season. "Ryanair is pleased to announce that it will operate daily flights from Kyiv to Berlin starting October 27, 2020. Ryanair's Ukrainian customers can now book a trip to Berlin at the lowest fares and with a new set of health measures that Ryanair has implemented to protect its customers and crew members," the press service said, citing Sales and Marketing Manager in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans at Ryanair Olga Pawlonka. Experts say it's not a good idea to warm up your car in winter Experts say it's not a good idea to warm up your car in winter. Here's why. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 14:22 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43bb36d 1 City industrial-center,industrial-cluster,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-cluster,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus,Bekasi,karawang Free Industrial COVID-19 clusters discovered in the Bekasi and Karawang regencies of West Java reached 500 cases on Tuesday, prompting demands for increased testing and tracing. [Cases have been found] in three industrial areas, namely Jababeka, MM2100 and Deltamas. The total number [of cases] is 500, West Java COVID-19 task force official Siska Gerfianti said on Tuesday, as quoted by tempo.co. The West Java task force has tracked the clusters to 12 factories in Karawang and 22 factories in Bekasi with the help of regency task forces. Siska said more than 54,000 tests were being conducted a week. We are indeed targeting 105,000 tests for the next two weeks, she said. The West Java administration is distributing about 15,000 portable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits and is waiting for the arrival of 250,000 PCR test kits from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). The governor is providing assistance in the form of portable PCR test kits to 27 regencies and cities to increase tracing and testing capacity to speed up treatment and isolation of cases, Siska said. A total of 585,598 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in West Java, consisting of 288,019 PCR tests and 297,579 rapid tests. The West Java Industry and Trade Agency said the National Industry Information System (SINAS) application was being used to monitor the enforcement of health protocols in the industrial sector. Read also: COVID-19 haunts industrial zones in Indonesia Through SINAS, all companies that have operational and mobility permits (IOMKI) must report every week on the implementation of health protocols, said Dendi Hermandi, an official at the agency. Dendi said 5,585 industrial firms in West Java had received IOMKI, which allowed them to operate during the pandemic, including those that later discovered positive cases in Jababeka, MM2100 and Deltamas. Our investigations found that one of the companies was closed because the spread of the cases was not sectorial. Apparently, the first person exposed to the virus had high mobility, he said. He added that the other companies with confirmed cases were still allowed to operate, except in the production units where the cases had been found. The local government has requested the improvement of a number of COVID-19 prevention protocols in industrial areas, including a ban on smoking areas and on serving boxed rice to workers. It is also expected that industrial areas provide self-isolation facilities because those prepared by the government are limited, he said. Separately, the East Jakarta Manpower, Transmigration and Energy Agency said it would temporarily close biscuit factory PT Khong Guan, after some employees were found to have COVID-19. However, the closure was to take place after the agency monitored and evaluated the factory on Tuesday. If it is true that there are positive cases, we must close the company, the agencys head, Galuh Prasiwi, said on Monday. The Ciracas district community health center (Puskesmas) previously reported that 28 of the 170 rapid tests performed at the Khong Guan factory were reactive. Two people were later confirmed to have COVID-19 through swab tests. (syk) Fort Myers, Fla., Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Oncology Network, LLC (AON) is pleased to announce that a research study led by AON physician Ruemu E. Birhiray, MD of Hematology Oncology of Indiana, was accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO), to be held as a virtual event, September 9 12, 2020. Additional input and support was provided by AON physician Ralph V. Boccia, MD, FACP of The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. The study evaluates long-term proteasome inhibition in multiple myeloma following an in-class transition from Bortezomib-based induction to all-oral Ixazomib Lenalidomide-Dexamethasone in patients under and over 75 years of age in the community setting. The study is to be presented and published as an abstract at the prestigious SOHO annual meeting, a 3.5-day program attended by a broad international audience of academic and private researchers and physicians. SOHO is the only international society specific to the field of hematologic malignancies and is the premier meeting that focuses specifically on new advances and practical applications. Dr. Ruemu E. Birhiray will also be speaking during the Industry Expert Session on Friday, September 11th, 2020, on Redefining Approaches in Frontline Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CCL) Treatment Imbruvica + Rituximab vs FDR: Head-to-Head-Data in Frontline CLL/SLL. AON CEO Brad Prechtl, MBA, said, To have Dr. Birhiray present his research and speak at this prestigious program confirms that our physicians are at the forefront of new discoveries and findings that will expand and improve treatment options for all patients with cancer and blood disorders. The speakers at the SOHO annual meeting are a multidisciplinary group of internationally recognized experts that represent the spectrum on these diseases. We are proud of Dr. Birhiray for this great achievement, added Dr. Stephen Orman, AON Board Member & Chairman. Story continues About American Oncology Network, LLC: (AONcology.com) American Oncology Network, LLC (AON) is an alliance of physicians and seasoned healthcare leaders partnering to ensure the long-term success of community oncology. Launched in 2018, the rapidly growing AON network represents 88 physicians and 56 nurse practitioners and physician assistants practicing across 15 states. The executive management team of AON brings more than three decades of oncology practice management experience, enabling physicians to focus on what matters most providing the highest quality care for patients. The organization provides unique and comprehensive protocols for managing administrative procedures and enhancing ancillary services for its affiliates. AON is able to aggregate volume and attain economies of scale, as it guides its member physicians and practices through the transition to value-based reimbursement models that improve the patient experience and help to reduce the per-capita cost of cancer care. AON also provides a unique model of physician led, community-based oncology management. With services such as a centralized specialty pharmacy, diagnostics, pathology, fully integrated electronic medical records, a care management team and a variety of financial assistance programs, an alliance with AON ensures that patients experiences will be at the very pinnacle of cancer care today. Attachment CONTACT: Caroline Hewitt American Oncology Network, LLC (239) 789.2341 Caroline.Hewitt@AONcology.com Related Separating state and religion: Secular Sudan irks Islamists Egypt sends 42 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Sudan amid deadly floods Some 100,000 homes damaged, 500,000 persons displaced, 100 dead, 46 injured, 43 schools damaged, more than 2,000 health centres lost at a time when they are crucial, and the grim reminder that there is more to come this month. Sudan has been ravaged by floods since late July due to heavy seasonal rainfall. The water level of the Nile River rose to about 17.5 metres in August, the highest it has been in close to a century, according to the Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation. With weather forecasts predicting above average rains throughout September, Sudan may reach unprecedented levels of flooding. Some citizens were reluctant to leave their homes after braving many floods over the years. However, with the water being knee high, or in some cases neck high, all were forced to abandon their houses. In previous years, we would leave our house for two months to live with friends, but this year that was impossible, because water had entered their homes too, said Ahmed, who was caught in the flooding. Army troops have been deployed to aid citizens in evacuating their homes, building barricades in an attempt to keep the water at bay, and distributing food and supplies to those displaced. Access to clean water has become limited after the flooding destroyed 2,000 sources of clean water. Other utilities, such as electricity, are also experiencing unprecedented outages. As of last week, the Sudanese government has declared a three-month long state of emergency. The flooding has, also, been threatening to damage two archaeological sites that house two pyramids that were built around the 7th century BC, which are invaluable historically and the source of much tourism in Sudan. The situation is currently under control, but if the level of the Nile continues to rise, the measures taken may not be sufficient, Marc Maillot, head of the French Archaeological Unit in the Sudan Antiquities Service said. The United Nations has been providing humanitarian aid in the form of food, medical supplies and emergency shelter. On 7 September, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi sent two military aircrafts containing provisions and rain-resistant tents. Despite the aid, it may not be enough, with the UN urging the international community to send help as aid stocks have been depleted rapidly. This crisis begs the question of whether or not Sudan can continue to endure these yearly floods, and whether Sudan can withstand a potentially similar, or more serious flood, in the event of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam malfunctioning. If anything, this crisis stresses the importance of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia cooperating in order to ensure that a crisis of that proportion never happens to Sudan or Egypt in the future. *A version of this article appears in print in the 10 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi released a new video today targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government for destroying the unorganised sector with the sudden nationwide lockdown to check the spread of the coronavirus. He emphasised that the government must introduce a "NYAY-like scheme" - the minimum wage social welfare scheme proposed by the Congress in its 2019 election manifesto. Advertisement Rahul Gandhi tweet "The poor, those in small and medium businesses, are daily wage earners. They eat with what they earn each day. The Prime Minister said the fight will be for 21 days and instead of that the backbone of the unorganised sector broke in 21 days," Gandhi said. Money needs to be directly deposited in bank accounts of the poor, Gandhi said reiterating what his party colleague and former P Chidambaram has repeatedly said on ways to revive the Indian economy from its record fall of 23.9 per cent. Advertisement Rahul Gandhi "The lockdown was not an attack on corona. The lockdown was an attack on the poor of India. The lockdown was an attack on labourers, farmers and small shopkeepers. It was an attack on our unorganised sector," Gandhi said. Actress Kangana Ranaut who has already arrived in Mumbai and has visited her demolished office, shared a video on her Twitter page, wherein the actress called out Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and compared her plight to Kashmiri Pandits. Apart from challenging Thackeray, Ranaut also announced that she will make a film on Kashmir. In the video Kangana says, "Uddhav Thackeray, tujhe kya lagta hai tune film mafia se milkar, mera ghar todkar bohot bada badla liya hai? Aaj mera ghar toota hai. Kal tera ghamand tootega. Ye waqt ka pahiya hai, yaad rakhna, hamesha ek jaisa nahi rehta." (Uddhav Thackeray, do you think that you have taken a a revenge while joining hands with film mafias? Today, my house has been demolished. Tomorrow, your ego will be demolished. Time will change.) (sic) Kangana further compared her plight to the Kashmiri Pandits, and promised her fans that she will not only make a film on Ayodhya but also on Kashmir. She also thanked Thackeray for his cruelty, and said that now she is able to feel the pain of Kashmiri Pandits. Check out her video below.. While some netizens came out in her support and slammed the Maharashtra government, others took a jibe at Kangana and warned her not to mess with the Maharashtra government. A netizen wrote, "You will be always queen of Bollywood. MH Govt and movie mafia might happy right now after this act of BMC..but soon they will suffer worst nightmare. Stay strong @KanganaTeam we are with you." Kangana Ranaut's Mumbai Office: Bombay High Court Stops Demolition; Asks BMC To Respond Another netizen wrote, "Playing religion card when everything goes for a toss . Pain is clearly visible in your eyes mam! Keep some energy for the films instead of this bias politics ...Kashmiri pandits , ayodhya kaha se aagya isme?" "You were happy yesterday in witch hunt. This is how fascism Feels Kangana," wrote another netizen. A supporter of Kangana wrote, "Kangana alone fighting against Drug Mafia , Fascist Maharashtra govt and no one from BollyDawood has come in her support.... SAB YAAD RAKHA JAYEGA!!" (Social media posts are unedited.) The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued refunds of over 1,01,308 crore to more than 27.55 lakh taxpayers between April 1 to September 8, 2020, said the Income Tax (I-T) Department in a statement on Wednesday. The I-T refunds of 30,768 crore were issued in 25,83,507 cases and corporate tax refunds of 70,540 crore have been issued in 1,71,155 cases, the statement said. In wake of COVID-19 pandemic, CBDT has extended the due date for filing of Income Tax Returns for FY 2018-19 (AY 2019-20) from July 31 to September 30, 2020. The CBDT earlier said the income tax authorities can share information with scheduled commercial banks, a move that would ease the lenders hassle of deciding TDS deductibility on various payments to their customers. In a notification dated August 31, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) included scheduled commercial banks, listed in the second schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, under Section 138 of Income Tax Act for sharing of information. CBDT is the apex tax body on personal income tax and corporate tax. Section 138 of the Income Tax Act empowers income tax authorities to share information/ details of its taxpayers with other agencies. The move will especially help in cases such as TDS under Section 194N, which requires multiple income tax related information and declaration from customers making withdrawal, analyst said. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Six of 23 crew members on a bulk carrier anchored off Metro Vancouver have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Union officials have said the Japanese-owned Vega Rose ended up stuck at a container terminal in Delta for several days after the first positive test came back. All of the affected crew members have been transferred to a federal quarantine site, and Transport Canada says it is monitoring the situation. The captain of the Panama-registered ship began experiencing a sore throat and stomach pains shortly after arriving in B.C. waters on Sept. 2, according to a statement from the International Transport Workers Federation (ITWF). He tested positive for COVID-19 the next day, the statement said. The federation said it was notified about the potential infections after the Vega Rose docked in Delta on Sept. 3. The 192-metre-long Vega Rose, which is now anchored in Vancouver's English Bay, was berthed at Deltaport for five days with a sealed gangway to prevent people from boarding or disembarking due to the fear of spreading the coronavirus. It's the second ship sailing Vancouver-area waters to report a COVID-19 outbreak among the crew since late August. A release by Rick Hurtubise, president of International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 502, says two foremen had some limited contact with the vessel, but they wore full protective gear. Yvette Brend/CBC News Westshore Terminals worked with Transport Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada to move the vessel out of the terminal to English Bay. Last Thursday, Transport Canada confirmed that a crew member had been taken off the Vega Rose and placed in quarantine. 'It could go through our ranks rampant' Dock workers' representatives say they are watching how the government handles the situation, which makes many port staff feel at risk given the transient nature of dock work and the close quarters for crew on board ships. "If the infection hits the waterfront, it could go through our ranks rampant," said Rob Ashton, president of International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Story continues Ashton also fears that any crew member who sets sail infected with COVID-19 may risk death or disability, due to the limited medical facilities on board such vessels. "That's one of the biggest problems with this whole situation, is when vessels come in and they have sick crew members on them and we don't keep the vessel here until the crew members are safe the health and welfare of these seafarers who are the life blood of the trade industry are at risk," he said. "If we let ships set sail with sick crew members, what happens to those crew members? ... I don't want to see this vessel leave Canadian waters until everybody is healthy." In other parts of the world, Ashton said, ships are held in quarantine for 14 days or until the crew are healthy, but there is a reluctance to start doing that due to the impact on commerce. Yvette Brend/CBC News Vancouver In late August, a German-registered container ship called the Sofia Express reported two crew members with symptoms of COVID-19 while docked in Vancouver. A Westshore Terminals dock worker who was last on shift in Delta on Sept. 1 also tested positive for COVID-19, though sanitization precautions meant there was low risk of further infection, the longshoremen's union said. Thousands of migrants fled a camp under Covid-19 lockdown after multiple fires gutted much of the site on the Greek island of Lesbos, authorities said. Some 12,500 people were living at the Moria camp and the surrounding area, where additional restrictions have been imposed over the past week after a Somali resident tested positive for the coronavirus. "The fire spread inside and outside of the camp and has destroyed it. There are more than 12,000 migrants being guarded by police on a highway," Stratos Kytelis, mayor of the island's main town, Mylinene, told private Skai radio. "It is a very difficult situation because some of those who are outside will include people who are positive (for the coronavirus)." There were no reports of injuries. The fires broke out overnight, police and fire officials on the island told The Associated Press, adding the cause of the blazes remained unclear. They did not confirm local reports that the fires had been set deliberately in protest at the lockdown measures but said firefighters had "met resistance" from some camp residents. Health authorities on Tuesday said 35 people had been confirmed infected with the virus so far after a major testing drive was ordered at the overcrowded facility. Early on Wednesday, riot police were deployed along the highway that connects the camp to Mytilene, some three miles to the south. Lesbos was Europe's busiest crossing point in 2015-16 for illegal migration during a massive westward movement of refugees, many fleeing war in Syria and Iraq and travelling through Turkey. Firefighters on Lesbos were also battling two other forest fires on the west of the island. AP I changed to energy supplier E.ON in August 2019 and took up its offer of a smart meter. I think it installed the dumbest one they had in stock. From the word go, the 'in house display' has not worked. The engineer said it would take a few weeks to sort itself out. I rang several times over many weeks and kept being told it would sort itself out. In March I was promised a call from the complaints department but it never came. I have chased it up on numerous occasions. Meter misery: A reader was handed a 900 energy bill after E.ON claimed her faulty smart meter would sort itself out My monthly payments dropped from 123.67 to 17 in March. I rang again, knowing this would not cover usage. I was told I was more than 300 in credit, which I knew could not be right as it was estimating the bill. When I supplied actual readings, my online bill was more than 900. L. O., by email. You began complaining to E.ON last November but were given the moronic response that your daft meter would sort itself out! For a 'can't be bothered' customer service response, this is up there with the best. When your complaint dragged on, E.ON rolled out the Covid excuse of having 'limited resources'. (I am sick to the back teeth of energy companies using Covid-19 as an excuse for poor service. Phone, internet and email can all be handled by people working from home.) Now, I would love to tell you precisely what happened but, although I have received a general statement from E.ON, two batches of follow-up questions I sent have not received a response. However, you tell me after my intervention engineers arrived to replace your smart meter. But the new one also did not work, so they installed an old-style one. In the meantime, you paid 700 in two installments. E.ON could not get a reading from your original smart meter so you were given an estimated reading, which resulted in a 204 rebate. A graph you sent me suggests your use in spring rocketed while we were basking in two months of sunshine and warmth. Your direct debit was then moved back to 125, a better reflection of your actual usage. E.ON says: 'A communication issue affecting the meter and her in-home display meant we were unable to collect accurate readings on her energy usage. Unfortunately this led to us basing her bills on estimated use.' E.ON failed to offer compensation. When your contract comes up for renewal, you know what to do. You have YOUR say Every week Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some about our report on life insurers forcing terminally ill policyholders to prove that they have less than 12 months to live. My friend's wife was given 18 to 24 months to live with treatment and nine months without it. The insurer refused to pay out on her life cover, so she told them she would be having the treatment and going to the Press. The firm paid out. N. L., by email. My husband had motor neurone disease and died within six months of diagnosis. We tried to get a major insurer to pay out on our life cover, but it rejected the claim. It told us it would reconsider if we sent a letter from his consultant. K. K., Bury. Life insurance should be just that. It is unfair to mislead the policyholder into thinking they have security, only to pull the rug from under their feet at a difficult time. Laws are needed to protect policyholders in these circumstances. R. P., Bristol. I work in the industry and know it's very rare for the Financial Ombudsman to rule in a policyholder's favour with these kind of cases. Always read your documents and make sure you have a full understanding of what you're covered for. J. D., Southampton. Some insurers exploit how successful doctors have become at treating cancer. It means you can be diagnosed as terminally ill, but still be alive five years later. If you need to renew your policy, no firm will cover you. E. S., by email. About 21 years ago my uncle was told he had terminal bowel cancer. He had a life policy and received his payout a week before he died. The simple option is to not bother with life insurance and save instead. Insurers will always try to wriggle out of paying. N. M., Manchester. In December last year I booked a cruise to the Norwegian fjords and took out travel insurance with Staysure. I had a colonoscopy on February 14 after a screening test and was told that I had a tumour. On March 19 I had surgery to remove a section of my bowel. At the end of March, before the final payment was due, I cancelled the cruise because my medical future was uncertain. I put a claim into Staysure for my 920 deposit. It is refusing on grounds that I wasn't covered for cancellations caused by Covid. P. W., Whitstable, Kent. I'm afraid your claim got caught up in the pandemic and a mistake was made. When I pointed out your problem, Staysure immediately refunded the full 920 including the 65 excess. It has also given you 100 as a goodwill gesture. A Staysure spokesman explains: 'We pride ourselves on doing things the right way. Since the pandemic, we have seen unprecedented volumes of customer queries and claims. 'We have worked extremely hard to ensure the disruption to our customers is minimal but recognise Mr W. has been impacted. We are confident that this was a symptom of the crisis and not a reflection of our processes.' Straight to the point A chimney leak at my elderly parents' house resulted in water damage to their living room. I have been trying to sort their 1,250 claim with insurer Covea Insurance since July 9, but staff are being unhelpful and obstructive. J.C., by email. Covea Insurance says it aims to deliver high service standards but occasionally mistakes are made. It regrets what happened here. It has now settled your parents' claim and offered 150 compensation. *** I want to buy a new home using savings to avoid being in a chain, then sell my present home soon after. There could be a short period when I own two properties. Would I have to pay capital gains tax (CGT) when selling my current home? T. B., Essex. You shouldn't have to pay CGT if you sell your current home within two years of buying your new one, according to AJ Bell. You will have to pay the additional 3 per cent stamp duty on your new home, but you can reclaim this if you sell your existing home within three years. *** Virgin Mobile keeps texting to say a new Sim card is on the way. But it has not arrived and Virgin says it will cut me off if I don't replace my existing one. I can't get through on the phone. A. P., Surrey. The Sim card was mistakenly sent to your old house. A new one has been sent to your current address. It adds that some call centres were closed during lockdown but customers would have got through eventually. *** I paid for a 1,460 Bertazzoni dual-fuel cooker in June. The retailer, AO, initially failed to deliver it on the day it promised and then, after arranging an alternative date, did not send an engineer to install it. L.C., by email. AO has apologised and refunded the cost of the engineer. It has arranged an alternative solution to connect your cooker. My sister-in-law has severe dementia and is in residential care. Post Office Money wrote to her on January 10 to say her 10,240 loyalty bond paying 1.35 per cent matured in 20 days. There were reinvestment options of 1.35 per cent, 1.4 per cent or 1.47 per cent. We wrote to say we had applied to the Court of Protection to take over her affairs and asked Post Office Money to roll her money over. But it could not. On February 18 we sent the Court of Protection Order and proof of our identities. But it would not accept our authority to act on behalf of my sister-in-law. Her 10,240 is now in a Post Office account paying only 0.01 per cent interest. We have tried, unsuccessfully, to close this. After further letters and phone calls, it agreed to accept copies of our passports, driving licences and council tax bills, subject to their being authorised by our local postmistress. This cost more than 30. We sent the documents on May 29. We have now been told the Post Office has a backlog and has no idea when it will be able to deal with this matter. To add insult to injury, it sent a letter, dated May 23, saying my sister-in-law's signature was required as ours do not match its records. K and S. J., Norwich, Norfolk. The Post Office has worked with its banking provider, the Bank of Ireland, and you have received an apology for the poor service. The account has been closed and the funds transferred to the account you requested. You will also receive 250 in compensation. You tell me that after covering the bond interest and costs there should be about 150 surplus. Your generous decision is to give 100 of this to the care home to provide extras for residents and 50 to the Salvation Army in Norwich to help homeless people. Authorities in Cambodia over the weekend arrested six activists, including an ordained monk and a rapper, for protesting or singing songs about Cambodias border dispute with Vietnam, drawing criticism for a crackdown on freedom of expression. The six were officially charged with incitement to commit a felony and create a chaos in the society under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code and were working for unregistered groups, Cambodias Ministry of Interior said in a statement released Sunday. Khmer Thavarak and the Mother Nature NGO have been working to incite people to provoke instability and social unrest by using social media and other means to disseminate information, the ministry said, referring to the youth organization environmentalist group with which some of the activists are associated. The Ministry of Interior appeals to people not to participate these illegal groups. The Ministry of Interior asks authorities to take legal actions to maintain social and national order to prevent anarchic activities and social unrest, the ministry said. Authorities in Tboung Khmum province arrested activist Kong Sam An, who is affiliated with the banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) on Sunday and sent him to Prey Sar Prison Monday. National police spokesman Chhay Kim Khouen confirmed to RFAs Khmer Service that the Phnom Penh municipal court accused him of incitement to provoke social unrest. Mean Prommony, Vice-President of the Khmer Student Intelligent League/Khmer Thavarak and the Venerable Koet Saray were arrested Monday after they planned to lead people in protest at Phnom Penhs Freedom Park to demand the release of union leader Rong Chhun, detained since July 31. The police spokesman said they also were charged with incitement and sent to Prey Sar, and that the monk was defrocked before being sent to the court. Phnom Penh authorities also arrested Khmer Thavarak activists Tha Lavy and So Metta on Monday when they participated in a different protest at Freedom Park. Kea Sokun, the rapper known for his song Khmer Land, which criticizes the Cambodian governments handling of its border dispute with Vietnam, was arrested Sept. 4 in Siem Reap province, and charged with incitement, provincial court spokesman Tith Narong told RFA. The 22-year-old rapper was deceived by authorities who booked his wedding photography business for a pre-wedding photo shoot and arrested him when he arrived at the shooting location, his brother Chheang Chhat told RFA. Chheang Chhat said that he was unaware of his brothers arrest until Tuesday when he called from jail to let him know. It is very unjust for him because he was arrested without knowing the charges, he said. Provoking the people Koul Panha, an advisor for the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL) told RFA that the effort to intimidate the public through this crackdown would be unsuccessful. This crackdown cannot suppress the people because we are living in an era of new technology. We can get information from anywhere, Koul Panha said. The people have access to all the information and are knowledgeable about social injustice. The government will fail to conduct justice reform, he said. The institution is working to serve the [ruling] political party. It is a failure, he said. Koul Panha warned that the crackdown would lead to an economic downturn as Cambodia loses out on potential investors scared away by the countrys human rights abuses. More human rights violations will lead to a social crisis. People are losing confidence in state institutions, he said. Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, who founded the Mother Nature NGO,said the government crackdowns have the effect of making people interested in his movement. More people want to participate, he said. We are working on building a [human] wave to ask Hun Sen to retire, Gonzalez-Davidson said. International community condemns crackdown Rhona Smith, the UN Special Rapporteur on Cambodia, wrote in a Facebook post that The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly are protected by international human rights norms and standards as well as by the Cambodian Constitution. I encourage Cambodian authorities to ensure that these rights are respected and protected and to create an environment in which individuals are able to exercise these rights. I urge that those arrested are promptly brought before a court of law and their due process rights are fully respected, she said. The embassies of U.S. and Australia also voiced support for the right of free expression in Cambodia. The U.S. urged Phnom Penh to facilitate a process of open dialogue and reconciliation, while Australia encouraged that it to afford all human rights activists the protections guaranteed in Cambodian law and the international human rights instruments to which Cambodia has subscribed. UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor, meanwhile tweeted that she was alarmed by reports of the arrest. Peaceful protest is not a crime, she said. The arrests of Koet Saray and Mean Prommony brought to 16 the number of people detained for planning or participating in peaceful protests to call for Rong Chhuns release. Local rights group LICADHO reports that 142 separate civil society groups have demanded that Cambodian government drop all charges against the union leader and release him. The latest wave of arrests comes three years after CNRP President Kem Sokha was arrested in September 2017 over an alleged plot to overthrow the government with the help of Washington. Cambodias Supreme Court banned his party in November that year for its supposed role in the scheme. The move to dissolve the CNRP marked the beginning of a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Then-White House counsel Don McGahn listens to U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 27, 2018. (Jim Bourg/Reuters) House Committee Asks Appeals Court to Rehear Don McGahn Case The House Judiciary Committee has asked the full panel of a federal appeals court in the District of Columbia to rehear former White House counsel Don McGahns subpoena case after a panel of judges dismissed the lawsuit in a ruling that could effectively hamper the Houses ability to enforce subpoenas. The committee asked the full D.C. Court of Appeals to intervene in the case again, arguing that the divided three-judge panel hamstrung the Houses constitutional right to obtain information in its Aug. 31 ruling. The panel ruled 2-1 to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the House Judiciary Committee, saying that the House cannot look to federal courts to enforce its subpoenas because there is no law that gives the chamber the power to do so. Because the Committee lacks a cause of action to enforce its subpoena, this lawsuit must be dismissed, Judge Thomas Griffith wrote for the majority (pdf). We note that this decision does not preclude Congress (or one of its chambers) from ever enforcing a subpoena in federal court; it simply precludes it from doing so without first enacting a statute authorizing such a suit. That ruling created a barrier for lawmakers in the House committee, who have been seeking McGahns testimony since the spring of 2019 about his knowledge of alleged ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. Then-White House counsel Don McGahn in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 22, 2018. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) The full panel of the D.C. Court of Appeals had previously taken up the case, where it ruled 7-2 in August that the House has the right to bring suits, or standing, to enforce its subpoenas but also allowed McGahn to continue challenging the subpoena on other grounds. The Panels decision is deja vu all over again. Start with its misreading of Supreme Court precedent. In the Panels view, Article I provides a Congressional power of inquiry, but no right to judicial enforcement, the House legal team argued. But in Mazars, the Supreme Court confirmed as an essential and appropriate auxiliary to the legislative function not just the power of inquiry, but also the process to enforce it, they continued, referring to another case, Trump v. Mazars USA, where the Supreme Court held that Congress had broad power to investigate the executive branch and the president and set forth a new standard for evaluating congressional subpoenas. The top court then remanded the case back to the lower courts to apply the new standard. House Democrats have launched a slew of investigations, which included the subpoena of McGahn, in an effort to find information that could lead to the impeachment of the president. The White House blocked his appearance in May, asserting executive privilege over the documents. This prompted House Democrats to subsequently sue McGahn in August 2019 in an attempt to enforce the subpoena. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times request for comment on the filing. Peugeot has revised its large-family 5008 SUV (pictured), adding a good spread of spec and technology while improving the cabin and re-designing the outside (especially the front). The famous i-Cockpit central display now gets a 10ins HD touch screen. The revised car is capable of carrying up to seven people. You can have three adjustable independent/foldable seats in Row 2 and two more back in Row 3. Expand Close Peugeot 5008 SUV / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Peugeot 5008 SUV All automatic internal combustion engine versions have driving mode selector as standard now. Among a spread of safety/driver assists are adaptive cruise control (automatic), drive assist plus package, Visiopark with 180 rear view camera, advanced grip control (a great, simple piece of technology that works wonderfully well under lots of adverse underfoot conditions). The petrol engines include 3-cyl, 1.2litre PureTech 130 manual and 8spd auto; 1.6-litre 4cyl 180 auto. Diesels include a 4cyl 1.5litre 130 manual, 8spd auto and 2litre 180 automatic. * From launch next spring, Opel's new Mokka crossover will have two petrols and one diesel alongside its much-vaunted full-electric version. Petrols will include an entry-level 1.2 100bhp turbo 6spd manual and there will be a 130bhp turbo manual and 8spd automatic as well. There will also be a 1.5-litre diesel 110bhp 6spd manual. And they are promising a new sportier SRi Line trim. * The Mercedes S-Class (pictured below) was unveiled recently. Its world digital launch was boosted by its "association" (Mercedes' term, not mine) with Alicia Keys and Lewis Hamilton. Well, it isn't called the "top people's car'"for nothing. The heavily revised flagship is, as usual with new versions, packed with the latest technology. The large saloon is scheduled to arrive in Ireland towards the end of this year. I'm told we can expect greater details on Irish market spec, range and prices fairly soon. * Best wishes to all concerned with the news that the Blackstone Motor Group has joined the Opel dealer network. The franchise for new vehicle sales and aftersales to Blackstone extends to the group's dealerships in Cavan and Louth. NEW YORK - The Justice Department is asking to take over U.S. President Donald Trumps defence in a defamation lawsuit from a writer who accused him of rape, and federal lawyers asked a court Tuesday to allow a move that could put the American people on the hook for any money she might be awarded. After New York state courts turned down Trumps request to delay E. Jean Carrolls suit, Justice Department lawyers filed court papers aiming to shift the case into federal court and to substitute the U.S. for Trump as the defendant. That means the federal government, rather than Trump himself, might have to pay damages if any are awarded. The move to intervene is in keeping with a Justice Department that time and again has advanced a broad vision of executive power and has moved to shield Trump from legal exposure, most notably by arguing that actions taken to choke off the Russia investigation fell within the scope of his constitutional authorities and were therefore permissible. It also comes amid concerns that Attorney General William Barr has gone out of his way to intervene in other legal cases involving Trump or his allies. Barr tried to decrease the amount of prison time his office sought for Trump ally Roger Stone following a criminal trial where he was found guilty. (Stones sentence was later commuted by Trump.) Barrs Justice Department has acted to dismiss its own case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Carrolls lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, called the departments argument shocking. It offends me as a lawyer and offends me even more as a citizen, she said in a statement. Carroll said the developments illustrated that Trump will do everything possible, including using the full powers of the federal government, to try to stop the case. And in a tweet addressed to Trump, Carroll wrote: Sir, I and my attorney Robbie Kaplan, are ready! So is every woman who has ever been silenced! So is every American citizen who has been trampled by Bill Barr and the DOJ! BRING IT! The filing complicates, at least for the moment, Carrolls efforts to get a DNA sample from the president as potential evidence and to have him answer questions under oath. Justice Department lawyers argue that Trump was acting within the scope of his office when he denied Carrolls allegations, made last year, that he raped her in a New York luxury department store in the mid-1990s. She says his comments including that she was totally lying to sell a memoir besmirched her character and harmed her career. Numerous courts have recognized that elected officials act within the scope of their office or employment when speaking with the press, including with respect to personal matters, the Justice lawyers wrote. It will be up to a federal judge to decide whether to move the case to federal court from state court and to allow the U.S. to become the defendant. Carroll is trying to get a DNA sample from Trump to see whether it matches as-yet-unidentified male genetic material found on a dress that she says she was wearing during the alleged attack and didnt don again until a photo shoot last year. Her suit seeks damages and a retraction of Trumps statements. The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly. 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. MONTREAL and STRATHAM, N.H., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Social Distancer Technologies Inc. (SDT) and Visible Assets, Inc. (Visible) today announced the formation of a joint venture to manufacture, support, market, and sell a unique new medical device that enables automated social distancing and contact tracing within industrial, commercial, aerospace, and academic organizations. Battery lasts seven days before recharge. Configurable 6-foot or 3-foot alarms, data logs for ID distance date and time uploaded to ProxAssure.com. Alarms can be configured to a new distance or be deactivated based on the digital subnet in the tag. No personal identity information is stored in the tag. The ProxAssure integrated system combines a wearable wireless proximity sensor tag (the ProxTag), with programmable distance alarms, sophisticated, automated contact tracing, and quantitative dose analytics software (the ProxAssure application). ProxAssure, when used with face masks, mitigates potential COVID-19 infections within the workplace. Recently published clinical studies have shown that the combination of wearing face masks and practicing social distancing reduces the probability of infection to near zero. ProxAssure and the ProxTag harness RuBee (IEEE 1902.1) magnetic wireless data links and sensors to facilitate effortless social distancing. RuBee sensor tags are widely used in both industrial and defense applications and have many proven advantages over RF geolocating systems (e.g., RFID, NFC, LEB, Bluetooth, UWB, WiFi, GPS). Unlike RF systems, RuBee is not blocked by steel, liquids or humans; has no multipath reflections (so no nulls or false positive alarms); is FDA reviewed and safe for humans (HERP safe); is an accurate tape measure with a tag-to-tag range of 10 feet (plus or minus three inches); requires no new infrastructure, thereby facilitating rapid and low-cost deployment; is intrinsically safe near explosives and ordnance (HERO, HERF, and -12 safe); has no RF-compromising emanations and is NNSA reviewed (no eavesdropping, target or tempest risks). Under this joint venture, ProxAssure and the ProxTag will be sold, supported, and marketed by SDT, and Visible will support the current design and software, create new and improved designs, and manage the software and tag manufacturing. "The COVID-19 landscape is new to all of us," says John Soares, co-founder, and VP of SDT and EVP of CMP Advanced Mechanical Solutions (CMP). "We brought our experts together with advisory support and research and development funding from NRC IRAP to help employees not only stay safe but also work freely and comfortably. With the ProxAssure system, employees can go about their workdays without the need for any awkward, unexpected proximity issues or uncertainty about what a distance of six feet looks like." ProxTags have a battery with a per-charge life of seven days and can be worn on a lanyard, shirt clip or belt clip. They're lightweight and provide programmable visual, audible, and vibratory feedback whenever two or more users are closer than six feet. Each tag has a unique digital address and a programmable subnet address. Tag alarms can be programmed to change the range or be turned off based on subnet addresses, enabling a family to use ProxTags without alarms. ProxTag data logs include the time, distance, and duration of tag encounters as well as the tag IDs of nearby tag wearers. This information is transferred to and used by ProxAssure's cloud-based contact-tracing and dose analytics application to create an exposure profile for each user. Employers can respond quickly and effectively in the event of an infection. No personal identity information is kept on the tag. The cloud software is NIST cyber compliant; it maintains all personal data in an AES 256-bit encrypted database that meets OSHA and HIPAA personal data storage and security standards. Its data encryption mitigates any unauthorized access to personal information. "The manual tools currently available make contact tracing an expensive painful task," says Visible CEO John Stevens. "The 50-plus smartphone apps and other RF devices that use Bluetooth or GPS geolocation have not worked well due to the inherent person-to-person inaccuracy of their RF-based hardware. The RuBee wireless functionality relies on magnetic waves to accurately measure tag-to-tag distance to within inches, regardless of the surroundings. Other standalone RF systems are subject to annoying false positives, interference, and multipath reflections, making them either unreliable or reliant upon additional expensive infrastructure. The simplicity, accuracy, reproducibility and reliability of RuBee make it an effective tool for social distancing, contact tracing, and dose analytics." About Social Distancer Technologies Inc. SDT was founded by John Soares and Steve Zimmermann of CMP Advanced Mechanical Solutions and Jarred Knecht of Promark Electronics. Zimmermann is president and CEO of both SDT and CMP. CMP is an established manufacturer of complete mechanical solutions and has been in business since 1969. Located in Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada, and Binghamton, New York, the United States, it operates with over 750 employees. Soares is VP of SDT and EVP of CMP. Promark Electronics is a Montreal-based manufacturer specialized in the design and production of complex wire harnesses and electronic assemblies. Two of the major drivers behind the creation of SDT, the ProxTag, ProxAssure, and this joint venture were the safety and protection of CMP and Promark's employees and the desire to help address the spread of COVID-19 in Canadian and U.S. industries, workplaces, and schools. Visit us at http://www.cmpdifference.com/. About Visible Assets, Inc. Visible is a privately held U.S. company based in Stratham, New Hampshire. Visible designs, manufactures, and supports RuBee wireless real-time asset visibility solutions based on the IEEE 1902.1 standard. It provides integrated visibility solutions for a variety of markets via its RuBee application partners, including Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd., Procter & Gamble, Lockheed Martin, the United States Department of Defense, SDT, LMT Defense, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Estonian Defense Forces, Australian Defense Forces, and many others. RuBee Visibility Networks are installed and in operation at over 2,000 commercial and government sites around the world. Visit us at http://www.rubee.com. Abbreviations: low-energy Bluetooth (LEB), light emitting diodes (LED), compromising emanations (CE), global positioning system (GPS), hazards of electromagnetic radiation to fuel (HERF), hazards of electromagnetic radiation to ordnance (HERO), hazards of electromagnetic radiation to personnel (HERP), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), near field communication (NFC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), radio frequency identification (RFID), radio frequency (RF), and ultra-wideband (UWB). For further information, please contact Edward Zimmermann at [email protected]. Related Images fig-1-proxtag.png Fig. 1 ProxTag Battery lasts seven days before recharge. Configurable 6-foot or 3-foot alarms, data logs for ID distance date and time uploaded to ProxAssure.com. Alarms can be configured to a new distance or be deactivated based on the digital subnet in the tag. No personal identity information is stored in the tag. fig-2-proxassure.png Fig. 2 ProxAssure The ProxAssure application runs on a MAC, PC or server. All personal identifying information is stored in an AES 256 encrypted HIPAA secure database. A cloud-based ProxAssure version is available @ www.ProxAssure.com. SOURCE Social Distance Technologies Related Links http://www.cmpdifference.com SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To date, millions of households around the world - mostly living on small islands, or in developing and rural areas - still have limited or even no access to the power grid. Off-grid solar power has emerged as the economically affordable and environmentally sustainable energy solution. Growatt, dedicated to becoming a global leader of smart energy solutions, has taken its advanced PV technologies into the domain. In application, developing off-grid solar solutions can be very challenging. There are numerous demands from customers and different requirements of voltage and the grid. "Our R&D team, with over a decade of experience in power electronics, has developed inverters that can meet different requirements of off-grid solar plants worldwide," said Lisa Zhang, marketing director at Growatt. "Whether it's application for single-phase or three-phase systems, input power from PV, battery, generator or the grid, Growatt's SPF off-grid solutions - capacity ranging from 2kW to 30kW - can address these technological challenges and meet the demand of customers." Growatt's advanced technologies make it possible for customers to have bigger capacity for their solar power input and storage batteries. Growatt's ARK batteries are safer using lithium iron phosphate materials and the capacity ranges widely from 2.56kWh to 23 kWh. In addition, Growatt offers various communication solutions such as GPRS, WIFI, USB, CAN and RS485. "With such flexibility, customers can easily manage PV systems on their phones," Zhang pointed out. Growatt provides one-stop service for its off-grid inverter and battery package solution, avoiding hassling customers in case of system faults. Moreover, Growatt OSS (Online Smart Service) system can be used to configure off-grid systems and update firmware remotely. According to Zhang, over 60% of system issues can be solved on OSS platform. That will significantly lower the operation and maintenance costs for installers and improve customer satisfaction. Despite the pandemic this year, Zhang is optimistic about the off-grid sector. "Growatt has a solid track record of high reliability and efficient service over the years. Our off-grid solutions have earned widespread popularity in Latin America, Middle East, Asia and South Africa. This year, in spite of COVID-19, we still expect an increase of over 60% in shipments, compared to 2019." SOURCE Growatt Related Links www.growatt.com The Investigative Committee said Mher Sedrakian abused his powers to sell a large part of a public park to his son and brother when he ran Yerevans southern Erebuni district from 1999-2008. It claimed that Sedrakian helped his relatives privatize the 12,000-square-meter plot of land in 2004 after they illegally built properties there. It was not immediately clear if Sedrakian will plead guilty to the accusations. The 69-year-old was not arrested pending investigation. The Investigative Committee had him sign instead a pledge not to leave the country. Sedrakian, who is better known as Tokhmakhi Mher, held sway in Erebuni for many years, controlling many local businesses and strongly influencing election results there. Press reports repeatedly implicated his clan in violent attacks on opposition activists and journalists as well as vote rigging. Sedrakian was also dogged by scandals when he represented the former ruling HHK in the Armenian parliament from 2012-2017. He reportedly insulted and threatened journalists on at least two occasions, drawing strong condemnations from the countrys leading media associations. Also facing criminal charges are several other controversial HHK figures and former officials. Some of them have fled to Russia to avoid imprisonment. Only one of them, former parliament deputy Levon Sargsian, has been extradited to Armenia so far. The three newest i2iTracks clients Refugio County Memorial Hospital in Refugio, TX, Plumas District Hospital in Quincy, CA and Mammoth Hospital in Mammoth Lake, CA highlight i2i's continued commitment to the community health care market. Each newly signed hospital chose the comprehensive population health platform to: Meet performance demands specific to quality measures with a precise population Increase reimbursement opportunities by participating in government, managed care, or commercial programs Integrate data across the community and coordinating care for populations that move 'inside' and 'outside' the health system The new organizations signify the exciting and expansive growth opportunities with community and critical access center hospitals serving rural counties. The i2iTracks platform offers a comprehensive population health solution that will enhance Cerner's CommunityWorksSM electronic health record system. The i2i integration powers seamless workflow capabilities that drive efficient care management programs resulting in improved quality outcomes. Implementation projects have begun for each of these customers with go-live milestones set for Q4 2020 and Q1 2021. About Refugio County Memorial Hospital Refugio County Memorial Hospital (RCMHD) has provided continuous service to the citizens of Refugio County, Texas since February 1940. The mission of RCMHD is to provide and promote quality healthcare to the citizens of Refugio county. Primary health care is provided through the hospital, rural health clinics, wellness center, and specialty clinic and great pride is taken in the care delivered. Whether emergency trauma care, routine surgery, minor illness care, or rehabilitation, RCMHD supplies what is needed for the highest quality care and continually strives to improve their healthcare services. About Plumas District Hospital Plumas District Hospital Plumas District Hospital (PDH) is a 16-bed Critical Access Hospital located in Quincy, California. PDH's primary care providers serve the everyday health needs of the residents of central Plumas County. Hospital services include 24/7 emergency services, general surgery, maternity care, labor and delivery, laboratory and medical imaging. In addition, Plumas District Hospital operates two rural health clinics in Quincy and Greenville, California. PDH celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2019. About Mammoth Hospital Mammoth Hospital, located in Mammoth Lake, CA, is a modern, 17-bed Critical Access Hospital with 12 outpatient clinics. As the Official Medical Provider for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Teams, their specialized orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation programs are some of the top in the country. Mammoth Hospital is always prepared to meet the health care needs of their residents and visitors with 24-hour emergency care. In 2018 Mammoth Hospital celebrated its 40th anniversary. The hospital stands as a tribute to what a small community can attain in quality health care service, promoting the well-being and improving the health of their residents and guests. Mammoth Hospital is proud to have a driven, unified team of professionals and staff dedicated to providing quality health care today and well into the future. About i2i Population Health i2i is the nation's largest population health technology company serving the underserved, safety net market. With 20 years of experience spanning 37 states and 30 million lives, i2i has consistently ranked as a category leader of KLAS' annual software review. The i2i platform powers an advanced data integration and aggregation engine that publishes normalized clinical and administrative data through a unique quality management and care coordination application. Driving improved outcomes in quality program performance is a core competency of i2i. The results are demonstrative through an expansive base of clients in the Federally Qualified Health Center, Community Hospital, Managed Care Health Plan, and Government market segments. For more information about and the latest news from i2i Population Health, visit i2ipophealth.com or follow @i2iPopHealth on Twitter, and @i2i Population Health on LinkedIn. SOURCE i2i Population Health Related Links http://www.i2ipophealth.com SHANGHAI : China's CanSino Biologics Inc said on Wednesday that expert opinion on its high-profile coronavirus vaccine candidate should not be followed "blindly" without sufficient clinical trial data. Scientists outside the company have expressed concern that the effectiveness of CanSino's candidate Ad5-nCoV, which is based on a common cold virus to which many people have been exposed, could be limited. They said existing antibodies against the common cold virus might undermine Ad5-nCoV. "Vaccine development is a practice-based science, and we should not blindly follow experts," Zhu Tao, chief scientific officer, said during an investor conference. He said there were instances in which vaccines created using methods doubted by experts had obtained regulatory approvals after clinical trials proved they worked. No evidence showed that existing antibodies against the common cold could have a major adverse impact on Ad5-nCoV's ability to trigger antibodies against the novel coronavirus, Zhu said, citing results from 128 participants tested with a lower dose of the vaccine candidate in a mid-stage trial. Ad5-nCoV, still in final-stage trials, has been approved for use in the Chinese military. Vaccine companies normally have to collect data in large-scale, late-stage trials to obtain regulatory approval for mass use. It is unscientific to compare the antibody levels generated by different vaccine candidates so far, because varied testing methods could distort results, Zhu said. AstraZeneca Plc on Tuesday said it paused a late-stage trial of one of its leading experimental viral vector-based vaccine, which uses a technology similar to CanSino's, after an unexplained illness in a study participant. The hiccup does not mean all viral-vector based experimental vaccines are risky, Zhu said, adding that it was not rare for clinical trials to be paused. CanSino's shares were up 6% at HK$181.50 ($23.42) on Wednesday afternoon in Hong Kong. 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!! HYDERABAD, India, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyient, a global engineering and digital technology solutions company, today announced that it has entered into a manufacturing partnership with Agappe to bring to market Count X. The Mispa Count X is an indigenously designed and developed three-part hematology analyzer by Agappe, that will make India self-reliant in hematology and enable the setup of well-equipped labs in remote and rural locations across India. Cyient will manufacture certain key components of Mispa Count X at its ISO 13485-certified, state-of-art manufacturing facilities in India. Rajendra Velagapudi, Senior Vice President and CEO, Cyient DLM, commented, "We are proud to support the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) in the healthcare sector. It is a matter of immense pride that with Agappe's new hematology product, even rural India and other remote locations of the country will have access to the best of diagnostic capabilities." Cyient's world-class facilities, project management, sourcing, supply chain management, production processes, buoyed by investments in the latest technologies as well as expertise in the delivery of quality products, make it a preferred manufacturing partner for aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial customers globally. Dr. Satheesh Kumar CS, Senior Vice President, Agappe, said, "This partnership will enable Agappe to deliver high-quality, affordable, 100% made-in-India products by taking advantage of Cyient's ultra-modern manufacturing facilities to manufacture some of the key components of Mispa Count X so as to reduce time-to-market and lower operating costs. We are eager to get started with full-scale production in our manufacturing facility at Cochin and fulfill customer orders on time." About Cyient: Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) is a global engineering and digital technology solutions 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 Perfect Relations Vishal Thapa Mobile: +91 9701834446 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Cyient Related Links http://www.cyient.com The five-year-old boy (pictured) was allegedly beaten to within an inch of his life A mother whose young son was allegedly beaten to within an inch of his life has been hit with additional charges. Police found the five-year-old boy at his mother's home in Cabramatta, Sydney, at 9.50pm on Friday, August 28. He was covered in bruises from 'head to toe' following the savage beating allegedly doled out by the boyfriend, a Vietnamese student. Emergency crews rushed him to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition before he was transferred to the Childrens Hospital at Westmead. The boy remains in hospital in a stable condition. Both the boy's mother, 31, and her lover, 20, were arrested and charged over the incident. The man, a student originally from Vietnam, was charged with wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The mother was charged with failing to care for the boy. On Wednesday, she was also charged with wounding a person to intend to cause grievous bodily harm. Both the boy's mother (pictured, left) and her boyfriend (right) have been arrested and charged The boy has woken up in hospital and his dad (above, on his second birthday) is by his bedside. 'I couldn't imagine how (the father) would be if he lost him' She remains on remand and is due to appear at Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday. Daily Mail Australia understands police will allege the boy was struck in the head with a stick or wooden pole during the alleged ordeal. A court has heard that the child had reportedly suffered a brain injury and had splinters throughout his body. The boy was in placed on life support and was in a critical condition. It was five days before he came around. Piles of water bottles, Red Bull and coconut drink were piled up in the home's front yard (pictured) as police examined the crime scene at the weekend But relatives are understood to be worried about the boy suffering lasting trauma as well as the ongoing effects of his head injuries. He remains in hospital. The boy's father and mother have been estranged for some time, with both moving on with new partners in the past two years. 'I miss and love you so much', the father captioned a picture of his son on Facebook in 2018, after his relationship with the mother fizzled. Meanwhile, the boy's mother presented herself to friends as a doting parent who lavished her son with toys. She described the child as her 'prince' on Facebook and said she hoped he grew up to be 'obedient and smart.' 'You are all of my life,' she said. The mother (pictured, left with her son) - who can't be identified for legal reasons - described the five-year-old as her 'little prince' (right) Do as plants do: Novel photocatalysts can perform solar-driven conversion of CO2 into fuel The escalating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and the consequent acceleration of climate change are alarming, and it has proven challenging to find feasible ways to actively reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. What if we drew inspiration from photosynthesis, the process by which plants use sunlight to convert CO2 and water into useful chemicals? In a recent study published in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Prof Su-Il In and researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in Korea developed a novel photocatalyst for converting CO2 into hydrocarbon fuels. Their approach is based around the concept of "Z-scheme" charge transfer mechanism in heterostructured photocatalysts, where the interfaces between two different materials play a central role in chemical processes that resemble the electron transfers in natural photosynthesis. They reinforced reduced titanium nanoparticles edges with dicopper oxide (Cu2O) nanoparticles through photo-deposition, a unique yet relatively simple and inexpensive procedure. The rich electron density of reduced titania at the interface helps neutralize positive charges, called "electron holes," in Cu2O, which otherwise accumulate excessively and lead to photocorrosion. Moreover, the geometric configuration of the resulting interfaces allows both materials to be exposed to the reactive medium and jointly enhance photocatalytic performance, in contrast to core-shell structures previously developed to avoid photocorrosion. Apart from its remarkable CO2 conversion capabilities, the proposed photocatalyst has other benefits, as Prof In explains: "Aside from showing stable performance for 42 hours under continuous operation, the proposed photocatalyst is composed of earth-abundant materials, which greatly adds to its economic viability." The development and adoption of viable methods to convert CO2 into fuel would have both environmental and economic benefits. In this regard, Prof In remarks: "Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is applicable in processes that produce huge volumes of CO2, like thermal power stations and industrial fermentation facilities (distilleries). Integrating this technology in such facilities will give them access to inexpensive and abundant fuel and cuts in carbon emission taxes." Needless to say, cheaper energy would have positive ripple effects in all the economy, and this study shows a promising way to get there while going green at the same time. ### Reference Authors: Shahzad Ali1,2, Junho Lee1, Hwapyong Kim1, Yunju Hwang1, Abdul Razzaq2, Jin-Woo Jung3, Chang-Hee Cho3, Su-Il In1,4* Title of original paper: Sustained, photocatalytic CO2 reduction to CH4 in a continuous flow reactor by earth-abundant materials: Reduced titania-Cu2O Z-scheme heterostructures Journal: Applied Catalysis B: Environmental DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2020.119344 Affiliations: 1Department of Energy Science & Engineering, DGIST 2Department of Chemical Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad 3Department of Emerging Materials Science, DGIST 4Linde + Robinson Laboratories, California Institute of Technology *Corresponding author's email: insuil@dgist.ac.kr About Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) is a well-known and respected research institute located in Daegu, Republic of Korea. Established in 2004 by the Korean Government, the main aim of DGIST is to promote national science and technology, as well as to boost the local economy. With a vision of "Changing the world through convergence", DGIST has undertaken a wide range of research in various fields of science and technology. DGIST has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive studies in some of today's most vital fields. DGIST also has state-of-the-art-infrastructure to enable cutting-edge research in materials science, robotics, cognitive sciences, and communication engineering. Website: https:/ / www. dgist. ac. kr/ en/ html/ sub01/ 010204. html About the author Prof. Su-Il In has been working at DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology) since 2012. He served as Dean of International and External Affairs from 2016 to 2017. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge in 2008. Subsequently, he became a postdoctoral researcher at the Technical University of Denmark by 2010. He then joined Pennsylvania State University as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry before joining DGIST. Prof. In's ongoing research includes the synthesis and analysis of functional nano (bio)-materials for environment-friendly renewable energy, such as betavoltaic cells, heterogeneous catalysis and biocatalysts. This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. What Trump got wrong about N.C. In the video above, President Donald Trump made erroneous claims about North Carolina's coronavirus-related restrictions: In North Carolina, you can indeed go to church. To quote Gov. Roy Cooper's latest executive order detailing the state's current restrictions: "Worship, religious, and spiritual gatherings, funeral ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, and other activities constituting the exercise of First Amendment rights are exempt from all the requirements of this Executive Order." Also in the governor's latest executive order on coronavirus-related restrictions, there is no mention of a limit on how many people can gather for campaigning. Indoor gatherings are limited to 25 people while outdoor gatherings are limited to 50. Boris Johnson plans to rip up the parts of his Brexit deal affecting Northern Ireland, threatening a collapse of talks with the EU and the peace process, critics say. In a shock move, new legislation would override legal agreements with Brussels on using state aid and requiring customs checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea. The prime minister was immediately accused of bringing a no-deal Brexit significantly closer risking the end of the trade negotiations as early as this week. The change would also undermine the still-fragile peace in Northern Ireland and the UKs worldwide reputation, as it reneged on an international agreement signed less than a year ago, it was said. Colum Eastwood, the leader of the SDLP said: Its absolutely astonishing that any government who says they want to go and do trade deals around the world would just rip up an agreement that they made a few months ago with the European Union. And Simon Coveney, Irelands foreign affairs minister, tweeted ominously: This would be a very unwise way to proceed. Louise Haigh MP, Labours shadow Northern Ireland secretary, said: It beggars belief that the government is yet again playing a dangerous game in Northern Ireland and sacrificing our international standing at the altar of the prime ministers incompetence. The high-wire move an Internal Market Bill due to be published on Wednesday comes after Mr Johnson threatened a walk-out from the talks if there is no agreement by 15 October. He also described a no-deal outcome which would cause massive border disruption, risk a fresh recession and undermine security cooperation as a good outcome. Downing Street is expected to argue the new bill is a fallback option, should the trade talks fail, but it is certain to inflame Brussels negotiators. More follows Human rights activists have urged the Indonesian government to intervene to stop the prosecution of nine men arrested and accused with organising a gay party in Jakarta. The defendants, who were among 56 men detained during a police raid on the event at a hotel last week, have been charged with facilitating obscene acts in a case which campaigners said highlights a growing threat to LGBT+ people in the country. Forty-seven men were released, but the other nine were charged under a pornography law which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine. This latest raid fits into a disturbing pattern of Indonesian authorities using the pornography law as a weapon to target LGBT people, said Kyle Knight, senior LGBT+ rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. The government has been inciting hostility toward LGBT people for several years, and there is no accountability for abuses such as police raids on private spaces. Amnesty International also called for the release of the men, who were arrested on 1 September. Recommended Sharia court in Indonesia sentences two gay men to 85 lashes each after being caught having sex Usman Hamid, the organisations executive director, said: There is no legal justification for criminalising the behaviour these men are accused of. Such a gathering would pose no threat to anyone. The authorities are being discriminatory and violating the human rights to privacy and family life, freedom of expression, and the freedom of assembly and association. Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, apart from in conservative Aceh province. However, no laws protect LBGT+ from discrimination and the country's gay and lesbian community has recently come under siege. Police have set up a special task force to investigate homosexual activity. In February, members of the countrys House of Representatives proposed a bill that would define homosexuality as deviant and require LGBT+ to report to authorities for rehabilitation. According to a police report on last weeks raid in Jakarta, a 31-officer unit had been monitoring the private gathering before the arrests. The men were charged under 2008 laws which prohibit the creation, dissemination or broadcasting of pornography containing deviant sexual intercourse, a term which it defines as including sex with corpses, sex with animals, oral sex, anal sex, and gay sex. The combination of exploiting the discriminatory pornography law and a lack of accountability for police misconduct has proved to be both dangerous and durable, Mr Knight said. So long as the government permits police raids on private gatherings under a discriminatory law, it will fail to curb anti-LGBT harassment and intimidation. Human Rights Watch said authorities must halt arbitrary raids on private spaces, investigate those that have taken place, and punish those who took part in the raids and those responsible in their chain of command. The United Nations Human Rights Council has previously called on Indonesian authorities to release people detained on the basis of their sexual orientation and combat anti-gay stigma in the country. More information is coming out about the incident involving Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez. The rappers had been leaving a party in the wee hours of July 12 when a shooting broke out that left Megan Thee Stallion with two wounds to her feet. After initially keeping mum about what exactly had happened, she revealed that Tory Lanez allegedly shot her during an altercation. The Say It rapper has not publicly addressed her claims, but in texts recently obtained by TMZ, he reportedly apologized for the incident, saying he got too drunk. (L-R) Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion | Roy Rochlin/Getty Images North America; Phillip Faraone/WireImage Tory Lanezs alleged text to Megan Thee Stallion revealed TMZ published the text in question on Wednesday, Sept. 9, noting that Tory Lanez allegedly sent it later on July 12 when Megan Thee Stallion was at a hospital being treated for her injuries. Although he did not directly address the shooting, he expressed regret for something that had happened between them. I know u prolly never gone talk to me again, but I genuinely want u to know Im sorry from the bottom of my heart. I was just too drunk, the alleged text said. None the less sh*t should have never happened and I cant change what did. I just feel horrible. Cuz I genuinely just got too drunk. Megan Thee Stallion reportedly did not respond to the message. RELATED: Megan Thee Stallion Goes on Instagram Live and Reveals Details About the Tory Lanez Incident Tory Lanez has kept a low profile since the shooting In the months since the incident happened, Tory Lanez has gone totally silent on social media. Rumors emerged in early August that he had actually been deported to his native Canada, but his representatives quickly refuted that in a statement shared with the popular Instagram blog The Neighborhood Talk. Obviously Tory has not been deported and is self-quarantining with his family. This is a perfect example of false information being spread regarding this case, his whereabouts and his character. Hes in good spirits and looks forward to having the truth come to light about that night and wishes nothing but the best for Meg, the statement read. RELATED: Tory Lanez Resurfaces for the First Time Since the Megan Thee Stallion Incident in Bizarre New Video For her part, Megan Thee Stallion has been trying to put the incident behind her. Im not the type of person who can stay down for a long time, she told Variety in an interview published in August. I dont like to be sad or keep myself in a dark place, because I know it could be the worst thing happening, but the pain and the bad things dont last for long. She has been relying on friends for support and also keeping busy with music. She told Jimmy Fallon in April that she had been recording new tunes in quarantine, presumably for her highly-anticipated debut album. A release date is not yet known, but in the meantime, Megan Thee Stallion recently offered a verse on Cardi Bs WAP to tide fans over until its out. Read more about that here. We all know that Akshay Kumar is a workoholic. No wonder the actor has three to four releases every year. Even now in the pandemic, he's the only star in Bollywood who has started shooting for a new film, while the others are just about completing their unfinished movies. He's in Glascow shooting for Bell Bottom. Producer Jackky Bhagnani spoke to Mumbai Mirror to shed some light on his upcoming venture. According to reports in the daily, Akshay Kumar plays a spy in Bell Bottom whos trying to save the lives of 212 Indians on-board a hijacked flight. The film which is set in the '80s will have a stylish thriller appeal to it. Speaking about the film Jackky Bhagnani said, Our film is an espionage thriller revolving around a hijack. Well be shooting at multiple real locations across Scotland including the airport, which is a vintage structure and blends well with the setting of our film. Were sure this period thriller drama will keep us on the edge of our seats. Its Akshay Kumars birthday today and Jackky says that it will be a working birthday for the actor. Well were not surprised considering the actor's prediliction for work. Akshay Kumar will be seen with Vaani Kapoor for the first time. Meanwhile Akshay Kumars other film Laxxmi Bomb is all set to hit an OTT platform this Diwali. The Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested accused Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe, Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor and Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. The accused persons are members of Kabir Kala Manch, a frontal organization of banned terrorist organization CPI (Maoist), the NIA said in a release. The arrested accused were produced before the NIA Special Court at Mumbai on Tuesday and four days NIA custody was granted for interrogation, the release said. NIA said it arrested Gorkhe (32), resident of Wakad in Pune and Gaichor (36), resident of Yervada, Pune on September 7 and Jagtap (33), resident of Kondwa, Pune the next day in connection with Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case. "This case arose out of Vishram Baug police station in Pune regarding inciting people and giving provocative speeches during Elgar Parishad organized at Shaniwarwada, Pune by the activists of Kabir Kala Manch on December 31, 2017, which promoted enmity between various caste groups and led to violence resulting in loss of life and property and state-wide agitation in Maharashtra," the release said "During the investigation, it was revealed that senior leaders of CPI (Maoist), an organisation banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, were in contact with the organizers of Elgar Parishad as well as the accused arrested in the case so as to spread the ideology of Maoism/Naxalism and encourage unlawful activities," it added. The release said Pune Police filed charge-sheet and a supplementary charge-sheet in this case on November 15, 2018, and February 21, 2019, respectively and Gorkhe, Gaichor and Jagtap are "FIR named accused persons". NIA took up the investigation of the case on January 24, 2020 and arrested accused Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha on April 14, 2020. Another accused Hanybabu Musaliyavirtil Tarayil was arrested on July 28, 2020. "During the investigation, it was revealed that accused Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe, Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor and Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap were propagating Naxal activities and Maoist ideology and were co-conspirators with other arrested accused. It has also come on record that the arrested accused persons were in contact with absconding accused Milind Teltumbde about Urban network of CPI (Maoist)." Also, it is established that during their visits (of Kabir Kala Manch members) in jungle, they underwent weapon and explosive training and awareness programme on various topics related to Maoist movement, the release said. The NIA said it is also established that as per the evidence on record that in June 2018 absconding accused Milind Teltumbde discussed the Elgar Parishad Programme which was organized at Pune and the subsequent in-roads made by the CPI (Maoist) in the organization and execution through the members of Kabir Kala Munch and other frontal organizations. The arrested accused were produced before the NIA Special Court at Mumbai today and four days NIA custody was granted for interrogation. (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.) After AstraZeneca's decision to temporarily halt ongoing Phase III clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, the spotlight is now clearly on India's Serum Institute which is not just developing the same Oxford vaccine for 130 crore Indians but also has rights for 91 other countries around the world. Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla told BusinessToday.In: "Indian trials have not been stopped yet...there's nothing to worry about. It's related to some unrelated issue that happened... neurological issue with a patient in the UK and we have to wait for AstraZeneca to explain what is happened there but this is not vaccine-related. So, nothing to really worry about...India trials are also going on, and that has not been stopped". AstraZeneca halted-not cancelled-the trials after a patient in UK developed adverse reaction. The company did not explain the nature of the illness. The company said it's "routine" to halt trials and review the candidate through an expert committee before continuing. A New York Times report attributed a person familiar with trials saying that one UK participant had 'transverse myelitis', an inflammation of the spinal cord which is normally caused by viral infections. It's not clear yet if this was in direct response to the vaccine. Also read: BREAKING: India coronavirus vaccine trials 'not stopped yet': Serum's Adar Poonawalla after AstraZeneca halts global trials Serum Institute of India(SII), which licensed the same vaccine from the developers AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, has been conducting final trials since the last week of August among 1,600 volunteers at 17 centres in India, each with about 100 volunteers. Serum has also started manufacturing the vaccine, targeting to use in India and 92 other countries upon completion of trials and regulatory clearances. The vaccine was permitted by the drug controller general of India (DCGI) and related regulatory bodies for conducting advanced trials in India, after reviewing data of research and trial results in the pre-clinical and initial phase stage human trials done in the UK. The AstraZeneca-University of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine is the frontrunner among vaccines under development against Covid-19. More than 50,000 patients have been enrolled to undergo final phase trials with AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine, including about 30,000 in the US, India, Brazil and the UK. Results from the late-stage trials are anticipated later this year, depending on the rate of infection within the clinical trial communities, AstraZeneca had said earlier. Meanwhile, in an official response Serum said "we can't comment much on the UK trials, but they have been paused for further review and they hope to restart soon. As far as Indian trials are concerned, it is continuing and we have faced no issues at all". In a tweet yesterday, Adar Poonawala, CEO of SII, had said 'Proud and excited for the next few months and looking forward to the vaccine', while sharing pictures with Professor Adrian Hill of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, UK. Also read: Coronavirus vaccine: Govt plans to manufacture Russia's Sputnik V in India Sources say the central government had indicated to SII that it would directly procure the vaccines for immunising Indians, if the vaccine is found successful. Centre has sought 68 crore doses for 130 crore Indian citizens from Serum Institute by June, next year, a source had said. For the rest, it is likely to place orders with 'Covaxin' being developed by ICMR and Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila's 'ZyCoV-D', if their trials proceed successfully. Both these companies are also yet to divulge details of final phase of clinical trials and vaccine development. Meanwhile, experts say unless similar adverse drug reactions (ADR)s are reported from other trial sites, the progress of the vaccine is not under question. "One off such incident and reaction need not be interpreted as the vaccine has some issues, because it went through extensive pre-clinical studies before getting into the trial stage and while the vaccine is being tested in thousands of people in the final phase. It is upto the experts of that trial to clarify and we need not jump into conclusions", said a medical director of a leading Indian drug company. In July 2020, interim results from the ongoing Phase I/II trials were published in The Lancet and had not showed any major adverse drug reactions (ADR)s. Normally, during vaccine trials or vaccinations, fever, nausea, dizziness etc do happen and normally these subside after a day or two. AstraZeneca is yet to divulge details of the nature of ADR for the trial subject, he noted. Boris Johnsons attempt to tear up his own Brexit withdrawal agreement is facing certain defeat in the House of Lords, Lord Heseltine has said. The former deputy prime minister was the latest in a string of Conservative grandees to denounce the move, after Sir John Major joined Theresa May in warning that the prime minister risked forfeiting trust in Britain around the globe. As the European Commission demanded urgent talks to discuss Mr Johnsons plans, Sir John warned the UK risked losing something beyond price that may never be regained. Meanwhile, Downing Street suggested that ambiguities in the text of the agreements protocol on Northern Ireland were left in the treaty because of Mr Johnsons haste to meet his own self-imposed deadline to take the UK out of the EU. Asked why the problems - which Mr Johnson now claims are so serious that he needs to break the law to provide a safety net for Northern Ireland - were not thrashed out at the time he agreed the deal last autumn, the PMs official spokesperson said: It was agreed at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances. He said Mr Johnson had hoped that issues of concern could be sorted out later in a UK/EU Joint Committee led by cabinet minister Michael Gove and European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic. Recommended What changes to Brexit agreement mean for Ireland The PMs UK Internal Market Bill, published today, includes plans to allow UK ministers to override the treaty agreement by unilaterally waiving customs documents on goods travelling from Northern Ireland to the British mainland and tariffs on exports travelling the other way and limiting the EUs ability to curtail their use of state aid subsidies. As talks to avert a looming no-trade deal Brexit continued in London, commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was "very concerned" by the initiative, which she said would "undermine trust". "Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement, she tweeted. This would break international law and undermines trust. "Pacta sunt servanda [agreements must be kept] = the foundation of prosperous future relations." Her warning was of a kind with Sir Johns claim that going back on an international treaty risked wrecking the UKs reputation around the world. For generations, Britain's word - solemnly given - has been accepted by friend and foe, said the Conservative former prime minister. Our signature on any treaty or agreement has been sacrosanct. "Over the last century, as our military strength has dwindled, our word has retained its power. If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained." Lord Heseltine said the bill would be blocked by peers in the House of Lords horrified by the prime ministers behaviour. "I wouldn't have thought it had the ghost of a chance, the former deputy prime minister told Times Radios John Pienaar. The chief whip in the Lords, the government chief whip, has indicated anxiety about this. "No Conservative government that I can think of would ever have done anything like this. They are saying now, 'Oh well, the withdrawal agreement was negotiated in a rush and there were some mistakes'. But if they were acting in good faith wouldn't it have been wise to have gone back to the Europeans and said, Look, we all knew it was a bit of a rush? Wouldn't it have been better to try and sort it out without threatening, without doing so at a time when we are poised on the risk of a no-deal Brexit to add to the absolute decimation of Covid? It is unbelievable that a Conservative government is behaving in this way." Ministers have argued legislation is necessary to protect the Northern Ireland peace process if the two sides are unable to agree a free trade deal before the current Brexit transition period runs out at the end of the year. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA 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 In the Commons, Mr Johnson defended the legislation, saying it provided a "legal safety net" to protect against "extreme or irrational interpretations" of the Northern Ireland provisions of the agreement which could lead to the creation of "a border down the Irish Sea". However, Mr Sefcovic said he had told Mr Gove in a phone call on Tuesday that the Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation and we expect the letter and the spirit of the Withdrawal Agreement will be fully respected. A UK government spokesperson said it welcomed Mr Sefcovic's request for an additional meeting of the joint committee and would look to agree a date with his team. Irish prime minister Micheal Martin phoned Mr Johnson to set out in forthright terms his concerns about latest developments in London on Brexit, including the breach of an international treaty, the absence of bilateral engagement and the serious implications for Northern Ireland". And Joe Bidens chief foreign policy adviser indicated that the Democratic presidential nominee would not look kindly on anything which disrupted the balance over border arrangements established in the withdrawal agreement. Anthony Blinken said: Joe Biden is committed to preserving the hard-earned peace and stability in Northern Ireland. As the UK and EU work out their relationship, any arrangements must protect the Good Friday Agreement and prevent the return of a hard border. In a further sign of unease in Washington, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, warned there was absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade deal passing Congress if Mr Johnsons actions damaged the Good Friday Agreement, which she described as treasured by the American people and an inspiration to the world. The UKs former ambassador in Washington, Sir Kim Darroch told the BBCs Newsnight he was not surprised that the head of the governments legal department had quit over Mr Johnsons plans. You really cant unilaterally rewrite an international agreement, he said. We just dont do that. First of all I think that it risks the Good Friday Agreement peace settlement in Northern Ireland, if you end up having to impose some sort of hard border. Second I think it blows the chance of a UK-EU free trade deal. Michel Barnier has already made that clear and the Irish government has made it clear. In a further move, business secretary Alok Sharma announced he would table secondary legislation to remove "redundant" EU state aid rules from the UK statute book. In a Commons written statement, he said that from 1 January the UK would follow World Trade Organisation rules and parliament alone would have the power to regulate subsidies for business. The bill, tabled in the Commons, states that "special regard" must be given to Northern Ireland's place in the UK internal market and that there should be no new checks on goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. It gives ministers the power to modify or "disapply" rules that come into force from the start of next year if the UK and the EU are unable to come to alternative arrangements through a trade deal. Similar powers would apply over the issue of state aid, effectively giving the UK the ability to override obligations within the Withdrawal Agreement agreed prior to Brexit. WASHINGTON Vice President Mike Pence and top officials from President Donald Trumps campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to an event invitation obtained by The Associated Press and a review of social media postings. The hosts of the fundraiser, Caryn and Michael Borland, have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts, their social media activity shows. The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking. Beyond Pence, the Sept. 14 fundraiser in Bozeman, Montana, is expected to draw influential figures in the president's orbit including Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top Trump fundraising official who is dating Donald Trump Jr., GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Republican National Committee finance chairman Todd Ricketts and RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks Jr., the event invitation shows. While many Republicans have dismissed QAnon, the fundraiser is another sign of how the conspiracy theory is gaining a foothold in the party. Trump has hailed Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, another QAnon supporter, as a future Republican star. The president has refused to condemn QAnon, recently telling reporters that the conspiracy theory is gaining in popularity and that its supporters like me very much. Representatives for Pence declined to comment on the fundraiser, though the vice president has previously called QAnon a conspiracy theory. I dont know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand, he told CBS last month. Representatives for the Trump campaign didn't immediately comment on the fundraiser. Caryn and Michael Borland did not return a call seeking comment on the event. QAnon is a wide-ranging conspiracy fiction spread largely through the internet, centered on the baseless belief that Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the deep state and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. It is based on cryptic postings by the anonymous Q, purportedly a government insider. The story has grown to include other long-standing conspiracy theories, gaining traction among some extreme Trump supporters. The movement is often likened to a right-wing cult; some followers have run for office, primarily in the Republican Party, though some have been independent or run as third-party candidates. Trump has refused to say QAnon is false. READ MORE: Trump says he knew coronavirus was deadly and worse than the flu while intentionally misleading Americans, a new book reports The Borlands have shared multiple QAnon social media posts, as well as other discredited conspiracies. Michael Borland prominently features several QAnon Q logos on his Facebook page. One features a flaming Q with a Christian cross in the middle. He has also shared the QAnon oath as well as its slogan, which states: Where We Go One We Go All. From his Twitter account, which also features the Q logo, he also shared a post that labeled the Black Lives Matter movement terrorists and made his own threat to shoot protesters, according to a June 25 post. Caryn Borland has retweeted or engaged with QAnon Twitter accounts. In April, she responded to a pro-Trump Tweet from a QAnon account by replying Always with a praying hands emoji. The couple has donated over $220,000 to Trump's reelection, the bulk of which was made in Caryn Borland's name. They were guests at the president's renominating convention last month. They posed for photos from the White House South Lawn, including one that shows Michael Alfaro, a Trump fundraiser from Illinois, in the foreground. Alfaro, who is also slated to attend the Montana fundraiser, responded in the comments: Working for the Borland family on South Lawn! The couple also said they dined with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, according to a caption on a Aug. 27 Facebook photo of the couple and Paul. Michael Borland also posed for a photo that same day with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Borland's Facebook account shows. The couple previously posed for a picture with Trump, which Michael Borland posted to Facebook on Dec. 20. Japans Kanto Tetsugen, a monthly auction between a cooperative of scrap dealers in the Tokyo region, closed at 29,370 ($276) per tonne fas on Wednesday, up by 2,154 per tonne from the previous month. Augusts auction price was itself an increase of 3,642 per tonne month on month following strong demand from export markets.The two highest bids were for 10,000 tonnes of H2 at 29,370 per tonne fas and will go to Vietnam, sources said. The price would work out at $310 per tonne cfr Vietnam.Market participants were highly divided in their valuation of scrap in the Japanese market following the rise in the auction price.The tender result was high for scrap dealers in Japan - which traders knew would happen - so there is a wide range of offers in Japan, one Japanese scrap exporter said.I'm not sure about new offers since most dealers are now anticipating further rises in the market. I would say the next target price for H2 will be 30,000-30,500 per tonne fob, a Japanese scrap supplier said.Offers for H2 were heard at 29,500-31,500 per tonne fob on Wednesday, up from 28,500-29,000 per tonne fob one week ago.Fastmarkets price assessment for steel scrap H2, export, fob main port Japan was 29,500-30,370 per tonne on Wednesday, up from 27,500-28,500 per tonne fob last week.The rise in Japanese prices will require buyers to pay more if they have any hope of securing scrap from the East Asian country, sources said.South Korean mills will need to raise prices now. There is not a lot of inventory of domestic scrap at many South Korean mills, he said.The Japanese exporter said that higher grades of scrap were 3,000-4,000 per tonne above the price for H2.Offers for Shindachi busheling, which is in high demand from Japanese blast furnace (BF) mills , together with shredded scrap, were heard on Wednesday at 32,500-33,500 per tonne fob.Offer prices for plate and structural (P&S), which is particularly tight in the market, were heard at 32,500-34,000 per tonne fob.Fastmarkets price assessments for steel scrap P&S, export, fob main port Japan steel scrap Shindachi, export, fob main port Japan and steel scrap shredded, export, fob main port Japan all settled at 32,500 per tonne fob.The prices for P&S and Shindachi rose 1,500 per tonne week on week, and the price for shredded increased by 2,000 per tonne. We routinely hear from desperate fraud victims who have been denied a refund by their bank. Here, we explain all the tips and tricks we have learned that will help you fight your corner if this happens to you. If you've been a victim of fraud, often, the first you will know about the crime is when you discover you do not have as much money in your account as you should What type of fraud have you suffered? Your consumer rights depend on the type of fraud. If you are the victim of what is known as 'unauthorised fraud', your chances of getting your money back will be much greater. This is where someone has stolen your money without you realising by using your bank details to go on a spending spree, for example. Often, the first you will know about the crime is when you discover you do not have as much money in your account as you should. Or your bank may have blocked your debit card after becoming suspicious about activity on your account. As soon as you notice something is amiss, call your bank's fraud helpline. City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority says your bank should usually repay you in full by the end of the next business day. But under the Payment Service Regulations, your bank can refuse to give you back the money if it believes you have acted fraudulently or have been 'grossly negligent'. This might mean it thinks you have been careless with your account passwords or shared your Pin with someone else. New refund rules If the bank disputes your claim, it must have solid evidence that you have done something wrong. Last year, 98 per cent of unauthorised fraud on payment cards was refunded by banks, according to the trade body UK Finance. There is a 13-month time limit for reporting unauthorised payments. Things get trickier if you are the victim of so-called 'authorised fraud'. This is where you are conned into transferring your money to the criminals yourself. And as we reveal today there is no limit to the deceitful and convincing tactics crooks will use to trick victims into making such payments. Until recently, if you lost money to one of these types of scams, your bank was not obliged to refund you. Last year, 98 per cent of unauthorised fraud on payment cards was refunded by banks, according to the trade body UK Finance But after our campaign for fairer treatment of victims, a new code of conduct was launched on May 28, 2019. Under the new rules, customers should be reimbursed provided they have taken reasonable care to protect themselves. However, the new code is voluntary. And while most major banks have signed up to it, many smaller firms have not. Both the bank that made the transfer and the bank that received the money must have joined for the new rules to apply. So far, this includes Barclays, the Co-operative, HSBC, Lloyds, Metro, Nationwide, RBS/NatWest, Santander and Starling Banks. TSB has its own fraud guarantee, which promises to refund all innocent victims. But even those banks which have signed up to the code are still trying to wriggle out of repaying some defrauded customers. The Lending Standards Board, which governs the new standards, is so concerned that it launched a formal review in July. Devil in detail Often banks will say the customer did not take enough care or carry out sufficient checks before making a payment. But the new code states only that customers need to have a 'reasonable basis' for believing the payee is whom they expect. So explain clearly why you believed the person you paid was legitimate. Did they know lots of personal information about you? Did they use a fake email address almost identical to a real one? The more detail you can provide to prove the scam was particularly sophisticated, the better chance you will have of getting your money back. The new code also states that banks must provide customers with 'effective warnings' when they are making an unusual payment such as when you're paying someone new. If your bank failed to do this, make sure you include this information within your complaint. You should also tell your bank if you are vulnerable, because under the new rules they are obliged to take extra measures to ensure you are protected. This could be because you are older, unwell, recently bereaved or perhaps you just have an unusually large amount of money in your account following a house sale, for example. Act quickly It is vital you report any scam as soon as you realise it has happened to give your bank the best chance of recovering some of the stolen funds. You should also alert the bank that received the money, because it may be able to stop the cash leaving the account. If you don't know where the money has gone, you can find out by entering the sort code on the Faster Payments' website (fasterpayments.org.uk/sort-code-checker). If you do not think your bank acted quickly enough, say so. Under UK Finance's Best Practice Standards, banks must contact the receiving bank as 'soon as they have all the information necessary to do so'. You should receive a letter within three days to confirm the details of your report, and the bank then has 15 days to decide whether or not to refund you. If the bank refuses to co-operate, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service. This is a free alternative to the courts, where an adjudicator will assess your case. It can order a bank to refund you if it finds in your favour. Call 0800 023 4567 or complain online (financial-ombudsman.org.uk/contact-us/ complain-online). You should also report the scam to Action Fraud, part of the City of London police. Your case will be analysed for any leads identified that could help with an investigation. This will not help you get your money back, but it could help stop others being scammed by the same fraudsters. If you are unsure about making a transfer, a top Money Mail tip is to send a random amount to the account in question say 37p and then call the recipient to check whether they have received it before transferring the rest. a.murray@dailymail.co.uk Press Release September 9, 2020 HONTIVEROS BATS FOR HIGHER SHARE FOR HEALTH SERVICES, COVID-19 RESPONSE IN 2021 NAT'L BUDGET "In the face of the largest health crisis of our time, tila anemic ang budget natin para sa kalusugan." This was the remark of Senator Risa Hontiveros as she urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) to allocate higher shares for health services in the proposed 2021 National Budget to aid the country's novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) response. During the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) hearing, Hontiveros said that next year's budget is vital sustain a long and continuous pandemic response. "The Department of Health ranks only fifth in budget prioritization behind Department of Works and Highways, Department of Interior and Local Government, and Department of National Defense." she said. "I would just like to point out. Hindi pwedeng pang-lima lang ang health sector among the departments. Nasa gitna tayo ng pandemya and it should be expected that we will be looking at a more health-heavy, COVID-and recession-responsive budget. Hindi ito dapat tinitipid. Hindi dapat tinitipid ang kalusugan at buhay ng Pilipino." According to Hontiveros, this period is an 'ultimate litmus test' of the Universal Health Care Law, and while the Department of Health prioritizes UHC implementation and COVID-19 response in its expenditures, the 2021 budget is not in any way aligned with the UHC. "HIndi sapat ang budget natin para mapalakas ang LGU capacities, health system capacities, health promotion at pati na ang allocation para sa mga medical frontliners and health workers natin. Hindi ba malinaw na ito ang prayoridad dapat natin?" Likewise, she said that while additional funds are allotted to address the pandemic, these amounts remain inadequate to successfully solve the health crisis the country is facing. She specifically cited the scant and unreasonable budget for surveillance and epidemiology as well as the need to prepare to allocate for vaccination, and ensure that the projection of costs will be sufficient from importation to distribution. "Hindi pwedeng katiting lang ang budget para sa surveillance at solidarity trial lang ang budget allocation sa COVID-19 vaccine. Given that a successful vaccine might be discovered next year, the government should at least consider allocating more for a free mass vaccination," she said. The Senator also stated that economic reopening and employment recovery will be uncertain and unlikely in 2021 and 2022 if provisions for infection control are lacking. With the unemployment rate of 10%, a more comprehensive and expanded health insurance coverage according to Hontiveros should be put in place to cover at least 4.6 million Filipinos who lost their jobs and income source. That is equivalent to P16.56B of funds to be infused to the state-insurer, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). "Ngayong panahon ng krisis dapat nasasandalan at napapakinabangan ng taumbayan ang PhilHealth, lalo na kung sila ay walang pambayad sa gamutan. Hindi para maging gatasan lang ng mga kurakot. We should pump in more funds to ensure universal health coverage amid the pandemic, even as we rid PhilHealth of corruption, mismanagement and other irregularities," she said. "We should get our priorities straight. Buhay at kapakanan ng bawat Pilipino ang dapat mauna," she concluded. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 10 2020 The government has postponed the plan to construct Indonesia's new capital city in East Kalimantan as the country switched its priorities to mitigating the coronavirus pandemic, an official has said. National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head Suharso Monoarfa confirmed with The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the capital relocation plan had been suspended for the time being, since the pandemic had forced the government to shift its policies. Suharso previously announced the postponement of the multibillion dollar project during a meeting on Tuesday with House of Representatives Commission XI overseeing finance and banking affairs. 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 Micheal R. Baskette, who was long active in the Hamilton County Republican Party, has died after a bout of several weeks with COVID-19. County Mayor Jim Coppinger, one of the many close friends of Mr. Baskette, said he was always careful about wearing his mask and social distancing. He said his family does not know where he could have caught the virus. He was described as "first and foremost a devoted man of family and faith. For 47 years, he and Emily shared their hopes, dreams, challenges and successes with spirit, faith and commitment. Together, their enthusiasm for life affected all with whom they engaged. Whether it be their beloved church, family or community - their marriage was an inspiration." The son of Frank and Alma Baskette, he was a 1970 graduate of Central High School. He earned a B.S. in Psychology from UTC, where he was active in Sigma Chi fraternity. He had a career in marketing, management, and sales. Most recently, he was the senior vice president for sales at Plainview|LED. Mr. Baskette was baptized at Second Presbyterian Church. In later years, he and his wife converted to Catholicism at St. Jude Catholic Church. It was said, "As a dedicated Republican, he befriended many candidates and elected officials many of whom became life-long friends. His family and friends encouraged Mike to seek office many times, but he preferred to work humbly behind-the-scenes to support those he believed in. " He was a member of the Pachyderm Club, Police Administrative Review Committee, Friends of Hixson, Life Loyal Sigma Chi, Knights of Columbus - Council 8576, Home Builders Association, Pink Heals and The NRA. Chattanooga Police issued this statement, "The Chattanooga Police Department is saddened by the loss of an outstanding contributor to the department. Micheal Baskette served on the Administrative Review Committee for nearly 20 years. In his role on the ARC, he was committed to improving communication between CPD and the community as well as increasing police accountability and credibility. Mike was an exceptional person who always went above and beyond. He will be greatly missed." Mr. Baskette was said to be "a fierce fan of the New York Yankees, the UT Vols, and the UTC Mocs. He was dedicated to the support of Law Enforcement and our military. He would stand for the flag, and kneel for the Lord." Arrangements and services will be made at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Chattanooga Area Sigma Chi Alumni Association and/or St. Jude Catholic Church in Chattanooga. Arrangements are by Hamilton Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 4506 Hixson Pike, Hixson, 423 531-3975. A 26-year old Telugu television actor who was found dead at her home in Hyderabad late Tuesday night is suspected to have died by suicide, police said. Her family blamed a man from Kakinada in Andhra Pradeshs East Godavari district with whom she had become friends over TikTok, for her death. They alleged he had been harassing her for months and extorted money from her. But police said there was an argument in the family before she was found dead. Preliminary investigations revealed that there was an argument between the actor and family members before she went to her room and allegedly hanged herself. We are on the lookout for the man who allegedly harassed her, inspector Narasimha Reddy of the S.R. Nagar police station said. We rushed to the spot and shifted the body to Osmania General Hospital for post mortem. We have registered a case and are investigating, he said. The actors mother claimed that the police had called the man once to the police station following a complaint by her daughter but let him off. She was forced to pay him money in different instalments. But when he did not stop harassment, she lodged a complaint with the police in June. The police called him but let him off after he apologised and assured not to repeat the offence, her mother said. But he continued to torture my daughter forcing her to take to extreme step, she added. She claimed her daughter returned home from shooting late in the night and straightaway went into her bedroom. Her family members thought she had locked inside to change clothes. When she did not come out even after a long time, we broke open the door only to find her hanging from the ceiling fan, she told reporters. (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, Roshni Foundation (Secundrabad) Contact Nos: 040-66202001, 040-66202000, ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact No: 09441778290 ) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Srinivasa Rao Apparasu Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience. ...view detail LA PALMA, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ultra-hygienic Evermoin surfaces from Staron are now available to U.S. customers. Manufactured to suppress the growth of microbes, including common bacteria, Evermoin surfaces are specifically designed for environments requiring exceptionally-clean conditions healthcare facilities, retail establishments, and high-traffic office environments. The Evermoin line has received certification from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (US FDA 21 CFR 177.1010) and the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). Non-toxic Evermoin surfaces can be installed in most any interior space, from countertops, tabletops, bathrooms, and wall cladding, to furniture casework and office workstations. Two contemporary, neutral colors are currently available Limpio and Ultra Bright and can be cleansed simply with commonly available bleach solutions. "We designed Evermoin to meet the growing need for technologies that provide and maintain cleaner, healthier environments," stated John Kim, director, LOTTE Chemical Corp. "LOTTE continues to be at the forefront of research and development of ultra-hygienic surface technologies that will improve our overall health and wellness in the spaces we work and live." Testing of the Evermoin material demonstrated a proliferation inhibition rate of 99.9% or higher. Specifically, the Evermoin surface inhibits the number of surviving bacteria to fewer than 1,000 (1/1,000) after test specimens go through antibacterial treatment in a laboratory environment where the number of bacteria can multiply to 1,000,000. Evermoin is certified by SCS Global Services for recycled content, verifying that LOTTE employs responsible manufacturing processes to minimize environmental impacts. The new Evermoin surfaces have passed the following industry tests: ASTM E 2180 bacterial growth test JIS Z 2801 the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) test for antimicrobial activity and efficacy ISO 846 (B') antifungal test FDA 21 CFR 177 human safety test Find more information on how attractive Evermoin surfaces can promote more hygienic environments in healthcare, retail, and office spaces at Evermoin by Staron. About LOTTE Chemical Corporation LOTTE Chemical Corp. manufactures and markets high-performance decorative surfacing materials for residential and commercial applications around the globe. Originally part of the Samsung family of companies, LOTTE Chemical Corp. is rapidly expanding its North American presence through the company's solid-surface brand, Staron, a seamless and thermo-formable, acrylic product suitable for a wide range of commercial applications. The quartz surface brand, Radianz, is a premium engineered surface designed to be ultra-durable. The new Locelain sintered-stone collection features a high-quality natural stone look and superb durability. Through cutting-edge technology and insights into worldwide market trends, LOTTE Chemical Corp. continues to excel in today's surface industry. Contact: Ray Vincenzo (206) 290-4431 [email protected] SOURCE LOTTE Chemical Corporation Nine leading American and European drug-makers promised to follow scientific standards in the race to develop an effective coronavirus vaccine. The companies, including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, made the promise after concerns were raised that safety standards might decline in the attempt to find a vaccine. The companies said in a statement they would uphold the integrity of the scientific process. Other companies that signed the agreement included Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co, Moderna, Novavax , Sanofi and BioNTech. Ugur Sahin is head of BioNTech in Germany. He said We want it to be known that also in the current situation we are not willing to compromise safety and efficacy. The promise to play by established rules comes at a time of highly politicized debate. The debate is over what actions are needed to quickly control COVID-19 and increase international business and trade. Governments race to approve vaccines Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia had become the first country to approve a vaccine for COVID-19. But some scientists question whether its quick approval will lead to a safe vaccine. The head of Chinas Sinovac Biotech has also said most of its employees and their families have already taken an experimental vaccine. The vaccine, developed by the Chinese company, is part of the countrys emergency-use program. Chinese companies and organizations which are involved in developing COVID-19 vaccines did not sign the agreement. Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said COVID-19 vaccines could be approved by the Food and Drug Administration just days before the November 3 presidential election. The announcement followed comments from President Donald Trump suggesting that the U.S. may have a vaccine before the election. Senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee, said she would not take Trumps word alone on any possible coronavirus vaccine. The drug-makers say approval for a COVID-19 vaccine must be based on trials of large groups of people from different ages, races and ethnic groups. The trials must compare similar groups that do not receive the vaccine in question. People taking part in the trial must not know which group they belong to. BioNTechs Sahin said there must be statistical certainty of 95 percent - and in some cases higher - from the trials to show a positive result. Michael Scholl is the chief executive of German vaccine developer Leukocare, which did not sign the promise. He said, My biggest fear is that we will approve vaccines that are not safe. He noted that an unsafe vaccine will hurt the idea of vaccinations in general. Im John Russell. Ludwig Burger, Patricia Weiss, and Caroline Copley reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story standard n. a level of quality, achievement, etc., that is considered acceptable or desirable uphold v. to support or defend (something, such as a law) efficacy n. the power to produce a desired result or effect integrity n. the quality of being honest and fair statistical adj. relating to a type of mathematics that deals with the study of statistics positive adj. good or useful Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 20:00:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has been urged to take "urgent action" to preserve Australia's research talent as universities face a mass exodus of staff. The Group of Eight (Go8), a coalition of Australia's top eight research-intensive universities, on Wednesday reported that up to 10,000 researchers in areas of national priority are likely to leave Australia for jobs overseas. According to the report, the eight institutions will lose 2.2 billion Australian dollars (1.5 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving them unable to re-employ researchers whose contracts are expiring. It proposed a new government fund "to support and concentrate investment in research excellence as a way to drive the best value for the nation from a taxpayer contribution and boost sovereign capability." The Go8 universities said their research activity contributes 24.5 billion Australian dollars (17.6 billion U.S. dollars) to the Australian economy. Vicki Thomson, chief executive of the Go8, said preserving Australia's research talent should be a matter of urgency for the government. "These recommendations aim to deliver the best research, with the maximum impact for the community and the economy in a cost-effective, transparent and sustainable way," she told News Corp Australia. "They are deliberately pragmatic and look to future-proof both our research and the nation's research workforce." The federal government identified national priority research areas seen as critical to Australia's economic development in 2015. These include artificial intelligence, cyber security, advanced manufacturing, food, soil, water, mental health, space and transport, energy and resources and environment. "Failure to embark on these reforms will significantly impede Australia's productivity aspirations," Thomson said. Enditem WATERLOO REGION Theres an elephant in the room and it isnt showing any symptoms. As thousands of students across Waterloo Region head back to school this month, an epidemiologist is warning that the protocols in place fail to acknowledge that COVID-19 is an asymptomatic pandemic in Ontario. The consequences include some serious errors in pandemic management, said University of Toronto epidemiologist Colin Furness, particularly in screening and testing strategies. Were issuing guidance to parents to do daily screening checks with their kids to check for a temperature, cough and sore throat, he said. Most kids dont present with that. We are literally telling parents to look for stuff we are pretty sure theyre not going to be able to see. Thats crazy. There are no plans to broadly and regularly test everyone in the school system to catch carriers without symptoms, said Waterloo Regions medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang She said it would be a not very good way to catch the disease, and that it is better to target testing to situations where someone is showing symptoms or is connected to someone who has tested positive or is showing symptoms. We do need to focus our testing resources, she said. We know that it can be transmitted by people who are asymptomatic. And so there are multiple layers of protection in a school setting that have been put in place to try to address that, Wang said. Although we still feel that transmission is driven more by those who are symptomatic. Its an argument Furness has faced before. He said one of the main problems is the medical field is trained on a pyramid of evidence that generally requires years of studies and reviews. But during a pandemic where new information is coming daily from all over the world, he said decision-makers are skeptical to use individual case reports and are instead relying on a system of evidence that takes too long. Every physician has been taught that asymptomatic is another word for mild, subclinical, not significant, he said. Up until now, that has worked. But the word asymptomatic is actually very problematic, and we should probably call it invisible. With asymptomatic cases, Furness said it is still largely unknown how large of a problem it is because there hasnt been enough testing and tracing in Ontario to get an accurate picture. But he estimates, based on case reports from different countries, there could be as many as 10 asymptomatic cases for every one confirmed case. Thats why hes calling for testing for everyone, so researchers can start to get a better picture of how widespread the virus is not just the people who are showing systems. You need to have the mental flexibility to say these individual case reports mean something, he said. But outside of the financial burden universal testing presents for regional public health units, there are other barriers to asymptomatic testing, specifically when dealing with kids. I think the role of asymptomatic carriers in schools still needs clarity, said Stephanie DeWitte-Orr, a virologist and immunologist with Wilfrid Laurier University. The only way to understand their role is the test everyone, follow the asymptomatic carriers and their contacts and measure spread. With kids, she said its just not feasible with the current sampling technique and test processing procedure. To address asymptomatic carriers in schools you would need a less invasive test, and have students being tested on a regular basis. Tests using saliva samples are available, but false-positives to the tune of 1 in 1,000 have been observed. In a province of 13.5 million, that could work out to about 13,500 potential false reports. But Furness argues the only harm is those patients going for a second test. I think the amount of lives we could save would outweigh the burden of a few false positives that would just require additional testing, he said. with files from Jeff Outhit, Record staff RICHMOND, Va. - The Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday approved a bill to make it easier for cities and counties to take down Confederate monuments, streamlining a process that was created this year. It was among several bills the House passed Tuesday during its special session on the budget, social justice and coronavirus relief. The chamber also approved a measure to eliminate qualified immunity for police officers, which would make it easier to bring lawsuits against them on the grounds of improper conduct. That bill, part of a package of legislation overhauling police oversight, failed last week when two Democrats voted against it. Del. Ibraheem Samirah, D-Fairfax, said he voted against it to try to add language limiting local funding for police, but he dropped that effort Tuesday and asked that the bill be reconsidered. It passed 49 to 45 with two abstentions. The House also voted to give the state attorney general authority to conduct "pattern or practice" investigations of local police departments if they are alleged to be systematically violating the rights of residents. All the bills will head next to the Senate, which has killed its own version of a qualified immunity measure. The statues bill would remove the requirement that a local government wait 30 days and hold a public hearing before voting on the removal of a memorial. It passed on a vote of 54 to 43, with all Republicans voting against it along with one Democrat. Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond, sponsored the bill to address what she called "the safety issue" after protesters began tearing down Confederate statues over the summer in demonstrations against racial inequity. A protester in Portsmouth was critically injured when a falling Confederate statue struck his head. During the regular legislative session that ended in March, Democrats, who control both chambers of the General Assembly, established a legal mechanism for removing statues. It took effect July 1, but the measure's lengthy review process did not satisfy Virginia demonstrators' calls for urgent action on Confederate memorials after the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, a Democrat, invoked a state of emergency to remove 11 Confederate monuments on city property on the day the law went into effect. The city council later held a public hearing and voted to make the removals permanent. An unidentified local resident filed suit against Stoney's action, but the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled that the plaintiff lacked legal standing in the case. The change to the law would allow localities to adopt a lengthier review process but would not require it. Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, objected last week during a committee hearing on the bill, saying he wanted to "make sure the public has input" into such decisions. McQuinn said the public would have input through elected officials and noted that local governments would be free to set up any process they saw fit. "We're giving the authority back to the localities without a lot of strings attached," McQuinn said during the hearing. The parents of two-year-old Anna Greaney - who tragically drowned last week in Portarlington, Geelong, Australia - have praised the communities in Australia and Kerry for the support they've afforded them during the darkest days in their lives. Little Anna - whose father, Patrick, is a native of Clochan, West Kerry - was reported missing at about 1pm last Thursday. She had gone to the beach, not far from the family home, with her father and two of her three siblings when she went missing. Patrick immediately raised the alarm. "Last Thursday my husband had taken our children to the beach as he usually does a few times a week," Anna's mother, Billee, told The Kerryman. "This day it was unusually windy and rough water - we live in the bay so it is usually quite still - so Patrick wanted to take the kids out on the pier to see the waves bashing on it." The Kerryman understands that Anna briefly strayed from her family, who were unable to find her. "He immediately rang me and I rushed down there to help look, and I called the police," Billee said. A number of fishermen assisted in the search at the pier. When police arrived, Billee spotted their little girl in the water. Patrick and police spent 15 minutes attempting to resuscitate the girl, and paramedics continued this work when they arrived at the scene. A helicopter arrived to transport her to Melbourne, but little Anna was pronounced dead at the scene. Anna's grandparents - Paudie and Noreen - live in Clochan, while she has aunts and uncles living in Clochan, Kilflynn, and Tralee. Anna never had the chance to visit Kerry; while a trip to Ireland had been planned, it had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Annie was the happiest little girl," her parents told The Kerryman. "She was just starting to grow into a little girl and gain a very playful personality. She loved to dance and just loved doing whatever her big brother and sisters were doing. "She was her daddy's little girl and loved going to the beach with the whole family. She was the youngest of our children and was just a perfect last child...she knew nothing but love and being loved. "We are heart-broken that our Anna is no longer here for us to hold, but we know God has a plan and [are] so thankful for the two wonderful years we had with her." The couple paid tribute to paramedics and police who "did a phenomenal job", and similar thanks were expressed to fishermen and another woman who helped search at the pier. They also paid tribute to the communities in Kerry and in Kyabram, Australia. A GoFundMe page titled 'Beautiful Anna has gone home to Jesus' has been set up by Billee's sister to support the family and has raised more than $32,000 in four days. Part of this funding will be used to help Patrick visit Kerry to grieve with his family in the coming weeks. "By the time we became aware of the GoFundMe a couple of days later, it was already over $20,000, and we were shocked," the couple said. "We have felt so loved and supported and want to thank anybody who has contributed money, made us meals, cried with us or even said a prayer for us. Each and every one of you has made this horrific journey a little easier." Anna Greaney's Funeral will take place on Thursday, September 10. She is also survived by her elder siblings Eliza (10), Nate (5), and Miranda (4). The domestic exchange-traded fund VFMVN Diamond (HoSE: FUEVFVN) on September 8 issued an additional 300,000 certificates to raise the total amount of certificates to 148.3 million. The issuance helped boost the value of certificates listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange to 1.483 trillion VND (63.9 million USD) from 1.48 trillion VND. As of September 6, the net asset value (NAV) of the fund was 1.9 trillion VND, equal to 12,884.58 VND (0.56 USD) per certificate. The fund debuted on HoSE on May 12 at 11,693.36 VND per certificate with charter capital of 102 billion VND. The fund has recently become a target for foreign investors, especially Taiwan-based investment fund CTBC Vietnam Equity Fund. The Taiwanese fund will buy 21 million certificates of VFMVN Diamond between September 7 and October 6. The Taiwanese fund in late August reported it had raised 160 million USD to invest in the Vietnamese equity market, targeting high-potential listed companies on the Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi stock exchanges. In addition, part of the funding would flow into VFMVN Diamond ETF, which allows foreign investors to buy the stocks that have run out of foreign ownership limit (FOL) in the VN-Diamond Index on HoSE. The market has reportedly reacted positively to the appearance of the Taiwanese fund in Vietnam on expectations the fund will boost the price of the stocks listed in VFMVN Diamond ETFs portfolio. The Vietnamese ETF on September 7 reported there were 14 stocks in its portfolio. The biggest heavyweights were retailer Mobile World Investment (MWG), tech group FPT Corp (FPT), Techcombank (TCB), VPBank (VPB), Vietinbank (CTG), Military Bank (MBB) and Phu Nhuan Jewellery JSC (PNJ). To capitalise on the investment by CTBC Vietnam Equity Fund, domestic securities firms and investors have reportedly bought shares of the 14 companies in advance. Since late August, Mobile World Investment shares have gained as much as 15.6 percent, Techcombank shares have increased by as much as 10 percent and VPBank shares have risen 11 percent. Le Quang Minh, analysis director at Mirae Asset Vietnam Securities Co, said foreign investment funds would buy fund certificates at exchange-traded funds (ETFs) because they were not bound by the foreign ownership limit (FOL) rules. Their (foreign investors) purchases will help increase the market liquidity, especially boosting the trading volume in the stocks targeted by ETFs, and lift share prices, he said. Nguyen The Minh at Yuanta Vietnam Securities Co said ETF certificates were quite attractive in Taiwan and that could explain why the Taiwanese fund was interested in buying the Vietnamese funds certificates. Investment from Taiwan may increase in the near future through the strong development of domestic ETFs, he forecast. However, the ETF capital would not flow into Vietnam in short term, instead, the funds would have long-term plans, Nguyen Minh Hanh, ETF director at SSI Asset Management (SSIAM), said. Foreign investment funds would have to pay a premium for the same stock compared to domestic investors, he said. Foreign funds will have to keep their decisions stand by depending on the quality of the target stocks and how much the premium is, he said. Investors wont be happy if they lose once the purchase is done. Minh also said that a new source of capital always helped boost market morale, especially when large-cap stocks in the VN30 basket account for 70 percent of the markets total capitalisation. At the moment, the Taiwanese fund has little impact on the overall market as its size cannot match the Vietnamese markets, he added. But this is still a good chance for Vietnam to draw the attention of Taiwanese investors. According to analysts, the valuation of the Vietnamese stock market is about 20 percent lower than other markets in the region. But it is not a decisive factor to attract foreign investors. On April 9, 2018, the VN-Index hit its all-time high of 1,204.33 points but profit growth has slowed down and outpaced the decline of the market since then, making Vietnamese shares much cheaper than regional markets. Foreign investors have not paid much attention to Vietnamese stocks because the local market is still at the frontier level, while accounting standards are very different from international ones. Foreign funds will be drawn if market prospects are good and profitable./. Pham Huy Hiep Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Nearly 200 Mauritanian workers, former employees of "G4 S", an international security company with headquarters in London, England, say they have been chasing their unpaid salaries for the past two years, PANA learned Wednesday from those concerned, who gathered at the Nouakchott Center to demand heir rights Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images Disneyland's reopening has been difficult, to say the least. Fearing the spread of COVID-19, Disneyland unions demanded the park delay its reopening plans in an open letter. Now, it appears their concerns were warranted. Experts have cautioned against making statistical comparisons over short periods of time, such as a single month, arguing that long-term trends give a better understanding of how the level of violence in a city has changed over time. This means its difficult to ascertain exactly why homicides suddenly went down over the last month, said one local scholar, or who should take credit. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 19:31:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Bank of China Malaysia (BOCM) signed an agreement with the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) on Wednesday to cooperate on the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) to be held in November. Zhang Min, Chief Executive Officer of BOCM, said in his speech that cooperation is the key word for getting out of the current global economic difficulties. At the forthcoming CIIE, the BOCM and ACCCIM will join force to promote economic and trade exchanges between China and Malaysia through the Internet and other technologies means. President of ACCCIM Ter Leong Yip said the upcoming CIIE would provide opportunity for Malaysia's enterprises to enter China. He also expects that Malaysia companies can achieve fruitful results with the help of the cooperation with Bank of China at the upcoming expo. According to the MOU, BOCM will work hand in hand with ACCCIM, through the CIIE Trade and Investment Business Matching Platform hosted by Bank of China. Both online and offline methods will provide Malaysian enterprises with cross-border investment and trade matching services. The CIIE is the first dedicated import exhibition in the world and has seen fruitful outcomes in the past two expos. The third CIIE will take place in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10. Enditem Julie van Amerongen Julie van Amerongen is a self-employed marketing and communications professional. She lives in Portland. Late last month, Oregon became the 36th state to be approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to receive funding to boost unemployment benefits by $300 a week as part of the Lost Wages Assistance Program. Like the Benefits While You Wait program unveiled by the Oregon Employment Department in late July, the funds will be added to the payments of those with approved unemployment claims. But where is the support for people like me, whose unemployment claims havent been approved, months after being filed? After Congress authorized states to provide unemployment benefits to self-employed and gig workers, Oregon began accepting these jobless claims in April. But for untold numbers of people who are still stuck in limbo, there has been no relief. In June, there were more than 70,000 unprocessed jobless claims from self-employed and contract workers in Oregon, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. In July, the state launched a new Google-based system to speed clearing of the backlog of still unprocessed claims with an optimistic goal to resolve these claims by Aug. 8. Its now a month after that deadline and I am one of those left in the lurch. I have successfully run my own marketing and communications business for more than 20 years, but amid the pandemic, business came to a halt. I applied for unemployment during the first week of June and have filed a weekly claim every subsequent week since then 14 weeks to date. I have yet to receive a single check or communication from the employment office other than the original email confirming receipt of my application. I have dialed two unemployment phone lines every weekday since then; without fail I have received a busy signal every single time I have called. There is no website assistance, no email address to reach out to and no other numbers to dial. To add insult to injury, when my son begins remote college learning this month at Southern Oregon University, there will be no reduction in state tuition. Federal student aid is based on previous years income. However, with a drastic reduction in income this year we appealed to his college for a tuition reduction. Our application sits in limbo because the school requires one final piece of information the amount I will receive from my unemployment claim. Without this critical piece of knowledge, there can be no assistance, period. A friend who owns a local retail establishment that was shuttered for several months due to COVID started a group on social media for self-employed people navigating the quagmire of Oregon unemployment to share experiences and tips, if there were any to be had. The group is inundated with stories like mine people left out in the cold, and people who are hungry, behind on their rent and increasingly desperate. US Census surveys indicate that self-employed workers face unique challenges during the pandemic and are more likely to face economic hardships. I believe I speak for many when I say that I am working as hard as ever, but efforts are spent solely on landing a new job or client in an economy ravaged by the pandemic. Until the time that we are lucky enough to be rewarded for these efforts we also wait, check the mailbox repeatedly and call and call again. The Oregon Employment Department is failing the self-employed community that it pledged to support at the start of the pandemic. It needs to do better now, before the fallout becomes irreparable. Subscribe to our free weekly Oregon Opinion newsletter. Email: Nick Sandmann, who earned the left's wrath for wearing a MAGA hat while listening politely as a crazed leftist beat a drum in his face at a Right to Life event, is in the left's crosshairs again. This time it's because he decided to attend university. Both an ACLU staffer and a professor at the university promptly collapsed into censorious, anti-Sandmann puddles of hatred. Sandmann, who we hope has enough CNN and Washington Post settlement money to buy and sell Harvard, has decided to attend Transylvania University, a small private liberal arts university in Lexington, Kentucky. Sane people will wish him good luck on his intellectual journey. Insane people will try to destroy his educational opportunity or promise to spy on him. Jonathan Turley writes that at least one ACLU staff member and one Transylvania University professor have, between the two of them, promised to do both of those insane things. Turley first tells his readers about the ACLU employee: Recently, the ACLU has abandoned its famed neutrality and has not supported some on the right while supporting those on the left. Now, the ACLU's Samuel Crankshaw in Kentucky has targeted Transylvania University for admitting Nick Sandmann, who was falsely accused of abusing a Native American activist in front of Lincoln Memorial. (Crankshaw identifies as an ACLU staffer on social media) Despite various media organizations correcting the story and some settling with Sandmann, some in the media have continued to attack him. Yet, it is far more alarming to see an ACLU official rallying people against a young man whose chief offense appears to be that he is publicly (and unapologetically) conservative and pro-life. Crankshaw (and what a perfect name that is for a leftist crank), upon hearing about Sandmann's college plans, took to Facebook to attack Transylvania U for admitting Sandmann: Does anyone else think it's a bit of a stain on Transylvania University for accepting Nick Sandman? I'm sure it's a "both sides" defense, but it's pretty counter to their mission and another instance of there not actually being equal sides to an issue. I think TU should accept anyone willing to have an open mind and engage in debate, regardless of their views. That's how we all learn. That's Transy's mission ... Having experienced the incredibly high standards Transy requires for admission and then holds its students to, this seems like a slap in the face. I hope some time in a real classroom changes him, but his twitter and public persona suggest otherwise. (Emphasis mine.) Equally pathological was one of Transylvania U's professors. Turley explains: One person responding positively was Dr. Avery Tompkins, an Assistant Professor and Diversity Scholar at Transylvania University, acknowledged that the university supported diverse viewpoints but promised to closely monitor Sandmann while he is on campus: "If he were to cause problems by being disruptive, trolling, or engaging in unethical behavior of any kind, I would immediately document it (just like I would for any student doing the same thing)...and he would just be putting himself in a position for me to file a conduct report." Turley properly lambasts Tompkins for assuming that Sandmann will be a troublemaker and require watching. I hope Sandmann is a troublemaker. Someone needs to reacquaint leftists with the entire concept of a side other than their own. I mention sides because you might have noticed Crankshaw's snide reference to "both sides." To the leftist, the concept of "both sides" no longer exists. There is only the left side. All of this reminds me of an elderly woman I knew who had a bad fall. The head injury caused her to lose all awareness of the very concept of a "right side." The right half of her body did not exist as far as she was concerned, nor had it ever existed. Likewise, anything to the right of her frame of reference did not exist. She had no sense of loss. Her whole world had shrunk to "the left." Thankfully, my friend recovered, regaining her sense of a balanced world. American leftists, especially in academia, have adopted a worldview that is as brain-damaged as that elderly lady was after her fall. However, while my friend suffered an injury from which she fought her way to recovery, people like Crankshaw and Tompkins have willingly abandoned that sense of balance. For leftists, there is only the left. To the extent they acknowledge something other than the left, that "other" is an evil phantasm they are determined to destroy. Please read Turley's entire post. He discusses in depth the significant problems with Crankshaw's and Tompkins's views, including the fact that, while Crankshaw rightly argues that he's free to speak his mind on his Facebook page, he sees no disconnect between his private views and the ACLU's ostensible goal of advancing free speech. My only question after reading the post is this: when will Turley realize that, in today's world, he's a conservative, not a Democrat? Image: Carpenter Academic Center and the Transylvania Lawn, by TUPictures. CC BY-SA 3.0. Winston Churchill said he would consider bombing Russia and China if USSR dictator Joseph Stalin didn't back down in the Cold War, a newly-discovered memo has revealed. A meeting took place between Churchill and former-US army officer Julius Ochs Adler in the wartime leader's Kent home on April 29, 1951 - when Churchill was the leader of the opposition between his two terms as Prime Minister. A memo from the meeting has revealed that Churchill, then-76, said he would give the Soviet Union 'an ultimatum' if he was Prime Minister. It would lay down certain conditions he would want the communist super-power to obey and, if they didn't, Churchill said he would threaten to 'atom bomb one of 20 or 30 cities'. If they still didn't comply, one of their targets would be hit 'and if necessary, additional ones', he said. He also 'embraced the possibility of adopting confrontational tactics such as bombing bases in China'. The pair did not discuss exactly why Churchill wanted to bomb the two communist superpowers, but his disdain for the spread of communism was already widely known following his 1946 speech about an 'iron curtain' having descended across Europe. Their meeting also came in the midst of the Korean war where North Korean forces - backed by the USSR and China - engaged in battle with the US. The conflict stemmed from fears of communist expansion in Asia after Stalin already consolidated his grip on the eastern half of Europe after the end of World War II. Winston Churchill said he would consider bombing Russia (Joseph Stalin with Churchill, pictured) if he was Prime Minister during the Cold War, a newly-emerged memo has revealed A photograph on display at The Bradbury Science Museum shows the first thermonuclear test on October 31, 1952 Why did Churchill consider bombing Russia and China? A memo from a 1951 meeting between Winston Churchill and former-US army officer Julius Ochs Adler revealed that the wartime leader discussed bombing Russia and China if he was Prime Minister. In the meeting at Churchill's Kent home, the pair did not discuss exactly why Churchill wanted to bomb the two communist superpowers, but his disdain for the spread of communism was already widely known. In 1946, Churchill made a famous speech in Fulton, Missouri, about an 'iron curtain' having descended across Europe. He spoke with dark foreboding about a new menace, warning: From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Their meeting also came in the midst of the Korean war where North Korean forces - backed by the USSR and China - engaged in battle with the US. The conflict stemmed from fears of communist expansion in Asia after Stalin already consolidated his grip on the eastern half of Europe after the end of World War II. Just days before the meeting - on April 25 - Chinese forces advanced on Seoul, vastly outnumbering UN forces at the Battles of Kapyong and the Imjin River. Although countless lives were lost - the battle was a success for UN troops who maintained control of their lines surrounding Seoul. The meeting also came amid the ever-growing arms race between the US and the USSR. The first atomic bomb was tested by America in 1945. The USSR tested their own bomb in 1949. Russia's test sparked concern as America no longer had the ultimate monopoly on devastating atomic weaponry. On April 23, 1951, American journalist William Oatis was arrested in Czechoslovakia - while it was under Communist rule. Following 42 hours of intense interrogation, Oatis signed a document confessing to espionage in a case that sparked global outrage. Advertisement Churchill became Prime Minister for the second time on October 26, 1951, and remained in the role until April 5, 1955. After he returned to power, a nuclear attack against the USSR was never mentioned again. In the memo, seen by The Times, then-general manager of the New York Times Adler said the Churchill asked him how many atom bombs the US had stored away, and how many they guessed the Soviet Union had. When Adler said he didn't know, Churchill went on. Adler said: 'He then startled us a second time by stating that if he were prime minister and could secure the agreement of our government, he would lay down conditions to Russia ... an ultimatum. 'Upon their refusal, the Kremlin should be informed that unless they reconsidered, we would atom bomb one of 20 or 30 cities.' Churchill explained that he thought Russia would still not consider agreeing with the requirements outlined. Adler said Churchill told him that when this happens 'we should bomb one of their targets, and if necessary, additional ones'. The New York Times Company documents - uncovered by historian Professor Richard Toye - also discussed China and Hong Kong, The Daily Express reports. The files read: 'Churchill embraced the possibility of adopting confrontational tactics such as bombing bases in China and troop concentrations north of the Yulu Rover. 'Churchill readily assented, but when the proposal of withdrawing from Hong Kong was reached, he said "yes, even Hong Kong, if necessary". The US believed Hong Kong should be given back to China - even though the British regained control of the area in 1945 after it was invaded by Japanese forces. Churchill was willing to take British troops out of Hong Kong temporarily because if Britain launched an attack on China, the area would become a target in retaliation, Professor Toye said. The document is not the first time Churchill's opinions on Russia in the years between his two terms as PM have been laid bare. A memorandum from the FBI archives, revealed in 2014, detailed how Britain's wartime leader urged the United States to launch a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union to win the Cold War. The document showed how Churchill made his views known to a visiting American politician in 1947. His first term as Prime Minister ended in 1945. Churchill believed a pre-emptive strike on Stalin's Russia might be the only way to stop Communism conquering the West. A memo from the meeting has revealed that Churchill (left with Stalin), then-76, said he would give the Soviet Union 'an ultimatum' if he 'could secure the agreement' of the US government. Britain and the Soviet Union had been allies in the Second World War (Churchill, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Stalin in 1945) until 1945, the year Churchill lost office as Prime Minister The note, written by an FBI agent, reports that Churchill urged Right-wing Republican Senator Styles Bridges to persuade President Harry Truman to launch a nuclear attack which would 'wipe out' the Kremlin and make the Soviet Union a 'very easy problem' to deal with. The Russians would have been defenceless against a nuclear attack at that time they did not successfully test their own atomic bomb until 1949. Britain and the Soviet Union had been allies in the Second World War until 1945, the year Churchill lost office as Prime Minister. But he was one of the first international statesmen to recognise the post-war threat posed by the USSR, and in 1946 made a famous speech in Fulton, Missouri, about an 'iron curtain' having descended across Europe as Stalin consolidated his grip on the eastern half of the continent. Ranaut had said that the notice was meant to stop leakage work in the office. The Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will on Wednesday demolish "illegal alterations" at the Bandra bungalow of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, a civic official said. This comes a day after the BMC issued a stop work notice to Ranaut, claiming that several illegal alterations had been carried out in her office. The 33-year-old actor, who is scheduled to reach here later in the day, has alleged that the Maharashtra government is targeting her because of her fight with the Shiv Sena The BMC had posted a second notice outside her bungalow, informing of the action the civic body was set to take. The Bollywood actress had been given 24 hours to produce documentary evidence proving authorisation of these works, warning her that the structure may be demolished failing to do so. The BMC had issued a notice under section 354/A of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act on her Manikarnika Films office at Pali Hill area of Bandra. The three-page notice, which was pasted on the office gate, mentioned that there were several alterations like a toilet being converted into office cabin, unauthorised kitchen in the store room and 'new toilets being constructed alongside staircase'. "If you fail to stop the execution of work forthwith or if stopped and fail to produce permission within 24 hours, I shall under Section 354(A) and in exercise of powers and functions conferred upon me as aforesaid without any further notice cause the said building or work to be removed or pulled down, at your risk and cost," the notice read. Ranaut had argued that the notice was meant to stop leakage work in the office. "Because of the criticism that @mybmc received from my friends on social media, they didnt come with a bulldozer today instead stuck a notice to stop leakage work that is going on in the office," she tweeted. The actress on Monday had shared videos of BMC officials inspecting her office and expressed apprehension that they may demolish the structure. However, the BMC officials had said the visit to Kanganas office was a part of a regular exercise to keep a tab on illegal constructions. Parag Masurkar, deputy municipal commissioner, had said that several other row houses in Bandra were also inspected during the drive. He also confirmed that Ranauts office was a residential property as per the civic records. In a parallel development, trouble mounted for Ranaut after the Maharashtra government on Tuesday said the police will probe allegations that she took drugs, while alterations made at her bungalow came under the civic body's scanner. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the Mumbai police will probe allegations by actor Adhyayan Suman that Ranaut took drugs. We will continue to deal with Chinese PLA in firm, resolute manner: Army chief Jaishankar-Wang Yi to meet on sidelines of SCO at 5.30 pm tomorrow India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 09: The meeting between S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi will take place at 5.30 pm tomorrow in Moscow. The meeting will be held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The meeting is an extremely crucial one as tensions have escalated along the Line of Control between India and China. Meanwhile, the hotlines are working full time a day ahead of the meeting between the two leaders. Diplomats on both sides are talking after Monday's incident in which the Chinese PLA fired shots, a first in 45 years. Both sides are talking to dial down the tensions and a meeting of the Special Representatives is also likely this week. Sources tell OneIndia that following the incident, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was briefed about the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). As tensions escalate, diplomats of India-China work the hotlines The Indian Army Chief on the other hand briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after China said that India had fired warning shots, a claim that India has strongly denied. PM Modi was briefed by National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval. Top sources confirmed that several meetings are on the anvil today to take stock of the situation along the LAC. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister, S Jaishankar arrived in Moscow and is scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi on September 10. Jaishankar would tell Yi to honour all bi-lateral agreements signed between the two countries since 1993. After China claimed that Indian forces had fired shots, an official statement from India said that it is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation along the Line of Action Control. However, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate. At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to any aggressive means, including firing. It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres while engagement at the military, diplomatic level is in progress. In the instant case on September 7, 2020, it was the PLA which was attempting to close in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops., PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate the Indian troops. However, despite grave provocation, the Indian troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner. The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility. However, India is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. The statement by the Western Command is an attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience, India also said. I read yesterday (8/9/2020) in the media, a story about Ghana and Ivory Coast coming together to press on chocolate makers and other users of cocoa products to increase the purchasing price of the raw commodity. Ghana and Ivory Coast combine to contribute close to 70% of the world's raw cocoa beans market. But the revenues accrued to the poor farmers in those two countries perennially are just a fraction, microcosm, of the huge profits made by the global chocolate industries. And I learned from the many comments that, Ghanaians are happy because the leaders are begging cocoa buyers to increase the purchasing price? Hmm, this is how I'll take it. Knowing from firsthand the difficulties cocoa farmers go through before the beans gets to the international market, vis-a-vis the misery living of those farmers. If I do have a daughter, beautiful, educated, and well-groomed for the taste of any suitor. Then one day, a rich guy comes to seek her hand in marriage. The groom brings his bride price of two cows. Before I talk, as a father, then my daughter springs up to appeal, or literally beg the yet to-be-husband, saying: "please dear, can't you add one cow to my dower, even if it's a young suckling baby cow?". Mark my words, I'll in that instance bludgeon my daughter to her early grave. I'll never have a second thought about my actions, bringing me in conflict with the law. Yes, she's a wasted sperm thus and deserves such an unhappy ending. Such is the case of Ghana in a hopeless alliance with Ivory Coast, selling our most priced cocoa beans to global chocolate makers. Our cocoa beans is needed in chocolates to make it much sought after by consumers of the product worldwide. Why do we beg for price increment whilst we can control the price to our advantage? Hasn't the Ghana's president Akuffo Addo read it how his Great Uncle, JB Danquah, joined forces with Kwame Nkrumah to burn Cocoa beans in Ghana rather than selling the commodity at a giveaway price to the chocolate makers? And that gave Ghana a fair price thereafter? We can't continue clapping for mediocrity when it comes to our leaders mortgaging our bequeathed resources to those who never cared for our wellbeing as Africans. Go to the cocoa farms and see for yourself the sleeping place of the farmers, the water they share drinking with animals, the unhygienic, and the health risks. We cannot continue in this beggarly living whilst richness should be synonymous with our name, judging by the value of our vast resources. Fellow Ghanaians and Africans, we deserve better, we're not beggars. Written by: Charles Yeboah (Sir Lord ) The Founder Of One Ghana Movement (#1GhM) Contact: +233249542111 Email: [email protected] Credit: Roberto FinizioCarlos Santana's Milagro Foundation is helping to bring music education to more students across the state of New Hampshire thanks to a new program called New Hampshire Rocks! The initiative is a partnership between the Milagro Foundation, the Little Kids Rock organization, the New Hampshire Department of Education and the Graystone Builders Inc. construction company, who have donated a total of almost $85,000 to the state's public schools. The money is being used to buy musical instruments for students and teachers, and to help fund curricular resources and underwrite professional development. Starting on August 31, thirty music teachers in New Hampshire began being provided with curriculum and training to prepare them to deliver music instruction to students either in person or online, depending on how the COVOD-19 pandemic affects various school districts. Thirteen of the teachers will receive instruments to use for their respective programs, which potentially will impact almost 6,000 students. The Milagro Foundation has worked with Little Kids Rock on a variety of charitable programs dating back to 2002. A new video message from Carlos Santana praising Little Kids Rock for the work it does has been posted on the charity's official YouTube channel. "For me, there is no greater joy than seeing the transformative powers that music can bring to a child," the guitar legend says in the clip. "I know firsthand how it changed my life. It gave me a vocabulary and a confidence to know that I am significant, meaningful, and that I can make a difference in the world. That is what Little Kids Rock brings to these children -- the knowledge that they are all of these things and can touch people's hearts and make a difference in the world." Visit LittleKidsRock.org for more information. By Matt Friedlander Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Market forces rained on the parade of Midwich Group Plc (LON:MIDW) shareholders today, when the analysts downgraded their forecasts for this year. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) estimates were cut sharply as the analysts factored in the latest outlook for the business, concluding that they were too optimistic previously. Following this downgrade, Midwich Group's three analysts are forecasting 2020 revenues to be UK682m, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are supposed to plunge 89% to UK0.024 in the same period. Prior to this update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of UK798m and earnings per share (EPS) of UK0.13 in 2020. It looks like analyst sentiment has declined substantially, with a substantial drop in revenue estimates and a pretty serious decline to earnings per share numbers as well. Check out our latest analysis for Midwich Group The consensus price target fell 12% to UK5.02, with the weaker earnings outlook clearly leading analyst valuation estimates. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. There are some variant perceptions on Midwich Group, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at UK5.25 and the most bearish at UK4.60 per share. With such a narrow range of valuations, analysts apparently share similar views on what they think the business is worth. Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. We would highlight that Midwich Group's revenue growth is expected to slow, with forecast 1.3% increase next year well below the historical 16% p.a. growth over the last three years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 5.7% per year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that Midwich Group is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants. Story continues The Bottom Line The biggest issue in the new estimates is that analysts have reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds lay ahead for Midwich Group. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. After such a stark change in sentiment from analysts, we'd understand if readers now felt a bit wary of Midwich Group. There might be good reason for analyst bearishness towards Midwich Group, like dilutive stock issuance over the past year. Learn more, and discover the 2 other concerns we've identified, for free on our platform here. Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. 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. Gandhinagar, Sep 10 : A four-member panel has been set up to investigate the fire incident in the ICU for Covid-19 patients at a government-run hospital in Gujarat's Vadodara, it was announced on Wednesday. Vadodara District Magistrate, Shalini Agrawal, set up the probe panel under provisions of the Disaster Management Act. According to the order, the four-member team will visit the hospital, inspect all the details and thereafter submit a detailed report, at the earliest, to the District Magistrate. Headed by Vadodara's Deputy Municipal Commissioner Sudhir Patel, the team comprises Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society Medical College's Dean Varsha Godbole, the college's Associate Professor (Anaesthetic) Neeta Bose and Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Ltd's (MGVCL) Superintending Engineer, Vadodara, B.J. Desai. A fire broke out in the ICU ward 2 on the first floor of the SSG hospital on Tuesday evening, but no one was injured as the 15 patients there, as well as 20 other patients from the adjoining ward, were safely evacuated to the GMERS hospital, Gotri. The fire, which was swiftly doused, is believed to have been caused by a short circuit. COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Core Real Estate Capital ("CREC" or "the firm"), a private commercial real estate investor, today announced it has appointed Thomas Sarko as Chief Compliance Officer. Reporting to Jeff Coopersmith, CEO, Mr. Sarko will be responsible for overseeing the firm's entire compliance program. His primary focus will be on overseeing compliance within the organization, and ensuring compliance with laws, regulatory requirements, policies and procedures. With more than $1 billion of real estate assets under management, CREC specializes in multifamily real estate investments in secondary and tertiary cities throughout the United States. Mr. Sarko has over 20 years of experience as an attorney and compliance professional in the financial services industry. He comes to CREC with extensive experience in the areas of regulatory compliance and risk management for broker dealers and investment advisers. Most recently, he was a compliance manager at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where he primarily supported their institutional sales, U.S. mutual fund and ETF distribution, and global liquidity businesses. Prior to that, he served as an enforcement attorney with a state securities regulator, the Ohio Division of Securities. He also served as a compliance attorney with a third-party mutual fund service provider. Mr. Sarko received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dayton and a law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He is a licensed attorney in Ohio and holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 licenses. In addition, Mr. Sarko is a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve with over 28 years of active and reserve service. "Despite the disruptions of this year, CREC's team, along with our activity, is growing, and it is more important than ever that we expand in a measured, controlled manner with appropriate oversight," said Mr. Coopersmith. "Tom's expertise in all aspects of compliance and regulatory matters will be invaluable in that regard, and we welcome him to our firm." About Core Real Estate Capital Core Real Estate Capital (CREC) is a private commercial real estate investor. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the firm invests through institutional funds and private placements and has more than $1 billion of real estate assets under management. Employing a value-add strategy, the firm specializes in the multifamily and senior housing sectors in secondary and tertiary cities throughout the United States. Since CREC's inception in 2001, it has completed 49 investments across 16 states. For more information, visit www.corerecap.com. Contact: Caroline Luz Lambert & Co. 203-656-2829 [email protected] SOURCE Core Real Estate Capital University of Ghana (UG) is one of the largest tertiary institutions in Ghana. The school makes use of technological tools to better the campus experience of its enrollees. One of such advancements is the UG MIS Web. Image: ug.edu.gh Source: UGC University of Ghana MIS Web portal can be used by students for registration, checking results, making payments, and editing information. With the platform, you do not need to visit the administrative offices to get your academic information or register for units. Procedure on how to download your admission letter using UG MIS Web Once you have confirmed your enrolment status from the admission checker portal, the next step should be downloading your acceptance letter. The document will contain vital information that you will use in your daily campus life. Follow the procedure below to get your provisional enrolment letter: Connect to the internet: You should have a reliable speed to save time and avoid downtimes. Open your browser: Launch your start menu and scroll down until you see your browser. Tap on it so that it can open up. Go to the download site: You should use the official UG application portal address. Provide your login credentials: Use the serial number and PIN on the e-voucher that you purchased during the application phase. Follow prompts: Follow all the on-screen instructions to download your letter. Save it on your local drive and have it printed. How do I activate my UG email? Use the steps below to activate your email: Open your browser: Connect to the internet. Go to your app list and scroll down until you see the app in question. Tap on it and move to the next step. Head to UGMail login page: UGMail can be accessed via Googles Gmail. You should use their official address to access the login page. Enter your email address: If you clicked the above address, the suffix st.ug.gh will be pre-entered for you. Tap Next: This is a blue button below the username field. On pressing it, a new page will be loaded. Enter your temporary password: Once done, tap on the Next button. Image: ug.edu.gh Source: UGC READ ALSO: UDS student portal 2020/2021: login, app, courses, contacts If you entered the correct passcode, you will be redirected to your inbox. The next step is setting up a new password. Use the steps below: Open your Google Account: Use Google account official address. You might need to sign in again using your temporary passcode. Tap Security: You will see this option on the top bar menu next to data and personalization. Select password: You will be asked to verify it by entering the temporary passcode again. Click on Next to proceed with the procedure. Enter a new password: Changing it will sign you out of all the devices you had logged in with. Use a strong password that you have not used on other accounts. How do I reset my UG student email password? If you happen to forget your password, you can reset it easily. Follow the steps below: Go to the recovery page: You should use the official address. Answer all the questions: You will be asked a couple of questions to confirm if you are the real owner of the account. An email will be sent to your recovery address. Retrieve the recovery email: If you cannot access it from your inbox, check it on the spam folder. Choose another password: You should make it as memorable as possible. You can also save it on your browser for easy access. UG MIS Web registration Academic registration should be conducted after the freshmen orientation. Once you have finished the initiation phase, use the steps below: Head to MIS Web homepage: Use the official address. MIS Web student login: Click on the radio button preceding students. Enter your student number and PIN. Image: ug.edu.gh Source: UGC 3. Retrieve your temporary PIN: You will be redirected to a new page. You will be required to enter a password sent to your UGMail address. 4. Enter a new password: You will need to provide the temporary password sent to your inbox followed by a new one. This will complete your first-time login procedure for MIS Web portal. 5. Tap Registration: You will see this option under Student iEnabler on the left side of your screen. Image: ug.edu.gh Source: UGC 6. Select Submit Registration: This will initiate the registration process. 7. Click on Blue letters: These are under your Qualification Code. Once done, choose Register for This Qualification. 8. Next, you need to save the details: Tap on Save and Continue. If you are an undergraduate student, make sure you register for General Course Confirming with the code GCCR101. 9. Save the information: Click on Save and Continue again to view the selected coursed for registration. 10. Accept the actions: You will see the cost of registration. This is the academic facility user fee. Press Accept Registration to complete the process. READ ALSO: University of Ghana admission 2020/2021: Forms and requirements You can download a PDF format to act as a proof of registration by clicking on Printer Friendly Format. At this point, if you are a non-resident, log out and exit. If you spend your nights at the school hostels, proceed to the following online residential registration phase: On your account, tap Residence Registration: This option is under Student iEnabler on the left side of your gadgets screen. Select Submit Residence Registration: This will initiate the process and will open up a new page. Select the year: This will be in blue. After selecting it, a new display will appear prompting you to confirm the university hall and room you reside in. Accept that the information entered is correct: Tap I Accept. You can print a PDF document to act as proof of registration. Once done, report to your hall for further assistance. How do I check my UG results? Use the following steps: Log into your account: Use the official MIS Weblink to head to the login page. Provide your student number and the 5-digit PIN on your admission letter. Go to the student admin area: You will see this option on the left-hand side menu just below "Residence Registration." Follow prompts: Adhere to all the on-screen instructions to access your results for any semester. Image: twitter.com, @UnivofGh Source: UGC University of Ghana fee payments You should note the following before paying your fees: You should only use approved channels. All deposits at any bank should come with a deposit slip. Only cash is accepted for deposit at approved banks. Ensure that your student number and names are quoted clearly. The amount on the receipt given should be correct. No personal cheques are acceptable. Other cheque payments can only be made at the university cash office. The account name on your bank slip should be the University of Ghana. The following are the approved channels for fees payment: Approved banks. Online using MasterCard, Visa Card or MTN and Vodafone Mobile Money. Cheques that can only be presented at the universitys Cash Office. READ ALSO: UCC admission list: check your 2019/2020 admission status Approved banks for fee collection are as follows: 1. Standard Chartered Bank: Account name: University of Ghana Students Account 2. Ecobank Ghana Limited: Account name: University of Ghana School Fees Account 3. Barclays Bank Ghana Limited Account name: University of Ghana Student Fee Collection Account 4. Consolidated Bank Account name: University of Ghana Student Fee Collection Account 5. Republic Bank Ghana Limited Account name: University of Ghana - Fees 6. Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited Account name: University of Ghana Fee Collection Account University of Ghana contacts In case you encounter problems on your registration or payment of fees, you can reach out via the following addresses: Phone number: 0209114001 0209114001 Email: regostrationsupport@st.ug.edu.gh The procedure for UG MIS Web registration, UG email activation, and recovery is that simple. Keep in mind that you cannot undertake academic or residential registration if you have not paid the minimum required fees via the channels mentioned above. READ ALSO: UEW student portal: registration, admission, courses Yen.com.gh shared on 14th May a step-by-step guide on how to use UEW student portal. The portal contains exclusive academic databases that are readily accessible for both prospective and continuing learners. Through the portal, new and continuing learners can now inquire, register, pay fees, and access all vital information concerning their academics. UEW scholars can now achieve their academic goals at the comfort of their homes. READ ALSO: KTU student portal registration: Koforidua Technical University CSUC Student Portal: login, homepage, contacts Source: YEN.com.gh Thanks to all you readers who voiced your dismay, disgust and displeasure when Metrolinx attempted to renege on its promise to provide the land for a community hub in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood, Metrolinx has done an about-face to the about-face. The community hub for Jane-Finch appears to be back on. We have to say appears to be because, you know, anything is possible when politics is involved. But rejoice a little bit. Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster has put his support for the plans on paper, in writing. And public pressure is a significant reason. Star readers from Thunder Bay to Tiny and Tay Township raised such a ruckus that the province, which is responsible for Metrolinx, found it politically unpalatable to stick it to one of the poorer neighbourhoods of the city. So it backed down. There are so many elements to this that it bears unpacking a bit: Communities that are not organized dont stand a chance. Communities need help and know-how (capacity, some call it) to organize themselves in ways that sustain attention and effect specific local outcomes they know they need. The process is long and frustrating. But grassroots support forged from community consultations while labour-intensive and laborious will be the fuel that keeps the project alive when it inevitably butts up against obstacles such as lack of funding. Established and privileged communities have gone through the process more than once and the lessons are there to learn. Allies are essential. But they are the final push, the reserves that provide the last burst of adrenaline when the foot soldiers are beginning to doubt whether victory will ever arrive. And all of the above is great, but nothing trumps a righteous cause one that is so clear and obvious that the community becomes a kind of sympathetic underdog. The Jane-Finch hub and cultural centre has all of the above elements. As city councillor Anthony Perruzza said: We are the classic underdog. People in this area are craving for a symbol something they can point to and say, Thats our place. Finally we got something we can be proud of. For once, it helped that Jane-Finch is recognizable. Remember when residents there pleaded with the media to stop using the street-name intersection as a crime location because it stigmatized their neighbourhood? So everyone knows that this is not a desirable address. They also know that this is a poor community, with serious challenges for housing and employment and education; that COVID strikes here with more deadly force than most parts of the city; that the original planning and design of the place is not award-winning and contributes to the urban decay and challenges; that public infrastructure cant hurt. Maybe, surprisingly, over time, citizens developed a sense of These people need a break. So when they heard the province, through Metrolinx, had reneged on a promise to deliver the community hub and centre for the arts, they unloaded on Queens Park. Now, going back to the first point. Without the building up of community capacity through Green Change and the Community Action Planning Group and the Stakeholders Advisory Group and the workshops and charrettes and consultations, there would not be such a clear consensus on the need. The local folk did the work and did it well. This following response 90 per cent correct, I think came from Star reader Noah, regarding the very dangerous and often used belief that outside pressure brought the changes. The allies across the GTA are appreciated but the advocacy of the Black and local community is enough. The credit should go to the local organizers, the local residents, protests, etc., for pressuring Metrolinx and the local government in reversing their very devious decision earlier. The local advocacy is often not enough unless you are a powerful and privileged and well-positioned community but I get your point, Noah. Between 2017 and 2019, the Jane-Finch locals built the case. And they had city and Metrolinx and provincial backing all along. Then, boom, the whole thing almost blew up in their faces. Metrolinx told them the land was no longer theirs because it could fetch between $7 million and $9 million on the open market. Cue the outrage, deservedly. In a letter dated Aug. 6, Metrolinx boss surrenders: Metrolinx remains 100 per cent committed to ensuring that the community hub can be built on this land, and at no cost for the land. This is a commitment of Metrolinx and myself, in writing, to the Jane & Finch community. We will continue to collaborate with the Community Action Planning Group (CAPG), the City of Toronto, and others in the community to help make the hub a reality. We will also work with the City of Toronto to facilitate the land transfer. There doesnt appear to be any weasel words there. But before declaring total victory, remember this. The Finch West LRT is to open in 2023. Only then would the community hub construction begin. While the land is now promised, again, there is no full funding in place yet for the centre. Allies may be needed again. Royson James is a former Star reporter and a freelance contributing columnist based in Toronto. Reach him via email: royson.james@outlook.com Read more about: Allentown, PA (18103) Today Partly to mostly sunny, brisk, and very cold. Below zero wind chills in the morning. . Tonight Partly cloudy and very cold. Near or below zero wind chills again late at night towards sunrise. SHELTON Police Officer Roger Falcone was fired Friday, according to the police chief, on allegations of misconduct while on duty, ethics and sexual harassment violations and lying in an attempt to cover up his transgressions. Police Chief Shawn Sequeira said Falcones termination resulted from an internal affairs investigation that began weeks ago in connection with the Facebook posting of photos of officers changing their clothes in the department parking lot. Another officer has also been fired and one more awaits his fate, the chief said. Falcone had handed in his weapon when placed on paid administrative leave during the internal affairs investigation. He cleaned out his locker Friday, the chief said. While on duty (Falcone) took indecent photos of another officer in his underwear without the officers knowledge on police grounds and sent that pic via text for (union representative) Michael Lewis to exploit the officer and conspired to create a false narrative and later lied to the investigators that he took the photo off duty, Sequeira said. Lewis called the termination unjust. (Falcone) will be filing a grievance. There is no basis for the charges put on him, Lewis said, speaking on behalf of Falcone. The alleged victim has provided a written statement and given a verbal statement saying he was not harassed, and this was completely ignored by the city. The chief called Falcones behavior reckless and said it proves that he is a liability to the department. This type of degrading and offensive behavior is unacceptable, the chief added. Sequeira said his top priority is to protect the citizens and his employees. It is imperative to ensure a safe business-like work atmosphere for all employees, Sequeira said. That type of behavior will not be tolerated and lying was just cause enough for termination. It is unfortunate but with his past history, combined with this incident, resulted in termination. Falcones termination is the fifth such firing since late July. Police officer Caroline Moretti was fired for allegedly lying and for conduct unbecoming a police officer in connection with photos posted on the police unions Facebook page, which appeared to show officers changing their clothes outside. In all, eight department members were subjects of the internal affairs investigation about the Facebook photos, Sequeira said during an update on the probe given to the Board of Aldermens Public Health and Safety Committee last week. A ruling on Officer Dan Loris is expected soon, Sequeira told Hearst Connecticut Media. But, citing the ongoing investigation, Sequeira declined to comment on the specifics of the case regarding Loris, who remains on paid administrative leave. Brian McPadden, Victoria Chapman and Christopher Robek received written warnings for not using good judgment in changing outside on police grounds, the chief told Hearst. Sequeira also said the trio, whod had clean records up until then, would undergo mandatory ethics training. Officer Michael Curran and John Napoleone, the union president, were also subjects of the probe, but were not disciplined for it. Napoleone, however, was fired earlier this summer for dereliction of duty in an unrelated investigation which also resulted in the terminations of officer Michael McClain and Lt. Dave Moore. READ MORE: Three officers fired for dereliction of duty READ MORE: Internal affairs investigating six Shelton police officers put on leave All of the officers who have been terminated or given written warnings have filed grievances. Lewis, speaking on behalf of the officers, called the discipline without cause. The chief created the issue and they were only disciplined because the chief was embarrassed over the whole issue, Lewis said. In June, the union filed a grievance alleging three female officers were denied use of their headquarters restrooms while the 49 men had access. The police chief then limited use of headquarters locker rooms and bathrooms for both men and women and set up portable toilets for patrol officers in the parking lot. The police chief said his department launched an investigation when photos of the officers changing in the parking lot were posted on Facebook. The images, which blocked out the officers faces, appeared to show male officers changing their pants and female officers in their bras as they changed their shirts allegedly in public. READ MORE: After complaint female officers couldnt use restrooms, Shelton Police set up portables READ MORE: Possible indecent exposure investigation after photos allegedly show police changing outside Falcones termination letter states he was observed, through video surveillance footage, taking photos of another officer in the parking lot changing down to his underwear. Falcone was on duty at the time, the chief stated. The photos were posted on Facebook and, according to the termination letter, the officer photographed stated that Falcone did not have his consent to take his picture and reported that he was upset that he was degraded and exploited on the unions Facebook page. In the letter, the chief said such conduct inherently is unprofessional and creates a hostile environment for the entire workforce. Sequeira said during the ensuing internal affairs investigation, Falcone lied six times about his role in taking and posting the photos. By you not telling the truth it shows me that you dont have the moral and ethical characteristics to be a police officer, Sequeira stated in the letter. The termination letter also notes a 60-day suspension Falcone received in 2014 in connection with a Connecticut On-Line Law Enforcement Communications Teleprocessing (COLLECT) System violation. The COLLECT System provides its users with access to other state systems and files such as Department of Motor Vehicles, Sex Offender Registry, Protective Order Registry and the Department of Corrections. Falcone has a previous history of lying when he ran a motor vehicle plate while off duty that resulted in serious discipline of a 60-day suspension, Sequeira told the Herald. Sequeira said this punishment resulted in a last chance agreement with the city approximately five years ago. The city was grateful and empathetic to give him a second chance, the chief said. brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com ZURICH, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb Limited today announced that Diego Sosa has been named Regional President, Far East. Currently, Chief Operating Officer for Chubb in Brazil, Mr. Sosa in his new role will have overall responsibility for the management and business results of Chubb's general insurance operations in Japan. Mr. Sosa succeeds Brad Bennett who, as previously announced, has been named Chief Operating Officer of Chubb Life. Mr. Sosa will relocate to Tokyo and report to Juan Luis Ortega, Executive Vice President, Chubb Group and President, Overseas General Insurance. The appointment is effective October 1, subject to regulatory approval in Japan. "Our local operations globally a defining Chubb strength benefit from our capacity and commitment to recognize and move talent within the organization. Today's announcement again demonstrates the depth and breadth of experience at Chubb," said Mr. Ortega. "Diego has both strong leadership skills and proven operational experience. He is going to be a valuable addition to our already strong team in Japan, which serves commercial customers with property and casualty insurance products and consumers through personal accident, supplemental health and personal lines products." Mr. Sosa has more than 25 years of experience in insurance and finance, including 13 years at Chubb. As Chief Operating Officer for Chubb in Brazil, his responsibilities included oversight of all product lines, agency and broker distribution as well as claims, operations and information technology. Prior to joining Chubb, he was at QBE, where he held country president roles in Mexico and Ecuador. Mr. Sosa holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador and a Master of Business Administration degree from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. He also holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation. About Chubb With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 33,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com. SOURCE Chubb Limited Related Links http://new.chubb.com As many as 21 employees of the department have so far tested COVID-19 positive. Meanwhile, 6,372 infections have been detected in Chandigarh so far The Department of Education, Chandigarh directed 50 percent of its staff to report to work from Wednesday in its Sector 9 and 19 offices. As many as 21 employees of the department have so far tested COVID-19 positive, according to a report by The Tribune. The official order by Education Secretary Sarpreet Singh Gill stated that after sanitisation of office buildings, office rooms and branches of the Director School and Higher Education shall start functioning with 50 percent staff from 9 September. The Director School and Higher Education offices are situated in the Additional Deluxe Building, Sector 9, the District Education Officers office at Sector 19 and RUSA office at Sector 42 have been asked to open from today. Gill, who took charge recently, stated that instructions have been issued and offices have been sanitised, a report by The Times of India said. He said that staff members have been asked to get themselves tested for COVID-19 before reporting to work. "We will take all the necessary precautions," Gill was quoted as saying. The order by the education department also stated that staff members who might be feeling unwell, should not attend offices. Also, officials who were in close contact with those who tested COVID-19 positive have been advised to undergo tests. Chandigarh has so far reported 6,372 positive cases of coronavirus. The Union Territory has 2,344 active cases. The deadly virus has claimed the lives of 75 people. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Wednesday marks the first day of classes for Catholic elementary school students across Staten Island -- and this school year will certainly be different due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Students across the borough will return to school buildings on Wednesday for the first time since March, when buildings were shuttered to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Archdiocese of New York unveiled a framework of plans to return students to Catholic elementary schools during the pandemic on an alternating, staggered schedule -- blending in-person and remote learning. However, most school buildings cant accommodate all students while social distancing for a full five days every week. Students will attend school two or three days a week on an alternating schedule, with plans created by principals. Parents could also choose full-time remote learning for their child. All students in Catholic elementary schools overseen by the Archdiocese of New York -- in grades kindergarten through eighth grade -- will receive five days of classroom instruction with live streaming of lessons to provide synchronous learning to both in-person and remote students. The instruction will be delivered in-person or remotely through the video conferencing platform Zoom. Classrooms will be equipped with the technology necessary to provide live sessions via Zoom, so that all students will experience the same class simultaneously. Early morning drop-off and after-school programs wont be available until a later date. The Archdiocese of New York Superintendent of Schools released the 2020-2021 school calendar for Catholic elementary school students on Staten Island. It is a general, system-wide calendar, so be sure to check your schools calendar for all school-specific dates. For those students entering eighth grade, the Test for Admission to Catholic High Schools (TACHS) will be given remotely on Friday, Nov. 6. You can go here for key dates during the 2020-2021 school year. Related stories: What will reopening look like in largest U.S. school districts? 2020-2021 school year: 26% of NYC families choose full-time remote learning Coronavirus: Reopening plans for Staten Island charter schools 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 FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Chicago Though it's the third largest city in the country and frigid in winter Chicago has a strong outdoor affinity that's evident in the 200 miles of biking lanes that web the city. A civic cycling plan calls for those to more than triple to 645 miles. While many of these are commuting lanes that share the roads with cars, there are also plenty of car-free paths. Among the most popular is the Lakefront Trail, a paved route with dedicated lanes for cyclists as well as pedestrians (who have the right of way, remember). You can spin though nearly 20 miles of waterfront parkland, catching stunning views of Lake Michigan and Chicago's famous skyline, alongside rollerbladers, walkers and runners. The path is often busy on the North Side, so Ted Villaire, the author of Best Bike Rides Chicago, suggests riding south of downtown for a quieter, less congested ride." For a less urban option, try the North Branch Trail System, a 20-mile route that follows the North Branch of the Chicago River, winding up at the Chicago Botanic Garden in suburban Glencoe. The Convalescent Plasma (CP) therapy didn't help in reducing death due to the coronavirus, the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) revealed in a study. The apex medical research has made these revelations to investigate the effectiveness of plasma therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 after conducting a study in 39 hospitals across India. For this, the researchers did an open-label, parallel-arm, phase II, multicentre, and randomized controlled trial from April 22 to July 14 this year. The trial was registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) for the purpose, it said. A total of 1,210 patients (moderately ill confirmed COVID-19) admitted across 39 trial sites were screened. Of these, 29 were teaching public hospitals and 10 were private hospitals spread across 14 states and Union Territories representing 25 cities. The study was conducted on 464 participants who were hospitalized and moderately ill confirmed COVID-19 patients, and these 464 patients were randomly enrolled. Out of which, about 235 participants were put in the intervention arm while 229 subjects were in the control arm. According to the study, participants were randomized to either control or intervention arm. Two doses of 200 ml CP was transfused 24 hours apart in the intervention arm. "Composite primary outcome was achieved in 44 (18.7 per cent) participants in the intervention arm and 41 (17.9 per cent) in the control arm. Mortality was documented in 34 (13.6 per cent) and 31 (14.6 per cent) participants in intervention and control arm, respectively," study mentioned. "Convalescent Plasma was not associated with a reduction in mortality or progression to severe COVID-19. This trial has high generalizability and approximates real-life setting of convalescent plasma therapy in settings with limited laboratory capacity. A priori measurement of neutralizing antibody titres in donors and participants may further clarify the role of CP in the management of COVID-19," concluded the findings of the study. Advertisement Pope Francis today removed his mask and reached out to touch the faithful, both young and old, at a 'limited' public audience at the Vatican. The 83-year-old, who resumed his Wednesday General Audience's last week, told the packed San Damaso courtyard that the coronavirus would be defeated by God's love. The pontiff removed his mask when he stepped out of his car, he smiled and chatted, shook hands and touched the foreheads of congregants who scrummed at the barriers. 'The Christian response to the pandemic and to the consequent socio-economic crisis is based on love,' Francis told the masses as he reflected on 'Healing the World' in his sermon. Pope Francis blesses a child as he arrives at the San Damaso courtyard for the weekly general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday The Pope removed his mask when he stepped out of his old Ford Focus and only put it back on again when he got back into the car to leave the ceremony Pope Francis greets babies at the San Damaso courtyard for the weekly general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday A boy reaches out to shake hands with the pontiff as many others crowd at the barrier to meet him The Argentine beams at the congregants assembled in San Damaso courtyard on Wednesday Pope Francis playfully dons a hat given to him by a worshipper at the San Damaso courtyard this morning The Pope said we could emerge from the coronavirus improved by it 'if we all seek the common good together.' But he referred to 'partisan interests emerging' which showed that some just wanted to selfishly take advantage of the crisis, Vatican News reported. 'Unfortunately, we are witnessing the emergence of partisan interests. For example, there are those who want to appropriate possible solutions for themselves, such as (developing) vaccines and then selling them to others,' he said. 'Some are taking advantage of the situation to foment divisions, to create economic or political advantages, to start or intensify conflict.' As a consequence, the Argentine said it was incumbent upon Christians to love their enemies, a difficult task, but an 'art that can be learned and improved.' 'A virus that does not recognise barriers, borders, or cultural or political distinctions must be faced with a love without barriers, borders or distinction,' the Pope said. With God's help, Francis told his flock, 'we can heal the world,' if we all strive alongside each other 'for the common good.' 'Thus, through our gestures, even the most humble ones, something of the image of God that we bear with us will be made visible, because God is the Trinity of Love.' The Pope said. He likened those who did not help others in need during the global pandemic to 'devotees of Pontius Pilate' who 'simply wash their hands of it'. Pontius Pilate was the ancient Roman official who ordered Jesus's crucifixion but didn't take responsibility for it. The Pope pens a note to newlyweds who traditionally turn up to the audience to receive his blessing The faithful smile rapturously with their masks around their chins as the Pope approaches the barrier The Pope was all smiles as he waved and smiled at the people just feet away from him The Pope gets out of his Ford Focus at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican on Wednesday A member of the crowd holds a rainbow flag as the faithful crowd at the barrier to meet the famously liberal pontiff The Pope doffs his cap to the gathered faithful who take pictures on their phones on Wednesday A boy sitting on a man's shoulders meets with the Pope on Wednesday A photographer looks on as a general view shows the San Damaso courtyard as Pope Francis holds a limited public audience in The Vatican on September 9, 2020 Congregants reach out to the Pope with cards and crucifixes for him to bless as he arrives at the San Damaso courtyard on Wednesday 'The coronavirus is showing us that each person's true good is a common good and, vice versa, the common good is a true good for the person,' he said. 'Health, in addition to being an individual good, is also a public good. A healthy society is one that takes care of everyone's health.' The Pope's weekly audience resumed last week, the first since March. Visitors had their temperatures checked as they entered the Vatican and nearly everyone among the audience of 500 or so wore masks. The public sat in seats arranged to ensure social distancing. It is not clear if temperatures were check today as they were last week, byt , but photos showed that masks were not used by all although there was a socially-distanced seating plan, they crowded close together to meet the pontiff. The Pope could be seen putting his mask back on after getting back in the car to leave the ceremony The Swiss Guards and other clerics could be seen without their masks on today as the Pope delivered his sermon The Pope gestures to the masses at his general audience on Wednesday The Pope clasps his hands together as he blesses those gathered in the square on Wednesday Nuns wearing masks speak with each other ahead of the Pope's sermon on Wednesday BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Lithuania's producer prices continued to decline in August, figures from Statistics Lithuania showed on Wednesday. The producer price index decreased 8.7 percent year-on-year in August, following a 9.8 percent decrease in July. Excluding refined petroleum products, producer prices fell 2.8 percent annually in August, following a 3.2 percent decline in the preceding month. Producer prices for products sold on the Lithuanian market decreased by 6.7 percent annually in August. Prices for products sold on the foreign market fell by 10.0 percent from a year ago. On a month-on-month basis, producer prices remained unchanged in August, after a 2.2 percent rise in the prior month. Separate data from the statistical office showed that the trade deficit decreased to EUR 170.9 million in July from EUR 390.5 million in the same month last year. In June, the trade deficit was EUR 66.1 million. Exports fell 5.9 percent yearly in July, following a 7.3 percent decline in June. Imports declined 12.7 percent in July, following a 9.4 percent decrease in the previous month. 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. Chief Minister condemned the demolition of a portion of Kangana Ranaut's Mumbai bungalow by the civic body Wednesday, saying she "is a daughter" of the state and she should get a "proper atmosphere" to work in her field. Speaking on a point of order raised by Independent MLA from Dehra, Hoshyar Singh, in the assembly, the chief minister said the demolition at Ranaut's office is a matter of concern. A notice had been served to the Bollywood actor but the demolition happened without completing the process, Thakur said. "We condemn this move." The Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished "illegal alterations" at the Bandra bungalow of the 33-year-old actor, a civic official said in Mumbai. Ranaut, who reached Mumbai after the demolition process began, has alleged the Maharashtra government was targeting her because of her fight with the Shiv Sena after she likened Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and said she feared Mumbai police more than the movie mafia following the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. On Tuesday, the Shiv Sena government said Mumbai police will probe allegations that Ranaut took drugs. She has also spoken about drug abuse by a section of the film industry. On Wednesday, the chief minister said his government has provided security at Ranaut's Manali residence and 11 CRPF commandos would accompany her wherever she would go in the country as part of the Y-plus security provided by the Centre. will do its best to ensure her security, Thakur added. "Kangana is a daughter of Himachal Pradesh and she has brought laurels not only to the state but to the entire country," he said in the assembly, adding she should get proper atmosphere to work in her field. At this, Congress legislator Ram Lal Thakur said the matter of her office is sub-judice, so making any comment in the assembly on it is not proper. The Naina Deviji MLA said as far as the privilege motion moved against Ranaut in the Maharashtra Assembly is concerned, it is not appropriate to discuss the motion in Himachal Assembly. "We should consider legal aspects," he added. Thakur said he has not commented on the privilege motion or the court proceeding. Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihtori said he agreed that Ranaut should be provided security but "we cannot intervene in the privilege motion moved in Maharashtra Assembly as stated by Ram Lal Thakur". Sarkaghat BJP MLA Inder Singh said Ranaut's native village is in his assembly segment. "Her father is a family friend and she is from my constituency," he said adding he was worried about her. Education Minister and Manali MLA Govind Singh Thakur said Ranaut also has a house in his constituency. "She keeps on speaking against the wrong things. She also spoke regarding Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput and the drug mafia," he said, thanking the chief minister for providing her security. On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court stayed the demolition process underway at Ranaut's bungalow and sought to know how the civic body entered the property when the owner was not present. The court posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. (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.) Warrenton, VA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/09/2020 -- Appy Pie Connect, a leading workflow automation software, helps users connect their discord with more than 150 apps without any coding. This automation platform also offers some popular 'Connects' which have been designed considering specific triggers and actions that help users to set up the integration is just a few clicks. Appy Pie Connect has been used by thousands of gamers to enhance their gaming experience. With Appy Pie Connect, users can effectively and efficiently manage their Discord account with actions ranging from automatically sharing new tweets to discord channel to adding them to a Google sheet. Users can integrate Discord with several apps including Salesforce, Slack, Zoom, Github, Dropbox, Asana, Airtable, Mailchimp, Pipedrive, Shopify, Zendesk, Trello, Todoist, Trello, and many more. Using Appy Pie Connect, users can create workflow automation, called "Connect," and users can set up Triggers and Actions. These Connects can help users automate repetitive tasks saving users the trouble of doing them manually. Users can set up Action (like "Create Role") to occur in one app when a Trigger (like "New Message in #Channel") happens in one app. Abhinav Girdhar, Founder and CEO Appy Pie, said, "To make your gaming experience more social, competitive and more fun, Appy Pie Connect helps gamers to integrate their Discord with a variety of other apps. You can also create Task, add Discord users, or automate any task in the hundreds of other apps supported on Appy Pie Connect. Using Appy Pie connect, you can enhance your Discord community connecting with the tools you're already familiar with." As more and more are faced by businesses, workflow automation will become commonplace in the future. A software like Appy Pie Connect help takes off the workload from business teams letting them focus on more pressing tasks and challenges. Appy Pie also provides support platforms to your teams such as Appy Pie Desk, Appy Pie Knowledge, and Appy Pie Live Chat. The organization provides a 24x7 dedicated support line to app makers in a variety of languages including Arabic, French, Portuguese, German, and many more. About Appy Pie Appy Pie, a Trademark of Appy Pie LLP, is the unrivaled leader in the no-code applications market. Appy Pie helps SMBs, enterprise companies, and organizations transform their ideas into reality, without any technical or coding knowledge. With products like App Builder, Website Builder, Chatbot Builder, Live Chat, Workflow Builder, any size business or organization can create, connect and deploy applications & technologies to change how they fundamentally work and increase productivity with easy to use no-code business solutions. Appy Pie has headquarters in Warrenton, Virginia, and Noida, India. They serve customers in over 150 countries. For more information, please visit: https://www.appypie.com Media Contact Abhinav Girdhar sales@appypie.com +1 888 322 7617 Advertisement One of the boats that sank during a rally for President Donald Trump in Lake Travis has been recovered and brought to the surface. Five boats sank in the reservoir on the Colorado River in Texas on Saturday during a Trump boat parade held on choppy waters. The Travis County Sheriff's Office said it responded to 'many boats in distress' at the lake 20 miles northwest of Austin but no one was injured at the flotilla. On Monday, the first of the small boats which had been sat at the bottom of the lake was recovered by scuba divers, as efforts continue to locate the other four. One of the five boats that sank in the reservoir in Lake Travis, Texas, on Saturday during a a Trump boat parade has been recovered The Travis County Sheriff's Office said it responded to 'many boats in distress' at at the lake located 20 miles northwest of Austin One of the rescuers, scuba diver Robert Weiss, says the sunken vessel 'got caught up in the waves that were in excess of what their boat can handle' Robert Weiss and Brian Waddell helped recover the boat using sonar and a resident who saw where the boat had sunk. They used two large life bags clipped under the vessel sporting Trump 2020 flags to hoist the boat out of the water. The boat's owner said he plans to refurbish it and put it back together, but Mr Weiss said the boat should not have been on the lake in the first place. Lake Travis Scuba owner Mr Weiss told KVUE: 'They got caught up in the waves that were in excess of what their boat can handle. Hundreds of boats turned out for a massive flotilla in support of the president on Lake Travis, on the western edge of Austin Several boats capsized in the huge wakes from hundreds of boats in the Trump Boat Parade in Texas. The Travis County Sheriff's department said it received multiple calls of boats sinking, but no injuries have been reported 'The boat had fuel starting to bubble out of the engine, so that can get pretty bad. You don't want that happening. 'I think the biggest lesson to take away from this was the proper size boat and putting the proper number of passengers on and not overloading your boat, and being aware of the ability of your boat in the conditions that you're in.' Lake Travis, a reservoir on the Colorado River, is known for its hazardous sailing conditions at times and has been the site of dozens of boating accidents over the years. A total of 29 boating deaths were reported on the 65-mile long lake in 2018, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife. Boats flying flags honoring President Donald Trump crowd Lake Travis during a boat parade Saturday that attracted hundreds of watercraft of all sizes The boat parade in Texas was one of many over the Labor Day Weekend, with thousands of Trump supporters taking to the waves, including outside the President's residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida (pictured) Labor Day is traditionally a big weekend for boating in the US, and this year's comes just two months before the highly polarized presidential election in November The parade, which began at 11.30am, was one of many across the country during Labor Day Weekend. At least nine cities across the country hosted Great American Boat Parade events. In Florida, MAGA supporters congregated off the shore of President Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago. Donald Trump Jr joined in with the parade, according to reports, as the Sunshine State hosted events in support of the current Commander-in-Chief. Donald Trump Jr joined in with the parade in West Palm Beach, according to reports, as the Sunshine State hosted events in support of the current Commander-in-Chief On Sunday, a Trump parade in Wisconsin resulted in a boat capsizing amid five-foot waves. Supporters gathered on the St. Croix River but the huge water traffic caused tricky conditions. Keith Smith, who lives on the river in River Falls, Wisconsin, told WCCO: 'The river was flooded with boats. Big boats, small boats, all kinds of boats. 'The waves were probably four to five footers pounding my boat into the dock.' At least nine cities across the United States held Trump Boat Parades on Sunday to draw up support for the current Commander-in-Chief ahead of the presidential election in November The majority of vessels pictured in Great American Boat Parade events were decked out in Trump 2020 flags, controversial Confederate flag and a swarm of American flags Revellers wearing skimpy bikinis and swimming shorts partied on their boat near the President's Florida home The rope which had been holding his docked boat in place snapped, and he had to fight for an hour and a half to stop it from sinking. One of his neighbours did lose their boat during the parade. Mr Smith said: 'There was so much wake from the boats that it actually lifted my dock up three or four feet, and the waves came underneath my floating dock. The waves overwhelmed the boat.' He added that he was not angry with the parade but wished the boaters had helped him out when they saw him struggling. Labor Day is traditionally a big weekend for boating in the US, and this year's comes just two months before the highly polarized presidential election in November. Workday CEO and Cofounder Aneel Bhusri - On the 359th spot is Bhusri with a net worth of USD 2.3 billion. Bhusri is CEO of business software firm Workday, which he co-founded with Dave Duffield, the founder of PeopleSoft. Bhusri started his career in the early 1990s at business software firm PeopleSoft, where he rose to become vice-chairman. Bhusri has been on the Forbes Midas List six times since 2008 and in May 2018, Bhusri joined the Giving Pledge, a commitment by the worlds wealthiest people to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy, Forbes said. The mass closure of bars, pubs and restaurants hit tonic sales at mixer maker Fever-Tree, despite rising demand for cocktails at home. Revenues fell by 11 per cent to 104.2million but it raised its interim dividend by 4 per cent to 5.41p a share. Fever-Tree shares rose 1.3 per cent, or 27p, to 2147p. Revenues at Fever-Tree, led by chief executive Tim Warrilow, fell by 11 per cent to 104.2million but it raised its interim dividend by 4 per cent to 5.41p a share The company, led by chief executive Tim Warrilow, said bar, restaurant and pub sales dived 61 per cent in the lockdown. As it focused on the off-trade market, which covers supermarkets and other stores, sales rose 24 per cent in the first half in the UK as people drank at home. Spirit sales were strong and it is 'optimistic that lockdown has been a further catalyst to the long-term trend towards long mixed drinks'. Fever-Tree expects a 'very gradual recovery' in sales from bars and restaurants as restrictions ease. Russia has protested to Germany about "unfounded accusations over the alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny Russia's foreign ministry on Wednesday said it had protested strongly to Berlin's envoy in Moscow over allegations made by Germany about the illness and hospitalisation of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. In a statement, the foreign ministry said it had protested against what it said was Berlin's "obvious use of the situation as a means to discredit our country on the international stage." According to RIA news agency, the German ambassador to Moscow Geza Andreas von Geyr, arrived at Russia's foreign ministry on Wednesday after being summoned over statements made by Berlin concerning Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny following his suspected poisoning last month. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier said that Berlin was showing a totally unacceptable attitude towards Moscows legitimate demands and requests regarding the Navalny situation, TASS news agency reported. Navalny, 44, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, was airlifted to Germany last month after collapsing on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow. Germany has concluded he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. Search Keywords: Short link: Dove, the biggest chocolate brand of Mars in China has launched a major brand campaign to reinvigorate the brand and redefine the role of pleasure for a new generation of consumers. Conceptualized and created by a coalition of brand, media, communications and specialist agencies, led by BBDO Greater China and 180 Beijing, together with MediaCom, Edelman and Kongming, the campaign Put Pleasure First is based on the insight that people tend to deprioritize what they love to do, in face of what they need to do. This is especially true when navigating the unprecedented global pandemic and new ways of life which have made this year a challenging one for all, where we often feel pressured to delay or cancel occasions and treats that we find pleasure in, to give way to a seemingly more important agenda. Mars understands that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today, and as part of this philosophy, is dedicated to supporting the communities in China, to fill the world with more happy people with that freedom to pursue pleasure in life. Dove believes the pursuit of pleasure begins with saying yes to living life fully with no regrets, and aims to celebrate people who put pleasure first. To help deliver better moments that make the world smile, we want to encourage everyone to pursue what they love despite challenges or stereotypes especially in times of uncertainties through the Dove Reborn campaign Clarence Mak, President, Mars Wrigley, China. The new brand campaign breaks conventions of how brand communications are delivered by focusing on creating a holistic brand experience across different-platforms, driven by data-led understanding of the behavior of new generations. At the core of this experiential experience is a 10-minute short film, The Endless Fun Fair starring Zhou Dongyu and Liu Yijun, directed by rising star female film director Yang Mingming. The creation of the film was entirely crowd-sourced, firstly through a Douyin challenge, where people across the country could participate to win the chance to be featured in the film by simply showing their own user-generated content of pleasure. Secondly, it was produced by an all-female crew consisting of outstanding female film professionals recruited from an open challenge on Xinpianchang Studios. Because who can better exemplify the spirit of putting pleasure first, despite challenge and stereotypes, than women in the film industry thats dominated by men? The story follows the final opening day of an amusement park that is about to be shut down - a metaphor for the situation the whole world finds itself in due to COVID-19. The last remaining employee is an optimistic girl who sees pleasure no matter what, but on this sad day, she meets a depressed stranger who she eventually discovers is the park owner. Her attitude of putting her own pleasure first rubs off on him, and he begins to see the world in a new positive light. The approach to this short film, as first and foremost a cinematic content project, is set apart from the sea of brand micro-movies that are seen in the market today. Equally innovative and pioneering, the mass premiere of the film was live-streamed on Tmall, where consumers could watch the film, access exclusive content on Zhou Dongyu and the crews thoughts from the filming journey, and directly purchase the limited edition Dove Donut Chocolate that was featured in the film. The launch coincided with the official launch of Doves Super Brand Day on Tmall. Consumers can also enjoy the film on the first ever Mobile Cinema, which is a brand-new film experience for modern and mobile savvy consumers. On social media, a Behind-the-Scenes documentary was released, chronicling the making of this unique crowd-sourced all-female crew film; On Douyin, we encouraged consumers to showcase their pleasure moments; On Bilibili, we created the first ever virtual character Dove Girl. By communicating to GenZ in ways they love, we invited them to join the pleasure story and create content of their own specialty. After all, Dove is committed to encouraging everyone to do the things they love. Such a multi-platform integrated brand experience was made possible by the close working of the agency coalition with BBDO developing the strategy and creative concept, 180 Beijing on creative concept and digital & social planning, creative and execution, MediaCom on media strategy & execution, Edelman on event concept & execution and PR communication, and Kongming developing eCommerce activations & collaborations. This cross-agency, cross-network team worked seamlessly to break new ground on Mars campaigns both in scale and ambition and successfully refresh the image of Dove among the Chinese consumers. (Quotes from clients and agency partners) From the very beginning the ambition of this idea was to be breakthrough, not only in terms of the messaging but also in terms of how consumers will engage, encounter and be inspired by it. The experience truly spans across the platforms our customers live on, but centers around in a piece of film that more than an advertisement, sparks conversation and has a positive impact on society. Arthur Tsang, Chief Creative Officer, BBDO China "We are honored to be a part of this great work. We believe that a good idea can express the same conviction through various media vehicles. In this campaign, we leverage Top 4 social media platforms to engage with young people and call on them to join the campaign. By arousing the young generation to pursue, show and share pleasure to the rest of the world, Dove put pleasure first becomes the power. Howard Mok, Chief Creative Officer, 180 Beijing We are very proud to participate in this inspiring and category redefining project which intends to propel women to put their pleasure first and pursue what they truly love. This project is one of the most supreme moments of our longstanding partnership with MARS. We are delighted to share our expertise in driving industry leading collaboration between content and media to deliver the holistic movie experience to millions of Chinese audiences empowered by intelligent media data and insights Rupert McPetrie, CEO Mediacom China Its our pleasure to be part of this evolutional Dove Reborn campaign. As the biggest PR firm globally, we have always been committed to helping brands generate positive communication with consumers to drive positive social development and evolution. So was this campaign. We worked with worldwide famous movie star Dongyu Zhou to promote the concept of " Put Pleasure First" and Dove's new products through an innovative online launch, giving everyone tips on how to lead a pleasurable life and planting the seeds of " Put Pleasure First" in everyone's heart. said the SVP of Edelman Brand Marketing, Ms. Cathy Yue. We are very proud to be a part of the team and excited to bring this new and wonderful experience to consumers. As a bridge between the brand, Tmall and the consumers, we had the great opportunity to work with both the brand and Tmall to create these unique product stories. We believe the campaign showcases a unique way of integrating brand story with a consumer centric product experience. Shanshan He, Business Director, KONGMING. Our limited-edition Dove Donut Chocolate was developed with agility and quick go-to-market ability in mind. By utilizing the trends and consumer insights of the TMALL Super Brand Day team and the product development capabilities of Mars Wrigleys Pilot Scale Plant and C2M2C Model, we were able to successfully turn brand story-telling into business performance. Maise Huang, Demand Reinvention Officer, Mars Wrigley, China. MONTREAL - Transcontinental Inc. had a $48.3 million net profit in its fiscal third quarter, as cost cutting and a COVID-related wage subsidy offset a 19.4 per cent drop in revenue for the printing and packaging company. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A TC Transcontinental sign is pictured at the company's annual general meeting in Montreal on March 11, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes MONTREAL - Transcontinental Inc. had a $48.3 million net profit in its fiscal third quarter, as cost cutting and a COVID-related wage subsidy offset a 19.4 per cent drop in revenue for the printing and packaging company. Revenue for the three months ended July 26 was $587.4 million, down from $728.9 million in last year's third quarter. Most of the revenue decline was in Transcontinental's printing segment, which services newspaper and flyer producers that were significantly affected by a decline in advertising due to the pandemic. Transcontinental chief executive Francois Olivier said it was asked by government and medical authorities to shut down a bit more than half of its printing operations as part of early COVID containment efforts. "Since then, it's a slow recovery," Olivier said in a phone interview. "As the economy is reopening slowly and gradually we're actually coming back." Transcontinental said the gradual recovery in printing volume enabled the company to recall close to 60 per cent of the employees who were temporarily laid off at the end of March. The company said it expects its fourth quarter will include less from a federal program to help employers through the pandemic. Transcontinental received $35.9 million from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy in its third quarter and $44 million in total since the federal program was created in the company's fiscal second quarter. The COVID pandemic was less of a problem for Transcontinental's packaging segment, which began in 2014, because much of its business is for food processors who supply retailers that saw shoppers increase purchases during lockdowns. "We've been growing and meeting the objectives that we put in our (long-term) plan and this year's plan," Olivier said. "I'm pretty happy about the results of flexible packaging so far." The packaging segment generated $348.7 million in revenue in the quarter, compared with $223.8 million from printing sector and $14.9 million from other sources, including books. A year earlier, revenue was more evenly split between packaging ($395 million) and printing ($310.5 million), with about $23.4 million in other revenue. Olivier said Transcontinental expects that packaging will eventually account for at least 70 per cent of total revenue over time but printing will remain a significant business. "People look at print, holistically, as a declining medium. But, actually, about 25 per cent of our portfolio right now is growing," Olivier said. He said that growth is coming from in-store marketing materials and content creation for retailers as well as from book printing and publishing. "Obviously, the growth engine will be packaging and it will move from 50 to 60 to 70 per cent (of annual revenues)," Olivier said. "But print will probably decrease at a much slower pace than people might anticipate and it will generate a significant amount of cash flow for the company over the next five years." Transcontinental's net earnings attributable to shareholders was 56 cents per share during the third quarter, up from $3.4 million or four cents per share a year earlier. Adjusted net earnings rose to 78 cents per share, from 60 cents per share beating analyst estimates. Analysts had estimated 45 cents per share of adjusted earnings and nearly $593 million of revenue, according to financial data firm Refinitiv. By David Paddon in Toronto . Companies in this story: (TSX:TCL.A, TSX:TCL.B) The government of Colombia has chosen Speedcast International for a project to provide high-speed internet to 250 sites across rural Colombia. The initiative will provide Colombians from Guajira to Amazonas with near-instant internet access, even in regions where fibre, cable and LTE services are unavailable. The 18-month project was inaugurated on August 22 by Colombias President, Ivan Duque Marquez, and the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications (MinTIC), Minister Karen Abundin. Minister Abundin activated a Rural Digital Zone that will benefit more than 770 inhabitants of Santa Cruz del Islote, Bolivar, considered the most densely populated island in the world. During the inauguration event, Minister Abundin said: "We are in tune with the communication needs of each of the regions of our country. For this reason, the ICT Ministry will continue taking connectivity projects to remote and difficult-to-access territories such as Santa Cruz del Islote. We will continue working 24/7 to bring the benefits of connectivity to all Colombians." Ricardo Egas, Country Manager of Speedcast Colombia, added: "In the absence of fibre and cable, satellite broadband is key to effectively delivering much-needed connectivity to the most remote areas of Colombia. With our expertise and network of trusted partners, we are committed to enriching the country's digital economy and look forward to seeing its full potential met over the next year-and-a-half." Speedcast has been delivering critical VSAT services for more than twenty years. The partnership with Hughes Network Systems will provide seamless and reliable coverage at each of the 250 sites, leveraging Hughes' Ka-band High Throughput Satellite (HTS) coverage to power 162 Community Wi-Fi hotspots, while the remaining 88 sites will leverage Ku-band connectivity. Following the contract award to local government organization EMTEL by MinTIC and Communications Colombia, the project was awarded to Speedcast by its customer UT Wi-Fi Rural Colombia (a joint venture between SDT Ingenieria and Dinatel). The solution leverages Speedcasts Ku-band network and Hughes' Ka-band JUPITER 2 and Hughes 63 West satellites, with both parties supporting UT Wi-Fi Rural Colombia in installing the hotspots. For a feat, a U.S. self-propelled howitzer was able to shoot down a cruise missile with an artillery shell that goes Mach-5 for the first time. This application of old-style artillery as a missile buster gives a cost-effective solution for base protection. This opens a scenario of air force bases (AFBs) bristling all over Western Pacific bases whose job is to take out incoming missiles. It allows aircraft to take off and land onto AFBs without getting shot down. The location of the test is the White Sands missile range in New Mexico last Wednesday. Used for live firing is an M-109A6 Paladin tracked howitzer that shot a 155-millimeter hypervelocity shell at a target drone. The target was hit, and it is a successful test of the artillery piece, reported Forbes. According to Will Roper, a scientist for the U.S. Air Force, it is described like playing a video game. Unbelievable. This system uses projectiles for air defense in a two-day trial of a system the Air Force is placing under development. It is called the Advanced Battle Management System, which is a kind of AI that makes use of sources like satellites, F-35s, F-22s, ground radar arrays, and blimps that paint targets electronically. It will be part of the digital battlefield that will identify who is a friend or not. The data will give targets to all available units from what is available resource. All the commander needs to do is pick from a menu, choosing what weapon can knock it out. Also read: Japan Tells US About Taking Defensive Posture With Destroyers to Stop Missiles ABMS is everything that the USAF wants and is betting on giving up command planes to get money to pay for the system. But the stumbling block is congress that is not inclined to fork out the money to develop the system, though USAF has all faith in its success. It just killed a missile, something that China will be sending in droves. Unfortunately, the U.S. has not been developing its artillery systems for years. Only of late has the Army been improving all its artillery and rocket launchers. Improved artillery will be used in a land war with Russia, and for it to be used in island hopping if China becomes warlike. Howitzers taking out Chinese ICBMs, ASBMs this might be the best option yet and strike China in the jugular. The CCP has insurance of 1,300 rockets and cruise missiles that has America in its crosshairs, ready to rumble on American bases in the pacific. AFBs in Okinawa will target because China cannot compete with U.S. air superiority. American air wings on carrier strike groups can hammer Chinese bases. In Okinawa, there is Patriot air to air missiles and the THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area-Defense) with a longer range in Guam. Both Patriot and THAAD will kill Chinese ICBMS and ASBMs, Patriot will attack lows speed and low altitude cruise missiles. One problem is how much can be spent for every missile and rocket needed by the army. Another is can every single one of China's can be matched, which is another concern. Consider the BAE Systems' super-aerodynamic, precision-guided hypervelocity projectile that has a range of 100 miles. This is better than a THAAD or patriot and it will cost tax-payers less, at a price of $86.000. BAE claims that a howitzer firing it can take out an ICBM but that's another set of tests. Related article: Japanese Subs Will Blunt Chinese Excursions in Japanese Waters @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Natural News) In an interview, Attorney General William Barr said that members of the radical leftist organization Antifa were being flown all around the country in order to committ crimes and to participate in riots. I have talked to every police chief in every city where there has been major violence, said Barr, and they all have identified Antifa as the ramrod for the violence. They are flying around the country. We know people who are flying around the country. We know where theyre going. Barr said that his department was following a number of Antifa militants who were purchasing weapons before riots occurred. He also emphasized that crossing state lines in order to instigate or participate in a riot is illegal and is considered a federal offense. (Related: Defending yourself against BLM and Antifa terrorism makes you a villain, according to the mainstream media.) Barr noted that many of the rioters arrested have self-identified as members of the nationwide Antifa network, while many more have refused to specify whether or not they were a member of the domestic terrorist organization. Antifa members have been arrested in places like Green Bay, Wisconsin, Portland, Oregon and even in Washington, D.C., the latter of which was information revealed by President Donald Trump himself. In a Fox News interview, Trump said that his administration is currently investigating alleged Antifa thugs who boarded and filled a plane in order to attend the Republican National Convention and cause damage to it. When Barr was asked if the FBI was investigating the situation, he said he has already received multiple reports regarding the issue, and that they are trying to follow up on these as well as other reports of Antifa militants coming from other cities where the organization has had a lot of riot experience, such as Portland and Seattle. Violent Antifa militants traveled to Kenosha In a previous interview, Barr stated that Antifa-affiliated militants coming from outside of Wisconsin were traveling to Kenosha in order to further destabilize the already tense civil unrest in the area. Barr alleged that these militants planned to attack law enforcement officers. Barr said that, before the Kenosha riots began, federal agents stationed in Chicago picked up information that strongly suggested that Antifa members from the city, as well as from Washington and California, were traveling to Kenosha. This information is backed up by local law enforcement. David Beth, sheriff of Kenosha County said that, since the rioting in the county began, more than 200 people have been arrested, over half of whom came from outside of Kenosha. Furthermore, Beth said that outside agitators have been using social media in order to sow discord in the community. Churches and businesses alike have been receiving calls and messages intended to threaten them and to spread misinformation. I want the people of Kenosha to know theres a huge amount of resources here to protect you, said Beth, assuring the countys residents that their safety and their property is the number one priority of the sheriffs office. According to Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, Barrs Department of Justice was currently targeting and investigating the heads of several organizations responsible for organizing demonstrations and violent riots, as well as the people who were supporting these groups financially in order to facilitate their movement across the country. What we know, said Wolf, is that we have seen groups and individuals move from Portland to other parts of the country. Keep an eye on the latest investigations into the criminal actions of Antifa by reading the articles at AntifaWatch.news. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com KGW.com Reuters.com Breitbart.com Twitter.com Washington, Sep 9 : President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was nominated by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, an ultra-conservative member of the Norwegian Parliament, who praised Trump for his efforts towards resolving conflicts worldwide, Xinhua news agency reported. Tybring-Gjedde, an immigration sceptic who nominated Trump in 2018 for his meeting with Kim Jong-Un in Singapore, claimed not to be connected to the US President. Insisting he is not a Trump supporter, he said: "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News. "The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing," he said. Tybring-Gjedde, who is a four-term Progress Party member of the Norwegian Parliament who also serves as chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said the Trump administration deserved to be honoured for its role in the establishment of relations between the UAE and Israel. By Brahima Coulibaly, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Vera Songwe Brahima Coulibaly Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Vera Songwe When I would see him, I would hope to learn one thing, he said. He was so blindingly fast and amazing and beyond me, I thought if I could just catch one thing. I wasnt going to go burn my guitar. I was inspired. I was fine that he was miles beyond me. PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluorspar has a wide variety of uses. It is a mineral composed of calcium and fluorine and is used for a variety of metallurgical, chemical and ceramic processes. It is sometimes cut into gems to be used in ornamental objects. More importantly, it is also used as flux to lower the melting point of raw materials in the steel production process. High growth in the global construction industry coupled with increasing construction of skyscrapers and earthquake resistant buildings will stimulate demand for steel which will augment the fluorite market development in the study period. The increasing demand for aluminum & steel, mostly in the developing economies will contribute towards the product industry growth. Aluminum is extensively used in the manufacturing of automobiles and aircrafts. Steady increase in the automobile production in Asian countries coupled with a rising vehicle demand owing to increasing disposable income and GDP growth in emerging economies will fuel aluminum consumption. This will boost the fluorspar demand to be used in the synthesis of aluminum. Rising steel demand from the construction industry will also propel the fluorspar market growth. Active stocks in the mining markets this week include Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (OTCQB: ARSMF) (TSX-V: ARS), Commerce Resources Corp. (OTCPK: CMRZF) (TSX-V:CCE), B2Gold Corp. (NYSE: BTG) (TSX: BTO), Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE: WPM) (TSX:WPM), Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) (TSX: NGT). The fluorspar market is segmented on the basis of product and application. Among the product segments, metaspar, which contains 60% to 85% calcium fluoride, is predicted to record a valuation above USD 1 billion with a significant growth rate till 2024 owing to its usage in the synthesis of aluminum, steel, iron and others. It acts as flux to remove impurities from molten metal and improves the fluidity. China, Mexico and Mongolia are the largest fluorite producers in the world. Asia Pacific will drive the product market growth owing to the presence of a large number of steel & aluminum manufacturing plants in the region. The high demand for fluorochemicals in a wide range of applications will also help the fluorite market to grow through 2024. Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (OTCQB: ARSMF) (TSX-V: ARS) BREAKING NEWS: Ares Strategic Mining Inc. Announces 1,500m Follow-up RC Drill Program After Confirming Presence of Additional Fluorite Bearing Pipes on its Permitted Area - Ares Strategic Mining ("Ares" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an immediate follow-up drill program after confirming high-grade fluorspar mineralization on its Lost Sheep fluorspar mine. Ares will again employ More Core Diamond Drilling Services Ltd., to conduct RC drilling for to test for additional fluorspar mineralization within the Lost Sheep fluorspar mine area in Utah to assist planning for possible mining in the future. The Company will drill two or three holes (200 to 300m of drilling) between the old Purple Pit and the recently delineated LGP target to test for possible continuity of fluorspar mineralization and/or depth extension. Personal communications with individuals that worked the underground Purple Pit mine indicates that there is still mineralization trending towards the LGP pipe at the 250 foot level and below the 325 foot level. These areas will be tested during Phase 2 of drilling. The Company will also test a series of very prospective targets immediately adjacent to the current operation (250 and 350 meters away) and within the permitted area, based on a conceptual model that links fluorite bearing breccia pipes with exposed fluorspar at surface. A minimum of 5 holes (500 to 700m) will be drilled in this target zone and if successful, will begin to delineate additional fluorspar mineralization readily accessible from surface. James Walker, President and CEO of the Company said, "The high grade results from the last drill program, and the confirmation that other possible high-grade areas exist within our permitted mine area and extensive exploration land package, has encouraged the Company to move forward its timelines. Ares is currently considering expanding the proposed production capacity and processing facilities at its mine. The Company anticipates secondary and tertiary mining operations at other sites in the future. By moving our drill program forward, we hope to enable faster expansion of our production capabilities once mining operations have commenced. The Company and its staff are very excited at the near-term and long-term prospects, and we are looking forward to commence operations and being the only domestic supplier of metspar and acidspar to the U.S." The Company has conducted detailed geology interpretation after examining high-resolution imagery and DEM models obtained from the recently acquired Lidar survey and has identified a fault set that produced repetitive offset of the geological sequence. The majority of the known historic fluorite operations are located in the steep south slopes of a series of different parallel hills, in a "domino" style of extensional faulting. Blind targets are located in the hanging wall offset blocks. The conceptual model indicates the exposed deposits correspond to the lower sections of the fluorspar bearing pipes, and the top parts of the pipes, reaching or not the surface, can be predicted in those offset blocks immediately adjacent to them. Read this release for the Ares Strategic Mining news at: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-ars/ Other recent developments in the markets include: B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO) (NYSE: BTG) recently announced that the Company continues to monitor the evolving political situation in Mali. B2Gold's mining operations at its Fekola Mine have not been affected in any way and the Company continues mining and milling operations as normal. The Fekola Mine has sufficient supplies on hand to maintain its budgeted activities through the end of the third quarter and beyond if needed. The Fekola mill expansion remains on schedule. No operational days have been lost due to the political situation in the country and all of B2Gold's mine personnel are safe. B2Gold will continue to monitor the situation and work to ensure that its mining operations continue normally, providing economic benefits and job creation both to the communities around the mine and to regional and national governments. Foreign investment and political stability in Mali are crucial for the country. Commerce Resources Corp. (OTCPK: CMRZF) (TSX-V:CCE)) recently reported the company has been awarded a combined total of $160,000 in grant funding in support of research and development of the Ashram rare earth and fluorspar deposit's flowsheet. The Ashram deposit is one of the largest rare earth deposits being advanced globally, with a fluorspar component that also then ranks it as one of the largest fluorspar deposits defined globally. The research and development program will be carried out as a collaboration between the company, Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue (UQAT) and Industrial Waste Technology Centre (CTRI). The company will provide approximately 1.5 tonnes of Ashram deposit material to be used as feed for the various test programs Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE: WPM) (TSX:WPM) recently announced that its Board of Directors has declared its third quarterly cash dividend payment for 2020 of US$0.10 per common share. The third quarterly cash dividend for 2020 of US$0.10 will be paid to holders of record of Wheaton Precious Metals common shares as of the close of business on August 27, 2020 and will be distributed on or about September 10, 2020. Under the Company's dividend policy, the quarterly dividend per common share is targeted to equal approximately 30% of the average cash generated by operating activities in the previous four quarters divided by the Company's then outstanding common shares, all rounded to the nearest cent. To minimize volatility in quarterly dividends, the Company has set a minimum quarterly dividend of $0.10 per common share for the duration of 2020 representing an 11% increase relative to 2019. Under this policy, the forecast annualized dividend for 2020 would represent an increase of more than 90% over a five-year period. Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) (TSX: NGT) and Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (NYSE: KL - TSX: KL) have signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement to jointly assess regional exploration opportunities around Newmont's Timmins properties and Kirkland's Holt Complex in Ontario, Canada. As part of the Strategic Alliance, Newmont has acquired an option (the Option) from Kirkland on the mining and mineral rights subject to a royalty payable by Newmont to Royal Gold, Inc. (the Holt Royalty) in exchange for a $75 million payment to Kirkland Lake Gold. Newmont can exercise the Option only in the event Kirkland intends to restart operations at the Holt Mine and process material subject to the Holt Royalty. Kirkland has the right to assume Newmont's obligations under the Holt Royalty at any time, in which case the Option would terminate. The effect of the Option structure is that Newmont will have no additional liability exposure in relation to the Holt Royalty. As a result of the Strategic Alliance Agreement and the Option, Newmont expects to remove the approximately $350 million liability for the Holt Royalty on its balance sheet at June 30, 2020 and record a gain of approximately $275 million in Net income (loss) from discontinued operations in its results for the third quarter of 2020. DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates Financialnewsmedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. 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Contact Information: Media Contact email: [email protected] +1(561)325-8757 SOURCE FinancialNewsMedia.com It was a day that gave more than just a glimmer of hope of brighter times ahead. May 25 last was the first day since mid-March that no death from Covid-19 was reported. It was the heartening boost we needed as we slowly stepped out of lockdown and enjoyed a warm, late spring after months of tragic loss to the virus - and it held the promise that we may be heading in the right direction. There have been too many sad losses since, but every day without a death from this deadly disease is a cause for gratitude. But as we head into the danger-zone months of winter, what is the risk of a reversal in our low death rate? Responding to the May 25 figures, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan, who had helped steer the country out of the worst days of the disease and avoid a Bergamo-style spectre, said it "indicates we have suppressed Covid-19 as a country". Read More He added: "It has taken strict measures to achieve this." At that point the country was still in phase one of the roadmap out of lockdown. People could exercise within 5km of their homes. Older people were still advised to stay at home, except for a brief outdoor walk. The following week the then government announced an accelerated roadmap with "Phase Two Plus". People could travel within their own county or up to 20km from their home, whichever was further. All shops could reopen. On May 25 we had a daily toll of 59 new cases of the virus. Yesterday there were 307 newly diagnosed infections. If May represented something of a crossroads, then September is similar - and the start of a new, uncertain chapter. The fear is that the coming months could see an escalation in the spread of the disease that will lead to another rise in infections in older people and an increase in deaths. Ivan Perry, Professor of Public Health at UCC, said by late May the lockdown and restrictions meant we had avoided the health service being overwhelmed by a wave of cases. Physical distancing and travel restrictions played a key role in reducing the spread. The weaknesses have been in areas like failing to introduce testing at airports and ensuring there is an "enforceable" quarantine for passengers, he believes. "The virus is now spreading mostly among younger people, but we cannot keep the older age groups sealed off from younger age groups. It is unlikely it is possible to contain the virus over winter. That will be the huge challenge over winter," he said. Back in May there was intense debate about accelerating the reopening of the country and much discussion on the two-metre rule, which has since been reduced in areas like restaurants. The pace of progressing to another phase of the new normal - reopening pubs at the end of this month - is the latest quandary. Prof Perry said he believed the proposed reopening date of September 21 was "unwise". "I am mindful of people working in pubs, and their jobs. But I question the decision to open up the pubs as students return to college and as we are facing into winter. "It is high risk. We need now to hold our nerve until a vaccine is available - maybe in the middle of next year." Dr Oisin O'Connell, a respiratory physician in the Bons Secours Hospital in Cork, has been a leading figure in ensuring knowledge of the virus and its treatment is shared among medics here. He said doctors had a much better understanding of the different presentations in their coronavirus patients. This means they are carrying out more targeted therapy - and there is good data now available on this. "Good public health measures can decrease mortality from the virus and stop hospitals getting crowded. But we have to be incredibly stringent with the measures," Dr O'Connell said. Read More He said there was evidence indicating that if 80pc of the population complied with the restrictive measures, the virus could be suppressed. However, if this dropped to 70pc, Covid-19 could be spreading uncontrolled in around two months. "For every one death under the age of 40, there are 15 deaths in people over the age of 70. Currently it is mostly younger people who are getting Covid-19. The risk lies in younger people infecting older people," he said. There can be a four- to six- week time lag between uncontrolled community spread and a rise in intensive care admissions. However, he said the likelihood was that we were going to be living with the virus for a considerable time and a balance must be found between reopening the economy and controlling its spread. There has been a rise in the number of people hospitalised with the virus in the last two months. In early July there were eight people in hospital with the virus and four in intensive care. This week 49 were being treated in hospital, although the numbers in intensive care remain low, at six. The month of May was important for opening the gate again to a new normal and, except for the local lockdowns in Kildare, Laois and Offaly, it has been a summer of learning to live with the virus. We are no longer wrapped in the cotton wool of the May restrictions. A young event planner will be forced to live off just $6 a day for food when the federal government cuts JobKeeper payments later this month. Sarah Marshall, 26, has been out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the events and hospitality industries decimated by restrictions on public gatherings. She signed on to the government's wage subsidy scheme that currently hands up to $1,500 a fortnight to workers losing out on work because of the coronavirus crisis. But on September 27 the handout will be slashed to $1,200 per fortnight, despite the extension of Stage Four stay-at-home orders in Melbourne, where she lives. Sarah Marshall says she will be forced to live off just $6 a day for food when the federal government cuts JobKeeper payments later this month 'The JobKeeper payment was a lifesaver for me, but it's a dramatic drop from what my full-time salary was,' Ms Marshalll told news.com.au. 'The drop again means I won't be able to afford my food for the week after paying my rent and my car loan, and I've got barely any savings after moving away from home at 19 and living in Sydney, now Melbourne. 'The cut of JobKeeper only adds on more stress to an already difficult situation.' After tax is taken out of Ms Marshall's JobKeeper payment in three weeks time, she will receive about $540 a week. Her rent is roughly $270 a week and her car loan costs $370 a month with an extra $100 for insurance, she said. When Ms Marshall deducts money for essential bills like electricity and gas, she will be left with just $40 a week to pay for food - or about $6 a day. On September 27 the handout will be slashed to just $1200 per fortnight, despite the extension of Melbourne's Stage Four stay-at-home orders Ms Marshall said: 'The JobKeeper payment was a lifesaver for me, but it's a dramatic drop from what my full-time salary was' The successful events organiser says she will be forced to ask her parents for money to survive. To make matters worse, she's not able to visit her childhood friends and family in Western Australia due to state border closures. Ms Marshall revealed she does not have a partner and lives alone, so feelings of isolation during lockdown have been compounded. She said it's a struggle just to get out of bed in the morning. Now, all her focus is centered around not falling into a 'huge slump'. But Ms Marshall is able to apply for a top up in payments under the other subsidy scheme JobSeeker. From September workers who are getting JobKeeper at a rate of $1,200 per fortnight may also be eligible for a part payment of JobSeeker which would bring in an extra $276 a fortnight. This would leave Ms Marshall with about $25 per day for food. JobKeeper is being extended beyond the end of September but businesses will need to continue proving they have suffered a 30 per cent drop in earnings and payment rates will be slahsed Those affected by the coronavirus crisis are seen queuing outside a Centrelink office in Preston, Melbourne A crowd is pictured outside the Centrelink office in Melbourne's Abbotsford in March when the COVID-19 lockdowns began The Victorian Labor government has been calling on Mr Morrison to introduce a program to that would assist Victorian workers during lockdown - which is set to continue until at least October 26 in metropolitan Melbourne. So far, the federal government appears reluctant to keep shelling out the fortnightly $1,500 payments. But one of Australia's leading economists says Mr Morrison will be left with no choice as the 'once in hundred years' economic crisis deepens. 'The government was hoping things would be bouncing back, people would be back in work and that everything was going to be brought back to normality,' Digital Finance Analytics principal Martin North told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. 'But I don't think it is going to be feasible for the government to try and ride it out because we are not just looking at a few months - this crisis could echo for up to five years. 'This cliff face is really stepping down dramatically... and we now have about one million people affected by greatly reduced income. 'It's not just Victoria. It's also happening more broadly in other states... so we have to find a way to support them through this.' Two women load their luggage into an Uber car at Sydney Airport after arriving on Jetstar flight 510 from locked-down Melbourne on August 5 Labor infrastructure spokeswoman Catherine King has criticised the government for taking too long to start work on major projects, with some budget measures pushing back spending until the later years of this decade. Ms King said the government should be thinking about long-term trends in population and economic growth to decide where to get the greatest reward from new spending. "There just isn't any strategic thinking about that," she said. Last year's federal budget included a list of 70 major projects receiving about $40 billion from the federal government. Loading The government has put $10 billion towards upgrading the Bruce Highway in Queensland and $5 billion to the full duplication of the Pacific Highway, as well as $5 billion towards building the Western Sydney Airport. It is also spending $10 billion on the inland rail from Brisbane to Melbourne, with construction underway near the western NSW town of Parkes, and is promising this will create 15,000 jobs across Victoria, NSW and Queensland. The government is yet to decide the infrastructure projects to be revealed in the October budget but is considering whether the pandemic will change the business case for transport as more people work from home. "COVID will make regional living far more appealing," Mr McCormack said. "You don't have to spend, you know, up to an hour and a half going to and from work every day. You don't have to spend your time just looking at the bright lights in front of you. "These regional communities are large enough in which to get a good cup of coffee and they're small enough so that you still have that friendly, neighbourly spirit." While Liberal MP John Alexander is calling for a commitment to high-speed rail to connect regional centres between the big cities, Mr McCormack said these projects depended on state decisions. "The states have to put it on board," he said. "The states have to prioritise these things and then we obviously look at them, so we act on what the states want." Mr McCormack said high-speed rail would be "great to do" between Sydney and Melbourne but passenger rail was the remit of the states. Labor leader Anthony Albanese is calling for a dramatic boost to infrastructure to fix urban services and help regional Australia, using a major speech on Wednesday to back more road and rail projects. "It makes sense for governments to nurture smart regionalisation," he says in the new regional visions statement. The draft speech warns that Australians will pay the price for the "Morrison recession" and calls on the government to invest in high-speed rail from Brisbane to Melbourne, something Mr Albanese has supported for more than a decade. "High speed rail opens up the possibility of people commuting to capital cities while enjoying the lower cost and lifestyle benefits of regional living," he says in a draft of the speech to be delivered in the NSW regional city of Coffs Harbour. Mr Alexander said a major rail network should be a national priority and could be funded by a "value-capture" approach because faster access to the big cities would increase the value of land in regional centres, creating profits to pay for the infrastructure. "What value is added to the towns between Melbourne and Sydney when a plane flies over at 20,000 feet?" Mr Alexander said. Loading "The purpose of high-speed rail is not to provide an alternative to air travel between our capitals but to rebalance our settlement, to create new cities, create greater capacity and relieve our major cities of the burden of growth and the resulting congestion." Mr McCormack also said the government was working on some "really exciting" water projects, funded by a $1.5 billion fund and a $2 billion loan facility. "We're going to make sure that we work with the states," he said. "We're going to be really cranking that enterprise up in coming months to ensure that we build on what we've already done. "There's a lot of business cases and there's a lot of feasibility studies and environmental work [that] has been done over the past two years. But now it's time to put concrete down and get that water storage infrastructure built." Experts were cautiously optimistic when Russia's controversial coronavirus vaccine produced 'encouraging' results in two small studies. (Getty Images) Scientists from around the world have signed an open letter expressing concern around claims Russia has produced a vaccine that provides some immunity against the coronavirus. In August, Russian officials were the first to approve a jab after less than two months of human testing. Vladimir Putin announced the vaccine offered sustainable immunity against the virus and that one of his daughters has been inoculated. Experts were initially cynical, however, hopes were slightly raised on 4 September when two small but encouraging studies suggested the vaccine was safe and produced an immune response. Read more: Doctors bone-deep weariness of working amid a pandemic While many stressed it was a case of so far, so good, a letter spearheaded by Dr Enrico Bucci from Temple University in Philadelphia has since called some of the results highly unlikely. The signees, which numbered 26 by Wednesday evening, acknowledged the publics extreme interest and expectations for an effective vaccine, but added this should motivate the scientific community to pay even more attention to the evidence. A coronavirus vaccine has long been hailed a route back to 'normal life'. In the meantime, face coverings are required for most in public spaces. (Posed by a model, Getty Images) Writing in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, a team of Russian scientists concluded there were no serious safety concerns in 36 volunteers up to 42 days after the vaccine was administered. It was also found to bring about an immune response in 40 volunteers within 21 days. Many experts were quick to point out, however, the jabs ability to prevent infection or severe illness has not yet been shown. Some added the results were sufficiently encouraging for the vaccine to be investigated further in larger studies. Not everyone is convinced, however. Read more: Steroids could cut risk of death by a fifth in critically-ill COVID patients An open letter published on the Italian site Cattivi Scienziati which promises to fight bad and pseudo-science addresses the Russian scientists and Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet. The signees hailing from Milan University to Leeds Teaching Hospitals have accused the scientists of not providing numerical data for all the experiments. Story continues This would be of great help in evaluating the present study, enabling to directly reproduce all analyses and findings, rather than trying to do so from data abstracted or inferred from the figures, they wrote. Based on the research described in the article, the signees pointed out several different points of concern. The Russian scientists analysed a frozen and freeze-dried formulation of the vaccine. Both formulations are based on adapted strains of the adenovirus. This usually causes the common cold but has been modified to express the coronavirus spike protein, which it uses to enter cells. To test the vaccines safety as part of a phase 1 trial, four groups of nine healthy volunteers were given either the frozen or freeze-dried jab. One group received a frozen version of an adenovirus strain called type 26, while another had type five. The remaining two groups were given the freeze-dried formulation of type 26 or type five. To gauge the formulations efficacy in a phase 2 trial, 40 volunteers had either a frozen or freeze-dried type 26 jab, followed by a type five booster three weeks later. A chart in The Lancet combined the volunteers antibody responses following vaccination with the different formulations. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to help fight off an infection. Read more: Man with coronavirus develops testicular swelling The signees were sceptical about several data patterns appearing repeatedly. Among the volunteers receiving a frozen version of type 26, all nine appeared to have identical antibody titres at 21 and 28 days, they wrote. This was also true for seven of the nine volunteers given the freeze-dried version of type 5, added the signees. In other parts of the studies, the volunteers antibody levels differed for a constant value in two completely unrelated experiments, while the levels were completely preserved among [an]other two completely unrelated volunteer groups. It seems to us that on the ground of simple probabilistic evaluations, the fact of observing so many data points preserved among different experiments is highly unlikely, wrote the signees. They added antibody data for each individual volunteer across the different days would be highly beneficial in reporting (and hence) interpreting the results. Antibodies aside, the results also suggest other aspects of the immune response were continuous in nature between different formulations of the vaccine, a coincidence the signees called even less likely. Please note that, in lack of the original numerical data, no conclusions can be definitively drawn on the reliability of the data presented, especially regarding the apparent duplications detected, they wrote. A team of scientists have called the studies' antibody results 'highly unlikely'. Antibodies are proteins that help fight off an infection. (Stock, Getty Images) Rather than have a placebo group the gold standard of medical research the Russian scientists compared their results to the immune response of people who naturally fought off the coronavirus, concluding it appears to be higher in people vaccinated. The signees called this approach a further concern. The authors did not specify enough characteristics of the convalescent [recovering] patients used as a control, they wrote. How were they matched to the different groups of enrolled volunteers? It is also crucial to know when their plasma was collected for each patient, how many days passed since symptoms and seronegativization [testing negative for the coronavirus] occurred? During the current pandemic, the public extreme interest and expectations for an effective vaccine are fully understandable. However, the very same reasons should motivate the scientific community to pay even more attention to the scientific evidence and the underlying data, and it is thus of utmost importance that they are fully available for close scrutiny. At the time of the studies publication, criticism centred around the trials being too small to accurately gauge safety, as well as uncertainty over whether an antibody response translates [to] protection in the field. South Africa: Police refute social media claims The South African Police Service (SAPS) has refuted claims that there is a building in Pretoria being used for human trafficking. This is after a series of social media posts depicting a building allegedly being used as a centre for human trafficking. According to the Police, the building, which is located in Johannes Ramokhoase Street, Pretoria CBD, is in fact a residential building accommodating policemen and women. In a statement on Tuesday, the police said the social media posts, which suggest that the building is being used for criminal activities, is misleading and untrue. People are urged not to post these messages any further; as such messages tend to create panic and uncertainty among citizens. Anybody caught spreading fake news is likely to face charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice. In instances where resources are being used to respond to such fake news, every effort will be made to recover the costs of such response/s, said the police. The police said human trafficking affects many people around the world and the necessary sensitivity should be afforded to those affected by it. Human trafficking is indeed a reality and people are affected by this phenomenon globally. The spreading of fake messages on a matter of such a serious nature is not only a crime but also shows a lack of sensitivity to those affected by this crime. We continue to appeal to anyone who has any information on the person responsible for the creation and spreading of this message or of any other crime to please contact the SAPS our Crime Stop number 086 00 10111. Information may also be communicated via our MySAPSApp, an application which can be downloaded on any iPhone or Android via PlayStore. All information will be treated with strictest confidence and callers may remain anonymous. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. While China invaded Tibet, no country in the world came to the aid of helpless Tibetans. This has emboldened China to take the world for granted. by N.S.Venkataraman It is well known that the Chinese government is now under the control of coterie of a few persons having a strategic hold on the governance of China. Obviously, it is not a representative government of the people as it is a totalitarian regime , curbing the freedom of speech for the millions of Chinese citizens with characteristic ruthlessness. History shows that this kind of ruthless government has to necessarily fall one day, with the dictatorial leaders having to run away or getting wiped out . Certainly, such totalitarian regimes are sitting on a time bomb. While several countries are concerned about the aggressive behaviour of China , world should be careful to make a distinction between the Chinese people and the Chinese government , since very large section of Chinese population would not approve the methods and approach of the Chinese government, both inside China and outside China. Unfortunately, the Chinese people have no say in the actions of the Chinese government. There is world wide concern that China could become even more aggressive in the coming months, considering its claims on South China Sea, creation of near war like situation with India claiming large territory of India as its own. Many people really do not understand as to why is China claiming other countrys territories and pursuing expansionist policies . China is certainly aiming at world domination by fair or foul means and seems to be under the mistaken impression that based on its strong economy and military power, no country in the world can stop China in its march towards expansionism and world leadership. While China invaded Tibet, no country in the world came to the aid of helpless Tibetans. This has emboldened China to take the world for granted. The ground reality is that China is not really as powerful as it thinks , since it is vulnerable due to its dependence on international market and trade. It appears that while China is aggressive with regard to its claims on South China Sea, it really wants to test its game plan and world reactions by taking a war like posture against India. As of now, India as well as a number of other countries fear that China would start a full scale war with India soon and try to invade India and forcibly take its territory. Perhaps, China thinks that it would remain unchallenged in the case of war with India and other countries will only be watching the war scenes with India from a gallery. Government of India has so far clearly given an impression that it would not like to enter into a war with China and would try to avoid it to the extent possible. While China has killed 20 soldiers in the month of June, Indian Defence Minister has met the Chinese Defence Minister in Moscow for a discussion, though no one really knows what transpired. Some unsubstantiated media reports have said that the Chinese Defence Minister has told that China would not give up an inch of its territory. Even as the China India border is tense now, with Indian and Chinese army facing each other , it is surprising that Indian Foreign Minister would meet the Chinese counterpart for a discussion. Such meetings invariably create an impression that India is pleading with China for peace and China is dictating its terms. Obviously, India does not want war with China, since this would cause a setback to the Prime Minister Modis economic target for the country. It would also lead to loss of lives; with India not being sure as to whether other countries would come to the aid of India by opening war front with China. China has already bought and brought the weak neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh under its near control by extending loan and participating in projects. Certainly, these weak countries are unlikely to take sides in the case of China India war , while Pakistan may actively participate in the war against India along with China. Ultimately, what would China really gain by launching a war against India and aggressive intrusion into South China Sea ? Many people now suspect that the leadership of the Chinese government is foolish enough to think that such aggressive postures would help in meeting its goal of world domination. On the other hand, it is bound to have the opposite effect. The world would realise the need to control China at any cost , if China would pursue with its expansionist plans , that would destabilise the world peace. While the weak countries in Asia and Africa and in Latin America may remain as silent spectators fearing China, the stronger countries in Europe , Asia and North America would certainly put their heads together and start activities towards ensuring trade isolation of China. China cannot bear such onslaught. Any trade isolation of China would lead to collapse of Chinese economy , that would inevitably lead to unrest in China with grave consequences for the Chinese leadership. Seeing the aggressive approach of the Chinese government, one cannot but think that coterie of dictatorial leaders in China are consumed by their ego and ambition and think that they have the military and economic power to challenge the world. With no capability and wisdom to learn from history. Chinese leadership is now leading China in a suicidal path. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot copy the sterling performance of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)in government even though it stole a few ideas from their manifesto. "You can copy all the ideas, but you cannot copy the performance because your performance will expose you", he emphasized. Dr Bawumia stated this while addressing the Chiefs and people of Bussie in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District as part of his two-day campaign tour of the Upper West Region. He also accused the NDC of making juicy promises to deceive Ghanaians to bring them back to power for them to mismanage the economy and bring back suffering to them. He said the NPP had proven to be better managers of the economy and should be maintained in office to do more to better the lives of Ghanaians. On the Free Senior High School (SHS), Vice President Bawumia said the NDC did not believe in the policy in the first place, questioning how they could make something better when they do not believe in it. He therefore appealed to Ghanaians not to risk the free SHS by falling for the juicy promises thrown at them by the NDC to capture power. He said even with the free SHS in place, some parents were still finding it difficult to pay their ward's fees at the University, adding that the NPP if maintained in office would pay the fees of all SHS graduates who qualified, but have difficulty in paying their fees. Dr Bawumia said such students would then pay back the money to government only when they get a job after completion, noting that it would guarantee access to university education for all no matter their economic status. 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 KYODO NEWS - Sep 9, 2020 - 23:10 | All, Coronavirus, Japan Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pledged Wednesday to disburse $1 million in a new fund aimed at assisting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' response to the novel coronavirus pandemic through the procurement of medical supplies and the development of vaccines. In a virtual meeting with counterparts from the 10-member ASEAN, China and South Korea, Motegi also said Japan will provide Southeast Asian countries with health care equipment and extend emergency yen loans to help their post-pandemic economic recovery, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. China and South Korea have also pledged to contribute to the fund, which currently totals $2.3 million, with the amount expected to increase, a ministry official said. Motegi vowed to work toward establishment of an ASEAN center for emerging diseases and public health emergencies, aimed to help protect people from the threat of a pandemic in the long-term, the ministry said. The entity, to be funded by Tokyo, was first proposed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a virtual summit of ASEAN plus China, South Korea and Japan in April. Speaking in Wednesday's talks, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who chaired the talks, said he looks forward to stepping up ASEAN-plus-three cooperation so as to "effectively sustain the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate immediate effects and promote sustainable development." South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Wha said she wants to strengthen coordination with her counterparts in achieving a "resilient region underpinned by strong multilateralism." Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for "sound momentum in the East Asian cooperation (to) turn the COVID-19 crisis into a development of opportunities." In separate talks with ASEAN foreign ministers, Motegi said he shared Tokyo's "concerns" with the regional bloc about China's assertive territorial claims in the East and South China seas. "I would like to promote cooperation with ASEAN countries, who share many points of (our) vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific," Motegi told reporters in Tokyo after the meetings. The concept promoting the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific area has been coined by Abe in a veiled counter to China's rising clout in the region. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a right-wing member of the Norwegian parliament, has nominated Donald Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in brokering a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees, Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News on Wednesday. Under Nobel Peace Prize rules, any member of a national parliament can nominate a candidate for the award. According to the Nobel Peace Prize website, a host of other figures can also nominate a candidate for the prestigious accolade, including university professors. In his nomination letter to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Tybring-Gjedde, a four-term MP who also serves as chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, claimed the Trump administration had played a pivotal role in peace talks between the two nations. As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity, he wrote. Tybring-Gjedde also cited the president's key role in facilitating contact between conflicting parties and creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan, and the conflict between North and South Korea, as well as dealing with the nuclear capabilities of North Korea. It comes after a White House official on Tuesday announced the president will hold a signing ceremony on 15 September to mark the conclusion of the deal. Under the agreement, which was reached on 13 August following months of talks, the Gulf State agreed to normal relations with Israel. In return, Israel said it continue with plans to suspend its annexation of the West Bank. "Im not a big Trump supporter," Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News of his decision to nominate the president, who is trailing Joe Biden badly in a host of major polls for November's election. "The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the facts not on the way he behaves sometimes. The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump," Tybring-Gjedde added. Tybring-Gjedde also hit out at former president and prize winner Barack Obama, who he said had "done nothing" to merit receiving the award. Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised Mr Obama's winning of the award. Tybring-Gjedde previously nominated Mr Trump for the award in 2018 for his attempts to solve the North Korean nuclear tensions. The Ontario government has announced the extension of its ban on small business evictions, which expired on Aug. 31. The policy was put in place to assist businesses who have been struggling under the worst economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Were extending it, as of today Premier Doug Ford said on Sep. 4, as reported by CBC News. Its going to go for another month, to the end of September. Our priority is always to make sure we protect businesses out there. 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 New Delhi, Sep 9 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on the petition filed by leading publisher HarperCollins challenging a lower court order putting an ex parte stay on release of its book on self-styled godman Asaram Bapu. After hearing the arguments from both parties at length, a single judge bench of Justice Najmi Waziri reserved order on the petition. Additional District Judge at Patiala House Court, R.L. Meena had, on September 4, directed HarperCollins not to release "Gunning for the Godman: The True Story behind the Asaram Bapu Conviction" till the next date of hearing. The publishing house had approached the high court against the order, which came a day before the release of the book, which is a police officer's first-hand account of his arrest and conviction of Asaram. The order was issued on a plea filed by Sanchita Gupta, a co-accused in the case related to self-styled godman. Gupta had approached the court seeking urgent relief against the publication of the book as the pre-released chapter published on a web portal was defamatory and was likely to prejudice her appeal before the Rajasthan High Court. Her civil suit was filed by advocates Naman Joshi and Karan Khanuja and the matter was argued by advocate Vijay Aggarwal. Passing the order, the judge had said: "I am of the considered view that plaintiff's reputation is at stake and her reputation would suffer irreparable harm, if the ex parte injunction is not granted particularly when the said book is going to be published on 05.09.2020." According to Gupta's plea, the book authored by Ajay Lamba, Additional Commissioner of Police, Jaipur, and Sanjiv Mathur claims to be a true story, but is at variance with the trial record and most importantly, interfered with her appeal which was sub judice and where the Rajasthan High Court had already suspended her sentence. The coronavirus targets the lungs foremost, but also the kidneys, liver and blood vessels. Still, about half of patients report neurological symptoms, including headaches, confusion and delirium, suggesting the virus may also attack the brain. A new study offers the first clear evidence that, in some people, the coronavirus invades brain cells, hijacking them to make copies of itself. The virus also seems to suck up all of the oxygen nearby, starving neighboring cells to death. Its unclear how the virus gets to the brain or how often it sets off this trail of destruction. Infection of the brain is likely to be rare, but some people may be susceptible because of their genetic backgrounds, a high viral load or other reasons. If the brain does become infected, it could have a lethal consequence, said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University who led the work. Shoukry reviewed Turkey's 'blatant practices' in several Arab states which are causing 'societal and sectarian divisions in the region' Egypts foreign minister Sameh Shoukry stressed on Wednesday to Arab ministers the necessity of adopting a "unified and firm Arab policy" against Turkeys "destructive" practices. In a speech during the Arab Leagues hosted ministerial committee concerned with Turkish interventions in Arab states, Shoukry said the "flagrant Turkish interventions and practices in several Arab states represent the most emerging threats facing Arab national security." Shoukry reviewed Turkey's "blatant practices" in several Arab states which are causing societal and sectarian divisions in the region. He shed light on evidence reflecting the size of Turkish interventions in Arab nations, including facilitating the crossover of tens of thousands of terrorists and mercenaries to Syria and dispatching thousands of fighters to Libya. Shoukry highlighted rejection of the Turkish encroachment on resources in Iraq as well as Ankara's signing of an "illegitimate memoranda of understanding" with the government in Tripoli. Egypt has repeatedly stressed its rejection of Turkeys political and military interference in Arab affairs, describing them as "expansionist" and lacking any legitimate basis. Tensions between the two countries escalated in the past months over Ankara's military intervention in war-torn Libya, its violation of Iraq's sovereignty, as well as Ankara's hunt for gas in the eastern Mediterranean in violation of the territorial waters of Greece and Cyprus, two close allies of Egypt. Egypt has had strained relations with Turkey since the 2013 ouster of Egypts late Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, a close ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogans government. Cairo has repeatedly condemned Ankara's support for the terrorist-designated Muslim Brotherhood. Search Keywords: Short link: The decision to partially buy back GDP warrants issued during the restructuring of Ukraine's external debt in 2015 is aimed at reducing payments from the state budget, which next year should amount to $40 million, and for the entire circulation period of these securities may exceed $22 billion by 2040, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko has said. "Potential payments on government derivatives until 2040 with a moderate GDP growth may amount to more than $22 billion. In this regard, a government decision was made ... under the heading" secret," which determined the terms of the transaction," the minister said at the parliamentary committee on finance, taxation and customs policy. Marchenko clarified that the government's forecast for GDP growth for 2021 is 4.6%, and with such an increase in terms of GDP warrants, $600 million would have to be paid in 2023. The minister recalled that the Verkhovna Rada, with changes to the 2020 state budget, gave the Ministry of Finance the right to carry out transactions with state derivatives this spring. He also clarified that after the publication of information on the transaction, the quotations of the GDP warrants increased by 8 percentage points at once. GDP warrants were issued as part of the government debt restructuring in 2015 to replace eurobonds for a nominal amount of $3.2 billion and are not part of the country's public debt. Payments under GDP warrants will be carried out annually in cash in U.S. dollars, depending on the dynamics of real GDP growth in Ukraine in 2019-2038, but in two calendar years, that is, between 2021 and 2040. The Turkish and Qatari branches of the Red Crescent Society have sent medical supplies to Sudan to support the country's fight against the coronavirus, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. A second cargo plane carrying medical supplies from Turkey financed by Qatar arrived early Tuesday in the country's capital Khartoum. Over 1.65 million COVID-19 test kits and protective medical equipment on the planes were delivered to the Sudanese Health Ministry. The first aid plane landed in the capital Saturday. The number of coronavirus cases in the country totals 13,437, and the death toll stands at 833, with 6,730 recoveries. Compounding the country's difficulties, at least 102 people have died and more than 100,000 homes have been damaged in flooding caused by heavy rainfall over several months. Turkey has sent medical aid to roughly 150 countries to help combat the coronavirus pandemic. Building on its 10-year reputation for providing international humanitarian aid, Turkey has become a leader in this positive form of statecraft by sending medical aid packages around the globe every other day throughout the pandemic. The aid packages mostly include medical masks, protective overalls and gloves, as well as disinfectants. All of the equipment sent has been produced at military-owned factories and sewing workshops that usually produce uniforms and other clothing for the Turkish military. Wilton: Rochester, New York's police chief abruptly resigned on Tuesday along with his command staff, saying there had been a "mischaracterisation and politicisation" of his actions following the death of Daniel Prude in police custody. Rochester mayor Lovely Warren told a city council meeting that she had not asked LaRon Singletary to resign, though she said there was "information that was brought to light today that I have not previously seen before." She did not elaborate. Resigned: Rochester police chief La'Ron Singletary. Credit:AP Rochester, a city of 200,000 people on Lake Ontario, erupted with protests last week after the Prude family released body camera footage showing officers had used a mesh hood and pinned Prude, a 41-year-old black man, to the pavement during the March arrest. The release of the footage five months after Prude's death had raised questions of a possible cover-up and turned Rochester into the latest flashpoint in a summer of protests over racial injustice first sparked by George Floyd's May 25 death. Stephanie-Sullivan, US Ambassador 09.09.2020 LISTEN Accra, GHANA From September 1-3, 2020, the U.S. Embassy in Accra hosted the first-ever virtual U.S. Franchise Trade Mission to Ghana. Organized by the U.S. Commercial Service, the three-day virtual trade mission brought U.S. franchisors together with 20 Ghanaian investors. The U.S. franchisors represented a cross-section of popular U.S. brand concepts such as business services, industrial cleaning services, fitness centers for adults, and fitness and learning centers for children. U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan welcomed the trade mission participants on September 1, saying, Im delighted to welcome U.S. franchises, which bring successful business strategies and some of the innovative product lines and services for which U.S. businesses are known around the globe, to Ghana. During the virtual trade mission, the U.S. Commercial Service arranged more than 30 meetings with Ghanaian investors via videoconference. This was a very successful virtual trade mission, with enthusiastic participation from 20 Ghanaian investors interested in bringing U.S. brands to Ghanaian consumers. We hope to follow this up with an in-person trade mission to Ghana when travel permits, said U.S. Embassy Commercial Attache Hannah Kamenetsky. Increasing trade and strengthening the business relationships between the United States and Ghana is a top priority for the U.S. Embassy in Ghana. The U.S. Commercial Service helps facilitate two-way trade and investment between the United States and Ghana and provides timely, relevant, customized solutions to assist in these efforts. To learn more, please visit https://gh.usembassy.gov/business/commercial-opportunities-ghana/ . Representative Image Cube Highways and Infrastructure has entered into a Rs 3,500 crore agreement with the State Bank of India (SBI) to purchase the third bundle of toll-operate-transfer (TOT) road assets auctioned by the National Highways Association of India (NHAI). This comes after the company won the Rs 5,011 crore worth TOT3 bundle in December 2019. The TOT3 bundle comprises 2,265 km lane across four states. Cubes new agreement with SBI for a 20-year loan facility with an interest of 8 percent is among the largest financings in Indias road sector, Mint reported. The SBI deal was delayed due to COVID-19 as the public lender wanted to observe pick-up in toll collections after the lifting of lockdown, a source told the paper. With toll collections seeing a healthy recovery post unlocking of the economy, SBI was comfortable with the financing," they added. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. 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 Transaction of the December 2019 bundle has also been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but once through, the deals will make Cube the countrys largest roads buyer with 8,400 km of road assets across 27 highways. NHAIs TOT model allows companies to pay the Centre a one-time concession fee for rights to operate, maintain and collect toll on select national highway stretches for a period of 30 years. Rich Americans are fleeing to the Caribbean as they swap COVID-19, fears around the upcoming election and even their US citizenship for a winter working remotely in the sun. Business has been booming in recent months for citizenship advisers, government agencies and real estate developers in several Caribbean islands including Grenada, Dominica, Barbados and St Kitts and Nevis. Applications for citizenship and visas for Caribbean islands are surging as people take advantage of the 12-month 'Welcome Stamp' initiative launched by Barbados in July, which encourages remote workers to enjoy a long-term stay in the sun. More than 1,100 have so far applied for the scheme and a similar offering in St Kitts and Nevis is also witnessing a surge in interest. This comes as stark data reveals a growing number of people with dual nationality are ditching their American citizenship and turning their backs on the nation for good. Rich Americans are fleeing to the Caribbean as they swap COVID-19, fears around the upcoming election and even their US citizenship for a winter working remotely in the sun. Pictured a beach on Nevis With the pandemic rumbling on, no clear sign of a vaccine and many workplaces switching to a more permanent working from home model, there has been a mass exodus out of the US's biggest cities such as New York and New Jersey to more rural states such as Vermont and Oregon in recent months. But the wealthy are jetting off even further afield, packing up for a long-term stay on a paradise Caribbean island. The shift to home working and the escalating tensions surrounding the upcoming November election have created a melting point where people want to escape US soil altogether, industry insiders told Forbes. Mohammed Asaria, whose Range Developments is developing a new luxury Six Senses resort in Grenada, said Americans are fleeing because they want to 'hide it out' from the election. 'You've got the election coming. That's number one,' he told Forbes. 'You've had COVID and certain places in the US have been challenged through that, and more working remotely.' Asaria said the rich are snapping up second or third homes they can hide out in if 'a second or third wave' of the virus comes. 'It's the first time the US has gone through a period like this and it's not just the Covid-19 situation,' said Gregor Nassief, proprietor of luxury villas Secret Bay in Dominica. 'It is the fear of what an extreme outcome on the left or right may look like after the presidential election.' People are taking advantage of the 12 month 'Welcome Stamp' initiative launched by Barbados in July, which encourages remote workers to enjoy a long-term stay in the sun. Pictured the Hilton Barbados Applications for citizenship on Caribbean islands such as St Kitts and Nevis are surging as the rich invest in second and third homes in the event of a second wave of the virus. Pictured a property on St Kitts In July, Barbados launched its new 12-month temporary visa for remote workers to live and work in the country for up to a year. The visa, which costs $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a family, exempts the holder from Barbados Income Tax. Around 1,100 applications have been filed in the two months since its launch, with 42 percent of applicants from the US. Other islands are also witnessing a growth in interest for long-term stays. Nassief said US inquiries for Secret Bay in Dominica have surged 66 percent in recent months because of the American exodus. Major hotel chains including Hilton and Marriott have also started offering long-term booking deals to tap into this budding market. The Marriott Residences St Kitts advertises a long-term rental of 12 months or longer with studios starting from US$1,575. Many visitors are wanting to set up more permanent roots to the island by getting citizenship. St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and Dominica each run a 'Citizenship By Investment' or CBI scheme. The scheme, which has been in operation in St Kitts and Nevis since 1984, has long attracted Chinese and Middle East investors who want dual passports but don't visit the islands. Mohammed Asaria, whose Range Developments is developing a new luxury Six Senses resort in Grenada (pictured), said Americans want to 'hide it out' from the election While more flock to paradise islands like Dominica (pictured) and snap up Caribbean citizenship, data suggests US citizenship is falling out of favor Les Khan, chief executive of the St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit, told Forbes that the events of 2020 have sparked a growth in applicants from Americans who want to come to live on the island. 'We have seen an uptick in applications from the US for people who want an alternative passport,' he said. 'Individuals who are from the US apply for St Kitts passport are doing so to want to come and change their lifestyles and live on the island.' Applicants are granted citizenship by either contributing to a sovereign fund or investing at least $200,000 on real estate. In St Kitts, the real estate purchases must be for government approved projects - something Khan said the surge in applicants is now depleting. The island is now exploring the option of expanding this to private homes to meet the demand for property from foreign investors, he said. A rise in demand for Caribbean citizenship comes as data suggests US citizenship is falling out of favor. More than double the number of Americans with dual nationality have ditched their US citizenship in the first half of 2020 compared to the whole of 2019, according to Bambridge Accountants. A total of 5,816 Americans gave up their citizenship - a staggering 1,210 percent surge in the number of people renouncing their passports from the previous six months. Alistair Bambridge, partner at Bambridge Accountants New York, told Forbes much of the decision is due to tax reasons. 'The huge increase in US expats renouncing from our experience is that the current pandemic has allowed individuals the time to review their ties to the US and decide that the current political climate and annual US tax reporting is just too much to bear,' he said. But as the rich buy up land and second and third homes in the Caribbean it is unclear what long-term impact this will have on property and land prices on the islands - and in turn the potential strain it could have on the abilities of local residents to buy homes. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appointed Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as the new president of the West Bengal Congress, the party said. Chowdhury is also the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha. His appointment was necessitated after the demise of former West Bengal Congress Committee chief Somen Mitra. The Congress president has appointed Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as the president of West Bengal Congress Committee with immediate effect," an official communication said late on Wednesday night. At this juncture, the party also remembers the services of Late Shri Somen Mitra, a veteran Congressman whose untimely demise has left a void amongst all Congress workers. He will always be remembered for his dedication to the cause," the AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said in the statement. The appointment comes ahead of next years assembly elections in West Bengal. Chowdhury is considered a strong critic of Chief Minister and TMC president Mamata Banerjee. His appointment also triggered speculation on whether he would continue to hold the post of the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, going by the partys principle of giving one post to one person. Dr Anthony Fauci set himself at odds with Donald Trump yet again by sharing his disapproval of the president's crowded campaign rallies where hundreds of supporters gather without masks or social distancing. Fauci, the nation's leading infection disease expert and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, addressed the issue in an interview with CBS This Morning on Wednesday, hours after a massive MAGA rally in North Carolina. Asked if he was frustrated by scenes showing supporters - and Trump himself - not wearing masks, Fauci said: 'Well, yes, it is. I've said that often. 'We want to set an example because we know that when you do four or five typical kind of public health measures - masks, physical distance, avoiding crowds - those are the kind of things that turn around surges and also prevent us from getting surges. 'So I certainly would like to see a universal wearing of masks.' Scroll down for video Dr Anthony Fauci called President Donald Trump's campaign rallies with hundreds of mask-less supporters 'frustrating' in an interview on Wednesday Fauci's comments came hours after Trump held a campaign rally in Winston-Salem on Tuesday night - where attendees were packed into stands without social distancing Trump's rally on Tuesday night in Winston-Salem flew in the face of state guidelines banning gatherings with more than 50 people. Ahead of the event, the chair of the local county commission urged Trump to wear a face mask in compliance with the governor's mandate. 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in North Carolina, do as the governor says,' Dave Pyler, the Republican chairman of the Forsyth county board of commissioners, told the Winston-Salem Journal. Pyler said Trump 'is a citizen of the United States, but he is also a guest in our county.' 'Without a mask, he could get sick, and he could blame the governor,' he added. But Trump ignored Pyler's plea and the governor's order by choosing not to don a mask as he spoke to the crowds and mocked his Democratic rival Joe Biden's adherence to social distancing guidelines at his own events. Ahead of the rally on Tuesday night, the chair of the local county commission urged Trump to wear a face mask in compliance with the governor's mandate. But Trump ignored the plea by choosing not to don a mask as he spoke to the crowds Trump's rally on Tuesday night in Winston-Salem flew in the face of state guidelines banning gatherings with more than 50 people. Many people in the crowd did not wear masks Fauci offered his own assessment of Trump's gathering after discussing how America's race for a vaccine has been politicized ahead of the November election. He said its unlikely the US will have a vaccine prior to the election - despite Trump's promise that it would be available by then. When asked about the timeline, Fauci said he couldn't rule out one being made available earlier but insisted that the end of the year was a more likely scenario. 'The projection that I've made and I'll stick by it is that we would likely get an answer if this is safe and effective by the end of the year.... The more likely scenario is that we'll know by the end of this calendar year,' he said. 'Hopefully we'll be able to start vaccinations in earnest as we begin 2021.' Fauci said initial trial results are likely to become available in November or December but late October remains a possibility. Three US vaccine candidates are currently in phase three clinical trials but one of those, which is being carried out by AstraZeneca, has now been put on hold after an unexplained illness in a participant. Fauci said that AstraZeneca's decision to pause the global trials of its experimental vaccine was unfortunate but not an uncommon safety precaution in the development process. AstraZeneca, of which the US has ordered 100 million doses, said on Tuesday it voluntarily paused trials, including late-stage ones, after an unexplained illness in a participant, to allow an independent committee to review safety data. It was working to expedite the review to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline. Fauci said the pause was not uncommon in vaccine development and that he hoped the company could proceed with its trial. 'This particular candidate from the AstraZeneca company had a serious adverse event, which means you put the rest of the enrollment of individual volunteers on hold until you can work out precisely what went on,' Fauci said. 'It's really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this, so it's unfortunate that it happened. 'Hopefully, they'll work it out and be able to proceed along with the remainder of the trial but you don't know. They need to investigate it further.' The vaccine, which AstraZeneca is developing with the University of Oxford, has been described by the World Health Organization as probably the world's leading candidate and the most advanced in terms of development. Three US vaccine candidates are currently in phase three clinical trials but one of those, which is being carried out by AstraZeneca (above), has now been put on hold after an unexplained illness in a participant Trump has repeatedly said a vaccine is possible before the November 3 election. 'We're going to have a vaccine very soon. Maybe even before a very special date. You know what date I'm talking about,' Trump said during a news briefing on Monday. He has accused a 'deep state' within the nation's top health regulator of trying to slow pivotal clinical trials to hamper his chances at a second term. The US Food and Drug Administration has refuted that claim, saying its decisions will be guided by data alone. Drugmakers, seeking to bolster public confidence amid political squabbles on Tuesday pledged to uphold scientific safety and efficacy standards in their quest for a vaccine. However, comments from companies suggest they could have an answer on whether their vaccines work within that time frame. US drug giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech have recently suggested their vaccines could be ready for approval by mid-October or early November. During a Research! America 2020 National Health Research Forum on Tuesday, Fauci said the number of vaccine candidates was promising. 'You have a lot of candidates in play, which really is the reason why we're optimistic that we will be successful with one or more, and that will likely start taking place by the end of the calendar year 2020,' he said. When asked about the COVID-19 outlook for the United States, Fauci said it was a 'mixed bag'. 'If you look at the country... there are some areas doing very well right now, particularly those that got hit badly early on. For example, the New York City metropolitan area has, for at least a month now, been less than 1 percent test positivity,' Fauci said. He added that Southern states that saw surges when they started reopening economies had pushed the country's baseline daily infection rate from about 20,000 to 70,000. Fauci noted that the infections in those Sunbelt hotspot states was now declining. 'Just as those states are starting to level off and come down. We're seeing surges in places like Montana, the Dakotas, Michigan... some areas are doing really well and others are threatening to have surges,' he said. 'If you're looking at the country as a whole, we need to do much better.' The average number of new coronavirus cases per day across the US are the lowest they have been in more than two months - as health officials warn that large crowds over the Labor Day holiday weekend could potentially spark a surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming days. Daily cases across the country are averaging at just over 40,000 per day - a toll not seen since the last week of June. Cases are currently declining nationally after plateauing for the last week two weeks following the initial steep decline in July. The US now has more than 6.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases. Deaths from the virus have more than doubled over the summer to nearly 190,000. The average number of daily deaths is now at just over 800, which is down from the peak 2,000 fatalities per day back in April. While cases and deaths have been declining nationally for several weeks, health officials said they feared the Labor Day holiday weekend could cause a spike like the one that followed Memorial Day. The US had about 1.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases around Memorial Day before backyard parties and other gatherings contributed to a summertime surge. The current average number of daily cases is double the number ahead of the Memorial Day weekend back in May. Many health experts partly blame the July spike on social gatherings held around Memorial Day. BAKU -- Police in Baku have detained dozens of demonstrators demanding the immediate release of hunger-striking Azerbaijani opposition politician Tofiq Yaqublu, who was sentenced to more than four years in prison on hooliganism charges which he and his supporters call "bogus." The demonstrators initially planned to rally in front of the building of the Constitutional Court in Baku on September 9, but police blocked all ways leading to the site as dozens of protesters gathered on central Azerbaijan Avenue. The demonstrators were holding posters saying "Freedom to Tofiq Yaqublu" and chanting "Free Tofiq!" as police arrived and started detaining them and forcing them onto buses. Yaqublu's daughter, Nigar Hazi-Yaqublu, well-known public figures Baxtiyar Haciyev, Rabiyya Mammadova, and journalist Fatima Movlamli, were among at least 20 people detained by police, RFE/RL correspondents reported from Baku. The 59-year-old Yaqublu is a deputy chairman of the opposition Musavat Party and a senior politician in the National Council of Democratic Forces. He was convicted of "hooliganism" and sentenced to four years and three months in prison on September 3 over a dispute after a traffic accident that he and rights groups say was a setup for the "bogus" case. Yaqublu's lawyer, Aqil Layic, told RFE/RL on September 7 that the politician was being pressured to confess to nonexistent psychological problems to explain his hunger strike. Yaqublu was arrested in March after the car crash. Investigators accused Yaqublu of "using a wrench to conduct an act of hooliganism" against the other driver, a charge he has denied. European officials have expressed concerns over Yaqublu's conviction and called on Baku to revisit his case. Yaqublu, who frequently criticizes the government and authoritarian President Ilham Aliyev, spent 14 months in prison in 2013-14 on charges widely dismissed as politically motivated. He was also sentenced to several days in jail in October 2019 after an opposition rally, during which he claims he was tortured in custody. Critics of Aliyev's government say authorities in the oil-rich Caspian Sea state frequently seek to silence dissent by jailing opposition activists, journalists, and civil-society advocates on trumped-up charges. Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan since 2003, taking over for his father, Heydar Aliyev, who served as president for a decade. 09.09.2020 LISTEN In a bid to eradicate Polio, a vaccine-preventable disease which threatens children worldwide, Rotary and its partners across the world have reaffirmed their commitment to the global efforts in achieving this objective. At an event in Ashaiman to outdoor a billboard to mark the achievement chalked by the 54 Africa countries in eradicating the wild polio virus over the last three years, the partners, including CEF, CDC, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service, were unanimous that mass immunization efforts must be sustained to totally win the fight. The days activity on the theme End Polio Now was to enforce Rotary International and the Rotary Foundations zeal to ensure that the world becomes Polio Free forever. The Chairperson of the Ghana National Polio Plus Committee, Past Assistant Governor Nana Yaa Siriboe, said the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners and the African Region were happy that major gains had been made in the fight against polio. In August 2019, Nigeria, the last wild polio-endemic country in Africa passed three consecutive years without a trace of wild poliovirus. This is to say that no case of wild polio virus has been reported in WHO African Region for over three consecutive years. This is a feat worth celebrating, Madam Sereboe said. In 1996, Rotary and its partners joined with the late Nelson Mandela to jump-start Africas commitment to polio eradication with the launch of kick polio out campaign. Since then nine billion doses of oral polio vaccine have been provided averting an estimated 1.8 million cases of wild polio virus on the continent. Madam Sereboe said the success of end polio now campaign had proved that with strong commitment, coordination and perseverance polio eradication was possible. With our partners we have found innovative ways to vaccinate children and how to reach conflict-affected areas but conducting flexible and rapid vaccination campaigns, she said. To make the entire world safe from polio it is critical to vaccinate every child and strengthen routine immunization. There are still pockets of children who are not getting the polio vaccine which could lead to outbreaks. To stop any form of polio it is critical that every child is reached with vaccines. Rotarians have contributed nearly a billion US Dollars towards polio eradication efforts in the African region alone and $1.8billion globally. The funds have allowed Rotary to issue Polio Plus grants to fund polio surveillance, transportation, awareness campaigns and National Immunization Days. Past Assistant Governor Nana Yaa said the outdooring of the billboard in the community was to encourage every parent to have their children vaccinated against poliomyelitis. We do hope that the immunization exercise which will be conducted from 10-13 September 2020 will receive full support from everyone, she reiterated. District Governor for District 9102 Yvonne Kumoji-Darko said more than 9 billion doses of oral polio vaccine have been provided throughout the region, preventing an estimated 1.8 million cases of paralysis. Each year, about 2 million volunteers help vaccinate 220 million children against polio multiple times in the African Region alone, and 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. In Ghana, 52 Rotary Clubs and approximately 1500 Rotarians join hands with the Ministry of Health, staff and nurses and partners to participate in our National Immunization Days. She reiterated her appreciation to the Government of Ghana for her continued support of this initiative to eradicate polio. Today, Polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it is crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio - free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year. As Rotarians, we are determined to fulfil the promise we made to the children of the world, since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979 the District Governor stated. Dr Fadinding Manneh, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative Coordinator in Ghana commended the partners for their leadership and commitment. We have all shown tremendous leadership and personal commitment in this cause of eradicating polio. The global polio eradication initiative has a strong history of working together on many important challenges facing polio eradication, he said. He said since the initiative was launched in 1988, over 99 per cent of polio cases were eradicated worldwide. So that is a great progress but while polio remains anywhere in the world it is still a threat to everyone, he said. We need to keep this action going. The continued commitment and strengthening immunization is essential to protect the progress that has been achieved so far. Also present at the event were representatives from WHO, UNICEF, and Ghana Health Service who have all contributed immensely over the years in partnering Rotary on this journey. Another activity embarked on by the Rotarians was the distribution of face masks with End Polio Now inscribed on them to the people of Ashaiman. This is aimed to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus and to remind everyone that our work is not completely done as we all need to fight Polio from the surface of the earth. Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who unite and take action to create lasting change in communities around the globe. ---GNA It was only last month that the world first heard the dramatic announcement that the United States had mediated an agreement, normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Historic peace agreement between our two GREAT friends, tweeted US President Donald Trump on Aug. 13. Trump also described it as a HUGE breakthrough, a term Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later applied to a corollary of the deal. UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed announced that his country had decided that it would be setting a roadmap towards establishing a bilateral relationship between the two countries in exchange for a halt to Israeli annexation of Palestinian lands. Moreover, within just a couple of weeks, an Israeli delegation led by the head of the National Security Council, Meir Ben Shabbat, left for Abu Dhabi with an American delegation on the first commercial flight from Tel Aviv to the UAE. Shortly afterward, Saudi Arabia announced that it would allow flights between Israel and the UAE to fly over its airspace. Then Bahrain seconded this, saying it would also allow these flights to fly over it. With one announcement coming right after the other, the mood in Israel is celebratory, at least for the countrys Jewish population. Almost all Israeli Jews support the normalization of relations with the UAE. In contrast, the response among the Arab population is mixed, and the polemics have just begun. Those opposed to the agreement argue that it will shunt the Palestinian issue off to the side and remove it from the agenda. They worry that this agreement will lead to further agreements with other Arab states, and that these will fail to consider the Palestinians. But there are also those who speak of a unique opportunity, which will never present itself again, to build ties and connect with the Arab world, not to mention the economic and tourism benefits of the agreement. This leads to the question: Which of the Israeli Arab communitys two identities will be the decider when it comes to the agreement: its Israeli identity or its Palestinian identity? Anyone keeping tabs on all the official declarations will know that the agreement puts an end to Israels plan to annex Palestinian territory and resulted in the opening of the Al-Aqsa Mosque to all Muslims who arrive in the country through the UAE. That in itself is no small achievement. Nevertheless, it seems as if there are still concerns that the normalization of relations without a peace agreement with the Palestinians will perpetuate the occupation. The first to protest the agreement were Balad party activists. They demonstrated against it in Nazareth last month under the slogan, Palestine is stronger than normalization. They refuse to accept normalization without the creation of a Palestinian state. Film director Belal Yousef told Al-Monitor, As an Israeli citizen who defines himself as a Palestinian first and foremost, I support peace between all peoples and nations in the world, and that does not stop at an agreement between Israel and the UAE. At the same time, I regret to say that this is nothing more than a 'deal' in every sense, benefiting Trump right before the US election. In that sense, it is no different from the Kosovo deal [to recognize Israel]. This is especially true considering that a deal for the United States to sell F-35 fighter jets to the UAE is also on the table. Anyone interested in achieving real peace would make peace with the people with whom they have a conflict, instead of searching for peace in faraway countries. Furthermore, according to the Arab Peace Initiative, an agreement with the Palestinians, who are Israels neighbors, should lead to a peace agreement with all the Arab states. On the other hand, there are those who see this agreement as an opportunity for them to establish ties with the Arab world, something that has been denied them until now because of their Israeli citizenship and passports. Morsi Baiadsy, an artist and conductor, told Al-Monitor: I visited Abu Dhabi a few years ago as part of my work as a conductor. I must say that I was exposed to one of the most advanced nations in the world. The people there dont focus on politics. They are more concerned about business and quality of life. For my colleagues and me as artists, this is an excellent opportunity to take center stage in the Arab world, especially since all of Arab musics top stars eventually show up to play in the UAE. And in the end, we all hope that a thriving Palestinian state will be established beside Israel. Anyone who has followed developments in the Middle East since the 1993 Oslo Accord knows that there have been longstanding informal relations between Israel, the UAE and several other Arab states, at least behind the scenes. Nevertheless, this normalization agreement came as a total surprise to more Israeli Jews than it did to the countrys Arab population. The sense in Israeli-Arab society is that relations that were once kept quiet are now coming out from under the table and placed in the spotlight. And what do Israeli Arab women think about the agreement? Just like the men, their opinions are split. Safaa Jabareen of Umm al-Fahm told Al-Monitor, We are all aware of the fact that there were always normal relations between Israel and the UAE, but these were kept secret. Now that Trump and the US have granted their imprimatur, the rest of the world has been made aware of them. While I think that this is an economic and business breakthrough that will connect us with the rest of the Arab world, we mustnt think that it is all good. We cannot ignore the reality in which we live, including the ongoing occupation. If the parties want to ensure the survival of this agreement, they need to consider ways to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In contrast, Shireen Abu-Asaad of Nazareth said, I think that this agreement will be advantageous to both countries. It will contribute to the economy and technology, and no less to politics and strategic affairs. We will see a strengthening of the axis connecting Israel with the pragmatic Arab states in their conflict with the radical Arab states. There can be no doubt that what we are witnessing is the consequence of conflicting identities among Israels Arab citizens. It is a conflict that originates with the dual identities that they have been living with for decades. On one hand, there are those who want to continue feeling Palestinian. They have a hard time imagining an agreement that does not include the establishment of a Palestinian state. On the other hand there are those who obviously support the creation of a Palestinian state but still prefer to see the glass as being half full. To them, this agreement affords them a chance to join the Arab world, which has denied them access until now, because of their complex identity and their Israeli citizenship. Almost 1.4 million Dubliners face the threat of new Covid-19 restrictions if skyrocketing case numbers are not brought under control. There is increasing concern in Government about the situation in Dublin with 182 new cases announced yesterday. The Cabinet discussed the rise in cases in Dublin and Limerick when they met to sign off on allowing all pubs reopen on September 21. After the meeting, senior Government figures warned it was highly unlikely pubs in Dublin would reopen in two weeks if the rate of new cases continued to rise at its current trajectory. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar also told his parliamentary party he was "very worried" about the number of new cases in Dublin. Read More And two Cabinet ministers said they would not be surprised if some form of restrictions were introduced in the capital soon. Meanwhile, an advertising campaign will be launched in Dublin to urge people to be more cautious and limit their social interactions. The outbreaks in the capital are in mostly family or home settings rather than pubs, restaurants or other places where people gather. However, if cases continue to rise in Dublin, new restrictions will have to be considered, a Cabinet minister said. "The problem is that you can't impose the same restrictions you imposed on Kildare and Offaly on Dublin," the minister said. "The debate is around how do you close down Dublin if you have to." Another minister said the outbreaks were focused in the west of the city and the concern is that a lot of the cases are community transmission which means they cannot be easily traced. "The majority of the cases are in the Dublin West and Dublin South West constituencies," they added. Another senior Government source said: "Everyone in Dublin should be mindful that Covid figures are way up - and we all need to make a conscious effort to limit our social contact in controlled settings." It came as the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin urged caution among priests and churchgoers. The bishop said social distancing in "some cases has become loose" after Mass. "I have seen some examples in our Dublin churches and indeed some parishes have published photos on parish websites that indicate poor practice," Dr Martin said. "I would ask all parishes to examine carefully how they can foster staggered exiting from churches and prevent gatherings at church entrance," he added. "In addition, I would remind parishes that the norms which permit gatherings of up to 50 people or "pods" of 50 people in Church buildings applies to religious services alone. For any other gatherings such as meetings or concerts, the limit is six people," he added. The archbishop also noted that international evidence showed that masks rather than visors were better for protecting the public against the virus. Read More The Nphet advice was given to the Government last Thursday and included new guidelines for pubs to follow when they reopen. This includes a ban on any live music or dancing. Public health experts also recommended that TV volume must be turned down low to ensure people are not forced to speak over it. International research has shown the virus spreads more quickly among people who are raising their voices - such as those attending sporting events or in other crowded situations. Nphet also said some pubs may need to introduce extra toilets facilities to allow for social distancing. Pubs may also have to limit the number of customers they can have at any time depending on the size of the premises. Nphet added nightclubs and discos should remain closed for the foreseeable future. The president stressed that while people might not like restrictions, the latter must be logical and fair. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has commented on the move by a number of local leaders to ignore the obligatory strengthening of quarantine rules. "On some rebellious local leadersIn general, I don't understand who's fighting whom. I'm not fighting anyone at all. This sounds ridiculous, but these 'rebels' ... I do realize that ahead of local elections they seek to please people and open up everything, allow them walking around with no masks on, and turn a blind eye to things..." Zelensky said at a briefing as part of a working trip to Khmelnytsky region, according to an UNIAN correspondent. As a result of a careless attitude towards the pandemic, there may not be enough beds in hospitals: "No one's fighting with anyone, we will simply have not enough beds [for COVID-19 patients]. "For example, take Ivano-Frankivsk region, to which I have a very good attitude if there's such a number of cases there, I don't understand why this region should become another Italy? They simply have no beds available. This is just an unfair position," he added. The President stated that people might not like restrictions, but the latter must be logical and fair. "This is about communication between local authorities and the Ministry of Health, not about communication between local authorities and the president," the head of state pointed. Read alsoUkraine reports over 2,500 new COVID-19 cases on Sept 9According to Zelensky, local officials should work jointly with the central government. He suggested that local leaders who have refused to strengthen quarantine in accordance with the epidemic situation be forced to visit homes of corona victims' families and "look them in the eyes." Adaptive quarantine in Ukraine Professional Coworking is Coming to Western Massachusetts in early 2021 Venture X, a professional, flexible workspace community for freelancers, entrepreneurs and businesses, is excited to announce its newest location will be opening in Holyoke, Massachusetts in early 2021. This 16,000 square foot workspace at 98 Lower Westfield Rd., will be located at the intersection of I-91 and I-90, adjacent to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside. Venture X is a global coworking community with locations throughout the United States and Canada, as well as internationally. The workspaces are well appointed with many amenities, frequently sanitized and cognizant of social distancing. They offer a variety of options from virtual offices to dedicated desks to private individual and team offices. Venture X caters to professionals looking for a business casual work environment where they can always feel comfortable bringing their clients. The Venture X membership is diverse and includes entrepreneurs, creative professionals, freelancers, remote workers, startups, non-profits, small businesses, and teams from Fortune 500 companies. As a fourth generation Barowsky from Holyoke, I am very proud and excited to bring the Venture X concept to our area, said Ned Barowsky, Owner. I believe that Venture X will be a great asset to the Holyoke market and will fill a need as Holyoke and the surrounding communities are lacking premium coworking space. Venture X Holyoke will be located within a building owned by Barowsky at the busiest intersection in Western Massachusetts on the access road to the Holyoke Mall. The property has recently been updated with an additional 90 parking spaces added for a total of 300. We are thrilled to be opening our second Venture X location in Massachusetts and our first in the Western part of the state, said Jason Anderson, president of Venture X. The Venture X brand is growing exponentially, and we look forward to providing professional, coworking options to Holyoke and the surrounding communities. Story continues In addition to office space, Venture X offers event space and meeting room rentals for the day or by the hour for members and non-members. Additional details on Venture Xs workspace options and services are available at https://venturex.com/memberships/. About Venture X Venture X is a shared workspace and community that is a blend of boutique hotel and modern office styles, with a high level of design that feels professional and welcoming. We are designing beautiful spaces and developing an environment and community that people love coming to work every day. Venture X is part of a successful group of affiliated companies and brands under the United Franchise Group (UFG) and has been recognized by Inc. as one of the best co-working spaces in the United States. For more information about locations visit www.VentureX.com and for information about franchise opportunities visit www.venturexfranchise.com. About United Franchise Group Led by Founder and CEO Ray Titus, United Franchise Group is home to an affiliated family of brands, including Signarama, Fully Promoted, Experimax, Jon Smith Subs, SuperGreen Solutions, Transworld Business Advisors, Accurate Franchising, Venture X, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, Network Lead Exchange and Resource Operations International (ROI). With over three decades in the franchising industry and more than 1,600 franchisees throughout the world, United Franchise Group offers unprecedented leadership and solid business opportunities for entrepreneurs. Contact Details Brittny Fuchs +1 561-812-6032 bfuchs@ufgcorp.com Company Website https://venturex.com/ A tooth lodged in a surfer's longboard has confirmed he was killed by a white pointer after authorities questioned whether a tiger shark found dead in the same waters was responsible. Nick Slater, 46, was fatally mauled at about 5pm on Tuesday off popular Greenmount Beach, on the Gold Coast tourist strip, where swimmers are protected by shark netting. Early analysis of the tooth and the imprint of the animal's jaw on Mr Slater's surfboard revealed it was likely a 3.5m white pointer shark. Nick Slater, 46, was fatally mauled at about 5pm on Tuesday off popular Greenmount Beach, on the Gold Coast tourist strip, in a rare attack where swimmers are protected by shark netting A tooth lodged in a surfer's longboard has confirmed he was killed by a white pointer The tooth left embedded in Mr Slater's surfboard has been taken away for analysis to find out what kind of shark attacked him A photo of the tooth has been released by the Department of Fisheries, revealing it was 45mm long and 30mm wide. It comes after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a large tiger shark was found tangled in a net off Greenmount Beach just hours after the tragedy. 'Further investigations will be conducted to discover if there is any link between it and the fatal attack,' Palaszczuk told state parliament. The 46-year-old suffered serious leg injuries and was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene minutes after they arrived. His death is only the second fatal shark attack at one of Queensland's 85 beaches that have been protected by nets and drum lines since 1962, the state government said. Before nets were put in place, the last fatal shark attack off a Gold Coast beach - 24 of which are now netted - was in 1958. Fellow surfer Jade Parker was getting ready to hit the water when he spotted Mr Slater floating motionless next to his board in the line-up. He waded out to help other surfers and lifeguards bring in Mr Slater. Longboard rider Nick Slater, 46, was mauled to death by a shark on the Gold Coast on Tuesday Surf cameras captured the moment Mr Slater was killed by a great white shark at a netted Gold Coast beach in the first fatal attack in the region since 1958 Surfer Jade Parker told 7News he first spotted a school of fish and up to 30 birds near the victim, which is what attracted the shark to the surfer Pictured: Lifeguards on jet skis search the water at Greenmount Beach on Wednesday Mr Parker found the 4cm tooth lodged in Mr Slater's board, which he said was from 'an obvious white pointer'. 'It was a good size bite to the board,' he told Seven Network on Wednesday. Mr Parker said the injury stretched from the 'groin area to just below his knee'. 'It was pretty much all taken... there was nothing there, it was just hanging there by not much,' he said. 'I do not want to get to the gory parts but he was in a bad way. He was not conscious. It looked like he had already pretty much passed away at that point in time.' Gold Coast chief lifeguard Warren Young told Nine News by the time lifeguards got out to Mr Slater to bring him back to shore he was likely already dead. Family and friends have flooded social media with tributes to Mr Slater, who has been described as an avid adventurer. 'I'll never forget the look on Dave's face as we found your car last night alone in the car park, confirmation of our worst nightmare,' Mr Slater's good friend Jasmine Robson wrote online. A dead tiger shark was caught in a net off the same Gold Coast beach where the real estate agent died Mr Slater is assisted by fellow surfers and beachgoers after he was bitten by a shark on Tuesday 'Expecting you to be back in an hour after catching a few waves.' Mr Slater's Instagram page showed a live full of adventure, most of his pictures captured in the ocean. 'Just give me sunshine through the autumn, sweet snow to the spring,' a caption on one of the images said. Pictured: Mr Slater was was a real estate agent who lived in Miami on the Gold Coast The horrific mauling was captured by surf watch cameras and witnessed by at least one other rider. Mourners descended on Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning to pay their respects as a Westpac Lifesaver Rescue helicopter circled in the area after first light looking for sharks. Beaches from Burleigh to Snapper Rocks have been closed and lifeguards are patrolling the waters on jet skis. Thomas Richard Tate, Mayor of the Gold Coast, offered his condolences to Mr Slater's family on Wednesday morning. 'Last time we've had a shark attack is 1958, over 60 years ago,' he told Today. 'It doesn't matter how long it has been, still a devastating shock to the community of the Gold Coast.' The mayor said the beaches would remain closed until it is determined the shark is no longer in the vicinity. Mr Tate said the shark attack was a reminder to all beachgoers to 'look after your mates'. Two surfers are seen walking near a 'danger' sign on Wednesday morning as beaches are shut from Burleigh to Snapper Rocks Two women hug at Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning, following the death of a surfer Coastalwatch footage captured the moment a surfer brought the injured man to shore with the help of other beachgoers 'I mean really it brings to reality, when we go off the land we go into water, it is the shark's domain,' he said. He said the attack could damage the region's COVID-19-ravaged tourism industry and urged people wanting to swim to do so north of Burleigh. 'It brings to reality, when we go off the land we go into the water, it is the shark's domain. The danger's there,' he said. Footage from a Swellnet surf camera shows Mr Slater sitting in the water at the end of the line-up before the shark grabs him and pulls him under. Water can be seen splashing around before the black silhouette of the shark swims away but surfers just metres away seem oblivious to what is happening. Mr Slater is then seen floating face down in the water before fellow board-riders drag him to shore. Coastalwatch footage showed the moment directly after the attack, when a surfer paddled the victim to shore with the help of other beachgoers. A lifeguard vehicle is seen parked on the sand as surfers leave Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning Greenmount Beach will remain closed until it's determined there are no longer sharks in the area Greenmount Beach was closed on Wednesday morning after a surfer was mauled by a shark on Tuesday Lifeguards were seen waiting on the sand before frantically working to treat the severe injury as emergency crews rushed to the popular tourist spot. Mr Slater, who was surfing alone, was pronounced dead minutes after they arrived. Beaches remain officially closed to swimmers from the NSW border to Burleigh Heads, an area about 20km long. Queensland Lifesaving supervisor Nathan Fife warned swimmers that large fish 'bait balls' and whales migrating south were likely to attract sharks toward the coast. 'Don't swim at dawn or dusk. That is the time marine life is feeding,' he said. Greenmount Beach is one of several on the Gold Coast that has a shark net. It also has eight drumlines. Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said they were regularly checked and the government remained committed to the state's shark control program at 86 beaches from the Gold Coast to Cairns. A woman sits on a rock and looks out to the water at Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning Federal minister Michael Sukkar says he is confident an audit of his office employees by the Department of Finance will find none of them took part in party political work during taxpayer-funded hours. The Assistant Treasurer and influential factional player within the Victorian Liberals division was placed at the centre of allegations of branch-stacking and misuse of Commonwealth employees for political work. Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar says an investigation will clear him of allegations he used taxpayer-funded staff to do party political work. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen A series of reports by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes last month alleged party powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan had directed taxpayer-funded electorate officers to recruit party members to boost factional numbers while working for Mr Sukkar and veteran MP Kevin Andrews. Mr Bastiaan has since resigned from the party, while Mr Sukkar and Mr Andrews referred themselves to the department the day after the allegations were raised. (Newser) President Trump has a big fan in Norway, and now the possibility of a Nobel Peace Prize, thanks to his somewhat-newfound friend. Fox News reports that Norwegian Parliament member Christian Tybring-Gjedde has nominated Trump for the honor based on his role in establishing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, announced last month. "This agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity," Tybring-Gjedde, who also nominated Trump in 2018, said in his letter to the Nobel Committee. Tybring-Gjedde also cited Trump's efforts on the Korean Peninsula and in the Kashmir border dispute. The Daily Beast and Independent point out that any member of a national government or assembly, or even a university professor, can throw someone's name in the ring, and that hundreds of people are nominated each year. story continues below The outlet also notes that Tybring-Gjedde is one of the Scandinavian nation's "most well-known anti-immigration cranks," who's made multiple eyebrow-raising statements on the topic. Tybring-Gjedde, however, insists his nomination of the US president shouldn't be downplayed. "I'm not a big Trump supporter," he tells Fox. "The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the factsnot on the way he behaves sometimes. The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing." Obama received the 2009 Peace Prize for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," especially for his "vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons." Per Sky News, a signing ceremony for the Israel-UAE deal will take place on Sept. 15. (Read more President Trump stories.) Belarus border officials say Maria Kolesnikova, a leading member of Belarus' opposition, was detained early Tuesday while trying to cross into neighboring Ukraine. The officials said Kolesnikova was traveling with two other opposition movement members, Anton Rodnenkov and Ivan Kravtsov, who both successfully entered Ukraine. The circumstances of how the group ended up at the border was not immediately clear. Deputy Ukrainian Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook that what happened Tuesday was not a voluntary departure, but rather what he called a forced expulsion. Monday brought calls from Germany and Britain demanding Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko disclose Kolesnikova's location after reports she was seized by unidentified men in Minsk. Kolesnikova was the last of three women left inside Belarus who came together in the opposition coordination council to try to defeat Lukashenko in an Aug. 9 election. He was declared winner, but opposition parties, along with the United States and the European Union, say the poll was rigged. Kolesnikova's ally Olga Kovalkova went to Poland Saturday, saying authorities forced her out of the country, while Belarus' main opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has been in Lithuania with her children since the election for what she says is her own safety. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 12:46 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43b259a 1 World Prabowo,defense-ministry,Chinese-government,China,bilateral-cooperation,bilateral-meeting,bilateral-relations,COVID-19,pandemic Free Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe discussed a bilateral collaboration on COVID-19 pandemic mitigation in Jakarta on Tuesday. The two officials also touched on such subjects as bilateral cooperation in the defense industry and education sector, as well as a host of other issues in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a statement issued by the Indonesian Defense Ministry. The bilateral meeting between the two defense ministers discussed various important issues related to national defense, the statement read. After speaking with Prabowo, Menghe proceeded to hold a meeting with Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan. Among those in attendance were Indonesian Navy chief of staff Adm. Yudo Margono and Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Xiao Qian. The Chinese government has provided health equipment, including test kits, to Indonesian medical personnel working against COVID-19 over the course of the outbreak in the country. The first batch of the medical supplies were delivered from Shanghai to Jakarta via an Indonesian Military (TNI) Hercules C-130 aircraft, in accordance with Prabowos request. According to the official government count, the Indonesia has recorded 200,035 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 8,230 deaths as of Tuesday. RCS support in Google Messages is spreading even further, as it arrived in four more countries, that we know of. According to Android Police, users from Croatia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Slovenia now have access to RCS in Google Messages. Google Messages just got RCS support in four more countries Back in April, RCS support became available in Google Messages for users in Italy, Singapore, and Portugal. Soon after that, it became available in Argentina, Pakistan, Poland, and Turkey. Then, last month, the support rolled out to users in Denmark, and the Netherlands. If you do use Google Messages in one of those countries, a pop-up will appear within the app. It may not appear straight away, but it should appear soon. It will let you know that you can take advantage of RCS features. Advertisement You will essentially be able to use Google Messages as both your SMS and instant messaging app. To users who have the same feature enabled, youll be able to send images, GIFs, videos, and so on. In other words, youll be able to use this app as you would Facebook Messenger, Viber, or WhatsApp, for example. If the user on the other end does not have a feature, youll still be able to send an SMS or MMS. Its not easy to spot who uses RCS, but its visible if you know where to look How will you know the difference? Well, you dont spot an obvious indicator on the main display, or the list of your contacts. Not even the color of the bubbles will be different based on what you use, as it is with iMessage. Advertisement So, how will you know? Well, once you start typing, youll see the difference in the send icon. If there is no SMS or MMS writing below it, then youre using the online features of Google Messages, aka RCS. RCS brings along typing indicators, read receipts, and proper group conversation support, as a regular instant messaging service. RCS messaging is still not widespread, as you can see. Google is pushing it to become available to as many phones as possible, just to mimic what iMessage does for iPhones. Advertisement This tech is supposed to replace, or at least work in collaboration with SMS in the future. RCS is often referred to as SMS 2.0, and it remains to be seen if it will completely push out SMS. That is not as likely, as long as Apple doesnt start using it. We dont see that happening, at least not anytime soon. Allowing RCS on iPhones would basically be creating direct competition for iMessage, but a multi-platform one. British people are known around the world for their love of tea, with 100million cups consumed across the UK every day. But Britons may want to think twice about which brand they buy after tests revealed that Twinings, Tetley and Yorkshire Tea bags contain the plastic polypropylene - which is unlikely to degrade for hundreds of years. By contrast, the experiments at the University of East Anglia, which were featured on BBC show War on Plastic, showed that Clipper, PG Tips and Pukka tea bags do not have any plastic in them. Scroll down for video Tests revealed that Twinings, Tetley and Yorkshire Tea bags (pictured) contain the plastic polypropylene - which may not degrade for hundreds of years The brands were tested by scientists at the University of East Anglia, to see if their bags contained plastic. Tetley (pictured) was one of the brands to fail the test All of the brands were tested in the show earlier this month - which is presented by Anita Rani, 42 - to see which of them contained non-biodegradable plastic. A tea bag from each brand was placed in a solution of copper ammonia - which dissolves any material apart from plastic - for five days. The liquid was then put through a sieve to see if any plastic was remaining. The researchers, led by Dr Andrew Mayes, then revealed which brand had passed the test on the programme. The first to be put through its paces was Clipper, which boasts on its packaging that its bags are plastic-free. True to their word, the Clipper bag dissolved entirely, meaning it has no plastic in. The same could be said for both PG Tips and Pukka. Twinings tea bags (pictured) also contained plastic. The tests were featured on BBC show War on Plastic earlier this month By contrast, PG Tips tea bags were found not to contain plastic. The same could be said for both Clipper and Pukka However, in the test tube which contained the Twinings tea bag, a 'plastic skeleton' which looked much like a tea bag had remained and was pulled out with tweezers. Dr Mayes said: 'It's dissolving away the papery part of the tea bag so that we can see the plastic skeleton that's inside it. 'As you can see, other than being a bit more transparent and fragile-looking it's like a tea bag.' Ms Rani said she was 'shocked and surprised' by the finding. Her surprise grew when the Tetley bag was also found to be made from plastic. The presenter then herself checked the tube which the Yorkshire Tea bag had been put into. Presenter Anita Rani, 42, accompanied the scientists as they covered the tea bags in copper ammonia - which dissolves any material apart from plastic - for five days The liquid was then poured through a sieve to see if there was any plastic remaining As she reached into it, she said, 'Please be nothing, please be nothing,' but then added, 'oh no Yorkshire Tea,' when she pulled out the plastic remains of the bag. 'Oh gosh, look at that. This is not a good result for Yorkshire,' she said. Dr Mayes said polypropylene is a plastic which 'probably will survive in the environment for for hundreds, thousands of years.' When contacted by the BBC, Tetley, Twinings and Yorkshire Tea all said they will be switching to fully biodegradable bags by the end of 2020. All three firms have been approached for comment by FEMAIL. But Twinings was the first brand to fail. A piece of plastic which had the appearance of a tea bag was left over It comes after scientists at Canada's McGill University discovered that plastic tea bags release billions of tiny fragments into the liquid when left to steep. The plastic degrades with time, breaking down into tiny micro- and nano-sized particles than can be over 750 times smaller than the width of a human hair. The researchers also found that water fleas exposed to the plastic debris from the teabags went on to grow abnormally and exhibit unusual behaviours. The exact impact on humans of ingesting micro- and nanoplastic particles, however, is not yet known. Ms Rani said she was 'shocked and surprised' by the finding after helping with The Yorkshire Tea part of the experiement She then personally inspected the Yorkshire Tea tube and said 'Please be nothing, please be nothing,' as she put tweezers into the container. When she pulled out the plastic layer, she added, 'oh no Yorkshire Tea!' Last month PG Tips, which is owned by Unilever, announced that from next year it would be ditching all plastic packaging. Its bags are made from corn starch and were first introduced on a limited range of products in 2018. The tea company has also removed the outer plastic wrap on its 160-bag boxes with plans to remove the outer plastic wrap from the rest of the sizes next year. Unilever says that the new plant-based materials would provide retailers with a product that 'shoppers are actively looking for' and help the environment. A Harvard Business Review survey found consumers were five times more likely to buy sustainable products, which has prompted many firms to start to change lines. Over the past two decades, particularly since Sept. 11, 2001, the borderlands of Texas and Mexico have undergone a profound transformation. Once a region where passport-free cross-border tourism and shopping flourished in towns and cities ranging from McAllen and Matamoros to El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, the border has once again become a zone where tensions between Mexico and Texas have become dramatic. Border residents have witnessed bloody wars among rival drug cartels, massive waves of Central American immigrants seeking asylum, the murders of many courageous journalists and, of course, the erection of sections of a highly controversial new border wall. War and Peace on the Rio Grande Frontier 1830-1880 By Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Quiroga University of Oklahoma Press 508 pages $50 See More Collapse Violence along the border is nothing new. Texas ranching families still remember cross-border raids by armed Mexican bands in the early 20th century, just as many Mexican families remember Gen. John J. Pershings search for Pancho Villa in Chihuahua. On ExpressNews.com: Roses author keeps writing while being treated for cancer While many historians have tended to write the history of the United State-Mexico border as fundamentally characterized by violent conflict, a new scholarly impulse is taking shape to recount and document how cross-border cooperation also shaped life along the lands of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo. That impulse is active in Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Quirogas book War and Peace on the Rio Grande Frontier, 1830-1880, published this year by the University of Oklahoma Press. Gonzalez-Quiroga, a native of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, teaches history at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Previously, he taught Mexican and U.S. history at the Facultad de Filosofia y Letras of the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon. He said his boyhood experiences in Houston made him a multiculturally aware person at an early age. I was born in General Zuazua, a town near Monterrey, Gonzalez-Quirogas said. At age 7, my parents took me and my two sisters to Houston. My father rented a house, but when the landlord discovered we were Mexicans, he told us to leave. We moved to an adjoining neighborhood, where we were the only Mexican family, and at school, I was the only Mexican boy in the class. Soon, other Mexican families began to move into the neighborhood, and then a black family moved next door to us. We woke up one morning and saw a white cross burning on their lawn. That family persevered, and then other Mexican and black families moved into the neighborhood and many of the white families left. On ExpressNews.com: 10 books to read in September Gonzalez-Quiroga served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, where he said he saw bodies of U.S. soldiers piled high in dump trucks. That impelled him to want to know why we were fighting that war, and then to the study of history. He decided to focus on the region where he lived. When I was living in Houston, I realized I was living on land that once belonged to Mexico, he said. I was naturally curious about how Mexico came to lose that land. It occurred in the 19th century, so I wanted to find out how and why it happened. Secondly, as a historian of borderlands, I want to know how borders are formed and how they affect peoples lives. So I chose a period that encompasses the creation and consolidation of the border. Finally, since I discovered so many instances of cooperation among people from both sides of the border, I chose a period of almost nonstop violence and conflict in order to demonstrate that people can find ways to get along even in the darkest periods of violence. San Antonio, he discovered, was a central place where cross-border cooperation flourished. San Antonio was the most important Mexican settlement in Texas during the colonial period and continued as Texas most important city throughout most of the 19th century, he said. Because of its location, it became a military center that served the military forts that protected the Texas frontier. Its proximity to Mexico gave it greater access to Mexican markets than any other major Texas city. European merchants developed commercial networks with merchants in northern Mexico, which greatly benefited San Antonios economy. Their connection with merchants of Mexicos Northeast facilitated their participation in the cotton trade of the Civil War period in which they made fortunes, Gonzalez-Quiroga said. This wealth was then invested in many economic activities such as ranching, manufacturing and banking, which further developed San Antonios economy. San Antonio was important in the development of northern Mexico in other ways. Professional people such as engineers, architects and doctors from the Alamo City worked or lived in Mexico. Two prominent architects, Alfred Giles and Frederick Wulf, son of Anton Wulf, constructed buildings all over northern Mexico, he said. Perhaps one of the best examples is Frank Paschal, one of San Antonios most brilliant doctors. After studying medicine, he and his bride spent two decades in Chihuahua, where he performed surgeries that other doctors could not achieve. Both were admired by the people because they healed those who could not pay and provided them with medicine for free. That man deserves a monument. When he was a boy, Gonzalez-Quiroga said, this period in Texas history was taught a certain way. When I was young, I had read stories of the Alamo and Santa Anna, stories that painted the Texans as heroes and Mexicans as villains. From daily living I knew this was not true, he said. I discovered that although the history of the Texas-Mexico border region had many instances of hatred, violence and wars, there was much more to it than that. That holds true today, he added. What I have learned is that cooperation between people on both sides of the border is vital and natural and will occur irrespective of nationalist rhetoric or policies, he said. Walls will not stop it." The economy is a case in point. Mexico is Texass chief trading partner, totaling around 200 billion dollars a year. The economies of Texas and Mexico are integrated to such a degree that some economists call the region Texico. On a personal level, people have always traveled back and forth across the border to shop, work, or socialize with family and friends. These exchanges are not incompatible with the concept of a secure border. The 2015 Nobel literature laureate Svetlana Alexievich speaks to reporters at her apartment in Minsk on Sept. 9, 2020. (Tut.By via Reuters) Nobel Laureate Alexievich Denounces Belarus Terror as Another Activist Is Detained Nobel prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich accused the Belarus authorities of terrorizing their own people on Wednesday as another opposition politician was detained by masked men in plain clothes. Maxim Znak was the latest figure to be seized in a systematic campaign by the government of President Alexander Lukashenko to round up the leaders of a month-long mass protest movement. What is happening is terror against the people, said Alexievich, who summoned supporters to her home after being harassed by repeated phone calls from unknown numbers and constant ringing by strangers at her door. Lawyer and representative of the Coordination Council for members of the Belarusian opposition Maxim Znak attends a news conference in Minsk on Aug. 18, 2020. (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters) We have to unite and not give up our intentions. There is a danger we will lose the country, she said. Znak was detained two days after another opposition leader, Maria Kolesnikova, was snatched in the street by masked men. Both are prominent leaders of protests demanding the resignation of Lukashenko following an Aug. 9 presidential election that the opposition says was rigged. Lukashenko denies vote-rigging. Znak was the last member of the oppositions Coordination Council still active inside Belarus apart from Alexievich, who has served as a figurehead for the movement. Politician and representative of the Coordination Council for members of the Belarusian opposition Maria Kolesnikova attends a news conference in Minsk, on Aug. 24, 2020. (Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters) All the rest have fled, been forced abroad, or been detained in a crackdown by Lukashenkos security forces as he seeks to maintain his 26-year grip on power in the former Soviet republic. First, the country was kidnapped from us, (now) the best of us are being kidnapped. But instead of those torn from our ranks, hundreds of others will come, Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature, said in a separate statement. We were not preparing a coup. We wanted to prevent a split in our country. We wanted a dialogue to begin in society. Lukashenko says he will not speak to the street, but the street is hundreds of thousands of people who go out every Sunday and every day. This is not the street. This is the people. People attend an opposition rally to protest against police brutality in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 6, 2020. (Tut.By via Reuters) Strong Leader Lukashenko was quoted by the official news agency Belta as saying Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine were Slav states that need a strong leader with defined powers. He has rejected dialogue with the opposition, which he says is bent on wrecking the country. The 66-year-old leader retains the backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin, an important ally, but faces the likelihood of European Union sanctions against Belarusian officials involved in the election and its violent aftermath. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak in the stands during the closing ceremony of 2019 European Games, in Minsk, on June 30, 2019. (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters) For Russia, Belarus is strategically important as a buffer state against NATO and a transit country for its exports of oil and gas. Russian news agency RIA said Lukashenko would visit Moscow for talks on Monday. The detention of Znak on Wednesday was part of a criminal case against the oppositions Coordination Council for inciting actions aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus, his lawyer Dmitry Laevsky said. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya meets Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during her visit in Warsaw, Poland, on Sept. 9, 2020. (Agencja Gazeta/Maciek Jazwiecki/via Reuters) Fellow opposition leader Kolesnikova was seized in similar circumstances on Monday. On Tuesday she thwarted an attempt to deport her by tearing up her passport to avoid being forced to cross the border into Ukraine, two of her allies said. Its clear Lukashenko is afraid of negotiations and is trying in this way to paralyse the work of the Coordination Council and intimidate its members. But there is no alternative to negotiations, and Lukashenko will have to accept this, said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in the August election and fled soon afterwards to Lithuania. By Maria Kiselyova and Alexander Marrow On Tuesday morning, approximately 1,000 graduate student workers at the University of Michigan went on strike to oppose the dangerous health and working conditions they are being forced to return to on campus amid the surging COVID-19 pandemic. The strike is part of growing opposition among workers and students across the country who face the same criminal and reckless back-to-work policy being carried out by university and school administrations, major corporations and both political parties. The University of Michigan Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) members voted overwhelmingly to strike, with at least 80 percent voting in favor of a walkout over the weekend. This comes despite belligerent intimidation from university administrators, who rejected the demands of the graduate student workers. Administrators claimed the strike action violates state and contract law and are preparing to continue operations, including classes. Striking University of Michigan graduate workers (Credit: GEO/www.facebook.com/geo3550) The drive to reopen schools and workplaces has already led to tens of thousands of deaths. Now, more than 50 million K-12 students and more than 20 million college students are being forced to return to school in some capacity or other. Since reopening colleges and universities in late summer, more than 51,000 positive cases have been documented on over 1,000 campuses across the United States, with 35,000 cases in the last three weeks, according to the New York Times. More than 100 colleges have reported over 100 cases each. At least 60 deaths have been reported thus far. At the University of Michigan, reports are starting to emerge of outbreaks at multiple dormitories this week. There have been 58 positive cases in the last two weeks alone. At least five deaths have been unofficially reported among staff on campus during the pandemic. The GEO is currently demanding improved testing and contact tracing, a universal right to work remotely without documentation, a care subsidy for parents and caregivers, a $2,500 unconditional emergency grant, and rent freezes, all of which the administration rejected as financially unfeasible, leading to the strike vote. Over 1,800 graduate students signed the open letter in which GEO published its demands, indicating their hunger to fight against the UM administration's homicidal back-to-school policies. The strike action immediately gathered broad and strong support among students and staff. Social media posts by striking student workers have been met with overwhelming support from students on campus and around the country, as well as by other sections of workers. Alex, a first year student, told the WSWS, "The strike is very exciting for me. I support them and I'm going to join the picket line at 5 am tomorrow. There is significant support for the grad students from undergrads and the community. "My fear is that if there is a serious outbreak, the university officials won't even allow us to leave. They might make us stay in the dorms. When we arrived they only gave us two masks, which are so thin, you can blow out a candle." Another undgrad told the WSWS, "The University of Michigan is acting more like a business. They raised tuition over the summer. They see us more as commodities than as students. They look at the grad students the same way." Posting on Facebook, a researcher wrote, "I've been working in-person in the lab all summer, and worked doing COVID door screenings for various research buildings as Michigan Medicine. The university truly has no safeguards in place. We have no widespread testing, a 24/7 Covid 'compliance hotline,' which didn't even pick up when I called today, and undergraduate RAs/housing staff are not being provided sufficient PPE and are being told in their online training modules to not enforce the 'no visitors' dorm policy 'unless someone complains,' despite the fact that students are being assured this is one of the rules in place to keep them safe." Late Tuesday, UM's Central Student Government (CSG), which represents the nearly 30,000 undergraduate students, unanimously passed a resolution to support the striking graduate students. The resolution denounces the administration's declaration of the strike to be illegal as "reprehensible," and asks students not to cross the picket lines. Some picket lines were formed near construction sites around the campus. In a critical expression of class solidarity, electrical and construction workers refused to cross the student picket lines on Tuesday morning. Students at the University of Iowa, an epicenter of the COVID-19 surge, have launched a series of protests. These include a large-scale sickout of nearly 1,000 students and an open letter published yesterday in response to their administration's reckless reopening. The open letter demands that the school move to completely online instruction, claiming there is broad support from professors and staff as well, and expresses outrage at the revelation that every class has had at least one student infected and several had an infection rate of over 10 percent. Such sentiments are undoubtedly growing on hundreds of college campuses across the country. The strike at the University of Michigan can be the tipping point for the further development of broad strike actionnot just on campus, but in every section of the working class facing dangerous working conditions. For this reason, above all, it is critical that the strike be broadened and connected to the growing opposition among students and workers. One of the most critical aspects of this struggle will be for the graduate student workers to understand the role of the unions. They must not be fooled by the false claim that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), with which the GEO is affiliated, or, for that matter, the National Education Association (NEA), the United Auto Workers (UAW) or any of the other state-sanctioned unions represent educators. Bitter experience has shown the opposite: the AFT and the other unions have spent decades colluding with state and district officials in the systematic undermining of teachers conditions, the closure of schools, budget cuts and school privatizations. This includes the recent sellouts of grad struggles at the University of California, the University of Chicago (where grad students disaffiliated from the AFT) and Columbia University. Despite the enormous opposition among teachers to the back-to-school campaign, the AFT has done nothing to mobilize broader support behind the UM strikers. Grad students should organize a rank-and-file strike committee, answerable to university workersnot the trade unions and the Democratic Partyto wage a real fight against the deadly return to in-person schooling. What is needed instead is a turn out to the working class with a political counter-offensive independent of the ruling class parties and the unions bound up with them. Students, staff and faculty at the University of Michigan must unite not only with their counterparts in other universities and schools, but also with the working class as a whole. They must build rank-and-file safety committees, which are already expanding throughout the US and internationally. This is the only viable path forward for students, staff and faculty facing the onslaught of the ruling class back-to-work campaign. It is the path of socialism. We urge teachers, parents and students who are concerned about the rapid spread of COVID-19 in schools to register for the next meeting of the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, which will be held this Saturday, September 12, at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Konchalovsky's tribute to 'pure' Soviet soul tipped for Venice win Russian actress Julia Vysotskaya, director Andrei Konchalovsky's fifth wife, plays a powerful Soviet woman, a war veteran and diehard communist official. A paean to the "pure" soul of the Soviet people by Russian master Andrei Konchalovsky has emerged as one of the frontrunners for the top prize at the Venice film festival. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin may have slaughtered millions of his people, but he can do no wrong for the good women of Novocherkassk who feature in Konchalovskys new film, "Dear Comrade". "If only Stalin were still alive... he knew what to do," one of them says. "Prices didn't go up under Stalin, they went down," says another. Based on the hushed up massacre of 26 striking workers under Stalin's successor Nikita Khrushchev in 1962, ambivalence is everything in the latest offering from the one of Russia's most renowned film and theatre directors. The movie is "not about politics or even the event itself. It's a fairytale," Konchalovsky told AFP. "Its about the characters, and they are good and bad at the same time." None more so than one of the most ambiguous KGB officers ever to grace the screen. At the heart of the film, however, is a powerful Soviet woman, a war veteran and diehard communist official who is forced to choose between her striker daughter and the Party. - 'Russia unsuited to open capitalism' - She is played by Konchalovskys fifth wife, Julia Vysotskaya, who was born in Novocherkassk, the old Don Cossacks capital where the killings took place. Shot in black and white, the director said he set out to "scrupulously reproduce 1960s USSR". "I think the postwar Soviet people, the ones who fought in World War II until victory, deserve to have a movie that pays tribute to their purity," he said. And his heroine is nothing if not that. "The tragic dissonance when they realised how different communist ideals were from the reality around them" is where what Konchalovsky called the "films three strings -- love, tears and horror" -- kick in. Story continues But it is also a meditation on power, and on a more eternal Russia, a country Konchalovsky insisted is not mentally suited to "open market capitalism in a good sense". "The last 30 years after the crash of the Soviet Union proved that," said the 83-year-old, whose father wrote the lyrics for the old communist national anthem. Unlike his younger brother, the Oscar-winning director of "Burnt by the Sun", Nikita Mikhalkov, who has always been close to Putin, Konchalovsky has maintained a diplomatic distance from the Kremlin. Earlier this year, however, he came out in support of a constitutional referendum that could allow Putin to stay in power to 2036. The Russian leader also gave the Pope a copy of Konchalovskys film "Sin" on his last Vatican visit. To those perturbed by this and the films messaging about Stalin, which echoes Putin's efforts to rehabilitate "The Man of Steel", Konchalovsky has an answer. - 'Greed was controlled' - "I wanted you to be disturbed because every great leader in history made a massacre. Think about Napoleon... the leaders role is tragic because he is indemnified (shielded) from taking the lives of others. "That is a tragic contradiction of history," he added, and another of the great "ambivalences of world. A lot of communists were very pure, very idealistic, with no idea how it could turn out," the director argued. "Our parents generation were very Sovietic in a good sense." Vysotskaya agrees, saying they were not motivated by money. "Most of them believed they were creating something very special, something good for mankind. "Even those in top level government had only one coat. It tells you something about their spirit." Terrible things were done, the actress conceded, but Russia travelled centuries in decades. "From the 1917 revolution when 90 percent of the population couldn't read to the 1950s and 1960s when they were and still are reading more than any nation in Europe," Vysotskaya said. "Who are we to judge? I just have to do my acting job." While Konchalovsky batted away any contemporary comparisons with protests in Belarus, he admitted that "something is changing drastically everybody requires social justice in one sense or another. "It's very interesting how the world will change towards the left, not the extreme left... but toward social justice," he said. "The Russian experiment" with Communism may have failed but "greed was controlled by the state and I think its very important that the next society is going to be a society that greed is going to be controlled and suppressed. And that's basically socialism." fg/adp SPRINGFIELD One of Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarnos favorite catchphrases is back to the future, and this time, with the $15 million Overland Lofts project, it fits. Davenport Companies of Boston has transformed the Willys-Overland building at 151 Chestnut St. built in 1917 as an automobile showroom and warehouse into 60 modern apartments with COVID-19-era touches like work-from-home offices and separate ventilation systems so air doesnt mingle between units. Its the first new apartment complex in Springfields downtown in decades. In a touch Sarno pointed out, each unit has its own laundry washer and dryer. There is off-street parking available for all residents, some of it in an indoor garage to the rear of 3,600 square feet of retail space. You guys did a marvelous job, Sarno said. The property is expected to open in December following more than a year of construction. Along with Sarno on a tour of the building Wednesday was city Chief Development Officer Tim Sheehan; Shaun Dwyer, vice president for commercial lending at PeoplesBank, the project lender; folks from The Horton Group, of New Haven, Connecticut, the construction contractor; and members of the Springfield Business Improvement District. We had a lot of fun, said Juan Prieto, co-principal at Davenport and the project manager. Its a great project. Charles Irving, principal at Davenport, explained a bit of the buildings history and pointed out the elevator Willys used to store cars upstairs. Willys was well known for its jeep and had sister buildings in Detroit, St. Louis, Toledo, Ohio, and elsewhere that have also been rehabbed with housing and retail. Inside, rooms are punctuated by what designers now call martini columns. The concrete uprights flare at the top, like a martini glass, to support the weight of the building. The Willys-Overland building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983 due to its connection to Springfields automotive history. The 2012 gas explosion at Scores Gentlemens Club, 453 Worthington St., happened right next door. The explosion blew right through this building, Irving said. But because it was built so well, it barely even budged. Davenport Companies bought the property in December 2017 or $450,000 from Ciocca Construction Corp. of Wilbraham. Irving said state and federal tax credits for historic preservation projects, along with Massachusetts Housing Development Incentive Program funding through the city, allow Davenport to offer affordable rents after investing the money to do the project right. We hope this is where the next generation of students and teachers will live, Irving said. The cheapest rent is $850 a month for a 450-square-foot studio. Larger apartments can rent for $1,200 a month or as high as $1,400 a month for a two-bedroom, fourth-floor duplex apartment with two bedrooms and an office on two floors. It was built like that because there used to be a skylight running down the length of the building, Prieto said. And if you notice, the further you go up the building the higher the ceilings get, from 12 feet to 14 feet or more up here. From the top-floor apartments, Prieto pointed out Union Station a few blocks away. This is transit-oriented development, he said. To which Sarno expressed optimism about east-west rail, commuter train service from Pittsfield through Springfield and Worcester to Boston. Prieto pointed out a Lyman Street building Davenport owns, with plans to reconstruct it into apartments if the Willys-Overland project is a success. Davenport is also redeveloping the former Registry of Motor Vehicles building on Liberty Street. It built the Davenport Square complex with a CVS across from MGM Springfield, and it owns the Springfield Plaza. In the retail space at the Willys-Overland building, Prieto said Davenport is talking with tenants but has no deals in place. We really want something that enlivens the neighborhood and adds amenities, he said. Something that is open late at night. Ideas include a grocery, cafe or restaurant in what could be subdivided, multitenant space. Sonya Yelder, owner of Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop on Belmont Avenue and a co-owner of Grannys Baking Table on Bridge Street, hopes to bring a Souper Sweet location to the building. OTTAWA - A B.C. fisher was fined $8,000 last month and banned from possessing explosives for three years after he threw an explosive device into a group of sea lions in March 2019. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - A B.C. fisher was fined $8,000 last month and banned from possessing explosives for three years after he threw an explosive device into a group of sea lions in March 2019. Video footage posted to social media last year showed Allan Marsden throwing what is known as a "bear banger" off the side of a boat near Hornby Island in British Columbia. The video showed a large number of sea lions that were swimming near the vessel become startled and then swim quickly away after the device exploded in their midst. Marsden, a herring fisher, told The Canadian Press last year he threw the device to scare the sea lions away from his boat. He pleaded guilty Aug. 24 to an offence under regulations of the Fisheries Act that prohibit someone from disturbing marine mammals unless they are specifically fishing for them. He was originally charged with two counts under the Fisheries Act and one count under the Explosives Act. The charges were laid in February, but the hearing was delayed from March until August because of COVID-19. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2020. White House to Announce Further Troop Withdrawals From Iraq The White House will announce on Wednesday an order for further troop withdrawals from Iraq, a senior administration official told reporters aboard Air Force One. The official added that an announcement about Afghanistan is also forthcoming. The United States and Iraq began discussing the partial withdrawal of U.S. troops in December 2019. An escalation of tensions with Iran added a twist to the process in January 2020, when the Iraqi Council of Representatives voted for a resolution to expel all foreign troops. President Trump initially refused to withdraw troops from Iraq. By March 2020, the U.S.-led coalition cited developments in the mission to eradicate the ISIS terrorist group, began to transfer bases back to Iraq. Four bases were transferred by early April. In June, the United State and Iraq began virtual negotiations about the withdrawal, which were expected to last for months. U.S. troops withdrew from the Taji Base on August 23. Roughly a week later, a U.S. official said that Washington would draw down troops from 5,200 to 3,500. President Donald Trump on Tuesday reaffirmed his commitment to put an end to Americas endless wars. He also suggested that the chiefs at Pentagon are beholden to weapons manufacturers who profit from constant conflict. Im not saying the military is in love with me; the soldiers are, the president said during a Labor Day speech at the White House. The top people in the Pentagon probably arent because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy. But were getting out of the endless wars, the president added. President Donald Trump speaks during a Labor Day press conference at the North Portico of the White House in Washington, on Sept. 7, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) The president was likely referring to the revolving door between the Department of Defense (DoD) and private armaments manufacturers. A 2018 report by the Project on Government Oversight, found that 380 senior DoD officials and officers shifted into private-sector work for defense contractors. The tally included 25 generals, nine admirals, 43 lieutenant generals, and 23 vice admirals. Later on Labor Day, Trump shared a number of posts featuring President Dwight Eisenhowers final speech, which he devoted to warning the nation about the unchecked growth of the U.S. weapons industry. We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations, Eisenhower said at the time. This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influenceeconomic, political, even spiritualis felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. Read More Trump Says Pentagon Chiefs Beholden to Weapons Manufacturers 09.09.2020 LISTEN Manifestoes, usually known as Political party platforms in the United States especially, are a set of principal goals that are supported by a political party or an individual candidate, in order to appeal to the general public for the purpose of garnering support and votes from the general public. Manifestoes are usually launched publicly amidst the funfair, publicity, and general public excitements. They are also usually published, accessible and available to the general public. The big question is, Do manifestoes really win votes in Ghana? Or elections are just won when a candidates time is up? One may not be entirely wrong to accept the latter. This is premised on happenings in the Ghanaian politico-electoral space since 1992. Fresh or first time presidential candidates have never won against any sitting president, despite their partys fine ideas and vision, couched in manifestoes. That is why one may not be far from the truth to say that Ghanaians consider other factors apart from the carefully crafted manifesto ideas. In 1992, Professor Adu Boahen of the NPP contested against the sitting dictator- turned constitutional leader, J.J. Rawlings and lost, despite all the fine ideas from the NPP side. In 1996, J.A.Kuffuor led the N.P.P to contest against the sitting president, J.J.Rawlings, but lost to the incumbent leader. In 2000, Professor J.E.A. Mills contested against a sitting president, J.A. Kuffuor and lost. In 2012, Nana Akufo-Addo contested the sitting president, John Dramani Mahama and lost despite the much touted free SHS manifesto promise. Nana Akufo-Addo contested again in 2016, against the sitting president, and was given the chance by Ghanaians. Was he allowed because his time had come? Or the manifesto free SHS promise had now sunk with the electorates? The above analysis do not in any way suggest that the ruling parties in those instances, did not put forward good or selling manifestoes. The point is, by a deeper analysis of elections in Ghana since 1992, one will find out that opposition political parties, usually make the most politically appealing and somewhat populist promises in their manifestoes, compared to the incumbent political parties. The 2020 presidential election will be unique. This is because we are having for the first time, a sitting president being contested not by a fresh candidate or presidential novice, but a former president, who has equal or even higher experience, relative to the high office of the land. The two main political parties, NDC and NPP, have duly launched their detailed manifestoes with fine promises and ideas for Ghanas transformation. Colorful events were held at separate venues to launch manifestoes respectively. Will Ghanaians vote for the NPP or NDC necessarily based on their manifestoes in the 2020 general election? Will the Peoples manifesto thrive over the manifesto of leadership of service in the upcoming election? Or they will be told by Ghanaians to persevere till their time come? NANA OSEI BOATENG (POLITICAL SCIENTIST, BROADCAST JOURNALIST, COMMUNICATOR, EDUCATIONIST) SPRINGFIELD Illinois must be ensured of a vaccines safety before it will be distributed, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday. On the day when the states COVID-19 test positivity rate hit its lowest point since July 26 3.7 percent Pritzker took questions about a coronavirus vaccine during an unrelated appearance at Illinois State University in Normal. He said he was skeptical a proven vaccine would be ready by November, but added the state is well along the way to putting a distribution plan together for it. We want to make sure that the people who are most vulnerable are reached first, people who are most at risk, Pritzker said. Because of the jobs that they have, our frontline workers, our nurses, our doctors, etc., we want to make sure that they are covered, and so onTherell be a list by priority and of course by availability of that vaccine. He said Bradley University in Peoria which instituted a two-week quarantine for all students through Sept. 23 made a wise choice for their campus, but such a decision might not work for every university. Bradley students must quarantine in their residence halls, Greek house, apartments or houses for two weeks as the campus goes to remote learning. Pritzker said it is better to have students quarantine in place on campus rather than sending them home where they could infect others. Pritzker also answered questions on the speed of states distribution of funds to help counties set up contact tracing efforts, saying money was distributed as fast as it could. He said said the Illinois Department of Public Health does not dictate to local health departments how quickly contact tracing programs should get up and running. There is a partnership, and its a good partnership, he said. But it is up to the county departments to make the decisions about how, how quickly, etc. theyre able to hire, and weve distributed those funds so that they could hire. A Reading man who fatally stabbed another man during a disagreement in their apartment building has been convicted of first-degree murder. Hilario Rivera-Cruz, 59, of the 900 block of Washington Street was convicted by a Berks County jury last week following a four-day trial before Judge Scott Lash. On Sept. 20, 2017, Rivera-Cruz fatally stabbed Nelson Rivera-Reyes, 49, with a large kitchen knife and slit his throat, police said. Rivera-Cruz is in the county prison awaiting sentencing, but in Pennsylvania there is a mandatory life sentence for a first-degree murder convicted. He was also convicted of aggravated assault and possessing instruments of crime. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching the verdict, said Assistant District Attorney Amanda Sobotka, who prosecuted the case with Assistant District Attorney Rosalynda Michetti. Rivera-Cruz claimed he stabbed Rivera-Reyes in self-defense and had diminished capacity from drinking alcohol that night and mental health problems, Sobotka said. Police gave this account: At about 11 p.m. officers responded to a 9-1-1 call from the building at Washington and Moss streets, less than a block from City Hall. The first officer on the scene was met in front of the apartment building by a male who said his uncle was being stabbed. The officer saw Rivera-Cruz standing at the top of the stairs, holding a 40-ounce bottle of beer in one hand and a knife in the other. He was initially noncompliant before dropping the knife and descending the steps. He told officers: I dont care. Kill me. Give me life, He said Rivera-Reyes would never insult him again. Once outside, Rivera-Cruz kept reaching into one of his pockets, refusing to show his hands. The officer fired a Taser at him, and other officers assisted in taking the suspect into custody. Rivera-Reyes, who did not live in the same apartment as Rivera-Cruz, was found dead in the building. An autopsy found that he had been stabbed several times and his throat had been slashed. Later after police had interviewed Rivera-Cruz he told an officer, I do nothing too much, only kill somebody, and laughed. Court records show Rivera-Cruz has been arrested numerous times for assault-related offenses over the past 15 years 08.09.2020 LISTEN In accordance with Regulation 23(1) of C.I 91 of the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations 2016, the Electoral Commission will exhibit the Provisional Voters Register for inspection by Voters at all Polling Stations throughout the country from Friday the 18th to Friday the 25th of September, 2020. The week-long exercise will run from 7.00am to 6.00pm each day, including Saturday and Sunday. All registered voters are encouraged to visit their Polling Stations with their voters ID cards to verify their details. The Exhibition Exercise will give each registered voter the opportunity to do the following: Check their name, particulars, and other details so as to effect corrections where necessary. Object to the inclusion of unqualified names in the register on grounds such as the registration of minors and non- Ghanaians. Replace unclear photographs. Verify Polling Station details ahead of Election 2020. Voters who registered at the District Offices of the Commission should visit the Polling Station assigned to them during the Registration Exercise to verify their details. The Commission has also introduced an SMS Platform to enable registered Voters to access their registration details. To access this Platform, Voters should simply text their Voter ID Card Number to the Short Code 1422 to obtain their registration details. The Public is informed that changes to a persons details can be requested at the Exhibition centre and effected at the District Office. The Commission assures the public that it will enforce stringent safety protocols at all Polling Stations throughout the country. These include the compulsory wearing of face masks, the use of hand sanitizers, and the observance of the social distancing protocols. All registered voters and stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the Exhibition Exercise to make it a success. Exhibition 2020 - Your Safety Is Our Concern. 09.09.2020 LISTEN Dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy says hes not endorsed any political party like some people on social media are making it look like. Theres a video of Stonebwoy on Social media in which Stonebwoy is seen sitting on an Okada and is telling the world how important okada is in the transportation industry. This video has been in circulation since September 8 by members of the NDC after because their flagbearer insist that OKADA business is the best to provide sustainable jobs for the youth. But in a tweet distancing himself from claims that he has endorsed a particular party, Stonebwoy said My attention has been drawn to a 3-year-old video of me riding on an OKADA. Which is being Publicized As An Endorsement For A Political Party... I disassociate Myself From this... Please I Beg this is NOT in ANY WAY an ENDORSEMENT For ANY POLITICAL PARTY. My attention has been drawn to a 3-Year-old video of me riding on an OKADA. Which is being Publicized As An Endorsement For A Political Party. I disassociate Myself From this.. Please I Beg this is NOT in ANY WAY an ENDORSEMENT For ANY POLITICAL PARTY #GodBlessGhana 1GAD (@stonebwoyb) September 8, 2020. ---Mynewsgh Ameya Dalvi The list of best phones under Rs 30,000 this month is headlined by the return of OnePlus to this segment, with the launch of the Nord. But thats not the runaway winner here. There are four other phones for you to choose from that are no pushovers, and most of them offer faster processors, fancier cameras and more. So let's take a closer look at our star-studded list of phones under 30K that promise to offer excellent bang for your buck. Best phones to buy under Rs 30,000 in India OnePlus Nord Lets get the obvious out of the way. The OnePlus Nord (Review) offers great value in this segment and is an easy recommendation. It is the only 5G-enabled phone in this list, and perhaps the only 5G phone under Rs 30,000 in India, currently. While that feature is reserved for the future, what you get at present is even better, starting with a vibrant 6.44-inch Full HD+ Fluid AMOLED display with a 90 Hz refresh rate. It is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and so is its glass back. The OnePlus Nord is powered by Qualcomms new upper-midrange Snapdragon 765 chip and accompanied by either 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage or 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. While 12 GB RAM is overkill for the 765 chip, the additional 4 GB RAM and more importantly, double the internal storage for just 2K more is not a bad deal at all. It borrows its main 48 MP camera from the more expensive OnePlus 8 (Review) and has optical image stabilisation, something not very common in this price bracket. The main camera does a very good job in most conditions. The rest of the camera department comprises an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, 5 MP depth sensor and 2 MP macro camera. The selfie enthusiasts are in for a treat too, with 32 MP + 8 MP dual cameras up front that capture some crisp shots, including ultra-wide selfies and 4K videos at 60 fps. It has a 4,115 mAh battery that lasts close to a day and a half of moderate usage, and the bundled 30W fast charger takes it from 0 to 60 percent in under 30 minutes. Last but most importantly, you now get OxygenOS 10.5 based on Android 10 in this budget, and it runs smoothly on the OnePlus Nord as on any other flagship device from the company. OnePlus Nord price in India: Rs 27,999 for 8 GB RAM/128 GB storage; Rs 29,999 for 12 GB RAM/256 GB storage Realme X3 SuperZoom Realme was ready to welcome the Nord with their X3 SuperZoom (Review) model that boasts of 5X optical zoom. The processing power is also a couple of notches higher here with Qualcomms last generation flagship chip, the Snapdragon 855+, powering this phone. You can have the 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage variant in this budget. The display is pretty impressive too, with a 6.6-inch Full HD+ screen that flaunts a 120 Hz refresh rate, which is generally seen on more expensive handsets. But you get a LCD display here instead of AMOLED. The screen is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The design is similar to the Nord, but the textured glass back does look cooler. The camera department on the Realme X3 SuperZoom is quite versatile and includes an 8MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS, that gives you the aforementioned 5X optical zoom. It is accompanied by a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. Again, you get two cameras at the front with a 32MP + 8MP duo taking care of selfies and video calls. A 4200 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for over a day of moderate usage, but whats even better is that the bundled 30W fast charger juices it up fully in just about an hour. The Realme X3 SuperZoom runs Android 10 with Realme UI on top. Realme X3 SuperZoom price in India: Rs 27,999 for 8 GB RAM/128 GB storage Redmi K20 Pro The Redmi K20 Pro (Review) remains a great all-round option in this budget and retains its place in the list. It has a very attractive exterior with a glass body and an eye-catching Aura Prime (Redmis designation) design. You get a 6.4-inch Full HD+ notch-less AMOLED display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and a 20MP pop-up selfie camera. There is an in-display fingerprint sensor too. This phone is powered by Qualcomms previous flagship Snapdragon 855 SoC and you can get the top variant with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage in this budget. Though the photography department on Redmi K20 Pro seems to have fewer cameras, you get all the right options here. You get a triple camera setup at the back with a 48 MP main camera with a Sony IMX586 sensor, 13 MP ultrawide camera with a 125-degrees FOV and an 8 MP telephoto lens that gives you 2X optical zoom. They manage to capture some high quality images in varied lighting conditions and different modes. You also get an option to record super slo-mo 720p videos at 960 fps and 1080p Full HD videos at up to 240 fps. A 4,000 mAh battery keeps it powered for over a day of moderate usage. The Redmi K20 Pro launched with Android Pie and MIUI 10, but it received an Android 10 update with MIUI 11 earlier this year. Redmi K20 Pro price in India: Rs 29,999 for 8 GB RAM/256 GB storage Lenovo Z6 Pro The lesser-known Lenovo Z6 Pro is another great option in this budget, if you are looking for a flagship grade processor, ample RAM and versatile cameras. This phone too is powered by a Snapdragon 855 SoC and comes with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. You get a glass body here and an aluminium frame to hold it together. Theres a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a drop notch and support for HDR10. The phone has a 4,000 mAh battery and runs Android Pie. An Android 10 update is expected soon. The rear camera combination on the Lenovo Z6 Pro is quite interesting. You get a 48MP primary camera, a 16MP ultrawide camera, 8MP telephoto lens for 2X optical zoom, a 2MP dedicated video camera with optical image stabilisation and 3D ToF camera for depth sensing. Thats five rear cameras theoretically. The company hasnt skimped on the front camera either, with a 32MP shooter looking to woo selfie enthusiasts. The phone empowers you to shoot in various modes and conditions, and has most bases covered. Lenovo Z6 Pro price in India: Rs 26,999 for 8 GB RAM/128 GB storage Oppo Reno3 Pro The Oppo Reno3 Pro is another feature-rich option in this budget. The company has opted for a fairly powerful Mediatek P95 SoC for this phone. You also get 8 GB RAM and options for 128 GB or 256 GB of internal storage to go with it. It has a bright 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top. You also get an in-display fingerprint scanner. The phone runs Android 10 with ColorOS 7 on top. The Oppo Reno3 Pro has a loaded camera department too, starting with a 64 MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with autofocus, 13 MP telephoto camera for 2X optical zoom and a 2 MP monochrome depth sensor at the back. The front cameras boast of a 44 MP shooter along with a 2MP depth sensor for better portrait selfies. It manages to take some quality shots in different modes in good to decent lighting. Its 4,025 mAh battery goes beyond a day of moderate usage and you can charge it up to 65 percent in just half an hour using the bundled VOOC 4.0 fast charger. Oppo Reno3 Pro price in India: Rs 27,990 for 8 GB RAM/128 GB storage; Rs 29,990 for 8 GB RAM/256 GB storage Michigan reported 783 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, also adding 13 more deaths. The state has seen 108,595 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, with 6,552 deaths tied to the disease. The update came as schools have started, with a mix of districts starting virtually and opening buildings, with gyms and fitness centers reopening, and high school athletes returning to the playing field. All across the state, we have flattened the curve, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said in a Tuesday video update on YouTube and Twitter. On Wednesday morning, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addressed ongoing concerns on a cable news interview. We know the weather is changing,.. which means more people will be inside, thats when we have to have heightened concerns for a resurgence, Whitmer told the audience of Morning Joe on MSNBC. It also comes on a day that Bob Woodward revealed interviews that showed President Donald Trump was aware of the seriousness of the disease and purposely downplayed in the late winter. In Warren at a campaign stop, former Vice President Joe Biden slammed the president, saying, He lied to the American people. On Wednesday, the world had reported more than 27.6 million cases of COVID-19, with nearly 899,000 killed, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In the United States, more than 6.3 million people have been infected with COVID-19 with the death toll hitting 190,000. Michigan continued to rank 18th in the nation in total cases, having for weeks early in the pandemic having ranked fourth. Counting the probable cases, the state of Michigan has 119,863 total cases and 6,887 deaths. Local trends The area with the most cases was again Wayne County, excluding Detroit, where another 166 cases were confirmed. This brought the areas total to 16,705, the highest number of confirmed cases in a particular zone. The state has separated data from the city of Detroit and the rest of Wayne County since it started presenting data about the spread of the coronavirus. In July, the rest of Wayne County surpassed Detroit in the number of cases. On Wednesday, Detroit continued its trend of reduced new caseload, adding just 38 new cases to bring its total to 13,913 confirmed cases. One day after Michigan State University announced that 124 students living off campus has been confirmed to have COVID-19, Ingham County added perhaps its highest number of new cases, adding 103 new cases to reach 2,120. For much of the summer, the number of new cases in Ingham County, where Lansing, East Lansing and MSU are located, has been between 10 and 30 when higher, reaching as high as 45, even when a brew pub was making national headlines for being identified as the source of an outbreak that infected more than 100. But as college students have returned, cases have spiked. After adding 47 cases on Friday, on Saturday, 71 cases were added, and they jumped by 79 with the Sunday/Monday update. The county had ended August with 1,735 cases. To the north, Isabella County home to Central Michigan University added 11 cases to reach 520. This reversed a four-day trend of lower daily new cases. Gratiot County added just one case, to reach 182 and Clare County stayed the same at 96. North of Detroit In the Detroit suburbs, Oakland County added 85 cases to reach 15,123, and Macomb County added 71 to reach 12,947. We keep talking about flattening the curve, and we have done that in Macomb County, Macomb Countys executive said. Hackel said the key is the percentage of the positive tests, which was 7.0% in August and is 5.4% in September. In April, the percent of positive cases was 30.2%, when fewer tests were available and people generally had to have symptoms to get a test. In April, Macomb County saw 6,243 confirmed cases, but the next three months, the numbers went down to 1,893 in May, 765 in June, and then 2,665 in July. But in August, it reached 4,680. However, hospitalizations and deaths were down. The healthcare system here in Macomb County has been pretty clear, theyve got an 8% capacity right now in their facilities of people who have COVID, Hackel said, saying there had been concerns in the spring about reaching capacity. Oakland County also announced efforts to helps schools budgets. #OaklandCounty is distributing $28 million from its CARES Act funds to help school districts and charter schools during the #COVID19 pandemic, County Executive Dave Coulters office tweeted Wednesday. Funds will help districts recover unexpected costs incurred preparing for remote and in-class learning. Eligible expenses include plexiglass, personal protection equipment, creation of safety protocols, no-touch thermometers, disinfectant, signage, retrofitting and remote tech. Funds will be awarded in part on need and the # of students who receive free or reduced-price lunches. In west Michigan, many new cases were reported as well: * Kent County added 59 cases to reach 8,083 * Ottawa County added 61 cases to reach 2,522 * Kalamazoo County added 27 cases to reach 1,912. The excited kindergartner arrived just before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, a new Spider-Man backpack over his shoulders with matching Spider-Man pull-on shoes ready for his first day of school. But instead of hugging his parents goodbye and heading to class, the Sausalito student, 5-year-old Majesty, was sent home. Majestys school, Bayside Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, was supposed to be one of the first public campuses in the Bay Area to reopen to in-person learning this fall, but had to reverse course after a staff members coronavirus test result came back questionable Monday, said Principal David Finnane. District officials notified parents and teachers at 11 p.m. Monday, but some families never got the message. The last-minute delay showed just how hard it will be to reopen classrooms in the middle of a pandemic, especially for public schools. Several Bay Area private schools welcomed children back to in-person classes Tuesday, which could exacerbate inequalities, but also demonstrate whether reopening schools can be done without outbreaks. So far, a tiny fraction of the Bay Areas 1.2 million school-age students less than 1% are back in classrooms, Paul Chinn / The Chronicle In the Sausalito Marin City School District, which has only one school, district officials did everything they could to reopen, which was made easier with an annual budget of about $35,000 per student, more than twice that of most other communities. But all the preparation was trumped by one possible positive test. It was devastating to notify families and staff less than 10 hours before the students were set to arrive. The kids were so excited, Finnane said. Bayside MLK was among several schools in Marin County to receive a waiver for elementary grades only to resume in-person instruction, even though the county remained in the most restrictive tier in terms of reopening businesses and other services. A handful of private schools in Marin and other Bay Area counties were expected to reopen with an approved waiver this week, including the Burkard School and UP Academy in San Mateo. At the Marin Waldorf School, officials hired a nurse to be the health care coordinator for handling the logistics of reopening, including staggered start times for students and four separate entry points, said the schools director, Megan Neale. On Tuesday, most of the schools 140 elementary students returned after six months away. Its such a great feeling, Neale said. The students were so happy. After months of planning and worrying and losing sleep, it all came together, Neale said. It was great, she said. And were all exhausted. Reopening a small private school required many logistics, including teachers using a virtual program that tracks their health, including self-administered daily temperature checks. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle A mobile testing unit came to the school to test all staff for the virus last week and will continue to perform the required testing in the future, which is a minimum of every two months. Reopening public schools would require similar efforts and testing, while boosting staffing and supplies, but for typically far more students and staff, and often at dozens of sites across a city. Few public school districts were expected to apply for waivers. Schools in San Francisco and Napa could start to reopen as soon as next week after state officials lowered the pandemic threat in those counties to red, one step below the highest level of purple. But San Francisco public schools are not expected to reopen anytime soon. Marin County officials expected to enter red status as well Monday, but state officials said a recalculation would delay that until at least later this week. Even with the states blessing, its unclear when many schools will reopen to in-person learning. Public districts will have to negotiate a reopening plan with local labor unions while also meeting county and state requirements, including testing all staff bimonthly and preparing facilities to ensure proper ventilation, hand-washing stations and having enough masks and other safety equipment. All Children Academics, a private elementary school in San Rafael serving students with learning differences and other academic or social needs, reopened Tuesday for about half its 25 students, as outlined in the waiver. Classes were held outside, said Shana Kenney, the schools director. Theres nothing like the buzz of having the kids back on campus, Kenney said. No matter how much effort and energy we put into our Zoom classes, there is nothing like the excitement of young kids seeing their desk and their cubbies for the first time. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle Teachers moved desks to the schoolyard, set up overhangs and canopies for circle time, and hung up student name tags and art works on surrounding trees. We really tried to make the yard feel like a classroom, Kenney said. Were trying to bring that intimacy of the classroom outside so they feel comfortable. Ruby Pratt said she was relieved, excited and happy that her son Cailean, 9, was back in class. As parents, we tried our best during the pandemic to continue the education that theyre supposed to have, but we could not replace the teacher, Pratt said. With this pandemic going on, we are all worried about getting the virus. At the same time, we have to do what is best for our kids, which I think is going back in the classroom. Like the San Rafael private school, Bayside MLK officials applied for a waiver in recent weeks, agreeing to abide by the long list of county health and safety requirements. Of the 97 students in elementary school grades, 82 were scheduled to return to class Tuesday, with the other 15 opting to continue distance learning, Finnane said. On Tuesday, desks sat 6 feet apart while colored tape on the ground outside was placed to direct one-way traffic and ensure social distancing. The average class size will be nine students, although the smallest would be five and the largest 15, Principal Finnane said. Masks will be mandatory and students would stay with their classmates in isolated cohorts during recess and lunch. Each classroom has a designated bathroom. Typically, all restrooms are open for any student to use. All staff will be tested at least once every two months, per state requirements. Yet, even after all the preparation to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the school hit a bump before the doors opened with the potential positive result. District officials decided to delay in-person instruction at least until next week. The school would have a soft opening this week through distance learning, Finnane said. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Kindergartner Majesty, who said he was hoping to get bit by a black widow spider so he could turn into Spider-Man, headed home with his school-issued laptop with his parents. It was not the first day of kindergarten they had imagined for him, said his mom, Kailin Teno. They told us when we got here, she said. Its disappointing. Jill Tucker and Vanessa Arredondo are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, vanessa.arredondo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker, @V_vanana He said Nielsen and her deputies pressed him to vastly overstate the number of migrants apprehended at the southwest border who have confirmed links to any terrorist organization. That occurred as the Trump administration was rolling out tougher measures against illegal immigration. Murphy said he declined to confirm an inflated figure, saying to do so would be not only improper but illegal. The secretary nonetheless provided the incorrect figure to Congress. The coronavirus has idled a lot of planes at Philadelphia International Airport. American Airlines plans to increase the number of cargo-only flights this month between PHL and European cities. Read more American Airlines is adding more flights from Philadelphia to Europe this month. But those planes wont be taking passengers across the Atlantic they will be ferrying cargo. The air carrier flew three cargo-only flights a week from Philadelphia International Airport in August. That figure will be increased to 30 flights a week in September, to six European cities: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, Dublin, Rome, and Zurich. As the pandemic continues to cut into passenger air travel, cargo activity is emerging as a bright spot. In July, PHLs passenger traffic was down 72.8% compared with July 2019, while cargo tonnage at PHL went up 5.6%. Shipments of personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals, and e-commerce have contributed to the boost. Yet even before the coronavirus hit, PHL officials were laying the groundwork to get more business from cargo services. Were situated in one of the most lucrative cargo catchment areas in the country, PHL chief revenue officer James Tyrrell said. READ MORE: Philly International Airport can't accept international flights, but Fort Lauderdale can A study commissioned by the airport in 2017 found that the 400-mile radius around PHL an area that touches or encompasses mostly six states is responsible for generating $53 billion in air cargo activity annually," Tyrrell said. But PHL handles only about 9% of that activity, he added, while 70% heads north to airports including New Yorks JFK. We think we have a great opportunity to really make a dent in that $53 billion a year, Tyrrell said. "COVID has just kind of shined a light on what some airlines could and should be doing. And for PHLs part, Tyrrell said, we need to develop the kinds of facilities to attract those shippers who are driving by our front door. The airport has 400,000 square feet of warehouse space. In 2018, PHL acquired 135 acres that could house more than one million square feet of combined space for warehouse facilities and aircraft parking. Construction on a road around the parcels perimeter is expected to begin this fall, Tyrrell said. Though development of the main infrastructure is still a few years away, and the timeline will depend on funding. Were looking probably in the 2023 area, Tyrrell said. PHL is finding other ways to make inroads with cargo in the meantime. Earlier this summer, for instance, the airport rolled out an incentive package designed, in part, for cargo-only airlines, and aimed at COVID-19 economic recovery. Theres a lot of short-term opportunity, and were going to make sure we capitalize on that as much as we possibly can, said Stephanie Wear, PHLs director of air service development and cargo services. READ MORE: Philadelphia International Airport says hundreds of layoffs are possible without more federal aid If passenger airlines recognize more business opportunity in carrying cargo during the pandemic, that could also help them decide to restart routes more quickly or establish new ones, Wear said. PHL received $118 million in CARES Act funding in the spring. It was enough to cover 111 days of operating expenses, which carried the airport through the end of June. During that time, PHL also extended payment relief to airlines and other vendors on site. Airlines started paying landing fees again as of July 1, Tyrrell said. Concessionaires also resumed paying rent, but only as a portion of their gross revenue. Out of about 155 stores at the airport, just 75 are open. In July, CEO Chellie Cameron warned that without additional federal funding, the airport faced the possibility of layoffs. (As a condition of the CARES Act money it received, PHL must keep 90% of its workforce on the payroll through Dec. 31.) At a virtual event last week, Cameron said the airport is weighing whether to temporarily mothball certain terminal areas where passenger use is down. The main reason is just that travel has not rebounded to anywhere near what wed hoped, Cameron said. Passenger volume on U.S. air carriers was down 70% at the end of August compared with the same time in 2019, according to data released last week by Airlines for America, an industry trade group. American Airlines, PHLs dominant air carrier, plans to reduce its systemwide October schedule by 55% compared with the same period last year. At PHL, specifically, American will reduce the October schedule 63%. Still, Americans October schedule in Philadelphia will be slightly more robust than Septembers, with 140 average daily departures in October, compared with 113 this month. We continue to evaluate our network, matching supply with demand, company spokesperson Andrew Trull said. PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)an alliance of leading cancer centershosted a free online summit on innovative ways to lower cancer care costs. Reports from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimate that cancer care costs will rise to $173 billion by the end of 2020, prompting lawmakers to propose various approaches for curtailing costs. The virtual summit featured addresses by Lara Strawbridge, MPH, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI); Brett Baker, Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA); Afton Cissell, JD, Office of Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX); and Michelle McMurry-Heath, MD, PhD, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). The speakers joined panelists from across the oncology ecosystem to explore the impact of various regulatory and legislative approaches for improving the accessibility and affordability of high-quality, patient-centered cancer care. "It's an exciting time in oncology," said Gena Cook, Navigating Cancer, Chair, NCCN Foundation Board of Directors. "There's a lot more work to do, but the incentives are aligning to enable the transformations that improve patient experiences and care. As the market continues to move toward value-based care, we've seen significant changes that have improved the patient experience and had an impact on reducing costs." Many of the speakers narrowed in on technology-enabled approaches that can reduce administrative burden, lessen the duration and frequency of hospitalizations, and make treatment more convenient and comfortable for patients. "Utilizing telehealth in an efficient manner will decrease healthcare costs by avoiding unnecessary in-person visits, while at the same time improving patient satisfaction," said Ruth O'Regan, MD, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Vice-Chair, NCCN Board of Directors. "The judicious use of biosimilars can offer cost savings with similar efficacy for patients, and NCCN Guidelines can be leveraged to assist physicians in making cost-effective decisions for patients with cancer." Other panelists agreed that standardized treatment guidelines play an important role in elevating care while helping to control costs. "The most important quality metric in cancer care is guideline adherence," said Angela Mysliwiec, MD, WellMed. "Evidence-based medicine should be the foundation of any oncology care model and results in high quality care as well as cost containment. Deviation from guidelines is associated with poor patient outcomes and increased costs. Care Delivery Organizations (CDOs) are uniquely aligned to impact essential aspects of patient care and should be leveraged in collaborative relationships with oncology practices to close gaps in access to care and care management. These partnerships will ensure that efforts to provide oncology care are synergistic." The panelists also delved into topics including drug prices, end-of-life care, academic cancer centers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), prior authorizations, and value-based payer models. "Though the perception is that cancer centers are more costly, we believe that from a total cost of care perspective, we are a great clinical and financial value," said David Rubin, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. "This is an area where payers should focus." "We would like to see greater alignment and consistency across various payer programs," said Thomas Daly, MBA, Michigan Medicine. "Uniformity of quality and performance measures across value-based reimbursement plans would improve provider and institution performance. Clinicians could spend less time on administrative tasks if IT reporting capabilities for claims were more universal." "Patients come first, and especially providing them with the highest quality cancer care," said Ted Okon, MBA, Community Oncology Alliance. "Unfortunately, some in our health care system place profits over patients, leading to patients suffering when costs run out of control." The NCCN Oncology Policy Program held a previous virtual summit in June on the 21st Century Cures Act, now viewable online at NCCN.org/policy. Up next is a free continuing education program on blood cancers, the NCCN 2020 Virtual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies on October 8-10. That will be followed by the NCCN Virtual Patient Advocacy Summit: Cancer Across the Lifespan on December 10. Visit NCCN.org for additional free webinars and downloadable guidelines for providers, patients, and caregivers. Join the conversation with the hashtag #NCCNPolicy. 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 research collaboration 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 [email protected] SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network Related Links www.nccn.org Maintaining a sense of constant tension in society has become one of the fundamental principles on which the self-proclaimed "elite" of the occupation power in Nagorno-Karabakh relies. During the years of occupation, the constant hysteria around the "threat" from Azerbaijan and Turkey has become a reliable tool for manipulating the minds of people and entire collectives. As a result of this policy, the society in Armenia and on the territory of the so-called "NKR" has become less critical to assess the situation in the negotiation process on the Karabakh settlement. For more than a quarter of a century, the rhetoric of the Armenian government has also changed - it is characterized by an abundance of superficial judgments, one-sided coverage of the problem and the choice of topics for publications in the media. The first thing that needs to be paid attention to is military rhetoric and information messages, one way or another related to militarism. For example, any joint or separate military maneuvers of Turkey and Azerbaijan are presented solely as preparation for a full-scale war with Armenia and in Nagorno-Karabakh. In the rhetoric of Armenian politicians, a hidden message to the public is constantly slipping through, in which "Ankara is striving, by all means, to penetrate deep into the South Caucasus with the aim of a military invasion of Armenia and its subsequent conquest." Azerbaijan appears in the image of "a humble ally of Turkey, who assists Ankara in everything, supporting the idea of dividing Armenia and destroying the Armenian statehood." It would seem that such judgments of Armenian politicians in the era of international law, the UN, multi-vector and multi-factor international geopolitics can only cause confusion, but the Armenian propaganda tirelessly repeats the same stories about the threat of invasion. In Armenia, for 25 years, the public has been deliberately intimidated by Turkish military bases in Azerbaijan. Moreover, we are talking about two military bases, since, according to unconfirmed versions of the Armenian media, one base should definitely be deployed on the territory of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. The fact that Turkey is a member of NATO, and the military presence of a member of the North Atlantic bloc in one country or another is strictly monitored and regulated by the structures of the alliance, moreover, it directly affects the balance of power in the region, which all countries bordering the South Caucasus, without exception, pay attention to. , remains outside the brackets of the Armenian propaganda. For the political culture of Armenia, such a vulgar shift in the security context is not so important, since blind "heroism" and "patriotism" unrelated to problematic comprehension of reality in today's Armenia are more legitimate than healthy criticism. Yerevan does not take into account that the Azerbaijani establishment is completely unprepared to dissolve in Ankara's politics, having turned from a sovereign independent elite into a regional one. The second no less important point can be called the fact that the heroes of modern Armenia and the self-proclaimed "NKR" are mostly hysterical heroes who appear on television and social networks every day, urging the Armenian community of Karabakh not to pay attention to the negotiation process, but to prepare for war. So, on September 5, the so-called head of the "NKR" oligarch Arayik Harutyunyan announced the need to prepare for war and strengthen the military presence in Karabakh, since the negotiations allegedly cannot ensure security. Harutyunyan noted that none of the existing principles of the conflict settlement satisfies "NKR". At the same time, Harutyunyan did not mention that neither he himself nor any other representative of the so-called authorities in Karabakh decides anything at the negotiating table. It would be more honest to say that the negotiations on the Karabakh settlement threaten, first of all, the security of Harutyunyan and his commercial interests. The resolution of the Karabakh conflict is unpromising from the point of view of Armenian business in Karabakh, including the corrupt use of the budget at the expense of dubious military fees of reservists. While society is in a state of permanent tension, resourceful businessmen have learned to monetize fear, supporting it with constant hysteria and mythical enmity between peoples. CENTENNIAL, Colo., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX) announced today that eFinancialCareers, the trusted specialist financial services platform, has released The Financial Services Tech Job Report as it celebrates its 20-year anniversary. The report analyzes technology job postings from financial services organizations across the first seven months of 2020 and includes the fastest growing locations, employers, occupations and skills for three of the primary global financial markets: United States, United Kingdom and Singapore. In sharing these insights, eFinancialCareers is proud to lead the finance-tech recruitment space by partnering with the world's most respected financial organizations to provide unique industry insights and efficiently place best-in-class professionals. Globally, technology professionals have been a top hiring priority for all major financial services organizations in recent years. In the US, financial services tech hiring in early 2020 trended positively, with most cities hiring above 2019 volume. As COVID-19 spread, the pandemic understandably created uncertainty, causing employers to slow their immediate hiring needs. However, despite the far-reaching effects of the pandemic, including a closed economy, the data indicates areas of year-on-year positivity in several US cities and prominent tech occupations. For more details on UK and Singapore -specific data: eFinancialCareers Releases Financial Services Tech Job Report for US, UK and Singapore on 20th Anniversary Desired Occupations & Skills Speak to Upcoming Competition for Talent Throughout 2020 thus far, software developer, business analyst, application developer, senior software developer and systems engineer all topped the list for the most sought-after occupations. A wide range of occupations ranking at the top of the list suggests that employers are maintaining focus on their product development roadmaps, as well as maintaining systems and infrastructure. "US financial institutions have had to prioritize positions they considered most vital to their organization amidst the uncertainty of 2020, especially to support teams that historically have less experience working remotely. Since employees are now settled into remote work or planning a return to office, the range of positions in demand has expanded, speaking to the innovation and competition taking place in the financial sector as the demand for technologists continues to increase," said Art Zeile, CEO of DHI Group, parent company of eFinancialCareers. Job postings for .NET developer rose 49% year-over-year and application support engineer climbed 37% due to engineer reliance on the .NET framework for app-building. Cybersecurity Consultant rose 28%, which is consistent with the need for financial organizations to stay ahead of hackers who are looking to take advantage of dispersed teams and networks. U.S. Occupation by Job Posting Growth Rank Specialized Occupation YoY Change 1 .NET Engineer 49% 2 Application Support Engineer 37% 3 IT Auditor 31% 4 Systems Engineer 30% 5 Cyber Security Consultant 28% 6 Business Intelligence Developer 20% 7 IT Director 19% 8 Technical Support Engineer 16% 9 Java Engineer 16% 10 Database Administrator 15% Overall, skills related to systems, infrastructure, development and data are on the rise, as financial services firms determine how to better support remote working, collect and analyze data, as well as build next-generation applications. This explains the demand for technologists who are adept at managing massive amounts of data, as well as coding in ubiquitous languages such as Python and Java. Financial institutions seem as focused as ever on professionals who can build out the all-important data structures necessary for analysis with Apache Kafka (+43% YoY), MongoDB (+33%) and other data-related tools growing year-over-year. As more of these companies look to the cloud for everything from storage to computing muscle, technologists with system engineering (+62%), systems analysis (+39%) and cloud computing (+32%) skills will only become more in-demand. US Skill by Job Posting Growth Rank Skill YoY Change 1 Spring Boot 93% 2 Systems Engineering 62% 3 Kubernetes 56% 4 Apache Kafka 43% 5 Systems Analysis 39% 6 Splunk 37% 7 Oracle PL/SQL 35% 8 MongoDB 33% 9 Cloud Computing 32% 10 Atlassian JIRA 31% Several US Cities Show Marked Growth in Year-Over-Year Tech Job Postings Although it's too soon to say that a full recovery is on the horizon, several cities are seeing positive job growth. Pittsburgh, PA and Philadelphia, PA topped the list of cities with the most tech job growth in the first seven months of 2020 at 69% and 63%, respectively. Texas hosts three of the top 10 fastest growing US cities: Irving (+58% YoY), Roanoke (51%) and Dallas (30%). Tech hiring in southern US comes as leading banks continue nearshoring talent out of high-cost locations. In addition to Raleigh, NC increasingly positioning itself as a tech hub, the city is also becoming a tech center for financial institutions. With 53% year-over-year growth, Raleigh's top hiring companies include Wells Fargo, BB&T, Cohen Financial and Charles Schwab. US City by Job Posting Growth Rank City YoY Change 1 Pittsburgh, PA 69% 2 Philadelphia, PA 63% 3 Irving, TX 58% 4 Raleigh, NC 53% 5 Roanoke, TX 51% 6 Tempe, AZ 50% 7 Chandler, AZ 47% 8 Baltimore, MD 30% 9 Dallas, TX 30% 10 Cleveland, OH 29% Job Posting Volume Mimics Pandemic's Downturns New York, NY leads the US in tech jobs posted by financial institutions through the end of July although job postings are down due to COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns. Ranking second to New York is Charlotte, NC, due to a combination of financial institution headquarters in the city and a high volume of tech talent. San Francisco, CA is third, leveraging the vast network of Silicon Valley technologists and Wells Fargo headquartering in the city. Fourth is Chicago, which has utilized its network of commodities trading. Fifth is Minneapolis, MN, with top finance companies Wells Fargo and U.S. Bancorp as Minneapolis' top employers. US City 2020 Rank by Job Posting Volume Rank City 1 New York, NY 2 Charlotte, NC 3 San Francisco, CA 4 Chicago, IL 5 Minneapolis, MN 6 Boston, MA 7 Jersey City, NJ 8 Phoenix, AZ 9 Austin, TX 10 Columbus, OH Read more on eFinancialCareers Report Methodology eFinancialCareers' Financial Services Tech Job Report focuses on the tech hiring activity within the financial services industry and reviews tech job posting volumes from the US, UK and Singapore (via Burning Glass Technologies). To add clarity, insurance organizations and professional services organizations such as the "Big 4" were removed. The data covers two primary datasets: Comparisons between January 1st July 31st of 2020 and 2019 in the US, the UK and Singapore of 2020 and 2019 in the US, the UK and Deep dives into the fastest growing locations, employers, occupations and skills Download eFinancialCareers' Financial Services Report: Download the report Press: Email [email protected] for an ungated copy of the full report About eFinancialCareers eFinancialCareers, a DHI Group, Inc. brand, is the world's leading financial services careers website, and the place to go for financial careers and talent. eFinancialCareers provides finance and tech professionals with the latest job opportunities, career information and invaluable industry insights they need to maximize their potential. The site connects them to roles within many of the world's most respected financial organizations. Through its recruitment solutions, eFinancialCareers provides financial services recruiters a vital competitive edge by enabling them to source the highly qualified professionals they need to achieve their strategic ambitions - quickly and efficiently. eFinancialCareers offers local websites in 19 markets across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the financial centers of the Middle East. About DHI Group, Inc. DHI Group, Inc (NYSE: DHX) is a provider of software products, online tools and services to deliver career marketplaces to candidates and employers globally. DHI's three brandsDice, ClearanceJobs and eFinancialCareers enable recruiters and hiring managers to efficiently search, match and connect with highly skilled technologists in specialized fields, particularly technology, those with active government security clearances and in financial services. Professionals find ideal employment opportunities, relevant job advice and personalized data to best manage their whole technologist life. For 30 years, we have leveraged the latest technology to foster career connections in multiple markets including North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. Find out more at www.dhigroupinc.com. Media Contact Kristianna Sanders [email protected] 303-562-0337 SOURCE DHI Group, Inc. Related Links https://dhigroupinc.com A look at some of todays top headlines. A Black man was detained while jogging for fitting a suspect description and later offered a job with the sheriffs department A Black man jogging in the predominantly white neighborhood of Deltona, Florida, last month found himself handcuffed and detained when police said he matched the description of a suspect in a nearby burglary. Hong Kong police criticized for tackling 12-year-old during protests Police in Hong Kong police have come under heavy criticism after a widely-circulated video showed officers tackling a 12-year-old girl to the ground during a pro-democracy protest. Australian journalists evacuated from China after five-day diplomatic standoff Two Australian journalists working in China have left the country after they were questioned by police and forced to seek the protection of their countrys government, their news organizations said Tuesday. Saudi court sentences suspects in Khashoggi murder Saudi Arabia has issued final verdicts against eight suspects in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 sentencing five of the defendants to 20 years in prison the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) has reported, citing a public prosecutor spokesman. Trump launches unprecedented attack on military leadership he appointed President Donald Trump launched an unprecedented public attack against the leadership of the US military on Monday, accusing them of waging wars to boost the profits of defense manufacturing companies. A tourist who took sand from a beach in Italy has been fined more than $1,000 A French tourist has been ordered to pay a 1,000 ($1,200) fine after attempting to fly out of (CNN) Sardinia with more than four pounds of local sand in his luggage. The Italian islands idyllic white sand is protected, and tourists face fines and even jail time for removing it from local beaches. Another comeback win for Serena Williams at the US Open Serena Williams pulled off another comeback win at the US Open on Monday, ensuring the weakened Grand Slam event didnt lose a legendary player for a second consecutive day. Woman who popularized the gender reveal party says enough already after latest wildfire The woman best known for popularizing gender reveal parties has a message for the world: Please stop. Left behind because of Covid-19, a tiny dog travels 10,000 miles to rejoin her owners (CNN) All the best dogs find their way home eventually. Sometimes, like Pipsqueak the wiener dog, theyve got to embark on a journey of more than 10,000 miles to get there. Little Pip was stranded in South Carolina at the height of the pandemic after her owners were forced to abandon their round-the-world sailing trip and fly home to Australia. Record 2 Million Acres Have Burned In California Wildfires This Year SHAVER LAKE, Calif. (AP) Wildfires have burned a record 2 million acres in California this year, and the danger for more destruction is so high the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday it was closing all eight national forests in the southern half of the state. Trump Orders Reporter To Remove His Mask At Press Briefing President Donald Trump demanded that a reporter remove his face mask in the middle of a question at a White House press briefing on Monday but the journalist refused. Youre going to have to take that off. Just take it off, said Trump as he pointed to the mask worn by Jeff Mason, White House correspondent for Reuters. Kamala Harris Speaks With Jacob Blake, Paralyzed In Police Shooting, And Family Sen. Kamala Harris spoke privately with Jacob Blake the Black man shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin and his family on Monday, her campaign said. The Democratic vice presidential nominee was in Wisconsin for her first campaign visit since joining former Vice President Joe Biden in his bid to unseat President Donald Trump this November. Eric Trumps Awkward Labor Day Attack On Biden Backfires Eric Trumps attempted Labor Day attack on Democratic 2020 nominee Joe Biden backfired as critics on Twitter reminded President Donald Trump s son of his fathers failings. Everything this guy does is low energy and awkward, Eric Trump captioned a photo of a Biden event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Monday. One of Californias out of control fires was sparked by a gender reveal party explosion More than 600 firefighters in Californias San Bernardino County are still struggling to contain a fire that began on Saturday in El Dorado Ranch Park, near the city of Yuicapa. Over 7,000 acres have been burned and over 3,000 residents evacuated, according to CBS Los Angeles. Netflix drops My Octopus Teacher trailer, and its exactly what it sounds like My Octopus Teacher might sound like the title of an arthouse film, but it isnt its actually a new Netflix documentary about a man who forges an unusual relationship with an octopus which shares with him the mysteries of her world. A beginners guide to TikTok Its 2020. Why arent you on TikTok yet? OK, there are some very valid reasons to avoid using the app, including the extensive user data collection that nearly every social media app employs. But if youre getting your TikTok content as reposts of tweets on Instagram meme accounts, it might be time to go straight to the source and download the TikTok app yourself. Tinder launches apocalyptic Swipe Night experience in the UK and around the world Trying to find love as the world ends? What a concept! That premise is central to Tinders interactive Swipe Night event, which launches in the UK and Brazil, Sweden, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Australia, Indonesia, India, and Korea on Sept. 12 at 10am. (Newser) The coronavirus is "deadly stuff," President Trump told Bob Woodward in a Feb. 7 phone call, recounting a conversation with China's President Xi Jinping. "I think [Xi's] going to have it in good shape," he begins but allows that it's a "very tricky situation." Trump tells Woodward "you just breathe the air and thats how its passed, and so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than ... even your strenuous flus." It was not information the president chose to share with the American people at the time. For weeks after the conversation, Trump continued to downplay the threat and insist that the virus was no worse than season flu, reports the Washington Post, which posted clips of those recordings. Woodward, a Post associate editor, interviewed Trump on-the-record 18 times for his new book Rage, which comes out next week. story continues below In a March 19 interview, Trump admitted downplaying the seriousness of the virus to avoid causing "panic." "I wanted to always play it down," he told Woodward. "I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic." Joe Biden slammed Trump over the report Wednesday, per the New York Times. "He knew and purposely played it down, Biden said during a speech in Michigan. "Worse, he lied to the American people. Politico reports that following the release of the interview excerpts, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany maintained "the president never downplayed the virus." She told reporters Wednesday that Trump "does what leaders do" and that "when youre facing insurmountable challenges, its important to express confidence." Trump "has never lied to the American public on COVID," she said. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Yuval Sharon photographed outside Walt Disney Concert Hall, where he was artistic collaborator for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Michigan Opera Theatre has appointed Yuval Sharon as its new artistic director. That means only one thing: Detroit will be shaking up opera. Motor City is suddenly positioned to become a center for opera in America, and its foot is on the pedal. Sharon, who is founder of experimental Los Angeles opera company the Industry and increasingly a sought-after director in Europe, just happens to be a car guy. Five years ago, the Industry captured the fancy of the opera world with the premiere of Hopscotch, an epic opera conceived by Sharon and performed in vehicles that drove around downtown L.A. and its environs. To kick off his new position in Detroit, Sharon will stage a version of Wagners biggest opera, Gotterdammerung (which concludes the Ring cycle) next month in a parking garage that the Michigan company happens to own next to its opera house. Audience members, staying safe in their cars, will wend their way up the seven-story structure throughout the performance. It stars a leading Wagnerian soprano, Christine Goerke, who is also the artistic advisor for the production, called Twilight: Gods. Sharon, a MacArthur fellow, served for three years at the Los Angeles Philharmonic as artist collaborator, staging Meredith Monks Atlas, John Cages Europeras 1 & 2 and Lou Harrisons Young Caesar, as well as premiering Annie Gosfields War of the Worlds, among other projects. He is Long Beach Operas interim artist advisor for the 2020-21 season. Sharon said in a phone interview from Detroit that although he has accepted an initial five-year appointment from Michigan Opera Theatre and will spend five months a year there, he is leaving neither L.A. nor the Industry. Long Beach, however, can give up any hopes of him running that company. Other than Twilight: Gods, his plans for Detroit are still in the early stage. Because of COVID-19, his first season will be 2021-22, and he said the lineup will be his not, as many other companies are doing, the 2020 fall season merely moved back a year. And the last thing he wants to do is restart with entertaining fluff, a diversionary return to normal. Story continues No, operas power is for catharsis," Sharon said, "and this is not a time for empty celebration. When we come back, we need transforming experience. Detroit opera-goers should hold on to their hats. That Sharon will transform the artistic nature of institutional performance in Detroit is of little question. The company was founded in 1971 by David DiChiera, a composer and musicologist who studied at UCLA and who also served as artistic director of Opera Pacific at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. The two houses often shared productions. DiChiera, who died two years ago, essentially served conventional purposes and emphasized MOT as peoples opera. Sharon intends to take the company in an entirely new direction. He remains committed to site-specific work that brings opera directly into the community, as he has done with the Industry. What will be different is that for the first time he will work to effect change from the inside rather than the outside. Although he has led major productions at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany and Vienna State Opera in Austria, Sharon has remained too edgy to have staged anything with a major American opera company. Sharon's appointment puts those other companies on notice. Motown could well become Mopera Town. Wayne S. Brown, the president and chief executive of Michigan Opera Theatre, said by phone that traditional opera will not be neglected in Detroit, but it is also the moment for the next act. And the pandemic has shown us the way. As far as Sharon is concerned, Detroit will be the place where tradition and experimentation are interconnected. No one else has let him try his idea of a backward La Boheme, its acts performed in reverse order. But most important, he said, is the connection to the community. That is what he has loved about making L.A. opera for L.A., whereas staging The Magic Flute in Berlin is more like being a hit-and-run director. In Detroit opera, he said, Detroit comes first. Twilight: Gods which will have performances Oct. 17, 18 and 20, and which creators have affectionately dubbed Parkingdammerung will be "Gotterdammerung" reduced to a single hour, with a chamber-size orchestra and different scenes on the different levels of the garage (concluding with a rooftop Immolation). Furthermore, Gotterdammerung will be recontextualized by Detroit poet Marsha Music, providing narrations that pit Wagners gods against the evolution of the city of Detroit. In the spring this co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago will be newly adapted for a parking structure there. Other than that, Sharon said we probably wont be hearing much from him or MOT until fall 2021. Despite a herculean, and brilliant, effort to make a last-minute video of Sweet Land, his Industry opera in March that was interrupted by the pandemic, he is not a fan of digital opera. Sharon said he is not averse to some online version of Twilight: Gods, but he insisted that opera needs to be mainly live. Meanwhile, he remains busy trying to find ways to adapt plans for the spring Long Beach performances that, pandemic willing, concludes with a conflation of a new opera by George Lewis based on W.E.B. du Bois' short story "The Comet" and Monteverdi's "The Coronation of Poppea." Deaths veil was lifted a little on Monday as the community discussed the honest reality of what happens to your body after you die. The slightly morbid topic was approached with humour at a meeting organised by the Whakatane District Council to promote the new practice of natural burials in the district. Last week, councillors voted to allow natural burials to occur at Hillcrest Cemetery and staff invited natural burial advocate Mark Blackham to speak at a community meeting. Mark told the crowd not to be shy with their questions and that he had heard it all before, however, the Whakatane crowd still managed to surprise him with some of their thoughts. When buried naturally, a body is placed in a shallow plot, in an environmentally-friendly coffin made of soft, untreated wood or cardboard or a shroud. Compost is placed with the body and a native tree planted on top. Eventually the natural cemetery becomes native bush and a permanent living memorial to those buried there. Natural burials are considered better for the environment as they aid rapid decomposition and an uptake in nutrient release, whereas traditional post-death disposition practices are considered resource-heavy and can damage the environment through harmful processes such as embalming. Topics raised at the meeting include how quickly bodies decompose after death, if animals dig bodies up, if people can be buried upright rather than laying down, and if people can be buried on their own land rather than in a cemetery. Mark says after death, families have around five days to bury a person naturally before the body began decomposing to an intolerable level, however, this was shortened to around 24 hours if a person died due to cancer as their bodies decomposed faster. He says bodies have to be buried in the upper soil layer where the bacteria lived to allow for rapid decomposition. In 20 to 25 years there would be nothing left of the body. Actually, you decompose quicker above ground, but thats not really an option for most people." He assured those present that funeral directors could take care of unembalmed bodies. Many in the crowd asked if they could make their own coffins by weaving harakeke (flax) or bamboo, or using wood. Mark says wooden ones are fine, but people need to make sure they arent too wide as this could create an awkward moment when a coffin wouldnt fit into the grave a situation he had seen before. He says harakeke coffins will be fine but expresses concern that bamboo ones would see bamboo sprouting up through the burial site and taking over the cemetery. Shrouds of natural fibres are also encouraged. Mark says that animals dont dig up the graves. He also says it is illegal to be buried outside of a cemetery unless a cemetery is more than 30 kilometres away from the deceaseds home. However, he says he knows of people who have buried family members on their own land and just had not told any authorities. Mark says it's totally up to the council how far it spaced out the graves at the natural cemetery. He says in Wairarapa they are planting totara trees so needed four metres between burials, however, in Wellington they were packed in tight. Usually there are no markers on the graves, but Mark says a wooden marker designed to degrade or a small river stone should be fine. However, the point is to get the cemetery looking as natural as possible. Those at the meeting queried how many people could be buried in the area put aside at the Hillcrest cemetery and were told there was space for 50 to 100. This caused some laughter with the around 80 elderly people present at the meeting clearly thinking that it would be full soon. People also asked if they could reserve a plot, but open spaces operations manager Ian Molony said the council would not be allowing this. This is because the site is on a hill and council staff are planning to work their way from the top down, planting as they go. To then revisit the top after planting had happened would be very difficult as staff would have to cut their way through branches and roots and it would disturb the beautiful landscape they had created. The council will provide a list of trees that people can choose to have planted above their final resting place. One woman asked if compost was really necessary to encourage decomposition as the worms will find you wherever you are and said, if it was, could it not be compost from the Kawerau worm farm which was made from sewage. Molony says the compost was necessary as some soil was not conducive to decomposition and it provided air around the body which would help it decompose faster. He says the council was investigating natural compost options. Council is also investigating land around the district to see if there are any other sites on which natural burials may be held. If the public meeting attendance was anything to go by, Whakatane's new natural burial site at Hillcrest Cemetery will soon be full. CHARLOTTE JONES / LDR Whakatane natural burial protocols To be buried naturally in the Whakatane District people need to abide by / accept these protocols - No chemical embalming - Be buried in the upper soil layer - Have a native tree planted on the plot - Use a casket provided by, or approved by, New Zealand Natural Burials - Shrouds must be made of a natural fibre like wool, silk, or calico - Plot makers can be an untreated timber post. Council will mark the GPS coordinates of the plot and details of the person and hold this information. This is the pie that my friend Emily and I made over the weekend. Years ago, she ate it at a restaurant called Red Ball Jet Cafe in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and she loved it. She thought it was so amazing that she begged for the recipe before the restaurant (sadly) went out of business. And they were so kind to pass on the recipe. I met Emily in 2016 (a blog reader turned friend!) and she's mentioned the pie several times. Each time we planned to make it, we got busy doing other things (like making dozens of jars of homemade jam!). Anyway, this pie is delicious! It has three layers: an Oreo crust, a chocolate ganache, and finally, a whipped cheesecake-like peanut butter layer. (Hey, I never said it was healthy...) This recipe actually makes two 11-inch pies, which is an uncommon size (most pie plates are 9 inches or so). Emily and I used store-bought chocolate cookie crusts, which are smaller than your typical pie crust--and it actually made three pies!). So, depending on how much pie you need, you may want to cut this recipe in half for one good-sized pie. Here is a printer-friendly version! Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Crust: 5 cups Oreo cookie crumbs 7 oz. butter, melted In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crumbs and butter until uniform and press into pie plate--bottom and sides. Bake at 340 F for 5 minutes. OR you can use pre-made pie shells--they sell chocolate cookie ones similar to graham cracker crusts. Chocolate layer (similar to ganache): 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, stir the condensed milk and chocolate chips together until the chocolate is melted. Spread the mixture along the bottom and sides of the pie crust(s). Peanut Butter Filling: 4 cups heavy whipping cream 12 oz. cream cheese 2 cups powdered sugar 3 cups smooth peanut butter 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract In a mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream until it forms soft peaks (the consistency of Cool Whip). Spoon into a metal bowl and place in fridge. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy. Add the peanut butter and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture and beat until well combined. Mix in whipping cream to peanut butter mixture until uniform. Spoon over chocolate layer in pie shell. Chill for a minimum of four hours before serving. JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over a state law that allows prison inmates sentenced to life without parole as minors to request new sentences. Under legislation approved in 2016, minors who have served 25 years can ask the states parole board to review their sentences. But inmate Jessica Hicklin said the parole board is not the proper venue for a review. Rather, the Potosi Correctional Center resident said resentencing decisions should take place in a courtroom by a judge or jury. Hicklins arguments are backed up by the judge who sentenced her. Joseph Dandurand, who is now retired, submitted a brief saying a sentence should be decided in a courtroom, not by the parole board. A judge or jury is the only appropriate entity to assess the role that Hicklins youth and life experiences played in the commission of the offense and of Hicklins capacity for rehabilitation. The parole process is simply inadequate to provide Hicklin a right to a meaningful opportunity for release as required by law, Dandurand wrote. Hicklin was sentenced to life in prison at age 16 after she was convicted of fatally shooting a man during a drug-related crime in the western Missouri town of Clinton in 1995. In 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles without the possibility for parole violate the Eighth and Fourteenth amendments. Hicklins attorney, Tony Rothert of the Missouri ACLU, argued that the court decisions have voided Hicklins sentence. But, the state doesnt agree with that, Rothert told the court. Assistant Attorney General Andrew Crane said the court should defer to the law approved by the Legislature. It just simply does not fit under Missouris system of government, Crane said. Hicklins case is the latest legal action by inmates who were handed life sentences for crimes they committed as minors. A federal lawsuit was filed by three Missouri prison inmates in 2017 saying the Missouri Department of Corrections and the state Parole Board are disregarding their constitutional rights as youthful offenders as outlined in a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions and under the 2016 state law. Prior to the change in law, Missouri had been one of several states that had been sentencing teens to life sentences without any individualized consideration of their youth or ability to be rehabilitated. Hicklin has found success in court previously. Missouri last year paid lawyers representing her more than $300,000 after she won a federal lawsuit last year forcing the state to provide her hormone therapy. Hicklin, who was named James when she was sentenced, was diagnosed in 2015 with gender dysphoria, according to the lawsuit. The medical term, listed in the American Psychiatric Associations diagnoses manual, refers to the distress a person feels because of a conflict and disconnect between their gender at birth and the gender with which they identify. In May 2018, a judge issued a permanent injunction ordering the Department of Corrections to provide care deemed medically necessary by Hicklins doctors as long as she was in state custody. Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Summer came to an abrupt halt in parts of the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday as temperatures reaching into the 90s (Faherenheit) plunged by around 60 degrees F (over 15 degree Celsius) in less than 24 hours, with a powerful surge of cold air from Canada unleashing snow and damaging winds in several states. The roller coaster weather ripped up trees by their roots, piled up snow that shut down parts of the scenic road through Glacier National Park and knocked out power to tens of thousands. But the temperature drop gave some relief to crews fighting wildfires in Colorado and Montana that had ballooned in hot, windy weather and forced people to flee their homes. Snow fell in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming and forecasters predicted up to a foot (30cm) in the mountains and temperatures in the teens (-7 Celsius) overnight. We went from record heat to snow within a matter of 24 hours, said Evan Direnzo, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Colorado. Any average person would see this a couple of times in their life. In Utah, where temperatures dropped by 40 degrees F, wind gusts of nearly 100mph roared through the Salt Lake City area, downing trees and leaving tens of thousands without electricity. Since forecasters began keeping records about 150 years ago, a one-day change in temperature of 55 degrees F (nearly 13 degrees C) or more has occurred two dozen times in Denver, according to the NWS. Six inches (15cm) or more of snow could fall in the northern and central Rockies, with 1 to 2 feet (30-60cm) dropping in the highest peaks, the NWS said. It has issued scattered winter storm warnings and weather advisories from southern Montana to southern Colorado. Freeze and frost warnings also were posted for parts of Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota and Minnesota. The weather was gradually expected to warm up, with temperatures back in the 80s by the weekend in Denver. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Vietnams progress in moving up to the 42nd position on the latest Global Innovation Index (GII) has been lauded by the international community. The international community has spoken highly of Vietnams rank in the 2020 edition of the GII, says Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the United Nations, World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva. "Vietnam, along with China, India and the Philippines, are the four nations that have made significant progress in the GII rankings over recent years and are all in the top 50 now. Vietnam is moving towards the top 40 in this index, with a majority being high-income countries," Mai said, citing international experts comments at an online conference on GII held Tuesday by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which publishes the ranking. She said this was a proud yet challenging result in the context that not only Vietnam, but most countries in the world are facing different difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This means that it would not be an easy task for Vietnam to maintain the position or climb to higher ranks in coming years. The result of a collaboration between Cornell University, INSEAD, a graduate business school with locations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America, and the WIPO, the index, which is in its 13th edition this year, ranks the innovation performance of 130 economies around the world, based on more than 80 indicators. Bui The Duy, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, attributed the nations ranking to "the efforts of the entire system." He said the clearest example of this was a series of research institutes and innovation centers established by private agents in recent years. He said the progress is also reflected in Vietnam climbing up on the GII over the years, from 59th position in 2016 to 42nd in 2019 and 2020. "In such a difficult time, when all economies have been hit hard by Covid-19, Vietnam has stood out in the global community as a role model in pandemic fighting and prevention, as well as accumulating research and innovation results to offer scientific and technological solutions for dealing with the pandemics impacts," he said. Despite the pandemic, the number of intellectual property applications approved in the first five months rose 0.6 percent against the same period last year to more than 26,000, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. "This is a positive sign that goes against the downgrading trend caused by the pandemic globally," Duy said, adding that such results would not have been possible without support from the WIPO, which has helped Vietnam set up an IP Hub, a digital platform for the intellectual property community to exchange the most useful and helpful tools and resources, in 2017. Integrating similarities Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, head of the composite indicator research section, economics and statistics division and co-editor of the index, said a general review of all indicators to come up with the index show that Vietnam has been able to integrate similarities found among investment in human resources, costs in research and development (R&D) and high-tech export. Besides, local businesses have made significant progress, making an important contribution to improving Vietnams position on the global innovation index, he said. In order to maintain the rank and climb higher, Vietnam should now identify and deal with all obstacles preventing private firms from increasing their investments in research and innovation, he added. He suggested that Vietnam spends more on innovation and R&D activities for businesses, and promotes cooperation between schools and research and innovation institutes. The goal of the GII is to provide data with insights into capacity and innovation outcomes, allowing policymakers to measure their current performance and make key decisions for innovation for the future, said Francis Gurry, CEO of WIPO. Deputy Minister Duy said related ministries and agencies should continuously store and update data so that the government can issue policies that match the latest trends in scientific and technological development. He also asked the WIPO to work with Vietnam on a comprehensive review of its innovation development over the past 10 years and make suitable recommendations to take it further. Switzerland topped this years GII index, followed by Sweden, the U.S. and the U.K. The rest that made the top 10 are the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, Germany and South Korea. WILLIAMS BAY Construction crews have descended on Yerkes Observatory to begin a restoration so meticulous that workers are repairing the landmark one brick at a time. Scaffolding five stories high has been erected alongside Yerkes, and crews are delicately scouring the structure to restore deteriorated bricks and look for other signs of wear and tear. It is a project that is expected to continue for more than a year as the first phase of an effort expected to cost $20 million to resurrect and revive the iconic lakefront landmark. Dianna Colman, chairwoman of the private foundation that owns Yerkes, will not say how much has been raised, although she said her group has received enough donations to cover the restoration work now underway. Colman said private donations have come from supporters across the United States, mainly outside the Lake Geneva region. Every time I go to the post office, theres a check, she said. In addition to the brick work, Colman and her Yerkes Future Foundation plan repairs to the observatorys high-profile dome, as well as electrical systems inside the building, and other remodeling and landscaping improvements. Among those involved in the project is Pierce Engineers Inc., a Milwaukee-based engineering firm whose staff worked on a restoration five years ago on the Wisconsin State Capitol dome. Ronald Bernhagen, restoration manager for Pierce Engineers, said he is confident that the engineers, contractors and specialists involved in the Yerkes Observatory project can restore the 120-year-old facility to a high degree of success. We pretty much have a world-class team, he said. The observatory overlooking Geneva Lake has been closed to the public since October 2018, when the University of Chicago decided that the scientific educational and research center was obsolete. The university later agreed to donate the building and surrounding acreage to the Yerkes Future Foundation, a local group intent on preserving and reopening Yerkes as a public attraction. The foundations restoration is separate from the universitys efforts opposed by some in the community to allow new home construction on surplus lakefront real estate that once was part of a 70-acre Yerkes campus. The scaffolding erected along the west side of the observatorys biggest dome is the first tangible sign of repair work since the foundation in May took ownership of the building. Crews with Marion Restoration, a Chicago-based masonry firm, are examining the structure brick by brick, and where necessary, they are replacing deteriorated mortar with new lime putty. The meticulous job requires crew members inside and outside Yerkes synchronizing their work to focus together on each section of bricks. Marion Restoration is a 40-year-old firm that has worked on many Frank Lloyd Wright-designed properties. Mario Machnicki, president of the firm, said although the restoration project sounds tedious to outsiders, his crew is trained to carefully handle historic preservation subjects just like Yerkes. If you have sort of a conservation-preservation mind, this is what we do, Machnicki said. I have no doubt that we can accomplish what we were hired for. Work will continue until winter weather sets in, then crews are expected to return next spring and continue through the summer until the bricks have all been examined and repaired. The scaffolding will be moved around the building periodically as work progresses. The old mortar is being replaced with an improved putty as needed, but finding replacement bricks is a challenge. Some of the existing bricks are oddly shaped, and they are made of a terracota clay-based substance. Machnicki said officials are still searching for just the right materials to complete the job. This is not something you can go to a supplier and purchase, he said. It doesnt exist. Next up on the restoration plan is the large dome covering the 40-inch-wide refracting telescope. Officials said the dome structure has sprung leaks allowing water to seep inside the structure. Remodeling also is planned throughout the observatorys interior, and landscaping improvements are in the works around the grounds. Bernhagen said his engineering firm is excited to be involved in the Yerkes Observatory restoration. He called the building iconic and one-of-a-kind. Were ecstatic that were a part of this project, he said. The Yerkes Future Foundation plans to reopen to the public for tours and other activities next spring or summer. Colman said a capital campaign to raise more funds will commence, with the goal of raising $20 million over the next three years for refurbishing the property, hiring staff, implementing programs and welcoming back public visitors. She said her group is happy to be started with the restoration, but she said much more work lies ahead. Were going to have once chance to do this and do it right, she said. So were taking our time. 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. Firefighters are battling a new blaze that broke out two days after an earlier fire was extinguished, the navy said Fireboats battling to extinguish a fire on the Panamanian-registered crude oil tanker New Diamond, some 60 km off Sri Lanka's eastern coast where a fire was reported inside the engine room. - India on September 8 sent fresh supplies of firefighting chemicals to help battle a new blaze on a stricken tanker loaded with a massive cargo of crude oil off Sri Lanka's eastern coast. (AFP) Colombo: An Indian coast guard aircraft sprayed a special chemical on a patch of diesel fuel near a large oil tanker off Sri Lankas coast where firefighters are battling a new blaze that broke out two days after an earlier fire was extinguished, the navy said. The MT New Diamond is carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil and officials have warned of possible massive environmental damage to Sri Lankas coast if the ship leaks or explodes. Navy spokesman Capt. Indika de Silva said the new fire started Monday evening and reached the magnitude of the previous blaze. Firefighters have contained it but it is still burning, he said. High winds, extreme temperatures on the ship and sparks reignited it, the navy said, adding that so far there is no risk of a crude oil leak or of the fire spreading into the oil storage area. The navy said the initial fire began in an engine room boiler and did not spread to the oil storage area. However, it said a diesel patch had been spotted in the ocean about one kilometer (0.6 mile) from the ship. The patch is likely to be diesel fuel from the ship, it said. The ship has about 1,700 tons of diesel fuel to power its engines. An Indian coast guard aircraft sprayed a chemical on the patch to minimize damage to the marine environment, the navy said. Ships and helicopters from Sri Lanka and neighboring India are taking part in the firefighting efforts. The initial fire killed one Filipino crew member and injured another, but 21 other crew members escaped uninjured. Twenty were taken to the southern port city of Galle on Tuesday, while the captain remained on a ship near the tanker to help firefighting efforts, de Silva said. The tanker is about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) off the coast, the navy said. The tanker was transporting crude oil from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip, where the state-owned Indian Oil Corp. has a refinery. Shoukry made the remarks while addressing 154th session of AL Council, which convened virtual meeting at level of Foreign Arab Ministers Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Wednesday that strengthening joint Arab action "has become more urgent" in light of the continuing conflicts and multiple challenges that ravage the Arab world, "which is witnessing unprecedented destructive foreign interventions that negatively affect the stability of the Arab region and seek to undermine the concepts of the nation state and fuel sectarian tendencies." Shoukry made the remarks while addressing the 154th session of the Arab League (AL) Council, which convened a virtual meeting on Wednesday at the level of Foreign Arab Ministers that was under the chairmanship of Palestine. Shoukry tackled in his speech various crucial issues among which is the Palestinian cause, Libya, Turkish interference in domestic Arab affairs, Syria, and the Lebanon crisis. Palestinian cause The Egyptian foreign minister said that the Palestinian cause "is still the central issue of the Arabs [but] it is still far from the desired settlement." "In order for the brotherly Palestinian people to fully obtain their legitimate rights and overcome the vestiges of the past, a sustainable and just solution to the Palestinian cause must be achieved in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions, the principle of the two-state solution, and the Arab Peace Initiative," Shoukry told the Arab foreign ministers. So, to achieve this, Shoukry says, there must be political will on the part of the various actors and parties, and any unilateral steps that would undermine the chances of establishing a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, should be stopped. Such steps include any efforts to annex Palestinian lands, which in accordance with international law are a right that must be restored in order to establish an independent Palestinian state, he stated. In this context, Shoukry adds, the recent announcement of the suspension of annexation is a temporary step that "must be permanent"... in order to maintain the climate that "we all need" to move forward and reach a solution. In August, US President Donald Trump announced that the United Arab Emirates and Israel have agreed to establish diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state. The move has been hailed by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who described it as one that would "bring peace to the Middle East." I followed with great interest and appreciation the tripartite joint statement between the United States, the fraternal United Arab Emirates, and Israel, regarding the agreement to suspend the annexation of Palestinian territories and to take steps that would bring peace to the Middle East," El-Sisi wrote on his official social media accounts on 13 August. On Libya On Libya, Shoukry said that the crisis continues in the neighbouring country, with which Egypt has close relations on all levels, and that the various developments in Libya have a direct impact on Egypts national security. Since 2014, the oil-rich country has been split between two rival administrations in the east and west with parallel institutions. The eastern government is represented by the Tobruk-based House of Representatives allied with the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Commander Khalifa Haftar, while the west is represented by the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA). "We have seen and monitored, as has everyone, the destabilising Turkish interventions in Libya, which involve practices that prolong the conflict, not only in Libya, but in the entire region," Shoukry said. The FM said that these Turkish actions include its "documented involvement in transporting mercenaries and terrorist elements from the Syrian territories in an effort to reproduce in Libya the conditions brought about by Turkish intervention in Syria, striking against international conventions and norms in pursuit of a false hope of restoring a past that carries nothing but instability for our region." The GNA is backed by Qatar, Turkish troops, and thousands of Syrian mercenaries, while Egypt, France, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates back the LNA which is allied to the Tobruk-based House of Representatives. Various regional and European countries have repeatedly accused Turkey of violating a United Nations arms embargo that has been in place since 2011. "In the face of Turkish ambitions that are evident in northern Iraq, Syria and Libya in particular, Egypt will not stand idly by, but rather it has taken a position," Shoukry stated. On 20 June, El-Sisi called on the Libyan parties to respect the current lines and start negotiations, adding that "Libya's Sirte and Al-Jufra are considered the red line for Egyptian national security." El-Sisi at the time emphasised that Egypt has no ambitions in Libya, and only wishes to restore security and stability in the country. "We will not be invaders we only want a stable, safe and developed Libya," the Egyptian president said, calling for a comprehensive settlement in Libya that involves the elimination of terrorist militias. He added that the settlement should have had participated in Libya-related international conferences and supported crisis-resolution efforts. On 6 June, El-Sisi announced the Libyan-Libyan Cairo Declaration initiative, which was in line with international accords and efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis. The Cairo Declaration is a joint political initiative announced by El-Sisi, Haftar, and Libya's parliament speaker Aguila Saleh to resolve the Libyan crisis and end the armed conflict in the Arab country. The initiative, which has been welcomed by various foreign and Arab countries, mandates an intra-Libyan resolution as a basis for resolving the countrys conflict under resolutions by the UN and past efforts in Paris, Rome, Abu Dhabi, and most recently in Berlin. Foreign interference in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq In Syria, Shoukry said that foreign interference "continues to play a destructive role" that aims to harm Arab national security. "The blatant Turkish interventions which can be described as a state of occupation are continuing in Syria," the foreign minister said. Shoukry reiterated that there is no alternative to resuming a political process in Syria that leads to a comprehensive peace settlement by implementing the relevant Security Council resolutions. In Yemen, Shoukry said, some regional parties continue to try to tamper with Arab national security, which poses a direct threat to the security of the Arab Gulf states, he said. "In this context, Egypt reaffirms that the security of the Gulf and the Red Sea is directly linked to that of Egypt, which strongly condemns all attacks against the fraternal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the foreign minister said, stressing the need to implement all relevant Security Council resolutions, foremost of which is the Council resolution Security No. 2216. Shoukry also reaffirmed Egypt's full support for Iraq in the face of the continuing Turkish aggressions on its borders, declaring Egypts full solidarity with the Iraqi government in any measures it takes in the face of these blatant interventions. He also hailed the tripartite summit between Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, describing it as an opportunity to work to strengthen joint Arab action once again in the face of the increasing challenges that Arabs face from inside and out. "Such challenges compel us to launch a comprehensive Arab project based on achieving interests and playing an influential role on the regional and international arenas," he added. The tripartite summit, which was held in Amman on 25 August, addressed enhancing cooperation in all fields, especially in energy, power linkages, infrastructure, and food. Search Keywords: Short link: As officials with Gov. Ned Lamonts administration consider which executive orders to extend beyond Wednesday, lawmakers want to have a broader discussion about a controversial mandate thats been in place since April: legal immunity for nursing homes and hospitals. Lamont issued an order shielding those facilities from lawsuits less than a month after the first recorded case of COVID-19 in Connecticut. The measure prevents families of nursing home residents and other potential plaintiffs from seeking financial recourse in the courts for injury or death, except in cases of crime, fraud, malice, gross negligence or willful misconduct. Connecticut is one of at least 20 other states to impose such an order. Nationally, advocates and attorneys have questioned why the protection extends not only to health care workers, but also to nursing homes and their operators. In Connecticut, where 2,874 nursing home residents have died during the pandemic - about 64 percent of the states overall COVID-19 fatalities - legislators want to have a conversation about how long the immunity should be prolonged - if it all. With blanket immunity, management can essentially shrug their shoulders and say, Oh, well, said Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, a co-chair of the legislatures Appropriations Committee. I dont think that this is an oh, well conversation. If there are no consequences, there is no responsibility. Lawmakers concerns arose after three facilities landed in the news recently for violations. State inspectors cited the Three Rivers nursing home in Norwich - which has reported 26 cases and three deaths from coronavirus recently - for multiple lapses, including failure to ensure proper cohorting of residents, failure to use personal protective gear in accordance with standards outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and failure to enforce a 14-day quarantine period for a resident exposed to COVID-19. A nurse at the facility also reported for work after she had been on a trip with two relatives who later tested positive for coronavirus, according to an inspection report. Colleagues complained that she didnt wear a mask. The state also fined nursing homes in Hartford and Hamden for failing to test all of their employees, as the state requires. The immunity order is scheduled to expire Wednesday along with more than 70 other measures that Lamont issued amid the pandemic. Many of those orders could be extended under a broad continuance, administration officials said, though some will receive extra scrutiny. Lamont signed a declaration last week that prolongs his emergency powers to manage the COVID-19 crisis. His declaration extends to Feb. 9 the six-month state of emergency he declared on March 10 under state laws regarding both public-health and civil-preparedness emergencies. It also creates a new, concurrent state of emergency. Max Reiss, a spokesman for Lamont, said many of the orders could be extended through February, though others may be discontinued or prolonged for a shorter period of time. We could put a temporary extension on some of the them for a week or 30 days to do a further and deeper analysis. The immunity question falls into that, Reiss said. As of now, its set to expire, and its to be determined whether its going to be extended. During a press conference last week, Lamont signaled that he may be leaning toward an extension. Asked whether the violations at Three Rivers made him reconsider the order, he replied: Not right now. But look, weve got sanctions, weve got financial penalties, we relicense these folks. So, Ive got plenty of leverage there. Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, a co-chair of the legislatures Public Health Committee, said there are strong feelings among legislators on both sides of the issue. During a hearing before the committee last week, lawmakers grilled nursing home executives over staffing, protocols and other issues. Were divided on exactly how best to handle it, he said of the immunity. I would not want to give undue protection to bad actors. But in terms of the lessons weve learned as a state, things are dramatically different. The public health department, with prodding and oversight from the legislature, has tightened it up quite a bit, and their new protocols give me confidence. Theres no good, pure answer one way or the other. Nursing home leaders have said they support an extension. We know that significant legal challenges follow catastrophic disasters such as this one, Mag Morelli, president of LeadingAge Connecticut, which represents nonprofit nursing homes, told members of the Public Health Committee last week. A level of immunity from liability is needed to encourage individuals and organizations to provide services to save lives without the fear of damaging their organizations ability to survive after the emergency is over. Three people were killed after Tuesday mornings collision between a train and a van near Strathclair, according to the RCMP. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Three people were killed after Tuesday mornings collision between a train and a van near Strathclair, according to the RCMP. A van with four people inside was travelling northbound on Road 126 at approximately 11:30 a.m. when it was hit by a westbound CP train. A 45-year-old man from Sandy Bay First Nation, a 25-year-old man from Waywayseecappo First Nation and a 19-year-old man from Dauphin were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, the RCMP said in a press release. The vans driver, a 27-year-old man from Dauphin, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. Officers from the Yellowhead RCMP Detachment along with a forensic collision reconstructionist and CP police are investigating. Canadian Pacific locomotives sit on the tracks just east of Strathclair at the scene of a serious collision with a passenger van on Tuesday afternoon. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun) A STARS Air Ambulance helicopter from Winnipeg was dispatched for the call, according to STARS spokesperson Chad Saxon. The paramedics picked up a 27-year-old man at the Minnedosa Hospital and flew him to the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. The man was in stable condition when he was being transported, Saxon said. Rural Municipality of Yellowhead Mayor Merv Starzyk declined to comment on the situation when reached on Tuesday afternoon as he said police were still investigating the incident. "Im pretty sure that the residents of the municipality as well as myself and council want to extend our sympathies to the families involved," he said. The provincial government was resurfacing Highway 16 at the time of the crash, Starzyk said. Other than the Tuesday incident, he said it hasnt been a problematic intersection. Salem Woodrow, a spokesperson for CP, confirmed the train consisted of two locomotives and said both CP and the RCMP are investigating the incident. dmay@brandonsun.com Twitter: @DrewMay_ President Trump has made up ground on his Democratic rival in recent weeks across six key swing states - Joe Raedle /GetGetty Images North America ty Images North America Donald Trump has slashed Joe Bidens lead in some of the key battleground states which will likely determine who wins the US election, according to new polling for The Telegraph. The US president saw the percentage of people who say they will vote for him in six swing states rise between July and early September, according to the survey results. The results will be cheered in the Trump campaign given the president has trailed by a huge margin over the summer as coronavirus cases surged in America. For months Redfield & Wilton Strategies has been tracking opinion for this newspaper in the six states Mr Trump won by the narrowest margins in 2016: Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The last polling in mid-July showed Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, clearly in the lead in all six states. The latest surveys, conducted in late August and early September after the party conventions, have that lead narrowing. Mr Trump is now ahead in North Carolina by one percentage point, according to the polling. He has also roughly halved Mr Bidens lead in Florida. Mr Biden still leads in Pennsylvania and Arizona and is far ahead in Michigan and Wisconsin. The numbers are still good for the Biden camp. If they were replicated at the election on November 3 he would likely win, stopping Mr Trump from getting the second term. But the movement of the last six weeks is working in the Trump campaigns favour. They will hope to continue the trend over the two months remaining until polling day. The reason for the narrowing gap is debatable. One possible cause is the decline in daily coronavirus cases seen in America since mid-July. A majority of the public have consistently disapproved of how the US president has handled the Covid-19 pandemic, according to polls. A falling away of cases could lead some Americans to see the crisis as less urgent and so Mr Trump's performance as less top of mind as they cast their vote. Story continues The change could also reflect the conventions. The polls were taken right after the Republican convention, meaning the messages pushed by the party and its dominance in TV coverage over the preceding week could be reflected in voter thinking. But polling experts and pundits have noted how neither party got the post-convention bounce that has tended to be seen in the past, perhaps because the views of so many voters about the two candidates are locked in already. The polling shows Mr Biden is three percentage points ahead in Florida, five points ahead in Arizona and Pennsylvania, nine points ahead in Wisconsin and 11 points ahead in Michigan. Mr Trump is one point ahead in North Carolina. Joe Biden still holds a lead in most key states, including Pennsylvania - JIM WATSON /AFP Polls, it should be remembered, are a snapshot of voter thinking at a moment in time rather than a prediction of the final result. Between 600 and 1,000 people were polled in each of the six states. There are other insights in the polling into the thinking of the electorate in the battleground states that helps explain the state of the race and where the key clashes are between the candidates. Despite being in charge during the historic economic slump that was triggered by the coronavirus lockdown Mr Trump is still better rated on the economy than Mr Biden. The position reflects Mr Trumps perceived strengths as a property mogul and celebrity businessman who oversaw booming growth during three years of his presidency compared to Mr Biden, a former vice president who has spent five decades in Washington politics. It is a political weakness the Biden campaign will seek to address in the coming weeks, especially given that if coronavirus case numbers begin to fall voters may increasingly think about who is best placed to lead the economic recovery. When voters were asked which policy area would most likely determine how they would vote, the highest ranking area in all six states was the economy - an indication of how voters have their wallets in mind. The second area was healthcare. One Trump campaign move that appears to have had mixed results is its attacks on the Democratic nominees mental acuity. Voters in the six states were largely split on whether Mr Trump or Mr Biden was is in good physical and mental health, suggesting the issue is not the slam dunk the president would like. Other results reinforce the continued impact of the pandemic on Americans. Around a third of voters in the battleground states say they do not feel comfortable voting in person at the polling booths, fuelling expectations that a historic number of postal votes will be cast. Many in America disapprove of how President Trump has handled the coronavirus pandemic, including laid-off airport workers at LAX International Airport - LUCY NICHOLSON /Reuters That could have untold knock-on impacts for the race, with little evidence on how big postal votes nationwide could change the shape of the electorate. It could also put new pressure on election officials and the vote counting process. Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed, with little evidence, that postal voting is wide open to fraud and argued that a big number of mail-in votes would amount to a rigged election. The row looks set to continue all the way to polling day and possibly beyond. Voters in all six states were asked in your opinion, if Joe Biden had been president, do you think he would have handled the coronavirus pandemic better, worse, or with no difference. In all six states the most common answer was better. The answer helps explain why the Biden camp is trying to frame the election as one where the all important question is who is best placed to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. But the poll results also contain another warning sign for Mr Biden - that if the race becomes defined by issues of law and order, many voters support the types of views which Mr Trump has been voicing. A majority of voters in all six states agreed with the statements the destruction of property is violence and the vast majority of police officers are good, but a few bad apples give them a bad reputation. They also disagreed with calls to defund the police. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to extend and expand a ban on oil drilling off the coast of Florida. Speaking at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum in Jupiter, Fla., Trump said he would extend the existing moratorium on offshore oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida's west coast through 2032 and expand it to include the Atlantic coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. "It's an order that does so much for the state of Florida. It's an order that I'm so proud to sign," Trump said. "And this protects your beautiful gulf and your beautiful ocean and it will for a long time to come." The decision marks a reversal for Trump, who in 2018 announced a five-year drilling plan calling for 19 lease sales offshore Alaska, seven in the Pacific Region, 12 in the Gulf of Mexico and nine in the Atlantic. Florida's coastline was removed from consideration after then-U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke met with former Florida Gov. Rick Scott -- who's now serving in the U.S. Senate -- in Tallahassee. CARSON CITY, Nev. - Six states in the U.S. West that rely on the Colorado River to sustain cities and farms rebuked a plan to build an underground pipeline that would transport billions of gallons of water through the desert to southwest Utah. In a joint letter Tuesday, water officials from Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming urged the U.S. government to halt the approval process for the project, which would bring water 140 miles (225 km) from Lake Powell in northern Arizona to the growing area surrounding St. George, Utah. If the approval moves forward, state water leaders wrote, multiyear litigation would likely be inevitable and could complicate negotiations over the future of the Colorado River, which serves 40 million people but faces threats from persistent drought and climate change that are dwindling the supply of water. That is not a recipe for creating the kind of meaningful and positive change needed to sustain the Colorado River in the coming decades, they wrote. The Lake Powell Pipeline project would divert 86,000 acre-feet (106 billion litres) of water to Washington County, Utah. The state is entitled to the water under agreements between the states that date back a century, but the projects critics worry the pipeline could further deplete Lake Powell one of the two man-made reservoirs where Colorado River water is stored. If water levels in either Lake Powell or the other reservoir Lake Mead fall farther, states could be forced to limit the amount of water they can send to growing cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas and farmers throughout the region that help stock supermarkets. Under the agreements between the seven states, cuts would hit Arizona, California and Nevada before affecting Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The government received more than 10,000 public comments on an environmental impact report for the proposed pipeline before Tuesdays deadline, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Marlon Duke said. The Interior Department, which oversees the bureau, is expected to issue a final report, which could bring the project a step closer to approval. In the letter, state water leaders argue that legal and operational issues havent been resolved and that work is undeniably best undertaken through negotiations between the states rather than lawsuits. They asked Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to delay approving the final environmental impact statement. Although the proposal isolates Utah from the other states that rely on the river, its committed to bringing water its entitled to tap to those who need it, said Todd Adams, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources. He said the project has been under review for about 20 years and that many other projects have gone through federal review while states worked through unresolved issues. We can still work in collaboration with the basin states while also preserving Utahs water allotment, he said in a statement. The states are contending with a drier future as they renegotiate agreements that detail how Colorado River water is doled out. The six-state letter reflects widespread fears that pulling more water from reservoirs could jeopardize the future of the already overtapped river and signals the possibility of court challenges jeopardizing new talks when drought contingency plans between the states expires in 2026. ___ Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Washington The Senate prepared to vote this week on a trimmed-down Republican coronavirus relief package, though it only has a slim chance of passage in the face of Democrats' insistence for more sweeping aid. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the approximately $500 billion measure on Tuesday as senators returned to Washington for an abbreviated pre-election session, but hopes were dimming for another coronavirus relief bill or much else. Republicans struggling to retain their Senate majority this fall have been divided, with some GOP senators in close races anxious to respond further to the pandemic, even as conservatives are tiring of all the spending and passing legislation in concert with liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. McConnell called the package "a targeted proposal that focuses on several of the most urgent aspects of this crisis, the issues where bipartisanship should be especially possible." They included school aid, new money for vaccines and testing, and a second round of the popular Paycheck Protection Program for smaller businesses. Democrats demanded a far larger bill, including hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments, more generous jobless benefits, and help for renters and homeowners, along with other provisions in the House Democrats' $3.5 billion relief bill that passed in May. "Get real, Mitch McConnell," Pelosi said during a Bloomberg interview. "It's only a 'check the box' so that some of his endangered Republican senators can go home and say, 'Well, see, I tried.' But it isn't trying. It is not even an attempt to do the right thing." Republican senators such as Susan Collins of Maine are eager to show constituents they are continuing to work to ease the pandemic's disastrous impact on jobs, businesses and health. But many Senate Republicans are resisting more spending, and the scaled-back bill is roughly half the size of a measure McConnell unveiled earlier this summer. McConnell's move Tuesday would clear the way for a Thursday test vote in which Democrats were sure to block the legislation. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement that the bill "doesn't come close to addressing the problems and is headed nowhere." McConnell's bill would provide $105 billion to help schools reopen, enact a shield against lawsuits for businesses and others that are powering ahead to reopen, create a scaled-back $300-per-week supplemental jobless benefit, and write off $10 billion in earlier debt at the U.S. Postal Service. There's $31 billion for a coronavirus vaccine, $16 billion for virus testing and $15 billion to help child care providers reopen. There is additionally $20 billion for farmers. Actor Kevin Spacey was sued on Wednesday by actor Anthony Rapp and a second, unnamed person for assault and battery in the 1980s, when both were under the age of 18. The civil lawsuit was filed in New York State court in Manhattan. Both men are seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress. In October 2017, Rapp told BuzzFeed that Spacey allegedly made a sexual advance towards him in 1986, when Rapp was 14. Spacey at the time said on Twitter that he did not remember the alleged incident, adding: But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years. The Independent has contacted Spaceys attorney for comment. Prosecutors in Massachusetts in 2019 dropped a criminal case in which Spacey was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man in a bar in 2016. Spacey had pleaded not guilty to the charges of felony indecent assault and battery. The case was dropped after the alleged victim declined to testify. In November 2017, after Rapp came forward, an anonymous man told Vulture that Spacey allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with him in the 1980s, when he was 14. An attorney for Spacey told the publication at the time: Mr Spacey absolutely denies the allegations." Reuters contributed to this report The Woodlands Township Board of Directors election is picking up steam as the final few weeks of campaigning will be capped by a series of online forums hosted by The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. On Tuesday, members of a new political action committee in The Woodlands the Township Future PAC unveiled their endorsements for the 2020 board races, choosing three candidates but not making an endorsement in the Position 1 Seat race. Related: Woodlands residents form new TownshipFuture PAC Several candidates had also been endorsed in August by the members of The Woodlands Professional Firefighters Association. That entity, said President Erik Secrest, chose all four incumbents as their selections for township board. Township Future tabs 3 candidates The newly formed PAC, which is comprised of an array of local figures from political parties across the liberal and conservative spectrum, formed a vetting committee, said PAC Board Member Ted Stanley, who is also heavily involved in the Village of College Park local village association. The group sent out questionnaires to all 10 candidates across the four seat races and received seven responses. Of those seven, five were interviewed by the committee in Zoom online sessions before endorsements were made. Related: Candidate slate set for Nov. 5 Woodlands board election Township Future spokesperson Amy Lecocq said the group only chose endorsements for three seats because they were unable to offer support to any of the Position 1 seat candidates based on their platforms and interactions, or lack of, from the three seeking that seat. Through our vetting process for Position No. 1, although each candidate fit some of our criteria, the vetting committee did not uncover a candidate who met our very high standards for an endorsed candidate and therefore we did not endorse in Position No. 1, Lecocq said. There were candidates that did not return their forms. The Position 2 seat endorsement was for Jimmie Dotson, a long-time police veteran who is the first Black candidate in the history of the township. Officials said Dotsons long record of service at the Houston Police Department, the Chattanooga, Tenn., Police Department and the Houston Independent School District was pivotal iin their choice. Dotson is opposed to incorporation of The Woodlands, a view that some members of the new PAC also share. Related: Dotson is first Black candidate for Woodlands Township board In Position 3 seat, the group went with the only candidate in the race: John A. Brown, calling him a defender of the people. Stanley said Brown was active in community issues and embodies leadership and is not afraid to, tackle tough issues. Brown is also a member of the Development Standards Committee and the Village of Alden Bridge Association board. Related: Hannon to challenge Rieser for Woodlands Township board seat For Position 4 seat, the group opted for The Rev. Daniel Hannon over incumbent Bruce Rieser. The PAC committee felt Hannon was a better representative for the residents than Rieser, saying he had a long and successful career as the founding pastor of one of the largest churches in The Woodlands. The group also said Hannons 30-year residency in the township shows he knows the community; they also touted what they claimed was his belief in limited government. Firefighters choose incumbents Similar to what they did in the 2018 and 2019 township board elections, The Woodlands Professional Firefighters Association has endorsed only incumbents in the 2020 election. Erik Secrest, president of the firefighters union, said the group has endorsed Gordy Bunch for Position 1, Jason J. Nelson for Position 2, John A. Brown for Position 3 and Bruce Rieser for Position 4. In 2018, the group endorsed Brown, Bunch, Rieser and Boniface. Only Boniface and Rieser faced challengers that year. In 2019, the firefighters endorsed incumbent Ann Snyder, but because two sitting board members that year opted to not seek re-election John McMullan and Carol Stromatt the group picked only one challener, Bob Milner in the Position 7 race. The firefighters did not endorse any candidate in the 2019 Position 5 seat race. For the 2020 election, Secrest said the organization representing more than 145 firefighters in the township felt the four incumbents best represented their interests as first responders. We endorsed (the four incumbents) based on their past support of public safety, Secrest said. Bruce (Rieser) and Gordy (Bunch) have been on the board a long time and theyve both been pivotal in the department getting that ISO 1 rating. Secrest said the group was also very appreciative of Browns efforts to help the department and they were appreciative of Jason Nelsons commitment to the township in his first months on the board as an appointee. Voter outreach The Township Future PAC will host a voter outreach effort and awareness booth at The Woodlands Farmers Market from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 19. The booth will have information on local candidate for the township board as well as information on voting locations, mail-in voting and other issues. The township election is Nov. 3, with early voting beginning Oct. 13, and continuing through Oct. 30. jeff.forward@chron.com Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Sunday virtually inaugurated three recently-completed projects at the Central University of Jammu here. In his address to the attendees of the inauguration, Pokhriyal appreciated the leadership of the university for naming the projects after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Premnath Dogra and Brigadier Rajendra Singh. He also appreciated the institutional building efforts and initiatives of Vice-Chancellor Professor Ashok Aima for academic visibility of the University at national and international levels. Sanjay Dhotre, Minister of State for Education, and special guest at the meeting said, Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has excelled in every sector and our country is achieving new milestones with each passing day. We will leave no stone unturned to further strengthen the education system of the country. Professor Ashok Aima, Vice-Chancellor, Central University of Jammu also addressed the participants with a brief description of the major achievements of the university during his tenure since April 2015. The University has been successful in attaining an all India character by admitting students and research scholars across diverse regions of the country, thereby offering testimony to the nationalistic bonding and the academic spectrum of the Central University of Jammu, he said. HONG KONG, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- India reported 75,809 daily COVID-19 cases on Tuesday with the highest single-day number worldwide as the Philippines logged 3,281 new infections. India's COVID-19 tally continues to rise sharply during the past 24 hours as the total figure reached 4,280,422, showed the latest data released by the federal health ministry. According to the data, as many as 1,133 deaths took place since Monday, taking the total to 72,775 so far. The recovery rate of India's patients increased to 77.65 percent on Tuesday, the country's health ministry said. The number of confirmed cases in the Philippines surged to 241,987 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,281 new daily cases. Bangladesh reported 1,892 new cases and 36 new deaths, making the tally at 329,251 and death toll at 4,552, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said. The official data showed that 14,973 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh. Cases in Indonesia rose by 3,046 within one day to 200,035, with the death toll adding by 100 to 8,230, the Health Ministry said. Brunei reported no new infections, with the national tally of cases standing at 145. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for the government of Victoria state to fast-track its plan to ease coronavirus restrictions. Morrison told reporters on Monday that he wants Victoria to reopen more quickly than setout in a roadmap released by Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday. South Korea reported 136 more cases compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 21,432. The daily caseload stayed below 200 for six straight days, but it continued to grow in triple digits since Aug. 14. New Zealand confirmed six new cases of COVID-19, including two imported cases detected in managed isolation facilities and four community cases. Myanmar reported 92 more new cases, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports. The newly confirmed cases brought the number of infections in the country to 1,610 in total. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 10:32:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WUHAN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- No new confirmed, asymptomatic or suspected cases of COVID-19 were reported in central China's Hubei Province Tuesday, the provincial health commission said Wednesday. By Tuesday, Hubei still had three close contacts under medical observation. The province cleared its confirmed cases on Aug. 31. Hubei has reported a total of 68,139 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 63,627 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovery. The disease claimed 4,512 lives in the province. Enditem YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Healthcare authorities said theyve significantly ramped up COVID-19 testing over the last 24 hours because teachers are being tested ahead of the planned re-opening of schools on September 15. The increase of the number of tests is due to the fact that teachers are being tested. They must be tested before the schools are reopened, Healthcare Ministry spokesperson Alina Nikoghosyan told ARMENPRESS. A record number of 3518 tests were conducted over the past 24 hours. 199 new cases of COVID-19 were registered, bringing the cumulative total number of confirmed cases to 45152 , the Armenian Center For Disease Control reported. 431 patients recovered, raising the number of total recoveries to 41023. 2 people died from COVID-19, increasing the death toll to 905. This number doesnt include the deaths of 279 (3 in the last 24 hours) other people infected with the virus who died from other pre-existing conditions, according to health authorities. As of 11:00, September 9 the number of active cases stood at 2945. Reporting by Anna Grigoryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan Junior MasterChef Australia is coming soon to Channel 10. And in a new promo which aired on Monday night, eagle eyed fans spotted a familiar face among the budding culinary stars. It was none other than 2018 MasterChef winner Sashi Cheliahs 11-year-old son Ryan, who is set to compete on the hit cooking show. Scroll down for video Keeping it in the family: 2018 MasterChef winner Sashi Cheliahs (right) 11-year-old son Ryan (left) is set to compete on Junior MasterChef Fans may recognise him from his appearance on his dad's season of MasterChef during the family reunion. Taking after his dad, Ryan revealed that he had cooked 'chicken thats been marinated in Chinese/Malaysian flavours' for the judges. Sashi's Adelaide based restaurant Gaja by Sashi is influenced by 'Indian, Singaporean and Malaysian classics'. While Sashi always had a passion for cooking, it wasn't until he migrated to Australia from Singapore with his wife, Rabicca and two sons, Ryan and Marcus, 13, that he really began to cook regularly. A cut above: Taking after his dad, Ryan (pictured) revealed that he had cooked 'chicken thats been marinated in Chinese/Malaysian flavours' for the judges 'When I moved to Australia, I missed eating home-cooked Malaysian and Singaporean kind of food, so I would make food like biryani and ayam masak merah,' he told The Star. 'Whatever I missed at home, I would try to cook at home.' And that passion has clearly rubbed off on Ryan, but time will tell if he can follow in his dad's footsteps and take home the top prize. Junior MasterChef Australia first aired back in 2010. It ran for two seasons before being axed, only for 10 to announce that the show would return in a revamped format for a third season later this year. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) As "plant parenting" becomes popular, a regional environment office warned against "plant poaching" or collecting threatened species without a permit. The collection of wild flora directly from the forest, especially those considered as threatened species, without permit is prohibited under Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act," said Crisanta Rodriguez, executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Zamboanga Peninsula. The department said collectors of critically endangered wild plants will be fined from 1,000 to 1,000,000 and imprisoned from six to 12 years. Among the critically endangered plants are Giant Staghorn or Capa de Leon, Staghorn fern and the Waling-Waling, as indicated in the list under Department Administrative Order 2017-11. Apart from a permit, the threatened flora must also be found in areas under a "valid tenure instrument" or land with a title under the "Torrens System" to allow trade and collection, the department stressed. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: The Koitendag geological exploration expedition of Turkmenistans Turkmengeologiya State Corporation is working to search for underground water, refine its reserves, and operate wells, Trend reports with reference to Nebit-Gas electronic newspaper. The work is being carried out to provide sufficient water to the settlements of the Lebap region of the country. New wells were drilled in the territory of the country's Halach district, as well as the Garabekevul well was re-evaluated for operational water reserves last year. Within the framework of the general program for providing settlements of Turkmenistan with clean drinking water, numerous water treatment plants have been built. New water wells are the main resource in ensuring efficient water supply to water treatment facilities. Earlier, Turkmengeologiya conducted work on searching for underground waters, as well as clarifying their reserves in the Akhal region of Turkmenistan. To obtain the necessary data, more than 700 wells were drilled in different years, using which the groundwater level is monitored. Turkmenistans Turkmengeology State Concern is studying the geological structure of reservoirs, as well as working to identify hydrocarbon resources. Based on the obtained results, it is planned to start preparing for drilling, the report said earlier. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Prince William has recounted how he was consumed by sadness when he served as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance service. During a surprise visit to Belfast to mark Emergency Services Day, the Duke of Cambridge, 38, spoke about how he struggled to talk about his emotions in a job that saw him encounter tragedy on a regular basis. He opened up about his experiences flying with the air ambulance from 2014 to 2017 as he met serving blue light responders to discuss the importance of mental health support for those working in the emergency services. The royal, who visited Garnerville Police College earlier today before taking part in a search and rescue demonstration at Cave Hill Country Park, admitted he was faced with a strong feeling of 'sadness' while working as a pilot. In keeping with royal visits to Northern Ireland, details were not released in advance and the itinerary was not disclosed for security reasons. Prince William (pictured) has recounted how he was consumed by sadness when he served as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance service Prince William, 38, (pictured) watched a rescue demonstration by the Community Rescue Service (CRS) at Cave Hill Country Park in Belfast, with its founder and regional commander Sean McCarry (seen left) In a speech to an audience of blue light responders, the duke opened up about his own struggles during his service on the frontline. 'I couldn't put my finger on it, but you just felt very sad,' he said, reflecting on his time as a helicopter pilot. 'And then you start to see the world very differently... You start just getting very sad that the world is so hurt. 'It's only then you go "hang on, you've got to look at this" because it's only natural that you sponge it and bring it in,' he added. William's visit to Belfast had a particular focus on the mental health challenges many emergency services personnel face as a consequence of their stressful jobs. Sean McCarry talked Prince William through the demonstration during his surprise visit this afternoon The founder and regional commander of the CRS kindly handed a jacket monogrammed 'HRH' to the Duke of Cambridge, who looked delighted William took the time to speak to some of the members of the rescue services to learn about their experiences Taking part in a training workshop aimed at encouraging first responders to be comfortable sharing their feelings, he said more work was needed to tackle the stigma around mental health. He acknowledged significant strides had been made in recent years, revealing that not one celebrity was prepared to get involved in the early days of his campaigning, such were their concerns about speaking openly about their struggles. 'This was six or seven years ago and not one celebrity wanted to talk about it in public...and now look at it,' he said. William said he would internalise the horrors he would face doing his job. 'For me it was the sadness, I really felt the sadness, I'd absorb the jobs I'd gone to,' he said. 'Sadly with the Air Ambulance you get a lot of deaths and I didn't realise (the impact) - I would go to the next one and the next one.' The Duke of Cambridge appeared relaxed during his afternoon engagement in Cave Hill, near Belfast Sean McCarry and Prince William looked on as the team 'rescued' one of the demonstration's participants The duke listened intently as the team of rescuers received their instructions as part of the rescue demonstration Sean McGarry led the royal through the woodlands during the rescue demonstration this afternoon The duke told the participants in the workshop that it was natural to be upset by what they witnessed on a daily basis. 'We've got to somehow change that culture where we feel it's okay to say "listen, this was horrendous, I really didn't enjoy seeing that, it was really brutal". How do we talk about it?' Earlier in the day, William also hailed the dedication of emergency service responders during the pandemic, as well as their efforts every day. 'Your dedication is not only apparent when we are faced with a global pandemic. Each and every day, people from teams across the blue light community are called to the scenes of dreadful incidents.' Prince William had a laugh with the community rescuers present during the demonstration at Cave Hill After the demonstration, William sat down for a chat to further discuss the work put in by the CRS during his tour of Belfast Sean McCarry and Prince William stopped for a moment during the rescue demonstration to take notice of their environment William watched as the team secured ropes to a tree during the demonstration of a rescue mission this afternoon He praised the amazing work of the first responders that made it to the scene of the Birmingham stabbings over the weekend. A knifeman rampaged across the English city centre in the early hours of Sunday, stabbing a student to death and leaving several others injured. William highlighted the response of the emergency services to the recent stabbing attacks - despite West Midlands Police coming under criticism for not stopping the rampage while it was underway. 'But as you care for us in our time of need, so too must we ensure that we are there for you when you need it the most,' the duke added. The Duke of Cambridge appeared excited to get things started as he was introduced to commander Sean McCarry For the demonstration in the woods, William opted for a pair of navy trousers with a green jumper and practical boots Commander McCarry and Prince William talked to one of the rescuers they crossed paths with during the demonstration William listened carefully to the instructions given by the team captain at the start of the demonstration Prince William made sure to take a face covering with him to his second royal engagement of the day 'We must ensure that you have the right support in place each and every day. I know first hand, that even in routine circumstances, those of you on the front line can face immense challenges that can naturally have a significant impact on both your physical and mental health. 'Firstly, it's important that we recognise that. And secondly, it's important that we do all we can to support you through it.' Attending a Police Service of Northern Ireland Wellbeing Volunteer Training course at the Garnerville Police College, the royal also met with representatives from the Ambulance and Fire and Rescue services. The duke spoke of his own experiences working with the air ambulance, and the mental strains that came with his role, as he took part in training workshops. Prince William, pictured wearing a face mask, made a surprise visit to Belfast today to meet with frontline responders and emergency services Prince William spoke with police officers (pictured) about the importance of mental health support during his visit to Belfast today The royal (pictured) spent the day with Northern Irish responders to thank them for their work The duke (pictured right, and left, making a speech) discussed the importance of mental health support for those working in the emergency services The father-of-three met Tara, a five-month-old Irish Red Setter, trained as a PTSD training dog Prince William spoke with attendees of a PSNI Wellbeing Volunteer Training course, including representatives from the Ambulance and Fire and Rescue services (pictured) The duke (pictured) discussed his own experiences working with the air ambulance, and the mental strains that came with his role, as he took part in training workshops He highlighted the need to enhance support services and create a culture where people feel comfortable to talk about what they are going through. During his visit to the college, William also met five-month-old Irish setter Tara, who has been trained to provide comfort to those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The duke recalled meeting PSNI officers during a visit with his wife Kate to Hillsborough Castle earlier this year. He referred to the unique challenges they face in policing the region. 'We were struck then, as I am now, by your steadfast commitment to helping others,' he said. 'You are a testament to the blue light community across our country, and I can't thank you enough for what you do. Prince William, pictured, meeting with chiefs of the PSNI, Fire Service and Ambulance Service In a speech to an audience of blue light responders, the duke (seen speaking with frontline staff) hailed their dedication during the pandemic, as well as their efforts every day Prince William takes part in a video call with frontline workers during his tour of the college when visiting Belfast today Dressed in a blue suit and matching shirt and tie, Prince William was captured wearing a face mask (pictured left) for part of his visit today 'At one point or another, each and every one of us will meet you or one of your colleagues, speak to you, be comforted by you and benefit from the care and protection you provide. 'Given what we ask of you, we must do all we can to look out for you, and to help you to look out for each other.' Later in the afternoon, William headed to Cave Hill Country Park were he met with staff of the Community Rescue Service (CRS). Armed with a jacket kindly lent by the regional commander of the CRS Sean McCarry during his visit, Prince William took part in a rescue demonstration in the park. He was led through the woodland by McCarry who talked him through how the service operated. The duke (pictured) recalled meeting PSNI officers during a visit with his wife Kate to Hillsborough Castle earlier this year. He referred to the unique challenges they face in policing the region William's (pictured) trip to the region came a day after he convened the first meeting of a new body established to improve mental health support for members of emergency services across the UK During his visit to the college, William met five-month-old Irish setter Tara (pictured), who has been trained to provide comfort to those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) During his visit, the royal (pictured) highlighted the need to enhance support services and create a culture where people feel comfortable to talk about what they are going through William's trip to the region came a day after he convened the first meeting of a new body established to improve mental health support for members of emergency services across the UK. The Emergency Responder Senior Leader Board, which brings together leaders from across all 999 organisations, will promote collaborative working to ensure all emergency responders receive the mental health support they need. The board was established by the duke in response to a recommendation arising from a research project commissioned by The Royal Foundation in 2018 into the mental health and wellbeing of emergency responders in the UK. It comes after the Duke saluted the emergency services for their 'tireless work' and their incredible efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic in an online speech earlier this week. Outfit change! The Duke of Cambridge arrives for a visit to the Community Rescue Service at Cave Hill Country Park as part of his tour of Belfast The Duke of Cambridge speaks with Community Rescue Service (CRS) founder and regional commander Sean McCarry as he arrives for a visit to the CRS at Cave Hill Country Park The father-of-three, 38, sported a stylish green garment for his second engagement of the day Prince William made the speech during a special online thanksgiving service to honour 999 heroes organised by the National Emergency Services Memorial charity. The event, which takes place yearly, celebrates the work of the NHS and emergency response staff and is attended by politicians and members of the royal family. Belfast Cathedral was meant to be the venue for the ceremony which was due to take place today, but it was moved online due to Covid-19. During his speech, Prince William stressed what a great source of pride the emergency services community is for the UK, and he thanked them repeatedly for the way in which they helped save others during the Covid-19 crisis. Speaking in a video from Kensington Palace, he said: 'At one point or another, each and everyone of us will benefit from the care and protection provided by our emergency services. Prince William, 38, has made a surprise visit to Belfast today to meet with frontline workers and first responders The Duke of Cambridge has been vocal in his support for the emergency services throughout the pandemic (pictured, visiting the Ambulance Station in King's Lynn, England in June) The Queen, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall share touching snaps celebrating first responders on Emergency Services Day Members of the royal family have praised the emergency services in a series of posts uploaded to their official Instagram accounts today. To mark Emergency Services Day, the Queen, 94, Prince Charles, 71, and the Duchess of Cornwall, 73, have all shared a selection of touching photographs alongside heartwarming captions to celebrate first responders. Sharing snaps of Prince Charles and Camilla meeting first responders on Instagram, the Clarence House account posted: 'On #EmergencyServicesDay, we celebrate and show our support for those who work in the NHS and emergency services. Members of the royal family have praised the emergency services in a series of posts uploaded to their official Instagram accounts today (pictured, Prince Charles meeting with first responders) 'Thank you for your tireless work this year and for everything you continue to do to keep us safe and sound.' Meanwhile the Queen's Royal Family account shared a reading of The Omnipresent' poem by Simon Armitage, writing: 'The poem forms part of Southbank Centres's 'Everyday Heroes' exhibition which celebrates the contributions of key workers and frontline staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'The free, outdoor exhibition is on until 7 November.' Meanwhile the Queen's Instagram account shared the poem The Omnipresent by Simon Armitage The Royal Family Instagram account invited followers to visit the Southbank Centre's Everyday Heroes exhibition Advertisement 'Their courage and self-dedication to their work is something this country is rightly proud of. 'This year more than ever, we've been repeatedly reminded of the sacrifices made by all those in the emergency community as they worked tirelessly to protect us against covid-19 and keep the country going in the most challenging circumstances. Prince William, who worked full-time as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance service from 2014 until 2017, drew from his personal experience in his speech. 'Having had the privilege of working alongside the emergency responders, I've always been struck by their remarkable can-do attitude in the face of even the greatest emergencies,' he said. 'They showcase the very best that our country has to offer, and this is never more apparent than at times like these.' He moved on to honour the memories of responders who have died in the line of duty. Prince William talking to paramedic staff from the East of England Ambulance Service Trust at the Ambulance Station in King;s Lynn in June Prince William in 2015 during his stint as a pilot of the East Anglian Air Ambulance services from 2014 to 2017 'Tragically, some will pay the ultimate price as a result of their efforts in their line of duty,' he said, adding: 'While others will experience the lasting effects on their physical health or mental well-being.' Prince William then called for more support of the emergency services across the country. The father-of-three was joined by the First Ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The programme included singing from the Blue Light Choir. Videos from the Chairs of the Police, Fire and Ambulance Councils and Director of Her Majesty's Coastguard were also shared during the event. The multi-faith event also included a wreath laying ceremony to remember to the more than 7,500 emergency services personnel who had lost their lives in the line of duty, including 300 who have died after contracting coronavirus. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the national capital will wage a war against the coronavirus disease outbreak after more than 4,000 infections were recorded within a span of 24 hours, breaking its previous record of highest single-day spike. Highest no of cases-4039. But also, highest no of tests-54,517 against 15,000/20,000 tests till last week. If we did same no of tests, todays cases wud be less than 1500, CM Kejriwal said in a tweet, underlining the reason behind surge in cases. The chief minister had stated on August 26 that Delhi will witness intense testing in order to combat the resurgence of viral contagion. Today, highest no of cases-4039 But also, highest no of tests-54,517 against 15,000/20,000 tests till last week If we did same no of tests, todays cases wud be less than 1500 So, dont b scared by no of cases. Del wages war against corona wid aggressive testing Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 9, 2020 Kejriwal assured people to not be scared by the number of cases and said Delhi wages a war against the disease by adopting an aggressive testing approach. Also read: Delhi shatters its record of coronavirus infections with new 4,000 cases, breaches 2-lakh mark He added that the number of deaths continue to be low, as Delhi continues to be the fourth worst-hit state in terms of the death toll. It is 20 today against more than 100 per day in June, Kejriwal said. The chief ministers tweet comes on the day Delhi shattered its own record and witnessed highest ever Covid-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, pushing the cumulative tally past the two lakh mark, sparking fears of a second wave in the national capital. The number of Covid-19 tests conducted in a single day also rose to a new record high with 54,517 tests conducted in the last 24 hours. Also read: Where is Covid-19 most active in the country? Delhi had last witnessed the highest cases within a span of 24 hours on June 23 after 3,947 new infections were registered. Over the past week, Delhi has recorded more than 2,800 new cases every day on an average. Deputy Premier John Barilaro has given his strongest indication that the NSW Nationals could split from the Coalition over koala planning policy, with two of his ministers prepared to quit cabinet over the issue. Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, the most senior Nationals minister in the upper house, would not rule out moving to the crossbench and giving up her portfolio if the issue remained unresolved. John Barilaro (centre) and two of his ministers, Sarah Mitchell and Bronnie Taylor, are prepared to quit cabinet over the koala planning issue. Credit:Janie Barrett, Jessica Hromas and Kate Geraghty Mental Health Minister Bronnie Taylor took the same stance, saying: "If the party room votes that all members will move to the crossbench, then I stand united with the party." The damaging division in the Coalition relates to a policy designed to protect koala habitat, but the Nationals say it would severely limit the way property owners could manage their land. A prominent Belarusian opposition leader tore up her passport to avoid being forcibly taken across the border into neighboring Ukraine, her two associates said on Tuesday. According to Belarusian authorities, Maria Kolesnikova, who became one of the faces of the mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko that began after a disputed presidential election in August, was detained while trying to flee the country on Tuesday. But her two associates and Ukrainian officials have disputed that version of events, saying Kolesnikova was driven to the Ukrainian border against her will and resisted attempts to expel her from the country. NBC News could not independently verify the government's claim or the account of Kolesnikova's associates. On Monday, eyewitnesses told Belarusian media Kolesnikova was forced into a van by masked men in the center of Minsk and taken away. Her two associates, Anton Rodnenkov and Ivan Kravtsov, said in a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday that they had also been detained by Belarusian officials early on Monday, who escorted them to the border later in the evening and then put Kolesnikova into their car and told them to cross into Ukraine. "As soon as she ended up in the car and saw her passport, she immediately took it and tore it up into little pieces and crumpled the pieces and threw them out the window at the people standing around the car," Rodnenkov said. "After that, she opened the back window and got out [through the window] and walked towards the Belarusian border, he added. Both Rodnenkov and Kravtsov crossed the border into Ukraine. Kravtsov called Kolesnikovas move to tear up her passport a very smart decision as it made it legally impossible for her to cross the border. "She is a real hero, you must understand that," he said. Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraines deputy interior minister Anton Gerashchenko also told the media that, in a courageous act, Kolesnikova had successfully prevented "a forcible expulsion from her country, without specifying details. Story continues Image: Police officers detain protesters during a rally in support of Maria Kolesnikova in Minsk, Belarus, (AP) Amid concerns for her whereabouts, aides in Minsk said Wednesday Kolesnikova's father was informed that she was being held at a detention center in the capital. This was also confirmed by her lawyer, Ludmila Kazak, to Russian state news agency Ria Novosti. Later on Wednesday, the country's investigative committee said in a statement that Kolesnikova was being held in detention in connection with a criminal probe launched into the coordination council, where Kolesnikova was a senior figure. The council was formed by the opposition to negotiate a peaceful transfer of power in the wake of the disputed election. Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya commended Kolesnikovas bravery, praising her refusal to leave Belarus. "I hope that she will be released soon," Tsikhanouskaya said. "Because it would be one more mistake from our authorities if they will put her in jail without any reason." Lukashenko has maintained that Kolesnikova tried to flee to Ukraine and was rightfully detained in an interview with several Russian state agencies on Tuesday. He also said that she was thrown out of the car by her associates, rather than tried to escape. The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it was deeply concerned by the reported abduction of Kolesnikova and her two associates and is considering additional targeted sanctions "to promote accountability for those involved in human rights abuses and repression in Belarus." Kolesnikova is not the first opposition figure to disappear under mysterious circumstances in recent weeks. Olga Kovalkova, an aide of Tsikhanouskaya and a senior figure in the coordination council, said last week she was forced by Belarusian authorities to leave the country for Poland. On Wednesday, supporters of opposition politician Maxim Znak, who worked closely with Kolesnikova, said he was also detained by masked men. He was one of the last high-profile members of the coordination council to remain in Minsk. (Trump) knows that this is neck and neck and he doesnt have any breathing room, said Doug Heye, a Republican strategist and Winston-Salem native. North Carolina is very clearly a state he can not afford to have flip. Trump won North Carolina by nearly four points in 2016, but recent polls show him virtually tied with Biden, the Democratic nominee. At the Winston-Salem airport, Trump was greeted by a packed crowd that included former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and U.S. Reps. Mark Walker and Greg Murphy. In a statement released before Trumps arrival, Biden said the president is unlikely to talk about the coronavirus pandemic or the economy. There have been nearly 179,000 cases of COVID-19 in the state. The unemployment rate is 8.5%, down from springs double-digit highs. North Carolinians will not hear President Trump discuss how he plans to get this virus under control, nor will they hear plans to safely restart our economy or provide much-needed relief to struggling workers, parents and small business owners, Biden said. Spain, whose tourism industry has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, is insisting on the creation of safe travel corridors even as the list of global restrictions affecting the country continues to grow. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya announced that Spain will negotiate with Britain, Germany and Scandinavian countries to open up travel corridors to the Spanish islands (the Balearics and the Canaries) exempting visitors from the need to self-isolate upon their return. Although summer travel has ended in much of Spain, the Canary Islands, located off the western coast of Africa, are now entering their own high season. Maspalomas beach in Gran Canaria is normally filled to capacity in late July. Jose Maria Rodriguez (EFE) Our wish is to restore the tourist flows as soon as possible. It is an extremely important issue for the Canary Islands which, unlike other Spanish territories, have a winter tourism season, said the minister in Milan, where she met with her Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio. Opening travel corridors such as the ones we will negotiate with Britain could help them relaunch tourist activity, added Gonzalez Laya. According to the Spanish official, talks will get underway with major source countries for winter tourism to the islands, including Germany and Scandinavian nations. The notion of travel corridors had been floated even before borders reopened following the coronavirus lockdown. Conceived as an essential strategy to shore up international travel to Spain, it was loudly demanded by the tourism industry, which hoped it would help salvage the summer season. But the only travel corridor that was ever created was between Germany and the Balearic Islands. Now, Gonzalez Laya is taking up the idea again. The ministers remarks come shortly after London announced a new mobility strategy for some island destinations, including those in Greece, although nothing has been said about the Spanish archipelagos. Gonzalez Laya said she approved of the UKs decision to look at territories rather than entire countries when designing Covid-19 measures. The Canaries, while having a lower coronavirus incidence than other parts of Spain, have suffered from country-wide restrictions on travel to Spain issued by foreign governments. In late July, Britain removed Spain from its list of safe countries, delivering a tremendous blow to the Spanish tourism sector by imposing a quarantine on people returning from the country. Other countries gradually began adopting similar measures. EU coordination Gonzalez Laya also mentioned Spains petition to the European Union for coordinated measures affecting border controls, and defended the need to increase Covid-19 testing while reducing blanket border closures. Spain has asked Brussels to consider territorial differences when describing a member states epidemiological situation, as well as the amount of PCR tests that are being conducted, the number of asymptomatic people, and the pressure on hospitals. This will provide a better picture of the Covid-19 situation by territories, she said. English version by Susana Urra. Food Lion changes American flag face mask policy after Air Force veteran's Facebook post goes viral Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The supermarket chain Food Lion has reversed course after telling one of its employees, an Air Force veteran, that he could not wear a face mask emblazoned with the American flag. In a lengthy Facebook post published last Monday, Gary Dean, a retired news broadcaster who worked as a cashier at a Food Lion in coastal North Carolina, explained: ... today I was told I could not wear my face mask which I have worn many times since the virus dictated the health concern. ... But according to corporate management, my mask offends some people." Dean's Facebook post was accompanied by a photo of himself wearing the mask, which bears the image of the American flag. Soon after he shared the post, it went viral. By Tuesday afternoon, the Facebook post had amassed nearly 7,000 reactions, 5,000 comments, and more than 8,000 shares. Dean explained in subsequent posts that not all of the comments and reactions he received were positive. I live in a military town, Havelock, NC, he explained. The parking lot in front of the store has a reserved spot for Military Veterans with AMERICAN FLAGS waving from the top of a sign at that reserved space. But my facemask showing pride in my country and my AMERICAN FLAG offends someone? Dean asked. There comes a time when principles mean more than paychecks. After Dean made it perfectly clear that he was proud of the American flag and those who served under it, the Air Force veteran implied that he had quit his job at Food Lion because of the demand that he refrain from wearing his American flag face mask while at work. I will miss my friends at Food Lion, but I will never miss my AMERICAN FLAG or any chance to show my love for the greatest Nationflaws and allin the history of Nations, he proclaimed. I will return to putting all my efforts into getting my book out and get my exercise by taking long walks on the beach. A few days after Deans Facebook post caught the attention of thousands of Americans, Food Lion posted a statement on its Facebook page addressing the controversy. Food Lion has the utmost respect for the American flag and has a proud, long history of partnering with and supporting military organizations and communities, the statement read. While we continue to maintain our uniform standards requiring associates to wear masks without writing, insignia or symbols, we will allow associates to wear masks with the American flag that meet this standard. Food Lion's District Vice President called Dean to explain the companys policy change regarding American flag masks. The Air Force veteran shared the contents of their conversation during an interview with ABC News affiliate WCTI in New Bern, North Carolina. He said weve heard your voice and weve heard so many other voices, too, and weve decided to change our policy and allow the American Flag mask, Dean recalled. I said I want you to know I really thank you for that. Dean was pleased that his Facebook post had made such an impact. It was just a statement of faith, a statement of my belief in my country and my flag, he said. Thats all. It took off on its own because its a good cause and it worked, he asserted. We won, God won, the country won, freedom won. Dean told WCTI that Food Lion had offered him his job back, but he said in a Facebook post on Monday that he doesn't plan to return. While Dean acknowledged that he respected Food Lion because they listened, he contended that Going back would be too much of a distraction for all of them. ... I'm 69 years old and I will find another part-time position." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:15:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIYADH, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Wednesday called for internal political talks in Libya. Saudi Arabia urged Libyans to be self-restraint and welcomed the cease-fire in the war-torn country, Al Saud said during the virtual 154th session of the Arab League Council at the level of Arab foreign ministers. The foreign minister also highlighted the support of Saudi Arabia for political solutions in Syria and Sudan. The minister expressed the kingdom's support for the Iraqi efforts to achieve stability and end interference in its internal affairs. On the Palestinian cause, he highlighted his country's support to all efforts to achieve a comprehensive solution that enables Palestinians to have their own independent state. Enditem CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Lung Association is proud to announce CVS Health as the presenting sponsor for their first-ever livestream benefit, #Act4Impact, to be held on September 26, 2020. The sponsorship reflects a shared goal to protect the lung health of Americans, particularly those most affected in underserved communities. The livestream event, formally announced on August 11th, will shine a light on the ongoing health disparities in underserved Black and Brown communities. Hosted by Queen Latifah, the event will give viewers the opportunity to contribute to the Lung Association's COVID-19 Action Initiative, which works to address disparities in COVID-19 testing, provide masks and access to vaccines, when available, in underserved communities, develop critical plans on how to prevent future pandemics, and fund critical research. As part of its initiative, the American Lung Association will also deliver resources to the public, help frontline healthcare workers with COVID-19 education, and advocate at the state and federal level to end ongoing health disparities. CVS Health and the American Lung Association have worked together for a number of years to support LUNG FORCE, an initiative focused on women's lung health. This year, the two organizations again teamed up to combat COVID-19 and support the COVID-19 Action Initiative. During the pandemic, CVS Health has provided access to COVID-19 testing at more than 1,800 CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations, in addition to the company's ongoing work to provide healthcare services such as flu shots. While nearly 60% of the drive-thru test sites serve communities with demonstrated need for support - as measured by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index - CVS Health has also established community-based testing in underserved areas to reach people who may not otherwise have easy access to testing. "CVS Health has been a committed partner to the American Lung Association, helping us address the nation's most pressing lung health issues, especially for those communities disproportionately burdened. We are thrilled to join forces with them again on this unique event," said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. In addition to CVS Health, the Lung Association will also be teaming up with award-winning actress and filmmaker Laura Dern, to participate as a Brand Ambassador throughout the year. As a long-time partner of the Lung Association, Dern will act as an advisor to the organization's Board of Directors, helping to inform and support their COVID-19 Action Initiative. "I've had the pleasure of witnessing first-hand the amazing work the American Lung Association has done for lung health through their education, advocacy and research efforts," said Dern. "I'm beyond proud to take a more active role in helping the organization advance its mission during this critical moment in our history." For more information on the American Lung Association #Act4Impact livestream benefit and COVID-19 Action Initiative visit Lung.org/act4impact. About the American Lung Association The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Gold-Level GuideStar Member, or to support the About COVID-19 Action Initiative Guided by its three main pillars of research, education and advocacy, the American Lung Association established the COVID-19 Action Initiative committing $25M to end COVID-19 and defend against future respiratory viruses. Since the inception of the initiative, the organization has built a foundation by expanding COVID-19 research, funding awards and grants for preventative research, vaccines, and antivirals, as well as providing pilot grants to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on patients with chronic lung disease. CONTACT: Stephanie Goldina | American Lung Association P: 312-801-7629 E: [email protected] SOURCE American Lung Association Related Links Lung.org LOS ANGELES And the Oscar goes to ... inclusion. In the latest step in its ongoing effort to boost diversity both within its own ranks and across the film industry, on Tuesday the film academy announced new representation standards for films to be eligible to compete for best picture. Developed over the past few months by a special task force as part of the organizations Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, the standards encompass both representation onscreen in the types of stories being told and the actors involved as well as behind the scenes in the makeup of the crew and in the inclusivity of the companies involved. To be eligible for best picture, a film must meet at least two standards across four categories: Onscreen Representation, Themes and Narratives, Creative Leadership and Project Team, Industry Access and Opportunities and Audience Development. Within each category are a variety criteria involving the inclusion of people in underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people and those with cognitive or physical disabilities. (Other Oscar categories will not be held to these same standards, but the contenders for best picture typically filter down to other feature length categories.) Previously, the only standards to qualify for best picture involved a films running time (over 40 minutes) and specifics about how, where and when its screened in a public venue. The new standards will not go into effect until the 96th Oscars in 2024. But at a time of racial reckoning both for Hollywood and the nation as a whole, the academy believes the requirements provide a road map for how the industry can ensure that a least those films that compete for its highest honor reflect the diversity of the moviegoing audience and the wider world. The aperture must widen to reflect our diverse global population in both the creation of motion pictures and in the audiences who connect with them, Academy President David Rubin and Chief Executive Dawn Hudson said in a joint statement. The Academy is committed to playing a vital role in helping make this a reality. We believe these inclusion standards will be a catalyst for long-lasting, essential change in our industry. The new standards were developed by a task force headed by academy governors DeVon Franklin and Jim Gianopulos, using a template inspired by the British Film Institute Diversity Standards that govern eligibility in some categories of the BAFTAs and in consultation with the Producers Guild of America. Among the new standards, those concerning onscreen representation are likely to garner the most scrutiny. Indeed, some recent best picture nominees that featured almost largely white and male casts including the World War I film 1917 and the gangster epic The Irishman might have had difficulty meeting the new onscreen standards. Those standards require one of the following: at least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group; at least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from certain underrepresented groups; or the main storyline, theme or narrative is centered on an underrepresented group. Mindful of the difficulty of enforcing potentially heavy-handed mandates on the types of stories that are deemed worthy for best picture consideration, however, the academy is building in the flexibility for films to meet the inclusion requirements in other areas. For example, films can meet the Industry Access and Opportunities standard if the studio or production offers paid apprenticeship and internship opportunities and training programs for underrepresented groups across a range of fields, something that is quite common across the industry. In recent years, the academy has announced a number of changes including plans for a special category for best popular film and the paring of several awards categories from the Oscars telecast only to roll them back after criticisms that they were ill-conceived and half-baked. But by announcing its new inclusion requirements more than three years before they will go into effect, the academy is giving the industry plenty of time to adapt. (For the 2022 and 2023 Oscars, potential best picture nominees will be required to submit a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form but will not be held to particular inclusion thresholds.) Announced in June, the Academy Aperture 2025 initiative marks the next chapter of the academys diversity efforts that began in response to two consecutive years of #OscarsSoWhite controversy. The initiative is geared toward further increasing representation in the organizations governance, membership and workplace culture, as well as in the films nominated for Oscars. In June, the organization announced that it had surpassed the goal, set in early 2016, of doubling the number of women and people from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities in the group by 2020. The corrosiveness of this system isnt only a modern concern. James Madison, known as the father of the Constitution, was very disturbed by the state winner-take-all rule, which he considered one of the central flaws of the Electoral College as it took shape in the early 19th century. As Madison wrote in an 1823 letter, states using the winner-take-all rule are a string of beads and fail to reflect the true political diversity of their citizens. He disliked the practice so much he called for a constitutional amendment barring it. Its not only liberals who understand the problem with winner-take-all. In 1950, a Texas representative named Ed Gossett took to the floor of Congress to vent about the unfairness of a system that gave some voters more influence in the election than others, solely because of where they live. New York was at the time the nations largest and most important swing state, and the voters who decided which way it swung were racial and ethnic minorities in large urban areas. Now, please understand, I have no objection to the Negro in Harlem voting and to his vote being counted, Gossett said, but I do resent the fact that both parties will spend a hundred times as much money to get his vote and that his vote is worth a hundred times as much in the scale of national politics as is the vote of a white man in Texas. Is it fair, is it honest, is it democratic, is it to the best interest of anyone in fact, to place such a premium on a few thousand votes from racial and ethnic minorities, he went on, simply because they happen to be located in two or three large, industrial pivotal states? Two hundred years after James Madisons letter, the state winner-take-all rule is still crippling our politics and artificially dividing us. Every four years, tens of millions of Americans votes magically disappear before the real election for president happens about six weeks after Election Day, when 538 electors convene in state capitals across the country to cast their votes for president. Blue states give all their electors to the Democrat, no matter how many Republicans voted for their candidate; vice versa in the red states. Given that abolishing the Electoral College is not on the table at the moment, for a number of reasons, the best solution would be to do what Madison tried to do more than two centuries ago: get rid of statewide winner-take-all laws. That can be achieved through the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement among states to award their electors to the candidate who wins the most votes in the whole country, not just within their borders. When states representing a majority of electoral votes join, the compact takes effect, making all Americans votes relevant, and all of them equal to one another. The popular-vote winner then automatically becomes president. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) Convicted American Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton will be deported to the United States once he is released from his detention after receiving absolute pardon. The Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday said it will implement the deportation order issued against Pemberton in September 2015 for being an "undesirable foreign national" after he was convicted of killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude in 2014. Once he is released from his detention facility in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Justice spokesperson Markk Perete said the Bureau of Corrections will turn Pemberton over to immigration officials. The Bureau of Immigration added Pemberton or his counsels are required to submit clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation and regional trial court as proof that they have no pending criminal or civil cases. Once all arrangements, such as payment of airfare and other fees are completed, he may be brought to the airport or BI main office for immediate deportation. The Bureau of Immigration added Pemberton or his counsels are required to submit clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation and regional trial court as proof that they have no pending criminal or civil cases. His lawyers expect him to be released by Friday, four days after President Rodrigo Duterte granted him absolute pardon after serving nearly six years in detention for homicide. He almost didn't make it ashore. Cpl. Waverly Woodson, an Army medic in the only African American combat unit to storm the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, was bleeding from his thigh and backside, writhing from the burning shrapnel that hailed down on him and his battalion. His landing craft came under heavy German fire and hit a mine as it approached Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Despite his critical wounds, Woodson sprinted onto the sand once his boat crashed ashore and set up a medical station, according to an account of his actions in the book "Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War," by Linda Hervieux. For the next 30 hours, Woodson extracted bullets from fellow soldiers, cleaned their wounds, rescued four Brits from drowning and amputated one soldier's foot, before collapsing from his own injuries. "Dozens, if not hundreds, of lives of his fellow soldiers were saved" because of his "outstanding courage and bravery," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who is leading a push in Congress to award Woodson a posthumous Medal of Honor, the nation's most prestigious military decoration for acts of valor. On Tuesday, Van Hollen and other members of Congress were joined by Woodson's widow, Joann Woodson, as they unveiled bipartisan legislation to authorize the president to award the medal 15 years after Woodson's death. The White House said in a statement that President Donald Trump is inclined to support the bill. Woodson is one of an untold number of Black service members passed over for the Medal of Honor whose cases have received renewed attention decades later, as their families and historians try to correct a historical record in which the contributions of Black service members are often left out. Of hundreds of thousands of Black Americans who served in World War II, not one was awarded a Medal of Honor at the time. Nearly half a century after the war ended, an Army investigation found that racism was without a doubt one of the main reasons. President Bill Clinton then awarded seven Medals of Honor to Black World War II service members, but Woodson was not among them. Woodson, who eventually earned a degree in medical technology, settled in Maryland, where he met Joann and became director of the morgue at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the 1950s. He had been awarded a Bronze Star, but a memo unearthed by Hervieux indicated that he may have been considered for the higher honor and never given it. "He was denied that Medal of Honor because of the color of his skin," Van Hollen said Tuesday, joined by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Reps. David Trone and Anthony Brown, both Maryland Democrats. "So today, we are coming together to introduce legislation to correct this injustice, to right this historical wrong." The legislation follows efforts last year by Van Hollen and the Congressional Black Caucus pushing the Army to reopen Woodson's case. Assisted by Hervieux, they cited a memo to a White House aide indicating that Gen. John Lee believed Woodson deserved the medal. "Here is a Negro from Philadelphia who has been recommended for a suitable award," said the memo, cited in a letter Van Hollen and the Congressional Black Caucus sent to Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy. "This is a big enough award so that the President can give it personally, as he has in the case of some white boys." The Army said in response to Van Hollen last year that the documentation was insufficient. But Hervieux said additional details may have been lost in a 1973 fire at a military storage facility that destroyed thousands of records, including those detailing Woodson's conduct on D-Day. "Clearly his actions on June 6, 1944, were noteworthy," the letter from Brig. Gen. Robert Bennett said, "however, I cannot direct my staff to proceed with this request for reconsideration based on the documentation provided." That's why Woodson's family is hoping Congress and Trump will make it happen. Trone said he is writing a letter to the president this week to appeal to him directly to choose to honor Woodson, and White House spokesman Judd Deere said the White House will look into it. "President Trump believes Cpl. Waverly Woodson, like all of those who have bravely served, is a hero," Deere said, adding that Trump "is inclined to support the legislation to honor Cpl. Woodson." Joann Woodson, 91, has spent years advocating for her husband to receive the Medal of Honor. Waverly Woodson was a humble man who did not often talk about his actions that day, his widow said. "He felt he was out there doing his duty. That was his duty to his country," she said. But toward the end of his life, every now and then, "I heard him talk about the injustice of not recognizing the Black soldiers on D-Day," she said. "He was so surprised that everybody that saw 'Saving Private Ryan,' they came away thinking there really weren't very many Black soldiers on D-Day," she said. They were married for 54 years when he died in 2005. "We have to keep history alive, and history has to be as correct as it possibly can," his widow said. "This is one way to get it corrected." The 2004 project also received 4% low-income housing tax credits through New York Homes and Community Renewal. Terms of those state tax credits and other financing required that the apartments must be set aside for residents earning 60% or less of the area median income through 2034. Related paid off the ECIDA bonds in 2019, using a loan from M&T Bank Corp., and also created a reserve for immediate capital needs. But it's not enough. So the developer wants to work with the New York State Housing Finance Agency to obtain another allocation of 4% low-income housing tax credits, while getting $9 million in tax-exempt bonds from the ECIDA to finance the latest rehab. Those bonds are required for the project to be eligible for the tax credits. "The bond financing and LIHTC equity are critical for the applicant to undertake the project," Related said. "It is unclear at this time whether other resources will be available for the project." Plans call for closing on the financing and starting the work in October, with completion nine months later, by July 2021. The second rainy season over Southern Ghana is expected from the second week of September, hence the need for the public to pay close attention to weather forecasts to plan their activities safely. Madam Felicity Ahafianyo, the Acting Meteorological Officer in charge of Central Analysis and Forecasting, Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the extreme atmospheric temperature being experienced in the country was the result of cold winds, which invaded Ghana over the sea. "August is typically the coldest month in Ghana because of cold winds over the sea," she said. Madam Ahafianyo said with the sun currently moving towards the Southern Hemisphere to cross the Equator, which is expected between September 20 and 23, atmospheric temperature was expected to gradually rise. That was the natural result of the sun getting closer to the earth, she said, adding; "We would thus soon be having the normal bright and sunny days, as we move out of the current cold atmospheric weather conditions". Madam Ahafianyo said the GMet had the ability to forecast weather conditions and asked the public to rely on the forecasts to plan their activities. Whilst Southern Ghana has two rainy seasons a year consisting of a major and a minor one, Northern Ghana has a single major annual rainy season. 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 EDWARDSVILLE Last weeks announcement that no indoor service will be allowed for bars and restaurants in Madison County and the six other counties in the Illinois Department of Healths Region 4 may be a setback, but it wasnt a total surprise. With the original mitigation efforts, the positivity rate was under 8 percent and we were meeting state benchmarks, said Dr. Loren Hughes, a family physician and former healthcare executive from Edwardsville who is a member of the Madison County Health Advisory Committee. Once we opened things up and let larger groups come together, I would expect that a particle-borne illness would affect other people unless you have 100 percent compliance with the things that we know would decrease the amount of spread. If you look back at the IDPH data when bars and restaurants could only serve outdoors, only a couple percent of positive cases were related to bars and six percent were related to restaurants, Hughes said. After moving to the less restrictive phase with larger groups and indoor seating, the state of Illinois has reported 1,400 cases related to bars and restaurants in just the last few weeks. Officials previously said mitigation strategies would be implemented in regions experiencing a positivity rate of at least 8 percent for three consecutive days. The thing that led to this was that the percentage of positive cases remained above 9 percent over seven days, said Dr. Paul Malcharek, an internal medicine physician and associate medical director at HSHS Medical Group in Maryville and another member of the Madison County Health Advisory Committee. Even with the official mitigation strategies like everyone wearing masks inside, it still didnt lower that rate, so the next step was for the state to make that decision. Like Hughes, Malcharek wasnt totally surprised that the positivity rate increased as COVID restrictions were eased and people were allowed to gather in larger groups. To expedite a return to indoor service for bars and restaurants in Region 4, Malcharek offers a simple solution. Everyone needs to be more vigilant about wearing masks, Malcharek said. It seems like the biggest portion of new cases are in the younger populations and sometimes its hard to convince teenagers and 20-year-olds to follow the rules. They get sick, but they dont usually get severely sick. Its difficult to convince them to follow the guidelines, but they are the ones who are spreading it to their parents and grandparents. Those are the people who are the most susceptible. The return of college students to the area is another factor in the rise of the positivity rate and the increase in cases among younger people. Now that the college students are back on campuses across the country, we are seeing large increases in cases traced back to house parties and activities at sorority and fraternities, said Hughes, who also serves as an advisor to several public health organizations. The common links are large groups of people not wearing masks and not socially distancing. It just comes down to the personal responsibility that individuals need to have. From the view of the health advisory group, we look at the data and understand there are political overlays to it. This makes some people question the data. But while some argue the numbers could be adjusted a bit, its the trends and the overall patterns that youre looking for. The elderly seem to have a pretty consistent rate of positive tests, but we are shifting more to the younger ages. Some people have questioned why the restrictions on bars and restaurants seem to be particularly strict, while large retailers and other businesses remain open. Hughes understands the businesses frustration but notes that certain factors for indoor service make bars and restaurants particularly susceptible to the spread of the virus. If you break it down to the simplest formula of COVID spread, it takes an infected person to generate a halo effect of particles, Hughes said. Then think of settings where that person is speaking in close proximity to others without a face covering, and due to background noise is speaking louder than normal. It greatly increases the odds of someone else getting exposed to the virus. Indoor ventilation generally will not be as good as outdoors, so that particle cloud stays in the air a little longer, Hughes said. The effect of alcohol can contribute to the decisions we make as well. These reasons all add up to why bars and restaurants are targets of the governors mitigation declarations. At the same time, Hughes cautions that that people can just as easily catch the virus from a friend or family member as they can from a stranger in a bar or restaurant. It comes down to awareness, common sense and personal responsibility to yourself and those around you, Hughes said. We tend to trust our friends and family and we are not used to somebody being an asymptomatic carrier. The health department has dozens of cases linked to family households. Because of the large number of cases linked to house parties, graduations, baby reveal parties, wedding showers and weddings is why the IDPH increased the restrictions on banquet facilities. For medical professionals such as Hughes and Malcharek, providing advice to the county is a balancing act. On one hand, they want to ensure the safety of the countys residents. On the other hand, they dont want people to barricade themselves inside their homes and cause further damage to a local economy that has already been hit hard by the pandemic. We need to use common sense, wear face barriers and avoid situations that feel unsafe, Hughes said. We need people to utilize our businesses because its so important to support those businesses. These are our neighbors and friends. We need to make sure that we venture out as safely as possible until we get a vaccine for the virus, Hughes said. The good news is that the overall death rates have leveled off because we are doing more to protect our elderly, more young people are making up the majority of cases, and we also know how to treat it better. A Slovakian special court acquitted the alleged masterminds behind the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak last Thursday. The court in Pezinok near Bratislava based the acquittal of millionaire Marian Kocner and co-defendant Alena Zsuzsova on a lack of evidence. It could not be proven that the defendants had ordered the murder, Judge Ruzena Sabova explained when announcing the verdict, despite a key witness having testified against the two and there being a lot of other evidence against them. If, despite all the evidence, reasonable and understandable doubts remain, then a defendant is found innocent and that is how the court proceeded here, Judge Sabova said, justifying the verdict. The 27-year-old Jan Kuciak, who had researched corruption, tax evasion and the connections of high-ranking Slovak politicians to the Italian Mafia on the news portal Aktuality.sk, was shot in cold blood by a contract killer in February 2018. His fiancee Martina Kusnirova, who happened to be in the house with him, was also murdered. Commemoration of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova (Photo: Ladislav Luppa / CC-BY-SA 4.0)] At the end of December 2019, the court had sentenced businessman Zoltan Andrusko to 15 years in prison. Andrusko had mediated the contract killing in return for payment. To obtain a lighter sentence, he agreed with the public prosecutors office to appear as a key witness. His testimony massively incriminated Kocner and his accomplice Zsuzsova in the trial, telling the court he had organised the crime for them and hired two men to carry it out. On April 6, the court then sentenced former soldier Miroslav Marcek, who fired the fatal shots, to 23 years in prison and on September 3, his cousin Tomas Szabo, a former policeman who drove the assassin to Kuciaks house, to 25 years. Both confessed and admitted to having received 35,000 to 40,000, respectively, for the contract killing. Kocner and Zsuzsova denied having commissioned the murder, although, in addition to the testimony of the key witness, they were severely incriminated by the record of their communications using the Threema messenger service. Yet the trial itself was more than strange. The presiding judge, who considered the defendants guilt proven, was overruled by her two assistant judges, an extremely unusual occurrence according to the Slovakian press. Accordingly, presiding judge Sabova was the only one of the three who had completely studied the 25,000-page files. At the last minute on Monday, the public prosecutors office also tried to introduce further evidence, but the court did not allow this. During the investigations, it had turned out that Kocner was deeply involved in the case. The murdered journalist had researched links between the Italian Mafia and Slovakian politicians and had also kept an eye on the dubious business dealings of Kocner and his numerous companies. In the 1980s, Kocner had initially made a career as a pro-government journalist and had maintained excellent contacts not only with the Stalinist leadership of Czechoslovakia but also with right-wing dissidents. With these relationships, his unscrupulousness and enormous criminal energy, he subsequently became one of the most influential and wealthy figures in the country. Former secret service agent Peter Toth confessed in autumn 2018 to having shadowed Kuciak on behalf of Kocner. Kuciak himself had received a threatening phone call from Kocner six months before his assassination, threatening to exterminate him and his family. Although he made an official complaint about the threat, no further investigation was conducted. During the trial, it became clear why: Kocner was closely networked with figures in politics, the police authorities and judiciary. He enjoyed close contacts with the then Social Democratic head of government, Robert Fico. He called a state secretary in the Ministry of Justice my monkey in online chats. His network covered large parts of the judicial system. In March, 13 judges were arrested for bribery. Among them were the former state secretary for justice, Monika Jankovska, and the deputy chairperson of the Supreme Court of Slovakia. The murder of the journalist and his fiancee casts a harsh light on the network of rich business figures, corrupt politicians and criminals that emerged after the introduction of capitalism and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia three decades ago. Following Kuciaks murder, mass protests broke out across the country, forcing Prime Minister Fico and his Interior Minister Robert Kalinak to resign. In 2019, the liberal politician Zuzana Caputova surprisingly won the presidential election and in the spring, the newly founded party Ordinary People (Olano) of Igor Matovic won the parliamentary elections. Matovic became head of government. Both he and Caputova had promised to fight the corruption in the country. In reality, one corrupt oligarchic clique simply replaced another. The media tycoon Matovic formed a coalition with the neoliberal Freedom and Solidarity Party (SaS) around the entrepreneur Richard Sulik, in which he had started his political career, and with the extreme right-wing party We are a family (Sme rodina), which is a member of the extreme right-wing faction Identity and Democracy at European Union (EU) level. According to opinion polls, approval of the government is currently falling dramatically. Since this February, Olano has lost seven points and currently stands at only 18 percent approval. In the coronavirus pandemic, it is revealing its criminal indifference to the general population. Although the number of new infections on Saturday reached the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic, with 226 cases, the government insists ruthlessly on reopening schools and starting production without any safety restrictions. In particular, the auto industry insists there should be no further lockdown, as was the case at the beginning of the pandemic when some plants were shut. The wealth of the countrys ruling elites is due in large part to the company serving as a low-wage platform for the global car companies. No other country in Europe builds as many cars per capita as Slovakia. President Caputova declared herself shocked by the verdict but emphasised that she naturally respected the court and pointed to the appeal process. She hoped that justice will finally prevail before the Supreme Court. Peter Pellegrini, who had led the government for two years after Ficos resignation, explicitly declared his support for the ruling. The silence from European capitals is also remarkable. While in the case of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny EU politicians fell into anti-Russian hysteria, although there is no evidence whatsoever that Navalny was poisoned by the Russian state, in the Kuciak case there was at most quiet, restrained criticism of the Slovak government and judiciary. Whether the murder of Kuciak and Kusnirova will go to the Supreme Court and how it will be decided is largely an open question. Wide sections of ruling circles within the EU and NATO member Slovakia want to prevent this at all costs. The Mafia network, to which Kocner belongs, has far-reaching tentacles. Some journalists are currently evaluating the so-called Kocner library. It contains 57 terabytes of data, including the millionaires chat transcripts and telephone data. Last month, this led to new findings in the money-laundering case surrounding the powerful Penta financial group, which maintains close contacts with a variety of big names in business and politics. The Kuciak case once again makes clear that with the introduction of capitalism 30 years ago, a narrow stratum of society came to the top, shamelessly enriching itself by legal and illegal means at the expense of the population. The massive protests following Kuciaks assassination will not have been the last. J.C. Penney has reached a tentative deal to sell its business and stores to a group of mall owners and lenders in a move that would save the department store chain from liquidation. The retailer disclosed Wednesday during a bankruptcy hearing that it had struck the deal with Simon Property Group, Brookfield Property Group and a group of bankruptcy lenders. The deal is expected to save more than 600 stores and 70,000 jobs. The company has separately announced plans to liquidate 242 locations. J.C. Penney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May after temporary store closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the company's troubles, which have been compounding for years. Save better, spend better: Money tips and advice delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here This Monday, Aug. 19, 2013 photo shows the entrance to a J.C. Penney store at a Hialeah, Fla., shopping mall. The company's attorneys warned Aug. 31 that deal negotiations with prospective mall property owners had stalled, increasing the chance of total liquidation. But Joshua Sussberg, a Kirkland & Ellis lawyer representing J.C. Penney, said Wednesday during a court hearing that the retailer had patched things up with its prospective buyers. "We believe and feel comfortable that everybody will be rowing in the same direction," he said. "Weve had a few screaming matches, including earlier today, but we got there." Sussberg said the enterprise value of the deal, a figure that includes the value of debt being assumed, was $1.75 billion. Officials from Simon and Brookfield did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment Thursday afternoon. Are malls finished?: Malls hope to survive a new slate of permanent store closings Store closings, bankruptcy cases pile up: Are dress clothes gone for good? Mall property companies have been getting more aggressive in recent years with a strategy of acquiring struggling tenants to preserve their rental income and minimize vacancies. In February, Simon was part of a group that agreed to buy fashion retailer Forever 21 out of bankruptcy, and in 2016, Simon was part of a group that bought fashion retailer Aeropostale out of bankruptcy. Story continues The J.C. Penney deal would involve several elements, including: A $300 million investment by Simon and Brookfield, which are collectively expected to own most of the stores and the operating assets. The assumption of $500 million in J.C. Penney debt by Simon and Brookfield. The establishment of a real estate investment trust and a property holding company owning 161 J.C. Penney stores and distribution centers. These entities will be owned by J.C. Penney's first-lien lenders, which will rent the locations to the operating company owned by Simon and Brookfield. A $2 billion secured financing package from Wells Fargo. The proposed sale serves as the starting bid in a bankruptcy auction process, which could theoretically result in the emergence of an alternative bidder. If J.C. Penney determines that this bid is the best option, it will present that proposal to Bankruptcy Judge David Jones, who has pressed J.C. Penney to do its best to avoid liquidation and save jobs. Jones must sign off for the deal to become finalized. The plan is "the best path forward to maximize value for our stakeholders, ensure we keep the most stores open and associates employed, and position JCPenney to build on our over 100-year history, J.C. Penney CEO Jill Soltau said in a statement. When the deal is done, J.C. Penney will have about $1 billion in cash to continue operations, Sussberg said. "Its been an effort around the clock," he said. "We are in a position to move this into the end zone." Facing digital disruption, declining foot traffic to malls and nimbler physical competitors like discounters T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, J.C. Penney has reported declining sales in recent years. When the coronavirus pandemic erupted, the retailer's prospects dwindled swiftly, much like other mall retailers that have filed for bankruptcy protection in recent months, including Neiman Marcus, J. Crew and Brooks Brothers. Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JCPenney bankruptcy deal: Simon, Brookfield to acquire retailer Voting in person will be safe across Texas in this falls general election despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the states elections director asserted in a Harris County courtroom Wednesday Keith Ingram, with the Texas Secretary of States office, made the statement while testifying against Harris County Clerk Christopher Hollins plan to send mail ballot applications to all 2.4 million registered voters in the county. Voters who want to vote by mail, and qualify to vote by mail, they should. And voters who want to vote in person, we would encourage them to do so, Ingram said. Itll be safe for them to do so, and the counties will have a good experience for the voters. The Attorney Generals Office called Ingram as a witness in an injunction hearing seeking to halt Hollinss plan while the underlying case makes its way through the courts. Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Hollins on Aug. 31. State District Judge R.K. Sandill made no immediate ruling on the injunction, though at times appeared skeptical of the states arguments. At the heart of the case is whether Hollins would exceed his authority as county clerk by sending mail ballot applications to each voter, which Harris County never has done. In the four-hour online hearing, lawyers for the state and county described starkly different consequences of carrying out the plan. Ingram said Harris Countys plan would confuse voters and encourage some to vote fraudulently, undermining the publics trust in the integrity of elections. He noted that lying on a mail ballot application is a state jail felony and residents could be prosecuted well after this falls election. When something strange, or unusual happens, voters are very concerned that this is an opportunity for fraud, and when they think the other side is cheating, they tend to stay home, Ingram said. Thats the concern about a mass mailing like this. Hollins said he simply is trying to help as many eligible voters cast ballots as possible, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when many would feel safer voting by mail. The top of each application would feature a checklist explicitly explaining the eligibility rules. Hollins dismissed the states argument that voters would be confused as absurd. It would be a very bizarre and highly unlikely outcome that somehow, someone would unfold this fully, go to the very bottom, and think I need to fill this out, without ever having looked up here, Hollins said, pointing to a draft mailer in his hand. Texas law allows residents to vote by mail for three reasons: If they are 65 and older, out of the county or incarcerated during the voting period or are disabled. The disability clause has been the subject of fierce debate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state Supreme Court in May ruled that lack of immunity to the virus does not alone qualify a voter for a mail ballot; however when combined with other ailments could meet the standard for a disability. Chief Justice Nathan Hecht last month said that leaves it to voters to decide for themselves whether they qualify. Charles Eldred argued on behalf of the Attorney Generals Office that while that may be true, county clerks and elections administrators have no authority under the Texas Election Code to send unsolicited mail voting applications. Sandill pointed out that the state had raised no objection when Harris County sent un-requested applications to elderly voters before the July primary runoff election. Youve known about it. Youve let it happen, and havent done anything, Sandill said to Eldred. I have to apply the law the same. Several groups of all political stripes, including President Donald Trumps re-election campaign, have sent unsolicited mail ballot applications. Hollins included a copy of a Trump campaign mailer in his response to Paxtons suit to illustrate how common the practice is. Susan Hays, a lawyer for Harris County, accused the state of micromanaging how local governments run their elections. The abuse-of-power statute the attorney general is using as the basis of his case, she argued, was meant to prevent elections officials from limiting the ability of residents to cast ballots. (To) turn it on its head to attack a local elections authority whos trying to make it easier to vote, and accuse him of committing fraud, and threaten voters thats a perversion of the Election Code, Hays said. Several voting and civil rights groups on Tuesday expressed support for Harris Countys plan. The League of Women Voters, ACLU of Texas and Texas Civil Rights Project filed a brief siding with Hollins. The New York University-based Brennan Center for Justice, the Anti-Defamation League and the Texas State Conference of the NAACP asked to join the case, arguing their constituents and supporters would be harmed if Hollins is barred from sending the mail ballot applications. The clerks plan makes it easier to obtain a mail-in ballot, which is key during these challenging times for Harris County voters, ADL Southwest Regional Director Mark B. Toubin said in a statement. If the clerk is blocked from mailing ballot-by-mail applications to all registered voters in Harris County, many Texans may be disenfranchised. H-E-B grocery chain owner Charles Butt also wrote a letter backing Hollinss plan. Sandill said he hoped to have a ruling on the injunction request by Friday. zach.despart@chron.com She's certainly not backward in coming forward. And now Imogen Anthony has sent out a crystal clear message to bodyshamers, letting them know she really couldn't care less what they think. In footage shared to Instagram on Wednesday, the former model donned her skimpiest bikini yet as she addressed trolls who like tell people they've 'put on weight since covid...' It's her cheekiest bikini yet! On Wednesday, Imogen Anthony (pictured) stripped off and celebrated her knockout curves as she rocked out and slammed bodyshamers on Instagram In her jaw-dropping performance to all the haters, Imogen could be seen joyfully dancing around her bedroom in a minuscule bikini with fringing, as she shamelessly celebrated her stunning body. She kept her makeup palette soft and dewy, as she threw her long luscious locks around to Joan Jett's classic hit, Bad Reputation. The heaven-sent stunner captioned the steamy footage with a hint of sarcasm, writing: 'Ms She's Too Thin now She's Too Big'. Imogen is no stranger to flashing her sensational curves when the mood arises. Fancy a show? In footage shared to Instagram on Wednesday, the former model donned her skimpiest bikini yet as she addressed trolls who like tell people they've 'put on weight since covid...' Check out the view: In her jaw-dropping performance, Imogen can be seen joyfully dancing around her bedroom in a minuscule bikini with fringing, as she shamelessly celebrates her stunning body Cheeky! She kept her makeup palette soft and dewy, as she threw her long luscious locks around to the glorious strains of Joan Jett's classic hit, Bad Reputation The heaven-sent stunner captioned the steamy footage: 'Ms She's Too Thin now She's Too Big'. Last month, the gorgeous beauty got a brand new space-themed tattoo and couldn't help but show it off. She shared a number of photos as well as a video clip to Instagram, giving fans a close-up view of the ink, and flashing her bottom in the process. The model posed with her back to the camera, showing off her derriere and covering her bust with her arm. Stripping off: Last month, the gorgeous blonde got a brand new tattoo and couldn't help but show it off While she didn't reveal much about the tattoo in the caption, the model and designer said there was a hidden meaning behind the intricate design when she answered a fan's question in the comments. 'Love your Tattoos, Can I ask if they have meaning. Hope it is okay to ask and not intruding,' the fan questioned. 'It's okay, it's just a representation of the Universe, Golden Plaque from the Voyager (google search, pretty amazing) nature and animals, mother nature being destroyed, religion, aliens, all that kinda weird stuff,' she answered. 'Also about religion shooting down any ideas of other life in the Universe. I'm weird.' North Dakota is right to engage the federal government in talks over a settlement for policing costs during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. The state shouldnt allow federal officials to lowball and instead demand fair payment. The state estimates it cost more than $38 million to deal with the protests in 2016 and 2017. It blames the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for allowing the protests to get out of hand by letting protesters camp on federal land without permits. At one time, more than 10,000 protesters were estimated in the area. The Department of Justice awarded $10 million to help reimburse North Dakota for protest costs in August 2017. It seems fair to deduct that portion from what the federal government owes North Dakota. Pipeline developer Energy Transfer donated $15 million to North Dakota to help pay for the protest response. That private donation should not negate the federal government's responsibility. The Morton County Sheriffs Office was responsible for policing the area but received help from the North Dakota National Guard, and from law enforcement agencies across North Dakota and other states. Law enforcement established a large camp near the protest site where meals and other amenities were provided. North Dakota was left to foot the bill for the law enforcement efforts and cleaning up the protest site. North Dakota has sued the federal government to recover the costs, and U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor denied a federal motion to dismiss the suit. That prompted the Department of Army to ask the Department of Justice to enter negotiations with the state. North Dakota carried a heavy burden during the protests. In many ways it was a public relations disaster for the state as the protests became a worldwide event. The tactics of law enforcement and the pipeline company drew a lot of criticism. The Corps is the root of many of the problems surrounding the pipeline, and its time it paid the price for its bungling. As part of a settlement it would be good to hire an independent third party to review the pipeline protests. It should examine the different protest groups, law enforcement and its use of force and the pipeline companys behavior. The protests occurring across the nation would make such a study valuable. How did a little protest camp on the prairie morph into such a mammoth event? The bigger question is could it have been avoided? The controversy surrounding the pipeline wont end with a settlement since a federal judge has ordered an extensive environmental review of the project. A settlement would provide some relief for the state, which has seen the coronavirus pandemic and plummeting oil production take a bite out of its economy. Plus, its right thing for the Department of Justice to do. The federal government bears a lot of responsibility and should acknowledge it through a settlement. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 National Preparedness Month encourages families to be prepared for potentially difficult situations such as chemical spills and fires. The experts at Petri have compiled a list of plumbing and HVAC safety topics based on their experience so homeowners and parents can take preventive action to protect their families and help prevent emergencies. "As a business, we are both family-oriented and safety-oriented in all we do," said Michael Petri, owner of Petri Plumbing & Heating. "We've listed six simple home modifications to help homeowners integrate improved safety habits into their family's daily lives." Hot water and faucet safety: Tap water injuries account for up to 17% of childhood burns that require hospitalization. Encourage young children to ask for help before turning on hot water. For very young children, consider purchasing child-safe knob and spout covers, which can help prevent accidental burns from a hot faucet. Bathroom safety: Kids love to play in the tub, so make sure they know it's not a solo activityan adult should always be on hand! Toilet seats and flushers are not toys even if they seem like they are to children, so consider installing a safety lock on both. Petri also suggests investing in high-quality non-slip tub mats and bath rugs, so little ones won't slip and fall on wet surfaces. HVAC safety: Combustible appliances are tempting for children to investigate. Keep doors locked around hot water heaters and furnaces so kids won't tamper with knobs or wires. Consider installing fencing around any outdoor HVAC equipment, which could have potentially sharp edges or small access points to fan blades. Small appliance safety: Talk to children about smaller but still potentially dangerous appliances in the home, such as the garbage disposal and the dishwasher. Never leave small children alone in a room with a space heater, as it presents a fire hazard and could potentially cause a trip to ER. Plumbing safety: Teach older children to identify the scent of both natural gas and sewer gas and to call an adult when they detect either. Keep young kids away from backyard septic tanks or other small pipes they might be tempted to investigate. Pet safety: In addition to child safety, Petri encourages home owners to secure potentially unsafe areas that curious pets might explore, such as open dryers, exhaust pipes and dishwashers. Closing basement doors and installing a pet-proof fence help keep small animals safe as well. Teach small children that animals aren't toys and that they should let an adult know if a pet is somewhere it doesn't belong. As a final safety tip, Petri recommends having your hot water heater inspected by a professional who can make sure the temperature isn't too high. Not only will kids avoid injuries from scalding water, it will help save money, too. "Our home service technicians are always happy to walk customers through best practices for HVAC and plumbing safety," Petri said. "When families tell us their installation concerns, we listen. Our trained professionals can take special care to make sure thermostat dials and other appliances are as safe and out-of-reach as possible." As an essential business, Petri Plumbing & Heating is committed to keeping customers and employees safe while providing exceptional service. The company is practicing social distancing and ensuring technicians sanitize their equipment and work spaces as well as wearing personal protective equipment. Petri Plumbing & Heating also offers Zero Contact Service to reduce the risk of disease. For more information about Petri Plumbing & Heating, or to schedule a service call, visit https://www.petriplumbing.com/ or call (718) 748-1254. About Petri Plumbing & Heating, Inc. Petri Plumbing & Heating, Inc. is a family owned and operated business serving Brooklyn and the New York City area. Founded in 1906, the company offers a 100 percent guarantee on all services, upfront pricing, and friendly and knowledgeable Service Experts for all kinds of home and business plumbing, heating, cooling and drain cleaning needs. From boilers to furnaces, leaks to floods, and everything in between, our Service Experts are equipped for all repairs, installations, and upgrades, to get the job done right every time. Petri is also licensed and certified by Green Plumbers USA, the first in New York City to receive this designation. For more information, please visit www.petriplumbing.com or call 718-748-1254. MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR (865) 977-1973 [email protected] SOURCE Petri Plumbing & Heating, Inc. Related Links https://www.petriplumbing.com The former chief of intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security has filed a whistleblower complaint describing repeated instances in which he claims the Trump administration sought to censor or manipulate intelligence for political purposes, including information about Russian efforts to interfere in the 2020 elections. The complaint was filed with the DHS inspector general this week by Brian Murphy, a veteran law enforcement official who until recently ran the agencys intelligence branch. The document, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News, alleges a pattern of behavior ranging from attempted abuse of authority to possible violations of federal law perpetrated by some of the administrations senior-most law enforcement and intelligence officials. MORE: Russia spreading disinformation about Biden's mental health: DHS According to Murphy, in addition to efforts to downplay Russias role in election meddling, those leaders sought to downplay the threat posed by domestic white supremacy groups and manipulate statistics about terrorist entries along the southern border. Over the course of 24 pages, Murphy describes an environment in which senior officials including former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, current acting Secretary Chad Wolf, and current Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli scrambled to gather and prepare intelligence reports that aligned with President Donald Trumps political message and public remarks. A spokesperson for DHS said in a statement, "The Department generally does not comment on the specifics of OIG referrals, but we flatly deny that there is any truth to the merits of Mr. Murphys claim. DHS looks forward to the results of any resulting investigation and we expect it will conclude that no retaliatory action was taken against Mr. Murphy." PHOTO: Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf speaks during an event at DHS headquarters in Washington, Sept. 9, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP) Wolf also defended the agency against allegations of politicization in a speech on Wednesday. "Admidst the shifting series of challenges, a vocal and ill-informed minority has clamored to paint recent DHS actions as examples of mission drift or politicization," he said. "They could not be more wrong." Story continues In one example dating back to May, Murphy claims he was instructed by Wolf to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States, and instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran. "Mr. Wolf stated that these instructions specifically originated from White House National Security Advisor Robert OBrien," the complaint reads. "Mr. Murphy informed Mr. Wolf he would not comply with these instructions, as doing so would put the country in substantial and specific danger." In another, Murphy says he was asked to ensure the intelligence assessments he produced for Secretary Nielsens review supported the policy argument that large numbers of [known or suspected terrorists] were entering the United States through the southwest border. Murphy contends the true number consisted of no more than three during the previous year even as Nielsen and other top officials allegedly conflated two groups of immigrants, "special interest aliens" and "known or suspected terrorists", that left them with a figure upwards of 3,000. When he provided information for then-Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, aides would follow up "seeking to have the underlying intelligence data reinterpreted to fit the White Houses policy," Murphy alleged in the complaint. Murphy specifically alleged that Nielsens testimony before Congress twice amounted to a knowing and deliberate submission of false material information, in violation of federal law an allegation vehemently denied by an attorney for Nielsen. A transcript from the December testimony shows Nielsen said the U.S. stopped "3,000 special interest aliens at the border last year" and 10 "known or suspected terrorists from attempting to travel to the United States each year." Nielsen later said during a speech not under oath that the department blocks 10 "known or suspected terrorists a day from traveling to or attempting to enter the United States." On Wednesday, James Wareham, an attorney for Nielsen, told ABC News that Murphys allegations would be laughable if they were not so defamatory. A child of six could read the congressional testimony and understand that she never said anything like he said she said, Wareham said. And as recently as July, Murphy claims he was instructed by Mr. Wolf and/or Mr. Cuccinelli to modify intelligence assessments to ensure they matched up with the public comments by President Trump on the subject of ANTIFA and anarchist groups. Attorneys now representing Murphy, who was reassigned in August to the management division, encouraged the DHS inspector general to launch an investigation into the matters described in the complaint and what Murphy says were retaliatory actions taken against him for pushing back. A thorough investigation will establish that the actions taken or threatened to be taken against Mr. Murphy were done in reprisal for his protected disclosures, the complaint read. According to Murphys complaint, Miles Taylor, a former deputy chief of staff at DHS who has since left government and been critical of the administration, intended to seek Mr. Murphys termination as a result of his declination to provide intelligence assessments about possible terrorists sneaking into the U.S. through the southern border an assessment that Murphy felt were inconsistent with the underlying intelligence data. On Wednesday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., ordered Murphy to appear before his committee later this month. In a letter to Murphys legal team, Schiff wrote that the complaint depicts a sustained and disturbing pattern of misconduct by senior Trump Administration officials. Committee Republicans did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Contacted by ABC News, Cuccinelli and Taylor did not have any immediate response to Murphy's complaint. White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews dismissed the allegations wholesale late Wednesday, accusing Murphy of "politicizing election security" with "specious complaints based on false allegations." She also denied Murphy's claim that O'Brien passed along instructions to limit reporting on Russia's election interference, stating that the national security advisor "has never sought to dictate the Intelligence Communitys focus on threats to the integrity of our elections or on any other topic." O'Brien called the allegations "hearsay" in a Fox News interview Wednesday. MORE: DHS withheld July intelligence bulletin calling out Russian attack on Bidens mental health Murphys complaint is likely to fuel mounting concern from critics of the administration that the president and his appointees have sought to politicize the intelligence process to more closely support the administrations legislative and political goals. These allegations, while disturbing, are not surprising, said John Cohen, a former senior Homeland Security official during the Obama administration. There have been long-standing concerns amongst law enforcement and intelligence professionals that under the Trump Administration, intelligence that contradicts the political narrative of the White House is routinely ignored, distorted or blocked from release in order to justify Administration policies that had previously been viewed as unjustifiable, Cohen added. A committee official noted that some of the events alleged in the complaint took place as the Trump administration sought to limit in-person election security briefings for House lawmakers. Last week, ABC News first reported on a draft intelligence bulletin warning of a Russian effort to spread disinformation about Joe Biden's mental health that was initially withheld by senior Homeland Security officials. In response to the original ABC News report, a spokesperson for DHS said the report was delayed because it did not meet the agency's standards. But in his complaint, Murphy claims that Wolf told him the intelligence notification should be held because it made the President look bad. Last month, Murphy was removed from his post at the DHS intelligence branch and reassigned within the agency after reports emerged that his unit had gathered information about members of the press a practice that experts said was out of the agency's purview and was alarming and "disheartening." MORE: Senior DHS official reassigned after unit collected information on members of the press Murphy claims in his complaint that this de facto demotion occurred shortly after he confronted Wolf and Cuccinelli with concerns that he was being ordered to manipulate intelligence for political reasons. Mark Zaid, an attorney for Murphy, released a statement on Wednesday claiming that his client followed proper lawful whistleblower rules in reporting serious allegations of misconduct against DHS leadership, particularly involving political distortion of intelligence analysis and retaliation. We have alerted both the Executive and Legislative Branches of these allegations and we will appropriately cooperate with oversight investigations, Zaid continued, especially in a classified setting. DHS Whistleblower Complaint by ABC News Politics on Scribd ABC News' Luke Barr, Katherine Faulders and Ali Dukakis contributed reporting. Whistleblower details alleged politicization of intelligence at DHS originally appeared on abcnews.go.com President of the Republican Party of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan today had a meeting with young Armenians who recently joined the Republican Party of Armenia, as reported the Youth Organization of the Republican Party of Armenia. Among the attendees of this meeting were the new members of the Yerevan Council of the Youth Organization of the Republican Party of Armenia and the Councils main members. The members asked the President questions related to domestic politics and the international agenda and shared their visions for organizing the future activities. More and more young people are joining the Republican Party of Armenia. Several young people share our political views and convictions. A brilliant example of this is the membership of 50 young people to the Yerevan Council of the Youth Organization of the Republican Party of Armenia, and this means the youth trust the most fundamental political party in the country, leader of the Yerevan Council Narek Tadevosyan said. One of the young people having joined the political party is veteran of the Four-Day Artsakh War of April 2016 Karapet Karapetyan, who stated that what frustrates him is the fact that the victory scored by the Armenian side in the Four-Day Artsakh War is being questioned for political benefits and added that he is ready to do his best to defend his homeland and this time in the political field. A killer whale that grieved her dead newborn calf by carrying its inert body on her head over 1,000 miles through the Pacific Ocean for 17 days is making headlines again: the orca is a mom again. On Sept. 5, after months of tracking the killer whales subsequent pregnancy, scientists were overjoyed to discover that she has given birth again. Aerial images of Tahlequah taken in September 2019 (L) and July 2020 (R) show her progression through pregnancy. (Courtesy of SR3) After carrying her calf to term, Tahlequah, or J35 as the killer whale is known by researchers, gave birth to a calf designated as J57. The Center for Whale Research stated in a Sept. 6 press release that the babys birthday is assigned as Sept. 4, 2020, as it takes a day or two for a newborn calfs dorsal fin to straighten after being bent over in the womb. Its fabulous news, Ken Balcomb, the centers founding director, told The Seattle Times, noting that the calfs gender has yet to be discerned. Tahlequah with her newborn calf J57. (Courtesy of Katie Jones/Center for Whale Research) In the summer of 2018, Tahlequah broke hearts with her two-and-a-half-week tour of grief for a newborn calf that lived only 30 minutes. But 13 months after her loss, drone surveys reaped the exciting news that the killer whale was pregnant again. Two experts, John Durban, senior scientist at Southall Environmental Associates, and Holly Fearnbach, marine mammal research director of the nonprofit SR3, conducted a followup survey in July to collect data on the health of several southern resident orcas, the report said. The team captured yet more stunning aerial images of Tahlequah; this time, she was on the brink of giving birth. SR3 shared the side-by-side photo comparison on Facebook. Sarah McCullagh, a naturalist and captain with San Juan Safaris, saw Tahlequah and her son, J47, swimming together on Sept. 5. She soon realized, however, that there was a very small fin tucked in next to them. I was obviously elated, so excited for J35 after the incredible loss she suffered a couple of years ago, but also for the southern resident community as a whole. I definitely cried, McCullagh said in a statement, reported Global News. (Illustration Tory Kallman/Shutterstock) The Center for Whale Research described the calf J57 as healthy and precocious, swimming vigorously alongside its mother in its second day of free-swimming life. The southern resident orca population is made up of three social groups, or pods, referred to as J, K, and L by the research community that monitors them. Typically, killer whales gestate for between 17 and 18 months, and females from the same pod will often carry calves at the same time. However, not all recent pregnancies among southern resident orcas have been successful. Orcas at large are under severe threat from water pollution and disturbance from boats, but the nutritional stress caused by insufficient Chinook salmon prey accounts for a roughly 40 percent mortality rate among young orca calves, the Center for Whale Research stated. As of December 2019, the southern resident orcas J, K, and L pods total 73 whales, the press release said. So Tahlequahs baby, the third calf born to southern residents since 2019, heralds hope. At the time of writing, all three calves are known to be alive and well. In addition, SR3 drone photos from July, showing obvious shape changes, have led researchers to believe that a number of additional orcas are carrying babies. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc KYODO NEWS - Sep 10, 2020 - 00:51 | All, Japan Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono said Wednesday that he is expecting a snap general election possibly in October, after a successor to outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is selected next week. "We expect an early general election, probably sometime in October, or maybe in October," Kono said during an online event with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, adding that Japan will then be "ready" for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which were postponed to next summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. Japan is currently in the process of selecting a new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, after Abe, who doubles as LDP president, abruptly announced in late August his intention to resign due to a chronic illness. The new LDP president is all but certain to become Japan's prime minister as the party controls the House of Representatives. The winner is entitled to serve the remainder of Abe's term as party leader through September next year. But speculation lingers that the next prime minister may quickly call a lower house election to capitalize on a possible popularity boost that tends to be seen upon a change in leadership. A general election must be held by late October next year, when the current four-year term for lower house lawmakers ends. "I think there's going to be a very small window for a general election. So the new prime minister will probably grab that window, and you will have a new prime minister elected by the people before you elect the president of the United States," Kono said, referring to the U.S. presidential election in November. Kono also said during the event hosted by the Washington think tank that China has become a "security threat" to Japan, citing Beijing's intention to change the status quo in the region through force and coercion including in the East China Sea, where China continues to contest Japan's administration of the Senkaku Islands. Kono said that he was "very careful" not to call China a "threat" while serving in his previous post as foreign minister, and instead only expressed "grave concerns" over Beijing. "But as a defense minister, I must say China has become a security threat to Japan. They have capability, and they have intention," he added. China has been sending coast guard ships near the uninhabited islets, which Beijing claims and calls Diaoyu. Chinese military activities around Japan's airspace have also been a concern, leading Japan's Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets against Chinese aircraft frequently. Stressing that Japan is prepared to "defend every centimeter of our land," Kono said he believes the Japan-U.S. alliance will stand up toward that end. "If we don't do that, we'll see another South China Sea. When China started reclaiming the land, international society didn't do anything to stop it, and see what we've got," Kono said, adding that the "same thing can happen" in any other part of the world. The United States does not take a position on the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands but recognizes Japan's administration of the islands and has reaffirmed that they fall within the scope of Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. security treaty, meaning that Washington will defend Tokyo in the event of conflict over the territory. Amid an intensifying U.S.-China rivalry, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a tougher position on the disputed South China Sea, where China claims sovereignty over almost the entire area and has engaged in reclamation and militarization of disputed outposts in the waters. Related coverage: FOCUS: Japan policy on strike capability could raise tensions in East Asia Japan tells U.S. of plan to build ships solely for missile defense FOCUS: U.S. analysts fret over political instability in post-Abe Japan Welcome back to Tech Chronicle. Dont kid yourself: Subscribing to this fine newsletter will school you, in a good way. History never repeats, but it occasionally rhymes, and if Silicon Valleys Wild West has a musical historian, well, call me its lyrical Jesse James. Giddy up! The recent reports of conflict between parents and non-parents at big tech companies took me all the way back to 2008, when I broke the story of a big price hike at Googles on-site child care. Back then, it was the parents who were doing the complaining. Their beef was about being forced to pay well-above market rates for an overbuilt facility whose design and staffing, I reported, were heavily guided by the preferences of Susan Wojcicki, then a high-ranking Google executive and now the CEO of Google subsidiary YouTube. (Wojcicki is the ultimate Google insider: she rented her garage to Google as an office before coming on board as an employee, and co-founder Sergey Brin was, for a time, married to her sister Anne.) The incident was fascinating to me as a lens into what dissent looks like inside a tech company. What did it take to break the cone of silence around the Googleplex? A 75% hike in fees at the Kinderplex, it turned out. Silicon Valley has only gotten leakier since then. All along the way, top tech leaders have spun fantastical theories about why that is entertaining any number of conspiracies about the media and their own workforce, when their managerial failings are a reasonably obvious explanation. Dont cut yourself handling Occams razor, people. Facebook 2015 Which takes us to the present fracas. Companies like Salesforce and Facebook are offering parents in their workforce additional paid leave, drawing complaints from the childless that their needs arent being addressed. Ah, to overpay for child care now, let alone find one that is open! The overbuilt Google centers, with far more square feet per child than the industry standard, at least seem to have anticipated the need for social distancing. Facebook 2015 The real issue for me here, then and now, is how detached workers at Big Tech have become from the struggles of those in less rarefied places of employment. Essential workers arent getting six weeks of extra leave. Some provisions have been made in federal, state and local relief acts for time off to quarantine, care for ill family members, or deal with child care. But they hardly match the generous benefits of tech, or approach the magnitude of the need. Theres an easy way to solve the disputes among tech workers. Instead of having the wealthiest companies run a race to offer the most generous perks, to parents or all employees, what if we as a society drew up a standard set of benefits employers should offer? Im just spitting out lines here, people. Owen Thomas, othomas@sfchronicle.com Quote of the week Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes I accept people will criticize from every direction. Facebook communications chief Nick Clegg, to CNNs Brian Stelter on the companys vigorous attempts to appease all sides Coming up The Informations WTF Summit takes place Wednesday and Thursday. One speaker to watch: Francoise Brougher, the former COO of Pinterest who is suing her employer. What Im reading GPT-3, an AI algorithm, on why we should not be scared of robot writers. (The Guardian) Carolyn Said on Lyfts threat to leave California over AB5. (San Francisco Chronicle) Russell Brandom on the latest in the App Store battle between Fortnite maker Epic and Apple. (The Verge) Tech Chronicle is a weekly newsletter from Owen Thomas, The Chronicles business editor, and the rest of the tech team. Follow along on Twitter: @techchronicle and Instagram: @techchronicle Queen Maxima of the Netherlands was all smiles as she attended a school concert to mark the nation's Music Table Day. The occasion encourages regional representatives, municipalities and teachers to come together and discuss how to best promote music lessons at school. Mother-of-three Maxima, 49, headed to the Theaterhangaar in Katwijk for the event organised by the Meer Muziek in de Klas (More Music in the Classroom) Foundation earlier today. Dressed in a stylish floral silk dress in white and blue, the Dutch royal was treated to a concert by local pupils. Queen Maxima was all smiles as she attended a concert on the Netherlands' Music Table Day. The Dutch royal, 49, headed to the Theaterhangaar in Katwijk for an event organised by the Meer Muziek in de Klas (More Music in the Classroom) Foundation earlier today Dressed in a stylish floral silk dress in white and blue, the mother-of-three was treated to a concert by local pupils She also met with regional representatives to discuss how to best promote sustainable music education at school. The Meer Muziek in de Klas was established after the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science commissioned the Gehrels Committee in 2014 to draw up guidelines for music education in primary schools. For this day of music, Maxima, who is the honorary chairman of the Foundation, opted for a smart silk dress in white and navy blue, with a floral motif. She wore the stylish number with a scarf of the same pattern loosely tied around her neck. The dress was fitted at the waist by a thin black leather belt. To complete her outfit, the Dutch Queen picked black leather heels and a clutch of the same colour and material. Always prepared! Maxima made sure to take a cardigan with her on the outing to wrap up from the chilly September breeze The Dutch Queen tucked her blond locks behind her ears to leave the focus on her statement seashell earrings Maxima wore her stylish floral dress with a matching scarf loosely tied around her neck for the occasion She accessorised with a slim watch, also in black, and statement earrings shaped like seashells. The royal was carrying an eggshell cardigan which she casually let rest on her shoulders during the round table later at the event. Sporting a natural makeup that complimented her healthy complexion, Maxima opted for a dash of eyeliner and mascara and a light blush for the occasion. Her blond locks were perfectly styled in a natural blow-dry and tucked behind her ears so to bring the focus on her choice of earrings. Making an entrance: The Dutch queen, looking particularly stylish in the white and blue number, beamed as she arrived Local children treated the Queen to a concert at the Theaterhangaar in Katwijk as part of the More Music in the Classroom campaign Maxima, still sporting a tan from her recent Greek holiday, looked relaxed during the event this morning During the event, Maxima met with local representatives for a round table where they discussed how they had achieved successful music programmes in their region and the future of music education in the classroom. She was then treated to a concert by local pupils who delighted her with their music. Music Table Day is the occasion for regional representatives, municipalities and teachers to come together and discuss how to best promote music lessons at school. During a round table on music education across the country, Maxima let her cardigan rest on her shoulders Looking in good spirits, Maxima listened to regional representatives and other participants discuss how to best promote music education in the Netherlands The round table gathered region representatives, teachers and representatives from various cultural organisations The campaign by the Meer Muziek in de Klas Foundation, also called More Music in the Classroom, aims to achieve structural music education for all 1.6million primary pupils in the Netherlands. The aim is for music lessons to be a standard part of the curriculum at every primary school in the Netherlands by 2020. Trainee primary teachers will need to gain enough confidence to make music and learn the technical skills to teach the subject. Maxima was delighted to listen to the violin prowess of three little girls during the engagement The event was held on Music Table Day as part of the More Music in the Classroom campaign, of which Maxima is the honorary chairman The new grant scheme will give schools an incentive to provide high-quality music education for their students. An important condition is that they work together with colleges of music. Applications for projects under the grant scheme must show how the school intends to make high-quality music education a permanent fixture in teacher training. Maxima has been very active in the initiative, with several visits to local schools in order to discuss how the campaign was getting on, meeting with both pupils and teachers. A playful breeze ruffled the Dutch queen's hair as she arrived at the venue for the event earlier this morning Maxima sported a dash of mascara, some eyeshadow and blush in order to add to her healthy complexion T he husband of jailed British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has urged UK officals to do "everything to protect her and others" and attend his wife's second trial in Tehran. The 42-year-old mother-of-one has been detained in Iran since 2016, when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government. She denies all of the allegations and for years her husband has been campaigning for her release. Having been moved to house arrest in March, when thousands of prisoners were granted clemency and released from Iranian jails amid the Covid-19 outbreak, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was returned to court on Tuesday only months from her expected release date and told she would face a second trial on Sunday. Mr Ratcliffe has appealed to UK officials to work against Iran's "hostage diplomacy" by insisting they can attend her trial. Nazanin was arrested at Tehrans Imam Khomeini airport in 2016 / PA While we felt close to release these past few months, yesterday Nazanin was taken to the Revolutionary Court for a reopened second court case, Mr Ratcliffe said. The case is illegal under Iranian law, as is the fact Nazanin was not already released back in March. It has become increasingly clear the past months that Nazanin is a hostage, held as leverage against a UK debt. It is important that the UK government does everything to protect her and others as Irans hostage diplomacy continues to escalate. This starts with the British Embassy insisting it is able to attend Nazanins trial on Sunday, and that the UKs diplomatic protection is treated with respect. Richard at a protest outside the Iranian embassy in 2019 / AFP/Getty Images In a statement he said the trial would hear charges of spreading anti-government propaganda, in a case officials dropped in December 2017, after a visit from the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, but reopened in May 2018. Mr Ratcliffe added that his wifes detention under house arrest had been illegal since March, when Irans supreme leader Ali Khamenei announced the release on clemency of several thousand prisoners who met certain criteria. Coming officially to mark the Persian New Year, the mass pardons were also seen as a move to combat the spread of Covid-19. Mr Ratcliffe said: Since the Supreme Leader made his announcement on 17 March, Nazanin has been formally entitled to clemency, and her ankle tag should have been removed. For almost six months she has been illegally held even under Iranian law. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has temporary prison leave extended A few of those legally entitled to clemency had their confirmations held back since they were sensitive cases, though gradually all were allowed out on furlough. However in July 2020 all other prisoners who met the clemency criteria had their clemency approved. Nazanins is the only case for which the Supreme Leaders Order has not been implemented, marking her out as a unique prisoner. The latest development concerning Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe sparked swift condemnation in Britain of Iran, including calls from Amnesty International for the UK Government to ensure a second trial does not take place. Kate Allen, the organisations director, said: Nazanin has already been convicted once after a deeply unfair trial, and there should be no question of her being put through that ordeal again. There have always been concerns that the Iranian authorities were playing cruel political games with Nazanin, and that looks to be the case here. Richard Ratcliffe, with his five-year-old daughter Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe / PA As a matter of absolute urgency, the UK Government should make fresh representations on Nazanins behalf, seeking to have any suggestion of a second trial removed. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: Iran bringing new charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is indefensible and unacceptable. We have been consistently clear that she must not be returned to prison. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehrans Imam Khomeini airport while travelling to show her young daughter, Gabriella, to her parents in April 2016. She was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Richard Ratcliffe Fears For Nazanin After Coronavirus Outbreak In Prison She was later afforded diplomatic protection by the UK Government, which argues that she is innocent and that her treatment by Iran failed to meet obligations under international law. It has been claimed Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held in order to force the UK into settling a multi-million pound dispute with Iran. The debt dates back to the 1970s when the then-shah of Iran paid the UK 400 million for 1,500 Chieftain tanks. After he was toppled in 1979, Britain refused to deliver the tanks to the new Islamic Republic and kept the money, despite British courts accepting it should be repaid. Husband Richard Ratcliffe outside the Iranian Embassy in London. He went on hunger strike out of solidarity with his wife and only stopped once she did / EPA Mr Ratcliffe said the second case against his wife, originally brought soon before she had been eligible for parole, was based on an evidence file which simply reused the material that had been used to convict her first time round. Even the material marked as new had actually already been included in Nazanins first trial, relating to a reported picture of her having once attended a demonstration in front of the Iranian Embassy in London and having spoken to a BBC journalist there, he said. Since she has been unfairly convicted of this once before, it would be illegal under Irans double jeopardy laws to convict her of it again. He added: In previous court appearances the evidence and charges have sometimes changed by the time a full trial is begun. So we will know on Sunday more exactly what are the interrogators claims to justify running a second case with repeated evidence. Mr Ratcliffe also said his wifes two previous lawyers had legal actions brought against them by Iranian authorities in part of a deliberate policy of harassing those trying to ensure Iranian law is upheld in Nazanins case. He said she had on Tuesday proposed the name of a third lawyer to Judge Abolghassem Salavati, who will hear her case. As Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sent back home, the judge had then invited the lawyer to read the evidence file. This is a very quick turnaround for the lawyer to be able to prepare a reasonable defence, Mr Ratcliffe said. Additional reporting by PA Media. KABUL, Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistans senior vice president and a staunch opponent of the Taliban, survived a bombing that targeted his convoy in the capital on Wednesday, the second deadly attack against him in a little over a year. At least 10 bystanders were killed and 15 other people were wounded by a bomb that had been planted on the side of the road, Afghanistans interior ministry said. Photos from the blast site, a crowded roundabout in Kabul with mechanic shops and crockery stores, showed vast carnage. Rizwan Murad, a spokesman for Mr. Saleh, said two or three of the vice presidents guards had been wounded. Mr. Saleh, a former spy chief who became one of the countrys two vice presidents early this year, appeared shaken in a video message from his office about two hours after the attack, his right hand bandaged. He said he and his son Ebadullah, a college student who was with him in the car as he headed to work in the morning rush hour, had suffered slight burns. It's finally here. After months of anticipation, the Dune trailer has arrived with visions of far-off planets and heroes from beyond the stars. The trailer throws a lot of images and faces at the viewer, teasing the many depths of a story that will be told across two movies. In order to decode these visuals, EW caught up with director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) to break down some of the key moments from the trailer. Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures Star-crossed Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), scion of a noble household, is prone to visions. Even before he arrives on the desert planet Arrakis, he has dreams of a beautiful girl in the dunes. As he will eventually find out, her name is Chani (Zendaya), and she is a member of the Arrakis natives known as Fremen. There are a lot of different things waiting for Paul in the desert, but in the end Chani may be the most important. Warner Bros. Pictures "I hold at your neck the gom jabbar" An early scene from the original novel forms the centerpiece of the Dune trailer. The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling), leader of the powerful all-female secret society known as the Bene Gesserit, has come to the planet Caladan to test young Paul Atreides. The Bene Gesserit test isn't exactly a math quiz, though. Paul is forced to put his hand in a box while the Reverend Mother holds a poison needle known as the gom jabbar against his neck. His hand in the box is then flooded with unbearable psychic pain; if he flinches or tries to withdraw his hand from the box, she will kill him with the gom jabbar. Villeneuve acknowledges it as a "pivotal" scene that sets the rest of the story in motion, and tells us a lot about the unique world of Dune. "Is the mental part of him stronger than the animal part? That was very important for [Dune author] Frank Herbert," Villeneuve says. "At some point in the Dune history, the human brain will reach a level of control where theres no more computers in that universe, so the brain is trained to be able to make insane calculations and have control over your body. Paul, having some Bene Gesserit training, needed to be tested to see if he can use this power for the good of humanity." Story continues This is a test rarely given to men, and one gets the sense that maybe the Reverend Mother wants Paul to fail. Unfortunately for her, though, the story's protagonist is not killed in the opening scene. He survives, becoming stronger and darker. "Because hes someone with a specific genetic background, the Reverend Mother goes a bit too far," Villeneuve continues. "Its a test that is messing with the subconscious of the subject. By going so far, she unleashes some elements of Pauls psyche, some things that will create a lot of problems later. Its a very important scene." Warner Bros. Pictures All about my mother Paul's connection to the Bene Gesserit comes from his mother, the Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). She is officially the concubine of Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), but they love each other like husband and wife. It's too bad for her that the Duke benefits politically from remaining unmarried, so he can dangle a possible marriage as a reward to other royal houses. So great is their affection for each other that Jessica conceived a son, Paul, like Leto wanted, rather than a daughter like the Bene Gesserit had ordered her. Their genetic breeding program is carefully planned in order to one day produce a celestial messiah, and the Reverend Mother doesn't like her plans being upended. Warner Bros. Pictures Daddy's home Oscar Isaac's second major foray into the sci-fi canon once again involves a desert planet. But Duke Leto Atreides wasn't born in sand; his homeworld is Caladan, a planet of oceans and blue skies. The benefits of leaving Caladan for Arrakis are high (everyone wants that spice) but so are the dangers of leaving your home ground for such strange and dangerous terrain. "These are people from the ocean, people that were raised on a lush planet where the climate is closer to Ireland," Villeneuve says. "Its lush, its wet, and they will have to readjust themselves, the way they do their economy and even their warfare, because the physical laws of the planet are totally different. They will be uprooted; when they land on Arrakis, they will be vulnerable. Duke Leto knows at the beginning that he has a chance of success, but his chances are very narrow. Theres something very dramatic about this character who deep in his heart knows he might bring his people to a tragic ending, but he has faith. I was deeply pleased Oscar Isaac agreed to do this role, because hes a romantic figure. He has that powerful charisma which you need with the Duke." Warner Bros. Pictures Sing us a song, baliset man One of Leto's most loyal subordinates is Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), a man just as skilled at fighting as he is at playing music. He is one of Paul's primary mentors, and the trailer shows them sparring together. Why does a far-future world involve so much hand-to-hand combat? In a roundabout way, it's a result of technological innovation. "In this universe theres an invention: The Holtzman Shield. It's something that you can wear on your body, and will deflect something fast coming towards you. Only something slow can penetrate that shield," Villeneuve explains. "So, it made them use things like bullets less. Humanity went back to close combat, where you fight with knives and blades because its the only way you can kill someone through those shields. You can penetrate the shield slowly with the blade." Villeneuve continues, "I developed with our stunt coordinator and choreographers a way of combat that is closer to a chess game than a fighting sequence. When you fight someone with a shield, the idea is to distract them with moves in advance. You want to distract them with a specific move so you can slowly bring the blade into their body. Its a totally different way of fighting. Its a way of fighting that is very fast. It's like a chess game, you have to plan in advance and distract the adversary. Its a very specific, new art form of combat." Warner Bros. Pictures The pale Beast The Atreides' opposite numbers are the rulers of House Harkonnen. When Duke Leto is granted rule of Arrakis, he takes it over from Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) and his nephew Glosu Rabban (Dave Bautista). This inspires quite a bit of jealousy and resentment on the Harkonnens' part, even though they are also strangers to Arrakis. Rabban is nicknamed "The Beast" for the brutal violence with which he has governed Arrakis in the past, but as you can see in the trailer, his monstrous aura is undercut slightly by how pale and sickly he looks. "Geidi Prime, the Harkonnen planet, is one where the sun is obscured most of the time by heavy clouds of pollution. Its an artificial world, its a world made out of plastic and cut off from nature," Villeneuve says. "Their skin is not used to sun, so they have to protect themselves from sunlight when they go on Arrakis. Their armor is almost closer to an astronaut suit than anything else. I tried, for each tribe coming from different planets, to see how they would use their technology to try and adapt. The Harkonnens are brutal colonizers, brutal invaders, but they are still vulnerable to the environment." Warner Bros. Pictures Beware the Baron We only get a brief taste of Dune's primary villain in this trailer, but it's enough to unsettle. "I didnt want the Baron to be a buffoon or caricature, I wanted him to have the feeling of strength, a strategist," Villeneuve says. "I wanted the Baron to be seductive, someone who has a certain kind of sensuality to him. Most important, I wanted the Baron to have a deep intelligence." Chia Bella James/Warner Bros. Leader of men While House Atreides and House Harkonnen struggle for control of Arrakis, the Fremen are the people who actually live and die on the planet. Their unique culture is a total adaptation of human society towards the harsh desert environment. One of their chief leaders is Stilgar (Javier Bardem). In the trailer you can see him and other Fremen wearing stillsuits, a Fremen invention (and one of the chief pieces of Dune iconography) that go to great lengths to conserve the body's water in the desert heat. "One of the most beautiful characters in the book is Stilgar, the Fremen leader who has a lot of doubt about what they should do with these newcomers on the planet," Villeneuve says. "I wanted someone with a lot of charisma, someone that has a kind of generosity in his presence and a lot of humanity, where you can feel wisdom and a certain strength at the same time, and also some ambiguity. So I wanted Javier Bardem, who is one of my favorite actors. There was one name in my mind for Stilgar, so I went for it and to my great pleasure he said yes." Warner Bros. Pictures "I am a desert creature" Stilgar is a Fremen chieftain, but there are many Fremen tribes across Arrakis. One leader they all pay homage to is Liet-Kynes (Sharon Duncan Brewster), the Imperial Planetologist who acts as a liaison between the Fremen and the rest of the universe. One of the major differences between this Dune and previous versions of the story is switching Liet-Kynes' gender from male to female. One thing's the same, though: Chani is still her daughter. Chia Bella James/Warner Bros. Legendary hero The greatest fighter in House Atreides' impressive retinue, and perhaps in the universe as a whole, is Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa), who can be seen in the trailer taking down whole squads of enemies. "Jason is a beautiful fighter. Hes like a ballet dancer. He loves it, and hes so good at it," Villeneuve says. "Hes elegant, very precise, and hes very generous. Duncan Idaho is a cross-mix between a samurai and one of the best knights in the galaxy, and also is known to be a beautiful man. So I needed all those elements. Jason also brought calm. Its a Duncan who is very calm, very patient, with the deep soul of an explorer. He's someone where you feel that if s--- hits the fan, you want to be behind that guy! You know he will protect you." Warner Bros. Pictures Unbreakable Another important member of the Atreides household is Dr. Wellington Yueh (Chang Chen), glimpsed briefly in the trailer. While Gurney and Duncan train Paul in the art of war, Yueh teaches him more academic and anthropological subjects. The black diamond on Yueh's forehead is a symbol that he is a Suk doctor who has undergone "Imperial Conditioning," making it impossible for him to betray the trust of his charges. Warner Bros. Pictures Spice is life This is what it's all about, right here. The reason a harsh desert planet is so important to the most powerful people in the universe is because it's the only source of the spice melange. In Dune's computer-less future, melange is the only thing that makes interstellar travel possible; its prescient powers allow navigators of the Spacing Guild to calculate safe travel paths throughout the stars. But people also like taking it for the longevity and heightened awareness it bestows. If you intake the spice a lot (as the Fremen do, living among it) then your eyes become almost totally blue. You can see Fremen with these iconic blue eyes in the trailer, but Paul's not there yet. Warner Bros. Pictures Meet your maker How far into the Dune trailer did you realize how it was going to end? If you've ever spent time in the sci-fi section of a bookstore, perhaps you've glimpsed this magnificent creature on the cover of Dune paperbacks. But all that was nothing compared to seeing the sandworm rise on screen in all its glory. "I think that as soon as you say, 'okay, lets make Dune,' you go back home and the first thing you ask is, 'okay, what about the worm?'" Villeneuve says. "Its a fantastic central figure of Dunes story, that massive creature that lives in the deep desert, so when we were creating the worm I tried to create a lifeform that you will totally believe can go and survive in this land. So of course it has to have some prehistoric quality to it, because its living in the most rough environment. It was a lot of dreaming. We took our time with it. I deeply love the worm we came up with. It was important for me to understand that this huge creature has a soul, to understand that it is revered as a god-like figure." Related content: OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeaus long-promised action to tackle systemic racism is starting to take shape with a new program that will deliver up to $221 million in public and private funding for Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. The announcement Wednesday came almost three months after Trudeau vowed to take sweeping action very soon to address racism entrenched in Canadian police and other institutions. At the time, in mid-June, the Parliamentary Black Caucus in Ottawa chaired by Liberal MP Greg Fergus released a detailed call-to-action that was signed by more than 100 MPs in Trudeaus caucus, including more than half his governments cabinet. That declaration included calls for increased supports to Black businesses, which Trudeau acknowledged Wednesday face systemic barriers that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We need an economic recovery thats inclusive and equitable for all Canadians, Trudeau said, speaking at the Hxouse innovation think-centre for entrepreneurs on Torontos waterfront. An investment in Black excellence is an investment in economic empowerment, and economic empowerment is an essential part of justice. Billed as the Canadian governments first Black entrepreneurship program, the initiative will involve $93 million from the federal government over four years. This will create an ecosystem fund to help Black entrepreneurs access training and capital to support their businesses, as well as a separate hub to collect and share data on Black businesses across the country, Trudeau said. Financial institutions including RBC, BMO, Scotiabank, TD and CIBC will also contribute up to $128 million to a new fund that will lend out sums ranging from $25,000 to $250,000 to Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. Trudeau said the program is needed because such institutions have a history of failing to support Black businesses, and that his government hopes the private sector will carry on lending more money after this program expires. It would be lovely to imagine that, with four years of working with almost all financial institutions on delivering capital, it will become very obvious to those institutions what we and so many of us in this room already know: that investing in Black businesses is an amazing way to create wealth and prosperity for everyone, Trudeau said. Chedwick Creightney, 56, is the owner and chief executive officer of VR Planet, a virtual-reality arcade and event organizer in Ajax. As a long-time entrepreneur who is Black, Creightney said he has experienced discrimination when trying to get loans for his businesses, to the point that he has teamed up with non-Black partners to ensure his applications are received more favourably. Its exhausting, he said, but added that it has been a welcome relief to feel more comfortable talking about his experience in the months since the global anti-racism movement began with the death of George Floyd in the United States, after a police officer was seen kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes. Were not asking for anything exceptional. Were asking for equality, said Creightney. There is evidence that the COVID-19 crisis has hit Black and other minority groups hard. In late July, Torontos medical officer of health published data that showed Black people in the city were disproportionately infected with the coronavirus. In its fiscal snapshot this summer, the federal government also reported that women and racialized workers are being most affected due to their significant representation in Canadas health care, elder care, child care, personal support work, and essential service sectors. Earlier this year, the Black Business and Professional Association surveyed its members in Ontario and found that 80 per cent of them indicated they werent able to access the federal governments wage subsidy program which has since been expanded and made easier to qualify for compared with 37 per cent in the broader private sector. Fergus, the Black caucus chair who was on hand for Wednesdays announcement, told reporters that Black people continued to face discrimination in the 186 years since slavery was abolished in colonial Canada. He cited examples of how Black Canadians were denied land deeds and faced hurdles accessing money that white Canadians never have. And while Fergus welcomed the new program to support Black businesses, he also stressed how the government needs to go further in its effort to address racism in Canada, calling it the beginning of an effort to ensure Canadians are truly treated equally. It will not, in one fell swoop, eliminate all systemic discrimination and the consequences, but weve taken a positive step forward, he said. With files from Heather Scoffield Read more about: Officials declared a state of emergency in Marion County while firefighters respond to several wildfires across Oregon. Meanwhile, the Beachie Creek fire in Marion County continued burning, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency hours after officials issues a Level 3 "GO" evacuation orders for residents in Santiam Canyon. READ: Ocean Warming, Currents, Wind Patterns Threaten Survival of Shellfish and Other Invertebrates State of Emergency in Marion County Areas that were given orders to evacuate immediately on Monday are residents living in the canyon from the community of Mehama east of Detroit, Mill City, Gates, Detroit, North Fork Corridor, Scott Mills, and south through the Crooked Finger area. By Tuesday, evacuation orders included areas west of the Mehama community to Cascade Highway Southeast and north to Highway 214. Silver Falls State Park residents were also evacuated Tuesday morning, and residents of Stayton, Sublimity, Aumsville, Silverton, Highway 213 west of Mt. Angel and Silverton to Drakes Crossing were also asked to evacuate. In a statement, Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast said that the extreme fires pose an imminent danger to everyone. He urged anyone who is still in Santiam Canyon to leave the area immediately. Officials closed Eastbound Highway 22 to allow residents to evacuate from Stayton to Santiam Junction. Officials said that the Beachie Creek fire started on Aug 16 in the Opal Creek Wilderness around 6 miles north of Detriot. Willamette National Forest recreational areas are now closed. Officials also warned residents to avoid the southern half of Mount Hood National Forest. On Tuesday, fires were also raging on several Portland metro areas; fires enclosed the boat ramp and surrounding park at Hagg Lake, prompting firefighters to issue a Level 2 "GET SET" evacuation order. Meanwhile, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue put out the fires near Jackson Quarry Road and West Union Road after a downed power line sparked and ignited a fire. READ ALSO: Massive Oil Tanker Fire Off the Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka Now Extinguished Clackamas County on Fire In Clackamas County, crews responded to several fires, burning down 10 acres of brush, forcing four homes to evacuate. The fire was later contained by Tuesday morning with no damage to structures. Firefighters were responding to new fires in Oregon City Estacada and off Interstate 205. Interstate 5 Closed Due to Wildfires The main routes of travel between Ashland and Medford were closed Tuesday afternoon due to wildfires. Both directions of Interstate 5 were shut down after a wildfire brokeout Tuesday afternoon. Southbound Highway 99 was shuttered at milepost 17, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced. Ashland officials reported a grass fire near Almeda Drive in Quiet Village at around 11:30 a.m. The freeway was closed between exits 14 and 24. City officials advised in a statement that residents in the area west of Michelle Avenue and lower Cambridge Street should evacuate or avoid the area until it is safe to return or travel. It is unclear when the interstate would open again. The Oregon Department of Transportation called on drivers of the vehicles left in the freeway to contact the agency's dispatch to provide contact information to move when the freeway opens. Vehicles with no contact information will be towed, officials warned. The agency can be contacted at 541-858-3103. READ NEXT: Labor Day Holiday Weekend: Record Heat Temperatures of More Than 50 Million in the US Check out more news and information on California Wildfire on Nature World News. Australia should replace its state and territory school-leaving certificates with a national certificate that could funnel international students into the ailing higher education sector. The International Education Association of Australia is reviving its contentious push for an Australian certificate of education that could also be studied by international students who would then be better prepared for learning at Australian universities. Students sitting the VCE English exam. Credit:Ken Irwin The association's chief executive Phil Honeywood said a national certificate would provide a pipeline for Australia's 39 public universities, which have been ravaged by a dive in international student numbers caused by COVID-19 border closures. "Ideally Australia would get its act together as with the UK and New Zealand and have one national curriculum," Mr Honeywood said. A hearing session on Egypt in the US House of Representatives reflects the prejudice and rigidity of the liberal camp in Washington The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives held a hearing on Wednesday 9 September entitled Egypt: Trends in politics, economics, and human rights, with the notice of the time and website for the meeting being posted only a week ahead of time. The four witnesses all have direct connections with Egypt, in most cases academic. They are researchers associated with US think tanks and have served with previous US administrations and/or have been consulted by US officials in order to devise US policies towards developments in the Middle East. The first is Michele Dunne, director and a senior fellow in the Middle East Programme of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She was a Middle East specialist at the US State Department from 1986 to 2003 and has also served the US government in numerous capacities, including at the US Embassy in Cairo. In her writings on Egypt, Dunne has been generally critical of the Egyptian government since the 30 June 2013 grassroots uprising that ousted Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt with support from the army. As a researcher and scholar, Dunne may perhaps feel a certain frustration at her inability to understand the society and culture of the region to which she has dedicated her career. She freely projects general principles and maxims familiar to US society onto completely different sociocultural realities and contexts, while she fails to appreciate that democracy and human rights, as conceived in the West, are a culmination of a process of socioeconomic evolution and not mere slogans or policies that can be handed down from above through a certain system of government. Another possible cause of Dunnes frustration is her inability to grasp the fascist nature of the Muslim Brotherhood and its exclusivist ideology that is explicitly discriminatory against women and against other faiths. Any responsible academic should be able to see that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a political party whose members may be open to new ideas, but is rather a closed religio-political cult whose members thinking cannot be induced to conform to the modern world at any level beyond lip service. To believe otherwise would be both naive and impractical. But Dunne continues to ignore such facts, and in her writings she intermittently appeals for the assimilation of the terrorist group into political life despite its record of repression of freedom of opinion and expression, the burning of churches, the restrictions on womens rights and the other crimes and human-rights abuses it perpetrated during its short period of rule in Egypt. The second witness is Amy Hawthorne, a former colleague of Dunnes at the Carnegie Endowment and is currently deputy director of research at the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED). She wrote an article that appeared in the US magazine Foreign Policy in February 2019 entitled Worse than Mubarak, in which she compared the eras of former president Gamal Abdel-Nasser and present President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and concluded that the two men were cut from the same cloth. Evidently, Hawthorne could not see past the fact that both presidents had military backgrounds and that they both clashed violently with the Muslim Brotherhood. She concluded that just as Nassers pan-Arab project had jeopardised US interests in the Middle East in the 1950s and 1960s, so too did Al-Sisis project to impose military-style control in Egypt. This, she said, imperilled US interests at present with potentially graver consequences. Hawthorne has apparently ignored the totally different historical contexts that gave rise to the Nasserist and Al-Sisi regimes. The world order in the 1950s was leagues away from that in the 2010s, and the threats to international peace and stability then were of an entirely different order. But even setting such contextual disparities aside, Al-Sisis political outlook bears no resemblance to that of Nasser. The latter built a regime around a nationalist and pan-Arab project that sought to undermine the interests of the US, the West, and the allied powers in the Gulf and to combat Israel. Al-Sisi seeks to augment Egypts interests through close relations with the US, Europe, and the Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia and the UAE above all. It is also clear that he is determined to uphold the peace treaty with Israel and that he supports the recent US-sponsored peace agreement between the UAE and Israel. It should also be borne in mind that Egypt, under Al-Sisi, is a cornerstone of the international fight against terrorism, a role that has Washingtons full support. In sum, contrary to Hawthornes claim, there is no comparison between the Nasserist model and Al-Sisis government in terms of foreign policy. If there are similarities between the two, they are to be found at the domestic level and, specifically, in their focus on alleviating the plight of the poor, urban development and eliminating informal housing areas, and in building a state on the basis of a concept of citizenship free of transnational identity ideologies. FURTHER WITNESSES The third witness at the House of Representatives meeting is Tamara Cofman Wittes, an American writer and public figure who is also a senior fellow specialising in the Middle East at the US Brookings Institution. In her book Freedoms Unsteady March (2008), Wittes advised the Bush administration, then in office in the US, to persist in promoting democratic transformation in the Arab region despite the failure of the US-led invasion to bring democracy to Iraq. Like Dunne and Hawthorne, Wittes overlooks the level of socio-economic evolution in the region as a critical factor in the potential for successful democratic transition. Nor does she appear to be sorry for the drastic consequences of the US-led invasion of Iraq staged in the name of fighting dictatorship and the sponsors of terrorism. She says nothing about the civil war it precipitated, the collapse of the state and society, the empowerment of the fiercest terrorist trends seen in the region, such as the Islamic State (IS) group, and the deaths or displacement of millions of Iraqi civilians. The fourth speaker is Samuel Tadros, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institutes Centre for Religious Freedom, another US think tank. Tadros is an Egyptian who studied in the US, eventually settled there, and became involved in Middle Eastern studies. Although also critical of the Egyptian government, Tadros naturally does not share the other speakers positive views on political Islam. His criticisms focus on religious freedoms, and if some aspects of his criticisms are warranted, especially with regard to the handling of extremist violence and hostility directed towards Egypts Copts, he ignores the immense efforts the government has been making under President Al-Sisis direction to rebuild churches burned by the Muslim Brothers and Salafis, and he underplays the immense socio-cultural obstacles that have stood in the way of the implementation of anti-discriminatory legislation. President Al-Sisi is determined to steer Egypt towards religious moderation and tolerance, but he has had to tread carefully for fear that pushing the reform discourse too fast could boomerang and jeopardise social cohesion. Al-Sisi believes that raising living standards, especially in Upper Egypt and the countryside, will create the climate most conducive to the dissemination of the discourse of religious reform and offer brighter horizons for society in general. From the foregoing overview of the four researchers scheduled to testify at the Congressional hearing on 9 September, it is not difficult to predict the discourse that will predominate: support for the Muslim Brotherhood, a demand for the release of Brotherhood prisoners who have been handed final verdicts for their involvement in terrorist acts and incitement to violence, sweeping condemnation of Egypt on human-rights issues based on the customary hand-me-down allegations, and uncorroborated estimates on numbers of detainees and other unsubstantiated claims we have heard over and over again since the beginning of Al-Sisis rule. A certain amount of time will also be given to religious freedoms and the violations of the rights of Copts and other Christians. The hearing would simultaneously serve as a channel to mobilise support in Washington for the Brotherhood organisation in the name of fighting dictatorship in the Middle East. Ultimately, the aim is to enable this terrorist organisation to regain its footing after the series of blows it sustained from the death of former Egyptian Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi, the infighting between its international branches in Turkey and Qatar, the death of Brotherhood leader Essam Al-Arian and, most recently, the arrest of Mahmoud Ezzat, the acting Brotherhood supreme guide who had remained in hiding for seven years until the Egyptian security services unearthed his whereabouts last month. The Houses democratic majority is escalating the confrontation with US President Donald Trump by attacking his close allies in the Middle East, namely Egypt, and is using events such as Wednesdays hearing session to embarrass the US administration in a bid to weaken Trumps chances in Novembers presidential elections. *The writer is an expert in US affairs at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. *A version of this article appears in print in the 10 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Authorities will investigate whether a dead tiger shark caught in a net off a Gold Coast beach is the one that killed a surfer in the same waters on Tuesday night. Nick Slater, 46, was fatally mauled at about 5pm on Tuesday off popular Greenmount Beach, on the Gold Coast tourist strip, in a rare attack where swimmers are protected by shark netting. His death is only the second fatal shark attack at one of Queensland's 85 beaches that have been protected by nets and drum lines since 1962, the state government said. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said a large tiger shark had been found since Slater's death tangled in a net off Greenmount Beach. 'Further investigations will be conducted to discover if there is any link between it and the fatal attack,' Palaszczuk told state parliament. Australian star surfer Mick Fanning - who narrowly escaped being mauled by a great white shark in South Africa in 2015 - contacted a teenage 'grommet' surfer who was metres away from Tuesday's attack and shaken up by the horrific scenes. Longboard rider Nick Slater, 46, was mauled to death by a shark on the Gold Coast on Tuesday Surf cameras captured the moment Mr Slater was killed by a great white shark at a netted Gold Coast beach in the first fatal attack in the region since 1958 Mick Fanning pictured being attacked by a shark during the JBay Open in South Africa in 2015. The star surfer reportedly contacted a young surfer who was metres away from Tuesday's mauling to give him words of comfort The tooth left embedded in Mr Slater's surfboard has been taken away for analysis to find out what kind of shark attacked him 'The kid was freaked out by what had happened,' a surfing insider told the Courier-Mail. 'So Mick reached out to him and had a chat and told him to take it easy and that he doesnt have to rush straight back out in the water if he doesnt want to. 'He told him its perfectly okay to be freaked out by something like that and to take it at your own pace.' Before nets were put in place, the last fatal shark attack off a Gold Coast beach - 24 of which are now netted - was in 1958. Gold Coast chief lifeguard Warren Young said by the time lifeguards got out to Mr Slater to bring him back to shore he was likely already dead, Nine News reported. The horrific mauling was captured by surf watch cameras and witnessed by at least one other rider. Pictured: Mr Slater was was a real estate agent who lived in Miami on the Gold Coast Mourners descended on Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning to pay their respects. A Westpac Lifesaver Rescue helicopter was circling in the area after first light looking for sharks. Beaches from Burleigh to Snapper Rocks have been closed and lifeguards are patrolling the waters on jet skis. Thomas Richard Tate, Mayor of the Gold Coast, offered his condolences to Mr Slater's family on Wednesday morning. 'Last time we've had a shark attack is 1958, over 60 years ago,' he told Today. 'It doesn't matter how long it has been, still a devastating shock to the community of the Gold Coast.' The mayor said the beaches would remain closed until it is determined the shark is no longer in the vicinity. An investigation will also try to uncover whether a dead tiger shark caught in a net off the Gold Coast beach is the same one that attacked the popular estate agent Mr Slater is assisted by fellow surfers and beachgoers after he was bitten by a shark on Tuesday Two women hug at Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning, following the death of a surfer Coastalwatch footage captured the moment a surfer brought the injured man to shore with the help of other beachgoers Mr Tate said the shark attack was a reminder to all beachgoers to 'look after your mates'. 'I mean really it brings to reality, when we go off the land we go into water, it is the shark's domain,' he said. Footage from a Swellnet surf camera shows Mr Slater sitting in the water at the end of the line-up before the shark grabs him and pulls him under. Pictured: Lifeguards on jet skis search the water at Greenmount Beach on Wednesday Water can be seen splashing around before the black silhouette of the shark swims away. Some surfers just metres away seem oblivious to what is happening. Mr Slater is then seen floating face down in the water before fellow board-riders drag him to shore. The bite stretched from his upper thigh to his knee and a tooth from the predator remained lodged in his longboard. A man walks along a boardwalk as Greenmount Beach is closed on Wednesday morning Two surfers are seen walking near a 'danger' sign on Wednesday morning as beaches are shut from Burleigh to Snapper Rocks Greenmount Beach will remain closed until it's determined there are no longer sharks in the area Coastalwatch footage showed the moment directly after the attack, when a surfer paddled the victim to shore with the help of other beachgoers. Lifeguards were seen waiting on the sand before frantically working to treat the severe injury. The water was evacuated as lifeguards attempted to save the victim. Emergency crews rushed to the popular tourist spot but the real estate agent could not be saved. Mr Slater, who was surfing alone, was pronounced dead minutes after they arrived. Greenmount Beach was closed on Wednesday morning after a surfer was mauled by a shark on Tuesday Greenmount Beach, located near the Queensland-New South Wales border, has shark control equipment surrounding it including nets Surfer Jade Parker told 7News he first spotted a school of fish and up to 30 birds near the victim, which is what attracted the shark to the surfer. He had been walking along the footpath near a lookout when he noticed some commotion in the water. 'There were four or five people yelling and pointing at the water, and I looked out to where they were pointing and I spotted a board floating and a body was next to it,' he said. Mr Parker just assumed the surfer had been knocked out because he wasn't moving so he ran down to the beach and swam to the victim, who was in waist deep water. 'There were about three on the scene before me and they were all trying to drag him in with the board he had. I helped drag him into the beach as well.' Surfer Jade Parker told 7News he first spotted a school of fish and up to 30 birds near the victim, which is what attracted the shark to the surfer When they arrived on the sand lifeguards were waiting with a stretcher but Mr Parker said he was 'pretty much gone' by the time they arrived. Mr Parker said the injury stretched from the 'groin area to just below his knee'. 'It was pretty much all taken... there was nothing there, it was just hanging there by not much,' he said. Two lifeguard vans are pulled up on the sand of Greenmount Beach as the sun rises on Wednesday morning 'Honestly, I do not want to get to the gory parts but he was in a bad way. He was not conscious. It looked like he had already pretty much passed away at that point in time.' Mr Parker added that the attack would not put him off surfing. 'I know the sharks are always out there so I will just have to accept that fate,' he said. A woman sits on a rock and looks out to the water at Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning Queensland Ambulance Supervisor William Houghton said the man had been surfing with a few other gentlemen. 'It was actually witnessed by one of the other surfers, they saw him being attacked by the shark,' he said. Mr Houghton said lifesavers provided first aid on the beach. A sign at Greenmount Beach alerts swimmers and surfers that the beach is closed on Wednesday 'It was a pretty traumatic event for everybody concerned,' he said. Greenmount Beach, located near the Queensland-New South Wales border, has shark control equipment including drum lines. It is not yet known how the shark avoided the nets to get to the man. Pictures show paramedics and lifeguards desperately tending to the man's injuries in the back of a beach buggy. A man walks past a sign declaring Greenmount Beach is closed on Wednesday morning A lifeguard vehicle is seen parked on the sand as surfers leave Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning Members of the public were seen holding up a sheet to cover him as he receives treatment for the bite. The attack is the first on the Gold Coast since 2012, when a 20-year-old surfer was mauled at Nobby Beach. It is the first fatal attack in the region in 62 years when Peter Gerard Spronk was killed in 1958. He was mauled by a shark 250m off Surfers Paradise beach and died of his injuries despite lifesavers coming to his rescue. Akshay Kumar, who made his debut with Saugandh in 1991, has multiple upcoming projects. Akshay Kumar celebrates his 53rd birthday today in Scotland, where he is currently shooting for Bell Bottom alongside Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Lara Dutta. To mark the actor's birthday, the makers shared a new still from the film. Directed by Ranjit M Tewari and written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Shaikh, Bell Bottom, said to be a spy thriller set in the '80s, is the first Hindi movie to be shot post the coronavirus lockdown. Here is the image NEW LOOK... On #AkshayKumar's birthday today, Team #BellBottom unveils the new look from the spy thriller... Set in the 1980s, #Akshay enacts the part of a #RAW agent in the film, which is currently being filmed in #Scotland... Directed by Ranjit M Tewari. pic.twitter.com/epRgd3jH74 taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 9, 2020 Kumar will also be featuring in Discovery Channel's Into The Wild With Bear Grylls. Last week, he shared an action-packed promo, where he said he tasted elephant poop tea and ran into the woods along with Grylls. Besides Bell Bottom, Kumar has a bevy of upcoming projects. Sooryanvashi The cop comedy was scheduled to release in theatres on 24 March, but had to be postponed due to the shuttering of cinemas. Kumar will play Veer Sooryavanshi, the chief of the anti-terrorism squad; the name seems to be inspired by Salman Khan's Veer (2010) and Suryavanshi (1992). With this film, also starring Katrina Kaif, director Rohit Shetty will expand his cop universe. He had previously directed Ajay Devgn in Singham and Singham Returns, and Ranveer Singh in Simmba. Singh and Devgn will also make a cameo appearance in the film. Laxmmi Bomb Raghava Lawrence's Tamil horror comedy remake, Laxmmi Bomb, will see Kumar as a man haunted by vengeful ghosts. Kiara Advani plays the opposite lead in the Hindi version. The horror-comedy is set to stream on Disney+Hotstar, bypassing a theatrical release as screens remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a virtual press conference in June, Kumar had said OTT release was the only wise option in the current scenario. Bachchan Pandey Kumar will reunite with frequent collaborator Sajid Nadiadwala for this feature. Housefull 4 director Farhad Samji is at the helm. The makers had shared two different looks of the actor last year. Also starring Kriti Sanon, Bachchan Pandey releases in January, 2021. Prithviraj Kumar will play Rajput warrior and king, Prithviraj Chauhan in the YRF production, which marks the feature debut of Miss World 2017 Manushi Chillar. On his 52nd birthday, Kumar had shared a brief teaser of Prithviraj. A source told Mumbai Mirror that the shoot of Prithviraj had to be halted in March due to the pandemic, and after Kumar wraps up Bell Bottom, he will begin work on the historical drama by October. Atrangi Re The Aanand L Rai produced film will feature Tamil superstar Dhanush and Sara Ali Khan in the lead, while Kumar will be seen in a cameo appearance. "It's is a challenging character to play, but at the same time, it is such a special role that my heart just couldnt say no to it. I will remember it for the rest of my life. My combination with Sara and Dhanush truly makes it true to its title Atrangi! And I know that Aanand, in his special and simple way of storytelling, will only add magic to it," Kumar had previously told Times of India. In this Wednesday, June 24, 2020 file photo, a volunteer receives an injection at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg. This is part of Africa's first participation in a COVID-19 vaccine trial developed at the University of Oxford in Britain in conjunction with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. (Siphiwe Sibeko/Pool via AP) The suspension of a huge COVID-19 vaccine study over an illness in a single participant shows there will be "no compromises" on safety in the race to develop the shot, the chief of the National Institutes of Health told Congress on Wednesday. AstraZeneca has put on hold studies of its vaccine candidate in the U.S. and other countries while it investigates whether a British volunteer's illness is a side effect or a coincidence. "This ought to be reassuring," NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins said before a Senate committee. "When we say we are going to focus first on safety and make no compromises, here is Exhibit A of how that is happening in practice." Scientists have been scrambling to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus since the outbreak began, and the U.S. has launched the world's largest studiesfinal-stage testing of three leading candidates, with three more trials set to come soon that will each recruit 30,000 test subjects. Public health experts are worried that President Donald Trump will pressure the Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before it is proven to be safe and effective, a concern senator after senator echoed on Wednesday. "When it comes to a COVID-19 vaccine, we can't allow President Trump to repeat his alarming pattern of putting politics ahead of science and public health," said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the committee's ranking Democrat. Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, attends a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP) The U.S. has invested billions of dollars in efforts to quickly develop multiple vaccines against COVID-19. But public fears that a vaccine is unsafe or ineffective could be disastrous, derailing the effort to vaccinate millions of Americans. Collins said the public needs to understand the process behind telling when any vaccine candidate is ready for widespread useone that by design is keeping both manufacturers and politicians in the dark until the evidence gels. About 150 COVID-19 infections in a study of 30,000 people should be enough to tell if that candidate really is workingand an independent group of experts, not the FDA, gets to do the counting. WHO MONITORS THE STUDIES? Every vaccine trial is overseen by a "data and safety monitoring board," or DSMB. These boards include scientists and statisticians who are experts in their fields but have no ties to either the government or the vaccine makers. This July 18, 2020, file photo, shows the AstraZeneca offices in Cambridge, England. AstraZeneca announced Monday, Aug. 31, its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. The company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File) The top priority: watching for safety concerns, like the one that sparked a DSMB in Britain to pause AstraZeneca's vaccinations and alert its U.S. counterpart. But this is the group that also will decide when each vaccine is ready to be evaluated by regulators. In each 30,000-person study, about half the participants are given the real vaccine and half get dummy shots, and neither they nor their doctors know which is which. Only the DSMB has the power to unlock the code of who got which shot and peek at how the volunteers are faring before a study is finished. The FDA can't even begin to consider approving a vaccine until the DSMB says the data is good enough for that debate, Collins stressed. Once that happens, the FDA has pledged to bring each candidate before a public vaccine advisory committee. Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, gives an opening statement during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP) DOING THE MATH The FDA already has told manufacturers it won't consider any vaccine that's less than 50% effective. Say one vaccine trial records that 150 volunteers have gotten sick. The DSMB finds that 100 had received dummy shots and 50 had received the real vaccine. The expert group might decide that's a promising enough vaccine to stop the study early so that the FDA can debate its merits, even before getting final outcomes from all 30,000 volunteers, said Dr. Larry Corey of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute, who is overseeing the U.S. government's vaccine studies. On the other hand, if equal numbers from the vaccine and placebo groups got infected, the DSMB might declare a vaccine futile, he told The Associated Press. These panels also can calculate infections even before that 150 threshold is met, at set time points in each study. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., listens to Surgeon General Jerome Adams give an opening statement during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP) "If your vaccine is at least 50% effective, you're going to know it because you're going to see a big skewing" of infections, NIH's Collins told the Senate's health, education, labor and pensions committee. "You count those events and you know whether it worked or not." ANSWERS UNLIKELY BEFORE THE U.S. ELECTION Getting the right math before November, as Trump has promised, is "incredibly unlikely," Corey said. Collins expressed "cautious optimism" that one of the vaccines being tested will pan out by the end of the year but warned: "Certainly to try to predict whether it happens on a particular week before or after a particular date in early November is well beyond anything that any scientist right now could tell you." And even if a study has a spate of infections large enough to prove the effectiveness question, the DSMB also must be comfortable that there's enough evidence of safety before opening the books to the FDA. Generally, the FDA is requiring safety data from at least 3,000 people, Surgeon General Jerome Adams told the Senate panel. In this Aug. 14, 2020, file photo, laboratory technicians work at the mAbxience biopharmaceutical company on an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and the laboratory AstraZeneca in Garin, Argentina. AstraZeneca announced Monday, Aug. 31, its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File) This process isn't newPhase 3 studies of vaccines and therapies are always done this way, though rarely in so bright a spotlight. SUSPENDING A STUDY NOT THAT RARE It's not uncommon for pauses in research to investigate whether an unexpected health complaint is really related to a vaccine or not, Collins told senators worried about what the AstraZeneca suspension means for the nation's year-end goal. "The reason we're investing not in one but six different vaccines is because of the expectation that they won't all work," Collins said. AstraZeneca gave no details on the illness, but Collins said it involved a "spinal cord problem." Earlier-stage studies hadn't revealed any serious side effects, but that's a key reason for doing ever-larger phases of researchto widen the search for any reactions. Surgeon General Jerome Adams takes off his face mask as he appears before a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP) Surgeon General Jerome Adams speaks to Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, as they arrive for a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP) Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., gives an opening statement during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP) A monitor depicts the structure of SARS-CoV-2 during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP) Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, listens to Surgeon General Jerome Adams give an opening statement during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP) Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., listens to Surgeon General Jerome Adams give an opening statement during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP) Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, arrives for a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP) Final testing of two other vaccines is continuing, one created by the NIH and manufactured by Moderna Inc., the other made by Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. Those two vaccines work differently than AstraZeneca's, which was developed by Oxford University, and the studies already have recruited about two-thirds of the needed volunteers. Several vaccine candidates made by Chinese companies are in late stages of testing in various countries, but with smaller numbers of volunteers. Most health authorities are skeptical about a claim of vaccine success by Russia, which has test results from just a few dozen people. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Washington: The Trump administration has been forced into damage control after the US President admitted deliberately downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus early in the pandemic in explosive interviews with veteran journalist Bob Woodward. Trump gave 18 on-the-record interviews to the famous Watergate journalist for his highly anticipated new book Rage, details of which have been leaked to the media ahead of its arrival in American bookshops next week. In a February interview with Woodward, Trump described the coronavirus as "deadly stuff" even as he was publicly predicting it would miraculously disappear and favourably comparing it to the seasonal flu. "You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed," Trump said in his February interview. The boss of a security company hired to guard one of Melbourne's quarantine hotels told staff to "remember the Rydges" and ignore advice from the Health Department that masks and gloves were not mandatory. Internal emails provided to the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry reveal one of the main companies feared that changing advice and lack of communication meant guards were vulnerable to COVID-19 from day one. "Remember the Rydges! I'm not sure based on history that DHHS [Department of Health and Human Services] standards are what we should be aspiring to," MSS Security general manager Jamie Adams wrote of the quarantine situation at Rydges on Swanston days before an outbreak occurred at the Stamford Plaza in June. As the company and its subcontractors grappled with the outbreak a month later, a security supervisor told MSS heads that the Health Department kept changing the rules with respect to personal protective equipment and there was a lack of communication on who was and wasn't infected. The pound slid today amid mounting fears that Boris Johnsons plans to tear up the Brexit divorce deal could torpedo trade talks. Sterling slumped to its lowest level against the US dollar since July, hitting a value of just under 1.29. It was also 1.7 per cent lower against the euro at 1.10 as markets took fright at claims that the government is ready to break international law. Currency experts said the pound was also taking a hit amid concerns the worsening Brexit negotiations could see further action from the Bank of England. Sterling slipped lower against both the US dollar (top chart) and euro (bottom) as fears mounted over the prospects for a trade deal Boris Johnson (pictured at PMQs today) insisted he was doing his 'duty' today as he faced a Tory mutiny for threatening to renege on the Brexit divorce deal The PM insisted he was doing his 'duty' today as he faced a Tory mutiny for threatening to renege on the Brexit divorce deal. Legislation published this afternoon would unilaterally decide details that Brussels insists must be settled by a joint committee, including customs arrangements between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis sparked outrage yesterday by bluntly admitting that the measures will breach international law. European commission president Ursula von der Leyen has warned that the move will undermine 'prosperous future relations'. But Mr Johnson told the Commons: 'My job is to uphold the integrity of the UK but also to protect the Northern Irish peace process and the Good Friday Agreement,' the PM said. 'To do that we need a legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations of the protocol, which could lead to a border down the Irish Sea in a way that I believe and I think members around the House believe would be prejudicial to the interests of the Good Friday Agreement and prejudicial to the interests of peace in our country. 'That has to be our priority.' The UK's former ambassador to the US has waded into the row by suggesting that the dramatic step is a Trump-style bid to get a better deal in post-Brexit trade negotiations, which are at a critical stage. Michel Barnier arrived in London this morning as the EU and UK conduct a make or break round of negotiations on the future trade relationship European council president Charles Michel insisted breaking international law was 'not acceptable' Lord Darroch said he suspected Mr Johnson was trying to 'create chaos' so he could extract better terms, and there was an 'aspect of the way Donald Trump would have done it'. Fawad Razaqzada, a market analyst at ThinkMarkets, said: Investors bet the renewed Brexit uncertainty calls for more monetary action from the Bank of England. The uncertainty surrounding the UK-EU trade situation has raised the prospects of the UK ending the transition period without a deal in place. With time running out fast, some investors are becoming increasingly pessimistic that an agreement will be reached in time. Connor Campbell, at Spreadex, said the pounds losses this week had wiped out all of the spirited growth it managed over a Brexit-ignorant August. But UK blue chip shares were enjoying a boost from the weaker pound, with the FTSE 100 Index up 1 per cent, ahead 56.7 points at 5,987. Many firms in the top tier of stocks benefit from a falling pound as they make the bulk of their revenues overseas. Coronation Street actor Sam Aston's partner, Briony, charted her pregnancy journey with a series of snaps on Instagram on Wednesday. The new mum - who welcomed baby son Sonny in August - shared a slew of progressive photos of her changing body - from first signs of a bump through to a a post-baby tummy, and then the final product, Sonny himself. In the first, taken in early April, she remarked that she thought she already 'looked massive'. Before and after: Coronation Street actor Sam Aston's partner, Briony, charted her pregnancy journey with a series of snaps on Instagram on Wednesday She shared another of her doing yoga in a crop-top from the same time. She explained that her bump changed quickly and she had to adapt her yoga routine as a result. 'Wheel pose was so tricky in pregnancy!' she commented as she performed the position in a backwards arch. She followed this with a snap at 31 weeks, when the baby had dropped. 'Bump appreciation': In the first, taken in early April, she remarked that she thought she already 'looked massive' 'Tricky!' She explained that her bump changed quickly and she had to adapt her yoga routine as a result. She followed this with a snap at 31 weeks, when the baby had dropped Another saw her in her pyjamas trying out her birthing pool in her living room - with no water in it. 'Not realising I wouldn't get the chance to use it again!' she added - having not ended up giving birth in it. She posted another snap in a black bra and knickers, explaining that she had been 'waddling for four months' by that stage in July. She rounded this off with a snap of her at 34 weeks, the day before birth, with her 'baby boy en route the next day'. Progress: Another saw her in her pyjamas trying out her birthing pool in her living room - with no water in it. She posted another snap in a black bra and knickers, explaining that she had been 'waddling for four months' by that stage in July She shared snaps with Sam and Sonny, the three of them in the hospital following the birth, and another of just the baby. She also showed off her postpartum shape, writing: 'And then bump was no more!' Sonny was born six weeks premature but soap actor Sam, 27, revealed that the birth of their son was 'calm'. End result: She shared snaps with Sam and Sonny, the three of them in the hospital following the birth, and another of just the baby Briony was beaming with happiness as she cradled her firstborn in the adorable snap posted to her social media. Sonny was wearing a white onsie and is already rocking a full head of ginger hair, just like his father. The mother-of-one displayed her natural beauty as she opted for a makeup-free look and kept her long blonde tresses in a loose ponytail, leaving her fringe to delicately frame her face. Firstborn: The yoga instructor and her Coronation Street star partner, 27, revealed that the birth of their son was 'calm' despite him being born six weeks premature Briony revealed that nothing could have prepared her for the joys of parenthood. She said: 'Nothing could have truly prepared me for your entrance into this world; a journey of complete surrender and the most intense surges of energy I have ever felt in my life. 'But I understand now that it had to be this way. How else could my heart come to live outside of my body?' Briony penned: 'Nothing could have truly prepared me for your entrance into this world; a journey of complete surrender and the most intense surges of energy I have ever felt in my life' In August, she confirmed the birth of her son on social media and revealed his official date of birth and weight. She penned: 'Sonny Aston. He calmly entered our world 6 weeks early on 11.08.20 at 5lbs 7oz and we couldnt be more in love'. The yoga instructor was expecting to welcome her baby in September and had been documenting her journey online. Welcome surprise: The yoga instructor was shocked when she and Sam discovered they were expecting a baby boy as she revealed that their extended family have mostly girls Briony and Sam first announced they were expecting a boy when speaking with OK! magazine, saying: 'We're having a boy! 'It was a massive surprise when we found out, as there are loads of girls in our families, so we were adamant we were having a girl.' The couple also revealed they had only been trying for a baby for little over a month before getting the positive result. Sam, whose Coronation Street character Chesney is parenting quads on the popular ITV soap, said he and Briony would love a big family but admitted they were glad they were just expecting the one child. A group of students at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing have published an open letter to administrators outlining what they see as a failure to provide adequate financial and academic support as well as clinical training during the coronavirus pandemic. As of Tuesday morning, 125 students had signed the Aug. 24 letter, published on WordPress. It calls for issuing each student an itemized bill outlining the costs of clinical training, a refund of all clinical-related fees for summer 2020, and a retroactive 10% reduction of the general fee, in line with what Penn has instituted for the fall semester. The letter also calls for regular meetings between a nursing student working group and administrators to discuss how the School of Nursing can offer more effective academic and financial support. In the letter, students said that they had been without the resources and instruction comparable to what the School of Nursing, currently ranked by one leading authority as the top nursing school in the world, provides under normal circumstances. Despite the lack of in-person simulation lab training, which allows students to practice their skills in realistic situations, or clinical training since March 5, tuition and fees have not been reduced. Most of the students who signed the letter are enrolled in the School of Nursings accelerated program, which is for people who have a bachelors degree in a non-nursing field. The price tag of the program, which lasts for five semesters, is $180,857 including estimated living expenses. The alternatives that they offered us were completely less valuable than what we would have gotten if a pandemic were not to have occurred, said one Penn nursing student who helped write the letter. She asked that her name not be published for fear of hurting her employment prospects after graduating. We took out a huge investment, and were going to be entering the workforce during a global recession. Hospitals are losing money. And the schools like, Thats too bad, instead of offering the kind of support were paying them for. She said that she does not expect Penn to put nursing students in hospitals right now, but being charged for experiences they are not getting is not right. I know that we will all be smart, competent nurses in the long run, she said. But Penn completely reneged on an agreement. The Penn students are not alone. Since campuses in the Philadelphia area closed for the spring semester, college students have launched dozens of petitions seeking refunds and also have filed lawsuits because they were unsatisfied with the quality of virtual classes. Nursing schools around the country took various approaches to clinical training over the last few months the University of Maryland, Baltimore allowed nursing students to resume in-person training by the start of summer semester after safety protocols were instituted, while College of the Desert, a public community college in Palm Desert, Calif., decided to suspend nursing courses, causing student protests. Villanova University sent nursing students kits that they could use to showcase their in-person skills to faculty over Zoom, by demonstrating a practice assessment on a family member or a mannequin. Antonia Villarruel, the dean of Penn Nursing, said in a statement that like many other nursing schools, the school moved to virtual simulation to be compliant with policies and guidelines set forth by the city and state. While we adapted our teaching methods, they are evidence-based and by no means experimental, Villarruel said. Fortunately, we are at a point with the pandemic in our region that we are now able to resume in-person clinicals. During the spring semester, students completed clinical hours which usually involve shadowing a nurse in a hospital on iHuman, a program that allows users to diagnose virtual patients via drop-down menus. According to the letter, students expressed their concerns about the quality of the program to administrators via email by mid-April, but were told that iHuman had been thoroughly vetted. Over the summer, students were required to watch videos and listen to podcasts available to the public at no additional cost for 30 hours of clinical experience. In the letter, students said that listening to the third season of Serial, a popular investigative journalism podcast, fulfilled 10 clinical hours. (Students were told the podcast was supposed to give them a better understanding of the criminal justice system, since the focus of the summer semester was community health.) Despite meeting multiple times with administrators in the months following the campus shutdown on March 17, students said their concerns about paying full tuition for the virtual training were not addressed. A student who signed the letter to Penn Nursing said that while it was a huge bummer not to be allowed back in clinical training, it made sense. But the schools lack of recognition that the virtual tools students were given were not of the same caliber was really disheartening. Were not unreasonable, she said. We have the ability to be understanding of unprecedented times. But as time went on, it became obvious that what was delivered was so lacking in creativity and real thought, it was almost like a smack in the face. I kept wondering if our teachers had actually looked at this. Did they truly feel this was going to make up for what we were losing? We will continue to deal with Chinese PLA in firm, resolute manner: Army chief With eye on China, India, France & Australia hold first joint talks on Indo-Pacific India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 09: India, Australia and France on Wednesday held talks for the first time under a trilateral framework with focus on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a region that has been witnessing increasing Chinese military assertiveness. The virtual meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, secretary-general in French ministry for Europe and foreign affairs Franois Delattre and secretary in Australian department of foreign affairs Frances Adamson. India-China tensions: India fully prepared, will retaliate say sources | Oneindia News "The focus of the dialogue was on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. It said the "outcome-oriented" meeting was held with the objective of building on the strong bilateral ties that the three countries share with each other and synergise their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region. The MEA said the three sides agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis. It said the three sides discussed economic and geo-strategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic responses to the crisis. "The three countries also had an exchange on the priorities, challenges and trends in regional and global multilateral institutions, including the best ways to strengthen and reform multilateralism," the MEA said. The MEA said cooperation on marine global commons and potential areas for practical partnership at the trilateral and regional level were also discussed, including through regional organisations such as ASEAN, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Commission. The 10-nation ASEAN is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region. India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners. The IORA is a regional forum with a focus on enhancing maritime and economic cooperation. The members of the bloc include India, Australia, Bangladesh, Iran, Kenya, Comoros, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia and South Africa. In the event that neither President Donald Trump nor Joe Biden wins an absolute majority of votes in the Electoral College this November, the race will be handled with a constitutional procedure called a contingent election, which will send the contest to the House of Representatives for a final decision. The process for a contingent election was initially established in Article II of the Constitution and later modified by the Twelfth Amendment. As it stands, the Constitution requires the House of Representatives to go into session to settle the election if neither candidate has attained a majority. Under this procedure, the House then must choose among the three presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes. Whats most important to note is that in a contingent election, the House doesnt cast its votes in the same way that it would decide on legislation. Instead, each state delegation must cast its vote en bloc, with each state receiving just a single vote, allotted to the candidate who receives majority support in the delegation. In order to be elected, then, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of state-delegation votes, which, given the 50 U.S. states, means he must receive the votes of 26 state delegations. (Despite having a delegate and three votes in the Electoral College, the District of Columbia does not get a vote.) This is where things get really interesting: Although the Democratic Party currently holds a majority in the House, with 232 representatives to the Republican Partys 198, the Republicans hold a majority of state delegations. In the current makeup of the House, there is a Republican majority in the delegations from 27 states. Of course, the composition of those delegations is subject to change in the coming election, and the newly elected House would be the one to settle the presidential election in the event of a tie. A contingent election for vice president, meanwhile, in which no vice-presidential candidate achieves a majority in the Electoral College, would be settled by the Senate. Story continues In 1800, the U.S. faced one of its few contingent elections, when Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr each won 73 electoral votes, John Adams won 65 electoral votes, and Charles Pinckney won 64 electoral votes. This was when the Constitution required each Electoral College member to vote for two candidates for president and none for vice president; the second-place finisher became the vice president. Burr was understood to be Jeffersons vice-presidential choice, and several people suggested that some Jefferson elector should cast his second vote for someone else, so that Burr would finish second, but nobody did. When the state delegations of the House attempted to choose between Jefferson and Burr, it took 36 ballots for them to elect Jefferson. The first 35 ballots failed to achieve a majority, in part because House rules label as divided any delegation that doesnt give a majority to either candidate, resulting in its vote being withheld from both candidates. Each time the votes were counted, Jefferson got eight states votes, Burr got six, and two states were divided. Finally, on the 36th ballots, a handful of representatives from the opposition Federalist Party relented and changed their votes, and Jefferson was elected. In past contingent presidential elections, the House has held its votes in a closed session and the votes of each representative were never made public. However, a closed session is not required by the Constitution, and the House could decide to change that rule and publicize the final tally of votes. Contingent elections are rare, with only three occurring in the U.S. since the founding: in the House in 1800 and 1824, and one in the Senate to choose the vice president in 1836. Even so, its not entirely unimaginable, especially given the state of play in several battleground states, that this years presidential contest could end up in the House come November. In addition to that possibility, theres a chance that the House will have to vote to resolve disputes over the certification of electoral votes. Because there is certain to be an increase in mail-in ballots this year, along with a higher likelihood of court challenges, close final-vote tallies in some states could result in protracted delays or disagreements over validity of the results. The newly elected House and Senate are always required to certify the Electoral College in the January after a presidential election, giving congressmen the chance to challenge the results. If any congressman does so, it would trigger a vote in each chamber on whether to certify the electoral votes in the disputed state or states. Unlike in a contingent election, those votes would be conducted on an individual basis rather than by state delegation, a prospect that Americans of all political parties should hope to avoid. Editors note: This article has been updated since its initial publication. More from National Review Salvador Ordorica, CEO of The Spanish Group LLC, a premier certified translation service serving international clients of all sizes, has been accepted in the Forbes Business Council, an invitation-only organization for successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Salvador Ordorica was carefully vetted by a Forbes review committee and was ultimately selected based on his outstanding track record of successfully improving business growth metrics, as well as his personal and professional achievements and honors. We are honored to welcome Salvador into the community, said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Business Council. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world. As a chosen member of the Council, Salvador is able to more deeply connect with other entrepreneurs and business leaders. Members of the Council share a private forum and are invited to collaborate with a professional editorial team to better convey their expert insights in original articles on Forbes.com, and contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts. Salvador will also benefit from exclusive access to vetted business service partners, membership-branded marketing collateral, and the Forbes Councils member concierge team's high-touch support. "I am truly honored to become a part of this elite group of leaders and experts brought together by Forbes," shared Salvador Ordorica, a professional language translator and CEO of The Spanish Group LLC. "When we began The Spanish Group LLC, I knew there was so much more than document translation services in our future. Today, we conduct certified translation services in almost any medium imaginable. Through the Council, I will look to strengthen my ties with the growing business and technology communities to find new opportunities, and to set a new bar for what it is possible to accomplish with a translation company". About Forbes Councils Forbes Councils is a series of carefully cultivated business communities built by invitation only memberships and the collaboration of Forbes and the founders of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). In Forbes Councils, the most effective and exceptional business leaders are brought together with the people and resources that will allow them to thrive and grow well into the future. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com About The Spanish Group LLC The Spanish Group LLC is a certified translation service used by both the public and the private sector. Individuals, governmental organizations, and firms of several different industries rely on The Spanish Group to conduct their day to day operations. The Spanish Group translates civil certificates, websites, legal documents, general business documents, human resources documentation, and more. Maj. Gen. Paul Calvert, '88, is the third University of North Georgia (UNG) graduate to serve as commander of the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) Operation Inherent Resolve. Calvert, who just received his third star, begins the new role Sept. 9. Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the multinational coalition of military forces with the mission to defeat the Islamic State in parts of Iraq and Syria. "I'm very honored and humbled by the trust and confidence placed in me by the secretary of the Army and the chief of staff of the Army to lead and command Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve," Calvert said. "The command has a clear mission, a willing coalition and an able partner. I'm excited about the opportunity ahead." Retired Lt. Gen. James Terry, '78, served as the first commander for Operation Inherent Resolve in 2014. Gen. Stephen Townsend, '82, is the other UNG Corps of Cadets alumnus among the operation's seven commanders in its brief history. "I have big shoes to fill following behind Gen. Townsend and retired Lt. Gen Terry. Both led and commanded the CJTF at critical times in the command's history and made a significant difference in doing so," Calvert said. "The fact that we have had so many UNG graduates who have served with distinction in OIR, as well as Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn, speaks to the high-caliber leaders our institution is consistently producing." Calvert served as assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and training with the Headquarters Department of the Army from October 2019 through August 2020. He previously served as commander of the 1st Cavalry Division from October 2017 to October 2019 after a stint as deputy commanding general for the same division from July 2016 to October 2017. Calvert is one of five flag officers from UNG's class of 1988, with four of those five still on active duty. The others are Maj. Gen. William K. Gayler, Maj. Gen. James B. Jarrard and Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Jarrard. Brig. Gen. Michael L. Scholes retired in 2016. Terry was assistant professor of military science and commandant while Calvert and the others were at UNG. "Seeing Paul and the others from the class of '88 become senior leaders in the Army really is phenomenal. It's certainly rewarding for me to know that I was a small part of their learning how to lead at North Georgia," Terry said. "I was thrilled to hear it. It's just a testament to the quality of leaders that we produce out of the Corps of Cadets true Georgia gold." 'Catholic Case for Trump:' Author argues why Trump is 'the most pro-Catholic president in history' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment With less than two months to go until the 2020 election, a new book aims to convince Catholics across the United States to support the reelection of President Donald Trump. Austin Ruse, president of the Center for Family and Human Rights, explained his motivations for writing The Catholic Case for Trump in an interview with The Christian Post. I was motivated to write the book to give the faithful Catholics some ammunition as they debate their more liberal friends and family, he said. Even though the president isn't Catholic himself, Ruse maintains that he's the most pro-Catholic president in history. Ruse believes that the central issues facing Catholic voters are the sanctity of life and religious freedom. He devoted two chapters in his book to explaining how Trump has proven himself to be an ally of Catholics on both fronts. Many pro-lifers are in senior positions at the Department of Health and Human Services, an agency that has been dedicated to advancing the abortionist agenda in Democratic administrations, Ruse states in the book. As an example of Trump's actions benefiting Catholics and other religious entities, he notes in the book: On May 4, 2017, Trump issued the executive order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty. This executive order instructed the Treasury Department to refrain from taking adverse action against churches and religious groups that engage in political speech. In a chapter titled Trump and Judges, Ruse reviews the impact Trump has had on the judiciary. For pro-life Catholics, few issues are more important than the Supreme Court. After all, it was the Supreme Court that legalized abortion nationwide in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Pro-life activists have spent nearly a half-century working to assemble a judiciary that would reverse that decision. The president has made progress in helping pro-lifers achieve that goal, Ruse contends in the book. After four years of remarkable judicial picks, seven of thirteen circuit courts have durable conservative majorities. Ruse explained to CP that there are three types of Catholics: faithful Catholics, generic Catholics, and dissenting Catholics. Faithful Catholics are people who actually practice the faith. [They] go to mass every week, go to confession regularly, and try to be observant in their Catholicism, he said. Generic Catholics, he said, will tell a pollster that theyre Catholic even if they haven't attended mass in a long time. George W. Bush won both the faithful Catholic vote and the generics. That was because he was running against an unfaithful Catholic that is John Kerry. We have the exact same situation here, he asserted, referring to Biden. Joe Biden is an unfaithful Catholic. He opposes the teachings of the Church on fundamental issues of human sexuality and human life. I think that faithful Catholics and generic Catholics are uncomfortable with the idea that a dissenting Catholic will be in the White House. According to Ruse, dissenting Catholics ally themselves with the anti-life left, which tries to draw Catholics away from a Republican president based on issues other than life. For example, Ruse told CP that ahead of the 2008 election, the left tried to take the eye of the Catholic voter off the issues of life and religious liberty by focusing on then-President George W. Bushs authorization of waterboarding three terrorists. Ruse warned that in a Biden administration, the Trump administrations efforts to advance the pro-life movement and religious liberty will face setbacks. Biden is surrounded by even more radical people than Obama, he said. I think its going to be a hideous situation for Catholics and other believers. He will persecute the Little Sisters of the Poor and other groups, Ruse added. As a dissident Catholic, Biden will persecute Catholics unlike anything weve ever seen before including under Obama. After noting that Biden described the transgender movement as the civil rights issue of this time, Ruse surmised that Catholic schools that subscribe to biblical teachings about gender and sexuality would be forced to accept transgender teachers and students in a Biden administration. The Catholic Case for Trump is the latest book published by Ruse, whose other works include Fake Science: Exposing the Lefts Skewed Statistics, Fuzzy Facts, and Dodgy Data, and Littlest Suffering Souls: Children Whose Short Lives Point Us to Christ, both of which were published in 2017. China has announced another naval exercise as observers predicted that its increasing military capabilities would see an increase in US surveillance flights. The maritime safety authorities in Zhejiang province announced a no-entry zone for civilian vessels in the East China Sea from Tuesday until Friday afternoon because of military activities. The scale of Chinas exercises along its coast in recent weeks has been unprecedented and has been matched by an increase in the number of US ships and aircraft keeping watch over the PLAs activities. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Meanwhile, a Beijing-based think tank said satellite images showed a number of flights by US spy planes, including one that approached the coast of Guangdong province and another near the no-entry zone. A US army Artemis CL-604 left Kadena air base in Okinawa on Monday and was later spotted near Guangdong province, according to a Twitter post by the South China Sea Strategic Probing Initiative. It also said the US air force had transferred two reconnaissance planes, an RC-135W and an RC-135S, from the Yokota air base in Tokyo to Okinawa on the same day. One Tuesday another army CL-604 plane was spotted near the area cleared for the East China Sea exercise and second that left Kadena air base was seen over the South China Sea. The latest activities came as tensions between the worlds two largest economies continue to escalate on many fronts, from the economic to the strategic, with the South China Sea and Taiwan among the most likely flashpoints. Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based military commentator, said the US was likely to carry out more reconnaissance operations in Chinas coastal regions in future given its growing concern about Chinas expanding military capability in particular the possibility of an attack on Taiwan. Story continues The US, he said, is looking to collect intelligence to better study Chinas strategic intentions in case any armed confrontations occur. Such provocations could become increasingly normal, Song said. But from another perspective, the PLA could take it as a great opportunity to train its military in such face-offs with the worlds biggest military power. Chinas military has stepped up its activities in recent weeks along its southern and eastern coastlines. The latest exercise in the East China Sea follows the start of another drill in the Bohai Sea, off the northeastern port of Qinhuangdao, on Monday and a four-day live-fire exercise in the Yellow Sea near Lianyungang. Meanwhile, the US has reportedly stepped up its reconnaissance activities near Chinese coast over the past weeks, with at least four aerial reconnaissance planes being spotted in the Taiwan Strait, the Bashi Channel, the East China Sea and Yellow Sea on August 29 alone. Beijing has warned against the risks of such operations. Last month the Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe contacted his US counterpart Mark Esper after an E-8C spy plane was spotted near the city of Guangzhou after travelling along a commercial air route, prompting accusations such activities increased the risk to civilian aircraft. In an annual report released last week, the Pentagon warned that Chinas armed forces are determined to establish a world-class military that can rival or exceed that of the US by 2049, when Beijing could leverage its military might to assert itself in the Western Pacific. The Chinese defence ministry rejected the claims, describing the Pentagons report as full of zero-sum and cold war thinking. More from South China Morning Post: This article US expected to step up surveillance as China continues to escalate naval exercises first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. The Taliban says nearly 100 of its prisoners have not been released and that talks will begin only after they are freed. Doha, Qatar The Afghan government has deliberately delayed the release of Taliban prisoners to impede the so-called intra-Afghan talks, Taliban officials have told Al Jazeera, as at least 100 inmates remain in jail. Approximately 100 Taliban inmates are still in jail. Some have been released in the last 24 hours and we have been assured that those remaining will be released soon, Mohammad Naeem Wardak, the spokesperson for Talibans political office in the Qatari capital, Doha, told Al Jazeera. Our agreement is with the Americans and we have asked them to ensure that their side of the agreement is implemented. They keep giving us various reasons for the delay. We are ready to talk as soon as the prisoner release is complete, Wardak said, referring to the agreement signed in February. Talks between the Afghan warring sides aimed at lasting peace are expected to begin in the Qatari capital following the completion of the prisoner swap agreed as part of the United States-Taliban deal signed in Doha. The West-backed Afghan government has reluctantly released most of the 5,000 Taliban prisoners under pressure from the Trump administration, but is still holding some Taliban fighters who have serious charges against them. Non-compliance by Ghani government Under the February deal, the US will withdraw its troops from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years its longest overseas war in exchange for security guarantees from the Taliban, which has been fighting the Afghan government since it was toppled from power in 2001. The Taliban should stop making excuses and start direct talks immediately. Javid Faisal, spokesperson for the Afghan National Security Council On Wednesday, AFP reported the Trump administration will pull out more US troops from Afghanistan in the coming days. The US president has promised to bring back US troops as part of his election campaign promise. The delay in talks is due to non-compliance by elements in President Ashraf Ghanis government, a Taliban official told Al Jazeera, on condition of anonymity, referring to the Doha talks initially scheduled to be held in March. The Taliban also said that it has had contact from within prisons which house their inmates. On Monday, the head of the Talibans political office, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and the newly appointed head of the Talibans negotiating team, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, met with the US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Qatars deputy prime minister in Doha, according to Wardak. Issues related to the prisoners release and immediate start of the intra-Afghan talks were discussed, he said in a statement shared with Al Jazeera. All Taliban prisoners released The Afghan government, however, insists that all Taliban prisoners have been released. We have released all prisoners on the Taliban list. The Taliban should stop making excuses and start direct talks immediately, Javid Faisal, spokesperson for the Afghan National Security Council, told Al Jazeera. They should stop bloodshed of the Afghan people with their excuses. The process of the prisoner release has been completed. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the National Reconciliation Council, which has been tasked to hold talks with the armed group, said the delegation would leave for Qatar soon and is ready for talks. Kabuls peace negotiation team is waiting in the Afghan capital to travel to the Qatari capital for the talks but delays have been relentless. Diplomats close to the negotiations told Al Jazeera that any delays could be due to logistical issues and the talks will begin soon. Last week, the Taliban announced the names of its 21-member negotiation team, led by Mawlavi Abdul Hakim, the armed groups chief justice and a close aide of the Taliban chief, Haibatullah Akhundzada, replacing Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who will be the deputy negotiator. Also last week, officials from the armed group and the Afghan government told Al Jazeera that some high-profile Taliban prisoners would be transferred to Qatar ahead of the talks, which is expected to discuss the political future of Afghanistan. The Latin American roll-out of a potential Covid-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca could be set back after the biotech company announced a pause in tests, the government of Mexico, which is involved in developing the drug alongside Argentina, said on Tuesday. AstraZeneca, which is working on a vaccine in conjunction with Oxford University, said that a volunteer had developed an undiagnosed illness and that, in line with security protocols, it was delaying further tests until an independent panel had studied the case. Pausing vaccine trials "is not an unusual occurrence... and as a consequence the vaccine's arrival may be delayed" across the region, said Hugo Lopez Gatell, Mexico's undersecretary for health, at a press conference on the latest development. Also Read: 9 pharmaceutical companies pledge to stand with science on coronavirus vaccines Gatell asked that people avoid speculation about the safety of the vaccine, especially given that it is considered to be one of the most promising projects under development in the western world. Mexico and Argentina have signed an agreement to work together with the Swedish-British pharmaceutical company. Under the plan, some 250 million doses of the vaccine would be sold at cost across Latin America, with the exception of Brazil, which has its own agreements. Mexico will also work with other labs in Europe, China and Russia in vaccine development projects, although AstraZeneca is the only one that has guaranteed distribution across Latin America. With a population of almost 129 million people, Mexico had suffered 68,484 fatalities from the virus by Tuesday, with 642,860 cases of Covid-19. Zac Efron and Vanessa Valladares are "having fun" together in Australia. The 32-year-old actor is rumoured to be dating Vanessa after they met Down Under in June, when she was working at the Byron Bay General Store & Cafe, and they are currently enjoying spending quality time together. A source told People: "Zac met Ness earlier in the summer. They started hanging out in July and recently took a ski trip together. "You can tell that they are having fun. She spends a lot of time at this house." Zac - who dated Vanessa Hudgens between 2005 and 2010 - and Vanessa were also spotted together at a beachside cafe over the weekend. Speculation about Zac's love life comes shortly after it was suggested that he wants to move to Australia. The 'Greatest Showman' star is apparently keen to sell his Los Angeles property and relocate permanently to the Byron Bay area. Zac is said to be keen to get out of the bright lights and fancies a long-term change of scenery. The Hollywood star isn't worried about having to attend meetings in the US and instead plans to do it on Zoom or FaceTime. Back in 2017, Zac admitted he'd "fallen in love" with Australia. The actor made the claim while discussing a possible sequel to the 'Baywatch' movie, which also starred the likes of Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, Priyanka Chopra and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Zac - who also appeared in the 'High School Musical' trilogy - said: "I've fallen in love with Australia and the fans out here, the people, the culture, the beach. "And I do feel like this is kind of my bay, so I really love the idea of maybe shooting the second one here." SHAVER LAKE, Calif. Wildfires churned through bone-dry California on Tuesday after a scorching Labor Day weekend that saw a dramatic airlift of more than 200 people trapped by flames and ended with the states largest utility turning off power to 172,000 customers to try to prevent power lines and other equipment from sparking more fires. Three early morning helicopter flights rescued another 35 people from Sierra National Forest as a fire raged, the California National Guard said. California is heading into what traditionally is the teeth of the wildfire season, and already it has set a record with 2 million acres (809,000 hectares) burned this year. The previous record was set just two years ago and included the deadliest wildfire in state history that swept through the community of Paradise and killed 85 people. That fire was started by Pacific Gas & Electric power lines amid strong winds and tinder dry conditions. Liability from billions of dollars in claims from that and other fires forced the utility to seek bankruptcy protection. To guard against new wildfires and new liability, the utility last year began preemptive power shutoffs when conditions are exceptionally dangerous. Thats the situation now in Northern California, where high and dry winds are expected until Wednesday. PG&E received criticism for its handling of planned outages last year. The utility said it has learned from past problems, and this year will be making events smaller in size, shorter in length and smarter for customers. Two of the three largest fires in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area. More than 14,000 firefighters are battling those fires and about two dozen others around the state. California was not alone: Hurricane-force winds and high temperatures kicked up wildfires across parts of the Pacific Northwest over the Labor Day weekend, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and mostly destroying the small town of Malden in eastern Washington. The fire danger also is high in Southern California, where fires were burning in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The U.S. Forest Service on Monday decided to close all eight national forests in the region and to shutter campgrounds statewide. The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously. said Randy Moore, regional forester for the Forest Services Pacific Southwest Region that covers California. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire. Lynne Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, said its unnerving to have reached a record for acreage burned when September and October usually are the worst months for fires because vegetation has dried out and high winds are more common. While the two mammoth San Francisco Bay Area fires were largely contained after burning for three weeks, firefighters struggled to corral several other major blazes ahead of the expected winds. Evacuation orders were expanded to more mountain communities Monday as the so-called Creek Fire churned through the Sierra National Forest in Central California. It was one of many recent major fires that displayed terrifyingly swift movement. The fire moved 15 miles (24 kilometers) in a single day during the weekend. Since starting Friday from an unknown cause, it has burned 212 square miles (549 square kilometers). Forty-five homes and 20 other structures were confirmed destroyed so far. Debra Rios wasnt home Monday when the order came to evacuate her hometown of Auberry, just northeast of Fresno. Sheriffs deputies went to her ranch property to pick up her 92-year-old mother, Shirley MacLean. They reunited at an evacuation center. I hope like heck the fire doesnt reach my little ranch, Rios said. Its not looking good right now. Its an awfully big fire. Mountain roads saw a steady stream of cars and trucks leaving the community of about 2,300 on Monday afternoon. Firefighters working in steep terrain saved the tiny town of Shaver Lake from flames that roared down hillsides toward a marina. About 30 houses were destroyed in the remote hamlet of Big Creek, resident Toby Wait said. About half the private homes in town burned down, he said. Words cannot even begin to describe the devastation of this community. A school, church, library, historic general store and a major hydroelectric plant were spared in the community of about 200 residents, Wait told the Fresno Bee. Sheriffs deputies went door to door to make sure residents complied with orders to leave. Officials hoped to keep the fire from pushing west toward Yosemite National Park. Early Tuesday, California National Guard and Navy helicopters rescued 13 people from the China Peak area and 22 from Lake Edison and flew them to Fresno Air Terminal, the Guard said. The rescue flights were thwarted earlier by heavy smoke Monday night. On Saturday, National Guard rescuers in two military helicopters airlifted 214 people to safety after flames trapped them in a wooded camping area near Mammoth Pool Reservoir. Two people were seriously injured and were among 12 hospitalized. Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Rosamond, the pilot of a Chinook helicopter, said visibility was poor and winds increasingly strong during the three flights he made into the fire zone during the operation that started late Saturday and stretched into Sunday. His crew relied on night-vision goggles to search for a landing spot near a boat launch where flames came within 50 feet (15.24 meters) of the aircraft. The injured, along with women and children, took priority on the first airlift, which filled both helicopters to capacity, he said. We started getting information about how many people were out there, how many people to expect, and that number kept growing. So we knew that it was a dire situation, Rosamond said. In Southern California, crews battle several fires that roared to life in searing temperatures, including one that closed mountain roads in Angeles National Forest and forced the evacuation of the historic Mount Wilson Observatory. Late Monday night, the Los Angeles County Fire Department told residents of Duarte, Bradbury and Monrovia near the forest to get ready for a possible evacuation. Cal Fire said the so-called El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino County started Saturday morning when a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device was used by a couple to reveal their babys gender. In eastern San Diego County, a fire destroyed at least 10 buildings after burning 16 square miles (41.44 square kilometers) and prompting evacuations near the remote community of Alpine in the Cleveland National Forest. California has had 900 wildfires since Aug. 15, many of them started by an intense series of thousands of lightning strikes in mid-August. There have been eight fire deaths and more than 3,300 structures destroyed. Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Frank Baker and John Antczak contributed from Los Angeles. About the photo: Following the LNU Lightning Complex fires, a scorched VW Microbus rests in a driveway of the Spanish Flat community in Napa County, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For many restaurants and bars, patio season has been a chance to slowly recover from the devastating economic impact of the spring shutdown due to COVID-19. Patios have been extended onto sidewalks and streets, as businesses look to squeeze in as much traffic as is safe to try to recoup losses. But patio season wont last forever, and industry leaders say that when cold weather hits, Canada could see another wave of permanent closures in the food service industry, a sector already hit hard by the pandemic. According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, an analysis of Statistics Canada data shows that 29 per cent of hospitality businesses wont be able to operate at all with physical distancing measures in place. Another 31 per cent can only last for three months with distancing measures. In other words, 60 per cent of accommodation and food service businesses could be permanently closed by the end of November. By April, one in 10 restaurants in Canada had already permanently closed, according to survey data from Restaurants Canada. Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said restaurants have been among the pandemics hardest-hit sectors. He expects they will recover more slowly than many other industries, and that the governments one size fits all approach wont be enough to keep the sector alive. In the short term, its abundantly clear that the sector is going to be under enormous pressure, Beatty said. Though extended patios have been a lifeline for many restaurants and bars, Beatty said the chamber expects a second wave of permanent closures due to a perfect storm of factors. As weather begins to cool down and people turn away from patios, government programs like the wage subsidy and rent relief will also be scaled back and winding down, he said. Then theres the ever-looming possibility of a second wave of the virus. The impact will be not just economic the loss of thousands of jobs but also social and cultural. Hardest hit will be small businesses, Beatty said, and with them many young employees. David Lefebvre, vice-president of Restaurants Canada, said theres a lot of nervousness in the food service sector as fall and winter approach. The problem is that it seems like the patios will close before provincial government(s) extend the inside capacity of restaurants. He said businesses in downtown cores will be especially impacted as fewer people will be working in office towers, grabbing quick lunches or after-work drinks. And if theres a second wave of cases? Its going to be an absolute nightmare. The closure of patios will hurt many businesses, Lefebvre said, and he knows some of the organizations members will close for good. Whats available now in terms of benefits isnt enough to get the industry through the winter, he said, adding that he hopes the wage subsidy is extended until the spring. Larry Isaacs, president of the Firkin Group of Pubs, said patio season has been absolutely critical to the survival of the restaurant industry. Though uptake was slow at first, the extended patios offered in many areas helped to offset the lowered capacity, Isaacs said. Margins are already low in the restaurant industry, he said, and with office towers emptying and Christmas parties likely not happening, the winter period is looming darkly over the sector. We are desperately advocating across the board for the governments to step in and make sure that the payroll program goes all the way through till May, that the rent program goes all the way through till May, he said. Isaacs said more than two thirds of employees in the sector are women, and that since jobs in the sector are generally low-paying, many people are at financial risk if they get laid off as winter approaches. Its absolutely critical that the industry survives through the winter, he said. Its going to need government funding to help us until they say its 100 per cent safe to go back out. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is asking for support from all three levels of government thats tailored to the industrys needs, said Beatty. This could include wage and rent subsidy programs, the continued deferral of taxes and the continuation of regulations that have allowed restaurants to offer takeout alcohol, among other temporary changes. We could substantially reduce the number of those closures, with a tailored response, he said. John Sinopoli, co-founder and executive chef of Ascari Hospitality Group and co-founder of SaveHospitalityCA, said the company was able to open patios at three of its restaurants, including extended patios thanks to the citys temporary regulations. He said keeping the patios open all summer was crucial not just to the survival of the restaurants, but also to keeping the companys suppliers going. As well, being able to offer takeout alcohol was extremely helpful, he said, and hes been lobbying for this to be extended. Hes also hoping Ontario can take a page out of British Columbias book and offer restaurants and bars a discount on alcohol. But when he looks to the next six months, Sinopoli sees things getting much more difficult, especially where the wage subsidy program is concerned. Its really unfortunate that the wage subsidy is being wound down just as restaurants will need it the most, he said. Sinopoli said he knows the government is working on a replacement for the rent relief program, which winds up at the end of September. Hes hoping for a sliding scale that allows more businesses to participate, and for a road map of at least six months so businesses can plan ahead. He agrees that the restaurant industry requires a tailored approach to help it survive until patios can reopen next year. Weve been asking for sector-specific relief since March. Its not just that dine-in restaurants will have less capacity, said Sinopoli they may also have significantly less interest. From talking to his customers, he knows that while many people are comfortable eating at a restaurant outdoors, they may not be willing to dine indoors just yet. Jason Ching, co-owner of Omai Restaurant in Toronto, said his restaurant will likely start offering indoor dining this week as the weather cools. So far they have only been offering patio space, where they can usually seat around 12 people. Inside, they can fit another eight at two four-person tables, Ching said, and he has ordered some panels to be able to accommodate another six people. Thats a maximum of 14 indoors compared to the restaurants usual 22-person capacity. Theres not much else that we can do, said Ching, who thinks the restaurant will be able to survive as long as takeout remains popular. Hes hopeful that the wage subsidy will continue into the new year, and that the rent relief program will be reformed so that more businesses can access it. But right now, he feels much like he did when he first opened Omai: unsure of what the future holds. Theres a huge amount of uncertainty, he said. Read more about: Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos topped Forbes' list of richest Americans for the third year in a row, while US President Donald Trump's ranking dropped as the coronavirus pandemic slammed his office buildings, hotels and resorts, the magazine said Tuesday. The aggregate wealth of the Forbes 400 list rose to a record $3.2 trillion, as the richest Americans continued to do well even though the pandemic has devastated the economy, which is short about 11 million jobs compared to where it was in February. Eric Yuan, chief executive officer of Zoom Video Communications, which has become ubiquitous in the work-from-home era, was one of 18 newcomers on the list with a net worth of $11 billion. Trump's ranking dropped to No. 352 from 275 last year and his net worth fell to $2.5 billion from $3.1 billion, as office buildings, hotels and resorts, have suffered during the pandemic. His business, the Trump Organization, owns property in all three categories. Trump has long refused to release his tax records, and has been locked in a battle with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who subpoenaed Trump for eight years of personal and corporate returns. The annual list can serve as a way to track the wealthiest people in the country who hold the most power, said Kerry Dolan, assistant managing editor of wealth at Forbes, in an interview with Reuters TV. "As a society, we all should know who is behind the biggest companies and what they're doing with their money," she said. Also read: Elon Musk's net worth tops $100 billion, half of world's richest man Jeff Bezos Donald Trump has been nominated for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize following his efforts to broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The nomination was submitted by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament. He nominated Trump citing his "key role in... creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan". US President Donald Trump has been nominated for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize following his efforts to broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The nomination was submitted by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament. He nominated Trump citing his key role in creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan. In an exclusive interview to Fox News, Tybring-Gjedde praised Trump for his efforts towards resolving protracted conflicts worldwide. For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees, Tybring-Gjedde, a four-term member of Parliament who also serves as chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, told Fox News in an exclusive interview. In his nomination letter to the Nobel committee, Tybring-Gjedde said that the Trump administration has played a key role in the establishment of relations between Israel and the UAE. As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game-changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity, he wrote. Also cited in the letter was the presidents key role in facilitating contact between conflicting parties and creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan, and the conflict between North and South Korea, as well as dealing with the nuclear capabilities of North Korea. Also Read: Northrop Grumman names spacecraft SS Kalpana Chawla, in honor of fallen astronaut of Indian descent Tybring-Gjedde, further, praised Trump for withdrawing a large number of troops from the Middle East. Indeed, Trump has broken a 39-year-old streak of American Presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict. The last president to avoid doing so was Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter, he wrote. On Tuesday, a White House official announced Trump will hold a signing ceremony on September 15 for a groundbreaking Middle East agreement normalising relations between Israel and the UAE. In a deal brokered by the US, Israel and the UAE last month had agreed to normalise their relations, and an agreement on the mutual establishment of embassies is expected to follow in the coming three weeks. In exchange, Israel said it would halt its plans to formally annex parts of the West Bank. There were 318 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020. Out of that 211 were individuals and 107 are organisations. Those eligible to nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize are public figures, including national politicians, professors and former prize winners. In February and March each year, nominations are shortlisted. The winners are announced in October. (ANI) Also Read: Uyghur detention camps found in Xinjiang province, where Disney shot Mulan film A Matson ship that arrived at Port Authority of Guam this morning reported that a crew member was found lifeless on board. The Department of Public Health and Social Services will be conducting a COVID-19 test to ensure that the cause of death is not COVID related, Port officials stated in a press release. A crew member aboard M/V Papa Mau was found unresponsive in his cabin as the vessel was en route to Guam. The captain notified the U.S. Coast Guard immediately, and emergency procedures were implemented. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Once notified of the situation, the Port prohibited operations on the vessel. The Ports assistant operations manager escorted four nurses on board to swab the lifeless crew member. Three of the public health nurses were from the Port Clinic and one was a supervisor who came down to the Port to take the lead on the swabbing. The nurses were escorted off the ship and the sample taken to DPHSS for testing. The vessel also was met at the dock by Guam Customs and Public Health. Matson advised that all crew members were recently tested for COVID-19, and all received negative results, the press release states. Matson also noted that crew members do not take liberty at the ports they visit. The Matson Papa Mau was docked at the Ports F5 pier at 7:25 a.m. today. The ships previous port of call was Palau. If the test comes back from DPHSS negative then operations will begin immediately on the vessel. If the swab comes back positive for COVID-19 then the vessel will be placed in quarantine by the Port pending further guidance from DPHSS and other appropriate authorities. General Manager Rory J. Respicio said the situation will not delay the arrival and operations of any other vessels that are scheduled to arrive today and tomorrow. The Port extends its condolences to the family of the deceased as well as to Matson on the loss of their crew member, the release states. AstraZeneca issued a statement on Tuesday night saying the late-stage studies of the vaccine have been paused while the company investigates whether the patients reported side-effect is connected with the vaccine. AstraZeneca did not reveal any information about the patients condition other than to describe it as a potentially unexplained illness. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the pause to the Oxford vaccine trial is not necessarily a setback and that it has already overcome one such delay. He told Sky News: It is obviously a challenge to this particular vaccine. Its not actually the first time it has happened to the Oxford vaccine and its a standard process in clinical trials. Asked if it is a setback, Mr Hancock said: Not necessarily it depends on what they find when they do the investigation. Advertisement There was a pause earlier in the summer and that was resolved without a problem. News site Stat first reported the pause in testing and said the possible side-effect occurred in a testing volunteer in Britain, who was expected to recover. The vaccine, developed by Oxford University, is being tested in thousands of people in Britain and the US, and in smaller study groups in Brazil and South America. An AstraZeneca spokeswoman said the pause is part of a standard review process which occurs in trial if there is a potentially unexplained illness reported in any trial subject, and that the subjects illness could also be coincidental. As part of the ongoing randomised, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee, the spokeswoman said in a statement. In large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. In large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully. We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline. We are committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our trials. Advertisement No details about the patient suffering the potential side-effect, or the nature of the reaction, were given. Temporary holds of large medical studies are not uncommon, and looking into any unexpected reactions is a mandatory part of safety testing. It was not immediately clear how long AstraZenecas pause would last. Two other vaccines are in huge, final-stage tests in the United States, one made by Moderna Inc and the other by Pfizer and Germanys BioNTech. Stats reported a total of nine vaccine candidates in late stage, or phase 3, trials, with AstraZenecas the first trial known to have been put on hold. Despite some figures, such as US President Donald Trump, insisting a vaccine will be ready in a matter of months, Oxford University has said a vaccine might not be ready before 2022. The university stressed that clinical trials have to be conducted with the utmost care. It takes time to develop safe and effective vaccines usually five to 10 years on average. Despite promising reports about potential coronavirus vaccines being developed worldwide, it could still take an estimated 12-18 months to develop one, a document on the universitys website, dated August 25, reads. It is essential that clinical trials are conducted with great care to ensure the safety of the participants and to fully establish the safety profile of the new products. Safety is overseen closely during the trials both by the national regulator with a requirement of safety reporting placed on investigators throughout the trial, and inspections of the trial processes and procedures by the regulator, and an independent safety monitoring committee who reviews safety actively during the conduct of the clinical trial. When an application for use of the vaccine is made to a regulator, they will fully assess the safety and efficacy data from the trials and use that to inform on their decision about potential use. TDT | Manama His Royal Highness the Prime Ministers Advisor His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa received yesterday's newly appointed HSBC Bahrain CEO Christopher Russell. Also in attendance at the meeting was HSBC Premier and HSBC Seef branch head Ahmed Abdulwahed Abdulla. HH Shaikh Salman welcomed the new HSBC Bahrain chief. He lauded his long international experience in the field of financing and banking services. HRH the Premiers advisor praised HSBC Bahrains numerous achievements. He noted that HSBC is a prestigious international banking institution. He added that it has played a key role in boosting financial and banking services in the Kingdom over the past 76 years. HH Shaikh Salman also wished the new CEO every success in assuming his duties in the Kingdom. Rahul Pandita, journalist and writer of the film Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits, has lashed out at Kangana Ranaut after she likened herself to Kashmiri Pandits. He wrote that she could not comprehend their pain from the demolition of a wall in her office. I am sorry, but from the demolition of a wall you cannot understand the pain of Kashmiri Pandits. You do not know how it is when all your hair turns white in three days; you do not know how it is when old people die in exile, crying about their inability to see home one last time, he wrote on Twitter. For Gods sake, stop taking our name in vain. We refuse to be pawns in your battles of puny egos. Do not belittle our tragedy. Tomorrow your finger might get hurt somewhere. What will you say? I understand pain of Kashmiri Pandits? Pleaseeeee!, he added in another tweet. Rahul is the writer of Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, which hit the theatres earlier this year. The film is about the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in early 1990, in the wake of violent insurgency. Kangana said that she could now understand how Kashmiri Pandits felt when they were forced to leave their homes in 1990, after officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) partially demolished her office for alleged structural violations, on Wednesday. She also announced a film on Kashmir to create awareness in other Indians. In a video message addressed to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Kangana said, I think you have done me a huge favour. I knew what Kashmiri Pandits must have gone through, but today, I have experienced it. I vow that I will make a film, not just on Ayodhya, but also on Kashmir. I will rouse my fellow countrymen. Also read | Kangana Ranaut hits out at Uddhav Thackeray: My home was demolished today, your pride will crumble tomorrow Kangana shared videos of the destruction in her office and called it the death of democracy. She challenged Uddhav and the Karan Johar gang to go ahead and break my house, then break my face and body. She also vowed to expose them. In another tweet, Kangana compared her situation to being burned at the stake. She wrote, Today they have demolished my house tomorrow it will be yours, governments come and go when you normalise violent suppression of a voice it becomes the norm, today one person being burned at the stake tomorrow it will be jowhar of thousands,wake up now. The BMC action comes days after Kangana criticised the Mumbai Police and likened Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Follow @htshowbiz for more Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, has been speaking out against his former boss. (Getty Images) Donald Trumps former personal attorney Michael Cohen has predicted the US president will pull out all the stops to avoid criminal prosecution if he loses the US presidential election to Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Mr Cohen believes Mr Trump would resign from office sometime during the 11 weeks between losing the election and Mr Bidens inauguration, hand over the reins to his vice president, Mike Pence, and have Mr Pence pardon him. My theory is that if he loses, theres still the time between the election and the time that the next president will take office. And during that time my suspicion is that he will resign as president, he will allow Mike Pence to take over, and he will then go ahead and have Mike Pence pardon him, Mr Cohen said in an interview on Tuesday with MSNBCs Rachel Maddow. Its a very Nixon type of event, said Mr Cohen, who is serving out the rest of his three-year prison sentence under home confinement after pleading guilty to lying to Congress about his pursuit of a Trump Tower deal in Moscow during the 2016 campaign cycle. It was probably discussed between Roger Stone and President Trump at some point. This is certainly one way to avoid any potential prison time, Mr Cohen said. Legal observers have openly speculated that federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are sitting on indictments against the president for flouting campaign finance laws to pay off his former mistresses, including the porn star Stormy Daniels. Mr Trumps businesses are also being probed by the New York attorney general and a district prosecutor in Manhattan. The White House has dismissed Mr Cohens recent comments about the president as the words of a desperate man who lost all credibility after he was convicted and sentenced for lying to Congress in 2017. Unmentioned is the fact that that lie was told to cover up the Trump Organisations pursuit of a Trump Tower deal in Moscow which required the Russian governments sign-off as Mr Trump was wrapping up his GOP nomination for the presidency. Story continues Mr Trump granted clemency to his longtime friend and 2016 campaign aide Mr Stone earlier this year after Mr Stone refused to cooperate with former special counsel Robert Muellers team. The notorious GOP campaign operative had been convicted by a Washington, DC, jury for lying to the FBI about his contacts involving WikiLeaks release of stolen documents from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clintons campaign team in 2016. Mr Cohen has accused Mr Trump of committing a litany of financial crimes over the years, including under oath before the House Oversight Committee in 2019. He produced documents at that hearing alleging his former boss had illegally inflated his assets and property holdings to secure bank loans and then deflated those same assets on his tax papers to avoid paying as much in taxes to the government. In his new book released on Tuesday about his career with Mr Trump, Mr Cohen calls his former boss a a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man. The White House has dismissed the book as fan fiction. Mr Cohen is a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer, who lied to Congress, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement regarding the accusations in Mr Cohens book. "He has lost all credibility, and it's unsurprising to see his latest attempt to profit off of lies," Ms McEnany said. Read more Carl Hiaasen: Theyre gonna have to drag Trump out of the White House 'An insult to our country': Trump recoils at idea of Kamala Harris as first female president because 'nobody likes her' Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by right-wing Norwegian MP for Israel-UAE deal Trump news: President insults Kamala Harris at rally, after claiming to be great environmentalist He was no leader: Trump allegedly attacked Nelson Mandela following his death, Michael Cohen claims Figure 1. Detour Lake Mine Property Plan View Detour Lake Mine Property Plan View Figure 2. Detour Lake Mine Longitudinal View Detour Lake Mine Longitudinal View Figure 3. Detour Lake Mine Saddle Zone Plan View Detour Lake Mine Saddle Zone Plan View Drilling in central portion of Saddle Zone intersects broad zone of high-grade mineralization, confirms continuity of mineralized structure between Main and West pits Key intercepts: 1.10 grams per tonne (gpt) over 142.0 meters (m), including 9.39 gpt over 2.0 m, 2.15 gpt over 16.0 m, 1.23 gpt over 12.0 m Drilling in west portion of Saddle Zone intersects mineralization up to 420 m below West Pit reserve shell Key intercepts: 1.80 gpt over 58.5 m, including 5.76 gpt over 2.8 m and 19.29 gpt over 2.0 m; 2.02 gpt over 38.1 m; 2.39 gpt over 29.0 m, including 11.57 gpt over 2.8 m and 10.01 gpt over 2.0 m; 1.47 gpt over 39 m; 1.40 gpt over 26.6 m, including 8.04 gpt over 2.0 m; 1.39 gpt over 25.5 m, including 8.74 gpt over 2.0 m; 1.51 gpt over 18.7 m, including 8.87 gpt over 2.0 m Drilling in eastern portion of Saddle Zone intersects mineralization up to 420 m below Main Pit reserve shell Key intercepts: 1.42 gpt over 78.0 m, including 8.54 gpt over 3.0 m and 5.25 gpt over 6.0 m; 1.38 gpt over 73.0 m, including 6.89 gpt over 3.0 m; 1.08 gpt over 51.0 m, including 5.96 gpt over 3.0 m; 1.21 gpt over 43.0 m; 0.90 gpt over 51.0 m; and 8.68 gpt over 2.0 m. True widths are unknown at this time and intervals are reported using core lengths intersected in the holes. TORONTO, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (Kirkland Lake Gold or the Company) (TSX:KL) (NYSE:KL) (ASX:KLA) today announced results from 8 holes (9,171 m) and one wedge hole (1,143 m) of drilling at the Detour Lake property. The new holes being reported are the second batch of results from the recently announced 250,000 m exploration program. The Company is targeting completion of the program by the end of 2021 in order to collect information for updated, and potentially expanded, Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates. The new holes announced today are all from drilling in the Saddle Zone, located in an area between the Main Pit and West Pit locations that is underexplored, has no Mineral Reserves and only limited Mineral Resources. Story continues Tony Makuch, President and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold, commented: Todays results are extremely encouraging and support our view that there is a much larger deposit around the Main Pit and West Pit locations than is currently included in Mineral Reserves. In fact, based on results and observations to date, there is increasing evidence that there is a broad and continuous corridor of mineralization extending between the two pit locations to a depth of up to 820 m below surface. Upon completing the acquisition of Detour Gold Corporation at the end of January, we immediately focused in on the Saddle Zone as a high-potential target where there had been very limited previous drilling. Results from drilling in the Saddle Zone have included numerous intersections containing attractive grades over substantial widths, which highlight the potential for significant growth in open-pit Mineral Resources and also are supportive of a potential underground mining concept, which could add higher-grade mill feed to our production profile. West Portion of Saddle Zone Drilling in the west portion of the Saddle Zone included four holes (4,169 m) and one wedge hole (1,143 m) which targeted the Detour Mine Trend (DMT) directly east of the West pit between 400 and 600 m below surface. Significant results from the drilling include: 1.17 gpt over 17.0 m and 1.80 gpt over 58.5 m, including 5.76 gpt over 2.8 m and 19.29 gpt over 2.0 m, from DLM-20-015; 2.39 gpt over 29.0 m, including 11.57 gpt over 2.8 m and 10.01 gpt over 2.0 m, 1.47 gpt over 39.0 m, 1.43 gpt over 17.6 m, and 1.39 gpt over 25.5 m, including 8.74 gpt over 2.0 m, from hole DLM-20-010; 1.51 gpt over 18.7 m, including 8.87 gpt over 2.0 m, 1.40 gpt over 26.6 m, including 8.04 gpt over 2.0 m and 2.02 gpt over 10.0 m, including 6.30 gpt over 2.0 m, from hole DLM-20-012; and 2.02 gpt over 38.1 m from DLM-20-010W. These holes were drilled on a section 100 m east of previously announced hole DLM-20-04, which intersected 1.25 gpt over 65.0 m and 1.41 gpt over 121.0 m and 1.03 gpt over 14.8 m (see press release dated June 29, 2020). Additional results from this area include: 1.28 gpt over 17.0 m, including 7.58 gpt over 2.0 m, and 1.23 gpt over 14.0 m, including 6.89 gpt over 2.0 m from hole DLM-20-009, which was drilled 80 m west of DLM-20-04 and 200 m below the West pit reserve shell. Central Portion of the Saddle Zone Drilling in the central portion of the Saddle Zone included one hole (1,095 m) and targeted the DMT approximately midway between the current reserve pits for the Main and West pits and approximately 400 m below surface. Significant results from the drilling include: 1.10 gpt over 142 m, including 9.39 gpt over 2.0 m, 2.15 gpt over 16.0 m and 1.23 gpt over 12.0 m in hole DLM-20-016, which was drilled 120 m east of DLM-20-15 and 180 m west of previously reported DLM-20-08, which intersected 1.23 gpt over 138.0 m and 1.77 gpt over 37.0 m (see press release dated June 29, 2020). Results from this hole are considered extremely encouraging as it is one of the first to be drilled within the central area of the Saddle Zone and contains mineralization of similar style and gold tenor to that found in the West and Main pits. Given the above intersections and other results from the program, there appears to be strong evidence for a broad continuous corridor of mineralization following the DMT and extending from the Main Pit to the West Pit (a distance of 800 m) and then westwards under the West pit. East Portion of Saddle Zone Drilling in the east portion of the Saddle Zone included three holes (3,907 m) and targeted areas along the DMT directly west of the Main Pit Mineral Reserve shell between 380 and 820 m below surface. Significant results from the drilling including: 1.42 gpt over 78.0 m, including 8.54 gpt over 3.0 m, and 5.25 gpt over 6.0 m, 1.08 gpt over 51.0 m, including 5.96 gpt over 3.0 m, 1.21 gpt over 43.0 m, 0.90 gpt over 51.0 m, 1.73 gpt over 15.0 m and 1.50 gpt over 13.0 m from hole DLM-20-014a, which was drilled approximately 380 m below surface and 200 m east of previously announced DLM-20-08 which intersected 1.23 gpt over 138 m (see press release dated June 29, 2020). Additional results from this area include 1.38 gpt over 73.0 m, including 6.89 gpt over 3.0 m and 1.27 gpt over 12.2 m from hole DLM-20-013a and, 8.68 gpt over 2.0 m, 1.01 gpt over 5.7 m and 0.62 gpt over 10.5 m from hole DLM-20-011 which were drilled 180 m east of hole DLM-20-14a between 750 and 820 m below surface (420 m below the current Main Pit Reserve shell). These holes are among the deepest to test this part of the DTM trend to date and strongly demonstrate that the gold system not only remains open to depth but contains grades which could be of interest for developing either open pit or underground Mineral Resources. Based on assay results and other observations obtained from the program to date, the outlook for the project continues to look encouraging with there being evidence of a broad and continuous corridor of mineralization extending between the West and Main pits and to a depth of up to 820 m below surface. The work also suggests that mineralization within the corridor is very similar to that found in the West and Main pits and is hosted mainly by broad zones containing variable amounts of quartz and pyrite, which are controlled mainly by east-west trending, moderately north dipping folds and shear structures which plunge at a shallow angle to the west. Given results to date, the potential to identify further extensions to mineralization as well as potential additions to Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves between the Main and West pits through additional drilling is considered excellent. Exploration work at Detour Lake is ongoing with four drills current working, targeting to complete at least 75,000 meters by the end of 2020. The Company plans to increase the number of drills to six in October. Qualified Persons The Companys exploration programs at Detour Lake are conducted under the supervision of Eric Kallio, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration. Mr. Kallio, as well as Keith Green, P.Geo., Director, Exploration, Canada, and Steve Gray, Exploration Superintendent, Detour Lake Mine, are qualified persons for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, of the Canadian Securities Administrators, and have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this news release. QA/QC Controls The Company has implemented a quality assurance and control (QA/QC) program to ensure sampling and analysis of all exploration work is conducted in accordance with best practices. Samples are logged and sampled in a secure facility at the Detour mine site and under supervision of Qualified Geologists. NQ sized core is predominantly sawn in half with one half of the core prepared for shipment, the other half of core retained for future assay verification. A smaller percentage of the core is not sawn and shipped as whole core samples. Preparations for shipment include; placing individual samples with corresponding sample tag into sealed plastic bags, which are in turn placed into labelled and zip tied rice bags, and subsequently placed onto pallets, shrink wrapped and couriered to ALS Laboratories in Timmins, Ontario by Manitoulin Transport and to Activation Laboratories in Timmins, by Gold Heart Courier Service. Sample preparation by ALS Laboratories is completed in Timmins then sent to their Vancouver Lab for analysis while both sample preparation and analysis by Activation Laboratories is completed in Timmins. Assaying of the samples is completed using Fire Assay techniques with samples less than 10 grams per tonne being analyzed with Atomic Absorption (AA) and samples greater than 10 grams per tonne with gravimetric finish. Selected high grade samples are also analyzed using the screen metallics procedure. Internal laboratory checks conducted by ALS include the insertion of 1 blank, 2 certified reference standards and 3 duplicates for every 78 samples (per fusion furnace). Internal laboratory checks conducted by Activation Laboratories include the insertion of 2 blanks very 24 samples, 1 prep duplicate every 50 samples, 1 lab duplicate every 10 samples, and multiple certified reference standards for every 24 samples. Both ALS and Activation Laboratories are certified by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) which conforms with ASB-RG Mineral Analysis Laboratory for the Accreditation of Mineral Analysis Testing Laboratories and CAN-P-4E ISO/IEC 17025 : General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories. About Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. is a growing gold producer operating in Canada and Australia that produced 974,615 ounces in 2019. The production profile of the Company is anchored by three high-quality operations, including the Macassa Mine and Detour Lake Mine, both located in Northern Ontario, and the Fosterville Mine located in the state of Victoria, Australia. Kirkland Lake Gold's solid base of quality assets is complemented by district scale exploration potential, supported by a strong financial position with extensive management expertise. For further information on Kirkland Lake Gold and to receive news releases by email, visit the website at www.kl.gold. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to planned exploration programs, costs and expenditures, the ability to potentially identify areas of future extensions to mineralization, expand and add Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources at the Detour Lake Mine including the potential conversion of Mineral Resources to proven and probable reserves, project economics, timing and scope of future exploration, anticipated costs and expenditures and other information that is based on forecasts of future operational or financial results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Exploration results that include geophysics, sampling, and drill results on wide spacings may not be indicative of the occurrence of a mineral deposit. Such results do not provide assurance that further work will establish sufficient grade, continuity, metallurgical characteristics and economic potential to be classed as a category of Mineral Resource. A Mineral Resource that is classified as "Inferred" or "indicated" has a great amount of uncertainty as to its existence and economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that any or part of an "indicated Mineral Resource" or "Inferred Mineral Resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category of resource. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into proven and probable reserves. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include, among others, risks related to international operations, risks related to obtaining the permits required to carry out planned exploration or development work, the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of gold, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Companys Annual Information Form and other disclosures of "Risk Factors" by the Company and its predecessors, available on SEDAR. Although Kirkland Lake Gold 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. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors - Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates All references to Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves set out in this news release are in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") - CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council, as amended (the "CIM Standards"). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators, which established standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. The terms "mineral reserve", "proven mineral reserve" and "probable mineral reserve" are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards. These definitions differ materially from the definitions in SEC Industry Guide 7 ("SEC Industry Guide 7") under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act. In addition, the terms "Mineral Resource", "measured Mineral Resource", "indicated Mineral Resource" and "Inferred Mineral Resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and are normally not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. "Inferred Mineral Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in very limited circumstances. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a Mineral Resource exists, will ever be converted into a Mineral Reserve or is or will ever be economically or legally mineable or recovered. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT Anthony Makuch, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director Phone: +1 416-840-7884, E-mail: tmakuch@kl.gold Mark Utting, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations Phone: +1 416-840-7884, E-mail: mutting@kl.gold Table 1. Detour Lake Mine Saddle Zone Significant Assay Results Target Hole Number UTM NAD83 Hole Length (m) Azimuth () Dip From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au gpt Easting Northing West/Main Pit DLM-20-009 5541659 588965 732.0 180 -55 107.0 115.0 8.0 1.14 AND 262.0 269.0 7.0 1.19 AND 483.0 492.0 9.0 1.12 AND 519.0 533.0 14.0 1.23 INCL. 526.0 528.0 2.0 6.89 AND 584.0 601.0 17.0 1.28 INCL. 590.0 592.0 2.0 7.58 DLM-20-010 5541604 589128 1046.8 180 -57 30.0 37.0 7.0 1.22 AND 434.0 460.0 26.0 0.79 AND 469.0 497.3 28.3 0.61 AND 619.0 648.0 29.0 2.39 INCL. 629.0 631.8 2.8 11.57 INCL. 646.0 648.0 2.0 10.01 AND 679.0 688.0 9.0 1.11 AND 742.5 768.0 25.5 1.39 INCL. 750.2 752.2 2.0 8.74 AND 828.5 831.0 2.5 3.11 AND 886.0 925.0 39.0 1.47 AND 1029.2 1046.8 17.6 1.43 DLM-20-010W1 5541604 589128 1143 180 -57 854.0 862.0 8.0 0.74 AND 881.9 920.0 38.1 2.02 INCL. 900.8 906.3 5.5 5.21 INCL. 912.0 920.0 8.0 4.72 AND 1043.7 1048.2 4.5 2.56 DLM-20-011 5541631 589687 1404 172 -61 458.0 460.0 2.0 8.68 AND 770.3 776.0 5.7 1.01 AND 792.0 808.0 16.0 0.52 AND 1203.0 1213.5 10.5 0.62 DLM-20-012 5541666 589127 1295 168 -64 502.0 520.7 18.7 1.51 INCL. 505.0 507.0 2.0 8.87 AND 532.0 558.6 26.6 1.40 INCL. 542.8 544.8 2.0 8.04 AND 582.0 591.8 9.8 0.93 AND 616.0 624.0 8.0 1.41 AND 1017.0 1027.0 10.0 2.02 INCL. 1017.0 1019.0 2.0 6.30 AND 1037.0 1043.4 6.4 1.51 DLM-20-013A 5541631 589687 1395 172 -61 923.0 996.0 73.0 1.38 INCL. 973.0 976.0 3.0 6.89 AND 1034.0 1036.0 2.0 3.44 AND 1070.8 1083.0 12.2 1.27 DLM-20-014A 5541249 589574 1108 177 -71 10.0 23.0 13.0 1.50 INCL. 12.0 15.0 3.0 4.75 AND 93.0 95.0 2.0 3.00 AND 146.0 161.0 15.0 1.73 INCL. 156.0 161.0 5.0 4.19 AND 174.0 225.0 51.0 0.90 AND 259.0 278.0 19.0 0.60 AND 342.0 385.0 43.0 1.21 INCL. 366.0 368.0 2.0 7.38 AND 406.0 420.0 14.0 0.94 AND 478.0 534.0 56.0 0.76 AND 564.0 642.0 78.0 1.42 INCL. 595.0 598.0 3.0 8.54 INCL. 623.0 629.0 6.0 5.25 AND 868.0 919.0 51.0 1.08 INCL. 885.0 888.0 3.0 5.96 DLM-20-015 5541478 589131 1095 180 -55 350.0 364.0 14.0 0.70 AND 374.0 397.0 23.0 0.81 AND 412.0 424.0 12.0 1.12 INCL. 414.0 416.0 2.0 4.42 AND 447.3 460.0 12.8 0.98 AND 471.0 499.0 28.0 0.81 AND 532.5 591.0 58.5 1.80 INCL. 545.0 547.8 2.8 5.76 INCL. 559.0 561.0 2.0 19.29 INCL. 570.0 576.0 6.0 5.00 AND 606.2 616.0 9.8 1.29 AND 635.0 652.0 17.0 1.17 AND 873.0 892.1 19.1 0.71 DLM-20-016 589249 5541547 1095 180 -56 361.9 381.5 19.6 0.66 AND 411.0 482.0 71.0 0.66 AND 550.0 566.0 16.0 2.15 AND 591.0 603.0 12.0 1.23 AND 739.0 881.0 142.0 1.10 INCL. 874.0 876.0 2.0 9.39 AND 949.0 951.0 2.0 4.23 AND 1046.0 1056.0 10.0 1.50 Assays are reported uncut. Assay intervals are reported as drill thickness Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1d9fd2e4-0a40-46f2-a01f-0b038ba6ac18 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6387baa4-ba67-4970-999a-6e0e5bd82a74 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ab639d1b-f35c-41c1-8504-374b101bb5b7 A Frost Advisory has been issued for about the western half of the Upper Peninsula tonight and early Thursday morning. This is the first Frost Advisory here in Michigan for this fall season. Temperatures are going to fall into the upper-20s to lower-30s at the inland areas of the western U.P. Ontonagon, Houghton, Baraga, Marquette, Gogebic, Iron and Dickinson Counties are in the Frost Advisory. Since we havent been this cold so far, the frost could kill cold sensitive plants. Here is the forecast for low temperatures early Thursday morning. Low Temperature forecast for Thursday, September 10, 2020 The shoreline areas along the Great Lakes will stay warm enough for no frost. The Great Lakes have a large warming effect during fall, keeping shoreline areas much warmer than just a few miles inland. Lower Michigan doesnt have to worry about frost Thursday morning. Friday morning could be a different story, especially for inland areas of northern Lower Michigan. Low temperature forecast for Friday, September 11, 2020 Cadillac, Grayling, Houghton Lake, Gaylord and Wolverine could have temperatures dropping to the mid-30 Friday morning. This would make light frost. Southern Lower has no threat of frost in the next two days, but it will get chilly. Friday morning will start in the 40s for southern Lower. In fact, there is no frost in sight for the next 10 days at least for southern Lower Michigan. The chilly temperatures these next two mornings will start the fall color changes. RELATED READING: Michigan fall colors forecast: September weather will make the timing Republicans in the United States congress have proposed a new bill aimed at removing protections for websites with regards to how they moderate their platforms. The bill, called the Online Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Act, would attempt to diminish the power of Section 230 American legislation that stops Facebook, Twitter, and all other websites from being held legally responsible for anything posted by their users. Section 230 has become a political issue after Twitter added a fact-checking link to one of Mr Trumps tweets that incorrectly linked voting by mail to election fraud in May 2020 The Online Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Act would require platforms to hold an objectively reasonable belief that content removed violated a particular policy. If these platforms cannot legally defend such a belief, they could face consequences for their moderation decisions. The new bill also adds guidance to content moderation, focusing on self-harm, unlawful, and content that is promoting terrorism rather than the less specific objectionable content. The bill comes from senator Roger Wicker, Lindsey Graham, and Marsha Blackburn. For too long, social media platforms have hidden behind Section 230 protections to censor content that deviates from their beliefs, Wicker said in a statement. Lindsey Graham echoed that statement, saying that social media companies often censor content that would otherwise be valid. In a recent incident, Twitter temporarily suspended Donald Trump Jr after he posted a video that promoted the drug hydroxychloroquine as a cure for Covid-19. It included a video that showed people claiming to be doctors, who falsely argued that "you don't need masks" and that studies showing that the drug may not be effective are "fake science". "The Tweet is in violation of our COVID-19 misinformation policy," a Twitter spokesperson said at the time. Republicans feel that social media companies censoring content like this is because of political ideology, rather than to protect people from spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. Many Republican senators, including Ted Cruz and president Donald Trump, believe Section 230 is inherently linked to private companies being politically neutral. This is not true. Right-wing politicians also believe social media companies have a left-wing bias, politically, something which the companies have repeatedly denied. Today, a Facebook engineer resigned after alleging that the company gives right-wing publications a pass on our misinformation policies, as well as criticising its approaches to hate speech. Another employee was reportedly also fired by Facebook after right-wing organisations including Breitbart, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Trump advocates Diamond and Silk, and conservative video maker Prager University (PragerU) received preferential treatment to stop their posts being blocked by Facebooks policies. Facebook vice president of global public policy and former Bush administration employee Joel Kaplan reportedly intervened personally on behalf of an Instagram post from Charlie Kirk. President Donald Trump has also asked Mitch McConnell to repeal Section 230, after a photo was posed of the Republican Senate Majority Leader edited to appear like a Russian guard. There are several other pieces of legislation targeting Section 230, including one from Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, Senate Republican John Thune, and Republican Senator Josh Hawley. Presidential candidate Joe Biden has also called for it to be revoked as a way to ensure platforms remove terrorist content. Moderating content for harmful images is a difficult task for technology companies, one that challenges the capabilities of automated algorithms and can mentally scar human employees. Additional reporting from agencies Pizza Hut announced plans to cut restaurants in the UK, putting around 450 jobs at risk. Photo: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Pizza Hut has announced plans to close more than one in 10 of its restaurants in Britain, putting around 450 jobs at risk. The pizza chain confirmed 29 branches will shut across the UK as part of a restructuring deal, in the latest in a wave of closures and job losses to hit UK high streets since the coronavirus struck. Details of affected branches are expected to be confirmed later this week. The company said it is negotiating with lenders over a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), an insolvency procedure often used to avoid putting a company into full administration and re-negotiate debt repayments. The Pizza Huts Restaurant Group, which runs the dine-in Pizza Hut franchise in the UK said COVID-19 had caused significant disruption. Sales are not expected to fully bounce back until next year despite it re-opening branches. READ MORE: Around 1,100 Pizza Express jobs at risk as company reaches CVA deal But the company said in a statement the measures could help save around 5,000 jobs at the rest of its 244 UK restaurants. Jobs at Pizza Hut Delivery and other linked franchises will not be affected. It comes after another leading UK pizza chain, Pizza Express, also announced plans to close 73 restaurants this week. Around 1,100 jobs could be lost after it also reached a CVA deal. A spokeswoman said: We are committed to doing the right thing and, in order to secure as many jobs as possible and continue serving our communities, we are working to reach an agreement with our creditors. We understand this is a difficult time for everyone involved. We appreciate the support of our business partners and are doing everything we can to help our team members during this process, including speaking with those affected by the consultation. Belarus opposition politician Maxim Znak was detained on Wednesday by masked men wearing plain clothes, supporters said, as authorities extended a systematic campaign to round up the leaders of a month-long mass protest movement. Znak was detained two days after another opposition leader, Maria Kolesnikova, was snatched in the street by masked men. Both are prominent leaders of protests demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko following an Aug. 9 election that the opposition says was rigged. Znak was the last member of the oppositions Coordination Council still active inside Belarus apart from Nobel prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich, who has served as a figurehead for the movement. All the rest have fled, been forced abroad or been detained in a crackdown by Lukashenkos security forces as he seeks to maintain his 26-year grip on power in the former Soviet republic. I demand the immediate release of Maxim Znak who was detained, or more accurately abducted, today. The methods employed by the so-called authorities are outrageous," said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in the election and fled soon afterwards to Lithuania. Its clear Lukashenko is afraid of negotiations and is trying in this way to paralyse the work of the Coordination Council and intimidate its members. But there is no alternative to negotiations, and Lukashenko will have to accept this." The Coordination Council quoted Znaks lawyer, Dmitry Laevsky, as saying the state Investigative Committee had opened a criminal case against it for inciting actions aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus". State investigators were also searching the headquarters of jailed opposition politician Viktor Babariko, Interfax news agency said. On Tuesday, prominent opposition leader Kolesnikova thwarted an attempt to deport her by tearing up her passport to avoid being forced to cross the border into Ukraine, two of her allies said. She remains in detention, her whereabouts unknown. WASHINGTON VOICES CONCERN U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Tuesday that Washington was deeply concerned by the reported abduction" of Kolesnikova and two other opposition figures who were rounded up at the same time and forced to leave for Ukraine. He called on the Belarusian authorities to release all those who have been unjustly detained". Lukashenko denies opponents accusations of vote-rigging and has accused foreign powers of trying to topple him in a revolution. He retains the backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin, an important ally, but faces the likelihood of European Union sanctions later this month against Belarusian officials involved in the election and its violent aftermath. Europe must quickly agree on a list of sanctions. And from my point of view, it should include Lukashenko, the head of this system," Manfred Weber, a senior German conservative and head of the largest grouping in the EU Parliament, told German public broadcaster ZDF. 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 Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 9 : Even as Kerala's Covid-19 tally is nearing the 1 lakh-mark, the Congress on Wednesday demanded a thorough audit of the spendings of the government to fight the coronavirus pandemic, alleging huge corruption in the entire process. State Congress chief Mullapally Ramachandran alleged thar this act is being carried out by the offices of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and State Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan, with state Health Minister K.K. Shailaja having no clue as to what's happening in this front. "Crores are being spent to fight Covid-19 and allegations have already surfaced that the quality of the PPE kits given to the health workers is inferior and yet they are billed at an exorbitant rate. Same is the case with masks and ambulances, which are being are being purchased/hired at high rates," said Ramachandran. Kerala is witnessing a sudden spurt in Covid numbers with the daily tally already breaching the 3,000-mark twice this month. "It has now come out that a PPE kit, which should cost Rs 350, is being purchased for Rs 1,550; likewise, one N95 mask is being sourced for a price of Rs 160, which is unheard of. The infra red thermometer, which costs maximum Rs 2,500, is billed to the government at Rs 6,000. "Despite several requests made to the Vijayan government to come out with the spending pattern, till now there has been no word on it. We demand a thorough audit of the government's Covid-19 spendings," said Ramachandran. Ramachandran also asked Shailaja to break her silence, as she either has no clue as to what's happening in her department, or is simply feigning ignorance. Massachusetts schools will now commemorate the end of slavery in the United States annually. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education updated its school calendars for the 2020-2021 school year to add Juneteenth Day to the list of observed holidays. Juneteenth became an officially recognized holiday in Massachusetts thanks to an amendment added by State Rep. Bud L. Williams, of Springfield, and Maria Duaime Robinson, of Framingham, to a COVID-19 spending bill signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in July. We filed this in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter [movement,]" Williams said after filing the amendment in June. In terms of making this state holiday, it will go a long way in bridging the racial gap between individuals. The annual commemoration marks the day when Union Gen. Gordon Granger reached Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and enslaved people were free. That day - June 19, 1865 - was more than two years after Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln. Juneteenth has long been celebrated by Black communities, both locally and nationwide. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, the states first Black governor, signed a proclamation in 2007 to recognize Juneteenth. The year 2021 will mark the first year Juneteenth is an observed holiday in the state. June 19 falls on a Saturday in 2021. Under state law, a legal holiday that falls on a Sunday is observed on the following Monday, and a legal holiday that falls on a Saturday is observed on Saturday. Below is a full list of Massachusetts legal holidays for the 2020-2021 school year. Under state law, all public offices, including public schools, must be closed on these statewide legal holidays. Sri Lankan Navy on September 8 said that an oil slick has been spotted a kilometre away from a loaded supertanker off the countrys east coast, as efforts to extinguish a fire onboard continued. The fire onboard oil tanker MT New Diamond was doused on September 6 before it reignited on September 7 due to prevailing intense heat onboard. Sri Lankan officials are currently working to assess any damage to the environment and marine life from the incident. Speaking to International media reporters, Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Indika de Silva said that the ship had tilted slightly towards where the fire broke out due to a large amount of water sprayed to douse the fire. Elaborating further, he said that the oil in engine room also appears to have leaked out to the sea. The supertanker is currently being held at some 40 kilometres east of the island nation with multiple firefighting boats continuously spraying water to douse the fire, de Silva added. Read: ICG Hands Over 1500 Kg Of DCP To Sri Lankan Officials For Fire-fighting On MT New Diamond Read: Sri Lanka: Massive Fire On A Stricken Oil Tanker Extinguished, One Dead One dead One Filipino crew member has died after the boiler in the main engine room burst into flames causing the fire. All other persons on board, 22 in total, have been successfully rescued from the vessel that is reported to be loaded with 270,000 metric tons of crude oil According to reports, a salvage team was currently working on-site and additional assets, salvage personnel and fire fighting equipment" were currently on their way to reach the charred ship. In addition, the Sri Lankan government has deployed scientists and researchers from Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA)tasked with examining the area around the ship and nearby coastal areas for the sign of pollution, Jagath Gunesekara, Deputy General Manager of MEPA, said. The large 333-metre long crude carrier is carrying over three lakh metric tons of crude oil for the Indian Oil Corporation from Kuwait to Paradip. ICG ships Sujay, Shaurya, Sarang and pollution response vessel Samudra Paheredar are continuously engaged in the firefighting operation on rotation, using a specialised external firefighting system, a statement from ICG said. Read: Sri Lanka: Convicted Murderer Sworn In As MP Amid Flak From Opposition Parties Read: Ships, Aircraft Fight New Fire On Oil Tanker Off Sri Lanka (Image credits: Indian Coast Gaurd/Twitter) FinancialNewsMedia.com News Commentary PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluorspar has a wide variety of uses. It is a mineral composed of calcium and fluorine and is used for a variety of metallurgical, chemical and ceramic processes. It is sometimes cut into gems to be used in ornamental objects. More importantly, it is also used as flux to lower the melting point of raw materials in the steel production process. High growth in the global construction industry coupled with increasing construction of skyscrapers and earthquake resistant buildings will stimulate demand for steel which will augment the fluorite market development in the study period. The increasing demand for aluminum & steel, mostly in the developing economies will contribute towards the product industry growth. Aluminum is extensively used in the manufacturing of automobiles and aircrafts. Steady increase in the automobile production in Asian countries coupled with a rising vehicle demand owing to increasing disposable income and GDP growth in emerging economies will fuel aluminum consumption. This will boost the fluorspar demand to be used in the synthesis of aluminum. Rising steel demand from the construction industry will also propel the fluorspar market growth. Active stocks in the mining markets this week include Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (OTCQB: ARSMF) (TSX-V: ARS), Commerce Resources Corp. (OTCPK: CMRZF) (TSX-V:CCE), B2Gold Corp. (NYSE: BTG) (TSX: BTO), Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE: WPM) (TSX:WPM), Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) (TSX: NGT). The fluorspar market is segmented on the basis of product and application. Among the product segments, metaspar, which contains 60% to 85% calcium fluoride, is predicted to record a valuation above USD 1 billion with a significant growth rate till 2024 owing to its usage in the synthesis of aluminum, steel, iron and others. It acts as flux to remove impurities from molten metal and improves the fluidity. China, Mexico and Mongolia are the largest fluorite producers in the world. Asia Pacific will drive the product market growth owing to the presence of a large number of steel & aluminum manufacturing plants in the region. The high demand for fluorochemicals in a wide range of applications will also help the fluorite market to grow through 2024. Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (OTCQB: ARSMF) (TSX-V: ARS) BREAKING NEWS:Ares Strategic Mining Inc. Announces 1,500m Follow-up RC Drill Program After Confirming Presence of Additional Fluorite Bearing Pipes on its Permitted Area - Ares Strategic Mining ("Ares" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an immediate follow-up drill program after confirming high-grade fluorspar mineralization on its Lost Sheep fluorspar mine. Ares will again employ More Core Diamond Drilling Services Ltd., to conduct RC drilling for to test for additional fluorspar mineralization within the Lost Sheep fluorspar mine area in Utah to assist planning for possible mining in the future. The Company will drill two or three holes (200 to 300m of drilling) between the old Purple Pit and the recently delineated LGP target to test for possible continuity of fluorspar mineralization and/or depth extension. Personal communications with individuals that worked the underground Purple Pit mine indicates that there is still mineralization trending towards the LGP pipe at the 250 foot level and below the 325 foot level. These areas will be tested during Phase 2 of drilling. The Company will also test a series of very prospective targets immediately adjacent to the current operation (250 and 350 meters away) and within the permitted area, based on a conceptual model that links fluorite bearing breccia pipes with exposed fluorspar at surface. A minimum of 5 holes (500 to 700m) will be drilled in this target zone and if successful, will begin to delineate additional fluorspar mineralization readily accessible from surface. James Walker, President and CEO of the Company said, "The high grade results from the last drill program, and the confirmation that other possible high-grade areas exist within our permitted mine area and extensive exploration land package, has encouraged the Company to move forward its timelines. Ares is currently considering expanding the proposed production capacity and processing facilities at its mine. The Company anticipates secondary and tertiary mining operations at other sites in the future. By moving our drill program forward, we hope to enable faster expansion of our production capabilities once mining operations have commenced. The Company and its staff are very excited at the near-term and long-term prospects, and we are looking forward to commence operations and being the only domestic supplier of metspar and acidspar to the U.S." The Company has conducted detailed geology interpretation after examining high-resolution imagery and DEM models obtained from the recently acquired Lidar survey and has identified a fault set that produced repetitive offset of the geological sequence. The majority of the known historic fluorite operations are located in the steep south slopes of a series of different parallel hills, in a "domino" style of extensional faulting. Blind targets are located in the hanging wall offset blocks. The conceptual model indicates the exposed deposits correspond to the lower sections of the fluorspar bearing pipes, and the top parts of the pipes, reaching or not the surface, can be predicted in those offset blocks immediately adjacent to them. Read this release for the Ares Strategic Mining news at:https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-ars/ Other recent developments in the markets include: B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO) (NYSE: BTG) recently announced that the Company continues to monitor the evolving political situation in Mali. B2Gold's mining operations at its Fekola Mine have not been affected in any way and the Company continues mining and milling operations as normal. The Fekola Mine has sufficient supplies on hand to maintain its budgeted activities through the end of the third quarter and beyond if needed. The Fekola mill expansion remains on schedule. No operational days have been lost due to the political situation in the country and all of B2Gold's mine personnel are safe. B2Gold will continue to monitor the situation and work to ensure that its mining operations continue normally, providing economic benefits and job creation both to the communities around the mine and to regional and national governments. Foreign investment and political stability in Mali are crucial for the country. Commerce Resources Corp. (OTCPK: CMRZF) (TSX-V:CCE)) recently reported the company has been awarded a combined total of $160,000 in grant funding in support of research and development of the Ashram rare earth and fluorspar deposit's flowsheet. The Ashram deposit is one of the largest rare earth deposits being advanced globally, with a fluorspar component that also then ranks it as one of the largest fluorspar deposits defined globally. The research and development program will be carried out as a collaboration between the company, Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue (UQAT) and Industrial Waste Technology Centre (CTRI). The company will provide approximately 1.5 tonnes of Ashram deposit material to be used as feed for the various test programs Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE: WPM) (TSX:WPM) recently announced that its Board of Directors has declared its third quarterly cash dividend payment for 2020 of US$0.10 per common share. The third quarterly cash dividend for 2020 of US$0.10 will be paid to holders of record of Wheaton Precious Metals common shares as of the close of business on August 27, 2020 and will be distributed on or about September 10, 2020. Under the Company's dividend policy, the quarterly dividend per common share is targeted to equal approximately 30% of the average cash generated by operating activities in the previous four quarters divided by the Company's then outstanding common shares, all rounded to the nearest cent. To minimize volatility in quarterly dividends, the Company has set a minimum quarterly dividend of $0.10 per common share for the duration of 2020 representing an 11% increase relative to 2019. Under this policy, the forecast annualized dividend for 2020 would represent an increase of more than 90% over a five-year period. Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) (TSX: NGT) and Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (NYSE: KL - TSX: KL) have signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement to jointly assess regional exploration opportunities around Newmont's Timmins properties and Kirkland's Holt Complex in Ontario, Canada. As part of the Strategic Alliance, Newmont has acquired an option (the Option) from Kirkland on the mining and mineral rights subject to a royalty payable by Newmont to Royal Gold, Inc. (the Holt Royalty) in exchange for a $75 million payment to Kirkland Lake Gold. Newmont can exercise the Option only in the event Kirkland intends to restart operations at the Holt Mine and process material subject to the Holt Royalty. Kirkland has the right to assume Newmont's obligations under the Holt Royalty at any time, in which case the Option would terminate. The effect of the Option structure is that Newmont will have no additional liability exposure in relation to the Holt Royalty. As a result of the Strategic Alliance Agreement and the Option, Newmont expects to remove the approximately $350 million liability for the Holt Royalty on its balance sheet at June 30, 2020 and record a gain of approximately $275 million in Net income (loss) from discontinued operations in its results for the third quarter of 2020. DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates Financialnewsmedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. 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For current services performed FNM has been compensated sixty five hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by Ares Strategic Mining Inc. by a non-affiliated third party. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE. This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". 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Contact Information: Media Contact email: editor@financialnewsmedia.com +1(561)325-8757 (Photo : REUTERS/Erin Scott/) Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2019. (Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic) A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken March 25, 2020. (Photo : Washington Post) Screenshot of Ashok Chandwaney's resignation letter A Facebook engineer bravely posted his resignation letter on the internal forum detailing how the company failed to uphold its five core values in countering hate in the platform and chose to "be in the wrong side of history." In the letter obtained by the Washington Post, Ashok Chandwaney said he quit his job after five and a half years because he is disgusted to contribute in a company "that is profiting off hate" across the U.S. and the world. On September 8, Chandwaney had his last day at work and he posted the letter to Facebook's internal employee network. He details how Facebook has failed to uphold its five core values, which include "Be Bold," "Build Social Value," "Focus on Impact," "Be Open," and "Move Fast" when tackling hate on the platform. This eroded his faith in the "company's will to remove it from the platform." He also noted that he regard being bold as doing something, despite the difficulty, because it is the right thing. In contrast, boldness is not skipping the implementation of what civil rights advocates have recommended. Chandwaney said that Facebook's civil rights audit could just be a PR stunt without the genuine will to act. In July, the two-year-long Facebook-commissioned audit found that the company's decisions led to "serious setbacks for civil rights." The engineer was also disappointed that Facebook seems more concerned with strengthening its "business value" than "social value," which is one of its core values. He also wished to see Facebook's "serious prioritization of social good," even without an obvious business value to it or if such may harm the business. Meanwhile, the engineer added links to cite specific incidents when Facebook failed in managing the platform. These include the recent failure of Facebook to remove an event that encouraged people to go to Kenosha and shoot and kill protesters. The company's obstructing of an investigation regarding the genocide in Myanmar was also cited by Chandwaney who said that Facebook's choice to minimize the regulatory risks have endangered the lives of "Black, Indigenous, and people of color." As of this writing, Facebook has not yet release any comment regarding the letter. Download the full copy of the letter here. Mark Zuckerberg: Employees can no longer discuss highly charged topics on internal forum Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ended up banning discussions of "highly charged content" in open groups and forums, although the company values their open discussion and opinion. This was after he intervened between employees who were debating in the company's Workplace forum about racial bias August 28. "I don't believe people working here should have to be confronted with divisive conversations while they're trying to work," he added. Tech Times reported that the incident started after an employee shared a post on the internal messaging board disputing the role of race in policing. Other employees commented on the post, triggering debates over racism. This prompted Zuckerberg to intervene saying that Facebook's communications policy is designed "to allow people to discuss very different viewpoints", but some people have chosen to ignore how their words impact the Black community in the company. The Daily Beast alleged that Facebook would start filtering controversial topics on the Workplace by creating subchannels for them. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A mother has been arrested after she admitted to shoving a wet wipe down her two-month-old boys throat, fatally cutting off the babys air supply. When Nancy Williams was asked why she didnt tell first responders who were attempting to give her unresponsive son CPR that she had jammed a wet wipe down his throat, she replied: I had other things on my mind, according to Mulberry Police reports. Paramedics were finally able to locate an object deep in the infants throat that was barely visible, which was confirmed to be a baby wipe. Despite their efforts, they were not able to save the infants life. The mother from Crawford County in the US state of Arkansas now faces a charge of first degree murder for the incident that took place on Thursday (local time). Nancy Williams faces first degree murder chrges after she admitted to shoving a wet wipe down her 2-month-old baby boys throat, fatally cutting off his air supply. Source: Crawford County Detention Centre Williams later told investigators that she had forced a bottle into her crying babys mouth which cut his gums and caused him to cry louder. She said she used the baby wipe to try and stop the bleeding and crying, demonstrating to police how she put the wipe completely into the infants mouth and pushed it hard. The mother said she panicked when she lost sight off the wipe and woke her husband up telling him their son wasnt breathing. Williams was arrested Friday (local time) and is being held at the Crawford County Detention Centre on a USD $1 million bond. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. The United Arab Emirates have just become the first Arab nation to operate a nuclear plant as its 5.6GW Barakah nuclear plant achieved criticality on its Unit 1 in the first week of August. The pressurized water reactor has received its operating license this February and has been in a test regime throughout the past 6 months, placating regional fears that the Arab Peninsulas first nuclear plant might experience some difficulty in operation. The Barakah nuclear plants Unit 2 is expected to be fully ready by the winter season of 2020/2021, whilst Units 3 and 4 are nearing completion (construction works are 90% done), suggesting that the pioneering UAE reactor might become a steady part of the countrys energy matrix in the upcoming 1-2 years. The underlying question, however, is the cost thereof was nuclear power a necessity for the Emirati economy? The idea of utilizing nuclear energy within the Arabian Peninsula emerged in the mid-2000s when six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council set out to assess the prospects of nuclear in the region. All of them, at that point spearheaded by Saudi Arabia, signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty by that point in most cases the rationale for developing nuclear lied in rapidly increasing electricity needs on the back of surging populations. The UAE took on the task more zealously than the others and by late 2009 it had set up its Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and subsequently selected KEPCOs bid to build four APR1400 reactors at the Barakah site. The total value of the contract rose to some $24 billion, almost $4 billion more than initially presumed. The Barakah nuclear plant is located almost 300km from Abu Dhabi, much closer to the Qatari border than to major consumption centers in the UAE which would inevitably create some tension between the two states. Qatari media have reported on the Barakah plants lack of necessary safety measures, decrying the technological solutions chosen for it (amongst other things, no Generation III defence-in-depth reinforcements which could shield the object from potential missile attacks). Even before the September 2019 Abqaiq attack on Saudi Arabia, Qatar has filed a letter of compliant to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) claiming that the environmental risks of Barakah had not been assessed appropriately and that in case of a radioactive leak the plume would reach Doha in merely a couple of hours and would devastate the nations water supply. Related: Oil Markets Get A Major Reality Check As Demand Sours Qatari objections notwithstanding, the choice to develop nuclear energy in a country that seems to be ideally suited to develop renewable sources of energy, primarily solar and wind energy, remains a somewhat peculiar one. Heretofore the United Arab Emirates have relied overwhelmingly on natural gas as the main source of electricity generation, providing some 97% of its electricity (the remaining 3% comes from solar and to a minuscule extent also from oil). Developing nuclear energy will aid the UAE to substantially decrease its carbon emissions, assumedly by 21mtpa in total, all the while providing electricity costing less than half of what natural gas does. It has to be noted, though, that as convincing as the emissions-curbing narrative is, developing renewable solar and wind energy would result in virtually zero emissions. For the South Korean consortium, bringing Barakah onstream without any substantial hiccup would be an issue of increased importance as it remains the only currently existing export order in KEPCOs portfolio. Moreover, KEPCO owns 18% of the project company (Nawah Energy Co.), the remaining 82% belongs to the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), thus its interest in the profitability of the nuclear plant will go beyond the construction and commissioning phases. Last but not least, rumours that KEPCO has cut corners around enhanced safety designs for the nuclear reactors (what the French AREVAs then-CEO compared to a car without airbags) to render its bid the most competitive ought to compel the South Korean firm to carry out Barakahs commissioning in a seamless manner. Graph 1. United Arab Emirates Electricity Generation in 2000-2019 (in Terawatt-hours). Source: BP Statistical Survey 2020. The August 2020 commissioning of Barakah Unit 1 took place almost 3 years after the set deadline of 2017. Partially this is due to construction faults, mainly cracks in the reactor containment building, which were discovered first in Unit 3 in 2017 and then subsequently in all units in 2018. KEPCO has had similar problems with the same type of APR1400 nuclear design at home, not to speak of the 2012 South Korean forgery scandal which saw several control documents on provided nuclear components falsified by suppliers. Luckily there were no major issues heretofore with heat exchangers and condensers one of the crucial parts of the reactor, considering that UAE seawater is around 33-34C. It was against this background that the Emirati nuclear corporation has concluded its deals on nuclear fuel supply with Frances AREVA, Russias TENEX, Canadas Uranium One and the Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto. Beyond the realm of pure economics and unit price profitability, one of the main reasons why the Middle East boasts little to no nuclear assets (Iran is the only Middle Eastern country to operate a nuclear plant) lies in others nations concerns that such developments might spur a nuclear race in a region which has historically been beset by conflict. Following the Barakah plants commissioning, several regional countries have joined the club of peaceful nuclear energy Turkey will start up its Akkuyu nuclear plant in 2023, Egypts El Dabaa plant is expected to be up and running by 2026-2027 and Saudi Arabia intends to build up a 17 GW nuclear portfolio by 2040. Should intra-regional fissures lead to another attack on energy infrastructure akin to the Abqaiq attacks, the consequences might be even more devastating. By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Actress Kirstie Alley attends the Los Angeles premiere of "The Fanatic" in 2019. (Richard Shotwell / Invision / Associated Press) And the Oscar for saltiest reaction to the film academy's new diversity and inclusion requirements goes to ... Kirstie Alley. The actress unleashed an angry rant Tuesday on Twitter after the academy announced updated standards for best-picture nominees intended to create more opportunities in Hollywood for marginalized groups. Alley has since deleted her original tweet, which called the new guidelines "a disgrace to artists everywhere." "[C]an you imagine telling Picasso what had to be in his ... paintings," Alley wrote in the tweet, which has been immortalized in screenshots. "You people have lost your minds. Control artists, control individual thought .. OSCAR ORWELL." Following a swift backlash, Alley removed and elaborated on her remarks, which she deemed "a poor analogy" that "misrepresented my viewpoint." The Emmy winner added that she is "100% behind diversity inclusion & tolerance" but "opposed to MANDATED ARBITRARY percentages relating to hiring human beings in any business." "I've been in the motion picture Academy for 40 years," Alley continued in subsequent tweets. "The Academy celebrates freedom of UNBRIDLED artistry expressed through movies. The new RULES to qualify for 'best picture' are dictatorial .. anti-artist..Hollywood you're swinging so far left you're bumping into your own ass." Ive been in the motion picture Academy for 40 years. The Academy celebrates freedom of UNBRIDLED artistry expressed through movies. The new RULES to qualify for best picture are dictatorial .. anti-artist..Hollywood youre swinging so far left youre bumping into your own ass Kirstie Alley (@kirstiealley) September 9, 2020 At one point, she requested that Ava DuVernay "explore my record of diversity & inclusion in anything I've produced & throughout my life," after the trailblazing director responded to Alley's complaints with a gif of Denzel Washington slamming a door. Story continues "I'm not perfect but have fought for human & civil rights for 50 years," Alley continued. "I just don't agree w mandated, impossible to 'police' quotas as a prerequisite 4 a 'best' picture. ... "I dont feel a desperate need to defend myself, but sometimes its important to go on record with your own history. Especially since people arent aware of our track records. Understanding is my goal. Understanding leads to change." But I ask you to explore my record of diversity & inclusion in anything Ive produced & throughout my life. Im not perfect but have fought for human & civil rights for 50 years. I just dont agree w mandated, impossible to police quotas as a prerequisite 4 a best picture https://t.co/PZy4QMZcEu Kirstie Alley (@kirstiealley) September 9, 2020 I dont feel a desperate need to defend myself, but sometimes its important to go on record with your own history. Especially since people arent aware of our track records. Understanding is my goal. Understanding leads to change. Kirstie Alley (@kirstiealley) September 9, 2020 On Tuesday, the film academy unveiled the new requirements, which state that a film must meet at least two criteria across four categories inclusive of women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities in order to be eligible for best picture. And unlike Alley, several Hollywood figures hailed the initiative as the beginning of a more representative industry. "This is another step forward toward equity and inclusion, but we are far from there," tweeted activist April Reign, who launched the groundbreaking #OscarsSoWhite campaign that inspired deeper conversations about representation in 2015. "I appreciate all of you who have discussed this issue or used the hashtag. This is progress for marginalized communities, championed by marginalized communities. We win together. "As I've long said, the real change still has to start on the page, and with the studios who greenlight those films. The goal is to ensure more inclusive films get made that are told by/with/for traditionally underrepresented communities; the awards come much later." As I've long said, the real change still has to start on the page, and with the studios who greenlight those films. The goal is to ensure more inclusive films get made that are told by/with/for traditionally underrepresented communities; the awards come much later. #OscarsSoWhite April (@ReignOfApril) September 9, 2020 Many also voiced concerns about the ease with which filmmakers might be able to meet and potentially duck the criteria without making a serious effort to diversify their projects. "This is certainly progress but unless its one of every category required it still wont be enough," tweeted "Good Trouble" writer Ashly Perez. "There are loopholes galore. However I do hope this will at least make studios start thinking about whose stories they tell and why." The academy's diversity and inclusion requirements for best picture will go into effect in 2024. A dozen different antiseptic creams will be taken off Australian shelves next week after it was found they can cause serious and painful skin inflammation on users who are allergic to their active ingredient. Kylie Johnson from Canberra was one of those who paid a painful price for using one of the soon-to-be-banned creams. She bought a tube of Medi Quattro from her local pharmacy to treat an itchy patch of skin on her neck over the June long weekend. After rubbing in the cream, she felt a burning sensation on her skin which turned an angry red and a rash spread over her body and face. Kylie Johnson from Canberra, purchased Medi Quattro from her local pharmacy to treat an itchy patch of skin on her neck over the June long weekend Ms Johnson suffered a severe allergic reaction to the cream and wound up in hospital for six days (pictured) 'I had like a really itchy red rash all over my neck, it was coming up my face and you could kind of see it grow,' Ms Johnson told A Current Affair. 'It didn't work and it just kept getting worse, the rash kept growing which is really terrifying.' Ms Johnson wound up in hospital for six days where she was wrapped up like a burns victim, placed under a space blanket and sedated as no treatment was helping. She feared the worst and at one point thought she would have to 'look at my will to see if it's alright'. After her excruciating six-day ordeal in hospital, Ms Johnson eventually recovered and doctors found she was allergic to bufexamac - an active ingredient in the cream. Bufexamac is an over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, according to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Products containing bufexamac were stripped off the shelves in Europe back in 2010 due to severe allergic reactions and are not sold anymore in the US, Japan or New Zealand. Ms Johnson used Medi Quattro to treat an itchy patch of skin on her neck which then caused her skin to feel like it was burning and a rash spread on her face and body On September 18, 2020 Medi Quattro will be removed from Australian pharmacy shelves due to its horrific affects There are currently 13 creams in Australia which contain the active ingredient and they will be no longer sold as of September 18, 2020. 'Consumers and health professionals are advised that first aid creams containing bufexamac will be removed from the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) on 18 September 2020 and will no longer be sold in Australia,' TGA website read. 'TGA has determined that, based on our assessment and independent advice from the Advisory Committee on Medicines (ACM) the safety and effectiveness of bufexamac-containing products are unacceptable. 'Bufexamac is associated with a risk of serious skin reactions (also known as allergic contact dermatitis). 'The TGA has also determined that there is inadequate evidence that the bufexamac ingredient in these products is effective.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Evie Yulin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 10:33 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43a97fc 3 Opinion gender-inequality,infertility,sexual-and-reproductive-health-care-services,sexual-health,pregnancy Free The World Health Organization has clinically defined infertility as the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of regular sexual intercourse, a minimum of two to three times a week, without the use of contraception. Infertility is not a new issue in reproductive treatment. However, in recent years, the discussion on infertility has developed quite dynamically around the world. A WHO report estimates that 8 to 10 percent of couples globally deal with infertility cases, or about 50 to 80 million couples. In Indonesia, out of 67 million couples during their productive age, 10 to 15 percent or 8 million couples experienced infertility or had fertility issues that made it difficult for them to have children (Indonesia Health Profile, 2012). According to Statistics Indonesia, the prevalence rate of infertility in the country is increasing every year. In 2013, the prevalence rate was at 15 to 25 percent among all couples. Unfortunately, women are often the ones to blame when talking about infertility. Both parties (husband and wife) contribute to the success of having a child. About one-third of fertility issues are dominated by men, one-third by women and one-third are unknown causes (unexplained). Argyo Demartoto, in a gender perspective study The Impact of Infertility on Marriage (2008), states that the value of having children in Indonesian culture and society is very important, especially in a household. Men are identified as stronger than women. Children are the symbol of a males virility, strength and sexual capacity. This perception, which comes as a result of the social construct of their gender identity, makes a man feel inferior when they do not have a child, so they blame the woman. In a dominant patriarchal culture, when the issue of infertility arises, women are often blamed for their capacity to be pregnant. This stigma sometimes ends in an unfair situation for women, even leading to physical abuse. The results of Argyos study, for example, cited a case in Banjarsari, Surakarta, where there was gender discrimination in which men blamed women as a reason for divorce. Research published in the journal Reproductive Health (2019) found that in many low- and middle-income African countries, women with fertility issues are often forced to accept a polygamous marriage. In Pakistan, infertility is a critical condition that affects the social and marital life of couples. Compared to fertile women, women who experience fertility issues are twice as vulnerable to domestic violence. The same is found in Iran. From 200 infertile women, 136 (68 percent) reported a history of physical abuse, 120 (60 percent) had experienced sexual abuse and 140 (70 percent) had experienced psychological abuse. There is a significant connection between infertility and physical, sexual and psychological abuse. Infertility is not the only issue for women in modern medical research. Compared to the number of guidelines written for women experiencing infertility, the number of independent journals written for men is still very limited. Likewise, scientific research on the emotional impact of the diagnosis and treatment of infertility in men is still limited. Maybe this is because, from the beginning, men and women have to deal with acceptance in different ways. In an American study, nearly 50 percent of women and only 15 percent of men consider infertility an uncomfortable condition in their lives. Other research shows that even in developed countries like the United States, 81 percent of government-funded clinics provide education about preconception care for women. In contrast, only 38 percent of clinics provide similar education for men. These factors make infertility testing unequal. Most couples do not get enough treatment because they are embarrassed to undergo a medical check, and there is even an initial assumption that women are infertile. Even if the examination is finally carried out, women sometimes have more prolonged and more painful infertility tests than men. Research by Kevin Y. Chu from the Department of Urology at the University of Miami also found that women seek medical help and perform reproductive health evaluations faster than men. Infertility has psychological implications, especially for women. The source of the sociopsychological pressure on women is closely related to their deterministic nature to conceive and deliver a baby. As such, it is time that infertility should be considered not only a medical or psychological issue, but also a social issue. Moreover, infertility treatment puts a strain on physical, mental, and emotional pain. Infertile couples struggle with stress and stigma from society, especially for women. Support needs to be given to women who have infertility issues so that they can still be empowered (womens empowerment). Infertility is not the end of a womans life. Infertility can be treated, ranging from simple methods such as lifestyle modification to more sophisticated methods with assisted reproductive technologies such as insemination and in vitro fertilization (IVF). The process of treating infertility is not an easy journey. This long journey is like a roller coaster ride for the couple who is on it, especially if the issue is with the woman. There are feelings of hope mixed with anxiety, fear and even the risk of depression because there is always the possibility of failure. Availability of accurate, reliable information and support should be provided. Every family has the right to have children, based on their choice. Everyone can start to spread the word. Relevant medical associations, as well as the health industry engaged in this field, can provide support to the government in providing access to information (increasing awareness), education on reproductive health, infertility and its treatment and opportunities to create a happy family. *** President director of PT Merck Tbk. The views expressed are her own. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Ethiopia prime minister Abiy Ahmed announced plans to sell a five per cent stake in state-owned Ethio telecom to citizens, as part of plans to break the monopoly held by the operator and open up the traditionally closed market. Citing a report from state-affiliated news outlet Fana Broadcasting, Reuters reported the government will retain a 55 per cent share in Ethio telecom, with the remaining 40 per cent up for bid to international companies. Upon announcing the opening of the countrys telecoms market to foreign companies, the Ethiopian Communications Authority received 12 bids from interested parties to operate in the country which has a population of 110 million people. The licences are predicted to generate around $1 billion in revenue, with interest from: Safaricom, Orange Group, Axian, STC, MTN Group, Telkom SA, Etisalat, Liquid Telecom and Chinese MVNO Snail Mobile. Although the borders are open for foreign telecommunications firms, infrastructure companies were suspended entry after reported protest from Ethio Telecom, stating it had spent billions of dollars in infrastructure and demanded first opportunity to rent networks to incoming operators. Annie Gibson, a hemodialysis nurse attends to COVID-19 patient Rue Arnwine Jr. who is on dialysis at Desert Cities Dialysis in Victorville, Calif. (Los Angeles Times) For the second time in two years, California voters will be asked to play the role of healthcare regulators and set rules for how dialysis clinics operate in this state. And once again, they'll be offered a seemingly appealing way to make clinics safer. But just as they smartly rejected a ballot measure in 2018 that sought to increase clinics' spending on nurses and technicians, they should reject an initiative this year to increase clinics' spending on doctors. Proposition 23 like Proposition 8 in 2018 would raise costs without delivering a meaningful improvement in the quality of care. Dialysis patients have their blood removed, filtered and reinjected three times a week, and if they miss any of these four-hour sessions, the results can be fatal. Complicating matters, they tend to have multiple serious health problems beyond the failure of their kidneys; according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, heart disease, high blood pressure, vascular disease and diabetes were all common ailments among the patients in California in 2018. The average clinic in the state had about 11 patients die over the course of 2018. That's lower than the national average both in number and in percentage, according to federal statistics. Nevertheless, the Yes on 23 campaign, which is funded by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare West, argues that the clinics aren't safe enough. The measure would require clinics to keep a medical doctor on duty whenever patients are treated; report the number of infections quarterly to state health officials; not discriminate against patients on Medicare or Medicaid and obtain state approval before closing or substantial reducing services. Supporters of Proposition 23 argue that the new mandates are necessary to safeguard patients against profiteering and corner-cutting by the two multibillion-dollar corporations that operate most of the country's dialysis clinics, DaVita and Fresenius. Not coincidentally, the SEIU-UHW has been trying in vain to organize those companies' clinics in California, a campaign the union has tried to advance through a series of ballot measures and legislative proposals. Story continues One insurmountable problem for the proposition, though, is that its supporters have not offered any evidence that its mandates are either necessary or helpful for patients. The most consequential provision in Proposition 23 is the mandate to have a doctor on site at all times. Supporters say the doctor is needed to recognize when a patient is slipping into a crisis during treatment. But the proposition wouldn't require an M.D. who specializes in dialysis or emergency care any doctor would suffice (and if there's a demonstrated shortage of doctors, any nurse practitioner or physician's assistant). Besides, the people best able to tell when complications arrive are the ones who've been trained to do just that: the nurses and technicians who deliver the care. It's true that dialysis patients often wind up in the hospital or the emergency room. Compared to the large number of treatments delivered over the course of the year, however, the number of problems experienced by each clinic is low (and lower in California than the national average, according to federal statistics). That may explain why neither the federal government nor any other state requires clinics to keep a doctor on hand, largely idle, to help out when something does go wrong. Instead, each clinic is required to have a physician overseeing all of its patients' care, and each patient has a kidney specialist or affiliated professional who checks in on them weekly while they're being treated. The one sure result of the doctor-on-duty mandate is that it would raise the cost of care. Opponents argue that clinics would trim their hours and open fewer new locations as a result, which would make it harder for patients to get treated. It also is likely to drive up the cost of patients' bills, which would be a particular hardship for patients in California who are covered by Medicare they have to cover the 20% copay out of pocket because Medigap policies here do not cover dialysis. Proposition 23 is opposed by a long list of patient advocates, medical professionals and other civic groups; the only endorsements its proponents tout are those from the California Labor Federation and the California Democratic Party. The Yes campaign argues that voters should ignore the opposition because, like federal regulators and state lawmakers, the opponents have all been co-opted by DaVita and Fresenius. But voters are not the ones who should be deciding how best to keep patients safe. Those decisions should be based on research and medical science, not politics. Voters should reject Proposition 23 and tell the SEIU-UHW to stop hijacking the initiative process for its organizing campaigns. Governors Visit to GCS The Governor of Gibraltar, Vice Admiral Sir David Steel KBE DL visited Gibraltar Cultural Services to learn more about the services GCS provides and the work it produces. His Excellency was met by the Minister for Culture, Prof John Cortes and GCS CEO, Seamus Byrne at the John Mackintosh Hall, where he had an opportunity to tour the venue and meet the staff. The Governor had a chance to speak to members of the different departments to gain an insight into the work provided by GCS, from event organisation to the management and maintenance of numerous facilities, and the role of operations, among other responsibilities. Sir David was impressed with the public library and took the opportunity to become a member, a resource he assured he would be taking full advantage of. His visit included a tour of the GEMA Gallery at Montagu Bastion which is currently hosting the Frontline Workers Exhibition. Here, he learnt about the event in greater detail as well as other projects and initiatives currently being explored by GCS. Sir David, also toured the Fine Arts Gallery at Casemates where the Our Gibraltar exhibition is currently displayed, viewing the winning artworks and photos and seeing what Gibraltars art community has to offer. Back To Work, Backed By Safety ...Beyond the temperature checks, sanitizers and physical distancing in seating infrastructure from a facilities management perspective, a new approach is needed to manage and monitor adherence to safe distancing protocols within the work premises and enabling contact tracing... Amid the race to ensure workplace safety following the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramco Systems has joined forces with U.S. based Navigine and Singapore-based Hipla Technologies in enabling technology solutions to monitor and measure safe-distancing, thereby facilitating contact tracing at workplace. While millions have adapted to working from home, there is a large percentage of essential workers needed on-site at factories, plants, offices, restaurants, e-commerce warehouses and facilities providing utilities and important services. Many organisations also see the need for office workers to return at least intermittently in split shifts while logging in remotely some of the time. As an immediate response to the pandemic, Ramco Systems had augmented their existing facial recognition-based attendance, RamcoGEEK with thermal screening, to enable touchless experience. Sensing the urgent need for holistic contact tracing and safe distancing approaches to ensure workplace health and safety, Ramco Systems has partnered with two start-ups - U.S. based start-up Navigine and Singapore-based Hipla Technologies to leverage Real-Time Location System (RTLS) and CCTV-based Artificial Intelligence to detect safe-distancing violations within the workplace, enabling necessary health and safety protocols aligned with organizational policies. In partnership with Hipla, Ramco will leverage CCTV-based videos to detect safe-distancing violations crowd density controls and enable contact tracing. This is achieved by running advanced AI algorithms offered both on cloud as well as on premise models. In places where CCTV is not available, RamcoGEEK will draw upon the indoor navigation capabilities of Navigine through RTLS. The latter can pinpoint the exact location of the employee in real-time so as to map breaches of safe-distancing by location, time and persons contacted. This is possible by leveraging Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-based access cards distributed to employees which constantly relays information to the wireless IoT Gateways across the workplace. Further to any self-declaration by an employee being diagnosed with COVID-19, the solution can alert the human resource or health and safety officer of the history of breaches and identities of those who were in close proximity to facilitate contact tracing. This would help the organization to anonymously notify the co-workers to prompt immediate testing given the incidence of risk. This will also allow identification of contaminated workspaces within the workplace to be quarantined and disinfected. The RamcoGEEK platform integrates this information along with existing facial recognition-based attendance, thermal screening, mask detection, and context-aware pre-screening health survey data of an employee to provide a holistic view of organizational health and safety through real-time analytics and drill-down dashboards. A demonstration of RamcoGEEKs Safe Distancing Dashboards for Workplace Health and Safety can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbIaf9ptumk Organisations around the world are struggling with solutions to ensure safety of essential workers and facilitate gradual return to workplace for others. Sustained remote working can inhibit productivity in the long run and impact economic growth across sectors. Beyond the temperature checks, sanitizers and physical distancing in seating infrastructure from a facilities management perspective, a new approach is needed to manage and monitor adherence to safe distancing protocols within the work premises and enabling contact tracing. Ramcos partnership with Hipla Technologies and Navigine revolves around this holistic approach to ensure to bring workers back to their workplaces safely. We have to ensure the workplace is a trusted environment in terms of health and safety said Virender Aggarwal, CEO, Ramco Systems. Sandeep Kaul, CEO, Hipla Technologies Pte Ltd, said, We are pleased to have partnered with Ramco and Navigine to provide a one-stop workplace safety solution for companies to ensure the safety of their employees and customers. Businesses should not have to suffer additional friction when conducting business during a pandemic. Alexey Panyov, CEO, Navigine, said, This is a significant breakthrough for us, and a win for all businesses that cannot operate remotely. We believe that this innovative solution will provide the much-needed solution to restore employee confidence in coming back to the workplace safely. About Hipla Technologies Pte Ltd.: Hipla is a global provider of SaaS based workplace automation solutions. We harness the power of advanced artificial intelligence, big data and computer vision to create intelligent systems which enable Smart Access to premises and automates workplace safety & compliance. Our products are used by a multitude of partners to provide a contactless & seamless visitor experience while maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for users. We specialise in building intuitive IOT products which make the workplace smarter, safer and more secure About Navigine: Navigine is a global provider of integrated positioning technologies that enable advanced wayfinding and tracking solutions, with over 1000 implementations worldwide. We assist developers and system integrators to create mobile apps and integrated enterprise systems for people navigation as well as asset and vehicles tracking. We deliver an indoor positioning system platform with one of the best total cost of ownership for our technology partners. Navigine is continuously performing R&D activities to stay on the technology edge and develop new products with large potential and rapid scalability. Our technology partners use these products to create applications for multiple industries: Retail, Travel, Automotive, Logistics, Digital, etc. Major advantages are high accuracy, quick solution deployment, simple management and integration with external solutions About Ramco Systems: Ramco is a next-gen enterprise software player disrupting the market with its multi-tenant cloud and mobile-based enterprise software in HR and Global Payroll, ERP and M&E MRO for Aviation. Part of the USD 1 billion Ramco Group, Ramco Systems focuses on Innovation and Culture to differentiate itself in the marketplace. On the Innovation front, Ramco has been focusing on moving towards Active ERP leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning by building features such as Talk It - which allows transactions to be carried out by simple voice commands, Bot it which allows users to complete transactions using natural conversations; Mail It transact with the application by just sending an email; HUB It - a one screen does it all concept built to address all activities of a user; Thumb It mobility where the system presents users with option to choose rather than type values and Prompt It a cognitive ability which will let the system complete the transaction and prompts the user for approval. With 1800+ employees spread across 24 offices, globally, Ramco follows a flat and open culture where employees are encouraged to share knowledge and grow. No Hierarchies, Cabin-less Offices, Respect work and not titles, among others are what makes the team say, Thank God its Monday! Leader in NelsonHalls NEAT Matrix for Next Gen Payroll Services; Winner of 2020 ISG Paragon Awards Asia Pacific, for Transformation and Collaboration Winner Global Payroll Transformation Project of the Year 2019 by Global Payroll Association; Winner of 2018 ISG Paragon Awards Australia, for Best Imagination Award For more information, please visit https://ramco.com/hcm/pandemic-control-system-for-workplace-safety-and-employee-health/ Follow Ramco on Twitter @ramcosystems / @ramcopayroll and stay tuned to http://blogs.ramco.com For further information, contact: Vinitha Ramani +91 9840368048 vinitharamani@ramco.com Bengaluru, Sep 9 : Playing safe over Kannada actors' arrest in an alleged drug trafficking case, Kannada film superstar Shivarajkumar and Yash of "Rocky Bhai" fame on Wednesday appealed to both the Centre and the state government to act tough on the drug mafia. Speaking to reporters after their meeting with Chief Minister B.S Yediyurappa here, Shivarajkumar said, "It is really surprising to learn about some of our colleagues indulging in such unlawful activities. We really cannot speak on their behalf, as I have never come across any such incident in my life till now. Let the law take its own course." He added that as a common man, he wants both the Centre and the state government to act tough on the drug mafia existing in the state and in the country. Shivarajkumar is the son of yesteryear Kannada thespian late Rajkumar. He is also the son-in-law of late former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa and has been actively involved with filmmaking for the last four decades. Yash told the media that the menace of drugs does not exist in Sandalwood alone, but it is all pervasive. "This is the one of the deadliest menaces that has costed many young lives across the world, not just in the film world. The film world is just a small part of this big universe. I appeal to the media to highlight this in the right perspective and not indulge in witch-hunting or paint the entire Sandalwood as filled with drug addicts. That is not right," he said. Yash also asserted that youngsters should not spoil their lives by taking drugs. "We should look up to our parents, who have toiled hard to raise us to this level. As a father of a toddler, I can feel that now. Even as parents, we become so sensitive at times that when our child steps on a small stone or stumbles, we do feel that pain. "I am sure every parent feels the same way. So after becoming adults, youngsters should not feel that they have become independent. They need to respect their parents and live for their sake," he signed off. A specter is haunting Democratsthe specter of a Donald Trump victory in November fueled by suburban voters drawn to his promise of law and order. The polls tell one storyan ABC News survey shows voters give Joe Biden much higher marks than Trump on keeping the country and their family safe, on dealing with protests, on unifying the country. But, as POLITICO noted on Sunday, Democratic strategists are starting to pick up faint but disturbing signs that college-educated suburbanites are beginning to feel concern about their neighborhoods and the value of their homesclassic signs of a retreat to safety sentiment that would pose a clear and present danger to the Biden campaign. How much of this concern is well-founded? How much is unjustified panic on the part of what Bidens team dismiss as bed-wetters? And, more to the point: Are there steps the Biden-Harris ticket can take, beyond the explicit condemnations of lawlessness, that could effectively assuage these concerns? The answer requires a look back into political history to a presidential campaign in which law and order was a dominant issue. But the most appealing message from a candidate was neither an authoritarian crackdown nor universal tolerance for protesters. 1968 was a year when disorder of every sort was a dominant presence. Nationally, violent crime had doubled since 1960. Racial upheaval had scarred the preceding three years: 34 dead in the Watts riots of 1965; 26 dead in Newark in 1967; 43 dead in Detroit that same year. In the spring of 1968, after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., 125 cities erupted in violence, with 46 dead and thousands injured. The steps of the U.S. Capitol were ringed with sandbags and gun emplacements manned by troops from the 82nd Airborne Division. On college campuses, the year saw three students in Orangeburg, South Carolina, killed by highway patrol officers; two months later, police cleared protesters out of Columbia University buildings, injuring more than 100. Add this to the frustration over a Vietnam War that was taking more than 500 American lives a week, and the sense that events were spinning out of control was palpable. Story continues There was no doubt that this sense of lost control, of chaos, was going to be a major issue in the presidential campaign. Whats striking is how differently the three most dominant candidates in the early going met that issue. For Alabama Governor George Wallace, running as an independent, the answer was as obvious as a mailed fist. Just as his solution to Vietnam was an overwhelming use of force, so was his answer to violence at home. Let the Alabama National Guardsmen deal with it, he said, theyd clean it up in a day or two. It was the elites, he said, living in doorman apartments and gated neighborhoods, who encouraged the protesters and protected the criminals. While Wallaces electoral strength was clearly in the South, he had shown in 1964 that his appeal was broader, as he racked up significant votes in three Democratic primaries in Indiana, Maryland and Wisconsin. For Richard Nixon, the message was subtler. He would be the experienced hand who could address what one of his advertising team members described as an uneasiness in the land, a feeling that things arent right, that were moving in the wrong direction. From his first congressional campaign in 1946, Nixon had campaigned as the face of the forgotten Americans, the people who paid the bills, did the work, just wanted a safe home and a good school for their kids. As Robert Kennedys campaign (on which I was a junior speechwriter) drove through Indiana, we kept seeing billboards with Nixon posed alongside a briefcase, with the slogan Feel Safer With Nixon. His major ad, featuring footage of riots and fires, was careful to distinguish between legitimate protest and lawlessness, but emphasized that the right to an orderly society was the first civil right. And then there was Robert Kennedy. By 1968, he had become a tribune for Black and brown America. He had spoken in increasingly passionate terms about poverty and discrimination. He had identified with student protesters in a 1966 speech when he repeatedly said: we dissent He had called the inner-city riots, a cry for love. But Kennedy, part of a family whose support was rooted in working-class politics, was acutely aware of the power of law and order. As a New York senator, hed seen a proposal for a civilian police review board go down to massive defeat. Hed seen the toxic mix of race and crime empower politicians in Boston, Newark and Philadelphia. He was determined not to cede the issue to the right. His campaign speeches declared that we cant have summer after summer of lawlessness. He reminded audiences not that hed been attorney general, but that hed been the chief law enforcement officer of the United States. In the Indiana primary, he campaigned as vigorously in the white working-class neighborhoods of Gary and Hammond as in Black neighborhoods. He took some heat for this. The New York Times editorial board chastised him for moving to the right. Ronald Reagan and Nixon each noted that he was sounding more like them (although their speeches somehow left out the part where RFK talked about endemic poverty and a massive jobs program). But reporters began to notice an odd phenomenon: The same audiences who spoke about cracking down on demonstrators and who expressed admiration for Wallace also said they were considering voting for Kennedy. Why? Because, the answer came back, Hes tough. He put crooks in jail. Indeed, as researchers later learned, a considerable number of voters who went for RFK in the May Indiana primary wound up voting for Wallace in November. It turned out that what they were looking for was someone who could end the chaos; whether that was achieved by police state tactics or an ambitious effort to deal with racial injustice was a secondary matter. Whether Kennedy could have won over enough Wallace voters to win the White House had he been nominated, we will never know. We do know that after his death in June a majority of voters turned away from the Democratic nominee, Vice President Hubert Humphreywho challenged Nixon for calling for a doubling of the rate of convictions and building more jailsto those with sterner messages. Nixon and Wallace shared 57 percent of the popular vote in 1968, and a combined total of 347 electoral votes. Of course, there are immense differences between 1968 and now. Until this springs spike in shootings and homicides, the nations violent crime rate was at a historic low. New York City, which reached a high of more than 2,200 homicides in 1990, had 350 last year. The unrest following the killing of George Floyd is nowhere near as widespread and fatal as the disorder of the late 1960s. The country is far more sympathetic to the cause of Black Lives Matter than it was even to the nonviolent campaigns of MLK, who was seen by a heavy plurality of Americans as doing more harm than good up until his death, according to a Harris poll taken early that year. And while Nixon was running as the challenger back then, Donald Trump is the president, whose capacity to deal with the unrest has so far been found wanting. But that does not mean there is no potential for a change in the political climateespecially if a key slice of voters comes to believe Trumps assertion that Biden and Kamala Harris would be unable to control the most violent of the street protesters. Yes, they have been explicit in saying that looting and burning are crimes that could be prosecuted. But at least among some of their most ardent supporters, there is a measure of denial about what is happening. On Twitter, there has been a stream of pictures showing peaceful neighborhoods in Portland, Minneapolis and Kenosha, as if those pictures somehow erase the evidence of significant destruction elsewhere in those cities. There are citations of a study that showed 93 percent of protests were peacefulwhich is hardly reassuring to the dozens, or hundreds of families who have had their work and their futures ruined by the remaining 7 percent of protests. Among some of Bidens media allies theres been an attempt to downplay what has happenedmost memorably in that screen capture of a CNN reporter standing in front of a burning building as the chyron reads: Fiery but mostly peaceful protests. What would help is for Biden and Harris to identify the victims of destructionmany of whom are Black or brown or immigrant small-business ownersas other victims, and to assert that they deserve protection even as the work goes on in dealing with the police tactics that wound and kill people of color. (Harris took a significant step in this direction during her visit to Wisconsin on Labor Day.) They can make the point that the journey from marches to civil disobedience does not extend into setting buildings on fire or looting stores and that the issue is not a matter of political impact, but of simple right and wrong. (Harris might even mention that as prosecutor, her job included dispensing equal justice, protecting the rights of the accused and putting dangerous criminals away.) They might even note the absolute indefensibility of a book like the recently released In Defense of Looting. And they can certainly call out Trump for inflaming the worst instincts of his most zealous supporters, leading to violent clashes at protest sites. None of these steps would undermine Bidens determination to act as a healer, to reject Trumps increasingly outright racist appeals to his base. Indeed, Bidens record on civil rights gives him the same space as RFK had in 1968or that anti-communist crusader Nixon had in 1972 to go to Chinato rebut Trumps attempt to paint him as a puppet of antifa. The key for Biden is to take to heart the lesson of history: You can be a law and order candidate without embracing the language of divisiveness or the tactics of a police state. What voters want to know is that you take their concerns seriously, that you neither exacerbate legitimate fears nor minimize them. And if elements of the Twitterverse assail you for acknowledging such concerns, well, thats a price well worth paying. "Were eager to grow our brand and team of professionals in the city and continue to offer solutions to the complex business challenges our middle-market clients face. Bridgepoint Consulting, an Addison Group company and a leading management consulting firm that helps organizations drive innovation and successful business transformations, is pleased to announce it has expanded its services to the Denver market. The new office reflects the continued growth and momentum Bridgepoint has experienced in the last several years. Were proud to announce our Denver expansion, said Manuel Azuara, managing principal at Bridgepoint Consulting. When you combine Denvers diversified economy and emerging status as a rising technology hub, its a perfect next step for us. Were eager to grow our brand and team of professionals in the city and continue to offer solutions to the complex business challenges our middle-market clients face. The expansion to the Denver market includes the promotion of two valuable Bridgepoint team members, Tommy Hannan and David Bizzaro, who have been named Directors. Tommy relocates from Bridgepoints Austin office where he played a significant role in leading strategic growth initiatives. David joins the Denver team from Bridgepoints Houston office where he was instrumental in the companys client engagement efforts. Both Tommy and David are invaluable members of our team and will be influential in helping to grow our presence in Denver, said Azuara. Together, were confident they will leverage our companys proven growth strategy to offer our Denver-based clients a level of service and expertise thats currently missing in that market. Founded in 1999, Bridgepoint has marked the last 20 years with growth that spans acquisitions, industry vertical service offerings and geographic expansion. Throughout that time, the firm has served more than 2,500 clients, helping to transform their operations and amplify growth as they navigate the rapidly changing business landscape. In the Denver market, the company will target and serve middle-market clients in the technology, CPG, energy, cannabis, biotech and telecommunications industries. Im honored to begin this new role as Director in Denver, said Hannan. I am fortunate to spend my days meeting entrepreneurs, finance leaders, potential consultants and other service providers who make up the fabric of the business community, and this new role will only expand those opportunities. Im thrilled to be a leader in our expansion to Denver, said Bizzaro. This move is a great opportunity for Bridgepoint to share its expertise, culture and vision with a new city and its business professionals. For more information on Bridgepoints full suite of services and solutions, visit https://bridgepointconsulting.com/services/ About Bridgepoint Consulting Bridgepoint Consulting, an Addison Group company, is a leading management consulting firm that helps organizations throughout their business lifecycle. Offering a broad range of finance, technology and risk/compliance services, Bridgepoint supports clients from the startup phase all the way to IPO readiness and beyond. Since 1999, the firm has been helping executives and management teams reduce their business and operational risks, bridge resource gaps and improve overall performance. Whether an organization needs interim expertise to improve infrastructure and processes, or strategic management of a major transition or transaction, Bridgepoints team of leaders is able to provide the critical support needed to ensure success. The firm is headquartered in Austin and has offices in Dallas, Houston and Denver with additional presence in Seattle, Minneapolis and Philadelphia. To learn more about Bridgepoint Consulting and how it can help serve your organization, please visit https://bridgepointconsulting.com. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights issued a warning Aug. 23 about an armament race between Palestinian families in the West Bank provoked by their feeling of insecurity, weakness and lack of protection. Only the Palestinian security apparatus is allowed to own arms in the West Bank, according to the Oslo Accords. Nevertheless, Ammar Duweik, director general of the Independent Commission for Human Rights, told Al-Monitor, Weapons are widely spreading among families in the [West Bank] areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority and under the protection of influential PA or Fatah figures. He noted that the increasing presence of arms is visible in the rising crime in the West Bank. He said, "The commission has documented 33 murders, most of them using firearms, since the beginning of 2020, recording a 40% increase compared to 2019. Since the beginning of 2020, cities and camps in the West Bank have been the scenes of family feuds during which arms were widely used. The fighting resulted in deaths and injuries and reveal the Palestinian security apparatus' inability to control the proliferation of arms in the West Bank. Duweik said that leniency and protection by some parties and figures he did not name contributed to the private ownership and carrying of weapons despite the Firearms and Ammunition Law No. 2 of 1998. Article 14 states, It shall be prohibited to carry firearms in public areas, conferences, meetings, parties or weddings. It shall be prohibited to carry firearms while protesting. Duweik said, Unfortunately, this text is not in force, and we see people at many social events carrying weapons, which endangers them and others. He said, It is difficult to limit the proliferation of arms in the West Bank because many carry arms clandestinely and illegally. He said, It is dangerous for society to engage in a race for arms possession, adding that it is the responsibility of the Palestinian security apparatus to maintain arms control and dry up the sources of illegal weapons, but noted that doing so requires political will. There is no official data available on the source of these weapons, but activists like Duweik accuse Israel of facilitating their entry into the West Ban to spread chaos. He said, After all, the risk affects Palestinian society not Israel. Al-Monitor tried to contact security officials in the West Bank for comment on arms proliferation, but did not receive a response. However, an official in the Palestinian Military Judicial Commission told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the Palestinian security apparatus is failing to control arms proliferation in the West Bank. Some members are even covering it up, he said. The official said, We might reach a point where the arms are directed against us," warning that failing to control these arms will result in chaos that could threaten public security in the West Bank. Jihad Harb, a researcher on governance and political issues at the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, warned that arms proliferation harms the PAs ability to govern the West Bank. He said, Arms proliferation limits the PAs ability to defend not only citizens, but also itself. He told Al-Monitor, Under the tough economic circumstances, armed groups might surface to commit organized crime or to settle family problems or feuds. This will only worsen the chaos in the West Bank. He noted that there are concerns about chaos spreading after President Mahmoud Abbas leaves office due to a lack of mechanisms to ensure democratic transition with the dissolution of the Palestinian Legislative Council." Abbas began his 15th year as PA president in January and some doubt he will complete his term as his health is unstable. He was repeatedly admitted to the hospital to receive treatment and undergo medical examinations this year. Harb noted, The transition process will become difficult constitutionally, and an armed fight between groups or ruling leaders in the West Bank might erupt. He said that the best way to address the danger is to hold elections. Harb did not deny possible concerns about Israel having a hand in the weapons proliferation in the West Bank because Israel wants to stir internal chaos to distract Palestinians from the main conflict with it and to show that Palestinians are not worthy of a state. Khalil Assaf is the head of the Consortium of Independent Palestinians, a grassroots organization of businessmen and academics, and deputy head of the Public Freedoms Committee ensuing from the 2011 Cairo Agreement. He told Al-Monitor, Weapons are openly carried without the existence of any national goals. He also said that Israel is feeding weapons proliferation in the West Bank, concluding, Why arent people carrying arms being pursued and why isnt Palestinian society being cleaned of this phenomenon? Why this silence on this dirty issue? Stormont ministers could announce a tightening of coronavirus restrictions - including a reduction in the number of people gathering in households. The Executive meets on Thursday afternoon for crucial talks to consider what measures to take after a 20-fold rise in case numbers. It is understood particular concern has been expressed about parts of Belfast, and the impact of house parties as students return to university. Health Minister Robin Swann warned "the summer is over" and he would be making recommendations for measures - localised or Northern Ireland-wide - to fellow ministers. Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it was "inevitable" that local lockdowns will be imposed "very quickly", and hinted it could be based on postcode data. Read More First Minister Arlene Foster said the Executive may have to take similar interventions like those imposed in Glasgow, where households are banned from visiting others indoors. The DUP leader also said she does not want to reintroduce widespread lockdown measures. Sources have indicated that the Executive is reluctant for a full shut down of businesses and restaurants again to prevent further economic harm. It is more likely any restrictions will be in line with other parts of the UK. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has banned social gatherings of more than six people in England from Monday. The Department of Health said on Wednesday that 607 people here have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last seven days - an average of 90 a day. At the beginning of July the daily average was around four. Another 49 were confirmed, although no further deaths were reported. In the Republic, three people with Covid-19 have died, while another 84 cases of the virus have been confirmed, the National Public Health Emergency Team said last night. Addressing the latest Northern Ireland figures, Mr Swann said: "Our case numbers have been rising sharply, and... more people of older age are beginning to test positive. "Infections will spread to medically vulnerable... Once again I am asking for everyone's help in stemming the spread. It may avoid the need to introduce more drastic actions down the line." He added: "In common with other jurisdictions we have decisions to make on how we stem a disturbing increase in Covid cases. I believe concrete action is now necessary." Stressing that Covid-19 "remains a life and death issue", he added "non-compliance" had been what has brought "us to where we are now". Professor Ian Young, the chief scientific adviser, said the rise of positive cases is not completely down to increased numbers of tests, explaining there had been a 20-fold increase in the number of cases in recent times compared to just a five-fold rise in the number of tests. Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said: "We are now at a crossroads, individually and collectively. As a society we have stark choices to make." He added: "We face a long and uncertain autumn and winter." Downplaying a suggestion that Northern Ireland may be entering a 'second wave', Dr McBride said the focus was on taking effective action now. "We are clearly in a situation where things are consistently going in the wrong direction," he said. "We have the opportunity to bend that curve now." Meanwhile, Mrs Foster said a rise in Covid-19 cases is connected to household transmission. She revealed that she was keen to use data to ensure any localised lockdown measure could be implemented carefully, Ms O'Neill added: "The fact that we have data that brings you right down to the postcode level shows that we are able to adapt in a smaller geographical area where we need to. "I think it's inevitable that we will be moving very quickly to local lockdowns that's going to be required in order to protect people." Jaipur, Sep 9 : Giving priority to the education of tribal girls and aiming to free Rajasthan from the curse of child marriages, Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday announced a 15-point programme to benefit the desert state. The Governor told IANS that a task force was set up to look into the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, which comprises seven members, including vice chancellors, bureaucrats and other officials. "They are busy collecting information in their respective areas and are bringing the feedback to us." Speaking to the media in a video conference to mark the completion of one year on the post, Mishra shared his vision for higher education for all. His other goals in the programme included rainwater harvesting, healthy Rajasthan, and to save the dying art and craft. The Governor said that each girl in the state, including in the tribal areas, should be provided education till she turns 18, adding that at least 10 employment fairs will be organised in Rajasthan via Corporate Social Responsibility wherein employment vans will bring jobs under the 'Rozgar Apke Dwar' initiative. The 15-point programme also envisions Constitution Parks/Constitution Pillars in universities and a museum in Raj Bhavan here. He said the aim was to bring maternal and infant mortality rates (children below 5) in the tribal areas on par with the national rate and effective implementation of the National Nutrition Mission, to make people aware about non-communicable and lifestyle-related diseases, to build first-aid centres through CSR in scheduled areas, survey on implementation of central schemes in relation to children with special needs, and to establish centres of excellence at the divisional and district levels. There is also a plan to create an alumni network of state-funded universities to ensure maximum donation to the Governor's Relief Fund. The other points include development of Steam-C (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Mathematics-Computer) education system in the state for employment and skill development, establishment of incubation centres in scheduled areas in collaboration with state-funded universities. DRAYTON VALLEY, ALTA.A 25-year-old man is in hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest after a shooting in central Alberta. Mounties responded at 8:42 a.m. Wednesday to a 911 call about the shooting at a residence in Drayton Valley, which is about 130 kilometres southwest of Edmonton. STARS air ambulance says one of its helicopters was dispatched a short time later to the towns hospital. They say a crew met paramedics and airlifted the man to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton in serious, potentially life-threatening condition. Police say the shooting is believed to be an isolated incident and public safety is not at risk but the suspects in a car are believed to be in possession of a firearm and should not be approached. Police say they are looking for a black Nissan Altima with silver rims not a black pickup truck as initially reported. Read more about: During Tuesday's Beaumont City Council meeting, a metric on when city facilities could safely reopen given by Dr. Qamar Arfeen of Beaumonts Diagnostic Group was restated. However, not every council member recited that guidance and corresponding number of coronavirus cases at local hospitals correctly. The Beaumont Enterprise again reviewed the recording of the councils July 28 conversation with Arfeen as well as the number of coronavirus patients at Jefferson County hospitals as reported daily by the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. That data is far from reaching the threshold Arfeen stated. In three instances during the same late-July meeting, Arfeen restated the threshold of coronavirus patients in local hospitals that would make him comfortable with the city reopening theaters and other similar facilities. >> Related: Reopening Children's Museum again prompts facilities debate I believe that if we have a daily census of 30 COVID patients for five days in a row both hospitals combined, make it 35 that will be the right time to say, We are good. We can relax, he said to the council at that time. If we have an average census of 35 at both hospitals, then its safe if I have a second heart attack, I know the ER wont be on diversion, he continued. At that time, Arfeen said there were nearly 100 coronavirus patients across Beaumonts hospitals. During Tuesdays meeting, Councilman W.L. Pate said, after talking with the CEO of a local hospital, there were 11 coronavirus patients in Intensive Care Units there. Thats significantly lower than 30, he said. >> Related: In reversal, Beaumont will keep facilities closed Data from the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council as of Monday shows the number of patients at least suspected to have coronavirus in ICU at Jefferson County hospitals has averaged below 30 since late August. But Arfeen did not specify ICU patients. As of Monday, hospitals in Jefferson County were still averaging 71 patients confirmed to have coronavirus. That number has not been below 35 since late June. When asked after the meeting about the discrepancy, Pate said the focus of the conversation specifically was ICU patients. My whole focus was how many people can we handle in ICU and whats the magic number, not the whole hospital, he said, noting that 35 coronavirus patients across an entire hospital wouldnt be a problem. driven by exploding Internet traffic, rising security threats, growing sophistication of cyber-attacks and increasing bandwidth management needs. The unprecedented spurt in global IP traffic is the result of rapidly expanding internet user base supported by growing literacy rates, increasing disposable incomes & high proportion of digitally savvy young people; and rapid penetration of cloud computing based business models. New York, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p03037272/?utm_source=GNW Increased data volume amplifies security threats, while growing ubiquity of cloud services magnifies the need for protection against web exploits, data exfiltration and malware/ botnets. The need to identify traffic on a network is becoming more important than ever to troubleshoot poor network performance, latency issues and high application response times; to manage unidentified network traffic; to handle unexpected traffic and data volume surges; and classify network traffic by their importance i.e. business, social and prioritize accordingly. Also, a growing number of governments worldwide are tracking and monitoring their citizens and their communications for anti-terrorism spying, policing and e-governance purposes. This trend is resulting in governments worldwide intercepting, monitoring and decrypting information generated, transmitted, received and stored by computers in a country. Public sector use of DPI for national level surveillance and censorship is poised to gain significantly in the coming years. DPI provides added security by examining packet content as against conventional filtering that checks just packet headers. Few of the trends influencing growth in the market include rise of industry 4.0 and the growing use of DPI to ensure security of industrial automation and control systems; growing prominence of firewalls with DPI and the resulting convergence of traditional firewall technology with deep packet inspection; rising importance of packet inspection enabled signature based network intrusion and detection systems (NIDS); expanding corporate budgets for intrusion detection and prevention and the ensuing increase in demand for deep packet inspection. Integrated DPI is gaining popularity as it functions as a single platform that combines the DPI function with companion applications to streamline and simplify network operations, enabling operators to gain more control over network resources. Europe, Asia and Latin America represent large markets worldwide with a combined share of 60.8% of the market. The dominance of Asia-Pacific excluding China is driven by robust proliferation of internet and a parallel increase in traffic and bandwidth requirements; efforts of developing Asian countries to become digitally adept as digital technologies help these countries to leapfrog development hurdles and challenges; and growing investments in technologies that help effective utilization of digital networks. China ranks as the fastest growing market with a CAGR of 13.4% over the analysis period supported by the strong trend towards digital policing and surveillance by the Chinese government. In addition to digital protectionism, the country is also reforming its data protection and privacy laws to safeguard cyberspace sovereignty. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p03037272/?utm_source=GNW I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Deep Packet Inspection (DPI): A Prelude Steady Growth Projected for DPI Market The Economics of DPI Widen the Business Prospects DPI Scores Over Traditional SPI Firewall SPI Vs. DPI: Compatibility with Various Network and Digital Concepts Standalone DPI: The Major Product Type Integrated DPI Poised to Exhibit Faster Growth Developing Regions Drive Market Growth Breakdown of DPI Market Revenues (in %) for Developed and Developing Regions: 2019 & 2025 Global DPI Market - Geographic Regions Ranked by Value CAGR for 2018-2025: China, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Japan, USA and Canada Resolving Prevailing Issues & Challenges: Critical for Future Success of DPI Market Key Technical Limitations of DPI Net Neutrality: The ?Red Hot Button? Issue for DPI Privacy Concerns with DPI Competitive Scenario DPI Building Blocks Vendors on the Rise Cisco Witnesses Decline in Market Share Global Competitor Market Shares Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 Impact of Covid-19 and a Looming Global Recession 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS Allot Communications Ltd. (Israel) Bivio Networks, Inc. (Canada) Broadcom Ltd. (USA) Cisco Systems, Inc. (USA) cPacket Networks, Inc. (USA) ipoque GmbH (Germany) Qosmos (France) Sandvine Incorporated ULC (Canada) SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC (USA) SonicWALL L.L.C. (USA) Vedicis (France) 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Use Case Across Wide Range of Applications Sustains Momentum in DPI Market Escalating Bandwidth Management Needs Trigger Widespread Adoption of DPI Global IP Traffic Volume in Exabytes for the Years 2019 and 2022 Global IP Traffic Scenario (H1 2019): Percentage Breakdown of Data Usage by Consumer Segment Key Factors Influencing IP Traffic Growth Sharp Increase in the Number of Internet Subscribers Breakdown of Number of Internet Users Worldwide, by Region (in Millions): H1 2019 World Internet Bandwidth (in Tbps) for the Years 2016 through 2019 High Penetration of Smartphones and Tablets Smartphone Adoption Worldwide by Region (in %): 2018 & 2025 Number of Smartphone Users Worldwide (in Billion): 2016-2021 Global Mobile Device Market by Type (2010-2020): Percentage Breakdown of Shipments for Phablets, Non-Phablet Smartphones, and Tablets Worldwide Mobile Data Traffic by Application (2009, 2017 & 2022): Percentage Breakdown of Monthly Data Traffic Volume for Video, Audio and Others Mobile 4G & 5G Subscriptions/ Subscribers (in Million) for the Years 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022 Worldwide Shipments of Desktop PCs, Laptops PCs and Tablet PCs (in Million Units) for the Years 2019 and 2021 Faster Broadband Speeds Proliferation of Bandwidth-Intensive Applications IP Video: The Widely Used High-Bandwidth Application Breakdown of Global IP Traffic by Application Type (in %): 2019 & 2022 DPI Deployments Soar amid Growing Emphasis on Network Security Average Cost of Cyberattacks (in US$ Thousand) by Type for 2017 and 2018 Average Annual Cost of Cybercrime (in US$ Million) by Industry for the Years 2017 and 2018 DPI: A Key Enabler of Application Visibility in SIEM/SIM Systems IoT Security: The New Growth Area for DPI Established Role of DPI in Network Functions Virtualization Widens Business Prospects DPI Comes to the Fore to Augment Network Packet Broker Functionality DPI Holds Immense Potential to be a Vital Cog in AI-Driven Networks Established Image in Key End-Use Verticals: Primary Market Driver ISPs: Major End-Users of DPI Technology DPI Offers ISPs with Application-Aware Traffic Management to Enhance QoS DPI: A Key Tool for Content Optimization in ISP Network ISPs Prioritize DPI in Traffic Filtering for Regulatory Compliance DPI Finds Favor in Copyright Protection ISPs Leverage DPI in User-Configurable Disablement of Applications ISPs Incline towards DPI for Usage-Based Charging DPI Streamlines ISP Data Offloading Targeted Advertising with DPI ISPs Rely on DPI for Network & Subscriber Analytics DPI Emerges as Key Enabler of Application-Centric Mobile Networks Government Sector: The Fastest Growing End-User Segment Growing Bandwidth Needs of Enterprises Bode Well for DPI Enterprises Seek DPI Capability to Streamline Bandwidth Allocation Educational Institutions Rely on DPI for Bandwidth Management Global e-Learning Market (in US$ Billion): 2016-2025 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: World Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 2: World 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets for Years 2020 & 2027 Table 3: World Current & Future Analysis for Integrated by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 4: World 7-Year Perspective for Integrated by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa for Years 2020 & 2027 Table 5: World Current & Future Analysis for Standalone by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 6: World 7-Year Perspective for Standalone by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa for Years 2020 & 2027 Table 7: World Current & Future Analysis for Internet Service Provider (ISP) by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 8: World 7-Year Perspective for Internet Service Provider (ISP) by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa for Years 2020 & 2027 Table 9: World Current & Future Analysis for Government by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 10: World 7-Year Perspective for Government by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa for Years 2020 & 2027 Table 11: World Current & Future Analysis for Other End-Users by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 12: World 7-Year Perspective for Other End-Users by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa for Years 2020 & 2027 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES The United States: Prime Consumer of DPI Technology American ISPs Leverage DPI to Improve Network Performance Federal Agencies Deploy DPI for Internet Surveillance & Censorship A Review of the Comcast Case and Latest FCC Rules Table 13: USA Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 14: USA 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 15: USA Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 16: USA 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 CANADA DPI Regulations in Canada Table 17: Canada Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 18: Canada 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 19: Canada Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 20: Canada 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 JAPAN Table 21: Japan Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 22: Japan 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 23: Japan Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 24: Japan 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 CHINA Chinese Government Deploys DPI Engine for Internet Censorship Market Analytics Table 25: China Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 26: China 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 27: China Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 28: China 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 EUROPE Net Neutrality and DPI in Europe Market Analytics Table 29: Europe Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia and Rest of Europe Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 30: Europe 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia and Rest of Europe Markets for Years 2020 & 2027 Table 31: Europe Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 32: Europe 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 33: Europe Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 34: Europe 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 FRANCE Table 35: France Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 36: France 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 37: France Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 38: France 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 GERMANY Table 39: Germany Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 40: Germany 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 41: Germany Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 42: Germany 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 ITALY Table 43: Italy Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 44: Italy 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 45: Italy Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 46: Italy 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 UNITED KINGDOM DPI Adoption in the UK: Practices and Concerns Market Analytics Table 47: UK Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 48: UK 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 49: UK Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 50: UK 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 SPAIN Table 51: Spain Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 52: Spain 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 53: Spain Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 54: Spain 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 RUSSIA DPI in Russia: An Overview Market Analytics Table 55: Russia Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 56: Russia 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 57: Russia Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 58: Russia 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 REST OF EUROPE Table 59: Rest of Europe Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 60: Rest of Europe 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 61: Rest of Europe Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 62: Rest of Europe 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 ASIA-PACIFIC Asia-Pacific: A Major Consumer of DPI Market Analytics Table 63: Asia-Pacific Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - Australia, India, South Korea and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 64: Asia-Pacific 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Australia, India, South Korea and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets for Years 2020 & 2027 Table 65: Asia-Pacific Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 66: Asia-Pacific 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 67: Asia-Pacific Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 68: Asia-Pacific 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 AUSTRALIA Table 69: Australia Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 70: Australia 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 71: Australia Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 72: Australia 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 INDIA Table 73: India Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 74: India 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 75: India Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 76: India 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 SOUTH KOREA Table 77: South Korea Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 78: South Korea 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 79: South Korea Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 80: South Korea 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 81: Rest of Asia-Pacific Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 82: Rest of Asia-Pacific 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 83: Rest of Asia-Pacific Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 84: Rest of Asia-Pacific 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 LATIN AMERICA Table 85: Latin America Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Rest of Latin America Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 86: Latin America 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Rest of Latin America Markets for Years 2020 & 2027 Table 87: Latin America Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 88: Latin America 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 89: Latin America Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 90: Latin America 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 ARGENTINA Table 91: Argentina Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 92: Argentina 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 93: Argentina Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 94: Argentina 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 BRAZIL Table 95: Brazil Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 96: Brazil 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 97: Brazil Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 98: Brazil 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 MEXICO Table 99: Mexico Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 100: Mexico 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 101: Mexico Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 102: Mexico 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 103: Rest of Latin America Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 104: Rest of Latin America 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 105: Rest of Latin America Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 106: Rest of Latin America 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 MIDDLE EAST Iran & Egypt Leverage DPI to Oversee Internet Communication Market Analytics Table 107: Middle East Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Rest of Middle East Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 Table 108: Middle East 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Rest of Middle East Markets for Years 2020 & 2027 Table 109: Middle East Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 110: Middle East 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 111: Middle East Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 112: Middle East 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 IRAN Table 113: Iran Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 114: Iran 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 115: Iran Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 116: Iran 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 ISRAEL Table 117: Israel Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Integrated and Standalone - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 118: Israel 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by Product Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Integrated and Standalone for the Years 2020 & 2027 Table 119: Israel Current & Future Analysis for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 120: Israel 7-Year Perspective for Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) by End-user - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Internet Service Provider (ISP), Government and Other End-Users for the Years 2020 & 2027 SAUDI ARABIA Please contact our Customer Support Center to get the complete Table of Contents Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p03037272/?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 Roman Burlando (17) carries his little brother Rayden toward the combine harvester. Harvest time involves the whole family. (Carla Burlando) Harvest Time: A Tradition of Generations Despite the seemingly endless hardships, Canada's farmers continue a fading way of life Farmers across Canada are busy with harvest in an annual tradition that spans generations. Strong ties to the land and the draw of rural life help them face constant changes in weather, markets, and technology. Douglas Davidsons farm is an hours drive south of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and north of Val Marie. He began farming in 1968, making this his 53rd harvest. The durum wheat quality was excellent, very good quality, the best weve had for a number of years. And the yield was good, Davidson says. And we feel that the lentils and chickpeasthe quality seems to be good, but the yield is poor. High temperatures and strong winds lowered potential yields in the month prior to harvest before the chill of fall struck early. We had a pretty heavy frost last night, so I think anything that was green, it should mature out pretty quick now, he says. Its a land of extremes. Its either the hottest place or the coldest place. In June, India dropped temporarily its tariffs on Canadian lentils from 30 percent to 10 percenta move Davidson hopes will remain. That should reflect somewhat better prices, were hoping, he says. Davidsons grandparents John and Agnes homesteaded in 1914, bringing their one-year-old daughter Ann with them. She lived long enough to witness her nephew Doug receive an award to mark the familys 100 years on the farm in 2014 Now our small towns are virtually non-existent and we just have the odd service centre like Swift Current. Thats the most dramatic difference. But the technology as well is just beyond compare to the way it was, Davidson says. The story is similar a three-hour drive north at DArcy, Saskatchewan, where Nathanael Burlando farms with his father-in-law Ken Wallis. Its going, its farming, Burlando says of this years harvest. Were about two-thirds done. We did all the lentils and they were average yield but stood up nice. Were on cereals and I would say theyre average [yields] and really nice quality. Half of the familys canola crop is in the bin, but Burlando is wondering what might have been. A week of hot and windy mid-summer days fried the top of the plant right off, leaving fields that looked great but without the yield to match. It was shockingly disappointing, like actually physically made me sick. It felt like someone kicked me in the guts. Yeah, kind of a bummer. Burlando, born and raised in Seattle, married Carla in 1996, a fifth-generation Saskatchewan farm girl. I was a total city boy. Well, they said move to Saskatchewan, theres a beautiful woman behind every tree, he jokes. Trees were rare on prairie lands. I got my NAFTA wife! The young couple spent two years on the farm before they moved to Seattle. Within a month, Burlando realized how much he hated traffic jams and missed hunting. He finished his apprenticeship in cabinet making and returned to the farm. The day I got my journeymans certificate from my boss, he shook my hand and I gave him my resignation. We just realized there was no way we could afford to raise a family down there and have Carla be at home. Roman Burlando (17) teaches little brother Rayden Burlando (4) how to change the sickles on the combine header. Harvest sometimes includes breakdowns. (Carla Burlando) In August, Burlando and his father-in-law joined neighbours in a seven-combine harvest of red lentils on behalf of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, which alleviates world poverty. The pandemic has had a silver lining for Canadian farmers, driving up demand for wheat. Almost every country is mandated legally to have a strategic grain reserve in case of things like this. And so Haiti used theirs up and never replenished it and so did Belize, Burlando says. A lot of these countries are having to buy a lot of wheat to replenish. September rains and cool temperatures may have hampered the harvest in Manitoba, but Kent Loewen says, We are about right on schedule. He has combined all the barley from his fields northeast of Brandon and started on canola. Yield of barley was less than I was hoping for, mainly due to too much rain at the wrong time. Rained a few days after seeding so it struggled pretty much from day one lots of drowned out spots or thin, Loewen says. A tornado swept through the final Sunday of June, dropping seven inches of rain on the Loewen farm, though some farmers north of him got 16 inches. Flea beatles also nibbled his canola. Adversity is nothing new for Loewen. The 47-year-old got out of cattle after BSE mad cow disease shut down Canadian exports in 2002. With time on his hands, he started Moore Park Model Works which sells toy replicas of farm trucks and machinery. I live at Moore Park, or whats left of it. But the elevators are gone and only two original houses remain with five additional new ones again, he says. Dad wishes Grandpa could just get a glimpse of how farming has changed since threshing machine crews, Loewen adds. I am 47 and I can remember seeing some of the last old machines and the progression. With everyone all scared about the COVID thing, we hung around home for the summer and went museum wandering to see some of the old way of life. Loewen has a 2014 combine, but we keep the 2003 around just so Dad can help out. He hopes his sons Kyle and Benji will become fourth-generation Manitoba farmers. Dad was born on our farmyard, he says. My boys are 15 and 10, so hopefully they will also keep going. By Express News Service KOCHI: Breaking into 300-plus new cases for the first time, Ernakulam registered its biggest single-day spike on Tuesday. With 318 new cases, the situation is slowly slipping out of control in the district as hinted by Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar on Monday. Among the 304 locally infected cases, many new clusters were reported in the Kochi agglomeration on the day. Twenty-one migrant labourers tested positive at the construction site of a textile brand in Kaloor, raising concern among health department officials. We have devised a special Paipra-model strategy to contain the spread. The area was identified as a Covid cluster on Monday and tests were started on a priority basis. Luckily, the workers are living inside the compound and we are not expecting any transmission to the local residents as of now, said Dr S Sreedevi, additional district medical officer and district surveillance officer. However, the division councillor alleged lethargic approach from officials in shifting Covid positive patients. Around 300 labourers under four construction companies are working for the project. The spread started with the death of the Vazhakkala-based owner of one of the companies a few weeks ago. Two persons turned positive on Monday, triggering further testing in the area. Covid positive patients are still lodged inside the compound along with other contacts in quarantine. Despite the demand to shift the confirmed cases to FLTCs (First-Line Treatment Centres), no action has been taken so far, said M G Aristotle, councillor, Kaloor division. Around 158 persons have already undergone antigen tests and remaining will be completed by Wednesday. Similarly, 16 cases were reported from a single source at Kalamassery. Multiple cases were also reported from areas like Vengola, Pallippuram, Nedumbassery, Maradu, Fort Kochi, Palluruthy, Mattanchery and Udayamperoor on Tuesday. 14 persons arrived from abroad or other states. As many as 13 health workers also tested positive on the day. Meanwhile, 204 persons recovered. Flash South Africa's ruling party African National Congress (ANC) on Tuesday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump for disrespecting the late President Nelson Mandela. This came after the Washington Post carried a story in which Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said his president used foul language on Mandela and questioned his leadership qualities. "All freedom-loving people of the world are appalled by these insults which come from a person who, himself, is not a model of competent leadership. Trump is a divisive, misogynistic and disrespectful person ever to occupy the office of the President," said ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe. Mabe said if Mandela was still around, he would have offered some leadership lessons to Trump. "President Mandela also believed in good trade and sound diplomatic relations. President Mandela understood the value of international friendship amongst the countries of the world. The mark of a true leader is not how many enemies you create but how many friendships you cultivate even where strong differences of opinion exist," said Mabe. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:22:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China is willing to import more high-quality agricultural products and high value-added products from Uruguay that meet market demands and actively foster new growth areas of bilateral cooperation such as e-commerce and trade in services. In a telephone conversation with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, Xi added that China welcomes Uruguay to the upcoming third China International Import Expo. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:36:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Turkey have agreed to expand their trade and banking cooperation, chief of staff of the Iranian president said on Wednesday. Iran and Turkey have signed "very good" business cooperation documents, and they need to "develop their relations in the banking sector as soon as possible," said Mahmoud Vaezi. During the 6th meeting of the Turkey-Iran High-Level Cooperation Council on Tuesday, "it is decided that the two countries give priority to purchasing each other's domestic products. It was also decided that Iran and Turkey talk about bartering goods," he noted. "We discussed the formation of a joint committee to support Iranian and Turkish companies and mutual investments. We weighed in on rail and road transportation and transit," Vaezi said, adding that "we reached good agreements on cooperation at borders as well as increasing the number of trucks" permitted to cross the borders. The officials of both countries have also discussed using electronic systems to speed up the procedures at their customs, and to implement preferential trade agreements, he pointed out. The two neighbors, furthermore, reviewed their cooperation on energy fields as well as the exports of Iran's natural gas and petrochemical products to Turkey, he added. On Tuesday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran and Turkey as two big regional powers must expand their cooperation to defeat "foreign plots." Enditem BALTIMORE, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Virus Network (GVN), comprising foremost experts around the world in every class of virus-causing disease in humans and some animals, today announced the addition of the Center for Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics (EVIT) of the Menzies Health Institute Queensland at Griffith University, Australia and the Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune and Biological Products of the Russian Academy of Sciences as its newest Centers of Excellence. The two new institutions bring GVN's total number of Centers of Excellence to 57, along with 10 affiliates in 33 countries. "We are pleased to have these premier institutions join us from Australia and Russia at this critical time in the global pandemic," said Christian Brechot, MD, PhD, who is President of the GVN and Professor at the University of South Florida. "EVIT will strengthen our depth and collaborative network in arbovirology, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, Southeast Asia, India, South America and South Africa. The Chumakov Center has unique expertise in varying areas of virology with many global connections, making it Russia's leading research organization in the field of virology." EVIT, as part of the Menzies Health Institute Queensland, provides a critical mass of scientists and clinicians with distinct areas of expertise in emerging arbovirus diseases. The Center has excellent knowledge of viral pathogenesis and related inflammatory diseases and strong capabilities in developing treatments for emerging viruses such as chikungunya (CHIKV), Ross River (RRV), dengue, Zika (ZIKV), Japanese encephalitis (JEV) and West Nile (WNV) viruses. Additionally, EVIT focuses on emerging viruses such as Hendra and SARS-CoV-2, and established viruses such as influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus. The Center has a strong emphasis on both basic and translational research, which has led to several major breakthroughs in understanding how viruses cause disease. The GVN Center is led by Suresh Mahalingam, PhD, FASM, FAAM, Professor and Director, Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics Group, Principal Research Leader and NHMRC Senior Research Fellow at EVIT. "GVN has the ability to contribute to the activities of major players in world health such as CEPI and GAVI, which will open up additional opportunities for our research center to establish new collaborations," said Dr. Mahalingam. "Further, through our GVN membership, we look forward to enhancing our leadership of arbovirus research and disease preparedness in the Asia-Pacific region; establishing new collaborations with fellow GVN members; facilitating advanced training of students and researchers from the Asia-Pacific region; and, enhancing technology and knowledge transfer within the GVN." The Chumakov Center conducts a broad range of studies of different human and animal viruses and manufactures polio, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis vaccines, supplying up to 70% of national demand in these products. Yellow fever vaccines produced at the Chumakov Center cover more than a half of UNICEF's Eliminating Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy, supporting immunization in more than 50 countries. The Chumakov Center contains the World Health Organization's (WHO) regional reference laboratory for polio preforming epidemiological surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis and polio as a part of Global Polio Laboratory Network for Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The Center also acts as a WHO Collaborative Center for Poliomyelitis and Enterovirus Surveillance and Research. The Center is led by Aydar Ishmukhametov, MD, DSc, Director General of the Chumakov Center and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. "Our expertise in research, preclinical and clinical development and manufacturing of antiviral vaccines will be useful for GVN members," said Dr. Ishmukhametov. "We look forward to collaborating with the world's leading virology experts and for participation of our younger scientists in virology training programs through the GVN." About the Global Virus Network (GVN) The Global Virus Network (GVN) is essential and critical in the preparedness, defense and first research response to emerging, exiting and unidentified viruses that pose a clear and present threat to public health, working in close coordination with established national and international institutions. It is a coalition comprised of eminent human and animal virologists from 57 Centers of Excellence and 10 Affiliates in 33 countries worldwide, working collaboratively to train the next generation, advance knowledge about how to identify and diagnose pandemic viruses, mitigate and control how such viruses spread and make us sick, as well as develop drugs, vaccines and treatments to combat them. No single institution in the world has expertise in all viral areas other than the GVN, which brings together the finest medical virologists to leverage their individual expertise and coalesce global teams of specialists on the scientific challenges, issues and problems posed by pandemic viruses. The GVN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, please visit www.gvn.org. Follow us on Twitter @GlobalVirusNews. SOURCE Global Virus Network Related Links gvn.org The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Saturday, Sept. 5 9:33 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to Lincoln Township for a disorderly man outside of a business. The deputy arrived, and the man had left the area. 3:47 p.m. A deputy responded to a "be on the lookout" notice for a driver "all over the roadway" in Jerome Township. The deputy located the vehicle and conducted an investigation. A 37-year-old Bay County man was subsequently arrested for operating while intoxicated and driving while license suspended, and two warrants out of Saginaw County. A report has been forwarded to the prosecuting attorney's office for drug charges. 11:56 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Jerome Township residence in reference to a harassment complaint. A 57-year-old woman reported a 58-year-old woman was posting false information about her on Facebook and sending her unwanted text messages. The deputy contacted the 58-year-old, who said the 57-year-old was doing the same thing. Both parties were advised to leave each other alone, stop messaging each other and stop posting things to Facebook about one another. 9:28 a.m. An unknown subject driving a tan Jeep Grand Cherokee drove off with $14.01 in gas without paying at a Lee Township gas station. No valid license plate information was obtained. 2:17 a.m. Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Homer Township. Friday, Sept. 4 10:35 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to a Porter Township residence after a 32-year-old woman reported an unknown man was yelling at her through her bedroom window and barking at her dog. The deputies thoroughly checked the area and was unable to locate the unknown male. 10:08 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a subject obstructing justice and operating while intoxicated in the area of North Saginaw and West St. Andrews roads. 8:13 p.m. Deputies responded to a vehicle crash causing minor injuries in Midland Township. 7:56 p.m. A 57-year-old man said someone had cut the cable valued at $50 to his hunting property in Greendale Township. The suspect was caught on camera, however the identity of the man is unknown at this time. The complaint is currently under investigation. 3:59 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to a Porter Township adult care home in reference to a resident being suicidal. Deputies made contact with the resident, a 43-year-old woman, who confirmed she was suicidal. A deputy transported the woman to the MidMichigan ER where a mental health petition was completed. 3:41 p.m. Deputies responded to the Midland County Jail to investigate an assault that occurred between two inmates. A report will be sent to the prosecuting attorney's office for review. 1:57 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Diamond Drive and Waldo Avenue. 1:47 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Eastman Avenue and West Wackerly Street. 9:34 a.m. Deputies were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash in Edenville Township. Deputies made contact with the driver, a 65-year-old Midland man, who was subsequently arrested for operating while intoxicated. 3:12 a.m. Officers responded to an intoxicated driver in the area of Waldo Avenue and Mark Twain Drive. SACRAMENTO California lawmakers convened this year with big plans to tackle soaring health care costs, expand health insurance coverage, and improve treatment for mental health and addiction. But the pandemic abruptly reoriented their priorities, forcing them to grasp for legislative solutions to the virus ripping through the state. Legislative deliberations this year were defined by quarantined lawmakers, emergency recesses and chaotic video voting plus a late-night partisan dustup that led to the death of dozens of bills by the time lawmakers gaveled out early Tuesday morning. Nonetheless, legislators managed to send Gov. Gavin Newsom nearly 430 bills, roughly 40% of the number theyd send in a typical year, according to Sacramento lobbyist Chris Micheli. Among them were about two dozen COVID-related bills that addressed a range of challenges, including dire shortages of protective gear, sick leave for workers and the administration of a hoped-for COVID-19 vaccine. The measures broadly fit into three categories: dealing with the current crisis, protecting workers and consumers, and preparing for future pandemics. Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign the bills into law or veto them. Immediate action Narrowly focused bills that targeted real-time COVID-related problems and avoided big price tags were among those easily winning approval. AB685, by Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-San Bernardino), would require employers to notify their workers of COVID-19 infections at work and would mandate the reporting of infection data to state and local public health authorities. A different measure, AB2164, would require Medi-Cal, Californias Medicaid program, to cover more telehealth visits in underserved areas by eliminating an existing requirement for patients and providers to establish an in-person relationship first. But this wouldnt be a permanent change: If signed, the law would sunset 180 days after the official COVID-19 state of emergency is over. Assemblyman Robert Rivas, D-Hollister (San Benito County), who introduced the bill, said he had to scale back the cost of the measure by applying it only to the pandemic to get it passed. Another bill written with precision is AB1710, which would allow pharmacists to administer a COVID vaccine once one is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. We want to make sure we can gear up as quickly as possible, said Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Santa Rosa, who authored the bill. Wood also authored AB2644, which would require nursing homes to have a full-time infection preventionist, and to report deaths from communicable diseases to the state during an emergency. Wood said the bill was written after he watched with horror as COVID-19 killed thousands of nursing home residents in the spring. Consumer and worker protections Lawmakers took on powerful business interests to boost protections for essential workers. A bill introduced by Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, would make it easier for some employees infected with COVID-19 to file a workers compensation insurance claim until January 2023. Should Newsom sign SB1159, for instance, state law would presume that certain frontline workers from health care workers in hospitals to firefighters who go into peoples homes were infected on the job unless their employers prove otherwise. The California Chamber of Commerce, which opposed the measure, questioned whether an employees illness could be traced to their job when the virus is so widespread. By varying degrees, at least 14 states have extended workers compensation to include COVID-related scenarios, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Frustrated with outbreaks at meatpacking plants, lawmakers also advanced legislation calling on food-processing companies with at least 500 workers to provide two weeks of paid sick leave to those exposed to COVID-19 or advised to quarantine. The measure, AB1867, spearheaded by Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, also would close a loophole in the federal emergency paid sick leave benefit that Congress authorized this spring, which excluded health care workers and emergency responders. If Newsom signs the bill, they too would qualify for two weeks of paid sick time. And in what would be the biggest expansion to the states family leave program since it began in 2004, lawmakers extended job protections to more workers who wish to take time off to care for a new baby or a sick relative. 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. Californias family leave program currently exempts small-business workers from the job protections, leaving millions of workers without the benefit. For example, an employee who works for a company with 20 or fewer employees does not qualify for job protection to bond with an infant. Employers with 50 or fewer workers arent required to guarantee someones job if they leave to care for a sick parent or other family member. In both cases, that would change to employers with five or more workers if the governor signs SB1383, introduced by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara. Lessons learned Inadequate personal protective gear emerged early on as one of the biggest impediments to Californias coronavirus response and measures advanced by the Legislature could prepare the state for future threats. We can be more prepared to protect our state in the next health crisis, said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood (Los Angeles County). California lawmakers approved a pair of high-profile bills to address protective equipment shortages. The more ambitious proposal, authored by Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez, D-Pomona, would require hospitals to stockpile a three-month supply by April 2021. Weve already lost far too many members to COVID-19, said Stephanie Roberson, lead lobbyist for the California Nurses Association, which sponsored AB2537. Its something that could have been prevented, Roberson said, adding that its the responsibility of employers to protect their workers. Newsom also must decide whether the state government should maintain a supply of protective gear for essential workers. SB275, from state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, and sponsored by the Service Employees International Union California, would mandate that the California Department of Public Health within one year establish a PPE stockpile for health and other essential workers to last 90 days during a pandemic. It also would require major employers of health care workers such as dialysis clinics, nursing homes and hospitals to establish by 2023 or later an additional 45-day stockpile of PPE. Rachel Bluth, Angela Hart and Samantha Young write for KHN (Kaiser Health News), which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. Gamers will be able to get their hands on the next-generation Xbox consoles from November 10, Microsoft has confirmed. The flagship Xbox Series X is priced at 449, while the compact version, the Xbox Series S, will retail at 249. Pre-orders for both consoles, which are both part of Microsoft's ultra-powerful fourth-generation range, will begin on September 22. The devices will also be made available through its Xbox All Access programme, allowing players to split the cost across 24 months from 20.99 a month. The deal includes Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the top tier of its gaming subscription service, and Xbox Live to play online. A new partnership with video game-maker Electronic Arts will also bring more than 60 of the firms 'biggest and best console and PC games' to Xbox Game Pass, streaming service known as 'the Netflix of games', at no additional cost. On release day, users will be able to buy and play next-gen versions of Gears Tactics, Tetris Effect: Connected, Assassins Creed Valhalla, and Watch Dogs: Legion. Microsoft rushed to officially reveal the first images of the Series S yesterday, after it leaked on several US websites. Scroll down for video Both the Xbox Series X (left) and Series S (right) will be available on November 10. The release date was already rumoured but unconfirmed until now. Pre-orders for both begin September 22 'Gaming has evolved in the last decade to make it easier, simpler and more affordable for any player to make that first connection with a new world, a new story, or a new friend,' Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, said in a blog post on Wednesday. 'On November 10, a new generation of console gaming begins. 'Thats when our vision becomes reality with the most performant, immersive and compatible next-generation console gaming experiences, and the freedom to play your games with your friends, anytime, anywhere. 'With a family of next-gen Xbox consoles, even greater variety and value with Xbox Game Pass, and an expansion to Xbox All Access, we invite everyone to join us for this next generation of gaming.' Microsoft has said the Series X is the most powerful console it has ever made featuring processing power twice that of the current generation Xbox One X. Series S is cheaper, smaller and less powerful than its bigger sibling, the Series X. Both consoles are have very distinctive designs the Series X, which the public first got a glimpse of back in December, looks like a black tower block with an air vent at the top and the Xbox logo in the corner. The Series S, which is 60 per cent smaller than the Series X, looks a bit like a hi-fi or an intercom with its circular black vent on a white body. Unlike the Series X, Series S will not feature a disk drive, with users instead downloading content for the system digitally. As previously announced, the fourth generation Xbox consoles have backwards compatibility, which allows them to play games from older consoles. The ability to play all the old favourites across four generations of Xbox 'was a key tenet' in the next generation of console gaming, Microsoft previously said. Backwards compatibility means gamers will have access to thousands of titles across four generations of content from the original Xbox, released in 2001, to 2005's Xbox 360 and 2013's Xbox One. Microsoft's official image of the new Series S, which will enter the market along with Microsoft's main event and next-gen Xbox console, the Series X The Xbox Series X console, to be released this November. The design of the new console is different from previous Xbox generations, with a more upright 'tower block' appearance Xbox has also given more details on its All Access option, which provides an Xbox Series X, or Series S, along with 24 months of the full Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. All Access lets gamers spread the cost of an Xbox console and access to games over the course of two years. Subscribers will get their choice of one of the new consoles, more than 100 games to play on console and more than 100 games to play from the cloud. They will also receive an EA Play membership, letting them play more than 60 of EA-made console and PC games, like FIFA 20, Titanfall 2 and Need for Speed Heat. There are 50 new games already planned to coincide with the consoles' launch, including Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Gears Tactics, and Watch Dogs: Legion. However, the release of the new console's flagship game, Halo Infinite, is being delayed until 2021, giving Microsoft more time 'to finish critical work'. Microsoft previously said its vision is 'to deliver the most ambitious Halo game ever' while 'balancing the teams well-being'. 'To do that, we will need some more time to finish the critical work necessary to launch Halo Infinite, which will come in 2021,' it said in August. Microsoft revealed a glimpse of Halo Infinite game play footage in July, although the gameplay was criticised for its overall 'art style and visual fidelity', the developers admitted, and the extra time will allow for much-needed tweaks. The US gaming giant has already partnered Samsung for the release of its new Galaxy Note 20 range, which has built-in support for game streaming via Xbox Game Pass. Like the video games version of Netflix, Xbox Game Pass delivers a library of content across console and PC, including all games from Xbox Game Studios the day they launch. The Xbox Series X release will coincide with the arrival of Sony's new console, the PlayStation 5, which is expected to launch in the last three months of the year. Today Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Wednesday engaged in a lengthy defence of the curfew imposed on Melburnians. Amongst other things Mr Andrews argued that, with just four reasons to go out, he was not sure that allowing people the ability to leave home at night to do those things would make much difference. We thought we would ask readers what they thought and got a huge response this afternoon. Broadly readers fall into two camps - those who point to useful things they would like to do if the curfew was away and those who say it makes no difference and is likely good policy in the circumstances. Some readers would like to walk their dog after 8pm when the kids are in bed. Credit:Dennis Malseed Shopping, running, walking the dog These were some of the common things people cited when describing how they would make use of the time. I often would do the grocery shopping after 8pm as my husband and I both still work so by the time we finish, pick up my son from childcare, cook dinner and get my son to bed it's already past curfew. The supermarkets are also a lot quieter at that time which is a bonus! Sarah Might go to the supermarket when there are fewer people around Damien Coleman Walk after dinner for 1 hr of exercise when few people out (lower risk) Anonymous There are a significant number of persons working in construction that cannot function within the lockdown hours. People leave their homes at 5 am (and earlier) and return home between 6:30 and 8 pm. What quality of life do these people have? The people who have worked all the way through the lockdown, worn a mask, social distanced followed the ever increasing number of restrictions etc and cannot even go home and go for a walk, or even go shopping for essentials because its too late - people cannot go and enjoy time with family because its 'too late'. It is absolutely ridiculous not to give consideration to these situations - myself and many hundreds of others are in the same situation. It has been extremely challenging and mentally exhausting to work with the restrictions, let alone having to go home and do more of the same. My co workers are all challenged and the stress and strain and mental issues are visibly evident. Rebecca Take my infant child out for a drive to go to sleep -its the only way he will settle. Loading Anonymous I would do nothing different and continue to follow the stay at home rules. BUT removal of the "curfew" would remove me of a very weighty psychological burden and add just a little hope in what appears to be an almost hopeless situation which those of us who are obeying the instructions can do no more to assist. Byron Go to the shops and walk my dog after 8:00 once my three children are in bed and my husband is home from work. Kate Because I am a vulnerable person, I avoid going to supermarkets as much as possible. So far, I have order most of my groceries online for home delivery but they require a minimum spend of $50 plus a delivery charge. Without a curfew, I could do my own shopping late at night when it is safer. Ken Stay home Coming from another perspective, a large number of readers indicated that they would simply stay home if the curfew was lifted but other restrictions were still in place meaning it made no difference to them. Many also expressed support for the policy Currently with community transmissions out there, (I live in Wyndham) I would not be venturing out, even with no curfew. I would not go shopping or to cinemas, restaurants or bars. Staying home restricts person to person transmission so I am happy for the curfew to stay until we have this thing under better control. I suspect my lack of confidence is widely shared so businesses would not get back all their pre-covid customers anyway. Chris Exactly what I'm doing now. Not much. Lucy Basically nothing different. The curfew doesn't affect me while restaurants aren't open and I can't see friends. The curfew is a low cost enforcement measure in my view. PJ Nothing would have changed so i think curfew must be in place just to deter people from doing the wrong thing and breaching lockdown rules Anonymous Nothing, I would still STAY HOME. People are dying! What is it about reducing the movement of people...AKA potential virus dont people get? Anonymous Nothing would change - it's not like we can go out for dinner, go to the pub for a beer or visit friends. Steve Nothing. Who needs to be out after 8 pm if youre not working? Fully support continuing it. Why change a winning strategy? Anonymous I would do nothing differently. Genuinely straining my brain wondering why reporters need to labor the point that does not need to be made. If you're getting a kebab at 3am you deserve to be fined. Anonymous Stay at home. Anonymous [Read more of the responses here] Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called on political candidates in Texas to pledge support for police funding, leaning further into an issue that plays well among the Republican base in the lead-up to the November election. In a video posted to social media, Abbott said defunding the police invites crime into our communities, and it threatens the safety of all Texans. We need all leaders and all Texans to join us in backing the blue, he said, referring to law enforcement. The governor planned to publicly sign the pledge in a Thursday news conference with other state leaders. A spokesman for Abbott said 2,900 people had signed the pledge within 90 minutes of it being posted online. It is open to all Texans. The unusual move pledges are often created by interest groups, not elected officials comes less than a month after Abbott and other top Republicans vowed to freeze property tax revenue in cities that cut their police budgets, a promise that Democrats have denounced and legal experts say may be unconstitutional. Earlier this summer, the Austin City Council voted to immediately cut 5 percent from the citys $400 million annual police budget and up to a third overall in the coming years. On HoustonChronicle.com: Gov. Abbott, state leaders threaten tax freeze for cities that defund police Republicans have seized on the funding issue in the final weeks of the election cycle, with Democrats within striking distance of reclaiming control of the state House and Texas polls showing a tight race between President Donald Trump and the Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden. Reducing police budgets has been a primary demand of protesters who began taking to the streets this summer after the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man whose neck was pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer. Since then, several other cases of alleged racism and police brutality have gained national attention, and activists have pressed local officials to redirect funding from law enforcement to social services that address underlying issues of crime, including mental health and housing assistance. In Texas, the governor is not up for re-election in November but is trying to recover politically from a brutal summer in which the state saw a huge surge in coronavirus infections after Abbott allowed businesses to reopen. And police funding has solid support among his supporters: A poll from the University of Texas at Austin found that three-fourths of Texas Republicans and 43 percent of independents believe the deaths of Black people while in police custody are isolated incidents, not a sign of broader problems. Democrats responded quickly to the call on Wednesday, accusing the governor of being hypocritical at a time when he is pushing for cuts to state health and education budgets. Governor @GregAbbott_TX Sign my Pledge: I will not Defund Public Education, tweeted Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston. POMPANO BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Global Boatworks Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK:GBBT) ("Global") announced today that the Company has signed a definitive Share Exchange Agreement with Baltimore, Maryland based R3 Score Technologies, Inc. ("R3 Score") ( www.R3Score.com) and its shareholders . Pursuant to the Share Exchange Agreement, Global is expected to acquire an initial 94% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of R3 Score Technologies, Inc. with the ability to increase to 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of R3 Score in exchange for shares of Global's common stock. The acquisition of R3 Score shares marks a very exciting and important point in Global history, the next step should propel both shareholder groups forward in an extremely promising field with a relevant product at this time in our nation's history. R3 Score is an emerging technology with wide case business use designed for the 1-in-3 Americans, (more than 70 million people), living with an arrest or conviction record. R3 Score has a pathway to expand to the general public and especially those with thin consumer credit files and who are left out of traditional credit scoring models. The criminal background screening opportunity serves as an ideal place, to begin with, amidst the growing dialogue around social unrest and economic justice nationally. R3 Score's product offerings are timely and offer marketplace solutions for millions who need to rebuild their lives and want tools that take a more holistic approach using alternative data. Upon closing of the transaction, R3 Score will become the primary operating subsidiary of Global going forward with key management transitioning to Global as the ongoing operators. Global intends to revise its business model, change its name to R3 Technologies Holdings Inc. and apply for a new trading symbol reflective of its new name. From the time of closing the Share Exchange Agreement, all of Global's resources and efforts will be focused on the continuation of the R3 Score Technologies, Inc. current and future operations. From time to time GBBT/R3 Score will update the investing public through their Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. About R3 Score Technologies, Inc. R3 Score has pioneered a proprietary data-driven scoring designed to unlock new valuable employees and financial services consumers utilizing a multi-factor algorithm based on 11 factors assessing character, capacity, and current choice. R3 Score sells its core product directly to businesses and consumers offering a contextualized background report and an alternative credit score. The alternative criminal background check is the wedge into the market with the goal of generating revenue as R3 Score seeks to grow more traditional and modern financial services. About Global Boatworks Holdings, Inc. Global Boatworks Holdings Inc. is a publicly trading company, which is a multifaceted "Luxury Living Vessel" manufacturer located in South Florida. The Company has previously built and operated a highly successful charter vessel in Boston, and currently has designed, constructed and sold a state-of-the-art luxury living vessel, in South Florida. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to many risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with developing new products or technologies, regulatory approvals if any, unexpected expenditures, the ability to raise the additional funding needed to continue to pursue its business and product development plans and overall market conditions. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements. We may use terms such as "projects," "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," "intends," "may," "could," "might," "will," "should," "approximately," or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained herein, we caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this press release will prove to be accurate. Contact: Global Boatworks Holdings, Inc. globalboatworks1234@gmail.com http://www.globalboatworks.global R3 Score Technologies, Inc. IR@R3Score.com https://www.r3score.com/ SOURCE: Global Boatworks Holdings, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605363/Global-Boatworks-Holding-Inc-Signs-Definitive-Share-Exchange-Agreement-with-R3-Score-Technologies-Inc The UN-sponsored International Day to Protect Education from Attack is being observed for the first time on September 9. Pope Francis and the UN have given support to the initiative. By Vatican News As the world celebrates the first International Day to Protect Education from Attack on Wednesday, Pope Francis appealed to the international community to ensure educational structures are protected from attacks. I invite you to pray for students who are seriously deprived of the right to education due to war and terrorism, he said during his weekly General Audience on Wednesday in the Vatican. I urge the international community to do its utmost so that the structures that must protect young students be respected, he said, speaking in Italian. May efforts that guarantee safe environments for their education not wain, above all in situations of humanitarian crises, he added. The UN The September-9 International Day to Protect Education from Attack was established on May 2020 by a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly, calling on UNESCO and UNICEF to raise awareness of the plight of millions of children living in countries affected by conflict. The resolution proclaiming the Day was presented by the State of Qatar and co-sponsored by 62 countries. The Day draws attention to the plight of more than 75 million 3-to-18-year-olds living in 35 crisis-affected countries and to their urgent need of educational support. As the world fights to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, children and youth in conflict zones remain among the most vulnerable to its devastating impact, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a message for the day. We must ensure our children have a safe and secure environment in which to learn the knowledge and skills they need for the future, he said. UNESCO The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also added its voice insisting, schools must remain safe places, free of conflict and violence. Our collective future as well as the achievements of all development goals depend on it, said UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay. Safeguarding the right to education for all, she said, contributes to the achievement of sustainable development and nurtures the international communitys decades-long gains towards peace, economic prosperity, and social inclusion worldwide. UNICEF According to the UN Childrens Fund, UNICEF, Attacks on schools are a violation of humanity and basic decency. We must not allow these senseless attacks to destroy the hopes and dreams of a generation of children, said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. We must do all in our power to ensure that schools and the children and teachers within them are protected, she said. As the world begins planning to re-open schools once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, she urged that "schools remain safe places of learning, even in countries in conflict". Did you know? - More than 22,000 students, teachers, and academics were injured, killed, or harmed in attacks on education during armed conflict or insecurity over the past five years. - Between 2015 and 2019, 93 countries experienced at least one reported attack on education. - Students and educators were most frequently harmed by direct attacks in Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Palestine. - Armed forces, other state actors, and armed groups used schools and universities for military purposes in 34 countries between 2015 and 2019, including as bases, detention centers, and weapons stores. - In the past five years, state armed forces or armed groups reportedly recruited students from schools in 17 countries. (Source: Education under Attack 2020) In this Tuesday, July 24, 2018, photo, villagers take refuge on a rooftop above flood waters from a collapsed dam in Attapeu province in southeastern Laos. The Mekong River Commission (MRC) and Facebook have launched a joint collaborative initiative to share flood and drought warningsa move rural Lao villagers said was a vast improvement over the previous system. The partnership aims to increase awareness among citizens of the four MRC member countries, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, the MRC said in a recent press release. We see the utmost importance of providing timely and reliable information on water levels to Mekong countries and communities exposed to flood and drought and an ever changing climate so that they can take action in time to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare an effective response, said Dr Anoulak Kittikhoun, the MRCs Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer in the release. At Facebook, we always look for new ways to support development efforts in this region, said Shanti Alexander, Asia-Pacific Community Affairs Manager at the U.S.-based social media giant. With a suite of tools that supports communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters and build resilience, were pleased to partner with the MRC to keep millions of people in this region informed on possible floods and drought so that they are better prepared for a crisis, Alexander said. Laos has built dozens of hydropower dams on the Mekong and its tributaries, with ultimate plans to build scores more under a plan to become the Battery of Southeast Asia to export the electricity they generate to other countries in the region. Though the Lao government sees power generation as a way to boost the countrys economy, the projects are controversial because of their environmental impact, displacement of villagers without adequate compensation, and questionable financial and power demand arrangements. The countrys worst fears about dam safety came true without warning on July 23, 2018, when billions of cubic feet of water from a tributary of the Mekong River poured over a collapsed saddle dam at the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy (PNPC) hydropower project in Champassak province. The water that escaped the failed dam swept away homes and caused severe flooding in villages downstream in Attapeu province, killing 71 people and displacing 14,440 when it wiped out all or part of 19 villages. The MRC Secretariat said Facebook would promote the MRCs Mekong Flood and Drought Forecasting Systemwhich draws water level and rainfall data at 22 hydrological stations along the main channel of the Mekong River in the Lower Mekong Basin Proponents of the partnership hope that data from the forecasting system will be more easily and efficiently disseminated through Facebook, which is widely used in Southeast Asia. Several rural Lao residents told RFA that the collaboration is welcome news. They did not warn us that the river went up that high or this high. We never saw information about that, a resident of Xayaburi provinces Paklai district, who requested anonymity for security reasons told RFA Sept. 1. If they did warn us, people might not have known about it, but if the warning comes through Facebook, people will have a greater chance of seeing it, he said. The resident added that he was not aware of any government warnings about imminent floods, droughts or water released from upstream dams. Another villager, who lives near the banks of the Mekong in Champassak provinces capital of Pakse, told RFA that under the previous system, government warnings reached only those who had businesses they ran from small boats. The villager said that no warnings were issued for those who live along the banks, as the government believed they were not at risk because of embankments that the country constructed. They built the embankments, so they only informed boat people. I think its better that they are going to inform everyone, the villager said. An official from the provinces natural resources and environment bureau told RFA that digital warnings would enhance the governments capacity to warn citizens, even through existing channels. Now we are in the middle of looking for ways to get the warning out fast, said the official, who declined to be named. Whomever was aware of the warning would send it online through Facebook, and the heads of each village would announce through loudspeaker to the villagers so that the villagers could prepare in case of any calamities, the official said. Not the end Two Thailand-based civil society organizations commended the initiative but pointed out that a collaboration with Facebook alone would not necessarily improve the response to disasters. I look at this as positive. Its a good plan with good intentions, but its more important to bring the information further out, Souvith Koulapvong, the coordinator of the Peoples Network in the Lower Mekong-Northeastern Thailand. A representative of the Chiang Khong Loving group in Chieng Rai, Thailand told RFA that even with the help of Facebook, warnings still would not make it to the regions most vulnerable. Out of the people who have access to Facebook, I wonder what percentage of them are Mekong riparian people, he said. I dont think were quite there yet. Maybe sending a letter of warning to community leaders or through local civic networks would be better, as that goes straight to the target, he added. A step forward Two U.S.-based experts said the collaboration was a good development but hoped more would be done to continue to improve warning mechanisms in the region. A lot of people use Facebook on their cell phones. Therefore, it seems like a good idea for the MRC to partner with Facebook to distribute useful information about drought and floods, Ian Baird, a Southeast Asia expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told RFA. Brian Eyler, a senior fellow and director of the Washington-based Stimson Centers Southeast Asia program, told RFA he thought that the collaboration would lead to more transparency. Facebook and MRC should provide more details on the collaboration. Undoubtedly this is a step forward for U.S.-based engagement in the region and data transparency from Facebook. The MRC Secretariat told RFA that its partnership with Facebook will proceed on a trial basis until the end of 2021, at which time the partnership would be reevaluated. Reported and Translated by RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Analysis During High-Level Visit, China Takes Note of Myanmars High Standards on BRI Projects Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (right) and Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Chinas Central Committee, meet in the Credentials Hall of the Presidential Palace in Naypyitaw on Sept. 1, 2020. / State Counselors Office Last week, Myanmars top leaders welcomed a high-ranking Chinese official to Naypyitaw. Yang Jiechi, a Politburo member and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission under the Communist Party of China (CPC)s Central Committee, made a stop in Myanmars capital en route to Europe. Considered Chinas highest-ranking diplomat, Yang met separately with Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint. He also called on Myanmar military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Yangs high status as a Politburo member gave the meetings a greater significance than Myanmar leaders discussions with previous visitors such as State Councilor Wang Yi and Song Tao, the head of the International Department of the CPCs Central Committee. It also gave Naypyitaw a rare chance to convey important messages to the highest levels in Beijing. Informed sources familiar with Yangs visit disclosed that he sought reassurances on the implementation of Chinas ambitious backbone infrastructure projects in Myanmar, while at the same time announcing a 200-million-yuan (39.33-billion-kyat) grant for Rakhine State. Beijing is eager to see implementation of its delayed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects kick off before Myanmars election on Nov. 8, the sources said, adding that the Chinese are also concerned with the growing influence of other partners in Myanmar, namely the US and Japan. Of particular concern to Beijing is the US growing influence in Myanmar; the Chinese were alarmed by recent opinion piece published by a senior Yangon-based US diplomat, George N. Sibley. In a guest column titled How the Erosion of Sovereignty Elsewhere Impacts Myanmar at Home first published in this publication in July, Sibleywho was then charge daffaires at the US Embassyaccused China of taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue its crackdown on democracy, and of failing to respect other nations sovereignty. Chinas embassy in Myanmar fired back, accusing the United States of outrageously smearing China and trying to drive a wedge between it and its Southeast Asian neighbors over such issues as the contested South China Sea and Hong Kong. The spat was just the latest of many signs of mounting tensions between the superpowers. Responding to the US claims that Beijing was undermining the sovereignty of its neighbors, the Chinese Embassy said US agencies abroad were doing disgusting things to contain China and had shown a selfish, hypocritical, contemptible and ugly face. Beijing is well aware that both Myanmar officials and the public are wary of the BRI projects and has taken note of the steady rise of anti-Chinese sentiment in Myanmar. A recent increase in the military capabilities of armed ethnic groups in northern Myanmar is causing serious concern among Myanmars military leadership. Since last year, the military has seized several caches of Chinese made weapons near the northern border. Even as it promises to assist Myanmars ongoing peace process, China continues to back ethnic insurgents based in northern Myanmar. The government is proceeding cautiously with the BRI projects, and the pace of implementation remains slow. According to the sources, Yang and his delegation acknowledged that Myanmar has set a high standard when it comes to green-lighting BRI projects. During the working meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Myanmar side emphasized the need for quality investment from China. According to a Myanmar government statement, on the issue of Rakhine, China vowed to continue its support for Myanmars initiatives to address the many challenges facing the region, to facilitate the repatriation process, and to forge closer cooperation and coordination in the international arena. China announced the provision of a 200-million-yuan grant to the Myanmar government to improve the livelihoods of people in Rakhine State. Myanmar expressed its deep appreciation to China for its consistent support at multilateral meetings and reiterated its long-standing support for the One China Policy and the One Country, Two Systems Policy. During the visit, China and Myanmar also stressed the need for stability along their common border. Interestingly, they also agreed to jointly combat illegal activities, including gambling, in the border regions. Recently, the Chinese Embassy issued a statement saying China expressed support for Myanmars move to investigate irregularities surrounding a controversial city development project near the Thai border in Karen State run by Chinese investors accused of illegal casino activities in Cambodia and the Philippines. The statement was issued just before Yangs high-level visit. Known locally as China Town, the planned new city project is a collaboration between the Karen State Border Guard Forcea Myanmar military-backed armed group led by Colonel Chit Thu and formerly known as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)and a Hong Kong-registered company, Yatai International Holding Group (IHG). China has been at pains to distance itself from the project, with senior Foreign Ministry officials in Beijing inviting the Myanmar ambassador to a meeting to explain Chinas stance on the casino and China Town projects. You may also like these stories: China Grows More Assertive Ahead of Myanmars Election Myanmar in Chinas Plans for Expanded Overseas Network of Military Facilities, US Says China Seeks Myanmars Assurances on Moving BRI Projects Ahead; Offers Aid for Rakhine New Delhi: Israel has expressed hope that India and China will resolve things in a "peaceful" way even as tensions rise between the two Asian neighbours. Deputy Director-General of the Asia-Pacific Division of Israeli Foreign Ministry Gilad Cohen said, "We have very good relations with India, we have good relations with China" Gilad Cohen added, "We hope all things will be sorted out in peaceful ways and tension will reduce, this is what we desire". Israel is in the advanced stage of negotiations with the Free Trade Agreement with China and already has a pact for specific goods with India. Ties between India and Israel have grown in the last few years. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi visited Israel in July of 2017, the first-ever visit of an Indian PM to the West Asian country which was followed by the visit of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu the next year. Asked, if more countries could establish ties with Israel, Cohen said, We hope UAE breakthrough will be echoed" and "will open other relations who don't have ties with Israel". In a major development last month, UAE became the first Gulf country to establish ties with Israel. This was followed by the first direct commercial flight between the 2 countries. UAE is the 3rd Arab country to recognize Israel after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. For nearly 170 years, Catholics of Parramatta have been searching for a peal of bells to ring out joy and sadness, and hopefully celebrate the next Parramatta Eels' premiership win. Finally on Tuesday night, eight giant bells tuned to form an octave of A major were initiated at St Patrick's Cathedral, Parramatta, in a Catholic ritual dating back to the 16th century. The Bishop of Parramatta Vincent Long with the bells after they were anointed and blessed with oil and incense. Credit:Wolter Peeters Yet to be installed in the bell tower, they were blessed in the cathedral's vast nave by Parramatta Bishop Vincent Long on Tuesday evening. "When its melody shall sound in the ears of the people, may the devotion of their faith increase," he said. Retail sale of automobiles witnessed a sharp 27 per cent decline in August over last year, dampening the narrative built by car and two-wheeler companies of a robust recovery in the domestic market. Figures collated by Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) showed passenger vehicle sales were down over 7 per cent last month at 178,513 units. The decline was relatively modest compared to the 25 per cent year-on-year dip in July but in stark contrast to the 20 per cent growth in wholesale that was dispatched by manufacturers from their factories to their respective dealerships. The retail figure that represent actual sales at dealerships was over 55,000 units lower than despatches indicating inventory build-up in the run up to the upcoming festive season. ALSO READ: Vehicle registrations dip 26.81% YoY in August; PV sales down 7% "Overall demand is still not back to pre-COVID levels as banks and NBFCs continue to have a cautious approach towards funding," said Vinkesh Gulati, president, FADA. "While OEM's are dispatching vehicles to dealers with a purpose of stocking-up inventory for the upcoming festival season, retail sales are still at 70-75% levels despite the low base of last year. We advise extreme caution to all OEMs and our Dealer fraternity to avoid excessive Inventory build-up thus leading to unmanageable interest cost which could further result in dealership closures." In two-wheelers that comprise the biggest chunk of volumes in the overall industry, sales were down nearly 29 per cent at 898,775 units. Commercial vehicle sales were down nearly 58 per cent and three-wheelers declined nearly 70 per cent. Yet, FADA said there were some encouraging signs of demand returning in the market. ALSO READ: FADA to bring major auto industry bodies together to engage with govt on long-standing issues "Passenger vehicles after five months saw decline reducing to single digit. Customers who were sitting on the fence, finally concluded their purchase during ongoing festivals of Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi. Entry level Passenger Vehicles were in high demand as personal mobility is being preferred with current pandemic showing no signs of reduction," Gulati said. "With the start of festival season and the Government's continued effort to open up India, the month of August saw good numbers when compared to immediate previous months. August also saw an arrest in decline and pullback efforts on all fronts were visible, though on year on year, all categories except tractors continued to fall, though at a slower pace." As has been the case over the last few months, spurred by the rural markets, tractors provided the only silver lining with a 28 per cent growth during the month at 67,406 units. ALSO READ: Auto rebound with 20% growth in August By David Kirton SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - Huawei Technologies is expected to respond on Thursday to the latest salvo of U.S. technology restrictions against it and share its progress on developing a system that is seen as its best bet to replace Google's Android mobile operating system. Richard Yu, the head of Huawei's consumer business group, will deliver a keynote speech at its annual developers conference in Dongguan, in what is expected to mark the company's first official response to the Trump administration's efforts to bar its access to chips. In August the U.S. expanded earlier restrictions aimed at preventing Huawei from obtaining semiconductors without a special license - including chips made by foreign firms that have been developed or produced with U.S. software or technology. Analysts said the restrictions threaten Huawei's crown as the world's largest smartphone maker, and that its smartphone business would disappear entirely if it could not source chipsets. With U.S.-China relations at their worst in decades, Washington is pushing governments around to world to squeeze out Huawei, arguing it would hand over data to the Chinese government for spying. Huawei denies it spies for China. Huawei will also reveal its progress in developing its proprietary Harmony operating system, which it has billed as an multi-device platform across watches, laptops and mobiles, rather than as a like-for-like challenger to Google's Android mobile operating system. It unveiled the system for the first time at last year's developers conference. "We will introduce the community to a range of new technology developments, including HMS Core 5.0 and EMUI 11, and provide opportunities to discuss directly and openly with our engineers and management these new technologies and market opportunities," a Huawei spokesman said, noting that it has 1.6 million developers onboard worldwide. Huawei's addition to the U.S. entity list in May last year barred Google from providing technical support for new Huawei phone models using Android, and from Google Mobile Services (GMS), the bundle of developer services upon which most Android apps are based. Story continues The company is likely to focus on HarmonyOS's application in devices like wearables and smartscreens, rather than in the smartphone business that is being heavily affected by the U.S. action, said Will Wong, an analyst with consultancy IDC. It will not want to present HarmonyOS as a genuine Google alternative ahead of the U.S. election in November, in the hope that it might regain access to Google after that, he said. A key challenge for Huawei is to show that its proprietary AppGallery and Huawei Mobile Services can integrate local apps from different countries and regions, said Tarun Pathak, an industry analyst with Counterpoint. "The lack of Google services seriously impacts these devices' appeal against competitors running a full commercial version of Android," he said. (Reporting by David Kirton; Editing by Kim Coghill) We are breaking down one of the worlds largest borders the United States to help people transfer money from America to loved ones around the world, without leaving the comfort and safety of their homes. UK-based Paysend, today announced that its globally-recognized money transfer service is now available for American consumers, providing an affordable, accessible alternative solution for cross-border transactions. The companys move to the United States is enabled by Paysends new partnership with Central Payments, the payments subsidiary of Central Bank of Kansas City. With the growing demand for fast, low-cost money transfers, coupled with the ongoing shift to a digitalization of financial services, Paysends presence in the U.S. market is pivotal. Leveraging its fully-functional, scalable and redundant processing system, American residents can securely send funds to a bank account in 70 countries within minutes -- without visiting a physical bank location. Paysend is launching its American operations on the West Coast under the leadership of Matt Montes, who will serve as general manager of the companys U.S. business. Montes has nearly 30 years of financial services experiences, most recently serving as president of Catalina Card Services. Previously, he founded and led AccountNow, the first online D2C prepaid debit card company in the U.S., which was acquired by Green Dot Corporation. Providing Fast, Affordable Cross-Border P2P Payments While the U.S. is home to the largest global transfer market in the world, with users transferring more than $148B internationally every year, consumers struggle to find fast, affordable and convenient means of transferring money across borders. According to recent data from Pew Research Center and the World Bank, the countries receiving the most remittance payments from the U.S. are Mexico ($30B), China ($16B), India ($11B), Philippines ($11B), Nigeria ($5B) and Vietnam ($7B). In these developing countries, money transferred from the U.S. often represents meaningful income for families, financial aid during a crisis, support for students abroad, and more. Since 2017, Paysend has eliminated borders by enabling over 2 million global citizens to connect via fast and affordable money transfers, said Ronald Millar, Paysend CEO. Now, we are breaking down one of the worlds largest borders the United States to help people transfer money from America to loved ones around the world, without leaving the comfort and safety of their homes. Todays announcement is a large step towards fulfilling our mission to change how money is moved around the world. "Our partnership with Paysend continues the Central Payments mission to power the most innovative products in fintech, added Trent Sorbe, president and founder of Central Payments. Paysends U.S. launch and the availability of its simple, low-cost transfer solution is particularly timely as consumers look for cashless money transfer options that can be done from anywhere. To start sending money to over 70 countries, create a Paysend account today, and download the Paysend mobile app from the App Store or Google Play. About Paysend Paysend is a global Fintech company born in 2017, based in UK and authorized by the FCA. With more than 2 million customers and delivering funds to over 90 countries and multiple currencies, Paysend enables near-instant cross border as well as local payments in a way which is simple and smart. Paysend has its own global network of banks, international and local payment systems and partners with the major international card networks: Visa, Mastercard and China Union Pay as a principal member and certified processor. Paysend is money for the future. Visit http://www.paysend.com for more information. About Central Payments, LLC Central Payments administers debit/prepaid card and funds disbursement programs with some of the most recognized companies in payments and finech. As an early adopter of banking-as-a-service through its OpenCP API platform, Central Payments is the countrys fastest growing prepaid card issuer since 2015. The recent announcement of the organisation's new open-API platform, and its launch of the Falls Fintech accelerator, has solidified Central Payments as a leader in bank-fintech partnerships. Visit Central-Payments.com for more information. The Lincoln County commissioners cruised through a light agenda on Tuesday following the Labor Day holiday. The commissioners: Adopted a resolution to enter into an interlocal agreement with the village of Sutherland to provide law enforcement services and authorized Chairman Bill Henry to sign. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Authorized Henry to sign the right-of-way application submitted by Consolidated Cos. for underground fiber optics. Authorized Henry to sign the right-of-way application submitted by Hershey Cooperative Telephone. Adopted a resolution for signing of the County Annual Certification of Program Compliance Form 2020 (to Nebraska Board of Public Roads Classifications and Standards) and authorized Henry and County Roads Superintendent Carla ODell to sign the document. Adopted a resolution to enter into an interlocal agreement with the village of Wellfleet to provide law enforcement services and authorized Henry to sign. 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. That was a pretty crazy press conference. At one point, Trump went off on a rant attacking military leaders. Because when youre in a scandal about calling soldiers names, the best defense is to antagonize their bosses. Trump was like, This goes all the way to the top, people whoever is the chief of all the commanders. JIMMY FALLON Other than the 245 times Trump has actually called someone a loser and a sucker on Twitter, hed never say anything like that. JIMMY FALLON Thats right, Trump allegedly made outrageously offensive remarks, so you know what that means nothing happens to Trump, and Billy Bush gets fired. JIMMY FALLON Im not sure whats more upsetting: the comments Trump reportedly made or what hes going to say to change the subject. [imitating Trump] And thats why were nuking the moon. JIMMY FALLON Take N.O.T.E. guides families with the following steps: Notice if anything is out of the ordinary Observe behaviors to determine patterns Talk to a teacher, social worker, or caregiver to validate Engage with trusted resources, like pediatricians Comprehensive Survey Reveals Parents Now Noticing Changes in Children's Behavior With many families spending more time together during the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and caregivers may notice things about their children's behavior that they don't fully understand. A new Understood/YouGov survey of more than 2,000 parents of 5- to 17-year-olds found that 69% have become more aware of the challenges their child faces in school than before the pandemic, and more than a third (37%) report noticing changes in their child's behavior. Yet among the parents who noticed changes in their child's behavior, fewer than 1 in 3 (28%) sought guidance or support from a health care provider. Learning and thinking differences are variations in how the brain processes information and can affect reading, writing, math, focus, and following directions. Common examples include dyslexia and ADHD. Signs of learning and thinking differences are often overlooked or misinterpreted by families. Lack of awareness, misinformation, stigma, and other barriers such as cost can stand in the way of children getting the support they need. The survey also found that 57% of parents of children diagnosed with a learning and thinking difference report that it took a long time for their child to be diagnosed. And among these same parents, 62% wish they'd had a tool or resource to help them track changes in their child's behavior before the diagnosis. "The signs of learning and thinking differences aren't always clear, and not knowing what they mean or how to help can feel stressful and overwhelming," said Fred Poses, president and CEO of Understood. "With children returning to an uncertain school environment, families need a tool to help notice whether their children are struggling. By providing free, easy-to-use resources, our goal with Take N.O.T.E. is to help caregivers take control, spot the signs, and engage with trusted experts to get the guidance they need." "With the increased use of virtual learning this year in many school districts, pediatricians may see more questions from parents because children and teens are not physically in school. For parents who are concerned their child may be struggling, the Take N.O.T.E. campaign offers a helpful guide to getting help," said AAP President Sally Goza, MD, FAAP. "We want parents to know that pediatricians are ready to help, and can be a resource when a child is not making expected progress in school." Families can go to u.org/takenote to get curated content around developmental milestones, learning and thinking differences, common signs, and what to look for while observing their child. About Understood Understood is a social impact organization dedicated to shaping the world for difference. Our mission is to shape a world where people with all types of disabilities have the opportunity to enjoy meaningful careers, and where families, educators, and employers have the resources to become better allies and advocates. More than 2 million people access our online resources, experts, and supportive communities each month. Understood is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation based in New York. For more information, or to become a partner, visit u.org/media and follow us on our social channels. About the American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds. Survey Methodology YouGov, on behalf of Understood, conducted an online survey among parents of children ages 517 (referred to throughout as "parents") in the U.S.A total of 2,049 parents were surveyed. For the purposes of this survey, parents of "typical" children are defined as those whose children have not exhibited signs of learning differences or have not been diagnosed with a learning difference. This is in contrast to parents of children who are symptomatic or have been diagnosed with a learning disability or ADHD. The survey was conducted between July 22 and August 3, 2020. SOURCE Understood Related Links www.understood.org Human Rights Council commission concerned with discrimination of Russians in Ukraine RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 18:21 09/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 9 (RAPSI) The Standing Commission on International Cooperation in Human Rights of Russias Presidential Human Rights Council has expressed its deep concern over violations of the rights of Russians residing in Ukraine, according to its Wednesday statement. According to Council member Alexander Brod, since September 1 education in all Russian-speaking schools has been kept only for grades until the fifth; all next grades will be taught in the state language as the Ukrainian law on education, criticized and recommended to be significantly amended by the Venice Commission, and strongly challenged by parents of schoolchildren, entered in force. At the same time, the rights activist notes, educational establishments for other minorities using official European Union languages will be able to continue education in these languages for another three years of a special transition period. Brod believes the law on education contradicts the Ukrainian Constitution proclaiming protection of minorities languages, among them the Russian language, which is the native language for 14.3 million of Ukrainian citizens, or 29.6% of the countrys total population according to a survey of 2001, and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which Ukraine ratified in 2003. In this situation, the deprivation of children from Russian-speaking families the opportunity to be educated in their native language is aimed at the suppression of their national and language-based identity, what, given the multinational and multilingual nature of the Ukrainian society, may lead to unfathomable consequences, the rights activist believes. In relation to these facts, the Commission is turning to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic calling them to intervene in the situation and protect the rights of Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine to education in their native language. The Commission also calls European and international human rights advocacy structures and organizations to give a clear and principled assessment of the actions undertaken by the Ukrainian authorities in violation not only of the national Constitution, but of the countrys international obligations in the sphere of human rights and protection of national minorities, the statement reads. Palestinians set to soften stance on UAE-Israel normalisation: draft statement FILE PHOTO: Palestinian leadership meets over UAE's normalization deal with Israel RAMALLAH (Reuters) - The Palestinian leadership has watered down its criticism of the normalisation deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates before an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday at which the accord will be debated. A draft resolution presented by the Palestinian envoy, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, does not include a call to condemn, or act against, the Emirates over the U.S.-brokered deal. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also issued instructions on Tuesday banning any offensive statements or actions towards Arab leaders, including UAE rulers. Announced on Aug. 13, the accord was the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years, and was forged largely through shared fears of Iran. The draft Palestinian resolution to be debated by Arab foreign ministers said the Israel-U.S.-Emirates announcement "doesnt diminish Arab consensus over the Palestinian cause, the Palestinian cause is the cause of the entire Arab nation. "The trilateral announcement doesnt change the principal Arab vision based on the fact that the two-state solution on the 1967 borders is the only way to achieve peace in the Middle East," the draft said. The tone is markedly different from that of Abbas, whose office on Aug. 13 called the accord "betrayal" and a "stab in the back of the Palestinian cause.". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump have described the accord as historic, and urged other Arab countries to follow suit. Emirati leaders said the deal shelved Israeli plans to annex territory in the occupied West Bank. (Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Nidal Almughrabi, Editing by Timothy Heritage) A map of the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. (Cal Fire) For the first time, California correctional officers will be required to use body cameras while interacting with inmates inside a state prison, a federal judge ordered Tuesday. The ruling comes in a civil rights lawsuit over disabled inmates' rights, in which a federal judge found evidence to support allegations of physical abuse of prisoners at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. The order applies to interactions with all inmates with disabilities inside the Otay Mesa facility. Attorneys for the inmates with disabilities had asked the judge to issue an order mandating body cameras for correctional officers after documenting widespread physical abuse of the inmates. "Body cameras have never been used in California prisons. This is a very important order to help put an end to physical abuse and broken bones of those with physical disabilities at this most dangerous of prisons," said attorney Gay Grunfeld, whose law firm, along with the Prison Law Office, represents the plaintiffs. "Body cameras can bring sound and context to situations that involve the use of force which surveillance cameras cannot," she said. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken gave the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation a timetable that effectively gives it five months to get the body-worn devices into use. She also ordered that records from body cameras be preserved from use-of-force incidents and that policies be created. State corrections officials declined to address the findings. "We are unable to comment on specifics of ongoing litigation, but we take the safety and security of the incarcerated population very seriously, and vigorously work to protect those with disabilities. We will be carefully evaluating the order," Dana Simas, a spokeswoman with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said in a statement. Wilken also ordered the installation, within four or five months, of widespread surveillance camera systems at critical areas of the prison and the establishment of third-party expert monitor oversight of evidence gathered at the prison. Story continues Wilken ordered those actions within an injunction she granted as part of a bigger plan to address allegations of repeated physical abuse and retaliation against disabled inmates who complain about the prison facility. Wilken, an Oakland-based judge, is handling a class-action lawsuit that seeks to guarantee the rights of state prisoners under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Though police forces across the country, including the Los Angeles Police Department, use body cameras, their use in prisons is relatively rare. The ruling Tuesday applies to the single prison, but the judge is expected to hear another motion next month that examines evidence of abuses across the state prison system and seeks to implement the use of body cameras across 35 prisons. Grunfeld said the attorneys have documented abuses at other prisons, including Corcoran. The injunction Tuesday was granted based on 112 sworn declarations from inmates that lawyers said showed staff "routinely use unnecessary and excessive force against people with disabilities, often resulting in broken bones, loss of consciousness, stitches or injuries that require medical attention at outside hospitals." According to the court, nearly one-fourth of all uses of force on inmates at the prison between 2017 and 2019 involved disabled inmates despite those inmates being the least capable of violent conduct. "The court finds that this high incidence of incidents involving the class members tends to give additional credibility to the inmates' declarations ... that staff at RJD targeted class members and other vulnerable inmates for physical and other forms of abuse." The judge gave the corrections department a couple of months to come up with a plan for using the body cameras and surveillance cameras at all critical areas of the prison. All footage would be retained for a minimum of 90 days, with videos of "use of force and other triggering events involving class members at RJD [to] be retained indefinitely." In court papers, the judge noted that the corrections department argued that body cameras are not as useful in prison as surveillance cameras and that it would take far longer to get them up and running. "The court finds the body cameras are likely to improve investigations of misconduct by RJD staff," the ruling stated. The prison has had other recent issues. Last month, seven correctional officers were hospitalized after being attacked by 20 inmates. An associate warden subsequently quit, saying prison leadership had allowed no pat-downs on the yard to reduce conflict. In July, Wilken issued a temporary restraining order requiring the corrections department to transfer two inmates from the prison who had been allegedly retaliated against by guards for making statements to lawyers about previous allegations of violence by correctional officers. Grunfeld said a guard threatened witnesses in the cases. The decision was based not just on prisoners' declarations but also on two investigations by the state that found abuses, Grunfeld said. The state, the judge noted, did not challenge many of the allegations. When polls closed in Arizona's US Senate race in November 2018, initial results from in-person voting showed Republican Martha McSally in the lead. Her advantage evaporated in the days that followed with the tallying of postal ballots. Electoral corruption - call for a new election? Donald Trump posted on Twitter at the time. His suggestion had no effect, and Ms McSally conceded to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema six days after Election Day. A similar blue shift, with blue representing Democrats, could play out in the 3 November US presidential election, with Mr Trump ahead in early returns and Joe Biden emerging as the winner in the days that follow. Nearly half of Democrats say they plan to vote by mail, while only one quarter of Republicans plan to do so, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling in August. Demand is driven in no small part by fear of infection from the coronavirus in public. Counting mail ballots is often slower because officials must open thick envelopes, verify the ballots and validate voters identities, compared with the simpler, speedier process at a polling centre where voters cast ballots in person. Mr Biden's campaign is bracing for Mr Trump to complain the contest is being stolen as the lead shifts, say people close to the Biden campaign. Even some Republicans worry that Mr Trump might exploit the uncertainty to cast doubt on the results if he ends up losing. The longer it takes to count absentee ballots, the more the narrative will take hold among Trump supporters and will be their 'proof' to question unfavourable election results, said Dennis Darnoi, a Republican strategist based in Michigan, a state Mr Trump won by less than a percentage point in 2016. Mr Trump repeatedly makes unfounded claims that mail voting leads to fraud, even though multiple studies show voter fraud in the United States to be extremely rare. Mr Trump refuses to say whether he will respect the outcome if he loses. His stance on the matter appears to have undermined Republican voters' confidence. In more than 30 states, including such battleground states as Arizona, Florida and North Carolina that traditionally decide elections, officials can begin processing or even counting ballots before Election Day. But three Rust Belt states considered among the most competitive - Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - prohibit officials from processing, let alone counting, ballots before Election Day. If the election comes down to these states, and everyone is waiting on results, I'm concerned about social unrest. This is especially true if Trump is ahead on Election Day, said Rick Hasen, an elections expert and law professor at the University of California at Irvine. Trump campaign spokeswoman Thea McDonald said Democrats are creating chaos by peddling conspiracy theories. President Trump and his campaign are fighting for a free, fair, transparent election in which every valid ballot counts - once, she said. A winner might still emerge quickly if such states as Arizona and Florida, which have a long history of mail voting, post results hours after polls close. The most likely scenario is that we'll know who the president is on Election Night, said Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida. I'm not as worried by these doomsday scenarios. Florida election officials, for instance, will begin opening and verifying ballots at least three weeks before the election, though they are not able to tally the results to determine which candidate is ahead during that time. Presidential elections are decided by an Electoral College, not the popular vote, meaning results in a battleground state such as Florida, with 29 of the 270 electors needed to win, could decide the outcome once its results are known. In Michigan, a bipartisan effort to process ballots a day before Election Day has failed to gain traction, as some Republicans, without evidence, have argued that it might allow local officials to tamper with the results. Ruth Johnson, the Republican state senator who proposed the bill and who was previously in charge of elections as Michigan's secretary of state, said she did not know why the state's Republican senate majority leader Mike Shirkey had yet to act. It needs to be a priority, and I believe we do have the votes, Ms Johnson said. Mr Shirkey did not respond to requests for comment. Asked about pre-Election Day ballot processing, Trump spokeswoman Thea McDonald said the campaign is opposed to election officials knowing - and potentially attempting to change - the running tally before Election Day. In Pennsylvania, Democrats and Republicans negotiating measures to begin opening mail ballots before Election Day face an uphill fight with the Republican-led legislature asking in return for limits on the number of ballot drop boxes. No such effort is under way in Wisconsin. Reuters An entrepreneur by profession, Anar Patel joined the BJP a couple of years ago It has been more than ten days since the eventful meeting of the Congress Working Committee where its members hit out at their colleagues for writing a letter to Sonia Gandhi seeking far-reaching changes in the party organization. But a discussion on the subject continues to rage. There is considerable speculation about how the letter writers or pro-changers, as they are often called, will continue to push for the much-needed reforms in the party. To begin with, this group is waiting for the promised session of the All-India Congress Committee for the election of the next party president. Before that, they plan to seek the publication of the names of members who are entitled to vote for the party president to be able to peruse it in advance. It is an acknowledged fact that the list of voters comprises handpicked workers and supporters of office bearers whose contribution to the party is suspect. However, it is not clear if the publication of this list will actually help the letter writers as it will not be easy to detect bogus voters. Maneka Gandhi writes to RWAs Maneka Gandhi (who was once called the kutta billi minister when she headed the environment ministry) may no longer be in the government but she is keeping herself busy dashing off letters to resident welfare associations in the Capital on her favourite subject - stray dogs. Her letters have pointed out that it is illegal to relocate dogs and that irrational phobias should not be entertained and gone on to draw attention to specific laws on strays and that punishments for breaking the law go up to three years and fines. The problem of stray dogs has been a subject of an animated debate in recent weeks as many residents from across the city have complained about it following increasing cases of dog bites. They are also upset with residents who do not feed the dogs at designated spots and dont bother to sterilize them. This has predictably invited a backlash from dog lovers like Maneka Gandhi. Anar Patel's political foray The Gujarat unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party is getting worried as Anar Patel, the high-profile daughter of former chief minister and Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel, has become politically active and is said to be eyeing a seat in one of the Gandhinagar Assembly constituencies. An entrepreneur by profession, Anar Patel joined the BJP a couple of years ago and had tried for a ticket in the 2017 Assembly elections but failed to make the cut. Though the next Assembly election is due only after two years, BJP insiders maintain Anar Patel has started preparing for it by meeting party workers and voters of the area. This has not gone down well with the local party leaders, especially the sitting MLAs. Anar Patel had courted controversy when her mother was chief minister. Emerging as a parallel power centre, she was wooed and sought by party workers, industrialists and others. She was in the eye of a storm following media reports that her business partners were allotted land at a throwaway price for the construction of a holiday resort. In fact, Anars role was cited as a major reason for Anandibens removal as chief minister. Coronavirus press conferences The coronavirus pandemic has come in handy for the Modi government to control the flow of information to the media. Take the case of the ministry of external affairs. The ministry earlier held regular briefings where the official spokesperson responded to queries from press persons on the beat. These physical press briefings were discontinued when the lockdown was announced and replaced by virtual press conferences. When the new system was first put in place, media persons were given the option of asking their questions during the virtual briefing. But this has changed. Journalists are now required to send their questions in advance. Very often, a whole lot are bunched together while inconvenient queries are ignored. Plus, there is no scope for any follow-up questions. This has naturally upset the beat reporters but none can afford to complain for fear of being ostracized by the ministry. West Bengal Congress The letter by Abdul Manan, leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, to Sonia Gandhi demanding that senior leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury be appointed president of West Bengal Congress, is being interpreted in party circles as a done deal. Manan is close to Chowdhury and the latter is apparently keen on taking up this post which has been lying vacant after the last incumbent Somen Mitras death. This move serves a double purpose. The party needs a strongman like Chowdhury in election-bound West Bengal and, at the same time, it will pave the way for replacing him as the partys Lok Sabha leader. But the question is: who is best suited for the job. Shashi Tharoor or Manish Tewari are obvious choices except the two have fallen from grace after they signed the famous pro-change letter to Sonia Gandhi. From Monday 14 September, it became illegal for people in England to meet socially in groups of more than six people. The prime minister announced the rule as part of a raft of new coronavirus measures introduced to combat the rising number of Covid-19 cases and prevent another wholesale national lockdown. Under the legislation, it is illegal for people to gather in groups of more than six in indoor or outdoor locations, with flouters facing fines of 200 for a first-time offence. The law includes a few exemptions, including those meeting in schools and workplaces. On Tuesday 22 September, Boris Johnson announced a new series of restrictions that are to come into effect in England in the next week, including pubs and restaurants being ordered to close from 10pm at night. The prime ministers announcement also included an amendment to the previously stipulated rule of six when seeing friends and relatives. What are the rules for meeting up with friends and family? On Tuesday 22 September, Mr Johnson announced that the list of exemptions for the rule of six was to be reduced. Not only will the rule of six now apply to adult indoor team sports, but the number of guests permitted to attend weddings has also been reduced from 30 to 15. Funeral ceremonies are still permitted to have up to 30 people in attendance. The rule of six originally enacted from Monday 14 September applied to both indoor and outdoor gatherings and to people of all ages. It means that people can no longer socialise in homes, parks, pubs, and restaurants in groups of more than six. It was previously permitted for up to 30 people from two households to meet socially, or six from various households. In Wales, you can still meet in a group of up to 30 people outdoors with no limit to the number of households. Additionally, up to four households can form an extended household for indoor socialising. In Scotland, you meet others from no more than one other household indoors or outdoors, in groups of no more than six, except in certain circumstances. And in Northern Ireland, its permitted for six people from no more than two households to meet outdoors in a private garden, while households are no longer allowed to mix indoors in private homes. What are the exemptions? There are several forms of meetings that do not have to follow the rule of six in England. Schools and workplaces are unaffected by the rue of six, as are organised team sports, with the exception of adult indoor sports teams. You can find the full list of exemptions outlined by the government here. How are the rules being enforced? Anyone caught socialising in groups larger than six in England will be fined. Originally, the fine for a first offence was 100, with the possibility of it being doubled for every additional offence up to the value of 3,200. However, on Tuesday 22 September Mr Johnson stated that the fine for a first offence was to be increased to 200. Will pubs and restaurants be affected? Yes, people cannot meet in groups larger than six in pubs and restaurants in England. Anyone who is caught breaking the rules will be fined. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 04:49:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANTIAGO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chile on Tuesday reported the lowest number of new daily cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 20 days, after 1,263 people tested positive in the previous 24 hours. It was the lowest figure since Aug. 19, when 1,233 daily cases were reported, according to Ministry of Science data based on daily coronavirus reports by the Ministry of Health. Chile's total caseload now stands at 425,541. In the same 24 hours, 30 more patients died of the disease, bringing the death toll to 11,682. Also on Tuesday, Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris underscored the importance of telemedicine in attending to COVID-19 patients, who can be highly contagious. It is important "to provide telemedicine and avoid patients having to come to the office, and instead treat them by computer, as we just saw with a patient who was being monitored because she has coronavirus," said Paris. "This is a very important advance," he said. Several medical centers in poorer towns are monitoring and tracing COVID-19 cases through Chile's "Telehealth model, which allows remote care and communication with COVID and non-COVID patients," he said. Enditem New evidence of kickbacks in Rafale deal appears in French journal Mediapart Rafale to S-400 air defence systems all set to add more firepower to Indian Air Force Ready to provide more Rafales to India says French Defence Minister Parly Ahead of inducting Rafale jets to Indian Air Force, France describes India as strategic partner India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Sep 09: France has described India as its "foremost" Asian strategic partner and said the upcoming visit of its Defence Minister Florence Parly to the country is aimed at further strengthening the "forward-looking" defence cooperation with New Delhi. According to reports, Parly is all set to visit India on Thursday to attend a ceremony in Ambala to induct the first batch of five Rafale jets into the Indian Air Force (IAF). Indian Air Force all set to induct five Rafale jets at Ambala on Thursday The French Defence Minister will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. On July 29, the first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. Explained: How corticosteroids help in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic The French embassy, in a statement, said the focus of the talks will be on maritime security ties in the Indo-Pacific, counter-terror cooperation and strengthening overall bilateral defence partnership. "Their broad-ranging talks will cover, among others, industrial and technological partnership in line with the Make in India programme, operational defence cooperation, particularly maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, modalities of continuing the armed forces' joint exercises in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, counter-terrorism cooperation as well as major regional and international strategic issues," the embassy said. The French defence minister will be accompanied by top executives from Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, Safran, and MBDA, representing the French defence majors that have been partnering with many Indian companies as part of the Rafale deal. During her visit to the national capital, Parly will also pay floral tributes to India's valiant soldiers at the National War Memorial. Why India can never let its guard down against Christian missionaries and their NGOs The ties between India and France are on an upswing in the last few years with cooperation witnessing a major expansion in key areas. The areas of defence and security, civil nuclear cooperation and trade and investment constitute the principal pillars of the Indo-French strategic partnership. Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News In addition, India and France are increasingly engaged in new areas of cooperation such as in the Indian Ocean region, climate change and sustainable growth and development. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, September 9, 2020, 15:29 [IST] Bolivia is moving ever closer to the edge of a military regime. At every turn since Evo Morales was ousted last November, the interim president, Jeanine Anez, has decided to take an authoritarian stance rather than a conciliatory tone, most recently against demonstrators demanding elections who blocked the countrys main cities. Only free and fair elections, now scheduled for Oct. 18, but which are still far from certain, can get Bolivia out of its quagmire, which was brought on by Mr. Morales. The countrys first Indigenous president, Mr. Morales could have left office with the stature of Nelson Mandela if he had accepted the results of the 2016 referendum on whether he could run for re-election, which he narrowly lost. Perhaps seduced by the trappings of power, he weakened the independence of the judiciary and concentrated power on himself, neglecting to nurture new leaders within his party and get rid of those suspected of corruption. Most recently, the Bolivian press has published reports that Mr. Morales had a relationship with a minor (he has argued that there is not enough evidence to legally prosecute him). When Mr. Morales fled surreptitiously to Mexico in November, it was understandable that vast segments of Bolivian society wanted something new. However, rather than guiding the country to elections as soon as possible (which is what Ms. Anez had initially promised) and secure her place as an important figure in the history of Bolivian democracy, she initiated a series of sweeping policy directives. Most of these have gone disastrously awry, like the suspension of the new school year. New Delhi, Sep 10 : Power PSUs' joint venture EESL on Wednesday said that it has, till date, deployed 1,514 electric vehicles on roads under the National E-Mobility Programme. The move has made an impact on the environment by enabling reduction of 5,604 tonnes of CO2 emissions so far. The company, in a statement, said the fleet of 1,514 electric vehicles has travelled 3 crore green kilometers. "Despite restrictions such as ban on firecrackers during Diwali, and guidelines on the real estate industry, air pollution in India remains to be a major concern. "Emissions from vehicles that run on fossil fuels are one of the biggest contributors to air quality deterioration," it said, adding that electric vehicles provide a solution to air pollution and contribute to sustainable development. "Electric vehicles deployed by EESL have already helped save 2.09 million liters of fuel and led to energy savings of approximately Rs 1,359.4 lakh," the statement said. In 2018, the Centre, with the aim to provide an impetus to the entire e-mobility ecosystem, launched the National E-Mobility Programme. The objective of this programme is to create a sustainable demand for e-vehicles, promote domestic manufacturing for both EVs and lithium-ion batteries, reduce oil imports and GHG emissions from the transport sector. "There are no two ways about the fact that the future of mobility, not only in India but globally, is electric and it is time we equipped ourselves for it. With a supportive policy framework, India's journey towards electric mobility has commenced," Saurabh Kumar, EVC, EESL, was quoted as saying in the statement. Besides, the company is aggressively working towards building a robust EV charging ecosystem in the country. "As on date, 534 captive chargers (342 AC & 192 DC) have also been commissioned in states or UT...," the statement said. "Till date, 156 Public Charging Stations (PCS) have been installed in NDMC Delhi, SDMC Delhi, CMRL Chennai, Maha Metro Nagpur, Noida Authority, Naya Raipur Development Authority and NKDA Kolkata." Dallas Police Chief Resigns After Unthinkable Series of Events The first black female police chief in Dallas history is resigning, in the latest in a series of department heads stepping down amid calls for law enforcement reforms. U. Renee Halls resignation is effective Nov. 10, she said in a letter to the city manager made public on Sept. 8. Hall said the three years shes had the job have been saturated with a series of unimaginable events that individually and collectively have never happened in the city of Dallas. I am proud that this department has not only coped with an unthinkable series of events, but we have also managed to implement critical reforms that were clearly needed for the Dallas Police Department to meet our 21st Century Policing goals, she wrote to City Manager T.C. Broadnax. The department didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment, but released a list of what it described as Halls accomplishments. They include a reduction in overall crime in 2017, a reduction in violent crime in 2018, and creating a real-time crime center that centralized crime analysis and criminal intelligence. Hall has faced criticism for how her department handled protests and riots. Officers detained hundreds of protesters on a bridge over the summer, but Hall ultimately decided to drop the charges filed against them. I strongly believe we made the right decisions to deter and disperse the large crowd on the bridge, Hall said in a statement. We had to protect the protesters from vehicular injury on a roadway still open to traffic. It was critically important to process protesters and then safely reopen the bridge. A report released by the department last month detailed how officers responded to the rioting that erupted in late May following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The internal analysis uncovered issues with how officials guided the response. As the protests evolved from peaceful to widespread acts of riots and looting, the time necessary to deploy standby response teams, the influx of participants from outside of Dallas, and the unanticipated presence of individuals inciting violence allowed the crowds to spread through greater parts of downtown, the report states. A breakdown in communication took place, including officials giving conflicting orders to some units. Following the reports release, a number of Dallas City Council members said they supported Hall being replaced and Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said he was reviewing how police responded to the unrest. Broadnax, who holds the power to fire police chiefs, said he supported Hall. Demonstrators march in Dallas, Texas, on June 6, 2020. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images) Broadnax said Sept. 8 that he asked Hall to stay until the end of the year. This year has been tumultuous and uncertain. A few more months of her leadership are key for several projects and for a seamless transition within the police department, Broadnax said in a statement. In her three years of service, Chief Hall has provided consistent, passionate, resilient, and robust leadership to our city. She has implemented a host of reforms that will assist our department as we move forward. The city manager said hes taking time to develop search criteria for a new chief. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, a Democrat, thanked Hall for her service. I had not spoken to the chief about her decision, but I was not terribly surprised by it considering the recent public statements of my City Council colleagues, he said in a statement to news outlets. I know that people who commit themselves to careers as police officers face immense challenges and must be willing to make tremendous sacrifices. We demand much from them and especially from our police leadersand rightfully so because the stakes are incredibly high. On top of those demands, Chief Hall had the burden and distinction of being the first womana woman of color, no lessto serve as the police chief in Dallas. That was not lost on me. I wish her the best in her career and in her life moving forward. (CNN) Another federal official is making it clear that despite President Trump's predictions, there's hardly any chance a vaccine will be available to Americans by Election Day. "I don't know any scientist involved in this effort who thinks we will be getting shots into arms any time before Election Day," said the official, who is familiar with Operation Warp Speed, the federal government's effort to develop coronavirus vaccines. Trump, however, has projected optimism for a quicker timeline. "[It's] going to be done in a very short period of time could even have it during the month of October," the President said at a press briefing Monday. "We'll have the vaccine soon, maybe before a special date. You know what date I'm talking about." On August 6, Trump said he was "optimistic" a vaccine would be ready by around November 3. "I believe we'll have the vaccine before the end of the year, certainly, but around that date, yes. I think so," Trump said. And at a rally last week, he said, "It will be delivered before the end of the year, in my opinion, before the end of the year; but it really might even be delivered before the end of October." The federal official is not the first to cast skepticism on Trump's forecast. It's "extremely unlikely, but not impossible" that a COVID-19 vaccine could be authorized for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration before the end of October, Moncef Slaoui, the chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, told NPR last week. Dr. Larry Corey, who's leading a group set up by the National Institutes of Health to work on coronavirus vaccines, also said he doesn't think there will be a vaccine available by Election Day. "I would agree with Dr. Slaoui. The chances are very low, very remote," said Corey, who leads the COVID-19 Prevention Network. Why the U.S. likely won't have a vaccine by Election Day In one word, this is why there likely won't be a vaccine available before Election Day: biology. Here's how the trials work: You take 30,000 people, give half of them a vaccine and half of them a placebo, which is a shot of saline that does nothing. Then, those 30,000 people go about their lives; and you wait to see how many in each group become infected and sick with COVID-19, the "endpoint" in medical parlance. That waiting takes time, especially since the coronavirus vaccines currently being studied in the US are two-dose vaccines, with each dose several weeks apart. Vaccine makers try to target locations and populations that will get them to their endpoint quickly, but it doesn't always work out. "EVERYTHING will depend on how fast the number of cases accrue, and then the number of cases in each group," Dr. Robert Frenck, director of the Vaccine Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, wrote in an email to CNN. "It REALLY is a numbers game." The length of that wait depends on how likely the trial participants are to come in contact with the virus in their daily lives. Did the trials recruit people who work from home and wear masks religiously when out in public? If so, it could be a longer wait for them to become infected in significant numbers. "Who's in the trials the kind of people who tend to stay at home, or the kind of people who attended the Sturgis rally?" said John Moore, an immunologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, referring to a motorcycle rally in South Dakota that led to at least dozens of cases of COVID-19. Historical precedent, as well as the demographics of the participants in the current coronavirus vaccine trials, suggest more the stay-at-home type. That does not bode well for bringing the trials to a speedy conclusion. Why White college-educated women are bad for coronavirus vaccine trials Typically, those who volunteer for clinical trials tend to be "White, college-educated women," said Frenck, who has been the principal investigator on dozens of vaccine clinical trials, and has served on the Data and Safety Monitoring Board for many others. All three of those factors are potentially bad news for the coronavirus clinical trials, because data indicates White college-educated women are at lower risk for being exposed to the novel coronavirus. In the clinical trials being run by both Pfizer and Moderna, about three-quarters of the participants are White, according to the two companies. White people are more likely to be able to work from home, according the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also, essential workers are at high risk for contracting COVID-19; and while White people make up 60% of the population, they account for only 55% of essential workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Those factors help explain why White people tend to be less likely than others to contract COVID-19. While they make up 60% of the US population, White people account for only 41% of US cases for which racial information was available, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moderna and Pfizer have not released the education status of their participants, but if it's like other trials, the volunteers are likely to be college-educated. That's bad news, too. People with a college education are less likely to be essential workers, and more likely to be able to work from home. They're also more likely to wear masks, according to a July Gallup poll. All of those factors help them stay away from the coronavirus. As for women that's a third potentially bad sign for the trials. Pfizer and Moderna haven't released a gender breakdown of their trials; but according to the FDA data, 72% of clinical trial participants in 2019 were women. Not only are women more likely to be able to work from home, they're also more likely to always wear masks in public. Clinical trials often don't go as fast as researchers would like. But the COVID-19 vaccine trials are unusual because of the urgency. Researchers need the trials to accrue COVID-19 cases in a timely manner, so a vaccine can get on the market and life can go back to normal. Corey, who runs the COVID-19 Prevention Network, noted that Pfizer and Moderna were the first two coronavirus vaccine trials to start, both dosing their first volunteers on July 27. AstraZeneca followed this month, and several more are expected to start later in the fall. "These are the first trials, and we do not know how efficiently we will achieve the defined endpoints of the trials. Will it be a straight, easily defined line, or more akin to a meandering trail with switchbacks? We are in unchartered waters," Corey said. Another infectious disease expert said researchers must be concerned that the endpoints will come slowly, given who typically joins trials. "I can't imagine that anyone is not concerned that the endpoints will be long in coming, just for those reasons," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He personally knows two college-educated White women who've volunteered for the COVID-19 vaccine trials: his daughter-in-law and his granddaughter. "They wear masks. They do social distancing. They are meticulous," Schaffner said. "The other day, they came over to our pool, and they stayed on one end of the pool, and we stayed on the other. They never went inside the house. My wife said to me, 'Well, they're not going to be helpful in the trials, that's for sure.'" This story was first published on CNN.com "Another federal official raises questions about Trump's vaccine timeline" Australians have sparked a heated debate on social media over what they typically call the end of a loaf of bread - and the answers are very different. Mother-of-three Kate Freebairn, the founder of The Pantry Mama, asked her followers what term they used to describe the first and last slices of the bread. 'What do you call the end piece of bread? And do you eat it?' she wrote on Facebook. The post provoked much discussion among Australians, with a majority of people labelling the end pieces as the 'crust'. However, many had their own suggestions for its name, including 'heel', 'end piece', 'doorstep', 'butt', 'topper', 'bunty', 'knobby', 'bird food', 'cuppy' and 'my husband's'. Australians have sparked a heated debate on social media over what they typically call the end of a loaf of bread - and the answers are very different (stock image) Poll What do you call the end pieces of the bread? Crust Heel Doorstep Knobby End piece Butt Topper Cuppy What do you call the end pieces of the bread? Crust 86 votes Heel 27 votes Doorstep 1 votes Knobby 11 votes End piece 10 votes Butt 4 votes Topper 1 votes Cuppy 5 votes Now share your opinion 'My hubby and I argue about this. I call it "the crust" or the "end of the bread" and hubby grew up in a Dutch family and he calls it "the cuppy",' one woman said. A second woman agreed, saying she also describes them as crusts in her household. 'Not fussed about commercial loaves but we keep the crusts on good bread to keep the ends fresh. Once we reach the end of the loaf my husband and I have an unwritten pact to share the crusts,' she said. A third woman said: 'We call it the crust. We only eat it if we're low on bread.' Another popular answer for the end slices was the 'heel', which is a common term used in the UK and the US. 'The heel. And yes [I do eat it], but only if I put butter on it and throw it under the broiler until it gets a little brown,' one woman said. A second woman said: 'The heel or the best first slice.' Others suggested unique terms to describe the end pieces of the bread, such as the 'topper', 'butt', 'knobby', 'the nub', 'petiche', 'bunty' or 'knob'. 'We call it the bum bit - the fight to eat it first is real between my partner and my daughter,' one woman said. Many said eating the end pieces depended on the 'type of bread' while others suggested it'll only be consumed if it's a fresh loaf from the bakery or home baked (stock image) Poll When do you eat the end pieces of the bread? Beginning End Never When do you eat the end pieces of the bread? Beginning 17 votes End 19 votes Never 14 votes Now share your opinion A second woman said: 'Depends on the bread type... if it's a loaf then crust but a French stick, it's the elbow... If you eat it, your mother-in-law will like you more (I grew up with that saying).' A third suggested: 'The Nickelback because nobody likes it but me.' Another woman said her family calls it 'Kontje', which is Dutch for 'bum'. 'My kids eat them. Actually they fight over them,' she added. Many said eating the end pieces depended on the 'type of bread' while others suggested it'll only be consumed if it's a fresh loaf from the bakery or home baked. 'In my opinion, it's one of the most coveted slabs of home baked hot bread -but only when straight out of the oven and smothered with butter,' one woman said. This follows a similar debate that erupted on Twitter at the end of 2018 when Nigella Lawson weighed in on topic, calling it an 'elbow on a baguette'. A taxi driver who migrated to Brisbane from India is now living the Australian dream after buying a 52-acre grape farm in regional Victoria. Jaswinder Singh Dhaliwal arrived in Australia from Punjab in 2008 and began working as a cleaner and driving taxis. But after receiving his permanent residency in 2016, Mr Dhaliwal and his family decided to ditch the city life and relocate to Mildura, SBS Punjabi reported. The family were on the hunt for 'any sort' of farming opportunity, which would allow Mr Dhaliwal to follow his passion for agriculture. Jaswinder Singh Dhaliwal (left) arrived in Australia from Punjab in 2008 and began working as a cleaner and driving taxis. But after receiving his permanent residency in 2016, Mr Dhaliwal and his family decided to ditch the city life and relocate to Mildura 'I used to be a taxi driver in Brisbane. I was also involved in a cleaning business in Queensland for at least four years,' he told the publication. Mr Dhaliwal explained farming had been a tradition in his family for generations. 'I was very lucky that I found some local friends from the farming sector who helped and guided me to start this venture in Mildura,' he said. The father-of-two said there are 'huge' opportunities for people to try their hand in the farming sector in the Mildura. The town of about 32,000 people is closely located to the New South Wales border and is about six hours north-west of Melbourne. The family quickly adjusted to the rural life after buying a 52-acre farm for the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. The family quickly adjusted to the rural life after buying a 52-acre farm for the cultivation and harvesting of grapes 'We are living a very peaceful life. Our family prefers rural life as compared to the hustle and bustle of the city. Moving here was a unanimous decision by our family and we have never regretted making this choice,' he said. Mildura has all the facilities the family needs - including schools and a hospital - and Mr Dhaliwal's wife was able to find work. The farmer said his current career choice means he gets to spend more time with his children. The family are enjoying a 'prosperous, happy, and healthy' life. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Kyrgyz and Tajik counterpart on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting on September 9. Jaishankar arrived in Moscow on September 8 on a four-day visit to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of the SCO before a stopover in Tehran. The union minister congratulated Tajik foreign minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin and the people of Tajikistan on their Independence Day. Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said that the strategic partnership between the two countries continues to reach newer heights. After the meeting, he expressed pleasure over the growing bilateral cooperation. A warm meeting with Tajik FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin. Pleased with our growing bilateral and regional cooperation. Highly value this strategic partnership. pic.twitter.com/Epyb87Nlah Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 9, 2020 Jaishankar also had a fruitful meeting with his Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov on the SCO sideline where they discussed bilateral issues. He thanked Aidarbekov for facilitating the return of Indian nationals stuck in Kyrgyzstan during the coronavirus pandemic and agreed to enhance strategic ties. Read: EAM Jaishankar Holds Telephonic Talks With Bangladesh Counterpart Read: EAM Jaishankar To Attend SCO's Council Of Foreign Ministers Meet In Moscow Around 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various institutions in Kyrgyzstan and a few businessmen are engaged in trade and services. Air India operated several flights under Vande Bharat mission to evacuate Indian nationals from all over the world, including Kyrgyzstan. A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines. Thanked him for the support in facilitating return of Indian nationals. Discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. Agreed to further enhance our Strategic Partnership in all spheres. pic.twitter.com/XySOnoZFKS Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 9, 2020 Meeting amid tensions with China This is the third Council of Foreign Ministers meeting that India is attending as a full member of the SCO and earlier the two meetings were held in Beijing and Bishkek in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that India has been taking an active part in various SCO dialogue mechanisms under the Chairmanship of Russia. The meeting comes at a time when the tensions along the LAC have flared up with China and Jaishankar is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Read: EAM Jaishankar Reveals Contrasts In 'street' And 'Lutyens' View On Foreign Policy Read: Subramanian Swamy Questions EAM Jaishankar's Scheduled Meeting With Chinese FM In Moscow Sept. figure to worsen due to late-Aug. stricter social distancing By Lee Kyung-min The COVID-19 pandemic continued to trouble the Korean job market in August, illustrated by the monthly job loss extending for the sixth consecutive month, a record-long continuation since the period from January to August in 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Temporary workers, day laborers and self-employed in the service, retail and wholesale industries felt the sharpest pinch, while the number of those on temporary leave, statistically considered employed, hit a six-year high, data from Statistics Korea showed, Wednesday. September is expected to see far worse figures brought on by the impact of stricter social distancing rules due to the Aug. 15 rally in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, the chief culprit for the second wave of infections in the metropolitan area. The data said the country lost 274,000 jobs in August, down 1 percent from the year before, continuing the virus-triggered loss that began in March. Lodgings and eateries lost 169,000 jobs, down 7.2 percent from a year earlier, followed by retail and wholesale that lost 176,000 and education services that lost 89,000. Temporary workers shed 318,000 jobs, down 6.5 percent, while 78,000 were lost by day laborers, down 5.5 percent year-on-year. Self-employed small businesses with workers lost 172,000 jobs, down 11.2 percent, whereas self-employed without employees added 66,000 jobs, up 1.6 percent, year-on year. The number of people that worked 36 hours or fewer a week mostly including contract or temporary workers stood at 6.39 million, down 3.56 million, or 35.8 percent. Of them, those that worked between 18 and 35 hours per week lost over 3.73 million jobs, or 47.6 percent. The number of those on temporary unpaid leave soared to 846,000, up 143.000 or 20.3 percent, the highest August figure since 2014. They are statistically considered employed because they are certain to return to work and the leave period is shorter than six months. If their return is uncertain and the period exceeds six months, they will be considered economically inactive. Those number of in this category increased by 534,000 to 16.86 million in July. Economically active people comprising both people with jobs and the unemployed, statistically defined as those willing, able and seeking work, dropped to 27.94 million, down 267,000, year-on-year. Seoul National University economist Lee In-ho said the woeful figures will continue in the coming months, a gloomy assessment shared by the statistics agency and the country's top policymakers. "The study was conducted from Aug. 9 to 15, which means the figures have yet to reflect the Aug. 15 rally-oriented social distancing that tanked many low-income self-employed people. The situation report will be worse given infections could surge at any given moment," he said. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki shared the sentiment, saying the government will push for the swift passage of the fourth extra budget bill. "The bill to be submitted to the National Assembly this week was designed for a speedy assist to workers who suffered layoffs or pay cuts but were unable to seek unemployment benefits, and self-employed who shut down businesses or experienced a sales plunge," he wrote on Facebook. - By Nathan Parsh Utility stocks can offer excellent dividend yields, especially when the average yield of the S&P 500 is less than 1.8%. That doesn't mean investors should buy just any utility stock, though. Case in point is American Electric Power Co. (NYSE:AEP), which offers a very solid yield but trades with a valuation above both its long-term average and my personal target. Company background and recent quarterly highlights American Electric operates utilities on both sides of the Mississippi river. The company provides electricity to 5.5 million customers in Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Residential customers account for slightly more than 40% of revenue, but American Electric also has a sizeable commercial, industrial and wholesale business. The company is valued at $40.5 billion today. The company reported second-quarter earnings results on Aug. 6. Revenue declined 3% to $3.5 billion, missing analysts' estimates by $471 million. Adjusted earnings per share improved 8 cents, or 8%, to $1.08, which was 3 cents above what the market had expected. The Vertically Integrated Utilities segment added $1.05 to results, 5 cents better than the previous year. Lower operations and maintenance costs along with higher transmission revenue aided growth. Transmission and Distribution's earnings per share declined 5 cents to 53 cents due mostly to a reversal of a regulatory provision in Ohio. Higher deprecatios and the roll off of legacy riders in Ohio also attributed to the decline. AEP Transmission Holdco contributed 47 cents to results, but this was 10 cents lower than the previous year. Generation and Marketing added 18 cents to earnings per share, up 4 cents year over year due to land sales and strength in the renewables business Story continues American Electric's Valuation Gives Me Pause Source: American Electric's Second-Quarter Earnings Presentation, slide 10. Normalized load was down almost 6% in the quarter, which was near expectations. Residential sales increased 6.2% as customers were home more often during the quarter due to social distancing directives in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Weather normalized sales were still higher even after states began lifting restrictions. These same restrictions negatively impacted commercial and industrial sales. Commercial sales fell 10.1%, while industrial was down 12.4%. Prior to the pandemic, commercial had been a solid performer, but the closing of schools, churches, restaurants and hotels all significantly impacted results. Industrial was hampered by the drop in economic activity, especially in the areas of transportation, manufacturing and mining. On the other hand, pipeline transportation, petroleum and coal have been areas of growth. Following second-quarter results, American Electric expects residential sales to grow 3% (compared to down 1.4% previously), commercial to decline 5.6% (compared to down 0.4% previously) and industrial to decrease 8% (compared to up 3.2% previously). Weather also was a benefit to American Electric during the quarter and the company has now guided toward weather being less of a negative in 2020. The company also announced it received the required approvals related to its $2 billion North Central wind project. This project will add nearly 1,500 megawatts of capacity of renewable energy in Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The project will come on line in three phases in 2021. American Electric is using $1.3 billion of stock and $700 million of long-term debt to fund North Wind. Analysts expect that the project will be accretive by 2022. In total, American Electric has a five-year capital plan of $35 billion, including the North Central wind projects. The company has stated that these investments will allow for earnings per share to grow at a rate of 5% to 7% annually. One last note on capital expenditures, American Electric had moved $500 million to 2021, but moved $100 million of this back into this year's investment plan. American Electric also has several rate cases that are pending. The company is seeking $41 million in rate increases, which reflects a return on equity of 10.15%. It is seeking rate raises of $65 million in Kentucky, which is based on a return on equity of 10%. In Virginia, the raise is expected to be $65 million on a ROE of almost 10%. The rates are likely to go into effect in January in Ohio and Kentucky and in January for Virginia. Finally, the company expects to earn $4.25 to $4.45 of earnings per share this year, which would be a 3.8% improvement from the prior year. American Electric navigated a difficult quarter as well as could be expected. Restrictions led to more people using more electricity at home, but also lessened commercial and industrial activity. The company has planned some heavy investments that should lead to at least mid-single-digit growth. This should help the dividend continue to grow. Dividend and valuation analysis Shareholders of American Electric have received a dividend increase every year for the last decade. The company has raised its dividend by an average of: 6.1% per year over the last three years. 5.9% per year over the last five years. 5.2% per year over the last 10 years. As you can see, the dividend growth rate has been accelerating over time. The most recent raise, however, bucked this trend as it was 4.5%. Given that management has forecasted a 5% to 7% growth rate going forward, shareholders can likely expect a similar type increase for the upcoming December payment. American Electric's stock pays a 3.5% dividend yield today, matching the five-year average yield of 3.5%, but is below the 10-year average yield of 4%. Shareholders should receive at least $2.80 of dividends per share in 2020, which would reflect a payout ratio of 65% of the midpoint of the company's guidance. The average payout ratio since 2010 is more than 81%, but this includes one year (2016) where earnings per share declined considerably. Removing this year from the equation, and the average payout ratio is 63%. This is a solid payout ratio for a utility company, one that likely means dividend growth can continue in future years. Shares of American Electric trade around $81 at the moment. This gives the stock a forward price-earnings ratio of 18.6 when using the midpoint of the company's guidance. The five- and 10-year average price-earnings ratios are 17.9 and 15.9, respectively. Valuations for many utilities have expanded in recent years. The company's investments, especially in the area of renewable energy, should drive solid gains. Therefore, I believe a target price-earnings ratio of 18 is appropriate as it takes into account this potential investment and annual earnings growth. Final thoughts Quarterly results were mixed, as revenue came in weaker than expected while earnings per share increased. Weather and more people at home was a benefit to results, though the other areas of American Electric's business were down. The stock offers a solid dividend yield that appears safe, but the valuation is above my threshold for purchase. Using my target valuation and the midpoint for expected earnings, I would look to purchase shares of American Electric below at least $78. Disclosure: The author does not maintain a position in any stocks mentioned in this article. Read more here: Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. RENSSELAER When Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier in the summer said that indoor shopping malls could reopen, he imposed a requirement that they have or install MERV-13 air filters or an equivalent. It posed a big expense to many mall operators who had to find, buy and install these fine-grain filters that in some cases required retrofitting part of their ventilation systems. (MERV stands for "Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value.") But no such hard-and-fast rule exists with K-12 schools, which are starting to open this week with reduced numbers, social distancing, masks, hand-washing stations and other precautions to guard against the transmission of the new coronavirus. Without required MERV-13 filters, school leaders are looking to alternative methods of ensuring their kids are breathing fresh, clean air that is relatively untainted by the virus, which can cause the respiratory illness COVID-19. I keep reminding teachers to take the kids outside, Rensselaer schools Superintendent Joe Kardash said Tuesday on the first day of school in that district. Students and teachers could head for the bleachers, to shady spots near trees, or anywhere else that they could be outside and maintain their six-foot distancing rules. Thats not to say that all of the students in the Rensselaer K-12 building were outdoors. But Kardashs advice was emblematic of the kind of adaptation that school leaders statewide are making in order to keep students and teachers safe during the pandemic when it comes to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in their buildings. Normally, maintaining the HVAC systems is one of the more prosaic and little-discussed parts of running a school. Building personnel make sure the heat and air conditioning is working and there is some fresh air coming through the vents. But the COVID-19 pandemic has elevated the importance of HVAC, with a special emphasis on the ventilation component. And the reality is that schools that have not previously installed a MERV-13 or higher system wont likely be able to do it quickly or at all, given the shortage of filters and the expense of making the change. Thats definitely a recommendation that schools are trying to implement, said Jeremy McDonald, an indoor air expert and principal with the Guth DeConzo engineering firm which works with a number of school districts. Some school districts do have MERV-13 systems in place, McDonald said. But getting one now would mean facing potential backlogs as well as requiring the time and planning to retrofit ventilation systems. Even the state Education Department, which has rules and guidelines for HVAC systems in schools, acknowledges that adding a MERV-13 system could pose complications. We recognize there are many different types of ventilation systems, natural or mechanical, that may be limited for increasing ventilation (of) outside air due to available heat or fan/relief airflow capacity, reads SEDs guidelines for HVAC. Schools may consider installing a higher efficiency filter. A higher efficiency filter may require a larger filter housing and will create greater resistance to airflow, and the fan and HVAC system may require rebalancing to maintain the code required ventilation rate. If you have a system that is older and not designed for that fine MERV-13 filter, if your system cant power through it, thats worse, explained Andrew Van Alstyne, director of education and research for the state Association of School Business Officials. More for you Ultra-violet, humidity controls and old fashioned open windows will play role in COVID school fight Moreover, HVAC systems can vary within a given district, especially if there are school buildings in multiple locations, Van Alstyne said. Then there is the cost. While the price for a half-dozen small, desk-sized filters is less than $100, the cost of upgrading fans and other equipment to work with them can quickly escalate. The potential expenses also are coming as schools are laying off staff, cutting programs and eliminating other costs as they face a 20 percent cut in state aid. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Looking ahead, schools can quickly tap their capital reserves for items like filter upgrades, thanks to a bill that was recently signed by Cuomo, said Van Alstyne. Normally, dipping into building reserves would require a community vote, but now school board members can do that. Further hampering schools are restrictions in some cutting edge technologies like using ionization or ultraviolet lamps to disinfect buildings after-hours when students are around. The Education Department does not recommend using ionization with negative and positive ions due to what they say are the ozone, formaldehyde and other hazards that can result if not done properly. They also recommend using UV rays, which can kill the coronavirus under very specific circumstances and only in spots where there would be no students. The concern about UV is that if its improperly operated it can be dangerous, Van Alstyne said. There are even restrictions on airflow doors in schools are supposed to be kept closed to keep out potential intruders. For many schools this year, the biggest air handling precautions are centering on the inspection and maintenance of existing HVAC systems to ensure they are running at peak efficiency, Van Alstyne added. And, of course, keeping kids outdoors and opening windows, which is what Rensselaer was doing on Tuesday. Luckily, the construction and demolition debris landfill next to the Rensselaer school last spring installed a gas collection system to help control vapors and odors from the facility, Kardash said. Eventually, though, it will turn cold and the outdoor classes will end. Since it was built in 2006, the Rensselaer school building is equipped with fairly efficient MERV-11 filters, not MERV-13s, and theyll continue having students, on alternate in-person and remote learning schedules to cut student density on campus, as so many other schools will be doing. Despite the concerns, one Rensselaer parent who has closely followed the landfill issue and efforts to remedy the problem said things appeared to run smoothly at the school on Tuesday. Everyone is just happy to be back in school and seeing each other again, said Todd Rutecki. Couldn't have asked for a better first day after six months of being away. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU Jillian Michaels warned people about going to the gym after she said she contracted COVID-19 when she let her guard down "for an hour" with one of her good friends. The celebrity fitness trainer and former "Biggest Loser" star revealed Tuesday on Fox Business that she recently tested positive COVID-19 but has recovered. Rob Lowe And Jillian Michaels Visit "If you are afraid of COVID, you should not go to the gym," she said. "And I actually am a person who let my guard down, I havent even spoken about this publicly really, and a very close friend of mine gave me COVID several weeks ago. "Im fortunate to have gone into it being healthy and I was able to get on the other side of it pretty quick, but not everybody is that lucky, as we know. All I can tell you is if you are afraid of getting COVID, a public gym is probably a place where you will get it." Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long. Gyms have reopened in recent weeks in parts of the country, many of them with limited capacity, leaving members to weigh the risks of getting coronavirus. The primary concern is being in close contact with other people breathing heavily, sweating or sneezing during a workout. "I would love to tell you thats not the case, but the reality is I literally get my guard down for an hour with one of my best friends who does my hair and makeup and got it," Michaels said. "Its just that simple." Michaels, 46, outlined her experience with the illness and how she and her friend didn't know for days that they had it. "If youre not in a mask and that person is not in a mask, and they have COVID and have no idea because, by the way, I had no idea that I had it for six days, my friend had no idea that she had it when she gave it to me anticipate that you will likely get it in an environment like that," she said about the gym. "And if you are afraid of it, by all means, its not a move that I would recommend making." TODAY spoke with health experts who outlined eight mistakes to avoid if you are returning to the gym, from getting too close to other people to failing to wipe down a machine before you use it. Story continues Questions have also been raised about the safety of group classes, which are a staple of most gyms. Researchers in South Korea found 112 COVID-19 cases linked to fitness dance classes at 12 different gyms in the city of Cheonan in a June study, according to a research letter published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Avoiding intense exercise in confined space is crucial, Dr. Ji-Young Rhee, the co-author and an associate professor of infectious diseases at Dankook University College of Medicine in South Korea, told TODAY in June via email. Michaels urged people to stay vigilant when it comes to their health during the pandemic. "Keep your guard up," she said. UK-based biopharma giant AstraZeneca has said that the phase 3 testing of its COVID-19 vaccine being developed with Oxford University has been put on hold, due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom. London [UK], September 9 (ANI): UK-based biopharma giant AstraZeneca has said that the phase 3 testing of its COVID-19 vaccine being developed with Oxford University has been put on hold, due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom. The company said that its standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow the review of safety data, health news site Stat News reported on Tuesday (local time). The nature of the adverse reaction and when the development took place were not initially clear, although the participant is expected to recover, said an individual familiar with the matter. The spokesperson termed the pause as a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. Also Read: Russia releases first batch of Covid-19 vaccine into public Also Read: Donald Trump calls NAFTA, China entry into WTO as most disastrous deals in history The spokesperson said the company is working to expedite the review of the single event to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline. An individual familiar with the matter said that trial was paused out of an abundance of caution. A second individual, who is also aware of the development said the finding has impacted other AstraZeneca vaccine trials that are underway and other clinical trials being conducted by several vaccine manufacturers. It is not known when the clinical trial of the AstraZenecas vaccine will resume. However, the progress of the companys trial and other COVID-19 vaccines in development are being closely watched even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world. It is to be noted that AstraZeneca is the first Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial known to have been paused. AstraZeneca began its Phase 3 trials in the United States in August. The trial in the US is currently underway at 62 sites across the country, according to clinicaltrials.gov, a government registry, although some have not started enrolling participants. Phase 2 and 3 trials previously began in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. According to a Phase 1/2 study published in July, around 60 per cent of 1,000 participants experienced side effects after being administered the vaccine. All the side effects like fever, headaches, muscle pain and injection site reactions were deemed mild or moderate, according to Stat News. The vaccine known as AZD1222 uses an adenovirus that carries a gene for one of the proteins in SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. The adenovirus is designed to induce the immune system for a protective response against SARS-CoV-2. While the platform has not been used in an approved vaccine, it has been tested in experimental vaccines against other viruses, including the Ebola virus, the report said. The Phase 3 trial in the US seeks to register around 30,000 participants at 80 sites across the country, said the National Institutes of Health in a last weeks statement. In response to the trial pause, it was not clear what steps were being taken at study sites in the US. According to the AstraZeneca statement, the drug giant said that in large trials, illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully. The spokesperson also said the company is committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our trials. (ANI) Also Read: Amid India China standoff, students in for long wait: Indian Embassy issues advisory The UAE and India should have an open sky policy instead of an air service agreement between them, the Gulf nation's Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna said on Wednesday, asserting that such a move would benefit airlines of both countries. The UAE is India's trusted partner and its investment commitment is a testimony of its confidence in the economic growth story of India, Al Banna said at a webinar. The UAE is the largest Arab investor in India having a share of about 85% of the total Arab investment in the country, he said. "There exists immense untapped growth potential in many different sectors. The UAE wants to be the preferred economic partner of India and we want to work closely with India to improve on many different levels," Al Banna said at the webinar organised by Vijay Jolly, President of the Delhi Study Group. One of the most important aspect is the improvement of air connectivity which is yet another important economic growth catalyst that facilitates trade and tourism, he said. "We have 1,068 flights between the UAE and India. More than 50 or 55% of Indians who travel outside India, they use Dubai and Abu Dhabi as their transit points," he said. "We need to look into having what we call an open sky policy, instead of having an air service agreement, which is limited in terms of capacity, in the number of seats," Al Banna said. Calling for a rethink on the issue, the UAE envoy said the two sides should look for a stronger collaboration wherein both Indian and UAE airlines would benefit. An open sky air service agreement allows for airlines from the two countries to have an unlimited number of flights as well as seats to each other's jurisdictions. The National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016, allows the government to enter into an 'open sky' air services agreement on a reciprocal basis with SAARC nations as well as countries beyond a 5,000 kilometre radius from New Delhi. India has signed open sky agreements with the US, Greece, Jamaica, Guyana, Finland, Spain and Sri Lanka, among other countries. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 19:19:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A medical worker wearing protective equipment takes a swab sample from a man for a COVID-19 PCR test at a temporary screening center in front of the city hall of Paris, France, Aug. 31, 2020. (Photo by Chadi/Xinhua) The raging pandemic is a chance for the world to address the deficit in global public health governance and improve preparedness for future pandemics. For the common health and shared future of all human beings, countries around the world have no choice but to stand together like never before. by Xinhua writer Wang Lei BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The still fast-growing daily global COVID-19 caseload is a constant reminder to the world that countries need to persist in more balanced, scientific and cooperative actions to stamp out the virus and tide over the unprecedented crisis. Since the deadly disease broke out over eight months ago, countries around the globe have been supporting each other by actively sharing information and experience regarding controlling the disease and various treatments, and providing much-needed medical supplies to countries hit hard by the virus. The international community, with the coordination from the World Health Organization (WHO), has witnessed progress in its collective search for vaccines. A consensus that these live-saving tools should be delivered equitably, instead of being used as a commodity for profit, has also taken shape globally. Meanwhile, scientists worldwide are jointly working to trace the origin of the pathogen. Photo provided by Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) shows a researcher displaying the vaccine against the novel coronavirus developed by the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, Russia, Aug. 6, 2020. (RDIF/Handout via Xinhua) However, the global pandemic fight has a long way to go as the number of daily infections remains tragically high. India has set a one-day infections record with over 90,000 cases, bringing its total tally to over 4.2 million, second worldwide only to the United States. In Europe, countries including France, Spain and Britain have started to grapple with a resurgence following further easing of social distancing restrictions and the reopening of businesses and schools. In the United States, epidemiologists like Dr. Anthony Fauci have warned of "a repeat of the surge" following the Labor Day national holiday and the beginning of autumn. People are seen at the outdoor catering zone of the Chelsea Market in New York, the United States, Sept. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Against this backdrop, the only right choice for the international community at such a challenging time is to stick to solidarity and continuously advance cooperation. No one can survive alone in an increasingly connected world. The top priority for decision-makers and ordinary citizens worldwide is not to let down their guard regarding the pandemic as they are trying to reopen their countries and return to normalcy. Countries that have passed the peak of the pandemic must remain highly vigilant for any signs of a possible rebound and try to strike a balance between disease control and economic recovery. When countries start to gradually open their borders and expand the movement of people and commercial goods, they need to collaborate as closely as possible to lower cross-border transmissions of the virus to a minimum. That means faster identifying and tracking of chains of transmissions in cross-border travel and trade, more effective communication between relevant government bodies, as well as stronger inspection and quarantine measures at airports and seaports. Passengers receive COVID-19 tests upon arrival at Damascus international airport in Damascus, capital of Syria, on Aug. 27, 2020. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua) Tackling the pandemic also requires closer and stronger international joint action to expedite the development, production and distribution of quality and affordable vaccines, the best possible route to contain the virus. Timely information sharing, academic exchanges and scientific and innovative cooperation in this field should be encouraged and promoted, while vaccine nationalism must be rejected. Meanwhile, the world needs to pay particular attention to the plight of developing countries and their more vulnerable groups including women, children, the aged and the disabled, and step up anti-pandemic assistance. To help those hit hard, China has launched the most intensive and wide-ranging emergency humanitarian assistance program since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Also, Beijing is working with 11 countries on phase-three clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines. When available, as China has pledged, vaccines will be shared with other countries as a global public good. Medical supplies donated by Chinese government arrive at Juba International Airport in Juba, South Sudan, on Aug. 19, 2020. (Chinese Embassy in South Sudan/Handout via Xinhua) What the world has experienced during the past eight months is a practical lesson demonstrating the necessity and significance of enhancing multilateral cooperation. Countries across the world must set aside their differences and work together to beat the pathogen, keep global industrial chains running well and spur a global economic recovery. During a meeting held on Tuesday to celebrate the role models in the country's anti-virus fight, Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to continue to support the WHO, advance economic globalization, steadfastly uphold the multilateral trading system, and join other countries in restoring global economic prosperity at an early date. The raging pandemic is a chance for the world to address the deficit in global public health governance and improve preparedness for future pandemics. For the common health and shared future of all human beings, countries around the world have no choice but to stand together like never before. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled a slimmed down coronavirus relief proposal Tuesday that continues a GOP push to include school choice measures in the latest round of federal pandemic aid. The Kentucky Republican pledged to hold a vote as soon as this week on the bill, which lacks the bipartisan support necessary to win full approval. Its the latest volley in frequently stalled discussions between both parties and the White House over the next COVID-19 aid package. In statements to the press, McConnell said he wanted to get senators on the record through a vote. Congress can, should, and must do more to help, he said. The Senate will vote, and the American people will be watching. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, called the proposal an emaciated bill that is only intended to help vulnerable Republican Senators by giving them a check the box vote to maintain the appearance that theyre not held hostage by their extreme right-wing that doesnt want to spend a nickel to help people. The bill does not include some provisions Congressional Democrats have called essential, like assistance to state and local governments that district leaders have said are needed to help avert cuts to school staffing and programs. The bill would provide an additional $105 billion to an education stabilization fund to help schools respond to the pandemic. As in the previous GOP proposal, it would condition two-thirds of aid to schools on plans to physically reopen school buildings. That provision remains even after the school year has started in most districts, and many have opted for continued remote learning.. The new proposal modifies some school choice provisions championed by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. GOP Senate leaders had included in their previous bill , introduced in July. Most notably, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, had pushed to include DeVos Education Freedom Scholarship proposal in the bill. That proposal would provide federal tax credits totalling up to $5 billion a year for contributions to scholarships families could use to send their children to private schools or to purchase educational materials and services. The push to include the proposal was reportedly a sticking point in negotiations. In an apparent attempt at compromise, the new proposal McConnell released Tuesday would not establish the program permanently, as Cruz had sought, instead establishing the tax credits for two years. The bill would also authorize emergency education freedom grants, state-administered scholarships families could use for private school tuition or other services if their childrens education is interrupted by the pandemic. And it would allow families to use funds from tax-advantaged 529 savings plans, typically used to cover college or private school tuition, to pay for home-schooling expenses. Liability Protections for Schools The new proposal includes McConnells plan to provide enhanced liability protections for businesses and public entities, including schools, Under the bills language, a civil suit would have to prove that an organization or business was not making reasonable efforts to abide by government guidance on responding to COVID-19 or that it had committed gross negligence or willful misconduct in failing to take virus precautions. Education Week wrote more about liability concerns for schools here. Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa . Warning: some may see this as a rant. I, however, consider it a public-service announcement. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Warning: some may see this as a rant. I, however, consider it a public-service announcement. Recently we were notified by a flyer that city workers would be in the neighbourhood in the coming days, spraying the base of the elm trees with a chemical called chlorpyrifos. Its used to kill the beetles that spread Dutch elm disease (DED); while the flyer states correctly that Health Canada approves it for this use, theres more to the story that should be made public. The label on this product states: "This product is not to be used in and around homes or other residential areas such as parks, school grounds, playing fields." And further, "Danger. Poison. Keep out of reach of children." Chlorpyrifos is a neurotoxin. In other words, it can damage the nervous system. The National Library of Medicine, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, states it has been demonstrated to cause neurological effects (in other words, developmental delays and brain damage, among other issues) in fetuses and children even at very low levels. High exposures can result in the presence of autoimmune antibodies similar to those found in people with autoimmune disorders. Developed as an alternative to DDT, chlorpyrifos was once amongst the most commonly used household pesticides. It has also been widely used in agriculture. Today, however, because of its toxic properties, it is banned in many places and in others its use has been severely restricted, including here in Canada. Last year, it appeared that Health Canada was about to ban chlorpyrifos for a wide range of uses, including elm bark beetle control, but for unknown reasons, that has not yet occurred. So it was surprising (and enraging, actually) to receive the flyer announcing that not 10 metres from my front door, chlorpyrifos would be applied, yet again, to the base of the elm trees on our boulevard. And moreover, that the elm trees on private property will also be "treated." Please, dont get me wrong. I love those elm trees. They cool our house and the city in summer, provide a beautiful shady canopy over our neighbourhood and nesting sites for innumerable birds. I mourn every time one of these gentle giants is felled after succumbing to the inevitable DED. But I cannot square the continued use of the neurotoxin chlorpyrifos with the knowledge that in our neighbourhood, kids play on the boulevard. Kids walk past the elm trees on their way to school. And yes, kids actually play in their yards where there are elm trees. Kids are the most vulnerable to neurological toxins, because their brains are developing. It does not make sense to expose them, especially because DED is really unstoppable. Maybe we buy a few years for some trees, but at what cost? Consider, also, that we are in the midst of a global pandemic. As schools reopen, the optimal situation would be for everyones immune system to be in top condition. How do we justify even a low potential exposure for children to this chemical which can negatively impact the immune system? 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. Even if ones yard has no elm trees, in Winnipeg, citizens are responsible for the maintenance of the boulevards in front of their homes. At minimum, we should be able to opt out of exposing ourselves to chlorpyrifos on adjacent boulevards. But no buffer zones are allowed. Note again that the label on this product states that it is not to be used around homes or in residential areas. What the label on a pesticide says is not trivial. Under the Pest Control Products Act, using a pest control product in a way that "is inconsistent with the directions on the label" is actually an offence subject to hefty fines and even imprisonment in Canada. Thats because the product is dangerous. Some time ago, a local group sought a legal opinion on the use of chlorpyrifos for elm bark beetle control around homes, only to be told that the government can make exceptions to its own laws, and this is one of those exceptions. It seems all citizens can do is email 311 and get notified when the toxin will be used on their streets and around their homes. Until this product is no longer available (and that may not be too far off, as its major manufacturer has said it will stop producing it), the City of Winnipeg, Province of Manitoba and federal government seem to have determined that the possible protection of some trees justifies putting childrens health and development at risk. But they dont seem eager to share the whole story. Anne Lindsey is a consultant and community volunteer. She was formerly the executive director of the Manitoba Eco-Network, and is active on issues of toxins and pesticides, especially relating to childrens health. Sometimes you need to forget about everything and hit the road. But would you travel from Delhi to London by bus? Thats the question expedition company Adventures Overland is currently posing to travellers, as it launches a new organised bus trip from India to the UK. Described as the first-ever hop-on/hop-off bus service between the two destinations, Bus to London will ferry 20 passengers on a modified luxury bus, inspired in part by the Hippie Trail buses that crisscrossed the world in the 1950s and 1960s, CNN Travel reports. The bus will cross 18 countries over a period of 70 days, with passengers hopping off to marvel at the pagodas of Myanmar, hike the Great Wall of China and wander historic cities including Moscow and Prague. Started in 2012 by Sanjay Madan & Tushar Agarwal, Adventures Overland calls itself a unique travel company that organises driving expeditions all across the worldliterally, in all the 7 continents! Adventures Overland is also the holder of 16 World Records in long distance driving expeditions, and has driven in 75 countries all around the world. Whether its pioneering the first ever drive from London to Delhi back in 2010, organising the largest expedition driving from India to London through 18 countries, taking the first ever group of vehicles on a cross border expedition from India to Bangkok, snow driving in Iceland or executing a road trip on the Dalton Highway in Alaska, we have done it all, Adventures Overland states. We have driven in -40 degrees on frozen lakes in Russia and also organised drives on the worlds most challenging roads in South America and Africa! Since founding Adventures Overland, Agarwal and Madan have organized three India-to-London expeditions, which involved travellers bringing their own cars and travelling in a convoy. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adventures Overland (@adventuresoverland) on Aug 13, 2020 at 5:44am PDT With their latest venture, Agarwal and Madan are keen to try something a little different: There are a lot of people, travelers, who want to experience these overland journeys, but they dont want to drive, Agarwal told CNN Travel. So, we came up with the idea of putting together a bus in which people can sit comfortably and go on long distance journeys. And thats how the idea of the Bus to London was born. Assuming Covid restrictions lift as expected, the first Bus to London journey is set to take place in mid-2021. The best time to do this journey is between April and June, because thats when the weather is favorable to start the journey from India through to Myanmar, and to cross the high mountains of China and Kyrgyzstan, Agarwal told CNN Travel. The trip will cost around $20,000, but you can choose to just do part of the journey, which is split into four legs. It will be marketed to travellers both young and old, and Agarwal claims 40,000 people have already registered their interest. Though its not exactly high tech, could this be the anti Covid holiday we all need right now? Only time (and bookings) will tell. Read Next Last week, Bill Birtles, the Australian Broadcasting Corp.s correspondent in Beijing, and Michael Smith, the Australian Financial Reviews correspondent in Shanghai, received visits from state security officers who told them they could no longer leave China. They sought shelter in Australian diplomatic compounds and arrived home in Australia on Tuesday after Birtles was interrogated by security officers about Cheng, he later recounted. Authorities in northern Mexico have identified the bodies of two people discovered in a well as US tourists who were reported missing earlier this month. Prosecutors in Baja California on Monday said investigators began recovering the remains of Ian Hirschsohn and Kathy Harvey on 5 September. They were first reported missing on 2 September, and investigators found evidence of human remains at the bottom of a well in an area south of Ensenada the following day. Authorities have not released any additional information about the case, which remains under investigation. The San Diego Police Department confirmed to local media that the couples remains had been discovered and the family had been notified. Mr Hirschsohn, 78, and Ms Harvey, 73, reportedly stayed at a house roughly 200 miles south of the US-Mexico border. Ms Harvey texted her son Robert Harvey on 28 August that the couple had planned to explore a gold mine or visit a beach, according to reports. They had planned to return to San Diego on 31 August. Mexican authorities discovered the couples car last week. The body of Craig Harrison also was discovered over the weekend in a separate incident in Cabo Pulmo, the Associated Press reports. The 65-year-old Canadian and South African dual citizen had been missing since 29 August. Outspoken ODM MP Junet Mohamed on Tuesday blasted Deputy President William Ruto accusing him of being the mastermind behind insults aimed at the Kenyatta family by a section of lawmakers allied to him. Speaking at Railas Capitol Hill office in Upper Hill, Nairobi, Junet also accused DP Ruto of pretending to censure his allies over the recent attacks by MPs Johanna Ngeno and Oscar Sudi against the president. Following the arrest of Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno over alleged hate speech against Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday, DP Ruto took to Twitter to call for an end to name-calling. Leaders should exercise restraint and avoid insults and bad language against other Kenyans. Unsavoury words against mothers and Head of State is a NO, NO. No amount of anger justifies use of offensive insulting language. There exists decent ways to communicate however one feels, he tweeted. However, Junet Mohamed was having none of it as he asked Ruto to spare the country the politics of war. I want to ask the Deputy President to spare this country the politics of war, threats, and violence. It is dishonest and old school for Ruto to send his people to insult other leaders including the President then pretend to tell them to stop. You cannot abuse leaders to gain power including mothers. You have no business insulting Mama Ngina because insulting her is insulting all mothers in this country, said the Suna East MP. He should stop insulting and intimidating civil servants in this country, we saw the other day his people insulting CS Tobiko and we know the people insulting the minister are sent by him. We want to tell him to stop the dirty politics he has started in the country of insulting the government in which he is the Deputy President, added Junet. The ODM Director of Officials further told DP Ruto to resign if he is discontent. You cannot poop on the same plate you are eating from, if he is tired of this government let him leave and start attacking from outside. Ireland's Prime Minister spoke to British counterpart Boris Johnson by telephone on Wednesday evening to express concern about a threat by a British minister to break international law in the implementation of its EU divorce treaty. "Prime minister Micheal Martin spoke to PM Johnson and set out in forthright terms his concerns about latest developments in London on Brexit, including the breach of an international treaty, the absence of bilateral engagement and the serious implications for Northern Ireland," a government spokesman said. "He stressed to the PM that the UK government should re-engage with EU negotiators urgently." Search Keywords: Short link: Wrexham student wins COVID-19 Volunteer award for kindness during lockdown This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Sep 9th, 2020 A student from Wrexham has won an award for her kindness during the Coronavirus pandemic. Catrin Davies, currently studying for a Level 3 in Health and Social Care at Coleg Cambria, is set to receive a COVID-19 Volunteer Award from AVOW, the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham. The 20 year-old, from Penycae, has been supporting the vulnerable and elderly in the village alongside the community council over past months. She also created the successful Penycae Rocks Facebook group and co-founded the Penycae Scarecrow competition. Both projects have united residents and given families a much-needed escape during lockdown. When everyone went into self-isolation I was concerned for the more elderly members of our village, so I signed up as a volunteer to help them, said Catrin. We have been delivering medication, doing their shopping, picking up prescriptions and communicating with people in self-isolation, so they dont feel lonely and worried. A former pupil at Ysgol Rhiwabon, she plans to become a nurse one day and says caring for others is in her blood. My mum is a councillor, my Dad was an emergency planning officer and my uncle is a social worker, so trying to help people is ingrained in me, she added. It was an honour to be told Ive received this award and quite a shock as to me its second nature. It was challenging trying to juggle college work with the volunteering, but I managed it and plan to keep supporting the community for as long as they need me. Catrin certainly excelled in her learning and achieved two Distinction* grades following the first year of the course. She will begin the second and final year this month. Health and Social Care lecturer Wendy Fowler congratulated her on the award, and said: Catrin is an exemplary learner, she embodies exactly what you need to work in the care sector. She is articulate, compassionate and hard working. I have known her for a few years now as she has progressed through the levels with us, and she should be proud of her achievements, as we are of her. She is a pleasure to teach and receiving this award shows just what a superstar she is well done, Catrin! For more information on Coleg Cambria, visit the website: www.cambria.ac.uk Kathmandu, September 9 It has been one year since Nepal and India jointly inaugurated a cross-border petroleum pipeline to supply petroleum products from India to Nepal. With the use of the new technology, Nepal saved over Rs 800 million in its annual cost for the transportation of petroleum products, according to Nepal Oil Corporation. The corporations central office informs transporting a litre of diesel would cost Rs 1.5 before the installation of the pipeline, but it has been saved now. Hence, in total, the corporation saved Rs 802.6 million in one year including an additional saving of Rs 1.5 million. Nepal imported 534.1 million litres of diesel via the 69.2-km road during this period, the corporations Amalekhganj depots chief engineer Bharat Regmi says. The pipeline is in operation for three days a week only currently. The corporation says the saving could double once the full-fledged operation will begin. A WestJet flight from Calagary to Toronto was canceled Tuesday after a heated dispute about whether a toddler needed to wear a face mask led to 'rapid escalation' on board. Passenger Safwan Choudhry was traveling with his wife, three year-old-daughter Zupda and nineteen-month-old daughter Zara when the mask dispute arose with flight crew and police were called to remove the family from the plane. Choudhry claims staff were trying to force him to put a face mask on his nineteen-month-old child even though she fell under the two year age limit. Video footage of the incident shows uncomfortable scenes as a child is heard crying and Choudhry argues with police officers at being forced to leave the plane. Scroll down for video Passenger Safwan Choudhry was traveling with his wife, three year-old-daughter Zupda and nineteen-month-old daughter Zara when the mask dispute arose. He claims it was because crew wanted him to put a mask on Zara when she is under the age requirement As the incident escalated, flight crew said they were concerned about the behavior of other passengers and uncomfortable continuing the flight, which was then canceled. Yet WestJet has disputed the family's claims, stating that the flight crew had been concerned about Choudhry's three-year-old daughter who had to wear a face mask. A spokesperson confirmed to CBC that Flight 652 was canceled Tuesday and that crew were aware of which children on the plane were under two, as it is tracked in the flight log. 'WestJet would like to clarify that there were two children, and we were not requiring the infant to wear a mask, but did require the other child, who is over age two, to wear one,' WestJet spokesperson Lauren Stewart said. 'Our crew requested the presence of the authorities after the guests refused to comply with Transport Canada's interim order and subsequently refused to deplane the aircraft. 'Due to the rapid escalation of the situation on board, our crew felt uncomfortable to operate and the flight was subsequently cancelled,' she added. The airline apologized to the passengers that were affected but confirmed most of them had been transferred to another flight. Stewart added that crew try to 'seek an understanding of any situation that may exist' when parents are trying to place face masks on children. 'If parents/guardians are non-compliant or unwilling to comply with our requirement, then we will enforce our policy,' she said. Safwan Choudhry claims his three-year-old daughter did have a mask on but the airline disputes this Choudry told CBC that he was disappointed with WestJet's response and would like an apology as he continued to dispute their version of events. He says that there was no problems with boarding the flight but that staff approached and asked him to put masks on his daughters once they were seated. 'It started with my toddler and once we got a mask on her, they turned to my 19-month-old infant and said "every person on the plane has to wear a mask or the plane can't take off",' he said. 'We were surprised to learn our 19-month-old daughter needed to be wearing a mask.' Choudry claims he and his wife both tried to get a mask on their youngest daughter but she screamed and eventually threw up. 'Of course, being desperate to get home, we despite there not being such a policy opted to comply until she was crying hysterically, with the crew watching over us, until she threw up, at which point they told us you all need to get off the plane. 'This crew member is just watching over her shoulder as its being done,' he told Global News Canada. 'My wife said, "Give me a few moments", as shed never put a mask on a child so little before and then my daughter naturally starts to panic.' 'She said, "Im asking you for the last time because the next time it will be police that will come here and they will arrest you and you will leave with your child"'. Shortly afterward, the police arrived as other passengers became involved in the dispute and began to shout. Other passengers were angered as their flight was delayed and police arrived to try to end the dispute. Pictured, the police officer in the helmet addresses the family The officer told the Choudry family that they had to leave the plane Tuesday morning Some other travelers began to take video of the incident but it does not show whether Choudry's children were wearing masks or not. 'Bull****!' one passenger is heard shouting. 'The child had the mask on we all seen it.' An officer is then heard telling Choudry 'this isn't going to get finished with you stuck to this chair'. 'You need to get off the plane and let these passengers continue their journey. This is not my decision,' he added. 'You have not put the mask on your child when you were asked several times.' 'How do you know that you weren't here?' Choudry asks. 'We have witnesses,' the officer replies. The Calgary Police Department confirmed that they were called to the plane over the dispute to CBC but said they had no other comment as charges were not being filed. Choudry said that a few minutes after the police arrived the whole plane was evacuated. 'Within a few minutes, the captain of the flight said "for security and safety reasons, we're evacuating everyone from the flight",' he said. 'We felt awful that now this entire plane is being evacuated.' He claims that police asked the family for ID as they were leaving the plane and alleged that it was only then that they realized the girl was under two years old. Other passengers voiced their frustration that the mask issue led to an entire flight cancellation. 'This was about a toddler not wearing a mask, and you felt the need to deboard the entire plane? There was a woman on the plane trying to get home to her mother on her deathbed. It was just frustrating, very, very upsetting,' said Marian Nur. 'I was so shocked, the parents never raised their voices, they never got angry with the attendants, they were just trying to reason with them.' Choudry thanked the other passengers in a tweet after the incident Choiudry later tweeted about the incident and thanked the other passengers for their support. 'My wife was threatening to be arrested & forcibly removed unless my daughters, 3 yrs & 19 months would wear a mask. While my 3yrs wore her mask, the 19 months old was hysterical,' he wrote. 'While the sudden shocking decision by @WestJet to cancel the entire fight moments before take-off caused some passengers to hurl racist & Islamophobic remarks at my family, we are incredibly grateful and humbled by the overwhelming support & love from a majority of the passengers. 'We wish to extend our sincere regards & prayers for the passengers who had to endure any form of discomfort & hardship, we're glad to learn that most passengers have made it to their destination. We are dearly touched by all messages from various passengers throughout the day,' he added. He also told Calgary Herald that one of the police officers had eventually sided with the family. 'He said, "I have never witnessed this level of abuse, harassment and just outright disrespect in Calgary at least",' Choudhry said. WestJet has a zero tolerance mask policy and all passengers over two years old must cover their face in compliance with Transport Canada regulation. SPRINGFIELD Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker spoke in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn last Thursday to promote the census as the Sept. 30 deadline for states to get their residents counted approaches. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton both emphasized the importance of an accurate census count, as response rate and population estimates are tied to federal funding and the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. A low response rate can put millions of dollars in federal funding at risk across Illinois. Pritzker said a 1 percent undercount could result in the state losing more than $195 million in federal funds. That amounts to approximately $15,000-$20,000 lost in federal funding per person undercounted in the census. According to Pritzker, Illinois is one of 10 states that pays more in federal taxes than it receives in federal funding. A high response rate to the 2020 census can change that. Stratton also emphasized the need for the Latino Illinoisans to participate in the census and addressed fears of retaliation. Our census doesnt hurt, it helps. The census questionnaire will not ask your citizenship status, she said. Your personal information will not be used against you in court or by any government agency like ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The Trump administration attempted to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, but those efforts were blocked by multiple federal courts last year. It does not appear on the final form and any respondent information is kept confidential by law. As of last Wednesday, Illinois was No. 7 in terms of self-response with a 69.8 percent rate. Illinois ranks 12th in total enumeration, or the percentage of households in the state that have been counted in the census, at 89.8 percent. Among states with a population over 10 million, Illinois ranks first in both categories. Voting safety measures The Illinois Department of Public Health has released in-person voting guidelines for election authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 this year. Changes announced on Aug. 28, include moving polling locations from senior living facilities, maintaining social distancing for voters and workers, creating outdoor spaces for citizens to wait and swapping communal items for single-use ones. Those rules also apply to early voting, which varies depending on local rules but generally begins Sept. 24 and runs through Nov. 2 the day before Election Day. According to Illinois law, individual county clerks are obligated to comply with the departments rules as well as produce their own plans to minimize potential COVID-19 infections. Officials should specify a disinfection procedure, configure booths and tables for social distancing and display signs specifying a face covering should be worn. While masks will be provided at locations statewide, election authorities are prohibited from preventing a non-compliant voter from casting a ballot for refusal to wear a face covering outside or inside a polling place, the health departments guidance specifies. Poll workers are also barred from screening citizens for COVID-19. Those who refuse to wear a face covering should be separated from those who are complying with the recommendation, the department added. Voters can expect to see polling locations more spread out than in years past, with barriers separating them from workers, designated entrance- and exit-only doorways and signs on the ground indicating a six-foot separation between those waiting in line. Writing utensils and ballot covers will either be single-use or disinfected between voters. The health department is also instructing local election authorities to consider not offering stickers this year. Added unemployment funding Illinois is one of the last states to apply and be approved for a federal program providing an additional $300 in unemployment assistance per week to qualifying residents. Pritzker announced Aug. 31, he instructed the Illinois Department of Employment Security to submit an application despite serious concerns about the unfairness of the program. The Federal Emergency Management Agency certified that request on Sept. 1. Funding for the Lost Wage Assistance Program was redirected by President Donald Trump from the agencys disaster relief fund. That money is typically used to finance the federal governments response to major domestic disasters, such as assisting hurricane survivors. Trump issued the order in July shortly after a measure creating $600 in added weekly benefits through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, Or CARES, Act expired. Up to $44 billion is available to states through Dec. 27, or until the funding runs out. Benefits can be retroactively paid to eligible Illinoisans, starting with the week ending Aug. 1. The governors office, in a news release, estimated funding will be exhausted in three weeks. It cited unspecified economic projections for the demand of these funds. Only those Americans who are eligible for at least $100 per week in unemployment benefits qualify for the extra $300 in federal funding. That is why Pritzker said Illinois did not apply for the program sooner about 55,000 residents will be excluded, according to his office. As of last Wednesday, 45 states are approved to receive grants, including Illinois, which was the 44th state approved. Jobless numbers The number of Illinois workers filing first-time unemployment claims fell slightly last week, according to a Sept. 3 report from the U.S. Department of Labor. During the week that ended Aug. 29, the state saw 24,116 people file initial claims for jobless benefits, down from 26,262 the week before. The number of people receiving continuing unemployment benefits also fell to 555,582, which is 37,723 fewer than the prior week. An additional 4,433 workers filed first-time claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, the federally-funded program for gig workers, independent contractors and others who dont normally qualify for regular unemployment. That was an increase of 264 from the prior week. There were 118,968 people in Illinois receiving continuing PUA benefits during the week, down 798 from the prior week. Vote by mail The number of those opting to vote in person this year is likely to be lower than average, as officials continue to encourage citizens to vote by mail. As of Aug. 28, more than 1.1 million Illinoisans had requested a mail ballot, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections, but that statistic is presumed to increase once the remaining 28 local election authorities disclose their data. In 2018, approximately 430,000 citizens voted by mail and, in 2016, that number was 370,000. As of Aug. 31, the number increased by more than 120,000, the elections board announced on Twitter. Systemic racism reforms The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus released its agenda of sweeping reforms meant to address systemic racism in the state at a news conference on Sept. 1. The agenda is focused on four pillars of policy: Criminal justice reform, violence and police accountability; education and workforce development; economic access, equity and opportunity; and health care and human services. State Senate Majority Leader and ILBC Chair Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, opened her remarks at the news conference by noting, This is the moment that I have dreamed of, that I have prayed for, that I have worked towards my entire life. This is a time when I stand on my parents shoulders, and their parents shoulders, and their parents shoulders and their parents' shoulders, she said. Were finally here ... today as the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, to present to you our agenda to end systemic racism that has oppressed our people for as long as weve ever known. The news conference focused on the first pillar as the ILBC emphasized a need for ending mass incarceration, enacting police reform and strategically investing and redirecting state funding to reduce violence in Illinois communities. Lightford also announced a series of hearings to discuss each pillar of the ILBC agenda that would continue until lawmakers return for the fall veto session. The first such hearing took place shortly after the news conference, with the Senate Criminal Law and Special Committee on Public Safety holding a joint hearing on police training and the use of force. While none of the pillars of the agenda have been filed as legislation yet, Lightford said bills would be ready for the fall legislative session. We will have our legislative initiatives prepared for the veto session and we do intend on taking up all of veto session to address them, she said. The legislative leaders of the Democratic party issued statements backing the ILBC. Transportation diversity panel A coalition of 10 state transportation agencies, including Illinois, announced the creation of a diversity panel last week to develop fairness and inclusion at work sites, the groups president said Aug. 28. The committee has not yet held a meeting, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Transportation said in an e-mail, but its establishment has been in the works for a while. Members of the Mid-America Association of State Transportation Agencies will share methods and programs designed to diversify their practices. We are also committed to creating more contracting opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses and to avoid transportation projects having a negative impact on minority communities, Craig Thompson, association president, said in a written statement. Thompson is the secretary designee of Wisconsins Department of Transportation. States belonging to the association include Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio. Illinois currently participates in the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program, which is mandated by the U.S. Congress and overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Through the initiative, which began in 1980 and was most recently reapproved in 2015, funds are allocated to projects contracted by states to be completed by firms owned and controlled by a socially and economically disadvantaged individual, according to the programs website. At least 10 percent of federal dollars available for transportation-related projects must be spent with those disadvantaged businesses. A spokesperson for IDOT said in an e-mail, in 2019, it reached a DBE Program participation mark of 17.07 percent. He added that is the largest percentage it achieved in six years and was in increase of 2 percentage points from the year prior. COVID-19 update Pritzker and other public health officials warned Sept. 2 of the danger of spreading COVID-19 during social gatherings as families and friends make plans for the just-completed Labor Day weekend. Pritzker was joined at a news conference in Chicago by Dr. Amaal Tokars, assistant director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, who said even small gatherings will have to be different this year. The pair urged people to limit the size of gatherings, wear facial coverings even around close friends and family and maintain social distances. On Sept. 3, IDPH reported 1,360 new confirmed cases of the disease and 25 additional virus-related deaths over the previous 24 hours, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to 240,003 known cases and 8,115 deaths. The recovery rate for those 42 days removed from a positive diagnosis is 95 percent, according to IDPH. Laboratories reported processing 40,795 tests over the 24-hour period, which made for a single-day test positivity rate of 3.3 percent. That helped lower the seven-day rolling average positivity rate by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.4 percent. IDPH noted, however, it is still experiencing delays in processing data for its daily public reports due to the large volume of tests being conducted. As of last Wednesday night, 1,620 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, 360 patients were in intensive care units and 144 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. All of the numbers remained slightly above their pandemic lows. 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. The Defund SAPD Coalition has labeled San Antonio as a "sundown town" as a warning for Black residents and visitors after recent incidents involving law enforcement. The local group, which has been calling on city and county officials to reallocate funding from the San Antonio Police Department and the Bexar County Sheriff's Department to different sectors, like health and housing, released its warning on Tuesday in the middle of its push for change. The group's recent travel advisory is not backed by any official government entity, such as the U.S. State Department. There are four levels within the group's advisory: Exercise normal precaution, exercise increased caution, reconsider travel and do not travel. Defund SAPD believes San Antonio is in the reconsider travel" phase. RELATED: San Antonio teen fatally shot by police will be honored by the Seattle Seahawks this season "San Antonio is a sundown town for Black residents and visitors," a news release said. "A travel advisory has been issued to warn that any Black people traveling to San Antonio use increased caution when in the city due to the city's policing policies that put Black Lives in danger." Historically, sundown towns have been known to be all-white cities with racist policies like ordering minorities to leave by nightfall. The launch of the travel advisory system was prompted by recent events in the city. Mathias Ometu, a Black jogger who was stopped and questioned for a crime he didn't commit, was arrested and held in jail for two days after he wouldnt divulge his name, as is his right. In an earlier incident, Damian Daniels was fatally shot by a BCSO officer during a wellness check in August. Community organizer Camille Wright compared San Antonio to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man was recently shot in the back several times by police and hospitalized. "Instead of investing in the community to address the issues police respond to at the root City Manager Erik Walsh had the audacity to propose an increase to the police budget, Wright is quoted in the release. It is clear that San Antonio is becoming a sundown town for Black people, we arent safe and what happened in Kenosha, WI can definitely happen here. Walsh could not immediately be reached for comment. As it stands, San Antonios current proposal plans to earmark $487 million for police of the citys new $2.9 billion budget. The City Council will spend the next few weeks listening to public and staff concerns before voting on the budget in mid-September. Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye George Bizos, an anti-apartheid icon and renowned human rights lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela on treason charges for which he escaped the death penalty, died on Wednesday aged 92. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced rights lawyers passing during a media conference. I have just received news that legal eagle of our country George Bizos has passed away, Ramaphosa said. This is very sad for our country. Bizos represented Mandela during the Rivonia Trial which saw Mandela and seven others sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 on charges of seeking to overthrow the racist apartheid government. Many had expected the death penalty. Ramaphosa described Bizos as one of the lawyers who contributed immensely to the attainment of our democracy. He had an incisive legal mind and was one of the architects of our constitution, the president during an online media briefing. Bizos arrived in South Africa as a 13-year-old war refugee from Greece and became one of its most respected lawyers. In a long career dedicated to defending democratic values and human rights, the soft-spoken Bizos represented a series of activists against the white minority regime and later helped to finalise the constitution of post-apartheid South Africa. A beloved national figure, he continued working into his late 80s. One of his last major trials secured government payouts in 2014 for families of 34 miners shot dead by police at Marikana northwest of Johannesburg two years earlier. Defending Mandela Bizos was in his mid-thirties when he was chosen in 1963 to join a team of advocates that represented Mandela and other leading activists in one of the most important political trials in the history of South Africa. Although a junior member of the defence team, Bizos was credited with the tactic of proposing that Mandela deliver a statement from the dock to present the groups cause, rather than submit him to cross-examination. The speech was electrifying, notably Mandelas often-cited lines on his hope for democracy: It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. Bizos would say later that he advised Mandela to avoid challenging the court over the possibility of a death sentence by adding the tempering words if needs be. In his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom (1994), Mandela describes the advocate as a lifelong friend and a man who combined a sympathetic nature with an incisive mind. Bizos continued to represent Mandela throughout his 27-year jail term and also acted for his then wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, on more than 20 occasions. Young lawyers Bizos and Mandela met as law students at a Johannesburg university in the 1950s and later worked together. Admitted to the Johannesburg Bar in 1954, Bizos took on cases that challenged the apartheid system, attracting the ire of the government but establishing the track record that led to his joining the Rivonia Trial team. Among his other high profile work, Bizos defended the family of Black Consciousness Movement leader Steve Biko, who died in 1977 in police detention, and communist leader Chris Hani, assassinated in 1993. He was later involved in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up to investigate apartheid-era political crimes. In 2004 he represented the now late leader of Zimbabwes main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Changes Morgan Tsvangirai, on a charge of plotting to kill then president Robert Mugabe, for which he was acquitted. However oppressive a regime might be, the court is the last forum in which an oppressed person has an opportunity to speak out, Bizos said in a television interview at the time. Escape from the Nazis Bizos arrived in South Africa in 1941, having fled Nazi-occupied Greece with his father, mayor of the Greek village of Vasilitsi where he was born. His date of birth was not certain. He says in his autobiography Odyssey to Freedom (2009), that his father claimed to have forgotten and the Nazis burned the village records. But his office later said his date of birth was accepted have been November 14, 1927. On the run after his father helped a group of New Zealand soldiers escape the occupiers, they went to Egypt and then found a boat to South Africas city of Durban. Penniless and with no English, they moved inland to Johannesburg, and Bizos fell out of education for several years. After an article on his dramatic story appeared in a local newspaper, Bizos was recognised by a teacher while working in a store. She organised his enrolment in school, a gesture he would always salute. Bizos married Arethe Daflos in 1954 and they had three sons. There was no immediate word on the cause of death, or whether Bizos had been ill. "The government of India attaches great importance to this offer of partnership from a very special friend of this nation" A Delhi Metro employee cleans a metro coach ahead of its trial-run on the Blue Line, following of its resumption after being closed for over five months due to coronavirus pandemic, at Yamuna Bank station in New Delhi. PTI photo Without losing much time on the vaccine front, the Indian government is now working towards initiating Phase 3 human trials of the Russian novel coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V on the Indian population. NITI Aayog member (health) VK Paul said that this decision was taken following the discussions with the Russian government which had approached India for manufacturing of Sputnik V in India and its possible use for Indians. The trials or the bridging studies for the Russian vaccine will begin shortly after the regulatory process is over. In addition to this India is all set to start Phase 3 trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate next week at 17 locations. Besides, two indigenous vaccine candidates one by Biotech and another by Zydus Cadilla too are progressing well with Phase 3 trials set to go. However, given its huge population, the government is happy to collaborate with partner nations to get the benefit of vaccines for its population as soon as possible. Russia had offered us production of the vaccines by Indian companies and Phase 3 trials in India. The government of India attaches great importance to this offer of partnership from a very special friend of this nation. It is a win-win situation for us. On both fronts there has been significant progress. Some companies are in touch for manufacturing. On the regulatory aspect, the Indian scientists have looked at it and have paved the way for Phase 3 and bridging studies which will be facilitated in the spirit of partnership, science and humanity, Paul said. The development comes at a time when India is recording very high numbers of cases on a daily basis. In the last 24 hours, close to 76,000 fresh cases of COVID-19 were detected from various parts of the country taking Indias total tally to 42.80 lakh, as per union health ministry data of early Tuesday morning. India also registered record 1, 133 deaths in a single day taking its overall fatalities due to the deadly virus to 72, 775. While Paul said cases are very high on daily cases and not stabilizing at present, he attributed these rising numbers to higher testing India is conducting among its population. He added that the virus is spreading faster because people are avoiding testing despite having symptoms and they are spreading infection since they are neither isolated nor treated. He also blamed people for being laxed and not taking enough precautions while going in public. Economic activities and unlocking processes have helped the virus grow moreBut let us not forget that the recovery rate in India is very good and the case fatality rate is very low (1.70%)When we see closely we find signs of stabilising, he said. The virus has spread as remote as the Andaman Nicobar Islands and infected some of the protected primitive tribe members known as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups. Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that out of the vulnerable six tribes on the islands, the near extinct Jarawa and Ongese tribes, that have 200 and less than 100 population, respectively, are untouched with the virus as all have tested negative while there have been no reports of symptoms or deaths from COVID-19 from the Sentanalese and Shom Pen tribes living on remote islands where authorities have not gone in. However, there are 15 active cases among Nicobarese and 6 persons were infected from another protected group of Andaman who had their family members working in Port Blair. The UT has so far reported a total of 3,359 COVID-19 cases out of which 312 are active, 2,997 have recovered and 50 people have died. Twenty-seven fresh cases were detected in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Tuesday. Ted T.M. Lee, MD, 2020 Scientific Program Chair and Vice President, AAGL The American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) announces the 49th Annual Global Congress on Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS), held virtually, November 6-14, 2020. AAGLs Congress, the premier scientific conference for gynecologic surgeons from around the world, offers high-quality education and cutting-edge best practices in MIGS. This year, the AAGL Congress is expected to welcome a record number of physicians, both domestic and international, through an all virtual format. The theme of the AAGLs 2020 Virtual Congress, Breaking Barriers represents overcoming the many barriers presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prerecorded courses for registered participants are available from October 19, 2020 to April 1, 2021. Live sessions begin virtually on November 6 with thoughtful time consideration for a worldwide audience. The robust, nine-day, expanded scientific program meticulously developed by Dr. Ted Lee and the Scientific Program Committee, has something for everyone. It includes 19 interactive postgraduate courses, numerous CME (continuing medical education) opportunities, 24 open communication sessions, 8 plenary sessions, 9 panel discussions, 8 surgical tutorials, chat rooms with mentoring by MIGS experts, a poster hall with narration from presenters, and more than 12+ live-streamed surgeries. Three dynamic general sessions punctuate the event including an address by this years keynote speaker, the highly acclaimed researcher and educator, Carla Pugh, MD, PhD. Dr. Pughs groundbreaking innovations are dramatically reshaping how physicians learn to practice medicine. In addition to the exciting program line up, the AAGL Virtual Congress has fun social events and an interactive virtual exhibit hall. AAGLs Virtual Exhibit Hall is an engaging online environment with digital product booths staffed by industry representatives, LIVE product theaters and an in-booth meeting scheduler to connect attendees with the latest innovations in medical devices and technology. The AAGL 2020 Virtual Congress is an incredible, unprecedented opportunity for learning. We are breaking barriers by providing language translation of program content in real-time and removing travel, cost and time limitations allowing us to extend our reach and equip more minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons throughout the world than ever before." Ted T.M. Lee, MD, 2020 Scientific Program Chair and Vice President, AAGL. As in years past, the AAGL Global Congress on MIGS is the premier academic event of the year for personal and professional development in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Registration and general information about the meeting is available at the AAGL Global Congress webpage. AAGL is a professional medical association of laparoscopic surgeons and is the global leader in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. AAGLs mission is to elevate the quality and safety of health care for women through excellence in clinical practice, education, research, innovation, and advocacy. For the last 51 years, the AAGL has created a culture of contribution among its members and facilitated a worldwide exchange of information regarding gynecological breakthroughs and best practices. These trusted, professional relationships and long earned respect for each others medical expertise made the formation of this webinar possible. Find out more about the AAGL at: http://www.aagl.org. For more information please contact Linda Michels, Executive Director, AAGL, at 714-503-6204 or lmichels@aagl.org. The teachers and the students of BCM School, Basant Avenue, Dugri Road, took an initiative to spread knowledge in the society on the occasion of International Literacy Day. They taught underprivileged children through educational videos, encouraged and assisted their grandparents to read and write on their own, and donated books to the needy. They also made posters highlighting the importance of literacy. International Literacy Day is observed on 8 September every year to raise awareness about the importance of literacy across the world. Students learn value of literacy Panchkula: A yagya was organised at Hansraj Public School to mark International Literacy Day and to re-emphasise the need to inculcate traditional values among students. Principal Jaya Bhardwaj addressed students online. A bhajan prabhat, organised in the morning, was attended by some staff members following the Covid-19 protocol. Rest of the staff and students attended it online. Kids recite poems, sing songs for teachers Chandigarh : Teachers Day was celebrated at Gurukul Global School, Chandigarh. A special assembly was conducted by the students. They expressed their gratitude through speeches, songs, and poems. All teachers were given titles by the students of Class 5. Children also made cards for their teachers. The assembly concluded with a thank-you note delivered by the head of the junior wing Herbinderjit Kaur Rai. RICHMOND, Va. - Virginias capital city has adopted a law banning guns on public property during protests and other events. The Richmond City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the ordinance, which is aimed at preventing violent confrontations during demonstrations against racial inequality that have continued to take place across the country and have elsewhere resulted in fatalities, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. The law bans the carrying of guns on public property at any event or at any public area by an event, including on streets, sidewalks and in alleys, whether or not the event is formally permitted by the city, the newspaper said. Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith expressed support for the move ahead of the vote Tuesday, and referenced the killing of two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as well as the fatal shooting of a right-wing supporter in Portland, Oregon, by a suspect who was later killed by police. Sooner or later, we are going to have different groups with different opinions who square off with each other, the newspaper quoted Smith as saying. I believe this will be something we can use to increase safety in all of Richmond. Some council members expressed concern about enforcement of the law and some community members who spoke at the special meeting questioned whether the ban would violate their Second Amendment rights. Bull Run Rd. and Yorkshire Lane, 3:33 p.m. Sept. 1. A man assaulted a female driver who had sustained a flat tire and was waiting for assistance. He took the womans vehicle, dragging her a short distance, and drove away. The woman suffered minor injuries. The stolen vehicle was located a short time later in Manassas City. On Sept. 2, a 41-year-old man, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with carjacking, grand larceny and destruction of property. A 24-year-old woman, of no fixed address, was charged with grand larceny and destruction of property. YouTuber, travel enthusiast and bike lover Jasminder Singh picks the top bikes that are crafted for long distance journeys. IMAGE: The Kawasaki Versys 650 is one of the most affordable super bikes designed for Indian roads, says Jasminder Singh. Photograph: Kind courtesy Jaswinder Singh In my opinion, travelling on a motorcycle offers a completely different experience than traveling through any other mode of transport. I have ridden through a lot of difficult terrain -- Leh-Ladakh, Sikkim, Bhutan etc -- on my Hayabusa and I love it because I am comfortable riding the Hayabusa on any road or terrain. But there are motorcycles which are designed for long distance travel. Presenting a few super bikes that will make your long trip on Indian roads memorable. 1. Honda Africa Twin Price: Rs 16 lakh to Rs 18 lakh IMAGE: The Honda Africa Twin. Photograph: Kind courtesy hondabigwing.in The Honda Africa Twin is a 1100 cc motorcycle designed to travel on and off the road. This bike is super comfortable and its USP is that it is automatic, which means there is one less thing to worry about, which is using the clutch. Since it has Japanese technology, the cost of maintenance is negligible. The fuel economy is great and it is easy to repair during an emergency breakdown. It is something I'd like to have in my garage. I recently did a test drive for the same and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. With the Africa Twin you travel to any place in India without a second thought because it's very comfortable. 2. BMW 1250 GSA Price: Rs 20 lakh onward IMAGE: The BMW 1250 GSA. Photograph: Kind courtesy BMW If money is not a constraint, then the epitome of the touring super-bike is the BMW 1250 GSA. It stands for adventure and is known to be the pinnacle for adventure riders throughout the world. This motorcycle is the first preference of everyone who looks forward to go for a long ride not only in India, but also internationally. It comes with the best of luxury and best of electronic features to assist a rider on long rides. Maintaining a BMW might be a costly affair, but once you have it, you know that the money spent is worth every penny. For touring, this is the best from BMW, actually the most popular across the world for adventure riders and touring riders. 3. Kawasaki Versys 650 About Rs 7 lakh IMAGE: The Kawasaki Versys 650. Photograph: Kind courtesy Kawasaki India A lot of us dream to exploring the country on a motorcycle. Unfortunately, not everyone can spend a fortune to buy one. The Kawasaki Versys 650 -- easily one of the most affordable options -- offers good value for money. This parallel twin machine comes from the house of Kawasaki and is known to be the best budget touring motorcycle which you can buy. Easy on the pocket, easy on maintenance, good on mileage, tough build -- this is indeed a very good motorcycle for travelling across India. It will give you all the power you need and it will easily take you places. 4. Triumph TigerRs 12 lakh onward IMAGE: The Tiger Triumph 800. Photograph: Kind courtesy Olivier Vignes/Wikimedia Commons One of the most popular touring motorcycles in India is undoubtedly the Triumph Tiger 800 and now the latest version Triumph Tiger 900. Coming from the British giant Triumph, Tiger 800 is a very good touring motorcycle, but definitely not easy on the pocket in terms of buying or maintaining it. If you want to have a premium motorcycle, then the Triumph can be an option which you could consider. The bike has proven to last for long drives. The only drawback of these high end motorcycles is the high cost of spare parts and accessories which you have to buy to make it touring compatible like the side boxes, the top box and others. You might have to spend more than Rs 150,000 to get all this set up on your bike, whether it is the Honda Africa Twin, BMW or a Triumph. No matter which motorcycle you ride, the most important thing is that you should enjoy the ride as much as the destination. We have seen people travelling the world on scooters and on small capacity motorcycles as well. The idea is to be a true wanderer; to have an experience of a lifetime no matter which motorcycle you ride. Travelling is all about YOU. Jasminder Singh of JS Films fame is an entrepreneur turned YouTuber with over 2 million subscribers. WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stay-at-home mandates closed offices and stopped commutes for many, but new data from Clutch , the leading B2B ratings and reviews firm, reveals that 55% of employees would feel safe returning to their office. In contrast, only 32% of workers would feel unsafe going back to work. Only 1 in 5 workers have private office spaces, according to new data from Clutch. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. workers are most comfortable working in a private office due to COVID-19, even though only 1 in 5 have access to one, new study from Clutch finds. While this data suggests that employees are ready to return to business as usual, they are still split on their preferred timeline for returning to the office. The pandemic highlighted benefits of remote work that aren't accessible in traditional office roles, pushing some to prefer working from home. For example, Patrick Garde, technical director at SEO firm ExaWeb Corporation , said, "I'm starting a family and working remotely will make sure I'm able to be a hands-on father to my daughter." If given the choice, Garde would continue working from home after COVID-19. 59% of Employees Over 55 Would Feel Safe Returning to Work, Despite Increased Health Risks While older generations are more susceptible to COVID-19, employees over 55 would feel safest going back to their office, compared to employees 3555 (53%) and employees under 35 (53%). The consistency across all age groups, however, suggests that age isn't the most influential factor for employees returning to work. Yaniv Masjedi, CMO at phone system company Nextiva , is in his mid-30s. "I'm not scared of returning to work because I trust my company to make decisions that will allow us to operate without sacrificing our health," he said. While age poses safety concerns, outside factors have more impact on employees' desire to return to work. Private Offices The Safest Layout During COVID-19 but Also the Rarest Nearly 75% of employees rank private offices as the safest possible floor plan, but only 1 in 5 have that option. Employees perceive private offices to be drastically safer than mixed spaces (52%), cubicles (49%), or open floor plans (46%). Companies are updating layouts to prevent the spread of the virus, but some workers find that they prefer their home office over any traditional set-up. "I would take full-time remote work in a heartbeat," said Jamie Irwin, SEO Expert at Irwin Organic . "I was very reluctant to return to work as my office reopened because all of my work duties can be done remotely." COVID-19 forced companies out of the traditional office environment, and some employees like Irwin prefer the flexibility of working remotely. Remote work won't be everyone's future, but it will be more accepted and accessible for employees after the pandemic ends. Clutch's 2020 Return to Work Survey included 400 U.S. workers. Read the full report here: https://clutch.co/real-estate/resources/will-traditional-office-survive-pandemic For questions about the survey, comments on the findings, or an introduction to the sources included in the report, contact Shelby Jordan at [email protected] . About Clutch Clutch is the leading ratings and reviews platform for IT, marketing, and business service providers. Each month, over half a million buyers and sellers of services use the Clutch platform, and the user base is growing over 50% a year. Clutch has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the U.S. and has been listed as a top 50 startup by LinkedIn. Contact Shelby Jordan [email protected] (202) 350-4344 SOURCE Clutch Related Links https://clutch.co New York, Sep 10 : Hours after AstraZeneca suspended the final testing of its potential Covid-19 vaccine because of a volunteer's unexplained illness, America's top medical experts at the forefront of the White House coronavirus task force promised lawmakers they are ready to roll up their sleeves and take the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it is declared safe. "I am ready to roll up my sleeve as soon as they say it is effective," National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins said at a Senate hearing on vaccine safety. US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said he too is prepared to take the first jab in full public spotlight. The NIH chief and the US Surgeon General sought to reassure Americans that there are "no compromises" on safety in developing the shots. For its part, AstraZeneca hasn't yet revealed if it knows whether the illness is a side effect of the vaccine trial or unconnected. The company gave no details on the illness, but Collins said it involved a "spinal problem." The New York Times reported that it was a case of an inflammatory syndrome that affects the spine. The latest developments come on a day of bombshell revelations from a new Bob Woodward book that quotes Trump, from taped conversations, saying he wanted to "play down" the virus although he knew it was "deadly stuff". Trump is on record telling Woodward that he knew there was airborne transmission while he publicly pushed for reopening the economy and rallied his maskless supporters at superspreader events. Woodward's book is his second on the Trump White House. In recent months, worries have spiralled that US president Donald Trump will pressure the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve a vaccine in a tearing hurry before it is proven to be safe and effective. FDA chief Dr. Stephen Hahn has already said the agency is prepared to bypass the typical federal approval process to make a vaccine available on the double. During Wednesday's hearing, Collins said the US is investing in "not one but six vaccine candidates" because of the expectation that they "won't all work, although it would be lovely if they did." Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious-disease expert and a member of the White House coronavirus task force has been emphatic that a vaccine would not be approved for Americans unless it was both safe and effective. Fauci on Wednesday pushed back against the idea that a vaccine might be on the market before the US election. Fauci told "CBS This Morning" that the country should know "by the end of the year" if one of the vaccine candidates currently in Phase 3 will be ready in the expected time frame. "I have said from the beginning, given the way the trials have emerged now, including the one on hold now, the projection that I've made a" and will stick by it a" is that we'll likely get an answer if it's safe and effective by the end of the year, likely November or December." Under a program, Trump has named "Operation Warp Speed," the US goal is to have 300 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine in stock by January. President Donald Trump admitted that he knew the coronavirus pandemic was far more serious than he let on to the public and concealed the virus true dangers, according to a new book. "This is deadly stuff," Mr Trump told Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward on 7 February. You just breathe the air and thats how its passed, the president added during the phone call. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flu. The president spoke to Mr Woodward in a series of 18 recorded interview that are detailed in the journalists upcoming book Rage, which was obtained by CNN. These phone calls, which the president agreed could be recorded, show a far different picture from what he was telling the public. At the same time Mr Trump was admitting to Woodward that the virus could be five times more deadly than the flu, he was publicly saying Covid-19 was no worse than the flu. It would be several weeks before the president and his administration would state the virus was unlike the flu and could be transmitted through the air. The first recorded US coronavirus death happened on 29 February. Another exchange between the president and Mr Woodward happened on 19 March, just a few days after he declared a national emergency, where he admitted to playing down the virus to the public. "I wanted to always play it down," Mr Trump said. "I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic." Health experts have said that if the United States had implemented mask wearing, strict social distancing guidelines, and shut down at the end of February, it could have saved thousands of lives. The US has reported more than 6.3 million coronavirus cases since and 189,972 people have died from the novel virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Trump never did seem willing to fully mobilise the federal government and continually seemed to push problems off on the states, Mr Woodward wrote. There was no real management theory of the case or how to organise a massive enterprise to deal with one of the most complex emergencies the United States had ever faced. "The president has never lied to the American public on covid," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a press briefing on Wednesday. Woodward also spoke to other officials to assess the presidents performance in office, all of which is detailed in the book. Dr Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert and member of the White Houses coronavirus taskforce, was quoted telling others that MrTrumps leadership was "rudderless" and that his "attention span is like a minus number." "His sole purpose is to get re-elected," Dr Fauci told an associate, according to Woodward. Mr Woodwards book covers 18 interviews with the president made from 5 December 2019 through 21 July 2020. Besides speaking about the coronavirus pandemic, the president also spoke to the journalist about race relations across America, diplomacy with North Korea, and other issues that have arisen during the presidency. Rage is a follow-up to Mr Woodwards book Fear, which detailed a chaotic White House environment in which aides would hide papers from the president to prevent dangerous impulses. At the time of the release of Fear, Mr Trump complained that the journalist never reached out to him for a comment, which is potentially why he gave so much access to him for his latest book. But that still didnt stop Mr Trump from complaining about the upcoming book in a tweet on 14 August. The Bob Woodward book will be a FAKE, as always, just as many of the others have been, he wrote. Mr Woodwards book concludes with a stark statement about the president, writing: "Trump is the wrong man for the job." The veteran journalist made his name on the Washington Post in the early 1970s, when his stories with Carl Bernstein about the Watergate scandal eventually led to Richard Nixon resigning in disgrace. The 77-year-old has written books on most of the subsequent presidents since then. They are the questions that aim to stop the deadly spread of coronavirus. Have you caught public transport? Have you visited a public site like a shopping centre or train station? Have you dropped a child off at childcare? In Victoria, contact tracers working the phones are armed with a detailed 11-page questionnaire that guides them through interviews with suspected COVID-19 cases . As federal Health Minister Greg Hunt demands that Victoria improve its systems, The Age has obtained the questions that the state's contact tracers put to cases. We have had misgivings about the Achievement School District from the beginning. Conservatives bemoaned the loss of local control. For others, it was the lack of resources and not understanding the underpinnings of poverty that concerned policymakers. Parents called the ASD school takeover process a scam. However, desperate times drive desperate measures. The ASD was created in 2010 as part of Tennessees Race to the Top plan. Tennessee enacted the ASD to much national fanfare. Its been downhill ever since. In the ASD, we created false and misleading hope for truly the most vulnerable of children. These children will not discover the promise of the future without quality education. Now they are seemingly abandoned. As far back as 2017, Gary Henry, then a Vanderbilt University researcher, found in his research of the ASD that there was no data to support that the program was helping students. ASD schools were less effective than district-run schools. Currently, across all subjects, less than ten percent of students in the ASD are meeting state academic standards when last measured. The absentee rate is also roughly 30 percent. While much of the focus has been on the charter schools in the ASD, the four state-run schools of the ASD have been largely under the radar. These are schools that should have been converted to charter schools, but trying to implement too much, too fast, left the state without a charter operator for these schools. This means that while charters are subject to closure, scrutiny, data reporting, and performance management, the state does not have to report the performance of these schools to anyone, leaving no accountability and oversite to ensure children are learning. It reminds us why President Ronald Reagan once proclaimed that the most terrifying words in the English language are Im from the government and Im here to help. If someone were to look behind the curtain of these state-run schools, they would find higher than usual teacher and principal turnover while the Shelby County schools grades 1-3 outperform these schools by double digits. In other words, like most of the ASD schools, they arent doing much better - and in some cases worse than the district schools. The TN Department of Education has not demonstrated a sustained commitment by investing the time and resources necessary to create lasting change in their four state-run schools. In a recent two-day visit to Memphis, Commissioner Schwinn visited an ASD charter school and a municipal school, but not her own state-run schools. This isnt unusual shes abnormally hands off of the ASD, but during a pandemic, we would think she would want to see the state schools for herself, the children, and the safety protocols she is directly responsible for. However, she would have only been only able to visit two or her schools, as two still are not open. Thats right - as Governor Lee stands at podiums and insists that its safe for students to return to school, at least two of his own schools have yet to open. Frayser and Corning pushed back the start of the school year to September 2nd and then it will be virtual, their Facebook pages say, until Sept. 14, 2020. It seems to conflict with the objective of the state. Even the devices were not handed out until Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, 2020. These students are falling through the cracks, and nobody at the state notices it? We have to do better, and I am certain local control is preferential to state control at this point. Not opening a state-operated school in a pandemic is the least of the issues in the ASD. A search firm was hired to identify a new leader, perhaps someone with actual turnaround experience, and then abruptly halted. The state hosted multiple community meetings last spring with promises of hiring a leader, closing the ASD low-performing charters, and returning the state-run schools back to their district but none of this has come to fruition, leaving most of Memphis to wonder if the Commissioner will at least follow her own laws for the closure of its low-performing charter schools. All of this, however, would take work, commitment, and actual execution of promises made. This cannot be accomplished by the Departments infamous toolkits, no more than the toolkits have been adequate responses to a pandemic. In 2020, the Tennessee General Assembly wisely passed Public Chapter 777. Once enacted, this will require the Commissioner to develop a transition plan to plan the return, no earlier than the 2024-2025 school year, of schools in the ASD to the LEAs from which the schools were removed. It will also require the Commissioner to submit the plan to the education committees of the Senate and House by Jan. 1, 2021. The new law clarifies that a school that has been placed in the ASD must remain in the ASD until the school is authorized to return to its LEA according to the transition plan. The state should accelerate that process and immediately end the failed ASD. The Tennessee House Education Committee should preview that plan in their Summer Study meeting on September 22nd and 23rd this month. Surely, the failure to reopen these schools, in person, virtually, or by hybrid - and the delay in getting devices - falls under the criteria for the purpose of the Summer Study meeting. To be fair, leadership is hard, and Commissioners are easy targets for all sorts of criticism. We should not look at the personality, but rather look at the work. Tennesseans have always believed that if we faced our problems and worked at them, they could be resolved. Herein is the critical point: In the case of Penny Schwinns leadership in Tennessee, there is nothing to actually show for the work. No new policies, no initiatives to support the learning of children, no newly forged bridges or support to marginalized or high-risk populationsnothing. Most stakeholders and policymakers feel completely left out of the process. Education impacts successes in all other policy areas, and we need many voices to be heard. For Governor Lee, who boldly proclaimed he wanted to be the education Governor we are still waiting in public education. ********* JC Bowman Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:08:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) called Wednesday on the international community to take a firm stand against the Iranian activities that "shake the regional countries' stability." The AL stressed rejection for the "Iranian hostile practices," calling on Tehran to stop intervention in the Arab countries' domestic affairs, during the sideline of AL's ministerial committee held via a video conference. It also urged Iran to "stop support for its proxies in the region and stop inciting sectarian seditions that constitute a continuing threat to the stability and security of the Arab region." Enditem White Catholic swing voters more crucial to Trumps reelection than evangelicals: policy scholar Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment White Catholic voters, rather than white evangelicals, will be the deciding factor as to whether President Donald Trump is reelected, according to a public policy scholar. Evangelical voters are unlikely to abandon Trump, according to Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, who said the voting block to watch are white Catholics in the Midwest, especially those living in the Great Lakes states who propelled Trump to victory in 2016 and might do it again in November. In 2016, Mr. Trump won Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin states with heavy concentrations of Catholic voters by merely 107,000 votes combined, Rozell wrote in an op-ed published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Clinton handily won the national popular vote and Mr. Trump won the majority of Catholic voters. Exit polls had Mr. Trump holding a 52%-to-45% edge among Catholics. Rozell attributed this success to white Catholics voting in large numbers while Latino Catholics voted in smaller numbers than 2012, with more voting Republican. Rozell said that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, himself a Catholic, must hold down his losses among white Catholics and get a strong turnout among the largely Catholic Latino population. Rozell warned that Biden cannot merely rely on his own religious identity for a win, as most Catholics voted for Methodist George W. Bush in 2004 rather than fellow Catholic, John Kerry. The loosening of Democratic ties and the movement toward the GOP for many Catholics have largely been the result of two factors: economic success and the issue of abortion, he continued. with the open embrace of abortion rights by the Democrats and the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision, many Catholics questioned whether the party any longer represented their values. Much has been made about the strong support for Trump among self-identified white evangelicals, who voted for the Republican nominee in large numbers in 2016. For example, Pew Research Center released a report in July which found that 82% of white evangelicals plan to vote for Trump and approve of his job performance. In analyzing the reasons for Clintons defeat in 2016, some pointed to the conservative Catholic voters in swing states like Pennsylvania and Ohio as an important factor. Daniel R. Kempton, a political science professor at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, argued this point in a 2016 piece published by the National Catholic Reporter. Specifically, Kempton cited Clintons pro-abortion stance and her support for measures he considered a threat to the religious liberty of Catholic organizations. Maybe next time all Catholics can search together for a candidate without a trace of intolerance, racism, or misogyny, but also a candidate respectful of freedom of religion and who is not seeking to expand access to abortion, he wrote. If not, I will stand with you when I can to protect the environment, to fight intolerance, to prevent racism, and to treat the poor and the immigrant community with kindness. But I still won't vote for candidates who threaten our freedom of religion and seek to expand federal support for abortion abroad and at home. In an analysis published in July, Frank Newport of Gallup wrote that it was unlikely that Biden's Catholic religion will be a significant factor in the election in either direction. Highly active Catholics are disproportionately likely to be Trump supporters and tend not to share Biden's position on the hot-button issue of abortion, wrote Newport. Less active and Hispanic Catholics are more Democratic, which is good for Biden, but it's not clear that his Catholicism per se will increase their enthusiasm for his candidacy or increase their likelihood to turn out and vote. His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia today posted the following on his Facebook page: Today, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia received Executive Director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Haykak Arshamyan, who was accompanied by Ambassador of Armenia to Lebanon Vahagn Atabekyan. The parties touched upon Armenias assistance to the people of Lebanon and particularly the Armenian community. The Supreme Patriarch generally presented the situation in the community following the blast in Beirut and the recovery efforts and appreciated the fact that Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has sent assistance and humanitarian aid to the Armenian communities of Lebanon and Syria for the third time in the course of one year. According to His Holiness Aram I, the Funds assistance will be provided to the teachers and employees of all Armenian schools in the Armenian communities of Lebanon and Syria, and in the case of Syria, assistance will also be provided to compensate the medical expenses for Armenians infected with the coronavirus. Farming practices and expansion are among the biggest threats to nature, but one of the biggest threats to agriculture and its ability to feed the world is nature's declining health. It's a difficult problem that must be tackled on a world scale, with the global population forecast to grow from 7.7 billion to 11 billion by 2100. Australian farms will need to become more innovative to reverse damaging declines in natural ecosystems and feed the world's growing population. Credit:Jessica Hromas But a study in the journal Nature, released on Thursday, found more than two thirds of future biodiversity losses from habitat conversion could be avoided with policies to establish markets for sustainably produced food and encourage healthier, sustainable diets, as well as encourage industry innovation. "We found that apart from increased conservation efforts, the the biggest effect on biodiversity will come from how you managed the food system - especially land use, farming, food consumption and waste reduction," said CSIRO chief research scientist Mario Herrero, one of the report's authors. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held meetings with his Kyrgyz and Tajik counterparts here on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, and discussed various issues of mutual interests and ways to boost bilateral relations. In a tweet, Jaishankar said he had a "fruitful meeting" with his Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov and thanked him for his efforts in facilitating the return of Indian nationals. "A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines. Thanked him for the support in facilitating the return of Indian nationals. Discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. Agreed to further enhance our Strategic Partnership in all spheres," he said. Recently, hundreds of Indian students and businessmen were repatriated from Kyrgyzstan under the Government of India's Vande Bharat Mission, an initiative aimed at bringing back Indian nationals amid COVID-19 induced travel restrictions. In a separate tweet, Jaishankar said he had a "warm meeting" with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin and expressed satisfaction with the growing bilateral and regional cooperation. "A warm meeting with Tajik FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin. Pleased with our growing bilateral and regional cooperation. Highly value this strategic partnership," the External Affairs Minister said. Authorities will confine four neighborhoods in Palma, on the Spanish island of Mallorca, due to high coronavirus transmission rates in the city. The areas of Son Gotleu, Can Capes, La Soledat Nord and part of Son Canals, which are home to nearly 23,000 people, will be closed off for at least 15 days beginning on Friday at 10pm. Residents will only be allowed in and out for essential business such as work, school and visits to the doctor. Closing time for bars and restaurants is set at 10pm and all religious services, except for funerals, are being suspended. Public parks, sports arenas and gyms cannot open during the confinement period. Community transmission in these neighborhoods is high, with 496 cases per 100,000 people, three times as much as the average for the entire island of Mallorca. The positivity rate is 18.1% of all tested cases. Highest incidence in Western Europe The Spanish Health Ministry reported 8,960 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday. According to the latest report, the number of new infections continues to rise, but at a less aggressive rate (in relative terms) than in July and August. It is too soon, however, to confirm whether the upward curve is stabilizing or might even start to fall again. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Health Ministry has recorded a total of 534,513 Covid-19 cases. Spain continues to be the Western European country with the highest cumulative incidence of the virus, with 236 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days. This is nearly double the rate in France (120), which has seen a spike in infections, and far higher than the figure in the United Kingdom (33.5), Portugal (44.7) and Germany (19.1). Madrid is going to need a perimeter confinement and measures that require a state of alarm Jose Martinez Olmos, professor at the Andalusian Public Health School On a national level, the Madrid region continues to report the largest number of cases, accounting for one third of all infections: 17,998 of the 52,1238 cases recorded in the last week. It also is the region with the highest incidence rate of Covid-19 with 543 cases per 100,000 people, followed by La Rioja (392.6), Basque Country (372) and Navarre (364). The Spanish regions with the lowest incidence of the virus are Asturias (60), Galicia (128), Andalusia (129) and Catalonia (180). At the beginning of the second wave, Catalonia was one of the regions with the highest number of new coronavirus cases, but now has a lower 14-day cumulative rate than the national average (236). A total of 575 new patients were hospitalized with Covid-19, and 49 were admitted into intensive care, according to the Health Ministry report released on Tuesday. This document recorded 78 new coronavirus fatalities, bringing the official total to 29,594, although the real number is likely to be much higher as thousands of people died during the pandemic without being diagnosed. Madrid hospitals feel the strain The number of hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients in the Madrid region has doubled in three weeks. If the regional governments new restrictions on social activities fail to curb contagion, some hospitals in the region may be overwhelmed within weeks, experts warn. On August 20, the first day that the central Health Ministry published figures on hospital occupancy, coronavirus patients made up 9.4% of admissions. On September 8, that figure was 19%. The spike in the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care units (ICUs) has been even more significant, rising from 126 to 288. This rise is above the average in Spain, where hospital occupancy has increased from 4.3% to 7.4%, and the number of ICU patients has gone from 522 to 1,051, according to the Health Ministry report from Monday. Health workers transfer a patient at Madrids 12 de Octubre hospital on September 2. JUAN MEDINA (Reuters) Although the Madrid regional government believes the situation is under control, the rise in coronavirus cases has increased pressure on Madrid hospitals, some of which have had to transfer patients to other medical centers. As of Tuesday, the Madrid region had 2,139 coronavirus patients in hospital, 275 of whom were in the ICU. According to Manuel de Castro, from the Madrid Doctors and Advanced Degree Association, hospitals under the greatest strain are already postponing non-urgent surgeries to ensure ICUs are not compromised. Whats more, resources meant to be used for other reasons are being set aside for Covid-19 patients. Jose Martinez Olmos, who teaches at the Andalusian Public Health School and served as a health official for the Spanish government between 2005 and 2011, warns the new restrictions on social gatherings will not be enough to curb transmission. In my opinion, Madrid is going to need a perimeter confinement and measures that require a state of alarm, he said. If the expected outbreaks in schools increase the incidence [of the virus] and if there are outbreaks in senior residences that could potentially hurt the health of the seniors, this will lead to more pressure on hospitals and an increase in mortality. English version by Melissa Kitson. Pledges Multi-Year Commitment Duff Phelps, the world's premier provider of governance, risk and transparency solutions, today announced that it has achieved carbon neutrality across all of its 25 global offices and is now a CarbonNeutral company, certified in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. The company has pledged a continued commitment to carbon neutrality globally and will review its offset program every five years. Becoming a CarbonNeutral company is a primary step in a long-term strategy of emission reduction. The process involves reducing carbon emissions across all or parts of scopes 1, 2 and 3 through a combination of internal efficiencies and offsets. Working with third-party climate finance experts, Natural Capital Partners, Duff Phelps offsets emissions each year by supporting carbon finance projects that positively impact local communities. All projects are tracked against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to Duff Phelps' broader environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy. The supported projects are located around the world and are representative of Duff Phelps' global reach. Marty Dauer, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Duff Phelps, said, "Becoming a CarbonNeutral company is an important step on our path to achieving our social and environmental sustainability goals. Among our commitments to a cleaner world for future generations, we have supported a number of environmentally focused charities through the Duff Phelps Charitable Foundation along with our multi-year pledge to carbon neutrality." Natalie Taylor, Director of Client Engagement at Natural Capital Partners, said, "We are delighted to be working with Duff Phelps to achieve its ESG goals. By becoming a CarbonNeutral company and using high-quality offsets, Duff Phelps is demonstrating climate leadership and contributing to a range of impactful emission reduction projects around the world. We look forward to continuing to work with Duff Phelps on its climate journey." Supported projects for 2019 include: Improved Cookstoves in Mexico providing essential funds to enable low income households to purchase new cookstoves in rural Mexico, helping to tackle indoor air pollution and reducing emissions from non-renewable sources West India Wind Power helping India's green growth agenda by supporting a renewable energy wind power project of 242 turbines in Western districts Jaisalmer, Raijkot and Surendranagar Australian Savanna Fire Management supporting the proactive management of Savanna fires in Australia through the indigenous tradition of strategic burnings to prevent uncontrolled wildfires America's Seneca Meadows producing electricity from landfill gas to power 18,000 homes in America and restoring native wildlife across almost 420 acres of new wetlands and nearly 160 acres of existing wooded wetlands India Household Biogas transforming farm waste into clean energy for families and supporting job creation and training in the fields of regenerative agriculture and waste management About Duff Phelps Duff Phelps is the world's premier provider of governance, risk and transparency solutions. We work with clients across diverse sectors in the areas of valuation, corporate finance, disputes and investigations, cyber security, claims administration and regulatory compliance. With Kroll, the leading global provider of risk solutions, and Prime Clerk, the leader in complex business services and claims administration, our firm has nearly 4,000 professionals in 25 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.duffandphelps.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005129/en/ Contacts: Duff Phelps Angela Tucciarone +1 212 871 6237 Jordans international airport resumed regularly scheduled international flights on Tuesday. The Hashemite Kingdom has had success fighting COVID-19, but its strict travel and movement restrictions have created hardship for citizens and residents. Queen Alia International Airport outside of Amman will have six flights a day for now, Reuters reported. This number will increase as the airport readies itself to further implement strict health and social distancing guidelines, according to the outlet. Jordanian authorities previously said the airport would reopen in August, but this was delayed amid continued virus concerns. Flights first stopped in March at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and only repatriation flights were allowed. Several other countries in the region also halted most flights for months. Queen Alia International Airports flight schedule showed departures and arrivals from Middle Eastern and European airports on Tuesday and Wednesday. Jordan implemented some of the strictest travel stipulations in the Middle East in response to COVID-19. Returnees to the country had to wear a wristband that tracked their movements as they quarantined in hotels near the Dead Sea. Within the country, the army deployed in March to ensure people did not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary. Restrictions gradually eased starting in April. The harsh measures have led to criticism amid a crackdown on dissent and economic strife. Jordans Teacher Syndicate labor union told Al-Monitor in August that the government used defense laws passed at the start of the pandemic to detain their members. At the same time, Jordan, with a population of around 10 million, has had far fewer confirmed virus cases than some of its neighbors. Jordan has had 2,659 cases, according to Worldometer. Neighboring Israel, with a population of around 9 million, has had more than 139,000 cases, by comparison. Lebanon has also had more cases with over 21,000 among its nearly 7 million population. AVIGNON, France, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The third Friday of every September marks International #GrenacheDay -- an online global event celebrating the sophisticated and intriguing grape varietal known as Grenache. Grenache makes great wines greater, roses blush, and stands on its own as a velvety wine expressing its deep-rooted terroir and umami mouthfeel in every sip. #GrenacheDay Is Friday September 18th the world over. Be a Grenachista and Join in The Global Celebration of the Great Grape of Grenache. For over ten years the Grenache Association has been promoting and drawing attention to the great grape of Grenache. For the past decade, the Grenache Association has staged #GrenacheDay, an international event that inspires thousands of initiatives in wineries, restaurants, shops and private homes in over 30 countries, and encourages fans around the world to wear colorful clothing to celebrate grenache's diversity. Each year "Grenachistas" post, share, toast, tweet, talk, and most importantly DRINK Grenache with friends, sharing it on social media. This year everyone needs an escape from the news and "new normal" and can be inspired by #GrenacheDay by joining an online grenache event including remote Zoom tastings and happy hours, virtual winery tours, and classes by wine masters. Quarantining with your "quaranteam," "bubble" or "circle-of-trust"? Open a bottle at home and share the moment on social media, or support local businesses by responsibly embracing socially-distanced tasting experiences. #GrenacheDay Fun: Grenache, which is also known as Garnacha, Cannonau, Alicante, and Garnaxta, is planted on 6 of the 7 continents and is one of the world's most versatile grapes. Typically, this grape variety brings raspberry and strawberry notes, sometimes with hints of white pepper to create many of the very best rose wines. Grenache compliments great wines with deep complexity, including Chateauneuf-du-Papes (typically 80% Grenache), and is indispensable to GSM blends of Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre. Longtime Grenache winemaker, Doug Margerum of Margerum Wine Company boasts: "Grenache is the greatest actor on the wine stage for the perfect meal: dry crisp Grenache Rose to start, luxurious Grenache Blanc and Grenache-based blends as preludes to her majesty Grenache by herself 'a cappella' and finishing with her sweetest role as dessert." According to #GrenacheDay co-founder, Nicole Rolet of Chene Bleu wines, "The Grenache grape is a superstar amongst grape varietals for its versatility, luxurious taste and its ability to elevate any meal with its rich complexity. During these extraordinary times, if you enjoy fine wine, it's a treat to take a moment to celebrate life with a great bottle of Grenache." Contact: Marlene Angelloz, Exec Dir Grenache Association, [email protected], +33(0)661609596 Media: Jane Silverman [email protected] Quotes: http://www.grenache-association.com/quotes/ for quotes by USA Grenache Ambassador Andy Abramson; Best Sommelier in the World 2013 Paolo Basso; Dean Hewitson; Randall Grahm; Jancis Robinson; Steven Spurrier, and others. SOURCE Grenache Association Richard Ratcliffe has called on the government to ensure British officials attend his wife's second trial in Iran on Sunday - PA The British government needs to do more to help Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, her husband said on Wednesday, the day after an Iranian court reopened a second court case against the detained British-Iranian woman. We have been warning the government of the need to protect Nazanin and the others much more publicly, or this ordeal would spiral more, Richard Ratcliffe said in a statement calling on UK officials to insist on attending her second trial in Tehran on Sunday. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe will be tried by a judge known for hearing other politically charged cases and sentencing Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian to prison. A dual-nationality project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in April 2016 trying to leave Iran with her young daughter after visiting family. Her family and employer deny the charges of sedition against her. Mr Ratcliffe said on Wednesday that her detention is being used as leverage to force the UK to pay a debt arising from the non-performance of a 1970s weapons deal. When the Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979, Britain did not deliver 1,500 Chieftain tanks previously paid for, nor return the money o the new Islamic republic . International arbitration that concluded in 2009 ruled that the UK owed the debt, thought to be worth about 400m. After serving most of her five-year sentence, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was temporarily released from Evin Prison prison in March amid the coronavirus outbreak. She is required to wear an ankle tag and remain within 300 metres of her parents home in Iran. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was due for release in March 2021 but now faces the prospect of further prison time. There is only so much abuse one person can take, said Mr Ratcliffe, arguing his wife is being held hostage by Iran. Nazanin was asking today has she not had her share? The government must take action to send a message to Iran, he said. The government needs to think about who will be taken next, how soft diplomacy stops the spread of state hostage taking? The government is set to bring in greater social-distancing restrictions following a spike in coronavirus cases. (Getty) Coronavirus cases have risen by more than 2,000 for the fourth day in a row. The government confirmed there were 2,659 new cases reported on Wednesday. Another eight people have also died with COVID-19, bringing the official death toll in the UK to 41,594. There were 2,988 new cases on Sunday, the highest daily increase since 22 May, with another 2,948 on Monday and 2,420 on Tuesday. Read more: Stop blaming young people for the spread of coronavirus, scientists tell government The news follows the governments announcement that it will bring in greater social-distancing restrictions in England as it seeks to curb the rise in infections. From Monday, social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England, down from the current limit of 30. The new limit will apply to gatherings indoors and outdoors, including private homes as well as parks, pubs and restaurants. Boris Johnson laid out the new restrictions at a press conference in Downing Street on Wednesday. He said: So in England from Monday we are introducing the rule of six. Boris Johnson lays out the new coronavirus restrictions at a virtual press conference in Downing Street, London, on Wednesday. (PA) You must not meet socially in groups of more than six and if you do, you will be breaking the law. This will apply in any setting indoors or outdoors, at home or in the park. The ban will be set out in law and it will be enforced by the police, and anyone breaking the rules risks being dispersed, fined, and possibly arrested. Read more: Boris Johnson unveils coronavirus plan to get some normality by Christmas The prime minister said there would be some limited exemptions: for example, if a single household or support bubble is larger than six, it will still be allowed to gather. He said COVID-secure venues like places of worship, gyms, restaurants and hospitality venues could still hold more than six in total. But he said within those venues there must not be individual groups larger than six and groups must not mix socially or form larger groups. Watch: What are the current UK government guidelines on face coverings within schools? Story continues Englands chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said the number of coronavirus cases has been increasing much more rapidly over the past few days. While the numbers among older people and children remained flat, he said, in other age groups there had been rapid upticks. Among 17- to 18-year-olds and 19- to 21-year-olds, the numbers had gone up really quite steeply since mid-August, he said. Without action, Prof Whitty said, data suggests Britain would be on a path extremely similar to France, where numbers have continued to rise. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Grant Shapps has announced the government will replace its country-wide quarantine policy with a more targeted approach allowing popular island resorts to be both removed and added to air bridge agreements for England. The transport secretary also revealed seven Greek islands including Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos will face quarantine restrictions from 4am on Wednesday, in the first example of the new policy. While tourists travelling to mainland Greece and other islands will be exempt from the mandatory 14-day self-isolation period on their return, data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JCB) indicated a significant risk to the UK public health from these seven islands. The decision brings England in line with Wales, which last week removed Greek islands from its quarantine-free list. Scotlands travel restrictions apply to the entirety of Greece a country that UK tourists have flocked to this summer amid mandatory quarantines on other popular destinations such as France and Spain. In a Commons statement, Mr Shapps said the government will be able to assess the threat level from island resorts rather than imposing a blanket quarantine on an entire country in future. The cabinet minister said through enhanced data from the JCB we will now be able to pinpoint risk in some of the most popular islands, providing increased flexibility to add or remove them as infection rates change. The governments regional policy will only apply to land that has a clear boundary such as an island and internationally comparable data on coronavirus cases, the Department for Transport added. Mr Shapps told MPs: It is worth noting that the policy will not necessarily open up additional islands immediately. For example, when we removed Spain from the travel corridor list there were 24 cases per 100,000. Today there are 127 cases and it remains too high in the Balearic and Canary Islands as well. On the other hand, Greece remains within our travel corridor programme, but our new analysis shows that some of the islands are well outside of the parameters. Mr Shapps added: However, using our newly-acquired JBC data we are now in a position to remove Greek islands where holidaymakers are at risk of spreading the new infection back home, and seven Greek islands will therefore be removed from the travel list at 4am on Wednesday 9 September, whilst maintaining mainland Greece. The transport secretary also said the government is exploring the introduction of tougher enforcement measures for those who flout quarantine restrictions when returning to the UK, reiterating to MPs such actions are a criminal offence. If you dont quarantine for 14 days and you take this virus and you spread it around, you are endangering the people that you love and others that youve never even met and you can get a criminal record for it. He later added: We absolutely will be stepping up measures and Im working with the home secretary and others to secure that, and I again will say more about it very soon. Kabul: The United Arab Emirates says five of its diplomats were killed in a bombing in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. The UAE on Wednesday said it will fly the nation's flags at half-mast on their honour. Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's prime minister and vice president, said on Twitter there is no human, moral or religious justification for the bombing and killing of people trying to help" others. Afghan officials previously said the blast killed five people and wounded 12. Among the wounded were Kandahar Govornor. Homayun Azizia, as well as UAE Ambassador Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi. The Taliban issued a statement on Wednesday saying they did not plant the bomb, instead blaming an "internal local rivalry" for the attack. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Congress in Madhya Pradesh has claimed that the initiatives of former chief minister Kamal Nath to waive of farm loans contributed to the decrease in farmers suicides in the state. The Congress claim came on the back of the National Crime Records Bureaus (NCRB) annual report that showed a drop of 53% in farmer suicides in Madhya Pradesh in 2019. The NCRB released its accidental deaths and suicides in India (ADSI) report for the year 2019 last week. The Congress said that although the farmers suicide rate increased by 3% in rest of the country, it came down by 53% in Madhya Pradesh. The central Indian state reported 303 farmer suicide cases in 2018 when the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power and it came down to 142 cases in 2019 when Congress ruled the state. The Congress had ended the BJPs 15-year rule in the state in December 2018 by winning the polls with a slender margin. The Congress formed the government with the help of smaller parties and independents and Nath became the chief minister. Although there is a significant improvement in the suicide cases of farmers, the suicide by farm labourers increased from 352 to 399 in MP during this period, the report says. However, the farmer suicide trend in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, where Congress came to power in 2018 simultaneously with MP and introduced the farm loan waiver scheme, is different. In Rajasthan, only two farmers had committed suicide in 2018 and the number is reported as same in 2019 too while in Chhattisgarh, the number of cases increased by 21% from 182 in 2018 to 233 cases in 2019, according to the ADSI report. Rajasthan government officials said farmer suicides are reported separately only if the investigation shows the reason for committing the acct was farm related. The Congress in Madhya Pradesh had promised 2 lakh per head loan waiver to farmers in the run-up to 2018 assembly elections. Once in power, the Congress government claimed to have waived loans of more than two million farmers who had loans up to 50,000. The second phase of the loan of farmers having loans of 50,001 to one lakh was announced in December 2019. However, the Congress government was dislodged by BJP in March 2020 before the second phase of loan waiver scheme could be implemented. A Congress leader said, We are not concerned about what happened in other Congress ruled states but in MP we have decided to make the significant fall in the number of farmer suicides a major poll issue in the bypolls in 27 assembly constituencies. Farmer welfare and agriculture development minister in Kamal Nath government, Sachin Yadav, said, Former chief minister Naths agrarian policies and schemes had given a ray of hope to farmers. The farm loan waiver scheme proved a boon and many farmers got the benefits from the scheme. But other reforms like action against the land mafia, mandi mafia and money lenders,helped bring down the production cost of crops and farmers were getting a fair price for their crops. All these factors brought happiness to farmers in MP. Farmers and farmers associations have mixed opinions about the Congresss claim. Rashtriya Kisan Majdoor Sangh president Shivkumar kakkaji said, Apart from the major schemes meant for farmers, Congress-led state government had started addressing small issues too related to farmers. In just one year, more than 2 lakh agriculture land dispute cases, which were in pendency for the past several decades, were resolved by the revenue department. Similarly, farmers were being trained for horticulture too so that their sole dependence on traditional crops could be reduced to some extent. Bharaitya Kisan Union general secretary Anil Yadav said, Its true that the then Congress-led state governments loan waiver promise reduced the stress on farmers but there was unequal distribution of benefits and poor implementation of the scheme. In fact, both BJP and Congress use farmers to win election and after election they forget them. A farmer Bhagwan Meena of Sehore district said, Congress promise of loan waiver raised the hope of farmers. Loan of a section of farmers was waived to a certain amount but a good number of farmers who expected waiver of 2 lakh loan became defaulters in the records of banks as they were not given the benefit of the scheme. The ruling BJP rubbished the Congress claim of improving the condition of farmers. Minister for farmer welfare and agriculture development in the BJP-led government, Kamal Patel said, The farmers trusted lies of the Congress but in just one year, the then Congress government stood exposed for its falsehood. Now, farmers are facing a tough time due to the Congress poor policies. We are helping the farmers overcome their problems. We are also giving compensation to farmers by conducting a swift survey of damaged crops. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 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. Verification and registrar choice After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. 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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. A man accused of slashing a police officer across the head with a knife in Sydney's CBD has now also been charged with assaulting two prison guards, days after his lawyer told a NSW court he had been 'subject to violence' behind bars. Police say Fredrick Elrezz became physically aggressive towards two NSW Corrective Services officers, about 9.30am last Thursday, before biting one on the hand and spitting on the other. The 32-year-old has been charged with three new offences including assaulting a law enforcement officer and inflicting actual bodily harm. Scroll down for video Police say Fredrick Elrezz became physically aggressive towards two NSW Corrective Services officers, about 9.30am last Thursday, before biting one on the hand and spitting on the other Elrezz was last week accused of assaulting three policemen (one is pictured) on York Street on Wednesday after he was said to have harassed a food delivery driver Elrezz was last week accused of assaulting three policemen on York Street on Wednesday after he was said to have harassed a food delivery driver. The Lakemba man's lawyer, Oussama Elfawal, last Friday told magistrate Robert Williams at Central Local Court his client was having a 'difficult time' in custody. 'He has been subject to violence from the guards because of the allegations made against him,' Mr Elfawal told the court. Elrezz was taken to hospital for assessment after the slashing incident, while authorities also seized several items from a York Street hostel. A male probationary constable (left), 20, was bitten on his tricep with a bite mark (right) and blood visible A 40-year-old senior constable was treated for a laceration to his head and a cut to his left shoulder, while two other officers were also taken to hospital. Elrezz was charged with a string of offences including inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to murder, assaulting police and resisting arrest. The 32-year-old faced magistrate Michael Crompton on Wednesday via video link at Bankstown Local Court, where did not apply for bail and it was formally refused. He will next face court at the Sydney Downing Centre Local Court on October 21. Over the past years, Vietnam has made great progress in promoting and protecting human rights through the ratification of important international treaties. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 4 cooperated with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Vietnam to organize a workshop on a master plan to implement recommendations under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, period three, that Vietnam has approved. The event attracted a large number of representatives from ministries, agencies, cities and provinces, research agencies and socio-political and professional organizations, people's organizations and many international organizations and foreign diplomatic missions in Vietnam. Opening the workshop, Le Hoai Trung, a member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that with a consistent policy on human rights protection and promotion, Vietnam has attached great importance to and fully and seriously participated in the UPR mechanism right from cycle one (2009). The implementation of UPR recommendations has also brought about an impact on all aspects of social life in Vietnam, such as building a legal system of human rights, ensuring social security, and improving the lives of people. Vietnam's experience in participating effectively in the UPR mechanism has also been highly appreciated by the international community, especially the issuance of master plans to realize recommendations over cycles. Deputy Minister Le Hoai Trung also noted new challenges to the guarantee of human rights and the implementation of UPR recommendations, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, he affirmed Vietnam's determination and efforts in this matter, with the consensus and joint strength of the government and people, as well as the cooperation and support of international partners. Vienam's commitment and its efforts to participate in the UPR mechanism were also acknowledged and highly appreciated in the speech of Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, Resident Representative of UNDP Vietnam. Ms. Wiesen suggested that in the coming time, it is necessary to integrate the contents of sustainable development and protection of vulnerable groups, ensuring the participation and contribution of the people in this task. Representatives of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry and a number of ministries, sectors, research agencies, and non-governmental organizations introduced the master plan to implement the UPR recommendations cycle three of Vietnam, which has been approved by the Prime Minister, and shared useful information and experiences on the role of UN agencies in supporting the implementation of UPR recommendations. Attendants also discussed commitments and efforts of Vietnamese agencies to implement UPR recommendations in a number of key areas; solutions to improve education; raising awareness about human rights in Vietnam, especially for young people; and proposed measures to increase the effectiveness of UPR recommendations and to encourage the participation of beneficiaries. The UN Human Rights Council's UPR mechanism was established in 2008 and is one of the outstanding successes, which was built on the principles of transparency, fairness, non-discrimination, and promotion of dialogue and cooperation among nations. With a consistent policy on the protection and promotion of human rights, Vietnam attaches special importance to and always fully and seriously implements its obligations and commitments under the UPR mechanism. During cycle three, Vietnam received 291 recommendations from 122 countries and accepted 241 of them. Thanh Nam A Conservative minister has denied claims that the government has been too complacent and optimistic about the coronavirus pandemic despite Boris Johnsons own claim Britain would return to normality by Christmas. Junior health minister Nadine Dorries tweeted: No one who knew anything about the pathology of Covid-19 ever said it would be over by Christmas. However as many pointed out on social media the prime minister said in July that he expected a significant return to normality from November at the earliest, possibly in time for Christmas. It comes as members of the governments Sage group of scientific advisors expressed concern about the rising number of Covid-19 cases and warned that the UK could be facing a serious outbreak through the autumn and winter months. Professor John Edmunds told ITVs Peston: The epidemic continues to increase and then we have Christmas. And that is very difficult. What is Christmas? Well its meeting with your family very close. Restaurants and pubs and stuff like that. The Sage member added: Its all high risk. And its all indoors. Indoors makes a difference. Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, fellow Sage member and deputy chief medical officer, urged politicians and public health officials to think how to manage the crisis not in the short term but through the next six months and how we get through this until the spring. Professor Van-Tam said the public had become too relaxed about the virus spreading following the easing of lockdown restrictions. Communications expert Steve Hawkes suggested the public had been made to relax because they were told to shop, take a summer holiday and that it would be over by Xmas prompting Ms Dorries defence of the government. There were a further 2,948 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Monday, following the 2,988 reported on Sunday, which was the largest daily figure since May. The seven-day rate of new UK cases has risen to 21.3 per 100,000 people, just above the threshold of 20 cases per 100,000 at which the government considers imposing quarantine conditions on people travelling to the UK, if recorded in other countries. Faced with the prospect of troops having to occupy high-altitude outposts in Ladakh through the winter, the Indian Army has tapped suppliers worldwide to expanded its stockpiles of extreme-cold weather equipment, including clothing designed to provide thermal insulation at temperatures of -50C and winds of 40 kilometres an hour, government sources have told News18. The emergency effort to expand the Armys stockpiles of extreme-weather tents, fibre-reinforced plastic igloos and specialised snow-boots are evidence that the Indian Army is preparing to have to maintain dozens of new high-altitude positions through the winter along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Experts have been warning of the risk that the crisis along the LAC could result in the two armies being pushed into Siachen-like long-term high-altitude deployments in some of the worlds most inhospitable terrain. Theres a real possibility that both the Indian Army and Peoples Liberation Army could end up scrambling to occupy tactically-important features in some stretches of the LAC, said Colonel Vivek Chadha, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Analyses. MOUNTAIN-GRABBING Last month, Indian troops occupied an unoccupied feature code-named Black Top, east of the traditional LAC, commandos from the Special Frontier Force a crack force made up ethnic Tibetans living in India. Black Top, located at over 4,000 metres above sea level, gives the Indian Army the ability to directly observe PLA troops movements around Spanggur, a saltwater lake to the south of Pangong Lake in Ladakh. The occupation of Black Top was designed to retaliate against the PLAs occupation of Green Top, a key feature on Finger 4 one of a series of ridge-lines radiating north-east from Pangong Lake. PLA soldiers stationed on Green Top have direct line-of-sight observation over Dhan Singh Post, the Indian Armys key forward position on Finger 3, as well as minor positions to its south. Even though Chinese negotiators had agreed in military-to-military talks to restore the status-quo prior to the occupation of several of the ridge-lines in April, and return its troops to positions behind Finger 8, the PLA held on to Green Top, and did not withdraw troops stationed along Finger 5. The Indian retaliatory action has led to an increase in tensions south of Pangong, with warning shots being fired on August 30-31, during the operation to take Black Top, and again on September 7, when PLA troops armed with rods and crude spears appeared on the Rezang La pass near an Indian position. Rezang La was the site of one of the Indian Armys most famous battles, where 114 troops of the 13 Kumaon Regiment under the command of Major Shaitan Singh fell holding out almost to the last man against a November 18, 1962, PLA strike directed at the village of Chushul. Events have raised fears that both armies could find themselves locked into a cycle of mountain-grabs followed by the commitment of troops to hold that territory. The sensible thing to do will be for the PLA to swap its positions north of Pangong for those India has taken south of Pangong, a senior Government official said. But very little China has done since April has been sensible. Before 2003, when a ceasefire went into place along the Line of Control separating the Indian Army and Pakistan Army in Kashmir, localised skirmishes often broke out in similar circumstancesand troops remain committed on high-altitude positions even today. Even though no significant fighting has taken place around Siachen since the 1999 Kargil war, 167 soldiers lost their lives there between 2009 and 2019the result of accidents and altitude-related ailments. LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES Large-scale winter deployment, military sources say, will involve significant logistical challenges. Last year, for example, a representative of the Indian Army flagged critical deficits in Indias production capacities for cold-weather clothing to the Lok Sabhas Standing Committee on Defence, noting that virtually about 80 per cent of it is imported. There is no indigenous capability existing in India to make it, the Army representative said. The lack of domestic capacity has often left frontline troops short of critical equipment. In 2015-2016, the Comptroller and Auditor General recently reported, soldiers in Siachen were left short of snow boots. CAG also criticised the quality of snow goggles, sleeping bags, cold-weather masks and rucksacks. Experts also argue Chinas advantages of terrain notably, the superior road network it has built over the Tibetan plateau allows it to more easily supply frontline troops. Though a new tunnel through the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, scheduled to open within days, will ease supply lines to Ladakh, winter snow and ice will still restrict the road-systems capacities. Not every army and political system values territory in the same way India does, adds strategic affairs expert Manoj Joshi. The worst-case scenario would be where India finds itself committed to holding territory through the winter, while the PLA, which is further ahead on its modernisation trajectory, eschews holding ground, but instead uses technology to its advantage. LAST-DITCH DIPLOMACY There have been signs, though, that the PLA is also seeking to avoid an expensive winter deployment, with high potential human costs and no clear strategic ends. Zhao Lijian, Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said on Tuesday that in winter this is not good for humans to live. We hope through diplomatic and military channels we can achieve disengagement as soon as possible. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, later this week, has also said India remains committed to seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis on the LAC. 'Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder?' The founder of the pro-Trump super-PAC Black Americans to Re-elect the President has predicted that Fox News personality Tucker Carlson will stand for president in 2024. Tucker Carlson will be the Republican nominee, former Republican candidate for Congress Vernon Robinson said in an interview with The Independent. He added that Carlson would solidify America First and continue Trumps legacy, and that he would be happy to help Carlson campaign if he did decide to run. Were not in the crystal ball business, were in the changing objective reality on the ground business, and it looks like some of that reality is changing, he added. If I have anything to do about it, I will try to create a draft committee to make sure there are shock troops organized, Mr Robinson said, adding that when he ran a campaign for now-Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr Ben Carson, we had over 39,000 volunteers who did 900 events. There has been mounting speculation over the summer that popular TV host Mr Carlson might stand for the presidency if Trump wins a second term in November. Hes a talented communicator with a massive platform. I think if he runs hed be formidable, Republican strategist Luke Thompson told Politico in July, when ratings showed that Tucker Carlson Tonight had become the most-watched cable news show in American history. The super-PAC Mr Robinson made for Dr Ben Carsons failed 2016 presidential bid raised over $12m, while his current PAC for Trump has raised almost $2.5m and spent over $2m on campaigning so far. Mr Robinson is also the co-author of the book Coming Home: How Black Americans Will Re-elect Trump. Read more The black super PAC founder raising millions for Trump who calls abortion a holocaust, says Democrats want a fiesta of immigrants and homosexuals and insists black voters will reject Biden Only 23% of 18- to 29-year-olds say they are "very confident" their vote will be counted fairly. But despite questions about fairness, interest in voting is increasing, with nearly half of young Americans age 18 to 29 (47%) saying their interest in voting in the 2020 election has increased in the past six months, similar to the 48% average among all adults. Among those young adults who are not registered to vote today or are unsure whether they are, 46% plan to register or confirm registration before the election. Potential voters of different age groups have varying levels of confidence on a range of topics, from knowing where to vote to finding unbiased information about issues and candidates. Only half (50%) of 18- to 29-year-olds say they are "very confident" they know where to vote, whether in person or by mail, compared with 64% of 30- to 49-year-olds, 78% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and 84% of those 65 and older. Only about a quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds say they are "very confident" about where to get unbiased information on the issues (24%) and candidates (25%)though both of those percentages rise to about four in 10 among those 65 and older. "Young adults have been more active and engaged in the political process than ever before. But will they vote? Will their social activism carry over to the ballot box? These survey results could be indicators of what's to come in November," said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense. "It has become increasingly more difficult to sort through the misinformation that spreads on social media, and this data further supports the need to create tools and resources that will inform young voters and first-time voters with the facts." Income, race, and ethnicity also are key drivers that contribute to disparities in the level of confidence voters exhibit in civic and political engagement. Across the board, adults of voting age in the U.S. with higher incomes show increased levels of confidence in getting unbiased information, in knowing where to vote, and that their vote will be counted fairly. When compared to other groups, White Americans and those who earn higher annual incomes reported higher levels of confidence in knowing how to participate in the democratic process at its most basic level. The percentage of White young adults (54%) age 18 to 29 who are "very confident" they know where to vote, whether in person or by mail, is 10 percentage points higher than that of Black young adults (44%) of the same age (48% among Hispanic young adults, and 41% among young adults of other races/ethnicities). For those age 18 to 29, over three in 10 in the highest household income bracket are "very confident" in getting unbiased information about candidates (37%) and issues (32%) compared to the middle income bracket (25% and 27%) and the lowest income bracket (22% and 21%). Moreover, across all age groups it is those in the highest household income brackets who make up the greatest shares of those "very confident," and yet that number is still far below a majority. "The data makes it clear that voters are hungry for more information about candidates, policies, and voting procedures they can confidently trust," says Erin Pinkus, research scientist at SurveyMonkey. "With the most-watched election of our lifetimes fast-approaching, we hope that these findings are a wake-up call for organizations that can help individuals sort the news from the noise." This survey follows up on a report released earlier this year by Common Sense that focused on how teens get their news, how much they trust different news sources, and more. In response, Common Sense launched the Young Voter's Guide to Social Media and the News to help give all voters, and especially young voters, the resources and tools necessary to separate fact from fiction and make sense of election news and social media coverage. The guide has essential information about identifying credible sources and diverse perspectives so young voters and soon-to-be voters can build their own informed viewpoints. The guide also provides the Common Sense 2020 Social Media Voter Scorecard , which shows how the top social platforms are addressing the integrity of election-related posts. The scorecard looks at how they are fact-checking and flagging or demoting misleading information; and whether or not they are removing content around hate speech or voter suppression. The guide gives voters tips on navigating the flood of videos, memes, and hashtags to get the most out of social media this election season. This latest survey is part of a Common Sense partnership with SurveyMonkey to examine media and technology trends affecting kids and their parents and to share actionable data and insights with families. Key Findings Americans are deeply skeptical that their votes will be fairly counted. Only 23% of 18- to 29-year-olds, and 29% of all adults overall, said they are "very confident" their vote will be counted fairly. Despite questions about fairness, interest in voting among young adults is increasing. Nearly half of young Americans age 18 to 29 (47%) say their interest in voting in the 2020 election has increased in the past six months, similar to the 48% average among all adults. Among those young adults who are not registered to vote today or are unsure whether they are, 46% plan to register or confirm registration before the election. Young adults are less likely than older adults to feel very confident in knowing how to participate in the 2020 election. Only half (50%) of 18- to 29-year-olds say they are "very confident" they know where to vote, whether in person or by mail, compared with 64% of 30- to 49-year-olds, 78% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and 84% of those 65 and older. Young White people are more likely than young members of other racial/ethnic groups to be "very confident" in knowing where to vote. Fifty-four percent of White people age 18 to 29 are "very confident" they know where to vote, whether in person or by mail, compared to 44% of Black people, 48% of Hispanic people, and 41% of people of other races/ethnicities. Young adults are more likely than older adults to say they've taken action on issues related to racial justice/civil rights. Among young adults age 18 to 29, 38% say they have taken action in the past six months, compared to 23% of adults 30 or older, a 15-percentage-point difference. Young adults say they have a hard time finding unbiased information about issues and candidates. Only about a quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds say they are "very confident" about where to get unbiased information about issues (24%) and candidates (25%)though both of those percentages rise to be about four in 10 among those 65 and older. Political ads are common on social media, and many Americans across all age groups are exposed to them. About half (45%) of Americans of all ages have seen them in the last six months. Younger Americans are more likely to protest and participate in activism on social media; older adults are more likely to vote and donate money. Adults age 18 to 29 are more likely to protest or demonstrate (19% of 18- to 29-years-olds, compared to 10% of 30- to 49-year-olds, 9% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and 8% of people over 65) and to use hashtags related to political or social causes than older adults (28% of 18- to 29-year-olds, compared to 19% of 30- to 49-year-olds, 13% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and 9% of adults 65 and older). Older Americans were much more likely to vote in the last year (56% of 30- to 49-year-olds, 71% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and 81% of adults 65 and older, compared to 38% of 18- to 29-year-olds) or donate money to a candidate or campaign (29% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and 40% of adults 65 and older, compared to 16% of 18- to 29-year-olds and 18% of 30- to 49-year-olds). Methodology: Methodology: This SurveyMonkey poll was conducted online August 13 to 20, 2020, among a total sample of 6,132 adults age 18 and over living in the United States. Respondents for these surveys were selected from more than 2 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. The modeled error estimate for the full sample is plus or minus 2 percentage points. Data has been weighted for age, race, sex, education, and geography using the Census Bureau's American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States age 18 and over. About Common Sense Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Learn more at commonsense.org. About SurveyMonkey SurveyMonkey is a leader in agile software solutions for customer experience, market research , and survey feedback. The company's platform empowers over 17 million active users to analyze and act on feedback from employees, customers, website and app users, and market research respondents. SurveyMonkey's products, enterprise solutions, and integrations enable more than 335,000 organizations to deliver better customer experiences, increase employee retention, and unlock growth and innovation. Ultimately, SurveyMonkey's vision is to raise the bar for human experiences by amplifying individual voices. Press Contacts: Cassandra Matter [email protected] (408) 960-5115 *Spanish speakers available for interviews upon request. Contact Andrea Moreno at (408) 768-9607 or [email protected] . **If you would like to contact SurveyMonkey, contact [email protected]. SOURCE Common Sense Related Links http://commonsense.org JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Risk & Insurance released an article that examines the effects of COVID-19 on the women of the workers' compensation industry. In the midst of an unprecedented crisis impacting so many, One Call is responding to the needs of the industry, and its colleagues, by continuing to lean into its diverse workforce. Comprised of more than 75 percent women, One Call is driving innovation on a macro level to respond to the changing landscape brought on by COVID-19. A shining example is the leadership behind one of the industry's most premier offerings One Call's physical therapy program. The team responsible for this offering is comprised of some of the company's most accomplished executives, who also happen to be women. Since its inception, One Call's physical therapy program has continually evolved to meet the needs of the industry. This robust solution is led by five industry veterans who consistently develop and refine it, as evidenced through the most recent extension, ergonomics: Michelle Despres , Vice President of Physical Therapy , Vice President of Physical Therapy Kim Radcliffe , Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations , Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations Tina Brletich , Senior Vice President of Product Strategy and Analytics , Senior Vice President of Product Strategy and Analytics Jill Hunter , Vice President of Product Management for Physical Therapy , Vice President of Product Management for Physical Therapy Linda Lane , President of Physical Therapy Led by Michelle Despres, One Call's ergonomics program expanded over the last six months to meet the needs of a post-COVID remote workforce. The program extends One Call's focus from post-injury offerings to consultative solutions designed to help employers prevent injuries from occurring and ready workers to return to new environments. The timely need for these types of resources was made even more evident when the program caught the attention of Good Morning America. "COVID-19 will continue to have a lasting impact on the workers' compensation industry," said One Call Chief Commercial Officer Will Smith. "We have listened to our customers and taken note on how we can leverage our capabilities to better support them, and employers, as they establish work from home standards for the rapidly increasing remote worker population. Adding consultative ergonomics to our physical therapy portfolio was a natural fit to address the unique health challenges associated with remote work, and I know we have the right leadership in place to drive it forward." One Call's physical therapy program is built on a set of pillars designed to provide a full-scale, comprehensive solution. When combined, these pillars data-driven, patient-centric, clinical oversight, high quality provider network and early engagement enable the team to move quickly to meet the needs of customers and injured workers alike. However, the team behind the pillars is the most crucial component to the program's success. One Call's physical therapy leadership team has more than 100 years of combined industry experience. "We are focused on providing a physical therapy program that incorporates relevant, data-proven solutions, led by top talent who intimately understand physical medicine, our multi-faceted customer base, and the injured workers we all serve," said One Call CEO Tom Warsop. "Nothing we do is one size fits all. Each of these talented women, and the significant role they play, is vital to evolving our market-leading physical therapy program that supports in excess of 500,000 injured workers per year. Looking ahead, I anticipate One Call's impact will significantly expand as this highly experienced, executive team drives physical medicine solutions tailored for today's rapidly increasing remote workforce." As the industry gears up for National Physical Therapy Month in October, One Call is getting a jump-start by highlighting the significance of each key pillar of its program as explained by the women who oversee them. The campaign will kick-off in mid-September and culminate at the end of October with a roundtable webinar by the team. "We are at a tipping point in our industry with regard to how healthcare is delivered," said One Call President of Physical Therapy Linda Lane, a 25-year industry veteran who will be discussing the importance of patient-centricity as part of the campaign. "We are having a tremendous impact on the patients we serve during one of the most difficult of times for our industry. It is an honor to highlight our best-in-class program by drawing attention to the expertise and experience of the women executives behind it. I hope this initiative inspires other industry leaders to do the same." About One Call As the nation's leader in specialty network management services for the workers' compensation industry, we place injured workers at the heart of everything we do. We utilize creative and innovative solutions to timely and efficiently connect injured workers with quality provider networks across a multitude of health care services. Our foundation is built on an unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional service and unparalleled clinical expertise to drive outcomes. For more information and the latest news, visit us at onecallcm.com, LinkedIn (One Call), Facebook (@onecallcm) and Twitter (@onecallcm). Media Contacts: Lisa Noakes One Call, Sr. Director, Communications & Content Marketing [email protected] SOURCE One Call Related Links www.onecallcm.com New Delhi: India condemned the deadly bomb attack which rocked Kabul targeting Afghanistan's first Vice President Amrullah Saleh. The bomb attack on the Afghan vice president's convoy on Wednesday morning killed 10 people and injured more than a dozen people and left. Taking to Twitter to condemn the attack, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India stands with Afghanistan in the fight to eradicate "terror infrastructure and sponsors" for enduring peace in that country. "India strongly condemns cowardly terrorist attack on Afg VP @AmrullahSaleh2. Our condolences to martyrs & prayers with injured," Srivastava wrote on Twitter. India strongly condemns cowardly terrorist attack on Afg VP @AmrullahSaleh2. Our condolences to martyrs & prayers with injured. India stands with Afghanistan in the fight to eradicate terror infrastr & sponsors for enduring peace in Afg. #IndiaStandsWithAfg Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) September 9, 2020 Though no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing and the Taliban quickly denied they were behind the attack. Vice President Saleh, who is also Afghanistan's former intelligence chief, suffered minor burns in the blast. He said in his first television appearance immediately after the attack that he was fine and had sustained only slight burns. "Me and my younger son who was also with me are fine," Saleh said in the footage. He appeared on TV with bandages on one hand. The Interior Ministry's spokesman, Tariq Arian, said that Saleh's convoy was the intended target. Earlier, at least two civilians were reportedly killed but the death toll later rose to 10. The ministry said at least 15 people were wounded. Jogger detained for matching a suspect description offered job to help train officers (Facebook / Volusia County Sheriff) A man detained for matching the description of a burglar was later asked to work with the sheriff's department after a viral video showed how police and the public could interact professionally. Joseph Griffin was stopped while jogging in the Florida suburb of Deltona, north of Orlando, by police who said he matched a description from a nearby burglary - a white tank top, black shorts and beard. "Hey buddy, you're not in any trouble or anything. There's a burglary that happened -- you kind of fit the description. Let me just make sure that you're not him," the officer can be heard saying on the video. "So, I'm not saying it's you, but it was a black male, again, not saying it's you buddy." Mr Griffin, who was wearing a white tank top and black shorts when pulled over, was detained for questioning but cleared of any connection to the burglary soon after with a suspect later arrested. After a Facebook live video of the incident on 27 August quickly spread across social media, Mr Griffin was invited to participate in the Volusia County Sheriff Department's implicit biased training series next Month, according to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. I think we can all learn from his point of view, just like he has listened to ours. Mr. Griffin is a military veteran and a medical professional, and I told him we'd train and hire him as a deputy in a second if he ever wants a new job. Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) September 5, 2020 A former military police officer who is now a registered nurse, Mr Griffin told local news Fox 35 Orlando that his experience in law enforcement taught him to remain calm and compliant. When you see your neighbour get pulled over and talk to the cops, perception is reality at that point and youre gonna automatically assume that you know theyre doing something, he said. Story continues Mr Chitwood, who posted the police bodycam footage to Facebook, said in a statement that he wanted to recognise the professional work of the deputies and the cooperation of Mr Griffin. Witnesses' descriptions are never perfect, and it is very scary when your future is in the hands of that non-perfect identification and description, Mr Chitwood said. "Mr Griffin was calm and cooperative even though he had reason to be frustrated with the inconvenience." New Delhi, Sep 9 : The Centre on Wednesday assured the Supreme Court that there is "no catch" in its proposal in connection with the refund of air tickets booked for travel during the Covid-19 lockdown. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said there is no catch in the refund proposal and if tickets were booked on March 15, before the lockdown period, then also there will be a full refund. As senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for a petitioner, raised doubts whether the air ticket refund proposal of the Civil Aviation Ministry is confined to tickets booked during the lockdown or before the lockdown, Mehta reiterated the proposal covers all. A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R.S. Reddy and M.R. Shah, referring to the recent affidavit filed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) saying tickets for travel during lockdown will be refunded, said the Centre should clarify on this crucial aspect of refund. Mehta replied that he would file an additional affidavit clarifying the position in the matter. He also clarified that if a ticket was booked for travel from overseas to another foreign country, then the matter is not in the domain of the refund proposal. Submitting that the proposal for ticket refund would have to be approved by the apex court, Mehta insisted that the government decided to refund the amount for the tickets and also tried to ensure that airlines don't suffer. Advocate Jose Abraham, representing petitioner Pravasi Legal Cell, said the affidavit filed by the Centre is fine, except to the fact that it is not clear as to whether the passengers who booked tickets prior to the lockdown are entitled to a full refund. Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing SpiceJet, contended that his client agrees with the stand of the government. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Indigo, said though his client agrees with Centre's proposal, yet there are few issues for which two-three days be given. The bench asked counsel to file its response to the affidavit. Advocate Neela Gokhale, appearing for a travel agents association, said their funds are stuck as no refunds were given by the airlines, but Mehta said that they have consulted ticket agents before finalising the proposal. The bench then asked Mehta to file an additional affidavit, and slated the matter for further hearing on September 23. Senior advocate C.A. Sundaram, representing a passengers association, told the bench that there should be full refund of the ticket. The Centre has proposed that a full refund should be given by the airlines within 15 days for tickets booked during the lockdown, and if any airline is in financial distress, then a credit shell should be provided up to March 31, 2021 on any route of the passengers' choice. The full refund has been proposed for tickets booked during the lockdown on domestic, international and foreign airlines. In an affidavit in the court, O.K. Gupta, Director, DGCA, said for the domestic airlines, if the tickets were booked directly with the airline or through an agent during the first lockdown period (March 25-April 14) for the journeys to be undertaken in both first and second lockdown period (March 25-May 3), then in all such cases, full refund shall be given by the airlines immediately. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The Tamil Nadu agriculture department has claimed that around Rs 32 crore has so far been recovered A major scam involving the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme has been unearthed in Tamil Nadu. It has been learned that over five lakh scammers posing as farmers had been a part of the beneficiaries list in the northern and western districts of Tamil Nadu. Together, the fraudsters have swindled Rs 110 crore. As it turns out, people residing in places such as Ambattur and Tiruvottiyur, which come under the Greater Chennai Corporation, have also benefitted from the PM Kisan scheme even though there are no agricultural lands in these areas. The Tamil Nadu agriculture department has claimed that around Rs 32 crore has so far been recovered and a detailed inquiry has been initiated, reported News 18. Action taken so far: Agriculture Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi has informed that 18 people have already been arrested and three assistant directors in the agriculture department have been suspended in connection with the scam. Additionally, several officials who were working on contracts were dismissed. Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts in Tamil Nadu emerged as the epicenter of the scam, Bedi added. CB-CID teams are conducting a thorough probe in Salem, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, and Tiruvannamalai districts at present. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has assured that a strict action will be taken against those involved in the PM Kisan scam. The DMK has sought a CBI probe into the scam. How did the miscreants operate? The scammers had reportedly been using the login id and password of an Agriculture Department official to upload the fake entries on the PM Kisan portal. For each fake entry, they collected Rs 6,000. Maximum fake entries were made during the coronavirus lockdown phase, especially in the month of June when farmers who could not avail the benefits of the scheme were allowed to file online applications. Sentence of Russian actor Efremov appealed - defense RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 10:58 09/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 9 (RAPSI) Actor Mikhail Efremov has challenged an 8-year jail sentence given to him for a deadly road traffic accident committed under alcohol intoxication, his defense lawyer Elman Pashayev has told RAPSI. Efremov is now in a Moscow detention center. On September 8, the actor received 8 years in penal colony for and was banned Efremov from driving for three years. The court returned him his broken Jeep. The court found that victim Sergey Zakharov was killed in the accident due to the defendant's driving behaviour. When delivering sentence Judge Elena Abramova said Efremov needed no compulsory psychiatric care. The defendant accepted the danger of his actions and did not suffer serious mental diseases, the judge stated. However, the court considered his guilty plea during the pretrial investigation and his three minor children as mitigating circumstances. On September 3, a prosecutor demanded an 11-year imprisonment for Efremov and driving ban for 3 years. That day, the court heard the parties arguments. Before the beginning Efremov made a plea of guilty. Earlier, he refused to admit his guilt and said he remembered nothing. On the evening of June 8, Efremov driving his car crossed into the oncoming lane in central Moscow and collided with a delivery service vehicle. He was arrested on the scene. Alcohol and drugs were reportedly found in his blood. Victim Sergey Zakharov was taken to hospital where he died early in the morning of June 9. On June 9, Moscows Tagansky District Court ordered Efremov to be put under house arrest; the measure is still in force. In particular, he was banned from communicating with other case parties, using mobile phone and Internet. Nirav Modis legal team alleged that he is unlikely to get a fair trial in India due to the politicisation of his case and the diamond merchant faces a "high risk of suicide" due to the lack of adequate medical facilities in Indian prisons. The 49-year-old fugitive diamond merchant is fighting extradition charges related to the estimated USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case brought by the Indian government at Westminster Magistrates Court in London. On the second day of Modis five-day extradition hearing, the court was told about a marked decline in his mental health at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, where stricter coronavirus curbs have meant a lack of access to inhouse counselling facilities and very limited contact with family, with only 25 minutes allowed outside his cell in July. "He has increasingly suffered from severe depression and the latest assessment shows he is on the threshold of being subject to hospitalisation unless given proper treatment and his fitness to plead may be in doubt here or in the requesting state (India) given a high risk of suicide, Modis barrister Clare Montgomery said. She claimed that the availability of psychiatric help in Indian prisons was "utterly inadequate". "The laconic assurance [of the government of India] and the prison video to say that he will be kept in humane conditions appears to be completely inadequate when one bears in mind his psychiatric condition and in addition the looming threat of COVID, Montgomery said. During the hearing, Justice Samuel Goozee was taken through official Indian prisons data, including statistics on coronavirus cases at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai where Modi is to be held if he is extradited. Montgomery also laid out her plans to depose further expert witnesses during the course of week, including a former Indian Supreme Court judge referred to only by his last name of Katju. The Nirav Modi case has been made a "political issue, with no presumption made of innocence, Montgomery told the court. She claimed that because the jeweller had been made into a "hate figure" in India, there was an "overwhelming political necessity" to condemn him and see him convicted. Modis legal team also indicated plans to depose an expert in tropical medicine in an attempt to counter Indian government claims that the COVID-19 outbreak reported at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai in May had been brought under control. "What is claimed is improbable and the management of COVID-19 within Arthur Road Jail does not add up, Montgomery told the judge. The defence arguments follow the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) opening the second part of the extradition trial on Monday on behalf of the Indian authorities, which focused on establishing a prima facie case of fraud and money laundering against Modi. CPS barrister Helen Malcolm took Justice Goozee through detailed witness statements by so-called dummy directors including Ashish Lad, who recorded a video back in June 2018 to say that his life had been threatened by Modi. She laid out details of how as the details of the fraud were beginning to emerge, the jeweller started by hiding most of the evidence, in particular the originals of "letters of undertaking" (LoUs) from PNB, and then went on to threaten, intimidate, cajole and bribe officials. "He destroyed mobiles of dummy directors and threatened one of the witnesses with death," Malcolm told the court. Modi, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, has been observing the court proceedings remotely from a room in Wandsworth Prison and referring to bundles of documents laid out before him from time to time. He is subject to two sets of criminal proceedings, the first brought by the CBI relating to a large-scale fraud said to have been committed upon PNB and the ED case, relating to the laundering of the proceeds of that fraud. A further extradition request was made in February this year, certified by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, of two additional offences relating to allegations that Modi interfered with the CBI investigation by causing the disappearance of evidence and intimidating a witness. The CPS must establish a prima facie case against Modi to allow the judge to rule that he has a case to answer before the Indian courts. If the judge finds a prima facie case against Modi, it will go back to Patel to formally certify his extradition to India to stand trial. A ruling in the case is expected at the end of this year after a final hearing scheduled for December 1. Modi has made repeated attempts at bail over the past year, each of which were turned down as he is deemed a flight risk. The jeweller was arrested on March 19 last year on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard. Miranda will be based in Morrow Sodali's London Office Morrow Sodali, the global shareholder engagement and governance advisory firm with headquarters in New York and London, today announced that Borja Miranda was appointed Head of M&A and Activism for Europe and Latin America. Miranda will be based in London and will work closely with Charles Nelson, Head of U.K. business development and Kiran Vasantham, Head of the firm's Global Engagement Team. Miranda is the latest in a series of senior appointments made to the global M&A and Activism Advisory team at Morrow Sodali, which have included Paul Schulman, recently recruited from MacKenzie Partners, who serves as Co-Head of U.S. M&A and Activism, and Harry van Dyke, a former senior Morgan Stanley M&A banker who is now Executive Vice Chairman. "I am pleased to be able to further enhance our global M&A and Activism practice, supporting the growing needs of our global clients to have local expertise in key markets," said Morrow Sodali CEO Alvise Recchi. "Borja has been with Morrow Sodali for many years, most recently running our Iberian and Latin American practices. His experience and expertise will be enormously valuable to our clients in Europe and Latin America as they face challenges from their shareholders." During his tenure with Morrow Sodali, Borja has advised on a broad range of important corporate transactions: mergers including Merlin-Metrovacesa and Banorte-Interacciones; cross border tender offers such as Orange-Jazztel and DS Smith-Europac; activism campaigns including the defense of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, and global exchange offers for clients such as the Santander Group. Michael Verrechia, Co-Head of Morrow Sodali's M&A and Activism practice in the U.S. noted, "it is great to have Borja as part of the global M&A and Activism team. Having just been ranked #1 in Bloomberg's Global Activism Review for the first half of 2020, we are continuing to build the global capability of our team. In the U.S., we advised clients on more than half of the contested situations that went to a vote in the 2020 proxy season, with success in all but one. Borja's deep experience across the European and Latin American markets will only add to our global success." ABOUT MORROW SODALI Morrow Sodali is a leading provider of strategic advice and shareholder services to corporate clients around the world. The firm provides corporate boards and executives with strategic advice and services relating to corporate governance, shareholder and bondholder communication and engagement, capital markets intelligence, proxy solicitation, shareholder activism and mergers and acquisitions. From headquarters in New York and London, and offices and partners in major capital markets, Morrow Sodali serves more than 700 corporate clients in 40 countries, including many of the world's largest multinational corporations. In addition to listed and private companies, its clients include mutual funds, ETFs, stock exchanges and membership associations. For further information about Morrow Sodali, please visit www.morrowsodali.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005048/en/ Contacts: Elena Cargnello, +44 204 5136913, e.cargnello@morrowsodali.com (UK) Jennifer Carberry, +1 203.658.9419, j.carberry@morrowsodali.com (US) Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2020) - Wavefront Technology Solutions Inc. (TSXV: WEE) (OTCQB: WFTSF) ("Wavefront" or the "Company"), an oil field service provider focused on offering the oil and gas industry proprietary, leading edge technology is pleased to announce that effective September 1, 2020 it has entered into a non-exclusive distribution agreement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Synergy International Energy Company ("Synergy"). Within Saudi Arabia coiled tubing companies providing well services to the National Oil Company ("NOC") are limited in their market access, i.e., no single coiled tubing company has access to all oil and gas fields or wells. Beyond the Company's control, Wavefront had seen its Powerwave technology product line activity decline under its past exclusive distributor, a coiled tubing company. In engaging Synergy as Wavefront's non-exclusive distributor, it is postulated that it will reduce reliance on any one coiled tubing company and increase market penetration of Wavefront's technology in the Kingdom by accessing all thirteen registered coiled tubing companies providing oil and gas well stimulation services to the NOC across all oil and gas field assets. "We are very pleased to be working with Synergy who has a solid track record in representing international companies in the Kingdom," said Wavefront President and CEO Brett Davidson. "Wavefront has generated impressive results with the NOC and in many instances Powerwave is requested as the technology of choice by engineers of the NOC. We are very confident that Powerwave technology will continue to deliver outstanding results to the NOC and we will be able to more fully commercialize Powerwave in the Kingdom and grow the Company's bottom-line results." ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WAVEFRONT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS INC. "D. Brad Paterson" (signed) Story continues D. Brad Paterson, CFO & Director About Wavefront: Wavefront is a technology based, oil field service provider, focused on offering the oil and gas industry proprietary, leading edge technology primarily for oil and gas well stimulation and applications related to IOR/EOR recovery. Wavefront publicly trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol WEE and on the OTCQB under the symbol WFTSF. The Company's website is www.onthewavefront.com. For further information please contact: D. Brad Paterson, CFO at 780-486-2222 or write to us at investor.info@onthewavefront.com. Cautionary Disclaimer - Forward-Looking Statement Certain statements contained herein regarding Wavefront and its operations constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation statements regarding future estimates, plans, objectives, assumptions or expectations or future performance, are "forward-looking statements". In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as ''may'', ''will'', ''should'', ''expect'', ''plan'', ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''estimate'', ''predict'', ''potential'', "believe", ''continue'' or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. We caution that such "forward-looking statements" involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such factors include fluctuations in the acceptance rates of Wavefront's Powerwave and Primawave Processes, demand for products and services, fluctuations in the market for oil and gas related products and services, the ability of Wavefront to attract and maintain key personnel, technology changes, global political and economic conditions, and other factors that were described in further detail in Wavefront's continuous disclosure filings, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Wavefront expressly disclaims any obligation to up-date any "forward-looking statements", other than as required by law. 2020 Wavefront Technology Solutions Inc. All rights reserved. From Bit To Last Drop, WaveAxe, Powerwave and Primawave are registered trademarks of Wavefront Technology Solutions Inc., or its subsidiaries, or affiliates. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63424 Orange County Moves Up from Purple to Red Tier for COVID-19 SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS)Orange County was upgraded from the purple to red tier on Sept. 8 in Californias COVID-19 monitoring system, allowing movie theaters, churches, and restaurants to reopen for indoor operations at reduced capacity. Dr. Clayton Chau, the countys chief health officer and director of the Orange County Health Care Agency, issued a new health order that spells out the details of how businesses can reopen. We knew we had already met those metrics as of Sept. 4, Bartlett said. The supervisor said she spent a good deal of time over the holiday weekend helping prepare businesses for reopening. I contacted a lot of businesses over Labor Day weekend to get them prepared to rehire staff and getting tables sanitized and [personal protective equipment] in place to pull the trigger when we open today in the red tier, she said. Under the red tier of Gov. Gavin Newsoms four-tier Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the county will be able to reopen movie theaters and restaurants for indoor dining at 25 percent capacity, or 100 people, whichever is less, and churches for indoor worship at 25 percent capacity, or 100 people. Restaurants must close by 10 p.m. Museums, zoos, and aquariums also may reopen indoor activities at 25 percent capacity. Shopping centers may expand from 25 percent capacity to half-capacity under the red tier. Gyms and fitness centers may reopen at 10 percent capacity. Personal care service business such as nail salons and tattoo parlors may reopen indoors with modifications. Bartlett said she saw a good deal of compliance with state guidelines for social distancing and face covering usage over the long weekend. We had a lot of people out and about over Labor Day weekend, but I did see a lot of compliance with the state public health guidelines, so that was reassuring, Bartlett said. Orange County CEO Frank Kim said he saw much of the same. I did drive by the beaches to see how they were doing and while it did look like a lot of beaches were being utilized, I did see people placing their towels and sun coverings 6 feet apart, so I thought residents and beach users were using good behavior, Kim said. Im not expecting to see a big bump up in terms of [COVID-19] cases. Kim said the countys contact tracers have noticed far greater threats than outdoor gatherings such as at beaches. The greater risk from contact tracing weve found is really in the family gatherings, Kim said. Extended family get-togethers have been driving up cases, he said. In the past this has been an area where the disease transmission has been prevalent, so these types of [gatherings] are more of a concern than people out in the park or beach or in an open-air environment, Kim said. Kim said he visited South Coast Plaza over the weekend as well, and it looked like the stores were managing compliance well; they had attestations posted on the front doors, they were limiting the number of individuals allowed into each store, and I thought they were doing a good job. Many private and public elementary schools that won waivers from the county and state returned to school for in-person instruction on Sept. 8. They included the Los Alamitos School Districts schools, as well as 27 Diocese of Orange schools. Two of the Roman Catholic schools remained in distance learning. Officials reported 151 new COVID-19 cases on Sept. 8 and three additional deaths, bringing the countys cumulative total to 49,996 cases, with 1,056 fatalities. Hospitalizations in the county inched up from 238 on Sept. 7 to 242 on Sept. 8, while the number of people in intensive care declined from 75 to 70, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA). The rate of county residents testing positive for COVID-19 was at 4.2 percent on a 7-day average. To get to the next level, the orange tier, the county must be between 2 percent and 4.9 percent for two consecutive weeks. The daily case count per 100,000 stands at 5.2. To get to the next level, the county must be between 1 and 3.9 new daily cases per 100,000. The OCHCA reported that 703,855 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, including 3,363 reported on Sept. 8. There have been 43,898 documented recoveries. This significant move to the red tier for Orange County indicates that we are hopefully getting the upper hand on COVID-19, Bartlett said last week. Our numbers are holding steady or declining, we still have excess capacity in our hospital system, and as long as we all continue to follow prescribed health and safety guidelines our trend should keep improving in the county. I look forward to cautiously opening up our local economy so we experience some level of normalcy once again in our day-to-day lives. Even with the positive trends, the earliest Orange Countys schools can reopen for personal instruction is Sept. 22. The death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, which has been almost daily fodder for the media since he allegedly hanged himself on June 14 in his Mumbai apartment, has now become a campaign issue in poll-bound Bihar, with both the ruling dispensation and the opposition espousing the cause of a fair investigation to find out what led him to take his own life. The cultural cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has brought out stickers with the message: Na Bhule hai, na bhulne denge (we have not forgotten nor will we let you to be forgotten). The sticker, with a picture of Rajput and the BJP emblem, is being distributed for use on cars. The party is also handing out masks with the actors name written on them.. We have been campaigning for justice to Sushant since June. He ruled the hearts of youth, the convenor of the BJP cultural cell, Varun Kumar Singh, told HT. The Congress has accused the BJP, which is a partner in the Bihar government led by Janata Dal (United), or JD (U), leader and chief minister Nitish Kumar, of politicising Rajputs death although it and its partner Rashtriya Janata Dal too, more or less, verbalise the same sentiment -- the need for a fair probe into the circumstances of the suspected suicide. Elections to the 243-member Bihar assembly are due to take place in Bihar in October or November -- the Election Commission is yet to take a call -- but the death of the actor, who belonged to Bihar where his family still lives, is figuring in the campaign alongside issues such as the governments handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, job losses and floods. Nitish Kumar pushed for a probe of the 34-year-old actors death by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a call with which the Centre has complied. He also dispatched a Bihar police team headed by Patna superintendent of police Vinay Tiwari to Mumbai for an investigation; the team was snubbed by the Maharashtra government headed by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray; the BJP, which is in the opposition in Maharashtra, had alleged that Mumbai police werent serious about probing the circumstances of Rajputs death. Another National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), too, sought a CBI probe and claims it was the first to write to CM Kumar to take note of the death, which the actors family has denied is suicide. Tejashwi Yadav, chief of the RJD, an ally of the Congress, was among the politicians who called for a central probe. Opposition parties that are attacking the BJP for politicising the issue have done so cautiously to avoid a potential backlash. The Congress, which is a part of Maharashtras ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, has had to strike a balance between seeking justice for the actor in Bihar and stand by its governments action in Mumbai. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala criticised the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for politicising the death and termed it as a new low; his party colleague and Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, pushed for an impartial CBI probe. Mr CBI and his masters, how many days will be required to unearth the mystery of the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, already media trial has been continuing in full swing which even can dwarf the judicial trial, Chowdhury tweeted. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) too lashed out at the BJP for trying to leverage the issue for its electoral benefit. Its Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, on Tuesday, criticised the BJP for using posters of Rajput to attract voters. In a tweet, Singh alleged that when the actor was alive, the BJP had protested against his film Kedarnath. The BJP has launched a campaign seeking justice for the late actor. Tejashwi Yadav first said his party had met the family and were pushing the CM for a fair trial. He even criticised the CM for not meeting the family or even speaking to the Maharashtra CM about the case. He then attacked the CM for not doing enough when the police team sent to Mumbai was forcefully sent to quarantine by the BMC {Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation). So if he is allowed to raise the issue, how does the JD (U) or the BJP raising the demand for a fair probe become politicization, questioned a BJP leader in the state. As the CBI investigation into the death progresses, there is competition even within the NDA to claim credit for honouring the memory of Rajput. While the BJP wants Rajiv Nagar Chowk, near the actors residence in Patna, named after him and a proposed film city at Rajgir, the LJP has pointed to the fact it was its president Chirag Paswan who made two calls to the Maharashtra CM for a fair and quick probe. The latest entrant into the NDA fold, the Hindustan Awam Morcha, demanded a Padma Award for the late actor. A week after Donald Trump suggested Americans test the capacity of their election systems by mailing ballots then voting at the polls, which is illegal, Georgias secretary of state has accused hundreds of voters in the state of knowingly doing so. Brad Raffensperger said 1,000 instances of double voting in 100 counties were discovered in the states June and August elections. Casting two ballots carries a penalty of one to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. "Every double voter will be investigated thoroughly," the Republican secretary of state said during a press conference on Tuesday. "A double voter knows exactly what they are doing." His office did not provide evidence that voters deliberately or maliciously cast two ballots, committing the kind of widespread fraud that the president baselessly claims has been and will be committed across the US. The president who has opposed expanding vote-by-mail efforts during the coronavirus pandemic and has suggested that doing so would generate more votes against him told reporters in North Carolina on 2 September that voters who have cast mailed-in ballots should go vote, and if their systems as good as they say it is, then obviously they wont be able to vote. " If it isnt tabulated, theyll be able to vote, he said. Thats the way it is and thats what they should do. The White House scrambled to defend his suggestion and instead blame Democrats for a fraudulent expansion of vote-by-mail efforts, while election officials have warned that his remarks, as well as his doubts against the integrity of US elections, have only caused more confusion and chaos as voters head to the ballot box. What he said very clearly there is make sure your vote is tabulated, and if it is not, then vote," press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News last week. Democrats want a whole new fraudulent system of mail-in voting never tried before in American history, and what Democrats are saying to you is, Trust us, but dont verify. What this president is saying is verify your vote. The president also clarified his comments in a series of Twitter posts on 3 September. Based on the massive number of Unsolicited & Solicited Ballots that will be sent to potential Voters for the upcoming 2020 Election, & in order for you to MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE COUNTS & IS COUNTED, SIGN & MAIL IN your Ballot as EARLY as possible, he said . On Election Day, or Early Voting, go to your Polling Place to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizens right to do). Facebook also announced that video of his comments violates the platforms policies prohibiting voter fraud and we will remove it unless it is shared to correct the record. While more than 1.1 million ballots were cast by mail in Georgias June primary elections, at least 11,000 ballots were tossed out, and another 8,000 arrived after the polls had closed, prompting concerns among Georgia voters who wanted to ensure that their ballot was cast. There were also reports of delays at the polls and ballot deliveries and lost requests for ballots, according to voting rights group Common Cause Georgia, which has called on Secretary Raffenspergers office to form an elections task force to prepare plans to fix the problems that occurred in June. The state has protections in place meant to prevent voters from voting twice. Georgia voters who requested a mail-in ballot but chose to vote in-person must sign an affidavit, and poll workers must call elections officers to verify whether theyve received a ballot from an in-person voter whose registration shows that they requested an absentee ballot. In the event there are two ballots cast per voter, the secretary of state's office says also has safeguards in place to count only one vote. Pressed to answer for evidence whether people knowingly voted twice, Mr Raffensperger pointed to a report of one man who cast two votes to prove a flaw in the system." We wholeheartedly agree that people who intentionally vote twice should be subject to the usual criminal penalties for election law violations," said Aunna Dennis, executive director of Common Cause Georgia. But we are concerned that voters who were simply trying to vote may get caught up in the dragnet, she said in a statement. There was a lot of confusion about the presidential primary, which was rescheduled after some voters had already cast mail ballots but when those voters wanted to vote in the state primary, they received ballots that also included the race. Did that count as voting twice? There was a lot of confusion about whether mailed ballots had been received by elections officials, because elections officials did not update the website for tracking mailed ballots. Did requesting a mail ballot but voting at the polls when the tracking system said the mailed ballot had not been received count as voting twice? Voters should not be penalised for the failures of elections administrators. Voters should not be subjected to inflammatory allegations by the states top elections officials, she added. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The novel coronavirus has brought out the worst in Latin American politics. How else to explain Brazil and Mexico, whose what-me-worry leaders preside over nations that account for more than one in five global fatalities? Yet for all the official heels on call, plenty of heroes toil below perhaps none so invisibly as the legion of educators who have been forced to reinvent their jobs almost overnight to reach 160 million students shut out of classrooms since March. Like the more celebrated essential workers in public health, teachers know how unevenly the burden of the outbreak has fallen on society. While the well-heeled young metropolitan scholars log on to class from the comforts of Zoom, their less fortunate peers make do with printed worksheets that they must fetch often from distant schoolhouse or pray for a Wi-Fi signal on cheap mobile phones. Wesley Campos knows the drill. Growing up in a remote patch of the Brazilian midwest so remote locals call it Acaba Vida (Lifes End) he used to ride 240 kilometers a day to and from school. As municipal education secretary of Niquelandia, pop. 42,000 to 45,000 (no one knows for sure), he now oversees 3,293 homebound students scattered along 12,500 kilometers of country roads. Some of Niquelandias public schoolers live so far from town that teachers must make house calls to deliver books and printouts of lesson plans. Home computers and tablets are scarce and internet connections, where they exist, are slow and iffy. So Campos and the faculty at 21 municipal schools came up with a low-tech workaround. Each teacher created a study group on WhatsApp, the ubiquitous phone app that Latin Americans swear by, where students pick up their assignments by text, audio messages and short videos, and send back completed lessons the same way. Its less than ideal. One student has to climb to a hilltop to get a clean phone signal. In thousands of towns like Niquelandia, on the wrong side of Latin Americas digital divide, such analog hacks are the only recourse for keeping students engaged and learning, and preventing them from falling irretrievably behind. While 26 of the 33 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean tap web-based learning platforms, almost as many (24) also rely on offline solutions, including radio, broadcast television and printed lessons, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) concluded in the recent survey Education in the Time of Covid-19. Just eight nations in the region provide their students with computers or tablets appropriate for interactive distance learning. Story continues Even where the latest technology is available, societies have failed to share the benefits equally. While 70% to 80% of students among families in the top income quartile have laptops at home, only 10% to 20% of those in the bottom earning quartile of society do, ECLAC found. Whats worse, some 80 million school-age Latin Americans (51% of the total) struggle to learn in crowded and deficient homes. Digital inequity worsens the lopsided social cost of schooling, as students with limited access to the latest learning tools are most at risk of falling behind, or worse. The United Nations estimates that 3.13 million Latin American and Caribbean students from preschoolers to university are at risk of dropping out due to the fallout from COVID-19, almost 13% of the global total. Nearly two thirds of the potential dropouts are secondary schoolers or younger. Yet one of the lessons of the pandemic is that even the best gadgets fall short. Just as nurses and physicians soldier on the frontlines of Covid-19, teachers are the first responders of Latin Americas educational emergency, making sure that even the most disadvantaged children from underserved communities can keep learning. The global health crisis has shown that you cant replace teachers in the classroom with remote education, Daniela Trucco, senior social affairs officer with ECLACs social development division. Students sitting still in front of a screen for hours at a time are not the same thing. A growing number of towns have taken that to heart, with new methods and old. In Tres Marias, pop. 32,700, in southeastern Brazil, teachers and even education secretary Cleria Maria de Oliveira Melo take turns reading Brazilian classics, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to grade-schoolers over the community radio. In Matias Barbosa (14,500 inhabitants), teachers take to WhatsApp to track their far-flung pupils and help them to solve problems. To reach any stragglers, the town deploys sound trucks to remind parents to pick up student lesson plans at the local schoolhouse. At first, we didnt know if this was going to work, said municipal education secretary Simone Guedes Janeiro. Six months on, the hands-on method not only has kept the towns nearly 1,380 public schoolers up to speed but also attracted a growing number of their peers from better equipped private schools, who have grown disenchanted with hours on end of online classes. Studying online alone is not the answer. In Niquelandia, secretary Campos is pushing to convert town squares into public Wi-Fi hotspots where students can gather to download class assignments while maintaining social distancing while teachers from 21 public schools are working the phones and shoe leather to check in on their scattered students. Even Camposs mother, a retired teacher, has joined the effort, going door to door to visit 90 students in one district. Despite the difficulties, she reported that theyre all keeping up, said Campos. The challenges are enormous, says Claudia Costin, a former World Bank education expert who directs the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Education Policies at Brazils Getulio Vargas Foundation. But in Brazil, where we still dont have connectivity for everyone, we are managing to sustain teaching and learning amid adversity, in a situation no one was prepared for. While no one claims that pen, paper and house calls are enough, teachers across the region are stepping up to keep students learning and to prevent education from becoming another casualty of the all too familiar Latin American tragedy of them versus us. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Mac Margolis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin and South America. He was a reporter for Newsweek and is the author of The Last New World: The Conquest of the Amazon Frontier. 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. Google has launched its latest operating system, Android 11, bringing with it greater privacy controls, floating chat heads, and a new interface for controlling smart home equipment. Usually, new versions of Android are available primarily on Googles own Pixel devices, with other smartphone manufactures catching up later. In this instance, however, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme phones also have access to Android 11, with other major manufacturers updating in the coming months. Google has tried to make Android 11 people-centric and expressive, and has changed conversation notifications and added chat bubbles to achieve that. Chat bubbles work similarly to the floating heads on Facebooks Messenger app, but for all messaging services. The small circles can be tapped to open and close and overlaid on other apps, letting users quickly reply to messages while doing other tasks before dragging them to the bottom of the screen to dismiss them. Other text chats are now in a new Conversations panel, which lives at the top of the swipe-down notification menu. Media controls are also now located near that menu, giving greater access to playback buttons, as well as switching between audio from different apps. It also makes it easier to send audio to different receivers, letting users quickly switch between playing sound from their headphones to Bluetooth speakers or the device itself. The new update also sees Google give the power button more functionality as smart-home controller. A long-press on the power button will bring up payment cards and smart-home devices like lights, locks, and thermostats. Much like Apples iOS 14, Android 11 also brings greater privacy controls. This includes a one-time permission that can be given to apps to use the phones microphone, camera, or location in one specific instance. Developers will also be required to get approval to access user locations in background, something which Google has struggled with due to the companys confusing settings and policies. Other small updates include a change to screenshots so they look more like those on iPhones, a screen recording feature built into the operating system, better voice controls, and greater information about 5G connectivity. While the new operating system brings many beneficial updates, it could cause issues when incorporated by other manufacturers, such as Samsung. As The Verge notes, some of Googles new features clash with Samsungs own functionality. The power button, for example, currently activates Samsungs smart-assistant Bixby, and Samsung has its own version of wireless payment called Samsung Pay instead of Google Pay. As such, it is currently unclear whether Samsung will opt to follow Google and change functions to meet the standard now set on Android, or continue to use its own services. A group of Houston-area pastors has launched a new initiative to prompt conversations on race issues and improve relationships with local police forces. Sadly, sometimes evangelical churches have been places where prejudice has been able to hide, said Steve Bezner, pastor of Houston Northwest Church and one of the leaders of the new initiative. The new program was sparked in part by death of George Floyd, the unarmed man with Houston ties whose death at the hands of Minnesota police officers sparked protests across the globe in early June. Bezner said representatives from more than 100 local churches attended the first virtual meeting on June 15. Pastors will continue meeting monthly as part of the program and will collaborate on a series of sermons that discuss racial injustice through a Biblical framework. Its not enough for a few churches within the city to preach a sermon here or there, Bezner said. If were going to change the tide, we need dozens of congregations representing hundreds or thousands of members across the city to hear the same unified message, and if possible at the same time. Long-term, the group plans to meet more frequently with police officers and develop quarterly reports on issues facing their communities. When appropriate, church leaders will also advocate for legislative items that they believe will help toward racial justice. We dont just want to protest police, said Blake Wilson, pastor of Crossover Bible Fellowship. We want to build a relationship of peace with those peace officers. The initiative comes as churches nationwide continue to grapple with how or if to address racism in their communities and congregations. On Thursday, for example, a group of roughly 400 faith leaders from around Texas will hold a virtual justice summit with law enforcement experts and representatives, including Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo. Still, theres a substantial gulf between how Christians of different races perceive inequality and injustice. Surveys conducted by the Barna research group last year found that roughly 40 percent of white, practicing Christians believe the U.S. has a race problem. More than twice as many Black Christians believed the same. About 70 percent of Black Christians also said they were motivated to address racial injustice twice the number of white Christians who said the same. Complicating that are significant gaps in how Christians perceive the root problems of racism. The same Barna study found about 60 percent of white Christians believe racism is an individualistic problem stemming from ones own beliefs and prejudices causing them to treat people of other races poorly. Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Meanwhile, two-thirds of Black Christians said racial discrimination is historically built into our society and institutions. Wilson and Bezner believe bridging those gaps starts with simply talking. By doing so, they hope to challenge notions of colorblindness that Wilson said have too often allowed white Christians to ignore or downplay racism. All that colorblind stuff is really a disrespect to God, because God made us this way, Wilson said. Otherwise he would have made one color, one race and there would be no need to go to every tongue, tribe and nation. The effort is in many ways an outgrowth of conversations the two began having amid a wave of protests over the killings of unarmed Black men a few years ago. I did not have the vocabulary to minister to a now-increasingly diverse congregation as those things were happening in the news, said Bezner, who is white. And so, he nervously approached Wilson, the pastor of a predominantly Black church nearby whom Bezner had recently befriended. Can I ask you a bunch of really ignorant questions, Bezner recalled asking at the time. He laughs about it now, but he and Wilson agreed that fears of being uncomfortable or perceived as ignorant can be a barrier to much-needed and honest conversations about prejudice and inequality. Instead, Wilson said, people are wondering, If I say too little am I racist? If I say too much am I racist? If I say the wrong thing am I racist? And what were not doing is listening and learning from each other. robert.downen@chron.com Teachers' salaries have fallen behind the average professional wage over the past 30 years, and at the peak of their career teachers earn less than electricians, chiropractors and publicists. John Buchanan, a Sydney University professor of business analytics, said a 10 to 15 per cent pay rise would lift their salaries to average, and paying the best teachers 30-50 per cent more would improve career progression and make the job more attractive. Teachers' salaries have fallen well behind the professional average. Credit:Cathryn Tremain "Top teachers need to be paid significantly more," Professor Buchanan said. "That's the biggest problem. If you want to change the signal you put out in the labour market, there has to be a quantum leap, not a marginal change." In 1986, female teachers earned 102 per cent of the female professional average, and their male counterparts earned 99 per cent of the men's average, a report led by Professor Buchanan found. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- NIO and the government of Hefei in the eastern Anhui province, the startup's major new backer, attempt to jointly build a total of 40 battery swapping stations in 2020 and 2021, according to a local media report. The 20 battery swapping stations are expected to be set up this year first at state-owned public parking lots, said the local media outlet. Hefei Electric Vehicle Charging Facility Investment Operation Co.,Ltd. (Hefei Charge) is accountable for the construction work. Chinese government is supportive of battery swapping model. In May, the battery swapping station was officially written into the Report on the Work of the Government as an important part of new infrastructure construction. (Photo source: NIO) China will step up efforts to advance the construction of battery swap infrastructure in the latest move to promote quality growth of the new-energy vehicle (NEV) sector, Xin Guobin, vice minister of MIIT, told a press conference on July 23. The battery swap mode will be piloted in regions including Beijing and Hainan, Xin added. NIO is among the Chinese automakers standing at the forefront in developing battery swapping model. On August 20, the startup launched the Battery as a Service (the BaaS) subscription model, which allows users to purchase electric vehicles and subscribe the usage of battery packs separately. At the same time, NIO announced the establishment of Wuhan Weineng Battery Asset Co.,Ltd., which will take charge of the newly-launched BaaS business. Aside from NIO, Wuhan Weineng also has another three shareholders, including the Chinese power battery giant CATL, which holds 25% of equity stake. NIO has deployed 143 battery swap stations across 64 cities in China, and completed over 800,000 battery swaps for our users. The advantages of our chargeable, swappable and upgradable battery swap technologies will continue to enhance competitiveness of NIO products, promote conversion to our premium smart EVs and create more values for our users, William Bin Li, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of NIO, said then. The Oyo State Government has disclosed its plan to position the historical Irefin Palace in Ibadan to rival the Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom. This came as the government entered into an agreement with private partners to promote notable tourist sites in the state. The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Wasiu Olatubosun, said this while hosting members of the Irefin Royal Family at his office on Tuesday. The visitors are the descendants of Oba Onirefin who built the biggest palace with 125 rooms in the history of Yorubaland, during his reign, between 1912 to 1914. The late monarch was renowned for his philanthropic efforts in promoting education. Oba Onirefin was said to be the highest donor to the establishment of the popular Ibadan Grammar School with the contribution of 100 pounds and the land upon which the school was built. Olatubosun said the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration in Oyo State, was committed to tourism development as a means of generating internal revenue. He said, We want to work with the Irefin Royal Family to bring more attention to the tourism potential of the palace and the significance of it to humanity. The palace is not just a structure, it symbolises love, it symbolises philanthropy. The late Oba Onirefin was a giver and lover of educational development. That is why the state government will support the family to promote the palace to be as famous as the Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Top police leaders in Rochester, New York, announced their retirements Tuesday amid nightly protests over the handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude, whose family filed a federal lawsuit alleging a coverup by law enforcement. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE- In this Aug. 6, 2020 file photo, New York State Attorney General Letitia James takes a question at a news conference in New York. James said on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020 that she will impanel a grand jury to look into the death of Daniel Prude. Prude, 41, apparently stopped breathing as police in Rochester, N.Y. were restraining him in March 2020 and died when he was taken off life support a week later. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) Top police leaders in Rochester, New York, announced their retirements Tuesday amid nightly protests over the handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude, whose family filed a federal lawsuit alleging a coverup by law enforcement. Police Chief LaRon Singletary, Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito and two commanders retired, while two more deputy chiefs and a commander gave up top leadership positions and returned to lower ranks. The outgoing chief accused critics of trying to destroy my character and integrity. Mayor Lovely Warren said during a video call with members of the City Council that she did not ask Singletary, 40, to resign, but that his abrupt decision to step down came after new information that was brought to light today that I had not previously seen before." She did not elaborate. While the timing and tenor of the retirements were difficult, Warren said later at a brief news conference, I truly believe that we will get through this. The sudden announcements came more than five months after the death of Prude, a 41-year-old Black man who died several days after an encounter with police March 23 in New York's third-largest city. There have been nightly protests in the city since the video's release Wednesday. FILE- In this Sept. 3, 2020 file photo, Rochester, N.Y. Mayor Lovely Warren addresses the media during a news conference in Rochester, N.Y. On Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, Warren announced that top police leaders in Rochester are retiring en masse amid criticism of the city's handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude in March 2020. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File) The events that have unfolded today have taken us completely by surprise, as they have everyone else, the Rochester police union, known as the Locust Club, said in a prepared statement. The union blamed the problems of leadership" on the mayor. The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation and know what I stand for," Singletary said in his own prepared statement. "The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prudes death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for. Singletary, who spent his entire career in the Rochester Police Department, was appointed chief in April 2019. He will stay on through the end of the month, Warren said. Both the mayor and Singletary are Black. Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary, right, stands with Reverend Lewis W. Stewart, left, of the United Christian Leadership Ministry before a community meeting in Rochester, N.Y., on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, that the citys police chief is among those retiring, along with other senior commanders, amid criticism of the citys handling of the the suffocation death of Daniel Prude. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus) This is great news, said Iman Abid, speaking for Free the People ROC, which has held protests since details of Prude's death emerged. It says to the people that people are able to move things and to shape things. The police chief wouldnt retire if it werent for something that he felt he was accountable to. But, she said, nightly protests will continue to push other demands, including the resignation of the mayor, defunding and demilitarizing of police, and development of a state law barring police departments from responding to mental health crises. Officers found Prude running naked down the street in March, handcuffed him and put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting, then held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing. He died a week later after he was taken off life support. FILE - In this undated file photo provided by Roth and Roth LLP, shows Daniel Prude. Prude, 41, who suffocated after police in Rochester, N.Y., put a "spit hood" over his head while being taken into custody. On Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, Rochester mayor Lovely Warren announced that top police leaders in the city are retiring en masse amid criticism of the city's handling of Prude's death. Prude, 41, died March 30, 2020 after his family took him off life support seven days after Rochester police officers encountered him running naked through the street, put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting, then held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing. (Courtesy Roth and Roth LLP via AP, File) His brother, Joe Prude, had called 911 seeking help for Daniel Prudes unusual behaviour. He had been taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation earlier that night but was released after a few hours, his brother told officers. His death sparked outrage after his relatives last week released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request. Seven police officers were suspended a day later, and state Attorney General Letitia James said Saturday she would form a grand jury and conduct an exhaustive investigation into Prudes death. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In this Sept 2, 2020, photo, Mayor Lovely Warren, right, addresses the media about the death of Daniel Prude, as Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary listens, at left. Singletary is among top leaders in the Rochester Police Department who announced their retirement Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, amid nightly protests over the city's handling of the suffocation of Daniel Prude. (Jamie Germano/Democrat & Chronicle via AP) In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Prudes family alleged that it took more than 90 seconds for officers to notice he had stopped breathing because they were chatting and making jokes at his expense. Prudes sister, Tameshay, sued as executor of his estate and named the city of Rochester, Singletary and officers involved in the arrest as defendants. Prudes family contends his death and a coverup stem from longstanding police department policy and practice that condones and encourages officers to use excessive force as a matter of course, and to lie in official police paperwork and sworn testimony to justify their unlawful actions. The lawsuit alleges the police department sought to cover up the true nature of Prudes death, starting with what Warren said was Singletary reporting to her early on that Prude had an apparent drug overdose. The lawsuit also argues officers used force against Prude at a time when he obviously posed no threat to the safety of the officers or anyone else. Mr. Prude was in the midst of an acute, manic, psychotic episode, the lawsuit states. Mr. Prude was unarmed, naked and suffering. He needed help. Police union officials have said the officers were following their training. It looks like Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) is about to go ex-dividend in the next four days. You can purchase shares before the 14th of September in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 30th of September. Service Corporation International's next dividend payment will be US$0.19 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.76 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Service Corporation International stock has a trailing yield of around 1.7% on the current share price of $44.27. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Service Corporation International's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing. Check out our latest analysis for Service Corporation International Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. That's why it's good to see Service Corporation International paying out a modest 33% of its earnings. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Fortunately, it paid out only 27% of its free cash flow in the past year. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's encouraging to see Service Corporation International has grown its earnings rapidly, up 23% a year for the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing very quickly, and the company is paying out a relatively low percentage of its profit and cash flow. This is a very favourable combination that can often lead to the dividend multiplying over the long term, if earnings grow and the company pays out a higher percentage of its earnings. Story continues The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Service Corporation International has delivered an average of 17% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see. Final Takeaway Is Service Corporation International an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Service Corporation International has been growing earnings at a rapid rate, and has a conservatively low payout ratio, implying that it is reinvesting heavily in its business; a sterling combination. There's a lot to like about Service Corporation International, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it. So while Service Corporation International looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Service Corporation International you should know about. A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Credit: Shutterstock Only days after the federal government announced a A$1.7 billion vaccine deal to roll out COVID-19 vaccines to Australians in 2021, one of the two candidates has halted its phase 3 trials after a participant became ill. The AZD1222 vaccine, considered one of the frontrunners in the global race for a COVID-19 vaccine, was developed by the University of Oxford and has been undergoing testing with British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Melbourne-based biotechnology company CSL has committed to producing and supplying more than 30 million doses of the vaccine to Australians if it's found to be safe and effective. But this pause in the trials doesn't necessarily mean it's not safe. Rather, it indicates the testing is progressing as it should, with due consideration of safety. What happened? There's been no official statement on the nature of the incident that caused the trial to be halted. We only know it was a suspected adverse reaction in a participant in the UK. (Phase 3 trials for the AZD1222 vaccine have been taking place in several countries.) The New York Times has reported the participant was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, an inflammatory condition than affects the spinal cord and can be sparked by viral infections. Transverse myelitis is very rare, with between one and eight new cases per million people per year. Most people will recover, but may be left with some symptoms such as weakness. In the world of vaccine safety, transverse myelitis is one of several conditions collectively known as a serious acute neurological episode (SANE) temporally associated with vaccination. Others include Guillain-Barre syndrome and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. "Temporal" suggests they occasionally occur some time after vaccination, but we don't know whether the relationship is one of cause and effect. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to find what caused these conditions, and it's important to look for other infections that may be associated with the diagnosis. There are a couple of things worth noting in this case. First, in the UK branch of the trial, not all participants were receiving the AZD1222 vaccine. To ascertain its effectiveness, researchers have given a control group a type of meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) that has already been licensed. As the trial is double-blinded, we don't yet know whether the affected participant received the COVID-19 vaccine. Second, AZD1222 is not a "live-attenuated" vaccineit's not made from live SARS-CoV-2 virus. (It does use a chimpanzee adenovirus vector, but this doesn't replicate or cause disease in humans.) It's not impossible the transverse myelitisif confirmed as a diagnosiswas related to the vaccine. But it wouldn't be possible for the vaccine to cause a COVID-19 infection, which could then spark the myelitis. Further, phase 2 and 3 trials involve much broader populations than the young, healthy adults who typically participate in early testing. The UK trial of AZD1222 includes people 70 years and older, which naturally increases the risk of temporally associated adverse events. So what next? AstraZeneca will already be investigating the incident, with input from external regulatory bodies such as the study's data safety monitoring board, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These independent bodies will review all parts of the investigation, such as an MRI on the participant to confirm the diagnosis, and look at which of the groups the person was in (whether they received AZD1222 or the other vaccine). They will try to find out what caused the illness, but this may not be possible. It will be particularly hard to prove the vaccine caused the illness with only one case. Illnesses like transverse myelitis, although rare, have a "background rate" of occurrence already in the community. The World Health Organization provides a framework to assess the cause of an adverse event following immunization. AstraZeneca and the independent bodies monitoring their processes will follow this or similar frameworks to evaluate the event. Once they've reviewed the incident, they will decide whether to resume the trial. Given the impetus to move quickly with this, we'd expect this to happen in a matter of days. It's not a bad thing This halt on the trial doesn't indicate the vaccine isn't safewe'll need to see further evidence before we can ascertain this. But it does reflect robust processes for a clinical trial. In a sense, this is what phase 2 and 3 clinical trials are designed forto pick up any potential safety issues and investigate them further. These sort of things happen occasionally in other clinical trials too. We just don't hear about it. There's perhaps never been so much attention on a single clinical trial as there is on the trial of this and other potential COVID-19 vaccines. We're not sacrificing safety for speed In the course of this pandemic, we've often heard that fast can't be safe in the context of a vaccine. We don't feel that's the case here. The reason these trials are moving so fast is largely because recruitment is happening quickly. The phase 3 trials of AZD1222 will have 40,000-50,000 participants in total. Beyond the AZD1222 vaccine, we're seeing open disclosure of processes and transparency around any issues. This includes a pledge from the major pharmaceutical companies to keep safety at the forefront when evaluating COVID-19 vaccines. Of course, there are exceptions to thisnotably the Russian vaccine, which has published some phase 1 data but reportedly gone into widespread use before completing all of the standard safety and effectiveness checks. In Australia, we follow certain steps to assess the safety of new vaccines. If the trial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine resumes and it proves safe and effective, Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will see the data and interact closely with regulatory bodies around the world to ensure it's safe to use. The TGA is also responsible for post-marketing surveillance, which we regard as phase 4. When the vaccine is being rolled out, we continue to monitor for adverse events, and follow these up using both jurisdictional vaccine safety units, such as SAEFVIC in Victoria, and active surveillance systems, such as Smartvax and Vaxtracker. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Trisha Krishnan, one of the most sought after actresses of the south Indian film industry, is an adherent follower of Malayalam cinema. Interestingly, Trisha is totally impressed with the recently released Fahadh Faasil starrer, C U Soon. The Ram actress heaped praises on C U Soon in her Instagram story, recently. In her Insta story, Trisha Krishnan stated that the Mahesh Narayanan is the best of 2020, and was all praises for the performances of the entire star cast. The gorgeous actress also remarked that she is so proud of her Mallu roots, after watching the film. Well, this clearly hints that C U Soon has equally impressed both the film industry members and common audiences. C U Soon, which is said to be the first Malayalam mainstream film to be shot in iPhone, premiered on Amazon Prime Video, on September 1, 2020. The movie features Fahadh Faasil, Roshan Mathew, and Darshana Rajendran as the three protagonists, with Saiju Kurup, Maala Parvathi, and others in the supporting roles. The project is conceptualised and directed by renowned editor-filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan. The suspense thriller marked Fahadh Faasil's third collaboration with Mahesh Narayanan, after Take Off and Malik. The duo decided to team up for this experimental project amidst lockdown, as the release of their second outing Malik has been pushed indefinitely due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Coming back to Trisha Krishnan's journey in the Malayalam cinema, the actress is all set to make a comeback to the industry with the upcoming Mohanlal starrer Ram. The shooting of the Jeethu Joseph directorial, which is currently delayed due to the pandemic, is expected to be resumed by the first quarter of 2021. Also Read: Kurup Is Made For A Theatrical Experience, Says Dulquer Salmaan Nivin Pauly To Join Hands With Love Action Drama Team Once Again! A prominent religious leader in Ukraine who earlier this year blamed the coronavirus pandemic on same-sex marriage has tested positive for the virus, his church announced. Patriarch Filaret, 91, who leads the large Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate, contracted COVID-19 and was subsequently hospitalized, the church confirmed Friday in a statement shared on its website and on Facebook. In a follow-up statement shared Tuesday, the church said its leaders health is stable as treatment continues. "We ask you to continue to pray for His Holiness Patriarch Filaret, so that the All-Merciful and Almighty Lord God will heal the Patriarch," the statement continued. Related: More than a third of the congregation at Asbury Memorial Church in Savannah are LGBTQ, according to its minister. This is not the first time Filaret has made headlines involving the global coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 3,000 people and infected over 140,000 in Ukraine. In a March interview with a local Ukrainian TV station, he reportedly called the crisis Gods punishment for the sins of men and sinfulness of humanity. First of all, I mean same-sex marriage, he added. This is the cause of the coronavirus." Following Filarets controversial comments, the Ukrainian LGBTQ rights group Insight filed a lawsuit against him in April. Our aim is to show people that there is no longer place for such statements from church leaders in Ukraine, Insights leader, Olena Shevchenko, told Thomson Reuters Foundation at the time. According to the foundation, the suit sought an apology from Filaret for disseminating false information and a correction from the TV station that aired his controversial remarks. Related: Joseph Scott Pemberton was convicted of murdering Jennifer Laude in 2014. Activists condemned the pardon as a "mockery of justice" and kowtowing to the U.S. Maria Guryeva, a spokeswoman for Amnesty International Ukraine, told Thomson Reuters Foundation at the time that Filarets statements are very harmful because they could lead to increased attacks, aggression, discrimination and acceptance of violence against certain groups. Story continues In response to Insight's lawsuit against Filaret, the Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate issued a statement in April saying, As the head of the church and as a man, the Patriarch has the freedom to express his views, which are based on morality." While Europe has a reputation for being relatively progressive when it comes to LGBTQ issues, Ukraine is not among the continents most gay-friendly countries. In its annual ranking of Europes most queer-friendly nations, the European LGBTQ rights group ILGA-Europe has listed Ukraine at 35 among 49 countries. Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram Will Waldron/Times Union ALBANY Fraudsters pretending to work for the U.S. Department of Justice are targeting the elderly in an attempt to fraudulently obtain their personal information over the phone, federal prosecutors warned Wednesday. Claiming to be DOJ investigators or employees, the scammers target unsuspecting victims, at times by leaving a voicemail directing the person to call a number which sends them to a menu that matches the departments main number. The person will eventually reach a supposed operator, who steers them to an investigator, who tries to get the persons information. The writer E. Jean Carroll has accused President Donald Trump of raping her at a department store in the mid-1990s. Eva Deitch/The Washington Post; Saul Loeb/Getty Images The Department of Justice is seeking to represent President Donald Trump in a defamation lawsuit brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll, who has accused him of rape, according to court documents filed Tuesday. In the highly unusual move, DOJ lawyers argued Trump was acting in an official capacity when Carroll brought the lawsuit and invoked a rule granting federal employees immunity from lawsuits. "Trump's effort to wield the power of the US government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent," Carroll's lawyer, Roberta A. Kaplan, told Business Insider in a statement. Trump's previous attempts to stall the case were rejected by a New York court last month, but Tuesday's move could further delay Carroll's efforts to gather evidence, including DNA samples and a deposition of Trump. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The US Department of Justice is seeking to intervene in a defamation lawsuit brought by the advice columnist E. Jean Carroll against President Donald Trump, according to court documents filed Tuesday essentially making the US government the defendant. Carroll, who publicly accused Trump of raping her in a department-store dressing room in the mid-1990s, filed a defamation lawsuit against the president in November after he denied meeting her despite photographic evidence to the contrary, accusing her of using the story to try to sell her memoir and responding to the allegations by saying she's "not my type." Trump has denied the accusation. In the highly unusual move, DOJ lawyers argued that Trump was "acting within the scope of his office" when making the comments and that the suit, therefore, falls under the Federal Torts Claim Act, which would put the US government on the hook for defending him and paying his legal costs. The move would take it out of state court and move it to federal court and replace Trump's personal lawyers with government ones. Story continues "Trump's effort to wield the power of the US government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent, and shows even more starkly how far he is willing to go to prevent the truth from coming out," Carroll's lawyer, Roberta A. Kaplan, told Business Insider in a statement. Other legal experts also expressed doubts about the DOJ's rationale. A former DOJ investigator general, Mark Bromwich, said in a tweet that the "lawyers assigned to the case should decline to work on it" and called for investigations into Attorney General William Barr and the agency over whether it constituted "waste and abuse if not fraud." "What possible justification is there for the Justice Department to spend our tax dollars defending Trump from decades-old sexual assault allegations?" the former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti tweeted. Carroll and Kaplan also accused Trump of trying to avoid turning over potentially damaging evidence after a New York state court last month rejected his attempts to stall the case. "Trump was soon going to be required to produce documents, provide a DNA sample, and sit for a deposition. Realizing that there was no valid basis to appeal that decision in the New York courts, on the very day that he would have been required to appeal, Trump instead enlisted the US Department of Justice to replace his private lawyers," Kaplan said. "Today's actions demonstrate that Trump will do everything possible, including using the full powers of the federal government, to block discovery from going forward in my case before the upcoming election to try to prevent a jury from ever deciding which one of us is lying," Carroll said in a statement to Business Insider. At least 25 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct since the 1970s. Trump has broadly dismissed the allegations, which include ogling, harassment, groping, and rape, as "fabricated" and politically motivated accounts pushed by the media and his political opponents. Tuesday's filing from the DOJ, which is funded by taxpayers, also comes on the heels of the New York Times report that Trump's campaign had spent at least $58.4 million on the president's legal fees, often surrounding his personal business. Read the original article on Business Insider [Photo/VCG] Indian troops illegally crossed the line into the Shenpaoshan area on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake in the western sector of the China-India border, and outrageously fired shots to threaten the Chinese border patrol personnel who approached them for representations on Monday. The Chinese border troops were forced to take countermeasures to control the situation. The spokesperson for the Western Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) pointed out that India's actions seriously violated the relevant agreements and deals between China and India, pushed up regional tensions, and can easily cause misunderstandings and misjudgments. These are serious military provocations of a very bad nature. China requires India to immediately stop dangerous actions, immediately withdraw personnel that crossed the border, strictly restrain front-line troops, and thoroughly investigate and prosecute personnel who fired shots to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again, said the spokesperson. Recently, India's repeated aggressive moves on the China-India border may temporarily instigate domestic nationalist sentiments and cover up the double-strike crisis of the severe pandemic and economic recession, but it cannot shift the deep-seated contradictions in India. 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. However, the Indian side repeatedly took actions that undermine the development of China-India relations. "Not an inch of Chinese territory can be lost, and China's military is fully determined, capable and confident to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," said General Wei Fenghe, State Councilor and Minister of National Defense in a meeting with his Indian counterpart in Moscow, Russia. It is by no means an empty talk. China's GDP is about five times that of India, and China's military power is much stronger than India's. So what does India want on the fringe of military adventure? Behind this, it is the so-called "Forward Policy" factors of the Indian government unilaterally changing the status quo of border control, a right-leaning climate in India's domestic political ecology, and India's political speculative psychology under the changing international geopolitical environment. The most direct and urgent reason is the pressure of maintaining domestic stability of India. As of September 7, local time, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India exceeded 4.2 million. India surpassed Brazil and has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world, the second most diagnosed country in the world, according to Indian media reports. According to the number of current daily new cases, India may surpass the US in the next six weeks to become the country with the largest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. While the domestic pandemic situation has become more severe, the Indian economy has also experienced a severe recession. According to data released by India's Central Statistics Office on August 31, its national economy plunged by 23.9 percent in the second quarter of this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is India's worst quarterly economic contraction since the release of relevant data in 1996. The unsatisfactory response to the pandemic and the difficulty of restarting the economy has become the Achilles heel of the Modi administration, which has been slammed by opposition parties. However, the Modi government's options are extremely limited. Against this background, India has tried to temporarily pacify the domestic political opposition and the people's grievances, and maintain the political and social stability, through repeatedly making provocative moves on the border issue, creating a tense atmosphere of military confrontation between China and India, introducing policies to suppress China. Besides, the Indian government also intends to promote the process of De-Sinicization in the country by provoking China and speculating on issues related to China. The Modi government has been implementing the "Made in India" plan since 2014, but it is difficult to change the status quo of relying on Chinese imports for electronic products, auto parts, furniture, and other products. At the same time, the Modi government is also well aware that it cannot completely decouple from China, especially in the context of the current pandemic, which will only bring about greater economic difficulties and social unrest. The Indian government's wishful thinking is to provoke China and incite hatred towards China, develop conditions for domestic products to replace Chinese goods and complete a forced substitution of "Chinese goods". It hopes, by so doing, a "big turnaround" for Indias national industries will be enabled. However, no matter how carefully India has planned, trying to provoke China to shift domestic contradictions is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. Although there are changes in international political situation, and India now sees temptation of taking advantage of changes in the external situation and arbitraging China, it cannot change the fundamental fact: China and India are neighbors that cannot be moved away. As the only two countries with a population of one billion in the world, solving the problem of domestic inequality and inadequate economic and social development should become the overriding concern. India obviously sees more burdens and difficulties than China in solving domestic economic and social development issues. Not only can India not bear the price of breaking the peace, provoking China will not help cure India's "diseases." Disclaimer: This article is originally published on haiwainet.cn, which is the website of Overseas Edition of the People's Daily. The article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. The privatization of JSC United Mining and Chemical Company, PJSC Odesa Port-Side Plant, the property complexes of the Electrotyazhmash Plant and Krasnolymanska Coal Company, as well as PJSC President Hotel may take place before the end of the current of the year. The task to complete their sale no later than December of this year is set to the State Property Fund in the draft plan of priority actions of the government of Ukraine for 2020. The presidential decrees adopted in September and November last year were named as a justification for such actions. The draft plan also provides for the approval of the ownership policy for the 15 largest state-owned companies, an individual plan of measures for corporate governance, and key performance indicators of the supervisory board. We are talking about NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy, the Ukroboronprom state concern, Energoatom, Ukrhydroenergo, Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukrposhta, the Boryspil international airport. This list also includes the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, NPC Ukrenergo, the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine, Agrarian Fund, Ukraina Printing Plant, UkSATSE, State Joint Stock Company Automobile Roads of Ukraine and Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine. BRIDGEPORT A local woman allegedly upset that her ex-boyfriend was seeing a new woman is accused of running down the other woman on a city street, police said. Samantha Rivera, 33, of Harral Avenue, was charged Wednesday with first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, evading responsibility and threatening. During Riveras arraignment on Wednesday, she rested her arms on the bars of her cell in the courthouse lockup watching the proceeding on video as Senior Assistant States Attorney Edward Lee Miller urged Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton to set a high bond for Rivera. These are very serious allegations, the judge agreed and ordered Rivera held in lieu of $150,000 bond. She continued the case to Sept. 23. Police said on Aug. 5, officers responded to calls of a person hit by a car on Madison Avenue. When they got there, they found a woman being treated for serious injuries. Police said a city man told them he had previously broken off a relationship with Rivera. Rivera, however, had not taken the breakup well and had been calling and harassing the man, police said. On Aug. 5, police said Rivera had called the former boyfriend but his new girlfriend picked up the phone which allegedly upset Rivera. Some time later, police said, the new girlfriend was in the process of crossing the street in front of the Madison Avenue home when she was struck by a Honda Civic driven by a woman later identified as Rivera. Police said the impact of the crash caused the victim to roll up onto the hood of the car before falling into the street. They said Rivera then put her car in reverse and backed over the woman. Police said Rivera then called her former boyfriend and, in the call, which was recorded, Rivera laughed as she described running down the victim and threatened that she would do it again. As the same time that schools reopen across Ontario, COVID-19 is surging especially within the GTA. The growing number of new daily cases has meant that the Ontario government has put a hold on any further loosening of public health restrictions in the province. Within the province, the GTA and Ottawa are leading new daily infections. The recent case surge can be traced to Stage 3 reopening, said Colin Furness, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto. However, it takes more than the two weeks thats been largely touted as the time between changes and new cases to really see the effects of reopening. The lag time seems to be about two months, he said, pointing to similar surges in Alberta and B.C. following their respective move to opening bars and restaurants. Its not like all of a sudden theres a huge spike, it takes a while to simmer. Opening schools this week puts another log on a really scary fire, Furness said. While Ontarios schools arent yet the driver of new cases, the fire, I think, comes from creating situations where people are indoors without masks. he said. I wasnt expecting this kind of rise yet. I was expecting this in about a month from now, Furness added, continuing that Ontario hasnt yet reached colder weather, which is the ideal environment for respiratory viruses. So I am very concerned. And if it were up to me, I would be rolling back some of the stuff now. GTA vs. Ontario The GTA has seen a steady rise in cases since mid-August, while case growth in the rest of the province has been flat. As of reporting from the province Tuesday morning, Toronto has 48 new COVID-19 cases, while 42 have been reported in Peel, and another 37 in Ottawa. Over the past week, Toronto has seen an average 48.6 new cases of the virus each day, while Peel has seen 49.9. In Ottawa, that number is 22.7. However, these numbers remain far below the peak of the pandemic in each respective region. In Toronto, for example, there were on average 229.9 new cases per day, while Peel reported 120.1 new cases on average. The largest growth has been in the Toronto area (and) GTA areas, including York and Peel, said Isha Berry, a PhD candidate in epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She said that daily case averages are also rising. The disparity between cities The growing numbers highlight the importance of making sure people are following provincial public health orders, Berry said. She warned against reading too deeply into the rising numbers in Brampton on their own. I think something to keep in mind is that we look at these health regions almost as if theyre insular, she said. But really, unless you have a good idea of how people are crossing between health regions, especially for somewhere like Peel and Toronto. We dont really know if someones actually getting that case in Toronto, (or) are they getting that case in Peel. Berry cautioned that because the regions are fluid and Ontarians move between them often, its important to look at the situation in each place in relation to the places beside it. You dont want to look at something in isolation. Elsewhere in Canada New cases across Canada over the past month have been rather flat, though Alberta and Manitoba have seen spikes. Nationally, cases only began to rise toward the end of August, consistent with trends seen in Ontario and B.C. Furness said he was much less worried about the Atlantic provinces than other regions in Canada. Nova Scotia struggled the most out there (initially), but even then they really kept it under control, he said. Theyve been really cautious. They have not been stampeding back, (have) not been demanding bars be open. Canada-wide, Ontario is facing a similar pandemic trajectory as other provinces, Berry said. On a per-capita basis, provinces such as Manitoba and Alberta are seeing very sustained flow over the last seven to 14 days as well. The increase isnt due to more testing, Berry explained. Rather, she believes the country is experiencing linear growth, meaning that the number of cases seen on any given day is par with the amount seen on the previous day or previous week. But what we are worried about, and what we dont want to see happen is exponential growth, which is what happens when you start multiplying at a rate faster than before, she explained. With files from Ed Tubb Jenna Moon is a breaking news reporter for the Star and is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @_jennamoon Read more about: Some 534 servicemen are now isolated (including self-isolation). The number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases registered in the Armed Forces of Ukraine rose by 68 as of the morning of September 9. "As of 10:00 Kyiv time on September 9, some 650 people in the Armed Forces of Ukraine had acute respiratory illness COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In total, 1,389 people have recovered and six have died during the pandemic," the press service of the Medical Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wrote on Facebook on September 9. "Sixty-eight new COVID-19 cases were registered in the past 24 hours." Read alsoAdvisor to President's Office chief rejects new lockdown in UkraineOf those newly-infected, nine people have been hospitalized, while another 59 are self-isolating, undergoing treatment at home under doctors' supervision. Currently, their state of health is satisfactory. Some 534 servicemen are now isolated (including self-isolation). The number of those whose isolation term is expiring in the next three days is 122 people. Background New Delhi: BJP MP from Unnao, who is in the eye of storm after his comments appeared to blame the Muslim community for Indias population growth, clarified on Wednesday that he did not name any particular religion while making such comments. While interacting with News State, the leader also demanded a uniform civil code to tame country's growing population problem. Maharaj said that he did not make the statement at an election rally or public event but at a 'Sant Sammelan'. Maharaj said that he only expressed his concerns over the growing population which must be controlled and women are not machines to deliver babies. Read | Sakshi Maharaj stirs controversy, says Muslims responsible for rising population The BJP MPs remarks came days after the Supreme Court ruled that political parties and candidates cant seek votes in the name of religion or caste. Noteworthy, Sakshi Maharaj appeared before the Election Commission on Wednesday to clarify his stand over his statement after the election watchdog issued a notice to him in this regard. "Those with four wives and 40 children are responsible for the population increase in the country. Hindus are not responsible for the increase in population," he said. "Strict laws are required in this country if we really want to curb population. Parties need to rise above politics and take decision for the sake of the country," Sakshi Maharaj had said during a meeting with religious leaders in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. On January 7, an FIR was filed against Maharaj in Meerut in connection with the matter. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. During his encounter with local sheriffs in Florida, Joseph Griffin told Facebook Live, If something happens to me, you all better raise hell. Joseph Griffin was detained briefly in the predominantly White neighborhood of Deltona, Florida last month while jogging. He has since been offered a job with that communitys police department. Griffin, who works in the healthcare field, was offered a position by Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. He was also offered the opportunity to lead several diversity sessions with the department. Griffin declined the full-time job but accepted the offer to help with bias training. Joseph Griffin was detained briefly in Deltona, Florida last month by local sheriffs, who have since offered him a job. (Volusia County Sheriffs Dept.) Its a big opportunity that I think could help change the relationship between policing and the community, on both sides, Griffin told CNNs Erin Burnett. Chitwood told CNN that when he learned that Griffin was a former military police officer, the sheriff asked if he would come in and do training with our entire staff. He was surprised about it and agreed. We will start (the) training early October and keep doing it, he said. Read More: Utah police shot autistic boy, 13, after mom called 911 for help During the incident, which occurred on Aug. 27, Griffin was stopped as he was jogging by sheriffs deputies who said he fit the description of a man who allegedly stole a weed eater/leaf blower from a home. In the video, Griffin seemed surprised when approached by the deputies, who said that the man had on the same clothing. So, Im not saying its you, but it was a Black maleagainnot saying its you, buddy. Griffin then begins recording the encounter on Facebook Live, telling officers that he just had a newborn daughter. Read More: Rochester police chief and entire command staff retire after facing backlash for Prude death Upon their sergeants orders, they detained Griffin on the spot, handcuffing him. During the encounter, he spoke to Facebook Live, saying, If something happens to me, you all better raise hell. Story continues Griffin was released once he was cleared of any involvement. The real suspect was arrested minutes later. Mr. Griffin was great with my deputies, and my deputies were extremely professional, Chitwood said. When you get stopped by police, this is how to act. This really is a teachable moment. We can learn from each other. Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now! The post Black man detained while jogging, later offered job at sheriffs department appeared first on TheGrio. Midland County recorded 10 new confirmed coronavirus cases Wednesday, bringing the pandemic total to 397 cases, 97 probable cases and 11 deaths. Northwood University in Midland, which reported an outbreak over the past weekend, updated its numbers to 29 confirmed coronavirus cases, 14 pending tests and four recoveries, as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. And, in another school-related outbreak, Central Michigan District Health Department has identified 274 cases (260 confirmed and 14 probable), as of Wednesday afternoon, related to Central Michigan University students returning to the Mount Pleasant area. Bay County recorded one death and one probable death in the Wednesday report. There were no other deaths in the five-county region which also includes Midland, Gladwin, Isabella and Saginaw counties that the Daily News has been chronicling since the start of the pandemic. Wednesday, Sept. 9 daily numbers Bay County: One confirmed coronavirus case was subtracted and a death and probable death were added; pandemic total stands at 790 cases, 93 probable, 44 deaths and one probable death. Gladwin County: No cases were added; pandemic total stands at 74 cases, nine probable, two deaths. Isabella County: 11 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 520 cases, 59 probable, 10 deaths. Saginaw County: 13 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 2,520 cases, 172 probable, 129 deaths and four probable deaths. The state on Wednesday added 783 new cases and 13 deaths. Overall, Michigan is at 108,595 cases and 6,552 deaths. Testing The state report shows as of Sept. 9, Midland County has performed 11,777 diagnostic tests and 788 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 12,565 tests. Gladwin County is listed as having administered 4,602 diagnostic tests and 132 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 4,734 tests. Midland Countys seven-day rolling positivity rate on Sept. 6 was listed at 3.7%, and medium risk of spread. Gladwin County was listed at 0.3% and low risk. The Saginaw region, which includes 12 counties including Midland, Gladwin, Bay and Saginaw was listed at 2.7% and low risk. Michigan is at 3.7%, 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. 31, MidMichigan Health which covers a 23-county region and has medical centers at seven sites, including Midland has completed 20,503 tests. Of those, 19,430 were negative, 237 positive and 836 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 Sept. 8, and five cumulative cases and no deaths among staff. Midland Kings 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 Sept. 8, 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 80,678 cases, as of Sept. 4, which represents COVID-19 confirmed individuals with an onset date on or prior to Aug. 5, 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 Countys 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 Midlands 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 13 COVID-19 patients, including one COVID-19 patient in ICU, and 57.7% bed occupancy, as of Sept. 3. PPE days on hand as of Sept. 3: The health system reported 7-14 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. A right-wing demonstrator is arrested by Salem Police during an American Lives Matter, pro-Trump rally at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. SALEM, Ore. Two people were arrested for attacking counter-protesters during a pro-Trump, "American Lives Matter" rally outside the Capitol building in Salem Monday afternoon. Ty Anthony, 53, of Durango, Colorado, was cited on charges of fourth-degree assault and first-degree intimidation, a "bias crime" involving injuring or menacing a person due to their race, sexual orientation, religion or national origin. Trenton Wolfskill, 37, of Eugene, also was arrested for fourth-degree assault. The rally ran from noon to 4 p.m. on Labor Day with about 150 people initially in attendance, said officials with Oregon State Police. Proud Boys, a right-wing group labeled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, were also in attendance. About 30 to 50 counter-protesters, many supporting Black Lives Matter, gathered in the Capitol Mall. Video: Rev. Al Sharpton on saying Black Lives Matter at March on Washington At about 3:30 p.m., about 50 people arrived after a pro-Trump vehicle convoy in Oregon City skipped Portland and headed south. Although organizers said the rally was officially over in Woodburn, several trucks were seen driving through downtown Salem sporting Trump 2020 flags and taped-over license plates. Many attendees were armed with guns, knives and bats. Bats also were spotted across the street at the Capitol Mall along with a naked man waving an American flag. A Salem Police officer removes a gun from the vest of a pro-Trump protester during an American Lives Matter, pro-Trump rally at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. The pro-Trump demonstrator was arrested after assaulting a female Black Lives Matter demonstrator and pushing a cop. Oregon State Police spokesman Capt. Tim Fox said the two groups began engaging each other from across Court Street around 4 p.m. Paintball fire was exchanged, and projectiles were reportedly thrown. Fox said the American Lives Matter Rally group ran across Court Street and began chasing and pushing the counter-protestors through the tree line in the Capitol Mall Park. On social media videos, a man can be seen pushing another man to the ground. A woman then walks by and sprays mace at the man on the ground. According to an online page for What Do You Know with Joe, the man attacked and maced was videographer Joe Smothers, who has been documenting the protests in Salem and Portland. Story continues Smothers recorded the video of Salem police talking to the armed militia outside Glamour Salon that went viral and garnered national coverage. In another video, the people associated with the right-wing rally are seen running across the Capitol mall and pushing a counter-protester to the ground. One of the attackers is overheard calling the victim a gay slur. Salem police officers and Oregon State Police troopers responded and broke up the group. Two men were seen placed in handcuffs. Salem police spokesman Lt. Treven Upkes said neither of the protests was permitted by the city. Because police were concerned about safety and had received reports of a possible march onto city property, Salem police responded to monitor the event and provide mutual aid to Oregon State Police, the agency with jurisdiction over the Capitol Building and Capitol Mall. Salem police were monitoring the beginnings of a march when they heard reports of an altercation. Officers returned to the Capitol to find several violent outbursts. "Because physical violence was occurring, our officers made the right call and intervened to stop it," Upkes said. "They detained the people they believed were responsible for the attacks and then handed over those suspects to Oregon State Police." Fox said troopers will continue to conduct follow-up investigations on other criminal reports taken during this event. Follow reporter Whitney Woodworth on Twitter: @wmwoodworth This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon men at Trump rally arrested after counterprotesters attacked YEREVAN. The Court of Cassation did not consider the appeals related to the issue of the precautionary measure of Armenias second President Robert Kocharyan. Hayk Alumyan, a lawyer of the former president, said this during a press conference on Wednesday. Earlier, the Criminal Court of Appeal had released Kocharyan on a 2bn-dram bail, which is an unprecedented amount for Armenia. The lawyer reminded that the attorneys, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the injured party had appealed this decision. But as per Alumyan, according to the law, the injured party has no right to appeal a decision on the precautionary measure, and the Court of Cassation has already expressed its position on this issue. Under to the Criminal Procedure Code, the prosecutor general and his deputies also do not have such powers, it is another thing that it was different in practice, and the Court of Cassation was almost always granting the request by the Prosecutor General's Office, the lawyer said. According to him, the defense drew the Court of Cassation's attention to that circumstance, and it hopes that the court will find the strength to change this wrongly formed practice. "It is worrying that our appeal has not been accepted for proceedings yet," Alumyan added. Maybe no musician exemplifies the shift in artistic creation during 2020 more than Noname, who has spent most of her energy this year educating her fans and followers about radical social justice reforms and promoting reading material for the homies through her burgeoning Noname Book Club. No word on if or when her one-time third LP Factory Baby will be out. September readings: Disability Visibility, edited by Alice Wong, and Capitalism & Disability, by Marta Russell. nonamebooks.com More than 300 civil society groups including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Service for Human Rights are urging the United Nations to set up an international watchdog to address human rights violations by the Chinese government. In an open letter published Wednesday, the groups say they are seeking greater scrutiny of and response to violations in places like Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang, as well as beyond such as through censorship, development that hurts the environment and the targeting of rights defenders. The call for the creation of an independent international mechanism to focus on Chinas rights violations adds to recent international pressure on Beijing over its handling of issues like protests in Hong Kong and detention centers what the government calls vocational or training centers for Uighur Muslims and others in western Xinjiang region. China has systematically persecuted rights defenders in reprisal for their cooperation with UN human rights operations torture, enforced disappearance, imprisonment, and stripping licenses from lawyers, said Renee Xia, director of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, in a statement. The UN system should no longer tolerate such treatment. The move follows a call by independent experts who work with the United Nations for a special session of the Human Rights Council focusing on the array of issues around Chinas rights record. Advocates insist that no country no matter how large or powerful should escape extra scrutiny of their rights records when warranted. The groups also want UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to take responsibility for publicly addressing Chinas sweeping rights violations, Human Rights Watch said in a statement. The appeal comes ahead of the start of the 47-member-state Human Rights Councils fall session on Monday. In its summer session, the council held an urgent debate on a rise of police violence against Black people and repression of protests in the United States. The former commander of U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) on Tuesday publicly criticized the Pentagon's decision to move 1,200 troops out of Europe, calling it a political move that will fizzle out over time. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, during a discussion on the state of the Army hosted by Defense One, called the withdrawal plan a "political decision not based on any strategic analysis" that will likely change drastically over the next several months. Read Next: Troops, DoD Civilians Won't Be Able to Opt Out of Payroll Tax Deferral Plan Defense Secretary Mark Esper made the controversial troop withdrawal announcement July 29 as part of a plan to strengthen Europe's eastern flank against Russia. "I will bet you a glass of sweet tea ... that what happens looks nothing like what was briefed on the 29th of July," said Hodges, who is now Pershing chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis. Hodges did not mention President Donald Trump, but said the move is about penalizing Germany because it has not contributed 2% of its gross domestic product to its own national defense. Trump has repeatedly called on NATO countries to increase their defense contributions, and has called Germany "delinquent" because it has not done so quickly enough. "It's about punishing Germany because they are not [paying] 2%, but yet Italy and Belgium are the two countries that are going to gain the most," Hodges said, adding that Belgium pays less than 1% and Italy pays only 1.2%. "The bottom line is what we are losing if these things happen ... is [the] confidence of our allies that we would make such a big decision that affects NATO and affects relationships -- that we would make a decision without any sort of consultation." The move will likely take months to plan and years to complete, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said in a separate speech Tuesday. "What we are doing is re-posturing our force, so we are in a better position to support our strategic objectives," McConville said. Story continues Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, disagreed with Hodges' assessment of the withdrawal. Redistributing forces is one way to make forces more difficult targets for adversaries such as Russia, Karako said, calling the forces in Germany a "big, fat juicy target." "There is a strategic argument for doing things differently to adapt to a new environment," he said. "Of course, the devil is in the details. We have to wait and see, but I think we ought to be open to some different force structure in Europe." Hodges argued that U.S. combat capabilities in Europe are already ill-equipped to deal with a serious threat from Russia. "There is one Patriot [missile] battalion in all of Europe," he said, adding that it will take at least a Patriot battalion to protect Ramstein Air Base alone. Instead of asking European countries to pay more for defense, the U.S. should be asking them to use their capabilities to protect specific zones against attacks, he said. "This is where our allies could really pick up a much larger share," Hodges said. "Instead of always saying 2%, 2%, 2%, say, 'Hey, Germany, we need you and the Dutch -- you already have Patriots -- we need you to protect ... the Baltic region. Poland, you've got to cover Poland. Romania, you've to cover this area.'" -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Related: Nearly 12,000 US Troops Will Pull Out of Germany at Cost of Billions, SecDef Says P.O and Baek Soo Min's relationship is something to look forward to in the approaching drama "More Than Friends". Once in your life, you may have thought about confessing to a lifelong friend you've secretly had feelings with. However, the deadly question comes creeping asking what will become of your relationship when you do confess? Will everything change? Romance drama "More Than Friends" starts off with the same note. The drama follows a girl, portrayed by Shin Ye Yun, who is in love with her good friend, Ong Seong Wu's character. However, little did she know that he feels the same way about her. Unfortunately, due to several tragic circumstances, Shin Ye Yun and Ong Seong Wu's roles never get the chance to be honest with each other. As time passes, the feelings of the two good friends remain the same. The latest stills that the production team has released did not fail to make hearts flutter as it featured the funny and heart fluttering relationship of Jin Sang Hyuk and Han Jin Joo. One of the stills was from a scene in the series where P.O, who plays as Jin Sang Hyuk, and Baek Soo Min, who plays Han Ji Joo, were at Jin Sang Hyuk's bar called Tonight where he usually gathers his friends for a few bottles of beer and have a good time. Jin Sang Hyuk and Han Jin Joo's relationship shows a lot of teasing and blurting out things that they know will annoy the other. Their adorable and hilarious relationship with each other is one of those types that will make you smile and cheer them on. The stills show Jin Sang Hyuk and Han Jin Joo's love and hate relationship with each other. We often see this type of relationship in different Korean dramas and they never fail to make us laugh and our hearts flutter. Other released stills show Han Ji Joo grabbing Jin Sang Hyuk's apron showing an annoyed expression about whatever Jin Sang Hyuk's blurting out in front of her. The fact that they have been friends for a decade makes viewers even more curious of what will become of their platonic relationship. Although Jin Sang Hyuk runs his bar alone, he always gives his all to his work. He is also one of those people who would support his friends no matter what circumstance he is in. He is a character truly worth looking forward to. Meanwhile, Baek Soo Min plays as a prosecutor who has the intelligence, looks, and has the ability to solve any kinds of problem. However, she struggles in one thing: dating and finding the perfect man for her. Han Jin Joo might seem like she's got it all figured out, but deep inside, she struggles with imperfections. Despite this, Baek Soo Min's character will be one who is lovable! Fans are anticipating the romance drama "More Than Friends" of what will become of Jin Sang Hyuk and Han Ji Joo's relationship! Catch the approaching drama as it brings a story that we all can relate to! "More Than Friends" premieres on September 25 at 11:00 p.m. KST. Russia says it has protested strongly to Berlin's envoy to Moscow over "unfounded accusations and ultimatums" purportedly made by Germany over the illness of poisoned Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny. During a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry on September 9, the German ambassador was warned that a refusal by Berlin to provide Moscow information in the case would be seen as a "hostile provocation" that would be "fraught with consequences," a ministry statement said. The ministry also protested what it called Berlin's "obvious use of the situation as a means to discredit our country on the international stage." In Berlin, the government said the test results showing that Navalny was the victim of a nerve-agent attack had been handed over to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The government sees no reason to hand the evidence directly to Russia, deputy spokeswoman Martina Fietz told reporters, adding, "We continue to appeal to the Russian side to deliver information." Navalny suddenly fell ill on a Russian domestic flight on August 20 and was medically evacuated to Germany on a request by his wife several days later. German experts say the 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner and Russian opposition leader was poisoned with a Soviet-style military nerve agent from the Novichok group, prompting international calls on Russia to swiftly investigate the case. Russian authorities have refused to open a criminal investigation, saying that no hard evidence of poisoning has been found. The Kremlin has also vehemently denied allegations by Navalnys team, his relatives, and others who believe that Russian authorities are behind the poisoning. Before the German ambassador was summoned by Russian officials, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Germany's "completely inappropriate attitude toward official requests we send to Berlin." He called Germany's tone "absolutely unacceptable." Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Group of Seven (G7) countries of an "unfolding massive disinformation campaign" to whip up support for sanctions over the Navalny case. "The whipping up of hysteria around this case is only growing" and "the main task is not in caring for A. Navalny's health or discovering the true reasons for his hospitalization but in mobilizing sanctions sentiments," the ministry said in a statement. The statement came after G7 foreign ministers late on September 8 condemned Navalny's "confirmed poisoning" and demanded that Russia quickly find and prosecute those behind the "abhorrent" attack. The G7 statement came on the same day as the United Nations high commissioner for human rights called on the Russian government to "fully investigate" the poisoning, calling the incident an "assassination attempt." The top diplomats from the major industrial democracies also called on Russia "to urgently and fully establish transparency on who is responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack and...to bring the perpetrators to justice." The Berlin hospital where Navalny is being treated said on September 7 he had awaken from a medically induced coma and was responding to verbal stimuli. However, it said it was unclear what long-term effects he will suffer. The chief toxicologist of the Omsk region, where Navalny was treated after his flight to Moscow made an emergency landing in the city of Omsk, said on September 8 that "there wasn't a single indication of poisoning" in the Navalny case. The Kremlin has also vehemently denied allegations by Navalnys team, his relatives, and others who believe that Russian authorities are behind the poisoning. Navalny has led nationwide protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has been attacked with a dangerous chemical and fallen ill in Russian custody in the past. G7 Protest "We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the confirmed poisoning" of Navalny, they said in a joint statement released by the U.S. State Department on September 8. The G7 ministers said that they will continue to monitor closely how Russia responds to international calls for an explanation of the hideous poisoning." "Any use of chemical weapons, anywhere, anytime, by anybody, under any circumstances whatsoever, is unacceptable and contravenes the international norms prohibiting the use of such weapons," the group's statement added. The White House last week described Navalnys poisoning as completely reprehensible and said Washington was working with the international community to "hold those in Russia accountable." Among the Kremlin opponents who have been killed or targeted in recent years are investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, former Russian security officer Aleksandr Litvinenko, former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, and former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, among others. Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned by Novichok in the British city of Salisbury in 2018, and British investigators have implicated Russian security agencies. Polls opened at 6am (0300 GMT) across the mountainous northern Tigray region despite a federal decision to postpone all elections because of the coronavirus pandemic Ageing war veterans and university students joined long pre-dawn lines in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region to vote Wednesday in parliamentary elections that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has deemed illegal. Polls opened at 6am (0300 GMT) across the mountainous northern Tigray region despite a federal decision to postpone all elections because of the coronavirus pandemic. The election represents the latest challenge to Abiy's authority as he navigates a democratic transition hobbled by deep political and ethnic divisions, and a low point in the bitter dispute between the federal government in Addis Ababa and Tigray. The region sharing a border with Eritrea and Sudan dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before anti-government protests swept Abiy to power in 2018. Ethiopia was supposed to hold national elections in August, but the national poll body announced in March they would need to be postponed because of the pandemic. Tigrayan leaders rejected the extension of mandates -- which would have expired in October -- contending Abiy will have no legitimacy after that. Their decision to unilaterally hold their own elections has clearly rankled federal officials, who have said they have "no legal basis" and are "null and void". In the regional capital Mekele, some voters struck a defiant note as they waited to cast ballots. "We want the federal government to take a lesson from this: They need to hold elections, too, so we can work together to build the country," said Hailay Haileselassie, a 37-year-old who works for a construction company. More than 600 candidates from five parties are vying for 152 regional parliamentary seats, and the parties will decide how to allocate the remaining 38 seats at a later date, said election commissioner Muluwork Kidanemariam. The heavy favourite is the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which led the armed struggle to topple the brutal Derg regime in 1991 and went on to control the ruling coalition that took over. Though the TPLF has been sidelined under Abiy, it remains in command in Tigray, which makes up six percent of Ethiopia's population of 110 million. Hailu Kiros, 62, was one of many wheelchair-bound TPLF veterans who cast votes Wednesday morning. "This is important for me. We fought for this, so that elections could be held every five years," he told AFP. 'Shanty election' The TPLF is facing off against four other parties, one of which -- the Tigray Independence Party -- is calling for Tigray to secede and form its own country. The campaign featured televised debates among party leaders, and opposition politicians say they have had good access to regional media. Yet some opposition politicians have been harassed and briefly detained by security forces in recent days and pressured into dropping out, said Hayalu Godefay, chairman of opposition party Salsay Woyane Tigray. "When the election got closer, the stance of the TPLF changed toward the opposition. I think they didn't expect such support for the opposition from the people," Hayalu said. It remains unclear whether Tigray will face federal retaliation for going ahead with the vote. Abiy, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, has previous ruled out a military intervention or budget cuts. In an interview with state media Tuesday night, he resorted to metaphor to issue a vague threat. "The election that will be held in Tigray is a shanty election. And when you build a shanty, some days the local officials will see you, some days they won't," he said. "But because those who construct a shanty don't have land deeds and are illegal dwellers, they don't sleep with their eyes closed." Search Keywords: Short link: A double shooting Tuesday evening in Brockton left a pregnant woman with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Officers responded shortly after 5 p.m. to a report of a woman shot in the head at 622 North Main St., the Brockton Police Department said in a statement. Police found a woman and a man with gunshot wounds, according to the statement. No other individuals were injured. The woman was seriously wounded, while the mans injuries were not considered to be life-threatening, authorities said. WCVB reported the woman is pregnant. The woman was driven by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where she was then flown to a Boston hospital via a MedFlight helicopter, according to police. A patrol officer rode with the female victim inside the ambulance on the way to a local hospital, the Brockton Police Department said. Brockton patrol officers and detectives as well as a police K-9 and his handler were investigating the shooting. No arrests have been made yet, according to officials. Anyone with information about the shooting has been urged to call Brockton police detectives at (508) 941-0234. LONDON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- An annual report ranked the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis as offering the best citizenship timeline under its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. The new CBI Index, published earlier this week by the Financial Times' Professional Wealth Management magazine, is the most reliable tool for comparing all of the world's active CBI programmes. The dual-island nation retained its high ranking from previous years and received perfect scores in five of the nine pillars: Mandatory Travel or Residence, Ease of Processing, Due Diligence, Citizenship Timeline, and Certainty of Product. One of the areas that the Federation performed exceptionally well in was for its citizenship timeline, which evaluates the time taken for citizenship to be secured after submission of an application. St Kitts and Nevis was the only nation to receive top scores for the pillar. The Programme has an average processing time of three months but is the only one to offer a guaranteed fast-track process, called the Accelerated Application Process (AAP). Under the AAP, applicants who successfully undergo the relevant due diligence checks can receive citizenship within 60 days at an additional cost. The twin-island nation also retained its perfect due diligence score as it has since the inception of the CBI Index. St Kitts and Nevis remains strict on who can become a citizen and only accepts individuals of the highest moral standing that have successfully passed the multi-tiered security procedure. The islands' stringent vetting is one of the reasons why the country is considered a Platinum Standard brand within the investor immigration industry. Overall, the 2020 CBI Index noted: "St Kitts and Nevis maintained its percentage score of 89, preserving a commitment to stringent due diligence and demonstrating once again that it is the jurisdiction with the fastest citizenship timeline. The country also increased the number of visa-free and visa-on-arrival destinations for its citizens [] The country also fared well with the addition of the Certainty of Product Pillar, thanks to its reputation as the platinum standard of the industry." Established in 1984, St Kitts and Nevis' CBI Programme is the industry's oldest. It offers foreign investors and their families an attractive route to second citizenship, after making an economic contribution to the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF). The government uses the revenue generated from the SGF to support national development projects from infrastructure and job creation to poverty alleviation and debt repayment. Currently, there is a limited-time offer available under the SGF which enables families of up to four to acquire citizenship for US$150,000 instead of the previous US$195,000. Contact: pr@csglobalpartners.com, www.csglobalpartners.com The names of both Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School were removed from the buildings within 48 hours of a 4-3 vote at a School Board meeting held in July. They were put back temporarily when some community members and local government officials were upset with the promptness of the removal. Recommendations for a new name and a decision about which finalists would move forward were taken through a series of surveys open to the community, faculty, students and their families. The release states HCPS received more than 3,000 nominations before deciding finalists. Finalists for the new name of the middle school were Creek Run, Willow Branch and Mechanicsville. For the high school, finalists were Clearview, Mechanicsville and Twin Rivers. Dhaka, Sep 9 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged all the countries to increase their "determined contributions" to combat the climate change menace and execute the 2015 Paris Agreement. "As the climate change is a global affair, I would like to call upon the countries to enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions by December 31 this year in tackling the menace as well as implement the 2015 Paris Agreement," she said on Tuesday while inaugurating the South Asian Regional Office of Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) in Bangladesh. She said Bangladesh is a unique example of climate vulnerability and resilience. People here have time and again shown their resilience against natural or man-made disasters. Yet, there remain a lot of things to be changed, she added. "I think other countries in the region also have similar experiences and some good practices on adaptive measures. I believe, together we can safeguard and build a better future for all of us," Hasina urged other countries of the region. The prime minister along with former UN secretary-general and GCA Chair Ban Ki-Moon jointly opened the GCA regional office at Agargaon virtually. Hasina also mentioned, before people can recover from one disaster caused by natural hazards, another one strikes, reversing any progress made. To end this cycle, South Asia needs to build greater resilience. The opening of the regional adaptation centre in Dhaka has been dedicated to the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the GCA chair joined the virtual function, while Chief Executive Officer of GCA in Rotterdam Prof Patrick V Verkooijen delivered the welcome speech. Bangladesh Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Shahab Uddin, as well as ministers concerned of South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Maldives, Bhutan, spoke at the inaugural function. The premier simultaneously urged the GCA to explore the opportunity of supporting the Delta Coalition on a long-term basis. Hasina also called for greater cooperation and collaboration among the nations to fight the coronavirus impacts. Hasina said Bangladesh remains committed to implementing the Paris Agreement and adopting all the measures to prevent the rise of temperature from the emission of greenhouse gas and other environmental degradations. She said her government has taken various mitigation and adaptation programmes under Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan formulated in 2009 to offset climate change impacts. "We established Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund in 2009 and so far allocated $430 million from our own resources to implement the action plan," she added. Bangladesh government has formulated a 100-year plan called "Bangladesh Delta Plan-2100" as a long-term plan to face the challenges of climate change and natural disasters, the Prime Minister said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Belarusian, Russian and Serbian military forces will take part in joint military exercises in Belarus, the RIA news agency cited Belarus defence ministry as saying on Tuesday. It said the Russian and Serbian forces would arrive in Belarus from 10 to 15 September, without elaborating. Belarus has been racked by daily mass protests since its president, Alexander Lukashenko, claimed victory in a contested election last month. Reuters Tune into the 'Neon Nights' event if you want to catch some GRIMES-themed items, plus marvel at some Golden Moons. Springdale, AR - The troubled star, Josh Duggar's car dealership is out of business as his wife Anna along with their six children now lives in the warehouse of the star's dad, Jim Bob. The car business of Josh is definitely out of business as the Wholesale Motorcars that sits in the heart of Springdale in the state of Arkansas does not offer any services anymore and even the company Google lists the car company as permanently closed, The Sun reported. A nearby business even confirmed that the car company is no longer in their property. Another detail that supports the closure of the company is its website, as it is no longer active, and all of the incoming calls that the business should receive go directly to voicemail. The last update on the company's Facebook page was on September 27, 2019 which is almost a year ago. Even the last Google review on the business was posted on the company's account 11 months ago. Read also: 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic Claims He Was Sexually Assaulted in Prison, Asks Trump for Pardon According to Cheat Sheet, a Reddit user who is an Arkansas-based shared month at the start of the year that the car lot that the company used to have is totally empty and any sign for business had been taken down. When requested for a comment, a representative for Josh did not respond right away to the question. The car dealership that Josh used to have closed at the same time that the Homeland Security Investigations proceeded an 'ongoing federal investigation' on the site in November of 2019. Despite the mentioned investigation ran in the site, not a single charge was filed to the 32-year-old Josh or even in his business. Way back 2018, the troubled star was reported after a violation of an ordinance that requires his car-related business to have a permit. The initial notification did not alarm the 32-year-old star and resolved the issue only on the third notification that he received. The 55-year-old and the eldest child of Jim Bob and the 53-year-old, Michelle started to manage the Wholesale Motorcars when he resigned from the position in Family Research Council in 2015. The troubled star stepped down after he admitted to having an extra-marital affair after reports of his subscription to the website of Ashley Madison's affair. At the start of the year, the molestation scandal of Josh broke, which resulted in the cancellation of 19 kids and more. Based on a police report in 2006 which the Arkansas police destroyed later, Jim Bob mentioned first in his statement to the cops that in 2002 Josh had molested minors while they were sleeping in the family home of Duggar's. Later after the complaint, Josh's sisters came out as the two victims in the filed complaint. As of the moment, latest report states that the star has no employment and his family lives in the warehouse of Jim Bob and Michelle inside the Duggar property. Based on the recent photos by Anna it matches the furniture and the ambiance on the familiar guest home. Even fans now suspected that Anna and Josh are currently living in the guest home inside the Duggar property. Related article: Fact Check: Has the Queen Abandoned Prince Andrew Due to Epstein Scandal? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not come to New York for the UN General Assembly session, as the epidemiological situation in the USA remains unstable, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, TASS reports. "For obvious reasons, the president wont come [to the UN General Assembly], like many other leaders. From the viewpoint of ensuring security, including epidemiological security, the security of the president, the head of state, the situation remains unstable, especially in such places as New York. So of course, a trip there is not advisable right now," Peskov said. New Delhi, Sep 9 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to 21 anti CAA-NPR-NRC protesters of Karnataka's Mangaluru with a condition that they will not participate in any violent activities or meetings. The protest in December 2019 saw violence, leading to police firing, which left two people dead. A bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian allowed the application filed by Mohammad Asik and others. The bench also said that the observation of the Karntaka High Court that it was not possible to prima facie determine the presence of the accused persons at the spot, not be treated as a final finding of the fact by the trial court. In February, the petitioners were granted bail by the Karnataka High Court, but, in March, the apex court stayed this order. On Wednesday, the apex court lifted its stay. Granting bail, the top court said: "We consider it appropriate to direct that the applicants be released on bail on furnishing bail bonds in the sum of Rs 25,000 each to the satisfaction of the trial court pending trial on the following conditions: (a) That the applicants shall report to the nearest police station on every alternative Monday; (b) That they shall ensure that they do not participate in any violent activities/meetings." Senior advocate R. Basant and advocate Haris Beeran argued the case for the petitioners, where they contended they were involved in peaceful protests, but police resorted to firing. The petitioners argued that police have already filed a charge sheet in the matter and they have been in custody since December 2019, close to seven months. Disposing of the matter, the top court said: "We make it clear that the observations of the High Court on question of fact and law are obviously made prima facie and shall not affect the trial. I.A. (intervention application) stands disposed of accordingly." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Karnataka government, submitted that the High Court's observations while granting bail to the accused should be expunged. This marks the second billion-dollar investment by Silver Lake in a Reliance subsidiary after the $1.35 billion investment in Jio Platforms. US private equity firm Silver Lake Partners has picked up 1.75 per cent stake in the retail arm of Reliance Industries for Rs 7,500 crore, the Indian firm said in a statement. "Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) announced today that Silver Lake will invest Rs 7,500 crore into RRVL, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries," the statement said. This investment values RRVL at a pre-money equity value of Rs 4.21 lakh crore. Silver Lake's investment will translate into a 1.75 per cent equity stake in RRVL on a fully diluted basis. This marks the second billion-dollar investment by Silver Lake in a Reliance Industries subsidiary after the $1.35 billion investment in Jio Platforms announced earlier this year. "Reliance Retail Limited, a subsidiary of RRVL, operates India's largest, fastest growing and most profitable retail business serving close to 640 million footfalls across its about 12,000 stores nationwide," the statement said. With more than $60 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital and a focus on the world's great tech and tech-enabled opportunities, Silver Lake is the global leader in large-scale technology investing. Its other investments have included Airbnb, Alibaba, Alphabet's Verily and Waymo units, Dell Technologies, Twitter and numerous other global technology leaders. After monetising Jio Platforms -- which houses the firm's telecom arm and digital ventures, richest Indian Mukesh Ambani is looking to rope in investors in the retail business. Reliance may be looking to sell about 10 per cent of Reliance Retail. Late last month, Reliance acquired the retail and logistics businesses of Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore to boost its retail vertical. Silver Lake was the first US private equity firm to invest in Jio after tech giant Facebook took a 9.99 per cent stake in the company for Rs 43,573.62 crore. Silver Lake bought 2.08 per cent in Jio in two tranches for a total of Rs 10,202.55 crore. Rival private equity groups KKR, Vista and General Atlantic followed Silver Lake to take stakes in Jio. Other notable investors included Google and Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. All investors in Jio Platforms including Silver Lake have been offered a chance to explore investing in Reliance Retail. Ambani had at Reliance Industries' recent annual general meeting stated that it had been approached by strategic/financial investors for a stake in Reliance Retail. Commenting on the transaction with Silver Lake, Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries, said, "I am delighted to extend our relationship with Silver Lake to our transformational efforts of building an inclusive partnership with millions of small merchants while providing value to Indian consumers across the country in the Indian retail sector." "We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms. Silver Lake will be an invaluable partner in implementing our vision for Indian Retail," he said. Commenting on the investment, Egon Durban, Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Silver Lake, said, "We are pleased to deepen our relationship with Reliance with this investment. Mukesh Ambani and his team at Reliance have created an outstanding world leader in retail and technology through their courageous vision, commitment to societal benefits, innovation excellence and relentless execution." "The success of JioMart in such a short time span, especially while India, along with the rest of the world, battles the COVID-19 pandemic, is truly unprecedented, and the most exciting growth phase has just begun. Reliance's new commerce strategy could become the disruptor of this decade. We are thrilled to have been invited to partner with Reliance in their mission for Indian Retail," Durban said. The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals. Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Retail and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsel. Latham & Watkins and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co acted as legal counsel for Silver Lake. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters Parallel meetings in Bouznika, Morocco and Geneva suggest progress can be made in breaching the Libyan divide, but the devil will remain in the details Two consultative meetings between Libyas warring factions were held in tandem over the weekend, one in Geneva and the other in Bouznika, Morocco. It is hoped these meetings will facilitate the resumption of the UN sponsored Libyan Dialogue in the framework of the Berlin Process endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2510 on 12 February 2020 and end the long-lasting political impasse between the key players in eastern and western Libya. Delegates from the House of Representatives based in Tobruk and the High Council of State (HCS) based in Tripoli held their first meeting in Bouznika, a charming resort town overlooking the Atlantic, on Saturday. The meeting was attended by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, delegate from the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Youssef Bilal, and the personal envoy to Morocco of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Ambassador Abdel-Medjid Seif Al-Nasr. The five representatives from the House of Representatives were: Essam Al-Juhani, Misbah Douma, Idris Omran, Youssef Al-Agouri and Adel Mawloud. They were accompanied by three media advisers: Atef Miloud Al-Hasia, Faisal Rizk Bourraiqa and Hamdi Ahmed. The HCS delegation included Fawzi Al-Oqab, Ali Al-Shuwaih, Abdel-Salam Al-Safrani and Mohamed Naji. The purpose of the Bouznika meeting is to build confidence and test good faith, to solidify the ceasefire and pave the way for meaningful negotiations to resolve outstanding differences between the Libyan factions, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) reported. According to sources from the Tobruk based parliament, the meeting would also address questions related to key government positions. House of Representatives Spokesperson Abdullah Blaiheg told reporters that the participants in Bouznika would discuss the distribution of sovereign posts between Libyas three main regions (Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan). However, it would not be up to the House of Representatives delegation in Morocco to name candidates. The seven key positions in question are the governor of the Libyan Central Bank, the director of the Audit Bureau, the director of administrative oversight, the director of the anticorruption bureau, the chief public prosecutor, head of the Supreme Court and the chairman of the Higher National Electoral Commission. The Tripoli-based HCS insists that the Bouznika meeting is purely consultative and solely aimed at restarting dialogue with the House of Representatives. HCS Chairman Khaled Al-Mishri stated that the HCS had reached certain understandings with the Tobruk based parliament during a dialogue that had lasted for some time in Tunisia. The two sides had agreed, in principle, to reducing the Presidency Council from nine members to three (a president and two vice-presidents), separating the Presidency Council from the cabinet and mechanisms for selecting individuals to fill the seven sovereign posts. He stressed that the results of the meetings in Bouznika and in Geneva will not be binding because the meetings are more in the nature of brainstorming sessions to pave the way to the resumption of the Berlin Process. Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita struck an upbeat note in his keynote address. Given the recent positive dynamics in the Libyan question, especially the ceasefire and presentation of initiatives by the Libyan parties, the exchanges between the delegations in Bouznika were likely to prelude agreements that would end the Libyan crisis, he said. He stressed that any solution to the Libyan crisis had to be based on three core principles: the spirit of Libyan patriotism must prevail, only a political solution will work and, thirdly, there must be confidence in the ability of the High Council of State and the House of Representatives, in their capacity as legitimate institutions, to summon the spirit of responsibility needed to overcome difficulties and engage in dialogue for the sake of Libyas welfare. Bourita, in his speech, urged the Libyan parties to proceed, without hesitation, towards a solution to the crisis and to transcend the winner-loser formula and zero sum thinking. He expressed his hope that the Bouznika meeting would serve as a practical avenue towards reviving confidence, building understandings, fleshing out ideas and consensuses and preparing for agreements to lead the country out of crisis. Libyan news sources report that due to the progress achieved in the first sessions, it was decided to extend the meeting two more days. Members of both delegations have issued statements confirming that they have reached common ground on the issues under discussion, which include the distribution of sovereign posts, the implementation of Article 15 of the Skhirat Agreement and holding a referendum on the draft constitution approved by the Constituent Assembly in July 2017. In tandem with the Bouznika meeting, representatives from the HCS, the Presidency Council and the Government of National Accord based in Tripoli, and representatives of the House of Representatives as well as some figures representing the former Gaddafi regime met in Geneva at the invitation of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD). The CHD had worked together with UNSMIL to prepare for a UN sponsored Libyan national forum that was scheduled for mid-April 2019, but had to be called off due to the military operation Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar launched in order to take control of Tripoli. The Geneva meeting was attended by Presidency Council Security Adviser Taj Al-Din Al-Razqi, who represented GNA Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj, activist Ahmed Al-Ruwaiti, as representative of GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha; GNA Ambassador to the EU Hafez Qaddour, who represented the Tripoli militias; Abdel-Majid Malegta and Ziyad Dahim, who represented the House of Representatives, Mohamed Al-Lafi for the HCS and Mohamed Abu Ogeila affiliated with Seif Al-Islam Gaddafi. According to Libyan sources, participants in Geneva addressed the same issues as those discussed in Bouznika. But, in addition to the seven abovementioned sovereign posts, they also discussed the posts of general intelligence chief and the army general chief of staffs. The sources added that Geneva meeting would name candidates for these posts. Despite the generally positive climate and the progress made the meetings in Bouznika and Geneva, the meetings did not pass without criticism. Most of it was directed at both Chairman of the HCS Khaled Al-Mishri and Speaker of the House of Representatives Aguila Saleh who were accused by HCS and House members of monopolising the decisions in these two chambers and refusing to consult other members. The Bouznika and Geneva meetings followed a diplomatic tour by UN Envoy to Libya Stephanie Williams to Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria to secure these countries support, as Libyas neighbours, for the renewed drive to revive the political process that has been stalled since 2016. The meetings also came in the wake of large demonstrations in Tripoli and other Libyan cities protesting declining living standards, corruption in key government bodies and the escalatory dynamics between eastern and western factions despite the ceasefire announced by Saleh and Al-Sarraj three weeks ago. It appears that such domestic grassroots pressures combined with international pressures since the ceasefire finally convinced the HCS and House that it was time to soften their positions enough to begin to meet again and feel their way forward towards a solution in the framework of the Berlin Process. The three tracks of this process, covering military, political and economic facets of the Libyan conflict, ground to a halt shortly after they were initiated in the Berlin conference in January 2020 due to intransigence on both sides and renewed fighting. As of time of writing, three days after the meeting began in Bouznika, UNSMIL has not commented on the substance of that meeting even though its delegate, Youssef Bilal, attended the sessions. At the same time, there remains a significant disparity between the disputants over the most immediate priorities. Aguila Saleh believes that the restructuring of the executive (the Presidency Council and government) should precede attention to security arrangements while Fayez Al-Sarraj insists that security arrangements should be addressed first. Both seem to be at odds with the views of some of international powers which are pushing for an overhaul of all midlevel government posts followed by an institutional restructuring, a plan that some regard as overly ambitious. Meanwhile, Al-Sarraj received Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya in Tripoli Monday for a short working visit. Laya relayed her governments support for the ceasefire declared 21 August, the demilitarisation of Sirte, Jufra and the petroleum crescent, the resumption of oil exports and the holding of legislative and presidential elections in March. She also invited Al-Sarraj to visit Madrid. *A version of this article appears in print in the 10 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: London: A peace expert appearing for Julian Assange's defence team has told a London court that Donald Trump's hostility towards Barack Obama is partly why the Trump administration is pursuing Assange over the publication of classified military and diplomatic cables a decade ago. Assange is fighting the United States' request to extradite him from Britain to face 18 counts of violating the Espionage Act. If found guilty, the maximum sentence he faces for the combined charges is 175 years in jail. The court heard Donald Trump (right) appeared to have "considerable personal antipathy" towards Barrack Obama (left). Credit:AP Paul Rogers, a professor of peace studies at Bradford University in Yorkshire, England, told the Old Bailey via video link that under former president Barack Obama, the US government had not attempted to prosecute Assange. He said the fact that that had changed under Donald Trump made it clear that the attempts to prosecute Assange were political. The Justice Department is taking over the legal defense of President Donald Trump in a defamation suit brought by a New York writer who claims Trump raped her in a department store dressing room 25 years ago. In moving the case from state to federal court Tuesday and relieving Trumps privately paid attorneys, Justice Department lawyers said theyd concluded that Trump was acting within the scope of his official duties as president when he denied the claims from former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. If the move is upheld in the courts, it could effectively shut down the suit. Carrolls lawyers immediately denounced the maneuver and said it was preposterous that Trump was engaged in official business when he disputed Carrolls allegation, including by declaring of the journalist and former Saturday Night Live writer: Shes not my type. Even in todays world, that argument is shocking, Carroll lawyer Roberta Kaplan said in a statement. It offends me as a lawyer, and offends me even more as a citizen. Trumps effort to wield the power of the U.S. government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent, and shows even more starkly how far he is willing to go to prevent the truth from coming out. Kaplan also noted that the move came as Trump faced a deadline to appeal a ruling from a New York judge requiring him to provide a DNA sample and sit for a deposition about the episode. The move to federal court will likely scuttle that ruling. The Justice Departments legal filings provided little insight about why officials stepped in 10 months after the suit was filed, but a career attorney who oversees the defense of tort cases for the federal government suggested that new facts had come to light that led to the decision. On the basis of information now available with respect to the incidents alleged in the complaint Defendant Donald J. Trump was acting within the scope of his office as President of the United States at the time of the alleged conduct, Civil Division Torts Branch Director James Tuohey Jr., said in a certification justifying the move. Story continues Tuohey did not elaborate, but another filing by DOJ lawyers pointed to five cases where defamation suits against federal officials have been handled as suits against the government. Numerous courts have recognized that elected officials act within the scope of their office or employment when speaking with the press, including with respect to personal matters, and have therefore approved the substitution of the United States in defamation actions, the Justice Department attorneys wrote. They cited a suit filed last year alleging that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Debra Haaland (D-N.M.) libeled students from a Catholic high school in Kentucky who got into a confrontation with a Native American activist at the Lincoln Memorial. The Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that a judge was correct to shut down the case. That suit involved no allegations of personal misconduct by Warren or Haaland, but Justice Department attorneys also pointed to a 2006 D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that accepted arguments from lawyers for former Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-N.C.) that a press interview he gave about his separation from his wife was within the scope of his official duties. In the exchange, Ballenger said one reason for the separation was that his wife was uncomfortable living across the street from the offices of the Council on American Islamic Relations, which he called the fundraising arm for Hezbollah. The group sued Ballenger for slander, but a judge agreed that the congressman was seeking to preserve his official reputation when he addressed the question about his marriage. Carroll claimed in a book and in interviews last year that in 1995 or 1996 she ran into Trump at a Bergdorf Goodman store and agreed to help him pick out a gift. Carroll says the pair eventually ended up in a lingerie section dressing room where Trump assaulted and raped her. Trump issued several denials of Carrolls story, including a written statement in which he insisted hed never met her, despite a photo she has of the pair together. She is trying to sell a new book that should indicate her motivation. It should be sold in the fiction section, Trumps statement said. He also denied her account in an exchange with reporters on the White House South Lawn before boarding Marine One and in an Oval Office interview with The Hill newspaper. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 20:46:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 bodies were recovered after a boat carrying dozens of people sank in the river of Gumai in Bangladesh's Netrokona district, some 158 km north of the capital Dhaka, on Wednesday. Mohammad Fakhruzzaman Jewel, the district's additional police chief, told that Xinhua over phone that "10 bodies including five women and five children have been found." According to the official, the boat capsized after it was hit by a sand-laden trawler in the river at around 11:00 a.m. local time. "We've come to know that the boat was carrying about 30 to 32 passengers," he said. According to the official, eight of the passengers were able to swim ashore after the ferry capsized. He said rescuers have been struggling against a strong current and choppy waters of the Gumai river to find the missing persons. The boat has not been salvaged and brought to shore yet. Ferry is a key means of transport in the country and most of them are often overcrowded. At least 17 travellers were killed after an overcrowded boat capsized in a wetland in the district last month. Enditem In the Hebrew Scriptures, stone monuments are earthen witnesses to a sacred covenant. When Jacob contractually maneuvered himself out from under his father-in-law Laban, he set up a pillar in the highlands of Gilead. It was supposed to be a reminder of a legal separation, but the fragility of the peace was underscored by the dueling names given to the monument: Jacobs in the Hebrew tongue, Labans in Aramaic. The monument was barely dedicated before it became an object of linguistic civil war. Whats old is new again. Disputes over historical markers and their meanings are simply the continuance of culture war by other means. Theologian Ryan Andrew Newson wrote his new book Cut in Stone: Confederate Monuments and Theological Disruption in the wake of the 2017 protests and counter-protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. Thousands of organized white nationalists infamously marched through the University of Virginia campus chanting languageWhite Lives Matter! Blood and Soil!charged with centuries of racial supremacy. The material cause for the march was the threatened removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Erected in 1924, the statue presented a genteel, handsome Leehat in hand, martial but not militaristic. The stone general is resigned but undefeated, like the Lost Cause he represents. The statue lasted decades in the city center without scrutiny, but in the 21st century, it struck some as strange to venerate the leader of a rebellion devoted to the preservation of chattel slavery. Newsons book delves into the history of Confederate monuments like this one, asking what sort of political ideologyor theologyunderwrites them. What did these monumentsoften constructed many decades after Lee resigned at Appomattoxmean for the communities that created them? What gave them their near-sacred value? And what is the appropriate political and theological response to markers of a contested American legacy? Can youshould youerase a moral tragedy? Remembering a Tragic History When they were originally constructed, monuments to Confederate leaders and soldiers were remarkably free of cultural guilt. Hundreds of statues appeared in over 30 states in the aftermath of Reconstruction, as the South began to rehabilitate its imageand historical memory. As Newson points out in fascinating detail, the Confederacy was re-memorialized decades after its military defeat. Monument construction was most intense from 1890 to 1950, a span of time that unsurprisingly coincides with Jim Crow. Other defeated nations and causes have wrestled with how to remember a tragic history. Germany after the Second World War underwent a therapy of historical penance that continues even today. The Confederacy, however, did not. Its monuments served a palliative purpose, Newson argues, aiming to alleviate collective suffering without addressing the root cause of the pain. So the stone figures stood as reminders of the genteel honor and heroic manhood of figures such as Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Daviseliding their militant defense of chattel slavery. With these symbolic moves, the memory of slavery was quickly shunted into the distant past, even as its system of involuntary unpaid labor shifted from the plantation to the chain gang in the late-19th century and the systemic incarceration of African Americans in the 20th. As a historical project, Cut in Stone focuses on the Reconstruction-era South, but Newsons theological analysis touches more broadly on the nature of historical memory and the moral obligations of a political community that is still haunted by the sins of its fathers. Newsons book was published in the middle of the summer of 2020a wry moment of providence if ever there was one. While Charlottesville in 2017 provides the backdrop to the book, more recent events have made its subject matter even timelier. Article continues below I was invited to review Newsons book the day that statues of Christopher Columbus were removed from Grant Park and Arrigo Park in my hometown of Chicago. A week prior, a confrontation between protesters and police had centered on the statue in Grant Park. As protestors attempted to topple Columbus by force, multiple people on both sides of the conflict were injured. In the early-20th century, the monuments had been commissioned by Italian-American communities in Chicago to memorialize the Genoese explorer, who at that time evoked a spirit of exploration and American destiny. Forgotten for centuries was Columbuss brutal subjugation of indigenous peoplesnot to mention the mercenary motivations of his transatlantic voyages. Theres a reason political communitiesand movementsmake myths about themselves. And not all of them are formed in malice or bad faith. We typically retell the story of the civil rights movement in heightened rhetoric that foregrounds its best ideals while leaving other detailsincluding the moral peccadillos of its leadersin the shadows. Only recently have we begun to tell the stories of grassroots figures like Ida B. Wells and Fannie Lou Hamer in addition to chronicling the (sometimes problematic) charismatic male leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. When a narrative has been told for decades, or centuries, it takes of lot of intention to reorder historical memory. In Charlottesville and Chicago, historical myths finally cracked. The stone figures of Lee and Columbus, for different reasons, were not mere historical memories, but witnesses to some deeper sense of national or ethnic identity. One of the blind spots of modern liberalismthe political philosophy, not the ideologyis its studied obliviousness to the sacral elements of social life and national identity. Theres a reason that the debate over stone structures reaches the fevered pitch that it does. You find out what a community reveres when the removal of its earthen symbols triggers charges of disrespect, violation, and even blasphemy. You find out what a revolution really seeks when you notice what the iconoclasts want to destroy. Newson is appropriately circumspect when asking what the proper social or theological response ought to be toward Confederate monuments. There is no way to continue honoring the noblesse oblige of figures like Lee and Jackson without resorting to a moral naivete that is willfully ignorant of American history. The instinct to topple national idols is understandable. But does destruction lead to erasure? Is there a reason to remember the tragedies of American history in a way that acknowledges the complications of the past without giving honor where shame is due? Handle with Care This is where the virtue of prudence comes in handy, as virtues do. How do we distinguish among the different symbolswhat they portray and what they represent for a variety of communities? If we decide collectively that honorific statues of Confederate military leaders should be removed, or perhaps limited to museum exhibits, should we do the same for Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, or even Abraham Lincoln? All of these figures have come under scrutiny, often for good reasons. On July 24th, the day Columbus came down in Chicago, one of the protestors made the statement that the statue symbolized negative values that the city needed to acknowledge, but also divorce ourselves from. The monument, she said, had nothing to do with where Chicago is going and our future. But thats the tricky, sometimes awful thing about sacred symbols: Even though they are only made of stone, they carry layers of communal history that arent easily cast aside. Is it important to remember what Columbus represented to Italian-Americans at a time when they were also the victims of white supremacy? How does that piece of history need to be preserved once the idol has been toppled? Article continues below Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot explained that the removal was an effort to protect public safety and to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our city's symbols. Which seems quite responsible in such tenuous and terrifying times. Putting a hold on thingsproviding space for deliberative liberalism to do what it does bestseems prudent. And yet few, on the left or the right, seemed disposed to mimic the mayors temperament. Charges of lawlessness were thrown from one side, and charges of brutality and moral complicity from the other. Few seemed satisfied with the mayors actionsor if they were, they were reluctant to say it publicly. Newsons historical and theological analysis reminds us that a statue is rarely just a statue; stone pillars are usually consecrated to a causefor better or worse. And while the past few summers of culture-warring havent come close to resolving every question of whether our most controversial monuments should stay up, come down, or go elsewhere, Cut in Stone provides a helpful framework for understanding the political and theological principles at stake. Clearly, sacred objects ought to be handled carefully. And yet, sometimes their destructionas with golden calves or stone tabletsis the more meaningful response. If Moses smashed stones etched by the divine hand in response to national idolatry, then what kind of iconoclasm calls to us today? David Henreckson is the director of the Institute for Leadership and Service at Valparaiso University. He is the author of The Immortal Commonwealth: Covenant, Community, and Political Resistance in Early Reformed Thought. The HSE has failed to agree a plan with nurses to staff the health service this winter, the INMO claimed today. Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's Executive Council are now warning that the continued cooperation over winter should not be taken for granted, saying the health service faces a triple threat of understaffing, a winter surge and Covid-19. They pointed out that one in 10 Covid cases have been nurses and midwives, leading to further understaffing due to illness or self-isolation. An INMO spokesperson stated that despite extra demands on nurses, the nursing workforce has grown by less than 1% since 2019. My frontline story #CourageToCare - Noreen, Aras Ronain, Inishmore, Aran Islands pic.twitter.com/AvcHo8EpwW Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) September 7, 2020 The INMO Executive is urgently seeking talks to establish how many extra nursing and midwifery posts will be funded over the coming year particularly in winter. A 2017 Labour Court decision required the HSE to agree a funded workforce plan for nursing and midwifery each year with the INMO, but this has not occurred. INMO President and nurse, Martina Harkin-Kelly, said: The health service faces a triple threat from understaffing, winter and Covid. The three make for a bruising combination, pushing nurses and midwives to breaking point. We are not simply attending work: we take serious risks to provide care, often in exceptionally uncomfortable environments. The INMO Executive Council today had a very clear message: the HSE must engage with the union on its workforce plans urgently. We cannot go into winter without a plan thats agreed with frontline workers. Nurses and midwives cannot be taken for granted. My frontline story #CourageToCare - Donna, Sacred Heart Home, Mayo pic.twitter.com/jZmTa1BSo2 Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) August 24, 2020 INMO General Secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, said: Yet another year without a workforce plan would be disastrous for the health service. We have already seen trolley figures steadily increase - this will only worsen as winter bites. The HSE needs to set out how and where they will find extra nursing and midwifery staff this winter. That should naturally be done in consultation with the INMO, yet we have still had no engagement, with winter fast approaching. The Russians want to push Damascus to make some concessions ahead of the presidential elections next year, Asharq Al-Awsat says Weeks ago, an American official remarked that Russian President Vladimir Putin needed to ask himself if five years after his direct military intervention in Syria, he wanted the Syria of 2025 to be the same as Syria of 2020. There is no doubt that the Russian delegations visit to Syria has this question in mind. The delegation carried with it economic promises and diplomatic advice to its difficult ally with the hopes of receiving different answers than what some Syrian officials desire. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and intelligence officials visit to Syria in early 2012 kicked off the phase of protecting the allies in Damascus through diplomatic and economic means. The intervention in late September 2015 paved the way for military intervention to save the regime and Damascus. So, yesterdays significant visit is the beginning of the shift from military action towards politics, economy and diplomacy in the heart of Damascus, ultimately paving the way for different solutions in Syria. Before departing Syria, the Russian delegation leaves behind four pieces of advice to its difficult ally: American sword The United States has now entered a complicated electoral phase ahead of Novembers presidential elections. At the moment, there are no serious indications that American forces will withdraw from northeastern Syria, even if Joe Biden were to win the polls. From Moscows perspective, the upcoming weeks will witness the announcement of new American sanctions as part of the Caesar Act. The last batch had targeted President Bashar Assad, his wife and their son. It also targeted his senior aides and businessmen. The new sanctions will include more businessmen, lawmakers, and military officials. The Caesar Act enjoys bipartisan support in the US, meaning it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Confronting it, therefore, demands coordination between Moscow and Damascus. To that end, it appears that the Russian delegation brought with it attractive financial and economic promises to Damascus in the shape of loans or grants worth billions of dollars that will give the regime some sanctions and economic relief in the near future. Iranian crescent In return for these pledges, Moscow advised Damascus of the need to help us so we can help you in breaking its diplomatic-political isolation and kicking off the reconstruction process. How? By taking some tangible steps in reorganizing its internal affairs, implementing constitutional reform according to United Nations Security Council resolution 2254 and reassessing its ties with Iran. Damascus is asked to decrease its role in the Iranian crescent that stretches from Tehran, passing through Baghdad and Damascus, and ending in Beirut. The crescent is coming under frequent Israeli strikes with American blessing and Russian silence, reflecting the implementation of the Russian American agreement that calls for keeping Iran away from southern Syria. All of this will pave the way for Arab and European countries to normalize relations with Syria and help in its reconstruction. In return, Damascus must accept the understandings reached between Moscow and Washington over the regions east of the Euphrates River. It must also accept the understandings reached between Moscow and Ankara over northwestern Syria. In other words, Syria must yield to the strategic understandings reached between Russia and Turkey that go beyond the frontlines in northwestern Syria. Moscow had, after all, received days ahead of Lavrovs Damascus trip a Turkish delegation to discuss the latest developments in the deal struck with Russia in March. Decentralization Moscow recently hosted the signing of an agreement between the head of the Syrian Democratic Council, the political wing of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Elham Ahmed, and the head of the Russia-backed Peoples Will Party, Qadri Jamil. Lavrov met with Ahmed and Qadri after the agreement was signed. The deal stipulated that the new Syria will enjoy a democratic constitution that achieves a modern relationship between decentralization and centralization in main (foreign, defense and economic) affairs. It also underscored a fair democratic solution to the Kurdish issue. Moreover, it stressed that the Syrian army is the sole national institution with the right to carry arms and that it is barred from meddling in politics. The SDF must be incorporated in the army, it added. Lavrov informed Ahmed and Jamil of his complete support of the agreement, saying he will relay its details to officials in Damascus. New Syria The new Syria addressed in the agreement is one that Russia is keen to achieve through resolution 2254 and the Constitutional Committee. It is clear, however, that Damascus is not on board to seriously join this venture. During its latest meeting two weeks ago, the government delegation at the committee may have changed its approach, but its goals remain the same. The delegation refused to be referred to as the government delegation or government-backed delegation Rather, it reneged on a previous agreement, reached with the opposition representatives at the committee, on procedural regulations, saying it is an independent entity. Such behavior is only aimed at buying time until after the presidential elections set for mid-2021, because Damascus wants the polls to be held according to the current constitution. It is, therefore, hoping for talks on the constitution to be postponed until after the elections. It is also insisting on holding a referendum on the results of the Constitutional Committee meetings. UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen traveled to Moscow to brief Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the third round of committee talks, which were attended by a Russian representative, who saw for himself the government delegations behavior. Lavrov pledged to address the issue with the difficult ally. It is believed that his advice would be for Damascus to alter its behavior at the Constitutional Committee meetings and speed up its efforts to reach a breakthrough ahead of the presidential elections. The coming days and weeks will, therefore, act as a test to see just how much Damascus heeded this advice and whether it will prove wrong remarks by a former Russian diplomat, who noted: Damascus takes everything from us, but advice. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. A financial engineer by training, Lee spent nearly two decades on Wall Street creating numerous new products and markets to manage areas of risk. In 2015, he disrupted the calcified world of payroll processing by launching a start-up, which grew into a premiere enterprise software company that promotes financial wellness. Lee is recognized as the visionary in changing the way people are paid, as his company is dedicated to innovating the antiquated pay experience. DailyPay partners with more than 80% of the Fortune 100 companies that offer an on-demand pay benefit. "I'm thrilled to be recognized for this prestigious award," said Jason Lee , CEO of DailyPay. "We know that pay is personal. Pay is emotional. The outdated pay system requires Americans to wait two weeks (or more) to get their money, often putting them in dire financial situations. I knew there was a better way. Our company has evolved beyond just an on-demand platform we have become an ecosystem." The 2020 award winners were determined by judges from across the industry and around the world. Winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during a virtual awards ceremony in November. About the CEO World Awards CEO World Awards are an annual industry and peers recognition program honoring CEOs and Companies of all types and sizes in North America, Europe, Middle-East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin-America. The Annual CEO World Awards is part of the SVUS Awards recognition program from Silicon Valley in the United States of America which also includes other programs such as Consumer World Awards, Customer Sales and Service World Awards, Golden Bridge Awards, Globee Fastest Growing Private Companies Awards, Info Security PG's Global Excellence Awards, Network Products Guide's IT World Awards, Pillar World Awards, PR World Awards, and Women World Awards. Learn more about The CEO World Awards at http://www.ceoworldawards.com About DailyPay DailyPay is the award-winning, gold standard on-demand platform offering comprehensive pay-experience solutions to world-class companies and their millions of employees, including Kroger, Adecco and Berkshire Hathaway. DailyPay is headquartered in New York City with operations located in Minneapolis. For more information, visit www.dailypay.com/press Contact: Sehrish Sayani Email: [email protected] Website: dailypay.com SOURCE DailyPay Related Links http://www.dailypay.com Gaza City: Gazas Hamas rulers say they have reached an agreement through international mediators to end the latest round of cross-border violence with Israel. Under the deal, Hamas is to halt the launches of explosives-laden balloons and rocket fire into Israel, while Israel said it would ease a blockade that has been tightened in recent weeks. The Israeli restrictions have worsened living conditions in Gaza at a time when it is coping with a new coronavirus outbreak. An Israeli police officer demonstrates a new laser defence system designed to intercept explosives-laden balloons launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Credit:AP As a result of indirect mediation efforts led by Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar, Hamas said "several projects will be announced to serve our people in Gaza Strip and contribute in mitigating difficult living conditions. Its statement didn't detail any of the projects but it said conditions would return to what they were before the escalation. For China's food delivery workers, life can feel like a constant battle with algorithms, traffic police and disgruntled customers. An essay detailing the hazardous work conditions of China's food delivery drivers went viral on the internet on Tuesday, causing a moment of national reckoning on algorithmic harm to people. In China's populated urban hubs, one won't miss the army of express couriers speeding and honking on their scooters. Their reckless driving, according to the investigative report from China's "People" magazine, is largely a result of stringent algorithms that penalize late delivery; what's more, the machines fail to fully factor in real-life variables like weather and traffic, and often put drivers' lives at risk. Within hours, the story had gained more than 100,000 views and was shared widely and discussed on the WeChat messenger. While food delivery platforms boast increasingly fast delivery thanks to state-of-the-art machine learning, the lofty goals the algorithms set for drivers are often attainable only by breaking traffic rules and working extended hours. Sitting indoors, customers tap on streamlined apps, detached from the dangerous delivery journey. To avoid bad reviews and wage cuts, drivers dash and honk pedestrians out of their way to be on time. Within the first six months of 2019, Shanghai recorded 325 injuries and deaths involving food and parcel delivery drivers alone, with Alibaba's Ele.me and Tencent-backed Meituan, the food delivery leaders, accounting for nearly 70% of the accidents. "Most people won't care if their order arrives two minutes sooner or 10 minutes late. Platforms can actually be more forgiving of delivery drivers. We are more patient than expected," said a reader comment with 33,000 likes. On the flip side is an enormous market opportunity. The food ordering industry in China is estimated to reach 665 billion yuan ($97 billion) by 2020. A total of 398 million, or nearly 45% of China's internet users, ordered food online as of March. In contrast, online delivery penetration in the U.S. will reach about 9% by 2020. Millions of drivers are powering China's food delivery economy, with nearly 4 million on Meituan by 2019 and 3 million on Ele.me at last count. Story continues This isn't the first time that China has come to grips with safety for food delivery drivers. Following a series of road accidents in 2017, Chinese police ordered on-demand platforms to improve safety standards for drivers. A commentary from China's state newspaper at the time called for "more humane" management for take-out couriers. Alibaba has taken notice of the latest critique. About 12 hours after the article published, Ele.me announced it will add a feature that allows customers to voluntarily extend wait time by five or 10 minutes. It also promised that the platform won't penalize couriers with good credit and service history even when they are occasionally late. Meituan, Ele.me's main rival, responded on Wednesday saying it's optimizing its system to ensure driver safety through measures like extra wait time in case of adverse weather and slow elevators. Updated the story on September 10, 2020 with Meituan comment. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 10:29:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YINCHUAN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Every autumn in the 1980s, Huang Zhong's farmland in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was invariably blanketed with heavy layers of sand blown by strong gales. "A severe sandstorm could bury mud huts overnight in the village, and sand dunes scattered almost everywhere," the 56-year-old recalled. His home village of Liuyangpu in Yanchi County is on the southern edge of the Muus Sandland, where the tough climate, prolonged drought and overgrazing stranded about 75 percent of its population in the desertified area at that time, according to statistics released by the county government. Life was difficult for Huang growing up. Following poor harvests, Huang's family used to feed on millet and buckwheat grown on their farmland. "We didn't even have grass to graze our sheep," he said, adding that, back then, they had to migrate to other cities to earn a living. But not anymore. Now the sand and dunes are gone, replaced by lush greenery including bushy trees and thriving Chinese herbal medicine, thanks to a project to prevent desertification and soil erosion. In 1978, China launched the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP). Consisting of forestation in northwest, north and northeast China, the eight-phase project, covering 13 provincial regions making up about 42.4 percent of the country's total land area, is expected to be completed by 2050. Over the past 40-plus years, over 7.88 million hectares of windbreak trees have been planted, 336,000 square km of desertified land has been managed, and more than 10 million hectares of desertified grassland has been protected and restored, according to a report released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. Forest coverage has grown to 13.57 percent from 5.05 percent in 1977. As one of the key areas under the TSFP, Yanchi accordingly started a large-scale ecological restoration project to "tame" the ravaging wind-blown sand in the 1990s. In 2002, local authorities officially prohibited grazing, and henceforth, locals in Yanchi bid farewell to their traditional herding lifestyle. Straw was weaved into grids to contain the moving sand dunes, and drought-resistant shrubs and grass were grown on the dunes. At present, over 133,000 hectares of desertified land in Yanchi has been restored, and large sand dunes can hardly be seen. In addition to improving the ecological environment, the TSFP has injected impetus to poverty alleviation efforts. "The program has effectively curbed the expansion of desertification and become a 'Green Great Wall' to protect areas from sandstorms, preserve water and soil and safeguard agriculture, laying a solid ecological foundation for poverty alleviation," said Yue Taiqing, deputy director of the TSFP construction bureau of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. Yue added that nowadays, more and more ecological resources in northern China are being transformed, using eco-tourism, forestry and other means to lift people out of poverty. Some people have also taken up roles as forest rangers to participate in local afforestation and forest management. With the help of the TSFP, in 2016, Huang and over 1,100 villagers from registered poverty-stricken households were recruited as forest rangers, with an annual income of over 10,000 yuan (about 1,461 U.S. dollars). Huang and his wife also plant Chinese herbal medicine seedlings, through which they earned an income of more than 30,000 yuan in the past year. "As forest rangers, we don't have too much pressure now, because villagers make efforts to plant trees, and they are aware of the importance of forest protection," Huang said. In 2018, Yanchi became the first of nine counties in Ningxia's Xihaigu, an area known for its poor living conditions, to escape poverty. According to Yue, afforestation has been fueling China's poverty alleviation efforts, and the success of the TSFP shows that China is determined to protect the environment in a sustainable way. "We will proceed as scheduled and plant some 666,667 hectares of forest and push forward the treatment of desertified and salinized land of the same size every year so that more impoverished households can benefit from the ecological restoration," Yue said. Enditem The Palestinian Authority failed on Wednesday to get the Arab League's foreign ministers to endorse a resolution criticizing the U.S.-brokered normalization deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Why it matters: This is a very unusual development and a big blow to the Palestinians, who hold the rotating presidency of the Arab League. For decades, Arab League foreign ministers have endorsed every draft resolution the Palestinians have put forward. After the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan was released in January, the Palestinians managed to get the Arab League to condemn the plan but, this time, many Arab countries refused to condemn the UAE. The Arab Leagues Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki said during a press conference after the meeting that the foreign ministers discussed the Palestinian text and entered several amendments, but they couldnt reach a consensus and decided not to put out any statement on the Israel-UAE agreement. What they're saying: Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki condemned the Israel-UAE agreement in his speech and called upon Arab countries to announce that there will be no normalization with Israel before the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash defended his countrys decision in his speech. He said the normalization agreement was not done at the expense of the Palestinians, adding that the deal managed to stop Israels annexation plans in the West Bank. Other foreign ministers mainly the Saudi foreign minister pledged their support for the Palestinians and their aspirations, but stopped short of criticizing the UAE. Whats next: The White House plans to invite foreign ministers and ambassadors from many Arab countries to attend the deal's signing ceremony next week in order to show the deal has Arab support. South African nature filmmaker Craig Foster was burned out. He had lost his passion for working on documentaries such as Blue Planet 2. To re-energize, he started free diving without an oxygen tank or wet suit near in the chilly waters off the Western Cape, where hed grown up. The dives served as a form of therapy, comforting yet challenging the depths of his understanding of marine life. He remembered seeing indigenous San bushmen ply their tracking skills in southern Africas Central Kalahari Desert 20 years earlier. These extraordinary men were just so close to nature and they were just so good at tracking and understanding the natural system, Foster says. I was deeply envious of their abilities. And then I had this idea: Could I ever track animals underwater? Over four years of diving every day, he learned how. It was a very exciting, empowering process, Foster says, and that enabled me to get into the secret world of some of these special animals. One tangible result is My Octopus Teacher, the first South African nature documentary to air as a Netflix Original. Released in early September on the pay channel, it tells the tender story of Foster befriending a small octopus in the icy Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Town. Accruing honors The film, for which Foster did the underwater photography, has already won a prestigious award and has been nominated for a slew of others. It shows Foster diving every day to visit a female octopus he discovered when she burst from beneath a pile of shells. At first, the small cephalopod is wary. Over time, she reaches out to him with one tentacle and eventually trusts him enough to sit on his chest and let him stroke her. She taught me humility. She taught me compassion. She opened my mind to just how precious wild creatures are and how complex, says Foster, who, despite his familiarity with the creature, never gives her a name. Its quite incredible. You think: This is an animal thats separated in evolution by hundreds of millions of years and its a mollusk, essentially a snail without a shell. But shes got a huge mind and huge curiosity and a tremendous intelligence, he says. Thats why I called her my teacher, because I did learn so much from her. Foster in 2012 had co-founded the Sea Change Project, a nonprofit group meant to protect marine life by raising awareness of the South African kelp forests ecological importance. The film, too, has been years in the making. While Foster eventually had a big team, he and environmental journalist Pippa Ehrlich initially worked alone for a few years. It was her first movie, and she directed with James Reed wrote, filmed and edited. Building understanding Ehrlich says she hopes the work will create awareness about the octopuss home. The Great African Sea Forest stretches for 1,300 kilometers, or just over 800 miles, along South Africa and Namibias coastlines. In the last few decades, 40 percent of our worlds kelp forests have declined and some of them have disappeared completely, mostly due to climate change, Ehrlich says. And unlike coral bleaching, for example, its not something thats getting a lot of attention. In fact, a lot of people dont know that there is such a thing as an underwater forest. Ehrlich gave up a job diving to film sharks all over the world to work on My Octopus Teacher, even though it had no funding at the time. So shes grateful for the positive response to the film. It has received eight award nominations for Jackson Wild known earlier as the Jackson Hole (Wyoming) Wildlife Film Festival including for best feature film and best ecosystem film. It has two nominations for the British-based Wildscreen Panda Awards, which recognize international wildlife film and TV content, and six for the German-based Green Screen Festival. And, says Ehrlich, we were really, really excited to win the best feature category for the Texas-based EarthX Film Festival in April. Awards or not, Foster says My Octopus Teacher has a lesson for mankind. We are totally reliant on the natural world as our life support system. It keeps us breathing and eating, the filmmaker says. Its easy to forget that in this industrial world, running around and trying to survive. So its absolutely critical that we reconnect with nature, no matter where we are, and seriously get together to think about how we can regenerate the very system that is keeping us alive. This report originated in VOAs English to Africa service. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: A fresh fire on a large oil tanker drifting off Sri Lankas coast was extinguished on Wednesday after burning for two days, the navy said, as experts prepared to salvage the vessel. A new blaze broke out Monday on the MT New Diamond, which was carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil, and reached the magnitude of last weeks fire, only a day after a three-day blaze was extinguished. The first fire began on Thursday. Officials have warned of massive environmental damage to Sri Lankas coast if the ship leaks or explodes. The fire has now been extinguished and the ship is being towed by a tugboat to out to sea, said navy spokesperson Indika de Silva. There are no flames or smoke to be noticed as of now, he said, adding that the navys specially trained firefighting and disaster management team will join with firefighting experts from Indias coast guard and specialists sent by the ships owner on Wednesday to assess the situation. Ten British and Dutch professionals, including rescue operation specialists, disaster evaluators and legal consultants, reached the scene on Monday and are waiting to board the tanker to begin the mission of salvaging it. The experts were sent by New Shipping Ltd., the commercial owner of the New Diamond in Athens, Greece. The tanker is about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) off the coast and the plan is to position it is at 40 nautical miles to facilitate salvaging work, de Silva said. The tanker was transporting crude oil from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip, where the state-owned Indian Oil Corp. has a refinery. High winds, extreme temperatures on the ship and sparks reignited the fresh fires, the navy said, adding that so far there is no risk of an oil leak or of the fire spreading into the oil storage area. The navy said the initial fire began in an engine room boiler but did not spread to where the oil is kept. The navy said Tuesday that a diesel patch had been spotted in the ocean about 1 kilometer (half a mile) from the ship. The patch is likely to be diesel fuel from the ship, it said. The ship has about 1,700 tons of fuel to power its engines. An Indian coast guard aircraft sprayed a chemical on the patch to minimize damage. The initial fire killed one Filipino crew member and injured another, while 21 other crew members escaped uninjured. Twenty of them were taken to the southern port city of Galle on Tuesday, while the captain remained on a ship near the tanker to help with firefighting efforts. 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 Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), says he will gladly testify before the presidential panel investigating Ibrah... Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), says he will gladly testify before the presidential panel investigating Ibrahim Magu, suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The AGF said he would appear before the panel if summoned in line with the Buhari administrations respect for the rule of law. Magu is being investigated by the panel, headed by Ayo Salami, retired president of the appeal court, over allegations of corruption which Malami levelled against him. The AGF had accused him of not acting in the overall best interest of the country and the policies of this administration due to its mismanagement and lack of transparency in managing recovered assets among other allegations. Last week, Wahab Shittu, Magus counsel, wrote to the presidential panel asking it to summon Malami to prove the allegations he accused his client of. Speaking during an Arise TV programme on Wednesday, the AGF said he is willing to be examined by the panel. If indeed the Ayo Salami panel invites Abubakar Malami as a person or the AGF in the person of Abubakar Malami for any testimony, for any clarification, for examination or cross-examination for that matter, Abubakar Malami will wholeheartedly, gladly within the spirit and context of the rule of law be there to testify, be there to be cross-examined, be there to be examined within the context of the rule of law, he said. Our position as a government is to be submissive to the rule of law and the rule of law component of it requires that when we are called upon to clarify issues, when we are called upon to be examined, when we are called upon to be cross-examined, Abubakar Malami will be there and will gladly cooperate with the inquiry institution and that indeed was an attribute of the government that translated to the victory we are seeing today arising from P&ID. He added that he has responded to summons by various panels in similar investigations, and so, the case of Salami will certainly not be an exception. WASHINGTON As students head back to school, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will send 6.9 million cloth face coverings to New York this month for distribution to students, teachers and staff at schools across the state. Masks arriving in September may prove useful to some schools, but most schools offering in-person learning have already had to procure thousands of face coverings and districts are unsure if they'll get reimbursed for those new costs, amid state budget cuts and limited federal aid. The state's interim health guidance for school reopenings requires face coverings on school grounds, except during meals and instruction. Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also recommended mask wearing in schools to prevent spread of the coronavirus. The federal mask shipment is part of an effort by the federal health agency to send up to 125 million cloth masks to states for distribution in schools. The masks are intended to be prioritized for schools with low-income and high-needs students and also schools that are holding in-person learning, a senior HHS official said. Theyre also intended for both private and public schools, the official said. Many schools in the state opened their doors to some students this week and have already shelled out thousands of dollars to buy masks, gloves, face shields, wipes, cleaning solutions and plexi-glass dividers, among numerous other new coronavirus expenses. In the Capital Region, many schools had donated their extra masks and gloves to local hospitals facing shortages at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before Rensselaer city schools reopened Tuesday, the district coordinated with the county and the local BOCES to locate a reliable and affordable vendor for personal protective equipment, something the district never had to buy in such bulk, said Superintendent Joseph Kardash and School Business Official Meghan Heimroth. The district has spent about $45,000 on personal protective equipment and additional cleaning supplies from spring until now and anticipates those costs to go up, Heimroth said. They already bought 4,000 child-size masks and 1,000 adult-sized coverings. Kardash said the influx of masks from HHS will help his district but "it would have been more useful a month ago." "Our masks will run out and our students are coming in with masks, but those masks will have to be replaced," Kardash said. "Anything is actually still helpful. Even the cloth masks have a life. They shouldn't be worn every day without being washed. So having students have more masks will still be helpful. It would have been more helpful if we had more planning, but that's not the nature of the times we're in right now." Bob Lowry, communications director for the New York State Council of School Superintendents, noted that when disasters occur, responders urge individuals to donate money, not clothes or food. It is a bad thing to send masks? No. Is it the best use of resources? Districts need a lot of things," Lowry said. Districts had to be ready for the opening of schools and make purchases already. They may already be adequately supplied with masks. New York schools missed out on the first wave of stimulus money because the state deducted the relief money from districts' annual foundation aid allowances. The state also froze foundation aid amounts this year due to the financial crisis brought on by the pandemic and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said that state education aid could be slashed by up to 20 percent mid-year if the state fails to meet its revenue goals. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. We need PPE. We need teaching spaces that are safe, said Lori Caplan, superintendent of Watervliet City Schools, in a press conference Wednesday. Face masks, hand sanitizers, this all comes at a cost. We cant absorb that cost as well as cuts to our aid from 2019-20. Democrats and Republicans in Congress are concerned that the federal funding for education awarded to date is not enough. Both parties have proposed additional funding for schools in new coronavirus legislation, but they havent been able to agree on how much among many other conflicts in the month-long negotiation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency clarified its public assistance policy last week, stipulating it will not cover coronavirus-related expenses stemming from the daily operations of government and school activities as of Sept. 15. After that date, FEMA will not pay for PPE for education institutions, unless its in connection with disaster response like an emergency feeding program, said Keith Turi, FEMA assistant administrator for recovery. It also wont cover cleaning costs for schools. The agency will continue to pay for PPE for health care workers. Turi insisted the policy change was not sparked by the Trump administration decision in August to shift $44 billion from FEMAs disaster relief fund to pay for unemployment benefits. This is not a cost-saving measure, said Turi. Even in our non-covid disasters, our guidance is clear that we dont cover the cost of day-to-day government functions or government facilities even if they are directly related to the disaster, the activities eligible are those direct actions for immediate threats to life and property. The face coverings from HHS will be shipped to New York and distributed by the state health department. The masks will come in child and adult sizes, a senior HHS official said. - The Accra Regional Police Command to start a series of operations to clamp down these sex workers and their activities within its jurisdiction. - 17 suspected sex workers were apprehended in two separate operations by the Cantonments Police Command - The suspects apprehended included eight foreigners and nine Ghanaians Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The activities of commercial sex workers, popularly known as Ashawos in our local parlance, has reached an alarming rate. These women, who trade their bodies in exchange for money, engage men who want pleasure from them. Their activities which have, over the years been a nuisance, forced the Accra Regional Police Command to begin a series of operations to clamp down on their activities within its jurisdiction. According to a Citinewsroom report, 17 suspected sex workers were apprehended in two separate operations by the Cantonments Police Command According to the report, the suspects apprehended included eight foreigners and nine Ghanaians. Police storm Accra as they chase 'ashawos' in new operation; 17 suspects arrested Source: News Ghana Source: UGC READ ALSO: 28 Ghana police officers sent home over 'akpeteshie party' and other offences Speaking in an interview with Citi News, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, DSP Effia Tenge, noted that the operation was part of an exercise aimed at reducing crime in the city. The Cantonment police embarked on a two-day special operation to clamp down on persons soliciting for men or engaging in prostitution," she said. DSP Tenge revealed that the operation was carried out around the Togo embassy, the Oxford Street and the Akufo-Addo roundabout Meanwhile, in the Northern region, the commercial sex trade has been banned Acting on authority of office, the Northern Regional Security Council's chairman, Salifu Saeed, banned prostitution on the grounds that it is abhorred in that part of the country. READ ALSO: 17 things NDC will do for the creative industry should they win the 2020 election In other news, the Ghana Police Service has sacked 28 men and women in the service for various acts of misconduct. The public reported about 181 cases against some police officers from January to August 2020. Out of the 181 cases lodged, these 28 service personnel were found culpable after investigations. READ ALSO: Video: Emotional John Mahama teary during NDC manifesto launch 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 Venezuelan President said Russia's Sputnik-V vaccine against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) would be delivered to in September 2020 for clinical trials. "The first vaccine, from Russia, will arrive in September for clinical trials," Maduro said during a televised speech broadcast on his Twitter. He said he intended to discuss with the leadership of the National Electoral Council the possibility of vaccinating all candidates in the upcoming elections to the National Assembly for a calm campaign. The talk is about 14,400 candidates for parliament lawmakers. The Russian Health Ministry earlier registered the world's first vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19, developed by the Gamaleya Center, and produced jointly with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev said the fund had received applications from over 20 countries for the purchase of a billion doses of the Russian He said had agreed on the production of the vaccine in five countries. (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.) Natural gas exports from the Central Asian republics began to see major drops as a result of the global economic slowdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. China, the main buyer of natural gas from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, issued a force majeure note to its suppliers in March this year to halt supplies, The Diplomat writes in the article Pandemic Slows Central Asias Gas Exports to China. A force majeure clause is a common addition to contracts that frees the involved parties of liability if the terms of the contract cannot be fulfilled due to extraordinary circumstances a pandemic, for example. The fallout of these developments will have varying effects on the economies of the region depending on the depth of their dependence on the natural gas trade. In addition, in Uzbekistan, there has been talk about leaving commercial natural gas for domestic consumption, which is a positive development for a population that often suffers from a lack of access to the natural resource. As a result of Chinas force majeure note, the three countries are reportedly making concerted efforts to coordinate reductions in response to the situation. Its important to note that Central Asian gas is transported to China via a pipeline system that all three countries mentioned above feed into. The director of Uzbekistans state oil and natural gas company, Uzbekneftegaz, Mekhriddin Abdullaev said in May that the cuts in exports will be implemented proportionally. However, no joint decision or announcement has been issued; instead news on individual responses are trickling in which paint an overall portrait of the situation. The Russian oil and natural gas company, Lukoil, that produces Uzbekistans China-bound natural gas recently announced a 14.6 percent drop in natural gas production to 14.8 billion cubic meters (bcm) in the first six months in 2020, down from 17.4 bcm for the same period in 2019. The reported loss of assets from the setback was $476.5 million. Kazakhstan also announced a 20-25 percent reduction back in March as soon as China issued its force majeure note. News from Turkmenistan is hard to come by, as usual, but when China announced the cuts in March, worries from Ashgabat were apparent in a statement Reuters attributed to a Turkmen government sources: If this is the case, we hope this measure will be short-term and will not affect long-term, strategic and mutually beneficial Turkmen-Chinese partnership in the gas sector. According to the World Banks World Development Indicators, Turkmenistans GDP share from natural gas exports has historically been the highest, compared to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In the 2000-2010 period, natural gas rents as a percentage of GDP for Turkmenistan ranged from as high as 67 percent in 2001 to a low of 18.9 percent in 2010. In much of that period, the figure was above 30 percent. The latest measure, for 2018, estimates natural gas rents as 17.6 percent of Turkmen GDP. According to the latest estimates for Uzbekistan, in 2018, natural gas rents as a percentage of GDP rest at 10.1 percent; meanwhile, Kazakhstans figure was 1.7 percent. The numbers for Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are particularly stark given that the volume of their natural gas exports is almost the same. According to 2019 estimates, China received 7.1 bcm from Kazakhstan and receives around 10 bcm a year from Uzbekistan. Turkmenistans share in 2019 was 33.2 bcm. Lukoil announced last month that as a result of reduced demand from China, its production in Uzbekistan will be directed toward domestic consumption. Although exports to China are not the majority of the 60 bcm produced annually in the country, this move may offset chronic shortages of natural gas supplies to local population, especially in the winter months. For the population of Uzbekistan, no issue is closer to geopolitics and domestic affairs than natural gas. When cold temperatures deepen discomfort in households, the news fills with reports of deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of poorly self-constructed heating systems. No other issue is as emotionally charged when a country exports a resource its people suffer shortages of. Last winter individuals took to the streets with their frustrations over the lack of natural gas and electricity in several small protests. Reductions in natural gas exports will have varying outcomes for the economies of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan and therefore the severity of the effect will vary as well. The most affected country in the region will invariably be Turkmenistan, given its dependence on gas exports to China, followed by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In the case of Uzbekistan, the silver lining of the fallout, although still to the detriment to the government budget, will be increased access of its own population to natural gas. A U.S. Army veteran speaks out against his photo being used in all social media platforms to make a false story allegedly made up by the Democrats for political gain. Bobby Henline, a four-tour Iraq War veteran, told Fox News that he was irritated that his image was being used in anti-Trump memes posted and shared by various left-wing social media groups. Henline noted that the image made it look like the president is calling him a "loser." "And they're using that to sell something that they believe in for their agenda. It's not fair to put us [veterans] as props in the middle of all that," Henline added. Last week, The Atlantic published a story claiming that President Donald Trump had made disparaging remarks about fallen U.S. soldiers and veterans, calling them "suckers" and "losers" in 2018. Out of five soldiers in an IED blast in Iraq, Henline was the only survivor. The veteran now dedicates his time to spreading laughs through comedy and optimism by speaking about veterans' issues. A highly recognized figure, the image was brought to Henline's attention last week. He then quickly took to Instagram to criticize those using him to spread their anti-Trump "propaganda." Citing four anonymous sources, the original story published by the Atlantic claimed to have firsthand knowledge of the discussion in which Trump made the controversial comments. Since then, some people who placed themselves in the room during the reported conversation, including former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, denied that the president made those disparaging remarks. Bolton has a rocky past with Trump. Henline believed the story to be false. The survivor believed that the president did not say it. According to Henline, there have been anonymous and other sources in the room that are not necessarily friends with Trump or not believe in his ways. However, he noted that these sources could not slam Trump, making up this rumor and keeping it spreading. "And so with that said, I don't think he said this," Henline said. Henline believed that the anti-Trump propaganda was successful in its intent to turn veterans against the president despite many doubt the story's veracity. "Them taking that well-recognized image and using it for their agenda and changing veterans' minds, thinking President Trump talks to them like that is ridiculous. And I believe it worked," Henline said. "That's why I want to get it taken down as it shouldn't be working. People need to hear the truth. That's my photo, and it should not be up there speaking for me," he added. The comedian was fast to go after the accounts that posted the anti-Trump propaganda and memes utilizing his image. While Henline was successful in getting some taken down, many continued to pop-up. Check these out: Stimulus Checks: Trump Urges Democrats to Release $300 Billion Unspent COVID-19 Relief Money to Americans Gender Reveal Party Causes Wildfire in El Dorado, California Stimulus Letters Bound to 9 Million People Who Have Not Yet Been Paid BELGRADE -- The Serbian government has decided to suspend all joint international military exercises for the next six months, just one day ahead of the beginning of the Slavic Brotherhood 2020 exercise to be hosted by Belarus. Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said on September 9 that the decision was made under heavy pressure from the European Union not to send forces to Belarus, which has been beset by unrest since last month's disputed presidential election. The EU "asked us to leave the planned exercise with Belarus or risk losing our European future," Vulin said. The Slavic Brotherhood 2020 exercise is scheduled to be held in the second half of September at a training ground near the city of Brest and was to include forces from Belarus, Russia, and Serbia. Participants were scheduled to begin arriving in Belarus on September 10, according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry. Vulin said that Serbia would not participate in any military exercises with NATO, China, Russia, or any other international partner during the six-month moratorium. "Our participation in peacekeeping operations will be carefully considered and, if necessary, suspended," Vulin said, adding that the decision was made to preserve Serbia's "position of military neutrality." The Russian news agency TASS quoted a spokesman for the Belarusian Defense Ministry as saying Minsk had not yet been officially informed of Belgrade's decision. A NATO official said the Western military alliance had "no specific events planned with Serbia for the coming months, but we remain committed to the partnership in the interest of stability and security in the region. "NATO has a long-standing partnership with Serbia, which we value," the official said. Serbia is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program. Although Serbia has close relations with the government of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Belgrade endorsed an August 11 joint EU-U.S. statement saying the Belarus presidential election was "neither free nor fair" and criticizing the Belarusian government's violent crackdown against protesters. With reporting by TASS While acetaminophen is helping you deal with your headache, it may also be making you more willing to take risks, a new study suggests. People who took acetaminophen rated activities like "bungee jumping off a tall bridge" and "speaking your mind about an unpopular issue in a meeting at work" as less risky than people who took a placebo, researchers found. Use of the drug also led people to take more risks in an experiment where they could earn rewards by inflating a virtual balloon on a computer: Sometimes they went too far and the balloon popped. Acetaminophen seems to make people feel less negative emotion when they consider risky activities - they just don't feel as scared. With nearly 25 percent of the population in the U.S. taking acetaminophen each week, reduced risk perceptions and increased risk-taking could have important effects on society." Baldwin Way, co-author of the study and associate professor of psychology at The Ohio State University The study extends a series of studies led by Way that have shown acetaminophen - the main ingredient in the pain-reliever Tylenol and nearly 600 other medicines - has psychological effects that most people don't consider when they take it. Previous research by Way and his colleagues has shown that acetaminophen reduces positive and negative emotions, including hurt feelings, distress over another's suffering and even your own joy. Way conducted the current study with Alexis Keaveney, a former doctoral student at Ohio State, and Ellen Peters, a former professor at Ohio State who is now at the University of Oregon. The study was published online in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. In one study, 189 college students came to a lab and took either 1,000 mg of acetaminophen (the recommended dosage for a headache) or a placebo that looked the same. After waiting for the drug to take effect, the participants rated on a scale of 1 to 7 how risky they thought various activities would be. Results showed that those under the influence of acetaminophen rated activities like bungee jumping, walking home alone at night in an unsafe area of town, starting a new career in your mid-30s, and taking a skydiving class as less risky than those who took the placebo. The effects of acetaminophen on risk-taking were also tested in three separate experimental studies. Across these studies, 545 undergraduate students took part in a task developed in 2002 that is often used by researchers to measure risk-taking behavior. Other researchers have shown that taking more risk on this task predicted risky behaviors outside the laboratory, including alcohol and drug use, driving without a seatbelt and stealing. In the task, participants click a button on the computer to inflate a balloon on their computer screen. Each time they inflate it they receive virtual money. They can stop at any time and add the money to their "bank," and move on to the next balloon. But there is risk involved. "As you're pumping the balloon, it is getting bigger and bigger on your computer screen, and you're earning more money with each pump," Way said. "But as it gets bigger you have this decision to make: Should I keep pumping and see if I can make more money, knowing that if it bursts I lose the money I had made with that balloon?" For those who took the acetaminophen, the answer was: Keep on pumping. Results showed that those on the drug pumped more times than those on the placebo and had more burst balloons. "If you're risk-averse, you may pump a few times and then decide to cash out because you don't want the balloon to burst and lose your money," he said. "But for those who are on acetaminophen, as the balloon gets bigger, we believe they have less anxiety and less negative emotion about how big the balloon is getting and the possibility of it bursting." The results have a variety of real-life implications, Way said. For example, acetaminophen is the recommended treatment by the CDC for initial COVID-19 symptoms. "Perhaps someone with mild COVID-19 symptoms may not think it is as risky to leave their house and meet with people if they're taking acetaminophen," Way said. Even everyday activities like driving presents people with constant decisions involving risk perception and assessment that could be altered by use of the painkiller. "We really need more research on the effects of acetaminophen and other over-the-counter drugs on the choices and risks we take," he said. A firetruck drives along state Highway 168 while battling the Creek Fire in the Shaver Lake community of Fresno County, California, September 7, 2020. Noah Berger/AP Photo The rapidly spreading Creek Fire trapped hundreds of hikers and campers in California's Sierra National Forest. The Coast Guard rescued 164 people on Tuesday morning, after thick smoke prevented its helicopters from landing on Monday. Over the weekend, rescuers evacuated 214 people and nearly a dozen pets from a campground surrounded by fire. Several evacuees suffered burns and broken bones. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Hundreds of people have been rescued from an enormous wildfire that's tearing through California's Sierra National Forest. About 100 were trapped for several days while army helicopters struggled to reach them through thick clouds of smoke. The Creek Fire has grown to nearly 144,000 acres in Fresno and Madera Counties since it ignited on Friday evening. By Monday, it had emitted so much smoke that the Coast Guard had to abandon attempts to reach stranded groups of hikers. But Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters successfully retrieved 164 people and at least four dogs on Tuesday morning and evacuated them to an Army base in Fresno, according to local FOX26 News reporter Michael Ikahihifo. The rescue effort was still ongoing as of Tuesday afternoon, with at least 17 more people stranded, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a press conference. Local officials said the hikers rescued Tuesday had not been in immediate danger from the fire, unlike people who were rescued on Saturday and Sunday. "It's been so hard," Lisa Ebright, whose husband and teenage sons were rescued Tuesday, told KCBS Radio. "Waiting for them, seeing the planes come and no one comes out, we're not hearing from them. I'm so happy. I know I'm crying but they're happy tears." The Creek Fire was 0% contained as of midday on Tuesday. Evacuation orders are in place for 45 areas of Fresno and Madera counties. Hikers and campers were trapped as they tried to escape Firefighters keep an eye on the Creek Fire along state Highway 168, September 6, 2020, in Shaver Lake, California. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo About 50 people awaited rescue Sunday through Tuesday at the Vermilion Valley Resort in the Sierra National Forest. The resort wrote on its Facebook page Sunday evening that hikers and campers had come off the trails to shelter there. Then on Tuesday morning, it posted photos of a military helicopter and people lining up with bags, saying that everyone was "loading up and heading off the mountain." Story continues However, the Fresno Fire Department said Monday night that there may have been multiple casualties in the Lake Edison area, where the resort is located. The agency reported another 14 people trapped at China Peak on Monday. Ethan Thao, a 14-year-old evacuee who'd been stranded for 14 hours during a family fishing trip, told local news station ABC30 that "it was kind of hard to breathe" as his family waited for rescuers. "But then I got through it because I stayed in the car most of the time," Thao added. "It went by faster because I was asleep." A firefighter watches the advancing Creek Fire, September 6, 2020, in Shaver Lake, California. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo Over the weekend, 214 people and 11 pets were rescued from the Mammoth Pool Reservoir area as the fire surrounded a campground and caught campers off guard, Newsom said. "We had to splash water on our hair because our hair was catching on fire," 16-year-old Rylee Zukovsky told The New York Times on Sunday. "I was shoveling so much water into my face that I was almost drowning myself." Some of the Mammoth Pool evacuees suffered burns and broken bones as they tried to escape. About 20 were injured in total, and some were taken to the hospital. "Nobody knew helicopters were coming," Zukovsky said. "The Chinook just flew out of the smoke." Read the original article on Insider PARIS and BOSTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shift Technology , a provider of AI-native fraud detection and claims automation solutions for the global insurance industry, today announced the company has been selected to support fraud detection initiatives for Falcon Insurance Company. The Illinois-based auto insurer will deploy Force , Shift's fraud detection solution to accurately and efficiently uncover suspicious behaviors in the claims processes. Falcon has built a successful business on an ethos of simplicity, creativity, integrity, and efficiency. As such, the company strongly believes that the right combination of technology and expertise results in a fast and fair claims experience, the time when policy holders need insurers the most. Fraud negatively impacts the customer experience through not only higher premiums but also longer time to settlement. Knowing this, Falcon initiated a search for fraud detection technology that would meet their key requirements ability to uncover a wide range of fraud, support for evolving fraud models including those resulting from COVID-19 and fast deployment and rapid return on investment. After a comprehensive evaluation, the insurer selected Shift, specifically citing its deep insurance industry expertise, focused data science teams, and flexible deployment options. "Fraudulent insurance claims are not harmless. Every policy holder feels their impact and that's why Falcon has always been focused on rooting out suspicious claims and ensuring they do not get paid," explained Joe Mase, chief claims officer, Falcon. "With Shift, we've found a company that shares our ideals and offers a powerful tool for fighting fraud in the most effective and efficient way possible." For insurance carriers concerned about the impact of fraud, Shift provides claims professionals with the tools required to uncover more fraud with unrivalled accuracy. Using artificial intelligence and insurance-focused data science, the company's fraud detection solution helps insurance companies identify the multiple types of fraud committed by both individuals and networks. Further value is delivered via the detailed rationale and contextual guidance provided for why a fraud alert was generated and how to best investigate it. "Claims fraud is a well-known problem in the insurance industry, and for far too long, finding it with consistency and accuracy was a daunting proposition," explained Jeremy Jawish, CEO and cofounder, Shift Technology. "Policy holders want to be treated with fairness and integrity. For forward-thinking insurers like Falcon, Shift is making it easier to find and investigate fraud, while at the same time minimizing the false positives that can introduce confusion and delays into the process." About Shift Technology Shift Technology delivers the only AI-native fraud detection and claims automation solutions built specifically for the global insurance industry. Our SaaS solutions identify individual and network fraud with double the accuracy of competing offerings, and provide contextual guidance to help insurers achieve faster, more accurate claim resolutions. Shift has analyzed hundreds of millions of claims to date and was presented Frost & Sullivan's 2020 Global Claims Solutions for Insurance Market Leadership Award. For more information please visit www.shift-technology.com . Contacts: Rob Morton Corporate Communications Shift Technology +1.617.416.9216 [email protected] SOURCE Shift Technology Reliance Industries (RIL) gained 0.94% to Rs 2126.90 after the company said Silver Lake will invest Rs 7,500 crore in Reliance Retail Ventures at an equity value of Rs 4.21 lakh crore. Silver Lake's investment will translate into a 1.75% equity stake in Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) on a fully diluted basis, RIL said in a BSE filing made during market hours today. This marks the second billion dollar investment by Silver Lake in a Reliance Industries subsidiary after the $1.35 billion investment in Jio Platforms announced earlier this year. RRVL operates a retail business serving close to 640 million footfalls across its approximately 12,000 stores nationwide. With more than $60 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital and a focus on the world's great tech and tech-enabled opportunities, Silver Lake is engaged in large-scale technology investing. Commenting on the transaction with Silver Lake, Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director, Reliance Industries, said, "I am delighted to extend our relationship with Silver Lake to our transformational efforts of building an inclusive partnership with millions of small merchants while providing value to Indian consumers across the country in the Indian retail sector. We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms. Silver Lake will be an invaluable partner in implementing our vision for Indian Retail." RIL is India's largest private sector company. Its activities span hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail and digital services. The conglomerate reported a 31% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 13,248 crore in Q1 June 2020 compared with Rs 10,141 crore in the corresponding period of last year. Consolidated total income for the quarter stood at Rs 95,626 crore, down 42.11% compared with Rs 165,199 crore year-on-year. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A view of the two parts of the bulk carrier after it split in two off the coast of Mauritius (ANSA) Pope Francis looks ahead to the World Day of Prayer for the care of Creation, praying for Mauritius which is suffering the consequences of an oil spill off its coast. By Vatican News "From this date, until 4 October, we will celebrate, along with our fellow Christians of different Churches and traditions, the 'Jubilee for the Earth'." Pope Francis then went on to greet the "various movements" across the world that will be honouring this day. He mentioned specifically "the concert that will take place in the Cathedral of Port Louis, capital city of Mauritius where, unfortunately, an environmental disaster has recently taken place". Tens of thousands of people protested Saturday in Mauritius over the governments response to an oil spill from a grounded Japanese ship and the discovery of dozens of dead dolphins in recent days. Protesters marched peacefully through the capital, Port Louis, a month after the ship struck a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island nation. World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios proclaimed September 1 as Creation Day for the Orthodox in 1989, followed by other Christian European Churches in 2001, and by Pope Francis in 2015. In 2018, for the first time, the prayer service for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation that took place in Assisi was ecumenical in nature. New Delhi: India and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday discussed the global challenges in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking on phone with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. This comes in the backdrop of Saudi Arabia, which holds the G20s rotating presidency this year and India working towards coordinating and drawing up a strategy at the G20 level. The two leaders exchanged views on the global challenges in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic," the Prime Minister Office (PMO) said in a statement. Once seen in Pakistans corner, Saudi Arabia recently has been seemingly supportive of Indias position on Kashmir. Since coming to office in 2014, prime minister Narendra Modi has reached out to countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and others in the wider Gulf region in a bid to shore up Indias economic interests investments, diaspora as well as energy as well as to blunt Pakistans influence in groups like the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the leadership provided by Saudi Arabia during its ongoing Presidency of the G20 grouping. The leaders agreed that the initiatives taken at the level of the G20 had helped in promoting a coordinated response to the pandemic. They also discussed the main priorities presently on the agenda of the G20," the statement added. Last year, then Indian foreign minister late Sushma Swaraj was invited by the UAE to attend the foreign ministers meet of the OIC States the first such invite in five decades. The two leaders expressed their satisfaction at the state of bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia, and committed to further strengthen cooperation in all areas. Prime Minister expressed his special thanks to His Majesty King Salman for the support provided to Indian expatriates by the Saudi authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement said. India has also been trying to rope in Saudi Arabia, that is the second largest supplier of crude and cooking gas to the country for participation in its Strategic Petroleum Reserves programme. State run Saudi Aramco, the worlds largest crude oil producer is also a joint venture partner in the proposed 60 million-tonne-per-annum $70 billion Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL) project in Maharashtra, that has been delayed. Ties between the two countries have transformed in recent years with Riyadh beginning to refashion its ties with New Delhi in consonance with its Vision 2030 programme under which Saudi Arabia has chosen eight countries to forge strategic partnerships with. These include India, China, the UK, the United States, France, Germany, South Korea and Japan. 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 An unidentified EasyJet pilot is now being ridiculed by netizens online after his viral video was released by one of his passengers named 'Nick.' The passenger who captured the video described his plane experience as 'insulting and terrifying.' This was after he was 'ambushed' to wear his face mask despite his chronic asthma condition. BBC exclusive video of a man being 'bullied' to wear a mask The video above went trending after the BBC posted the story to their page. On Wednesday, Sept. 9, a man named 'Nick' exclusively narrated on BBC his 'terrifying' experience as a passenger in one of EasyJet airlines' flights. Nick currently has chronic asthma. Due to that, he made himself exempted from wearing any face masks by printing signage saying that "I am exempt from wearing any face covering." In the United Kingdom, this is legal. According to the government's page: "Those who have an age, health, or disability reason for not wearing a face-covering should not be routinely asked to give any written evidence of this, this includes exemption cards. No person needs to seek advice or request a letter from a medical professional about their reason for not wearing a face covering." When he sits on his seat in the plane, he was asked by the staff to wear his covering. He told them about his condition and how the British government allows people with legitimate health conditions like asthma to no longer wear a mask. Nick's flight was already under a 30-minute delay since staff and other passengers require him to wear his face mask, which he still insisted that he can't wear due to his condition. The EasyJet pilot suddenly appeared, and the man was said to be 'ambushed' to wear his face mask until the flight lands. Based on Nick's video, the unnamed pilot counted him up to two seconds to wear covering or else he will be forced to get out of the airplane. "Last chance. You have two seconds to grab this [mask] and put in on, or you're off," the pilot says in the video. "It's like a steel belt round my chest" In order to avoid more conflict, Nick decided to follow the pilot and wear his mask throughout the flight. "I would do anything to avoid wearing anything that restricts my breathing," he added. "That's more terrifying than being insulted by 100 passengers, but eventually I felt like I had no choice." "Whether it's a polo neck or a scarf round your face, the sensation is stifling. I just find it increasingly difficult to breathe," he said, according to the BBC. He described his experience wearing a mask "like a steel belt round my chest." EasyJet releases apology statement Since the video circulated, EasyJet immediately apologized to the passenger and all affected by the video. They explained that the airline policies were not updated with the United Kingdom's regulations at the time. Therefore, from now on, customers are now allowed to provide a relevant exemption document, just in case they have the same condition. "We are sorry that this new policy was not recognized by the crew on this occasion," the spokesman said, adding: "We cannot tolerate disruptive behavior towards our crew." This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Jamie Pancho 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Medical cannabis could be available in Australia by next year, with an industry body proposing to make cannabidiol prescription-free. The Therapeutic Goods Administration announced plans to amend Poisons Standard for cannabidiol to give patients easier access to the drug over the counter. The product would be reclassified from a prescription to non-prescription drug if it is downgraded from Schedule 4 to Schedule 3 by the end of 2021. The proposed changes would save Australians a trip to the doctor and give them access to CDB after consulting a pharmacist. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has announced plans to amend Poisons Standard for cannabidiol to give patients easier access to the drug over the counter. Pictured: A medical expert checking a medical cannabis product The product will be reclassified from a prescription to non-prescription drug by being down-scheduled from Schedule 4 to Schedule 3 by the end of 2021. Pictured: Cannabis plants growing at an approved farm on the Sunshine Coast The substance would be only to allowed be taken orally, and patients would be limited to a maximum daily dosage of 60mg and a 30-day supply restriction. Medicinal cannabis company Althea CEO Josh Fegan applauded TGA's proposal. 'The interim decision reflects the significant shift in community and government attitudes towards medicinal cannabis since it was legalised in Australia in late 2016, which has seen it move from a fringe alternative towards an accepted mainstream option,' he said. 'As a strong advocate for patient access, Althea has closely monitored the proposed amendment since it began and has participated in the consultation process. 'We are excited by the TGA's interim decision to down-schedule CBD products and see this development as a big step forward for prescription cannabis products already available in Australia.' Medicinal cannabis company Althea CEO Josh Fegan (pictured) said he was 'excited by the TGA's interim decision to down-schedule CBD products and see this development as a big step forward for prescription cannabis products already available in Australia' He added the products should be available toward the end of 2021 and would need to go through a registration process. Cannabis Access Clinics Dr Mark Hardy told 7 News there was an 'overall stigmatisation of medicinal cannabis' and ongoing government red tape made it difficult for patients to access the product. The TGA received submissions as part of its consultation process until October 12 and a final notice of decisions is expected to be released on November 25. Russias Deputy Minister of Energy charged with $8 mln embezzlement minenergo.gov.ru 14:31 09/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 9 (RAPSI) Deputy Minister of Energy Anatoly Tikhonov has been charged with embezzling over 603 million rubles ($8 million) from the Russian Energy Agency, according to a statement of the Russian Investigative Committees press service. Investigators are going to seek detention of the official, his advisor Roman Ryzhkov and Vice-Presidents of Lanit company Vladimir Makarov and Victor Serebryakov, also charged in the case, the statement reads. Reportedly, on Tuesday, law enforcement officers raided structures of the Ministry of Energy. According to investigators, Tikhonov attempted to escape. But without communal meals and group activities, Richard has lost those connections. I noticed before lockdown that his roommate always kept the curtain in the middle of the room closed the blinds, too, she adds. He actually asked me [one] day, Is it nighttime? which means he can't even see outside. He said, I feel like I'm in prison now,'and he never normally says that, Nursing homes were prodded into lockdown in mid-March. COVID's spread prompted the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to issue guidance urging a ban on visitors and nonessential personnel from the nation's 15,400 nursing homes. Internal group activities, including communal dining, were canceled, too. Many other long-term care facilities, such as assisted living facilities and memory care units, followed suit. None wanted to be the next Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington, which lost 37 people to COVID-19 via an early outbreak of the virus that began in late February. Still, dozens of similar outbreaks followed in facilities across the country: In April, new COVID-19 cases and deaths in long-term care facilities peaked across the nation. Although cases decreased in May and June, they increased in July and August, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Similarly, deaths in long-term care facilities decreased from May to July, but have increased in August, the analysis shows. "We're faced with this heart-wrenching tension, says geropsychologist Sheri Gibson, a private practitioner and clinical supervisor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, between protecting the medically fragile older adults from the virus and cutting them off from outside support and connection, which we know is vital to their overall well-being. 'Her brain has turned to mush' Almost six months on, most nursing homes are still under some form of lockdown. So it's not surprising that Tami Crady has fielded desperate calls of Get me outta here, this is prison from her father, Dave, who lives in a nursing home in Sonoma County, California. For months, her 82-year-old father, who has Alzheimer's, has been incredibly frustrated by the ways that the lockdown has interrupted his routine. For example, his hair was crazy, explains Crady, because of the ban on nonessential workers, including hairdressers. So he somehow got ahold of an electric razor and cut his own hair. The razor was confiscated, causing an argument between Dave and the staff that left Dave wanting to storm out of the facility. Crady managed to calm him down over the phone. He asked, Why won't they give me my razor back? and I said, Well, maybe you're going to go around cutting everyone else's hair and we had a good laugh, she says. Crady knew then that her father's mental health was deteriorating. Now, he's also battling COVID-19 after a recent breakout at the facility. Crady doesn't know which toll will be worse: As much as COVID could kill him, lockdown could, too. ... I just hope he makes it through. Judith Gimbel also worries that the isolation is killing her mom. I don't think she's deteriorating I know she is, she says of 95-year-old Ida, who lives in an assisted living facility in Gloucester County, New Jersey. She's dying a slow death in there. Before the pandemic hit, Ida participated in every activity the facility offered, says Gimbel: She went down for morning exercise; she ate all three meals in the cafeteria; if they had crafts, she did craft; if they had music, she did music anything. Without daily stimulation, Gimbel thinks her dementia has progressed. She sometimes doesn't recognize me, and that was never the case before, she says. Her brain has turned to mush. The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enter into a strategic partnership. Belcan, a global supplier of engineering, supply chain, technical recruiting and information technology services, will provide Spirit with broad-based engineering capabilities and specific skills, primarily focused on supporting Spirit's wing engineering activities in Prestwick. This includes multi-disciplinary engineering skills, program management and manufacturing engineering resources. "We are pleased to announce this partnership and MOU as key milestones in securing the high-level engineering talent required to support the design and build of Spirit's innovative aerostructures. This powerful collaboration further enhances Spirit's ability to continue to leverage our full suite of Distinctive Capabilities, particularly in developing advanced aircraft architectures, to define the aircraft of tomorrow," said Dr. Sean Black, Spirit Vice President and Chief Engineer of Programs. Black and Keith Matthews, President of Belcan International, signed the MOU earlier this year in Prestwick to formalize the agreement. Leaders from both companies were in attendance. (Photo was taken in February, pre-social distancing requirements.) "We look forward to increasing and strengthening our world-class support of Spirit through this MOU," said Lance Kwasniewski, CEO of Belcan. "This solid collaboration draws upon Belcan's broad and deep engineering expertise, full lifecycle capabilities, and global experience to continue as Spirit's trusted engineering services partner." "We are proud to be Spirit's engineering service provider of choice and delighted to sign this MOU as a demonstration of our commitment," Matthews said. "Belcan is looking forwarding to creating tremendous value for Spirit as they shape the future of the aerostructures market." The AIC is an 85,000 square foot center to house Spirit's engineering design and manufacturing expertise alongside advanced development and pre-production equipment in a collaborative environment with key partners. On the web: www.spiritaero.com On Twitter: @SpiritAero About Spirit AeroSystems Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More information is available at www.spiritaero.com. About Belcan Belcan, LLC is a global supplier of engineering, supply chain, technical recruiting, and IT services to customers in the aerospace, defense, automotive, industrial, and government sectors. Belcan engineers better outcomes for customers from jet engines, airframe, and avionics to heavy vehicles, automobiles, and cybersecurity, Belcan takes a partnering approach to provide solutions that are adaptable, integrated, and value added. Belcan has been earning the trust of our customers for 60 years and counting. For more information, please visit www.belcan.com. SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems Related Links www.spiritaero.com Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh speaks at the opening session of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting on September 9 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi The following is the speech by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at the opening session of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting on September 9. Your Excellency Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Excellencies Foreign Ministers of the ASEAN Member States and the Secretary General of ASEAN, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for his attendance and important guidance. I was hopeful of welcoming you to Ha Noi in this typical beautiful autumn, nonetheless conditions do not allow us to do so. I look forward to meeting you in Viet Nam at the earliest possible time. Similar to the 36th ASEAN Summit, this is the first time ever our annual AMM is held via video-conference. Such rapid transformation in ASEAN operational modalities is perhaps one of the noticeable impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your Excellency Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dynamic in action, flexible in response, and creative in cooperation are typical features of ASEAN over the past 50 years. In the past decade, guided by the spirit of From vision to action, the ASEAN Community has gradually taken shape. The initial stage of that path has been completed, laying important foundation for the ASEAN Community building process. ASEAN has been, step by step, promoting its central role in shaping an open, inclusive, transparent and rules-based regional architecture. Entering its 6th decade, ASEAN is now speeding up its Community building while maximizing its role and status in the region and actively contributing to the joint efforts for peace, stability and development of the international community. We are witnessing the rigorous transformation of the way international relations interact. The roles of international law and multilateral institutions are being greatly challenged. On the rise are the trends of power politics, egoistic calculations, and inconsistency in countries behaviors. Globalization, regional integration and economic liberalization have, to some extent, are encountering stumbling blocks. In addition, we are also facing complicated developments of global issues, notably the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Being vigilant at challenges, proactive in response, and cohesive in action, ASEAN has upheld solidarity and persistently pursued its goals, and joined hands in combating the pandemic. Such ASEANs determination has been demonstrated in the Vision Statement on a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN adopted at the recent 36th ASEAN Summit. ASEAN has obtained significant progress recently. Many ASEAN economies have been able to maintain positive growth rates, though lower than the set targets. Trade growth with Dialogue Partners has been maintained over the past months. SEAN also made good use of the wave of investment shift to the region. The groupings relations with Dialogues Partners have been further strengthened and expanded. The number of non-regional countries desiring to accede to ASEANs Treaty on Amity and Cooperation (TAC), establish new partnerships or enhance their current partnerships with ASEAN are rising. In the fight against COVID-19, ASEANs recovery rate has been relatively high with low mortality rate. We have been also standing firm in conducting our own approach- the ASEAN way - to preserve peace, stability and development in the region in the face of multi-dimensional impacts from the outside strategic setting as mentioned in the Statement that we, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, adopted on 8 August 2020, on the occasion of the ASEAN commemorative event. Your Excellency Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, At this AMM, we will discuss specific measures to effectively implement the instructions of the ASEAN Leaders at the 36th ASEAN Summit. We will also exchange views on how to further promote regional cooperation and integration, overcome challenges and difficulties in order to successfully achieve the set targets and map out the way forward. As stated by His Excellency Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, we will continue to consolidate solidarity and unity, caring and sharing, respect for each others interests and concerns, so that ASEAN Member states shall be sustainably bonded within a strong ASEAN Community. We are resolved to overcome difficulties, effectively and timely achieve the targets in the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, ensure full implementation of all provisions and procedures in the ASEAN Charter, and to continue improving the operational effectiveness of ASEANs sectoral bodies and other ASEAN-led dialogue and cooperation mechanisms. Building upon the efforts made by ASEAN over the past years, we will continue to enhance connectivity and sustainable development, encourage innovation, promote inclusive and equitable growth so that no one is left behind. The ASEAN initiatives, such as the ASEAN Network of Smart Cities, Connecting Connectivities, etc., will continue to be effectively implemented. With the desire to help ASEAN sub-regions catch up with and closely link to the overall development process of the Community, I look forward to your valuable inputs at the Special Session of the ASEAN Coordinating Council on Sub-Regional Development at this AMM. Being aware that the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic is still looming, we will, on the one hand, proactively contain the pandemic through prevention measures, development of accessible vaccines and medications, on the other, undertake early and effective actions to support the people and businesses to overcome the consequences of the disease, step by step recover the economy and return their life to normal. The ASEAN Coordinating Council will discuss thoroughly ways and means to effectively push forward ASEANs efforts and initiatives to respond to the COVID-19. To mitigate the adverse impacts of the complicated dynamics in the regional and international strategic landscape, and in order to maintain stability to focus on fighting the disease, we have to concentrate on consolidating the ASEAN-led dialogue and cooperation mechanisms. In the meetings with the Dialogue Partners during this AMM, we will deliberate issues relating to future of the forums, such as EAS on the occasion of its 15th anniversary, ARF with a new action program for the 2020 2030, and continue to broaden and deepen the cooperation with Dialogue Partners within the ASEAN 1 and ASEAN 3 frameworks to maximise these platforms roles in the new circumstances. In parallel with that are efforts to formulate and implement universally accepted norms of conduct, and to uphold the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and the ASEAN Charter concerning inter-state relations, including those on adhering to international law, equality, mutual respect, understanding and trust. Strategic trust as mentioned in the 8 August Statement will be an important factor to neutralize suspicions, to sincerely cooperate with each other on the win-win basis and to prevent the danger of conflicts. ASEAN will continue making active contributions and promoting its role in efforts to sustain international peace and security. The Ministerial Dialogue between ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners, aimed at encouraging the role of women in sustainable peace and security, constitutes ASEANs practical contribution to implementing Resolution No. 1325 of the UN Security Council on Women, Peace and Security. Challenges to the regional security and stability are always present, including factors threatening peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the South China Sea, a critical sea lane of communication of the region and the world. ASEAN will persistently hold onto its principled position, emphasizing self-restraints, peaceful settlement of all disputes on the basis of international law, including 1982 UNCLOS, promoting dialogues, strengthening confidence building, non-militarization and refrain from further complicating the situation. ASEAN will persistently promote the full and serious implementation of the DOC and will endeavor to formulate an effective, substantive COC in conformity with international law and 1982 UNCLOS. To take the lead in setting our future development path, we will discuss ways and means to develop a new vision for the post-2025 ASEAN Community, inheriting the existing achievements so as to help ASEAN effectively respond to challenges and opportunities arising in the coming decades. Excellency Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, With these expectations and taking into account Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs directions, I look forward to productive discussions with all ASEAN colleagues and the Dialogue Partners. Embrace the pride in our heart, ASEAN we are bonded as one, Look-in out to the world, the words from the ASEAN Song at the beginning of this opening ceremony seem to be still ringing in me with a lot of emotions. Thank you for your attention and may I wish you, Prime Minister and all of you, Ladies and Gentlemen, the best of health. Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, has enacted a mandatory two-week quarantine for its entire student body following a COVID-19 outbreak, the school said Tuesday. The private university has roughly 5,900 students. Students are required to quarantine in their housing be it off-campus or on until Sept. 23, according to a news release. The school will transition to remote learning in the meantime. Bradley University has confirmed about 50 cases of the coronavirus with more than 500 students in quarantine, university president Stephen Standifird said in the release. Most cases have been linked to large and small gatherings of students who did not wear masks or practice social distancing, Standifird said. Although it may seem extreme, this move to temporary remote learning and a two-week, all-student quarantine allows us to focus on the continuity of the educational experience for all of our students while giving us time to gather data on the full extent of the spread of the virus and assess the best way to proceed as a community, Standifird said. The university president added that the goal is for the school to remain open for the entirety of the fall semester: We would not engage in the two-week quarantine if I did not believe it was possible for us to complete the semester on campus successfully, but this only happens if we collectively change our behaviors moving forward. Under the quarantine mandate, students are asked to stay on-campus. Those who return home must continue to quarantine and return to school no earlier than Sept. 22, Standifird said. Students are not allowed to gather with anyone other than their roommates, according to Standifird. All guests and other gatherings are prohibited along with visiting off-campus restaurants or residences. During the quarantine, students are still allowed to pick up meals from university dining facilities, spend time outside with a mask on, run essential errands (such as going to the grocery store) and attend work, Standifird said. The university will decide by Sept. 21 if in-person classes will resume. If there isnt improvement during the two-week quarantine, the school may go remote for the rest of 2020, according to Standifird. In closing, do the right thing. Follow the guidelines. Be smart. Have patience, Standifird said. This is a step toward mitigating the spread of this virus and it is our greatest chance at having a successful semester on-campus. Mumbai, Sep. Sep 9 : High-voltage drama was witnessed here on Wednesday when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bulldozers razed to the ground the 'illegal office' of Kangana Ranaut while she was airborne from Chandigarh to Mumbai. The ravaged office - which resembled a war-zone within two hours - triggered a furious Twitter war led by the actress, and ignited a fresh political row in the state. Moving swiftly, her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui approached the Bombay High Court where a division bench comprising Justice S. J. Kathawalla and Justice R. I. Chagla stayed the demolition and kept the matter for further hearing on Thursday. In his forceful plea, Siddiqui challenged the BMC action terming it as "illegal, arbitrary, malafide, without application of mind, unreasonable, improper and violating principles of natural justice," and that there were no illegalities in the office that was virtually torn apart by the civic demolition squad. While staying the action, the high court directed the BMC to file its reply to Ranaut's plea challenging the demolition order of Sep. 9, by 3 pm on Thursday. Till the stay came, a significant portion of Kangana's office premises from the inside and outside appeared to have been razed with massive bulldozers, JCBs, and other heavy equipment. The BMC Executive Engineer ordered the action after saying he was "satisfied that the (illegal) works were being carried out and the actress had failed to produce the permissions/approvals/sanction for it as per BMC laws", and warned that the actress could face imprisonment of between one month to one year plus penalties. As Ranaut hit back with a video-message targeting Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the Shiv Sena, the civic action was slammed by ruling allies Nationalist Congress Party, Congress and Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. NCP President Sharad Pawar said though he would not comment on it (the office issue) without knowing the full matter, he pointed out that there are many illegal structures in Mumbai. "But in the current situation, such actions raise doubts in people's minds...By taking the action, she has got the opportunity to speak out. It needs to be checked why the action was taken by BMC now," Pawar said. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis termed it as "an act of cowardice and vendetta" by the Maharashtra government which has dented its image all over the country. "Attacing people who speak against you with State support is something that has never before happened in the history of the state... Merely because someone spoke against the government, demolishing a structure -- even if it is illegal -- tantamounts to an act of cowardice and vendetta," said Fadnavis. The BJP leader said if action had been taken against all others, then it would have been proper, but by singling out one who has criticised the government and is targeted could not be supported, the BJP leader added, even as others like Ashish Shelar also attacked the Shiv Sena. Wondering if "Kangana's office was illegal or the BMC's act of demolishing it", Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam warned: "Politics of vendetta has a very short lifespan... By running after one office, Shiv Sena's 'demolition' may start." Apparently taken aback by the backlash, the Shiv Sena quietly restrained its activists from any more protests as it would generate a sympathy wave for Ranaut who remained in an aggressive form. "I have never threatened Kangana Ranaut...I merely expressed my anger at Mumbai being compared with PoK...The matter is over and she is welcome to live in Mumbai," Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, attempting to bring the curtains down on the controversy. Stoking the fires further, Ranaut made another no-holds-barred evening tweet: "Come Uddhav Thackeray and Karan Johar Gang...You broke my workplace, come now break my house then break my face and body, I want world to see clearly what you anyway do underhand, whether I live or die I will expose you regardless." (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) HAGERSTOWN, Md., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The staff of Plastic Surgery Services, located in Hagerstown, MD, announces that their one-day-only "Incredible Injectables" fall event will be held on September 16, 2020 with the theme "Maskerade." For the first time in the practice's history, the event will be held virtually. Dr. Henry F. Garazo says that he is happy to be able to offer Hagerstown patients the specials that they have come to expect from the annual fall event. This year, there will also be an opportunity to win a free BOTOX treatment. "We are a part of the community here in Hagerstown, and our fall event is one way that we give back to our patients," Dr. Garazo explains. "These events have always been a great way to come together and celebrate the coming season. We are eager to bring the lively energy our events are known for to the virtual space!" The medical practice offers more than plastic surgery, with a full-time Certified Medical Aesthetician who provides a range of aesthetic services to Hagerstown patients, including HydraFacial MD, SkinPen Microneedling, and customized recommendations for medical-grade, take-home skincare. Many of these aesthetician services and exclusive products will be offered at special discounts during the event on September 16th. Practice director and board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Garazo has practiced for 23 years in the Hagerstown area, providing a full range of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures including breast augmentation, tummy tucks, face lifts, and many more. After closing for a short time per Maryland's coronavirus guidelines, the practice reopened with added precautions. Dr. Garazo continues to solely use a private, AAAASF certified operating room for surgical procedures to help ensure patient safety and privacy. While the practice's aesthetician performs certain treatments, those choosing "Incredible Injectables" specials can expect to schedule an appointment with Dr. Garazo himself. Aesthetic injections, such as BOTOX or the dermal filler JUVEDERM, require artistic technique, a thorough understanding of facial anatomy, and experience. While some plastic surgery practices employ a nurse injector, Dr. Garazo performs injections himself. "My patients know they'll receive treatment that's both safe and aesthetically pleasing when they get their injections from a board certified plastic surgeon," he says. In addition to discounts on services and products, the practice will also hold a "Maskerade" contest for the "most unique mask." Entries will be judged via Instagram, with attendees tagging the practice @drgarazo and using the hashtags #maskerade and #plasticsurgeryservices to enter. The Maskerade contest offers a grand prize of BOTOX injections for the winner; the runner up receives a free HydraFacial MD treatment with the practice's aesthetician. Those interested in attending the event may either call ahead to schedule a visit to the practice the day of the event, or they may phone the practice on the day of the event between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to book treatments and purchase products, all at the discounted prices. For a full list of the event promotions and festivities, visit their website or call Plastic Surgery Services at (301) 791-1800. About Dr. Henry F. Garazo: Plastic surgeon Henry Garazo is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and has been selected as one of America's Top Plastic Surgeons by the Consumers' Research Council of America for over 10 years. He practices in his hometown of Hagerstown, Maryland, at Plastic Surgery Services, 1140 Conrad Ct., Hagerstown, Md., 21740-5905. Learn more at www.plasticsurgeryservices.net or read Dr. Garazo's reviews . Media Contact: Dr. Henry F. Garazo, (301) 791-1800, [email protected] or www.plasticsurgeryservices.net SOURCE Dr. Henry Garazo Related Links http://www.plasticsurgeryservices.net Ms Josephine Nkrumah, Chairperson, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), on Tuesday urged the media to sustain conversations against corruption and environmental degradation. She said the way media houses addressed issues as and when they come up would not help the fight against corruption and protection of the environment. The media should dedicate time to address such issues till set objectives of the nations constitution are achieved, Ms Nkrumah said at the Commissions 2020 Media Advocacy Workshop-Southern Zone in Accra. The workshop was on the theme: Effective Public Education on Environmental Governance and Amendment of Relevant Constitutional Provision in Relation to Anti-Corruption Laws: The Role of the Media. She said the NCCE, Civil Society, and its stakeholders cannot win the fight alone but required collaboration with the media to reach the populace with the needed education and information. Ms Nkrumah said the media as a watchdog should ensure that the objectives regarding corruption and the environment as stipulated in the 1992 constitution was adhered to for a real significant change in the nation. Mr Samson Lardy Anyenini, Private Legal Practitioner, Speaking on the topic; The Role of the media in promoting Effective Public/Civic Education on Amendment of Relevant Constitutional Provisions in Relation to Anti-Corruption Laws, said the media and the NCCE have a natural constitutional partnership. He said the constitution in Article 162 Clause 5 and Article 41 F and K makes the media a natural constitution partners of the NCCE to discharge its mandate to educate the citizen on the right to fight against corruption and the protection of the environment. He said in the past lots of money was invested to amend the constitution but to no avail; the problem is with the enforcement of the Law in the fight against corruption. He said section 21 of the Political Partys Act had never been implemented, adding that he was of the view that the use of Civil Law Evidential Rules should be adopted to judge cases of corruption. Mr Anyenini said bribery must be amended to include both the giver and the taker of bribes, adding that in civil law the accuser did not need to have a proof in the event of bribery. He said because of corruption people could build in un-prescribed areas and take off forest cover for mining works without being prosecuted. He said the media must empower the citizenry through its reportage to fight for the preservation of their environments. Mr Sulemana Braimah, Executive Secretary, Media Foundation for West Africa, speaking on the topic; The Media and Effective Public/ Civic Education in Environmental Governance, said the media needed to remind itself to make what is important interesting for the public. He said attention should be given to environmental issues to avoid severe droughts, water shortage, rising sea levels, disease outbreaks and other negative effects of climate change and environmental degradation. He said there was a need for media houses to do more works on the environment to drum down the dangers associated with the destruction of the environment. Mr Samuel Asare Akuamoah, NCCE Deputy Chairman in Charge of Operations, extended appreciation to all participant, resource persons and sponsors of the workshop which included the European Union and Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP). 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 AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurigo Software, the leading provider of capital planning and construction management software for infrastructure and private owners, today announced the latest release of its flagship Masterworks Cloud solution. Masterworks 2021 delivers a new and intuitive user interface, intelligent business insights leveraging AI and ML technology, enhanced security authentication, improved mobile application, and new collaboration tools. Masterworks 2021 is the first of many future releases that introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Sentiment Analysis capabilities that drive better decision making. Capital project owners and contractors are adopting cloud and mobile software solutions to enable teams to collaborate remotely. Technology has become mission-critical for capital project owners and contractors to succeed in delivering programs on-time and on-budget. Masterworks 2021 addresses the demands of owners, delivering a new UI with intuitive navigation, integrated collaboration tools, enhanced security, and authentication. Version 2021 also introduces Sentiment Analysis which allows owners to gain a greater understanding of each project and where hidden risk lie beyond the numbers on a report. "Listening to our customers was the genesis of Masterworks 2021. As the industry starts to rapidly adopt software to plan, design, and execute their infrastructure projects more efficiently, they are finding that the mere collation of data and automation of manual processes is not enough to improve the decision-making process," said Balaji Sreenivasan, CEO of Aurigo Software. "Reports are a mere reflection of project data and help users analyze the data, but that is it. Masterworks 2021 is the first to bring sentiment analyses to programs, delivering owners a more comprehensive view of what is really going on with each project. Over the next year, we will be introducing more capabilities in Masterworks that will harness AI and ML technology across the entire project lifecycle." Masterworks 2021, available today, includes: New look and feel that delivers an ultramodern interface and navigation schema for increased efficiency when working in the product. that delivers an ultramodern interface and navigation schema for increased efficiency when working in the product. Mobile-friendly applications that make it easy to view and update information in real time from any job site or on-the-go. applications that make it easy to view and update information in real time from any job site or on-the-go. Improved collaboration with Zoom video conferencing integrated directly into Masterworks 2021. with Zoom video conferencing integrated directly into Masterworks 2021. Enhanced security options delivering industry authentication mechanisms to offer secure, best-practice user management capabilities. delivering industry authentication mechanisms to offer secure, best-practice user management capabilities. Sentiment Analysis of all project report comments, issues, and risks, leveraging AI, and natural language processing (NLP) technology, to help project stakeholders get a true pulse on the project health. Public agency and private project owners across North America are using the Aurigo Masterworks Cloud platform to plan, build, and maintain capital assets, infrastructure, and facilities safely and efficiently. Using Aurigo, customers can reduce costs, plan with confidence, and maximize the impact of every project dollar. Learn more about the newest capabilities available in the Masterworks 2021 release. About Aurigo Software Aurigo Software is America's leading provider of modern cloud software to help infrastructure owners plan, build, maintain, and operate their multi-billion-dollar capital investments safely and efficiently. We cater to large, medium, and small agencies with three unique product lines, Aurigo Masterworks Ultimate, Aurigo Masterworks Professional, and Aurigo Essentials. Aurigo Essentials Cloud Software is designed for small and mid-size cities. More about Aurigo at www.aurigo.com Aurigo Masterworks Cloud is a comprehensive suite of enterprise software products that automates the entire lifecycle of capital programs, including planning, forecasting, budgeting, bid & estimation, project management, contract administration, scheduling, right of way, permitting, materials testing, field inspection, civil rights, and document control. The system has powerful reporting and dashboard capabilities, a native mobile application and is investing extensively to harness Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technologies. Aurigo helps over 150 customers plan and deliver over $300 Billion of capital programs safely and efficiently. Aurigo is a privately held US corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas, with wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada and India. Aurigo Essentials Cloud is an all-in-one construction project management software solution, built on the same powerful Aurigo Masterworks platform. Aurigo Essentials is catered to, needs of Small and Mid-sized Government agencies, to help them automate their capital planning and construction lifecycle processes at a very affordable price. Visit www.aurigo.com/essentials for more information. SOURCE Aurigo Software Technologies Related Links http://www.aurigo.com Google just announced a new feature for its Phone app, called Verified Calls. The feature is meant to give users more details of a company when it is calling, such as the company's name, branding, and a small badge that shows that the company is verified. A reason will also be displayed as to why a company is calling. Users of all phones that are compatible with the Google Phone app, including Pixel and Android One phones will be able to set the app as their default phone calling app. The feature seems to be quite helpful depending on how businesses use it. It will also let users know when it is necessary to drop everything and pick up a business call, depending on the reason behind the call that the app shows. Google designed this new feature after it released its Verified SMS feature last year and observed an increase in the level of customer trust. The more businesses provide Google with information about their companies, the more the Verified Calls feature is likely to function better and be of more help to the users. Google also revealed on its support page how the feature works. Verified Calls work by having a business ping Google's server with its phone number, the user's phone number, and the reason for call. The Google app then compares the incoming call with the information that it receives from Google, and if both sets of data match, then the app shows the incoming call as verified. According to Google, the information it receives is deleted within minutes and it also ensures protection against misuse of the feature. The Verified Calls feature contributes to the improvement in caller ID systems by confirming that businesses are verified. The feature works regardless of users' carrier network. Google is rolling out Verified Calls in the US, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, and India for now and will make the feature available to more countries over time. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Wednesday, after a near six month pause, reopened services on its Blue line network, which connects multiple stations in Noida and Ghaziabad and caters to a large passenger base. Blue Line, which runs from Dwarka Sector 21 to Noida Electronic City and Vaishali, experienced low ridership on Day 1 of its reopening, something that Metro officials had expected. Officials and passengers, however, hoped that the ridership will pick up once the frequency of trains increase and other lines in the network open up. At present, the Blue line has been opened for graded passenger operation only between 7am to 11am and 4pm to 8pm. The DMRC has so far opened up the Yellow line, Pink line and the Blue line of the Metro system which together witnessed a total ridership of about 33,000 between 7am to 11am. A DMRC spokesperson said that the Yellow line accounted for 21,900 passengers, Blue line 9,600 and the Pink line saw a ridership of 1,800 between 7am to 11am on Wednesday. At the Blue lines Electronic City station in Noida, security personnel and Metro staff could be spotted armed in safety gear, marshalling passengers or checking them in. At the entry gates, the temperature of every passenger was checked, with the travellers also being required to compulsorily sanitise their bag/luggage before being allowed to get on trains. As part of the travel guidelines issued for reopening of Metro systems, commuters are also required to sanitize their hands via an automatic machine and then be frisked before being given entry to stations. On Wednesday commuters expressed satisfaction and said they were happy that the Metro services had finally resumed. hubham Kumar, a resident of Delhi, said that he faced absolutely no inconvenience in commuting on Wednesday. I had boarded the Metro at Rajiv Chowk and came to Noidas Sector 61. The commute was smooth and hassle free, he said. Neeraj Kumar, a resident of Sector 49, said I boarded the Metro at City Centre and got down at Electronic City. There was absolutely no crowd and the safety measures in place are satisfactory, he said. The other branch of the Blue line network terminates in Ghaziabad, with two stations at Kaushambi and Vaishali. At the Vaishali station in Ghaziabad, the day started on a dull note with only a handful of passengers using the Metro in the morning hours. The number, however, picked up significantly later with passengers spotted waiting in long serpentine queues that snaked their way almost to the main road outside the station. The long queues were result of strict checks being done at the station. All social distancing norms were in place and every passenger while entering the station was asked to sanitize their hands. So, this led to the delay and queues started forming, said Saurabh Kumar, one of the passengers who boarded the Metro train at Vaishali. Anuj Agarwal, another commuter, said that Metro was the lifeline of NCR and now that it had been reopened it would solve the issue of commuting between Delhi and Gurugram. I am going to Gurugram to join my office. All these days I had opted to work from home as commuting would have been difficult. But with the Metro open now, I can go to my office. This will benefit thousands of residents who commute daily, he said. At the station, many passengers on Wednesday were spotted downloading the Arogya Setu app, which has been made mandatory by the DMRC in its guidelines issued for safe travel. Ghaziabad city is also connected to the Red line network of the DMRC, that has eight stations in the city. The DMRC on Wednesday said that they will be running 35 trains on Red Line (Rithala to Shaheed Sthal New Bus Adda in Ghaziabad) and performing around 413 train trips during morning and evening hours from September 10 onwards. The trips will be subsequently increased as the operational timing of services get extended on September 11 and September 12 with the opening of other Lines in a graded manner, the DMRC spokesperson said in a statement. DMRCs Blue line Sector 52 and Aqua Lines (of the Noida Metro Rail Corporation) Sector 51 serve as interchange stations where free e-rickshaw service is provided for commuting. On Wednesday, as the Metro services reopened, there were very few takers for the e-rickshaw service. Shiv Kumar, an e-rickshaw driver, said that only two passengers can sit in a e-rickshaw at a time due to Covid safety norms. We have separated the seats with a plastic sheet. This was the first day, hence we got about 10-12 commuters for interchange in the first half, he said. Sandhya Sharma, deputy general manager, NMRC, said that NMRC does not keep a record of e-rickshaw commuters. Aqua Line had started its services on Monday registering ridership of 600 passengers on the first day. On Tuesday, it had recorded 725 passengers. Serum Institute gets notice after Oxford covid vaccine trial paused India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 09: The central drug regulator has issued a show-cause notice to Serum Institute of India (SII) for not informing it about pharma giant AstraZeneca pausing the clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19 in other countries and also for not submitting casualty analysis of the "reported serious adverse events". The show-cause notice was issued following reports that human trials of the most promising COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being developed by the University of Oxford, have been put on hold after a UK participant had an adverse reaction to it. The Drugs Controller General of India, Dr VG Somani, in his show-cause notice has asked SII why it should not suspend permission granted for conducting Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the vaccine candidate in the country until patient safety is established. "Whereas, Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd, Pune, till now has not informed the Central licensing authority regarding pausing the clinical trial carried out by AstraZeneca in other countries and also not submitted casualty analysis of the reported serious adverse event with the investigational vaccine for the continuation of phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the subject vaccine in the country in light of the safety concerns," said the show-cause notice accessed by PTI. India-China tensions: India fully prepared, will retaliate say sources | Oneindia News "In view of the above, I Dr V G Somani, Drugs Controller General of India and Central Licensing Authority hereby give you an opportunity to show cause as provided under rule 30 of the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019, why the permission granted to you August 2 shall not be suspended till patient safety is established," the notice further said. The DGCI has asked for a response immediately, failing which "it shall be construed that you have no explanation to offer and action deemed fit will be taken against you". In the show-cause notice, the drug regulator also mentioned that the clinical trials have been put on hold across countries where it is conducted i.e. USA, UK, Brazil and South Africa. Last month, the DCGI had granted permission to the Pune-based SII to conduct Phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine candidate. AstraZeneca, the British-Swedish biopharmaceutical giant in tie-up with the Oxford University to produce the vaccine, described the pause of trials as a "routine" one following what was "an unexplained illness". Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India (SII), which has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19, on Wednesday said it is continuing with the trials in India. Commenting on the recent reports on AstraZeneca halting the trials in the UK, SII said in a statement: "We can't comment much on the UK trials, but they have been paused for further review and they hope to restart soon". For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, September 9, 2020, 22:23 [IST] Three weeks before the U.S. presidential election, the political drama film "The Trial of the Chicago 7" is set to arrive on Netflix along with other much-awaited original movies. Directed and scripted by renowned filmmaker and Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin, the movie is based on the real life story of seven protest organizers -- Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weine -- during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Dubbed as the Chicago 7, they were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot relating to the anti-Vietnam War and the violent protest between the National Guard and police. This was also considered as one of the most notorious incidents in U.S. history. "The Trial of the Chicago 7" Cast Aside from the critically acclaimed director, the movie also features a power cast, which includes Aquaman's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, British actor Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Frank Langella, Golden Globe winner Michael Keaton, John Carroll Lynch, and Tony Award winner Eddie Redmayne. The famous British actor and theatre director, Mark Rylance, is set to appear in the film as William Kunstler, the radical lawyer who defended the Chicago 7 during their five-month trial. Other casts include Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, Noah Robbins, Danny Flahery, Ben Shenkman, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Caitlin Fitzgerald, Alice Kremelberg and many more. Release Date In July, the streaming giant took to Twitter to confirm the release date of "The Trial of the Chicago 7," which will debut on October 16. "Will never get over the big hair energy in these first look photos from THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7. The latest from writer/director Aaron Sorkin, detailing the trial that followed the protests at the '68 Democratic National Convention, is on Netflix globally October 16," the official site read. The latest from writer/director Aaron Sorkin, detailing the the trial that followed the protests at the '68 Democratic National Convention, is on Netflix globally 16 October. Will never get over the big hair energy in these first look photos from THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7.The latest from writer/director Aaron Sorkin, detailing the the trial that followed the protests at the '68 Democratic National Convention, is on Netflix globally 16 October. pic.twitter.com/sZtKKAU9Pb NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) July 22, 2020 Prior to it's Netflix debut, the said movie was supposed to be released on September 25 in theaters under Paramount Pictures; however, due to the global pandemic, the rights were sold to the streaming giant. According to Deadline, Netflix was able to close the deal amounting to $56 million. Furthermore, Los Angeles-based production Cross Creek Pictures covered the previous financial commitments of "The Trial of the Chicago 7" while CAA Media Finance negotiated the deal. Steven Spielberg Was First Chosen as the Director for "The Trial of Chicago 7" Initially, the award-winning director first wrote the screenplay in 2007 with the intention of Steven Spielberg directing the movie. Unfortunately, due to budget concerns and after the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike, Spielberg was forced to drop out as "The Trial of Chicago 7's" director. Aside from the political drama film, the streaming giant released some of the biggest Netflix original movies schedules this fall. This includes comedy-drama "Emily in Paris" starring Lily Collins and Samuel Arnold, comedy film "The 40-Year-Old-Version," and the much-awaited horror drama series "The Haunting of Bly Manor" directed by Mike Flanagan. READ MORE: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Pay Back UK for Frogmore Cottage: Are They Forced To Do It? Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville pushed back Tuesday on the assertion most recently voiced by President Trump that the militarys senior leaders are eager to fight wars because doing so benefits defense contractors. Many of these leaders have sons and daughters that serve in the military, McConville said, in reference to the militarys flag officers and senior enlisted advisers. Many of these leaders have sons and daughters that have gone to combat and may be in combat right now. I can assure the American people that the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when its required for national security and in a last resort. Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) The four-star general did not refer to the president, but made the comments during an online interview hosted by Defense One when asked whether the brass was beholden to defense contractors, a claim made by Trump the previous day. Soldiers are in love with me, Trump told reporters Monday. The top people in the Pentagon probably arent because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy. McConville demurred when first asked for his reaction to Trumps remarks. Im not going to comment on really the presidents comments or really any of the politicians comments, he said. We live in a political environment but were an apolitical organization, and I think it really must remain that way, especially with an election coming up. But when the interviewer asked again, this time without mentioning Trump, McConville answered more expansively, seemingly keen to dispel any notion that the militarys most senior officers played fast and loose with the lives of their troops. We take this very, very seriously, he said. I feel strongly about that. Trumps statement that the troops are in love with him runs counter to the results of a recent Military Times poll of service members, which showed that more troops intend to vote for Democratic challenger Joe Biden than plan to vote to reelect the president. About half (49.9 percent) of the respondents had an unfavorable view of Trump, compared with 38 percent who had a favorable view, according to the poll. Story continues President Trump speaks on the environment at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum in Jupiter, Fla., on Tuesday. (Madel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) The presidents relationship with the military has been under intense scrutiny since a bombshell article in the Atlantic, which reported that Trump called American troops who died losers. The president and his allies have pushed back on those claims, which several other news outlets confirmed based on their own reporting. During the discussion Tuesday, McConville also touched on the domestic use of military forces, another issue hotly disputed under Trump. Active-duty soldiers should be considered a last resort to help police deal with social unrest, when the task is beyond the capabilities of local authorities and the National Guard, according to McConville. The job of the American military is to protect the nation, not to police the nation, he said. Thats why we have police officers. Thats why we have law enforcement. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 14:33:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Tuesday blamed each other for the impasse over the next COVID-19 relief package, as senators returned to Capitol Hill for the first time since early August. In a statement, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will vote on a "targeted" COVID-19 relief proposal as soon as this week, and accused Democratic leaders of blocking Republicans' previous proposals "for perceived partisan gain." "Everything Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer have done suggests one simple motivation: They do not want American families to see any more bipartisan aid before the polls close on President Trump's re-election," McConnell said, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. In response, Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement that Senate Republicans appear dead-set on another bill which "doesn't come close to addressing the problems and is headed nowhere." "This emaciated bill is only intended to help vulnerable Republican Senators by giving them a 'check the box' vote to maintain the appearance that they're not held hostage by their extreme right-wing that doesn't want to spend a nickel to help people," said the Democratic leaders. House Democrats unveiled a 3-trillion-dollar relief proposal in May, which didn't gain support from the Republicans. Senate Republicans released their 1-trillion-dollar proposal in late July, but lawmakers failed to bridge their differences before the August recess. The extra 600-dollar federal unemployment benefits, part of a 2-trillion-dollar relief package approved in late March, expired at the end of July. The Senate Republicans' 1-trillion-dollar relief proposal would slash the federal benefits to 200 dollars through September, and then give an unemployed worker about 70 percent of previous wages when combined with state benefits, while Democrats want to maintain the 600-dollar benefits through January. In early August, U.S. President Donald Trump, in an attempt to move around Congress, signed several orders to extend certain COVID-19 economic relief, including one to extend extra unemployment benefits through the end of the year at a reduced level of 400 dollars per week. In the new statement, McConnell said the Senate Republican majority is introducing a new "targeted" proposal, focused on some of the very most urgent healthcare, education, and economic issues, implying that the new bill is going to be smaller than the 1-trillion-dollar package previously proposed. The new bill is expected to include renewed weekly federal unemployment benefits, another round of Paycheck Protection Program funding for small businesses, more money for testing and schools, as well as liability protections for companies and healthcare providers against COVID-19-related lawsuits, according to a report from the Hill. Democratic leaders criticized the bill for failing to help state and local workers facing layoffs, feed hungry families, provide adequate funding for testing and treatment to fight the pandemic, help renters keep the roof over the heads, as well as stop the dismantling of the U.S. Postal system and "make sure Americans can cast their ballots safely in fair elections this November." In a tweet, Pelosi noted that it's been 116 days since the House passed the Heroes Act, referring to the 3-trillion-dollar relief bill proposed by House Democrats, urging the Republicans to stop blocking efforts to pass it into law. Economists have warned that the U.S. economy is at serious risk of sliding back into recession if the White House and Congress couldn't reach a deal on another fiscal rescue package in the coming months. Loretta Mester, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, said last week that U.S. economic recovery remains "fragile", requiring further fiscal support to move into a "more sustained recovery" phase from the reopening phase. Enditem Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. Blue Ocean Investments Ltd., a leading bulk distribution company in Ghana, together with the Kpone Marine Services Ltd. (KMSL) have shown solidarity to the Kpone Traditional Council by donating to this years celebration of the Homowo festival. The donation comprised of two bags of rice, four gallons of cooking oil, 4 boxes of mineral water and two bottles of Schnapps. In addition to this, Blue Ocean Investments donated a cash amount of three thousand Ghana cedis (GHS 3,000.00) to support with the festivities. Mr. David Quaye, Deputy General Manager of Blue Ocean Investments spoke on behalf of the delegation, saying that this donation was a way to symbolize their appreciation to the Kpone Traditional Council, which houses three of their terminals (TMPT, Ridge and KMSL). This is our way of showing support to the custodian of the land and also accepting us as one of your own. We are honored to contribute to the celebration of this years Homowo festival, said David Quaye. He also added that, being a native of the Ga people, I understand the value of the Homowo festival and so does Blue Ocean Investments and KMSL. Mr Alex Nii Annang, a co-opted member of the Kpone Traditional Council, received the donation on behalf of the Paramount Chief, Nii Tetteh Otu II. He said, We are very grateful to Blue Ocean Investments and KMSL for their generous donation. We pray that your projects will keep flourishing so that you will be able to keep supporting the Kpone Stool. We wish you more success in the coming year, he concluded. He further went on to encourage the duo team to continue with such positive contributions to the Council and the community, as they would go a long way to further deepen the relationship between the company and the community. The delegation for Blue Ocean Investment Ltd.and KMSL included David Quaye- the Deputy General Manager, Michael Mensah-Operations Manager, Emmanuel Ekow Biney -Terminal Manager and Benjamin Midorse - Booster Station Supervisor. 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 Online education startup Byjus raised $500 million from a group of investors, including private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, sending the valuation of the company founded by a star math teacher from Kerala to nearly $11 billion. Existing investors Tiger Global, General Atlantic and Owl Ventures also participated in the investment round, Byjus said in a note on Tuesday. The company, named after its founder Byju Raveendran, has raised around $1 billion since January, reflecting the surge in investor interest in Indian edtech startups as remote learning replaced classrooms amid the lockdown. Companies such as Byjus are benefiting from the readiness of Indian middle-class families to spend a big chunk of their income on education and tutoring to give their children an edge amid rampant unemployment. The surge in investor interest has catapulted Byjus into Indias second-most valuable startup, also earning it the decacorn statusthe handful of startups that are valued at more than $10 billion. Its not just Byjus. The pandemic has also helped rival edtech startups sign up thousands of paying customers. Last week, Unacademy raised $150 million in a funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, tripling its valuation to $1.45 billion in just six months. Co-founder and chief executive Raveendran currently own 19.76% of Think & Learn Pvt Ltd, the parent entity of the Byju's brand. South Africa-based Internet and media giant Naspers Ventures BV is the second biggest shareholder which owns a 10.77% stake in Think & Learn. Raveendran's brother Riju Ravindran owns a 7.91% stake, making him the fifth largest shareholder, while the other co-founder Divya Gokulnath currently is the eighth largest shareholder with 4.05% ownership stake in the parent company. Other shareholders including investors, promoters, and employees (via ESOP pool) owns the rest of the shares. View Full Image Graphic: Sarvesh Kumar Sharma/Mint The edtech segment is poised to get more attention from investors in the near future, according to Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst and founder, Greyhound Research. A large part of the customer base that Byjus and Unacademy is targeting are still learners who dont have access to smartphones, tablets and other gadgets. Edtech will turn into a larger market opportunity when it disrupts the core curriculum of schools and colleges," Gogia said. In a 19 May interview, Raveendran, 39, said, Covid has been an inflection point for education where screens have become the primary mode of content consumption for students. The classrooms of tomorrow will have technology at its core." On Tuesday, he said the crisis has brought online learning to the forefront. Our classrooms are changing possibly for the first time in 100 years, and Im excited about the opportunities we have to redefine the future of learning," Raveendran said in a note. The new round values Byjus at $10.8 billion, up from its last valuation at $10.5 billion from its earlier Series F round that closed in August. This is a separate corporate round different from the earlier Series F round and there are more new international investors who are expected to fund Byjus," said a person familiar with the development. Byjus was valued at around $8 billion in January when it raised $200 million in equity funding from New York-based hedge fund Tiger Global Management. That round had elevated Byjus valuation by 45%. Since then, Byjus valuation has increased by a further 35%. It had turned into a unicorn in late 2017 when it raised money from a group of investors, led by Chinas Tencent. Founded in 2011 by Raveendran and his wife, Divya Gokulnath, Byjus has more than 64 million registered students. Raveendran and Gokulnath were both teachers and turned to entrepreneurship when the Internet funding wave took off in India after 2010. Raveendran started by uploading videos on YouTube under the Byjus handle, explaining primary and high school concepts like algebra and probability. His first video published on YouTube in February 2011 has over 110,000 views. Today, the companys app has more than 4.2 million annual paid subscriptions. Since the lockdown, Byjus, which doubled its revenue from 1,430 crore to 28,00 crore in 2019-20, has seen over 20 million students joining its platform for free. The startup also made its fifth and largest acquisition of WhiteHat Jr., which teaches coding to kids, in an all-cash deal worth $300 million. The boom in edtech is led by young and ambitious entrepreneurs such as Raveendran, who have harnessed technology to reach millions. Unacademy chief executive Gaurav Munjal said in an interview last week that he wants to make the firm the largest consumer internet company in India, displacing e-commerce and payments firms. 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 New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday while hearing the Sahara diaries case dismissed the petition filed by Prashant Bhushan seeking a court-monitored probe into the alleged bribe by former Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit names came up from corporate houses. The Supreme Court while dismissing the plea, said that there was no conclusive evidence in it to order for an inquiry. The apex court also said that it isn't doubting the integrity of settlement commission order but examining integrity of such diaries. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi representing the government said that there is no concrete evidences that prove that former Gujarat Chief Minister was paid by corporate houses. The AG further said that no one in the country would be safe if such documents are accepted as legal evidence. Petitioner's lawyer Prashant Bhushan told Supreme Court there was evidence to prove public officials were allegedly paid and probe must be ordered. Reacting to Supreme Court verdict, Bhushan who appeared for the NGO Common Cause in the case, said "the judgement will leave a cloud of suspicion over all the persons mentioned in some documents. The cloud could have dissipated had there been an independent investigation into the documents." The "Sahara diaries" -- a collection of papers and print-outs found in raids on the Sahara offices in 2014 -- reportedly carried names of politicians from different parties, along with amounts paid to them as bribes. The list includes the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while he was Gujarat Chief Minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit. The Supreme Court was hearing the Sahara Diaries case that involved alleged bribes paid to top politicians. The bench of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Amitava Roy in Supreme Court heared the case on Wednesday. It is worth to mention here that lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan filed a fresh affidavit in the Apex Court. Prashant Bhushan pleaded in court for a court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team into the Sahara Diaries case. On November 14, 2016 Supreme Court said that there was 'zero material' to order a probe. After which Prashant Bhushan filed fresh papers to substantiate the allegations. Also Read | Sahara diaries: Why PM Modi is shying away from independent probe, asks Sheila Dikshit For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Weve seen state and local governments all across the United States take an inventory of where they are today and the news is not good. Whether its the state of Illinois or the city of Chicago, theres been a dramatic loss of revenue for obvious reason, Durbin told reporters this morning. ... And so governors and mayors are facing some of the most difficult choices, whether its Gov. Pritzker or Mayor Lightfoot, theyre in a situation where they dont have the revenues to continue the service levels that they have traditionally provided. What that means is if Congress does not act and act soon, many of them will face cutbacks in critical employees. Were talking about police, firefighters, teachers, health care workers, the list goes on and on. External affairs minister S Jaishankar will have a luncheon meeting with his Chinese and Russian counterparts on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) council of foreign ministers summit in Moscow, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Wednesday. The ministry said Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will also have bilateral meetings with counterparts from other SCO member states, but did not say anything specific about a one-on-one with Jaishankar. The Russia-India-China (RIC) meeting between Jaishankar, Wang and their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov is likely to be held on Thursday. The meeting is significant as it comes in the wake of escalating tensions at multiples points along the disputed boundary between India and China in eastern Ladakh. Jaishankar is already in Moscow for the two-day meeting of foreign ministers, which began on Wednesday. During this (SCO) meeting, state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi will discuss with foreign ministers of other member states of the SCO, cooperation amid Covid-19 and exchange views on major international and regional issues, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at the regular briefing. Wang will also hold bilateral meetings with relevant member states and attend a luncheon for Chinese, Russian and Indian foreign ministers, Zhao added. When specifically asked about a bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and Wang, Zhao said: Like I said, I talked about state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yis visit, and regarding the bilateral meeting you mentioned, if there is information, we will release it in due course. Indias external affairs ministry said on Tuesday that Jaishankars Moscow visit will include the participation in the Council of SCO Foreign Ministers and other bilateral meetings. The RIC foreign ministers had last met by video conferencing on June 23 in the backdrop of the spreading Covid-19 pandemic. A meeting between the three ministers in Moscow indicates that Russia, an ally of both India and China, is keen to mediate between the two countries to defuse the tension at the border. A one-on-one meeting and in-depth exchange - between Jaishankar and Wang is also widely expected as a possible way forward from the months-long standoff between the border troops in eastern Ladakh. Wang Dehua, South Asia expert at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies, said the RIC meeting may also pave the way for a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jingping. After Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe and Indian counterpart Rajnath Singhs meeting in Moscow on September 4, the meeting of foreign ministers is of great significance as it is conducive to ease the tension along the border while helping to reset relations of our two countries. Perhaps, it will prompt early meeting between PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, Wang said. I think it is also beneficial to the RIC mechanism. The border dispute can only be solved through talk or dialogues. Military confrontation is not an option, he added. Incidentally, Jaishankar is the longest serving Indian ambassador to China, with his Beijing tenure lasting four-and-half years between 2009 and 2013. Speaking at the launch of his book, The India Way: Strategies For An Uncertain World last week, Jaishankar had said he knew Wang for a long time. As to what I will be talking to my Chinese colleague when I meet him, we have known each other a long time so you can have a reasonable guess, he had said. The two had last spoken over phone on June 17, two days after the Galwan Valley clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. Jaishankar had conveyed to Wang that the need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps. The two sides should scrupulously and sincerely implement the understanding that was reached by the senior commanders on 6th June. Troops of both sides should also abide by the bilateral agreements and protocols. They should strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control and should not take any unilateral action to alter it, he had said. Lisa Fitzgerald and her husband Chip came down with COVID-19 at around the same time. Both experienced those telltale symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue, and both tested positive for the virus in July. But even as Chip began to recover from the illness, Lisa experienced persistent symptoms. Her fatigue got worse, and she even started to lose her hair. "My symptoms started pretty mild at first," recalled Lisa, a counselor in Chicago. "Even after the 14 days of staying isolated, I was feeling it in my chest, almost in a different way, almost like I have been in a smoke-filled room long after those first couple of weeks." Today, she says, the lingering effects are taking a toll on her daily life. "I can still function, but I feel markedly more tired at the end of the day," she said. "By 5 or 6 in the evening, I'm ready for bed." MORE: COVID-19 vaccine makers issue rare safety pledge as fears of political pressures swirl Some COVID-19 patients are paying for something they didn't ask for: a long-term illness that affects their day-to-day life. These COVID-19 sufferers, dubbed "long-haulers," experience a multitude of long-term symptoms, which has created a new unknown for doctors trying to combat the virus -- and new challenges for patients trying to return to work or school, or just live their lives in a normal fashion. In a multi-state survey report from the CDC, 35% of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 with symptoms had not returned to their usual state of health when interviewed two to three weeks after testing. Experts don't yet know the exact percentage of people who are likely to suffer these long-term effects, or how long the symptoms last. PHOTO: In this file photo taken on August 13, 2020, a lab technician sorts blood samples for a COVID-19 vaccination study at the Research Centers of America in Hollywood, Florida. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images) According to a survey conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA) and reported in the BMJ, one-third of the 3,729 doctors surveyed have treated patients with long-term COVID-19 symptoms, including chronic fatigue and loss of the sense of smell. Story continues "I would probably see a patient who has complaints of an atypical story of COVID, which is now becoming typical," said ABC News Medical Contributor and board-certified ER physician Dr. Darien Sutton, who served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. "The symptoms that bring them is shortness of breath. Patients don't seem to get back to normal." "The common symptoms are lethargy and chronic fatigue," explained Sutton. But the problem, he said, is that the medical community still doesn't understand why this happens to some patients and not others, and how long it might last. "We don't have enough cases to develop a trend and don't have enough research to develop a fact," Sutton said. MORE: As Americans brace for 2nd wave of COVID-19, here's why experts predict more infections but lower death rate In addition to fatigue, some of the common symptoms that patients have experienced during their recovery from COVID-19 include muscle weakness, loss of sense of smell, and concentration difficulties. But experts say it's too soon to know if some people will have persistent symptoms that last for months or years, because the pandemic is only about six months old. Sutton is hopeful that eventually, even long-haulers with persistent symptoms will recover. "Some people have a longer story than others," he said. "I don't think this is something that is permanent. I think this is something they have longer than others." PHOTO: A patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Hopital Europeen hospital in Marseille, France, September 8, 2020. (Eric Gaillard/Reuters) Other doctors are less optimistic, saying COVID-19 might cause permanent damage in some people. "The important thing to note is that statistically, long haulers may be charted as folks who have recovered from the illness -- but in reality, their life is forever changed and they will likely never be the same," said Dr. Sunny Jha, an anesthesiologist caring for COVID-19 patients in a special hospital in Los Angeles. Some universities are creating clinics and centers to assist and monitor patients with symptoms persisting after COVID-19. For instance, the University of Miami's Dr. Raul Mitrani, a cardiologist who specializes in electrophysiology, created a post-COVID-19 cardiac clinic to screen patients for residual heart problems. A center for post COVID-19 care was also created at Mount Sinai in New York City. In today's new normal of interacting with friends and family, as well as returning to work or school, experts are grappling with the question of how to treat people who persistently experience symptoms. Dr. Rebekah Gee, clinical associate professor at the LSU Schools of Public Health & Medicine, says doctors need to support those in recovery from the virus. Health authorities outside the United States are also taking notice. Last month, LongCovidSOS, a patient advocacy group composed of long-haulers in the UK, had an invitation-only meeting with top officials from the World Health Organization (WHO). Earlier this spring, scientists met with WHO and Centers for Disease Control officials to discuss how to help long-haulers lead healthier lives. For Lisa Fitzgerald, who does not have any underlying medical conditions, it was confusing to experience COVID-19 symptoms that lingered for months after her diagnosis. MORE: As COVID-19 continues, experts warn of next pandemic likely to come from animals "The one thing for me was trusting your instinct about what's going on in your own body," she said. For now, doctors are continuing to monitor Lisa and people like her to see if they can learn more about the long-haul phenomenon. They're hoping people who experience long-term symptoms will eventually recover, and that eventually there might be new treatments for people who continue to feel sick months later. "Even though it's improved and I can function and get through my day, I do worry about the long-term damage," said Lisa. "It's a little stressful worrying about that." Alexis E. Carrington, M.D., is a dermatology research fellow at the University of California, Davis and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit. Jay Bhatt, D.O., is an internist, adjunct faculty at the UIC School of Public Health, and ABC News Contributor. Doctors working to crack the mystery of 'long haul' COVID-19 sufferers originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Traditional worshippers under the aegis of Traditional Religion Worshippers Association, Oyo State chapter, Tuesday, staged a peaceful protest over what they termed discrimination against the body by the state government. The worshippers, who staged the protest at the front of the Oyo State Government Secretariat complex, carried placards with various inscriptions as: Stop discrimination against traditional religion, Oyo is a secular state, stop discrimination, and others. They also appealed to the Muslims, Christians and others to join them in appealing to the state government to grant their request of granting public holidays for them. The General Secretary of the association in the state, Dr Fayemi Fakayode, who spoke on behalf of others, said the government should look into their plight and address their agitations, adding that whenever election came, politicians promised them heaven and earth but neglect the group immediately after getting to the office. His words: We are gathered here today to make our plight known to everybody in Oyo State. This peaceful demonstration is necessitated by the attitude of the Oyo State Government under the leadership of Engineer Seyi Makinde to the practitioners of Yoruba Traditional Religion in this state. The present administration under Engineer Seyi Makinde has refused to give the practitioners of Yoruba Traditional Religion in Oyo State audience despite seeking the attention of the former by the latter through letters, like his predecessors, the former has exempted the letter in the cabinet and has denied the latter any kind of recognition, hence, our questioning justice and equity as the bedrock of democracy in the case of Oyo State. As if the discrimination we are suffering is not enough, the state government has also been depriving us our constitutional right of having public holidays. We hereby implore the Muslim community in Oyo State, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other stakeholders in this state, in the spirit of religious equity, to join us in our appeal to Oyo State Government to stop her game of discrimination, neglect, relegation and frustration against practitioners of Yoruba Traditional Religions in Oyo State. The public holidays we are agitating for are five ranging from May 15th for Ela festival, first Saturday of June and Friday that precedes it for a pilgrimage to our land of Otu-Ife and 20th August which Oyo State House of Assembly has already moved the motion for since February 2017 now awaiting executive consent. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty President Donald Trump boasted to supporters on Tuesday about his campaign intentionally misrepresenting itself in order to skirt coronavirus restrictions. Joe Biden and his party spent the entire summer cheering on the riots, rampaging for Democrat-run cities, labeling them as peaceful protesters. We call you peaceful protesters, you know why? Because they have rules in these Democrat-run states that if youre campaigning, you cannot have more than five people. They did that for me, the president told supporters during a campaign rally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Commander in Chief has railed against lockdown restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, which has infected more than 6 million Americans and killed nearly 190,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Trump: "We call you peaceful protesters. You know why? Because they have rules in these Democrat-run states that if you campaign you can't have more than 5 people. They did that for me." pic.twitter.com/Nr7JBL6re4 Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 8, 2020 If youre going to churchyou cant go to church any more! You can't go to church, youve got to stay in your house, you cant do anything, but if youre willing to riot, running down main street, stand on each others faces, do whatever the hell you want to do, youre allowed to do that because you're considered a peaceful protester, so we decided to call all our rallies peaceful protests, he said Tuesday night. To which municipal agency the campaign would have issued such descriptions of itself is unclear. In keeping with his tradition of attacking the health guidelines issued by his own administration, Trump also claimed states that opted not to shut down to stop the virus spread fared better. You are in a shutdown. I've been to many states that aren't in shutdowns, and they are doing better. Theyre doing better, he said. Story continues States responses to the coronavirus pandemic have varied widely, as have the results of their responses. Texas and Florida, which have largely rescinded their COVID-19 shutdown orders, are still grappling with high case counts. California, which instituted a strict and early lockdown, is home to the highest number of cases in the nation. Iowa, which did not issue a statewide stay-at-home order, is now one of the countrys COVID-19 hot spots. Multiple peer-reviewed studies have, however, found that lockdowns prevented millions of infections. Trumps campaign travel has resulted in dozens of new coronavirus infections among his own staff and his Secret Service guards. Trump also stoked conspiracy theories about the Democratic governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, and his administration. The president, a Republican, encouraged supporters to watch out for the thieving, stealing, and robbing they do, urging his supporters to be poll watchers. You have to be careful with those ballots. Watch those ballots. I dont like it. You have a Democrat governor. You have all these Democrats. I dont like it, he said. Trump has spent months attempting to undermine the credibility of the upcoming election results, whether attacking the Postal Service and voting by mail or voting conducted in states with Democratic governors. He has repeatedly said outside forces rigged the 2016 election without evidence, despite winning. 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. Ontario dropped down to 149 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, with just over 90 per cent of them in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area and Ottawa as Premier Doug Ford invited officials in hot spots to order any restrictions necessary to slow the spread. If they want to do it, by all means, the premier told a news conference after a meeting with Quebec Premier Francois Legault. They have the authority. His comment followed a push Wednesday from Mayor John Tory for people to avoid crowd scenes such as bars and parties, and for the province to order bars and restaurants to close at midnight. Ford said he is relying on the provinces chief medical officer, Dr. David Williams, and his experts on any next steps. Theyll decide when were going to be rolling things back, or if we are. Hopefully we wont. If everyone focuses on the guidelines and protocols then we shouldnt have a problem. The Ministry of Health numbers came a day after Fords government said it will halt any easing of pandemic restrictions for four weeks until it can gauge the impact of school reopenings on the increasing spread of the virus, which struck 702 Ontarians over the long weekend. Toronto, Peel and Ottawa remained the focal points, accounting for almost three-quarters of the new cases that have been climbing steadily since bottoming out below 100 daily in mid-August. With over 17,600 tests completed, 28 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with fully 21 of them reporting no new cases. Toronto is reporting 50 cases with 41 in Peel and 16 in Ottawa, Health Minister Christine Elliott said on Twitter. York Region had 13 new cases, Halton had seven, and Durham and Hamilton reported four each. Health units in northwestern Ontario had none and eastern Ontario was clear except for Ottawa. The nations capital and the GTHA accounted for 135 of the new cases. With so many regions in the province clear or mostly free of known cases, Ford said its not fair to order any blanket restrictions such as bar closings. I cant do that right across the province, he added. Its really up to each region. Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said cases in his city include 64 people exposed to COVID-19 at a workplace in Mississauga, and applauded plans for a second assessment centre to open in Brampton next week to reduce waits for testing. Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said her city is averaging 10 new cases daily of late, with workplace reopenings and large social gatherings the main culprits. Please think about dialing back the social engagements, Crombie urged residents. Do your part by staying apart. The 149 new infections represent the lowest increase since Saturday, down from 185 on Tuesday. A total of 76, just over half, were in their 20s or 30s, with 27 under the age of 20 and 36 in the 40 to 59 age category. Just nine new cases were 60 or older. The numbers dropped a little bit but until we get below 100 again I dont feel 100 per cent comfortable, Ford said. Were keeping an eye on it. The premier has repeatedly urged younger adults and teens against going to parties and Williams warned a continued rise in case numbers after the province neared 200 new infections daily on Monday and Tuesday will lead to some restrictions on businesses and gatherings being reimposed. If we see were starting to rise rapidly again then were going to have to make at step at that time, he said. Active cases across the province people who tested positive in the previous 14 days hit another recent high, rising by 13 to 1,540 cases, the highest since July 28. Peel Region increased to 451 active cases and Toronto climbed to 439, while Ottawa had 225 and York had 130. There were 55 Ontarians in hospital for COVID-19, an increase of one, with 15 in intensive care, a drop of two, and 8 on ventilators, up 1 from the previous day. Hospitalizations remain relatively low and are well within the capacity of the health care system. A Star compilation at 5 p.m. Wednesday found another 184 confirmed and probable cases in the previous 24 hours, raising the tally to 45,866 since late January. The numbers are more up-to-date than the Ministry of Health statistics of confirmed cases reported at 4 p.m. the previous day. The Star found one additional death for a total of 2,855. Read more about: Brazilian pediatric doctor Monica Levi, one of the volunteers who received the COVID-19 vaccine. The doctor is one of the 5,000 volunteers participating in Brazil of the phase 3 trials of the vaccine. Photo: Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images AstraZeneca (AZN.L) has paused human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine developed in partnership with the University of Oxford. StatNews, a specialist medical website in the US, first reported on Tuesday evening that AstraZeneca had paused a large Phase Three trial of AZD1222, an experimental vaccine previously known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. A spokesperson for AstraZeneca confirmed to Yahoo Finance UK the trial had been halted after the discovery of an unexplained illness in one patient. Video: Vaccine trial paused after a participant's illness A spokesperson said the pause was voluntary and part of a standard review process. An independent committee will now review the incident and decide whether to resume. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials, the AstraZeneca spokesperson said. In large trials, illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully. The independent review could take as little as a few days. If the illness is found to be unconnected to the vaccine, the trials will be restarted. At AstraZeneca we put science, safety and the interests of society at the heart of our work, Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, said in a statement. This temporary pause is living proof that we follow those principles while a single event at one of our trial sites is assessed by a committee of independent experts. Shares in AstraZeneca fell over 2.5% in early trade in London, before paring back some losses. AstraZeneca's shares slipped in early trade, before making up some lost ground. Photo: Yahoo Finance UK The AZD1222 vaccine has been developed in conjunction with the University of Oxford and is one of the most closely-watched potential COVID-19 vaccines in development around the world. Europe had already signed a deal with AstraZeneca to produce 400 million doses of the vaccine in anticipation of successful trials, while the US had ordered 300 million doses. Story continues The Oxford vaccine in many ways is right at the front because its been into more people than anything else, Sir Patrick Vallance, the UKs chief scientific advisor, said during a press conference on Wednesday. 30,000 people across Brazil, the UK, US, and South Africa are currently taking part in trials of the drug. AstraZenecas spokesperson didnt give details about what specifically triggered the pause. StatNews reported that it was triggered by a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom. READ MORE: AstraZeneca launches new coronavirus prevention and treatment trial Dr. Adam Barker and Dr. Tara Raveendran, healthcare analysts at stockbroker Shore Capital, cited reports suggesting the adverse affect could be transverse myelitis (TM), which is an inflammation of the spinal cord. Experts said more details were needed to draw any conclusions from the pause. Adverse events arent uncommon in clinical studies and it could certainly be nothing to do with the vaccine (most arent), but the very sensible (if not only) thing to do in such a circumstance is to temporarily suspend the study and investigate what has happened, Barker and Raveendran wrote in a note on Wednesday morning. Vallance said pauses to Phase Three trials were not an unusual thing and were sensible. Thats precisely why Phase Three clinical trials happen, Vallance said. We need to make sure with these vaccines that they work, they work well enough, and they are safe. The AZD1222 trial had been due to conclude in November but Barker and Raveendran said this pause would likely delay that timeline. READ MORE: AstraZeneca and University of Oxford team up on potential COVID-19 vaccine The spokesperson for AstraZeneca said: We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline. We are committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our trials. Soriot said the company would be guided by [the independent review] committee as to when the trials could restart. A St. Catharines woman is recovering at home following a horrific highway crash in northern Ontario in which a guard rail impaled the vehicle she was in. The Sept. 5 crash on Highway 69 near Sudbury severed Jennifer Johnstons foot. A guard rail skewered the car and we think thats what took off her foot, said her daughter Sarah Johnston. The 52-year-old Jennifer returned home Tuesday and is now coming to terms with the life-changing injury and the long road ahead. Shes actually doing amazing, Sarah said. Shes such a strong person, and shes so happy that everyone survived. Sarah has created a Go Fund Me campaign https://bit.ly/2Fkp2IE to support her mom during her recovery. Shes going to be at home healing for a while, and going to rehab, and trying to live as much as much as a normal life as possible, Sarah said. To date, more than 100 people have donated to the online fundraiser, which has been shared on social media more than 670 times. Were so surprised and amazed by everyones generosity, Sarah said. Jennifer was returning from a family trip to British Columbia when the crash occurred. Her son, who was sitting in the back seat, suffered minor injuries to his ankles. Jennifer is a passionate community advocate for people with addiction and mental health issues. She is the co-founder of NAMES Niagara Area Moms Ending Stigma a group of parents and family members who have lost loved ones to substance use disorder. Her 25-year-old son, Jonathan, died of a drug overdose in 2016. She has shared her experience with politicians across Niagara, calling for support services and programs for people struggling with addiction and mental health issues. COPENHAGEN - A self-taught Danish engineer, who was convicted of torturing and murdering a Swedish journalist on his homemade submarine in 2017 before dismembering her body and dumping it at sea, said its all my fault she died in a documentary that aired Wednesday. Peter Madsen said that journalist Kim Wall was interviewing him on the submarine and was hitting something. He was then asked if that triggered something in him so he at the end kills her, to which Madsen replies yes. It wasnt clear what she hit whether it was something she said that made him react, or something in the submarine. The documentary aired on the Dplay channel, which is part of Discovery Networks in Denmark. The documentary was based on telephone interviews with Madsen. Its my fault she died, he said. And its my fault because I committed the crime. Its all my fault. But at no point does Madsen admit killing her. I can remember every millisecond of that trip in the submarine. But I do not know what caused Kim to die, concretely and specifically and physiologically, Madsen said in the program. In 2018, Madsen was sentenced in the Copenhagen City Court to life in prison for killing Wall, a 30-year-old freelance reporter from neighbouring Sweden, after bringing her aboard his submarine with the promise of an interview the previous summer. Madsen, now 49, lost his appeal the same year, shortly after apologizing to the victims family who were present in the appeals court. The sensational case has gripped Scandinavia. Life sentences in Denmark usually mean 16 years in prison, but convicts are reassessed during their incarceration to determine whether they would pose a danger to society if released and can be kept longer. During the entire trial, Madsen has denied murdering Wall and only said she died accidentally inside the submarine, but has confessed to throwing her body parts into the Baltic Sea. The documentary is entitled Secret talks recordings with Peter Madsen and is based on 20 hours of telephone interviews. The Associated Press has seen the first of the five episodes where Madsen made the remarks. In the interview, Madsen also seems to distance himself from what happened, saying she pushed some buttons when interviewing him, and by doing that she touched a land mine, which exploded. Madsen, who grew up in a small town west of Copenhagen, built rockets in his spare time but never went to university. In 2008, he launched his UC3 Nautilus submarine, which he claimed was the largest privately built submarine in the world. Wall had planned to interview Madsen for a story on a rocket program he founded in 2014, with the goal of building a crowd-funded rocket to launch himself into space. But by the time he finally texted her, his cash flow had dried up and he had cancelled the planned test launch later that month. WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Zixi, the industry leader for enabling dependable, live broadcast-quality video over any-IP, and award winning architect of the Software-Defined Video Platform (SDVP), today announced that leading global media services provider Red Bee Media has adopted the SDVP and standardized services on Zixi and Zixi ZEN Master for the management of "Channel Store", a global signal aggregation and distribution platform. The Channel Store is where live channels are easily aggregated from multiple sources over Red Bee's global network, including internal and external Playout sources, fixed-line fiber connections, satellite downlinks, web streams and secure internet delivery. It currently features a catalogue of 10 000 sources with over 1000 active channels, over 100 signal suppliers and over 30 connected affiliates. Channel Store is a multi-format marketplace for content-owners and distributors to market and deliver live content to consumers around the world anytime and anywhere. Red Bee's customers enjoy high reliability, fast response times and exceptional signal quality without having to manage signal acquisition and handover themselves, significantly reducing the complexity of managing multiple parties around the globe. The Zixi Software-Defined Video Platform accepts 17 industry protocols and containers including Zixi, NDI, RIST, SRT, TCP BBR, Multipath TCP and WebRTC among others. Zixi has the only platform and protocol that can provide five and six nines availability utilizing patent pending sequenced hitless and bonded hitless failover over mixed IP networks such as internet, fiber, satellite and cellular. The powerful ZEN Master control plane enables users to manage large-scale configurations to orchestrate, analyze, monitor, alert and report on live video streams and devices across the Zixi Enabled Network of customers, integrated devices and platforms and service providers standardized on Zixi. The Zixi Enabled Network of over 200 OEM and technology partners now bolsters access and delivery of broadcast quality live video to and from Red Bee Media's Channel Store with facilities in the Netherlands, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and is fully compatible with AWS Media Connect for contribution and distribution in the cloud. "Zixi allows us to not only confidently deliver live video with end to end ultra-low latency but also easily manage the services with ZEN Master," said Kristian Langbridge, Head of Transformation & Distribution, Red Bee Media. "The Zixi SDVP and ZEN Master gives us the unique ability to configure, deploy and monitor Channel Store streams from anywhere in the world without having to deploy disparate systems." "Delivering our technology to Red Bee's Channel Store is very compelling as they are now able to seamlessly connect with Zixi's over 200 technology partners devices and platforms, as well as the 100,000 deployed global instances," said David Nortier, GM EMEA, Zixi. "Red Bee can now enable global media companies to source and distribute 24/7 live and live linear channels and events securely and at scale." Zixi and Red Bee Media will present details and a demonstration of the integrated solution during "Zixi Delivers", a virtual showcase to be held during the traditional IBC timeframe. Please click here to register for the End-to-End Live Video Distribution with Red Bee Media & Zixi webinar. About Zixi Zixi provides a cloud based and on-premise Software-Defined Video Platform that enables reliable broadcast-quality video delivery over any IP network, any protocol, any cloud provider and any edge device. The company offers technologies for broadcasters, enterprises, over-the-top video providers, and mobile service providers around the world. The Zixi Platform makes it easy and economical for media companies to source, manage, localize, and distribute live events and 24/7 live linear channels in broadcast QoS, securely and at scale, using any form of IP network or Hybrid IP environments. Zixi provides enhanced control in large complex networks with ZEN Master, a live video orchestration and telemetry control plane that provides visual tools to configure, orchestrate, and monitor live broadcast channels and events across industry protocols. Over 10+ years, the Zixi Enabled Network (ZEN) has grown to over 200 OEM and service providers and serves well over 700 customers representing most of the top media brands around the world with 20,000+ channels delivered daily. www.zixi.com About Red Bee Media Red Bee Media is a leading global media services company headquartered in London, with 2300 media experts spread across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and North America. Every day, millions of people across the globe discover, enjoy and engage with content prepared, managed, broadcast and streamed through Red Bee's services. The company empowers some of the world's strongest media brands, broadcasters and content owners to instantly connect with audiences anyhow, anywhere, anytime. Through an end-to-end, managed services offering, Red Bee provides innovative solutions across the entire content delivery chain covering Live & Remote production, Managed OTT, Distribution, Media Management, Access Services, Content Discovery, Playout and Post-Production. Red Bee Wowing audiences. By creating what's next. CONTACT: Zixi: [email protected] SOURCE Zixi Related Links http://www.zixi.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 10 2020 The nations tourist industry is facing a catch-22 as a rise in COVID-19 cases hampers its recovery, while strict closures will also severely impact businesses, experts and a business group have said. Griffith University epidemiologist Dicky Budiman told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the slow government response during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in Indonesia had created a prolonged economic effect, especially for tourism. Health experts had warned the government since early May to strengthen its pandemic mitigation effort by increasing the quality and quantity of testing capacity, to prevent further disruption on economic and social sectors, he said in a phone interview. 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 An illegal marijuana growing operation where seven people were fatally shot in a small, rural Southern California town had the markings of organized crime, authorities said Tuesday. More than 20 people lived on the property in Aguanga, which had several makeshift dwellings, a nursery and vehicles used in production, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said. Investigators seized more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana and several hundred marijuana plants from the residence, believed to hold a street value of up to $5 million. The marijuana was being processed to honey oil, a highly potent concentrate made by extracting the high-inducing chemical THC from cannabis. The seven shooting victims, none of whom have been identified, were Laotian nationals. They were found dead 'in and around' one of the dwellings. 'This was not a small operation,' Bianco said. 'This is a very organized-crime type of an operation.' An illegal marijuana growing operation where seven people were fatally shot in a small, rural Southern California town had the markings of organized crime, authorities said Tuesday More than 20 people lived on the property, which had several makeshift dwellings, a nursery and vehicles used in production What appears to be a makeshift greenhouse is seen behind a home where killings occurred Before dawn Monday, Riverside County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call of an assault with a deadly weapon and shots fired at the Aguanga home, in the 45000 block of Highway 37. Upon entering the home, deputies discovered a woman with severe gunshot wounds. A search of the residence revealed six additional victims, who had also suffered gunshot wounds. They were all pronounced dead at the scene. The woman, meanwhile, was taken to hospital but, despite life-saving efforts, died shortly after arriving, police said. A search of the area failed to immediately locate suspects. The motive for the killings remains unclear. Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a news conference on Tuesday that the illegal marijuana trade remains a constant and deadly menace, even as the state has legalized recreational marijuana. 'Marijuana is not a victimless crime,' he said. 'These illegal operations are extremely dangerous. Can you imagine if this had happened in a populated city where children were next door?' So far this year, the sheriffs office has responded to eight incidents in Riverside County with a total of 14 murder victims 'dealing strictly with marijuana,' he said. Sheriff Bianco offered few details about the most recent case. 'We believe at this time that there were multiple suspects,' he said. 'We are still processing the scene, we are still processing our witnesses and potential witnesses for any information that they may be able to provide us that can lead us to the identification of suspects.' A search of the residence revealed six additional victims, who had also suffered gunshot wounds. They were all pronounced dead at the scene Despite there being no arrests or identified suspects, the sheriff's statement called the deaths 'an isolated incident' that did not threaten people in Aguanga. Bianco said the FBI and other federal agencies have been requested to assist in the investigation because evidence indicates the cultivation operation had connections in other states. The biggest indicator of a multi-state ties, the sheriff said, was indicated by the fact a number of vehicles found at the property were registered outside the state of California. Sheriff Bianco said the investigation may even go beyond the US. 'All of the people who were on site that were potential witnesses or the victims, were Laotians,' he said, declining to elaborate further. Partially eaten pizza sat in boxes in a circular dirt driveway of the dilapidated two-bedroom house. Three cars were parked outside - one with its front doors open. Cases of bottled water were stacked on the front porch, which was strewn with clothing and plastic bags. A black tarp was stretched atop poles in the fenced backyard, indicating a small growing operation. Unlike many neighboring homes, it had neither a gate nor a 'no trespassing' sign at the entrance. Reached by phone, property owner Ronald McKay expressed surprise, saying he didn't know a shooting had taken place at either of the rentals, a mobile home and the house. He said he had tried to visit Monday to check on the well during the recent heat wave, but he was turned away by a deputy who wouldn't tell him what was going on. He said he left his phone number, but authorities never called. Investigators seized more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana and several hundred marijuana plants, believed to hold a street value of up to $5 million McKay said he didn't know the tenants or their names - the rentals are handled by someone who works with him. But he said the home had been rented for three years and the mobile home for two without incident. 'I'm kind of unaware of anything right now,' McKay said. 'For two and three years, they've been there - perfect. Never had an issue.' The state of California broadly legalized recreational marijuana sales in January 2018. But the illicit market is thriving - in part because hefty legal marijuana taxes send consumers looking for better deals in the illegal economy. Many California communities have not established legal marijuana markets or have banned commercial marijuana activity. Law enforcement has been unable to keep up with the illicit growing operations. Of roughly 14 million pounds of cannabis grown in California, some 80 percent is sent out illicitly to the rest of the country, according to state estimates, where the product can command vastly higher prices than in California. Illegal grows are common in and around Aguanga too, a single stop-sign town of about 2,000 people north of San Diego with horse ranches along dirt roads. Still, the scale of the Labor Day massacre stunned residents and showed how violence permeates California's illegal marijuana market. Deputies in February seized more than 9,900 plants and collected 411 pounds of processed marijuana and firearms from suspected illegal marijuana sites in the Aguanga area. Four people were arrested. Law enforcement surveillance in the area has spawned nicknames like 'Marijuana Mondays,' 'Weed Wednesdays' and 'THC Thursdays,' said Mike Reed, a real estate broker and 28-year Aguanga resident. Illegal grows are common in and around Aguanga too, a single stop-sign town of about 2,000 people north of San Diego with horse ranches along dirt roads Deputies in February seized more than 9,900 plants and collected 411 pounds of processed marijuana and firearms from suspected illegal marijuana sites in the Aguanga area Reed said he does real-estate business with pot growers - some of whom live in his gated community. Residents move to Aguanga for 'peace and solitude,' Reed said. 'People live here because it's not in the city.' Aguanga's isolation, however, may have made it prone to illegal marijuana sales and cultivation. The sheriff said almost every marijuana operation in the mountainous communities is illegal. Adam Spiker, executive director of the Southern California Coalition, a cannabis industry group, said the shootings were a reminder that the sprawling illegal marketplace remains largely unchecked. 'Shame on all of us: It seems we have one foot in and one foot out on regulating this industry,' Spiker said. 'This risk is inherent in the underground market,' said Los Angeles marijuana dispensary owner Jerred Kiloh, who heads United Cannabis Business Association, an industry group. 'When you have money and high returns, people want to take that from you.' Kiloh said most illicit market crimes go unreported because farmers who have been robbed cannot turn to authorities. Laotian involvement in illegal marijuana harvesting has grown over the last decade in California's agricultural heartland. People from the relatively small community account for much of the pot growing in backyards and on prime farmland. Large cannabis growing operations typically have hundreds of thousands of dollars of product at each site, making them attractive targets for criminals. 'That's why the violence becomes worse and worse,' Kiloh said. Plunged into despair: How Israel's policy affects Gazan families that depend on fishing for a living On 12 August 2020, Israel reduced southern Gazas fishing range from 15 to eight nautical miles, officially because explosive-laden balloons had been launched from Gaza into Israel. On 16 August 2020, Israel banned access to the Gaza sea, and on 2 September 2020, reopened the fishing zone to 15 nautical miles. This further restriction of the permitted range joins various forms of collective punishment imposed on Palestinian fishermen since Israel began its blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Israel has arrested fishermen and seized their boats, banned the import of raw materials used for repairs, and fired at boats that it claimed sailed beyond the permitted range. To date, Israeli gunfire has killed seven fishermen and wounded hundreds. The restrictions have led to the near-collapse of the Gazan fishing industry: there are currently less than 4,000 fishermen, as opposed to 10,000 or so 20 years ago. Those remaining suffer from perilous working conditions imposed by Israel and live with their families in abject poverty. The following testimonies were given to B'Tselem field researcher Olfat al-Kurd by wives and mothers of Gazan fishermen and fishmongers. Describing their painful reality and uncertain future, the women talked of constantly fearing for their loved ones and of the financial hardship created by Israel's restriction of their livelihoods which is set to worsen due to the pandemic. Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. Vietnam is one of the few countries with a complete healthcare network which had been widely expanded to villages to provide primary treatment to local people, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said. An elderly patient receives a check-up at a commune health clinic. The Ministry of Health plans to upgrade the healthcare system at the grassroots level in order to serve people in a timely manner. VNA/VNS Photo The model had gained interest from many countries around the world, he said. The grassroots healthcare network in Vietnam had 1,400 hospitals, 180,000 beds and more than 11,800 clinics. The training and development of human resources for grassroots clinics had also gained attention, with most having a doctor, obstetrician or midwife. In 2019 the health sector launched a training course to transfer technology and improve the professional capacity of health workers. As part of the course, doctors and nurses from central hospitals in Hanoi and HCM City are being rotated to support their colleagues at grassroots clinics. Young doctors have been sent to work in mountainous and rural areas under the ministrys pilot Project 585 since 2013. Under the project, 354 young doctors in the fields of obstetrics, paediatrics, imaging diagnosis, anesthesia, emergency resuscitation, infectiousness and traditional medicine have been trained. Of them, 151 have volunteered to work in 51 poor districts around the country and 195 are still completing their training before moving to assigned areas. Tuyen said the ministrys efforts to provide healthcare had contributed to improving the quality of medical examinations and treatment at a grassroots level, and people had easy access to local medical services. In particular, the grassroots healthcare system had contributed in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the infectious disease supervision system, which had stopped the spread of the disease in the community. The ministry has been piloting family medical plans at 26 clinics in eight provinces and cities, while medical technology is being constantly updated and transferred from central to local levels. Notably, careworkers have made much progress after five years of reform. The 2019 Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) showed that the citizens satisfaction index on public healthcare had increased from 1.92 in 2017 to 1.96 in 2018. Only 0.4 per cent of patients in district public hospitals reported they had to bribe medical staff to get better care. That figure in 2017 stood at 9 per cent. The inpatient satisfaction index in 2018 reached 80.6 per cent, backed up by a survey conducted by Oxfam Vietnam. To further improve the quality and efficiency of grassroots healthcare services, Tuyen said the ministry had launched a five-year project to upgrade the system in 13 cities and provinces. The project has a total investment capital of more than US$126 million. Of that, $80 million is from the World Bank, $25 million is from non-refundable aid and the rest is from the Government. Under the project, 138 clinics will be built and 337 clinics will be upgraded and provided with medical equipment. Health workers will be trained before working in these clinics. Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the ministry was focused on grassroots healthcare in order to serve the people in a timely manner. The ministry will connect provincial, district and commune health clinics with remote medical examinations and treatment. A doctor at a central hospital will support at least four health workers in provincial facilities, four health workers in district facilities and two health workers in communal clinics, he said. The ministry also planned to launch a remote medical examination and treatment project connecting 1,000 medical facilities to help people access the best healthcare services, he said. VNS Grassroots health stations provide remote care via telemedicine For many years, Ngo Thanh Toai, 66, who has Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and dyslipidemia, regularly visited doctors once a month at Go Vap District Hospital in HCM City. A federal judge has struck down key portions of a Trump administration rule that made it more difficult for workers to win lawsuits against companies over violations committed by contractors and franchisees. The rule, which the Labor Department proposed last year and made final in January, raised the bar for employees of a franchise like Burger King or Subway to win a judgment against the parent company if the restaurant violated minimum-wage or overtime laws. Because the contractors and franchisees that directly employ workers often have limited resources, suing the larger companies is often the best hope for workers seeking to recover wages they are owed. In a decision on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Judge Gregory H. Woods largely sided with the more than 15 states that challenged the rule. He said the Labor Department had departed from the statute governing minimum-wage and overtime rules without adequate justification, rendering the rule arbitrary and capricious. Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday emphasised the need to strictly monitor services provided in all 224 hospitals dealing with Covid patients. Addressing 13 district officials through a video conferencing, the CM asked collectors and joint collectors in each district to monitor the quality of services provided in 224 hospitals based on four key parameters - food, sanitation, infrastructure and staff. Quality of management is key in this war against Covid. If we do that properly, 90 per cent of our job is done as we have already been doing it for months now, the CM said, according to an official release. Every person in the state should know what he/she is supposed to do, who he/she is supposed to contact when he/she starts showing symptoms and feels that they have been infected. Every person who wants to get tested should be tested at any cost, he added. He instructed officials to monitor the strength of the staff in each hospital and make recruitments wherever necessary. Reddy also asked officials to maintain a database of all patients to help doctors identify probable plasma donors in order to save lives. With the successful launch of the first special train, goods from Japan and South Korea can be assembled in Xi'an, China, and transported to Europe by the "Chang'an" China-Europe freight trains. The China-Europe freight trains refer to international container freight trains that are operated in accordance with the conditions of fixed trains, routes, schedules, and full-time operation times, and are transported to and from China and Europe as well as cities along the "Belt and Road". Since its launch in 2013, the "Chang'an" China-Europe freight train service has 15 routes from Xi'an to Asia and Europe, linking 45 countries and regions along the "Belt and Road", which makes a major logistics channel for China to open up and facilitate international trade with the west. In 2019, the "Chang'an" China-Europe freight trains ranked first in the country in terms of the total number of trains, heavy load rate and freight volume, as well as satisfaction. Among all Chinese cities that are operating China-Europe freight trains, Xi'an is operating those featuring highest coverage, highest efficiency and optimum service with the "Chang'an" freight trains. Other than oil drilling equipment in the beginning, now more than 5,000 types of goods in 13 categories, including automobiles, kitchen wares and household chemicals, are transported by the freight trains. At present, goods from 45 countries and regions along the "Belt and Road" and 29 domestic provinces are distributed in the Xi'an ITL Park. The "Chang'an" China-Europe freight trains have become the "locomotive envoys of the ancient Silk Road", exporting products that are made in China and importing speciality products of countries involved in the Belt & Road Initiative into the Chinese Market. At the same time, on the morning of August 28, the first "Yongji-Xi'an-Europe" international freight train departed from Yongji Railway Station in Shanxi, en route to Xi'an. When it arrives at the Xi'an ITL Park, the freight will be assembled and transferred to a "Chang'an" China-Europe freight train heading for major cities in Central Asia. In addition, they also launched the Tangshan-Xi'an-Europe freight train on August 26, departing from Tangshan, a city in China's Hebei province. With this, Xi'an has launched 7 international freight trains that depart from 7 cities including Xuzhou and Xiamen and transit via Xi'an. Starting in September, it will open three more freight train routes in succession. Xi'an is deeply integrated into the big picture on jointly building the Belt and Road. Image Attachments Links: Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=370962 Caption: A worker directs container hoisting operation at a logistic station in Xinzhu Railway Station in Xi'an, March 11, 2020. SOURCE Xi'an International Trade & Logistics Park SAN FRANCISCO - Hazy clouds of smoke from dozens of wildfires darkened the sky to an eerie orange glow over much of the West Coast on Wednesday, keeping street lights illuminated during the day and putting residents on edge. The California Highway Patrol urged drivers to turn on their headlights and slow down. Social media was filled with photos of the unusual sky, and many people complained that their cellphone cameras werent accurately capturing the golden hues. Its really just strange and ominous outside, it feels like I should be in bed sleeping, said Aamir Vaid, who cancelled plans to have lunch in downtown San Francisco because of the dark sky. While satellites show a towering band of smoke hovering along the coast, there was little scent of smoke and the air quality index did not reach unhealthy levels. Thats because fog drifting from the Pacific Ocean was sandwiched between the smoke and ground. And smoke particles above the marine layer were acting like a filter, scattering blue light and only allowing yellow, orange and red light to reach the ground, said Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The smoke blocked out so much sunlight that a forecast for temperatures to climb to 90 degrees (32 Celsius) instead dipped to the 60s (15.5 Celsius) as though were in perpetual morning without the sun to help us warm up, said Drew Peterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Bay Area office. Some of the smoke settled in San Francisco Bay and formed a 15-mile (24-kilometre) trail of ash along the tidal line, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Borrmann said the conditions were expected to linger until Friday. By then, the district expects to issue its 25th consecutive Spare The Air alert requiring residents to cut pollution the longest stretch since the program began in 1991. The alerts began Aug. 18 after thousands of lightning strikes ignited three massive wildfires to the north, south and east of San Francisco. The previous streak was 14 days of alerts in 2018 when the Bay Area was choked by smoke from a fire that devastated the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. This time, strong winds from the north and northeast pushed smoke from devastating wildfires in the Sierra Nevada foothills and in Oregon and Washington state into lower elevations. A fire that exploded in size Tuesday and prompted evacuation orders for some 20,000 people in Oroville sent the air quality index in Sacramento to a hazardous reading at one point. Poor visibility because of the dark sky also prevented Californias largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, from doing some aerial inspections needed to restore power to about 167,000 customers, spokesman Jeff Smith said. The power was deliberately cut Monday to try to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires in windy weather. Air quality warnings also were issued throughout the Pacific Northwest, and people in communities from southern Oregon to north of Seattle have seen blood-red skies and choking smoke. It was scary. Especially as red as the sky was, said Patricia Fouts, who evacuated from a senior living centre because of a massive fire east of Salem, Oregon. Winds coming from the Pacific Ocean will likely keep pushing the smoke across the U.S. West, worsening air quality, said Roger Gass, another weather service meteorologist. In Denver, a thick blanket of haze covered the skyline, obstructing mountain views typically visible from the city. Scott Landes, chief air quality meteorologist for Colorados health department, said a cold front improved air quality but the state may start getting a new wave of smoke over the weekend because of drier, warmer temperatures. In Phoenix, the sky was finally blue after a cold front swept through, keeping wildfire smoke west and southwest of Arizona. Reno, Nevada, also saw blue for the first time in days after air quality reached a hazardous level a day earlier, prompting the Washoe County School District to cancel all in-classroom lessons. Everybody wants to know, when is this going to get better, Gass said. We have to remember, as long as the fires keep burning, theyre going to continue to produce smoke. ___ Associated Press writers Chris Grygiel in Seattle, Paul Davenport in Phoenix, Janie Har and Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco, Patty Nieberg in Denver and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, and Tom Tait in Las Vegas contributed to this story. The lawyer representing Nigeria in the Malabu trial on Wednesday accused a former attorney general and minister of justice, Bello Adoke, of compromising Nigerias interest in the OPL245 deal. Lucio Lucia, representing Nigeria at the Milan trial of the oil giants (Shell and ENI) and other individuals for the alleged fraudulent acquisition of the oil licence OPL245, made this submission as Nigeria makes its concluding arguments on Wednesday. The lawyer reaffirmed the Nigerian governments stance on Mr Adoke, ex-petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and former President Goodluck Jonathan in the alleged scam. This process concerns corruptors: our rule on international corruption allows only Italian jurisdiction for obvious reasons of non-interference in the sovereignty of the victim state with respect to its public officials, the lawyer began. But the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) wanted to take action because of this fact, which it considers to be of very serious disvalue and of very serious prejudice to the nation. In addition to the decision to become a civil party in this Italian trial, the only case in international corruption trials, and in addition to providing cooperation to the Italian judicial authorities in the form of rogatory letters, the issue in Nigeria has had investigative and procedural implications. On Wednesday, the lawyer informed the court of criminal prosecution in Nigeria for these acts against the corrupt, first and foremost the Attorney General Mohammed Adoke Bello, who was accused of receiving illegal compensation in exchange for licensing the oil companies, and thus arrested and extradited from Dubai for the corruption related to OPL 245. Mr Adoke has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Illicit Flow PREMIUM TIMES obtained an English translation of Mr Lucias presentation, done in Italian, from civil society groups who were present at the Italian court and had been monitoring trial. Talking about the alleged illegal movement of money from escrow accounts, Mr Lucia said the payment of public officials involved in the scheme was proven and the money was followed. He reportedly said: The Guardia di Finanza Italian financial police has reconstructed the flow of money, documented in documents, that goes from the payment by Eni to the escrow 2 account in the name of the Nigerian Government of the time, through the attempted transfers made by FGN to the BSI bank and the Lebanese bank in favour of the company Petrol Service of Falcioni, then to the payment to Malabus accounts in Nigeria, up to the single expenses made by Etete, up to the impressive mass of money (about 500 million dollars) exchanged in cash at the bureau de change. The cash flow was traced to the Malabu accounts in Nigeria, at Keystone Bank (400 million) and at the First bank of Nigeria (401 million): on both accounts Etete has the signature to operate. From there the money splits and goes on the account of Rocky Top signed by Etete; and on the accounts of 4 companies related to Aliyu Abubakar, the only one authorized to operate on the accounts. The lawyer noted further that that Dan Etete, a former oil minister, and his family and friends have been spending a total of 124 million euros for voluptuous expenses. From Rocky Top, but especially from Abubakars companies (AE Group, Megatech, Imperial Union, Novel properties), an impressive flow of money flows to the bureau de change, the cash exchange offices, he noted. This money is withdrawn and exchanged into cash in foreign currency either personally or by order of Abubakar. In this maelstrom of money, it is worth mentioning transactions traced in documents of particular interest: from AE Group and Megatech two transfers ($400,000 and $11,400,000) to Senator John I Obiorah of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; from Rocky Top 10 million dollars to Bayo Ojo, the former AG for the settlement of 2006, which heard at the hearing of 6.2.2019 says it acted as an advisor to Etete for the transfer of the OPL 245 licence. Cash transfers to the account of Adoke Bello, the AG in office at the time of the Resolution Agreement RA 2011, at the Unity Bank in Nigeria. Adoke Bello buys a property in Abuja from a company of Abubakar at a much lower price than the real one ($4.5 million); and he doesnt even pay this price. Adoke Bello receives cash payments into his current account of money from Bureau de Change for approximately $2.2 million from 15.2.2012 to 17.10.2013. Speaking on alleged constitutional beach of trust and oath of office by officials of the government, the lawyer argued that Mr Adoke misused the privilege he had as government official. But what did Adoke Bello do in return for his payments? The government that will stipulate RA 2011 starts by confirming the allocation to Malabu and therefore to Etete of 100% of all concession rights for OPL 245. The main actors are President GLJ (Goodluck Jonathan), Oil Minister Diezani and AG Adoke Bello, the latter two will sign the 2011 RA together with the Minister of Finance. Adoke Bello, who, in fact, will play a decisive role at the negotiating table, above all in allowing Eni/Shell to have all the contractual clauses, accepted by the IOCs clauses unilaterally prepared by them overcoming any objection by NNPC and DPR, the technical bodies of the Ministry of Oil. This is in favour of IOCs instead of doing the interests of Nigeria. Quoting the Email of 28.2.2011 Colegate/Robinson RDS 854 Etete spoke with GLJ and AG yesterday in Lagos and NNPC is resolved. Asset Value On the value of the asset, the lawyer argued that for Mr Etete, what matters is only the price (as high as possible), which is normal for the pure seller. It is much less normal in a private transaction for public officials to be interested in the price, but they should be indifferent to the price or, at most, interested in the success of the sale. However, he noted, the conditions of the new licence for Shell and Eni remain constantly in the background, at least in high-level negotiations between the top management of the IOCs, Mr Etete, and public officials. For Etete on the one hand and for Adoke Bello on the other, the contractual clauses are almost irrelevant: Etete is totally disinterested, the AG at most, but only in the end, has to save appearances and above all has to do everything possible to silence the NNPC and DPR technical bodies that get in the way, he said. Advertisements Indicting the oil companies, Mr Lucio noted that for Eni and Shell, the contractual clauses are decisive points for the deal, just as much as the price, because they have a great economic impact and will regulate the life of the licence for the next 30 years (10 OPL + 20 OML), to the detriment of the revenues of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, whose interest is pre-empted by public officials with respect to their intentions of enormous and illicit personal enrichment. Ultimately, he said, low prices and advantageous clauses are also a big deal for Eni and Shell, but at the expense of Nigerias financial interests. He said: The price (which we believe to be very low), compared to the important value of the license, has in the case in question undoubtedly a very important circumstantial significance with regard to the conduct of the parties and the defendants. It is, in essence, the motive for IOCs. Why embark on such a complex negotiation? Why take such significant risks from a reputational point of view (TRAG 2007 and 2010 reports)? Why force all the companys procedures or, in any case, normal negotiating practices and sit down at the table with a former oil minister, convicted for money laundering, who has obtained the OPL 245 licence in at least dubious situations? Why should you deal with a company like Malabu for which, after a long time, you cannot even complete the due diligence required by internal compliance? Ultimately, why commit a serious crime such as international corruption? The answer can only be one: the deal was very interesting for the oil companies and a huge economic advantage. Under the FRN technical consultants advice the asset is worth at least $3.5 billion, in line with Shells internal analysis. The price paid of 1.3 billion was very advantageous for Eni and Shell. Eni, Shell aware of payments The lawyer explained that Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) emails make it very clear that Shell and Eni are familiar with the relationship between Mr Etete and the President, Mr Jonathan, as well as the Minister and the AG, Mr Adoke. There are explicit emails. The offence exists because Eni and Shell are fully aware that, in order to obtain the 2011 RA in favourable terms, they essentially pay Etete and that will be paid to public officials, he said. It is a real fraudulent simulation: apparently IOCs have no relationship with Malabu, but have dealt with Etete. They know perfectly well that the money paid will go to Etete to pay the public officials. Is it legitimate to pay an interposed person, knowing full well that the money will be paid in bribes, for obtaining illegal favours? It is not enough to pay into an escrow account formally in the governments name, knowing full well that it was a roundabout game and that the money would go to Etete and from there to corrupt public officials. IOCs should have asked the government for formal reassignment of the license. The corrupt oil minister should have revoked the license in Malabu for inoperativity or failure to pay the signature bonus. Instead they reassign the licence 100% to him. Nigerias loss The lawyer asserted in his submission that the disputed conduct for which proof of guilt has been reached for all the defendants has caused serious damage to FRN, both pecuniary and non-pecuniary, image and moral damage. According to him, the highlight of the loss include emerging damage due to the higher signature bonus that the government would have obtained if the open tender or at least by invitatio was a base already acquired 10 years earlier; as well as loss of profit for the lesser revenues that the government or NNPC obtains with the SOLE RISK licence and the conditions of RA 2011, compared to the usual PSC. In essence, this RA 2011 solution instead of the PSC model deprives the government or NNPC of profit oil, as all the technical consultants, including Shell and Enis ones, have said: these are huge sums, he said. The FRN technical consultant Rogers in paragraph 4.12 also gives account of the technical work carried out by Don Hubert of RDC. In summary, the differences in loss of earnings for FRN are 4.5 billion US dollars if, instead of the 2011 RA, the 2003 SGP had been adopted (model SGP 2000); 5.9 billion US dollars if the 2005 model CSP had been adopted instead of the 2011 RA. To the patrimonial damage must be added serious damage to the FRNs image and moral damage. The offence has altered the proper management of public affairs in Nigeria, seriously affecting economic development, he said. The offence has altered the economic conditions of the market in terms of competition, which is, moreover, the interest protected by the rule that punishes international corruption. All the categories of damage mentioned deserve careful and precise quantification in separate civil proceedings. We therefore request a general sentence to pay damages, with damages to be settled in separate civil proceedings. However, he noted, the $ 1.1 billion that Eni and Shell have allegedly deemed to spend as a price to obtain the favourable conditions provided, for the long concession period of 10 years OPL and consequent 20 OML years already contracted, is a sum that the companies have considered understood and recovered with this corrupt contract. The IOCs certainly did not pay the price to lose out, he said, adding that their illicit profit and the consequent damage for Nigeria is higher than what they allegedly spent. The lawyer argued further that the defendants must be ordered to confiscate the profit that constitute the profit of the offence, pursuant to Article 322 of the Criminal Code. According to Barnaby Pace, oil campaigner at Global Witness, the next hearing will be on September 21 with concluding arguments from Vincenzo Armanna, a former Eni lawyer who gave evidence against his former colleagues. Scandal The Malabu OPL245 scandal is central to a corruption trial in Italy, where Mr Etete is an accused, together with alleged middlemen, Eni and Shell, and several of their executives. Like Mr Adoke, all parties in the Milan trial have denied the charges against them. The Nigerian authorities have also charged Mr Etete and several others linked to Malabu with money laundering in connection with the onward flow of funds from the OPL245 deal. Like former President Jonathan and other officials alleged to have been involved in the deal, Mr Etete has equally denied any wrongdoing and has dismissed the allegations as political propaganda. The infection rates in both counties are among the highest in the country, standing at 67.8 cases per 100,000 people in Dublin and 63.1 cases per 100,000 in Limerick. When Laois, Offaly and Kildare had some Covid-19 restrictions reimposed on August 7th, the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 people in each of the three counties was 69.66, 80.81 and 82.25 respectively. Although many health experts have warned that reintroducing lockdown is not the answer to containing the virus, members of the Government have said measures for Dublin and Limerick are being considered as the number of cases in the counties continues to rise at a concerning rate. In contrast to the blanket restrictions which were imposed in Laois, Offaly and Kildare, a ban on house visits is being considered for the two counties. Glasgow model This model was adopted in Glasgow and surrounding areas last week after it was identified that house visits and parties were key drivers in the increase in Covid cases in Scotland. Advertisement Residents in Glasgow, East and West Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire are not allowed to visit other homes, but schools, bars, restaurants and other businesses remain open. The thought process behind the measures is that guidelines such as social distancing can be enforced in public, while they cannot be monitored in private households. Although logistically difficult, imposing restrictions on certain areas of a county may also be considered. In Dublin, data from the Health Protection and Surveillance Centre shows that different areas of the county have drastically different 14-day incidence rates. The information, relating to the period from August 26th to September 8th, examines the county based on the catchment area of Local Health Offices, of which there are eight. Dublin South had the lowest incidence rate during this period, with a rate of 36 reflecting the 49 confirmed cases in that area. However, nearby in Dublin South East, the incidence rate is more than double at 83.3, representing 103 additional confirmed cases in the previous two weeks. Local Health Office area Cases confirmed August 26th to September 8th 14-day incidence rate Dublin South 49 36 Dublin South East 103 83.3 Dublin South City 104 69.4 Dublin South West 117 72.7 Dublin West 103 66.3 Dublin North West 160 77.0 Dublin North Central 95 61.5 Dublin North 182 70.2 While there are no such area breakdowns available for Limerick, data on the Covid-19 Hub shows that there are significant amount of large outbreaks, particularly in the city centre and in Ballysimon, Ballycummin and Rathkeale. The number of cases in the county has sharply increased in recent weeks, with Limerick's total number of confirmed cases rising from 609 on August 1st to 819 on September 6th. Graph showing the increase in total number of cases recorded in Limerick since June. Screengrab: Covid-19 Data Hub International comparison Speaking at Wednesday mornings Government briefing, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar spoke about the possibility of imposing further restrictions on Dublin and Limerick but said the circumstances would be compared to measures adopted in other areas in Europe. Mr Varadkar said: If we were to take actions in Dublin or Limerick that are more extreme than other European cities or other European regions that have a higher level than us, we would need a good explanation from NPHET [National Public Health Emergency Team] as to why that should be done." When the UK imposed lockdown restrictions on Leicester at the end of June, England's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the citys incidence rate was at 135 cases per 100,000 of the population, three times that of the next highest city. More recently, restrictions were placed on residents in Bolton near Manchester as the citys 14-day incidence rate surged to 99. Going by those figures, Dublin and Limerick may have time to curb the increasing rate before additional measures are imposed. WASHINGTON - Joe Biden ventured into Americas hard-hit manufacturing heartland Wednesday, promising a suite of Buy American tax credits and penalties to fortify his blue-collar bona fides and pry working-class votes away from Donald Trump measures sure to conjure sweaty palms in Canada. During a visit to the Detroit suburb of Warren, Mich., the cradle of the U.S. auto industry and the buckle of the Rust Belt, Biden hammered away at his Republican rivals America First credentials in a battleground state the sitting president won by a scant 11,000 votes in 2016. If elected, Biden said, he would impose stiff new tax penalties on companies that manufacture U.S.-bound products outside the country, create incentives for keeping jobs on U.S. soil and close what he called Trump loopholes that allow companies engaged in offshoring to avoid paying U.S. taxes. Hes also promising executive orders to more strictly enforce and expand and tighten Buy American provisions, make U.S. products more competitive, expand the list of critical materials that must be American-made and establish a Made in America office within the White House. We can revitalize our industrial base as the heart of the American middle class, Biden said, standing before a display of U.S.-built cars and trucks. I dont accept the defeatist view that the forces of automation and globalization mean we cant keep good-paying union jobs here in America and create more of them. I dont buy for one second that the vitality of American manufacturing is a thing of the past. Canada is no stranger to Buy American heartburn. As Barack Obamas vice-president, Biden presided over the implementation of the 2009 Recovery Act, an $800-billion stimulus package enacted in the midst of the Great Recession that restricted the use of foreign materials and international bids on U.S. infrastructure projects rules from which it took Canada nearly a year to negotiate a waiver. Its not going to be any walk in the park, said Eric Miller, a Canada-U.S. expert and president of the D.C.-based Rideau Potomac Strategy Group. Canada is going to have to have its elbows up and fight just as hard in the corners with a Biden administration. After nearly four years of tumultuous Trump rule, its not unreasonable for Canadians to assume a Democrat in the White House would be better for the cross-border relationship and many do, a new poll suggests. Two-thirds of the 1,529 Canadian respondents to the online poll, conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, said Canada-U.S. ties would improve under Biden. A similar percentage 69 per cent said relations will worsen if Trump is re-elected. Given the political climate in the U.S., its hardly surprising that the Democrats are using protectionist rhetoric to appeal to the same working-class voters who helped send Trump to Washington in the first place, Miller added. To some extent, theres going to be frictions and complexities regardless of who wins. Its just that the frictions and complexities under Trump will be different than the frictions and complexities under Biden. The new Made in America office would have the power to review all Buy American waivers and establish a public record of any and all of them, Biden added, to make sure we enforce Buy American and direct the full purchasing power of the federal government to fulfil its promise, starting by closing those waiver loopholes immediately. There was significant economic anxiety and anger in 2009 in the U.S., which was in the throes of an economic meltdown at the time American property values had plummeted and Washington was bailing out Wall Street, said Gary Doer, who was Canadas ambassador to the U.S. when the Recovery Act was introduced. There was a lot of pitchforks, metaphorically speaking, Doer recalled of the public mood and both Congress and the White House were under pressure to ensure that the administrations big-ticket spending plans would primarily benefit Americans. Eleven years later, in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Buy American battle cry may be more about politics than policy, Doer suggested: Its a good bumper sticker. Canada does have an advantage, he added: strong organized-labour ties between manufacturing unions and their members on either side of the Canada-U.S. border, a relationship that proved vital during the 2009 talks. Its not something (Biden) will acknowledge during a very tight campaign, but he has a very close relationship with the hardhats right now, Doer said. The private-sector unions have members on both sides of the border, they have the duty of representation for their members on both sides of the border, and they were the reason why we were the only country to get a waiver. Canadas Chamber of Commerce will wait for the election dust to settle in the U.S. before drafting a strategy, said Mark Agnew, the chambers senior director of international policy. I think a lot of the rhetoric that Joe Biden would employ as president would certainly be different, and I think there hopefully would be a more collaborative approach to working with Canada, Agnew said. But I dont think we should be under any illusion that Joe Biden is, you know, a neo-liberal economic president. Theres still going to be a fairly hardline edge to it. The name Made in America I think speaks for itself in many respects. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2020. Follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle DURHAM, N.C. - Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a set of prototypes for manipulating particles and cells in a Petri dish using sound waves. The devices, known in the scientific community as "acoustic tweezers," are the first foray into making these types of tools, which have thus far been relegated to laboratories with specific equipment and expertise, available for use in a wide array of settings. The paper describing the technology appears online on September 9 in the journal Science Advances. Acoustic tweezers are a powerful, versatile set of tools that use sound waves to manipulate bioparticles ranging from nanometer-sized extracellular vesicles to millimeter-sized multicellular organisms. Over the past several decades, the capabilities of acoustic tweezers have expanded from simplistic particle trapping to the precise rotation and translation of cells and organisms in three dimensions. "Recent advances have led to many advanced, versatile tools," said Tony Jun Huang, the William Bevan Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, who has been working in the field for more than a decade. "However, at the end of the day, the success of this field depends on whether end users such as biologists, chemists or clinicians are willing to adopt this technology or not. This paper demonstrates a step toward a much friendlier workflow to make it easier for end users to adopt this technology." In their first application, acoustic tweezers used sound waves generated from opposite sides of a microfluidic chip or chamber to create nodes where cells or microparticles are trapped. Moving the wavefronts of the sound waves across the opposing surfaces of the chamber controlled a particle's position in two dimensions, while adjusting the sound waves' amplitudes could push or pull them in the third. More advanced setups have since been demonstrated, where sound waves reverberate throughout a fluidic chamber. For example, depending on the application, patterns can be created and changed to separate and manipulate multiple particles at once, or whirlpools can be formed to concentrate a group of particles. But no matter how advanced their abilities, acoustic tweezers have thus been relegated to prototype demonstrations and laboratories with specialized equipment; very few biologists have adopted this technology yet. "Our goal is to bridge the gap between acoustic innovations and the biological/clinical benchtop," said Huang. In the paper, Huang and his colleagues demonstrate three prototype setups that use transducers to create sound waves that manipulate particles in the most common cell culture plate found in biomedical laboratories--the Petri dish. In the first design, a set of four transducers, one on each side of the Petri dish, create sound waves that interact with one another to create a standing pattern within the dish's liquid sample. The setup could be used for multi-configuration cell patterning, cell-cell interaction studies and the construction of 3D tissues. The second design uses a tilted transducer sending an angled sound wave from beneath the Petri dish to create a whirlpool that concentrates the dish's contents in the center. This ability would allow researchers to concentrate bioparticles for signal enhancement and the construction of large cell spheroids. In the final setup, holographic interdigital transducers--two transducers fitted together like a zipper--create high-frequency beam-like waves from below the Petri dish to control particles in specific locations. By switching between different designs, the setup can stimulate cells as well as concentrate and trap bioparticles. Together, the setups demonstrate easy-to-use acoustic tweezers that can gently manipulate a wide variety of cells and particles without touching or labeling them. Potential applications include patterning and printing cells, separating and sorting cells, controlling cell-cell interactions, constructing tissues and rotating multicellular organisms. "The purpose of this study was to duplicate some of the previous functions of our acoustic tweezers in Petri dishes," said Huang, who has also cofounded a company to pursue commercialization of the technology. "Our next goal is to build a single prototype that realizes all of the abilities of these three setups, if not more." ### This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01GM132603, R01GM135486, UG3TR002978, R33CA223908, R01GM127714, R01HD086325), the United States Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (W81XWH-18-1-0242), and the National Science Foundation (ECCS-1807601). "Generating Multifunctional Acoustic Tweezers in Petri Dishes for Contactless, Precise Manipulation of Bioparticles." Zhenhua Tian, Zeyu Wang, Peiran Zhang, Ty Downing Naquin, John Mai, Yuqi Wu, Shujie Yang, Yuyang Gu, Hunter Bachman, Yaosi Liang, Zhiming Yu, Tony Jun Huang. Science Advances, 2020. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0494 FOX News Channel It's been 50 years since Geraldo Rivera made his television debut and after five decades of broadcasting, the journalist has no plans to retire. "They used to say that my life has had more ups and downs than the cycle of roller coasters at Coney Island," Rivera, 77, tells PEOPLE with a laugh. "I believe that thats true." "Im honored, Im humbled by it," the Fox News Channel roaming correspondent-at-large says of the milestone. "It exhilarates me and exhausts me." After leaving law to pursue the reporting business a decision his parents were initially "horrified" by Rivera did his first story for Eyewitness News on Sept. 8, 1970. Since becoming a journalist, Rivera has covered countless stories (including his Willowbrook State School expose), hosted his own self-titled talk show, written multiple books, traveled the globe, worked as a war correspondent, graced the cover of Playgirl magazine, competed on Dancing with the Stars, and interviewed President Donald Trump more than 30 times. RELATED: Geraldo Rivera Celebrates 50 Years in Television: See His Life and Career Throughout the Years, in Photos In celebration of Rivera hitting his 50-year anniversary in TV, the Emmy- and Peabody-award winning reporter opens up to PEOPLE about his life, including his achievements, his regrets, his friendship and support of the divisive president, having different political views than his (fifth) wife, Erica Levy, and what he still hopes to do. (Note: this interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.) How does it feel to have been in television for 50 years? Thats a huge milestone. Its funny. I think of Regis Philbin, the hardest working man in show business. I think that longevity and endurance and resilience, the fact that Ive lived through so many different trends, styles and crazies and ups and downs. They used to say that my life has had more ups and downs than the cycle of roller coasters at Coney Island. [Laughs] I believe that thats true. Im honored, Im humbled by it. It exhilarates me and exhausts me. Story continues FOX News Channel Geraldo Rivera writing John Lennons obituary for ABC Nightline in 1980. Looking back at those five decades, what do you consider to be your biggest accomplishments both personally and professionally? Substantively, I dont think it can be argued that my stories over the years about the developmentally disabled have really helped change the way intellectually disabled people are cared for from coast to coast. Every state, every city we campaigned against and effectively helped end the whole institutionalization of the population we used to refer to as mentally retarded now developmentally disabled. I think that we used television, I used I dont mean to use the imperial we but my team and I used television for positive social change. We didnt just complain about the institutionalization. We suggested and advocated for a solution to the problem, the creation of the group homes that now are prevalent throughout the nation, throughout the world, really. So I think that it is, without a doubt, my biggest triumph and its also my recurrent nightmare because its something that, having done so many stories and being so close to so many people, either with the affliction or their families or their friends or their neighbors or relatives, you carry that. I think about, I worry about and I in some ways feel almost guilty that Ive gone on in life and I live in a big house and people know me. I know this sounds weird, but whenever I see a family with a child [with Down syndrome], its like theyre related to me. They respond to me that same way. They teach the Willowbrook saga in just about every social work school at the college level and at the high school level. The film has been screened millions of millions of times. Its more than a story to me. The story of my life. I will never be able to rise to that level. Its almost like I started at the top and the rest of my life has been a follow-up. FOX News Channel Geraldo Rivera alongside Bernard Carabello (in 1988), a former resident of the infamous Willowbrook State School who spent 18 years institutionalized, although he was not mentally impaired. Carabello was released from Willowbrook following Riveras expose of the institutions practices Is there anything that you havent yet accomplished either professionally or personally that you still want to do? I sailed my boat around the world, and I sailed it 1,400 miles up the Amazon River. I rode my motorboat up the Erie Canal to be on Lake Erie here in Cleveland. I want to keep going around the great lakes and then go to Chicago and then go down the Alamo River to the Mississippi River and complete the inner loop. Thats my last remaining adventure that Ive got planned single hand I want to do it single hand. RELATED: A Birth, a Death and a Wedding Postponed: What Fox News' Bryan Llenas Learned in the Pandemic So fun! What type of boat do you have? We donated a big sailboat that we sailed around the world, Voyager. We did eight hours with the Travel Channel and all those various sagas. Now for the last 22 years Ive also had Hinckley. I have a Hinckley 36-foot picnic boat, which is easy to single hand. Its got a little joystick that goes along with the steering wheel. Its resilient, made in Maine, modeled after the old lobster boats. Me and my boat are very close. What an adventure! I look forward to it. The only reason Im not going right now this is the time I was going to do it is Im worried about the coronavirus. You go to a port in these little towns, and the whole joy of it is to, you know you stop, go to the local bar, you hang out with the folks and find out what theyre into and whatever. And you go onto the next port. And you pick them at random almost. When we came through the Erie Canal, wed go through different towns and theyd have signs up, Geraldo, stop here! because they heard that I was doing some stuff with Fox & Friends. They heard I was on the way. I love the country, but its a weird time. Theres a lot of distractions with the virus and the election. Everything else thats going on, the violence now I dont think its a good time to go traveling just yet. How long would that trip take? Oh, itll take me, you know Id have to stop and work here or there. It would take me at least six weeks to two months. Would you go by yourself or take a friend? Yeah, Id go by myself and maybe, typically what I do is I go 500 miles and maybe my brother would meet me or one of my buddies would meet me. Wed go another 100 miles or 200 miles together. Mostly single handled, but I definitely would meet friends. My wife doesnt like [laughs] spending too much time on the boat. Its funny, when we were unmarried she was my most eager sailor. But then once we got married, almost 17 years ago now, she said, no more motorcycles and I dont like the boat. FOX News Channel Geraldo Rivera, his wife Erica Levy, and their daughter Sol at Levys 40th birthday party in NYC in 2015. Is there anything you consider a regret in your life, or something you wish you had done differently? Thats a great question. Of course, youre reminded of the old Sinatra song Regrets, Ive Had a Few. You know, I kind of wish I didnt get married five times. I made choices earlier and stuck with them. I regret some of the more flamboyant aspects of the talk show years, although its hard the problem is if you start replacing [something] here or there, you start wondering about the whole edifice come tumbling down on you. I mean, the fights Ive had, and maybe attracted too much personal attention, not enough to the work. But you know, when you live through different decades now remember, this is my sixth decade. My actual anniversary is Tuesday [Sept. 8], my first story was for Eyewitness News. I covered the losing candidate for state attorney general and they only showed my hand. They cut me out of it, but they showed my hand holding the microphone with the candidate. And my mother recognized the star on my left hand I have the Star of David tattoo on my left hand and so she had been with my dad horrified that I got into the business, left law to get into the reporting business they knew nothing about. But when she saw my hand on television, she became a convert. She says that then she loved the fact that I was a big star. FOX News Channel Geraldo Rivera's children (L to R): daughter-in-law Deborah, son Cruz, daughter Isabella, daughter Sol, daughter Simone and son Gabriel, husband of Deborah. RELATED: Fox News Anchor Martha MacCallum Talks the 'Completely Different Environment' of Virtual Convention Looking at the state of our country, which seems to be so divided, Im curious what your opinions are about current events, including this election. Let me start there. I am an undecided voter leaning to President Trump, although I may vote for Kanye [West]. My wife is an ardent [Joe] Biden/[Kamala] Harris supporter. I can send you the funniest picture. We have a Biden/Harris sign in my front yard. And then a sign that I handmade right next to it that has an arrow that says wife only. Husband is undecided, leaning to President Trump. Its hilarious. Its become like a tourist attraction here in Cleveland. Everyone stops. But putting politics aside, theres no doubt that the minority populace, particularly African Americans in this country, feel that theyre really getting the short end of the stick. That they have a totally different experience in life, even with all equality and everything that we have in this country. That a Black man going out in his car at night has a whole different bundle of anxieties than a non-Black man does. I think that thats an injustice that has to be fixed in this country. I also believe that theres such dysfunction and disorder and violence in inner city communities. Remember, my first house was in the Lower East Side. My law practice was in Spanish Harlem. Im a city kid, Im a ghetto kid. I lament, I agonize over the inequalities in America and I just wish that there was a more [of] an atmosphere that was more healing and more united. That this division that has cleaved American society in half is one that I think will survive [who] wins the election and increasingly well have two Americans. Well have an America largely people of color and young idealists on the one hand; and a largely, or almost universally white side, working class who are resentful of people who want to upset the apple card. Anyway, the resentment is terrible, the anger is terrible, the division is raw and profound and undeniable. It reminds me somewhat, in 1969 I was arrested twice in Washington D.C., one of them after we kidnapped Donald Rumsfeld, who at the time was the head of the office of economic opportunity. We were legal services lawyers all Black and brown lawyers and we chained ourselves in his office. He writes about it in his autobiography. Its hilarious that he says that I grew up to be me, and there I was one of the people holding him captive. But I mean that division there was almost, that was a young-old division more or less. This is a Black-white division, rich-poor division thats much more I think raw and egregious. Then, that was mostly about kids being afraid they were going to be drafted. This is about something much more fundamental. Its about fairness, its about equality, its about how do you solve problems without violence. You did say that youre also considering voting for Kanye. What do you feel Thats kind of a joke. RELATED: Fox & Friends' Ainsley Earhardt Opens Up About Balancing Her Career and Motherhood After Divorce Being a Trump supporter and your wife being a Democrat, how are you maintaining the peace in your home? Erica now is co-hosting my daily radio show, so we get to articulate our various positions. Erica feels very strongly. She watches MSNBC most of the day. She listens to 538 and The Daily, the podcast. Shes really educating herself to a great degree about politics. We try never to debate politics in person or when were not on the air because the topic is so inflammatory. The discussion tends to be impassioned, so we kind of have a truce in our real life and save the ebb and flow of big politics for when were on the air. I support the president, but I dont endorse the president. I dont think its my job to endorse. He listens, but he doesnt always heed my advice. But Im honored that the President of the United States, the most powerful person on earth, listens to a humble Puerto Rican Jewish guy thats been knocking around television for half a century. Playgirl Geraldo Rivera's 1988 Playgirl cover Switching gears a little bit, reflecting on your Playgirl cover [Laughs] Well, I didnt look that badly. I mean, the Playgirl cover you can forgive because it was so long ago and that was when there was still a Playboy mansion and Playgirl was the hot magazine for gay guys or women. But that was that era. I dont remember what year it was, 70s or 80s. I think that much more damning, in terms of reflecting on my flamboyance, is my [near-nude] selfie. When you asked about things I regret, I thought of saying that, but then I said, Eh, I wont bring it up if she doesnt. [Laughs] But I take that into that 70 is the new 50 and I think that is much more controversial than my Playgirl cover. If you dont consider it a regret, would you cover Playgirl again if asked to be on the cover? Um, I hesitate because I would say yes, but my wife would say a resounding no; so would my daughters. So the answer is no I would not. Do you think you'll ever retire? Thats a great question. Were doing a 50th anniversary on Fox News Channel, so were going through all the photos and news clips and I had to do some on-camera stuff. And when I signed off and I thanked everybody, I just did the close an hour ago: Goodnight America and thank you for sticking with me for 50 years and so forth. And I did my kind of signature, I kissed two fingers and I made the victory sign. I said, Im Geraldo Rivera, reporting. It would be so dramatic if I just said, Im Geraldo Rivera, reporting for the last time and just walked off the set. But I dont know what I would do if I retire, to tell you the truth. I dont know. I dont know how I would fill my time. Ive written eight books, I write lots of articles, I tweet here or there. Because I know Ill still be engaged as long as I can speak, as long as I can see whats going on. I feel that I have a point of view that reflects an underserved community. I call myself roadkill. You know anything in the middle of the road is roadkill and I call myself roadkill, the moderate view of life. I think that that middle is the ground Im going to go down fighting on. If theres a job that you love and are passionate about, why retire? Fox is very good to me. Theyve been very nice. They know where I stand. I dont have a show of my own. I do [Sean] Hannity two to three times a week. I do Fox & Friends. I do Bill Hemmers show in the afternoon. And theyve been very respectful and kind. FOX News Channel Geraldo Rivera alongside the late Hugh Hefner for Good Night America in 1974. Is there anything that I didnt ask that you would like to share or include? Thats such a huge question. I am grateful for every break Ive ever had, every opportunity Ive had. Nothing has come easily. Its been at times very challenging, but its also enormously rewarding and I swear to God when I say that there are very few people who can say that they are on a first-name basis with the whole country and I think that I am. Its a huge accomplishment that youve been in it for 50 years. Ive gone through about 20 generations of television critics that said I would never last. [Laughs] I was like a one-hit wonder. Nobody knows their names. Over the weekend, FOX News Channel aired the one-hour special Fox Nation Presents: I Am Geraldo 50 Years; the entire series is available for download on FOX Nation. By Associated Press PARIS: South Korea's ambassador to France said his country managed to enforce a quick response to the coronavirus based on its previous experiences of major epidemics, at a French parliament hearing on Wednesday. Speaking before a Senate's commission of inquiry into how authorities handled the COVID-19 crisis, Choi Jong-moon detailed South Korea's effective actions to fight the spread of the virus, including quickly ratcheting up testing. "From the start of the crisis and even before the first case was confirmed, the government and local biotechnological companies started working together on developing test kits," Choi said. "A month later, we were able to test up to 40-thousand people per day." South Korea's authorities were able to deploy hundreds of centers to test people with symptoms and to quickly develop smartphone apps tracking the virus, he added. CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES Choi said authorities relied on a key 2015 law which allowed the KCDC agency, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to boost staffing and funding and become more efficient. French lawmakers are seeking to learn from the South Korean experience, as President Emmanuel Macron's government has been under criticism over the lack of masks, test capacity and other medical equipment for months after the epidemic broke out in the country. South Korea has reported at least 21,500 people infected with the virus and 344 deaths in a country with over 50 million people. France, which has about 67 million inhabitants, has reported over 335,500 cases and 30,764 deaths in hospitals and nursing homes. Choi also praised cooperation between the central government and local authorities. In France, inconsistent and uncoordinated actions from the state and regional authorities have been under criticism. In addition to two French parliament's inquiry commissions, a special French court has ordered an investigation of three current or former government minister over their handling of the coronavirus crisis. ALSO WATCH: (CNN) -- Tuesday was the first day of school for more than 1.8 million students, with most of the nation's biggest districts offering online only learning. For those that opened their doors to students, the watch for coronavirus spread begins. Several schools already have temporarily shut down again after Covid-19 outbreaks this school year. Others, including some universities, have managed to keep their cases low after testing every student returning to school. New York will make public a report card on testing and results for every school in the state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. Districts vary in offering digital or in-person learning, or a combination. "Every school district has to report every day to the Department of Health as to how many tests were taken, what type of test, what was the result," and all that information will be available online, Cuomo said. In New Jersey, about 70 schools reopened "full-blown in person," Gov. Phil Murphy told CNN's John Berman, while others there were offering remote only or a hybrid. Schools are reopening as the number of Covid-19 cases among children are rising. About 513,000 children have been infected with coronavirus as of September 3, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. In the last two weeks of the study, the number of child cases jumped by 16%, or 70,630 cases. "These numbers are a chilling reminder of why we need to take this virus seriously," said American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Sally Goza in the groups' weekly report on pediatric coronavirus cases. "While much remains unknown about COVID-19, we do know that the spread among children reflects what is happening in the broader communities," she added. While Covid-19 deaths are rare among children and young adults, many young people are suffering long-term effects from the disease. And even those without symptoms can easily spread coronavirus to others. Some colleges and universities see report rising cases Meanwhile, officials at some colleges and universities report rising cases of Covid-19 as students flout guidance on social distancing. The University of Tennessee is having a "significant issue" with some students, particularly fraternity members, Chancellor Donde Plowman said Tuesday in a live streamed update. UT has received reports that fraternities have been renting space off campus to host parties without social distancing, and telling members to not get tested -- or how to get tested so the results aren't shared with the university, she said. "Actively working to avoid isolation and quarantine is reckless and it will further spread the virus, jeopardizing everyone else's opportunity for a fall semester on campus," Plowman said. The university has 600 active Covid-19 cases, Plowman said, and all but eight are students. More than 2,000 are in quarantine or self-isolation, she said. "Our case counts are going up way too fast and we will need more drastic measures to stop the upward trajectory," Plowman said. The school is considering enforcement options and "everything is on the table at this point," the chancellor said. Waiting for outcomes from Labor Day weekend One big factor that could impact how rampantly Covid-19 spreads this fall is the outcomes from Labor Day weekend celebrations. We won't know the effects of Labor Day behavior for weeks. It takes up to 14 days for newly infected people to develop symptoms, and any new hospitalizations or deaths typically happen days or weeks after that. To avoid mistakes made during the Memorial Day and July Fourth holidays, many Americans opted to stay home or socialize safely this Labor Day weekend. Others weren't as cautious. In Brooklyn, authorities shut down a bar over the weekend after deputies found nearly 300 people packed inside, CNN affiliate WABC reported. In Nashville, thousands flocked to the bars operating with restrictions, prompting the mayor to close down portions of a road to allow for more social distancing, CNN affiliate WKRN said. In Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, crowds of visitors made social distancing nearly impossible, visitor Kristin Lefebver told CNN affiliate WBOC. "In general I thought crowds were down this summer, until we hit Labor Day weekend," Lefebver said. "As far as walking along the avenue, walking along the beach, being in the ocean, we're quite on top of each other this weekend." Vaccine makers' pledge could quash Trump's claim Despite President Donald Trump's repeated claims that vaccines could be rolled out by Election Day, more health experts are saying that's unrealistic. "The reality is I do not see a way that we will have enough data for our Data and Safety Monitoring Board to say we have a vaccine, we can approve it, and it's ready to roll out before Election Day," said Dr. Carlos del Rio, a professor at Emory University School of Medicine and one of the investigators for the Moderna vaccine. "This seems to be more of a political stunt than a public health gain. And we need to focus on the science ... and let science drive the process." The only way a vaccine could be available by Election Day "is if there are so many infections in the clinical trial sites that you get an efficacy answer sooner than you would have projected," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday during an event sponsored by Research America. "It's unlikely that we'll have a definitive answer at that time," he added. "More likely by the end of the year." Moderna is one of nine vaccine makers that has issued a joint pledge Tuesday vowing to not cut corners in terms of safety just to get a vaccine out. The pledge comes after US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn told the Financial Times that the FDA could consider emergency use authorization or approval for a Covid-19 vaccine before critical Phase 3 trials are complete. The nine companies promised they would "Only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA." Many health experts have said a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine might not be publicly available until 2021. What to do before a vaccine Doctors worry that as the weather cools down, more Americans might start socializing indoors -- where coronavirus can spread more easily. One easy way to minimize the spread is with face masks. If 95% of Americans wore face masks consistently, about 70,000 lives could be saved between August and December, according the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The problem is not everyone is heeding that message, IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray said. "We're seeing a roller coaster in the United States," Murray said. "It appears that people are wearing masks and socially distancing more frequently as infections increase, then after a while as infections drop, people let their guard down and stop taking these measures to protect themselves and others -- which, of course, leads to more infections. And the potentially deadly cycle starts over again." The effectiveness of face masks is obvious in countries that have lower rates of Covid-19 deaths than the US does, said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University. Testing also is "key to interrupting" the virus' spread, 11 National Institutes of Health directors said in a joint blog post Tuesday, "particularly of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals." "Testing can help people determine if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2 -- regardless of whether they have symptoms -- and whether they are at risk of spreading the infection to others. Taking measures to prevent the spread of infection will be the most effective strategy for getting us safely back to work and school," the directors wrote. CDC official confirms America's Covid-19 deaths are really Covid-19 deaths "When you look at countries where the mortality is a fraction of what it is in the United States, the common theme from the very beginning of the pandemic was universal masking," he said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "More students are back at school as Covid-19 cases rise among children and at colleges" An Bord Pleanala has given the green light for 324 apartments in an apartment block development for Santry despite Social Democrat co-leader Roisin Shortall expressing "ghost tower" fears for the area. In total, the appeals board has granted planning permission for almost 700 residential units in two fast-track planning applications across north Dublin and Co Kildare. In one Strategic Housing Development (SHD) plan, the appeals board granted planning permission for 324 apartments on lands north east of the Omni Park Shopping Centre, Swords Road, Dublin 9. The three apartment blocks planned by the Omni Centre Partnership Consortium are to range in height from five storeys up to 12 storeys. Outrageous The proposal also includes an 81-bedroom aparthotel. The appeals board granted planning in spite of Deputy Shortall and a large number of locals lodging objections against the proposal. In her objection against the plan, Deputy Shortall has described the 12-storey height as "outrageous" for the area. "The scale of the proposed development would present an incongruous 'landmark' overlooking residents and business in the area," she said. She further said that "12 storeys is out of sync with the low rise character of the area and wholly unsuitable for Santry". The Deputy added that "it appears to be open season for tall buildings across Santry but the long term effects of this must be considered". "High rise apartment blocks without proper infrastructure and amenities, could become 'ghost towers' littered across our community," she said. However, the appeals board found that the plan would constitute an acceptable quantum and density of development in this accessible urban location and would not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area. It also found that the proposal would be acceptable in terms of traffic and pedestrian safety. The appeals board gave the plan the go-ahead despite planners from Dublin City Council recommending the plan be refused. Separately, the appeals board dismissed the recommendation of its own inspector to give the go-ahead to Ardstone Homes Ltd for 372 residential units for lands at Crodaun, Cellbridge, Co Kildare. New research partnership with the University of Lyon (CERMEP) New scientific publications Presentation at the European Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Lyon, 9 September 2020 - Theranexus, a biopharmaceutical company innovating in the treatment of neurological diseases and pioneer in the development of drug candidates modulating the interaction between neurons and glial cells, is pleased to announce a research partnership with the University of Lyon (CERMEP), several new scientific publications and its participation in the 33rd European Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), due to take place from 12 to 15 September 2020. A constructive research partnership with the University of Lyon (CERMEP) The "Brain Imaging for Drug Discovery (BI2D)" research partnership with CERMEP was set up to develop and validate innovative neuroimaging tools for enhanced visualization of the impact of drugs on the brain, and more specifically on neurons and glial cells. The project is supported by a grant of nearly 200,000 from the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region, awarded to Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University via its Radiopharmaceutical and Neurochemical Biomarkers academic research laboratory (BIORAN) and CERMEP regional imaging platform. The partnership has already led to two publications. The first, based on the use of a new functional ultrasound imaging technology, is a preclinical paper on THN201, entitled "Pharmaco-fUS for characterizing drugs for Alzheimer's disease - The case of THN201, a drug combination of donepezil plus mefloquine,"[1] in Frontiers in Neuroscience. The article reports on research using mouse models that once again reveals how mefloquine potentiates the impact of donepezil on the activity of the brain structures involved in Alzheimer's disease, especially the hippocampus. A second article entitled "Functional ultrasound imaging to study brain dynamics: Application of pharmaco-fUS to atomoxetine"[2] has recently been published in Neuropharmacology. It reports on the use of ultrasound imaging as a tool to determine the profile of drugs targeting the central nervous system and improve understanding of the mechanism of action of drugs active in the brain. Three other new scientific publications in prestigious neurology and pharmacology journals The preclinical proof of concept of THN201,"Efficacy of THN201, a Combination of Donepezil and Mefloquine, to Reverse Neurocognitive Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease,"[3] was published in Frontiers in Neuroscience. This research revealed the superiority of THN201 over donepezil in terms of cognitive performance (learning and memory) for the first time in rodents, based on two models of Alzheimer's disease. It also highlights the role of connexins as therapeutic targets in Alzheimer's disease. Another publication entitled "Quantitative automated assays in living cells to screen for inhibitors of hemichannel function," produced in collaboration with the CEA in Grenoble, is currently under publication in the scientific journal SLAS Discovery. It reports on the development of a screening tool for connexin hemichannel activity. More than 2,000 FDA- and EMA-approved drugs were screened and new compounds modulating connexin hemichannels were identified. Finally, the article "Innovative approaches in CNS drug discovery," which describes innovative approaches to central nervous system disorders, is also set to be published soon in the journal Therapies. The article describes several innovative approaches in the field of drug discovery for CNS disorders and draws on research performed by Theranexus. A presentation at the 33rd Virtual European Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), which will run from 12 to 15 September 2020 Mathieu Charveriat, Theranexus Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder, will be chairing a session on neuroglial interactions in CNS disorders entitled "Beyond the neuron-centric paradigm: targeting astrocytes and neuroglial interactions in CNS disorders"[4] on Sunday 13 September from 4.10 to 5.20pm. During this session, he will give a first presentation on targeting astroglial connexins in CNS disorders entitled "Theranexus - targeting astroglial connexins in central nervous systems disorders." "We are deeply honored that our research has been recognized by our peers, thereby demonstrating the scientific expertise of Theranexus and that of our academic partners. This research confirms the major role of neuron-glial cell interactions as novel therapeutic targets and raises new hopes for patients suffering from nervous system disorders," concludes Franck Mouthon, Chairman, CEO and co-founder of Theranexus. [1] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.00835/full [2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028390820303415 [3] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.00563/full [4] https://www.ecnp.eu/Congress2020/ECNPcongress/programme/Programme#!sessiondetails/0000081400_0 ABOUT THERANEXUS Theranexus is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that emerged from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in 2013. It develops drug candidates for the treatment of nervous system diseases. Theranexus identified the key role played by non-neuronal cells (also known as "glial cells") in the body's response to psychotropic drugs (which target the neurons). The company is a pioneer in the design and development of drug candidates affecting the interaction between neurons and glial cells. The unique, patented technology used by Theranexus is designed to improve the efficacy of psychotropic drugs already approved and on the market, by combining them with a glial cell modulator. This strategy of combining its innovations with registered drugs means Theranexus can significantly reduce development time and costs and considerably increase the chance of its drugs reaching the market. The proprietary, adaptable Theranexus platform can generate different proprietary drug candidates offering high added-value for multiple indications. Theranexus is listed on the Euronext Growth market in Paris (FR0013286259- ALTHX). More information at: www.theranexus.com Contacts THERANEXUS Thierry Lambert Financial and Administrative Director investisseurs@theranexus.fr ACTUS finance & communication Guillaume Le Floch Investor Relations +33 (0)1 53 67 36 70 theranexus@actus.fr FP2COM Florence Portejoie Media Relations + 33 (0)6 07 76 82 83 fportejoie@fp2com.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: nW9sZpaYYW/KyGmdZsppZ2ZkmJljlGjHamGcmpWalJ7KnJ5gm5lpmZuWZm9lnmdv - 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-0-64929-theranexus_pr_scientific_news_vdef.pdf Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man was sentenced to two life terms in prison Wednesday in what is the longest local sentence in recent history. Treamon Elmore, 27, was convicted after trial of shooting two men to death with bullets to the back of their heads during an Eastwood robbery in June 2018. By the time Elmore executed them, both men had already been incapacitated inside a Lynwood Avenue apartment, state Supreme Court Justice Gordon Cuffy noted. They didnt have to die, and they didnt have to die in this horrendous fashion, Cuffy said before announcing his sentence. Its rare enough to have someone sentenced to life in prison without parole in New York -- typically, thats only reserved for the most egregious crimes after a jury trial. Even Ryan Lawrence, who killed his own young daughter and burned her body, pleaded guilty before trial to a sentence of 25 years to life. So did William Wood, who murdered two former co-workers at the Chilis restaurant in DeWitt in 2018. Same for David Renz, who raped and murdered at Great Northern Mall in 2013. Its unclear when the last time a local criminal got two consecutive life sentences -- without possibility of parole -- in state court. The lead prosecutor in Elmores case, Shaun Chase, said hed never been part of a case with such a long sentence. His boss, DA William Fitzpatrick, wasnt sure when the last time it had been done locally, either. He noted the case of Hubert Mad Dog Allen in 1985 as resulting in a similar sentence. But Allen was sentenced to 50 years to life in the slaying of his wife and their 6-year-old son. That means he will get a parole hearing in the 2030s. The law allowed Elmore to be sentenced to life in prison in two ways: once for committing murder during the course of a robbery and once for murdering more than one person in the same crime. Cuffy said he struggled with coming to his sentence for a long time, saying that life in prison without chance of parole should be reserved for only the most brutal crimes. But this one fit the bill, he concluded. The nature of these killings is so brutal, the acts so incredibly unnecessary, the judge said. Family recalled both victims, Luis Sepulveda, 21, and Christopher McLaurin, 28, as loving, good-natured friends. Sepulveda had been friendly to Elmore before; thats what made him a target. McLaurin was literally just playing video games at the time of the robbery, Cuffy said. The whole ordeal was planned out by Elmores older sister, Jazzmin, who pleaded guilty to lesser crimes after a jury stalemated while trying to decide whether to convict her of murder, too. The jury was 11 to 1, in favor of convicting her, when she pleaded guilty to a weapons charge instead, prosecutors said. But the jury in March had no problems deciding what to do with Treamon Elmore -- he was guilty of the top charges leveled against him -- multiple counts of murder, weapons possession and related charges. This was not an accident, Sepulvedas aunt, Debra Brown, said at Elmores sentencing Wednesday. This was not a disease that took their lives, but a barbaric act...it was an execution, performed not once but twice. The Elmores targeted the apartment because they knew there were drugs and cash. But neither of the victims had any chance to put up a fight and the plan going in was to rob, not kill. Jazzmin Elmore set up her brother with the target and the gun. The Elmores drafted their younger brother, Brendell, then 13, to join Treamon on the robbery. Jazzmin Elmore stayed behind. But Brendell ended up becoming the key prosecution witness against his siblings. The youngest Elmore testified at trial that he participated in the robbery, but did not shoot. The only one who went to kill that day was Treamon Elmore, the judge said Wednesday. Both victims had large family support networks that came to court Wednesday to watch Elmores sentencing. They all begged the judge for one thing: to send Elmore to prison for life. Elmores chief assigned lawyer, Ben Coffin, noted that his client suffered a childhood of neglect, abandonment and abuse. But Cuffy, the judge, noted that wasnt unusual in cases of such violence. For his part, Elmore vowed to keep fighting the conviction. Ill see you in three years after my appeal, he said. Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070. Three Republican U.S. senators on Tuesday introduced the latest legislation targeting a federal law that largely exempts tech platforms such as Facebook and Twitter from legal liability for the material their users post. The bill from Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce; Senator Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senator Marsha Blackburn, who sits on both committees, is titled the Online Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Act. There are mounting calls to reform Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Lawmakers have complained about Big Techs content moderation decisions and the legal immunity the companies enjoy has come under severe scrutiny. For too long, social media platforms have hidden behind Section 230 protections to censor content that deviates from their beliefs, Wicker said in a statement. Graham aired similar concerns, saying social media companies routinely censor content considered valid political speech. In a tweet early on Tuesday, President Donald Trump urged Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to repeal the legal shield. Why does Twitter leave phony pictures like this up, but take down Republican/Conservative pictures and statements that are true? Mitch must fight back and repeal Section 230, immediately. Stop biased Big Tech before they stop you!, Trump said, referring to an image that transposed McConnells face onto that of a Russian guard in Moscows Red Square. In May, Trump signed an executive order that seeks new regulatory oversight of tech firms content moderation decisions and backed legislation to scrap or weaken Section 230. Trump took that action after Twitter tagged the presidents unsubstantiated tweets about claims of fraud in mail-in voting with a warning prompting readers to fact-check the posts. There are several other pieces of legislation targeting Section 230 doing the rounds, including one from Democratic Senator Brian Schatz and No. 2 Senate Republican John Thune and another from Republican Senator Josh Hawley. (Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington Editing by Paul Simao) Topics Politics By PTI UNITED NATIONS: Raising concerns over threats to journalists and human rights defenders, especially women, in Pakistan, a top UN body has called on the country's leadership to unequivocally condemn incitement to violence against religious minorities and encourage respect for diversity of opinion. Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in Geneva on Tuesday that the UN's human rights body has followed with "increasing concern" numerous instances of incitement to violence - online and offline - against journalists and human rights defenders in Pakistan, in particular against women and minorities. "Especially worrying are accusations of blasphemy - which can put accused individuals at imminent risk of violence," he said in a statement. The UN human rights body calls on the Pakistani leadership to unequivocally condemn incitement to violence against religious minorities and "what appears to be an increase in the use of blasphemy laws for personal or political score-settling. We call on them to encourage respect for diversity of opinion". The statement said that last year, at least four journalists and bloggers were killed in connection with their reporting. Among them was Arooj Iqbal, a woman who was shot dead in Lahore as she sought to launch her own local newspaper. This month, journalist Shaheena Shaheen was shot dead by unidentified men in Balochistan's Kech district. Colville said that the office of the High Commissioner has raised concerns directly with the Pakistan government and "we have urged immediate, concrete steps to ensure the protection of journalists and human rights defenders who have been subjected to threats". "We also stress the need for prompt, effective, thorough and impartial investigations with a view to ensuring accountability in cases of violence and killings," he said, adding that victims and their families have the right to justice, truth and reparations. The UN agency encouraged the Pakistan government to address impediments to the active protection of the right to freedom of expression, including by carrying out legal reforms such as those recommended by the UN Human Rights Committee and other international human rights mechanisms. Colville noted that Pakistani women journalists last month publicly warned of what they described as a "coordinated campaign" of social media attacks against those who have been critical of government policies. "In the vast majority of such cases, those responsible have not been investigated, prosecuted and held to account," it said. New Delhi: Minutes after actress Rhea Chakraborty was arrested on Tuesday in a drugs case linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, social media was flooded with a quote on "smashing the patriarchy" and #JusticeForRhea started trending simultaneously. Celebrities such as Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Zoya Akhtar, Shweta Bachchan Nanda, Shibani Dandekar, Dia Mirza and several others took to social media to share the quote - something that was written on the T-shirt Rhea wore on Tuesday as she appeared before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on the third day of interrogation, hours after which she was arrested. "Roses are red, violets are blue, let's smash patriarchy, me and you," was the message written on Rhea's t-shirt. It found echo in Bollywood with the celebs sharing the quote on their respective Instagram handles and some also sought justice for her. Take a look at how Bollywood reacted to Rhea's arrest. Rhea Chakraborty was in a relationship with Sushant. The 34-year-old actor was found dead at his apartment in Mumbai on June 14. She has also been accused of abetment to suicide in connection with Sushant's death which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing, and a related money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Sushant's father KK Singh accused Rhea Chakraborty of abetting his son's suicide had also claimed that she siphoned Rs 15 crore from the actor's bank accounts. The ED launched a probe into this aspect. Meanwhile, the NCB began a probe after Rhea's phone chats revealed a drug connection in the case. The NCB has also arrested her brother Showik Chakraborty and Sushant's close aides Samuel Miranda and Dipesh Sawant. Rhea has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody as of now. A war of words has escalated between the state of Tigray and the federal government of Ethiopia, with a possible divorce looming between Tigray and the rest of the country This week, the Regional State of Tigray in Ethiopia will hold its own elections in Mekele, the capital city of the founder of the modern federal system in the country. Ethiopia, the second-most populous nation in Africa, should have held its sixth general elections this month. But the incumbent government under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed decided that the Covid-19 pandemic had made it hard for the nation to safely carry on with the process. He masterminded a controversial plan to postpone the elections by enforcing a self-extension for a year, or maybe more, for the incumbent government and presidents of the regional states until the virus no longer poses a threat to the nation of roughly 110 million people. However, the pretext of Covid-19 has fallen on deaf ears in Tigray, whose leaders have asserted more than once that they will follow through with their schedule for their elections in a bid to preserve the constitutional order in the country. A war of words has escalated between the Regional State and the federal government in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. In a stormy meeting of the cabinet of Tigray earlier this month, the leaders warned the House of Federation, Ethiopias upper chamber of parliament, against impeding or trying to sabotage the electoral process in the region. They reached the extent of making it clear that if the House of Federation passes a decision to suspend or put any other obstacle to the Tigray election, it is a declaration of war. The regions cabinet said the prime minister of Ethiopia, together with the House of Federation, would be held accountable for any damage that could follow any decision to obstruct the process. In response, the House of Federation, alone in charge of the interpretation of the countrys constitution, dubbed the process as unconstitutional. Aggravating the situation, the House said it would work on avoiding any social, economic and political harms that might be inflicted on the people of Tigray due to the reckless behaviour of its leaders. The statement implied putting into effect the threat of the Ahmed-led government to cut federal funds from the region and hinted at the possible dark scenario of a federal military intervention to topple the current cabinet in Tigray. For this reason, the latter called on the people of the region to be prepared to ensure their imminent victory by blocking any interventions by the federal government. In practice, the electoral process in Tigray is not a sign of defiance or a mere rejection of the Ahmed-led governments authority because it is another serious form of collision with the current regime in Ethiopia. It is an exercise of a constitutional right, enshrined in the countrys 1994 Constitution, to self-autonomy, under which the countrys ten regions can not only administer their own affairs, but can also proceed with secession should they wish to do so. So, the argument that the electoral process in Tigray contravenes the constitution seems to be a political statement rather than a defence of law and order. Will Ahmed push the Tigrayan leaders to go ahead with that plan? Since Ahmed assumed office, he has been at loggerheads with the Tigrayans, particularly after he fired all their federal ministers and removed their senior leaders from the Ethiopian intelligence and military. Ahmed also turned a blind eye to a public campaign that demonised the Tigrayans, putting all the blame on them for their plight and for the current split in the nation over the ethno-federal system their godfather, the late Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi, introduced in 1993. Personal and political ambition should not, however, be excluded as a reason for the escalating tension between Ahmed and the Region of Tigray. When the less political ambitious Hailemariam Desalegn stepped down as prime minister of Ethiopia two years ago, against the backdrop of wide protests that originated in the Oromia Region and later engulfed the whole nation, Ethiopias former deputy prime minister Debretsion Gebremichael, the current president of the Region of Tigray, was looking forward to assuming the vacant office. At a time when Tigrayans were sweeping up almost all the top and most-influential posts in the Ethiopian political system under Zenawi, it was believed that all the security apparatus in Ethiopia was directly reporting to Gebremichael, who was being either self-groomed or backed by his fellow Tigrayans to assume the office of prime minister. The reason was clear: to ensure that Zenawis Ethiopia continued to survive; that the Tigrayans political influence and financial and economic gains would not be depleted; and, most importantly, that the sense of Tigrays elitism would remain unchallenged. These plans, to the dismay of the man himself and subsequently to his entourage, were just castles in the air, however, because the members of the now-defunct former-ruling Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) voted for a lesser-known political figure instead, whose ethnic affiliation was the main reason he was picked as prime minister. This figure, Abiy Ahmed, hails from Oromia. The step was aimed to quell the protests and extinguish the fire that could have destroyed the very basis of the nation. Maybe on that occasion the Tigrayans thought they could continue to steer the course of Ethiopian politics from behind the scenes just as they had with the Desalegn-led cabinet. To their outrage, that plan did not work out either. Even though picking an Oromo did manage to quell the Oromia-based rebellion, at least temporarily, ensuing events showed things under Ahmed going from bad to worse. It is true that he did introduce sweeping democratic reforms, and he did free the press, though the situation now is cast in the same mould as under Zenawi with a continuing crackdown on journalists and the shutting down of opposition media outlets. Ahmed initiated a peace agreement with Eritrea after accepting the return of Badme, a border town adjacent to Tigray, to Eritrea, a step that infuriated some Tigrayan ultranationalists who believe in a Greater Tigray as they hold the view that their Region sustained the most damage during the two-year border war in 1998. But Abiys tragic flaw has been that he has not been able to solicit the needed support from the Ethiopian Regions, particularly from the politically seasoned Tigrayan leaders, at least willingly. The last straw was surely the dissolving of the ruling EPRDFs coalition into a single party, the Ethiopian Prosperity Party. This heightened the fears of a small ethnicity like the Tigrayans, who make up less than six per cent of the population, of being devoured by the larger ethnicities, particularly the Oromo and Amhara. No matter how the incumbent government under Abiy Ahmed responds to the Tigray elections, it is crystal clear that divorce is looming between the former hub of the modern Ethiopian polity, Tigray, and Ethiopia as a whole, triggering turmoil that could lead to domino effects elsewhere in the country. *The writer is a former press and information officer in Ethiopia and an expert on African affairs. *A version of this article appears in print in the 10 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: CAMBRIDGE A young woman is facing weapons charges after a fight between two youth. On Tuesday at around 5:45 p.m., Waterloo Regional Police were called to the area of Lena Crescent and Conestoga Boulevard in Cambridge for the report of a disturbance. When they arrived, the fight was already broken up and a youth was found suffering from minor injuries. After an investigation, police arrested a female youth on several charges including assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and three counts of uttering threats. The tourist destination of Clearwater, Florida, is seeking an agency that can boost brand recognition and position the Tampa Bay city as an ideal location to do business. James D. Schultz, who was an associate White House counsel for President Trump, joins Holland & Knight as a partner. He has been with the Philadelphia-based law firm Cozen O'Connor. Read more James D. Schultz, a former senior associate White House counsel, has joined Holland & Knights Philadelphia office as a partner in its public policy and regulation practice who will also lead a government advocacy group in the Northeastern U.S., the law firm announced Wednesday. Schultz, 48, comes from Cozen, OConnor, where he was chairman of the government and regulatory practice group for the city-based firm. Holland & Knight, headquartered in Miami and has more than two dozen offices across the nation, has been building up its presence in Philadelphia and the region. Jim is an important addition [who] will help us continue to grow our ability to represent clients in a number of strategic markets, said Steven Sonberg, Holland & Knight managing partner. Earlier, Schultz worked in the office of the White House counsel during the first year of the Trump administration. advised the president and staff on government contracting, procurement transportation and infrastructure. He also helped select nominees for seats on federal district courts and courts of appeals, and advised White House staff on complying with ethics laws. Holland & Knight is one of the top law firms in the country, with a strong bipartisan bench of lawyers and public policy professionals, Schultz said in a statement. Im delighted to join such an impressive team. Rich Gold, the leader of the firms public policy and regulatory practice, said Schultz will expand its state capitals practice in Pennsylvania and throughout the Northeast, while continuing to represent clients in Washington. From 2011 through 2014, Schultz was general Commonwealth counsel under Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, managing an organization of 500 lawyers representing the agencies of state government. WASHINGTON The United States is cutting troop levels in Iraq roughly in half, to 3,000 forces, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East said Wednesday, in a long-expected move that will help fulfill President Donald Trumps goal of reducing the Pentagons overseas deployments. The decision to reduce the 5,200 troops now in Iraq comes three weeks after Trump met with Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the Iraqi prime minister, in Washington, in part to finalize details of the drawdown, which will happen this month. This reduced footprint allows us to continue advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in rooting out the final remnants of ISIS in Iraq and ensuring its enduring defeat, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the head of the militarys Central Command, said in remarks in Iraq on Wednesday, using an alternative name for the Islamic State group. McKenzie, who last month signaled the impending troop cuts, said improvements in the Iraqi militarys campaign against the Islamic State enabled the Pentagon to make the additional troop cuts. This decision is due to our confidence in the Iraqi security forces increased ability to operate independently, McKenzie said. Drawing down to 3,000 troops would bring U.S. force levels in Iraq roughly back to where they were in 2015, when the United States was in the early phase of its campaign against the Islamic State, which captured one-third of the country. The move comes eight weeks before the November presidential election and allows Trump to tell voters he is fulfilling a campaign promise to bring home the troops. But the cuts are relatively modest and pale in comparison to the much larger reductions from when U.S. force levels in the country peaked at more than 150,000 service members at the height the Iraq War. Trump has long vowed to withdraw all U.S. forces from the region, from both Iraq and Syria. Were bringing them home from Syria. Were bringing them home from Iraq, he said on Fox & Friends last month. These endless wars, they never stop. In his meeting with al-Kadhimi, Trump reiterated his desire to remove troops from the area. So at some point, we obviously will be gone, Trump said. We look forward to the day when we dont have to be there, and hopefully Iraq can live their own lives and they can defend themselves, which theyve been doing long before we got involved. In a meeting with journalists after the White House gathering, al-Kadhimi reaffirmed the need for U.S. military assistance to help fight remnants of the Islamic State. ISIS sleeper cells are still operating in Iraq, said al-Kadhimi, a former chief of Iraqi intelligence, speaking through an interpreter. The threat is still there. The Islamic State in Iraq is still able to wage a low-tech, low-cost, largely rural and lethal campaign, American and Iraqi counterterrorism officials say. While the Islamic State has not carried out attacks on the scale that it did a few years ago, the number of attacks began to grow again earlier this year. The Pentagon is reluctant to keep more than the absolute minimum of troops in Iraq because they have been attacked by Iranian-backed militias. An attack on an Iraqi base in March killed three soldiers of the U.S.-led military coalition there, two of them Americans, and wounded 14. Since then, the United States has consolidated its troops on fewer bases, a repositioning that McKenzie acknowledged last month had diverted resources from fighting the Islamic State. Separately, the training mission has been suspended for the past several months because of concerns about the coronavirus. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Tiffany & Co sued LVMH in Delaware Wednesday after the luxury goods giant said it was backing out of a $16.2billion takeover of the jewelry retailer. LVMH claimed it was ending the takeover deal as the French government had requested a delay to assess the threat of proposed U.S. tariffs amid wider industry troubles caused by the pandemic. The French government, it said, wished to push back the acquisition to after January 6, 2021. The Paris-based conglomerate claimed Tiffany also wanted to push the deal back to December 31. LVMH is ending its pursuit of luxury jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co., citing in part the impact of proposed tariffs on French goods. The Paris-based conglomerate said that it needs more time to assess the impact of U.S. tariffs on French goods and cannot close the deal before year-end As a result, LVMH said, the deal that was scheduled to close November 24 will be canceled. Tiffany replied that it's suing to enforce the merger agreement, which was signed in November 2019. The New York company said LVMHs argument has no basis in French law. Tiffany also said that LVMH hasn't even attempted to seek the required antitrust approval from three jurisdictions, including the European Union. They said that this would make finalization of the deal difficult before November 24. 'We believe that LVMH will seek to use any available means in an attempt to avoid closing the transaction on the agreed terms,' Tiffany Chairman Roger Farah said. 'But the simple facts are that there is no basis under French law for the Foreign Affairs Minister to order a company to breach a valid and binding agreement.' The merger date had already been pushed back from the initial deadline of August 24. Shares in Tiffany slid 9 percent in premarket trading in New York. Those in LVMH, which owns 75 brands including Christian Dior, Fendi, Givenchy and Tag Heuer, were stable. The deal's value came under strain during the coronavirus pandemic, which caused retail sales to plunge around the world. The luxury goods giant is ending its takeover deal of luxury jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co., citing in part the threat of proposed U.S. tariffs on French goods. Pictured, CEO of LVMH Bernard Arnault presents the group's 2019 results during a press conference, in Paris Tiffany's share price took a nose dive Wednesday as the lawsuit was announced Shares in LVMH, which owns 75 brands including Christian Dior and Tag Heuer, were stable Tiffany's share price has been trading around $125 a share for weeks - below the $135 per share price that LVMH had agreed to pay last fall, before the pandemic. Back then, industry experts had said the deal made sense. Tiffany, known for its delicate jewelry, distinctive blue boxes and an Audrey Hepburn movie, had been trying to transform its brand to appeal to younger and more digital shoppers, and could have used an owner with deep pockets to help expand. LVMH, led by billionaire Bernard Arnault, had thought the deal would strengthen its position in the U.S. market. It was the biggest takeover they had undertaken and was part of Armault's plan to expand their jewelry business, one of the fastest-growing sectors in the industry. LVMH was also making a bet on China's economy, where Tiffany had been expanding its presence. The pandemic threw all those assumptions and plans in doubt and the business model came under threat as travel restrictions stay in place and travelers remain cautious of overseas trips. The threat of new tariffs between the U.S. and Europe was cited as a further complicating issue. LVMH is ending its monthslong pursuit of luxury jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co., citing in part the impact of proposed tariffs on French goods. Pictured, people walk past a Tiffany jeweler shop Last year, France sought to impose a tax on global tech giants including Google, Amazon and Facebook. The French tech tax is aimed at 'establishing tax justice'. France wants digital companies to pay their fair share of taxes in countries where they make money instead of using tax havens, and is pushing for an international agreement on the issue. In response to the tech tax, the U.S. threatened to slap 100 percent tariffs on $2.4billion of French products. The two sides are at a tense truce as France has said it would delay collection of the digital tax until December, parking the issue until after the next U.S. presidential election where Trump hopes to secure another four-year term. According to the Wall Street Journal, Arnault began reviewing whether to move forward with the deal in the summer but analysts say there is little leeway there for him to back out. The French government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Burkina Faso on Wednesday declared a state of natural disaster after 13 people died in floods following heavy rains in the country since last week, the government announced in Ouagadougou More than 300 rights groups and other organisations called on the UN Wednesday to launch an international investigation into Beijing's human rights abuses, demanding "decisive action". In an open letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet as well as to member states, the 321 civil society groups called for international scrutiny of "the Chinese government's human rights violations." "The international community can no longer sit back and allow the Chinese authorities to trample on human rights at home and abroad," Joshua Rosenzweig of Amnesty International, one of the signatories, said in a joint statement. In their letter, the NGOs pointed to an unprecedented call in June from dozens of independent UN experts for urgent action from the UN Human Rights Council to address the repression of fundamental freedoms in China. Also Read: China's top diplomat Wang Yi dismisses European rights concerns The June statement had highlighted rights violations in Hong Kong, Tibet and against the majority-Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang, as well as suppression of vital information in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and attacks on rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and government critics across the country. On Wednesday, the NGOs stressed that they were also deeply concerned by "the impact of China's rights violations world-wide," pointing among other things to the targeting of rights defenders and internet censorship and digital surveillance. They also pointed to allegations China was suppressing academic freedom in countries worldwide, and decried "the racist treatment of people in China, or by Chinese state actors in other parts of the world." And they charged that Beijing was working to "distort the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council ... (by) opposing initiatives to bring scrutiny of serious rights violations and international crimes in countries around the world." "A state that tries to hold itself above any kind of scrutiny presents a fundamental threat to human rights," the letter warned. Sarah Brooks of the International Service for Human Rights, which also signed Wednesday's letter, meanwhile stressed in the joint statement "China's disdain for human rights no longer affects only its citizens." Also Read: Over 160 rights groups call on IOC chief to revoke 2022 Beijing Winter Games "Its support for dictators and efforts to rewrite international standards are making the work of defending human rights harder than ever." When asked about the letter, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the "claims made by these organisations are groundless and not worth refuting." Wednesday's letter called on the Human Rights Council to host a special session to evaluate China's rights violations, and urged it to establish an "impartial and independent UN mechanism to closely monitor, analyse and report annually on the topic." A police officer accused of choking an unmasked woman in a dramatic Melbourne arrest that went viral on social media has been cleared. A 21-year-old woman from St Kilda became involved in a violent altercation on August 12 when police approached her in Collingwood for not wearing a mask. Footage emerged of a male officer placing his hands around the woman's neck during the arrest as she yelled for him to get off. The woman (pictured) admitted she gave police the finger when asked why she wasn't wearing a mask Footage shows a woman being choked by a police officer in Melbourne after she was caught without a mask She was seen speaking with a male police officer without a mask, but the confrontation quickly turned violent when the officer appeared to place his hands around her neck, clearly visible because of his lilac latex gloves. 'He's choking me. He's choking me. Get off of me. Get off,' the woman yells. The female officer can be heard telling the woman to let go of the officer's vest in a clip filmed by another onlooker and he keeps his grip around her neck. The woman then lashed out at the female officer, kicking her in the chest, before being tackled to the ground. 'Tell me what the f*** I've done?' the woman asks. The male officer pushes her against the wall and the woman removes her hands from his vest and punches him in the chest. The male officer then pulls her to the ground to arrest her as another clip shows him sitting on top of her as he waits for backup to arrive. The woman can be heard repeatedly screaming 'He's choking me' throughout the clip A female officer appears to try to speak to the woman as the male officer keeps his grip around her neck (pictured, left and right) The woman can be seen struggling, with her feet flapping against the footpath as she questions what she is being arrested for. A friend then starts filming the arrest, telling the officer the woman has an exemption for wearing a mask. As she was led away to a police van, a male filming the arrest said: 'She's got a note from the doctor. Youse are f***ed'. Victoria Police later confirmed she had an exemption for disobeying coronavirus health requirements to wear a mask, having earlier refused to provide her name and address. The video, which was captured by an onlooker in an apartment building in Melbourne, begins with the male officer speaking to the red headed girl in baggy jeans (pictured, left and right) She was later charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police, but was not fined for failing to wear a mask because of the exemption. The arrest was referred to Victoria Police's professional standards command for oversight, and a spokeswoman confirmed that it had been debriefed internally. 'No further action will be taken,' a statement said on Monday. The woman told 7News she gave officers the finger when they asked her why she wasn't wearing a face covering, but claimed their response was excessive. Lloyds Bank has been given a slap on the wrist for forcing small businesses who were desperate for an emergency coronavirus loan to open an account with them. The high street lender was rebuked by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for 'bundling' making 30,000 customers open a fee-paying account when all they wanted was a Government-backed Bounce Back loan. Lloyds will now have to write to these customers, telling them that they can switch their account to a new provider while keeping the loan or offering them a fee-free account to service the loan. Lloyds was rebuked by the Competition and Markets Authority for 'bundling' - making 30,000 customers open a fee-paying account when all they wanted was a Bounce Back loan The ruling is a setback for chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio as his tenure comes to an end. The Portuguese 56-year-old is leaving next year after a decade in charge in which he has been paid 56million. Adam Land, senior director at the CMA, said: 'By forcing businesses to open current accounts as a pre-condition to access this [Bounce Back] scheme, Lloyds breached the CMA undertakings it signed, reduced choice and put their customers at risk of being unnecessarily charged.' After the Government launched its Bounce Back loans in May, more than 1.4m businesses applied for cash to help them make ends meet. The loans charged low interest and are 100 per cent guaranteed by the Government, meaning the banks cannot lose out. Thousands of firms which applied were run by owners without a formal business account, who had previously run their business through a Lloyds personal account. This is not strictly allowed under the terms and conditions of a personal account but, since many firms were under pressure, most banks turned a blind eye. However, Lloyds had no way to make a business loan to a personal account holder. So, to get money swiftly out of the door to desperate businesses, it forced them to open a business account. Though Lloyds did not charge for this business account for 12 months, any customer who kept it for longer than that would have ended up paying 7 a month. The bank was aware that this may have breached the CMA's rules, and referred itself immediately to the watchdog. Lloyds said: 'Any other solution would have created unnecessary delays at a critical time. All business current accounts benefit from 12 months free banking. 'We proactively informed the CMA of our approach and are now writing to customers to reiterate that they can transfer their account to a free loan servicing account' Since May, Lloyds has handed out more than 250,000 Bounce Back loans, worth more than 7.5billion. The entire scheme has so far lent 35.5billion to 1.2m small businesses. PITTSBURGH, PA The Allegheny County Health Department has shut down Oddballs on East Carson Street in the South Side for multiple violations of the state's coronavirus restrictions on bars and restaurants. A recent inspection found: The tavern was operating beyond an 11 p.m. curfew. No social distancing was in place. More than 200 people were in the bar, vastly exceeding the restriction of a maximum of 30 patrons. No masks or face coverings were observed. Alcohol was being served without food. The tavern will be closed for a minimum of seven days. Read the entire inspection report here. This article originally appeared on the Pittsburgh Patch Why India can never let its guard down against Christian missionaries and their NGOs India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 09: In a further crackdown, the government suspended the foreign funding of NGOs that were allegedly indulging in regions conversions in tribal areas. The decision was taken under the provisions of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act, 2010. The registration to receive foreign donations for religious purposes were suspended and their bank accounts were frozen, following reports from the Intelligence Bureau which said that these NGOs in several states, especially Jharkhand were converting locals to Christianity. It may be recalled that in 2019, it was made mandatory for associations, especially the NGOs to file an affidavit declaring that its office bearers have not been prosecuted or convicted for forced conversions and creating communal tensions. This was made mandatory in order to apply for permission or renewal of registration under the FCRA. Love Jihad is real, Christian women being lured into trap says Kerala Church The latest decision by the Union Home Ministry was taken under Section 12 (4). This empowers the FCRA authorities to suspend the licence of an NGO/association that has indulged in activities aimed at conversion through inducement or force. Earlier, under Section 12 (4) only the chief beneficiary had to make such a declaration. However an affidavit notified by the Home Ministry in 2019 said that the office bearers have to give an undertaking stating that any violation of the provisions of Section 12 (4) by the application organisation or any of its members or office bearers or key functionaries that come to his or her knowledge must be reported. The notification stated that the affidavit must be filed by all office bearers along with Form FC-3A (fresh registration), FC-3B (prior permission) and FC-3C (renewal of registration) on a non-judicial stamp paper. The same must be attested by a public notary or judicial magistrate first class. Further, the notification stated that the affidavit should declare that the entity is not fictitious, has not been prosecuted or convicted for indulging in forced religious conversion or creating communal tension and is not engaged in propagation of sedition or found guilty of misappropriating funds. Despite the crackdown and strengthening of the laws, NGOs and missionaries continue to indulge in activities that are against the nation. The aim of the missionaries for long has been to break Indian society. They exploit the existing fault lines along religion, caste, community, language, ethnicity and race. They set up conversion factories, target the tribals in a bid to divide society. As part of the larger conspiracy the missionaries have been funding the naxalites, leftist thinkers especially in the main-stream English media. Many write ups have appeared in which it is made too look as though Hinduism is nothing but a religion of superstition. Articles blaming Hinduism for all the evils in society have also surfaced several times. Funding comes in various forms. Foreign funding forms bulk of the amount and there are dedicated Churches abroad to oversee this. Collecting big donations in convent schools are also part of the exercise. Funding through allied businesses such as driving schools, computer institutes, de-addiction centres and vocational training institutes too have been found. However a large part of the funding has always been through NGOs. Funds have also been raised through militant outfits and naxalites. Extortion, national tax as has been seen in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are some examples of this. Income raised through illegal mining, tree felling and the money raised through drug trade have also found its way into the coffers of the missionaries. Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that this is an ongoing menace and we have to continue to keep our guard up. Many would keep trying to destabilise the country in various ways and these missionaries and the NGOs attached to them do just that. As it often said the West has four wings of the armed forces- The Army, Airforce, Navy and Church. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, September 9, 2020, 11:15 [IST] Richmond Times-Dispatch RICHMOND In between the house and the chicken coop at Promise Land Pastures, Reuben Smith has a raised bed of corn, squash and runner beans. Planted together, the crops are called the Three Sisters, a centuries-old technique Smith learned from Native Americans in the surrounding Charles City County area. To the untrained eye, the bed looks like a tangle of green shoots and leaves, but every plant is in its place. Every plant is playing a role. The corn acts as a trellis for the beans. The beans add nitrogen to the soil, which helps the other plants grow. The large leaves of the squash shade the ground and prevent weeds. In more ways than one, the plot is a metaphor for Promise Land and the Charles City community. Its embracing a longtime tradition. Its finding solutions within the community. Its symbiosis. Demographically, its an overlooked place because its so spread out, Smith said of the spacious county of not even 7,000 residents. Really, its almost a forgotten community. Promise Land is both a working farm and an outreach center aimed at promoting community agriculture and education. Smith bought the land in 2014, and for the past six years, he and his wife have been building, expanding and planning. Last year, Promise Land received tax-exempt nonprofit status. One of its first projects has been animal husbandry, and the farm features goats, sheep and about 400 egg-laying chickens. Most of the eggs are sold for $6 a dozen at a market in Richmonds West End. The rest go to the Storehouse, a food pantry under Promise Lands umbrella. The beauty of it is that we get to produce the top-tier food products that then can go to low-income people in the county, who can help produce them together with us, said Smith, the nonprofits executive director. But [they] also get to enjoy things that really are out of reach for them for the most part. Some chickens are donated to a local missionary kitchen to be processed into chicken and dumplings, which feeds community members in need. The plan is to develop a similar cycle for everything the farm produces: Sell some, and send the rest back to the community that helped grow it. The Storehouse is a recent addition to Promise Lands operation. When the pandemic hit, the nonprofit wanted to do its part. Charles City is a food desert there isnt a grocery store in the county. And an estimated 1 in 5 residents dont know where their next meal is coming from, according to a 2017 Charles City County Health Coalition report. Since 2013, the county social services department has been talking about bringing a permanent food pantry to the area. But with the small population, it has been hard to convince large grocery chains or nonprofits, for that matter that coming to the area makes economic sense. It makes it difficult for people to feel like it warrants attention, Smith said of the county. When the pandemic hit, the need only grew. Promise Land wanted to help, but it didnt have the space or equipment to run a food bank. Again, the solution was found within the community. Charles City Public Schools offered temporary rent-free space, and the farm was able to get a COVID-19 grant to pay for refrigerators, freezers and other supplies. Promise Land will seek more permanent space of its own for the Storehouse, which is one of the farms three major aims. v v v A second mission is youth classes. Smith hopes to draw on the expertise of the community to teach local high-schoolers marketable skills. Classes are tentatively scheduled to start in October, with offerings such as beekeeping and forestry. Classes will be taught by local business owners or other mentors who can pass on their trade skills. Smith hopes this will connect employers with potential employees who have a passion in the field, a link that Smith said has been missing in Charles City. The students feel like they have to go away to get work, and the business feels like they have to look outside of the county to find the employees, he said. What were trying to do is build a bridge from the school to the local businesses, which represents really great opportunities for all parties. According to census data, there are only 1,648 jobs in Charles City, and residents have an average commute to work of nearly 35 minutes. While the classes have yet to begin, Promise Land had an intern this year to help set the path for future programs. Christian Stewart recently graduated from Charles City High School. He has always had a passion for wilderness conservation but didnt see many opportunities to work outside in his community. Like many people in Charles City, he heard about the farm through word of mouth. In his internship, he learned to plant crops, build enclosures and perform electrical work, but he also learned communication and time-management skills. Although hes off to college this fall, Stewart said he hopes he might be able to return as a mentor down the line. v v v The third of Promise Lands three missions is research and development. Looking at the farms 124 acres from above, the land is dotted with what Smith calls experimental projects. That includes raised beds that Stewart made from pallets using 3D modeling. Smith also designed and built a system in the chicken coop that rolls the eggs down and under the nest boxes for easy collection. Theres a small shed in the back of the property that will be used for a drone class in the fall. Smiths father will teach a course that will help students build and program drones for agricultural use, from herding livestock to simply patrolling farmland. The goal is that students will build a drone and become licensed drone pilots. The drones could then be sold to other farms. Smith doesnt have a background in computer science or engineering he studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University. Everything he knows, he has learned from experience. Smith and his wife spent many years doing similar types of missionary work in the Bahamas. As with using 21st- century technology to build on centuries-old farming practices, the Smiths hope outreach will expand skills and engagement in Charles City. The first session of community farming is scheduled to kick off in mid-September. Residents will pay a small fee and will be taught the basics of agriculture. Down the line, Smith said, the resulting produce could end up at the Storehouse or even at a roadside stand, where high school students could learn business practices. Smith hopes Promise Land can be a model to other forgotten communities. Its an experiment to see how do you transform a community by becoming a hub of collaboration, Smith said. Youre not just coming in just to slap a Band-Aid on a problem. Youre coming in to be a servant to the community. A federal appeals court Wednesday rejected the plea of a central Pennsylvania couple who sought to revive a civil rights lawsuit they filed against a state trooper who shot and killed their dog. That ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit will likely end four years of legal wrangling over the death of the Rottweiler-Lab mix named Ace. Jeffrey and Lindsey Bletz had sued Trooper Jeremy Corrie for killing their dog at their York County home in May 2014. The Bletzes claimed the shooting was unwarranted. Corrie contended he fired because he feared Ace was going to attack him. The couple appealed to the circuit court after U.S. Middle District Senior Judge Yvette Kane dismissed their suit last year. Kane found that Corrie was legally immune from the suit. She also concluded the shooting was justified and didnt violate the Bletzs civil rights. Corrie was part of a team of law enforcement officers who were serving a search warrant for an armed robbery suspect at the Bletz home in Lower Windsor Township. Court filings state that Corrie claimed Ace jumped toward him and snarled when the dog was let out into the yard. He said he fired one shot, missed and backed away. Corrie claimed Ace began circling around him in a aggressive posture, snarling and showing its teeth, so he fired twice more, hitting Ace with one bullet. Corrie acted reasonably under the circumstances, Kane concluded. The circuit court backed her decision in an opinion by Judge L. Felipe Restrepo. Corrie acted reasonably in shooting Ace, whose behaviors presented an imminent threat to his physical safety, Restrepo wrote. The Bioclimatology Group of the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology at the University of Gottingen is part of the ICOS European Research Infrastructure network with a meteorological station in the Hainich National Park. Credit: Alexander Knohl The drought that hit central and northern Europe in summer 2018 had serious effects on crops, forests and grasslands. Researchers from the European Research Infrastructure Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS), including researchers from the University of Gottingen, are showing what effects this had and what lessons can be learned. The results of 16 studies that are currently underway have been published as a special issue in the journal Philosophical Transactions. The interdisciplinary teams shed light on different aspects of this research. Among many findings, they found that the plants initially benefited from the warm and sunny conditions in spring, but had too little water available for their roots when the summer heatwave started. As a result, grasslands began to dry up and numerous arable areas recorded the lowest yields for decades. The forests protected themselves by greatly reducing their evaporation for several weeks, but this then led to a sharp drop in carbon dioxide uptake. Such effects were observed simultaneouslyall the way from Switzerland to the Netherlands and Germany, and from the Czech Republic to Sweden and Finland. The Bioclimatology Group of the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology at the University of Gottingen contributes to ICOS with a meteorological station in the Hainich National Park. For the last 20 years every 30 minutes, the station has measured the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water vapor exchange between forest and atmosphere. Comparing the data across Europe shows that the area under investigation is one of those most affected by the 2018 drought. "In 2018, the CO 2 uptake calculated over the whole year was about 30 percent lower than the average of the past 20 years," says Head of the Group Professor Alexander Knohl. "On some days in the summer of 2018, the forest actually emitted carbon dioxide instead of absorbing it," adds Dr. Lukas Siebicke. "In the past 20 years, this has never happened before." The carbon dioxide and water vapour exchange between forest and atmosphere has been continuously measured at the measuring tower every 30 minutes for 20 years. Credit: Alexander Knohl The measurements from the meteorological station in the Hainich National Park are of great international scientific importance for two reasons: it is one of the world's longest time series for such continuous measurements; and it is one of the oldest unmanaged forests in which such measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor exchange takes place. ICOS is a European research infrastructure for measuring carbon dioxide fluxes between land, ocean and atmosphere. Across Europe, 140 measuring stations in twelve countries are involved. ICOS stations are subject to a rigorous quality assurance process and provide standardized data that is made freely available for research, teaching and other applications. ICOS provides essential data for the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and for the decision-making processes within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Explore further A difficult year for forests, fields and meadows More information: Wouter Peters et al. A historical, geographical and ecological perspective on the 2018 European summer drought, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2020). Wouter Peters et al. A historical, geographical and ecological perspective on the 2018 European summer drought,(2020). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0505 Exam topics document the knowledge and skill areas that conform to the standards for the industry. And by studying and becoming apt in them, you'll pass your assessment and will be successful in your job. So, this post focuses on the objectives of the Microsoft MS-700 test. A good score in this accreditation leads to the Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Cisco offers, which will be a great boost to your career. MS-700 Domains Microsoft includes the MS-700 objectives after doing a comprehensive analysis for job requirements for you to make use of them once you perform your duties at work: Planning and configuring an environment for Microsoft Teams In this Administering, you need to first learn how to upgrade to Microsoft Teams from Skype for Business. The next step there is planning and configuring Microsoft Teams network settings. The other tasks for Microsoft Teams under this category are implementing governance as well as a lifecycle control, configuring and managing guest access, security, and compliance. You should also learn how to carry out deployment and management for endpoints, and monitoring and analyzing service usage. Managing chat, calling, and meetings MS-700 also prepares you for the management of chat, calling as well as meetings. The sub-topics to boost your Solutions and skills in this role include managing chat as well as collaboration experience, being in charge of meeting experiences, phone numbersas well as systems. Managing Teams and app policies You should also know how to manage teams as well as policies for apps before you can be ready for your MS-700. In this section, you'll be learning about managing a team and its membership, and implementing policies targeting apps for Microsoft Teams. As far as you can see, the areas tested for instructor don't just outline the important things to know about such an assessment, but also prepare you for the Teams Administrator job role that you're to do in the future. Our next step is a focus on whether practice tests can be of help in mastering the virtual modes exam domains. Can Practice Tests Assist in Mastering Exam MS-700 Objectives? The demanding nature of assessments calls for the kind of preparation that makes the whole process manageable and successful. With practice tests, you can learn about the MS-700 objectives including the main domain areas so that you can cover what really matters for your exam. Apart from easing your adoption of knowledge for lectures, they also help you in discovering aspects like question styles and knowing how best to manage the available time during the real assessment. In essence, practicing for your accreditation using the right practice materials assists in learning the exam objectives, question styles, and helps you improve the most combination. Conclusion Taking the step of studying the Microsoft MS-700 objectives exposes to you the content as well as what your expected job role entails. Use materials such as practice tests to assist your learning and reinforceyour knowledge. When it comes to passing this test and earning the Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate badge, adopting the right way to prepare should always be the case. May your preparation produce great results in your finalassessment! White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump 'never lied to the American public' on the coronavirus pandemic. 'The president has never lied to the American public on COVID. He was expressing calm,' she said in her press briefing as she batted away question after question about allegations in Bob Woodward's forthcoming book 'Rage.' 'This president does what leaders do. Stay calm and resolute at a time when you face a challenge,' she said. McEnany's 25-minute briefing was dominated with questions about President Trump's comments to Woodward on the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 6.35 million Americans and killed more than 190,000 people. Her briefing began shortly after 1 p.m. more than an hour after its scheduled noon start. The first excerpts from Woodward's forthcoming book dropped shortly before noon. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said President Donald Trump 'never lied to the American public' on the coronavirus pandemic President Trump gave 18 interviews to Bob Woodward for his upcoming book 'Fear' Trump, in recorded phone interviews with the author in February, gave a starkly different assessment of COVID in private than he was giving to the public as the virus was spreading from China to other parts of the world. 'This is deadly stuff,' the president told Woodward, according to excerpts from the book published by The Washington Post and CNN. 'You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed,' Trump told him in a Feb. 7 call. 'And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.' But he told reporters on that same date, as he was traveling to North Carolina, that he thought China was 'doing a very good job' handling the virus. And he tweeted on the same day that China 'will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone.' McEnany said Wednesday that President Trump never 'down played the virus' and argued he was handling the situation while impeachment proceedings were happening on Capitol Hill. 'The president never down played the virus. The president expressed calm and he was serious about this when Democrats were pursuing their sham impeachment,' she said. She argued President Trump took the virus seriously from the start, repeating the often used White House argument about implementing the travel ban from China on January 31. But the ban was just on foreign nationals who had been in China and was not a total ban on travel to the and from the country. Trump himself told the nation Jan. 30: 'We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment five. And those people are all recuperating successfully.' Trump sat down for 18 interviews with Woodward, the legendary Washington Post reporter who broke the news of the Watergate break-in and has interviewed every president since Richard Nixon. Bob Woodward's new book'Rage' comes out September 15 He told Woodward in a March 19 interview of his public comments on COVID: 'I wanted to always play it down.' 'I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic,' he said. 'Rage' comes out September 15. Woodward will be on '60 Minutes' on Sunday to talk about his interviews withe president. His first book on the Trump presidency, 'Fear,' revealed aides hid papers from the president to keep him from signing things and that former White House chief of staff John Kelly though Trump was 'unhinged.' Trump complained at the time he was not interviewed for the book. McEnany said he sat down with Woodward for this book 'because he is the most transparent president in history.' Woodward conducted 18 interviews with Trump between December and July, according to the Post. As in his prior work, he relies on anonymous sourcing and 'deep background' information. Immunization of non-human primates (rhesus macaques) with BNT162b2, a nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) candidate that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, resulted in strong anti-viral effects against an infectious SARS-CoV-2 challenge BNT162b2 immunization prevented lung infection in 100% of the SARS-CoV-2 challenged rhesus macaques, with no viral RNA detected in the lower respiratory tract of immunized and challenged animals. The BNT162b2 vaccination also cleared the nose of detectable viral RNA in 100% of the SARS-CoV-2 challenged rhesus macaques within 3 days after the infection The BNT162b2 vaccine candidate induced SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in rhesus macaques, pseudovirus neutralizing antibodies in mice, and strong antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in mice and macaques NEW YORK and MAINZ, Germany, Sept. 09, 2020and is concurrently undergoing scientific peer-review for potential publication. "Collectively, these preclinical results, combined with our clinical data collected to date, continue to support the promise and validity of our mRNA-based vaccine program against SARS-CoV-2 and selection of the BNT162b2 candidate, which we believe has the potential to prevent many millions of COVID-19 cases," said Kathrin U. Jansen, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head of Vaccine Research & Development, Pfizer. "We are encouraged by the data thus far and confident in our progress towards developing a safe and effective vaccine candidate to help address this current pandemic." "The data we have shared today include the characterization of our lead candidate BNT162b2 as well as key animal studies that were the basis for our clinical programs. They have enabled us to advance BNT162b2 into Phase 3 evaluation," said Ugur Sahin, M.D., CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech. "This is another development milestone for providing a safe and effective potential vaccine to the global community to help end this pandemic." In the preclinical study, BNT162b2 demonstrated protective anti-viral effects in rhesus macaques, with concomitant high neutralizing antibody titers and a TH1-biased cellular response in rhesus macaques and mice. In a viral infection model, macaques that received two injections with 100 g BNT162b2 and macaques that received saline control injections were challenged 55 days after the second immunization with a very high viral inoculum of approximately 1 million plaque-forming units of SARS-CoV-2, via both intranasal (nose) and intratracheal (lung) routes. Immunization with BNT162b2 reduced viral infection with no viral RNA detected in the lower respiratory tract of the immunized animals, while in most non-immunized (saline) animals, there was evidence of viral RNA. Importantly, BNT162b2 induced potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated-macaques, and viral antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Rhesus macaques (2- to 4-year-old males) were immunized by intramuscular (IM) immunization with 30 g or 100 g of BNT162b2 or saline control on Days 0 and 21 (2 doses). After two immunizations, neutralization titers were detectable in rhesus sera with geometric mean titers of 962 (on Day 35 for the 30 g group) or 1,689 (on Day 28 for the 100 g group). Neutralizing antibody titers persisted to at least day 56, with higher geometric mean titers (GMTs) than those in a panel of human convalescent sera. BNT162b2 vaccination elicited a high frequency of CD4+ T cells that produced IFN-?, IL-2, and TNF-a, and almost no IL-4 producing CD4+ cells were detectable, indicating a TH1-biased response, which is an immune profile thought to promote vaccine safety. BNT162b2 also elicited spike-specific IFN-?-producing CD8+ T cell responses, which is thought to promote an anti-viral effect. In a preclinical murine model, a single IM immunization of BNT162b2 (0.2, 1, or 5 g) generated B- cell and T- cell immune responses in BALB/c mice, and SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus neutralizing activity increased steadily to Day 28, the last day for which titers are reported. CD4+ and CD8+ T- cells from splenocytes isolated from BNT162b2-immunized mice were strongly positive for IFN-? and IL-2, producing high levels of the TH1 cytokines but minute amounts of TH2 cytokines, suggesting a robust, TH1-biased T cell adaptive immune response. Many of these preclinical data and the Phase 1 clinical results contributed to the decision by Pfizer and BioNTech to commence the global (except for China) Phase 2/3 safety and efficacy portion of clinical study C4591001 to evaluate potential prevention of COVID-19 disease by BNT162b2. The Phase 2/3 study has enrolled over 25,000 participants 18 to 85 years of age in the U.S., Argentina, and Brazil. Additional enrollment is planned in Germany, Turkey and South Africa. The study is an event-driven trial. Pfizer and BioNTech are committed to decreasing health disparities in underrepresented populations through the clinical trial process. To that end, many investigator sites are in diverse communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 so that individuals who have been most impacted have the opportunity to participate. The companies are also working together with investigator sites and advocacy partners to raise awareness about the importance of participation in this trial. BNT162b2 remains under clinical study and is not currently approved for distribution anywhere in the world. Assuming clinical success, Pfizer and BioNTech are on track to seek regulatory review for BNT162b2 as early as October 2020 and, if regulatory authorization or approval is obtained, currently plan to supply up to 100 million doses worldwide by the end of 2020 and approximately 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. About Pfizer: Breakthroughs That Change Patients' Lives At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products, including innovative medicines and vaccines. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.Pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, please visit us on www.Pfizer.comand follow us on Twitter at @Pfizerand @Pfizer News, LinkedIn, YouTubeand like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer. Pfizer Disclosure Notice The information contained in this release is as of September 9, 2020. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments. This release contains forward-looking information about Pfizer's efforts to combat COVID-19, the collaboration between BioNTech and Pfizer to develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine, the BNT162 mRNA vaccine program, and modRNA candidate BNT162b2 (including qualitative assessments of available data, potential benefits, expectations for clinical trials and timing of regulatory submissions, and anticipated manufacturing, supply and distribution), that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as risks associated with preliminary data, including the possibility of unfavorable new preclinical or clinical trial data and further analyses of existing preclinical or clinical trial data that may be inconsistent with the data used for selection of the BNT162b2 vaccine candidate and dose level for the Phase 2/3 study; the risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments, including during the peer review/publication process, in the scientific community generally, and by regulatory authorities; whether and when data from the BNT162 mRNA vaccine program will be published in scientific journal publications and, if so, when and with what modifications; whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from these and future preclinical and clinical studies; whether and when any biologics license and/or emergency use authorization applications may be filed in any jurisdictions for BNT162b2 or any other potential vaccine candidates; whether and when any such applications may be approved by regulatory authorities, which will depend on myriad factors, including making a determination as to whether the vaccine candidate's benefits outweigh its known risks and determination of the vaccine candidate's efficacy and, if approved, whether it will be commercially successful; decisions by regulatory authorities impacting labeling, manufacturing processes, safety and/or other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of a vaccine, including development of products or therapies by other companies; manufacturing capabilities or capacity, including whether the estimated numbers of doses can be manufactured within the projected time periods indicated; whether and when additional supply agreements will be reached; uncertainties regarding the ability to obtain recommendations from vaccine technical committees and other public health authorities and uncertainties regarding the commercial impact of any such recommendations; and competitive developments. A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results", as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.govand www.pfizer.com. About BioNTech Biopharmaceutical New Technologies is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The Company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Bayer Animal Health, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer. For more information, please visit www.BioNTech.de. BioNTech Forward-looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" of BioNTech within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include, but may not be limited to, statements concerning: BioNTech's efforts to combat COVID-19; the potential locations of sites and participants in our Phase 2b/3 trial; the collaboration between BioNTech and Pfizer to develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine; our expectations regarding the potential characteristics of BNT162b2 in our Phase 2b/3 trial and/or in commercial use based on data observations to date; the timing for any potential emergency use authorizations or approvals; and the ability of BioNTech to supply the quantities of BNT162 to support clinical development and, if approved, market demand, including our production estimates for 2020 and 2021. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on BioNTech current expectations and beliefs of future events, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: competition to create a vaccine for COVID-19; the ability to produce comparable clinical results in larger and more diverse clinical trials; the ability to effectively scale our productions capabilities; and other potential difficulties. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see BioNTech's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 31, 2020, which is available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and BioNTech undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law. Pfizer Contacts: Media Relations Jerica Pitts +1 Investor Relations Chuck Triano +1 BioNTech Contacts: Media Relations Jasmina Alatovic +49 Investor Relations Sylke Maas, Ph.D. +49 New Delhi: In the biggest hike in nearly three decades, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday increased India's annual Haj quota by 34,500, a move welcomed by the NDA government as a"matter of pleasure". Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Saudi Arabia's Haj and Umrah Minister Dr Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten inked an agreement in this regard in Jeddah on Wednesday, increasing the size of India's Haj quota from 1,36,020 to 1,70,520. According to a statement issued by Minister of State forMinority Affairs (Independent Charge) Naqvi, it is the"biggest increase" in quota for Haj pilgrims after 1988. The latest increase in quota will be effective from the current year. The Saudi authorities had five years ago slashed quotas for foreign pilgrims coming from each country by 20 per cent in view of safety of the devotees as they undertook expansion of Grand Mosque there. Accordingly, India's quota was brought down to 1,36,020 from 1,70,000 in 2012. Last year, a total of 1,35,903 devotees from India performed Haj. Of these, 99,903 devotees went toJeddah through Haj Committee of India. The remaining 36,000 pilgrims had proceeded through private operators. Expressing pleasure at signing of the agreement, Naqvi tweeted, "Its a matter of pleasure that Saudi Arabia has increased India's Haj quota by about 34,000. " Naqvi said his meeting with Benten was "very fruitful" as"constructive" discussion was held on whole gamut of issues related to the pilgrimage, transport and accommodation facilities for devotees and their safety. "On behalf of the people and Government of India, we also extend gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, HisExcellency Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, for his keen personal interest and initiative in organising a successful Haj 2016," Naqvi said in the statement. The Minister exuded confidence that under the visionary leadership of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul Aziz alSaud, the "excellent" relationship between the two countries will be further strengthened. Stating India and Saudi Arabia share ideals of global peace, progress and prosperity, Naqvi said the two countries are tied together with strong civilisational, cultural, economic and political links. "The regular visits by the leaders and senior-level officials of the two nations have further strengthened the relationship between the two nations. The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia during April last year added new dimensions to our vibrant relationship," he said. The Minister also expressed satisfaction over the improvements in services offered to pilgrims which indicatesSaudi Arabia's firm commitment towards welfare and betterment of pilgrims. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. An aging immune system is one of the primary reasons older people are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Patients in their senior years have been tagged as COVID-19 high-risk. This is because statistics show, an 80-years-old and above are more likely to die from the disease than a 40-year-old patient. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, 8 out of 10 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. were aged 65 years old and above. According to some scientists, what makes them more vulnerable to COVID-19 is their underlying conditions such as diabetes or maybe a lung disease. However, that is only part of the reason. Another reason that increases the risk among old-people that research also needs to focus on is the aging immune system. An article on Deccan Herald stated that the body, particularly the immune system, undergo many complicated things that overtime changes and aged the immunity landscape. Scientists say that paying attention to the aging immune system could help understand why people become more vulnerable to diseases as their age advances. More importantly, it can lead to better strategies in coming up with a vaccine and a treatment for COVID-19. Immunology professor at the University College London, Arne Akbar, published an article in the Science journal explaining the state of the research done on the aging immune system. So, how does the immune system works? When a virus enters a body, the cells in the first line of defense immediately send out an alert and instructions to other cells. This provokes inflammation to start knocking down the infiltrating virus. Even when there is no infection, the innate immune system is also responsible for cleaning up damaged cells. But in an older person, the immune system gets overwhelmed by these damaged cells, so they slide into a state of being always alert, and because it provokes inflammation, it is also in a constant state of inflammation. It is also believed that aging changes the elderly cells in tissues in the body and releases their own inflammatory substances, according to the chief executive of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Dr. Eric Verdin. And this results in the presence of higher levels of immune proteins such as the cytokines. An aging immune system is why a 65-year-old has high cytokines levels despite being healthy. All these inflammation makes it hard for an aging immune system to fight off viruses, and there is also the danger that the innate immune system might overreact. According to Dr. Verdin, they believed that an aging immune system might be linked to reports of patients with severe COVID-19 having organ failure. This is caused by increased levels of cytokine, said a report on The New York Times. Another reason why an aging immune system should be taken into consideration in the research is that the inflammation is one the reasons why vaccines do not work sometimes, and it could also happen to COVID-19 vaccines. Check these out: COVID-19 Among Young and Healthy May Lead to Long-Term Illness COVID-19 Vaccine: President Trump Says the Vaccine May Be Available by October Already AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Study on Hold Over Safety Concerns The focus of world leaders during this years UN General Debate should be on how to strengthen solidarity and partnership among nations in addressing common problems, says Tijani Muhammad-Bande. Mr Muhammad-Bande, the President of the outgoing 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, set this agenda during the end-of-session news conference in New York on Tuesday. Speaking in response to a question, he emphasised that the COVID-19 pandemic had further underscored the need for inclusion in the search for solutions to global challenges. He warned that the world might not be able to defeat the pandemic and its socio-economic fallout without solidarity, partnership and empathy among nations. Mr Muhammad-Bande, who is Nigerias Permanent Representative to the UN, also urged Heads of States and Governments to share with the world the difficulties they encounter in their bilateral relations. This, he noted, would better guide the UN and other international and regional organisations in their push for a better system of multilateralism. The 75th session of the Assembly opens on September 15, while the high-level General Debate is scheduled to begin on Sept. 22. The General Debate provides an opportunity for Heads of States and Governments to highlight global issues of importance to their countries and their positions on them. Due to the pandemic, this years forum will hold both virtually and in-person, with world leaders sending pre-recorded speeches or speaking remotely via video links. On the work of the Assembly, Mr Muhammad-Bande said member states were able to deliver on the agenda of the 74th session in spite of the unique challenges posed by COVID-19. Among others, the priorities of his presidency included poverty eradication, inclusive and qualitative education, climate action and universal health coverage. Since March, diplomats from the 193-member Assembly have been working remotely after the host city of New York imposed a lockdown to control the virus. During the period we have been able to push the agenda concerning poverty eradication, inclusive and quality education, climate action and partnerships around the SDGs. These were what we set out to do at the beginning of the presidency. The first political declaration under this session was on universal health coverage, little did we know that this was going to be a very important subject as we have seen with the pandemic, he said. The PGA also highlighted that no fewer than 70 decisions and resolutions had been passed by the Assembly, including two seeking global collaboration and equal access to vaccine and medicines in tackling the pandemic. Asked on the status of the omnibus resolutions on COVID-19 being negotiated by the Assembly, he said he hoped it would be adopted before the end of the session on September 16. (NAN) Northrop Grumman has named its next space station resupply ship S.S. Kalpana Chawla after Dr Kalpana Chawla, an astronaut of Indian descent. Northrop Grumman is proud to name the NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft after former astronaut Kalpana Chawla. It is the companys tradition to name each Cygnus after an individual who has played a pivotal role in human spaceflight. Chawla was selected in honor of her prominent place in history as the first woman of Indian descent to go to space, Northrop Grumman said in a statement. Today we honor Kalpana Chawla, who made history at NASA as the first female astronaut of Indian descent. Her contributions to human spaceflight have had a lasting impact. Meet our next Cygnus vehicle, the S.S. Kalpana Chawla, the aerospace and defense technology company tweeted. The Cygnus spacecraft will deliver approximately 3,629 kg (8,000lb.) of cargo to the space station. It will be launched into orbit from Virginia Spaces Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Wallops Island, Virginia on September 29. Kalpana Chawla, the spacecrafts namesake, was born and raised in Karnal and became the first woman of India descent to go to space as a crew of Space Shuttle Columbia on January 16, 2003. Chawla and her six STS-107 crewmates died on February 1, 2003, over Texas as Columbia was re-entering Earths atmosphere. Two women are facing hate crime charges after confronting a seven-year-old boy and his Trump-supporting mother outside the Democratic National Convention in Delaware, and seizing a 'Make America Great Again' hat. The pair were caught on camera on August 20 in Wilmington - a few hundred feet from where Joe Biden gave his DNC acceptance speech that night. They were arrested on August 23. On Tuesday a grand jury in Delaware indicted Olivia Winslow and Camryn Amy, both 21, on felony charges of robbery, conspiracy and hate crimes and a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child. Amy also was indicted on misdemeanor charges of assaulting a man who tried to retrieve the hat, attempting to assault his mother, and offensive touching of the boy. Camryn Amy (left) and Olivia Winslow (right), both 21, are accused of attacking a Trump-supporting woman and her seven-year-old son after the DNC in Delaware on August 20 The indictment accuses the women of committing the crimes 'for the purpose of interfering with the victim's free exercise or enjoyment of any right, privilege or immunity protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, or committed said crime because the victim had exercised or enjoyed said right or rights.' Kathleen Jennings, Delaware attorney general, said that Winslow and Amy's actions were un-American. 'Violence in any form is unacceptable, but harming another person - let alone a child - because of the expression of their views betrays the principles on which our country was founded,' she said. Jennings is a Democrat, who has joined in several lawsuits against the Trump administration. 'Free speech, free assembly, and free expression are sacred, no matter whether we agree with the opinions expressed, and especially when we don't,' she said. The video of the incident went viral after being posted online by Students for Trump. In the clip the two women were seen damaging signs supporting Trump and taking a red MAGA hat. Amy was caught on camera trying to rip up a Trump sign outside the DNC Winslow is caught on camera picking the cap up off the floor at the beginning of the clip 'Get it Liv, get it,' Amy tells Winslow, who picks up the hat from the ground and throws it. The mother is heard saying: 'Get your hat back, baby.' The boy chases after the two women, saying: 'That's somebody else's hat.' Amy then picks it up again and walks away with it. 'Mom, call 911,' the frightened boy says. The video later shows Amy apparently punching a man who tried to get the hat back, before she throws it over a fence. Amy then approaches and confronts the woman shooting the video, which abruptly ends. It was not immediately clear whether either is still in custody. Amy then is given the cap, and marches off, ignoring the child's request to have the cap back Amy was confronted by passersby, and refused to hand the cap over MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Wednesday (September 9, 2020) that undue importance is being attached to the statements made by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut. "We are giving undue importance to those making such statements. We will have to see what influence such statements have on the people at large," the NCP chief told reporters. "In my opinion, people do not take seriously (such statements)," the veteran NCP leader said. The veteran Maharashtra politician said that people are not taking her remarks seriously. The former Union minister, however, raised doubt over the Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) move to demolish illegally constructed portions of the Bandra bungalow of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut. Pawar said that he is not fully aware of the BMC action against the actress. Illegal construction in Mumbai is nothing new. BMC has its own set rules to deal with cases of illegal construction in Mumbai, he said. Pawar said the people of Maharashtra and Mumbai have "years of experience" of how the state and city's police work. "They (people) know the performance of the police. And hence, we need not pay heed to what one says," he added. Ranaut waded into controversy after she recently likened Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said she feared the city Police more than the "movie mafia". Ranaut landed in Mumbai from her home state Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, amid protests by Shiv Sena workers at the airport over her remarks on Mumbai police. Kangana, who flew from Chandigarh by a scheduled commercial flight, landed at Mumbai around 2.30 PM. Sena workers with black flags were seen outside the airport, shouting slogans against her. Workers of the RPI (A) and Karni Sena had also gathered in support of the actor. RPI (A) leader and Union minister Ramdas Athawale had declared that his party workers will protect Kangana while she is in Mumbai. Kangana has courted a controversy with her recent comments about the Mumbai Police and Maharashtra. In response to a remark by Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut where he asked her not to come back to the city after she claimed she felt unsafe in the city, Kangana had compared Mumbai with PoK. Dr. Seidu Mahama Alidu, a Senior Lecturer of the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, has described the 2020 Manifesto of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as promissory. He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) manifesto is consolidating. He added that both Manifestoes captured the three elements, which must feature in a Manifesto the historical antecedents of the people, which had led to their present circumstances and how they were solved; the realities of the day and the problems to be addressed; and also the aspirations for solving problems in the future, thus giving hope. Dr. Alidu noted that the NPP Manifesto, however, had fewer promises and largely focused on consolidating the Party's gains. Moreover, he said, it was possible that they had been held in check by the realities of being in government because the perspectives of a Party making promises while in government was different from making them as one in opposition. When you are in government you are confronted by the realities of how these promises could be fulfilled and you are also held accountable by the people so you tend to be more measured in the way you make promises. The NPP might have learned some lessons from its 2016 experience, he explained. Characteristically, Dr Alidu explained, parties in opposition made more promises to the people because they needed to offer more and better alternatives to be able to unseat the incumbent. The NDC Manifesto, he noted, therefore, made more promises than it did in 2016 and also endeavoured to capture the realities of the day and offered promises reflective of their solutions. The NDC this time round touched base with its philosophical roots as a Social Democratic Party and constituted committees that dialogued with the people and touched base with the core support of the Party on what their problems were, he said. He, however, cautioned against the trend of parties making too many and unrealistic promises, saying that could result in loss of confidence in democratic governance and voter apathy, which would hurt the participatory democracy necessary for holistic national development. Dr Alidu advised the parties not to underestimate the rationality of voters but endeavour to synchronise their manifestoes with the National Development Planning Commission's development planning policies, programmes and strategies for easy implementation and sustainable growth. He also urged stakeholders in academia, civil society groups, the media and the electorate to demand from the parties the costing, funding sources and strategies for implementing their manifestoes. On both parties' many promises of pro-poor interventions, he said, the impression should not be given that such programmes would come to the people for free as the citizen had to pay for them in one way or the other. On how to sell their ideas to the electorate, he urged them to distinguish themselves by being issue-oriented, focus on their unique ideologies and the competencies of their presidential and parliamentary candidates and also highlight their track records. They should desist from dismissing an opponent's manifesto as empty or having nothing of worth; avoid insults and provocations in order to win swing voters, who were very discerning. GNA News and updates from the Project Zero team at Google Stormzy sent a personalised video message to the students of Baldoyle-based secondary school Pobalscoil Neasain, telling viewers to embrace their talents and interests as superpowers. Premiered exclusively within multiple school classrooms across Ireland and the UK today Stormzy unveiled his animation video for Superheroes. The schools involved were picked at random and were situated within London, Glasgow, Dublin and Manchester. I wanted to show it to you guys first [because] being students at school, I think its important that you guys understand how powerful you are... Stormzy said. Despite the colour of your skin, despite where you come from, despite your religion, despite whatever it is that you feel may be holding you back; you are a Superhero. So, I wanted to make this video to inspire you guys, to make you realise that the sky is the limit. Dhaka, Sep 9 : Bangladesh's Liberation War Affairs Minister A.K.M. Mozammel Haque has said that fences, watchtowers and CCTVs will be installed to beef up surveillance in and around the Rohingyas camps to check criminal activities. The Minister on Tuesday said a committee will be formed to coordinate all reports prepared by intelligence agencies on various issues. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has been give the authority for constituting the committee. "We will set up 24 watchtowers, construct fences and install CCTVs to monitor activities in Rohingya camps round-the-clock," Haque informed the media after a Cabinet Committee meeting at the Home Ministry conference room. The Minister said the meeting has decided to construct a fence along with setting up CCTVs and watchtowers aimed at controlling drugs smuggling, as a section of Rohingyas engaged in such activities. A statement from the office of Myanmar's President Htin Kyaw has blamed the little-known 'Aqa Mul Mujahidin'(AMM) for the terrorist attack in Myanmar's north-west province of Rakhain on October 9, 2017. In the statement he also said that AMM has good relations with Pakistan and some countries of the Middle East. Kyaw said a few militant outfits from Pakistan are providing financial support and military training inside Myanmar territory. Rohingya militants, who are trained in Pakistan, have become operational in Bangladesh's hill tract area of Cox's Bazar's Teknaf and remote areas of Bandarban from the early 90s. Pakistan based militant outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamatul Mujahideen and Pakistani Taliban have reportedly given full assistance to the Rohingya militants. The revelation was cited in leading Myanmar media. The HUJI-A chief is Abdus Qadoos Burmi, a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin, said reports published in the Myanmar media. Qadoos Burmi is reported to be close to the Lashkar-e-Taiban (LeT), Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), headed by Hafiz Sayeed and who it is claimed recruited Hafiz Tohar, 45, from Kyauk Pyin Seik village in Maungdaw in Myanmar and arranged for his training in Pakistan. Some of the Rohingya militants got training in Pakistan in 2012. According to the report, their aim was to carry out sabotage including covert killings in Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. Most of the Rohingya militants were reportedly recruited from the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar area of Bangladesh. Earlier, Rohingya militants carried out attacks on three police checkposts on October 9, 2017 in Maungdaw town alongside the Myanmar-Bangladesh border and killed 9 policemen. Military Headquarter reported that 26 militants were killed in the counter attack by the Myanmar Army. Myanmar media said that AMM chief Hafiz Tohar was indeed trained in Pakistan. The report said that AMM is a new armed group but it originated from the Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami-Arakan (HUJI-A) which was based on close relations with the Pakistan Taliban. Militancy, drug deals and arms trade through the Bangladesh-Myanmar border have been noticed by the Bangladesh government for the last couple of decades. Following the allegations of the criminal activities by the Rohingyas, Haque said, "The meeting also agreed to continue anti-drug operations and identify patrons of drug smuggling to bring them to book. Measures are underway to update the existing Narcotics Control Act-2018 to ensure visible punishment for smugglers." "We have also decided to bring the upazila complex under security and CCTVs surveillance," he said. The Minister said the law and order situation in the country is under control. The meeting decided to bring more than 500 foreign nationals, staying in Bangladesh without legal documents, to a camp and deport them to their countries of origin, he added. "We have asked the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to enquire about payment mode against foreign advertisements," he said. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will check Internet based Television and channels whether they have licenses or permission from the authorities concerned in Bangladesh, Haque added. This is the moment a white woman pulled a handgun on black activists in South Africa as they protested a hair advert that has been deemed racist. The 52-year-old woman got into a confrontation with far-left activists in a shopping mall in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, amid nationwide demonstrations against the Clicks chain of pharmacies which broadcast the advert. One of the demonstrators can be heard shouting 'go back to Europe' at the woman and her companion, as they are escorted out of the mall by five security guards. At one point, a demonstrator pushes the woman who then pulls a handgun out of her pink jacket and turns around to point it at them. This is the moment a 52-year-old white woman pulled out a handgun on black activists after they got into a confrontation during a protest against a pharmacy chain in South Africa Police said three people had to be escorted out of the shopping mall in Port Elizabeth after the argument, with at least two of them placed in handcuffs - though nobody was arrested A man and a woman can then be heard shouting 'shoot, shoot' as the women are hurried outside by security. Police told Times Live that three people were removed from the Walmer Park Shopping Centre after an altercation, though did not reveal details. Officers said the same three people also had to be removed from the car park after a further argument erupted outside. Pictures show the woman who pulled the gun an a black activist being handcuffed in the car park, though officers say nobody was arrested. Protesters from the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters political party have been targeting branches of Clicks at malls across South Africa since the weekend, after it shared an advert online that was deemed racist. The ad, which ran on its website, showed four contrasting images of hair - two images of black women with natural hair, and two images of blonde, white women. The black women's hair was labelled 'frizzy, dull, dry and damaged' while the white women's hair was called 'fine, flat and normal'. The argument between the woman (left) and activists (right) comes amid protests across South Africa over a hair advert that was deemed to be racist The far-left EFF party has called for all stores of pharmacy chain Clicks to be shut down over an advert that branded black women's hair 'dull, frizzy and damaged' Clicks quickly apologised and pulled the advert from its site, before agreeing to pull all TRESemme hair products - the company which produced the advert - from the shelves and replace them with 'natural' alternatives. But the EFF accused the company of 'publicly dehumanising black people' and called for its stores to be shut down due to its 'unrepentant and perverse racism.' The organisation has since sent demonstrators to protest outside stores across the country, in an attempt to keep them closed. Clicks said that EFF protests have taken place at 37 stores in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape. Seven stores have also been targeted by vandals and at least one, on the outskirts of Johannesburg, has been burned - though the EFF has denied responsibility. The high court in Johannesburg has issued an order preventing the EFF from intimidating and threatening Clicks' employees or any of its operations. The order also stopped the party from inciting violence against the company's everyday commercial operations. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is launching a new push on economic issues as polls show voters beginning to trust his approach to reversing the job losses and manufacturing contraction brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Biden opens the new front with a campaign trip to Michigan on Wednesday, a must-win state that Democrats just barely lost in 2016. There hell unveil a new policy aimed at tackling offshoring the practice of U.S. companies basing some operations in lower-tax countries and hammer at what he sees as President Donald Trumps broken promises on improving U.S. manufacturing and reducing offshoring, senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan said. Offshoring, outsourcing, Buy American. These are areas where Donald Trumps record has not been remotely matched by the reality, he said. Between 2016 and 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, the U.S. lost 1,800 factories to offshoring and outsourcing, according to the progressive Economic Policy Institute. Some projects that the Trump administration heralded for bringing jobs back to the U.S. are unlikely to deliver on their promise, such as the FoxConn plant in Wisconsin that Trump celebrated in 2018 as the Eighth Wonder of the World, while others are making progress. Trump has also criticized offshoring, taking a tough line on China while arguing that Biden will cave to Beijings demands. At a news conference on Monday, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on companies that desert America to create jobs in China and other countries. Trump also vowed to prohibit federal contracts for companies that outsource to China. Standing on Economy Improves Biden turns to economic issues as recent polls show his standing on the issue improving. It has long been the one policy area where the former vice president lagged Trump. But in several new polls, Biden is tied or within 1 point of Trump on who voters trust to handle the economy. Biden also gets marks from voters for his focus on the pandemic, as voters indicate they believe that any economic recovery is tied to the safety of people returning to work, school, restaurants and shopping. Trump tends to minimize the viruss impact on the economy as he pushes for a swift reopening. As polling on the economy has shifted toward Biden, Trump is warning his supporters that a Biden victory would tank the stock market, which he frequently conflates with the full U.S. economy. Joe Biden and the radical, socialist Democrats would immediately collapse the economy. If they got in, they would collapse it, the president said during a Labor Day news conference. Youll have a crash the likes of which youve never seen before. Your stocks, your 401(k)s remember, its the people that own these massive, listed companies. A lot of people: rich people and not so rich people and middle-income people. And those stocks will crash like youve never seen before. The Democratic campaign will be focused in early fall on asking three economic questions for voters. Who do you trust to get Covid under control? We cant get the economy fully back before we deal with the virus effectively, Sullivan said. The second question, and the one Biden will focus on this week is who can you actually believe on their promises on the economy? The third is whos on my side? and who will focus on working- and middle-class Americans, Sullivan said. Bidens effort will build on the economic plan he released in July, which he calls the Build Back Better plan. The Build Back Better message, amplified by advertising spending on the economy, has contributed to his improved numbers on the economy, Biden pollster John Anzalone argued. Months of continued economic uncertainty, even as some indicators have improved, may also be pulling voters in Bidens direction on the issue, he said. In a CNN poll released last week, 49% of registered voters said they trusted Trump more on the economy while 48% said they trusted Biden more. In May, Trump led 54% to 42%. A Quinnipiac University poll released last week found the two candidates tied at 48% on who voters would trust more on the economy. In June, Trump was up by 5 points on the same question. A CBS News/YouGov national poll released over the weekend also had Trump leading by just 1 point, 45% to 44%, with registered voters who were asked which candidate would do a better job handling the economy. Not every poll is quite so good for Biden. A Quinnipiac poll of Florida has Trump leading by 13 points, 55% to 42%, on the economy, even as Biden leads overall 48% to 45%. He just needs to keep pounding on the message, said Ohio Representative Tim Ryan, a Democrat. Hes right on point and just needs to get the message to the low-information voter that Joe Biden understands the economic challenges that youre facing and Donald Trump just keeps talking about the stock market. But Bidens team is confident about its trajectory. Trump has lost any advantage of being this business guy who can fix it. Hes now being judged on his job as president, Anzalone said. And his job ratings are upside down. Artists Durga Gawde, Rithika Merchant and Hanif Kureshi reassess their art as extensions of their personal and collective identities in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic At the age of 11, artist and activist Durga Gawde wrote love letters to themselves in third person, to confide in their best friend their own self about the experiences encountered as a non-binary gender-fluid, trans-individual, preferring the pronouns they/them. The 26-year-old, who also happens to be India's first drag king, has found the lockdown therapeutic almost healing and beneficial to their practice as an artist and sculptor, creating over 200 pieces of artwork that they can take pride in. "Since a very young age, I would think about gender discrimination, human rights, trans rights. And, also how people had relationships with their own bodies, how they treated their own bodies and how they treated other people's bodies. What were the expectations of society when you're born in certain bodies, and when you're born with a colour. Like, what is the colour of your body...all these things affect a person's identity," they say at 'A.R.T. 2020: Identity 2020', an episode of 'Art Redefined Today (A.R.T.) 2020: New Paradigms in Education, Creation and Identity' conducted by Kommune India and Avid Learning on Zoom. The session also hosted Mumbai and Barcelona-based artist Rithika Merchant, and Hanif Kureshi, Artist Director at St+Art India Foundation, with writer and curator Veeranganakumari Solanki moderating the conversation. For Gawde, this period in isolation has brought relief from the dysphoria they experience while interacting with the outside world, especially in India. It has allowed them to collaborate with Lex Horwitz, a "trans-masculine with femme energy" individual they met over Instagram for a series that attempts to investigate the way pre and postoperative trans bodies are depicted in art, especially as seen on the internet. Durga draws one's attention to a sketch from the series that captures the outlines of a fleeting corporal figure as if in motion like a handful of feathers. "I draw the energy of a person, I draw the spirit of a person. I draw the atmosphere they create and the environment they pull towards them how light and shadow falls. [I draw] how that translates the energy that goes into the image, and out into the world then." The images have a strikingly meditative quality to them, as if following an invisible pulse or spark that brings alive a chimeric entity. The artist claims to flourish in pressure a disposition all too familiar to prevailing society under the onslaught of a phantom virus, and a dogged presence in the individual's life. Gawde has turned to utilising their otherwise sedentary time in lockdown to mobilise the trans community to claim their rightful space, initiating the move online through a comprehensive archive of over 100 drag kings from across the world. Under the hashtag #TheRainbowRevolution, the activist aims to open up the world of drag performances to anyone with access to an internet connection. This process, arguably, is in extension to the exploration of their gender non-conforming identity, as Gawde has been conscientiously striving to bring drag into fine art. "[In the pandemic], I've been connecting with other people like me who perform drag, and bring drag into the fine art world more seriously. It's like combining painting, sculpture, performance, theatre, sound, music, pop culture. There is so much that goes into actually finding the strength to compile all of that visual information together, using all the sensory information around it as well, and then creating something that is not identifiable in the larger context of things, but it is identifiable in the context of gender identity. Taking that into the fine art world has been my mission personally," they say. Besides, Durga Gawde also admits that the Indian art fraternity has been largely insular to the trans community, as they can recollect and count the number of times they have encountered a trans individual at a gallery opening or exhibition. "Maybe [seen] like one [trans-person] in 10 years [at a gallery opening]. I remember when I was a kid, every time I would go to a show with my parents...I remember in which show I saw someone who wasn't supposed to be wearing a sari, wearing a sari. I remember women who had chin hair who showed up when I was eight years old...When you say the word 'inclusive', it doesn't just talk about the artwork, but also about how we bring in people." Rithika Merchant claims to not have enough lived experience to attest to the lack of diversity and discrimination entrenched in the Indian art community. However, her oeuvre speaks of the most severe ongoing humanitarian crisis in the world that of refugees. The rich, sparkling colours signature to Merchant's art evoke the mythologies she uses as allegories to reflect on modern-day society. For her, the idea of identity funnels into a personal idiom from a larger collective one. For someone dividing her time between two continents, the term 'identity' connotes a ceaseless state of flux, as opposed to Durga's intimate experience of a fluid state of self. "My work in the recent years has been exploring how objects can be markers of identity, and how these objects and markers, often in contemporary context, get completely reworked," says the artist, as she goes on to display an artwork depicting the popular nimboo-mirchi totem from the subcontinent that is believed to ward off evil energies. "I try to work with symbols that will be recognisable to a lot of people...In my research I learned that this (nimboo-mirchi) was used by travellers way back when people used to walk through the jungles. Lemon mixed with water is just very hydrating. It's lemonade, it's delicious. But chillies were like the key thing," she explains. Apparently, people took a bite of the chilly when bitten by a snake to test whether it was venomous. In the event that they could feel their tongue burn, they'd be assured that the snake was not poisonous, as its bite had not tampered with their sensory nerves. A second illustration, titled 'Metropolis in flux', alludes to the legend of Noah's Ark, where a boat-like vessel is seen carrying people of various nationalities and ethnicities like the different species of animals in the original herded together in the middle of a turbulent sea, sailing off into an uncertain tomorrow. Similarly, a third one harks back to the episode of the 'Fortunate Isles' in Greek mythology, which refers to a desired land reserved for the most heroic people, who qualify for reincarnation thrice. They were also judged as "pure enough to gain entry into the Elysian Fields". "I thought this was a very apt myth for what was going on at the moment, because during the height of this [refugee crisis], there were all these questions on who gets to enter a country, and [then there were] people who were being turned away for a variety of reasons," the artist says. Her other artworks on display at the session included a "fantastic visualisation" of the Art Deco-style home in Mumbai she was raised in, besides another titled 'The Matriarchy', depicting anthropomorphised birds among blooming flora. The latter is Merchant's nod to the ancient winged-women in Indian lore, conflated with the imagery of the fiercely feminist and independent ladies of the matrilineal state of Kerala, to which her mother belongs. Merchant explicitly explores her identity in the backdrop of her transcontinental existence through her art that occupies a significant fraction of her Instagram presence. While she admits to finding the platform exhausting on occasions, she credits it for its 'democratic' fervour, allowing artists to completely bypass the need for a 'representative' a prerequisite when looking for physical space in galleries. However, "as much as I have a love-hate relationship with Instagram, it is a really great place to find a community," she says. "It is worth it to use it, you know. I know it can fry people's brains, but it is worth it to use it. And you can use it as little or as much as you want to, but definitely use it" is her word of advice. The lockdown, however, has compelled Merchant to re-examine her relationship with social media, especially as an artist whose repertoire is a response to events unfolding in the tactile world beyond her screens. "At the moment, being indoors and not really being able to engage with the world that much has definitely forced me to look inward much more. Social media does become this window, because you can't really go out and interact with anyone," she points out. For her, "Instagram has been super overwhelming...It's a weird thing, like you're getting all these perspectives, but through the lens of social media, which never really feels like it's real life, and you can experience it only as an outside viewer with no context." But for Hanif Kureshi, art has predominantly existed in the great outdoors, on surfaces that have been deemed inaccessible or even fatal in a pandemic-ridden world. Dabbling in signages, street art, murals and graffiti involves community participation, which inherently implies human contact and touch, a concept now rendered outlandish to human society. He recognises the fact that in this new order, where commodities and services have been largely grouped into buckets of 'must-haves' and 'good-to-haves', art falls in the latter, even though he believes it is now, more than ever, that one needs to be surrounded by art. "Cities are under mental stress, and I think easing it out through (art) and making streets more positive and having more art on the streets would really help," he says. As a part of St+Art India's ongoing Mahim East Art District project in Mumbai, the team at the organisation led by Kureshi painted the Mahim Railway Station during lockdown, while maintaining protocols and taking adequate safety measures. "It's a bit tough to work during this pandemic, but, if you're looking at our practice that way, we are still working in isolation. We are not working in closed spaces," Kureshi says. With cities and towns being forced to slowly inch back to 'normalcy', despite the contagion raging in their backyards, Hanif believes it's time to let art occupy more physical spaces instead of just digital ones. In addition to his fear of crafts like hand-painted signage facing extinction in an online ecosystem, the artist also shares how murals, street art and graffiti can go a long way in building important indices of identity for communities that create and surround them. From increased safety, to better mobility due to the creation of landmarks, to gains made by the local economy, St+Art India's surveys in Delhi's Lodhi Colony Art District have mostly revealed how art boosts the health of society. "The whole point is to let the common man experience art at a scale, which they would generally not get a chance to. Also, as a culture, we are not a museum-going or gallery-going country, so most of these works you stumble upon," Kureshi says. For a place like Panjim, larger-than-life artworks such as the ones commissioned by Hanif, transform the small city into a walk-in art gallery. While scrolling through images of the myriad artworks located in the six art districts he has helped establish with glimpses of giant figure cutouts in Panjim, to B-boying figures on sooty walls of Dharavi, to sparkling abstract human figures in Hyderabad's Maqta Kureshi draws one's attention to the shared experiences of the local community, in relation to the murals. "We established the Kannagi Art District in Chennai right before the lockdown, where close to 70,000-80,000 people live. By doing these works, there was a strong sense of community built between people, and when COVID-19 struck, it helped the authorities and communities to communicate with each other better through the project. They were able to control the spread of the virus much more efficiently than they were in other areas. Art made that happen, and this is something beyond our understanding as well," he says. While painting on public property constitutes an approach of claiming spaces and histories that is subtly different from the one suggested by Gawde (where the trigger is more personal as opposed to the owning of a more collective identity), it has, more often than not, assumed political colour in the form of dissent and activism. "As an artist, one can take over the walls and public spaces to express themselves. Obviously, responsibility also comes into that, but at the same time, being anonymous in this street art world lets you do things that you normally can't," says Kureshi. He points to what Mumbai-based artist Tyler (pseudonym) has achieved through his ongoing project, 'Walk of Shame', under the cloak of anonymity. "There's a sense of activism there, which he can do because he has kept his identity a secret. Instead of 'Walk of Fame', we ask people to submit names of people who would feature on the 'Walk of Shame'. It's a great way to put people's thoughts on the streets," he says. At the same time, the very nature of street art, murals and graffiti is reflective of our ephemeral realities, where a sense of letting go and detachment is exercised. According to Hanif, their projects are not retouched or preserved, as it goes against the grain of the form. "Every street artist who works on walls doesn't feel bad if their mural is not there the next day" thereby humouring a form of vibrant dynamism and a spirit of change that is often synonymous with the contagious essence of street art. * Through the conversation, a delicate tussle between surrendering and taking control of personal and collective spaces emerges. This throws into sharp relief the contrasting ideas of identity espoused by the speakers and their chosen idioms of expression. For Durga Gawde, the cliche of 'be the change you want to see' has been more than just a maxim it has been their way of life. As someone who has recently decided on surgically attaining the body they identify with, Durga's craving for change and power to steer their own narrative is stronger than ever. Their 20-year-plan is to run for prime minister of India. "When you talk about the future, I am just fed up. And I am like, you know what? I want to be in a position of power with the perspective of a trans-person, and the thought process of an artist, while being articulate and educated, to make the changes that need to be made. It's my 20 years of digital campaign [laughs]," they say, adding that they have been using their time to form a cabinet of ministers, with Anish Gawande, curator and co-founder of Pink List India, signing up to manage their digital campaign. However, tying all of their differing aspirations together, within and without the pandemic, is Rithika Merchant's desire to create art uncompromisingly and fearlessly. "Going forward, I just hope I always have the freedom to express myself this way. It's really important to make sure that we don't have to create art under censorship I think that's my main worry. With the rise of right-wingers and nationalism...It's a right we need to make sure we hold on to the right to express ourselves freely," she says, underlining the tenet that governs every life, every identity. * All images: YouTube screenshots A management shake up earlier this year set up the possibility for further changes. Fernando Tennenbaum replaced long-time finance director Felipe Dutra, and several other executives were elevated. Last year, Olivier Goudet was succeeded as chairman by Marty Barrington, former CEO of tobacco company Altria Group Inc., one of AB InBevs biggest shareholders.Audacious deals probably wont be on the agenda for some time. Still the handover comes at a delicate time, so there might be an argument to opt for continuity, in the form of Brito joining the board. But this would be a mistake. Whoevers appointed should have the freedom to pursue his or her own strategy without feeling under the shadow of their predecessor. For now, the only internal candidate is Michel Doukeris, who leads the North American business, according to the FT report. PESHAWAR : Pakistan Taliban 's recent reunification of various breakaway factions will pose threats to projects linked to China 's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in northwestern Pakistan and create internal security issues in the region, according to analysts. The recent development has led to concerns regarding the safety and security of Chinese nationals and projects, an Islamabad-based security official told the Nikkei Asian Review on condition of anonymity. "In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's various remote areas, several Chinese development projects, mainly in the field of hydro-electricity generation and infrastructure, are going on. The Pakistan Taliban's recent reunification has increased concerns about the safety of Chinese nationals and projects," the official said. The three major factions of Pakistan Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, the Hizb ul-Ahrar and Hakeemullah Mehsud group. They had split in 2014 due to leadership issues. However, it was announced that the factions were coming back together last month and were also joined by a faction of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned terror group operating in Balochistan province. Since its formation in 2007, the TTP, a strong ally of al-Qaeda, became an umbrella organisation for terror groups and has been involved in several terror attacks. The TTP's initial footprints were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and in semi-autonomous tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. However, the group later expanded its presence in other parts of the country but were countered in a military operation in 2014, forcing the group to take sanctuary over the border in Afghanistan after its command and control structure was shattered in tribal areas. According to analysts, several TTP splinter groups recognised they would no longer be viable alone in a changing political scenario in Afghanistan. To honour its commitment to stop harbouring foreign terrorists, the Afghan Taliban will not be able to shelter the TTP anymore. "The self-realisation of the threats for its survival in the changing political landscape of Afghanistan, and then possible pressures from the Afghan Taliban, could have played a more significant role behind this process of reunification," Abdul Sayed, a Sweden-based researcher on jihadi groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan, told Nikkei Asian Review. The TTP's reunification has put China in a tight spot, given the fact that they were pressing Pakistan to crack down on ethnic separatist groups in Balochistan and Sindh due to projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a part of the BRI. Chinese companies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are involved in many infrastructure and energy projects including the Karakoram Highway Phase II. The Suki Kinari Hydropower Station and the Havelian Dry Port lie along the highway, which ends at the Khunjerab Pass in Gilgit-Baltistan. It then becomes China National Highway 314 after crossing the border, leading to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province in northwestern China. "The TTP often issues detailed statements against the China state, condemning the situation faced by Chinese Muslims in their own country. More importantly, targeting CPEC projects can create severe economic problems for the Pakistani state -- destabilising it is the ultimate goal of TTP and its allied anti-state jihadists," Sayed said. At China's request, Pakistan in 2013 had banned three terror groups linked to al-Qaeda -- the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and the Islamic Jihad Union. Beijing believed these groups had established sanctuaries in tribal areas of Pakistan with TTP's assistance. While China was initially less of a concern for the TTP than American and Pakistani security forces, some transitional actors operating in Pakistan's tribal areas have encouraged the group to target Chinese projects as retaliation for mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese government, analysts said. The TTP has already killed and kidnapped several Chinese nationals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. As the TTP reunites, Pakistani security forces have been deployed to protect the Chinese present in the region, according to security officials. "The TTP's reunification can pose a threat in some districts of Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the terror group has networks in these areas," Muhammad Amir Rana, director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think tank, told Nikkei Asian Review. According to a PIPS report, TTP and its splinter groups carried out 97 terror attacks in 2019, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan, which claimed 209 lives. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The 92nd Academy Awards show was one of the last big events in 2020 before life stopped for the Wuhan Virus. If people had known about a future of masks and isolation, maybe more Americans would have watched than the record low of 23.6 million viewers. But then again, perhaps not, given that winners cannot seem to stop lecturing Americans for being hate-filled, racist, misogynistic yutzes. The smart thing for the Academy to do in the face of a seemingly unstoppable ratings hemorrhage would be to make the Oscars show more friendly to the viewers. The Academy could nominate movies people like to watch and then limit the speeches to conform to the old rule that "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Instead, as part of its "Academy Aperture 2025" initiative, the Academy has opted to make the nominations even more politically correct, promising Americans that future films will showcase stifling politically correct orthodoxy. On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put out a press release announcing all of its impossibly woke requirements for movies beginning in 2022 (meaning films produced in 2021). The press release has created four "standards": "On-screen representation, themes and narratives" "Creative leadership and project team" "Industry access and opportunities" "Audience development (i.e., marketing") Under each standard, the Academy lists a variety of mix-and-match quotas that must be met for a specific standard to qualify for Oscar consideration. For example, lead actors must include one of every victim-identity race or ethnicity group. Ensembles must include gay people and handicapped people. Storylines have to touch upon intersectionality, victim-identity issues. Apprenticeships and internships must have all the underrepresented people represented. Thirty percent of a film's crew has to meet victim-centric intersectionality metrics. Here, for example, is the buffet menu for movie-makers listing the choice of possible requirements for what the audience sees: To achieve Standard A, the film must meet ONE of the following criteria: A1. Lead or significant supporting actors At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. Asian Hispanic/Latinx Black/African American Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native Middle Eastern/North African Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Other underrepresented race or ethnicity A2. General ensemble cast At least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from at least two of the following underrepresented groups: Women Racial or ethnic group LGBTQ+ People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing A3. Main storyline/subject matter The main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s). Women Racial or ethnic group LGBTQ+ People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing And this is how those metrics are going to work for the next three years of moving-making: For the 94th Oscars (2022) and 95th Oscars (2023), submitting a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form will be required for Best Picture consideration, however meeting inclusion thresholds will not be required for eligibility in the Best Picture category until the 96th Oscars (2024). For the 96th Oscars (2024), a film must meet TWO out of FOUR of the following standards to be deemed eligible ... In the old days, Hollywood made movies to bring in the audience and make money. Some movie studios also advanced other goals: during the Depression, to cheer people; during World War II and the Korean War, to stimulate patriotism and hope; and, especially if the studio was Warner Brothers, to advance black civil rights. In our modern era, Hollywood looks to China for its money-making, which explains a lot of the anti-American ugliness in the movies. With over a billion Chinese to watch the movies, who really cares about Americans? That's why, for the home front pictures, Hollywood can signal its virtue by preaching to Americans that they are awful people. At a certain point, though, which Americans are going to pay to see that? Image: Donald and Melanie Trump at the Academy Awards in 2011, before Hollywood hated them. Image by David Torcivia, CC BY-SA 2.0. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] New Delhi: Diversified conglomerate Welspun Group on Wednesday said it would invest Rs 4,000 crore on three large textile projects in Gujarat. Welspun India said in a BSE filing that three MoUs are being signed with the state government at the ongoing Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2017. The group, which has presence in home textiles, line pipes and infrastructure, will invest Rs 2,000 crore in setting up an integrated textile manufacturing zone. It will invest Rs 1,000 crore on capacity enhancement of its technical textile business, while a similar amount has been earmarked for its advanced textile arm that makes specialised materials for aerospace, defence and automobiles. Welspun Group Chairman B K Goenka said: "Our continuous investment in the state is a testament to our long term commitment to Gujarat. It is our aim to make Gujarat the textile hub of the world. "Welspun continues to invest into development of well- researched products and technology of the future and the current investment is in line with this philosophy." Welspun Group has already invested Rs 10,000 crore in Gujarat so far and fresh investments take the total to Rs 14,000 crore. "These investments will further consolidate Welspun's global leadership position and explore new avenues for its upcoming businesses in Technical as well as Advanced Textiles," the company said. Welspun is developing an integrated textile manufacturing zone, which will be a part of the government's Sagarmala project wherein Kutch is among the first identified key locations. "The company aims to develop a large, modern and futuristic textile industrial complex that will manufacture and supply world class textile products for the global markets," the company said. The Kutch facility, it added, will provide an ecosystem for entrepreneurs to set up manufacturing facilities and would generate direct employment of nearly 5,000 as well as indirect employment to nearly 15,000 people. The group is also enhancing capacity of its technical textile business with the addition of new products and training and skill development. "Under this vertical, the company has already made its mark with products for specialised use in healthcare, fire departments and other utilities," Welspun said, adding that it will give direct employment to nearly 1,500 people. It also plans to generate a direct employment of 2,000 persons and indirect employment of 5,000 through the expansion of its advanced textile arm, under which it focuses on manufacturing specialised materials for applications in aerospace, defence and automobile sectors. Proposed changes would allow the OINP to manage admissions more strategically, increase its labour market responsiveness, and better meet the needs of the regional labour market, Ontario says. Ontario likely moving to an Expression of Interest system Proposed changes would allow the OINP to manage admissions more strategically, increase its labour market responsiveness, and better meet the needs of the regional labour market, Ontario says. Ontario likely moving to an Expression of Interest system Proposed changes would allow the OINP to manage admissions more strategically, increase its labour market responsiveness, and better meet the needs of the regional labour market, Ontario says. Ontario likely moving to an Expression of Interest system Proposed changes would allow the OINP to manage admissions more strategically, increase its labour market responsiveness, and better meet the needs of the regional labour market, Ontario says. Alexandra Miekus Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Ontario has released details of planned changes for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. The proposed amendment would introduce an Expression of Interest (EOI) system for the following existing streams of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) : Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Tuesdays news release from Ontario includes preliminary information on how applicants from its new EOI pool will be ranked and selected. As a first step, OINP applicants will be invited to submit a profile to the programs new EOI system, which will place them in a pool. Next, individuals will be asked to provide personal and other labour market and human capital information, on which a possible Invitation to Apply (ITA) will be based. According to the proposal put forward by Ontario, applicants will be ranked based on the information provided in their EOI. Ontario will review the scores and issue ITAs to select registrants. Those who receive an ITA will then be able to apply to be nominated under the OINP stream. Ontarios proposed EOI application process is similar to that used under the federal Express Entry system as well as EOI systems found under the PNP in other provinces. The Express Entry pool consists of candidates profiles under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Class and the Canadian Experience Class. The Express Entry system holds regular invitation rounds, usually, one every two weeks, and has invited 69,950 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence in Canada so far this year. Just like in Ontario, eligible candidates in the three immigration programs managed by Express Entry are issued a score under a ranking system, which awards points for factors such as age, education, skilled work experience and proficiency in English or French. For the moment, Ontario has not provided specific details about factors or point totals other than to say that point allocations will be based on various factors such as level of education and language. Ontario also said that it will be conducting general and targeted draws and publishing EOI point allocations on their website. Ontario stated the proposed changes are meant to more strategically manage intake, increase the OINPs labour market responsiveness and better respond to regional labour market needs. In the past, some of the five streams of the OINP have been affected by problems in the receipt of applications. Most recently, the Employers job offer: International student stream opened only a few minutes before reaching its capacity and then closed again. Back in July, The Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream also reached its registration limit just hours after opening. This first come, first served approach has attracted much criticism on the grounds that it puts those who do not have easy access to high-speed internet during selection sessions at a disadvantage. All proposed changes would only go into effect after a 45-day public consultation period that ends October 23, 2020. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved The United States is continuing to ramp up tensions in East Asia over Taiwan, inflaming a situation that could lead to armed conflict with Beijing. This is part of a bipartisan effort in Washington to surround and intimidate mainland China on the economic, diplomatic and military fronts, while deflecting growing domestic tensions outwards. On August 31, David Stilwell, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, delivered a speech to the right-wing Heritage Foundation in which he stated that Washington would be making significant changes to its engagement with Taipei. His remarks were filled with effusive praise for Taiwans supposedly flourishing democracy and denunciations of Beijing for allegedly upending the status quo in the region. Attempting to paint capitalist Beijing and its policies as the continuation of Marxism, Stilwell claimed these changes were necessary because the Chinese Communist Party has targeted Taiwan with diplomatic isolation, bellicose military threats and actions, cyber hacks, economic pressure, United Front interference activitiesyou name it. Stilwell drew attention to high-level trips by US officials to Taiwan, including that of US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in August, as well as a Joint Declaration on 5G Security between American Institute in Taiwan director Brent Christensen and Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu that Stilwell claimed would [expand] cooperation on data protection, freedom, and human rights. Stilwell spent a significant portion of his speech discussing the declassification of two cables from Washington in 1982 that made Six Assurances to Taiwan as part of a more aggressive stance by President Reagan. One cable, dated July 10, 1982, stated that the US: 1) would not set a date to end arm sales to Taiwan; 2) would not agree to prior consultation with Beijing regarding the military sales; 3) would not play a mediation role between Beijing and Taipei; 4) would not revise the Taiwan Relations Act; 5) would not agree to take a position on Taiwanese sovereignty; 6) and would not pressure Taipei to negotiate with Beijing. In highlighting these cables, Stilwell claimed that Washington stands by the One China policy, before adding: What we are doing, though, is making some important updates to our engagement with Taiwan to better reflect these policies and respond to changing circumstances. The adjustments are significant, but still well within the boundaries of our one-China policy . (Emphasis added.) Beijing responded on September 1 with Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying calling on Washington to adhere to the One China policy. She stated that it is the political basis and fundamental precondition for the establishment and development of ChinaUS diplomatic ties and that the US should stop lifting its substantial relationship with Taiwan and to cease any forms of official contact with Taiwan, so as not stray further down an erroneous path. Stilwell also claimed last Monday: The US has long had a one-China policy. This is distinct from Beijings One China Principle under which the Chinese Communist Party asserts sovereignty over Taiwan. The US takes no position on sovereignty over Taiwan. Contrary to Stilwells assertions, the declassification of the cables is meant to call the One China policy into question. In 1979 the US took the de facto position that Taiwan is a part of China when it ended formal relations with Taipei. The acceptance of this position has also governed cross-strait relations since the 1992 Consensus, under which both Beijing and Taipei accept that there is one China, but agree to disagree over which is the legitimate government. The statements from senior US officials that Washington does not agree with Beijings interpretation of the One China policy and does not currently take a position on Taiwanese sovereignty have significant implications. They open the door to the declaration of a new US stance that would up-end the four decades old status quo and directly challenge Beijing over Taiwan. Such a decision would risk the outbreak of war. Beijing has made clear that any declaration of Taiwanese independence would be met with a military response. Beijings position is not rooted in aggressive expansion to impose dictatorship on so-called peace-loving democracies as Washington and Taipei would have people believe. Defeated in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalists) fled to Taiwan to establish a separate military dictatorship, backed by the US. Taipei received global recognition and even occupied Chinas seat on the United Nations Security Council. As the Cold War developed and the United States waged bloody imperialist wars in Korea and Indochina, the threat of a US war launched from Taiwan against the Chinese mainland persisted. President Nixon made a major tactical shift in relations that culminated in his visit to Beijing in 1972, setting the stage for formal US-China relations and a quasi-alliance against the Soviet Union. As Beijing moved to restore capitalism, China became a cheap labour platform for US corporations. Now that China has developed into an economic competitor with Washington, the latter is intent on subordinating Beijing to its own interests, even at the risk of nuclear war. To this end, Washington is deepening its relations with Taipei. The New York Times on August 17, citing unnamed officials in Washington, 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. As such, Stilwell last Monday also announced that Washington and Taipei would establish a new annual bilateral economic platform. This occurred after Taiwan agreed to remove longstanding restrictions on the importation of American pork and beef. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wens spokesman Xavier Chang stated: We hope that the dialogue will be an opportunity to forge new areas of economic cooperation between the two countries and allow Taiwan to better integrate with other world economies and become a key power in global supply chain. The US has backed these changes with military threats. On August 30, Washington sent the USS Halsey, a guided-missile destroyer, through the Taiwan Strait, the second such trip for a US naval vessel in less than two weeks. There have so far been 11 transits through the Taiwan Strait this year, one shy of the annual record, according to the US Pacific Fleet. A driver charges an electric car at a State Grid charging station in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on Sept 1. [Photo/Xinhua] The smart charging network launched by State Grid Corporation of China, which aims to promote data-sharing between various charging companies, has covered as many as 756,000 charging piles by the end of August, with a market share exceeding 88 percent, said the company, the largest power utility player in China. The open platform aims to connect charging pile companies and facilitate electric vehicles. It has attracted more than 100 charging pile companies to the corporation's charging network, which already covers 26 provinces and autonomous regions. It has become the world's biggest charging pile platform in terms of numbers, and will see one million charging piles connected to the platform by the end of this year to further facilitate the electric vehicle users in the country, said Shen Jianxin, general manager of State Grid Electric Vehicle Service Co, a subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China. "The company will step up investment in the charging facilities as the EV charging market is expected to expand thanks to the government's favorable policies in 'new infrastructure,'" Shen said during the China Electric Vehicle Life Festival held in Beijing on Monday. The central government released its "new infrastructure" construction plan in March. EV charging piles were included in the plan, making it a key sector for national infrastructure construction. A report released by Beijing-based think tank EO Intelligence said the number of electric vehicle charging piles in China is estimated to reach 1.66 million by the end of this year and 11.2 million in 2025.The ratio of EVs to charging piles is expected to continue declining. The country's EV charging piles surged by 56.9 percent year-on-year to 1.22 million, it said. Sun Huifeng, president of CCID Consulting, believes the development of the charging pile sector is expected to speed up to develop a 1 trillion yuan ($144 billion) market in the country. Kou Nannan, head of China research with BloombergNEF's advanced transport sector, said he is optimistic about the future charging market in China as the EV fleet has been growing rapidly and the country's charging pile sector will rise faster in the second half as the impact of COVID-19 on new energy vehicles in China gradually diminishes. State Grid Corp of China had said it plans to invest up to 2.7 billion yuan this year to add 78,000 charging piles. Together with China's largest charging infrastructure providers, Qingdao TGOOD Electric Co Ltd, Star Charge and China Southern Power Grid, State Grid has also set up a company called Uniev that is focused on EV-related services and covers information about pile locations, availability, prices and user ratings. According to Shen, the country, being the world's largest auto market, has witnessed rapid development of the new energy auto market. The number of new energy vehicles stood at 4.17 million during the first six months this year, making it the biggest new energy auto market in scale worldwide. Shen said the company will further cooperate with auto companies including BYD, BMW and Nio to come up with more products to facilitate electric vehicle owners. It has earlier forged an agreement with carmaker BAIC Group for further cooperation on electric vehicle support facilities, including building EV charging piles and battery-replacement stations, EV sales, battery energy packs, green energy transactions and smart energy, company officials said. As many as 7,834 new public chargers were added in July in China, with production and sales surging 15.6 percent and 19.3 percent year-on-year respectively, figures released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed. The number of electric vehicle chargers for public use in China stood at around 566,000 at the end of July, the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance said. Both Bassam Aramin, 52, a Palestinian academic, and Rami Elhanan, 70, an Israeli graphic designer, have lost children to violence in their homeland. They now give lectures around the world calling for peace. Bassam Aramin, left, and Rami Elhanan: "This is the importance of a personal relationship: if I know an Israeli, then I know that they are not all the same." Credit:Sarah Lee/Eyevine/Australscope RAMI: I met Bassam for the first time in 2005 at the birth of Combatants for Peace, the organisation he co-founded with my son Elik. His story amazed me: a Palestinian freedom fighter who from the age of 17 spent seven years in an Israeli jail and became a prisoners leader. The most extraordinary thing for me, as the son of a Holocaust survivor, was the way he changed to non-violent resistance after watching the movie Schindlers List in jail. On January 16, 2007, I was driving with my wife to pick up her mom from Jerusalems airport when I got a phone call telling me that Bassams daughter Abir had been shot in the back of her head outside her school in Anata [a town in the West Bank]. We turned around and went straight to the hospital; we spent two days by her bed. Abir was the third of his six children, and she was born in 1997, the same year my daughter Smadar was killed in a suicide bombing by Palestinian terrorists in Jerusalem. Smadar was the third of my four children. What happened to Abir, for me, was like losing my daughter a second time. I told Bassam I was completely devastated, crushed, and he comforted me. I asked him, What are we going to do now? He said, God is testing us. I looked at him and I thought, If he can go on, I can go on. We share the same pain. Foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations, the United States and China are taking part in discussions this week on topics ranging from maritime sovereignty to post-COVID economic recovery that Asia scholars say will test the resolve of both the United States and China. China and the United States have assigned officials to the videoconference events Wednesday through Friday, with Secretary of State Michael Pompeo representing Washington at a ministerial meeting held by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) negotiating bloc. Chinese officials are due to appear at other foreign minister-level events this week. Ten foreign ministers from the 650 million-population Southeast Asian region, which is of growing economic and political importance to both powers, will largely welcome strong U.S. political or military support against threats from China but at the same time look more to China for economic aid including post-pandemic recovery, analysts believe. I think Southeast Asia will look to get a better sense of whether they can trust Washingtons commitment to prioritizing their region and what they can actually count on the U.S. for, and not, when contending with China, said Derek Grossman, senior analyst with the Rand Corp. research institution in the United States. Southeast Asian ministers are waiting for more substance on Pompeos statements in July that the U.S. government would defend countries pressured by China over maritime sovereignty disputes, the scholars say. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines all militarily weaker than China resent Beijing for letting Chinese ships pass through areas they claim in the disputed South China Sea. Last month, the U.S. Department of Commerce ordered sanctions against 24 Chinese companies that have helped China build islets in the sea. The U.S. Navy regularly sends ships to the sea to assert freedom of navigation in defiance of Chinese claims to almost the entire sea. Chinas island-building spree through 2017, followed by more assertive military maneuvers, has put the Southeast Asian claimants on guard in the waterway thats prized for fisheries and energy reserves. Washington has no claim in the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea but believes the sea should be open internationally, U.S. officials have said. Pompeo was due Wednesday to address U.S. priorities in the Indo-Pacific and share details on our efforts to support a free and open region based on principles of sovereignty and pluralism, the Department of State told reporters by e-mail September 3. How receptive they are to a tougher U.S. line is going to say something about how receptive they are going to be to Chinese outreach, said Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative under the Center for Strategic and International Studies research organization in Washington. China is expected to offer economic support rather than sound upbeat about the maritime dispute, analysts say. Its unlikely to revive talks about a South China Sea code of conduct, for example, as that idea for avoiding mishaps has been off the table for half a year and Vietnam is angry over maritime incidents with China earlier in the year, Poling said. Southeast Asian leaders further wonder whether China fumbled its initial COVID-19 response, said Alan Chong, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Theyre wary of instability in Hong Kong, too, he said. But he said theyre listening for any hint of a trade initiative or proposals for travel bubbles that would allow free flow of tourists between countries with low COVID-19 rates. Most Asian countries allow little inbound travel to stop the coronavirus spread. The Chinese ambassador to ASEAN said in May that a two-year, $2 billion commitment of international anti-pandemic aid would include Southeast Asia. Chinese leadership is the only one that you can seriously expect any major initiatives from, but even then, one cannot expect completely obedient followership from the rest of the East Asia Summit because there are reservations about Chinese intentions, Chong said. Southeast Asian states in the long term will pursue stronger ties with both superpowers, as openly taking sides would risk isolating one while favoring the other, scholars say. China and the United States are embroiled in a wide-ranging dispute over trade, internet controls, technology transfers and each sides diplomatic activity in the other country. We can be sure that ASEAN will strike a tone that emphasizes cooperation while skirting the Sino-U.S. issues as much as possible, said Collin Koh, a maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Malaysia, for example, sells its agricultural staple, palm oil, to China. The Chinese capital has helped build infrastructure in Malaysia as well. We are not in Chinas camp, but we dont want to be seen to be provocative either, said Shahriman Lockman, senior foreign policy and security studies analyst with the Institute of Strategic and International Studies research organization in Kuala Lumpur. US president Donald Trump has been formally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2020. This comes just weeks after helping to broker a peace deal between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, touted as a "game-changer". Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, nominated Trump praising his efforts towards resolving conflicts worldwide. 'For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees,' Tybring-Gjedde said to Fox News. Tybring-Gjedde who also serves as chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said the Trump administration played a key role in the establishment of relations between The UAE and Israel. Reuters In his nomination letter, he wrote: 'As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity.' He also cited the president's 'key role in facilitating contact between conflicting parties and creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan, and the conflict between North and South Korea, as well as dealing with the nuclear capabilities of North Korea.' He also praised Trump for withdrawing large numbers of US troops from the Middle East. Right after his nomination, people thronged to Twitter saying it's all about 2020 being weird. Donald Trump was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. While Republicans are tweeting about the left going crazy, let us remember that Rush Limbaugh, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and Putin were nominated as well. Hannah (@cosmopoieticc) September 9, 2020 @realDonaldTrump Nominated for Nobel peace prize!!!hahahaha!!! wildwood (@tpartyatperrysb) September 9, 2020 donald trump has been nominated for a nobel peace prize.....somebody say sike right the fuck now nu metal barbie (@wiIdsiide) September 9, 2020 Just a reminder that even in these times the world can become more bizarre. Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize https://t.co/Ivc2J8BoxD Tha mi (@MarkWSYoung) September 9, 2020 Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize 2020 is weird larry kwirirayi (@kwirirayi) September 9, 2020 This is not the first time Trump has been nominated for the prize. In 2018 Tybring-Gjedde submitted Trump's name following his Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The US president did not win. 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. Press Release September 9, 2020 De Lima finds Ardot Parojinog's death 'highly suspicious' Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has raised doubts over the legitimacy of the cause of death of former City Councilor Ricardo "Ardot" Parojinog who reportedly died of cardiac arrest due to a heart disease inside his detention cell in Ozamiz police station last Sept. 4. De Lima, the first prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime, said Parojinog's cause of death was immediately announced without a proper autopsy while foul play was peremptorily ruled out by authorities. "After the killing of his brother, the former Mayor of Ozamis City, and several other family members in the massacre of the Parojinog family in 2017, here comes another suspicious death of a Parojinog, former City Councilor Ricardo "Ardot" Parojinog, who is a fellow PDL here at the PNP Custodial Center," she said in her Dispatch from Crame No. 903. "In those unusual instances of death while in the custody of PNP, the cause of death should be conclusively established through an autopsy, considering precedents of summary execution of even those already under detention," she added. Northern Mindanao police director Brig. Gen. Rolando Anduyan reportedly confirmed that Parojinog died of "cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to cardiovascular disease or probably COVID-19" while PNP spokesperson Police Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac claimed that investigators found no sign of violence inside the cell where Parojinog was found dead. It can be recalled that Parojinog, who is facing multiple charges, was brought to Ozamiz City last Sept. 3 from the PNP Custodial Center in Quezon City for a court hearing. He had been held at the PNP Custodial Center since his arrest in 2018. De Lima, a former justice secretary, wondered why the trial of Parojinog's case had to be held in Ozamis City when there was sufficient basis for a change of venue and why he had to be brought there personally for the hearing when a virtual hearing via video-conferencing is allowed during this pandemic. "In travelling to Ozamis City for the scheduled hearing, Mr. Parojinog was escorted by a small team of PNP Custodial officers and personnel, presumably to be reinforced by the local police. While there, he was placed inside the local police station's jail. How convenient for the authorities that Parojinog suddenly dies there," she said. "Nobody thought of posting, round-the-clock, a PNP Custodial guard (not local police) outside his cell? They know or should have known that Ozamis City has become a hostile territory for the now beleaguered Parojinog clan whom the President threatened to 'wipe out'. Truly, this is another suspicious death of a targeted drug personality within a jail or prison," she added. In raising possibilities for a foul play, De Lima recalled the recent suspicious death of high-profile Bilibid inmate Jaybee Sebastian who is touted to be a "star witness" against her. "The official version of the cause of his death is 'acute myocardial infarction' or heart attack due to 'complications from COVID-19'. I believe that he was murdered to prevent him from retracting his statement against me," she noted. "Astoundingly, Sebastian supposedly executed a new affidavit embellishing his stories accusing me of involvement in the Bilibid drug trade, 6 days before his death! And now the prosecution wants to present this affidavit in evidence, as if an affidavit can be cross-examined on the truth of its contents. How convenient for my tormentors and their DOJ lackeys!" she added. A victim of political persecution under the vengeful Duterte regime, De Lima was illegally detained since Feb. 24, 2017 based on trumped-up charges that were mostly based on perjured testimonies of convicted criminals and manufactured evidence. Thursday's rally featuring President Donald J. Trump in Freeland is already attracting supporters from across the country to MBS International Airport. Some, like San Diego resident Blake Marnell, 55, have been camping out in one of the airport's parking lots since arriving at MBS at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Marnell said he was in the last leg of a three-week road trip across the country when he heard about the upcoming rally in Freeland. "I wasn't planning on coming this far north into Michigan, but I changed my itinerary to get here," Marnell said. Though he has been to the state before, this week marks the first time Marnell has visited the Mid-Michigan area. Thursday's event will be the 12th rally for the president he has attended. "The reason that I get to the rallies early is because something I enjoy just as much as a rally is meeting all the people who come from the area to see the president," Marnell said. "People say our president is divisive, but I see exactly the opposite he brings so many people together from different categories, and you see that at these rallies." Though Marnell was the first to show up for Thursday's rally, he was quickly followed by Rick Frazier, a 64-year-old resident of New Bremen, Ohio, who arrived at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. This will be Frazier's 28th visit to a Trump rally. "I came to see the president and support him," Frazier said. "Any time I can go see him, I enjoy that, but it's much more about the camaraderie like with Blake (Marnell) and other folks like me going around doing this. I've met a whole lot of people across the country who are like-minded it's just good to meet new friends." A representative from the Days Inn by Wyndham Midland, located at 5217 Bay City Road, said the hotel has seen "quite an uptick" in reservations on Tuesday and Wednesday, going from the average of 10 to 15 visitors to about 25. Another nearby hotel, the Econo Lodge Inn & Suites in Auburn, has not seen a similar increase. Hotel manager Tim Hinman said Econo Lodge has received a couple additional reservations in the past few days, but "nothing significant." "Honestly, I think this is as much as we're going to get," Hinman said. "(With the rally) being in Freeland, it seems like it'll be more locals going to it." While supporters flock to MBS for Trump's visit, a "Dump Trump" protest will also take place nearby, beginning at 4 p.m. The event will be hosted by "Black Lives Matter Bay City" and the Detroit-based organization "Refuse Fascism." Romania's ambassador in Minsk on Wednesday morning paid a visit, alongside its colleagues from the European Union, to one of the representatives of the opposition in Belarus, writer Svetlana Aleksievich, a Nobel Prize laureate, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu stated. He spoke at the Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy alongside his Spanish counterpart, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, who participated through videoconference. "You mentioned Belarus. Since we are talking of human rights being violated, this morning, our ambassador in Minsk, according to my instructions, went with his colleagues from the EU to visit one of the famous representatives of the opposition there - Svetlana Aleksievich, a Nobel Prize laureate for literature, to make sure that the human rights are being observed, and I believe that we must continue to put pressure on the regime, in order to have an open dialogue with the opposition and not through repressive means," the head of the Romanian diplomacy said. A writer and journalist, Svetlana Aleksievich was born in Belarus. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2015. Her work documents testimonies of adults who were children during the Second World War ("The Last Witnesses"), of the Soviet soldiers who fought in Afghanistan ("The Zinc Soldiers"), of the women who fought in the Second World War ("The Unwomanly Face of War") or of the survivors of the greatest nuclear disaster in history ("The Chernobyl Disaster"). She is one of the opposers of the regime in Minsk. The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) violated the Line of Actual Control several times in the past two months, and in several places across the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand, according to intelligence reports, and security and intelligence officials who asked not to be identified. The Chinese transgression was not restricted to Eastern Ladakh alone, the officials and reports reveal with, in one case, the PLA transgressing up to 40km inside Indian territory before withdrawing. Accounts by the officers also belie Chinese claims of India transgressing the LAC between the two countries. They also point to the larger Chinese strategy: the officials contend that the increased activity along the unsettled, approximately 3,500-km-long border is aimed at keeping the Indian Army on its toes at multiple places and injecting an element of surprise in the ongoing tension, even though Eastern Ladakh remains the main standoff theatre. India and China have been involved in a prolonged, four-month-long standoff since April in which both sides have suffered casualties. At least 20 Indian Army soldiers, including a commanding officer, were killed, and 80 injured, in Galwan in Eastern Ladakh on June 15. Also read: The breakdown with China | HT Editorial According to one intelligence official, who cannot be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, the PLA entered Arunachal Pradesh twice in July. According to him, Chinese soldiers transgressed at least 26km inside Indian territory in district Anjaw and camped for three to four days, in the first half of that month, before exiting. In the second instance, also in Anjaw, the PLA transgressed through Arunachals Hadigra Pass and came in 40km, and retreated only after leaving telltale marks. In early August, there was a face-off in eastern Sikkims Jelep La area in which the PLA occupied higher ground and rolled stones onto Indian Army troops. The tension eased after senior officers intervened, but in a joint meeting between the two sides, both stayed adamant on their claim over the Jelep La area. A security official said: The development was worrying because this was the first such instance in an area which has largely remained undisputed. Again, in mid-August, the PLAs presence was noted in Uttarakhands Tanjun La Pass for the first time this year. A senior army official who asked not to be named said: The PLA is trying to dominate important heights to gain tactical and strategic advantage. It is also trying to use the disengagement process to upgrade its infrastructure. The Indian Army did not officially comment on the multiple transgressions. The army is engaged in ground-level talks at the Brigade and Division level. At the political level, defence minister Rajnath Singh held talks with his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe in Moscow last week. China reached out for a meeting with Singh on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meetings after India gained an advantage by occupying heights in the Pangong Tso area in eastern Ladakh. In the meeting last Friday, Wei blamed India and said China was not willing to lose a single inch of its territory. Singh told his Chinese counterpart that Beijing was in violation of border agreements while New Delhi was being responsible, and that there should be no doubt about Indias determination to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The foreign ministers of the two countries are scheduled to meet later this week. A statement issued by India after Singh and Weis meeting held China responsible for the prolonged conflict along the LAC. The statement said: The actions of the Chinese troops, including amassing a large number of troops, their aggressive behaviour and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were in violation of the bilateral agreements, and not in keeping with the understandings reached between the Special Representatives of two sides. On Monday, the Indian Army said in a statement that PLA troops attempted to close in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by our own troops, fired a few rounds in the air to intimidate our troops. The statement added that the Indian troops exercised great restraint. HT learns that the latest incident happened at the Rezang La-Rechin La ridgeline. Tensions between the two neighbours are far from over. India has now sought information of five missing civilians from Arunachal who might be in Chinese custody. According to an army official, We continue to be on heightened alert. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Key players in the casing centralizers market are focusing on launching innovative product designs and are establishing their foothold through mergers and acquisitions. ROCKVILLE, MD / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / The casing centralizers market is projected to grow at a steady CAGR of 3.9% in terms of value through the period of forecasting between 2020 and 2030. The growth of the market is primarily attributed to the demand for oil and gas among numerous industries, coupled with a rising number of onshore and offshore oil exploration activities. However, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, players in the oil & gas industry have put a hold on operations, consequently leading to a downtrend in demand for casing centralizers. "In 2018, the estimates of World Oil have forecasted the drilling activities outside the US to increase to 43,456 wells, with Russia, China, and Australia fore-fronting the growth. On this premise, the demand for case centralizers is expected to prevail high through the forecast period," says the Fact.MR report. Request a sample of the report to gain more market insights at https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2788 Casing Centralizers Market - Key Takeaways The global casing centralizers market is projected to bestow an incremental opportunity of US$ 215 Mn during the forecast period. By product, bow spring casing centralizers are expected to remain the most sought-out type and will offer a revenue opportunity worth US$ 93.5 Mn during the forecast period. Based on application, the onshore application segment is estimated to rise at a CAGR of 3.8%, capturing nearly 80% of market value, while the offshore application segment will also attain a remarkable share owing to the mounting number of offshore activities. On the basis of material, steel-based casing centralizers will account for over 3/5th of the total value. North America will continue to spearhead the regional landscape, backed by soaring demand for hydrocarbon in the power generation sector coupled with a strong presence of the oil & gas industry. North America is projected to offer an incremental opportunity worth US$ 108 Mn during the assessment period. Casing Centralizers Market - Driving Factors An increasing number of greenfield and brownfield projects are expected to impel the demand for casing centralizers in the years to come. Soaring demand for crude oil and continual growth of oil & gas exploration activities will continue to boost the growth of the market. Casing Centralizers Market - Constraints Fluctuating prices of oil coupled with the recent downfall in the volume of oil production in the US is likely to pose a challenge to the steady growth of the market. Anticipated Market Impact by Coronavirus Outbreak Halted oil exploration activities due to the COVID-19 outbreak are hindering the growth trajectory. Owing to the high reliance on the oil & gas exploration sector, disrupted operations in the end-use industry have led to a downtrend in the sales of casing centralizers. Furthermore, postponement and cancellation of numerous greenfield and brownfield projects are negatively influencing the demand. Explore the global casing centralizers market with 108 figures, 72 data tables, along with the table of contents of the report. You can also find detailed segmentation on https://www.factmr.com/report/2788/casing-centralizer-market Competition Landscape Prominent players operating in the casing centralizers market include Halliburton, Maxwell Oil Tools Ltd, Moonshine Solutions AS, NeOz Energy, National Oilwell Varco, Summit Casing Equipment, and Weatherford International. Market players are focusing on acquisitions and developing innovative products to gain a competitive advantage. On these lines, in April 2020, Centek Group developed a hinged centralizer to reduce transportation costs and storage. On the other hand, in January 2018, Madison Industries acquired Centek Group to with an intent to produce high-quality products and deliver excellent customer service More on the Report The FACT.MR's market research report provides in-depth insights into the casing centralizer market. The market is scrutinized based on product (bow spring casing centralizers, rigid blade casing centralizers, semi-rigid casing centralizers, and inter-casing centralizers sub), application (onshore, and offshore), and materials (steel, aluminium, zinc, polymer and resin) across five major regions (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA)). Explore Wide-ranging Coverage of FACT.MR's Industrial Goods Landscape Combined Heat and Power Systems Market: Find insights on the combined heat and power (CHP) systems market with analysis of segments, statistics, influencers, market players, and business strategies adopted over a 10-year forecast period. Cryogenic Submerged Motor Pumps Market: FACT.MR's report on the cryogenic submerged motor pumps market offers insights on the market during 2020-2030, including restraints, revenue sources, market leaders, and market strategies. Industrial Valves Market: Read an analysis of the industrial valves market with insights on growth factors, opportunities, restraints, regional market forecast, regulatory policies, and strengths of market leaders. About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. Fact.MR is headquartered in Dublin, and has offices in Dubai. FACT.MR's latest market research reports industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and take critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Contact: Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ PR- https://www.factmr.com/media-release/1612/global-casing-centralizer-market SOURCE: Fact.MR View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605360/Casing-Centralizers-Market-to-Progress-at-CAGR-of-39-through-2030-Opines-FactMRs-New-Study The Nigerian government has said that it expended a total sum of N13.3 billion to 15,246 on N-Power beneficiaries comprising batches A and B who volunteered in Kwara State before they exited the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP). The Kwara State NSIP Focal Person, Bashirah Abdulrazaq, disclosed this on Wednesday, according to a report published on The Nation Newspaper. Ms Abdulrazaq also said about N1.3 billion was spent on 10,000 people who benefited from the trader moni programme in the state. The N-Power is Nigerias work-for-cash social assistance scheme with enrollees paid N30,000 monthly with thousands of direct beneficiaries spread across the key industries targeted by the programme agriculture, building, health, education, and tax establishment in the state. Among the five N-Power components, education subcomponent is the most popular, due to a large number of youth deployed to teach in public schools. The scheme recently disengaged both Batch A and B graduates enrolled in the N-Power scheme, opening a new portal for fresh intakes of volunteers that have seen a record of over five million people that so far applied. Statistics on Expenditure According to the report, the Kwara State focal person, however, gave a breakdown of the total expenses spent in a period of five years. She said the batch A beneficiaries in Kwara state, who were engaged for a period of 42 months, gulped a total sum of N7.4 billion, while the batch B beneficiaries received a total sum of N5.7 billion in 24 months. Non-graduates received the sum of N10,000 every month and were engaged for a period of 24 months with a total sum of over N24 million spent, she added. Ms Abdulrazaq also said that the Kwara State government has replicated the youth empowerment programme, codenamed K-Power, in order not to throw beneficiaries into the labour market after exiting N-Power. She also said that about 10,000 people benefitted from the trader moni programme in the state with over N1.3 billion disbursed to them. She regretted that the people were not willing to repay the loan. Poor masses are not ready to repay the loan after collection because of the attitude of Nigerian to anything from the government thinking it is a national cake. Also, those that disbursed the money do not have records of beneficiaries like phone numbers and addresses. Thus, making it difficult to track them for repayment. The programme is designed to provide soft loans to boost small scale businesses in the markets which Vice President Yemi Osinbajo flagged off sometime last year to support women with N10,000 as soft loans to be paid back and then enjoy the next stage of N50,000. Unfortunately, many beneficiaries didnt pay back or the channel for payment was not identified, therefore, beneficiaries could not fulfil their pledges. Though, the component is going through restructuring to see it achieves its objectives, she said. Ms Abdulrazaq also said that the state government has replicated NSIP scheme in the state, tagged Kwara state Social investment programme, (KWASSIP), adding that, in view of that, governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq keyed into the programme by establishing the following: owo arugbo stipend for the aged, owo isowo- soft loans to petty traders, ounje ofe homegrown free feeding programme for public primary school pupils and K-Power for the unskilled youth. KITCHENER A man wanted by police in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 40-year-old Kitchener man seven months ago turned himself in on Tuesday. Igor Ninkovic, 33, faces charges of failing to remain at an accident causing death and obstructing justice. A justice of the peace released the Waterloo man from custody Tuesday afternoon with several conditions, including turning in his passport, reporting once a week to police, not driving, and having no contact with five named individuals. Police Chief Bryan Larkin said the accused had fled Canada and was located in the Balkan country of Montenegro in southeast Europe. With the help of international police, Ninkovic was found, Larkin said on Wednesday. Wojciech Plaga, 40, was found dead on the side of Highland Road West near Westheights Drive on Feb. 3 at about 11 a.m. when garbage collection workers saw the body and called 911. Police believe Plaga was walking at night on Feb. 2 between 10:40 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. when he was struck by the car. The driver took off. The section of Highland Road where the crash happened has no sidewalks and is poorly lit. In May, Waterloo Regional Police arrested three Waterloo people in connection to the fatal hit-and-run crash. A 65-year-old man, a 66-year-old woman and a 36-year-old woman face charges of accessory after the fact. The man and the younger woman also face obstruct justice charges. Police would not say how the individuals are related to the driver except to say they all know each other. The accessory after the fact charge alleges the individuals knowingly helped the suspect commit the crime. The obstructing justice charge alleges wilfully interfering with or impeding an investigation. At the time of Plagas death, his family told The Record they hoped the person who caused the crash would come forward and take accountability for your actions. Ninkovic returns to court on Oct. 9. A man holds a placard reading 'Defund the police' at a protest in LA - FREDERIC J. BROWN /AFP An autistic 13-year-old boy has been seriously injured after being shot by police in Salt Lake City, Utah. His mother had called officers for help while he was suffering a mental health episode. Linden Cameron was unarmed at the time and was suffering from a mental breakdown after she returned to work for the first time in over a year, according to an account his mother gave to KUTV. "I said, 'Look, he's unarmed. He doesn't have anything. He just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming,'" Golda Barton, the boys mother, said, recounting her call with police. "He's a kid, he's trying to get attention. He doesn't know how to regulate." In a press briefing, Sergeant Keith Harrocks of the Salt Lake City Police Department said the boy was shot while he was running away after he "made threats to some folks with a weapon." The authorities have said they will release bodycam footage within ten business days, in line with local laws. The boy was taken to a local hospital with injuries including damage to his shoulder, ankles, intestines, bladder and colon, as well as nerve damage, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his mother. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Medndehall said: "While the full details of this incident are yet to be released as an investigation takes place, I will say that I am thankful this young boy is alive and no one else was injured." "No matter the circumstances, what happened on Friday night is a tragedy and I expect this investigation to be handled swiftly and transparently for the sake of everyone involved." The incident comes as protests rage nationwide over the fatal police killing of Daniel Prude in Rochester, New York. The 41-year-old black man was also suffering a mental health episode at the time of his death, according to his brother. (Photo : AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts via REUTERS) A general view of AstraZeneca's Sydney headquarters, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, if it proves successful, through an agreement between the government and UK-based drug company AstraZeneca, in Sydney, Australia, August 19, 2020. (Photo : AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts via REUTERS) A chemist works at AstraZeneca's headquarters, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, if it proves successful, through an agreement between the government and UK-based drug company AstraZeneca, in Sydney, Australia, August 19, 2020. The human trials for the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has been suspended after a participant experienced serious adverse effects. AstraZeneca's voluntarily paused the trial, which seemed to push back the development process of the much-needed viral protection. The vaccine is being developed by the Oxford University in Cambridge, which earlier partnered with Astrazeneca for its production and distribution worldwide. Even the World Health Organization considered Astrazeneca as one of the frontrunners in the vaccine development against COVID-19, which affected nearly 28 million people and killed more than 900,000 worldwide. According to the Daily Mail, a t least seven countries have already pre-ordered for the vaccine, totalling to at least 800 million shots. These include the U.K., the U.S., Australia, China, and Brazil with 100 million each while the European Union ordered 300 million shots. Meanwhile, a Russian company has already partnered with Astrazeneca to distribute the vaccine, although it is still not clear how many vaccines they have already ordered. Putting the trial on hold is major setback in the hopes to have a vaccine ready within months. Earlier this week, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he hoped the vaccine could be available in the 'first few months' of 2021. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca spokesperson told DailyMail that they decided to pause the trial to allow the review of safety data by an independent committee. "This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials," the spokesperson added. He also said that this will ensure that the integrity of the trials is maintained while investigation is on-going. Getting adverse effects during large trials is inevitable, but an independent review must carefully inspect the situation to ensure the safety of participants and that trials are being handled at highest standards of conduct. Serious adverse events are reactions of the body to drugs or vaccines. These can be life-threatening and require hospitalization. However, a source of Stat News said that the trial participant who had been enrolled in a Phase 2/3 trial is expected to recover, although it is not unclear what the exact reaction was. Meanwhile, the source also shared that another volunteer had been found to have transverse myelitis, which is an inflammatory syndrome affecting the spinal cord. While it is often triggered by viral infections, it is unclear whether the diagnosis is directly linked to AstraZeneca's vaccine. Read also: CDC Announces Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Before November Elections Despite Backlash from Medical Experts! Coronavirus vaccines' on-going human trials More than 50,000 people across the globe are taking part in the final phase of the AstraZeneca's candidate vaccine called AZD1222. At this stage, researchers check the efficiency of the jab in preventing people from getting infected with Covid-19. If this phase becomes successful, safety and efficacy data will be submitted for regulators' approval. Aside from the AstraZeneca vaccine, eight others are currently in phase 3 trials, the public and governments are closely watching the progress with high hopes to halt the coronavirus pandemic altogether. Pfizer and Moderna also hoped to finish the trial before the year ends to know whether the vaccines worked and safe. Read also: The US Government Orders 100 Million Oxford University COVID-19 Vaccine As AstraZeneca Begins Its Final Trials This is owned by Tech Times Written by CJ Robles 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Vietnam is making positive contributions during its Presidency of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41) for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, the Foreignaffairassia website has said. As the host country of AIPA 41, the website wrote, Vietnam is playing a leadership role and contribute significantly to the success of the event, which is taking place from September 8-10. The National Assembly of Vietnam on August 8 proposed hosting AIPA 41, with the theme Parliamentary diplomacy for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, via video conference from September 8-10. The dialogue between ASEAN leaders and AIPA leaders was held online within the framework of the 36th ASEAN Summit in June. The organisation of AIPA 41 and related activities is a highlight of the NAs external affairs as it assumes its Presidency of AIPA for the third time, it said. In March 2020, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, as President of AIPA, sent a letter to heads of AIPA member parliaments and the AIPA Secretary-General calling on AIPA leaders to join hands with governments in the fight against COVID-19. Since joining AIPA in 1995, the NA has made key contributions to the General Assembly. In 2007, it proposed organising dialogues between ASEAN leaders and AIPA member legislatures, which are now held regularly within the framework of ASEAN Year and AIPA. Vietnam also proposed that the AIPA Committee on Economic Matters issue a resolution on micro- and small-sized enterprise development - said to be a notable proposal from the country. In 2020, as President of AIPA 41, Vietnam has actively organised a wide range of activities in different forms due to COVID-19. Vietnam set two goals at AIPA 41, including proposing the establishment of a meeting of young parliamentarians of AIPA to uphold the role of parliamentarians and link AIPAs activities with those of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) in connection to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to Ngan, AIPA supports the implementation of ASEAN initiatives and continues to support the governments of ASEAN member countries in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, improving ASEAN countries capacity to respond to emergencies, recovering post-pandemic economic activities, and maintaining stable development in the region. She stressed that AIPA looks forward to more exchange and coordination with ASEAN at all levels. In the time to come, it will continue to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN to ensure transparency, openness, and a rules-based approach, thus highlighting its central role. browser not support iframe. Role of AIPA parliaments in post-pandemic economic recovery discussed An official of the Vietnamese National Assembly has suggested continuing to review and perfect the legal framework to promote trade facilitation to ensure uninterrupted circulation of goods and supply chains in the ASEAN region. Nguyen Manh Tien, Vice Chairman of the NAs Committee for Foreign Affairs and Head of the Vietnamese NAs Delegation, made the suggestion at a virtual meeting of the Committee on Economic Matters of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41) on September 9. The meeting focused on the topic The Role of Parliaments in Promoting ASEAN Cohesiveness and Economic Recovery post-COVID 19. Tien said over the past several months, ASEAN countries have taken their own measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic as well as respond to the economic impacts of the pandemic. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is not just a medical crisis, but a crisis for the growth when international trade and supply chains are disrupted. Facing this situation, the Vietnamese delegation was deeply concerned about the great losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in ASEAN countries, he said, adding that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused a great hindrance to the economies of ASEAN countries as well as their internal and external trade activities. Therefore, the economic integration in promoting economic growth and recovery of ASEAN member countries and the good implementation of digital economic activities will be of profound importance, playing an important role in strengthening ASEAN economic integration as well as ASEANs readiness to respond to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In that spirit, Tien recommended the ASEAN community to unify to implement a series of breakthrough and feasible solutions, which are: Firstly, promoting accelerated exchange of information relating to tourism and health and other necessary measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic; promoting the safety in travelling, applying safety standards and medical procedures to facilitate cross-border movement of ASEAN citizens, and adhering to international health and safety standards as well as commitments under relevant Agreements among ASEAN member countries; Secondly, studying the concept of "travel bubble" between "green countries" as a preliminary initiative in the process of reopening the border, forming safe travel zones within ASEAN and proposing to issue reference guidelines to all ASEAN member countries without prejudice to commitments under the relevant agreements among ASEAN member countries; Thirdly, continuing to review and perfect the legal framework to promote trade facilitation, to ensure uninterrupted circulation of goods and supply chains in the region; building open, sustainable and responsible investment policies in the region; ensuring food security and agricultural value chains; increasing the use of renewable energy; proceeding to build a circular economy; Fourthly, speeding up the ratification of regional trade agreements and treaties; prioritising efforts to finalise negotiations and sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by 2020; strengthening capacity, participation and strengthening parliamentary oversight of the implementation of trade and investment commitments within the regional and international frameworks, considering it as a key tool to promote broader economic linkages within the ASEAN Community and between ASEAN and other partners. Fifthly, enhancing the development of digital infrastructure, digital connectivity, digital data security, digital knowledge and skills connecting ASEAN member countries to develop the digital economy; sharing information and experiences to handle challenges facing e-commerce platforms; taking advantage of the opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to overcome the disadvantages of economic lockdown and social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic and remaining competitiveness in the digital economy era. Sixthly, building regional connectivity infrastructure, enhancing transport connectivity and the need to strengthen cooperation in the Mekong sub-region and other ASEAN subregions, especially on environmental protection, smart agriculture development and sustainable management of transboundary natural resources to ensure food, water and energy security in the subregions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the meeting, delegates spoke highly of the Vietnamese National Assemblys efforts to hold the 41st General Assembly of AIPA via a teleconference as the COVID-19 pandemic is raging in the region and the world. They discussed measures to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 while fine-tuning legal frameworks to promote economic recovery when the pandemic is put under control. The participants affirmed the importance of economic connectivity, including maintaining supply chains, in promoting ASEAN member nations economic growth and comprehensive recovery. They also called for cooperation among AIPA member parliaments in building new legal frameworks to institutionalise national preparedness and response mechanisms against COVID-19 and future pandemics. A Resolution on the Role of Parliaments in Promoting ASEAN Cohesiveness and Economic Recovery Post-COVID-19 was approved at the end of the meeting. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) now comprises 10 members, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam./. Malaysian House Speaker affirms support for efforts towards greater ASEAN Azhar Azizan Harun, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia, on September 8 affirmed the Malaysian Parliaments undivided support of the remarkable efforts by AIPA members towards the realisation and collaboration of a greater ASEAN. In his remarks at the first plenary session of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41), held in the form of video conference, the Speaker said the invisible enemy of COVID-19 threatens to harm the prospect and development of each ASEAN member state. If there was ever a moment necessary for solidarity, cooperation, support and commonality, this is ASEANs moment to showcase its commitment towards a region of greater tomorrows, he stressed. The Malaysian Parliament always support closer relations among AIPA members, the Speaker said. The same day, Malaysias news agency Bernama ran an article highlighting efforts by the Vietnamese National Assembly in its capacity as AIPA Chair 2020. The article quoted Vietnamese NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan as saying that the Vietnamese legislature will make all-out efforts to successfully organise AIPA-41 as well as other ativities within the AIPA Year 2020. The success of AIPA-41 and the AIPA Year 2020 will contribute to promoting the relationship between AIPA and ASEAN, enhancing coordination between legislative and executive channels, and accellerating the building of the ASEAN Community, for peace, stability, safety, prosperity and happiness, Ngan said. Earlier, AIPA-41 also made headlines of Malaysias Barita Harian and The Star newspapers. The event, the first General Assembly of AIPA held in the form of video conference, is taking place from September 8 -10 under the chair of Vietnam, with the theme of Parliamentary Diplomacy for Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community. Philippine House Speaker highlights AIPA-ASEAN unity Philippine House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has stressed that unity and neighbourly cooperation are the flagship and main objectives of AIPA and ASEAN. He made the remarks while addressing the first plenary session of the ongoing 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41), which, he said, is among the most memorable of General Assemblies since the birth of AIPA in Manila on September 2, 1977. AIPA 41 is historic not only for the reason of its virtual setting, but because it is held amidst extraordinarily challenging circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. He congratulated the National Assembly of Vietnam and its AIPA National Secretariat for surmounting the current difficulties caused by the pandemic to conduct the meeting. Alan Peter said this is an opportunity for AIPA parliaments to share experiences, learnings, difficulties, innovative measures and best practices, making them better equipped in battling against COVID-19. Through the years, AIPA member parliaments have realised the culture of unity and cooperation by passing legislative measures consistent with the thrusts and programmes of each AIPA member parliaments government, according to the Speaker. During this precarious time, the executive and legislative branches of governments act in unison to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, caring for those afflicted, assisting the hungry and the jobless, and jumpstarting economies which ground to a halt due to various community quarantine measures. He said AIPA shall continue to support ASEAN in its recovery framework to bring the region back to its feet after this COVID-19 setback. In a post-pandemic landscape, he continued, AIPA should have a more active role in accelerating regional economic recovery through legislation and oversight, saying AIPA-41 is the perfect opportunity to recalibrate policy directions towards a more a responsive ASEAN and AIPA, to help ASEAN member states overcome the challenges from this and other crises or pandemics in the future. Alan Peter lauded the adoption of the Hanoi Plan of Action on Strengthening ASEAN Economic Cooperation and Supply Chain Connectivity in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic, during the ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting on June 40. The Speaker expressed his hope that through the Action Plan, the countries will counter the impact of the pandemic by promoting ASEAN markets for essential goods and deepen economic cooperation among ASEAN member states. He held that challenges caused by COVID-19 bring about opportunities to adapt and readjust for a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable recovery and growth for ASEAN. Despite the current difficult circumstances, the future that awaits the region remains bright and prosperous, full of potentials, he believed. However, we need to think more of We than I, more than nation but a Community and a Region. We are family and we our brothers and sisters keepers. We may be suffering together now because of COVID-19, but through love, unity, cooperation, perseverance, courage, and resourcefulness, we shall rise together, he said. AIPA members support parliamentary diplomacy, cooperation Heads of member legislatures of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) voiced their support for stronger parliamentary diplomacy and cooperation, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, at the first plenary session of the 41st AIPA General Assembly on September 8. The virtual event, hosted by Vietnam, was attended by leaders of the 10 AIPA member parliaments, parliamentary leaders of country observers of AIPA, the AIPA Secretary-General and Secretariat, the Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the ASEAN Secretary-General, along with representatives of the UN Secretary-General and guest parliaments of the host country. Addressing the first plenary session, Speaker of the Legislative Council of Brunei Pehin Abdul Rahman Taib said the theme of AIPA 41 this year, Parliamentary Diplomacy for Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community, is relevant in the current context as the region faces unprecedented challenges in adapting to the new norm. The theme further emphasises the role of national parliaments of ASEAN as the voice of the people and the need to stand in solidarity and to respond swiftly to pressing issues, in accordance with the international laws, he noted. Speaker of the House of Representatives of Indonesia Puan Maharani held that the theme of this years General Assembly marks the increasingly important role of the parliament, especially in this time of COVID-19 pandemic, which is impacting so many lives and limiting economic activities, causing the region to be in the verge of recession. She said in this situation, as parliament we need to encourage ASEAN Member States government to deliver adequate policy to curb the spread of COVID-19, reduce greater economic impact and ensuring social welfare. Meanwhile, Chairwoman of the Lao National Assembly Pany Yathotou expressed high valuation of and support for the theme of AIPA 41, which contributes further to implementing the commitment of the 36th ASEAN Summit and reaffirming the importance of close cooperation and partnership among ASEAN member states, and between ASEAN and its dialogue partners with a view to responding to the emerging challenges in the region. Yathotou showed her confidence that fellow AIPA members will continue to fulfill their role through parliamentary diplomacy with a view to encouraging the governments of ASEAN member states to implement measures and translate commitment of the ASEAN leaders as well as the heads of AIPA towards tangible results. President of the Thai National Assembly Chuan Leekpai noted at the regional level, it is preferable for AIPA to exchange knowledge and experiences among member parliaments, including knowledge on a new and unexpected way of life under the current and post-COVID-19 situation. Member parliaments in different countries can directly communicate with one another and help parliaments to function more smoothly and effectively. He added the ASEAN Community building can be essentially strengthened through the harmonisation of laws of the member states. For ASEAN to truly attain a regional community, it is urged to create common legal standards across the region. Each parliament can still maintain its responsibility for the enactment of laws to regulate affairs within its own jurisdiction. Harmonisation is nevertheless essential to ensure that the same or similar rules and regulations are moving in the same direction, most notably trade, investment, and movement of professionals, making the region, not only friendly, but also legally friendly. Regarding the COVID-19 fight, President of Cambodias National Assembly Heng Samrin called for deeper regional integration while the region is struggling to recover from this crisis. Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Puan Maharani underscored the need to optimise the role as parliaments by performing legislative duty related to the effort of combating COVID-19 and its socio-economic impact, such as laws related to fiscal stimulus or strengthening social safety net. Parliament should also improve oversight to ensure that those laws would be implemented, and their benefits would be felt by the people. To advance as a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, it is necessary to enhance the capacity to respond effectively to emerging regional challenges, including in the context of human security. She voiced her belief that regional countries as one ASEAN Community will overcome this difficult time and working together in addressing other regional challenges. Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Malaysian Parliament Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun highlighted that facing COVID-19, it is needed to enhance solidarity and cooperation. On behalf of the Parliament of Malaysia, we are ready to provide our undivided support of the remarkable efforts by our fellow AIPA members towards the realisation and collaboration of a greater ASEAN. I look forward to strengthening the relationships of our institutions, he added. Thai top legislator believes in success of AIPA-41 under host of Vietnam Chuan Leekpai, President of the National Assembly of Thailand, has expressed his firm belief that the ongoing 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) will be the most successful under the host of Vietnam. In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)s reporters in Bangkok, Chuan Leekpai extended his deepest appreciation to Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan for the success in her tenure as the AIPA Chair. Ngan has shown her tireless efforts, wise counsel and perseverance, he said, stressing that in the past year, the achievement of all AIPA activities would not have been possible without the Vietnamese top legislator at the helm. To illustrate, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed the global health security threat to humanity throughout the region. In the most difficult moment, the Vietnamese legislature has made every effort not only to deal with the spread of COVID-19 but also to hold three significant AIPA conferences. Highlighting the great success of these meetings in times of the global health crisis, Chuan Leekpai said all the success of AIPA would not have been possible without excellent management by the AIPA staff of the Vietnamese NA. He suggested AIPA-41 focus its agenda on how to promote parliamentary diplomacy among the countries in the region as a complementary tool to move the community forward to achieve sustainable development in all areas, in line with the events theme of Parliamentary Diplomacy for a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community. According to the Thai legislator, AIPA has demonstrated its role as a key parliamentary organisation for the deliberation of regional issues, which illustrates vividly the power of parliamentary diplomacy in ASEAN. This goes in line with the global trend of international parliamentary diplomacy by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, he said. He stressed it is necessary to reaffirm the role and the support of ASEAN parliaments in the ASEAN community building process and also emphasize the significance of parliamentary diplomacy for peace, security and stability amidst rapid and complex developments in regional and global situations to reinforce ASEANs centrality in regional and world affairs. Chuan Leekpai said he believes that all AIPA members are willing to exchange experience or best practices with the floor in order to strengthen the connectivity as well as mutual understanding within the region. Asked about Thailands message to the meeting, he said Thailand would like to exchange ideas with AIPA colleagues on how to tackle the difficulties during the pandemic. According to the Thai top legislator, members of parliaments should stay connected to the people in order to get to know what they want and find the way to respond to those matters properly. He said within the region, a closer inter-parliamentary cooperation is necessary; exchanging new-normal knowledge or best practices to cope with any difficulties in the period of pandemic should be promoted. ASEAN unity could be essentially strengthened through the harmonisation of laws of the member states, he said. AIPA crucial in building people-centred ASEAN Community: ASEAN Deputy Secretary General The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA)s function is crucial in concerted efforts to build a people-oriented, people-centred ASEAN Community, said Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN. Speaking at the first plenary session of the 41st General Assembly of AIPA that is being held online from September 8-10, Phoak said AIPA parliamentarians are well-placed to reach out to the peoples of ASEAN and act as intermediaries between them and the policymakers. AIPA, as the regions lead parliamentary organisation, is well-posed in enhancing the ASEANs integration process, he continued. AIPA plays a critical role in transposing regional commitments to national laws. Similarly, AIPA is pivotal in expediting ratifications of signed ASEAN agreements, aligning domestic laws and regulations with regional priorities while monitoring the implementation of these laws. This year 2020 was supposed to be an exciting year for ASEAN. While COVID-19 has substantially slowed-down some of activities and events, ASEAN under Vietnams able Chairmanship has stayed focused in endeavoring our community building process and regional integration journey, according to the Deputy Secretary General. Looking back, two learning points are evident. Firstly, COVID-19 has irreversibly transformed the world, and the road to recovery will be a long and consequential journey. Secondly, in an interconnected world, a global crisis requires international cooperation, and no single country can wrestle any crisis alone. Hence, tackling the pandemic demands solidarity and actions across the international community, he said. In the same context, he went on, ASEAN will and must continue to remain united in the resolve to make policy and law-making work for the benefit of peoples. ASEAN has to keep markets open, ensure the normal flows of trade and supply chain connectivity, particularly for essential products. Such a demonstration of regional commitment is critical, in light of the pressure to turn inward. Since March 2020, ASEAN has been taking prompt and decisive actions to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. The successful convening of the 36th ASEAN online Summit in June 2020 was a clear illustration of ASEANs solidarity manifested in concrete regional cooperation. It has, among others, affirmed the need for a regional recovery plan post-COVID-19, that involves collaboration among public agencies, businesses and other stakeholders. At the last Interface between ASEAN Leaders and AIPA during the 36th ASEAN online Summit, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, as ASEAN Chair, affirmed the compelling need for ASEAN member states to stay united, and to turn challenges into opportunities for sustainable development, Phoak recalled. PM Phuc urged both ASEAN and AIPA to work together to facilitate the post-COVID 19 recovery, including implementing timely policies and measures to mitigate adverse impacts of the crisis and to rebuild lives, he said. Role of young parliamentarians highlighted within AIPA 41s framework The Unofficial Meeting of Young Parliamentarians of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) was held on September 8 within the framework of the virtual 41st AIPA General Assembly (AIPA-41) from September 8 to 10. Addressing the event, Permanent Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam Tong Thi Phong highlighted the important role of young parliamentarians in conveying desires and ideas of young voters in contributing to AIPA and its member parliaments. She said young parliamentarians of AIPA are an important factor to connect youngsters and promote their participation in building the ASEAN Community and realising goals of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 through the ASEAN Work Plan on Youth for 2016-2020 and the following years. Phong voiced her expectation that the meeting of young parliamentarians of AIPA would be organized on an annual basis within the framework of AIPA General Assembly, saying that the annual meeting would create a forum for young parliaments of AIPA to share experience in doing parliamentary works, contributing to building and developing the ASEAN Community. Chairman of the Group of Young Deputies in the Vietnamese NA Le Quoc Phong said young people are an important resource for socio-economic development of ASEAN member countries as well as for the continual growth of ASEAN Community. He hailed the increasingly active participation of young parliamentarians in AIPA in general and its member parliaments in particular. During the event, participants exchanged experiences in promoting the participation of young parliamentarians to building the ASEAN Community in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19 pandemics impacts on all spheres of socio-economic life in ASEAN member countries. Young parliamentarians taking part in the meeting approved a draft Resolution on participation of young AIPA parliamentarians in building the ASEAN Community. The final resolution is expected to be approved by AIPA 41 by September 10. This is the first time ever such a meeting of young parliamentarians of AIPA has been organised. The idea of organising such meeting was initiated by Vietnamese NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan when she assumed the role of AIPA 41 Chair. It had been reiterated in the ASEAN Leaders' Interface with Representatives of AIPA and the ASEAN Leaders Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Youth within the 36th ASEAN Summit. AIPA 41: Cambodia calls for deeper integration to tackle COVID-19 impact President of Cambodias National Assembly Heng Samrin highlighted regional and international cooperation and solidarity for common interests and benefits amid challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic at the virtual 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) on September 8. Stressing that the pandemic has been actively controlled in ASEAN in a timely manner, the chief legislator said: While our region is struggling to recover from this crisis, we need to further deepen our regional integration to facilitate the flow of goods, services and people. So far ASEAN has managed to maintain its supply chain of goods in response to the essential needs during this critical period. He also took the occasion to share Cambodias development strategy based on its comparative and competitive advantages, saying that the Cambodian Government is introducing a more people-centered development strategy by prioritising and focusing on agriculture and agro-industry, digital transformation, and domestic tourism. The Cambodian Parliament upholds the continuous efforts of ASEAN, focusing on maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability in the region, as well as the peaceful settlement of disputes based on the principles of international law and diplomacy and avoiding the use of force, he stated. Heng Samrin noted the Cambodian Parliament backs young AIPA parliamentarians participation in all AIPA meetings and those with ASEAN youth. Young people play significant roles in both national development and in building the ASEAN Community to maintain its prosperous momentum, he said. The AIPA 41, themed Parliamentary Diplomacy for a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community, runs from September 8 to 10. This is the third time Vietnam has undertaken the role of AIPA Chair and hosted the General Assembly of AIPA. This event, held online for the first time, affirms the Vietnamese National Assemblys flexibility, responsibility and determination to successfully assume the role of AIPA Chair this year. ASEAN must not loosen up solidarity in facing any threat: Thai NA President ASEAN must not loosen up its solidarity in facing any kind of threat, President of the Thai National Assembly Chuan Leekpai remarked at the first plenary session of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) on September 8. The top Thai legislator said ASEAN is facing an unprecedented health crisis the COVID-19 pandemic which has created several new and most difficult challenges many countries in the region are experiencing. Apart from the enormous pressure on the medical infrastructure and public health, it is disrupting lives, societies, and economies, he noted. He voiced his concern that the regional countries are mainly focusing on immediate internal needs inevitably with external relations being less urgent. The decline in regional coordination at this time, when ASEAN is being confronted with difficulties resulting from geopolitical and strategic uncertainty, could possibly adversely affect its centrality, which has been a crucial basis for its role in regional as well as world affairs. Leekpai proposed three points that the AIPA member parliaments can work closely together during this difficult time to achieve common objects. First, he suggested the parliaments reaffirm their direct connection with the people. Embodying ASEANs vision for a people-centered community, members of parliament must always stay close to and represent the interests of people, particularly the most vulnerable. Without seeking to understand the real problems of the people, each parliament will not be able to effectively fulfill their mandate to oversee and provide insights for the executive branch. Second, at the regional level, it is preferable for AIPA to exchange knowledge and experiences among members of parliament, he continued, including knowledge on a new and unexpected way of life under the current and post-pandemic situation, can be shared. Members of parliaments in different countries can directly communicate with one another and help parliaments to function more smoothly and effectively. Finally, the top Thai lawmaker urged ASEAN community building to be strengthened through the harmonisation of laws of the member states. For ASEAN to truly attain a regional community, it is asked to create common legal standards across the region, he said. He further noted that each parliament can still maintain its responsibility for the enactment of laws to regulate affairs within its own jurisdiction. Harmonisation is nevertheless essential to ensure that the same or similar rules and regulations are moving in the same direction, most notably trade, investment, and movement of professionals, making our region, not only friendly, but also legally friendly. If the parliament is strong, the executive will be strong, he said. If inter-parliamentary coordination is strengthened, this would surely amount to an invigorated ASEAN. We must revitalise ASEAN to maintain and sustain unity and centrality, which is truly our aim and aspiration, and to uphold our source of pride through which we have existed together for more than half a century. Female parliamentarians play important role in securing jobs, income for women workers A draft Resolution on The Role Of Women Parliamentarians In Securing Jobs and Income for Women Workers was adopted on September 8 in the virtual Meeting of Women Parliamentarians of AIPA (WAIPA) within the framework of the 41st General Assembly of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41). The draft Resolution is expected to be submitted for approval at the AIPA-41 on September 10. Addressing the meeting, Permanent Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Tong Thi Phong mentioned severe impacts by the COVID-19 pandemic on female workers. Closing the gender gap in employment should be a top priority if we want to achieve gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls by 2030, she said. Delivering a speech at the meeting, Chairwoman of the National Assembly Committee for Social Affairs Nguyen Thuy Anh, who presided over the meeting, recalled actions by Vietnamese parliamentarians in response to COVID-19, including their participation in reviewing and approving bailout package for those affected by the pandemic, encouraging voters and people to adhere to recommendations against the pandemic, while conveying voters needs and demands during the pandemic to authorised agencies for settlement. Other activities included monitoring the implementation of policies against the pandemic and post-pandemic supporting policies; integrating relevant matters; supervising works of the National Assembly; as well as adjusting working plans and programmes to cooperate with the Government to issue necessary decisions in fighting the pandemic. She also made recommendations to securing jobs and income for women workers. First, she mentioned enhancement parliamentary activities, monitoring of state budget, representing women and assisting in building capacity of women in response to the pandemic, as well as promoting womens leadership in emergency situations. Second, she proposed the enhancement of parliamentary cooperation for a responsive and cohesive ASEAN Community while devising supporting measures for women workers and disadvantaged people amid the pandemic. Thuy Anh also suggested more exchanges made to share experiences on establishing and improving working policies for women and more learning and working opportunities open for women. Participants at the event discussed impacts by COVID-19 on female labourers and measures adopted by their parliaments in addressing challenges facing women during the outbreak as well as policies and actions to promote gender equality in their countries. AIPA-41: Indonesia calls for keeping peaceful, friendly, harmonious ASEAN Speaker of the House of Representatives of Indonesia Puan Maharani has affirmed that peace, security and stability has always been an important factor in the development and growth of the region. Addressing the first plenary session of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) that opened online on September 8, Maharani said it is crucial that Southeast Asia is kept to be peaceful, friendly and harmonious, in order to enhance cooperation to curb the spread of COVID-19 and address its adverse impact. She added that AIPA needs to prioritise on peaceful settlement, avoid tension, exercise self-restraint and encourage confidence building measures between ASEAN member states, while emphasising on ASEAN centrality. According to her, AIPA member parliaments should also encourage ASEAN nations to uphold the United Nation Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 as reference in determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights and legitimate interests over maritime zones. In her opinion, a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) should also be fostered as the mutually agreeable platform for dialogue and consultation between ASEAN and China on the East Sea. Such good process can be reflected on the ground, she hoped. The Speaker said the theme of this years General Assembly marks the increasingly important role of the parliaments especially in this time of COVID-19 pandemic, which is impacting so many lives and limiting economic activities causing the region to be in the verge of recession. To this situation, she called on parliaments to encourage governments of ASEAN member states to deliver adequate policy to curb the spread of COVID-19, reduce greater economic impact and ensuring social welfare. She suggested parliaments optimise their role by performing legislative duty related to the effort of combating COVID-19 and its socio-economic impact, such as issuing laws related to fiscal stimulus or strengthening social safety net. Parliaments should also improve oversight to ensure that those laws would be implemented, and their benefits would be felt by the people, she said. To advance as a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, she highlighted a need to enhance capacity to respond effectively to emerging regional challenges, including in the context of human security. I believe that we as one ASEAN Community will overcome this difficult time and working together in addressing other regional challenges, she stressed. With the spirit of Gotong Royong, a traditional Indonesian term of working collectively, we will be able to achieve one common goal to surpass this global COVID-19 pandemic, she said. Top legislator of Laos highly values theme of AIPA 41 President of the Lao National Assembly (NA) Pany Yathotou attended the virtual 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41), hosted by Vietnam, on September 8. In her remarks at the first plenary session, she said the Lao NA highly values and supports the theme of AIPA 41, Parliamentary Diplomacy for Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community, which contributes further to implementing the commitment of the 36th ASEAN Summit and reaffirming the importance of close cooperation and partnership among ASEAN member states, and between ASEAN and its dialogue partners with a view to responding to the emerging challenges in the region. In response to traditional and non-traditional challenges in the region and the world, AIPA, as the representative of the ASEAN people, has actively carried out its responsibility and played its role through parliamentary diplomacy in fostering close cooperation and partnership amongst fellow AIPA members, including through adopting numerous important resolutions of the AIPA General Assembly and contributing towards the realisation of a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, she noted. These undertakings are aimed at strengthening socio-economic and political-security cooperation at the regional level on the basis of consensus-building, promoting public participation as well as the whole-of-society participation in the ASEAN Community building process, encouraging the harmonised and responsive legislations, and exchanging the best practices and experiences in fulfilling the roles and responsibilities amongst fellow AIPA member parliaments, particularly their role in ratifying treaties under the ASEAN cooperation framework with a view to ensuring the effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the three ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025 towards concrete results, the top legislator of Laos added. According to her, the ASEAN region is facing many challenges in 2020, especially the COVID-19 outbreak and natural disasters, which have imposed adverse impact to the socio-economic development, stability and security in the region and the world as a whole. Yathotou commended ASEAN for taking timely responsive measures and particularly Vietnam, as the Chair of ASEAN, for its successful convening of the 36th ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19 and the AIPA-ASEAN Leaders Interface earlier this year, during which ASEAN and Plus Three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. Laos has translated the commitment outlined in the Declaration of the Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19 and focused on surveillance, control and responsive measures against the outbreak, she said, noting that as a result of the concerted efforts, her country have 22 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 21 recoveries and no deaths. At the same time, the Lao Government has also focused its efforts on addressing the COVID-19 economic impact by adopting economic, fiscal and monetary policies and measures aimed at facilitating economic recovery. Yathotou expressed her confidence that fellow AIPA members will continue to fulfill their role through parliamentary diplomacy with a view to encouraging the governments of ASEAN member states to implement measures and translate commitment of the ASEAN leaders as well as the heads of AIPA towards tangible results. She also took this opportunity to express her appreciation to ASEAN member states, the blocs dialogue partners, friendly countries and international organisations for the technical and financial support and assistance, including through an exchange of information and provision of medical supplies as well as dispatch of medical experts to Laos in its efforts to combat COVID-19 and to recover its economy. Brunei praises Vietnams NA for making AIPA-41 possible Speaker of the Legislative Council of Brunei Pehin Abdul Rahman Taib has appreciated the Vietnamese National Assemblys dedication and steadfast commitment in making it possible to convene the 41st ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assemblys General Assembly (AIPA-41) this year. The virtual meeting is the first of its kind to be held in the history of the AIPA General Assembly due to COVID-19, he told the events first plenary session on September 8 morning. The theme of the 41st AIPA General Assembly this year, Parliamentary Diplomacy for Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN, is relevant in the current context as the region faces unprecedented challenges in adapting to the new norm, he said. The theme further emphasises the role of national parliaments of ASEAN as the voice of the people and the need to stand in solidarity and to respond swiftly to pressing issues, in accordance with the international laws. The global impact of the pandemic on health, education and economy which fundamentally changed the way we lead our daily lives, saying despite these challenges, it is essential to maintain a forward-looking approach and carefully adapt to ensure the continuity of AIPAs work, he underscored. He expressed his belief that by holding the true ASEAN spirit of Unity in Diversity, AIPA will be able to assist ASEAN to overcome the challenges ahead and respond adeptly to the impending future. The top legislator of Brunei moved on to urge AIPA Member Parliaments to continue fostering cooperation among relevant stakeholders by encouraging timely exchanges of lessons learned in relation to mitigating the effects of COVID-19. It is important for parliamentarians to acknowledge post-pandemic challenges, which are imminent, and devising pre-emptive measures to safeguard the interests of our people, especially the most vulnerable members of our nations. He affirmed that the Legislative Council of Brunei will continue to support the endeavours and efforts by other AIPA Member Parliaments to address global and regional challenges through partnerships and diplomacy towards achieving common goals for the benefit of the people in the region. He expected AIPA-41 discussions will further enhance its good cause for parliamentary diplomacy as ASEAN advances towards the goal for a cohesive, inclusive and resilient Community. Former ASEAN chief: ASEAN-AIPA Dialogue at AIPA General Assembly should be formalised Former Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ong Keng Yong shared his views of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41) as well as the role of host Vietnam in regional inter-parliamentary diplomacy. According to the former ASEAN chief, this times general assembly could focus on enhancing AIPAs structure to support ASEAN in its Community building process; and convincing their respective governments to strengthen the process of Community building and the ASEAN platforms already in place to implement the agenda of ASEAN. Currently, AIPA and ASEAN only engage each other on informal platforms, he said. He suggested the current Interface with ASEAN Leaders at the Summit should be held regularly; one or two practical proposals from AIPA could be tabled for an exchange of views with the ASEAN Leaders each time the Interface takes place. Besides, he said, the ASEAN-AIPA Dialogue at the AIPA General Assembly should also be formalised and public awareness programmes can be instituted to outreach the citizens in the respective ASEAN member states. Sharing his views about the role of inter-parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening ASEAN's cohesion and responsiveness to deal with regional and international challenges, Ong said unlike the European Union (EU), where the European Parliament is the legislative body that passes bills/laws, AIPA is not the legislative body of ASEAN. As each ASEAN member state has its own process in passing international/regional commitments into national laws, the pace of ratification of regional agreements among ASEAN member states often varied. The former ASEAN chief held that AIPA could bridge this gap by facilitating and pushing ratification/implementation of regional agreements in the legislative body of each ASEAN member state. In the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the ASEAN Leaders have adopted Hanoi Plan of Action at their recent Summit, he said, adding AIPA may wish to use the forthcoming General Assembly to monitor and report on how each ASEAN member state has incorporated this Plan into their respective national laws; and to use the General Assembly for sharing best practices of ASEAN member states in handling COVID-19. He spoke of the Vietnamese National Assemblys initiatives introduced at this times event such as unofficial Meeting of Young Parliamentarians. He said he believes this is useful and relevant in bringing ASEAN closer to ASEAN citizens, especially the younger generation. Vietnams COVID-19 measures are useful learning experiences which the younger citizens of other ASEAN member states can discuss and adapt when possible, he affirmed. The 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) themed Parliamentary diplomacy for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community is taking place virtually from September 8-10. VNA Soe 11 expensive cars have been burnt to ashes at a straightening shop at Kumasi in the Ashanti region. The fire incident occurred on Tuesday evening after a fire from a nearby mechanic shop extended to the shop where the cars were being worked on. The vehicles destroyed by the fire include a Range Rover, two Geep vehicles, 3 Toyota Highlander, Toyota Tundra among other brands. Owner of the mechanic shop Seidu Abdulai told Ultimate FMs Isaac Bediako the fire could have been stopped if personnel of the Ghana Fire Service at KMA and Komfo Anokye had responded on time. He said the cars burnt in the shop including his working equipment will cost about GHC100,000. He called government to come to his aid in order to rebuild the shop. Meanwhile, a businessman Adu Kofi Godfred who managed to move two out of his three vehicles in the mechanic shop said he will not demand the car from the mechanic. ---starrfmonline Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 13:15:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- India's federal health ministry issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for the partial reopening of schools for class 9 to class 12 from Sept. 21 on voluntary basis, officials said Wednesday. "Government of India is following a phase-wise unlocking of activities. In days to come, this would also involve partial resumption of activities in schools for students of classes 9th to 12th on a voluntary basis, for taking guidance from their teachers," reads the advisory. "This SOP outlines various generic precautionary measures to be adopted in addition to specific measures to be taken when schools are permitting students in the specific context to prevent the spread of COVID-19." The guidelines disallow sharing of notebooks, pens or pencils, water bottles among students, prohibition of assemblies and sports, encouraging online learning and entry of asymptomatic persons. However, it said written consent of the student's parents or guardians will be required and such visits for teacher-student interactions must be organized in a staggered manner. According to the guidelines, a seating arrangement has to be made to ensure a distance of six feet between chairs, desks and the teaching faculty will ensure that they themselves and students wear masks throughout the conduct of the teaching or guidance activities. If there is cafeteria or mess facility within the premises, it shall remain closed. For ensuring queue management inside and outside the premises, specific markings on the floor with a gap of six feet may be made. Similarly, physical distancing shall also be maintained in staff rooms, office areas including the reception area, and other places. The guidelines said appropriate back-up stock of personal protection items like face covers or masks, hand sanitizers shall be made available by management to the teachers and employees. "Adequate supply of thermal guns, alcohol wipes or 1 percent sodium hypochlorite solutions and disposable paper towels, soap, IEC materials on COVID-19 should be provided. Pulse oximeter to check oxygen saturation levels of any symptomatic person must be arranged," reads the government order. The guidelines further said all employees who are at higher risk like older employees, pregnant employees and employees who have underlying medical conditions should take extra precautions. They should preferably not be exposed to any front-line work requiring direct contact with the students. The ministry said disinfection of the premises should be taken up immediately if any person is found COVID-19 positive. Enditem 09.09.2020 LISTEN Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ) welcomes the appointment of a special prosecutor for crimes against journalists in Somalia on Tuesday 8 , September by Somalia's Attorney General Dr Suleiman Mohamed Mohamud which could be an initial solution to the high levels of impunity for crimes committed against journalists and media workers in Somalia. In compliance with the Court order by Benadir Regional Court referred to as MGB / XG / 02/2020, issued on 21 May 2020, regarding the investigation into the killings of journalists in Somalia, the Attorney General has appointed Special Prosecutor for crimes against journalists to investigate and apprehend those who involved, planned or carried out the killings and harassment against journalists in the past An official press statement from office of the Attorney General on Wednesday said. Attorney General assures to the public and journalists themselves that the perpetrators of the killings and harassment of journalists will be brought to justice to end the extrajudicial killings and harassment of Somali journalists and in accordance with Somalia laws and international laws, the Office of the Attorney General will ensure that investigative procedures and testimony in the cases of killings and harassment of journalists will be strictly observed the press statement added. Members of the Somalia National Committee for Safety of Journalists including FESOJ called upon the Federal Government of Somalia to appoint a special prosecutor for crimes against journalists after a two-day workshop supported by UNESCO, which took place on 15-16 September 2019, in Mogadishu, https://en.unesco.org/news/somalia-calls-appointment-special-prosecutor-crimes-against-journalists-1, since then, FESOJ together with other Somali Media Fraternity has been pushing efforts to make that dream true as a result of that , FESOJ leaders met with Somalia's Attorney General Dr Suleiman Mohamed and requested him to expedite the appointment of the special prosecutor for crimes against journalists in the country. According to the CPJ's annual Global Impunity Index in 2019 , Somalia tops the list, for the fifth year in a row, as one of the worst countries in the world at prosecuting murderers of journalists. Because of cycles of conflict and fragility that have spanned decades, Somalia has over the years recorded one of the highest numbers of crimes against journalists in the world that go unpunished. We welcome the appointment of a special prosecutor, but we want him to come up with real actions to to resolve many of the standing and unresolved cases and also make a change the dire situation in which our journalists are working in. We do not want our ears to hear in the future that Somalia still is one of the first countries in the world that perpetrators who commit violences against journalists go unpunished Mohamed Moalimuu Secretary General of Federation of Somali Journalists said Despite Somali President Mohamed Abdullah Farmajo said that his administration fully supports the de-criminalization of journalism & free expression through legal reform but still journalists are de-criminalized an outdated penal code, which came into force in 1964, which includes a number of vague and overly broad crimes, including criminal defamation, offending the honor and prestige of the head of state, insulting a public officer or institution and contempt against the nation, state or flag and so on . Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday received a threat call for criticising Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut during the assembly session. The call was received at Deshmukhs Nagpur office, an official confirmed to news agency ANI on Wednesday. Deshmukh told HT, Yes, I have received the (threat);calls and Mumbai crime branch has been investigating it. Earlier, The home minister had said that Ranaut came to Mumbai to earn a livelihood, the city accepted her but she insulted the Mumbai Police. A girl (Kangana Ranaut ) from another State comes here to earn a livelihood and Mumbai accepts her but she insults the Mumbai Police. This is sad. What she said is irresponsible. If you insult Maharashtra, people will not tolerate it. Maharashtra belongs to the BJP too, all parties should condemn her, the NCP leader said. Deshmukh also ordered a probe against Ranaut based on alleged drug claims made by her former boyfriend Adhyayan Suman. Also read: Kangana Ranaut tests Covid-19 negative, leaves Himachal home for Mumbai On Tuesday, Ranaut responded to the home ministers statement by saying that she will cooperate with the police and asked them to collect her blood samples. I am more than happy to oblige @MumbaiPolice @AnilDeshmukhNCP please do my drug tests investigate my call records if you find any links to drug peddlers ever I will accept my mistake and leave Mumbai forever, looking forward to meet you https://t.co/gs3DwcIOvP Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 8, 2020 Deshmukhs statements about Ranaut come amid an ongoing war of words between the actor and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut over her remarks that she doesnt feel safe in Mumbai after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. (With inputs from ANI) My childs private school went virtual for the school year, but we paid top dollar for in-person instruction and programs and activities that were a big selling point for the school. Do I have the right to demand a refund? Even a partial one? According to Joel A. Ready, a Pennsylvania-based attorney for Cornerstone Law, which has a specialty in contracts, its complicated. I hate to sound like a lawyer, but it really depends on the situation. Youll need to speak with a lawyer familiar with your states laws who can review your specific contract and circumstances. That said, Ready explains that most states have a doctrine known as frustration of purpose that allows for modification of contracts if the purpose of the contract cant be fulfilled as originally envisioned by the parties involved. In other words, if your school advertised that they offer great, in-person hands-on learning in classrooms where the teacher-to-student ratio is lower than other schools, and that justifies the tuition bill, you may have a good argument to ask that they lower the tuition since your kids wont be getting those benefits, he says. Still, many contracts plan for this and include a clause about potential risks and how theyll handle a change in expectations. This includes the idea that in case of a pandemic, you will receive no refund. This greatly reduces your argument because you and the school had agreed that you would bear the risk of this unlikely scenario, Ready explains. It doesnt hurt to open up a conversation with the school and find out what your options are. From the institutions perspective on virtual learning, regardless of grade level, there are additional costs such as creating and/or maintaining an online platform, instructor costs like training or extended hours for student services or keeping the campus COVID-free and clean should anyone need to go in, explains Jay Wilebski, financial aid counselor at ScholarMe, a financial aid app, who also spent 15 years working in admissions. Communication from schools to parents and students is the key to explain why tuition is going up, staying the same, or decreasing. But if parents have questions, they should reach out. Wilebski adds that in any request for a refund, you should aim to communicate your understanding that the current tuition, fees or financial aid packages were based on previous criteria and that your situation or their agreement to deliver education has changed. Conversations about adjustments can begin there. Story continues As for the legal implications of requesting a refund? Ready points out what an unusual circumstance COVID presents. Were in uncharted territory on this issue, so some schools are more likely to compromise when faced with an uncertain legal battle, he says. One final reminder: COVID is temporary. I think keeping a good relationship with your childs school is paramount, he says. Dont blow up the relationship making outrageous demands. Rather, use the law to leverage the school into a reasonable negotiating position. Schools are stressed right now. They have contracts with their teachers and providers and feel stuck. But they have to be fair to parents, who are their customer base, and they know their response to you will also affect other parents. This means working to find a reasonable middle ground collectively should be an effective and appreciated approach. RELATED: The Unknown Is Worse Than the Known: 6 Moms From Around the Country on Their Back-to-School Plans The Centre on September 9 launched the Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-Atal New India Challenges programme to support MSMEs and start-ups for making India innovative, resilient, tech-driven, and research and development (R&D)-oriented. The Niti Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), in collaboration with ISRO and four ministries, will focus on challenges in 15 sectors through the programme. "This support for MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and start-ups in product development would make India innovative, resilient, tech-driven and R&D-oriented," Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said at the launch of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-Atal New India Challenges programme. He added that the programme provides a great opportunity for the government to become the first buyer of indigenous Made in India technology solutions. Kant also expressed hope that the Atal Innovation Mission, through the ARISE-Atal New India Challenges, will help in breaking new ground and this will be a path-breaking approach for driving India in the field of innovation. Also, speaking at the event, Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said this is a red-letter day for the country, as the Atal Innovation Mission's ARISE-Atal New India Challenges brings together some of the brightest scientific minds of India to work together for the prosperity of the country's MSME sector. Besides ISRO and Niti Aayog, representatives from ministries of defence, health and family welfare, housing and urban affairs, and food processing industries also participated at the event. A grant-in-aid of up to Rs 50 lakh for 9-12 months have been earmarked for start-ups to develop a minimum usable prototype. The AIM is a flagship initiative of the Niti Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the country, based on detailed study and deliberations on innovation and entrepreneurial needs of India in the years ahead. Speaking at the event, MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari urged the Niti Aayog to formulate a digitised system where the decision making process related to the programme can be completed in 15-20 days. "We need to remove speed breaker in government programmes. We have to stop corrupt people in the system and encourage good people in the system," Gadkari said. He also noted that government officials are not willing to adopt new technologies because they fear if something goes wrong, they will be held accountable and punished. "If you do something new, you are bound to commit mistakes. Therefore, the Niti Aayog should formulate a system where those who commit bonafide mistakes are pardoned and only those making malafide mistakes are held accountable," the minister said. ISRO Chairman K Sivan said the flagship programme will promote innovations and entrepreneurship across the length and breath of our country. Tucked away in a forest canopy in the Texas Hill Country is one of Airbnb's most popular destinations for 2020. Airbnb found that a Hill Country tree house is as one of its most requested destinations nationwide. Perched high above ground, the Live Oak Treehouse boasts a whimsical, dreamy treetop bungalow. This luxurious, off-the-beaten-path Airbnb rental features a cozy book nook, hot tub, first-class amenities and refreshing views of Palo Alto Creek. The home's surrounding town of Fredericksburg has itself been crowned as one of the top 10 trending spots in the U.S. for a holiday getaway, according to a Sept. 1 press release from Airbnb. Airbnb identified a few defining trends for the fall in the release. Americans are feeling the longing to travel, but still staying to close to home, the company reported. Unique stays at cabins and tiny homes are becoming more popular. Travelers are doing more nearby stays within 300 miles, but there's been a slight uptick in searches for international destinations, according to Airbnb. TEXAS GETAWAY: This Texas city takes top spot as one of the America's best cities for quick getaways in 2o20 "With domestic trips accounting for the majority of bookings globally, and more than half of all bookings made in August** for trips within 300 miles of the guests origin, its clear that nearby escapes are here to stay this fall," Airbnb wrote. For travelers who could do without the treetop experience, there are several other options for your vacation getaway in Fredericksburg, including one of the quaint Sunday House historic cottages or this modern ranch-style house called The Hideaway. Here are some other popular destinations for fall, if you're planning for trips outside of Texas: S Kumaresan By Express News Service CHENNAI: DMK leaders Duraimurugan and TR Baalu were on Wednesday elected the new general secretary and treasurer of the party respectively. To elect a new general secretary and treasurer, a general body was convened on Wednesday through video conference. The partys general body members and special invitees took part from 65 party district unit offices across the state. During the meeting, former Tamil Nadu minister Duraimurugan and former Union minister TR Baalu were unanimously elected. This was expected as no one else applied for the posts when the party invited applications from members last week. Besides, the partys general body appointed former Tamil Nadu minister K Ponmudi and former Union minister A Raja as deputy secretaries. With this, the number of deputy secretaries of the party has increased to five. Hundreds of messages in favour of Raja on social media may have helped him gain the post, said party sources. Since assembly elections are round the corner and in an apparent bid to please the Dalit community, the DMK leadership decided to nominate him as deputy secretary. During the meeting, 12 resolutions were adopted. The party urged the Union government not to take steps to implement the NEP 2020 till it's discussed in Parliament and the AIADMK-led state government to oppose the NEP which is against Tamil Nadus bilingual policy. It said education should be brought back into the state list from the concurrent list and the union government should repeal the EIA 2020 as it is against state rights and anti-democratic. The meeting also condemned the BJP-led Union government, saying it protects the corrupt AIADMK-led state government, snatches away the rights of the state and imposes anti-people projects in Tamil Nadu. Justice should be given for victims of the Sterlite police firing and the state and central governments should give up their anti-farmers policies, it added. (New York Post) Two women have been indicted on hate crimes after they stole a seven-year-old boys Make America Great Again hat outside the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Delaware. Delaware Police arrested Camryn Amy, 21, and Olivia Winslow, 21, on charges of robbery, conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child. Amy also received two counts of offensive touching. The women are accused of committing the crimes for the purpose of interfering with the victims free exercise or enjoyment of any right, privilege or immunity protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, or committed said crime because the victim had exercised or enjoyed said right or rights, according to the indictment. Violence in any form is unacceptable, but harming another person let alone a child because of the expression of their views betrays the principles on which our country was founded, Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings, a Democrat, said in a statement. Free speech, free assembly, and free expression are sacred, no matter whether we agree with the opinions expressed, and especially when we dont, she added. Outside the DNC Convention tonight, radical leftists attacked a 7 year old boy. Why? Because he was simply showing his support for President @realDonaldTrump. Truly shameful.pic.twitter.com/rBFzlg2WFu Students For Trump (@TrumpStudents) August 21, 2020 The incident, which was captured in a now-viral video, happened in Wilmington, Delaware, outside a restaurant just steps away from where Joe Biden made his DNC acceptance speech as the partys candidate for president. The footage showed the two women damaging pro-Donald Trump signs and a red Make America Great Again hat outside the venue, as people gathered to show support for the sitting president. Story continues A young boy in the video can be heard saying, "That's somebody else's hat," after Winslow picked it up off the ground. Mom, call 911, the boy said as the two women walked away with the hat. Later in the video, a man attempted to grab the hat from Amy, who then appears to punch him in the face. She then threw the hat over a fence. Wilmington police identified Amy and Winslow after the video footage circulated of the incident. Read more We all do stupid things at 17: Donald Trump Jr refuses to condemn Kyle Rittenhouse killings in interview White House insists Trump has 'never' lied to public about Covid after sensational tapes released Trump concealed real dangers of coronavirus while playing it down publicly, Bob Woodward claims in new book Two transforming acquisitions Positive profitability in an unseen context, proving the resilience of the business model - EBITDA: 9.8 million - EBIT: 4.0 million - Net income, Group share: 2.6 million Limited impact of health crisis on revenues Swift return to production thanks to the agility of the Group and its people Transforming acquisitions: F.I.T and Verseidag-Indutex, world leader in PTFE glass materials Global leadership strengthened in three of the four priority markets and key position acquired in non-combustible solutions Regulatory News: Sebastien Ferrari, SergeFerrari Group (Paris:SEFER) Chairman and CEO, commented: "The positive profitability achieved in first half of 2020 proves the resilience of our business model. Our Group and its people have demonstrated their agility despite the slowdown caused by the unprecedent world health crisis, which has left no part of the industry unscathed. Under exceptional circumstances, the Serge Ferrari Group has been able to pursue its development while consolidating its world leadership on the Group's markets. In only a few months, we managed to close the acquisition of a world leader in our sector, Verseidag-Indutex, based in Germany, the largest European market. This acquisition will have a far-reaching impact on the Group's future. Thus consolidated, SergeFerrari Group is ideally positioned to tackle this special year and develop its business even more strongly on all four priority markets, while offering brand-new solutions in the field of non-combustible materials." SergeFerrari Group (FR0011950682 SEFER), a leading global manufacturer of innovative flexible composite materials marketed under the SergeFerrari and Verseidag brands, listed on Euronext Paris Compartment C, today announces its consolidated results for the first half of 2020, ended June 30, as approved by the Board of Directors on September 9, 2020. The Statutory Auditors have conducted a limited review of the consolidated financial statements. Main financial indicators (m) H1 2020 (reported) IFRS 16 H1 2020 (excl. IFRS 16) H1 2019 (excl. IFRS 16) Revenues 79.7 79.7 101.4 Adjusted EBITDA 12.6 (2.8) 9.8 12.4 EBIT 4.2 (0.2) 4.0 6.5 Net income, Group share 2.5 0.1 2.6 4.2 Net debt 43.5 (28.2) 15.3 4.3 Shareholders' equity 97.9 0.1 98.0 95.1 Notes: Financial statements published as of June 30, 2020 and June 30, 2019 in application of IFRS 16 (simplified retrospective approach) Adjusted EBITDA: EBIT +/- change in depreciation, amortization and provisions CVAE Limited impact of health crisis on revenues The Group posted total H1 2020 revenues of 79.7 million, down 21.4% at current exchange rates and down 21.6% at constant exchange rates from 101.4 million in H1 2019, mainly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Excluding the impact of the loss of revenues due to the La Tour du Pin incident in December 2019, estimated at 5 million for the period, revenues fell by only 16%. As soon as operations resumed in late January, the SergeFerrari Group made every effort to replenish inventories in order to fulfill customer demand. The Group received partial compensation for the loss of business caused by this incident and recognized this amount in the financial statements for the period. Swift return to production thanks to the agility of the Group and its people In the context of the lockdown measures introduced from March 17, 2020 onwards, top priority was given to employee health and safety. At the French, Italian and Swiss plants that were shut down, production resumed progressively from April 1, 2020 in compliance with mandatory health procedures (social distancing, wearing of masks, etc.). By the end of June 2020, industrial operations had returned to full capacity. Business resumed gradually during the second quarter of 2020, in line with developments in the health and economic situation, and June yielded promising results. The Group adjusted and optimized its costs depending on the circumstances, with for example, as of April, the introduction of a furlough scheme resulting in 2.4 million of cost reductions. Projects were prioritized, adjusted or deferred depending on the context and level of customer demand. Positive profitability proving the resilience of the business model SergeFerarri Group's profit indicators for the first half are all positive. For the period, the adjusted EBITDA excluding IFRS 16 amounted to 9.8 million (12.6 million as reported). EBIT came to 4.2 million as reported thus 4.0 million excluding IFRS 16. Net income, Group share excluding IFRS 16 came to 2.6 million. These results show that the profitability has been preserved thanks to the resilience of the Group's business model. There was no change in consolidation scope during the first half, as the announced acquisitions were fully consolidated from July 1, 2020. The Group posted a solid financial structure as of June 30, 2020, with shareholders' equity of 98.0 million and net debt of 15.3 million excluding the impact of IFRS 16. The first half reported a 19 million reduction in cash and cash equivalents, including an 8 million initial payment for the acquisition of a 55% equity stake in Taiwan-based F.I.T. Industrial Co. During the period, the Group made use of government measures to defer social security contributions for an amount of 2.7 million. Finally, besides investments in intangible assets and property, plant and equipment totaling 4.4 million, the Group's working capital increased by 11.5 million, mainly due to the inventory replenishment required after the business interruptions in December and January. Transforming acquisitions: F.I.T and Verseidag-Indutex, world leader in PTFE glass materials On July 29, 2020, SergeFerrari Group announced the signing of a final agreement with the Jagenberg AG Group for the acquisition of Verseidag-Indutex. Located in Krefeld, Germany, Verseidag-Indutex, the world leader in PTFE glass materials, operates on the Tensile Architecture and Modular Structures markets. The company also operates in the sectors of Industrial, Solar Protection for the Building and Automotive industry, Biogas and Large Format Digital Printing. Verseidag-Indutex posted 2019 revenues of 72 million. The company currently employs around 250 people located on its four industrial facilities in and around Krefeld and has sales subsidiaries covering geographical areas: Europe, including Germany, the largest European market, USA, the Middle East and Hong Kong. This transforming acquisition follows on from the purchase of a 55% equity stake in Taiwan-based F.I.T, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of high-tech non-combustible materials. The investment in F.I.T allows SergeFerrari Group to expand its non-combustible materials offering, a high value-added field of product innovation intended primarily for the tensile architecture market F.I.T generated revenues of around 12 million in 2019 from a base of around 100 customers in 15 countries. In order to fund these acquisitions, as well as the investment program, the 2020-2022 capital expenditure and to refinancing existing debt, SergeFerrari Group, in July 2020, contracted loans totaling 75 million with its relationship banks in addition to 30 million of bond financing with Euro PP lenders. As part of these new financing set up, the company renegotiated covenants adapted to the environment and to the new consolidated entity. These facilities will be drawn gradually depending on requirements. It should be noted that the Group did not apply for a State-guaranteed loan during the period. Global leadership strengthened in three of the four priority markets and key position acquired in non-combustible solutions The transforming acquisition of Verseidag-Indutex allows SergeFerrari Group to strengthen its international leadership and strategic positioning in three of its four priority business segments. The combined force of both acquisitions will make Serge Ferrari a key player in the field of non-combustible solutions. SergeFerrari Group and Verseidag-Indutex's business activities are highly complementary in terms of product ranges, production structures and sales networks, which will generate significant synergies, increase sales development potential and boost the current profitability of the Group. In view of traditional seasonality and current economic conditions, first half revenues and results do not prejudge those of the second half of the year. In view of these circumstances and the encouraging but contrasted business recoveries (depending on the sectors and regions), it is currently not possible to estimate full year 2020 revenues nor the profitability of the newly formed Group. The priority for the second half will be the integration plan and developing synergies with the newly Group formed with Verseidag-Indutex. The synergy program, already underway, will focus on product ranges, geographical presence, manufacturing and business and market expertise. The SergeFerrari Group is confident in its long-term roadmap and vision geared towards increasing profitability and driving growth, thanks to its world leading position on its markets, strengthened by the acquisitions completed and the quality of its range of solutions combining durability, security, design, comfort and eco-responsibility. Calendar The Company will hold its half year results presentation for analysts and investors on Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 10 am, in French only To join the conference call, please dial +33 (0)1 70 71 01 59 and then enter the connection code: 96 38 81 07#. To see the online slideshow, go to: anywhereconference.com Next financial press release: Q3 2020 revenues, Wednesday, October 28, 2020 after market close. ABOUT THE SERGE FERRARI GROUP The Serge Ferrari Group designs, develops, and manufactures innovative composite materials for lightweight architectural and outdoor applications in a global market estimated by the Company at around 6 billion. The unique characteristics of these products make them ideal for technical applications in three fields: architecture, specialties for industry professionals, and composite membranes for the consumer market. Its main competitive advantage is based on the implementation of differentiating proprietary technologies and know-how. Marketing its products under two brands, Serge Ferrari and Verseidag, the Serge Ferrari Group is a leading global supplier of composite materials for Tensile Architecture, Modular Structures and Solar Protection. The Group has manufacturing facilities in France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Asia. Serge Ferrari operates in 80 countries via subsidiaries, sales offices and a worldwide network of over 100 independent distributors. In 2019, Serge Ferrari posted consolidated revenues of 189 million, 75% of which was generated outside France. The SergeFerrari Group share is listed on Euronext Paris Compartment C (ISIN: FR0011950682). The SergeFerrari Group share is eligible for the French PEA-PME and FCPI investment schemes. www.sergeferrari.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005809/en/ Contacts: Serge Ferrari Philippe Brun Chief Financial Officer investor@sergeferrari.com NewCap Investor Relations Sandrine Boussard-Gallien Louis Tilquin Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 sferrari@newcap.eu NewCap Media Relations Nicolas Merigeau Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 nmerigeau@newcap.fr Technical Advisor to the Vice President, Gideon Boako, has dismissed former President John Dramani Mahamas claim that some dams under the governments One Village One Dam initiative are not functioning. Mr Boako said it was unfortunate that the One Village One Dam initiative was being downplayed by the former President who had witnessed its benefits in various areas, including his constituency. It is really unfortunate that the former President talks about the dams the way he talks about it because, on Tuesday, we went to his own constituency and even in the Bole constituency you could see a lot of dams. It was only a matter of political expediency that the former President decided to cut a slur on the dams. He said contrary to the former Presidents claim, the dams are either functional or at various stages of completion. If you go to all the regions we have visited, you will see dams with water in them. The dams are functioning. Of course, there are others that are at various stages of completion. NDC has consistently demanded a complete overhaul of the One Village One Dam initiative, urging the government to realign its funding to produce standard dams. There are concerns that the implementation of the policy has been subpar. ---citinewsroom United Airlines and the union that represents the carrier's 13,000 pilots have reached an agreement in principle to avoid furloughs of close to 3,000 aviators. The coronavirus pandemic has hammered travel demand. United last month said it plans to furlough or lay off about 16,000 employees, including 2,850 pilots, starting Oct. 1 when the terms of federal aid that prohibited job cuts until then expires. "Any potential mitigation must achieve our goals: stop planned furloughs, stop displacements, and include long-term permanent gains for any short-term, fully recoverable modifications," said Todd Insler, chairman of the United Airlines chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, told union members in a note Tuesday, which was reviewed by CNBC. The union and the airline didn't provide details of the agreement and how it would reduce costs. It wasn't immediately clear for how long, if passed, the plan would avoid furloughs. The agreement needs to be approved by union members and leaders. The airline said in a statement that it continues "to try and reduce the number of involuntary furloughs at United and are happy we were able to reach an agreement in principle with ALPA that can potentially save pilot jobs." Delta Air Lines last month said it plans to furlough more than 1,900 of its pilots if it doesn't come to an agreement with their union. The Atlanta-based carrier earlier this summer proposed cutting pilots' minimum guaranteed pay by 15% to avoid furloughs for a year. Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways have also reached agreements with their pilots' unions to avoid furloughs. All major U.S. airlines have also offered early retirement and other packages to reduce the need for involuntary cuts when the federal aid expires. Meantime, airline labor unions are urging lawmakers to approve another $25 billion in aid that would preserve jobs through the end of March. Correction: Todd Insler, chairman of the United Airlines chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, addressed union members in a note Tuesday. An earlier version misstated the day. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has set up the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Council to implement a respective law that enters into force on January 1, 2021. According to Ukrinform, a resolution to that effect was adopted at a government meeting on September 9. "The National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Council is a very important body that will strategically work to improve citizens' access to the necessary information on geospatial data. It is access to comprehensive information on natural resources: land, water, forests, minerals, protected areas, roads, cultural heritage sites, etc. Such access creates an additional control mechanism that will help monitor the decisions of natural resource managers. [...] All these initiatives are part of a comprehensive government strategy to combat corruption in key areas of our life," Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, presenting the document. According to the Law of Ukraine "On National Geospatial Data Infrastructure," adopted in April 2020, the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Council is a collegial advisory body under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and has a consultative function on the formation and implementation of state policy in the field of national geospatial data infrastructure. The National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Council consists of representatives of public authorities, local government agencies, legal entities and specialists who have the authority and/or experience to work with geospatial data and metadata. Regulations on the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Council and its composition are approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. op Trump told those assembled at Smith Reynolds Airport that Democrats were using mask mandates and business closures as political tools against him. A maskless President Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina Tuesday, where a large crowd of supporters gathered to greet him, many without wearing face coverings despite the states mask mandate. Trump told the thousands assembled outdoors at Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem that his rally should be considered a peaceful protest to avoid violating state rules limiting the size of public gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump addresses a crowd during a campaign rally at Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) The president claimed that Democratically-run states limited the size of campaign events to damage him. You cant go to church, Trump said. But if you are willing to riot you are allowed to do that because youre considered a peaceful protester. So we decided to call all of our rallies peaceful protests. Read More: DOJ asks to defend Trump in rape accusers defamation lawsuit Trump also asserted that Democrats were using state mask mandates and business closures as political tools against him. On Nov. 4, every one of those states will be open, he said, Theyre doing it for political reasons. America tops the world in COVID-19 cases, with a reported 6.35 million. Read More: Why Trump really banned diversity training as anti-American Trump mocked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was photographed late last month inside a hair salon in her native San Francisco with a mask around her neck. Salons in the city are only allowed to perform services outside. At a press conference days later, Pelosi claimed that the photo op was a setup. The president also spent most of the rally attempting to rile up his base with some of the same rhetoric that he utilized in 2016. He railed about fake news media. He insulted Democrats with nicknames. He even brought up the border wall, continuing to falsely claim that Mexico was paying for it. Story continues Read More: Trump pushes misleading claim China is interfering in election for Biden Trump also appeared to intentionally mispronounce the first name of Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. Politico notes that he correctly pronounced her name earlier in his remarks and has done so in some White House briefings. Nobody likes her, Trump said. She could never be your first woman president. That would be an insult to our country. Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now! The post Trump says North Carolina rally considered peaceful protest after hosting without mask appeared first on TheGrio. Despite dire predictions for Australia's economy, one sector is in the midst of a hiring frenzy. More than 22,100 public service jobs have been created since the start of the coronavirus pandemic as 572,700 private sector roles have been axed. Australia's jobless rate of 7.5 per cent is already the highest in 22 years and the Reserve Bank is bracing for unemployment to hit ten per cent by Christmas - a level unseen since early 1994. For the first time ever, more than one million Australians are officially unemployed, swelling the ranks of JobSeeker recipients. Between March 14 and August 22, the overall number of payroll jobs dived by 4.2 per cent across all industries as Australia sunk into recession for the first time in almost three decades. Taxpayers have funded 22,100 new jobs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic despite the worst recession since the 1930s Great Depression. Pictured are Melbourne police tackling Rebel News personality Avi Yemini Government jobs classified as public administration and safety defied the downturn, with their numbers surging by 2.7 per cent in five months. The Institute of Public Affairs, a free market think tank opposed to coronavirus lockdowns, said it was wrong for taxpayers to have funded 22,100 public sector jobs. Research fellow Cian Hussey calculated 26 private sector jobs were lost for each one created in the public service. 'This is a purely private sector and small business recession. Bureaucrats have never been better off,' he said. 'Bureaucrats and unelected health officials have not incurred any of the costs of their reckless lockdown measures, yet they decide when and how the private sector workforce can go back to work.' The IPA described the phenomenon of public sector job numbers rising as private sector jobs disappeared as a K-shaped recession. The Institute of Public Affairs, a free market think tank, said 'bureaucrats have never been better off'. Pictured is Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton 'Australia's "K-shaped" recession shows we are living in two Australias with wealthy, protected bureaucrats who are flourishing, and those in the productive, private part of the economy who are getting smashed,' Mr Hussey said. Treasury's Economic and Fiscal Update forecast the federal government's gross debt would swell to $852billion during this financial year as a result of COVID-19 stimulus programs. The struggling arts sector was given $250million as part of the federal government's JobMaker plan, before ABS figures showed a massive 14.3 per cent plunge in arts and recreational services jobs in the 22 weeks to August 22. Theatres were closed in late March as part of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Australia's gross domestic product dived by a record seven per cent during the June quarter. A plunge of that magnitude had not occurred since the ABS began compiling quarterly national accounts data in 1959 with the downturn rivalling the early stages of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Yves here. While Sundaram makes an important point about taxation, spending is also key to redistribution. One of my tax mavens points out that the US has regressive spending (lots of bennies to the rich), while many other economies, with their heavier dependence on sales taxes, have more regressive taxation but far more progressive spending. Another issue is that as much as I like the idea of a wealth tax in concept, in practice its even less likely to go anywhere in the US than skeptical NC readers would think. Not only are the obstacles to passing the tax code changes high, but the issues on valuing assets for wealth tax purposes are the same as for estates tax purposes. The IRS has not won a large estate tax case since the 1980s. By Jomo Kwame Sundaram, a former economics professor, who was United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, and received the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. Originally published at the Inter Press Service With many in the world experiencing declining living standards, there has been growing frustration. Many hope that progressive taxation will improve things. While some economies once had progressive tax systems, recent decades have seen regression. Competing, Contradictory Trends< Triumph of Injustice, the recent book by Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, both associates of rock-star economist Thomas Piketty, calls for a US return to progressive taxation. The duo show that the US had one of the worlds most progressive tax systems, but now, the richest pay a lower tax rate than the poorest. The two French economists at Berkeley consider the two major competing US ideologies on taxation based on rival claims with contemporary echoes. The socially regressive, ostensibly libertarian tradition has its roots in property, including slaves, who once accounted for 40% of the population of the US South. Plantation owners and slaveholders opposed property taxes in the name of freedom and liberty. Meanwhile, the myth of the wealthy that low taxes have long been part of US history and tradition has become far more influential. Another more progressive tax ideology can be traced to more egalitarian traditions, including some involving wealth taxation. The US has actually had some of the highest tax rates on the rich in world history, as taxation became more progressive from the 1930s, especially after the Second World War. Those most responsible for the U-turn from the 1980s have been US Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. The authors attribute the great recent increase in US economic inequality to the negative spiral involving regressive tax reforms over the last four decades. However, empirical support for their claim is suspect as the primary distribution of income before taxation is hardly egalitarian. Besides the traditional division between capital and labour, rentier incomes and much higher executive remuneration have become far more significant in recent decades. While regressive tax incidence has undoubtedly made things worse, exaggerating the fiscal systems redistributive impact detracts from a more comprehensive understanding of contemporary inequality. Avoidance and Evasion Successive US governments have also enabled tax evasion and avoidance by not investing enough to effectively enforce what remains of the US tax code. These have been portrayed by beneficiaries and their propagandists as unavoidable. They then claim that the best option to ensure greater compliance is to lower headline tax rates. Thus, instead of greater efforts to reduce tax avoidance and evasion, they urge further reduction of tax rates. Saez and Zucman insist that governments, especially the worlds most powerful one in Washington, DC, must come down hard on tax dodgers, pointing out that not doing so is due to political choices made. They propose a Federal Protection Bureau to enhance capacity against tax evasion and avoidance. The duo show that corporate taxes were crucial in narrowing the gap between rich and poor during the Keynesian Golden Age for a quarter century or so in the mid-20th century after World War Two While very high top personal income tax rates, and much more inheritance and property taxes can help, they show that corporate taxation was crucial. The corporate income tax rate then was 50%, taking half of firm profits. The high tax rate also encouraged re-investing profits, rather than paying dividends and bonuses, encouraging firm growth with higher capital accumulation in the long-term. Meanwhile, progressive government expenditure complemented progressive taxation, including more direct taxes, for a comprehensively progressive fiscal system, reducing overall economic inequality. Proposals to Reduce Inequalities Saez and Zucman persuasively offer a comprehensive set of proposals to reverse the downward spiral to rebuild a much more progressive US tax system, with many lessons very relevant elsewhere as well. Importantly, they discuss various options for the US, including many not requiring international cooperation. They acknowledge that the US has already shown the way with its Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). FATCA compels all US citizens, both at home and abroad, to file annual reports on all their foreign holdings, ensuring greater financial transparency in the age of globalization. Nevertheless, they insist it is not enough, arguing that when it comes to regulating the tax industry, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) brings a knife to a gunfight, instead of enhancing US tax capacities and capabilities Tax All Incomes Equally The first principle of taxation for them is that all income should be taxed equally, whether from work or assets. Today, capital income is taxed much less than labour income, increasing inequality contrary to the popular presumption that taxation is progressively redistributive. Saez and Zucman also show that the rich can afford to pay 4% of national income, or US$750 billion more in tax. Four sets of taxes would double their current average tax rate from 30% to 60%. They propose a steeply progressive income tax, arguing that a top rate of 75% is most viable. The duo also recommend strongly enforced corporate tax, doubling inheritance tax revenues, and introducing a wealth tax. Wealth Tax Necessary The duo also insist that it will be impossible to reduce inequality in the contemporary world only by raising corporate, inheritance and income taxes, as important as these are to the overall effort. At the rates recommended, a wealth tax would raise significant sums, but still would not radically reduce inequality or extreme wealth concentration. Hence, the authors argue for higher rates, not only to raise more government revenue, but also to reduce extreme wealth inequality and concentration.< Saez and Zucman argue that extreme wealth concentration has led to growth benefits being captured by a few. They argue for taxing the rich, not only to enhance revenue, but also to reduce extreme wealth concentration. For them, a radical wealth tax would lead to a reduction in the number of multibillionaires. More than collecting revenue, it would deconcentrate wealth. They suggest a 10% rate on fortunes over US$1 billion. This would not only make it harder to be a billionaire, but also much harder to become and remain a multi-billionaire. If their proposed wealth tax was in place from 1982, most of the 400 richest Americans would still be billionaires, but worth much less. Their wealth shares would be closer to what they were in 1982, before the rapid rise of wealth inequality. Mark Zuckerberg would still have US$21 billion, instead of US$61 billion, while Bill Gates would be worth US$4 billion, instead of US$97 billion. Inequalities Linked Under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s, an income tax top rate of 94% was introduced, apparently not to raise revenue, but rather, to limit high incomes and wealth concentration. This effectively limited income differentials between the highest and lowest paid to far more reasonable levels. As top tax rates have drastically fallen since, executives now get several hundred times more than their lowest paid employees. In a recent interview, Gates commented, Im all for super-progressive tax systemsIve paid over $10bn in taxes. Ive paid more than anyone in taxes. If I had to pay $20bn, its fine. But when you say I should pay $100bn, then Im starting to do a little math about what I have left over. Taiwanese consumer electronics manufacturing company, HTC, faces a massive obstacle in the present and recent years due to a decline in their products. However, despite the hardships, the company refuses to declare bankruptcy or shut down. Instead, it enlists the help of its co-Founder and former leader, Taiwanese Magnate, Cher Wang, to help the company as CEO during its hard times. The technology company, HTC, experiences a difficulty that resulted in financial losses and a decline in the market, putting the company at risk and threatens its existence. Again, Cher Wang is called upon to help the company rise against the hardships and persevere in the industry's future. According to Forbes, HTC's former CEO, Yves Maitre, resigned his post due to COVID-19 Travel restrictions that made him choose between his family and the company. Maitre is a former executive vice president of Orange, a French telecommunications operator. Maitre resigned after serving HTC for less than a year last September 2, 2020. He was brought on-board HTC to help the company revive sales on its smartphones and VIVE virtual reality system to rival the Oculus VR and Sony Playstation VR. Currently, Wang is brought back to HTC as the CEO and board chairwoman. The CEO's reinstatement brought an increase of three percent in HTC's shares with just the announcement of her return. ALSO READ: Android 11 Launched on Pixel First; OxygenOS 11 Open Beta Soon to Arrive on OnePlus 8, 8 Pro Cher Wang and HTC Cher Wang is one of the very first women in history to instate a start-up technology business in the late 1990s. Wang co-founded HTC in 1997 with Peter Chou and H.T. Cho in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The company started as a design manufacturer that mainly focuses on laptops and computers. HTC envisioned the world's smartphones that aim to put the entire technology of a computer right at the palm of a person's hand. The company has been innovating a masterful technology ever since its foundation in 1997. Cher Wang's Early Life & Career Cher Wang is the daughter of Taiwan's second-richest businessman Wang Yung-Ching. Wang initially studied Economics at the University of California- Berkeley and worked at her sister's company, First International Computers. Cher Wang focused on technology entrepreneurship, wherein she founded her first company, VIA Technologies, in 1987. Here she sold motherboards chips, memories, and CPUs. Wang's dream is to give the world a handheld device capable of the computer's power while being portable. HTC is Born HTC or High Technology Company is born out of the idea of handy smartphones way back in the late 90s. Wang partnered with Peter Chou to create the company and initially focused on making notebook computers. This vision bore the HTC Kangaroo, providing the world's first Windows CE personal digital assistant or PDA in 1998. This device is the world's first touch screen and wireless device that opened the company's gateway to the smartphone business. Ever since then, the company focused on manufacturing smartphones and handheld devices, making way for the first Google Android Device, HTC Dream, and US' first 4G capable Android smartphone, HTC Evo 4G. HTC's Future with Cher Wang Cher Wang's Guidance and patronage over HTC has brought the company massive success. This includes her CEO stint that fought against tech giants Samsung and Huawei during the reign of the Android smartphone craze back in the late 2000s. Cher Wang is now back to lead HTC out of the tight spot it currently sits on, declining patronage and market value in the smartphone industry. ALSO READ: Will iPhone 12 Be Waterproof? Apple Publishes Its Water Ejection System for iPhones copied from Apple Watches This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Alonzo 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Martin Lewis has revealed his wife Lara Lewington was robbed in 'terrifying' motorbike snatch and grab theft earlier this week. The financial journalist, 48, from London, who's been married to fellow British broadcaster Lara, 40, since May 2009, said his wife was left 'shaken' by the street robbery as he revealed the shocking story on Twitter. Meanwhile Lara, who works as a technology journalist, recalled further details on her Instagram yesterday, posting: 'Last night whilst out walking, a motorcycle swerved at speed, and the pillion rider grabbed my phone out of my hand...with terrifying pace and accuracy.' She went on to reveal she was able to get her phone back after a cyclist found it dumped in the street by the thieves. Martin Lewis, who's been married to fellow British broadcaster Lara Lewington, 40, since May 2009, said his wife was left 'shaken' by the snatch and grab theft as he revealed the shocking story on Twitter Sharing the shocking story online, Martin wrote: 'Last night a moped swerved to the curb and passenger snatched Mrs MSE's mobile. 'Shaken, I called police to report. 15mins later a kind cyclist called, he'd found it in road. We got it back' He added: 'Irony, thieves dump tech journo's phone as not good enough.' Meanwhile Lara revealed she had initially thought the robbery was an accident, and explained: 'So focussed on mask and hand sanitising these days, I guess Id forgotten to be so vigilant about this. Meanwhile Lara went on to share a snap of her smashed phone on Instagram, adding the thieves swerved their motorbike into her and worked with 'terrifying pace and accuracy' She went on to explain she had been left devastated by the theft because she had lost 'many photos' stored on the mobile. Lara revealed: 'Obviously I was immediately grateful not to be hurt, and that my daughter wasnt there to witness it - just a bit gutted Id lost so many photos after a series of inexplicable backup fails. 'After my husband called the police (whilst I mentally figured out the frustrating and time consuming admin Id need to do), shockingly via a call home he got a message from a kind cyclist who had found the phone minutes later (thieves had dumped it) - and despite how damaged it was, and the coronavirus risk, had picked it up and tried to find its owner.' The money saving expert recalled the shocking moment on Twitter, adding that a cyclist later returned the phone after finding it dumped in a road Lara, who works as a technology journalist, said she was thankful to have gotten the phone back after the horrendous ordeal She continued: 'Despite some initial weariness, we explained, to his shock, what had happened and asked if hed meet us in a busy place. He was happy to. 'We jumped in a black cab to get there, told Junior the cabbie the story (he was outraged, and kindly decided to wait with us whilst we checked this wasnt part two of the scam). 'But when we got there, Sam the cyclist, was an honest nice man, and returned my phone. The screen smashed, but the photos intact. Police report updated.' The couple have been married since 2009 and share one daughter together, Sapphire, who was born in 2012 Lara added: 'The moral of the story? Have an old smartphone that not even a thief thinks is worth having. (And yes, it does say 7003 e-mails, whod want to deal with them (dont worry I have dealt with them all on laptop)?!)' Lara is a TV presenter, journalist and former weather presenter and since 2011, she has fronted BBC's Click, a technology news show. She is also the technology columnist for Woman magazine. The couple share one child together, daughter Sapphire, who was born in 2012. Mary Gaitskill, This is Pleasure, New York, Pantheon Books, 2019, 83 pp. James Lasdun, Afternoon of a Faun in: Victory: Two Novellas, London: Vintage, 2019, pp. 103263. The #MeToo campaign has seized hold of and shaken film, artistic and literary circles in the US and beyond over the last three years. What it has not done, however, is inspire any great or even serious work of art. Moreover, relatively little fiction has even been written about the complexities and ambiguities of both unsubstantiated accusations and the behavior that may, or may not, bring them on. No major American or British fiction writer has excoriated the practice of disappearing or canceling important artists and their work overnight. The strain of this campaign on artistic thought and life has no doubt been considerable, but contemporary writers seem largely unequipped to understand the broader ramifications of the #MeToo operation. However, the silence on the issue has not been absolute. Authors James Lasdun and Mary Gaitskill have each written a novella (short novel) that tries, with some success, to give a nuanced and sympathetic view of peoples feelings and reactions under the weight of attempts to destroy them through allegations of sexual misconduct. Ultimately, both books fall short. Lasduns Afternoon of a Faun opens with a comment by a lecturer about the 2016 Republican Party presidential candidate at a lunchtime talk whose subject is rape. In the audience are Marco Rosedale, a documentary film journalist whose career has been flagging for several years and the unnamed narrator, a writer and Marcos boyhood friend. Both are British expatriates (like Lasdun himself) living in New York. Marco has learned that a woman, Julia Gault, also a childhood acquaintance of the narrator, is publishing a book in which she alleges that Marco raped her in a Belfast hotel room in 1975 while they were working together. The novella depicts Marcos fear and anxiety about the accusation. The narrator becomes involved and visits Julia. A tragedy occurs, and the story ends on a note of ambiguity. In many respects, the self-centered and deceitful attitude and habits of the milieu that Ladsun writes aboutthe world of well-paid journalists, editors, lawyersseem to be at the center of the tales concerns. It is more than a little dirty, for example, when a magazine editor who wants to publish an excerpt from Julias memoir tries to gauge Marcos reaction and solicit a reply from him. Memories can be slippery, cant they? he says. Perhaps you might want to remind people that all kinds of behaviors we condemn now were considered perfectly acceptable in those days. Marcos father, a prominent lawyer, subsequently blackmails the publisher of Julias book by telling her, the wife of a Holocaust survivor, that Julia has also written a proposal for a book about a female Nazi aviator. The narrator remarks to Marco that Julia admires the womans stubbornness, not her actual beliefs. Marco replies, Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it did the trick. Marco then becomes more relaxed and stops offering categorical denials that he forced himself on Julia in 1975. The narrator is dismayed and irritated. He had thought his defense of Marco to his family and friends was morally upright. His emotional discomfort increases when he visits Julia and finds himself grilling her and is somewhat ashamed about this. And Julia herself adds in that conversation what she later admits is a lie about Marco sleeping with an underage girl, though she stands by her original accusation. James Lasdun (Photo creditTania Barricklo) Lasduns 2002 novel, The Horned Man, also deals with accusations of sexual harassment. The circumstances behind his own memoir, Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked (2013), about a systematic campaign of harassment and public accusations of plagiarism and rape by a former student, have undoubtedly attuned him to the feelings of both genuine victims of abuse and victims of false accusations. But at the same time, the novella cannot escape its allegiance to subjective skepticism and muddiness. The social and political context in which the sexual witch-hunt is taking place, the immense social and political crisis in the US and the disorientation of and shift to the right by substantial layers of the affluent middle class, simply never comes in for consideration, as though it didnt exist. Early in the story, for example, Marco asks the narrator what he finds fascinating about the unproven accusations against people like the French politician Dominique Straus Kahn, who was accused of sexual assault by a New York hotel maid in 2011 (charges were later dropped), and the journalist and publisher Julian Assange, falsely accused of sexual misconduct by Swedish police and state prosecutors in 2010. The narrator replies that in these kinds of situations theres no solid basis for judgment other than your own assumptions and prejudices. So youre forced up against yourself, your own mysteries. The fact that these remarks can be made without a hint of irony about two such politically motivated scandals is telling. Strauss-Kahn was about to run for the French presidency as the candidate of the Socialist Party, and Assange was the object of a CIA smear campaign for exposing American war crimes. But for Marco and the narrator, it remains a matter of perception. And the author seems to share this view. The whole discussion between Marco and the narrator leaves an unpleasant taste. Lasduns narrator, it is true, is aware that there may be larger processes behind the #MeToo campaign. After Marco tells him about his antics with a female professor at university as a student, in which she referred to the poem Afternoon of a Faun (1867) by French poet Stephane Mallarme, the narrator imagines himself in front of a campus star chamber where he responds to accusers: They were reactionaries in the guise of progressives, I informed them, puritans whose obsession with female victimhood masked impulses as controlling and infantilizing of actual women as the code of gentlemanly chivalry I accused them of trying to bring back shame as an instrument of social control, of wanting to re-create a world in which a word, a rumor, an anonymous posting, could once again destroy an entire life. Theyd trapped themselves, I declared, in the escalating logic of hysteria that ends, unfailingly, in the witch hunt. The soliloquy is valuable, but not acted upon and tends to get lost in the eddying moods. The character who has these thoughts but does nothing resembles many professionals and academics at present. They stand on the sidelines, often looking on in dismay at the #MeToo witch-hunt, rampaging racial politics or postmodern fakery, and keep their mouths shut. The exceptional person, the morally vigorous character who has not been whipped into conformity has not made an appearance for a long time in American literature. Lasdun, one feels, has the artistic strength to bring him or her out, but he has chosen not to do so here. Mary Gaitskills This is Pleasure concerns figures in New Yorks publishing industry, a social layer not dissimilar to the one Lasdun describes. The work is alternately narrated by a female publisher, Margot, and her friend, Quin, a male publisher, who has been accused in a lawsuit by several present and former subordinates of various sexually inappropriate behavior such as spanking them, sending them suggestive photos and using lewd language. Quin, a British expatriate (again), is an elegantly dressed man, flirtatious and creative. He comes from a wealthy background. He easily makes friends with the women who work with him, promotes their careers, gives them advice on clothes. He is a certain type of cultured petty bourgeois found in New York City: flippant, unconventional and generally harmless, if somewhat trite and irritating. Some of his behavior is certainly out of bounds: one of the first times Margot meets him, he attempts to put his hand between her legs (an oblique reference to recorded remarks by Trump released during the election of 2016). NO! I said, and shoved my hand in his face, palm out, like a traffic cop. I knew it would stop him. She proceeds to have a close friendship with him for the next two decades. Mary Gaitskill in 2010 (Photo creditDavid Shankbone) Gaitskill has demonstrated that she can accept and treat people as they arefor example, the prostitutes and drug addicts in the stories in Bad Behavior (1988), cultists in Two Girls Fat and Thin (1991), victims of the AIDS pandemic in Veronica (2005) and working class girls in The Mare (2015). She can also subject a social milieu to cutting criticism, as she did with the fashion industry in Veronica. In this work, though, there is a good deal of empathysorely needed in the period of the #MeToo witch-huntbut too little serious analysis of the circles and moods that spawned it. This comes out when Gaitskill assesses Quins accusers. One of them, Caitlin, who has participated in the suit against him, was his friend for 11 years. Why do you think she is so angry?, Margo asks Quin. He shrugged. She asked what she had to do to get invited to my parties and I told her she had to flirt with me more. I think that really offended her. Such things can happen, but the resentment and sense of being demeaned referred to provide only a glimpse. Catlins motivations, the motivations of a whole set of people, are not explored by the author or morally weighed by the characters. The bitterness and envy that seem to preoccupy the Manhattan publishing industry briefly appear again, when, after the papers reveal that Quin has sent Caitlin a suggestive video, he thinks it is absurd that Caitlin holds a position that I helped her get and, from that position, accuses me of things that she was party to. Even more absurd, she is called brave for it. When Margot looks back on her friendship with Quin, she is angry at him for his foolish behavior. Then she thinks, more than half of the women [in his office] had signed the endlessly circulating online petition, given interviews, demanded that Quin be fired, sought damages, made threats to boycott any company that would dare to hire him. They were angry, too. Where does this anger come from? Quin later speculates that they are angry at whats happening in the country and in the government. They cant strike at the king, so they go for the jester. Perhaps Quin the character can go no further with this train of thought, but surely the author ought to. It is no surprise, as in Lasduns work, that the causes of the #MeToo frenzy in American society at this moment do not trouble any of the people in This Is Pleasure. They are probably the last people who would understand the process. Their outlook is self-centered: Quin, like Marco, can ask, Why is this happening to me? but not Why is this happening to society? What we said in a review of Gaitskills The Mare can apply to both This is Pleasure and Afternoon of a Faun: Gaitskill has no doubt aspired to be independent ofor even opposethe reactionary official atmosphere that has prevailed and the varieties of crude middle-class public opinion. Unfortunately, it is not so easy to get away from those things. These are both short fictions about the ambiguity of human behavior and deserve credit for questioning the prevailing witch-hunting disposition in sections of the upper-middle class and, for revealing, to some extent, how the process works. But a rigor is missing. The real question is the decay of cultural and intellectual life under the impact of brutal social inequality and the disintegration of American bourgeois democracy. Why are Lasduns narrators fantasies of revolt tepid? Why doesnt the publishing world drive Margot crazy? The character in revolt against the conditions at the root of the #MeToo campaign but also against the self-obsession and general callousness toward other people has yet to make his or her appearance in or, more correctly, return to American literature. Bajaria, former vice president of local language originals, is also the winner of the Miss India LA and Miss India USA crowns in 1991. The Indian American will now oversee all original programming, scripted and non-scripted in both the English and non-English languages. Bajaria, whose parents moved to Los Angeles from London when she was 8, has been quoted as saying she had entered the beauty pageants to discover Indian culture on her own." Bajarias appointment at Netflix comes a month-and-a-half after long-time chief content officer Ted Sarandos was named co-chief executive along with Reed Hastings. Original programming at Netflix was previously headed by Cindy Holland who looked after English language programming and Bajaria, who oversaw non-English originals. The two have now been clubbed under the latter after Hollands exit. Netflix sees local language content as a major area of growth, with most of its subscribers now coming from outside of the US. Bajaria, formerly president at Universal TV, joined Netflix in 2016 and was tasked with putting the service in the unscripted TV game and forging ties with traditional TV studios, according to a report by Deadline. She is known for original hits like You and Good Girls and has been overseeing original programming in markets like Latin America, the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Asia and Europe. Since becoming co-CEO, Ive wanted to simplify how our content teams operate-with one global film team led by Scott Stuber and one for TV which will now be led by Bela Bajaria," Sarandos said in a statement. 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 HOUSTON Sept. 8 Boston Shanghai Cambridge, Massachusetts Terrence Chen the United States Shanghai Boston the United States Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer Harvard Medical School the United States Houston 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Imaging, a global leader in advanced medical imaging and radiotherapy equipment, announced today that its artificial intelligence (AI) teams inandwill collaborate with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to continue fighting COVID-19.Artificial intelligence is a primary focus of investment for United Imaging, with the strategy of innovating beyond and across modalities to address the entire patient experience, rather than innovating simply within each individual modality. The company's strategic investments in AI have been well recognized. United Imaging's UII (United Imaging Intelligence) America Team recently received a Gold Stevie prize for "Achievement in Science or Technology" in the 2020 American Business Awards. The-based team also won top prize in the multi-coil 4x acceleration category of a competition organized by Facebook and NYU Langone Health. Globally, United Imaging's artificial intelligence team also won a "Super AI Leader" award at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference for its uAI Full-Stack solution for COVID-19 in July.This new research collaboration reveals a modern, sophisticated approach to a very current issue. "United Imaging has developed AI software based on our experience with thousands of patients outside the U.S." explains Dr., CEO of United Imaging Intelligence America. "The Department of Radiology at MGH proposed leveraging that experience to develop meaningful AI algorithms to help frontline medical professionals detect, predict, and fight COVID-19 in. To that end, we have established a joint research collaboration between United Imaging teams inand, and Department of Radiology at MGH."CT has often been the main modality used in many parts of the world to detect COVID-19. However, inwhen imaging is required, the approach has been to use standard X-ray. The team will leverage learnings from what it believes to be the largest database of CT images worldwide to develop AI models to be applied to X-ray images. The X-ray models will be refined with U.S. patients, with the target of helping detect and quantify COVID-19, estimating its severity, and exploring other potential use cases."We believe that our research will be very important to fighting the pandemic in the long term, so we have agreed that all the intellectual property generated from this collaboration will be public," explained Dr. Chen.Dr., Associate Professor of Radiology at MGH/, Director of the QTIM lab and the Center for Machine Learning at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and Scientific Director at MGH & BWH Center for Clinical Data Science, who leads the team collaborating with United Imaging, added: "We are very pleased to be able to collaborate with United Imaging on this important initiative."At United Imaging, we develop and produce advanced medical products, digital healthcare solutions, and intelligent solutions that cover the entire process of imaging diagnosis and treatment. Founded in 2011, our company has subsidiaries and R&D centers in, and other parts of the world. Our U.S. R&D facility opened in 2013 inand was further established as the U.S. headquarters in 2018 with our service team and commercial organization in place. With a cutting-edge digital portfolio and a mission of broader access to healthcare for all, we help drive industry progress and bold change.To learn more, visit united-imaging.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @UnitedImagingHC. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-imaging-announces-research-collaboration-with-massachusetts-general-hospital-using-artificial-intelligence-to-fight-covid-19-301125218.html SOURCE United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd. LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Agraria, America's oldest luxury fragrance brand, is celebrating their 50th Anniversary with a modern new package design and the introduction of a natural clean & green wellness product line. A+ green wellness product line Agraria Logo To commemorate their 50th anniversary, the brand has redesigned their packaging on a clean canvas of white, bordered by their recognizable Agraria Tuscan yellow. The new high-end visual statement brings a modern face to their timeless, classic and luxurious fragrances that sophisticated shoppers have enjoyed over the last five decades. Each scent's visual DNA is now featured on the interior lining of the box and brings to life the "fine art" of Agraria fragrances. In addition to a new modern look, Agraria expanded their product line to include new luxurious and naturally derived products, including three hemp-based organic face, body and hair oils. Their body care line, A+, is a collection of ten botanically-derived hair and skincare products formulated in harmony with nature and science. A+ marks the brands' expansion into the wellness category as each products' ingredients are selected with a dedication to natural and clean. Products in the A+ line include Prebiotic Hand Sanitizer, Argan + Hemp Hair Oil and the new Prebiotic Hand Cream which is formulated to hydrate, restore and protect your skins' barrier with the softening power of Shea Butter, vitamin-rich Baobab and the antioxidant strength of Astaxanthin. All of Agraria's products are vegan, cruelty-free and contain no parabens, sulfates or phthalates. The brand can be found in luxury retailers like Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, as well as in select high end gift stores, Amazon and their sites, agrariahome.com and agrariaplus.com. About Agraria Agraria is the brand name for the hand-made "from the fields" potpourri, first tossed in the back room of the founders' San Francisco shop 50 years ago. Since then, Agraria has grown to be a trusted brand with over 100 premium quality home fragrance and personal body care products sold in Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Harrods, Selfridges, fine gift stores around the world and at agrariahome.com and agrariaplus.com. Media Contact(s): Lauren Newhouse 213-225-4414 [email protected] www.konnectagency.com Robin LaConde [email protected] www.konnectagency.com SOURCE Agraria Related Links http://agrariahome.com Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. Thailand is planning to reopen to long-term foreign visitors to help revive an ailing tourism sector and save millions of jobs. A plan to be submitted to the government for approval and targeted to be finalized before the end of October seeks to allow visitors coming through its international airports provided they do a mandatory 14-day quarantine at the port of entry before being allowed to travel freely, according to Thosaporn Sirisumphand, secretary of the Center for Economic Situation Administration. Thailand, one of the economies reliant on tourism, is facing its worst contraction this year. Its hospitality and tourism sectors are counting on the return of international visitors, who contributed up to two-thirds of tourism income before the pandemic, to reverse a slump in business and save up to 3.27 million jobs that Thailand Development Research Institute estimates are at risk. The government and businesses are weighing the cost between curbing infections and limiting the damage to the economy, which is forecast to contract 8.5% this year. A plan to reopen the island province of Phuket to foreign tourists had been delayed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. By PTI MUMBAI: Actor Kangana Ranaut landed here on Wednesday from Himachal Pradesh, angry and caustic as she took on the Shiv Sena, called her home Ram mandir, referred to Bollywood' and described herself as the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The Queen actor, who has been given Y-plus category security from the Centre, was met with black flags and slogans from protesting Shiv Sena workers. But there was support too from workers of the RPI (A) and Karni Sena, who also gathered at the airport. Addressing Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, Ranaut posted a video message saying his "ego will be destroyed" the way her Bandra home was demolished. The actor said she is working on a project on Ayodhya but now understands the pain of Kashmir Pandits and will also make a movie on their plight. Ranaut, known for her provocative statements, again compared Mumbai with Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) after the Shiv Sena-led BMC demolished "illegal alterations" at her Bandra bungalow. "Uddhav Thackeray, 'tujhe kya lagta hai' (what do you think)?. You think you have taken a huge revenge by destroying my house in collusion with the movie mafia. Today my house is destroyed, tomorrow it will be your ego. The wheels of time keep changing, she said in a video message in Hindi, referring to the chief minister in the informal tu' rather than the more respectful aap'." Uddhav Thackeray, this cruelty and terrorism, it is good that it happened to me because there is some meaning to it," she said in the video. In a series of posts earlier in the day, Ranaut said there has been no "illegal construction" in her house. "Also government has banned any demolitions in COVID till September 30, Bollywood watches now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut," the actor tweeted. In another post, she wrote, "I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy". This is the second time she has referred to Mumbai as PoK, a statement that sparked the spat with the Shiv Sena. On Wednesday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told India Today, I have never threatened Kangana Ranaut, I only expressed my anger at Mumbai being likened to POK, am not responsible for what action BMC takes matter is over for me, Kangana is welcome to live in Mumbai. Ranaut also shared few photographs of BMC officials at her house, with the captions "Pakistan #deathofdemocracy" and "Babur and his army #deathofdemocracy". The actor posted past photos from the building, calling it her own "Ram Mandir". "Today Babur has come there and history will repeat itself. Ram temple will be broken again but remember Babar, this temple will be built again. Jai Shri Ram," she tweeted. Calling herself the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Ranaut claimed that she was fighting for her "honour and dignity". "I have lived the courage, valour and sacrifice of Rani Laxmibai through my film. The sad thing is that I am being prevented from coming to my own Maharashtra. But I will follow the path of Rani Laxmibai. I will not get scared or bow down to anyone. I will continue to raise my voice against wrong, Jai Maharashtra, Jai Shivaji," she said in another post. Earlier in the day, a BMC team reached the bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra with bulldozers and excavators and demolished alterations made sans the civic body's approval. The Bombay High Court, however, stayed the demolition process initiated by the BMC and sought to know why the city civic body entered the property when the owner was not present. The trouble between the ruling Shiv Sena and Kangana started after the actor said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia" after tne death of Sushant Singh Rajput and likened the Maharashtra capital to Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Reacting strongly to her comment, Raut purportedly said, "We kindly request her not to come to Mumbai. This is nothing but an insult to Mumbai Police." Hitting back, Ranaut had tweeted last week, "Why is Mumbai feeling like Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir?" On her arrival here on Wednesday, she was taken to her residence in suburban Khar amid tight security, a police official said. Kangana, 33, who flew from Chandigarh by a scheduled commercial flight, landed at Mumbai around 2.30 pm. "She was escorted out of the airport by personnel of Central security forces and Mumbai police and was provided security right from the tarmac," the official said. Police were deployed outside her Khar residence, near which some Sena workers gathered, even before she reached there. Around 15 persons, including some women, were detained on Wednesday for allegedly holding a protest against the demolition, a police official said. The protesters gathered outside Ranaut's bungalow in the Pali Hill area in the afternoon to show solidarity with the actor after the BMC demolished alleged illegal alterations at her property. In Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur condemned the demolition, saying she "is a daughter" of the state and she should get a "proper atmosphere" to work in her field. The BMC came in for flak for the demolition, with some critics saying she was targeted while other defaulters were spared. Kangana said the civic body should focus on the shoddy state of roads instead of targeting her bungalow. "BMC, these are Mumbai road and all you are concerned about is DEMOLITION of an actress house who is exposing mafia. KUDOS to you!! #DeathOfDemocracy," Kangana tweeted. She also posted a photo of a Mumbai road riddled with several potholes. NCP chief Sharad Pawar said undue importance is being attached to Kangana's statements, adding people are not taking her remarks seriously. Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has not seen such a "timid and anti-democracy" government till now, and accused the state government of stifling voices of those holding the other view. Kangana's lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui claimed the BMC was lying about illegal construction at the bungalow. "BMC said they gave stop-work notice. But such notice is given when the construction process is underway. There is no construction going on at the place. It was over about one-and-a-half years ago," he said. Demand for Technologists Increasing, London Remains Stable Barometer CENTENNIAL, Colorado, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX) announced today that eFinancialCareers, the trusted specialist financial services platform, has released The Financial Services Tech Job Report as it celebrates its 20-year anniversary. The report analyses tech job postings from the first seven months of 2020 for three global financial markets: United Kingdom, Singapore and United States. eFinancialCareers is proud to lead the finance-tech recruitment space by partnering with the world's most respected financial organisations to provide unique industry insights and efficiently place best-in-class professionals. Financial services tech hiring was trending positively across the UK, Singapore and the US in January and February of 2020, compared to 2019. The pandemic put an abrupt end to this momentum as office closures in Singapore, the UK and US during February and March led to negative trends in each market, specifically: UK job postings are down 12% year-over-year, though job posting volumes have gradually increased from April to July, consistent with the UK's approach to reopening. Singapore job postings are down 11% year-over-year, though volumes between June and July show growth as a result of the city state's emerging from its 'circuit breaker' lockdown. job postings are down 11% year-over-year, though volumes between June and July show growth as a result of the city state's emerging from its 'circuit breaker' lockdown. While the US tech job posting volume within the financial services industry was relatively flat year-over-year (-5%), the country managed to gradually close the gap between monthly job posting levels in 2020 and 2019. For more US-specific data: Competition Intensifies for Tech Talent in US Financial Services Market London's Stability Illustrated by Ongoing Demand for Roles & Flat Decline The UK's stability is best represented by London, which was virtually flat (-2%) in 2020 compared to 2019. London showed impressive stability in uncertain times while also posting over 57% of overall tech job postings from financial services organisations. The ongoing strong demand for technologists in London comes despite suggestions that banks would recruit more heavily outside the city to cut costs. UK City by 2020 Job Posting Volume 2020 Rank City 1 London 2 Glasgow 3 Edinburgh 4 Belfast 5 Manchester 6 Birmingham 7 Bristol 8 Bournemouth 9 Leeds 10 Swindon Desired Occupations & Skills Speak to Upcoming Competition for Talent In the UK, the overall top occupations include software engineer, data analyst, business analyst and project manager, a possible indicator that firms are refocusing efforts on new projects to capitalise on the market and address shifting industry needs. "Among financial institutions in the U.K., some of the fastest growing skills are related to development, data, security and infrastructure. Employers don't appear to be in a defensive mode; they're actively courting technologists to innovate ahead their competitors. While mainstream skills are still top of mind, an increase in artificial intelligence and cloud technologies will likely further encourage an increase in competition for highly skilled technologists," shared Art Zeile, CEO of DHI Group, parent company of eFinancialCareers. The fastest growing occupation was security management specialist, reflecting the growing emphasis on data security and fraud. Software engineer was the number one ranked occupation for volume and also registered year-over-year growth of 8%. UK Occupations by Job Posting Growth Rank Occupation YoY Growth 1 Security Management Specialist 24% 2 Software Engineer 8% 3 Information Security Engineer 1% UK Skills by Job Posting Growth Rank Skill YoY Growth 1 C++ 85% 2 TypeScript 83% 3 Microsoft Azure 71% 4 Kubernetes 71% 5 Artificial Intelligence 54% 6 Spring Boot 51% 7 Python 45% 8 Docker Software 42% 9 Software Architecture 37% 10 Application Support 34% Top Financial Giants Ranked by Job Posting Volume The UK's top hiring financial institutions include giants in the industry: JPMorgan Chase, Citi, HSBC, Barclays and RBS. Deutsche Bank and Bloomberg both showed significant ranking increases from 2019 to 2020; Deutsche Bank improved its rank by 10, Bloomberg improved by eight spots. UK Employer by 2020 Job Posting Volume 2020 Rank Change in Rank Employer 1 +2 JPMorgan Chase 2 +3 Citi 3 -2 HSBC 4 -2 Barclays 5 +1 Royal Bank of Scotland 6 -2 Lloyds Banking Group 7 +10 Deutsche Bank 8 +8 Bloomberg 9 +4 Visa 10 -1 UBS Read more on eFinancialCareers Report Methodology eFinancialCareers' Financial Services Tech Job Report focuses on the tech hiring activity within the financial services industry and reviews tech job posting volumes from the US, UK and Singapore (via Burning Glass Technologies). To add clarity, insurance organisations and professional services organisations such as the "Big 4" were removed. The data covers two primary datasets: Comparisons between January 1st July 31st of 2020 and 2019 in the US, UK and Singapore of 2020 and 2019 in the US, UK and Deep dives into the fastest growing locations, employers, occupations, and skills Download The eFinancialCareers' Financial Services Report Download the report Press: Email efcmedia@efinancialcareers.com for an ungated copy of the full report About eFinancialCareers eFinancialCareers, a DHI Group, Inc. brand, is the world's leading financial services careers website, and the place to go for financial careers and talent. eFinancialCareers provides finance and tech professionals with the latest job opportunities, career information and invaluable industry insights they need to maximise their potential. The site connects them to roles within many of the world's most respected financial organisations. Through its recruitment solutions, eFinancialCareers provides financial services recruiters a vital competitive edge by enabling them to source the highly qualified professionals they need to achieve their strategic ambitions - quickly and efficiently. eFinancialCareers offers local websites in 19 markets across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the financial centres of the Middle East. About DHI Group, Inc. DHI Group, Inc (NYSE: DHX) is a provider of software products, online tools and services to deliver career marketplaces to candidates and employers globally. DHI's three brandsDice, ClearanceJobs and eFinancialCareers enable recruiters and hiring managers to efficiently search, match and connect with highly skilled technologists in specialised fields, particularly technology, those with active government security clearances and in financial services. Professionals find ideal employment opportunities, relevant job advice and personalised data to best manage their whole technologist life. For nearly 30 years, we have leveraged the latest technology to foster career connections in multiple markets including North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. Find out more at www.dhigroupinc.com. Media Contact Kristianna Sanders efcmedia@efinancialcareers.com 1 (303) 562-0337 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1167308/eFinancialCareers_Logo.jpg Related Links https://dhigroupinc.com SOURCE DHI Group, Inc. BRADY ANDERSON, Chariho, Wrestling, Sophomore; Anderson finished first in the 152-pound weight class at the Griswold Midseason Invitational tournament. Anderson went 3-0 in the tournament, pinning all of his opponents in the first period. Anderson is 10-4. LYDIA LASKEY, Stonington, Gymnastics, Senior; Laskey finished first in all four events in meets against NFA and Westerly. Laskey had an all-around score of 33.75 against NFA and 34.60 against Westerly. RILEY PELOQUIN, Westerly, Girls Basketball, Sophomore; Peloquin scored 22 points and had 19 rebounds in two games. Peloquin is averaging 7.6 points and 7.5 rebounds a game for the Bulldogs. DEONDRE BRANSFORD, Wheeler, Boys Basketball, Sophomore; Bransford scored 25 points and had 28 rebounds in a pair of Wheeler victories. Bransford is averaging 10.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per contest for the Lions. Vote View Results LA based music producer Figment continues growing in popularity. Last month, EDMHouseNetwork announced that he was the winner of Insomniac Records' Discovery Project and EDM.com named him "One Of Top 5 Artists Who Stole The Show At Insomniac's EDC Festival". He recently signed with legendary Chicago-based TRAX Records and is slated to release his newest single with them titled "Klimmen en Dalen". Figment has pledged to donate 100% of the profits from the single to EDM producers and artists who have suffered financially from COVID-19. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Figment, the fast-rising LA producer/DJ and host of the "Not Figment" Podcast, is set to release his newest single "Klimmen en Dalen" with the legendary Trax Records. Figment is pledging to donate 100% of his profits from the single to EDM producers and artists who have suffered financially from COVID-19. To support the release, check out the track on Spotify here https://open.spotify.com/album/7tdsf04AfUJkP14ylNz8uc Figment is a Los Angeles based music producer & DJ who began turning heads after his standout performance at Insomniac's EDC Las Vegas Virtual Rave-A-Thon Festival. EDM.com named him "One of 5 Artists Who Stole The Show" alongside Zhu, Nicole Moudaber and Claude VonStroke. Viewers agreed, because he then received the most votes in Insomniac's Discovery Project for best performance of the weekend. These two massive wins led him to sign his first publishing deal with the iconic record label Trax Records. Instrumental in launching the careers of legendary house, acid and techno artists such as Marshall Jefferson, Frankie Knuckles, Phuture, Joey Beltram and many more, the Chicago-based label was founded by the late Larry Sherman and is now run by current CEO Rachael Cain. "Klimmen en Dalen" will be released September 9, 2020. It comes soon after Figment's debut single, "Welcome to the Acid Jungle", which was released last month. "It's exciting," said Cain, also known as her stage name Screamin' Rachael. "When I heard Klimmen en Dalen the first time, it was just as exciting to me as the first time I heard the original Can You Feel It instrumental by Larry Heard. I am excited about Figment's talent. He creates music with a lot of tones. Music with a lot of feel. And he's just different. His track stands out. His music belongs on Trax." Figment will be donating 100% of his profits from "Klimmen en Dalen" to EDM producers and artists who have suffered financially from COVID-19, since the music industry has suffered drastically from the global pandemic. To support the release, you can stream the single here https://open.spotify.com/album/7tdsf04AfUJkP14ylNz8uc Figment is a Madrid born electronic music producer who is the latest winner of Insomniac Records Discovery project and was named one of Buzzfeed's "5 Unique And Original Upcoming Techno Producers To Watch In 2020". His move to LA and subsequent rise within techno circles has drawn eyes and ears to his unique take on electronic music, creating psychotropic techno that is equal parts chaotic and precise. CONTACT: Email: Figment@NotFigment.com SOURCE: One World Publishing View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605337/LA-Based-DJ-and-Producer-Figment-Pledges-100-of-Profits-From-Latest-Trax-Records-Release-To-Artists-Affected-By-COVID-19 Thermal imaging has been available for decades to detect temperature differences on the skin that could signal breast cancer without exposing patients to radiation, although the method is not as reliable as mammography. New research performed at The University of Texas at Dallas and published June 22 in Nature Research's Scientific Reports takes a critical step toward making digital infrared thermal imaging more useful for monitoring breast cancer. Engineers in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, working with radiologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center, recruited 11 female patients who volunteered for the study through UT Southwestern and Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas. The team used a high-resolution infrared camera, clinical data from patient volunteers, 3D scanning and computer-aided design to build a proof-of-concept computer model of the thermal properties of breast cancer. Dr. Fatemeh Hassanipour, corresponding author of the study and associate professor of mechanical engineering in the Jonsson School, said their goal is to improve digital thermal imaging as a tool for monitoring cancer and its treatment, rather than replacing cancer screening by mammograms. Infrared imaging could potentially provide useful information in a diagnostic setting to radiologists. We want it to be used like a second device for monitoring tumors." Dr. Fatemeh Hassanipour, corresponding author of the study The research utilized thermal imaging, with the infrared camera taking images of the skin, to identify temperature changes generated by breast cancer as it induces changes to the local vasculature and cellular metabolism. The technique only shows patterns of heat and blood flow on or near the surface of breasts, however, leaving unknown information about tumor activity deeper in the breast tissue. The UT Dallas researchers worked to address this issue by applying engineering tools to imaging data to develop a model that quantifies the thermal characteristics of breast cancer throughout one patient's breast. The results showed a detectable temperature difference in metabolic heat generation between the patient's normal and cancerous breasts. They also noted increased perfusion rates, which is the rate of blood flow through a given volume, in the affected breast. The researchers cautioned that the model cannot be applied to all types of breast cancer. In addition, not all breast cancers generate sufficient heat to be detected via thermography. Now that UT Dallas researchers have demonstrated their computational model, they plan to develop models for the other breast cancer patients enrolled in the study. "Our team has many great ideas moving forward," Hassanipour said. "We'd like to add more dedicated graduate students to this project. The subject case that we reported in the manuscript was a proof of concept. A lot of lessons were learned that will facilitate modeling other cancers." Recent UT Dallas graduate Adolfo Lozano PhD'20, who works for Raytheon Technologies Corp., was lead author of the paper; in addition to Hassanipour, Jamasp Azarnoosh PhD'20 was a co-author. The UT Dallas researchers teamed up with UT Southwestern assistant professors of radiology Dr. Jody C. Hayes and Dr. Lindsay M. Compton. Lozano said he was eager to join Hassanipour's breast-cancer research project because his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. "I still recall hearing the news and how shocked and saddened we were as a family," said Lozano, whose mom's cancer is in remission. "When I had the opportunity to join Dr. Hassanipour's research group and establish this new project in the area of breast cancer, I was immensely grateful and saw it as a gift from above." Hassanipour's work is supported by a National Science Foundation CAREER award, which she received in 2015 to study the biomechanics of breastfeeding. She said she became interested in the thermal imaging project after discovering that little work had been done to create a thermal model of the breast based on real clinical data. Christian Cooper, the former Marvel Comics editor who famously recorded a racial profiling incident he experienced while birding in New York's Central Park, has returned to the world of mainstream comic books. And his new story is partly inspired by that moment on Memorial Day, when he asked a White woman to abide by the rules and leash her dog, and she responded by calling the police. Cooper's 10-page comic book, "It's a Bird," became available digitally Wednesday. Illustrated by Alitha E. Martinez, inked by Mark Morales and colored by Emilio Lopez, the comic is the first issue of "Represent!," a digital series from DC Comics that will showcase writers and artists from groups that are underrepresented in the industry. "It's a Bird" features Jules, a teenager given a pair of binoculars by his father and told to explore his surroundings. Jules, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of birds, is quickly harassed by those threatened by his presence as an unannounced Black man in an open space. That and other moments of hostility evoke racial profiling that Cooper and other Black birders have experienced, but the story turns slightly mystical when Jules begins using his binoculars and sees images of Black people who have fallen to police violence, including Amadou Diallo, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Cooper works as a senior editorial director at Health Science Communications and didn't think he would wind up back at one of the superhero publishers so quickly, but here he is. "I really appreciated it when [DC Comics] came to me and said do you want to do this comic, because I did have something to say," he said in an interview. "It's interesting how it slips into maybe this space in the DC Universe that isn't normally occupied. It is a very magical-realist tale. There is something fantastical that happens in the course of the story. But it's not capes. It's not superheroes." "I haven't been sitting around thinking I'm going to get into comics again," he added, "But when this opportunity [was] presented I was like, 'Oh, hell yeah. I want to do this.' " Cooper said that when he began "It's a Bird," he didn't know what type of comic book writer he would find within himself. "I was very unsure when I first started writing it, because I haven't done a comic in 20 years," Cooper said. "But I started doing it, and I'm like, not only do I remember how to do this, but I actually think I'm doing a reasonably good job and I'm enjoying the hell out of it." Cooper gave Jules's black binoculars a central role in the comic in part because, as a Black birder, having a pair in your hands invites ignorant eyes to assume they are a weapon. But the tool has a much deeper sentimental meaning to him. Cooper's late father, a teacher, civil rights activist and Korean War veteran, gave him the binoculars he always uses in Central Park as a 50th-birthday gift. "To me, those binoculars have an extra weight," Cooper said. "They are more than just binoculars to me. And I wanted to weave that into the comic as well." As enjoyable as it was to reconnect with creating comics, Cooper had to prepare himself for the emotions of working on a story that wove in so much Black pain. While writing, no matter the subject, he said, he is always able to emotionally detach. That was the case while writing "It's a Bird," but not so when he saw Martinez's illustrated pages. "When the artwork came back and I saw the visuals, I literally gasped," Cooper said. "It was almost too powerful. I think the one that got me the most was the Breonna Taylor image. That one kind of kicked me in the gut when I saw it." Any DC Comics fan can tell you that "It's a Bird" is a clear nod to Superman (It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman!). But Cooper also saw the title as a way to pay tribute to the fallen Black lives he featured. "At the end, [the story] takes that phrase that is associated with Superman and just launches to this other place, to this moment of grace that so many were denied in how they died and kind of giving that to them in fiction what they didn't get in real life," Cooper said. "I think that was very important to do." Cooper said he hopes that the "Represent!" series, which will have more titles in 2021, will reach new readers of comic books and discover new talent. And he's looking to do more writing himself after this eye-opening experience. "This reminded me that storytelling is your fundamental nature," Cooper said. "Coming up with these wacko, fantastical things is what you are about. So why aren't you doing it? So, absolutely. On my agenda is do more storytelling." Weedoo Boats, based in West Palm Beach, Florida, is the leading manufacturer of aquatic weed harvesters and workboats. Lead by CEO, Tara Lordi, a Wellington, Florida resident, Weedoo Boats not only saves the waterways, but is no stranger to animal rescue. They utilized their shallow draft workboats to provide aid during hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017 and again in 2018 during hurricane Florence in North Carolina. However this rescue mission posed a new threat. The clock was ticking, and in order to save the lives of over 150 animals set to be euthanized, Weedoo had no choice but to strategically work fast and furiously. "When Big Dog Ranch reached out to us, we had one option and that was to charter a private cargo plane to get those animals home quickly and safely," said Lordi. The plane was chartered and Lordi herself was boots on the ground in the Islands helping crate the animals and pack the plane. The animals were stranded for several reasons, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Activists on the island raised awareness to the situation.The plane arrived on Friday, August 28th and the dogs and cats were offloaded by a host of volunteers and taken to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, in Loxahatchee, Florida and a variety of shelters across the country, where they will be cared for until they are available for adoption. For information on how to foster, adopt or donate, please visit bdrr.org About Weedoo Boats Weedoo Boats are manufactured in the USA in West Palm Beach, Florida. Weedoo is the industry's leading manufacturer of environmental workboats and amphibious work equipment. Weedoo Workboats are rugged machines that are designed to mechanically harvest and remove lake weeds and other contaminants in the most extreme and challenging aquatic conditions. Contact: Karla Moriarty 862-571-4787 https://www.weedooboats.com SOURCE Weedoo Greenboat, Inc. Related Links https://www.weedooboats.com What does it mean to be a hero? Be decisive in action, overcome any circumstances, triumph over fear, defeat any enemy? For sure. But love also lives in the hearts of real heroes. Love for your people, for the Motherland. With this article, we open a series of stories about the heroes of the Caucasus - people who showed an image of true love and devotion to their fatherland. Mikhailo, your one day in a partisan detachment is equal to ten days of the Red Army, Colonel Rybachenko said to the partisan Mekhti Huseynzade, known throughout the Adriatic coast. "I suppose," Stanko Petelinovoyko, the former chief of staff of the 31st division of the 9th partisan corps of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, writes in a book of memoirs published in Ljubljana, "the total result of Mehdi Huseynzade's actions was about a thousand killed fascists, mainly officers." He was like fire - fast, agile, brave, able to find a way out of any situation. He gave close people a kind fire of the soul, but he burned the fascists who brought death in the hellish flame of explosions, which he arranged, as if playfully. On combat missions, Mehdi usually went alone, being able to skillfully transform into a local peasant, or into a drunken German soldier, or an officer. He was elusive, and the Nazis trembled at the very mention of his name. In the Balkan grouping of Wehrmacht troops, Mehti Huseynzade was called "Dagger" for his swiftness, accuracy and mortal danger. Convinced of the impossibility of catching the partisan on their own, the Nazis distributed leaflets in all settlements, in which they indicated the price for the head of Mehdi, which increased as the damage caused to the Nazis increased. 40 thousand lire was promised after the explosion of a restaurant for German soldiers, where about 300 fascists were killed. After that, Mekhti sends into the air the lair of fascist propaganda - the editorial office and printing house of the newspaper, where they published ads about the wanted partisan Mekhti, known as Mikhailo. Soon, the price for the elusive guerrilla rose to a fantastic 400,000 lire. By this time, he had a particularly important object on his account - the group's command garage with 25 military vehicles. Leaving for the front, Mekhti wrote to his elder sister: "Yesterday I was given a machine gun and a new military uniform. I wonder if I, Mekhti, can kill a person from this machine. After all, I could never accept the death of a single living creature. I received such education." ... Indeed, the Caucasian upbringing, especially sensitive to the concepts of life and death, honor and dignity, made Mehdi a real hero. A year later, Mekhti's last letter arrived from Stalingrad with a completely opposite content. "I am writing from the front. There are hot battles. There is no limit to the outrages committed by the Nazis. I give you my word that I will fight to the last drop of my blood. I will fight heroically and glorify you. If I die, I will die a hero. You will hear about me again." To live to defeat the enemy, to defend his homeland, to avenge the ruined lives of thousands of people, for his shattered dreams - that was the goal of Mehdi until the end of his life. A poet, artist, artist who skillfully knew how to reincarnate, all the talents of Mehdi cannot be enumerated. And life called him to the heroism that made his name legendary. A monument has been erected in Baku that perpetuates the image of a 26-year-old guy, who during his lifetime became famous as the legendary partisan Mikhailo, and after his death, the rarest, and perhaps the only case, as a hero of three peoples - Italy, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. Mekhti fulfilled his promise to his sister and glorified the name of the Azerbaijani people, who inscribed the names of the victors over fascism. Chris McLennan has had his eyes on ears for a long time. Before starting Ears Canada his newly opened independent hearing clinic in St. Catharines he worked as a marketing and sales executive with a hearing aid manufacturer for 15 years. I think it all came down to the entrepreneurial spirit that made him decide to go into business for himself, he says. Ears Canada, on Fourth Avenue west of the hospital, has been seeing patients since July and will have its official opening Sept. 22. McLennan says it treats people of all ages, including some who arent having problems but come in for a simple benchline test. That can be used as they get older, to measure their hearing loss against. What happens around the age of 50 is something called presbycusis, thats just naturally induced hearing loss everyone will start experiencing hearing loss to some degree, he says. Or sometimes its just wax buildup affecting hearing. The clinic takes care of that, too. McLennan says only about 20 per cent of people who need hearing aids actually wear them. A lot of people dont believe they need them, or they dont want to pay for them. Theyre not cheap, he says, but adding there is government assistance available and many private insurance plans provide coverage. He originally planned to open early this year, then a couple of delays pushed it to February then by that time all hell had broken loose, he says with a laugh. While COVID-19 precautions slowed everything down, he kept working with contractors to get the business ready for a soft opening in June. I think some people were just happy to be able to continue to work while the emergency measures were in place, he says. Ears Canada is at 1338 Fourth Ave. Community service a winner for Port Dalhousies Chz Plz A little community service goes a long way, a St. Catharines company has learned. Chz Plz, a Port Dalhousie catering and food services business, was selected from 70 local businesses to receive the Trinity Capital Community Award, which comes with a $5,000 grant. During COVID, when everything first started happening we made it our priority to try to help others as much as we could, says owner Marissa Hartley. After two years of catering, on Feb. 1 she opened to the public at 15 Lock St. suite 103, next to Lock Street Brewing Co. The unfortunate timing was quickly apparent. Then we had to shut back down, says Hartley. It was really emotional and definitely a hard thing to think of. I was scared I might have to close the business after just opening. But, luckily, the community had our backs. With all the perishable food on site, we bundled it up, I believe we ended up getting about 28 bundles of food baskets that we dropped off to people in need or families that had to quarantine and didnt have time to go grocery shopping. Chz Plz couldnt allow customers inside, but it could offer free delivery. It made it a point each week to support a different local small business by buying its supplies there. Hartley says shes better prepared if a second COVID-19 wave hits, and has all Chz Plzs services online. Meanwhile it is open seven days a week now. The (award) selection process was based on three principles, which are the same that we apply while making our investment decisions: innovation, sustainability and people, says Trinity Capital International president Omar Gonzalez Pardo. Trinity Capital International, in St. Catharines, was founded in 2017 and is a subsidiary of Trinity Capital, a Colombian business group. NOTL decor company gets financial boost to see it through COVID-19 A Niagara-on-the-Lake company was recently picked as one of 30 businesses from across Canada to get a $5,000 boost from FedEx. Simply Beautiful Decor, which specializes in event rentals and was founded by Angelica Sala in 2004, had its business plans for 2020 thrown into upheaval when COVID-19 struck. It had a full calendar of events planned through the summer but was forced to adapt to public health rules that prevented large gatherings. The $150,000 FedEx #SupportSmall grant initiative was formed to help small businesses like Simply Beautiful Decor that were affected by the pandemic. Salas company plans to use the $5,000 award to grow and expand its e-commerce platform. Simply Beautiful Decor is on Westwood Court. Toronto Public Health will notify parents of any case of COVID-19 in their childs school and publish information publicly about school-related outbreaks. On Wednesday, Dr. Eileen de Villa, the citys medical officer, said parents will soon receive a written package through their schools about those plans and more. I think there will be quite a bit of communication because were trying to make sure altogether that our school communities and parents are aware of whats happening so they can inform themselves in a manner that they can take appropriate actions to protect their own health and the health of their families, de Villa said at a press conference at city hall. De Villa confirmed all parents will receive a communication from TPH when there is a case identified in their school. The identity of the student or staff infected will be kept private because it is considered personal health information. Schools are also arranging to provide their own reports to the school community as well, de Villa said possibly through their school or board website. De Villa warned that a case at your childs school doesnt necessarily mean there is widespread infection. And public health officials have said even a school outbreak wouldnt necessarily mean a school closure. The province defines an outbreak as two or more lab-confirmed cases within a 14-day period with at least one case connected to the school, including busing and after school programs. De Villa said in the early stages of investigation its likely a cohort connected to the case would be considered close contacts and be sent home, but that other students could continue learning in the classroom with plans in place to limit spread within schools. Those who test positive will not be able to return to school until after a 14-day isolation period. Those who are close contacts, including in the same cohort, may also be required to self-isolate. De Villa said there are now 200 TPH staff dedicated to schools both a liaison team supporting infection control plans in place by the boards following provincial rules and a dedicated team of case and contact management staff who will trace suspected and confirmed cases linked to schools. That work includes speaking to the student and parents or staff member about who they have been in contact with to determine how they may have contracted the virus and who may have been at risk of getting it from them. De Villa said parents can help TPH by proactively keeping children who dont feel well at home in the first place. She also stressed that parents should make sure their childs vaccines are up-to-date, including getting the flu vaccine this fall. Opening schools for in-class learning is a significant test of how we handle the next stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, said board of health chair Coun. Joe Cressy in an emailed statement. Thats why it is crucial that we do everything we can to get it right. TPH is also working to make information about school-related outbreaks available to the general public. Where and how that information will be shared was not yet available. Jennifer Pagliaro is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @jpags CAIRO: Palestinian leaders won renewed Saudi support for Palestinian statehood on Wednesday, but failed to persuade the Arab League to condemn last months normalisation deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. At a video conference of foreign ministers, the Palestinian leadership softened its own censure of the UAE for the U.S.-brokered Aug. 13 accord, which is to be formalised at a signing ceremony at the White House next week, but to no avail. Discussions regarding this point were serious. It was comprehensive and took some time. But it did not lead in the end to agreement about the draft communique that was proposed by the Palestinian side," Arab League Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki told reporters. The UAE-Israel accord was the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years, and was forged partly through shared fears of Iran. Palestinians were dismayed by the UAEs move, fearing it would weaken a long-standing pan-Arab position that calls for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory and acceptance of Palestinian statehood in return for normal relations with Arab countries. SAUDI SUPPORT A Saudi statement on remarks made by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud included no direct mention of the normalisation deal. But the prince said Riyadh supported the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the borders in place before the 1967 Middle East war, with East Jerusalem as its capital, according to the statement. The United States, Israel and the UAE have urged Palestinian leaders to re-engage with Israel. On a trip to the Emirates, U.S. President Donald Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner said Palestinians should not be stuck in the past". In televised comments at the meeting, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki referred to the accord as a surprise", and an earthquake" for Arab consensus, and voiced dismay at the failure to call an emergency Arab summit after the deal was announced. But he avoided stronger words such as betrayal" that Palestinian leaders had used in the immediate aftermath of the announcement. Maliki used tougher language against Israel, referring to colonial and racist occupation", and accused the United States of blackmail, pressure and assault against Palestinians and some Arab states. The language of denunciation and condemnation prevented agreement," said UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, in an interview with Al Arabiya TV late on Wednesday, referring to the Palestinians. 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 Minn. pastor says its OK for parents to give kids a 'good spanking' for discipline Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A column published last Saturday on theologian John Pipers Christian theology website, Desiring God, by a Minnesota pastor argues that a good spanking should be an option for parents who want to discipline their children. Sam Crabtree, a small group pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis who authored the 2019 book Parenting with Loving Correction, wrote in response to critics who oppose spanking and other forms of corporal punishment as methods of discipline for children. While describing spanking opponents as well-intended with valid concerns, Crabtree argued that there is such a thing as good spanking when parents opt to discipline their children. ... [M]any who oppose spanking sweep all corporal punishment into a single bucket without distinguishing between wise and foolish parental correction, as if factors like timing, dose, implement, and advance instruction make no difference, wrote Crabtree, a former public school teacher and who serves as chairman of the board of the Bethlehem College & Seminary. Just as bad preaching doesnt disqualify all pulpits, and bad writing doesnt mean we should banish publishing, and a bad haircut doesnt mean you should go Nazarite, so bad spanking doesnt mean there isnt good spanking. Crabtree went on to contend that a good spanking involves applying a predetermined amount of physical pain in direct response to a childs defiance. Defiance starts in the heart and works its way out into behaviors of the body (tantrums, disobedience, mouthiness, rebellious facial expressions), he explained. [S]o spanking works in the opposite direction: it moves toward the heart by first gaining the attention of the body, commonly via the well-padded buttocks. Crabtree then laid out six principles of good spanking. Those principles include understanding that the perfect loving Father uses the rod, parents modeling correction through confessing and repentance, not overusing spanking for discipline, applying corporal punishment with utmost consistency and limiting the severity of the punishment such as not breaking skin or hitting eyes. The sixth principle, he explained, is recognizing that spanking must be accompanied by other tools of parenting. Wise parents dont start with spanking, but with other measures: rewards, interruptions, the look of disapproval, loss of privileges, restitution, he explained. The use of corporal punishment when disciplining children has been a source of controversy in recent times, with some countries considering it tantamount to abuse and banning the practice. In 2018, the health journal BMJ published a study that analyzed data from 88 countries. The study concluded that nations that banned spanking had lower rates of youth violence. Whether bans precipitated changes in child discipline or reflected a social milieu that inhibits youth violence remains unclear due to the study design and data limitations, concluded the study. However, these results support the hypothesis that societies that prohibit the use of corporal punishment are less violent for youth to grow up in than societies that have not. In a 2016 piece for Scientific American, contributing editor Melinda Wenner Moyer wrote that despite multiple studies indicating that spanking is harmful, some researchers remain skeptical. Studies suggest, for instance, that the effects of spanking can differ depending on the circumstances, she explained. Two studies have found no associations between spanking and mental health problems among kids who were spanked less than once or twice a month; other research has shown that spanking has much less of a negative effect on preschool kids than on infants and adolescents. Moyer added that when it comes to the question of corporal punishment for children, there was a chicken-or-egg question tied to it: Are kids spanked because they act out, or do they act out because they are spanked or both? Danny Huerta of the prominent Colorado-based national Christian ministry Focus on the Family argued in a 2019 piece that child spanking could be either appropriate or inappropriate. Used correctly and infrequently as part of a comprehensive parenting toolkit, a spank can be that last resort discipline method you use when you need to create attention and a clear understanding why the behavior should never happen again, he wrote. Used inappropriately, spanking can be dangerous. Ive found some parents who use spanking as their main discipline tool and, many times, use it when theyre frustrated or angry. Ive also noticed some parents spank and move on, skipping the important teaching element. KENOSHA The Kenosha County Board met as a committee of the whole Tuesday night at the Kenosha County Job Center to hear from its members about how the community can move forward amid a myriad of issues stemming from the Aug. 23 Kenosha Police shooting of Jacob Blake. The near hourlong special meeting called by Board Chairman John ODay came a week after the board would have met but didnt because of a lack of agenda items. It also came as some supervisors have expressed the need for an emergency meeting amid the strife and a call for leadership. Damage reported to 100 businesses In speaking with Heather Wessling, vice president of economic development for the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, Supervisor Terry Rose said the damage to buildings and businesses is an estimated $50 million, including 100 businesses and as many as 40 out-of-business for good. Rose called for asking both federal and state governments for funding to rebuild businesses in both Uptown and Downtown Kenosha, and not just for low-interest loans. He also called for the rebuilding of the state corrections center, or the probation and parole building at 60th Street and 13th Avenue, which was burned to the ground in the riots. The county needs to assist the city in bolstering the Uptown community, Rose said. We need to seek federal funds, state funds or local funds to make sure that those body cameras (for police), which we authorized in (a) prior resolution, are made very much a part of the forthcoming budget. Rose also requested a debriefing by the countys own emergency management on what went right and what went wrong. He suggested the county seek state and federal assistance to help pay for damage to county property not covered by insurance. He added that efforts by local, state and federal law enforcement and the National Guard and residents who volunteered in cleanup efforts and made food donations sent a message of Kenoshas strength and that Kenosha is not a racist community and is willing to address its deficiencies. But the one issue that we need to make very clear to the people here whose lives have been endangered, whose property has been destroyed, who lived in nightly fear, is the same message we need to send to people who might come here from out of town or elsewhere, Rose said. Our message has to be very clear: Never again. Never again. Never again. Biggest crisis in county history Wisconsin National Guard Major Gen. Paul Knapp said at one point as many as 2,000 Guard troops were on hand to keep the peace but that, as of midnight Monday, they have all since disengaged from their mission to assist local law enforcement. While the board did not vote on any recommendations, Rose called on the leadership to consider action on what he termed the biggest crisis in the history of Kenosha County. And the way that we deal with this crisis is utterly important to the people who live here and the example weve set, Rose said. Rose recommended the board draft a resolution for consideration as early as next week to give the county direction and purpose in the near future and beyond. Future safety To the people who burned down our city, we wont allow it ever again, Supervisor Zach Rodriguez said. Supervisor Sharon Pomaville said changing the laws to address racism can only go so far. Change comes from changing thoughts and minds and hearts. The community has to take a hard look at ourselves in asking how and where it exists, Pomaville said. Changing the law might actually be the easier part of this, but changing thoughts is at least where we even get to the place of creating any long-lasting change, she said. Supervisor Boyd Frederick encouraged the community and others to spend their money in downtown. Lives lost Supervisor Jerry Gulley said he was ashamed to mention that, through 45 minutes of discussion, board members didnt even mention that lives were lost. He was referring to two Kenosha-area protesters (Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum) who were shot and killed by an armed teenager (Kyle Rittenhouse) now facing homicide charges. I think thats critical, and I think 85% of what weve talked about are solving symptoms and not solving causes, Gulley said. We talk about recovering and rebuilding and we cannot pretend that cannot be done on a foundation that does not include equality and inclusion. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says landlords and water vendors who sell water to consumers risk being arrested and prosecuted if caught. This caution follows reports that some water vendors are selling water flowing through their taps to the public, though the government has announced that consumers will get the commodity for free. In an interview with Citi News, the Communications Director of Ghana Water Company Limited, Stanley Martey, urged water vendors and landlords to report such persons to the police for action to be taken against them. If anybody is selling water, then it means that the person is stealing government water and selling to the people which is wrong and the police can arrest and prosecute such a person. We are also asking that consumers who are still buying water should report to opinion leaders in their communities or report to the police for action to be taken against such persons. ---citinewsroom Aligarh : , Sep 9 (IANS) The National spokesman of the Hindu Mahasabha, Ashok Pandey, has been booked by Aligarh police for terming Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students as 'terrorists' and calling the institution 'a seminary for terrorists' in an interview. Following a complaint lodged by the AMU authorities, the Civil Lines Police booked Pandey under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion), 153B (assertion prejudicial to national integration) and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). According to the FIR, Pandey had also called AMU founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan a 'traitor' and the university as "an institution being a classroom of terrorists" during an interview to a news channel. The AMU authorities in the complaint said it could vitiate not only the atmosphere of the university but also spoil the communal harmony in the city. "This statement was issued to hurt the sentiments of those who love AMU and a particular community in order to spread hatred between two communities," said the FIR. AMU spokesperson Shafey Kidwai said taking cognisance of a viral video on social media, police have registered a complaint against Pandey. "We have demanded that the video be removed from various social media platforms as it could create differences between two communities and strict action be taken against the accused," the AMU spokesman added. According to the AMU officials, Pandey's controversial statement comes after Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank praised the university and hailed its founder, teachers and students as 'nationalists' while inaugurating a university examination centre online in August. The National HIV/AIDS Fund will become operational by the end of the year, four years after its creation by law. The fund will mobilise domestic resources for the local production of medicines for prompt HIV/AIDS response in the country. The Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Mr. Steve Kyeremeh Atuahene, who disclosed this yesterday when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, said the launch of the fund was part of a decision to support the local production of drugs for the treatment of the disease. "Negotiations and arrangements are ongoing towards this initiative and we hope that it will ensure the constant supply of medicines and cut down the cost of importing drugs. "We hope that when all things are finalised, we will be able to resolve the problem of shortages of medicine permanently, he said. PAC sitting Mr. Atuahene was responding to queries in the 2017 Auditor-General's report. Officials of the Nurses and Midwifery Council (N&MC), led by its Registrar, Mr. Felix Nyante, also appeared before the committee. In addition, agencies under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), including the Lands Commission, the Survey and Mapping Division, the Ghana School of Survey and Mapping, and the Land Valuation Division, were at the PAC sitting, after they had been citied for various financial and operational irregularities or uncertainties. HIV/AIDS Fund Parliament passed the Ghana AIDS Commission Act, 2015 to give legal backing for the establishment of the Ghana AIDS Commission and the National HIV/AIDS Fund. Among other things, the act contains anti-stigma provisions to promote and protect the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS. Per the act, the focus for resource mobilisation should be on local resources from within the country before external sources are considered. The sources of money for the fund, as spelt out in Act 938, include money approved by Parliament for the fund, grants, donations, gifts, other voluntary contributions, and returns on investment of funds by the commission. Per the arrangements, there is a provision that the Minister of Finance may determine, with the approval of Parliament, any other money or property that may become lawfully payable and vested in the board for the fund. Almost four years after the passage of the act, the fund is yet to be operationalised. Bold step However, at yesterdays sitting of the PAC, Mr. Atuahene said the commission was focused on a paradigm shift from the importation of anti-retroviral drugs and other medical products for HIV/AIDS patients to local production. That, he said, would be done within the context of the operationalisation of the National HIV/AIDS Fund. He added that the operationalisation of the fund would help address the over-reliance on donors to fund the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in the country. He also said presently, donors expected that the government would pay for two-thirds of the medicines required for the treatment of patients in the country. "The donors also expect that the government will be responsible for the cost of all HIV test kits and also bear the cost of all laboratory activities. With the passage of Act 938, the fund for HIV/AIDS response will help address that," he said. Nurses When the N&MC took its turn at the PAC sitting, the main issue had to do with the failure to recover GH19,900 in loans and advances from some members of staff. The officials from the N&MC, led by Mr. Nyante, explained that the loans had been retired. He also said the practice of extending loans to staff had been stopped to prevent the recurrence of that situation. Lands Commission The Auditor-Generals report revealed that the Lands Commission had failed to recover money owed it in ground rents for over four decades. Among other things, it cited the commission and the other agencies of the MLNR for poor record-keeping, unrecovered loans from staff, incurring expenditure without supporting documents, and the lack of policy documents. At the PAC sitting, it came to light that the Lands Commission had not been able to recover debts from ground rent dating as far back as 1975. The Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr. Suleiman Dawuda Mahama, said the commission was rolling out a comprehensive action plan to recover all arrears in ground rent and also clamp down on the encroachment of state lands. He said the plan had already been submitted to the MLNR for consideration and would include the use of a private consultant for debt recovery. He added that the commission's reform agenda would be private sector-led and focus on updating its records through digitisation. Responding to the query on improper keeping of records, Mr. Mahama said the volume of work that was done manually and the inadequacy of technical staff, such as land economists and estate managers, made it difficult to keep up-to-date records. A Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Forestry, Mr. Benito Owusu-Bio, who was at the PAC sitting to respond to policy issues, said the new Lands Commission Act would be taken to the President for assent soon. Source: Graphic.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video George Poikayil By Express News Service KASARAGOD: The Tata Group handed over the 551-bed COVID hospital built at a cost of Rs 60 crore at Thekkil village in Kasaragod to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday. The 81,000 sq ft-hospital spread over 5.5 acres was built in five months using prefabricated shipping containers. This is said to be India's first hospital built from scratch to exclusively treat COVID patients. Tata Projects deputy general manager Gopinath Reddy handed over the key of the hospital to district collector D Sajith Babu. Attending the function via a video call, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan thanked the Tata Group and Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata for building the hospital in record five months. On March 28, Ratan Tata tweeted pledging Rs 500 crore to buy personal protective equipment, respiratory systems, testing kids, setting up modular treatment facilities for infected patients and knowledge management and training of health workers and the public. "The COVID 19 crisis is one of the toughest challenges we will face as a race. The Tata Trusts and the Tata group companies have in the past risen to the needs of the nation. At this moment, the need of the hour is greater than any other time," Tata had said then. Soon after, the Tata Group and Tata Trusts Executive got in touch with the Kerala government. "We proposed that a hospital should come up in Kasaragod and the group accepted it," said the Chief Minister. On April 9, the Chief Minister announced that the Tata Group would build a COVID hospital in Kasaragod. In exactly five months, the group handed over the hospital to the state government. The Chief Minister appreciated and thanked the Tata Group for its 'business ethics' and social commitment. "Knowingly or unknowingly, every Indian uses Tata products, which range from salt to software. But we should know that the group is renowned not because it has many companies and a thousand products but because it adheres to higher business ethics," Vijayan said. The Tata Group was the first business house to engage in social activities, other companies emulated it and later the country made corporate social responsibility a law, he said. The COVID hospital will be an asset to Kerala's health care sector and to Kasaragod, where there is no tertiary health care facility, the Chief Minister said. The infrastructure The hospital was built using 128 customised shipping containers measuring 40-ft length by 10-ft height by 10-ft width. The hospital is divided into three zones: Zones 1 and 3 are quarantine facilities and Zone 2 is an isolation facility. A container -- if it is an isolation ward -- will have three independent rooms with attached bathrooms. For quarantine wards, each container would have five beds with an attached bathroom. All the containers come with AC, provided by the Tata Group. The hospital also has a canteen and rooms for doctors and nurses. The exhaust air from each room is treated before being let out. "These containers are light but strong," the Chief Minister said. The hospital also has 63 biodigesters and eight overflow tanks for processing toilet waste to gas. An overhead water tank with a capacity of 1.25 lakh litres has also been built. Cost-effective project The Chief Minister announced the project on April 6 and the earthwork on the rocky terrain started on April 9, said collector D Sajith Babu. The Earth-moving Equipment Owners' Association did the work free of cost. "We had a budget of Rs 1.48 crore, but we provided only the fuel worth Rs 33 lakh and the work was done by the association," he said. On May 15, the first prefabricated containers arrived, he said. The containers were built at Faridabad, Howrah, Mangaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, said an executive of the Tata Group. "We had to get special permissions from all the five district administrations because the lockdown was in place then," he said. The collector said a 700-metre approach road was built to connect the hospital to the national highway. The project is a good example of private participation for the public good, said the Chief Minister, while dedicating the hospital to the nation. In a joint operation conducted by Jammu Kashmir Police and Indian Army on late Tuesday night, two persons were arrested near the Jawahar tunnel on Jammu - Srinagar national highway and a huge cache of arms and ammunition recovered from a truck in which the accused were travelling. The recoveries include an AK rifle, M4 rifle and six pistols. A senior police officer said the operation was carried out based on technical inputs from Kulgam police. The teams of army and the CRPF were present along with the police personnel when the vehicle in which weapons were concealed was stopped on the national highway, the officer mentioned above said. Also Read: No high-speed internet for J-K; only Ganderbal, Udhampur districts to continue getting 4G till Sept-end Army, in a tweet, said that the two suspects were arrested in a joint operation near Jawahar tunnel, Kulgam at midnight yesterday based on inputs from the police. Also Read: J&K L-G e-inaugurates development projects worth 23.40 crore in Udhampur The truck was coming from Jammu/ Akhnoor and recoveries include an AK rifle with two magazines, one M4 US Carbine with three magazines and six Chinese pistols with 12 magazines. A Fort Hood soldier who was found dead last month after being reported missing died by suicide, a Dallas medical examiner determined. Sgt. Elder Fernandes was reported missing Aug. 19, and his body was found late last month in Temple, Texas, about 30 miles from Fort Hood, authorities said. He had last been seen two days earlier at his home in nearby Killeen, they said. Fort Hood has been plagued by a series of troubling incidents. Spc. Vanessa Guillen, went missing and was later found dead. A suspect in that case, Fort Hood soldier Aaron Robinson, shot and killed himself as police moved in to arrest him. A woman that officials identified as Robinson's girlfriend was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of tampering with evidence. Other soldiers at the base have also recently died by suicide. Soldiers assigned to the base were arrested in a prostitution sting. The commander at Fort Hood was removed from his position early this month. Image: Elder Fernandes (U.S. Army / via AP) Days before he was reported missing, Fernandes had been transferred to a different unit after he had alleged that he was the victim of "abusive sexual contact," U.S. Army officials have previously said. Lt. Col. Chris Brautigam, a 1st Cavalry Division spokesman, said that the unit sexual assault response coordinator had been working closely with Fernandes. Fernandes was transferred to another unit "to ensure he received the proper care and ensure there were no opportunities for reprisals." On Aug. 26, after Fernandes' body was discovered, Damon Phelps, a Criminal Investigation Command Special Agent, said the soldier's "behavior spiraled downward" after making his report of sexual assault. The allegation was "unsubstantiated" by an Army investigation, Phelps said. He had been in the hospital for four or five days prior to his disappearance, said his mother, Ailiana Fernandes. She said it was unclear why he was in the hospital. Phelps said Fernandes "received medical care" for a week before his disappearance. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra launched recently alongside several other devices from the company. This is the companys most powerful handset at the moment, and the time has come to compare it to the best OnePlus has to offer. In this article, well compare the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs OnePlus 8 Pro. Both of these are premium devices, and something you may look into if youre buying a flagship smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is, granted, considerably more expensive than the OnePlus 8 Pro, but OnePlus smartphone is also a $1,000 phone. So both of them are quite expensive, no matter what way you look at it. That being said, well compare these two phones across a number of categories, as we usually do. First, well list their specifications for you to check out, and then more to compare their designs. Following that, well take a look at the display, performance, battery, camera, and audio sections. Having said that, lets kick off the OnePlus 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra comparison. Advertisement Specs OnePlus 8 Pro Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Screen size 6.78-inch QHD+ Fluid AMOLED display (120Hz), MEMC 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display Screen resolution 3168 x 1440 3088 x 1440 SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus / Samsung Exynos 990 RAM 8GB/12GB (LPDDR5) 12GB (LPDDR5) Storage 128GB/256GB (UFS 3.0); non-expandable 128GB/512GB; Expandable (up to 1TB) Rear cameras 48MP (Sony IMX689 sensor, f/1.7 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, OIS, EIS, PDAF, laser autofocus) 48MP (Sony IMX586 sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV) 8MP (telephoto zoom, 3x optical hybrid, f/2.4 aperture, OIS) 5MP (color filter, f/2.4 aperture) 108MP (f/1.8 aperture, 0.8um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 79-degree FoV) 12MP (telephoto, 1.0um pixel size, 20-degree FoV, f/3.0 aperture) -> Space Zoom (50x), 5x optical 12MP (ultrawide, 1.4um pixel size, 120-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture) Front cameras 16MP (Sony IMX471, f/2.4 aperture, EIS, fixed focus) 10MP (f/2/2 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, 80-degree FoV) Battery 4,510mAh, non-removable, 30W fast battery charging, 30W fast wireless charging, 3W reverse charging 4,500mAh, Non-Removable, 25W Fast Battery Charging, Qi charging (15W), Reverse Wireless Charging (4.5W) Dimensions 165.3 x 74.4 x 8.5mm 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm Weight 199 grams 208 grams Connectivity LTE, 5G, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C Security In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) OS Android 10 OxygenOS Android 10 One UI Price $899 / $999 $1,299 Buy OnePlus Samsung OnePlus 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Design Both the OnePlus 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are made out of metal and glass. These two phones do look fairly different, and they also feel quite different in hand. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra offers much sharper edges than OnePlus flagship, while its also noticeably wider in the hand. It also has a slightly higher screen-to-body aspect ratio. Both devices offer curved displays, and display camera holes. A single display camera hole is included in each of these phones. On the OnePlus 8 Pro, its placed in the top-left corner. In the Galaxy Note 20 Ultras case, it is centered. The back side design of these two phones also looks quite different. Advertisement The OnePlus 8 Pro offers four cameras, which are centered. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultras camera module is placed in the top-left corner of its back side. Both camera modules protrude on the back, though the Galaxy Note 20 Ultras is thicker than the OnePlus 8 Pros. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is also a little bit heavier than the OnePlus 8 Pro, at 208 grams, compared to 199 grams. The OnePlus 8 Pro is a bit taller, noticeably narrower, and thicker than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (not counting the camera bump). Both smartphones feel extremely slippery in the hand, by the way, so using a case may be a good idea. Weight distribution is good on both phones, so thats not something you have to worry about. Both devices look very sleek, and feel really solid in the hand. OnePlus 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Display The OnePlus 8 Pro and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra both offer AMOLED displays. They are not the same, though. The OnePlus 8 Pro features a 6.78-inch QHD+ (3168 x 1440) Fluid AMOLED display. That panel has a 120Hz refresh rate, and is protected by the Gorilla Glass 5. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, on the other hand, rocks a 6.9-inch QHD+ (3088 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. That is also a 120Hz display, and is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus. Advertisement Both of these displays support HDR10+ content, and both look great in real-life. Both panels offer extremely vibrant colors, and offer you a chance to fine-tune the output. Theres a tool in the display section of phone settings on both phones, and you can fine-tune it to your preference. Blacks are really deep on both phones, while they both offer great viewing angles. Both displays are also easily visible in direct sunlight, as they do get fairly bright. One difference to note here, is the fact that the OnePlus 8 Pro can utilize QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate at the same time. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra cannot. Youll have to choose between fullHD+ resolution and 120Hz at the same time, or QHD+ resolution and 60Hz. Wed suggest the former, as the difference in resolution is basically not noticeable. Both displays are amazing, and amongst the best out there at the moment. OnePlus 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Performance What about the performance? Well, both of these phones are immensely powerful when it comes to hardware. Their software has also been well-optimized, which results in great performance on both phones. Both of these phones fly through anything you throw at them, literally. No matter whether youre playing games, multitasking, consuming media, or doing whatever else you can imagine on your phone. Advertisement Do note that the Exynos 990 variant of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra may offer somewhat weaker performance than the Snapdragon 865 Plus model, though. Both devices also offer top-of-the-line RAM and storage chips, on top of Qualcomms premium processors. The software experience is completely different in comparison, even though theyre both based on Android 10. The OnePlus 8 Pro comes with OnePlus OxygenOS 10 skin, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra includes Samsungs One UI skin. Do note that once OxygenOS 11 arrives, OnePlus software will look much more similar to Samsungs. The bottom line is, both of these phones are excellent performers, which is to be expected considering how much youre paying for them. OnePlus 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Battery These two devices include almost identical battery packs. The OnePlus 8 Pro packs in a 4,510mAh unit, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ships with a 4,500mAh battery. That being said, the battery life is not exactly the same. The OnePlus 8 Pro does have more to offer in the battery life department. OnePlus software plays a huge part in that, quite probably, not to mention that the phone has a smaller display as well. Advertisement In our testing the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was unable to cross the 6-hour screen-on-time mark, which is not a good sign for a Note device. The Galaxy Note series of devices are true powerhouses, and are usually bought by power users. Most of those users will use their phones intensively, and will need over 6 hours of screen-on-time on a regular basis. Well, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra doesnt really deliver that, though Samsung may improve it via software updates. The OnePlus 8 Pro, on the other hand, offered great battery life from the get-go, and even got some improvements in that regard along the way. Getting over the 6-hour screen-on-time mark on this phone should not be an issue. The phone will be able to get over the 7-hour mark in some cases as well. Do note that the numbers will vary from one person to the other, as usage patterns differ from one user to the next. Advertisement OnePlus 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Cameras In terms of cameras, both phones do a great job. Neither of them have the fastest shutter out there, both are on the slower side compared to other flagships. OnePlus did improve that aspect of the 8 Pro since launch, though, so its faster than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultras. That shutter can be an issue when shooting moving objects. Now, in terms of general image quality, both do an amazing job. Pictures, in daylight, end up looking great on both. With great dynamic range, plenty of details, punchy colors, and good white balance. Ultrawide cameras are quite great on both as well, amongst the best out there, especially in good lighting, although they do a good job in low light as well. Now, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra does offer a better telephoto / periscope shooter. Its zoom quality is great, and pictures remain usable even if you zoom in quite a bit. The OnePlus 8 Pro is not bad in this regard, at all, but it does not offer a periscope camera, so dont expect the same results. Both cameras do a great job in low light as well. They can light up a scene quite a bit, and do manage to get a lot of detail from the shadows. Dont expect a Pixel-level performance in low light, but for the most part, these cameras are great in low light, at least as far as the main sensor is concerned. You cannot go wrong with either camera setup, as both are truly great. Advertisement Audio The audio is pretty good on both phones. It isnt the best weve ever stumbled upon, but its more than good enough. The main speaker sits at the bottom of both phones, while the secondary one is located above the display. Sound from those speakers is good. Its sharp, loud basically everything you could expect out of a smartphone stereo sound, to be quite honest. The sound via a good pair of headphones may surprise you as well. Mids and highs are especially good on both phones, but lows are not far either. Bass is not too heavy on either phone, everything is very well balanced, to be quite honest. Im not an audiophile by any means, so if you have extremely high expectations, just keep in mind youll get good sound here, not extraordinary, though. ERBIL Mortars and rockets continue to target Baghdad facilities hosting personnel from the international anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition, for the most part causing little to no material damage as the drawdown of international coalition troops in the country continues. On Sept. 7, three rockets reportedly targeted the Baghdad International Airport, one of which damaged four vehicles belonging to civilians in the parking lot. The following day, an Iraqi Interior Ministry circular seen by Al-Monitor warned security and logistics companies operating in the country with contracts with the United States that intelligence had discovered their locations had been shared and they were now under greater threat. The shooting at the Baghdad facilities appears to be harassment not intended to inflict major damage or take lives; otherwise, the attacks might result in reactions that the presumably Iran-linked armed groups claiming responsibility for them may be trying to avoid. The latest handover of facilities used by international troops was the Iraqi Camp Taji base north of Baghdad Aug. 23. International coalition spokesperson Col. Myles B. Caggins III told Al-Monitor during an interview Sept. 4 at the Erbil airport base that the drawdown is due to the success of Iraqi security forces and not the persistent threats from various armed groups that continue to operate in the country. The coalition, during 2020, has moved out of our small compounds inside Iraqi bases. Weve departed eight bases as a result of the success of our partners in Iraq and the campaign against [IS]. Most recently we departed Taji base. At Taji base we transferred $347 million of military equipment, ammunition and improved facilities, including a newly paved runway, to the Iraqi security forces, Caggins noted. The town of Taji has a prison that in previous years was subject to a major jailbreak by al-Qaeda militants and continues to house prisoners convicted of terrorism. It is around 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Baghdad and just west of the town of Husseiniya, where tribal fighting broke out in late August. It is just south of Tarmiya, where an airstrike reportedly targeting IS fighters occurred Aug. 21 the closest to the capital in many years. Despite its potential for being a gateway to the capital for terrorists, many of the attacks this year have instead been from pro-Iran Shiite armed groups, which have long demanded Western forces depart the country entirely. One sheikh from the Mashhadani tribe in the Tarmiya area roughly 50 kilometers north of Baghdad commented in a Sept. 2 WhatsApp message to Al-Monitor: Regarding the withdrawal of the American forces from Camp Taji, this is not in the interest of the north of Baghdad, and it is not in the interest of the Tarmiya area. He said the problem was that the withdrawal paves the way for factions he did not specify what he meant by factions, though this term is often used in Iraq to refer to Iran-linked Shiite armed groups to tamper with security in this area, which is considered the food basket of Baghdad. Most of those who live in these areas are Sunni. The largest is the Mashhadani tribe, whose lineage goes back to the descendants of the prophet. The sheikh who asked not to be named, citing security concerns that may result from his speaking to Western media noted there is also a significant number of members of the Dulaim tribe in the area, which also has a large presence in western Iraq's Anbar province. Many leaders of both al-Qaeda and IS were members of these two tribes, including Khalid al-Mashhadani, who was the highest-ranking Iraqi in al-Qaeda in the country at the time of his arrest in 2007 and was later executed. Tarmiya is between the road going north from the capital toward Kirkuk to the east and the road to the west going north toward Tikrit. It is thus strategically located but also has long been known as the center of Salafi recruiting in the Baghdad area, as Al-Monitor was told in 2018 in an interview with counterterrorism expert Hisham al-Hashimi, who was assassinated in Baghdad in early July. No one has been charged with his murder. Caggins said that currently, the coalition and US troops operate primarily on three bases: in Baghdad, at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar province and at the Erbil base in Iraqs Kurdistan Region. There are additionally some special operations and locations where they are partnered with Iraqi commandos for anti-[IS] operations. The Iraqi security forces have demonstrated exceptional ability to collect intelligence on terrorist groups and [IS]. We have seen a stronger collaboration between the Iraqi security forces and intelligence forces since Prime Minister [Mustafa] al-Kadhimi has been leading the nation as commander-in-chief and prime minister. The coalition and Iraqi security forces share intelligence, and based on that, a strike was conducted on Tarmiya in the north Baghdad area. North Baghdad, as well as the Hamrin Mountains, the Qarachogh [Mountains] and some areas of Anbar province, remain areas where [IS] is conducting a low-level insurgency, Caggins said. Kadhimi has been the director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Services since 2016. He was sworn in as prime minister May 7. One of his pledges was to bring armed groups operating in the country under state control. In the past year, outlaw groups have attacked a variety of Iraqi bases that host coalition troops as well as diplomatic facilities, Caggins noted in the Sept. 4 interview. These attacks have occurred seemingly randomly and based on where these outlaw groups are able to fire rockets at those facilities. There have been Iraqi troops harmed, Iraqi equipment used for the Iraqi anti-[IS] fight damaged, and recently we have seen a spike and a spate of Iraqi-contracted logistics civilian convoys where outlaws have set roadside bombs to damage and even kill civilian Iraqi drivers who are carrying coalition equipment out of Iraq. Meanwhile, concerns remain that if the area north of Baghdad is deprived of an international coalition presence and tribal fighting and the presence of non-local armed groups continue to be seen, the capital could be ever more exposed to risk. The Tarmiya sheikh noted in the WhatsApp interview, however, that he had been impressed by the July 20 visit by Kadhimi to his town, as it marked the first time since 2003 that a prime minister has visited the area, long considered too dangerous, and that it had led to the easing of tension among locals, implying that such gestures are important for security in general. President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that he expects the PNL (National Liberal Party) to score a "record result" in the upcoming local elections, the best it has ever scored. "The National Liberal Party is without a doubt the most important party on the Romanian political scene today and it has to prove this in the local elections as well. I expect a record result from the National Liberal Party, I expect it to have more local elected officials, more mayoralties, more county councils than this party has ever had in the last 30 years. (...) PSD holds more than half of the local administration offices at the moment and I expect this to change. There are all kinds of opinion polls showing how the political vote will look like, but we all know that the person, the candidate, also matters, so that it is better to have reasonable expectations. I expect PNL to win the most mandates ever," President Iohannis told a press conference at the Cotroceni Palace. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island Mall is officially reopened for business Wednesday after closing in March due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and no trip to the New Springville shopping center would be complete without grabbing some grub from the food court. Unfortunately, indoor dining in New York City is still prohibited, though Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that it will return with 25% capacity and other strict restrictions on Sept. 30. President Klaus Iohannis said that the time when the PNL (National Liberal Party) welcomed former members of the PSD (Social Democratic Party) "is almost over." "These are exceptional cases, you already know my opinion on this and you know that it is over. If you have noticed, it is over," the President told a press conference held at the Cotroceni Palace.On September 2, President Klaus Iohannis said he did not agree with people switching political parties as they please and expressed hope that the PNL would set a "worthy example" in this area."I reiterate what I said before. I am against this practice of switching parties. Moreover, I had various meetings with former colleagues, colleagues from PNL and I told them this as well, but obviously specific cases have appeared and I must say this again. : I am against people switching political parties as they please and I hope that the time will come when this practice will disappear from the Romanian politics. (...) They will probably listen to what I say [in respect to people switching political parties - editor's note] more and more. Or at least this is what I hope, that the most important political party now in Romania will set a worthy example in this field as well, "said the head of state. By Kim Hyun-bin Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn could return to management of the conglomerate as early as February next year after an absence of over seven years. Many expect Kim to manage key Hanwha affiliates including Hanwha Corporation as a registered board member. Now, eyes are on how the return of the chairman could affect the future managerial succession of his eldest son Kim Dong-kwan, the current Hanwha Solutions vice president. Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn According to industry officials, Hanwha Group has been preparing for Chairman Kim's return. "Officially, it is undecided at the moment, but it is up to Chairman Kim to decide when his return should be," a Hanwha Group official said. If Kim registers as a board member, it will become the first time he's participated since 2014. In Dec. 18, 2014, Kim stepped down from all head positions in Hanwha Group affiliates. The move came after the Seoul high court sentenced Kim to three years in prison, suspended for five years, for professional negligence over illegally funding an affiliate, resulting in losses totaling 300 billion won. Kim's five-year suspension expired last February, but according to the country's specific economic additional punishment law, it forbids Kim from returning to management of companies related to his sentence for two additional years after the expiration of the suspension. Due to the law, Kim will not be able to manage Hanwha Corporation, Hanwha Chemical or Hanwha Hotels & Resorts until February 2021. Before his sentencing, Kim headed seven affiliates including Hanwha Corporation, Hanwha Chemical and Hanwha Engineering & Construction. Although the five-year suspension has expired, due to these circumstances it is impossible for Kim to resume management of the affiliates. Industry watchers say Kim will resume managing key affiliates in February ahead of a shareholders' meeting set for March. On his return, it is expected Kim will set a roadmap for managerial succession to his three sons. In the center of Hanwha Group's corporate structure is Hanwha Corporation, the largest shareholder of which is Chairman Kim. In the medium to long term, it is widely expected the chairman will transfer his shares to his sons. However, the problem lies in the method of the transfer. The three sons' stakes in Hanwha Corporation is not sufficient. Kim holds 22.65 percent and many believe his stakes will be passed down to his sons. His eldest Kim Dong-kwan holds 4.44 percent, and Kim Dong-won and Kim Dong-sun have 1.67 percent each. Even with all three of the stakes combined, that is less than a third of their father's shares. Hanwha Solution's VP Kim Dong-kwan A woefully inadequate national supply of the drug remdesivir to treat novel coronavirus infected patients during the summer surge of cases in San Antonio left hospitals and doctors having to ration its use, an expert in infectious diseases said Tuesday. Remdesivir has been found to shorten the time it takes a COVID-19 patient to recover from 15 to 11 days and halt the progression of the disease, keeping more patients out of the intensive care unit and off of ventilators to breathe, said Dr. Tom Patterson, chief of infectious diseases in the Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio and a leading researcher of clinical trials of the drug. But there isnt enough remdesivir to go around, hurting both patients and hospitals overloaded by the coronavirus, he said. We admitted 1,000 patients at University Hospital, and we had received enough remdesivir to treat less than one-third of them, Patterson said. We had to restrict its use to those patients it would benefit the most, based on the criteria from the various studies. But we felt like all the admitted patients probably would have benefited. Patterson said that outlying hospitals, especially those in rural areas, had even less access to the drug. Because of the number of the patients during the surge, hospitals in San Antonio werent able to take in referral patients from outlying facilities, he said. David Constante, Courtesy / UT Health San Antonio On ExpressNews.com: Local hospitals participate in remdesivir research We know those outcomes can be bad, he said. If patients can be given remdesivir, allowing them to be discharged from hospitals sooner, that reduces the strain on the overall system, he added. Patterson spoke during a video news conference organized by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-San Antonio, during which he and others implored President Donald Trump to use existing laws to increase access to the medication. Almost 40 hospitals in 12 states have experienced shortages of the drug, forcing physicians to choose who will get the potentially life-saving medicine and who wont, one study showed. Patterson said that we have to do everything possible in the global community to increase the supply of remdesivir. Unfortunately, we dont have a lot of other antivirals that have had a (positive) effect, he said. Other studies are ongoing, so maybe in the future we will. But right now, remdesivir is the only drug shown in placebo-controlled trials to be effective. One company makes drug Remdesivir, an anti-viral drug developed a decade ago, has been used to fight hepatitis C. In May, the Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization for remdesivir to treat COVID-19. Recently, it expanded use of the drug to moderately ill COVID patients, not just those who are severely ill. It costs $520 per vial, or more than $3,000 per intravenous treatment course, for those with private insurance. Its a bit less expensive for those on government-sponsored insurance. In June, the Trump administration secure large supplies of the drug from its manufacturer, Gilead Sciences Inc. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and state health departments allocated 500,000 treatment courses of the drug to hospitals nationwide, based on hospital burden. In announcing the agreement with Gilead, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said: President Trump has struck an amazing deal to ensure Americans have access to the first authorized therapeutic for COVID-19. To the extent possible, we want to ensure that any American patient who needs remdesivir can get it. On ExpressNews.com: Hospitals having to deal with shortages of drug Shortly after, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a frequent Trump defender, criticized the governments roll-out of the drug, blaming a bad disconnect on shortages at Florida hospitals. Doctors and hospitals across the U.S. made similar complaints. Zain Rizvi, law and policy researcher at Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, said that existing laws enable the federal government to open up the manufacture and distribution of remdesivir to other companies. One corporation supplying the entire country with remdesivir is creating a monopoly on this drug, he said during the news conference. The government has the power to create additional suppliers. There are supplies in China, India and all over the world, but were relying solely on Gilead. These are policy choices, he said.These shortages are not inevitable. In May, Gilead said it was seeking other partners around the world to help manufacture the drug on a faster timetable. Doggett, chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, said Trump could increase the supply and lower prices, and wed have a surplus. Instead, we have physicians being placed in the horrible position of deciding who gets the drug and who is abandoned. Patterson said that while new COVID-19 cases have decreased recently in Bexar County, hes worried about the fall and, with it, flu season. If we have another surge, we could be in a major bind, and not be able to give patients a medicine that results in better outcomes, he said. Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news, cultural trends and interesting people and goings-on around San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as all across South Texas. To read more from Melissa , become a subscriber. mstoeltje@express-news.net | Twitter: @mstoeltje Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot's supporters raised slogans outside the Congress office in Ajmer as party general secretary Ajay Maken held a meeting there with local leaders. IMAGE: Congress leader Sachin Pilot meets party workers in Jaipur. Photograph: ANI Photo While they shouted slogans praising Pilot, another group protested against Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma. The two groups were dispersed after the brief demonstrations. Police denied reports that they had to resort to a lathi-charge. Maken, who is the All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Rajasthan, was in Ajmer to get a feedback on the party's functioning from its Ajmer division leaders. Pilot, who recently patched up with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot after a month-long rebellion against him, played down the demonstration in his support. Talking to reporters later, he attributed it to the 'enthusiasm' of some party workers. Masuda Congress MLA Rakesh Pareek also dismissed speculation over a continuing Gehlot-Pilot tussle. Pilot had earlier represented Ajmer in Parliament and people supported him and had come to express this, he told PTI. The group opposed to Raghu Sharma shouted slogans against the minister, he added. Sharma represents the Kekri assembly constituency in Ajmer division and was once close to Pilot, but equations changed later, party leaders say. The rebellion by Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs ended last month's after the intervention of the party's central leadership. Maken is a part of three-member party committee looking into their grievances against the state leadership. After the meeting in Ajmer, Maken expressed satisfaction on the state government's progress in implementing its poll promises. He claimed that the Gehlot government has already implemented 60 to 70 per cent of promises made in the party manifesto for the assembly election within a year and half of its tenure. "We will present the state government's performance report to the people of the state on October 2," he said at a press conference. Maken said it was decided at the meeting that the ministers would visit their assigned districts once in a month, meet local leaders and party workers and then submit a report to the state headquarter of the Congress. "I along with the state party chief will also hold a meeting every month in Jaipur to discuss the reports and the feedback submitted by ministers in charge of the districts," he said. About 65 leaders from the five organisational districts in the party's Ajmer division took part in the meeting. They discussed ways to improve coordination between the party and the government. Advertisement Protesters took to the streets of Rochester, New York, for the seventh night of demonstrations just hours after the city's top cop and his command staff resigned over the suffocation death of Daniel Prude. Demonstrators were seen outside the Public Safety Building where the word 'murderers' was painted on the street Tuesday night. Free the People Roc were the organizers of the protest and march that started on Jefferson Avenue, where Prude became unconscious after a 'spit hood' was placed over his head by police on March 23. He died at a hospital a week later. The march began at 7pm and ended just after midnight outside City Hall, where the word 'resign' was painted on the sidewalk, according to WHEC. Volunteers also painted a Black Lives Matter mural around 8pm in the area. Demonstrators called for Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren to resign following the handling of Prude's death. Scroll down for video Protesters (pictured Tuesday) took to the streets of Rochester, New York, for the seventh night of demonstrations just hours after the city's top cop and his command staff resigned over the suffocation death of Daniel Prude Demonstrators paint the word 'murderers' in front of the public safety building in protest of the police killing of Daniel Prude on Tuesday in Rochester Demonstrators gather in front of the public safety building in protest of the police killing of Daniel Prude on Tuesday Volunteers also painted a Black Lives Matter mural (pictured) around 8pm in the area Protesters hold signs that read 'white silence is violence' during Tuesday night's demonstration Daniel Prude, 41, died a week after an encounter with police officers in Rochester. Prude became unconscious while in police custody after officers put a 'spit hood' over his neck On the street in front of the PSB, Murderers is written in red paint. @News_8 pic.twitter.com/VIrDcklzJs Jack Watson (@JackWatsonTV) September 9, 2020 Earlier on Tuesday, Police Chief La'Ron Singletary, Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito and two commanders retired, while two more deputy chiefs and a commander gave up top leadership positions and returned to lower ranks. Their resignations came just under a week after Prude's family released footage of his arrest that occurred in March. The outgoing chief accused critics of trying to 'destroy my character and integrity'. Mayor Warren said during a video call with members of the City Council that she did not ask Singletary, 40, to resign, but that his abrupt decision to step down came after 'new information that was brought to light today that I had not previously seen before'. She did not elaborate. While the 'timing and tenor' of the retirements were difficult, Warren said later at a brief news conference: 'I truly believe that we will get through this.' The sudden announcements came more than five months after the death of Prude, a 41-year-old black man who died several days after an encounter with police. Rochester Police chief La'Ron Singletary and his Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito are among those who have retired amid criticism of the city's handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude Rochester Police Department's Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito (left) and Chief of Administration Mark L. Simmons (right) retired Tuesday Protesters called on Mayor Warren and Deputy Mayor James Smith to resign over their 'cover up and failure to lead'. Other demands include defunding police and a state law named Daniel's Law which would forbid police departments from responding to mental health crises There have been nightly protests in the city since the video's release on Wednesday. 'The events that have unfolded today have taken us completely by surprise, as they have everyone else,' the Rochester police union, known as the Locust Club, said in a prepared statement. The union blamed the 'problems of leadership' on the mayor. 'The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation and know what I stand for,' Singletary said in his own prepared statement. 'The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prude's death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for.' Singletary, who spent his entire career in the Rochester Police Department, was appointed chief in April 2019. He will stay on through the end of the month, Warren said. 'This is great news,' said Iman Abid, speaking for Free the People ROC, which has held protests since details of Prude's death emerged. 'It says to the people that people are able to move things and to shape things. The police chief wouldn't retire if it weren't for something that he felt he was accountable to.' Protesters called on Mayor Warren and Deputy Mayor James Smith to resign over their 'cover up and failure to lead'. Abid said nightly protests will continue to push other demands, including the defunding and demilitarizing of police and the development of a state law named Daniel's Law which would forbid police departments from responding to mental health crises. Demonstrators also want all of the officers involved in Prude's arrest to be fired and prosecuted. They are also demanding that all charges against protesters since May 30 be dropped. President Donald Trump also weighed in on the Rochester's leadership on Tuesday. Trump tweeted from Air Force One as he headed to North Carolina for a rally, lambasting Democratic leaders for the mass exodus following COVID-19's disastrous impact on the state. On Tuesday night, demonstrators called on Rochester Mayor Warren Lovely (pictured) to also resign from her position President Donald Trump took to Twitter to slam Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Democratic leadership in Rochester, New York 'Police Chief, and most of the police in Rochester, N.Y., have resigned,' Trump said on Tuesday evening. 'The Democrat Mayor and, of courses, Governor Cuomo, have no idea what to do. New York State is a mess - No Money, High Taxes & Crime, Everyone Fleeing. November 3rd. We can fix it!' the president wrote. Officers found Prude running naked down the street in March, handcuffed him and put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting. He was then held down by officers for about two minutes until he stopped breathing. Prude died a week later after he was taken off life support. His brother, Joe Prude, had called 911 seeking help for Daniel's unusual behavior. He had been taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation earlier that night but was released after a few hours, his brother told officers. Daniel Prude's death sparked outrage after his relatives last week released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request. Seven police officers were suspended a day later, and state Attorney General Letitia James said Saturday she would form a grand jury and conduct an 'exhaustive investigation' into Prude's death. Daniel Prude's death sparked outrage after his relatives last week released police body camera video (depicted above) and written reports they obtained through a public records request In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Prude's family alleged that it took more than 90 seconds for officers to notice he had stopped breathing because they were chatting and making jokes at his expense. Prude's sister, Tameshay, sued as executor of his estate and named the city of Rochester, Singletary and officers involved in the arrest as defendants. Prude's family contends his death and a cover-up stem from longstanding police department policy and practice that 'condones and encourages officers to use excessive force as a matter of course, and to lie in official police paperwork and sworn testimony to justify their unlawful actions'. The lawsuit alleges the police department sought to cover up the true nature of Prude's death, starting with what Warren said was Singletary reporting to her early on that Prude had an apparent drug overdose. The lawsuit also argues officers used force against Prude at a time when he 'obviously posed no threat to the safety of the officers or anyone else'. 'Mr Prude was in the midst of an acute, manic, psychotic episode,' the lawsuit states. 'Mr Prude was unarmed, naked and suffering. He needed help.' Police union officials have said the officers were following their training. As wildfires continue to rage across Oregon, outdoor recreation areas are beginning to temporarily shut down to the public. Some land management agencies are instituting blanket closures to access and recreation, including the Mount Hood and Willamette national forests, while others are shutting down select parks that are either being evacuated or closed as a precaution. Virtually all recreation areas in Oregon have also instituted fire restrictions to some extent, including complete bans on campfires and open flames in some areas. Poor air quality caused by smoke from several wildfires may also make outdoor recreation unsafe. On Tuesday, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory for the Willamette Valley, Oregon coast, southern Oregon and southwest Washington. Check the current air quality levels here. This post will be updated as the situation continues to unfold and more information comes in. LAST UPDATED FRIDAY, SEPT. 11, AT 11:30 A.M. MOUNT HOOD All access and recreation in the Mount Hood National Forest is currently closed. Timberline Lodge has suspended outdoor operations and remains open only to current hotel guests and those with existing reservations. Mount Hood Skibowls summer Adventure Park is closed, and will evaluate the situation every 24 hours. OREGON STATE PARKS Several Oregon state park sites have been evacuated and temporarily closed to the public. The list of closures includes Silver Falls, Milo McIver, Detroit Lake, Devils Lake, Collier Memorial, Jackson F. Kimball and Fall Creek Reservoir. See the full list for more. Cape Lookout State Park will close through Sept. 10 due to power outages and limited water supply. Campfires and camp stoves are banned at all state parks and campgrounds. COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE The U.S. Forest Service has temporarily closed most recreation areas within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Some remain open, including Sandy River Delta, Multnomah Falls, Wyeth Campground, Lower Klickitat and Lower White Salmon rivers. The Historic Columbia Highway is open from Larch Mountain to Ainsworth, but parking along the highway and visiting sites within that section is prohibited. Oregon State Parks has temporarily closed parks along the Historic Columbia Highway from Larch Mountain to Ainsworth, as well as the Angels Rest Trailhead and trail and Mount Defiance at Starvation Creek. All other parks, trails, and campgrounds remain open. PORTLAND PARKS All outdoor parks and natural areas owned by the City of Portland have been temporarily closed as the city declares a state of emergency. WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST The Willamette National Forest has temporarily shut down all access and recreation. Most of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness is closed to the public due to the Lionshead fire burning nearby. OREGON STATE FORESTS The Tillamook, Santiam, Clatsop, Gilchrist and Sun Pass state forests are closed to all public entry and use, as well as state forest lands in Benton, Coos, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln and Polk counties. The Santiam State Forest is closed indefinitely, while all other forests are expected to be closed through at least Sunday, Sept. 13. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT The northwest Oregon district of the federal Bureau of Land Management has closed all recreation sites through Sept. 15. The closure covers west of the Cascades, and north from Cottage Grove to the Columbia River. Many other campgrounds and day use areas are closed across the region. Check the BLM website for more information. Campfires are temporarily banned on all BLM sites and campgrounds in central Oregon, effective Friday, Sept. 11. METRO All parks, natural areas, boat ramps and cemeteries managed by Metro in the greater Portland area are closed to the public. SIUSLAW NATIONAL FOREST The Siuslaw National Forest on the Oregon coast and Coast Range has closed all public access and recreation. That includes all hiking trails, campgrounds, visitor centers and recreation sites, including those in the Oregon Dunes and at Sand Lake. MARION COUNTY PARKS Several parks in Marion County are closed due to wildfires and evacuations: Salmon Falls, Bear Creek, North Fork, Niagara, Minto, Packsaddle and Scotts Mills. CLACKAMAS COUNTY PARKS Some parks in Clackamas County have closed due to wildfires or wind damage. Eagle Fern is closed due to a power outage, Barlow Wayside is closed for downed tree removal and Metzler Park is closed due to wildfire risk. The Riverside fire in Clackamas County continues to grow. DAMS AND RESERVOIRS Several recreation sites at dams managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been closed. Current closures include Detroit, Green Peter, Foster, Cougar, Blue River, Lookout Point, Dexter, Hills Creek and Fall Creek dams. CRATER LAKE Crater Lake National Park remains open, but is on a Level 1 evacuation notice, meaning all visitors and park staff need to be ready to leave should a fire approach the park. There are currently no fires in the park itself. ROGUE-SISKIYOU NATIONAL FOREST The Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest has closed all recreation areas, forest roads and dispersed camping within its Siskiyou Mountains and Wild Rivers ranger districts. Other areas of the national forest remain open. -- Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB A worker with American Airlines stands among unused ticketing kiosks at Los Angeles International Airport in May. (Los Angeles Times) To the editor: I agree with the key thesis in David Lazarus' column that the $200 fee charged by airlines to change many bookings was excessive and consumer-unfriendly. In fact, I made that argument, to no avail, when I ran the pricing function at a major airline in the 2000s. But I disagree with him on fees for baggage, food and preferred seats, which are not at all excessive or unfair. They are simply a change from the "good old days" when airline fares were more inclusive. Most industries do not follow a fully inclusive model. I expect to pay separately for add-ons to most things I buy, even to add a drink to an all-you-can-eat buffet. And, I do not think that airlines must follow an all-inclusive model. Charging separately for bags, for example, is very fair in my view; the customer who just wants a seat should pay less than the customer who wants a seat and wants the airline to handle several times a heavy suitcase. Change fees were excessive and unreasonable; baggage fees and charges to reserve the best seats are not. Scott Nason, Dallas .. To the editor: The airlines are still and have always been money grubbing and unfair to their customers. I made a reservation back in March to travel to Hawaii in September on Hawaiian Airlines. As soon as I became aware of what was going on with COVID-19, I tried to cancel. Even though the trip was still five months away, I was told canceling was not possible unless it was the airline that canceled the flight. Were I to travel to Hawaii now, I would still be in quarantine at the end of the trip. But the airline does not care, and my trip insurance does not cover COVID-19-related issues. I have two years to use my ticket, but what kind of traveling shape will I be in? I am approaching 80 years old. Meanwhile, Hawaiian Airlines gets free use of my money. Rita Haber, Canoga Park .. To the editor: Fees are determined not by fairness, but by consumer choices, competition and the need to make a profit. Airlines levy change fees (and luggage fees and fees for more legroom) in order to charge a lower base fare and still make a profit. Story continues Today a lot of consumers choose flights by looking at a list of fares on a website and opting for the lowest price. Generally they do not look at all the fees. If an airline tries to be fair and increases the base price and reduces fees in a revenue-neutral manner, it loses business. People constantly complain about the lack of legroom, reduced meal options and other problems. But when given the opportunity to avoid these inconveniences and pay a higher fare, most opt for the low price. People act as they do and choose flights as they do, and the airlines react with a pricing structure that enables them to stay in business. When people's choices change due to the pandemic, the airlines change their pricing structures. Gene Wagenbreth, Topanga They say their concerns haven't been listened to. Now, a group of Irish travel agents is taking their story to Leinster House, suitcases in tow. Representing a cross-section of the industry, 15 agents will arrive at the Dail at 12 noon today, wheeling symbolic suitcases and presenting the Government with a petition that has gained over 6,000 signatures in a week. "Travel agents have been the worst hit industry during the pandemic," explains Linda Jones of The Travel Boutique in Bray, Co Wicklow - one of the protest organisers. "We have had six months of zero income, but on top of that have had to refund every single booking we had taken in last year for 2020." September brought further bad news, with a reduction of support payments under the revised Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme - posing a further threat to some 3,500 jobs in the sector. After months of lobbying, the mood is increasingly desperate. "We've met so many ministers, so many members of the opposition," says Pat Dawson, CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association, which today commended the protesting group. "They're all very sympathetic, which is great. But sympathy does not last long when you have no income for six months. We need action like the pubs got action." Read More The industry wants to see the Government re-instate the wage subsidy scheme for the sector, and provide grant aid to help keep agents trading through the bleak winter ahead. Expand Close Linda Jones of the Travel Boutique / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Linda Jones of the Travel Boutique "If additional supports are not made available, there will be widespread collapse in the industry, with many companies closing resulting in job losses and subsequent impacts on consumers," Dawson has said. Since the pandemic began, six travel agencies have already ceased trading and several more will either not have renewed their licenses with the Commission for Aviation Regulation, or will not renew them this November. "If this happened to any multinational company, there would have been uproar to think that 3,000 jobs could be allowed go," Jones says. "But because we are all small, family-run businesses dotted around the country, it's just kind of slipped through the net. There are so many people shouting for attention, it's very difficult to make yourself heard." Without proper supports to re-employ their staff, agents say, they will be unable to continue helping the 400,000 Irish people the ITAA says are working through refunds and rebookings, let alone process future bookings. "The problem is these are such highly skilled staff; you can't just have somebody walk in off the street and get a job in a travel agent," Jones says. "It takes about five years to become a fully qualified travel professional." With ongoing uncertainty around international travel, many in the industry would also like to see Ireland's 'green list' replaced by a rapid Covid-19 testing regime. "The conversation needs to move past the blunt instrument of no non-essential travel and the confusion caused by green lists and quarantines," says David Slattery of Stein Travel. "How did a trip outside of Ireland become the demon in the whole health policy narrative? We need a system of rapid testing at airports coupled with a one- to two-day quarantine until the results come back." "The longer we continue with an ineffective regime... the more irreparable damage will be done." 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. Ronald Koeman's decision to bring Philippe Coutinho back into the fold at Barcelona could prove very lucrative to his former side Liverpool. According to Spanish outlet Sport, the Reds are in line for a 5million windfall if the Brazilian plays a further 15 matches for the Catalans this season. It was one of a number of add-ons said to have been included by Liverpool in the 145m sale of Coutinho to Barcelona back in January 2018. Ronald Koeman's (right) decision to bring Philippe Coutinho (left) back into the fold at Barcelona is reportedly set to be lucrative to the tune of 5million for his former side Liverpool Reports in Spain detail that Jurgen Klopp's side are due 5m if Coutinho plays 15 more games Under previous boss Quique Setien it appeared this clause would cease and expire with Coutinho having no future in the side. But after helping Bayern Munich win the 2019-20 Champions League - which included a role in the 8-2 demolition of Barcelona which cost Setien his job - Koeman is keen to reintroduce Coutinho into the side as he looks to shake-up a squad that became disillusioned by the end of last season. There had been Premier League interest in Coutinho and any switch would have made an appearance clause redundant for Liverpool. Arsenal, Tottenham and Leicester all had an interest in the former Liverpool attacking midfielder. Coutinho cut short his time away during the off-season to fight for his place at Barcelona There were question marks under the last management but Koeman is ready to utilise him But Koeman was swift in reaching the Brazilian, according to the player's agent Kia Joorabchian. Speaking to talkSPORT, he explained: 'Koeman called him right after the Champions League victory with Bayern, the following day, and told him he's very much in his plans and would like him to return 'He was due to return on September 7 but actually he returned at the beginning of September because he didn't want to lose his momentum and fitness, and he's been training with Barcelona. 'All signs point to the fact Barcelona have changed quite dramatically, the way their philosophy of how they wanted to move forward from last year and the players they've brought in, like Coutinho, (Ousmane) Dembele and (Antoine) Griezmann, they're all going to be part of the squad this year.' Coutinho, who could be used as a centra midfielder in Koeman's system, cut short his break to resume training in a bid to impress his new manager and ensure he forces his way back into the Barcelona side - something that will no doubt be encouraged by Liverpool with a windfall reportedly due in 15 games time. Amorous couple Customers at Pizza Ranch, 3541 Harrison Ave., complained to management Friday night about a couple in the restaurant that was acting a little too amorous and touching each other inappropriately. Police were called but the lovebirds had already fled the scene. Ramos arrested Late Friday night, police were in the vicinity of the 500 block of South Montana Street investigating a separate theft, when they recognized Ulises Miguel Ramos, 35, of Butte. A warrant for his arrest had been issued out of Judge Jerome McCarthys court for misdemeanor partner or family member assault. Ramos was booked into the Butte Detention Center. Not her car At 4:40 a.m. Saturday, officers were called to the Thriftway at 901 E. Front St., on a report of a woman inside a vehicle that didnt belong to her. From previous contacts, officers recognized the woman as Jenelle Mae Cherne, 32, of Butte. She was arrested for misdemeanor trespass to a vehicle and transported to the Butte Detention Center. Cell phone dispute A call came in just after 9 a.m. Friday about a disturbance in the 1900 block of Silver Bow Boulevard. Turned out just to be an argument between a son and father over a cell phone. Fraud report A fraud report was filed Friday afternoon. A woman living in the 2800 block of Harvard Street had a pop-up show up on her computer with a phone number. She called the number and downloaded a program that, she was assured, would fix her problems. She then quickly noticed $700 had been taken out of her checking account, but she was able to freeze her account. ER disruption Just before 8 p.m. Friday, police dispatch received a call about a man being disruptive in the emergency room of St. James Healthcare. When officers arrived, the man was told to leave and he did. Bottle thrown A motorcyclist called police dispatch Friday night that as he was driving by the Party Palace, 1 W. Park St., someone threw a bottle at him. Family called Family was called just before midnight Friday to come get an intoxicated female who was stumbling in the roadway on East Park Street. Hit by a car A man reported to police Saturday morning that he and his girlfriend got into an argument. She allegedly got mad and hit him with her car. He said he ended up on the hood and then fell off. The case is under investigation. Other police reports: Items were taken Friday morning from a garage located in the 700 block of South Dakota Street. It was discovered Friday morning that the front passenger window was broken on a vehicle located in the 600 block of South Idaho. Late Friday afternoon, the tires of a vehicle parked in the 1300 block of Kaw Avenue were slashed. A woman reported late Friday night that a window had been broken on the west side of her home in the 3500 block of Gaylord Street. Sometime Friday night, a cell phone was reportedly taken from a residence in the 300 block of South Montana St. Someone stole a cooler of meat Monday morning from a vehicle parked at Fairmont Hot Springs Fluid dumped on a Mustang car parked on East Granite was discovered Monday morning On Monday afternoon, the window of a 1993 Chevy Lumina parked in the 200 block of West Silver Street was broken. A rear passenger tire was also flattened. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 8 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. (Newser) The Ellen DeGeneres Show is indeed coming back for its 18th season despite the controversy that resulted in the departures of three producers. "I cant wait to get back to work and back to our studio. And, yes, were gonna talk about it," DeGeneres said in announcing the show's return Tuesday. That "it" would be the accusations of a toxic work environment at the talk show, which returns Sept. 21. story continues below Another interesting note, per the Los Angeles Times: The show will once again be filming on the Warner Bros. lot with an in-studio audience; DeGeneres had been filming from her home after the coronavirus pandemic hit. Guests during the first week back will include Tiffany Haddish, Kerry Washington, Alec Baldwin, and Chrissy Teigen. Meanwhile, the tabloids are running a story in which an unnamed ex-staffer at DeGeneres' home claims the talk show host "torments" her household staff. (Read more Ellen DeGeneres stories.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 22:53:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of 15 titles have bagged the Wenjin Book Award, China's top-notch book honor, the National Library of China (NLC) announced Wednesday. An omnibus by Zhang Guogang, a history professor at the prestigious Tsinghua University, is among the winners. The book combines the latest academic research with stories from the ancient Silk Road, vividly chronicling a solid account of Sino-West exchanges and interactions of 3,000 years. A children's novel by the veteran author on military themes Qiu Shanshan is also one of the winners. The story revolves around a pup and a young soldier on the Tibetan Plateau, delving into issues about personal growth. Instituted by the NLC in 2004, the Wenjin Book Award aims to promote high-quality books among readers and encourage reading in China. It mainly covers three categories, namely humanities, popular science, and children's books. This year is the 15th edition of the award, and a total of 1,890 books were on its long list of selections. Wednesday also marked the 111th anniversary of the founding of the library. Enditem A protester holds a sign in a demonstration with members of the group SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, outside of the offices of the San Francisco Archdiocese in San Francisco, Calif., on March 29, 2010. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Priests Compelled to Break Seal of Confession on Child Sexual Abuse Queensland has passed a new law that will compel priests to break the seal of confession to report cases of child sexual abuse or face criminal charges. Labor MP Melissa McMahon told Queensland parliament on Sept. 8 that the religious confessional reform was one of the more contentious amendments contained in the bill. This reform comes from the Criminal justice report, recommendations 33, 34 and 35, McMahon said. It recommended that each state and territory government introduce legislation to create a criminal offence of failure to report child sexual abuse in an institutional context which specifically addresses religious confession. McMahon rejected protests made in submissions to parliament. In his submission, Archbishop Coleridge used a quote which referred to this particular amendment as irreligious people trying to address a religious problem with brute secular force. If we are going to talk in this House about brute force, perhaps we should be recounting the horror stories of actual brute force being used against childrenactual brute force, not hyperbole or rhetoric, McMahon said. Brisbanes Catholic Archbishop Mark Coleridge had protested that the laws would fail to make children safer. Clergy have died because they have refused to submit to the claims of the state and preferred to defend the rights of the penitent before God and the rights of God before the penitent, he wrote in a submission to parliament. This legislation is bound to fail in this regard, he wrote. Other states continue to debate similar proposals, and in several jurisdictions, clergy remain exempt from prosecution for failing to report child sexual abuse. [The Queensland laws] create a new offence of failing to report and failing to protect a child from institutional child sexual abuse, Queensland justice minister Yvette DAth said. The new laws also clarify that priests will not be able to rely on the seal of confession to avoid the reporting of abuse. Queensland One Nation MP Steve Andrews said the bill would not only impinge on religious freedoms but set a dangerous precedent for secular professions currently exempt from the law. If priests must break the confessional seal, surely lawyers must report evidence strongly indicating their client has abused a child, Andrews told parliament. This is a direct threat to the cornerstone principle of legal privilege, regardless of any protest from the government to the contrary. Andrews said that the bills provision would impact an essential principle of Australias democratic common law heritage. I wish to speak to this bill not to support child abusers, not to support any church or not even as a religious person, but simply to give a voice to some of the concerns I have heard from the ordinary Queenslanders who I believe do have a right to be heard today, Andrews said. Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan told parliament this law was not singling out the clergy, but that child protection is everyones responsibility. Queensland has the strongest laws in the nation when it comes to child sex offenders, Ryan said. Let us be clear about one thing: the requirement and, quite frankly, the moral obligation to report concerning behaviours towards children applies to everyone in this community, Ryan said. It applies to everyone. Liberal National Party MP Stephen Bennett said the right decision had been made in compelling priests to disclose child sexual abuse and called for stricter penalties for those found guilty. The royal commission did find evidence that disclosures of child sexual abuse were made in religious confessions from perpetrators and from victims, he told parliament. The Criminal Code (Child Sexual Offences Reform) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 was brought before Queensland Parliament after a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and passed on Sept. 8. BEIJING, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by CGTN: China held a meeting on Tuesday to honor role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic - the fastest spreading, most extensive and most challenging public health emergency it has encountered since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan was awarded the Medal of the Republic, the highest state honor. Zhong identified the SARS virus in 2003 and is currently leading the Chinese government's efforts in the fight against COVID-19. Three other medical specialists were conferred on the national honorary title, "the People's Hero." The recipients are Zhang Boli, a traditional Chinese medicine expert who presided over the research of the COVID-19 treatment scheme combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, Zhang Dingyu, head of Wuhan's designated coronavirus-treating Jinyintan Hospital, and Chen Wei, a military medical scientist who made major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and protective medicine. "Medical workers are the most beautiful angels and the most lovable people in the new era," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech after presenting the medals. "Their names and feats will never be forgotten by the nation, the people and history, and will be engraved on the monument of the republic." Millions of medical workers fought on the frontline against COVID-19 nationwide, including 540,000 in central China'sHubei Province and its capital city Wuhan, the hardest-hit region during the outbreak, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission. Joint efforts to address global challenges Xi pledged that China will join hands with the international community to tackle the global challenges of the pandemic. Noting that the novel coronavirus outbreak is the worst pandemic the world has seen in a century, he underscored China's contributions in the global fight. China has acted with "openness, transparency and responsibility" and actively fulfilled its international obligations since the start of the outbreak, he stressed. It "voluntarily provided information about the outbreak to the World Health Organization (WHO) and relevant countries and regional organizations in a most timely fashion, and released the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus at the earliest possible time," he said. China has conducted more than 70 exchanges with various countries and international and regional organizations on epidemic control to share its experience, Xi noted. China has announced the decision to provide two batches of cash support totaling 50 million U.S. dollars to the WHO; it has sent 34 medical expert teams to 32 countries and offered assistance to 150 countries and four international organizations; from March 15 to September 6, the country exported 151.5 billion masks, 1.4 billion protective suits, 230 million pairs of goggles, 209,000 ventilators, 470 million testing kits and 80.14 million infrared thermometers, according to Xi. The pandemic has demonstrated that mankind is a community that shares weal and woe, he said, calling for solidarity and cooperation across the world to tackle the crisis. China will continue to promote international cooperation on epidemic control, support the WHO in playing the leading role in the fight, and contribute to the building of a community of common health for mankind, he said. China steadfast in pursuing better future The president reviewed what measures China has taken to fight the virus and called for unity and determination throughout the nation to address challenges and achieve development goals. Over the past seven-plus months, more than 80,000 Chinese were infected by the virus and about 4,700 people lost their lives. The numbers could have been much bigger without the firm measures implemented at various levels and sacrifices made by medical workers, community workers as well as residents who have strictly followed restrictions for epidemic control. "In little more than a month, the rising spread of the virus was contained; in around two months, the daily increase in domestic coronavirus cases fell to single digits; and in approximately three months, a decisive victory was secured in the battle to defend Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan," Xi noted. With the easing of the outbreak, China announced a series of policies to help enterprises, create jobs, boost investment and consumption and advance poverty alleviation, he said. The world's second-largest economy grew by 3.2 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, reversing a 6.8-percent decline in the first quarter. "China has become the first major economy to return to growth since the start of the pandemic," Xi said. Looking ahead, Xi said China must continue to implement regular epidemic control measures and strive for full victory in the fight against COVID-19. He stressed strengthening institutional guarantees for safeguarding the people's lives and health, calling for developing a strong public health system and upgrading the system of prevention, control and treatment of major epidemics. He also called for intensified efforts to ensure economic growth and improve people's livelihood, stressing that national development goals and tasks must be accomplished. China aims to eradicate absolute poverty and complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020. Meanwhile, Xi stressed the importance of increasing awareness of risks and sticking to bottom-line thinking and called for efforts to enhance capabilities to prevent and defuse different kinds of risks along China's development path. He expressed confidence in China's future in the new era. "Nobody and no force can stop the Chinese people from achieving a better life!" Xi said. Original article: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-08/China-honors-pandemic-fighters-vows-to-carry-on-fighting-COVID-19-TCeSeTaCze/index.html Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8O1-cWAA_M People's lives are the most important human right: top Chinese epidemiologist Safeguarding millions of lives in the COVID-19 epidemic is the biggest proof of human rights in China, the country's top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said on a Tuesday TV program for students around the country. "People's lives are the most important human right," Zhong, who was awarded the Medal of the Republic in August for his outstanding contributions to China's fight against COVID-19, said at the annual national TV program, "First Class for the New Term." "At 10 am on January 23, Wuhan closed its roads going out. This city of heroes used 76 days of lockdown in exchange for reducing at least 700,000 infections in China," Zhong said. "This is our country. People's lives come first." Several medical experts and scientists who have made great contributions to China's battle against the COVID-19 epidemic also appeared on the program. Chen Wei, a Chinese military infectious disease expert who is leading a key vaccine development team, told students that vaccines will be the ultimate weapon against the epidemic. In the program, she shared how the vaccine was born, and her experience fighting the virus at the frontline. "We do not have any other choice but victory," Chen said. The attorney general cited a 2006 ruling by the D.C. Court of Appeals as further support for the departments decision. In that case, a congressman had been sued over comments hed made about his pending separation from his wife. The court ruled that even that topic was within the scope of his government employment because a lawmakers ability to do his job as a legislator effectively is tied, as in this case, to the Members relationship with the public and in particular his constituents and colleagues in the Congress. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:16:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close National flags of China (R) and the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan) BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The United States has become the biggest driver of the militarization of the South China Sea and the most dangerous factor damaging peace in the area, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday. Wang made the remarks while attending the 10th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting via video link. He said that the United States has directly intervened in territorial and maritime disputes in the region out of its own political needs, constantly flaunting its force and strengthening its military deployment. It is becoming the biggest driver of the militarization of the South China Sea. The United States has interfered with the efforts of China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to resolve disputes through consultation, as well as provoking confrontation between countries in the region. It is becoming the most dangerous factor damaging peace in the South China Sea, said Wang. "Peace and stability are China's greatest strategic interest in the South China Sea," Wang said, adding that it is also the common strategic aspiration of China and ASEAN countries. "China hopes that countries outside the region, including the United States, will fully respect the wishes and expectations of countries in the region, instead of creating tension and seeking profit from it." CNN president Jeff Zucker told the president's disgraced lawyer Michael Cohen that he wanted to give Donald Trump a weekly show during a March 2016 conversation. The exchange between Zucker and Cohen took place just hours before the GOP primary debate on March 10, which CNN was hosting. In audio obtained by Tucker Carlson Tonight, the CNN head told Cohen that 'you cannot be elected president of the United States without CNN'. 'You guys have had great instincts, great guts and great understanding of everything,' Zucker explained to Cohen. 'But you're missing the boat on how it works going forward.' Scroll down for video Leaked audio appears to have Jeff Zucker and Michael Cohen speaking just before the GOP primary debate on March 10, 2016, which CNN hosted Zucker would later express worry with corresponding with Cohen by email, adding that he couldn't risk the possible chance that Trump would mention the nature of the conversation at a rally. 'I'm very conscious of not putting too much in email, as you're a lawyer, as you understand,' Zucker asserted. 'And, you know, as fond as I am of the boss, he also has a tendency, like, you know, if I call him or I email him, he then is capable of going out at his next rally and saying that we just talked and I can't have that, if you know what I'm saying.' He later added: 'It's not that I don't want to talk to [Trump] every day. I've just got to be careful, because, I've just got to be careful ... I just don't want him talking about it on the campaign trail ... But you know what? I'm going to give him a call right now and I'm going wish him luck in the debate tonight.' In audio obtained by Tucker Carlson Tonight, the CNN head told Cohen that 'you cannot be elected president of the United States without CNN' Zucker pictured with Donald and Melania Trump when he was leading NBC The conversation then changed to post-election plans, with the CNN head offering a 'weekly' show with Trump. 'I have all these proposals for him,' Zucker told Cohen. 'I want to do a weekly show with him and all this stuff.' Turning his attention to the debate, Zucker took the opportunity to praise Trump's handling of Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz and others. Zucker praised Trump's performance during the debates, saying that he should have an aide call him the names his opponents would use that night 'I think the other guys are going to gang up on him tremendously ... and I think he's going to hold his own, as he does every time' Zucker said. He's never lost a debate. And you know what? He's good at this ... He's going to do great.' Zucker then offered his own advice to Cohen and Trump's team, telling them to have him ready for the attacks others were gearing to use during the debate. 'You know what you should do? Whoever's around him today should just be calling him a conman all day so he's used to it, so that when he hears it from [Marco] Rubio, it doesn't matter,' Zucker said. '"Hey conman, hey conman, hey conman." He thinks that's his name, you know?' The relationship between Zucker and Trump has since grown increasingly tense, with the President slamming the CNN head and the network for their reporting of his term as president on the regular. (CNN) Next-generation gaming just got smaller. Microsoft unveiled a new, cheaper Xbox that the company says will be its smallest one ever. The Xbox Series S costs $299, putting it at the same price point as a Nintendo Switch or an Xbox One S, which is an older model. Because of the high demand for games during the Covid-19 pandemic, some retailers are selling consoles at inflated prices. At $299, the Series S is cheaper than some competitors at their inflated prices. Microsoft has already announced it plans to release the bigger, more expensive Xbox Series X in November, although it hasn't said what the price will be. That console will have a powerful processor and graphics card for faster loading times and better-looking games. Microsoft still has a few pieces of the puzzle to reveal as it tries to build hype ahead of the holiday shopping season. The company didn't say when it would release the smaller Series S and didn't offer details on its technical specifications. Fans are also waiting for Microsoft to announce the price of the highly anticipated Series X. The tech giant makes multiple consoles for the current generation at different price points, so coming out with a Series S isn't a departure from its previous strategy, said Ampere Analysis games research director Piers Harding-Rolls. It does put Microsoft in a better position to compete against Sony's PlayStation 5, he said. PlayStation 5 is also expected to come out during the upcoming holiday season. While Harding-Rolls still predicts that Sony will outsell Microsoft in consoles, he forecasts that Xbox gets a slight bump up in sales. He had previously estimated Xbox would sell 37 million next-gen consoles by the end of 2024, but he now thinks with the addition of Series S, that Xbox could sell around 44 million. That's compared with Sony, which could sell around 67 million in the same time frame, he said. Its no secret that the military is looking into robotic aides for whatever challenges the battlefields of tomorrow might pose. From the robot dogs we mentioned earlier to AI-powered drones accompanying fighter jets over enemy territory, theres no shortage of developing technologies.For a good number of these combined technologies, the military has a generic name: Advanced Battle Management System. As per the official description, ABMS as its called for short allows a joint force to use cutting-edge methods and technologies to rapidly collect, analyze, and share information and make decisions in real time.Most of these methods and technologies were put to the test last week during a joint exercise at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Called onramp, the drill required soldiers to detect and defeat efforts to disrupt U.S. operations in space in addition to countering attacks against the U.S. homeland, including shooting down a cruise missile surrogate with a hypervelocity weapon.Robot dogs were also involved. More precisely, Ghost Robotics Vision 60 metal canines came out of Air Force airplanes first, scanning for threats that could pose a danger to the humans that were soon to follow.The Vision is not unlike another robot og you might be familiar with, Boston Dynamics Spot . Unlike the Spot though, we do not know much about the Vision in military guise because it is, you know, a secret.To win the contested, high-end fight, we need to accelerate how we field critical technologies today, said in a statement Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.Rapid, iterative experimenting ultimately places relevant capability in warfighters hands faster. We cannot afford to slow our momentum on ABMS. Our warfighters and combatant commands must fight at internet speeds to win. September 9, 2020 - SEOUL, South Korea - The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) announced today that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded close to 1.5 million USD to IVI to support clinical trial site preparedness in four African and Asian countries to potentially support future COVID-19 Phase III efficacy vaccine trials. Following successful completion of early-stage clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, it will be essential to transition to efficacy trials at different sites around the world with high disease burden, including those in resource-limited settings. To ensure these sites are prepared for efficacy trials with the necessary technical capability, trained staff, sufficient trial participants, and a thorough assessment of prevailing COVID-19 burden, IVI aims to bolster in-country capacity at select sites by 4Q2020. Dr Florian Marks, Deputy Director General of Epidemiology, Public Health, Impact, and Clinical Development at IVI, said: "The COVID-19 threat is worldwide, which means preparations for the development and delivery of safe and effective vaccines must also be a global project. It is imperative that lack of resources does not equate to exclusion, that COVID-19 vaccines be regarded as global public goods from the outset, and that equal access is ensured. We look forward to working with our long-time partners in Africa and Asia to accelerate the global push toward a COVID-19 vaccine solution." IVI currently conducts active projects in Africa and Asia, including disease prevention and surveillance for cholera and typhoid in Mozambique and Ghana, respectively, as well as a Phase III clinical trial for a novel typhoid conjugate vaccine in the Philippines. IVI also received funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) this May to strengthen COVID-19 surveillance in Madagascar and Burkina Faso. ### About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a nonprofit inter-governmental organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, IVI was the first international organization hosted by Korea. IVI has 36 signatory countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) on its treaty, including Korea, Sweden, India, and Finland as state funders. Our mandate is to make vaccines available and accessible for the world's most vulnerable people. We focus on infectious diseases of global health importance such as cholera, typhoid, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, Group A Strep, Hepatitis A, HPV, TB, HIV, MERS, COVID-19, as well as antimicrobial resistance. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int CONTACT Aerie Em, Global Communications & Media Specialist +82 2 881 1386 | aerie.em@ivi.int W ikileaks founder Julian Assange has been targeted as a political opponent of President Trumps administration and threatened with the death penalty, the Old Bailey heard today. Professor Paul Rogers, a lecturer in peace studies at Bradford University and specialist on the War on Terror, said Assanges opinions put him in the crosshairs of Trumps top team. Giving evidence to Assanges extradition hearing this morning, he said he believes the prosecution case is part of a drive in the United States to target dissenters. In my opinion Mr Assanges expressed views, opinions and activities demonstrate very clearly political opinions, he told the court. The clash of those opinions with those of successive US administrations, but in particular the present administration which has moved to prosecute him for publications made almost a decade ago, suggest that he is regarded primarily as a political opponent who must experience the full wrath of government, even with suggestions of punishment by death made by senior officials including the current President. A court sketch of Julian Assange / PA Assange is wanted in the US over the mass leak in 2010 and 2011 of classified documents and military cables, which it is claimed amounted to spying and put peoples lives at risk. In his defence, the 49-year-old insists he is being prosecuted for journalistic work and contests the claims that the leaks put anyone in peril. Professor Rogers, in his witness statement, said Assanges work involved exposing secrets that the US government wanted to keep hidden, he had been in conflict with the Obama administration, but there was no question that Assange had been targeted as a political opponent by Trumps officials. The opinions and views of Mr Assange, demonstrated in his words and actions with the organisation WikiLeaks over many years, can be seen as very clearly placing him in the crosshairs of dispute with the philosophy of the Trump administration, he said. Assanges legal team argue that a decision was taken under President Obama not to prosecute the Wikileaks activist, but that move was overturned under Trump. During the Obama presidency there was a greater recognition of the problems and less pressure on those presenting conflicting evidence, said Professor Rogers. But since the election of President Trump there has been a vigorous denigration of the Obama era, a return to the outlook of the Bush administration and even more bitter opposition to those perceived as dissenters, especially those involved in communicating unwelcome information such as Mr Assange. Yesterday Assange was warned by District Judge Vanessa Baraitser that he could be excluded from the hearings following an outburst from the dock, in a warning not to interrupt proceedings. Clive Stafford Smith, the founder of London-based charity Reprieve, told the court he believes the Wikileaks disclosures helped to expose war crimes and human rights abuses by the US. He suggested the US is regularly guilty of over-classifying its sensitive material, sometimes to hide evidence of torture and killings which could be embarrassing to the country. Professor Mark Feldstein, a US journalism lecturer, said he believes the prosecution of Assange is rife with political motives within President Donald Trumps administration. But he conceded that he did not think the leaks should have been published unredacted, to reveal names of informants whose lives it is alleged were put at risk. The hearing continues. The alliance of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working in the extractive, anti-corruption and good governance areas have reiterated the call for the government to suspend the Agyapa Mineral Royalty deal for a further national conversation on it. According to the CSOs, there are still "important questions that require a national conversation to be addressed." Ghana's Political History - 70th Anniversary Photo Exhibition "It is not enough for the Minister of Finance or the government to ask citizens to trust their sincerity and their expertise. It would not be right for them to try to bulldoze through a controversial transaction such as this, and about which genuine questions have been raised by experts as well as by ordinary people." "We are therefore reiterating our call on the government to suspend implementation of this transaction pending a national dialogue on options available to optimise Ghanas mineral royalties," the CSOs said in a statement issued on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. The 22 CSOs further argued: We find it rather unfortunate, that, while the Minister for Finance has favourably responded to the call for further consultations, he has publicly stated that he will go ahead with the transaction regardless of the serious concerns being raised by a large section of the Ghanaian population. Such posturing raises doubts about the genuineness of the pledge to undertake further consultations. According to the CSOs, the government has not been forthcoming with information on the Agyapa deal to enable others evaluate it, saying We have so far been constrained in our analysis of this transaction by our inability to access the full complement of data and assumptions used in Governments valuation of the royalties being traded. They added: At our last meeting with the Ministry, some slides containing some data were presented. However, when we requested for copies, those particular slides of interest to us, were omitted either deliberately or inadvertently. The 22 CSOs that issued the statement are: 1. Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) 2. Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) 3. Centre for Extractives and Development Africa (CEDA) 4. Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) 5. Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) 6. Citizens Movement Against Corruption (CMAC) 7. Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas (CSPOG) 8. CSOs Open Licensing Monitoring Group 9. Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) 10. IMANI Centre for Policy and Education 11. Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) 12. Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) 13. WACAM 14. Oil Watch Ghana 15. Penplusbytes 16. Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) 17. Publish What You Pay Ghana (PWYP) 18. SEND Ghana 19. The Peoples Project (TPP) 20. Women Aspire 21. Centre for Social Impact Studies, Obuasi 22. Friends of the Nation, Takoradi Attached below is a copy the statement Alliance of CSOs working on Extractives, Anti-Corruption, and Good Governance 8 th September 2020 Governments Responses to Concerns on Agyapa Deal Unconvincing Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, since our last press conference on the controversial Agyapa Mineral Royalty deal, government has made efforts to respond to the questions we raised. However, the more we get to know about the deal the more concerns it raises. We are therefore not surprised that many Ghanaians are encouraged to join our course to ask the necessary questions that help to bring our country to the path of consensus on how to protect our mineral royalties, and to optimise their use for the benefit of current and future generations. We find it rather unfortunate, that, while the Minister for Finance has favourably responded to the call for further consultations, he has publicly stated that he will go ahead with the transaction regardless of the serious concerns being raised by a large section of the Ghanaian population. Such posturing raises doubts about the genuineness of the pledge to undertake further consultations. We have so far been constrained in our analysis of this transaction by our inability to access the full complement of data and assumptions used in Governments valuation of the royalties being traded. At our last meeting with the Ministry, some slides containing some data were presented. However, when we requested for copies, those particular slides of interest to us, were omitted either deliberately or inadvertently. According to government, its objective for the Mineral Income Investment Fund is to maximise the value of the royalties due the Republic from the mineral wealth of the country, for the benefit of its citizens, in a responsible, transparent, accountable and sustainable manner. The challenge, however, is how the outright sale of up to 49 percent of the royalties from 48 leases that constitute the bulk of Ghanas proven gold deposits and currently contributes about 95 percent of royalty receipts, translates into the stated objective. Ladies and gentlemen, it is important for us to separate the key strands of the issue and deal with them in simple language. 1. Government of Ghana is selling almost half of the royalties available for annual budgetary support for a lump sum of about $500 million for unknown quantities of mineral resource embedded in the 48 leases under the Agyapa transaction. This is a sale of right as of heritage. Put simply, the Government assumes half of the unknown share of the royalties in the most prolific 48 geographic areas are worth about $500 million. 2. An assumption is created that, the remaining share of 51 percent will generate returns to continue to support the budget by investing in a company incorporated in a Tax Haven and operated by politically exposed persons. However, the government has not told the good people of Ghana, what guarantees exist to ensure that risk free royalties can be invested without subjecting the resource to significant risk exposures. In the event where Agyapas investments do not yield the expected returns, Ghana would have risked its royalties that would have flowed from the mines to support the budget. The sad part is that, Ghana has no way out, if the government wakes up in future to the reality that mining sector investments have their own risks as happened in the seventies when assets were nationalised. 3. Another assumption deduced from governments communication is that, listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) will ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the resources. If the government is unable to ensure transparency and accountability when it controlled 100 percent of royalties, listing on the LSE through a company incorporated in a Tax Haven will not guarantee transparency. Today we will try to, once again, break down the key questions to see if government will provide the answers rather than pushing a utopian agenda of revenue maximisation when in actual sense, it is selling half of the royalties accruing from the resource; 1. How did Government value the royalties at $1 billion? The answer we have heard so far, is that, the $1 billion is the book value for Agyapa, it is not the actual valuation for the IPO. This doesnt answer the question. The $1billion valuation reflects the Ghana governments assessment of its assets assigned to Agyapa which has been approved by Parliament. In recent communication, the Minister of Finance has stated that Agyapas asset value of $1 billion approved by Parliament will not be the fair value that will be determined by the market. This is where appreciating the difference between net asset value and fair value becomes extremely important. Granted that the market will determine the fair value of the asset, it is important for government to determine the appropriate net asset value for the market to consider what it deems fair. This essentially is what the contract states as $1 billion. Therefore, if the asset is under-valued by government itself, then Ghana cannot expect the market to give a favourable valuation of the IPO which the Minister himself states will be about 0.6 to 3.2 times the asset value. This indicates that Ghana is just gambling on the market for the determination of the value of an important revenue stream. The interesting thing for citizens to appreciate is that, through governments communication it is evident that it is either not paying attention to the revenue flows in the sector, or deliberately undervaluing the assets for unknown reasons. When a direct question was posed to the Deputy Minister of Finance on the amount of royalties received from gold in 2019, he said Ghana received about GHS650 million ($123 million). The truth is that Ghana received GHS 1.06 billion ($200 million) from the big companies under the Chamber of Mines alone. Government has data on the other receipts, yet it decided to under-report the numbers. Again, in our meeting with the Ministry of Finance, we were given half year receipts for 2019 of $72 million (GHS 366 million). The underreporting of the 2019 revenue which is the most significant period for revenue projection and emphasis on old royalty numbers is intriguing. 2. What other investment options were considered before settling on the sale of up to 49 percent of Agyapa? The assertion that government seeks to optimise the royalties presupposes that forward sale of part of the royalties is the best option available to government. We are interested in knowing what other options were considered by government and the specific trade-offs made to suggest that it is better to sell than wait for the revenues. In considering the stock market, what other deal structures besides the IPO route did Government consider, and can the comparative and benchmarking analysis be shared for review? 3. Why is Ghana patronizing a Tax Haven when internationally, countries are pushing against companies hiding in Tax Havens? When we asked this of the government, it used examples of private companies to justify its decision. The consensus position of governments around the world is that Tax Havens inhibit the revenue mobilisation efforts of countries; the reason many regulators around the world are cracking down on Tax Havens. For Ghanas government to do business and hide from tax anywhere in the world is a bad message to the rest of the world, particularly when the country is struggling to defend itself before the European Union, having been blacklisted on account of high money laundering risk. 4. Why is Government exempting Agyapa from taxes when it will be partly owned by investors? Although the royalties are taxes, when a portion is sold to investors, dividend payout is income that must be subjected to tax. At that point the government is not taxing itself, rather, it is taxing income from a company in which it is only a shareholder. The provision in Section 28(5) of the MIIF Act seeks to declassify royalties as taxes and make it a revenue stream for MIIF, and by extension Agyapa. Exempting Agyapa from taxes does not exempt government alone but also the investors. This is the more reason why government should not exempt Agyapa from taxes, and failure to do so only benefits the investors. 5. In considering Agyapa, what becomes of governments manifesto promise to increase royalty share to mining affected communities? In governments 2016 manifesto, it stated that; With regard to mineral royalties, the NPPs policy is to ensure that mining communities receive a higher share. Currently, 80% of the royalty goes to Government, 10% to the Minerals Commission, and 10% to the community. The NPP will reduce Government share to 70%, while doubling the community share to 20%. The additional 10% to the community will be given to the District Assemblies to be used specifically for developing infrastructure in the mining communities. How government is responding to this promise is missing from its new efforts through the MIIF. Ladies and gentlemen, these are important questions that require a national conversation to be addressed. It is not enough for the Minister of Finance or the government to ask citizens to trust their sincerity and their expertise. It would not be right for them to try to bulldoze through a controversial transaction such as this, and about which genuine questions have been raised by experts as well as by ordinary people. We are therefore reiterating our call on the government to suspend implementation of this transaction pending a national dialogue on options available to optimise Ghanas mineral royalties. Thank you. Participating Organisations: 1. Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) 2. Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) 3. Centre for Extractives and Development Africa (CEDA) 4. Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) 5. Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) 6. Citizens Movement Against Corruption (CMAC) 7. Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas (CSPOG) 8. CSOs Open Licensing Monitoring Group 9. Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) 10. IMANI Centre for Policy and Education 11. Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) 12. Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) 13. WACAM 14. Oil Watch Ghana 15. Penplusbytes 16. Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) 17. Publish What You Pay Ghana (PWYP) 18. SEND Ghana 19. The Peoples Project (TPP) 20. Women Aspire 21. Centre for Social Impact Studies, Obuasi 22. Friends of the Nation, Takoradi 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 Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. 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Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. 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 Im starting to think that the left might be partially right with this whole white privilege thing. After all, we can see from a lot of videos that a large portionthe majority in some casesof Black Lives Matter protests consist mainly of white people. No wonder no one is getting arrested or charged. It is time to end this white privilege from criminal prosecution now. And if the left is serious about ending it, they can start with the case of Clara Kraebber, a 20-year-old whom the New York Post describes as a wealthy Upper East Sider whose mother is an architect and whose father is a child psychiatrist. Kraebber took part in last weeks BLM recreational riot that featured a roiling, three-hour rampage that police say caused at least $100,000 in damage from Foley Square up to 24th Street. She has been arrested, but will the charges be dropped or reduced to some token charge? Keep your eye on this space for updates. The Post adds: Her father is Markus Kraebber, an Upper East Side child and adolescent psychiatrist who teaches at the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. In 2016 the family paid $1.8 million for their 16th-floor apartment on East End Avenue. The family also owns a 1730 home featuring four fireplaces, according to property listings in tony Litchfield County, Conn. If Kraebber is let off with a slap on the wrist, well know white privilege is real. Well really get confirmation when Emma Stone is signed to play Kraebber in the movie. Meanwhile, the ultimate white privilege seems to be the ability to claim that you arent white. At least at George Washington University, where Jessica Krug, an associate professor of history who teaches all the usual trendy black history courses, violated the First Rule of Racial Shape-Shifting: she went full Rachel Dolezal. Never go full Rachel Dolezal. Even CNN, which employs Shaun King, can see through this: A professor of African and Latin American studies who portrayed herself as Black has now revealed she has been lying. Jessica A. Krug, an associate professor at George Washington University, has written extensively about Africa, Latin America, the diaspora and identity, all while claiming her own Black and Latina heritage. But in an article published on Medium.com on Thursday, Krug revealed the truth: She is White. To an escalating degree over my adult life, I have eschewed my lived experience as a white Jewish child in suburban Kansas City under various assumed identities within a Blackness that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness, she wrote. Her colleagues at GWU are shocked and appalled at this deception, but I thought identity is purely a matter of self-determination these days, to whats the problem? Supposedly Krug was about to be outed, but if she hadnt admitted to it, how might this have played out? UPDATE: Heres Prof. Krug in action, in this two-minute clip justifying the murder-by-machete killing of someone in New York who didnt support the progressive agenda: And the New York Post reports that Krug claims her earliest childhood memories were of police brutality. (Theres a long video link in the story, but no one wants to sit through an hour-long panel like this.) Prediction: George Washington University may strip her of tenure and fire her, but shell get an academic job somewhere else, a book contract, and a lecture tour. Cybercriminals take advantage of the essential role that domain names play on the internet by registering names that appear related to existing domains or brands, with the intent of profiting from user mistakes. This is known as cybersquatting. The purpose of squatting domains is to confuse users into believing that the targeted brands (such as Netflix) own these domain names (such as netflix-payments[.]com) or to profit from users typing mistakes (such as whatsalpp[.]com for WhatsApp). While cybersquatting is not always malicious toward users, it is illegal in the U.S.,[1] and squatting domains are often used or repurposed for attacks. The Palo Alto Networks squatting detector system discovered that 13,857 squatting domains were registered in December 2019, an average of 450 per day. We found that 2,595 (18.59%) squatted domain names are malicious, often distributing malware or conducting phishing attacks, and 5,104 (36.57%) squatting domains we studied present a high risk to users visiting them, meaning they have evidence of association with malicious URLs within the domain or are utilizing bulletproof hosting. Palo Alto Networks also ranked the Top 20 most abused domains in December 2019 based on adjusted malicious rate, which means that a domain is either a target of many squatting domains or most of these squatting domains are confirmed malicious. The analysts found that domain squatters prefer profitable targets, such as mainstream search engines and social media, financial, shopping and banking websites. When visiting these sites, users are often prepared to share sensitive information, which opens them up to phishing and scams to steal sensitive credentials or money if they can be deceived into visiting a squatting domain instead. From December 2019 to date, analysts observed a variety of malicious domains with different objectives: Phishing: A domain mimicking Wells Fargo (secure-wellsfargo[.]org) targeting customers to steal sensitive information, including email credentials and ATM PINs. Also, a domain mimicking Amazon (amazon-india[.]online) set up to steal user credentials, specifically targeting mobile users in India. Malware distribution: A domain mimicking Samsung (samsungeblyaiphone[.]com) hosting Azorult malware to steal credit card information. Command and control (C2): Domains mimicking Microsoft (microsoft-store-drm-server[.]com and microsoft-sback-server[.]com) attempting to conduct C2 attacks to compromise an entire network. Re-bill scam: Several phishing sites mimicking Netflix (such as netflixbrazilcovid[.]com) set up to steal victims money by first offering a small initial payment for a subscription to a product like weight loss pills. However, if users dont cancel the subscription after the promotion period, a much higher cost will be charged to their credit cards, usually $50-100. Potentially unwanted program (PUP): Domains mimicking Walmart (walrmart44[.]com) and Samsung (samsungpr0mo[.]online) distributing PUP, such as spyware, adware or a browser extension. They usually perform unwanted changes, like changing the browsers default page or hijacking the browser to insert ads. Of note, the Samsung domain looks like a legitimate Australia educational news website. Technical support scam: Domains mimicking Microsoft (such as microsoft-alert[.]club) trying to scare users into paying for fake customer support. Reward scam: A domain mimicking Facebook (facebookwinners2020[.]com) scamming users with rewards, such as free products or money. To claim the prize, users need to fill out a form with their personal information such as date of birth, phone number, occupation and income. Domain parking: A domain mimicking RBC Royal Bank (rbyroyalbank[.]com) leveraging a popular parking service, ParkingCrew, to generate profit based on how many users land on the site and click the advertisements. Palo Alto analysts studied domain squatting techniques including typosquatting, combosquatting, level-squatting, bitsquatting and homograph-squatting (all defined below). Malicious actors can use these techniques to distribute malware or to conduct scams and phishing campaigns. To detect squatting domains, Palo Alto Networks developed an automated system to capture emerging campaigns from newly registered domains, as well as from passive DNS (pDNS) data. We continue to detect currently active cybersquatting domains analysts identify malicious and suspicious squatting domains and designate them to the appropriate categories (such as phishing, malware, C2 or grayware). Protections against domains classified in these categories are available in multiple Palo Alto Networks security subscriptions, including URL Filtering and DNS Security. Palo Alto Networks recommends that enterprises block and closely monitor traffic from these domains, while consumers should make sure that they type domain names correctly and double-check that the domain owners are trusted before entering any site. More tips can be found in this post on how to protect against cyberattacks. A blaze on the oil tanker New Diamond was finally brought under control on Wednesday, the Sri Lankan navy said A blaze on a stricken oil tanker off Sri Lanka was finally extinguished Wednesday, authorities said, but while no crude has escaped the cargo, diesel leaking from the ship's engine raised fears for the environment. Sri Lanka's air force said the week-long fire had damaged much of the Panamanian-registered New Diamond's super structure, as well as the engine room and living quarters. While the cargo of 270,000 tonnes of crude oil was unaffected, some of the 1,700 tonnes of diesel fuel had leaked into the Indian Ocean, creating a half-mile slick visible from the air. "We have observed no smoke or flames from the tanker since this morning," air force spokesman Dushan Wijesinghe told AFP. "But tug boats are spraying water to cool the vessel." Sri Lanka's disaster management chief Sudantha Ranasinghe said the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was spraying chemicals to disperse the diesel spill. Officials said they hoped experts flown in by the Dutch salvage company SMIT would be able to board the tanker later Wednesday or Thursday to carry out an assessment. Sri Lanka was taking precautionary measures should the slick reach its shores around 70 kilometres (45 miles) away, Ranasinghe said. "At the moment, there is no danger of the diesel reaching our coasts," he told AFP. "But, should the worst happen, we are ready to deal with that." The diesel is thought to have seaped out when the ship's fuel storage tanks ruptured and mixed with sea water used to douse the flames. The tanker was travelling from Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip carrying crude for the Indian Oil Company. The major fire was thought to have been completely doused on Sunday, but reignited a day later as heavy winds lashed the extremely hot surfaces of the stern. Strong winds also pushed the crippled vessel about 20 kilometres (12 miles) closer to Sri Lanka's eastern shores on Tuesday, but it has now been towed further out, the Sri Lanka navy said. Story continues The ICG said it provided 2,200 kilos of dry chemical powder to the Sri Lankan air force to drop on the burning tanker on Tuesday as a fire retardant. The blaze had weakened the structure of the 330-metre (1,089-feet) tanker and the vessel was listing slightly to port, the ICG said. Sri Lanka's chief prosecutor, Dappula de Livera, told local marine authorities to pursue a claim for damages and order the owners to tow the tanker away from Sri Lankan waters. In July, Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef in Mauritius, leaking more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the island nation's pristine waters. aj/stu Suite 430, Northbrook, IL 60062 -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/09/2020 -- According to a research report "Private LTE Market by Component (Infrastructure and Services), Technology (FDD and TDD), Deployment Model (Centralized and Distributed), Frequency Band (Licensed, Unlicensed, and Shared Spectrum), End User, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", size is projected to grow from USD 4.0 billion in 2020 to USD 7.5 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.6% during the forecast period. Major factors such as the need for unique and defined network quality are expected to drive the growth of the global private LTE market. However, the fragmented spectrum may limit the market growth. Browse 487 market data Tables and 62 Figures spread through 391 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Private LTE Market - Global Forecast to 2025" Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=64117901 TDD segment to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period TDD is used with data transmissions (data or digitized voice). The LTE-TDD mode is complementary and the perfect choice for providing high-speed mobile broadband access in an unpaired spectrum. Several operators have deployed both FDD and TDD modes in their networks. LTE-TDD also provides a path for Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA). Unlicensed frequency band segment to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period Enterprises can design, develop, and operate private LTE networks in unlicensed bands. For instance, MulteFire, with its unlicensed band, provides optimum network coverage, improves network capacity, offers seamless mobility, and increases QoS. Apart from enterprises, telecom operators can also use unlicensed bands with carrier aggregation technology to extend their network coverage. Unlicensed bands have opened up several opportunities for enterprises, ISPs, CSPs, MSPs, MNOs, and cable operators by acting as a neutral host to support multiple business use cases. Speak To Expert Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=64117901 Asia Pacific (APAC) region to record the highest market share in the Private LTE market in 2020 APAC is an emerging region in the private LTE market. China, Japan, and Australia are the major countries contributing to the growth in APAC. APAC also constitutes major economies, such as Singapore, South Korea, and India. Japan, China, and Australia as essential for the growth of the private LTE market in this region. Japan and China are the largest manufacturing economies that produce automobiles, IT products, and electronic products. Manufacturing paradigm has changed considerably with industry seeking advanced technologies such as robotics and big data analytics becoming popular among them. Key and innovative vendors in the private LTE market include Nokia ( Finland), Ericsson (Sweden), Huawei (China), ZTE (China), NEC (Japan), Affirmed Networks (US), Athonet (Italy), Samsung (South Korea), Redline communications (Canada), Airspan (US), Boingo Wireless (US), ASOCS (Israel), Casa Systems (US), Cisco (US), Comba (Hong Kong), CommScope (US), Druid Software (Ireland), ExteNet Systems (US), Fujitsu (Japan), Lemko (US), Mavenir (US), Quortus (UK), Star Solutions (Canada), Tecore (US), Telrad Networks (Israel), Wireless Excellence (UK), Accelleran (Belgium), Air-Lynx (France), Altiostar (US), Amarisoft (France), Baicells Technologies (US), Celona (US), IPLOOK (Hong Kong), JMA Wireless (US), Parallel Wireless (US), Phluido (US), NetNumber (US), JI Technology (Japan), Verizon (US), Sierra Wireless (Canada), Future Technologies (US), Ambra Solutions (Canada), URSYS (Australia), Geoverse (US), and Cradlepoint (US). These vendors have adopted many organic as well as inorganic growth strategies, such as new product launches, and partnerships and collaborations, to expand their offerings and market shares in the private LTE market. About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" 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 sales@marketsandmarkets.com Dublin, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Research Report on Cherry Imports in China 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. According to the report, in 2019, the production of domestic cherries was 1.13 million tons in China, while the import volume of cherries was 193.59 thousand tons, which means 14.68% import dependence. From 2017 to 2019, the total import amount increased from USD 771.26 million to USD 1.40 billion. Although affected by COVID-19 in early 2020, the import volume of cherries was still on the rise, increasing by 28.37% compared to the same period in 2019. In the first five months alone, total imports amounted to USD 1.20 billion. According to the report, imported fresh cherries were classified as European sour cherries and other cherries in China. Only a small amount of cherries was imported from Canada in 2017 and then stopped. In recent years, most imported cherries into China are other cherries. Chile is a big cherry producing country and always the first source of cherries imported to China. Imported cherries in China were mainly from Chile, the USA, and Canada previously. However, China Customs adjusted the quality standards for imported cherries so products from Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan have also entered the Chinese market rapidly, which means the competition is fiercer. According to the report, it is estimated that the import volume of cherries in 2020 would exceed 300 thousand tons. By 2024, the import volume would exceed 430 thousand tons, with a market value of about USD 3.05 billion. Readers will obtain the following information through this report: Economic Environment of the Cherries Industry in China Policies of Imported Cherries in China Analysis of Supply and Demand of Cherries in China Analysis of Imported Cherries in China Analysis of Major Sources of Cherries in China Price Trends of Imported Cherries in China China's import of cherries into customs Forecast on China's imported cherries Story continues Key Topics Covered: 1 Development Environment of China's Cherry Imports 1.1 Economy Environment 1.2 Policy Environment 1.3 Culture Environment 2 Production and Consumption of Cherries in China, 2015-2019 2.1 Production 2.2 Consumption 3 China's Cherry Imports, 2017-2020 3.1 Classification of Cherries by China Customs 3.2 Total Imports 3.3 Sub Products 3.3.1 Sour Cherries 3.3.2 Other Cherries (Chelizi) 4 Major Sources of China's Cherry Imports, 2017-2020 4.1 Major Sources of China's Cherry Imports, 2017 4.2 Major Sources of China's Cherry Imports, 2018 4.3 Major Sources of China's Cherry Imports, 2019 4.4 Major Sources of China's Cherry Imports, 2020 5 Forecast on China's Cherry Imports, 2020-2024 5.1 Factors influencing China's Cherry Imports 5.1.1 Driving Force and Market Opportunities 5.1.2 Negative Factors 5.2 Forecast on China's Cherry Imports, 2020-2024 5.2.1 Total Import Volume 5.2.2 Sub Products For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cuetz1 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Watch out, cookies cream just found its new match: crackers. Coolhaus Awesome Ice Cream launched its latest ice cream mashup on Wednesday, and it's reminiscent of all the sweet (or rather, salty) childhood memories we have about snack time. In the ultimate kid combo, Coolhaus partnered up with Ritz for its Crackers and Cream ice cream. Coolhaus, Ritz Crackers team up for new ice cream flavor (Coolhaus Awesome Ice Cream) The recipe isn't just plain vanilla ice cream and Ritz crackers. Instead, the folks at Coolhaus and Ritz are playing on a real '90s winner: Ritz Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches. The ice cream has a peanut butter base with a crispy Ritz Cracker Swirl throughout. Coolhaus, the women-founded company, is known for partnering with brands to create unconventional ice cream flavors. Maybe since 2020 has thrown us plenty of curve balls, they went for something a little less controversial. In August 2019, the creamery divided the internet when it crafted a French's Mustard ice cream. TODAY's Willie Giest and Jenna Bush Hager admitted it was better than expected, and food editor Emi Boscamp gave it two thumbs up. Folks around the country can order a pint of the limited time flavor online at on the Coolhaus website beginning Wednesday but only while supplies last. To receive free ground shipping, customers need to order at least six pints, starting at $72. For anyone with a serious craving, next-day air delivery is available to most states for a $30 fee. Unfortunately, after launching Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. EST, Crackers and Cream sold out in only two hours, according to a company spokesperson. Related: Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and ... mayo?! "The team is thrilled to see fans are so excited about the launch, but definitely werent expecting it to sell out so fast on day one," she told TODAY. "Because of that, we are working with a secondary fulfillment center, who will be receiving more product today and the site will be restocked tomorrow (Thursday) morning." Also, on Thursday, the brands will host a contest for fans in New York City and Los Angeles on Twitter. Residents can visit giveaway company Fooji's Twitter anytime on Thursday to get the scoop on how to win a free pint of the fast-selling flavor. Trump spoke with Woodward on more than a dozen occasions, and in some cases, he started calling me at night. It took months, Woodward told me, to do the reporting that put it all in context, which is what he believes his mission as an author is: My job is to understand it, and to hold him accountable, and to hold myself accountable. He added: I did the best I could toward those ends. 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 Northern Michigan. 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. Climate change is already affecting northern growers. Benzie, Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties are warming at a faster rate than most of the nation. Fluctuating temperatures harm fruit crops. Extreme rains delay planting, erode soil and damage infrastructure. Prolonged wet spells followed by prolonged droughts stress our forestry resources. The Growing Climate Solutions Act would help farmers combat these concerning trends and reap a financial benefit while they do so. In July, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on this legislation. Our own 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 deal with the changing climate, they have huge potential to help prevent the worst of the possible changes. Lets encourage our Rep. Jack Bergman to support the House version of this bipartisan bill that values farmers commitment to feeding America and solving the climate crisis. Mark Reynolds is the executive director of Citizens Climate Lobby. Cathye Williams is local media liaison and volunteer with the Manistee and Grand Traverse Area chapters of CCL. More than 5,000 coronavirus tests were carried out on children here in one weekend - as it emerged positive cases have been reported in more than 60 schools across Northern Ireland More than 5,000 coronavirus tests were carried out on children here in one weekend - as it emerged positive cases have been reported in more than 60 schools across Northern Ireland. The Stormont Education Committee heard yesterday that up until Tuesday, 88 positive cases have occurred in 64 schools among pupils or staff in the first two weeks of term. Stark warnings have been issued of the inevitability that the number of cases will keep rising. Read More Chief Medical Officer Michael McBride said he will be issuing a letter to parents along with further guidance soon in a bid to alleviate their fears and concerns. He said that during the weekend of August 30 there were more than 5,000 tests carried out on children in Northern Ireland - the overwhelming majority negative. Dr McBride said it was inevitable that with the return of schools we will see colds and other viruses starting to re-emerge and "not every child needs tested" for coronavirus. "They only need tested if they have one or more of the recognised symptoms of Covid; a new continuous cough, a fever, a loss of taste or smell. As a parent myself I do understand the concerns of parents. Do not take an appointment to be tested that might be genuinely needed by someone with symptoms." Yesterday the Department of Education stressed that it was important to remember that only 64 out of our 1,300 schools, which teach more than 300,000 pupils, were affected. Among those raising serious concerns was Justin McCamphill from teaching union NASUWT who said cases were only going to grow in schools. He said: "We had warned about this and we said in August the department should have stuck to its original guidance which would have kept social distancing in schools and we are now seeing the out-workings of the abandonment of the social distancing policy." Mr McCamphill said the situation was having a "major impact" on the mental health and wellbeing of staff. "We also have staff themselves who have been asked to isolate who are finding it extremely difficult to get tests," he continued. "Staff have told us when they go online there are no tests available in Northern Ireland and that is causing issues for schools as staff are out while waiting on tests to take place." In addition he said one area that needs attention is that of substitute teachers brought in to cover sickness. He said: "One of the big unanswered questions is what happens when substitute teachers go from school to school - are they going to be a vector of transmission? "We think there needs to be a scheme in place that can provide extra substitute teachers on a permanent basis to all schools for the duration of this pandemic so they have flexibility and they are not putting health and wellbeing at risk by having substitute teachers moving from one school to another." Mr Camphill said it's important that official guidance is followed in all schools. "We do hear reports that in some schools recommendations around, say, wearing facemasks in corridors aren't being followed," he said. "In many schools they are taking the term 'strongly recommended' to mean you can do it if you want." In response, a Department of Education spokesperson said: "Substitute teachers should follow the New School Day advice and guidance as well as any other protocols put in place at the school they are working in to safeguard their own safety and that of the pupils and other teaching and support staff." On the issue of school closures, the Education Authority said it was working with the Department of Education "to identify how we effectively collate, record and publish data centrally moving forward". Opinion Article 9 September 2020 A new safety culture has emerged in hospitality that places employee protection at the core of operations. Prior to the global pandemic, hoteliers were already rolling out employee safety devices (ESDs) per legislative mandates and commitments to industry programs like the American Hotel & Lodging Assn.'s 5-Star Promise to better protect their people from sexual harassment situations and threats of violence. Today, as hotel employees put their lives on the line to welcome back guests, they are safer than ever before thanks to new policies, procedures, and technologies designed to limit staff/guest interaction, eradicate disease, and dispatch help in an instant. What does this new employee safety culture look like today? It depends on each hotel company and the location of its properties. Through a new webcast series titled "New World, New Employee Safety Culture" I spoke with hoteliers to find out how their employee safety culture is taking shape. Here is what I learned Training and More Training Ryan Doi, Corporate Director of Information Systems for Prince Resorts Hawaii, said the new employee safety culture at Prince Resorts is centered on training, and safety is not just defined by physical protection, but by providing financial assistance to workers as well. Operating the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, and Prince Waikiki, this hotel company holds a mandatory two-hour training class in which all employees are paid to attend. They are taught how to use their personal protective equipment (PPE), how to properly wash hands, and how to use new cleaning equipment. They also learn about the new guidelines in place for social distancing and what to do in case of an emergency, like if a guest or employee falls ill. This is not a one-and-done training program. Doi said refresher training will be ongoing with no end in sight. Also ongoing is the company's commitment to extending medical coverage to all workers whether they are actively employed or furloughed through the end of this year. Photo: React Mobile "Everyone is hurting, and our employees are aching to get back to work," Doi said. "Once they are on premises, we have an obligation to keep them safe. Our employee safety culture includes implementing React Mobile panic buttons (even though we were not mandated by the state to do so), providing mobile check-in and mobile key options to add distance between staff and guests, scanning employees temperatures at the start of each shift, equipping guests with hand sanitizer and disposable masks to use when they are not in their rooms and placing physical barriers at the front desk and concierge. "We also developed a touchless check in where no credit cards are touched by staff and there is no transferring of materials," he said. "While we prefer that guests handle their own luggage, assistance is provided upon request and baggage carts are sanitized before and after each use. We also encourage self-parking to protect our valets. We invested in electrostatic sprayers, in-room tablets, and technologies that enable guests to control the room environment through their phones or by a sanitized TV remote. We removed any unnecessary high-touch items from rooms and enhanced in-room dining for touchless food and beverage delivery. More importantly, from the moment a reservation is made, we communicate our safety procedures to guests making them aware that our employee's protection is a top priority. Hawaii has some of the lowest COVID-19 cases in the United States, and we plan to keep it that way." No-Touch Technology For The Gale South Beach, a Hilton hotel, reopening was a roller coaster of uncertainty. General Manager Kevin Waldstein said at one point, Miami was the "Epicenter of the Epicenter." As a result, the hotel's operator, Menin Hospitality, put employee safety at the epicenter of operations. To get employees eager to return to work, associates needed 100 percent confidence that they would be protected from virus spread. With Miami being a "party city," Waldstein said social distancing could be difficult, so management needed to build a safety culture based on cleanliness and communication. Between the 200-page Miami Beach operating guidelines, Hilton's "Clean Stay" initiative with the Mayo Clinic and Lysol, and Menin Hospitality's "Clean with Confidence" program that provides a playbook of new procedures for all departments throughout the hotel, Waldstein said The Gale South Beach has become the cleanest and safest hotel in Miami. Photo: React Mobile While cleaning is important, it's not the only safety solution. At the core of the hotel's employee safety culture is technology. The hotel is one of the first in the country to leverage Google's hotel solution powered by Volara to fulfill guest requests without staff interaction. Using the Google Nest Hub running on Volara's conversation management software, guests can ask the voice assistant to make calls, play music, watch shows, request amenities, book services, turn on/off TVs, increase the room temperature, adjust the lights, set alarms and more without ever lifting a finger or touching an in-room device. If they want something, they simply say "Hey Google, bring me more towels." Then, through Volara's secure integration hub, the hotel's ALICE work order management technology routes the request to the right department and the Kipsu text messaging platform follows up to ensure prompt service delivery and satisfaction. By communicating with guests remotely via mobile and voice, The Gale is limiting employee exposure while enhancing and personalizing the guest experience. "You hear a lot about hoteliers shifting to contactless guest experiences using technology," Waldstein said. "We're thrilled to be taking advantage of Google and Volara technology to limit staff and guest interactions. We also plan to leverage our existing React Mobile panic buttons in new ways; if we hear or see a guest who is in distress or if an employee falls ill, we can use the safety platform to dispatch help. While our hotel remains closed until October, we have workers on site preparing the hotel for reopening. They are busy refreshing rooms, polishing marble, honing woodwork, and sprucing up landscaping. When travel resumes and visitors come back to Miami, they are going to be 'wowed' at The Gale. We wouldn't be as read to reopen today as we are without the support of our staff, and our new employee safety culture is keeping them motivated and eager to get back to work." Cleanliness & 'Contactlessness' Jay Reed, a partner with hospitality advisory firm CIO Suite and former CIO of Aimbridge Hospitality, concurred with Waldstein that technology is at the core of many hotel companies' employee safety cultures. He said new threats are making it challenging to reduce risks facing hotel employees, and without the right technology, it may be difficult to get frontline workers to return post pandemic. As an industry, Reed said hoteliers need do everything possible to motivate them to come back, including compensating them and training them like Prince Resorts Hawaii is doing, protecting them from disease with heightened cleaning programs and contactless technologies as being done at The Gale South Beach, and dispatching help in emergency situations with the use of employee safety devices. Photo: React Mobile "To attract tomorrow's travelers, cleanliness and 'contactless-ness' go hand in hand," Reed said. "Several hotel companies are leveraging cleaning technologies and electrostatic sprayers to sanitize and disinfect surfaces. Most major hotel brands have also set new standards and established best practices for cleaning that will put even the most germophobic travelers' minds at ease. Other technologies, such as Mobile Key that turns guests' smartphones into room keys, or smart speakers with voice assistants that encourage guests to ask Alexa for things they want rather than risking human interaction or touching potentially germy in-room devices, are gaining traction. Basically, anything that is high tech, but not high touch, will resonate well with travelers." "Now working as a hospitality consultant, I am often asked which technologies are needed to help properties reopen efficiently and which will be in high demand by travelers," he added. "My response is this: those that ensure employee safety, keep properties clean, and provide a contactless experience will build consumer confidence and get travelers and employees ready to return. Hotels that aren't concerned with employee safety will find themselves plagued with turnover. And we all know it costs far more to hire and train new employees than it does to keep existing ones." Medical Advice SIXTY Hotels, a luxury boutique brand with properties in New York City and Beverly Hills, is "Always Open" thanks to a medical team that put strict policies in place to help each property better protect its people. Chris Horn, Vice President of Operations for SIXTY Hotels, said it was the medical team that helped the company formulate its new employee safety culture. He said SIXTY has always had house doctors on call to assist guests in distress. When the pandemic hit, the team was called in to analyze its three properties, SIXTY Soho, SIXTY LES, and SIXTY Beverly Hills. They walked through each department, looked at everything employees touch, how and where they enter/exit the building, how and where they store equipment, how many people are on shift at the same time, etc. Based on their findings they made recommendations and new standard operating procedures were established that formulate the company's new employee safety culture. Photo: React Mobile "It's because of this medical plan and our employee safety culture that our hotels and people are doing so well," Horn said. "Hats off to our teams. They are the difference makers, the real heroes of hospitality, and the reason that transient business is coming back." "The more we learned about the coronavirus, the more our standard operating procedures evolved to help protect our people," he said. "Take room turns for example. When a guest departs, his or her room is locked down and not touched for 24 hours to prevent airborne particles from escaping the space. After that time passes, a house person wearing personal protective equipment including masks and gloves enters the room with a disinfection kit and power sprayer to thoroughly disinfect the area. Towels and sheets are bagged and sealed and taken to a sealed area in the back of the house where they sit for another 24 hours before they are laundered. Another 24 hours would then pass prior to a Room Attendant entering to facilitate guestroom cleaning. Once rooms are cleaned, room attendants take their carts/tools to the basement and store them in a disinfection area. Once decontaminated, the carts then move to a clean area, where room attendants can retrieve them on their next shift. As workers return the next day, they must undergo personal health screening that include temperature checks. When deemed healthy, they are issued new gloves and masks for the day, retrieve their carts, and proceed to their assigned rooms for cleaning." To continue protecting its people, SIXTY also is requiring guests to carry their own luggage. Non-essential high-touch items are removed from rooms to limit virus exposure. Amenity and menu requests are delivered via blind drop; there is a knock on the door and items are left in a single use bag or hung on the door handle. Traditional plated roomservice has been modified to feature single use containers and individually wrapped items to forego washing of dinner plates and glassware. And all properties equip their workers with React Mobile employee safety devices to dispatch help as needed. How we as an industry will fair over the coming months is unknown. What I did learn from each of these hoteliers is that with the dark cloud of COVID-19 came a silver lining: Hotels are now physically cleaner and operating leaner than ever before, and their employees have a renewed desire to engage with management and each other. They are eager to get back to work knowing that management has put processes and technologies in place to protect themselves and their livelihoods. Chris Horn probably says it best: "The next six to 12 months will define us, but we are resilient, and if we depend on each other and follow best practices of those who are leading the recovery effort, we will come out of this better than before." What: The Wharton School is pleased to invite business journalists to apply for the flagship Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists program. The Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists, led by the Wharton Schools most prominent professors, help reporters gain a better understanding of key business and economic issues through intensive lectures and expert Q&A. For more than 50 years, the Seminars have offered participants an opportunity to expand their knowledge, network with journalists from around the world, increase their exposure to leading experts and broaden their perspectives in a stimulating environment. View the 2020 flagship program agenda here. When: Program runs October 26-27, 2020. The deadline to apply is Friday, October 16, 2020. Where: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 flagship Seminars will be delivered online. How: Interested journalists can visit the Seminars for Business Journalists application. Space is limited. Who: In recent years, journalists from media outlets such as The New York Times, Nikkei, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC India, San Francisco Chronicle, Reuters, Fortune, Financial Times, CNN, Marketplace, Les Echos, Bloomberg, BuzzFeed News and China Central TV have attended the Seminars. Program Benefits: Todays global economy requires business journalists to have a strong foundation in business and economic knowledge. At the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists, participants will: Develop an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of accounting, financial markets, central banking and more. Network with colleagues from some of the worlds leading business news organizations. Gain exposure to leading experts and establish new sources. Learn More: For complete information on the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists, visit https://journalists.wharton.upenn.edu/ or contact Wharton Media Relations at +1-215-898-8036 or communications@wharton.upenn.edu. About the Wharton School Founded in 1881 as the worlds first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Educations individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 99,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit http://www.wharton.upenn.edu. New Delhi: Union minister Jual Oram launched a book compiling Prime Minister Narendra Modis monthly radio broadcast of Mann ki Baat at the World Book Fair on Wednesday. PM Modi constantly addresses the nation on various issues in his 'Mann ki Baat' episodes. The book compiled by 29-year-old Rajeev Gupta, a research scholar from Uttar Pradesh Faizabad, covers the Mann ki Baat episodes broadcast between October 3, 2014 and November 27, 2016. Speaking at the launch of Pradhanmantri Ke Mann Ki Baat at the ongoing World Book Fair, the Minister for Tribal Affairs lauded Guptas effort to record the PMs speeches in a written format. Even though the episodes of Mann ki Baat are available on You Tube and Doordarshans website, a book is always welcome as people can easily glance through it in their spare time, he said. Baldev Raj Sharma, Chairman of National Book Trust, said, Mann ki Baat is an attempt by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to connect with the people. And the PM has highlighted several issues starting from cleanliness, drug abuse and governance to promoting Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao. The programme doesnt have a politicial purpose, rather it is aimed at awakening people of the country and make them a part of this democratic system by making them feel responsible and capable, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Looking for dried pasta, cooking oil or spices? Youre not alone. Credit: Christopher Corneschi/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA When the day comes that the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, one of things that will remain with us is witnessing our fellow humans' irrational and sometimes extreme behaviorand perhaps our own as well. These included toilet-paper shortages, publicly supporting lockdown measures while privately doing otherwise and large gatherings with little respect for social distancing. Such irrational behaviors can appear puzzling at first but are rooted in deeper cognitive and evolutionary psychological mechanisms. Many reflect what are called emergency decision and purchasing contexts (Samson & Voyer, 2014). In a normal contextthink pre-COVID-19individuals make decisions in their own time frames. In a pandemic, however, everyone is suddenly having to make the same type of decisions, within a very short time frame. This creates the perfect storm of factors that influence people and can sway some of them into behaving irrationally. From a behavioral-science point of view, three main dimensions can explain emergency decision-making and associated irrational behaviors. Social creatures Many of the behaviors we are witnessing are driven by social factors. An individual's societal environmentat a macro level, culture; at a micro level, groups of friends, people we share common interests, such as sportsplays an important role in determining his or her behavior. These range from what others around us are doing to cultural normsthe types of shared values that are dominant in some nations. In those that have a more individualist culturefor example, the UK ands USwearing a face mask can be seen to go against the value of individualism and respect for the expression of individual differences. In collectivist culturesexamples include China, Japan and Koreabehaviors should first and foremost conform to the norm and serve the group and broader interest of society. Different behaviors, such as disagreement around whether one should or not wear a mask in public, are also influenced by social-identity phenomena. Political opinions are strong drivers of social identity and individuals end up following the recommendations made by the groups with whom they identify. Behaviors are also guided by perceived social norms. If images of panicked shoppers emptying stores become widespread, they can cause us to perceive such behavior as the norm and push us to do the same. In a normal context, only a small proportion of the population overstocks goods perceived as essential, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a chain reaction of individuals mimicking each other, eventually leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy and generating actual shortages. As stocks are based on past shopping behaviors, supermarkets found themselves overwhelmed. The same can be applied to the wearing of face masks. As we see more people around us wearingor notface masks, we start inferring an implicit norm of either wearing or not wearing a mask. Short-term thinking The second dimension for explaining irrational behaviors is a cognitive one. We humans tend to display a short-term bias decisions are based on assigning greater value to short-term rewards (say, going out to a dinner with friends), as opposed to longer-term ones (e.g., flattening a rising curve of infections). Such biases also help explain the empty shelves in supermarkets. When the context changes phenomenon's, the very motivation behind buying also changes. In normal situations, individuals generally focus on seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, with one goal prioritized over the other. This is something psychologists refer to as regulatory focus. In stressful contexts, individuals shift their dominant regulatory focus from promotion to prevention. In other words, in a pandemic, individuals focus primarily on what could go wrong, and try to prevent this from happening. A change in regulatory focus not only affects the nature of the goods individuals may seekfor example, health-related products, insurancebut also how they will react to messages. Prevention-focused messages such as "do not take the risk of running out of " have been shown to be more effective for people with a dominant prevention regulatory focus. Rising anxiety and stress are also likely to affect buying behaviors. Stress typically reduces cognitive resources available to make a decision, and leaves individuals more susceptible to using heuristicsshortcutsin decision making. The effect of stress vary from one individual to another, however, with some of us tending to consume more and so comfort ourselves as a way to cope. The third dimension that can be used to explain irrational behavior is an evolutionary one. Commonly used information-processing strategies can be traced back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors and the constraints they faced. Many of the types of decisions we make in such context thus take the form of fight or flight reactions. In emergency purchasing situation, our research suggested that individuals are often more likely to rely on heuristics (mental shortcuts) when making instant decisions. Research also suggests that individuals are more susceptible to paying attention to and spread negative information/unhelpful rumors, as these can provide a survival advantage. When forced behaviors become new habits Despite the end of many lockdowns and a falling global mortality rate, the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and some of our new behaviors are becoming habits. For example, French health authorities have urged the country's residents to refrain from the traditional "bise" kisses on both cheeks when meeting a friend or family member. But once a vaccine is developed, restrictions are lifted and life returns to something approaching "normal," will such newly adopted behaviors remain? For a habit to carry on, it typically needs to "pass" two tests. First, it needs to provide some tangible benefits. Second, the cost of continuing the new habit need to be low. What we have seen with COVID-19 is that people have been forcedrather than freely choosingto adopt new habits. This means that unless tangible benefits can be derived from those new habitssuch as a better work-life balance with working from homethey're unlikely to last. What is likely to stay is any habit that has been perceived as valuable while not requiring costly efforts to be maintained. For example, some of us have discovered the advantages of working from homefor starters, no commute and the ability to work in pajamasand may want to stick to it after the pandemic recedes. For others, it's about keeping up a pleasant round of video calls with friends who live far away. Changes in habits are thus likely to be much more individual than society-wide. Everyone will have discovered things they like and/or dislike, and what goes against our social nature is likely to disappear in the long run. Social distancing may be respected while necessary, but maintaining two meters between everyone in a queue won't last any longer than absolutely necessary. The same goes for "virtual everything." Research overwhelmingly suggests that "small talk" and serendipity are an integral beneficial part of the working culture, and those are difficult to reproduce in a virtual context. A video call is a far-away friend is one thing, but for a friend is your neighborhood, you're far more likely to meet face to face, be it at home, in a restaurant or in a public space. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday three new judicial nominees to Massachusetts courts, including the lead prosecutor in the 2017 Aaron Hernandez double murder trial. Michelle D. Fentress and Robert W. Harnais received the nomination from Baker for associate justices of the district court and Patrick M. Haggan as an associate justice of the superior court. The nominees will be vetted by the Governors Council, which meets Wednesdays and schedules confirmation hearings. The wide variety of cases tried by Attorneys Fentress, Harnais and Haggan in their decades of experience have prepared them well to serve as Associate Justices of the District and Superior Courts, said Baker. I am pleased to submit these candidates to the Governors Council for their advice and consent. An assistant clerk magistrate in the Suffolk Superior Court Criminal Division, Fentress began her legal career in 2006 as an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County where she served on the Central Division Team, Gun Prosecution Task Force and Major Felony Unit, before joining the Massachusetts Department of Correction in 2011 as Counsel. Harnais is a partner at Mahoney & Harnais, a law firm located in Quincy which specializes in criminal, employment and discrimination law. Harnais also serves as general counsel for the Norfolk County Sheriffs Department. Harnais has a long history of civic engagement and leadership in the legal community, said William Mitchell, interim president of Massasoit Community College. We look forward to working with him as Chair of the Board to advance opportunities for our students. Haggan was a prosecutor with the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office for 24 years. He served for eight of those years as the first assistant district attorney, overseeing 160 lawyers and more than 30,000 criminal cases each year. As the lead courtroom prosecutor, he handled numerous complex and high profile murder trials, including the 2017 double murder trial of former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez. Haggan is also featured prominently in the recent Netflix docuseries, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. District courts located across the state hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health and other types of cases. District court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to 5 years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties, all misdemeanors, and all violations of city and town ordinances and bylaws. Massachusetts' superior courts has jurisdiction over all felony cases and murder cases must be tried in superior court. Chinas insects and other invertebrates are spoilt for choice with the countrys array of deserts, rainforests, mountains and tropical coastlines. The winning photographs of the Wild China Biodiversity Photography Contest hosted by Wild China Film present the countrys sweeping lands and rare plants from unexpected perspectives. Here is a pick of the crop Jan 21, 2022 06:20 PM KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Belarusian authorities on Wednesday detained one of the two last leading members of an opposition council who remained free, moving methodically to end a month of protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. Lawyer Maxim Znak, a member of the Coordination Council created by the opposition to facilitate talks with the country's leader of 26 years on a transition of power, was taken out of the council's office by unidentified masked people, associate Gleb German said. Znak only had time to text message masks before they took the phone away from him. German said. Unidentified people also attempted Wednesday to enter the apartment of writer Svetlana Alexievich, the winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature and now the only member of the council's executive presidium still free in Belarus. Diplomats from several European Union nations converged on Alexievich's apartment in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, to try to prevent her detention. The rising pressure on activists comes as Belarus marks a month of massive demonstrations protesting Lukashenko's reelection to a sixth term in the Aug. 9 vote, which the opposition rejects as rigged. The protests that drew up to 200,000 on Sundays cast an unprecedented challenge to the Belarusian leader's iron-fist rule. Lukashenko, 66, a former state farm director, has dismissed the opposition as Western stooges and rejected demands from the United States and the European Union to engage in a dialogue with protesters demanding his resignation. The U.S. and the EU have criticized the Belarusian election as neither free nor fair. The Interior Ministry said that 121 people were detained in the capital and other cities on Tuesday for taking part in unsanctioned demonstrations. On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters again formed chains in solidarity in several parts of Minsk. The foreign ministers of the Nordic and Baltic nations, meeting in Estonia on Wednesday, urged Belarusian authorities to end a police crackdown on post-election protests and the prosecution and forcible expulsions of activists. Story continues "We demand the immediate release of all those detained on political grounds before and after the falsified presidential election, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said after the meeting. Linde published a picture on her Twitter account showing Alexievich surrounded by European diplomats at her home on Wednesday. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said the members of the opposition council only want to allow the people of Belarus to choose their future themselves. Thats the least they are asking, and the least they deserved. Last month, Nobel laureate Alexievich was questioned by Belarusian investigators, who have opened a criminal investigation into members of the Coordination Council, accusing them of undermining national security. Several council members were arrested and others were forcibly expelled from the country. Alexievich dismissed the official accusations, saying in a statement released Wednesday that the council was seeking to defuse the crisis sparked by Lukashenko's reelection to a sixth term by offering to foster a dialogue between authorities and protesters. We weren't preparing a coup, we were trying to prevent a split in our country, Alexievich said. She warned that the arrests of opposition activists will not end protests. They have stolen our country and now they are trying to abduct the best of us, Alexievich said. But hundreds of others will come to replace those who have been taken away from our ranks. It wasn't the Coordination Council that rebelled, it was the entire country that raised. Speaking to reporters from her apartment, she said she doesn't plan to leave the country despite the official pressure. This is terror against our own people, she said. Maria Kolesnikova, a leading member of the council, was detained Monday along with two other council members and then driven early Tuesday to the border, where authorities told them to cross into Ukraine. When they arrived in a no-mans land between the countries, Kolesnikova ripped her passport into small pieces to make it impossible for the authorities to expel her. She was put into custody on the Belarusian side of the border. Kolesnikova's father said investigators called him Wednesday to say that she was moved to a jail in Minsk on charges of calling for undermining national security. She could face up to five years in prison, if convicted. Her father, Alexander Kolesnikov, said he admired his daughter's courage. I'm very proud of her, he said outside the prison where Kolesnikova was being held. She said she would stay in Belarus and go until the end. I know her character. Kolesnikova's lawyer, Lyudmila Kozak, who visited her in prison, said she was feeling relatively well. The last few days have been tough for her, she said. Another of her lawyers, Ilya Salei, was arrested Wednesday, and authorities raided Kolesnikova's apartment. Several hundred women gathered in central Minsk Wednesday in a show of solidarity with Kolesnikova. They held signs reading Maria, you are my hero! and Maria, you are cooler than all Marvel characters, a reference to comic book heroes. Police moved quickly to disperse the women, rounding up at least a dozen. On Wednesday, Lukashenko's main election challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, visited Poland to receive the symbolic keys to a new Belarusian center in Warsaw from Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Tsikhanouskaya left Belarus after the election under official pressure, Poland is an open home for all Belarusians who need help, Morawiecki said. Tsikhanouskaya expressed gratitude for Polands support in this difficult time for Belarus. President Lukashenko has no mandate anymore, we cannot treat him as a president, we cannot entrust the future of our country in his hands, she said, stressing that a new election is needed. ___ Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Jari Tanner in Tallinn, Estonia, Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report. ___ Follow all AP stories on the developments in Belarus at https://apnews.com/Belarus DALLAS, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation navigates its way through the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice protests, and the 2020 Census, Edward T. Rincon, Ph.D., a veteran Dallas researcher, is urging companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and academics to adapt their research practices to improve the quality of data collected for multicultural participants. Book cover The U.S. population has experienced a dramatic demographic transformation with the increased presence of multicultural persons including Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians challenging a research industry that has failed to keep pace with their linguistic and cultural nuances. This growing disconnect between the research industry and the U.S. multicultural population is a key factor in the declining survey response rates and misleading conclusions related to programs and policies that impact the quality of life for multicultural populations. Industry practices that reinforce this trend include: Minimal support in languages other than English; The use of small sample sizes that prohibit reliable analyses; aggregation of ethnically distinct groups that obscure key ethnic differences; Overlooking the needs of persons with visual, hearing, and reading impairments; and, A lack of knowledge of multicultural communities can be traced to the failure of academic institutions to prepare their graduates. Rincon, president of Rincon & Associates, identifies methodological problems in high-stakes studies that include multicultural persons and offers practical solutions in his newly released book "The Culture of Research, Insights from a 45-year practice in the design and execution of multicultural research" (Writer's Marq LLC, 2020). Dr. Rincon has taught research methods at several North Texas universities and worked with hundreds of corporate, government, and social organizations. "With an estimated multicultural population of 121 million in the U.S., it's more important than ever that anyone doing research takes the time to do it right that means making sure the research is well-designed and includes as many diverse voices as possible," Rincon said. "Research practitioners have to expand their knowledge and practices beyond the traditional models that they learned in college research courses." Unlike other research methods books, Rincon draws off his vast experience using a forensic analytics approach to detect and document the methodological errors that are often made in surveys and other measurement systems that include multicultural populations. The book has useful charts, graphics, data, and case studies that illustrate practices that produce misleading results. Pepper Miller, nationally recognized African-American market researcher, author, and speaker, said, "[Ed] offers dozens of practical examples from his 40+ years of experience in multicultural research and reliable resources that will undoubtedly help readers conduct relevant market research studies with the 'New America' while delivering effective outcomes for brands and organizations." Rincon explained, "One of the major goals of this book is to raise the standards in multicultural research. My interest is in discussing specific problems and challenges in multicultural research that traditional textbooks and classes are likely to overlook." CONTACT: Neil Foote Foote Communications [email protected] 214-448-3765 Related Images the-culture-of-research.jpg 'The Culture of Research' Book cover Related Links Rincon & Associates, LLC The Culture of Research SOURCE Edward T. Rincon, Ph.D. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:10:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SINGAPORE, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 75 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 57,166. Of the new cases, 14 are imported cases, one is a community case and the rest are linked with the dormitories of foreign workers. On Wednesday, 31 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 56,492 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, the ministry said. There are currently 34 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and none is in critical condition in the intensive care unit. Furthermore, 613 people are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19. Altogether 27 people have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection. MOH announced on Wednesday that Singaporean government will require travellers who are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents and who have recent travel history to India within the last 14 days prior to entry to take a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test within 72 hours before departure, so as to reduce the risk of importation of cases from India. This requirement will take effect for those arriving in Singapore from Sept. 17. The ministry also announced that the government's Multi-Ministry Taskforce will be enhancing the TraceTogether (TT) Programme and SafeEntry to facilitate rapid and comprehensive contact tracing, so as to mitigate risks of onward transmission and formation of large clusters. It said that the government will commence nation-wide distribution of the TT Tokens this September and encourage every resident in Singapore to either download the TT App onto their mobile phone, or to collect a TT Token. TT App and TT Token work by exchanging short-distance Bluetooth signals with other TT App and TT Token to detect users in close proximity. Enditem Representative Image. President Donald Trump will announce a further drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq on Wednesday, a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday. That announcement will be followed by another one in the coming days on a further reduction in U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the official said. The decision comes as Trump, a Republican, faces blowback from a report that he allegedly made disparaging remarks about U.S. war dead. Trump is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election. His announcement, and the timing of it, may be aimed at convincing voters that he is following through on promises to end what he has described as America's endless wars. The United States has around 5,200 troops that were deployed in Iraq to fight the Islamic State militant group. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said last month that the United States was expected to reduce the number of its troops in Iraq by about a third in the coming months. The United States currently has about 8,600 troops in Afghanistan. Trump said in an interview with Axios released last month that the United States planned to lower that number to about 4,000. Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has revealed he is fighting a 'hellish' case of coronavirus and told supporters he 'hopes to make it' after doctors said he was 'No 1' for the severity of his viral load. The 83-year-old Berlusconi, who was admitted to Milan's San Raffaele hospital on Friday morning, made the comments during a phone call to a candidate from his Forza Italia party during an election rally in northwest Italy. Berlusconi spoke to supporters in a clear voice, relaying that doctors have told him his viral load is the worst out of thousands of patients tested at San Raffaele. '[The virus] is very bad,' he said. 'I'm giving it my all, I hope to make it and to get back on track.' During the call Berlusconi urged supporters to vote in upcoming regional elections and promised he was 'fighting to leave behind this infernal illness.' He said: 'I hope to make it and return in person to fight our battles.' Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi (pictured in 2019) was admitted to hospital for coronavirus on Friday morning. He said during a phone call last night that doctors said his viral load was worse than thousands of others tested at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan On Wednesday, his personal doctor Alberto Zangrillo said Berlusconi's progress was 'favourable' and all his clinical parameters were 'very comforting.' Zangrillo has said he is responding well to treatment but has noted that Berlusconi's age and condition - he has a pacemaker - make him at higher risk of complications. On Sunday, Dr Zangrillo said the three-time premier was responding 'optimally' to the virus but repeated his concerns, adding that he was 'cautiously optimistic' about Berlusconi's recovery. Berlusconi turns 84 in a few weeks and has had a history of heart problems that required a pacemaker several years ago. Alberto Zangrillo, Silvio Berlusconi's longtime physician, speaks to reporters at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan on 4 September At the time of his admission to San Raffaele, he was showing signs of early stage lung infection. Earlier in the week he said he tested positive but showed no symptoms. Then he said he had a fever and felt achy but still vowed to campaign for his Forza Italia party in upcoming regional elections. On Wednesday, Italy recorded another 1,434 new infections and 14 deaths to bring the official death toll in the one-time European epicentre of the pandemic to 35,577. NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Since popular education destinations like museums, zoos, and musical acts cannot accept visitors or host field trips due to Covid-19 restrictions, Zigazoo has launched "Channels" to bring them to classrooms and homes remotely. With the release of "Zigazoo Channels," Zigazoo has partnered with an array of world-class children's organizations and brands who are sharing educational projects through videos and interactive media. The first wave of Zigazoo's official channel partners include: Philadelphia Zoo, Center of Science and Industry (COSI), Tech Interactive Museum, Glazer Children's Museum, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Phoenix Zoo, LitWorld, the Grammy-nominated Alphabet Rockers, the Grammy-nominated Brady Rymer, Kira Willey, Sweet Farm, and Bings & Potts. To access the content from these organizations, just install Zigazoo for free and subscribe to their channels. Dana Lombardo, Director of Communications for the Philadelphia Zoo, says, "At Philadelphia Zoo, our mission is to connect people with animals and inspire real-world action for wildlife, habitats and the planet we all share. We are thrilled to work with Zigazoo to expand our audience and continue to engage the next generation of wildlife advocates in an interesting and dynamic way!" "The engaging science content COSI has been producing through COSI Connects, our fantastic digital doorway for at-home science learning, is a perfect fit for Zigazoo's educational short-form video platform," said Dr. Frederic Bertley, President and CEO of COSI which was just named the #1 science museum in the country by USA Today. "We are very excited to kick off this partnership with them." Recognized by TechCrunch as "the future of remote learning," Zigazoo continues to define a new category of edtech companies creating tools for parents and teachers tailor-made for the new remote and hybrid learning environments. Zak Ringelstein, CEO of Zigazoo, says, "We are honored to work with some of the most distinguished educational institutions in the world to bring the magic of in-person educational experiences to students on Zigazoo." About Zigazoo Zigazoo is the leader of peer-to-peer video sharing for remote learning. Hailed by TechCrunch as "the future of remote learning," Zigazoo gives teachers, pod leaders, and families access to hundreds of projects built for at-home learning and the tools to share video responses with peers. Teachers can create a Zigazoo Classroom and parents can join the Zigazoo Global Community to start assigning or responding to projects today. Zigazoo is free for all users. SOURCE Zigazoo Related Links https://www.zigazoo.com/ New Delhi, Sep 9 : Undeterred by the attachment of properties of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) key leaders -- Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and Hardeep Singh Nijjar -- the banned outfit is now offering Rs 3,500 each as grant to woo Punjab farmers ahead of its anti-India campaign 'Referendum-2020', intelligence sources have said. The US-based secessionist group has announced to provide the money on a monthly basis to each of the Punjab farmers who have defaulted on agricultural loans, as part of its strategy to get their support for 'Referendum-2020' campaign now planned to be held in November. Intelligence agencies as well as National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing cases against the SFJ, got the inputs on the grant offer for farmers a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) ordered the attachment of immovable properties of Pannun in district Amritsar and Nijjar in district Jalandhar of Punjab. The SFJ revised its earlier announcement under which Punjab farmers with up to five acres of land were to get Rs 3,000 each to help them repay their agricultural loans. Reiterating the SJF's commitment to work for secession of Punjab, SFJ General Counsel Pannun said: "India can take my land but will not be able to stop the Referendum 2020." Earlier, the SFJ had also cautioned Union Rail Minister Piyush Goyal not to run trains in Punjab, giving a call for 'Rail Roko' in the Indian Punjab on September 13. In an email to the Minister, the SFJ claimed to highlight the "Indian's government's criminal negligence towards increasing farmer suicides in Punjab due to agricultural loans". In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 51A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the MHA on Tuesday ordered the attachment of immovable properties of Pannun and Nijjar for their role in SFJ's campaign under the banner of 'Referendum 2020' for the creation of 'Khalistan'. Based on the NIA's recommendation, the MHA had ordered the attachment of Pannun's 46 kanals of land in Khankot village in Amritsar and 11 kanals and 13.5 marlas in Sultanwind suburban in Bhainiwal area in the same district. Nijjar's 11 kanals and 13 marlas of land in Bhar village in Jalandhar's Singhpura was also confiscated. Pannun is the SFJ's General Counsel while Nijjar is 'Referendum 2020' Canada coordinator. The NIA said that the SFJ, headed by Pannun, is presently making efforts to propagate 'Referendum-2020' on the social media. The SFJ is also trying to hold meetings at certain places in the US and other countries to instigate and mobilise the diaspora for its illegal activities. The MHA declared the SFJ as an 'Unlawful Association' under the UAPA through a notification dated July 10 last year. Significantly, the MHA, as per the notification dated July 1, had designated Pannun, Nijjar and seven other pro-Khalistanis as 'terrorists' in the Fourth Schedule to the said Act. The SFJ chose Punjab, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir to launch its online voter registration on July 4 for 'Referendum 2020' through different portals but reportedly did not get support. The group has used the Canadian cyberspace twice for launching its voter registration for the referendum in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir on the instructions of Pannun, who has been playing a major role in the 'Referendum 2020' campaign. The SFJ enjoys the backing of Pakistan-based handlers in providing money and logistic support to radical Sikh elements in Punjab to carry out subversive activities. The group is headed by Avtar Singh Pannun and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who have been advocating the cause of Khalistan as well as the online secessionist campaign for the referendum. However, the SFJ's agenda has been rejected by the Sikhs across India in spite of the Inter-Services Intelligence-sponsored propaganda on 'Referendum 2020'. The Pakistani intelligence agency has been backing the malicious SFJ campaign, with a large number of Pakistani Twitter handles tweeting in favour of the exercise. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in) -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2020) - Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. (TSXV: PEMC) (OTCQB: PEMSF) ("Pacific Empire", "PEMC" or the "Company"), a hybrid prospect generator focused in British Columbia, is pleased to announce the start of reverse circulation ("RC") drilling activities at the Weedon Property in central British Columbia, 80 kilometres north of the city of Prince George and 85 kilometres southeast of Centerra Gold Inc.'s Mount Milligan Copper-Gold Mine. In addition, Phase 1 drilling at Worldstock is now complete and assays are expected in the coming weeks. At the Worldstock property, 10 RC holes were completed totaling 1,049 metres, with selected holes having been sent for laboratory analysis after positive on-site X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometer analyses. Several target areas were tested across the Worldstock property, with moderate to abundant sulphides being encountered in 8 out of 10 holes.. In multiple cases, the levels of copper anomalism increased with depth down-hole, supporting the interpretation that the Worldstock may represent the upper reaches of a porphyry copper-gold system. At the Weedon property, the Company will be drill-testing the T1 target area and targets in the vicinity of T1 which were the focus of previous exploration campaigns by Cominco in 1991, Geoinformatics in 2007 and Teck Resources in 2010/2011. The T1 target area is covered by glacial overburden in excess of 50 metres, however through the use of passive seismometers Pacific Empire was able to outline areas where bedrock penetration is achievable with the Company's existing RC drill. The Company's intent is to be the first explorers in this area to successfully reach bedrock in this highly prospective area. T1 Target Highlights at Weedon Property 1.5 x 1 km IP chargeability high 1 km diameter conductivity high 1.3 x 1 km magnetic high 500 m diameter Cu-Au-Mo Ah soil geochemical anomaly "As we gear up to drill the Jean Marie property in the coming weeks, we are excited to test the highly compelling T1 target at Weedon," commented Pacific Empire's President and CEO, Brad Peters. "We expect to receive drill permits for Jean Marie in the coming weeks, and although Jean Marie will be our focus in 2020, Weedon remains untested with drilling, despite previous exploration programs by sophisticated groups. The Weedon Property demonstrates the potential to make a blind discovery in an easily-accessible area with robust existing infrastructure." Figure 1 - Map of Weedon showing several coincident geophysical and geochemical targets, with T1 target highlighted. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5412/63517_f6120767a460fbf8_001full.jpg Qualified Person Rory Ritchie, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for the Company, serves as a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed the scientific and technical information in this news release, approving the disclosure herein. About Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. PEMC is an exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that employs a "hybrid prospect generator" business model and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol PEMC and on the OTCQB Markets under the symbol PEMSF. By integrating the project generator business model with low-cost reverse circulation drilling, the company intends to leverage its portfolio by identifying and focusing on the highest-quality projects for partnerships and advancement. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, "Brad Peters" President and Chief Executive Officer Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. Tel: +1-604-356-6246 brad@pemcorp.ca www.pemcorp.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 Statements Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors 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. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mineral exploration; fluctuations in commodity prices; title matters; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain officers, directors or promoters with certain other projects; the absence of dividends; competition; dilution; the volatility of our common share price and volume and the additional risks identified the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63517 A public inquiry that will examine alleged failures to prevent the Manchester Arena bombing will begin today. Salman Abedi killed 22 people and injured almost 1,000 more on 22 May 2017, when he blew himself up as Ariana Grande fans left a concert at the stadium. Isis claimed responsibility for the blast, which was the deadliest of four lethal terror attacks that struck the UK that year. A review of MI5 intelligence later revealed that security services drew the wrong conclusions from two key pieces of information in the run-up to the bombing. Abedi had already been put under active investigation over terrorist links twice, but no alert was triggered when he travelled back to the UK from Libya just four days before the attack. Families of the victims and survivors were also critical of the emergency response to the blast, which was affected by safety procedures and communication difficulties. In total, 22 victims were killed, 264 people were injured and 710 survivors have reported suffering from psychological trauma. The inquiry is expected to hear evidence until next spring, including on the preparations for the attack and Abedis radicalisation. It will hear evidence on what was or what ought to have been known about the threat posed by Salman Abedi and the actions of the security services, although some information may be restricted to closed sessions following applications by the Home Office and police. The treatment of each deceased victim will also be examined, as well as the adequacy of the wider emergency response. The inquiry was delayed by the prosecution of the bombers brother, Hashem Abedi, who was jailed for life last month for his role in the plot. Inquests were originally due to be held into the 22 victims deaths, but Priti Patel made the decision to mount a public inquiry last October following recommendations by chair Sir John Saunders. Sir John will open proceedings with a minutes silence for the victims on Monday, before the main issues are summarised and commemorative hearings are held for families to pay tribute to loved ones. MI5 admit failing to track Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi Evidence is not expected to begin until 1 October, following opening statements by core participants including bereaved families and Greater Manchester Police. A spokesperson for the Manchester Arena Inquiry said: The inquiry will investigate the circumstances of how the 22 people killed in the Arena attack died. It will also examine evidence about the arena complex and security arrangements; the planning and preparation for the attack, the events of 22 to 23 May 2017, the emergency response, the detonation and its effect, the experience of each of the 22 deceased, the background and radicalisation of Abedi and the preventability of the attack. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, members of the public are not currently permitted to attend inquiry hearings at Manchester Magistrates Court but can watch a live video feed and read transcripts. Welsh Ambulance Service chief exec pays tribute to fantastic staff on Emergency Services Day This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Sep 9th, 2020 The chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service has paid tribute to ambulance personnel and blue light partners across the UK as part of national Emergency Services Day. In a video posted on social media this morning, Jason Killens praises the fantastic people across the organisation, as well as colleagues from the military who have supported the Trust through the Covid-19 pandemic He said: Im Jason Killens, Chief Executive here at the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust and as we celebrate Emergency Services day across the UK today I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to our fantastic people right across the ambulance service here in Wales and of course across the UK too. It is also right that I pay tribute to and thank our emergency service colleagues in the military who have been with us and helped us so much through our response to the pandemic this year and of course it continues today. So as we celebrate National Emergency Services Day across the UK I want to finish again by paying tribute to my fantastic team here and right across Team WAST here at the Welsh Ambulance Service. The event, also known as 999 Day, starts at 09.00 on the ninth day of the ninth month with a national two-minute silence to mark the 7,000 plus UK emergency workers who to date have lost their lives in the line of duty. Emergency service workers and the wider public are encouraged to mark it. The inaugural event took place in 2018 and was founded by serving police officer Tom Scholes-Fogg and backed by then Prime Minister, Theresa May. The event was established to promote the work of the emergency services, to promote volunteering opportunities and any campaigns currently being run by emergency services. This year, instead of a physical event, the organisers are encouraging a fully digital celebration and are asking emergency services to use their social media channels to celebrate and promote their work and activities using the below methods: Hashtag: #999Day Twitter: @999Day Facebook: @Official999Day Instagram: @Official999Day Website: www.999Day.org.uk In 2013, artist K.C. Green drew a comic youve probably seen bouncing around the internet: Its a dog sitting at a table indoors, with flames surrounding it.* This is fine, the dog says, and in the next panel: Im okay with the events that are unfolding currently. The this is fine dog has become a metaphor for helplessness or despair in response to disturbing news. But lately its become not just a metaphor, but a literal representation of what many people in the Western U.S. are experiencing. Advertisement Much of the western half of the U.S. is on fire or suffering from its fallout. Over the weekend, there were at least eight new blazes in Washington state, one of which burned a 90-mile-long path in a day. Another destroyed 80 percent of structures in the town of Malden. Several new fires popped up in Oregon as well, and heavy winds quickly spread existing fires. The situation there is changing by the moment; on Tuesday morning, Oregon Public Broadcasting reporter Erin Ross tweeted that she was not sure how to capture the scope and number and speed of the fires across Oregon right now, as evacuation orders keep shifting with the fast-moving fires. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since mid-August, firefighters have also been battling record-setting wildfires near the Bay Area, and this weekend, winds and record high temperatures sparked new blazes. The El Dorado fire made headlines when it was revealed that it was ignited by a pyrotechnics display at a gender reveal party. (Of course, someone adapted the this is fine meme to highlight the absurdity of the situation.) Another new blaze, the Creek fire, started Friday, trapping people in the Sierras and prompting airlift rescues on Saturday and Tuesday morning. More fast winds are forecast in California, so Pacific Gas & Electric has shut down power in across large swaths of the state to prevent any errant powerlines from sparking additional fires. This event is unprecedented. Ive talked to people who have been in fire for 20, 30, 40+ years and theyve never seen anything like this before. Not this many large, rapidly spreading wildfires across such a broad region #CAwx #WAwx #ORwx #CAfire https://t.co/LjHcTikNqx Nick Nauslar (@NickyNaus) September 8, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The numerous fires have blanketed large portions of the Western U.S. in smoke. A satellite image taken Monday showed smoke blowing as far east as Kansas, and closer to the fires, entire towns look like Mars, even in the middle of the day. Meanwhile, other Western states have experienced a whole Mad Libs of other weather emergencies. Just check out the National Weather Services website and youll see a colorful mix of weather alerts issued across the area. In Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado, hot fire weather gave way to snowstorms Tuesday, with temperatures dropping as much as 60 degrees in just a day. Snow in Denver set a record for earliest snow accumulation on record. Utah is seeing record winds and power outages, prompting Salt Lake City public schools to cancel their first day of classes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In case youre wondering if this is normal: It absolutely is not. Historically, fire season in California peaks in October, and Denver hasnt gotten snow in September for two decades. Often, vacationers in San Francisco complain that the weather isnt as warm as they were expecting for Californiathe coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco, people like to saybut the Bay Area hit 100 degrees this weekend. And these aberrant patterns arent the only extreme weather weve seen across the U.S. lately: Hurricane Laura pummeled the Louisiana coast less than two weeks ago, and a couple of weeks before that, a derecho whipped through Iowa, where winds over 100 miles an hour damaged more than 800 buildings and up to 43 percent of the states soybean and corn crop, according to Radio Iowa. Advertisement In any given year, each of these individual events might be newsworthy. Together, they suggest that extreme weather is becoming more commonplacean outcome climate scientists have long warned will be a result of climate change. Using attribution science, scientists can analyze data to understand how climate change plays a role in driving individual extreme weather events. Advertisement Before I moved to the West Coast a decade ago, I understood that, of course, there were fires in this part of the country, but I didnt understand the emotional toll until Id lived through a few. (I feel extraordinarily grateful that I have not yet even had to evacuate; so many people Ive met have lost loved ones, beloved pets, and their homes.) Its difficult to describe the sense of doom a heavy cloak of wildfire smoke imparts: the claustrophobia of staying inside, the often intense heat of fire weather in areas that largely lack air conditioning, the orange tint of the sky, the sun glowing an ominous red. Its the same goosebump-raising awe you might experience during a solar eclipse, but tinged with fear and existential angst that we have front-row seats to the destruction of climate change. The cumulative effect of experiencing this year after yearespecially for people who live in places like Sonoma County, which experienced record-setting blazes in 2017, 2019, and 2020is abject dread, and for many, it brings back painful memories. Advertisement As we head into the peak of wildfire and hurricane season, people in the path of these events come to expect the unexpected: new weather records, bigger storms, and devastating destruction. We pack our go bags to make sure were ready for the worst, but we realize weve donated our N95 masks to doctors working in COVID-19 wards, and with the coronavirus raging, its not clear where we could go to be safe. This is fine, we say. Correction, Sept. 9, 2020: This piece originally misstated that the comic features a photo of a dog. It features an illustration of a dog. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. This is one of the first times were going to get a lot of transparency and data that usually you cannot get, said Krystal Oriadha, the co-founder of PG Change Makers, which was formed after Floyds death. The group is calling for a repeal of the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights in Maryland, which gives police more due-process rights than all other U.S. residents. The group also wants to redirect funds from the countys police budget toward economic, mental health and educational resources. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8) The impending release of US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton may have raised emotions in the country, but there was nothing objectionable about it, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Tuesday. In an interview with CNN Philippines, Guevarra said it is within the President's exclusive prerogative under the Constitution to pardon anyone "for whatever reason he deems fair and reasonable." The President is not even obliged to explain it to the public, he added. On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte granted Pemberton absolute pardon after less than six years in jail for killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude. It was a surprise move in the midst of the appeals filed by the Laude family and even the Philippines' own Department of Justice to block Pemberton's early release due to good conduct. Duterte said it was unfair to keep Pemberton detained pending the court's resolution and that he should be given "the good character presumption." Guevarra said, "I do not see anything really very objectionable about his (Duterte's) reason for granting Pemberton that absolute pardon." The Justice Secretary explained Duterte did not actually consult him but "just informed" him about the planned pardon. "It seems to me that he had already made up his mind and was just probably sounding me off if it's something that can actually be done." As to the motion for reconsideration against the September 1 court order for Pemberton's release, Guevarra said his department had already filed a motion for reconsideration prior to learning about the presidential pardon. "We are not in the position to question the President's judgment regarding the exercise of a purely personal act of grace," Guevarra said. "So we will just let it go and let the motion for reconsideration die a natural death. It will become moot and academic." The Jennifer Laude case The Olongapo City Regional Trial Court's Branch 74 ruled that Pemberton should be freed, crediting to him more than four years worth of good conduct time allowance, a privilege given to detainees who exhibit exemplary behavior in prison. The Laude camp, along with some law experts questioned the basis for Pemberton's good behavior when he has been staying solo and comfortably in a special detention facility a far cry from the country's overcrowded jails. In line with the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US, Pemberton has been detained in Camp Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Armed Forces in Quezon City, instead of the New Bilibid Prison. The Court of Appeals initially sentenced Pemberton up to 12 years of imprisonment, but this was later reduced to a maximum of 10 years. In October 2014, Laude was found dead in an Olongapo City motel room after a night out with then 19-year-old Pemberton. Laude's neck was blackened with strangulation marks, head rammed into a toilet, after Pemberton learned that she was transgender. The high-profile case sparked complaints that American servicemen get special treatment in the Philippines, a former US colony. It has also been condemned by left-wing groups who have long been calling for an end to US military presence in the country. Pemberton relieved, critics dismayed Pemberton's lawyers maintained there was no preferential treatment for Pemberton, saying his jail cell was also small, and he has served his time there. "Ang pinakamatinding damdamin niya ay relief," Rowena Flores, Pemberton's counsel, told reporters. "Hindi naman po selebrasyon, kung hindi po sa paghihintay ng anim na taon na nasa kulungan siya, ang pakiramdam niya ay salamat naman po at natapos na ito at kung maaari ay magpanibagong buhay na siya." [Translation: What he really feels is relief. It's not really a celebration, but after six months in jail, he's grateful that this is over and he can turn a new leaf.] Vice President Leni Robredo was among those who questioned the commutation of Pemberton's sentence. "Isa lang ang kasong ito sa maraming patunay ng pagkiling sa makapangyarihan na nakikita natin mula sa pamahalaan. Ang nakikita natin: Kapag mahirap, may parusa; kapag mayaman at nasa poder, malaya," she said in a statement. [Translation: We are asking if the decision was fair and just. This case is only one of the many proof that the government coddles the powerful. From what we see, the poor are punished, but the rich are allowed to be free.] Despite public outrage, Guevarra said nothing can stop Pemberton from walking free since a presidential pardon is not appealable. US President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize weeks after he offered to help broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Trump was nominated by a member of the Norwegian Parliament Christian Tybring-Gjedde. "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," said Tybring-Gjedde, member of Norwegian Parliament and chairman to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to Fox news. Tybring-Gjedde wrote a letter to the Nobel Committee in which he said that the Trump government had played an important role in establishing better relations between UAE and Israel. "As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game-changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity," Tybring-Gjedde wrote. Tybring-Gjedde added that Trump played a key role in facilitating contact between conflicting sides. According to the Norwegian parliament member, Donald Trump also created new dynamics in other conflict areas such as Kashmir and North Korea. He praised Trump for dealing with the nuclear capabilities of North Kore He lauded US President Trump for withdrawing US troops from Middle-East. "Indeed, Trump has broken a 39-year-old streak of American Presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict. The last president to avoid doing so was Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter," he added. Last Month, UAE become the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to establish full diplomatic relations with Isreal. This has been seen as a major step towards resolving the situation in the Middle-East. There were 318 candidates for the 2020 Peace Prize, according to the official Nobel website. The winner of the prize for 2021 will not be announced until October of next year. Also read: US elections 2020: Kamala Harris will never be President, says Donald Trump Also read: COVID-19 pandemic: Pharma companies to stand against Trump's rush for vaccine A man allegedly involved in molesting and throwing out a woman from his car besides knocking down another woman has been arrested from Dumdum area near Kolkata, police said. The accused Abhishek Pandey was remanded to seven-day police custody by a Kolkata court on Wednesday. A senior police officer said, Pandey who had allegedly molested the 31-year old woman in his car on Saturday night was arrested from a guest house in Dumdum area, in the northern outskirts of Kolkata, on Tuesday night. He was booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Murlidhar Sharma said. Pandey had checked in at a guest house in Anandapur area of east Kolkata till Sunday morning after allegedly committing the crime and then went to meet a friend in Sealdah. He then checked in at the Dumdum guest house where the police zeroed in on him. He was tracked through GPRS on his mobile and the police confirmed his role in the incident after checking the registration number of his car, job profile, social media activities and other details, the officer said. Initially the victim had wrongly mentioned the name of Pandey as Amitabha Bose in her complaint which caused delay in tracking him, the officer said. The woman was Pandey's friend and had dinner with him at a restaurant before she was allegedly molested, the officer said. Pandey, in his early 30s, had also knocked down Nilanjana Chatterjee when she was trying to stop his vehicle from speeding away and save the molestation victim who was pushed off the car in Anandapur area. The braveheart was returning home with her husband in their car when they heard the victim, sitting beside Pandey in another vehicle behind them, crying for help. Chatterjee's husband had stopped their vehicle to block the path of the other car. His wife was seriously injured when Pandey hit her with his car in his bid to flee. She underwent surgery in a private hospital on Monday. Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Anuj Sharma, on Tuesday commended Chatterjee who risked her life to save the lady and informed her that the government has decided to bear the cost of her treatment. MIAMI The basic electoral math in Florida looks something like this: Democrats roll up their votes in South Florida and Miami-Dade County, Republicans pad their numbers in the north and statewide races are decided in the Interstate 4 Corridor in between. This year, however, the I-4 Corridor is taking a back seat in some of those calculations. President Donald Trumps campaign and Republicans are making inroads in Miami-Dade County, the states most populous, forcing the Biden campaign to scramble in response to the threat to the wellspring of Democratic votes. In a county where more than half of the residents are born outside the mainland U.S. mostly in Latin America Trump has outspent Joe Bidens campaign by about $4 million on TV in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale media market, much of it on Spanish-language ads. The presidents conservative allies have dominated Spanish-language social media and WhatsApp messaging to Spanish-speakers. And the Miami-Dade County GOP has fielded candidates in five key local races, all of whom are Cuban-American, which could help turn out the pro-Trump Republican vote. A new poll of local voters found that Biden is underperforming Hillary Clintons 2016 margins over Trump in the county, where Democrats needed to run up the score to offset losses elsewhere. Theyre not hearing enough from the Biden campaign, and I think the Biden camp has seen that and beefed up their programming the last two weeks to head into the general, said Ricky Junquera, a state House candidate and vice chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. Im sure theyve obviously identified thats a problem and they need to correct that quickly. Miami state Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Democrat, said the raft of polling and the late-breaking response to Trumps threat in Florida has the party taking the matter seriously after months of discarding warnings. Some of us have been warning about this, but it was kill the messenger: You just bitch about everything. And now they're like Ahhhhh! What do we do? she said. Story continues Bidens campaign has reacted by beefing up Latino staff in the state, and rapidly closing the gap in Spanish-language ads and ads run in Miami-Dade, while dispatching running mate Kamala Harris in person on Thursday. Denis Gomez, of Miami, wears a cape with the face of President Donald Trump as he stands in line outside of Miami's King Jesus International Ministry church where Trump held a rally for evangelical supporters in Jan. 2020. In the chess game that is the Florida campaign a dead heat, according to an NBC News/Marist poll released Tuesday Trump is wagering that, by competing so hard on what should be Bidens terrain, it gives him room to go on offense in other parts of the state where Biden is running well with non-Hispanic white voters. We are focused on every part of this state, not ceding any place, and it would be politically foolish otherwise, said Susie Wiles, who leads Trumps campaign in Florida. Trumps traction with Cuban American voters, who tend to vote Republican, is driving his gains in Miami-Dade. After drifting toward the Democratic side during President Barack Obamas 2008 and 2012 bids, many have returned to the GOP fold amid Trumps crackdown on Cuba and his constant outreach. In Miami-Dade, about 72 percent of the registered Republicans are Hispanic, mostly Cuban-American. Throughout the 2016 election and during his time in office, President Trump has developed a personal connection with the Cuban community in Florida and he would never allow that to be ceded unilaterally to anyone, Wiles said. The Cuban vote isnt monolithic, however, nor is the Hispanic vote in either Miami-Dade or across Florida, where Democratic-leaning voters with roots in Puerto Rico are challenging Cuban-American dominance statewide. A growing wave of Pan-Latin American voters who have neither Cuban nor Puerto Rican roots could account for nearly half of all of Floridas registered Hispanic voters. Many of the non-Cuban Hispanics, especially in Miami, are registered as independents but vote Democratic when they turn out. That places an extra burden on county Democrats who have to run a turnout operation just to get their base Black voters and progressive whites to the polls and requires a persuasion campaign, often in Spanish, to get these Hispanic voters on board. The campaign has realized for us to win Florida, we need to go all-out in Miami-Dade. And they are doing that, said Christian Ulvert, a veteran Democratic specialist in Hispanic outreach who was part of a wave of hires by Biden to counteract the rising Trump threat. If theres one person whom Republicans and Democrats credit with helping Trump among Miami-Dade Hispanic voters specifically Cuban-Americans its Alexander Otaola, who emigrated to Miami in 2003 and launched a popular Spanish-language YouTube show that morphed from covering culture and music into politics. Along the way, Otaola went from an Obama voter to an evangelist for Trump. Otaola told POLITICO that Trump is proving relatively popular with Latinos in the county because he is synonymous with prosperity and success. We are tired of politicians who say the right thing and do the wrong thing. And we have changed to whoever speaks the wrong thing; but does the right thing. Carlos Odio, who heads the Democratic Latino research firm Equis Labs, said he learned of Otaola organically in a focus group studying Hispanic voters, where a participant brought up his conservative messaging. Odio calculated this summer that Trump, who had lost Cuban-American support in 2016 relative to other Republicans, made up so much lost ground since then that, if the 2016 election were held under current conditions, he wouldve added 90,000 net votes to his total statewide margin of 112,911 over Clinton. Part of that is the olds coming back to Trump, Odio said. The other part is the growth of these recent arrivals. That part is Otaola. If he did not exist, I dont know if you would see the swing the same way. In a recent statewide poll of Florida, Odio found that Biden had made up some lost ground with Cuban-Americans. But, relative to Clinton in 2016, he was still trailing her margins, partly a function of being relatively unknown with a large segment of Floridas broad, dynamic Hispanic community that consists of people with roots throughout Latin America, although voters with roots in Cuba and Puerto Rico account for more than half of the Latino vote in the state. In a poll of likely Miami-Dade voters by Bendixen & Amandi International released Tuesday for The Miami Herald, Biden led Trump by 17 points, a margin that gives Democrats shivers in a county that Clinton carried by nearly 30 points. Pollster Fernand Amandi found that Trump was winning Cuban-American voters 68-30 percent, while Biden was carrying what are called non-Cuban Hispanics 58-32 percent. A Democratic survey conducted in the county by veteran pollster Tom Eldon and shared with POLITICO found Biden doing better with non-Cuban Hispanics, winning them 62-32 percent and losing Cuban-Americans by 61-33 percent, according to a memo from Ulvert. Amandi, whose firm was a lead consultant for Obamas Hispanic voter research and messaging in 2008 and 2012 said its a warning sign for Biden. Theres no path to victory for Trump in Miami-Dade, but theres a path to manage Miami-Dade margins, which could allow Trump to carry Florida by minimizing his losses here, Amandi said, adding that Biden has an advantage that Clinton didnt: Hes pulling more white voters elsewhere in the state, and theyre a supermajority of Floridas electorate. If Biden overperforms with white voters in Florida, it doesnt matter how much he underperforms with Hispanic voters, Amandi said. Evelyn Perez-Verdia, a Democratic political consultant and Spanish-language media commentator in South Florida, blamed much of Bidens standing with Latino voters on a massive disinformation campaign in Spanish in Florida. I get WhatsApp videos from every single person I know calling Democrats socialists, she said. And they go into this dark side about how Democrats support things like ISIS. Its totally crazy. Theyre using fear and, unfortunately, fear can work. The socialism attack, which Florida Democrats say they ignored to their peril in 2018 elections, has particular salience among Cuban-Americans, but also is utilized to convince voters with roots in Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua. Its a substantive messaging point in two Florida state Senate races, two South Florida congressional contests to unseat Democratic incumbents and the county mayors race. Republican consultant David Custin, who is advising the competitive Miami-Dade mayors race, said Democrats are deluding themselves when it comes to how far left their party has moved and dont realize how much Hispanic voters in the state are turned off by that. Look at what happened to the Democratic Party: You had a Kennedy who just lost a Democratic primary in Massachusetts because he wasnt liberal enough, Custin said. The Democratic Party has changed. It also urged Iran to 'stop support for its proxies in the region and stop inciting sectarian seditions that constitute a continuing threat to the stability and security of the Arab region' The Arab League (AL) called Wednesday on the international community to take a firm stand against the Iranian activities that "shake the regional countries' stability." The AL stressed rejection for the "Iranian hostile practices," calling on Tehran to stop intervention in the Arab countries' domestic affairs, during the sideline of AL's ministerial committee held via a video conference. It also urged Iran to "stop support for its proxies in the region and stop inciting sectarian seditions that constitute a continuing threat to the stability and security of the Arab region." Search Keywords: Short link: GENEVA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- "Servicification" is set to increasingly contribute to the growth of the global and national economies, an economist with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) told Xinhua in a recent interview. "Servicification" is a key dimension of industrialization, said Bruno Antunes, an economist at UNCTAD's Division on International Trade and Commodities, adding that it will help countries in their development strategies to reach a more balanced growth pattern. Services represent the fastest-growing sector of the global economy and account for two-thirds of global output, one-third of global employment and a quarter of international trade, Antunes noted. The economist highlighted a key structural difference between the developed and developing economies: while most developing economies rely more on traditional services such as travel and transport, developed economies focus more on knowledge-intensive services. "It means the types of input that the services provide in developing economies are different from the ones that are provided in developing economies," Antunes said."And that means a strong difference from the role that services can play in development." He made the remarks when commenting on the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), which runs from Sept. 4 to Sept. 9 in Beijing. It is one of the world's largest comprehensive fairs for trade in services and has hosted both online and offline events due to the global pandemic situation. Under the theme of "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the CIFTIS 2020 has held a total of 190 forums with over 17,000 companies attending. During the fair, a number of reports and new technology applications were also released. Antunes said the trade fair was an opportunity to discuss the effects of COVID-19 on services and especially the tourism sector: "The young people, the ones working part-time, the informal workers, even women can suffer the strongest impact as they represent the majority of tourism workers." Meanwhile, he stressed that tourism, especially travel agencies, can significantly benefit from the digitalization in services. Speaking of what policies a country should pursue for trade in services, Antunes said this will vary depending on the local economy. "Answers must be specific for each country and each sector... Some are connected more to the local economy so they can use the protection of the blue economy, the green economy, the creative economy, to build a value proposition on services that can, in fact, be a different business model for the future," he said. Asked about the message that China sends out through CIFTIS 2020 to the world amid the current pandemic, Antunes said: "Cooperation is a key dimension of the way forward." "If all major players are willing to assist, provide assistance, as we are doing as an international organization, that will be an important part all the way forward." Havas Media has won media duties for MyGate, Indias leading community management solution, whose comprehensive offering comprises security, ERP and a host of other features for gated communities. The mandate includes over-the-top (OTT) media services and all offline media duties. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch. The account size is estimated to be Rs 30+ crore and will be handled out of the agencys Bangalore office led by Saurabh Jain, EVP - South, Havas Media. Also read: Havas Media Group extends long-term partnership with Telefonica Founded by ISB-IIM-IIT alumni, MyGate is headquartered in Bangalore, with offices in its major markets across the country. MyGates eponymous mobile app enables gated communities to vastly enhance their security and convenience through a number of innovative features, such as Visitor Management, e-Intercom, Accounts & Payments, Leave at Gate, and Daily Help Management. It allows residents to approve entries and exits, manage visitors/deliveries, communicate with their neighbours, log attendance and pay society maintenance bills and daily help workers, among much else. Launched in 2016, it is now used by over 2 million homes every day in over 10,000 gated communities across the country. Over the past year, MyGate has been named one of Indias Most Disruptive Start-ups (by YourStory) and among Indias Top 15 Tech Disruptors (by BusinessWorld). Ranjit Behera, Head of Marketing, MyGate, said, By enhancing the safety and convenience of gated communities and constantly introducing newer, better, friendlier solutions to everyday problems, MyGate is bringing about a positive change in community living. Effective communication is a crucial component of this effort, and were glad to have the passion, experience and strategic thinking of Havas Media Groups Meaningful Media to navigate its constantly evolving landscape. Commenting on the win, Mohit Joshi, Managing Director, Havas Media Group, India, said, MyGate is a pioneer brand in the community management space which thrives on technology and innovation. MyGate app facilitates a seamless and contactless experience to its user which is a need of the hour. MyGates recent integrations with news and healthcare platforms is a testament to their passion towards community welfare. We are honoured to be partnering with MyGate and are glad to further bolster our e-commerce portfolio with this win. Utility tractors are commonly used for various agricultural and non-agricultural purposes. The main applications of utility tractor are ground keeping, landscaping and other commercial purposes. Furthermore, additional features of utility tractors are attaching or detaching of plaguing equipment such as grader, blades, mid- or rear-mount finish mowers, subsoiler rotary cutter and rototiller. It is very easy for the farmers to purchase these tractors for small agricultural applications. In North American region, utility tractors with rear-mounted snow blowers are gaining superior traction in the market due to cold climatic conditions. The major end users of the utility tractors are agricultural farmers and landscape contractors. Request for Report sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3106 Over the last few years, sales of 2-WD (Two Wheel Drive) and 4-WD (Four Wheel Drive) tractors have witnessed an increase in the growth of sales and the same trend is anticipated to continue over the slated time period. The sales of utility tractors in the global market is projected to grow with a healthy CAGR during the forecast time period. Segmentation The global utility tractor market can be segmented on the basis of Drive: Pedestrian Type Wheeled Type The global utility tractor market can be segmented on the basis of Application: Landscaping Construction Company Government Agencies Hay & Agriculture Products Operations Municipalities Others Driver Increasing demand of low budget agricultural equipment for personal plaguing purposes and in government projects such as field plaguing is expected to drive the global utility tractor market over the forecast time period. Furthermore, growing government subsidies on agricultural machine is also capturing consumers eyes towards the market in the foreseeable time period. Trend Industry leaders are investing hefty money in the research and development in order to make a cornerstone in the global market. Moreover, Tech giants are focusing on manufacturing Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) system for utility tractor. Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) system is easy in operation owing to this system has no manual gear & clutch system, each and every transmission related to tractor is automatic. Regional Market Outlook The global utility tractor market is segmented into the following regions North America, Latin America, Europe, APAC and Middle East and Africa. APAC region is expected to dominate in the market owing to rapidly growing agricultural industry. North America is anticipated to be the 2nd largest market, owing to growing small scale government projects related to agricultural industry. In Europe, the growth rate for the market is witnessed to be healthy due to increasing mid-size dairy farm, particularly in Italy and Germany. Middle East & Africa region is projected to grow with sluggish growth rate owing to low growth rate of agricultural industry particularly in GCC countries. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are estimated to grow with noteworthy growth rates throughout the forecast time period. Key Player Key player for the global utility tractor market are: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. LS Mtron Tractor Deere & Company AGCO Tractor Argo Tractors S.p.A. Daedong-USA Vmax International Group (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd., AC&E Caterpillar Inc. Research Methodology: TMR surveys a number of companies in order to estimate the data covered in the report through triangulation methodology. A detailed market understanding and assessment of the drive and application segments covered in the study. The research methodology also includes interviews conducted for various industry leaders by the research experts. This helps the researchers to match their previous findings with the ones confirmed from various resource persons. The report focuses on analyzing the supply-side approaches and keeps a track of that of the demand-side so as to make sure the findings are true. The global market scenario has been derived by consolidation of regional market overviews. ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Broadstone Net Lease, Inc., an internally-managed real estate investment trust (BNL), announced today that it plans to commence the roadshow for its proposed initial public offering. BNL has filed a registration statement on Form S-11 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to offer 33,500,000 shares of its Class A Common Stock to the public. BNL also intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 5,025,000 shares of its Class A Common Stock from BNL. The initial public offering price is expected to be between $17.00 and $19.00 per share. BNL has been approved to list its Class A Common Stock, subject to notice of issuance, on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BNL. BNL intends to use the net proceeds from the proposed offering to repay borrowings under its unsecured term loan and revolving credit facility and for general business and working capital purposes, including potential future acquisitions. J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, BMO Capital Markets, Morgan Stanley, Capital One Securities and Truist Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the proposed offering. Regions Securities LLC, BTIG, KeyBanc Capital Markets and Ramirez & Co., Inc. are acting as co-managers for the proposed offering. The proposed offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. A copy of the preliminary prospectus may be obtained from J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by telephone at (866) 803-9204, or by email at prospectus-eq_fi@jpmchase.com ; Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, or by telephone at (866) 471-2526, or by email at prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com ; BMO Capital Markets Corp., Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, 3 Times Square, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10036, or by telephone at (800) 414-3627, or by email at bmoprospectus@bmo.com or Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10014. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. 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 these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Broadstone Net Lease, Inc. Broadstone Net Lease, Inc. (BNL) is an internally-managed REIT that acquires, owns, and manages primarily single-tenant commercial real estate properties that are net leased on a long-term basis to a diversified group of tenants. BNL utilizes an investment strategy underpinned by strong fundamental credit analysis and prudent real estate underwriting. As of June 30, 2020, BNLs diversified portfolio consisted of 632 properties in 41 U.S. states and one property in Canada across the industrial, healthcare, restaurant, office, and retail property types, with an aggregate gross asset value of approximately $4.0 billion. SHAVER LAKE, Calif. Heavy winds sweeping across the West fueled fast-growing wildfires Wednesday and forced mass evacuations as firefighters battled gamely to protect lives, homes and businesses. More than 90 major fires that have burned more than 5,300 square miles almost the size of Connecticut are raging in 13 Western states, according to a count by the National Fire Information Center. At least seven people are confirmed to have died, including three in Butte County, California, according to Sheriff Kory Honea. Another 12 people are missing in Butte County, the sheriff said. The fires were also blamed for three deaths in Oregon, and one in Washington state. Thick smoke completely blocked sunlight in some large areas, and distant flames turned the sky orange in others. The San Francisco Bay Area woke up to an apocalyptic, orange-tinged sky that gave the impression the morning had not arrived, as street lights stayed on and both drivers and folks in their homes had to turn their lights on. By 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time, the dark cover still enveloped the area. Several weeks of fire season remain across a region plagued by high heat and parched terrain. California has already set a record with nearly 2.3 million acres burned this year. At 11:17 a.m. in San Francisco on Wednesday, street and house lights were on as smoke from fires burning throughout California darkened the skies. Holly Brown, among the tens of thousands of Californians who have been displaced, found refuge outside the Clovis Hills Community Church along with her mother, brother and four dogs after being forced from the family farm in the Tollhouse area by the Creek Fire, about 70 miles northeast of Fresno. Our entire community is gone,'' Brown said. "Everyone is evacuated. We could hear the trees exploding as this red glow came up over the hillside." Northern and Central California were under siege as Diablo winds fanned the flames of roaring, historic fires burning virtually uncontrolled. The Creek Fire in the Sierra National Forest destroyed more than 350 structures and forced evacuation of over 30,000 people in Fresno and Madera counties, authorities said. Story continues That includes scores of people evacuated by California National Guard and Navy pilots who completed eight trips to the wilderness, bringing dozens of people back each time, Fresno County Lt. Brandon Purcell said. In Shaver Lake, the destruction included Cressmans General Store, an iconic landmark dating back to 1904. Dozens of homes burned, the flames charring them down to foundations and chimneys and melting away tires and paint from vehicles parked alongside. But the devastation is not total: The fire spared the Pine Ridge Elementary School, although it burned a school bus parked nearby. Weather conditions favorable for fire spread are expected to last until Thursday, when calmer winds may bring firefighters some relief. "We understand what you're going through," Incident Commander Marty Adell told evacuees. "A lot of us come from fire-prone areas. We've been in this business for a long time. ... We are going to try everything in our power to get you back into the areas you call home." Glowing orange sky, thick smoke: People in the West share surreal scenes of living amid wildfires In the Los Padres National Forest on the states central coast, 14 firefighters suffered burns and smoke inhalation after deploying emergency shelters as flames from the Dolan Fire destroyed a fire station, Incident Commander Rob Allen said. Three were flown to a hospital in Fresno. Spokesman Chris Barth said they were stabilized, with one in critical and the other two in fair condition. Fires were also blazing in Southern California, and strong winds were driving wildfires in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. California ablaze: Striking satellite imagery shows how the fires are unfolding In Oregon, a series of fires killed three people and forced residents to flee flames, smoke and destruction. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said hundreds of residences have been destroyed. "This could be the greatest loss of human life and property due to wildfire in our states history, Brown said. In Marion County, a Detroit evacuee wondered what she and neighbors had left behind as she raced from the inferno. "Fire on both sides, winds blowing, ash flying. It was like driving through hell," Jody Evans told NewsChannel 21. "Did you lose everything, or is the only thing you saved yourself?" Surreal out here today...here in Salem, 20 or so miles from fires, noonish today, what looks like snow on tree tops is ash.... pic.twitter.com/9iDBTMwWVf Steve Davies (@blazercollector) September 9, 2020 California: Rescues, burned homes in north; south awaits Santa Anas Helicopters have rescued hundreds of people stranded in the burning Sierra National Forest, where the Creek Fire that already destroyed 365 buildings threatened 5,000 more, fire officials said. Isaac Rodriguez of San Diego and a group of friends were backpacking above Shaver Lake and planned to camp. When things got hot, Rodriguez took refuge at Lake Edison's Vermilion Valley Resort and waited for help. "The day we started backpacking, we didn't know there was a fire," Rodriguez said. "They took care of us pretty well there. ... We knew we couldn't get out." Authorities say it will likely be at least a week, and possibly as long as a month, before the Creek Fire is controlled enough to permit residents to return. Holly Brown, her mother and brother hope they don't have to wait that long. They are sleeping outside the Clovis Hills Community Church on blankets near their battered Toyota Tacoma pickups so they can stay close to their dogs. Brown pondered the fate of the family farm in the Tollhouse area burned by the Creek Fire. "Im anxious to go home. I know it would be scary to be up there but I want to be there," said Brown, 45, who works at a nearby gas station. "We were really hesitant to go to a shelter. Were private. Its how we do it." The church on Wednesday distributed free food and other supplies to evacuees, many of whom were unwilling to go into a nearby Red Cross shelter because their animals were unwelcome there. Brown's family fled their farm Sunday at 1 a.m, bundling heirloom quilts and their dogs into the trucks. They had to leave behind an older, blind horse and a cat. The horse will find leftover containers of dog food to eat if all the hay has burned, Brown said, and the cat will survive as it always has. The family has lived on the farm for 30 years, using propane, wood and solar electricity to stay off the grid. In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, and the forecast called for the arrival of the regions notorious Santa Anas. The hot, dry winds could reach 50 mph at times, forecasters said. The El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino County, sparked last week during a baby gender-reveal event, had spread across 18 square miles and was 19% contained. Almost 1,000 firefighters aided by six helicopters were battling the blaze. The combination of gusty winds, very dry air, and dry vegetation will create critical fire danger, the National Weather Service warned. Oregon: Death, power outages and evacuations In Oregon, wildfires powered by 50-mph wind gusts killed two people, destroyed hundreds of homes, forced harried evacuations and left almost 100,000 homes and businesses without power Wednesday. The state Office of Emergency Management said at least 35 fires were burning across Oregon. Gov. Kate Brown warned of overwhelming devastation from blazes burning a large swath of Oregon and Washington state that rarely experiences such intense fire activity because of the Pacific Northwests cool and wet climate. KOIN-TV reported a 12-year-old boy and his grandmother died in the fire near Lyons, 24 miles southeast of the capital city of Salem, and the child's mother was hospitalized in critical condition. Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler confirmed another death at the origin point of a wildfire that started near Ashland, The Mail Tribune newspaper in Medford reported on Wednesday night. The precise extent of damage was unclear because so many of the fire zones were too dangerous to survey, said Oregon Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. Vietnam veteran Lloyd Dean Holland initially resisted police advice to leave because the fire seemed distant from his home in Estacada, 23 miles southeast of Portland. Around 10 p.m., he said his landlord came pounding on the door screaming at him to go. Ive been through hell and high water but nothing like this,'' Holland said. "Ive been shot down and shot at, but this last night, Im still not over it. In Gates, a Marion County hamlet of about 500 people 35 miles east of Salem, acting Mayor John McCormick said it was difficult to track which homes were spared by the flames and which ones were destroyed. We were happy and at home and everything was great. Within a few hours, everything changed for everybody," McCormick said. "We werent even in evacuation stage until suddenly the fire was there. No step 1, 2, 3 and get out. It was Get out! There was no warning whatsoever. Washington: 'Unprecedented, heartbreaking event' Fires continued to roar across parts of Washington state, claiming the life of a 1-year-old boy. Okanogan County Sheriff Tony Hawley said the boy's family was apparently overrun by flames while trying to flee a wildfire in the northeastern part of the state. The parents were found Wednesday in the area of the Cold Springs Fire and transported to a Seattle hospital with third-degree burns, Hawley said. Hundreds of residents have been ordered to evacuate this week. More than 500 square miles burned Monday alone, Gov. Jay Inslee said. Thats more in a single day than 12 of the last 18 entire fire seasons, he said. Its an unprecedented and heartbreaking event,'' Inslee said. "Were living in a new world. This is not the old Washington." Inslee said at least nine major fires were burning across the state. He blamed heat, high winds, low humidity and climate change for the explosive growth of fires. "A fire that you mightve seen that was going to be OK over time isnt OK anymore because the conditions are so dry, theyre so hot, theyre so windy," Inslee said. "The climate has changed. Montana: 28 homes lost in Bridger Foothills Fire The Bridger Foothills Fire near Bozeman, Montana, isn't large in comparison to some of the blazes exploding across the West, but it has been costly. Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin said 28 residences and an unknown number of other buildings have been damaged or destroyed by fire stretching over more than 7,000 acres about 11 square miles. There would have been a heck of a lot more (homes burned) than that if it werent for our firefighters, Gootkin told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Precipitation over the fire area was helping, but the sheriff's office warned on its Facebook page that "heavy fuels" remain dry inside and continue to burn. A warming, drying trend was expected through week's end, adding to the fire concerns. Idaho: 13 homes burn near Orofino In Idaho, the Idaho State Fire Marshals Office said on Facebook that 13 homes were destroyed along with 31 other structures and 26 vehicles near the north-central Idaho town of Orofino. The culprit was a fast-moving complex of smaller wildfires covering more than 1,600 acres. The County Commissioners Office said a landslide along a local highway took out power lines, which may have sparked the fire. No official cause had been determined, however. No injuries or fatalities had been reported. Bacon reported from Arlington, Virginia; Jorge L. Ortiz from San Francisco. Contributing: Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY; Sheyanne N. Romero and Joshua Yeager, Visalia Times-Delta; Bill Poehler and Capi Lynn, Salem Statesman Journal; The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fire map: California firefighters injured; Oregon wildfire evacuations The European Parliament has cancelled plans to hold a plenary session in Strasbourg next week saying it would pose too many health risks after the French city was placed in a coronavirus "red zone". Parliament President David Sassoli said that while legislators had "done everything to resume the normal course of plenary sessions in Strasbourg" it remained too dangerous to move there for the plenary session scheduled for 14 to 17 September." "While we are very disappointed about this decision, we have to consider that the transfer of the administration of the European Parliament would entail quarantine for all staff upon their return to Brussels," he said. The European Parliament has two bases. The bulk of its work is carried out in Brussels alongside the other institutions of the European Union, and its regular week-long sessions are held 450 kilometres away in Strasbourg. The costly and time-consuming trek for MEPs and their staff between the two cities has often been criticised but France insists on its right - enshrined in the EU treaty - to host the assembly. But France has seen a surge in new coronavirus infections and on Sunday added seven more regions to its red zone, including the eastern cities of Lille, Strasbourg and Dijon. "The European Parliament's wish is to return to Strasbourg and we are confident that, in the face of a decline of the pandemic, this will be possible," Sassoli said. Victory for the Brussels supporters European legislation means that 12 plenary sessions must be held in the Alsatian town of Strasbourg every year, but a majority of MEPs oppose this and would prefer to see Brussels made the European Parliament's only base. "The ratio must be around 600 against and 100 in favour and among those in favour, there are just about only the French and the Germans," Francois-Xavier Bellamy, head of The Republicans party, told La Croix. Another French MEP, Anne Sander, said she'd spent "the week lobbying her colleagues, trying to explain that working in Strasbourg was no more dangerous than in Brussels". But several Green MEPs did not agree. Before the announcement, Belgian MEP Philippe Lamberts, co-president of the Greens/EFA alliance, said the Greens would keep their presence to the strict minimum," if Parliament didn't "set an example and hold the plenary session in Brussels". Sander told La Croix she regretted that "some people had used Covid to attack Strasbourg". (with AFP) Boris Johnson has been warned he risks huge damage to Britains national interests and its standing on the world stage as Brussels reacted with alarm to his threats to walk out of EU trade talks and tear up key parts of his Brexit withdrawal agreement. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned that implementation in full of the agreement which Mr Johnson signed up to last year was a legal obligation and a condition for any future trade deal with the EU, while anti-Brexit parties in Northern Ireland issued a joint statement warning that departing from the deal would undermine the peace process. But Downing Street denied it was tearing up the withdrawal agreement and its protocol on Northern Ireland, insisting that the prime minister was committed to implementing both in their entirety, but was simply making clarifications in order to avoid confusion when the UKs Brexit transition period ends on 31 December. Business groups urged the prime minister to refocus his attentions on avoiding an unwelcome and dangerous disorderly exit from the EU. Logistics UK, the trade body for the freight sector, warned that his latest high-wire gambit could jeopardise British businesss ability to keep Britain trading. On the eve of the latest and most crucial round of trade talks, opening in London on Tuesday, the UK sent a triple shock through the negotiation process, which has stalled over differences on fishing, state aid and the EUs demands for a level playing field on standards. Following an article by chief negotiator Lord Frost confirming the UK is ready to go for no deal, Mr Johnson declared a self-imposed deadline of 15 October to get agreement or walk away from the table. He claimed that leaving the EU without a trade deal which he refers to as an Australian trading arrangement would be a good outcome for the UK, despite Treasury analysis suggesting that it would knock up to 9 per cent off GDP. And Downing Street confirmed that legislation to be tabled in Westminster on Wednesday will allow the government to override elements of last years withdrawal agreement, previously hailed by Mr Johnson as a great deal which was oven-ready for implementation in full. The threats came as a new YouGov poll found that half of voters (50 per cent) believe leaving without a trade deal would be a bad outcome for the UK, against less than a quarter (24 per cent) who think it would be good. Under Mr Johnsons plans, provisions in the Inland Market Bill and Finance Bill, both due to become law by Christmas, will allow UK ministers unilaterally to determine: Which goods exported from the British mainland to Northern Ireland are at risk of travelling on to the EU, and therefore subject to tariffs. Which subsidies to UK companies relate to Northern Ireland and must be notified to Brussels. That Northern Irish companies need not file export summary declarations for shipments to Britain. The prime ministers official spokesman said the clarifications would avoid unintended consequences - such as the imposition of tariffs on an excessive range of goods - resulting from the failure of a UK/EU Joint Committee to tie up loose ends in the protocol. The measures would lapse once the Committee, chaired by Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic, had resolved outstanding issues, he said. The spokesman also made clear that the government would not be providing the EU with details of its plans for future state aid subsidies to UK companies ahead of Mr Johnsons deadline, saying they were not something that is within the scope of any normal free trade agreement. Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pedestrians pass in front of the Ministry of Defence Building on Whitehall, illuminated by red, white and blue lights in central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supporter shouts during a rally in London AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners take part in a 'Missing EU Already' rally outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A large pro-EU banner is projected onto Ramsgate cliff in Kent PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU supporters light candles in Smith Square in Westminster PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The five-year old Elisa Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights group New Europeans outside Europe House, central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Pro Brexit supporter has a Union Jack painted onto his face at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Men hold placards celebrating Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters dance in the street draped with Union Jack flags at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexit demonstrator spreads his wings during a gathering near Downing Street AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters display a banner ' Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out' from Westminster bridge EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit supporters burn European Union flags at Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses for a picture on Parliament Square in a 'Brexit Day' t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man wears a pro-Brexit t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators visit Europe House to give flowers to the staff on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporter wears a novelty Union Jack top hat outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Customers Scott Jones and Laura Jones at the Sawmill Bar in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, where a Brexit party is being held throughout the day PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU activists protest Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit demonstrator burns a European Union flag AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man carries an EU themed wreath Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA In a carefully-worded tweet, Ms von der Leyen made clear that pressing ahead with Mr Johnsons plans would risk collapsing the talks and put the UKs international reputation for trustworthiness into question. I trust the British government to implement the withdrawal agreement, an obligation under international law and prerequisite for any future partnership, she wrote, adding that the provisions on Northern Ireland were essential to protect peace and stability on the island and integrity of the single market. The chair of the European Parliaments trade committee Bernd Lange said Mr Johnsons move confirmed that his signature on last years political declaration with the EU was not worth the paper it was written on and rendered the trade talks a farce. And the president of the Socialist group in the parliament, Iratxe Garcia Perez, said it beggars belief that the PM would go back on an agreement which he negotiated less than a year ago. All is about trust and it is running out, she said. Agreements must be kept. Irelands foreign affairs minister, Simon Coveney, tweeted ominously: This would be a very unwise way to proceed. Former chancellor Philip Hammond thrown out of the Conservative parliamentary party by Mr Johnson for opposing a no-deal Brexit said: Leaving without a deal would not be a good outcome for the UK, nor would it be the outcome Boris and the Brexiteers promised. The UK is a rule-of-law state, and attempting to legislate domestically to override international law would be an incredibly dangerous step and bound to lead to conflict with the judiciary. It would also hugely damage our standing on the world stage. Mr Johnsons spokesman insisted that the government had always made clear it would act to ensure unfettered access to the whole of the UK internal market for Northern Irish firms. We are taking limited and reasonable steps to clarify specific elements of the Northern Ireland protocol in domestic law to remove any ambiguity and to ensure the government is always able to deliver on its commitments to the people of Northern Ireland, he said. But the chair of the House of Commons Committee on the Future Relationship with the EU, Hilary Benn, told The Independent: It is surprising that the government is apparently suggesting taking legislative powers to do the job of the Joint Committee. That obviously will create some concern and worry on the part of the EU because the government signed up of its own free will to this agreement. Its a legally binding treaty and one would expect the government to honour its terms. And former Conservative cabinet minister Stephen Dorrell, now chair of the European Movement, said Mr Johnson was putting our essential national interests at risk with his jaw-droppingly inept" posturing. The prospect of changes to the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol sparked concern among business leaders in the province. The Northern Ireland Business Brexit Working Group said that, while not perfect, the protocol as agreed last year would at least avert some of the worst consequences of a chaotic non-negotiated outcome. Business continues to ask for the certainty we need to prepare for end of transition period, said the group. And Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI said that efforts to ensure unfettered access to the British market for Northern Irish firms need not put at risk the arrangements set out in the protocol. Warning that businesses were being put in an invidious position, Mr Kelly said: A disorderly end of this year is unwelcome and dangerous. For us it remains the case that a zero-tariff, zero-quota trade deal between the UK and the EU is in everyone's interests and all focus should be placed on achieving that aim. Four anti-Brexit parties in Northern Ireland Sinn Fein, the SDLP, the Alliance and the Greens issued a joint statement warning that departing from the terms of the protocol would be a shocking act of bad faith that would critically undermine the Good Friday Agreement political framework and peace process. Labours shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Louise Haigh, said: It beggars belief that the government is yet again playing a dangerous game in Northern Ireland and sacrificing our international standing at the altar of the prime ministers incompetence. Trade body Logistics UK, whose members include companies shifting goods in and out of the UK by air, sea and land, said it was concerned about reports that the UK government may jeopardise British businesss ability to keep Britain trading by negating key elements of the EU withdrawal agreement, which could put any further negotiations with the European Union at risk. Public policy manager Alex Veitch said: With only 16 weeks remaining until the end of the transition period for the UKs departure from the EU, this would have severe consequences for UK supply chains, leaving very limited time for the logistics industry to react and prepare to new trading conditions, especially as the industry is approaching its Christmas trading peak. Logistics UK, as the business group representing the sector which supports every area of the economy, is adamant that a free trade agreement should still be the priority for negotiators to ensure that the movement of goods to and from Europe can continue with as few limitations as possible, to keep Britain trading effectively with its closest and largest trading partners. Actress Sanjjanaa Galrani was recently arrested for allegedly procuring and consuming drugs. Yesterday (September 8, 2020) the CCB (Central Crime Branch) wing of the Bengaluru police had raided her Indiranagar residence after obtaining a search warrant from the court, in connection with the infamous drug racket case. Notably, another Sandalwood actress Ragini Dwivedi was also arrested in connection with the case on Friday (September 4, 2020). As per reports, the two actresses who have been housed in the same remand home, will go through tight security in order to avoid catfights that could erupt considering that there is no love lost between them. Reports further claim that a good number of women guards have been deployed at the premises due to the same reason. However, there is no official confirmation regarding the 'high security' as of now. It is said that the two actresses do not share a good rapport with each other due to reasons best known to them. Well, it is sexist to assume that the two women who don't see eye to eye will indulge in a catfight in prison. On a related note, Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani will be brought today at the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) office in Bengaluru for further interrogation around the same time. Talking more about Sanjjanaa Galrani's arrest, she had earlier denied involvement in procuring and distributing drugs at any high-end event. She had released a note recently saying that she was upset that the industry's name is being dragged and defamed, which according to her is a temple. The actress was under the scanner ever since her friend Rahul Thonshe, an agent (also her Rakhi brother), was arrested in connection with the drug scandal. Reportedly, Pruthvi Shetty, a party planner, used to organize private parties for Sanjjanaa. The actress' phones have been currently seized by the officials. Niveditha In Trouble; Case Filed Against Actress For Hurting Religious Sentiments Sanjjanaa Galrani Arrested In Sandalwood Drug Scandal After CCB Raided Her Residence SEATTLE, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Outreach , the number one sales engagement platform, today announced that it was named a leader in The Forrester Wave: Sales Engagement, Q3 2020. The platform earned the highest scores possible in 11 criteria in the evaluation and received the highest score of any vendor in the current offering category. Forrester recognized Outreach as "a strong fit for organizations that value innovation and category leadership." "Forrester is absolutely correct when they point out 2020 will be remembered as a 'watershed moment' for B2B selling," said Manny Medina, co-founder and CEO of Outreach. "The pandemic has amplified the need for all companies to invest in a sales engagement solution. Sales leaders need a trusted partner to give them a better way to drive business outcomes. Our current offering gives sales reps and leaders the visibility and efficiency they need right now, during times of rapid change with the proven ability to drive increases in pipeline and revenue." In its vendor profile, the Forrester report noted that "Outreach outpaces others with product innovation and an intuitive platform." The report also states, "One reference customer described the vendor's current functionality as having 'transformed the way we do business and something we could not go without.'" Outreach received the highest possible scores in 11 criteria in the report including service and support, user experience interface, partner and customer ecosystem, and execution roadmap. In addition, the company was the only vendor to score 5 out of 5 in the security, privacy, and compliance and governance criterion. "It's amazing to think how quickly the Outreach platform has evolved from supporting mainly tech startups to some of the largest enterprise customers in the world. Without the dedicated work our team has done to build trust and invest in a robust and innovative platform, we would not have grown at the pace we have nor attracted these large customers with global needs," Medina added. As the only "unicorn" (a startup valued over $1 billion) among those evaluated, Outreach is cited in the report for "investing heavily in product development and extending partnerships to increase its appeal to larger enterprises." The Forrester Wave notes, "Outreach maintains an impressive network of more than 1,000 partners and reinvests 40% of its revenues in R&D to advance platform capabilities." Outreach was also named the fourth-fastest growing technology company in North America in 2019 by Deloitte1 and the only sales engagement platform to be listed on Forbes's Cloud 100 . Outreach continues to innovate and develop new products, and earlier this year announced Outreach Kaia (Knowledge AI Assistant), a revolutionary real-time, voice-enabled knowledge assistant powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that makes every sales rep more effective and every customer conversation more productive. Additional Information The Forrester Wave: Sales Engagement, Q3 2020 is available here . . To register for a webinar featuring Forrester principal analyst Mary Shea and Outreach's chief revenue officer, Anna Baird , please click here . and Outreach's chief revenue officer, , please click . To learn how the best sales leaders are implementing new strategies and creating best practices, attend Outreach's Summit Series. Register here . . To learn more about Outreach, please visit the website. About Outreach Outreach is the number one sales engagement platform with the largest customer base and industry-leading usage. Outreach helps companies dramatically increase productivity and drive smarter, more insightful engagement with their customers. More than 4,500 companies such as Adobe, Tableau, DoorDash, Splunk, DocuSign, and SAP depend on Outreach's enterprise-scale, unparalleled customer adoption, and robust AI-powered innovation. Outreach is a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington. To learn more, please visit www.outreach.io . PR Contact: Amanda Woolley [email protected] 1https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/technology-media-telecommunications/us-tmt-fast-500-2019-winners-list.pdf SOURCE Outreach Related Links https://www.outreach.io Counterespionage agency ASIO questioned at least one Chinese journalist in Australia in connection to an investigation involving a staffer of suspended NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane. ABC journalist Bill Birtles and Australian Financial Review reporter Mike Smith were forced to leave China on Monday. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has publicly claimed the reason for their questioning of Birtles and Smith was due to their involvement in the case of Australian-TV anchor Cheng Lei, who is being detained under national security laws in Beijing. NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane. Credit:James Alcock But both journalists claim they have had little to no contact with the CGTN anchor and questioning about the case by Chinese authorities was superficial. The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can reveal that Chinese journalists were part of a WeChat group connected to Mr Moselmane's part-time staffer John Zhang. Dublin, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Egypt Energy Monitor" newsletter has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Egypt Energy Monitor covers the fast-changing energy and power sectors in the Arab world's most populous country. The Egypt Energy Monitor is an essential resource for companies and other organizations seeking to understand and do business in the market. It features: Daily media monitoring of local and international news as well as original content and analysis across key subsectors and Q&As interviews with key industry players Unique project tracker with 130+ profiles of current and future power plants, spanning solar, wind, gas, coal, hydro and nuclear Comprehensive profiles of local and international, private-sector and government players including contacts and key activities in Myanmar A comprehensive and searchable database of tenders A library of data, laws and other useful resources and third-party reports The content covers upstream and downstream oil and gas, conventional and renewable power, transmission infrastructure, fuel, and related areas. It spans issues such as contract awards, new entrants, legislation, projects, company news, public-sector changes and more. Companies Mentioned 365 Ecology Alexandria Specialty Petroleum Products Company (ASPPC) DB Schenker East Gas Company (EGC) Egyptian International Gas Technology Company (Gastec) Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) EGYTRAFO Group El-Neel Oil Marketing Company (Petroneel) Enviromena Environics Gama Construction Ganoub el Wadi Petroleum Holding Company (GANOPE) Gas Metro Industries Gas Regulatory Authority (GRA) Gastone Global Energy Services (GES) Hydro Power Plants Executive Authority (HPPEA) Kom Ombo Petroleum Company Masader Environmental and Energy Services Middle East Oil Tankage and Pipelines (MIDTAP) NEDCO for Engineering, Contracting, and Supplies Neptune Energy Egypt OCA International Offshore Shukeir Oil Company (OSOCO) Petrotreatment Petroleum and Environmental Services Sojitz Solanile Solargy Renewable Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Wood Group For more information about this newsletter visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/6nbgmw About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Shops on Sydney Road in Brunswick display signs informing customers of their closure in Melbourne, Australia on Aug. 5, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images) Insolvency Relief Extended for Australian Businesses Despite Concerns The federal government has extended insolvency relief and bank protection beyond the original Sept. 25 deadline for another three months in a bid to avoid an avalanche of business failures amidst the economic recession. The move, announced on Sept. 7 following Victorias decision to extend stage 4 lockdown, coincides with the end of the initial wave of 6-month deferrals for business loan repayments. Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in a joint statement with the Attorney-General Christian Porter that these extensions were aimed to maintain the safety net that helps distressed, yet otherwise viable, businesses survive as they are adapting to a new COVID-safe economy. These changes will help to prevent a further wave of failures before businesses have had the opportunity to recover, Frydenberg said . As the economy starts to recover, it will be critical that distressed businesses have the necessary flexibility to restructure or to wind down their operations in an orderly manner. The decision means that the federal governments increase of the threshold for credit demands and bankruptcy to $20,000 will be extended until Dec. 31. Businesses will also have a prolonged six-month time limit provided for them to respond to creditor demands or bankruptcy notices. Under the original regime, the threshold was as low as $2,000 to prompt a credit demand, or $5,000 to initiate bankruptcy proceedings. At the same time, the response time for businesses to negotiate with their creditors was no more than 21 days. Directors of companies will also see relief until the end of the year from personal liability while the company is trading while insolvent. Concerns Over Unnecessary Insolvencies However, the credit sector is firmly against the extension due to its serious and unintended consequences of keeping what they term zombie businesses afloat. CreditorWatch, one of the nations biggest credit-reporting firms, has lobbied against the extension in partnership with Australian Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association (ARITA) and the Australian Institute of Credit Management (AICM). In a whitepaper (pdf), a survey of members of the three organisations revealed the majority of businesses/creditors have no appetite for the extension. Temporary measures to relax insolvency rules to provide support to businesses at the start of the pandemic must be wound back, the whitepaper states. The risk is if they are extended, a domino effect will prompt a wall of unnecessary insolvencies, prompting a deep and damaging recession. The consequences of the lenient measures have already become apparent. The indicators include an exorbitant rise to 342.7 percent of payment time in June and 223.8 percent in July. There has also been a decline in business defaults during the same period despite challenging economic conditions. CreditorWatch data shows the number of companies that became insolvent has halved this year, from 4,000 to 2,000, which can be directly attributed to the temporary moratorium on insolvent trading rules. This means our members are trading with insolvent businesses, said Nick Pilavidis, the CEO of AICM. They are extending credit and being forced to support businesses that are insolvent. John Winter, the CEO of ARITA, said this could produce a snowball effect as these insolvent businesses were running even higher debts. When they are eventually and necessarily wound up, there will be less than nothing left for creditors, likely putting those creditors at risk of collapse, he explained. Banks Brace For A Difficult Time A spokesperson of Australian Banking Association (ABA) told The Epoch Times that across the pandemic Australias four major banks have deferred 215,000 business loans, of which 137,000 being for small and medium enterprises. From late this month, as some borrowers start to approach the six-month mark, banks will be approaching them to work out an appropriate solution. ABA estimates that 105,000 business loan deferrals to small and medium businesses will be assessed by the end of October. ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott anticipates a pickup in insolvency next year when support measures phase out next year. When the problems do start emerging, people will literally be finding their businesses unable to operate? We think thats probably more like the middle of next year, he told a parliamentary committee on Sept. 5. A major collaborative effort that has been developing over the last three years between ASU and European scientists, has resulted in a significant technical advance in X-ray crystallographic sample strategies. The ASU contribution comes from the School of Molecular Sciences (SMS), department of physics and the Biodesign Institute Center for Applied Structural Discovery. The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (EuXFEL) is a research facility of superlatives: It generates ultrashort X-ray pulses - 27, 000 times per second and with a brilliance that is a billion times higher than that of the best conventional X-ray radiation sources. After ten years of construction, it opened for initial experiments in late 2017. The group of Alexandra Ros, professor in ASU's SMS was awarded the second allocation of beam time amongst worldwide competitors. Their results, published Sept. 9 in Nature Communications, validated a unique microfluidic droplet generator for reducing sample size as well as waste (which can be as high as 99 percent) in her team's Serial Femtosecond Crystallography (SFX) experiments. Using this, they determined the crystal structure of the enzyme 3-Deoxy-d-manno-Octulosonate 8-Phosphate Synthase (KDO8PS) and revealed new detail in a previously undefined loop region of the enzyme which is a potential target for antibiotic studies. "We are excited that this work, resulting from a huge collaborative effort, has been well received in the XFEL community," explained Ros. "We are further developing this method and are seeking synchronization of the microfluidic droplets with the pulses of XFELs. At this very moment, a small team of ASU students has just finished performing experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, CA to refine the method. There could not have been better timing for the publication of our work." SLAC has been the XFEL facility best known to U.S. scientists where the now-famous work on crystallography of protein nanocrystals (by the ASU team led by professors John Spence and Petra Fromme) was carried out. SLAC and its companion in Europe, also at Hamburg, have been very successful and consequently, have become heavily overbooked. The coming-on-line of the new facility, with its giant 2.6-mile accelerator tunnel and atomic length scale resolution, has relieved some of the demand on the other facilities, while offering grand new possibilities in the physical sciences. SFX is a promising technique for protein structure determination, where a liquid stream containing protein crystals is intersected with a high-intensity XFEL beam that is a billion times brighter than traditional synchrotron X-ray sources. Although the crystals are destroyed by the intense XFEL beam immediately after they have diffracted, the diffraction information can, remarkably, still be recorded thanks to the state-of-the-art detectors. Powerful new data analysis methods have been developed, allowing a team to analyze these diffraction patterns and obtain electron density maps and detailed structural information of proteins. The method is specifically appealing for hard-to-crystallize proteins, such as membrane proteins, as it yields high-resolution structural information from micro- and even nanocrystals, thus reducing the contribution of crystal defects and avoiding the tedious (if not impossible) growth of the large crystals demanded by traditional synchrotron- based crystallography. While crystallography with XFELs has been a powerful technique for unraveling the structures of large protein complexes and also permitting time-resolved crystallography, this cutting-edge science nevertheless engenders a major problem. Because of the small "hit" rate it requires huge amounts of suspended protein, which although not irradiated, are cumbersome to retrieve for most protein samples. As much as 99% of the protein can be wasted. Herein lies the major technical advance made by Ros and her team. They have developed a 3D-printed microfluidic device, which is high-resolution, and generates aqueous-in-oil droplets of variable droplet segmentation that can be synchronized to the free electron laser pulses. This dramatically reduces the amount of purified protein needed for the European XFEL experiment from the currently typical (and almost inaccessible) 1 g requirement for full data set recording. The importance of this development bears restating. The researchers' approach interleaves sample-laden liquid "slugs" within a sacrificial liquid, so that a fast-moving liquid microjet is maintained with sample present only during exposure to the femtosecond XFEL pulses (one millionth of one billionth of a second in duration). The team of scientists has demonstrated droplet generation of the enzyme KDO8PS crystal suspensions with the microfluidic droplet generator and shown that the droplet generation frequency can be controlled by the rates of the aqueous and oil streams. The diffraction quality of the crystals of KDO8PS is similar both when injected in aqueous droplets surrounded by oil or by continuous injection with a Gas Dynamic Virtual Nozzle (GDVN), with ~60% reduction in sample consumption achieved with droplet injection. The determined structure revealed new detail in a previously undefined loop region of KDO8PS, a potential target for antibiotic studies. These results advocate for future routine integration of droplet generation by segmented oil flow at other XFELs around the world. ### Co first authors on this paper are Ros' doctoral students Austin Echelmeier and Jorvani Cruz Villarreal in the School of Molecular Sciences. I wrote an article for the BBC back in 2010 that I called Flying Insults. This is how I started that article: This is a difficult subject for me. But there is so much bad language flying around in Ghana these days it is impossible to ignore the subject of insults. It is in the area of political and public discourse that things appear to be getting out of hand. I would crave your indulgence if I lift portions from that article as I try to write about insults in our political sphere today, 10 years later. As the French would say, plus ca change, plus cest la meme chose. The President had what I call a face to face moment with a delegation from the Catholic Bishops Conference as he urged them and everybody else who has been calling for a clean campaign devoid of insults to be specific and call out those who insult. In other words, if Elizabeth Ohene insults Kwasi Anyomi Ohene, call her out and dont say people should not insult. President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo cited the example of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer, former President John Mahama, endorsing a reference to Akyem Sakawa. Mr Mahama has since then spoken on the subject and far from offering an apology for his choice of words, or hiding behind a claim of his words being misrepresented or taken out of context, he felt he was only matching President Akufo-Addo boot for boot in the area of insults. According to Mr Mahama, President Akufo-Addo long ago lost the right to complain about insults because he had insulted and regularly insults people. Mr Mahama cited as evidence to back his claim that while in opposition, Akufo-Addo had called the then President Atta Mills Dr Dolittle and since becoming president, he calls his opponents naysayers and Jeremiahs. Closer look Being something of an expert on insults, I have been taking a closer look at these insults. President Mills was called Dr Dolittle. I start with the literal, obvious meaning of the word, Dolittle. So I break up the offending word; a President was being accused of doing little, he was not busy solving Ghanas problems. Since President Mills is sadly no longer with us, one has to be careful and not say anything hurtful about him, but I dont think a description of little activity during his presidency can be taken as an insult. In other words, it is like saying Elizabeth Ohene is 75 years old; it is not an insult. Elizabeth Ohene writes: Community killing Then it occurred to me that maybe Mr Mahama was taking the literary reference of Dolittle in George Bernard Shaws play Pygmalion in which we have the characters of Eliza Dolittle and her father Alfred Dolittle. Granted that this is a play that premiered in London in 1913, there isnt much in there to get upset about the Dolittle father and daughter characters. So, I moved to the more popular rendition of the play, in the film, My Fair Lady, based on Pygmalion. That was a beautiful musical and the Dolittle characters were charming. Calling someone after them would not constitute an insult. It is like saying an article written last year which had no reactions will bring the house down when the same article is published today. I later discovered there has been a Dr Dolittle Family/Adventure film released in January 2020, but whatever happened in that film cannot be part of the present conversation. Naysayers President Akufo-Addo calls his critics Naysayers and Jeremiahs. According to the dictionary, a Naysayer is a person who criticises, objects to, or opposes something. The dictionary provides a sentence to illustrate the usage of the word: He continues to win despite the many naysayers. Another example might be: The Free Senior High School (SHS) has been introduced and is working despite the many naysayers. Or the Electoral Commission (EC) compiled a new voters register despite the many naysayers. Cant see any insult in there. Akufo-Addo calls his critics Jeremiahs. Here are the meanings of Jeremiah in the dictionary: A major Hebrew prophet of the seventh and sixth centuries and I might add the first name of a former president of the country and a popular first name of many boys since then. Another meaning says: A person who is pessimistic about the present and foresees a calamitous future. Every press conference held by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the past three and a half years will qualify to be adjudged as such. I thought this precisely was what Mr Mahama had been saying. An insult? Rough Maybe Mr Mahama is a man of very sensitive disposition and cannot bear what is called the rough and tumble of politics and that is why he regards Dolittle, Naysayer and Jeremiah as insults. What about Mr Mahamas reaction to the President complaints? Akyem Sakawa. President Akufo-Addo is an Akyem. Elizabeth Ohene is an Ewe. There is no argument. I go to Google to get this meaning of the word sakawa: a Ghanaian term for illegal practices which combine modern internet-based fraud with African traditionalist rituals. The rituals, which are mostly in the form of sacrifices, are intended to spiritually manipulate victims so that the scammers fraud is successful. Flag bearer Mahama is happy to cite an ethnic group and bundle them up as people who perform illegal, Internet-based fraud? And these people combine the fraudulent practice with traditional rituals? And this will match Dolittle, boot for boot, to borrow his terminology? Or will Sakawa be on the same wavelength as Jeremiah? While he was President, Mr Mahama used to provide the best copy for insults that could be used against him. If someone called Candidate Mahama a dead goat, that would be considered an insult. And if you are looking for an Akyem Sakawa correlation, you should hear Candidate Mahama: when it comes to unleashing violence, no one can beat us to that. And here was Candidate Mahama in the Volta Region during the voter registration exercise. He said the Volta Region people had been specially targeted for military invasion. Earlier during the 2016 election he had said his northern brothers such as Bawumia had no future in the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He knows how to insult without even trying. Mr Mahama has shown he is a walking, breathing, laughing insult. The writer, Elizabeth Akua Ohene, for the avoidance of all doubts and just in case there is anybody out there who is unaware, is a card-carrying member of the NPP. She is a founder member of the party and served as a Minister of State in the John Kufuor Administration and is currently the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the NPP. 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 The Asphyxiated Oil & Gas Industry Cuts Off US$25 Billion in Revenues for Seamless Pipes & Tubes. The global market for Seamless Pipes & Tubes is expected to slump by -13. 7% in the year 2020 highlighting a US$25. New York, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Seamless Pipes and Tubes Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p01139086/?utm_source=GNW 1billion erosion in market value. Thereafter the market is expected to recover and reach US$230.3 billion by the year 2027 trailing a post-COVID-19 CAGR of 5.6% over the analysis period 2020 to 2027.The COVID-19 pandemic is a rolling disaster, rapidly spreading and decimating industries and markets across the world. Petroleum refining, oil & gas exploration, chemical production, construction, manufacturing, infrastructure, industrial processing have all been alike impacted. The economic recession, rising unemployment, falling consumer spending, plummeting business confidence & investments have begun to bleed into these industries. The shattered oil & gas industry is facing its worst ever crisis, an overstocked supply market and a steep decline in demand. Choking economic activity over the last few months is sending shockwaves of disruption through the industry. From prices dipping to subzero to oil producers in the first time in history having to pay to dispose excess stocks, the industry has seen the worst. In this crisis of unimagined magnitude, CAPEX spending is worst hit. As business confidence plummets rapidly, major oil companies have already slashed planned CAPEX spending by almost US$89 billion in 1st quarter 2020. Travel bans, manufacturing shutdown of all non-essential plants, closure of offices have wielded the most severe demand shock. A mistimed price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia following Russia`s decision to pull out of a joint production cut agreement additionally aggravated the demand supply imbalance. China in early February during the heat of the pandemic banned entry of oil tankers while tightening the lockdown measures. OPEC talks to cut back on production failed as Russia refused to cooperate. Saudi Arabia during this period offered US$6 to US$9 discount per barrel for European, Asian, and U.S customers. Currently for most oil giants worldwide higher prices are needed to breakeven. Breakeven prices for Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, and Russia include US$85, US$65, US$64, US$51, US$49, US$42, and US$40 respectively. As a culmination of these factors, the world witnessed negative oil prices become a shocking reality. As rising stockpiles overwhelmed storage facilities, the amount of oil stored on massive tankers on sea skyrocketed to over 160 million barrels in April 2020 as compared to the less than 100 million in April 2009 during the Great Recession. The entire O&G value chain is feeling the pain as upstream, midstream and downstream operations collapse under a domino effect. Against this backdrop, seamless pipes and tubes is already showing signs of slumping in the year 2020 as piped soil transport and distribution projects gets thrown into the backburner. The market will nevertheless bounce back as the economies reopen and economic activity picks up momentum. Post COVID-19 recovery will be driven by recovery in exploration and production activity and strengthening oil prices and the resulting sustained growth in demand for high-grade Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG). Improved infrastructure spending, expanding manufacturing and industrial sectors in developing countries will help drive demand recovery for seamless pipes and tubes in industrial boilers, while growing energy investments worldwide will drive gains for seamless tubes in utility boilers. In the oil and gas sector, increased migration of drilling activity to deeper reserves and the continuous shift towards directional drilling projects will spur opportunities for growth over the long term period. Benefits of seamless pipes and tubes responsible for driving their adoption over and above their conventional welded counterparts include higher pressure rating, higher strength and durability around the circumference of the pipe, uniformity of shape, reduced risk of leaks and pipe failure, resistance to harsh cold and hot environment, superior corrosion resistance, and reduced project costs especially in oil rigs, offshore drilling, pipelines, and machinery production, among others. In the coming years, ultrahigh-strength seamless tubes will increase in commercial value in applications such as construction machinery especially against the backdrop of weight reduction and fuel and energy optimization. Asia-Pacific will remain a major market supported by large automobile, industrial and construction markets. In the United States, growth will be led by the country`s policy led support for shale oil production as evidenced by proposed plans of the government, in the pre-crisis period, to open up hitherto protected offshore territory to oil and gas drilling. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p01139086/?utm_source=GNW I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Seamless Pipes - A Market Summary Recent Market Activity Industry Outlook Recent Past Perspective Seamless Pipes Production Scenario Oil & Gas - A Major Market for Seamless Pipes Global Competitor Market Shares Seamless Pipes and Tubes Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2018 & 2029 Impact of Covid-19 and a Looming Global Recession 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS ArcelorMittal SA (Luxembourg) ChelPipe (Russia) EVRAZ North America (USA) JFE Steel Corporation (Japan) Jindal SAW Ltd. (India) Maharashtra Seamless Limited (India) Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (Japan) PAO TMK (Russia) TMK IPSCO (USA) Techint Group SpA (Italy) Tenaris S.A. (Luxembourg) TenarisSiderca (Siderca S.A.I.C.) (Argentina) Tianjin Pipe (Group) Corporation (China) UMW Group (Malaysia) United States Steel Corporation (USA) Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes (France) Wheatland Tube Company (USA) 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS E & P Spending to Remain a Strong Growth Driver Resurgence in Drilling Activity Boosts Demand for OCTG Pipes Oil Prices - A Review Unconventional Oil & Gas Resources Drive Demand for High Grade OCTG Products Deep Water Drilling and Opportunities Ahead Tough Operating Environments Drive Demand for High Quality Line Pipes Horizontal Drilling Benefits Demand Shale Gas Exploration Triggers Demand for High Strength Pipes Improving Prospects in Manufacturing Sector to Support Growth Machinery Sector - An Important Market for Seamless Tubes High Performance Steel Grades Gain Importance in Machinery Automotive Industry Drives Growth Power Generation - A Growing Market Seamless Tubes in Industrial Boilers Seamless Tubes in Utility Boilers Growth in the Construction Sector to Benefit Demand Infrastructure Needs Fuel Demand for High Strength Tubes 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 2: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 3: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 4: Seamless (Technology) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 5: Seamless (Technology) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 6: Seamless (Technology) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 7: ERW (Technology) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 8: ERW (Technology) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 9: ERW (Technology) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 10: SAW (Technology) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 11: SAW (Technology) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 12: SAW (Technology) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 13: Oil & Gas (End-Use) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 14: Oil & Gas (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 15: Oil & Gas (End-Use) Share Breakdown Review by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 16: Chemicals & Petrochemicals (End-Use) Worldwide Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 17: Chemicals & Petrochemicals (End-Use) Global Historic Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 18: Chemicals & Petrochemicals (End-Use) Distribution of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 19: Automotive & Transportation (End-Use) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2020 through 2027 Table 20: Automotive & Transportation (End-Use) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2012 to 2019 Table 21: Automotive & Transportation (End-Use) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 22: Mechanical Engineering (End-Use) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 23: Mechanical Engineering (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 24: Mechanical Engineering (End-Use) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 25: Power Plant (End-Use) Worldwide Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 26: Power Plant (End-Use) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 27: Power Plant (End-Use) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 28: Construction (End-Use) Global Market Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 29: Construction (End-Use) Retrospective Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 30: Construction (End-Use) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 31: Other End-Uses (End-Use) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 32: Other End-Uses (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 33: Other End-Uses (End-Use) Share Breakdown Review by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share (in %) by Company: 2018 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 34: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million in the United States by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 35: United States Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 36: United States Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 37: United States Seamless Pipes and Tubes Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 38: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by End-Use in US$ Million for 2012-2019 Table 39: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown in the United States by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 CANADA Table 40: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Analysis in Canada in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 41: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Canada: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2012-2019 Table 42: Canadian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 43: Canadian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 44: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2012-2019 Table 45: Canadian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 JAPAN Table 46: Japanese Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 47: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Japan in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 48: Japanese Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 49: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Seamless Pipes and Tubes in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 50: Japanese Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 51: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Shift in Japan by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 CHINA Table 52: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Estimates and Forecasts in China in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 53: Chinese Seamless Pipes and Tubes Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 54: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in China: Percentage Share Analysis by Technology for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 55: Chinese Demand for Seamless Pipes and Tubes in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 56: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Review in China in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 57: Chinese Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2018 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 58: European Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 59: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2012-2019 Table 60: European Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 61: European Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 62: European Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 63: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Europe: Percentage Breakdown of Salesby Technology for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 64: European Seamless Pipes and Tubes Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020-2027 Table 65: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2012-2019 Table 66: European Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 FRANCE Table 67: French Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 68: French Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 69: French Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 70: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020-2027 Table 71: French Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 72: French Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2012, 2020, and 2027 GERMANY Table 73: German Seamless Pipes and Tubes Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 74: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Germany: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2012-2019 Table 75: German Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 76: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2020-2027 Table 77: German Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 78: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Distribution in Germany by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 ITALY Table 79: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Estimates and Forecasts in Italy in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 80: Italian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 81: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Italy: Percentage Share Analysis by Technology for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 82: Italian Demand for Seamless Pipes and Tubes in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 83: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 84: Italian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 UNITED KINGDOM Table 85: United Kingdom Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 86: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in the United Kingdom in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 87: United Kingdom Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 88: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Seamless Pipes and Tubes in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 89: United Kingdom Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 90: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 SPAIN Table 91: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Analysis in Spain in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 92: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Spain: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2012-2019 Table 93: Spanish Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 94: Spanish Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 95: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2012-2019 Table 96: Spanish Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 RUSSIA Table 97: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million in Russia by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 98: Russian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 99: Russian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 100: Russian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 101: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by End-Use in US$ Million for 2012-2019 Table 102: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown in Russia by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 REST OF EUROPE Table 103: Rest of Europe Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 104: Rest of Europe Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 105: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Rest of Europe: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 106: Rest of Europe Seamless Pipes and Tubes Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020-2027 Table 107: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2012-2019 Table 108: Rest of Europe Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 109: Asia-Pacific Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 110: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2012-2019 Table 111: Asia-Pacific Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 112: Asia-Pacific Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 113: Asia-Pacific Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 114: Asia-Pacific Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 115: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020-2027 Table 116: Asia-Pacific Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 117: Asia-Pacific Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspectiveby End-Use for 2012, 2020, and 2027 AUSTRALIA Table 118: Australian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 119: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Australia: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2012-2019 Table 120: Australian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 121: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2020-2027 Table 122: Australian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 123: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Distribution in Australia by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 INDIA Table 124: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Analysis in India in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 125: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in India: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2012-2019 Table 126: Indian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 127: Indian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 128: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2012-2019 Table 129: Indian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 SOUTH KOREA Table 130: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2020-2027 Table 131: South Korean Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 132: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 133: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2020-2027 Table 134: South Korean Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 135: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Distribution in South Korea by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 136: Rest of Asia-Pacific Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 137: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 138: Rest of Asia-Pacific Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 139: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Seamless Pipes and Tubes in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 140: Rest of Asia-Pacific Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 141: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 LATIN AMERICA Table 142: Latin American Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2020-2027 Table 143: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Latin America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2012-2019 Table 144: Latin American Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 145: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Estimates and Forecasts in Latin America in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 146: Latin American Seamless Pipes and Tubes Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 147: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Latin America : Percentage Analysisby Technology for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 148: Latin American Demand for Seamless Pipes and Tubes in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 149: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Review in Latin America in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 150: Latin American Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 ARGENTINA Table 151: Argentinean Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 152: Argentinean Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 153: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Argentina: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 154: Argentinean Seamless Pipes and Tubes Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020-2027 Table 155: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2012-2019 Table 156: Argentinean Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 BRAZIL Table 157: Brazilian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 158: Brazilian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 159: Brazilian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 160: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020-2027 Table 161: Brazilian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 162: Brazilian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2012, 2020, and 2027 MEXICO Table 163: Mexican Seamless Pipes and Tubes Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 164: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Mexico: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2012-2019 Table 165: Mexican Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 166: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2020-2027 Table 167: Mexican Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 168: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Distribution in Mexico by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 169: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million in Rest of Latin America by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 170: Rest of Latin America Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 171: Rest of Latin America Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 172: Rest of Latin America Seamless Pipes and Tubes Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 173: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by End-Use in US$ Million for 2012-2019 Table 174: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 MIDDLE EAST Table 175: The Middle East Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 176: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012-2019 Table 177: The Middle East Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 178: The Middle East Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 179: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in the Middle East: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2012-2019 Table 180: The Middle East Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 181: The Middle East Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 182: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in the Middle East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2012-2019 Table 183: The Middle East Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 IRAN Table 184: Iranian Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 185: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Iran in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 186: Iranian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 187: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Seamless Pipes and Tubes in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 188: Iranian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 189: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Shift in Iran by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 ISRAEL Table 190: Israeli Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 191: Israeli Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 192: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Israel: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 193: Israeli Seamless Pipes and Tubes Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020-2027 Table 194: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Israel: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2012-2019 Table 195: Israeli Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 SAUDI ARABIA Table 196: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Estimates and Forecasts in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 197: Saudi Arabian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 198: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Saudi Arabia: Percentage Share Analysis by Technology for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 199: Saudi Arabian Demand for Seamless Pipes and Tubes in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 200: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Review in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 201: Saudi Arabian Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Table 202: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2020-2027 Table 203: United Arab Emirates Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 204: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 205: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2020-2027 Table 206: United Arab Emirates Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 207: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 REST OF MIDDLE EAST Table 208: Rest of Middle East Seamless Pipes and Tubes Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 209: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Rest of Middle East: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2012-2019 Table 210: Rest of Middle East Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 211: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Rest of Middle East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2020-2027 Table 212: Rest of Middle East Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2012-2019 Table 213: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Distribution in Rest of Middle East by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 AFRICA Table 214: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market in US$ Million in Africa by Technology: 2020-2027 Table 215: African Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2012-2019 Table 216: African Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 217: African Seamless Pipes and Tubes Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2020 to 2027 Table 218: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Historic Demand Patterns in Africa by End-Use in US$ Million for 2012-2019 Table 219: Seamless Pipes and Tubes Market Share Breakdown in Africa by End-Use: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 IV. COMPETITION Total Companies Profiled: 169 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p01139086/?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 University of Nebraska brainpower can be key asset for boosting Omaha and Nebraskas economy. Its important to understand the current successes in commercializing NU research and the need to remove obstacles to greater progress. The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, for example, are churning out an impressive number of patents each year. NU is doing energetic work to turn those research findings into products and services, working with a range of local partner organizations. Of the 21 U.S. patents last year for UNMC and UNO research, 17 were licensed to nine different companies. That means thats 17 technologies are getting the additional support they need for further development, says Michael Dixon, president and CEO of UNeMed, which helps UNMC and UNO obtain patents and licensing. (At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a counterpart entity called NUTech Ventures performs those duties.) Notable commercialization successes include mini-robots aiding in surgeries; a shield to protect medical staff in placing a tube in patients to help them breathe; and a single-dose medication to treat malaria. A total of nine cash machines have been blown up in the Grand Duchy since March 2018, while Germany and the Netherlands experienced similar struggles. The investigative police unit tasked with this particular criminal enterprise is working relentlessly and in cooperation with foreign departments, since the group of suspects has also been active outside of the Grand Duchy. The tactic of each incident appears to be identical, at least from a technical point: a gas agent is pumped into the cash machine, which is then detonated minutes later. The explosion rips the machine out of its anchoring, which subsequently frees up the cash inside. The culprits managed to escape in all 9 incidents of the past, the latest one occurring in Pommerloch on Saturday: Yet another cash machine blown up The police provided RTL with a written response to the questions surrounding the spree, in which it is emphasised that the investigations are still being conducted thoroughly, which is why some pieces of information, as for instance the identity of the suspects, still have to be withheld from the public. The same procedure of blowing up cash machines has also been observed in other European countries, while different methods are being employed to commit the deed, such as ramming or various forms of explosive agents. It is yet too early to identify a concrete pattern in the events. RTL Grafik The police also underlined that as with the Dutch authorities, measures were being initiated in Luxembourg to increase the protection of machines. The Netherlands already decided to eliminate all machines built into residential buildings within 3 years. Another measure taken is the overnight closure of machines. Most of the cash machines blown up in the Netherlands since 2013 were standing on the outskirts of municipalities. Germany has been plagued with a similar problem, police noting around 400 such incidents in 2019 alone, most occurring in North Rhine-Westphalia. Local police forces are meanwhile counting on the cooperation of Luxembourg's citizens to help identify suspicious behaviour around cash machines, which can be called in via telephone (113). The case is ever more important since innocent people could be seriously injured during the explosions. Although this has not yet occurred, the material damage was significant in each case. The criminal group can land up to 300,000 per coup, as has been communicated in German media, which further allude that the culprits may be operating out of Utrecht. Meanwhile, the costs for upgrading the security of cash machines will have to be paid by the respective banks. The common good duty of justice that falls on every citizen. And for Christians it is also a mission. Unfortunately, politics often doesn't have a good reputation, and we know why. This does not mean that all politicians are bad. Students and teachers, who have gone back to school these days, be the true architects of the future. Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis has once again warned that we can only emerge from the pandemic if we all seek the common good together, but "Unfortunately, we see partisan interests emerging. For example, some would like to appropriate possible solutions for themselves, as in the case of vaccines. Some are taking advantage of the situation to instigate divisions: by seeking economic or political advantages, generating or exacerbating conflicts. The common good duty of justice that falls on every citizen. And for Christians it is also a mission" this was the theme of which Pope Francis spoke at today's general audience, also held today in the San Damaso courtyard. Walking along it, Francis stopped for a long time to greet the 500 people present - all with masks - crowded behind barriers. He blessed rosaries and other objects brought by the faithful, signed books and drawings, joked with a group of African nuns, invited to sing a song. And before starting his speech, he invited those present not to stand on top of one another, do not pile up, stay on the chairs, so we avoid contagion. In his speech, continuing the cycle of catechesis on the theme: "Healing the world", Francis spoke of "Love and the common good". The crisis we are living due to the pandemic is affecting everyone; we will emerge from it for the better if we all seek the common good together. " The Christian response to the pandemic and to the consequent socio-economic crisis is based on love, above all, love of God who always precedes us (see 1 Jn 4:19)." " I love not only those who love me my family, my friends, my group but also those who do not love me, who do not know me or who are strangers, and even those who make me suffer or whom I consider enemies. This is not easy!. Love, therefore, " comprises civil and political relationships (see Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], 1907-1912), including a relationship with nature (see Encyclical Laudato Si [LS], 231). Since we are social and political beings, one of the highest expressions of love is specifically social and political which is decisive to human development and to face any type of crisis (ibid., 231).). Health, in addition to being an individual good, is also a public good. A healthy society is one that takes care of everyones health. A virus that does not recognise barriers, borders, or cultural or political distinctions must be faced with a love without barriers, borders or distinctions. This love can generate social structures that encourage us to share rather than to compete, that allow us to include the most vulnerable and not to cast them aside, that help us to express the best in our human nature and not the worst. " Conversely, if the solutions for the pandemic bear the imprint of egoism, whether it be by persons, businesses or nations, we may perhaps emerge from the coronavirus crisis, but certainly not from the human and social crisis that the virus has brought to light and accentuated. Therefore, we must be careful not to build on sand (see Mt 7:21-27)! To build a healthy, inclusive, just and peaceful society we must do so on the rock of the common good.[3] And this is everyones task, not only that of a few specialists. Saint Thomas Aquinas used to say that the promotion of the common good is a duty of justice that falls on each citizen. Unfortunately, politics does not often have a good reputation, and we know why. But it does not have to resign itself to this negative vision, but instead react to it by showing in deeds that good politics is possible, or rather that politics[4] that puts the human person and the common good at the center is a duty. It is possible insofar as every citizen, and especially those who assume social and political commitments and positions, roots what they do in ethical principles and nurtures it with social and political love. Christians, in a particular way the laity, are called to give good example of this and can do it thanks to the virtue of charity, cultivating its intrinsic social dimension. It is therefore time to improve our social love, with everyones contribution, starting from our littleness. The common good requires everyones participation. If everyone contributes his or her part, and if no one is left out, we can regenerate good relationships on the communitarian, national and international level and even in harmony with the environment (see LS, 236). Thus, through our gestures, even the most humble ones, something of the image of God we bear within us will be made visible, because God is the Trinity of Love." At the end of the audience, Francis also spoke about students and teachers, urging them to pray - on the International Day for the Protection of Education from Attacks - "for students who are deprived of the right to education because of wars and terrorism" . Hence the appeal to the international community to "protect young students, so that the effort to guarantee them safe environments for training, especially in a health emergency situation, does not fail." And, in greeting to the Arabic-speaking faithful, he exhorted: "In a society increasingly upset by great challenges that test contemporary man, you students and teachers, who have recently returned to school, be the true architects of the future ". Obi Kaufmann, author of "The Forests of California." (Obi Kaufmann ) If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. As of Sept. 8, 23 active wildfires have burned 1.7 million acres of California forest. Most of them were less than 50% contained and the Santa Ana winds were strengthening. Fire suppression has become a dangerous game of whack-a-mole, a race to choose which fires are worth containing, which to leave alone and which must be abandoned to protect human life. While lightning strikes sparked some of the fires, others have occurred when people have shown little regard for their precarious landscape and climate: high temperatures, drought and wind. How do we decide what we are willing to protect? How do you make someone care about the things we all need to care about if we are going to survive? If 2020 has imparted any lesson, it may be the sheer difficult of moving people to recognize common obligations. But for naturalist and writer Obi Kaufmann, its not an impossible task. There is, he says, this almost triangular relationship between love and protection and understanding. People protect what they love, right? People love what they know. Kaufmann has written and illustrated The Forests of California, a new field atlas full of beautiful watercolor renderings of both landscape and data. That pairing of art and science fuses the influences in his life: His mother was a psychologist, while his father was astrophysicist William J. Kaufmann, a past director of the Griffith Observatory. As a teenager, Obi was steeped in his fathers math and science but gained something equally valuable on countless hikes up Mt. Diablo: He fell in love with the systems of connection he saw at work all around him. To convey what hed learned, Kaufmann invented a hybrid type of guide: the field atlas. [It] describes a particular angle on the natural world that is not explained by field guides or road atlases, Kaufmann tells me on a FaceTime call. This book is focused on how big systems in the natural world coalesce to express themselves as they do. His first such book, The California Field Atlas, was an overview, and he is set to publish six additional field atlases, a project he wryly refers to as a 'Game of Thrones' of California nature. "The State of Water" was published in 2019; the series will end with a book on forest fires. Story continues (Heyday) The August wildfires arrived during what felt like the longest summer in recorded time, and the threatened destruction of old-growth redwoods seemed to break a lot of Californians who had been white-knuckling their way through 2020. Then, of course, came September and a new set of devastating fires were only just beginning to contend with already the most acres burned of any year, with the autumn winds just getting started. In the second decade of the twenty-first century, writes Kaufmann in the new books introduction, California weathered six unprecedented ecological and human disasters: two of the largest wildfires, the deadliest wildfire, the most destructive wildfire, the driest and warmest period of drought (2011-2017), and a record rate of tree mortality. While panic is a natural reaction to apparent ecological collapse, experience has taught us that it requires a measure of calm and long-term thinking. Kaufmann sees current political rhetoric as amping up the sense that if whole-scale change doesnt happen overnight, all will be lost. Overwhelmed by the task, people give up. It is difficult to have a conversation about what is happening to California without what Kaufmann terms geographic literacy a notion that gives him a sense of optimism. For every point of despair, he writes, I have a counterpoint of hope for the survival and restoration of the natural world. As long as there is time, there is hope. Some things have already improved, he points out. In the 1980s, he begins, Backpacking the Central Coast, I had this acute ache. There were no otters. There were no condors. There were no whales. Today, 300 wild pairs of California condors roam their ancestral ranges; humpback whales and sea otters are set to be taken off the endangered species list. A watercolor illustrating "Stages of the Adaptive Cycle" by Obi Kaufmann, from his book "The Forests of California." (Obi Kaufmann) A component of geographic literacy is thinking about a much longer timeline. That was brought home for me earlier this summer when I read Miracle Country, Kendra Atleeworks memoir about growing up in Swall Meadows, Calif. In 2015, wildfires scorched 7,000 acres and destroyed homes in nearby Bishop. She recounts the devastating impact of the blaze before panning out to examine a centurys worth of water-allocation policy that turned a verdant California valley into tinder. These changes took more than one lifetime to happen, leading to the impression that the climate in the Eastern Sierra has been ever thus. It hasnt. And Atleeworks documentation of egregious decisions, combined with her own story, drives the point poignantly home. Cleaning up our mess means accepting that we may not live to see the positive effects. An illustration of a mountain yellow-legged frog from Obi Kaufmann's "The Forests of California." (Obi Kaufmann) Thinking about deep time helps to put the forest fires in perspective. Consider the recently burned redwoods. The signs are already there that the redwoods will continue to thrive. Kaufmann says that how theyre built. Coastal redwood has a plan to live for a few thousand years, he says. So if youre going to live for a few thousand years, you're going to encounter a few wildfires. You have to survive this. Kaufmann argues that, while economics teaches us to think in terms of abundance or scarcity, geographic literacy values the connectedness of all living things as a better measure of health. Thats where the forest atlas comes in. Rather than identifying every single variety of tree, Kaufmann focuses on forest alliances. For example, the Coulter pine woodland alliance describes groupings of incense cedars, Jeffrey pines, Coulter pines and bigcone Douglas firs all growing in relation to one another. These alliances respond, in turn, to the environment around them. This level of understanding of what grows where and why and what changes to expect over time can foster an appreciation, even a love, for the forest. But even more urgently, it drives home the importance of policies aimed at preserving and protecting the whole system. The project of finding the balance among forest reclamation, replenishment and extraction is work that will carry on for generations. An illustration of Yosemite Valley at sunset from Obi Kaufmann's "The Forests of California." (Obi Kaufmann) But what do we do today, as thousands of acres are aflame, threatening both modern homes and an ancient legacy? Kaufmann hears a lot of anxiety among those who ask him such questions at readings questions intensified by political rhetoric. I often answer that question with a question, he says. When was the last time you went camping? Lets get you outside to take a couple of days to go to the river, to just enjoy for a moment that this is your place in the universe. Take your shoes off. Put your feet in that river. Take some deep breaths, because whatever happens, we're going to need you grounded. We're going to need you centered and we're going to need you un-panicked. I think we need that baseline. We need that starting point. VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Strategic Resources Inc. (TSXV: SR) (the "Company" or "Strategic") is pleased to announce the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders held on September 9, 2020 in Vancouver (the "Meeting"). Strategic's shareholders voted in favour of each of the matters considered at the Meeting, including electing each of Scott Hicks, Timo Maki, Michael Moore and Mark Serdan as directors of the Company to hold office for the ensuing year, appointing BDO Canada LLP as the Company's auditors for the ensuing year and authorizing the board of directors to set their remuneration, and approving Strategic's 10% Rolling Stock Option Plan. About Strategic Resources Strategic Resources Inc. (TSXV:SR) is a Vancouver, Canada based mineral exploration and development company that is focused on vanadium projects in Finland and Peru. The Company continues to evaluate new opportunities that are related to the electrification of the economy. Further details are available on the Company's website at https://strategic-res.com/. To follow future news releases, please sign up at https://strategic-res.com/contact/. STRATEGIC RESOURCES INC. Signed: "Scott Hicks" Scott Hicks, CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. SOURCE Strategic Resources Inc. Related Links https://strategic-res.com San Francisco State University has told 131 staff members they were to be laid off Nov. 9 because of a funding shortfall. The COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to enrollment and budget challenges, led to the layoffs, school President Lynn Mahoney said in an email. She said the administration hopes to meet with staff unions to find ways to reduce the number of layoffs. No faculty members were laid off. Despite cost-cutting measures, slightly better-than-projected fall enrollments and a decision to use a more optimistic figure for expected revenue, it was still necessary this week to take the painful step of laying off staff members, Mahoney said. SFSU lost $22 million from its state allocation, and even though its fall enrollment is better than projected, the number of students is still expected to be down, leading to a loss in tuition revenue, said SFSU media relations specialist Kent Bravo. The human resources department plans to host workshops and offer other resources to help laid-off employees. Staffers who are members of the SFSU Worker Defense Coalition will picket over the layoffs Saturday at noon at the campus, on 19th Avenue at Holloway Avenue. Theyre going after individuals who are making the least amount of money on campus and who need this job to survive, said Kat Alvarado, an administrative support coordinator in the math department who received notice that she is being laid off. It makes me feel unappreciated that they are going after staff who really are the backbone of the university. Were the ones that work directly with students. Were the ones that students go to when they have problems with their classes. The university runs because of staff. Adam Paganini, the masters of science program coordinator for the marine science department, said he and his partner, an adjunct lecturer at S.F. State, might leave the Bay Area or California altogether if they are both laid off. Paganinis position is funded through a National Science Foundation grant, and he said there is a small, but unlikely, chance his job will be spared. We may have to move in with some family because we cant afford to live in San Francisco if we dont have these positions, Paganini said. Were basically getting priced out of the city if we ever had to go on unemployment. The job market is not great right now, even though Ive gotten an advanced degree in a STEM field. Laid-off workers will get their health insurance benefits until Dec. 31. CSU campuses tapped into reserves during the spring semester to keep staff employed, CSU public affairs manager Michael Uhlenkamp said in an email. During that time, the universities were not collecting revenue from parking, dining or housing. The systems total reserve as of June 30 was $1.7 billion with an economic uncertainty fund of $400 million. Those funds are set aside for catastrophic events, capital projects or short-term obligations, he said. We are shocked and disappointed that San Francisco State University is laying off 120-plus employees, citing lack of funds, Sandee Noda, California State University Employees Union chapter president at SFSU, said in a statement. Layoffs should always be the last resort, and the university has not demonstrated that it explored a myriad of other viable options prior to coming to this drastic decision. Chronicle staff writer Nanette Asimov contributed to this story. Vanessa Arredondo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vanessa.arredondo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @v_anana US Presidential Adviser Jared Kushner (C-L) and US National Security Adviser Robert OBrien (C-R) disembark from the the El Al's airliner, which is carrying a US-Israeli delegation to the UAE following a normalisation accord, upon landing on the tarmac on August 31, 2020, in the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the UAE at the Abu Dhabi airport. - A US-Israeli delegation including White House advisor Jared Kushner took off on a historic first direct commercial flight from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi to mark the normalisation of ties between the Jewish state and the UAE. (AFP) Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a September 15 signing ceremony for a groundbreaking Middle East agreement normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, a senior White House official said on Tuesday. As part of the deal, announced at the White House on Aug. 13 following what officials said were 18 months of talks, the Gulf state agreed to normal relations with Israel, while Israel agreed to continue with plans to suspend its annexation of the West Bank. The senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan would lead the two delegations to the ceremony. I am proud to embark next week to Washington, at the invitation of President Trump, to take part in the this historic ceremony at the White House for the foundation of the peace treaty between Israel and the United (Arab) Emirates, Netanyahu wrote on Twitter. Trump and other administration officials have said they expect Saudi Arabia and other countries to follow suit in recognizing Israel. Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner and other top administration officials accompanied an Israeli delegation last week on the first flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates to celebrate the agreement. Iran has dismissed the agreement, which also served to firm up opposition to Tehran, a regional power seen by the UAE, Israel and the United States as the main threat in the Middle East. The deal falls short of any grand Middle East peace plan to resolve decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians despite Trumps pledge to do so. The White House hope is that more such deals between Israel and the Gulf states will emerge, prompting the Palestinians to join negotiations. Trump proposed a peace plan in January that heavily favored the Israelis, but it has not advanced in any significant way. The Palestinian leadership initially called the accord betrayal and a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause, but has curbed its criticism, according to a draft resolution ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday. The draft, seen by Reuters, does not include a call to condemn, or act against, the Emirates over the U.S.-brokered deal. The United Arab Emirates is planning to make its first official visit to Israel on Sept. 22, a source familiar with the provisional itinerary said on Monday. The National Sheep Association has welcomed a government pledge to use British wool as a natural insulation product in Wales' public buildings. The move by the Welsh government comes after a petition called on Number 10 to use British wool for new home insulation and carpeting in any publicly financed building projects. The petition was started in response to critically low prices for wool paid to many of the UKs sheep farmers this summer. The National Sheep Association (NSA) said it was 'very pleased' to hear the 'encouraging news' of the Welsh government's future intention. NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker said Whilst we welcome this announcement, we also must recognise calls from opposition parties to confirm this pledge with a more formal commitment to fully ensure this future positive move for farmers. As many strive to now lead more sustainable lives, the NSA said the use of wool for home insulation and interiors was an improvement that offered valuable qualities to homes, businesses and public places. The organisation explained that British wool was fire-retardant, bio-degradable, and the most efficient form of insulation. Mr Stocker added: Wool is such a fantastic resource to use for home improvements such as loft and wall insulation. "Some may claim it can cause problems with pest infestation, but this is nothing that cannot be easily overcome by technical creativity through treatment or with the use of additional physical barriers. He said that an increase in wool's use could revive wool manufacturing industries that once were an important sector in the UK. Its use also supports traditional sheep farming families across the UK, who work hard to produce both meat and wool whilst maintaining the countryside. The online petition encouraging the use of wool in the UK's public buildings is still live and can be signed online. The statewide positive test rate for the coronavirus rose over the past week, and Gov. Tom Wolfs administration named 11 counties that bear watching for COVID-19. The positive test rate rose to 4% over the past week, up from 3.2% the previous week. The positive test rate had fallen for five straight weeks. The statewide rate remains below 5%, a benchmark state officials have called a level of concern for containing the virus. Our percent positivity increased significantly this week, a sign that this virus is still affecting Pennsylvanians, Wolf said in a statement. We must continue our focus on taking actions to protect ourselves and others, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, washing our hands and avoiding large gatherings. Together, Pennsylvanians can work to prevent the spread of the virus. However, the Wolf administration named 11 counties are being monitored because at least 5% of those tested are positive for the virus. Some of those counties are in central Pennsylvania. The Wolf administration said these counties bear watching: Columbia (18.9%), Armstrong (8.6%), York (7.9%), Clinton (7.4%), Beaver (6.4%), Northumberland (5.7%), Indiana (5.6%), Blair (5.2%), Centre (5.0%), Dauphin (5.0%), and Lancaster (5.0%). Last week, 9 counties made the list because at least 5% of those tested were positive. Statewide, more than 140,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus and more than 7,700 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. After dipping steadily in August, the number of new cases has risen in September. The first COVID-19 cases were reported in Pennsylvania just over six months ago. Earlier Tuesday, Wolf announced he would be easing restrictions on restaurants and bars later this month. On Sept. 21, restaurants and bars can serve 50% of their seating capacity; he had limited seating capacity to 25% in July to stem the spread of the virus. Fewer people are dying or being hospitalized compared to the peak of the virus in the spring. There are 514 people being treated for the coronavirus in hospitals, according to the health departments online dashboard. More than 700 people were hospitalized in late July. At the peak in the spring, about 2,800 people with COVID-19 were getting treatment in hospitals. Level of transmission The Wolf administration also updated its assessment of the level of community transmission in each county. Schools are being asked to use those transmission levels in their home counties to guide their response plans if students or staff are infected. At higher levels of transmission, schools are recommended to move to virtual learning or a mix of remote and in-person instruction. The administration now lists two counties with substantial levels of transmission: Centre and Columbia. There are 45 counties with moderate levels of COVID-19 transmission and 20 counties with low levels of transmission. Low: Bedford, Bradford, Cameron, Carbon, Clarion, Elk, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Jefferson, Juniata, McKean, Perry, Pike, Potter, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango, Warren and Wyoming. Moderate: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Susquehanna, Union, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland and York. Travel advisory Those traveling to North Carolina, a popular destination, should take note. The administration wants visitors to North Carolina to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their return to the Keystone State. However, the administration also removed California from its travel advisory list. Visitors to 20 states are asked to quarantine for 14 days upon their return to Pennsylvania. The health department estimates 82% of those who have contracted the coronavirus have fully recovered. The department considers patients to have recovered when they are 30 days past the point of infection or the development of symptoms. More from PennLive Pittsburgh navigates a surreal in-between as it grapples with coronavirus In the COVID-19 pandemic, heres why you should hurry up and get a flu shot Clinical trials of one of the covid vaccine being developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University, were suspended on Tuesday after a participant developed an unexplained illness. The Oxford vaccine was seen among the most advanced experimental Covid-19 vaccines that are already in late-stage Phase 3 trials. Russia had last month approved a vaccine, and research published in The Lancet medical journal last week said patients involved in early tests developed antibodies with "no serious adverse events." But scientists cautioned the trials were too small. A spokesperson for the AstraZeneca vaccine said in a statement Tuesday that "we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee. "This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials." The company said that in large trials, illnesses will sometimes happen by chance but must be reviewed independently. According Stat News, the ill vaccine volunteer was likely participating in a Phase 2/3 trial based in the United Kingdom. AstraZeneca-Oxford University aimed to enroll as many as 50,000 participants for late-stage trials that are underway in the U.K., the U.S., Brazil and South Africa, with others planned for Japan and Russia. Here are some updates: 1) Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today that AstraZeneca's decision to pause its coronavirus vaccine trials was a challenge but would not necessarily set back efforts to develop a vaccine. "It is obviously a challenge to this particular vaccine trial," Hancock said on Sky News when asked about the pause in the trial. "It's not actually the first time this has happened to the Oxford vaccine." 2) AstraZeneca shares were down about 1% in London trade. 3) A top U.S. official in charge of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administrations program to support the rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics, said experts monitoring the trials in the U.K. paused the late-stage trial in coordination with their U.S. counterparts. 4) Moncef Slaoui, the head of the Warp Speed initiative, said in a statement that Data Safety Monitoring Boards in the U.S. and U.K. are conducting an in-depth review of the companys vaccine candidate which is standard procedure when an adverse event occurs." 5) A Data Safety Monitoring Board is a panel of outside experts that watches for potential harm from experimental drugs and vaccines during clinical trials. 6) Some scientists downplayed the significance of the halt. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and clinical-trials expert at the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego, said such pauses in large studies are not uncommon at all." There is a high likelihood the adverse event will turn out not to be related to the vaccine," he told Bloomberg. 7) Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University said on Twitter that the he is still optimistic" that an effective vaccine will be found in the coming months. But optimism isnt evidence," he wrote. Lets let science drive this process." 8) Australia is not worried about AstraZeneca Plc's decision to put on hold its COVID-19 vaccine trial, its deputy chief medical officer said today. 9) "With the information that I have got at the moment, I am not worried about it," Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth told Sky News, adding the hold on trials does not mean the vaccine "is off the table". 10) "In some respects, this is a very positive thing because it shows that despite the accelerated vaccine development, safety is the priority of the clinical trialists and investigators," he said. 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!! URBANA, Ill. - The University of Illinois has been awarded $4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) through its "Systems for Monitoring and Analytics for Renewable Transportation Fuels from Agricultural Resources and Management" (SMARTFARM) program. The funding will be used to calculate farm-scale carbon credits, allowing individual farmers to understand the value of their land and practices towards carbon trading markets. "We are developing novel technology to enable a thriving market-based solution to promote agricultural sustainability. Our developed technology will enable a carbon credit market, which will incentivize farmers to adopt management practices that benefit the soil, the environment, and then reward themselves. For example, if a certain practice sequesters more carbon, farmers can reduce their carbon emissions and earn financial rewards. These credits can be collected and then used in the open market to offset others toward meeting lower carbon-emission goals," says Kaiyu Guan, Blue Waters Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at Illinois and principal investigator on the multi-institutional project that also includes the University of Minnesota, USDA-ARS, the University of Buffalo, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. The project, named "SYMFONI," allows accurate and rapid field-level quantification of carbon intensity for every individual field across the U.S. and can be seamlessly scaled up to the global scale. This is made possible through the integration of field-based observations with satellite and aerial hyperspectral data, physics-guided deep learning, mobile soil sensing, and supercomputing. Guan says the system builds a generic framework that will flexibly integrate newer sensor technologies as they become available, meaning the output will continue to improve over time. Importantly, the Illinois-led SMARTFARM project is tasked with delivering commercial products that will enable stakeholders to calculate the value of various ecosystem services related to crop and land management decisions. To achieve ARPA-E's "technology-to-market" goal and commercialize the project's results, the team has partnered with Aspiring Universe, a tech spin-off from the University of Illinois that aims to de-risk and sustain modern agriculture for humanity. "We couldn't be prouder of Kaiyu and his team's efforts toward a more sustainable future for agriculture and the planet. Innovations from researchers within the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences [ACES], along with our partners across the UIUC campus, have been changing the world for 150 years, and with investments like this from ARPA-E, we'll continue moving forward to a brighter future," says German Bollero, associate dean for research in the College of ACES at Illinois. The Illinois team is the only group nationwide to be twice awarded funds in ARPA-E's SMARTFARM program in its two funding phases. The same team leads a Phase 1 project ($3.3 million) to collect gold-standard carbon emission data at the farm scale and builds the foundation for testing Phase 2 technologies. The Illinois-led project also represents the largest portion of SMARTFARM funding, receiving 27% of the total funds distributed in the current round of funding. "These distinctions position Illinois at center stage nationally as a leader in quantifying ecosystem services for farmland," says Evan H. DeLucia, G. William Arends Professor of Biology, founding director of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) at Illinois, and co-principal investigator of the SYMFONI project. Both Illinois SMARTFARM projects are managed through iSEE. The project is in line with ARPA-E's SMARTFARM goals, which include development of technologies to bridge the data gap in the biofuel supply chain by quantifying feedstock-related greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon dynamics at the field level. These technologies will allow for improved efficiency in feedstock production and enable new ag-sector carbon removal and management opportunities. The project team includes nine members across Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus. They include Kaiyu Guan, DoKyoung Lee, Chongya Jiang, Bin Peng, and Sheng Wang from the College of ACES; Jian Peng from Grainger College of Engineering; Evan DeLucia and Wendy Yang from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Carl Bernacchi from USDA-ARS. Kaiyu Guan and Bin Peng also are affiliated with NCSA. Additional team members include Zhenong Jin and Vipin Kumar from the University of Minnesota, Kang Sun from the University of Buffalo, and Jinyun Tang from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. ### "SYMFONI" Project: The "System of Systems" Solutions for Commercial Field-Level Quantification of Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrous Oxide Emission for Scalable Applications (SYMFONI) - $4.5 million: Accurate and rapid field-level quantification of carbon intensity at a regional scale is critical to facilitate adoption of new technologies to increase the bioeconomy's feedstock productivity and reduce its carbon footprint. The University of Illinois will develop a commercial solution, SYMFONI, to estimate soil organic carbon and the dynamics of nitrous oxide emissions at an individual field level. The solution can be scaled up to perform per-field estimates for an entire region. SYMFONI is a "system of systems" solution that integrates airborne-satellite remote sensing, process-based modeling, deep learning, atmospheric inversion, field-level sensing, and high-performance computing. Aspiring Universe: Aspiring Universe employs a comprehensive suite of tools that use remote sensing, process models and artificial intelligence to evaluate past, current and future crop land performance, including crop rotation and management history, yield, water use, nutrient dynamics and carbon sequestration. With a bottom-up method that can be aggregated across any global region, the company provides critical insights to businesses throughout the agriculture value chain. The insights provided by Aspiring Universe's proprietary technology create value for customers engaged in crop production and processing, as well as companies that provide inputs and financial services to growers. As an agtech spinoff from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and through an ongoing collaboration, the company licensed technologies originally created at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. College of ACES: The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois provides solutions to the world's most critical challenges to create abundant food and energy, a healthy environment, and successful families and communities. Although proudly ranked among the top 30 agricultural schools worldwide, we are more than agriculture. ACES is a diverse college with top-rated programs in engineering, finance and economics, nutritional science, and so much more. While our faculty and students choose a host of specialties and areas of interest, we all work toward the common goal of improving daily life for people close to home and around the world. Learn more at: https://aces.illinois.edu/. In August, Russia announced a joint project with China to produce a new generation non-atomic submarine. The project is part of an arms deal Moscow signed earlier this year with Beijing involving weapons deals in three spheres: water, air, land, the Russian agency for military and technical cooperation said. This unprecedented cooperation with China gives Russia an advantage over the U.S. Navy, which projects its might far beyond its territories, Mikhail Aleksandrov, an expert at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations Center for Military Policy Studies, told the state-run Federal New Agency. Aleksandrov predicted it would be an unpleasant surprise for the Americans. [B]ut the Americans themselves are to blame, as they are bullying Russia and spoiling for a fight, he added. The claim of bullying is false; in fact, just the opposite is true. That is clear from recent incidents that are part of an uptick in near-confrontation military encounters between the countries. Alaska fishermen The latest incident took place on Aug. 28 in the Bering Sea. Alaskan fishermen reported that a group of U.S. fishing trawlers was operating in neutral waters 80 miles from the U.S.-Russia maritime boundary when Russian voices started coming out of their ships radios. The voices switched to English and ordered the fishermen to move away at maximum speed. Immediately after the warning, the American fishermen saw that [t]hree warships and two support vessels of theirs were coming and would not turn, according to Alaska Public Media. The Russian war vessels came marching right through the fishing fleet, a witness said. A video filmed from one of the American fishing boats and posted on YouTube confirms the account. Other boats were buzzed by Russian aircraft, which flew low over the fishing fleet and ordered the Americans to leave the area in a specific direction. The U.S. said initially that it knew about the Russian naval drills in the Bering Sea and had been observing them, but later added that officials would investigate unprofessional interactions by the Russian military. Russia said more than 50 warships, including two nuclear submarines, and 40 aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers, took part in the Bering Sea war games dubbed Ocean Shield. The drills included launching P-1000 Vulkan missiles from a cruiser and P-100 anti-ship cruise missiles from a submarine. The Russian defense ministry released a video of its Omsk nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine surfacing near the coast of Alaska. One of the countrys top admirals said the exercise was a signal to NATO. According to news reports, during the exercises, the U.S. military eventually moved from observing to intercepting after six Russian Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft and Su-35 fighter jets entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone overnight on Aug. 27-28. This was the fifth such incident off the coast of Alaska this year involving Russian military aircraft, U.S. officials said. Syria Convoys On Aug. 27, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement that military police undertook necessary measures to prevent an incident in eastern Syria when a U.S. military convoy attempted to block a Russian patrol in violation of existing agreements. A few hours earlier, the Pentagon had said several U.S. troops were injured as a result of deliberately provocative and aggressive behavior" by Russian forces during a collision between the American and the Russian convoys in eastern Syria. Both statements referred to an incident that took place in Syrias eastern Hasakah province on Aug. 26. Video of the incident showed up on Rusvesna.su, a Russian website known for publishing videos recorded by the Russian troops and veterans, under the headline: How the Russian Army pursued U.S. troops in Syria. The U.S. publication Military Times also published a video of the incident. In the video, Russians can be heard clearly communicating with other vehicles and aircraft, coordinating their moves. The phrases in Russian include faster, faster, dont let them escape, cut them off, block them, along with some derogatory language. In a similar incident in Syria, which was also filmed and posted by Rusvesna.su on July 17, a Russian officer scolds his American counterpart through a Russian serviceman who was translating, saying: Let him tell his general that the Russians have earnestly asked not to pursue them again. In February 2018, hundreds of Russian mercenary troops reportedly were killed after U.S. forces came under artillery attack from pro-Syrian government forces. Russian officials disputed that a large number of Russian mercenaries died. Arctic Oil On Aug. 18, the head of the Russian oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin, visited President Vladimir Putin in his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow. Sechin brought Putin a gift: a fancy, framed bottle of Arctic oil. The Russian energy industry under Putin is boosting its presence in the Arctic, with multibillion-dollar investments in oil and natural gas, new transportation hubs and protected sea corridors. Alaska and the Arctic region are increasingly becoming a site of a great-power strategic competition, and some analysts say the U.S. needs to change its thinking about Alaska. In mid-August, the Trump administration said it would start offering leases for oil and gas development in Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by years end. On Tuesday, Aug. 8, Norway announced that its navy will participate in NATO military drills in the Barents Sea entering, for the first time in recent history, the Russian exclusive economic zone. The U.S. said the drill will be led by the British Navy and is aimed at improving security to protect the freedom of navigation in the challenging environment above the Arctic Circle. On Tuesday, the Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta cited the Russian armed forces National Center of Defense Administration as saying that it is monitoring the movements of NATO vessels in the Barents Sea. If there is a confrontation, American missiles and strategic aviation will hit Russia via the North Pole, but Russia is ready for that and the region is under our control, the report said. PLATTSBURGH Spirit Airlines has ceased flying out of Plattsburgh International Airport. We have a really good relationship with them and we hope they can come back, but right now because of COVID-19 they had to stop, Clinton County Legislator Robert Hall who chairs the countys Airport Committee, said. Spirit had suspended service in August and had hoped to resume flights soon, Airport Manager Chris Kreig said, but decided last week they could not at this time. Its been kind of the perfect storm, and there is not a whole lot you can do, Kreig said. They had to make a business decision. Spirit was offering three flights a week from Plattsburgh to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Saturdays, Sundays and Thursdays. They did halt service in April for a month due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kreig said a resurgence in coronavirus cases in Florida and South Carolina, two markets that Spirit serves, and restrictions from New York state on travelers from nearly three dozen states, affected Spirits business. We do have a good working relationship with them and they have been a good partner, Kreig said. We will continue to stay in touch and hopefully get them back in this market. Air travel has been way down across the country since the pandemic began in March. In March of 2019, Plattsburgh International had 16,000 passenger boardings. That number fell to between 8,500 and 8,600 this past March when the pandemic hit full swing. Nationwide, normally the number of people who fly daily averages between 2 and 2.5 million people, according to the Transportation Security Administration web site. The low number of people flying on a single day occurred on April 14 when just 87,534 people flew, compared with 2.2 million the same day in 2019. The high number of people flying during COVID-19 was 968,673 just last week on Sept. 4. But that figure was still down from the 2,198,828 who flew on that day last year. Its industry wide, Kreig said. Theyve (airlines) taken such a hit. The other two airlines that offer service out of Plattsburgh, Allegiant and SkyWest doing business as United Express, are continuing service. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 WALTHAM, Mass. and VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ZE PowerGroup Inc. (ZE) has partnered with Actifio , the pioneer of copy data management, to provide a data analytics, integration, and automation platform for the energy, commodity, and finance markets and help fuel its success through the headwinds of challenging times. ZE, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, helps clients gain efficiency and reduce business risks through data automation and services. The power and functionality of ZE's ZEMA platform has helped to expand its diverse client base internationally serving industries ranging from oil and gas to utilities to Fortune 500 financial firms. Nader El-Ramly, ZE's Chief Product Officer, said, "Our customers make daily use of Actifio's testing capabilities before any move to production. And the constant testing covers more than performance. It's used for business process and analytics testing. It is central to our operation and keeping our customers happy." Ash Ashutosh, Actifio Co-Founder and CEO, will host a session during the Actifio Data Driven 2020 virtual conference, being held September 15-16, with ZE's El-Ramly to discuss how ZE has creatively overcome challenges while dealing with challenges ranging from floods to the pandemic and helping clients succeed in the "New Normal." Keeping pace with customer expectations is what drives ZE to make continuous improvements in services delivery. Implementation of Actifio copy data management and database virtualization in 2017, and continuing annual expansion of the platform and its use cases, have provided clients self-service automation and a better way to rapidly refresh databases. El-Ramly continued, "It's not just the technology, but the partners and the people that enable us to be agile. Actifio has helped us expand our client base. What we can do now for customers is to be more responsive. We surround ourselves with partners like Actifio and IBM. And if I have a problem with IBM, it rains blue. Any issue with Actifio, it rains orange. It's the partnerships that are important. We can always say yes even in troubled times." The copy data management and virtualization capabilities enabled by Actifio have helped ZE meet its goals in some unexpected dimensions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ZE customers continue to sustain their businesses by working remotely and tapping ZE test and production resources. And when major oil and gas customers could not reach their offices after severe flooding hit Houston, Texas, workers continued remotely, thanks to the ZE cloud. ZE continues to make advances to match higher-performance testing demands to production performance speeds. ZE has transitioned the Actifio platform to all-flash storage. The upgrade means that time-bound testing can now precisely simulate what will happen in production. Customers can be sure that analytics requiring precise timelines will match predictable durations. Data-driven professionals can register here for Actifio Data Driven 2020: The Next Normal. About Actifio Actifio is the pioneer of multi-cloud copy data management software, enabling organizations to virtualize and deliver their data instantly, anywhere. An enterprise-class software platform powered by patented Virtual Data Pipeline technology, Actifio helps accelerate the adoption of hybrid, public and multi-cloud strategies, build higher quality applications faster, and improve business resiliency and availability. For more, visit Actifio.com or follow @Actifio on Twitter. About ZE PowerGroup ZE PowerGroup Inc. is part of the ZE family of companies, a group of interrelated organizations providing enterprise-level software solutions, consulting, support services, and design engineering services. Customers include the world's top oil and gas companies, the largest utilities in Canada, large multinational banks, and agricultural commodities trading companies. Their ZEMA Platform is a comprehensive data management and business process automation solution that provides data collection, analytics, data automation, and integration capabilities. The company also offers end-to-end automated business process solutions, including a full range of support and implementation services. Media Contact: Carissa Ryan [email protected] SOURCE Actifio Related Links http://www.ctpboston.com Democratic nominee Joe Biden tore into President Donald Trump for the revelations contained in Bob Woodward's forthcoming book: that he knew how serious COVID-19 was, while telling the American public something vastly different. 'He knew and purposely played it down,' an aghast Biden said Wednesday on a campaign trip to Michigan. 'Worse, he lied to the American people. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months.' In the CNN excerpts of the book, which include audio of Woodward's conversations with the president, Trump tells the journalist on February 7 that COVID-19 'goes through the air' and is 'more deadly' than the flu. Democratic nominee Joe Biden went after President Donald Trump Wednesday for knowing just how dangerous the coronavirus was in February but downplaying it for months to the American people Biden held a campaign event in Michigan that was supposed to be about preventing the offhosring of jobs, but he dedicated the top of his speech to the startling revelations found in Bob Woodward's forthcoming book 'So this is deadly stuff,' Trump adds, passing along information he had gotten the day before from China's President Xi Jinping. A month and a half later, on March 19, Trump told Woodward he had been purposely downplaying the virus' seriousness. 'I wanted to always play it down,' Trump said. 'I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic.' Cut to September and many of Trump's own supporters don't appreciate the seriousness, as the president has held mass gatherings over the last few weeks where fans huddle together in close confines and don't wear masks. Biden, on the other hand, has showed an overabundance of caution while trying to spend more time out on the campaign trail after spending months Zooming into events from his Delaware basement. At Biden's Michigan event Wednesday, attendees' chairs had circles around them, and they were instructed not to leave that space. 'Please remain in your circles and keep your mask on for the duration of the event,' an overheard announcement said. During his speech, Biden said his mask was only off because he was able to properly social distance - and the event was held outside. The Woodward book has Trump saying in his own words that he downplayed the threat of the coronavirus because he didn't want to start a 'panic.' To this day, many Trump supporters don't take the pandemic seriously, as they gather tightly at his campaign events with many not wearing masks Biden began his speech, which he was reading from a teleprompter, to pause and explain to the press why he didn't initially answer a shouted question at the airport about the Woodward book. 'We found out just getting off the plane the press asked me a legitimate question that I did not have the background on because it occurred on the plane,' Biden said mid-sentence, and then went back and re-started the prepared remarks. It was clear, a minute later, that the speech had been updated, with Biden specifically addressing Woodward's reporting. 'On the day that we hit 190,000 dead in the United States because of COVID-19, we just learned from The Washington Post columnist Bob Woodward that the president of the United States has admitted, on tape, in February that he knew about COVID-19, that it passed through the air,' Biden said. 'He knew how deadly it was. It was much more deadly than the flu.' Biden then turned to Trump's comments about intentionally downplaying it. 'And while this deadly disease ripped through our nation he failed to do his job on purpose,' Biden said. 'It's a life and death betrayal of the American people.' Biden then mentioned some statistics, he claimed 54,000 lives could have been saved had Trump acted just two weeks earlier. 'He's unfit for this job as a consequence,' Biden said. 'How many schools aren't open right now? How many kids are starting the new school year the same way they ended the last one - at home. How many parents feel abandoned and overwhelmed?' Biden continued. He said he worried American healthcare workers are 'exhausted and pushed to their limits.' 'And how many families are missing loved ones at their dinner table tonight because of his failures?' Biden said. The former vice president called it 'beyond despicable.' 'It's a dereliction of duty. It's a disgrace,' Biden said. Earlier, the Trump campaign held a call with reporters saying that their aim Wednesday was to prove Biden was bad on China, with campaign adviser Steve Cortes trying to stick the former vice president with the nickname 'Beijing Biden.' Trump's handling of the coronavirus, which originated in China, was the biggest headline out of Woodward's book, which also featured juicy nuggets like Trump calling his military commanders a 'bunch of pussies.' Biden had planned to go to Michigan to talk about the continued off-shoring of jobs. 'It's fascinating to me that Joe Biden is trying to masquerade as an economic nationalist,' Cortes said on the earlier call, as Trump won in 2016 in places like Michigan for talking about bad jobs and trade policies. The Biden plan called for an 'offshoring tax penalty' on profits from products made abroad and then sold in the United States. At the event, attended by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Biden vowed to help American industry and properly label American made products. 'We found out on Trump's watch a company selling deployment bags to active duty troops being deployed, falsely claimed its product was made in America, when it fact it was really made mostly in China,' Biden said. 'Trump didn't do anything to respond.' 'I'm not going to let that happen on my watch,' he continued, making the pitch to have a dedicated office at the White House so 'everybody is playing by the same "Made in America" rules.' ANKARA, Turkey - A Turkish court on Wednesday convicted five journalists over their reports on the funeral of an intelligence officer who was killed in Libya and sentenced them to more than three years in prison, state-run media reported. But all have been released from custody pending the appeals process. The five journalists from Odatv news website, the pro-Kurdish newspaper Yeni Yasam and the nationalist daily Yenicag, were among a group of eight defendants accused of violating Turkeys national intelligence laws and disclosing secret information for their coverage of the funeral of the agent who was quietly buried in February. Prosecutors charged that their reports revealed the officers identity and exposed other secret agents who attended the funeral. Odatv editor-in-chief Baris Pehlivan and reporter Hultay Kilinc were sentenced to three years and nine months in prison while Yeni Yasam newspapers editor-in-chief, Ferhat Celik, editor Aydin Keser and Murat Agirel, a columnist for Yenicag, received four years and six months, the Anadolu Agency reported. Odatv editor Baris Terkoglu was acquitted of the charges along with Eren Ekinci, an employee of the municipality where the intelligence officers funeral took place, who was accused of providing information to the Odatv reporter. Another journalist, Erk Acarer, a columnist for the left-leaning BirGun newspaper, is abroad and will be tried separately. Pehlivan, Kilinc and Agirel, the only defendants who were kept in pre-trial detention, were ordered released on Wednesday, but have been barred from leaving the country. Other defendants were released in June. All of the defendants had denied the charges and demanded their acquittal arguing that the slain intelligence officer was previously identified during discussions in Turkeys parliament. What I did was journalism, Kilinc told the court in her final defence on Wednesday. I did not know that the photograph that was published contained (images of) members of (Turkeys national intelligence organization) MIT and it was not possible for me to know that. Ozgur Ozel, a legislator from the main opposition party, welcomed the journalists release, but said they shouldnt have been put on trial in the first place. It is journalism that is being put on trial in this courthouse, Ozel told reporters. The aim is to intimidate journalists who are outside, to warn them not to report and to ensure that their hands tremble when they do. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, which had called on Turkey to drop the charges against the defendants, ranks the country among the top jailers of journalists worldwide, alongside China and Saudi Arabia. About 75 journalists and other media workers are currently in jail under Turkeys broad anti-terrorism laws, according to the Turkish Journalists Syndicate. Turkey maintains that the journalists are prosecuted for criminal acts and not for their journalistic work. By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil futures on Wednesday clawed back some of the losses they sustained in the previous session, but a rebound in COVID-19 cases in some countries undermined hopes for a steady recovery in global demand. Brent crude rose $1.01, or 2.5%, to settle at $40.79 a barrel. The benchmark dropped more than 5% on Tuesday to fall below $40 for the first time since June. U.S. crude rose $1.29, or 3.5% to settle at $38.05 a barrel, having fallen nearly 8% in the previous session. That lifted the major benchmarks off Tuesday's levels near three-month lows. Prices fell this week after Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco cut the October official selling prices for its Arab light oil, a sign of softening demand. "When strong Middle Eastern producers are willing to sell-off in lower prices, it is normal that the global market panics and follows suit," said Paola Rodriguez-Masiu, Rystad Energy's senior oil markets analyst. The global health crisis continues to flare with coronavirus cases rising in India, Britain, Spain and several parts of the United States. The outbreaks are threatening to slow a global economic recovery and reduce demand for fuels from aviation gas to diesel. "Short-term oil market fundamentals look soft: the demand recovery is fragile, inventories and spare capacity are high, and refining margins are low," Morgan Stanley said. Record supply cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, have helped support prices, but with grim economic figures being reported almost daily, the outlook for demand for oil remains bleak. The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday cut its 2020 world oil demand growth forecast by 210,000 barrels per day to 8.32 million bpd. China's factory gate prices fell for a seventh straight month in August although at the slowest annual pace since March, suggesting industries in the world's second-biggest economy continued their recovery from the coronavirus-induced downturn. Story continues In the United States, crude inventories rose 3 million barrels last week to 504.1 million barrels, industry data from the American Petroleum Institute showed late Wednesday. Analysts had expected a draw of 1.3 million barrels. U.S. government inventory data is due on Thursday, delayed a day by Monday's Labor Day holiday. [EIA/S] U.S. crude oil production is expected to fall 870,000 bpd to 11.38 million bpd this year, a less steep decline than previously forecast, the U.S. government said in its latest monthly outlook. Further oil production cuts are expected in 2021, according to the report. (Reporting by Stephanie Kelly in New York, additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar in London and Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) Hobby Lobby is facing renewed backlash for its long history of controversies following a display that appeared to endorse Donald Trump in the 2020 election in one of its stores. The image, originally posted on Twitter on Sunday, caused a stir on the platform, leading to fresh debate about the morality of the crafting company. In the photo, which user Kari Brekke claimed was taken in a Hobby Lobby store, three shelves of letters spell out USA VOTE TRUMP. The photo has not yet been verified, and it is not clear if this was an intentional display auhtorised by the store. Hobby Lobby did not immediately reply to The independents request for comment. However, the image quickly went viral with over 34,000 likes and 13,200 retweets as of Monday, and resurfaced calls for boycotts of the store. Some argued that the reactions to the display distracted from the more serious decisions of the company. We're all aware that customers re-arrange these letters all the time, right?, author and YouTuber Hank Green wrote on Twitter. Call my old fashioned, but I prefer to be outraged at Hobby Lobby for making it so that employers can decide what kind of healthcare their employees can get. The dig referred to a supreme court ruling in 2014 that the Christianchristian company should not be forced to provide employee health care coverage for contraceptives on the basis of religious beliefs. The craft company also incited controversy in 2017 after it was fined $3m for smuggling thousands of deliberately mislabeled Iraqi artifacts out of the Middle East to be sold in the US, violating a 2004 law banning the import of Iraqi cultural property into the country. The chain has also more recently faced scutiny after fighting to keep its doors open amidst the coronavirus pandemic and statewide stay-at-home orders, while reportedly refusing sick pay for workers who fall ill, including from Covid-19. Mishek, the third-longest-serving leader in the organization's 71-year history and architect of the historic 2014 merger of the Hazelden Foundation and the Betty Ford Center, says he will step down when his successor is hired likely in the first half of next year. Until then, he will continue to lead the addiction treatment leader through the pandemic, which has increased demand for Hazelden Betty Ford's services, and advance the innovation, collaboration and growth that have defined his tenure. "While I'm excited about the next chapter in my life, I'm equally excited about the future of Hazelden Betty Ford and know that our mission is more important than ever before," Mishek said. "In this extraordinary time, I remain 100% focused on our employees, the people we serve, and the hope and healing that so many individuals, families and communities need right now." When Mishek assumed leadership of the Hazelden Foundation in 2008, the Center City, Minnesota-headquartered nonprofit had six sites nationwide. Today, after several acquisitions and start-ups, as well as the pivotal merger with the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, the new Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation has 17 sites and is on its way to offering virtual care in all 50 states through its industry-leading RecoveryGo behavioral health service. Major construction projects are also under way and planned to enhance and expand the organization's two largest campuses in Center City and Rancho Mirage. In addition, the organization is serving a growing number of people nationally through its graduate school of addiction studies, publishing division, research center, professional and medical education branch, school- and community-based prevention programs and public advocacy arm. During Mishek's tenurea period marked by seismic shifts in healthcare and rapid escalation of the opioid epidemicHazelden Betty Ford has more than doubled the number of patients it serves annually to well over 25,000. Mishek empowered that growth by moving away from a mostly self-pay model and instead positioning Hazelden Betty Ford as a quality healthcare provider whose care is available in-network through most major health plans. Today, almost 95% of Hazelden Betty Ford's patients access care with insurance benefits. "Mark is a rare combination of vision, management dexterity, and rigorous honesty," said Lester Munson, of Chicago, who chairs the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Board of Trustees. "He sees the possibilities, he transforms them into realities, and he does it all with empathy and respect for those who suffer addiction. Mark not only brought two storied institutions together and significantly expanded our presence, but he also made our lifesaving care accessible to millions more people. His steady hand has guided the organization through a remarkable transformation into an efficiently-run, national system of care that provides quality treatment and services, demonstrates strong outcomes, and is valued and trusted by patients, families, partners and payers alike. "Rarely have I met a leader who is so exceptionally competent or whose disciplined, methodical style is so reminiscent of our patients' one-day-at-a-time approach to changing their lives," Munson added. "For 12 years, Mark has consistently taken the 'next right step' for Hazelden Betty Ford, and over time, those steps have added up to a huge expansion of the organization's reach, influence and impact." A pioneer and longtime leader in its field, Hazelden Betty Ford has continued its history of innovation under Mishek. In 2012, he and his clinical leaders responded to the emerging opioid epidemic by making Hazelden Betty Ford the first major addiction treatment provider in America to integrate the use of medications such as buprenorphine and naltrexone with psychosocial therapies and peer support to create a comprehensive new approach to treating opioid addiction. By redefining abstinence-based treatment to include use of prescribed medications and confronting decades of resistance to such ideas, the move drew criticism from both traditionalists who felt such medications were antithetical to recovery, and medical providers who saw little need for peer support and therapy. The approach has since been recognized by policymakers, researchers and healthcare leaders as a model for improving outcomes and has propelled Hazelden Betty Ford's larger, ongoing shift from a more programmatic treatment model to an increasingly individualized, person-centered approach that engages patients longer across multiple levels of care. "Nothing is more fulfilling than talking to one of our many patients who has found freedom from opioid addiction," Mishek said. "Given how tragic the overdose epidemic continues to be, I only wish we could expand our reach even further, and faster." One way Hazelden Betty Ford is extending its influence under Mishek is through aggressive and strategic collaboration, including development of a first-in-the-field provider network to ensure more people in more places receive quality addiction care and recovery support. Other notable collaborative efforts include: groundbreaking research with Mayo Clinic into genetics and precision treatment and with the American Bar Association into behavioral health needs in the legal profession, and consultative work with Sesame Street in Communities on education and support for children affected by parental addictionjust to name a few. In addition, Hazelden Betty Ford has established itself as one of the most trusted public voices on addiction prevention, treatment and recovery issues. Mishek personally testified before Congress on the need for stronger consumer protections and quality standards in the treatment industry, and has helped mobilize efforts to educate people everywhere about the hope and science of recovery. The lifelong St. Paul-area resident, who previously was a leader in the Allina health system, is not keen on reflecting just yet. He says he remains focused on the work in front of him, including important diversity-equity-and-inclusion efforts; a bold, new $500 million fundraising campaign; and significant expansions in virtual services, prevention, professional education and consultation, and New York City outpatient services. As president of the accredited Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies, he also recently welcomed the school's largest-ever incoming class. "Having planned for several years to retire in 2021, it is gratifying to approach this pending personal milestone knowing Hazelden Betty Ford is as fundamentally strong and healthy as it has ever been, and it's exciting to continue pursuing so many important priorities. Even amid the challenges of the pandemic, we are growing, innovating and diversifying," Mishek said. "The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is on a positive strategic course and is now poised for a new leader to step in, build upon our substantial foundation and usher in the next exciting era in the organization's rich and meaningful history. Until that time, I intend to keep working as passionately and ambitiously as ever." Susan Ford Bales, trustee for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and daughter of former First Lady Betty Ford, says that by every measurefinancial health, lives touched, brand recognition, employee engagement, patient satisfaction, market share, donor supportMishek has built a high-performing, high-impact, world-renowned organizationone that is well-positioned to address the complex challenges of addiction in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. However, she has been most impressed, and is most grateful for, the heart and spirit with which he has led. "Like my mother, Mark cares deeply for everyone affected by substance use and mental health disorders and for the employees, trustees, donors, partners and allies that make Hazelden Betty Ford a force of healing and hope," Bales said. "Mark knows personallylike I and countless others dowhat it's like to have addiction, and then recovery, in the family, and is driven by a determination to help as many people as possible. He has honored my mother's legacy and helped carry it forward in tremendous ways that will benefit many generations to come. She would be proud, and I am forever grateful." About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient addiction and co-occurring mental health treatment for adults and youth, the Foundation has 17 locations nationwide, with expansive on-site and telehealth solutions and a network of collaborators throughout health care. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction. Learn more at www.HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter @hazldnbettyford. SOURCE Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Related Links http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org OROFINO - According to an update received on Wednesday morning, September 9, a Type 2 Incident Management Team recently assumed command of both the Clover Fire and MM49 Fire burning outside Orofino. The fires are located near the Sunnyside Complex and have combined to burn almost 2,500 acres so far. The Clover Fires rapid fire spread has lead to the loss of numerous residences, outbuildings, and vehicles during its first night of growth on September 7. As of Wednesday morning, the Clover Fire was estimated at 1,632 acres and the MM49 Fire was estimated at approximately 829 acres. According to the Idaho State Fire Marshall's Office, the fires have destroyed 13 homes, along with 31 outbuildings and 26 vehicles as of Tuesday afternoon. A sheriffs squad was also significantly damaged during the initial evacuations. No injuries or fatalities have occurred due to this fast moving fire. Initial attack crews from the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protection Association, Idaho Department of Lands, U.S. Forest Service, and many rural fire departments, were instrumental in safely protecting other numerous homes in the area. Further, by yesterday morning (Tuesday, Sep. 8), crews had rough containment lines established around much of the Clover Fire and had begun both direct and indirect line construction along flanks of the MM49 Fire. Structure and point protection efforts have been ongoing for both fires and thus far, have been successful in defending the remainder of the homes. On Wednesday, crews at the Clover Fire are still actively engaged in both mop up and patrolling for hotspots near structures, as well as continuing to strengthen and defend containment lines (especially along the fires western and northern flanks where the fire is most active). On the MM49 Fire, firefighters will continue point and structure protection efforts and direct line construction along the fires western flank. Fire managers scouted for the most effective place to try to corral the MM49 Fire, and equipment operators are beginning indirect line construction along a ridge south and east of the fire front, working east and northeast towards Highway 12 and the Clearwater River corridor. As available, air support from helicopter water drops and retardant drops for single engine air tankers (SEATs) and large air tankers will help cool hot spots and reduce spread potential. Road Closures/Restrictions: Road closures remain in place and the Clearwater County Sheriffs Department currently has roadblocks at New Hope Road and Cavendish Highway, South Road and Cavendish Highway, and Sunnyside Bench Road and Old Peck Grade. Any roads within the roadblocks are currently closed as well to include New Hope, Sunnyside, Rainbow Drive, Havelock Grade, Charles Lane, Clover Drive, Twin Springs and View Drive. Evacuations: On Monday, September 7, ninety-six residences were evacuated adjacent to the Clover Fire and thirty-six residences were evacuated or set to evacuate adjacent to the MM49 Fire. Although some residents have been allowed to return to their homes, many residents remain evacuated at this time. The Clearwater County Sheriff asks that if you have been evacuated but have not yet been in contact with their office to please call the Clearwater County Dispatch at 208-476-4521. Sheriffs department officers are escorting evacuees to their property to retrieve essential items or pets, if that property is in an area deemed safe to enter by fire managers. Fire managers will host a community meeting this evening, Wednesday, September 9, at 6:00 p.m. This will be a virtual-live simultaneous meeting, and anyone with internet connectivity is asked to follow the meeting as it is live-streamed on the Sunnyside Complex Facebook page (link HERE). For those with no or limited internet connectivity, there will be limited seating at the Orofino Fairground stands. Anyone attending the meeting in-person will need to adhere to COVID-19 mitigation guidelines, including minimum of six-foot spacing and proper use of face masks. We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Hackers are at it more than ever. Major companies, governments, and organizations all over the world are hit by thieves looking for a big payday. It's not enough to have real-world thieves to READ THE REST The HT Media Group has relaunched its flagship brand Hindustan Times in an all-new digital-first avatar. The English daily, with a legacy of over 96 years and a total readership of 8 million across India (TR, IRS Q419), has undergone a complete re-design that addresses the multi-platform shareable news consumption habits of todays generation, particularly the millennials. The refreshed HT product portfolio, including HT City and Brunch, is replete with elements that offer seamless print to digital integrations. It further gives the readers more than what is available on just the print medium via QR Codes, video pointers, links to podcasts and photo galleries that direct the readers to HTs digital platforms to experience, engage and express more. Glh5tkWaeSM?autoplay=0&rel=0" frameborder="0"> In terms of the new design elements, HT has launched its new logo that is classic yet contemporary, evoking the credible legacy that the brand brings to its modern-day readers. The thoughtfully crafted crest captures the journey of the brand from quill to cursor and the values the brand has embodied since its inception in 1924 Clarity and Credibility. HT has also unveiled its new positioning - First Voice, Last Word. It represents the ethos of the brand with its continued promise of credible journalism, especially in todays information-addled world. While the First Voice alludes to its digital-first agile approach, which is always the first to raise issues faced by the citizens today, the Last Word captures the essence of journalistic excellence associated with a credible, trusted and respected news brand. Dentsu Impact, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, has worked on the integrated campaign of the relaunch. The campaign maintains a sharp millennial focus in the messaging and design contours. The media landscape has undergone immense transformation in the past decade and despite the testing times, Hindustan Times continues to make strides as a market leader to give the news consumers what they are seeking and how they are seeking it. This refreshed product fits the fast-paced, knowledge seeking needs of the millennials without alienating the older generation who are also fast adapting to the new ways of news consumption. We are extremely excited about this new offering and are certain that this raises the bar for the news industry in our country, said Rajan Bhalla, Group CMO, HT Media Ltd. Speaking on the campaign, Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Impact added, "Our focus was to make this campaign around the brand new format of HT; not just the design part of it but the core idea of becoming the most authentic news source available to its subscribers across all platforms. The new generation of news seekers are seeking absolute truth in the news they consume. They are tired of sensationalism; they are asking hard questions about the current state of journalism and they are expressing themselves freely and fearlessly across all platforms. And It is this relentless quest for the truth that we have tried to bring to life through a hard hitting and thought-provoking narrative, voiced by the young and impactful social commentator, Aranya Johar - a representative for the responsible and aware millennial. The all-new HT is a fantastic product. The newspaper is interactive that impeccably integrates the print-to-screen reading experience. CREDITS: Client: Hindustan Times MD and CEO HT Media Ltd - Praveen Someshwar Group CMO HT Media Ltd - Rajan Bhalla Vice President, HT Marketing- Aparna Bhawal HT Marketing Team- Charu Chawla, Brinda Kumar Creative Agency: Dentsu Impact President: Amit Wadhwa Chief creative officer: Soumitra Karnik Creative Team- Ankur Garg, Debanjan Basak, Devansh Chaudhary, Mayank Patel, Bharat Chatwal Account Management- Hindol Purkayastha, Sunil Singh, Udisha Priyadarshini, Palak Mehrotra, Ricky Kalra, Ekta Mehta Planning- Krittika Chakraborty Films- Dawa Lama Production House Snowball Studios Director- Rachit Mehta Producer - Shams Lalji When Golda Barton called 911 on Friday for help calming down her 13-year-old son, who is on the autism spectrum, she expected a crisis team to de-escalate the situation. But when Linden Cameron ran away from police, an officer opened fire, KUTV reported. Barton says her son has injuries to his shoulder, both ankles, intestines and bladder. Hes a small child, Barton said, according to the station. Why didnt you just tackle him? Hes a baby. He has mental issues. Screaming woman in shackles flees FBI into crowd of protesters, California video shows Salt Lake City police said they had been called to a report of a boy having a mental episode who had made threats to some folks with a weapon, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. No weapon has been found. Barton says she told officers her son, who had been upset over his mothers return to work, was not armed. He just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming, she said, KUTV reported. He doesnt know how to regulate. Mayor Erin Mendenhall of Salt Lake City pledged a swift and transparent investigation in a statement on the 10 p.m. shooting, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. While the full details of this incident are yet to be released as an investigation takes place, I will say that I am thankful this young boy is alive and no one else was injured, Mendenhall said, according to the publication. Nationally, scores of people experiencing mental health crises have been injured or killed by police who had been called for help, The Washington Post reported. Police were called because help was needed, but instead more harm was done when officers from the SLPD expected a 13-year-old experiencing a mental health episode to act calmer and (more) collected than adult trained officers, reads a statement from advocacy group Neurodiverse Utah. Chinese authorities have revealed why an Australian journalist has been detained in Beijing after two other reporters were forced to flee the country. Cheng Lei, a high profile business anchor on Chinese state television, has been held in a secret location for more than three weeks. 'The Australian national Cheng Lei is suspected of carrying out criminal activities endangering China's national security,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters. Australian journalist Cheng Lei (pictured) was detained in China's capital city Beijing in August. She is a high profile anchor for CGTN, China's English language state broadcaster The Chinese foreign ministry said Ms Cheng (pictured) had been investigated and was 'suspected of carrying out criminal activities endangering China's national security' 'Compulsory measures have been imposed on Cheng and she has recently been investigated by relevant authorities.' He said the case was being handled according to Chinese law and Ms Cheng's legitimate rights and interests were fully guaranteed. The explanation comes after two Australian journalists were rushed out of China for their own safety after being banned from leaving until they answered questions about Ms Cheng. Bill Birtles from the ABC and Michael Smith from the Australian Financial Review returned to Sydney on Tuesday after a five-day diplomatic stand-off. Their rushed evacuation has left Australia without any correspondents working on the ground in China for the first time in 50 years. Chinese police told the journalists they were people of interest in the case of Ms Cheng and both men were ordered to report for questioning. They sheltered in Australian diplomatic compounds for days as their travel rights were revoked. It is not known where in Beijing Cheng (pictured) has been detained since August The explanation for Ms Cheng's arrest comes after two Australian reporters, Bill Birtles (pictured) from the ABC and Michael Smith from the AFR, fled China fearing for their safety Consular officials secured safe passage after the pair agreed to be interviewed. Both journalists say they are relieved to be home but disappointed about the circumstances surrounding their departure. The Department of Foreign Affairs urged the ABC to withdraw Mr Birtles from China last week after it learned of Cheng's detention. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the government had become concerned about the uncertainty posed for other Australian journalists. Mr Birtles and Mr Smith (pictured) were initially banned from leaving the country until they answered questions about Cheng. Both reporters had been told they were persons of interest Mr Smith holds his thumbs up upon his return to Sydney on Tuesday morning. He and Mr Birtles were questioned by Chinese authorities before they could return to Australia Mr Birtles is seen at Sydney airport on Tuesday following the frightening rush to leave China Mr Zhao told reporters the questioning of the men was a normal enforcement of the law, which authorities had strictly adhered to during their investigations. He said China protected the legitimate rights and interests of news gathering staff and they had the obligation to comply with the laws and regulations in China. 'As long as foreign journalists conduct news reporting in accordance with laws, they should have nothing to worry about,' Mr Zhao said. The Australian government is advising all Australians not to travel to China, warning they could face arbitrary detention. Australia has been left without any credentialed journalists in China for the first time since the 1970s. Senator Payne described the diplomatic saga as a disappointing. 'Australia, of course, is a strong advocate of freedom of the press,' she said. 'We will work appropriately with media organisations to determine next steps.' Foreign Minister Marise Payne (pictured) has reminded Australians not to go to China Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the growth in Indias bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia with the crown King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Wednesday during a telephonic conversation. The two leaders also discussed G20 and challenges being faced due to Covid pandemic. Spoke on phone with His Majesty @KingSalman about the important role being played by the G20 under the Saudi Presidency, including against Covid-19. We also reviewed the tremendous growth in our bilateral ties in recent years, PM Modi tweeted. PM Modi conveyed his appreciation for King Salman for the leadership being provided by Saudi Arabia during its ongoing presidency of the G20 grouping, the Prime Ministers Office said. The two leaders agreed that the initiatives taken at the level of the G20 had helped in promoting a coordinated response to the pandemic. He also expressed special thanks for the support provided to Indian expatriates by the Saudi authorities during the pandemic. PM Modi and the Saudi crown king expressed their satisfaction at the state of bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia, and committed to further strengthening cooperation in all areas, the PMO said in a statement. Fights broke out in shopping aisles while queues spanned across entire car parks early on Wednesday morning as keen Aldi customers scrambled to get their hands on the beloved 16 litre air fryer costing just $149. The discount supermarket was offering the kitchen gadget as part of their Special Buys program, which offers huge discounts on various products each week. Stores across the country were thrown into chaos with eager shoppers lining up outside from as early as 5am. Some even got on their hands and knees to crawl under the roller shutters as the doors were opened, desperate to be the first to buy the coveted fryer. But after waiting hours on end many customers were devastated to find Aldi were low on stock, with the air fryers selling out within minutes. Aldi was offering the air fryer (pictured) for just $149 as part of its Special Buys program on Wednesday One woman visiting the supermarket in Engadine in south Sydney said she was one of 200 people queuing up. 'Well there's 30 minutes of my life I won't get back! They only had 3... yes, 3... there were about 150-200 people in the line,' she wrote on Facebook. 'That's the first & last time I ever line up for something at Aldi!!!' Another shopper at the Roselands Aldi in south west Sydney claimed a man shoved a woman with his trolley while he hurried to get his hands on the kitchen device. 'The absolutely disgusting behaviour by a horrid excuse of a male customer I just witnessed whom decided he should ram the lady next to me with his trolley because she wasn't running to the middle isle holding him up from getting his air fryer,' the shopper said. 'That's not ok! What has happened to people? It's very sad, all over a special buy. '(Shoppers) were even crawling under the roller shutter as it was opening.' One woman visiting the Aldi at Engadine in south Sydney waited for half an hour only to find all the air fryers had sold out (pictured, the queue before the store opened at 8.30am) One employee said Special Buys days were also tough for those working at the stores. 'I'm recovering on my 30 minute break.... Absolutely appalling behaviour here and abuse... I hate days like these as an employee,' the staff member said. Another shopper filmed the car park outside their local Aldi with customers queuing around the entire lot. One furious shopper at Mount Barker in South Australia waited in line only to find out the four air fryers in stock had sold out within three minutes. After an influx of complaints about little stock, Aldi Australia said COVID-19 had impacted the delivery of the air fryer. 'We apologise in advance for any disappointment this might cause our customers, and remind everyone to shop with kindness in this challenging time,' a spokesman said. The air fryer was not in stock at all in Victoria to encourage people to follow COVID-19 regulations. 'What a joke. No, what a disgrace. Aldi you do this all the time. If you don't have enough stock say so,' one commented. 'This is the second time in months youve had an air fryer on sale and not a single one in sight,' another said. 1 of 5 BMC starts demolishing Kangana Ranaut`s Mumbai office, see in 5 pics Kangana Ranaut, who was recently given Y category security after she said she was being threatened, will land in Mumbai on Wednesday and will be guarded by 11 CRPF personnel. Kangana Ranaut is set to return to Mumbai from her hometown in Manali, Himachal Pradesh today. The actor is at the centre of a heated political row with Maharashtras ruling Shiv Sena and its coalition partners over her remark comparing Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The ongoing face-off between Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut and Maharashtra government continued on Wednesday (September 9) with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials demolishing alleged illegal alterations at Kangana's Manikarnika Films office in Mumbai's posh Pali Hill area. Read More... An RCMP officer and a Citizens on Patrol volunteer check a car for valuables to warn the owner about the risk of leaving valuables in a vehicle, in Ardrossan, Alta., on March 6, 2018. (The Canadian Press/Jason Franson) Rural Crime Spurs Search for Solutions High crime rates and fewer police spread over large areas create challenges in rural regions Manitoba is the latest Prairie province to consider legislative changes to deal with rural crime. Advocates say the federal government must also change gun laws to clarify the right to self-defence. Pam Downie farms west of Cut Knife, Saskatchewan, with her husband, Scott. She tells The Epoch Times that theres been several incidents of crime on her farm in recent days, including the theft of three vehicles owned by a recently deceased tenant. All three vehicles were recovered. One was littered with needles and drug paraphernalia. Just today, a neighbour found his swather [grain harvesting machine] suddenly devoid of fuel. And the RCMP are currently talking to a person who has been swerving, driving all over our roads since this morning, Downie says. In addition, police recently recovered an abandoned truck on the Downies land that may also have been stolen. Another truck was burned north of their yard. When asked if policing is adequate, Downie is clear. Absolutely not. They do the best they can, but I think theres only four officers in the Cut Knife detachment, and that means that they are usually responding to calls alone and a single officer is covering the area from just west of Sweetgrass [First Nation] to the Alberta border. That distance is 90 kilometres east to west. They do a good job, but when a single group of thieves can rob an area blind in a few evenings, they are severely understaffed, Downie says, adding that the internet has helped. The best defence we have right now is [Facebook] Messenger. A neighbour started the group so we could have community parties, etc., but now it has turned into a virtual Neighbourhood Watch. We report crimes, weird tracks, and suspicious vehicles. So many worries for the safety of folks around here, but its primarily property crime. In 2017, Manitobas rural crime rate was 42 percent higher than that of its urban areas. Manitoba Justice Minister Cliff Cullen recently proposed legislative changes to combat rural crime and metal theft and launched a public survey for feedback. The proposals mirror Albertas Bill 27, which protects property owners from civil liability or lawsuits from trespassers injured by a person acting in defence of his or her property. The bill came about after Edouard Maurice fired warning shots at alleged burglars outside his home near Okotoks in 2017. One tried to sue Maurice for $100,000, plus compensation for lost wages after he was hit by a ricochet bullet. Maurice was charged with aggravated assault, pointing a firearm, and careless use of a firearm. The charges and lawsuit were later dropped. In 2016, Colten Boushie had a loaded .22-calibre rifle when he drove an SUV to Gerald Stanleys farm near Biggar, Saskatchewan, roughly 150 km southeast of Downies farm. Boushie and his friends, who had been drinking, attempted to steal a truck at the previous farm they went to, then tried to start an all-terrain vehicle at the Stanley farm. Stanley fired twice with a pistol before fatally wounding Boushie. He claimed the third shot was accidental and his finger was not on the trigger. Stanley was acquitted of murder and of manslaughter through careless use of a firearm. He was later fined $3,000 for unsafe storage of a firearm and banned from owning firearms for 10 years. Blair Hagen, executive vice-president of communications at the National Firearms Association (NFA), says NFA members are very supportive of the defensive use of firearms. However, federal laws prevent successful self-defence with firearms: a lot of the storage issues, transportation issues, a number of different things. In May 2019, a parliamentary committee released a Study on Crime in Rural Areas in Canada. The report acknowledged that witnesses felt helpless and had a desire to take matters into their own hands. Police response times were long, it noted, hours or even days in some cases. However, the Committee discourages this kind of intervention by citizens, read the report. Hagen says worries about vigilantism are misplaced. Canadians can reasonably provide for their own self-defence. Were rational people, were not vigilantes, were not hotheads, and I think people know the difference between the legitimate use of a firearm for self-defence from something that is not. In Olds, Alberta, garage owner Gord Bueckert launched a local chapter of Citizens on Patrol in 2017. Volunteers work in pairs to watch for strange vehicles or suspicious activity. Any time youre doing something like this, there is a risk because of people who have guns, he tells The Epoch Times. We try to be cautious and thats why we try to stay in our vehicles unless its a first aid emergency. Bueckert says the volunteers also deter crime by going through parking lots and writing notes [to put on vehicles] saying, Your keys are in the car. Bad idea, or Good job! Everythings tucked away, nobody can see it, because if people dont see those things, they wont pick your vehicle first to break into. Restrictions on partners of pregnant women attending maternity hospitals are necessary to protect mothers and their babies from Covid-19, a junior health minister has said. There have been growing calls for maternity hospitals to ease current restrictions that prevent partners of pregnant women from attending for prenatal scans. While some facilities are beginning to allow partners to attend for 20-week scans, some hospitals are not permitting fathers or birthing partners to accompany women to hospital until it is established that they are in labour. The pandemic restrictions were criticised as bonkers by the Sinn Fein TD Reada Cronin in the Dail today, who said they did not make sense when pubs were reopening. It is straight up bonkers that it is more important for a father to be able to wet his babys head rather than to see his babys head, she said. Read More Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns said she had spoken to one woman who was in labour for 23 hours and did not have any support. In another case she spoke to a woman who had had an emergency C-section and gone through the entire birth and five days in hospital alone. Her husband met their baby when they were discharged, she said. Responding for the Government, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Mary Butler said she understood the restrictions had presented difficulties for expectant mothers and fathers. Regrettably, but in order to protect women, babies, staff, and indeed our maternity services as a whole, it has been necessary to reduce footfall in the maternity hospitals, the Fianna Fail TD said. This has been achieved in part by the introduction of visitor restrictions, which has unfortunately included limitations on access of partners to maternity wards, theatres and appointments. She said the fact there have been no Covid maternal deaths in this country and a low incidence rate of the virus in pregnant women suggested the current approach was working. She said an outbreak of Covid-19 in a maternity hospital would be devastating for that service and impact its ability to provide care. Ms Butler said that restrictions were made and reviewed at a local level in each hospital and that here cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. She said restrictions were being reviewed by hospitals on an ongoing basis and being minimised as much as possible. These restrictions are reviewed on a frequent basis and will be lifted as soon as hospitals believe it is safe to do so, she said. Ms Butler said she would bring the TDs' concerns to the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, but insisted: These restrictions are put in place purely to protect the mother and the baby. Dublin Lord Mayor councillor Hazel Chu has this week written to the capitals three maternity hospitals asking them to ease restrictions for partners. Meanwhile, Fine Gael Senator Emer Currie said guidelines in the North changed in July to allow a partner to attend for the duration of labour and birth as well as 12-week scans, anomaly scans and pregnancy clinics and she called for similar moves to be made here. We are only talking about access to the hospital for one person, which will make a world of difference to mother and baby, Ms Currie said. I dont know if this book is good or bad. I have no idea, probably almost definitely wont read it because I dont have time to read it, but I gave it a little bit of a shot. Sounds like its not gonna be good, but if you look at what I said today, I said, Dont panic. We dont want to be jumping up and down and going well dont panic, Trump said. One America Works, an organization that bridges the divide between high-growth Silicon Valley companies and emerging tech hubs across the U.S., is creating new opportunities for tech talent and companies by hosting its third virtual recruitment event in Indianapolis on September 18. The organization is at the forefront of a positive trend gaining traction in the pandemic, as tech talent and companies are expanding their horizons beyond the coasts - One America Works developed a database of more than 30,000 tech workers willing to move into a new city or region for a tech job, a response to widespread tech layoffs impacting 50,000+ workers in Silicon Valley. One America Works is partnering with Indianapolis-based growth accelerator TechPoint to bring the upcoming recruitment event to life, which will connect high quality tech talent with top employers, including Cummins, Genesys, Angies List, Zylo, Formstack, Passageways and HomeAdvisor. With entry-level and mid-career positions available across engineering, product, sales and many other disciplines, this virtual recruitment event is a perfect opportunity for tech talent based in high cost cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Boston and New York City to make a move, as well as local talent to make new connections. What: Virtual Recruitment Event for Indianapolis-Based Tech Positions When: September 18, 12 pm-5 pm ET How: Attendees can register for the Indianapolis recruitment event until September 12. Qualified participants will be assigned a specific time slot to meet companies one-on-one. Where: https://oneamericaworks.org/recruiting-fair-indy/ The Indianapolis event follows on the success of virtual recruitment events in Pittsburgh and Columbus, which attracted approximately 2,000 people signing up for interviews for over 150 positions with 20+ companies, including. Pittsburgh and Columbus-based positions with companies including JP Morgan Chase, Aware, Astrobotic and Niche. These employers located in emerging cities held nearly 100 interviews with qualified tech talent, of which more than 50 percent had over five years experience and 25 percent were engineers. The move to remote and distributed workplaces opens up a massive opportunity for tech companies to hire from anywhere and build up their operations in less expensive regions with higher quality of living for talent, said Patrick McKenna, founder of One America Works. This move away from expensive, crowded cities like Silicon Valley and New York City benefits places like Indianapolis, where an expanding infrastructure and investment in technology business makes it a magnet for tech talent, both homegrown and new residents. Indianapolis strategic location and favorable cost of doing business make it a proven choice for growing companies as they seek new locations for expansion and investment. Industries thriving in Indianapolis include aerospace/aviation; agritech, logistics/transportation; advanced manufacturing, and life sciences. One America Works has compiled an overview of the growing technology scene in Indianapolis here: https://oneamericaworks.org/cities/indianapolis/. "With $7B in tech acquisitions, one of the fastest growth rates, and one of Salesforces largest global hubs, Indy is in a sweet spot where you can have a successful tech career, the quality of life advantages of a mid-size city, own a home, as well as make a personal impact in one of the great next-generation tech hubs, said TechPoint President & CEO Mike Langellier. We welcome both local talent and out-of-state professionals ready to make a move and either work remotely or land a job with Indy tech employers and are happy to support the One America Works virtual recruiting fair. Founded by Patrick McKenna - an entrepreneur and investor with experience co-founding, operating and investing in several highly successful technology companies - One America Works is bridging the divide in America by spearheading connections between high-growth companies looking to expand and emerging regions across the U.S. that provide high-quality talent and investment opportunities. And this concept is gaining momentum as it creates hundreds of jobs in emerging hubs around the country. The 501c3 non-profit is leveraging a million dollar grant from RK Mellon Foundation to expand into new emerging tech cities this year including Columbus and Indianapolis. About One America Works One America Works is a non-profit organization that connects growth companies and talented people across the country, bringing the country together around common goals and values. Founded by entrepreneur and investor Patrick McKenna in 2018, One America Works addresses the geographic economic divide across America by introducing innovative technology companies to new sources of talent located in middle American cities, to bring more people in more places into the modern economy. For more about One America Works, visit oneamericaworks.org or follow the organization on LinkedIn or Twitter. Tearing Down With Marx Commentary Among the many questions Ive received in doing interviews about my new book, The Devil and Karl Marx, one has been particularly interesting and unexpected: What does Marx have to do with todays statue movement? That is, the movement storming streets and towns with chains and spray paint vandalizing and tearing down statues. Those targeted are, of course, no longer just statues of Confederate generals; were way beyond that. They now include Union generals who defeated the Confederacy (i.e., Ulysses S. Grant), no less than Abraham Lincoln, even black abolitionist Frederick Douglass (try to figure out that one), and everyone from Washington and Jefferson to Francis Scott Key and Teddy Roosevelt. They go as far back as Christopher Columbus and Saint Louis and Saint Junipero Serra, founder of the California missions. Theyd rip down Mt. Rushmore if they could. And if you havent noticed, even churches have come under attack, with statues of Jesus Christ and his mother hacked and desecrated. What do these figures have to do with George Floyd or police reform? Well, obviously, nothing. They represent a tearing at the very fabric of our nation, culture, and its social and political order. They strike at the root of this countrys Judeo-Christian foundation. They literally seek to tear down. And alas, its there that the comparison to Karl Marx is apt, regardless of whether those tearing down could even spell the words Communist Manifesto. The goal of Marx and the Marxist project from the outset was one of fundamental transformation, of pursuing permanent revolution and unrestrained criticism of everything. Marxs ideas were so radical, and so (as Marx openly conceded) contrary to the nature of things, that they inevitably raze the foundation. Marx, in the Manifesto, said that communism represents the most radical rupture in traditional relations. It seeks to abolish the present state of things. No small task. In a remarkable statement, he said that communists openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Chew that one over. Marx closed the Manifesto with, Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things. In a letter to his friend Arnold Ruge, Marx called for the ruthless criticism of all that exists. Imagine. Marx was particularly fond of a line from Mephistopheles in Goethes Faust: Everything that exists deserves to perish. If you know what Goethes Faust was about, and who Mephistopheles was (a devil/demon), then you know thats a rather chilling thought from Marx. Marxin his essay declaring religion the opium of the people, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditionssaid that the criticism of religion is the beginning of all criticism. In that essay, he used the word criticism 29 times. Beyond ruthless criticism for Marx, there was ruthless abolition. The word abolition is omnipresent in his writings. As Marx biographer Robert Payne noted, the word almost seems to jump off every page of the Manifesto. And after he has abolished property, family, and nations, and all existing societies, Marx shows little interest in creating a new society on the ruins of the old, observed Payne. He had written in a poem to Jenny [his future wife] that he would throw a gauntlet at the world, and watch it crumble. Comforted by her love, he would wander through the kingdom of ruins, his words glowing with action, his heart like the heart of God. The Communist Manifesto was the gauntlet he threw at the world. It was indeed. And it wasnt merely the Manifesto. A key focus of my book is Marxs genuinely hellacious poetry and plays, which display a savage obsession with the dark side. He wrote of suicide pacts, pacts with the devil, Hellish vapors, of the Prince of Darkness selling a blood-dark sword [that] shall stab unerringly within thy soul, of Heaven Ive forfeited, I know it full well, My soul, once true to God, Is Chosen for Hell, and of violence, vengeance, flames, rage, death, despair, and destruction. The Devil and Karl Marx: Communisms Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration by Paul Kengor. (Tan Books) In one of his most unsettling writings, a play called Oulanem, which two Marx biographers (Robert Payne and Richard Wurmbrand) say is a sacrilegious inversion of the holy name Manuelo or Emmanuel, the principal character, who serves as a sort of mock Creator, rises and declares of the world: I shall howl gigantic curses at mankind and I will smash to pieces with my enduring curses. Payne, who was a respected British professor of literature, interpreted it this way: Oulanem was Marx as judge and executioner. Marxs defenders want to frame the likes of Lenin and Stalin and other tyrants as aberrations of Marxism, as the nasty totalitarians seeking to annihilate the old order. In fact, they were merely following Marx, the ultimate revolutionary and rebel. Marx wanted to burn down the house long before Lenin and Stalin were even born. In an interview with Dennis Prager regarding The Devil and Karl Marx, Prager kept coming back to those lines from Marx in my book. Lines such as, Everything that exists deserves to perish. He told me, Its just pure nihilism. It is indeed. And again, not a single revolutionary standing with torches aside a statue in this or that town need quote Karl Marx in the process. They need not be a Marxist. Marx, however, would approve of them in this sense: As he said at the close of the Manifesto, communists support every revolutionary movement that goes against the existing social and political order. So long as todays revolutionaries are seeking that purpose, Marx would surely approve. They exhibit, whether they know it or not, common cause with Marxs desire to tear down. Paul G. Kengor, Ph.D., is a professor of political science at Grove City College and executive director of The Center for Vision & Values, a GCC think-tank. He is also a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford University and author of many books, including his most recent, The Devil and Karl Marx: Communisms Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration, from which this article is drawn. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Despite the dynamic conditions and changes in government rules and restrictions, travellers are regaining confidence in their ability to travel and therefore continue to dream of their next holiday destination, says a report. The Middle East and Africa, like the rest of the world, is carefully monitoring the opening of its borders to residents and tourists, and working through phasing the lifting of lockdown restrictions. As expected, this is having a noticeable impact on travel intent and confidence to and from the region, says the insights report from Sojern, a leading provider of digital travel marketing solutions. Over the last month the Seychelles and Reunion Islands have reopened, while the popular honeymoon destination of Mauritius remains closed and is expected to open in October. In August Saudi Arabia opened land entry for its citizens from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Kuwait, with Kuwait also reopening its borders to residents. Abu Dhabi residents no longer require ICA approval to return, but tourists cannot yet enter the emirate. Qatar has moved to Phase 3 of restrictions which now allows for inbound flights from low-risk countries, and increased capacity in restaurants and malls, aiming for Phase 4 in September. Much like other countries and regions globally, the relaxing of travel restrictions, reopening of local activities such as restaurants and shops, and the lifting of quarantine periods on entry for those whose Covid-19 test is negative, will all directly influence upcoming travel decisions. Travel demand to the UAE fluctuates With the region remaining cautious of inbound international travel, there is initial signs of recovery from domestic travel. However, as the UAE prepares to tackle localised outbreaks amid warnings of a 'second wave', travel searches and bookings are likely to suffer, says the report. Domestic hotel searches in the UAE have been relatively volatile over the last month, with some peaks and drops notably around the weeks commencing 3rd and 24th of August. These variations in volumes likely reflect local staycation offers running over different time frames, and the summer holidays coming to an end. However, we are now seeing local searches uptick again at 85% year-over-year (YoY), while traveller confidence has remained relatively flat, now at -39% YoY, it says. When looking at international travel, we have started to see an overall increase for hotel searches in the UAE, the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic took a hold in the region at -61% YoY. Positive signs of recovery for Middle East and Africa Positive signs of recovery is seen across the region on the Sojern Real Time Covid-19 Travel Dashboard. By indexing all volumes back to 30th March (the beginning of the travel recovery from the pandemic) there is a mutual upward trend in hotel search volumes across the Middle East and Africa. The UAE and Bahrain, in particular, saw a sudden increase in travel intent from July 6, with Kuwait searches growing more steadily, reaching similar levels by 24th August, overtaking search volume increases to the UAE, the report said. Travel interest rising globally Global travel intent continues to regain momentum as travellers feel more confident in the safety precautions being taken to reduce the spread of the virus. For example, as hotels, attractions, and airlines continue to implement social distancing and new sanitising procedures, and governments provide updates on which destinations are safe for travel, larger volumes of travellers feel comfortable in planning their next trip. Countries such as the UK, India, Russia, and Spain have displayed a steady increase in outbound flight searches and bookings since April. Taking the UK as an example, outbound flight searches are now only 33% below 2019 levels, showing a huge growth in travel intent from April where volumes were almost 90% below searches at the same time in 2019. This general pattern of growing travel intent and confidence goes a long way to explaining the strong increase in hotel searches seen into the UAE, te report said. Where are the upticks to UAE coming from? When broken down by the emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), although Abu Dhabi remains closed off to tourists at the moment with only residents allowed to return, there has been a strong increase in searches to travel to Dubai and to the UAE overall, particularly from Russia and India. This not only highlights how traveller behaviour reflects local restrictions such as entry to Abu Dhabi, but also the demand for international travellers that is building up. Staycation plans continue to lead Despite the spikes and dips in travel intent and confidence that were observed over August, it is clear that the traveller mindset continues to be local first. When comparing the distance from which a traveller is searching from based on their origin, between January 2020 and July 2020 there has been a 41% increase in travellers searching and booking hotels within a 0-30 mile radius of their destination to the UAE. And while the traveller mindset in the UAE tends to lend itself to searching and booking within a relatively short window time between 0-7 days, the lead time to distance of hotels trend is even more profound when comparing January to July. There have been noticeable increases in the 0-1 day booking window from 44% in January 2020 up to almost 80% in July 2020. The Middle East and Africa, like most other regions, are showing positive signs of recovery domestically, as well as internationally. Although travel intent and confidence is growing, as travel restrictions and lockdowns continue to be implemented, there is understandably some volatility in traveller confidence. Russia and India are some of the key markets showing strong upticks in travel intent to the UAE, and for domestic trips, search and booking lead times are getting increasingly shorter. The insights are based on data collected on 7th September, 2020. We are reviewing our data on a regular basis in order to provide an accurate view of trends and patterns in consumer behaviour. Sojern's insights are based on over 350 million traveller profiles and billions of travel intent signals, however it does not capture one hundred percent of the travel market, it adds. TradeArabia News Service KYODO NEWS - Sep 8, 2020 - 21:15 | All, Japan Yusuke Iseya, a popular Japanese actor and half-brother of the late designer Kansai Yamamoto, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possessing drugs at his home in Tokyo, police said.` Having started his acting career while studying at Tokyo University of the Arts, Iseya, 44, gained fame with roles in a series of television dramas and films. His works include the film version of the hit comic series "Rurouni Kenshin" and the 2019 blockbuster "Fly Me to the Saitama." Iseya was arrested at about 4:40 p.m. on suspicion of possessing a bag containing some 7.8 grams of cannabis at his home in the capital's Meguro Ward. In all, the police found four bags of cannabis in a desk drawer with a total weight of 20.3 grams, and some cigarette rolling papers were found on a desk in the living room. Iseya was alone when his house was raided, the police said. Iseya said he will not speak to investigators without the presence of his lawyer, according to the police. Related coverage: Japanese singer Makihara given suspended term for possessing drugs 2 doctors held over assisted death of woman with Lou Gehrig's disease Rugby: Japan Top League cancels remainder of season due to coronavirus J.C. Penney Co Inc's landlords are said to be nearing a deal to rescue the beleaguered department store chain from bankruptcy proceedings, averting a liquidation that would have threatened roughly 70,000 jobs. Mall owners Simon Property Group Inc and Brookfield Property Partners LP have teamed up to acquire its retail operations, and were putting the finishing touches on an agreement ahead of a Wednesday afternoon court hearing, sources told Reuters. The iconic 118-year-old store, which went public at the start of the Great Depression, filed for bankruptcy in May after the pandemic forced it to temporarily close its then nearly 850 shops. The restructured retailer is expected to operate about 650 stores, they said. J.C. Penney Co Inc's landlords are said to be nearing a deal to rescue the beleaguered department store chain from bankruptcy proceedings, averting a liquidation that would have threatened roughly 70,000 jobs Hedge funds and private-equity firms financing J.C. Penneys bankruptcy, meanwhile, would take ownership of about some of those stores and the companys distribution centers after forgiving portions of the Plano, Texas-based companys $5 billion debt load, one of the people said. The lenders, led by H/2 Capital Partners, would own those assets in two separate real estate investment trusts. J.C. Penney is also in discussions with lenders for more than $1.5 billion to finance its emergence from bankruptcy proceedings, this person said. Simon Property Group, that own Westfield Shopping space at the Wold Trade Center, and Brookfield Property Partners LP have teamed up to acquire its retail operations, and were putting the finishing touches on an agreement ahead of a Wednesday afternoon court hearing, sources told Reuters Should it survive, J.C. Penney will have withstood unprecedented economic turmoil stemming from the pandemic and bankruptcy proceedings that have felled other retailers during less fraught times. In recent years, Toys `R Us Inc and Barneys New York Inc failed to reorganize under bankruptcy protection and liquidated. The people cautioned that there remained a slim chance the deal could fall apart, which would put J.C. Penney on course for liquidation. Some of the details of the deal, including the number of stores to be preserved, remained fluid, one of the people said. J.C. Penney, Simon, Brookfield and a lawyer for the lenders declined to comment or did not immediately respond to requests. J.C. Penneys survival hinges on the sale negotiations, which have consumed the summer and drawn urgent directives from the companys bankruptcy judge for parties to set aside what he labeled egos and negotiating postures. The talks have dragged on for weeks in part amid haggling over lease terms, the people said. In late August, the discussions with Simon and Brookfield reached an impasse, prompting J.C. Penney to ask lenders to take control of its retail operations in addition to the real estate investment trusts they envisioned owning. After further discussions, the company reached a deal with Simon and Brookfield to buy the retail operations. Any deal would require approval from a bankruptcy judge and be subject to competing bids in a court-supervised auction. Private equity firm Sycamore Partners and Saks Fifth Avenue owner Hudsons Bay Co also vied for J.C. Penneys retail business earlier this summer, according to people familiar with the matter. The pandemic has forced the likes of Neiman Marcus Group and J. Crew Group Inc to seek bankruptcy protection, and even retailers that have avoided restructurings, such as Gap Inc , have at times stopped paying rent or tried to negotiate lower payments Two shoppers are reflected in the window of the J.Crew store at the International Mall Wednesday, May 6, 2020, in Tampa, Florida For Simon and Brookfield, the deal talks reflect a dramatic shift following the pandemic that is pushing them to rescue faltering retailers occupying malls they own across the United States. The demise of large tenants such as J.C. Penney would deprive them of rent and also potentially trigger contract clauses allowing other retailers to pay them less or break their leases altogether, further darkening malls. Simon, the largest mall operator in the United States, has already this year negotiated separate deals to rescue the two-centuries-old men's apparel clothier Brooks Brothers and denim retailer Lucky Brand from bankruptcy. Brookfield in May said it would devote $5 billion to non-controlling investments designed to revitalize retailers struggling in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic has forced the likes of Neiman Marcus Group and J. Crew Group Inc to seek bankruptcy protection, and even retailers that have avoided restructurings, such as Gap Inc , have at times stopped paying rent or tried to negotiate lower payments. San Francisco Fires The San Francisco skyline is barely visible through hazy and smoky conditions on Sept. 3, 2020, due to smoke from wildfires raging in California. Credit - Justin SullivanGetty Images For the last few years, fall in California has given residents a glimpse of the apocalypse. Fires burn around us, the air becomes ashy and smells like a campfire, and the sharp edges of landmarks like Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge blur in the hazy air. Taking a deep breath becomes a dodgy proposition that may set off a coughing fit, and the sun appears in the sky like a red moon behind the haze. We close our windows to avoid breathing smoke-infested air, stop going outside, and wear N95 masksand that was before the pandemic. If the past few years have been alarming, this year has felt impossible. The three mega-fires burning are among the four biggest in state history, and its only early Septemberfire season often lasts into November. The air quality has become worse as temperatures rise. Over Labor Day weekend, cities in the Bay Area like Oakland, Livermore, and Redwood City broke heat records, and San Francisco reached 100 degrees. This may not impress people living in Arizona or Florida, or in the humidity of the northeast, but almost no one in the city of San Francisco or along the coast of Northern California has air conditioning. Pacific breezes keep the average July temperature around here at about 67 degrees, so most people just open their windows to cool off. Context: Most people living right in the Bay Area don't have A/C. https://t.co/Fr0fJ3Z1hJ Elizabeth Joh (@elizabeth_joh) September 7, 2020 Since opening windows is not an option now, and since we cant escape to air-conditioned movie theaters or restaurants because of the pandemic, many of us in Northern California are resorting to desperate measures. One night, it got so hot inside my west-facing San Francisco apartment that I slept outside on the deck for a few hours, wearing a mask. I woke up with gritty ash on my face and spent the next day coughing. I am eight months pregnant, and as my growing baby compresses my lungs, I feel more panicked that neither he nor I can breathe. Story continues "I am eight months pregnant, and as my growing baby compresses my lungs, I feel more panicked that neither he nor I can breathe." If you arent oxygenating properly, your baby isnt oxygenating properly, a nurse tells me, suggesting I find access to air conditioning. So one Saturday morning I wandered around Target, sucking in the cool air while hoping I was not breathing in the coronavirus at the same time. By the time my husband and I decided to splurge on a portable air-conditioning unit, every hardware and box store in a 100-mile radius was sold out. A Home Depot clerk told me gleefully over the phone that people were marching out of the store with the remaining fans two by two, as if preparing to board Noahs Ark. Other San Francisco residents shared their stories of temporary relief on Twitter: renting a car so they could experience AC, taking a cold shower with their clothes on, soaking their sheets with cold water before going to bed. literally rented a car to blast the dog with a/c pic.twitter.com/XMfzJXyb7B rat king (@MikeIsaac) September 7, 2020 People across the American West are experiencing similar misery. On Sept. 8, the air quality in Modesto, in Californias San Joaquin Valley, got a score of 646, or hazardous, which meteorologist Dan Satterfield labeled the worst air quality Ive ever seen in the U.S. The air near Salem, Oregon turned red the same day as haze and smoke moved north. Regions across Colorado issued air quality warnings Monday, and temperatures climbed to 100, even as the region prepped for a freak summer snowstorm. Before the pandemic, San Francisco was one of the most economically prosperous cities in the world, but this years fire season has made one thing clear: no amount of prosperity can save us from the changing climate that is sending temperatures soaring and fueling wildfires. Even driving to a place to cool down can turn hazardous, as hundreds of people camping and boating on a reservoir in the Sierras discovered last weekend when a rapidly expanding fire trapped them in a recreation area. This year, fast-moving fires have forced closures of major roads like Interstate 5 and Highway 101, cutting off routes out of some California towns. I learned from experience that trying to outdrive the wildfires does not work. Two years ago, when fires in Sonoma County made the air unbreathable, I drove three hours south to Californias Central Coast to get outside for a walk. When I arrived, the air was hazy and smoke-clogged; Id escaped the air from the Sonoma fires, but a new fire in the Los Angeles area was creating new billows of smoke. This year, my family rented an Airbnb near Eureka, Calif., four hours north of San Francisco, to access fresh air for a week before Labor Day. As we drove north, past the LNU Lightning Complex Fire, the mountains by the side of the road vanished in the thick smoke and the highways were eerily empty. We considered turning back, but the thought of trying to breathe the air in our stuffy apartment urged us on. The air was marginally better in Eureka, but not for long; one morning, I woke up to find the car coated in gray ash, smoke from yet another fire. Family member flying out of California this evening just sent along these photos from the flight. She said passengers could smell the smoke from the wildfires in the cabin. pic.twitter.com/ssHjcjzZwc Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) September 7, 2020 People without the means to get out of town or to buy expensive fans or AC units are far worse off. Low-income Census tracts have lower rates of air conditioning than higher-income ones, a recent study shows. The city of San Francisco set up cooling centers in a handful of libraries with air conditioning, but people using them risk contracting COVID-19. Many beaches were closed across San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Marin Counties because of the pandemic, which meant the ocean could provide no relief. San Franciscos large number of homeless people cannot heed warnings to limit their outdoor activities; this weekend, in the Tenderloin, they lined the sidewalks, baking under the broiling sun. The Bay Area has long been known as a hub for innovation and creativity, bringing the world products like Twitter and Facebook and Google, but there has been no cloud-seeding technology deployed to make it rain, no giant drone to spray fire retardant across millions of burning acres. Last spring, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he was partnering with a foundation to launch a cash prize for innovative ideas to stop wildfires; the initiative has not yet raised enough funds to even launch the competition. The power companys best idea has been to turn off power to millions of customers so its equipment doesnt inadvertently start fires. The state may lead the way in environmentally friendly policieswe compost our food waste and set standards for automobile fuel efficiencybut those attempts seem laughable in the face of this years hazards. It begins to feel like there is no solution for those who composted and bought electric bikes and tried to conserve energy so conscientiously. Were still spending weeks or months living in hazardous air, and theres no escape. I love California; from the first year I lived in the state, in 2006, I could not believe that there was a place with such stunning natural beauty, where people grew lemons in their backyards and where I could jump in the ocean in December. But as I sit inside a stuffy apartment, trying to remember what the state looked like when the outlines of the purple mountains were crisp and when a stiff, clean breeze blew off the sea, I wonder how I can stay when breathing feels like a luxury for more and more months of the year. Influential 1980s band New Order has a new single and a planned tour with a Boston date. The band is scheduled to play the Rockland Trust Band Pavilion on Sept. 20, 2021 as part of a co-headlining tour with the Pet Shop Boys. The single, Be A Rebel is the first release for the band in five years and is available now as a digital download. New Order formed in 1980 and its 1983 club hit Blue Monday is one of the best-selling 12-inch singles of all time. Shop for concert tickets here: StubHub, SeatGeek, Ticketmaster. A forensics tent is seen at the junction of Church Street and Barwick Street following a major stabbing incident in the centre of Birmingham in central England on Sept. 6, 2020. (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images) Family Pay Loving Tribute to Man Killed in Birmingham Stabbings Suspect charged with murder The family of a 23-year-old man killed in a series of stabbings in Birmingham, England, on Sunday paid a loving tribute to their relative via West Midlands police on Tuesday. Jacob Billington, who was killed in the knife attacks that left seven other people injured, two of them critically, was described by his family in a statement as the light of our life. He was a funny, caring, and wonderful person who was loved by every single person he met, the family said. He lit up every room with his boundless energy and witty humor and the loss of such a special person will be felt by all who knew him for years to come. Police forensics officers gather evidence inside a cordon on Hurst Street following a major stabbing incident in the center of Birmingham in central England on Sept. 6, 2020. (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images) West Midlands police said that Billington, whose 23-year-old friend was also a victim of the stabbings, was killed by a single stab wound to the neck while out with former school friends who were visiting another friend in Birmingham. The police expressed sympathy for Billingtons family and friends, and for those of the other victims of the attacks. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Jacobs family and friends after receiving such shocking news, particularly for those who were sharing their night out with him, Chief Superintendent Steve Graham said. Its utterly shocking that a friends reunion should end so brutally. Man Charged with Murder Late on Tuesday, West Midlands police announced they had charged Zephaniah McLeod, the 27-year-old man arrested in the early hours of Monday morning, with the murder of Billington. McLeod is also accused of the attempted murder of seven other people and will appear before Birmingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning, police said. Three of the other victims remain in hospital, two in a critical condition, while the other four have been discharged. We are determined to get justice for Jacob and everyone else who has been impacted by these terrible acts, Graham said. Criticism The police were criticized on Monday for their handling of the Birmingham stabbings, including for not releasing CCTV footage of the suspect quickly enough. Labour MP Khalid Mahmood asked why, considering the large number of CCTV cameras in Birmingham, the man suspected of the stabbings had two hours to run around the city center, he told The Times of London. Where was the monitoring? Both the public and police were put at further risk, Mahmood said. West Midlands police and crime commissioner David Jamieson defended the police operation. Police had to scrutinize thousands of hours of CCTV footage for images of adequate quality for release to the public, so that did take time, Jamieson told Times Radio. What we had initially in the first few hours was a very broad description of the person, but of course thousands of people in Birmingham look like that, its not very helpful putting out that rather broad description, we need to have something more specific, he said. West Midlands police said, detectives worked around the clock securing CCTV footage before arresting a 27-year-old man at his home address in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham. West Midlands Chief Constable Dave Thompson, referring to the criticism police had received, said in a statement on Monday that there is a time and place to review the actions of an accountable police service. He said commentators, however, clearly do not know the facts surrounding the investigation. Ill-informed Critique Engaging in an ill-informed critique of this investigation, particularly at such an early stage, is both unhelpful and simply makes the job of the police harder, he said. Thompson said West Midlands police will not be engaging further on discussions on these matters. They did not respond to a request for comment by the time of this report. Police also said that two other men and a woman were arrested at the same address on suspicion of assisting an offender. All have been released pending an investigation. The motive of the attacks is still unclear. UK denies going rogue with new law despite EU fury Boris Johnson says changed are needed to Britain's withdrawal agreement from the EU to help smooth post-Brexit trade British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused Wednesday of presiding over a "rogue state" as his government introduced legislation that intentionally breaches its EU withdrawal treaty in the messy countdown to a full Brexit divorce. Brussels demanded emergency talks to address the bill, which governs post-Brexit trade in Britain and Northern Ireland, and Johnson was set to brief Ireland's leader to explain the extraordinary turn of events. In a bad-tempered exchange in parliament with Scottish nationalist MP Ian Blackford, Johnson insisted the bill was about "protecting jobs, protecting growth, ensuring the fluidity and safety of our UK internal market". "My job is to uphold the integrity of the UK but also to protect the Northern Ireland peace process and the Good Friday Agreement," he added, calling the new bill a "legal safety net" if the EU makes an "irrational interpretation" of post-Brexit arrangements. The government maintains its new UK Internal Market Bill is needed to smooth trade between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, helping power a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic once a post-Brexit transition ends this year. But under its EU Withdrawal Treaty, Britain is meant to liaise with Brussels on any arrangements for Northern Ireland, which saw three decades of bloodshed until the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and will become the UK's only land border with the EU. Blackford gave a withering assessment after Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis had conceded the changes do "break international law in a very specific and limited way". "The prime minister and his friends, a parcel of rogues, are creating a rogue state," the Scottish MP said. Asked why the British public at large should respect any laws now, Johnson said: "We expect everybody in this country to obey the law." - Rushed treaty? - Lewis's admission Tuesday provoked incredulity across the political spectrum, just as British and EU negotiators are engaged this week in fraught talks to agree a new trading relationship ahead of a crunch EU summit in mid-October. Story continues The government has struggled to explain why it has only now discovered problems with the EU treaty's provisions for Northern Ireland, nine months after Johnson triumphantly signed the document and said it set Britain on the path to a sovereign new future. A protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement means Northern Ireland will continue to follow some of the 27-nation EU's rules, to ensure its border with the Republic of Ireland remains open as required by the Good Friday Agreement. The new bill seeks to give British ministers veto power over trading provisions for the four "home nations" including Northern Ireland, regardless of any objections from Brussels. Recalling the high political drama that felled the previous British prime minister, Johnson's spokesman said the EU treaty was agreed "at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances". It was drafted "on the assumption that further clarity could be achieved" in a UK-EU Joint Committee, he told reporters. "That may still be possible. But we cannot allow damaging default provisions to kick in if we can't agree." - 'Moral high ground' - EU vice president Maros Sefcovic demanded an emergency meeting of the Joint Committee to discuss the UK bill. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was "very concerned". The government in Germany, the EU's biggest economy and current holder of the rotating EU presidency, said it expected Britain to "fully implement" the Brexit deal. Welcoming Sefcovic's call for an emergency meeting, Johnson's spokesman said "we will be agreeing a date as soon as we can", and also confirmed talks later Wednesday between the prime minister and Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin. Interviewed on RTE radio, Martin's deputy Leo Varadkar said Lewis's language amounted to a "kamikaze" threat by Britain. But he said it had "backfired", given the scale of angry reactions in Northern Ireland, the EU and also among some Democratic politicians in the United States. Pressure built in the Conservative government's own ranks including from Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the House of Commons defence committee. He told BBC radio that breaching the Brexit treaty meant Britain would "lose the moral high ground". "How can we look at countries such as China in the eye and complain about them breaching international obligations over Hong Kong, or indeed Russia over ballistic missiles, or indeed Iran over the nuclear deal, if we go down this road?" he said. jit/phz/tgb Weeks after slamming the state government for not following WHO protocol for Covid-19 testing, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Wednesday appreciated Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for considering on suggestions given by her but also underscored by saying, we still have a long way to go". Soundararajan, who has completed a year in office, interacted with the local media and said that the state government has rectified its course of action and mobilised more resources on the ground. Earlier, only one hospital was declared as dedicated Covid-19 hospital but after several rounds of discussions, the state government paid heed to my suggestions and set-up better facilities like mobile testing vans, district-level Covid-19 hospitals to handle the crisis," she said. While hailing Chief Minister Rao for boldly" facing the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, she highlighted that the measures that are being taken now should have been proactively taken during the first phase of nationwide lockdown imposed in a bid to break the chain of transmission. As a physician-turned-politician, I believe we would have been in a better place had we not lagged behind in testing, tracking and treating Covid-19 patients initially. But the practical difficulties that the state government faced back have now been reversed. We are picking up now but our state should improve in healthcare, education and tribal affairs", she opined. Highlighting the increase in cases of hospitals refusing insurance schemes and only pressuring patients for cashless transactions, the Governor urged the Telangana government to implement Ayushman Bharat, Centres flagship health insurance scheme, as it will benefit the poor and vulnerable people. In the face of the pandemic, a scheme like Ayushman Bharat will provide better and wider coverage to underprivileged families. Chief Minister Rao has assured me that in due course of time they will consider implementing it." However, while addressing the Telangana Assembly on Wednesday, the Chief Minister underlined the state government is doing its best to handle the Covid-19 pandemic. He has formed a task force to monitor treatment given to Covid-19 patients in private hospitals and stressed on expanding the reach of Aarogyasri, states free healthcare scheme. We are considering a proposal to include Covid-19 treatment in the Aarogyasri scheme, which has more coverage than Ayushman Bharat." In Telangana, Aarogyasri provides financial protection to families living below the poverty line. So far, 949 treatments are being covered under the scheme, according to the official website. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has already included Covid-19 treatment under the ambit of Dr YSR Aarogyasri scheme, administering free treatment to patients with an annual income of upto Rs 5 lakh. The facility also covers empanelled private hospitals in the state. The New York City Fire Department has renamed its highest medal of honor, the James Gordon Bennett medal, citing its namesake's racist and pro-slavery editorials for the New York Herald in the 1800s. The FDNY said on Tuesday that the award would be re-named in honor of Chief Peter J. Ganci Jr, the highest-ranking member of the department to die in the line of duty when he perished responding to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. In a statement, FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said: 'This change is not meant to erase history, and it does not discredit the actions, memory, or valor of the 152 members of our Department who have been awarded this medal since its inception.' 'Instead, this important change is meant to help us create a better present and future for our FDNY, one we can all be proud of,' Nigro added. The New York City Fire Department has renamed its highest medal of honor, changing the name from publisher James Gordon Bennett (left) to honor Chief Peter J. Ganci Jr (right) The award was originally created in 1896, when Bennett donated a $1,500 endowment to the department in gratitude after firefighters put out a blaze at his home. Bennett was the founder of the New York Herald, a popular daily newspaper that staunchly supported the Democratic Party and slavery during the Civil War. In editorials, Bennett penned tirades against Abraham Lincoln and what he dubbed the president's 'n*****' war. In one 1859 editorial in response to abolitionist John Brown's raid in Harper's Ferry, he wrote: 'The whole history of negro insurrections proves that there is no race of men so brutal and bloody-minded as the negro.' The shocking editorial continued: 'the negro, once roused to bloodshed and in possession of arms, is as uncontrollable and irrational as a wild beast...' 'These views have no place in any society, and I believe we must cease including this individual's name, and therefore his legacy, in our annual celebration,' Nigro said in a statement. The newly designed medal (left) will honor Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci Jr 'This award for bravery should not be tied to someone who never served the FDNY, risked his life to save others, and who advocated for hate and slavery,' the commissioner continued. 'That award should be named for the Chief who was leading our troops on our darkest day, a great man who gave his life overseeing the greatest rescue operation in FDNY history,' he said. The issue of the medal's namesake was first raised in 2017, when James Tempro, who became the first black firefighter to receive the honor in 1969, spoke out about Bennett's noxious views. 'When I received the award in 1969, I had no idea of the history of Bennett, who he was or what he stood for,' Tempro told the New York Daily News. 'But now that I've learned more about his beliefs, that he was a racist who supported slavery, it demeans the medal for me a bit.' 'For me, it's like saying, here's an award named for George Wallace,' said Tempro, referring to the pro-segregation former governor of Alabama. In New York City, Bennett is also honored by a memorial statue that stands in Herald Square Chief Ganci, the medal's new namesake, was the highest ranking FDNY member killed on September 11, 2001. In his 33-year career, he held every uniformed rank and received numerous citations for bravery, including a medal for rescuing a child from a fire. 'Our highest honor for bravery to a Firefighter or Fire Officer should be named for an individual who swore an oath to serve others and who once crawled down a hallway like all our Firefighters have done to search for New Yorkers trapped by fire,' said Nigro. 'It should be named for a legendary Chief who is still revered by all of us so many years after his death.' In New York City, Bennett is also honored by a memorial statue that stands in Herald Square. He also has a street named for him from West 181st Street to Hillside Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of northern Manhattan, and a park, Bennett Park, named in his honor along Fort Washington Avenue. APPOMATTOX Amid nationwide unrest and protests of excessive police force, Bob Good was courting voters around Central Virginia on Tuesday, describing how hes good for law enforcement and decrying radical Marxist movements. Good, a former Campbell County supervisor and former Liberty University employee, is running as the Republican candidate for the 5th Congressional District against Democrat Cameron Webb, from Charlottesville. The district stretches from Fauquier County down to Virginias southern border and includes 22 localities and parts of others. Riding to Appomattox Courthouse Theatre Tuesday afternoon in a Trump/Pence 2020 bus, Good painted a grim picture of Democrat-run cities rife with rioting, cop-killing and attacks on innocent civilians. He attacked Webb and Democrats in general, especially on the state level. My opponent has stood with the radical left, hes marched with the radical Marxist BLM movement, Good said to booing. He has advocated for defunding the police. Good promised support of law enforcement and gun rights, advocating for more funding and higher salaries for officers. He voiced concern over momentum in Virginia toward eliminating sovereign immunity for officers, which helps protect them from lawsuits. After the rally, Good said in an interview he believes any attack on law enforcement should be categorized as a hate crime, he wants assaults on law enforcement to be restored to a felony and is in favor of an automatic death penalty for the killing of a police officer. Those are all matters of state law. Paul Michael Raymond, the pastor of Reformed Bible Church in Appomattox, espoused Goods views on BLM and Webb for having supported the movement. He heralded Good as a candidate wholl move toward making the U.S. a nation of law. The vote for Mr. Good is a vote for American principles of law, liberty, family and order, he said. Raymond added he wants to see ministers stop voting Democratic as the party of death. Bill Talbert, who worked in Appomattox for 45 years but lives in Buckingham County, said he happened across the rally while in town and decided to stop in to see what Good is about. He said he plans to vote Republican down ballot. Weve got to back our law [enforcement officers], he said. Weve got the best here in Appomattox, and the town of Farmville anywhere, bar none. Appomattox was Goods second stop for rallies scattered throughout the district promoting rule of law, having spoken Tuesday morning in Bedford County and heading to Buckingham County later in the day, with five more rallies to go within the next week. Both Appomattox and Bedford counties are safe harbor for Good both counties saw around 72% of voters turn out for Donald Trump in 2016 and close to 74% of voters supporting Nelson County businessman Denver Riggleman when he campaigned as a Republican for the 5th District seat in 2018. Overall, Riggleman won the seat with 53.2% of the vote, but lost the Republican nomination to Good this year in a June drive-thru convention, after he controversially officiated a same-sex wedding and leaned libertarian in his views. 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. Extinction Rebellion has criticised a ridiculous government proposal to treat the climate emergency protest movement as an organised crime group. Home secretary Priti Patel is understood to want to take a fresh look at how the group is classified under the law after activists targeted print works and prevented several leading UK newspapers reaching the stands on Saturday. One option under consideration could see Extinction Rebellion classified as an organised crime group, according to reports leaving organisers at risk of jail sentences of up to five years. The suggestion Extinction Rebellion should be reclassified as an organised crime group is ridiculous, the group responded. A spokesperson said: [Organised crime] is hardly an accurate description of the thousands of ordinary people the nurses, the doctors, the grandparents and others who take part in Extinction Rebellions non-violent protests. Parliament, courts and the press, meanwhile, could be given special protective status from disruptive action by the group under another proposal. It would be illegal to stop MPs going to vote or judges getting to court and it would also protect a free press, a government source told the Press Association. Ms Patel warned on Monday that any environmental activists who plot and scheme to curtail our freedoms would face the full force of the law. I am committed to ensuring that the police have powers required to tackle the disruption caused by groups such as Extinction Rebellion and I will be looking at every opportunity available, including primary legislation, to ensure that there is a full suite of tools available to tackle this behaviour, the home secretary wrote in The Daily Mail. We want to see some people banged up instead of escaping with a fine they can pay from their trust fund, one unnamed Home Office official told the newspaper, suggesting the government could seek to use the 2015 Serious Crime Act to re-classify the group. Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Show all 59 1 /59 Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads London, UK Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion 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Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Trafalgar Square Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou/The Independent Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads Angela Christofilou Under the 2015 Serious Crime Act, people who participate in organised crime groups face a maximum penalty up to five years. It comes after more than 100 demonstrators used vehicles and bamboo lock-ons to block roads outside the Newsprinters works at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Knowsley, near Liverpool, on Friday evening, with both protests continuing until Saturday afternoon. Merseyside Police said they had arrested 30 people, while Hertfordshire Police said they had taken 50 people into custody. Extinction Rebellion has vowed to engage in non-violent civil disobedience for a second consecutive week. A spokesperson said protests would highlight the urgent need to transform our system into one that stops the harm and supports all life and our planet. The Independent has approached the Home Office for comment. Florida Dept. of Law EnforcementBy JAMES HILL, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- The U.S. Virgin Islands government, in an expanding investigation into the alleged sex trafficking enterprise of Jeffrey Epstein, is seeking documents related to the late financier from billionaire businessman and philanthropist Glenn Dubin, his wife and his former investment firm, according to court filings in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas. Dubin, a New Yorker whose net worth is estimated by Forbes at $2 billion, has come under scrutiny for his alleged long-running professional and personal ties to Epstein, who was charged last year in an alleged child sex trafficking conspiracy and later died in prison. The subpoenas, which are dated Sept. 3, seek documents relating to financial transactions and communications between the Dubins and Epstein, or any related entities and associates from 1998 to the present day. One request asks specifically for information about "three wire transfers between 2014 and 2016." A separate subpoena seeks records from Highbridge Capital, an investment fund that was led by Dubin until 2013. In January, Denise George, the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands, sued the $655 million Epstein estate and a group of shell companies that control his wealth and real estate holdings around the world. The complaint alleges that Esptein created a network of companies and individuals who participated in and conspired with him in a pattern of criminal activity related to alleged sex trafficking of minor girls and young women. The subpoenas for information from the Dubins represent the latest aggressive move by George in her effort to pull back the curtain of secrecy that surrounded Epstein's enormous wealth. In July, the territory's government sought years of records related to Epstein from at least 10 financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Deutsche Bank. Epstein purchased the private island "Little St. James" in 1998 and established the Virgin Islands as his permanent residence in 2010. He later acquired ownership of a neighboring island, "Great St. James," and was in the process of building a new estate there at the time of his arrest, according to court and property records. Epstein's connection to the Dubins dates back to the early 1980s, when the Brooklyn-born Epstein began dating then 20-year-old Eva Andersson, according to a letter written by Epstein's defense attorneys and provided to a Florida state prosecutor during plea negotiations in 2008. Andersson is a former Swedish model who went on to become a doctor and, later, Dubin's wife. According to a biographical sketch of Epstein in the lawyers' letter, Epstein provided financial support for Andersson to attend medical schools in Sweden and California. They were romantically linked for 11 years and remained close friends even after it became clear that "the demands of Jeffrey's life could not include staying in one place and having a family," the lawyers wrote. The letter was obtained by ABC News through a public records request to the office of the state's attorney in Palm Beach County, Florida. "Today, [Jeffrey] is a very close and important friend to my family," the letter quotes Andersson-Dubin as saying. "He is the godfather of my three children and is a close friend of my husband as well." After Epstein served time in Palm Beach County Jail and was registered as a sex offender, Andersson-Dubin maintained contact. In 2009, shortly after Epstein's release from jail, she wrote an email to Epstein's probation officer to attest that she was "100% comfortable" with Epstein being around her three children, who were then all under the age of 18, according to a copy of the email in the files of the county sheriff. The Dubins reportedly spent Thanksgiving with Epstein that year, according to stories published in Vanity Fair and Business Insider. A spokesperson for the Dubins, in response to an email with specific questions about those communications and the subjects raised in the subpoenas, sent this statement to ABC News: "The Dubins have previously said that they are horrified by and were completely unaware of Jeffrey Epstein's unspeakable conduct. Dubin has also denied allegations that he had any sexual contact with alleged Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who testified in a deposition in 2016 that Dubin was among several prominent men she had sex with at the direction of Epstein and another of his longtime companions, Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell also denied those allegations in a deposition, calling Giuffre an "absolute liar." The subpoenas from the Virgin Islands seek records from the Dubins regarding Giuffre and the Dubins' travel on private jets with Epstein and Maxwell. According to Epstein's pilot's logs that have previously been made public, one or both of the Dubins flew on Epstein's planes at least 18 times between 1996 and 2005, often accompanied by their children and a nanny. Maxwell is also listed as a passenger on 13 of those flights, according to the logs. Maxwell is currently under indictment in New York for allegedly facilitating and, in some instances, participating in Epstein's grooming and abuse of three girls between 1994 and 1997. She is also under investigation in the Virgin Islands for her alleged role in Epstein's operation, according to July court filings by the attorney general. An attorney for Maxwell did not respond to inquiries when ABC News reported on the U.S. Virgin Islands investigation in July. The subpoenas for the Dubins were posted to the Virgin Islands court docket this week. The documents are addressed to a 5th Avenue penthouse that overlooks Central Park and the Museum of Modern Art. The apartment, which is reportedly the former residence of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was purchased by the Dubins for about $30 million, according to a 2006 report in the New York Observer. Maxwell pleaded not guilty to all charges in New York. She is currently being held without bail in a federal prison in Brooklyn. A trial is scheduled for next summer. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Bloomberg 38 -- Mike MayoBrian MoynihanAlastair BorthwickMayo KBW5.6 The U.S. will withdraw 2,200 troops from Iraq by the end of September, bringing troop levels in the country down to 3,000, confirmed Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command. The big picture: The move is in line with President Trump's campaign promise to pare back America's involvement in the Middle East. The president has reduced the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. At the height of the Iraq War, there were over 150,000 service members stationed in Iraq, according to the Times. The number of troops in Iraq after the pullback will be at about the same level as in 2015, when the U.S. was in the early stages of its campaign against the Islamic State. Driving the news: The announcement comes days after Trump accused Pentagon leadership of waging war in order to keep defense contractors happy, as he was denying reports that he insulted fallen service members. What they're saying: This reduced footprint allows us to continue advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in rooting out the final remnants of ISIS in Iraq and ensuring its enduring defeat, General McKenzie said. Enthusiasm is a marvelous thing. When we cheer our favorite team or go to a pep rally, nothing emerges to dim our bodys or our minds feelings of euphoria. Exercise, great food, an outstanding performance, or our passionate political beliefs can elicit a craving for more. Sometimes we go overboard. Then there are consequences. I have experienced them; maybe you have too. A political friend once introduced me using the phrase, Shes always on. Yup, politics can always get me going. Seemingly, protestors in the US may have become addicted to their feelings of euphoria while demonstrating for the current cause, Black Lives Matter. Saturday night, a woman interviewed on broadcast news in Portland said that she has started with Moms Against Violence, and now she was coming every night to continue the protest. She dressed for it. A black motorcycle helmet and body padding (armor?) signaled that she knew the demonstration might turn ugly. Portland and other cities have spawned tribes. The tribes are on both sides of the cause. They secure each others allegiance. The adrenaline rush is intoxicating, and it can overcome ethical and moral norms. That is why instigators have an easy time turning peaceful protest into looting and destruction. When Martin Luther King used the public demonstration to good effect, he called them marches. They had a beginning and an end. The violence usually came from law enforcement in the form of dogs, batons, and water hoses. Looting and property destruction were not part of the sanctioned actions. While a successful demonstration protesting an issue that must be addressed by a government can encourage public support, any violent actions can diminish the effect. Accumulation of garbage or significant disruption of needed services accomplishes additional negative results. While participation in symbolic gestures of public outcry feels like an accomplishment, it is temporary. Hard work is yet to come. Citizens who are only familiar with the civil rights struggle as history may not fully understand that significant change occurred over at least two decades. Documentaries, books, and speeches compress slow, deliberate effort into moments. Working to change any system is tedious. Setbacks occur. Our legal system takes time and persistence. Changing the publics perception of the status quo is not quickly done. The phrase Black Lives Matter (BLM) compresses a complex problem into three words. It is a righteous cause, but there are many parts to a solution. Ignoring the fact that more violence is used when apprehending people of color is not an option. I know of some white teens who were exploring a vacant rural property. The sheriff investigated the trespass. He told the kids to leave after he recognized them as sons of respectable parents. That is the essence of the White Privilege spoken of along with the issue of BLM. If no aggressive behavior is noted, whites are presumed to be innocent, while people of color often are not. Oprah Winfrey was once questioned in a luxury store in Switzerland when the greeter thought she looked like she could not afford the merchandise. Privilege is legitimate when earned and many people deserve it. Skin color should not be considered when granting privilege. It may be that cooler weather will produce cooler heads. Perhaps people will find other, less violent tribes to satisfy their need to belong. Dominating the streets is not an option. We as citizens understand that Black Lives Matter, that some people do not like public health restrictions, that individual freedom is a concern of many people. Guns, stones, pepper spray, or fists will not convince anyone. Resentful compliance breeds more determined opposition. Enough is certainly enough. Linda Brugger, retired from the Air Force, leaning Democrat and community activist can be reached at IdahoAuthor@outlook.com. She welcomes feedback. Love 3 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Press Release September 8, 2020 Passing on 2nd Reading, 'Doktor Para Sa Bayan' bill to improve medical access of Filipinos, Villanueva says The Senate has passed on second reading the "Doktor Para Sa Bayan" bill that provides scholarships to aspiring doctors, and widens the availability of medical education, as the country seeks to improve people's access to medical attention, according to Senator Joel Villanueva. The bill seeks to address the gap between doctors and patients as data shows that the country has 2.6 doctors for every 10,000 population, far from the ideal ratio of 10 doctors per 10,000 population, Villanueva explained. "With this bill, our hope is to help improve the access of our students to medical education. We know for a fact that it is costly, and some even need to live away from their homes to be near. We are removing these major obstacles to help our students achieve their dreams and for our people to have better access to medical attention," Villanueva said in a statement. "The problem of medical access is more pronounced now that we are in a pandemic. Our vision is to have sufficient doctors and healthcare workers so that our system can better take care of our people," the lawmaker added. Through the Doktor Para Sa Bayan bill which sets up a medical scholarship and return service program, Villanueva hopes to encourage more students to take up medicine, and help improve the doctor-patient ratio. The country needs to produce over 80,000 doctors to meet the ideal doctor-patient ratio. In the short term, the bill will double the number of scholars under existing scholarship programs of the Department of Health and the Commission on Higher Education, which currently have around 3,000 scholars, explained the lawmaker, chair of the Senate Committee on Higher and Technical and Vocational Education. Under the bill, medical students in state universities and colleges, as well as private medical schools can apply to be included in the program. Aside from setting up the scholarship program for deserving students seeking to study medicine to become a licensed doctor, Senate Bill No. 1520 set up a mechanism for state universities and colleges to partner with government hospitals to serve as training institutions, explained Villanueva, who authored and sponsored of the measure together with Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto. "We are grateful for the enthusiasm and support of our colleagues who gave their inputs to expand the impact of our bill in ensuring that our people have better access to doctors. Our people's need for improved access to medical attention is now more pronounced with the pandemic ongoing," Villanueva said. Under Senate Bill No. 1520, the program shoulders the tuition and other miscellaneous fees of students. After scholars complete their studies, they will be asked to serve in the country's public health system, providing a return-of-service equivalent to one year for every year of inclusion in the scholarship. A man from Michigan who beat his girlfriend's daughter and left her face down in bath water to die has been arrested and sentenced to prison. Abuse and murder According to CrimeOnline, Damian Garrett, a 23-year-old man from Michigan, was charged in 2019 for the murder of 1-year-old Skylar Papple. In June 2020, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea deal. On September 4, Midland County Circuit Judge Stephen P. Carras sentenced Garrett to 25 to 50 years in prison. According to MLive, that 352 days that Garrett had already spent in jail since his arrest last year will count as time served. Also Read: Fact Check: Were 20,000 Fake IDs Seized as a Voter-Fraud Scheme? Garret was babysitting Skylar on September 17, 2019, when she drowned in a bathtub. Skylar's mother, Emma Buchholz, was not at home at the time of the incident. The investigators stated that Garrett initially told them that the child fell and bumped her head on the bathtub faucet. The incident happened inside an apartment Garrett shared with Buchholz at the Northwind Forest Apartments, off of Hedgewood Drive in Midland. Garrett said that after the little girl hit her head, she was submerged underwater for several minutes before finding her, according to court documents. The first responders arrived at the apartment complex to find Garrett outside with the little girl after asking the apartment maintenance manager, Rick Tickel, for help. The responders rushed to the unconscious child to MidMichigan Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. According to the arrest affidavit, hospital staff noticed fresh bruising and wounds on the child that "appeared to be concerning," MLive reports. The authorities spoke to the apartment maintenance manager, who said that he also noticed fresh injuries on the toddler. Autopsy result An autopsy performed on the child showed that she indeed died from drowning. The report indicated that Skylar has severe head injuries that were possible contributing factors, but not in themselves sufficient to cause her death. On September 18, 2019, investigators questioned Garret again. During the second round of questioning, he admitted that he grew angry when the child refused to get her hair wet while he was trying to give her a bath. Garrett admitted that he hit the child four times due to frustration. During the final hit, the toddler struck her head on the faucet then fell unconscious in the bathwater. The affidavit continued that he left Skylar face down in the water and went out to the living room where he was punching the floor. After 6 minutes, he returned to the bathroom, where he found the child motionless as she remained beneath 6 inches of water. The child's father, Robert Papple, said that he had been trying to get custody of the child. Papple claimed that Buchholz would block any attempts by moving to different locations. Papple added that he thought Buccholz was aware of Garrett abusing Skylar before the incident. Buchholz indicated that the toddler would "learn over time." Buchholz said she wanted Garrett to co-parent the child. Midland County Prosecutor J. Dee Brooks dismissed reduced the first-degree murder charge to second-degree murder and dropped the first-degree child abuse charge. Brooks said that Garrett was somewhat emotional and "kind of apologized." Brooks added that the judge was stern with him and that the judge made reference to a man shouldn't beat children. Related Article: Fact Check: Were the 39 Rescued Children in Georgia Found in a Trailer? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mr. Murphy followed proper, lawful whistle-blower rules in reporting serious allegations of misconduct against D.H.S. leadership, particularly involving political distortion of intelligence analysis and retaliation, Mark S. Zaid, Mr. Murphys lawyer, said in a statement. Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee asked Mr. Murphy to testify in private on Sept. 21, a possible precursor to a public hearing in the weeks before Election Day. We will get to the bottom of this, expose any and all misconduct or corruption to the American people, and put a stop to the politicization of intelligence, said Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and the chairman of the committee. He said the allegations of politically censored intelligence assessments were particularly worrisome in light of the Trump administrations decision last month to stop briefing lawmakers in person on election security threats. Sarah Matthews, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement that Mr. OBrien had never sought to dictate the intelligence communitys focus on threats to the integrity of our elections or on any other topic. She called Mr. Murphy a disgruntled former employee whom Mr. OBrien had never heard of. But, she added, the national security adviser consistently and publicly advocated for a holistic focus on all threats to our elections whether from Russia, Iran, China or any other malign actor. Alexei Woltornist, the spokesman for the Homeland Security Department, rejected Mr. Murphys allegations. We flatly deny that there is any truth to the merits of Mr. Murphys claim, Mr. Woltornist said. D.H.S. looks forward to the results of any resulting investigation, and we expect it will conclude that no retaliatory action was taken against Mr. Murphy. As president, Mr. Trump has clashed frequently with the intelligence community, particularly over the issue of election interference. At a news conference in 2018 in Helsinki, Finland, Mr. Trump sided with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and said he did not think Moscow was responsible for the 2016 interference. A few months later, Mr. Trump dismissed the C.I.A.s assessment that the Saudi crown prince was responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Washington Post columnist. In February 2019, after intelligence chiefs offered Congress assessments on North Korea and Iran that were at odds with the White House, the president told them to go back to school. Over the long term, romantic partners influence each others goals -- that is, what one partner in a two-person relationship wishes to avoid or achieve, so too does the other partner, according to a new study. These effects can be observed regardless of gender, age and length of the relationship, as researchers from the University of Basel report in a study of more than 450 couples. The research team from the University of Basels Faculty of Psychology wanted to examine the short- and long-term interdependence of approach goals and avoidance goals within couples. The participants reported whether they had tried to avoid conflicts or share meaningful experiences with their partner that day. This was followed by an analysis of how the information affected the goals of the partner. The goals of each person were recorded daily over the course of two 14-day measurement periods at an interval of 10 to 12 months; 456 male-female couples took part. The average age of the participants was just under 34 years old, and the average relationship length was almost 10 years. The study appeared in the latest issue of The Journal of Gerontology. The study showed that when one person within a couple avoids distress and conflicts, for example, the other tries to do the same. And conversely, when one person seeks personal growth and meaningful experiences, the other wants to achieve them too. The team of psychologists, led by first author Professor Jana Nikitin, found significant delayed effects between the partners. These appeared regardless of gender, age, or relationship length. It was notable that the daily goals of one partner - which can change - mainly coincided with the medium- and longer-term goal trends of the other partner. It, therefore, takes several days to months for the long-term relationship goals of one partner to have an impact on the goals of the other. This could be an adaptive mechanism to maintain the stability of the relationship, by not being influenced by every momentary shift made by the partner, said Nikitin. (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 (Newser) A possible robbery attempt turned into mass murder at a California grow house on Labor Day. Police say seven people were shot dead early Monday at the apparently illegal operation in Aguanga, Riverside County, NBC Los Angeles reports. Police say that after deputies responded to a reported assault with a deadly weapon, they found an injured woman at the residence who died later in a hospital. Another six people inside the residence were pronounced dead at the scene, reports the Los Angeles Times. Hundreds of marijuana plants and around 1,000 pounds of pot were found at the residence in an unincorporated community around 18 miles east of Temecula, authorities say. story continues below "Evidence located at the scene indicated the location was being used to manufacture and harvest an illicit marijuana operation," the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Police have not released the names of the victims. No arrests have been made but police say they do not believe there is a threat to general public. Dispensary owner Jerred Kiloh, head of the United Cannabis Business Association industry group, tells the AP that "risk is inherent in the underground market, which has continued to thrive after legalization. "When you have money and high returns, people want to take that from you," he says. He notes that cannabis growing operations are attractive targets for thieves, especially because illegal growers don't tend to report thefts to authorities. (Read more California stories.) The comedian and host had sent a memo to her staff after the BuzzFeed report, recalling her early promise of ensuring a workplace where everyone would be treated with respect. Something changed, she said, and for that, I am sorry. Prime Minister Boris Johnson waves as he leaves 10 Downing Street in central London on September 9, 2020, to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons. Britain plunged Brexit trade talks into crisis on Wednesday by publishing a bill that explicitly acknowledges the government could break international law by ignoring some parts of the divorce treaty it signed with the European Union. Brushing aside warnings from Brussels that breaching the treaty would prevent any trade deal being struck, London said in the proposed legislation that it would ignore parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, which was only signed in January. The Internal Markets Bill says that certain provisions are "to have effect notwithstanding inconsistency or incompatibility with international or other domestic law". The government has said international law would be broken "in a very specific and limited way", but the EU has made its anger plain. "Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement," Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU executive, said on Twitter. "This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda = the foundation of prosperous future relations," she said. The Latin phrase, meaning "agreements must be kept", is a basic principle of international law. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told parliament the bill was "a legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations" of the Northern Ireland protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement that could threaten peace in the British province. The bill, if approved, would give ministers the power to ignore parts of the protocol by modifying the form of export declarations and other exit procedures. It will be debated in both chambers of parliament and require their approval before becoming law. Britain quit the EU in January but has remained part of its single market, largely free of trade barriers, under a status quo agreement that expires in December. It has been negotiating a trade deal to take effect from Jan. 1, but says it is willing to walk away if it cannot agree favourable terms. The British pound, which tends to rise with the perceived likelihood of a negotiated trade deal with the EU, was down around 0.4% in mid-afternoon at $1.2939. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said he would speak to Johnson to express "very strong concerns" about the plans while his deputy Leo Varadkar called it a "kamikaze" threat that had backfired. Asked how he could expect Britons to obey the law if his government was willing to undermine it, Johnson said: "We expect everybody in this country to obey the law." Senior members of Johnson's Conservative Party have already voiced anger that Britain might consider such a move. Scotland and Wales said the bill would weaken the fabric of the United Kingdom itself by stealing powers from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. "The prime minister and his friends ... are creating a rogue state, one where the rule of law does not apply," Ian Blackford, leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, told the Westminster parliament. Within the scope of strengthening of cooperation between Armenia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in academics, research, training and culture, the Embassy of the UAE in Armenia hosted a teleconference held with the participation of Charge dAffaires of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Armenia Ahlam Al Salami; Head of the Department for International Relations of the Government of Sharjah Ali bin Rashid Al Mahyan; Rector of Al Qasimia University Rashad Salim; Dean of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities at Al Qasimia University Dr. Hassan Al Malakh and representative of the Arabic Department Dr. Mohammad Al Sheikh. The Armenian side was represented by Pro-Rector of Yerevan State University for International Cooperation and Public Relations Artur Israelyan and Head of the Arabic Studies Department at Yerevan State University Hayk Kocharyan. The meeting was held as a result of the visit of the delegation of the Department for State Relations of the Emirate of Sharjah to Armenia in June 2019 during which the delegation and Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan discussed issues related to the exchange of students and professors training programs. At the outset of the meeting, Ahlam Al Salami greeted the participants and attached importance to the growing Emirates-Armenia relations, adding that the Embassy of UAE aspires to develop cooperation in education, science and culture. Touching upon the cooperation with the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University, Salami stated the opening of an Emirates classroom in the Faculty and the holding of several lectures. During the meeting, the participants discussed the paths for development of academic ties and cooperation and agreed to organize courses for Armenian students at the language center at Al Qasimia University and training courses for professors at the Faculties of Literature, History, Koran and Islamic Studies. Rector of Al Qasimia University Rashad Salim presented the idea of the foundation of the University and stated that this year education for Armenian students can be organized remotely and at Al Qasimia University in the years to come. In his turn, Pro-Rector of Yerevan State University for International Cooperation and Public Relations Artur Israelyan presented the history of the University and cooperation with different foreign universities, stating that the University is currently in need of a specialist on the Emirates. WALLINGFORD Choate Rosemary Hall will not reopen its campus until October. In a letter that went out to families last month, Alex Curtis, Choates head of school, announced the schools board of trustees had decided to delay reopening the campus. Classes began online on Tuesday for the schools 870 students, who come from all over the United States and outside the country. Curtis wrote the delay was due to factors outside the schools control that have not trended in our favor. Since we announced in late June our plan to reopen for the fall term on campus, we watched with concern as infection rates across much of the United States increased in July. We have held off on our decision about reopening as long as we felt we could do so, hoping the incidence of the virus would abate markedly and allow for a confident September reopening, but we have not yet seen a significant flattening of the curve in many regions, he wrote in the Aug. 20 letter. Meanwhile, public health conditions in Connecticut remain good. Choates leaders have been monitoring the challenges universities are facing with in-person learning, and believe the best decision is to pause now, rather than resume, have problems arise and then have to abruptly shut down, Curtis explained. In short, we have ultimately concluded that a delay is in the best interest of the health and safety of all and a successful reopening in due course, Curtis wrote. Curtis explained the postponed reopening will allow Choate leaders to monitor the progression of the pandemic nationally and globally and will allow the school to enhance our already rigorous plan for COVID-19 testing. Health conditions in Connecticut are also a factor. If the states positive test rate is lower than 10 per 100,000 residents and test positivity rates remain lower than 5 percent, Choate leaders expect to move forward with the October reopening. If Connecticut's public health conditions do not meet those standards at that time, we will need to reconsider or further delay our planned reopening, likely until at least January, Curtis wrote. Curtis, in the notice, announced boarding students would receive a $1,550 tuition credit. Day students would receive a $325 credit. Should the school not resume in-person instruction for an entire academic term, tuition will be set at $13,000 per term, Curtis wrote. mgagne@record-journal.com203-317-2231Twitter:@MikeGagneRJ Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd's (RIL) telecom unit-Reliance Jio is looking to roll out 10 crore (100 million) low-cost smartphones by December 2020. The telco is planning to contract out the manufacturing of such mobile devices that will be built on Google's Android platform, the Business Standard reported. The phones, bundled with data packs, are likely to be launched by December this year or early next year. RIL, which is India's most highly-valued company, had in July had announed Google's $4.5 billion investment in Jio. Also Read: After Jio Platforms, Facebook, KKR may invest in RIL's retail business Reliance chief Mukesh Ambani had also said that Google would build an Android operating system (OS) to power a low-cost "4G or even 5G" smartphone that RIL would design. Reliance has sold nearly 33% of its digital arm, Jio Platforms, to raise Rs 1.52 lakh crore ($20.22 billion) and has won the backing of global financial and tech investors including, Facebook Inc, Intel, and Qualcomm. Facebook is the largest investor among all 13 strategic investors in Jio platforms, holding a 9.9 per cent stake worth Rs 43,574 crore. Private equity investor KKR has picked up a 2.32 per cent stake for Rs 11,367 crore in Jio platforms whose other investors are Google, Intel, Qualcomm, Vista Equity Partners, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and Mubadala. In mid-August, 2020, an unusual heat wave fixated over California, leading to a series of lightning storms across the state and numerous wildfires. Hundreds of thousands of acres were burned and tens of thousands of residents were forced to evacuate their homes. Below is an account of how the fires spread and officials responded to the emergency. Read the previous updates from Sept. 4-5 Read the next updates from Sept. 8-9 Updates from Monday, Sept. 7: 10:30 p.m. Sonoma County Sheriff issues new evacuation order and warning near Walbridge Fire: Flare-ups from the Walbridge Fire Monday night prompted a mandatory evacuation order for Zone 2E4, south of Mill Creek Road, north of Sweetwater Springs Road, west of Westside Road, and east of Palmer Creek Road. An evacuation warning was issued for Zone 1D5, north of the Russian River, east of Armstrong Woods Road, west of Westside Road and south of Sweetwater Springs Road. Cal Fire said forward progress of the fire had been stopped. However, a red flag warning for high winds is in effect in the area. First responders were going door to door to assist. View the interactive evacuation map and search by address at https://arcg.is/0buuL1 Embed 4226439Z-1599546101149 nws tweet 8:19 p.m. Creek Fire rescue attempt unsuccessful: Heavy smoke conditions prevented a helicopter rescue of people trapped by the Creek Fire, the Fresno Fire Department reported. Military pilots flying Chinook helicopters and using night vision attempted to rescue the trapped hikers and campers near Lake Edison and in China Peak. 8:10 p.m. Napa County confirms shut-offs, lists resource centers: Napa County officials sent out a Nixle alert confirming PG&Es planned power shut-offs. PG&E is opening three resource centers at the following locations: Pacific Union College, 1 Angwin Ave., Angwin; Highlands Christian Fellowship, 970 Petrified Forest Rd., Calistoga; Saint Helena Catholic School, 1255 Oak Ave., St. Helena. Face coverings are required and hand-washing stations will be offered. Wi-Fi, bottled water, snacks and device charging facilities will be available. 7:09 p.m. PG&E fire-prevention shut-offs start tonight: Pacific Gas and Electric Co. officials said they plan to shut off power to approximately 172,000 customers more than 500,000 people in more than 20 counties, including Sonoma and Napa in the Bay Area. The preemptive blackouts, which start tonight and may run through late Wednesday, are due to bone-dry vegetation and strong offshore winds forecast to begin Monday night, creating an extreme risk for fires. About 15,000 people in Napa County (in Calistoga, Saint Helena and unincorporated areas) and over 50,000 in Sonoma County (in unincorporated areas) will be affected. 6:49 p.m. U.S. 101 closed at Willits: The highway is closed due to the fast-spreading Oak Fire in Mendocino County from its juncture with State Route 162 near Longvale to the North Willits on-ramp, according to Caltrans. For detour information, click here. 4:03 p.m. Oak Fire in Mendocino County now 200 acres: The fast-spreading fire has prompted evacuations in the Willits and Covelo areas. 3:54 p.m. Creek Fire expected containment by Oct. 15: Cal Fire expects to fully contain the fast-moving Creek Fire by Oct. 15. The blaze has grown to 78,790 acres and threatens 5,296 structures. Fuel are the "main influence of the fire, with the heavy fuel loading from the dead and downed material," Cal Fire said. The timber in the area where the fire is burning has 80-90% tree mortality due to bark beetle. 3:48 p.m. Forest Service temporarily closes Southern California national forests: The Forest Shut temporarily shut down national forests throughout the state, including Stanislaus National Forest, Sequoia National Forest, Inyo National Forest and Los Padres National Forest. The closure is due to the threat of "unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions with a combination of extreme heat, significant wind events, dry conditions, and firefighting resources that are stretched to the limit," according to the forest service. Other closures include the Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest and Cleveland National Forest. The closure will go into effect 5pm Monday and will be re-evaluated daily. In addition, all campgrounds and day-use sites in all California national forests will be closed, and the use of stoves, fires or other equipment that could ignite is barred. 3:43 p.m. PG&E might shut off power in 21 counties: Officials with the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said Monday that power could be shut off for 158,000 customers roughly 474,000 people in 21 counties, including Sonoma and Napa counties. Most of the counties that could experience a shut-off are in the Sierra Foothills. The power shut-off wouldn't occur until late Monday evening. 3:41 p.m. Spare the Air Alert in Bay Area extended through Wednesday: A Spare the Air Alert was extended through Wednesday in the Bay Area due to the smog and smoke from wildfires. 2:20 p.m. Yosemite closes Mariposa Grove: Though the national park remains open, Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is closed as a precaution in case the #CreekFire crosses into the park, the Park Service tweeted. 1:58 p.m. Evacuations ordered in Mendocino County after new fire reported: The Mendocino County Sheriff ordered evacuations Monday afternoon in the community of Booktrails after a small 5-acre called the Oak Fire threatened structures. Big John Road, Sky View Road, First Gate Road and Schow Road to Ryan Creek Road were ordered to leave immediately. Cal Fire reported that the blaze has a rapid rate of spread. 12:40 p.m. Evacuation ordered for Auberry due to the Creek Fire: The Fresno County Sheriff ordered a mandatory evacuation for the town of Auberry extending from the San Joaquin River on Powerhouse Road to Auberry Road in both directions out to Highway 168. 11:41 a.m. Firefighters now battling 23 major fires: Cal Fire said 14,800 firefighters were battling 23 major fires in the state, the Associated Press reported. California has seen 900 wildfires since Aug. 15, many of them started by an intense series of thousands of lightning strikes. The blazes have burned more than 1.5 million acres (2,343 square miles). There have been eight fire deaths and more than 3,300 structures destroyed. 11:04 a.m. Evacuation orders expand in Sierra. Evacuation orders expanded to more mountain communities Monday as the Creek Fire continued to roar through Californias Sierra National Forest. Although firefighters working through the night were able to save the tiny town of Shaver Lake, about 30 homes were destroyed to the north, in the remote hamlet of Big Creek, according to the Associated Press. 10:56 a.m. SCU reaches 93% containment: The SCU Lightning Complex fires that have burned 396,624 acres across five Northern California counties, including Alameda, Santa Clara and Stanislaus, were 93% contained Monday morning, according to Cal Fire. The fires have destroyed 222 structures, damaged 26 structures and injured five people. 10:20 a.m. CZU fire reaches 76% containment: Firefighters reached 76% containment on the CZU Lightning Complex Monday morning. Firefighters are bracing for hot weather and low humidity this week, as winds begin to pick up later today. The fire, which has burned 86,509 acres across San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, has destroyed 925 residences and caused one fatality, according to CalFire. 9:55 a.m. LNU fires reach 91% containment: The LNU Lightning Complex fires that have burned 375,209 acres across several northern California counties were at least 91% contained as of Monday morning, according to a Cal Fire incident update. The fires have destroyed 1,491 structures and killed five people. 9:42 a.m. Creek Fire grows to 78,790 acres: The fire, which started Friday in Sierra National Forest, has grown to 78,790 acres and remains 0% contained. The blaze is burning in Fresno County in the Big Creek drainage between Shaver Lake, Big Creek and Huntington Lake. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for the communities of Big Creek, Huntington Lake, Shaver Lake and Cascadel Woods. 8:06 a.m. Remaining people rescued from Mammoth Pool Reservoir amid Creek Fire. About 20 people who were still stranded at the Mammoth Pool Reservoir had been evacuated as of Monday morning, according to the Madera County Sheriff. Although intense smoke from the surrounding Creek Fire had blocked rescue crews earlier Sunday, a ground crew was able to reach the remaining people Sunday night, the Sheriffs Office said. The Creek Fire is 0% contained. More than 200 people trapped in the Mammoth Pool area were airlifted out Saturday night. 7:33 a.m. Wind advisory issued for North Bay mountains. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for the mountains outside of Santa Rosa, Calistoga and San Rafael from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday. Meteorologists are predicting winds of 15 to 30 mph with wind gusts of 45 to 65 mph. The winds may be high enough to down tree limbs and power lines, and isolated power outages are possible, according to the National Weather Service. Updates from Sunday, Sept. 6 9:47 p.m. PG&E says which cities should expect fire-prevention shut-offs: The outages, from Monday night into Wednesday, may affect about 17,000 people in Napa County in Calistoga, St. Helena and unincorporated areas and 600 people in Sonoma County in Cloverdale, Rohnert Park and unincorporated areas. Read PG&Es full list here. 9:39 p.m. Newsom declares emergency over Creek, Southern California fires: Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation for Fresno, Madera and Mariposa counties due to the Creek Fire; as well as San Bernardino and San Diego Counties due to fires there. The declaration makes it easier to efficiently allocate resources. 9:25 p.m. Up to 20 people still trapped at Mammoth Pool, report says: Despite the daring evacuation of over 200 people by helicopter on Saturday night, up to 20 people, and 15 dogs, remain trapped in the Mammoth Pool area, the Fresno Bee reports. Conditions were too difficult for another air rescue today. 8:45 p.m. Fire in Southern California caused by device at gender reveal party: Cal Fire officials determined that the El Dorado Fire burning in San Bernardino County was caused by a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used during a gender reveal party a gathering in which parents-to-be unveil the sex of their baby in splashy ways. The fire began Saturday, and burned 7,050 acres by Sunday. The blaze is 5% contained. Those who start fires due to negligence or illegal activity can be held financially and criminally responsible, CalFire said. 8:41 p.m. Creek Fire grows to 73,278 acres: The fast-growing fire, which started Friday, remains 0% contained. 8:40 p.m. More evacuation warnings in Fresno County: Click here for details. 8:25 p.m. No rolling outages tonight: The California grid operator said, for the second day in a row, that no outages were needed despite the strain on the power grid. 7:39 p.m. PG&E fire-prevention shutoffs could affect over 300,000 people: PG&E could shut off power to parts of 18 counties including Napa and Sonoma Monday night to Wednesday, amid red flag warnings. The outages may affect 103,000 customers meaning roughly 309,000 people across the utilitys service territory. That would be much smaller than some outages last year. 7:24 Red Flag warning includes area where Creek Fire is burning: The National Weather Services has issued a Red Flag warning for the Sierra Nevada, adjacent foothills, the Lake Isabella and Fort Tejon areas, and the Tehachapi Mountains. The new warning which will be in effect until 11 p.m. Monday includes the area of the Creek Fire, which is already highly dangerous. The fire has burned 45,500 acres in Fresno County since it began Friday and is 0% contained. 7:16 p.m. LNU fires reach 91% containment: The fires, in the North Bay, have consumed 375,209 acres. 7:16 p.m. SCU fires reach 92% containment: The fires, in Alameda, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, have burned 396,624 acres. 7:02 p.m. CZU fires reach 72% containment: Firefighters reached 72% containment on the CZU Lightning Complex Sunday evening. The progress comes as firefighters brace for high temperatures and low humidity this week. The fires, which have burned 86,509 acres across San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, has destroyed 925 residences and caused one fatality, according to Cal Fire. 6:31 p.m. Burn bans in San Mateo, Santa Cruz counties: Cal Fire has suspended indefinitely all burn permits and open fires for San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. Only campfires within managed and organized campgrounds are allowed. The order goes into effect just after midnight tonight. In certain circumstances Cal Fire may still issue a special permit but only if the site has been inspected beforehand by a Cal Fire official. Information is available at www.readyforwildfire.com 6:13 p.m. Air quality deteriorates: Air quality suddenly deteriorated Sunday afternoon for most of the Bay Area. By 1 p.m. San Francisco, Berkeley and portions of Oakland all had received the unhealthy marker denoting levels of fine particles a component of smoke according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Most other regions scored the lower level of unhealthy for sensitive groups. The worse ranking was in Concord, which registered unhealthy starting at 10 a.m. and continuing through the day. 6:07 p.m. Blackouts expected imminently: The California power grid has declared an emergency, the precursor to rolling blackouts. Read more here. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California 5:53 p.m. More evacuation warnings, orders in Madera County: Click here for the order for Central Camp; click here for the warning for the warning for Sierra Sky Ranch (Road 632) and nearby areas; click here for the warning for North Fork and nearby areas. 4:53 p.m. More evacuation warnings for Creek Fire: Click here for information on rhe Fish Camp warning and here for the Bass Lake Basin warning. 4:45 p.m. ABC camera crew escapes: Trapped at the Shaver Lake Marina, the ABC30 crew from Fresno was able to ride out safely with Cal Fire, correspondent Alyssa Flores tweeted. 4:40 p.m. Harrowing tales of survival from Mammoth Pool: It felt like we were sitting in an oven, one Creek Fire survivor, airlifted to safety, told The Chronicle. We thought we were going to die, says another. Read the story here. 4:08 p.m. How to look up your rolling outage time: Outages are expected due to the heat wave straining the grid. Here is a PG&E site to look up your outage time. 3:36 p.m. ABC crew trapped: An ABC30 correspondent with the Fresno station tweeted: Shaver Lake Marina surrounded in flames. Our @ABC30 crew has been told we cannot exit the marina parking lot, since the fire has made roads out impassible. She said in an accompanying video clip that paramedics are stuck with the group and firefighters believe the flames will go in a different direction. 3:29 p.m. Blackouts Sunday could hit 9 million people, report says: Bloomberg News reported that rolling blackouts could hit up to 9 million Californians, as the state power grid struggles to keep up with air conditioners and other sources of demand amid the brutal heatwave. 2:04 p.m. Rolling blackouts likely unless Californians save energy: Amid record-breaking heat, California grid operators said Sunday would be the most challenging day of the heatwave. Without consumer conservation, rotating #poweroutages are likely, the grid operator tweeted. 1:50 p.m. Possible power outage in Mendocino County tonight: With the heat wave straining the power grid, the Mendocino County sheriff warned on Twitter: Portions of the unincorporated areas of Mendocino County MAY experience a temporary power outage between 7pm and 9pm, today, 9/6/2020. 1:32 p.m. Wawona, other areas in southern part of Yosemite urged to prepare: The National Park Service tweeted: Due to the #CreekFire, a fire advisory is in effect south of Chinquapin in Yosemite National Park (this includes Wawona). An advisory message is a notice of danger in the future; it is NOT an evacuation order, but you should get set in case an order is given. The Mariposa Grove, featuring giant sequoia trees, is closing at 7 p.m., the park service said. 1:11 p.m. San Francisco hits 98 degrees downtown: The National Weather Service said that downtown San Franciscos 98 degree reading shatters the old record of 92 set in 1904 for Sept. 6, though the city is not likely to hit the all-time high of 106 degrees set in 2017. 12:54 p.m. Californians sizzling in heat wave asked to go easy on power grid: With much of the state sizzling in triple-digit temperatures Sunday, California issued a heat advisory that called for extreme energy conservation measures to protect against an overload on the states power grid. Residents and businesses were asked to cool properties and then shut off cooling units between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that, even with conservation, rolling blackouts could start as early as Sunday afternoon. Read more here. 11:34 a.m. Red Cross aiding Creek Fire fight: Red Cross volunteers are on site at the Creek Fire that has quickly scorched more than 45,000 acres near Fresno and sent at least 20 people to hospitals. The Red Cross has set up a hotline for shelter information at 571-595-7401. You can text your ZIP code to 888-777 to receive text alerts. 11:29 a.m. Creek Fire forces evacuations near Bass Lake: The Madera County Sheriffs Office is advising residents in the Bass Lake and North Fork areas to evacuate ahead of a warning. Deputies went door to door Saturday night in Beasore Meadows to alert residents to evacuate. Other areas evacuated: Cascadel Woods, Kinsman Flat Subdivision, Mammoth Pool, Whiskey Falls, Clover Meadow, Arnold Meadows, Minarets and all campgrounds off Minarets Road and off Beasore Road north of Grizzley Road. 11:23 a.m. Some said no to being rescued from Creek Fire: Two people refused to be evacuated when more than 200 people trapped by the Creek Fire near Fresno were rescued Saturday night, according to the Madera County Sheriffs Office. 10:58 a.m. CZU fire 68% contained: The CZU Lightning Complex Fire, burning 86,509 acres in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, reached 68% containment as of Sunday morning, Cal Fire said. Weather officials anticipate dry heat and strong wind gusts in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with the strongest gusts expected Tuesday. 9:45 a.m. Evacuation orders lifted for LNU Complex Fire: Fire officials on Sunday lifted all evacuation orders for the LNU Lightning Complex fire, including the counties of Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo. The 375,209-acre fire reached 89% containment Sunday morning, according to Cal Fire. 9:33 a.m. Creek Fire grows to 45,500 acres: The wildfire, which started Friday in Sierra National Forest north of Fresno, has grown swiftly to 45,500 acres, Cal Fire said. 9:32 a.m. Containment grows for SCU Complex Fire: The SCU Lightning Complex, which is blazing in seven Northern California counties, has burned 396,624 acres and was 88% contained as of Sunday morning, according to Cal Fire. Dry, hot weather will continue across the region, Cal Fire said. 8:47 a.m. More than 200 rescued from Creek Fire: All 217 people trapped in the Mammoth Pool areas near Fresno by the Creek Fire have been rescued, according to Capt. Jason Sanchez, a public affairs officer for the California National Guard. As far as I know, we got everybody because the last two helicopters were not full, Sanchez said. The wildfire in the Sierra National Forest, about 35 miles northeast of Fresno, remains 0% contained, Cal Fire said. 7:42 a.m. Smoke from Creek Fire arrives over Bay Area: The massive, fast-spreading Creek Fire is joining other fires and sending smoke over the Bay Area, according to the National Weather Services Bay Area arm, which wrote: Air quality overnight has decreased due to smoke drifting northward from the Dolan Fire near Big Sur and the massive smoke plume from the Creek Fire in the Sierra. 7:37 a.m. Air quality moderate in Bay Area: As what is expected to be an extraordinarily hot day dawned, air quality across much of the Bay Area was at moderate levels. A Spare the Air alert remains in effect. ALBANY From taxing second homes to fees on yacht sales, several of the Capital Region's Democratic state lawmakers say all revenue-driving measures should be on the table as a means to fund public schools before they're bled dry by cuts to state and federal aid. The Cuomo administration has begun to withhold 20 percent of its payments to local governments and schools to narrow the state's budget deficit. According to the Division of Budget, the state is facing a revenue loss of $14.5 billion this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Larger city school districts like Albany and Schenectady have already moved to cut hundreds of jobs and eliminate in-person instruction for the older grades as a result of the financial crisis. State Assembly and Senate officials were joined Wednesday by Watervliet Superintendent Lori Caplan and Niskayuna Superintendent Cosimo Tangorra Jr., legislative co-chairs of Capital Region BOCES, at a press conference outside the State Education Department to discuss proposed revenue-raisers that would hit the pockets of the state's wealthiest residents. "The goal is that all families, all children be provided that option of entering school buildings. .... Children, teachers, administrators belong in school," Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, said. School officials argued that the funding formula used to distribute state aid has been inequitable for years, and the pandemic-related cuts have exacerbated the problem. Now we are facing this pandemic that has hit everything," Tangorra said. "Our neighbors in Albany and Schenectady are the first to be hit, but it wont be long before district after district across the state is affected as well." So-called wealth taxes have been promoted by Democratic politicians to rectify a variety of problems over the years, but the bills have failed to gain traction. Opponents say New York is already a high-tax state, and any additional burden would prompt the high-income earners who pay the bulk of New York's taxes to relocate. Lawmakers are eyeing a pied-a-terre tax, which would apply to second homes worth more than $5 million, and an "ultra-millionaires tax," which would target the state's 114 billionaires. New York's millionaires tax was extended for five years in 2019. Officials say the state can also eliminate a sales tax exemption on yachts and jets enacted in the 2015 budget, and repeal a rebate on New York's stock transfer tax. Assemblyman Phil Steck (D-Colonie), the longtime sponsor of the stock transfer bill, says the cost of eliminating the rebate would be virtually unnoticeable to the average trader. To critics who say stock traders will leave the state, Steck said that the trades do not have to take place in New York to be taxable here. He cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that out-of-state buyers can be made to pay state taxes on internet sales although it is unclear if the law applies to stock transfers. The stock transfer tax has been on the books for more than a century but has it has been rebated by New York since the early 1980s, costing the state an estimated $16 billion annually. "We moved the revenue from this tax which New York had from 1905 to 1981 without the slightest bit of difficulty so it could be used to support our schools and to address these issues that bring us here today, Steck said of the proposal. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. As a cost-saving measure, Albany City Schools is considering reducing its tuition payments to the city's six charter schools by 20 percent in alignment with the state cuts, though that is a move that would also require legislative action. Meanwhile, the New York State United Teachers Union, the state's largest teachers union, is preparing to sue the state for its decision to withhold the 20 percent of its funding from school districts, a burden that disproportionately falls on high-needs districts. No school district or student is immune to the adverse impacts of a 20 percent cut to state education aid, NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said. But what makes this all the more egregious is the disproportionate impact that cuts have on our neediest schoolchildren." Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a fiscal moderate, has so far stood against new taxes on the wealthy. Instead, the governor has continued to press the federal government to pass a stimulus bill that will plug the state's budget hole while supplying desperately needed relief funds to schools and municipalities. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, the chamber's Democratic minority leader, vowed at a Tuesday appearance at Albany's Palace Theater to keep fighting for the aid in Congress. The bottom line is very simple: our schools here in the Capital Region and throughout the state and country need state and federal aid," he said. "They need aid now." The callers profile will also come with a verification symbol if the business has been authenticated by Google. Google has just announced Verified Calls which is a new feature in the Google Phone app that identifies calls on basis of who is calling, the callers logo and the reason for calling. The main idea behind the addition of a feature like this is to tackle phone call frauds. Phone frauds are a serious problem in India and other parts of the world and with the rollout of Verified Calls, the Google Phone app on Android devices will show you who is calling and why, the call will also come with a verified badge if the business has been authenticated by Google. This feature will be rolling out across the world starting with India, Spain, Brazil, Mexico and the US, and takes on Truecaller heads-on. Google pointed to a 2019 FTC report in its blogpost about the Verified Calls to state that phone calls were the number one way people reported being contacted by scammers. And while most people hung up on those calls, there were others who lost money, a median loss of $1,000. Spam and scam calls erode trust in business and increase costs to consumers, wrote Google. The Verified Calls feature is available with the Google Phone app for Android that should come pre-loaded on most Android devices, but you can also download it later this week in case your smartphone uses a custom dialler. Post that, when you get a call from a business, you will be able to see who is calling, the reason for calling and if the business is verified, you will see a white tick in a blue shield. This is done in a secure wayGoogle doesnt collect or store any personally identifiable information after verification, the company explained in the blog. This service is important for businesses in particular. Truecaller offers an identical service and has been immensely popular, particularly in India, for this reason itself since it helps avoid scam calls. In fact, Truecaller improved its service for iPhone users by rolling out with better call and SMS filters recently. Also Read: Truecaller on iPhone gets spam filters, better spam call detection However, Googles Verified Calls goes a step further by also mentioning why the person is calling, this is not a feature available on Truecaller yet. Weve been piloting Verified Calls for a few months, and the early results indicate that it improves the likelihood of someone answering a call. This in turn helps reduce business costs while identifying relevant calls to people in a trustworthy way, Google explained. The company gave the example of banks alerting a customer about a possible fraudulent transaction and a customer potentially rejecting the call assuming its spam. This feature also is immensely helpful for food delivery companies and courier services. The lawsuit alleges the nurses should not be allowed to strike because of the critical nature of the services provided in those units, the lack of qualified substitutes to perform nurses' duties and the inability to move such patients to other facilities without jeopardizing their health. A Fultondale doctor who pleaded guilty to prescribing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose and engaging in health care fraud has been sentenced to prison. Dr. Paul Roberts, 48, was sentenced to six years in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Annemarie Axon, according to a joint announcement Wednesday Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Clay Morris, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr. Roberts was also ordered to pay restitution of $2.2 million, a fine of $100,000, and 12 years of supervision following his release from prison. The U.S. Marshals took Roberts into custody at Tuesdays sentencing. As part of the plea agreement, Roberts agreed to relinquish all his medical licenses, including his Alabama medical license Roberts in May pleaded guilty to 16 counts stemming from a June 2019 indictment. Roberts was initially indicted in November 2018 on conspiracy to prescribe controlled substances and participating in a healthcare fraud conspiracy with a Demopolis pharmacist and a Tuscaloosa sales representative. The 135-count susperseding indictment was issued against him last year. Roberts pleaded guilty to 12 counts of prescribing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose. According to the plea agreement, on days Roberts was out of the office, he allowed unqualified staff, including an x-ray technician, to prescribe controlled substances to patients using prescriptions that Roberts pre-signed. The plea agreement also states that Roberts illegally prescribed controlled substances, including oxycodone, to two women. He issued them to one in exchange for sexual favors and to the other even though he knew that she was abusing controlled substances. Roberts also pleaded guilty to two health care fraud conspiracies and two counts of participating in a health care fraud scheme. The first focused on fraudulently billing for office visits. According to the plea agreement, on dates he was absent from the office, Roberts caused unqualified staff to see patients, and then caused SEUC to bill Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama as though Roberts had provided those services. In a related case, 62-year-old Stanley Reeves of Demopolis, a pharmacist and owner of F&F Drugs in Demopolis, was sentenced to 38 months for one count of conspiring to fraudulent bill health insurance companies for $10.5 million worth of medically unnecessary compounded drugs. Of the $10.5 million, $2.2 million was for compounded drugs prescribed by Roberts. Reeves was also ordered to pay restitution of $10.5 million, pay forfeiture of $900,000, and a fine of $100,000. Reeves paid $400,000 of those amounts at sentencing. As part of the plea agreement, Reeves agreed to surrender his pharmacist license to the Alabama Board of Pharmacy. Reeves attorneys Richard Jaffe and Michael Whisonant, Jr. said Reeves was charged with 15 counts of Healthcare Fraud, Spending Proceeds of Healthcare Fraud, False Statement, and other charges. "The United States Government agreed to dismiss all charges. Mr. Reeves pleaded to a single count of Healthcare Fraud that had nothing to do with opioids,'' Jaffe said. "Mr. Reeves, a person who has always tried to be of service to others. He took responsibility for his actions and is releived to have this behind him. He looks forward to moving on with his life focusing on spending time with his family. Brett Taft, 46, of Tuscaloosa, is listed as a co-defendant in the compounding drug health care fraud conspiracy and scheme described in the June 2019 Second Superseding Indictment. A trial date has not yet been set. In blatant disregard for the law, these defendants chose greed over patients' welfare, said Escalona said. This kind of criminal conduct endangers lives in our communities and impacts healthcare costs, and we will continue to prioritize these cases. DEA is committed to bringing to justice those who engage in the dispensing of prescription drugs outside the course of a legitimate medical purpose, Morris said. The sentences handed down are a direct result of the hard work put forth by all law enforcement agencies involved. Today justice has been served. Todays sentence sends a message to all those in the medical field that neither their medical license nor their white lab coats will protect them from the consequences of illegal drug distribution and medical fraud, Sharp said. Roberts and Reeves violated both our laws and their solemn oaths as medical professionals, and they will now pay for those violations. It is sad to know that while many individuals continue to struggle with serious opiate addiction, this case reveals that such powerful narcotics can sometimes become available for abuse because of the illegal actions of those in the medical community. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:12:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's exports and imports rose significantly in July as various countries lessened COVID-19 restrictions, boosting trade activities. The east African nation's month-on-month imports jumped to 138.8 billion shillings (about 1.26 billion U.S. dollars) in July, up from 1.1 billion dollars in June and 1 billion dollars in May, the latest economic data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released on Wednesday shows. Similarly, exports rose to 481 million dollars in July from a low of 398 million in April when COVID-19 had hit many countries, according to KNBS. The bulk of Kenya's imports during the period included industrial supplies, fuel and lubricants, machinery and consumer goods. On the other hand, exports mainly consisted of food and beverages like tea and coffee and industrial supplies. Export of horticultural produce rose during the month with 10,449 tonnes of cut flowers, 9,658 tonnes of fruits and 4,191 tons of vegetables, according to KNBS. Kenya in April imposed a raft of travel restrictions especially for countries hard hit by COVID-19, curtailing exports and imports. Enditem Drain and mash the beans thoroughly. In a medium bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Add the eggs, molasses, vanilla and salt. Mix in the beans. Pour into the pie shell and sprinkle the chopped nuts on top. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until firm or a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve with the whipped cream. Yoshihide Suga is on course for a landslide victory in the race to become Japans next prime minister, an Asahi newspaper tally showed, as debate kicks off later Wednesday among the three candidates vying to succeed long-time leader Shinzo Abe. Suga, Japans chief cabinet secretary, has support to become party leader from 308 - almost 80% - of ruling Liberal Democratic Party members with seats in parliament, the Asahi said. That means Suga already has 58% of total LDP votes - more than the majority required - without even counting the additional 141 votes that will come from party prefecture chapters. The party leadership election will be held on Sept. 14, a date set after Abes decision to step down for health reasons. The winner is virtually assured of becoming premier because of the LDPs parliamentary majority. Suga, former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba and ex-foreign minister Fumio Kishida will appear in a televised debate on Wednesday, making the case for who should lead the country after nearly eight years under Abe. Abe had early success with his Abenomics economic initiatives but the coronavirus pandemic has eradicated those gains. Japan, the worlds third-largest economy, sank deeper into its worst postwar recession in the second quarter of this year with a record 28% annualised contraction, government data showed the previous day. Suga said on Tuesday the biggest job for the new prime minister would be to revive the coronavirus-ravaged economy. Ishiba has been a popular figure among the public while Kishida has the diplomatic experience that Suga lacks, but they have only a fraction of the LDP support that Suga enjoys, the Asahi tally shows. Jakarta: The US has designated an Indonesian radical network behind an attack in Jakarta as a terrorist group and announced sanctions on four militants in an effort to disrupt Islamic State group operations and recruitment in Australia and Southeast Asia. The announcements by the Department of State and Treasury Department come after police in Australia and Indonesia foiled IS-inspired attacks planned for the holiday season in those countries. The State Department said Tuesday it has designated the IS-affiliated Jamaah Ansharut Daulah as a terrorist group, which in practice prohibits U.S. citizens being involved with it and enables the freezing of any property in the US. JAD militants are believed responsible for a January 2016 attack in the Indonesian capital that killed eight people including the attackers. Treasury announced sanctions against two Australians, both previously believed killed in the Middle East, and two Indonesians, one of whom is in prison in Indonesia. The statements did not say whether the four had any assets within US jurisdiction. However, the steps show continued US commitment to anti-terror efforts in Australia and Indonesia. The US and Australia were instrumental in upgrading Indonesia's counter-terrorism capabilities following the 2002 bombings on the tourist island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. The sanctioned Australians are Neil Christopher Prakash, also known as Khaled Al-Cambodi, who was the senior Australian recruiter for IS, and Khaled Sharrouf, an IS fighter in Syria and Iraq since 2014 who carried out executions for IS. The Indonesians are Bahrum Syah, who sent funds to militants in Indonesia from Syria, and his mentor Aman Abdurrahman, who from prison has recruited militants to the IS cause, authorized attacks and was IS's main translator in Indonesia. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Independence Blue Cross (Independence) announces expanded financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic for the company's fully insured group employers. The insurer is offering medical and dental premium credits to fully insured employers, as well as providing premium rebates due to the effective management of medical costs. The premiums being returned to Independence employers total nearly $120 million. Independence is also extending payment options for certain fully insured employers. "We recognize the mounting pressures many are facing due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. By providing premium credits, issuing rebates and providing payment flexibility, Independence is hoping to reduce some of the financial burdens our clients are experiencing," said Daniel J. Hilferty, Independence CEO. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health care services for many people. Elective procedures and routine health services, like preventive screenings and dental cleanings, were delayed or canceled leading to a lower volume of health care claims for fully insured group employers. Most recently, health care claims submissions to the company have consistently increased and are currently returning to levels more typical to this time period. Independence will give its fully insured group employers a one-time premium credit in their September invoices totaling more than $35 million . The medical premium credit is calculated using member enrollment figures as of July 1, 2020 . In addition, in partnership with United Concordia Dental (UCD), a one-time dental premium credit will be issued to fully insured, small group clients with Blue-branded stand-alone dental coverage and fully insured, large group, UCD-branded dental plan clients. The dental credit will be issued with September invoices. . The medical premium credit is calculated using member enrollment figures as of . In addition, in partnership with United Concordia Dental (UCD), a one-time dental premium credit will be issued to fully insured, small group clients with Blue-branded stand-alone dental coverage and fully insured, large group, UCD-branded dental plan clients. The dental credit will be issued with September invoices. Independence will also be issuing premium rebates exceeding $84 million to many of these same customers due to the effective management of medical costs. to many of these same customers due to the effective management of medical costs. Independence will extend its payment flexibility and continue to accept credit card payments from fully insured employers with up to 500 enrolled employees through September 30, 2020 . Independence's credit card flexibility option was originally announced in April in tandem with the company's Deferred Payment Plan. The program provided an extended period for customers to pay their April or May invoice with no interest and no penalty. In March at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Independence took steps to support the company's group employers, members, physicians, and the community at large. Details can be found by visiting: About Independence Blue Cross Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurance organization in southeastern Pennsylvania. With our affiliates, we serve 8 million people nationwide. For more than 80 years, we have been enhancing the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve. We deliver innovative and competitively priced health care products and services; pioneer new ways to reward doctors, hospitals, and other health care professionals for coordinated, quality care; and support programs and events that promote wellness. To learn more, visit www.ibx.com. Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/ibx and on Twitter at @ibx. Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Media Contact: Kathleen Conlon 215-241-4576 (office) 267-918-8057 (mobile) [email protected] SOURCE Independence Blue Cross Related Links www.ibx.com Governor confirms four French VIPs allowed through Phuket PHUKET: Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has confirmed that four French nationals were allowed to land in Phuket and spend 14 days at a hotel designated as an Alternative State Quarantine venue, then allowed to continue their journey to Cambodia. COVID-19healthtourism By Tanyaluk Sakoot Wednesday 9 September 2020, 12:54PM Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew confirmed the news while reviewing a rehearsal of the processes to allow fororeign tourists to be allowed into the country at Phuket International Airport yesterday (Sept 8). Photo: PR Phuket The news follows reports circulating online that four French VIPs were allowed to spend a 14-day holiday in Phuket despite no foreigners currently being allowed to enter the country via Phuket. Governor Narong confirmed the news while reviewing a rehearsal of the processes to allow fororeign tourists to be allowed into the country at Phuket International Airport yesterday (Sept 8). "Four French foreigners were approved by the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration [CCSA], the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand to arrive at Phuket International Airport, Governor Narong said. The four French nationals arrived by private jet, then the CCSA designated the four foreigners as a trial group and considered them as a way to test the system [for allowing foreigners into the country, he added. "They went through all the correct procedures and stayed 14 days in quarantine at an ALSQ hotel which was tested in accordance with established systems and measures, he added. "After that they flew to Cambodia, without any spread of COVID-19 in Phuket, he said. Governor Narong declined to explain what reasons were given for allowing the four French nationals special permission to land in Phuket and spend 14 days on the island while the blanket ban on all foreigners arriving in thailand via Phuket remains in place as ordered by the CCSA in Bangkok. Testing the system for bringing foreigners into Phuket is necessary, we must slowly open the door to receive foreigners, Governor Narong said. "Now our door is suddenly closed, he added. Opening the door wide to accepting foreigners coming in without testing the system is impossible. We followed all the CCSA procedures strictly every step of the way, he said. Governor Narong redirected the issue towards the critical need of allowing foreigners to come to Phuket to help end the financial suffering on the island. The efforts to bring foreigners into Phuket is for the benefit of the nation and for Phuket province. Phuket is getting sick now, and the revenue generated from the tourism industry, about B400 billion a year, has all disappeared, he said. If we dont do anything and let it continue like this for the next four to five months, or even a year, what will happen to Phuket? How will the people of Phuket survive? Therefore economic recovery is important, as well as taking care of the health of the Phuket people," he concluded. WALLINGFORD Police have identified the victim of a fatal crash on I-91 as a 44-year-old Florida woman. Kristie Ann White, of Homestead, Fla., was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the accident report, White was driving a 2006 Honda in the northbound center lane when for an unknown reason, her vehicle struck a 2015 Ford pickup truck in the left lane. Whites vehicle continued into the center grassy median where the vehicle rolled over several times before crossing over the metal beam guard rail and coming to a final rest in the left southbound lane of I-91. The 18-year-old driver of the pickup truck and his two male passengers were not injured. The crash was reported shortly after 6:30 a.m. on I-91 south in the area of Exit 14. Initial dispatch reports indicated there was entrapment and possibly serious injuries. Shortly before noon, state police confirmed the fatality. Within minutes of the crash, first responders had the left and center lanes of I-91 south closed between exits 15 and 14, as well as the left lane of I-91 north between exits 14 and 15. By 7:40 a.m., state police said all southbound lanes were closed between exits 14 and 15, with the left lane of I-91 north also still closed. Drivers were urged to seek alternate routes. By 8:10 a.m., state police said all northbound lanes were closed at Exit 13, with the left and center lanes on the southbound side also closed. Hours later, around 11 a.m., I-91 south remained congested between exits 17 and 14 about five miles because of the crash. The left and center lanes remain closed between exits 15 and 14. The crash site was cleared and all lanes had reopened to traffic by noon. State police said the collision remains under investigation. Any witness to the collision is asked to contact Trooper Timothy Ruppar , Connecticut State Police Troop I in Bethanyy at (203) 393-4200 or timothy.ruppar@ct.gov. If anyone who wasdriving through the area of the collision at the time of the crash, and may have footage recorded on a vehicle equipped dashboard camera, you are also asked to contact Trooper Ruppar. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. MONACO, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scorpio Tankers, Inc. (NYSE: STNG) (Scorpio Tankers, or the Company) announced today an update on daily TCE rates. Below is a summary of the estimated average daily Time Charter Equivalent ("TCE") revenue (see definition below) and duration of contracted pool activities (voyages and time charters) for the Company's vessels as of today for the three months ending September 30, 2020. For the three months ending September 30, 2020 Pool Total average daily TCE revenue (1) % of days (1) LR2 $ 19,250 90 % LR1 18,500 90 % MR 14,250 80 % Handymax 10,000 85 % (1) TCE revenue, a Non-IFRS measure, is vessel revenues less voyage expenses (including bunkers and port charges). TCE revenue is included herein because it is a standard shipping industry performance measure used primarily to compare period-to-period changes in a shipping company's performance irrespective of changes in the mix of charter types (i.e., spot charters, time charters, and pool charters), and it provides useful information to investors and management. The estimates and coverage are subject to change until voyages are finalized. Emanuele Lauro, chief executive officer and chairman of the board, commented, We are pleased to provide the market with an update on our Q3 bookings and capital management in the Company presentation that we have released today and is available on our website (www.scorpiotankers.com/investors/reports-presentations/). Despite both customary seasonal weakness and drawdowns of the extraordinary inventory builds during Q1 and Q2, the Companys TCE rates in Q3-20 outperformed those in Q3-19. This trend of higher quarterly Company TCE rates year-over-year has continued since Q4-18 and suggests that the underlying supply and demand drivers in our market have continued to tighten. Demand recovery and curtailed refinery throughput have resulted in a significant reduction of refined product floating storage inventories from 104.1 million barrels in May to 33.9 million barrels today. The economic rebound from COVID-19, limited fleet supply growth, and ton-mile expansion from refinery closures and additions leave us optimistic as we look to the remainder of the year and 2021. We continue to manage our liquidity in a way we believe will create value for our shareholders. The recent discount in our share price does not reflect the underlying performance of our business nor our outlook for the near and medium term. This has led to selective share repurchases at highly accretive levels. That said, our focus will remain on reducing our leverage as well as managing the cost and duration of our liabilities. We have retired a significant portion of our May 2022 convertible bond at attractive levels. About Scorpio Tankers Inc. Scorpio Tankers is a provider of marine transportation of petroleum products worldwide. The Companys fleet consists of 134 owned, finance leased, or bareboat chartered-in product tankers (42 LR2 tankers, 12 LR1 tankers, 62 MR tankers and 18 Handymax tankers) with an average age of 4.8 years. The Company also has a leasehold interest in an MR product tanker that is currently under construction. Additional information about the Company is available at the Companys website www.scorpiotankers.com, which is not a part of this press release. Forward-Looking Statements Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forwardlooking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forwardlooking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "target," "project," "likely," "may," "will," "would," "could" and similar expressions identify forwardlooking statements. The forwardlooking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Companys records and other data available from third parties. Although management believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, there can be no assurance that the Company will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. The Company undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines any obligation, except as required by law, to publicly update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Companys view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forwardlooking statements include unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses, future prospects, business and management strategies for the management, length and severity of the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, including its effect on demand for petroleum products and the transportation thereof, expansion and growth of the Companys operations, risks relating to the integration of assets or operations of entities that it has or may in the future acquire and the possibility that the anticipated synergies and other benefits of such acquisitions may not be realized within expected timeframes or at all, the failure of counterparties to fully perform their contracts with the Company, the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for tanker vessel capacity, changes in the Companys operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Companys vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, charter counterparty performance, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in such financing arrangements, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessels breakdowns and instances of offhires, and other factors. Please see the Company's filings with the SEC for a more complete discussion of certain of these and other risks and uncertainties. Contact Information Scorpio Tankers Inc. (212) 542-1616 In front of thousands of worshipers packed shoulder-to-shoulder outside the Capitol, California Senate Minority Leader Shannon Grove, R, grabbed the microphone on Sunday and promised that the huge church event would have a real impact. "I declare that after all of this is over tonight, the remnant, the residue of this worship will saturate this ground and seep into that building," Grove told the crowd, the Sacramento Bee reported. But state leaders are now warning that the event's impact could actually be a mass coronavirus outbreak. Although Grove's permit allowed 1,000 people and required social distancing, the California Highway Patrol said three times as many showed up; videos showed virtually no social distancing or masks in the crowd. "It does not help to have thousands and thousands of people not practicing physical distancing or social distancing not wearing masks," Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on Tuesday of the event, adding that "literally someone can lose their lives" as a result. Grove has come under added fire because she was supposed to be quarantining after coming into close contact with state Sen. Brian Jones (R), who tested positive on Aug. 26 for covid-19. Instead, she took the stage on Sunday and spoke at length to the crowd - while failing to wear a mask. Grove's office didn't immediately respond to request for comment early on Wednesday morning. She likewise didn't return a message from the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. State health officials are urging anyone who attended the prayer event to self-quarantine and monitor for symptoms - but the group that organized it has already moved on to stage similarly mask-free events farther up the West Coast. Sean Feucht, a musician and recent Congressional candidate with ties to a controversial California megachurch, has organized a number of "Let Us Worship" events meant to criticize pandemic measures restricting indoor church services. On Monday, city officials in Seattle shut down a park where he'd planned his next gathering, citing fears that large crowds could impact public health. But Feucht still staged a concert in the street for hundreds - most of whom were mask-free, the Seattle Times reported. "Fox & Friends," the Fox News morning show, then invited Feucht on the show to blast city officials. "It was obviously a targeting and a discrimination toward believers," Feucht said of the city's decision to close the park. In Sacramento, city health officials said they would have done the same at Sunday's event had they been alerted to the size of the crowd. Peter Beilenson, Sacramento County's health director, said that the event violated county and state pandemic guidelines. Public health experts noted to the Los Angeles Times that although the gathering was outdoors, the singing and shouting by many in the crowd raised the risk of coronavirus transmission. When Grove applied for permits, the Republican senator promised that organizers would "make announcements and have people designated to assist in making sure people are" social distancing, according to documents the Los Angeles Times reviewed. That didn't happen, Beilenson said. "Everyone was piled up," he told the Los Angeles Times. "That's a problem. It's not a matter of if there will be an outbreak from this, it's how big." LVMH backed out of an $18.5 billion agreement to buy jeweler Tiffany & Co. Wednesday, citing U.S. tariffs on French products. The big picture: LVMHs board of directors recently made the decision after a "succession of events which undermine the acquisition," the company wrote. Tiffany filed a lawsuit in Delaware to enforce the acquisition. Our thought bubble via Axios' Dan Primack: The move highlights how the U.S. is in trade wars with more than just China, with the Trump administration proposing new tariffs on French luxury goods in retaliation for a French tax on U.S. tech companies. Chennai Air Customs have seized 4 kg of Pseudoephedrine valued at Rs 40 lakhs under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Acting on specific information, the Customs officials seized 'crystalline powder' concealed in eight Lumbo Sacral belts and two Trophies from courier parcels at the International Courier Terminal that were destined for Australia. The seized drugs in white crystalline powder form tested positive for 'pseudoephedrine', a controlled substance which is a coveted chemical precursor used to manufacture Methamphetamine. A search was conducted at the address given by the consignee and one person was arrested in the matter. READ | Three Inter-state Drug Peddlers Nabbed In Bengaluru Drugs concealed in trophies, lumbosacral belts READ | 2 Drug Peddlers Held With 1.8 Kg Of Cannabis In J&K's Reasi NCB busts international smuggling racket In a similar but massive smuggling incident reported on Sunday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted an international heroin smuggling syndicate with the arrest of seven persons, including foreigners, and seizure of drugs worth about Rs 48 crore in Delhi. Among the arrested were an African man and a woman from Myanmar, the federal anti-narcotics agency said. The agency unearthed a modus operandi where the mastermind was coordinating the operations from abroad by creating various layers of anonymity, it said. "To circumvent the current situation of controlled international passenger flights, the mastermind and the syndicate involved were exploiting the international courier route," the agency's Deputy Director (Operations) KPS Malhotra said in a statement. READ | NCB Busts Drug Racket Supplying Curated Marijuana To India; 3.5kgs Seized The operation began early this month with the seizure of a parcel, originating from South Africa, containing 970gm of heroin from a courier service in the national capital. "In order to unearth the full trail, NCB chief Rakesh Asthana issued an order to initiate the controlled delivery procedure to the Delhi zonal unit of the agency to track the beneficiaries of the seized parcel. The controlled delivery mechanism empowers NCB to keep the parcel delivery alive, even after seizing the contraband and replacing the same with the dummy parcel," Malhotra said. Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the NCB director-general is authorised to order a controlled delivery operation to unravel all layers of a drug cartel or syndicate. READ | Maharashtra: Narcotic Substance Seized, Two Held The parcel led the agency to arrest Indian nationals identified as Wahid, Mohsin, Shahjahan, Hanif and Munnasir from a hotel in the Mahipalpur area of Delhi, Malhotra said. Their interrogation led the NCB to another parcel containing about 980 gms of heroin. Later, a lady from Myanmar and an African were also arrested. VERNON, CT The transformation of a dilapidated, crumbling old textile mill into the New England Motorcycle Museum and a vintage bike restoration business in the Rockville section of Vernon has made it to a television series on the Discovery Channel. Ken Kaplan and his son Ken Kaplan Jr. are the stars of a new reality show that makes its world premiere on the Discovery Channel at 10 p.m. Wednesday. In "Kaplan America," Ken and his son work to get five bikes restored and sold in a week. At the same time the try to track down three stolen bikes and bring the "thieves to justice." Heres a link to the programs page: https://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-newsroom/discovery-channel-goes-full-throttle-with-brand-new-motor-special-kaplan-america-airing-september-9/ Thanks to a combination of federal- and state-administered brownfield grants, Kaplan was able to convert the historic the Hockanum Mill on West Main Street to the museum and his Kaplan Cycles operation. The museum gets about 10,000 visitors a year, Kaplan said. The New England Motorcycle Museum (Chris Dehnel/Patch) Kaplan, who founded Kaplan computers in Manchester, said he was all to glad to showcase a collaboration between himself, state and federal entities that built up a part of Rockville. "It's not just about the museum, it's about Rockville and the state of Connecticut," he said. Ken Jr. said Discovery discovered the Kaplans' You Tube channel and seemed to like what was going on at the old factory. "We want to congratulate the Kaplans on their long road," Vernon Mayor Daniel Champagne said. "The show is going to be a hit and I can't wait for everyone to see it." Added Vernon Town Administrator Michael Purcaro, "When the Discovery Channel was filming the show in Vernon, one of the producers asked if we thought Ken Kaplan as Kaplan America was a superhero. I thought about this, and for me, a superhero is defined as someone who dreams big, does good, and inspires others. In this respect, Ken is a superhero and I wish him the best and support his efforts to strengthen his business in Vernon and positively promote our community." Story continues Kaplan said was a rough stretch when the coronavirus pandemic first broke out. But as people began spending more time at home, a passion for motorcycles increased. "It's good clean American fun," Kaplan said. "It's a good American sport. Think about it ... put on a helmet, get on your bike and stay 6 feet apart. It's a breath of fresh air as the world is going downhill. It's good to bring our business and Rockville to a worldwide audience." Kaplan then paused. "I hope this spreads ... like a good virus," he said. This article originally appeared on the Vernon Patch British farmers are buying more sexed dairy semen than conventional semen for the first time ever, according to a new survey. In the 12 months to March 2020, sales of sexed semen made up 51.3% of all dairy semen sales, up from 31.9% the previous year. The increase reflects a sharp upwards trend over the past three years as sales of sexed semen were only 17.9% in 2017. Marco Winters, AHDB head of animal genetics, said sexed semen had become popular in recent years due to improvements in reliability and more competitive prices. "Its a good option for farmers looking to breed replacements from their best cows and lift their overall herd performance, he added. AHDB's survey of breeding companies also showed an increase in the proportion of beef semen sales, which made up 47.6% of total semen sales, almost double the amount from 2015. With fewer cows needed for replacements, more cows can be served for beef to produce more saleable animals, continued Mr Winters. Producers should use AHDBs herd genetic report to understand their herds potential and make more informed breeding decisions targeting the best cows to breed replacements from. AHDB and NFU published a national dairy calf strategy earlier this year, which aims to eliminate calf euthanasia by 2023 and increase the number of male calves entering the beef supply chain. Jenny Gibbons, AHDB animal health & welfare senior scientist, said substantial progress had been made over recent years. "We welcome the uplift in the use of sexed dairy and beef semen, which demonstrates the industrys commitment to address the bull calf issue. This one-of-a-kind, self-guided tour takes people and their pets along the picturesque Skaneateles Lake through the Skaneateles village. As you wind through the charming old streets, youll learn about the villages earliest settlers. There are historic homes, inns, and churches to see while touring, some of which date all the way back to the 18th century. Oliver Bentleys Historic Dog Walk Tour Shrouded in history and mystery, Savannah is one of the Souths most beautiful and iconic locations. The city offers a number of historic tours, but Oliver Bentleys is tailored to those visiting the Hostess City with their pooches. This mile-long walk through the Historic District begins at Oglethorpe Square, and takes you through 7 of Savannahs 22 iconic squares. These lush green spaces are staggered throughout the downtown area, and feature colorful azaleas, live oaks draped with Spanish moss, and centuries of history to explore. The tour lasts roughly 90 to 120 minutes, and there are plenty of places for you and your dog to stop and rest. And if your pup is feeling peckish, no worries--Oliver Bentleys makes their own premium dog treats! Michael Cohen last night described Donald Trump as a 'mob boss' after the president hinted he had more embarrassing tapes about his disgraced former attorney. Cohen claimed the recordings being played by Tucker Carlson were given to the Fox News host by the Trump Organization and the president's son Donald Jr. The tapes have revealed conversations between Cohen and CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, in which Cuomo discusses and denies sexual allegations against him, and with the network's president Jeff Zucker. Trump yesterday took aim at Cohen and claimed there were 'many more tapes of him with "Fredo" and other media scum reporters', using his disparaging nickname for Cuomo. Speaking to Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, Cohen responded by telling the president that 'you can't damage me any more'. Michael Cohen (pictured) last night described Donald Trump as a 'mob boss' after the president hinted he had more embarrassing tapes about his former attorney Cohen, who is promoting his book Disloyal, said in the interview: 'Many of these recordings that you're going to hear on other stations have been given to that station and to the moderator by the Trump Organization and Don Jr and others. 'Look at the way that they behave, he behaves exactly the way that I described him: He's a mob boss. 'If you cross him, you're going to get it and he's going to inflict as much pain and as much damage as he possibly can. 'The problem is you can't damage me any more... what do you think that you're going to do with your ridiculous tweets?' Cohen, 54, worked closely with Trump for years before turning against him, most publicly by giving evidence at last year's impeachment hearings. He was jailed for three years for illegal payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who both claim to have had affairs with Trump - which the president denies. Fox News earlier this month obtained audio tapes of Cohen and CNN's Chris Cuomo Trump went after his former lawyer on Twitter Tuesday morning Daniels was paid $130,000 shortly before the 2016 election in a non-disclosure agreement to keep her allegations quiet. Cohen claims that he made to Daniels, which was ruled an illegal use of campaign funds, was ordered and reimbursed by Trump himself. Cohen is promoting a tell-all memoir The lawyer also pleaded guilty to tax evasion and lying to Congress, saying he had covered up his boss's 'dirty deeds'. Cohen was released to home confinement in May given the risks of catching Covid-19 in prison, but then was briefly imprisoned again in June. A federal judge last then ruled Cohen had been subjected to retaliation for planning to publish his book, and ordered him released again. Trump claimed in his latest Twitter outburst that Cohen 'may be going back to jail for an even longer time', citing 'additional lies to Congress'. The president did not provide any evidence for this. Trump has called Cohen 'a rat,' and a liar, and Cohen said he faced repeated death threats from Trump supporters. Cohen said that the only people with tapes of his conversation with Cuomo were himself, the president, the Trump Organization and the Department of Justice. He accused 'Trump and his cronies' of releasing the tapes 'to discredit me and my book', which is being released only weeks before the November 3 election. Trump (pictured) yesterday took aim at Cohen and claimed there were 'many more tapes of him with Fredo and other media scum reporters', using his disparaging nickname for Cuomo In the conversation, Cuomo tells Cohen that 'the media is not your friend' as he discusses alleged attempts to make sexual misconduct claims against him, which he denies. 'Do you know how many f***ing phone calls I've gotten from ABC, who say that reporters are calling and lying about things they heard about me, to try and get stories about me when I was at ABC,' said Cuomo, who used to work at ABC. 'It's a problem,' says Cohen, to which Cuomo blasts back: 'I always told you, the media is not your friend.' Cuomo has not commented on the tape. The CNN reporter and his brother Andrew, the governor of New York, are favorite targets of the president along with CNN more generally. Trump called for him to be fired after the tape emerged, using the nickname 'Fredo' in a reference to the Godfather series. Carlson has since broadcast another tape of an exchange between Cohen and CNN chief Jeff Zucker shortly before a GOP primary debate in 2016. Zucker told Cohen that 'you cannot be elected president of the United States without CNN'. The conversation then changed to post-election plans, with the CNN head offering a 'weekly' show with Trump. The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has disclosed that it provided support to 300 enterprises in Kano State, under its COVID-19 palliative, to mitigate effects of the pandemic on businesses. The State Coordinator of the Agency, Shaba Mohammed, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Kano on Wednesday. Mr Mohammed said the agency had rolled out palliatives to support Small Medium and Small Scale Enterprises (SMEs) products, to cushion the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on their operations. He said part of the palliative was the granting of a waiver on registration fees, to enable the companies maintain smooth operations in the face of economic disruption, occasioned by the pandemic. Mr Mohammed said, We gave them 80 per cent discount; what they need to pay is only 20 per cent of what they are supposed to pay, if they were paying N100, 000 for instance, it means that they will now pay N20, 000, and go through the normal process. In addition; established cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies were given Express Approval for production of hand sanitisers. Since its composition is alcohol and some other ingredients, they were given NAFDAC Registration numbers. We have 15 companies that are enjoying the facility in Kano State and those coming up are also being inspected, and some of them have gotten their numbers. The Coordinator said that the Agency also organised the companies and facilitated donation of the hand sanitisers and other items to the state government, to curb further spread of the virus. According to him, the Agency is also sensitising bakers to encourage the use of local ingredients in bread processing, to guard against hike in prices of the commodity. The use of local alternatives is on the front burner for the past 10-years, particularly cassava, which has been promoted by the previous administrations, it has been tested for now. We have bread `improvers, which are cheaper than some of the ingredients they use, we also tell the bakers when they come to register their products. I think it would not impact on the increase in price because the materials are locally sourced and cheap. Mr Mohammed added that the agency, in collaboration with the state government, security agencies and other stakeholders, recorded modest achievements in its campaign against drug abuse in the state. He added that the agency had destroyed fake and counterfeit products worth over N3.2 billion in the past two years in the state. (NAN) Ltd (WCL) has prepared an ambitious road map to almost double its coal despatch capacity through the rail mode, according to a statement. WCL, an arm of Coal India, has set 'Mission 100 Days' agenda to streamline activities to reach peak despatch of 50 rakes per day from January next year with support from railways. In a statement on Wednesday, the coal ministry said that WCL has drawn up an ambitious road map to meet additional demand of consumers of power sector. On discussion with state gencos of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh as well as NTPC and independent power producers, WCL expects additional coal demand of around 25 million tonnes per annum from these consumers after getting swapped from other subsidiaries of Coal India and Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), as per the statement. With expected substantial increase in demand, WCL has taken pro-active steps to gear up for additional coal crushing, transporting and loading facility for increasing coal despatch through rail to a level of 50 rakes per day from next January. "This is under Mission 100 Days program starting from September 5 to December 15, 2020. This will increase average loading during the year to 40 rakes per day and peak of 50 rakes. Average of 2019-20 was 23 rakes and peak was 29 rakes per day," the statement said. Current year average is 19 rakes per day due to less coal demand till now. WCL despatches about 90 per cent coal through the central railway. WCL produced 57.6 Million Tonnes (MT) of coal and despatched 52.5 MT of coal during 2019-20. With a coal stock of over 14 MT in the beginning of 2020-21 and a production target of 62 MT this year, the company will have more than 75 MT of coal available for its consumers. WCL has planned to reach a production of 75 MT by 2023-24 and 100 MT by 2026-27. (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.) People are seen on June 15, 2020 in Hoboken, New Jersey. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images) Earthquake Strikes New Jersey, Shaking Reported Across State NEW YORKA small earthquake struck in East Freehold, New Jersey, early Wednesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. According to the National Weather Service, the magnitude 3.1 quake was felt by people in much of central New Jersey. Residents took to social media to express their shock at the rare occurrence. Hundreds of people as far away as Philadelphia and Long Island, New York, contributed to the USGS Did You Feel It? map, reporting only weak or light shaking and no damage. It would be very surprising for us to see anything more than you know, damaged shelves or picture frames falling off of windows, said Robert Sanders, a geophysicist with the survey. The USGS said the earthquake happened about 2 a.m. and was centered 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) south, southeast of the center of East Freehold, about 3 miles deep. Thats a fairly uncommon event magnitude for quakes in this area, Sanders said. Since 1970, there have been two other quakes within 10 miles of this location, a 3.5 in 1979 and a 3.1 in 1992, he said. No information on any preliminary damage has been released by authorities yet. The map shows the location of a small 3.1 magnitude earthquake that shook parts of New Jersey early on Sept. 9, 2020. (USGS) Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Yao Dawei] BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) China held a meeting Tuesday morning in Beijing to commend role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presented medals to recipients of the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title at the Great Hall of the People. Xi also delivered a speech at the meeting, attended by about 3,000 people. China has made major strategic achievements in the battle against COVID-19, demonstrating the notable advantages of the CPC leadership and the country's socialist system, the great strength of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, the profound heritage of Chinese civilization, and the nation's sense of responsibility as a major and responsible country, Xi said. He called for transforming the virus-fighting spirit into tremendous strength to build a modern socialist country and achieve national rejuvenation. The meeting was presided over by Li Keqiang and attended by other senior leaders: Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. The meeting started with all participants rising to sing the national anthem. The participants then observed a moment of silence for every life lost due to COVID-19. Li Zhanshu read a presidential order to confer the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title on four medical professionals. Renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan received the Medal of the Republic, the highest state honor. The national honorary title, "the People's Hero," was conferred on three other outstanding medical professionals: Zhang Boli, a traditional Chinese medicine expert who presided over the research of the COVID-19 treatment scheme combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine; Zhang Dingyu, head of Wuhan's designated coronavirus-treating Jinyintan Hospital; Chen Wei, a military medical scientist who made major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and protective medicine. Wang Huning read decisions to commend outstanding individuals and groups in the COVID-19 fight, as well as outstanding Party members and primary-level Party organizations across the country. A total of 1,499 individuals, 500 groups, 186 CPC members and 150 primary-level Party organizations were commended for their roles in fighting the epidemic. Another 14 Party members were posthumously awarded. Speaking of the anti-epidemic battle over the past eight-plus months, Xi said China has achieved another heroic feat in humankind's fight against disease by achieving major strategic achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The CPC Central Committee had adopted extraordinary measures to tackle the extraordinary incident of the COVID-19 epidemic, insisting on making people's lives and health the first priority, he said. Xi went on to summarize China's spirit of combating the COVID-19 epidemic, which features putting people's lives first, nationwide solidarity, sacrifice, respecting science, and a sense of mission for humanity. He also summarized the important experience of China's anti-epidemic fight in six areas. The strong leadership of the CPC is the most reliable backbone for Chinese people in times of trouble, Xi said. He said the unyielding will of the Chinese people is the source of power for overcoming all hardships and obstacles on the way forward. The outstanding advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental guarantee for resisting risks and challenges, and enhancing the capacity of national governance, he said. Xi said the great struggle against coronavirus has once again proven that strong national strength accumulated since the founding of the People's Republic of China has laid a solid ground for the country to navigate any "turbulent tide" with composure. The battle against COVID-19 has also demonstrated the power of core socialist values and fine traditional Chinese culture, which provide great motivation, and help build consensus and pool resources, he said. He said the extensive appeal of building a community with a shared future for humanity is the right way for the mankind to overcome common challenges and build a more prosperous and better world. Chinese people and the Chinese nation will certainly forge ahead on the great journey in the new era, Xi said. "No individual or force can stop Chinese people's march toward a better life," he said. A meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Shen Hong] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents medals to the recipient of the Medal of the Republic Zhong Nanshan (2nd R, front), and recipients of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," Zhang Boli (2nd L, front), Zhang Dingyu (1st R, front) and Chen Wei (1st L, front), at a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 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, presents medals to the recipient of the Medal of the Republic Zhong Nanshan (2nd R, front), and recipients of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," Zhang Boli (2nd L, front), Zhang Dingyu (1st R, front) and Chen Wei (1st L, front), at a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Yan Yan] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents the Medal of the Republic to Zhong Nanshan during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Shen Hong] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents the Medal of the Republic to Zhong Nanshan during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 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, presents a medal to Zhang Boli, recipient of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 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, presents a medal to Zhang Boli, recipient of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Shen Hong] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents a medal to Zhang Dingyu, recipient of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 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, presents a medal to Zhang Dingyu, recipient of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Shen Hong] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents a medal to Chen Wei, recipient of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 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, presents a medal to Chen Wei, recipient of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Shen Hong] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents awards to outstanding individuals during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 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, presents awards to representatives of outstanding groups during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Yue Yuewei] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents awards to outstanding Party members during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 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, presents awards to representatives of outstanding primary-level Party organizations across the country during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Yan Yan] Xi Jinping and other senior leaders meet with recipients of the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title, representatives of outstanding groups and individuals, and have a group photo taken with them before a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, gestures as he meets with recipients of the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title, representatives of outstanding groups and individuals before a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, communicates with recipients of the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title after a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] (Source: Xinhua) 23 year old local man charged in relation to burglary This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Sep 9th, 2020 North Wales Police say a local man has been charged after an incident at a property off Croesnewydd Road. Police issued a short statement this morning, Thomas Flynn from Wrexham has been charged in relation to the burglary at an address in Llys y Groes, Wrexham on September 7th. 23-year-old Flynn will be appearing at Llandudno Magistrates Court this morning. A 16-year- old male has been bailed. Police previously said of the incident that took place on Monday at 2:33pm, If you were in the area and witnessed anything suspicious, or may have CCTV or dashcam footage from around that time, please contact Wrexham CID on 101 quoting reference Y132056. Alternatively use the live webchat or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. A long-haul trucker has lost his job and will spend a month in jail after pleading guilty to sneaking a man into Canada this summer. Andrew Blackmore, 39 from Woodstock, was in Sarnia court Aug. 26 to hear his sentence. The Crown detailed how Blackmore met 33-year-old New Mexico native Christopher Ramirez through online dating. The pair began talking and met up this summer near the Texas/Louisiana border during one of Blackmores work trips to the States. Blackmore and Ramirez decided to return to Canada, but on the drive Ramirez admitted his passport had been seized by New Mexico authorities. Ramirez said he was facing some charges in the state, but didnt reveal that he had spent four years in prison for smuggling heroin. Blackmore told Ramirez since he didnt have a passport hed have to hide in the bunk of his semitruck as they crossed the border. The pair crossed the Ambassador Bridge into Canada on Aug. 10. Blackmore used his FAST border pass for a quicker screening. Blackmore and Ramirez then went to Woodstock. The arrangement fell apart just three days later though when Woodstock Police were called to the Econo Lodge over a domestic dispute. Court heard that the argument started when Ramirez said he wanted to return to the U.S. Police handed Ramirez over to Canadian Border Services, and Blackmore turned himself in the next day. Blackmores company immediately fired him and ordered him to surrender his truck. The conviction means he can no longer work in the States due to the countrys moral turpitude law. This will affect him in his trade and haunt his earning potential for the rest of his life, defence lawyer Robert McFadden says. A joint position called for 30 days in jail for Blackmore. With time served he has 12 days remaining. Crown attorney Michael Robb acknowledged that the position was lenient, as the Public Prosecution Service had suggested six months. Justice Deborah Austin also felt more jail time could have been served, especially since the border is closed to all non-essential travel over COVID-19 concerns and this incident could have put people at risk. But Austin ultimately agreed that Blackmores loss of livelihood was already a serious punishment. Ramirez appeared in the same courtroom earlier in the day and was also sentenced to 30 days in jail. The New Mexico man has 10 days left to serve after pre-sentence custody. After his release he will be deported to the United States. 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send that $250 dollar if you like send it to those your stupid contact but only thing I want you to know is this your fund still in our costumed TO ANY WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFERED To western union money transferred Last name------ODILI First name_ _ _CENT CHIDIKE Country _ _ _ _ Benin Du Republic City_ _ _ Port novo Zipe Code_ _ _+229 Amount_ _$250 dollar only Control number_ _ _ Sender name_ _ Sender Country_ _ _ BIA UNITED ON-LINE WIRE TRANSFER From: BANK OF AFRICAN < biaunited@yahoo.com > Sent: Tuesday, September 8, 2020, 03:16:28 AM GMT-5 Subject: Re: UNITED BANK OF AFRICA M/D UNITED BANK OF AFRICAEN ESTOS CUATRO AAOS COTONOU BENIN REPUBLIC DE MI CONSIDERACION : Thank you very much Mr. Man but listen very carefully we united bank of Africa is reality not fake office which you know that and we fulfill all our promise without fail anyone but listen again the first master Atm card you receive from our agent department office and is them do the mistake in your master Atm card but 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Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... The United Nations has called on state authorities in Nigeria to ensure safety protocols against the spread of COVID-19 are in place before full reopening of schools. The global agency said about 46 million primary and secondary learners across Nigeria are affected due to pandemic-related school closures. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Edward Kallon, said this in a statement he issued on Monday in commemoration of the World International Day to Protect Education from Attack. The theme for the Day this year is: Protect Education, Save a Generation. Mr Kallon said prioritising safety in schools for educators and learners would be an indication of the governments commitment to protecting investments in the education sector and a validation of Nigerias endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration. As State Governments plan to reopen schools after prolonged closures, building a resilient education system to withstand future shocks should be included in pandemic response plans, he said. Education is essential to helping crisis-affected communities in the north-east rebuild and recover. Attacks on schools are a direct attack on future generations. I call on all parties to the conflict to take all necessary measures to protect education and give learners a chance to build a brighter future, Mr Kallon said. The Nigerian government last week directed school administrators to communicate with parents and students for the full reopening of schools, following the COVID-19 induced lockdown. The government had in July approved the reopening of schools for exiting students who are currently sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). But the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the University of Ibadan, through its chairperson Ayo Akinwole, had criticised the plans to reopen schools, especially universities, without adequate precautionary measures against COVID-19. PREMIUM TIMES had also reported about 20 students writing the WAEC exams contracted COVID-19 in Bayelsa sState. Nigerian schools also face security challenges. On August 24, seven students and their teacher were abducted from their school in Damba-Kasaya village in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Reports said they had gone to school to sit for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE). The UN humanitarian coordinator said the protracted conflict in many parts of Nigeria and the north-east has had devastating impacts on education. According to him, attacks on schools, communities and education itself are tragic consequences of a protracted conflict that has left a generation of children traumatised. He said, From 2009 until December 2018, 611 teachers were killed and 910 schools damaged or destroyed. More than 1,500 schools were forced to close and some 4.2 million children in the north-east are at risk of missing out on an education. Hundreds of girls have been abducted, some even from their own schools, which are meant to be safe zones. Notably, many children have been used to act as carriers of person-borne improvised explosive devices. He said more than three million children in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe in North-east Nigeria are in need of education emergency support. In his remarks, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said safeguarding education from attack is urgently needed to restore confidence in schools as places of protection for children and teachers, particularly pressing in light of COVID-19. As the world fights to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, children and youth in conflict zones remain among the most vulnerable to its devastating impact. We must ensure our children have a safe and secure environment in which to learn the knowledge and skills they need for the future, he said. The UN vehemently condemn any and all attacks on education, including abductions of school children, school-related gender-based violence, herders-farmers clashes, and repurposing of schools for use as isolation centres, IDP camps, markets or for military purposes. Advertisements Also speaking, Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, said, Schools must remain safe places, free of conflict and violence. Safeguarding the right to education for all contributes to the achievement of sustainable development and nurtures the international communitys decades-long gains towards peace, economic prosperity, and social inclusion worldwide. The UN said incessant attacks on schools and learners could reverse the gains on education investments made by the government of Nigeria, the UN and other multilateral, bilateral, and private sector partners over years. Attacks on schools are a violation of humanity and basic decency. We must not allow these senseless attacks to destroy the hopes and dreams of a generation of children. We must do all in our power to ensure that schools and the children and teachers within them are protected, said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. As the world begins planning to re-open schools once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, we must ensure that schools remain safe places of learning, even in countries in conflict. The UN also called for increased funding, noting that it would go a long way in mitigating the effects of prolonged school closures on learners, especially vulnerable children, including girls and others living with disabilities. In north-east Nigeria, education in emergency partners is appealing for $55 million USD to provide emergency education to 3.1 conflict-affected children this year. So far this year, only $3.3 million USD, a mere 6 per cent of the total needed, has been received so far. Members of an LGBTQ+ group gather for a protest after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte pardoned U.S. soldier Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton. Eloisa Lopez/Reuters Joseph Scott Pemberton was convicted in 2015 for the 2014 murder of Jennifer Laude, a transgender woman in the Philippines. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte pardoned Pemberton on Monday. At the time of the pardon, Pemberton had recently been granted early release from his 10-year sentence, though the ruling had been appealed. Laude's family's lawyer Virgie Suarez told the Washington Post that the pardon was "revolting" and "a mockery of our judiciary and legal system." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. On Monday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte pardoned a US Marine convicted of killing Jennifer Laude, a transgender woman, nearly six years ago. Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was convicted in 2015 for the 2014 murder in the country. Earlier in September, a judge granted him an early release halfway through his 10-year sentence, though Laude's lawyers blocked it with an appeal, according to Reuters. The pardon was first announced by Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr., who shared news of it on Twitter. "Cutting matters short over what constitutes time served, and since where he was detained was not in prisoner's control and to do justice the president has granted an absolute pardon," Locsin said. Duterte later told the press that he "does not need to give a reason" for the pardon, according to the Washington Post. "We should allow him the good character presumption," he said. Laude's family's lawyer Virgie Suarez told the Post that the pardon was "revolting" and "a mockery of our judiciary and legal system." "There are too many Filipino convicts already in their twilight years serving their sentence," Suarez said. "Why give it [the pardon] to a foreigner, a US soldier who committed an atrocious crime?" Pemberton, originally from New Bedford, Massachusetts, had admitted to killing Laude in October 2014, after learning she was transgender. Story continues According to The Post, they had met at an Olongapo bar outside Subic Bay, a former US Navy base. Laude, 26, was later found dead in a motel room with a broken neck. Pemberton, then 19, had said he acted in self-defense, and said he believed Laude was alive when he left the motel room, NPR reported. A police investigation at the time called Laude's death a "hate crime." Read the original article on Business Insider The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region, has engaged the people of the Adaklu Abuadi community on what Social Auditing really seeks to address at a forum. The People were made to understand that the aim of Social Auditing is to promote community ownership of developmental projects, policies, create awareness on the links between the communities and the operations of the local government, and how to empower the citizens to demand accountability from all duty bearers. The District Director, Mr. Francis Asamani, admonished the community members to take all developmental projects as their newborn babies and look for avenues to take ownership and support the projects; instead of indulging in acts which would retard the progress and continuity of any project being undertaken within the community, that is either from the central government or the communitys self-help initiated projects. Mr. Asamani encouraged the community members to take up and own the developmental projects and culture of waiting on the District Assembly for all community development projects that should be a matter of the past. Mr. Asamani urged the community members to report all acts of corruption of public officials to the appropriate quarters. He said, our communities cannot develop or progress smoothly if we continue to shield and condone acts of wrongdoings of nation wreckers. The Deputy Volta Regional Director of the NCCE in the person of, Mr. Oral Robert Amenyo, in his address, sensitised the gathering on Lobbying and Advocacy. He added that when lobbying is done well, support towards community developmental projects can come from some Individuals, the District Assemblies, other Institutions, or NGOs. Mr. Amenyo urged the community members to always give their lot by owning and protecting whatever projects and programmes that are being undertaken at their backyards either by the central government, NGOs, some key individual stakeholders or by the community itself. He inaugurated and encourage the Social Auditing Committee Members to be up and doing in order to justify the confidence reposed in them by the entire community. The Adaklu Abuadi Togbewo, Mamawo, and the community at large were full of praise for the honour done the Abuadi community by the NCCE and the European Union (EU) for their selection for the social auditing engagement. A Pakistan anti-corruption court on Wednesday indicted former president Asif Ali Zardari and ex-prime minister Yusuf Raza Gillani, while declared former premier Nawaz Sharif an absconder in the Toshakhana graft case that allegedly caused a heavy loss to the national exchequer. Hearing the case, Judge Asghar Ali also sought details of the movable and immovable properties of Sharif, 70, who is in London for treatment, and asked all of the leaders accused in the case to be presented in court within seven days. The Toshakhana graft case is about alleged relaxation of rules by Gilani, 68, for the benefit of Zardari, 65, and Sharif to buy vehicles gifted by foreign countries. Sharif is accused of obtaining luxury cars from the treasury house by paying just 15 per cent of the price of these vehicles. Similarly, Zardari and Gilani, are also accused of receiving luxury vehicles and gifts from the treasure house. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in March had filed the case on the alleged violation of the rules of the Toshakhana which it argued had caused a heavy loss to the national exchequer. According to the NAB, Gilani had facilitated Zardari and Nawaz to obtain the vehicles. The court has directed the Foreign Office to execute the arrest warrants against Sharif through the Pakistan High Commission in London. During the hearing on Wednesday, Anwar Majeed and Abdul Ghani Majeed, the two businessmen who are also accused in the case, were indicted. All four men including Zardari and Gillani pleaded not guilty. Since Sharif failed to present himself before the court as he is in London for his treatment, he was declared a proclaimed offender and his case was separated from the other accused. He was also asked to appear within seven days. The court also asked to provide details of Sharifs movable and immovable properties and warned that his properties will be frozen if he failed to appear. After indictment, the court adjourned the case until September 24 and ordered the NAB to present its witnesses. THE long-running planning saga at the Parkway Valley/Horizon Mall site will stretch into 2021 as fresh appeals were made against the 60m plan. Novelty Icav had secured conditional planning permission from Limerick City and County Council to develop a residential and office development on lands which have largely lain idle since before the crash. Its hoped the development will provide space for up to 1,000 office workers, as well as other jobs in the hospitality and building trade. The development would provide for 122 duplex units and 123 apartments. Some 76 one-bed units are planned, 127 two-bed units and 42 three-bed units. A creche, and a 152-bed room four-storey hotel is also planned as part of the development. But two appeals against the councils move to grant permission have been made to An Bord Pleanala in a move which delays any final decision on the project until next January at the earliest. One appeal has come from Novelty Icav itself, with the site owners seeking to avoid paying what it describes as an unreasonable 1.2m contribution to the council as part of its planning decision. A second, third party appeal has been lodged with the national appeals body by Environmental Trust Ireland, which has pointed out the presence of otters in the nearby Groody River, and argued the site is already prone to regular and periodic flooding. The groups appeal also states a 14-storey tower block at the heart of the development is an inappropriate, visually imposing negative aspect of the proposed development site. The group also fear the apartments are destined to become a run-down eyesore over time while also expressing fears over the local bat population and the possible blind collisions they could face as a result of this development. Theres a storied history behind the Parkway Valley site, with previous plans in place for an ice-rink and a shopping centre which would have seen Limericks first Marks and Spencer store never seeing the light of day. The Limerick Leader has contacted Novelty Icav for comment. For more Limerick news click here Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said on September 4, We have an unprecedented situation on the India-China border, we have never had this sort of situation since 1962. He demanded a reversion to the status quo that existed before such aggressive actions took place. However, neither he nor anyone else in government, nor official statements of military-to-military talks nor of diplomatic engagements has given a comprehensive account of either the situation or how the status quo has been broken. Details that have appeared in the media have been based on off-the-record briefings or leaks. Official statements have been imprecise. For instance, the ministry of defence statement on the defence ministers recent discussions with his Chinese counterpart in Moscow held China responsible for the current difficulties for attempting to unilaterally alter the status quo. Have these attempts succeeded? If not, what is implied by reversion as demanded by the foreign secretary? While the precise nature of Chinas territorial transgressions has not been officially clarified, what is clear is that Beijings actions have transgressed the territory of trust, as former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh accused Pakistan of doing in violating the Line of Control (LoC) during the Kargil conflict. And, this transgression by China has been enormous and grave. It follows then that Indias China policy, which was put in place in 1988 by Rajiv Gandhi and maintained by all successive governments, is no longer valid for its very premise was trust. That approach rested on a peaceful Line of Actual Control (LAC), finding a solution to the border problem, and uninhibited development of India-China relations in other areas, including trade. In seeking elements to guide the formulation of a fresh policy, it is essential to admit the great overall power differential between India and China. A comparison, in the regional context, admittedly crude though not simplistic, is the following: Pakistan is to India what currently India is to China. The crucial word is currently, for while Pakistans resource potential will remain permanently inferior to that of India, that is not true of India vis-a-vis China. India has a lot to catch up but it has the wherewithal to effectively bridge the gap which has grown over the past four decades. This will require a national consensus, but it can and must be done. As long the Pakistan-India-China power differentials remain as they are now, it would be useful to consider Pakistans India policy. It is rooted in permanent confrontation and a general avoidance of developing cooperative mechanisms including in the commercial and economic spheres. Significantly, in 1996, the then Chinese president Jiang Zemin advised Pakistan to pursue the Sino-Indian model of relations to normalise and advance relations in other spheres while addressing mutual differences. Jiang Zemins views were disregarded because the Pakistan army obviously felt that commercial and economic relations would give India leverage to cause disruptions in case of open hostilities and even otherwise. Further, such a web of ties would be a disincentive for India to address the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Pakistan decided to continue to rely on essentially a three-pronged approach: The development of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, maintaining an effective military balance along LoC, and the instrument of terror. The overall consequence of its India policy has contributed immensely to Pakistans impoverishment over the past three decades. It would obviously be necessary to avoid the pitfalls of Pakistans India policy. Certainly, the use of terror or low-intensity conflict in dealing with a larger neighbour, even if possible, is counterproductive. But there is a need to pay far greater attention to upgrade Indias strategic programme to develop manifest deterrence through a triad. The hardening of defences all along LAC to prevent Chinese adventurism has to be undertaken on a priority basis. This will require financial investments but that cannot be avoided despite the current economic troubles. The other elements of China policy need greater consideration and dexterity. These relate to economic and commercial ties. Currently, Indias dependence on some supply chains emanating from China has strategic implications. This applies to a range of industries such as pharmaceuticals. These have to be reduced to a minimum and domestic production, as envisaged in Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modis Atmanirbhar (self-reliance) programme, has to be fostered on an urgent basis. Other sources have to be developed even at a greater cost but the trade door should not be shut. Greater and open cooperation with major countries equally troubled by Chinese aggressiveness and lack of respect for global rules has to be actively cultivated. India must give up its traditional reluctance rooted in ideology, bearing in mind that it is too large to act as any powers subordinate ally. Finally, the Sino-Pak nexus has to be addressed through working on the vulnerabilities of Pakistan. Vivek Katju is a former diplomat The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON This windy, bright September afternoon My heart is wide awake, yet full of dreams. The air, alive with hushed confusion, teems With scent of grain-fields, and a mystic rune, Foreboding of the fall of Summer soon, Keeps swelling and subsiding, till there seems Oer all the world of valleys, hills, and streams, Only the winds inexplicable tune. ? Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts In less than two months voters will determine what kind of future America will experience. One is to continue depleting democracy, where women and minorities are second class having withered rights, where the amount of the pigment melanin shading your skin determines your status in society. Wielding an assault rifle puts you at the front of the line. The president ignores the law and science when it suits him, habitually lies, cheats and surrounds himself with sycophants, grifters, associates of foreign adversaries, and bunglers. The less fortunate fall further into disease, deprivation, debt and disability. Daily news of protests met with counter protests, chaos, inequality, death, fierce storms, destruction, disease, mistrust by former allies, and supplication of our enemies. Everyone is suspicious of those not like us. Members of the military, especially those who died in defense of their country are losers and suckers. So, too, are first responders and anyone willing to serve rather than chase the buck. The other path changes the White House to an American House, the majority in the U.S. Senate, and increases the majority in the House of Representatives. The tasks facing the new Administration are both huge and essential. The replacement of leaders of the various agencies and departments with experts must be quick and positive, especially the Attorney Generals office, the State Department that has been neutralized, and the U.S. Secretary of Education. Passing a complete Equal Rights Amendment and supporting legislation is crucial. The 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution must be reinterpreted for the 21st century. The new president must obey the law, be truthful, and understand the impact science has on his decisions. His cabinet and staff must be honest with him and knowledgeable in their areas of prominence. The economy will rejuvenate, minorities will feel safer, America will once again be respected in the World. Recent news tilts toward a need for change. Former Republican governor Rick Snyder now endorses Joe Biden for president, Donald Trump has actually been leading the charge on incivility. The divisiveness in our nation has not been worse in our lifetime. He calls Trump a bully who lacks a moral compass, ignores the truth and is indifferent to the needs of the general public. A growing number of Republicans endorse Biden through the Lincoln Project PAC. Trump has mismanaged the COVID-19 pandemic and race relations. Former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman noted, More than 180,000 Americans are dead from a pandemic that, with consistent leadership, could have been contained. Instead, it has been left to spin out of control by a president who ignored it, refused to lead and endangered American lives. Though he denies it, because it will impact the election results, verifiable sources say Trump has made disparaging remarks about members of the military, often labeling them losers and suckers, particularly those who died defending their country. This is what he called the American war dead at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France in 2018. He also doesnt want disabled veterans in his parades. This reveals much of DonnyTs persona: A draft dodger who is squeamish about death and injury; a self-centered opportunist who does everything for profit. The second path will give a fresh start for the largest majority of us. What can go wrong? Only the winds inexplicable tune. Ed Fisher writes a weekly column for the Morning Sun. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Keep Music Alive, the music education non-profit organization, today announced that Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe nominated star Matthew Morrison will serve as the official spokesperson for the 5th Annual Kids Music Day. Matthew is best known for his role as Will Schuester on the FOX television show Glee from 2009-2015, as well as award-winning projects on Broadway, including Hairspray, The Light In The Piazza, and Finding Neverland. Matthew is also a recording artist with 3 studio albums including "Disney Dreamin' with Matthew Morrison" released on Walt Disney Records earlier this year. The milestone 5th Annual Kids Music Day will be celebrated on Friday October 2nd. Over 1,000 music schools, music stores and other music organizations will celebrate by holding a special event or promotion that benefits kids playing music. Over two dozen celebrities and music brands are lending their support for Kids Music Day this year including official spokesperson Matthew Morrison. "This year has presented many challenges, and I'm very thankful for music and its ability to bring positivity to my family's life," Morrison states. "I know firsthand just how valuable an introduction to the arts can be, and because of that, I'm here to support my friends at Keep Music Alive to celebrate Kids Music Day. Our hope is to encourage kids and their parents to tap into the arts to find the relief, joy, and inspiration that playing music can offer." - Matthew Morrison The 5th Annual "Kids Music Day" will be celebrated on Friday October 2nd, 2020. Each year, Keep Music Alive partners with music schools, music stores and other music organizations around the world to hold special events that benefit and celebrate kids playing music. The goal is to highlight the importance of including music in children's education. Events held by participating locations include open houses, instrument petting zoos, free music lessons, student music performances, community/family jams, instrument donation drives, kids open mics and more. Due to the ongoing pandemic, virtual events and promotions for Kids Music Day will include live-streamed performances and open mics for kids, free online lessons, virtual instrument petting zoos (think musical Show & Tell), online instrument clinics and Kids Music Day sales on select instruments, accessories and lesson programs. "This year has presented many challenges, and I'm very thankful for music and its ability to bring positivity to my family's life," Morrison states. "I know firsthand just how valuable an introduction to the arts can be, and because of that, I'm here to support my friends at Keep Music Alive to celebrate Kids Music Day. Our hope is to encourage kids and their parents to tap into the arts to find the relief, joy, and inspiration that playing music can offer." Matthew Morrison Over a dozen celebrity artists are showing their support for Music Education by lending their name as Kids Music Day Ambassadors including: Matthew Morrison, Julie Andrews, Jack Black, Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Michael Feinstein, Kenny Loggins, Richie Sambora, Sarah McLachlan, Vanessa Williams, Victor Wooten, Todd Rundgren, Philip Lawrence, Bernie Williams, Damien Escobar and Mandy Harvey Kids Music Day is also being supported by numerous music industry brands including Alfred Music, CASIO EMI, Conn-Selmer, D'Addario Foundation, Kala Brand Music, Hungry for Music, Les Paul Foundation, Music & Sound Retailer, Music Nomad Equipment Care, Remo Percussion and Rock Out Loud LIVE. Keep Music Alive is honored to welcome these partners helping to share the Kids Music Day message, inspiring more kids to begin their own musical journey. Kids Music Day is one of two international music holidays founded by Keep Music Alive. In March 2020, Keep Music Alive partnered with over 750 music school and music retail locations in 15 countries to offer free lessons to new students (children & adults) as part of the 6th Annual Teach Music Week. Some of the largest music chains in the nation participate in Kids Music Day & Teach Music Week with many of their locations including Music & Arts, Guitar Center, Kindermusik, Music Together, Gymboree, Long & McQuade, Bach to Rock and the legendary School of Rock. Keep Music Alive is a national 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting the value of music. Our goal is to inspire more kids and adults to reap the educational, therapeutic and social benefits of playing music. For more information please call (610) 874-6312 or visit www.KeepMusicAlive.org and www.KidsMusicDay.org. Contact: Vincent James, [email protected], (610) 874-6312 SOURCE Keep Music Alive (Natural News) The state of Ohio, under the leadership of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, is opening up quarantine camps all across the state to detain children who are suspected of being infected with the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory, kids who are believed to potentially have the dreaded China Virus could be forcibly detained at these camps, which will be run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In the event that a child is deemed to not have an adequate quarantine space at home, FEMA and the CDC will now have the power to abduct the child overnight, and possibly much longer until it is determined that he or she can safely return home. Tell school administrators about any extra supplies your child may need to safely make it through a night away from home, the CDC wrote in its official advisory to parents. Bring extra medicines, special foods, or supplies your child would need if separated overnight. Complete a backpack card and tuck one in your childs backpack and your wallet. Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Interim Director Lance Himes created these camps through a statewide order issued on Aug. 31. The order specifically pertains to children who are unable to safely self-quarantine in their place of residence for the supposed purpose of isolat[ing] those diagnosed with or showing symptoms of COVID-19. The three types of people who will be sent to Ohios FEMA camps include: Those who test positive for COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization but need isolation (including those exiting from hospitals) Those who have been exposed to COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization Asymptomatic high-risk individuals needing social distancing as a precautionary measure Dont worry, parents: COVID-19 concentration camps will cure us all The above descriptions are a direct quote from the Ohio government and the CDC, as well as Dan Tierney, Gov. DeWines press secretary. According to Tierney, Ohioans need not worry about the concentration camp elements of the new program because it is for peoples own good, he assures us. The order gives the state of Ohio the ability to draw down federal funding to reimburse the local EMA and health department when a non-congregate shelter is needed, Tierney is quoted as saying. These shelters are used when an individual is unable to safely quarantine or isolate in their home. Tierney further contends that these new FEMA concentration camps for suspected COVID-19 cases are no different than the shelters set up by FEMA following hurricanes and other natural disasters. The intent of the order is to provide a safe and healthy space for the individual who needs to be quarantined or isolated as determined by local needs, he insists. This also helps protect family members from exposure. FEMA has FAQs and more information available. As to how a child will be determined by the state to not have a safe residence of their own in which to quarantine, Tierney does not have an answer, indicating that the methodology remains ambiguous. The history of FEMA camps in our country goes back many years, with various excuses having been put forth by the government to explain away their existence. Back in 2012, for instance, we reported that FEMA camps were supposedly going to be used to house refugees. Yeah, we are from the government and are here to help, wrote one Big League Politics commenter about this preposterous new development. The most frightening words you can hear. For more related news about Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) hysteria and the rush towards a completely dystopian society where everyone is locked away in FEMA camps for their own good, check out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: BigLeaguePolitics.com NaturalNews.com A memorial event is being held in St Helenas Park tomorrow Thursday for people to commemorate their loved ones who lost their lives through suicide. SOSAD Dundalk are inviting people to come to the park in town to paint a stone, light a candle and tie a ribbon on a tree in memory of family and friends they have los. The commemoration, which has been organised as part of World Suicide Prevention Day held every year on September 10th, will take place in St Helenas Park between 10am and 9pm. The co-ordinator of SOSAD in Dundalk Hattie Billingham said: The memorial is to give people in the community the space and opportunity to grieve and remember their loved ones. It is also a way of highlighting mental health awareness on World Suicide Prevention Day. The memorial is running all day in St Helenas Park on Thursday from 10am to 9pm to ensure there is a time that people feel comfortable to come to remember their loved ones. We will have beach pebbles, markers, paint, LED candles and ribbons available in the park for people to commemorate their loved ones they have lost. There are so many families touched by suicide, there is probably not a person out there that has not been touched by suicide, losing a family member or friend. This is a way of the community being able to come together to remember a loved one they have lost. The memorial will be in St Helenas Park from 10am to 9pm on Thursday. SOSAD Ireland have also organised a public outdoor memorial event in Carrickmacross, Navan, Cavan and Drogheda. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has again received threat calls over his stance in connection with the controversy involving actress Kangana Ranaut. The threat call was received at the Minister's Nagpur office. Earlier also, an anonymous caller phoned Deshmukh's Nagpur office, threatening him and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, a minister said on Monday. A threat call was received yesterday at Nagpur office of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, following his statement on actor Kangana Ranaut: Official at State Home Minister's office. #Maharashtra ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2020 On Sunday, Mumbai police had beefed up security outside CM Uddhav Thackeray's residence Matoshree after an unidentified caller, claiming to be fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's aide, called the bungalow's landline number and had threatened to blow up Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence. Kangana Ranaut, who is in the eye of the storm over her recent remarks in which she likened Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). She recently also said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia", and would prefer security either from her home state Himachal Pradesh or the Centre. Deshmukh last week said those who think Maharashtra or Mumbai is not safe for them have no right to live in the state. On Monday, he expressed surprise over the Centre's decision to provide 'Y-plus' security to Ranaut, who, he said, had "insulted" Mumbai and Maharashtra with her remarks. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. A sum of Rs 9633.75 crore was spent on the scheme, a flagship programme of the Devendra Fadnavis government (2014- 19) that sought to make Maharashtra a drought-free state The Jalyukt Shivar scheme, launched by the previous BJP-led government in Maharashtra, had little impact in tackling water scarcity and increasing groundwater level, and its execution was characterised by lack of transparency, a CAG report said on Tuesday. A sum of Rs 9,633.75 crore was spent on the scheme, a flagship programme of the Devendra Fadnavis government (2014- 19) that sought to make Maharashtra a drought-free state, said the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in the Legislative Assembly. The CAG's audit of the scheme which was widely publicised by the previous state government led by Devendra Fadnavis was conducted between January 2019 and December 2019 and the report was submitted in June 2020. Findings of the report The amount of storage capacity created under the now-scrapped Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan was not sufficient to meet water requirements of the targeted beneficiaries, the CAG report said. According to The Indian Express, in 83 of the 120 villages selected for the study, the storage created was not sufficient, gauging by the village plan for drinking and irrigation. Further, the CAG noted that in 37 of the 83 villages, the shortage was due to less storage created than what had been planned. The CAG report criticised the maintenance of the completed works, saying cess towards upkeep and repairs, as envisaged in the scheme, wasn't collected. A major objective of the scheme was to prevent the depletion of groundwater. The scheme was not successful in achieving this objective, the CAG said. According to The Times of India, there was an increase in the digging of wells and borewells from 10 percent to 90 percent in the villages where this scheme was implemented. Also, the supply of drinking water through tankers increased from 3,368 tankers in 2017 to 67,948 tankers in 2019 in the six districts selected for the study. However, a series of ground reports by Firstpost in 2015 (see here and here) found that the scheme appeared to have met some success in tackling water shortages in the drought-prone region of Marathwada. This was done through measures such as repair of old water conservation structures, creating of new structures deepening and de-silting of reservoirs, streams, etc. Political reactions Asked about the criticism, Fadnavis, who is now the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly said, "The report was not an indictment." The former chief minister, who oversaw its implementation, said the new government, led by the Shiv Sena, did not support the scheme after coming to power in November last year. "It was people's scheme. The scheme would have been more successful had the (Maha Vikas Aghadi) government not stopped it midway," the former chief minister said. On the other hand, Maharashtra Congress leader Sachin Sawant tweeted saying I kept pointing out at massive scam by Fadnavis govt in #JalyuktaShivar. Even cited GSDA report stating ground water gone down in 31015 villages albeit massive expenditure. CAG report today affirmed my claim citing same reason. Fadnavis ji must take responsibility & resign as LOP https://t.co/ayCLjfFnoj Sachin Sawant (@sachin_inc) September 8, 2020 With inputs from PTI Supplier News 9 September 2020 Between the devastating bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic, it has been a difficult year for meetings and events in Australia so far. Companies have had to adapt by moving some meetings online - but virtual interactions aren't a perfect substitute for face-to-face meetings. It's harder to sustain people's attention and form meaningful connections in a virtual setting or make employees feel valued and motivated in a way that can be achieved through an incentive trip. Even as Australia and the rest of the world continues to grapple with the effects of the virus, our industry is slowly beginning the long and challenging road to recovery. In Australia, both indoor and outdoor events have been allowed to restart since July, albeit with various restrictions around capacity and safe distancing. Just this past week, all of the country's states and territories, with the exception of Western Australia (WA), agreed to develop a roadmap to reopen domestic borders by Christmas. Of course, the situation remains quite fluid and restrictions are changing daily - as we have recently seen in parts of Victoria and NSW - and so there remains a sense of caution. At CWT Meetings & Events, we are seeing positivity amongst our clients in Australia and New Zealand, with corporates starting to make domestic event inquiries and arrangements for Q4 2020 as restrictions ease. Companies are rethinking their meeting strategies for the last quarter of this year and for next year, to ensure they're able to secure the venues and accommodation of their choice. Naturally, a lot will be different for meetings and events post-COVID-19 - at least in the near- to mid-term. Safety is the top priority, so we will likely have more local and domestic events, with health screenings and stricter hygiene protocols at venues. Group sizes are likely to be smaller, with digital channels being used to reach wider audiences. Here are some of the important considerations that companies should think about as they look to resume their meetings and events: 1. Destinations - While international destinations had previously been favoured over remote regions in Australia, given the similar overall costs, this is changing due to the prevailing uncertainty around international travel. Corporates are now looking at taking their events to some of those bucket-list Australian destinations like Broome, the Northern Territory, and the Whitsundays. They are keen on exploring domestic options both to support in the recovery of the local economy, as well as to provide a safe avenue for delegates to reconvene. Earlier this year, Tourism Australia kicked off its "Holiday Here This Year" campaign, encouraging Australians to get out and see their own backyard. As part of this initiative, Tourism Australia and various state tourism boards are offering incentives for organizing domestic meetings and events, and this is something we're actively looking into on behalf of our clients. 2. Getting there - Picking a unique and exciting destination is well and good, but you also need to get your attendees there in a way that's comfortable, cost-effective and most importantly, safe. One of the options we've been looking into with our clients is to have staggered itineraries that limit the amount of people on one aircraft. We have also been working closely with our airline partners to discuss the possibility of safe-distancing on flights for group travel bookings, as well as chartering flights where appropriate. For incentive trips, planners can consider unique modes of transportation, such as luxury rail journeys, that become part of the experience. A one-night stop somewhere interesting en route, or multi-destination itineraries, may be more prevalent to drive incentive engagement. For all events, pre-event communications with safety reminders for attendees should become a must-have. 3. Venues - There's no shortage of spectacular venues in Australia, offering world-class facilities and dining options with the most breathtaking scenery. We're having regular conversations with our accommodation and venue partners to understand what measures they are putting in place to address concerns around attendee safety. These include: the exclusive use of properties or wings/sections of hotels; pre-booked elevator times, controlled by hotel staff for event guests; and the appropriate personal protective equipment and sanitization where necessary. 4. Format - Even as meetings and events start up again, not all attendees may be able to be physically present at the venue due to safe-distancing requirement and travel restrictions. We will likely see more hybrid events that combine both virtual concepts and live events to reach a wider audience. People often think that the "virtual" element of a hybrid meeting simply means using Zoom or Webex to broadcast the discussions taking place at the venue to the remote attendees. If you really want to engage your virtual event audience and promote connectivity, there's a lot more to consider. For instance, in live events there is often some buffer time between sessions and attendees can chat to the person next to them. With hybrid events, you can't have dead-air in the virtual portion - the online audience needs to be engaged from start to finish, and so greater time restraints apply. Time management will get trickier. Breaks may need to be longer to allow for social distancing and other safety measures, so planners should consider building extra buffer time in their sessions to account for this. Breakfasts could be moved into the meeting room to ensure the event starts on time, whilst still fulfilling all necessary safety precautions. With fewer flight options available, clients might look to add some extra activities to fill time. And with incentives, planners will be forced to create bespoke experiences more than ever before. This could mean engaging with producers from regional areas to come up with event concepts that may not have been done in the past. 5. F&B - Buffets, while an efficient way to feed large amounts of people quickly, will likely disappear due to hygiene and safe-distancing concerns. Instead, individual lunch boxes for meeting breaks may get a facelift with the right attention. I've also found that event attendees love live stations and I believe these will stay, albeit with greater attention to safety - for example, without self-service. Without a doubt, the return to live meetings and events will be challenging as we are forced to contend with questions and unknowns that we would never even have considered a few months ago. But if all stakeholders work together - including agencies, planners, airlines, airports, hotels, and governments - I'm confident that there is no obstacle we can't overcome as we work to create safe and memorable experiences for attendees. We are so fortunate to have some of the world's most beautiful destinations on our doorstep and we are ready to showcase what Australia can offer more than ever before. A version of this article was first published on Spice News and is republished with permission. Aerial view of the University of Buea Archives The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday cancelling a land certificate held by the Bulu Traditional Council and others over a parcel of land belonging to the University of Buea, UB. The court's decision is based on the authenticity of the land title brandished by the Bulu traditional council over the parcel of land in Bulu the land occupied by UB. Cancellation of fraudulent land title on UB Bulu Land, read the subject of Fridays press release signed by Professor Ngomo Horace Manga, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea and addressed to the university community and the general public. His words: The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea hereby announces to the University Community and the general public that by Judgment No. 110/FD/2020 of 2nd September 2020, the Administrative Bench of the Supreme Court of Cameroon has cancelled Judgment No. SWAC/LSP/003/2019 of the South West Administrative Court granting Parcel of A2 (of land) that stretches from the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church to the Bulu Village Traditional Council and Others. Consequently, Land Certificate No. 07461 Vol. XXXVIII folio 53 of 23 February 2014 issued to the Bulu Village Traditional Council and Others on the said Parcel A2 of land has been nullified (squashed). All those trading on the University of Buea land should desist from such malpractice as intruders shall be prosecuted by law. UB wins land case against Bulu Village Traditional Council (c) WhatsApp The Supreme Court judgment, pundits say, will have major consequences for both past and future land cases in Fako Division. It is even more crucial given that vast portions of the said land had been allegedly sold out to individuals. Cameroon-Info.Net recalls that on September 5, 2016, some 15 Fako Chiefs addressed a letter to the Head of State President Paul Biya requesting that he rescues them from land deals gone sour. The traditional rulers called on President Biya to transfer over 150 hectares of the University of Buea land to them so they can use its proceeds to appease their creditors lest they are imprisoned. 14 traditional rulers heading to prison? In the September 5, 2016 letter, the chiefs in what appeared to be a subtle threat asked President Biya to cede to them portions of the University of Buea land; else his party, the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement, CPDM, will suffer a heavy blow. The letter was titled: Re: occupied CDC land surrenders and in the matter of problems occasioned and encountered by some traditional rulers within Buea subdivision. It is over three years today that we applied for land surrender for our various communities through the Divisional Officer of Buea to the Senior Divisional Officer, they wrote. They said they have each spent between FCFA 10 million and 15 million to oil the land surrender machinery. They wondered why some of the files were transmitted to Yaounde and others were not. Ironically, we realised that some of these files were transmitted to the Minister of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure, MINDCAF while others were kept behind for unexplained reasons till date. Some of those files have been treated by the minister of MINDCAF who has issued ministerial decisions but strangely enough, there is no available land on the ground to serve the purpose of the ministers decision, the letter read in part. The chiefs reported the Fako administration to President Biya, regretting that the money they spent to oil the land surrender engine had gone in vain. We are shocked and surprised to learn from these very authorities that the sites we were earlier shown and attributed have been allocated to other villages, they said. Faced with these multiple shocks and complexity in the land saga, the chiefs said they viewed the actions of State Agents as a deliberate and well-calculated ploy to extort monies from them. As such, they forwarded a complaint to the National Chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, CONAC. Regrettably, the chief said, CONAC was yet to react. An excerpt of the letter, published at the time by The Post, read: Today we are faced with this serious dilemma and most of us are being dragged to court since the monies we used to follow up the files were principally obtained from individuals who acted as sponsors. It is very essential to let you know that due to this embarrassing situation caused by the Fako Divisional Services of MINDCAF, the Traditional Ruler of Ewili village, His Majesty Ndoto Elinge is serving a nine-year jail term in the Buea prison. It is also glaring and evident that we shall also eventually be jailed for collecting monies falsely. This situation has brought about a lot of bad feelings in our villages and our populations have started agitating and viewing these acts of Government officials with a heavy heart. The chiefs furthered: What impressions and image would the people of Buea municipality represent if about 14 of their traditional rulers are thrown into prison for no just cause on their part? It is worth mentioning that it goes without saying that the rural masses and the indigenes of this municipality are ardent militants and supporters of the CPDM party and the backlash of this situation may certainly have a very negative effect to our cherished party and its chairman who doubles as the President of our country. Some of us were shown sites which today are being claimed by the University of Buea and from our findings, the over 150 hectares of the land purported to be the property of the University of Buea has not been regularly obtained or surrendered to them. The land is not being used presently and it can be transferred to us in order that we liberate ourselves from these threats of imprisonment from those persons who supported us financially in anticipation of getting some form of compensation upon the acquisition of the lands from the state. Considering that the Buea University is an integral part of the state and they dont face any prejudice if they dont obtain the land, it is our fervent suggestion that the state gives us (traditional rulers) the opportunity to solve our problems by obtaining the said land. It is in this vein and imminent risks of seeing ourselves being dragged and charged in court on charges of collecting monies under false pretences. When in fact this is not the case, that we are prayerfully craving your indulgence that as our FATHER whom we know and believe has special considerations to the Chieftaincy institution and those that incarnate it, that you kindly cause MINDCAF to look for ways and means in resolving this very pathetic and serious matter. By so doing, we shall be saved from shame, ridicule, humiliation, and imprisonment. Washington: A massive fire destroyed Europe's largest camp for asylum seekers on Wednesday local time, displacing 12,500 migrants on the Greek island of Lesbos who were supposed to be under coronavirus quarantine and leaving them with no obvious place to go. After helicopters doused the final embers, authorities said some camp residents appear to have started the fire as a protest over new mandatory quarantine measures amid a coronavirus outbreak at the site. But they said the investigation was not complete. Migrants flee from the Moria refugee camp during a second fire, on the north-eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. Credit:AP "The combination of migration and the pandemic in these conditions creates a situation that is extremely demanding to manage," said George Koumoutsakos, Greece's deputy migration and asylum minister. Video showed people fleeing the camp overnight, the sky orange and yellow, as the camp's tents and shipping containers were engulfed in flames. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani and Trisha Yearwood have been announced to perform at the 55th annual Academy of Country Music Awards later this month from Nashville. The announcement came Wednesday from the ACM, as well as home network CBS and dick clark productions. Shelton, 44, tweeted on Wednesday: '"Happy Anywhere" with @gwenstefani is coming to yall live from the @ACMawards... Get ready and tune in to @cbs on September 16th at 8/7c to watch!!!!' The latest: Carrie Underwood, 37, Blake Shelton, 44, and Gwen Stefani, 50, have been announced to perform at the 55th annual Academy of Country Music Awards later this month from Nashville Shelton and Stefani are slated to team up on a duet of Happy Anywhere, while Underwood will honor country music royalty with a medley of tunes from genre icons Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, according to the network. Underwood, 37, posted to Instagram: 'Honored to be celebrating the 95th anniversary of the @Opry on the #ACMawards!' Yearwood is set to perform Ill Carry You Home in a memorial segment for those who have passed away in the past year. The country artist, 55, said on Instagram: 'I'm honored to perform 'Ill Carry You Home' @ACMawards on September 16, paying tribute to those we have lost in the Country Music industry.' Ready: Shelton took to Twitter on Tuesday to confirm the big news Yearwood is set to perform Ill Carry You Home in a memorial segment for those who have passed away in the past year Underwood, a past American Idol winner, took to social media to promote her onstage outing Other entertainers slated to perform at the ceremony include Kelsea Ballerini, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris and Old Dominion, and more. Notable names who will be presenting at the show include Lauren Alaina, Lily Aldridge, Bobby Bones, Cam, Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black, Darius Rucker and Runaway June, according to CBS. Amid ongoing social distancing statutes due to the coronavirus pandemic, the show will stem from three separate locations in Nashville: the Bluebird Cafe, Grand Ole Opry House and the Ryman Auditorium. Keith Urban will host the ACM awards, which air September 16th on CBS at 8/7c, and streaming via CBS All Access. The Ho Chi Minh City-based Tri Viet Publishing House, registered as First News Co. Ltd, has filed a copyright lawsuit against Alibaba-owned online marketplace Lazada for the latters failure to handle vendors selling 'counterfeit books' on its platform. First News announced the lawsuit, which it had submitted to the Peoples Court of District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City on September 4, at a press conference on Wednesday morning. According to the publishing house, many 'fake versions' of its books with poor quality and errors have been sold on Lazada since the beginning of 2019. Among the pirated books are some of First News best-selling titles such as Dac Nhan Tam (How to Win Friends and Influence People), Hanh trinh ve phuong Dong (Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East), Hat giong tam hon (Chicken Soup for the Soul), and Muon kiep nhan sinh (Many Lives Many Times). The publisher said the damage caused by the counterfeit products which are sold for up to 50 percent cheaper than their authentic counterparts to its sales is too enormous for it to calculate. First News added the company had repeatedly sent official letters to Lazada and organized public events to ask the e-commerce firm to review and handle the sale of fake books on its platform, but the situation has not been remedied. We consider the book business as spreading knowledge, so when [the copyright of] genuine books is violated, we will fight to the end, regardless of who [the violators] are, First News CEO Nguyen Van Phuoc said at Wednesday mornings public event. In its lawsuit, the firm requested Lazada to immediately remove all relevant information of the stores selling the counterfeit books that the publisher has detected. The publishing company also asked the e-commerce firm to take measures to manage, control, and prevent the sale of bogus books on its trading floor, as well as making sure bookstores and book vendors can prove the legal origin of the books being traded. By the end of the same morning, Lazada had issued a press release which, however, did not directly respond to the allegations made by First News. All complaints related to counterfeit goods and fake products on the Lazada e-commerce trading floor will be handled in accordance with the current law, the document reads. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday ignited the latest flashpoint in a raging political row by demolishing structural violations at actor Kangana Ranauts office in Bandras Pali Hill, a day after it had issued a notice to her and hours before she landed in the city amid tight security. The day-long drama saw the Bombay high court (HC), based on a petition filed by Ranaut, staying the demolition by the Shiv Sena-controlled BMC two hours later. The HC, which said the civic bodys conduct was malafide, has slotted the issue for hearing at 3pm today. Stemming from the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, the 33-year-old actor has been involved in a bitter war of words with Maharashtras ruling Shiv Sena over her remarks likening Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). She reiterated the same after the demolition and also criticised chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. The Maharashtra government has accused Ranaut of carrying forward the political agenda of the BJP. It had moved breach of privilege motions against her on Tuesday, along with saying it will probe a drug-use allegation against her. The building at the centre of all this is Manikarnika Films Private Limited office, located in Bungalow No. 5, a ground-plus two-storey structure at Chetak Row Houses in Bandras plush Pali Hill area, which was bought by Ranaut in 2017. Vinayak Vispute, assistant municipal commissioner, BMCs H-West ward, said We carried out demolition work of the structural violations at Kangana Ranauts office in Bandras Pali Hill. Post the demolition process, further action will be taken legally. The actor took on Thackeray, saying, Uddhav Thackeray do you think that you and the film mafia today have demolished my house and taken revenge? Today my house is broken, tomorrow it will be your pride. It is all about time, and it will not remain the same always. Uddhav Thackeray, it is good that this aggression and terror happened with me because this will have some significance. Arvind Sawant, Sena MP and party spokesperson, refused to comment on Ranauts video clip where she challenged Thackeray. Despite attempts, Sena MP Sanjay Raut could not be reached for comment on the clip. Earlier in the day, Raut declined to comment on the ongoing issue and said, I was in Saamana office since morning, I am unaware about happenings outside. Sena insiders said that the party leadership has asked leaders to not wade into the controversy. Only Uddhavji or if required, Sanjay Raut, will speak on this matter, a senior party leader said. The episode started on Monday when a team of BMC officers visited Ranauts office and conducted an inspection. The BMC on Tuesday issued a notice to Ranaut over 14 structural violations. The notice was pasted on the gate of her office after her staff refused to take it. Post this notice, Ranaut through her lawyer, wrote to the BMC, seeking seven days to respond to the notice, instead of 24 hours. She also said the notice was in bad law and a misuse of a dominant position. The BMC on Wednesday said they were not satisifed with the reply and went ahead with the demolition. However, two hours after the demolition started with the help of a JCB machine (small earthmover) and cutters, HC ordered a stay.According to civic officials, when structural details were cross-checked by them, they found out that the structure exists in their records since 1970s. They also found out that the office has several structural violations, including illegal extension pointed out in the notice. The BMC listed 14 violations, including toilet converted into office cabin, kitchen constructed in storeroom, illegal pantry on ground floor, wooden partition in living room, staircase orientation changed, balcony enclosed, position of main gate changed, among others. A BMC official said, We have taken action legally and we will inform the court on Thursday. Further, any action will be taken after HCs hearing on Thursday. The penalty levied on violators is based on the expenditure for demolition, but now all these calls will be taken after courts hearing tomorrow. In tweets on Wednesday morning, Ranaut said, As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport, Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher. There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bollywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like. Meanwhile, according to BMC, every year they have been carrying out around 1,500-2,000 demolitions against illegal constructions. However, this year, BMC officials said the figure will go down considering the outbreak of Covid-19. As per data available between January 2016 and July 2019, the BMC received 94,851 complaints of illegal constructions and that they have taken action against 5,461. RTI Activist Shakeel Ahmed said, BMC received over 90,000 complaints, but has acted only on over 5,000 cases. This means so many illegal structures or violations are not being acted upon by BMC. What is the reason behind acting selectively? Why did the BMC not act earlier if there were earlier violations? Advocate and BJP leader Vivekanand Gupta said, BMC cannot demolish any property in view of Covid-19 situation. The HC has ordered on their own motion, all orders of dispossession / demolition of any court /tribunal /authority are in abeyance till 30th September. The morbidity rate from COVID-19 in Ukraine has decreased by a third since April, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday. "We have one of the lowest mortality rates from coronavirus disease - 2.1%. In April, this figure was 3%, and it decreased by almost 30%," he said. If developers purchase any of 52 city-owned lots in the neighborhood, they would need to agree to meet requirements to include certain percentages of affordable units in their buildings. Certain local hiring bench marks also would need to be met for those projects. A roadside bomb in Kabul targeted Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Wednesday morning but he escaped unharmed, his spokesman said. The attack killed at least 10 people. The Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which comes just ahead of long-awaited peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha. "Today, once again the enemy of Afghanistan tried to harm Saleh, but they failed in their evil aim, and Saleh escaped the attack unharmed," Razwan Murad, a spokesman for Mr Saleh's office, wrote on Facebook. He told Reuters the bomb targeted Mr Saleh's convoy and some of his bodyguards were injured. Mr Saleh appeared in a video on his social media accounts soon after, saying he had sustained a minor burn on his face and an injury to his hand in the attack. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet that Taliban fighters were not involved in the blast. The former intelligence chief and the senior of President Ashraf Ghani's two vice-presidents has survived several assassination attempts, including one on his office last year that killed 20 people. Wednesday's blast killed at least 10 and wounded 15, a Health Ministry spokesman said. "Such attacks won't weaken our resolve for a lasting and dignified peace in Afghanistan," Javid Faisal, spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a tweet. International powers including the European Union and Pakistan also condemned the attack. "This is an attack on the Republic, & desperate act by spoilers of peace efforts, who must be collectively confronted," the EU Delegation in Afghanistan said in a statement on Twitter. Officials and diplomats have warned that rising violence is sapping trust needed for the success of talks aimed at ending an insurgency that began when the Taliban was ousted from power in Kabul by US-back forces in late 2001. Reuters Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The European Commission announced Wednesday it has reached a deal with a sixth pharmaceutical firm, this time BioNTech-Pfizer, to reserve a further 200 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine. "Our chances to develop and deploy a safe and effective vaccine have never been higher, both for Europeans here at home, or for the rest of the world," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. "To defeat coronavirus anywhere, we need to defeat it everywhere." Brussels has previously signed deals with Sanofi-GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Curevac, Moderna and with AstraZeneca to be ready to procure doses quickly if and when any of the companies develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine. "We are optimistic that among these candidates there will be a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19 to help us defeat this pandemic," the EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, said. In a statement, BioNTech said the agreement includes an option for another 100 million doses. Deliveries could start as soon as the end of 2020, if the labs successfully clear the various tests phases. "We have activated our supply chain, most importantly our site in Belgium, and are starting to manufacture so that our vaccine would be available as soon as possible, if our clinical trials prove successful and regulatory approval is granted" said Albert Bouria, chairman and chief executive of Pfizer. Labs around the world are racing to produce a vaccine to help end the worst health crisis in over a century. More than 200 candidate vaccines are currently being developed with roughly two dozen at the stage of clinical trials with human volunteers. Countries have also been scrambling to ensure they have sufficient doses, with the world's wealthiest nations making pre-orders worth billions to secure deliveries even before the vaccines have completed tests. Amid concern US President Donald Trump will pressure regulators to approve a vaccine ahead of the presidential election in November, the CEOs of nine companiesincluding BioNTech and Pfizerthis week pledged to "uphold the integrity of the scientific process". Specifically, the companies said they would only seek emergency authorisations for vaccines "after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA," the US Food and Drug Administration. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Fox News host Tucker Carlson has called for his critics including CNN chief Jeff Zucker to 'resign and give their highly-paid gigs to oppressed people'. Carlson hit back after CNN's Brian Stelter blamed his show for prompting Donald Trump to announce a crackdown on racial awareness training in the federal government. Accusing CNN of a campaign to attack his show, the Tucker Carlson Tonight host said that 'as long as Jeff Zucker still holds on to his own job, which according to their own talking points is the ill-gotten fruits of white privilege and systemic racism, we will know for certain that they don't mean a single word of what they are saying'. Trump has ordered training on 'Critical Race Theory' to be stripped of funding in the federal government, claiming it was spreading 'divisive, false, and demeaning propaganda'. Fox News host Tucker Carlson (left) last night called for his critics including CNN chief Jeff Zucker (right) to 'resign and give their highly-paid gigs to oppressed people' Carlson claimed on his show that 'critical race theory' was an 'attempt by the most privileged people in our society - the celebrities, politicians, college professors, talk show hosts - to disclaim the blame for their mismanagement of our country'. He continued: 'White privilege is very real, they're telling you, it's time for a reckoning on race relations. 'You hear that all the time but at some point you've got to wonder why any of these people, the most privileged people in America, still have their jobs. If they meant what they were saying, why haven't they resigned and given their highly-paid gigs to oppressed people? 'That's a very good question, it's the core question, and someone ought to ask Jeff Zucker about that sometime. 'Zucker is the head of CNN, he's a graduate of Harvard University, he's been in television his entire adult life. Jeff Zucker is the embodiment of privilege if there ever was one. 'According to critical race theory, the theory that he espouses and defends, Jeff Zucker got his job precisely because of systemic racism. So why does he still have it? How can he bear to hold that job? Needless to say, Jeff Zucker has no plans to resign. 'But as long as Jeff Zucker still holds on to his own job, which according to their own talking points is the ill-gotten fruits of white privilege and systemic racism, we will know for certain that they don't mean a single word of what they are saying.' Carlson hit back after CNN's Brian Stelter blamed his show for prompting Donald Trump (pictured) to announce a crackdown on 'critical race theory' in the federal government Carlson also claimed that Zucker had 'ordered his minions' to attack his Fox show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, for questioning critical race theory. The White House memo published last week stated that 'it has come to the president's attention' that federal agencies were spending money training people on white privilege. On Sunday, an article by CNN's Brian Stelter argued that this had 'come to Trump's attention' via Carlson's show. The memo cited 'press reports' claiming that federal employees were being pressured into saying they 'benefit from racism'. Agencies have now been ordered to 'cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions'. 'The divisive, false, and demeaning propaganda of the critical race theory movement is contrary to all we stand for as Americans and should have no place in the Federal government,' the memo added. The two-page memo, penned by White House OMB director Russell Vought, was released on Friday Trump doubled down on Saturday morning, firing off more than 20 tweets and retweets on the subject - including one calling critical race theory the 'greatest threat to western civilization.' The order comes as Trump tries to fire up his white, blue-collar base ahead of the November 3 election. Polls show him trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden both in the national vote and in some key states. Trump has spent much of the summer adopting a tough 'law and order' stance and playing down systemic racism in the police. He has also railed against the removal of Confederate monuments and vetoed a proposal to renamed military bases which honor Southern generals. The race protests flared up again last month after a black man, Jacob Blake, was shot in the back by a white policeman in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Last week the US president visited Kenosha, but did not meet with the family of Blake, who has been left paralyzed from the waist down. Kate Beckinsale has been enjoying some romantic time with boyfriend Goody Grace during quarantine. But the British actress has been preparing to return to work, as Hollywood bounces back from the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, the movie star stepped out in black stilettos with chic trousers, as she took her Pomeranian Myf to a meeting at Shutters on the Beach hotel in Santa Monica. Hell on heels: Kate Beckinsale stepped out on Tuesday in black stilettos and chic trousers, as she took her Pomeranian Myf to a meeting at Shutters on the Beach hotel in Santa Monica The 47-year-old paired the boots with matching skintight pants and a white tank top, layered under a long lightweight short-sleeve beige cardigan. She wore her hair up with a pair of chunky black cat-eye sunglasses and a blue face mask, carrying a black leather Fendi purse over her shoulder. Beckinsale has been getting serious with Grace, 23, with whom she was first romantically linked back in April, when they were spotted holding hands while out for a walk. A source told HollywoodLife: 'They actually have a lot in common. Kate is a free spirit and she appreciates that Goody is talented. Hes really mature, and they can have deep conversations but also can be really playful and goofy at the same time. Casual chic: The 47-year-old paired the boots with matching skintight pants and a white tank top, layered under a long lightweight short-sleeve beige cardigan Sparks flying: Beckinsale has been getting serious with Grace, 23, with whom she was first romantically linked back in April, when they were spotted holding hands while out for a walk (pictured in May, 2020) 'L' bomb: They took a big step back in July, when they publicly dropped the 'L' bomb to each other on her 47th birthday 'She just enjoys being with him and she loves him for who he is. He treats her with complete respect and what else could a woman ask for in a partner.' They took a big step back in July, when they publicly dropped the 'L' bomb to each other on her 47th birthday. 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY I LOVE YOU,' he commented on her Instagram post, to which she responded: '@goodygrace I love you [kiss face emoji].' It came after she clapped back at a troll who criticized their age gap in an Instagram comment earlier in the month. 'Why do you keep dating guys that could be your children?' he asked, to which she quipped: 'Every relationship I have had has been solely to annoy you.' Infamous ex: The Underworld star infamously had a brief post-Ariana romance with Pete Davidson, 26, early last year (pictured in March, 2019) Troll slayer: She clapped back at a troll who criticized her relationships' age gaps in an Instagram comment earlier in the month She and Grace reportedly also have the stamp of approval from her daughter Lily Mo, 21, whom she shares with ex Michael Sheen, 51. A source told Us Weekly last month: 'Kates daughter, Lily, doesnt care about the age difference between her mom and Goody and is happy that her mom is happy. 'Kate and Lily still have a super close and healthy mother-daughter relationship, and Lily does not view Kate as competition or ever feel like Kate would "steal" a guy she might be interested in. Kate would never do that to her daughter, and Kate and Lily also have different taste in guys.' The Underworld star infamously had a brief post-Ariana romance with Pete Davidson, 26, early last year. Beckinsale told Women's Health UK for the June cover: 'It can feel like a little bit of a political act to be a woman over 32 whos having any fun at all.' The Greek islands of Santorini, Serifos and Tinos were added to Wales's quarantine list last night after the popular Greek islands saw a 'rising number' of coronavirus cases. Holidaymakers travelling to Wales from the islands must now self-isolate for 14 days after they touch down back home from 4am today - giving sunseekers already on the islands just six hours to get back before the deadline. The islands, along with Crete, Lesbos, Mykonos and Zakynthos - were already on England's quarantine list following an announcement by the UK Government on Monday. The Greek islands of Santorini, Serifos (pictured) and Tinos were added to Wales's quarantine list last night after the popular Greek islands saw a 'rising number' of coronavirus cases Holidaymakers travelling to Wales from the islands (including Tinos, pictured) must now self-isolate for 14 days after they touch down back home from 4am today The measures gave sunseekers already on the islands (including Santorini, pictured) just six hours to travel back before the deadline. Greece's current infection rate is at around 19 cases per 100,000 - well below the threshold of 20. Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething said he had made the decision after reviewing assessments by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC). Mr Gething has previously said that an 'element' of coronavirus transmission in Wales is from people travelling back from Europe. Greece's current infection rate is at around 19 cases per 100,000 - well below the threshold of 20 The islands, along with Crete, Lesbos, Mykonos and Zakynthos - were already on England's quarantine list following an announcement by the UK Government on Monday Furious sunseekers took to social media to vent their frustration at the 11th hour quarantine measures. Lucille Victoria said she wasn't given enough time to 'book an earlier flight and try and get home'. She wrote: 'There is not a single reported case here in Santorini. Not even enough time given to book an earlier flight and try and get home after visiting my family here. What a ridiculous decision.' Greece records new cases by region - rather than by islands - meaning assessing the risk per island is difficult. Wales has seen the highest number of positive Covid-19 cases in months and a local lockdown, expected to last until at least October, has come into force in Caerphilly. Lucille Victoria said she wasn't given enough time to 'book an earlier flight and try and get home' On Tuesday, Public Health Wales reported that 150 people had tested positive for coronavirus, representing the highest daily figure since May 20. There were no further deaths in people with the virus, with the total in Wales since the beginning of the pandemic remaining at 1,597. Last Thursday, the Welsh Government introduced the measure for Portugal, Gibraltar, French Polynesia and six other Greek islands - Mykonos, Zakynthos, Lesbos, Paros, Antiparos and Crete. Speaking at the time, Mr Gething said there has been a 'rising tide of infections' from the Greek islands and the quarantine requirement is necessary to keep Wales safe. On Monday Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed on Monday that Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos are being stripped of quarantine exempt status in England as of 4am on Wednesday. This forms part of the UK Governments new regional approach to quarantine policy, in which islands can be added or removed from the quarantine list should infection rates differ from their mainland countries. Since the announcement, tourists have had to scramble to make alternative plans, with many frantically booking last-minute flights so they don't have to self-isolate for two weeks once back in Britain. Flight operators TUI and Jet2 have cancelled holidays to the Greek islands of Crete, Santorini, Zakynthos and Mykonos due to the new quarantine rules. The quarantine arrangements have been cast into further doubt as the UK's number of cases are now nearing the threshold at which it imposes isolation rules on other countries Meanwhile, EasyJet has announced it is cutting flights following the government's decision. Amid the travel chaos, the rush to return home is now underway, though unimpressed travellers have blasted the government. Nikki Funnell, from Chester, is in Santorini with her husband Simon. She told MailOnline: 'It's far safer in Santorini than the UK. Social distancing is in place here and I think it's a massive shame for the Greek tourism industry. 'I think the UK government are trying to deflect the blame onto other countries for the increase in cases in the UK, which is clearly not true. 'I would much rather be here than at home, it's definitely so much safer. Luckily myself and Simon work from home, however I will have to cancel any plans I have when I return as now have to stay in. Our friend James will have to take 2 weeks off work.' Sri Lankas navy said diesel appears to have leaked from the tanker fuelling fears of an environmental disaster. A stricken oil tanker off Sri Lanka that has been on fire since last week has left a kilometre-long (0.6 mile) slick across the Indian Ocean, the countrys navy said on Wednesday, sparking fears of an environmental disaster. The blaze was finally brought under control on Wednesday but a trail of diesel has been spilled across the sea. A fire first erupted on board last Thursday and was thought to have been completely doused on Saturday, but reignited a day later. Sri Lankas navy said there were no flames or smoke on Wednesday from the New Diamond vessel, which is carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude oil and 1,700 tonnes of diesel. The fresh fire was triggered on Sunday by strong winds that pushed the crippled tanker about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) closer to Sri Lankas eastern shores. A powerful tug boat was used to bring the drifting ship back to a location 68 kilometres (42 miles) from land, the navy said. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it had deployed aircraft to spray chemical dispersants on the slick and mitigate the environmental impact. The ICG also said it provided 2,200 kilos of dry chemical powder to the Sri Lankan air force to drop on the burning tanker on Tuesday as a fire retardant. The blaze had weakened the structure of the Panamanian-registered 330-metre (1,089-feet) tanker and the vessel was slightly leaning to the left, the ICG said. Rescuers said the blaze had not reached the crude oil cargo. The diesel is thought to have leaked when the ships fuel storage tanks ruptured and mixed with seawater that was pumped to douse the flames. Sri Lankas chief prosecutor, Dappula de Livera, told local marine authorities to pursue a claim for damages and order the owners to tow the tanker away from Sri Lankan waters. The vessel first reported a fire while passing the countrys east coast on Thursday after a boiler room explosion killed a Filipino crew member. In July, Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef in Mauritius, leaking more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the island nations pristine waters. A 38-year-old Simsbury man who authorities said built and detonated homemade bombs with another man some of which was filmed and posted to YouTube has been sentenced to more than three years in prison. David Bourne was sentenced to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release Tuesday, according to a release from the U.S. attorneys office for the district of Connecticut. Prosecutors claim in January 2019, Bourne threw a pipe bomb, which he constructed, into the back of a victims truck, where it exploded. In December 2018, state police were called out to the home of Rory Mocarsky in Hartland, a rural community along the Massachusetts border in northern Hartford County, after complaints of gunfire and explosions. State police had also seen a YouTube video showing Mocarsky and Bourne engaged in activities involving firearms and explosives, the release said. Their search turned up four rifles, a suspected home-made silencer, ammunition as well as an improvised explosive device, and the fragments believed to be from other explosive devices, the release said. A search of Tunxis State Forest where the two had allegedly recorded the devices detonating also turned up pieces of metal and PVC piping believed to have been from home made explosives. Bourned arrested in May 2019, and pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device later that September. Mocarsky has also pleaded guilty to possession of firearms by a convicted felon and is awaiting sentencing, the U.S. attorneys office said. Bourne was released on $50,000 bond. He is due to report to prison in 60 days, the release said. Whats New: A fire at a printed circuit board factory in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, is threatening to disrupt supplies to global auto parts giant Robert Bosch GmbH and its customers. The fire broke out around noon Monday at a Unimicron Technology (Kunshan) Corp. plant. No casualties were reported, and an investigation of the cause of the fire is underway. Printed circuit boards produced by Kunshan Unimicron support more than 50 products produced by Bosch, which initiated an emergence response to coordinate parts supplies globally, Caixin learned. The Kunshan plant may have to halt production for four weeks. Why it matters: The accident may cut supplies of the circuit boards to some automakers that rely solely on Kunshan Unimicron for the essential components for building modern advanced autos, Caixin learned. Kunshan Unimicron is majority-owned by Taiwan Unimicron Technology. The supply glitch may affect automakers sales in September and October, the traditional peak of auto sales, dampening a business that has already been damaged by the Covid-19 pandemic, analysts said. Taiwan Unimicron said the Kunshan plant will need government approval to resume production. The unit contributes about 6% of Taiwan Unimicrons revenue. Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full story in Chinese, click here. Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com). Support quality journalism in China. Subscribe to Caixin Global starting at $0.99. Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Tuesday alleged the AAP's plan to use oximeters to check people's oxygen levels can be a strategy to "promote" the further spread of in the state. According to a statement, Sidhu said repeated use of oximeters by multiple people without proper sanitisation may lead to the community spread of the infection. This can be be a game-plan of the Arvind Kejriwal's party, he said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on September 2 had said AAP workers will check oxygen levels of people in Punjab's villages. Slamming AAP, Sidhu further warned people that the party was misleading them "just as they had done in Delhi" where the situation is critical with all 11 districts of the national capital among the country's 35 worst-affected areas. The use of the same oximeter by more than one person without sanitisation can lead to further spread of COVID-19, he warned. He said the opposition party was promoting oximeters as a medicine or vaccine of the contagion while the fact is that it simply helps detect oxygen levels in a person's body. Perhaps, their strategy is to promote the further spread of the pandemic in in order to persuade people to believe it to be a failure of the state government, he warned. Perhaps, their strategy is to "promote the further spread of the pandemic" in in order to make people believe that it is the government's failure, he said. The disinformation campaign, which seemed to be deliberately spread by the to further their petty political interests in Punjab is highly dangerous, the minister said. It can trigger a huge risk of infecting more people and perhaps even triggering a massive community spread in the rural areas, he said. AAP's strategy to spread misinformation in Punjab has been completely exposed, with at least one of their party activists arrested for allegedly making a false video on organ harvesting and testing viral on social media, said Sidhu. Kejriwal's announcement on AAP workers going around villages with oximeters was aimed at further compounding the party's vicious campaign, he alleged, adding that the party should focus on managing COVID-19 in Delhi. Delhi's crisis was worsening by the day but AAP is so busy indulging in dirty politics in Punjab, he said. The minister said despite Delhi having lesser population in comparison to Punjab, the number of deaths and active cases there was higher, exposing the total mismanagement of the COVID crisis by the Kejriwal government. (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.) Border Security Force (BSF) troops foiled an infiltration attempt along the border with Pakistan and shot dead two armed smugglers near Sriganganagar in Rajasthan Tuesday night, officials said Wednesday. BSF troopers seized arms and ammunition, drugs and Pakistani currency from the slain intruders who tried to cross the border fence. During the intervening night of September 8 and 9, on specific intelligence about narcotics smuggling from Pakistan to India side of the border outpost Khayaliwala in Sriganganagar, alert BSF troops foiled a nefarious attempt by armed smugglers and shot dead two smugglers, a BSF official said. On searching the area, the BSF found two pistols, 28 rounds of ammunition, eight packets of narcotics, one night vision device, 13,000 in Pakistani, one national identity card no 31103-7254202-1 in the name of Shahbaz Ali S/o Mustaq Ahmed along with the bodies of the intruders. The BSF and police have launched a search operation in the area and an FIR has been registered at Gajsinghpur police station. The shooting comes less than three weeks after the BSF shot dead five intruders, who were trying to cross over to Indian territory from Pakistan, in a village in Punjabs Tarn Taran district. An AK-series rifle and a pistol were recovered from the site where the intruders were killed near Dal village of Bhikhiwind sub-division in the district. 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 Profile Review: High GPA/Involvement, Unknown School/Companies [ #permalink Hi! Thanks for your help by reviewing my profile. I am planning to apply for a part-time, online program in a Summer or Fall 2021 cohort since I need to keep working full-time. I would appreciate your insight on my target schools and if my profile would be of intrigue, especially considering my work/education experiences are from relatively unknown places. Background 27, Female, Biracial, American. Education Undergrad : 3.94 GPA summa cum laude, honors program from a lesser-known university in the southeast Communication & Philosophy major Post-Undergrad : Marketing accreditations and certifications[/list] Work Experience : 6 years experience in PR, marketing and management. Most years at local and relatively unknown marketing agencies. I am now working in a more established education company. Awards : 15 public relations and marketing awards for various campaigns Extracurriculars Undergrad : Recognized student leader who was heavily involved in campus activities, organizations, greek life. Tedx Speaker. Produced honors research. Post-Undergrad : Public speaker for various local events and classes. Keynote speaker and event host. Website chair for PR association. Pro-bono marketing. Post-MBA Goals : Continue in enterprise marketing services with a higher role in marketing strategy, consulting, and/or analytics. Targets : Tepper, Ross, Kelley, Kenan-Flagler, Warrington (online, part-time) My top choice is Tepper, in part because they offer a STEM-based program. Thank you! The woman who was allegedly assaulted by three Myanmar soldiers talks to reporters in Sittwe, capital of western Myanmar's Rakhine state, July 10, 2020. Myanmars army on Wednesday admitted that three of its soldiers raped an ethnic Rakhine grandmother during army operations in her village in war-torn Rakhine state in late June, reversing its earlier denials and pledging that the men will face military and civil charges. The 36-year-old mother of four children told RFA on July 2 that she had been sexually assaulted by three uniformed soldiers in rural Rathedaung township on June 30 when they found her and some relatives hiding in a bomb shelter in their home during an army sweep of U Gar village to clear the area of rebel Arakan Army (AA) troops. Afterwards, the soldiers instructed the women not to tell anyone about the assault and gave her 20,000 kyats (U.S. $14). They also intended to rape the womans daughter, but her mother-in-law begged them not to because the younger woman had given birth days earlier. The woman, whose name RFA has withheld to protect her safety and privacy, filed charges on rape, abduction with the intent to rape, and abetting a rape offense, at a police station in Rakhines capital Sittwe, where she and her relatives provided accounts of the assault. At the time, Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun told RFA that when the army received the police report, it investigated the matter and found the accusations to be untrue. He denied that the soldiers had raped the woman and suggested that she had made up the story. In a reverse course of action on Wednesday, however, Zaw Min Tun told RFA that the trio confessed to the crime during another round of questioning. First, the accused denied committing the crime, he said. After thorough examinations, we decide to interrogate the accused soldiers again. After that, one of the privates confessed to committing the crime. Then, we interrogated the individuals related to him, Zaw Min Tun said. Finally, the truth about the crime emerged after repeated questioning. The three soldiers now will be charged under military law as well as under Myanmars Penal Code that covers rape cases tried in civil court, he said. Justice for the victim In the meantime, RFA saw a confidential letter received by the Rakhine state government on Monday stating that DNA found on the body of the woman matched that of samples taken from some of soldiers who were in U Gar village on the day the rape occurred. In response to the militarys news about the confessions, the woman who was assaulted said she wants the soldiers to receive a proper punishment. I filed the complaints because I want to see them get convicted, she said. They confessed to the crime because they know what they did is wrong. Mya Thuzar, an attorney from the Legal Clinic Myanmars Sittwe office who is assisting the woman with her case, pledged to continue pursuing the charges until justice is served. We will keep working for appropriate sentences and to deliver justice for the victim, he said. In testimony to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in Washington, Skye Wheeler of Human Rights Watch said, Widespread sexual violence perpetrated by Burmese soldiers has been a hallmark of the culture of abuse and impunity in Burmas decades-long civil wars with its ethnic groups. Military rape is linked to other abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, arson, land confiscation, and denial of humanitarian aid, Wheeler, a women's rights researcher, told the U.S. panel in July 2018. At least 289 civilians have been killed and 641 injured in Rakhine state and in Paletwa township of neighboring Chin state since hostilities between the AA and the national army escalated in December 2018, according to an RFA tally. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Queensland judges will become the first in Australia to have the power to jail employers who deliberately rip off staff after new laws passed State Parliament on Wednesday afternoon. The state's criminal code has been amended to dish out up to 10 years imprisonment for employers who underpay workers. A Sunshine Coast barista said she had her wages stolen by two separate employers at the same time. Credit:Louie Douvis Similar laws were passed in Victoria earlier this year, however the legislation will not be enforced until 2021. Queensland's laws will be enacted before the government is dissolved on October 6, ahead of the state election. Actor Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik on Wednesday approached the special court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for bail as their pleas were rejected by the magistrate court. The court will hear the bail application on Thursday. Rhea, 28, was arrested by NCB on Tuesday for her alleged involvement in a drugs case linked to late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death and was remanded in judicial custody September 22 by the magistrate court. This is her second attempt to seek release after a magistrate court on Tuesday refused to grant her bail as the prosecution raised objection regarding the jurisdiction of the court to hear her plea. Showik, Sushants house manager Samuel Miranda, domestic help Dipesh Sawant, and Bandra residents Zaid Vilatra, Abdel Basit Parihar, who were arrested for allegedly peddling drugs, were produced before a magistrate court, which sent them to judicial custody till September 23, said NCB officials. They have all applied for bail and the matter was taken on board and further adjourned for September 10. Rhea, in her plea, stated that she was innocent and falsely implicated. Further, it was claimed that Rhea was coerced into making self-incriminatory confessions and by her application on September 8 the applicant has formally retracted all such incriminatory confessions. Rhea and her brother Showik have been booked under Section 27A of the NDPS Act which provides for punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders. As per the provisions, if found guilty the two can face imprisonment of not less than 10 years, but cannot be extended up to 20 years and can also be fined Rs2 lakh. The two have been arrested for allegedly arranging narcotic substances for Rajput. After her arrest, Rhea was taken for a medical check-up and Covid-19 test, following which she spent the night at NCBs office in south Mumbai and was shifted to Byculla jail on Wednesday. The bail pleas of the two were not entertained by the magistrate court, followed by which their lawyer Satish Maneshinde has approached the special court. The pleas are scheduled for hearing on Thursday where the investigating agency would be required to file their reply before the special court. The defence has raised issue of applicability of charges of Section 27A of NDPS Act against the two. In Rheas plea, the defence has stated, the allegations against the present accused would at the most make out a case of purchasing small quantity of drug, which is in essence a bailable offence. There is not a shred of evidence to connect the applicant with financing any illicit traffic or harbouring any offender and hence the ingredients of Section 27A of the NDPS Act are not made out in present facts and circumstances. The respondent [NCB] is silent as to the amount of financing, quantum of drugs and the type of drugs allegedly procured and financed by the present applicant. The case of the respondent in the layman term is that the applicant would co-ordinate the delivery of the drug for her then boyfriend and occasionally pay for them herself. In essence, her alleged role if any is purchase of a small quantity of drugs for her then boyfriend which would squarely fall within the ambit of Section 20 (b) (ii) (A) (produces, manufactures, possesses, sells, purchases, transports, imports inter-State, exports inter-State or uses cannabis,) which is punishable with a maximum imprisonment of upto a year or with fine or both, read the bail plea filed by Rheas lawyer. The defence alleged that even though the role attributed to Rhea and her brother Showik is identical to that of another accused in the case, Kaizan Ebrahim, NCB selectively invoked charges of Section 27 A only against Rhea and Showik. The co-accused, Kaizan, was in fact released on provisional cash bail on the very first day of his remand by the magistrate court, the defence claimed in Rheas bail plea, adding that the agency did not even ask for his custody. The defence have cited several rulings of the Apex court to support their contention and stated that in a case when the person is found to have been booked under bailable offence, he/she is entitled for bail. In the plea filed by Rhea, her lawyer has mentioned that she was questioned for three days by all level of officers of NCB on September 6 to September 8 before she was formally arrested. There was not a single woman officer who interrogated the present applicant as mended by the law. The Honble Supreme Court in the case of Sheela Barse VS State of Maharashtra, has held that the interrogation of females should be carried out only in the presence of female police officer/constable, read the bail highlighting, that the agency failed to comply with the guidelines of the Apex court. Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday indicated that the investigation by multiple central agencies in the actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case could have been politically motivated. He said someone from the Centre or union home ministry may have directed to focus on the case. Pawar also confirmed to have received seven threat calls. I dont know but someone may have directed them or someone from the Centre or home ministry may have insisted to focus more on the case, following which, it is clear that they (investigation agencies) have taken such a stand, the veteran leader said in response to a question over central agencies under pressure from the Centre to investigate the case. Pawar was speaking to reporters at YB Chavan Centre at Nariman Point, Mumbai after a book launch ceremony. Currently, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are investigating Rajputs case and all three comes under the union home ministry being headed by Amit Shah. BJP has started a poster campaign seeking justice for the late actor in poll-bound Bihar. Coming out supporting the Mumbai Police force, Pawar said people of Maharashtra and Mumbai have an experience of years of the police and knows how dutiful their force is. In my view, people dont take such statements seriously. They have an experience of years of the police force and are aware how dutiful they are. We dont need to take it seriously even if someone is saying that very often, the former chief minister said. Pawar confirmed that he has received seven threat calls recently and said he doesnt take them seriously. The home minister (Anil Deshmukh) has given a record of the phone calls. There were seven such calls. I have received such calls before as well and dont take them seriously, he said. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and state home minister Anil Deshmukh, too, had received threat calls in the last past two days. Security was also beefed up at Matoshree, Thackerays residence at Bandra, following threat calls. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a recipient's "potentially unexplained" illness is a side effect of the shot. In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, the company said its "standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data". didn't reveal any information about the possible side effect except to call it "a potentially unexplained illness". The health news site STAT first reported the pause in testing, saying the possible side effect occurred in the United Kingdom. An spokesperson confirmed the pause in vaccinations covers studies in the US and other countries. Late last month, began recruiting 30,000 people in the US for its largest study of the vaccine. It also is testing the vaccine, developed by Oxford University, in thousands of people in Britain, and in smaller studies in Brazil and South Africa. Two other vaccines are in huge, final-stage tests in the United States, one made by Moderna Inc. and the other by Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. Those two vaccines work differently than AstraZeneca's, and the studies already have recruited about two-thirds of the needed volunteers. Temporary holds of large medical studies aren't unusual, and investigating any serious or unexpected reaction is a mandatory part of safety testing. AstraZeneca pointed out that it's possible the problem could be a coincidence; illnesses of all sorts could arise in studies of thousands of people. "We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline," the company statement said. It's likely the unexplained illness was serious enough to require hospitalization and not a mild side effect such as fever or muscle pain, said Deborah Fuller, a University of Washington researcher who is working on a different Covid-19 vaccine that has not yet started human testing. "This is not something to be alarmed about," Fuller said. Instead, it's reassuring that the company is pausing the study to figure out what's happening and carefully monitoring the health of study participants. Dr Ashish Jha of Brown University said via Twitter that the significance of the interruption was unclear but that he was "still optimistic" that an effective vaccine will be found in the coming months. "But optimism isn't evidence," he wrote. "Let's let science drive this process." Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York, tweeted that the illness may be unrelated to the vaccine, "but the important part is that this is why we do trials before rolling out a vaccine to the general public". During the third and final stage of testing, researchers look for any signs of possible side effects that may have gone undetected in earlier patient research. Because of their large size, the studies are considered the most important study phase for picking up less common side effects and establishing safety. The trials also assess effectiveness by tracking who gets sick and who doesn't between patients getting the vaccine and those receiving a dummy shot. The development came the same day that AstraZeneca and eight other drugmakers issued an unusual pledge, vowing to uphold the highest ethical and scientific standards in developing their vaccines. The announcement follows worries that President Donald Trump will pressure the US Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before it's proven to be safe and effective. The US has invested billions of dollars in efforts to quickly develop multiple vaccines against Covid-19. But public fears that a vaccine is unsafe or ineffective could be disastrous, derailing the effort to vaccinate millions of Americans. Representatives for the FDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday evening. AstraZeneca's US-traded shares fell more than 6 per cent in after-hours trading following reports of the trial being paused. AstraZeneca has "voluntarily paused" the late-stage trials of the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine it is developing due to safety concerns. In partnership with the University of Oxford, AstraZeneca worked with volunteers in developing the COVID-19 vaccine. The company had to halt production because one volunteer developed an unexplained illness, AstraZeneca said Wednesday. The COVID-19 vaccine by AstraZeneca is now at its third phase. It has dozens of sites across the U.S. The participant who suffered from an adverse reaction to the vaccine is one in the United Kingdom, reported Stat News. It is not yet clear what the adverse reaction was. When it happened, it is also unknown. But the volunteer is likely to recover, according to a source familiar with the matter. AstraZeneca Chose to be Cautious A spokesperson for the company spoke about the concern. They said their review process was triggered as part of their ongoing trials on the vaccine. The company said they need to review safety data through an independent committee. They said the pause was only a "routine action" that had to occur when a possibly unexplained illness happens in one of the trials. They also ensured that they are maintaining the integrity of the tests. In a follow-up statement, AstraZeneca also said they were the ones to initiate the hold on the Phase 3 trials. The review, which they said was a "single event," is expected to finish quickly. They added that they were hoping to "minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline." USA Today noted that the adverse reaction might not be linked to the vaccine at all. It is possible that pausing the trial is just an act of caution. Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, said the company has to figure out the cause. "It's very possible that according to their protocol, as soon as the event occurs, the company can put a hold on the trial," he said. He also noted that the group that will review the data is the Data Safety Monitoring Board. The COVID-19 vaccine is seen as one of the most promising ones yet, noted Al Jazeera. It is under trial in countries like the U.S. and Brazil. AstraZeneca Shares Dropped Forbes reported that the shares for AstraZeneca went down 6% after the news. It's not yet clear what side effect triggered the hold. But a July study stated that during the drug's Phase 1/2 said 60% of the 1,000 volunteers experienced mild to moderate side effects. These side effects include fever, headaches, muscle pain, and injection-side reactions. The Phase 3 trial was designed for 30,000 people across the U.S. With the pause, AstraZeneca will be putting the recruitment of participants and dosing current ones on hold. They will return to the regular flow of the trials once it's deemed safe to dose. In May, the U.S. government gave a $1 billion funding to the company to produce the vaccine. There are 400 million pre-ordered doses of the unproven drug for delivery. There are other news of other trials that were on hold. This makes the AstraZeneca trial the first one to have been paused due to a possible safety threat. Check these out! Moderna Backtracks COVID-19 Vaccine Trials to Enroll Minorities COVID-19 Vaccine Developers to Pledge Not to Sacrifice Safety for Speed CDC to States: Be Ready for COVID-19 Vaccines by November 1 The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) prosecutors conducted 23 searches in Ilfov, Calarasi and Caras-Severin counties as part of a crackdown on a group that sexually exploited young women in Scotland using the "loverboy" method. At the same time, 9 searches were carried out in the United Kingdom to catch members of this group.According to DIICOT, starting with 2009, an organized criminal group of 28 people was set up in Bucharest and Ilfov, who carried out activities to recruit minor girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, low-income or disorganized families, who, attracted by the opulent lifestyle of the members of the group and the promises made by them, came to be exploited in Romania, so that after reaching the age of 18, to be sexually exploited in countries such as Ireland, Great Britain, Scotland and Germany.There have also been situations in which victims have been transferred to European Union countries since they were minors, under false identity documents.For an integrated approach to this cross-border investigation and to streamline the exchange of evidence on suspects, law enforcement authorities in Romania and the United Kingdom signed in February 2019 an agreement to establish a Joint Investigation Team (JIT).The documentation of the criminal activity, as well as the international judicial cooperation were carried out with the support of Eurojust, Police Scotland - National Human Trafficking Unit, Europol and of the Internal Affairs Attache of the Interior Ministry within the Romanian Embassy in London.At the DIICOT - Central Structure headquarters, 14 people were brought for questioning, and another 3 people suspected of belonging to the group and 7 accomplices with criminal activity in Great Britain were detained by the British authorities. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Drinking eight or more alcoholic beverages a week may increase the risk of high blood pressure (also called hypertension) among adults with Type 2 diabetes, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association. "This is the first large study to specifically investigate the association of alcohol intake and hypertension among adults with Type 2 diabetes," said senior study author Matthew J. Singleton, M.D., M.B.E., M.H.S., M.Sc., chief electrophysiology fellow at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "Previous studies have suggested that heavy alcohol consumption was associated with high blood pressure, however, the association of moderate alcohol consumption with high blood pressure was unclear." Researchers examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and blood pressure in more than 10,000 adults with Type 2 diabetes (average age 63, 61% male). All were participants in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, one of the largest, long-term trials to compare different treatment approaches to reduce heart disease risk in adults with Type 2 diabetes, conducted from 2001-2005 at 77 centers across the U.S. and Canada. All participants had Type 2 diabetes for an average of 10 years prior to enrolling in the study. In addition to 10 years with Type 2 diabetes, they were at increased risk for cardiovascular events because they had pre-existing cardiovascular disease; evidence of potential cardiovascular disease; or had at least two additional cardiovascular disease risk factors (such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, or obesity). In this study, alcohol consumption was categorized as none; light (1-7 drinks per week); moderate (8-14 drinks per week); and heavy (15 or more drinks per week). One alcoholic beverage was equivalent to a 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce glass of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. The number of drinks per week were self-reported by each participant via a questionnaire when they enrolled in the study. Blood pressure was categorized according to the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults as normal (below 120/80 mm Hg); elevated (120-129/<80 mm Hg); Stage 1 high blood pressure (130-139/80-89 mm Hg); or Stage 2 high blood pressure (140 mm Hg/90 mm Hg or higher). Most participants were already taking one or more blood pressure medications; therefore, the analysis of the blood pressure readings was adjusted to account for the effects of the medications and to estimate the underlying degree of high blood pressure. Researchers found: light drinking was not associated with elevated blood pressure or either stage of high blood pressure; moderate drinking was associated with increased odds of elevated blood pressure by 79%; Stage 1 high blood pressure by 66%; and Stage 2 high blood pressure by 62%; heavy drinking was associated with increased odds of elevated blood pressure by 91%; Stage 1 high blood pressure by 149% (a 2.49-fold increase); and Stage 2 high blood pressure by 204% (a 3.04-fold increase); and the more alcohol consumed, the higher the risk and severity of high blood pressure. "Though light to moderate alcohol consumption may have positive effects on cardiovascular health in the general adult population, both moderate and heavy alcohol consumption appear to be independently associated with higher odds of high blood pressure among those with Type 2 diabetes," Singleton said. "Lifestyle modification, including tempering alcohol consumption, may be considered in patients with Type 2 diabetes, particularly if they are having trouble controlling their blood pressure. "People with Type 2 diabetes are at higher cardiovascular risk, and our findings indicate that alcohol consumption is associated with hypertension, so limited drinking is recommended," Singleton said. The study has several limitations including the fact that alcohol consumption was based on a one-time questionnaire when participants enrolled in the study, therefore the results do not account for any changes in alcohol consumption over time. In addition, the study was not designed to assess if light alcohol consumption provided any benefits. According to the American Heart Association, excessive drinking can increase the risk of high blood pressure, and people with Type 2 diabetes are already at increased risk for high blood pressure. For the general population, the association recommends alcoholic beverages be consumed in moderation, if at all, and drinkers should understand the potential effects on their health. Explore further Even light alcohol consumption linked to higher risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome in study of 27 million adults Midland County recorded six new confirmed coronavirus cases Tuesday, bringing the pandemic total to 387 cases, 97 probable cases, and 11 deaths. Midland County has added 53 confirmed cases since last Thursday, with a significant number of those cases attributed to an outbreak at Northwood University, according to Fred Yanoski, Midland County Department of Public Health director/health officer. Over the last few weeks, we have experienced a rise in our local cases," he said. "... We are working closely with their staff to quickly identify and isolate cases, and to quarantine others who may have been exposed. The Northwood team has done a tremendous job responding to this challenging situation. Northwood University, as of Tuesday, has 31 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the university's website. "Twelve of those students have returned home and 17 are isolating on campus in a separate isolation area," the website states. "Two have recovered. There are clear interconnections for the cases, and at least 10 are attributable to off-campus activity outside of Midland. We also have 10 tests outstanding with results pending. In the cases to date, students are experiencing mild or no symptoms as they isolate and recover." Yanoski said it is important to note the cases are connected. "Even though some of these cases may have other contacts around the community, it is certainly valuable to know that the majority of cases have direct exposures in that group. It certainly helps us to put the risk in perspective for the rest of our community. That being said, we are still seeing additional spread in the community so we need to keep doing the right things. An outbreak at Central Michigan University since the school started classes in mid August has resulted in 270 cases, 253 confirmed and 17 probable, as of Tuesday, according to the Central Michigan District Health Department Around Michigan, there have been many outbreaks associated with the return to the college campus setting," Yanoski said. "The majority of cases can likely be attributed to the behaviors of these students, and the lack of COVID precautionary measures." He listed parties, social gatherings, lack of masks/social distancing. Yanoski said there have been no positive cases associated with the return this month of some K-12 students in Midland County. At this point, we have not been notified of any COVID cases from our local K-12 schools, which is certainly great news," he said. "If we can limit the transmission in the community, then we will have a better chance at keeping schools operating safely. State plans to report K-12 coronavirus data The state announced plans to begin reporting school outbreak data for K-12 schools on a weekly basis beginning Monday, Sept. 14. The announcement was made in a response sent to the Michigan School-Related COVID Outbreak Transparency Coalition, which is made up of nearly 30 media industry representatives, including Kate Hessling, editor of the Daily News, as well as Mike Reitz, executive vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy based in Midland. The coalition, under the auspices of Michigan Press Association, sent a letter earlier this month to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer calling for the state to be transparent and timely in reporting school outbreaks consistently, including building and the severity. While the state responded positively to the request, reporting lag issues are anticipated. The coalition on Tuesday referenced a story by Crains Detroit Business, that shows how the school outbreaks listed in the states new report will be up to seven to 10 days old by the time the state publicly releases the information. The state asks county health department for information on a Wednesday, which is due Friday and then released Monday, the story reports. Crain's reports there is no real-time infrastructure for quickly informing the public about students or school personnel who test positive for coronavirus. The current disease-tracking system was built in 2004 and is outdated, the publication reports. The state said data will include the name and address of the building and the number of cases associated with the outbreak. A COVID-19 outbreak is defined as two or more cases with a link by place and time indicating a shared exposure outside of a household, states the letter. "We caution parents, students and staff not to let their guard down in the absence of cases at their school," the letter states. "Furthermore, the presence of an outbreak in a building is not necessarily an indication that proper precautions are not being taken." Yanoski reminds people of mitigation practices to help diminish the spread of the disease. We should all still be very mindful of our behaviors, and how they could impact COVID transmission. If we have learned anything, it is that COVID is highly transmissible in close settings where social distancing and masks are not used. We must continue to practice social distancing, mask wearing and other safe practices that prevent spread. In Tuesday's state report, there were no deaths in the five-county region Midland, Bay, Gladwin, Isabella and Saginaw counties that the Daily News has been chronicling since the start of the pandemic. Tuesday, Sept. 9 daily numbers Bay County: Seven cases were added; pandemic total stands at 791 cases, 90 probable, 43 deaths. Gladwin County: One case was added; pandemic total stands at 74 cases, seven probable, two deaths. Isabella County: Two cases were added; pandemic total stands at 509 cases, 59 probable, nine deaths. Saginaw County: 15 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 2,507 cases, 172 probable, 130 deaths and three probable deaths. The state on Tuesday added 441 new cases and one death. Overall, Michigan is at 107,812 cases and 6,539 deaths. Testing The state report shows as of Sept. 8, Midland County has performed 11,726 diagnostic tests and 784 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 12,510 tests. Gladwin County is listed as having administered 4,585 diagnostic tests and 132 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 4,717 tests. Midland Countys seven-day rolling positivity rate on Sept. 4 was listed at 4.3%, and medium risk of spread. Gladwin County was listed at 0.7% and low risk. The Saginaw region, which includes 12-counties including Midland, Gladwin, Bay and Saginaw counties, was listed at 2.8% and low 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. 31, MidMichigan Health which covers a 23-county region and has medical centers at seven sites, including Midland has completed a total of 20,503 tests. Of those, 19,430 were negative, 237 positive and 836 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 Sept. 7, and five cumulative cases and no deaths among staff. Midland Kings 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 Sept. 7, 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 80,678 cases, as of Sept. 4, which represents COVID-19 confirmed individuals with an onset date on or prior to Aug. 5, 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 Countys 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 Midlands 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 13 COVID-19 patients, including one COVID-19 patient in ICU, and 57.7% bed occupancy, as of Sept. 3. PPE days on hand as of Sept. 3: The health system reported 7-14 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. And this applies not only to the apps that we launch on our mobile devices but also to the backend functionality that malicious actors can abuse for nefarious purposes.Zohar Shachar, head of application security at Wix.com, has recently discovered a cross-site scripting vulnerability, also known as XSS, in Google Maps and rushed to report it to Google. Thanks to his submission, the researcher was awarded a $5,000 reward as part of Googles bug bounty program.However, the security expert discovered that the June 7 fix that Google implemented in Google Maps didnt resolve the problem, so he sent a second report detailing how the patch could be bypassed for a similar exploit. The team at Google acknowledged the problem for a second time, issuing another $5,000 payment to the researcher.The vulnerability concerns the tool that users can turn to in order to create their own map. Google Maps allows us to export these custom maps to several formats, including Keyhole Markup Language, or KML.When this format is used, the server issues a response containing CDATA tags that are used for character data that doesnt need to be read by the browser. But the researcher managed to abuse this feature and launch an XSS attack.Specifically, by adding ]]> at the beginning of your payload (I.e. as the beginning of the map name), you can escape from the CDATA and add arbitrary XML content (which will be rendered as XML) leading immediately to XSS, the researcher explains A similar method was used for the attack after Google fixed the vulnerability, only that in this case, the exploit used two CDATA closing tags rather than just one.Google has already resolved the bug in Google Maps, and the researcher received the second payment as part of the bug bounty program on June 18. So everything should now be fully secure, which can only be good news given that Google has already announced a new innovative Google Maps feature in Android 11 With what she has termed her audaciously deceptive appropriation of an Afro-Caribbean identity, she has betrayed the trust of countless current and former students, fellow scholars of Africana Studies, colleagues in our department and throughout the historical discipline, as well as community activists in New York City and beyond, the department said in a statement. Outside of teaching, Krug was an activist who opposed gentrification in New York. CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the editors of MIT Sloan Management Review announced that Ethan Bernstein, Jesse Shore, and David Lazer are the winners of the 2020 Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize. The prize is awarded to the authors of the most outstanding MIT SMR article on planned change and organizational development published from fall 2018 to summer 2019. MIT SMR awarded the prize for the article titled "Improving the Rhythm of Your Collaboration" from the fall 2019 issue. Bernstein is Edward W. Conard Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School; Shore is an assistant professor of information systems at Boston University's Questrom School of Business; Lazer is University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Computer and Information Sciences at Northeastern University. In the prize-winning article, the authors make the case that organizational effectiveness requires an alternating rhythm between the "always-on connectivity" of a group and the "heads-down focus" of an individual. "By achieving more and more connectivity," the authors write, "humans are becoming a bit like passive nodes in a machine network: They are getting better at processing information but worse at making decisions from it. "We believe Dick Beckhard would applaud the attention to the unintended human consequences reflected here," said the panel of judges. "The evident hyperconnectivity of so many employees these days needs attention not only for better organizational outcomes but for their own well-being. That management should step in with personal awareness and modeling is advice Dick would practice. He would say it is the right thing to do." The authors recommend that leadership create conditions for rhythmic collaboration by providing spaces for solitary work, encouraging downtime, and not being "always-on" themselves. This year's panel of judges consisted of distinguished members of the MIT Sloan School of Management faculty: Seley Distinguished Professor of Management Deborah Ancona, Erwin H. Schell Professor of Management John Van Maanen, and retired senior lecturer Cyrus Gibson. About Richard Beckhard and the Beckhard Prize One of the founders and architects of the field of organizational development, Professor Richard Beckhard was a member of the MIT Sloan School of Management faculty for more than 20 years. A longtime friend of MIT Sloan Management Review, Beckhard was known for his efforts to help organizations function in a more humane and high-performing manner and to empower people to be agents of change. About MIT Sloan Management Review At MIT Sloan Management Review (MIT SMR), we share with our readers an excitement and curiosity about how the practice of management is transforming in the digital age. Our expert contributors help leaders explore the trends that are shaping how organizations operate, compete, and create value in a technology-fueled world. We deliver the kind of evidence-based analysis and practical insight that inspire leaders to do great work. Contact: Deborah Gallagher, 617-768-7417, [email protected] SOURCE MIT Sloan Management Review Related Links http://sloanreview.mit.edu "Getting to look at these animals face-to-face see their eyes with your eyes it has a real impact on people and understanding how vulnerable they are and how they need to be protected." What to do if you find an injured animal If you encounter a a wild animal that is injured or you think needs help, contact a local wildlife rescue organization. To find a licensed rehabber in your area, you can go to the nonprofit Animal Help Now. They will give you guidance on whether to leave the animal alone or safely bring them in for care. You can also reach out to your local Humane Society or veterinarian who can inform you of local wildlife rehabbers. AWARE, like many wildlife rehabbers, get no government funding relying only on donations from the public. You can't save them all Neal Matthews doesn't expect everyone to go to the lengths he does to save wildlife. Kirstie Penman, 21, travelled from Wrexham to Telford for a coronavirus test, only to be turned away on arrival A mother was left in tears after traveling an hour-and-a half for a coronavirus test, only to be turned away on arrival. Kirstie Penman, 21, a student from Wrexham, initially rang her doctor seeking antibiotics for a bad chest but was told she would need to get a test for Covid-19 instead. After being driven across the English border to Telford for the nearest available test, she was told by a staff member that she could not be tested because she had not received a QR code when she booked. It comes after the British Medical Association today said it was 'ludicrous' that the coronavirus test booking system is directing people to centres dozens or even hundreds of miles away from their homes. People have reported being told to drive dozens of miles, some of them more than 100 miles or even from Suffolk to Scotland, to their closest available same-day test. Ms Penman, who travelled more than 40 miles for the test, said she was left with 'no reassurance' after being turned away. 'We were like, "is this a complete joke, we've just driven from an hour-and-a-half away?", and there was no reassurance or nothing,' she said. 'He just said, "Sorry, there's a queue behind you, you'll have to come back when you get the code sent to you".' 'At that point I just started crying, upset because it's a long journey for a test. Then we just had to drive home. There was no other option, really.' After trying a number of other options to get tested, the mother-of-one said she had given up. 'There's no way you can get through, it just cuts off, the phone line,' she said. Boris Johnson today said he wants everybody in the UK to be able to take a daily coronavirus test in order to get life back to normal The positivity rate of coronavirus tests in the UK has remained flat since June, showing that the proportion of people testing positive is not changing drastically - this suggests the rising number of cases is linked to the rising number of tests She added that her GP surgery has now advised that without a test she would have to manage her symptoms at home and keep checking her own breathing. Ms Penman's experience followed that of a man who said he had driven a round trip of more than 400 miles for a test, before being told that his results had been lost. The man, who asked not to be named, was working in Maidstone, Kent, and said he was told to travel to either Newport in Wales or Chesterfield in Derbyshire - both around 200 miles away. Speaking shortly after Boris Johnson announced his 'moonshot' plans for more widespread testing, Ms Penman said: 'If you're Prime Minister, you've got so much time to make up plans and he can't seem to get anything right. 'I don't understand it. I don't think he's done anything right from the beginning to be honest. 'Everyone's just getting back to normal, taking their kids to school and it's reported that cases are getting higher, there might be another lockdown in Wales. So everyone's just confused, I think.' An investigation by the BBC found the coronavirus test booking system routinely tried to direct people to testing centres tens or hundreds of miles from their homes. Testing has increased vastly from no more than 13,000 tests per day at the start of April to around 150,000 in July and 200,000 in August London postcodes were directed to Cardiff, it found, while someone in Devon might have to travel more than 100 miles to Wales, and a postcode in the Lake District redirected to a test centre in Scotland. One hapless man, David Llewellyn, told the broadcaster he was told to go to a centre near Blackburn, near Manchester, more than 200 miles from his home in Suffolk. And a MailOnline investigation discovered testing centres in Twickenham, Heathrow and Greenwich were practically empty despite callers being told no slots were unavailable. A number of people in the capital needing swabs have now come forward to complain they had been told none could be taken in the city. Dr Peter English, chair of public health at the British Medical Association, said: 'Its ludicrous that people are being directed so far from their homes for testing. 'In some cases, it means driving for three hours and back which is completely inappropriate at the best of times, let alone for someone who may be ill with Covid-19 symptoms. Travelling such distances are expensive, and thats if individuals have access to a car at all.' Matt Hancock (pictured) blamed an ongoing test and trace fiasco on people without coronavirus symptoms trying to get checked It comes as Boris Johnson today said he wants everybody in the UK to be able to take a daily coronavirus test in order to get life back to normal. The Prime Minister said his 'vision' for the future is for the whole nation to have access to a pregnancy-style test which would reveal within 15 minutes if someone has the virus. He added the so-called 'enabling tests' could be used at the start of the day so that workers know for certain whether they are infected and need to stay at home. Mr Johnson's comments came after Matt Hancock blamed an ongoing test and trace fiasco on people without coronavirus symptoms trying to get checked. The Health Secretary said people without symptoms unnecessarily booking tests was putting the system under strain. He also hinted Covid tests could be rationed unless people who are fit and healthy stop draining capacity, as he said: 'We've got to be firmer, I'm afraid, with the rules around eligibility for testing.' Mr Hancock said it was 'not acceptable' for people to ask for a test if they have no symptoms. WHO warned against indiscriminate use of steroids, emphasizing that patients who are not severely ill are unlikely to benefit and may suffer side effects. International clinical trials published Wednesday confirm the hope that cheap, widely available steroid drugs can help seriously ill patients survive COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Based on the new evidence, the World Health Organization issued new treatment guidance, strongly recommending steroids to treat severely and critically ill patients, but not to those with mild disease. Clearly, now steroids are the standard of care, said Dr Howard C. Bauchner, the editor-in-chief of JAMA, which published five papers about the treatment. The new studies include an analysis that pooled data from seven randomized clinical trials evaluating three steroids in more than 1,700 patients. The study concluded that each of the three drugs reduced the risk of death. JAMA published that paper and three related studies, along with an editorial describing the research as an important step forward in the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Corticosteroids should now be the first-line treatment for critically ill patients, the authors said. The only other drug shown to be effective in seriously ill patients, and only modestly at that, is remdesivir. Steroids like dexamethasone, hydrocortisone and methylprednisolone are often used by doctors to tamp down the bodys immune system, alleviating inflammation, swelling and pain. Many COVID-19 patients die not of the virus but of the bodys overreaction to the infection. In June, researchers at Oxford University discovered that dexamethasone improved survival rates in severely ill patients. Researchers had hoped that other inexpensive steroids might help these patients. The evidence had been lacking: After the Oxford researchers made their announcement, some clinical trials of steroids were halted, as doctors were loathe to withhold what appeared to be an effective treatment from study participants. Steroids can have harmful side effects, especially in elderly patients, who make up the majority of very ill coronavirus patients. The drugs may leave patients vulnerable to other infections, may raise blood glucose levels, and may cause confusion and delirium. In the clinical trials, only the sickest patients were treated with steroids, and it is not certain that those who are less ill will benefit or be harmed. The optimal doses and duration of treatment also need to be identified. But overall, the scientists said, the new studies appeared to confirm the promise of this class of drugs for patients severely ill with COVID-19. The studies are like the second punch of a one-two punch, said Dr Derek C. Angus, chair of the department of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, who co-authored one of the new studies and the analysis. I had a big smile on my face when I saw the results, Angus added. This is a case of, A question asked, a question answered, and thats so rare. The analysis of pooled data found that steroids were linked with a one-third reduction in deaths among critically ill COVID-19 patients. Dexamethasone produced a 36 percent drop in deaths in 1,282 patients treated in three separate trials. Hydrocortisone, tested in 374 patients in three trials, appeared to reduce deaths by 31 percent, and a small trial of methylprednisolone in 47 patients resulted in a nine percent drop in deaths. The analysis was carried out by a WHO working group that is making efforts to rapidly evaluate COVID-19 therapies. Taken together, the new studies will bolster confidence in the use of steroids and address any lingering hesitancy on the part of some physicians, said Dr Todd Rice, an associate professor of medicine and critical care physician at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. In new guidance, the WHO warned against indiscriminate use of steroids, emphasizing that patients who are not severely ill are unlikely to benefit and may suffer side effects. Unwarranted use could deplete global supplies, depriving patients who genuinely need the medications. The health organization started work on its guidance in June, shortly after Oxford University published a preliminary report of its findings, partnering with investigators of seven clinical trials in order to conduct a meta-analysis and provide additional evidence in the most expeditious manner, WHO officials said. They characterized the quality of the evidence in favour of steroid treatment for severely ill patients as one of moderate certainty. Among the other studies published Wednesday was a Brazilian trial of 299 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome that compared dexamethasone treatment with regular care. The steroid significantly improved outcomes, increasing the number of days patients were alive and free of mechanical ventilation. Another study in France evaluated low doses of another steroid, hydrocortisone, in 148 patients. Those receiving the drug were more likely to survive, but the results were not statistically significant because the trial was stopped early. A third study tested varying hydrocortisone regimens in 400 seriously ill COVID-19 patients in eight countries. It was also stopped prematurely, but the researchers concluded there was a strong probability that the treatment improved outcomes. When the Oxford results were announced in June, physicians worldwide started using dexamethasone. I think there was some uncertainty about whether the effect was real, said Rice, who co-authored an editorial accompanying the new papers in JAMA. This shows us steroids are clearly beneficial in this population and should clearly be given unless you absolutely cant for some reason, which needs to be a pretty rare occasion. The drug remdesivir modestly shortens time to recovery in critically ill COVID-19 patients, he noted but has not been shown to reduce fatalities. People are dying from this disease, and we want treatment that we are confident will decrease mortality and save peoples lives, Rice said. Roni Caryn Rabin c.2020 The New York Times Company BRISTOL Backers of the proposed Hard Rock Bristol Casino and Resort are ramping up efforts to rally support for the project two weeks before voting begins. On Friday, officials of The United Co. President and Chief Operating Officer Martin Kent and Vice President and General Counsel Jason Eige presented an update on the project during a Bristol Chamber of Commerce Zoom event. The United Co. and Par Ventures are teaming with Hard Rock International to promote the $300 million project at the former Bristol Mall property. To proceed, it must be approved by a majority of registered city voters in a public referendum Nov. 3. Under Virginias new early-voting law, voting actually begins Sept. 18 and continues until Election Day. Honestly, this is a one-shot deal, Eige said. If this doesnt pass this year, this referendum in this election cycle, thats it. We dont have another bite at the apple. We dont get to keep trying until we finally get a majority of yes votes at the referendum level. To that end, the casino referendum committee is establishing coalitions of support. Earlier this week, it announced a group of about 30 small businesses, including the chamber, restaurants, retail and others that support the project. Eige said they appreciate that support and urged chamber members to add their names to the list. Other coalitions will be announced in the near future, he said. During the past month, the committee sent mailers to city residents soliciting potential interest and support, is placing signs in businesses and yards, buying advertising and taking other steps to promote its message. Our project is really intended to be a catalyst for further industry development and jobs and businesses in our region, Eige said. If its just a resort casino, we think its going to be highly successful in bringing jobs over 2,000 local, direct jobs, $16 million to $21 million in new tax revenue, 4 million tourists, billions of dollars in economic impact for our region. But what we really hope is it helps grow other industries, attract other businesses that may start off servicing our resort and eventually stay on their own and create new industries and new clientele completely unrelated to our resort casino, he said. The project is forecast to generate between $15 million and $20 million annually in new tax revenues for the city and other revenues for Southwest Virginia, Kent said. Separate and apart from that, will be a new gaming tax that will be shared in part with the locality and region, Kent said. We anticipate that will be somewhere between $700,000 and $1 million annually per jurisdiction. That will include 14 cities and counties in Southwest Virginia. We believe that will be a significant impact to our entire region. Afternoon reports from Jacksonville-area police: . Jacksonville Police Nine Trump for President signs have been taken from a residence in the 1300 block of West College Avenue during the past two weeks, according to a report filed at 1:24 p.m. Tuesday. Pike County Adam J. Elmore, 33, of Hardin was arrested at 3:31 p.m. Monday on charges of driving while license is revoked or suspended and not having a valid Firearm Owners Identification card. Jeffrey A. Aldrich, 59, of Bowling Green, Missouri, was arrested at 9:04 p.m. Saturday on a driving under the influence charge. Eric S. Aguilar, 29, of Chicago was arrested at 3:54 p.m. Saturday on a cannabis trafficking charge. Jake Yanczer, 29, of Pleasant Hill was arrested at 9:16 p.m. Friday on a driving under the influence charge. Destiny N. Embree, 23, of Louisiana, Missouri, was arrested at 11:28 p.m. Sept. 1 on charges of possession of methamphetamine and having no valid registration. Tammy R. McCune, 54, of New Canton was arrested at 3:05 p.m. Aug. 31 on an obstructing justice charge. Otha F. Hull, 44, of New Canton was arrested at 3:05 p.m. Aug. 31 on charges of aggravated fleeing and eluding, driving while license is revoked or suspended, reckless driving, disobeying a traffic control device and obstruction of justice. Compiled by David C.L. Bauer The Justice Department filed court documents Tuesday seeking to represent President Donald Trump in a lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll, who claimed he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s. The Justice Department, which is supposed to act as an independent federal law enforcement agency, argued that under the Federal Tort Claims Act, or FTCA, its lawyers can usurp Trumps private legal team and change the venue from New York state court to U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Because President Trump was acting within the scope of his office or employment at the time of the incident out of which the plaintiffs claim arose, the United States will file a motion to substitute itself for President Trump in this action for any claim for which the FTCA provides the exclusive remedy, the department argued in court documents. The federal act gives federal government employees immunity from lawsuits. However, it is highly unusual for the Justice Department to intervene in a private legal matter on behalf of a sitting president. (NBC News) Featured stories Pandemic seems to be leveling off in U.S., but numbers remain troublingly high, experts say (Washington Post) AstraZeneca pauses COVID-19 vaccine trial for safety review (New York Times) Trump makes rosy vaccine timing front and center in campaign, predicting its possible before Election Day (ABC News) Rochester police chief, entire command staff step down following death of Daniel Prude (NBC News) Dallas Police Chief will resign by end of 2020 (Dallas Morning News) National news Crews rescue dozens more from Creek Fire burning in central California (CBS News) Fires cover more than 330,000 acres in 24 hours, Washington governor says (NBC News) A 13-year-old boy with autism was shot by police after his mother called for help managing a mental breakdown (CNN) Worst case scenarios at Sturgis rally could link event to 266,000 coronavirus cases, study says (Washington Post) Crowds eschew masks at Trump rally as president mocks Biden over social distancing (The Guardian) So much for honor: Despite COVID cases, college students partied Labor Day weekend away (USA Today) With 7 dead, California pot ranch is tied to organized crime (Associated Press) From summer heat to snow in 18 hours: Weather whiplash strikes Rocky Mountain states (Washington Post) World news Trump will announce reduction in U.S. troops in Iraq on Wednesday (Reuters) Myanmar soldiers confess to Rohingya massacre: Shoot all that you see (NBC News) United Arab Emirates and Israel to sign normalization agreement at White House next week (CNN) Small miscalculations along India-China border can lead to big mistakes, former national security advisor says (CNBC) Kabul bomb: Deadly blast targets Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh (BBC) Belarus activists describe dramatic alleged abduction and last sighting of Maria Kolesnikova (CNN) Moria migrants: Fire destroys Greeces camp on Lesbos (BBC) Perhaps as far back as the history of research and philosophy goes, people have attempted to unearth how life on earth came to be. In the recent decades, with exponential advancement in the fields of genomics, molecular biology, and virology, several scientists on this quest have taken to looking into the evolutionary twists and turns that have resulted in eukaryotic cells, the type of cell that makes up most life forms today. The most widely accepted theories that have emerged state that the eukaryotic cell is the evolutionary product of the intracellular evolution of proto-eukaryotic cells, which were the first complex cells, and symbiotic relationships between proto-eukaryotic cells and other unicellular and simpler organisms such as bacteria and archaea. But according to Professor Masaharu Takemura of the Tokyo University of Science, Japan, "These hypotheses account for and explain the driving force and evolutionary pressures. But they fail to portray the precise process underlying eukaryotic nucleus evolution." Prof Takemura cites this as his motivation behind his recent article published in Frontiers in Microbiology, where he looks into the recent theories that, in addition to his own body of research, have built up his current hypothesis on the subject. In a way, Prof Takemura's hypothesis has its roots in 2001 when, along with PJ Bell, he made the revolutionary proposal that large DNA viruses, like the poxvirus, had something to do with the rise of the eukaryotic cell nucleus. Prof Takemura further explains the reasons for his inquiry into the nucleus of the eukaryotic cell as such: "Although the structure, function, and various biological functions of the cell nucleus have been intensively investigated, the evolutionary origin of the cell nucleus, a milestone of eukaryotic evolution, remains unclear." The origin of the eukaryotic nucleus must indeed be a milestone in the development of the cell itself, considering that it is the defining factor that sets eukaryotic cells apart from the other broad category of cells--the prokaryotic cell. The eukaryotic cell is neatly compartmentalized into membrane-bound organelles that perform various functions. Among them, the nucleus houses the genetic material. The other organelles float in what is called the cytoplasm. Prokaryotic cells do not contain such compartmentalization. Bacteria and archaea are prokaryotic cells. The 2001 hypothesis by Prof Takemura and PJ Bell is based on striking similarities between the eukaryotic cell nucleus and poxviruses: in particular, the property of keeping the genome separate in a compartment. Further similarities were uncovered after the discovery and characterization of a type of large DNA virus called "giant virus," which can be up to 2.5 m in diameter and contain DNA "encoding" information for the production of more than 400 proteins. Independent phylogenetic analyses suggested that genes had been transferred between these viruses and eukaryotic cells as they interacted at various points down the evolutionary road, in a process called "lateral gene transfer." Viruses are "packets" of DNA or RNA and cannot survive on their own. They must enter a "host" cell and use that cell's machinery to replicate its genetic material, and therefore multiply. As evolution progressed, it appears, viral genetic material became integrated with host genetic material and the properties of both altered. In 2019, Prof Takemura and his colleagues made another breakthrough discovery: the medusavirus. The medusavirus got its name because, like the mythical monster, it causes encystment in its host; that is, it gives its host cell a "hard" covering. Via experiments involving the infection of an amoeba, Prof Takemura and his colleagues found that the medusavirus harbors a full set of histones, which resemble histones in eukaryotes. Histones are proteins that keep DNA strands curled up and packed into the cell nucleus. It also holds a DNA polymerase gene and major capsid protein gene very similar to those of the amoeba. Further, unlike other viruses, it does not construct its own enclosed "viral factory" in the cytoplasm of the cell within which to replicate its DNA and contains none of the genes required to carry out the replication process. Instead, it occupies the entirety of the host nucleus and uses the host nuclear machinery to replicate. These features, Prof Takemura argues, indicate that the ancestral medusavirus and its corresponding host proto-eukaryotic cells were involved in lateral gene transfer; the virus acquired DNA synthesis (DNA polymerase) and condensation (histones) genes from its host and the host acquired structural protein (major capsid protein) genes from the virus. Based on additional research evidence, Prof Takemura extends this new hypothesis to several other giant viruses as well. Thus, Prof Takemura connects the dots between his findings in 2019 and his original hypothesis in 2001, linking them through his and others' work in the two decades that come in between. All of it taken together, it becomes clear how the medusavirus is prime evidence of the viral origin of the eukaryotic nucleus. He says: "This new updated hypothesis can profoundly impact the study of eukaryotic cell origins and provide a basis for further discussion on the involvement of viruses in the evolution of the eukaryotic nucleus." Indeed, his work may have unlocked several new possibilities for future research in the field. ### About The Tokyo University of Science Tokyo University of Science (TUS) is a well-known and respected university, and the largest science-specialized private research university in Japan, with four campuses in central Tokyo and its suburbs and in Hokkaido. Established in 1881, the university has continually contributed to Japan's development in science through inculcating the love for science in researchers, technicians, and educators. With a mission of "Creating science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, human beings, and society", TUS has undertaken a wide range of research from basic to applied science. TUS has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive study in some of today's most vital fields. TUS is a meritocracy where the best in science is recognized and nurtured. It is the only private university in Japan that has produced a Nobel Prize winner and the only private university in Asia to produce Nobel Prize winners within the natural sciences field. Website: https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/ About Professor Masaharu Takemura from Tokyo University of Science Dr Masaharu Takemura is a Professor of molecular biology and giant virus biology at the Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, Japan. A respected and senior researcher, he has more than 95 research publications to his credit. His research focus is virology and cell biology, and his main research aim is to elucidate the evolutionary mechanisms of giant viruses and eukaryotes, and the relationships between them. Funding Information This work was supported by JSPS/KAKENHI (no. 20H03078 to M.T.) OxygenOS 11 represents a considerable change for OnePlus, as the company switches focus to the generalist population. This is the conclusion Android Authority came up with after interviewing Sam Twist, a Senior Product Manager at OnePlus. OxygenOS 11 will launch with Android 11 for OnePlus smartphones, and its already available in beta form. This update represents a step away from stock Android, as it combines stock Android, and Samsungs One UI skin, kind of. OnePlus is changing focus to generalist population with OxygenOS 11 The companys focus is no longer just on the enthusiast crowd, as it was in the past. Flagship killers are no longer a part of the picture, as the company is looking to branch out. Advertisement OnePlus released a number of non-smartphone products thus far, and is ready to take a step further. The companys first smartwatch is also rumored, by the way. In any case, OxygenOS 11 puts great focus on one-handed usage, and Mr. Twist shared some more information in the aforementioned interview. He questioned the term stock Android. He said that Google doesnt exactly use stock Android, it builds upon it a different experience for Pixel phones. That is true. Advertisement OnePlus is trying to push forward the idea of a burdenless experience, instead of the stock-like one. Mr. Twist says that the look and feel are much more important to OnePlus than staying true to stock Android. This new variant of OxygenOS is supposed to help you use your large phone with one hand He says that OnePlus wants to take the best advantage of a large display, while making it easy for users to use such phones. Thats why the company re-arranged elements in OxygenOS 11. Those elements are now easier to reach with your finger, while using the phone with one hand. Thats why all those comparisons with Samsungs One UI were drawn. OnePlus also borrowed some UI element positioning from Samsung as well. Advertisement Mr. Twist says that stock Android is not optimized to be efficient on larger displays, which is true. Thats why OnePlus decided to change things up a bit, to offer a better experience to consumers. He also shared some information regarding OnePlus design team. Its quite small, by any standard, actually. The OxygenOS team has 191 members overall, while 30 of them have been working on the OxygenOS 11 design. OnePlus also did detailed research regarding the usage habits of consumers, and what would the ideal approach be. OxygenOS is what they came up with. The company was actually able to draw out 95th percentile and fifth percentile hand sizes, just to pinpoint the exact design. Stable OxygenOS 11 is expected to reach OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro either this month, or the next. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of TEATT Ludmilla de Weever confirmed on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers press briefing that her government is working on simplifying the guidelines for visitors, one such guideline is extending the timeline for the PCR testing from 3 to 5 days. One of the concerns and causes of cancellations by airlines is the fact that flights are canceled 24 hours before departure. De Weever said this also is hindering the travelers. Minister De Weever said she has been working closely with the Minister of Health Richard Panneflek and the medical advisors on how to move forward. De Weever said some of the plans St. Maarten has are to implement secondary testing at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) and have a second test conducted on the 8th day after the arrival of each passenger. The Minister of TEATT said that one of the goals is to have the new guidelines in place at least for a period of two weeks in order to give the passengers and airlines enough time to prepare themselves. De Weever also explained that the airlines have already indicated an increase in the number of flights that will be coming to St. Maarten. One such airline she said is Air France. While the Minister of TEATT said the government is working tirelessly to simplifying the restrictions for travelers she said they also have to work closely with the French side of the island to ensure there is a match with the traveler's restrictions. The Minister said her government is also working to having the island prepared for the high season. De Weever said just recently she visited the boardwalk and also the Simpson Bay market-place. She said that some work must be done at both locations which are also being worked upon. The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020-2022 SNMMI Wagner-Torizuka Fellowship. This two-year fellowship, founded in 2008 by the late Henry N. Wagner, Jr., MD, and the late Kanji Torizuka, MD, PhD, is designed to provide extensive training and experience in the fields of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging for Japanese physicians in the early stages of their careers. "SNMMI is pleased to sponsor the Wagner-Torizuka Fellowship in support of the worldwide advancement of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. The program has provided invaluable experience for many rising nuclear medicine and molecular imaging professionals over the years, equipping them to make significant contributions to the field in Japan," said Satoshi Minoshima, MD, PhD, FSNMMI, past president and chair of the SNMMI Awards Committee. The 2020-2022 fellows, each receiving an annual stipend of $24,000 (US), are: Masatoshi Hotta, MD, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. Hotta's research interests include PET/CT and SPECT/CT and the essential role they play in image-based treatment planning and dosimetry for theranostics. He is a visiting researcher in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology in the Ahmanson Translational Theranostics Division at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, under the supervision of Johannes Czernin, MD. Yuichi Wakabayashi, MD, PhD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Wakabayashi's research focuses on the utilization of PET/CT to localize and quantify specific proteins in the living brain. He is continuing his studies at the National Institutes of Health Molecular Imaging Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health under the supervision of Robert Innis, MD, PhD. Keiichiro Kuronuma, MD, PhD, Nihon University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Kuronuma's current research interestes include PET imaging using 18F-Flurpiridaz and artificial intelligence technology in medicine. He will study in the Department of Imaging at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, under the supervision of Daniel S. Berman, MD. The SNMMI Wagner-Torizuka Fellowship program, sponsored by Nihon Medi-Physics Co., Ltd., in Japan, has successfully graduated 30 fellows since its inauguration in 2008; currently, three fellows are studying at host institutions across the United States. Applications and further information about requirements for the 2021-2023 SNMMI Wagner-Torizuka Fellowship are available online at http://www.snmmi.org/grants. Applications are due by January 31, 2021. For more information about these and other scholarships, visit http://www.snmmi.org/grants or contact the SNMMI Development Department at (703) 652-6780 or at Grants&Awards@snmmi.org. ### About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, vital elements of precision medicine that allow diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. SNMMI's members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit http://www.snmmi.org. Elizabeth Olsen struck a casual look while heading out to grab coffee in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The 31-year-old actress was spotted leaving Alfred Coffee in Los Angeles, staying safe with a blue face mask covering her mouth and nose. The Avengers: Endgame star cut both a casual yet stylish look as she stepped out solo. Casual look: Elizabeth Olsen struck a casual look while heading out to grab coffee in Los Angeles on Tuesday Olsen stepped out with a loose-fitting short-sleeved white top with a few buttons undone. She stayed safe from the COVID-19 pandemic with a blue medical face mask covering her mouth and nose, with stylish round-framed Oliver Peoples The Row sunglasses. She completed her look with billowing white pants and brown sandals with a matching brown fanny pack around her waisst. Elizabeth'ss look: Olsen stepped out with a loose-fitting short-sleeved white top with a few buttons undone Olsen made headlines last week when she deactivated her Instagram account, after trolls started bashing her for not saying anything publicly about the death of Chadwick Boseman. Olsen and Boseman both shared the screen in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans also bashed Boseman's Black Panther co-star Lupita Nyong'o for not saying anything about Boseman's death on social media, though she did release a poignant statement on Tuesday. Deactivate: Olsen made headlines last week when she deactivated her Instagram account, after trolls started bashing her for not saying anything publicly about the death of Chadwick Boseman Olsen most recently starred on the Facebook Watch series Sorry For Your Loss, which was canceled in January as the new streaming platform focuses on unscripted programming. She will return as her Marvel Cinematic Universe character Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch, in the new series WandaVision, which reunites her with Paul Bettany as Vision. The series is currently in post-production and expected to debut sometime in 2021 on the Disney Plus streaming service. Series: Olsen most recently starred on the Facebook Watch series Sorry For Your Loss, which was canceled in January as the new streaming platform focuses on unscripted programming She is also slated to return as Scarlet Witch in the highly-anticipated Doctor Strange sequel entitled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The 'multiverse' was first revealed in the 2019 Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home. No further plot details were revealed for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is slated for release on March 25, 2022. The NPP parliamentary candidate for Bantama, Francis Asenso-Boakye on Monday, September 7, 2020, held a breakfast meeting with ministers and pastors of various churches within the constituency, as part of series of such engagements with relevant stakeholders. The meeting afforded Mr Asenso-Boakye the opportunity to interact and listen to the concerns of the pastors and challenges facing the church. Mr. Asenso-Boakye also used the occasion to formally introduce himself to the men and women of God as the parliamentary candidate of the New Patriotic Party for the December elections. Mr. Asenso-Boakye, who is also a deputy chief of staff at the presidency asserted that the NPP, under President Akufo-Addo, has prepared Ghana for a massive socio-economic takeoff following the fulfilment of its key campaign promises. "In its first year of introduction, about 80,000 kids were able to enroll in school because of the Free SHS policy. The number increased to about 180,000 in the subsequent year. All these school kids wouldnt have had access to secondary education if not for the free SHS initiative." "A recent report by the police service reveals a decline in crime rates in the country. This can largely be attributed to the fact that more young men and women are now in school, unlike before where they would spend their time engaging in social vices", he added. "Again, due to the introduction of Planting for Food & Jobs (PFJ) programme, the country no longer import maize. Rice imports has also been reduced drastically and are now able to export various food items including plantain to our neighbouring countries", Asenso-Boakye narrated. He also said that there are a total of 180 One District One Factory (1D1F) projects ongoing at various stages across the country. "About two weeks ago, President Akufo-Addo commissioned the Ekumfi Fruit factory in Ekumfi. The factory employs over 500 Ghanaians, both skilled and unskilled, and has given jobs to thousands of farmers. He was of the opinion that with these arrangements in place, Ghana is ready for a smooth economic takeoff in the next term of President Akufo-Addo and the NPP. He therefore appealed to the ministers and pastors to help propagate the good works of government to their congregations. Speaking on behalf of the clergy, Rev Nuh Ben Abubakar of the Methodist Church expressed gratitude to Mr. Asenso-Boakye for the diverse contribution and assistance to the constituency and its constituents. He assured that they will continue to pray for him and President Akufo-Addo to deliver on their mandate. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned Madhya Pradesh street vendors, who are starting afresh battling the pandemic induced crisis to follow three mantras - wearing mask, cleanliness and social distancing. "Now when you are starting your business afresh, you have to take some precautions. Until the corona vaccine arrives, you have to take full care of yourself and your customers' safety. Masks, cleanliness, do gaaj ki doori - all these have to be adopted," cautioned the Prime Minister today as he virtually addressed scores of Street vendors of Madhya Pradesh who availed the centre's PM-SVA Nidhi scheme. Prime Minister spoke to three select beneficiaries through video conferencing. While speaking to one vegetable seller, he asked whether they are organic and if they are, whether his buyers are aware of it. He also spoke to a tikki seller who runs a stall by the name of 'Sharma Tikki seller'. Taking a subtle dig at his predecessors, Modi claimed that there has been a lot of talk of the poor in our country, but the work done for the poor in the last six years has never been done before. "Every area, every sector where the poor-victims-exploited-deprived, were in need, the government's plans came as its backing," remarked the Prime Minister. Making a strong push for the centre's pro-poor agenda, Prime Minister said that street vendors now have Ujjwala for gas connection, an electricity connection, connected with Ayushman Bharat scheme and are getting the benefit of the insurance scheme. He also said that now they have a roof of their own. He was speaking beneficiaries of the Centre's SVANidhi yojana in MP, which the PM said, has benefited over 1 lakh street vendors in 2 months. "Our poor friends and street vendors heavily felt the crisis. Therefore, since the first day of the Corona crisis, it has been the endeavour of the government to overcome the crisis of the poor," PM Modi said. MBABANE In the wake of the furore that erupted over the past weekend due to an advertisement by hair product company TRESemme, which was published on the Clicks website, AfroBotanics has responded. In light of the ongoing reactions from the public regarding the Clicks advertisement, which caused an uproar last Friday, where black hair was portrayed as dry and damaged while Caucasian hair was portrayed as neat and straight. The AfroBotanics hair care range, which is owned by liSwati-born businesswoman Ntombenhle Khathwane has featured some local and South African personalities such as Lindokuhle Mthupha and Pearl Thusi in one of their social media campaigns. Disappointed It caters to the needs of kinky African hair and Thusi also distributes her hair care range named Black Pearl Hair under the same company. In an interview with SABC news Chriselda Lewis last Friday, Khathwane said she was disappointed over the matter. When I first saw the emails, tweets and reactions over the matter, I was disappointed and confused because this was not the Clicks I had known and partnered with, she said. She further revealed that after the whole debacle got heated, she received messages from her products supporters to remove her products from the Clicks shelves into other retail outlets. Subsequent to her interview with the news outlet, Khathwane then issued a statement on her Facebook page regarding her stand with the retailer. In the statement, she said AfroBotanics had been partners with Clicks for four years and they had the best experience with them in terms of their support of a black female-owned brand while pioneering the natural hair category in the country. Damaging We have had conversations with management at Clicks and we are looking forward to their response and action on such a hurtful and damaging issue. She further highlighted that over 60 per cent of shoppers at Clicks were black women, who deserved better. Khathwane also added that through the experiences she had with Clicks they would time and again host events that catered to different brands caring for African hair from all over the world to come together and share ideas on how they could improve their brands. With that said, she mentioned that gathering her conversations with the retail company, they were also in shock over the advertisement because it was content from a third party, which they were fighting on behalf of. Regardless of the circumstances, I believe that it should not have happened under their watch especially in the year 2020, she said. The businesswoman also shared that during her conversations with the retailer after the hysteria they asked her and other clients what they could do to make it better, to which she said more representation by black women was needed on their marketing platforms. Clicks expressed their sincerest apologies on the matter following the outrage it caused last Friday afternoon. Instigated The local retailers for Clicks have not been affected by the demand to close shop, which was instigated by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) as they were operating normally yesterday. Local people also took to their social media platforms to express their discontent over the same issue, although some of them had turned it into a laughing matter. By the time of going to print, it had been reported by eNCA that all Tresemme products were to be delisted and removed from Clicks shelves. Local haircare products to be expanded. Clicks has accepted the resignation of the senior executive responsible & suspended all employees involved in publishing the advertisement. In an interview with this publication, Khathwane said Clicks Stores was available in five southern African countries including Eswatini and so was the brand TRESemme that created the offensive content, which appeared on the Clicks website. In essence, Tresemme, an international brand owned by Unilever, offended all black women all over the world, and I am very happy that Clicks is removing that product from their stores, she remarked. She stated that she found it to be a violent assault on the identities of black girls and black women and that it was racist and it is inexcusable. I hope that this inspires the women of Eswatini to take ownership of the narrative and create products and lobby for retail chains to carry them. Just because a retail chain is international doesnt mean they should carry local content. Earned At this stage money earned by emaSwati goes to South Africa. We need more local women manufacturing products because that is the way to create an economy that can employ people, mentioned Khathwane. As an Eswatini-born woman, who has been able to grow her AfroBotanics brand so that it is supplied in big retail chains like Clicks, she said she was in the process of establishing a manufacturing base in Eswatini as well, which would be her contribution to the country. When we allow other people, other races, other countries to make products for us, they own the narrative and can tell us what to think of ourselves, she concluded. Patrick Kenefick, left, and Dana Williams, both of Mill Valley, Calif., record the darkened Golden Gate Bridge covered with smoke from wildfires Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, from a pier at Fort Baker near Sausalito, Calif. The photo was taken at 9:47 a.m. in the morning. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) Hazy clouds of smoke from dozens of wildfires darkened the sky to an eerie orange glow over much of the West Coast on Wednesday, keeping street lights illuminated during the day and putting residents on edge. The California Highway Patrol urged drivers to turn on their headlights and slow down. Social media was filled with photos of the unusual sky, and many people complained that their cellphone cameras weren't accurately capturing the golden hues. "It's really just strange and ominous outside, it feels like I should be in bed sleeping," said Aamir Vaid, who canceled plans to have lunch in downtown San Francisco because of the dark sky. While satellites show a towering band of smoke hovering along the coast, there was little scent of smoke and the air quality index did not reach unhealthy levels. That's because fog drifting from the Pacific Ocean was sandwiched between the smoke and ground. And smoke particles above the marine layer were acting like a filter, scattering blue light and only allowing yellow, orange and red light to reach the ground, said Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The smoke blocked out so much sunlight that a forecast for temperatures to climb to 90 degrees (32 Celsius) instead dipped to the 60s (15.5 Celsius) as though "we're in perpetual morning without the sun to help us warm up," said Drew Peterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Bay Area office. San Francisco City Hall is shrouded in smoke from multiple wildfires burning in the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges of Northern California, Wednesday morning, Sept. 9, 2020. Air quality throughout the West was heavily impacted. (AP Photo/Olga Rodriguez) Some of the smoke settled in San Francisco Bay and formed a 15-mile (24-kilometer) trail of ash along the tidal line, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Borrmann said the conditions were expected to linger until Friday. By then, the district expects to issue its 25th consecutive Spare The Air alert requiring residents to cut pollutionthe longest stretch since the program began in 1991. The alerts began Aug. 18 after thousands of lightning strikes ignited three massive wildfires to the north, south and east of San Francisco. The previous streak was 14 days of alerts in 2018 when the Bay Area was choked by smoke from a fire that devastated the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. This time, strong winds from the north and northeast pushed smoke from devastating wildfires in the Sierra Nevada foothills and in Oregon and Washington state into lower elevations. A fire that exploded in size Tuesday and prompted evacuation orders for some 20,000 people in Oroville sent the air quality index in Sacramento to a hazardous reading at one point. People look toward the skyline obscured by wildfire smoke in daytime from Kite Hill Open Space in San Francisco, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Poor visibility because of the dark sky also prevented California's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, from doing some aerial inspections needed to restore power to about 167,000 customers, spokesman Jeff Smith said. The power was deliberately cut Monday to try to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires in windy weather. Air quality warnings also were issued throughout the Pacific Northwest, and people in communities from southern Oregon to north of Seattle have seen blood-red skies and choking smoke. "It was scary. Especially as red as the sky was," said Patricia Fouts, who evacuated from a senior living center because of a massive fire east of Salem, Oregon. Winds coming from the Pacific Ocean will likely keep pushing the smoke across the U.S. West, worsening air quality, said Roger Gass, another weather service meteorologist. This photo taken from the home of Russ Casler in Salem, Ore., shows the smoke-darkened sky well before sunset at around 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. Strong winds and high temperatures continued to fuel catastrophic fires in many parts of Oregon on Wednesday, forcing thousands of people to flee from their homes and making for poor air quality throughout the West. Huge wildfires also continued to grow in neighboring Washington state. (Russ Casler via AP) This photo taken from the home of Russ Casler in Salem, Ore., shows the smoke-darkened sky well before sunset, around 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. Strong winds and high temperatures continued to fuel catastrophic fires in many parts of Oregon on Wednesday, forcing thousands of people to flee from their homes and making for poor air quality throughout the West. Huge wildfires also continued to grow in neighboring Washington state. (Russ Casler via AP) People look toward the skyline obscured by wildfire smoke during daytime from Kite Hill Open Space in San Francisco, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Wildfire smoke obscures the sky over Interstate 280 in San Francisco, Wednesday morning, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Smoke envelopes the downtown skyline as winds carry the smoky air from the Cameron Peaks wildland fire burning in Colorado's High Country Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at 15:31 UTC (7:31 a.m. PDT) on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, shows brown smoke from wildfires blowing westward, from California's Sierra Nevada to the Coast Ranges, at center to left, and from Oregon at top left, affecting air quality throughout the West. Smoke mixes with clouds and overcast along the coast. Millions of acres of wildland and many homes and other structures have been lost to the flames. (NOAA via AP) In Denver, a thick blanket of haze covered the skyline, obstructing mountain views typically visible from the city. Scott Landes, chief air quality meteorologist for Colorado's health department, said a cold front improved air quality but the state may start getting a new wave of smoke over the weekend because of drier, warmer temperatures. In Phoenix, the sky was finally blue after a cold front swept through, keeping wildfire smoke west and southwest of Arizona. Reno, Nevada, also saw blue for the first time in days after air quality reached a hazardous level a day earlier, prompting the Washoe County School District to cancel all in-classroom lessons. "Everybody wants to know, when is this going to get better," Gass said. "We have to remember, as long as the fires keep burning, they're going to continue to produce smoke." Explore further Fires overwhelming British Columbia; smoke choking the skies 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. " " The Chinese Army has roughly 2.25 million soldiers. See pictures of Beijing. China Foto Press/ Getty Images Since World War II, only three world powers have been referred to as "superpowers" -- the Soviet Union, the British Empire and the United States. The first two have since lost that distinction, leaving America as the world's only true superpower, according to most history experts. There are no hard and fast rules as to what makes a state a superpower, but there are some defining characteristics that most pundits agree are necessary to earn the title. Being a global leader in economics, culture and education, along with a strong military presence are all hallmarks of a superpower. Japan was believed to have been the next superpower in the 1980s, but that prediction never came to fruition. China is now generally seen as the next candidate for the superpower distinction, with some actually asserting that China has aims to take over the world. Language like that can make China's intentions seem sinister, and even though some politicians and economists may believe the country is plotting for world domination, what's more likely afoot is that China is in a two-way fight with the United States for the most foreign interests. These interests serve a purpose, but what they all add up to is control of foreign resources and commodities, as well as in a militaristic sense. The old adage "whoever dies with the most toys wins" is a joke, but the idea could apply to the battle being waged between the United States and China. In this case it's not toys, but military bases, trade partners and rights to natural resources in foreign countries. In other words, which country gains or retains the title of superpower. Advertisement China has a problem -- its population does not match its resources and gross domestic product. China's more than 1.3 billion people don't have the resources to adequately care for themselves [source: University Nebraska at Omaha]. This has led China to begin exporting its people, in a sense, by setting up shop in other parts of the world. Look no further than Africa, where China has rapidly developed its presence during the last decade, in countries like Nigeria and Angola, among others. During that time, more than 750,000 Chinese have moved to Africa [source: Malone]. Some experts contend that the plan is to increase this number to the hundreds of millions, helping to put a dent into China's natural resource problem by tapping into Africa's resources, while thinning the herd in the home country [source: Malone]. Air and sea routes are increasing between China and African nations as massive deals are made for commodities, trade, labor and military cooperation. Chinese private schools, embassies and cultural centers are popping up in places like Rwanda, Nairobi and Angola. Angola even has its own "Chinatown" district. In return, countries in Africa get a willing trade partner and assistance and weaponry for its military factions. Africa also receives the supposed benefit of jobs and infrastructure building. While trade has increased from 5 million Yuan to 6 billion in the last 10 years, many contend that Africa is getting the short end of the stick, importing cheap Chinese toys and goods, while exporting valuable commodities like oil and timber. It's estimated that 70 percent of African timber ends up in Chinese ports, a figure that hints at massive deforestation [source: Malone]. There are also assertions that Chinese mining operations in Africa are staffed with African laborers earning less than one Yuan per day, which is about 14 cents [source: Malone]. The weapons sent to Africa often supply arms that help to fuel the continent's many civil wars. And in some parts of Africa, Chinese-only communities have gates, and blacks are not allowed to enter. Similarly, China has reached out to Latin America as well, bypassing the United States as Brazil's No. 1 trading partner, and coming in second to the United States in Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Peru and Venezuela. With this kind of reach, and a population at well over a billion people, it's no wonder that a large percentage of the global financial news focuses on China. But is China poised to become a true superpower? An Iranian women's rights activist has been granted refugee status in Turkey, just hours after she was arrested and threatened with deportation. Maryam Shariatmadari, 35, who fled Iran after taking part in anti-hijab protests, was arrested in the western Turkish city of Dinizli on Monday and taken to a detention centre for undocumented migrants. In a video taken from the back of a police van and posted on her Instagram page, Maryam begged for help, with activists warning that she faced torture or execution if she was returned to her home country. Hours later, amid mounting pressure, Maryam said she had been released and granted refugee status, though lawyers warned her condition remains precarious. Maryam Shariatmadari, 35, Iranian women's rights activist, was arrested in Turkey on Monday and threatened with deportation back to her home country (pictured in the police van) Gokhan Bozkurt, president of the Aydin Bar Association, which has been following her case, said: 'She is free now. 'The government might try to hand her over to Iranian authorities. But we lawyers are going to try to keep her in Turkey if she doesn't want to go to Iran.' In the video of her arrest, Maryam reveals that officers were questioning her right to be in the country, saying: 'This is without cause. My name is in the system but they are refusing to check it. 'They're about to send us for deportation. If there is anything you can do, please do it,' she added. Her pleas caught the attention of human rights activists in both Iran and Turkey, who began campaigning for her release. Many of them retweeted the video along with messages saying she faces 'possible torture and execution' if she is returned to Iran. Maryam was arrested in Iran in 2018 after taking part in anti-hijab protests in the capital Tehran, spending four days in solitary confinement. Activists fear that Shariatmadari, who took part in anti-hijab protests in 2018, will be tortured and possibly executed if she is taken back to Iran where she faces 'national security' charges After being charged with violating national security she fled to Turkey, where she claimed asylum. Turkey is home to dozens of Iranians who fled amid fears of persecution, though they are often not recognised as refugees, meaning their legal status is unsettled. After spending a night in police custody, Maryam revealed on Tuesday that she had been freed and had been granted official refugee status. However, she told The Independent that she had also faced pressure from police to sign papers promising to leave the country within weeks. Maryam was part of a group of protesters who became known as 'the girls of Revolution Street' after the road in Tehran where they removed their headscarves during repeated demonstrations. Shariatmadari (pictured) said police pressured her to sign papers agreeing to leave Turkey, before releasing her as international pressure mounted The movement began in December 2017 but prompted many copycat protests, including one staged by Maryam in February the following year Video showed her protesting on top of an electrical box before being shoved to the ground by police, which friends said left her needing knee surgery. Hijabs have been compulsory in Iran since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Maryam was initially charged with 'encouraging corruption by removing her hijab' and sentenced to a year in jail. However, she was then re-arrested on national security charges as police seized her computer and arrested some of the lawyers representing her. While out on bail she managed to flee to Turkey, where she now lives. The Tomball Fire Department welcomed a new assistant fire chief at the last city council meeting, who brings nearly 30 years of experience serving as a firefighter at departments across Texas. Taner Drake, the new assistant chief, was sworn in at Tuesdays meeting, and has been on the job for about two weeks. Drake came from Webster, where he served as a lieutenant before coming to Tomball. Local agencies talk storm prep: How the city of Tomball prepared for potential worst of Hurricane Laura Drake began his career in firefighting with the Odessa Fire Department, where he spent much of his time combating brush fires in West Texas. He worked his way through the ranks there for 19 years, leaving as an assistant chief in 2011 to become the fire chief in Victoria. He was there for seven years before leaving to the Houston area for the Webster Fire Department to be closer to his children and two granddaughters. Firefighting wasnt a calling for Drake at a young age, he didnt grow up around firefighters or have any relatives in the service. He said he first got the itch to become one after seeing a house fire across from his girlfriends house when he was around 16. On HoustonChronicle.com: How busy was Galveston PD over Labor Day weekend? Way busier than 2019, figures show. I watched this house just go up in flames and the fire department showed up, Drake said. Those guys, they put on their stuff, they went in that fire and I was just like, oh my gosh. Drake said he could remember the firefighters coming out of the smoky building after they put the fire out, walking out into the cold morning air while their gear was still steaming. I just sat back on the sidewalk going oh my gosh, look at those guys, he said. This is crazy, I want to be one of those guys. Since he began working, Drake has had experience in numerous types of calls in different environments responding to explosions, major warehouse fires, vehicle accidents, and helped respond to disasters during hurricanes in Victoria. I feel like I kind of offer a well-rounded approach, Drake said. Drake said he had been reconnecting with some of the issues out in the field recently by helping firefighters with support and making sure they accomplish their goals in the fire service as well; helping to shape the future leaders of the Tomball Fire Department. He isnt coming to the Tomball Fire Department with any agenda, Drake said, just to offer a different set of eyes. Sometimes, just a different perspective is good, Drake said. I think in the fire service at times you may fall into a little bit of a rut. So sometimes it just takes a different person to say maybe its time we reevaluate that and look and see if theres a better way of doing it. Drake said he was also looking forward to what he could learn from the Tomball Fire Department. I continuously grow in this career path, so I look forward to learning from the men and women from the Tomball Fire Department as well, he said. paul.wedding@hcnonline.com High school students in line to have temperature checked before entering the building in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images) Virus Disruption to Schools to Deliver $15 Trillion Hit to US Economy: OECD An intergovernmental agency that works to stimulate economic development has warned that pandemic-related disruption to schools could cost Americas economy around $15 trillion in lost output over the rest of the century. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which besides the United States includes 36 member countries, said in a Sept. 8 streamed press conference and accompanying report (pdf) that researchers found a significant corona-induced loss of skills as schools closed to curb the spread of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus. The agency concluded that the pandemic-related interruption to education would, over the remainder of the century, cost the U.S. economy 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The present value of the total cost would amount to 69 [percent] of current GDP for the typical country, the authors of the report concluded. Americas GDP in 2019 was around $21.7 trillion, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The calculations, which are drawn from a pre-publication working paper by Hanushek E and Woessman L titled The economic impacts of learning losses, are based on long-run estimates of how students losing on one-third of the school year due to the virus outbreak would impact the economy. The agency warned, however, that if schools are slow to revert to previous levels of performance, the education-related detrimental effect of the pandemic on the economy could be even worse. These estimates assume that only the cohort currently in school are affected by the closures and that all subsequent cohorts resume normal schooling. If schools are slow to return to prior levels of performance, the growth losses will be proportionately higher, the authors noted. Besides the loss of skills due to outright school closures, the OECD said the pandemic may also affect public spending on education as funds are diverted into the health sector and to prop up ailing economies. The agency also said that, provided it can be done safely, reopening educational facilities will have a positive impact on economic output. Reopening schools and universities will bring unquestionable benefits to students and the wider economy. In addition, reopening schools will bring economic benefits to families by enabling some parents to return to work, the authors wrote. Another recommendation to minimize the impact on schooling includes expanding the remote learning infrastructure. Strengthening education systems needs to be at the heart of government planning to recover from this crisis and give young people the skills and competencies they need to succeed, said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, launching the report in Paris. The current crisis has tested our ability to deal with large-scale disruptions. It is now up to us to build as its legacy a more resilient society, Gurria added. The agency also urged careful risk management as authorities reopen schools, including adopting such measures physical distancing in classrooms, staggering meal times to avoid large gatherings, and stressing good hygiene. New Delhi: Well music learners its a good news for you. A recent study at Universite de Montreal's School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology has found that music professionals or people who are learning music react spontaneously or have a faster reaction time than the people who do not possess a musical background. Senior Researcher with the University, Simon Landry holds a belief that this finding will prove beneficial for older people as it will help to enhance the sensory process in the elderly. And a musical founf\dation will be good option to provide benefit to the older generation believes the researcher. Laundry majorly studies sound and touch. Simon did the research on 16 musicians who started learning music at an early age, from Udem's music faculty and 19 people who did not have musical background, from the School of Speech Language Pathology. He observed the response times of both the musicians and the non-musicians. The task was conducted in a silent luminous room. Computer mouse was on the one hand of the participant and index finger of other hand on vibrator. In order to avoide any distraction, earplugs were provided. Speakers were placed right before the participants and they had to press the mouse on hearing a sound either from the speakers or vibrator, or both. "We found significantly faster reaction times with musicians for auditory, tactile and audio-tactile stimulations," Landry said. "These results suggest for the first time that long-term musical training reduces simple non-musical auditory, tactile and multisensory reaction times." Well the study can help the oldies to improve the reaction time and become alert by playing music or learning musical instrument. Simon came out with this study as a part of his Doctoral Thesis at the University in Biomedical Science, which was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Fonds de recherche Quebec -- Sante, and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. A dog has been credited with saving an Alabama familys lives after his bark awakened them to a fire that was sweeping through their rental home early Tuesday morning. The dog, Ralph, doesnt usually make a sound at night, said Derek Walker, who lived in the Birmingham home with his wife and two children, according to AL.com. So when Walker heard a different kind of bark coming from Ralph, a 4-year-old Great Dane, he got up to investigate. Thats when he saw the fire outside the familys kitchen window. The blaze had started on a grill and spread to the home, according to Robert Lawson, a battalion chief with the North Shelby Fire Department. I just started screaming fire to get everybody up, Walker said. My wife got up and she got our daughter and got her out. After getting their daughter out of the house, his wife went into the home again to get their son. He had been fast asleep while his bedroom was full of smoke. The fire was right outside his wall, Walker said. He wasnt awake because he sleeps covered with his blanket. Walker stepped inside the house to get Ralph, who was in his kennel, and the familys two miniature pigs. The hero, Ralph, made it out alive. The home has suffered heavy fire damage and most of the familys belongings have perished. But, they are thankful for the furry member of the family. Without Ralph, I dont think we would have made it, Walker said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bunge Loders Croklaan (BLC), the specialty oils and fats business of Bunge Limited (NYSE:BG), officially announces the opening of its state-of-the-art shea butter processing facility in Tema, Ghana with the launch of the Where Life Grows campaign that celebrates the companys efforts to build a resilient and sustainable shea supply chain in Africa. The cutting edge processing plant marks the companys latest investment to meet the growing demand for shea globally. The plant forms part of efforts to protect and advance the shea supply chain in West Africa. Our latest investment in Ghana plays a critical role in strengthening BLCs global infrastructure for processing and supplying high-quality shea products to our customers around the world, while also bolstering the entire ecosystem of regional crushers and local shea collectors in the West African region, said Aaron Buettner, President BLC. The facility allows us to meaningfully support and empower the local shea communities through the transfer of knowledge of value adding processes and by investing in local skills development. We are proud to join forces with local communities to help build and advance the African shea industry together. Operational since 2019, the facility is BLCs first shea processing plant in Africa and the largest of its kind on the continent. The facility is a fully automated solvent fractionation plant that processes raw shea butter made from locally collected and crushed shea nuts, said Antoine Turpin, General Manager West Africa at BLC. Currently, the facility provides employment to 73 people from mostly the local community. Its strategic location not only allows for a more efficient production process, it also delivers on BLCs commitment to building a more sustainable supply chain for shea. Where Life Grows A campaign dubbed Where Life Grows has also been launched to celebrate this milestone. The campaign, a tribute to the long-standing shea legacy in the region, is designed to celebrate BLCs ongoing commitments and efforts within its shea sustainability program. The program was set up three years ago with the objective to empower shea collecting women, create socio-economic value in their communities, and conserve and regenerate the shea landscape in the region. Shea, also recognized fondly by the locals as the tree of life, has become a vital ingredient in both food and non-food products, driving up demand for shea butter with a CAGR of 6.27% by value and 7.9% by volume until 2024. 16 million women in Africa living in rural communities and their families depend on the shea industry to financially support their households and contribute to their communities. We believe that the key to building a better tomorrow for shea communities is by investing in sustainable trade and income diversification, explains Ben Vreeburg, Senior Director Sustainability for Tropical Oils at BLC. This belief is what brings our shea sustainability initiatives to life and the Where Life Grows campaign captures our commitment to create value to the countries and communities where shea is originated. As a founding member of the Global Shea Alliance, BLC works to ensure the female shea collectors in its supply chain are empowered through training, and by donating tools that enhance the womens safety, improve their physical well-being, and make the collection process more efficient. BLC has also contributed to programs designed to increase the value and quality of the collected crop, such as building warehouses and developing partnerships with local crushers, which in turn increases the financial gain for the womens cooperative groups. Furthermore, as a result of climate change impacting livelihoods of communities in the Savannah ecological area, BLC has committed to conserve and protect the shea landscape through reforestation and shea parkland restoration projects and the investment in energy-efficient stoves for the shea communities. For more information on our shea sustainability initiatives, please visit our shea dashboard and shea projects overview and learn more about the Where Life Grows campaign here. About the Shea Processing Facility The processing facility is a fully automated solvent fractionation plant that processes raw shea butter made from locally collected and crushed shea nuts into two major products - shea olein and shea stearin. Shea stearin is being processed further in our facilities in The Netherlands, Malaysia, US and Canada to produce ingredients that can be used in many food and non-food applications. For example Cocoa Butter Equivalents (CBEs) are used in chocolate confectionery. BLCs sustainability commitments BLCs shea sustainability initiatives underpin the companys vision to build 21st century value chains that are transparent, verified sustainable and create positive impact on the ground in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals across the areas of health and education, socio-economic development and environmental management. About Bunge Loders Croklaan: Bunge Loders Croklaan (www.bungeloders.com) is a leading global producer and supplier of plant-based specialty oils and fats for the food manufacturing and food service industry. It operates as part of the global B2B edible oils business of Bunge Limited (NYSE:BG). Its products are used in a wide range of applications, from bakery and confectionery to culinary and infant nutrition. With in-depth knowledge of ingredients, applications and processes, the Bunge Loders Croklaan team closely cooperates with customers to develop tailored solutions and create innovative products to meet their business goals and differentiate them in in the marketplace. 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 09.09.2020 LISTEN Information Minister Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has stated that he wasn't surprised when the former president John Dramani Mahama said the NPP government has lost the COVID-19 fight in the country. He said this on Monday 7th September 2020 at the launch of the NDC manifesto at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). Responding to this in an interview on Kumasi based Pure FM's morning show on Wednesday 9th September 2020, Hon. Kojo Oppong said John Dramani Mahama and his NDC wanted Ghana to fail from day one. He said the NDC want to use that for propaganda, "so they were disputing any information that the Ministry of Health will bring out." According to him, the NDC later formed a COVID-19 team just to disturb the government and the Health Ministry but all didn't work. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah used the opportunity to talk about the NDC's manifesto and termed it as a manifesto full of lies. He stressed that the NDC has fulfilled just 30% of its 2016 manifesto promises. (Natural News) Peter Schweizer is very good at digging up facts and laying them out for everyone so they can clearly understand who our most threatening and dangerous political leaders are, and hes done it again in a new documentary about Joe and Hunter Bidens close relationship with Communist China. In a recent interview with Fox News Watters World, Schweizer, who is a Breitbart News senior contributor and president of the Government Accountability Institute, discussed Riding the Dragon: The Bidens Chinese Secrets (see entire video posted below). In the documentary, Schweizer provides all the details regarding the Bidens financial dealings and ties to a country that has emerged as the greatest threat to U.S. national security since the Soviet Union. What are the main headlines from your research that you can see in this documentary? Fox News host Jesse Watters asked in kicking off the segment. Well, the main headlines, Jesse are these: that the Bidens made a lot of money, courtesy of the Chinese government. Were not talking about Chinese businesses the Chinese government. This happened while Joe Biden was the point person on Obama administration policy towards China, Schweizer said. But this is not just rank and file corruption that weve gotten used to. This is not the Chinese takeout version of typical corruption because, in addition to the Bidens making money, Jesse, what happened is, Hunter Biden entered into a business partnership, he continued. He was on the Board of Directors of a Chinese investment firm called BHR that was funded by the Chinese government, and what did they do? They started acquiring companies that were beneficial to the Chinese military, the documentarian added. They were an anchor investor in something called China General Nuclear, which ended up being charged by our FBI for stealing nuclear secrets in the United States. They ended up buying part of an American dual-use technology company, meaning it produces technology that has civilian and military application. They ended up buying that for the benefit of the Chinese military, he noted further. Because why bother to hack and steal military technology when you can just purchase it legally? Schweizer said whats at stake is much more than just another American political leaders kid getting rich. Rather, he added that there are genuine national security implications at stake if Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris manage somehow to skate into the White House next January. According to Law Enforcement Today, the firm BHR manages around $2.1 billion in assets. It is funded and mostly controlled by the ChiCom government, The Wall Street Journal added in October 2019 as the Democratic presidential nomination still remained in doubt. In 2013, Hunter Biden joined his then-vice president father aboard Air Force Two on a flight to China, where he would go on to secure a 10-percent share in the private equity firm. (Related: Chinese company that Hunter Biden invested in may have profited from a brutal, deadly crackdown at an African mine.) Over the past roughly six years, it has channeled $2.5 billion or more on behalf of its financial backers into automotive, energy, mining and technology deals, according to interviews with people familiar with the private-equity firm and a review by The Wall Street Journal of financial filings and other official business records, the paper reported. Hunter Biden, WSJ added, is one of nine of the firms directors, all of whom are known as BHR Partners, which is controlled and funded primarily by large Chinese government-owned shareholders. And dont think that President Trump hasnt made note of this. He alleged last year that Hunter Biden walked out of China with $1.5 billion in a fund, and while it wasnt clear at the time where the president came up with that figure, what is known is that Trump the businessman understands that industry well. Our intelligence services and Department of Defense have been saying for years that China, not Russia, is our biggest threat. If Biden somehow gets elected, the ChiComs will have at least four years to exploit their strengths and our weaknesses as a guest of the new president. Sources include: LawEnforcementToday.com WSJ.com Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com As part of their State of the Mobile Union, Root Metrics has conducted in-depth research in the performance of mobile phone carriers thus far in 2020. It recently emerged that mobile carriers would end 3G by the end of 2020 given so few people were using it. Many carriers also caused controversy for their opposition to testing their advertised coverage across America. The report demonstrates the increasing importance of 5G across the U.S. It also compared carriers across the country as well as how they performed in metropolitan areas. Advertisement Root Metric conducted the tests with off the shelf bought devices during the day and night whilst walking as well as driving. They use various metrics to give carriers different gradings which will be explored throughout this article. 5G gaining importance across the U.S. One of the major findings of a survey conducted by Root Metrics was the increasing importance of 5G across the country. More than 4 in 5 people surveyed believe 5G will be of benefit to them or their company. A similar number also believe 5G will help them using social media. Overall, this study conducted 2,722,153 tests with 202,923 miles driven and over 3000 locations reported. The study also tested 125 metropolitan locations. It had to halt its work during the pandemic but resumed in June so there was a small gap in the study. Advertisement Verizon leads the way across most metrics Across 5 of the 7 metrics, the study measured Verizon led the way above T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. They came out on top of all categories other than Speed and Text. This allowed them to take home the overall top ranking. T-Mobile performed the worst out of all carriers. They finished bottom in all 7 categories and were generally some way behind third-placed Sprint. However, T-Mobile tends to perform better in metropolitan areas rather than nationally. As a result, this finding is not particularly concerning. This allowed AT&T to slot in at second of the four carriers. Sprint was the most improved carrier and went up the rankings in reliability, data, call and text categories. Their rise is in latte of these was very impressive as it brought them in line with AT&T and Verizon. Advertisement When it comes to metropolitan areas Verizon continued to lead the way among mobile phone carriers in the first half of 2020. AT&T followed them with T-Mobile then Sprint lagging some way behind. Different approaches to 5G reflected in results When it comes of 5G coverage there is some significant variation in terms of coverage and download speeds. T-Mobile and AT&T had the highest availability percentages in certain cities. Verizon lagged miles behind with less than 1%. This is because of their plans to expand its 5G network through DSS technology. Currently, Verizon has actively deployed only mmWave 5G spectrum. Whilst AT&T and T-Mobile offer low-band coverage to its users. Advertisement The report reveals that on the whole, AT&T offers fast speeds, excellent reliability. They come in second overall behind Verizon that scores excellently across the board in almost all categories. The report categorizes T-Mobile as having solid results. In some metropolitan areas they had excellent speeds but generally were solid all round. Sprint improved well in terms of speed but generally showed solid results all round. Most notably was their text performances scores which did very well. As with all of these studies, there is plenty of detail to delve into should you wish. However, the main takeaways from this report are that Verizon continues to lead the way in most categories. They are closely followed by AT&T. Advertisement However, when it comes to 5G, which is becoming increasingly important, Verizon currently lags behind owing to their different strategy. It will be interesting to see how these results develop as mobile carriers look to best roll out 5G across the country. The foundational starting point of the book released last month , The Small Group Leaders Quick guide to (Almost) Everything, is that youth ministry thrives when the volunteer leaders are equipped for their task. But many are not. Often, churches find any warm and willing body (usually someone whos young) to serve in that role. Heck, anyone who will agree to spend time with teenagers in any capacity, they suppose, better you than me. Many people think youth volunteers have to look a certain way: skinny jeans, cool hair, and up-to-date on the latest social media trends. We disagree. Heres how we put it in the Introduction: Serving with teenagers isnt like being back in high schoolyou dont need to dress a certain way or act a certain way or worry about your relative hip-ness. You just need 3 things to be an effective small group leader. Love Jesus Care about teenagers Be willing to build and invest your time in a relationship with them. We quote a volunteer who sums it up this way. It turns out that young people can smell care under layers of nerd. What a beautiful picture of youth ministry! Its about an adult caring for the spiritual needs of a student. Thats really what the retreats and the games and the bus rides to retreats (probably the worst part of youth ministry) are all for: earning adults the right to show students that they care, and to lead those students into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. But a lot of youth pastors are very busy trying to manage the chaos around them, and dont always get to training their volunteers. We hope this book can be the one-stop shopping for those volunteers. A quick overview of what we cover: Leaders need to know how to BE a great leader Great leadership starts with the heart and character of the leader. In this chapter, we talk about the different relationships that must be prioritized and the idea that you cant give away what you dont have already have. Leaders need to know how to PLAN a great small group Good small groups dont happen accidentally. They take thoughtfulness, planning, vision, and care. You even need to think about the physical layout of the space youre meeting in. Leaders need to know how to LEAD a great small group When its go time, you need to know what to do in the moment. How do you handle disruptive students? Quiet students? We introduce you to various folks like Talkie McTalkerson, Bobby the Bump-on-a-Log, Willa the Wallflower, and more, and discuss how to engage with those students. Leaders need to know what to do when difficult situations arise Its impossible for us to address all of them, but we tackled the ones we have experienced the most. The bottom line on difficult questions is: even when you dont know something, its entirely appropriate to say I dont know the answer, but let me think about it, and Ill get back to you. Students will appreciate the authenticity of that response. Finally(Im serious about this) I also include my familys legendary pumpkin bread recipe at the end of chapter 8. Whats the state of the youth ministry at your church? Are leaders getting trained? Do you have some success stories in your life of a leader who wasnt the prototypical youth volunteer? Mumbai, Sep 9 : Profit booking, along with high volatility, has led to a net outflow from equity mutual fund schemes in August on a sequential basis. The data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India showed that net outflow stood at Rs 3,999.62 crore in August. In July, the net outflows stood at Rs 2,480.35 crore. The month-on-month slump comes on the back of profit booking. "Despite persistent volatility and challenging economic scenario, retail investors continue to exhibit mature investment behaviour, reflected from record high retail AUMs, continued rise in SIP AUMs, SIP Folios, and significantly higher quantum of flows towards multi-asset allocation schemes during the month," said N.S. Venkatesh, Chief Executive, AMFI. "On the debt side too, investors continue to repose trust, as seen from positive flows in money market, ultra-short and low duration funds. Overall, the Mutual Fund Industry continues to see steady rise, on a month-on-month and year-on-year AUMs on a consolidated basis." T he daughter of a British man who may have been the first person outside China to die from Covid-19 has accused Chinese officials of covering up the outbreak. Peter Attwood, 84, from Chatham, Kent, fell ill shortly before Christmas with a cough and fever before later dying in hospital on January 30. While his death was initially blamed on heart failure and pneumonia, the Kent coroner has now confirmed Mr Attwood was found to have had the coronavirus in his lung tissue and has listed his cause of death as Covid-19, The Sun reported. This verdict is believed to make Mr Attwood the first known death from the strain outside China. He died just 19 days after the first victim was recorded in the city of Wuhan where the virus is believed to have originated. The first coronavirus death in the UK was previously thought to have occurred on March 5. Mr Attwoods daughter Jane Buckland has told The Sun her father and many more victims of the disease could still be alive had China not covered up the outbreak. Ms Buckland said if she had known about the strain she would have shielded from her father / AFP via Getty Images If China hadnt lied to the rest of the world and kept this hidden for so long, it could have saved countless lives, she told the paper, which printed a copy of the Kent coroners letter to Ms Buckland, dated August 27, confirming her fathers cause of death. Covid has obviously been around for much longer than we know. People have been talking about a cover-up but we dont know the scale of it. My father could still be here if wed known about the threat of this horrible virus earlier. Ms Buckland, 46, who works as a full-time carer, said she also feared she had infected her father with Covid-19, since she had suffered symptoms including a fever and a dry cough prior to Christmas, when no-one knew what [the strain] was. She said her elderly father had an underlying heart condition, and so would have been shielding if the nature of the disease had have been known at that time. Ms Buckland said her daughter Megan, 18, had also come down with a cough and fever on January 10. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith told The Sun the confirmation of Mr Attwoods cause of death proved China knew all about human to human transfer of the disease long before it was made public. He also criticised the World Health Organisation, saying they failed to press China back in November and December when it was clear the country had at least an epidemic on their hands. Joe Exotic, the star of Netflix's hit documentary "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness," has submitted a case of a pardon, which is headed straight to the White House. Exotic, whose legal name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, submitted a 257-page argument to President Donald Trump asking for a pardon from his 22-year prison sentence after he was charged with involvement in a murder-for-hire plot, as reported by Fox News. Exotic pleading for pardon Among the documents was a letter from Maldonado-Passage, in which he said he was sexually assaulted by jail staff, beat up, and tied to a chair to the point the skin came off of his arms. Exotic wrote "please by my hero" and pleaded before claiming that his hands are damaged from the abuse in jail and apologize for the sloppy writing and spelling. Federal prison sources denied Maldonado-Passage's allegations, according to Variety. In addition, the 57-year-old former zoo owner reportedly said that he fears that his over various health conditions will eventually result in his death before his sentence is up. Character references were also included in the documents. Also Read: Fact Check: Were Human Remains Found at "Tiger King" Zoo Alligator Pit? Maldonado-Passage also went on to maintain his innocence in a plot to kill Carole Baskin, a fellow big cat enthusiast, and who was also featured in the documentary. Exotic claimed his threats against her were hyperbole. According to Exotic's lawyers, his threats were deemed simply another aspect of his showmanship and that his jokes, at most, in bad taste, were merely jokes. Furthermore, Maldonado-Passage claimed that when he paid the alleged hitman $3,000, it was simply to get him off of his back and not to kill Baskin. He also stated that he had been railroaded and betrayed, repeatedly, by the likes of Jeff Lowe, the judge over his case, and more. Exotic added that anti-gay comments are part of the reason behind his conviction of the crime, according to TMZ. The outlet also reported that he admitted to shooting ill animals at his zoo, claiming that it was a humane method of euthanasia. Also included in the document was a letter from Dillon Passage, Exotic's husband. Dillon's letter said that he sees a sweet, big heart man, with good intentions, who took a few steps down a dark road and that he is waiting to be pulled out of it. He added that his husband saved him from his addiction. Maldonado-Passage added to President Trump: "Allow me to make you proud, to make America proud, to make the world proud. Be my hero, please." The media reports that Maldonado-Passage's attorneys, including Eric Love, are headed to Washington D.C on September 9 to present the pardon application. Representatives for the Federal Medical Center Forth Worth, where Maldonado-Passage is being held, can't be reached to comment on the sexual abuse issue. Exotic's threats to Baskin Before his arrest, Exotic has been very public about his deep-rooted hatred for the animal rescuer Carole Baskin. He even said a few words about her on the documentary show. In 2018, Exotic was arrested and was found guilty of 19 counts, including attempted murder for hire, killing five tigers in his property, and selling of lion and tiger cubs illegally. In January 2019, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Related Article: Tiger King's Carole Baskin Joins the Cast of 'Dancing With the Stars" @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A staunch member of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Ato Dadzie has appealed to the national leadership of the party to as a matter of urgency select a Parliamentary Candidate for the party to contest the upcoming parliamentary election in the Cape Coast North constituency. According to him, the constituency needs somebody who will be able to secure the seat for in the upcoming general elections. In a petition addressed to the National Chairman of the party, he added that some persons are already making moves to be selected as the party's candidate due to the inability of the elected candidate to contest again. However, all the names coming up are known party members but have contributed to the factionalism in the Cape Coast North constituency. The Electoral Commission has withdrawn the voters' identification card of the National Democratic Congress Parliamentary Candidate, Dr. Kwamena Mintah Nyarku. The Cape Coast North MP hopeful, Kwamena Mintah Nyarku allegedly gave false information when registering for his Voter ID card. This led to the Commission withdrawing his Voters' ID card. The card withdrawal decision by the EC might prevent Mr. Nyarku from contesting for the 2020 parliamentary seat of the Cape Coast North constituency since he may not have a Voters' ID card when the nominations and registration opens. The electoral laws of Ghana disallow persons to contest for a years election if the individual is not a registered voter. Kwamena Mintah Nyarku has the option to appeal the High Court decision for legal redress. Read Petition Below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An Attleboro man was indicted Tuesday on charges that he watched child pornography and used Snapchat to engage in sexual activity with children under age 12, according to court documents. Garry Bienvenue, 58, faces one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. He has been detained since his arrest on March 12. Homeland Security Investigation agents learned the mothers of two children reported to the Hanover county Sheriffs Office in Virginia in March 2019 that their children received inappropriate text messages with a Snapchat account believed to be Bienenvues. One mother reported seeing the snapchat user, called gwelcome, asked one of the children if she liked to have sexual fun. The sheriffs officers traced the Snapchat account and email associated with it to a T-Mobile account. The accounts subscriber was listed as Bienvenue at his Attleboro address, court documents say. Federal agents surveilled Bienvenue in early 2020 and alleged that he is the man behind gwelcome. On March 12, HSI agents searched Bienvenues house and seized an LG phone and Samsung tablet. They found child pornography videos on the phone, including a video showing the rape of a child between the ages of 3 and 5, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Bienvene told federal agents he used Snapchat on his LG phone to chat and video-chat with children. Authorities say he asked them to watch him masturbate and sometimes asked them to masturbate in front of him. He allegedly told agents he paid to see live-streamed adult and child porn from the Philippines using the Tango application on his phone, a messaging and video-chatting app. Agents also said he admitted to storing child pornography on Dropbox. Agents later found 10 videos on Bienvenues Dropbox account, according to court documents. One of the videos was labeled Snapchat, agents said. Agents also found four videos depicting child pornography on the phone, including two from Snapchat, according to court documents. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- There were feelings of both excitement and anxiety as hundreds of Staten Island students returned to their Catholic elementary school for the first day of the 2020-2021 academic year on Wednesday. Students havent been inside a classroom since last March, when the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak shuttered school buildings. This is the shocking moment an aggressive crow swooped down from its perch at a terrified woman and chased her into her house. Luke and Tiffany Markovich, both 31, were returning to their home in Sheffield Village, Ohio, with armfuls of groceries when the bird attacked. A camera on the house shows Luke and Tiffany approaching the house only to stop in their tracks when they spot the crow perched above them on the roof. An aggressive crow swoops down at Tiffany Markovich, 31, as she returns home with her husband Luke in Sheffield Village, Ohio In the video, Luke is heard saying: 'Oh my Gosh, what the heck?' Clearly uneasy, Tiffany backs away from the house and keeps her distance while Luke unlocks the front door, as the bird can be heard cawing in the background. Suddenly the crow launches itself towards Tiffany who screams and tries to run away. As she dodges out of its path, the bird swoops around to follow her. Tiffany falls over in the yard and drops her groceries, before managing to scramble towards Luke and get inside the house. The crow lands on the wooden porch rail where it struts along, cawing loudly, as the couple's groceries are left abandoned outside. As Tiffany tries to run away screaming from the shrieking crow she falls over and drops her groceries on the ground Forgetting her dropped groceries and with the crow swooping round to continue the chase, Tiffany and Luke run inside to the safety of their house Despite falling over when being chased, Tiffany did not suffer any injuries. The crow had already attacked several neighbors, including a young boy. Despite reports of bird attacks rising in recent years, crows generally only go on the offensive if theyre defending space, food sources or their recently fledged young. NongHyup (NH) Financial Group Chairman Kim Gwang-soo subscribes to NH-Amundi Asset Management's Green Korea Fund at NongHyup Bank's main branch in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of NH Financial Group Pro-government moves attributed to NH Financial chairman By Park Jae-hyuk NH-Amundi Asset Management has become a rising star under the Moon Jae-in administration for its preemptive efforts to keep pace with major government policies. The asset management company, jointly established by NongHyup (NH) Financial Group and the French asset management firm Amundi, created an equity fund called the Green Korea Fund earlier this month, in line with the administration's Green New Deal initiative. The fund mainly invests in industries with higher sustainable growth rates, such as fuel-cell, electric vehicle, healthcare, 5G network and wind-power generation. "Based on NH-Amundi's excellent research and management capabilities proven with the Victorious Korea Fund, I hope this fund leads to investments in the Korean New Deal," NH Financial Chairman Kim Gwang-soo said after he subscribed this week. Other asset management firms have begun following in NH-Amundi's footsteps. Samsung Asset Management launched the New Deal Korea Fund on Monday to focus on investments in green and digital industries. KB Asset Management and Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management also plan to create equity funds related to the Korean New Deal. Mirae Asset Global Investments wants to list its exchange-traded funds (ETFs) based on five "K-New Deal" indices in October. President's fund manager NH-Amundi has become popular since it created the Victorious Korea Fund in August last year, aimed at supporting domestic materials, parts and equipment manufacturers. This came amid Japan's export restrictions targeting Korean firms in apparent political retaliation for the South Korean Supreme Court's rulings against Japanese companies over wartime forced labor. President Moon backed this effort by putting 50 million won ($42,000) into the fund. Ministers and high-ranking officials at government institutions and private enterprises also subscribed to the fund, saying they wanted Korea to cut the country's dependence on Japanese industrial materials, parts and equipment industries. This resulted in NH-Amundi chief investment officer (CIO) Ko Soong-chul being dubbed the "President's fund manager." Although some opposition parties dismissed the fund as "financial nationalism," capitalizing on a nationalist moment and government support, its rate of return reached 56 percent in August, a year after its launch. The figure went higher this month following Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's sudden resignation. NH Financial chairman's stance Industry officials said behind NH-Amundi's pro-government stance was the NH Financial chairman who has been known as one of the friendliest financial CEOs to the Moon administration. Kim became a government official in 1983 and worked at Cheong Wa Dae. He served as an assistant secretary for economic affairs at the presidential office under the Kim Dae-jung administration in 2001 and worked under the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2005. Although he left the government in 2014 when he resigned as the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit commissioner, he was mentioned as the strongest candidate for the Financial Services Commission chairman, the Financial Supervisory Service governor and the Korea Exchange chairman after President Moon took office in 2017. A year after the launch of the administration, Kim made a "glorious return," being appointed chief of the nation's fifth-largest financial holding company. In April, he was reappointed to serve for one more year. During his first term, he led the group to post record-high annual earnings in 2019. NH Financial also outperformed the fourth-largest Woori Financial Group in first-half net profit. However, there are concerns about the chairman's pro-government stance. Critics said NongHyup Bank employees could be overly forced to encourage their customers to subscribe to the Green Korea Fund, so as to boost its popularity at an early stage. The Victorious Korea Fund was embroiled in a similar controversy after revelations that a third of subscribers were bank workers. Appointment 9 September 2020 Thailand's Minor Hotels Group has appointed Dennis Gordienko as General Manager of the Avani Doc Let Resort in Vietnam, slated to open early 2021. Dennis' hospitality career started as a Food & Beverage intern in Antalya, Turkey, with Sheraton Hotels & Resorts in 2003. Since then he has worked in London and also his native Ukraine within F&B and Rooms departments with international brands such as Radisson, IHG, and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. His first role as GM was with the Gaya Island Resort in Borneo, which was followed by the Vistana Penang Bukit Jambul, both of which are part of YTL hotels. Dennis is not new to Minor Hotels, he first joined the group in 2015 as Cluster Resident Manager at Anantara Maldives, prior to that, he was Executive Assistant Manager leading the pre-opening of Amari Dhaka in Bangladesh. In 2019, he took the pre-opening helm at FCC Angkor by Avani prior to being reassigned to Avani Doc Let Resort. In 2017, the Trump administration reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, officially titled Protecting Life In Global Health Assistance. This policy prohibits any US-based or foreign nongovernmental organization from receiving US government global health assistance unless the organization certifies that it does not provide abortion services or counseling or referrals for abortion or advocate for changes in abortion laws. To study the impact of this policy on implementing partners of US-funded HIV programming by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Jennifer Sherwood of amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, and coauthors conducted an online survey during 2018 in all recipient countries. The survey results show that 28 percent of organizations reported stopping or reducing at least one service in response to the policy and note that a broad range of services and initiatives unrelated to abortion were reduced. The integration of HIV and reproductive health services is considered best practice by PEPFAR; many of the disrupted services were reproductive health services that were also provided at PEPFAR sites. The authors conclude that the current policy reduces the delivery of health services by PEPFAR's implementing partners, which has the potential to negatively affect many vulnerable PEPFAR beneficiaries, including youth and pregnant women. ### Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewed journal at the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update. Stay Up To Date With Health Affairs' COVID-19 Resource Center: We've gathered blogs and journal articles, along with relevant content from our journal archive: lessons from previous pandemics, including school closures during the Spanish flu; public health preparedness; and communicating risk. Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981. As the state Labor government of Daniel Andrews prepares to re-open schools from October 12, the Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union (AEU) has signalled its full support. The return to onsite learning, beginning for Years Prep-2 and 11-12, is part of the Andrews governments roadmap out of the COVID-19 lockdown to open up the economy for corporate profit. Melbourne has become the epicentre of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths in Australia, with the second wave of infections triggering stage four lockdown measures from August 2, involving overnight curfews, the closure of retail, cafes, gyms, hotels and restaurants, mandatory mask wearing and schools teaching online. The situation is the outcome of the negligent policies of both the state and federal governments, and the trade unions, who collaborated in the premature lifting in May of restrictions imposed during the pandemics first wave, including the reopening of schools and the resumption of onsite teaching. Immediately after the state governments announced roadmap out of the current lockdown, the AEU stated on their Facebook page: we are pleased with the cautious approach taken by the government and that a staggered return to on-site learning has been announced, including improved flexibility for schools in regional and rural Victoria and Melbourne so they can manage that return. The statement made no reference to teacher safety, merely referring to the need to address challenges in reopening the schools and for school staff to be appropriately supported. Nor was there any mention of the disasters that have accompanied the forced opening of schools internationally amid the pandemic, with countless teachers and school staff falling seriously ill and dying from COVID-19 as a consequence. The AEU bureaucracy elaborated on its orientation two weeks ago, at a regional union meeting in the Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong that was attended by more than 40 teachers. Union president Meredith Peace explained that AEU officials had been holding weekly meetings with senior education department officials during the lockdown. She said that in the event of a government decision to re-open schools the union was in favour of a staggered return, which she claimed had proven effective in the past. Effective for whom? While it may have been effective for the government and big business to get teachers back on site, as part of the drive to re-open the economy, for teachers and students the opposite was the case. The reckless return to onsite learning at the end of May led to more than 70 school closures due to COVID-19 outbreaks with some schools forced to close several times, as hundreds of teachers and students tested positive. Peace was challenged about her claim of reopening effectiveness, under conditions where one cluster at Al Taqwa College in the outer western suburbs of Melbourne had involved more than 200 teachers and students being infected. The states chief health officer acknowledged that there had been worrying evidence of student to student and teacher to teacher transmission at the school. Peace dismissively responded: I am not going to get into discussing Al Taqwa. Al Taqwa is not one of our schools. What she meant, but did not elaborate on, was that teachers at Al Taqwa are members of a different teacher union, the Independent Education Union, and do not pay dues to the AEU. So, as a consequence, Al Taqwa College teachers were of no material or financial interest to the AEU and what happened to teachers and students there was irrelevant. Peace also declared, Sorry we dont run the government, we dont get to make the decisions, we dont get the opportunity to agree or disagree with the chief medical officer. In other words, as far as the union is concerned, teachers must blindly accept the diktats of governments. They have no right to question or make their own collective judgements or decisions on issues concerning their safety and well-being. If teachers were to accept Peaces logic, educators would have no right to question any aspect of what takes place in schoolsincluding on working conditions, class sizes, high stakes standardised testing, or the ever-growing intrusion of edu-businesses. Teachers should just accept, without a word of criticism, whatever the authorities decide constitutes educational policy. Throughout the pandemic, the teacher unions have straitjacketed teachers and worked to sabotage any independent mobilisation in defence of educators and students safety. Near the peak of the first wave of coronavirus infections in Australia, on March 21, the AEU wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, expressing multiple concerns about school workers conditions. Far from demanding the closure of schools, however, the letter requested detailed advice on how to minimise health risks, including negotiating supplies of toilet paper and cleaning materials. Four days later the federal AEU leaders met with Morrison, for what he described as positive discussion on arrangements to force most teachers to remain in the classrooms. Morrison heaped praise on the unions stating: We are working with the national education union I thank them for their cooperation today and the very good spirit that they and many other unions around the country are working together with us. On April 24, the national cabinet, made up of Liberal and Labor politicians, intensified the campaign to bully educators back on site. Reversing previous government policy, Morrison declared he had new scientific research that it was not appropriate or required for teachers and pupils to follow social distancing guidelines. In the May edition of the AEUs Victorian branch magazine, Meredith Peace criticised this statement, saying Morrison had altered health advice on social distancing to suit his political position. However, within hours of the Victorian Labor governments announcement of a staggered reopening of the schools, the union welcomed the reopening, claiming that the announcement would give certainty to teachers, principals and support staff, and marks the beginning of the end of what has been a challenging time for everyone involved. The teacher unions have never challenged the pseudo-scientific arguments that schools are safe amid the pandemic, and that students have a low risk of infection and transmission. When outbreaks began emerging in schools across Melbourne shortly after the reopening in late May, the AEU sought to suppress the scale of the crisis, issuing no statements and releasing no data on the school closures and infections of teachers and students. In early July, Peace falsely asserted that schools had not experienced significant problems with transmission after returning from remote learning. This statement amounted to a criminal cover-up. The record makes clear that the union functions as the willing and active accomplice of the government and the education department. The union bureaucracys aim is to defend their own material interests and privileges, to have a seat at the table alongside other representatives of the ruling elite, and there is no line they will not cross to do that. Before educators are once again recklessly forced back into schools under unsafe conditions, they need to carefully review the role of the union and the experiences of teachers internationally who are being driven back into schools amid skyrocketing infections, with deadly consequences. From the beginning of the pandemic, the Committee for Public Education (CFPE) has called for the formation of rank-and-file safety action committees of educators, school staff, parents and broader sections of the community, independent of the unions, employers, and governments. This is now more urgent than ever before and we encourage teachers and school staff to contact the CFPE to discuss the necessary measures to protect their safety and that of their students. Email: cfpe.aus@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/commforpubliceducation Twitter: @CFPE_Australia The author recommends: Organise teachers, parents and school staff committees to oppose reckless school reopening in Melbourne! [7 July 2020] The global campaign to reopen schools and the international strategy of the working class [4 September 2020] FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- iBASEt, a leading provider of manufacturing, quality, and MRO solutions that enable digital continuity, today shared the success that Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has achieved with its implementation of iBASEt's Manufacturing Execution System (MES). The first site went live without customization in just eight months, a remarkable achievement considering the complexity of such a project. Future sites are expected to go live even faster. Lockheed Martin's iBASEt MES deployment delivers leading-edge digital continuity across the company's manufacturing engineering, process planning, shop floor execution, and quality management operations. Over the coming years, iBASEt's MES will be deployed across multiple Lockheed Martin sites. "Our digital continuity strategy consolidates multiple existing systems into a single platform, allowing for the necessary retirement of many outdated legacy systems," explained Brad Leech, Senior Manager, MES Implementation at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. "The improved capabilities of the system allows our team to quickly adapt, delivering more value to our customers." "It has been exciting to work with Lockheed Martin along their digital thread journey. Together, we have redefined how a successful MES solution can be deployed within the complex discrete aerospace and defense manufacturing industry," said Naveen Poonian, CEO and President at iBASEt. "In times of change when facing extreme challenges, leaders rise to the occasion and innovate to take the industry to the next level we are now experiencing this firsthand and have learned a great deal as part of the process." Brad Leech will be a featured presenter at iBASEt's Excelerate Innovation 2020, a virtual business conference for iBASEt customers, on October 6-7, 2020. Learn more: https://excelerate.ibaset.com/. About iBASEt iBASEt is a leading provider of manufacturing, quality, and MRO solutions that enable digital continuity across the enterprise. With 30+ years of experience in highly engineered, regulated industries, iBASEt simplifies the complex by empowering customers to gain real-time visibility, take control, and drive velocity across their operations and extended value chain. iBASEt works closely with industry leaders, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and Patria Belgium Engine Center. Learn more at iBASEt.com . Media Contact Gordon Benzie (949) 958-5200 [email protected] SOURCE iBASEt Related Links https://www.ibaset.com Squeeze Me By Carl Hiaasen Knopf. 352 pp. $28.95 Reviewed by Richard Lipez Nearly all of the dozens of Carl Hiaasens hugely popular satirical novels, young peoples stories, nonfiction books, and column collections mainly about political corruption and environmental despoliation in the state of Florida have been all too believably, even depressingly, topical. But by the evidence of the scabrous and unrelentingly hilarious Squeeze Me, the Trump era is truly Carl Hiaasens moment. Its as if Mastodon, as he is known here only by his Secret Service code name, had actually been hatched in Hiaasens febrile brain as one of his most farcically outlandish characters, and then in some Invasion of the Body SnatchersI-like transmogrification, President Trump actually turned up in real life and now he is back in Hiaasens novel. (The POTUS here loves the Mastodon moniker and asks an agent to be taken to the zoo so he can see a real one.) Squeeze Me is set in post-pandemic Palm Beach and Trump is still president. It will be useful for any pro-Biden readers to view this not as pessimism on Hiaasens part but simply as some additional deeply mordant humor. Just dive in and have a wonderful time. Lampooning the rich is a longtime American literary pastime, and no writer has ever been blessed with more fertile territory in that regard than Palm Beach. On the very first page we meet Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons, of the aerosol Pews and one of the Trump-loving Potussies, a bevy of hard-drinking, bejeweled heiresses, who at a ball in POTUSs honor serenade him with a song they made up, Big Unimpeachable You. Poor Kiki misses that splendid event, however, because by then she has tipsily fallen into a pond during the Irritable Bowel Syndrome gala at Limpid House and been devoured by a 20-foot Burmese python. (Tens of thousands of these Asian creatures are actually on the loose in the Everglades, a result of the exotic-pet craze in the 1980s and 90s. They normally eat only smaller mammals, but apparently Kiki was too tempting to pass up.) Theres a cover-up, of course bad for Palm Beachs image that eliminates the snake from the public scenario and has Kiki instead done in by a terrorist, an unlucky wrong-place/wrong-time Honduran asylum-seeker named Diego Beltran. Egged on by Mastodon, mobs outside his jail cell scream: No more Diegos! No more Diegos! Diego has become Mastodons brown-skinned Fiend-of-the-Month. Its the one aspect of the novel thats not all that funny. Hiaasen can always be relied on to give readers a likable, decent-hearted, beset young female protagonist to fight for justice, and Angie Armstrong is great fun to follow around. A former park ranger who did jail time for assaulting a poacher, Angie runs a business called Discreet Captures, ridding homes and businesses of overdeveloped Florida's many animal intruders. Angie is called in to deal with the original python as well as others that start turning up. Having figured out whats really going on, Angie must obtain and eventually coerce the assistance of, among others, an honest local cop, the Secret Service, and the first lady of the United States. Code-named Mockingbird, Mastodons spouse is sympathetically portrayed here. She finds pleasant distraction from her tedious duties and her husband in a raucous affair with a Secret Service agent named Keith Josephson. His real name is Ahmet Youssef; in passing, the clueless POTUS compliments his wifes lover on the agents nice tan. Hiaasens narrative wanders around a bit randomly, but with all the lovingly biting detail there isnt a page here that flags. Even the Palm Beach high-society names are choice, like the section in Gatsby where the long list of his party guests is so funny and revealing. Kikis best friend is Fay Alex Riptoad of the compost and iron ore Riptoads. Then there are the McMarmots, Tripp Teabull, Yirma Skyy Frick of the personal-lubricant Fricks, and Kikis stepsons, Chase and Chance Cornbright. Mastodons mansion/private club is Casa Bellicosa. Among the upcoming charity events threatened by the python scourge are the Psoriatic Gingivitis Gala and the Peyronies Syndrome Ball. Everybodys artificially bronzed and cantilevered, and a crucial you-see-it-coming-and-cant-wait plot point involves POTUSs malfunctioning tanning bed. Hiaasens old reliable deus ex machina character, much beloved by his fans former Florida Gov. Clinton Skink Tyree even shows up to help Angie provide Mastodon with a dose of his own bad medicine. The crazy-sane environmentalist emerges from the swamps where he resides among the snakes and shows Angie the baby iguana recently hatched from an egg he incubated in his empty eye socket. Thats a joke, but is it any grosser or daffier than what the nation now witnesses daily on cable news? Lipez writes the Don Strachey PI novels under the name Richard Stevenson. He wrote this review for the Washington Post. Negotiations between ASEAN countries and China over a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea will resume no later than November, Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said during a virtual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The talks come as territorial tensions in the sea are on the rise with countries such as Vietnam pushing back against Chinas maritime claims. The meetings will be face to face, Locsin said. The negotiations had been postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The regional geo-political and geo-economic landscape, including the South China Sea, are witnessing growing volatilities that are detrimental to peace and stability," Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at the start of the meetings. Vietnam, which is this years chair of Asean, is hosting the sessions. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The largest wildfire complex in California state history would give firefighting crews a year-long headache. Two such blazes would seem catastrophic. But three? "This is crazy," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Captain Richard Cordova told CNN. Complicating matters is the timing of the state's massive wildfire outbreak. Not only situated within the pandemically-upended 2020, which has left firefighting crews shorthanded, but also the amount of wildfire season that remains ahead. The state's three largest blazes all ignited over the summer and have burned through August into September, but the height of wildfire season typically arrives later in the fall. "We haven't even got into the October and November fire season, and we've broken the all-time record," Cordova said. "It concerns us because we need to get these firefighters off these lines and get them breaks from battling these wildfires." Flames burn at a home leveled by the Creek Fire along Highway 168 on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Fresno County, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) As of Wednesday morning, California wildfires have burned over 2.9 million acres since the year began. That total eclipsed the previous high for a single year, which was previously held by the 2018 season, during which over 1.9 million acres burned. The majority of burnt acreage this year has come from the three complex fires burning throughout the state. Known as the LNU Lightning Complex, the SCU Lightning Complex and the CZU August Lightning Complex fires, the three blazes have combined to burn over 1.5 million acres. Each blaze was ignited by lightning strikes during the second week of August, and each has destroyed over 350,000 acres. For context, during last year's entire wildfire season, 259,823 acres burnt. The LNU Complex, burning in the counties of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Solano, and the SCU Complex, burning in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Santa Clara and Stanislaus, are both largely contained. However, the CZU August Complex fire, burning in Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity counties, is currently just 25% contained, according to Inciweb. Story continues Flames shoot from a window as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Gusty winds earlier this week further complicated fire conditions for the August Complex, according to officials. "Northeast winds are expected throughout the day with strong gusts up to 40 mph," officials said on Tuesday morning. The difficult conditions followed after extreme heat and gusty winds fanned the flames of the complex last Sunday. That heavy smoke, along with the smoke from fires in other states such as Colorado and Oregon, has wafted across the country and shown up on satellite images over states in the Southeast, such as Alabama and Mississippi. The largest fire currently burning outside of the Complex Fires is the Creek Fire, which has exploded to more than 175,000 acres with 6% containment since igniting on Sept. 5. Since starting near Big Creek and Huntington Lake in Fresno County, it jumped the San Joaquin River and immediately began impacting populated areas over the weekend. The rapid growth of the fire caught many by surprise and has required hundreds of emergency evacuations, including dozens of campers who thought they were in a safe area. According to the Sacramento Bee, the fire has taken down over 4,000 structures and caused eight deaths. In the town of Big Creek, authorities estimate that half of the homes in the area have been destroyed by the blaze. Two men take out their belongings on wheel barrows during a mandatory evacuation due to the Creek Fire Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in Auberry, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter told CNN that the fire has been spreading so quickly that its new acreage destruction is enough to cover New York City's Central Park every half hour. "We have 150 million trees that died in the southern Sierra several years ago, and those are fueling the Creek Fire, which is the biggest and most concerning fire to us right now," Porter told CNN Tuesday. Another fire, known as the Willow Fire, was ignited in Yuba County on Tuesday night, according to an official statement from Cal Fire Asst. Deputy Director Daniel Berlant. Located near the town of Dobbins, the fire has already forced evacuations of 3,000 residents in Loma Rica despite its relatively small size. Berlant added that another fire, the Bear Fire, was greatly fueled by Tuesday's weather conditions. "The Bear Fire, which is part of the North Complex, spread rapidly yesterday due to Red Flag conditions and moved towards multiple communities east of Oroville and forced more evacuations," he said. On Thursday evening, seven additional deaths were reported as part of the North Complex, bringing the total lives claimed by the fire to 10, according to Cal Fire. Even though winds eased across the region on Thursday, seasonal warmth and arid conditions will keep the fire danger high as fuel remains tinder-dry into the weekend. In this Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, file photo, a helicopter prepares to drop water at a wildfire in Yucaipa, Calif. A couple's plan to reveal their baby's gender at a party went up in smoke Saturday at El Rancho Dorado Park in Yucaipa, when a pyrotechnical device they used sparked a wildfire that has burned thousands of acres. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File) Last weekend, the El Dorado Fire ignited after an accident involving a pyrotechnic smoke machine was used at a gender reveal party in San Bernardino County. As of Thursday night, the fire had burnt over 13,000 acres and forced evacuations in Mentone and Yucaipa. Some of the other notable fires in the state are the Apple Fire in Riverside County and the Lake Fire in Los Angeles County. Both have burned at least 31,000 acres and are 95% contained. While the record-breaking temperatures from this past weekend and the notably gusty winds from earlier in the week are unlikely to return, the chances of Mother Nature providing any firefighting assistance are slim, AccuWeather meteorologists say. In place of those gusty winds will be the return of warmer air, not the chance of precipitation that so many residents are looking for. "As the storm system across the Rockies lifts northeastward, an expanding ridge of high pressure will once again set up across the West Coast, resulting in above-average temperatures from Seattle to San Diego through the weekend," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. Smoky conditions are likely to persist across the Golden State and other areas of the West as the air mass remains stagnant, he added. Continued poor air quality is likely. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. NJ Transit was on two sides of the environmental coin on Wednesday, approving infrastructure that could bring environmentally clean electric buses to the state and facing demands that natural gas-fired electric power plant be reconsidered due to pollution concerns. NJ Transits board approved a $3.23 million contract with Scalfo Electric Inc. of Vineland Wednesday to build electric bus charging stations and the needed electric infrastructure at the Newton Avenue Bus garage in Camden. That would allow the states first pilot program to start to test 8 electric transit buses in Camden. The results could determine if, and how they could be rolled out across the state. The only electric buses in use in the state now are Port Authority-owned buses at Newark Airport. The bus garage power infrastructure has to potential to increase the number of vehicles served from 8 to 16 buses, said Eric Daleo, NJ Transit capital programs vice president, while the agency studies expansion and deploying more electric buses. NJ Transit started four electric bus studies to electrify 20%, 50%, and 100% of the fleet at four garages - Newton Avenue in Camden, Hamilton, Hilton in Maplewood, and Greenville in Jersey City. While electric buses were boasted as a step to meet Gov. Phil Murphys pollution reduction goals to have 100% of NJ Transits bus purchases be electrics by 2032, the agencys planned $546 million Transit Grid power plant proposed on a 20-acre site in Kearny was criticized by opponents for potentially worsening state air quality. Environmentalists and residents of nearby cities said the proposed power plant would worsen unhealthy air and respiratory health problems in nearby neighborhoods. It also violates Murphys executive order setting clean air goals, protesters said. Opponents won a commitment from Transportation Commissioner Diane Guterrez-Scaccetti, NJ Transits board chairwoman, that she would answer their request for a meeting to present new information about building a solar powered-battery plant instead. She said opponents could expect a letter next week. That commitment came after numerous speakers criticized the agency for not responding to current research they provided in a 26-page document that countered the conclusion made in an April environmental report that said renewable energy technology couldnt meet the need. Opponents have been speaking at board meetings for months. In July, Guterrez-Scaccetti said she hoped NJ Transits board could meet opponents after the coronavirus pandemic subsided enough to allow face to face meetings to resume. Are you not willing to change the plans, when faced with a better possibility? said Ken Dolsky, of the Dont Gas the Meadowlands Coalition. You asked us to wait many months while you push this forward, that is the message you sent. We must have a meeting and discuss it like adults. While NJ Transit officials said they have met with Transit Grid opponents, no meeting has been held since January to discuss the findings of the groups 26-page report. The last meeting with NJ Transit was in January, since then we provided new information and requested a meeting April and there has been radio silence, said John Richmond, Blue Wave NJ environmental committee chairman. Jersey City and Hobokens council joined seven other municipalities, formally opposing a natural gas powered TransitGrid power plant. TransitGrid was proposed after Hurricane Sandy knocked out the commercial power grid and electric powered train service in October 2012. The plan would give NJ Transit its own power generating capacity to provide electricity to Amtraks Northeast Corridor, the Morris and Essex lines of NJ Transit commuter rail, and the Hudson-Bergen light rail in case of a power outage. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Oxford University announced on Monday that its vaccine has been found to have 70 per cent efficacy - not as high as Pfizer and Moderna but the Oxford vaccine has added benefits of being cheaper and easier to store and transport. Jack Sommers was part of the early phase of the trial. [This piece was originally published on 6 June]. Its been a month since I first signed up for the coronavirus vaccine trials. I was paid a grand total of 235 for five hospital visits, various needles to be stuck in my arm, and generally to be used as a human guinea pig, all in the hope I could help to develop the much-discussed Covid-19 vaccine. Nothing has been talked up as our potential saviour more than the Oxford University vaccination trial, one of scores being developed around the world. The vaccine has been repeatedly cited as the best hope of returning us to our pre-Covid lives and the UK government is seriously invested; it pledged a combined 43 million to UK-based laboratories rolling out human testing. The first phase, which I was part of, took place in England last month. Now theyre expanding it to ask tens of thousands of Brits across the country to take part and put themselves in the same position as me in the coming weeks. Recommended How to volunteer for human coronavirus vaccine trials If you do sign up, prepare for the process to be more mundane than you might expect. A vaccine trial combines a lot of admin, like signing up for a bank account but with the light trepidation of having your holiday jabs. You apply via an online questionnaire and will be asked every conceivable question about your health history and your family. Once approved, youll be called to the hospital. The first time I went to St Georges in south London I had been self-isolating in my flat for two months; I live alone and am recently unemployed. I found myself in a waiting room surrounded by other people I presumed were there for the same reason (the only other test subjects I know of are three macaque monkeys). Despite our common bond the awkward GP-surgery atmosphere meant we didnt talk. Expect friends and family to assume you'll be exposed to coronavirus as part of the trial... you won't. On this first visit you are required to give urine and blood samples, fill out forms and watch a video about how theyre expecting youll only get mild side effects. Then you go home to await the green light once everything checks out. In the meantime be prepared for your friends and family to have endless questions, including many wrongly assuming you will be exposed to coronavirus as part of the trial you wont. I have found myself inundated with well wishes (and a few conspiracy theorists online too). Two days after my first hospital visit I sent a frantic follow-up email asking why I hadnt yet had the call to return for the injection. The reply basically said: Calm down and wait. It was at this point I started feeling nervous for the first time. I was called and returned to the hospital although I was anxious it was also the closest I had come to a normal workplace in weeks. It was a tantalising reminder of life pre-lockdown (despite the sterile atmosphere). My nostalgia quickly evaporated as a nurse started talking about the vaccines given to the rhesus macaques; I salute the monkey's sacrifices for medical science but the serene guinea pig image in my head was now well and truly gone. My biggest side effect seems to have been paranoia... I thought back to a few messages I had had from people shielding, including one woman with multiple sclerosis who told me: You are doing something that could help millions of people. This made me, a grown man who doesnt like needles and puts a hand in front of his face during horror films, feel fearless. The injection itself the only dose you receive was painless. I was given a thermometer and asked to record my symptoms daily through an online diary. My biggest side effect seems to have been paranoia. I dont know whether I was in the 50 per cent given the actual vaccine or 50 per cent given a control, but twice in the first week I went to bed with mild fever symptoms, which I may, in retrospect, have imagined. Raised temperature and sneezing, I wrote in the diarys text box on day three with the solemn resignation you might use to telegraph that the Titanic had struck an iceberg. Given my temperature that day was a perfectly normal 36.5 degrees, my narrative didnt always quite match reality. As the weeks have gone on Ive not suffered any further symptoms. Instead my preoccupation has become with the success of the trials. I used not to care whether Imperial or Oxford got there first but every piece of good news about my vaccine has made me want to cheer and blow an Oxford University vuvuzela out the window. Then when it was reported that the vaccinated monkeys all ended up contracting coronavirus, I was bereft. Thankfully I will not (intentionally) be made to face the virus in the same way but I want to tell my grandchildren I tested the vaccine that saved humanity, not one of the forgotten scores that didnt work. Looking back, I can see Id incorrectly seen myself as the protagonist who had to have the best story, the most dramatic side effects. Eventually, I came to appreciate there will be many trials and thousands more volunteers on the Oxford trial alone. Next week Ill be back in hospital for follow-up tests just as the latest volunteers arrive for their first shots. Failure and learning are central to the scientists eventually succeeding so even if my vaccine doesnt work, I wont ever regret having been one of the first to add my name to the list. Contributed / Connecticut State Police TOLLAND State police said they are looking for witnesses to a fatal motorcycle crash in northeastern Connecticut on Monday. Steven Robert Carr, 23, of Tolland, was killed after the 2015 GSX-R 600 he was riding east on Route 74 went over the double-yellow line while going around a curve, state police said. Large wildfires and small brush fires have closed many highways and streets throughout western Oregon during what Gov. Kate Brown called an unprecedented" event. Interstate 5 was closed south of Medford earlier Tuesday then reopened in the late evening, although exits 24/Phoenix and 21/Talent remain closed. The Oregon Department of Transportation urges caution in the area amid ongoing firefighting activity. Oregon 99 remains closed between south Medford (Garfield Street) and south Valley View Road in Ashland. In the Portland area, some roads are closed, and some are blocked by downed trees or power lines. Portland-area closures: Southeast Tualatin Valley Highway between Brookwood and 24th avenues. Update 10:45 a.m.: All lanes now open. Southwest Patton Valley Road at Dundee Road Southwest Etters Road from Maple Valley Lane to Old Hwy 47 Northwest Helvetia Road from West Union to Philips Road All lanes of OR 211 between Hayden Road and OR 213. OR-211 in Estacada to Ripplebrook Road OR 213 at its intersection with OR 211. OR 213 between the community of Carus and Spangler Road OR 224 east of Estacada from Falls Creek Road to milepost 50 Crews are putting out hot spots after controlling a large fire off of Hwy 213 and Spangler Rd. A motor home caught on fire and spread to a nearby house and approx 10 acres of brush. 2 homes were lost. Several homes evacuated & have now returned. No injuries have been reported. pic.twitter.com/HFO7scy39g Clackamas Fire (@clackamasfire) September 9, 2020 Major closures statewide: OR 22 in both directions from east of Salem to the Santiam Pass. U.S. 20 from Sweet Home to Tombstone Pass. Update 10:30 a.m.: U.S. 20 Santiam Highway is open between Sweet Home and Santiam Junction, mileposts 33-72. There are numerous lane closures along the route as crews continue powerline work and wildfire response. Use extreme caution. OR 126 from its intersection with U.S. 20 to just east of Springfield OR 242 from Sisters to its intersection with OR 126 OR 138E between Glide and West Diamond Lake U.S. 97 15 miles south of its intersection with East Diamond Lake Highway to south of Modoc Point. Update 11 a.m.: U.S. 97 between milepost 242-241 is open to escorted traffic, 29 miles south of the intersection with OR 138 East Diamond Lake Highway. ODOT is piloting traffic through the fire area. Expect delays, travel with extreme caution, and be prepared for conditions to change. OR 18 from the coast to Otis, mileposts 1-7 #echomountaincomplex wildfire near Otis north of Lincoln City. This is the one I was wondering about. https://t.co/TvalV6LnjE Your Emergency Manager (@Ready_Northwest) September 9, 2020 U.S. 199 (Redwood Highway) from mileposts 34-41 U.S. 199 south of Cave Junction near the Illinois Valley Airport to the California border Oregon 62 (Crater Lake Highway) is closed from 13.6-22.4, from Oregon 234 (Sams Valley Highway) north through Shady Cove to intersection of Tiller-Trail Highway. The road is closed to help facilitate evacuations U.S. 101 is closed to through traffic from OR 229/Siletz Highway through Lincoln City to the intersection with OR 18, milepost 120-104. The road is being used for evacuation. #pdxtraffic Oh man, this looks bad. U.S. 101 is CLOSED from Gleneden Beach through Lincoln City to the junction of U.S. 101 and OR 18 pic.twitter.com/wwv6D4mzDv PDX Traffic Alerts (@TrafficPortland) September 9, 2020 Check back throughout the morning for the latest commuting updates and follow us on Twitter: @trafficportland A church of Ireland cleric in Co Tyrone has accused his church of being "homophobic and prejudiced" for preventing him from carrying out same-sex marriages. Rev Andrew Rawding, who is based in Coalisland, was speaking a week after a change in the law that allows same-sex couples in Northern Ireland to have a religious wedding ceremony. Since September 1, couples have been able to register to marry in a religious setting, and religious bodies can choose to opt in to provide same-sex weddings. With a statutory 28-day waiting period, the earliest date for a same-sex religious wedding will be September 29. Rev Rawding, who serves in the parishes of Brackaville, Donaghenry and Ballyclog, said while he "wholeheartedly welcomed" the decision to allow same-sex couples to marry in church, he is disappointed that he will be unable to officiate. The Church of Ireland, Methodist, Presbyterian Church in Ireland and Catholic denominations have opposed it in the past. However, Rev Rawding believes he "should have a choice" as to whether he can carry out such ceremonies. "I wholeheartedly welcome this news that same-sex couples can now officially register to get married in a church, but I remain disheartened and disappointed that the Church of Ireland, and the main denominations continue to adopt a homophobic, discriminate and prejudiced stance against same-sex people who want to get married in the church of their baptism," he told the Tyrone Courier. "As a Church of Ireland rector I should have a choice and be able to exercise my religious freedom," he added. "Currently I am not legally permitted to conduct a same-sex marriage or even allowed to officially pray a prayer of blessing for a same-sex couple, or use language or liturgy which recognises their love to be what it is, a wonderful gift of God." The former Army officer turned minister is among those behind Northern Ireland's first 'Rural Pride' parade, which is due to be hosted in the Mid Ulster area later this month. Rev Rawding added: "I accept that some people cannot cope with the idea of same-sex marriage and want to keep themselves psychologically and emotionally safe within a strict 'traditionalist' framework. "But it is hypocritical of the Church to suggest that there is an ideal of heterosexual marriage when so many marriages conducted in church end in divorce or are even abusive. "I would love to conduct same-sex marriages in Brackaville, Donaghenry or Ballyclog churches. "It would be a joyful celebration of the unconditional love of God," he said. "As it is written in the Bible: 'The commandments are summed up in this word, 'Love your neighbour as yourself'. "Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law." A spokesperson for the Church of Ireland said its marriage service remains unchanged. "Marriage may be solemnised only between a man and a woman; no liturgy or authorised service is provided therefore for any other situation," he said. "The House of Bishops statement to the General Synod, in 2018, offered a continued commitment to attentive listening and to respectful discussion with compassion, humility and concern, regarding issues of human sexuality. "The final authority on all matters of liturgy rests with the General Synod and not with individual clergy." A bilateral agreement from 1944 requires Mexico to divert waters to the US as Mexican regions experience drought. Two people died in a gunfight with Mexicos military police near a protest site at a dam that diverts water to the United States, the National Guard has said, as tensions rose between protesters and officials in the drought-hit region. Mexicans in the northern border state of Chihuahua, angry at the water being funnelled across the border, on Tuesday evening had hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks at security forces, eventually occupying the La Boquilla dam and closing the sluice gates. The violence comes amid plans to divert additional water to the US due to the so-called water debt Mexico has accumulated as part of a bilateral treaty that regulates water sharing between the neighbours. The National Guard said on Twitter that some of its agents from La Boquilla on Tuesday night detained three people found with tear gas and a firearm magazine, and took them for processing to the city of Delicias. Con relacion a la agresion ocurrida la noche de ayer al personal de GN en la Presa La Boquilla y posteriormente en la Derivadora Andrew Weiss, en Delicias #Chihuahua, fueron detenidas tres personas que portaban granadas de gas lacrimogeno y un cargador para arma de fuego. Guardia Nacional (@GN_MEXICO_) September 9, 2020 There, the National Guard unit was shot at by armed civilians and it repelled the aggression, according to the statement released on Wednesday. The clash led to one death on site, while another person who was injured died later in a hospital. A witness told Reuters news agency that groups of residents in towns surrounding the La Boquilla dam clashed with National Guard troops earlier on Tuesday after they refused to turn off the dam floodgates. The residents lobbed Molotov cocktails, rocks and sticks at the security forces, who were clad in riot gear and retaliated with tear gas, the witness said and images showed. Eventually, the protesters stormed the dam premises and shut the floodgates themselves. For us, it is a great satisfaction, something to be proud of, [and] a triumph for the people in rescuing the water, said Abel Alvarado Martinez, an owner of a bakery in a nearby town, who joined the protests. The interior ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has sought to assuage the concerns of Mexican farmers and voters in the north about water rights, while protecting delicate relations with the US. Several other demonstrations have turned violent over water sharing with the US this year, with Mexican farmers warning the drought means Mexico should not divert any water right now. Lopez Obrador last week suggested the United Nations could be asked to analyse water allocation plans, and asked the Chihuahua people to trust he would not leave them without water. The National Guard says that some of its agents from La Boquilla detained three people at the dam protest [Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters] He also warned Mexico faced sanctions if it did not divert water after building up a deficit in recent years by receiving more water than it has given back. Do not forget that there are elections in the United States, Lopez Obrador said. A group of Houston-area pastors has launched a new initiative to prompt conversations on race issues and improve relationships with local police forces. Sadly, sometimes evangelical churches have been places where prejudice has been able to hide, said Steve Bezner, pastor of Houston Northwest Church and one of the leaders of the new initiative. The new program was sparked in part by death of George Floyd, the unarmed man with Houston ties whose death at the hands of Minnesota police officers sparked protests across the globe in early June. Bezner said representatives from more than 100 local churches attended the first virtual meeting on June 15. Pastors will continue meeting monthly as part of the program and will collaborate on a series of sermons that discuss racial injustice through a Biblical framework. Its not enough for a few churches within the city to preach a sermon here or there, Bezner said. If were going to change the tide, we need dozens of congregations representing hundreds or thousands of members across the city to hear the same unified message, and if possible at the same time. Long-term, the group plans to meet more frequently with police officers and develop quarterly reports on issues facing their communities. When appropriate, church leaders will also advocate for legislative items that they believe will help toward racial justice. More for you You can soon fly to Vegas from Houston's Hobby Airport for $59 We dont just want to protest police, said Blake Wilson, pastor of Crossover Bible Fellowship. We want to build a relationship of peace with those peace officers. The initiative comes as churches nationwide continue to grapple with how or if to address racism in their communities and congregations. On Thursday, for example, a group of roughly 400 faith leaders from around Texas will hold a virtual justice summit with law enforcement experts and representatives, including Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo. Still, theres a substantial gulf between how Christians of different races perceive inequality and injustice. Surveys conducted by the Barna research group last year found that roughly 40 percent of white, practicing Christians believe the U.S. has a race problem. More than twice as many Black Christians believed the same. About 70 percent of Black Christians also said they were motivated to address racial injustice twice the number of white Christians who said the same. Complicating that are significant gaps in how Christians perceive the root problems of racism. The same Barna study found about 60 percent of white Christians believe racism is an individualistic problem stemming from ones own beliefs and prejudices causing them to treat people of other races poorly. Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Meanwhile, two-thirds of Black Christians said racial discrimination is historically built into our society and institutions. Wilson and Bezner believe bridging those gaps starts with simply talking. By doing so, they hope to challenge notions of colorblindness that Wilson said have too often allowed white Christians to ignore or downplay racism. All that colorblind stuff is really a disrespect to God, because God made us this way, Wilson said. Otherwise he would have made one color, one race and there would be no need to go to every tongue, tribe and nation. The effort is in many ways an outgrowth of conversations the two began having amid a wave of protests over the killings of unarmed Black men a few years ago. I did not have the vocabulary to minister to a now-increasingly diverse congregation as those things were happening in the news, said Bezner, who is white. And so, he nervously approached Wilson, the pastor of a predominantly Black church nearby whom Bezner had recently befriended. Can I ask you a bunch of really ignorant questions, Bezner recalled asking at the time. He laughs about it now, but he and Wilson agreed that fears of being uncomfortable or perceived as ignorant can be a barrier to much-needed and honest conversations about prejudice and inequality. Instead, Wilson said, people are wondering, If I say too little am I racist? If I say too much am I racist? If I say the wrong thing am I racist? And what were not doing is listening and learning from each other. robert.downen@chron.com San Antonio Vascular and Endovascular Clinic is building a state-of-the-art surgical center the first of its kind on the citys South Side. Dr. Lyssa Ochoa, founder and CEO of the medical practice, says the center is scheduled to open this spring. Once completed, the Mission Surgery Center at 601 E. Amber St. will be the citys only Medicare-accredited ambulatory surgery center south of downtown. The 10,500-square-foot surgery center will cost an estimated $2.25 million to build, according to state filings. Im hoping this is just the beginning, and others will see that there are opportunities for prosperity in these areas. As health care leaders, we have to set the example, she said. On ExpressNews.com: Pilot program brings long-awaited mental health services to South San ISD Ochoa says her patients only option for outpatient surgeries currently is to go to Southwest General Hospital or Mission Trail Baptist Hospital, which posed a problem when the coronavirus crisis caused hospitals to postpone nonemergency surgeries. Patients had nowhere to go, she said, adding that the situation highlighted the lack of health care infrastructure and investment in underserved parts of the city. This is something the South Side desperately needs. The board-certified surgeon specializes in treating diseases of the arteries and veins and saw how diabetic amputations disproportionately affected the citys urban core and South Side communities. She opened up her independent practice in February 2018 to try to help residents with historically poor access to health care. Metro Health estimates 15.5 percent of Bexar County adults have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Many of Ochoas patients also suffer from peripheral arterial disease, which is a chronic condition that prevents sufficient blood flow to a patients legs and arms. Her practice operates four locations throughout the city, as well as in Pleasanton and Floresville. We would like to treat them before (a problem) gets so bad that they need hospitalization, she said. In addition to amputation-prevention procedures, the Mission Surgery Center will handle several types of procedures including orthopedics, eye surgery, plastic surgery, general surgery, cardiology and pain management. We strategically placed the surgery center in the middle of the South Side because were hoping to make it more amenable for patients to get there, she said. Currently, outpatient surgery centers are concentrated in northern sections of the metro area. Surgeries at such centers tend to be cheaper for both patients and insurance companies, according to the federal Medicare.gov website, which compares the average out-of-pocket cost for patients. A leg amputation costs $666 at a hospitals outpatient surgical department, while a patient who goes to an ambulatory surgical center pays on average $376. On ExpressNews.com: Construction begins on $357 million state hospital in San Antonios South Side The Medicare program and its beneficiaries save more than $2.3 billion each year when patients receive certain preventive and surgical procedures at such surgical centers instead of other facilities such as hospital outpatient departments. The Ambulatory Surgery Center Associations review of commercial medical-claims data found that U.S. health care costs are reduced by more than $38 billion per year due to the availability of ambulatory surgery centers. This means employers incur lower health care costs and patients may pay less on deductibles and coinsurance payments. laura.garcia@express-news.net Laura Garcia covers the health care industry. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura Davinci Virtual Office Solutions announced that it is supporting members of the International Association of Women (IAWomen.com) with virtual offices and remote work solutions. Davincis offerings include professional business addresses, on-demand meeting rooms and flexible workspaces, as well as live receptionist services. "With so many of our members working from home, they sometimes struggle with projecting a professional image because they lack a business address and receptionist services. Davinci Virtual Office Solutions makes it easy for business owners to establish the benefits of a professional office without having to invest in space, equipment and staff" said Megan Bozzuto, VP of Marketing & Membership Experience at IAW. "We are proud to be the exclusive provider of virtual office solutions for the International Association of Professional Women, said Martin Senn, CEO of Davinci. "Female professionals represent a significant market segment for us, and we are thrilled to offer Davincis remote work tools and services to IAW members around the globe, Senn added. Davinci Virtual Office Solutions was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company provides virtual office solutions to over 50,000 companies and entrepreneurs throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Central America, Africa, Asia and Australia. The company now offers over 2,000 virtual office locations and over 5,000 meeting spaces in most metropolitan areas throughout the world. Clients can obtain prime business addresses, on-demand meeting spaces, live receptionist services and business support instantly with the click of a button. For more information, please visit http://www.davincivirtual.com or http://www.davincimeetingrooms.com, or call 888-863-3423. About Davinci: Davinci offers virtual office address locations worldwide. By providing professional business addresses in over 2,000 prime locations, mail forwarding, lobby and directory listings, access to conference rooms and day offices, catering, administrative services, virtual assistants, business support centers, resident agent services, license hanging and more, Davinci helps businesses maintain a professional presence on an affordable budget. DavinciMeetingRooms.com is a comprehensive online reservation platform for businesses, providing access to over 5,000 conference rooms, day offices, meeting spaces and business support services in over 1,600 locations around the globe. Users can book professionally equipped meeting spaces, as well as critical add-on services such as LCD projectors, video conferencing, wireless Internet access, catering services and secretarial support instantly! About the International Association of Women (IAWomen.com) The International Association of Women (IAW) is a global in-person and online professional networking platform that provides women the forum, professional development and services needed to thrive in an interconnected world. Through 100+ local chapters, International Chapters in several cities in China and 1000+ in person and virtual events, members cultivate valuable connections, develop professionally and promote themselves and their businesses. Founded in Chicago in 2017, IAW is a division of Professional Diversity Network, Inc., an online network tailored to provide diverse professionals in the United States with access to employment opportunities. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal A temporary appointment to the New Mexico Legislature sparked a tense discussion among Bernalillo County commissioners Tuesday night, dividing the board and reigniting a months-old clash. The commission voted 3-2 to appoint Art De La Cruz to the state House District 12 seat, choosing him over the only other applicant, Brittney Barreras. The seat is temporarily vacant following Patricio Ruilobas August resignation, but voters will pick the long-term occupant in the Nov. 3 election. Barreras, a longtime retail worker, and De La Cruz, a former county commissioner and onetime county parks director, are each actively running for the seat. Barreras is running as an independent; De La Cruz, a Democrat, is running as a write-in candidate. On Tuesday, two commissioners Jim Collie and Debbie OMalley sought to delay the appointment until after the election. Collie had previously argued that the commission should wait for voters to decide in less than two months. But that effort failed. Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada whose district overlaps with House District 12 contended that the area should not have to go even a few months without representation. Commissioners Charlene Pyskoty and Lonnie Talbert supported his motion to appoint De La Cruz. I think this is just part of our job; we have to do our job, Pyskoty said, adding that she did not believe the commissions action would tip the scales in the appointees favor going into the general election. But Quezada followed the vote by revisiting the commissions January debate over who should be its chair. The board had voted 3-2 to elevate Talbert, the boards lone Republican, over OMalley. Quezada, who had voted for Talbert, didnt name OMalley but read her statement from that night in which she explained her devotion to Democrats. If youre going to make statements like that and then change how you feel later, I think you should be called out on it, Quezada said. OMalley said the situations were apples and oranges and that she was disappointed Quezada compared them. It sounds to me like youre acting like a sore winner. I dont know what your deal is. I dont understand why you decided to attack me for this one decision I made, she said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said he held excellent talks" with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during which they discussed bilateral strategic ties and exchanged views on the international situation. Jaishankar is on a four-day visit to Russia to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Pleasure to meet FM Sergey Lavrov, this time in person. Excellent talks that reflect our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Value our exchanges on the international situation," Jaishankar tweeted. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held separate bilateral meetings with his Kyrgyz and Tajik counterparts here and discussed ways to boost Indias strategic partnership with the two Central Asian countries. Pleasure to meet FM Sergey Lavrov, this time in person. Excellent talks that reflect our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Value our exchanges on the international situation. pic.twitter.com/e9ztsiuy8l Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 9, 2020 A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines," Jaishankar tweeted after his first bilateral meeting of the day. The two leaders discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines. Thanked him for the support in facilitating return of Indian nationals. Discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. Agreed to further enhance our Strategic Partnership in all spheres. pic.twitter.com/XySOnoZFKS Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 9, 2020 Agreed to further enhance our strategic partnership in all spheres," Jaishankar wrote. Jaishankar thanked Aidarbekov for the support in facilitating the return of Indian nationals from the Central Asian country. Air India operated several flights under Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate its nationals stranded in other nations due to lockdown. About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. A few businessmen are engaged in trade and services in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Indian Embassy in Bishkek. Jaishankar later said he held a warm meeting with Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin. Pleased with our growing bilateral and regional cooperation. Highly value this strategic partnership," Jaishankar tweeted. Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (1st R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe (2nd R) in Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, Sept. 9, 2020. (Photo by Xinhua) BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Sept. 9 -- Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah met with the visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe in Bandar Seri Begawan on Wednesday afternoon. Hassanal said that Brunei treats China as an important partner and sincerely thanks the Chinese government and military for providing support and assistance when Brunei was faced with the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the Brunei side is willing to continue to carry out exchange and cooperation with China in the fields of defense, economy and trade, energy, and humanities. He also hoped that the defense departments of the two countries will continue to promote pragmatic cooperation in the exchange of group visits and joint exercises, so as to push forward the continuous development of the China-Brunei strategic partnership of cooperation. Wei Fenghe said that under the guidence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and His Majesty Sultan, the relations between China and Brunei have sustained a great momentum of sound development, setting a model for achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration among countries under different social systems. China is willing to deepen exchange and cooperation with Brunei in the area of defense to promote constant progress in the mil-to-mil relations between the two countries, said the Chinese defense chief. The stability of the South China Sea is in the common interests of China and Brunei, and the two sides should keep strengthening communication and consultation, promote maritime cooperation, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the South China Sea, said Wei. On Wednesday morning, Wei Fenghe held official talks with Bruneis Second Minister of Defense Halbi, and the two sides reached important consensus on maintaining strategic communication and deepening military exchanges and cooperation. Before their talks, Halbi held a welcome ceremony for Wei Fenghe at the compound of Bruneis Ministry of Defense. Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe (3rd R) holds talks with Bruneis Second Minister of Defense Halbi (3rd L) at the Ministry of Defense of Brunei in Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, Sept. 9, 2020. (Photo by Xinhua) I hope they have already died because if they are alive it is worse torture for them. Tahir Imins voice breaks with grief for the children in his family, who have been detained for years at unknown locations across Chinas vast Xinjiang autonomous region. The academics brother Adil was sentenced to 10 years in prison, his step-mother to 15 and three of his cousins received up to 10 in re-education camps as a consequence for his activism against the mass detention of the countrys Uighur Muslims. Now in political asylum in the United States, he tells me: My family are all in camps or in prison, if they are still alive. When Chen Quanguo became Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang in 2016 he immediately began implementing the same social engineering policies he used to suppress Tibet, which rapidly transformed the region into a police state under his mantra of rounding up whoever needs to be round up. Uighur families were torn apart in the name of coerced isolated detoxification at so-called re-education centres. Once incarcerated they would only be released when ideologically healthy and rehabilitated from the disease of Islam. As the detained adults multiplied, so too did their orphaned children, thousands of whom have been left alone in the homes where their parents were arrested. Government data mined by German anthropologist Adrian Zenz revealed that in one rural area in particular, over 400 children whose parents were double detainees, meaning both had been interned, have been abandoned. Tahir Imin, founder of the Uighur Times Agency, based in Washington DC, says many of these abandoned children have died from starvation or hypothermia, especially during the unforgiving Xinjiang winter. No Uighur adults are left that could look after them, he says, and many Han Chinese neighbours are wary about coming to the aid of the children of terrorists. After the detentions escalated, many of the orphans drifted onto the streets to beg for food. So, at the Ninth Party Congress of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Chen Quanguo ordered a new directive: to concentrate all orphans into institutions by 2020. An AstraZeneca spokesperson confirmed the pause in vaccinations covers studies in the U.S. and other countries. Late last month, AstraZeneca began recruiting 30,000 people in the U.S. for its largest study of the vaccine. It also is testing the vaccine, developed by Oxford University, in thousands of people in Britain, and in smaller studies in Brazil and South Africa. We have been in this new normal for several months now and are starting to figure out what actually works and what we need to do for the future. This webinar will be an excellent resource for anyone working in talent development. During the global pandemic, every business segment has experienced major disruptions and changes. Organizations quickly rushed into a survival, triage mode including talent development. Many actions might be considered quick fixes or haphazard, but some changes will prove to be long-lasting. MEA Energy Association (MEA) is hosting a webinar for talent management professionals in the energy industry to begin sharing lessons learned for staff training and development on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. Jerry Kaminski, manager of learning development for instructional design and vendor management at Consumers Energy, a public utility that provides natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of Michigans residents, will present his experience in converting face-to-face training into remote learning during the webinar entitled Insights to a Global Pandemic: How Does It impact Talent Development? Talent management is a crucial part of our industry, and we have seen a number of changes in this area over the past few years, said Bobbie Nuthals, manager of HR strategy and services at WEC Energy Group out of Wis. This has been especially true since March when the pandemic turned everything on its head. We have been in this new normal for several months now and are starting to figure out what actually works and what we need to do for the future. This webinar will be an excellent resource for anyone working in talent development. Attendees will walk away with an expanded network and industry tested solutions. The webinar will define solutions and best practices covering: Aha moments during the disruption from the pandemic and pivot to remote training and talent development Viable concepts that have the potential to evolve into a business case for new or revised standard practices The MEA Talent Management Committee identified a need to bring industry peers together to reflect on their shared, but different, experiences adapting to the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, says Mark Bechtel, leadership programs manager, of MEA. As John Maxwell says, experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is the best teacher. The best place to get more information about this webinar and helping to define a new path for talent development in the energy industry is MEAenergy.org/events. Jerry Kaminski, the presenter for this webinar, has more than 35 years of talent and organizational development experience in a multitude of industries, including information technology, retail, government, consulting, automotive and, currently, energy utilities. For questions contact Mark Bechtel, markb (at) MEAenergy (dot) org, or (651) 289-9600 x109. About MEA: MEA serves the people that deliver electricity and natural gas to homes and businesses. We were founded as a trade association over 110 years ago by distribution utilities whose vision was to improve safety and efficiency. Today, we fulfill the same purpose through education, leadership development, and industry connections. Energy delivery companies, contractors, and suppliers around the country benefit from our 55 summits, roundtables, and webinars, 400+ online technical courses, safety assessments, evaluator training, operator qualification compliance tools, and leadership courses for field personnel. DC church, vandalized during riots, offers message of 'togetherness' with racial justice-themed murals Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A historic Washington, D.C., church that was the subject of arson and graffiti during the summer riots recently had its protective plywood panels painted with racial justice imagery. St. Johns Episcopal Church of Lafayette Square, a congregation located not far from the White House, had the murals painted onto the panels, which had been installed to protect their windows from vandalism, at an event on Saturday. The Rev. Rob Fisher, rector at St. Johns Church, told The Christian Post in an interview on Tuesday that the event was coordinated with a local arts group called the P.A.I.N.T.S. Institute and with the DowntownDC Business Improvement District. Fisher said that the event was aimed at turning something that is a bit of an eyesore into colorful images offering message of love, healing, togetherness and peace in Jesus name. The artists really put their hearts and souls into the works they created. Many expressed to me what an honor it was to decorate the boards on such a historic place, explained Fisher. One of our central themes is the Hebrew word shalom, which means more than the English translation peace but wholeness or completeness. Another major theme was the concept of ubuntu, or our lives are inextricably bound together, which was championed by noted South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu. One thing I hope for with the murals is that while the nature of stained glass windows is to bring light and beauty into a room or worship space, were able to flip that script by sending light and beauty outward to our surrounding neighborhood, continued Fisher. The visuals are like the bell we ring in our steeple they remind us that God is present, that God loves us all, and that it is important, especially in difficult times, to look up! To remember that we are all part of something greater. Representatives of the Smithsonian also attended the mural painting event on Saturday, reportedly expressing an interest in having the painted panels once they are eventually removed. During the months of protests and demonstrations across the United States over racism and police brutality, St. Johns Church found itself in the epicenter of the debate. During a protest in late May, the building was victim of an arson by an unknown party, in which the nursery caught fire. Later in June, protesters sprayed graffiti on the pillars. In response to repeated attacks on its property, the church placed plywood over their windows and grudgingly agreed to have security fencing placed around the building. While we hate both the fencing and the boarded-up windows, one of our main responsibilities as rector and wardens is to protect the buildings. Our hope is to remove both the fencing and plywood as soon as practicable, stated a letter to the congregation from late June. The church was the subject of controversy during the summertime when President Donald Trump posed with a Bible in hand in front of the structure. The presidents actions came after U.S. Park Police and National Guard units cleared away protesters, reportedly using violent tactics to accomplish the task. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, expressed outrage over the presidents decision to hold the photo-op in front of St. Johns. The President just used a Bible and one of the churches of my diocese as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our church stands for, she stated at the time. Fisher told CP on Tuesday that while there have been some dramatic moments for the church during the demonstrations, the vast majority of gatherings that have taken place on the corner where we are located have been peaceful. We are incredibly grateful that the fire was limited to just one room, which was in the church office building and not the church itself, said Fisher. There has been an outpouring of love and support from people near and far and from all kinds of backgrounds since the fire, which we truly appreciate. HALF MOON BAY, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute is making its Virtual Tool Kit available for free to educators, non-profits, and students alike. This tool kit includes lesson plans, a facilitator's program, life planning tools and the Bestselling Book "Stone Soup for the World: Life-Changing Stories of Everyday Heroes" as a FREE download in English and Spanish. The book is a collection of 100 true stories about community and individual humanitarian acts and features an introduction by Walter Cronkite, a foreword by former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and pieces by Nelson Mandela, Steven Spielberg, Jimmy Carter and many others. The Institute is also launching a new Youth Leaders video series profiling courageous young visionaries & activists working toward a more sustainable world. "These times deserve our 100% support for our children," says Institute executive director and author Marianne Larned. "Dr. King challenged us to respond to the Urgency of Now! The Institute feels compelled do whatever we can for our multicultural youth who are facing an uncertain future in today's virtual reality of education. As the new school year begins, we want to give them a little hope - and encourage them to dream and work towards a better future." Curriculum accolades include: "Stone Soup for the World is full of real life stories that interests people of all ages. The Virtual Toolkit provides excellent ideas and activities to help bring those stories to life. For our YMCAs, these books have become effective reflection tools, enabling them to engage young people and volunteers in important community service activities." -- David R. Mercer, YMCA of the USA The Stone Soup for the World Educational Curriculum is a magnificent tool combining the experiential with the intellectual. It will help people everywhere who are working with youngsters, teachers, social workers, AmeriCorps, Teacher Corps and Peace Corps to spread the Stone Soup message around the world. Martin I. Scherr, Director, Child Welfare League of America. "Nobody gives teens and young adults enough creditthis population is capable of great energy and accomplishments. They're usually considered a population 'on hold.' The Stone Soup initiative acknowledges their potential." - Sidney Morris, Education Director, The FARM Institute Book accolades include: "a blueprint for building a better world. Its heroes are legendary people and ordinary folk, who, by conviction, imagination, innovation, persistence, frequently hard work and not infrequently moral or physical courage, have lifted their neighbors and their communities. They challenge each of us to respond in kind." - Walter Cronkite, American broadcast journalist & anchor for CBS Evening News. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America." Mr. Cronkite was the Honorary Chairperson of The Stone Soup Leadership Institute for over a decade. "Wonderfulyoung and old alike will be inspired by the hundreds of ideas for how we can help our children, our schools, our communities and our country to be the best we can be." - Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State and retired four-star general, & Founding Chairman of America's PromiseThe Alliance for Youth About The Stone Soup Leadership Institute The Stone Soup Leadership Institute's book and educational curriculum Stone Soup for the World: Life-Changing Stories of Everyday Heroes gives life to the Stone Soup fable. Over 120 communities use them to inspire and educate young people to become leaders in their lives, communities and our world. Founded in 1997, the Institute is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Media Contact: Sarah Wilson [email protected] 518-637-4326 SOURCE Stone Soup Leadership Institute Related Links http://soup4worldinstitute.com The year 2020 has seen the standstill of a countless number of average life activities, from the daily commute to work to attending sporting or music events. But, this year also marks the renewed motion of at least one thing in New Jersey. After remaining motionless in the waters of the Raritan River for the past three years, the giant wheel protruding from the side of the iconic Red Mill in Clinton was fully restored by Custom Alloy Corporation in High Bridge on Tuesday. The installation project was made possible by the museums Save the Wheel Campaign, a component of the larger Red Mill Capital Fund effort that aims to restore both the Mulligan Tenant house and the waterwheel of the museum village. The Capital Funds fundraising goal of $250,000 was met in November 2019, Paul Muir, executive director of the Red Mill Museum Village, confirmed. The new wheel is planned to once again spin on Sept. 27, when a ceremony has been tentatively scheduled to celebrate its installation. Explaining the significance of the wheels restoration, Muir described the object as the most significant single item representative of Hunterdon County in the last 75 years. Its a symbol of the history of the mill and the industrial power of the mill, Muir said. And, on a more modern note, I think its a symbol of the community organization that weve created as a museum since it was founded in 1963, and thats where the wheel now has been placed. And its really the welcome to Hunterdon County. The wheel originally served as a power source for equipment inside the Red Mill, which since the construction of its earliest section around 1810 has specialized in the creation of products ranging from wool to grist and graphite. The mill, for all those different types of operations, needed water to power the equipment, Elizabeth Cole, curator of collections for the museum village, said. Water power definitely helps build a lot of the towns around the rivers in the area. Unfortunately, not a lot of the mills still remain. The mill has not functioned to produce any type of material since being sold to the Clinton Water Supply Company in 1928, but the waterwheel regained its motion after the Red Mill was established as a museum village in 1963. Our founders felt like it was a really iconic part of Hunterdon history, to see a waterwheel turning, Cole explained. So mainly it just had a nostalgic and iconic kind of feeling. But they really wanted to make this museum a center for community and I think people are drawn to the wheel turning, even though its no longer producing products. Its producing memories, Muir added. The newest restoration marks the wheels third since the birth of the museum village, and was necessitated by its degradation over the years. It became out of balance because it was decaying, and you cant really control how it decays, Muir said. And eventually it did just decay. When we took the old wheel out, theres a corner of a section that was just disintegrated at that point. 20 Red Mill wheel restoration, 2020 The museum village launched the Save the Wheel Campaign in May 2017 to restore and modernize the waterwheel. The campaign quickly drew the support of companies including Tranquilli Financial Advisor in Clinton, Benjamin Moore, and Custom Alloy Corporation the latter of which also volunteered to construct and install the new wheel. This is something weve really looked forward to being so close to home, Colin Henderson, tooling and design engineer Custom Alloy Corporation, said. Im from Califon, Im a local. So as a young kid I came here and toured the wheel ... so its been an honor to work on this project and contribute to my community like this. Custom Alloy Corporation was built on the same plot of land where Taylor Iron Works, later reorganized to become Taylor Iron & Steel Company, operated in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Taylor family, once the dominant merchant family in the area, owned the Red Mill in early 1800s, leading Muir to jest that Custom Alloy Corporation was actually obliged to renovate the waterwheel. When we started this project, I said, Hey, you guys have a responsibility because you owned the property at one point! It didnt quite fly, but they were here to support, Muir laughed. Paul did a really good job of guilt-tripping me into feeling that we had to fix this, Henderson added. Henderson described the differences between the new and old wheel, both made of basic carbon steel, as slight, noting that the solid epoxy coating of the new wheel in particular should extend its life to roughly 50 years double the life of the previous wheel. The difference is mainly about the (fitting) of the sections, versus how they were fitted previously, and the exact orientation of the buckets and whatnot, Henderson explained. In terms of a structural aspect, it was made a little bit stronger but with less materials. So we should have a better performing as well as a better fitting wheel. Whatever we could reuse from the wheel that is structurally sound, we keep, Jonathan Fleck, project manager for Custom Alloy Corporation, added. Moreover, visitors of the mill will be able to better understand the wheels history and utility through a new mechanism added to the gears that will serve as a small representation of the what the mill would be doing, Muir said. It would be one belt and one operation. And when the school tours come through, they can experience that too, Muir explained. Muir had originally projected that the wheel would be completed in March of this year, but said delays were caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We had to be cautious. Custom Alloy built the wheel for us onsite, and we were going to stain glass and paint the wheel onsite, and with (COVID-19) they had restrictions, rightfully so, to protect their employees, Muir said. So we couldnt have access, but we changed the plans, took some time, and brought the wheel over here to the Red Mill and set up a temporary painting operation at the back of the property. Were happy with where we are now, and its a good time to put the wheel in, he added. Despite the pandemic, Muir does not foresee a decline in interest among the tens of thousands of people who visit the Red Mill each year. In fact, he predicts just the opposite. Already, theres a lot of interest in just the fact that the wheel is being replaced, Muir said. And then to have the added ability to see how it functions inside the mill I definitely think more people are going to come out and see that. The Red Mill Museum Village is currently open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Individuals interested in donating to the museum or learning more about the site and its upcoming events can visit the museums website. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has called for immediate apology from former President and NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama to Akyem people. Former President John Dramani Mahama recently shared an article by Bolgatanga Central MP, Isaac Adongo which described the Akyem tribe where President Nana Akufo-Addo hails from as ''Akyem sakawa boys and grandpas''. Agyapa Sakawa Brouhaha The article was titled ''Agyapa Royalties Fraud Is The Last Straw: The Akyem Sakawa Boys and Grandpas Must Go''. "Agyapa royalties deal is a big fraud on Ghana by Akufo-Addo and the Akyem Mafia. You mortgaged Getfund proceeds in excess of GHS25 billion for the next 10 years to borrow $1.5 billion and yet you could not expand educational infrastructure and build new schools to end double track, you mortgaged bauxite buried on the ground to Sinohydro to borrow $2 billion but has nothing to show after almost 2 years, you mortgaged ESLA proceeds for the next 10 years worth in excess of GHS30 billion in 10 years to raise energy sector bonds of about $1.3 billion and yet energy sector debts remain unpaid and you have since accumulated over $ 2 billion additional energy sector debt with power producers threatening to shut their power plants. "How can 76-year-old Akufo-Addo mortgage revenues of about GHS75 billion of the state for his maladministration to steal without caring about how his children and grandchildren will manage the economy into the future. No wicked man has ever ruled this country and destroyed Ghanas fiscal and debt framework the way Nana Addo and the empty lying Dr Bawumia have done...They will now sell us to borrow to satisfy their insatiable corrupt habits if they are allowed 1 more year in office," portions of the article read. Mahama Refuses To Retract Mr. Mahama has come under intense criticisms following his action but has refused to retract and apologize. President Akufo-Addo has lost the right to complain because while he was in opposition, he called his predecessors all sorts of names. He called me Dr. Do Little and called somebody Simpa Panyin and I dont want to repeat some of the things he has said. He is a President who has called his critics naysayers and Jeremiahs, so I dont understand on what standard he will be offended at this time because, when he has precedence of name-calling, he justified why he validates the Akyem sakawa comment. Call For Apology Kwamena Duncan, speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', wondered if, in what he termed as an impossible case that former President Mahama wins the 2020 elections, he will be able to step a foot in the Akyem community. He found the Mahama's comments in utter distaste and called on him to do the needful. ''God forbid but should he become a President, will he be able to step a foot in Akyem; that he's going to meet with people he describes as fraudsters and criminals. Is that the point?'' "If he had described Akufo-Addo as a sakawa President, he might be okay with that. That is his view. But to lump an entire tribe, ancestry and generations, to call them sakawa people; my goodness! There's something that is pending that this country ought to deal with. That is why the entire country must reject such a person," he fumed. " . . the man must be made to render unreserved apology," he asserted. 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 Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty and her brother, Showik, approached a special court under The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for bail on Wednesday, a day after their pleas were rejected by a magistrate court. In the fresh plea, Chakraborty said she was innocent and falsely implicated in the case. The 28-year0old actor said was forced into making self-incriminatory confessions by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and that she was withdrawing them. After questioning her for three consecutive days, NCB arrested Chakraborty on Tuesday in connection with its probe of a drug angle in the death of her boyfriend and actor, Sushant Singh Rajput. A magistrates court remanded Chakraborty to 14-day judicial custody. NCB said in its remand application that Chakraborty had revealed her involvement in procuring drugs for Rajput, 32, who was found hanging at his Bandra residence on June 14. Among other offences, she has been charged under Section 27A of the NDPS Act, which pertains to punishment for financing illicit traffic. The section carries minimum rigorous imprisonment of 10 years, which may be extended to 20 years. Chakrabortys lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, approached the special court on Wednesday with her plea saying the allegations against her would at the most make out a case of purchasing small quantity of drug which is in essence a bailable offence. There is not a shred of evidence to connect the applicant with financing any illicit traffic or harbouring any offender and hence the ingredients of Section 27 A of the NDPS Act are not made out in present facts and circumstances, it said. The court is expected to take up the case on Thursday. Apart from Chakraborty and Showik, NCB has arrested Rajputs house manager, Samuel Miranda, and a member of his personal staff, Dipesh Sawant. The agency has also arrested Bandra residents Zaid Vilatra and Abdel Basit Parihar for alleged drug peddling. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW YORK CITY (dpa-AFX) - Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech SE (BNTX) said they had concluded exploratory talks with the European Commission for a proposed supply of 200 million doses of investigational vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 to EU Member States, with an option for further 100 million doses. The companies will now enter into contract negotiations with the European Commission. Deliveries would be starting by the end of 2020, the companies noted. Albert Bourla, CEO, Pfizer, said: 'We have activated our supply chain, most importantly our site in Belgium, and are starting to manufacture so that our vaccine would be available as soon as possible, if our clinical trials prove successful and regulatory approval is granted.' 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. Residents of Lutoto village in Shinyalu constituency, Kakamega County are reeling from shock after a teenage boy killed his neighbour over a girl they were both reportedly seeing. According to media reports, the 16-year-old suspect stabbed his 17-year-old neighbour to death on Monday evening. A report by K24 Digital indicates that the Form Two student suspected that his love rival was secretly seeing his lover, a 14-year-old class Eight pupil. The suspect went to the deceaseds home in Lutoto Village in Ilesi location, where a brawl ensued. During the confrontation, the suspect reportedly whipped out a kitchen knife from his pocket and stabbed his love rival in the chest and left arm, killing him on the spot. Confirming the incident, Shinyalu Sub-County Deputy Commissioner Moffat Moseti said police arrested the boy and investigations were ongoing before charging the suspect. The deceased was taken to Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital morgue, whereas the suspect is being held at Shisasari Police Station. We will arraign him in a juvenile court once investigations into the 17-year-old boys death are concluded, said Moseti. Indian people" are Donald Trumps friends and supporters. This is a statement the US President has often made, accompanied by continued assurances of his good" relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, since his Democratic opponent Joe Biden chose Indian-origin Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential nominee. Trump even participated in a rare naturalisation ceremony two weeks ago, where five immigrants, including a software developer from India, were sworn in as American citizens. However, since the pandemic began, Trumps immigration policies have moved in a direction parallel to his statements. In June, the US President instructed his administration to reform" the H-1B visa system and shift towards merit-based immigration, a move which could prove to be a major setback to many Indian professionals. Just a day ago, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a new H-1B visa regulation to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for final review. As the restrictive regulation moves forward, heres Trumps balance sheet vis a vis a populace he has been claiming the friendship of, ahead of the November US Presidential Elections. Trumps Buy American and Hire American While campaigning for the US Presidency in 2016, Trump laid focus on making America First in his list of priorities. After winning, his administration passed an executive order on what Trump said were two simple rules - Buy American and Hire American. The order promised to promote the proper functioning of the H-1B visa program" and reform the system so the most-skilled" were awarded the visas. After the order, the Economic Times reported how Indian IT services companies working at client and third-party sites in the US faced increased scrutiny by the US government. At that time, Nasscom raised caution against such probes after top Indian IT services companies reported such instances to the body. The head of global trade development at Nasscom, Shivendra Singh, said that an increasing trend of adjudications, documentation and request for evidence was being witnessed amid the issuance of H-1B visas. The Indian government had expressed concern over the order, as well. The then External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, had told the Rajya Sabha in 2018 that the Indian government had taken up the issue with US authorities at various bilateral meetings. The danger is looming large," Swaraj had said on the tightening of the US visa regime and subsequent reduction of H1-B visas. The 2019 report by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (ISCIS) on the H -1B Petitions by Gender and Country of Birth Fiscal Year shows that at 74.5% out of the total, Indian applications dominate. According to an analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy, Trump will have reduced legal immigration by 49% since he became the president, that too, without any changes in the US immigration law. Trumps rhetoric and the resultant policies focus on decreasing unemployment and providing more jobs to Americans, making way for limitations that hinge on his argument of higher skill" and merit. However, an analysis by the NFAP highlights how the denial rate on new H-1B petitions for high-skilled foreign nationals has increased from 6% in the financial year 2015-2016 to 30% in FY 2020. As the Pandemic Looms Large, Trump Moves Forward Proclamation after proclamation. Citing the risk of Covid-19, the Trump administration on March 11 issued a proclamation which suspended the entry or attempted entry of all aliens - whether as immigrants or nonimmigrants - for 14 days from the Schengen Area which includes most European countries. A similar proclamation three days later extended similar restrictions over England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. Then, on April 22, the Trump administration blocked the entry of legal immigrants to the country in about all categories. The final straw was when on June 22, the US President moved to suspend the entry of foreign nationals on H-1B, L-1 and other temporary visas until December 31, 2020. The executive order attracted flak from immigrants, and Trump later relaxed some rules for H-1B visa holders by allowing them to enter the United States if they are returning to the same jobs they had before the proclamation of the visa ban. But thats not all the only way the Trump administration has restricted the entry of legal immigrants. It increased the cost of the N-400 application - for immigrants to become American citizens - by more than 80% for online filings. In another fee up-gradation, a USCIS rule which was proposed first in 2019, will become effective on October 2 this year. Under it, the fees for businesses, new citizens, and international students who require work authorisation will be more than before. USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that current fees do not recover the full cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services. Therefore, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is adjusting USCIS fees by a weighted average increase of 20 percent, adding new fees for certain immigration benefit requests, establishing multiple fees for nonimmigrant worker petitions, and limiting the number of beneficiaries for certain forms," the order read. Trump justifies the measures citing vast unemployment. The overall unemployment rate in the United States nearly quadrupled between February and May of 2020, producing some of the most extreme unemployment ever recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics," reads the June 22 proclamation. However, many experts are not convinced that limiting immigration will provide the relief the President claims it will. Giovanni Peri, an economics professor at the University of California, Davis told the Associated Press that researchers generally agree that immigration into the United States has stimulated economic growth, increased the size of the economy, and created jobs. The idea that immigration threatens American jobs is just not there in any data, he said. Meanwhile, a whopping estimated 8,00,000 legal immigrants (most of whom are Indian) working in the US still await a green card, stated a 2019 report by the Washington Times. Amid Trumps restrictive measures which put the onus of unemployment on an immigrant workforce, and Republican Senator Rick Scott blocking the passing of a bill aimed at clearing this vast green card backlog, times look bleak for those who seek the American dream. Trump and Trade In 2018, the Trump administration began to apply new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from dozens of countries, including India. It used a national security exemption in US trade law to do so. India in response made a list of retaliatory tariffs that it filed with the World Trade Organization (WTO) but held off on applying for them. Then, in June 2019, Trump removed India and several other countries from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) list. The GSP is a preferential trade program that allows countries - considered weaker economies needing a boost - to sell to the US without tariffs on a variety of products. Before the removal of India from the program, the US President had previously asked his administration to alter the GSP rules for safeguarding the countrys interests", and to ensure that no nation was harming it through the incentives. An ORF analysis on the effect of the move points out that five product sectors among those which enjoyed a zero tariff under the GSP fall under the top 20 Indian exports to the country. This implies that these commodities are important to Indias overall export basket, which puts into doubt the claim made by Indian trade officials that the GSP withdrawal would have an insignificant effect," the report states. After the US withdrew Indias name from the GSP list, New Delhi responded by imposing higher retaliatory tariffs on 28 US products including almonds, apples, and walnuts. Data by the US Department of Agriculture shows that India paid $543 million for more than half of US almond exports in 2018, and is by far the largest buyer of US almonds. India is also the second-largest buyer of US apples. Votes Behind Trumps Proclamation of Love for India? After the broadcast of Trumps naturalisation ceremony, former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said it was like watching a fox bless a hen-house. 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 naturalisation ceremony last night was like watching a fox bless a henhouse, Clinton said in a tweet. The ceremony was criticised by many, who pointed out how the picture Trump attempted to paint was quite different from his policies in the past three-and-a-half-years. 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 didnt honour them. It reduced them to re-election props. Both Joe Biden and Trump seem to be laying importance on the estimated 1.8 million eligible Indian-American voters for the November poll. The Trump campaign recently released a video commercial that featured short clips from PM Modi and Trumps addresses in Ahmedabad at the Namaste Trump event. In the run-up to the presidential elections, Trump has also been making repeated statements on his love for India, Modi, and the support he holds of the diaspora. The community has even been dubbed an absolute difference maker" by top democratic leader Thomas Perez, who pointed out that Hillary Clinton has lost Michigan by 10,700 votes in 2016, and that the state has 125,000 Indian-American voters. However, a 2016 post-Election National Asian American Survey (NAAS) found that only a mere 16% of Indian Americans voted for Trump, while 77% of Indian Americans voted for Hillary Clinton. Past surveys, too, have shown Indian Americans have historically favoured the Democratic party. U.S. soldiers during a handover ceremony of Taji military base from U.S.-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces, in the base north of Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 23, 2020. (Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters) US to Withdraw Over 2,000 Troops From Iraq The United States plans to withdraw 2,200 troops from Iraq before the end of September, a top U.S. official said Wednesday. We are continuing to expand on our partner capacity programs that enable Iraqi forces and allow us to reduce our footprint in Iraq, Marine General Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, said during a visit to Iraq. The drawdown will take the number of American forces to 3,000. A senior administration official told reporters on Air Force One late Tuesday that there would be an announcement regarding further troop withdrawals from Iraq. The official also said there would be an announcement concerning Afghanistan in the coming days. President Donald Trump was returning to Washington from a rally in North Carolina. Trump told those assembled: We kept America out of new wars and we are bringing our troops back home. We are bringing them back home from these faraway places. The United States and Iraq in June affirmed their commitment to the reduction of U.S. troops in the country in coming months, with no plans by Washington to maintain permanent bases or a permanent military presence. In 2016 Trump campaigned on ending Americas endless wars. U.S. troops remain in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, albeit in smaller numbers. Trump told reporters during an Aug. 20 meeting with Iraqs prime minister that, at some point, the United States will be completely withdrawn from Iraq. We have been taking our troops out of Iraq fairly rapidly, and we look forward to the day when we dont have to be there. And hopefully Iraq can live their own lives and they can defend themselves, which theyve been doing long before we got involved, he said. Iraqi officials have mulled ousting U.S. troops, but have not done so. Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi asked in January for the United States to prepare to withdraw troops but later said hed leave the decision to his successor. Trumps meeting was with Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, who succeeded Abdul-Mahdi. The new prime minister praised the United States for helping defeat ISIS, the terror group, and in toppling Saddam Husseins regime. The United States withdrew troops from Afghanistan earlier this year, meeting an agreed upon target of 8,600. Reuters contributed to this report. DIDCOT, UK / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Altus Strategies Plc ("Altus" or the "Company") (AIM:ALS)(TSX-V:ALTS) announces that it was informed on 9 September 2020 of the following director share dealings: - on 3 to 8 September 2020, Matthew Grainger (Executive Director), purchased a total of 29,000 Ordinary Shares at a weighted average price of 65.72p per share via his Self Invested Personal Pension Plan; and on 3 to 8 September 2020, Matthew Grainger's wife, Mrs Anna Grainger sold an equivalent 29,000 Ordinary Shares at a weighted average price of 62.42p per share. Following the transactions as described above, Mr Grainger's total shareholding has remained unchanged at 2,085,566 Ordinary Shares, representing 2.98% of the Company's issued share capital respectively. The information set out below is provided in accordance with the requirements of Article 19(3) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation No. 596/2014. Notification and public disclosure of transactions by PMDRS and persons closely associated with them. 1 Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated a) Name Matthew Grainger 2 Reason for the notification a) Position/status Executive Director b) Initial notification/ Amendment Initial notification 3 Details of the issuer emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name Altus Strategies plc b) LEI 2138001P93D9LMFIUA28 4 Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii each type of transaction; (iii each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument Ordinary Shares of 0.05 each b) Identification code GB00BJ9TYB96 c) Nature of the transaction - Purchase of Ordinary Shares by Mr Grainger into his SIPP - Sale of Ordinary Shares by Mrs Grainger d) Price(s) and volume(s) Purchases Price Volume 0.6655 10,000 0.6590 10,000 0.6360 2,500 0.6495 3,000 0.65 3,500 Sales Price Volume 0.65 10,000 0.63 2,500 0.62 5,000 0.60 10,000 0.6175 1,500 e) Aggregated information Aggregated volume 29,000 shares Price 0.6242 (sale price) 0.6572 (purchase price) f) Date of the transactions 03 - 08 September 2020 g) Place of the transactions AIM For further information you are invited to visit the Company's website www.altus-strategies.com or contact: Altus Strategies Plc Steven Poulton, Chief Executive Tel: +44 (0) 1235 511 767 E: info@altus-strategies.com SP Angel (Nominated Adviser) Richard Morrison / Soltan Tagiev Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0470 SP Angel (Broker) Abigail Wayne / Richard Parlons Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0471 Yellow Jersey PR (Financial PR & IR) Georgia Colkin / Charles Goodwin / Henry Wilkinson Tel: +44 (0) 20 3004 9512 E: altus@yellowjerseypr.com About Altus Strategies Plc Altus Strategies is a London (AIM: ALS) and Toronto (TSX-V: ALTS) listed mining royalty company generating a diversified and precious metal focused portfolio of assets. The Company's focus on Africa and differentiated approach, of generating royalties on its own discoveries as well as through financings and acquisitions with third parties, has attracted key institutional investor backing. The Company engages constructively with all stakeholders, working diligently to minimise its environmental impact and to promote positive economic and social outcomes in the communities where it operates. For further information, please visit www.altus-strategies.com. TSX Venture Exchange Disclaimer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Market Abuse Regulation Disclosure Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 ("MAR") until the release of this announcement. **END** SOURCE: Altus Strategies Plc View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605386/Director-Dealings-PDMR-Notification LISBON: Portugal reported 646 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the highest daily toll since April 20, with transmission primarily occurring in family households, health secretary of state Jamila Madeira told a news conference. New cases fell to around 100 a day at the beginning of August but have crept back up since then, worrying the tourism industry as it waits to hear whether it will taken back out of the UKs air bridge list. 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, although details have yet to be announced. Most new cases were split between the northern region and Greater Lisbon, health ministry data showed. 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 BMW-owned British brand sells them as such, and since they only have two doors and a slightly lowered roof, they're definitely more worthy of the characterization than something like, say, the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and all the other copy-cats.Based on their size, though, both the Wraith and particularly the Phantom Coupe are enormous. The Rolls-Royce design isn't particularly suited for vehicles that need to suggest even the slightest touch of pace about them, even though their V12 engines might occasionally disagree with that.They say you don't buy a Rolls-Royce to drive it yourself, but to be driven in it. However, that's true for the limousine versions, whereas the coupe (or the convertible) is made particularly for those moments when the lord wants to experience the thrills of the open road himself. There's no point in dragging all the extra car of a regular Phantom behind you when you can have something shorter, lighter, and marginally more agile.This coupe cooked up by Alex Opanasenko, on the other hand, is an entirely different proposition. Alex describes himself as a senior car designer working in Russia, and as we all know, the Rolls-Royce is as much a symbol of the nouveau-riche as it is of the British aristocracy. Living in Russia, Alex had plenty of exposure to the former, and yet he didn't choose to brand this creation as a Rolls-Royce, but a Duesenberg instead.The Duesenberg name still resonates with some people, but the company hasn't been around for over 80 years. That makes any Duesy comeback very unlikely, which is why we feel that Alex would have been better off slapping the Spirit of Ecstasy on top of that grille and calling it a Rolls-Royce Specter (or some other ghostly word) instead.If it were a Rolls, it would definitely break the mold while also staying true to the brand's design language. All those creases and sculptured surfaces on the side, as well as the exhaust, would have to go, yet other than that, the Specter could remain pretty much unmodified.The comically long hood is big enough to house even the largest V12 engine, while the rear could go straight into production without any interventions. We suspect the model would even have its fair share of commercial success - unless you needed to make an entrance and have the door open by a chauffeur, we would imagine this becoming the car of choice for any well-off owner. Santa Clara County moved Tuesday from the purple to red tier in Californias coronavirus monitoring framework, loosening some, but not all, restrictions for a handful of business sectors in the region. The county is choosing to stick with a more stringent local health order, which prohibits indoor dining, movie theaters and gatherings, including places of worship, but it is moving forward with other openings and expansions allowed in the states red tier. The state system provides a baseline for which businesses can open, and how they must operate, based on a countys coronavirus cases, but counties are allowed to maintain their own stricter rules. As local officials and businesses adjust to the new state tiers, Santa Clara County provides an example of how counties can adjust to changing conditions during a lingering pandemic. The red, or substantial spread tier, permits indoor openings for nail salons, massage parlors, aquariums, museums and zoos, gyms and fitness centers to open at 10% capacity, and malls and retail to expand from 25% to 50% capacity. Being able to be open to the several hundreds of local personal care businesses now is like theyre being offered their first drink of fresh, cool water after being stranded in a hot desert without water for days, said Dennis King, the executive director of the Silicon Valley Small Business Development Center. It means hope for survival. It means life. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle Amador, Orange, Placer and Santa Cruz counties also moved to the red tier Tuesday, giving California 33 counties in the most restrictive purple tier and 14 in the red, plus 9 orange and 2 yellow. Among the Bay Area counties, Napa, Santa Clara and San Francisco are red, and the other six remain purple. The state will update the four-color-tiered list next week. A county is eligible to move up if it shows improvement for three weeks, and it may move back if case rates and testing numbers worsen in a two-week span. If Santa Clara stays in the red for 14 days, schools from kindergarten to 12th grade may open, but the other openings are immediate. Its unclear how many businesses were able to open Tuesday or will even be able to make the quick turnaround later this week, as each reopening business has to have a social distancing protocol on file with the county before unlocking its doors. Before anybody just runs out there and opens up, you have to have all of your practices in place, your is dotted and ts crossed, to keep your workers and customers safe, County Counsel James Williams said in a news conference streamed on Facebook. He did not directly answer questions about why the county is not opening indoor dining or places of worship, but the county has long preached the importance of avoiding super-spreader activities. According to the countys testing officer, Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, Santa Clara County has 18,717 total coronavirus cases, including an average of 176 new cases per day over the past week. The countys case rate is positively adjusted by the state, which credits Santa Clara County for testing nearly 8,000 people per day. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes It is really extraordinary how weve continued to come together as a community to be really rigorous, thoughtful and uniform in our application of these absolutely vital principles around preventing COVID transmission, Williams said. Santa Clara County, along with six other Bay Area counties, was originally placed in the most restrictive purple tier Aug. 28. Marin County believed it would join Santa Clara County on Tuesday in being bumped to the red tier, but Marin officials were informed late Monday that the move has been delayed. Marin County officials said they hope the state will reanalyze its data by the end of the week. We want to move carefully and base our decisions on local data, said Dr. Matt Willis, the countys public health officer. Were well prepared to move forward, but ultimately this is the states decision. In the new framework the state has a lot more control about what moves and what doesnt. Angela Nicholson, the director of Marins Emergency Operations Center, said: This decision is a gut check for residents and businesses. Weve been working together to flatten our curve with COVID-19. Every day, we see the negative effect on the emotional and economic well-being of our neighbors and community. Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron Fighting the coronavirus can put severe strain on a person's mental health. Frontline workers in healthcare constantly have to deal with challenges of life and death importance. With this in mind, a team of researchers and health experts in South Africa developed an app to help healthcare professionals cope with anxiety and stress. The app connects healthcare workers to information, resources and each other. It recognises the importance of holistic protection. In today's episode of Pasha, Professor Ashraf Coovadia and Dr Shaegan Irusen, paediatric specialists at the University of the Witwatersrand, explain how the app works. They emphasise the importance of connecting with people and feeling more in control over an evolving situation. Photo: People connecting jigsaw pieces of a head together By Rawpixel.com found on Shutterstock Music Happy African Village by John Bartmann, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under CC0 1 . Inspiring and Upbeat by Scott Holmes, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial License. . By Ozayr Patel, Digital Editor A family of five in Florida has revealed that their childrens lemonade stand has become their only source of income as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Erin Bailey, a single mother to four children between the ages of six and 10 in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, was put out of her lawn care business when the pandemic swept the country in March, WPBF reported. She told the outlet that due to school closures she was unable to find a new job as she had no one to care for her children. Ms Bailey said that a lemonade stand the children had previously set up to raise pocket money had unwittingly become their only source of income. Things just got really difficult, Ms Bailey said. We started selling the lemonade basically to make sure we have what we need every day. Despite working long hours, the stand has not proved a sustainable source of income and Ms Bailey has said she has started to fall behind on bills and rent. The mother of four explained that their savings have vanished and that her applications to the state and the county for assistance have been futile. You reach a point where you almost feel like youve run out of options and that youre letting them down, she said. To know that theres a chance that we wont have a place for them to call home, its terrifying." For the time being, Ms Bailey said the family are just hoping to endure through the rough patch that theyre experiencing. We are the best team in the world. Thats for sure, Ms Bailey said. India has initiated a probe into an alleged increase in imports of a certain type of PVC resin, used in various sectors including construction and medical devices, from Japan following complaints by domestic firms. According to a notification of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), an application was filed by DCW, DCM Shriram and Chemplast Cuddalore Vinyls for initiation of a probe into imports of 'PVC (polyvinyl chloride) Suspension Grade Resin' from Japan. The application was filed under the India-Japan FTA, officially dubbed as Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, it said. Under a free trade agreement (FTA), two countries reduce or eliminate customs/import duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. The applicants have requested for immediate imposition of bilateral safeguard measures in view of the significant increase in imports of the product. They have also claimed that the market share of the domestic industry has declined whereas market share of the imported resin has increased. "After determining that there is prima facie evidence to justify initiation of the safeguard investigation, the Director-General considers appropriate to initiate the investigation in order to determine whether the imports of the product from Japan constitute increased imports and whether the increased imports have caused or are threatening to cause serious injury to the domestic industry," it said. The period considered for the investigation is April 2016 to March 2020. "It is noted that the increase in imports of the product is significant during the period of investigation and is continuing the increasing trend witnessed post the commencement of the tariff reduction with effect from August 2011," it added. If it is established in the probe that the increase in imports has impacted domestic players, the directorate would recommend imposition of safeguard duty on the imports. The finance ministry will take the final call to impose the duty. The product is used in building and construction, automotive, and medical industries. The safeguard duty duty is imposed as a part of trade remedy measures and it is permitted under the global trade rules of the World Trade Organization. Both India and Japan are members of this organisation. The duty helps in providing a level-paying field to the domestic industry in terms of pricing of a product in the domestic market. Pricing is a key component after quality of products in any market. The bilateral trade between India and Japan fell to USD 16.96 billion in 2019-20 from USD 17.6 billion in the previous fiscal year. Trade balance is highly in favour of Japan. A coronavirus vaccine trial by drug giant AstraZeneca was halted Tuesday just as testing was about to begin in the Bay Area because a participant in the United Kingdom developed an unexplained illness, triggering a pause in operations, officials said. The global phase 3 trial the last step before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decides whether a drug is safe and effective enough for general use was put on hold because one of the volunteers who presumably took the vaccine got sick. The San Francisco Department of Public Health and UCSF were in the process of enrolling 1,000 volunteers to begin the trial of the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed by Oxford University. Officials at AstraZeneca, which is considered a frontrunner in the global race for a vaccine, said in a statement that the company voluntarily paused the global trials of the Oxford vaccine as part of its standard review process to allow an independent committee to look at the safety data. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials, said the statement. In large trials, illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully. We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline. The phase 3 trial, which sought to compare the safety and effectiveness of the experimental treatment against a placebo, would have injected 30,000 volunteers at 80 sites in the U.S., including San Francisco. Of the 1,000 volunteers being enrolled in the Bay Area, 500 were expected to participate through Sutter's East Bay AIDS Center in Oakland, 250 at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and 250 out of Bridge HIV, the San Francisco Health Departments research unit. The vaccine being tested is called AZD1222 by the manufacturer. Dr. Susan Buchbinder, a UCSF professor of medicine and epidemiology, who is leading the San Francisco Health Department trial, said the vaccine was tested on primates and given to more 5,000 people during earlier trials. It's a very promising vaccine, Buchbinder said before the trial was stopped. There is pressure to get an answer to the question of do these vaccines provide protection from COVID-19. Researchers conducting the trials at UCSF and the San Francisco Department of Public Health referred all inquiries to AstraZeneca officials, who emailed the company statement and would not elaborate. 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. AstraZeneca was one of nine rival companies, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna, that signed a pledge Tuesday promising not to seek premature government approval for a coronavirus vaccine. The move came after public health officials across the U.S. expressed concern that President Trump was planning to approve a vaccine before it was ready in an attempt to win votes during November election. The pledge is essentially a pact among all the top vaccine developers to make sure a vaccine is safe and effective before it goes out to the public. More than 175 vaccine candidates have been developed, and eight of them are undergoing phase 3 trials, including the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, according to the World Health Organization. Kaiser Permanente is enrolling clinical trial participants in Northern California for a vaccine made by Pfizer and the German technology company BioNTech. In all, at least 1,400 Bay Area participants are expected to be enrolled in vaccine trials in the coming months. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimrite Researchers isolated eight novel polyphenols from the rarest type of propolis; two of them were found to inhibit tumor cell proliferation in laboratory assays Brazilian red propolis found in beehives along the coast and mangroves in the Northeast region contains two substances with anti-cancer properties. In laboratory tests, they considerably reduced the proliferation of ovarian, breast, and brain cancer cells. In a study published in the Journal of Natural Products, researchers at the Universities of Sao Paulo (USP) and Campinas (UNICAMP) report their discovery of the two anti-cancer substances as well as six novel polyphenols with structures previously unknown to science. Polyphenols are beneficial natural compounds with anti-oxidant properties. They include flavonoids and tannins, and can be found in plants, cereals, and wine. "Two of the eight substances isolated for the first time from red propolis displayed cytotoxic properties in ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and glioma cells. We performed in vitro tests on these three types of tumor because they are resistant to many different drugs and hence hard to treat. The cells in question have a well-known mechanism that overexpresses a protein responsible for barring drugs. This is why they're drug-resistant. Our tests showed that the substances in red propolis circumvented the mechanism, showing their potential to reduce tumors," said Roberto Berlinck, a professor in the University of Sao Paulo's Sao Carlos Institute of Chemistry (IQSC-USP) and a member of the steering committee of the Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP Research Program on Biodiversity Characterization, Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use (BIOTA-FAPESP). The discoveries resulted from a study within the scope of BIOTA-FAPESP, coordinated by Berlinck, and from a Thematic Project coordinated by Ronaldo Pilli. Library of natural products According to Berlinck, red propolis polyphenols are a novel class of anti-cancer compounds that inhibit tumor growth and induce tumor cell death. "In one of our tests they outperformed a well-known chemotherapy drug [doxorubicin]," he told. Natural products are among the main sources of new cancer drugs. Hence the importance of bioprospecting studies such as this one, demonstrating the beneficial effects of the substances concerned. Previous research described the bactericidal, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties of red propolis. "Bees produce propolis to protect the hive, so it's no accident that the resin is bactericidal and anti-fungal," Berlinck said. "This had been reported previously by researchers who analyzed raw red propolis. In our study, we proved the anti-cancer effects of specific substances isolated from red propolis." Red propolis is rarer than green, yellow, or brown propolis. Brazil is one of the world's largest producers of propolis. Red propolis is found in several states of Northeast Brazil. In Alagoas, for example, it is produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera) that feed on the reddish resin exuded by the coin vine Dalbergia ecastaphyllum. "We plan to investigate how the bees process this tree resin," Berlinck said. "Do they modify it to make propolis or use it as is?" However, he added, polyphenols are not considered promising candidates for drug development. "Polyphenols, unfortunately, bind to all sorts of proteins, whereas a drug needs to target a specific protein," he said. "This may be why red propolis is active in so many ways. It can influence several different systems." ### About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at http://www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at http://www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe. Everyone born in Britain between Sept. 1, 2002, and Jan. 2, 2011, received a baby present from the government: a savings account that could not be tapped until the child turned 18, with an initial balance of between 250 and 1,000 pounds, depending on the familys income. This month, the oldest recipients started turning 18 and gained access to that money. Some of the accounts hold more than 5,000 ($6,480). As any 18-year-old can tell you, money is the best of all possible high school graduation presents. It unlocks the gates of opportunity. And the British program gave money to children from families that had little of their own. The gifts were intended to chip away at the inequalities of wealth, and the resulting inequalities of opportunity, that weigh on developed nations. Philip Murphy, the governor of New Jersey, proposed last month to create a similar program for children in his state, which would be the first such program in the United States. The baby bonds program would create a $1,000 savings account for each child born into a New Jersey household with an annual income below about $131,000. The political response to the pandemic has been extreme and is outweighing other important economic and societal issues, an Oireachtas committee has heard. Retired UK Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption said governments in Europe and North America had treated the outbreak of Covid-19 as an unprecedented situation, when he believes it should not be considered as such. There have been epidemics and pandemics before over the last 40 or 50 years and theyve hardly touched Europe or North America, he said. The question is how far should you allow clinical and medical considerations to outweigh the many other factors that make up the vigour of human life in a free and open society like ours Lord Jonathan Sumption That has given us a sense of invulnerability which we are now learning was a mistake, we are not actually invulnerable. The reason why the reaction has been so extreme is that we have come to believe that there is nothing that the state cannot do to protect us, and that is something borne of our extremely fortunate experience over the last half century. Its not going to continue. Were likely to have more pandemics of this kind and we have to develop the kind of sense of proportion that Im afraid weve forgot over the last century since the previous pandemic. which was the Spanish flu between 1918 and 1921. Lord Sumption and Gabriel Buquicchio, president of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, joined the committee meeting by video link from London and Strasbourg respectively. Mr Buquicchio told the committee a lot of good lessons are being learned now for the next crisis, as he warned: Unfortunately, I feel well have new pandemics like this one if not more serious. The Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response met on Wednesday to discuss the legislation and regulations introduced by the State in response to the virus. Representatives from @LawSocIreland @TheBarofIreland @TCDLawSchool are appearing in front of the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response on the Legislative Framework in Ireland #seeforyourselfhttps://t.co/OM4LMB9ODv https://t.co/KLu08q3o5H Houses of the Oireachtas - Tithe an Oireachtais (@OireachtasNews) September 9, 2020 The committee also examined the legal framework used to underpin responses to the pandemic in the UK and other jurisdictions. Asked by Fianna Fail TD Jim OCallaghan whether too much emphasis has been put on public health advice to the exclusion of other important factors, such as the mental health of older people and the educational needs of children, Lord Sumption said: I do think so. The question is how far should you allow clinical and medical considerations to outweigh the many other factors that make up the vigour of human life in a free and open society like ours. He said it is not an issue that should be handed over to scientists even if the scientists agreed, which they dont. Law Society of Ireland president Michele OBoyle told the committee that the Governments communication of public health restrictions fell short on some occasions during the pandemic. While the situation facing the State in March was unprecedented, when interfering in the fundamental rights of citizens, the least intrusive approach possible which achieves the required result should always be chosen, she said. It is a requirement under Irish law, EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights that there should be certainty as to the nature of legal obligations placed on individuals. On some occasions, the communications around restrictions fell short of providing such certainty because the extent and application of those restrictions was unclear. In general terms, we would caution against introducing powers normally reserved for the investigation of serious criminal offences for the purposes of enforcing what are, at their core, health regulations Michele O'Boyle, Law Society of Ireland She raised concerns over the use of garda powers to ensure people complied with Covid-19 measures. The advisability of using policing as a means to ensure compliance with public health guidelines should be extremely carefully considered, Ms OBoyle told TDs and senators. In general terms, we would caution against introducing powers normally reserved for the investigation of serious criminal offences for the purposes of enforcing what are, at their core, health regulations. In her statement, chair of the Bar Council of Ireland Maura McNally urged the Oireachtas to ensure the courts system has sufficient funding to address the backlog of cases created by the lockdown. She said meaningful and timely access to courts was not only necessary but hugely important. The body, which represents 2,200 barristers, also called for better communication from the Government about Covid-19 public health guidance. The 48th edition of the Romanian Filmmakers Union (UCIN) Gala will take place on September 21 at the Studio Hall of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest. At this year's Gala, UCIN will grant its annual awards for productions that premiered during the year 2019. There were 70 films selected for the competition, with 20 awards to be granted.The jury was made of film director Stere Gulea (last year's winner), Florin Mihailescu, Marilena Iliesiu, Irina Nistor and Dorel Visan."This year's Gala will be soberer, but definitely more touching. We also hope to be able to have an online component accessible to all those who cannot participate physically in the Gala, and also a series of surprising moments, in terms of their artistic value, but also in terms of message," the organisers said in a press release.The Romanian Filmmakers Association was created in 1963.In 1990, the Association became the Romanian Filmmakers Union and had its first Gala starting with 1972.The event is organised by the Romanian Filmmakers Union in partnership with the National Centre of Cinematography and is financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Identity. Our collaborative efforts with the PCEA reinforce our main goal that has always been to provide our customers with the right tools and support to address their business needs, said Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA Design Automation. EMA Design Automation (http://www.ema-eda.com), a full-service provider and innovator of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) solutions, announced that it has decided to sponsor the newly formed Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) (http://www.pce-a.org) because of their mutual understanding of the importance of driving awareness and education throughout the PCB industry. Our collaborative efforts with the PCEA reinforce our main goal that has always been to provide our customers with the right tools and support to address their business needs, said Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA Design Automation. The PCEA is an international network of printed circuit engineers that was formed as a means for education and to promote the exchange of information within the PCB industry. Printed circuit engineers need to have a comprehensive understanding of all phases of PCB design from concept, engineering development, and standards implementation to manufacturing (including fabrication), assembly, test, and compliance. EMA and the PCEA both understand this need. EMA has already been diligently supporting engineers with their ongoing educational webinar series, as well as the publication of The Hitchhikers Guide to PCB Design that is a free book empowering engineers with the knowledge needed to understand the complexities of the PCB design process. PCEA is very excited and grateful to have EMA Design Automation as one of our key industry sponsors to collaborate with as PCEA evolves within the industry, and moves forward as an international network of engineers, designers, fabricators, assemblers and anyone related to printed circuit development, said Stephen V. Chavez, PCEA chairman. Our mission is to promote printed circuit engineering as a profession by encouraging and facilitating the exchange of information and the integration of new design concepts through communications, seminars, and workshops. This is facilitated by a network of local, regional, virtual PCEA-affiliated chapters and the support of our sponsors. PCB design continues to get more complex and designers need every advantage they can get to keep up, added Marcano. PCEA is the right idea at the right time. For more information about EMA, go to go.ema-eda.com or call 585.334.6001. About EMA Design Automation, Inc. EMA Design Automation is a trailblazer in product development solutions offering a complete range of EDA tools, PLM integrations, services, training, and technical support. EMA is a Cadence Channel Partner serving all of North America. EMA develops Ultra Librarian, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, CIP, EDABuilder, and a host of custom solutions to enhance the OrCAD and Dassault products, and all are distributed through a worldwide network of value-added resellers. EMA is a privately held corporation headquartered in Rochester, New York. Visit EMA at http://www.ema-eda.com for more information. # # # EMA Design Automation, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, EDABuilder, Ultra Librarian, and the EMA and Ultra Librarian logos are registered trademarks, and Component Information Portal is a trademark of EMA Design Automation, Inc. Cadence, Allegro, and OrCAD are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All other trademarks in this release are the property of their respective owners. The ANC delegation to Zimbabwe has scored a diplomatic point after Zanu-PF agreed they should meet the opposition and civil society groups on their next trip to Harare. The Ace Magashule-led team drawn from the ANC national executive and working committees arrived in the capital on Tuesday to meet Zanu-PF leaders on Wednesday. The party-to-party meeting was to discuss the escalating political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe. Since July, with a crackdown on opposition politicians and journalists characterised by kidnappings and torture, the country's woes have drawn international attention. Zanu-PF, however, insists there is no crisis in the country. Magashule told journalists there was an agreement between Zanu-PF and the delegation that on the next visit the South Africans should meet rival parties. We felt that together with Zanu-PF, indeed there is no problem in meeting with the structures. Therefore, we are going to make arrangements to once more come back and meet these organisations, he said. Magashule singled out Zapu, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, the MDC Alliance and the US ambassador to Zimbabwe as some of the people they would meet. This was the second visit by emissaries from SA in a month. On both occasions they met Zanu-PF leaders only. Members of the opposition and civil society said meetings that excluded them would not solve Zimbabwe's crisis. Some government critics felt the resolution to meet them was a step in the right direction, comparing it to former president Thabo Mbeki's policy of quiet diplomacy that forced Zanu-PF under the late Robert Mugabe to negotiate, resulting in a government of national unity. This time around, some sections of the opposition and civil society are calling for a similar power-sharing deal to put an end to the countrys problems. Zanu-PF sources told TimesLIVE that because SA had in the past offered to help its neighbour lobby for the removal of sanctions imposed by the US, UK and the EU and possible economic assistance, the ANC commanded its respect. Senate Majority Mitch McConnell unveiled the different financial aids under the new stimulus bill on Tuesday. He also assured that Senate will vote within this week. Senate has already returned, bringing good news to millions of Americans. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced the new financial aids under the new proposed stimulus bill. McConnell termed the new financial aids as a "targeted bill." The focus of the targeted bill is to deliver the most urgent needs of Americans and qualified individuals. Specifically, it targets healthcare, education, and economic issues. Once it is signed into law, it will allow states to continue the $300 weekly unemployment claim. Moreover, it will also continue another round of Paycheck Protection Program loans for business, which are hardly-hit by the global pandemic. The program loan will also create broad liability protections for companies like putting back their employees on the payroll. The following are the breakdown of the new stimulus package, according to a recently published article in CNBC News: $105 billion toward schools $16 billion into Covid-19 testing $31 billion toward the development of vaccines and beefing up the strategic national stockpile $15 billion into childcare grants Many wondered why the second round of $1,200 direct stimulus checks are not included in the newly proposed bill. It can be remembered that Pres. Trump urged Congress recently to release the unspent budget worth $300 billion under the CARES Act and use it for stimulus checks. Meanwhile, Latin Posts also reported recently that the $300 billion is more than enough to send $1,200 stimulus checks to 160 million Americans who claimed the stimulus checks during the first round. If Congress releases the amount, indeed, it will arrive immediately. Moreover, if Congress will not release the $300 billion, there is a possibility that Pres. Trump will sign another executive order diverting some federal agencies' unspent budget like what he did with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. However, there are speculations that the bill will not garner support in the Democratic-dominated Congress because they are pushing for a larger amount. But, it can also be remembered that around 100 Democratic Representatives wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to consider the White House and Republican lawmakers' offer. In fact, the Democratic House Speaker agreed in a continuing resolution that allows the Americans to receive financial aids amid the impending government operations shut down in October. Suppose Congress will not support the new stimulus package of the Republican lawmakers. In that case, this also means that they are neglecting their duty to help millions of Americans suffering from the pandemic. Likewise, the efforts of the White House and Republican lawmakers will also become imperil. Pres. Trump has been pushing for another round of stimulus package while putting the Americans back to work and not to rely only on the weekly unemployment claims. President Trump already said that he would immediately sign a bill related to the stimulus package to ensure that Americans and qualified individuals will receive the help they need aid the economic devastation of COVID-19. Check these out! New Delhi, Sep 9 : The 73rd Regional Committee Session of WHO South-East Asia Region began on Wednesday, with health leaders emphasising on greater investments for strengthening health systems and continued efforts and collaboration for combating the Covid-19 pandemic. "The Covid-19 pandemic underscores that the world is a global village where all lives are intertwined. To win, we must collaborate and fight as one. In order to protect our health gains, we must continuously invest in health. Our region needs to invest more and more in public healthcare and build a robust health delivery system," said India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, while opening the proceedings as Chair of the previous year's Session. Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, said the pandemic demonstrates interconnectedness of all Sustainable Development Goals. "All sectors, public and private are collaborating. This is really unprecedented. While we fight our common enemy Covid-19, we see so many social innovations and solidarity." Charnvirakul is chairing the annual governing body meeting of WHO in the region with Thailand hosting the session this year. The two-day session is being held virtually for the first time ever in view of the pandemic. Addressing the session, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "Covid-19 is causing so much pain, sorrow and uncertainty. But it is also giving us an opportunity. The whole world can now see that health is an essential investment in safer, healthier, fairer and more sustainable societies." Countries now need to focus on four priorities, he said. First, prevent amplifying events. Second, save lives by protecting the vulnerable. Third, empower and educate people and communities to protect themselves and others and fourth, focus on the public health basics - find, isolate, test and care for cases, and trace and quarantine their cases. WHO's Regional Director, South-East Asia Region, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, said that "greater investment in public health would help achieve better health outcomes, promote sustainable development and a more equitable and just society". "For over nine months now, countries have acted with speed, scale and solidarity to respond to the Covid-19 crisis that has affected all of humanity and impacted social and economic life like no event in living memory. While determined efforts have helped save countless lives, ongoing commitment is needed to save many more lives," she said. Emphasising on solidarity and cooperation, she said this has defined their work for many years now, and has been central to the response thus far. All speakers commended the selfless efforts being made by millions of health workers across the world in the pandemic. On day two of the Session, a ministerial round table will be held to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic and efforts being made to maintain essential health services and accelerate resumption of healthcare services disrupted by the pandemic. By Express News Service Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty who was accused of drug-related charges was sent to Mumbai's Byculla jail on Wednesday. Rhea's bail application will be filed in session court on Thursday. The chief metropolitan magistrate court sent the 28-year-old actor to 14 days of judicial custody. Rhea and her brother Showik Chakrabortys lawyer Satish Maneshinde filed the appeal for their bail in the sessions court. Rhea was arrested on Tuesday by the Narcotics Central Bureau (NCB) in a drug case as part of the probe into Sushant's death. She has been charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act for her alleged role in the drugs angle that has emerged during an investigation into the June 14 death of Sushant. As per the remand copy of NCB, Rhea procured drugs for consumption. It was also stated that Rhea Chakraborty was also involved in financial dealings. The remand application also reads that Rhea's brother Showik was procuring drugs from Kaizen Ibrahim and Abdel Basit Parihar on Rheas behest. NCB had grilled Rhea before arresting her. She is an accused in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case though the CBI has not found any credible evidence against her. The NCB registered a case on request by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after alleged chats showed Rhea, her brother Showik Chakraborty and Sushant's house manager Samuel Miranda had ordered the drugs. How long will it take for the Aussie economy to return to growth? Source: Getty The Australian economy is set to end 2020 lower than what it began but economists expect better years ahead. The Reserve Bank believes it will take until 2022 for the economy to reach its pre-COVID levels a view shared by several other economists in the private sector including from NAB and the CBA. There have also been concerns raised that Victorias second lockdown could derail the national recovery even with other states loosening restrictions. But what does the rest of the decade hold for the Australian economy? Bloombergs James McIntyre is one of the few economists to have looked that far ahead. This week he forecast that by the end of the 2020s, growth will reach an average 2.8 per cent. The expectation for 2020, however, is a 2.8 per cent contraction on an annualised basis. That negative trend is expected to reverse by 2021, with growth of 2 per cent forecast and accelerating after that. Despite the second wave in Victoria, McIntyre is optimistic about the recovery. He believes it will only delay and not derail the economy in light of other states experiences. Australia has suffered a lighter blow from the pandemic than other major advanced economies, McIntyre said. Australias virus outbreak was not as severe as expected, and the economy began re-opening from the nationwide lockdown sooner than anticipated. McIntyre made a similar suggestion about the impact of Aucklands containment measures on the rest of New Zealands economy. He predicts a 4.1 per cent fall in New Zealands GDP in 2020 followed by a similar acceleration in growth in subsequent years. Factors critical to growth Australian GDP growth is predicted to be 2.3 per cent less than what it would have been if COVID-19 hadnt happened. But McIntyre says several factors will be critical to ensuring a return to growth. These include a pickup in capital accumulation, population growth (potentially spurred through immigration) and public investment. The public investment boost, both pre- and post-pandemic, should provide some support for productivity gains, he said. Story continues A resurgence in such outlays is likely to be sustained given support from a loose monetary policy, and acknowledgment of the need for investment across transport networks to catch up with population growth. McIntyre has previously acknowledged the mining sector as one of the key sectors in Australias recovery, particularly in Western Australia. While he thinks mining will be important going forward, he says Australia shouldnt put all its eggs in one basket. Australias distance from global manufacturing centres favours a boost in non-mining investment across strategic sectors, as part of post-pandemic realignments of global supply chains, he said. For more articles like this, please visit us at Stockhead.com.au. Subscribe now to stay ahead with the latest stock news and insights. Yahoo Finance's All Markets Summit is back! Don't miss out. Book your ticket for 17 Septemeber. Source: Supplied Are you a millennial or Gen Z-er interested in joining a community where you can learn how to take control of your money? Join us at The Broke Millennials Club on Facebook! In April, on the first night of Passover, Michael CohenDonald Trumps former fixer, who was then incarcerated at Otisville prison, in New Yorktook an early manuscript of a book hed been working on, and tossed it into a fire that Orthodox inmates had built to burn leavened bread. According to Vanity Fairs Emily Jane Fox, Cohen didnt want the manuscripta tell-all about his sordid work for the presidentfalling into the hands of Trump-sympathizing guards; in any case, his wife had a backup copy. The following month, Cohen was released to home confinement. In July, he showed up at a courthouse to handle paperwork extending his home stay, only to encounter a surprise catch. Probation officers demanded that Cohen refrain from pursuing his book or otherwise talking to the media while at home; Cohen refused to agree to those terms, and so back to Otisville he went. His lawyers pushed back, arguing that his treatment amounted to an egregious violation of the First Amendment. A bemused judge ruled that the federal government had, indeed, retaliated against Cohen, and sent him home again. Last month, Cohen (whos still at home) used a personal website to publish a teaser of the book the Trump administration had tried to quash. Over the weekend, more details leaked out in the press ahead of the books formal publication date, which was yesterday. Normally, home confinement makes book tours awkward, but were all basically home-confined these days (if not by court order). Cohen has already sat for videochat-style interviews with NBCs Lester Holt and MSNBCs Rachel Maddow, and will appear on CNN tonight. And juicy nuggets from the book continue to make the news cycle: Trump has low opinions of all Black folks; Trump once hired a Barack Obama stand-in (a Faux-Bama) so he could fire him, Apprentice-style; Trump didnt just have the National Enquirer catch and kill negative stories about him in 2016, but also signed off on its hit pieces about Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio; Trump plans to have himself indicted for crimes to which Cohen pleaded guilty, so that he can pardon himself; and so on. ICYMI: Journalisms Gates keepers In addition to campaign-finance crimes tied to the catch and kill scheme, Cohen pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress about Trump and Russia. He is thus a convicted liar, which makes it hard to take his book at face value. Journalists including Holt, in his Cohen interview, have grappled with that difficulty; others have declined to dwell on it much at all. Last night, Maddow called one of the stories in the book unbelievable, then caught herself: I dont mean literally unbelievable, she told Cohen, I believe you. Speaking on Lawrence ODonnells show after Maddow wrapped up, Daniel Goldman, a prosecutor who represented the Democrats during Trumps impeachment, said he believes Cohen, too: the truth Cohen is professing to tell is against his self-interest, Goldman argued, and the book doesnt overstate its anti-Trump case. On Twitter, Josh Campbell, a CNN security correspondent and former FBI staffer, noted that while its hard for investigators to believe convicted crooks, crooks also make great witnesses. Campbells CNN colleague Elie Honig, a legal analyst, added that theres corroboration for much, if not all, of Cohens account. In the book, Cohen apologizes for some of his past conducthe was more than willing, he writes, to lie, cheat, and bully at Trumps behestand acknowledges that many people will consider him to be the least reliable narrator on the planet. However, he also insists that hes innocent of some of the crimes to which he pleaded guilty; he now calls himself a scapegoat and a victim of prosecutors gangster tactics. And his book pins blame for Trumps ascent elsewhere, including on the media. Donald Trumps presidency is a product of the free press. Not free as in freedom of expression, I mean free as unpaid for, Cohen writes. Rallies broadcast live, tweets, press conferences, idiotic interviews, 24-7 wall-to-wall coverage, all without spending a penny Right, left, moderate, tabloid, broadsheet, television, radio, Internet, Facebookthat is who elected Trump and might well elect him again. Theres merit in that argument. But theres no merit in Michael Cohen making it. Aside from the National Enquirer, the free press didnt use illegal tactics to cover up Trumps wrongdoing in 2016Cohen did. The free press didnt deny a story involving incriminating photos of Jerry Falwell, Jr., then contradict that denial in a bookCohen did. The free press did not scream, I will make sure that you and I meet one day over in the courthouse and I will take you for every penny you still dont have, and I will come after your Daily Beast and everybody else that you possibly know and thats my warning for the day, at a reporter. You get the picture. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Theres a broader point here which goes beyond Cohens attempt at media criticism and the debate as to whether or not his account can be trusted: we dont need to hear any of this from him. Books by disillusioned former confidants of the president are common these days, andjudging by their sales figures and the media coverage they generateinterest in the spicy details they offer remains high. Often, though, their authors are themselves compromised. (Im looking at you, John Bolton.) And while details, of course, matter in journalism, the anecdotes in these books can feel repetitive, and the public reaction to them tends to fizzle. Ultimately, theres no need to get bogged down in such debates about credibility and conjecturebecause we all know by now the truth of who Trump is and what he represents. That truth is both factualas Ive written before, Trump has a habit of saying the really bad stuff out loudand, more importantly, moral. Discerning it requires our eyes and ears, as well as our empathy. It doesnt require getting into the weedsor the gutterwith the likes of Michael Cohen. Below, more on Michael Cohen and books: Other notable stories: ICYMI: Why did Matt Drudge turn on Donald Trump? 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sudip Kar-Gupta (Reuters) Paris, France Wed, September 9, 2020 11:15 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43ac8df 2 World France,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-death-toll,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in France rose by 6,544 over the last 24 hours to give a total of 335,524 cases, the health ministry said on Tuesday, as the country battles to avert a second wave of the virus. The number of deaths also climbed by 39 over the last 24 hours to reach a total of 30,764. France has the world's seventh-highest COVID-19 death toll, and authorities are scrutinizing the data to see what measures might be needed to help it cope with an expected second wave of the virus this winter. The government has said that while it will do all it can to avoid another nationwide lockdown, such as that imposed across the country from March to May, it will nevertheless keep all its options open. Health Minister Olivier Veran said earlier on Tuesday that the COVID-19 situation was worrying, although he felt a big second wave of infections could be avoided. "The reproduction rate of the virus stands at 1.2 which is less than the 3.2-3.4 level seen during the spring. So the virus is spreading at lesser speed but it is circulating, which is worrying", Veran told France Inter radio. Donald Trump US President Donald Trump will hold a September 15 signing ceremony for a groundbreaking Middle East agreement normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, a senior White House official said on Tuesday. As part of the deal, announced at the White House on Aug. 13 following what officials said were 18 months of talks, the Gulf state agreed to normal relations with Israel, while Israel agreed to continue with plans to suspend its annexation of the West Bank. The senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan would lead the two delegations to the ceremony. "I am proud to embark next week to Washington, at the invitation of President Trump, to take part in the this historic ceremony at the White House for the foundation of the peace treaty between Israel and the United (Arab) Emirates," Netanyahu wrote on Twitter. Trump and other administration officials have said they expect Saudi Arabia and other countries to follow suit in recognizing Israel. Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner and other top administration officials accompanied an Israeli delegation last week on the first flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates to celebrate the agreement. Iran has dismissed the agreement, which also served to firm up opposition to Tehran, a regional power seen by the UAE, Israel and the United States as the main threat in the Middle East. The deal falls short of any grand Middle East peace plan to resolve decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians despite Trump's pledge to do so. The White House hope is that more such deals between Israel and the Gulf states will emerge, prompting the Palestinians to join negotiations. Trump proposed a peace plan in January that heavily favored the Israelis, but it has not advanced in any significant way. The Palestinian leadership initially called the accord "betrayal" and a "stab in the back of the Palestinian cause," but has curbed its criticism, according to a draft resolution ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday. The draft, seen by Reuters, does not include a call to condemn, or act against, the Emirates over the U.S.-brokered deal. The United Arab Emirates is planning to make its first official visit to Israel on Sept. 22, a source familiar with the provisional itinerary said on Monday. Polacek continues to volunteer for the village and he maintains the Prague Cemetery, mowing in the spring and summer, and making sure the graves and driveways are shoveled when the snow comes. He has been member of American Legion Post 254 for over 60 years, serving in positions such as commander and vice commander, and on the firing squad. He is also an active member of the St. Johns Catholic church, volunteering whenever and where ever needed. Now that he is retired he enjoys restoring Ford Broncos and pickups, two-cycle tractors, and he also enjoys attending tractor pulls in the area. Polacek has made such a positive impact on his community that a few years ago, one of his neighbor girls named Emily wrote about him in a school project about heroes. In her essay My Hero she wrote about this hero who may not be famous, but he is special to her because he is a veteran. She talked about all the wonderful everyday things that we take for granted but he doesnt because he doesnt look for praise, but for a sense of community. This young girl makes Veterans Day cards for the all the veterans in Prague and Polacek always thanks her in person. She ended her essay saying how much she will miss Polacek when he is gone because the world will not be the same without him and when she grows up, she hopes to be just like him. New Delhi, Sep 9 : A nervous China is now trying to convince its own people that its Army can fight a war and has the advantage over India. This clearly shows that China is on the back foot by India's aggressive stance on the border and is trying to give hope to its own people. "China's policy toward India is backed by strength and if ordinary people are not afraid of Indian provocateurs, how could the PLA be intimidated by them? How can the country be weak in dealing with India? Everyone must believe that China has an upper hand over India. We have all kinds of initiatives in our hands and we will not allow India to take advantage of China, no matter it is negotiation or fighting a war," Global Times said in a report. China state affiliated media Gobal Times said in a report "People familiar with the frontline situation along the China-India border told me that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has a firm control over the overall situation, and that in the event of a war, no matter how it is fought, the PLA will have the absolute certainty of defeating the Indian army. China will not lose an inch of territory along the China-India border. Chinese people can be rest assured," it said. The report by Hu Xijin, Editor-in-chief of the Global Times said that recent events have shown that China's overall deterrence has not been big enough to deter Indian troops from taking risks. "The Indian side is still taking chances, misjudging and underestimating China's will to never compromise on the territorial issue. The Indian side always believes that China does not dare, will not or cannot go to war with the Indian side. Perhaps the fundamental reason is that China has not fought a war for more than 30 years and is committed to peaceful development." It said: "Some outside forces question our willingness to fight if necessary, arguing that we will compromise beyond the bottom line in order to ensure development." China is comparing the situation today to the 1962 war. "Before the 1962 war, India had no fear, encroaching on China's territory and challenging the PLA, and eventually India paid a heavy price. The situation today is very close to that before the outbreak of the 1962 war. As far as I know, the frontline situation is quite tense and there is a serious possibility of direct exchange of fire between the two sides". "I have close contact with the Chinese military and I am also a former soldier, I must warn the Indian side that the PLA does not fire the first shot, but if the Indian army fires the first shot at the PLA, the consequence must be the annihilation of the Indian army on the spot. If Indian troops dare to escalate the conflict, more Indian troops will be wiped out. The Indian army, which lost 20 soldiers in a physical clash (many of them froze to death after being injured in group fights), is no match for the PLA. Yes, we have some contempt for the combat capability of the Indian army," Hu wrote for Global Times. "Many Chinese are regretfully thinking that perhaps peaceful development is not the destiny of China as a great power, and probably fighting a war to demonstrate China's determination that it "dares to fight" is the price China has to pay. I want to warn New Delhi, it should be responsible for its actions, not to force China to demonstrate its strong will by striking provocative Indian troops who repeatedly crossed the LAC," the report said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text KITCHENER For the second time in less than a month Amazon.com, Inc. has announced plans to open a major delivery centre in Waterloo Region, this time in Kitchener. According to a Wednesday morning news release, the Seattle-based online shopping giant will open a 120,000 square-foot delivery station at 100 Shirley Ave. the former home of RV maker Roadtrek and Erwin Hymer Group North America. The announcement comes about three weeks after a similar 136,000 square-foot delivery station was announced for Cambridge at 125 Maple Grove Rd. Both are expected to open later this year and could create hundreds of full-time, part-time, and delivery driver positions. Were pleased that Amazon has chosen the City of Kitchener and continues to expand its investment in the region through the establishment of another delivery station, said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic in the release. As a global player in 21st century retail, Amazons new delivery station will create both new permanent job growth as well as small business opportunities for local entrepreneurs interested in establishing delivery businesses. Delivery stations are an important part of Amazons distribution chain. Packages are transported from Amazon fulfilment and sorting centres to the delivery stations, and loaded into vehicles for final delivery. The repurposed building in Kitchener was most recently the home of RV manufacturer Erwin Hymer Group North America prior to the companys closure in early 2019. University of Waterloo economics lecturer Geoff Malleck said the expansion of Amazon locally is good news from an employment perspective at least in the short term. Over time Amazon will continue to work to lower labour costs as technology advances, he said. AI and robotics may later impact on how many people are required at each facility. But for now this is great news. The retail world has experienced a dramatic shift since a COVID-19 state of emergency was announced in March and an economic lockdown encouraged consumers to make more purchases online, Malleck said. Amazon was in a unique position to capitalize on that sudden shift. The companys stock jumped from about $1,700 per share in mid-March to more than $3,200 by early September; company founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has also seen his personal net worth surge to about $200 billion, up from about $115 billion at the end of 2019. Seldom have we seen such a rapid shift in consumer behaviour, said Malleck, an expert in consumer behaviour, retail strategy and entrepreneurship. The growth was already in place but advancing more slowly. COVID-19 simply accelerated the pace. Amazon spokesperson Kirsten Wenker told The Record the company is excited to increase our investment in Ontario with a new delivery station in Kitchener to provide fast and efficient delivery for customers, and provide hundreds of job opportunities for the talented local workforce. Amazon also announced plans Wednesday to open two new fulfilment centres in Hamilton and Ajax, and hire 2,500 new people. The company will have a total of 16 such facilities in Canada, with 10 located in Ontario. The Hamilton location will pack and ship small items such as books, electronics and toys, while the Ajax site will focus on larger items like household goods, according to the company. Malleck said its important for Amazon to have a local presence in many different communities in order to gain an edge over its competitors. If Amazon wants to take business back from UPS, FedEx and others, it cannot have one location serving a large geographic market, he said. There has also been increased pushback against the retail giant amid concerns it exploits workers. Job postings for the new Cambridge site advertised pay starting at $18.25 per hour last month, and some Amazon employees told the Toronto Star in March about crowded work conditions, limited access to sick days and confusion over quarantine leave at the height of the pandemic. Amazon has thrived during this crisis while other local retailers have struggled or been forced to close, and Malleck said despite the growing presence of Amazon in the region he hopes consumers will continue to shop locally. They offer products and experiences that are unique and warrant our continued support, he said. James Jackson is a Waterloo Region-based reporter focusing on business and technology for the Record. Reach him via email: jjackson@therecord.com Read more about: Subramanian Swamy | BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has written a second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a joint probe in the actors death by the CBI, NIA and Enforcement Directorate. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on September 9 ratcheted up his demand to sack the ruling partys IT cell chief Amit Malviya, accusing him of running a campaign against him using fake Twitter handles. By tomorrow If Malaviya is not removed from BJP IT cell (which is my five villages compromise proposal to Nadda) it means the party brass does not want to defend me. Since there is no forum in the party where I can ask for cadre opinion, hence I will have to defend myself,(SIC) Swamy, the BJPs Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP), wrote on Twitter on September 9 hinting that BJP didnt want to defend him Swamy had started targeting the BJP IT cell, that manages the social media presence of the party, two days ago. The BJP IT cell has gone rogue. Some of its members are putting out fake ID tweets to make personal attacks on me, he wrote on September 7. He, however, did not specify what the campaign against him was about. If my angered followers make counter personal attacks I cannot be held responsible just as BJP cannot be held responsible for the rogue IT cell of the party, he wrote. Also Read: BJP MP Subramanian Swamy writes to PM Modi questioning exclusion of farmers from RBI's loan moratorium package Swamy, an economist, was a member of the Janata Party serving as its president until 2013 when he joined the BJP. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on April 26, 2016. Known as an activist politician, Swamy filed a case in 2012 in the Supreme Court to prosecute A Raja in the 2G spectrum scam. He also accused the then Union Minister P Chidambaram and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, in the scam. He had also filed a case against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi accusing the mother-son duo of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds during the management of the National Herald newspaper. Malviya, who introduces himself as in-charge of BJPs national Information & Technology and ex banker in his Twitter bio is a prominent BJP face in TV debates. He leads BJPs social media campaign against Opposition defencing the partys position on critical issues. The BJP leader responded to people who urged him to ignore the attacks. I am ignoring but BJP must sack them. One Malaviya character is running riot with filth. We are a party of maryada purushottam not of Ravan or Dushasan, (SIC) the MP known for his maverick ways tweeted. Swamy also retweeted twitter posts mocking the IT cell chief and urging BJP president JP Nadda to resolve the issue. Vilification happens when somebody becomes insecure of his or her position. It happened with Indira Gandhi after I returned from abroad and entered Parliament during the Emergency and after20 seconds Point of Order escaped again abroad. Patel, Mukherjee and Upadhyaya were victims, he wrote in one of the tweets. Swamy has been expressing disagreement with his party over a host of issues, the recent being the issue of JEE-NEET exams with students, parents and many political leaders demanding that the exams be postponed. . However, the Joint Entrance Examination Main,( JEE MAIN 2020) was conducted from September 1-6. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate,( NEET 2020) will be held on September 13 for over 15 lakh students. The Supreme Court is on September 9 considering a fresh plea of the 11 petitioners regarding NEET postponement. Swamy was the only BJP leader who had supported students and demanded that the exams be deferred Swamy has been critical of the Centre on Goods and Services Tax (GST) too. In February, he had called GST a biggest madness of the 21st century. Now that it has been decided that colleges and institutes will re-open only in January 2021, there is no reason not to delay the NEET exams to after Deepavali when the weather will be better and Coronavirus threat lower, Swami said on September 8. JEE/ NEET exams in the middle of a galloping COVID-19 infections, paralysing lockdown effects, a collapsing economy, a monsoon in bloom, Chinese Dragon gobbling our territory, & chors and murderers in Bollywood, is like Jallianwala Bagh where innocent were gunned down, (SIC) he had tweeted on September 4. Sources said that the BJP IT Cell had faced wrath of top leadership over the dislike campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his virtual events. Party leaders including Malviya, however, blamed Congress for engineering dislikes asserting that only a fraction of the dislikes was generated from India. Malviya couldnt be contacted for a comment. SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The power of community will fuel a revolution in the way we do business. This is the premise of Coupa Chairman and CEO Rob Bernshteyn's new book, Smarter Together: How Communities are Shaping the Next Revolution in Business , which published today (Greenleaf Book Group, September 2020). The book's core idea is that none of us is as smart as all of us, and that leveraging anonymous, aggregate data from all members of the community will be the answer to the question of where we can find additional information to drive value in today's increasingly competitive marketplace. Bernshteyn refers to this concept as Community Intelligence, and views it as a game-changer that will enable businesses to operate with more efficiency and agility in the future. "The confluence of community and technology in the enterprise software industry is showing signs of incredible potential. Finally, we are amassing enough data, generating the computing speed required, and thus starting to gain the benefits that are coming with instant information sharing and collaboration," said Bernshteyn. "I couldn't be more convinced that now is the time for businesses to adopt Community Intelligence, which is in part, why I wrote the book. It's very much a call-to-action to join this revolution, and in doing so, we will all become smarter together." "In the past two decades, the most powerful consumer companies building the best products and business models have leveraged Community Intelligence in new ways to deliver tremendous value to users, to partners, and to investors. In the near future, most enterprise companies will either adopt this weapon or be destroyed by new entrants to their fields who do," said Noam Bardin, CEO at Waze. "Rob Bernshteyn's book is a great analysis of this weapon and a practical guide to how to use it in the business, rather than consumer, market. Your current or future competitor is reading it and applying it to your industry. Ignore it at your own peril." In the book, Bernshteyn describes the impact that Community Intelligence will have on industries, companies, and individuals. Industries : Exposing objective, real-time patterns and forward-looking insights that serve as leading indicators for what is going to happen in the future. : Exposing objective, real-time patterns and forward-looking insights that serve as leading indicators for what is going to happen in the future. Companies: Providing fully anonymized cross-company data that enables each company to see around corners, make both strategic and instant hairpin turns in its decisions, and increase its operating efficiencies. Providing fully anonymized cross-company data that enables each company to see around corners, make both strategic and instant hairpin turns in its decisions, and increase its operating efficiencies. Individuals: Empowering employees to do their jobs better, identify new ways to create value for their companies, and become a decision-making force in their organizations. Additionally, Bernshteyn points to many examples of Community Intelligence today. "There are green shoots that can be seen all around us that shape our daily decisions, whether it's where to go and how to get there, where to eat, what to buy, or how to stay fit," he said. He also shares insights on how companies can use Community Intelligence across their business functions ranging from business spend management (BSM), and customer relationship management (CRM) to human capital management (HCM), and supply chain management. Smarter Together is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble , among other leading bookstores. For more information please visit www.robideas.com . To hear more from Rob on how sharing across the global business community will enable us all to be Smarter Together, register to attend the Smarter Together Global Virtual Event . About Rob Bernshteyn Rob Bernshteyn is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer at Coupa where he oversees the company's strategy and execution. Under his leadership over the past decade, Coupa has grown from a small start-up company to a multi-billion dollar public organization driving measurable value for enterprises around the world. Rob has over two decades of experience in the business software industry. Before Coupa, he led Global Product Marketing & Management at SuccessFactors. Prior to that, he directed Product Management at Siebel Systems. Rob started his career in management and information systems consulting, working for both Accenture and McKinsey & Company. Rob holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from the State University of New York at Albany and an MBA from Harvard Business School. About Coupa Software Coupa empowers companies around the world with the visibility and control they need to spend smarter and safer. To learn more about how Coupa can help you spend smarter, visit www.coupa.com. Read more on the Coupa Blog or follow @Coupa on Twitter. Additional Smart Together Endorsements "In my entire career, I've never met a more innovative, creative, and integrous thought leader than Rob. This book brings his iconic teachings to life, so the reader emerges being able to live up to their happiest and highest potential." SUZE ORMAN, The World's Personal Finance Expert. "What Smarter Together proves is just how valuable sharing data can be when the terms of the exchange are clear, and the entire community's best interests are placed front and center. We need to use technology like Community Intelligence to make our world a better place, and Rob, as well as his company, Coupa, shows just how we can do so." GEOFFREY MOORE, Author of Crossing the Chasm "What if software could share the brilliance of human endeavors, not automate us into oblivion? Smarter Together is a pioneering book about the power of human intelligence when we work together. A critical read for business leaders, and for the next generation as they grow their careers." GORDON RITTER, Emergence Capital "Rob and I share a deep belief, that 'none of us is as smart as all of us.' A diverse, transparent community that inspires one another is the modern foundation of building a successful business. In Smarter Together, Rob brilliantly showcases how Community Intelligence can revolutionize every industry and bring benefits to every individual looking to make a meaningful impact." JOHN FOLEY, Founder and CEO, Peloton "Most books about the future are largely speculative. Rob Bernshteyn prefers to ask, 'What does the data say?' In a lucid, empirical account of how digital connection is changing the ground rules for business success, he explores the power of community in the digital era to make all of us smarter together on an industrial scale." PHIL WAINEWRIGHT, Co-Founder, diginomica "The impact digital transformation has had over the past decade can't be overstated; from redefining the way we travel, communicate, and do business, to drastically improving our ability to solve complex problems, data and digital are reshaping our world. In Smarter Together, Rob Bernshteyn anticipates the next evolution of this trend, where data from communities of users can provide collective intelligence, insights, and collaboration at a scale that's unprecedented. Digitally unlocking the long-standing power of communities has the potential to help solve some of the most long-standing and complex challenges we face in business and society today." MICKEY NORTH RIZZA, VP, Enterprise Applications and Digital Commerce Research, IDC "At its core, business is a team sport. No one can win at business alone. It's important to keep that in mind as we face new challenges and disruptions in the marketplace. In Smarter Together, Rob Bernshteyn makes a fantastic case for how new technologies are helping individuals, companies, and even entire industries work together as a genuine community, for everyone's benefit. Building thriving communities around our organizations is the only way we can keep them healthy and growing for the long term. The community revolution that Rob describes and advocates for in Smarter Together is nothing short of a home run." JASON E. PEARL, Senior Vice President, Partnerships and Business Development, San Francisco Giants "Big data is no longer enough. The new battleground for business is agility and automation. Right now, there's a major shift happeningbusiness applications are trying to solve more impactful challenges and it turns out those problems are incredibly difficult. Rob Bernshteyn, in Smarter Together, correctly calls out the need for innovative ways to use data to benefit not just a few savvy superusers, but everyone who touches and contributes to data sets. The idea of harnessing community data to offer greater intelligence, insight, and cooperative capabilities is a smart one, and something that many businesses should consider for themselves." MATTHEW BAIRD, Co-Founder and CTO, AtScale "Smarter Together explores the benefits that business software promoting Community Intelligence is able to provide, including a worldwide collection of digital information that allows for increased agility for individual businesses, effective benchmarks for growth, and actionable insights into specific business practices. The combined experiences of individuals, once gathered into one shared collective, will give humanity an edge over machines in this rapidly evolving technological world. This is how humans will continue to thrive: together." CARLOS MOREIRA, Founder and CEO, WISekey, Co-Author of The transHuman Code "Succinct and timely, Rob Bernshteyn's book Smarter Together underscores the need for collaborative thinking, evidence-based choices, and the right interplay between efficiency and respect for individuals. In a word, he's talking about balance, and why the best businesses know how to find it. A valuable read for seasoned decision-makers and first-time entrepreneurs alike." JAMES J. WARD, Privacy Lawyer and Data Strategist, Co-Author of Data Leverage: Unlocking the Surprising Growth Potential of Data Partnerships SOURCE Coupa Software Related Links http://www.coupa.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday discussed the main priorities presently on the agenda of the G20 with Saudi Arabia's King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. In a telephonic conversation, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the leadership provided by Saudi Arabia during its ongoing Presidency of the G20 grouping. The leaders agreed that the initiatives taken at the level of the G20 had helped in promoting a coordinated response to the pandemic. They also exchanged views on the global challenges in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spoke on phone with His Majesty @KingSalman about the important role being played by the G20 under the Saudi Presidency, including against COVID-19. We also reviewed the tremendous growth in our bilateral ties in recent years. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2020 The two leaders expressed their satisfaction at the state of bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia and committed to further strengthen cooperation in all areas. PM Modi expressed his special thanks to King Salman for the support provided to Indian expatriates by the Saudi authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister conveyed his warm good wishes for the good health and wellbeing of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, other members of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia and all citizens of the Kingdom. New Jersey homeowners will not receive Homestead property tax credits on their Nov. 1 real estate tax bills, a state treasury official said Wednesday. Funding for the property tax relief program is tied to the proposed budget for the abbreviated fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, and there wont be adequate time to process the credits to appear on November tax bills, Catherine Brennan, deputy state Treasurer, told the Assembly Budget Committee. Eligible homeowners likely will receive two installments of the credit in 2021, the first one on their February tax bills and the second installment in May, said Treasury spokeswoman Jennifer Sciortino. Gov. Phil Murphys proposed $32.4 billion spending plan includes $275 million for the property tax relief program, which lowers tax bills for about 580,000 seniors, disabled or low-income homeowners. Property taxpayers already missed out on their May 1 credit this year after Murphy froze and then ultimately cut $142 million in Homestead funding as tax collections cratered in response to the coronavirus and the virtual shutdown of the state earlier this year. Funding for the program was then left out of the $7.7 billion stopgap budget spanning July 1 to Sept. 30 as state officials scrambled to respond to falling revenues. But Murphys proposed $32.4 billion spending plan for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 restores funding to the tax relief program. Homeowners, however, wont receive an extra credit to make up for the canceled installment in May. The two credits scheduled to be paid out in 2021 are for property taxes paid in year 2017 and are based on homeowners' 2006 property tax bills. We are committed to making Homestead Benefit recipients whole, however, COVID-19 had an unprecedented impact on state finances, forcing us to make some tough decisions, Sciortino said last month. Thankfully, the governors proposed budget restores funding for the program, albeit on a new schedule that will push out subsequent payments to a later date, she said. Senior and disabled homeowners with income below $150,000 average receive $534 benefits and other eligible homeowners with less than $75,000 receive an average of $410, according to data in the governors February budget proposal. Murphy and the Legislature have until the end of the month to pass and adopt a new state budget. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Conferencia de prensa del presidente @MartinVizcarraC para informar sobre las acciones que realiza el Gobierno frente al COVID-19. En vivo: https://t.co/t6Cy0efwu5 https://t.co/iyVCaMJT8P Pipeline 9 September 2020 Signature dining destinations, sensory experiences and a quirky approach to room service are some of the finer things that guests can expect to see when the brand-new Quincy Hotel Melbourne throws open its doors in the coming months. TFE (Toga Far East) Hotel's CEO, Antony Ritch, announced that the Quincy brand - out of Singapore - was set to make its long-awaited Australian debut, at the Australasian Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) CEO session earlier today. But don't expect a cookie cutter approach to hospitality. According to Ritch, Quincy is aimed at a generation on the go and is a brand that relishes individuality, so there will be a uniquely South-East-Asian-meets-Melbourne spin on the guest experience when the 241-room hotel opens for business. Positioned in the upper midscale category, Quincy is aimed at social urbanites with a penchant for top culture and the finer things. The hotel itself will feature distinctive building and interior design, three food experiences, a rooftop pool with views of Melbourne CBD, and exclusive club levels and lounge access. The hotel itself is owned by InterGlobe Enterprises UK Limited. Candidates will be required to pay Rs 100 for each question challenged. The fee will be refunded if the objection is found valid The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has released the provisional answer keys for its Undergraduate Entrance Test (UET) and Postgraduate Entrance Test (PET) 2020 on its official website - bhuonline.in. The first phase of BHU UET and PET were held between 24 and 31 August. Students who appeared for the exam can download and match the answers from the official website. As per the varsity, candidates can register their challenge by 11 September till 11 pm. They have been advised to carefully go through the procedure for challenging questions/ Provisional Answer keys. According to a report by Times Now, candidates will be required to pay Rs 100 as processing fee for each question challenged. Students will also be required to upload relevant documents supporting their claims. A report by The Times of India said that the processing fee will be refunded to candidates if the challenge raised by them is found correct. The University has also released the admit card for the second phase of examination that will be held between 9 and 18 September. Steps to download and check BHU UET/ PET 2020 provisional answer key Step 1: Go to BHU official website - bhuonline.in. Step 2: On the homepage, click on the link that mentions BHU UET/ PET 2020 answer key. Step 3: Enter your register ID and password. Step 4: The answer key will open on your screen in PDF format. Step 5: Download and check the answers. Here's the direct link to raise the objection against UET answer key - https://bhu2.ucanapply.com/complainRegister/entrance/?app-id=UElZMDAwMDkzMA Click here for direct link to raise the objection against Pet answer key - https://bhu2.ucanapply.com/complainRegister/entrance/?app-id=UElZMDAwMDkzMQ== In a packed auditorium of party bigwigs and supporters, the NDC launched its manifesto at the University of Professional Studies, Accra on Monday, September 7, 2020. Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu described it as a solemn occasion but it was anything but that. A crowd of ecstatic NDC supporters sang and cheered as speakers took turns to spread the word according to the peoples manifesto. From Haruna through to Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeamang to John Dramani Mahama, the NDC made promises and also mentioned some policies or practices under the NPP which they will scrap if elected. Below are five of the things the NDC has promised to abolish or cancel if they win the 2020 elections Agyapa deal The NDCs resistance to the Agyapa deal is well documented and in various press conferences and interviews members of the party have spoken ill of the deal. The party will not only cancel the controversial deal but also investigate and prosecute all officials involved in the deal. Scrap the ban on imported cars To save the local automobile industry, the NDC will scrap the law that bans the importation of salvaged vehicles. The government imposed the ban on the vehicles to promote the manufacture of automobiles for both the domestic market and the West African market. Discontinue the Public Universities Bill The NDC says the Public Universities Bill is an attempt by the government to undermine academic freedom and autonomy of universities so if they return to power, theyll discontinue it. In the event that the bill is passed before December 7, 2020, John Mahama says he will repeal it. Scrap teacher licensure exams The teacher licensure exams which was instituted in 2019 will be scrapped if Mahama wins the elections. The former president said in his manifesto that trainee teachers will need not undertake such an exam before doing their national service. Abolish double track system As part of plans to make the Free SHS programme more impactful, a John Mahama government will abolish the double-track system which was implemented as a result of the availability of spaces in some Senior High Schools. The NDC say it will build more schools and continue the community day SHS buildings which they assert have been abandoned by the NPP government. 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 (Reuters) - Ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc said on Tuesday that its trips rose 7.3% in August from July as operations in Canada recovered faster than in the United States. But the novel coronavirus pandemic is still crushing demand with overall August rides down 53% compared to a year earlier, said the company, which operates in the U.S. and Canada only. Trips had dropped as much as 80% during the height of the coronavirus outbreak in April. Lyft on Tuesday said it used fewer driver incentives in August as more drivers returned to service and said it expects lower incentive spending in the third quarter. Lyft's President John Zimmer in May said Americans will turn to ride hailing as the first opportunity to make up for lost income as the U.S. economy reopens, with the oversupply in drivers allowing the company to cut costs. Lyft expects adjusted loss for the third quarter to not exceed $265 million. The company on Tuesday also said it has increased spending on Proposition 22, a November ballot measure in California which seeks to reverse a contested state law that forces gig economy companies to treat their workers as employees. Lyft, Uber Technologies Inc, DoorDash Inc and Instacart each spent an additional $17.5 million on the measure, bringing total funding for the campaign to $181 million, according to a public state filing on Friday. (Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru, Tina Bellon in New York; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Grant McCool) British-Swedish biopharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca PLC, working with a team of the University of Oxford, has temporarily paused the clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine in the UK after one of the volunteers developed an "unexplained" illness. AstraZeneca and the Oxford University team is a frontrunner in the global race for coronavirus vaccine. A spokesperson of AstraZeneca described the pause as, "a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials". The development comes after AstraZeneca and eight other drugmakers vowed to uphold the highest ethical and scientific standards in developing their vaccines on Tuesday. However, the pause in trials is certain to trigger concerns as the vaccine being developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca is most closely followed globally. Here are the top developments related to the vaccine and what the pause really means: 1. Adverse reaction in a participant: On Tuesday, a spokesperson of AstraZeneca informed that an adverse reaction was observed in one of the volunteers in the United Kingdom. According to the pharmaceutical firm, the nature of the adverse reaction remained unknown, though the participant is expected to recover. The AstraZeneca's spokesperson added that pausing trial was common during vaccine development. 2. Illnesses happen in vaccine development: In large trials, illnesses will happen by chance and it must be independently reviewed to check this carefully, AstraZeneca said. 3. What a pause means: Clinical trials often involve a pause in recruiting new participants and dosing existing ones unless it's deemed in the interest of participant safety to continue dosing. However, it does not mean cancellation of vaccine development. 4. Impact on other AstraZeneca's trials: The finding will impact other ongoing AstraZeneca vaccine trials, as well as, clinical trials being conducted by other vaccine manufacturers. 5. Researchers analysing adverse reaction: According to Stat news, researchers running other trials are now looking for similar cases of adverse reactions by combing through databases reviewed by a so-called Data and Safety Monitoring Board. Experts opinion: Dr Ashish Jha of Brown University took to Twitter and wrote that the significance of the interruption was unclear but that he was "still optimistic" that an effective vaccine will be found in the coming months. We have no idea whether this is a big deal or not Science is hard. This is why we have to let the trials play out I remain optimistic we will have a vaccine found to be safe and effective in upcoming months. But optimism isn't evidence Let's let science drive this process. https://t.co/1fBbMybC9W Ashish K. Jha (@ashishkjha) September 8, 2020 Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York, tweeted that the illness may be unrelated to the vaccine, "but the important part is that this is why we do trials before rolling out a vaccine to the general public". To clarify, this may not be a big deal. This type of pause normally happens when there is an unexpected severe adverse event. It may be unrelated to the vaccine, but the important part is that this is why we do trials before rolling out a vaccine to the general public. Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) September 8, 2020 Deborah Fuller, a University of Washington researcher said it was likely the unexplained illness was serious enough to require hospitalisation and not a mild side effect such as fever or muscle pain. "This is not something to be alarmed about," Fuller said. Robert Booy, a University of Sydney professor of vaccinology stated that the trial might not resume for a month at least if the investigation into the participant provides "reassuring findings". Booy added if further incidents of the same adverse reaction were reported then vaccine's safety would come under a cloud. About AstraZeneca vaccine: AstraZeneca is one of nine companies currently in late-stage Phase 3 trials for their vaccine candidates. The vaccine, a known as AZD1222, uses an adenovirus that carries a gene for one of the proteins in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The adenovirus is designed to induce the immune system to generate a protective response against SARS-2. In August, AstraZeneca recruited 30,000 volunteers across 62 sites in the US for its largest study of the vaccine. It is also testing the vaccine in India, US, UK, Brazil and South Africa. According to The Lancet report, the Phase 1/2 of AstraZeneca reported that about 60 per cent of 1,000 participants given the vaccine experienced side effects. All of the side effects, which included fever, headaches, muscle pain, and injection site reactions, were deemed mild or moderate. However, all of the side effects reported also subsided during the course of the study. In India, Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has started conducting Phase 2/3 human trials for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. The SII has signed an agreement to manufacture the potential vaccine developed by Oxford University in collaboration with AstraZeneca. In fact, SII chief Adar Poonawalla tweeted yesterday, "Proud and excited for the next few months and looking forward to the vaccine". Also read: Coronavirus vaccine: Govt plans to manufacture Russia's Sputnik V in India Also read: 'Excited, looking forward to Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine,' says Adar Poonawalla Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. OTTAWAWE Charity will shut down its Canadian operations in the wake of a political controversy over the federal governments decision to outsource a multimillion-dollar grant program to the Toronto-based organization with ties to Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus family. The organization, known to high school students across Canada for its celebrity-endorsed WE Day events, said in a statement online that it will wind down its operations in this country and sell off our assets to create an endowment fund to sustain its humanitarian efforts abroad. This will include the organizations global learning centre headquarters on Queen St. E. in Toronto, the statement said. All Canadian staff including co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger will then leave the organization. The financial math for the charitys future is clear. Without decisive action, WE Charitys ongoing costs to operate in Canada would exceed revenue and consume savings that are essential to establish the endowment fund, said the statement signed by the Kielburger brothers, who founded the organization as youths 25 years ago. We calculate that this action preserves as many humanitarian and educational programs as possible, for as long as possible. Putting children first means prioritizing them above the charity, the statement said. The Prime Ministers Office declined to comment Wednesday on WE Charitys announcement. The charity was at the centre of a major political firestorm for the Liberal government this summer, after Trudeau and his cabinet outsourced a $544-million student volunteer grant program to the Toronto-based organization. Following that decision, it was revealed that family members of both Trudeau and then-finance minister Bill Morneau had financial ties to WE Charity; Trudeaus wife, brother and mother were each paid tens of thousands of dollars for expenses and speaking fees by WE, while Morneaus daughter worked for the organization. Morneau also announced in July that he would pay back more than $41,000 to the charity for trips that he and his family took with the organization in 2017. Trudeau and Morneau nonetheless took part in a cabinet meeting May 22 to approve outsourcing the program, which would have paid WE Charity up to $43.5 million to administer $500 million in grants for student volunteers this year. The House of Commons ethics commissioner is investigating whether they broke Parliaments conflict-of-interest act, a law that Trudeau has already broken twice as prime minister. In a phone interview with the Star on Wednesday evening, New Democrat MP Charlie Angus said the closure of WE Charitys Canadian operations shows that it was in economic free fall and desperate when the Trudeau government gave it the now-cancelled contract earlier this year. Angus, who sat on the Commons finance committee that was investigating the deal, pointed to testimony from the former chair of WE Charitys board of governors, who described her concerns over the organizations finances amid layoffs in March as the pandemic shutdown throttled the Canadian economy. Documents submitted to the committee, along with testimony from a range of ministers and staff, show how WE Charity started pitching the government on a youth entrepreneurship program in early April. Within weeks, documents show the government was seriously considering outsourcing to WE what would become the ill-fated Canada Student Service Grant. WE Charity started working on the program May 5, more than two weeks before Trudeaus cabinet approved the contract. We still have questions to get from the government on this, Angus said. Were not done with this. We need to know how this deal came down. Conservative MP Michael Barrett said a parliamentary probe should continue into the defunct contract, since the committee conducting the study still wants to see documents from WE Charity that could shed further light on what happened. Barrett also noted that Trudeau scuttled the committees work when he prorogued Parliament on Aug. 18, with plans to resume with a new speech from the throne on Sept. 23. Just like the prime minister shutting down Parliament wont end the investigation, shutting down one of the arms of the organization doesnt nullify its obligation to provide answers to Parliament, Barrett said. In testimony to the Commons finance committee on July 28, WE Charity co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger claimed the political controversy was unfairly killing their charity organization. We believe that as a Canadian charity, it should not be dragged over the coals for political purposes, Craig Kielburger said at the time. The brothers insisted their organization had nothing to gain from administering the student grant program it was designed so government would cover their costs, they said and that the organization lost about $5 million getting it ready after it agreed to return the $30 million in public money it had received before the initiative was cancelled. According to a tweet sent by WE last week, the $30 million has been paid back. The ramifications of WE Charitys decision were not immediately clear on Wednesday evening, given their continued operations in countries like the U.S., and the ongoing existence of Me to We, said Allan Moscovitch, a Carleton University professor whose research has focused on social administration. Its very hard to know how, exactly, all of this is going to work, he said. He floated several possibilities, including their for-profit affiliate Me to We taking on some of the educational role that WE Charity was previously involved in, given that Me to We already advertises some leadership programs and learning workshops for young people. Alternatively, he said other aid and development organizations might fill the gap in the Canadian charity sphere. Theres no lack of them, so Im assuming that some of those organizations will pick up some of the donation money that otherwise went to WE, he said. Still, he told the Star it was hard to do more than speculate for now about what tangible impacts will come from the charitys decision. One clear loss, in his view, was a charity with a particular focus on youth engagement. While in a previous Star report, two former senior employees accused the charity of presenting inflated numbers around its school program participation something WE countered was not correct Moscovitch noted the number of schools the charity claimed relationships with was enormous. In an annual report for 2018, the charity said that during the 2017-18 school year, more than $265 million (U.S.) in social value was created by youth involved in their We Schools program across multiple countries a measurement they said combined money raised for local and global causes, the estimated value of collected food, and estimated value of hours spent volunteering. The Toronto District School Board, in a brief statement shared with the Star on Wednesday evening, said it would continue to seek out social justice programs to benefit students and staff, despite no longer working with WE. The majority of our programs associated with WE were developed within individual schools, wrote spokesperson Shari Schwartz-Maltz. Correction Sept. 9, 2020: This article has been updated to clarify that the federal student volunteer contract was worth $544 million. With files from Victoria Gibson Read more about: Sri Lanka won't be allowed to be used for 'any activity' against India: President Rajapaksa Trump says it would be insult if Kamala Harris is first woman president International oi-Deepika S Washington, Sep 09: Donald Trump said it would be an "insult" if Senator Kamala Harris became the first woman to be elected president, repeatedly mocking the Democratic vice presidential nominee at a North Carolina rally. "It's very simple to remember - if Biden wins, China wins, it is as simple as that. You have a situation where we build the greatest economy in the history of the world and we were forced to close it because the China plague came in and now we have opened it (the economy)," Trump said at a rally in North Carolina. "People don't like her (US Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris) - nobody likes her. She can never be the first woman president of the US. It will be an insult to our country," he added. He further said that "it was clear" why China and the "rioters" want Biden to win because "they know his policies will be the downfall of America". Further attacking Kamala Harris, Trump said that it was interesting that Biden picked her as his running mate in the upcoming elections even after she "left the race". "She left the race (for president) and it's interesting that they picked her because, in theory, they should win California but I don't know, we will make them play for that. You always pick someone who is going up in the polls," Trump added. Trump further said that he views the trade deal with China "much differently" now than he did before. "We signed a great trade deal (with China) but the ink was not dry when the plague (COVID-19) came in so I view that trade deal much differently than I did before," he said. The US Presidential elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, this year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Prague, Czech Republic Wed, September 9, 2020 17:45 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43d06b1 2 World Czech-Republic,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free The Czech Republic reported on Wednesday a record one-day spike in COVID-19 infections, with 1,164 new cases, as it battles a surging spread of the coronavirus. Daily case figures have regularly come in above 500 so far in September, already well above a previous daily peak of 377 in March during the first wave of infections. Czech authorities, which acted quickly to impose a strict lockdown in March to halt the spread of the virus, are keen to avoid taking that costly route again after the economy shrank by 11% in the April-June period on an annual basis. The spike in Czech cases has been among the fastest in Europe, with infection rates over the last two weeks only faster in Spain, France, Malta, Romania and Croatia, according to the European Union agency European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The Czech pace is roughly three times that of neighboring Germany. However, the death toll in the Czech Republic has remained lower than in many other European countries, with 441 fatalities reported as of Wednesday out of a total of 29,877 cases since the start of the pandemic. Hospitalizations have risen in the past week but are still half the levels seen earlier in the pandemic. The government says many new cases are asymptomatic and among the younger population. For the last five years, the name Gucci has been synonymous with success, with a fashion reinvention that has helped redirect the luxury industry toward inclusivity, emotion and the importance of creativity. The family that created the brand has a more complicated, darker past, one involving tax evasion, generational feuds and murder. This week, another charge will be added to that list. On Tuesday, Alexandra Zarini, the 35-year-old granddaughter of Aldo Gucci, the man responsible for transforming an artisanal leather goods house into a global behemoth, filed suit in the California Superior Court in Los Angeles. In it, she describes years of sexual abuse from her former stepfather, Joseph Ruffalo, and complicity and a cover-up on the part of her mother, Patricia Gucci, and grandmother, Bruna Palombo. According to the court documents, Mr. Ruffalo, a music manager who worked with Prince and Earth, Wind & Fire, began abusing Ms. Zarini when she was about six years old and continued until she was about 22. In her lawsuit she describes him regularly climbing naked into bed with her when she was a child and teenager and fondling her breasts and genitals; flashing his genitals at her; and rubbing his penis against her body. The lawsuit also claims that her mother, Patricia Gucci, and her grandmother knew of the abuse for years and that her mother not only helped groom her for Mr. Ruffalos advances by allowing him to videotape her naked in the bath but also regularly hit her. In addition, the suit states that both women threatened her so that she would remain quiet. ATHENS, Greece - Fire struck again Wednesday night in Greeces notoriously overcrowded refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, a day after a blaze swept through it and left thousands in need of emergency shelter. The fires caused no injuries, but they renewed criticism of Europes migration policy. Wednesday nights fires broke out inside the parts of Moria camp that had not burned in the first blaze, sending people streaming from the camp with their belongings, according to an Associated Press photographer in the area. Later, about 4,000 migrants who had left the camp for the islands main port of Mytilini to board ships for the mainland threw stones at police blocking the road, and officers responded with tear gas, police said. There were no reports of injuries or arrests. Police said migrants also lit fires in fields near the site of the clashes. Moria had been under a coronavirus lockdown when the first fire gutted a large section of it, and health officials said some of those who had tested positive for the virus had fled. The combination of migration and the pandemic in these conditions is creating an exceptionally demanding situation, Alternate Migration Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos said. Civil protection authorities declared a four-month state of emergency for public health reasons on Lesbos. Officials said the original fire was started by camp residents angered by the lockdown measures and isolation orders imposed after 35 people tested positive for COVID-19. The cases were found during broad testing and contact tracing after the illness of a Somali man who had been granted asylum and had left the island in July but later returned. The exact cause of the first blaze was being investigated, but what is certain is that the fire was started, because of the quarantine, by asylum-seekers in the facility, said Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi, who flew to Lesbos with Greeces interior minister and the head of the public health organization. Instances of unlawful behaviour such as the ones we experienced yesterday will not be left unpunished, Mitarachi said. Such behaviour is not acceptable, and also respect for law and order is a necessary precondition for the asylum process. Some of those who had tested positive as well as some of their close contacts who had been moved to isolation had left quarantine following the incidents, National Public Health Organization head Panagiotis Arkoumaneas said. Eight of them and a significant number of their close contacts had been located and moved to a new quarantine area. In dramatic scenes early Wednesday, men, women and children fled fires that broke out during the night at multiple points and were fanned by gale-force winds. Firefighters said protesting camp residents hampered their efforts to put out the blaze. Aid agencies have long warned of dire conditions at Moria, where more than 12,500 people live in and around a facility built to house just over 2,750. The camp housing those fleeing violence and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan has become a symbol of what critics say is Europes failure to humanely handle the migration and refugee situation. Mitarachi said the first blaze left about 3,500 camp residents homeless, noting the fire destroyed administration buildings and a health facility, but only one section of living quarters. Those left homeless will be housed temporarily in tents flown to the island, and aboard a ferry and two navy ships. About 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers living in the camp were being flown to other facilities in northern Greece. A first charter flight with 165 passengers reached the northern city of Thessaloniki late Wednesday, while two more were due to land in Thessaloniki early Thursday. All the minors were to be placed in quarantine in the new facilities. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he recognized the difficult circumstances in Moria. However, nothing can become an excuse for violent reaction to health checks. And, more so, for unrest of this extent, Mitsotakis said. The prime minister added: The situation in Moria cannot continue because it constitutes simultaneously a question of public health, humanity and national security. Aid organizations and rights groups renewed criticism of Europes migration policy, which they said led to situations like the dramatic conditions of Moria. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic noted similarly overcrowded conditions on other Greek islands and said the situation could degenerate there too. The fire shows the urgency of rethinking Europes approach to migration, which has led to the overcrowded, inhumane and completely unsustainable situation in Moria and elsewhere on the Aegean islands, Mijatovic said. Amnesty Internationals migration researcher Adriana Tidona said reckless EU policies were to blame for the overcrowding in Moria. As the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum is finalized, this is a timely indictment of the current policy of camps and containment, she said. Under a 2016 deal between the European Union and Turkey designed to stem the flow of hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees, those arriving on Greek islands like Lesbos from the nearby Turkish coast are held there pending either deportation back to Turkey or the acceptance of their asylum claims. Although the deal dramatically reduced the flow, delays in processing asylum claims and the continued arrival of hundreds of asylum seekers led island camps to quickly exceed their capacity. Successive Greek governments have urged other European countries to share the burden. The problem of the handling of migration flows is, after all, mainly a European one, Mitsotakis said, noting Athens was in constant contact with European authorities on the issue. Greece has already borne a far heavier burden than its share. European authorities, who have often been criticized for not doing enough to ease the migration burden on southern countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain, offered assistance. We will not leave Greece alone with this situation -- and above all -- we will not leave the people in this camp alone, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. We have already offered the Greek government support and we will also make this an issue during our (EU) Council Presidency, he added. I believe that the European Union as a whole has a responsibility. Thousands marched in several German cities to show their support for those in Moria. A large crowd packed the square in front of Berlins main train station to demand that vulnerable refugees be brought to Germany, chanting We have space. Many held signs criticizing Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who has rejected offers by several cities to take in refugees, arguing a pan-European solution needs to be found. Similar rallies also took place in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Germany holds the EUs rotating presidency. A spokesman for Seehofer said Berlin was in talks with Athens over what assistance Germany could provide. Dutch Development Cooperation Minister Sigrid Kaag pledged 1 million euros (about $1.2 million) in emergency aid for Greece to help provide accommodation, housing and care to migrants, while EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said she had agreed to finance the transfer and accommodation of the 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers to the mainland. European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, who is responsible for migration matters, will head to Lesbos Thursday. ___ Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Mike Corder in The Hague, Costas Kantouris in Thessaloniki and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed to this report. - Follow AP pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak Read more about: BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The pound recouped its early losses against its major counterparts in the European session on Wednesday, following a media report that the European Union would continue Brexit talks despite the publication of the Internal Market bill. The EU would not suspend talks on Brexit because of the new UK internal market bill, according to a Reuters report. The bill stated that some of its provisions will override international law. If approved, the bill would grant ministers the power to reject parts of the Northern Ireland protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement by waiving export declarations and other exit procedures. The pound rose to 1.3015 against the greenback, after falling to 1.2885 at 7:45 am ET, which was its lowest level since July 28. On the upside, 1.33 is likely seen as its next resistance level. The pound firmed to 138.19 against the yen, up from nearly a 6-week low of 136.73 set at 2:45 am ET. Should the currency rises further, 141.00 is seen as its next resistance level. The U.K. currency bounced off to 0.9081 against the euro and 1.1897 against the franc, from its early fresh 6-week lows of 0.9131 and 1.1831, respectively. The currency is likely to challenge resistance around 0.88 against the euro and 1.21 against the franc. 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. Theres been a lot of hat-tipping toward the West since Erin OToole was elected leader of the Conservative party, but some in Alberta are skeptical about his ability to meaningfully address their concerns. On Wednesday, OToole met his caucus in Ottawas Sir John A. Macdonald Building, where he pledged that national unity would be a focus going forward. It was his first caucus address as leader and the speech featured themes that touched on Western alienation, a problem that OToole has made central to his messaging to Canadians all year. After four years of Justin Trudeau, Canada has become more divided, less prosperous, and less respected on the world stage, he told his caucus. We have become so divided that a Canadian Armed Forces veteran that I met in Nisku, Alberta, in January told me he was giving up on our country. OToole has pitched policies that are supported on the Prairies, such as legislation that would make it easier to build pipelines and repealing laws that restrict tanker traffic off the B.C. coast. Hes also promised to rework the federal equalization formula, a complex system by which federal funds get transferred to struggling provinces, and which some Albertans believe discriminates against them. But for Albertans considering pushing for an independent country of their own, there needs to be structural reform and Vitor Marciano, a former Conservative strategist and political operative in Alberta, says hes not confident that the Conservative party can do it. Fixing the relationship between Alberta and Canada will require major structural changes, like giving the province more seats in the Senate, he said. Some Albertans would also like to see their relationships redefined with provinces like Quebec and British Columbia, whose opposition to pipelines make it harder to get energy development projects off the ground. Marciano said there could be a series of constitutional meetings that address provinces feeling like theyre being interfered with by others, as well as to encourage free trade between them. By comparison, he said, much of what OToole is offering is small policy that could be easily scrapped when a Conservative government loses power. Even if OToole won a majority, said Marciano, and starts the process of trying to do the right things, Alberta would still be blocked from shipping its oil overseas by B.C. or across the country by Quebec. These are things that are hard to fix with just policy change, he said. Hes on the fence about separating from Canada but says there are real grievances held by those who support independence. One Abacus Data poll last November pegged support for secession in Alberta at around 20 per cent. I dont think Albertans will vote to leave until weve tried to fix Canada, he said. I think Albertans are going to be pushed out of Canada. The rise of the federal Wexit Canada party, which is currently being led by former Conservative cabinet minister Jay Hill, could prove disastrous for the Conservatives, who are likely to face a tight race against the Liberals in the next election. But Conservative MPs from Alberta who were appointed to shadow cabinet positions this week told the Star theyre optimistic about OTooles plans for dealing with issues in the West. The newly appointed shadow minister of transport, Stephanie Kusie, said OToole has definitely put his money where his mouth is when it comes to the 43 members of his shadow cabinet, 23 of whom are from the West. Its impossible for you not to look at your portfolio from the lens of the region where youre from, Kusie, MP for Calgary Midnapore, told the Star. For the items which he has outlined, specifically around the natural resources sector, that was a major part of his platform and I expect he will follow through on that. Prominent positions have been given to Westerners. Michelle Rempel Garner, MP for Calgary-Nose Hill, will lead the health portfolio for the Conservatives; Greg McLean, MP for Calgary Centre, is the natural resources critic; Pat Kelly, MP for Calgary Rocky Ridge, is critic for small business and Western economic diversification. Kusie also said OTooles platform addresses Western issues in a meaningful way and that he is doing all of the right things. Conservatives have warned Wexit supporters that a vote for separation could mean a win for Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Liberals. Garnett Genuis, MP for Sherwood Park Fort Saskatchewan, says that voting for Wexit could jeopardize hotly contested ridings through splitting the vote. I dont think thats actually going to happen because I think most Albertans would see that possibility and recognize that Wexit isnt going to serve them well, he said. But the smart play for Wexit would be to only run in Western ridings where theres not a risk in splitting the vote, said Marciano. The party could then act like the Bloc Quebecois of the West by only voting for Western interests in Parliament, he said. I think they can do what (the Reform Party) did, Marciano explained. Reform got everybodys attention in the 88 election but didnt win any seats ... and then crushed in Western Canada in 93. I think that same model is available for Wexit if they play their cards properly. Read more about: Belarus jails opposition figure Kolesnikova as Nobel winner intimidated Opposition figures in Belarus have been detained or forced to leave the country in an intensifying crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko Belarus investigators said Wednesday prominent opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak had been detained in a national security probe as Minsk ramped up a crackdown on a protest movement. The country's Investigative Committee, which probes major crime, said in a statement the two were being held as an investigation continued into "calls urging action aimed at harming national security". They join a number of top critics of strongman Alexander Lukashenko already in jail. A lawyer for Kolesnikova, the most prominent opposition figure still in Belarus, said she was in a central Minsk jail and faced up to five years in prison. "Maria is in good spirits," lawyer Lyudmila Kazak told AFP. "She confirms she tore up her passport on purpose to remain in Belarus." On Tuesday, Kolesnikova was detained at the Ukrainian border after she prevented authorities from expelling her by tearing up her passport and jumping out of a car. The 38-year-old ally of top opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya went missing on Monday, with witnesses saying she was bundled into a minibus by unidentified masked men in Minsk. Unprecedented demonstrations broke out after strongman Alexander Lukashenko claimed to have defeated political novice Tikhanovskaya and won re-election with 80 percent of the vote in the August 9 ballot. Lukashenko has refused to step down and turned to Russia for support to stay in power, while his security services have arrested thousands of protesters. Several people have died. - Nobel winner intimidated - Tens of thousands have taken to the streets for the past month but Lukashenko, who is set to meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Moscow soon, has intensified the crackdown over the past few days. Earlier Wednesday masked men detained Znak, while Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich complained of intimidation. Znak, who had worked as a lawyer for jailed presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, had been due to participate in a video call but did not show up, instead sending a message with the word "masks", Babaryko's press service said. Story continues It said a witness had also seen Znak, 39, being led down the street near his offices by several men in civilian clothes and wearing masks. Along with Alexievich, Znak was the last of the seven members of the opposition Coordination Council's governing presidium to remain free in Belarus. The council was set up to ensure a peaceful transfer of power after opposition candidate Tikhanovskaya rejected Lukashenko's claim to have been re-elected to a sixth term. Alexievich, 72, told reporters that unidentified men in plain clothes were seeking to intimidate her by gathering outside her block of flats and ringing her door bell. "They called my house intercom system non-stop," she told reporters, pointing to two buses parked outside. Diplomats from countries including Sweden and Lithuania joined the prominent author in her flat in a gesture of support. Alexievich said that security services were "snatching the best of us," referring to Znak's detention. - Tikhanovskaya in Warsaw - Tikhanovskaya, 37, left the country under pressure from the authorities and was granted refuge in EU member state Lithuania. On Wednesday, she met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and said she hoped that Belarus's path to democracy would be "much shorter" than it was for Soviet-ruled Poland. "It was a long road for Solidarity but I hope that for us it will be much shorter," she told students at the University of Warsaw before talks with the current leadership of the Solidarity trade union, which helped topple communism in 1989 after nearly a decade. In a separate video address, she urged Russians not to believe propaganda trying to "poison" ties between the two peoples and thanked those backing Belarusians' "fight for freedom". Her first major statement aimed at Russians came after Lukashenko gave a wide-ranging interview to Russian state media on Tuesday. "Let's not allow propaganda to poison ties between two friendly peoples," she said. No date has been set, but Lukashenko is preparing to travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Putin. Putin quickly congratulated Lukashenko on his re-election and has offered Russia's support. Lukashenko said he did not rule out calling early elections but it was too soon to set a date. tk-mm-as/tgb Organizers who helped paint Black Lives Matter murals on six Kansas City, Missouri, streets say the project may be the largest of its kind. More than 1,000 volunteers used 1,200 gallons of paint to hand paint the murals Saturday, which stretch across 2,000 feet of pavement. Six Black artists designed murals for the project, KC Art on the Block, which each feature "Black Lives Matter" in block letters with varying themes. "It's been really good coming together for our city," Damian Lair, one of the project organizers, told USA TODAY. Lair, who works in public relations, and Crissy Dastrup got the idea to paint a mural on his street after seeing similar murals in places like Washington. D.C. Many other cities have seen street murals honoring the Black Lives Matter movement in the months since George Floyds death in Minneapolis, but he said Kansas City organizers have looked at all other projects and haven't found any that match the scope of theirs. Several Black Lives Matter murals have been defaced and Lair said he was worried at first about potential protests. Although organizers received two death threats, he said the response from the community has been "really incredible." "It's very clear theres work yet to be done, but it couldnt have gone any better," he said. Here are photos of the massive murals in Kansas City: An aerial view of a massive Black Lives Matter mural designed by Adrianne Clayton in Kansas City, Missouri. Volunteers help paint a Black Lives Matter mural in Kansas City, Missouri. One of six Black Lives Matter Murals painted in Kansas City, Missouri designed by Harold Smith. 6 Black artists designed the six Black Lives Matter murals painted in Kansas City, Missouri. An aerial view of a Black Lives Matter mural designed by Michael Toombs in Kansas City, Missouri. Volunteers hand-paint one of the six Black Lives Matter murals created in Kansas City, Missouri. Organizers believe this project, including this mural designed by Warren Harvey, is the largest of its kind. Volunteers paint a massive Black Lives Matter mural in Kansas City, Missouri. More than 1,200 gallons of paint were used to craft six massive murals in Kansas City, Missouri including this one designed by Vivian Wilson Bluett. A group of volunteers help paint a Black Lives Matter mural in Kansas City, Missouri. More than 1,000 volunteers helped paint six Black Lives Matter murals in Kansas City, Missouri like this one designed by Avrion Jackson. A volunteer paints one of the six Black Lives Matter mural in Kansas City, Missouri. Contributing: The Associated Press Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Six Black Lives Matter murals painted on streets of Kansas City DUBAI (Reuters) - Israeli May Tager has become the first model from her country to pose for a photoshoot in the United Arab Emirates, after the two nations agreed to normalise relations last month. She posed in modest pyjamas during a desert shoot alongside a UAE-based model known as Anastasia. Israel and the United Arab Emirates on Aug. 13 agreed to normalise relations, making the UAE the first Gulf country and the third Arab state to do so when a final agreement is signed. The shoot, which involved the models waving the Israeli and UAE flags, took place in the sands of Dubai, one of the UAE's seven emirates and a regional tourism and business hub. FIX is an Israeli woman's lingerie and pyjama brand. Out of respect for customs in the UAE, they modelled only pajamas. "We respect the rules here," said Tager. Easily accessible visas for Israeli citizens and direct flights between the countries have not yet been established, so the photoshoot team arrived on flights via Europe and on non-Israeli second passports. "The moment we heard about the normalisation agreement we thought it would be the most exciting thing to film in Dubai," said producer Noya Yohananoff, adding that getting the right paperwork took some time to figure out. Israel and the UAE have stressed the economic benefits that normalisation could bring, with several business cooperation agreements already signed. An Israeli delegation last week visited Abu Dhabi for normalisation talks. (Reporting by Nir Elias in Tel Aviv and Tarek Fahmy in Dubai; Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Mike Collett-White) The Liberal administration will be extending its pandemic fiscal assistance program for small businesses to help beleaguered ventures cover September rent costs. Initially slated to end back in June, the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) mandates governments to shoulder 50% of rent, while landlords and tenants cover 25% each. Eligible businesses must have experienced a 70% revenue decline for April, May, and June, either on an annual basis or when compared to their January-February average. Businesses that qualified during the original period will still be eligible without the need to evaluate if the 70% revenue decline lasted beyond June, BNN Bloomberg reported. ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Smart Grid Research Consortium (SGRC) and Jackson Associates today announced the availability of new Web Widget software to help electric utilities motivate customers to save energy and reduce peak demand and announced publication of a white paper that describes the motivational and cost advantages of this new utility resource. MAISY Utility Benchmarking Widgets appear as popup windows on a utility's Web site to immediately compare a customer's energy costs and carbon emissions to those of similar customers in their ZIP code. Widgets are easily installed on utility Web sites with a few lines of coding. Widgets do not require any utility customer billing data. Widget demonstration sessions are available at http://www.maisyenergyapps.com/demo.htm The white paper, "New Online Benchmarking Widget Motivates Utility Customer "Smart" Decisions", is available at http://www.smartgridresearchconsortium.org/utility_benchmarking_widgets.pdf "The Widget software and white paper are a response to limited utility customer participation in demand response and energy efficiency programs," said Dr. Jerry Jackson, president of Jackson Associates and Leader of the Smart Grid Consortium. "In 2018, average US utility programs reduced peak demand by only 1 percent and electricity use by less than 1/2 percent which pales in comparison to an NREL potential energy savings estimate of 20 percent." "We are pleased to offer this customer engagement/motivational software that can be applied by any utility at a low cost right out of the box." The Widgets apply the widely-used Jackson Associates 7+ million US utility customer MAISY Databases to ensure accurate benchmarking. Customers can identify target energy use percentiles to see how costs and emissions can be reduced. At the end of each session, customers are offered links to energy-savings suggestions, to utility-specified pages or to other destinations. Widgets reflect a significant advance in promoting energy and DR savings by using the MAISY databases to provide more accurate, ZIP-level benchmarking analysis. The SGRC, founded at Texas A&M University in 2010 to apply business case analysis, converted to a consulting organization in 2011. In 2016 SGRC joined with Jackson Associates to focus on new technologies and customer-facing applications. The two organizations have provided support to more than 200 energy industry clients. Contact: Jerry Jackson 979-204-7821 [email protected] SOURCE Smart Grid Research Consortium Related Links http://www.smartgridresearchconsortium.org Maverick McIntyres first day of school as a fifth-grader at Woodbrook Elementary started on a confusing note. I couldnt get on to Zoom, he said at the end of the day. Then, my mom found the link. Charlottesville and Albemarle County schools joined others across the country in the experiment of widespread virtual learning Tuesday. Schools closed indefinitely in March as the virus spread, using virtual learning to round out the 2019-2020 school year. The University of Virginia also resumed its fall semester Tuesday with the start of in-person classes. Like Maverick, students in both districts reported some initial challenges in joining virtual classes but said things went fairly smoothly after that, though an internet outage in Charlottesville affected some students and staff for about an hour. School officials in Charlottesville and Albemarle have said the focus of the first week is on making sure students can connect to classes and building relationships. Although the day wasnt exactly like the school Mavericks used to, it had a school vibe, he said. He said sitting at a computer for three hours was different for him because hes usually only allowed an hour of computer time. But, math was fun and he got to see most of his friends during class. It was kind of awkward, he said of saying hi to them over Zoom. About of half of the school systems in Virginia are starting the school year online, according to the Virginia Department of Education, including schools in Nelson, Fluvanna and Buckingham counties. Mavericks sister Maddox McIntyre, an 8th grader at Jack Jouett Middle School, was expecting the first day to be a disaster. By that metric, the first day went well, she said. The online meetings were a little confusing, Maddox said, because some students couldnt find the links and joined class later. And, after one full day, her back hurt from sitting at the computer. The middle school day in Albemarle County includes four classes, which last about 80 minutes. In between classes, Maddox messaged her friends to talk about what the teachers said and to clear up any confusion. I got to see my friends as long as their camera was on, she said. Looking ahead, shes excited for an independent study class focused on project-based learning. Ive never had a class like that before, she said, adding that she liked how she will have different options for projects and that it seemed as if the class would be student-led. In Albemarle County, schools were expecting about 680 students to use school buildings for classes, an invitation extended to students without internet access, some with disabilities and English-language learners. Before Tuesday, a teacher at Monticello High School who was supposed to be working in the building tested positive, according to an email from principal Rick Vrhovac to staff, and a close contact of the teacher is in quarantine for 14 days. The teacher who tested positive is in isolation for 10 days. Division spokesman Phil Giaramita said this could be the first case among instructional staff, though officials dont know for sure because neither employees nor the Thomas Jefferson Health District is required to notify the division of a positive test. Cases werent tracked during the summer when employees werent physically reporting to work. However, the division thinks there might be 10 or fewer employees who have tested positive since the spring. Charlottesville Staff in Charlottesville City Schools kicked off the day by delivering breakfast to students along bus routes and at schools as part of a Breakfast Blitz. The division also will be providing free meals, which include lunch and breakfast, to students who qualify each day during the school year. More information is available at charlottesvilleschools.org/food Later in the morning, an internet outage caused by an issue with Securly, the software used to filter online content, disrupted classes for students and teachers working out of the building, though Charlottesville spokeswoman Beth Cheuk said it was resolved within an hour after the Department of Technology was able to find a work-around. The outage also affected schools in Virginia Beach and others along the East Coast. Chris Meyer, who has a child at Jackson-Via Elementary, said the first day was going better than expected and that the meals pick-up went well. Three students were working out of Meyers house, and connectivity was an issue all day. One kid is doing PE right now, so the whole house is shaking as he jumps up and down, he wrote in a Twitter message. About 70 Charlottesville students logged on to class from the second floor of Walker Upper Elementary School as part of the Piedmont Family YMCAs virtual learning center, though their initial class meetings were disrupted by the outage. The organization also started a center at the Brooks Y location to provide families with a childcare option. About 80 children attended the Brooks center, which included classes on the gym floor and other repurposed facilities throughout the facility. The Walker location can accommodate up to 200 children, and the Y is still hiring staff to work in the centers. Fees for the virtual learning center are on a sliding scale and depend on a familys income. Scholarships are available to help offset the cost as well. Bonita Patton, senior youth and family director for the Brooks Y, said the centers will be a learning experience for all involved and that she expects a lot of trial and error during the first week as the staff members work to help students get up and running in their online classes and back into a school routine. We want to support them the best way we can, she said. The Y drew on lessons from its after-school and summer camp programs for the virtual learning centers. Patton said they didnt have a positive COVID-19 case during their summer camps, which ended last week. She credited parents for being honest with the camp staff and keeping their kids home if they didnt feel well or might have been exposed. In addition to frequent hand-washing and sanitizing, students were put into small groups and stayed in the same classroom except to use the bathroom or go outside. Students and staff also have their temperature checked and go through a daily health screening before entering the building. Masks were required. Patton said they learned during the camps that students dont really understand staying six feet away from their friends. Tape on the ground showed students where to stand. You have to do a lot of redirecting in the hallways, she said. While the Y is responsible for cleaning during the day, custodians with Charlottesville will deep-clean the building each night. The division partnered with the Y and Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Virginia to provide childcare for families after estimating in July that about 200 families would need help in that area. The Boys and Girls Clubs will start full-day programs next Monday. Patton said the elementary schedule for Charlottesville was easier to manage because it was consistent across the schools, which is not the case in Albemarle County. In the different classrooms, the center staff led activities to help students get to know one another and to get organized for virtual classes. In line with the states guidelines for childcare centers, students were given a bag with all their necessary school supplies, which they can keep in a basket near their desk. Theyll be at the same desk each day. The centers are open until 5:30 p.m., so when the school day ends, students can participate in different enrichment activities. With summer camp ending Friday, Patton said they had to move quickly to switch gears for virtual learning. On Tuesday, they were setting up the space and had plans to set up a game room for students to use for breaks from the computer. We still have a lot of unpacking to do, she said. Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly 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. Amazing views and resort-like living greet visitors to this 11,487-square-foot home, on nearly 11 acres, in beautiful Cumberland Valley near Mechanicsburg. The stone facade home features a long formal driveway, two separate garages, and a pool. Photo: (Photo : YouTube/KUTV 2 News Salt Lake City) A 13-year-old Utah boy with autism was allegedly shot by police after he had a breakdown. Now, he is recovering in a hospital and was listed in serious condition. Utah authorities are investigating the shooting that happened in the Salt Lake City area. The police said that they received a call on Friday night asking them to go to a Glendale home. The reports said that the boy, Linden Cameron, was holding a gun and threatened the people around him. According to CNN, the boy fled, then the police chased him. Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Keith Horrocks shot him but they gave him first aid. The medical staff arrived and took the boy to a local hospital for treatment. See also: Bodies of 2 Parents Found in Sunken Car in Boston Mom needed a crisis intervention team Golda Barton, Cameron's mom, told KUTV-TV that her son has autism. She explained that she called the police because her child was having a breakdown. She needed a crisis intervention team. Further, she told the police that her son was unarmed. She had also warned the authorities that her son did not know how to regulate his behavior, so she sought their help. It was Barton's first day at work because she could not be away from her son. Mom explained to the officers how to deal with son Barton explained that her son has bad separation anxiety. She told the officers on the phone the best way to approach her son. She said that Cameron would start yelling and screaming when he gets mad. She also said that her son was just a kid looking for attention but does not know how to control his feelings. See also: Brave Boy Who Lost a Leg, Back on Gymnast Activities After 10 Weeks Two officers have arrived and gone through their home's front door. After a few minutes, Barton heard an order to get on the ground, then many gunshots followed. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that there was no weapon found on Friday. Barton thought that her son was dead, and the police did not tell her right away about her son's state. She said that they handcuffed her son. She even heard someone saying that Cameron was just a child, then asked them what they are doing. Currently, Cameron is in the hospital recovering. Barton said that her son had serious injuries in his shoulder, ankles, intestines, and bladder. See also: 2 Little boys can now go home after receiving new hearts Late Sunday, Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake Mayor, said that the shooting was a tragedy. He has called in for a swift and transparent investigation. As required under a city ordinance, more details should be released within ten business days. After the police body camera footage is released, they will expect further reports. ALBANY New Yorks former top government transparency official, Robert J. Freeman, has agreed to pay $15,000 to settle ethics charges related to his rampant workplace sexual harassment and misuse of government resources. Freeman, the former longtime executive director of the state Committee on Open Government, struck the settlement in early September with the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, New Yorks lobbying and ethics oversight entity. The settlement was announced on Wednesday. According to JCOPE, Freeman admitted to that his conduct with women during official meetings and other interactions, as well as his use of a state-issued computer to view sexual images, was an abuse of his official position and a violation of the state's Public Officers Law. From 1976, until his firing in June 2019, Freeman oversaw a small unit within the Department of State that advocates for transparency and issues opinions on the state's Freedom of Information and Open Meetings laws. During his long tenure, Freeman gained renown as an expert on those issues, even as he secretly engaged in inappropriate behavior towards female colleagues in state government, as well as journalists that he advised on navigating access to public records. In November 2019, the state Inspector Generals office issued a report detailing the abuses. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The report stated that Freeman subjected at least 14 women to sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct dating to at least 2003 in an egregious pattern that only ceased after a victim told investigators the public information expert sexually assaulted her in May 2019. In June 2019, Freeman was fired following an initial inspector general's investigation stemming from the complaint, which was filed by a female reporter working for the Journal News. In addition, the inspector general's office uncovered a series of "sexually suggestive" email messages and photographic images that Freeman exchanged with another young woman while using his work email account. Freeman admitted to many of the allegations, according to the inspector generals office, including meeting with and kissing the young reporter, and viewing a number of explicit images on his work computer. Freeman was investigated in 2013 for inappropriate workplace behavior toward several female Department of State employees. He received a counseling memo and was directed to attend additional sexual harassment prevention and equal opportunity training with the Governor's Office of Employee Relations. That investigation had never been made public. India has launched an initiative to honour armed forces veterans in their 90s and 100s now settled in Canada. The programme called Varisth Yoddha was launched in the Canadian province of Ontario , with a visit by Consul General Apoorva Srivastava to the homes of veterans. Seven veterans were presented with mementos in recognition of their service to India. The oldest of them was Captain Mohinder Singh, born on October 2, 1917, who fought in the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars against China and Pakistan. While the majority of the selected veterans in the first batch defended India in each major war fought since Independence, others had also been part of the British Army and fought in World War II. Among them was Commander Joginder Gei, 98, who joined the Royal Indian Navy and served aboard ships in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Another 98-year-old veteran was Bakshish Singh Randhawa who fought in WWII and also against Pakistan in 1965. Others on the first list included Major Darshan Singh Sanghera, 91, Subedar Major Pritam Singh Dhaliwal, 92, Subedar Gajjan Singh Mavi, 90 and Naib Subedar Gurdial Singh Grewal, 97. Also Read: Pro-Khalistan group alleges India disrupted secessionist referendum, Canada rejects theory The initiative was to have started on August 15, Indias Independence Day, but due to Covid-19 restrictions, the consul general visited the veterans at their residences with small ceremonies held for each of them. These centenarians and nonagenarians live in the Greater Toronto Area and have roots in Punjab. The ceremonies were held with the cooperation of the Veterans Association of Ontario. Brigadier Nawab Heer of the association said, It was quite an emotional occasion for us and pleasant for them. If the government is remembering superveterans, its a positive step, Heer said. We wanted to hold an event on August 15 but because of the circumstances we couldnt, so I decided to go to their homes in appreciation of their service, Srivastava said. Srivastava said the plan is to institutionalise appreciation of these ex-servicemen with official ceremonies at the Consulate on Republic Day and Independence Day. For those unable to travel from their homes to the consulate, she said she would continue to visit them at their homes. After more veterans in their 90s are honoured, those in other age brackets will also be remembered, she added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Election 2020 Myanmar Election Campaign Muted by COVID-19 The National League for Democracys office in Mandalay opens its election campaign on Sept. 8, 2020. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy Yangon The campaign for the Nov. 8 general election started on Tuesday in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some parties hoisted their flags, erected candidate hoardings and began door-to-door campaigning in some townships. Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases, the Union Election Commission (UEC) issued guidelines on campaign gatherings. Parties are barred from campaigning in coronavirus hotspots where stay-at-home orders are in effect. The rules also restrict the numbers at campaign events to 50 and require people to stay six feet apart. Amid those challenges, the National League for Democracy (NLD), driven by its chairwoman Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has started its campaign on a wide scale. In some places, due to strong public support, attendees at NLDs rallies exceeded the limits. The main opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is widely regarded as the militarys proxy, did not make any significant move on Sept. 8. But the Union Betterment Party, formed by ex-general and former ally of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Shwe Mann; the Peoples Party, formed by 1988 student leaders, and the Peoples Pioneer Party (PPP), led by ex-NLD members, kicked off their campaigns. We have difficulties going to places under lockdown. And in other places, we do not want residents to think we are spreading coronavirus. So we watch developments. We did nothing special today, PPP central executive committee member U Kyaw Lin told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. The Democratic Party for a New Society marked the beginning of the campaign but is waiting to set out its campaign plans, said chairman U Aung Moe Zaw. What can we do because we are not allowed to travel? People from Yangon cant go to other cities because of quarantine. Political parties must be able to travel. But they cant. Some townships in Yangon, like Thingangyun, are in lockdown. So we find it difficult to campaign in those townships, he said. Besides the UECs regulations, municipal government orders mean candidates will have to undergo quarantine to travel within regions or states. Some major parties from Lower Myanmar started campaigning on Sept. 8 in Kachin State but ethnically Kachin parties have been prevented from campaigning. Karen State Peoples Party chairman Dr. Tu Ja said: If we strictly follow their regulations and stay at home and do not go outside, there will only be online campaigning. Social media is not common in our state. We have difficulties campaigning only by social media. COVID-19 has imposed challenges for campaigning. In Shan State, the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, Taang National Party and other parties marked the beginning of the campaign but could not hold rallies. Chin State parties struggle with poor transport links on top of COVID-19 restrictions. Even in cities like Falam, we have to campaign in small groups in homes, said Chin National League for Democracy joint chairman Pu No Than Kap. If all the parties strictly follow the COVID-19 regulations from the Ministry of Health and Sports, no party will gain an upper hand, he added. Some ethnic parties in Karen and Mon states also launched their campaigns on Tuesday, with the Karen Peoples Party and Mon Unity Party erecting signs and distributing stickers. The challenge is the greatest in Rakhine State, where all 17 townships face stay-at-home orders. Online campaigning is also limited because mobile internet access has been limited to 2G in many townships in an effort to tackle the Arakan Army (AA). Fighting between Myanmars military and the AA has forced over 200,000 people from their homes in northern Rakhine with civilian casualties reported on a daily basis. U Aung Tha Noe of the Arakan National Party said: The major challenge is that, as candidates, we cannot talk to people. We cannot say what we feel or answer peoples questions. Vice-chairman of the Arakan Front Party U Kyaw Zaw Oo said: Stay-at-home orders are in effect across Rakhine State. The restrictions are strict and this means we are not allowed to campaign. We can only operate online but 2G internet stops us from doing anything. Perhaps we can set up hoardings. The restrictions are necessary to a certain extent due to health requirements. In Kayah State, the only COVID-19-free state or region in Myanmar, the Kayah State Democratic Party and Kayan National Party (KNP) presented candidates and organized rallies on Tuesday. Still there are restrictions on meeting the people. Kayah State is COVID-19-free. But we cant be negligent and we have to exercise caution all the time. We will have to try not to breach the rules in campaigning, said candidate Khun Myint Naing of the KNP. More than 90 political parties will field candidates in the Nov. 8 general election, according to the UEC. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Reports Its Seventh COVID-19 Death; First in Over Four Months Myanmars COVID-19 Cases Exceed 1,000 Myanmars Main Opposition Party Accuses NLD of COVID-19 Rules Breach During Campaign China Implements Civilization Code to Expand Control; GOP and Dems Explain US-China Policy The local government of Chinas Jiangsu Province has launched a new social control system that combines the health code program with the Partys social credit system, to create a new so-called civilization code. The system gives each person a civilian score, which ranks them into different levels. And this level is then used by the government to judge who gets priority, or who should be subjected to restrictions or punishments. The system appears to function as an expanded version of the social credit system. Its being rolled out currently in Suzhou, which is a major city in the province, and will apply to everyone over 18 years old. Currently, it has two active categories to measure people by, based on a ranking system of 1,000 points. And to get a better picture of the China policies of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and of President Donald Trump, weve invited two political strategists. Well be speaking with Robin Biro, a Democratic strategist who worked as a regional director on Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign; and Jason Johnson a Republican political strategist who was the chief strategist for Ted Cruzs 2016 presidential campaign. These stories and more in this episode of Crossroads. Crossroads is an Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube. Join Patreon to Support Crossroads: https://www.patreon.com/Crossroads_Josh Myeongdong Cathedral is seen in this 2017 file photo. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Catholic Church shares need for anti-discrimination legislation, but is against same-sex marriage By Park Ji-won The Catholic Church showed its support for the legislation of an anti-discrimination law but also made it clear this doesn't mean it backs same-sex marriage or the existence of genders other than male and female. This is the first time the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK), an episcopal organization of the Catholic Church in Korea, has issued a statement about the anti-discrimination bill which has polarized religious communities. The CBCK released a statement Monday that, "Regarding the anti-discrimination bill proposed by Rep. Jang Hye-young, we agree on its primary purpose to ban any types of discrimination and hope that it can prevent the abuses of human rights." However, the CBCK said it was also concerned about some of its elements. It said this was based on subjects addressed by Pope Francis in his book "The Joy of Love," which stated: "We would like before all else to reaffirm that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration, while 'every sign of unjust discrimination' is to be carefully avoided, particularly any form of aggression and violence." "The bill itself doesn't mention same-sex marriage. But there are various movements that deem unions of same-sex people something akin to marriage or God's view of family. We are against such movements," the CBCK statement reads. "The bill mentions three different types of gender; male, female and a third gender and sexual identity as a way of people's perception toward their gender. But this cannot be used as grounds to deny that there exist only two genders; male and female." "The love between man and woman and the importance of marriage and family form the basis of human dignity in the Constitution. So, love and family should be protected by society and the nation and they should not be ignored under the name of anti-discrimination," the CBCK said. It also expressed concerns about "reverse discrimination" from the legislation. "The anti-discrimination law can promote the destruction of human life, artificial conception, selection of life or death based on genetics and the allowance of sexual minorities to adopt children." The statement comes as religious communities stand divided over Jang's anti-discrimination bill, which was proposed June 29. The bill calls for punitive measures for acts of discrimination based on 26 categories, which include sexual orientation and sexual identity. Protestant churches are vocal critics of the bill, although a small number of church leaders are sympathetic about the need for the protection for minorities from discrimination. The Buddhist community welcomes the legislation. The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), an association of protestant church denominations, is divided over the bill. Some support it as it is to protect the socially vulnerable and to show the Christian values of love and equality. But the Protestant Church of Korea, one of its largest members, vehemently opposes the bill, demanding NCCK Secretary General Lee Hong-jung clarify his position on the issue. Lee has publicly supported the legislation. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the nation's largest Buddhist order, and some NGOs also support the legislation. The issue has been a hot potato in religious communities for more than a decade. Similar bills were proposed in 2007, 2010 and 2012 on anti-discrimination, but failed to be legislated largely because of opposition from politically-powerful conservative protestant churches. Virgin Australia Group Chief Executive Officer Paul Scurrah. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah will be speaking about leadership during a pandemic at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit on 17 September. Register here for your tickets. Paul Scurrah, the chief executive of Virgin Australia, has had to oversee the near-collapse of his company, let go of 3,000 staff, cut low-cost carrier TigerAir, and find a buyer for the airline. Hes worked seven days a week for the last six months, and has barely taken any time off save a brief rendezvous at Thredbo two months ago, throughout which he was still working anyway. But while the airline is going through some serious turbulence, Scurrah knew one thing had to remain consistent of him as a leader. Importantly, what Ive learnt through the most recent period, although I knew it anyway, was: calmness and steadying the ship under enormous pressure is very, very important, he told Yahoo Finance. Having held CEO and other leadership positions at supply chain company DP World, the Australian Data Tourism Warehouse, Queensland Rail and TravelOnline.com, Scurrah distills some of the most important qualities that have seen him through all the roles. The first thing as a leader is to provide a level of clarity about the purpose of the company to make sure people understand what theyre turning up to do every day, and whats important. So that can manifest itself as a vision or a mission statement, he said. But I think there needs to be clarity around the path from where you are today to where you want to be. And no matter how challenging that path might be, it's got to paint a path, or at least give a bright future to your people in all of the circumstances. In Virgins case, Scurrahs job is to communicate that the airline has a future of any kind at all, he said. Story continues And to do that, he sticks close to his personal values. From a leadership point of view, its about being true to that yourself. Being a leading example, the right example, about how you never compromise your vision, your purpose or your values, and making sure you are the epitome of living and breathing that. In fact, he still remembers what he learnt decades years ago from Qantas former chief, James Strong, where Scurrah spent more than three years working during the earlier stages of his career. One thing I've never forgotten is what it felt like to be a newcomer at the so-called bottom of the organisation coming in at entry level, and the way both good and bad leaders would treat those people. I modelled myself on people like James Strong who was a very successful CEO at Qantas, who used to make everyone feel much taller and feel better for an interaction with him. Theres nothing like being prepared As a leader, Scurrah is a big believer in having the best people around him, and ensuring theyre prepared for any eventuality. Airlines really do crises well. Not that they want them to happen, but you need to be prepared for them, and theres regular rehearsals for all sorts of scenarios. So when something like Covid comes along, we are already very well rehearsed which means that we don't have to invent things as we're going along, he said. I think its really lack of preparation and lack of a remedy or a process that causes stress for you. It really is important to just accept the circumstances that we are in, and to, in a sense, roll with the punches and not try to hope that you weren't here. His advice is straightforward: come up with a plan. Make sure that you're very task driven...make sure everything is as safe as it can be. How Virgin Australia CEO prioritises in a crisis Scurrah has a laser focus on dealing with the task at hand, and has perfected a clear-cut process for deciding which problems need to be dealt with first. Stress is about clearing your mind to focus. Its really important to prioritise under times of stress, he said. If it's urgent and important, it needs your focus. If its important, but not urgent defer it, he said. They're the sorts of things that I focus on: making sure that the most important things get done and that's a challenge. But this doesnt come without its emotional toll, said Scurrah; the stress often comes with the uglier parts of the job, such as the heavy weight of advising people theyve lost their jobs. On a more personal level, how does the CEO destress to keep his head above water? Meditation and exercise. I actually recently purchased the Muse headband, the one that actually can tell youhow deep into meditation you've gone. It's got music or soundtrack that helps you get there and [its] very effective, he said. Scurrah also runs on a treadmill to get him in the zone. Some days It feels like that 25 minute run takes an hour. Some days Im off after 25 minutes feeling it was only five minutes. And theyre the days when I know Ive got into the zone. Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah will be speaking about leadership during a pandemic at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit on 17 September. Register here for your tickets. Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, economy, property and work news. Follow Yahoo Finance Australia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Mairead McGuinness sets a lot of store in what she calls the Dinny principle. Its a playful adaptation of the acronym for Do It Now, and it has driven much of her career in journalism and politics. Her elevation to a heavy-hitting job in the Brussels executive is probably not the end of her political ambitions. Many observers see her as a contender to be President of Ireland in elections due in 2026, after the current Commissions term ends in November 2024. The new Commissioner for financial services is seen by some people who worked with her as being good with people, while also managing to be on top of policy. Few politicians manage this combination and are known to excel at either one or the other, and sometimes neither. Read More She is a great mixer with a tremendous sense of fun, one former colleague says. Not all her Fine Gael party colleagues like her, however. In the run-up to the unsuccessful June 2010 leadership heave against Enda Kenny, she was seen as privately supporting the malcontents. But once the heave became public, she loudly backed Mr Kenny. Then again, in the May 2017 Fine Gael leadership election, she strongly and publicly backed the loser, Simon Coveney. Some people thought she would never get to the starting gate for this Brussels post because of that but she was unrepentant about her decision as recently as last week. The new Irish EU Commissioner used Dinny to overcome anxiety and indecision in her earlier years and it stood to her since. It drove her to go on RTE radio last Sunday week and frankly stake her claim for one of the biggest, and most lucrative, jobs available to Irish politicians. The basic rate for this EU job is 273,000 per year about 86,000 more than the Taoiseach gets. But a range of allowances, including a 15pc per year overseas allowance, bring the gross salary package well above the 300,000-mark with about one third of that likely to go on the preferential EU income tax regime. Taking to the airwaves was a very high-risk strategy. At that point the job was set to go to Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney, as Fine Gael urged Taoiseach Micheal Martin to ignore EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyens request to send two names, one male and one female. Ms McGuinness corrected assertions that Ms von der Leyen was seeking the names of a man and a woman. The nuance actually landed her the job. Listen to what she said. She said she wanted names of a woman and a man, Ms McGuinness chided this writer. There is an irony in her succeeding the former Irish EU Commissioner Phil Hogan, because he played a big role in launching her in politics. He was Fine Gael director of elections in spring 2004 when she was chosen to run for the European Parliament in Ireland East. McGuinness had a high-profile as farming editor of the Irish Independent, and presenter of the RTE television rural affairs show Ear to the Ground. Hogan was pleased to get her as a candidate as she had offers from the now defunct Progressive Democrats, who had recruited former IFA president Tom Parlon to take a Dail seat two years earlier. But soon much of the campaign focus became a straight battle between Ms McGuinness and sitting Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle of Wexford, both of whom had a posh rural air about them. Political colour writers had a ball: Designer handbags at 100 paces and Horseboxes drawn were among the headlines. Expand Close Mairead McGuinness has served as a Fine Gael MEP since 2004 (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mairead McGuinness has served as a Fine Gael MEP since 2004 (Niall Carson/PA) There were ill-tempered clashes when Doyle campaigners invaded to canvass McGuinness turf at Fairyhouse Racecourse in Co Meath. Soon McGuinness posters appeared in Doyles native Wexford, causing further fury. But the infighting meant big publicity, which in turn meant votes, and when the counting was done both Avril Doyle and Mairead McGuinness were elected to the European Parliament. Ms McGuinness was re-elected in 2009, 2014, and again in 2019 with impressive vote tallies and gained considerable recognition across the country. One blip in her political career was her failed attempt to win a Dail seat in May 2007 for her home constituency of Louth, when she polled less than half a quota and was off the pace. This led to her parking domestic political ambitions for future government office and concentrating on the European Parliament where she is currently senior vice-president and had been tipped to be president of the assembly. There was another blip in July 2011 when she failed to get the party nomination to contest the Irish presidency. It was a blow at the time but many believe that ambition remains. As a graduate of agricultural science from UCD, she already knew much about the EUs cornerstone Common Agriculture Policy and this was enhanced by frequent trips to Brussels as a journalist. During 16 years in the European Parliament she has learned how the system works, building contacts in all the EU institutions. The chemistry is very good between herself and her new boss, Ms von der Leyen, whom she got to know on her arrival in Brussels last autumn. That contact proved invaluable in landing the big one. An 18-year-old boy was shot and killed early Wednesday inside a north Houston residence, police said. Adrian Puerto was inside his bedroom around 12:35 a.m. when an unknown suspect shot him through the door, according to the Houston Police Department. Puerto, who was shot in the stomach, was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he died. Family members who were inside a house on the 1000 block of Grenfell Lane heard gunfire. Witnesses saw a light-colored, four-door sedan leaving the residence shortly after the shooting, police said. Investigators found multiple casings in a ditch across the street. No suspects or motive for the shooting have been identified. An assassin who crept into a family home and shot dead a mother-of-nine and her sleeping nephew in a botched revenge hit faces life in prison after being found guilty of the double murder. Student Bervil Kalikaka-Ekofo, 21, and his aunt Annie Ekofo, 53, were executed by Obina Ezeoke, 28, after he sneaked in through their unlocked front door in September 2016. Ezeoke carried out the revenge hit after footage of him being attacked was shared on Snapchat by rivals - including Ms Ekofo's son Ryan Efey, 22, the Old Bailey heard. Mr Efey was probably the intended target but Ezeoke decided he would kill anyone in the flat. Juries in May 2018 and March last year failed to reach verdicts, despite the majority of jurors supporting a conviction. In 2017 trial was stopped after a judge was forced to withdraw with agonising back pain. Prosecutors made the exceptional choice to pursue a fifth trial after his last hearing collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic in March. Student Bervil Kalikaka-Ekofo, 21, (left) was shot in the back of the head by the assassin, prompting his aunt Annie Besala Ekofo, 53, (right) to investigate. She was shot in the chest Traditionally, a defendant was only ever tried twice if a jury could not agree. Crown court convictions can only be passed if jurors give a majority verdict of 11-1, 10-2, 10-1 or 9-1. Defence solicitors for the killer had argued against a fifth trial, saying 'enough is enough'. In previous legal argument, Ezeoke's lawyer James Scobie QC had said: 'We are in uncharted territory. To carry on this case would be oppressive. 'If there is an expression to summarise this case it is really 'not proven'. 'The reality of it is that is where we are after near on four years of trials.' 'Some might say to give a fifth opportunity was in itself a step too far. 'The system has not been able to produce a result one way or another. 'Is it really right and proper for this defendant to actually have the appalling prospect of a fifth attempt trying to get a conviction over the line? We submit, enough is enough.' But prosecutor Mark Heywood QC successfully argued the 'public interest' in a case 'of this exceptional kind and such gravity'. Obina Ezeoke, 28, was convicted today of the double murder at his fifth trial, following the brutal shooting in North London in 2016 Ezeoke fired a bullet into the back of psychology student Bervil's head with a vintage Western-style revolver as at her apartment in East Finchley, North London. He then wheeled around and blasted the victim's aunt Annie Ekofo, 53, in the chest with the Smith and Wesson.44 when she came out of her bedroom dressed only in her underwear. Neither Bervil nor Annie were the intended targets, the court was told. Ezeoke carried out the killings as part of a 'vendetta of violence' before fleeing the scene in a Vauxhall Meriva at around 6.30am in the morning. He maintained that he had been on Grahame Park estate in North London with four friends at the time of the murders. Ezoeke slumped to his seat after a jury convicted him of the murder of Annie Ekofo, above, and her nephew The killer claimed that gunshot residue particles discovered in the getaway car, which evidence showed had been bought and insured by him under a false name, came from a different shooting when others had used the vehicle. But an Old Bailey jury convicted him of the two murders today after deliberating for 41 hours and ten minutes over eight days. Ezeoke slumped to his seat as the guilty verdicts were read. Mrs Justice Cutts remanded the double killer in custody and will sentence him on October 1. Prosecutor Mark Heywood said: 'Ezeoke went there quite deliberately, with a gun and of course sufficient ammunition to use it, to attack and kill one of the young men of the family. 'His hate was such that he did not falter when confronted by a second person and he simply took her life as well. Both lives taken were wholly innocent.' Mr Kalikaka-Ekofo was visiting the flat in East Finchley at short notice for one night only so he was not one of those who could have been expected to be there. 'It was two separate murders within a short space of time,' said Mr Heywood. 'No one could, or will, we understand, possibly suggest anything else. 'These were execution killings, in effect.' A trial at the Old Bailey heard Ezeoke crept into the family home in East Finchley, London and targeted the aunt and nephew as an act of revenge, after a rival gang, including Ms Ekofo's son, attacked him and posted the video on Snapchat Mr Heywood added: 'There had been a trend to modify ammunition to fit vintage weapons like the revolver and the overall likelihood is that that is what was done here. 'One of the typical guns you might see in a Western movie.' Mrs Ekofo, who came to the UK with her husband from the Congo in 1991, lived with her family at the flat in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley. Four other people were also in the house but were unharmed in the attack. Mr Heywood told the court: 'Just after dawn in the early Autumn of 2016, an assassin crept noiselessly into a second floor family home. 'He had waited until that time in order to be able to get into the block. 'By his great good fortune, the door of the home was not locked. Mr Kalikaka-Ekofo was only visiting his aunt's flat at short notice that night, the trial heard 'The layout of that flat, mirrored by others on the same estate, was probably known and clearly understood. 'At first, not one of the six people sleeping inside it heard anything at all. 'The killer moved forward to his left and then into a bedroom. 'There, just in front of him, was a young man lying on a thin mattress on the floor under a duvet, his head nearer the door resting on pillows. 'For the killer, this was as good a target as he could expect, a young man of this home, this house, of just the right age. 'He crept forward, gun in hand. 'His weapon was a deadly one, perfect for concealment in close quarters use, repeatedly if necessary. It was a revolver. 'The killer raised the muzzle just enough and placed it at the back of the sleeping head. 'And then, with a deliberation and purpose that was as cowardly as it was murderous, he simply pulled the trigger. 'The silence of the home, the neighbourhood, was shattered and the life was immediately taken.' At the sound of the 'noise and so the hell he had just unleashed' Mrs Ekofo came out from her bedroom down the hall to investigate. 'The killer did not hesitate,' said Mr Heywood. 'Given his purpose and because he could not afford to be seen, and so caught, it suited him to use the weapon again. 'Rather than simply raise it for example to threaten or ward off, or just simply turn and run out of the front door, he instead levelled the weapon a second time and he pulled the trigger, even as the nearly naked woman bent away from the lethal danger that must have been obvious. 'His aim was central, towards the chest and the vital organs. 'For the second time in one minute the killer took a life. He then fled back to a black vehicle and returned to 'safe ground' on another estate, the court heard. Annie Efoko was killed as she investigated the sound of the gunshot that had killed her nephew, a trial at the Old Bailey heard Ezeoke, of no fixed address, denied but was convicted of two counts of murder on a majority of 11-1. Sally-Anne Russell, from the CPS, said: 'This was an execution of two family members within the space of about a minute. Obina Ezeoke's actions have devastated a family. 'Both victims were entirely innocent. 'Nobody saw exactly how these events unfolded but the prosecution case included evidence of Ezeoke's control of the car, CCTV footage of the car travelling to and from the scene, as well as a gun case discovered under Ezeoke's bed, gunshot residue evidence and proof of the ongoing feud between Ezeoke and other members of the family involved. 'Although Ezeoke denied any involvement in the killings, the jury accepted the prosecution case and convicted Ezeoke of both murders. 'I hope the family and friends of both Annie Besala Ekofo and Bervil Kalikala-Ekofo can be satisfied that justice has now been served.' Ezeoke will return for sentence on October 1. (Newser) The Trump administration is pulling nearly half of its troops out of Iraq. The US commander in the Middle East said Wednesday that troops would be reduced this month from 5,200 to 3,000about the number that were in the country in 2015, during the early phase of a campaign against the Islamic State, per the New York Times. "This reduced footprint allows us to continue advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in rooting out the final remnants of ISIS in Iraq and ensuring its enduring defeat," Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, said from Iraq, citing "our confidence in the Iraqi security forces' increased ability to operate independently." story continues below A senior administration official had tipped reporters off on Tuesday night, reports the AP. The official said the administration would also be announcing the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in the coming days. The 8,600 troops there are expected to be reduced to under 5,000, per ABC News. President Trump made a 2016 campaign promise to withdraw the US from "endless wars." After meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in August, Trump said "we look forward to the day when we dont have to be there, and hopefully Iraq can live their own lives and they can defend themselves." Al-Kadhimi noted "ISIS sleeper cells are still operating in Iraq," per the Times. "The threat is still there." (Read more US troops stories.) New Delhi The railway unit of Delhi Police on Wednesday said they had rescued 14 children, aged between 12 and 14 years, who were allegedly being trafficked to Delhi from various parts of Bihar and were to be employed as labourers in factories in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Ten members of an interstate child trafficking racket were also arrested during the rescue operation. The children were trafficked to the city from Bihar in a train, police said. The children have been taken to a quarantine facility in Lajpat Nagar as per the protocol, deputy commissioner of police (railways) Harendra Kumar Singh said. DCP Singh said the railway police received information from an NGO on Monday that nearly 14 children were being brought to Delhi from Bihar in a train that reached the Old Delhi railway station. The police team along with two NGOs kept a vigil on the passengers after the train arrived. Ten men were caught with 14 trafficked children, who were rescued, medically examined and taken to a quarantine centre in Lajpat Nagar. They were produced before the child welfare committee (CWC) through video conferencing. Based on their statements before the CWC, a case of trafficking was registered and the ten men were arrested. During interrogation, the accused said the children belong to different districts of Bihar. Among those rescued, nine children are from Katihar, two from Begusarai, two from Kishanganj and one from Purnia. They had planned to take them to different places including four to Azadpur and two to Seelampur in Delhi, two to Faridabad in Haryana and six to Punjab, the DCP said. Due to the shortage of labourers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the traffickers saw an opportunity to get the children employed in factories and targeted poor families in Bihar, he added. The arrested persons were identified as Mohammad Akbar (35), Mohammad Manzoor Alam (25), Naushad (36), Tasuvil (30), Mohammad Naseem (35), Aman Kumar Sharma (21), Noor Alam (32), Mohammd Mehraj (24), Maskhur Alam (23) and Mahesh Lal Kewat (33), all residents of Bihar, police said. A game-changing project in Hamilton will transform 13 acres in the citys east end into a $400-million, master-planned community modelled on affordability, adaptability, inclusivity and diversity. A strategic alliance was forged between the city, City Housing Hamilton (CHH) and Roxborough Park Inc. (RPI), a partnership of Urbancore Developments, Carriage Gate Homes and the Effort Group, to create the community. It will be built on the old Roxborough Park School site and adjacent property that is currently occupied by 107 subsidized CHH 60-year-old rowhouses. The project will address the critical need for more affordable housing in Hamilton and will be a catalyst for the revitalization and diversification of the McQuesten neighbourhood. When completed in five to seven years, the neighbourhood to be called Roxboro will include nearly 800 new, mixed-income units of various types that will be built in up to four phases. These will include about 300 affordable market units including condos plus back-to-back and stacked townhomes; 200 units geared to seniors and small households; more than 300 rental suites with capped rents; and 103 family-oriented units in a 10-storey affordable rental building owned and operated by CHH. The project has special meaning for Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger. When his family immigrated to Canada from Amsterdam 60 years ago he was eight years old they moved into one of the old social housing units. He lived there until he was 19. I still live not far away and my childhood memories are of that place. It was a great place to grow up, with a valley in the back to play in and lots of immigrant friends to hang out with, said Eisenberger. I lived in a unit with six family members and it now looks pretty small, but being Dutch, we were used to tiny places. To see it come full circle to a renewal that was absolutely needed that includes geared-to-income housing its very heart-warming. Ward 4 Councillor Sam Merulla was instrumental in bringing the vision together. When he learned that the old Roxborough Park School site was available, he reached out to Sergio Manchia, a developer-planner who helms Urbancore Developments. The school was for sale but there wasnt a lot of interest in it, even though the neighbourhood was screaming for revitalization, said Manchia. It wasnt a typical greenfield site and there were a lot of issues. That neighbourhood was at a dead-end and previously had no access to the GTA or major highways, and had become ghettoized, said Merulla. Sergio saw what I saw, that the site is at the intersection of two of the largest public works projects in the city (the Red Hill Valley Expressway and the coming LRT line). Originally, the neighbourhood had been the site of the Hamilton Municipal Airport built in 1929 and had small houses for pilots. But the municipal airport closed when a larger one opened in Mount Hope in 1940. Merulla says the decaying CHH housing would have been a detriment to any new housing on the school site, and the neighbourhood needed a broader mix of housing and incomes. There is an extreme shortage of developable land in the city, and the CHH site was underutilized with only 103 housing units on eight acres. Talks with the city and CHH were initiated and Manchia brought in Nick Carnicelli from Carriage Gate Homes and David Horwood from Effort Group. It was a very challenging thing to buy the school with the idea to acquire more land owned by the city for a large, master-planned community that served a wider purpose, said Carnicelli. The (social) housing was well beyond its life, the area needed intensification and this was on a bus route, one kilometre from the GO station. It begged for some sort of dynamic thinking, The communitys location has a WalkScore of 98 and Transit Score of 100. Horwood said the combined experience he, Manchia and Carnicelli were able to bring to the table, and their shared love of Hamilton, was important. Without the three of us working together, I dont think the vision would have been seen by a single home builder wanting to buy the school site. We have each been contributing to how Hamilton has been re-imagining itself, and each of us has our own strengths. We started taking a synergistic point of view and the councillor was looking for a legacy project. Although there have been other private-public partnerships in Hamilton, this one represents the first one on such a large scale. It will provide a lift for the entire neighbourhood beyond the (sites) borders, said Mayor Eisenberger. When an investment of this scale is happening, other investment will be attracted, as there will be a need for more services. Thats a good thing. It took four years to wade through the bureaucracy, to educate stakeholders about the vision and to finalize plans and approvals. RPI will bring a massive infrastructure renewal for the entire McQuesten neighbourhood: thousands of new and existing homes will benefit from new, separated storm water and sanitary sewers. The park will also get extensive improvements, including revitalization of the spray pad, playground equipment and playing fields. New pathways, picnic tables and tree plantings will be added. Horwood says the residents of the social housing have been kept informed of the process. We do hope many people currently residing there will move into the new building and we expect some to return, but thats between CHH and its clients. Eisenberger notes there is a backlog of 6,000 people waiting for affordable housing in Hamilton and this project will help ease that. Its still a huge challenge for us to overcome. Were setting a target of 300 units a year in the city. Thats not enough, but its all we can afford and we are looking for the provincial and federal governments to step up. Construction will begin this fall on a rental apartment building to be owned by HCC and built to Passive House standard (a stringent, international standard of energy efficiency and building performance) plus 164, three-storey contemporary-style townhomes and back-to-back units, each with a garage. Ive been doing this for 30 years and this is one of the most exciting projects Ive done in my life. Never have I had more community support or lack of negative feedback related to a project, said Carnicelli. This is really a lifetime career project for all of us. It came down to people trusting the vision and having courage, added Coun. Merulla. The developers saw the vision and invested in it, and Im appreciative. Its an official pilot project for the City of Hamilton and is prioritized that way and this will be applied to other neighbourhoods. ROXBORO, PHASE 1 Developers: Roxborough Park Inc. (Urbancore Developments, Carriage Gate Homes and the Effort Group) in collaboration with City of Hamilton, City of Hamilton Housing Project architect: KNYMH Architects Housing units: 88 three-storey, back-to-back, two- and three-bedroom townhomes;l 72 three-storey, three-bedroom townhomes with backyards; a 10-storey Passive House rental building for CHH with 103 suites ranging from one-to four-bedroom. Prices from the low $400,000s. Target market: First-time buyers ages 20 to 37 on low-to-middle income. Combined average gross household income up to $120,000; must be purchasers principal residence and purchasers cannot own any other residential property. Purchasers must be individuals, not businesses. Occupancy: Slated for late 2021/early 2022 To register: myroxboro. com Despite the Sonepat district administrations ban on political gatherings in view of the Covid-19 outbreak, politicians continue to defy the orders and campaign in villages ahead of the Baroda constituency bypolls. Indian National Lok Dal general secretary and Ellenabad MLA Abhay Singh Chautala seems to be on the forefront in violating the administration orders as he had held meetings in nearly 10 villages of the constituency from Monday evening to Tuesday. Images and videos that have emerged from the spot show blatant violation of social distancing and other safety norms. Wrestler-turned Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yogeshwar Dutt holding gatherings despite the ban. (HT PHOTO) Wrestler-turned Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yogeshwar Dutt too has been violating the Sonepat administrations orders by conducting village-level meetings. Sonepat deputy commissioner Shyam Lal Punia had announced the ban on political gatherings on Monday, a day after Congresss Rajya Sabha MP Deepinder Hooda was found infected after addressing poll rallies in various parts of the constituency. Apart from Deepender, Karnal MP Sanjay Bhatia, agricultural minister JP Dalal, power and jails minister Ranjit Chautala, Gohana MLA Jagbir Malik and a few others politicians had also addressed village-level gatherings before testing positive for the virus. Congress MP Deepender Hooda addressing a crowd in a confined space last week, before he tested positive for Covid-19. (HT PHOTO) Locals fear infection Anil Kumar, a resident of Kathura village in Baroda, said the administration has failed to take any action against the politicians who are putting peoples lives at risk by holding gatherings amid the pandemic outbreak. So far, six leaders, who had addressed gatherings in this constituency, have tested positive. The Covid-19 is in community spread in our constituency and the leaders have turned infection spreaders. Moreover, the health department has also not increased testing here. These politicians are posing a great risk to our lives, he added. Joginder Moor, an independent aspirant for Baroda bypoll, said the election commission is yet to announce the poll date but politicians are going ahead with the canvassing. I am surprised why the district administration has not initiated any action against these leaders though they are issuing challans to commoners for going out in public without masks, he added. Gohana sub-divisional magistrate Ashish Kumar, who was appointed the nodal officer to implement a ban, said he is in home quarantine after his driver tested positive for the virus. I will check where the political gatherings were being organised, he added. INLD leader Abhay Chautala could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts. Hollywood star Tom Cruise is reportedly shelling out some money from his own pocket to help with the production of his movie Mission: Impossible, amid the pandemic. The series of the spy film began in 1996 with the last film released in 2018. After a break, the team is all set to start shooting for the film. Tom Cruise shells out $1 million for his movie The Production for the seventh instalment of the popular spy franchise was supposed to start in February when restrictions due to the Pandemic shut everything down. Simon Pegg, who plays the character of Benji Dunn in the Mission: Impossible franchise earlier revealed that the production will get back to work in September. It seems that the production is back on track, all thanks to Tom Cruise, who generously helped the team with some cash. Also Read: Tom Cruise & Nicole's Daughter Bella Posts Selfie, Says 'All That Glitters Is Not Gold' According to Forbes, Tom Cruise reportedly shelled out $1 million of his own money, to help the production company Truenorth Charter rent two cruise ships from the company Norways Hurtigruten, that will house both the cast and the crew of Mission: Impossible 7. The entire hustle is created to allow the team to work without running the risk of a widespread outbreak. Also Read: Tom Cruise Heads Out To Watch 'Tenet' In Theater; Twitter Says It Is His 'biggest Stunt' A source from Norways Hurtigruten told News.com that they have entered into an agreement with the production company Truenorth for the charter of two ships from the end of August until the end of September. The ships in question are MS Vesteralen and the brand new battery-hybrid MS Fridtj of Nansen. Also Read: Where Was 'All The Right Moves' Filmed? Shooting Locations Of The Tom Cruise Starrer Film He also added that under a very strict corona regime estimated at $6 million in cost. Reports from the Daily Mail have also mentioned that everyone was tested twice for COVID-19 within 48 hours after arriving for work in the country. The movie plans to stay on track with a release date in November 2021. Also Read: Mission Impossible 7 Filming Begins In Norway; Christopher McQuarrie Shares Pic From Sets Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. Refinery29, a fashion and beauty site whose previous top editor resigned under pressure in June, has a new global editor in chief: Simone Oliver, who leads partnerships with magazines and lifestyle brands at Facebook and Instagram. Vice Media, the owner of Refinery29, announced Wednesday that Ms. Oliver, who previously worked at The New York Times and Conde Nast, will start Sept. 30. She will oversee Refinery29's articles, videos, audience engagement efforts and partnerships with clothing companies and other brands. The global in her title is a nod to the sites offices in New York, London and Berlin. Ms. Oliver, 38, will succeed Christene Barberich, a Refinery29 co-founder who stepped down after several former employees went public with accounts of workplace discrimination. In a social media post, one former Refinery29 staff member described a toxic company culture where white womens egos ruled. At the time of the complaints, Ms. Barberich, who is white, acknowledged the raw and personal accounts of Black women and women of color regarding their experiences inside our company, and said, We have to do better. The president had reportedly said he intentionally minimised the threat of the coronavirus to the American public. Democratic United States presidential candidate Joe Biden, in Michigan on Wednesday, slammed President Donald Trump after a new report detailed how Trump, by his own admission, played down the threat of the coronavirus to the public. Trump said the comments he made to reporter Bob Woodward referred to his attempt to maintain calm and avoid panic in the early days of the coronavirus, and not to lie to US citizens. The White House touted reducing troops in Iraq amid reports that Trump disparaged war dead. Vice President Mike Pence participated in a Pennsylvania anti-abortion rights event, while vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris held virtual fundraisers on Wednesday, 54 days before the November 3 vote. Here are the latest updates: Wednesday, September 9 17:00 ET- Pelosi calls Trumps coronavirus response historic national tragedy US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has weighed in a new report that quotes Trump as saying he intentionally played down the threat of the coronavirus to the US public, calling a historic national tragedy. More than six million Americans have been infected, 190,000 have died and tens of millions are jobless and at risk of hunger and homelessness. So much of this pain could have been avoided, but President Trump refused to tell the truth or to act to protect the American people, Pelosi said, referring to revelations in a new book by respected Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward. Trump described to Woodward in February the deadly threat of the coronavirus, while publicly saying it posed no more danger than the seasonal flu. Trump has said he was referring to maintaining a calm message to avoid widespread panic when he told Woodward: I wanted to always play it down. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (left) has responded to a new report on Trumps coronavirus response [File: Brendan Smialowski/Reuters] 16:30 ET Trump releases list of possible Supreme Court picks Trump has released a list of 20 new possible Supreme Court justice picks. The list includes prominent Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley, as well as a rising star in the party, the Attorney General of Kentucky Daniel Cameron. Trump released a previous list in 2016 shortly after becoming the partys presumptive nominee, as he sought to consolidate support among Republicans following a contentious primary. Trump has already filled two vacancies in the highest court in the country during his first four years in office. Whoever is elected could potentially shape the court, which rules on constitutional matters, for years to come, making it an important factor in the election season. 16:00 ET Trump dismisses report he minimised the coronavirus threat as another political hit job Trump has dismissed telling reporter Bob Woodward that he was intentionally downplaying the threat of the coronavirus pandemic as just another political hit job. The new book by Woodward says that Trump told him in February that the virus posed a deadly threat, greater than the flu, even as he simultaneously told the public the danger of the coronavirus and flu were comparable. In March, he told the report he wanted to always play it down, referring to the coronavirus. Trump denied that meant he was lying to US citizens, and instead said he was trying to signal calm. We had to show calm, he said during a news conference at the White House. The last thing that we can show is panic, or excitement, or fear, or anything else. We had to take care of the situation we were given. 15:30 ET Former US official told to halt Russia influence assessments: Complaint Acting US Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told a former senior aide to stop providing intelligence assessments on Russias interference in the US, former acting Homeland Security undersecretary Brian Murphy said in a whistle-blower complaint released on Wednesday. Murphy also said in the complaint that Wolf told him to begin reporting on Chinese and Iranian interference, and that the instructions to do so came from White House National Security Adviser Robert OBrien. US officials have said that Russia, China and Iran have been working to influence the outcome of the November 3 presidential election. US intelligence has concluded that Russians conducted a coordinated campaign to influence the 2016 elections and are attempting to influence voting again in 2020 [File: Manuel Balce Cenet/The Associated Press] 15:00 ET Poll shows Kenosha visits made little change in support A new Marquette Law School poll has found that, despite visits from both Donald Trump and Joe Biden last week, voting preferences and attitudes of likely Wisconsin voters did not change much. The poll found Biden had 47 percent support of likely voters in Wisconsin, while Trump had 43 percent of support. In August, before the candidates visited Kenosha, Biden had 49 percent of support while Trump had 44 percent. The poll also showed the visits did little to change opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement in the state. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks in Kenosha, Wisconsin [File: Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press] 14:30 ET Biden says Trump lied to the American people on coronavirus Biden said Trump lied to American people following revelations by reporter Bob Woodward that the president understood the danger posed by the coronavirus, but intentionally downplayed it to the American people. He knew that it passed through the air. He knew how deadly it was, that it was much more deadly than the flu, Biden said at the beginning of his campaign event in Michigan, which was scheduled to focus on keeping jobs in the US. He knew and purposely played it down. Worse, he lied to the American people, said Biden. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months. He had the information. He knew how dangerous it was. And while this deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose. The former vice president called it a life-or-death betrayal of the American people. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden attacked Trump over report he minimised coronavirus threat to American public [Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press] 14:00 ET White House spokeswoman denies Trump minimised coronavirus White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has denied Trump minimised the threat of the coronavirus to the public while understanding the danger it posed. Reporter Bob Woodward, in a new book, reported that Trump told him in March: I wanted to always play it down, referring to the coronavirus danger. In February, Trump also told Woodward about the deadly threat posed by the virus, despite simultaneously telling Americans it was no more dangerous than the seasonal flu. McEnany said the presidents words to the public were designed to express confidence and calm at a time of insurmountable challenges. The president has never lied to the American public on COVID. The president was expressing calm and his actions reflect that, McEnany said. US President Donald Trump tours a manufacturing plant where components for a potential coronavirus vaccine candidate are being developed, in Morrisville, North Carolina, US [File: Carlos Barria/Reuters] 13:30 ET Trump campaign, RNC announce $210m funding haul The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee announced a $210m funding haul in August, amid a bump from the Republican National Convention. Trumps campaign, in a statement, said August was the largest online fundraising month of the presidents re-election effort. It said $76m had been raised during the convention. The haul still pales in comparison to the $364.5m raised by Bidens campaign and the Democratic National Committee. The announcement comes amid reports the Trump campaign is facing a financial crunch. 13:00 ET Alabama becomes second state to begin voting in the general election Today is the first day Alabama voters can apply for, receive and vote using mail-in ballots in the state, making it the second state in the country to officially begin voting after North Carolina sent out requested mail ballots last week. Alabama recently changed its policy regarding voting by mail, and now allows all registered voters to use the excuse of physical illness or infirmity. North Carolina had previously allowed residents to vote by mail without an excuse. Both states still require at least one witness to sign the ballot when it is voted. The majority of voters are expected to vote by mail in November, a large increase from the roughly 25 percent of Americans who voted by mail in 2016. Experts expect as many as half of US voters to cast ballots by mail [File: Nati Harnik/The Associated Press] 12:30 ET Barr defends Justice Dept intervention in defamation case US Attorney General William Barr has defended his departments decision to intervene and defend President Donald Trump against a defamation lawsuit brought by author E Jean Carroll, who has alleged that Trump raped her in the 1990s. This was a normal application of the law. The law is clear. It is done frequently, Barr said during a press conference in Chicago, noting that elected officials who answer questions about their personal lives in the course of their federal employment can be defended by government attorneys. On Tuesday, US Department of Justice lawyers filed court papers aiming to shift the case into federal court and to substitute the US for Trump as the defendant. That means the federal government, rather than Trump himself, might have to pay damages if any are awarded. The move comes amid concerns that Barr has gone out of his way to intervene in other legal cases involving Trump or his allies, including trying to decrease the amount of prison time his office sought for Trump ally Roger Stone. 12:00 ET Trump said he intentionally minimised dangers of coronavirus: Woodward A new book by respected journalist Bob Woodward says that Trump understood the danger of the coronavirus in the early days of the outbreak, but intentionally minimised those dangers in public statements. On a February 7 call with Woodward, Trump told the reporter the virus was deadly stuff and said it was more deadly than even your strenuous flu, according to the new book. The call came as Trump was telling the country the virus was no more dangerous than a seasonal flu, while insisting the government had it under control. In a March 19 interview, Trump told Woodward he was intentionally minimising the danger. I wanted to always play it down, the president told Woodward, a Washington Post journalist whose reporting uncovered the Watergate Scandal that led to the resignation of former President Richard Nixon. Read more here. 11:30 ET Trump expected to address troop withdrawal The US military on Wednesday announced it will reduce its presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 troops this month, formalising a move that had been long expected. The US and Iraq in June affirmed their commitment to the reduction of US troops in the country in coming months, with no plans by Washington to maintain permanent bases or a permanent military presence. Trump, who had campaigned on a policy of ending US involvement in endless wars, is expected to address the drawdown on Wednesday. 11:15 ET Norwegian MP nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize A Norwegian lawmaker has said that he has nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said on Wednesday that Trump should be considered because of his work for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, which opens up for possible peace in the Middle East. Israel and the UAE agreed last month to a historic deal normalising relations and are scheduled to sign it at a White House ceremony on September 15. No matter how Trump acts at home and what he says at press conferences, he has absolutely a chance at getting the Nobel Peace Prize, Tybring-Gjedde told The Associated Press news agency. Read more here. 11:00 ET Trump shrugs off traditional prep with three weeks until first debate: Report Trump has not held a single mock debate, and does not plan to conduct a formal practice round before his first debate face-off with Joe Biden, according to a report. Biden and Trump will take the debate stage for the first time on September 29, but the president has largely shrugged off traditional debate preparation, according to NBC news. Trump took part in traditional preparation before the 2016 debates with then-opponent Hillary Clinton, which included having former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie play Clinton. Trump has joked to aides that hes been preparing for debates since he was born. He has instead been preparing through informal discussions with allies and briefings with administration officials on topics that are expected to come up, the report said. Some advisors in Trumps circle have sought to raise expectations for Bidens debate performance to will the president to more fully prepare, while others have supported his approach, arguing he performs better when unscripted or rehearsed. Trumps campaign is reportedly banking on a strong debate performance against Biden [File: Saul Loeb/The Associated Press] 10:30 ET Biden to propose offshoring tax penalty Biden is visiting the battleground state of Michigan, where he will outline new proposals to tax companies that move US jobs overseas and offer incentives for companies to invest in domestic operations. In a visit to the Detroit suburb of Warren, Biden will propose an offshoring tax penalty on profits from products made overseas and sold in the US, a Biden adviser told Reuters news agency. Bidens plan envisions a companion 10 percent tax credit for companies that reopen closed or closing facilities, bringing back offshored jobs or expanding manufacturing payroll, among other domestic investments. The announcement is an apparent response to Trumps America First platform. While Biden has led Trump in virtually every national poll for months, the surveys suggest the economy still could prove a relative strength for Trump despite the downturn wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. 10:00 ET Cohen says Trump not joking about wanting to stay beyond two terms Michael Cohen, a former Trump fixer who had a high-profile falling out with the president, has said Trump is not joking about his desire to stay in office beyond two terms. Trump repeatedly referenced staying in power beyond the next four years, encouraging chants of 12 more years at his events. He wants to be an autocrat. He wants to be the president of this country for life, Cohen told MSNBCs Rachel Maddow, amid a press tour promoting his newly released book. Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, has said Trump is serious about wanting to stay in office for more than 12 years [Spencer Platt/AFP] 09:30 ET Zuckerberg says just wrong to call Facebook a right-wing echo chamber Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg, in an interview, said it was just wrong to consider the social media site a right-wing echo chamber, despite conservatives topping engagement on the platform. Its true that partisan content often has kind of a higher percent of people engaging with it, commenting on it, liking it, Zuckerberg told Axios on HBO. But I think its important to differentiate that from, broadly, what people are seeing and reading and learning about on our service. On Thursday, Facebook released a set of sweeping policy changes aimed at combatting misinformation and limiting politicians influence on the platform, amid increasing concern about its inflated role in US elections. 09:00 ET Trump-backed candidates win New Hampshire primary Trumps preferred candidates for Senate and House of Representatives seats won Republican primaries in New Hampshire, but face an uphill battle in the general election in the state where Democrats have a slight edge. Lawyer Bryant Corky Messner, 63, who proudly campaigned on his Trump endorsement, defeated retired Army general Don Bolduc for the Republican nomination for Senate, according to the New York Times said. He will face incumbent Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who easily won her primary, in November. In New Hampshires first congressional district, a 31-year-old Trump-endorsed candidate, Matt Mowers, beat a crowded Republican field for the partys nomination to take on freshman Democratic Representative Chris Pappas on November 3, the New York Times said. _______________________________________________________________ Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the US elections. This is Joseph Stepansky. Read all the updates from yesterday (September 8) here. Georgia's top election official said Tuesday that there were up to 1,000 potential instances of voters casting two ballots -- one by absentee ballot and one in person on election day -- across about 100 counties during the June presidential and statewide primaries and the August runoff elections. "Let me be clear: It is a felony to double vote in Georgia, and we prosecute. ... A double voter knows exactly what they're doing, diluting the votes of each and every voter ... that follows the law. Those that make the choice to game the system are breaking the law, and as secretary of state, I will not tolerate it," Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, said, adding that his office will work to prevent this from happening in November, but not detailing exactly how he plans to do that. Raffensperger said that his office will be turning the suspected cases over to the state attorney general, local district attorneys and also federal prosecuting attorneys, should they want to take on these cases. He called double voting a "serious felony," noting that if convicted, voters who cast two ballots face a minimum sentence of one year in prison, and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, plus up to a $100,000 fine. The secretary asserted that "there's no excuse under the law for double voting," ending his news conference by specifically saying that "intentionality is not an excuse under the law." However, several election experts were skeptical of this many instances of doubling voting, and noted that poll worker data input errors or administrative failures, like wrongly issuing a regular ballot to a voter instead of a provisional one, could lead to this happening. MORE: Heres what to know about mail-in voting for November He said that "some of those (votes) did show up in election results," which had to be certified within 17 days of each election, but that the votes did not impact the outcomes of any elections. Asked for clarification about whether all the alleged double votes were counted, Walter Jones, a spokesperson for the secretary, said that the investigation is ongoing and will look into "whether two votes were counted for the same individual." Story continues Raffensperger repeatedly asserted that these voters "knew what they were doing," and that this was not the result of a system failure, but he did not provide any evidence to back that claim. None of these cases have been fully investigated or tried. "It's not the system. It was the county election officials, but also it was the voters knowing what they're doing, and then putting pressure on them and taking advantage of the system -- the protocols that the counties had in place," he said. "But it's really the voter that bears responsibility for that. They mailed back their ballot, they knew that they had a ballot that was back. They knew what they were doing." PHOTO: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Jan. 20, 2020. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images) However, when pressed on how he could know these alleged double voters' motivation, Raffensperger said that was why investigations would be conducted, and cited one voter whom he said "was bragging about it down in Long County." No additional evidence of the alleged voter fraud was outlined during the press conference. States have moved to make voting by mail more accessible as the coronavirus pandemic continues in the United States, and as that's played out, President Donald Trump has been claiming -- without evidence -- that mass mail-in voting will lead to widespread voter fraud. It's an accusation that election officials have repeatedly said is unfounded. Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida whose expertise is in American elections, was skeptical of the secretary's claims of that many cases of double voting. McDonald is involved in litigation with Fair Fight Action against the secretary of state's office, but that litigation does not involve Tuesday's announcement. "We've seen these allegations many times before, in different guises over the years where there are sensational allegations of vote fraud and then upon further investigation, the allegations unravel," McDonald told ABC News. "It may yet be that there are a few people who voted twice. ... But these sensationalistic numbers that you get at the initial stages of an allegation, like 1,000 people double voting -- they almost never hold up upon closer examination." On Twitter, McDonald pointed to a report from ProPublica and the Atlanta Journal Constitution about how law enforcement records ultimately discredited allegations made by former Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is now the governor, just two days before the 2018 gubernatorial election, in which he was the Republican candidate. Kemp alleged that the state Democratic Party had been involved in an unsuccessful attempt to hack the state's voter registration files, which was untrue. Scott Hogan, executive director for the Democratic Party of Georgia, accused Raffensperger of promoting "conspiracy theories and disinformation." "Voter fraud continues to be extremely rare in Georgia, and any implication otherwise undermines our elections," Hogan said in a statement. "It is clear that rather than do his job of promoting the safety and security of our voting process, the Secretary of State is instead pushing the GOPs voting conspiracy theories and disinformation, as he fights in court to make voting by mail less accessible to voters." Raffensperger's announcement was also slammed by Georgias Voter Empowerment Task Force, a group backed by several organizations, including Stacey Abrams' voting advocacy group Fair Fight Action, the Georgia NAACP and Black Voters Matter. "Secretary Raffenspergers grandiose press conference was a deliberate distraction from his failures to do his job. Under his so-called leadership and the meltdown of an election over which he presided, Georgians faced barriers in casting their votes and having their votes counted," the group said in a statement. "Now, unsurprisingly, Georgias failed top elections official has decided to push a right-wing narrative spreading across the country rather than focusing on protecting the Constitutional rights of every Georgian." MORE: Here's how states have changed the rules around voting amid the coronavirus pandemic At the news conference, Raffensperger was also pressed on how -- if the system was working -- someone could successfully cast an absentee ballot and vote in person. "During Election Day, it gets to be very hectic, and as you're juggling the many balls of many voters, if you don't go back -- back to the system and check it off, then that's how that would actually get through, and so it wasn't recorded at the precinct level," Raffensperger said. That is in line with what Amber McReynolds, an expert in election administration, told ABC News. She said that if these instances of alleged double voting pan out, it is likely due to a procedural failure. "My guess is it's a process problem because what should happen -- especially in the state where you have to request a ballot -- is that if you show up and they can't determine if you've returned that ballot, you vote a provisional (ballot). So if (poll workers) were letting them vote an in-person ballot without going through that process, then that is a process problem more than anything," said McReynolds, the CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute, who served as the head of elections in Denver when Colorado transitioned to being a state that conducts all elections predominantly by mail. She continued, "When you think about risks and elections, when you have all of this field process stuff happening at polling places, and different people in charge at each one of them, you run the risk of poll workers not following procedures. As best I can tell, that's what this is -- poll workers made mistakes." Normally, only about 5% of Georgia voters cast absentee ballots, but there was a significant increase in voters casting ballots this way, especially for the primary, when the secretary's office proactively mailed applications to all 6.9 million active voters to request an absentee ballot. McReynolds's organization had been advising Raffensperger's office about best practices for scaling up the absentee ballot system, she previously told ABC News. For the general election, there could be nearly 50% of votes cast via absentee ballot, Raffensperger said in his press conference, adding that already, about 900,000 voters have requested one. MORE: Millions of Americans are receiving absentee ballot applications from outside groups. Heres what you need to know. McDonald, the Florida professor, told ABC News Tuesday that he and fellow researchers had examined data from Georgia's June primary, and classified all the reasons that voters' ballots had been rejected or cancelled, and they found that there were nearly 70,000 voters who, according to their analysis, were issued an absentee ballot, but then voted in person. However, there was no uniformity in the how that data was entered, even within counties, he said, and there were over 1,000 unique reasons cited for this particular issue -- that they voted in person after requesting an absentee ballot. PHOTO: People wait in line to vote in Georgia's primary election at Park Tavern on June 9, 2020, in Atlanta. (Brynn Anderson/AP) He said if a voter did go to vote in person after mailing back an absentee ballot, the systemic checks should prevent both ballots from being counted. It's possible, he said, that voters who were concerned their absentee ballots wouldn't arrive in time to be counted could have shown up at the polls to vote in person, and could have even specifically said that to election officials on site -- but that situation could have gone unnoted in the system. "You're really at the mercy of somebody who's just doing this data entry to make a notation correct, that would have described the voter's situation. If they fail to properly cancel the ballot -- they don't enter it into the system properly -- that could also lead to the appearance that the voter is ... intentionally trying to vote twice, when in fact, they're just concerned about their situation and are trying to make sure that their vote is actually, indeed counted. That's why whenever we have these allegations, law enforcement needs to follow up on them," McDonald said. More than once last week, Trump seemed to encourage his supporters to try to vote twice in the November election. MORE: North Carolina officials reject Trump's call for supporters to vote by mail and in person "On Election Day or early voting, go to your polling place, even though you've mailed (your ballot) in. Go to your polling place to see whether or not your mail in vote has been tabulated or counted. If it has, you will not be able to vote because it's going to be counted. You'll not be able to vote and the mail in system worked properly as it should. But there's a big chance that it won't work properly," Trump said during a "tele-rally" for North Carolinians on Friday. After he first made similar comments while in North Carolina on Wednesday, the executive director of North Carolina's State Board of Elections, issued a statement, telling voters not to do this. "The State Board office strongly discourages people from showing up at the polls on Election Day to check whether their absentee ballot was counted. That is not necessary, and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading COVID-19," said Karen Brinson Bell. In at least 40 states, voters have a way to track their mail ballots to ensure they are received by election officials. Georgia secretary of state alleges up to 1,000 cases of 'double voting' in primary, runoff elections originally appeared on abcnews.go.com LESBOS: Thousands of migrants were left without shelter on Wednesday after overnight fires gutted their overcrowded camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, and authorities warned that some asylum seekers who tested positive for COVID-19 could spread the virus. The Moria camp, which hosts more than 12,000 people, was "probably totally destroyed", one Greek migration official said. Authorities said they were investigating arson at the sprawling camp. Early Thursday evening, a new fire broke out, sending those who remained on site fleeing. A Reuters witness reported seeing a `huge` column of black smoke emerging from the camp. Live images showed people running down a road carrying children and infants, many using prams as wheelbarrows for possessions in bin bags as a fire raged in a gully. Athens declared a state of emergency on Lesbos and sent police reinforcements to the island to help keep order. Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said about 2,000 people affected by the fires would be temporarily put on a ferry boat and two ships of the Greek navy. It was not immediately clear where the rest of the Moria population were. "The situation in Moria cannot go on (as it is) because it is simultaneously a public health and national security issue," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address, adding that managing migrant flows was a "European problem". Authorities were investigating whether Tuesday night`s fires were started deliberately after COVID-19 tests led to the isolation of a number of refugees. "There was not just one but many fires in the camp. Migrants threw stones at firefighters trying to put out the fires," Constantine Theophilopoulos, fire brigade chief for the northern Aegean, told ERT TV. The camp had been placed under quarantine last week after an asylum-seeker tested positive for COVID-19. As of late Monday 35 migrants had been confirmed as having the virus. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said the European Union had agreed to fund the immediate transfer of 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers to the Greek mainland. Aid groups have long criticised conditions at the camp, which hosts more than four times its stated capacity, saying it is impossible to implement social distancing and basic hygiene measures there. "TRAGICALLY PREDICTABLE" The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said it had received reports of tensions between people in neighbouring villages and asylum seekers who were trying to reach Mytilini town. "Events in Moria last night are unthinkable but tragically predictable as the dire situation on the islands has gone on for far too long," said Dimitra Kalogeropoulou, International Rescue Committee Greece Director. The UNHCR has previously said nearly half of migrants now detained on the Greek islands are from Afghanistan and a further 19% are from Syria. Lesbos, which is just off the Turkish coast, was on the front line of Europe`s migrant crisis in 2015-16. Greek authorities put Lesbos under a state of emergency for four months for public health reasons, allowing them to mobilise all forces to support the asylum seekers and island residents. Mytilini mayor Stratis Kytelis said migrants would have to be moved or housed on ships to prevent the spread of COVID-19. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas described the fires as "a humanitarian disaster", and said EU member states should be ready to take in some of the refugees from the camp. Boris Pistorius, interior minister of the north German state of Lower Saxony and an influential figure in Germany`s Social Democratic Party (SPD), said it was time to shut the Moria camp. "This overcrowded camp is the symbol of the failure of Europe`s asylum policy," he said. Kolkata, Sep 9 : After 'Kanyashree', another pet project of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, 'Sabooj Sathi', has received international recognition from the United Nations sponsored World Summit on Information Society. According to state government sources, about 162 nations took part in the contest with 1,600-strong entries of various schemes from different nations. West Bengal's Sabooj Sathi scheme topped the chart and received global recognition on a virtual platform. The scheme was launched in 2015 with an aim to empower school students (from Class IX-XII) by providing them free bicycles. The term Sabooj Sathi means students' companion. 'Sabooj' stands for green in Bengali and also implies children while 'sathi' means companion. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself had created the logo for the scheme which consists of a young boy running, with two spinning bicycle wheels alongside his legs. Sources said that another state government-supported technical skill development scheme for the youth, 'Uthkarsho Bangla', also got recognised as Skill Development Champion in the virtual contest. Kanyashree is an initiative taken by the state government to improve the lives and status of girls by helping economically backward families with cash so that families do not arrange the marriage of their girl child before eighteen years because of economic problem. The purpose of the Kanyashree scheme is to uplift those girls who are from poor families and thus can not pursue higher studies due to tough economic conditions. The project was honoured with the highest public service award by the United Nations' Department of International Development in 2017. BGR Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, up to and including the present day, shoppers have encountered the effects of everything from supply chain disruptions to pandemic-related labor constraints which have unfortunately led to grocery store shortages. Just as the effects of the pandemic are not evenly distributed around the country, though, neither are these kinds of products The post 5 popular grocery shortages that are making shoppers so angry right now appeared first on BGR. SINGAPORE, 9 September 2020 - Emergency care covers a range of services that span the care provided by laypersons at the scene, pre-hospital care by SCDF's Emergency Medical Services, to the medical care provided in a dedicated trauma facility - between these stages lie the transportation systems, health centres and first-level hospitals that respond to the emergency. Patients' survival depends on how well each component functions. Singapore's first-of-its-kind Prehospital Emergency and Research Centre (PERC) was officially launched at Duke-NUS Medical School on Wednesday, 9 September 2020. Established through a collaboration of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, PERC marshals top experts in the field to elevate Singapore's prehospital emergency care system through the integration of pre-hospital, in-hospital, and community care with robust research techniques and real-world clinical data. PERC will work with the Ministry of Health's Unit for Prehospital Emergency Care, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and SCDF to elevate the nation's prehospital emergency care system to ensure the best possible patient outcomes. "Emergency care covers a range of services, from the care provided by laypersons at the scene to that provided in a dedicated emergency facility," said Professor Marcus Ong, Director of Duke-NUS' Health Services and Systems Research Programme, which hosts the Centre. "Between these two stages lie what we call the 'chain of survival' - patient survival depends on how well each component functions." With a multi-disciplinary perspective from various fields such as medicine, paramedicine, public health, statistics, epidemiology, computer science, artificial intelligence, health economics, social sciences, psychology, industrial engineering, and global health, PERC will also be a unique academic centre that serves as a national and regional resource on the field of prehospital emergency care and research. The launch event convened experts from the University of Michigan, MHA, SCDF, and the National University Health System (NUHS), who presented their research and strategies on improving prehospital and emergency care in Singapore and beyond. The roster of speakers included Professor Robert Neumar, from the University of Michigan (presenting on "How to Develop a World-class Prehospital and Emergency Research Program"), Professor Scott Compton, Associate Dean, Duke-NUS, (presenting on "PERC: to Fulfil an Unmet Need in Singapore"), and Professor Marcus Ong, Director, Health Services and Systems Research Programme, Duke-NUS (presenting on "Future Plans for PERC"). The speaking session was followed by a panel discussion on the topic, "Emerging Needs of Prehospital and Emergency Care in Singapore" that included the following expert panellists: Dr Ng Yih Yng, Chief Medical Officer, MHA; Colonel (Dr) Shalini Arulanandam, Chief Medical Officer, SCDF; and Dr Benjamin Leong, Assistant Professor, NUHS. "Increasing evidence indicates the benefits of a well-functioning prehospital care system. To develop and enhance the capacity to provide effective emergency care, it is essential to view such care in the context of the overall health system rather than as a discrete and independent silo," said Professor Ong, who also serves as PERC's Director. "PERC will be focused on advancing research in Prehospital and Emergency fields, and improving Singapore's prehospital emergency care system for the betterment of the professionals in this field and the patients they serve." ### "We are committed to making Equifax an even more inclusive and diverse company across our culture and workforce and we are energized to have Andrea in this expanded role," said Equifax Chief Executive Officer, Mark W. Begor. "For a leading data, analytics and technology company, talent is critical to our continued success. It is more important than ever that we invest in our team to ensure we are recruiting, training, retaining and advancing a strong and diverse pipeline of talent." Lawson previously served as Equifax's SVP, Global Talent Management, where she evolved Equifax's culture and employee engagement strategy through the activation and integration of refreshed organizational core values. She also established the Equifax Inclusion & Diversity strategy, laying out key priorities and roadmaps, including the launch of Equifax's Employee Network program to provide employees with support and community. Prior to joining Equifax in October 2019, she was Vice President Talent Management, Diversity and HR Service Delivery at Cox Enterprises. Lawson has also held similar, global roles at NCR, Exide Technologies, and Newell Rubbermaid. A native of the United Kingdom, she has worked across a variety of cultures and geographies to build diverse and high-performing workforces. "We are excited to have Andrea lead this critical area for us," said Equifax Chief Human Resources Officer, Carla Chaney. "We are on a journey at Equifax to support our next generation of leaders by furthering an inclusive and diverse work environment that welcomes unique perspectives and she's exactly the kind of leader to help lead the way." ABOUT EQUIFAX INC. At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employees, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 11,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 25 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com For more information [email protected] SOURCE Equifax Inc. Related Links http://www.equifax.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 07:33:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaks during a daily news briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, Aug. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie E) One factor for encouraging recorded remarks at a limited gathering is that New York state has imposed 14-day self-quarantine on visitors from 35 U.S. states and territories. UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Coronavirus quarantine rules for visitors coming for the annual UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders later this month might mean this 75th anniversary session will be quite different, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday. "This General Assembly will clearly be like no other," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "I think we will have an opportunity to hear from world leaders on the state of the world in this dramatic time that we live in, and I think that is clearly worth tuning in and make it, you know, appointment television, so to speak," he told correspondents at a regular, virtual briefing. The UN Secretariat has been encouraging the VIPs to pre-record their General Assembly statements, with a voluntary 15-minute maximum. President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (1st L) chairs a meeting of UNGA at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 3, 2020. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) Another factor for encouraging recorded remarks at a limited gathering is that New York state has imposed 14-day self-quarantine on visitors from 35 U.S. states and territories. The airport authority has imposed similar strictures. However, media reports have said U.S. President Donald Trump plans to address the annual meeting in-person on the opening day. Dujarric said New York City has advised missions to the United Nations of its strict health protocols. Asked if delegates might claim diplomatic immunity, he advised checking with city and state officials. A spokeswoman at New York City Hall, Siobhan Dingwall, said that they are required to follow New York state's guidance and self-quarantine. All 193 member states have been told that they are only allowed one representative to sit in the General Assembly hall at their designated place where there are places for six delegates for each country. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's head popped up during his top-secret intelligence briefing in the Oval Office on Jan. 28 when the discussion turned to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China. "This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency," national security adviser Robert O'Brien told Trump, according to a new book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward. "This is going to be the roughest thing you face." Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser, agreed. He told the president that after reaching contacts in China, it was evident that the world faced a health emergency on par with the flu pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. Ten days later, Trump called Woodward and revealed that he thought the situation was far more dire than what he had been saying publicly. "You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed," Trump said in a Feb. 7 call. "And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu." "This is deadly stuff," the president repeated for emphasis. At that time, Trump was telling the nation that the virus was no worse than a seasonal flu, predicting it would soon disappear, and insisting that the U.S. government had it totally under control. It would be several weeks before he would publicly acknowledge that the virus was no ordinary flu and that it could be transmitted through the air. Trump admitted to Woodward on March 19 that he deliberately minimized the danger. "I wanted to always play it down," the president said. Aside from exploring Trump's handling of the pandemic, Woodward's new book, "Rage," covers race relations, diplomacy with North Korea and a range of other issues that have arisen during the past two years. The book also includes brutal assessments of Trump's conduct from former defense secretary Jim Mattis, former director of national intelligence Daniel Coats and others. The book is based in part on 18 on-the-record interviews Woodward conducted with the president between December and July. Woodward writes that other quotes in the book were acquired through "deep background" conversations with sources in which information is divulged and exchanges recounted without sources being named. "Trump never did seem willing to fully mobilize the federal government and continually seemed to push problems off on the states," Woodward writes. "There was no real management theory of the case or how to organize a massive enterprise to deal with one of the most complex emergencies the United States had ever faced." Woodward questioned Trump repeatedly about the national reckoning on racial injustice. On June 3, two days after federal agents forcibly removed peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square to make way for Trump to stage a photo opportunity outside St. John's Episcopal Church, Trump called Woodward to boast about his "law and order" stance. "We're going to get ready to send in the military slash National Guard to some of these poor bastards that don't know what they're doing, these poor radical lefts," Trump said. In a second conversation, on June 19, Woodward asked the president about White privilege, noting that they were both White men of the same generation who had privileged upbringings. Woodward suggested that they had a responsibility to better "understand the anger and pain" felt by Black Americans. "No," Trump replied, his voice described by Woodward as mocking and incredulous. "You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you. Wow. No, I don't feel that at all." As Woodward pressed Trump to understand the plight of Black Americans after generations of discrimination, inequality and other atrocities, the president kept answering by pointing to economic numbers such as the pre-pandemic unemployment rate for Blacks and claiming, as he often has publicly, that he has done more for Blacks than any president except perhaps Abraham Lincoln. In another conversation about race, on July 8, Trump complained about his lack of support among Black voters. "I've done a tremendous amount for the Black community," he told Woodward. "And, honestly, I'm not feeling any love." They spoke again about race relations on June 22, when Woodward asked Trump whether he thinks there is "systemic or institutional racism in this country." "Well, I think there is everywhere," Trump said. "I think probably less here than most places. Or less here than many places." Asked by Woodward whether racism "is here" in the United States in a way that affects people's lives, Trump replied, "I think it is. And it's unfortunate. But I think it is." Trump shared with Woodward visceral reactions to several prominent Democrats of color. Upon seeing a shot of Sen. Kamala Harris of California, now the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, calmly and silently watching him deliver his State of the Union address, Trump remarked, "Hate! See the hate! See the hate!" Trump used the same phrase after an expressionless Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York appeared in the frame. Trump was dismissive about former president Barack Obama and told Woodward he was inclined to refer to him by his first and middle names, "Barack Hussein," but wouldn't in his company to be "very nice." "I don't think Obama's smart," Trump told Woodward. "I think he's highly overrated. And I don't think he's a great speaker." Trump added that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un thought Obama was "an asshole." "Rage" includes the first-reported excerpts of letters Trump exchanged with Kim, and quotes Trump in his interviews with Woodward using expletives to defend their pen-pal relationship. Even as U.S. intelligence chiefs warn that North Korea is unlikely to ever surrender its nuclear weapons and that Trump's approach is ineffective, the president told Woodward he is determined to stay the course and dismissively says the CIA has "no idea" how to handle North Korea. "I met. Big fucking deal," Trump told Woodward, waving off criticism of his three face-to-face meetings with Kim. "It takes me two days. I met. I gave up nothing." Foreign affairs experts say Trump gave up much - including by postponing and then scaling back the U.S. joint military exercises with South Korea that had long angered North Korea, as well as by granting Kim the international stature and legitimacy the North Korean regime has long craved. Trump told Woodward he evaluates Kim and his nuclear arsenal like a real estate target: "It's really like, you know, somebody that's in love with a house and they just can't sell it." Kim welcomed Trump's overtures with over-the-top prose in letters. Kim wrote that he wanted "another historic meeting between myself and Your Excellency reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film." And he said his meetings with Trump were a "precious memory" that underscored how the "deep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force." In another letter, Kim wrote to Trump, "I feel pleased to have formed good ties with such a powerful and preeminent statesman as Your Excellency." And in yet another, Kim reflected on "that moment of history when I firmly held Your Excellency's hand at the beautiful and sacred location as the whole world watched with great interest and hope to relive the honor of that day." Trump was taken with Kim's flattery, Woodward writes, telling the author pridefully that Kim had addressed him as "Excellency." Trump remarked that he was awestruck meeting Kim for the first time in 2018 in Singapore, thinking to himself, "Holy shit," and finding Kim to be "far beyond smart." Trump also boasted to Woodward that Kim "tells me everything," including a graphic account of Kim having his uncle killed. Trump did not share his letters to Kim - "those are so top secret," the president said - though Woodward writes that Trump sent Kim a copy of the New York Times featuring a picture of the two men on the front page. "Chairman, great picture of you, big time," Trump wrote on the paper in marker. (Trump falsely boasted to Woodward, "He never smiled before. I'm the only one he smiles with.") Trump reflected on his relationships with authoritarian leaders generally, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "It's funny, the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them," he told Woodward. "You know? Explain that to me someday, okay?" In the midst of reflecting upon how close the United States had come in 2017 to war with North Korea, Trump revealed, "I have built a nuclear - a weapons system that nobody's ever had in this country before. We have stuff that you haven't even seen or heard about. We have stuff that Putin and Xi have never heard about before. There's nobody - what we have is incredible." Woodward writes that anonymous sources later confirmed that the U.S. military had a secret new weapons system, but they would not provide details, and that the sources were surprised Trump had disclosed it. The book documents private grumblings, periods of exasperation and wrestling about whether to quit among the so-called adults of the Trump orbit: Mattis, Coats and former secretary of state Rex Tillerson. Mattis quietly went to Washington National Cathedral to pray about his concern for the nation's fate under Trump's command and, according to Woodward, told Coats, "There may come a time when we have to take collective action" since Trump is "dangerous. He's unfit." In a separate conversation recounted by Woodward, Mattis told Coats, "The president has no moral compass," to which the director of national intelligence replied, "True. To him, a lie is not a lie. It's just what he thinks. He doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie." Woodward describes Coats's experience as especially tortured. Coats, a former senator from Indiana, was recruited into the administration by Vice President Mike Pence, and his wife is quoted as recalling a dinner at the White House when she interacted with Pence. "I just looked at him, like, how are you stomaching this?" Marsha Coats said, according to Woodward. "I just looked at him like, this is horrible. I mean, we made eye contact. I think he understood. And he just whispered in my ear, 'Stay the course.' " Pence was the president's one constant booster publicly and privately in Woodward's book. When Coats considered resigning because of Trump's handling of Russia, Pence urged him to "look on the positive side of things that he's done. More attention on that. You can't go." The loathing was mutual. "Not to mention my fucking generals are a bunch of pussies. They care more about their alliances than they do about trade deals," Trump told White House trade adviser Peter Navarro at one point, according to Woodward. Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, is quoted by Woodward as saying, "The most dangerous people around the president are overconfident idiots," which Woodward interprets as a reference to Mattis, Tillerson and former National Economic Council director Gary Cohn. Kushner was a frequent target of ire among Trump's Cabinet members, who saw him as untrustworthy and weak in dealing with heads of states. Tillerson found Kushner's warm dealings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "nauseating to watch. It was stomach churning," according to Woodward. Kushner is quoted extensively in the book ruminating about his father-in-law and presidential power. Woodward writes that Kushner advised people that one of the most important guiding texts to understand the Trump presidency was "Alice in Wonderland," a novel about a young girl who falls through a rabbit hole. He singled out the Cheshire cat, whose strategy was endurance and persistence, not direction. The book charts the Trump administration's failings and missteps on the pandemic, including the decisions and actions of Pottinger, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci and others. Fauci at one point tells others that the president "is on a separate channel" and unfocused in meetings, with "rudderless" leadership, according to Woodward. "His attention span is like a minus number," Fauci said, according to Woodward. "His sole purpose is to get reelected." In one Oval Office meeting recounted by Woodward, after Trump had made false statements in a news briefing, Fauci said in front of him: "We can't let the president be out there being vulnerable, saying something that's going to come back and bite him." Pence, Kushner, chief of staff Mark Meadows and senior policy adviser Stephen Miller tensed up at once, Woodward writes, surprised Fauci would talk to Trump that way. Woodward describes Fauci as particularly disappointed in Kushner for talking like a cheerleader as if everything was great. In June, as the virus was spreading wildly coast to coast and case numbers soared in Arizona, Florida, Texas and other states, Kushner said of Trump, "The goal is to get his head from governing to campaigning." Woodward writes that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., suggested former president George W. Bush speak personally with Trump about global vaccine efforts, but that Bush demurred. "No. No," Bush told Graham, according to Woodward. "He'd misconstrue anything I said." In their final interview, on July 21, Trump vented to Woodward, "The virus has nothing to do with me. It's not my fault." As the days tick down on a summer of racial reckoning in the U.S., the debate over police brutality and racial injustice shows no signs of cooling down, and it figures to play a significant role in the November elections. The Aug. 23 police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and last weeks revelations about the death of Daniel Prude after being restrained by law enforcement officers in Rochester, New York, have further stoked the fires lit by the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Theyre part of a series of high-profile incidents of violence against Black people almost all by police, all but one fatal that have prompted widespread protests and a national discussion about systemic racism. 'We need structural change': Activists see progress after George Floyd's death but say more must be done Other such instances include the fatal March 13 shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, by officers who barged into her apartment with a no-knock warrant; the deadly June 12 shooting of Rayshard Brooks by an Atlanta policeman after an arrest went awry; and the Feb. 23 murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a jogger who was confronted in Glynn County, Georgia, by two white men who said they were protecting property in the area. All victims were Black, and none is known to have had a firearm at the time of the encounter, although Taylors boyfriend had a gun and fired at one of the officers. Blake, whose family said hes paralyzed from the waist down, is the only one of the six to have survived. Studies indicate Black people, who represent 13% of the U.S. population, are three times more likely to be killed by law enforcement than white people. Here's the status of each case: George Floyd A video showing Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd gasps that he cant breathe struck a raw nerve in a nation used to hearing about such encounters but not seeing them in graphic detail. In body cam video released later, bystanders are heard pleading for Floyd, 46, to no avail. Story continues All four officers who responded to the call about Floyd allegedly passing a fake $20 bill were fired and are facing various charges, with Chauvins count of second-degree murder the most serious one. The three other former officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, have been charged with aiding and abetting murder. In late August, Chauvin requested the charges against him be dismissed for lack of probable cause. The other three officers also filed motions to dismiss. Judge Peter Cahill has yet to rule on any of the motions, and hell hear oral arguments on behalf of Thao and Lane on Friday. The trial is tentatively set for March 8. Breonna Taylor The emergency room technician, 26, and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed when police burst in with a battering ram at 12:40 a.m. seeking a man she had dated whom they believed to be a drug dealer. When Walker fired a shot that struck Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the thigh, he and officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove responded with more than 20 rounds, hitting Taylor five times. Walker said Taylor was alive for at least five minutes after being shot but did not get medical attention for more than 20 minutes, the Louisville Courier Journal of the USA TODAY Network reported. A billboard sponsored by O, The Oprah Magazine, is on display with a photo of Breonna Taylor. Twenty-six billboards are going up across Louisville, demanding that the police officers involved in Taylor's death be arrested and charged. Hankison was dismissed from the force in late June for wantonly and blindly firing 10 shots inside the apartment, according to his termination letter, and Louisville has banned no-knock warrants through a measure known as Breonnas Law. Those are the most meaningful actions so far to come out of the case, which is being investigated by the Kentucky attorney general and the FBI. No officers have been charged. Ahmaud Arbery No arrests were made after Arbery's death for more than 70 days, until video of his encounter with Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael came to light. The McMichaels, who later said they suspected Arbery of being a burglar, were armed while chasing him and trying to cut him off with their pickup truck. In the video, Arbery, 25, is seen jogging, then tussling with Travis McMichael over McMichael's shotgun as shots are heard and Arbery drops to the ground. Romeo Ceasar holds a sign during a Black Lives Matter protester on Monday, July 20, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. Father and son have been charged with murder and aggravated assault. Their neighbor, William Roddie Bryan, who recorded the video footage, also was charged with murder. No active law enforcement officer was involved in the incident, but Gregory McMichael is a former policeman. A George Bureau of Investigation agent testified in June that Bryan said that he heard Travis McMichael use a racial slur after shooting Arbery and that McMichael had used the term several times on social media and in text messages. On June 24, the McMichaels and Bryan were indicted on murder and other charges by a grand jury. On Aug. 6, the McMichaels filed a motion requesting bond, which already had been denied to Bryan. They await trial. Kyna Sosa demonstrates Sunday, June 14, at Wendy's where protesters set fire to the Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Atlanta police. Rayshard Brooks What seemed like a routine DUI stop turned deadly when Brooks, who had been cooperative and even congenial with Atlanta police officers, suddenly wrestled them to the ground and ran away with one of their Tasers after they tried to handcuff him in the parking lot of a Wendys restaurant. In a sequence captured on video, officer Garrett Rolfe is seen pursuing Brooks, 27, and shooting him twice. Rolfe was fired the next day and later charged with 11 counts, including felony murder. Fellow officer Devin Brosnan was placed on administrative duty and charged with aggravated assault. Brooks killing by a white officer, a little over two weeks after Floyd's death in Minneapolis, further inflamed racial tensions and increased demands for accountability. Though the incident was not as clear-cut as Floyds, law enforcement experts questioned whether Rolfe had to resort to deadly force. In early August, Rolfe sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and interim Police Chief Rodney Bryant, contending he was justified in his actions against Brooks. Rolfe is out on bond but is not allowed to leave the state. Jacob Blake Blake was shot seven times in the back by police officer Rusten Sheskey, who was responding to a call about a domestic disturbance. Cellphone video of the incident, which shows Blake walking toward the drivers side door of his SUV and opening it before Sheskey grabs his shirt and shoots him, incited several nights of sometimes destructive demonstrations in Kenosha. Authorities say that on the third night, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, gunned down two protesters and wounded another with an AR-15-style rifle. Rittenhouse has been charged as an adult with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Though Blake, 29, survived the shooting, he may never walk again. On a video from his hospital bed recorded Saturday, he described his ordeal saying: Every 24 hours, its pain. Its nothing but pain. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to move from side to side. It hurts to eat. The reason for the shooting remains unclear. Investigators have said Blake acknowledged having a knife, although it hasnt been established whether he had it at the time he was shot. The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the case. President Donald Trump visited Kenosha after the unrest and promoted his law-and-order message but did not talk with Blakes family. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden visited with the family in person. All three officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. Protesters sit outside the Public Safety Building in Rochester, New York, wearing "spit hoods," the mesh fabric bag Rochester police used on Daniel Prude on March 23. Prude died of asphyxiation as police restrained him, according to the county medical examiner. Daniel Prude Prude, 41, died of asphyxiation a week after being forcefully restrained March 23 by Rochester police officers who found him naked on the streets in the early-morning hours. His family said he was having a mental health crisis. Bodycam video shows officers handcuffing Prude and later putting a spit hood on him even though he did not resist arrest or act violently. He was ranting, clearly disturbed, and PCP was found in his system. Prudes death was ruled a homicide, with the PCP a factor in his death. Prudes case remained largely under the radar until Sept. 2, when his family released a compilation video of the incident, setting off several nights of protests that at times turned violent. On Saturday, New York Attorney General Letitia James said she would empanel a grand jury to look into Prudes death. On Monday, protesters demonstrated in front of the Rochester Public Safety Building wearing mesh hoods. On Tuesday, Rochester Police Chief LaRon Singletary and other high-level members of the department resigned amid accusations of a cover-up. Seven officers involved in the arrest have been suspended, but no charges have been filed. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake: What we know about cases From the kind of food to the art which will be displayed at the museum, historian Pushpesh Pant shares his vision with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com. IMAGE: Pushpesh Pant has an interesting connection with Muslim culture, which dates back to the time of his maternal grandfather. Photograph: Kind courtesy Pushpesh Pant/Twitter When Pushpesh Pant, historian and food critic, was invited to curate the new 'Babri Masjid' complex in Uttar Pradesh's Dhannipur village, the news came as a surprise to him. The reason: He had neither applied for the job nor did he know any of the committee members of the Waqf board. "I think one of my students must have recommended my name and that is how I got the job," Pant tells Rediff.com. It was recently announced that the former Jawaharlal Nehru University professor was appointed as the curator of the proposed museum, library and community kitchen at the masjid complex in Dhannipur. Asked about his vision for the complex, Pant says, "Of the five acres of the land allotted to the msjid complex, we have got 500 square yards for us. At present, we have thought to build a community kitchen, which will serve 365 varieties of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food from the Awadh region; each day there will be a new menu." "This community kitchen will serve food for all the poor people who will come to the dispensary in the masjid complex -- which will be run free of cost." He, however, clarifies that the food provided at the community kitchen will not be free of cost, and be nominally priced so that the poor could afford a meal. Pant also plans to keep a lot of greenery inside the complex and also wants to build a verandah where worshippers can sit after prayers and take in the fresh air. Besides that, he says, he plans to have a museum in the complex displaying Indo-Islamic art and photographs of different mosques in India. "If you ask any Indian about the biggest mosque in India, the answer will be the Jama Masjid of Delhi. However, that is incorrect. The right answer is the Taj-ul-Masjid of Bhopal, and details such as this will be displayed in the museum." An image of the Mishkal mosque in Kozhikode and regarded as an important cultural, historical and architectural monument of Kerala will also be displayed along with other prominent mosques of India right from Bijapur to Kashmir. Pant has an interesting connection with Muslim culture, which dates back to the time of his maternal grandfather who served as the home minister of the Rampur estate; he was the lone Hindu minister of the nawab of Rampur. "My maternal grandmother drew pension from the Rampur estate till the age of 91," laughs Pant, recalling his association. He emphasises that he will seek help from his Muslim friends who are chefs, such as Mohammad Farooq, Osama Jalali and Imtiyaz Qureshi to decide the menu that will be served in the complex of the mosque. Asked if the complex will draw in tourists, Pant responds, "It all depends on the government of Uttar Pradesh. They are surely going to promote the Ram Mandir as a tourism destination and if in the same way they promote the masjid at Dhannipur, then this place can become a popular tourist destination." Asked about the opposition from some Hindus in Dhanipur who do not want the masjid to be built in their village, Pant says, "Let me counter this question of yours by asking you, even if this masjid is not built in Dhannipur, do you think communalism in India will get over? The answer is, no." "Communal tension in India can rise for the silliest reasons. There are many ways to spread communal tensions in India and people do it when they want to gain something out of it." Asked if the new masjid will be different from the Babri Masjid which was demolished in December 1992 and which for many Hindus had become a structure of hate, he asks, "How long are we going to treat a Muslim monument near a Hindu temple as a structure of hate? If we go on like this, there is no end to it." "If you target the Gyanvyapi mosque in Benares, now the hate will continue forever. This hate process has to stop somewhere." "One has to remember that there are 18 crore to 20 crore (180 million to 200 million) Muslims living in India. They did not choose Pakistan as their country. They live here and therefore I feel it is high time the dirt of communalism stops from spreading." "Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb is almost dead now," sighs Pant. "The Ganga river too has stopped flowing with full force thanks to the construction of the Tehri dam and the Yamuna river is so polluted that the less we talk about it the better." A second member of Failte Ireland's board has resigned over a foreign holiday, the Irish Examiner can reveal. Breege O'Donoghue, a former executive director of Primark/Penneys at their Dublin offices, spent time in Spain over the summer, a country that is not on Ireland's 'green list' of countries. Ms O'Donoghue went on holiday to her second home in Marbella, Spain for a week in July and another week August. Tourism Minister Catherine Martin said she was disappointed to learn that a second board member travelled abroad this summer. It is understood Failte Ireland were unaware of the trip until approached by the Irish Examiner. Sources say after being alerted by the Examiner, Failte Ireland ascertained Ms O'Donoghue's movements, and the minister was informed by the Failte Ireland's CEO Paul Kelly. Ms Donoghue tendered her resignation on Tuesday evening to the Minister which was accepted. Sources say an announcement is expected later this evening from Failte Ireland that Ms O'Donoghue has formally resigned. Read More Coronavirus: 307 new cases and one further death in Ireland Ms O' Donoghue was formally appointed to Failte Ireland's board in 2018 along with a number of others for their "tourism and consumer advocacy". The former Penney's head is the second board member after the chairman of Failte Ireland Michael Cawley resigned from his position in August after it emerged he was on a family holiday in Italy. A statement released by Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht Catherine Martin released on Tuesday evening said: "We are all aware of the devastating impact that Covid-19 restrictions have had on the tourism and hospitality sectors and I am disappointed to learn that a second member of the board of Failte Ireland travelled abroad this summer, notwithstanding Government advice. "In order to support our own industry, and in line with the prevailing Government health advice, Failte Ireland has been to the forefront in promoting domestic holidays. "Ultimately, staying at home supports our tourism industry at a devastating time, showing solidarity in the face of a pandemic that is costing lives and livelihoods across Ireland and the world. "I rang Ms ODonoghue this evening and she has offered her resignation which I have accepted. "I wish to thank Ms ODonoghue for her service as a member of the board of Failte Ireland and her important contribution to the work of promoting tourism in Ireland during this time. "I have accepted her resignation as I believe it would not be tenable for her to continue in the role, given all of the circumstances." The Minister has sought a meeting with the Failte Ireland board "at the earliest opportunity". A community wellness program is demonstrating the benefits of culturally sensitive mental health care for Cambodian Americans, a group that has struggled to benefit from mainstream services. Thanks to in-language workshops about mental health and culturally specific social activities, the majority of participants reported reductions in symptoms of depression and past trauma, highlighting the need for such programs in marginalized communities. The results are significant given the lack of culturally sensitive mental health care programs for Cambodians, said community leaders with the Cambodian Advocacy Collaborative, an association of five organizations in Southern California that conducted the program. "The reduction of symptoms of past trauma was really important for us," said Susana Sngiem, executive director of United Cambodian Community of Long Beach, part of the collective. "The strategies that we provide really help our genocide survivors be able to cope with the trauma that they experience." Cambodians began migrating to the United States en masse in the 1970s and 1980s after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, under which more than 2 million people died. A 2015 study in the journal Psychiatric Services found that 97 percent of its participants all of whom had lived in Cambodia at some point during the regime met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. The rate surpasses those of the U.S. population as a whole (about 3.5 percent) and of U.S. veterans (12 percent to 30 percent). The program has four prongs: outreach and engagement to reduce the stigma of mental health issues in the Cambodian community; workshops to educate community members about topics like mental and physical wellness, signs of mental illness and how to cope with stress; case management to provide referrals needed for health and social services; and social support activities, such as Cambodian New Year celebrations, temple visits, water blessings for healing and positive energy, and potlucks. Story continues IMAGE: Yat Touch (Virak Ung) Preliminary data show that 57.7 percent of participants reported reductions in the effects of past trauma on their current well-being, while 69.3 percent of those with depression-related symptoms at the beginning of the program reported reductions in symptoms. The findings are based on surveys collected from 179 participants. In other findings, more than half of participants reported a reduction in the perceived stigma of mental illness, feeling less alone and being able to better distinguish cultural myth from facts related to contributors to and symptoms and treatment of mental illness. Three former participants spoke highly of the program, which is funded by the Reducing Disparities Project of the California Department of Public Health's Office of Health Equity, and said they hope it will be offered long term so more in the Cambodian community can benefit. Seang Vung, 65, said her biggest takeaway has been an understanding of what stress is. "Mental health in the Cambodian community is very stigmatized," she said through an interpreter, Sochetra Hong, a counselor and administrative assistant at the Cambodian Association of America in Long Beach, the lead organization of the collective. "It helped me a lot with understanding stress, how to manage stress and how I can cope with my stress without having to use medication." Sok Sovanary, 47, said through Hong that she learned how to cope with stress by connecting with others something she previously didn't do. She said she made new friends through the program. Vung, Sovanary and another former participant, Rin Sem, 56, all said they enjoyed the program's social activities, especially the water blessing. They said they would recommend the program to their families and friends, because it expanded their understanding of mental health and equipped them with coping mechanisms for stress and depression. Sem, Sovanary and Vung took part in the program, which included in-person gatherings, before the COVID-19 outbreak. The collective has since shifted its programming online, which has been challenging, Sngiem said. IMAGE: Water blessing in Long Beach (Virak Ung) United Cambodian Community of Long Beach has adapted by holding educational workshops over Zoom. It has also tried to move some social activities online, but some people have been unable to participate because of difficulty navigating technology, said Lavyn Tham, program manager of the organization's health equity program. Case managers are also calling participants up to three times a week partly as a substitute for suspended in-person social activities. While organizations in the collective say they've seen the effectiveness of their community-based practices, they've struggled to get financial backing, because most funding bodies prioritize evidence-based research. The state health department's Office of Health Equity is addressing that by supporting and evaluating community-based practices through the California Reducing Disparities Project. Founded in 2009, the project works for mental health equity for African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders and LGBTQ+ people in California. The Cambodian Advocacy Collaborative is one of 35 groups across the state pursuing community-based mental health practices over five years under a grant from the agency. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and alerts Corey Egel, a spokesman for the state health department, said in an email that the disparities project has shown that community-informed approaches and solutions increase resources and support for underserved communities. The program's lead evaluator, Pari Sabado, director of community engagement and evaluation at the Center for Health Equity Research at California State University, Long Beach, said the program also provides the opportunity to empirically test community-defined practices. She said that while evidence-based practices such as support groups may work for one community, they may not necessarily be effective in another. "In the Cambodian community, mainstream services don't work," she said. "We can't expect a Cambodian elder to sit in a support group." The collective and other organizations funded under the disparities project said that at the conclusion of the program, they will represent a model the state can follow to replicate strategies, approaches and knowledge, Egel said. Sngiem, of United Cambodian Community of Long Beach, said she hopes the practices can be implemented in other Cambodian communities throughout the country. "Our hope is that with the data we're collecting that we can show evidence that these social activities are really important to the mental health work in the Cambodian community," she said. CORRECTION (Sept. 16, 2020, 2 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the name of the group conducting the mental health program. It is the Cambodian Advocacy Collaborative, not the Cambodian American Collective. It also misstated the number of groups in the collaborative. There are five, not six. A beauty salon in the UK has been slammed by the public and the media for putting a poster in its window, denying the existence of coronavirus and telling the customers that they do not have to wear face masks. Health risk Skin Kerr Aesthetics, Hair and Beauty, in Bootle, Merseyside, shared the notice on its official Facebook page, which has since been deleted. The poster, stuck to the window of the salon with masking tape, had bullet points saying "'Covid Free Salon; no masks, we take cash; Covid talk is banned; you can't catch what doesn't exist.'" The bullet points in the poster end with "#voodoovirusisbullsh**' and '#wedonotconsent' and states 'please respect the rules of the salon." The government had created rules to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. Hairdressers and salon staff are now required to wear surgical face masks as well as clear visors when interacting with customers. Also Read: New Cluster of COVID-19 Cases Linked to Fraternity Party at State University On July 4, hairdressers and barbershops were allowed to open, and on August 15, close contact beauty services such as facials and eyebrow treatments were allowed, as reported by Metro. In Merseyside hospitals, around 1,117 people have died of COVID-19, with many more deaths recorded in care homes and in other community facilities. A second wave of the virus is feared as 200 school pupils and 21 staff in schools across the county were instructed to self-isolate after testing positive of COVID-19. In the most recent seven-day period of data, from August 29 to September 4, Liverpool registered 133 new cases of the deadly virus. Social media users were furious when they saw the poster and slammed Skin Kerr Aesthetics for being reckless and promoting bad habits. One social media user branded the owner as irresponsible. One man even tagged the police in his post. He wrote, "Can we do something about this irresponsible business owner - @skinkerr clinic please?." He added that Merseyside is already hovering just below levels to have restrictions reimposed. Another account warned the public to avoid the salon after seeing the sign. The user stated that if people want to get their hair or nails done in Liverpool, Skin Kerr Aesthetics should be avoided. The manager of the salon then state through social media that she had been threatened with violence, but did not wish to discuss the poster. Merseyside Police said that officers would be attending the salon to speak to the staff and the owner to make sure that they are aware of the responsibilities. The officers added that they would be linking in with the local authority, Sefton Council. Coronavirus cases in the UK According to The Guardian, the cases in the UK are rising again, with 3,000 cases recorded a day. Dozens of schools in England and Wales have reported outbreaks. Although the number of patients in the hospitals is still low since most are self-isolating at home, the trajectory suggests that hospitalizations follow after an increased case number by several weeks. It is impossible to have a high number of infections and community transmission and not have elderly individuals and those with preexisting conditions hospitalized. This means that a new wave will put another strain on the NHS, and all of the establishments that were allowed to open and all the businesses that were allowed to run may be forced to close down again if the cases are not contained. Related Article: Headteacher Threatens to Fine Parents Who Refuse to Send their Children Back to School @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Property is left in ruins after the Creek Fire passed through Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Tollhouse, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Wildfires raged unchecked throughout California Wednesday, and gusty winds could drive flames into new ferocity, authorities warned. Diablo winds in the north and Santa Ana winds in the south were forecast into Wednesday at a time when existing wildfires already have grown explosively. On Tuesday, 14 firefighters were forced to deploy emergency shelters as flames overtook them and destroyed the Nacimiento Station, a fire station in the Los Padres National Forest on the state's central coast, the U.S. Forest Service said. They suffered from burns and smoke inhalation, and three were flown to a hospital in Fresno, where one was in critical condition. In the past two days, helicopters were used to rescue hundreds of people stranded in the burning Sierra National Forest, where the Creek Fire has destroyed 365 buildings, including at least 45 homes, and 5,000 structures were threatened, fire officials said. Flames threatened the foothill community of Auberry between Shaver Lake and Fresno. In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, and the forecast called for the arrival of the region's notorious Santa Anas. The hot, dry winds could reach 50 mph at times, forecasters said. Rick Archuleta of the Clovis Fire Department hoses down hotspots left behind by the Creek Fire Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Tollhouse, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) People in a half-dozen foothill communities east of Los Angeles were being told to stay alert because of a fire in the Angeles National Forest. "The combination of gusty winds, very dry air, and dry vegetation will create critical fire danger," the National Weather Service warned. The U.S. Forest Service on Monday decided to close all eight national forests in the southern half of the state and shutter campgrounds statewide. More than 14,000 firefighters are battling fires. Two of the three largest blazes in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area, though they are largely contained after burning three weeks. California has already set a record with nearly 2.3 million acres (930,800 hectares) burned this yearsurpassing a record set just two years agoand the worst part of the wildfire season is just beginning. A fire ravaged structure smolders after the Creek Fire passed through Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Tollhouse, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) "It's extraordinary, the challenge that we've faced so far this season," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. The threat of winds tearing down power lines or hurling debris into them and sparking a wildfire prompted Pacific Gas & Electric, the state's largest utility, to shut off power to 172,000 customers over the weekend. More outages were expected Wednesday, with power not expected to be completely restored until Wednesday night. To the south, Southern California Edison warned roughly 55,000 customer accounts may lose power while San Diego Gas & Electric said 16,700 customers are at risk of a preemptive outage. In the Sierra National Forest east of Fresno, dozens of campers and hikers were stranded at the Vermilion Valley Resort after the only road ina narrow route snaking along a steep cliffwas closed Sunday because of the Creek Fire. Recreational vehicles are lined up in a fire-ravaged property after the Creek Fire passed through Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Tollhouse, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Well before dawn Tuesday, the sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air awoke Katelyn Mueller, bringing relief after two anxious nights camping in the smoke. "It was probably the one time you're excited to hear a helicopter," Mueller said. "You could almost feel a sigh of relief seeing it come in." The use of military helicopters to rescue a large number of civilians for a second day164 before dawn Tuesday and 214 people from a wooded camping area on Saturdayis rare, if not unprecedented. "This is emblematic of how fast that fire was moving, plus the physical geography of that environment with one road in and one road out," said Char Miller, a professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College who has written extensively about wildfires. "Unless you wanted an absolute human disaster, you had to move fast." Tim Lesmeister of the Clovis Fire Department puts out hotspots left behind by the Creek Fire Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Tollhouse, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger wildfires in America to global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas, especially because climate change has made California much drier. A drier California means plants are more flammable. "The frequency of extreme wild fire weather has doubled in California over the past four decades, with the main driver being the effect of rising temperature on dry fuels, meaning that the fuel loads are now frequently at record or near-record levels when ignition occurs and when strong winds blow," Stanford University climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh said in an email. Explore further California fires bring more chopper rescues, power shutoffs 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Criminal Background Records A key takeaway is that employers must remain diligent in protecting against discrimination and a best practice remains working with a third-party pre-employment background screening agency. Discrimination continues to be a concern in the hiring process, even as municipalities and states pass Ban-the-Box legislation in an effort to create a more equal hiring process. However, challenges remain in times of higher job loss, as witnessed during the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Adam Almeida, President and CEO of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com states: In times of high unemployment there are far more applicants than positions, and potential discrimination can continue; and hiring managers must work with a well-qualified third-party pre-employment background screening agency, such as CriminalBackgroundRecords.com, in order to remain compliant with all laws governing applicant screening, especially those related to potential discrimination. Efforts continue to eliminate discrimination in the hiring process. As the Covid pandemic forced massive unemployment there are more candidates than positions, and the potential for discrimination remains high. There are some that suggest that Ban-the-Box legislation may not be enough or as effective as intended. From the Niskanen Centers website, August 31, 2020, discussing Ban-the-Box legislation. This is not the first time that advocates have tried to reduce discrimination against people with criminal background records by hiding those records. So-called Ban the Box policies prevent employers from asking about applicants criminal records until late in the hiring process. But because they dont directly address employers concerns about safety and fit for the job, not being able to ask about criminal records upfront simply leaves employers to guess. In the United States, young men of color are more likely to have recent criminal convictions. Because of this, Ban the Box incentivizes employers to discriminate against applicants from this group. (1) Almeida adds: Hiring managers and HR departments must be extremely careful in hiring policy and practice and maintaining compliance with law is critical. Eliminating discrimination continues to be a challenge and those efforts are further impacted by high unemployment and low job availability. This challenge for employment during the pandemic is greatly exemplified with inmates seeking jobs after release. From the Orlando Sentinel, on August 18, 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented barriers to the already difficult process of former inmates navigating their return to society, leaving advocates scrambling for new ways to help. The crisis has halted some reentry programs entirely, limited the resources available to their clients or forced them to operate virtually. Advocates say some returning citizens will find the help simply isnt there. (2) Almeida concludes: A key takeaway is that employers must remain diligent in protecting against discrimination and a best practice remains working with a third-party pre-employment background screening agency. It is also important to note that further researcher needs to be done on the efficacy of ban-the-box laws because if such laws are making it more difficult for past offenders to get hired than its purpose is mute. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is a third-party employment screening company, an advocate of SHRM, a member in good standing with the PBSA (Professional Background Screening Association) and for over 17 years has maintained an A+ Rating with the BBB (Better Business Bureau). The company has highly trained operators well versed in the needs and requirements of companies and organizations large and small utilizing public records, such as criminal background records, as part of a hiring process. Assisting companies in maintaining full compliance under the law is a central tenet of all client relationships with CriminalBackgroundRecords.com. Notes: (1) niskanencenter.org/the-problem-with-clean-slate-policies-could-broader-sealing-of-criminal-records-hurt-more-people-than-it-helps/ (2) orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/os-ne-ex-offender-reentry-unemployment-coronavirus-pandemic-20200818-hhaipftv2nczjmmaokc6aajohq-story.html Advertisement Christian Cooper, the former Marvel Comics editor who famously recorded Amy Cooper racially profiling him as he bird watched in New Yorks Central Park, has returned to the world of comic books with a new story - inspired in-part by his May encounter with the white investment banker. The 57-year-old was thrust into the media spotlight on Memorial Day when the footage he captured of Amy Cooper hysterically dialing 911 to falsely claim an African American man is threatening my life, went viral. The disturbing confrontation was spurred after Harvard graduate Christian, who was bird watching in an area of the park known as The Ramble, asked Cooper to leash her dog in accordance with park rules. But decades before the encounter - which took place on the same day that George Floyd was killed in Minnesota police custody, provoking nationwide protests against racism and police brutality - Mr. Cooper made his name as a pioneering comic book writer. And amid the ongoing unrest, Cooper is using his own experience as the inspiration for a new graphic novel, Its a Bird, in which he connects racisms daily humiliations with deadly police brutality. Scroll down for video Christian Cooper, the former Marvel Comics editor who famously recorded Amy Cooper racially profiling him as he bird watched in New Yorks Central Park, has returned to the world of comic books with a new story Cooper is using his own experience as the inspiration for a new graphic novel, Its a Bird, in which he connects racisms daily humiliations with deadly police brutality (pictured: the main character Jules is seen surrounded by fallen black lives, such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor) The graphic novel, published digitally by DC Comics, comes as a first in a series called Represent! which features the works of writers traditionally underrepresented in the mainstream comic book medium, including people of color and members of the LGBTQ community. Its main character is a teenager birder names Jules, who is black. Jules is given a pair of binoculars by his father and told to explore his surroundings, but the teen is quickly harassed by a number of characters who are seemingly threatened by his presence as an unannounced black man in an open space. The binoculars also hand Jules a superpower, of sorts. When he tries to peer through them, rather than birds, he instead sees the faces of black people who have been killed by police. In one exchange, after being ushered off the lawn of a white man, Jules envisions the face of George Floyd in place of a nearby warbler tree. In the closing stages of the story, Jules confronts a white woman in the park for walking her dog off leash. While the details closely resemble Mr. Coopers own experience, the woman in the fictionalized exchange is called Beth and depicted as heavy set, though Amy Cooper herself is not. Beth threatens to call 911 on Jules, and as he faces her he is backed by the images of several Black people killed in interactions with police, including Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. When he turns his back on her, he sees them with all gaining wings and flying free. The woman continues to yell at Jules, but her words begin to physically diminish on the page. You see her words become smaller and smaller, and less important, Mr. Cooper told the New York Times. Because its not about her, its about the ones weve lost and how we keep from losing any more. Its main character is a teenager birder names Jules, who is black. Jules is given a pair of binoculars by his father and told to explore his surroundings, but the teen quickly is quickly harassed by a number of characters who are seemingly threatened by his presence as an unannounced black man in an open space The binoculars also hand Jules a superpower, of sorts. When he tries to peer through them, rather than birds, he instead sees the faces of black people who have been killed by police The faces of Amadou Diallo, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor also feature throughout the 10-page book Mr.Cooper said Its a Bird shouldnt be looked at as any one experience, because its not. Its drawn from a whole bunch of experiences and woven together from that my own and the ones we keep hearing from news reports. What happened to me is minor compared to the fatal consequences for George Floyd later that same day, but it all comes from the same place of racial bias. I am not trying to equate these things. What I am trying to say is: See the pattern, he continued. Mr. Cooper also added that the graphic novel was also intentionally not an exact step-by-step reconstruction of his May 25 encounter with Amy Cooper. I think that is the beauty of comics, it lets you reach that place visually and viscerally, he told the outlet. And thats what this comic is meant to do: Take all these real things that are out there and, by treating them in a magical realist way, get to the heart of the matter. In the hours that followed the emergence of Mr. Coopers video, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio branded Amy Cooper a racist as outrage over the incident commonly referred to as Central Park Karen rippled out nationwide. Cooper was terminated from her $170k-per-year role at as head of insurance investment solutions at Franklin Templeton shortly afterwards. A petition to ban her from Central Park for life also emerged, and she was later charged by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office with filing a false police report. Mr. Cooper refused to cooperate in the investigation, and has publicly expressed sympathy for Ms. Cooper in regard to the consequences that she has suffered. He also accepted a public written apology she issued through her attorney, in which she claimed she isnt a racist and hoped a few mortifying seconds in a lifetime of 40 years will not define me in his eyes. Mr. Cooper also added that the graphic novel was also intentionally not an exact step-by-step reconstruction of his May 25 encounter with Amy Cooper. While Beth continues to yell at Jules, her words begin to physically diminish on the page. You see her words become smaller and smaller, and less important, Mr. Cooper told the New York Times. Because its not about her, its about the ones weve lost and how we keep from losing any more' Mr. Cooper told the Times that, in the near-four months since, he has still not heard directly from Ms. Cooper and hopes it stays that way. It has never stopped being about the birds for me, Mr. Cooper said. From the beginning that confrontation had nothing to do with race. It became about race when she made it about race. Between 1991 and 1999, Cooper worked as an editor and writer for Marvel and was one of the comic giants first openly gay employees. The Harvard graduate used his platform to substantially increase the representation of LGBTQ people within the pages of Marvel comics, even introducing Star Treks first openly gay character, Yoshi Mishima, in his short-lived Starfleet Academy series in 1996. The graphic novel, published digitally by DC Comics, comes as a first in a series called Represent! which features the works of writers traditionally underrepresented in the mainstream comic book medium, including people of color and members of the LGBTQ community He eventually left the field in the early 2000s, and now works as a senior editorial director at Health Science Communications. Mr. Cooper told the Washington Post he didnt expect to wind up back at a superhero publisher so quickly. I really appreciated it when [DC Comics] came to me and said do you want to do this comic, because I did have something to say. Its interesting how it slips into maybe this space in the DC Universe that isnt normally occupied. It is a very magical-realist tale. There is something fantastical that happens in the course of the story. But its not capes. Its not superheroes. Mr. Cooper explained the sentimental meaning behind the binoculars Jules wields in the comic. Their modeled on the real life pair he always uses in Central Park that were given to him by his father, a teacher, civil rights activist and Korean War veteran, on his 50th-birthday. To me, those binoculars have an extra weight, Cooper told the Post. They are more than just binoculars to me. And I wanted to weave that into the comic as well. While avid comic book fans will be quick to point out the graphic novels title is a nod to the famous Superman line, Its a bird, its a plane, its Superman! But Cooper said he also saw the title as a way to pay tribute to the lives of the fallen black people he features throughout the story. At the end, [the story] takes that phrase that is associated with Superman and just launches to this other place, to this moment of grace that so many were denied in how they died and kind of giving that to them in fiction what they didnt get in real life, Cooper said. I think that was very important to do. FP Staff Facebook software engineer Ashok Chandwaney publicly resigned from the social media company on Tuesday with a scathing letter accusing the social media giant of "profiting off hate" and criticising it for "choosing to be on the wrong side of history." In a letter posted on the companys internal message board, accessed by The Washington Post, the former Facebook engineer wrote: "I'm quitting because I can no longer stomach contributing to an organisation that is profiting off hate in the US and globally." Chandwaney asserted there was an absence of the companys five core values Be Bold, Focus on Impact, Move Fast, Be Open and Build Social Value in its approach to hate speech pointing to Facebooks handling of issues like the recent violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Myanmar genocide. The former employee also highlighted the companys decision to leave up President Donald Trumps post that said, When the looting starts, the shooting starts. "Every day 'the looting starts, the shooting starts' stays up is a day that we choose to minimise regulatory risk at the expense of the safety of Black, Indigenous, and people of [colour]," wrote Chandwaney. "[T]he absence of them in the company's approach to hate has eroded my faith in this company's will to remove it from the platform," the software engineer added. There have been so many comments that have been PR fluff rather than substantive, Chandwaney said in the interview with The Washington Post which they also criticized the companys policy that allows politicians to make false claims in campaign ads without fear of having them fact-checked. Allowing lies in election ads is pretty damaging, especially in the current political moment were in. "What I wish I saw were a serious prioritisation of social good even when there isnt an immediately obvious business value to it, or when there may be business harm that comes from it," wrote the former Facebook employee. "It seems that Facebook hasnt found the business value to be had in aggressively pursuing the existing credible strategies to remove hate from the platform..." "I do assume as required by policy best intent of all my coworkers including leadership," Chandwaney wrote while concluding the letter. "Its just, I cant point to facts that substantiate that assumption when looking at our repeated failures to confront the hate and violence occurring and being organised on platform." Chandwaneys resignation after working for five and a half years at the company comes after the public resignation of two employees in June over Facebooks handling of Trumps looting comments, as well as a virtual walkout staged by employees over the comments. As per The Associated Press, engineers Timothy Aveni and Owen Anderson left Facebook in early June amidst company-wide protests over its failure to act on Trump's inflammatory posts. In a statement to Forbes, Facebook spokeswoman Liz Bourgeois said the company doesnt benefit from hate and invest[s] billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and are in deep partnership with outside experts to review and update our policies. But this isn't the first time that the social media company has found itself in hot water. Whether India, United States, Sri Lanka or the Philippines, Facebook's handling of controversial political posts and advertisements has left the social media company facing scathing criticism, seen sponsors leave in droves, fomented internal revolts, and increased scrutiny from regulators. The Syrian government wants to hold presidential elections next irrespective of the outcomes of the discussions over a new constitution, Alsouria says The Assad regime has decided to separate the upcoming presidential elections in Syria scheduled for June 2021 from the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, which held three rounds of meetings in Geneva. The decision was relayed by the regimes foreign minister, Walid Muallem, in a press conference on Monday with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and in the presence of Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Yury Borisov, in Damascus. Muallem stated that holding the upcoming presidential elections in Syria is not tethered to the activities of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva. Muallem added that the presidential elections in Syria will take place on time and as scheduled in 2021, indicating that any citizen whose candidacy does not conflict with the requirements of the constitution is allowed to run. Over the past months, regime officials issued statements confirming that the elections will not be delayed, in accordance with the existing constitution and without outside interference. In an interview with Russia Today on November 11, 2019 Assad confirmed that the 2021 elections will be held as scheduled. He said, Certainly, general elections will be held in 2021 in Syria, and there will be a large number of candidates. Assad categorically refused to conduct the elections under the supervision of the United Nations, stressing that it will be entirely under the supervision of the Syrian state, from A to Z. Echoing Muallem, Lavrov considered that the elections are a sovereign decision to be made by the Syrian Arab Republic. In light of the debate over the constitution, Lavrov said that Syria will continue to rely on existing constitution. He said that it is impossible to set a timetable for the work of the Constitutional Committee, adding, Our current visit is devoted to exploring possibilities in what concerns the development of Syrian-Russian relations. The visit of the Russian delegation to Damascus comes days after the end of the third round of meetings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, whose work will inform the development of a new Syrian constitution. UN envoy to Syria Geir O. Pedersen visited the Russian capital, Moscow, last week, and met with Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. WASHINGTON As students head back to school, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will send 958,660 cloth face coverings to Connecticut this month for distribution to students, teachers and staff at schools in the state. Thats at least enough cloth masks for every public and private school student in the state to get one, and seemingly educators too. Public school students are required to wear masks in school during the pandemic, the Connecticut Department of Education said in its school reopening guidelines, except during mask breaks or students who meet limited exceptions. Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also recommended mask wearing in schools to prevent spread of the coronavirus. The federal mask shipment is part of an effort by the federal health department to send up to 125 million cloth masks to states for distribution in schools. The masks are intended to be prioritized for schools with low-income and high needs students and schools that are holding in-person learning, a senior HHS official said. Theyre also intended for both private and public schools, the official said. As many Connecticut schools opened their doors to some students this week, many already shelled out thousands of dollars or more to buy masks, gloves, face shields, wipes and plexi-glass dividers, among numerous other new coronavirus expenses. In many ways, we basically had to go it alone in terms of our planning, in terms of our procurement, said Peter Bernstein, chair of the Greenwich Public Schools Board of Education. Only through our own coordination with districts around Connecticut have we been able to get the supplies we need and put ourselves in a position to return students to school. There has been a lack of coordination and transparency at a federal level in a timely manner to help us in the process. RELATED: How many covid cases does it take to close CT schools? Connecticut is now using $130.8 million in federal coronavirus education grant money to reimburse school districts for personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves and masks, cleaning costs, additional transportation, academic and student supports at public schools, said Peter Yazbak, spokesman for the state Department of Education. Public schools also are receiving individual federal emergency grants that they can use to cover increased costs. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress are concerned that the federal funding for education awarded to date is not enough to help schools slammed by a wave of new costs from the pandemic. Both parties have proposed additional funding for schools in new coronavirus legislation, but they havent been able to agree on how much among many other conflicts in the month-long negotiation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency clarified its public assistance policy last week, stipulating it will not cover coronavirus-related expenses stemming from the daily operations of government and school activities as of Sept. 15. After that date, FEMA will not pay for PPE for education institutions, unless its in connection with disaster response like an emergency feeding program, said Keith Turi, FEMA assistant administrator for recovery. It also wont cover cleaning costs for schools. The agency will continue to pay for PPE for health care workers. Turi insisted the policy change was not sparked by the Trump administration decision in August to shift $44 billion from FEMAs disaster relief fund to pay for unemployment benefits. This is not a cost-saving measure, said Turi. Even in our non-covid disasters, our guidance is clear that we dont cover the cost of day-to-day government functions or government facilities even if they are directly related to the disaster, the activities eligible are those direct actions for immediate threats to life and property. The face coverings from HHS will be shipped to a centralized warehouse owned by Connecticut and the state Education Department will decide how to allocate them to schools. The masks will come in child and adult sizes, a senior HHS official said. About 528,000 students attended Connecticut public schools in 2019-20 and the states public schools employed over 80,000 teachers and staff, state Education Department data shows. Over 30,000 students attend private schools in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools. emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson The court will last for 10 days. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi Four defendants charged with resisting on-duty officers in the police murder case in Dong Tam commune of Hanois My Duc district admitted to being guilty during questioning at court on September 8. They were among 29 defendants in the trial held by the municipal Peoples Court. The four, namely Le Dinh Hien, Bui Viet Tien, Nguyen Thi Dung and Tran Thi Phuong, admitted that they attacked the police force who were on duty with bricks, knives and sickles in the early morning of January 9. The defendants expressed repentance and asked for a reduced sentence. Also on September 8 morning, several other defendants confessed to their criminal acts. Among them, Nguyen Van Quan admitted that he threw stones and petrol bombs at the competent forces on early January 9. Meanwhile, Le Dinh Uy and Le Dinh Quang said apart from stones and petrol bombs, they also used firework for the attack. Quang and other defendants also raised money to buy grenades for use on the day. During the trial, Bui Van Nien, Bui Van Tuan, Trinh Van Hai and Nguyen Xuan Dieu made confessions similar to what they said during questionings at the investigation agency, admitting guilt and asking for forgiveness. The trial is scheduled to last for 10 days. Neon has acquired the rights to Night of the Kings, the sophomore narrative feature film by director Philippe Lacote that is the official Oscar submission from the Ivory Coast and that has been selected as part of the lineups for Venice, Toronto and the New York Film Festival, the distributor announced Wednesday. Night of the Kings made its premiere on Monday in Venice and will next screen at TIFF and NYFF later this month. Neon will announce release plans at a later date. Night of the Kings follows a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, La Maca. Upon arriving, he is christened the Roman, or Storyteller, and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the countrys mythological past and recent history, while around him, both prison and national politics threaten to boil over. Also Read: Toronto International Film Festival Reverses Optional Mask Policy Inside Theaters Lacote wrote and directed the film which stars Kone Bakary, Steve Tientcheu, Rasmane Ouedraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Digbeu Jean Cyrille, Abdoul Karim Konate, Anzian Marcel, Laetitia Ky and Denis Lavant. Night of the Kings is produced by Delphine Jaquet, Yanick Letourneau, Ernest Konan, Yoro Mbaye and Banshee Films, Wassakara Productions, Peripheria, and Yennenga Productions. Night of the Kings marks just the third film the Ivory Coast has submitted for the Oscars. The first was Black and White in Color in 1976, which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and the other was Lacotes debut feature Run from 2014. Lacote grew up in Abidjan and started his career with Chronicles of War in the Ivory Coast, a documentary film and diary of sorts that focused on the recent history of his country. His follow-up narrative feature Run premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section in 2014. Jeff Deutchman negotiated the deal for NEON with Emilie Georges and Mathieu Delaunay of Memento Films International on behalf of the filmmakers. Memento Films International is handling international sales. Read original story Neon Acquires Night of the Kings, Ivory Coast Oscar Submission, After Venice Premiere At TheWrap A team of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which arrived in Karachi for a week-long visit, started the audit of different departments of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Sources said the four-member audit team comprised two English men, a Turkish expert and a European national, reports Dawn news. The team held a meeting on Monday morning and then visited the cargo area of Karachi airport. They carried out a comprehensive visit of the airport apron/ramp area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded. Also Watch: The sources said the audit team also sought the record of the PIAs engineering section and other relevant documents. The team is expected to carry out inspection of a PIAs flight arriving from Islamabad or Lahore. The IATA had designed the audit programme in 2003 to assess operational management and control systems of the airlines. After the audit, the airlines are given an operational clearance certificate. The IATA carries out operational safety audit every two years. The last audit of PIA was carried out in 2018. I knew him very well. In the party, he was invariably non-controversial, low-profile, well-mannered and always very guarded and measured in his utterances. A perfect description of the late George Michael Chambers, the countrys second prime minister and political leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM), from Ferdie Ferreira, a foundation member, in his book Political Encounters 1946 -2016. Oman Air, the national carrier of Oman, will return to scheduled service on October 1 with flights to 16 cities in 12 countries. The airline will connect Muscat with London, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Cairo, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Dubai, Doha, Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Lahore and Islamabad, with more destinations to be added in the near future. Flights to India are subject to Indian authorities lifting restrictions for scheduled international passenger flights, Oman Air said. Scheduled service will also connect Muscat and Khasab, Oman, it said. Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety programme throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are on board the aircraft and in Oman's airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to further ensure safety and a number of other steps have been taken to ensure that airline's guests and crew are safe at all times, it said. With high demand expected for travel on scheduled flights, those who plan to fly with Oman Air should contact the airline, via its website, call centre or travel agents, as quickly as possible to ensure that they secure reservations for flights that suit their preferences, it said. Guests who are planning to depart from Oman should also ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements, which are provided at omanair.com, as well as the requirements at their destinations, the airline said. Requirements for guests who plan to travel to Oman will be announced in the near future, it said. TradeArabia News Service Representative image Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray targeted the Centre and said it was "paap" (sin) that the Centre had not given Maharashtra its due GST share of Rs 22,000 crore, but is instead asking the state to seek loan. Speaking in the Legislative Council,Thackeray listed measures the state government took to combat COVID-19. He said that the number of COVID-19 test laboratories has gone up to around 525 from just three initially. The number of beds available for COVID-19 patients in the state had risen to 3.50 lakh from 7,722 in the beginning of the pandemic, he added. "We set up a jumbo hospital in 15-20 days like China did in 15 days," Thackeray said. Without naming the Central government, Thackeray said there was a talk about launching a COVID-19 vaccine on August 15, but that date had passed and no new date had been announced. He further took a dig at the Centre for not giving Maharashtra its due share of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). "We have not yet received Rs 22,000 crore (of GST due) from the Centre. But instead of giving us our due, the Centre is asking us to take loan, which is a sin," he said. He asked opposition parties in Maharashtra to raise unitedly with the state government the demand before the Centre for clearing the state''s GST dues. Thackeray said Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed the path of complete lockdown by announcing nationwide restrictions in March, but is now pitching for becoming "Aatmanirbhar" (self-reliant). "How will we be Aatmanirbhar? You will strangulate one and ask him/her to breath?" Thackeray asked in the Council on the last day of the two-day monsoon session. Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition in the Council and BJP MLC Pravin Darekar had alleged Thackeray did not respond to some 90 letters he had written to the CM. Responding to the allegation, Thackeray sarcastically asked Darekar to "forgive" him. "I have spoken to you whenever you called me about Remdesivir (drug used in COVID-19 treatment). I replied to you either over phone or via WhatsApp. But in case there is any misunderstanding after I did not reply to your 97 letters, then forgive me. "I will reply to each of your letters henceforth. Because I (earlier) felt taking action on them (letters) was more important than replying to letters," he said. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, too, hit out at the Centre for not clearing Maharashtra''s GST dues. "Now, from September 1, the Centre said it would not give us PPE kits, ventilators and masks. Why will it not? Is the Centre not responsible towards the people of the country?" Pawar, also the state finance minister, asked. Earlier, responding to queries from the opposition regarding the COVID-19 situation, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the government will ensure hospitals return excess amounts in instances where patients have got inflated bills. Meanwhile, the Council cleared Rs 29,084 crore worth of supplementary demands before the session was prorogued. During the two-day monsoon session, both houses of the legislature passed 13 bills. Indias external affairs and defence ministers recently dropped by Iran and talked to their counterparts, the first such talks since the pandemic began. Afghanistan, rather than oil supplies, tops the agenda, reflecting the new contours of the bilateral relationship. New Delhi and Tehran have reason to worry about the slow-but-steady withdrawal of United States (US) troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban resurgence that will follow. While Iran has its own problems with the US, and wont be unhappy that the US troop presence along its northern border is winding down, it has reason to be concerned at the prospect of the present Kabul regime weakening. Tehran is known to have engaged with some Taliban leaders, but remains suspicious of its more hardcore factions, which are often intertwined with the Islamic State Khorasan Province and both are deeply anti-Shia. New Delhis views converge as these same Taliban factions are also the closest to Rawalpindi. At a time when Irans economy is stressed by sanctions and low oil prices, and its military stretched by deployments in Iraq and Syria, an unstable Afghanistan would not be welcome. The two countries need to coordinate their support for the Kabul regime. The partly India-funded freight corridor from Chabahar to Herat is the most tangible symbol of Afghan-related cooperation. The next few years will require such cooperation to expand into other spheres. As Indias energy ambitions revolve around weaning itself off oil and gas usage, there will be less traction to be gained in the energy sphere. But there will be more work to be done in the realm of regional security. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON French English Regulated Information Gosselies, Belgium, 9 September 2020, 7am CEST BONE THERAPEUTICS (Euronext Brussels and Paris: BOTHE), the cell therapy company established to address unmet medical needs in orthopedics and other diseases, today announces an increase in the total number of voting rights and shares as a result of the issuance of new shares on 21 August 2020 following the conversion of convertible bonds issued on the private placement on 28 April 2020. The following information is published in accordance with Article 15 of the Belgian Law of 2 May 2007 on the publication of major shareholdings in issuers whose shares are admitted to trading on regulated market. Total amount of share capital on 7 May 2020 EUR 5,959,249 Total number of shares with voting rights on 7 May 2020 11,663,140 Total number of new shares issued on 21 August 2020 196,731 Total amount of share capital on 21 August 2020 EUR 6,059,582 Total number of shares with voting rights on 21 August 2020 11,859,871 Total number of voting rights (denominator) on 21 August 2020 11,859,871 Total number of attributed warrants 133,055 (1) Total number of convertible bonds outstanding 1,617 Total number of bond warrants and bond subscription commitments outstanding 2,175 Total number of shares with voting rights that could be issued following the exercise of the attributed warrants, the bond warrants and bond subscription commitments, and the conversion of the convertible bonds 3,127,836 (2) (1) The total number of attributed warrants has increased by 63,724 warrants granted under the existing warrant plans. (2) 133,055 shares could be issued following the exercise of the 133,055 attributed warrants. 289,563 shares could be issued following the exercise and conversion of the 17 convertible bonds and 240 bond warrants outstanding, issued in the private placement on 7 March 2018. The conversion is based on the conversion price of EUR 2.2189 (92% of the Volume-Weighted-Averaged-Price of Bone Therapeutics shares on 21 August 2020). 2,133,790 shares could be issued following the exercise and conversion of 1,935 bond subscription commitments outstanding, issued in the private placement on 28 April 2020. The conversion is based on the conversion price of EUR 2.2671 (94% of the Volume-Weighted-Averaged-Price of Bone Therapeutics shares on 21 August 2020). 571,429 shares could be issued following the conversion of the 1,600 convertible bonds outstanding, issued in the private placement on 6 May 2020. The conversion is based on the predetermined conversion price of EUR 7.00. About Bone Therapeutics Bone Therapeutics is a leading biotech company focused on the development of innovative products to address high unmet needs in orthopedics and other diseases. The Company has a, diversified portfolio of cell and biologic therapies at different stages ranging from pre-clinical programs in immunomodulation to mid-to-late stage clinical development for orthopedic conditions, targeting markets with large unmet medical needs and limited innovation. Bone Therapeutics is developing an off-the-shelf next-generation improved viscosupplement, JTA-004, which is currently in phase III development for the treatment of pain in knee osteoarthritis. Consisting of a unique combination of plasma proteins, hyaluronic acid - a natural component of knee synovial fluid, and a fast-acting analgesic, JTA-004 intends to provide added lubrication and protection to the cartilage of the arthritic joint and to alleviate osteoarthritic pain and inflammation. Positive phase IIb efficacy results in patients with knee osteoarthritis showed a statistically significant improvement in pain relief compared to a leading viscosupplement. Bone Therapeutics core technology is based on its cutting-edge allogeneic cell therapy platform with differentiated bone marrow sourced Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) which can be stored at the point of use in the hospital. Currently in pre-clinical development, BT-20, the most recent product candidate from this technology, targets inflammatory conditions, while the leading investigational medicinal product, ALLOB, represents a unique, proprietary approach to bone regeneration, which turns undifferentiated stromal cells from healthy donors into bone-forming cells. These cells are produced via the Bone Therapeutics scalable manufacturing process. Following the CTA approval by regulatory authorities in Europe, the Company is ready to start the phase IIb clinical trial with ALLOB in patients with difficult tibial fractures, using its optimized production process. ALLOB continues to be evaluated for other orthopedic indications including spinal fusion, osteotomy, maxillofacial and dental. Bone Therapeutics cell therapy products are manufactured to the highest GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards and are protected by a broad IP (Intellectual Property) portfolio covering ten patent families as well as knowhow. The Company is based in the BioPark in Gosselies, Belgium. Further information is available at www.bonetherapeutics.com. For further information, please contact: Bone Therapeutics SA Miguel Forte, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer Jean-Luc Vandebroek, Chief Financial Officer Tel: +32 (0) 71 12 10 00 investorrelations@bonetherapeutics.com International Media Enquiries: Image Box Communications Neil Hunter / Michelle Boxall Tel: +44 (0)20 8943 4685 neil@ibcomms.agency / michelle@ibcomms.agency For French Media and Investor Enquiries: NewCap Investor Relations & Financial Communications Pierre Laurent, Louis-Victor Delouvrier and Arthur Rouille Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 bone@newcap.eu Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company or, as appropriate, the Company directors current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such persons officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The second-oldest mosque in the world and the oldest in India is situated in Keralas Kodungallur. According to a report in Mathrubumi, it is the first mosque in India and the second in the world where Juma prayers were started. This mosque was designed and constructed in accordance with the Hindu art and architecture. Another special feature of the mosque is that it may be the only one that faces east, while all other mosques face west towards Mecca. This article is based on a writ petition filed by Rafeeque NA and others in the Kerala High Court and the various documents he has presented to obtain a stay order. Before I lay down the riddle of this dispute, let us understand why this mosque is important. Legend has it that Cheraman Perumal, the king of Kerala who had his capital at Kodungallur, abdicated his throne and accepted Islam. Different stories tell us that the king dreamt of a new moon being split into two. His court astrologers could not give him a satisfactory interpretation. Later he met a group of Arab traders on their way to Sri Lanka. They explained to him the miracle that Prophet had performed (Quran 54:1-5) of splitting the moon into two. He was convinced and decided to embrace Islam. He divided his kingdom within his various chieftains, so that the kingdom and his subjects remained in safe hands. Then he secretly went to Mecca, met the Prophet and embraced Islam. He stayed there for some time. While returning home, he fell sick and died in Dhufar in Oman. But before dying, he handed over two letters to his friends to be given to his chieftains in Malabar. The Arabic friends brought home the letter to Kodungallur. Based on this, they were allowed to build mosques in the kingdom wherever they chose. Thus, Malik Bin Dinar from Arabia built the first mosque in India in Kodungallur in 629 CE and was its first Qazi. He later left for Arabia, where he died, as per documents produced by the petitioners. Other legends claim he died somewhere in Kasaragod and his relics are kept in a Malik Dinar Mosque in Thalangara there. It is said the old tombs in the Kabristan, part of this property are that of Habib Bin Malik, the other Arab who came with Malik, and his wife Khumarriah. It is the saga of this historic mosque. The mosque is not in Arabic style, probably because it was built before mosques had begun coming up. It was constructed in 629 CE. Mecca was captured in December of 629 CE or January 630 AD. So we may say this structure was built even before or around the same time the Mecca was taken over by the Prophet and the famous Mecca mosque was built. Here is a brief look at the chronology of the current dispute: the Mahal Committee of the mosque applied for renovation of the Cheraman mosque in 2011. The permission was given in 2018 by various authorities. However on October 9 last year, the Kerala Waqf Board restrained the Mahal Committee from going ahead with renovation as it seemed to more rebuilding than renovation. Due to some unknown reasons, the restraint was removed by another order two weeks later. This is when a general member of the Mahal Committee, Rafeeque NA, filed a petition in the Kerala High Court on December 16 last year, making the government of India the respondent as its archaeological department seemed to have erred, if not deliberately, in trying to remove the heritage tag from the mosque. He had studied the details of the so-called renovation that would mean the destruction of the ancient heritage structure. He claimed that the effect of the proposed construction would result in destruction of the heritage mosque in the name of renovation. Rafeeque and other petitioners alleged that the earlier orders of the Waqf board and revoked later were contrary to each other. Nor was he informed of the second decision by the Waqf board. The earlier orders said that the work should be confined to repairs and maintenance. But the proposed plan envisages an underground mosque that will have the effect of de-strengthening of the existing structure. The proposed massive construction is an attempt to demolish the structure and for swindling the public money. The petitioners submitted that the mosque is a centuries-old monument and is considered the first mosque in the country. They also noted that it has been renovated thrice in 11 century CE, then 300 years back and, recently in 1974. The petitioners contended with enough evidence that the Archaeological Department of Kerala was wrong in stating that the mosque is not a protected monument. According to him, the mosque is part of a larger area declared a protected monument by the erstwhile state of Cochin and under the present law, such monuments are deemed to be protected. The petition said that the ASI had conducted excavations in different areas at the same site and unearthed a number of Shiv-lingas, which are now exhibited in a corner of the site, reflecting the historical and cultural importance of the said land. The petitioner also contended that certain historical studies reveal that an old Buddha Temple was gifted to the Muslims to establish this mosque. Hence, any kind of construction on this site requires by that very nature of the land and the secular and diverse cultural blend that the said monumental site holds is to be reckoned. These aspects were never considered by the district administration at any point, he said. He contended that mere testimony of the locals is not a prudent inquiry to provide approval for such construction in a site with old heritage. Rafeeque submitted the proposed plan that is altogether a different structure and a different construction, which shows that it is an attempt by vested interests for a complete rebuilding and eventual destruction of the present historical mosque. He also goes on to explain that in an area of 11,710 sq. mt., the proposed construction is 1,393.50 sq. mt. Clearly it is a massive construction that required many more statutory clearances that have been overlooked. The exemption sought as per Kerala laws works only for constructions of up to 300 sq. mt. The massive underground structure being planned would definitely require huge mining of soil that would be detrimental to the ancient mosque. The petition also contends this is an attempt to demolish the ancient structure to construct a new building that would also destroy the ancient Kabristan in the ancient monumental" site. This would eventually result in destroying the age-old religious practices and rituals of Cheraman Juma Mosque. The petitioners have produced photographs of an ancient Hindu style oil lamp inside the mosque. Locals contend that the custom was to never douse the wick and it was left burning for centuries. The custom was stopped in the 1980s. The Mathrubhumi article of 2008 says Muslims, Hindus and Christians alike would bring oil for the lamp on auspicious occasions in the family. The puzzling part is why a certain group is interested in the destruction of an important ancient heritage structure? While Muslims all over India wish to maintain every square foot of ancient structures, here is a group of Muslims keen to see the destruction of Indias first mosque, and the first mosque outside Arab lands that represents important Islamic history. It is a tribute of a Hindu king who voluntarily embraced Islam, going all the way to meet the Prophet. Significantly, it is a mosque that doesnt represent forcible invasion and destruction of native culture and temples, unlike thousands of others. This mosque is, no doubt, an internal matter of Muslims. But considering their stance on other old structures and a different approach in case of a truly historic monument for Islam, the dispute is puzzling and is significant for all Indians. Disclaimer: The author is a freelance writer and columnist. He authored the book Secrets of the RSS. Views expressed are personal. Senate Republicans hope to jam through a coronavirus relief bill but appear divided on whether the Federal Reserve should be pushing more or less money through its emergency lending programs. As part of its coronavirus relief proposal package, the Senate GOP proposes downsizing the fund given to the Fed and the U.S. Treasury for the purposes of setting up emergency lending programs from $454 billion to $250 billion. The bill would also prevent the Fed from making any new loans through its facilities after mid-January 2021, although it could continue to service loans made before that time. So far, the U.S. Treasury has only used $195 billion of the fund to support the Feds special purpose vehicles backstopping markets ranging from corporate debt to municipal bonds. It was totally underutilized, Senator Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican, told Yahoo Finances On The Move on Wednesday. Hand sanitizer sits on a table as Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) speaks during a Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 7, 2020. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS The GOP hopes that cutting the cost of the program will support the $500 billion relief packages other proposals, which includes smaller supplemental unemployment benefits and an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program. The bill will need 51 votes for the bill on the Senate floor, where the GOP holds a narrow 53-to-47 majority. But it is unclear if all Republicans support the specific measure to pull back the Feds emergency powers. The Senate Banking Committees top Republican, Mike Crapo of Idaho, has clarified that he would like to see the Fed do more with its Main Street Lending Program. Crapo has urged the Fed and the Treasury to ramp up lending to small- and mid-size businesses, writing to Fed Chairman Jay Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in late July that they need to quickly expand the pipeline of emergency loans. George Selgin, director of the Cato Institutes Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, said that Senate Republicans are mixing up its message on a policy response. Do we want to give these firms more money or not? If people cant agree on that thats a fundamental issue, Selgin told Yahoo Finance. Story continues Main Street Lending Program Although the Feds emergency lending facilities cover a wide range of financial markets, Congress has been particularly fixated on the Main Street Lending Program. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act birthed the $454 billion appropriation and directed the Fed to set up a program that supports lending to small and mid-sized businesses. The Treasury gave the Fed $75 billion to support the loans and after months of figuring out how to establish the facility, the Fed finally unveiled the program but to little fanfare. As of Sept. 3, the facility had lent only $1.2 billion of the $600 billion in capacity that the Fed claims it could lever up to (using the Treasury equity investment). The Fed has repeatedly emphasized that the loans are not grants. Crapo has advocated for revising the Feds EBITDA requirements for loan eligibility, arguing that companies in industries with weaker cash flow may be unable to access loans. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, agreed that an asset-based standard may work better for the program. But in a hearing focused on the Main Street Lending Program on Wednesday, Toomey expressed doubt over the usefulness of the Main Street loans in supporting companies and industries through the entire recovery process. I think we have to ask ourselves whether this is the appropriate program to do it, and I would suggest its not, Toomey said. The debate comes as the economy continues to work through a recovery; the unemployment rate has fallen but remains at 8.4% and data from S&P Global Market Intelligence reports that 470 companies have gone bankrupt so far in 2020 more than any comparable period since 2010. Selgin said the ideological divide over the degree of support for small- and mid-size businesses needs to consider the role of fiscal policy, adding that paring back the Fed powers would be fine if Congress were willing to put up the money that it still feels [is] necessary. Even if passed, the GOP proposal likely faces a challenge from the Democratically controlled House of Representatives, which had previously floated a $3.5 trillion package. Brian Cheung is a reporter covering the Fed, economics, and banking for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter @bcheungz. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. Willie Walsh, who retired yesterday as chief executive of Aer Lingus owner IAG, has told shareholders at the airline group's annual general meeting that the company has a "clear path" for increased flying in the future. "We will have restructured the business to ensure that our operating companies are the right size to be profitable again," he said. IAG also owns British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Level and yesterday it secured shareholder approval to raise 2.75bn in equity to shore up its balance sheet in the face of the pandemic. Qatar, the Gulf airline which owns just over 25pc of IAG, had previously agreed to participate in the equity raising. IAG chairman Antonio Vazquez, who retires next January, said the airline group had reacted quickly to strengthen its liquidity and to protect its future. "There are no precedents to this economic crisis in our history," he said, adding that the capital increase and other measures are the "best way" to ensure that IAG emerges from the pandemic "with more resilience, greater flexibility and a greater ability to make the right operational and strategic decisions". Mr Walsh said IAG does not expect passenger traffic to reach 2019 levels again until 2023 or 2024. "Restructuring consultations to reduce each individual airline's size and cost base, as is appropriate, are taking place as required," he said. Aer Lingus is currently negotiating up to 500 job cuts due to the severe impact of the Covid crisis on the aviation sector. It employs about 4,500 people and had significantly expanded its transatlantic network under IAG's ownership. All airline routes have been hit by the pandemic, but long-haul including transatlantic services have been particularly affected. "Our return to flying will be done in a very disciplined way, with a measured increase in capacity to reflect demand," said Mr Walsh, who has been succeeded by former Iberia CEO, Luis Gallego. "It is critical that our customers feel confident about their safety at every stage of the journey," added Mr Walsh. "Our airlines' experience over the summer clearly demonstrates that there is pent-up demand for people who want to return to the skies once government restrictions are removed." Mr Walsh, who's bowing out of IAG after a more than 40-year career in aviation, insisted that quarantine restrictions have particularly hit transatlantic travel. "We support the need to protect public health, but believe that there needs to be a more constructive approach by governments," he said at the company's annual meeting in Madrid, where the auditorium was only half-full yesterday. "Long quarantine periods should be reduced through the effective use of airport testing. International air corridors should be extended within Europe and, for example, those parts of the United States which are lower risk for the declining number of Covid-19 infections," he added. Mr Vazquez confirmed that IAG is also renegotiating the purchase price for Spain's Air Europa. IAG agreed to buy the carrier last November for 1bn. However, he said IAG still expects to complete the acquisition either this year or early in 2021. The World Bank-assisted Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) on Wednesday said it has concluded plans to tackle the gully erosion site in Iguosa community, a suburb of Benin in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo. At least 50 houses and other properties have been destroyed in the past four years in the erosion-ravaged Iguosa community in a gully that is described as 60-feet deep, 200-feet wide, and 500-feet long. The Iguosa Flood and Gully Erosion Remediation work is one of the 12 sites where construction work is on-going by NEWMAP in Edo. The interventionist agency had successfully delivered the gully projects in Oshiobugie-Auchi in Etsako West and Queen Ede and Ekehuan, both in Benin City, the Edo State capital. Alex Oleije, Edo Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability said during the presentation of cheques to the Project Affected Persons (PAP) in the community that the contract has been awarded for the project. Mr Oleije explained that the process was preparatory to the commencement of civil works at the Iguosa gully site. He said the payment, which was carried out under the auspices of the World Bank, complied with the institutions guidelines and global best practices. Part of the guideline requires that persons whose properties are on the right of way and would be affected by the construction work should be compensated before the commencement of civil works, Mr Oleije said. Shortly before the presentation of the cheques to the beneficiaries, Mr Oleije explained that the project was informed by the commitment of the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, to alleviate the sufferings of the people. He said residents of the Iguosa community have been facing untold hardship on account of the gully devastation. Mr Oleije, who is also the Chairman of the State Steering Committee of NEWMAP, charged the community to continue to support the efforts of the state government as a way of encouraging him to do more for the people of Iguosa as well as the entire state. He stressed that Mr Obaseki is well-positioned to accelerate the tempo of development in the state through investment in infrastructure. The commissioner commended the residents of the community and the PAPs for their patience and cooperation with NEWMAP and enjoined the beneficiaries to utilise the funds judiciously for their households. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the state has so far spent over N2 billion for payment of compensation to PAPs in NEWMAP sites across the state Lucky Wasa, Chairman of the State Technical Committee of NEWMAP, described the Iguosa gully project as a reality and called on members of the community to cooperate with the contractors for speedy completion of the job. ALSO READ: 11 Edo communities benefit from N18bn erosion control projects Similarly, Tom Obaseki, the state Project Coordinator of NEWMAP, disclosed that the presentation of cheques to the PAPs is the last activity before the bulldozers would move into the community to commence construction work. Mr Obaseki explained that the project is of great concern to the Governor, who had to make a special case to the World Bank for the emergency work which would dovetail into the permanent construction work. John Nwangene, who spoke on behalf of the community and the PAPs, expressed gratitude to the governor for saving lives and properties in the community. Mr Nwagene explained that the residents of Iguosa Housing Estate, who are mainly retired public servants, would remain grateful to the governor for the actualisation of the project which has gone beyond everybodys comprehension. NEW YORK Duracell, the battery unit of Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc, sued the maker of Energizer batteries on Tuesday, accusing it falsely advertising that its Energizer MAX batteries last up to 50% longer than other alkaline batteries. The lawsuit follows Energizer Holdings Incs own lawsuit last Sept. 30 accusing Duracell of falsely advertising that its then-new Optimum batteries were more powerful and lasted longer than rival batteries. Duracell filed counterclaims alleging false advertising in that case. It is now accusing Energizer of having doubled down by claiming on battery packages, on printed coupons and through in-store advertising that MAX batteries are up to 50% longer lasting than basic alkaline in demanding devices. Energizer is attempting to confuse and mislead consumers regarding the comparative benefits of Energizers MAX batteries relative to other alkaline batteries, including Duracells Coppertop batteries, Duracells complaint said. Lawyers for Energizer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both lawsuits were filed in Manhattan federal court. The companies have sought damages for false advertising under New York law and the federal Lanham Act, as well as halts to any improper advertising. Duracell said it had a 45% share of the U.S. market for alkaline household batteries, while Energizer has a 26% share. Berkshire bought Duracell, which has offices in Bethel, Connecticut, from Procter & Gamble Co in February 2016. Energizer is based in St. Louis. The latest case is Duracell US Operations Inc v Energizer Brands LLC, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-07318. The national child abuse helpline number, CHILDLINE, in India is 1098. But not many know about it. Ankur*, an undergrad student living in Bhubaneshwar grew up in what he describes as a traumatic and violent environment at home". In his own words, he would have reached out for help if he knew how to. My father and paternal grandmother were violent. The domestic violence was, of course, worse for my mother than us," he told News18. There was no one to intervene or lend him a helping hand. Mostly because only a handful are aware of the child helpline abuse numbers existence, let alone details on how to contact them. Ankur has now started a petition on Change.org, urging the government to launch awareness campaigns and advertise the helpline number so that kids today do not have to suffer the way he did. In 2018, data from the National Crime Record Bureau showed that 108 children were abused daily in India. This was a 22% increase from the previous year. A report in the following year, 2019, showed that between January 1 to June 30, 24,212 FIRs related to child abuse had been filed in the country. Being abused as a child can have long term impacts, it takes a serious toll on your mental health. But the worst part is the feeling that there is no one to help you and that you have no voice. In most cases, the child is dependent on their abuser, which makes it all the more difficult to speak up," said Ankur. Ankur also spoke about an increase in abuse during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown, when women and children had been locked in their homes for days with their abusers - with no means of escape. READ MORE: Indias Domestic Abuse Survivors are in Lockdown with their Monsters, But Helplines Are Not Ringing A PTI report in the initial weeks of the lockdown showed that The Childline India helpline received more than 92,000 SOS calls asking for protection from abuse and violence in 11 days between March 20 to 31. This was a somber indication that the lockdown has turned into extended captivity not just for many women but also for children trapped with their abusers at home. Of the 3.07 lakh calls received, 30% were about protection against abuse and violence on children. I couldnt take this anymore and just knew had to do something to bring about a change. There are so many people I know who would have benefited if they knew about the helpline number. I cannot imagine how children who are abused at home are dealing with the lockdown," Ankur said. The least the Indian government can do, according to Ankur, is spread awareness about it. He said that the CHILDLINE helpline number in India, founded in 1996, is active and responsive but not everyone is aware of it. I did not know about it, otherwise I would have called them up myself," he added. The government runs big shot campaigns on diseases and other issues. Why not this? If the media outlets in collaboration with the government can advertise the contact number for CHILDLINE, it may go a long way in helping a child," Ankur said. *Names have been altered to keep identities anonymous. Unsafe child abandonment is illegal and puts childrens lives and future at risk. A child can be legally and anonymously surrendered at a specialised adoption agency. To find the nearest authorised and specialised adoption agency, call ChildLine at 1098 or go to http://cara.nic.in/Stakeholders/India_map.html and select the state in which the safe surrender needs to take place. Netflix Co-Chief Executive Reed Hastings co-wrote a book, "No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention" that was released on Tuesday. (Austin Hargrave) Netflix teetered on financial ruin just 20 years ago, when co-founder Reed Hastings failed to sell his struggling DVD rental subscription business to Blockbuster, eventually forcing him to lay off 30% of his staff as the nation slid into recession. But, in Hastings' view, the cuts winnowed the staff and allowed the remaining stars to thrive. Creativity surged, and over time, managers were given the power to sign multimillion-dollar deals without high-level executive approval giving them the opportunity to make risky bets to reap big rewards. The lesson helped to shape the distinctive culture of Netflix, where employee evaluations are brutally candid and average performances can be grounds for termination. "Adequate performance gets a generous severance package" is one company saying. Deconstructing Netflix's unique culture of radical transparency is a central theme of a new book by Hastings and business professor Erin Meyer, "No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention." The book, published by Penguin Press, went on sale this week. "We've evolved so much and so flexibility is a premium," Hastings, Netflix's co-chief executive, said in an interview. "What our book 'No Rules Rules' really goes through is how to really focus on flexibility, adaptability, the key skills in the modern age where there's so much change happening." The Netflix culture isn't for everyone. Employees need to be prepared for candid feedback of their perceived shortcomings. Staffers make presentations about their blunders and what they learned from them. There are no vacations or expense policies use your best judgment. You're evaluated on the wins you get. Even within Netflix, some employees said the corporate philosophy made them stressed out, knowing they could be fired any day. Netflix has also had to make adjustments as it expands globally, especially in countries like Singapore, where a direct way of communicating can be seen as rude. Story continues Still, Hastings and Meyer argue that this philosophy has allowed Netflix to quickly adapt, innovate and become the king of all streaming. Hastings talked to The Times about his new book. Here are some edited excerpts from the interview. Why did you decide to write this book? "No Rules Rules" really sets out what we have learned over the last 20 years of one way to organize a company, where you give employees tremendous freedom. And the point of writing this book is to stimulate the discussion, to share with other companies, nonprofits and all kinds of organizations a different way of thinking about the workplace. Netflix has built its success around a culture of radical transparency and blunt assessments of employees. But some workers say this has been bad for morale. What's your response to that? In those employee surveys like Glassdoor we always rank in the top 10 or 20 of all American companies, so our employees love what we have. They're trusted, they're well thought of, they're well treated and the feedback can be tough. But because of that people get better, you learn. It's kind of like exercise. You know when you do those last crunches, how it hurts? That's what makes you strong. Well you must have super strong abs, Reed. Emotional abs. The real abs, not so much. Like many media companies, most of Netflix's top executive officers and board directors are white. How has the company adjusted its culture to address privilege and prioritize racial diversity? If you look at our top 20 leaders internally, we're about 25% leaders of color. We're 50% women, 50% men. We've begun well on building on that in terms of diversity, and there's always more to learn. But compared to our media peers, we're well ahead on that front of executive diversity. Netflix's culture is very American in its push for radical candor. As Netflix grows in markets abroad, do you see the culture shifting in order to attract the best talent? In the book, we really talk about how that global expansion has gone, what we've learned from our Japanese colleagues, our Brazilian colleagues or German colleagues, and we're continuing to evolve as a culture. That's one of the great things that we show in the book, which is, if you're very flexible, then it's easier to grow and adapt. An example would be Americans are very transactional in their trust building, so we work together and that's how we form trust. Brazilians are very conversation- or family- and meal-oriented, and you build trust by eating together and talking about non-work things. We've really adapted the Brazilian approach globally. It has been great for us to invest more in each other and [in] relationships and to take that time. That makes it easier to give each other feedback later. What does implementing the Brazilian culture mean? It means staff meals, it means opening meetings and, you know, talking about your kids or your last vacation. Spending a few minutes and valuing the human connection that we all have with each other, as opposed to jumping right in on the metrics and the core business issues. So we take a little time to just celebrate our friendships, our humanity, together. Does Netflix apply its cultural rules to the way it deals with its partners? The real core of what we do is internal among the employees. We've agreed to operate by this unique set of rules where we can all give each other feedback. With our talent, we'll find ways of giving them feedback, but it is a different way. Netflix recently filed an appeal against a judge's injunction barring the company from poaching Fox executives under contract or inducing them to breach their fixed-term agreements. How has the injunction affected your ability to hire the best people? We really want employees to be able to have freedom. That includes freedom for our employees to go to other firms, or employees at other companies like Fox and Disney to come to Netflix. We believe it's a better world if employees have the freedom to move around. We've continued to grow even with the injunction. We don't think it's a good idea to bar employees from seeking their best future. We've seen the growth of short-form video content like TikTok, and even Netflix's metrics have changed to reflect shorter time frames for viewing. Do you think people are willing to pay for premium short-form video? I'm not sure. We're really focused on great storytelling of all kinds of lengths. "The Irishman" was over three hours of incredible film. Then we've got very short episodes like "Sex Education." We'll try lots of different things, depending on the story. But for us, it's really about the storytelling. Netflix has been under pressure to disclose more viewership data. Can we expect more transparency? Absolutely. In the last six months, we've opened up the top 10, where every day we show what's the top 10 films and top 10 series and top 10 overall, and that's public. To the creators, we've been giving the detailed information on their particular show. So we're definitely learning the lessons that people want more information out there. HANOVER TOWNSHIP, MI -- President Donald Trumps reelection campaign launched a coalition focused on winning over Michigan farmers and ranchers Tuesday. State Rep. Julie Alexander, R-Hanover, hosted the event at her familys farm in Jackson County. Just under 100 attendees gathered for a cookout and to hear speeches from Alexander, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and Michigan-born musician Ted Nugent. The event was held two days before Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Saginaw County. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is also planning to give a speech in Warren Wednesday. Alexander thanked Trump for rewriting the North American Free Trade Agreement and changing the Clean Water Act to exempt farmers and ranchers from controversial regulations on surface water. Shirkey led the crowd in singing God Bless America when it was his turn to take the microphone. He said the upcoming presidential election is the third-most important election in history, behind Abraham Lincolns two victories in the 1860s. Weve got a Democratic Party that has been completely hijacked by the Marxists and the socialists hiding behind this Democratic banner, letting us think this guy thats running for president actually can do something besides read a teleprompter, and he cant even do that well, Shirkey said. This is over the future of our country, no question about it. Were grateful that Lincoln did it in 1860 and 1864, but its now our time. Shirkey joined other speakers in characterizing the presidential race as an urgent fight over the countrys future. We have a role in this process. We have a role in this outcome, Shirkey said. Thats really important. Its not enough to just go vote. Weve got to drag some people along with us. Let them see the light of day as to what their choices really are. It is light and darkness. Walberg thanked farmers for enduring financial hardships from Trumps tariff fights and the year-long effort to ratify the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Walberg said the trade deal will open up new markets to Michigan farmers. A total of 595 family farmers filed for bankruptcy in 2019, an eight-year high according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. There were 15 bankruptcies in Michigan last year. Some of you, especially dairy farmers, man youve been going through it for a long time, Walberg said. But you stuck with us. Several speakers remarked on Trumps unorthodox style, calling attention to his use of Twitter and combative nature. Walberg said Republican elites" are leaving the GOP because they cant believe working Americans would allow Trump to do whatever it takes to win the battle and ultimately win the war. We elected a president in 2016 that wasnt a farmer; that wasnt a politician; that didnt have a carefully planned personality, Walberg said. We found out we elected a president who had a carefully planned idea on how to make America as great as America could be. Walberg also issued a warning about Democrats wanting to dismantle our civil society and destroy the economy." Trump won Jackson County by a wide margin in 2016 by improving turnout but he also benefitted from low turnout for Hillary Clinton. Republican votes in Jackson County increased by 9% compared to the 2012 election, while votes for the Democratic candidate dropped by 20%. The president won Michigan in 2016 by 10,704 votes. Trump was the first Republican to win Michigan in nearly three decades. READ MORE ON MLIVE: Ted Nugent calls Michigan a Gov. Whitmer s---hole at Trump campaign event Trump and Biden back-to-back visits show Michigan is still a 2020 battleground Michigan Democratic Party embraces single-payer health care after DNC rejection Mike Pence says Trump will lead recovery after COVID recession at Michigan campaign rally Michigan Democrats target Pences vote against auto bailout before visit, tout Biden as job savior The Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday demolished parts of an office owned by Kangana Ranaut, who then hit out at Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray in a rare confrontation between a member of the film industry and a political party that also unfolded in angry street demonstrations and a courtroom battle. The drama began around 10am after a team of 30 workers and officials of the BMC reached Ranauts office in Bandras Pali Hill and began the demolition of some areas inside and on the exterior of the premises, which the agency said was built illegally. A lawyer representing the 33-year-old actor, whose run-ins with the Maharashtra government in the aftermath of actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death in June have taken an acerbic turn this month, approached the Bombay high court challenging a BMC notice that gave her 24 hours to reply to allegations of zoning law violations. Also read: Kangana Ranaut hits out at Fancy feminists, Bullywood activists, says You deserve the treatment you get from me The court ordered the demolition to stop. The manner in which BMC proceeded to commence demolition work prima facie does not appear to be bonafide (in good faith) and smacks of malafide (dishonest intentions), a division bench of justices SJ Kathawalla and RI Chagla said after a 55-minute hearing over video conference. By then, much of the demolition had already taken place. Section 354A of the MMC Act, 1888, authorises BMC to demolish an illegal construction if a response is not satisfactory. Ranaut, who had sought seven days to respond to the BMCs notice, denies any illegal construction. Throughout the day, Ranaut directed a tirade at the state government, first in a series of tweets likening the demolitions to fascism and death of democracy as she took a flight from Manali to Mumbai, where hordes of angry Shiv Sena workers protested at the airport. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs sister Shweta appalled at demolition of Kangana Ranauts office: What kind of gunda raj is this? My home was demolished today; your arrogance will crumble tomorrow. Remember, this is the wheel of time. It keeps changing, the actor said in a video message addressing Thackeray late in the afternoon. In the video, she also said she realised the pain of Kashmiri Pandits, who had to leave their homes, after the demolition drive on her premises. Not only on Ayodhya, I will also make a film on Kashmir, she said. Arvind Sawant, Shiv Sena parliamentarian and party spokesperson, denied commenting on Ranauts video clip. Only Uddhavji, or if required Sanjay Raut, or will speak on this matter, a senior party leader said. Raut could not be reached for comments. The acrimony between the government and the actor stems from her criticism of the Mumbai police and the states handling of the Rajput death investigation. The remarks prompted Raut to advise the actor not to return to Mumbai, prompting a series of tit-for-tat responses that at one occasion involved the MP using expletives for the actor, who in turn referred the countrys financial capital as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan. The controversy has taken larger political tone, with the Congress accusing her of carrying forward the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s political agenda. Ranaut got Y-plus security from the BJP-ruled Centre two days ago in the midst of her spat with Sena leaders, a decision that the Maharashtra government termed surprising even as the actor thanked home minister Amit Shah on Twitter. On Tuesday, the state ordered a probe into allegations that she consumed drugs. The building at the heart of the fresh controversy is Manikarnika Films Private Limited office, located in Bungalow Number 5, a ground plus two-storey structure, in the plush Bandra area. Ranaut bought it in 2017 for 200 crore. According to civic officials, it has existed in their records since the 1970s and Ranaut made illegal alterations to it. The row first broke out on Monday after a BMC team visited Ranauts office and carried out an inspection. The next day, BMC issued pasted the show-cause notice on the gate of the property. According to Ranauts lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui, BMC officials on Wednesday carried on with the demolition work, which finally ended around 12:30pm, even as the court hearing was underway. The HC was expected to take up the matter again on Thursday afternoon. We carried out demolition work over structural violations...After the demolition process, further action will be taken legally, said Vinayak Vispute, assistant municipal commissioner of BMCs H west ward covering Bandra. Another BMC official, who did not want to be named, said, We have taken the action legally, and we will inform the court on Thursday. During the last election, filmmaker Jeff Orlowski admits he was heavily addicted to Facebook. But that soon changed. In 2017, he began filming his new documentary Social Dilemma, which interrogates social media platforms through tech insiders. Newly fortified with behind-the-scenes knowledge about the ways the companies manipulate users to increase and retain engagement, Orlowski decided to delete his Facebook account. But the social media platform didnt want to see him go one less person to market ads to! and the company had an algorithm ready to tempt him back. If you stop using Facebook, Facebook will try to resurrect you. It will test out different things to see what might bring you back, he says. Facebook sent him e-mails. They sent text messages. They sent photos of an ex-romantic partner. I looked at Facebook and I was like, this disgusts me now, says Orlowski, who was born in New York and is now based in Colorado. I dont want to be used. Social Dilemma, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year and is available to watch on Netflix, makes a strong case for users to be wary of free social media platforms. As the saying goes, if youre not paying for the product, you are the product and the documentary wants the product to be wary, or at least aware of the tactics used to keep the product online and on sale for advertisers to target. Orlowski rounded up sit-down interviews with an impressive slate of tech insiders and academics, including former Pinterest chief executive officer Tim Kendall, who also previously directed monetization strategy at Facebook; VR pioneer and outspoken tech activist Jaron Lanier; infinite scroll creator Aza Raskin, and Justin Rosenstein, who created the Facebook like button. Many of those figures have criticized the addictive nature of the technologies they helped to create; many have also become exorbitantly wealthy because of their contributions, a tension that goes mostly unspoken in the film. Story continues It was really, really hard to find people who were willing to speak out against their company. Theres a phrase that people use in Silicon Valley, called the golden handcuffs. You work at the company and even if you dont like it, youre making so much money that you have no incentive to leave, Orlowski says. Its also really hard to speak out against people that youve worked with really closely and youre friends with, and to say you disagree with the fundamental premise of the company you work for. Prominently featured in the film is Tristan Harris, who sold his start-up Apture to Google and then was hired by Google to work as a design ethicist. (Orlowski and Harris know each other from their undergrad years at Stanford.) Harris has since become an advocate for digital wellbeing he released a document, A Call to Minimize Distraction & Respect Users Attention, while still employed by Google, which makes the majority of its profits by selling ads. The idea of filter bubblers a term coined by tech activist Eli Pariser to describe the idea that algorithms increasingly show users information that aligns with their established ideology, cocooning them from opposing ideas had been in the back of Orlowskis mind since 2011. But it was Harris sitdown interview with Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes in 2017 that brought the focus of a documentary front of mind for Orlowski. He previously turned his lens on climate change through his previous two documentaries, Chasing Ice and Chasing Coral, which explore the disappearance of glaciers and coral reef ecosystems. At first glance, Social Dilemma seems like a genre shift. I always thought [climate change] was the biggest issue we needed to pay attention to, Orlowski says. When we started learning about how our technology is invisibly changing our society, we realized this is a huge, important existential threat.It was another huge problem driven by a business model that isnt designed with humanitys interests at heart. When discussing social media, Orlowski draws easy parallels to fossil fuels. As tools, both have the power to connect people across large geographic distances: fossil fuels power planes and cars, while social media allows users to connect with people anywhere in the world without leaving their homes. But left unregulated, both fossil fuels and social media have troubling societal consequences. Only years later do we realize there were negative consequences. And the same thing with social media: we discovered that this ability to connect people can have great things, but it also has these huge, huge consequences, Orlowski says. Thats what we need to have a reckoning with. In addition to traditional documentary techniques, the film incorporates a fictionalized drama narrative to illustrate Facebooks algorithmic approach to capturing and retaining user attention. Orlowski wanted to illustrate what was going on behind-the-scenes, and decided to anthropomorphize the algorithms. Its like a more nefarious version of Inside Out. As I was learning more and more about how the software worked, I just kept picturing the algorithms on the other side of the screen, Orlowski says. The conversation in the tech sphere continues to shift; many companies have paused their AI programs to address questions of racial biases, and earlier this summer, tech leaders were called to address Congress in an antitrust hearing. Until the companies actively change their financial incentives, meaning they actively change their business model, I wont trust them, Orlowski says. Their incentives still are aligned for attention and eyeballs and getting things to stick. We need to see a real demonstration that they want to build something that puts societys interests at its core. And I think that does require a huge shift. Nonetheless, Orlowski is a tech optimist. The intention wasnt to create this behemoth of a monster that we have before us today, he adds. I believe that the people who work at these companies are hoping and intending to do well. Its just that the business model that they are based around set up all these incentives that work against societys interests. Shortly after the films Sundance premiere, Orlowski and his team decided to add mention of the pandemic to the film as misinformation about the virus and health and safety began spreading online. The story keeps changing every week, Orlowski says. In May, they locked the film for delivery. Since then, Orlowski and his production company, Exposure Labs, have been focused on connecting the film to change-makers politicians, tech companies and engineers and social media users, who ultimately have agency to decide whether or not to use each platform. Not surprisingly, Orlowski never rejoined social media after making the film. The documentary, however, is active on social media. But instead of angling for followers and likes, the team is hoping to use its social media platform, operating separately from Netflix, as a forum for education and conversation. Were not trying to optimize for numbers or metrics or things like that, were really just trying to get quality information out to the public, he says. And while Orlowski was drawn to Facebook during the last election season, he hasnt been missing it this go-around. I get news from news sources. I hang out with my friends via phone calls and FaceTime, he says. Im using FaceTime with family and close friends almost more than ever during COVID-19. And Apple FaceTime isnt trying to send me a message, Oh, you know, you should talk to this person. Theyre not gamifying. Theyre just sitting there as a tool waiting to be used for me to connect with somebody. More From the Eye: A 72 AMC Javelin Brought Pierre Cardin and Directors Todd Hughes and P. David Ebersole Together She Dies Tomorrow Director Amy Seimetz Touches on the Inevitable The RZA on Directing Cut Throat City, a Post-Hurricane Katrina Heist Film Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Washington: India-US defence relationship is on the right path and the two nations are discussing ways to develop this partnership through technology sharing, co-production, Americas outgoing Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said on Wednesday. Were on the right path. Its just a matter of taking those steps. And they involve deepening our cooperation in lots of ways. I mean, theres exercises and other kinds of operational activities, Carter told reporters at final Pentagon news conference. In various capacities, Carter has been closely involved in building India-US defence relationship over the years and in the last few years he gave a great impetus to the ties between the two largest democracies of the world. Last summer he was instrumental in US declaring India as a major defence partner. There is something that I think Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and Defence Minister (Manohar) Parrikar have been equally intent upon as President Obama and myself, which is the development of defence relationships for new technology, which involve technology sharing, co-production, and so forth, Carter said in response to a question. We have a great number of projects. I was in New Delhi not long ago and discussing all these, and there are many of themso too many to enumerate. All of them on course. They all have their own schedules and sort of technical timelines to them, he said. But this is a relationship which is, Ive said many times, is destined for the future because of the nature of our two societies, the values that we share; the human relationship between our peoples, Carter said For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Update, 3/21: LUnico Alimentari has closed. Caitlyn Hamel-Spencer is no stranger to operating a business outdoors in Oregon. Growing up, her entire family would take turns helping out at Crispins Imports, her mothers gallery at the Portland Saturday Market. So, after living in New York City, where she fell in love with Italian-born chef Lanfranco Paliotti at the Brooklyn trattoria Evalina, the decision to return to Portland and open a food cart just made sense. At Lunico Alimentari (roughly, unique eats), Hamel-Spencer and Paliotti have joined the tradition of great Portland pasta carts Artigiano and the restaurant-bound Gumba, serving gorgeous Italian food informed by Paliottis childhood in Ascoli Piceno northeast of Rome, as well as his experience cooking at some of the top restaurants in London (Oblix), New York (Boulud Sud) and San Francisco (Acquarello). I really grew up in Old Town and downtown, Hamel-Spencer says. But after launching at the market for a couple of weekends at the end of winter, it was very apparent that that was not our clientele. One of our number one sellers is a meatball sub, and we maybe sold 10 of them. Total. And then the pandemic really threw a wrench into our works. In spring, Hamel-Spencer and Paliotti secured a spot at Cartside, a new pod with an indoor beer bar tucked among the new development on inner North Williams Avenue. The pods name, a play on court-side (as in seats), seemed well-positioned to serve as a base camp for anyone headed for events at the nearby Moda Center, particularly Blazers fans. COVID-19 put a quick end to that, at least for this year. Early on, the cart specialized in arancini, fritto misto, mozzarella balls and dabbled with panzerotti, the fried mini calzones you might have tried at Bari, the Southeast Portland panzerotti specialists. But after scaling back on those prep-intensive fried starters, which occasionally appear as specials, the menu is now divided into beautifully fresh and seasonal salads (including a typically gorgeous tomato panzanella), interesting (if not always essential) sandwiches and pastas that could hold their own against all but a handful of Portlands best restaurants. Outside of the ever-popular meatball Parm, LUnico Alimentaris signature dish is probably the Dungeness crab bucatini, with hollow noodles slicked in Pecorino Romano and emulsified pasta water that serve as a pedestal for barely adorned lumps of crab. Paliotti has a knack for finding quality ingredients, then each shine on its own. That also goes for the tornado-shaped torchio pasta with its ragu of wild mushrooms, and a recent twisted trofie pasta with a vibrant pesto, stretchy burrata and some de-skinned confit tomatoes, each made with Paliottis favorite imported Rusticera Abruzzo noodles and more of that reserved pasta water. Home cooks have probably read about the importance of using a little salty, starchy pasta water to punch up the flavor and texture of your pasta. After trying LUnico Alimentari, you might never dump your pasta water out again. In the beginning, we didnt think we would be a pasta cart, Hamel-Spencer says. We were very much so proven wrong. Noon to 7 p.m. Thursday-Sunday; 11 to 3 p.m. Mondays; 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays; 1825 N. Williams Ave.; 415-430-5472; lunicopdx.com. This story is part of our annual guide to Portlands best new food carts. Know of a cart that opened in the past year that you think we should know about? Drop me a line at mrussell@oregonian.com and let me know why you love it. -- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After being shuttered for nearly six months, Staten Islands economic engine, the Staten Island Mall, reopened for business on Wednesday amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with more than 50% of the stores eager to greet customers. Im ecstatic, said James Easley, senior Mall manager. The Mall is Staten Islands economic engine. Its like a small city. ...When it was closed, there were so many jobs gone -- the retailers, restaurants, landscapers, cleaners, the construction workers, everybody.... It felt so weird to come in here every day. ...Its nice to see people here again. Chernivtsi City Council plans to file a lawsuit against the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine demanding to cancel the establishment of a "red" lockdown zone in the city. According to the city council's press service, on Wednesday residents of Chernivtsi gathered for a rally "No Remote Learning!" In particular, people asked the authorities to allow the opening of schools and kindergartens. "It is important for us to protect our principals and teachers from pressure from the central government and the police. They are really afraid of the imposition of fines of UAH 17,000 or UAH 34,000. Therefore, I think that we all need to support them," secretary of the city council Vasyl Prodan said. The official also said that Chernivtsi City Council plans to file a lawsuit against the Cabinet of Ministers demanding to cancel the establishment of the "red" lockdown zone in the city. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) The regional office of the Department of Interior and Local Government in Zamboanga Peninsula has been placed under a 14-day lockdown after some of the employees contracted the coronavirus disease. In a statement released on Wednesday, regional director Paisal Abutazil said staff members who have tested positive for the virus, as well as those who have exhibited COVID-19 symptoms over the past few weeks, are currently under quarantine either at home or at local health units. Abutazil, however, did not divulge how many employees were confirmed positive. Disinfection procedures in the office premises are already underway to avoid further spread of the virus, he said. We have also asked assistance from our local government units in our contact tracing efforts to track down possible outbreaks in our local communities, he added. Abutazil also assured that his office will continue to provide necessary assistance to local government units in the region by operating through the DILG provincial and field offices. As of Sept. 8, Zamboanga Peninsula tallied 1,605 COVID-19 infections, based on data from its regional health office. Of this number, 476 are active cases or currently ill patients, with 1,064 recoveries and 60 deaths. American Airlines has imposed an indefinite ban on a passenger after she handed a flight attendant an expletive-laden handwritten note calling her, among other things, 'a glorified maid' and a 'mask Nazi.' The incident took place on September 3 and was purportedly sparked by a dispute over the airline's policy requiring all passengers to wear face coverings in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. One traveler apparently took umbrage at being asked to cover her nose with her face mask and decided to make her feelings known to one of the flight attendants. This screenshot shared on Twitter on September 3 shows a note that an angry passenger handed to an American Airlines flight attendant after she asked the woman to wear a face mask properly When the flight reached its destination, which has not been revealed, and passengers were getting off the plane, the disgruntled traveler handed the flight attendant a note written on a folded paper bag marked 'WASTE.' Twitter user @hibiscuslacoix shared a screenshot of the profanity-filled derogatory screed later that same day, writing: 'today a passenger handed this to a flight attendant upon deplaning. the flight attendant had asked her to wear her mask over her nose.' The note opened with the words: 'You mean s*** in life. You are nothing but a glorified maid who needs to jump down off her high horse and learn how to speak to ppl [sic]. Nobody cares about your stupid seat policies or your nose issues. We pay your salary and your attitude is unnecessary.' The indignant passenger continued, further ratcheting up her rhetoric: 'The very fact that we have to listen & kowtow to a nobody who does s*** except collect our trash and serve crappy food makes me absolutely ill. You are a mask nazi [sic] and a 4 eyed c*** and if it wasnt for this job, you would be cleaning motel rooms for $2 tips and meth.' The author of the vile missive directed at the unsuspecting American Airlines employee concluded by explaining her decision to write it on a bag intended for the disposal of refuse. 'I make sure to write it on a bag labeled as to what I think your life actually is... A WASTE,' she clarified. American Airlines has banned the passenger who wrote the note and launched an investigation into the incident The infuriated passenger did not use her name when signing the letter, instead writing, 'a person who hates your guts.' American Airlines has confirmed the incident involving the offensive note and said it is investigating. Airline spokesman Curtis Blessing told McClatchy News in a statement that the passenger's ability to fly American has been suspended. 'Our flight attendants are professionals who play a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of our passengers, and we will not tolerate mistreatment of them,' he added. The Sunday Times Sage Tech Track 100 provides an annual ranking of Britain's 100 private tech (TMT) with the fastest-growing sales over their latest three years. Exclaimer was awarded this prestigious accolade in recognition of its outstanding short-term growth in global sales over this time relative to its business size and sector. Exclaimer's software is used by more than 75 million employees in 150 countries to design and centrally manage corporate email signatures and legal disclaimers. With regional offices in the Netherlands and the US, Exclaimer successfully grew its sales by 59.62% over the last three years, which led to the recognition of this award. This year's special COVID-19 edition highlights the important contribution that technology companies made to the UK during the pandemic, from supporting the NHS to enabling remote working. In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, Exclaimer expanded capacity in its datacenters by more than 150 percent to ensure its customers continued to experience a reliable service, despite the fluctuations in datacenter capacity. Heath Davies, CEO at Exclaimer commented on the recent announcement: "It's an honor to be recognized by the Sunday Times Sage Tech Track 100 for our contribution to the technology sector and, of course, to our customers during such a difficult year. "Not only does the league table highlight Exclaimer's hard work, but it's also a fantastic platform, which both showcases and supports tech companies as they continue to thrive during a difficult time." This highly respected list compiled by Fast Track is published in The Sunday Times each September. The national 20th annual Tech Track 100 Awards will be held as a virtual event on Tuesday 03 November. Enquiries : Exclaimer Maria Dahlqvist Canton Head of Global Marketing Phone: +44 (0)1252 531422 Email : [email protected] About Exclaimer For nearly 20 years, Exclaimer has been providing world-class email signature management solutions for Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), Microsoft Exchange and G Suite. Headquartered just outside of London and with regional offices worldwide, its products are used by over 75 million users in 150+ countries. Its diverse customer base includes renowned international organizations such as Sony, Mattel, 10 Downing Street, NBC, the Government of Canada, the BBC, and many more organizations of all sectors and sizes. The company has been the recipient of multiple industry awards over the years and was the first company of its type to successfully achieve the ISO 27001 Certification for its cloud-based signature management service. For more information on Exclaimer, please visit www.exclaimer.com SOURCE Exclaimer Boston has gone a week without a COVID-19 death, marking what Mayor Martin Walsh described on Tuesday as a very encouraging span. Walsh said 25 new cases of the coronavirus logged Tuesday brought the citys cumulative caseload to 15,967 since the onset of the pandemic, and its death toll has held steady at 754 since last week. Statewide, there have been 121,214 total test-confirmed cases and 9,141 deaths among people with confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases, according to the Department of Public Health. In an afternoon press conference outside City Hall, Walsh discussed Bostons COVID-19 metrics and the dozen shootings that city police responded to over the holiday weekend. After a couple of weeks of decline, the citys positive test rate stands at 1.7 percent, Walsh said. East Boston continues to have the highest positive rate of any neighborhood in the capital city, at 8.7 percent as of Sept. 1. That number is down from 11.4 percent three weeks ago. Thats a good way to see the numbers go, Walsh said. We want to continue that downward trajectory, if you will, over in East Boston, with testing. Walsh said city officials launched an elevated outreach plan three weeks ago, targeting East Boston with efforts like the distribution of kits with cleaning supplies and virus information, partnerships with churches, and messaging for people in multi-generational households about strategies they can use to limit transmission. 12 Shootings in 3 Days Separately, Walsh and Police Commissioner Willie Gross said Boston city departments and other agencies convened ahead of the Labor Day holiday to plan violence prevention and response efforts. Walsh said some sort of violence is not unusual for Labor Day weekend -- though he said any act of violence, at any time, is unacceptable -- and Gross characterized the weekend as a long one, with 12 unrelated shootings in the city. At this time, our investigations reveal that none of the twelve shootings are connected, Gross said. Gross thanked residents whose 911 calls helped police make gun arrests or facilitate investigations. It was a long weekend, he said. Instead of being hyper-critical, for some folks, get out there and talk to your constituency, because a lot of the kids that are involved in the shootings or in drag-racing or fireworks are part of your constituency. The police cant wear all the hats. We need everyone to do their jobs, not point figures. Gross said he welcomes an eventual full reopening of the court system, which like many entities had to rethink its operations to accommodate the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. We definitely welcome the courts to reopen. Theres the COVID-19 situation that prevents them from doing so, but whether its virtually or until that time, we need the courts to be open, because these individuals causing violence in our neighborhoods should be locked up, Gross said. Thats why you have twelve shootings within three days. There has to be some accountability. Like other parts of the states court system, Boston Municipal Court and Suffolk Superior Court are open for in-person proceedings on a limited basis with health and safety protocols in place, with other matters conducted virtually. Jury trials originally scheduled to start between March 14 and Sept. 4 were ordered to be continued to dates no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 8, and no new grand jury could be empaneled before Tuesday unless ordered by the Supreme Judicial Court. Walsh said that while courts are open, some are operating in modes that are not as full as they have been. He said it is important to send a very strong message that if you do something bad in the city, that you will be brought to court and prosecuted by the appropriate authority. In what appears to be a staged interview, the Russian man posing as a Belarusian protester is ironically speaking against fake news, as well as external interference. In the light of recent reports of Russian propaganda pundits taking over control of the Belarusian state TV with long-time ruler Alexander Lukashenko's personal blessing, the latest disinformation trick has been exposed, becoming an embarrassment for its masterminds. A pro-government Belarus 1 TV channel took a street interview with a man posing as a local activist who stands for having Alexander Lukashenko retain power and condemns "fake news and foreign meddling," NEXTA Telegram channel reports. Read alsoKuleba: Russia exercising "fairly effective control" over Belarus eventsIn a twist, the interviewee was exposed as a Russian national, Anton Tarasov, who even ran for the Russian legislature with the Communist Party at one of Moscow's constituencies. "So this guy is precisely the fake news and foreign meddling, against which he claims to stand," Aleksei Novoselov, an independent journalist from Belarus, tweeted on Wednesday. Russia's "support" for Lukashenko FAIRFAX, Va., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Futuris Company (OTC: FTRS) (OTC: MISMD) ("Futuris" or the "Company"), a Human Capital Management (HCM) company focused on the acquisition and operation of executive search, staffing and consulting companies, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire majority ownership in two Cherry Hill, New Jersey based staffing companies, Fourth Technologies, Inc. ("Fortek") and Soft2001, Inc. ("Soft2001") who combined are generating total annual revenue of approximately $7.25 million. Both transactions are expected to close in September 2020. Fortek has been in the IT, Engineering and IT Management business sectors for over thirty years, delivering innovative solutions for clients in the commercial, industrial and federal workplace. Their clients range from small and medium-sized business to Fortune 1000 companies for whom they execute a variety of services from contract and permanent hire to fixed-price and project-based staffing contracts on a time and material basis. Fortek reduces the total cost of ownership of IT resources, increases project velocity and adds significant value to the customer's operational teams while decreasing staffing and project overhead. Key technology focus areas for Fortek are Cloud Services, Test and Robotic Process Automation, Cybersecurity, Object Oriented Programming and Machine Learning/AI. Founded in 1996, Soft2001 started with a focus on Financial and Accounting software, systems and best practices. Now, they also service customers in the areas of Software Architecture, Design, Programming, Systems Integration, Quality Assurance and Testing. By leveraging their experience in technology, domain and processes, Soft2001 delivers measurable benefits such as increase in productivity, decrease in effort overrun, increase in customer satisfaction and timely delivery. "We are pleased to announce our definitive agreement to acquire majority ownership in Fortek and Soft2001. The addition of these businesses will complement our growth strategy with operational synergies and proprietary technology. Located in a key northeast region of the United States, New Jersey is a large job market with many established companies operating in the staffing and recruiting space," stated Kalyan Pathuri, President of Futuris Company. "We believe that Fortek and Soft2001 will benefit from the Futuris platform and in turn, offer great opportunities for Futuris to access valuable client relationships with IT companies and the local job market." About Futuris Company Futuris is a Human Capital Management (HCM) company focused on the acquisition and operation of executive search, staffing and consulting companies that specialize in professional service verticals such as medical, accounting/finance, information technology, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), and human resources. The Company is committed to building a global staffing company through highly targeted and accretive acquisitions and operational efficiencies. For more information, please visit http://futuris.company/. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, anything relating or referring to future financial results and plans for future business development activities, and are thus prospective. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties some of which cannot be predicted or quantified based on current expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties set forth from time to time in reports filed by Futuris Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the financial condition of our business and although the company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Consequently, future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward the forward-looking statements contained herein. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly release statements made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Investor Contact KCSA Strategic Communications Valter Pinto / Allison Soss [email protected] PH: (212) 896-1254 SOURCE Futuris Company Related Links http://futuris.company/ An African-American administrator filed a $110,000 lawsuit Tuesday against Oregon Health & Science University, claiming that a supervisor told her to straighten her curly hair and stereotyped her as an angry black woman before firing her within three weeks of her arrival on the job. Rhonda Fosters lawsuit alleges that she discovered a climate of racial discrimination at OHSU after she was hired as interim chief nursing officer at the universitys Doernbecher Childrens Hospital in November 2018. The suit says a white supervisor told her she should straighten her hair before she interviewed for a permanent job. In another instance, the suit alleges that when Foster told the same supervisor she was thinking of finding a permanent home in Lake Oswego, the supervisor questioned whether Foster could afford to live there and asked whether it was the right place for Foster. The suit also alleges Foster was viewed as an angry black woman because she questioned two employees in separate meetings about past patient safety lapses at the hospital, and the employees started crying. The lawsuit says Foster was fired by the end of November 2018 for merely doing her job. The suit describes her as a whistleblower. Tuesday, OHSU spokeswoman Tamara Hargens-Bradley said the institution cant comment on the lawsuits allegations because of employee confidentiality. But Hargens-Bradley said OHSU takes seriously and investigates all allegations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation and such behavior is subject to discipline, up to and including termination. Hargens-Bradley said OHSU also embraces a culture of inclusion and encourages employees, learners, patients and visitors who witness harassment or discrimination at OHSU to report it... Among the alleged patient safety lapses that Foster was trying to address was a burn that a young patient suffered as a result of hospital care. The suit says nursing staff considered it a tear, failed to take responsibility and treated it improperly despite the mothers concerns, according to the lawsuit. In another case, a young patient received a surgical transplant of a body part that was from the left side of a cadaver but was placed on the right side of the recipients body, the suit states. The childs parents werent informed because the surgeon made it work, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges that OHSUs Diversity Action Plan was created in 2013 after a 2010 survey found that minority employees and students felt like OHSUs climate didnt foster diversity. The suit alleges that the problems persist and that Black employees and students have reported that theyre still experiencing racial discrimination and harassment. According to 2019 statistics, 3% of the institutions workforce is Black. According to the U.S. Census, 5.8% of the Portland area is Black, and 2.2% of Oregon is. OHSU has been criticized for three incidents in four years involving nooses or images of nooses. In late 2016, a white employee taped up a miniature noose next to a sign that read Stress Reduction Kit and Bang Head Here. A Black employee who complained was told it was a joke about stress, according to The Portland Tribune. In November 2019, a noose was found on a construction cone on OHSUs campus. The university investigated but wasnt able to identify a suspect. In April, an employee posted an image of two nooses in an online chatroom. Danny Jacobs, OHSUs first Black president, said the university took strong disciplinary action against the employee and unequivocally condemned any representation of a noose or other hateful symbols on our campus. According to The LUND Report, a group of Black employees sent leaders an email last week accusing OHSU of being an enabler of racism for not taking substantial action in the noose cases. The email stated that Black employees dont trust the human resources department after instances of staff reporting racism only for HR to gaslight them, according to The LUND Report. Tuesdays lawsuit also lists First String Healthcare and parent company AMN Healthcare as defendants, stating that First String is a company that specializes in placing high-level healthcare employees in jobs. The suit states that First String recruited Foster from California and then fired her after OHSU told it to do so. Jim Gogek, a spokesman for AMN Healthcare, declined comment Tuesday because of the pending litigation. Portland attorneys J. Ashlee Albies and Quinn Kuranz filed the lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court, on behalf of Foster. -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee Between 1817 and 1865, approximately 4,000 enslaved people worked on the campus at the Thomas Jeffersonfounded University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Both owned and rented by the university, these forced laborers were responsible for the creation and maintenance of the schools lauded grounds, including the UNESCO Heritageprotected Rotunda that was designed by Jefferson, an architect, the third United States president, and a slave owner. Catalyzed in 2010 by a group of students who assembled themselves to raise awareness about the history of slavery at UVA, the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers honors the community of African Americans who built and maintained the lives of the student, faculty, and staff at the very campus where it is sited. Designed by a team of collaborators that includes architecture firm Howeler + Yoon, designer and historian Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, Gregg Bleam Landscape Architect, community facilitator Dr. Frank Dukes, and artist Eto Otitigbe, the circular memorial is intentionally unfinished in its inscriptions, representing the work still to be done to combat anti-Black racism. Alan Karchmer / University of Virginia Memorial to Enslaved Laborers Photo: Alan Karchmer / Courtesy: Howeler + Yoon Architecture. This memorial has the responsibility to acknowledge history, to honor the lives of the enslaved, and bring them the dignity and humanity that was taken away from them by the dehumanizing act of slavery, but also to be a space that acknowledges that the work of addressing the issues of race in America is not finished, Meejin Yoon, cofounding principal of Howeler + Yoon and dean of architecture at Cornell University, tells AD. Two years after the aforementioned students organized a competition for a memorial for the laborers enslaved at their college, UVA formed the Presidents Commission on Slavery and the University (PCSU) to research its history of slavery and explore ways to recognize the contributions of enslaved people to the institution. In 2016 the school commissioned the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, eventually sited on the Triangle of Grass, a piece of the UNESCO World Heritagepreserved grounds just east of the Rotunda. Here, the landscapeincluding UVAs iconic serpentine wallswas originally designed to hide views of enslaved workers on campus. Story continues The memorial is created of local granite, hewn in several ways for a variety of textural effects. The 80-foot-diameter memorial features a central gathering space, a water table with a timeline honoring the enslaved people at UVA (beginning in 1619 with the first arrival of enslaved Africans to Virginia), a memory wall of their names and marks, and a portrait by Otitigbe of Isabella Gibbons, a formerly enslaved person who was later a teacher in Charlottesville. Each design element is bathed in layers of meaning: Water references African libation rituals, baptism, the Middle Passage, and river routes to liberation; the textured granite represents both the physical suffering and enduring spirit of enslaved people; its ring shape is a reference to the African liberation ring shout dance and meant to evoke a sheltering embrace. Alan Karchmer / University of Virginia Memorial to Enslaved Laborers Photo: Alan Karchmer / Courtesy: Howeler + Yoon Architecture. In addition to revealing slaverys past, the memorial articulates the enduring segregation and inequality that resultedthe centrality of slavery to America and American economics, and also the violence inherent in jumpstarting the nation by maintaining slavery, says Wilsonand allows a place for descendants to mourn, contemplate, and be acknowledged. Yoon notes how difficult it was for the team to trace the history of slavery at the school due to inefficient record-keeping. Of the 4,000 known enslaved community members at UVA, historians were only able to find full names for 578 and nameless kinship relationships for another 311. These forgotten, buried, and lost histories were crucial to the creation of the memorial. Their names will be added as they are uncovered. Though its official dedication ceremony in April was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Memorial for Enslaved Laborers has spontaneously become a place for gathering and contemplation during nationwide protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement since the killing of George Floyd in late May. Seeing engagement with the memorial is proof of a successful community engagement process, says Wilson. Your constituents will challenge you and if you make it a productive dialogue, they will realize that your work has listened to them. Thats invaluable, she explains. You need people to do memory work. There are statues whose values are no longer reflective of the community. We heard what people wanted. Photo: Howeler + Yoon Architecture What the people wanted was a multifaceted, contemporary space for mourning, gathering, learning, and understanding. Says Yoon: The memorial needs to be understood as part of the commemorative landscape of racial justice today, thats why it should be an ongoing open project. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Pushkar Banakar And Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Even as tensions continue to rise between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, reports of firing on Monday have led to fears of a possible spillover of the tensions to other sectors of the border areas. Tensions rose between New Delhi and Beijing after China late on Monday claimed that Indian troops illegally crossed the LAC and resorting to firing indiscriminately. India denied the accusation and alleged that China was being provocative. It appears that rather than disengagement and de-escalation, the border is heating up. If the firing story is correct, we are moving towards a major escalation that may spill into other sectors. It is Article VI of the Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the LAC which stipulates that there must be no firing within two kilometres of the LAC. Unfortunately, not only this article, but the entire body of CBMs and agreements have also been violated, and there are attempts to change the status quo and make a fait accompli of the transgression. I hope good sense prevails, status quo ante is restored and relationship put back on the track, BR Deepak, Sinologist and chairperson of the Centre for Chinese and South Asian Studies at JNU, said. Echoing is view was a former diplomat who said if true, it would be the first time in decades that gunshots were fired. If there was firing, all the hard work that the previous regimes had put in to bring the agreements and CBMs into operation will go to waste. Also, if you notice there is a pattern. First, it was stones, then sticks and now gunshots. This will lead to a massive escalation, he said. ALSO READ | Chinese PLA armed with machetes, rifles deployed along LAC Zorawar Daulet Singh, Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, said the current events are eerily similar to the lead up to the 1962 war. The belief that a conflict will be localised and controllable was the reason India got caught off guard. Today, the Modi government has given far too much leeway to the military leadership to resolve this crisis. But it has only deepened the impasse and hardened positions on both sides. It is time for the political leadership to take over the crisis management process as the buck will stop at the PMO, he said.Tensions have continued to simmer since the June 15 face-off in the Galwan Valley. Former Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major believes that the situation has been tense since India captured the heights on the North and South banks of the Pangong Tso. One thing is clear that we have taken those heights and are going to stay. So far, the troops were not facing each other so closely and the situation was different. It is difficult to say as to what could happen in the future. But this doesnt mean we should be lax, he said. Former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash warned that today they fired in the air and next time, there could be firing at each other. Once light firing gets escalated, it cannot be controlled thus involving mortar, tanks and artillery. The first effort should be made to not to allow the situation go out of control. If escalation happens, we should have plans involving the Army and Air Force with full force for a good response, Prakash said. An Ontario court has finished what gas pumps themselves began by rejecting Premier Doug Fords anti-carbon tax stickers. The Ontario Superior Court has ruled that the mandatory gas-pump stickers attacking federal carbon-pricing measures violate business owners freedom of expression and are unconstitutional. This is the perfect opportunity for the Ford government to abandon these ridiculous gimmicks. The government should not appeal the courts ruling. Instead, the premier should follow the same course he took when he abandoned the troubled overhaul of Ontarios licence plates. In the midst of a pandemic, he said at the time, hes got bigger things to think about. Im not putting any more resources to this, Ford said in May when he put an end to the failed and utterly unnecessary double-blue redesign. These plates have not been top of mind for me over the last little while. He could and really should say the very same thing again, replacing plates with stickers. Surely Ford has little desire to continue fighting a losing battle over something that was only ever a cheap partisan tactic. Not when hes got a whole host of real problems both a health crisis and an economic crisis to deal with. The many Ontarians who have been pleasantly surprised by the premiers less combative tone, more collaborative behaviour and increased willingness to listen to experts since the start of the pandemic would certainly rather see more of that new Ford than any resurgence of the old Ford. And the gas-pump decals, in which taxpayer funds are used to attack another level of government while misleading the public, are nothing but a sticky reminder of the old Ford and his worst tendencies. Thats the Ford who inflated the provincial deficit through questionable accounting practices just to have something else to blame the previous Liberal government for and provide cover for his planned cuts. The Ford who cut public health funding before backtracking. The Ford who overhauled autism services making them worse than ever for families in need. The Ford who vindictively cut Toronto council in half in the middle of the municipal election. Thats also the Ford who was booed at public events and was so toxic to the Conservative brand that the federal party shunned him in the last federal election. Nowhere has Fords apparent pandemic transformation been greater than when it comes to relations with other levels of government. The premier now makes a point of publicly lauding Toronto Mayor John Tory. Hes been positively effusive in his praise of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who he says has stepped up and showed true leadership in helping provinces with billions in pandemic aid. He calls Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland amazing and incredible. And he says he intends to stay out of federal politics. Given all that, how could Ford continue pushing these anti-carbon tax stickers and the corollary claim that the Trudeau Liberals dont care about heaping unaffordable costs on hardworking Ontarians? Why would he even want to? The version of Ford that has emerged during the pandemic is, according to numerous opinion polls, wildly more popular than the original version. It remains to be seen how much of this change will be lasting or what it will mean. Will future policies be better or does this just come down to kinder words? The stickers, backed by legislation to force businesses to put up what amounts to a political ad, began as a demonstration of Fords gross partisan tendencies. Then they became a sign of his governments incompetence, given it couldnt even manage to get the right adhesive so theyd stick to the pumps. What happens next appeal or no appeal will be an indication of whether the premier really is a changed man. Read more about: 3 Kenyan fishermen go missing after crossing to Tanzanian side Three fishermen from Ringiti Island who went missing after going for a fishing activity a fortnight ago have not yet been found, TUKO.co.ke has established. Kennedy Omondi, 38, Brian Juma, 22, and William Otieno went missing after they left the island two weeks ago for their normal fishing expedition in the waters of Lake Victoria. The Beach Management Unit expressed fears the fishermen could have drowned in the lake since their whereabouts are still unclear with their mobile phones are off. According to Suba Sub County Beach Management Unit Chairperson William Onditi, the boat engine used by the missing men was found by a group of fishermen from Goziba Island in the neighbouring country Tanzania. Onditi said they travelled to Tanzania and were surprised to find the engine separate from the other parts of the boat which were spotted floating on the water indicating it could have split before they drowned and died on the spot. Tuko.co.ke, 2020 Theme(s): Others. Benchmark equity indices - Sensex and Nifty - closed in red on Wednesday on global sell-off, border tensions with China and concerns around coronavirus vaccine. Sensex tanked 171 points, tracking losses in index heavyweights HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Infosys amid weak global cues. After dipping 430.09 points during the day, the 30-share BSE index recovered some lost ground and ended 171.43 points or 0.45 per cent lower at 38,193.92. The NSE Nifty ended 39.35 points or 0.35 per cent down at 11,278. On Tuesday, Sensex ended 51.88 points or 0.14 per cent lower at 38,365.35; while the NSE Nifty slipped 37.70 points or 0.33 per cent to 11,317.35. SBI was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 4 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, ONGC, ITC, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finance, Kotak Bank and HDFC Bank. On the other hand, Tata Steel, Reliance Industries, IndusInd Bank, Sun Pharma and Asian Paints were among the gainers. Earlier today, Reliance Industries announced that the US private equity firm Silver Lake Partners picked up 1.75 per cent stake in the retail arm of the company for Rs 7,500 crore. "After opening with losses and drifting lower, the benchmark indices recovered towards the latter half of trading but still ended the day with losses. With Asian markets all ending in losses, the slight recovery seen in the Indian markets mirrored the positive opening in the European markets. A sell-off in the US tech stocks and a setback to one of the vaccine trials kept markets on edge. Indian markets are expected to be in sync with the global markets and also react to the ongoing border tensions with China. There are currently no fresh triggers for the market and we can expect volatility," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services. S Ranganathan, Head of Research, LKP Securities, said, "On a day when the bulls had nothing going for them, with GDP forecast, geopolitical issues and the underperformance of PSU stocks playing against them, we witnessed a spirited comeback in late afternoon trade. Select pivotals led by Reliance took the lead, ably supported by several stocks across sectors, despite the hiccups seen in several cash market stocks." Domestic equities traded on a negative note tracking weak cues from global equities after late-stage studies of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate were put on temporary hold, traders said. The company said it is investigating whether a recipient's "potentially unexplained" illness is a side effect of the shot. Tensions have also escalated between Indian and Chinese forces along LAC after reports that shots were fired for the first time in 45 years. Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo ended with significant losses. Stock exchanges in Europe, however, were trading on a positive note in early deals. Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 1.33 per cent higher at $40.31 per barrel. In the forex market, the rupee appreciated 5 paise to close at 73.55 against the US dollar. "Markets are mirroring the global counterparts and we do not notice this scenario changing any time soon. Nifty has the next major support around 11,100 levels. Since we are seeing a mixed trend on the sectoral front, we suggest preferring defensive viz. FMCG, pharma and IT for long trades during the corrective phase. On the flip side, we may see further deterioration in banking and select PSU stocks," said Ajit Mishra, VP, Research, Religare Broking. Also read: Is Reliance Industries stock in less than Rs 2,100 good investment? Also read: BofA Securities is betting on RIL 'layer of commerce' Hollywood star Tom Hanks has arrived back in Queensland after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on the Gold Coast in March in one of the world's most high-profile cases. And Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said, just like anyone else, Hanks would be subject to random police checks to ensure he remained in quarantine. Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson were quarantined in Australia after contracting coronavirus. Hanks, who has returned to finish filming an Elvis Presley biopic helmed by Baz Luhrmann on the Gold Coast, was taken straight into hotel quarantine after flying into the state on a private jet on Tuesday night. The double Oscar-winner and other members of the crew are staying at a Gold Coast hotel that is not one of Queensland Health's designated quarantine hotels. By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijan and the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) have discussed sustainability of transit cargo flows through Azerbaijan and implementation of the Trans-Eurasian Super Information Highway project. The discussion was held in Baku between Minister Ramin Guluzade and Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) Baghdad Amreyev on September 8. The meeting followed the one held between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Secretary-General Baghdad Amreyev. The sides discussed holding a meeting of the Transport Coordinating Council that was set up on April 30 to accelerate resolving emerging issues and to effectively coordinate transport and logistics during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Guluzadeh spoke about the measures taken by the country to address the issues raised during the video conference held on April 30 this year with the participation of transport ministers of the CCTS member states in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sides exchanged views on the expansion of the startup movement, as well as the organization of joint work on the development of startups within the CCTS. It should be noted that on May 6, the Ministers of Economy of the Turkic Council agreed to establish Joint Action Plan to curb challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The decision to this effect was made during the video-conference held between the ministers and Heads of Customs Administrations of the Turkic Council Member and Observer States. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz E. Jean Carroll visits 'Tell Me Everything' with John Fugelsang in the SiriusXM Studios on July 11, 2019 in New York. The White House requested that the U.S. Justice Department launch a last-minute, controversial effort to intervene in a lawsuit in which President Donald Trump is accused of defaming E. Jean Carroll, a writer who says Trump raped her years ago, Attorney General William Barr revealed Wednesday. Barr also said that American taxpayers and not Trump personally will be responsible for any monetary damages awarded Carroll, if she proves her claims against the president, and if a judge agrees to allow the Department of Justice to handle the case. Barr defended the DOJ's intervention in the case as proper and warranted by both the law and recent practice by other administrations. The DOJ on Tuesday filed a legal action seeking to transfer Carroll's defamation lawsuit against Trump, which was filed in New York state court, to Manhattan federal court. The action also asks that the United States government replace Trump as the defendant in the case. The case was assigned Wednesday to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who was appointed to the bench by President Bill Clinton. Kaplan has yet to schedule a hearing on the DOJ's request to remove the case from state court. The request comes two months before the U.S. presidential election, but 10 months after Carroll sued Trump. Carroll sued Trump last November after he said she was lying when she claimed in a published account that he had raped her in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. Since the suit was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Trump has been represented by a private attorney, not a DOJ attorney. But in its filing Tuesday, the DOJ said that it had certified that Trump "was acting within the scope of his office or employment at the time of the incident out of which the claim arose." "The United States will file a motion to substitute itself for President Trump in this action for any claim for which the [Federal Tort Claims Act] provides the exclusive remedy," the DOJ said in its filing in federal court. Barr, during a press conference in Chicago on Wednesday, defended the filing, and said it was done at the behest of the White House. He said that the DOJ's request to transfer the case, and to replace Trump as the defendant, was authorized by the Federal Employees Liability Reform and Tort Compensation Act, which is also known as the Westfall Act. That act protects government employees from civil liability for acts related to their official duties. Barr said that an appeals court decision has ruled that the law protects government employees even in cases where a claim involves them being asked questions by the press that "relate to their personal activity." The attorney general has said that the process for invoking the act that has been developed is for the employer of the employee to ask the Justice Department to certify that the act applies to the employee for the lawsuit that was filed. "That process was followed in this particular case," Barr said, after referring to the White House as Trump's employer. "This was a normal application of the law, the law is clear, it is done frequently," Barr said. "And the little tempest that is going on [the controversy over the action] is largely because of the bizarre political environment in which we live." Asked by a reporter if "taxpayers would be on the hook" if the DOJ is allowed to take over the case, and loses it as opposed to Trump Barr indicated taxpayers would foot the bill for any damages. "As they always are under Westfall," Barr said. "That's the statute." Despite Barr and the DOJ's matter-of-fact portrayal of the intervention, Carroll's legal team and lawyers not connected to the case blasted the move. "The DOJ was not meant to serve as the president's personal in-house counsel, particularly on the taxpayer's dime," said Joseph Tacopina, a New York defense attorney who is not involved in the case. "Trump calling an alleged victim of rape ... a liar is not an act in his official capacity," said Tacopina. "Although ad hominem attacks on members of the regular public may be a regular occurrence in the Oval Office these days, Article II of the Constitution does not include within the functions of the presidency the role of Chief Mudslinger." Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, noted in a statement that the DOJ's move came a month after a state court judge rejected Trump's claim that "he is immune from a private lawsuit concerning defamatory statements he made about a sexual assault he committed in the 1990s." "As a result of that decision, Trump was soon going to be required to produce documents, provide a DNA sample, and sit for a deposition," said Kaplan. She accused Trump of then enlisting the Justice Department to file its action and claim he was acting in his official capacity when he denied the rape claim. "Even in today's world, that argument is shocking," Kaplan said. Gerald Lefcourt, another top New York defense lawyer, who is not connected to the case, called the DOJ's action "pretty much unheard of." "Just because you're president, if you hit a cop or rape a woman, that doesn't mean that the Department of Justice defends you," Lefcourt said. "The DOJ is not your lawyer." Lefcourt said the DOJ's move is part of "a pattern of doing Trump's legal work" by U.S. Attorney General William Barr. Lefcourt pointed to the DOJ's sudden and stunning reversal of its position in the criminal case of former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a Russian diplomat. After pushing for Flynn to be sentenced and fighting his efforts to get the case dismissed, the DOJ last spring sought to drop the prosecution. Trump had long been critical of the case against Flynn. "Now [Barr's] going to court to help Trump in his personal affairs, such as this defamation suit," Lefcourt said, referring to the Carroll lawsuit. "It makes them [the DOJ] look ridiculous." Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel is among the speakers expected as part of Digital India Day on 13 September. The event, hosted by Indian Association Luxembourg on Facebook, will feature speeches from Bettel and the Indian Ambassador to Luxembourg alongside cultural performances, a Luxembourg's Got Talent competition and music. Vox Pops: Digital India Day 2019 India Day 2019 / RTL Archives This year marks the fifth anniversary of the event in Luxembourg, but the entire occasion will be held online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants across the Grand Duchy are also participating on the day, with several offering 15% off food. IAL You can find the event on Facebook here. Saboteurs responsible for the July 2 explosion at Irans Natanz nuclear facility have been identified, said a senior Iranian energy official as reported by the country's semi-official state media outlet, Fars News Agency. On Sunday, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi told state media that the government had discovered those responsible for the blast. Kamalvandi declined to provide further details as he said the investigation is ongoing. As far as we know, they have identified the culprits and know their incentives and methods and actually, they have full knowledge over the issue, Kamalvandi said. The Natanz incident was first announced by AEOI in early July and later verified as an explosion. No casualties were reported. Although the blast impacted capabilities of the energy facility and caused serious damage, the regime later backtracked and said the destruction was not significant and production was able to compensate for the loss, Kamalvandi told state TV last month. Israel was widely reported to have been behind the blast, stemming from an April report by the Washington Post that hackers linked to Iran has targeted important Israeli water systems. There is also speculation the Natanz blast was a cyberattack. Why it matters: Sundays announcement arrives just one week after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief met with AEOI officials in Tehran. Natanz is one of several Iranian facilities monitored by the IAEA. In a joint press conference after the Aug. 25 meeting, both sides expressed hope that there would be strengthened Iran-IAEA cooperation in the future. An agreement formed after the meeting allows IAEA to continue their inspection work, said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. This was the result of dogged, systematic dialogue, conversation, clarification of the scope of our work and the way in which we do it, he said. But after Sundays statement about the Natanz incident, that progress may be stalled. Whats next: On Tuesday, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the AEOI, told state TV that production had begun on a more modern, larger and more comprehensive hall near Natanz, according to state TV. Much of the uranium-enrichment site is already underground. The UN's nuclear watchdog believes Iran had a coordinated nuclear arms program that was halted in 2003; but Tehran denies ever seeking the weapons. The IAEA's vist to Tehran arrived on the heels of the United States demanding the UN Security Council to reimpose sanctions against Iran. US President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal. But an August vote by the UN Security Council halted a call to snapback sanctions against the regime. Know more: Al-Monitors Week in Review analyzes the fate of Irans nuclear deal and its dependency on the outcome of the upcoming US presidential election. It had been 179 days since Niagara students had seen the inside of a classroom. That came to an end Tuesday when school officially resumed. Niagara District School Board chair Sue Barnett, as well as Niagara Catholic District School Board education director Camillo Cipriano, indicated the first day of school went through without any glitches. Ive been checking my emails all day and havent seen any that indicated that there were any concerns raised by senior administration or board trustees, said Barnett. Cipriano, who took the helm of Niagara Catholic last week, had the same experience. It went well. I was at St. Teresa of Calcutta Elementary School in St Catharines. I know it was only one school and one experience, but everyone was happy and excited to be back. Cipriano said students who will be learning online will be starting classes next Monday. Thirteen to 16 per cent of families have indicated that their children will proceed with online learning, he said. The majority of the remaining students have indicated that they will be learning in class. DSBN communications officer Kim Yielding provided context for how students will be learning this semester. (Public board) elementary schools have 21,000 students in class and 5,200 students online. Both panels will have a staggered start this week, she said. Secondary schools have 10,000 students in class of the adaptive learning model and 2,100 students will be online. St. Catharines regional Coun. Laura Ip told her son, who just started Grade 10, no one has ever done school like this before. Not me, not your dad, not your teachers, not anyone. Do your best. This is like building the plane while were flying it. Be patient with yourself. Be patient with your teachers. Have a super great day. she told him. I think I am more stressed than my child, but I also felt like I needed to say something to him, she said of the experience of sending a child to school in the unprecedented COVID-19 era. Joined by Premier Doug Ford, Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Government and Consumer Services Minister Lisa Thompson, Deputy Premier Christine Elliott provided an update to Ontarians Tuesday. With the new school year beginning, the health and safety of students, teachers and staff is our governments top priority, Elliott said. We have been working closely with our public health experts and making the necessary investments to ensure safety measures and protocols are in place for returning to the classroom. Said Thompson, Our governments top priority is to ensure students, teachers and staff have what they need to stay safe when they return to school. We were able to successfully secure sufficient supplies to support the safe reopening of over 4,800 schools and over 5,000 childcare facilities this fall, she said. Cal/OSHA Issues First Coronavirus-Related Citations California's Occupational Safety and Health Agency has issued citations to multiple employers for COVID-19 violations. Cal/OSHA has cited 11 employers for not protecting employees from COVID-19 exposure, according to a press release. The citations were handed down to companies in the food processing, meat packing, health care, agriculture and retail industries with penalties ranging from $2,025 to $51,190. Employers were cited for not protecting workers from exposure to COVID-19 because they did not take steps to update their workplace safety plans to properly address hazards related to the virus. The inspections were opened after Cal/OSHA was notified of series illnesses, complaints of workplace hazards and after proactive joint enforcement efforts. We have identified these industries as priorities in our strategic enforcement efforts to make sure employers have adequate COVID-19 infection prevention procedures in place, said Cal/OSHA Chief Doug Parker. These are industries where workers have been disproportionately affected, and these citations are the first of many to be issued in the coming weeks and months. The company to receive the highest penalty of $51,190 was DL Poultry, Inc., a Monterery Park food processing facility. Cal/OSHA says the company put their workers at risk for serious illness because they did not ensure employees were physically distanced at least six feet apart in the processing area, nor did they install Plexiglas or other barriers between workers. The inspection at this facility came after a complaint of workplace hazards. Six of the 11 citations were handed down to companies in the agriculture industry. The agricultural employers cited were inspected in July as part of California Governor Newsoms multi-agency strategic enforcement taskforce to address COVID-19 hazards. Several of these employers were also cited for failure to protect their workers from heat illness. Cal/OSHA also conducted almost 8,000 compliance assistance visits in July to identify and correct issues on the spot, and engaged with more than 400,000 businesses as part of an ongoing outreach and education effort that has included emails and conference calls with trade associations, employer groups, employers, labor and other stakeholders. Cal/OSHA is also providing live, online training for employers in the agriculture, meatpacking and food processing sectors. Cal/OSHA has created guidance for many industries in multiple languages including videos, daily checklists and detailed guidelines on how to protect workers from the virus. This guidance is meant to provide a roadmap for employers on their existing obligations to protect workers from COVID-19. WATERLOO REGION The local World Suicide Prevention Day event is going virtual this year, but organizers hope to offer the same feeling of togetherness to people whose lives have been touched by suicide. A large part of the event is trying to bring the community together, said Amanda Demmer, program co-ordinator at the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council. Every year, World Suicide Prevention Day is marked on Sept. 10. This year, the local council is hosting its usual ceremony that evening, livestreamed on the councils Facebook page (facebook.com/wrspc), as well as a social media challenge leading up to the day. People are encouraged to create a butterfly using any materials and share it on social media using the hashtag #WSPD2020WR and tagging @WRSPC. Butterflies have become the unofficial symbol of suicide prevention and the council, and a butterfly release is always the highlight of the annual celebration. To us, butterflies really represent growth and transition, Demmer said. We really wanted to ensure we still included that. There will be a small butterfly release at the ceremony, which starts at 6 p.m. and includes three speakers who will talk about the meaning of the day, the councils work, and mental health and resilience in the pandemic. The council also handed out 300 activity kits to homes and organizations with enough supplies for almost 900 people. They included foam butterflies on which to write thoughts of hope and remembrance, candles to light and place in a window at 8 p.m., posters, chalk and ribbons. Demmer thinks perhaps the virtual event will attract people who were reluctant to show up in years past. We might be able to reach people who hadnt felt comfortable to come out in person. During the COVID-19 pandemic when people are staying at home as much as possible, the council is emphasizing the need for people to reach out whether it is for themselves or to a friend. She urges people to look for signs that someone is struggling and to stay connected, especially now when people dont have the same opportunities to see each other in person. The council has created a resource list wrspc.ca/maintaining-mental-wellness-during-covid-19 thats accessible virtually while most service providers are still not returning to in-person support. This years theme is working together to prevent suicide. Demmer stressed: Everyone has a role to play in suicide prevention. The Delton Glebe Counselling Centre in Waterloo is asking people to change their social media profile pictures to a bamboo plant, symbolizing strength, resilience and flexibility. People are also invited to come to the centres front yard at 177 Albert St., Waterloo. to write messages of hope, loss, pain and healing that will be compiled and posted online. Bamboo shoots will also be handed out for free. Places to turn for help Here 24/7: 1-844-437-3247 Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 The hardest part about all of this is my team, she said. In this industry, to get delivery drivers whove averaged over 20 years delivering our paper is phenomenal. My tears are partly, certainly, for the nostalgia of it all. But really, theyre for the people. I get to be the front person, the more visible one out there, but theres no way any of this couldve happened without hundreds of people over the years whove contributed. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES TORONTO, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Water Ways Technologies Inc. (TSXV: WWT) ("Water Ways" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it had signed agreements to deliver four vegetable irrigation projects in Ethiopia with an aggregate value of CAD $680,000. All four vegetable irrigation projects cover an area of 94 Hectares. WWT signed the agreements with a wholly owned subsidiary of Midroc Ethiopia Investment Group (the Client), one of the largest investment companies operating in Ethiopia. WWT expects to receive additional orders from the Group in the coming years. Water Ways expects to recognize revenue from the Projects in the last quarter of 2020, with all projects backed by the Client's Irrevocable Letters of Credit. Ohad Haber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "I am extremely pleased with the work our team has done in Ethiopia. These orders are a culmination of our teams hard work in Ethiopia in spite of the difficulties of the Covid crisis. I expect the signing of these agreements to generate additional revenue from Midroc in 2021 and 2022." About Water Ways Technologies Water Ways Technologies Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a global provider of Israeli based agriculture technology, providing water irrigation solutions to agricultural producers. Water Ways Technologies competes in the global irrigation water systems market with a focus on developing solutions with commercial applications in the micro and precision irrigation segments of the overall market. At present, Water Ways Technologies' main revenue streams are derived from the following business units: (i) Projects Business Unit; and (ii) Component and Equipment Sales Unit. Water Ways Technologies is capitalizing on the opportunities presented by micro and smart irrigation, while also making a positive mark on society by making these technologies more widely available, especially in developing markets such as Africa and Latin America and developed markets such as China and Canada. Water Ways Technologies irrigation projects include vineyards, Cotton fields, Apple and Orange orchids, Blueberries, Medical Cannabis, fresh produce cooling rooms and more, in over 15 countries. Story continues For more information, please contact Ronnie Jaegermann Director T: +972-54-4202054 E: ronnie@waterwt.com https://www.water-ways-technologies.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. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to Water Ways. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect Water Ways' current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to Water Ways, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. Should any factor affect Water Ways in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, Water Ways does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and Water Ways undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. Water Ways' results and forward-looking information and calculations may be affected by fluctuations in exchange rates. All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated. Patients who rely on the U.S. Postal Service for their prescription drugs may have experienced significant delays in their deliveries, according to a Senate report released Wednesday, which accused Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of jeopardizing the health of millions of Americans. Several major U.S. pharmacies told the two Democratic senators leading the investigation - Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Robert Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania - that average delivery times have ticked up since the spring, leading to a flood of angry calls from customers and costly requests to resend their medications. Warren and Casey did not identify the pharmacies, but their report comes nearly three weeks after they asked Walgreens, CVS, and other pharmacies and benefit managers to detail the effects of DeJoys changes at the Postal Service. This summer, he implemented policies to reduce overtime and mail trips, which postal carriers say have led to backlogs nationwide. Four prescription drug providers told Warren and Casey that delivery times this summer have increased by half a day or more, on average, compared with earlier this year or similar time frames in 2019, according to the Senate report, which was shared early with The Washington Post. Deliveries that might typically take two or three days were instead taking three to four, the lawmakers said, and one pharmacy in particular saw a marked increase in the number of shipping delays of seven or more days. These delays are unacceptable outcomes under any circumstances, but are made even worse by the ongoing pandemic, which has increased demand for mail-order drugs as many Americans are affected by stay-at-home orders or choose to stay at home in order to remain safe, the senators wrote in a letter to the Postal Services Board of Governors. READ MORE: The head of the USPS said he was suspending changes. But Philly mail delays arent getting better. The medicine delays, in some cases, appear to have started around May, when DeJoy had been tapped for the job but before he officially took the reins. The timeline raises the possibility that the coronavirus pandemic may have contributed to slowdowns for mailed prescription drugs, particularly as patients put new strain on the system by shifting away from in-person pickup to delivery. Our workforce, like many others, have been impacted by the covid-19 crisis, which has resulted in certain service disruptions, USPS spokesman David Partenheimer said in a statement. He added they are aggressively working to ensure full service coverage across the network, and touted recent performance data that showed improvements in mail delivery. But Warren and Casey still put much of the blame on DeJoy, pointing to his earlier contention that the new agency practices should not have impacted anybody. Investigators noted that their inquiry showed that only one of the pharmacies contacted had experienced no significant disruption during the summer - and that the provider said it did not rely extensively on USPS. The company is not named in the report, but Walgreens said in a separate statement that only an extremely small percentage of its prescriptions are handled by the Postal Service. Warren and Casey urged the USPS board to take immediate action, stressing that its failure to fix the service delays caused by Postmaster General DeJoy represent an ongoing public health threat and a dereliction of your responsibility to the American public. Warren added in a statement that DeJoy should resign or be fired. The Senate Democrats' findings threaten to add to the headaches already facing DeJoy, whose changes to the mail service in the name of austerity have evoked widespread suspicion and condemnation. On Monday, top House Democrats opened their own investigation, focusing on reports that DeJoy urged employees at his former business to donate to GOP candidates, then boosted their pay. Lawmakers on the House Oversight and Reform Committee have raised the possibility that DeJoy misled them under oath. The congressional scrutiny began almost as soon as DeJoy assumed the title of postmaster general on June 15. The ally of President Donald Trump and former top Republican fundraiser set about seeking to right the budget of USPS, which has racked up $160.9 billion in debt amid declines in first-class mail delivery and the spiraling cost of retirement benefits. But DeJoys initiatives, including planned service reductions and the removal of mailboxes, sparked backlash particularly among Democrats, who feared they could undermine the 2020 presidential election - particularly because Trump has openly has sought to discredit voting by mail, claiming without evidence that it will lead to rampant fraud. DeJoy announced last month that he would suspend some of his significant changes to mail processing and delivery until after the election, but his efforts have hardly quieted his congressional critics. Democrats say they have heard an earful from constituents, many of whom have not received their deliveries on time. That includes a groundswell of patients who have had trouble obtaining their prescription drugs through USPS in the middle of a pandemic, Warren and Casey said. To assess the matter, the two Democrats sent letters last month to Cigna Corp., which owns Express Scripts; CVS Health; UnitedHealth Group, which owns OptumHealth; Humana; and the parent company for Walgreens and Duane Reade. T.J. Crawford, a spokesman for Aetna, said the company had not seen the lawmakers' findings but has advocated as part of a Washington coalition for emergency relief funding for USPS. Mark Mathis, a spokesman for Humana, said the company is seeing increased small parcel shipping volumes across the U.S., impacting all delivery carriers. And Drew Krejci, a spokesman for Optum, said they continually monitor our shipments and make adjustments as needed. The companies did not answer questions about the extent to which USPSs changes may have created any problems. Other pharmacies and benefit managers did not respond to requests for comment. READ MORE: Have you noticed problems with mail in your area? Tell us about them. Lawmakers asked the companies to supply information about the number of customers receiving their prescriptions by mail, the average time it takes for them to be shipped and the extent to which recent Postal Service policy changes have caused new delays for customers or costs to the companies. One company told Senate investigators that its average delivery time increased to 3.6 days in July, compared with 2.7 days last year. Another estimated that it took an average of 3.2 days for its prescriptions to be delivered in July, compared with 2.7 days over the course of 2019. A third shared that the number of prescriptions taking more than five days to arrive has risen dramatically since the pandemic began. The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, a nonprofit organization queried by lawmakers, responded that it has not experienced widespread disruption because its members rely on special services, such as refrigeration, that USPS does not provide. But Julie Allen, a top lawyer for the group, said in an interview that it heard scattered reports about delays, particularly affecting patients in need of weekend delivery or those in rural areas. We have a couple anecdotal events for members that noticed a slowdown particularly the period between March and July, Allen said, adding that it was impossible to tell whether the difficulties, some of which predate DeJoy, are the result of the pandemic or postal changes. The delays still threaten to put seniors, veterans and other Americans at risk of missing much-needed medication, Democratic lawmakers said. They also created headaches for pharmacies, including one that told Senate leaders that it received a fourfold increase in customer calls and inquiries about missing mail-order drugs between May and August. Another said it had an 80% spike in drug reshipments in July, totaling about $700,000 in costs, the report found. In response, Warren and Casey sent a separate letter to the watchdog board that oversees the USPS, urging it to take quick action to reverse these lapses in service. As members of the Postal Service Board of Governors, you have both the responsibility and authority to fix this growing problem. Kevin Spacey was sued on Wednesday by the actor Anthony Rapp and an anonymous man, both of whom accuse Mr. Spacey of sexual offenses against them in the 1980s when they were about 14 years old. Nearly three years ago, Mr. Rapp accused Mr. Spacey of having made a sexual advance toward him when he was underage, the first in a series of sexual misconduct accusations against Mr. Spacey that halted his acting career. The lawsuit, filed in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, includes new allegations that Mr. Spacey sexually assaulted a teenage boy whom he met in an acting class in Westchester County in the early 1980s. According to the lawsuit, Mr. Spacey invited his acting student to his apartment and engaged in sexual acts with him on multiple different occasions. In their final encounter, Mr. Spacey assaulted the teenager despite his resisting and saying no, the lawsuit said. Mr. Spaceys lawyer, Jennifer L. Keller, declined to comment on Wednesday. In a BuzzFeed article in 2017, Mr. Rapp, who met Mr. Spacey while performing on Broadway, first accused Mr. Spacey of making an inappropriate sexual advance toward him at a party in Mr. Spaceys Manhattan apartment in 1986. According to the lawsuit, Mr. Spacey grabbed Mr. Rapps buttocks, lifted him onto a bed and lay on top of him. Mr. Rapp, 48, who is best known for playing the character Mark Cohen in the original Broadway production of Rent, extricated himself and eventually was able to flee from the apartment, the lawsuit said. Mirrored walls, a garish red sofa, thick carpets and a queen-size bed with drawers full of fresh linen and clean towels. It could be the private jet of any multi-millionaire with a taste for the tacky. But the rusty Boeing 727 gathering mildew on a landing strip in the U.S. state of Georgia offers a few clues to its owner. First, there is the planes tail number: N908JE note the last two letters, which also appear as monograms on its towels and even tissues. Every seat can be turned into a bed. And perhaps another telling detail is the bottle of Johnsons Baby Lotion, discarded in a mouldy bathroom cupboard. Was it used by some of the last young women to travel on the jet, to administer to passengers frequently powerful men who enjoyed the attentions of its masseuses? For this is the late Jeffrey Epsteins Lolita Express, the extravagantly customised private plane that was a key accessory in his crimes. The mirrored walls, garish red sofa and thick carpets of this Boeing 727 gathering dust on a Georgia airstrip could be the choice of any multi-millionaire with a taste for the tacky. But this happens to be Jeffrey Epsteins Lolita Express The plush interiors even boast a queen-size bed with drawers full of fresh linen and clean towels, which appear to be untouched since the plane last landed in 2016 It was the pride of his 62 million fleet (there were also two smaller Gulfstream jets and a helicopter that his friend Ghislaine Maxwell liked to fly herself) in which the paedophile financier ferried some of his famous friends including Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Naomi Campbell, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and Prince Andrew around the world. There is no suggestion any of these people were guilty of sexual misconduct on the plane. But, as its nickname implies, many of Epsteins victims claim he used it to transport young women and underage girls to sex parties. Nor was it just a glorified air taxi. The Boeing was allegedly the location for in-flight orgies involving Epstein, some of his friends, and the young flight attendants, who frequently dressed in sexy versions of flight-crew uniform. Epstein bought the jet designed for 200 passengers but customised to fly just 29 in luxury in 2000 for nearly 8 million from a company owned by his friend and reported client, Victorias Secret billionaire Les Wexner. The brown-and-beige decor smacks of the Seventies, although Epstein reportedly modernised the plane in 2014. It was the pride of Epstein's 62 million fleet in which the paedophile financier ferried some of his famous friends including Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Naomi Campbell and Prince Andrew around the world Epstein bought the jet designed for 200 passengers but customised to fly just 29 in luxury in 2000 for nearly 8 million from a company owned by his friend and reported client, Victorias Secret billionaire Les Wexner Clearly no expense was spared on the interior although the sable and mink throws are long gone, the velvet seating, teak and mahogany panelling and inlays are still evident. There is a spacious bathroom next to the bedroom, a trading room where Epstein conducted business, and a lounge with a ring of well-cushioned chairs. But just as its most frequent flyers ended up behind bars Epstein killed himself in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges, and Maxwell is in custody awaiting trial on charges, which she denies, that include sex trafficking the plane, which was stripped of its engines, has spent years languishing here in the humid Southern heat, even as its hand-written flight logs have continued to throw up revelations about those who flew on it. It has not been in the air since July 2016, when it arrived from Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a mansion. Until his arrest three years later, he reportedly continued to fly with underage girls. Air traffic controllers in the U.S. Virgin Islands have claimed they saw him disembarking another aircraft, his Gulfstream IV, with young girls on several occasions in 2018. One girl appeared to be only 11 or 12 years old. Mark Stambaugh, owner of the ramp on which the plane sits, said he initially agreed to store it for free as he assumed his company, Stambaugh Aviation, would be paid to do maintenance on it. Epstein tried to enhance the experience of many of his male passengers with young women serving as masseuses and air hostesses on his planes. Pictured: Bill Clinton lies back in a chair as he receives a neck massage from Jeffrey Epstein victim Chauntae Davies, then a 22-year-old therapist As a father of two daughters, Im not really thrilled with having it here, he told the Mail. But I guess an airplane is just an airplane. Somebody needs to come and do something with it, or it needs to be scrapped because its just going to sit here and keep deteriorating. He estimates it will cost up to 2.3 million to repair. It has apparently changed hands several times and costs its current owner, a Florida-based aviation company, nearly 800 a month in storage fees. A sales prospectus for the jet claims it is tailored to enhance the experience during long-range travel. Certainly, Epstein tried to enhance the experience of many of his male passengers with young women some below the age of consent serving as masseuses and air hostesses on his planes. Chauntae Davies, then a struggling 22-year-old actress who became Epsteins personal masseuse and a flight attendant on the Lolita Express, has said she and other attractive young women were expected to give massages and yoga instruction to passengers. Davies accompanied Epstein, Bill Clinton, actor Kevin Spacey and comic Chris Tucker on a humanitarian tour of Africa in 2002 the same year she played a lingerie model in a soft core porn film. Every seat can be turned into a bed. And perhaps another telling detail is the bottle of Johnsons Baby Lotion, discarded in a mouldy bathroom cupboard A sales prospectus for the jet claims it is tailored to enhance the experience during long-range travel Although Davies insisted on American TV in 2015 that nothing untoward happened on the flight and that she never gave Clinton a massage, a picture recently emerged of her doing exactly that her hands kneading his shoulder muscles in a small airport terminal in Portugal when the Lolita Express landed to refuel. Another picture from the same trip shows the former president on board playing cards and puffing on a cigar. When they arrived in Africa, Davies claims Clinton took her jewellery shopping to buy a present for his daughter Chelsea. She insisted nothing improper ever occurred and that he was a complete gentleman. However, Davies says she had already been sexually abused by Epstein and feared the worst during the Africa trip: I was praying Jeffrey wouldnt make a move on me, desperately wanting everything about this trip to be kept professional, she has said. Davies has described arriving at the airfield with three other young female assistants and being given uniforms to wear. Epstein said he wanted them to look more professional. There are numerous creepy pointers to its notorious former occupant, including a garish red couch and mirrored walls (pictured) on the plane The plane is currently parked up on a ramp belonging to Stambaugh Aviation, an independent jet maintenance firm that has repaired numerous military and civilian aircraft including President Donald Trump's personal Boeing 757 and a 727 belonging to Peter Nygard, another tycoon facing sex trafficking allegations. Pictured: The plane's rear bedroom cabin Pictured in the rear of the plane, a cupboard in Epstein's private bathroom contains monogrammed clothes along with talcum powder and other toiletries A former co-pilot on the plane reportedly compared the uniforms to sexy nurse outfits. Ms Davies has since said she now realises she was used and that all was not what it seemed. On almost every trip I went on, there were young girls around, she said. And why fly anyone out to be a masseuse when there are plenty of masseuses in the city youre in? And why, she might have asked herself, hire novice masseuses and air hostesses when there were plenty of less nubile but more experienced people available. Further evidence of the nature of some flights is provided by pilots log books in which the presence of young women was camouflaged by listing them simply by their first name (possibly a pseudonym) or simply as a female. Before his death, Epstein was facing a string of lawsuits from women, some of them minors at the time, that alleged sexual abuse happened on his planes. Some accusers claimed Ghislaine Maxwell was involved in organising underage sex parties on board. The plane, which was stripped of its engines, has spent years languishing here in the humid Southern heat, and its hand-written flight logs have continued to throw up revelations about those who flew on it Call sign N90JE took its final flight on July 11, 2016, taking off from Palm Beach International Airport at 11:39am and landing at Georgia's Brunswick Golden Isles Airport 51 minutes later. Pictured: The back bathroom on Epstein's Lolita Express with two bottles of Voss water The planes long-time pilot Larry Visoski has acknowledged that he knew there were minors on board but has insisted he never suspected Epstein was having sex with them on the plane despite the large bed, the well-upholstered seats and the padded floor, which reportedly feels like mattress foam and where Epstein apparently urged his young crew to sleep. A former model told Vanity Fair in 2003 that Epstein gave her and a group of older men a tour of the jet. She noted the padded floors, she said, and thought: Why are padded floors cool? I was too young to get it. The men, however, joked and winked at each other knowingly. It is hardly surprising that famous people have tried to distance themselves from the plane. Mr Clinton has insisted he travelled on it only four times once to Europe, once to Asia and twice to Africa between 2002 and 2003, and that bodyguards and staff of his charity foundation accompanied him on every leg of every trip. But according to the logs, it is suggested that he was a passenger on at least 26 occasions. Destinations included Brunei, Russia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Belgium. In 2015 Virginia Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Epstein claiming that he recruited her as a 'sex slave' at the age of 15, sexually abusing her for years and forcing her to 'entertain' prominent friends on board the jet. Pictured: The front bathroom on the private plane Inside the plane's rear bedroom is a bed and a closet with a chest of drawers, which were emptied out Prince Andrew told the BBC he had flown on Epsteins private plane but didnt specify which one or how many times. Flight logs say that in 1999, the Duke flew from New York to Epsteins private Caribbean island on his old jet a Gulfstream and returned with another passenger, Russian model Anna Malova. Epsteins regular pilot, David Rodgers, last year testified that the Duke was aboard on several flights, including the planes maiden flight in August 2001. He claimed that on two of those trips, the Dukes accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, was also on board. The pilot made no claims that the Prince was involved in sexual misconduct on any flight and the Prince has vehemently denied any involvement in any wrongdoing. Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was farmed out to Prince Andrew by Epstein and Maxwell for sex in 2001 an allegation the Prince strenuously denies says she flew to that fateful rendezvous in London on the Lolita Express. She also claims in legal papers that she had sex on the jet with U.S. lawyer and Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, when another girl was present. Although flight logs show he flew on the plane at the invitation of Epstein, a friend, Mr Dershowitz insists Ms Robertss claims of sex never happened. The flight logs also list Bill Clinton as a passenger on the plane on 26 occasions, jetting to locations such as Brunei, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, the Azores, Africa, Belgium, China, New York, and Belgium. Pictured: The stairs leading into the private plane Also traveling regularly with Epstein on the private jet was his alleged madame, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now in custody in New York facing a slew sex trafficking charges for allegedly procuring victims. Pictured: The cockpit of the Lolita Express Stambaugh Aviation said the 727 jet has been owned by Florida-based World Aviation Services since March. When DailyMail.com contacted the firm's owner he responded: 'I don't want to answer questions. I don't want to get involved' The log books have also revealed how Clare Hazell, now the Countess of Iveagh and a member of the Guinness clan, flew more than 30 times on the jet. Maria Farmer, one of Epsteins accusers, said the future countess liked having nice drinks, piles of cash and nice outfits. Another passenger who took scores of flights was recently alleged to have been Epsteins secret British girlfriend, Cheshire-born Shelley Anne Lewis. In July last year, ex-crew members were ordered to appear before a federal grand jury in the U.S. and hand over flight logs, passenger manifests and personal notes. Prosecutors hoped they would corroborate accounts given by Epsteins accusers and provide details of those who flew with him. The Lolita Express could yet yield further secrets. The transaction, which comprises 551,904 square feet, marks LREG's first foray into the Atlanta market. Both apartment complexes are located in the flourishing northeastern suburb of Gwinnett Country2800 at Sweetwater in Lawrenceville and Ashford 6860 in Norcross. Each site offers convenient access to Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead via I-95, as well as several amenities including swimming pools, sun decks, outdoor grilling and entertainment areas, playgrounds, fitness centers and dog parks. "We are extremely pleased to complete this transaction and add Atlanta to the list of cities in which our property assets are located," said Jeff Weller, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of LREG. "The deal continues our successful strategy of acquiring properties outside of the urban core in growing cities with strong job prospects and implementing our comprehensive, proven and repeatable renovation program to increase property values and, ultimately, the financial performance of our investments overall. We look forward to seeking additional investment opportunities in the Atlanta region." Prior to the acquisition, The Properties underwent premium renovations, with notable upgrades made to flooring, lighting, appliances and cabinetry inside more than 50 percent of their respective units. As part of LREG's management strategy, the firm will implement a $6.73 million three-year renovation plan to further revitalize interior living spaces, add curb appeal and bring rents and occupancy rates to above-market norms. This investment will equate to more than $11,000 per unit, with a view to improving each site's cap rate. "This transaction, and the eagerness of our syndicate of participating investors, continues to validate the strength of our niche approach to value-add real estate investing," said Mory Barak, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of LREG. "Family offices and high-net-worth individuals are on a constant search for yield in today's low-interest-rate environment, which is precisely why access to these types of properly managed, direct deals and the rates of return they can produce over the long term have been so well-received." Pircher, Nichols & Meeks LLP served as legal counsel for this transaction and Berkadia arranged the financing through two loans from Freddie Mac. About Lion Real Estate Group Lion Real Estate Group is a real estate investment firm founded in 2007 by Jeff Weller and Mory Barak and based in Los Angeles, California. Lion Real Estate Group focuses on acquisition of value-add and opportunistic multifamily and creative office properties by leveraging its principals' experience in order to create value for its investors through renovation, repositioning, better management and optimum capitalization of its properties. Lion has participated in more than $1 billion of joint venture, equity and mezzanine real estate transactions. The firm currently owns and operates approximately 5,000 units across 24 multifamily properties and three office properties located in the Los Angeles, Nashville, Denver, Durham, Dallas, Austin, Atlanta and Salt Lake City areas. For more information, visit www.lionreg.com . For More Information Contact: Prosek Partners Mickey Mandelbaum, (310) 709-8900 [email protected] Aidan O'Connor, (540) 682-4936 [email protected] SOURCE Lion Real Estate Group SOLNA, Sweden, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Loomis continues to execute on its strategy and now takes a major step in the ambition to expand its presence across the value chain by launching Loomis Pay. Loomis Pay is a complete end-to-end payment platform for merchants and manages all types of payments, including cash, card and other digital alternatives, both in store and online. The core of Loomis current operations, cash in transit (CIT) and cash management services (CMS) will continue to be core business and Loomis Pay will complement the existing business and increase the addressable market for Loomis. Loomis Pay will initially be marketed to small and midsize merchants, leveraging Loomis existing market leading position and long-term relationships. Loomis has presently CIT and CMS service agreements with approximately 85,000 merchants in the Nordic markets alone. The ambition, in the first initial stage, is to achieve revenue, within 5 years, exceeding SEK 3 billion generating an attractive operating margin. Loomis Pay is expected to generate a positive operating result (EBITA1)) during 2023. During 2020-2022, investments will be made in product development and other activities for Loomis Pay. Loomis expects approximately SEK 100 million per year will be recorded as net costs in the income statement. Loomis Pay is currently reported in segment "other". The solution will bring numerous benefits for Loomis's customers by reducing the number of required payment suppliers and improve simplicity. For example, improved cash flow as the customers will have the opportunity to have the value deposited on the bank account the business day following the transaction. These lead-times can currently be long and expensive. Additionally the merchant today needs to sign agreements with several suppliers to execute different types of payments, which Loomis Pay aims to solve with one contract for all payments. The merchant will also have better access to data, which increases visibility and will enable further growth opportunities for the merchant. Loomis intends to launch Loomis Pay to merchant customers in Denmark during the autumn of this year. The service will be offered to customers in the Swedish market at the beginning of 2021 followed by rollouts in additional markets. Considering the total costs a merchant today pays for digital payments, payment systems, CIT and CMS, Loomis Pay will be a cost efficient alternative. Loomis has evaluated the ideal technical solutions for Loomis Pay and as a complement to in-house developments, Loomis has acquired the Danish technology company GoAppified. GoAppified provides complete software and hardware for a merchant's payment applications. The purchase price for GoAppified was approximately SEK 60 million. Kristoffer Labuc will be Managing Director for Loomis Pay. More information about Kristoffer Labuc can be found in Loomis' press release dated June 12, 2020. 1) Earnings before interest, taxes and amortizations "The launch of new digital payment solutions is a big and important step for Loomis. We will expand our service offerings to our customers and become a comprehensive supplier of all forms of payments. The market, which now opens up, is significant and we will have great use of the large network we already have when it comes to reaching out to our existing and future customers to launch Loomis Pay", says Patrik Andersson, President and CEO of Loomis. Presentation today at 10:00 AM (CEST) Analysts and media are invited to participate in a telephone conference today, September 9th at 10:00 AM (CEST), where Loomis President & CEO Patrik Andersson, CFO Kristian Ackeby, CIRO Anders Haker and CMO Loomis Pay Kristoffer Wadman, will present Loomis Pay and answer questions. The telephone conference will also be audio casted live via Loomis' website. Conference call To follow the conference call via telephone and participate in Q&A session please call; United Kingdom: +44 3333 009 270 USA: +1 833 24 984 03 Sweden: +46 8 505 583 56 Audio Cast To follow the audio cast, please follow this link. The link is also available at our website, www.loomis.com (follow "Presentation Loomis Pay Sept 9"). Presentation slides Presentation slides will be available from 9:45 AM (CEST). Go to www.loomis.com and follow "Presentation Loomis Pay Sept 9". Recorded version A recorded version of the audio cast will be published at www.loomis.com (follow "Presentation Loomis Pay Sept 9"). CONTACT: Patrik Andersson President and CEO Mobile: +46 76 111 34 00 Email: [email protected] Kristian Ackeby CFO Mobile: +46 70 569 69 98 Email: [email protected] Anders Haker Chief Investor Relations Officer Mobile: +46 70 810 85 59 Email: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/loomis-ab/r/loomis-launches--loomis-pay--a-complete-payment-solution-for-cash--cards-and-other-digital-payments,c3191535 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/51/3191535/1304637.pdf Loomis launches "Loomis Pay", a complete payment solution for cash, cards and other digital payments SOURCE Loomis AB The West African regional bloc ECOWAS on Monday called on Mali's military junta, which seized power last month, to appoint a civilian to head a transition government by September 15. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States slapped sanctions on Mali after the August 18 coup, including closing borders and banning trade, and has called for elections within 12 months. The junta has proposed a years-long, military-led transition back to civilian rule, but ECOWAS Commission chief Jean-Claude Kassi Brou has insisted it be led by a civilian president and prime minister for a 12-month period. In the final statement of an ECOWAS summit in Niger's capital Niamey on Monday, Brou said Mali's civilian transition president and premier "must be appointed no later than September 15". In the meantime, ECOWAS would keep its sanctions in place, while tracking the consultations between the junta and Malian factions, he added. ECOWAS had earlier issued a fresh call for a "swift" transition to civilian rule. "It is our community's duty to help Malians towards the swift re-establishment of all democratic institutions. The military junta must help us to help Mali," ECOWAS' outgoing chairman, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou, said at the start of a summit. "Other strategic partners of the Malian people have the same hope," he said. Some of the West African leaders of the 15-nation bloc ECOWAS met in Niamey for the summit / AFP During an extraordinary ECOWAS summit on Mali last week, Issoufou had indicated that the sanctions would be "lifted gradually depending on the implementation" of measures allowing a return to civilian rule. Eight heads of state including Senegalese President Macky Sall, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara and Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo attended Monday's summit. As expected, Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo was chosen to succeed Issoufou as ECOWAS president, a rotating one-year post. - What is a 'reasonable time'? - Mali has long been plagued by instability, a simmering jihadist revolt, ethnic violence and endemic corruption, with widespread unrest building until a clique of rebel soldiers detained president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last month. A timeline of the main developments in Mali's political crisis / AFP/File Within hours of taking control, the military junta pledged to enact a political transition and stage elections within a "reasonable time". The junta held talks over the weekend with opposition groups on its promise to hand power back to civilians, after mounting pressure from neighbouring countries over fears of even more instability in the war-torn nation. Originally the junta proposed a three-year military transition to civilian rule, before bringing that down to two years. An opposition coalition of civil and religious leaders which spearheaded months of protests that led up to Keita's fall has said it wants a transition period of 18 to 24 months. The June 5 Movement has also demanded that the junta give it a role in the transition. Meanwhile Keita, who suffered a mini-stroke last week, flew out of Mali late on Saturday for treatment in the United Arab Emirates. The junta said Keita must return to Mali within three months, a time limit it said it had agreed with ECOWAS. Keita was ousted two years into his second five-year term in Mali's fourth coup in 60 years as an independent nation. If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. However, after investigating Christie Group (LON:CTG), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger. Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for Christie Group, this is the formula: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.18 = UK3.9m (UK41m - UK19m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2019). Therefore, Christie Group has an ROCE of 18%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 13% generated by the Professional Services industry. View our latest analysis for Christie Group roce While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Christie Group, check out these free graphs here. What Can We Tell From Christie Group's ROCE Trend? When we looked at the ROCE trend at Christie Group, we didn't gain much confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 18% from 46% five years ago. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn't moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line. Story continues On a related note, Christie Group has decreased its current liabilities to 47% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE. Either way, they're still at a pretty high level, so we'd like to see them fall further if possible. The Bottom Line In summary, Christie Group is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 34% in the last five years. Therefore based on the analysis done in this article, we don't think Christie Group has the makings of a multi-bagger. Christie Group does have some risks though, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Christie Group that you might be interested in. For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. SEOUL, South Korea South Koreas new coronavirus cases have stayed below 200 for an eighth straight day, suggesting the recent viral resurgence is slowing amid stringent social distancing rules. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday it recorded 155 additional cases over the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 21,743, with 346 deaths. South Korea had seen a spike in new infections since early August, mostly in the greater Seoul area. Authorities in the Seoul region have subsequently ordered the shutdown of churches, nightspots and fitness centers and restricted dining at restaurants. The elevated social distancing rules in the Seoul area are to expire Sunday, and the government is to announce whether to extend them. ___ HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK Coronavirus infections increase again at University of Georgia Dr. Fauci sticks with projection of coronavirus vaccine in 2021 India adds another 89,706 coronavirus cases to daily tally A new book reveals Trump seemed to understand the severity of the coronavirus threat even as he told the nation it was no worse than seasonal flu. The National Institutes of Health director tells Congress that AstraZenecas suspension of its coronavirus vaccine study shows there will be no compromises on safety. Gov. Gretchen Whitmers use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic has reached the Michigan Supreme Court. ___ Follow APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: LOS ANGELES Los Angeles Country health officials have walked back some Halloween rules just a day after issuing orders that would have restricted trick-or-treating and other Halloween traditions because of the coronavirus pandemic. The county Department of Health initially said Tuesday that trick-or-treating, haunted houses and Halloween parades would be banned because those activities make it difficult to maintain social distancing. The new guidelines issued Wednesday stop short of prohibiting kids from going door to door to collect candy. Officials, however, are encouraging online parties, meals at outdoor restaurants, Halloween-themed art installations at outdoor museums and decorating homes and yards. )__ LIBERTY, Mo. Kansas officials say meatpacking plants and jails continue to be the main sites of active coronavirus clusters in the state. Wednesdays report from the Kansas Department of Health and environment was the first time officials publicized specific active coronavirus clusters. The state identified 117 active clusters involving 5,099 cases, 192 hospitalizations and 63 deaths. The information was released hours after several large Kansas business groups released a letter to Gov. Laura Kelly asking her not to identify specific clusters, saying it could harm businesses as they try to recover from the pandemic. The letter said that we are unsure what the benefit of this disclosure offers, other than a public shaming of businesses where an outbreak occurs. ___ NEW ORLEANS Louisianas election commissioner says she is concerned the volume of absentee mail ballots expected for the Nov. 3 election amid the coronavirus pandemic could delay tabulation of results by two to six days even if mail balloting isnt expanded as Gov. John Bel Edwards wants. Sherri Wharton Hadskey made the comment Wednesday during testimony in a federal lawsuit by voting rights advocates who are challenging a proposal by Louisianas secretary of state to allow mail balloting by people who test positive for the virus. The lawsuit says that plan doesnt provide adequate safe voting procedures during the pandemic and will force people to choose between staying healthy and casting a ballot in person. Edwards also wants a more expansive plan. ___ Louisville, Ky. Kentuckys governor says the state has now recorded just over 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. Gov. Andy Beshear reported an additional 667 new cases Wednesday, raising raises Kentuckys overall confirmed case count to nearly 54,000. The states death toll from the virus stands at 1,013. Beshear says: Compared to most states, weve done well, but lives are on the line, and too many have been lost. We absolutely have to do better. ___ RICHMOND, Va. Officials in Virginia say a regional jail is on lockdown after approximately 70% of its inmates recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Pamunkey Regional Jail superintendent James Willett said Wednesday that there have been no deaths or hospitalizations as a result of the positive tests, according a report by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Willett says it was learned Monday that 124 of the 178 prisoners tested were positive and 20 of the 129 staff members tested were positive for the virus. He says the vast majority of those who tested positive showed either mild symptoms or no symptoms. ___ NASHVILLE, Tenn. Tennessee reported on Wednesday that 756 students and staff have tested positive for the coronavirus at schools across the state, with more than half the districts reporting. The Tennessee Department of Education said data on cases across all districts was supposed to be released Tuesday but was delayed because of technical difficulties. Officials now hope to have full reporting from all districts by Sept. 22. The cases reported Wednesday include 514 students and 242 staff. The state had initially waffled on whether it would release any data, with officials saying they were concerned about student privacy. To address those concerns, schools with fewer than 50 students will not be included. Schools with fewer than five positive students or employees will be listed as having active cases but without specific numbers. ___ NASHVILLE, Tenn. The Tennessee Department of Correction on Wednesday released the results of targeted coronavirus testing at state-run prisons. As of mid-afternoon, the state was reporting 408 positive cases across 12 facilities with 142 tests still pending. The targeted testing covered inmates who were determined to have come in contact with another person who tested positive and inmates who were recently outside the facility for a work assignment or medical appointment. Privately run South Central Correctional Facility in Wayne County was reporting 1,161 cases Wednesday after testing all inmates recently. According to data compiled by The Associated Press, those cases helped propel the county to number 10 in the nation for highest per capita caseload. The prison is one of four in Tennessee operated by CoreCivic. Results of targeted testing at the other three CoreCivic facilities was still pending on Wednesday. ___ COLUMBIA, S.C. School district officials in South Carolina said Wednesday that a third grade teacher who was last in her classroom less than two weeks ago has died from COVID-19. Richland School District 2 spokeswoman Libby Roof said in a news release that 28-year-old Demetria Demi Bannister was diagnosed with the virus on Friday and died Monday. Officials say Bannister was a third grade teacher starting her fifth year of teaching at Windsor Elementary School in Columbia. Bannister was at the school on Aug. 28, which was a week of teacher workdays before the school year began. She is the first teacher death reported in South Carolina since the school year started. South Carolina reported just 250 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the lowest since June 3. But only 1,744 virus tests were reported, as the rate of positive cases remains above the 10% level which worried health officials. Health officials said that positive rate still concerns them because it means the virus is still spreading, especially through people who show no symptoms. Health officials are watching the numbers closely with a combination of Labor Day weekend events and parties and going back to school. All school systems had to start the school year by Tuesday, and most districts are allowing students to attend classes in person at least one day a week. ___ RICHMOND, Va. Officials at a regional jail in Virginia announced Wednesday that the jail is on lockdown after approximately 70% of its inmates recently tested positive for COVID-19. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that Pamunkey Regional Jail Superintendent James Willett said there have been no deaths or hospitalizations as a result of the positive tests. Willett said it was learned on Monday that 124 of the 178 offenders tested were positive and 20 of the 129 staff members tested were positive for the virus. Willett also said the vast majority of those who tested positive showed either mild symptoms or no symptoms. ___ PARIS French health authorities said Wednesday that cases of infections from the coronavirus peaked for a second time in five days since the end of Frances lockdown in April with more than 8,500 new cases reported in 24 hours. The 8,577 new COVID-19 cases was slightly below last Fridays count of 8,975 cases. Increased testing could partially account for higher numbers in recent weeks, and French authorities are now making testing easier by doing away with a doctors prescription for a COVID-19 test in favour of an online form to fill out. But relaxed social distancing measures since summer holidays and a return to work sites by many are also seen as contributors. Hospitals nevertheless are currently not seeing the strain for beds experienced at the height of infections with a slow but steady increase in hospitalizations, now at just over 5,000 and nearly 600 in ICUs. Nearly 30,800 people have died in France since the start of the pandemic, among the highest rates in Europe. ___ NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced New York City restaurants can resume indoor dining on Sept. 30 at 25% capacity with temperature checks for customers and other restrictions. All customers will have temperature checks at the door and one member of each party must provide information for contact tracing, if necessary. Customers cant sit at bars, but can have drinks for table service, and restaurants must close at midnight. Tables must e 6 feet apart and customers must wear masks while not at the table. This may not look like the indoor dining that we all know and love, but it is progress for restaurant workers and all New Yorkers, says Mayor Bill de Blasio. Restaurants were among the hardest-hit businesses when New York City emerged as a pandemic hotspot in March. Thousands of city restaurants have been serving food outdoors this summer, but the industry has been pushing for indoor service heading into the cooler weather of fall. ___ ATLANTA The University of Georgia is reporting more than 1,400 new coronavirus cases in the past week. The numbers, reported Thursday, push the 39,000-student university close to 2,600 total infections in the past four weeks, according to the school. The universitys outbreak is now the fastest growing among colleges in Georgia publicly reporting numbers. The surge is in Athens-Clarke County, which hosts the university campus. Clarke County is 23rd among U.S. counties for the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days, according to figures kept by The Associated Press. A rising positivity rate suggests things could be getting worse, with 8% of tests coming back positive last week, compared to 5% the week before. The growing outbreak at the university comes as case numbers across Georgia continue to fall. ___ UNITED NATIONS The United Nations humanitarian chief says the indirect consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are difficult for the most fragile countries. Mark Lowcock told the U.N. Security Council the indirect effects of the crisis will be higher poverty, lower life expectancy, more starvation, less education and more child death. He says the main indirect effects are economic weakening commodity prices, declining remittances, disruptions to trade and lock down measures making it harder for people to survive, especially day laborers and many women. Lowcock says the coronavirus impacts health and education and people in the most fragile countries, who are vulnerable to killer diseases such as measles, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDs. ___ ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. Gyms are back open in Michigan after nearly six months. Gov. Gretchen Whitmers announcement took effect on Wednesday. It allows for the reopening of fitness centers in a swath of the state that is home to 93% of Michigans population. Gyms statewide face 25% capacity limits, and face coverings are required, including during exercise. Alyssa Tushman says it was surreal to once again open the doors of the three Burn Fitness gyms she owns in Detroits suburbs. In Rochester Hills, personal trainers led one-on-ones and in-person workouts while other trainers conducted classes via videoconference. Aside allegations of intellectual thievery, Member of Parliament for the Assin Central Constituency, Kennedy Agyapong has also accused Flagbearer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, of spewing unrealistic promises to the populace under the guise of campaigning. Mr. Mahama on Monday, September 7, 2020 joined several party executives to unveil the partys manifesto ahead of the December elections. He among other things, pledged to improve the livelihoods of Ghanaians through job creation and other areas. Mr. Agyapong however says the NDCs manifesto is enough evidence for citizens to vote against the party. According to him, many of the policies projected in the 143-paged document were stolen from the NPPs manifesto which was launched on August 22. He further suggested the Mr. Mahama lacks the brains to be able to implement the policies he is selling to Ghanaians. Speaking on his The Seat show Monday, Kennedy Agyapong said, The promises Prsident Mahama is giving, although he stole a lot of things from our manifesto, even the ones left to do, he cant because he doesnt have the brains to. He doesnt have insight. Weve seen it before and they cant do it. He says, he will create yearly, up to 250,000 jobs every year. So in 4 years of President Mahama, hell create 1m jobs. Under President Akufo-Addo, despite the hardships of COVID, as of the time they were writin the manifesto in June, job creation was 2,55000 thousand in 3 years. How will Ghanaians then sell their rights to an incompetent leader who says, when I come into government, Ill reduce it by 1,55000 jobs, how? ..Ghanaians should look back on all the promises they have hammered on, to find out if they have, in previous times, made similar pledgesThe manifesto is nowhere near what the NPP presented. Any discerning person can tell the guy was lying through his teeth, he said. He urged Ghanaians to weigh the track records of both the NPP and the NDC, and be discerning with their votes. They arent even ashamed of the thievery. Its so evident even in the manifesto. What is more interesting, and glaring, why the youth of this country should vote massively against President Mahama. "And you try to compare yourself to Akufo-Addos administration. If you look at the performance of President Akufo-Addo under a pandemic, we have still managed the economy this way, and yet you can come and say it is reckless, God should forgive him. "What I want Ghanaians to know is that, the good records of the NPP, the only party that can develop this country. They say they are social democrats; they are corrupt criminals, the legislator added. 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 Six local governments will receive $250,000 each for road projects from grants announced today by Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Transportation. The $1.5 million is the last round of grants awarded this year under a program set up by the Rebuild Alabama Act, which the Legislature passed last year to raise the state fuel tax for road projects. The law required ALDOT to set up a program setting aside $10 million from the new gas tax revenue for local road and bridge projects. The six grants bring the total amount awarded this year to $10.2 million, the governors office said, including $7 million awarded in January and $1.7 million in June. The six grants announced today will fund projects totaling $2.2 million including the local funds provided. The projects are: Widen and resurface six roads in Elberta in Baldwin County. Repair and remediate the Avenue I bridge over Alabama 150 in Bessemer. Replace the bridge on Thatch Road over an unnamed branch in Limestone County. Resurface six roads in Excel in Monroe County. Resurface sections of County Road 9 and 19th Street in St. Clair County. Resurface 17 sites in Vincent in Shelby County. The Rebuild Alabama Act raised the gas tax and diesel by 6 cents a gallon last year. The law will add another 2 cents a gallon in October followed by another 2 cents in October 2021, for a total increase of 10 cents. The grant program receives a small slice of the money from the tax increase, which is expected to generate about $320 million a year when the 10-cent total is implemented. Struggling hard to keep the virus spread under control, Punjab on Wednesday hit another grim milestone as it became the state with the highest death rate in the country. Punjabs case fatality rate (2.95%) has surpassed that of Gujarat (2.93%) and Maharashtra (2.90%) --- the two worst-affected states ---- reveals the latest data. Concerned over the high CFR, the Centre recently rushed a team of experts to Punjab. The team comprising PGIMER community medicine expert JS Thakur, and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) deputy director Akshay Kumar is currently touring the worst-affected districts of Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar and SAS Nagar (Mohali) to assess the ground situation. These five districts account for nearly 63% of the total deaths in in the state, with Ludhiana recording the highest number of fatalities. The state has so far recorded 67, 547 total positive cases and 1,990 deaths. The Union government has already directed the worst-hit states to bring down their fatality rate to 1% by improving testing rate, contact-tracing and surveillance. Punjab witnessed 1,067 deaths (around 263% jump) in August alone, and by the start of September, it had surpassed the CFR of the national capital. As per a Punjab governments status report dated August 16, states CFR was 2.6% as compared to Maharashtras 3.4%, Gujarats 3.5% and Delhis 2.8%. But while other states have managed to control the spike in deaths, Punjab is finding itself helpless. State Covid nodal officer Dr Rajesh Bhaskar attributes the surge to co-morbidities and late-reporting of the cases. These two are the biggest challenges. If people dont come forward for testing at the onset of symptoms, CFR will continue to go up. We need involvement of general public and community leaders to exhort people to go for testing, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Calls to Galveston police over the Labor Day weekend jumped more than 60 percent this year compared to last year, according to data provided by the Galveston Police Department. Fearful of a potential third spike in COVID-19 infections, local officials urged that Houston-area residents traveling to the island for the long holiday weekend be cautious in light of the ongoing pandemic. Beaches were closed on the July 4th weekend due to an alarming surge in cases, but officials felt comfortable enough with infection trends to keep beaches open on Labor Day weekend. The Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau expected 250,000 to 500,000 people to descend on the island. Between Sept. 4 and Sept. 7, Galveston police received 1,336 calls for service and responded to 15 major accidents with reported injuries. In 2019, the department responded to 822 calls for service and four major accidents on Labor Day weekend. Police also saw an increase in traffic stops, to 185 this year from 99 last year. Houston coronavirus updates: More workers are heading back to the office One fatal accident and two drunken-driving arrests were reported this year compared to none last year. There were slightly fewer arrests and minor accidents this year, with 53 minor accidents and 54 arrests made this year compared to 60 minor accidents and 56 arrests in 2019. Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said the island has stayed busy as area residents seek to get out of their homes. "We have been busy on the increase since the pandemic even started," Trochesset said. "Galveston County has 60 miles of beach and people are coming down to enjoy themselves in more of an open-air environment." Trochesset said he was unsure what led to the increase in calls for service this year compared to last, but credited a DWI task force supported by state troopers as the reason for the uptick in arrests for drunken driving. Trochesset said a higher surf this year was possibly a factor in two drownings. Trochesset said one drowning victim washed up on the beach and has yet to be identified, pending autopsy results. rebecca.hennes@chron.com MUMBAI : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said banks are going to be the catalysts for economic revival. "At this stage, the catalysts for economic revival, the catalysts who have the pulse of every one of their customers, are banks," the finance minister said. She was speaking after launching PSB Alliance-Doorstep Banking Services. The minister further said banks have to introspect on their core business and also focus on welfare. "You don't forget your core activity, which is lending and making money out of it and that is a legitimate activity. You will do that and also being public sector, do some things which are welfare related as announced by the government," she said. She emphasised that even private sector banks will have to contribute towards implementation of government schemes. She said all bank staffers should know the details of government schemes which are to be implemented through the lenders. "It is your duty to know about the schemes that the government passes to customers through you. I would want to be sure that your staff at every level has at least some idea of what are the government schemes being passed through you to citizens," Sitharaman said. This awareness is going to make banks more accessible to customers who want to avail those schemes, she added. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. A composite sketch of a man whom authorities say may have been the person who abducted Dulce Maria Alavez, then 5, from Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16, 2019. Read more A year after her disappearance from a South Jersey playground, authorities are still searching for Dulce Maria Alavez. The 5-year-old Bridgeton girl ran from a playground while playing with her 3-year-old brother as their mother sat in a car about 30 yards away. Authorities are still searching for a Hispanic man in his late 20s to early 30s who was spotted near the Bridgeton City Park playground on the afternoon of Sept. 16, 2019, the FBI agent on the case said Wednesday. Dulces family and community members are planning a prayer vigil in the park from 5 to 7 p.m. next Wednesday on the one-year anniversary of her disappearance, her grandmother Norma Perez Alavez said. Speaking in Spanish, she said Wednesday that there has been nothing new in the case. Her daughter, Noema Alavez Perez, who is Dulces mother, remains sad over Dulces disappearance, she said. FBI Special Agent Daniel Garrabrant said Wednesday that investigators plan to be in Bridgeton sometime over the next few days to show the family support and have a presence in the community. Over the past year, authorities have conducted hundreds of interviews from New Jersey and New York to California and Mexico, and have pursued thousands of leads, he said. Within days of the childs abduction, the FBI spoke to her father in Mexico and learned that she was not there, he said. Both her mothers side of the family in Bridgeton and her fathers side in Mexico have been cooperative, Garrabrant said. One theory the FBI has been working under is that the person who abducted Dulce could have been a stranger who did not specifically target her, he said. The person would have been familiar with the park, he said. Thats why we think the community is so important, Garrabrant said. What may be key is that the offender may have changed his behavior afterward by moving out of the area or missing work, he said. Garrabrant stressed that authorities just want to find Dulce and are not concerned with any tipsters immigration status. Like Garrabrant, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae and Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari said in recent interviews that they are continuing to pursue new leads. But theres nothing new or earth-shattering to report, Gaimari said. In the absence of evidence indicating that Dulce is deceased, we continue to remain hopeful that she is alive, McRae said. Tipsters, who may remain anonymous, may call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or Bridgeton police at 856-451-0033 or by texting TIP411 (847411) and typing Bridgeton along with the tip. There is a $75,000 reward for information on the girls whereabouts. The legacy of the First Fleet is one commonly of convicts and the denigration of the Indigenous population. But overlooked by many historians and our school curriculums is the arrival of Christianity, which is both distinct and in parallel to the colonisation of what would become Australia. Evangelical Christian ideals of letting go of the old self and welcoming the new proved to be a key tenet in the founding of modern Australia. Through faith, courage, and belief in providence free settlers and Christians pioneered across the vast colonial frontiers in what would become early steps to uplifting the nation. Where commerce had offered an alternative to slavery in Africa, evangelical merchants sought the same in Australia. Such lobbying to the British government resulted in the abolition of the inhumane convict system but also enhanced colonial economies through new opportunities of commerce. Standing with the Under Privileged Evangelicals adapted their understanding of barbarism to be not based on racial lines but to include how the Indigenous population was treated. And in contrast to mainstream belief, the missions to Indigenous communities while admittedly naive in its approach and lacking in understanding of its peoples contained efforts of an empowering nature. There was a recognition that Australias original inhabitants were made in the image of God thus bore the ability to be reached with the Christian message. Much of the little goodness that Europeans inflicted upon the Indigenous population was carried out by Christians, and even though the missionaries acted in good faith while being ignorant to existing cultural connections to the land Christianity was accepted and eventually spread widely not just by white missionaries but by Indigenous converts themselves. Having felt the Greco-Roman influence of rising above barbarism, Christians saw the opportunity of the faith not only for the Indigenous populations but as an alternative to a low culture which was prevalent especially among convicts, the liquor industry and mining, prostitutes as well as among misogynist men. Evangelical Christianity can also be credited with the raising the status of women through the promotion of the stable traditional family unit involving marriage and abstinence from alcohol while encouraging new opportunities outside of the home such as the fight for suffrage. Government and Culture The relationship between church and state was much more a joint venture than separation for much of Australias European history. The Church Acts provided Christian denominations with the assistance to set up congregations of faith and grace, leading to Australia being home to many Christian values at the time of Federation. Another factor that influenced the growth of Christianity in Australias colonial era can also be attributed to the contest between Christian denominations. While probably acquiring too much of the energies of people of faith, it would appear that the sectarian divide motivated people of faith to strengthen their churches more than if there was just a single denomination. Christianity was also not asynchronous with imperialistic conquests of the British Empire however much it did play a substantial role in establishing the faith in Australia. Believers were ultimately not satisfied with the current state of affairs and sought to improve their societies by offering new beginnings to all in the community. A Godly Nation Australia in its colonial-era was the melting pot of Christian culture and Classicalism. The Church led the way in reaching out to the less fortunate in society and it was, in fact, the secular governing authority that instilled Christian values into the Australian ethos. At the start of the 20th century, Christianity was still on the rise in Australia with nearly all of the population identifying with the faith at least in name. Such resulted in the recognition of the treasured freedom values that endure to today as our societys foundations. Australias political landscape traces its roots to Christian principles of serving the underdog which effectuated the formation of the trade union movement. The role of Biblical language despite being increasing aspersed was a founding element for Australian parliaments that underscored the importance and role of God in providing prosperity to the nation. Thank you God The role of Christianity in Australias European history is not without missteps such as a questionable reflection of the governing culture in addition to tensions both among denominations and with the secular world. But it was a faith that found its place among Australian culture to the benefit of the majority of the population. It is Christians that co-created colonial Australia that set the nations cultural course for the century to come. Australia would also soon become a launching base for Christian mission into the South Pacific defying challenge of the nearby Asian influences and alternative belief systems. A new understanding of the role of Christianity in modern Australias founding is as radical as calls for the changing of Australia Day, but it is of paramount importance to the future direction of our Great South Land that such history is not forsaken. It is through Christianity in both the public and private sphere that our country can find true success. Protests following the release of bodycam video of the March 23 police killing of Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old black man, have caused the resignations of both the police chief and deputy chief of Rochester, New York. At just 40 years old, Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary announced his resignation officially retirementand in a self-centered statement refused to accept any responsibility for the killing of Prude. Instead, he criticized protesters for demeaning his character. As a man of integrity, I will not sit idly by while outside entities attempt to destroy my character. The events over the past week are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity," Singletary, a 20-year veteran of the police force wrote. Deputy Chief Joseph Morabito likewise followed Singletarys actions and announced his retirement. Several other members of the police departments official command announced their resignations to move back to lower-ranking positions within the department. Singletary chose to retire just prior to being questioned by Rochesters City Council over the death of Prude. Singletarys retirement indicates that no further details on the coverup of Prudes death will be revealed by the police leadership unless questioned in an official legal proceeding. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Saturday that she will call a grand jury to investigate Prudes death. According to the Attorney Generals office, Rochester police officers involved in the killing have not been made available for questioning. While reasons for the holdup have been disputed by the Rochester Police Department (RPD), it is clear that questioning by the Attorney Generals office is unwelcome. The Democratic-controlled Attorney Generals office had reportedly been investigating Prudes death since April, but is only now convening a grand jury following the release of bodycam footage by Daniel Prudes family last week and the subsequent protests. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren duplicitously continued to publicly back Singletary following the release of the video, while continuing to deny her own knowledge of the video, stating on Sunday that I do not believe theres another person more dedicated to changing the culture of policing than La'Ron." While backing Singletary prior to his resignation, Warren had earlier attempted to throw him under the bus, claiming that Singletary had not informed her of the full details of the video and police homicide until early August. Singletarys surprise retirement was preceded by multiracial protests over Labor Day weekend in which thousands participated, demanding justice in the killing of Daniel Prude at the hands of the Rochester Police Department. Daniel Prude died in police custody from asphyxia after being forced to lie on the ground under snowy conditions for approximately a half an hour while naked. Prude, who had a long history of mental illness, was unarmed and had not committed any violent crime while suffering a mental breakdown. While the protests were overwhelmingly peaceful, they were met with violent repression by police using dogs, armored vehicles, tear gas and pepper balls to assault protesters. The most violent police repression took place Saturday night as protesters marched toward the citys police headquarters. Claiming that bottles had been thrown at them, police unloaded pepper balls and tear gas canisters, injuring people several with direct hits to the face. Police flatly denied using projectiles, but this was contradicted by protesters such as Tonya Noel with the Flower City Noire Collective, who said, There are a lot of eye injuries specifically because theyre pointing the rubber balls directly at peoples faces. A lot of people have bruises, lacerations, just from getting hit with rubber bullets. Several protesters posted photos to their Facebook accounts showing the extent of their injuries caused by police-launched projectiles. Protesters also reported being corralled into the nearby Spiritus Christi Church and forced inside. Church officials helped treat some of the injured. Blast marks from pepper balls were left on the side of the building from police shooting at those fleeing. Smaller protests continued through Sunday and Monday. The RPD attempted to blame the totally unwarranted police rampage on outsiders and protesters throwing bottles and rocks. Despite widespread condemnation of police violence by all racial groups, the local Democratic Party establishment that runs the city has continued to back and encourage police repression. Rochester City Council President Loretta Scott, who previously served as the city governments first African-American Department head, attempted to equate violent police attacks on protesters with minor property damage. Know that I understand the anger, confusion and betrayal felt by the community during this time, she said. Although tensions are high, we must ensure everybody remains safe and peaceful while protesting. I condemn any violence inflicted upon protesters, bystanders and officers alike." In addition to backing police repression, city officials and the local Democratic Party establishment have attempted to blame the killing of Daniel Prude and subsequent coverup solely on racism, despite the fact that the mayor, the police chief and the majority of the City Council are all African American. Following the release of the bodycam footage last Wednesday, Mayor Warren stated, The only way we can confront systemic racism in our city is to face it head-on. There cannot be a justice system for white people and a justice system for Black people. She blamed the killing of Prude on institutional racism. The killing of Daniel Prude and the subsequent resignation of LaRon Singletary are an indictment of the so-called police reforms based around identity politics and supported by the Democratic Party and the pseudo-left groups in its orbit. Singletary, who graduated from the city school district and lived his entire life in the city of Rochester, was by all institutional accounts an exemplary police officer, noted for being patient and professional. This same exemplary officer participated in the coverup of the homicide of an unarmed poor black man and then continued to lead a police department that violently repressed the peaceful multiracial protests against Daniel Prudes killing. Singletarys resignation exposes the true nature of the police. They are not "servants of the people," but servants of the ruling class. Their essential function is to oppress people who are overwhelmingly poor and members of the working class. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 01:36:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street for the House of Commons in London, Britain, Sept. 9, 2020. The British government on Wednesday published a controversial bill which overrides elements of the Brexit deal with Brussels, despite a senior minister explicitly acknowledging that the plan would "break international law". (Xinhua/Han Yan) LONDON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The British government on Wednesday published a controversial bill which overrides elements of the Brexit deal with Brussels, despite a senior minister explicitly acknowledging that the plan would "break international law". The UK Internal Markets Bill is intended to ensure Northern Ireland can continue to enjoy unfettered access to markets in the rest of Britain. The bill was published after Britain brushed aside warnings from the European Union (EU) that breaching the treaty would prevent any trade deal being struck. London's move came as the Britain-EU post-Brexit trade talks entered its second day here. Britain ended its EU membership on Jan. 31 but is still following EU rules during the transition period until Dec. 31 to enable a permanent future trade deal to be reached. During this period, Britain would have to pay into EU funds but have no say in laws imposed by Brussels. The British chief Brexit negotiator David Frost said Sunday that his government is unafraid to walk away from the ongoing talks with the EU in London if the regional bloc does not compromise on major issues, including fisheries and state aid rules. The bill gives ministers the power to decide themselves, rather than in agreement with Europe, about checks on goods as well as on state aid between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. It also says that the provisions in the bill "must be introduced notwithstanding any relevant international or domestic law", meaning that this legislation must be regarded first. "The government has now published the new legislation which has intensified further anger in Westminster, Brussels and the international community," said the London-based Evening Standard newspaper. GROWING BACKLASH Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told MPs on Tuesday that the legislation would breach international law in a "very specific and limited way." The prime minister is facing a growing Tory backlash over the plans. Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, said that if the British government went through with the changes to the agreement, which secured Britain's departure from the EU in January, it would "lose the moral high ground." Meanwhile, the European Commission has called for urgent talks with Britain. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was "very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement." "This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda = the foundation of prosperous future relations," she tweeted. For his part, President of the European Council Charles Michel said: "The Withdrawal agreement was concluded and ratified by both sides, it has to be applied in full." "Breaking international law is not acceptable and does not create the confidence we need to build our future relationship," he said. RESPONSES FROM BOTH SIDES Downing Street has been seeking to justify the bill, saying the Brexit deal was agreed "at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances." "The Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol aren't like any other treaty," the prime minister's official spokesman said. "It was agreed at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances to deliver on a clear political decision by the British people with the clear overriding purpose of protecting the special circumstances of Northern Ireland," the spokesman said. "It contains ambiguities and in key areas there is a lack of clarity," the spokesman said. "It was written on the assumption that subsequent agreements to clarify these aspects could be reached between us and the EU on the details and that may yet be possible." Meanwhile, the British government also denied the UK Internal Market Bill is a power grab. "Absolutely not. What the devolved administrations will enjoy is a power surge when the transition period ends in December, " said the prime minister's spokesman. "There will be no change to the powers the devolved administrations already have and the vast majority of powers with devolved competencies returning from Brussels will go straight to Holyrood, Stormont and Cardiff Bay," he said. "Where powers are coming back to the UK Government this is to protect the economy," he added. Speaking in the British parliament on Wednesday, Johnson defended the legislation, saying it provided a "legal safety net" to protect against "extreme or irrational interpretations" of the Northern Ireland provisions of the agreement which could lead to the creation of "a border down the Irish Sea." Following the publication of the plans, the opposition Labour Party said it is looking at "potential amendments" to the bill amid "serious concerns," a spokesman for its leader Keir Starmer said. "There are obviously serious concerns about the contents of the Bill, the implications on devolution and the implications on the Northern Ireland Protocol," he said. Meanwhile, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "In the General Election it was, according to the PM 'oven ready' -- now, when they want to jettison it in breach of international law, it was 'signed in a rush'... They are trashing the UK's international reputation." Enditem Subscriber content preview Nord Stream 2 pipeline would bring Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland Poland's government welcomes signals that Germany might stop a controversial gas pipeline project over the poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, a Polish deputy foreign minister said Tuesday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Pawel Jablonski said it was good that some German politicians seem to have had a wake-up call, adding that it was regrettable that it required such a dreadful incident to take place. . . . Many students returning to school this week will likely find themselves on crowded school buses without much room to physically distance. The school boards acknowledged this reality late last week, when they released a statement to families that warned of serious delays from school buses due to a major shortage of drivers. But even a crowded bus may be safe enough for students as long as parents screen their children for symptoms of COVID-19 before boarding, says Sarah Neil-Sztramko, an assistant professor in McMaster Universitys department of health research methods, evidence and impact. Its important that nobody boarding the bus has a fever, a runny nose, a cough or any other symptoms and to do that, parents need to make sure theyre screening their children every morning before school, said Neil-Sztramko. Studies have shown that kids are less likely to spread COVID-19 than adults. Unlike the flu or the common cold, children do not appear to be superspreaders of the virus, and according to the experts most transmission of COVID-19 in classrooms have been between adults rather than the students. But Hamiltons plans for using school buses to transport students have prompted a fear among parents and drivers that the vehicles may become the real vector of COVID-19. The school boards, which have long been plagued by bus driver shortages, expect that another shortage this year will lead to overcrowded school buses and delayed arrivals. The plans for busing have largely abandoned the safety protocols being applied inside schools. Social distancing is not required on buses, and cohorts of students that are expected to remain within their groups while during school time will likely board buses with several other cohorts, potentially from different schools. In an interview with The Spectator earlier in August, one bus driver for the Hamilton-Wentworth region worried the buses would be worse than the classrooms. This is not necessarily true, said Neil-Sztramko. Even without physical distancing among students, especially students under the age of 10, schools and daycares have not seen significant transmission of the virus. While we dont have much data on what happens in school buses, we know that this finding probably extends to them as well. But problems might arise if parents dont carefully screen their children for symptoms, she says. Even though its unlikely for COVID-19 to spread, if one student on a bus tests positive for COVID-19, the students they were in contact with will need to isolate as well, which could potentially affect multiple cohorts and multiple schools. The downside to the school bus is that, because theyre breaking out of cohorts on buses, while the transmission risk might be low, it will still impact who needs to be isolated, which parents need to be isolated, and so on, Neil-Sztramko said. Both the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) and the Catholic board have asked that parents conduct a pre-screening test for their children every morning before school begins. The boards provided parents with an assessment checklist that asks parents to watch for coughs, signs of fever, and whether the student has recently been in the presence of someone with COVID-19. If parents notice any of these signs, they are expected to keep their child home. Karen Dailous, a local bus driver who spoke to The Spectator earlier this month, said shes used to seeing kids with illnesses boarding her bus. Kids come to school with fevers, bad colds, earaches you name it. The parents just want to get their kid to school as quickly as possible so they can get on with their day, she said. Neil-Sztramko and other experts, including Jeffery Pernica, head of infectious diseases in the department of pediatrics at McMaster University, say that for the most part the benefits of riding the bus outweigh the cons. The important thing to focus on is that its critical for our children to not miss more school than they have already, said Pernica. Health is not just about not getting COVID-19. Its also about going to school, having social interactions and learning. Right now, going to school is the healthy choice for our kids. Both boards have received additional funding from the province to reduce the number of students per bus. The province recently gave an additional $400,693 to the HWDSB for buses. All students are required to wear masks while riding buses and the drivers are tasked with cleaning the vehicles three times a day. Neither board has disclosed how many drivers have been hired so far. From: David Rubin - Author of 'Trump and the Jews' Shiloh , NC Wednesday, September 9, 2020 Trumps Middle East Peace Breakthroughs: Defeat of ISIS, Moving U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem & Re-Election Trump's Middle East Peace Breakthroughs Defeat of ISIS, Moving U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem & Re-Election Demo: Cavuto interview of Mayor Rubin on UAE peace deal https://video.foxbusiness.com/v/6180874041001/#sp=show-clips David Rubin available via Skype, Zoom or Phone. Intro: President Trump's obvious progress making relations in the Middle East must be considered when looking at his overall record. Unlike his predecessors, he kept a campaign promise so many have made and moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This was a major symbolic gesture decried for the unrest it would create that never happened. ISIS atrocities were an all too common occurrence during the Obama Administration, they don't exist anymore due to President Trump's policy. Relations between a number of Arab countries have improved and that has resulted in many useful security agreements between Israel and Saudi Arabia and now Israel and the UAE. This is by far the most successful Middle East policy of any administration in the last 30-years. How anyone can see it as anything else is pure nonsense and political lies. Here to explain is David Rubin, former mayor of Shiloh, Israel, and author of the book, Trump and the Jews. Q&A: President Trump has defied the odds and become a master statesman; how do you view his Middle East policy of the last four years? It's been groundbreaking. Trump has come to realize, like no other president before him, that the peace process in the Middle East can advance without the Palestinians. Only an out-of-the-box thinker like Trump could accomplish that. People forget that ISIS controlled a huge slice of the Middle East, bigger than the UK, and were committing the most horrible atrocities. Trump, with help from allies he recruited to the cause, has brought them to heel. Isn't this a major foreign policy win? Yes, and he did it quietly, with no fanfare, and not too many bombastic statements, which is contrary to his image of tooting his own horn, but the facts are there. He decimated ISIS. Even with the domestic disturbances, President Trump's ability to make the United States more respected must be a election issue in his favor. Countries are not taking advantage of the U.S., such as China, like they used to. How do you see it? Teddy Roosevelt used to say, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Trump brings peaceful relations and speaks of withdrawing troops, but the other nations think he's crazy, and you do not mess with someone who is crazy. The truth is that he is not crazy, that he knows exactly what he's doing, but keeps them on edge. In breaking news, we are reading about how Palestinians are softening their stance on the UAE peace deal. What's your view on that? They can get a copy at Your book, Trump and the Jews noted that the developing relations between Israel and the Persian Gulf countries would be significant. Where can our viewers get a copy?They can get a copy at www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or go to Amazon and type in the words, Trump and the Jews. David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh Israel, is the author of the book, "Trump and the Jews" and five other books. Rubin is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children's Fund, established after he and his then three-year-old son were wounded in a terror attack. He can be found at www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or at http://www.ShilohIsraelChildren.org CONTACT: Rachel Ford rford.specialguests@gmail.com or Jerry McGlothlin 919-437-0001 jerry@specialguests.com. Lawmakers alternatively poked and chafed Tuesday at the boundaries of Wyomings education system and the court decisions that protect it as they look to solve a yawning revenue deficit and stay on the right side of the states Constitution. Legislators are well into recalibration, the process by which state-hired consultants study Wyomings educational system. The process is used to decide what constitutes an adequate and equitable education for every student in Wyoming, and then determine how much the state must pay to meet that mark. The group of lawmakers who are tasked with running recalibration this year its held every five years spent several hours walking through consultants recommendations on staffing levels for teachers, tutors, librarians, nurses and counselors, among other parts of the funding model. The process is a lengthy and, on its face, dry affair. But at the end of it is a model for how the states education system will look and the amount of money that system will require to function. Its the second straight recalibration, after the 2017 effort, in which lawmakers find themselves facing a significant funding deficit amid a study of the states costliest budget item. Were looking straight down the barrel of a $510 million educational deficit shortfall for 23-24, and this is coupled with a $300 to $500 million biennium general fund shortfall, Sen. Hank Coe, a longtime education-focused lawmaker and a member of the recalibration committee, said Tuesday morning. What I would hope we would do is realize that we have to be responsible, and I would hope that we would make responsible reductions if we make reductions, which I would support, (and) end up with a model we can afford while still protecting teachers in the classroom. Some of the debate was familiar to followers of education funding debates in Wyoming. Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, noted that school districts dont spend their money as the model tells them to; they often pay teachers more and have larger class sizes. He wondered if the consultants had considered making a model that was closer to reality. While these experts did include some recommendations to more closely reflect whats happening on the ground, the question about making the model more reflective of salaries and class sizes came up three years ago. In that case, the consultants told the state being more accurate to actual spending would cost tens of millions of dollars more. Lawmakers promptly dropped the idea. But Tuesdays debate took on a new shape that sought to parse parts of the court rulings that have shaped education here. Rather than pick apart specific pieces of the model, legislators questioned fundamental aspects of education and expressed frustration about how this process works. Rep. Cathy Connolly, D-Laramie, said earlier this summer that the debate within recalibration would likely be driven by debates around specific words in the previous court rulings. The word that most came up Tuesday was adequate. The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled more than 20 years ago that the state had to provide an adequate and equitable education to every student. Indeed, the courts placed education funding above all other roles of the state, ruling that because education is one of the states most important functions, lack of financial resources will not be an acceptable reason for failure to provide the best educational system. All other financial considerations must yield until education is funded. Hicks and fellow Republican Sen. Dave Kinskey both poked at what exactly constituted an adequate education: Was it just the core subject areas like math and reading? Or did it expand to electives, to the arts, to career and technical education? Was Wyomings education system, Sen. Eli Bebout asked, too focused on preparing college students and not focused enough on preparing a workforce? Kinskey asked if, hypothetically, the state cut its educational offerings to just math, reading and writing, would that be adequate? Connolly, following that thought experiment, pushed for an answer too. The question about adequacy is fundamental: If the state is providing an education system now that is more than adequate, then the Legislature could cut it and avoid running afoul of a lawsuit. If the consultants provide a model thats significantly slimmer than the current one but is still adequate, all the better. If lawmakers were hoping for favorable answers to those questions Tuesday, they didnt get them. The consultants, Drs. Larry Picus and Allan Odden, tried to avoid questions about what exactly constituted adequate, sensing that those were questions perhaps best left to the states lawyers. But they did tell the legislators that their recommendations, which as of yet dont have a dollar figure attached, did constitute an adequate education. Rep. Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, asked the consultants point blank if their recommendations were not only adequate but as cost-effective as adequacy would allow. Yes, sir, Picus replied. We think this is what you need to have an adequate education. That was our task, and thats what we built and developed. More fundamentally, the lawmakers asked who gets to decide what exactly is adequate. The meaning of the word could have significant impact on what gets funded and what doesnt is a full day of kindergarten adequate or more than adequate? Is it the Legislatures mandate to set this bar, or is that the consultants job? Sen. Affie Ellis, R-Cheyenne, said the process felt absurd and said she had been repeatedly told that the lawmakers have to listen to the consultants. So whos in charge of actually deciding the content of the states education system? Good question, Kinskey said dryly. He had said earlier in the day that he didnt think it made a dimes difference what the Legislature said it wanted students to learn; the model was the model, he said. Our firm is employed to give you our best estimate of what adequacy is and then its your decision as a Legislature to decide how to use that information to allocate resources, Picus said. At this point, I know youve been told you have to do what the consultants say and doing that is how you avoid going to court, how you avoid getting a court ruling thats not favorable to the state. Youve followed that advice from what I believe are some state lawyers. I dont know what happens if you choose to do something different, he said. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 3 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The University of Michigan Dearborn hosted a virtual discussion Tuesday that it dubbed the non-POC cafe, an event that appeared to welcome only white students and ignited criticism of the school for its decision to hold an apparently segregated event. The Dearborn campus, one of the public universitys two regional campuses, described the virtual event as a space for students that do not identify as persons of color to gather and to discuss their experience as students on campus and as non-POC in the world. The university also held another event for students of color, named the BIPOC Cafe, using the acronym that stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The virtual discussion for students of color was described similarly, as a space for student[s] from marginalized racial/ethnic/cultural communities to gather and to relate with one another and to discuss their experience as students on campus and as people of color in the world. The events, which occurred simultaneously at 2:00pm on Tuesday, were hosted on Zoom by UM Dearborns Center for Social Justice and Inclusion. They were scheduled to be held bi-monthly, generally to occur on the 1st Tuesday of every month at 2:00pm and the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm. with dates and times subject to change depending on feedback and demand. The university has since apologized for the manner in which the events were described and promoted by the school and said that both events were open to all members of the UM Dearborn campus community and were never intended to be exclusive or exclusionary for individuals of a certain race. University of Michigan-Dearborn sincerely regrets the terms used to describe the cafe events. The terms used to describe these virtual events and the descriptions themselves were not clear and not reflective of the universitys commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Beth Marmarelli, director of communications and marketing for UM Dearborn, said in a statement to National Review. Story continues The events were intended to allow students the opportunity to connect to process current events, share their experiences related to race, share knowledge and resources and brainstorm solutions, Marmarelli said. The original intent was to provide students from marginalized communities a space that allowed for them to exist freely without having to normalize their lives and experiences, while also providing students that do not identify as persons of color the opportunity to deepen their understanding of race and racism without harming or relying on students of color to educate them. More from National Review (L to R) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov hold a joint press conference in Syria's capital Damascus, September 7, 2020. / Credit: LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Damascus Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov pledged on Monday that his country would help Syria's government survive crippling U.S. economic sanctions. Borisov spoke during a visit to Syria's capital five years after Moscow launched its military intervention in Syria, which helped turn the tide of the war with U.S.-backed rebels back in President Bashar Assad's favor. "We are expecting to sign a pact in December, during my next visit to Syria's capital, that would outline a new framework for trade and economic ties between the two countries for the coming years," Borisov told reporters at a joint news conference with the Syrian foreign minister in Damascus, after the delegation met with Assad. The Russian said the latest round of U.S. sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, were "strangling" the Syrian people. "In fact, this is a blockade, a destructive position by the United States and Western countries that we are making joint efforts to break through," said Borisov. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, visiting Damascus for the first time since 2012, was also at the news conference. He said the Russian delegation's visit, "focuses on the prospect of cooperation to develop relations between the two countries in light of new developments in the region." Syrian official sources quoted Assad as saying that he wanted to expand business ties with Russia to help Syria's crippled economy cope with the U.S. sanctions, which he said threaten to undermine military gains achieved in the war with Moscow's help. "The government is determined to continue to work with Russian allies to implement signed agreements and to ensure the success of Russian investments in Syria," Assad said, according to state media. Although Assad has regained control over most of the territory he lost during the civil war, the economy is in tatters. Many Syrians have fallen into poverty and the domestic currency has lost 80% of its value. Story continues Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Nov. 20, 2017. / Credit: AP Russia has remained a steadfast ally of Assad throughout Syria's devastating nine-year war, lending vital military, economic and political support. Russian troops have fought alongside Syrian government forces since 2015, and President Vladimir Putin has visited the war-torn country twice, most recently in January. In addition to the toll on the economy and infrastructure, the war has left more than 380,000 people dead and pushed millions out of their homes and into jam-packed camps for refugees and internally displaced people. Joe Biden leads Trump by 10 points in CBS News Battleground Tracker poll Michael Cohen claims Trump will do anything to win the 2020 election Helicopter rescues 200 trapped by fast-moving California wildfire Ankita Lokhande came out in support of her Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi co-star, Kangana Ranaut, after the Queen actors office was partially demolished by officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In a tweet, Ankita called Kangana a braveheart and sent her exorbitant love. BRAVEHEART. Exorbitant love & More Power to you. @KanganaTeam, Ankita tweeted, along with a picture of Kangana in her Rani Laxmibai get-up from Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. BRAVEHEART Exorbitant love & More Power to you @KanganaTeam pic.twitter.com/6WQWPkrObD Ankita lokhande (@anky1912) September 9, 2020 On Wednesday, BMC officials began demolishing portions of Kanganas property, alleging structural violations, a day after issuing her a notice. She shared videos of the rubble on her Twitter page, calling it the death of democracy. Kangana has been involved in a war of words with the Maharashtra government after she criticised the Mumbai Police and compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. On Monday, she shared a video of some men in her office and said that BMC officials had forcefully taken over (her) office. Also read | Kangana Ranaut hits out at Uddhav Thackeray: My home was demolished today, your pride will crumble tomorrow She tweeted, I have all the papers, BMC permissions nothing has been done illegal in my property, BMC should send a structure plan to show the illegal construction with a notice, today they raided my place and without any notice tomorrow they demolishing entire structure. On Tuesday, the BMC issued a stop work notice to Kangana, listing alleged structural violations in her office. A day later, they partially demolished her office. She called this an act of fascism. There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like. #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut, she tweeted. Meanwhile, Kangana arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon, amid her verbal spat with Shiv Sena leaders. She was given Y-plus security by the Union home ministry. Follow @htshowbiz for more The bombing hit during rush hour Wednesday morning and targeted First Vice President Amrullah Salehs convoy. Among the casualties were some of Salehs bodyguards, but the majority of the 10 killed and 15 wounded were civilians commuting to work, according to the interior ministry. These are more than just competing messages for a country riven by a pandemic less than two months before an election. The two sides dont even agree on what constitutes campaigning. And Republicans and Democrats each say their opponents are making a fatal error with the Trump campaign attempting to cast life as largely normal, while Biden and his campaign largely stay at home. The Sept. 1 primary drew a historic 1.7 million voters in Massachusetts, breaking the previous record for the state primarys turnout set three decades ago, Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin announced on Wednesday. Galvin said 1,427,868 votes were cast in the Democratic Primary, which had a highly anticipated the U.S. Senate election in which Ed Markey fended off Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Another 272,648 ballots were cast in the Republican Primary. The Libertarian Primary drew 4,871 ballots, and the Green-Rainbow Party drew 1,605 ballots. The Sept. 1 primary was already historic for several reasons. Its the first major primary in the Bay State during the coronavirus pandemic and the first with a new vote-by-mail law in place, enabling hundreds of thousands to mail in ballots to avoid being exposed to COVID-19. The mail-in voting law will remain in place for the Nov. 3 general election before expiring at the end of the year. I am thrilled that so many Massachusetts voters chose to participate in our State Primaries this year, whether it was by mail, during early voting, or in person on September 1st, Galvin said. Our local election officials worked tirelessly to make certain that everyone could vote safely and conveniently, ensuring that our primaries were a success, and I thank them for all of their hard work. I look forward to seeing even more voters cast ballots in November, Galvin added. The last primary turnout record was in 1990 where 1,551,644 voters cast their ballots. In the 1990 gubernatorial primary, Boston University President John Silber beat former Lt. Gov. Francis Bellotti in the the Democratic Primary. William Weld, former U.S. Attorney, beat state rep. Steven Pierce in the Republican Primary. Weld would go on to defeat Silber and serve two terms as governor. Galvin did not say how many ballots were mailed in. In August, he said Massachusetts received more than 1 million vote-by-mail applications. On Aug. 30, Galvin said election officials statewide received more than 768,000 Democratic ballots and more than 88,000 Republican ballots statewide, most of which were mail-in ballots. Going off of some of the previous public comments, I think we can estimate at this point that at least half of them were early voting ballots, especially mail-in ballots, said Alex Psilakis, policy and communications manager at MassVOTE. I think that bodes really, really well for November. But some of those applicants voted in person after failing to receive a ballot or failing to mail it into the local election clerks before the 8 p.m. receipt deadline. In Boston, the absentee phone lines were flooded the morning of the election as poll workers called election officials to verify that someone cleared to vote-by-mail didnt end up voting already. The concerns about mail-in and in-person voting, however, arent supposed to turn up as they did in the primary. The vote-by-mail law that took effect in July imposed a postmark deadline for mail-in ballots sent in for the Nov. 3 general election. Under the law, election clerks can continue to accept ballots postmarked on or before Election Day until 5 p.m. on Nov. 6. The Secretarys office is working on mailing general election ballots for overseas voters ahead of the Sept. 19 deadline. Psilakis said despite the concerns, he believes election officials and voting rights organizations have the infrastructure and manpower to make sure the general election goes smoothly. If all goes well, he said, the election will likely increase the publics appetite for making vote-by-mail a permanent option in Massachusetts elections. The genie is out of the bottle," Psilakis said. "People can try to put it back in, but you cant. Hopefully, this means vote by mail is here to stay. Related Content: About face Face plant Facing questions Saving face (TNS) Unbeknownst to the mayor and most city leaders, Norfolk police last year quietly started using a controversial facial recognition program that could end peoples ability to anonymously walk around in public.Detectives were so impressed with how the technology identified unknown suspects and helped solve crimes that they pushed the top brass to shell out thousands of dollars a year to make facial recognition one of their permanent crime fighting tools.Success seemed imminent.But Chief Larry Boone nixed their plan to have Norfolk police pay to use Clearview AI, an app made by a tech startup of the same name thats been aggressively marketing its services to law enforcement. Boone toldin a June interview that the public needed to know and talk about such a hot-button issue before police added it permanently to its investigative repertoire.Norfolk police stopped using the app in February, he said.That can be perceived to be so intrusive Big Brother is watching, Boone said during the interview. "Our current society isnt quite ready for that.They dont trust it.Even though Norfolk police have stopped using Clearviews facial recognition program, questions remain about the use of such technology to investigate crimes, whether in Virginia or across the country. Theres little oversight, legal or scientific, of how our images can be collected and used even when they could help send people to prison.Investigators in the nations roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies are often able to unilaterally adopt whatever investigative tools they want, whether or not theyve been rigorously tested by scientists or other law enforcement professionals.Five of eight Norfolk city council members said they didnt know police were using Clearview until areporter told them: Mayor Kenny Alexander, Andria McClellan, Mamie Johnson, Paul Riddick and Tommy Smigiel. Councilwoman Angelia Williams Graves said she knew the department was using Clearview, but couldnt remember when she heard about it, or from whom. Council members Martin Thomas Jr. and Courtney Doyle didnt respond to several voicemails, texts, and emails sent over the past five months.In the three months they used Clearview, Norfolk gang detectives uploaded photos of unknown people and suspects to the companys app, which then spit out public photos of those people, along with links to where those photos appeared. The system powered by a database of more than three billion images that Clearview claims to have scraped from Facebook, YouTube, Venmo and millions of other websites goes far beyond anything ever built by the United States government or Silicon Valley heavyweights, according to a Jan. 18 New York Times story headlined The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy as We Know It.The Norfolk Police Department was one of more than 600 law enforcement agencies that, without public scrutiny, started using Clearview between Jan. 1, 2019, and January of this year, according tostory. Clearview declined to provide a list of those agencies tofor its story earlier this year, and Jessica Medeiros Garrison, a Clearview sales representative, didnt answer several emails and texts sent byover the past two weeks requesting an interview and asking how many law enforcement agencies are using the companys program.The six municipal police departments in Hampton Roads and the Virginia State Police toldthey havent used Clearview and have no plans to do so.The genesis of Clearview was a 2016 meeting at a conservative think tank between Hoan Ton-That, a tech entrepreneur in his early 30s, and Richard Schwartz, who was an aide to Rudy Giuliani when he was mayor of New York, according toexpose. The two agreed to start a facial recognition company. Ton-That would develop the technology; Schwartz would tap his Rolodex of conservative powerbrokers to drum up business.The result: a system that uses what Ton-That described toas a state-of-the-art neural net that converts all images into mathematical formulas, or vectors, based on facial measurements like how far apart a persons eyes are. The result is an individuals faceprint.Clearview created a directory that grouped photos with similar vectors into neighborhoods. When a user uploads a photo of someones face into Clearviews system, it shows all the scraped photos in the same neighborhood in other words, the ones the app thinks are likely of the same person. It also links to the sites from which those images came, which frequently gives a user the persons name.The technology is complicated, but the idea is simple: Plug in a photo of a person you want to identify, and the app spits out any photo of that person thats ever been publicly uploaded to the web.But who would buy their product? Early on, the company struggled to settle on a market. Pitch it to parents as a way to vet babysitters? Hotels where concierges could greet guests by name as they arrived?Eventually, they homed in on law enforcement, according toarticle. In February 2019, the Indiana State Police became one of the first agencies to use the app and solved a case within 20 minutes of using it a shooting in a park where a bystander had taken a video of the crime. Police ran a still of the shooters face through the app and boom a match to a video on social media with a name in the caption. Clearview had given them a suspect.Meanwhile, the company started an aggressive promotional push, trying to get police departments around the country to try the app. In Norfolk, gang detectives got a promotional email in November from Police One, an online news site geared toward law enforcement officers. It was a Clearview advertisement that offered to let investigators solve crimes instantly and save lives with a computer program thats like Google Search for faces.The ad told the detectives that Clearview had let law enforcement break up a online child pornography ring and rescue a 7-year-old girl, crack a 32-year-old unsolved homicide, bust a multimillion dollar credit card scam and solve hundreds of other cases across the country.And then the hook: Try it out for free right now with a link to a few questions to verify they were law enforcement. It was Clearviews most effective sales technique: offering 30-day free trials to officers, who would then encourage their superiors to pay for annual licenses once they saw how well it worked.The two detectives signed up.Over the next three months, Norfolk police used Clearview in about 20 investigations, and it helped them make nine arrests, Boone said.But facial recognition was never the only evidence against a suspect, the chief added. Feeding Clearview a photo of someone might give you a name, but that just helps you start your investigation; its not the end of it, he said. That name leads detectives to, say, check the suspects criminal record; scour their Facebook page; or interview them, their friends, or family whatever the case requires.You still go on doing your old-fashioned investigative police work, Boone said.On Jan. 14, after the Norfolk detectives had been using the app for two months, Clearview sales rep Garrison told them their trial period was ending and asked if they wanted to buy an annual subscription, according to emails obtained bythrough the states public records law.One of the gang detectives, Officer Toofan Shahsiah, replied to Garrison that same morning: So far, the app has been VERY helpful, he said, adding that he thought superiors wanted to keep using Clearview. Garrison extended the departments trial accounts for another 30 days.On Jan. 27, Garrison checked back in. Sgt. Brandon Goins said he was about to write a procurement letter and send it up through his chain of command to the police chief for approval. He told her he was recommending the department buy two subscriptions, for a total of $4,000 a year.A week and a half later, the deal wasnt done. Garrison poked Goins again. He told her he was still waiting on a final word, and that he thought the inquisition from the news reporter is slowing things up.had asked about the departments use of facial recognition technology on Jan. 24. Upon learning Norfolk detectives were using Clearview, areporter requested a demonstration of how the program worked. Pickering then emailed Garrison, asking if she would explain it. After she replied, [i]ts been our experience with law-enforcement that they dont particularly share their investigative techniques with the media, Pickering rejected the reporters request. On Feb. 13, The Pilot used the states public records law to request police department emails that mentioned Clearview.Final word eventually came back to Goins: a no go. Boone did not sign off on buying the Clearview subscriptions, and in fact, told his assistant chief to make sure no one in the department was using it, even on a trial basis.inquisition didnt factor into the decision to stop using Clearview, Boone said.But top-down orders arent always followed by the rank-and-file. The Raleigh Police Department was a paying client before cutting ties with Clearview and banning officers from using its program, according to a Feb. 27 BuzzFeed News story . Despite that, Clearview records obtained by BuzzFeed News revealed Raleigh police officers kept using the app and even signed up for new free trials after the moratorium took effect.Police departments have had access to facial recognition for nearly 20 years, but they have usually been limited to searching government-owned images, like mugshots and drivers license photos. Those pictures are easier to analyze because theyre more uniform they have similar lighting, backgrounds and people are directed to look right at the camera.In fact, the Virginia Beach Police Department was one of the first law enforcement agencies in the country to try out the technology in the early- to mid-2000s.The experiment, funded by a $150,000 state grant and $50,000 in local taxpayer money, was plagued by the scope of its database, but also the nascent technology. The vendor claimed a 99.3% accuracy rate in laboratory tests under ideal lighting, but the software proved impotent out in the wild, homing in on what it thought were faces but turned out to be pictures on a T-shirt, leaves on the ground, and even the breasts and navels of bikini-clad women.Closed-circuit cameras watched people walking down a four-block stretch of the Oceanfront as software scanned their faces in real time. Officers at a computer would check out hits and, if need be, radio to an officer on the ground to track down potential suspects to verify their identities.Police in Tampa, Florida, tried something similar. Both cities shut down their experiments years later without making any arrests.There were key differences between what Virginia Beach did and what many police departments are doing with Clearview, aside from 18 years of technological advances.Virginia Beach police compared images of thousands of people who walked at the Oceanfront to a small set of images in their database about 700 people, including those with outstanding felony warrants, missing children, and the FBIs most wanted fugitives and terrorists. Images plugged into Clearview are checked against more than 3 billion photos.And Virginia Beach police owned and controlled their database, whereas the photos investigators feed into Clearview which could be of crime victims or witnesses become a part of a database owned by a private company whose ability to protect its data is untested.Finally, Virginia Beach had a public debate before using facial recognition, unlike their counterparts today in Norfolk and other cities. Leading up to the city council vote, the department announced its plans, held a town hall, and briefed council members as well as the media. Plus, it created a citizens advisory committee that included people from civil rights and minority groups who could randomly audit the system to make sure police were complying with their own policies.Above all else, the Department believed that full disclosure was paramount to implementing a successful program, according to a 2005 report of the General Assemblys Joint Commission on Technology and Science.In contrast, Norfolk police didnt notify council or the public. Thats possible, in part, because Clearview has set up the infrastructure. Detectives only need to have a photo and five minutes to create a Clearview account.Afterpublished its January expose, several major tech companies including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Venmo demanded in cease-and-desist letters that Clearview stop using photos scraped from their websites. The state of New Jersey banned law enforcement from using it. A host of plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against Clearview in multiple states.That includes the ACLU, whose lawsuit called Clearviews app the nightmare scenario that could lead to unwanted tracking and invasive surveillance by making it possible to instantaneously identify everyone at a protest or political rally, a house of worship, a domestic violence shelter, an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and more.More than anything, its the unknowns that are spooking people. And as a small startup company that was virtually unknown until a year ago, there are many when it comes to Clearview.Most simply, how well does its technology work? In promotional materials, the company claims it works 99% of the time, and in what it called an internal accuracy test, the program correctly identified 834 federal and state lawmakers whose images were submitted. But Ton-That toldthat Clearview accurately identifies someone in submitted photos 75% of the time.Regardless, its unclear how often the tool delivers false matches, because it hasnt been tested by an independent party like the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a federal agency that rates the effectiveness of facial recognition programs.Facial recognition technology has always disproportionately misidentified people of color because programmers dont feed their algorithms enough faces of Black and brown people, said Claire Gastanaga, executive director at ACLU of Virginia. Even with three billion images, theres no guarantee Clearview has seeded enough photos to overcome this pitfall.Since Clearview and its proprietary technology control what an officer gets after uploading a photo, could the company manipulate those results?Kashmir Hill, the reporter who wrote thestory, said a police department ran her photo through Clearview at her request and got no results. But the company soon called those officers and asked if they were talking to the media. Clearview blamed a software bug for the lack of search results despite Hill having years' worth of public photos on social media.Are your photos in Clearviews database? Who knows? Clearview is a private company using its own technology and private database, even though it sells its service to government agencies.Ton-That has told multiple news agencies that Clearview uses only publicly available images. If people change their Facebook privacy settings so search engines cant link to their profiles, those users' photos wont be included in Clearviews database, Ton-That toldBut if the company has already scraped your images, its too late, though Ton-That toldthe company was working on a tool that will allow people to request their pictures be removed if theyre no longer on the website from which Clearview scraped them.Who is using Clearview? In February, Ton-That said on Fox Business that Clearview was being used strictly for law enforcement to do investigations.But BuzzFeed News reported in February it had obtained a list of Clearviews users, which included 2,200 law-enforcement and other government agencies but also private organizations such as the NBA, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Albertsons, Rite Aid, Macys, Best Buy, Home Depot and Walmart.Clearviews logs showed it had also given access to agencies with ties to governments in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where being gay is a crime.Law-enforcement users in February included local police but also the international police organization Interpol and several U.S. federal agencies: the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Because Clearview didnt respond toquestions, its unclear if any have stopped using it or if even more agencies have signed up.But, according to Hill,reporter, the number of law enforcement agencies logging on and doing searches was on the rise when she first put the company into the public consciousness in January.Law enforcement loves it, and...its spreading like wildfire, she said while being interviewed onpodcast The Daily.And those are just a few aspects of Clearview that are unknown or unproven, Gastanaga said.These issues are not new to Clearview or facial recognition technology. More than a decade ago the National Academy of Sciences released a report about the weak science underpinning much of the forensic evidence being used in courtrooms across the country to convict people and send them to prison.Prosecutors once used bite mark identification as evidence, but thats been exposed as junk science, Gastanaga said. Vetting new methods and techniques whether its body cameras, shot trackers, or red light and speed cameras takes time and professional analysis. That cant happen if individual detectives, sometimes without the knowledge of their superiors, pick up a shiny, new toy and just start using it.Whatever technology theyre wanting to use to make their job easier, the ACLU believes deeply and profoundly that the public should have a role in that conversation, Gastanaga said.Dana Schrad, executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, said she didnt know about Norfolk police using Clearview, and admitted that the technology behind Clearviews tool is unproven. But facial recognition has the potential to give police unbiased information, eliminating some of the disparities Gastanaga mentioned, she said.And investigators arent automatons blindly reacting to what Clearview, other facial recognition tools, or any single piece of evidence, Schrad added. They put that piece of evidence in context with everything else they have, and do more investigating based on that evidence.Its just one tool, she said. Its not the only tool you use.But it can be an effective one that helps police put criminals sometimes people who hurt others in prison, she said. Police departments are strapped for cash and struggling to attract people into their ranks. Any tool that lets them fight crime with less money and manpower is a win.In Virginia and many other states, lawmakers have set no limits for how government agencies can use facial recognition technology, nor are they talking about the benefits and problems it could bring, Del. Lashrecse Aird said.There just arent any (guardrails), the Petersburg Democrat added in a phone interview. Its basically the wild wild west out there.She and some other lawmakers are trying to change that. Aird introduced a bill in the 2020 General Assembly session just beforeexpose, as it turned out that would have required lawmakers to study facial recognition and artificial intelligence. The bill died in committee, but the Joint Commission on Technology and Science is studying facial recognition anyway.And Del. Cliff Hayes, who heads the commission, is also chairing an advisory committee about law enforcements use of facial recognition. Hayes, D-Chesapeake, said hes held off on calling meetings during the legislatures special session on police reform and the coronavirus, but plans to restart once its over. His aim is to hear from tech experts and law enforcement before coming up with recommendations in time for next years General Assembly session. Aird said she will definitely introduce facial recognition legislation next year, and Hayes said hes considering it.Aird linked the issue to police reform and the civil unrest that has erupted since the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer jammed his neck into Floyds neck for some eight minutes as Floyd begged him to get off. Before using more powerful tools like facial recognition, law enforcement agencies need to figure out how to use the ones they already have arresting people, writing citations, using force without disproportionately affecting people of color, Aird said. If they dont, officers who start using new technology are just going to fall into grooves well worn by systemic racism, implicit bias, and in some cases, outright bigotry but with something more powerful and little understood.I think that puts more lives at risk. I think it allows for greater discrimination and bias, she said.Aird said she didnt know Norfolk police had been using Clearview until areporter told her. Norfolk with more than 42% of its 244,000 residents being Black and more than half being people of color is one of the cities where shes most worried about police using programs like Clearview, given that facial recognition has historically and consistently misidentified non-white people.Aird said she feels a sense of urgency to provide top-down rules for cities and towns so they cant fill the vacuum in a use-now-apologize-later approach.We need these guardrails as soon as possible, she said. By the time it becomes a kitchen table conversation, it will be too late to add (them).Norfolks mayor agrees.Alexander said he didnt know the police department had used Clearview untiltold him in early April, and so he was not involved in the decisions to start or stop using it. But, the mayor added, he thinks the police chief made the right call not to use it beyond the three-month trial.We found that it was really problematic, he said. This is not just a crime fighting tool apparatus. This has the potential of doing much much more.Because of that potential, Alexander said it would have been warranted and appreciated for police and city officials to present the pros and cons to the City Council before using it. But the mayor stopped short of saying they should have.For the mayor, many of the problems with Clearview are unanswered questions: How accurate is their program? How has the company secured its database? What happens to the probe photos submitted by Norfolk police into Clearviews system? Is Clearview using those? How so? Are they deleted after a certain period of time?State lawmakers are the best people to answer those questions, Alexander said, adding that hes glad delegates Aird and Hayes are seeking answers. The state legislature needs to take the lead by getting input from tech experts, law enforcement officials, privacy rights groups and others.Then they can transform those answers into legislation that will determine if and how law enforcement can use facial recognition.Alexander, who served 14 years total in the state Senate and House of Delegates, said he could see lawmakers creating a process through which tech companies like Clearview would have to get a license before offering law enforcement agencies in Virginia their facial recognition products. Only those companies willing to validate their technology, prove their ability to secure sensitive information, and open up to regulators would earn such a license.We dont think that this product has gone through that type of scrutiny, that type of discipline and Im glad were not using it, he said.In March 2019, a group of tech experts, business people and law enforcement officials wrote a 24-page about law enforcement using facial recognition. That task force, a joint effort of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Integrated Justice Information Systems Institute, recommended police fully inform the public what its doing and create policies spelling out who can do what with the technology and when.Two decades before that report came out, Virginia Beach police spent three years researching facial recognition and winning support from city leaders. Then police crafted a six-page policy outlining what photos could go in the database, what officers were to do when they got a hit of a felony fugitive versus a missing child, and that only officers authorized by the police chief could access the system.Norfolk police didnt do any of that.Boone said the department never wrote any rules for how and when to use facial recognition because they were using Clearview on a trial basis. If the department had fully adopted the program, the top brass would have done so.The chief said he has no plans to use Clearview or any other facial recognition technology, but didnt rule it out.That is so far down the road, Boone said. I hadnt given it much thought. WASHINGTON Trump administration officials at the Department of Homeland Security directed intelligence analysts to stop providing assessments of Russian interference in the U.S. election and to instead focus on China and Iran, according to a whistleblower complaint released Wednesday. The whistleblower, Brian Murphy, who served as an undersecretary in the Homeland Security agency's intelligence office, said acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf told him to squash information about Russian election interference in May of this year. "Mr. Wolf instructed Mr. Murphy to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States, and instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran," states the complaint filed by Murphy's attorneys. Wolf told Murphy the instructions came directly from President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Robert OBrien. "Mr. Murphy informed Mr. Wolf he would not comply with these instructions, as doing so would put the country in substantial and specific danger," the complaint says. Bob Woodward book takeaways: Trump admits 'playing' down COVID threat, secret nuclear program, Kim Jong Un letters Wisconsin poll: Biden leads Trump 47% to 43% in new Wisconsin poll by Marquette Law School Trump has repeatedly downplayed Russia's efforts to undermine American democracy, even though U.S. intelligence officials have concluded the Kremlin orchestrated a sophisticated campaign to boost Trump's candidacy in 2016. Lawmakers in Congress and Trump's own intelligence officials continue to warn that Russia is trying to sway the 2020 presidential contest. The new whistleblower complaint makes two other explosive allegations: that DHS officials pressured him to downplay the threat from white supremacists while playing up the threat from left-wing protesters and to manipulate intelligence on possible terrorists trying to enter the United States via the border with Mexico. Story continues Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Alexei Woltornist denied Murphy's allegations and said an investigation into his claims would "conclude that no retaliatory action was taken against Mr. Murphy." The agency was "working to address all threats to the homeland regardless of ideology," and Wolf was "focused on thwarting election interference from any foreign powers and attacks from any extremist group, Woltornist said. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Murphy's complaint "outlines grave and disturbing allegations" that senior White House and DHS officials sought to "politicize, manipulate, and censor intelligence in order to benefit President Trump politically." Schiff said he has asked Murphy to testify before the committee and vowed to "expose any and all misconduct or corruption to the American people, and put a stop to the politicization of intelligence. The whistleblower said acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told him to squash information about Russian election interference in May of this year. USPS delays: Senate report finds 'significant' prescription drug delivery delays under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Murphy alleged top DHS officials intervened in the agencys assessment of domestic threats to conform with Trumps public statements about left-wing threats. The complaint says Kenneth Cuccinelli, Trump's acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, directed Murphy to change the assessments description on white supremacy in a manner that made the threat appear less severe while also adding information on violent left-wing groups, according to the complaint. Murphy declined to do so and told Cuccinelli the changes would amount to censorship and improper administration of an intelligence program. The complaint says Cuccinelli and Wolf directed Murphy in multiple meetings between May and July 2020 to modify intelligence assessments to ensure they matched up with the public comments by President Trump on the subject of ANTIFA and anarchist groups. Trump has railed against left-wing agitators throughout his presidency. Antifa short for "anti-fascists" refers to loosely affiliated, left-leaning anti-racist groups that have been involved in some violent clashes in recent years. The movement has no unified structure or national leadership but has shown up at some protests. Murphy also alleges that he was told to provide Trump's first DHS secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, with intelligence analysis that "supported the policy argument that large numbers" of known or suspected terrorists were entering the United States through the southwest border. "Mr. Murphy declined to censor or manipulate the intelligence information, viewing it as an improper administration of an intelligence program" and told his superiors that would constitute a felony, the complaint says. "When Mr. Murphy would provide the intelligence information for Secretary Nielsens review, there subsequently would be e-mail or phone calls from (DHS officials) ... seeking to have the underlying intelligence data reinterpreted to fit the White Houses policy," he writes. He said Cuccinelli pressed for a highly negative portrayal of immigrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. "Mr. Cuccinelli stated he wanted changes to the information outlining high levels of corruption, violence, and poor economic conditions in the three respective countries," the complaint states. And he ordered Murphy and other colleague to name "deep state" individuals who had compiled the intelligence reports that did not conform to his directives. Murphy was reassigned to another DHS division on Aug. 1 amid reports that Murphys office had collected intelligence on journalists and protesters in Portland, Oregon. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Whistleblower: Trump officials pressured him to downplay Russia threat THE fashion giant behind Louis Vuitton has pulled out of a blockbuster 12.4bn takeover of Tiffany sparking a bitter legal battle. The French government told LVMH to delay the deal, the largest ever takeover in the sector, as part of a trade war sparked by Donald Trumps threats to put tariffs on Frances luxury sector in response to plans to impose a digital services tax on US tech companies. Spotlight: Tiffany's products are often modelled by Hollywood stars like Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured) LVMH said that given the request from the foreign ministry, and its own legal analysis, it could not do the deal. Tiffany, whose products are often modelled by Hollywood stars like Gwyneth Paltro, filed papers with the Delaware Court demanding the merger is completed by November 24. It said the 184billion French conglomerate deliberately stalled winning approval from EU competition authorities. Tiffanys shares fell in the US yesterday wiping 1billion, off its value early on. A Grand Island vets diabetes medicine gets stalled in the mail, as does a Tonawanda mans blood thinner and credit card payment from Niagara Falls. Meanwhile, Erie County Republicans and Conservatives try to slide those deemed unqualified into the third branch of government to the point that we lose confidence in the judiciary, just as theyre trying to undermine the postal service. And all of this happens while their leader models not wearing a mask, holds potential super-spreader rallies and downplays the threat of the novel coronavirus as nothing a little swig of Clorox cant cure. All coincidence? Oh, youre so naive. It should be obvious that this is the really deep state, part of the RAnon conspiracy (not for Rod, its just the next letter in the alphabet). But unlike QAnon, this one is real. And the fact that it is so obvious is all part of the plan: If its in plain view, it cant be that bad. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:54:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- On the first day of school reopening after the COVID-19 lockdown, teacher Shaun Allen decided to spend his first afternoon back in the classroom talking about coronavirus with his students. "We were just talking about everyone's experiences, not as a scaremongering activity, but rather let something get off their chest," Allen, who teaches Year three and four at Tittensor First School, Staffordshire, told Xinhua. Allen, whose style of teaching is based on forming a strong relationship with his classes to help them learn, had not seen a full class of his students for around five months. Like other schools across Britain, Tittensor First School is now back to full capacity. According to Allen, there are no children who are not coming in. The school has around 100 children enrolled and has opted to do four full days a week. Across the country, schools are following local advice to work out what format works best for them -- some are also doing staggered days or half days to keep in line with government requirements. Although Allen's school looks the same, he believes the requirements and safety advice have changed the school experience. "School is the same as before but vastly different. The first day back, the school staff were anxious. You could get the sense of a vibe from the parents when they were dropping the children off," said Allen. "It was blissfully upsetting because you could see how happy all these children were to come back...And to come back and see all their friends again, they were over the moon and ecstatic," he said. For Allen, and many of his colleagues, the moment was bittersweet. Children had been reunited with teachers and friends, but were limited in how they could interact. As per government guidelines, all children at school are instructed to stay in groups or bubbles to reduce the risk of spreading infection -- this means that any inter-bubble interaction is a limited possibility, and changes the school experience for many. "On the second day, which was Thursday, the staff were much more relaxed, we'd had time to see how different procedures were going to materialize and how they were going to cope," he said. For Allen and his colleagues, the additional tasks of sanitizing and ensuring the children were social distancing had become second nature -- now they were able to oversee the parents coming and waiting in an orderly fashion with distance between each other and helping the children to wash and sanitize their hands. According to Allen, it is "the method of doing" that has allowed the teachers to slowly get to grips with the new requirements. The classrooms at many of Britain's schools have had to be rearranged to enable each class to follow social distancing. The standard clusters of tables where children would sit facing each other in groups have been changed to rows of desks facing the front of the classroom -- much like the traditional English school style. In Allen's classroom, the school has installed additional hand sanitizers and tissues to wipe down desks. The challenge for Allen comes in the fact that he has 34 students to fit into what he describes as a small classroom. This means keeping children socially distanced for toilet breaks, lunch or when they are instructed to wash their hands has been a headache for him. "It's all these different variables that do add extra time to the day. So you sort of have to find time to make these things possible," said Allen, adding that "so it's interesting terms of the school day, the school days have definitely changed." But for the positive side, Allen felt that the forced break from school for children because of the pandemic has made them value the importance of school. "I feel like when something's taken away from you, you almost appreciate it that much more...The children have realized how much they have missed school, therefore they've come in. I'd say the children are much more attentive and almost in a state of mind whereby they know they want to be here -- which is different to before," Allen said. Enditem Nine months after the coronavirus emerged, theres still a remarkable lack of understanding about why the severity and course of COVID-19 vary for different people. Part of the problem is that we havent prioritised gathering and reporting data in enough detail. Most countries just report the age and sex of people who have died of COVID-19. This isnt enough if we want a better understanding of the disease. When looking at basic COVID-19 data, there are patterns that undermine what we think we know, such as men being more at risk, but these remain unexplained without knowing more about the demographics and health conditions of those infected. If we had that information, wed be able to better investigate, prevent and control COVID-19, just like we are with diseases where richer information is available. Detailed data improves health Reporting more data so that cases of disease can be broken down into subcategories is known as disaggregation. It allows further insight and can give patients better outcomes. Over the last two decades in the US, for example, breaking down the prevalence and outcomes of heart disease and stroke by sex, gender, ethnicity and age has significantly improved how it is managed. Disaggregated data shows that African American patients with heart disease tend to be younger and have multiple related conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes that make heart disease worse. It also shows they have less access to preventive care. This is all critical information for subsequent treatment, and thanks to knowledge gained through disaggregation, is now included in treatment guidelines. These factors could easily otherwise be overlooked. A similar analysis of detailed data has demonstrated that the effects of cholesterol-lowering statins differ between European, Asian and African patients. This can lead to more appropriate prescriptions and dosages. Disaggregated data can also show where biases in treatment lead to disparities in outcomes for instance, between men and women, or black patients and white patients and so highlight where practices need to change. Story continues COVID-19 death rates a mystery With only age and sex data available, we cant provide these sorts of detailed insights into COVID-19. But unexplained patterns in the data we do have show that theres more insight to be gained if we can collect more information. The following graph which presents the death rate of over-65s in England and Wales across the first 30 weeks of this year illustrates this. Author provided The rate of COVID-19 deaths is shown in red. The rate of death from all other causes in 2020 is in blue. The grey line shows the average of the overall death rate of the previous five years. The data is also broken down by sex: dotted lines for men, solid lines for women. There is the obvious spike in COVID-19 deaths, rising sharply around week 13 and declining rapidly after week 16. In the weeks around the peak, many more men were dying than women as shown by the dotted red line peaking higher than the solid one. This observation, also seen in global data, led to the conclusion that men are at greater risk of dying from COVID-19. Based on this, theres been lots of speculation as to why. There are theories about why the male immune system may be less effective against the virus, why the virus might more easily enter mens cells, or how gendered activities, such as smoking, may play a role. Yet by week 20 on our graph just ten weeks after the first death men are no longer dying in much higher numbers than women. The two red lines converge. This change is shown more clearly in the graph below, which shows the ratio of deaths between men and women for this period. Author provided The fact that the male-female ratio for COVID-19 deaths isnt consistent, but rises and then falls, shows that the association between sex and COVID deaths may have been overinterpreted in the early days of the pandemic. Data from the later stages of this pandemic suggests men and women may be equally susceptible to severe disease. Going back to the first graph, theres also a sharp rise in the number of non-COVID-19 deaths for both men and women shown by the blue lines rising above the grey ones. This is excess mortality that is, deaths above and beyond what would be expected based on previous years. Again, because of a lack of data, the reasons for the striking spike in non-COVID deaths is unknown. Speculative reasoning would suggest a combination of health-service failure, fear of going to the doctor when ill because of a potential increased risk of coronavirus exposure, concerns about over-burdening the health system, or a failure primary care to maintain services for people with chronic diseases. But the truth is: we dont know. What we should be doing Put simply, hospitals need to start collecting and reporting detailed data for COVID-19 patients. This means data on social determinants that affect peoples health outcomes such as race, ethnicity, occupation and socioeconomic status as well as peoples medical histories and information on pre-existing conditions. While we know that many medical conditions are associated with severe COVID-19 diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity are a few examples the available data doesnt show whether appropriately managing these conditions has an effect on COVID-19 severity. If it does, then a clear action for policymakers is providing access to preventive care for the underlying condition. For researchers to conduct this type of analysis, governments should require hospitals to share the data they collect, including with the World Health Organization it has already set up a platform to draw such information together. With nearly 900,000 deaths worldwide and counting, we cannot continue to work without taking advantage of all the information we can. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The Conversation The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Three bear cubs trapped in a skip climbed to freedom after being given a ladder to aid their escape. The animals were spotted by two deputies from the El Dorado County Sheriffs Office in Tahoma, California. In a post on Facebook, the sheriffs office said: A couple of our deputies saw them trapped in this dumpster and put a ladder in it to rescue them. Check out some great video of three bear cubs in Tahoma in the Tahoe area of El Dorado County. A couple of our deputies saw them trapped in this dumpster and put a ladder in it to rescue them. All three made it out safe. Bears are really on the search for food right now as they prepare for winter. x742 Posted by El Dorado County Sheriff's Office on Monday, September 7, 2020 All three made it out safe. Bears are really on the search for food right now as they prepare for winter. Video posted by the sheriffs office shows the bears climbing the ladder and jumping out of the skip before making a hasty getaway towards some nearby trees. Bears can hibernate for as much as seven months of the year, but in warmer climes will typically do so for shorter periods. MEDIA A 24-year-old Delaware County woman is facing 10 counts of statutory sexual assault and one count of institutional sexual assault for allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with a teenage boy beginning in 2018. District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer announced Tuesday that Carly Green, 24, of Aston, has been charged with statutory sexual assault and institutional sexual assault of a child, both felonies, in connection with a sexual relationship between the defendant and a male child, beginning when the boy was 15. This is a sad case involving a teacher, as well as a family friend, abusing the trust placed in her by both the parent and the child, Stollsteimer said in a release announcing the charges. The defendant chose to exploit the relationship of trust built over several years by engaging in a sexual relationship with the victim, knowing full well both the age of the child and the legal age of consent. The law cannot tolerate this flagrant disregard for the guardrails that we have erected to keep our children safe. According to the release, West Whiteland Police Officer Kyle OBrien received a report from a parent in November 2019 complaining of inappropriate sexual contact involving her son. The victims parent explained to Officer OBrien that she had observed changes in her sons demeanor, in that he appeared depressed and his grades had started to drop, the release states. In addition, she discovered that he had begun drinking alcohol and vaping, behaviors that he had not, to her knowledge, previously engaged in. When confronted, he admitted to having had sexual intercourse with Carly Green, a longtime friend and teacher, the release says. The victim had been a student of an Aston dance studio where Green was an instructor since age 10. A forensic examination of the boys cellphone found that it allegedly contained inappropriate messages between the victim and Green, as well as nude photos. The case was initially assigned to West Whiteland Detective Michael Buchmann. During an interview with Buchmann, the victim stated that the sexual relationship had started in 2018 in the defendants residence in Aston when he was 15 years old, according to the release. Although some of the alleged criminal activity took place in Chester County, the Chester County District Attorney relinquished jurisdiction to Delaware County. Green, accompanied by defense attorney Kevin ONeill, turned herself in on Friday and was preliminarily arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Diane M. Holefelder, who set bail at $50,000 unsecured. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25. Stollsteimer thanked the Aston and West Whiteland police departments and Chester County District Attorneys office for their work on the case, and applauded the alleged victims mother for keeping an active role in her sons life. As difficult as this situation is, I applaud the victims parent for being alert to warning signs, said Stollsteimer. She saw changes in her sons behavior and followed up on her concerns. Law enforcement cant do it alone we need the help of parents in protecting our kids. LONDON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the launch of the inaugural Ecological Threat Register (ETR), that measures the ecological threats countries are currently facing and provides projections to 2050. The report uniquely combines measures of resilience with the most comprehensive ecological data available, to shed light on the countries least likely to cope with extreme ecological shocks. The report is released by leading international think-tank the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), which produces indexes such as the Global Peace Index and Global Terrorism Index. Key results 19 countries with the highest number of ecological threats are among the world's 40 least peaceful countries including Afghanistan , Syria , Iraq , Chad , India and Pakistan . , , , , and . Over one billion people live in 31 countries where the country's resilience is unlikely to sufficiently withstand the impact of ecological events by 2050, contributing to mass population displacement. Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia , the Middle East and North Africa are the regions facing the largest number of ecological threats. , the and are the regions facing the largest number of ecological threats. By 2040, a total of 5.4 billion people more than half of the world's projected population will live in the 59 countries experiencing high or extreme water stress, including India and China . and . 3.5 billion people could suffer from food insecurity by 2050; which is an increase of 1.5 billion people from today. The lack of resilience in countries covered in the ETR will lead to worsening food insecurity and competition over resources, increasing civil unrest and mass displacement, exposing developed countries to increased influxes of refugees. The Ecological Threat Register analyses risk from population growth, water stress, food insecurity, droughts, floods, cyclones, rising temperatures and sea levels. Over the next 30 years, the report finds that 141 countries are exposed to at least one ecological threat by 2050. The 19 countries with the highest number of threats have a combined population of 2.1 billion people, which is around 25 per cent of the world's total population. The ETR analyses the levels of societal resilience within countries to determine whether they have the necessary coping capacities to deal with future ecological shocks. The report finds that more than one billion people live in countries that are unlikely to have the ability to mitigate and adapt to new ecological threats, creating conditions for mass displacement by 2050. The country with the largest number of people at risk of mass displacements is Pakistan, followed by Ethiopia and Iran. Haiti faces the highest threat in Central America. In these countries, even small ecological threats and natural disasters could result in mass population displacement, affecting regional and global security. Regions that have high resilience, such as Europe and North America, will not be immune from the wider impact of ecological threats, such as a significant number of refugees. The European refugee crisis in the wake of wars in Syria and Iraq in 2015 saw two million people flee to Europe and highlights the link between rapid population shifts with political turbulence and social unrest. However, Europe, the US and other developed countries are facing fewer ecological threats and also have higher levels of resilience to deal with these risks. Developed countries which are facing no threats include Sweden, Norway, Ireland, and Iceland. In total there are 16 countries facing no threats. Steve Killelea, Founder & Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace, said: "Ecological threats and climate change pose serious challenges to global peacefulness. Over the next 30 years lack of access to food and water will only increase without urgent global cooperation. In the absence of action civil unrest, riots and conflict will most likely increase. COVID-19 is already exposing gaps in the global food chain." Many of the countries most at risk from ecological threats are also predicted to experience significant population increases, such as Nigeria, Angola, Burkina Faso and Uganda.These countries already struggle to address ecological issues. They already suffer from resource scarcity, low levels of peacefulness and high poverty rates. Steve Killelea, said: "This will have huge social and political impacts, not just in the developing world, but also in the developed, as mass displacement will lead to larger refugee flows to the most developed countries. Ecological change is the next big global threat to our planet and people's lives, and we must unlock the power of business and government action to build resilience for the places most at risk." Food Insecurity The global demand for food is projected to increase by 50 per cent by 2050, meaning that without a substantial increase in supply, many more people will be at risk of hunger. Currently, more than two billion people globally face uncertain access to sufficient food. This number is expected to increase to 3.5 billion people by 2050 which is likely to affect global resilience. The five most food insecure countries are Sierra Leone, Liberia, Niger, Malawi and Lesotho, where more than half of the population experience uncertainty in access to sufficient food to be healthy. COVID-19 has exacerbated levels of food insecurity and given rise to substantial price increases, highlighting potential volatility caused by future ecological change. In high income countries, the prevalence of undernourishment is still high at 2.7 per cent, or one in 37 people do not have sufficient food to function normally. Undernourishment in developed countries is a byproduct of poverty; Colombia, Slovakia and Mexico have the highest undernourishment rates of OECD countries. Water Stress Over the past decade, the number of recorded water-related conflict and violent incidents increased by 270 per cent worldwide. Since 2000, most incidents have taken place in Yemen and Iraq, which highlights the interplay between extreme water stress, resilience and peacefulness, as they are among the least peaceful countries as measured by the Global Peace Index 2020. Today, 2.6 billion people experience high or extreme water stress by 2040, this will increase to 5.4 billion people. The majority of these countries are located in South Asia, Middle East, North Africa (MENA), South-Western Europe, and Asia Pacific. Some of the worst affected countries by 2040 will be the Lebanon, Singapore, Israel and Iraq, while China and India are also likely to be impacted. Given the past increases in water-related conflict this is likely to drive further tension and reduce global resilience. Natural Disasters Changes in climate, especially the warming of global temperatures, increases the likelihood of weather-related natural disasters such as droughts, as well as increasing the intensity of storms and creating wetter monsoons. If natural disasters occur at the same rate seen in the last few decades, 1.2 billion people could be displaced globally by 2050. Asia Pacific has had the most deaths from natural disasters with over 581,000 recorded since 1990. Earthquakes have claimed the most lives in the region, with a death toll exceeding 319,000, followed by storms at 191,000. Flooding has been the most common natural disaster since 1990, representing 42 per cent of recorded natural disasters. China's largest event were the 2010 floods and landslides, which led to 15.2 million displaced people. Flooding is also the most common natural disaster in Europe, accounting for 35 per cent of recorded disasters in the region and is expected to rise. 19 countries included in the ETR are at risk of rising sea levels, where at least 10 per cent of each country's population could be affected. This will have significant consequences for low-lying coastal areas in China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand over the next three decades as well as cities with large populations like Alexandria in Egypt, the Hague in the Netherlands, and Osaka in Japan. Development Aid Aid can be used as a mechanism to build resilience to ecological shocks such as droughts, water stress and food insecurity in developing countries. Climate-related aid has increased 34 fold from one billion US dollars in 2000 to US $34 billion in 2018 and is primarily spent in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Asia-Pacific. India received the largest amount of climate-related aid in 2018, amounting to US $6.5 billion. Although these increases are substantial, they fall well short of what is needed to address these issues going forward. For more information, visit economicsandpeace.org NOTES TO EDITORS The ETR report, articles and interactive maps are available at: visionofhumanity.org About the Ecological Threat Register (ETR) This is the inaugural edition of the Ecological Threat Register (ETR), which covers 157 independent states and territories. The ETR is unique in that it combines measures of resilience with the most comprehensive ecological data available to shed light on the countries least likely to cope with extreme ecological shocks, now and into the future. Methodology The ETR includes the most recent and respected scientific research on population growth, water stress, food insecurity, droughts, floods, cyclones and rising temperature and sea levels. In addition, the report uses IEP's Positive Peace framework to identify areas where the resilience is unlikely to be strong enough to adapt or cope with these future shocks. The report draws on a wide variety of data sources, including World Resources International, Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations, and Institute Economics and Peace. About the Institute for Economics and Peace IEP is an international and independent think tank dedicated to shifting the world's focus to peace as a positive, achievable and tangible measure of human well-being and progress. It has offices in Sydney, Brussels, New York, The Hague, Mexico City and Harare. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/792052/IEP_Logo.jpg SOURCE Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) Meera Suresh By Express News Service After a five-month break, the Malayalam movie industry is all set to get busy again. A Tovino Thomas-starrer already went on floors on Tuesday while a majority of films that were stalled due to the COVID-19 outbreak will resume production next Monday. They include the big-budget Drishyam-2 with Mohanlal in lead role and yet-to-be-titled Prithviraj starrer. Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) general secretary B Unnikrishnan said that shooting would be held in a controlled environment, strictly adhering to the COVID protocol and FEFKA guidelines. They include COVID tests for all cast and crew. Its a huge challenge. But the industry, already reeling under a massive loss, needs to get back on its feet. Hence we decided to resume production. The number of people on the sets will be limited. No guests or viewers will be allowed. Extensive preparations are underway, said Unnikrishnan. As per the guidelines, the number of people present on a set will be restricted to a maximum of 55. All cast and crew have to stay in a hotel, avoiding outside interaction during the entire production schedule. Masks and gloves are mandatory and each set will have a facility to dispose of the used protective gear. The guidelines also stipulate separate break hours for the cast and crew, thereby avoiding contact between people on the set. While these guidelines are expected to slow down the pace of shooting, it is also likely to increase the budget by at least 25 per cent. We expect the cost to increase by at least 25 per cent. But thats one setback weve to face. We dont want a scenario wherein cinema halls, when they reopen in another five-six months, face a shortage of content, added Unnikrishnan. Before the shoot begins, the respective local bodies will be informed about the time and number of people present at the sets, he added. Drishyam 2 director Jeethu Joseph said his team is ready. Weve got the required permission and everybody is ready to start the shoot. Were sure that this will in no way affect the creative process. Weve booked all rooms in two hotels in Kochi and Thodupuzha where the shoot will take place. The cast and crew will undergo testing and will minimise their interaction with others, said Jeethu. Guidelines Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday attacked the government over its assistance to the poor under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, alleging that money given was niggardly and totally insufficient. The Finance Ministry on Tuesday said more than 42 crore people have received 68,820-crore financial assistance under the governments Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana to protect the poor and vulnerable from the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. As part of the 1.70 lakh crore PMGKP, announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 26, the government announced free foodgrains and cash payment to women, poor senior citizens and farmers. Attacking the government, Chidambaram asked, How much did each beneficiary get under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana? Was it relief in any real sense or tokenism? Under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), 2.81 crore people got 2,814 crore or 1,000 per person, the former finance minister said and asked, Could that sum have kept body and soul together. Jan Dhan account holding women (20.6 crore) got 30,925 crore or 1,500 each over three months. Could a homemaker have run a family on 500 a month? he said in a series of tweets. Migrants (2.66 crore) got 2.67 lakh MT of food grains over 2 months. That is 5 kg per month. Could it have sustained a migrant and his family? The numbers prove that the money given was niggardly and totally insufficient, Chidambaram said. And certainly, the money could not have acted as a stimulus to boost demand and revive the economy, he added. Under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the government announced supply of free food grains and chana to migrants for two months, and the estimate of number of migrants provided by the states was about 2.8 crore. During the distribution period up to August, total 2.67 LMT of food grains was distributed to 5.32 crore migrants. This works out to an average of about 2.66 crore beneficiaries per month, which is nearly 95 per cent of the estimated number of migrants, the ministry had said. Half of the residents in Richmond will get something extra in their next water bill in the form of a printed flyer asking them to take a photo of the water line servicing their home. Members of the city council recently approved the flyer during a council meeting after the project was explained by City Manager Jon Moore. He said the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is having municipalities conduct a water service line survey to create a material inventory of the lines throughout the community. The department of public works has created a flyer to put in the water bills that will explain to residents how to take a picture of their water lines, which will assist the city in developing the inventory. It wont go out to all houses, certainly newer construction we know based on building permits and proper building procedures we know what the service lines are for those, Moore said. For certain older homes, they will get this flyer, were asking them to cooperate with us so we dont have to go into their home and verify what the water line coming into their house is. Those residents are being asked to find the line, take a photo of it and text the information to the city. This is a requirement of EGLE, I want to make it clear that the city of Richmond does not have any issues with lead and has never had any issues with lead service lines, Moore said. This is a requirement that EGLE is placing on all municipal water suppliers, that they start to develop and maintain an inventory of what the service lines are. Moore said the citys public service directors worked to create the flyer that will go out to each individual home owner whose house is in the correct age bracket. There will also be a video created by the city to show homeowners how to locate their service line to take a photo of it. Certainly, if people have issues, they can call our DPW and well assist them. But the more of these people that can find it in their basements and take a quick photo, itll help us get through the process, Moore said. Jim Goetzinger, director of Richmonds DPW, briefly addressed the council stating that just to be clear the requirement from EGLE was driven by lead issues that occurred in places like Flint. He echoed Moores assessment that Richmond doesnt have any history of lead service lines or lead contamination in their water distribution system. This is still a general requirement to all public water supplies regardless of your history or concern with lead in the drinking water, Goetzinger said. Mayor Tim Rix then asked if they had a range in terms of age of the homes that will be asked to participate in the plan. Goetzinger said, generally speaking, anything from 1987 to newer has a clear history of copper water service lines being installed and are lead free, so anything newer than that the city already has enough information on. We actually dont have a specific date. Into the 70s we were using copper, but there is no definite year when we said, Oh, we dont use lead service materials anymore,' Goetzinger said. Rix asked how many homes will be involved in the plan. Goetzinger said 50% of the homes serviced, which would be 1,200 homes in the city. Were getting reimbursement from the state of course? Rix asked Goetzinger responded no. Something we can pass onto our state representatives again, mandating programs that are unfunded, which they said they couldnt do according to that lawsuit a few years ago, Rix said. The council then approved sending the flyer out to residents with upcoming water bills. Barb Pert Templeton is a freelance reporter. She can be contacted at barbperttempleton.reporter@yahoo.com. Thousands of helicopter professionals from 160+ countries "worldwide" visit JustHelicopters.com every day, making it the Helicopter Industry's #1 Online Resource! Whether a Helicopter Pilot, Helicopter Student, Helicopter Mechanic, Employer, Helicopter Flight School, Helicopter Business, or an enthusiast, JustHelicopters.com has something for you. Dunns parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, met with President Trump in the Oval Office in October 2019, weeks after the accident. The couple said Trump tried to get them to meet with Sacoolas, who he said was in an adjacent room. Tim Dunn said they felt uncomfortable and thought the president was trying to bring them closure and himself a photo op. LONDON The coronavirus pandemic has reduced sales at commercial galleries specializing in modern and contemporary art by an average of 36 percent during the first half of 2020, according to a report published Wednesday by Art Basel and UBS. Based on responses from 795 galleries representing 60 different national markets, the report, called The Impact of Covid-19 on the Gallery Sector and written by the cultural economist Clare McAndrew, is the first major survey of how the pandemic has affected the worlds art dealers. Last year, global sales of art and antiques were estimated to have reached $64.1 billion, with dealers accounting for 58 percent of those sales, according to an earlier Art Basel and UBSs annual analysis. This is big and global and across the board, Ms. McAndrew said in a phone interview. The challenge has been much bigger than the last financial crisis, she added. Sales will eventually recover, but Im worried about the effect on employment, Ms. McAndrew said. But, she added, the market churns on. More than 90 percent of the gallerists surveyed closed their premises during the first six months of the year. Dealer sales were also hit by the cancellation of major international art fairs like Art Basel Hong Kong, Frieze New York and Art Basel in Switzerland. All three events converted to an online-only format featuring virtual viewing rooms. Two Australian journalists fled China after being questioned by intelligence agents and forced to seek the protection of their countrys government, their news organizations said Tuesday. Chinese officials told Bill Birtles, Beijing correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Mike Smith, Shanghai correspondent for the Australian Financial Review (AFR) that they were persons of interest in an investigation into an Australian anchor for state broadcaster CGTN, Cheng Lei, AFR said. Cheng has been detained by police in China as she is suspected of engaging in criminal activities endangering Chinas national security, said Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson. At present, the case is under investigation and being handled in accordance with the law. All of her legitimate rights are protected, Zhao said. The correspondents sought shelter in the Australian Embassy in Beijing and the consulate in Shanghai while diplomats negotiated with Chinese officials to allow their exit from the country, according to a statement from the Australian Foreign Ministry. Negotiations lasted five days before travel bans were lifted, allowing the journalists to fly back t0 Sydney. Birtles said on the ABC Tuesday that it was very disappointing to have to leave under those circumstances. Its a relief to be back in a country with genuine rule of law, he added. This was a whirlwind and not particularly good experience. It was a very tense few days, Smith told CNN Business of his time spent within the Australian consulate in Shanghai. He said that he and Birtles were only allowed to leave China if they agreed to be interviewed by Chinas Ministry of State Security about Cheng Lei. So we agreed to do that largely because we didnt really have any option. You dont want to be a Julian Assange and stuck in an embassy for years, Smith added, referencing the WikiLeaks founder who lived in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for nearly seven years to avoid extradition to Sweden. Story continues Tensions have risen between Australia and China in recent months after the former called for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, leading both countries to enforce trade restrictions on each other. Australia already advises its citizens that they may be at risk of arbitrary detention in China. While there are still some Australian journalists working in China, all are employed by non-Australian media companies. Birtles and Smiths exit mark the first time no journalists employed by Australian media are working in mainland China since 1972, when the two countries normalized relations. Other foreign journalists have also faced struggles in China, as authorities there recently imposed new visa restrictions on foreign journalists working for American news organizations. In the first half of 2020 alone, China expelled a record 17 journalists by canceling press credentials, according to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China. Beijing effectively expelled about a dozen journalists from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal in retaliation for a move by the Trump administration that limited the number of Chinese nationals allowed to work in the U.S. offices of Chinas state-run media. The administration has labeled a growing number of the offices as foreign missions, forcing them to file paperwork with U.S. authorities on their finances and personnel. Beijing followed suit in demanding the same of several U.S. outlets in China. More from National Review The fact that Extraco Consulting recognizes the benefit of NXTsofts OmniConnect solution is exciting to us. NXTsoft looks forward to making thousands of connections for Extracos valued customers. NXTsoft, the market leader in API connectivity, and Extraco Consulting (extracoconsulting.com), a community bank consulting firm affiliate of Extraco Banks that assists financial institutions with the processes and solutions necessary to adapt to the rapidly changing banking environment, today announced a partnership related to API integration. Extraco Consultings award-winning SWARM Banking methodology focuses on people, products, processes, and technology enhancements as they relate to all components of banking. They have implemented this successful and proven methodology in their own affiliate financial institution, as well as with community banks across the United States. When Extraco Consulting learned about NXTsofts API connectivity to the majority of core processors in the market, coupled with NXTsofts OmniAlert secure API monitoring solution, they knew it was a partnership that would provide tremendous value to their financial institution customers in a post COVID world. With over 25 years connecting Fintech companies and financial institutions, NXTsofts OmniConnect is the leading API connectivity solution in the market. OmniConnect enables small to mid-sized banks to implement the technology they want and need to significantly lower operational costs through enhanced automation and to quickly enhance services offered digitally to their customers. With the transition away from in-branch banking consumers expect a robust digital banking experience and financial institutions need painless connectivity they can depend on to deliver what the consumers want. We are always looking for ways to support our clients with best-in-class digital services and technology, said Lindsay Green, president of Extraco Consulting. That is why an alliance with NXTsoft is a great fit for us. When we see an institution struggling to find the digital framework they need, our relationship with NXTsoft will help us to guide them into a trusted solution. Extraco Consulting is trusted by hundreds of banks to implement process and solutions that make banks better and bankers lives easier, said Rich Longo, president of NXTsofts data & connectivity business. The fact that Extraco Consulting recognizes the benefit of NXTsofts OmniConnect solution is exciting to us. NXTsoft looks forward to making thousands of connections for Extracos valued customers, he said. About NXTsoft NXTsoft is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., NXTsofts OmniConnect is the market leader in API connectivity, connecting Fintech companies to banks and credit unions throughout the United States. NXTsofts other solutions include data security, data analytics, data management and data migration. NXTsofts other solutions include data security, data analytics, data management and data migration. NXTsofts products and services help businesses secure, connect and optimize their data to maximize revenue opportunities, enhance profitability, and mitigate cybersecurity risk. For more information visit http://www.nxtsoft.com, email info@nxtsoft.com or call 1-800-915-3381. About Extraco Consulting Extraco Consulting offers guidance on retail banking strategies, customer service and relationship building sales training, process improvement and much more to regional and community banks and credit unions across the United States. The company also has a full-service Advertising and PR Agency supporting all markets and industries. At Extraco Consulting, we speak bank. We are bankers that have a passion for helping other bankers. Our proven approach to the Universal Banker Model, called SWARM Banking, was developed based on four components: people, products, processes and technology. SWARM Banking was implemented and proven successful for our affiliate company, Extraco Banks, and has been modified to support our clients across the United States. We want to help other community banks and credit unions that service and support their local communities a way to adapt in the changing banking environment successfully. You may visit us at http://www.extracoconsulting.com or call us at 1-888-797-7468. The NDC, on Monday, under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama, the party's flagbearer who is also a former president, launched its highly-anticipated manifesto at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (USPA).. Dubbed The Peoples Manifesto: Jobs, Prosperity and More, the NDCs policy document, is categorized into "six thematic areas" to serve as the partys blueprint as follows: "fixing the economy, promoting human development, providing infrastructure for growth, providing decent jobs, good governance and corruption, and deepening international relations and foreign affairs". In the 143 page document, the NDC pledged at least 18 free items across all sectors. There was mention of free primary healthcare, free tertiary education to persons with a disability, and free seedlings for cocoa farmers under agriculture. The NDC also promised to add private secondary schools to the Free Senior High School policy introduced by the Akufo-Addo government, absorbed 50% of tertiary school fees, agenda one million jobs in first term, among others.. Speaking to this on Wednesday's edition of Peace FM morning show 'Kokrokoo', James Kwabena Bonfeh, popularly known as Kabila accused the opposition party of plagiarizing several portions of the manifesto. According to him, the biggest opposition party included portions of Journal of African history, 2011, and portions of a draft of a programme of the Convention People's Party (CPP) for work and happiness in their 2020 manifesto. "There is nothing wrong with that if you make the admission or give credit where its due. The only reason why one will not want to give credit is because of dishonesty and insincerity," he slammed. "As a student of research, every Research product can only be an outcome of the methodology; you have your methodology established I have my doubt if indeed the prescribed way of following a peoples manifesto was followed," he added. 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 National Development and Investment Company (ASAAS) has announced the signing of an usufruct agreement with the Office of the Minister of State and Governor of Musandam to develop the Bassah Beach site in the Wilayat of Khasab, Musandam Governorate. This will add further momentum to the companys ambition to help in diversifying the national economy by forging strong partnerships and aligning with the governments vision to boost tourism contribution to the national GDP while also offering career opportunities for locals, reported Oman Observer. The agreement was signed recently by Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said al Busaidy, Minister of State and Governor of Musandam, and Abdullah bin Humaid al Maamari, Chairman of ASAAS. The agreement involves developing a land area of about 73,000 sq m that will feature two key components; a four-star resort as well as a public park to cater for the growing number of tourists visiting this pristine beach. One of the most beautiful sandy beaches nestled between the rugged dark mountains of Musandam, Bassah Beach is strategically located near Khasab Airport, only 2.6 km from Khasabs city centre, it added. Areas where modifications will be made to enhance foot traffic and outdoor dining. North Adams Gains $44K MassDOT Grant to Expand Outdoor Dining Joseph and Kathy Arabia speak to the City Council over Zoom on childhood cancer. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The city has received a $44,483 grant from the state's Shared Streets and Spaces Program to promote outdoor dining in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The City Council on Tuesday accepted the funds from the state Department of Transportation for use in making modifications on Center, Eagle, Main and North Church streets to develop more outside dining options. The vote was 8-1 with Councilor Keith Bona voting against. "This is one of many state responses to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mayor Thomas Bernard. "This one's specifically focused on how we support businesses in our downtown, and specifically pilot and and test ideas that we've talked about or that may be on the books, to use streets and sidewalks and public spaces to promote commerce, outdoor dining and other other amenities for a temporary term, this being through November." The grant was the work of Zachery Feury and Michael Nuvallie in the Office of Community Development, along with plans developed by Stantec engineers. "These are ideas that are intended to be temporary flexible, low-cost, using basic materials so nothing heavily engineered no major construction," Bernard said. "But one of the reasons that I like this program, and this is noted in Zach's memo as well, is that it takes some of the ideas that we've talked about through Community Development, through other projects, through [Community Development Block Grant] funding for downtown and gives us a chance to pilot them on a temporary basis." Feury said the projects have to be completed within 30 days of the award. Some elements will be completed sooner than others that will have to be bid to outside contractors. The grant will be focused on four areas: The removal of several parking spots in front of Ramuntos on Main Street. The closure of the central portion of west end of Center Street (which has already occured). Making the east end of Center Street one-way and adding four parking spots. Reducing parking spaces and adding traffic calming elements on Eagle Street. Making North Church Street two-way and adding in medians and crosswalks around Monument Square. Feury said the temporary measures will be in place by early October and the mayor said the expectation was they would be removed around Nov. 1, but based on the governor's measures related to indoor dining. "In talking to some other communities that have done outdoor seating arrangements for this season, they're already actually planning on doing that again next year," said Councilor Benjamin Lamb. "Because they found that it actually does create new customer bases that they hadn't seen historically who are more interested in eating outdoors than indoors in the summer months." Bernard said the grant will allow the city to try out some ideas on a temporary basis with the possibility of restoring some or all of it again in the spring. "The things that we're purchasing are temporary and can be can be stored so that we can reconsider them again in the future," the mayor said. "But again, part of this is the funding serves as a proof of concept so we think that this is a good approach." Bona, who operates a gift and antiques store on Main Street, said he couldn't support it because it did not really take into account other businesses and only focused on restaurants. "I'm gonna vote against this. It's rare that I vote against a grant like this but at this point, with my other hat of being downtown often I can tell you that besides restaurants, there was very few surveyed, as an other businesses and residents." Though he did not attend Tuesday's remote meeting of the City Council, local developer and artist Eric Rudd also registered opposition to the plans in writing to the Office of Community Development. Rudd, who founded the Berkshire Art Museum at North Church and East Main streets, thinks making North Church two-way will cause safety issues by diverting more traffic into a residential area near a school, among other issues he had. "It's a poorly thought-out plan," he wrote. "I think having some grant money is rushing the city to make bad decisions and actions." Councilor Lisa Blackmer thought the focus on restaurants was merited because of their ability to draw foot traffic to downtowns. "Economic development studies have shown that ... first people come to eat, and then they stay to shop, or they see the opportunities so I think it's easier to attract a restaurant than a store," she said. "We're building up a walkable city or downtown area so I think it's worth the time and investment. I'm really disappointed that it we're so far behind the ball on this compared to some of the other communities." She hoped for a mild fall and maybe some portable heaters. Councilor Marie Harpin thought fall was a good time to be launching this. "Our autumns here are absolutely gorgeous. And we do have some some Indian summer so it could be worthwhile pursuing this for sure in the next few months," she said. In other business: The mayor read two proclamations, one in support of Start with Hello Week, a program of the Sandy Hook Promise to foster safer and more inclusive schools, one for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Each year, Kathy and Joseph Arabia speak on behalf of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and some of their efforts on behalf of brain cancer in children. A child is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes; five children a day die in the United States from cancer. For those who survive, 95 percent develop chronic health problems. The survival rate for children with brain cancer is less than 1 percent. The Arabias founded the AYJ Fund in honor of their daughter Anna Yan Ji Arabia, a Drury High School student who was diagnosed with gliomatosis cerebri at age 13 in 2009; she died four years later. "With the impact of COVID, these kids have even more difficult to fight," Kathy Arabia said. "It's impacted research some but we are happy to say that we have been in touch with researchers, and they have returned to the labs in very unique scheduling structures to help to continue their work, and their support of, like they said, these kids makes a tremendous difference." She said they have met with a number of new families affected by cancer in the North Adams and Pittsfield areas since they came before the council last year. Her husband said they work very closely with researchers and "we are impressed by the work that they're doing and they continue to enter commitment." They both thanked the city of North Adams and the local community for its support as well. "The businesses in this community have done a tremendous amount of support so thank you very much," they said. The council passed several traffic ordinances to a second reading, accepted a donation of The council passed several traffic ordinances to a second reading, accepted a donation of $11,000 from Ocean State Job Lot for personal protective equipment for the Public Safety Department, and approved the transfer of $450 from the Tinker Fund for repair and maintenance work at Hill Side Cemetery by the Hill Side Restoration. The fund currently has $41,160.56. Pedestrians are reflected in a window as they walk in front of the headquarters of Deutsche Bank AG in Frankfurt WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control announced two settlements totaling $583,100 with Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas to resolve investigations into violations of Ukraine-related sanctions, the agency said on Wednesday. The unit of Germany's largest lender, Deutsche Bank AG , agreed to pay $157,500 for processing a large payment through the United States that involved a property interest of an oil company in Cyprus designated under the Ukraine sanctions. OFAC said the bank failed to conduct sufficient due diligence on the company. Separately, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas agreed to pay $425,600 for processing payments destined for accounts at a designated financial institution. The bank failed to stop the 61 payments because of lapses in its payment screening tools, according to the Treasury. The bank has said it will review the circumstances of the apparent violation and perform any necessary additional training or changes to the banks internal procedures. (Reporting by Michelle Price; Editing by Tom Brown) A 27-year-old New Haven man could face up to 10 years in prison after he was convicted on a federal firearms charge. Chaze Yopp pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the U.S. attorneys office for the district of Connecticut said in a press release. In January, prosecutors said Yopp was in an SUV that fled from New Haven police during a motor vehicle stop. The SUV ultimately crashed into a light box at the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Bassett Street, the press release from the U.S. attorneys office said. Yopp fled from the crash on foot and discarded a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol as he ran through backyards along Dixwell Avenue. He was arrested on state charges later that month, and federal prosecutors charged him in February. Yopp was previously convicted on state firearm and drug offenses, the U.S. Attorneys office said. New Haven police have also charged him in state court with criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, and interfering with an officer. Yopp pleaded not guilty to those charges, and was released on $150,000 bond. He is due back in New Haven court on those charges Dec. 2. Yopp was released following his guilty plea on Wednesday on $25,000 bond prior to his sentencing, which has not been scheduled, the U.S. attorneys office said. The Supreme Court on Wednesday has refused to hear a fresh batch of petitions seeking cancellations or postponement of the NEET examination scheduled for September 13. A bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan said, "Sorry, we are not inclined to entertain". Justice Bhushan said that authorities will take necessary actions to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The bench said that all arrangements have been made by the authorities to hold the exam. Now everything is closed, even review is dismissed, the bench said, adding that only the NEET exam is left now and JEE is over. The NEET-UG exam has been cancelled twice this year on May 3 and July 26 due to coronavirus outbreak. Referring to the flood-like situation in Bihar, senior advocate Arvind Datar, said only two centres are made at Patna and Gaya. It should be postponed by a few weeks. Senior advocate K T S Tulsi, who was appearing for one of the petitioners, said that people residing in containment zones are not allowed to come out of their house. How can they give exams, Tulsi said. The apex court on September 4 cancelled the plea of ministers of six opposition-ruled states regarding the cancellation of the undergraduate medical exam. The top court on August 17 dismissed a plea that had sought postponement of JEE (Main) April 2020 and NEET-Undergraduate examinations amid a spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases. At that time, the SC said: "Although there is a pandemic situation, ultimately life has to go on and the career of the students cannot be put on peril for long and full academic year cannot be wasted". Also read: JEE, NEET Exams to go ahead, Supreme Court rejects states' plea to review order Also read: NEET 2020, JEE Mains, UGC NET: Check all important exam dates here A special band in Guiyang, capital city of southwest China's Guizhou province, has drawn attention as five out of the total six band members are visually impaired. The band performs. (Photo provided by the interviewee) During the daytime the band members busy themselves with their own jobs, such as delivering food or giving massages, gathering together at night to rehearse. After Yang Zhi, guitarist of the band, lost his sight in an accident when he was young, he was accidentally enchanted by music and decided to learn to play the guitar. Yang met Chen Changhai, now drummer in the band, when they were still students at the Guizhou Forerunner College. Their enthusiasm for music is what brought them together and made them consider establishing a band. Chen had doubts at first as he couldn't play any instrument and visual impairment may make it harder to learn, but he was inspired by Yangs story and meant to live college life to its fullest. "The school helped us seek other members and gave us start-up funds of 10,000 yuan," Chen recalled. "Since we have eye issues and aspire to see the light, we named the band 'Light Band'," said Chen. The band rehearses. (Photo/Wang Xi) Due to the eye disability, the members of the band, except for Yang who had learnt guitar before, would spend five hours or more to learn to play the instruments. Gradually, they started to give performances in the school. After they graduated in 2014, the band was dismissed. From 2014 to 2016, Chen and Yang would still sing in the city to pursue their dreams of music, although they had to work to support themselves. In 2016, Chen opened a massage parlor, where Yang also secured a job, in a bid to earn a living as well as prepare for the re-establishment of a band. The band named "Zheergen", meaning always having faith even when surrounded by darkness, was established in 2018. So far, the band has already composed six original songs. It hopes to launch its own albums in the future and tell the world of the bands stories. The Indian Air Force is all set to formally induct its latest Rafale fighter jets at the Ambala airbase on Thursday in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh, officials said Wednesday. French defence minister Florence Parly and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria will attend the ceremony, they added. The two ministers are likely to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the event, the officials said. Here are five things you should know about Indias latest warplanes 1. Five of the 36 Rafales ordered by the IAF arrived at the Ambala airbase on July 29. India had ordered the jets from France in a government-to-government deal worth 59,000 crore in September 2016. While the air chief and other IAF officials welcomed the Rafales and the pilots on arrival, a formal induction ceremony is being held on September 10. These Rafale jets are part of the IAFs No. 17 Squadron, also known as the Golden Arrows. Also Read: To protect Rafale from bird-hits, Ambala admn told to clean up litter near IAF base 2. The next batch comprising three or four Rafale jets is expected to reach Ambala from France in October, followed by a third batch in December, the officials said. All deliveries will be completed by the end of 2021. 3. Indias new Rafale fighters will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of the air force with their advanced weaponry, high-tech sensors, superior radar for detection and tracking of targets and ability to carry an impressive payload, experts said. Also Read: Defence ministry working to announce new air defence command by October: Report 4. The Rafale weaponry includes Meteor, beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, Mica, multi-mission air-to-air missiles, and Scalp, deep-strike cruise missilesweapons that allow fighter pilots to attack air and ground targets from standoff ranges and fill a significant capability gap. 5. Officials said the IAF could deploy its new Rafale fighters in the Ladakh sector as part of Indias overarching plan to strengthen its military posture in the region, where Indian and Chinese forces are locked in a tense border confrontation and military friction has grown in recent weeks. Press Release September 9, 2020 Las Pinas COVID Lab now open The COVID-19 testing lab which is expected to serve patients in Las Pinas City is now opening its doors and starting operations to help improve the country's testing capacity and recovery rate for the new coronavirus disease. A team of experts went to the COVID testing facility of the Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center (LPGH-STC) to assess the facility and to conduct a proficiency testing. Both the GeneXpert and RT- PCR machine passed the assessment. The laboratory personnel also passed the proficiency exam and were found to be competent to handle the testing using the GeneXpert technology. Next week, the personnel will undergo proficiency exam in using the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) COVID-19 testing machine. Sen. Cynthia Villar, whose family donated equipment to capacitate the hospital to operate its own COVID testing center, welcomed the development and expressed hope that similar facilities would be set up and accredited in other areas in the Philippines. DOH operated hospitals should have their own testing centers, I hope the Department of Health could fast-track their application because we really need to improve our testing and tracing capacity and the accuracy of reporting of cases in this fight against COVID-19," Villar said. The Las Pinas facility just like the other facilities applying for accreditation, needs to go through a multi-stage process of laboratory assessment. "With this testing center, patients in Las Pinas City will no longer have to travel far and wait long for results," Villar said. The Villar family has donated a laboratory freezer, biological refrigerator, autoclave sterilizer and passbox to the facility. They also provided assistance in ensuring that the renovation or retrofitting of the area assigned as a Covid testing laboratory will conform to the standards approved by the DOH and World Health Organization. The RT-PCR machine was donated by San Miguel Foundation to LPGH-STC and will start to operate next week. The foundation reached out to Public Works Sec. Mark Villar and identified the LPGH-STC as a beneficiary of its program to help the government with COVID-19 testing by donating test kits to local government units and RT-PCR machines to government hospitals. Day after allegations of firing on the South bank of Pangong Tso, the North bank of the lake has been seeing hectic activity since Tuesday night. Officials told News18 that since Tuesday night, a PLA build-up has been noticed in the general area of Finger 3 on the North bank of Pangong Tso. From the heights that Indian forces have occupied, PLA build-up on the heights near finger 3 was observed. Soon, our side also spruced up the numbers, an official said. News18, reporting from Leh, observed multiple air sorties by Sukhois, MIGs and Transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Locals said this air activity picked up pace a little past midnight on the intervening nigh of September 8-9. Officials also confirmed that all border troops were put on the highest level of alertness after the North bank build-up was noticed. The air sortie frequency also went up in the last 15 hours to showcase preparedness and answer the mind games that Chinese forces are playing. The latest build-up came hours before Indias external affairs minister S Jaishankar is to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Officials told News18 that 1,500-2,000 Chinese soldiers have climbed the ridges near Finger 3 on the lakes North Bank with artillery guns and automatic weapons and are currently separated from the Indian troops only by a distance of 300m. RELATED NEWS In Fresh Border Tension, India Says PLA Troops Fired in The Air as China Claims Serious Military Provocation It is almost eyeball to eyeball. The Indian and Chinese sides in large numbers have occupied two ridge tops with their weapons. There is a chasm between the two heights, but the aerial distance is only about 300m," said an official in Ladakh. The information was corroborated by a second officer in the security establishment who said the Chinese PLA started assembling troops at Finger 3 after they figured out the Indian sides strategy of occupying heights to keep an eye on the opponents. All night the situation was tense. Today afternoon some nerves were calmed but both sides continue to deploy their troops," said the officer. Commander-level talks were held to defuse the situation at North Bank on Wednesday afternoon. Officials said the talks ensured things do not escalate further. India and China had a fresh face-off on Tuesday when the Chinese side accused Indian troops of illegally crossing the border at the shore of the God Pao Mountain area and firing warning shots. India, however, denied the claims, with the defence ministry saying: India, while is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation on the LAC, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate. At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to use of any aggressive means, including firing. The ministry further said it is in fact the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres", while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress. In the instant case on September 7, 2020, it was the PLA troops who were attempting to close-in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate own troops. However, despite the grave provocation, own troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner," the MoD statement read. This comes two days after the defence ministers of India and China met in Moscow, and two days ahead of the scheduled meeting between the foreign ministers. These are serious military provocations.. of a very bad nature," PLAs Western Theater Command spokesperson Col Zhang Shuili said. Shuili, in a statement published by the militarys official news website early on Tuesday, said that Chinese border guards took countermeasures" to stabilise the situation. The statement did not make clear what those measures were or whether Chinese troops also fired warning shots. Both sides have observed a long-held protocol to avoid using firearms on the sensitive, high altitude frontier running through the western Himalayas, though this agreement has not prevented casualties. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand fighting in a clash in June, an incident that led to China and India deploying additional forces along the frontier. We request the Indian side to immediately stop dangerous actionsand strictly investigate and punish personnel who fired shots to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again," Shuili said. Troops of India and China were engaged in two fierce face-offs in Eastern Ladakh and near Naku La Pass in Northern Sikkim recently, leaving several soldiers on both sides injured. Myanmar & COVID-19 Myanmar Reports 12th COVID-19 Death Volunteers carry the coffin of a man who died of COVID-19 in Bago Region in April. / Salai Kaung Myat Min / The Irrawaddy Yangon Myanmar reported its 12th COVID-19 death on Wednesday after six deaths since Sept. 4, while more than 1,800 cases have now been recorded. Four COVID-19 deaths were reported within 12 hours by Wednesday morning. On Sep. 4, Myanmar reported its seventh COVID-19 death when a 46-year-old woman from Yangons Thanlyin Township died at Waibargi infectious Diseases Hospital since testing positive for coronavirus on Sept. 3. On Sept. 6, the eighth COVID-19 death was reported when a 67-year-old woman from Yangons Thingangyun Township, who had suffered from kidney disease and diabetes, died due to respiratory system damage at Thingangyun Hospital. A 51-year-old from Yangons Pazundaung Township, who had been treated at the Waibargi Infectious Diseases Hospital since Sept. 1, died on Wednesday morning. He died due to the heart failure and respiratory damage caused by coronavirus, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports. A 57-year-old woman, who was suffering from hypertension, diabetes and other conditions, died on Tuesday evening from respiratory damage at Thingangyun Hospital. On Tuesday, the health ministry announced the death of a 65-year-old, who suffered from hypertension and diabetes, at Mawlamyine Hospital in Mon State. An 82-year-old woman from Yangons Hlegu Township, who had hypertension and diabetes, died at the temporary Phaunggyi hospital on Tuesday. Myanmar is currently reporting more than 100 new cases per day. The surge began on Aug. 16, when a 26-year-old female employee at a bank in the Rakhine State capital, Sittwe, became the first case of domestically transmitted COVID-19 since July 16. The previous case was also in Rakhine. As of Wednesday morning, Myanmar has reported 1,807 COVID-19 cases, including 12 deaths and 460 recoveries since March 23. On Sept. 9, Yangon Regions cases overtook those reported in Rakhine State. Since Aug. 16, Yangon has reported 675 COVID-19 cases compared to Rakhine States 569. The health ministry said quarantine centers in Yangon are struggling to house the increasing numbers who require isolation. The Yangon authorities are providing quarantine accommodation for more than 6,000 people, including returnees from other countries and Rakhine State, as well as those with a history of contact with reported COVID-19 patients. You may also like these stories: Dozens of Aides to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar President Quarantined Myanmar Policeman Catches COVID-19 After Rohingya Arrest Myanmar Relaxes Criteria for Discharging COVID-19 Patients as Hospitals Fill Up CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Asian stocks fell on Wednesday following an overnight rout in technology stocks on Wall Street. Worries that a highly-anticipated coronavirus vaccine candidate being developed by drug maker AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford could be delayed also weighed on the markets. AstraZeneca reportedly paused the vaccine trial following an adverse reaction in a trial participant. Shares in China and Hong Kong closed lower after another strong round of selling in technology stocks on Wall Street. China's Shanghai Composite Index declined 61.79 points, or 1.9 percent, to close at 3,254.63, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 189.52 points or 0.8 percent to settle at 24,434.82. Japanese shares also declined, with the stronger safe-haven yen weighing on exporters' stocks. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index fell 241.59 points, or 1.0 percent, to settle at 23,032.54, while the broader Topix lost 15.49 points, or 1.0 percent, to close at 1,605.40. Market heavyweight SoftBank Group Corp. slipped 2.9 percent amid worries about its exposure to U.S. tech stocks, while Fast Retailing declined 1.1 percent. Sony dropped 1.9 percent. The Australian market closed at a more than two-month low after two straight days of gains. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index lost 129.20 points, or 2.2 percent, to close at 5,878.60, its lowest since June 29. The broader All Ordinaries Index fell 131.30 points, or 2.1 percent, to settle at 6,058.90. Among oil stocks, Oil Search tumbled 7.8 percent, Santos fell 5.4 percent and Woodside Petroleum lost 4.4 percent after crude oil prices fell to near three-month lows overnight. Tech stocks followed their U.S. peers lower. Appen slumped 4.1 percent, WiseTech Global dropped 1.9 percent and Afterpay declined 1.3 percent. Among the major miners, Fortescue Metals dipped 2.7 percent, BHP Group declined 1.7 percent and Rio Tinto edged down 0.2 percent. In economic news, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said that the value of owner-occupied home loans in Australia climbed a seasonally adjusted 10.7 percent on month in July, coming in at A$14.33 billion. That follows the 5.5 percent gain in June. Seoul stocks also fell after two days of gains. The benchmark Kospi declined 26.10 points, or 1.1 percent to close at 2,375.81. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics dipped 0.5 percent and chipmaker SK Hynix dropped 2.6 percent. New Zealand shares closed lower for the first time in three days. The benchmark NZX 50 Index dropped 156.52 points, or 1.3 percent, to finish at 11,739.11. A2 Milk fell 2.4 percent and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare slipped 0.6 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2020) - Teeka Tiwari and the Palm Beach Research Group team are hosting an online event called The Set For Life Summit on September 9 at 8 pm EST where viewers will be part of the very first pre-IPO workshop that presents the Palm Beach Venture Boom. Teeka Tiwari Set For Life Summit To view an enhanced version of this image, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7271/63459_c619e14514f18b21_001full.jpg During the summit, former hedge fund manager Teeka Tiwari and his team will explain how to invest in a company before its IPO to earn huge returns. Teeka believes his recommended company has enormous potential. In fact, a single investment in the company could make the average individual "set for life." Anyone can attend the Set For Life Summit for free just by entering an email address into the online form at the official website. During the Set For Life Summit, Teeka will reveal the name of his recommended investment, including why a small investment in that company could reap huge returns for ordinary individuals. That investment is purportedly "not even a gamble" because the sector is protected by the United States government. And, a single small investment could turn into "a million dollars or more," according to the summit's sales page that is in reference to a rare biotech opportunity. The webinar is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, September 9, at 8pm EST. Teeka claims his recommended investment is part of the biggest wealth-creation event since the tech boom. How Pre-IPO Investments Work Thanks to a recent regulatory change, ordinary investors can buy shares in certain companies before the IPO. Typically, only accredited investors (like venture capital funds and the world's wealthiest investors) could participate in pre-IPO funding rounds. Now, ordinary individuals can take part as well - and Teeka wants to explain how it works. Story continues By following Teeka's investment advice, individuals can purportedly earn returns as high as 499,000%: "But forget about doubling or tripling your money in the retail markets, after companies IPO. Because if you get in before they go public - in PRE-IPO deals - this year, you could have experienced gains like3,405%, 35,198%, 50,400%, 130,650%, 253,400%, even 499,000%." The goal of the Set For Life Summit is to share a unique opportunity with individuals. A small investment in that company could earn huge returns. A medium or large-sized investment, however, could reap a fortune: "$1,000 in one of these deals could build you an entire nest egg. Invest $10,000 and it could've built a fortune that made you set for life." According to the Set For Life Summit sales page, individuals can get huge returns through pre-IPO deals - even if they have limited experience in buying stocks. The sales page highlights janitors, painters, and masseuses who have turned small investments into multi-million dollar fortunes. "A 9,500% gain in a pre-IPO deal turned a janitor into a millionaire. A pre-IPO gain up to 200,000% turned a painter into a multi-millionaire. And a masseuse was able to retire to Nevada after seeing a pre-IPO gain up to 1,500,000%." Some investors get frustrated hearing stories like this. Fortunately, Teeka wants to help. He claims now is the time for everyday individuals to get even by taking advantage of his new opportunity - even if you have zero experience or background in investing or little money to invest: "Your background doesn't matter. Your net worth doesn't matter either. No matter who you are or where you're fromYOU, can get in on the deal. And nowIt's your turn." What is Teeka's Recommended Pre-IPO Investment Opportunity? Teeka and his team have not publicly revealed the name of the pre-IPO investment upfront. However, he has issued certain hints about the pre-IPO investment opportunity, including: Forbes called this sector the "most profitable sector" in America. The sector is not a cryptocurrency, technology, marijuana, or healthcare. The investment is "not a gamble" because the United States government protects the sector. Teeka will reveal how a single investment in this pre-IPO opportunity can "make a million dollars or more" and leave individuals set for life. We won't spoil the name of Teeka's company upfront. By attending the summit, investors also get access to various bonus products, including Teeka's Legacy Investment Keynote Speech, his Private Placement Playbook, and text message promotions from Teeka and the Palm Beach Research Group team. To discover the name of Teeka Tiwari's pre-IPO investment opportunity, attend the Set For Life Summit on Wednesday, September 9, at 8 pm ET. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63459 Offices in midtown Manhattan on Aug. 28, 2020. As employees grow accustomed to working from home, many businesses are delaying signing new leases until rents drop and the pandemic passes. (Vincent Tullo/The New York Times) Julie Creswell and Peter Eavis NEW YORK Even as the coronavirus pandemic appears to recede in New York, corporations have been reluctant to call their workers back to their skyscrapers and are showing even more reticence about committing to the city long term. Fewer than 10% of New Yorks office workers had returned as of last month and just a quarter of major employers expect to bring their people back by the end of the year, according to a new survey. More than half of these companies say they will return by July 2021. Demand for office space has slumped. Lease signings in the first eight months of the year were about half of what they were a year earlier. That is putting the office market on track for a 20-year low for the full year. When companies do sign, many are opting for short-term contracts that most landlords would have rejected in February. At stake is New Yorks financial health and its status as the worlds corporate headquarters. There is more square feet of workspace in the city than in London and San Francisco combined, according to Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate brokerage firm. Office work makes up the cornerstone of New Yorks economy and property taxes from office buildings account for nearly 10% of the citys total annual tax revenue. 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 What is most unnerving is that a recovery could unfold much more slowly than it did after the Sept. 11 attacks and the financial crisis of 2008. Thats largely because the pandemic has prompted companies to fundamentally rethink their real estate needs. Robert Ivanhoe, a real estate lawyer at Greenberg Traurig, said he had about 20 clients that had postponed searches for new offices. They are putting a lot of thought into coming up with a new operating model how much of my workforce is going to work from home and for how much time? he said It has never been turned upside down like this before. Real estate data confirms that. The number of office leases signed from January through August totaled 13.7 million square feet, less than half as much as the first eight months of last year, according to Colliers International, a real estate brokerage firm. By contrast, leasing hit an 18-year high at the end of last year with nearly 43 million square feet of new leases and renewals. When it comes to making decisions about office leases, the words are postpone, adjourn and delay, said Ruth Colp-Haber, the chief executive of Wharton Property Advisors, a real estate brokerage firm. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here Executives at the meal delivery company Freshly were ready to sign a lease for 50,000 square feet of office space at 2 Park Ave., a stately, 29-story art deco tower in Midtown, in March. But the coronavirus abruptly shut New York down for several months, and the company hit pause on its expansion, said Michael Wystrach, Freshlys founder and chief executive. The company is still considering new office space, but he isnt sure when it would sign a lease. We are long-term believers in New York City. During any weekday in Midtown, the sidewalks are as empty as they usually are on a Sunday, underscoring how few employees have returned. In August, a survey of major employers by the Partnership for New York found only 8% of employees had returned to the office and most expected to bring employees back by next summer, and another quarter of them had not decided when they would return. Elected officials, real estate tycoons and, even Jerry Seinfeld, the comedian, have issued paeans to New Yorks resilience, arguing that city has a history of bouncing back. The city will soon be brimming with people, by their telling. But pessimists including some New York hedge fund managers see dark days ahead. They contend that companies will tell most employees to stay away until a vaccine is widely distributed and perhaps for much longer. Which of those two visions is closer to being right will help determine how quickly New York regains its energy, economic health and tax revenue. Investors are not expecting a quick recovery. Shares of companies with lots of New York office space like Empire State Realty Trust, which owns the Empire State Building, and SL Green Realty, which owns the immense new One Vanderbilt tower next to Grand Central Terminal, have plunged this year. I think the New York office market is going to be generally challenged for the next three to five years, said Jonathan Litt, the founder of hedge fund Land & Buildings. His fund published a report in May on why it thinks the shares of Empire State Realty Trust are overvalued. A big part of the problem is that many companies are holding off on new leases. In recent years, the biggest renters of office space have been coworking companies like WeWork, New Yorks largest private tenant. Such businesses signed nearly 8% of new leases in Manhattan last year and 12% in 2018, according to Cushman & Wakefield. But coworking companies are in distress and some may not survive. Other potential renters of offices are unsure what to do or are waiting for landlords to reduce rents, factoring in incentives like rent-free months and cash for office improvements. Whats the point of signing a lease with a 15% decrease in rent if you think its going to go lower? said Michael Colacino, the president of the brokerage firm SquareFoot. Some companies with leases that are ending this year or next appear to be kicking the can down the road, signing short-term extensions rather than committing to typical deals that last several years. In recent weeks, NBC Universal extended a lease for a secondary office at 1221 Avenue of the Americas and the Stroock & Stroock & Lavan law firm did the same for its office downtown. But they both did so for just a year, according to Colliers. A spokeswoman for NBC Universal declined to comment and Stroock & Stroock did not return a call and multiple emails. In normal times, owners of large office buildings would typically not entertain a one- or two-year lease extension for a large tenant, said Franklin Wallach, senior managing director of the New York Research Group at Colliers. They see that new leasing activity has dropped off while the amount of sublet space coming into the market is on the rise, so the average landlord wants to keep the tenant in the building. One of the biggest concerns is that companies could soon start trying to sublease hundreds of thousands of square feet of space that they are not planning to use anytime soon. For companies seeking offices, sublets often provide a shorter lease at a steep discount to market prices. Starr Insurance Cos., which is led by Maurice R. Greenberg, is seeking to sublet 190,000 square feet that it leases at 399 Park Ave., according to Colliers. And First Republic Bank, which signed a 211,521-square-foot lease last April for 410 Tenth Ave., put 151,000 square feet up for sublet, according to a report from the real estate broker Savills. Spokesmen for Starr and First Republic declined to comment. Sublet space made up about a quarter of the total office space available in New York at the end of the second quarter, according to Savills, and many real estate brokers said they expected that to increase in the coming months. In January, Colp-Haber was showing offices to a construction company that she said was in the market for a five-year lease in Manhattan. Last month, the company signed a sublet for one year at a 40% discount to the original lease, she said. Still, property owners claim not to be overly worried because most tenants are paying their rent. They point out that office leases last for years and are very difficult to end early. And large financial firms, among the biggest tenants in New York, arent stressed as they were in the last recession. The most optimistic sign that New Yorks office market will bounce back quickly is that big technology companies, which are gaining ground, are scarfing up square feet. Facebook in early August leased all of the office space 730,000 square feet in the Farley Post Office next to Penn Station. Amazon acquired the former Lord & Taylor building on Fifth Avenue in March from WeWork. Retail tenants in Hudson Yards, the sprawling development on the Far West Side of Manhattan, may be reeling, but companies are still moving in to the projects office buildings. They still believe New York is the place to have their business and grow their business, said William C. Rudin, chief executive of Rudin Management Co. The Amazon commitment is amazing; the Facebook commitment is amazing. Some landlords see encouraging signs in their office buildings in the suburbs, where social distancing is easier because people tend to commute by cars. This, they argue, suggests that employers and workers want to return to the office and more of them will make their way back to New York, too. Anthony E. Malkin, chief executive of the Empire State Realty Trust, which owns the Empire State Building, said the number of people coming into his office buildings in Connecticut in mid-August was 40% of what it was a year earlier, and up from next to nothing in the spring because of the strict lockdown policies in place at the time. That is a very high number and its growing. c.2020 The New York Times Company Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamana on Wednesday slammed Union Home Ministry's decision to provide security to Kangana Ranaut. The actress has left for Mumbai from Manali and has dared Maharashtra government to stop her if they can. Shiv Senas mouthpiece Saamana on Wednesday, in an apparent reference to actor Kangana Ranaut, said that the Union Home Ministrys decision to provide security to her is unfortunate as the actor had insulted Mumbai by comparing it to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Comparing Mumbai to Pak Occupied Kashmir and insulting the khaki uniform by calling the Mumbai Police a mafia are signs of a deteriorated mentality. Insulting the 11 crore Marathi people of Maharashtra and Mumbai seems like a crime like treason. But when the Union Ministry of Home Affairs of the Modi government stands with the people committing such crimes, our 108 martyrs, who laid down their lives for retaining Mumbai as the capital of Maharashtra after independence, will be shedding tears in heaven, Shiv Sena said in Saamana. If any person arrogantly challenges the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, then the whole of Maharashtra should be united against it. The Bharatiya Janata Party is directly supporting those who insult Mumbai and the Chief Minister of the State, it added. The Shiv Sena further said that insulting Mumbai is equivalent to making derogatory statements against Mumba Devi, the Goddess of Mumbai. Mumbai is the offering of Goddess Mumba Devi. A Koli named Munga established this Goddess, hence her name was first named Mungachi Aai and Maha-Ambai. Some say that Mumbai is the form of Mrunmayi. Our goddess was insulted by comparing her with the Pakistan occupied area. Hindutva and culture, religion and renunciation of 108 martyrs were insulted and by doing such insult, the Central Government is giving respect to the guard of special protection to the person insulted Maharashtra, it said. The names of those who insult the mother of Mumbai will be written with asphalt in the history of Maharashtra, it added. Shiv Sena further attacked the BJP and said that it should have focused on the India-China situation rather than standing with the opposers of Maharashtra. Today, BJP men are standing with the opposers of Maharashtra, the same faith should have been shown against the Chinese. Then the country would not have been insulted on the border of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, it said. Gov. Phil Murphy will be at a park in Passaic County on Wednesday afternoon to discuss his baby bond plan that would provide $1,000 to the family of every qualifying child born in the state next year. Murphys 1 p.m. press conference from Barbour Park in Paterson will be streamed live on the governors YouTube channel. Under the plan in the governors revised 2021 budget, Murphy would have the state invest $1,000 on behalf of every baby born in 2021 to families whose income is less than 500% of the federal poverty level. For a family four, that is income below $131,000, according to Treasury. The recipients of the baby bonds would have access to the money when they turn 18. Murphy said the plan would benefit three out of every four children born in New Jersey, calling it the first statewide program of its kind. The governor did not say whether the plan would continue in future years. The state Treasury Department estimates 72,000 babies whose families qualify will be born in 2021, so this proposal carries a $72 million price tag. At this time when so many families are struggling with how they will pay their bills or seeing their hard-earned savings disappear lets make a better promise to the next generation of New Jerseyans, Murphy said when he unveiled the revised budget proposal last month. The possibilities for the generation we will be welcoming into the world should be endless and even in our most dire times, this modest investment will help ensure that more of those possibilities become realities. The governor has one media appearance scheduled Wednesday at 4 p.m. he will be interviewed on CNNs The Lead with Jake Tapper. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Karin Price Mueller contributed to this report. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. George F. and Jeanette L. Gillette are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. The former Jeanette Lucille Lagerfeldt married Gillette on Sept. 9, 1950, in Iron Mountain, Michigan. Their children are: Jean Langrill, Bill Gillette and Ann Lawrence. They have 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. George served in the U.S. Navy for two years after high school and was on the USS Wisconsin when the peace treaty with Japan was signed. He finished college at Maryville, Tennessee, then went to Princeton Theological Seminary. After seminary he became a chaplain in the U. S. Navy for two years, then went into the pastoral ministry for 36 years in Michigan, retiring from First Presbyterian Church in Warren in 1990. Jeanette worked for Wisconsin Michigan Power Co. and later Gallup and Robinson Advertising Agency. She participated in many church activities over the years and was active in the Presbyterian Women's Organization, receiving an honorary membership in COEMAR (Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations) in 1965. How they met: The couple met on a blind date arranged by Jeanette's pastor's son, who attended Princeton Seminary with George. They were married six months later in First Presbyterian Church of Iron Mountain. Mikee Plangca and her siblings Chekie, Michael and John hold a photo of their father Four siblings left orphaned by Covid-19 are planning to take their father's ashes home to his native Philippines once restrictions on air travel ease. Miguel Plancga (55) died in May, leaving his children orphaned. Their mother Gilceria passed away from cancer six years ago. He worked night shifts at the Birdseye Ireland plant in Naas, Co Kildare, and had moved to Ireland from the Philippines 20 years ago in search of a better life. "We are still dealing with the shock of it all," his 21-year-old daughter Mikee told the Herald this week. "We are doing OK. Dad had been sick for about a week in the house, with a cough and what he thought was a cold and then he ended up in ICU. He spent nearly six weeks there before he died." Coping Together with her siblings Michael (19), John (14) and Chekie (12), Mikee is left with no living parents. Since their father's death, the siblings have been living with their aunt Fely, who followed in her brother's footsteps and moved to Ireland herself in 2009. She later married an Irish man and settled in Naas, where she works as a childminder. "We have been trying to cope as best as we can," said Mikee. "We had our father cremated in the hope that we can bring him to the Philippines once we can fly again and lay him to rest beside our mother. It's important that part of the process is done. "We still want to live our lives in Ireland and complete our education here as our father wanted." A GoFundMe page set up to support Mikee and her siblings in the aftermath of their father's death has raised close to 300,000. The money will be held in trust for the children until it is needed. "In the meantime we are hoping to get a small modular home installed next to our aunt's house," said Mikee. "Her husband, my uncle, has space on the site and that's where we want to be. She (Fely) is in the process of applying for guardianship of my younger siblings so that is keeping us busy. "We have had a huge outpouring of support, with the donations and the well-wishes of so many and that has shown us the generosity of the Irish people. "We lost our father and the memories of that are very painful, but this is where our home is." Mr Plangca became ill with a cough and a temperature in March. He was later admitted to hospital where he spent 41 days in ICU. Last year, the Green Isle pizza manufacturing site in Naas where Miguel worked, was bought by Birdseye. Colleagues at the plant, where Mr Plangca was on night shifts on the packaging line, remember him as a kind and gentle colleague. When he became ill in March, the local Filipino community stepped in to look after his young family. Mr Plangca became an Irish citizen in 2015 and his children resided in Ireland as his dependents. "We want to stay here in Ireland because this is now our home but we don't know what will happen," said Mikee. "It's what we want, especially for my brother Michael, who has special needs. We have friends here and we are part or a community," she added. North Korean refugee Kim Seo-yun speaks during an interview with her South Korean husband Lee Jeong-sup at their house in Seoul, Thursday, July 23, 2020. Tens of thousands of North Koreans, mostly women, have fled to South Korea over the past two decades. Arriving from a nominally socialist, extremely repressive society, these women often struggle to adjust to fast-paced, capitalistic lives in South Korea. They also face widespread discrimination, bias and loneliness. Many want to marry South Korean men, who they think will help them better adjust to new lives in South Korea. The number of these North-South Korean couples appears to be on the rise, according to at least one government survey. AP On their second date last year, feeling a little drunk at a seaside restaurant, Kim Seo-yun let slip a revelation to her South Korean love interest: She had fled North Korea a decade ago, something that sometimes made her feel ashamed in a country where North Korean defectors can face discrimination. Her companion, Lee Jeong-sup, jokingly asked if she was a spy but then told her there was nothing wrong with coming from North Korea. Lee proposed in March and in June they got married at a Seoul hotel. Kim's family, still in North Korea, obviously couldn't attend. ''In South Korea, my husband is my everything. I have no one else here. He told me that he would play the role of not only my husband but also my parents,'' Kim, 33, said. ''I feel much more stable now.'' It's an increasingly common scenario. More than 70% of the 33,000 North Koreans who have fled to South Korea are women, a reflection in part of North Korea's tendency to more closely monitor men. While there are no official numbers on how many North Korean defectors have married South Korean men, a 2019 government-funded survey of 3,000 North Koreans living in the South suggested that 43% of married women were living with South Korean husbands, up from 19% in 2011. Arriving from a nominally socialist, extremely repressive society, these women often struggle to adjust to fast-paced, capitalistic lives in South Korea. They also face widespread discrimination, bias and loneliness. Some said they looked to marry South Korean men because they thought they would help them navigate their sometimes bewildering new lives. North Korean refugee Hwang Yoo-jung watches her South Korean husband Seo Min-seok during an interview at their house in Hwaseong, South Korea, Saturday, July 18, 2020. AP ''I feel like my marriage is letting me acclimate to this society more deeply without too much hard work,'' Hwang Yoo-jung, 37, said about her 2018 union with a South Korean man. The number of matchmaking companies specializing in pairing North Korean women with South Korean men has seen an explosion, with 20 to 30 such agencies now operating, up from two in the mid-2000s. Kim Hae-rin, North Korean refugee who runs a match-making agency, speaks during an interview at her office in Seoul, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. AP The following individuals were either recently charged in Walworth County Circuit Court or recently made their initial court appearance. Equan D. Ards, 21, Milwaukee, has been charged with substantial battery and disorderly conduct in East Troy. If convicted, he faces up to three years and nine months in prison and $11,000 in fines. Brandon N. Beyer, 21, Bloomingdale, Illinois, has been charged with two counts of manufacture/delivery of THC, following an undercover police investigation in Whitewater. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison and $20,000 in fines. Lisa Braden, 46, Walworth, has been charged with operating under the influence-fifth offense in the town of Delavan. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. William R. Budych, 51, Williams Bay, has been charged with two counts of bail jumping for allegedly possessing and consuming alcohol in violation of a court order. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years in prison and $20,000 in fines. Shawn R. Campbell, 30, Burlington, has been charged with bail jumping, misdemeanor battery, two counts of misdemeanor bail jumping and disorderly conduct in an alleged domestic violence incident in Spring Prairie. If convicted, he faces up to eight years and six months in prison and $41,000 in fines. Jose Antonio Cholico, 31, Elkhorn, has been charged with simple battery, disorderly conduct and resisting an officer in an alleged repeat offender domestic violence incident in the town of Delavan. If convicted, he faces up to five years and nine months in prison and $21,000 in fines. Michael L. Krohn, 50, Elkhorn, has been charged with operating under the influence-seventh offense and operating with a prohibited blood alcohol content-seventh offense. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison and $50,000 in fines. Gevontane Earl Moragne, 22, Beloit, has been charged with possession of THC, carrying a concealed knife, and possession of drug paraphernalia in the town of Whitewater. If convicted, he faces up to four years and four months in prison and $20,500 in fines. Eugene G. Philippi, 42, Janesville, has been charged with bail jumping, possession of drug paraphernalia and six counts of misdemeanor bail jumping in Delavan. If convicted, he faces up to nine years and 10 months in prison and $70,500 in fines. Storm J. Riley, 18, Lake Geneva, has been charged with bail jumping, misdemeanor bail jumping, possession of THC and possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted, he faces up to seven years and four months in prison and $21,500 in fines. Carleese C. Roberts, 30, Chicago, has been charged with burglary and criminal damage to property involving a business in Delavan. If convicted, he faces up to 13 years and three months in prison and $35,000 in fines. Nathan Alexander Sorenson, 27, Sullivan, has been charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, operating under the influence-fourth offense, violating an ignition interlock court order, operating while revoked and possession of a firearm while intoxicated, following a traffic stop in Fontana. If convicted, he faces up to 18 years and three months in prison and $48,100 in fines. Robert N. Walkowski, 30, Waterford, has been charged with possession of narcotic drugs, misdemeanor bail jumping and possession of drug paraphernalia in the town of Lyons. If convicted, he faces up to four years and four months in prison and $20,500 in fines. Lucas C. Williams, 22, Elkhorn, has been charged with two counts of throwing or discharging bodily fluids at a a public safety worker and disorderly conduct. If convicted, he faces up to seven years and three months in prison and $21,000 in fines. Timothy C. Wurster, 60, Elkhorn, has been charged with failure to comply with an officers attempt to take a person into custody and disorderly conduct in the town of Sugar Creek. If convicted, he faces up to three years and nine months in prison and $11,000 in fines. 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. Headache is one of the most common neurologic symptoms we experience. And although headaches affect younger people at a higher rate, they still occur in many older adults. In a 2018 survey, almost 10 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 74and about 6 percent of those 75 and oldersaid they had recently experienced a migraine or severe headache. For some, the familiar pain emerges twice a month or more. Though headaches may be common, they should not be ignored or dismissed. Headaches sometimes signal more dangerous conditionsincluding some, such as a stroke, that must be addressed immediately. They can also be a symptom of COVID-19, appearing in about a third of diagnosed patients in the U.S. And even though most headaches do not require medical attention, theres no need to just grit your teeth and get through it. Read on for expert advice that can help you prevent and treat headaches more effectively and more safely. Common Types There are about 200 types of headaches, says Juliette Preston, M.D., assistant professor of neurology at the OHSU School of Medicine and medical director of the universitys headache center. Two of the most common types are tension and migraine. Most tension headaches are mild to moderate, usually with pain on both sides of the head, and without any other major symptoms. According to an Italian study published in 2008, about a third of older adults experience at least one over the course of a year. Migraines, on the other hand, generally involve moderate to severe head pain as well as an array of other symptoms, such as sensitivity to light or sound, nausea, and temporary problems with cognition, says Niushen Zhang, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of neurology at Stanford University. Migraines can occur in men and women but are more frequent in women, often worsening during menopause and subsiding soon after. If, however, youre over the age of 50 and experience what seems like your very first migraine, the probability that it is truly a migraine is relatively low. There may be another condition at work. Story continues Similar symptoms can also point to whats known as a hypnic headache, which is rare but occurs most often in older adults. Its defining symptom? It wakes people from sleep at around the same time each night, which is why its known as the alarm clock headache. Hypnic headaches are frequently misdiagnosed, Preston says. One of the key ways to distinguish a hypnic headache from other types, including a migraine, she explains, is to write down the time it keeps happening. If its waking you up between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., then it might be hypnic. Preventing Frequent Aches Hypnic headaches are generally easier to manage than migraines. A little bit of caffeine before bedabout 40 to 60 mg in a tablet, or about half a cup of brewed coffeeusually prevents them without keeping people up at night, Preston says. But dont try this without talking to your doctor first. Just be sure to mention the time of your headaches so that they are not mistaken for migraines. Even for migraines and recurring tension headaches, however, dont reach for the meds right away. There is evidence that lifestyle changes can help prevent headaches, especially migraines. Twenty minutes a day of aerobic exercise actually decreases migraine frequency and severity, Zhang says. For many headache types, keeping consistent mealtimes, bedtimes, and wake times can help, as can making sure youre staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water. It sounds so basic, but it helps so much, she says. For migraines, a neurologist can also help you identify possible triggers, such as dehydration. In one classic study of people who experience migraines, most subjects reported at least one external factor that seemed to trigger their head pain. The most common triggers were stress, hormonal changes, fasting, weather, and sleep disturbances. In the past, trying to avoid all potential triggers was a popular strategy. But newer research suggests that many triggers can be hard to identify and impossible to avoid. Studies by Paul R. Martin, D. Phil., a psychologist and adjunct professor at Monash University in Australia, and others have suggested that simply adhering to a healthy lifestylewhich would naturally include avoiding triggers such as toxic odors, hunger, dehydration, lack of sleep, etc.may actually be more effective than trying to avoid all potential triggers, such as stress and noise. Your doctor can also help connect you with other treatment options if basic interventions are not helping. For instance, if you have tension-type headaches as well as head, neck, or shoulder problems, there is strong evidence that physical therapy can help prevent the headaches from returning. Theres more support for physical therapy than for massage, which may offer only temporary relief, Preston says. For some people with frequent headaches, there is growing evidence that acupuncture may help prevent them, says Zhang, though more studies are needed. Research has also suggested that biofeedbackwhich typically uses electrical sensors on your body to make you aware of and help you control physiological processesmay reduce chronic pain in some cases, including from headaches. Serious stress can also cause recurrent headaches. In those cases, cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, can help as well. Ask your doctor for a referral to a therapist who practices it. Using Meds Properly You should take medications with caution, especially if you get headaches regularly. But over-the-counter or prescription medications can help ease the discomfort of both tension and migraine headaches. Older adults are more sensitive to the effects of medications, Preston says, including over-the-counter (OTC) products. For pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil and generic), naproxen (Aleve and generic), and aspirin, those side effects can include dizziness, cognitive issues, and increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. So you should keep your use to a minimum. Acetaminophen (Tylenol and generic) is potentially safer for older adults but also may be somewhat less effective for headaches, according to UpToDate, a tool for doctors. Be sure to follow dosing directions on the package. But if you are taking OTC pain meds regularly, thats not enough: You should also check with your primary care doctor and consider setting up an appointment with a neurologist to discuss your intake of these meds in more depth. In general, Zhang says, to protect yourself from whats known as a medication overuse headache, avoid taking pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen more than 15 days per month. For some medications and in some cases, however, youll need to keep that number far lower, she cautions, which is why checking with your provider is important. For people who get consistent headaches and cant tolerate OTC meds, doctors may also consider certain prescription pills, Preston says. When to Get Emergency Help Occasionally, a headache requires immediate attention. When someone over 50 experiences a type of headache that is different from one they have had beforeeven when its a dull pain rather than explosivethat is usually a red flag to us, says Preston. And if it is accompanied by a change in hearing, prompts a feeling of weakness or numbness, or gets worse when you change positionssay, when you lie flat, stand up, exert yourself, or bear downthats a sign to visit the emergency room. If it feels different, if it just doesnt feel right, trust your own judgment, says Zhang. A doctor will try to rule out the most severe conditions that could be causing an odd-feeling headache, including aneurysm, stroke, and other blood-vessel abnormalities; tumor; and an inflammatory disorder called giant cell arteritis, among other concerns. But while its important to be cautious, keep in mind that a new headache is sometimes just that: a headache. Editors Note: This article also appeared in the October 2020 issue of Consumer Reports On Health. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. Mumbai: Cinematographer PC Sreeram on Tuesday revealed he has rejected a film that features actress Kangana Ranaut in the lead role. "Had to reject a film as it had Kangana Ranaut as the lead. Deep down I felt uneasy and explained my stand to the makers and they were understanding. Some times its only abt what feels right. Wishing them all the best," Sreeram tweeted: Sreeram has not mentioned the name of the film. His tweet garnered mixed responses from social media users. "Stay strong and tall sir. Social distancing with Kangana is better for ur heath. no point in working with negative, venomous person," a user tweeted. Another user wrote: "Good... the entire industry should take a stand against her vileness." There were negative comments, too. "A very bad and unprofessional decision," a user commented. "Sir, In this case you will have to quit working in any Bollywood movies since it's against public's collective ideology," another user slammed his decision. Kangana Ranaut, who has been openly accusing Bollywood of nepotism and favouritism towards star kids for a while now, recently said 99 per cent of the industry was addicted to drugs. She also said the current Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra has turned Mumbai into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and compared their rule to Taliban. She has been provided Y security ahead of her return to Mumbai on September 9 from hometown Manali. OTTAWA - Canada's chief public health officer says she won't get ahead of an independent review of the early-warning unit in her agency that's meant to flag potential pandemics. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam responds to a question during a news conference Tuesday, September 8, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Canada's chief public health officer says she won't get ahead of an independent review of the early-warning unit in her agency that's meant to flag potential pandemics. Dr. Theresa Tam says the unit within the Public Health Agency of Canada continues to function. The government ordered an outside review of the global health unit after The Globe and Mail newspaper reported that people in the unit had been reassigned just prior to the COVID-19 crisis. The report also said warnings from scientists weren't properly sent up the chain of command. Tam says she doesn't want to pre-empt the findings of any report, but will be looking closely at whatever recommendations come. Tam also says that she received warnings about the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China late last year, and that the information would have been passed on to provinces and territories. "Like any other system, we have to look at lessons learned and look at its place as we move ahead," Tam said during a midday press conference on Parliament Hill. "The purpose of an independent review is so that whoever the reviewers are can do their jobs, so pre-empting what their findings are, I don't think is very helpful at this time." She said the purpose of the review is to strengthen the global early-warning system, and whatever Canada can contribute would be helpful. Tam's deputy, Dr. Howard Njoo, says officials at the agency relied on multiple sources of information, including from their international counterparts. The international public health community was picking up signals about an usual outbreak in Wuhan, China around the new year. "It's not just any single system or information source alone that we rely on," Njoo said. "It's really, I think, an integrated system throughout the world." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2020. WASHINGTON - Daniel Coats, a former head of the intelligence community, on Wednesday warned that the administration's move to roll back in-person briefings to Congress on foreign threats to the 2020 election undermines agencies' mission and efforts to safeguard the vote. "It's imperative that the intelligence community keep Congress fully informed about the threats to our elections and share as much information as possible while protecting sources and methods," the former director of national intelligence said in an interview. It was a rebuke of the current director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, who a week and a half ago notified Congress that he was suspending in-person briefings to lawmakers, though the Senate Intelligence Committee acting chairman said his panel will continue to receive such updates. Ratcliffe cited leaks to the press as the reason for the move, though he did not substantiate the idea that such leaks had occurred. Whatever the case, Coats said, "these briefings in person should be delivered to both the Senate and the House oversight committees and also should be delivered to the duly elected members of the House and Senate at the appropriate classification level when directed by the bipartisan leadership of both the House and the Senate." He added: "We must stand united in defending the election security process from being corrupted and ensure that a vote cast is a vote counted." Coats, who was forced out by President Donald Trump last summer, has for months mostly kept silent. But as the official who in 2019 established the intelligence community's program to coordinate briefings on foreign election threats, he felt obliged, he said, to speak publicly. "We've got to get this process back in place," he said. "Designating it to one committee and not the other and shutting down all members briefings is the wrong thing to do." As a Republican U.S. senator from Indiana, Coats took part in many all-member briefings, especially in his second stint, from 2011 to 2017, where each senator was afforded an opportunity to raise a question, he said. " 'What did you mean when you said, 'X'? 'Wait a minute, so-and-so said something else,' " he said. "It is that back-and-forth" that makes in-person hearings valuable. Coats spoke on the heels after The Washington Post published an opinion piece by his former deputy Sue Gordon in which she decried how "the national conversation around election security has turned vitriolic, diversionary and unhelpful, and we are doing our enemies' work for them." In a veiled allusion to Trump's attacks on the intelligence community, Gordon wrote that "when intelligence assessments are described as biased, when federal institutions are decried as inept or corrupt, when vague fears of widespread tampering with our physical election infrastructure are advanced, and when disagreement over policy and approach turns to accusation of illegitimacy, our enemies' destructive goals are advanced as we busily attack ourselves." Coats said he "absolutely" agreed with Gordon, who served 31 years as an intelligence officer. "[Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin ought to be very happy with the way this is turning out," Coats said. "He can only view his efforts as successful." Coats also voiced dismay over the "continued questioning of whether we were delivering just the facts and not trying to shape anything in terms of policymaking." Trump has long derided U.S. intelligence analysts' conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and that it intends to do so in 2020. Coats said Trump has resisted any change to analysts' assessments with regard to Russia. Coats is firm that Russia is the most significant foreign threat to the 2020 election. A recent public assessment by William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers for appearing to equate the efforts of China, Russia and Iran, when it is primarily Russia that is engaged in covert efforts to try to help Trump by criticizing his opponent, Joe Biden. "They clearly have demonstrated the capacity to do things other countries either can't do or have decided not to do," Coats said of Moscow. "And they have a long, long history there." Coats noted that the 2018 midterm elections went off largely without incident, thanks in part to an interagency working group led by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to coordinate the sharing of threat data among agencies, and which also provided information to the private sector and state and local election officials. "Those processes worked," Coats said. "We were able to assure the American people that the votes were not manipulated or influenced in any way that made a change in the result." But, Coats said, "the Super Bowl of all elections is coming our way in 2020." So in 2019 he formally established the position of the "election threats executive," and named to that job Shelby Pierson, a senior Russia analyst who had been the ODNI's point person on the issue in the midterms. Pierson told lawmakers in February that Moscow had a preference for Trump in November. After Trump learned of the briefing from a GOP ally, he fired Coats's successor, acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire. Pierson kept her job, and Evanina was moved in to run the congressional briefings, though Pierson is marshaling the intelligence and has attended briefings with Evanina. "There's a great deal of concern among people who have spent their lives trying to stay out of politicizing intelligence and making sure that it's just the facts," Coats said. "That has been questioned and I think that has had a major impact on the morale of the intelligence community." Elbow- and fist-bumps, not hugs. Masks of all colors and types covering faces on the buses, in the halls and in most classes. Desks and students spread apart at a safe distance. Welcome to school in Central New York during the coronavirus pandemic. Schools across the region and state opened or are opening this week and next week with most having a mix of in-class and distance learning. Today, Manlius Pebble Hill and Jordan-Elbridge let Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard visit with proper social distancing and masks to capture in photos what school looks like this fall in many of our schools. J-E, with about 1,200 students, and MPH, with 325 students, both started classes Tuesday. Unlike most districts and schools in the region, both are bringing students into the classrooms five days a week. Janice Schue, a J-E principal, greeted fourth and fifth-grade students with an elbow bump as they headed inside for the second day of classes. And crossing guard Mickey Geelan, of Jordan, was all smiles under his mask waving to parents and bus drivers as they passed by the entrance to the Jordan-Elbridge Middle School. We all gotta make the change, Geelan said. This is his third season as a crossing guard after 15 years as a bus driver. Im so proud of these kids coming with their masks on. I have to give the parents a lot of credit too for making this happen. MORE STORIES ON EDUCATING CNY Will CNY schools shut down if a student gets the coronavirus? A look at the rules Section III administrators voting on fall HS sports amid coronavirus complications Masks, air purifiers could slash odds of coronavirus spread in classrooms: SU report Rise in coronavirus transmission inevitable when schools reopen, Cuomo says How do you bus kids to school in the middle of a pandemic? A look inside one districts plans Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com While our world is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, NASA has some news for us that wont make our current experience any better. It has pointed out that another asteroid is travelling towards Earth and its going to get the closest to our planet on September 14. Representational Image: NASA The asteroid named 2020QL2 is roughly 120 metres large. The Statue of Liberty in the US is roughly 46 metres tall, so this would be around three times larger than the monument. The enormous asteroid will brush past Earth, at a speed of roughly 10.5 kilometres per second. While this is surely fast, we have very little to worry about. The asteroid will be travelling from roughly 4,259,235 miles away. To put this into perspective this is roughly ten times the distance between Moon and Earth so its pretty far away from our planet. Despite being so far, NASA has regarded it as a NEO or a Near-Earth Object. NEOs are comets and asteroids that have altered their trajectory under the influence of gravitational pulls from planets that put them in orbits that bring them closer to our planet. According to NASA, "Potentially hazardous" NEOs are defined as space objects that come within 0.05 astronomical units (4.6 million miles) and measure more than 460 feet in diameter. One astronomical unit is the distance between Earth and the Sun. 2020QL2 was first discovered in August and most recently sighted by astronomers on September 3. It is very common for asteroids and meteors to fly by the Moon or Earth and aren't really threatening. However, they are surely monitored as sometimes a few fragments tend to enter Earth's atmosphere, but they explode upon entry and result in shiny meteor showers. NASA Just a week ago, another asteroid larger than 2020QL2 safety went past our planet. The asteroid, 465824 (2010 FR) made its closest approach to Earth on September 6. The space rock was considerably large in size, expected to range from 120 to 270 metres in diameter. Just to put things into perspective, Romes Colosseum is around 118 meters in diameter. Hosts Chris Gande and Jonga Kandemiiri discuss the latest developments in Zimbabwe that include the increase in infections and deaths from Covid 19; the changes in quarantine rules for returnees; and the ANC delegation that is in Zimbabwe to assess the current environment. By PTI AMARAVATI/NEW DELHI: Connecting the farms to the agricultural markets, the first 'Kisan Rail' from south India chugged off from Anantapuramu on Wednesday carrying 322 tonnes of fresh fruits to the famous Azadpur Mandi in the national Capital. Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy flagged off the inaugural Kisan Rail, the second in the country, via a video link from New Delhi and Amaravati. This train, loaded with 14 parcel vans, will cover a distance of 2150 kms in 40 hours. Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi, Anantapuramu MP T Rangaiah, South Central Railway General Manager Gajanan Mallya, Anantapuramu district Collector Gandham Chandrudu, Guntakal Railway Division Manager Alok Tiwari and others joined the event. The Kisan Rail comes as a boon to farmers, particularly those growing horticultural crops, as it ensures the produce reaches the markets in quicker time. "In Anantapuramu, fruits and vegetables are being grown in more than 2 lakh hectare area, and the Kisan Rail will prove very beneficial to farmers of this region. Kisan Udaan service will also be started soon," Tomar said at the inaugural event. On August 7, the first Kisan Rail was flagged off between Devlali in Maharashtra and Danapur in Bihar as a weekly service, which was later made bi-weekly due to increasing demand. Now the second Kisan Rail will benefit farmers of the states coming en route, he said. Kisan Rail and Kisan Udaan had been announced in this year's budget so that farm produce is able to be transported all over the country in less time, an official statement quoted Tomar as having said in the virtual event. Tomar also appreciated the implementation of the new agriculture ordinances and the Rs 1 lakh crore Agri Infrastructure Fund in Andhra Pradesh. Noting that horticulture was an important activity in the state, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister said the state ranks first in the country in the production of tomatoes, coconut, papaya and chillies and is the biggest fruit producing state in South India. "During the Covid-19 situation, transportation of this horticultural produce to North India had become difficult. A number of special trains were run from Anantapuramu to Mumbai during the lockdown so that the horticultural produce could reach other parts of the country," he said. Union Minister of State for Railways said Kisan Rail is being started to help in the speedy transportation of farm produce to distant places, in keeping with the goal of doubling farmers' income. "Farmers can now sell their produce wherever they get a better price without spoilage due to reduction in transportation time. This facility will also help in increasing agricultural exports," he added. On the benefits of Kisan Rail, Collector Chandrudu told PTI: "This gives immense benefits to the farmers in many ways. Huge quantities can be transported in one go, the transportation time is reduced, costs are cut and transportation losses will also be minimal." In the existing system of transportation through trucks, post-harvest losses of about 25 per cent were causing a loss of about Rs 300 crore a year to the farmers. "We can now eliminate this as shipment through train will keep the product intact and fetch a premium price. Besides erasing the loss of Rs 300 crore (due to transportation damages), farmers can also stand to gain Rs 400 crore per annum by realising a premium price on their produce," Chandrudu noted. Though otherwise a parched district, Anantapuramu is considered the 'fruit bowl of Andhra Pradesh,' where the cropped area under horticulture is 2.02 lakh hectares, yielding an output of 58.39 lakh tonnes per annum of various fruits and vegetables. While consumption of fruits and vegetables within the state is only around six lakh tonnes, the rest is marketed across the country and abroad. "Sweet orange, banana, mango, papaya, pomegranate and melons are our major produce that have a good market in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, UP, West Bengal, Gujarat and Karnataka. Our tomato, grapes, pomegranate, sweet orange and banana are exported to Bangladesh, Nepal and Middle East countries," Chandrudu said. The Kisan Rail is planned to be run once a week now but as harvesting picks up after October, the frequency may be increased from January based on the demand. Two agencies have teamed up to take care of Niagara animals while their owners deal with crisis situations in hospitals or emergency shelters. Lincoln County Humane Society, in partnership with Fido Niagara, has received funding from United Way Niagara through its special projects and emergency fund to help more residents in emergencies, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant of just less than $10,000 is to help pet owners in crisis in Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Pelham, Port Colborne, Wainfleet and Welland. Jessica Cohen, executive director Fido Niagara, said many pet owners will refuse help from homeless shelters, domestic abuse shelters or mental health agencies such as COAST Niagara a crisis support and outreach team of the Canadian Mental Health Association if they cant bring their pets and have no one to care for them. Fido Niagara since last September has been providing volunteer foster families who are able to take care for the animal while the owner is getting emergency help. COAST will call us and want to take someone to the hospital in a life-threatening situation but the person will refuse because theres no one to take care of their cat, she said. Now they can say, We have this, dont worry, we have this nice group of volunteers that will take care of it for you, and that seems to obtain their co-operation very quickly. Cohen said Niagaras housing instability, homelessness and mental health issues have been compounded by COVID-19. Pet owners with slow-burning medical problems who couldnt get treated because of pandemic restrictions now need hospitalization, while others who couldnt be evicted by landlords under emergency orders are now losing their shelters. Were seeing a big wave of evictions right now and these people cant go to homeless shelters because the homeless shelters wont take pets. Thats what this grant was especially for, all the side-effects of the COVID crisis, Cohen said. The humane society in St. Catharines will provide immediate housing for pets whose owners are in crisis while Fido Niagara finds a suitable foster family, which usually takes one to two days. The humane society can also provide medical attention for an animal. Kevin Strooband, executive director of the humane society, said theres a need for the program based on the demand seen in north Niagara working with Womens Place and YWCA. The humane society has been boarding pets of womens shelter residents for more than two decades. The funding and partnership with Fido Niagara is an opportunity to fill a gap, he said. We were covering our jurisdiction area as far as St. Catharines, Lincoln and Grimsby, but now weve been able to expand our catchment area, he said. Fido Niagara has fostered more than 30 animals since last September. Its fostering period is up to 40 days, which Cohen said is in line with the average stay at homeless shelters in Niagara. Requests must come from an individuals social worker or nurse or health, housing or safety officials. Niagara Falls resident Treva Ross McLaren said Fido Niagara cared for her four-and-a-half-year-old dachshund Ariel while she stayed with YWCA earlier this year after escaping an abusive relationship. YWCA did not accept pets, but it linked her with Fido Niagara. It made it easier for me to realize I needed the help and getting it faster, she said of having a place to take the dog she has raised since the age of six weeks. Its good for people who need the help, especially at this time with COVID its really tough, especially for domestics. Two weeks after turning to YWCA, she found a place to stay and was reunited. The dog had been cared for, walked and even lost some extra weight. She didnt lack anything, Ill tell you that, she quipped. The first cohort of a government-funded course that retrained unemployed people as cannabis workers officially hit the job market recently but almost all of them had been scooped up by the time they were handed their graduation certificates. The cannabis production worker training and recruitment program was designed to fill a gap for licensed cannabis producers often small businesses with limited resources who say on-the-job training for entry-level workers takes a long time and is resource intensive. Offered by the Hamilton branch of employment agency the Career Foundation, and designed with significant input from potential employers, the program aimed to give participants a realistic view of the industry while producing workers ready to start in the highly-regulated sector. I was apprehensive, wondering, whats the catch here? said Sargun Narula, who works in human resources at Radicle Cannabis, a local company hiring six of the graduates. Actually, its been such a blessing. Narula says it can be hard to find the right workers for entry-level jobs because many newcomers to the industry think working in cannabis means growing plants not meticulously cleaning equipment or putting labels on packaging. Radicle has a hydroponic growing facility in the Stipley area, and is preparing to double its footprint, which is currently 20,000 square feet. Everyone that joins our company starts on the postharvest side of things: packaging, trimming, debudding, explained Narula. We like to see how they pick up on those skills before moving them into other areas. She added that some new workers have been surprised by the fluid nature of the work any job description comes with the expectation that other tasks will also be required. Courtney McCann, manager of apprenticeships and trades with the Career Foundation, said she heard something similar from many of the LPs who guided the programs curriculum. Those businesses which included Radicle, Thrive, WeedMD and The Green Organic Dutchman told her colleges have great training, but students get out expecting to be a grower. Thats not the way the work world works (LPs) need them to package, grow or in the quality assurance role ... Theres going to be a lot of movement from your set job. The course was funded by $525,000 from the provinces SkillsAdvance Ontario grant program, which aims to create job-ready workers in fields that are growing or experiencing challenges. There was no cost to the 24 students selected out of a whopping 1,300 applicants, all of whom were unemployed or working 19 hours or less per week. Some students also received supplementary support for travel costs or work-related equipment. The course ran full-time for seven weeks, with lessons including plant care; trimming and packaging; sanitation; pest management; and how to operate within Canadas strict regulatory environment. Learning was divided between online sessions and small-group live classes focused on practical skills, explained instructor Mathew Columbro. On the August day he spoke with The Spectator, students had just finished learning defoliation techniques on basil plants that stood in for the real deal. Its hard to imagine anyone giving us 22 real cannabis plants to practice with, he joked. Students are also leaving the course with a police background check required by many cannabis businesses as well as training in CPR, first aid, the Employment Standards Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). Columbro, president of Hamilton-based cannabis consultancy Vindica, is confident graduates will leave with a much better understanding of the industry than the vast majority of job applicants. The industry is short on talent and companies often struggle to train people, he said, noting more than half of the students were hired by LPs before the course had even ended. The training process in-house takes weeks and weeks These students are learning about six or seven jobs they might perform at an LP, at no cost to the employer. He said many of the students were out of work due to COVID, and were a fairly diverse group. A few people in the class have masters degrees in chemistry. And others were waitressing most of their lives. Program graduate Rianna Ford, 22, had been planning to attend a cooking and agriculture course in Italy before the pandemic hit. Instead, she moved in with her parents in Port Colborne and started work Aug. 31 at MJardins growing operation in Dunnville. She credits the course for helping her restart. Italy had always been my dream so I was a little bummed, said Ford, who lived in Toronto before moving home. It was just a matter of how are we going to pivot? Ford says her interviewer at MJardin stressed the importance of sanitation and soft skills; being able to get along with the team. She says shes thankful to have a job in a growing field at a time when so many people are out of work. She admits she would have had no idea how to get such a start otherwise. The industry seems so tight-knit. This is a great opportunity to get a foot in the door. Most graduates from the program will now start paid job placements. Students had to interview for these positions, skills that were covered as part of the training. As of Aug. 26, 20 of the 24 participants had secured a placement. These jobs officially last three to four weeks, but with the understanding that if all goes well, they will be offered longer-term positions, explained McCann, the Career Foundation manager. Were on the hook to make sure theyre still employed within the field for two years from the time they actually enrolled, she added. Employers are coming to us with jobs and we are unable to fill them because we dont have enough students, she said, noting she hopes to offer the course again in Hamilton, and also in London in the future. The thing that sets the SkillsAdvance Ontario fund apart is that the employers are the ones that need to guide the training course. They ... ultimately approve and create what the training looks like, she said. They can adapt it and change it each year through trial and error. The employers had to put in a lot of effort but they have something thats adapted to their specific needs. DUBLIN, Sept. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Research Report on Coffee Bean Imports in China 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. According to the report, thanks to the rapid development of the Internet industry and take out delivery mode, the coffee market in China is growing rapidly, especially the freshly ground coffee market. From 2017 to 2019, the total import of coffee beans remained stable, with the highest total import in 2018, reaching 294.26 million US dollars. Affected by COVID-19 in the first half of 2020, the import volume of coffee beans was less than half of that in the previous years. The average import price of coffee beans increased from USD 4,005.41 per ton in 2017 to USD 4,474.38 in 2018 and then dropped to USD 4,134.05 in 2019. In the first half of 2020, the price rose again, with an average of USD 4,476.09 per ton. The Chinese market divides the imported coffee beans into four categories according to whether they are roasted and whether they are decaffeinated. Green coffee beans are the main products imported from China, roasted coffee beans rank the second. The major sources of imported coffee beans are Vietnam, Malaysia, Brazil, Columbia, Indonesia, Guatemala, and Ethiopia. Since China's per capita consumption of coffee is far lower than that of countries with mature coffee culture, there is still a lot of room for development. The annual growth rate of coffee consumption in China is expected to maintain at about 8.3% in the next few years. According to the report, as for the import of coffee beans, due to the impact of the epidemic situation, it is expected that the import volume of 2020 would decline compared to the previous years, rebound after the economic recovery in 2021, and stabilize at 64-65 kilotons in the following years. The import value is expected to be close to USD 300 million in 2024. Readers will obtain the following information through this report: Economic Environment of Coffee beans Industry in China Policies of Imported Coffee beans in China Analysis of Supply and Demand of Coffee beans in China Analysis of Imported Coffee beans in China Analysis of Major Sources of Coffee beans in China Price Trends of Imported Coffee beans in China China's import of coffee beans into customs Key Topics Covered 1 Development Environment of China's Coffee Bean Imports 1.1 Analysis of Domestic Coffee Consumption in China 1.2 Policy Environment of China's Coffee Bean Imports 2 China's Coffee Bean Imports, 2017-2020 2.1 Classification of Coffee Beans by China Customs 2.2 Total Imports 2.3 Sub Products 2.3.1 Coffee, not roasted or decaffeinated 2.3.2 Decaffeinated coffee, not roasted 2.3.3 Roasted coffee, not decaffeinated 2.3.4 Roasted and decaffeinated coffee 2.4 Average imported price 3 Major Enterprises of Coffee Bean Imports in China 3.1 Shangti 3.2 Cubita Coffee 3.3 Oldtown White Coffee 4 Major Sources of Coffee Bean Imports in China, 2017-2020 4.1 Major Sources of Coffee Bean Imports in China, 2017 4.1.1 coffee, not roasted or decaffeinated 4.1.2 decaffeinated coffee, not roasted 4.1.3 roasted coffee, not decaffeinated 4.1.4 roasted and decaffeinated coffee 4.2 Major Sources of Coffee Bean Imports in China, 2018 4.3 Major Sources of Coffee Bean Imports in China, 2019 4.3. roasted and decaffeinated coffee 4.4 Major Sources of Coffee Bean Imports in China, 2020 5 Forecast on China's Coffee Bean Imports, 2020-2024 5.1 Factors Influencing Coffee Bean Imports 5.1.1 Driving Forces and Market Opportunities 5.1.2 Unfavorable Factors 5.2 Forecast on Import Volume of Coffee Beans in China 2020-2024 5.2.1 Total Imports 5.2.2 Sub Products Table of Selected Charts Chart History of Coffee Consumption Pattern in China Chart Distribution of Consumption Scenarios in China's Coffee Market Chart Import Tax Rate and Supervision Conditions of Coffee Beans in China Chart Classification of Coffee by China Customs Chart Import Volume and Value of Coffee in China, 2017-2020 Chart Import Volume and Value of Green Coffee in China, 2017-2020 Chart Import Volume and Value of Decaffeinated Coffee in China, 2017-2020 Chart Import Volume and Value of Roasted Coffee in China, 2017-2020 Chart Import Volume and Value of Roasted and Decaffeinated Coffee in China, 2017-2020 Chart Import Price of Coffee Beans in China, 2017-2020 Chart Major Sources of Green Coffee Imports in China, 2017 Chart Major Sources of Decaffeinated Coffee Imports in China, 2017 Chart Major Sources of Roasted Coffee Imports in China, 2017 Chart Major Sources of Green Coffee Imports in China, 2019 Chart Major Sources of Decaffeinated Coffee Imports in China, 2019 Chart Major Sources of Roasted Coffee Imports in China, 2019 Chart Major Sources of Roasted Coffee Imports in China, 2020 Chart Major Sources of Roasted and Decaffeinated Coffee Imports in China, 2020 Chart Forecast on Import Volume and Value of Coffee Beans in China, 2020-2024 For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/aien44 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 Amazon's main UK business saw profits surge by 35 per cent last year but its tax bill increased by just 3 per cent, accounts show. The company's warehouse and logistics operation, Amazon UK Services, paid 14.46m in corporation tax in 2019, up from 14.06m the year before. Profits increased to 102m while revenues rose 29 per cent to 3bn. Amazon does not reveal detailed figures for its other UK businesses, including its retail sales or IT services, which are accounted for in Luxembourg. It said sales for the whole UK operation jumped by more than a quarter to 13.7bn The company has enjoyed bumper sales and profits during the pandemic, taking the wealth of founder Jeff Bezos to more than $200bn, while traditional retailers have been hit hard by lockdown and social-distancing measures. The success of multinational technology companies in recent months has again put the spotlight on methods they use to lower their tax rates and gain an advantage over competitors. In anticipation of its accounts being filed, Amazon published a blog post defending its record on tax and investment in the UK. Amazon said it had invested 23bn in the UK since 2010 and paid 293m in what it defined as direct taxes, including business rates, corporation tax and stamp duty. When you talk to ordinary people it's clear they are fed up with the kind of clever accounting companies like Amazon get away with, said Robert Palmer, executive director of Tax Justice UK. Politicians need to finally fix the way we tax big multinationals and not cave-in to pressure to water down the rules. Tax Justice UK's research shows found a majority of people across the political spectrum want to see taxes on wealth increased. Among Labour voters, 88 per cent supported higher wealth taxes while among Conservative supporters the figure was 64 per cent. The report found near universal anger at tax avoidance by multinational corporations and wealthy individuals. More that four in five people said it was morally wrong for companies to avoid tax, while 76 per cent said the same about tax avoidance by individuals. Amazon said in a statement: The UK has now become one of Amazons largest global hubs for talent and this year we announced plans to create 10,000 new jobs in the country by the end of 2020. We pay all taxes required in the UK and every country where we operate, and focusing on one small piece does not provide a full picture of Amazons overall contribution to the UK. "Corporation tax is based on profits, not revenues, and our profits have remained low given retail is a highly competitive, low-margin business and we continue to invest heavily. Funeral of Dublin GAA fan Tony 'Molly Malone' Broughan stops at Croke Park on the way to Glasnevin Cemetery Picture: Gerry Mooney It's not often you hear a loud cheer at a funeral, but when the Sam Maguire cup was raised in the air above the coffin of one of Dublin's favourite fans yesterday the roof nearly lifted off the church. The silverware was brought to the Church of the Most Precious Blood in Cabra in honour of Tony Broughan, otherwise known as Molly Malone, as family and friends came to bid farewell to the GAA super fan who died last Wednesday after a short illness. The father-of-eight (88) will be remembered by generations of GAA fans as the man who used to dress up as Molly Malone, in full wig and dress regalia, as he rang his bell in Hill 16 and Parnell Park. He had been a regular fixture at Dubs games since 1975, having taken over the role of Molly Malone upon his brother's death. Expand Close Tony Broughan, known to GAA fans as Molly Malone, attended Dublin games for 80 years / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tony Broughan, known to GAA fans as Molly Malone, attended Dublin games for 80 years There were cheers in the church when some of the symbols to represent Tony's life were brought to the altar, including his navy and sky-blue dress and his own mock Sam Maguire. There was a particularly emotional moment when his bell was brought forward and rang out. Other symbols included coal to represent his days as a coal merchant, a figure of a horse's head to represent his connection with horse trotting, a radio he used to listen to matches on if he could not attend and a newspaper, because he was a voracious paper reader every day. Parish priest Fr Michael O'Grady said Tony deserves his place in the history of the city, GAA, Hill 16 and the parish. Expand Close Dublin GAA fan Tony Broughan's coffin is carried from the church following his funeral Picture; Gerry Mooney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dublin GAA fan Tony Broughan's coffin is carried from the church following his funeral Picture; Gerry Mooney "Before all else he was a family man, who lived on his own terms and in his own time, and in the family context he is reunited with his beloved wife Rose who died three years ago," he said. "Tony was someone who was a tonic, made people smile, and lightened many a burden. His memory will live long, with the bell, the blue hair and the dress." Fr O'Grady told how Tony had helped so many people in difficult times. "Many a home was heated, and many a person fed because of him," he said. Tony's son Terry, with his wife Christine, told how Tony had led a hard but simple life, and how he cared for Rose in her final years - only leaving her side when there was someone to look after her when he went to a Dubs game. "His religion was GAA, and he loved dressing up for matches," they said. Tony had worked for Dublin Corporation and the family told how a former colleague said to them he remembered Tony "mullocking in the manholes until the blockages were cleared", and how he would have a coal fire burning outside his corporation hut which would draw people to him on a cold day. He would always let them warm themselves by the fire. Terry and Christine said Tony got a coal round after working with the corporation and would say that as long as you had a bit of heat and food on the table, you'd be alright. The family heard that Tony had lived to see his beloved Dubs win the five-in-a-row, and that maybe the team can do six in a row in his honour. His coffin was brought from the church as the congregation inside and outside proudly sang Molly Malone. Dressed in the Dublin colours and waving Dublin flags, they accompanied Tony's remains as they were driven by Croke Park one final time as a tribute to him. The sudden resignation in late August of TikToks American chief executive Kevin Mayer after just three months on the job underscores the searing pressure professionals at Chinese companies are facing as US-China relations deteriorate, the Trump administration targets tech firms and election season accusations fly. We are in a new Cold War with China and the US, said Richard Levick, chief executive of the Levick crisis management firm that represents Chinese clients. And theres lots of collateral damage. Mayers surprise departure from TikTok came amid an intense US government campaign against the social media platform famous for short dance and music videos including executive orders by US President Donald Trump intended to cripple its US operations and force a sale to American owners within 90 days. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. The administration contends that TikTok, WeChat, Huawei and other Chinese companies could pass on sensitive information to Beijing and pose other security risks, charges the businesses deny. TikTok suitors, including Microsoft, Oracle, Twitter and Walmart, are reportedly interested in buying the privately held firm, valued by some at upwards of US$50 billion, although Beijing says it must approve any sale. TikToks chief executive Kevin Mayer has quite the social media platform. Photo: Getty Images If Kevin stayed inside Chinese-owned TikTok, it could be a career killer, especially as Trump makes China into Americas Enemy No 1, said Gordon Feller, a former Cisco Systems executive and now a board member with Citadel Threat Management, a drone detection company in California. I think this is going to be a big setback for a lot of American executives whove been hired by successful Chinese companies. In his resignation letter echoed separately by TikToks owner, the Chinese technology giant ByteDance Mayer blamed shifting US politics and reduced space to run TikTok effectively, given the overwhelming pressure to sell. He was leaving with a heavy heart, he added. Story continues A Silicon Valley tech investor with close China ties who requested anonymity given growing US-China tension said that the cleaving apart of TikToks US and global operations would presumably reduce Mayers job largely to battling Washington. It is likely that he would spend a lot of time on legal issues, which isnt fun, he added. Non-Chinese executives working for and with Chinese companies, think tanks and academia say that their jobs are increasingly stressful, unpredictable and raise concern about how working for the enemy will look on their resumes as ties crumble. Levick, who has represented numerous controversial clients from Guantanamo prison detainees after September 11 to high-profile African leaders said he has never felt so threatened trying to do his job. You hang up the phone and you wonder if the phone is bugged. The doorbell rings and you wonder if the government is paying you a visit. You wonder if your computer is hacked, said Levick, who sees this as part of a Trump administration pressure campaign. If it makes the lawyers, lobbyists and communication professionals feel uncomfortable in the process, so be it. Washington has numerous weapons to use in its showdown with Beijing. These include blocking Chinese investments deemed security threats by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (Cfius); more closely scrutinising consultants and others assisting Chinese firms under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara); and espionage investigations vetted by the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, also known as the Fisa court. Death threats are one thing, said Levick, who survived an armed uprising in Yemen. A Fisa warrant is on an entirely other level. Executives say that Beijings strident pronouncements and aggressive policies jockeying with India, expanding aggressively in the contested South China Sea and tightening its grip over Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet have made their situation tougher. Such moves have fuelled American distrust. A Pew Research poll in late July found that 73 per cent of Americans held an unfavourable view of China, up from 47 per cent in 2017 and the most negative view in Pews 15 years of asking the question. The Chinese arent making it any easier, said Sean Randolph, senior director of San Franciscos Bay Area Council Economic Institute, which has partnered with China on Greater Bay Area issues. Theres a real lack of transparency on a lot of things going on in Chinese policy that tends to encourage a level of concern that may or may not be warranted. With technological primacy a hot battleground, some note a growing wariness in Silicon Valley toward Chinese companies that appear motivated more by Beijings strategic directives than shared commercial benefit. There's not a lot of sympathy for TikTok or Chinese companies more generally, said the tech investor, who also criticised the administration. If the US doesn't want foreign-controlled media, then legislate that and be done with it. The arbitrary and ad hoc nature of this decision is concerning, he added, referring to the campaign to force TikToks sale. TikTok isnt alone in weathering high-profile defections. Last year, soon after Huawei Technologies chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver, its Canadian senior vice-president of corporate affairs resigned without explanation, followed a few months later by its Canadian director of corporate affairs. And in Britain, the companys chief executive, Lord Browne, announced plans to leave this month after London restricted Huaweis market access. Lord John Browne, chief executive of Huawei Technologies British unit, announced plans to leave this month. Photo: Getty Images Headhunters say the geopolitical climate has made foreign managers think twice before jumping to a Chinese company. If youre a really high-powered executive from Disney, Google, why would you join a Chinese tech company right now? said Thomas Green, a London-based partner with executive search firm Calibre One. Theres so much ambiguity and volatility. Basically theyre saying they want some serious danger money if theyre a good negotiator. Foreign executives at Chinese companies working to expand North American markets and burnish corporate reputations say their job is compounded by cultural differences that often exclude non-Chinese from decision-making. That can leave them to carry out directives without question or leeway to tailor changes for a US audience. The stress builds up very quickly, said Feller. Theyre put in the untenable position where theyre told to make magic, only to come up against the Chinese Great Wall of decision-making. Its opaque, he added. A party official or ministry official you didnt even know vetoes a decision that even board members wanted to do. Engineering executive Guido Jouret left Cisco in 2015 after two decades to manage a Chinese software team at the Shanghai-based alternative energy start-up Envision Energy. After a year of grappling from California with trans-Pacific communication gaps and Envisions start-up culture, he left and joined Nokia. This was not my first rodeo, I grew up in Asia, he said. I had the responsibility, but it felt like many of the decisions were made informally. A Washington lobbyist who joined a Chinese tech company last year said that he underestimated the challenges. I always knew that the geopolitics of the moment were going to be in the background, he said. But that geopolitics has certainly come to the foreground. Officials in the Trump administration and Congress still take his calls, the lobbyist said, and often acknowledge his arguments and supporting data that protectionism frequently hurts Americans more than Chinese. But then he hits a wall. There are still good apples within departments and agencies, he said. But nine out of 10 conversations tend to end with their saying However, the politics are X, Y, Z. In May, Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, urged Congress to avoid even speaking with anyone associated with China. Chinese Communist Party [CCP] officials and Chinese entities should be shunned in the halls of Congress, she wrote in a letter to colleagues. Any Chinese agent of repression, even those dressed in business suits to disguise the green Maoist uniforms that they support, are not welcome. The Washington lobbyist said that part of him took this as a personal attack. That letter almost questioned my patriotism. I have yet to see anything working for this company that is CCP interference or influence going against my values as an American. Critics counter that Chinese government interference would not necessarily be evident to foreign nationals. Corporate warriors are not the only ones feeling caught in the middle. Academics say that being Chinese-American or partnering with Chinese researchers is enough to attract scrutiny these days from the FBI, leading to questionable cases, racial profiling and damaged careers. They add that often lost in all this are the benefits of global collaboration now seen in the epic race for a Covid-19 vaccine which far outweigh the risks. This huge chill feeds into everything, said Ali Nouri, president of the Federation of American Scientists. Rebuffing talented Chinese and other foreign scientists who contribute extensively to American discoveries only makes US competitors stronger, Nouri, a molecular biologist, said. The illicit transfer of data from the US to China needs to be addressed, but you have to do it in a reasonable way. We need a scalpel, not a sledgehammer. In a recent case, more than a dozen Chinese researchers were ordered to leave the US last month after a Texas university suspended its relationship with a Chinese government-funded scholarship programme. China policy experts echo these concerns, adding that the aura of distrust impedes intellectual expression, fuels disloyalty charges, leads scholars to shun certain topics and even think twice about entering the field of China studies. Also in the mix are this years election dynamics as both parties work to outflank each other on their tough stance toward China and think tank luminaries quietly jockey for positions in the next administration. Theres concern, if you do this job, you dont know what the next job will be, concern that these kinds of jobs are going to be viewed as suspect in the future, said one long-time analyst, a veteran of liberal and conservative think tanks. Policy wonks say a reluctance to visit China, once an exciting job benefit, undercuts expertise and makes the job less attractive as Beijing detains nationals from countries it is displeased with. One prominent example: think tank employee Michael Kovrig is one of two Canadians held after Mengs 2018 arrest. Michael Kovrig is one of two Canadians held by Beijing in what is widely seen as retaliation for Canadas arrest of Meng Wanzhou of Huawei Technologies. Photo: AP Another feature of the job nowadays, said a foreigner at a Chinese manufacturing company, is the constant onslaught of anti-China news. Policy out of Congress is too often thinly veiled protectionism fuelled by US competitors and trade unions, he maintained. You cant deny theres tension. Randolph said that, as part of trying to keep open some measure of communication between the US and China, he was focused on ties at the state, provincial and local levels, one of the few pathways we still have. Its challenging, he added. Even these ties are feeling the chill, however, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced new restrictions early this month on Chinese diplomats visiting local areas. It doesnt help, said Randolph, formerly a trade official for the state of California. And its not going to get any easier. More from South China Morning Post: This article Washington puts heat on US executives at Chinese firms, with TikTok latest example first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. A significant rise in climate refugees will seek asylum in Europe as more than 1.2 billion people are displaced by ecological threats over the next three decades, a report has predicted. Water and food shortages are set to cause mass migration from 31 countries which are unable to cope with looming environmental crises, the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP) warned. The resulting displacement will be on a vastly larger scale than the 2015-16 migrant crisis if nothing is done to tackle the ecological breakdown, the think tanks founder Steve Killelea told The Independent. Parts of sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, the Middle East and north Africa are facing a perfect storm of environmental problems and instability, according to the IEPs Ecological Risk Register, which analysed factors such as population growth, water stress, food shortages, droughts, floods, cyclones, rising temperatures and sea levels alongside nations ability to withstand climate crises. Nineteen of countries with the highest number of ecological threats are among the worlds 40 least peaceful countries, including Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Chad, India and Pakistan, said the think tank, which also publishes an annual Global Peace Index. Some of these countries are already trapped in a vicious cycle where competition for scarce resources creates conflict and conflict in turn leads to further resource depletion, the report said. A lack of fresh water and shortages of food will be the key drivers of further instability, it added. Over the next 30 years lack of access to food and water will only increase without urgent global cooperation. In the absence of action civil unrest, riots and conflict will most likely increase, Mr Killelea said. The report highlights Pakistan, which is on the brink of a water crisis and also faces flooding and food supply shortages, as the country with the largest population at risk of displacement, followed by Ethiopia and Iran. Haiti faces the highest threat in Central America. Even relatively small ecological threats and natural disasters could result in mass population displacement, affecting regional and global security, the report added. Wealthier and more developed nations in Europe and North America are facing fewer ecological threats and will be better equipped to adapt to climate breakdown. But countries such as the UK will not be immune from its impacts, predicted the IEP. Mr Killelea said: This is something which Europe needs to take heed of. We saw what happened when there was two million migrants flowing into Europe in the 2015 and 2016 immigration peaks and you could see the political instability which came with that and the rise of new political parties. Without something being done to address these ecological issues it will be on vastly larger scale than what weve seen in the last few years. Extreme weather displaced 24 million people within their countries last year, with conflict and other disasters forcing a further 9.5 million to flee their homes, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. More than 1 per cent of the humanity is now displaced, according to the United Nations refugee agency, which in June urged countries worldwide to do more to help those affected. About four in five people displaced will seek refuge in a neighbouring country, the agency estimates. You are here: China A court in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Tuesday handed down the death penalty to a man over a kindergarten knife attack. The man, named Li Xiaowen, was given capital punishment after being convicted of homicide, according to the Intermediate People's Court of Wuzhou City. On June 4 this year, Li, a school security worker, injured dozens of people, including children, in a knife attack at the kindergarten affiliated to the central school of Wangfu Township in Cangwu County, according to the court. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The CEOs of nine drug companies made a joint pledge Tuesday that said they would stand with science in the race to create and distribute a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine amid ongoing suggestions from President Donald Trump that an immunization could be ready by Election Day. We, the undersigned biopharmaceutical companies, want to make clear our on-going commitment to developing and testing potential vaccines for COVID-19 in accordance with high ethical standards and sound scientific principles, read the pledge. The companies that signed the pledge include AstraZeneca, BioNTech, Moderna, Pfizer, Novavax, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Merck. Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca which reportedly had to pause its latest trial because a patient had a serious suspected adverse reaction are all in late-stage trials in vaccine development. While the statement does not rule out that the companies will seek an emergency use authorization, the pledge said that any vaccine decision would be made in light of large, high quality clinical trials, adding that the guidance of regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be closely followed. We believe this pledge will help ensure public confidence in the rigorous scientific and regulatory process by which COVID-19 vaccines are evaluated and may ultimately be approved, the statement read. Trump has repeatedly signaled that a vaccine could be ready by Election Day Nov. 3 though his own vaccine chief said it was extremely unlikely that would be case in an interview with National Public Radio. Well have the vaccine soon, maybe before a special date, the president said Monday. You know what date Im talking about. Pfizer said it could apply for emergency approval as early as October, the New York TImes reported, which would set in motion the process to eventually make the vaccine available. Moderna and AstraZeneca have said they hope to have a vaccine available by the end of the year. Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the FDA, previously said the agency would be willing to approve a coronavirus vaccine before Phase 3 clinical trials the largest and most rigorous of the approval process were complete, according to an interview in The Financial Times. Tuesdays statement did not mention Trump, but only said the companies aim to uphold the integrity of the scientific process. CLAYTON The St. Louis County Council delayed action yet again Tuesday on a request to expand a contract with an outside law firm to represent the county in a police commanders claim of racial discrimination and retaliation. County Counselor Beth Orwick had asked the council to extend a contract with the Lewis Rice law firm, but did not offer any option to set a limit, saying only that the amount to be billed would be no more than reasonably necessary. Chairwoman Lisa Clancy, D-5th District, had tabled the request a week earlier when it did not appear to have enough support . The county has paid Lewis Rice $421,257 over the past year and some council members have said they want better control over what the county spends on outside lawyers. Several council members told Orwick on Tuesday they would be more likely to approve the request if she would allow them to set a spending limit at which she would have to come back for an extension. Orwick told council members she has a relatively small team and that each lawyer was already working 50 to 80 hours per week on cases. Lewis Rice represented the county in a $10.25 million settlement in workplace discrimination lawsuit by gay police sergeant Keith Wildhaber. In May, the council voted 5-2 to hire the firm for legal work related to the pandemic. Orwick said Lewis Rice attorneys saw the work as a public service and that their familiarity with the police department and police board through the Wildhaber case would save the county time and money. Rita Heard Days, D-1st District, appeared to be the only council member against hiring Lewis Rice. She said it was unfair that Orwick was repeatedly turning to the same firm without consideration of hiring minorities and that we will never have a predominantly African American law firm coming to this county. The measure appeared to be heading to a vote when Ernie Trakas, R-6th District, said he felt competent representation was needed to avoid another eight-figure settlement and that the countys in-house legal staff was ill-equipped to do that. Trakas said he preferred that Orwick revise the request to include a spending limit. Several of his colleagues agreed; Clancy said it was a good compromise and tabled it for another week. The request is related to the discrimination and retaliation complaint by Lt. Col. Troy Doyle, one of eight candidates, and the only Black candidate, who applied to replace Chief Jon Belmar. Doyle had been the choice of several community leaders to be the departments first Black chief. But after a series of closed-door interviews with each candidate, the Board of Police Commissioners on March 19 voted 5-0 to select Capt. Mary Barton, commander of the West County Precinct, as the departments first female police chief. Doyle alleges that Page told him several times he was Pages pick for chief but that powerful people with a lot of money said they didnt want Doyle to become chief because he is Black. Orwick accused Doyles lawyer, Jerome Dobson, of trying to extort $3.5 million from the county by trying to resolve the case quietly so it did not hurt Pages chances in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. 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. More than 100 MPs and peers have signed a letter demanding an end to the Chinese governments oppression of the Uighur people in Xinjiang. The open letter, organised by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, describe the campaign of persecution against the mostly-Muslim Uighur people as a systematic and calculated programme of ethnic cleansing. About 1 million Uighurs are thought to have been detained in what the Chinese government calls re-education camps many who have escaped abroad have spoken of psychological abuse and inhumane treatment. (@FahadShabbir) By Binsal Abdulkader ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 07th Sep, 2020) A new research finding on radiation will support the UAE's ambitious project to build the first human settlement on Mars by 2117, a scientist told Emirates news Agency, WAM. "Radiation is one of the biggest roadblocks in planning long-term space missions, especially the project to establish a human presence on Mars [UAEs Mars 2117 project]," said Dr. Dimitra Atri, Research Scientist at Centre for Space Science in the New York University Abu Dhabi, NYUAD, who has made important findings from his research on the impact of radiation on astronaut health in long-term space missions. His team has been able to calculate the amount of radiation dose deposited in different organs of the human body from astrophysical sources very precisely. Radiation on astronaut health "We found that radiation exposure to astronauts is comparable to the dose that cancer patients receive during radiation treatment," he revealed in an interview on Monday. "By comparing our calculations with radiation therapy data we have been able to estimate health risks to astronauts from background radiation in space [Galactic Cosmic Rays] and solar storms [Solar Proton Events]," Atri said. "Equipped with this knowledge, we will be in a better position to develop technologies to mitigate the impact of radiation and help with UAE's efforts to establish a human base on Mars. We will be publishing our findings very shortly and share our results with the scientific community in the UAE and abroad," he explained. First city on Mars As announced in 2017, the UAEs Mars 2117 project includes putting in place a programme to prepare Emiratis for Mars and space exploration. The project aims to build the first city on Mars in 100 years, which will be achieved through various scientific alliances. The project will be associated with research themes involved in the exploration of faster transportation systems to Mars, as well as building houses and producing energy and food. It will also try to find faster transportation methods for travelling to and from Mars. As WAM reported on 12th July, 2020, a senior scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, said that the UAE's plan to build the first human settlement on Mars by 2117 would be possible. "I think we'll get there," said Dr Lori Glaze, planetary science division director at NASA, adding that "I would say that having multiple countries now [on Mars exploration] has increased our capability [globally] of going back and forth to Mars." Space biology laboratory to support ISS mission Dr. Atri, the research scientist, continued to say that a planned space biology laboratory at the Centre for Space Science at NYUAD will support the UAE's research aboard the International Space Station, ISS. "The laboratory will have two components: a microgravity component, which will simulate microgravity for microbial samples, and a radiation component where we will expose microbial samples to UV radiation. The idea is to be able to simulate outer space-like conditions in the laboratory," explained Atri, an astrophysicist interested in Mars, exoplanets, human spaceflight and astrobiology. The UAE has a growing human spaceflight programme and its next step is to carry out scientific experiments on board the International Space Station, he pointed out. "Our research in the laboratory will help us develop potential experiments to be carried out aboard the ISS and help with UAE's efforts in this field. We are currently assembling and testing our microgravity equipment and should be able to start conducting experiments later this year," Atri revealed. Using Hope Probe data The NYUAD Centre will be using data from Hope Probe, the UAEs historic mission to Mars, for these researches, he said. "One of our aims with the Hope probe data is to understand how background galactic cosmic radiation and radiation from abrupt solar storms interact with the Martian atmosphere," the scientist said. "We will combine data from Hope Probe with NASA's Curiosity rover data, which is based at the Gale crater on Mars to understand how radiation propagates all the way down to the surface of the planet. This will help us better understand the radiation environment on the surface of Mars in case of extreme events which will be very useful in planning human missions on Mars," Atri explained. "We are also interested in learning more about how solar radiation contributes to the erosion of the Martian atmosphere and how it changes its chemical composition on short timescales," he added. Research on life on Mars About his research on life on Mars, Dr. Atri said the surface of Mars has been studied extensively over the years, but the subsurface environment is unexplored. In a paper published in Nature science journal in July, he has proposed a mechanism using which life, if it ever existed on Mars, could survive just below its surface at present. The ExoMars mission, a joint endeavour between Russias Roscosmos State Corporation and the European Space Agency to be launched in 2022, will study samples from up to two metres below the surface and these will be the first ever results from the subsurface environment, including studies of signs of life, he said. "There is a potential for a breakthrough as soon as a mission starts collecting subsurface samples after landing. As ExoMars has a launch window between August and October 2022, I am hoping we will get results sometime by summer 2023," the scientist said. India, Australia and France on Wednesday launched a new trilateral dialogue, signalling strategic convergence in Indo-Pacific region amid growing belligerence of China. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had a video conference with his French and Australian counterparts, Francois Delattre and Frances Adamson, and discussed ways for enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. France has for the first time joined a plurilateral initiative in Indo-Pacific. India, Australia, Japan and the United States have already been working for strategic convergences in the region within the framework of the Quad a coalition of the four democratic nations relaunched in November 2017 to counter expansionist aspirations of China. Shringla, Adamson and Delattre discussed economic and geostrategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, according to similar press-releases issued in New Delhi, Canberra and Paris after the video conference. They also touched upon the Covid-19 outbreak and exchanged experiences on domestic responses to the pandemic. The move comes amid growing belligerence of China, not only along its disputed boundary with India but elsewhere in Indo-Pacific too: the South China Sea, the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait. The video conference was held with the objective of building on the strong bilateral relations that the three countries share with each other and synergising their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific region. The three nations also agreed to hold the trilateral dialogue once in every year. The top diplomats of India, France and Australia on Wednesday discussed cooperation on marine global commons and potential areas for practical cooperation at the trilateral and regional level, including through regional organisations such as Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indian Ocean Regional Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). They had an exchange on the priorities, challenges and trends in regional and global multilateral institutions, including the best ways to strengthen and reform multilateralism. France has substantial geopolitical interests in western Indian Ocean and southern Pacific, with a large number of its military personnel deployed in the region. The French Government has territorial control over Reunion and Mayotte islands in the Indian Ocean and New Caledonia and French Polynesia in the Pacific. While over 60% of Frances Exclusive Economic Zone is in the Pacific, over 20% is in the Indian Ocean. Djibouti on the Horn of Africa has a base of the French Army. Though the US has been trying to expand the Quad into a Quad Plus by roping in other democratic nations to contain China, France has so far been an outlier reluctant to join any plurilateral initiative in the Indo-Pacific, ostensibly to avoid making its strategy for the region look overtly adversarial to China. It, however, now finally moved to join India and Australia for a trilateral dialogue, building on its bilateral strategic partnerships with both the nations. India of late quietly added a military heft to the Quad by inking an agreement on Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA) with Australia. The agreement is intended to open up the military bases of India and Australia for each others army, navy and air forces. India is also likely to sign a similar agreement with Japan. It had already signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the US in August 2016. The Prime Ministers of Japan and Australia, Shinzo Abe and Scott Morrison, too recently agreed to expand military cooperation among the Quad nations to counter Chinas expansionist moves in Indo-Pacific. MUSKEGON, MI Recreational marijuana sales will be allowed in another six locations in the city of Muskegon. A divided city commission on Tuesday, Sept. 8, approved the new sites on Apple Avenue, Getty Street, Clay Avenue and Washington Avenue. Another two sites on Apple Avenue could also be included. Part of the reasoning for the expansion of the citys existing marijuana districts was to promote social equity in access to and ownership of cannabis retail outlets. The commission voted on two new marijuana districts after a second reading of a zoning amendment for the first six sites. They voted 5-2 to include growing and processing marijuana at 981 S. Getty St., and provisioning and retail at 796 E. Apple and 935 S. Getty St. Two of the properties are owned by Black business owners who have waited patiently to be partakers in the marijuana industry, said Commissioner Willie German Jr. The idea of including those properties was to advance social equity in the marijuana industry in the city, according to German and city staff who proposed the new district. Voting against those three properties were Commissioner Michael Ramsey and Commissioner Teresa Emory. Commissioner Ken Johnson switched his earlier vote and voted in favor of the three properties at the Getty and Apple intersection. To me, when we went down this road it was about medicine and getting patients access to their medicine, Johnson said in explaining his yes vote. Commissioners voted 4-3 to allow marijuana microbusinesses at 623 and 639 W. Clay Ave. close to downtown and marijuana retail sales at the Watermark Center, 920 Washington Ave., provided they are on the third floor or higher. Staff said a Black-owned restaurant plans to locate with a microbusiness on Clay Avenue. Marijuana microbusinesses involve the selling only of marijuana that is grown and processed on site. Johnson, Emory and Ramsey voted against allowing the marijuana businesses on Clay and Washington. Staff has said the properties were chosen to help the social equity cause and also to get blighted and vacant property back into productive use. Some of the properties have businesses on them, such as Campbells Towing at 796 E. Apple, and being in the district doesnt mean they have to be in the marijuana business, Muskegon City Manager Frank Peterson told commissioners. He said not all the property owners included in the new districts were approached by city staff about their interest in becoming involved in the marijuana business. Ramsey said that he supported social equity in marijuana businesses, but that the new districts dont do that and thats why he voted against them. Johnson said he would like the commission to come up with a more methodical plan to promote social equity in the marijuana business in Muskegon. The addresses of two other sites at 863 and 885 E. Apple Ave. were mistakenly listed earlier as being on Laketon Avenue, and so a first reading of a zoning amendment for them was held on Tuesday. A final vote on those is expected Sept. 22. The city currently has three retail marijuana outlets and a fourth opening soon on West Laketon Avenue, Park Street and Peck Street. The commission significantly reduced the number of properties from 16 that staff originally proposed. Among those rejected by the city commission were a lot at the corner of Western Avenue and First Street in the heart of downtown; a shell of a building also downtown at 880 First St.; a building on Terrace Avenue in downtown where a basement grow operation was among proposed uses; and three adjacent locations on Lakeshore Drive in the Lakeside business district. All 16 of the properties were earlier rejected by the citys planning commission. Some planning commissioners and members of the public said the method of hand-selecting properties to be included was problematic, with one likening getting onto the list to winning the lottery. Property values in the citys existing marijuana district have skyrocketed and the same likely would happen for the other properties, some said. There was some confusion about the owner of one of the Apple Avenue properties that will be voted on later this month. Johnson said his research showed an elderly resident, but German insisted that a younger Black man recently purchased that property. Also on MLive: City seeks solution for chronic flooding of Muskegon street Road, water work to disrupt Pere Marquette beach traffic Rusty railroad bridge over Muskegons Seaway Drive finally getting paint job Rome fashion house Fendi announced Wednesday that Kim Jones is taking over from the late Karl Lagerfeld as creative director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE -- In this Jan. 17, 2020 file photo, designer Kim Jones accepts applause after the Dior Homme Mens Fall/Winter 2020-2021 fashion collection presented in Paris. Rome fashion house Fendi announced Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020 that Kim Jones is taking over from the late Karl Lagerfeld as creative director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections. Jones will take on the Fendi duties while staying on as artistic director of Dior Homme. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Rome fashion house Fendi announced Wednesday that Kim Jones is taking over from the late Karl Lagerfeld as creative director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections. Jones will take on the Fendi duties while staying on as artistic director of Dior Homme, another house in the Paris-based luxury goods empire of LVMH chief Bernard Arnault. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. He joins the third-generation Silvia Venturini Fendi, who will continue in charge of creating Fendi accessories and menswear collections. The British-born Jones fills the void left by the 2019 death of Lagerfeld, who had joined Fendi in 1965 and had been its womenswear design chief since 1977. Jones first Fendi collection will be ready-to-wear shown during the fall-winter 2021-2022 fashion week in February. Its the second major fashion partnership announced in recent months, after news that Raf Simons would join Miuccia Prada as co-creative director of Prada. Their first joint womens spring-summer 2021 collection will be shown in Milan later this month. Arnault, chief executive of Fendi parent company LVMH, praised Jones for having proven he could adapt to the codes and heritage of the LVMH houses while revisiting them with great modernity and audacity. Jones, who joined Louis Vuitton in 2011 and moved to Dior Homme seven years later, said working at Fendi and Dior together was a huge privilege. Fendi said she was looking forward to taking the Rome house to the next level with him. Russias Vector virology institute in Siberia completed the Phase II trials of a second potential vaccine against the novel coronavirus, suggested reports by international media. Human trials of the second potential Covid-19 vaccine began on July 27. The trials involved a group of 100 volunteers who were vaccinated with two doses. Reports suggest that the final group of 20 volunteers has been released from the hospital, marking an end to the trial. Read: Major Progress On Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine Offer; Specific Outcome Soon: NITI Aayog The first vaccine by Russia On August 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his government had approved Sputnik V, the first vaccine in the world against COVID-19. It has reportedly been named after the world's first satellite launched by the Soviet Union. Putin mentioned that one of his daughters had already been inoculated. As the vaccine has not been tested in phase 3 or larger clinical trials, there is a perception that Russia had put national prestige over safety amid the global race to develop a vaccine. The vaccine has been developed by Russia's Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Meanwhile, speaking to international media reporters, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin expressed hope that the majority of capital's residents would be vaccinated in the coming months. Russian authorities have released the first batch of its COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V' for the use of the general public hoping that the majority of Russians would be vaccinated against the deadly virus within months. Despite being in the third phase of the trial, the production of the vaccine was started soon thereafter. Read: COVID-19 Vaccine: PGI Rohtak To Start Bharat Biotech's Covaxin's Phase-2 Trials This comes after CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev, on September 7, confirmed that clinical trials of Sputnik V - Russia's COVID vaccine - will be held in September across India and other countries. Apart from India, clinical trials will also be held in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Philippines, and Brazil. Earlier, the RDIF had also affirmed that it is in close dialogue with the Indian government to manufacture the vaccine at a large level. "The post-registration studies involving more than 40,000 people started in Russia on August 26, before AstraZeneca has started its Phase 3 trial in the US with 30,000 participants. Clinical trials in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Philippines, India, and Brazil will begin this month. The preliminary results of the Phase 3 trial will be published in October-November 2020," ANI quoted the RDIF CEO. Read: Australians To Get Early Access To Coronavirus Vaccine In January: Morrison Also Read: Russia Releases First Batch Of Its COVID-19 Vaccine 'Sputnik V' For Public Use VICTORIA, BC, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - IMMUNOPRECISE ANTIBODIES LTD. (the "Company" or "IPA") (TSXV: IPA) (OTCQB: IPATF) (FSE:TQB2), a leader in full-service, therapeutic antibody discovery and development, today announced that it will be presenting at the H.C. Wainwright Annual Global Investment Conference being held virtually on September 14-16, 2020. Jennifer Bath, CEO of ImmunoPrecise, will provide an overview of the Company's business during the live presentation and will be available to participate in one-on-one meetings with investors who are registered to attend the conference. If you are an institutional investor, and would like to attend the Company's presentation, please click on the following link (www.hcwevents.com) to register for the conference. Once your registration is confirmed, you will be prompted to log into the conference website to request a one-on-one meeting with the Company. Event: H.C. Wainwright 22nd Annual Global Investment Conference (Virtual Conference) Date: September 14-16, 2020 Presentation Day & Time: September 15, 12:30 PM (EDT) Location: https://wsw.com/webcast/hcw7/ipa.v/1665422 H.C. Wainwright is a full-service investment bank dedicated to providing corporate finance, strategic advisory and related services to public and private companies across multiple sectors and regions. H.C. Wainwright & Co. also provides research and sales and trading services to institutional investors. According to Sagient Research Systems, H.C. Wainwright's team is ranked as the #1 Placement Agent in terms of aggregate CMPO (confidentially marketed public offering), RD (registered direct offering) and PIPE (private investment in public equity) executed cumulatively since 1998. About ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. ImmunoPrecise is a global technology platform company with end-to-end solutions empowering companies to discover and develop therapies against any disease. The Company's experience and cutting-edge technologies enable unparalleled support of its partners in their quest to bring innovative treatments to the clinic. ImmunoPrecise's full-service capabilities dramatically reduce the time required for, and the inherent risk associated with, conventional multi-vendor product development. For further information, visit www.immunoprecise.com or contact [email protected]. Forward Looking Information This news release contains statements that, to the extent they are not recitations of historical fact, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company uses words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "expect", "believe", "intend", "should" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by ImmunoPrecise in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. However, whether actual results and developments will conform to ImmunoPrecise's expectations and predictions is subject to any number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties. Many factors could cause ImmunoPrecise's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such factors include, among other things, actual revenues and earnings for IPA being lower than anticipated, and those risks and uncertainties described in ImmunoPrecise's annual management discussion and analysis for the previous quarter and audited fiscal year ended April 30, 2020, which can be accessed at www.sedar.com. The "forward-looking statements" contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release and, unless required by applicable law, ImmunoPrecise undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise such information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. Related Links www.immunoprecise.com India needs more banks for sustaining high growth and doubling the credit-to-GDP ratio to 100 per cent, RBI board member Manish Sabharwal said on Tuesday. Sabharwal, who is the chairman of Teamlease Services, also said the country needs immediate reforms in banking, compliance, labour laws and education because "hope is not a strategy". He was addressing a virtual conference organised by the All India Management Association (AIMA). India needs to increase its credit-to-GDP ratio from 50 per cent to 100 per cent and it requires more banks, albeit with better regulation, an AIMA statement quoted Sabharwal as saying. Speaking about economic recovery, he said various sectors are in different stages of improvement. The FMCG sector is back to 100 per cent, whereas hotel, airlines and construction segments have a long way to go, he said. Covid-19 has created great business opportunities, but not everybody is in a position to raise funds, he noted. He pointed out that bank credit, venture capital and private equity funding had slowed down since March but it is a great opportunity for those who are in a position to raise funds to acquire assets. On the issue of stimulus package, he said it would be "wrong to throw money from the helicopter", and the right thing would be to create a better environment for entrepreneurship through reforms. "This is a time to build for the next quarter century and not for the next quarter," he said. Gustavo Benaim, Ph.D., a biologist at the Universidad Central de Venezuela and the former adviser of Dr. Paniz-Mondolfi during his doctoral studies, described him as a fearless virus hunter. He added, He is an extraordinary clinician and microbiologist. Dr. Paniz-Mondolfi said he then became fascinated by the lingering effects of some viruses, especially in children. The Western plains of Venezuela, where he lived, is a hot spot for dengue and Kawasaki disease, an inflammatory syndrome in children that can cause heart complications. Dr. Paniz-Mondolfi has long suspected a link between the two. Dengue is mosquito-borne and he knew Kawasaki diagnoses peaked in Venezuela when mosquitoes were most rampant. He also knew that Kawasaki disease sometimes is preceded by serious infections. Based on those characteristics, he and his colleagues argued in a paper published last month that dengue most likely leads to Kawasaki disease in some Venezuelan kids. Despite his grisly profession, Dr. Paniz-Mondolfi is congenial and upbeat. He referred to the viruses he works with as if they were buddies; dengue is an old friend, whom he used to see on a daily basis. Mayaro virus, which causes high fevers and joint pain, however, was a pretty nasty guy. Yet despite the casual nicknames, Dr. Paniz-Mondolfi obsesses over each micro-organism and its quirks. He doesnt just want to tame them to save his patients he wants to deeply understand them to predict their next move. Zika hit Venezuela in 2015 and brought Dr. Paniz-Mondolfi some of the most puzzling cases he had ever seen. One patient developed Alice in Wonderland syndrome, in which she perceived her body parts changing sizes, sometimes looking huge, in her mind, sometimes tiny. The epidemic hit amid an economic and political crisis in Venezuela, and Dr. Paniz-Mondolfi was soon caring for nearly 400 patients at once on a shoestring budget as he scrambled to better understand the infection. It was emotionally devastating to see these babies bursting with seizures and not being able to provide them treatment. No parent deserves to live a situation like this, he said. At the time, he had a newborn son, but he and his wife, who is a biologist, couldnt even get diapers and he milked his father-in-laws cows and goats to feed his child. There was no power in the whole country. No water. It was terrible, he recalled. To run his lab, Dr. Paniz-Mondolfi, who could barely provide for his family, had to sneak supplies into the country. Once, as he walked his kids to school, he noticed his 7-year-old wearing broken shoes; he knew he couldnt afford a new pair. I got in the car and cried nonstop for about an hour, he said. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Sunday, 6th September, 2020 inaugurated its Womens Wing Campaign Committee in Kumasi, Ashanti Region. The Womens Wing Campaign Committee is to task women in the NPP to undertake massive campaign work for the party ahead of the December 7 elections. The Patron of the Committee, Second Lady, Samira Bawumia urged the Womens Wing to work hard and peddle the good works of the government in its first term and what the President Akufo-Addo intends to do in the next 4 years to Ghanaians. I appeal to the women to see the need to lead the campaign to retain H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP in office to consolidate our gains in the last three and a half years. Also addressing the women, Deputy Communications Director of the party, Mame Yaa Aboagye, who is also a member of the Committee, pledged their allegiance to trumpet the good policies of the government. The Ashanti Regional Women Organizer of the Party, Nana Ama Ampomah also affirmed the women wing's determination to go to every home with the good news of the party. We are ready to execute the task given to us as a campaign team and we know we can fall on our numerous members to help us achieve our set target, Madam Ampomah stated. The all-women campaign team was sworn in by the Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako. 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 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 Restaurants have been drastically and, in some cases, permanently changed in recent months. Many of the establishments that have survived the initial round of the pandemic have moved to take-out, delivery, or curbside-pickup models. Others have significantly altered their dining experience, ordering and payment processes. While these changes in the restaurant industry have been in response to what is hoped to be a temporary crisis, its likely that dining establishments will never again operate exactly as they did before coronavirus. Those that survive and thrive will need to find ways to adapt to the new reality in which they find themselves. We are now seeing many parking lots being converted to outdoor dining with beautiful tents, heaters and fire pits to make the space look comfortable, Dean Small, founder and managing partner of Synergy Restaurant Consultants, told the E-Commerce Times. With bars being closed in many states, operators had to readjust their thinking and how to maintain revenues by expanding their seating to more al fresco dining. New Models in the New Normal Along with making changes in their physical designs to accommodate the demands of the pandemic, eateries of all sizes have also turned to new models for order taking, making deliveries, and payment processing. Smart operators are navigating these uncharted waters with more curbside pickup and delivery, said Small. In addition, many restaurants realized that their websites were not performing well to support the new surge of online ordering, so many had to make significant updates to enhance the ordering process. These shifts and upgrades are allowing restaurants to straddle the space between operating solely physical dining rooms and offering other forms of meal ordering, payment, and delivery. When shutdowns first went into effect across the country, we watched restaurants spring into action to find creative ways to drive orders when dining in was no longer an option, which meant spinning up solutions that enabled online ordering for curbside pickup or delivery, Jennifer Sherman, senior vice president of product for NMI, explained to the E-Commerce Times. NMI is a payments enablement technology provider, with headquarters in Schaumburg, Ill. Many smaller restaurants had never dealt with these applications prior to COVID-19. Weve seen restaurants pivot their entire business model by shifting focus to online ordering and curbside pickup, or even get basic online and mobile ordering up and running for the first time, added Sherman. Contactless Payments Another pandemic-related change in the restaurant world has been the move toward touchless payments. Ordering and paying in restaurants are increasingly done more seamlessly, and with less contact, than ever before. Allowing touchless payment options helps customers to feel safer in the process of dining out and can therefore making going out to eat more appealing. Implementing contactless payments into your existing digital strategy creates an effortless experience for your guests, Sree Singaraju, senior vice president AI and cloud solutions for Mobiquity, told the E-Commerce Times. From ordering food online to payment and pick up or delivery, the whole process is touchless a critical feature during COVID-19. Plus, customers can see exactly how much money they are spending before they complete their digital purchase; and before completing a transaction, you can show customers added costs, such as taxes, delivery fees, and service charges, said Singaraju. Ultimately, both restaurants and diners value the safety and ease inherent in touchless payment options. Now that we are starting to return to dining in, restaurants have figured out creative ways to process payments to reduce touchpoints that could spread disease and to make diners feel safe, noted NMIs Sherman. For customers that can now dine in, these new demands can be met through QR codes or contactless payments at the register or kiosk. We have seen increases in contactless card usage this season, but many of us, in the U.S. at least, still dont have contactless-enabled cards in our wallets. In that case, scanning QR codes to direct consumers to pay on their phone can be used to reduce the number of physical touchpoints for customer payment and can create a modern and safe experience that diners will remember. Work in Progress Restaurants and the way people order and pay in them will likely continue to evolve. As anyone who has ever walked out of an Uber can tell you, the best payment experiences are the ones that dont exist, Sherman continued. All of these technologies QR codes, contactless payments, order online for delivery or pick up are about reducing contact and increasing velocity. The most extreme example of that is one in which we can finish our meal and simply leave. How restaurants and the technologies that serve them evolve depends on an intricate back-and-forth between consumers, culture, and businesses. I think the questions we could be asking ourselves as a technology community is, How close can we get to that end goal, what solutions will it take and how can that transform the experience of dining? A D V E R T I S E M E N T This will impact how we think about loyalty, ordering, and even how food is served. The solutions will be about more than just software, as we watch kiosks and vending machines move upmarket, suggested Sherman. Most importantly, I think that we are going to see the restaurant industry lead the rest of retail into rethinking the way we handle payments, because when it comes to making customers feel safe, entertained, engaged and comfortable, who better than the hospitality industry? The Future of Dining Out Though many of the changes in the restaurant industry are likely here to stay, it doesnt mean that restaurants wont continue to evolve, improve, and serve an important role in peoples lives. There just might be new expectations for what restaurants are and will be. In six months, it will be a great time to open a restaurant, Bob Phibbs, CEO of The Retail Doctor, a New York-based retail consultancy, told the E-Commerce Times. People will want to get out, and 50 percent of the existing businesses that were around a year ago will be gone. It will be a perfect time to open a new concept built around more space, digitized menus, contactless payment, and the like. If restaurants can just hold on until then, theyll be seen as heroes and rewarded for making it through this dark time. President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with prominent members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, including new leader Lee Nak-yon, at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. The participants agreed on the need for cooperation with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to ensurethe smooth management of state affairs, and Lee suggested Moon arrange a tripartite meeting between Moon, Lee and PPP interim chief Kim Chong-in. Yonhap Nothing that the Boris Johnson government does or says really shocks anymore, but NI Secretary of State Brandon Lewis certainly caused tremors in Parliament when he admitted that the new UK Internal Market Bill being introduced in the Commons today breaches international law. At a delicate time in the free trade negotiations with the EU it was a brazen performance. Northern Ireland has experience of double speak from the Prime Minister with his strongest supporters on this side of the Irish Sea, the DUP, being the victims on more than one occasion. Now the Westminster government is telling the EU that the Northern Ireland Protocol which was painstakingly negotiated in order to avoid a hard border on this island could be unpicked. Is this just a negotiating ploy? Is it, as the government insists, a necessary fall-back position if the trade negotiations fail and the UK leaves the European Union without any deal? Or is it a mechanism to ensure unfettered trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK dispensing with the border down the Irish Sea as agreed in the Protocol? The Secretary of State and Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy writing in this newspaper today are attempting to portray the new Internal Market Bill as a huge boon to local businesses allowing them to trade freely with little or no bureaucracy across the Irish Sea. The sentiments expressed in the article will be music to the ears of the DUP which today moved to say it was united in its determination to get rid of the NI Protocol. Of course that is a minority view in Northern Ireland which voted clearly to stay in the EU. The article stresses how the new Bill will open new trading opportunities for local business but carefully avoids the question of how trading internally in the UK is better than trading with a huge bloc of 27 EU countries. It argues that Westminster will be able when it leaves the EU to invest more in businesses in Northern Ireland, although we know that Boris Johnson's priority will be in the north of England constituencies which deserted Labour en masse at the last General Election. He must keep them sweet if he hopes to repeat his landslide victory. Again it goes unmentioned that the EU has invested heavily in Northern Ireland over the years through its peace programmes. If Boris tears up the NI Protocol what standing will that give him when he sets out to negotiate trade agreements with countries outside the EU? Precious little one fears. After the successes at the D17/20 - Design in Southeast Asia exhibition held in Bangkok, Thailand in February, the lacquer works of Ha Thai village by Hanoia and three young French designers are attracting the world's attention again at Paris Design Week, taking place from September 3-12, 2020. Paris Design Week 2020 features the participation of more than 250 famous interior designers from around the world, displaying unique art products used in life and ideas on renovation and interior decoration. In particular, "D17 / 20 Design in Southeast Asia" project was featured in the event. The project has connected 43 designers from France, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam in 18 local craft workshops, with more than 100 products on display. The project was initiated by the French Embassy in Thailand in 2017. It aims to preserve and develop traditional crafts in Southeast Asia through creating opportunities for young designers to meet and work with local artisans. Of which, Vietnamese representatives have three works that have been highly lauded in terms of design style and use value, including a vase Sepale by Guillaume Delvigne, a lamp by Pierre Charie and a mirror set by Marie-Aurore. The designers used different lacquer and material skills to create unique and attractive features in each product. The successful works were created by Hanoias artisans and talented designers Pierre Charie, Marie-Aurore and Guillaume Delvigne at Hanoias workshop in Ha Thai Village and a rattan and bamboo workshop in Ninh So Village over just two weeks. Their collaboration was supported by the Embassy of France and the French Institute in Vietnam. Representatives of Hanoia have expressed their hope that Paris Design Week 2020 would bring them in a new direction in terms of the development of their products, along with contributing to the promotion of Vietnamese traditional handicrafts to the world. There's relatively little rural governments can do to prevent tragedies such as Tuesday's vehicle-train crash in western Manitoba that claimed three lives, beyond continuing to promote safe, attentive driving. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. There's relatively little rural governments can do to prevent tragedies such as Tuesday's vehicle-train crash in western Manitoba that claimed three lives, beyond continuing to promote safe, attentive driving. A van with four men inside was heading north on Road 126 West, one kilometre east of Strathclair, at about 11:30 a.m. when it collided with the train. Three of the occupants died at the scene, while the driver remains in hospital with serious injuries. The CP Rail line runs parallel to Highway 16 (the Yellowhead) and is only about 30 metres from the highway. There is a standard crossing sign alerting drivers about the tracks, and sights lines are unobstructed in both directions. RM of Yellowhead Mayor Merv Starzyk said Wednesday the rail crossing is similar to a dozen others in the region. Upgrading them to include gates and signal lights would be cost-prohibitive for CP Rail as well as the municipality, which would be on the hook for a portion of the cost. There are about seven crossings between Strathclair and Newdale, just 15 kilometres to the east down the highway. "The cost would be unbelievable. To give you an example, the railway has informed us they want to expand a crossing in the RM about five miles east of Strathclair near a grain elevator. There are lights there now but they want to put arms up. The cost is $400,000 and they basically told us our share is $116,000," Starzyk said. Data from the Transportation Safety Board show Manitoba has averaged 17 crossing collisions annually over the past decade, repeatedly pointing to the dangers of grade-level crossings. In 2014, Transport Canada started to compel municipalities and companies to install bells, lights or gates at crossings deemed by the regulator to be of high use and high risk. But Road 26 West is a narrow gravel road primarily used by local farmers. Starzyk, who is in his first term as mayor, said the crossing has not been a trouble spot. "It's a municipal road, so there's a sign. To the best of my knowledge, there's never been an issue before," said Starzyk, who has been on council for 31 years. "I've never heard of an accident there. Within 100 feet (of the crossing), there's a stop sign for the highway. "Most people know the track is there, so they look. It's basically used 99 per cent by local people," he added. "This is the really sad part, but what more can you do to prevent this?" While Starzyk didn't know the victims personally, the tragedy has had a profound effect on the area, he said. "Talking with a lot of people and everyone's definitely shocked. On behalf of our residents and the council, I extend sympathy to the families as they cope with this. With something like this in a small community, you don't have to know the people to know it affects a lot of families," said Starzyk. 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. Premier Brian Pallister, who championed safety measures at rail crossings when he served years ago as a member of Parliament, said Wednesday is saddened by the tragic collision. "Our heart goes out to everyone in the community there and the families," he said. As an MP, he advocated for better markings at crossings and the use of reflectors on rail cars. "You dont see black freight cars going down the rail lines without side reflectors (anymore). That was a real danger and something that we were proud to have changed. And the numbers have come down in most categories of rail-vehicle collision. But more needs to be done, I think," Pallister said. jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPJasonBell The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday has started demolishing unauthorised construction of Kangana Ranaut's bungalow at Pali Hill Road Bandra West. A senior BMC officer told India Today that Kangana was given a time period of 24 hours but she did not respond to the notice. According to the channel, the BMC team had surveyed the property and found many unauthorised constructions on the ground and first floor of the office. The office is of Manikarnika Productions owned by Kangana Ranaut. Meanwhile, Kangana in a tweet called the BMC's act "Pakistan". She also wrote, "I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now". The actor on Wednesday arrived at Mohali International airport in Chandigarh to board a flight to return to Mumbai. Yesterday, the BMC pasted a notice at a 33-year-old actor's bungalow, claiming that many alterations were carried out on the premises without due permissions. The notice was issued under Section 354 (A) of the Mumbai Municipal Corp[oration (MMC) Act, which highlighted the ongoing renovation and finishing work was "beyond approved plan". While the civic body issued a 'stop-work' notice, Ranaut denied the allegations and accused the BMC of trying to "intimidate" her. Reacting to the notice, Ranaut tweeted, "Because of the criticism that @mybmc received from my friends on social media, they didn't come with a bulldozer today instead stuck a notice to stop leakage work that is going on in the office, friends I may have risked a lot but I find immense love and support from you all". She also responded to the notice through her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui. Ranaut would legally respond to the notice within seven days and in the meantime, the BMC should not misuse its "dominant position" to cause prejudice to the actor with any "hidden agenda coupled with ulterior motives". "My client has the right to prosecute the officers for trespassing upon her premises illegally with a criminal intent to cause injury," the letter added. The BMC, meanwhile, also filed a caveat before a civil court, saying that Ranaut was likely to file a suit challenging the notice, and no order should be passed in the matter without hearing the civic body. Ranaut's recent remark comparing Mumbai to Pakistan- occupied-Kashmir (PoK) has drawn the ire of the ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. The party also controls the BMC. Recently, the Bollywood actress has been provided Y-plus security by the Centre after she said Mumbai was an unsafe city. Her remark was regarding the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Also read: Kangana vs Sena in Maharashtra as actor moves Bombay HC over demolition of her office Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput case: Rhea Chakraborty faces charges that can land her in jail for 10 years NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / We sat down with founders Mike Elaridi and Jeffrey Fawaz to talk about how they started their real estate companies and where they're at now. Mike and Jeffrey jumped into the real estate industry on their own in 2013 at the age of 20, starting as real estate agents primarily working with investors and developers. Over the course of 7 years, they grew that into a group of companies under their Fratelli brand encompassing real estate brokerage, residential development, and acquiring commercial assets. They started out by learning the industry from the bottom up, growing their network, identifying opportunities, analyzing deals, learning construction, high-end design, innovative marketing and negotiations. "Real estate has always been a passion of mine and it offers so much, not only financially, but creatively and generationally as well" Mike explains. In 2014, Mike and Jeffrey ventured into buying, renovating and selling their own projects, creating Fratelli Designs. Starting out with single family and townhomes, they have grown that business and found a niche in flipping luxury high-rise condos in the affluent Houston neighborhoods of River Oaks and Uptown. They have set record sales on their projects due to their contemporary European designs and aggressive marketing. Mike explains "Houston is growing with a quickly diversifying population that has been missing sophisticated contemporary designs, and that's the product we provide." To date, Fratelli Designs has been involved in over 30 projects and over $20M in transactions. By 2017, Mike and Jeffrey had become top producers at their brokerage, acquired their brokers licenses and started their own firm, Fratelli Properties International. As a full-service boutique real estate firm, they wanted to make sure they were set apart from other brokerages by offering innovative and edgy marketing, utilizing new technologies in an industry that's slow to adapt, and maintaining the upmost knowledge whether working with first time home buyers or experienced investors and developers. "We believe that as real estate advisors, our primary job is to educate our clients on the market and provide the best path forward" says Jeffrey. Setting record home prices Mike and Jeffrey continue to surpass clients' expectations, which has led to them to being involved in over $100M in closed transactions! Believing in consistent growth and expansion in all ways, Mike and Jeffrey created Fratelli Capital in 2019. Their goal is to achieve a portfolio of cash-flowing assets by developing new experiential retail and affordable multifamily properties in prime Houston neighborhoods, and to acquire existing value-added commercial properties turning them around utilizing their real estate knowledge and construction experience. Fratelli Capital's first acquisition was a retail center that was over 50% vacant, had numerous deferred maintenance issues and was severely mis-managed. Within six months and even through the Covid-19 pandemic, Fratelli was able to get the center fully leased and increased its value by over 40% in the process! They plan to go big says Jeffrey "our goal is to reach $100M in assets under management within the next 5 years through partnering with investors, allowing them to share in the cashflow and appreciation of properties." Fratelli Capital currently owns and operates approximately $7.5M in assets across three properties in the Houston area. Mike and Jeffrey differentiate themselves with the competition by constantly growing and improving, never being content with the status quo. As for what is next for them and their business, they are currently focusing on growing their brokerage and hiring new agents, working on three luxury high-rise condo flips, and building a new Fratelli office headquarters in the hip neighborhood of Houston Heights. According to Mike "ultimate success means being fulfilled with your work, helping others through mentorship and charity, and achieving financial freedom through passive cashflow to pursue your dreams." CONTACT: Kiley Almy Kiley@nextwavemktg.com Next Wave Marketing SOURCE: Next Wave Marketing View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605366/How-Two-Self-Made-Millennial-Millionaires-Grew-Three-Real-Estate-Companies-Before-the-Age-of-30 Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 16:02:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- As Indian capital city Delhi has been witnessing a fresh surge in its daily COVID-19 cases, the police Wednesday said it will deploy dedicated teams to prosecute those violating COVID-19 norms. "In view of the spread of coronavirus in Delhi, each police station shall detail one dedicated team, comprising of an upper subordinate and one lower subordinate to prosecute persons who violate protocols in their respective district," a statement issued by police in the capital said. The COVID-19 protocols include wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and avoid spitting in public, among others. The statement comes at a time when a number of economic activities have resumed in the national capital as part of the ongoing fourth stage of the nationwide unlock. The Metro services in the national capital have resumed on Monday and schools are likely to reopen partially from Sept. 21. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded 3,609 new cases of COVID-19, taking its tally to 197,135. The death toll here stands at 4,618 after recording 19 deaths in the past 24 hours. Globally India is the second worst-hit country with 4,370,128 COVID-19 cases. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 17:12:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Uganda will resume international flights on Oct. 1, about six months after the government closed airports in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, an aviation spokesperson said here Wednesday. Vianney Luggya, the communications officer of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, told Xinhua by telephone that the authority has released the tentative schedule for the resumption of international passenger flights to Entebbe International airport, about 40 km south of the capital, Kampala. Ayub Sooma, the aviation authority's director for airports and aviation security, on Tuesday sent the schedule for phase one of passenger flights to Entebbe International airport to various international airlines. The schedule is effective Oct. 1 and will be in operation for the next three months. "This is a tentative schedule for planning purposes. It is part of an ongoing internal discussion between the airport authority and air operators," said Luggya. President Yoweri Museveni last week instructed the national taskforce team on COVID-19 to review the possibility of a phased reopening of the country's international airport, schools and places of worship as the country eases lockdown restrictions. Enditem CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office announced Wednesday that it has now indicted more than 800 accused sexual abusers using DNA evidence pulled from sexual assault evidence kits that had previously gone untested. The offices Sexual Assault Kit Task Force, which began in 2013 as part of a push to clear a backlog of thousands of kits discovered years earlier within the Cleveland police department, has indicted more defendants than any such initiative in the nation, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael OMalleys office said. Despite this success, we know that more violent offenders remain lurking on our streets, OMalley said in a news release. We continue to explore new avenues to bring others who have evaded law enforcement to justice. Several new initiatives will be announced in the weeks to come. Angel Cruz, 48, became the 800th person to be charged as part of the initiative when a grand jury handed up an indictment on Aug. 31, charging him in an August 2007 attack on a woman inside her home on East 43rd Street in Cleveland. Cruz, then 36, crawled through a window and hid in the womans bedroom closet, prosecutors said. When she walked into the room, a masked Cruz threw a mask over the womans head and raped her on her bed while he threatened her life, prosecutors said. Cruz is currently being held in a Massachusetts state prison, according to court records. He is set for arraignment in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Sept. 15. Prosecutors also announced the indictments of four more people through DNA evidence contained in rape kits. Jason Williams, 40, is charged with rape, gross sexual imposition and kidnapping in two separate incidents. Prosecutors said the then-22-year-old Williams sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman in his home on East 86th Street in 2002. Seven years later, Williams forced a 35-year-old woman from a Union Avenue bus stop to a nearby parking lot where choked her and sexually assaulted her multiple times, prosecutors said. Now-51-year-old Shawn McGrath is charged with rape in a 2006 incident in which prosecutors say he raped a woman he picked up and carried into his car outside Cleveland Public Library branch on Lorain Avenue and West 82nd Street. Milton Sherrod and Anthony Browning are charged in a 2005 incident in which the men, then 19 and 22 years old, respectively, convinced a 15-year-old girl to get in their car after a party and took turns sexually assaulting her in the back seat of the car, prosecutors said. Investigators also indicted the DNA profile of an unknown man in a September 2002 attack of a 17-year-old girl. She told police she was walking home near East 86th Street and Meridian Avenue in Cleveland when a man came up from behind, covered her mouth with his hand, and threatened to kill her, prosecutors said. The assailant then raped the woman behind a house and ran away, prosecutors said. Prosecutors regularly seek indictments against specific DNA profiles in rape kits even when the defendants identity is unknown. The move allows prosecutors to go back and replace the unknown DNA profile with the newly identified defendants name if a match is later made, often after the suspect is arrested on other charges and police collect his DNA and enter it into a national database. That prevents the states statute of limitations, the time period prosecutors can bring charges against somebody for a crime, from running out. Ohio law gives law prosecutors 20 years to file rape charges. Then-Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, following investigations in other states and amid questions raised by The Plain Dealer over the number of untested kits in Cleveland police departments evidence room, called in 2010 for local and state lawmakers and law enforcement officials across the state to begin to address the issue of untested rape kits. Then-Prosecutor Timothy McGinty launched the countys task force after taking office in 2013. It consists of investigators and staffers from the Cleveland Police Department, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Cuyahoga County Sheriffs Department, Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. The task force has since opened 7,024 investigations that have resulted in 809 indicted defendants in cases that include more than 906 victims, the office said. Read more stories Sexual Assault Kit Task Force to use genealogical searches to track down John Doe rapists Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force nears indictment in 800th victims case: By the numbers Ohio closer to launching rape-kit tracking system to help victims follow evidence Ohio lawmakers pass bills to create rape kit tracking system Outside Cleveland, Ohio rape kit prosecutions in older cases still rare, Plain Dealer survey reveals LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org (https://compare-autoinsurance.org/) has launched a new blog post that presents all the information drivers need to know about the good driver discount. For more info and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/what-is-good-driver-discount-and-who-can-get-it The good driver discount is a discount given by car insurance providers to safe, low-risk drivers. Every insurer has its own rules for determining who is and who is not a good driver. Some insurance providers require drivers to have a clean driving record for just one year, while other insurers will offer this discount for drivers who have at least five years of clean driving. The best way for drivers to get this discount is to shop around with insurers from their areas. Even if they don't qualify at one insurer, drivers might be eligible for a good driver discount at another provider. Some companies will ignore a speeding ticket, or even one at-fault accident, while others will not ignore any of these. Drivers should contact their car insurance companies and check if they are eligible for a good driver discount. Regarding good driver discount, drivers should know more about the following: How to qualify for a good driver discount. Depending on the insurer, obtaining this discount can be easy or hard. To have better chances of getting the discount, drivers can take a defensive driving course to show their insurers they've learned how to be better, safer drivers. Drivers can also purchase forgiveness coverage from their insurers and have one-at fault accident forgiven from their records. Shopping around at different insurers is also a good idea. Drivers should avoid reckless driving and follow the speed limits and signs and avoid getting a ticket. In fact, drivers should drive defensively and leave plenty of room between themselves and other drivers. How drivers can lose their good driver discount . Good driver discounts aren't permanent. With one mistake, drivers can lose their good driver discount. Insurance providers have different rules regarding the loss of good driver discounts. Usually, drivers can lose this discount for reasons such as getting traffic or moving violation tickets, being at-fault in an accident, making a claim under the collision coverage or even getting just one point on their license. Some states require insurance providers to offer good driver discounts. In California, for example, insurers are required to offer a 20% discount to good drivers who had a license for the past three years, had not lost more than one point on their driving record due to a violation, had not taken traffic school or a defensive driving course more than once because of a violation, had not been at-fault in an accident that resulted in injury or death within the last five years, and had no convictions within the last ten years for DUI-related offenses. How long do drivers need to wait to qualify for a good driver discount? Although speeding tickets and at-fault accidents remain permanently on the driving record, most states only allow providers to view incidents dating back three to five years. However, some states have exceptions for DUI-related offenses. Drivers who were convicted of a DUI offense in the past ten years in California are not allowed to get this discount. Compare insurance quotes to find good driver discounts. Drivers who do not qualify for a safe driving discount with their current insurer should compare quotes from other insurance companies. Some car insurance companies have looser rules regarding safe driving discounts. Story continues For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/ Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. 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. "Saving money on car insurance is more important now than ever. One good method to do that is by getting a good driver discount that is offered for safe, low-risk drivers.", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing Company Person for contact Name: Gurgu C Phone Number: (818) 359-3898 Email: cgurgu@internetmarketingcompany.biz Website: https://compare-autoinsurance.org/ SOURCE: Internet Marketing Company View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/602565/Who-Is-Eligible-For-A-Good-Driver-Discount-And-How-Much-Money-Can-Be-Saved An Iranian activist has been told she will be granted refugee status in Turkey after a harrowing night in which she was detained by authorities and feared she was in danger of being deported back to her home country, where she faces persecution. Maryam Shariatmadari was among the activists who protested against the countrys hijab laws in early 2018. She was detained and spent four days in solitary confinement and was facing severe national security charges, which could result in a lengthy prison sentence. It is awful that someone goes to prison in their own country for protesting and then is put in prison in the country where theyre seeking refuge, Ms Shariatmadari, a 35-year-old computer scientist, told The Independent in a telephone interview. Ms Shariatmadari was among the so-called girls of Inqelab, which means revolution, but also refers to the square in Tehran where women flung off their headscarves in acts of defiance. Many were arrested and accused of being foreign dupes, acting at the behest of US-based activist Masih Alinejad. Ms Shariatmadari says she decided to leave for Turkey in early 2019 after both her attorneys were arrested and she was blacklisted from employment, fearing Iranian authorities would menace her for years over her participation in the protests. But her residency status in Turkey has been muddled, and she struggled to obtain the United Nations refugee status necessary for resettlement. She was arrested by Turkish authorities on Monday for alleged immigration violations and taken to a detention centre for undocumented migrants in the western Turkish city of Denizli. In confinement, she described her plight on her Instagram page. Theyre about to send us for deportation, she said in a video. If there is anything you can do, please do it. The social media mobilisation caught the attention of both Iranian and Turkish activists clamouring for her release, as well as immigration lawyers in Turkey, who began acting on her behalf. She was released on Tuesday. Though Ms Shariatmadari was told by Turkish authorities shed be given refugee status, she said she had to resist pressure to sign papers promising to leave the country within weeks, and there remain questions about her ability to stay in Turkey. Turkish activists and lawyers say they will challenge any attempt to deport her. She is free now, Gokhan Bozkurt, president of the Aydin Bar Association, which has been following her case, told The Independent. The government might try to hand her over to Iranian authorities. But we lawyers are going to try to keep her in Turkey if she doesnt want to go to Iran. Tens of thousands of Iranians are living in Turkey, many of them escaping political repression and an often sometimes violent crackdown by security forces against protesters and civil society groups. But Ankara is eager to maintain good relations with Tehran, and there appears to be an unwritten understanding that the many Iranians living in the neighbouring country wont be allowed to use it as a base for political organisation. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani held a teleconference as co-chairs of a cooperation council formed by the two countries that share strong commercial ties even as they differ over several regional security matters. It is awful that someone goes to prison in their own country for protesting and then is put in prison in the country where theyre seeking refuge Maryam Shariatmadari Iran and Turkey are two major powers in the region, and there have always been animosities and grudges against both countries, Mr Rouhani said during the meeting. There is no way other than strengthening friendly relations between the two countries to overcome such conspiracies." Turkey, a nation of 83 million, now hosts as many as five million people seeking refuge from war, political repression and economic misery in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. An influx of more than 3 million people escaping the war from Syria especially has changed the character of some neighbourhoods and cities, prompting a backlash. The Erdogan government, after years of welcoming refugees, has launched a crackdown in response to rising anti-immigrant sentiment among Turks, demanding those inside the country adhere to strict rules lest they be deported. Ms Shariatmadari conceded that she had flubbed her immigration paperwork in the weeks after arriving in Turkey in early 2019 but said she was trying to get her affairs in order. Anti-immigrant policies of the administration of Donald Trump in the United States have also made Iranian political dissidents seeking refuge in Turkey particularly vulnerable. Last year two protesters, Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi, who fled to Turkey and sought asylum were instead deported to Iran, where they were arrested, convicted and faced death sentences before authorities ordered retrials. Before 2017, Iranian activists would go to Turkey and apply for refugee status and there would be a very good chance they would get refugee status and resettlement in the US said Peyman Aref, an Iranian activist and journalist based in Brussels. After the travel ban, Iranians cant be resettled by the US. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Adding to the growing list of lapses in maintaining safety precautions, the body of a Covid positive patient was handed over to the family for funeral as a Covid negative case. The funeral held on Sunday was attended by hundreds of people in Chemmaruthi. On Monday, however, his TrueNat test result was declared positive on the website of the health department. Now, two wards in Chemmaruthi panchayat -- Nadayara and Muttapalam -- have turned into containment zones and over 150 people are in quarantine. Shafeek, 33, came from Bahrain on August 20. Two days later, he developed a stomach ache and was moved to the Parippally medical college. From there, he was moved to the Government medical college in Thiruvananthapuram. Though he was tested twice for Covid, the results showed negative. After he died, a TrueNat test was conducted on Sunday. The imam, people who washed the body, relatives and others who took part in the funeral have all been quarantined. We usually make a list of people who attend funerals and note down phone numbers. This was also not followed in this case which makes it difficult for us to trace people. We will conduct tests five days later to identify the severity of the situation, said Chemmaruthi panchayat president Salim Chemmaruthi. A top health official said the hospital should have waited before handing the body over. This is the responsibility of the staff dealing with that particular process. While handing the body over, the patient was negative. Basically, during any funeral, the Covid protocol should be followed in these times, the official said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 22:51:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistan army said Wednesday evening that it had shot down an Indian spying quadcopter along the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Kashmir region. The quadcopter had intruded 500 meters on Pakistan's side of the LoC in Chakothi sector, the army's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations said, adding that this is the 11th Indian quadcopter shot down by Pakistan army troops this year. Earlier, the Pakistan army said on July 26 that it had shot down an Indian spying quadcopter along the LoC after it committed an airspace violation. Pakistan and India had declared a ceasefire along the LoC, the de facto border between both countries in the disputed Kashmir region. However, both sides routinely exchange fire and accuse each other of ceasefire violations. Tension has been heightened after India lifted the special status for the Indian-controlled Kashmir in August 2019. Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic relations, suspended trade relations and train service with India in response. Enditem Press Release 9 September 2020 Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland (CRCS), a member of Swiss Education Group, the largest private hospitality educator in Switzerland, has signed a strategic partnership with Comite Champagne (Comite interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne - CIVC) - the official trade body that represents the interests of Champagne Growers and Houses Advertisements This collaboration will allow an exchange of expertise and knowledge between CRCS and the Comite Champagne, in the field of wine education and training. Comite Champagne is highly regarded in the wine industry as one of the pioneering regional wine committees in France and is reputed as the model that others have followed. The core mission of the organisation is to manage the wine region (in terms of administration, production, R&D and sustainable development), ensure the protection of the Champagne name, and raise awareness of the value of the Champagne appellation and wines. Commenting on this latest partnership, Tanja Florenthal, Academic Director at Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland said, "We are honoured to work with Comite Champagne to strengthen and further enhance our wine education curriculum. Champagne is known worldwide and plays a significant economic role in the export of French wines and spirits. This partnership will offer our students a valuable opportunity to learn from Champagne experts and hone their skills in a specialised field." This agreement will see the integration of the official Champagne Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) into the curriculum of the Wine Clubs at CRCS and all SEG member schools. Champagne MOOC is Comite Champagne's educational tool that delivers comprehensive coverage of the Champagne appellation and wines in a series of modules. Participants learn about the diversity and tasting of the Champagne wines, the winemaking process, and Champagne region's unique terroir, history, and economy. In addition, Champagne experts will visit the CRCS campus at Le Bouveret to conduct a wine pairing lunch four times a year. Other educational opportunities for cooperation include study tours, co-hosted tasting sessions, and webinars focused on the promotion of wine knowledge. "Education plays an integral role in our mission to preserve the interests of the Champagne region's growers and houses. The youth of today represent emerging leaders and we are delighted to embark on this collaboration with Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland, to introduce more in-depth knowledge about Champagne, and nurture the future talents of the industry", said Vincent Perrin, Director General of Comite Champagne. Mr Yong Shen, Chief Executive Officer of Swiss Education Group added, "This partnership demonstrates our commitment to providing diverse high-quality learning opportunities as part of our curriculum. I am sure Comite Champagne will bring great knowledge and expertise to our current students and 24,000-strong global alumni community." About Comite Champagne Comite Champagne (Comite interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne - CIVC) is the official trade body that represents the whole community of growers and houses of this French wine region. It manages the administration, production, R&D and sustainable development of the production area, the legal protection of the name Champagne, and works to educate consumers and the wine trade to the uniqueness of the Champagne terroir and wines. For more information, visit www.champagne.fr and www.champagne-mooc.com. Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander on Wednesday said, an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine is the way to stop more deaths, while the unpleasant alternative is to let the epidemic run its course until everyone is either killed or recovered, during Wednesday mornings committee hearing on the role of vaccines in preventing infectious disease outbreaks and protecting public health. What is new about dealing with epidemics is modern medicine, including the ability to diagnose the disease and then to create treatments to make it easier to recover, Senator Alexander said. But the true miracle of modern medicine is vaccines, which can prevent humans from acquiring the disease at all. That is why today in all 50 states and the District of Columbia schoolchildren are required to take vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, rubella, and chicken pox before entering school. The vaccination will protect the child from getting the disease, which in turn prevents the child from infecting someone else a pattern that has caused these diseases eventually to disappear." The purpose of Wednesdays Senate health committee hearingVaccines: Saving Lives, Ensuring Confidence, and Protecting Public Healthis to explore the remarkable progression science is making toward a COVID-19 vaccine, to remind parents to have their children get their childhood vaccinations, and encourage as many Americans as possible to get the flu vaccine this fall. Some people incorrectly believe warp speed means cutting corners, said Senator Alexander. But it refers to the extraordinary investment in research, development, and manufacturing scale-up for a COVID-19 vaccine. Perhaps most significantly, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has taken the unprecedented step to help speed up manufacturing for hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines early in the process by buying these doses in advance so they can be ready to distribute as soon as the new vaccines are approved by the FDA. Senator Alexander noted that despite the speed with which scientists are developing a COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Stephen Hahn, the Commissioner of the FDA, said the agency is not skimping on its review of safety and efficacy: This is going to be a science, medicine, data decision. This is not going to be a political decision, Dr. Hahn has said. Senator Alexander then addressed three questions that Americans have about vaccines: 1. Are they safe? Vaccines are reviewed and approved by the FDA. FDA can either license a vaccine or authorize a vaccine for use during a public health emergencyand the FDAs stringent approval process is the gold standard for the rest of the world, Alexander said. The vaccines that are routinely given to children are specifically recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an outside group of experts that looks at all available scientific information about each vaccine. Medical associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians work with ACIP to develop these recommendations. 2. Are they effective? Polio was one of the most dreaded childhood diseases of the 20th century, Alexander continued. Following introduction of [polio] vaccines, the number of polio cases fell rapidly to less than 100 in the 1960s and fewer than 10 in the 1970s according to the CDC. Thanks to a successful vaccination program, the United States has been polio-free since 1979. 3. Is the doctors office safe during the COVID-19 pandemic? The pandemic has made some parents leery of the doctors office, Alexander concluded. For parents who are worried about taking their children to the doctor during the pandemic, AAP says pediatricians are working to ensure their offices are as safe as possible for children to visit. According to the AAPs Dr. Sean OLeary, Medical offices are among the safest places you can be right now given the really extensive measures theyve taken to prevent spread of COVID-19 both to themselves and their patients. Parents shouldnt be afraid to go to their doctor. Highlights Pixel 5 is all set for a September 25 launch. The Pixel 5 could first be launched in Germany. The Pixel 5 will be powered by a SNpadragon 765G SoC. It is no secret that Google plans to launch the Pixel 5 globally in the coming weeks. In fact, the company had revealed this much at its Pixel 4a launch earlier last month. However, now we appear to have an exact date of launch for the Pixel 5. As per an internal document spotted by GSMArena, telecoms carrier Vodafone is preparing for the launch of the Pixel in 5 in Germany on September 25. While it serves as no confirmation, it does, however, serve as a strong hint that the launch of the Pixel 5 is just around the corner. Interestingly, there's been no word on the pricing of the device, however, a previous leak has pegged the Pixel 5 to be priced at 629. If this indeed happens, it would result in the Pixel 5 ending up being $100 cheaper then the Pixel 4 was at launch. As for the specifications of the PIxel 5, the Pixel 5 could include a 4,000mAh battery pack. There will be up to 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB Storage, with the smartphone being powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. As for the other specs, previous leaks have revealed the Google Pixel 5's screen could be around 5.8-inches in size. The display is expected to run at 90Hz, which will bring it on par with a number of flagships in the market. There are also suggestions of the Pixel 5 getting the slightly more powerful Snapdragon 768G SoC. It is said the Google Pixel 5 could be made available in green and black color upon launch. Further, it is said that the Pixel 4a 5G will also be put up for sale on the same day in a single black colour variant. However, another white color variant of the Pixel 4A 5G is being tipped for October availability. But these announcements will not make a difference for the fans of the Pixel range in India. Before we start getting too excited about it, it would be prudent to know that the phones will not be making their way to the Indian market. Google has also announced that it won't be launching the Pixel 4a 5G or the Pixel 5 in the country. Instead, only the Pixel 4a 4G variant will be launched in India later in October this year. The Queen is returning to work at Buckingham Palace in October, it has been confirmed. On March 19, the monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh left London, just days before the nationwide lockdown was introduced. The 94-year-old suspended all official duties in the capital and moved to Windsor Castle as a precautionary measure amid coronavirus outbreak. But she is now planning to return to palace to resume selected audiences and engagements. According to a palace spokesperson, the Queen and Prince Philip will be cutting their summer break in Balmoral short and move to Sandringham Estate next week. The royal couple will leave the royal Aberdeenshire retreat, where they have been staying since early August, and go to Sandringham to spend time privately for the rest of the month, Buckingham Palace said. The Queen is planning to return to Windsor Castle in Berkshire next month and will resume certain duties at Buckingham Palace. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will depart Balmoral Castle during the week commencing September 14 to spend time privately on the Sandringham Estate, the spokesperson said. Subject to the finalisation of the autumn programme, Her Majestys intention is to return to Windsor Castle in October and to resume the use of Buckingham Palace for selected audiences and engagements. These plans will be kept under review and will of course be subject to all relevant guidance and advice. It is not yet known whether the 99-year-old duke will remain on the Sandringham estate when the Queen returns to Windsor, or if he will join the monarch at the Berkshire castle where they stayed during lockdown. The decision to relocate the royal couple was made amid an increased risk of more severe symptoms from coronavirus for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. The Queen and Prince Philip, who are understood to be in good health, were be based at Windsor with a reduced number of staff and followed appropriate advice from their medical household and the government. Katie Price has hit out at trolls for accusing her of 'sleeping around' behind boyfriend Carl Woods' back. The former glamour model, 42, took to Instagram on Tuesday to slam 'infuriating and cruel' people for calling her a 's**g' and who criticised her relationship with the Love Island star, 31. Not mincing her words, Katie said: 'Ive heard every bit of abuse, insults and hurtful s**g naming calling under the sun from people who havent met me nor @carljwoods, Im sick of small minded trolls trying to put us down. 'Being called a s**g is infuriating and cruel': Katie Price slammed trolls who criticised her relationship with Carl Woods and claimed she 'sleeps around' in an Instagram post on Tuesday 'Im not a s**g I NEVER slept around being called a s**g is infuriating and cruel. There isnt many guys that would be able to handle the life changing injuries I have. (sic)' Sharing a snap of Carl beside her in a wheelchair, Katie, who has been in a relationship with the reality star for two months, added: 'Just be happy for me for once, I deserve it.' The TV personality returned to social media earlier this week after taking time out to focus on her health following surgery on her two broken feet. Slamming: Not mincing her words, Katie said: 'Im sick of small minded trolls trying to put us down. Im not a s**g I NEVER slept around being called a s**g is infuriating and cruel' Support: Katie, who has been in a relationship with the Love Island star for two months, added: 'Just be happy for me for once, I deserve it' On Saturday, Katie reflected on her 'tough journey' and reassured fans she's 'feeling stronger and determined'. Sharing a recent snap of her sat in her wheelchair with her booted feet, she wrote: 'Happy Saturday. Im back online and just want to thank everyone for all the love and support! 'Its a tough journey, but Im feeling stronger and determined to get through this with all the support of my family, friends, followers and my amazing man @carljwoods. 'Carl and I will be posting a lot more content together on our joint page @adventuresofkatieandcarl and look out for our new YouTube travel channel coming very soon.' 'Tough': The TV personality returned to social media earlier this week after taking time out to focus on her health following surgery on her two broken feet It comes after Katie revealed she feared that her horrific foot injury would leave her 'paralysed,' after she plummeted 25ft off a wall at a theme park in Turkey and landed on her feet. Katie explained how her feet are 'destroyed' following the incident, and admitted she has returned to The Priory to learn to 'walk again.' The star, who was on holiday with her boyfriend Carl and her children Princess, 13, and Junior, 15, at the time, said doctors told her they have amputated legs with injuries similar to hers. Speaking to The Sun, she said: 'The doctors said I'm lucky I'm not dead. I could have hit my head and I could have been paralysed, I am actually lucky I landed on my feet.' Determined: Katie explained how her feet are 'destroyed' following the incident, and admitted she has returned to The Priory to learn to 'walk again' She added: 'I thought, "I'm never going to walk again". The doctors said they've cut off legs before after seeing injuries like mine.' Katie underwent an eight-hour operation to rebuild her feet after she was 'mucking about' following a few drinks and jumped off what she thought was a 'small wall' at the Land of Legends theme park. The model revealed how she has returned to The Priory because her 'mental health' has been 'badly affected' by her injuries. She 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. Robust and widespread antibody testing has emerged as a key strategy in the fight against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. However current testing methods are too inaccurate or too expensive to be feasible on a global scale. But now, scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have developed a rapid, reliable and low-cost antibody test. The device, described in a proof-of-concept study published this week in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, uses portable lab-on-a-chip technology to accurately measure the concentration of antibodies present in diluted blood plasma. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to neutralize the virus. Research has found that COVID-19 antibodies are present in the later stages of infection and can linger in the blood after the infection has cleared, allowing previously infected individuals to be identified. Antibody tests are thus an important means of determining the full spread of the coronavirus - information that is crucial to guide public health policies. And yet many nations have so far failed to employ large-scale antibody testing. Many existing platforms for antibody tests are accurate and reliable, but they are costly and need to be carried out in a lab by trained operators. This means that it can take hours, or even days, to obtain results. Other tests are easier to use, portable and rapid, but are not sufficiently accurate, which hampers testing efforts." Dr. Riccardo Funari, first author and postdoctoral researcher in the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit at OIST The researchers avoided this trade-off between accuracy and accessibility by developing an alternative antibody testing platform that combines a powerful light-sensing technology with a microfluidic chip. The chip provides results within 30 minutes and is highly sensitive, detecting even the lowest clinically-relevant antibody concentration. Each chip is cheap to manufacture and negates the need for a lab or trained operators, increasing the feasibility of nation-wide testing. And there's another distinctive advantage of this newly developed platform. "The test doesn't just detect whether the antibodies are present or absent - it also provides information about the quantity of antibodies produced by the immune system. In other words, it's quantitative," said Professor Amy Shen, who leads the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit. "This greatly expands its potential applications, from treating COVID-19 to use in developing vaccines." Illuminating the antibodies The antibody testing platform consists of a microfluidic chip which is integrated with a fiber optic light probe. The chip itself is made from a gold-covered glass slide with an embedded microfluidic channel. Using an electric voltage, the team fabricated tens of thousands of tiny spiky gold structures, each one smaller than the wavelength of light, on a glass slide. The researchers then modified these gold nanospikes by attaching a fragment of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This protein is crucial for helping the coronavirus infect cells and causes a strong reaction from an infected person's immune system. In this proof-of concept study, the scientists demonstrated the principle behind how the test detects antibodies by using artificial human plasma sample spiked with COVID-19 antibodies that are specific to the spike protein. Using a syringe pump, the sample is drawn through the chip. As the plasma flows past the protein-coated gold nanospikes, the antibodies bind to the spike protein fragments. This binding event is then detected by the fiber optic light probe. "The detection principle is simple but powerful," said Dr. Funari. He explained that is it based on the unique behavior of electrons on the surface of the gold nanospikes, which oscillate together when hit by light. These resonating electrons are highly sensitive to changes in the surrounding environment, such as the binding of antibodies, which causes a shift in the wavelength of light absorbed by the nanospikes. "The more antibodies that bind, the larger the shift in the wavelength of the absorbed light," added Dr. Funari. "The fiber optic probe is connected to a light detector which measures this shift. Using that information, we can determine the concentration of antibodies within the plasma sample." A bright future The large-scale roll-out of a quantitative test could greatly impact how COVID-19 is treated. For example, quantitative tests could help doctors track how effectively a patient's immune system is fighting the virus. It could also be used to help identify suitable donors for a promising experimental treatment, called plasma transfusion therapy, where a recovered patient's antibody-rich blood is donated to currently infected patients to help them fight the virus. Being able to measure the level of immune response can also aid vaccine development, allowing researchers to determine how effectively a trial vaccine triggers the immune system. However, the researchers emphasized that the device is still undergoing active development. The unit aims to reduce the chip size to cut manufacturing costs and is also working on improving the reliability of the test. "We have shown that the device works to detect different concentrations of the spike protein antibody in artificial human plasma samples. We now want to expand the test so that the chip can detect multiple different antibodies at the same time," said Dr. Funari. "Once the device is optimized, we plan to collaborate with local hospitals and medical institutions to perform tests on real patient samples." A formal induction ceremony of the five high-profile Rafale fighter aircraft into the Indian Air Force's (IAF) 'Golden Arrows' Squadron will be held at the Ambala airbase in Haryana on September 10 (Thursday). Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence will be the chief guests for the event. The first batch of five Rafale jets, which arrived at the Ambala airbase on July 29, have already proven their mettle with successful weapons firing at a test range after arrival. When the first batch of Rafales arrived at Ambala, the IAF had said that efforts are focused on operationalisation of the aircraft at the earliest. Live TV An official statement of the IAF read, "At Ambala, the event will include the ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional Sarva Dharma Puja, Air Display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by Sarang Aerobatic Team. Afterwards, a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the Rafale aircraft. The programme will culminate with the ceremonial induction of Rafale aircraft to 17 Squadron." After the ceremonial events, the Indian and French delegation will have a bilateral meeting, read the statement. Other than having a bilateral meeting with Rajnath Singh, Parly will also meet National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, sources had said earlier. After the ceremony, the French side is also likely to raise the possibility of a larger order for the Rafale fighter jets under the 'Make in India' initiative, sources had said. The statement also said that Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy along with other senior officers of Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces will be present to mark a very important milestone in the history of the IAF. The French delegation will be represented by Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain, Air General Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of the Air Staff of the French Air Force and other senior officials. A large delegation of senior functionaries of French Defence Industries which includes Eric Trappier Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassault Aviation and Eric Beranger, CEO, MBDA will be present during the ceremony. The first batch of five incoming Rafale fighter jets landed at the Ambala Air Force base around 3.14 PM on July 29, 2020, amid a ceremonial welcome and unprecedented security. The squadron of Rafale jets has been stationed at the Ambala airbase in Haryana. The fleet of five jets comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft. The jets will be inducted into the IAF as part of its No. 17 Squadron, also known as the 'Golden Arrows'. Nearly four years ago, India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to purchase 36 Rafale jets under a Rs 59,000-crore deal to boost the IAF's combat capabilities. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Of the 36 jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. The IAF has undertaken major infrastructure upgrades at the Ambala base for the deployment of the first Rafale squadron. Built in 1948, the airbase is located on the east side of Ambala and is used for military and government flights. The airbase has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MIG-21 'Bison'. Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh was the first commander of the base. The Mirage fighters that were used for the airstrike in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack had taken off from Ambala. The Rafale aircraft will give India a strategic advantage in case of any aerial combat with China in the mountainous Tibet region as the fleet will be able to use the terrain to its advantage, destroy enemy air defence and incapacitate the surface-to-air missiles, former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal (retd) BS Dhanoa had said to news agency PTI in August. Dhanoa, known as the architect of the Balakot strikes, had said the Rafale jets along with S-400 missile systems will give the Indian Air Force a major combat edge in the entire region and that India's adversaries will think twice before starting a war with it. In case of Pakistan, he had said the purpose of the S-400 and Rafale is to hit Pakistani aircraft inside Pakistani air space and not when they come inside Indian territory, adding the neighbouring country would not have responded on February 27, 2019, to the Balakot air strikes if India had the French-manufactured jets then. In an interview to PTI, Dhanoa had said the Rafale, with its fantastic electronic warfare suite and manoeuvrability, will be able to use mountainous terrain in Tibet to its advantage and blind the enemy before India's strike aircraft penetrate hostile airspace to carry out their missions. Port Neches-Groves ISD officials are urging parents to keep students at home if they get tested for the coronavirus and are awaiting results, after a student was found to be positive Tuesday morning following a weekend test. I think part of the confusion is that at the age of our students, when they get sick, the symptoms are so mild that they think they surely dont have it because (theyre) not running a fever, Assistant Superintendent Julie Gauthier told The Enterprise. In this case the student was sent to school, and then the parent received a call from the health department that the child was positive. Gauthier said the student was only on campus for a short time, and that face coverings were worn by everyone with whom the student came in contact. To be in close contact, you have to be within 6 feet without any kind of protection for over 15-30 minutes, she said. I can tell you the kid was not on campus for long. Gauthier said the incident, which was detailed to parents in a letter sent home Tuesday after school, was an example of their protocols working. The students were seated properly, she said. That should be what happens is you keep people from having to be in close contact. Tuesday was PN-GISDs first day back following the evacuation for Hurricane Laura. I think the main thing is that if you are tested, you should stay home until you hear what your results are, Gauthier said. Both of the cases that we've gotten, the child was in school and you know, the parent then got the results. So if they had taken them to get tested, they need to stay home. If there was a reason to test, then obviously there's a reason to be concerned. The other reported positive was at a district elementary school, and occurred before the storm shut down the district, Gauthier said. The incubation period for the coronavirus can be as long as 14 days. Port Arthur Public Health Director Judith Smith said the virus will continue to be a threat as the school year continues, echoing Gauthiers call to keep students home while awaiting test results. School has started, and we know unfortunately COVID did not go away, Smith said. Thats the hardest part. Parents that arent doing virtual should be telling their children the basic things that we have been talking about since March keeping those masks on, washing hands as often as they can, and using sanitizer when they cant. Port-Neches Groves does not have a virtual option for their students, but does offer a homebound option for those with medical clearance. Smith said many children who tested positive for COVID-19 did not show symptoms. It is kind of difficult if a parent chooses to have their child tested to tell them to stay home, but you really should keep your child at home until you get the results, she said. isaac.windes@hearstnp.com twitter.com/isaacdwindes The chiefs and people of Bono East on Tuesday gave a tumultuous welcome to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as he embarks on a two-day working visit to the Region. With Techiman as its capital, the Region, carved out of the then Brong-Ahafo Region, was created among five others in early 2019, following a successful referendum to that effect on December 27, 2018. The Ghana News Agency (GNA) ascertained during a visit to some communities in the Techiman South Municipality and adjoining municipal and district capitals that besides the feverish preparations to welcome the President by the assemblies, the expectations of the people were high. At Bamiri, a farming community in the Techiman Municipality, residents were eagerly waiting to receive President Akufo-Addo for the first time as he has never been to that community since he assumed office. Mr Asamoah Asumaning, a peasant farmer, said President Akufo-Addos visit would boost the working appetite of farmers as they would request for more farming inputs to motivate them to work harder for more yields under the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) and the Planting for Food and Jobs. Dr Amadu Asem, the Cashew seedlings Nursing Coordinator under the PERD at Hausa Community, a suburb of Techiman, said President Akufo-Addos visit would ginger those of us at the grass root level to participate in the decision-making process for our communities development. Nana Ameyaw Manu, the National Vice Chair of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, expressed the hope that the visit would reconnect the relationship between farmers and the Presidents Office, as the farmers would better understand the his policies, especially those relating to farming. At Nkoranza South, Kintampo North and Wenchi municipalities as well as Techiman North, Kintampo South and Nkoranza North districts the story was not different as public buildings had received facelift to give befitting status of those communities. The President is expected to inaugurate a warehouse at Sene West, cut the sod at Atebubu-Amantin for the rehabilitation of the Atebubu-Kwame Danso-Kwadwokrom road and also inspect the Amantin agro-processing factory under the One District One Factory (1D1F) Programme. At Techiman the President would inaugurate the Bono East Regional House of Chiefs and also cut sod for the reshaping and taring of Tuobodom Town roads at Techiman North among other activities. 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 A shark expert says there is no need for mass public alarm following the death of a Gold Coast surfer who was mauled by a shark, but he described the attack as "really unfortunate". Two tiger sharks were in the area on Wednesday - a 3.3-metre shark was caught in drum lines off Kirra Beach and a 2.2-metre shark was caught in a net at Currumbin. A spokesman for Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said there was no indication either were responsible for the death of 46-year-old surfer and real estate agent Nick Slater. He was mauled on the leg off Greenmount Beach in Coolangatta just after 5pm the first fatal shark attack to occur at a Gold Coast beach since 1958, according to the Global Shark Attack File. Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. 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This native New Yorker has made Luxembourg his home for the last 28 years. Here, Paul discusses what AMCHAM does, his love of Luxembourg, and how he coped with the surprising allegations which hit in 2019. Paul Schonenberg is a driven man with a stellar military background and the zeal to effect change: a distinguished graduate of the US Air Force; he chose to work with a failing Squadron as their Commander and transformed them to become the best in their field, winning leadership awards as he did so; then onto the Pentagon in Washington as a Staff Officer. 7. Paul Schonenberg: the man behind AMCHAM And then to Luxembourg Paul arrived here in 1992 as the US Department of Defence National Representative at NAMSA (NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency). Whilst his working life shifted to other roles outside the bandwidth of military constraint, he is best known to us as the face behind AMCHAM, the American Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg, where he has held the position of Chairman and CEO for 22 years. AMCHAM is open to all companies who use English as their business language. Currently the demographic is 30% American companies, 20% Luxembourgish, 50% elsewhere. Under his leadership they have lobbied for effective change in a variety of areas, such as subsidised education in the private schools. Schonenberg is organised and ensures his team develop the necessary supporting documentation for any meeting with the government. Otherwise, "I'll be invited in for tea but I'm not going to be invited to stay for lunch", he quips. Why would a man from New York, with property across America, choose to remain living in Luxembourg? It's the "3D richness of living an international life", he says. It's the global conversations. And perhaps it's the fact that he feels he really can make a difference. The Grand Duke has awarded him the Grand Officer Order of Merit. Allegations It came as a shock to Schonenberg when he was asked to comment on a story about to be published by a media outlet in Luxembourg in early 2019 without the direct journalist asking for his side of the story. Paul, in his usual full-on fashion, has worked since then to provide extensive documentation to counter the allegations with external forensic auditing (he arrived at our interview with dossier in hand). Unquestionably, there is an emotional toll to navigate when being accused of "suggestions and inuendos", especially when Schonenberg's raison d'etre is to give back where he can. Especially when he doesn't even know the precise nature of the allegations. "I'm not a quitter... I'm [as a little fish] a positive force" After the red recording button was switched off we talked further. When Paul was born, there was an epidemic that swept through the hospital killing all the baby boys. He was the only boy to survive, thanks to nurses his parents could afford, he says. This has left with him a huge question as to why him and if he should have survived. Perhaps this propelled him on to shine at the Air Force and determinedly work hard at all he turns his hand to. Even if that, recently, has been to clear his name. Schonenberg hopes and wants to be remembered as a man who lived his life to make a positive difference. Podcast details Please subscribe to my series and leave a review for us - it really helps for our podcast to be found. You can subscribe to all my podcasts on whatever player you choose to use: RTL Play, iTunes, Spotify or XML. Be rate us on iTunes or the like - it will help plant this seed of a podcast within the plethora of podcasts out there! Make sure to rate it - it really helps us make a Luxembourg dent on the global world of podcasts - thank you! If you have any ideas for points of conversation you can always get in touch with Lisa at lisa_burke@rtltoday.lu Luxury storage units coming to Petoskey, Charlevoix in spring New "luxury" warehouses are coming to Petoskey and Charlevoix in the spring, providing high-end, climate-controlled storage. (Natural News) When asked if she plans to get a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination once they become available in late October or early November, vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris publicly stated that she will not simply because she does not trust Donald Trump. Implying that Trump himself created and is directly behind this upcoming vaccine, Harris suggested that it will probably not be safe or effective, and thus should be avoided. In other words, Harris, just like her running mate Biden, has become a vocal anti-vaxxer. It would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever hes talking about, Harris is quoted as saying about what many are now describing as the Trump administration vaccine. I will not take his word for it, she added. I would not trust his word. I would trust the word of health experts, but not Donald Trump. Biden, during a separate interview, expressed similar sentiments, though he indicated that he will still get vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) despite Trump being president. At the same time, Biden has indicated in the past that he does not trust the safety or effectiveness of any Trump administration vaccine, and believes many Americans will turn it down because they do not trust the president. People dont believe that [Trump] is telling the truth about the vaccine, Biden is quoted as saying about the Operation Warp Speed vaccine candidates that the latest reports indicate could come to market as early as Nov. 1. Therefore, theyre not at all certain theyre going to take the vaccine. Both of these statements by the two leading Democrats suggest that neither Biden nor Harris agree with science, seeing as how scientists within the Trump administration and at several large Big Pharma firms claim that whatever vaccines are released to the public will be safe and effective. This declaration alone, which in the past has always been more than enough to constitute science in the eyes of Democrats, would seemingly warrant full support from both Biden and Harris. And yet both of them have expressed anti-vaxxer views that, unlike similar views espoused in the past by their Republican counterparts, are now getting a free pass by the media. If Biden and Harris were Republicans, theyd be getting burned at the stake for expressing anti-vaxxer sentiments The reason for this, of course, is that nothing Democrats say or do is ever scrutinized by the corporate media machine, even when that same corporate media machine routinely bashes Republicans for expressing doubts about the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccines. If Biden and Harris were Republicans, in other words, their statements objecting to Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination would earn them descriptors like anti-science and crackpot. We would never hear the end of it from the media about how they hate children and want grandma to die, etcetera ad nauseum. But because they are Democrats, Biden and Harris could probably kill a puppy on live television and the gushing media would excuse it away, or even find a way to blame it on Trump. This is the world we now live in, which has become totally polarized even when it comes to facts and logic. While we are certainly not proponents of any vaccine, including Trumps Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, the double standard here is startling. Perhaps this was Trumps goal all along: to expose the Left as total hypocrites who are only against vaccination now that Trump is seemingly for it. Whatever the case may be, the Democratic ticket is now anti-science, based on its own definition of anti-science, and few Democrats seem to care. You can keep up with the latest WuFlu vaccine news by checking out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: Newsbusters.org NaturalNews.com If bureaucrats and officials dont find ways to scuttle the intent and objectives of the sudden, disruptive land legislation Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao sprung on the state, it has built in within its scope ability to reform and impact and set a benchmark so momentous that it would be chronicled someday as one of Indias most important legislations. The legislation is momentous, epic, but the asterisk (with a conditions apply warning) is rather crucial if the bureaucracy, higher and lower, dont succeed in sabotaging Raos dream, as they are often wont to do. As most Indians know, land revenue is one of the most brazenly corrupt functions of all governments and administrations: nowhere in our national democracy is Article 14 followed to its finality land registrations dont discriminate against any Indian based on gender, region, religion, caste or economic strata everyone pays a bribe while buying or selling a land. Almost no ones land is safe either. No criminal or political goon in any area can grab or illegally occupy anyone elses land to make a claim based on the proviso of possession without the connivance of officials of the land department. Records of ownership and transfer are fraught with such complex conditionality and local variances, if one wishes to truly experience a slice of the medieval ages, one can try to buy, sell or seek a migration of purpose of land. Chandrashekar Rao wishes to change all that, starting with abolishing and removing the village revenue officer (VROs). In an announcement on Monday that was styled to draw parallels with Narendra Modis surgical strike swiftness, Rao decided to order all VROs to hand over all land documents to tahsildars, who would henceforth likely register all agriculture land while sub-registrars will handle non-agriculture land. Mutations will be hassle-free with a single website, named Dharani, will handle all land records and transfers. In the past, in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, late chief minister N.T. Rama Rao tried to revolutionise land administration and abolished the Patwari system, which earned him huge political goodwill, but the deeply entrenched Patels/Patwaris of Telangana region managed to embed themselves back into the system with a new nomenclature VROs. Indias current land system was largely conceptualised and designed by Sher Shah Suri, which Mughal emperor Akbar modified and named the mansabdari system, which, with a few changes, lasted the British era and thrived with very few amendments in Independent India. Can Telangana set a new benchmark in high quality transformation of a vexatious branch of administration and enable our experiencing a basic economic right in a manner befitting the 21st century? Will Raos political determination and foresight be able to withstand the pressures of not just the displaced VROs, but an entire powerful corrupt ecosystem land mafia, politicians, local goons, officials, touts and dispute settlement lords? Will Rao deliver a reform that will make history hail him as a great reformer or will he succumb before forces within his own party and government to hijack it remains to be seen. But for once, there is hope. BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbia suspended all foreign military exercises Wednesday on the eve of planned manoeuvrs with Russia in Belarus, citing alleged pressure from the European Union. Serbian Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin said the governments decision came after tremendous and undeserved pressure from the EU. There was no immediate reaction from Brussels. Serbias troops were to join Russian and Belarusian troops in five days of military manoeuvrs starting Thursday in Belarus, where massive protests against the long-time autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko, have roiled the country for a month. Vulin, a staunch pro-Russian, said that the six-month suspension includes all military exercises, including those with NATO forces. He said the European Unions pressure was part of the EUs hysteria and increasing (Western) attacks against our country. Serbia, which is a member of NATOs Partnership for Peace outreach program, has formally declared military neutrality. But it has also been holding a series of military exercises with Russia and its allies, triggering unease in the West. The Balkan country, which in the 1990s was on the receiving end of a NATO air war over its crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists, is seeking EU membership. Serbia has also been strengthening its political, economic and military ties with Russia and China. In a surprise move, Serbia has joined the EU in rejecting the presidential election results in Belarus that gave Lukashenko a sixth term after 26 years in office and also in criticizing a police crackdown on protesters demanding his resignation. The Serbian government has had close relations with Lukashenko who last visited Serbia in December. Populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has also faced criticism at home and from abroad for curtailing media freedoms, holding elections that the opposition claims are not free and fair, and cracking down on anti-government demonstrators. ___ Follow all AP stories on the developments in Belarus at https://apnews.com/Belarus The world inside the human cell grew a bit more interesting in recent years as the role of a new biological structure became clearer. It was long believed that most important operations in the cell occur within organelles. "They're there to do certain functions. For instance, mitochondria generate the energy that everything runs on," explained Aleksei Aksimentiev, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "What is common to all of them is that they're surrounded by a lipid membrane. What people recently discovered is there are organelles that don't have lipid bilayers. They assemble spontaneously in the form of droplets. And those organelles have particular functions." In recent years, with improved imaging capabilities, the roles, occurrence, and behavior of these membrane-less organelles have become clearer. In 2017 they were given a name: biological condensates. They are thought to play a role in DNA repair and aging, and researchers believe a number of neurological diseases are related to the condensate not working properly, including Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, where nerve cells break down, leading to loss of muscular function. "Let's say you have DNA and it suddenly has a break. It's usually a really bad thing, because it cannot replicate, but there's a machinery that will come and repair it," he explained. "A bubble of condensate forms that miraculously attracts only the molecules that are required to repair the DNA. There are all kinds of different condensates and they all recruit the right molecules somehow." How do these membrane-less organelles spontaneously form? And how do they recruit other molecules to help them? The physics of this process appears similar to phase separation, like how oil and water spontaneously form droplets in the right conditions, but with some differences. In normal phase separation, temperature usually motivates the separation. In biology, it is a change in concentrations. "We don't know exactly how it works," Aksimentiev said. "I'm specifically interested in how this recruitment happens, and how molecules recognize other molecules." Aksimentiev is using the Frontera supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), one of the fastest in the world, to better understand this process. Over the last decade, he and others developed the tools and methods to explore the behavior of biological systems at the atomic level using molecular dynamics simulations. Aksimentiev is able to simulate biological systems with millions of interacting atoms in a realistic environment for microseconds or even milliseconds -- the timescales at which biological systems operate. Today's supercomputers allow larger, faster simulations, and permit scientists to ask and answer new questions. Even by the standards of the field, biological condensates are challenging to study computationally. Unlike other ordered systems like proteins with known rigid structures, or disordered systems like water, biological condensates are what's known as 'partially disordered' -- a particularly hard type of structure to simulate. Writing in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters in May 2020, Aksimentiev and graduate student Han-Yi Chou described coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations on Frontera that charted the phase diagram (a graphical representation of the physical states of a substance under different conditions of temperature and pressure) of one particular biomolecular condensate -- fused in sarcoma (FUS). A nuclear DNA/RNA binding protein, FUS regulates different steps of gene expression, including transcription, splicing and mRNA transport. The research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The researchers showed that a particle-based molecular dynamics model can reproduce known phase separation properties of a FUS condensate, including its critical concentration and susceptibility to mutations. They also showed that they could use chain collapse theory to determine the thermodynamic properties of the condensate and to link them to changes in the shape of individual condensate molecules. The behavior of a biological condensate, with all its complex inter- and intramolecular interactions, can be described by a polymer physics model, they found. This makes computer modeling a useful tool for uncovering the behavior of these still-mysterious cellular actors. Aksimentiev's research sets the stage for future studies that will elucidate the molecular mechanisms driving the formation of droplets in more complex biological condensates, like those that repair RNA. The work is one step on a long path to fully elucidate the mystery of biological condensates in cells -- another trick of nature slowly uncovered. ### Environmental Works Zimbabwe Jess Zimbabwe has been selected as executive director of Environmental Works, effective Oct. 26. Zimbabwe has an extensive background in design, planning and nonprofit management. She is currently the principal of Plot Strategies. She served for 10 years as the founding director of the Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership, a partnership of the National League of Cities and the Urban Land Institute. Before that, she led the Mayors' Institute on City Design, and was community design director at Urban Ecology in Oakland. She is on the boards of Next City, the National Main Street Center and Colloqate. An architect and city planner, she is a member of the urban planning faculties at Georgetown University and the University of Washington. Roger Tucker will be stepping down as executive director in December, after 23 years at Environmental Works (including 10 as executive director). His responsibilities as executive director will wind down this year, but he will continue to serve EW on a consulting basis. 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. ADVERTISEMENT Nyxoah launches its Initial Public Offering on Euronext Brussels Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium - 9 September 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, announces today the terms of its initial public offering of new shares, with admission to trading of all of its shares on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels (the "Offering"). Key terms of the Offering An offering of up to 3,871,000 new shares of the Company, which number may be increased by up to 15% (the "Increase Option").1 Any decision to exercise the Increase Option will be communicated, at the latest, on the date of the announcement of the Offer Price (as defined below). The price range of the Offering is between 14,00 and 17,00 per Offered Share (as defined below) (the "Price Range"). No minimum amount is set for the Offering. Based on the Price Range, and assuming the Offer Price (as defined below) will be at the midpoint of the Price Range, the size of the Offering will range between 60 million (assuming the full placement of the 3,871,000 initially offered new shares, including the Increase Option and of the Over-allotment Option (as defined below)) and 79 million (assuming placement of the maximum number of new shares, including the exercise in full of the Increase Option and the exercise in full by the Stabilization Manager (as defined below) of the Over-allotment Option (as defined below)). The Offering comprises: 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 QIBs as defined in Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act; and iii. Placements to certain qualified and/or institutional investors in the rest of the world outside the United States and Belgium and the United States. The Offering outside the United States will be made in compliance with Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act. Private Placements may take place in member states of the EEA pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation. The Company has appointed Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners for the Offering. The Company is represented by NautaDutilh BV/SRL and Proskauer LLP. The Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners are represented by Baker McKenzie. Belfius Bank NV/SA will, on the Underwriters' behalf (as defined below), act as stabilization manager (the "Stabilization Manager"). The Stabilization Manager will be able to over-allot Shares in the Offering (the "Additional Shares", and together with the New Shares, referred to as the "Offered Shares") in order to facilitate stabilization. The Stabilization Manager is expected to be granted a warrant to subscribe for additional new Shares in a number equal to up to 15% of the number of New Shares subscribed for in the Offering at the Offer Price (as defined below) (the "Over-allotment Option"). The Over-allotment Option will be exercisable for a period of 30 calendar days following the Listing Date (as defined below) (the "Stabilization Period"). The Stabilization Manager may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the Shares during the Stabilization Period. These activities may support the market price of the Shares at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. Commenting on today's announcement, Olivier Taelman, Chief Executive Officer of Nyxoah, stated: "We look forward to presenting the potential of our story to investors over the coming weeks as part of the Offering to support us in bringing our exciting new technology to more patients worldwide. 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. The funds we are aiming to raise through this IPO will enable us to continue executing on our clinical and commercial strategy and to further scale up the organization." Robert Taub, Founder and Executive Chairman of Nyxoah, added: "The launch of this Offering comes at an exciting time for Nyxoah as the Company gradually transitions from a R&D and clinical stage company to becoming a commercial-stage company. 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 the 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." 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. 2 Yearly eligible population to Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation in the US and Europe, Australia and New Zealand 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 (the Food and Drug Administration) to initiate its DREAM IDE (Investigational Device Exemption) pivotal trial. First US 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. Offering timetable The offering period will begin on 9 September 2020 at 07:00 (CEST) and is expected to end no later than 16:00 (CEST) on 21 September 2020 for retail shareholders and 22 September at 16:00 (CEST) for institutional shareholders, subject to early closing or extension, provided that the offering period will in any event be open for at least six business days (the "Offering Period"). The Offer Price (as defined below), the number of Offered Shares placed in the Offering and the allocation of Offered Shares to retail investors is expected to be made public on or about 23 September 2020 and in any event no later than the first business day after the end of the Offering Period. Trading of the Shares on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels is expected to commence, on an "if-and-when-issued-and/or-delivered" basis, on or about 24 September 2020 (the "Listing Date"), provided that this may be accelerated in case of early closing or postponed in case of extension. The closing date is expected to be 25 September 2020 (the "Closing Date") unless the Offering Period is closed earlier or extended. The Offer Price (as defined below) must be paid by investors by authorizing their financial institutions to debit their bank accounts with such amount for value on the Closing Date. Final price and allocation The final price per Offered Share (the "Offer Price") will be determined during the Offering Period through a book-building process in which only Institutional Investors may participate. The Offer Price will be a single price in euro, exclusive of the Belgian tax on stock exchange transactions, and of costs, if any, charged by financial intermediaries for the submission of applications. No tax on stock exchange transactions is due on the subscription for newly issued Shares, but such tax could be due on the subscription for existing Shares. The tax treatment will depend on each investor's individual circumstances and may change in the future. In accordance with Belgian regulations, a minimum of 10% of the Offered Shares shall be allocated to retail investors, subject to sufficient retail demand. However, the proportion of Offered Shares allocated to retail investors may be increased or decreased if subscription orders received from them exceed or do not reach, respectively, 10% of the Offered Shares effectively allocated. In the event of over-subscription of the Offered Shares reserved for retail investors, the allocation to retail investors will be made on the basis of objective allocation criteria, whereby all retail investors will be treated equally. The criteria to be used for this purpose are the preferential treatment of applications submitted by retail investors directly with Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA in Belgium and the number of Offered Shares for which applications are submitted by retail investors. In the event of an over-allotment of Offered Shares, the Underwriters will use reasonable efforts to deliver the newly issued Shares to individual persons residing in Belgium and to investors subject to Belgian income tax on legal entities ("rechtspersonenbelasting"/"impot des personnes morales"), in this order of priority. Subscription orders by retail investors may be submitted directly with Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA, at no cost to the investor or alternatively through other intermediaries. Investors wishing to place purchase orders for the Offered Shares through such other intermediaries, should request details of the costs which these intermediaries may charge, and which they will have to pay themselves. Pre-commitments and Lock-up A number of investors (including existing shareholders and members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Management of the Company) (the "Participating Investors"), have (in the aggregate) committed themselves vis-a-vis the Company to irrevocably and conditionally only on completion of the Offering, subscribe for New Shares in the Offering for an aggregate amount of 23,064,000 million (the "Pre-commitments"). In the event of over-subscription of the Offering, in principle the subscription commitments (the "Subscription Commitments") of the Participating Investors in cash for an amount of approximately 9,768,000 can be reduced in line with the allocation principles that apply to the other investors that will subscribe in the Offering, whereas the Subscription Commitments for the remaining amount shall not be reduced but be allocated entirely. However, the Company will allocate to Participating Investors that are existing shareholders a number of Offered Shares for an aggregate amount of at least 15,000,000. As no minimum amount is set for the Offering, if not all of the Offered Shares are subscribed for in the Offering, the net proceeds from the Offering could be limited to the net proceeds from the Pre-commitments. The current shareholders and holders of warrants of the Company agreed to lock-up their pre-IPO Shares and warrants during the first six (6) months (or twelve (12) months in respect of the significant existing security holders) after admission of the Company's shares to listing and trading on Euronext Brussels. These lock-up arrangements do not apply to any of the new Shares that may be subscribed for by current shareholders and holders of warrants in the Offering at the Offering Price, neither to any of the new Shares that may be subscribed after the closing of the Offering pursuant to the exercise of ESOP warrants. The Company is expected to agree to a standstill on the issuance of new Shares and issuance of new warrants for a period of 360 days following the Closing Date, subject to customary exceptions. Use of Proceeds Nyxoah intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering as follows: 27.5 million to conduct clinical trials in the United States, in Europe and in Australia; 14.5 million to fund product development and research and development activities, in particular regarding the future generation of the Company's products; to fund the marketing strategy and commercialization efforts; and for general corporate purposes. Summary Timetable 9 September 2020, at 07:00 (CEST) Expected start of the Offering Period 21 September 2020, at 16:00 (CEST) Expected end of the Offering Period for retail investors (1) 22 September 2020, at 16:00 (CEST) Expected end of the Offering Period for Institutional Investors (1) 23 September 2020 Expected publication of the Offer Price and results of the Offering and communication of allocations 24 September 2020 Expected Listing Date (listing and start of "if-and-when-issued-and/or-delivered" trading) 25 September 2020 Expected Closing Date (payment, settlement and delivery of the Offered Shares) 24 October 2020 Expected last possible exercise date of the Over-allotment Option(2) Notes : (1) In the event of an early closing or extension of the Offering Period, these dates will be amended and published in the same manner as the announcement of the start of the Offering Period. If the Offering Period is extended with more than five business days, this will also be published in a supplement to the Prospectus. (2) To enable the Stabilization Manager, acting on behalf of the Underwriters, to cover over-allotments or short positions, if any, resulting from the over-allotment, if any. Prospectus and other information A prospectus has been approved by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority on 8 September 2020 (the "Prospectus"). The FSMA only approved the Prospectus (including the summary of the Prospectus, the "Summary") as meeting the standards of completeness, comprehensibility and consistency imposed by the Prospectus Regulation. Such approval should not be considered as an endorsement of the Company or the quality of the Offered Shares that are the subject of the Prospectus. Investors should make their own assessment as to the suitability of investing in the Offered Shares. The full Prospectus is available to prospective investors in Belgium in English and French with a summary in Dutch. The Prospectus shall be made available to investors free of charge as of 9 September 2020 (before opening of the markets) at the registered office of the Company (Nyxoah SA, Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium) and on the websites of Nyxoah ( www.nyxoah.com (http://www.nyxoah.com/) ) and of the Joint Global Coordinators ( www.belfius.be (http://www.belfius.be/) and www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 (http://www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020)). The Prospectus and the Summary shall also be made available free of charge to investors (i) upon request by phone: +32 2 287 95 52 (Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA) and +32 222 12 01 and +32 222 12 02 (Dutch) (Belfius Bank NV/SA), and (ii) on the following websites: www.nyxoah.com (http://www.nyxoah.com), www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 (http://www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020) and www.belfius.be/Nyxoah2020 (http://www.belfius.be/Nyxoah2020). The Prospectus can also be consulted as of 9 September 2020 (before opening of the markets) on the website of the Company ( www.nyxoah.com (http://www.nyxoah.com)), whereby the access on the aforementioned websites is each time subject to the usual limitations. ) and of the Joint Global Coordinators ( and (http://www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020)). The Prospectus and the Summary shall also be made available free of charge to investors (i) upon request by phone: +32 2 287 95 52 (Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA) and +32 222 12 01 and +32 222 12 02 (Dutch) (Belfius Bank NV/SA), and (ii) on the following websites: (http://www.nyxoah.com), (http://www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020) and (http://www.belfius.be/Nyxoah2020). The Prospectus can also be consulted as of 9 September 2020 (before opening of the markets) on the website of the Company ( (http://www.nyxoah.com)), whereby the access on the aforementioned websites is each time subject to the usual limitations. An investment in the Offered Shares involves substantial risks and uncertainties. Prospective investors need to base their investment decision on the entire Prospectus and particularly, the risk factors, as described in the Prospectus. Prospective investors must be able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Offered Shares and should be able to sustain a partial or total loss of their investment. The Offering is subject to Belgian law and the courts of Brussels are exclusively competent to adjudicate any and all disputes with investors arising out of or in connection with the Offering and/or the Offered Shares. Key risks specific to Nyxoah, the Offering and the Shares Risks relating to the performance of the Genio system. Even though the Company has obtained regulatory approval, i.e. the CE-Mark (which is to be re-approved before May 2024) in Europe for the Genio system based on first positive BLAST OSA clinical trial results (in which all study safety and performance endpoints were met with statistically significant p-values but based on a limited sample size obtained with an observational study without control group), this does not imply that clinical efficacy has been demonstrated and there is the possibility that ongoing and future clinical trials intended to support further marketing authorizations (or maintenance of existing ones) will not be successful and that the Genio system will not perform as intended. For a CE mark, devices only need to demonstrate that they perform or will probably perform as designed and that the potential benefits outweigh potential risks. Future clinical evidence could be needed with respect to whether the Genio system's results can also be considered as sufficient for the sleep community, which will be evaluated by the FDA. The performance of the Genio system in commercial use may be different from the performance observed during the clinical studies for a number of reasons, including without limitation less control of the Company on the selection of patients suitable for use of the products, use by physicians with different experience and training, and failure to adhere to a follow-up regimen in the absence of clinical study enrolment and oversight. Furthermore, issues with product performance may subsequently be identified once a product is on the market, which could lead to the recall, modification, exchange, destruction or retrofitting of the device. Even though the Company has obtained regulatory approval, i.e. the CE-Mark (which is to be re-approved before May 2024) in Europe for the Genio system based on first positive BLAST OSA clinical trial results (in which all study safety and performance endpoints were met with statistically significant p-values but based on a limited sample size obtained with an observational study without control group), this does not imply that clinical efficacy has been demonstrated and there is the possibility that ongoing and future clinical trials intended to support further marketing authorizations (or maintenance of existing ones) will not be successful and that the Genio system will not perform as intended. For a CE mark, devices only need to demonstrate that they perform or will probably perform as designed and that the potential benefits outweigh potential risks. Future clinical evidence could be needed with respect to whether the Genio system's results can also be considered as sufficient for the sleep community, which will be evaluated by the FDA. The performance of the Genio system in commercial use may be different from the performance observed during the clinical studies for a number of reasons, including without limitation less control of the Company on the selection of patients suitable for use of the products, use by physicians with different experience and training, and failure to adhere to a follow-up regimen in the absence of clinical study enrolment and oversight. Furthermore, issues with product performance may subsequently be identified once a product is on the market, which could lead to the recall, modification, exchange, destruction or retrofitting of the device. Risks relating to attracting patients to perform clinical studies and COVID-19. The Company may not be able to initiate or, continue and/or complete in a timely manner clinical studies if it is unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients within the planned recruitment period to participate in these studies as required by the applicable regulatory authorities in the United States, Europe and any other applicable jurisdictions. The occurrence of a pandemic or other public health crisis, such as COVID-19, may impact the ability to recruit patients and otherwise disrupt normal functioning of the healthcare system which could impair the ability to conduct clinical studies as planned. In addition, some patients may not be able to comply with clinical study protocols if quarantines or other measures impede patient movement or interrupt healthcare services. Any difficulties in enrolling a sufficient number of patients for any of its clinical studies could result in significant delays and could require the Company to abandon one or more clinical studies altogether. If study centers and Centers of Excellence are restricted in performing elective surgeries and/or following up with their study patients, this may lead to missing information and may potentially impact clinical trial data quality and integrity. Enrolment delays in the Company's clinical studies may result in increased development costs that may exceed the resources available to the Company and in delays to commercially launch the Genio system in target markets, if approved. The Company may not be able to initiate or, continue and/or complete in a timely manner clinical studies if it is unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients within the planned recruitment period to participate in these studies as required by the applicable regulatory authorities in the United States, Europe and any other applicable jurisdictions. The occurrence of a pandemic or other public health crisis, such as COVID-19, may impact the ability to recruit patients and otherwise disrupt normal functioning of the healthcare system which could impair the ability to conduct clinical studies as planned. In addition, some patients may not be able to comply with clinical study protocols if quarantines or other measures impede patient movement or interrupt healthcare services. Any difficulties in enrolling a sufficient number of patients for any of its clinical studies could result in significant delays and could require the Company to abandon one or more clinical studies altogether. If study centers and Centers of Excellence are restricted in performing elective surgeries and/or following up with their study patients, this may lead to missing information and may potentially impact clinical trial data quality and integrity. Enrolment delays in the Company's clinical studies may result in increased development costs that may exceed the resources available to the Company and in delays to commercially launch the Genio system in target markets, if approved. Risks relating to hesitation to change and concern by physicians. The success of the Genio system will require acceptance and adoption by physicians. Physicians will likely only adopt the Genio system if they determine that the system is an attractive treatment solution, and that third-party payers, such as government programs and private health insurance plans, provide appropriate reimbursement for its use. Even if the safety and efficacy of the Genio system is established, physicians may be hesitant to change their medical treatment practices or accept and adopt the Genio system. Economic, social, psychological, cultural and other concerns may also limit general acceptance and adoption. The success of the Genio system will require acceptance and adoption by physicians. Physicians will likely only adopt the Genio system if they determine that the system is an attractive treatment solution, and that third-party payers, such as government programs and private health insurance plans, provide appropriate reimbursement for its use. Even if the safety and efficacy of the Genio system is established, physicians may be hesitant to change their medical treatment practices or accept and adopt the Genio system. Economic, social, psychological, cultural and other concerns may also limit general acceptance and adoption. Risks relating to commercial acceptance. At the date of this Prospectus, the Genio system is the only product on the market by the Company. The Genio system received a CE-Mark in March 2019 for the treatment of OSA. The CE-Mark cannot be construed as evidence of (statistically significant) efficacy or safety of the Genio system. The Company is working to gain commercial market acceptance of the Genio system in target markets and has generated only limited revenue from commercial sales. The Company sold the first commercial units in July 2020. The Genio system might not gain commercial acceptance in target markets. If the Company fails to gain and maintain commercial market acceptance in its target markets, the amount of revenue generated from sales of the Genio system in the future could continue to be limited and could even decrease over time. At the date of this Prospectus, the Genio system is the only product on the market by the Company. The Genio system received a CE-Mark in March 2019 for the treatment of OSA. The CE-Mark cannot be construed as evidence of (statistically significant) efficacy or safety of the Genio system. The Company is working to gain commercial market acceptance of the Genio system in target markets and has generated only limited revenue from commercial sales. The Company sold the first commercial units in July 2020. The Genio system might not gain commercial acceptance in target markets. If the Company fails to gain and maintain commercial market acceptance in its target markets, the amount of revenue generated from sales of the Genio system in the future could continue to be limited and could even decrease over time. Risks relating to third-party payments. The existence of coverage and adequate reimbursement for the Company's products by government and/or private payers will be critical for market adoption of the Genio system. Physicians and hospitals are unlikely to use the Genio system at all or to a great extent, if they do not receive adequate reimbursement for the procedures utilizing the product, and potential patients may be unable or unwilling to pay for the Genio system themselves. The price that the Company may receive for, and the marketability of, the Genio system for which the Company receives regulatory approval may suffer significantly if the government and/or third-party payers fail to provide adequate coverage and reimbursement or if further governmental cost containment or other health reform initiatives are adopted or implemented resulting in the Company possibly failing to achieve or maintain reimbursement levels sufficient to support a commercial infrastructure or realize an appropriate return on its investment in product development. At this stage of development and penetration of hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy in the OSA field, there are no large clinical studies available (yet) to confirm the long-term cost effectiveness of hypoglossal nerve stimulation. Although there is a general consensus about the medical necessity to treat OSA and notwithstanding the increasing number of hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy coverage decisions, the Company is currently in discussions and negotiations to secure reimbursement coverage and might be at risk of currently not having sufficient evidence (yet) to determine that the Genio therapy results demonstrate a meaningful improvement in net health outcomes for patients meeting the specified criteria. If so, further evidence might be necessary, while in the meantime the Company will make the Genio system available through country-specific innovation funding pathways. The existence of coverage and adequate reimbursement for the Company's products by government and/or private payers will be critical for market adoption of the Genio system. Physicians and hospitals are unlikely to use the Genio system at all or to a great extent, if they do not receive adequate reimbursement for the procedures utilizing the product, and potential patients may be unable or unwilling to pay for the Genio system themselves. The price that the Company may receive for, and the marketability of, the Genio system for which the Company receives regulatory approval may suffer significantly if the government and/or third-party payers fail to provide adequate coverage and reimbursement or if further governmental cost containment or other health reform initiatives are adopted or implemented resulting in the Company possibly failing to achieve or maintain reimbursement levels sufficient to support a commercial infrastructure or realize an appropriate return on its investment in product development. At this stage of development and penetration of hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy in the OSA field, there are no large clinical studies available (yet) to confirm the long-term cost effectiveness of hypoglossal nerve stimulation. Although there is a general consensus about the medical necessity to treat OSA and notwithstanding the increasing number of hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy coverage decisions, the Company is currently in discussions and negotiations to secure reimbursement coverage and might be at risk of currently not having sufficient evidence (yet) to determine that the Genio therapy results demonstrate a meaningful improvement in net health outcomes for patients meeting the specified criteria. If so, further evidence might be necessary, while in the meantime the Company will make the Genio system available through country-specific innovation funding pathways. Risks relating to the expansion of the sales, marketing and distribution capabilities. The Company will need on the one hand to expand its internal sales and marketing organization to commercialize the Genio system in markets that the Company will target directly, which may entail risks as set out above. On the other hand, the Company may decide to target certain other markets indirectly via distributors or other arrangements. If the Company is unable to find suitable distribution partners, loses these distribution partners or if the Company's distribution partners fail to sell its products in sufficient quantities, on commercially viable terms and in a timely manner, the commercialization of the Genio system could be materially harmed, which could prevent the Company from achieving or maintaining profitability. Another factor that may inhibit the Company's efforts to commercialize the Genio system in target markets is the lack of complementary products to be offered by sales personnel, which may put the Company at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with more products. The Company will need on the one hand to expand its internal sales and marketing organization to commercialize the Genio system in markets that the Company will target directly, which may entail risks as set out above. On the other hand, the Company may decide to target certain other markets indirectly via distributors or other arrangements. If the Company is unable to find suitable distribution partners, loses these distribution partners or if the Company's distribution partners fail to sell its products in sufficient quantities, on commercially viable terms and in a timely manner, the commercialization of the Genio system could be materially harmed, which could prevent the Company from achieving or maintaining profitability. Another factor that may inhibit the Company's efforts to commercialize the Genio system in target markets is the lack of complementary products to be offered by sales personnel, which may put the Company at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with more products. Risks relating to COVID-19. The occurrence of a pandemic, epidemic or other health crisis, including the recent outbreak of COVID-19, could have a negative impact on the Company's product development and manufacturing activities, the recruitment and conduct of its clinical studies and its ability to source required funding, which could delay or prevent it from executing its strategy as planned. Due to the high degree of unpredictability of COVID-19, the Company foresees challenges in training and proctoring new centers and their surgeons in the United States and Europe. Patients being less willing to travel to these centers or their travelling being restricted, could become an issue and potentially impact the Company's clinical and commercial activities. The occurrence of a pandemic, epidemic or other health crisis, including the recent outbreak of COVID-19, could have a negative impact on the Company's product development and manufacturing activities, the recruitment and conduct of its clinical studies and its ability to source required funding, which could delay or prevent it from executing its strategy as planned. Due to the high degree of unpredictability of COVID-19, the Company foresees challenges in training and proctoring new centers and their surgeons in the United States and Europe. Patients being less willing to travel to these centers or their travelling being restricted, could become an issue and potentially impact the Company's clinical and commercial activities. Risks relating to competition. The market for sleep disordered breathing and OSA solutions is increasingly competitive. The commercial availability of any approved competing product could potentially inhibit recruitment and enrolment in the Company's clinical studies. The Company may successfully conclude its clinical studies and obtain final regulatory approval, and nevertheless may fail to compete against competitors or alternative treatments that may be available or developed for the relevant indication. The market for sleep disordered breathing and OSA solutions is increasingly competitive. The commercial availability of any approved competing product could potentially inhibit recruitment and enrolment in the Company's clinical studies. The Company may successfully conclude its clinical studies and obtain final regulatory approval, and nevertheless may fail to compete against competitors or alternative treatments that may be available or developed for the relevant indication. Risks relating to capital and expenditure needs and further financing. The Company believes that the net proceeds from this Offering, together with its existing cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and revenue will be sufficient to meet its capital requirements and fund its operations for at least 12 months. However, the Company has based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, and the Company could spend its available financial resources much faster than currently expected. Any additional equity or debt financing that the Company raises may contain terms that are not favorable to the Company or its shareholders. If the Company raises additional funds by selling additional Shares or other securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Shares after this Offering, the issuance of such securities will result in dilution to the Company's shareholders. The Company believes that the net proceeds from this Offering, together with its existing cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and revenue will be sufficient to meet its capital requirements and fund its operations for at least 12 months. However, the Company has based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, and the Company could spend its available financial resources much faster than currently expected. Any additional equity or debt financing that the Company raises may contain terms that are not favorable to the Company or its shareholders. If the Company raises additional funds by selling additional Shares or other securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Shares after this Offering, the issuance of such securities will result in dilution to the Company's shareholders. Risks relating to profitability. The Company has incurred operating losses and negative operating cash flows in each period since it was incorporated in 2009. As of 31 December 2019, the Company had a loss brought forward of 47.1 million. The Company intends to fund amongst others the continued development of its technology and the Genio product line and to expand manufacturing capabilities. The Company plans to conduct additional clinical studies and as a result, management expects that clinical affairs expenses will increase significantly over the next several years. These expenses, together with anticipated commercial/sales, R&D and general and administrative expenses, will likely result in the Company incurring further losses for at least the next few years. The Company may not achieve profitability, which could impair its ability to sustain operations or obtain any required additional funding. The Company has incurred operating losses and negative operating cash flows in each period since it was incorporated in 2009. As of 31 December 2019, the Company had a loss brought forward of 47.1 million. The Company intends to fund amongst others the continued development of its technology and the Genio product line and to expand manufacturing capabilities. The Company plans to conduct additional clinical studies and as a result, management expects that clinical affairs expenses will increase significantly over the next several years. These expenses, together with anticipated commercial/sales, R&D and general and administrative expenses, will likely result in the Company incurring further losses for at least the next few years. The Company may not achieve profitability, which could impair its ability to sustain operations or obtain any required additional funding. Risks relating to seeking and obtaining regulatory approval for active implantable medical devices. The regulations to which the Company is subject to are complex and have become more stringent over time. The Company may be adversely affected by potential changes in government policy or legislation applicable to implantable medical devices. At the date of this Prospectus, the Company has only received regulatory approval for the EEA Member States (through CE-Marking) for its Genio system. In the United States, the Company is in the early stages of a long process of seeking marketing approval, where it received an investigational device exemption (" IDE ") from the FDA but has not yet formally confirmed the appropriate regulatory pathway to pursue to receive marketing authorization. Even though the Genio system has received an IDE, it may not successfully obtain marketing authorization. In addition, even if marketing authorization is granted by the FDA, it may be withdrawn. Since the Genio system is a wireless medical device, additional complications may arise with respect to obtaining marketing authorization in the United States. The regulations to which the Company is subject to are complex and have become more stringent over time. The Company may be adversely affected by potential changes in government policy or legislation applicable to implantable medical devices. At the date of this Prospectus, the Company has only received regulatory approval for the EEA Member States (through CE-Marking) for its Genio system. In the United States, the Company is in the early stages of a long process of seeking marketing approval, where it received an investigational device exemption (" ") from the FDA but has not yet formally confirmed the appropriate regulatory pathway to pursue to receive marketing authorization. Even though the Genio system has received an IDE, it may not successfully obtain marketing authorization. In addition, even if marketing authorization is granted by the FDA, it may be withdrawn. Since the Genio system is a wireless medical device, additional complications may arise with respect to obtaining marketing authorization in the United States. Risks relating to the absence of a minimum amount. The Company has the right to proceed with a capital increase in a reduced amount, corresponding to a number of Offered Shares that is lower than the maximum number of Offered Shares in the Offering. If not all of the Offered Shares are subscribed for in the Offering, the net proceeds from the Offering could be limited, all or in part, to the net proceeds from Subscription Commitments. As a result, only a number of Shares that is lower than the maximum number of Offered Shares in the Offering could be available for trading on the market, which could limit the liquidity of the Shares. Furthermore, the Company's financial means in view of the uses of proceeds would in such case also be reduced. If this were to be the case, the Company may have to reduce its level of investments or look for further external funding. The Company has the right to proceed with a capital increase in a reduced amount, corresponding to a number of Offered Shares that is lower than the maximum number of Offered Shares in the Offering. If not all of the Offered Shares are subscribed for in the Offering, the net proceeds from the Offering could be limited, all or in part, to the net proceeds from Subscription Commitments. As a result, only a number of Shares that is lower than the maximum number of Offered Shares in the Offering could be available for trading on the market, which could limit the liquidity of the Shares. Furthermore, the Company's financial means in view of the uses of proceeds would in such case also be reduced. If this were to be the case, the Company may have to reduce its level of investments or look for further external funding. Risks relating to the absence of a prior public market for the Shares. Prior to the Offering, there has been no public trading market for the Shares. An active trading market may not develop or, if developed, may not be sustained or be sufficiently liquid following the closing of the Offering, in which case the liquidity and trading price of the Shares could be adversely affected. Furthermore, the Offering Price is not necessarily indicative of the prices at which the Shares will subsequently trade on the stock exchange. In addition, the market price of the Shares may prove to be highly volatile and may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. The market price of the Shares may be adversely affected by most of the preceding or other factors regardless of the Company's actual results of operations and financial condition. The degree of liquidity of the Shares may negatively impact the price at which an investor can dispose of the Shares where the investor is seeking to achieve a sale within a short timeframe. - 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-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. For more information, please visit www.nyxoah.com . Caution - CE marked since 2019. Investigational device in the United States. Limited by U.S. federal law to investigational use in the United States. Important Notice Any purchase of, subscription for or application for, shares to be issued by Nyxoah (the "Company") 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. The Prospectus contains 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. 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. This communication is directed only at persons (i) who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments and who fall within article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended) (the "Order") or (iii) who are high net worth entities or other persons who fall within article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person must not act or rely on this communication or any of its contents. 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 of the Joint Global Coordinatorsand www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 ). The Prospectus shall also be made available free of charge to investors, www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 and www.belfius.be/Nyxoah2020 . Access on the aforementioned websites is each time subject to the usual limitations. 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. 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/SA 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 The 3,871,000 initially offered new shares and the shares offered as a result of the possible exercise of the Increase Option are collectively referred to as the "New Shares", and each existing or future new share representing the Company's share capital as a "Share". 2 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 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 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally led to significant spread of the novel coronavirus in the event's home state of South Dakota and in other parts of the United States, a team of researchers said in a newly released study that is disputed by state officials. The report from San Diego State University's Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies used anonymized cellphone location data and virus case counts to analyze the impact of the 460,000-person event that took place last month, believed to be one of the largest events held during the pandemic. Health officials had expressed concerns about the rally, which, the researchers noted, "represents a situation where many of the 'worst case scenarios' for superspreading occurred simultaneously." Those included the event being held over 10 days, attracting a significant out-of-town population and involving attendees clustered together, with few wearing masks. The consequences were "substantial," the researchers concluded. By analyzing the parts of the country that had the highest number of Sturgis attendees and changes in coronavirus trends after its conclusion, they estimated 266,796 cases could be linked to the rally. That's about 19% of the number reported nationally between Aug. 2 and Sept. 2, and significantly higher than the number state health officials have linked through contact tracing. Based on a covid-19 case statistically costing about $46,000, the researchers said, that would mean the rally carried a public health price tag of $12.2 billion. "This is enough to have paid each of the estimated 462,182 rally attendees $26,553.64 not to attend," the paper said. Officials in Sturgis, a 7,000-person city in the Black Hills, considered postponing the 80th edition of the rally. But the event encompasses hundreds of miles outside their jurisdiction, on state-licensed campgrounds and roads traveled by bikers. After determining that many would come regardless of what the city did, city councilors voted to allow the rally so they could prepare for their arrival. The South Dakota Department of Transportation put the event's attendance at 462,182, down 7.5% from the previous year. On Tuesday, state health officials acknowledged that mass gatherings carry a higher risk of spreading the novel coronavirus but questioned the San Diego State University analysis and its methodology. During a phone conference with reporters, state epidemiologist Josh Clayton and Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon noted that the paper has not been peer-reviewed. They said the researchers did not account for a trend of already-increasing case counts in South Dakota or the possibility that school reopenings contributed to the rise. They also questioned the use of cellphone data, with Malsam-Rysdon saying the study "makes assumptions around people's cellphone use and tries to apply that to case counts." "What I have to say at this point is the results do not align with what we know for the impacts of the rally among attendees in the state of South Dakota," Clayton said. Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican who welcomed the motorcycle rally and has eschewed mask mandates and stay-home orders imposed in other states, called the study "grossly misleading" and said it "isn't science; it's fiction," the Rapid City Journal reported. The South Dakota Department of Health has reported 124 cases linked to the Sturgis rally through contact tracing. A Washington Post survey of health departments found an additional 204 rally-linked cases in 20 states. One death has been reported - that of a Minnesota man in his 60s, who had underlying conditions and was hospitalized with the virus after returning from Sturgis. Public health experts have cautioned that such tallies will likely be an undercount because of the sheer number of attendees, the many health departments involved and the difficulty of contact tracing. As a result, determining the true impact of the event is a near-impossible task. But Derek Chapman, the associate director for research at Virginia Commonwealth University's Center on Society and Health, told The Washington Post that he was not surprised by the 460,000-plus attendance figure. "It only takes a small number of people from places that have high infection rates to have a high likelihood that some of them are carrying the infection," he said. "It's kind of more of a mathematical certainty that you're going to have possible asymptomatic cases in that event space and that it will spread over that 10-day period and that those people will head back to their own communities and continue spreading." The San Diego State University researchers noted that although restrictions on large-scale gatherings are "ubiquitous," there has been "little empirical evidence on the contagion dangers." They previously analyzed the effects of protests and President Donald Trump's Tulsa, Okla., rally this year. Neither caused significant increased spread of the virus, they concluded, possibly because those events were offset by increases in other residents staying home. Reality TV star Joe Exotic has written to Donald Trump to ask him to 'grant me a miracle - a pardon' for his 'unjust and mishandled conviction', claiming that he was sexually assaulted in prison and insisting that the Netflix series that brought him fame is not an accurate representation of his character. The 57-year-old zoo owner, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was sentenced to 22 years in prison in January over a plot to kill his rival, Carol Baskin, and for killing five tigers in his zoo. In his handwritten letter to the president, obtained by DailyMail.com, Maldonado-Passage begs for his freedom so he can 'return to helping sick children and the homeless'. He begs Trump: 'Be my hero, please.' Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, has asked Donald Trump for a pardon Maldonado-Passage's legal team intend to submit their case in Washington DC on Wednesday Joe Exotic wrote a two-page handwritten letter to Donald Trump In the letter, the reality TV star spoke of his admiration for the president He insists that he was wrongly convicted on the testimony of people who the government knew were lying. 'I grew up having faith in our system until I became trapped in it,' he writes. Maldonado-Passage tells the president that he voted for him, and that he looks up to him. 'If I have ever looked up to anyone it would be you,' he writes. 'Not because I need you to save my life but because you stand for what YOU believe no matter what anyone thinks.' He writes that everything he works for was 'stolen by criminals', and says he is 'begging you to listen to the millions who see the truth'. Maldonado-Passage was convicted of murder-for-hire for his rivalry with Carol Baskin The threats against Baskin, who runs a big cat sanctuary, were a joke, the defense claims Maldonado-Passage wrote a separate letter to the president's son, who in April said he felt the 22-year-sentence was 'aggressive'. 'I watched the show but I don't know exactly what he was guilty of or wasn't,' Trump Jr said. 'It doesn't seem like he was totally innocent of anything. But when they're saying, "We're putting this guy away for 30 years," I'm saying, "That seems sort of aggressive."' Maldonado-Passage wrote a letter to Trump Jr on Facebook in June, and in his new letter writes: 'Hey, it's me again, Joe Exotic, I hate to bother you again but I truly have faith in you.' The zoo owner claims that he is the victim of 'fake news', writing that he has been subjected to the whims of 'bad agents, bad cops and bad prosecutors'. He tells Trump Jr, a passionate hunter and outdoorsman, that he has been wrongly judged by over-zealous animal welfare authorities. And he tells him he has been sexually assaulted inside the Grady County jail in Oklahoma. He has since been transferred to a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas. 'I have been sexually assaulted by jail staff, beat up and tied in a chair to the point the skin came off my arms,' he wrote. 'Please be my hero ... my hands are damaged from the abuse in jail so I'm sorry for the soppy (sic) writing and spelling.' The jail has denied that Maldonado-Passage was harmed. Maldonado-Passage wrote a four-page handwritten letter to Donald Trump Jr Trump Jr said in April that he felt Maldonado-Passage's sentence was 'aggressive' Maldonado-Passage told Trump Jr that he had been sexually assaulted in prison He ended his letter to the president's son: '#TrumpJr2024' Maldonado-Passage previously told OK! magazine about his alleged assault, earlier this month. He ended his letter with the phrase: '#TrumpJr.2024.' In his 257-page file, Maldonado-Passage says he fears he may die before his scheduled 2037 release owing to anemia and other immune deficiencies. He insists that he never intended to kill his rival, Carol Baskin, and described his comments about plotting to murder her - as captured in the Netflix documentary - as 'hyperbole'. His lawyers claim the 'threats' were 'simply another aspect of his showmanship ... Joe's jokes, at most, in bad taste, were merely jokes.' He admitted killing the tigers, but said it was because they needed to be euthanized. Maldonado-Passage also submitted character references including one from his husband Dillon Passage, and one from Kerri Walker, whose cousin worked at the zoo. Walker makes an appeal to Trump, saying Maldonado-Passage was wrongly judged, in the way that Trump was with the 'grab-'em-by-the-p***y' tape. His husband writes: 'I see a sweet, big heart man, with good intentions, who took a few steps down a dark road, and he's just waiting to be pulled out of it.' Dillon Passage wrote: 'I see a sweet, big heart man, with good intentions, who took a few steps down a dark road, and he's just waiting to be pulled out of it' The dossier will be presented to the White House on Wednesday by Eric Love, a former law enforcement officer who now works as a private investigator. # Earlier this year, Trump said he would consider issuing a pardon for Maldonado-Passage, after his son brought the case to him. 'I'll take a look,' he told reporters in April. In June, when Trump Jr interviewed his father for a campaign video, the president said he had seen 'a couple of episodes' of the true crime miniseries. 'He's quite a character,' Trump said of Maldonado-Passage. 'That's a strange guy and a lot of strange people around him.' Maldonado-Passage's supporters also have posted a series of letters online that he's written to the White House seeking a pardon. In August, when Trump promised a 'surprise' pardon, many of the reality TV star's supporters hoped it would be him. Instead, on August 18 Trump posthumously pardoned the woman's suffragist Susan B. Anthony. WASHINGTON The slimmed-down GOP stimulus bill that the Senate is expected to vote on this week includes a school voucher bill that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has long pushed with the help of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Cruz reportedly had vowed to sink any stimulus package in the Senate that didn't include his $5 billion federal school choice tax credit proposal meant to encourage donations to scholarship funds for private schools. But similar school choice measures have been opposed even by some of Cruz's Republican colleagues and could sour the package for them, though Cruz said Wednesday he was confident the relief package would have full GOP support. The legislation which also includes provisions championed by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn to protect businesses against lawsuits related to the pandemic is the latest attempt in Congress to pass another round of coronavirus relief as the Senate GOP, House Democrats and White House have so far failed to reach an agreement. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he wants the Senate to vote on the proposal as early as Thursday. STAY UP TO DATE: The latest on the coronavirus in Texas The Senate proposal, which Republicans have described as targeted relief, doesnt yet have a final price tag, but it will be significantly smaller than the $3 trillion package the House passed earlier this year and its far from what the White House has sought, with Trump administration officials floating a price tag of at least $1 trillion. It would offer $300 in unemployment benefits into December, would open up the Paycheck Protection Program for a second round of loans and would offer billions for schools most of which would be reserved for those that open for in-person instruction. The proposal notably does not include another round of stimulus checks. Cruz said in an interview on CNBC on Wednesday that he doubted the package would even pass the Senate, predicting Democrats would filibuster. But the package nonetheless will offer the first vote on a school choice proposal that Cruz has pushed since early 2019. The program would offer up to $5 billion in federal tax credits for those who donate to state-approved scholarship programs for private and religious schools or home schooling. Cruz said its important legislation to pass now, especially for families with children who attend schools that have yet to reopen for in-person instruction. Millions of kids their education is on hold, Cruz said. And thats a tragedy. Thats a tragedy for those kids. Every day and every week theyre left behind. Its a tragedy for those families whose parents arent able to resume work again. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The legislation has been championed by DeVos and even President Donald Trump, who touted it in his State of the Union address this year. But it could well drain some Republican support for the recovery package. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, for instance, broke ranks to vote against DeVos nomination in 2017, in part because of her long record of pushing school choice policies that are unpopular in some of the rural areas they represent. Cruz said he doubted that would happen with this legislation. Lets wait and see the vote, Cruz said. I think were going to get all or virtually all Republicans. ben.wermund@chron.com Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman admitted the only addiction he ever suffered from was 'women' and that he was the father of 23 children. The revelations were made during a tell all interview with renown criminologist Monica Ramirez Cano after Mexican security forces had captured the fugitive co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel. Ramirez Cano, who in the past profiled some of Mexico most infamous drug lords, shared a five-second clip of the interview session that was recorded in 2016. She sat across from El Chapo and asked 'what have you liked the most Joaquin?' before the recording came to an abrupt end. The complete interview session was never uploaded. Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman sits across from Mexican criminologist Monica Ramirez Cano during a 2016 interview after the Sinaloa Cartel co-founder was captured by Mexican security forces. El Chapo told Ramirez Cano that he was addicted to 'women' and that he was the father of 23 children Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is serving a life sentence at a supermax prison in Colorado Ramirez Cano, who posted the video on social media Monday, said she asked El Chapo 'what are you addictions?' to which the jailed drug lord then replied, 'none, my only addiction are the women.' The 63-year-old reportedly has been been married four times. He first got married in 1977 to Alejandrina Maria Salazar Hernandez, with whom he had four children, including Cesar, Ivan Archivaldo, Jesus Alfredo and Alejandrina Giselle. He then married bank clerk bank clerk, Estela Pena, but did not have any children with her. El Chapo's third marriage came in the mid-1980s when he tied the knot with Griselda Lopez Perez, the mother of Edgar, Joaquin Jr., Ovidio and Griselda Guadalupe. His fourth and last marriage came in 2007 when he said yes to former beauty queen Emma Coronel, who in August 2011 gave birth to the couple's twin daughters, Maria Joaquina and Emali Guadalupe. Griselda Lopez Perez married El Chapo in the 1980s. She and the jailed co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel are parents to four children Former beauty queen Emma Coronel married El Chapo in 2007. In August 2011 she gave birth to the couple's twin daughters, Maria Joaquina and Emali Guadalupe According to Infobae, Ramirez Cano possesses a 'normal IQ' although he proved to be utterly astute in carving out a successful yet illicit career as the mastermind behind a criminal syndicate whose influence stretched out across the globe. 'He is a respectful person, takes great care of manners, cordial, kind, very reserved, but when you establish trust you can talk with him in an extraordinary way, which allows you to know how his mind operates,' Ramirez Cano said. During the interview, El Chapo opened up about how he opposed the kidnapping tactics used by many a cartel, which he considered to be the worst crime that could be committed. El Chapo (photographed on January 29, 2017) appealed his life sentence last Friday. His lawyers argued that members of the jury were looking for information about sex abuse allegations against him that were barred from the trial Guzman also said that people became drug user because they simply wanted to do it. El Chapo, who is serving a life sentence at a supermax penitentiary in Colorado, reportedly made $12.6 billion as the cartel's chief, money which federal New York prosecutors stressed should be turned. 'He is not a psychopath. He has psychopathic traits and narcissistic traits that are reflected in a need for admiration, to feel unique and special,' Ramirez Cano said. 'What he has is a very important strategic capacity. He knows who to put in the right place, who to remove and how to move his pieces, like in a chess game.' An appeal filed on last Friday argues that a judge made rulings allowing a jury to hear faulty evidence at Guzman's trial. It also cites reports that before reaching a guilty verdict, some jurors sought out news accounts about sex abuse allegations against him that were barred from the trial. 'Chapo Guzman's prosecution was marred by rampant excess and overreach, both governmental and judicial needless resorts if he was really the kingpin extraordinaire his adversaries insisted,' Guzman's lawyers said in the 245-page appeal, which was presented to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CAS Group, a trusted partner for successful project delivery, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. In 2010, the founders set out with a vision to provide excellence in urban planning, coastal & marine engineering projects, and infrastructure delivery ranging from ports to LNG marine terminals, transportation to waterfront development, power plants to industrial facilities, disaster recovery to coastal protection systems. The firm has been an integral part of the delivery of over $2 billion worth of projects and involved in the development of an additional $4 billion. CAS Group is truly coastlines to skylines. The firm has performed multiple MetOcean data gathering programs utilizing its inventory of instrumentation to support the design of waterfront projects including two on the East River in New York City. CAS Group supports critical infrastructure project delivery and cleaner energy production. CAS Group served as the Program Manager for the new $1 billion Salem Harbor Station, a 674-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired, quick-start, combined-cycle electric generating facility in historic Salem, MA. Company founder and president, Jennifer Lindbom commented, "It's gratifying to be recognized by the industry for our collaborative, proactive, and insightful expertise. CAS Group was founded a decade ago, but the beginnings truly started years prior. SVP Majid Yavary and I have brought our life's passions to our professions. We work tirelessly to help clients design and build strong projects and communities build better foundations for the future. We look forward to rolling out several exciting initiatives as part of the celebration." To mark the anniversary, CAS Group will be launching its new website www.casgroupllc.com which features extensive project examples and detailed information about the firm. CAS Group received the official USPTO Notice of Publication Confirmation (U.S. Trademark SN 88670553) for "Coastlines to Skylines" which celebrates CAS Group's commitment to delivering the highest levels of service in any environment. "I am proud to be a part CAS Group, a firm that is embodies the global expertise and a passion for excellence we bring to every project," said Majid Yavary, SVP. "We apply both established best practice and creative cutting-edge approaches to deliver cost-effective, efficient, and resilient solutions." CAS Group offers four key service areas: Advisory Services The firm offers a unique suite of advisory services for private-sector development, investment, and delivery of high-value infrastructure projects. We offer reliable technical, contractual, and tactical guidance. Clients work directly with our elite team of advisors who have $8+ billion global project delivery track record. The firm offers a unique suite of advisory services for private-sector development, investment, and delivery of high-value infrastructure projects. We offer reliable technical, contractual, and tactical guidance. Clients work directly with our elite team of advisors who have $8+ billion global project delivery track record. Planning & Engagement - Genuine dialogue can create significant benefits. CAS Group works collaboratively with clients on public and stakeholder engagement programs. We develop effective messaging, mechanisms, and relationships that build awareness and generate diverse and inclusive participation. Our services are built upon a deep understanding of urban planning, design, and project implementation. - Genuine dialogue can create significant benefits. CAS Group works collaboratively with clients on public and stakeholder engagement programs. We develop effective messaging, mechanisms, and relationships that build awareness and generate diverse and inclusive participation. Our services are built upon a deep understanding of urban planning, design, and project implementation. Coastal & Marine Engineering CAS Group provides comprehensive services for the planning, design, and construction of coastal and marine facilities including shoreline and coastal flood protections, waterfront structures, container terminals, LNG Terminals, onshore and offshore liquid bulk terminals, dry bulk terminals, small craft harbors, dredging and land reclamation works, intakes and outfalls, navigation channels, and pipelines. CAS Group provides comprehensive services for the planning, design, and construction of coastal and marine facilities including shoreline and coastal flood protections, waterfront structures, container terminals, LNG Terminals, onshore and offshore liquid bulk terminals, dry bulk terminals, small craft harbors, dredging and land reclamation works, intakes and outfalls, navigation channels, and pipelines. Program Management & Construction Management - Our lean in-house team provides personalized attention and value-driven, field-tested services. We manage entire programs or support discrete steps of the project cycle as part of a larger team. We support projects with a TIC up to $1 billion . ABOUT CAS GROUP CAS Group is a trusted engineering, urban planning, and program management firm providing responsive solutions, strategic guidance, and proven tactics to successfully move projects from concept to completion across the US and worldwide. CAS Group is a registered engineering company in TX and FL. The firm is a woman-owned small business certified with the cities of Houston and New York; port authorities of Houston and NY/NJ; states of TX, NY, CA, FL, LA, and MD; and the federal government. The firm was recently featured with the new trademark in the Port Publishing's 2020 Houston Port and Shipping Guide. Media Contact: Nataly Blumberg 516-859-6665 [email protected] SOURCE CAS Group LLC Related Links http://www.casgroupllc.com (Photo : moho01 via Pixabay) Researchers from the Philippines are looking to study the virgin coconut oil (VCO) as a possible treatment for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council on Health Research and Development (PCHRD) under the country's Department of Science and Technology (DOST), said that they are conducting tests on VCO and its properties that can help against the highly contagious disease. PCHRD-DOST first announced their plans for a "functional food" last February 7. It will be administered to patients suffering from COVID-19, with Dr. Montoya himself confirmed later in the month that the tests would involve coconut oil. In a statement to NutraIngredientsAsia, Dr. Montoya shared that there were studies regarding the antiviral properties supposedly found in coconut oil as well as its derivatives. Furthermore, PCHRD-DOST is set to start clinical trials to test the efficacy of VCO against COVID-19 in the future. Antiviral Properties from VCO In a formal statement released by the School of Science and Engineering of Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) in the Philippines, ADMU Professor Emeritus Dr. Fabian Dayrit and Dr. Mary Newport from Spring Hill Neonatology & Hospice in Florida discuss "the potential use of coconut oil as a safe antiviral agent against the novel coronavirus." Lauric acid (C12) is a saturated fatty acid with a 12-carbon atom chain, comprising about 50 percent of coconut oil. Its derivative, monolaurin, is a metabolite produced by the human body in response to the ingestion of coconut oil. The paper published by ADMU explains the mechanisms of lauric acid and monolaurin as an antiviral agent through the following steps: (1) disintegration of the virus membrane, (2) inhibition of viral attempts to mature, and (3) prevention of viral proteins from binding to the host's cell membrane. RELATED: Coconut Oil Acts As a Natural Antibiotic and Helps Boost Immunity The researchers also noted that aside from the lauric acid contributing to the antiviral activity in coconut oil, other substances such as capric acid (C10) and monocaprin also offer promising potentials against other strains of viruses. Citing previous studies that explore in vitro animal and human studies, the researchers suggested using lauric acid and its derivatives as agents against viruses like the nCoV-2019. However, they recommended that VCO "be considered as a general prophylactic against viral and microbial infection," owing to the safety and availability of the coconut oil. A Potential Agent Against the Coronavirus "This treatment is affordable and virtually risk-free, and the potential benefits are enormous," the researchers claimed. Additionally, they have proposed a clinical trial design to be conducted on patients with COVID-19. Prospective participants in the study will be divided into five groups. The first will be the control group consisting of patients who will receive standard care procedures for COVID-19. A second group will also receive standard care but will be administered VCO in daily dosages of 45mL. The third group will receive, instead of VCO dosages, 800mg doses of Monolaurin with a fourth group receiving monocaprin instead in the same doses. A fifth group will be administered with pharmaceutical-grade Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) at 100mg/kg/day. RELATED: Researchers Demonstrate New Portable and Point-of-Care COVID-19 Test Kit Philippine Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in an interview with CNN Philippines that the National University of Singapore (NUS) has agreed to the government-backed request to test coconut oil as a coronavirus prophylactic. DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Pena also noted that Filipino scientists, led by Dr. Marissa Alejandria, has conducted studies on the effects of VCO on COVID-19 patients at the Philippine General Hospital. Check out more news and information on Coconuts in Science Times. Two fishermen who went missing off the South Australian coast six days ago have miraculously been found alive just hours after a major search operation was called off. Derek Robinson, 48, and Tony Higgins, 57, vanished during a trip to Goolwa, from Coffin Bay near Port Lincoln, on Thursday, September 3. They were just a day into their trip when they experienced engine trouble. The pair managed to contact a friend to inform them their plans had changed and they would be diverting to nearby Kangaroo Island. But they had not been heard from since. Scroll down for video Derek Robinson and Tony Higgins vanished during a trip to Goolwa, from Coffin Bay near Port Lincoln on Thursday, September 3 The men were headed to Goolwa, from Coffin Bay near Port Lincoln, they told a friend they would try make it to Kangaroo Island after their engine failed but ended up in Salt Creek A massive search operation was sparked, involving police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and members of the Royal Australian Air Force. The crews spent days searching an area larger than Tasmania covered in an attempt to find the men. Fears were raised when the men were still not located after several weather warnings and days of treacherous conditions. On Wednesday night the aerial search was called off after rescue teams failed to find any sign of the men. However, hours later a call came through informing the rescue team the men had managed to raise the alarm. They had somehow managed to contact their families and Victor Harbour police station to tell them they were still alive. They are floating in Salt Creek, south-east of Goolwa, awaiting rescue crews. Water police are on their way to rescue the fishermen. The men were in a 10-metre wooden-hulled boat, which they were planning on fixing up. Alexandrina Mayor Keith Parkes, who is a former commodore of the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club, said the pair were lucky to be alive. He told the ABC they were in 'treacherous waters'. 'We just can't believe how lucky they are to have been found.' A former senior correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release in connection to the assault of an inmate. Tavoris Bottley, 35, was given the sentence by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield after pleading guilty last December to one count of violating the civil rights of an inmate in his custody. Bottley faced a maximum statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. As a part of his plea, Bottley admitted to accusations of punching an anonymous inmate in the head and face multiple times without justification in June 2017, according to plea documents and information presented in court. Bottley detailed how he and his supervisor at the facility, BOP Lieutenant Khristal Ford, unlocked and entered the secured cell where the victim was being held to assault them in retaliation for being disrespectful and throwing a food tray. The supervisor, Ford, pleaded guilty on May 29, 2019, to aiding and abetting in the assault and admitted to submitting false paperwork to cover up the assault and make the victims injuries appear justified. Ford was sentenced to 24 months in prison on Jan. 8. Ford also faced a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Correctional officers work hard every day to enforce the rules and ensure order within our prisons, Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox said in a statement. When an officer acts like a schoolyard bully, it undermines the important work of all correctional officers and disrupts the very law and order they have sworn to protect. The investigation was carried out by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of the Inspector General, and was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Katherine DeVar of the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Anderson of the Eastern District of Texas. jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/jd_journalism CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Wednesday dropped by Boss Dog Brewing Co. to promote partnerships with Ohio brewpubs and barber shops aimed at boosting voter registration and recruiting poll workers for the 2020 presidential election. LaRose raised a glass on Boss Dogs back patio with brewpub co-owner Josh Sweet and Derek Jackson, owner of Cleveland barbershop Ds Sharp Cuts. He toasted the businessmens participation in two Ohio voter-engagement campaigns, called Raise a Glass to Democracy and Styling for Democracy. The statewide campaigns seek to register voters and enlist poll workers at brewpubs, barber shops and beauty salons places where community members already gather to talk politics, exchange information and connect with their neighbors. These are places where great political conversations already happen, LaRose said. But as you know, just talking about it doesnt do anything. Just talking about it doesnt bring about the kind of change people may want to see in their community. Youve got to vote. Participating businesses are hanging up promotional posters and talking to customers about the importance of voting and working the polls. Businesses, like Jacksons, can also serve as pick-up points for voter registration forms and absentee ballot applications. Some pubs are brewing new beers or using eye-catching blue and red beer can labels that proclaim Every vote counts. Sweet, a lifelong Cleveland Heights resident, said he joined the campaign out of love for his community. Boss Dog is the states 50th brewpub to join the effort, LaRose said. One of the most important thingsabout our community here is that we take care of it. And one of the most important ways to do so, we think, is to vote, Sweet told a small crowd of reporters, employees, patrons, and representatives from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland. Jackson, who has run his Kinsman Road barbershop for 27 years, said he joined the campaign after talking to former Cleveland City Councilman and Secretary of State Minority Affairs Coordinator Zack Reed. Jackson signed on to the idea because he wants to get young people in his community involved at the polls, he said. In the community where Im at, a lot of people have lost hope. And I think voting will bring back hope to Black people, Jackson said. Im an advocate of protesting peacefully, of letting your voice be heard peacefully but I think when you cast your vote, its something that is silent but can be heard by the whole world. Ohioans can register to vote through Oct. 5 at https://olvr.ohiosos.gov/ or by contacting local boards of elections. People can sign up to be poll workers at https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/poll-workers/ . If Ohio counties cant get enough workers to staff the polls a concern largely tied to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic neighborhood polling locations will likely need to be consolidated, LaRose said. Harness Racing owner Keith Carey had plenty to celebrate on Tuesday (Sept. 8) after his four-year-old pacing mare Nat A Cam scored a career-best win at Running Aces in 1:57. At 99-years-old, Carey is the patriarch of an Iowa family that is deeply rooted in the sulky sport. Keith has been involved in Harness Racing for as long as anyone can remember, and he got started some 70 or 80 years ago with his brother Red Carey. Affectionately called "Dudley" by family and friends, Keith Carey adores his mare and holds her dear because she was the last horse that he and his late wife of 66 years, Katherine, had together. Katherine passed away in 2017 at the age of 93. Carey has had more than one offer to sell his mare, but will not part with her. She has had lots of success at the county fair tracks in Iowa and also won this summer at Kahoka, MO. The win at Running Aces was her 13th from 35 starts. She is by Millionaire Cam and out of the Blissfull Hall mare Nat-a-tat-tat, whom the Careys had as a broodmare. Carey's grandson Curtis shared that his grandpa loves to take care of the mare when she is at home at the farm and noted "he does her stall himself every morning, and he loves to be there to feed her at dinnertime too." Keith Carey's Columbus Junction farm is the base of operations. He has had the "farm for at least 70 years" according to Curtis, who was thrilled when his grandpa came up with the idea to send the mare up to Running Aces to take her shot at the "big-time" at the pari-mutuel track. The Careys have a good relationship with trainer Justin Anfinson who was more than willing to bring the mare up to Minnesota for the tryout. Dudley wanted his great-nephew and Running Aces all-time leading driver Nick Roland to drive his mare, and always prefers that Nick's brother, Will Roland, drives his mare in Iowa. As it turned out, Nick had a filly of his own in the same race and they decided to call on veteran reinsman Darrell Wright for the drive. Nat A Cam turned in a stellar performance, making two moves in the mile and drawing away from the field late by three-and-a-half lengths and lowering her career mark by over three seconds. Dudley was watching on RTN from his daughter's home in Iowa. He was filled with excitement and was vigorously rooting "come on sweety" and was overcome with joy and pride after the big win. Five generations of Carey's were all celebrating Dudley's big win with him. He may have even enjoyed a cold beer during the celebrations too, as Curtis notes he often will do after the races at the fair. Part of the fifth generation, Kolton Hauser, got the opportunity to go his first training mile with this mare earlier this year, extending the joy she has brought to Keith out to the new Carey generations too. Curtis Carey reinforced the idea that, no matter what, this mare is not going anywhere. "Grandpa can keep her going as long as wants or is able to, and then we will breed her later on and keep the legacy going". Rumour has it that Dudley may want to let her stay at Running Aces for at least one more start. After her performance today, it's likely she won't be a longshot on her next go-round, and she'll have plenty of people rooting for her to win one more for "Dudley". He'll be proud of her no matter how she does. And he'll be ready to welcome her back to the farm so he can take care of her. As daughter Nancy Carey noted "she keeps him young and keeps him happy." (Running Aces) 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. Press Release 9 September 2020 The average occupancy level at Scandic's hotels went up during June and July before decreasing slightly in August. Scandic today estimates that the occupancy rate will be 30-35 percent in September leading to expected occupancy of around 35 percent for the third quarter. Advertisements Scandic's average occupancy rate was 42 percent in July and 34 percent in August, with significant variations in the company's hotel portfolio. In general, the hotels with the highest occupancy were those in smaller towns, while demand in the big cities is still very weak. Norway was the Nordic market with the highest level of activity during the summer. During the period July-August, occupancy exceeded 30 percent in all markets. There has been a gradual increase in booking activity since the end of August, but due to the continued high element of rebookings and cancellations, the increased booking activity has not yet led to increased occupancy. Based on the current booking rate, the occupancy level for September is estimated to reach 30-35 percent leading to expected occupancy of around 35 percent for the third quarter as a whole. Guests are continuing to book with short lead-times and market development in the coming months will depend largely on the level of activity among corporate customers. Scandic expects occupancy to increase gradually during the autumn as activity levels in the larger cities are expected to recover from a very low level. In the beginning of September, approximately 95 percent of Scandic's total room capacity was open. As anticipated, the level of activity increased during the summer mainly due to domestic tourism. It's important, however, to emphasize that the way things develop during the rest of the year will largely depend on our corporate customers. Covid-19 will likely impact our industry for a long time to come, so we need to ensure profitability at lower occupancy levels than before, says Jens Mathiesen, President & CEO of Scandic Hotels Group. Scandic expects adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter to be impacted positively by direct government support, excluding aid for furloughed team members, of at least 300 MSEK, attributable to the company's Swedish, Danish and Norwegian operations. Scandic estimates that an average occupancy level of around 40 percent is normally needed to achieve break-even based on adjusted EBITDA, excluding government support. During the first half-year, Scandic carried out substantial cost-reduction measures and further actions are planned. Part of this work is the dialogue with our landlords regarding temporary rent reductions for 2020. To further adjust costs, staff reductions are being implemented in Norway and Denmark. The restructuring cost for this is estimated to amount to approximately 70 MSEK and will be reported in the third quarter. Scandic has a clear ambition to exceed its adjusted EBITDA margin target of 11 percent over time, even with RevPAR and occupancy rates below 2019 levels. Scandic's Interim Report for the third quarter will be published on November 3 at 07:30 CET. This information is information that Scandic Hotels Group AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 08.00 CET on September 9, 2020 More than five lakh dubious entries of farmers on the beneficiaries list of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme has surfaced in Tamil Nadus northern and western districts. These ineligible beneficiaries have caused the exchequer a loss of over Rs 110 Crore. However, the state agriculture department claimed that they have recovered around Rs 32 Crore so far. The department ordered a detailed inquiry in the matter after several false beneficiaries were found on the list. Responding to the scam, Agriculture Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi on Tuesday said that the state has arrested 18 people in connection with the case, while three assistant directors in the department have been suspended, action has been initiated against 34 officials and 80 officials who were working on contracts were dismissed. The epicentre of the scam is Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts, he added. Thorough investigations are underway by the CB-CID teams in Cuddalore, Salem, Kallakurichi, Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai districts. Reportedly, miscreants used the login and password details of an official from the Agriculture department to upload fake entries in the portal and collected Rs.6,000 for each fake entry. Most of the fake entries were made during the lockdown phase especially from June this year when the left out farmers were given the option to file an online application to avail the scheme, Bedi said. Even people living in places like Ambattur, Maduravoyal, and Tiruvottiyur which come under the Greater Chennai Corporation have availed the scheme even though these places have no records of agricultural lands, he added. While Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has assured action against those involved in the irregularities, DMK has ordered a CBI probe into the PM Kissan scam. A homicide investigation is underway in Sylacauga after a man was found dead of a shotgun wound outside his home Tuesday, police said Wednesday. Police were called Tuesday to the 1000 block of Odena Road South to investigate a report of a person shot, said Sylacauga police Lt. Willis Whatley. When they arrived, they found Frslandez L. Cook, 52, dead of a gunshot wound. The incident is being investigated as a homicide, Whatley said. Cooks body was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science in Montgomery for an autopsy. Anyone with information on the shooting was as to call the Sylacauga Police Department Investigations Division at 256-401-2464. People who wish to remain anonymas can call the departments tip line at 256-249-4716. Photo: The Canadian Press The federal government is creating a new national program to help Black Canadians get business loans with national banks. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Black Canadians and put a spotlight on inequality in Canada. The new program will include $53 million for Black business organization to help entrepreneurs access funding, mentorship, financial planning and business training. Another $6.5 million will go to collect data on the state of Black entrepreneurship and identify the barriers preventing Black Canadians from succeeding in business. Ottawa and eight major financial institutions are also creating a loan program to fund Black entrepreneurs with loans between $25,000 and $250,000. Support for Black businesses was one of the requests in a June letter penned by the Parliamentary Black Caucus calling on governments across Canada to immediately address systemic racism. WARSAW, Poland - The leading opposition candidate in Belarus disputed presidential election said Wednesday that the political tension in her country should be solved internally, by the Belarusian people, but she did not exclude the need for future international mediation. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya made the remarks at an international economic forum in Poland, a European Union member nation which has supported demands for political change in neighbouring Belarus during a month of post-election protests. The presidential election is widely seen as having been rigged. Official results gave the authoritarian and pro-Russia leader of Belarus, Aleksander Lukashenko, a sixth term with 80% of the vote to Tsikhanouskayas 10%. Protesters are seeking his resignation. .Tsikhanouskaya and other opposition leaders have called for a dialogue with the government and a new election. Tsikhanouskaya, who placed second in the election, said Belarusians are grateful to foreign countries for their support but continued, We ask all countries, also Russia, to respect the sovereignty of our country because this is our internal, sovereign matter. If a dialogue proves not possible, then maybe, in the future, we will ask other countries to act as mediators in our talks with our authorities and it will be an open request, she said. She said the reformed Belarus the opposition is fighting for would want to have good relations with all nations, including Russia, with which Belarus has close economic ties. We cannot turn away from Russia because it will always be our neighbour, and we need to have good relations with them, Tsikhanouskaya said. Earlier Wednesday Tsikhanouskaya and other opposition leaders met for talks with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Morawiecki gave Tsikhanouskaya a symbolic key to a new Belarusian centre in Warsaw, saying that the Polish government wanted to provide Belarusians with a home while they continue their struggle for change. Belarusian House occupies a 1930s villa that in the past served as the French ambassadors residence and the Tunisian Embassy. We want all Belarusians to find their real, most wonderful home in Belarus as soon as possible, but we realistically know that this fight must also be fought and supported from somewhere else, he said. Tsikhanouskaya expressed gratitude for Polands support in this difficult time for Belarus. President Lukashenko has no mandate anymore. We cannot treat him as a president, we cannot entrust the future of our country in his hands, she said, stressing that a new election is needed. Amid the turmoil in Belarus, Poland and Lithuania have played key roles in supporting the Belarusian opposition, supplying Belarusians with news and information about the situation in the country and offering medical help to those hurt during massive street protests. Tsikhanouskaya moved to Lithuania a day after the vote, under pressure from authorities. Morawieckis government in past weeks announced a series of efforts to help, including providing scholarships and places at Polish universities for Belarusian students and academics. The prime minister and Tsikhanouskaya met with students at Warsaw University on Wednesday. Outside the university, they were loudly greeted by dozens of young Belarusians chanting Sviata president and other slogans. The young people had white and red flags with a coat of arms, which is not the official flag of Belarus but has appeared at anti-Lukashenko protests. ___ Follow all AP stories on the developments in Belarus at https://apnews.com/Belarus Dr. Susannah B. F. Paletz AI has the potential to support intelligence analysts... improving the efficiency and accuracy of their work. But, AI is not perfect. Like humans, it also can have inaccuracies and biases. Dr. Susannah B.F. Paletz, research professor at the University of Maryland College of Information Studies, through a $616,700 three-year grant from the Army Research Office (ARO), is leading a multi-institutional, majority-female research team examining technology-enhanced intelligence analysis. ARO is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Commands Army Research Laboratory. The researchers are examining how human intelligence analysts and artificial intelligence (AI) can collaboratively become an effective team. AI has the potential to support intelligence analysts in reviewing potentially hundreds of thousands of source documents, pulling out key findings, and assembling them into actionable intelligence. AI can also aid in the exchange of information and analysis among intelligence team members improving the efficiency and accuracy of their work. But, AI is not perfect. Like humans, it also can have inaccuracies and biases. The project involves foundational research on team cognition to understand how AI and humans can work together, not just how AI can increase efficiency, which is key to creating a system where human intelligence analysts can benefit from and place appropriately-calibrated trust in AI technology. The female led, majority-female team will soon recruit additional project support from undergraduate students. They are interested in students who are U.S. citizens, and will particularly encourage female and minority students to apply. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The research team also includes: Dr. Adam Porter, Co-PI, Professor at the UMD Department of Computer Science and Executive and Scientific Director of the Fraunhofer USA Center for Experimental Software Engineering (CESE) Dr. Madeline Diep, Senior Scientist at Fraunhofer USA CESE Jeronimo Cox, Software Developer at Fraunhofer USA CESE Tammie Nelson, PhD Student at the UMD College of Information Studies Melissa Carraway, PhD Student at the UMD College of Information Studies Sarah Vahlkamp, PhD Student at the UMD College of Information Studies Dr. Aimee Kane, Associate Professor at the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business at Duquesne University Dr. Susannah B.F. Paletz is also the PI of a research project for the U.S. Department of Defense, funded by a $1.5M Minerva Grant, that aims to better understand how emotion impacts re-sharing and viral reach of posts on Facebook and YouTube. Dr. Susannah Paletz is available to comment on this project. Please contact her at paletz@umd.edu. Omar Abdullah to vacate govt accommodation in Srinagar India pti-Madhuri Adnal Srinagar, Sept 9: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said he was voluntarily vacating the government accommodation provided to him 18 years ago due to the change in rules of entitlement in the union territory. Abdullah, who was a Lok Sabha member when the government accommodation in high security Gupkar area here was provided to him in 2002, released a letter on his Twitter handle that he had written in July this year. He had informed the Administrative secretary concerned about his decision to vacate the Gupkar residence that was alloted to him first in 2002 as Member of Parliament from Srinagar and then after taking over as chief minister of the erstwhile State from 2009 to 2015. Omar Abdullah slams IPL it plans to retain Chinese sponsors while people boycott their products "My letter to the J&K administration. I will be vacating my government accommodation in Srinagar before the end of October. The point to note is that contrary to stories planted in the media last year I received no notice to vacate & have chosen to do so of my own accord," he tweeted. The National Conference vice president said he is searching for a suitable accommodation which may take eight to 10 weeks in view of the constraints caused by the COVID pandemic. "Consequent upon the change in entitlements for former CMs of J&K some months ago, I now find myself in an unauthorized occupation of this accommodation as no attempt has been made to regularise the allotment to me on security or any other grounds.This is a situation that is unacceptable to me," he said. Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News Abdullah said he has never held on to any government property that he was not entitled to and "I have no intention to start now". Former chief ministers in erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State were entitled to government accommodation either in Jammu or Srinagar but this entitlement was withdrawn by the administration earlier this year. "We are customer-centric," said Joseph Klikas, Chief Experience Officer of The Custom Companies. "Our service to our customers defines everything we do as a company and how we organize ourselves. It's in our name." The company was introduced to DDC by an industry peer who also partners with the BPO provider. "We weren't in the market," explained Klikas, "but we always keep an open mind." The Custom Companies already had an impressive technology portfolio, but it struggled to maintain back office staff. BPO was a thought the company had entertained, but it wasn't until he met Chad Crotty, DDC's Vice President of Sales, when Klikas said he recognized that this was something they should pursue. The partnership began with an LTL billing program in January 2020. Despite a production rollout amid the onset of COVID-19, Klikas reported that the onboarding was excellent, as well as the handling of pandemic-induced volume fluctuations. "DDC was a huge relief for us right out of the gate," said Klikas. "The balance, the consistency, and the turn around time due to improved accuracy and speed of entry were all immediate benefits we could pass onto our customers." According to Klikas, the new speed of entry enabled The Custom Companies to cut hours out of linehaul schedule. "We can now promise customers shorter delivery times," he said. In addition, accuracy improvements directly impacted resource allocation. "We now average 99.81% accuracy," Klikas said. "This allows us to have greater confidence in our information, spend less money and less time on shipment correction, and dedicate more resources to serving our customers." The efficiency gains set a new standard for The Custom Companies. "They made our company better and allowed us to rethink other pieces of what we do," Klikas explained. As well as expanding its partnership with DDC to streamline other back office functions, The Custom Companies is going green and implementing electronic bills and digital signatures. This includes investing heavily in system connectivity for their carrier network and strategic EDI partnerships in order to improve visibility. "I give kudos to our staff as we have adapted to the challenges of the industry," said Klikas. "2020 has empowered us to think creatively and make strategic adjustments to ensure we remain competitive, strengthening our product and withstanding challenges." On behalf of DDC, Crotty explains that the positive experience is mutual: "Our goal is to always deliver for our partners and exceed their expectations, but working with Joe and the rest of The Custom Companies' team has been nothing short of first-class." About The Custom Companies The Custom Companies, Inc. is a "Full Service Transportation Company" committed to meeting shippers' needs by providing "World Class Service" with a hands-on personalized approach. Headquartered in Northlake, Illinois, The Custom Companies Inc. offers a complete range of Transportation Services including 50 State Less than Truckload (LTL), Domestic and International Air Freight, Dedicated Contract Cartage, Direct Mail Distribution Services, Expedited Ground Services, Hot Shot Services, Intermodal Services, Local Cartage, Logistics Management, Pick & Pack Services, and Full and Partial Truckload Services within North America. Our equipment offerings include Dry Vans, Temperature Controlled and Flat Bed Equipment. The Custom Companies Inc. has grown rapidly, thanks to our relationships with our Customers, who have afforded us the opportunity to become Partners in servicing their specific Transportation needs. To learn more, visit: http://www.customco.com About DDC FPO DDC FPO is a strategic business process outsourcing (BPO) partner for today's leading transportation and logistics providers, including 50% of the top less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers as ranked by revenue. As the freight-focused member company of The DDC Group a worldwide network of BPO experts and solutions DDC FPO is able to serve clients in 40 languages across North America, UK, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Solutions include data-based, goal-driven back office programs such as Freight Billing, Rate Auditing, POD Processing, Customs Brokerage Processing, and IT Outsourcing, among others. To learn more, visit: ddcfpo.com. SOURCE DDC FPO LLC Related Links http://ddcfpo.com Donald Trump said it would be an insult if Senator Kamala Harris became the first woman to be elected president, repeatedly mocking the Democratic vice presidential nominee at a North Carolina rally. People dont like her, Trump said after recounting her slide in polls while she was running for the Democratic nomination for president last year. Nobody likes her, he said in Winston-Salem, N.C. She could never be the first woman president. She could never be. That would be an insult to our country. Trump said his re-election opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, has now formed an unholy alliance with the radical left through Harris. You know whos further left than crazy Bernie? Trump asked, referring to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Kamala, he said, theatrically stretching out and mispronouncing her name three times in a row. Harris, Californias junior senator and a former attorney general of that state, is the first Black and Indian-American and Black woman on a on a major presidential party ticket. India, Australia and France on Wednesday held talks for the first time under a trilateral framework with focus on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a region that has been witnessing increasing Chinese military assertiveness. The virtual meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, secretary-general in French ministry for Europe and foreign affairs Franois Delattre and secretary in Australian department of foreign affairs Frances Adamson. The focus of the dialogue was on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. It said the outcome-oriented" meeting was held with the objective of building on the strong bilateral ties that the three countries share with each other and synergise their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region. The MEA said the three sides agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis. It said the three sides discussed economic and geo-strategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic responses to the crisis. The three countries also had an exchange on the priorities, challenges and trends in regional and global multilateral institutions, including the best ways to strengthen and reform multilateralism," the MEA said. The MEA said cooperation on marine global commons and potential areas for practical partnership at the trilateral and regional level were also discussed, including through regional organisations such as ASEAN, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Commission. The 10-nation ASEAN is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region. India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners. The IORA is a regional forum with a focus on enhancing maritime and economic cooperation. The members of the bloc include India, Australia, Bangladesh, Iran, Kenya, Comoros, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia and South Africa. The Border Security Force killed two Pakistani nationals trying to sneak into India through the International Border in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar sector in the early hours of Wednesday, an official said. IMAGE: BSF troops shot dead two intruders from Pakistan and recovered arms, drugs, and Rs 13,000 in Pak currency, in Sriganganagar on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI Photo The BSF recovered two pistols, Pakistani currency and eight kg heroin, among other things, from the intruders after the incident, they said. Early on Friday morning, two persons were seen approaching the fencing near Khyaliwala border post in Sri Ganganagar sector, Deputy Inspector General, Rajasthan Frontier, Madan Singh Rathore said. "The guards on patrol challenged them and asked them to return. They did not heed the warning and the patrol party fired at them," he said, adding that both the intruders were killed in the firing. The BSF recovered two pistols, some live cartridges and magazines, eight packets containing one kg heroin each, a night vision device and Pakistani currency worth Rs 13,000 from the intruders. On the basis of an identity card recovered from one of the intruders, he has been identified as Shahbaz Ali, Rathore said, adding that the other hasn't been identified yet. "We have initiated the process of handing over the bodies to Pakistani Rangers by holding a meeting with them," he said. This is the second such incident in a little over a month. A Pakistani national was shot dead by the BSF at the BKD border post in Barmer district's Bakhasar village on August 7 while he was trying to cross the fencing. Abidjan's zoo has been closed after a hyena escaped its cage and briefly wandered the streets of West Africa's economic capital, the Ivory Coast government said. "Abidjan National Zoo has been closed for an audit," the ministry of water and forests said in a statement late Tuesday. A hyena which had escaped from the rundown zoo that afternoon "was recaptured without difficulty and returned to its enclosure," it added. The hyena was seen walking between buildings and cars in the neighbouring district of Las Palmas, but did not attack anyone. The incident comes after images were posted on social media of a famished lion at the zoo, along with accusations of ill treatment. The ministry, which oversees the zoo, replaced its director last year and launched a programme of refurbishment. "There has been a series of events and problems," a ministry spokesman told AFP. "We have closed the zoo for an audit which should last a month. We hope to get support from international partners but we are going to continue the (refurbishment) work. The audit should provide us with further information," the spokesman said. The zoo says it has 350 animals, mainly lions and elephants. Before the closure, it was regularly visited by schoolchildren and featured on tourism guides despite its battered installations. Donald Trump took a hard shot at Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, saying nobody likes her and declaring it would be an insult to our country if she one day became the first female American president. Ka-ma-la, the president said over and over during a campaign rally at an airport in Winston-Salem in battleground North Carolina, saying she is farther left than progressive hero Senator Bernie Sanders. Ka-ma-la. Ka-ma-la," he said as a crowd of supporters laughed and cheered. As he moves the state of the US economy to a secondary issue, Mr Trump said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden opposes law enforcement and supports rioters and looters causing trouble in major US cities during protests against racial inequality. Mr Trump is selling himself as the law-and-order candidate in the race, contending we don't have crimes, we don't have violence in cities run by Republican officials. The former vice president, however, has condemned violent actors within the inequality protests, including the Antifa group. Mr Trump leaves that out of his rally remarks, though he did say Mr Biden has been talking tougher in recent days. In another apparent false statement, Mr Trump declared of his southern border barrier: Mexico is paying for the wall." By all accounts, US taxpayers are funding it though the president contends his new trade pact with that country and Canada has provisions designed so that Mexico sends dollars north to offset the cost of the barrier. In yet another, he charged Mr Biden with seeking to end fracking even though the former VP said in recent days he has no intention to do so, if elected. But the economy is finding a bigger and bigger place in the presidents campaign message, especially as the unemployment rate fell below 9 per cent in August as more and more areas open their economies amid the coronavirus pandemic. Saying there might have been 15,000 people at the regional airport a small version of Air Force One touched down at for the event just before 7pm, Mr Trump was sure to make a direct plea to North Carolina workers affected by changes in the economy. Joe Biden has spent the last 40 years sending North Carolina jobs to China, he said to boos. If Biden wins, China wins. He accused Mr Biden, while a senator, of supporting a stronger China. And he asked the crowd about the coronavirus, which originated there: I wonder if they sent it on purpose, what do you think? The crowd let out a cheer, seemingly in the affirmative. But, as he often does, the populist president distorted his own record. "We've never had so many jobs," he said even though the country has fewer jobs on payrolls now than the day he was sworn in. Mr Trump also again said most polls of the presidential race are inaccurate. Though he said he is unsure if folks lying about supporting him makes him feel good, the braggadocious Mr Trump said that alleged widespread reluctance could bring him a virtual landslide come November. He hit every major theme of his revised re-election message within the first half hour of being on stage. Watch those ballots, he said, expressing unease with Democrats watching this stuff, meaning state leaders from the opposition party who are state chiefs executive or hold positions overseeing elections. Your state should be open Mr Trump roared that your state should be open, and urged his supporters to oust Democratic Gov Roy Cooper, who has defied the White Houses demands to fully open his economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The president touched down in North Carolina after first visiting another battleground state, Florida. Collectively, the two have 44 Electoral College votes as he and Mr Biden seek the magic 270-mark. Neither candidate is doing much to mask their strategies. For the presidents part, he made his seventh visit to North Carolina this year alone and thats despite his travel freeze during the early weeks and months of the coronavirus pandemic. (He has made 11 trips to Florida, perhaps the most important battleground on his small handful of paths to a second term and home to his Mar-a-Lago resort that doubles as a sometimes-weekend retreat.) Though he slipped into his now-familiar rally persona in the Tar Heel state, Mr Trump mostly stuck to the script in Florida while announcing an order he signed there extending bans on offshore drilling around the Sunshine and two neighboring states, including potential battleground Georgia. But at his first stop of the day, Mr Trump found time to take a jab or two at Mr Biden. He called the longtime Delaware senator and former vice president all talk when it comes to protecting the environment. Despite a Brookings Institution analysis showing nearly 75 environmental protections he has rolled back since taking office, Mr Trump told Florida voters he is the most environmentally friendly president since Theodore Roosevelt even though the think tanks analysis suggests otherwise. The Trump administration has been particularly focused on rolling back actions intended to deal with climate change, according to Brookings. The United States stands alone among major emitters in the world in its efforts to repudiate the agreement and cannot officially withdraw until the day after the 2020 election in November. Changed his mind Still, the president who sells himself as a political streetfighter appeared to suggest he is willing to take on Democrats on the climate crisis and environment as the campaign heads for its finish. The left's agenda isn't about protecting the environment, it's about punishing America, and that's true. Instead of focusing on radical ideology, my administration is focused on delivering real results, and that's what we have, he said in Jupiter, Florida. And we right now have the cleanest air we've ever had in this country, let's say over the last 40 years because I assume 200 years ago is probably better. He used the line to also criticise the news media, momentarily morphing into campaign mode: So I do want to preface that because the fake news is back there. When I say the cleanest air we've ever had over a 40- year period is that okay? A couple of hundred years ago, I would imagine it was pretty good, right? But as he took a campaign break, the Democratic nominee accused Mr Trump of election-year hypocrisy on the offshore drilling issue. "Just months ago, Donald Trump was planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida, Mr Biden tweeted. Now, with 56 days until the election, he conveniently says that he changed his mind. Unbelievable. You don't have to guess where I stand: I oppose new offshore drilling. But as night fell in Winston-Salem, Mr Trump issued warning after warning about a possible Biden administration, saying before returning to Air Force One: You better elect me, North Carolina. NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio -- The first round of CARES Act funding required communities to use the federal money for COVID-19-related expenses. In North Olmsted, that includes providing all residents with a free reusable mask. The giveaway, scheduled for Sept. 16-19 at various schools and at the local JoAnn Fabrics store, required North Olmsted City Council to recently approve two $8,000 mask-related ordinances. Im excited that City Council did this project together, said Ward 4 Councilwoman Mary Ellen Hemann, who introduced the ordinance. "With the first approval, we were able to purchase close to 4,500 masks through the JoAnn Fabrics buy-one-get-one-free program. Thats what we have available at the moment, with another $8,000 release ready should we need it. So, if on the first day of handing out masks we go through half of what we have, we can quickly order additional inventory so we dont run out toward the end of the distribution period," she said. A partnership among the city, North Olmsted City Schools and JoAnn Fabrics, the four-day giveaway takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at Maple Intermediate School, Sept. 17 at Chestnut Intermediate School and Sept. 18 at North Olmsted Middle School, as well as from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 19 at the JoAnn Fabrics store located in the Great Northern Plaza. Finding child-size masks for our kids is sometimes challenging and more expensive than the one-size-fits-all adult masks, North Olmsted City Schools Superintendent Michael Zalar said in a press release. When Councilwoman Hemann approached us with this effort to provide child- and adult-sized masks for residents of all ages across the city, it was natural to partner with City Council to make our neighborhood schools the distribution centers. City Council President Nicole Dailey Jones said the citys effort will ensure that residents in need will get a mask. Its also being done in such a way that the money will not be wasted on product that wont get used, Jones said. One of the governments most basic functions is to provide protection and services to residents," she said. "This is a tangible way we can use federal tax dollars to directly benefit residents of our city. Ward 2 Councilman Chris Glassburn, who helped make PPE this spring with the Maple PTA + Makers for Medics operation, credited JoAnn Fabrics for partnering with the city and schools. Depending on interest, Hemann didnt rule out the city tapping into more of its CARES Act funding for additional masks, which she stressed play an important role in the community. The message is we want you to be able to go about your lives as you can, Hemann said. The State of Ohio has a mandate that masks have to be worn indoors. This is what the CARES Act is for, to make residents comfortable and safe when visiting the rec center facility and stores, as well as running errands. Read more news from the Sun Post Herald. Reliance Jio could launch over 100 million low-cost entry-level smartphones by December or early January. Reliance Jio wants to upgrade 2G users to a 4G network. Reliance Jio could launch over 100 million low-cost entry-level smartphones by December or early January, according to a new report. The newly minted Jio Platforms received an investment of Rs 33,737 crores by Google in July which also saw Google and Jio collaborate to develop budget entry-level smartphones running Android for over 350 million 2G subscribers. According to a report by Business Standard that cites sources in the know, Reliance Jio is planning to outsource smartphone manufacturing with an aim to produce over 100 million entry-level affordable smartphones in India and launch it by the end of December of early-January 2021. The report also states that Jio has already approached home-grown smartphone manufacturers like Lava as well as top global manufacturers including Foxconn and Wistron. These affordable smartphone developed by Jio and Google are also expected to come bundled with data packs out-of-the-box. This move by Jio isnt surprising as the company has already confirmed that it will be developing affordable phones for the existing 2G subscribers who use feature phones and upgrade them to 4G network. India is still home to over 350 million 2G users but the average cost of a 4G smartphone is still over Rs 4,000 which is where Jio aims to strike a balance with its affordable phones made for first-time smartphone users. These users on 2G networks are either with Vi (Vodafone-Idea), Airtel and state-owned BSNL. Reliance wants to ensure that when the existing 2G subscribers upgrade to a smartphone or 4G network, there are affordable options available with Jio to entice people to choose Jio over other telcos. Reliance Jios foray into the smartphone segment happened with the JioPhone back in July 2017 and was followed by the JioPhone 2 in July 2018. With the two feature phones, Jio was able to attract over 100 million users, however, now users on feature phones also want to jump on the smartphone bandwagon. Reliance has raised more than Rs 152,000 crores under its digital arm Jio Platforms from various companies and investment firms such as Facebook, Google, Silver Lake, Qualcomm, to name a few. Recently, Vodafone-Idea announced its new brand identity with the launch of Vi, as the companies finished the merger that was announced three years ago. Click here to know more about Reliance Jio mobile prepaid plans. WARREN, Mich. - Joe Biden travelled to suburban Detroit on Wednesday to make a direct appeal to blue-collar workers who might have voted Republican four years ago but now regret it attempting to rebuild the once fabled Democratic blue wall that crumbled and helped catapult Donald Trump to the White House. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden ducks his head as he boards a plane at Harrisburg International Airport in Middletown, Pa., Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) WARREN, Mich. - Joe Biden travelled to suburban Detroit on Wednesday to make a direct appeal to blue-collar workers who might have voted Republican four years ago but now regret it attempting to rebuild the once fabled Democratic blue wall that crumbled and helped catapult Donald Trump to the White House. The former vice-president's first coronavirus-era campaign trips beyond his home in Delaware have been to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, an indication of how closely Bidens electoral prospects are tied to winning back those formerly reliably Democratic states. Biden pledged to rewrite tax codes to reward U.S. companies that invest in domestic manufacturing while imposing penalties on those that send jobs to other countries. He spoke outside a United Auto Workers regional office in Warren, flanked by an array of U.S.-made cars including Fords, Jeeps and Chevrolets. Im not looking to punish American businesses but theres a better way, Biden said. Make it in Michigan. Make it in America. Invest in our communities and the workers in places like Warren. He noted that a local General Motors transmission plant closed last year despite Trump's pledges to protect Michigan jobs, adding, I bet the workers around here werent all that comforted by Trumps empty promises. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden arrives to board a plane at New Castle Airport in New Castle, Del., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, en route to campaign events in Michigan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Under Donald Trump, Michigan lost auto jobs even before COVID hit," Biden said. And what about offshoring? Has Trump delivered on stopping companies from shipping American jobs overseas? You already know the answer. Of course not. Later Wednesday, Biden visited a clothing shop in a predominantly Black neighbourhood of Detroit. Last week, he went to Wisconsin and was followed quickly by running mate Kamala Harris, who held Labor Day events there. Biden hit Pennsylvania during the holiday and will be back on Friday. Trump is countering with his own trip to Michigan on Thursday and flies to Pennsylvania himself the following day. Though the Biden campaign often emphasizes that it sees multiple ways to secure the 270 Electoral College votes it needs to win in November, the quickest path runs through Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. If Biden wins any of them but particularly any two, with some of the other states that are in play its pretty impossible for Trump to win the Electoral College, said veteran Democratic strategist Joe Trippi. Bidens aides believe his focus on the economy and Trumps handling of the coronavirus will resonate with key voters nationwide but particularly in states like Michigan, which took one of the sharpest hits nationally from the pandemic. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden waves as he steps off a plane at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. Biden is attending campaign events in Michigan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) The state's unemployment rate spiked at 24% in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It has since recovered to 8.7%, but Michigan has nearly 414,500 fewer jobs than it did when Trump was inaugurated. Previewing the president's own Michigan trip, the Trump campaign looked to paint Biden as deferential on China. Trump's allies have long credited his hawkish stance toward Beijing in 2016 as helping him win the industrial Midwest, which suffered job losses overseas that Trump blamed on Obama-era trade policies. Bidens record in Washington speaks for itself: he has bowed down to the Chinese communist regime, said Michigan Republican Rep Jack Bergman. Trump aides have frequently repeated claims about Bidens ties to China, but that's proven problematic in light of Trumps own kind words for that country earlier this year at the start of the pandemic. They also have also ignored the Obama-Biden administrations efforts to save the American automotive industry, based in Michigan, after 2008s recession. Biden stressed the Obama White House's efforts to revive the auto industry 12 years ago and said Wednesday that Trump has "failed our economy and our country. He also promised to create a Made in America office within the White House Office of Management and Budget to ensure government projects use resources made domestically. Trump supporters maintain that the president fulfilled his job creation promises and was only temporarily sidetracked by the pandemic. But hiring at factories across the Midwest including in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin actually began to stall and then decline in the summer of 2019. Trump won Michigan by the narrowest margin of any state in 2016 fewer than 11,000 votes and Democrats made huge gains there in the midterms, winning every major statewide office and a handful of congressional seats as well. Indeed, Democrats see reasons for optimism in the party's gains during the 2018 midterms in all three states, which were powered in part by an exodus of suburban women from the GOP. And they believe that a stronger emphasis on minority turnout with Harris, the first African-American woman on a major ticket, focused heavily on Black voters in key states will help Biden make up some of the ground Clinton lost in 2016. After his speech in Warren, Biden stopped by a Three Thirteen clothing store in Detroit, posed for pictures and picked up a handful of shirts stenciled with Detroit made me, which he suggested he'd buy for his grandchildren. Michigan Democratic Rep. Brenda Lawrence was among those on-hand. 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 campaigns taking it more seriously from the start than national Democrats did four years ago, said Amy Chapman, who worked as Barack Obamas Michigan state director in 2008. They started doing advertising earlier than they did last cycle last cycle they were only up at the very end and the ads show what Biden would do, as well as showing a contrast with Trump. The Biden campaign is heavily outspending the Trump campaign on-air in all three states. Since Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee in early April, his campaign has spent about $59.8 million to the Trump campaigns nearly $26.8 million across the states, according to the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG. The difference is starkest in Michigan, where the Biden campaign has spent $17.2 million to Trumps $6.7 million. For future spending, however, the two come about even, with Biden reserving $33.5 million on air and Trump reserving $32.7 million across all three states. Trump and Biden will both be in Pennsylvania on Friday at a Sept. 11 memorial in Shanksville, the site of the 2001 crash of United Flight 93. ___ Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; Jonathan Lemire in New York; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa; and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report. UPDATED at 3:25 P.M. EDT on 2020-09-09 Two Myanmar soldiers who deserted their army posts and were held captive by the rebel Arakan Army are now in the custody of the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands after admitting that they committed atrocities against Rohingya Muslims three years ago, a human rights group said Tuesday. The two privates were in battalions that were active in northern Rakhine state during military-led clearance operations against Rohingya civilians in 2016 and 2017, during which thousands were killed and roughly 840,000 others fled to neighboring Bangladesh where they now live in massive displacement camps. The rare public confessions of soldiers followed witness accounts of military-led campaigns of violence targeting Rohingya communities in northern Rakhine state, which included torture, mass rape, indiscriminate killings, and arson, prompting criminal cases to be filed at the ICC and other international courts. Privates Myo Win Tun, 33, from Light Infantry Battalion No. 565 and Zaw Naing Tun, 30, from Light Infantry Battalion No. 353 confessed in video interviews to killing villagers during operations in Rohingya communities in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, according to a statement issued Tuesday by Southeast Asia-based Fortify Rights, which obtained and reviewed the recordings. The Arakan Army filmed Zaw Naing Tuns confession on July 8 and Myo Win Tuns confession on July 23, Fortify Rights said. Myo Win Tun said he was involved in killing Rohingya women, men, and children, and committed rape in Taung Bazar village and surrounding communities in Buthidaung township in September 2017, the statement said. Zaw Naing Tun also said he participated in killings, buried bodies in mass graves, and committed other crimes against Rohingyas in five villages in Maungdaw township during the 2017 crackdown, it said. The soldiers, who said they had acted on orders from senior commanders, implicated 19 perpetrators from the Myanmar Army, including themselves, and six senior commanders including a lieutenant colonel, a colonel, and three captains who allegedly ordered or contributed to atrocities against the Rohingya. The orders were to exterminate all Rohingya, to shoot all that you see and that you hear, and to kill all Rohingya in specific areas, Fortify Rights said. Based on their video testimonies, both soldiers could be directly responsible for killing up to 180 Rohingya civilians, the rights group said. RFA has not seen the video interviews and cannot independently verify the soldiers accounts. Myo Win Tun, and Zaw Naing Tun showed up on the Bangladesh border in mid-August and asked Bangladeshi authorities for protection, Fortify Rights said. They were transferred to The Hague after authorities notified the ICC, The New York Times reported Tuesday. RFA was unable to reach the ICC, Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun, or government spokesman Zaw Htay for comment on the matter. Army bullying of minorities Private Myo Win Tun describes his involvement in the killings of several Rohingya civilians during the militarys clearance operation in 2017. By the order of Colonel Than Htike from the 15th Military Operation Command, I was involved in killing 30 Muslims, innocent men, women and children, and burying them in one grave in Taung Bazar village in Buthidaung township, Myo Win Tun said in the video. He goes on to say that he was arrested while sleeping at the Mohnyin train station in Kachin state and coerced to join the Myanmar military. I was bullied and racially discriminated against by Burmese officers because I am member of Shanni ethnic group, he said. And I had requested leaving, but they didnt allow that. Thats why I have deserted and run away from Myanmar military forces. Rights activist Nickey Diamond from Fortify Rights told RFA on Tuesday that the confessions by Myo Win Tun and Zaw Naing Tun are credible because their statements match records, reports, and testimonies from survivors and witnesses to the specific atrocities. After all examinations, we have concluded that the confessions of these two soldiers are credible, so we released the statement, he said. Fatou Bensouda (L), top prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, sits in one of the body's courtrooms at The Hague, the Netherlands, July 8, 2019. Credit: AFP A monumental moment AA spokesman Khine Thukha did not directly answer RFA questions about how the soldiers were shifted from AA custody to that of the ICC, but said that the rebel group has cooperated with the international community in order to find the truth and to fight against injustice in Rakhine state. These two soldiers are deserters from the Myanmar military, he said. They came to our troops after they deserted. We have interviewed them about what they had experienced on the ground and recorded them. We have released the recorded video of their testimonies. In early June, when RFA asked Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun about the video, he dismissed it as a fabrication created by the AA, suggesting that anyone in AA custody would say anything they were forced to say. Fortify Rights called on the ICC to quickly prosecute the two soldiers and provide witness protection for them. This is a monumental moment for Rohingya and the people of Myanmar in their ongoing struggle for justice, said Matthew Smith, the groups chief executive officers, in a statement. These men could be the first perpetrators from Myanmar tried at the ICC, and the first insider witnesses in the custody of the court. We expect prompt action, he said. Rights groups have collected extensive evidence of atrocities, survivor and witness accounts, and satellite images of burned villages indicating the extent of military-led clearance operations in Rohingya villages. In a report issued in September 2019, a U.N.-backed Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar found signs of genocidal intent in the 2017 crackdown and presented critical evidence that government security forces committed atrocities and serious crimes under international law. The ICC, which tries individuals, in November authorized an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity perpetrated by Myanmar soldiers against the Rohingya. Myanmar also faces genocide-related charges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the U.N.s top court, which settles disputes between nations. At an ICJ hearing last December, Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the countrys defense, defended the militarys actions against the Rohingya, saying they occurred during operations to sweep northern Rakhine of Muslim insurgents who had attacked police. She also asked the ICJ to drop the case. In January, the ICJ ordered Myanmar to prevent the killing or serious injury of the Rohingya, ensure that the military does not conspire to commit genocide, maintain evidence related to allegations, and file periodic reports about its compliance with the measures until the court issues a final decision on the case. Canada and the Netherlands last week issued a statement in support of the case at the ICJ brought by The Gambia against Myanmar. The Gambias application shows the discrimination and persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar, which created the conditions for Myanmars security forces to perpetrate targeted and systemic atrocities against the Rohingya, the two countries said in a statement. In bringing this application to the ICJ, The Gambia took a laudable step towards ending impunity for those committing atrocities in Myanmar and upholding this pledge, they said. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that there were two different confession videos. Dr. Kenneth Mattox, one of the last major figures associated with Houstons emergence as one of the worlds elite medical centers, is stepping down as Ben Taub Hospitals chief of staff after three decades in the job. Mattox, a nationally recognized trauma expert who championed indigent care in Houston and trained thousands of doctors, announced the move in a series of tweets looking back on a tenure that included working with U.S. presidents and Middle Eastern royalty and spearheading the 2005 Astrodome relief operations for 25,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees from New Orleans. It is the 60 years (almost to the day) that I have so much enjoyed teaching, research, policy, operations, critical care, new approaches, better ways, said Mattox, a Houston fixture since he enrolled at Baylor College of Medicine in 1960. I am tremendously proud of the thousands of global and local health leaders we have aided in their training and positioning. Mattox, 82, will remain chief of staff until the completion of a national search for a replacement. He will remain a Baylor professor. He has been one Texas Medical Centers more colorful personalities at times irascible, often outspoken a figure nearly as visible over the years as Michael E. DeBakey, Denton Cooley and James Red Duke, all of whom died in recent years. Mattox trained under DeBakey in the late 1960s, observed Cooley implant the first artificial heart and competed and collaborated with Duke, his trauma surgeon counterpart at Memorial Hermann. Mattox series of tweets included a 2005 photo of him in a meeting with former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and a not-yet-President Barack Obama. Characteristically, he lamented that his advice there on public health care strategy and delivery was not taken. In another tweet, Mattox touted his longevity, noting that in his 31 years as chief of staff, he encountered seven Harris Health System CEOs, eight Ben Taub administrators, seven Baylor presidents and eight Baylor chairs of surgery. More than anyone else, he has been the face of Ben Taub. The tweet also estimated that Mattox has operated upon or supervised the operations of 70,000 Ben Taub patients. Most of those involved trauma, where Mattox forged a worldwide reputation as an innovator. One technique he developed bears his name: the Mattox Maneuver. His textbook, Trauma, is an international academic bestseller, now in its 8th edition. According to a Baylor bio, he frequently receives emails from doctors in war zones who refer to his little book Top Knife as their Bible in the operating room. Mattoxs tweets drew appreciative responses from hundreds of colleagues and former trainees, many from other parts of the globe. They referred to him as a legend or icon, others expressed gratitude they learned things the Mattox Way. Dr. Mattoxs dedication to the college and to Ben Taub Hospital is unparalleled, Dr. Paul Klotman, Baylors president, emailed employees in announcing the move. He has mentored students, residents and faculty for decades and was a force in the field of trauma surgery. Mattox has been named among the Best Surgeons in America five times. For the past 47 years, hes organized the conference Trauma: Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery at Caesars Palace casino in Las Vegas, which annually attracts over 1,000 surgeons from around the world. Mattox is the second Texas Medical Center giant to announce he is leaving a top post this summer. In late August, Dr. Stanley Appel said he plans to step down as Houston Methodist Hospitals head of neurology, a post hes held since 1977. Appel, 87, considered one of the worlds leading ALS researchers, will become director of Methodists new Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics. The center will explore cell therapies for cancer, heart disease and organ failure as well as ALS and other neurological diseases. todd.ackerman@chron.com 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. The Russian pipe laying vessel Akademik Cherskiy moored in the port of Mukran, as calls grow for Germany to halt Nord Stream 2. Photo: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images The German government has still not reached a decision regarding any potential sanctions on the Russian natural gas pipeline in the wake of the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Berlin has been under increasing pressure to call a halt to the 10bn (9bn, $12bn) Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline running from Russia to the German coast, after Navalny, a critic of president Vladimir Putin was poisoned by the Russian nerve agent Novichok last month. Navalny was airlifted to Berlins Charite hospital for treatment last month. He was taken out of an induced coma and is showing signs of responsiveness this week, doctors said on Monday (7 September). Last week, chancellor Angela Merkel said in a press conference that there was unequivocal evidence that Navalny had been poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, describing it as attempted murder by poison of one of Russia's leading opposition members. Since then, pressure has increased on Merkel from lawmakers, including from her party, the Christian Democrats, to take a strong stand against the Kremlin by killing the project. Merkels spokesman said on Monday that the chancellor had not ruled out sanctions on Nord Stream 2. Today, Merkels deputy spokesperson said that the German government was still awaiting information, or an explanation, from Russia, and was still discussing a suitable joint-response with its EU and Nato partners. READ MORE: Calls grow for Germany to halt Nord Stream 2 after Putin opponent poisoned Earlier on Wednesday, Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Germany must halt construction on the project, as it strengthens Russia's power, helps president Putin to build a military power, helps to intimidate other nations. "We have Germany on our western border without which this project does not make sense, Morawiecki told public radio. I call on them to see what is happening in Belarus, what is happening in Ukraine, how much risk the completion of this project will generate in Ukraine. Story continues The pipeline, running from Narva Bay in Russia to Lubmin in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, is about 160km (99 miles) out of a total of 1,200km away from the German coast, and completion. A vehicle transports a pipe for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to a storage yard at the port of Mukran on Rugen island. Photo: Jens Buttner/picture alliance via Getty Images Nord Stream 2 has repeatedly come under attack from US president Donald Trump, who vowed sanctions against companies and investors involved in the project. Trump has warned it will make Western Europe to too dependent on Russian energy, but he is also keen to sell more US Liquefied Natural Gas into Europe. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in July this year that companies involved could face sanctions under a revision to the 2017 CAATSA (Countering Americas Adversaries through Sanctions) law. "Its a clear warning to companies aiding and abetting Russias malign influence projects will not be tolerated, Pompeo said. Get out now or risk the consequences. Nord Stream 2 is majority owned by Russian state energy firm Gazprom. Wintershall, Uniper (UN01.DE), and Royal Dutch Shell (RDS-A) are some of the other key companies involved. Uniper said its first-half report in August that with the US intensifying their efforts on targeted sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project, the probability of a delay or even non-completion of the pipeline is increasing. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Thin Lei Win (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Rome, Italy Wed, September 9, 2020 09:50 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43a5623 2 World multinational-companies,emission,CO2,environment,climate-change,carbon-dioxide,footprint Free The global supply chains of multinational companies such as BP, Coca-Cola and Walmart are responsible for nearly a fifth of climate-changing carbon dioxide emissions, according to a new study. But the businesses outsource many of these emissions to poorer parts of the world by investing in production in developing countries, said researchers from University College London and China's Tianjin University. Dabo Guan, the study's co-author, called the work the "first quantitative evidence" on the investment flows and carbon footprints of multinational enterprises (MNEs). "The results were quite shocking. For many large companies, emissions from their supply chains ... (are) larger than the emissions of many countries," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. For example, emissions from the supply chain producing Coca-Cola products is almost equivalent to what China emits in its food sector to feed 1.3 billion people, he said. Similarly, foreign affiliates of Walmart emit more than Germany's retail sector while Samsung's emissions around the world are higher than all electronic manufacturers in India, Thailand and Vietnam, the study found. A spokesperson for Walmart, the world's biggest retailer, said the company is aiming to avoid one billion metric tons (a gigaton) of emissions from its global value chain by 2030 through an initiative called Project Gigaton. Since 2017, more than 2,300 suppliers from 50 countries have avoided 230 million metric tons of emissions through improvements in areas such as energy, waste and packaging, the spokeswoman told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Coca-Cola, BP and Samsung did not respond to e-mails seeking comment. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas responsible for rising temperatures. Increased concentrations of such gases have already led to an hike in average global temperature of about 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. Scientists warn that failure to curb the still-growing emissions could lead to crises from food and water shortages to worsening weather disasters and sea level rise. Investment by MNEs in developing countries "has the effect of reducing developed countries' emissions while placing a greater emissions burden on poorer countries," lead author Zengkai Zhang, of Tianjin University, said in a statement. The study, which looked at data from 2005 to 2016, was published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change and said multinational companies' foreign investments accounted for 18.7% of total global carbon emissions in 2016. The authors said emissions should be assigned to the countries that provide the investment in producing products rather than the countries where they are made to make companies more accountable. "MNEs can do more and should do more," said Guan, a professor at UCL as well as Beijing's Tsinghua University. Guan said it was crucial for European and American MNEs to set an example for Chinese and Indian companies which have started to invest more rapidly in Africa and Southeast Asia. SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DesignerInc MKT is a biannual Market event showcasing the industry's leading manufacturers to DesignerInc's growing audience of interior designers. Fall MKT commences 14 September and runs through 30 November. DesignerInc MKT emulates the activities and marketing opportunities traditionally offered offline and in-person. Each month of MKT, DesignerInc hosts a virtual Communication Week where we open up the floor to our manufacturers who will be sharing their experiences, updates and information about their newest creations with a special eye toward artisanal craftsmanship, production processes and the inspiration behind their collections. We often feature special, back-of-house facility tours and other unique experiences! Please join your community during the week of September 15 18 for a series of lively discussions with leading manufacturers. Our September lineup features interviews and presentations with leadership from The Rug Company, Currey & Company, Theodore Alexander and Hellman-Chang, including a special tour of Hellman-Chang's new 32,000 square foot production facility in Georgia with Co-founders Daniel Hellman and Eric Chang! Register here to save your spot: https://bydesign.designerinc.com/september-communications-week/ We are also expanding our coverage of the Fall Market season by offering DesignerInc MKT for the full, 90-day Spring and Fall seasons. Our vendor partners set up special promotions just as they normally would, and reach designers while they shop online! Launching concurrent with Fall MKT is our Gilded Circle Loyalty Program - a tech-infused loyalty program created for the new era of design where designers and manufacturers can supercharge productivity in our increasingly tech-enabled industry. Our Gilded Circle VIP Preview for September is Hellman-Chang's Quick Ship program! Designers and vendors currently not partnered with DesignerInc are encouraged to register and experience DesignerInc for themselves by visiting www.designerinc.com . We will continue to work with our vendor partners to help them reach designers online. We believe in the power of design to bring communities together in challenging times, and we encourage feedback from our partners, designers, and the broader trade community on how DesignerInc can support all of you during such a pivotal transition phase for the design trade. For more information or images, you can reach the DesignerInc team any time via [email protected] . SOURCE DesignerInc Related Links https://www.designerinc.com live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Till recently, private banks based out of Kerala were largely region-focused. These banks bet on local business communities for growth. Except some presence in major metros, they did not have a strong national focus. That isnt the case any longer. Kerala-based private lenders are preparing to rebuild their image with a national focus. Of late, some of these banks have been hiring top executives from big competitors to shape their growth strategy. Recently, Thrissur-headquartered South Indian Bank hired former ICICI Bank executive Murali Ramakrishnan as its new CEO. Ramakrishnan would be the first MD and CEO of South Indian Bank coming on board from a private sector lender. In the past, the top bosses at South Indian Bank have joined from public sector lenders, chiefly State Bank of India. Similarly, CSB Bank, another Kerala-based lender, hired Pralay Mondal as the banks President (Retail, SME, Operations and IT). Mondal was previously with Axis Bank as executive director and head of retail. These banks want to strengthen their management capabilities to take on the competition at national level, said Sanjay Agarwal, senior director, CARE Ratings. They already have a strong deposit franchise. They want to expand it, said Agarwal. Capital boost Not just hiring top talent, banks are also strengthening their capital base to prepare for the COVID impact and competition. Early this month, South Indian Bank said it plans to raise up to Rs 1,250 crore through a mix of equity and debt instruments. The board has approved raising up to Rs 750 crore or its equivalent amount in foreign currencies, by issuance of equity shares/other securities including through public issue, private placement and/or preferential issue, among others, in one or more tranches. The banks board also approved raising up to Rs 500 crore through issuance of debt instruments in domestic and/or foreign markets on a private placement basis. Similarly, Federal Banks board had given nod early this year to raise up to Rs 12,000 crore to fund its growth plans. Armed with capital and new leadership, these banks are well-positioned to grow but the path will be challenging, said analysts. Getting an experienced person to head the operations gives a boost for the bank. However, that is only one part. They need capital and strong strategies. Growing big at national level isnt easy, said Jaikishan Parmar, analyst, Angel Broking. Focus shifts to gold loans As slowdown has gripped the economy and COVID-19 worsened the situation, some of the banks have shifted their focus to safer retail loans from high-risk corporate lending. Of these, gold loans have gained focus. For instance, at the end of June quarter, CSB Bank has about 32 percent of its total loan book tied to gold loans, or Rs 3,849 crore. This portfolio has sharply gone up by 28 percent over the year from Rs 3,004 crore in the year-ago period. With one-third of the loan book in gold loans, CSB Bank has indicated a clear shift in its business in a tough market. Gold loans are safer retail loans, backed by a collateral that never fails. With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) relaxing the loan-to-value ratio of these loans, the product has turned even more attractive for banks. Like CSB Bank, Federal Bank too is focusing on the gold loan in a big way. The bank is targeting gold loan growth to touch 35 percent during FY21 as against 29 percent in FY20, managing director and chief executive of the bank, Shyam Srinivasan told PTI recently. At Rs 9,600 crore, the bank's gold loan book is about 8 percent of the overall loan book, and there is ample room to grow it as the same was at 15 percent of the book at the peak, he said. Legacy issues In fact, among the Kerala-based banks, Dhanlaxmi Bank was the first that made an attempt to break from the traditional ways and bring in radical operational changes. A few years ago, Dhanlaxmi Bank, had embarked upon a restructuring drive. It had hired former Reliance Capital head, Amitabh Chaturvedi, as its MD and CEO. Chaturvedi kicked off aggressive expansion plans. But the expansion plans didnt go down well with the old-timers in the bank. Their complaint was that increased operating costs outweighed the gains. When the financial performance didnt pick up in a commensurate manner, things came to a head. Chaturvedi attempted to bring in radical changes. Some of the steps like a more technology-oriented approach were good but the rapid expansion came at a cost, said a former senior executive of the bank. During the Chaturvedi era, between 2008 and 2012, Dhanlaxmi hired around 3,000 employees, taking its headcount to more than 4,000. The wage bill rose to around Rs 250 crore in March 2011 from less than Rs 62 crore in March 2009. But, things have changed since then, said a senior board member of Dhanlaxmi Bank. These banks have a strong focus now on professionalism, said CS Gopinath, a director on the board of Dhanlaxmi Bank. That isnt the case now. Everyone wants to grow and are looking at all ways to do so, said Gopinath. COVID challenge COVID makes the growth challenge even more difficult for these banks. At least one-third of the loans are under moratorium for the banking industry. A good portion of these loans could go for restructuring. This will effectively prolong the uncertainty on the actual status of loan defaults. Impact will be higher for smaller private banks compared with bigger banks as these banks have exposure to local firms, said Parmar of Angel Broking. Despite challenges, these private lenders are determined for expansion at a national level. Can their new leaders achieve this? Only time will tell. Many restauranteurs walked into work on Tuesday to discover that in a couple of weeks, the insides of their establishments will, hopefully, be twice as busy as they are now. Starting Sept. 21, restaurants will be able to open from 25% capacity to 50% capacity, though alcohol sales will have to cease at 10 p.m., per an announcement from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. Restaurants have been operating at a quarter of their indoor capacity since July in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. While restaurants will need to comply with self-certification before allowing more customers indoors on Sept. 21, the opening will double the number of people allowed inside will provide a big boost for restaurants. Or at least, it should. Wolf may not exactly be opening the floodgates. Josh Palmer, owner of Sette Luna in Easton, said that customers have preferred being outdoors when they dine. People are still really hesitant to come inside, he said. Even when were at that 25% capacity, were not even utilizing it because they just want to be outside. Sette Lunas expanded parklet has allowed the restaurant to continue doing good business during the pandemic, Palmer said, enough that hes not sure if opening indoor dining at 50% is going to make a huge difference for the popular Easton spot. But every restaurant is different. Some spots, like Sette Luna, are often at 100% capacity (when there isnt a global pandemic going on), so operating at half-capacity still isnt great. Others, like The Flying V, have much more space for a casual meal to eat while you watch the big game, making 50% a much bigger deal. Matt Vymazal, who owns the recently opened poutinerie with his wife Christie, said that the indoor space at 50% could allow up to 80 people. A month into operating in their brick-and-mortar site, Vymazal said that theyve found a customer base of lots of sneaky Canadiens as he calls them people from Philadelphia, Harrisburg and parts of New Jersey that crave a taste of home. To be able to welcome more of them into The Flying Vs new space at once would be huge. In addition, the sprawling upstairs is a perfect size for event rental, which would be open to bigger groups at half-capacity while still being able to host other customers. Like Sette Luna, The Flying V has been packing its outdoor seating. But, Palmer notes, outdoor seating success is entirely weather-dependent, and summer is coming to a close. The bigger realization and fear that restaurants are feeling is that while its great now that we have outdoor dining, whats going to happen in the fall or winter when we lose that? Maybe expanding the capacity limit to 50% is Wolfs way of preemptively combating the change in seasons, but no one knows yet if itll be enough. Im really excited for other restaurants to have indoor seating at a larger scale because a lot of people are hurting, Vymazal said. Theyre at their wits end. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com. Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com. By Sandra Miller Its time we shine a light on a critically important issue and start asking some questions. As Pennsylvanias school districts face revenue shortfalls of $1 billion or more due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvanias charter schools stand to see a windfall of pandemic relief funding while experiencing no loss of revenue. First, under the recently enacted state budget, charter schools will receive $15 million in state health and safety grants to address COVID-19-related health and safety needs. This is much-needed funding for school districts and brick and mortar charter schools that plan to offer some sort of adjusted schedule for in-person learning in the fall. But for cyber charter schools that offer all of their instruction virtually, this is simply free money. Next, under the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund, charter schools are entitled to $71 million in emergency, one-time funds to help schools respond to COVID-19 impacts. Brick and mortar charter schools reasonably incurred additional costs transitioning to an alternative learning system after school buildings were closed in March. In contrast, cyber charter schools should not have incurred the same costs, since their usual instructional method is virtual. Finally, at least 26 charter schools were awarded Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling between $24 and $56 million which may be used for limited purposes such as payroll costs, continuation of healthcare benefits, interest on mortgage obligations, and rent and utility payments. Given that charter schools are publicly funded schools, the need for these loans should be questioned, especially in light of the fact that charter schools experienced no loss of revenue due to the pandemic. Any single form of relief funding can potentially be justified as an attempt to ensure public schools can continue safely serving their students. However, there are two factors which should make us question the true intention of such funding and why cyber charters are reaping the rewards when not impacted in the same way. First, Act 13 of 2020 ensured that charter schools would receive no less funding than they were entitled to as of the date public schools switched to online education. While Act 13 also guaranteed school districts the same level of state funding, local revenues were significantly decreased due to the pandemic. Second, 90% of charter school funding comes from mandatory tuition payments from school districts. Those tuition payments are based on the expenses of local school districts from the previous school year, so any impact on school district finances due to the pandemic would take years to impact charter schools. With families stuck at home due to the pandemic and parents considering how to best educate their children, Pennsylvanias cyber charter schools have also stepped up their advertising, hoping to capitalize on the fears of parents who may be reluctant to send their children back to in-person classrooms this fall. Despite apparently needing millions of dollars in pandemic relief funding, cyber charter schools still have plenty of money to spend on television and radio ads. Ensuring public schools can safely educate Pennsylvanias children as a global pandemic continues is a paramount concern. School district leaders are very thankful for the relief funding provided by the state and federal governments. But we need to stop and ask ourselves, where is that funding needed the most? As school districts scramble to find revenues to safely operate, cyber charter schools stand to, once again, be the beneficiaries of a flawed education funding system. Sandra Miller is a school director in the Saucon Valley School District. South Africans are angry about comments that U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly made in private about South African icon Nelson Mandela, the nations first black president and Nobel Peace laureate. The alleged comments -- which Trump denies -- are full of profanity and include Trump saying of Mandela, he was no leader, and are part of a tell-all book by indicted former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. President Trumps alleged comments about South African icon Nelson Mandela are ruffling feathers in the Rainbow Nation, with the beloved leaders grandson sharply criticizing Trump for his leadership and with ordinary South Africans clamoring to the defense of the leader many here simply call Tata, or father. Trumps comments, as put forward in a book by his former lawyer Michael Cohen, were reported by American media over the weekend and were strongly denied by the White House. Cohen was convicted in 2018 of a slew of charges including campaign-finance violations, tax crimes and making false statements. White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement over the weekend that said Cohen lacked credibility and noted he was a disgraced felon found guilty of lying to Congress. According to the book, Trump said shortly after Mandelas 2013 death that the former South African president was no leader. The other reported comments include an expletive Trump has allegedly used to describe African countries, plus slurs against Black people. Mandelas grandson Ndaba Mandela spoke exclusively to VOA on Google Hangouts shortly after the comments began to spread through South African news. Donald Trump is the last person to speak about Nelson Mandela, or about leadership. Because he needs to look at the failure of his own leadership, because America is currently burning right now. You know, there have been several Black Lives Matter movements across the country where people have been rioting, people have been burning, stores and you name it and protest after continuous killing of black people by their police, he said. The Mandela Foundation, in a statement this week, said, we do not believe that leaders who conduct themselves in the way Mr. Trump does are in a position to offer authoritative commentary on (Mandelas) life and work. The ruling African National Congress party also issued statement on the alleged comments, saying on Tuesday All freedom-loving people of the world are appalled by these insults which come from a person who, himself, is not a model of competent leadership. Mandela received the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the racist apartheid system and ushering South Africa into a peaceful new era. In South Africa, he is universally loved and ever-present: since 2012, his face has appeared on all of the nations money. Mandela said that to his knowledge, his grandfather did not have a relationship with Trump, and did not speak of him. When you attack, Nelson Mandela, for me, that says that you clearly do not see or value the very same principles and values that the people that we see as progressive in this world, who are trying to create a much more united world -- that you are not really such a person who has those same values. You know, we see him as a person who has actually created disparity and even division, not only in America, but influenced the cohesion of the global community. Trump has publicly made comments about South Africa before, tweeting a week after Mandelas death that the nation was a crime-ridden mess ready to explode. VOA approached dozens of people in three locations in Johannesburg. Many did not want to speak about Trump, but those who did were invariably critical of the American president. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has not publicly responded to the alleged comments. U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks, a Trump appointee, said in a statement that she had discussed South Africa numerous times with the president, and he has only ever spoken positively about the country. Bengal born lady arrested in Bangladesh used multiple FB accounts to recruit for JMB 10 missing: The audacity with which the JMB operates in West Bengal 4 JMB terrorists sentenced to 7 years in Burdwan blast case India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 09: Four terrorists of the Jamat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh have been convicted by a special court of the National Investigation Agency in connection with Burdwan blast case. Ziaul Hoque, Motiur Rahaman, Yusuf and Jahirul Sheikh have been sentenced by the court to seven years imprisonment. NIA files chargesheet against 9 in Tarn Taran blast case On October 2, 2014, a power bomb blast took place in the first floor a rented house at the Khagragarh locality of Burdwan District of West Bengal. The IED had accidentally gone off at the time of its fabrication by the members of banned terrorist organisation viz; Jamat-ul-Mujaheedin of Bangladesh (JMB). The rented house was occupied by the members of JMB, for nefarious activity of bomb-making. 2 terrorists had succumbed to their injuries caused due to bomb blast while 1 was injured. The NIA probe revealed that the members of the JMB were part of a conspiracy to radicalise, recruit youth and provide them training in the use of arms and explosives. Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News They had also conspired to commit acts of terror and wage a war against both India and Bangladesh. The agency also recovered a large number of IEDs, explosives, hand grenades and training videos during the raids. The NIA charged 33 accused in this case. The trial against the remaining accused is ongoing. Veteran actor Surekha Sikri recently suffered a brain stroke and is currently admitted at a hospital in Mumbai. After her nurse appealed to the film fraternity to provide aid for her medical treatment, many co-stars and fellow colleagues have come forward. Surekha's nurse had said, "I couldn't get her admitted to any other hospital because of high fees. We do not have that kind of money." However, she soon told TOI, "We are okay now, we took money from Surekhaji's fixed deposit. We don't need help now." Meanwhile, Surekha's Badhaai Ho co-star Gajraj Rao and director Amit Sharma have assured that there will not be any financial obstacles in her treatment. Gajraj Rao told TOI, "Both Amit Sharma, the Badhaai Ho director, and I are in touch with Surekha ji's secretary Vivek and yes, we are all there with her and we'll extend all help we can, to her." Amit Sharma added that while he is in Goa, he is in touch with her family. He added, "I have not spoken to anyone else, but people who are close to her- her family, nurse and manager. I will be doing my best to provide any kind of help that would be needed and I don't think there would be any financial obstacles in her treatment." Nupur Alankar On Surekha Sikri Many fellow TV stars also showed support to the veteran actor, senior TV actress Nupur Alankar said, "This happens in our industry. Once you are not well, makers start getting apprehensive whether you will deliver to your fullest extent. This, in turn, reduces the amount of work coming your way. This is what must have happened with Surekhaji as well. Else, what a marvellous actress she is." Neena Gupta Also Talked About Surekhaji's Heath Neena Gupta also spoke to ETimes and added, "After Badhaai Ho, I met Surekhaji just once at an award function in a hotel. She had come there in a wheel chair. This was last year. She was getting better. Gajraj Rao (who also starred in Badhaai Ho) had gone and even met her once. Surekhaji is a fighter and she'll come out of this. I still can't forget the day when she stood her ground in Badhaai Ho; it was very late in the night and she had to give a cue for one of the actors. The director (Amit Sharma) kept telling her that he'll get it done from someone else but she did not budge." Surekha Sikri Is Currently Admitted In Mumbai Hospital JD Majethia, Chairman of IFTPC (Indian Film and TV Producers Council), said, "I am deeply hurt. I think the industry should welcome Surekhaji once she's better. If I have a role and she isn't 100 per cent fit, I will still cast her. Woh 25 actors ke barabar hai." Notably, Surekha Sikri has won three National Film Awards. The film and theatre veteran is best known for her performances in Tamas, Mammo, Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro, Zubeidaa and daily soaps like Balika Vadhu. Sikri was last seen in Ayushmann Khurrana's Badhaai Ho and Netflix's Ghost Stories, directed by Zoya Akhtar. Balika Vadhu Actress Surekha Sikri Suffers Brain Stroke; Her Nurse Seeks Financial Aid Surekha Sikri On Senior Citizens Not Being Allowed To Shoot: Impossible For Me To Be Atma Nirbhar An Oil India Limited engineer, working at the Baghjan natural gas well site which has been on fire since June 9, died on Wednesday. Officials suspect that he died due to electrocution. The deceased engineer was identified as Arnab Kishore Bordoloi, 25. Bordoloi, who was working with some equipment at the well site, suddenly fell down and lost consciousness. He was provided emergency health care at the site and was taken to Assam Medical College Hospital in Dibrugarh where he was declared dead, OIL spokesperson Tridiv Hazarikia said. The reasons of the death will be known after post-mortem. This is a very tragic incident and has created a pall of gloom in OIL. A team from OIL is carrying out inspection at well site to find out possible reasons for this accident, he added. Another OIL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the reason for the death is most likely electrocution as the incident took place when an electrical cable was being tested after connecting to a generator set to provide power for welding job at the well head. The gas well in Assams Tinsukia district had a blowout on May 27 and caught fire on June 9. While the well was capped last month, efforts to douse the fire have failed so far. This is the third casualty at the site. On June 9, two OIL firefighters who were attempting to control the blowout died when the well suddenly caught fire. On July 22, three foreign experts engaged by OIL to control the blowout had sustained burn injuries at the well site. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Utpal Parashar Utpal is an assistant editor based in Guwahati. He covers all eight states of North-East and was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times . ...view detail Real Madrid defender Sergio Reguilon is a target for Sevilla despite the club's sporting director Monchi conceding it will be difficult to outbid rival clubs. The 23-year-old Spain left back enjoyed an impressive 2019-20 campaign on loan with Sevilla, which culminated in Europa League success with victory over Inter in last month's final. His form earned Reguilon a first senior cap for Spain last week, while Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked with the left-back. Reguilon previously admitted to feeling "loved" at Sevilla and hinted he would like to stay on, but Monchi says the LaLiga club will struggle to financially outmuscle other interested sides. "Regarding the issue of Reguilon, I already said it, we would love to have him here but it is complicated because there are economically very strong rivals with whom we are not in a position to fight," he told Estadio Deportivo. "We are in a health and economic crisis, so we are going to put it down when it comes to talking about quantities, luckily it has caught us in a good circumstance. "But the crisis also affects Sevilla FC. We are making the investments that we believe are appropriate to strengthen the workforce." Marcos Alonso also on Sevilla's radar Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has been touted as a possible alternative to fill the void left by Reguilon, who made 38 appearances for Sevilla in total last season. Marcos Acuna of Sporting CP is another rumoured target, but Monchi has yet to open talks over a move for either player. "To this day, Sevilla has not made any movement for Marcos Alonso," he said. "Acuna, I have already said, was a player who was among the profiles that we looked at but without making any arrangements, no offers, or contacting Sporting or his agent. "The squad is not finalised - there are 27 days left of the market and there are steps to incorporate a player. "I don't like to talk about positions, I like to work in secret, but we are clear about where we can improve." The Covid-19 pandemic has come at a time when societies are already facing many challenges related to inequality, poverty, unemployment, and drought and/or lack of access to water, amongst others. The cost of the crisis will be felt in years to come, from the traumas and emotional pain of loss of lives to its impact on the economy. The impact of the pandemic on economic, social and political structure is immeasurable. The pandemic will also negatively affect global development objectives, specifically the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Lungile Manzini, corporate sustainability expert The Covid-19 pandemic has already affected sustainable development in many constructs. The United Nations published a report on the impact of the pandemic in the achievement of the SDGs which demonstrated that the pandemic has indeed stalled progress in meeting the goals that are to be achieved by 2030. The report also highlighted that inequality, poverty, the climate crisis, unsustainable production and other challenges require more urgent action as a result of Covid-19.The SDGs define a common global goal of ending poverty and hunger and ensuring equality with the least impact on the planet. Therefore reaching the SDGs will ensure that extreme socio-economic challenges are addressed collectively and effectively. This view was emphasised by the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), who indicated that: Without support from the international community, we risk a massive reversal of gains made over the last two decades, and an entire generation lost, if not in lives then in rights, opportunities and dignity.The outline below, adapted from the United Nations, demonstrates how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the SDGs.Currently, 55% of the population in South Africa live below the poverty line of R1,227 per month and more than 20 million people live on social grants, according to Statistics South Africa. The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated these already existing vulnerabilities in society as communities have lost income as both formal and informal businesses where closed during the Covid-19 lockdown.The Covid-19 lockdown has resulted in the disruption food production and distribution. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, 14-22 million people could enter into extreme poverty in emerging markets and the exportation of agri-foods could decrease by 25%.The health system in Africa is already under a lot of strain. People with underlying conditions and older persons are the most vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic. At some point during the peak of Covid-19, some provinces in South Africa were running out of beds and ventilators.During the Covid-19 lockdowns many children and young people had to be out of school. This has implications for social and cognitive development of children. Kenya decided to cancel school attendance for the rest of the year. In some cases schooling was converted to online learning. However, there were limitations linked to access to data and smart devices.The media has numerously reported on the severe increase in violence against women during lockdown. Women have also been the most affected by the pandemic, as they play a central role in communities as caretakers, healthcare workers, traders and producers.Access to adequate clean water has been key in preventing the spread of Covid-19. However, in South Africa there are still many communities (more than 50%) that do not have access to running water in their households, according to Statistics South Africa.In South Africa, load shedding was suspended during lockdown as a result of a decreased demand in electricity. However, as soon as the lockdown measures were eased, load shedding was again introduced which has implications for economic recovery.Statistics South Africa has reported the unemployment rate at 30.1% with 40% of young people unemployed. As a result of Covid-19, economic activities were suspended - this has negatively impacted socioeconomic structures resulting in unemployment, permanent shutdown of small businesses. Additionally, the minister of finance in South Africa has estimated a budget deficit of over 15% as a result of Covid-19.The Covid-19 pandemic has led to extreme pressures in infrastructure and industry and has halted innovation. In a study done on 301 SMEs in Kenya, it was found that only 7.3% of the SMEs had insurance which includes a cover in climate disasters.According to the World Bank, South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world. The Covid-19 effects will further weaken macro-economic structure and increase inequalities in communities.People face higher risks related to inadequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation, poor housing and overcrowding particularly in informal settlements.There has been a disruption observed in the production of essential equipment, particularly healthcare production and also consumption patterns. Post-pandemic, the structures of production and consumption will change completely.There is a risk that there could be a decrease in climate action as financial resources will be diverted to other social areas as a short-term solution to the economic crisis as a result of the pandemic. However, it is important to note that there has been a reduction in environmental impacts as a result of halted economic and transport activities.Increased poverty as a result of Covid-19 could lead to overfishing which could cause a loss of marine life and also the likelihood of pathogens which can be transmitted to humans.Ecosystems that are highly polluted and damaged are less resilient to environmental shocks and crisis. The economic recovery if not done in a sustainable manner could lead to dangers of uncontrolled deforestation and pollutions. The increased intensive land use could also lead to a loss of biodiversity.Conflicts during the Covid-19 pandemic have exacerbated the crisis. The reported terror attacks in Northern Mozambique could hamper the development of the gas industry which is key in the economic recovery.The Covid-19 pandemic has proven how connected the world is and has highlighted the importance of multilateral international cooperation and collaboration.With the pressures of the impacts of Covid-19, a post economic recovery that will accelerate these goals becomes critical. Governments are already designing economic recovery packages to improve the livelihoods of communities and drive economic development. These economic recovery packages have to be sustainable, inclusive and equitable while creating an environment where both society and the planet can thrive not only today, but also for generations to come.An economic recovery that is based on investments in fossil fuels, for example, could reverse past progress made on sustainable development as it will increase emissions which could have disastrous social, environmental and economic effects over time. An increased investment in clean technologies is crucial in fostering green jobs creation to restart the economy on route to recovery, mitigating against climate change and driving sustainable communities. The pandemic has proven how connected the world is, giving us the opportunity to further accelerate our efforts in ensuring that we achieve the SDGs. France on Wednesday described India as its "foremost" Asian strategic partner and said the upcoming visit of its Defence Minister Florence Parly to the country is aimed at further strengthening the "forward-looking" defence cooperation with New Delhi. Parly will visit India on Thursday to attend a ceremony in Ambala to induct the first batch of five Rafale jets into the Indian Air Force (IAF). The French defence minister will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. A defence ministry spokesperson said Parly will be given a ceremonial Guard of Honour on her arrival in Delhi. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. In a statement, the French embassy here said the focus of the talks will be on maritime security ties in the Indo-Pacific, counter-terror cooperation and strengthening overall bilateral defence partnership. "Their broad-ranging talks will cover, among others, industrial and technological partnership in line with the Make in India programme, operational defence cooperation, particularly maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, modalities of continuing the armed forces' joint exercises in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, counter-terrorism cooperation as well as major regional and international strategic issues," the embassy said. It said the talks will take forward the decision of French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deepen and expand the Indo-French partnership with strategic autonomy, and the defence of a multipolar order as its cornerstones. It will be Parly's third visit to India since 2017 and one of her very first official trips since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, the embassy said. The French defence minister will be accompanied by top executives from Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, Safran, and MBDA, representing the French defence majors that have been partnering with many Indian companies as part of the Rafale deal. "At Ambala, the program will include ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional Sarva Dharma Puja', air display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by Sarang Aerobatic Team'," the defence ministry said in a statement. Afterwards, a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the Rafale aircraft, it said. The Rafale jets, produced by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, will be formally inducted into the IAF at the ceremony in Ambala air base on Thursday in presence of Singh, Parly and several top military officials. During her visit to the national capital, Parly will also pay floral tributes to India's valiant soldiers at the National War Memorial. In a video message posted on Twitter, French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain talked about the strategic ties between the two countries and described the visit of Parly as one of the important steps further boosting bilateral relationship. The ties between India and France are on an upswing in the last few years with cooperation witnessing a major expansion in key areas. The areas of defence and security, civil nuclear cooperation and trade and investment constitute the principal pillars of the Indo-French strategic partnership. In addition, India and France are increasingly engaged in new areas of cooperation such as in the Indian Ocean region, climate change and sustainable growth and development. The two countries share a close degree of convergence on a range of regional and global issues as well including ways to deal with terrorism and extremism. Both India and France have important bilateral investment and trade cooperation. France has emerged as a major source of FDI in India with more than 1,000 French establishments operating in the country with a total turnover of around USD 20 billion. The United States will withdraw nearly a third of its troops from Iraq, a top commander confirmed on Wednesday, with the move expected to happen within weeks. The move will reduce the amount of troops from 5,200 to 3,000. The news comes after Donald Trump said he planned to pull all troops out of Iraq as soon as possible as part of an effort to fulfill his 2016 campaign promises ahead of the November presidential election. During a visit to Iraq, the commander of US Central Command said the reduction reflects US confidence in the ability of US-trained Iraqi security forces to handle the militant threat from the Islamic State group, which entered Iraq from Syria in 2014. Late Tuesday, a senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters aboard Air Force One that such an announcement was coming and that an announcement on the withdrawal of additional troops from Afghanistan also could be expected in the coming days. Mr Trump has been trying to make the case that he has fulfilled the promises he made four years ago as he campaigns for a second term, with one of those being his vow to end America's long-running involvement in global military conflicts. US forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001. They invaded Iraq in 2003 and left in 2011 but returned in 2014 after the Islamic State group overran large parts of Iraq. "In recognition of the great progress the Iraqi forces have made and in consultation and coordination with the government of Iraq and our coalition partners, the United States has decided to reduce our troop presence in Iraq from about 5,200 to 3,000 troops during the month of September", Mr McKenzie said, according to an excerpt of his remarks provided by his office. Mr McKenzie said the remaining US troops would continue advising and assisting Iraqi security forces as they attempt to root out remnants of the Islamic State group, sometimes called ISIS. "The US decision is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to the ultimate goal, which is an Iraqi security force that is capable of preventing an ISIS resurgence and of securing Iraq's sovereignty without external assistance," Mr McKenzie said. "The journey has been difficult, the sacrifice has been great, but the progress has been significant." Tensions spiked between the US and Iraq in January after a US drone strike near the Baghdad airport killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Angry Iraqi lawmakers, spurred on by Shiite political factions, passed a nonbinding resolution to oust all US-led coalition forces from the country. In response to the Soleimani killing, Iran on 8 January launched a ballistic missile attack on al-Asad air base in Iraq, which resulted in traumatic brain injuries to more than 100 American troops. Two months later, US fighter jets struck five sites in retaliation, targeting Iranian-backed Shiite militia members believed responsible for the January rocket attack. The Associated Press contributed to this report Tourism development in Kumasi and for that matter the Ashanti Region, is going to be a concerted effort between statal and parastatal agencies, working in tandem with the private sector, academia, and local communities in realising the set objectives of the industry. As a result, there will be a sod-cutting for the expansion of works at the Bonwire Kente Weaving Village in the coming months by the government. "This project, when fully completed, will position the Bonwire Kente Weaving Village as an attractive destination for tourists and for commerce", according to Minister Tourism, Arts and Culture, Barbara Oteng Gyasi. She addressed the Chiefs and the people of Kumasi during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Ministry with China Bengbu International Technology & Economic Cooperation Ltd for the Construction of a Theatre/Conference Centre in Kumasi "The opportunity for cultural goods in the global market is enormous. In 2019, the African Report indicated that Africas cultural goods sector employed about half a million people and generated USD4.2bn in revenue". "The Ashanti Region has a comparative advantage in cultural goods in the country, and we remain resolute in our endeavour to provide the right interventions to help us position ourselves competitively in the global cultural goods market" "We meet here today in Kumasi with you our distinguished guests on the premise of harnessing the enormous tourism potential of the [Ashanti] Region as exemplified by the signing of the MoU", sector Minister, Barbara Oteng Gyasi pronounced According to her, the project after completion will create jobs for the people, increase in business and event tourism as well as the spillover effects on ancillary arts and culture space in Kumasi and the Ashanti Region and even beyond "It will also bring new energies into the arts and culture space in and around Kumasi such as the commercial, economic and social energies to be drawn from the many events that it will host", Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi said The architectural design of the project shows a large conference, drama, music performance, and modern dance. The Theatre will have 2,000 seats in the main auditorium. There will be a hall for 600 seats to meet specially tailored conferences and meetings. I thought Id chat to a couple of the ladies, get some shots of Shaloms newest recruits, and be done within an hour or so. I thought wrong. In Lyndon-James house, you do things his way. Have a listen to this, he says by way of introduction, and presses play on a foul-mouthed and threatening tirade left on his voicemail. The message is hideous and, had it been sent to me, would have been passed on to police. Lyndon-James just laughs. This is the kind of abuse I get. This is why I have 30 cameras on my house, he says. These people want to criticise me, but how many of them actually come out here and have a look at what were doing? None of em. Not one. What Lyndon-James is doing, and what hes been doing for close to a decade, does have elements common to religious cults and outlying sects. It's not fancy, and it's not cheap, but Shalom House is always at capacity, according to its founder. He is a charismatic leader who demands complete compliance from his subjects. Part of his program separates residents from their family members, and those signing on to the Shalom House ethos will pay both financially and physically, with residents having to sign over their Centrelink benefits to the centre and then work each day for Shalom. Lyndon-James laughs again when I ask if he is running a cult. "I'm running a culture," he says. "Have a look around. Do you see anyone here who looks like they don't want to be here?" I do not. The men, who all sport the same, close-cropped hairstyles, also appear to share warm and respectful interactions with Lyndon-James. There's a conviviality about the place; a genuine warmth. There is joking. But there's only one boss, and if you do him wrong, there are consequences. Lyndon-James tells me residents who fall foul of the centre's strict rules would be driven "miles away out the back of Gnangara", and left to either find their way to a bus stop, or find their way back to Shalom House. "It's up to them," he says. "That long walk gives them time to think." A measure of success? A community newspaper story published last year placed Shalom House at the bottom of the country's rehabilitation centres in terms of successful outcomes, claiming a "graduation" rate of just 12 per cent. It's not a statistic Lyndon-James can refute; he doesn't keep those records. "If my program costs the government nothing, and costs nothing to anyone but the resident, and if I save one person, what's my success rate?" he says. "It's a hundred per cent." Lyndon-James claims not to care about headlines like this one, but he does address negative press coverage on social media. Credit:Kate Hedley As far as the money goes and there is plenty of it, with Shalom House raking in just shy of $4 million dollars in the 2018/19 financial year Lyndon-James says he doesn't see a single cent of it, claiming he and his partner live off the proceeds of a separate investment. Most of the money coming into Shalom, which is a registered charity, goes towards paying staff, rent on 14 properties, vehicle running costs and food and supplies for up to 140 residents. Loading The centre's financial reports are publicly available. "There's no flies on me," Lyndon-James says. "Anyone, any time, can come and check us out." It's all about honesty, integrity, accountability, and transparency, according to Lyndon-James, who repeats these four words like a mantra throughout the day. Storm: Prime Minister Boris Johnson during Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons, yesterday The DUP has said that Boris Johnson's new Brexit bill is "a step forward for Northern Ireland" but leaves serious issues unaddressed. However, Sinn Fein said the Government had "a brass neck" and the British cabinet did not care what happened here. The parties were giving their response to the new UK Internal Market Bill which over-rides key elements of the Brexit deal Mr Johnson signed with Brussels. The Taoiseach "set out in forthright terms" his concerns to Mr Johnson over the latest developments on Brexit. Micheal Martin spoke to the Prime Minister for over half an hour on the telephone. And in the Dail, Mr Martin accused the UK of acting in bad faith. "Proper negotiations are conducted on a 'no surprise' basis ... and to drag Northern Ireland back into this is extremely divisive - and dangerous," he said. "This statement undermines trust. There was no 'heads-up' on this, so to speak. It represents a very new departure in terms of international relations." Read More And on Wednesday night, US house speaker Nancy Pelosi reiterated her warning that there would be dire consequences if the UK's move threatened the Good Friday Agreement. "The UK must respect the Northern Ireland protocol as signed with the EU to ensure the free flow of goods across the border," she said. "If the UK violates that international treaty and Brexit undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement passing the Congress." But DUP MP Sammy Wilson gave a cautious welcome to the proposals. He said: "This bill is a step forward and a recognition by the Government of the defects of the Northern Ireland protocol and its potential impact on the internal market of the whole of the UK, but more work is required. "We will take time to fully consider the effects of the bill but there is still more work to be done with regards to state aid and other issues." Earlier, Arlene Foster said the DUP would be working to try and change the Northern Ireland protocol. She said it was vital that local businesses had unfettered access to the UK market. But Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said: "The British Government has a brass neck. "(Northern Ireland Secretary) Brandon Lewis and the entire British cabinet do not care about what happens to us in the north. "They have demonstrated that time and time again, they are prepared to use us here in the North as a pawn in the Brexit negotiations." The Sinn Fein vice-president added: "This is an international agreement which was painstakingly struck after months of negotiations. It contains unique protections in the Irish protocol but now the British Government is saying it is prepared to override it. That is not acceptable." Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken said: "The publication of this bill doesn't provide much comfort for those of us who consider the EU Withdrawal Agreement an awful document which attacks the foundations of the Belfast Agreement, undermines the integrity of the UK and leaves us in economic limbo." The European Commission called for urgent talks with London. Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was "very concerned" following the tabling in Parliament of the UK Internal Market Bill, which ministers have admitted will breach international law. As talks continued in London on a post-Brexit free trade agreement, she said such actions would "undermine trust" and called on the Prime Minister to honour his past commitments. Ms von der Leyen's warning came as Sir John Major became the latest senior Conservative to denounce Mr Johnson's decision to go back on assurances he had made in an internationally binding treaty. "For generations, Britain's word - solemnly given - has been accepted by friend and foe. Our signature on any treaty or agreement has been sacrosanct," the former prime minister said in a statement. "If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained." Ministers have argued legislation is necessary to protect the Northern Ireland peace process if the two sides are unable to agree a free trade deal before the current Brexit transition period runs out at the end of the year. However, European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said he was seeking an urgent meeting of the joint EU-UK committee on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to enable the British to "elaborate" on their plans. [The stream is slated to start at 10 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams are testifying Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on coronavirus vaccines. The U.S., as part of the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed initiative, has invested billions in six potential vaccines, including ones from Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, which have all started late-stage testing. U.S. health officials expect to find a safe and effective vaccine by the end of the year. The hearing comes a day after AstraZeneca announced that it was pausing its late-stage trial after a "suspected serious adverse reaction" in a participant in the United Kingdom. It also comes as infectious disease experts and scientists have said they worry the vaccine approval process in the U.S. could be polluted by politics, not science. The CDC has asked governors and health departments to prepare to distribute a vaccine as soon as Nov. 1, just two days before the election. Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, has also said the agency is prepared to bypass the full federal approval process in order to make a vaccine available as soon as possible. Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the Covid -19 outbreak. PORTLAND, Ore. Hurricane-force winds and high temperatures kicked up wildfires across parts of the Pacific Northwest over the Labor Day weekend, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and mostly destroying the small town of Malden in eastern Washington. Today alone, almost 300,000 acres in Washington have burned, Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz tweeted on Monday evening. Thousands of homes are without power. Many families have had to evacuate their homes and many homes have been lost, Franz wrote. Were still seeing new fire starts in every corner of the state. New wildfires sprang up quickly across eastern Washington on Monday, threatening homes from Bridgeport to Spokane, officials said. There were no reports of any deaths. High winds also kicked up dust that closed a portion of Interstate 90 and other highways in the state on Monday. In Oregon, the Lionshead Fire grew to 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) by Monday and the Beachie Creek Fire reached 500 acres as fire officials prepare for high winds and dangerous conditions across both wildfires late Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Statesman Journal. The fires are in the path of winds that could reach up to 75 mph (120 kph) into Tuesday, officials said. Thats like a hurricane hitting a wildfire. The fire weather forecasted is extremely rare and occurs only a few times a century, said Eric Johnson, Deputy Fire Staff for Northwest Oregon Fire Management. The entire Mount Jefferson Wilderness, the Olallie Lake area and the Opal Creek area were closed to recreation. Fire officials overseeing the Evans Canyon Fire in southeastern Washington state issued a Red Flag Warning until 8 p.m. Monday due to strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures that could contribute to the rapid spread of any new or ongoing fires. Temperatures are forecast in the mid-80s in the valleys with winds shifting to northeast-east including gusts to 35 mph (56 kph) by midday, according to the Southwest Region of the Department of Natural Resources. The Yakima Herald reports nearly 1,000 firefighters have fought the Evans Canyon Fire with an impressive array of machines on the ground and in the air _ at least 127 engines, 13 bulldozers, two tank-like skidgines, 21 water tenders, six helicopters and two airplanes. Joining them in the battle through the Yakima River Canyon is one of two specially equipped firefighting trains from BNSF Railway, both based in Washington. On Monday night, Portland General Electric cut off power to about 5,000 customers living near Mt. Hood, an area at high risk of catching fire because of windy and dry conditions, KATU TV reported. The forested area is along Highway 26 from Alder Creek and Brightwood to Government Camp. The company said it expects the outage to last between 24 and 48 hours, KATU reported. About the photo: Charred rubble remains after a wildfire decimated the small town of Malden, Wash., Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, destroying an estimated 70% of homes in the northern Whitman County community, The Spokesman-Review reports. (Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review via AP) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. By Rebecca Saloustros Data underpins todays world. Websites track our virtual movements and shopping habits and social interactions with friends and family. Even in the real world, street cameras track social distancing in public spaces. Simon Fraser Universitys new minor in social data analytics (SDA) is the only degree program of its kind in Canada to provide the skills to effectively navigate, analyze and communicate big data in a social science context. On August 12th, SFU students joined a Zoom panel event to hear about the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) new social data analytics (SDA) minor, jointly organized by the Departments of Economics, Linguistics, Philosophy and Political Science. They also listened to four SFU alumni from those departments who use social data analytics and social data science in their careers. SDA Program Director, political science professor Steven Weldon, described how digital technologies and social data have rapidly grown in importance. Data science has long been thought of as an area for the disciplines of computer science and statistics, he said. Weve seen it blow up with the big data revolution, where we have a massive amount of data that comes at us in real time. Some of the data is important for policy initiatives, sometimes for cultural goals, and sometimes for the social good. However, Weldon emphasizes that data alone is not knowledge. It is information, and that is one of the reasons the SDA minor program has been created. What we want to do with this program is give students the skills to help them understand and gain knowledge from this data, he said. The best way to do that is through theoretically driven and ethically sensitive research. The SDA minor program is the only program of its kind in Canada to communicate big data in a social science context. Its open to all SFU students, and its specifically designed for students in the arts and social sciences, said Weldon. It emphasizes the application of data analytics and statistical techniques in real world situations. Courses will come from the four organizing departments with elective courses also offered by the Departments of Communication, English, Geography and Statistics. Students will examine a wide range of topics in their courses, from ethics to economics to political science, and the minor can be tailored to fit students interests. Significantly, the promise of big data has brought to the forefront ethical concerns about individual privacy, the misuse of data, and risks to vulnerable groups. During the SDA minor, students will address ethical issues in the course SDA 270 Data, Ethics and Society, offered by the Department of Philosophy. Panel speaker and SFU linguistics and computer science alumnus Vasundhara Gautam addressed ethical concerns during the August 12th event. I particularly like the [SDA minors] focus on the ethics of the applications of data analytics, Gautam said. Its something that we dont really talk a lot about as an industry. Too often, we focus on the question of how can we make this thing equal for different people? Not often enough are we asking the question, Should this technology be built at all? Students will also develop a broad range of skills through the SDA minor, including project management and communication skills that will aid them in their future careers. Panel speaker and SFU economics and finance alumnus Jorge Vasquez spoke about the importance of strong communication skills. Be a good storyteller. Be a good communicator, said Vasquez. In my team, we spend fifty percent of the time doing the analysis, doing the modeling, doing the editing, and fifty percent of the time just refining how we are going to communicate; refining the information to help our stakeholders understand what we mean. As the only program of its kind in Canada focused on big data in a social science context, the SDA minor is a great opportunity for SFU students looking to prepare themselves for tomorrows job market. Applications for the program are now open. The deadline for the spring 2021 intake is September 30th, 2020. The first cohort will be limited to 30 students. All SFU undergraduates and those entering SFU for the first time may apply, but priority will be given to those in economics, linguistics, philosophy, and political science. For more information, visit the SDA webpage or contact the SDA director or advisor with your questions. Watch the social data analytics minor launch event here. DGAP-News: well be management ag / Key word(s): Real Estate/Funds The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. well be launches property funds for the 4th generation 8 September 2020 - Swiss architect and project developer Martin Blattler and his team are launching an exclusive real estate and finance platform. To the management team belong the financial and real estate expert Roger L. Harrisberger and the health advisor Oliver Kaube. The name "well be" is thereby more than a program: The Luxembourg development fund WELL BE FUND for healthcare real estates is intended to meet the new needs created by demographic developments. This includes the newly created fourth generation of the 65 to 100-year-olds. This is a new market with a new demand. Therefore, the fund invests in such projects according to the needs of this new generation. Innovative solutions are being developed under the brand "well be" that are tailored to people's individual spatial needs. The latest findings in the interrelation between people and architecture are incorporated into the work of "well be" in order to appeal to all human senses. The wide range of services includes project development, financing, architecture, interior design, execution and medical aspects. With this approach, well be is taking a new future-oriented path in the construction of real estate. Established under Luxembourg law, the WELL BE FUND SCS SICAV-SIF was approved by the Luxembourg supervisory authority CSSF (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier) in spring this year and was founded on April 1, 2020. It creates real estate for people with special needs. The portfolio will include health care projects, medical well be resorts, medical well be centers and senior residences throughout the German-speaking region. First projects in the DACH region Thanks to above-average profits in project development, a new type of platform is to be created for institutional investors. With the two banks and fund service providers Pictet and Hauck & Aufhauser as partners, the latter in Chinese ownership, investors from the Asian region are also to be acquired later on. "There are major movements underway in Asia and we believe that we will also be able to attract international investors there," explains Martin Blattler, President of the WELL BE FUND. With his company blattler architekten ag, he can already demonstrate over 30 years of experience with a corresponding track record. Following the approval by the CSSF, the concrete implementation is now under way. Martin Blattler: "We have been putting out feelers for some projects in Switzerland, Germany and Austria for some time now, which we are now submitting to our Fund Manager Hauck & Aufhauser for review. As a fund service provider, the bank examines the projects according to the regulatory and prospectus criteria, carries out risk management, and issues the approval so that we can invest in the projects". "well be" brand as a program The idea of the "well be" brand is reflected directly in its purpose: it is about health and well-being, about a holistic lifestyle program for elderly people. The brand "well be" has been protected in Switzerland and Europe since 2004 and has charisma: modern real estate combined with health-medical concepts fit together perfectly. "The brand is to develop further through the operator concepts. The real estate will be developed together with services that follow a holistic approach," explains Martin Blattler. The health concept is to be combined naturopathic-medically integrally with conventional and alternative medicine: "We believe that medicine is in a major process. Instead of just swallowing pills, new therapy concepts will be offered, for which the corresponding properties and services can be tailored to fit", Blattler continues. Further information well be gmbh, Hagenholzstrasse 102, 8050 Zurich Phone +41 44 240 18 01 / e-mail info@wellbe.ch webpage www.wellbe.ch well be showroom, Zurcherstrasse 37b, 8852 Altendorf Information Markus Baumgartner, b-public AG E-mail mba@b-public.ch / Mobile +41 79 707 89 21 Additional features: Picture: http://newsfeed2.eqs.com/57640a/1129081.html Subtitle: well be management Martin Blattler, Roger Harrisberger, Oliver Kaufe. 09.09.2020 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 TYSONS, Va., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- QOMPLX , an intelligent decision platform provider, today announced the release of the CMMC Pre-Assessment, a solution to help prepare defense contractors to pass their Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) audit. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) created CMMC to enhance the cybersecurity posture of the companies that make up the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). As part of this upcoming prerequisite, all 300,000+ DIB companies will be required to meet specific maturity levels to be awarded a contract from the DOD. Previously, companies could self-certify with the appropriate Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFARS) and other regulations such as NIST 800-171, but CMMC now requires third-party auditors to validate if contractors are compliant with the required cybersecurity practices and procedures. Understanding the challenges and tight timeline of the certification, QOMPLX released the CMMC Pre-Assessment to help defense contractors understand and prepare for this new requirement. The solution, developed by former government security auditors and powered by QOMPLX's data analytics platform, allows users to walk through each control measure to understand what is needed for certification and how to report it. A comprehensive recap is provided to the auditors once the assessment is completed providing government contractors with the assurance they need to pursue certification. "Based on recent events, there is a clear need for the DOD to improve the overall cybersecurity posture of the Defense Industrial Base by implementing CMMC," said Bill Solms, President and General Manager, Government Solutions Division, QOMPLX. "We at QOMPLX are pleased to help the companies of the DIB understand the details of this new certification and guide them through the process of successfully preparing for the required audit." The CMMC Pre-Assessment is available now. More information on the QOMPLX pre-audit assessment tool is available here. About QOMPLX, Inc. QOMPLX makes it faster and easier for organizations to integrate disparate internal and external data sources across the enterprise via a unified analytics infrastructure that supports better decision-making at scale. This enterprise data-fabric is called QOMPLX:OS an enterprise operating system that powers QOMPLX's decision platforms in cybersecurity, insurance, and quantitative finance. Headquartered in Reston, VA, QOMPLX also has offices in New York, Denver and London. For more information visit QOMPLX.com and follow @QOMPLXOS. Media Contact (QOMPLX): Melinda Ball LEWIS PR T: 781.418.2428 Abha DasGupta QOMPLX T: 703-659-3625 [email protected] SOURCE QOMPLX, Inc. India's biggest syringe manufacturer is ramping up production to churn out a billion units, anticipating a surge in demand as the global race to find a coronavirus vaccine heats up. While the focus on tackling the pandemic has mostly been on the development of vaccines, experts say medical essentials to administer them are also vital. Hindustan Syringes -- one of the world's largest makers of the item -- said it is increasing its output of auto-disable devices (which prevent re-use) from 700 million a year to one billion by 2021 to meet the expected demand. "Even if 60 percent of the world's population is immunised, it would mean four to five billion syringes would be required," Hindustan Syringes managing director Rajiv Nath told AFP at their factory in northern Haryana state. There are currently more than 30 candidate vaccines being tested on humans, with governments hoping to deploy one as soon as possible with the coronavirus wrecking lives and economies. Shortages of PPE such as masks hampered early responses to the pandemic, and countries have now started building up their stockpile of syringes, vials and needles. "We may have sufficient capacity for the first wave of vaccines which would only be administered to priority groups," Prashant Yadav, a healthcare supply chains expert at Harvard Medical School, told AFP. "(But) when we get to a large-scale vaccination in late 2021 or 2022 and the dose demand estimates would be greater than 10 billion, that's when syringe supply starts becoming a constraint." So far, UNICEF has ordered 140 million syringes from Hindustan for COVAX, a global initiative aimed at ensuring a more equitable distribution of vaccines to poorer nations. Much of the world's demand for syringes is expected to be met by factories in China and India. 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!! New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the implementation of the 2018 Maharashtra law granting reservation to Marathas in education and jobs but made it clear that the status of those who have availed of the benefits will not be disturbed. A three-judge bench headed by Justice L N Rao referred to a larger constitution bench, to be set up by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde, the batch of pleas challenging the validity of the law granting reservation to Marathas in education and jobs. The apex court said that status of those who have already taken benefits of the 2018 law shall not be disturbed. The Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018 was enacted to grant reservation to people of the Maratha community in Maharashtra in jobs and admissions. The Bombay High Court, while upholding the law in June last year, had held that 16 percent reservation was not justifiable and said that the quota should not exceed 12 percent in employment and 13 percent in admissions. The apex court passed the order on a batch of pleas challenging the high court order and the 2018 law. On July 27, the Maharashtra government had assured the top court that it would not proceed with the recruitment process to fill up the vacancies on the basis of 12 percent Maratha reservation till September 15, except for departments, Public Health and Medical Education and Research. Advocates Amit Anand Tiwari and Vivek Singh, appearing for one of the petitioners, had earlier told the apex court that the last date for admission to PG medical courses should be deferred. The high court, in its June 27 last year order, had said that 50 percent cap on total reservations imposed by the Supreme Court could be exceeded in exceptional circumstances. It had also accepted the Maharashtra government's argument that the Maratha community was socially and educationally backward and it was duty-bound to take steps for its progress. The high court had said though the reservation was valid, its quantum -- 16 percent -- was not justifiable and it should be reduced to 12 percent and 13 percent, as recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission. One of the pleas filed in the apex court had claimed that the SEBC Act breached the 50 percent ceiling on reservation fixed by the top court in its landmark judgment in the Indira Sahwney case, also known as the 'Mandal verdict'. According to the 102nd amendment to the Constitution, reservation can be granted only if a particular community is named in the list prepared by the President. On November 30, 2018, the Maharashtra legislature had passed a bill granting 16-per cent reservation to Marathas. The report submitted by the State Backward Classes Commission was based on quantifiable and contemporaneous data and was correct in classifying the Maratha community as socially and educationally backward, the high court had said in its verdict. New Delhi, Sep 9 : Society for Advancing Rural Development is setting up the Gyan Ganga School in Tumariya Ghat village in Sambhal district in western UP through philanthropic means. The advisory board comprises of like-minded educationists and includes Aseem Prakash, Tata Institute of Social Science, Dwarika Uniyal, Dean, Flame University, Girish Yadav, CEO, Gyan Ganga School, Harini Shah, Architect, Mohsin R. Khan, Jindal University, P. Ramanujam, Director, QS Rankings, Piyush Garg, Chartered Accountant, Senthil Kumar, Director, Global University Systems and Yugank Goyal, Associate Professor, Jindal University. The advisory board is involved in day-to-day activities of the school. The board members said, "Some of us who grew up in villages or from humble backgrounds, but were able to secure a flourishing career in life. We wanted to give back. We came together to build something sustainable rather than doing everyday charity". "We chose to establish the school in western UP, where education indices are some of the worst in the country," they said. The village is called Tumaria Ghat in Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh. It was earlier in Budaun subdistricts. Tumariya Ghat is a village in tehsil Gunnaur, in district Sambhal. The district was formed recently by cutting out tehsils from Moradabad and Budaun. Budaun has one of the lowest educational standards in India based on ASER Reports. Sambhal itself has a literacy rate of less than 50 per cent. The villages in the region are extremely impoverished. Barely 3 hours from Delhi, it looks like a place from 100 years ago. Due to politics and crime, the youth is engaged in all kinds of illicit activities, including making local weapons. Government schools are not at all functional. Private schools are mediocre and located 7-8 kms from the village. As a result many don't go to schools. Girl students almost never do, they said. The members experimented by starting a school in a makeshift space in the village last year. "The reaction and impact has been most inspiring. 188 students have enrolled and we don't have space for more," they said. "We are now wanting to construct a proper school with government recognition and be able to educate all the children of the village. It is for this construction, that we need more patrons. If this is successful, we may be able to replicate the model in other villages of UP/India," they added. "We have a 0.73-acre land donated to the school in the same village. This is contiguous to another piece of land around 0.7 acres, which will also be donated to the school in due time. Right now we can use it as a playground anyway. The land is registered in the name of the school," they added. "We need to construct this school on 4,300 sq ft in the first phase - this is the minimum needed for government recognition, and so that is the goal in this year. After four phases the plan is to construct 17,700 sq ft," they said. "At this stage, we are collecting donations of Rs 1 lakh or upwards. But you can donate any amount. You can also help us in kind, by donating construction materials, furniture or other infrastructure. The school is being set up philanthropically," they said. Of the Rs 35 lakh required for the first phase of construction, they have received Rs 18 lakh through donations. The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Ebonyi State chapter, has called off its indefinite strike. The workers had embarked on the strike on August 13 to protest the non- implementation of the consolidated judiciary staff salary structure by the state government. The strike had crippled judicial activities in the state with the courts remaining shut. However, after negotiations with the state government on Wednesday, the union agreed to suspend the strike. National Organising Secretary of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, Chinedu Eze, announced the suspension of the strike on Wednesday in Abakaliki, the state capital. He explained that the decision followed the intervention of various stakeholders. According to him, calling off the industrial action will enable the state government to look into the demand of the workers and address areas of concern. The Chairman, Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria in Ebonyi State, Nnachi Oko, said the workers would abide by any decision reached by the national leadership of the union and commended members for supporting the industrial action while it lasted. Syracuse, N.Y. Its not every day you see a plane zoom straight up seconds after taking off from Syracuse Hancock International Airport. So when it happens, its pretty cool. An F-35 Lightning II, the Air Forces latest fifth-generation fighter and one its most capable, took off from the airport on Aug. 26. Video shot by airport operations officer Darren Gilcher shows the highly advanced multi-role fighter pointing its nose straight up after lifting off from the runway. Coolest take off of the year so far at #SYR Airport (watch until the end). Thanks to our Ops Manager Darren for snagging this sweet video of an #F35 flexing its muscles this afternoon. #Military #Syracuse pic.twitter.com/K7YisN5XI5 Syracuse Airport (@SyracuseAirport) August 26, 2020 Airport officials posted the video on the airports Twitter page, calling it the coolest takeoff of the year so far at #SYR Airport. "Thanks to our Ops Manager Darren for snagging this sweet video of an #F35 flexing its muscles this afternoon. The jet came from the Vermont Air National Guards 158th Fighter Wing in Burlington, Vermont, which has been flying F-35s since October 2019. Airport officials said they had no information on the purpose of the visit. Its been 10 years since fighter jets were a regular sight at Syracuses airport. The Air National Guards 174th Attack Wing is based at the airport. It operated fighters for decades, starting the P-47 in 1948, until it gave up its F-16s and transitioned to the remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper in 2010. Built by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 is known for its stealthy design, which absorbs and deflects radar signals to make it hard to detect. Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 An Irish company has until next week to provide information to the Revenue Commissioners to help it assist international investigations into tax evasion, following an order by the High Court. The information is being sought to assist probes by authorities in France, Germany, South Korea and Iceland. According to an affidavit filed in court by a Revenue official, French authorities say "significant non-declaration of income" is being enquired into. A similar application had also been due to be made by Revenue on behalf of Australian tax authorities, but this did not proceed. The Irish firm cannot be identified due to an "in camera" order made by the court. Mr Justice Richard Humphreys said this was not to protect the rights of the company, but to preserve the integrity of the investigative process. Tax authorities feared people or entities whose tax affairs are being investigated could be tipped off if the identity of the Irish company was publicly disclosed. The judge said the foreign taxpayers whose activities are under investigation should not be alerted to the application. Revenue sought the order using laws under which a third party, other than a financial institution, can be compelled to provide information, such as books, records and other documents, in relation to a taxpayer in certain circumstances. The exchange of information with tax authorities in other countries is allowed under conventions designed for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion. "Given the globalised nature of the modern world and the reciprocal nature of the international agreements, there is a strong public interest in cooperating with enquiries by foreign tax authorities," said Mr Justice Humphreys. "Anyone who thinks that one country is not harmed by tax evasion, wrongdoing or threats to security or other such issues in other countries, especially friendly or nearby countries, might be thinking wishfully," he said. Under the order granted, should the Irish company receive queries from individuals or entities whose information is obtained, it can refer to the existence of the order but not its terms. The firm has been given until August 14 to provide the information sought. State Waits for Results in College Opening COVID-19 Rates BOSTON Massachusetts is making strides in reducing transmission rates of COVID-19, Gov. Charlie Baker said on Wednesday, but he's holding off on further loosening of the economy for the moment. "One of the things we talked about is trying to get through the school reopening and the college return," he said to a question about indoor dining and activities during his update Wednesday afternoon. "These are both really big and really important deals here in Massachusetts. They're hugely important for kids and for families and for educators and the college return is particularly important as well for many people who work at colleges and universities, and I really think for the next couple of weeks, our focus really ought to be there. And we'll talk about other stuff when we get past that." Colleges and universities began opening over the past week with many hosting reduced numbers of students on campus; local schools will be opening over the next weeks, many to a form of hybrid learning that will have children in the school buildings at least part of the week. The governor said health data from universities will be added to the public reports that now cover hospitals, nursing homes, and state-operated facilities and correctional institutions. The return of students has not so far resulted in a spike in COVID-19 cases. On Wednesday, Williams College reported 6,774 tests completed with only one positive so far. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has not updated its dashboard since last week, but informed iBerkshires there has been one case that is no longer active. North Adams' daily rate case has now moved up into green with five new cases over two weeks. "I'm as frustrated as anybody about the fact that there are still elements of our economy that for one reason or another, aren't open," he said. "But, I mean, anybody who watched what happened in the South and in the Midwest with respect to bars and nightclubs should understand why. "As much as those organizations are distressed and suffering under this current period of time it was pretty clear they played a significant role in significant outbreaks and new cases in many states where they were permitted to open." He pointed out that in contrast to those states where reopening led to a dramatic increase in total cases, positive test rates and hospitalizations, Massachusetts significantly reduced its positive test rates and cases at the same nearly a half-million people returned to work. And ramped up its testing capacity. "There's been plenty of folks in the infectious disease community who have said if people would just comply with the rules around face coverings and social distancing on a sustained basis at an 80 percent to 90 percent level, over a month we could kill COVID in the U.S.," he said. "That hasn't happened and I can't emphasize how much I think that plays a role here." The state is focusing right now on the "dangerously high levels of transmission" in the communities Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Lawrence and Revere. Field teams of volunteers have been working in those communities distributing more than 4,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, 500 signs and 17,000 flyers with information on how to stop the spread. Framingham will be added to this group as well. Also in those municipalities, the Division of Professional Licensure made 92 inspections last week at businesses ranging from funeral homes to nail salons and found 47 COVID-19 violations. The state police have been assisting local police in these communities on COVID-related enforcement as well. Statewide, the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission made enforcement operations at 1,200 establishments, finding two-thirds in compliance and fining or warning another 300 for violations. Baker said a listing of where these operations occurred would be made available. "We're pleased that a vast majority of restaurants and their customers are enjoying their experience outdoor dining, indoor dining safely and appropriately to prevent the spread of COVID," he said. Overall, the majority of communities have done well in following the guidance, according to Baker: 190, or 54 percent, have recorded five cases or fewer since mid-August and 46, or 13 percent, have reported fewer than four cases per 100,000 residents. Forty-seven communities have improved their standings on the per-capita assessment by reducing their percentage over the past several weeks, including Springfield, which moved from high to moderate risk. "We spend a lot of time focusing on the communities that are seeing higher rates of COVID to raise awareness and help those communities drive down cases," the governor said. "But it's also important to note that the vast majority of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, have done a great job following the guidance to reduce COVID-19. And this data shows that their efforts have been paying off. ... this progress has allowed us to significantly reopen much of our economy here in Massachusetts." In other news, the governor reported that the state will begin distributing federal unemployment benefits that were created under a special Federal Emergency Management Agency program the Lost Wages Assistance Program that was implemented by a federal executive order in August. This program succeeds an expired federal pandemic unemployment compensation program and provides an extra $300 in weekly unemployment benefits. Anyone who was approved for this new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program will receive payments retroactive to Aug. 1. So far $200 million has been distributed and 235,000 claimants will be receiving this benefit that is geared to those who do not receive traditional unemployment (freelancers, gig workers, etc.). Those receiving benefits through the Department of Unemployment Assistance will also be getting payments retroactive to Aug. 1 and do not have to reapply. Updated at 9:20 p.m. with information from MCLA. One person was killed and two others were injured Tuesday after two boats collided on Bayou Sara in Mobile County, authorities said. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys Marine Patrol Division is investigating the wreck that occurred around noon Tuesday between Saraland and Satsuma, said ALEA Senior Trooper Gary Cole. One person died in the crash while two other were taken to a local hospital for treatment, Cole said. The identification of the victims were not released because their families had not yet been notified. 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. Press Release September 8, 2020 DELA ROSA SEEKS TO TRANSFER CONTROL AND SUPERVISION OF PROVINCIAL JAILS TO BJMP, GETS FULL SUPPORT FROM GOVERNORS Senator Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa earned support from the governors of various provinces in the country on the proposed transfer of control and supervision of the provincial and sub-provincial jails to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). Dela Rosa, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, conducted a public hearing on Tuesday, to discuss several bills seeking to amend Republic Act No. 6975, otherwise known as the 'Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Act of 1990' by transferring the control and supervision of provincial jails to the BJMP. During the hearing, Dela Rosa was assured of a unanimous backing from the provincial chief executives who were one in saying that such measure was long overdue. They all agreed that the BJMP can better manage the jails in the country since they are well equipped and have expertise on the task at hand. "Personally, I am very very supportive of this bill. Ang tanong ko nga lang dito, bakit ngayon lang ito? Dapat noon pa ito," Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago Cane Jr. said. "Sa lahat po ng authors ng bill na ito, I have waited for this bill for the longest time. Kasi nga po it is not easy to manage a provincial jail na siksikan yung facilities namin dito. Nung dumating yung Covid19, ang pinakauna kong concern yung provincial jail namin kasi nga it has already more than doubled its capacity, so yung social distancing talagang di mo maiwasan," Cane added. In its establishment under Republic Act No. 6975, the BJMP was vested jurisdiction over city and municipal jails. The provincial jail was retained under the control and supervision of the provincial government. This retention was also expressed in the provisions of Republic Act No. 7610 or the Local Government Code of 1991. Zamboanga del Sur Governor Victor Yu also expressed his gratitude to the authors of the bill saying that he has also been longing to see the transfer of their jails to the BJMP. "Actually I already requested last year pa na ma-manage ng BJMP yung provincial jail namin because my observation, Mr Chairman, mas maganda yung management ng BJMP kasi very professional unlike here in our province na yung warden hindi ganoon yung focus nila. We cannot say that management is bad, but in enforcing the law sa mga jail, especially sa pag-guard, medyo mas better yung sa BJMP...Gaya ng sinabi ko, full support ako dito," Governor Yu said. During his opening statement, Dela Rosa said that the management of the provincial jails may not always be a priority of the LGUs as there are more pressing concerns for their constituents, leaving the jails in "a dismal state: overcrowded, poorly sanitized; some do not meet international standards -- bordering on inhumane conditions." "This state of fragmented jail services results in the difficulty of establishing a national standard in the operational management of all local jails in the country to the detriment of the inmates and PDLs. Provinces usually do not prioritize jail services as they have many basic services like health and education to prioritize, and as these services are understandably more appealing and responsive to the social needs of their constituents," Dela Rosa noted. Dela Rosa, who also served as Bureau of Corrections chief, noted the lack of professional training and equipment in some provincial jails which may lead to jailbreak. "Isa pang isyu sa mga provincial jails ay ang kakulangan sa training at equipment ng mga jail guard nito. Noong August 2016, may nakakulong na walong miyembro ng teroristang Maute group ang nakatakas sa Lanao del Sur Provincial Jail. Kung sapat lang sana ang training at equipment ng mga jail guard, maaring napigilan ang pagtakas ng mga teroristang ito," Dela Rosa said. Surigao del Sur Governor Ike Pimentel also expressed full support for the measure and echoed Senator Dela Rosa's observation, saying that the proposed bill will unburden their LGU as they are not fully equipped for the task, citing as examples the lack of vehicles as well as incidences of miscoordination during transfer of PDLs. "Considering the problem posed by a divided jail management, the authors of the bills under consideration today deem it proper for the BJMP, whose main mandate is to manage local jails, to step in and take charge of the operations and management of provincial jails. This will ensure an integrated approach to jail management for the efficient delivery of service and the well-being of inmates and persons deprived of liberty (PDLs)," Dela Rosa further explained. The Chinese fashion designer Zhao Huizhou [Xinhua/Sun Qianwen] This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the 12th since Shenzhen, in Guangdong Province, became the first Chinese city appointed as a UNESCO City of Design. With favorable policies and cultural inclusiveness, the city has become a hotbed for innovations and creativity, appealing to talent who want to make something happen in the city. Zhao Huizhou, a Chinese fashion designer who has many design awards under her belt, is among them. Zhao said she chose to start her design career from scratch in Shenzhen after graduating from the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in 1996. "I was attracted by the city's inclusiveness and vigor, and the fast-paced lifestyle here has also pushed me to continue enriching myself and making progress," Zhao said. In 1997, she founded the Shenzhen-based company Eachway Fashion Group to explore the city's fledging fashion sector. "From 1997 to 2008, it was a process of accumulation for my brand. I engaged myself in bringing my designs to be accepted by the market," she explained. After 2009, Zhao started to seek further education to improve her business. She began attending the Executive Master Business Administration program at the China Europe International Business School and learning about fashion management and finance. In 2014, she jumped at the chance to be one of the core designers of the outfits for the leaders' spouses who attended the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing. "The event provided Chinese designers an international stage to display their creative credentials," said Zhao, adding that since then, she has gained enough confidence to explore "the international expressions of traditional Chinese elements". The next year, the couturier debuted her solo runway show at Milan Fashion Week to test the waters in foreign markets. The good feedback from the fashion week encouraged her to keep bringing her creations to international stages in the following years. "What I experienced at Milan Fashion Week each year has boosted my ego in boldly using Chinese elements, such as embroidery, batik and tie-dyeing cloth. In recent years, I also tried to use bright red, dark green and other colors popular in traditional Chinese textiles," she said. Zhao used to seek inspirations in remote villages in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces where such traditional cloth-processing techniques such as batik and tie-dyeing are well-preserved. Sometimes, the totems of ethnic groups also motivate her to design patterns with a primitive touch. The more visits she paid to these places, the more urgent she felt it was to help the local people revive the aforementioned cultural heritage. In 2016, supported by Shenzhen Women and Children's Development Foundation, she initiated the Hui Fund to help low-income craftspeople in mountainous areas live a better life and carry on traditional arts. Workshops and training sessions have been held for fashion designers from big cities and native embroiderers so they can communicate with each other. Zhao said that fashion designers can guide embroiderers who used to produce low-value replicas to make creative and artistic works. As she delved into the traditional culture, she became eager to trace the roots of Chinese-styled fashion and develop a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of fashion in the country. She established a museum where the royal costumes of different dynasties, traditional attire and accessories of various ethnic groups, spinning wheels and other objects related to the development of Chinese-styled fashion are displayed. "By observing the collection in the museum, we managed to conduct systematic research on the fashion trend of a certain period. For instance, we are studying the garments that featured silhouettes through the long course of Chinese history," Zhao said. She added that she hopes more people will understand the origin and development of fashion at the museum and fashion designers will also be inspired by some of the exhibits. She pointed out that the improvement of product quality is significant in today's fashion market. "Today's customers are not just buying a piece of clothing, they are choosing a kind of lifestyle. In the future, we plan to create environmentally friendly garments that feature cultural elements and are comfortable to wear," she said. In this milestone year, the designer is ready to continue the ascent of her career and make efforts with other fashion practitioners to bring Shenzhen, a global design powerhouse, to a new stage of development. (Source: China Daily) The Los Angeles Times said last week that its Beijing bureau chief was grabbed by the throat, pushed into a cell and held for more than four hours before being forced to leave the area Beijing: Local authorities in China's Inner Mongolia region have denied they used force or detained an American reporter when she was questioned at a police station last week. The Los Angeles Times said Thursday that one of its reporters was grabbed by the throat and pushed into a cell and held for more than four hours before being forced to leave the area in northern China. There's no instance of the police using both hands to pinch the neck or being detained in a police cell, nor was there any instance of being detained or expelled, the press office for Hohhot, the provincial capital, said in a written response to questions from The Associated Press. The statement, dated Tuesday, said the reporter was interviewing a pedestrian and accused her of filming or photographing the person without the interviewee's permission. It said the reporter chose to go back to Beijing voluntarily. The newspaper's Beijing bureau chief, Alice Su, who is the journalist in question, declined to comment. She was covering protests and class boycotts that had broken out in Inner Mongolia over a move to increase the use of Chinese in schools where Mongolian has been the main language of instruction. Authorities, who have detained more than 20 people, are trying to clamp down on information about the protests, according to a protester and a US-based activist group that advocates for the rights of ethnic Mongolians. The incident came at a time of growing pressure on foreign journalists in China. On Tuesday, the last two journalists working for Australian media in China returned home after police demanded interviews with them and temporarily blocked their departures. They were told they were persons of interest into an investigation into an Australian who works for state media in China, according to The Australian Financial Review. The other Australian, Cheng Lei, has been detained on suspicion of endangering China's national security, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Tuesday without elaborating. The US and China are currently engaged in a back-and-forth over the treatment of journalists in their respective countries, including restrictions on visas. Inner Mongolia is a region of 25 million people that borders the country of Mongolia to the north. About 17 percent of the population is ethnic Mongolian, while the Han make up 79 percent. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Four Staten Island police officers were recognized Tuesday for on-the-job heroism that helped save a mans life. The award, co-presented by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the New York City Police Department, is given to those officers who have helped a person in crisis. Every single day, NYPD officers go out there and do extraordinary life-saving work, said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. While their acts often go unrecognized, today we stop to acknowledge officers who went above and beyond the call of duty to help those in crisis. Sgt. John Iskaros and police officers Christopher Gambardella, Kenneth Greene and Francis Torres responded to a report of an emotionally disturbed person in the vicinity of Forest and Bruckner avenues in Mariners Harbor at the end of July, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported. What they found was a male in his 60s with a cut in his left arm, bleeding severely and about to lose consciousness. I tried to have a conversation with the male and I saw the self-inflicted wound, said Torres, 28, who has been an officer for more than three years. There was a lot of blood loss already. Trying to stop the bleeding temporarily, Torres said he was about to use his belt. At that point, Gambardella handed his colleague a tourniquet, which he got while in the police academy, while Greene kept the mans arm up to help stop the blood loss. This was not just me, said Gambardella, 23, who has been an officer for just one year. This is a team. We do everything together. There isnt really a one-man team in the NYPD. We all did it together. It took them just about 12 minutes to save the mans life. Maybe at that point in time he thought it was the end at his age; at least we were able to save him, so now he has a second chance, said Iskaros. Almost 90% of NYPD officers are now equipped with tourniquets, Iskaros said. Since 2016, more than 26,000 members have received tourniquet training, according to a spokesperson for the NYPD. Officers have also been undergoing increased training on how to respond to and interact with emotionally disturbed people. A total of 22 police officers also received the award for their heroic acts, as well as the Employee Assistance Unit, which provides support for members of the NYPD, both uniformed and civilians, who are in crisis, according to the NYPD. WASHINGTON - Try as he might to change the subject, President Donald Trump cant escape the coronavirus. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Smith Reynolds Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Winston-Salem, N.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON - Try as he might to change the subject, President Donald Trump cant escape the coronavirus. In April, the president tried to shift the public's focus to the economy. In July, to defending the country's heritage. In September, to enforcing law and order. But all along the way, the death toll from the coronavirus continued to mount. And now, Trumps own words are redirecting attention to his handling of the pandemic when he can least afford it less than two months before Election Day. I wanted to always play it down, Trump said of the threat from the virus. That was in a private conversation with journalist Bob Woodward last March that became public on Wednesday with the publication of excerpts from Woodward's upcoming book Rage." In taped conversations released along with the excerpts, Trump insisted he didnt want to create panic. But his comments also raised fresh questions about how he has managed the defining crisis of his presidency, one that has killed more than 190,000 Americans so far, with no end in sight. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany calls for questions during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Trumps team would much rather centre the November vote around the economy, cracking down on protests spawned by racial injustice, and the president's promise that he could appoint more conservative justices to the Supreme Court. Trump released a list of 20 potential nominees for the high court, part of an effort to animate conservative and evangelical voters. But his announcement was overshadowed by a cascade of unwelcome developments, including Woodward's revelations, a move by Nevada officials to cancel upcoming Trump rallies in the state because of the virus, and a whistleblowers charge that Trump aides had pressured him to cover up intelligence reports about Russian election interference on the president's behalf. The president unleashed a barrage of tweets Thursday morning, some in an effort to change the subject, and others taking on the Woodward book head-on, defending his comments and charging the media with conspiring against him. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Bob Woodward had my quotes for many months," Trump wrote. If he thought they were so bad or dangerous, why didnt he immediately report them in an effort to save lives? Didnt he have an obligation to do so? No, because he knew they were good and proper answers. Calm, no panic!" Woodward has defended his decision to hold off by saying he needed time to make sure Trumps private comments were true. Revelations from the Woodward book emerged just as Trump's campaign was beginning to feel that the virus was receding from public view. The president himself has been thumbing his nose at public health experts' warning against the sort of large gatherings with few people wearing masks that his campaign has been staging around the country. President Donald Trump speaks during an event on judicial appointments, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) For all of that, Trump has faced devastating revelations of his own creation before and survived them. They stretch back to his 2015 comments questioning the heroism of Sen. John McCain, a decorated Vietnam prisoner of war, or the notorious Access Hollywood tape that emerged just before the 2016 election in which Trump described sexually assaulting women. On Wednesday, Trump didn't deny his remarks playing down the virus, he sought to justify them. The fact is Im a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I dont want people to be frightened. I dont want to create panic, Trump told reporters. Certainly, Im not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy. We want to show confidence. We want to show strength. President Donald Trump speaks during an event on judicial appointments, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Yet Trumps own explanation suggested he was steering people away from the reality of the coming storm. Woodwards account details dire warnings from top Trump national security officials to the president in late January that the virus that causes COVID-19 could be as bad as the devastating influenza pandemic of 1918. On Feb. 25, just weeks before much of the country was forced to shut down because of the pandemic, Trump declared the virus very well under control in our country. Democratic nominee Joe Biden pounced on the Woodward revelations, declaring that Trump lied to the American people. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden arrives to speak during a campaign event on manufacturing and buying American-made products at UAW Region 1 headquarters in Warren, Mich., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) While a deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose. It was a life or death betrayal of the American people, Biden said. By evening, Trump's own words, captured on the Woodward tapes, had popped up in a Biden campaign ad. The ad includes audio of Trump privately acknowledging to Woodward the severity of COVID-19, and ends with a narrator pronouncing: Trump knew it all along. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In a taped Feb. 7 call with Woodward, Trump said of the virus, You just breathe the air and thats how its passed. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flus, Trump said. This is deadly stuff, the president repeated for emphasis. Just three days later, Trump struck a far rosier tone in public, in an interview with Fox Business: I think the virus is going to be its going to be fine. The Washington Post, where Woodward serves as associate editor, reported excerpts of the book on Wednesday, as did CNN. The book also covers race relations, diplomacy with North Korea and a range of other issues that have arisen during the past two years. The book is based in part on 18 interviews that Woodward conducted with Trump between December and July. Trump never did seem willing to fully mobilize the federal government and continually seemed to push problems off on the states, Woodward writes of the pandemic. There was no real management theory of the case or how to organize a massive enterprise to deal with one of the most complex emergencies the United States had ever faced. Barely six months after the controversial dethronement of Muhammadu Sanusi as the Emir of Kano, the states House of Assembly has passed the Emirate Council Amendment Bill 2020 making major changes such as the appointment of additional kingmakers. Mr Sanusi was dethroned on 9th March for alleged disrespect to lawful instructions from the office of the state governor and other lawful authorities, including his persistent refusal to attend official meetings and programs organised by the state government. In 2019, the lawmakers approved the creation of four additional emirate councils, bringing the number of first-class emirs in the state to five. The creation of the additional emirate councils then was widely believed to be targeted at whittling down the powers of the dethroned emir. Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano State Governor, on July 22, requested the consent of the lawmakers to make the Emir of Kano permanent chairman of the state emirate council and appoint others as kingmakers, including the one sacked by Nigerias supreme court. Abdulazeez Gafasa, Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly, during Tuesdays plenary, adopted the amendment bill. The new law has abolished the rotational chairmanship for the states five first-class Emirs. Instead, the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado-Bayero, is now the permanent chairman. The House majority leader, Kabiru Dashi, said the amendment made provisions for the Emir of Kano to serve as the chairman of the Council of Emirs, thus, putting the issue of rotation to an end. Mr Dashi added that the amended law has also changed the nomenclature of the Council of Chiefs, now to be called the Council of Emirs. The House approved the new title of the Sarkin Dawaki Babba conferred on Aminu Babba-DanAgundi to be the fifth kingmaker in the Kano Emirate. He was sacked by the supreme court while holding the title of Sarkin Dawaki Maituta. Mr Babba-DanAgundi was deposed by the late Emir Ado Bayero 17 years ago following alleged political interference and insubordination. Also, in the new law, the number of kingmakers has also increased from four to five members across the emirates. The increase, according to the lawmakers, is to allow for a free and fair election of a new emir whenever there is a vacancy. The new kingmakers include the secretary to the state government (SSG), Usman Alhaji. He was appointed as a kingmaker for Gaya Emirate which also conferred on him the traditional title of Wazirin Gaya. Childrens inability to read basic words at Grade Two in Ghana is disheartening, Mr Palham Oyiye, the National Coordinator, Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), said in Accra on Tuesday. At a virtual conference organised by the Ghana Publishers Association to celebrate the 2020 World Literacy Day, he said some children were unable to read simple words like the and cat. The Conference was on the theme: Child Literacy as Foundation for Future Development: Strategies in the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond. Mr Oyiye said a World Bank Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project revealed that the Early Grade Reading Assessment did not change between 2013 and 2015. He said the report indicated that only two per cent of Grade Two or Primary 2 pupils in Ghana were able to read at an appropriate grade level with 50 per cent unable to recognise a single word. In 2018, the report said despite a decrease in zero scorers, the pool of zero scorers for higher order reading sub-tasks was still high with 85 per cent for reading comprehension, 57 per cent for oral reading fluency, and 64 per cent for non-word reading, he said. Between 2016 and 2018, the test scores remained essentially the same, if not decreased slightly. At the secondary level, Mr Oyiye said learning outcomes were also low as only 33 per cent of students passed the West African Senior School Certificate Examination for Mathematics in 2017, while in 2016, only 23 per cent of students qualified for entry into tertiary education. He said the ultimate goal of literacy was to build pupils comprehension, writing skills, overall ability in communication, train them to keep current events, and be best social fit in building intra and inter-relationships. It was, therefore, important that teachers learnt how well to teach children, provide them with the right learning experiences, and communicate with the right language when teaching. Mr Oyiye said it was unfortunate that a few children had access to computers, smart phones and the internet or electricity to learn on digital channels during this period of COVID-19. He entreated teachers to search for resources from online platforms to teach their pupils and students and provide them with emotional support when engaging them on video sessions. Mr Benjamin K. Gyasi, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, said the 2018 World Development Report indicated that nearly 80 per cent of Ghanas population was at level one literacy and lacked the ability to integrate and evaluate information received. Speaking on; Building and Advancing a Sustainable and Functional Literacy Framework among Youth and Children, Mr Gyasi said the Ghana Education Service (GES) had revamped the curriculum into a standard-based one to equip every child with the basic skills to read, write, understand an arithmetic and make critical analysis. He said research had shown that acquiring a Diploma in Basic Education did not adequately prepare a teacher for the classroom hence the curriculum review and introduction of the Teacher Licensure Examination by the GES to adequately prepare teachers to meet the national and global education standards. Mr Gyasi said the Ministry of Education was working towards acquiring a legal framework to transition the non-formal division of the educational system into a complementary education to ensure that no one was left behind. Mr Abdourahamane Diallo, the Country Director of UNESCO, addressing the conference on the topic: Building a Conducive Environment for Literacy and Partnership, called on the Government to equip the educational sector with finances and tools to carry out its activities. He called on development partners and stakeholders like civil society and non-governmental organisations and academia to assist government to bridge the literacy gap. Dr Francis Gbormittah, the President of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW), advised writers and stakeholders in education to step up their game to reduce illiteracy. Dr Gbormittah, a Board member of the Ghana News Agency, said the GAW was initiating the GAW E-Book Audio Project to advance the efforts towards reducing illiteracy. That would enable pupils and students to learn wherever they might be or whatever they might be doing during this COVID-19 period, he said. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The COVID-19 pandemic has created myriad challenges for all manner of small businesses, and craft breweries are certainly no exception. From losing draft accounts at pubs and eateries to shutting down operations entirely, from offering curbside pickup and delivery to cautiously reopening tap rooms, its been quite the ride. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The COVID-19 pandemic has created myriad challenges for all manner of small businesses, and craft breweries are certainly no exception. From losing draft accounts at pubs and eateries to shutting down operations entirely, from offering curbside pickup and delivery to cautiously reopening tap rooms, its been quite the ride. With the recent uptick in virus cases in Manitoba, many local craft breweries have opted to make masks mandatory in their tap rooms. To date, Kilter Brewing Co., Sookrams Brewing Co., Little Brown Jug, Torque Brewing, Stone Angel Brewing Co. and Barn Hammer Brewing Co. have all implemented such regulations in Winnipeg. The general rule is that masks can be removed once youre seated in the tap room, but must be worn at all other times, including to use the washroom or order a beer at the bar. And in talking to three of the breweries mandating masks, it would appear for the most part thirsty Winnipeggers are happy to oblige. Kilter taproom manager Mischa Decter with a Waves pale ale and a Juicii IPA at the St. Boniface brewery, where masks are mandatory. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) Anyone who has visited Kilters brand new St. Boniface tap room has been smitten by its cosy, tropical-like (and Instagram-worthy) decor. While Kilters beers have been extremely popular among locals since they launched in Stone Angel Brewing Co.s Pembina Hwy. space in 2018, it wasnt until earlier this year that they landed their own space on Rue Deschambault, with their tap room opening in late July. "The timing of it was... interesting," says co-owner Julien Cloutier. "We had just gotten the production side going and were going to open the tap room when the pandemic hit. So we really took the time to figure out logistics." Cloutier is able to see the positive in opening for the first time in the midst of a pandemic. "We never had a tap room open before. So we didnt have to shift from what we had been doing to this new thing," he says. Still, for Kilter it meant expectations around the visitor experience had to change, at least for the time being. "The idea was to create an environment where people could show up, have a beer and move around, flow within the space, check out whats going on with production, as opposed to just sitting down," says Cloutier. Kilter was the first brewery to announce mandatory masks in its tap room in Winnipeg as local COVID-19 cases crept higher. Kilter Brewery is one of many local breweries with mandatory mask policies. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) "What weve done is not new; a lot of other breweries in other cities have done the same thing," Cloutier says. "It made total sense its quick and easy to implement, it doesnt infringe on a lot of peoples freedom to move within the space. You put your mask on, once youre seated you can take it off, if you want to go to the washroom or see what cans we have to go, you put your mask back on." For the most part, Cloutier says the feedback to the mask rule has been positive. "Weve had days where people just forget to bring the mask, but we have some on site that we provide if you forget. You get the odd comment here and there about not supporting that kind of rule, but I dont think well ever have any kind of rule in this world that everyones happy about." While the newest tap room in the city opened for the first time in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the owners of one of the first wave of local craft brewers was dealing with its own set of challenges. For the better part of the last month, Tyler and Sable Birch of Barn Hammer Brewing Co. have had to take a hands-off approach to running their Wall Street brewery theyre in self-isolation after the birth of their daughter in August. Taproom servers Brad Carrasco (left) and Dylan Huntly raise a glass at Barn Hammer. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) Barn Hammer was one of the first breweries to shut down at the outset of the pandemic before cautiously opening for curbside pickup and delivery. Throughout that time it kept rigorous safety protocols, including when reopening the tap room to the public this summer. So when the number of COVID-19 cases started to increase in the last month, deciding to make masks mandatory was an easy choice. "We honestly would have done it a little bit sooner if we werent a bit preoccupied," Tyler says with a laugh, referring to the birth of their daughter. "I wouldnt say we were gung-ho to do it, but we were willing to do it if it was necessary." To Tylers knowledge, there hasnt been much in the way of negative feedback so far on the mandatory masks decision. "Nicole, our tap room manager, tends to forewarn us of any negative interactions we havent heard anything, which usually means its a good thing." The new addition to the Birch household has only reinforced the importance of masks to Tyler. "I dont understand the blowback its such a minor inconvenience. If it helps even one per cent of the cases its a no-brainer." Andrew Sookram says the decision to mandate masks came out of conversations with staff about what made them feel the most safe and comfortable. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) Since the outset of the pandemic, Tyler Birch has been in regular contact with Andrew Sookram of Sookrams Brewing Co. as the two grappled with how to navigate the unknown ways COVID-19 would impact their business. "When the pandemic first started, we were on the phone a lot saying what are we going to do here?" says Sookram. "We decided we were going to close it felt like the right thing to do." Sookram had been looking forward to properly opening their patio for the first time this summer they had opened it briefly in August 2019, but the weather took a turn for the worse. There were bigger plans in store for 2020. "We could technically have 95 to 100 people out there normally obviously with our current table configuration six feet apart, we cant have anywhere near that," says Sookram. "We were going to do all custom furniture rather than just the picnic tables; we did what we could this year with some help from friends." Try our Dish The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Dish arrives in your inbox every other Friday. See sample. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Liquor, wine stores covering up Mandatory face masks are becoming the norm for local liquor and private wine stores. Last week, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries announced that as of Sept. 10, customers will be required to wear a mask while shopping at all Manitoba Liquor Mart locations or while visiting Winnipeg casinos and gaming centres. Liquor Mart employees have had to wear masks while on the job since early August. While public mask use isnt mandated by the province, libation retailers are joining the growing list of businesses asking customers to mask up before entering. click to read more Mandatory face masks are becoming the norm for local liquor and private wine stores. Last week, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries announced that as of Sept. 10, customers will be required to wear a mask while shopping at all Manitoba Liquor Mart locations or while visiting Winnipeg casinos and gaming centres. Liquor Mart employees have had to wear masks while on the job since early August. While public mask use isnt mandated by the province, libation retailers are joining the growing list of businesses asking customers to mask up before entering. Masks have been strongly encouraged at Piazza De Nardi since the beginning of the pandemic, but late last month the Taylor Avenue food and wine store made masks mandatory for shoppers. Staff are like our family so we want them to be safe, because the traffic to the store has been rather robust, says Tom De Nardi of Piazza De Nardi and La Boutique del Vino. And of course customer safety as well. A sign at the front door now asks customers to sanitize their hands and put on a mask before entering. While compliance has so far been high, those who arrive without a mask will be given a disposable one. Were not a mask store, but were going to make it easy for people to shop, De Nardi says. As of last Thursday, masks are also mandatory at Banville & Jones Wine Co. on St. Marys Road. The decision came from conversations with the private wine stores more than 30 staff members. With the spikes in the last couple weeks, I went to all the staff and I said, Whats going to make you guys feel comfortable? says Banville general manager and buyer Mike Muirhead. I think that speaks not only to the staff, but how we feel about the people who come in the door as well. Save for one negative review, Muirhead says the majority of customers have been receptive to the new policy a side effect, he believes, of more Winnipeg retailers mandating mask use. Its amazing how in a month things can (change), he says. Now you look around and if somebodys not wearing a mask, you think its weird. I think the public is pretty used to it now. Eva Wasney Close Sookrams was one of the last brewery tap rooms to reopen to the public, after a summer of curbside pickups and deliveries. "I was pretty apprehensive about opening back up. Part of that was not having enough beer we were putting everything into cans (rather than kegs and cans) and we couldnt keep up. Summertime hit and everything was reopening, so we figured it was a good time to open back up." The decision to mandate masks came out of conversations with staff about what made them feel the most safe and comfortable at work. In addition to mandatory masks, at Sookrams customers are not to come into contact with the bar top, which now features Plexiglas barriers. "With the barriers on the bar we find some people try to talk around it," says Sookram. Generally speaking, reactions to the reconfigured Sookrams has been good, and the numbers reflect that. "Were actually open fewer hours and days now, and were doing the same if not better than before the pandemic," says Sookram. But if the number of cases were to rise sharply, Sookram has considered the possibility of shutting down again. "Were still seeing the Winnipeg numbers rise. We social distance while were here we work in a small space," says Sookram. "We dont want to be in the news for the wrong reason." ben.sigurdson@freepress.mb.ca Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 01:22:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo on Wednesday warned of the risks posed by COVID-19 to international peace and security, including the erosion of trust in public institutions, human rights violations, and disruption in political and peace processes. Although it was a problem before the pandemic and is not specific to conflict situations, the erosion of trust in public institutions increases fragility and has the potential to drive instability in settings where people perceive authorities have not addressed the pandemic effectively or have not been transparent about its impact, DiCarlo told the Security Council in a briefing on the impact of the COVID-19 on peace and security. The aggravation of certain human rights challenges during the pandemic can fuel conflict, she warned. Discrimination in access to health services increased. Gender-based violence, particularly in the home, surged around the world as COVID-19 lockdowns became necessary. Many of the economic costs of the pandemic are also disproportionately affecting women, who are overrepresented in some of the sectors hardest hit by shutdowns and ensuing layoffs and cuts, she said. There are also growing limitations being placed on the media, civic space and freedom of expression. Social media platforms are used to spread disinformation about the pandemic. And there has been a rise in stigma and hate speech, especially against migrants and foreigners, she said. Tensions are increasing surrounding decisions to postpone elections or to proceed with a vote, even with mitigation measures, said DiCarlo. Parties to conflict, including terrorist and violent extremist groups, use the uncertainty created by the pandemic to press their advantage, she said. In the short term, the pandemic could also derail fragile peace processes and conflict prevention initiatives due to restrictions on travel and in-person contacts. The United Nations' own ability to support political processes has been limited by such restrictions, she said. To mitigate COVID-related risks in situations of armed conflict and prevent the possible deterioration of other situations into instability and violence, the collective and individual engagement of the members of the Security Council, including in follow-up to the UN secretary-general's ceasefire call, is indispensable, said DiCarlo. "Addressing COVID-19 requires coordination, unity and solidarity. The better the global response to the pandemic, the better our prospects for the prevention, management and resolution of armed conflicts around the world," she said. Enditem Cuomo said there is no "hard formula" being used to determine when economic activity would have to be scaled back based on Covid-19 spread. The infection rate would not be "'as relevant" if officials could determine a specific cause for spread in a certain area. It would be more concerning if an increase in cases was attributed to "random community spread." State officials will continue to track the data on a daily basis and act if there are causes for concern, Cuomo said. "What's not manageable?" he said. "You start to hit two, you start to go towards three, that's when the bells start to go off. So you watch it and you monitor it and you start to get over two, you hit the pause button." Three people, including one in Erie County, died Tuesday due to Covid-19, bringing the state's total for the pandemic to 25,370 deaths, according to the governor's office. Cuomo also announced restaurants in New York City will be allowed to have indoor dining up to 25% capacity starting Sept. 30. Maki Becker The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. An army of marshals will be sent to towns and cities across the country to enforce new virus laws, the Prime Minister announced. They will break up groups of more than six in town centres and alert police if fines need to be handed out. Recently retired environmental health officers will also be drafted in to enforce legislation at pubs and restaurants. They will help enforce social-distancing rules and ensure contact details of all customers are collected for the test and trace system. The marshals will patrol parks, shopping centres, train stations and other areas where groups of people are likely to gather in larger numbers, Boris Johnson said at Wednesday's press conference. He said: We will boost the local enforcement capacity of local authorities by introducing Covid-secure marshals to help ensure social distancing in town and city centres, and by setting up a register of environmental health officers that local authorities can draw upon for support. Boris Johnson today announced a team of 'Covid-secure marshals' to help enforce new rules on social gatherings Some councils already have marshals who go to busy areas and give advice if people are not social distancing. They also explain the rules, such as wearing a face mask on public transport. They cannot fine people but they can alert the police. The move addresses concerns that police were struggling to enforce social-distancing rules because they applied differently in various circumstances. Police have the power to arrest rule-breakers if needed, as well as fining them 100, which will then double on each repeat offence up to 3,200. The Local Government Association welcomed the move, but called for more clarity on the role of marshals, while social media users suggested the idea would create an army of power-hungry snoopers. Cllr Nesil Caliskan, Chair of the Local Government Association's Safer and Stronger Communities Board said: 'Councils continue to work tirelessly to support communities through this pandemic and to ensure they are prepared for the threat of a potential second wave. 'Most hospitality businesses are working hard, supported by councils, to ensure they comply with COVID-19 rules. However, some premises are not collecting contact details of customers so they can be reached in the event of a local outbreak. 'This is clearly a danger to communities and puts people at risk of infection, so it is good that this will become mandatory as councils have called for. 'While most businesses are implementing the necessary measures to protect people's safety, we are pleased the Government has also acted on LGA calls for councils to have powers to take action when rules are being flouted. 'These measures will mean they can act quickly and proactively in cracking down on places that flout COVID-19 guidance, to prevent problems in the first place instead of only being able to act when it is too late. 'We need to quickly see further detail on how the Government's COVID-19 Secure Marshal scheme is intended to work, and any new responsibilities for councils in this area will have to be fully funded. 'Given the shortage of environmental health officers, it is positive that the Government has committed to a register of EHOs, and the LGA will continue discussions to take this forward.' On Twitter, however, dozens of people ridiculed the idea, and described them as sounding like 'the worst sort of busybodies'. In a series of memes, users compared the marshals to popular bumbling TV characters such as Keith Lard from Phoenix Nights, The Simpsons' Chief Wiggum and Gareth Keenan from The Office. In a series of memes, social media users compared the Covid marshals to popular bumbling TV characters such as Keith Lard from Phoenix Nights Gareth Keenan, assistant to the regional manager in The Office, was also suggested as someone who the marshals could be modelled on Bumbling policeman Chief Wiggum from The Simpsons was another character referenced by mocking social media users NEW LOCKDOWN RULES FOR ENGLAND FROM MONDAY Max social gatherings SIX PEOPLE Applies indoors and outdoors Applies in private homes Applies in pubs and restaurants Does NOT apply to schools or workplaces Does NOT apply to weddings, funerals, team sport Does NOT apply if household bubbles are bigger than six people Police will be encouraged to break up larger groups and issue 100 fines, which will then double on each repeat offence up to 3,200 Advertisement Regarding the six people rule, Mr Johnson added: 'This will apply in any setting, indoors or outdoors, at home or in the pub. 'The ban will be set out in law and it will be enforced by the police - anyone breaking the rules risks being dispersed, fined and possibly arrested. 'This single measure replaces both the existing ban on gatherings of more than 30 and the current guidance on allowing two households to meet indoors. Now you only need to remember the rule of six.' The PM also warned the draconian new restrictions could be here for months - as chief medical officer Chris Whitty pointed the finger at 'Generation Z' for sparking a surge in cases. The PM signalled that the 'rule of six' limit on how many people can socialise together will be in place for some time to come, after partying among the younger generation fuelled a sharp rise. He said the spike in infections seen over the past week left him no choice but to tighten lockdown across England for the first time since March. The limit - sparked by concern that partying young people are fuelling a flare-up - is a dramatic reduction on the maximum of 30 put in place on July 4. Those breaking the rules can expect a 100 fine from police, which will then double on each repeat offence up to 3,200, with the Covid marshals also introduced in a bid to improve the enforcement capacity of local authorities. Apart from a vaccine, Mr Johnson said the only other way out before Christmas was a 'moonshot' of introducing mass daily testing for everyone, but admitted that would require 'everything to come together'. In a direct plea to young people, Mr Johnson said that they should consider their behaviour 'for the sake of your parents' and your grandparents' health'. Social media users suggested Special Officer Doofy from Scary Movie would be fit for the job Others referenced Boris Johnson's notorious rugby tackle in a charity football match David Walliams' character from Come Fly With Me met many others' description Specific workers will be introduced to help ensure social distancing in town and city centres Others were left confused by the mere idea of a Covid marshal as it was first revealed today This user pictured the marshals as enthusiastically reporting groups of seven people The PM signalled that the 'rule of six' limit on how many people can socialise together will be in place for some time to come, after partying among the younger generation fuelled a sharp rise He said the spike in infections seen over the past week left him no choice but to tighten lockdown across England for the first time since March The limit - sparked by concern that partying young people are fuelling a flare-up - is a dramatic reduction on the maximum of 30 put in place on July 4 Those breaking the rules can expect a 100 fine from police, which will then double on each repeat offence up to 3,200 Covid marshals have also been introduced in a bid to improve the enforcement capacity of local authorities Apart from a vaccine, Mr Johnson said the only other way out before Christmas was a 'moonshot' of introducing mass daily testing for everyone, but admitted that would require 'everything to come together' In a direct plea to young people, Mr Johnson said that they should consider their behaviour 'for the sake of your parents' and your grandparents' health' Prof Whitty said the numbers of coronavirus case have been increasing 'much more rapidly' over the past few days. While the numbers among older people and children remained 'flat', in other age groups there were 'rapid upticks' He said among 17 to 18 year-olds and 19 to 21 year-olds the numbers had gone up 'really quite steeply' since mid August A particularly smug Ned Flanders from The Simpsons matched this user's idea of a Covid marshal The Office's Gareth Keenan was a popular reference point for those mocking the idea Prof Whitty said that data suggested that without action Britain would be on a path 'extremely similar' to France where the numbers have continued to rise - cautioning that the situation was likely to be perilous all the way through to Spring Government sources have voiced gloom about a 'difficult six months' to come. One official cautioned that it was not a scenario of 'a couple of weeks and we're back to where we were', saying the R number was 'clearly above one' Mr Johnson said he was 'sorry' that larger households would not be able to meet up, as they would be above the six-person threshold A displeased Sir Keir Starmer was also used in reaction to the Prime Minister's announcement Prof Whitty said the numbers of coronavirus case have been increasing 'much more rapidly' over the past few days. While the numbers among older people and children remained 'flat', in other age groups there were 'rapid upticks'. He said among 17 to 18 year-olds and 19 to 21 year-olds the numbers had gone up 'really quite steeply' since mid August. He said that data suggested that without action Britain would be on a path 'extremely similar' to France where the numbers have continued to rise - cautioning that the situation was likely to be perilous all the way through to Spring. Government sources have voiced gloom about a 'difficult six months' to come. One official cautioned that it was not a scenario of 'a couple of weeks and we're back to where we were', saying the R number was 'clearly above one'. Mr Johnson said he was 'sorry' that larger households would not be able to meet up, as they would be above the six-person threshold. 'But as your PM I must do what it takes to stop the spread of the virus,' he added. LAS VEGAS A 57-year-old Phoenix man who was identified as the suspect in a triple-shooting that killed two people in Southern California was arrested during the weekend in Las Vegas, authorities said Tuesday. Records showed Eric Otto White was being held at the Clark County jail pending his transfer in custody to San Bernardino County, California. The FBI in Las Vegas said White was arrested Sunday by a fugitive apprehension team investigating the early Aug. 26 shooting deaths of Kenneth Allen Lee, 54, and Kavina Madison Brooks, 39, at a house in Redlands. Redlands police said a woman found with them was hospitalized in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. Her identity was not made public. With on Tuesday officially releasing the latest version of its mobile operating system, smartphone brand said it will be one of the first phone manufacturers to provide 11 to its users. said it was one of the first smartphone manufacturers to bring 10 to its users in the form of UI 1.0 last year. Now, the Realme UI will deeply integrate with 11 in order to offer a better experience to the users. Android 11 provides users with an easier way to manage conversations, connected devices, privacy, among other things. By taking some additional steps to protect user privacy, and bringing several improvements such as network optimisation and a deeper adaptation to a diverse range of devices, Android 11 is designed to improve the user experience. released the Android 11 Beta 1 on June 10 and the very next day, Realme announced that the brand was actively working to bring the Android 11 Developer Preview Programme to Realme X50 Pro. The company on Tuesday said that applications for the Android 11 preview for Realme X50 Pro are now open on the Realme Community. Realme currently has more than 45 million mobile phone users and has entered 59 markets around the world. --IANS gb/na (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.) ZAMBOANGA CITY Eight villages in the southern Philippine province of Sulu are now free from the influence of the pro-ISIS group Abu Sayyaf... B oris Johnson today ordered a major crackdown led by police, councils and health officials to stop continuing breaches of social-distancing guidance in an attempt to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 and save lives. Venues that are linked with local outbreaks will be closed, restaurants and pubs fined if they fail to comply with contact tracing, and unlawful parties staged by young people broken up by police officers who will fine participants. Local curfews, mirroring a new 10pm to 5am closure of venues in Bolton, are being held in reserve for other towns where local transmission rates are high, although these are not expected to be the focus of the announcements. Todays key measure as revealed in yesterdays Evening Standard is a new limit of six people at social gatherings from Monday. The legal cap replaces confusing guidance and means police will have the power to close down big parties, such as gatherings at student houses when the new university term begins. As Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that lives are at stake, the Prime Minister told colleagues there will be a nationwide switch from voluntary coronavirus guidance to firm enforcement of the rules by the authorities. The crackdown was due to be announced at a press conference at No 10, underlining the gravity of the fears about a second wave this autumn. Mr Hancock told Sky News that people will die if nothing is done. As you can see in other countries, if you have a rise in the number of cases and you dont act then that inexorably leads to more people in hospital and more people dying of coronavirus, he said. London's empty network continues during Coronavirus 1 /32 London's empty network continues during Coronavirus Daniel Hambury Jeremy Selwyn Daniel Hambury Daniel Hambury Daniel Hambury Jeremy Selwyn Daniel Hambury Daniel Hambury Daniel Hambury Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn PA PA PA PA PA PA PA PA Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Mr Hancock disclosed it will also become compulsory for pubs and restaurants to take customers details for the test and trace programme, something that was not enforced until now. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Were also going to enforce more strictly the rules around hospitality, including for instance you need to give your contact details when you go to hospitality, which has so far been voluntary. Large swathes of the hospitality industry have followed it. Some have chosen not to, so were going to make that compulsory as well. A senior government source told the Standard that local authorities would have the PMs full support to get tough. By acting quickly, we are trying to prevent what is happening in Spain and France. Belgium moved quickly and got on top of its second spike. These steps will allow us to keep schools open and avoid a second lockdown of the economy. Councils and local health teams will identify venues that are linked with infections using data from test and trace, and use deploy powers to close them down. Britain's Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock attends a Cabinet meeting of senior government ministers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office / REUTERS Despite the new rules, the four-day St Leger Festival horse racing meet at Doncaster was due to go ahead this afternoon, with some 3,500 spectators due to flock to the racecourse, despite the local mayor warning it should be called off. Asked about the apparent contradiction, Mr Hancock said: The Prime Minister is going to set out more details of the consequences of the new rule for six people gathering later today. And well set out what that means for some of these events that we were planning to do. Doncasters elected Labour mayor Ros Jones said in a statement: My personal opinion remains that the festival is a major risk for the borough that I would rather not see happen. Asked to rule out a second lockdown, Mr Hancock admitted: I wouldnt make a vow like that. You wouldnt expect me to I am the Health Secretary in the middle of a pandemic where we are trying to keep the country safe. Freshers week at universities will be affected by the clampdown, said Mr Hancock. Otherwise we know the spread of the disease is going to keep going up and up, he added. We know that that leads to more people in hospital and more people dying. Churches will not be affected by the new six-person rule. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted: After contact with Government we hear that there is no change to guidance on places of worship. Mr Hancock said the ban on gatherings of more than six people will be in place for the foreseeable future. Loading.... The Health Secretary added on Today: I really hope we can turn this round before Christmas. Three months is a long time in a pandemic and I very much hope this strong rule, together with the local action weve taken in places like Bolton ... I very hope much therefore this can work to do that by Christmas. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Emelia Jackson spoke about her journey on MasterChef Australia: Back to Win and what lies ahead MasterChef Australias 12th chapter, Back to Win, featured some of the shows best participants from previous editions. From 'MasterChef royalty' Poh Ling Yeow (season 1 runner-up) and Callum Hann (season 2 runner-up) to Tessa Boersma and Simon Toohey from the last season, Back to Win raised the stakes and the temperature in the kitchen pretty high. But it was Melbourne-born psychology and management graduate Emelia Jackson who took home the coveted trophy along with $250,000 in award money. Jackson had first appeared on the show in 2014 (season 6) where she was eliminated during the semi-finale round, having attained the third position in the competition. Her close friend Laura Sharrad, who finished second in season 6, competed with her for the Back to Win title in the final round. Jackson's journey in this season was among its biggest highlights: from being an underdog who was intimidated by the who's who of the MasterChef family, to emerging as a force to reckon with. In an email interview with Firstpost, Jackson spoke about her journey on MasterChef Australia: Back to Win, and what lies ahead for her. Edited excerpts: *** Has it sunk in that you came back to MasterChef to win, and did? What have been the biggest changes in your life since you bagged the trophy? The feeling is slowly sinking in. I don't know if winning something so huge ever really sinks in though. I am definitely still pinching myself. I launched my packet mix of financiers on the night of the finale and I have been so busy trying to get them all posted out in the midst of this pandemic, so that has definitely been my number one change so far. If you were to rewind back to the day when you were approached to participate in this season's competition, what made you say yes? What did this opportunity mean to you then? It's quite ironic because originally, I wasn't doing it. I was asked again in December (we started filming three weeks later) and I am so glad I said yes! It's such a special experience, MasterChef, so I had to go back. Coming back on this season with some of the most well-known faces of the MasterChef family, were there any apprehensions as such? Was there any added pressure to compete with the best of the best? I was so nervous. On day one, I looked around the room of contestants and I thought well I don't stand a chance here. So I decided to just make it the best experience I could, and not worry about making it to the finish line at all. What major changes did you notice or feel in this season as compared to season 6 in terms of the complexity of the competition, the judges, the overall response? There were so many changes. Firstly, in season 6, we all lived in a house together for six months. We didn't have our phones or internet so were in a way, cut off from the real world. This time around, we were in our own hotel rooms, could come and go on weekends as we pleased, had access to our phones, internet and real lives. So in that regard, it was very different. The new judges brought a breath of fresh air to the competition. They were light-hearted, fun, well-spoken, knowledgeable and represented diversity. It was incredible to get to know them. And the response of the show was massive. I think when COVID-19 hit Australia, people were searching for positive distractions, and MasterChef proved to be that. Unlike most of the contestants who have had a professional kitchen/servicing experience in the past, you were presented as more of an expert in patisserie and desserts. How did your experience and mastery in patisserie help you in devising and plating up savoury dishes? Professionally, I focus purely on baking/desserts. But in my personal life, I am obsessed with savoury cooking. I love experimenting with new cuisines, cooking techniques and flavour combinations. So while I had the least amount of kitchen experience of the group, that didn't mean I had the least amount of savoury cooking knowledge. Being able to master patisserie is a skill laced with science, attention to detail and perfectionism. So it definitely helps me be a better all-round cook. What according to you was your toughest cook in the competition and what was the most enjoyable one? The toughest was the Paris Brest elimination where Khanh went home. The four of us in that elimination were great friends so it was very emotionally charged. My favourite cook? The semi-final with Martin Benns' apple. I just felt so in my element, so confident and in control, I had the best time doing that pressure tests. Plus, I love pressure tests they're my favourite challenge because they are a great equaliser of skill sets. Everyone can excel at the food that they cook all the time, but are you adaptable enough to excel at someone else's food? In his congratulatory note on your win, Callum wrote: "My favourite thing about you Emelia is your dry humour and quick wit, which in the stress of MasterChef challenges is worth than some snazzy recipe." Throughout this competition, even during the finale, we never saw you rattled, there was always this calm and composed demeanour with which you approached all your cooks. What is the secret? Are your witty quips some sort of defence mechanism amid all the stress? Haha... I don't really feel stressed by much in my day to day life. I have the ability to internalise any stress I am feeling and turn it into focus, which is a great thing to be able to do. But overall, any anxiety or stress I felt in the MasterChef kitchen I always saw as a positive. Most people work best under some type of pressure. And the witty quips? They just can't help but escape! As compared to season 6 when you'd come into the MasterChef kitchen as an amateur, what have been your major takeaways/learning from this season, in terms of culinary skillsets, industry knowledge and life skills in general? I think coming into the competition at 30, rather than 24, was a completely different experience for me. I am so much more confident now than I was back then. I am so much happier with my life I have a great business, an amazing partner, I own my own home and am just generally in a great stage in my life. I think this really helped me approach MasterChef with positivity and gratitude for the experience, which in turn, kept me in the headspace needed to take out the trophy. The biggest thing I am walking away with from my win is that your attitude to experiences is everything and can ultimately, make or break you. What's next for Emelia Jackson post the MasterChef title? ? There's so much happening... I am currently working on my product lines so that everyone can bake delicious and easy cakes and desserts at home without the stress. Beyond that, I am working on a cookbook a baking Bible! And I am also in chats for my own TV series. We know that you've been to India before. What is your take on Indian flavours and what are your favourite Indian dishes? And if Emelia Jackson had to "pimp up" any Indian dishes, which one would it be and what will your version be like? Indian food is the best. I love coming to India because the food there is so different to what we get in Australia. The regional cuisines are all so diverse and interesting and I can't wait to bring my partner back to India so he can discover this too. He loves food maybe more than I do. I am actually making a lot of Indian food at home during this lockdown. I've rediscovered how amazing it is, now I just need to get myself a tandoor so I can make real naan! I wouldn't pimp a thing about Indian food or flavours. They are magic. *** All images via Facebook/Emelia Jackson Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. One of Britain's most notorious serial killers, who murdered four men, was inspired by the Friday The 13 horror movie series he watched while running a cinema, his lawyer says in a new book. Horror films fanatic Peter Moore, 73, was the owner of a chain of cinemas in North Wales before going on his killing spree in the 1980s. The Welsh cinephile was convicted of four counts of murder in 1996, after killing four men in a period of four months. Peter Moore killed four people after becoming obsessed with Friday The 13th horror films Although he initially admitted killing Henry Roberts, 56, Edward Carthy, 28, Keith Randles, 49 and Anthony Davies, 40, he then retracted his confession. Instead, he blamed the murders on his fantasy lover called 'Jason'- a character that prosecutors and Moore's defence team believe he had based in the horror franchise. His lawyer, Dylan Jones believes Moore - now locked up for life at Wakefield high security prison - was inspired by the film series. Mr Jones said: 'Moore certainly knew a lot about the cinema and would have known about the Friday the 13th franchise and one of the films had come out shortly before the murders started. 'It may well have been an inspiration for Moore - certainly we all thought of it as that.' Former MP Lord Carlile, who prosecuted the case against Moore, agrees - 25 years after the trial at Mold Crown Court. The serial killer was convicted of four counts of murder in 1996, at Mold Crown Court -pictured left Keith John Randles and Edward Carthy pictured right He said: 'The Jason alter ego was unusual. Jason was an imaginary hotel or restaurant worker and I caused every hotel or restaurant on the North Wales coast to be investigated to see if there was someone who could fit into that category and surprise, surprise, there wasn't, so we were able to dispose of that enquiry. 'But Peter Moore was a cinema proprietor and because of something the forensic pathologist told me we started looking at some films and there was a film series which Moore would have seen or shown, an episodic film showing someone who killed people. 'Each film had six episodes in circumstances which were strikingly like the ways in which Peter Moore carried out these murders. 'This was in the days of video and the first thing I put to Moore in cross-examination was the box of a particular video which bore a striking similarity to the way Moore had attacked his victims.' 'Moore was an extraordinarily self-indulgent person who was obtaining pleasure in having the case tried in court. 'He was given a lot of publicity. I described him as 'the man in black - black thoughts, black clothes, black deeds'. 'These sorts of case do attract that kind of attention. It was a difficult case because of the nature of the evidence which was distressing and the nature of the defendant who was portrayed as very manipulative.' The Welsh serial killer is serving a life sentence at Wakefield High Security Prison 'He caused more damage than anyone else I've ever prosecuted. As the jury found he killed four people and later claimed to have killed a fifth - although that claim may have been vanity on his part. 'It is rare for someone to be given a whole life tariff. That shows how dangerous he was. 'It doesn't totally exclude the possibility of him being given parole at some future date but I would be surprised if he was. 'There were no mitigating factors. 'There was something very unpleasant about him. He was an aggressive assaulter of gay men. He had a police truncheon hanging by a hook by his bed and it wasn't for fighting off burglars. 'At least one of the four men he murdered was not gay. He was just unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 'When he was asked why he had killed that man, Moore replied, 'For fun'. I've been at the bar for 50 years and never heard that in any other case. Peter Moore, one of Britain's most notorious murderers launched an appeal in 2013, claiming that condemning him to spend the rest of his live behind bars without a review is cruel, inhuman and degrading. Moore, along murderer Jeremy Bamber and two other killers, Douglas Vinter argued that they could not be told to die in jail because it breaches their human rights. At first judges at the European Court of Human Rights disagreed but the Strasbourg-based court's Grand Chamber agreed to hear a further appeal and backed the murderers' legal bid. Moore's lawyer, Dylan Jones, has now written a book on his dealings with Moore. South Korea has made it official and is building one or more aircraft carriers for its F-35B stealth fighters. A 30,000-ton LPX II amphibious ship was added to the 2021-25 defense spending plan. LPX II would be similar but superior to the Japanese DDH F-35B carrier and would be able to carry up to 20 F-35Bs. While the designation LPX II indicates a larger amphibious ship, the LPX II will be built as an aircraft carrier, without facilities for carrying marines and their equipment. For several years South Korean defense officials have discussed building one or more 30,000-ton ships that look like the Japanese DDH (destroyer helicopter carrier) and are modified to handle a dozen or more F-35Bs. South Korean plans became more obvious when the second Dokdo class LPH (Landing Platform Helicopter) entered sea trials in 2020. As of 2020 South Korea now had two 19,500-ton Dokdo class large amphibious ships. These South Korea LPHs are similar in appearance and operation to the larger American amphibious ships. The LPH flight deck can handle helicopters, as well as vertical takeoff jets like the F-35B. Until recently Korea denied that Dokdos would be used with these jets, but the capability was there. The LPH normally carries 720 combat troops and their heavy equipment. Dokdos also carry fifteen aircraft; two V-22 vertical takeoff transports and 13 helicopters. Marado, the second Dokdo, has a redesigned flight deck that can handle two V-22s at once instead of just one. In addition to a more powerful 3-D surveillance radar for tracking aircraft, Marado has two Phalanx anti-missile systems. Marado was apparently modified so it could more effectively handle six or more F-35Bs. The Dokdo have a crew of 330 plus the ability to carry 720 marines. The ships crew includes pilots and maintainers for the helicopters. The LPX II would have a crew of over 500, including aviation personnel (pilots, planners and maintainers). Meanwhile Japan had already ordered some F-35Bs so that it could experiment with some of these aircraft aboard the existing Japanese DDHs. Since 2017 Japan has had two 27,000 ton destroyers (DDH type ships) that look exactly like an aircraft carrier. These Izumo class ships can carry up to 28 helicopters or up to ten vertical takeoff aircraft. The carriers are armed only with two 20mm Phalanx anti-missile cannon and launchers with sixteen ESSM missiles for anti-missile defense. The DDH have powerful engines capable of destroyer-like speeds of over fifty-four kilometers an hour. Izumo has considerable cargo capacity, which is intended for moving disaster relief supplies quickly to where they are needed. Apparently, some of these cargo spaces can be converted to carry additional weapons and equipment needed to support F-35B fighter-bombers. Izumo could carry and operate at least ten F-35Bs once modifications are made to the flight deck to deal with the extremely high temperatures the F-35B generates when taking off or landing vertically (like a helicopter). When the first DDH entered service in 2015 Japan made no mention of buying F-35Bs or modifying the LPH flight decks to handle the very high temperatures. The Izumos already have an elevator (to the hanger deck under the flight deck) powerful enough to carry an F-35B fighter. Another factor that makes operating F-35Bs from an LPH or DDH possible is the availability of smart bombs and small air-to-ground guided missiles for warplanes. An LPH or DDH was not designed to haul a lot of munitions for aircraft. The number of smart bombs and missiles needed to make five or ten F-35Bs effective would not be large. These ships already carry a lot of fuel for helicopters and have space for maintenance gear to support many helicopters. South Korean and Japanese naval planners noted this when they suggested using LPHs and DDHs as platforms for F-35Bs. Now both nations are moving towards that goal. In late 2019 South Korea announced it was buying 20 more F-35 stealth fighters. There are already 40 delivered or on order. Those 60 F-35s will cost $9.7 billion and a decision still has to be made as to whether any of the second 20 will be the VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) F-35B version. The first 40 will all be the basic F-35A which just operates from land-based airfields. But South Korea has ships that F-35Bs could operate from. In mid-2020 Japan ordered another 105 F-35 stealth fighters. Added to earlier purchases this means Japan will have 147 F-35s. That large force of stealth fighters wont be in service until the mid-2020s because of growing demand for F-35s and limited production capability. Japan will help by manufacturing some components and assembling their F-35s in Japan. Most (63) of the new fighters will be the land-based F-35A model but 42 will be F-35Bs, the VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) version that can operate from carriers. Japan already had 42 F-35As on order to replace 73 F-4 interceptors. The new F-35As on order are to replace a hundred older F-15J fighter-bombers. At this point Japan became the largest export customer for the F-35. Japanese and South Korean fighter pilots agree that the F-35 is an impressive combat aircraft and have been pointing out the many things the F-35 can do that current fighters cannot, as well as doing anything existing fighters do but doing it more effectively. This has been the experience of all F-35 pilots and those in training. It also justifies building small carriers operating 5-20 F-35Bs because these aircraft, equipped with smart bombs and missiles, are as effective as a 1990s carrier carrying two or three times as many combat aircraft. As more F-35s enter service, their database of effective tactics and operating techniques are rapidly expanding. One thing the F-35 does extremely well is to use automated flight controls that allow the pilot to carry out maneuvers that would require a lot more experience in older aircraft but are much easier for an F-35 pilot. The more experienced pilots know a lot more useful maneuvers than new pilots but because of the adaptive F-35 flight control software, it is much easier for new pilots to master an unfamiliar maneuver. The best way to explain this is the experience of British carrier pilots who formerly flew Harrier vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and were now using the F-35B. The British pilots said difficult carrier landings that can be terrifying in a Harrier were surprisingly easy with an F-35B. As British pilots began carrying out landings on the new British carrier they were pleasantly surprised. The F-35B flight control automatically adapted to all the rapidly changing wind and carrier movement variables and allowed you to land without a lot of stress. Handling the F-35B, in general, was much easier, and safer, than the Harrier. Hovering, for example, required a lot of continuous effort and attention from a Harrier pilot. In the F-35B the pilot could fly the aircraft to a position and hover and the aircraft would remain where it was flown to without additional effort by the pilots no matter how much the weather changed. All this ease of flying enables F-35 pilots to concentrate on something that does still require a lot of decision making by the pilot; stealth management and threat management. The stealth characteristics of the F-35 make it more difficult for radar to detect it. How the pilots fly in a combat zone can improve the effectiveness of stealth. That is done by learning to manage the flood of threat management data that F-35 pilots have access to. By being able to concentrate on stealth and threat management F-35 pilots achieve what has been the key element in air combat since 1914; getting in the first shot. From 1914 into the 1940s the key to success in air-to-air combat was knowing how to fly into a position where you would see the enemy first and carry out a surprise attack. The earliest of these tricks was the World War I tactics of trying to have the sun behind you to make it more difficult for the enemy to see you coming. Another tactic was trying to get higher and out of sight (for as long as possible) until you could dive on the enemy aircraft at a high speed and unexpectedly attack. In effect, stealth and the resulting surprise was always the key to victory. The F-35 was designed with that in mind. The radar stealth and maneuverability isnt as good as the F-22, but in the F-35 a pilot's situational awareness is much better. Pilots who have flown the F-22 and F-35 always note that and point out that, in the hands of an experienced pilot, it makes the F-35 a more effective aircraft than the older and more expensive F-22. The F-35 was designed to have affordable stealth and much more effective sensors and electronics. The F-35 stealth is much less expensive than that in the F-22 and initial Israeli combat experience over Lebanon and Syria indicates that the stealth and internal electronic countermeasures more than make up to for that. The passive sensors and sensor fusion software of the F-35 also appear to be working as advertised. In the cockpit, the pilot has one large (20-inch diagonal) LCD showing all needed aircraft data with more showing on the pilot's JHMDS helmet visor. That is all very well, but as with the very capable F-22, it wasnt the performance that limited procurement but excessive cost. What the F-35 flight management software and situational awareness demonstrate is that the usual measures of a superior fighter aircraft (speed and maneuverability) no longer matter as much. An F-35 is more likely to see the other aircraft first, fire first and be more aware of the changing battle situation than enemy pilots in, on paper, faster and more maneuverable aircraft. Even when the F-35 is hit and damaged the flight control software senses the damage and automatically flies differently to compensate for the damage. That takes a lot of stress off the pilot who can concentrate on threat and stealth management to complete the mission and get the aircraft back to base. Another important aspect of the F-35 is that its flight control and threat management software is built to be constantly updated by pilot experience. As more pilots fly the F-35 and experiment with different techniques, its software is updated to become more capable. Those updates require more attention to post-change testing. Thats because there are so many interconnections within the flight control software. Those have to be tested to prevent unexpected results when the pilot is most vulnerable to that sort of thing. 3-D printing technology poses a "grave and growing threat" to individual privacy because of the potential for products to reveal private information about individuals, experts have warned. People could use cameras, laptops or mobile phones to track and trace the origins of 3-D printed objects and how they have been used if they have watermarks. A new study warns about a lack of awareness among governments and companies about privacy issues associated with 3-D printers, and calls for changes to treaties on copyright law and international human rights law. The research, by Dr. Annika Jones from Durham University and Dr. James Griffin from the University of Exeter, recommends a new voluntary code of conduct to protect people's privacy, and a regulatory body to provide guidance and oversight. The experts carried out 30 in-depth interviews with representatives from Chinese 3-D printing companies. The research warns the rise of the Internet of Things, the increasing complexity of watermarking technologies that can survive transfer between different file formats, and the ability for big data to track 3-D printed content could allow greater state surveillance of individuals. Dr. Griffin said: "3-D printing will have a profound impact upon our notions of social privacy. This has the potential to be considerably more invasive than the Internet of Things. Every physical product that is 3-D printed has the potential to be tracked in a way that has never occurred before. In the future, as 3-D printing becomes more common place, there will be the potential for strangers to trace, track and observe objects, which can reveal an incredible amount of information about the users of such content." Legally governing 3-D printing is not straightforward as the underlying technologies are so precise. With 4-D printing objects print themselves and the use of augmented and virtual reality allows for enhanced tracking. There is potential for all 3-D biotech materials such as blood vessels or replicas of body parts, to be traced. People interviewed as part of the study said they were not saving data or files from customers, but recognized the sensitivities of the personal data which could be collected in the production and use of 3-D printed materials. The process of tracking the use of 3-D printed products was described by one interviewee as an "infringement" of the privacy of the individual. Most participants in the research thought tracking technology would be used to tackle piracy or copyright issues. The interviews suggest watermarks are not yet being extensively used in 3-D printing. Several of the interview participants mentioned the absence, or inadequacy, of current regulation of privacy issues in the context of 3-D printing. In the absence of clear guidance some said they were self-regulating in order to ensure that privacy was protected. Dr. Jones said: "Privacy issues are already being raised" and that "the risk of further incursions into individual privacy are on the horizon with the development of new technology and growing awareness of the commercial value of the personal data that can be collected through the production and use of 3-D printed products." "At the same time, it is clear that there is a demand within the industry for further guidance as to how to ensure that personal data, and individual privacy, is protected as the industry evolves." The academics suggest the current international human rights law framework should be interpreted to deal with and acknowledge the specific issues relating to watermarking in 3-D printed objects. The voluntary code of conduct would encourage self-regulation of 3-D printing and watermarking. The code would require watermarks to be clearly identified on 3-D files and goods, and measures to be taken to ensure the protection of individual privacy where identifying marks or modes of identification are used within an object or code. There should also be a specific software component that can isolate and protect private information collected from a watermark. The experts do not believe self-regulation would be sufficient without oversight. The new regulatory body could be organized by existing licensing organizations such as the UK Copyright Hub, National Copyright Administration of China, the UK Intellectual Property Office, the Copyright Tribunal, or Information Commissioners Office. Dr. Griffin said: "Digital watermarking and 3-D printed products present a future where objects can be searched for with nothing more than the equivalent of a Google search word. 3-D printing and digital watermarking specifically has not been considered by any government or regulatory body, nor has there been any regulatory research carried out on the matter. Our proposals help to ensure the protection of individual privacy in an increasingly digitized world." Explore further New study to tackle piracy issues caused by growing use of 3-D printers A panda in China has developed two bald patches on its head because it rolled around too much, according to a zoo. Footage of three-year-old Fuxing walking in his enclosure with parts of his skin exposed has caused an outcry on the nation's social media outlets. The zoo told reporters that the bear's hair loss was caused by the fact that the 'active' animal rolled on the ground 'frequently'. Footage released by state media shows three-year-old Fuxing walking in his enclosure at Beijing zoo with two bald patches on his head. The zoo said Fuxing was 'particularly active' Footage released by Chinese state-run newspaper People's Daily shows the male panda walking in his enclosure with part of the skin uncovered by fur. A report from Beijing Youth Daily said that Fuxing began to lose hair in late July, and the bald patches appeared in August. Pictures and videos of the bear led to heated discussions on Chinese social media outlets, with many panda fans speculating the cause of Fuxing's hair loss. Fuxing, whose name means 'Lucky Star' in English, was born in June 2017 in the city of Ya'an One user of Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, suspected that Fuxing had got his fur plucked out 'while fighting'. Another person wondered if the panda had hit a midlife crisis. A third commenter joked if Fuxing had been worrying about not being able to find a partner. Fuxing, whose name means 'Lucky Star' in English, was born in June 2017 at the Bifengxia Panda Base near the city of Ya'an. A spokesperson of the Beijing Zoo claimed that Fuxing was 'particularly active' after reaching the age of three. A video released by Beijing Zoo in May shows a keeper training Fuxing to roll around. The zoo worker is seen giving Fuxing food as a reward every time the bear completes the action Zhang Chenglin, the vice director of the Zoo, told Beijing Youth Daily that Fuxing's bald patches were caused by the fact that he rolled around 'frequently'. He said that the bear often rubbed his head against the ground. 'We think Fuxing's bald patches aren't external injuries, nor has he suffered bacterial infections. [The hair loss] is caused by his action of rolling,' Zhang told the outlet. However, a video released by the zoo in May shows a keeper training Fuxing to roll around. The zoo worker is seen in the clip giving Fuxing food as a reward every time the bear completes the action. It is reported that the zoo has given Fuxing medication, and his hair has started to grow back. Ghana Council urges govt to end activities of industrial pair trawlers September 09,2020 | Source: GhanaWeb The Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to direct all industrial pair trawlers to land their catches at the two designated ports of Tema and Takoradi as was done in 2018. The move, the Council noted, would help the Ministry of Fisheries and Acqua Culture Development and the Fisheries Commission officers to assess the landings of the trawlers and to identify vessels with juveniles or small pelagics. The Council said the presence of observers on the vessels, the CCTV cameras onboard and the Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) of the Monitoring and Control Surveillance Device (MCSD) would ensure that the trawlers did not dump their catch on the high seas. This was contained in a press release issued by Western Regional Chairman of the GNCFC, Nana Emmanuel Odwire and Regional Secretary, Mr Mike Abakah-Edu after a meeting at Axim. The statement said if such measures were taken by the President it will compel the trawlers to catch what they have been licensed to catch and put to rest the illegal transhipment at sea otherwise known as Saiko. The Council noted that Saiko was one of the most damaging forms of illegal fishing, which deprived thousands of fishers and the dependents of their livelihoods and thereby threatening Ghanas food security. The Council, therefore, extended its appreciation to President Nana Akufo-Addo for his confirmation during his recent tour to the Central Region that Saiko is illegal and his government is committed to ending it to save the livelihoods of the over 2.7 million Ghanaians who depend on fishing. The GNCFC also commended President Nana Akufo-Addo on the key steps his government had taken to strengthen the enforcement units to improve their efficiency in enforcing the laws. The Council is ready to provide further eyes on the sea as we undertake our fishing expeditions and will report suspected cases of illegal transhipment to the marine police to maximize the use of their limited resources. The statement said the appeal to the President to end Saiko was informed by the poor catch of fishermen across all the four coastal regions. The Council called for the enforcement of the existing laws as Saiko is prohibited under the Fisheries laws of Ghana, the 2002 Fisheries Act 625 and the 2010 Fisheries Regulations LI 1968 which specifically prohibits the transhipment of fish from a Ghanaian industrial vessel to a canoe. It said the implementation of the 2020 budget statement on Saiko is more than adequate to address the mother of all illegalities. The Council called on political parties to formulate policies that would address the issues of illegal fishing in the Fisheries sector. 1994 - 2020 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved. Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. New Delhi: US president-elect Donald Trump completely rejected on Wednesday claims that he was supported by Russia for years and Moscow has compromising information about him. Trump addressed the first press conference since winning the presidential elections and claimed that intelligence agencies may have leaked dossier on his ties with Russia and he has no dealings or loans with the country. He further claimed that unverified dossier on ties to Russia completely fake news. Trump said that replacement for Obamacare will be offered with confirmation of his health secretary. Moreover, Trump also said that his business empire will be run by his two sons and he won't be involved in issues related to it. Trump's attorney claimed that Ivanka Trump will have no involvement with his family business. US President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his administration will soon build a massive border wall with Mexico to keep out illegal migrants and claimed that the cost of constructing the controversial structure would be reimbursed by the southern neighbour. Also Read: Russia will respect US more when I will lead the nation, says president-elect Donald Trump "I don't feel like waiting a year or a year and a half to start building. Mexico in some form, in their many different forms, will reimburse us," Trump said during his first press conference in six months. "They will reimburse us for the cost of the wall. That will happen. Whether it's a tax or if it's a payment. Probably less likely that it's a payment. But it will happen," Trump said. He continued, "I want to get the wall started." Trump said he will not blame Mexican government for "taking advantage" of the US in the past. However, he said under his watch, things will change. Trump had promised to deport millions of undocumentedMexican migrants from the United States if he elected. Meanwhile, Mexico's new foreign minister today said that there is "no way" that his country will pay for the wall. Luis Videgaray, who was appointed by President EnriquePena Nieto last week to seek "constructive" relations with theTrump administration, told the Televisa network that Mexico "will not cede" on issues related to "national sovereignty." "The United States has the right to protect its borders. What is inadmissible, and which would deeply violate the dignity of all Mexicans, is to expect Mexico to pay for infrastructure of the United States," Videgaray told Radio Formula. "There is no way that this will happen," he said. Trump had called Mexican migrants "rapists" and drug dealers during the presidential campaign and vowed to maketheir country pay for a massive wall across the border. The Republican real estate billionaire, who assumes office on January 20, has threatened to fund the giant wall by tapping into the billions of dollars in remittances thatMexican migrants in the US send back home. With PTI inputs For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. E Jean Carroll is pictured on 23 June 2019 in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) Donald Trumps Justice Department is seeking to replace his private attorneys in order to defend him against a defamation lawsuit from E Jean Carroll, who has accused the president of raping her. In court filings with the Southern District of New York on Tuesday to move the case from state court into federal court, the Justice Department invoked the Federal Torts Claim Act to argue the presidents immunity in the case, an unprecedented manoeuvre to block the lawsuit in the weeks leading up to Election Day, Ms Carroll said. The president, who has denied the allegations, was acting within the scope of his office or employment at the time of the incident out of which the plaintiffs claim arose, the government argued. In a statement on social media, Ms Carroll said: "Sir, I and my attorney Robbie Kaplan, are ready! So is every woman who has ever been silenced! So is every American citizen who has been trampled by Bill Barr and the DOJ! BRING IT! She pledged to take them all on". Ms Carrolls lawyer Robert Kaplan said that the presidents effort to wield the power of the US government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent. The move shows even more starkly how far he is willing to go to prevent the truth from coming out, she said. The motion follows New York court ruling that rejected the presidents argument that he is immune from private lawsuits and could see him deposed and liable to produce a DNA sample. Ms Carroll sued the president in November claiming that he lied after denying that he had ever met her, though he has been photographed with her. Realising that there was no valid basis to appeal that decision in New York courts, on the very day that he would have been required to appeal, Trump instead enlisted the US Department of Justice, Mr Kaplan said. Even in todays world, that argument is shocking. Ms Carroll wrote in a recently published memoir that Mr Trump had sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s. Story continues Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark and Justice Department officials argued that the president was acting in his capacity as president when he called Ms Carroll a liar. Read more Writer E Jean Carroll interviews fellow Trump accuser Natasha Stoynoff about allegations: Hes right at me, pushing me against a wall Trump rape allegation: Judge refuses president's request to delay defamation suit brought by E Jean Carroll The words about military casualties from our commander-in-chief that were reported late last week in multiple media outlets were most disturbing. The sources are many, occasions frequent and words insulting. He denies what was reported and attacks the media, but if only 25% of what was reported has a thread of truth, there is plenty of evidence that this insensitivity makes President Trump incapable of governing this country. This is personal to me. I lost my father to the Korean War in 1953, 11 days before my first birthday. Sixteen years later, in 1969, my brother was killed several months into his first tour of duty in Vietnam at just 18 years old. Both served honorably for this country in the U.S. Marines. We are an honorable family, proud of the men in our family who served and lost their lives in the process. These were not losers, rather heroes! For anyone considering voting for President Trump in November, I encourage you to reconsider. If you cant see your way to vote for a Democratic candidate, I get it. Remember you have other choices. Please consider writing in another Republican politician who serves honorably or skip voting for president altogether if you cant vote for a Democrat. Cameron Urnes, McMinnville Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:26:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Commander of U.S. Central Command Kenneth McKenzie confirmed that the United States will reduce its troop presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 by the end of September, U.S. media reported on Wednesday. The Politico reported that McKenzie said during a ceremony for Operation Inherent Resolve with the Iraqi minister of defense that the force reduction is due to "the great progress the Iraqi forces have made and in consultation and coordination with the Government of Iraq and our coalition partners." Currently, there are over 5,000 U.S. troops deployed in Iraq to support Iraqi forces in battles against remnants of the Islamic State, mainly for training and advisory purposes. During his meeting with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi last month, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his intention to withdraw troops from Iraq. As the presidential election looms, Trump has doubled down efforts to pull his country out of "endless wars." A senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday that another announcement regarding troop reduction in Afghanistan would be issued "in the coming days." U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said last month that U.S. troops in Afghanistan would be reduced to fewer than 5,000 by the end of November. The announcement came amid the development of a delicate relationship between Trump and the military. In Monday's White House briefing, Trump claimed senior leaders in the Pentagon probably didn't like him "because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy." Army Chief of Staff James McConville on Tuesday defended military leaders to media outlet Defense One, saying "the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when it is required in national security and a last resort." The news also came days after an article published in The Atlantic, quoting anonymous sources, saying that Trump disparaged slain U.S. service members by referring to them as "losers" and "suckers." Trump and White House officials have vehemently denied the report. Enditem Lansdale native Liam O'Mara stands outside Lynnewood Hall in mid-July 2020. He, a friend, and a group of others were permitted inside on a rare, spur-of-the-moment tour. Read more The 110-room mansion has sat empty on Spring Avenue in Elkins Park for almost 25 years, encircled by wrought-iron gates and overgrown grounds. Its guarded by loud dogs that might be vicious, for all observers can tell. And as for the state of its once-opulent interior, who can say? Perhaps only the caretaker. Thats the seemingly unchanging narrative of Lynnewood Hall, the former estate of Peter A.B. Widener and family, two of whom died on the Titanic. The 120-year-old house has been on and off the market in recent years, first for $20 million in 2014. With each delisting and relisting, the price has dropped a million or two, sinking to as low as $11 million in 2019. It would cost a fortune to buy, of course, and a second fortune to rehab. Almost a decade ago, Chadds Ford architect Mary DeNadai, who specializes in historic restoration and had toured the inside, estimated that it would require $10 million for basic repairs and upkeep, and $50 million to restore its former glory. She also told The Inquirer in 2012 that if it continues to be neglected as it is, it will be beyond salvage within five to 10 years. Meanwhile, its listing agent, Berkshire Hathaways Frank Johnson, estimated in 2017 that it could be fixed up for as little as $3 million to $7 million. With the condition of the house long shrouded in secrecy by its current owner, New York urologist and First Korean Church pastor Richard S. Yoon, it would seem almost anyones guess as to how far the Gilded Age estate has fallen. Except for the YouTubers. Pull up YouTube and punch in Lynnewood Hall, and youll find that, although historians and preservationists have been kept out, many foxy photographers and videographers have found a way in. Videos range from amateur to polished, and theyre peppered with grainy historical stills, shaky-cam shots, doleful drone footage, and Ken Burns effects aplenty. Soundtracks include Polish death metal, a keyboard version of Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On, and Mac Millers screeching rendition of House of the Rising Sun. Some shooters respect the boundaries, merely narrating to their cameras from beyond the gates and/or floating a drone overhead. Others show the equivalent of a stakeout, assiduously avoiding the guard dogs. All of them capture the fading grandeur and creeping decay peeling paint, water-damaged ceilings, hunks of marble accumulating in the indoor pool, walls stripped down to the brick. And in the last six months, two amateur photographers were permitted inside on separate occasions, completely by chance. Colin Patterson, a resident of Richboro, Bucks County, visited Lynnewood Hall in early March at the encouragement of his friend Kyle McGran, whose own 2017 video of Lynnewood Hall has 4.9 million views on YouTube. Patterson went early on a Sunday morning with his high-powered lens, with plans to shoot from beyond the fence. I had no, no, no expectation of getting in, he said, maintaining that he and McGran frequent explorers of abandoned properties are respectful of the No Trespassing signs they come across. We dont break into places. But about two minutes into the video, he announces, we actually just got permission from the groundskeeper. (He declined to go on record about the specifics of how it happened.) He proceeds to jump the fence in full view of a cop car pulled over on Ashbourne Road. In later shots, the groundskeeper can be seen putting away a dog, and a walkie-talkie can be heard in the background. Patterson proceeds to take a 45-minute tour of the mansion and its grounds compressed to 21 minutes on YouTube. He spins around under the coffered ceiling in the great hall, pans across pews in the gilded library-turned-ballroom-turned-worship space, and fumbles around the sprawling basement guided by the light of his phone. With no expectation of getting in, Patterson admits that he was unprepared, lacking a wide-angle lens, a flashlight, and a deep background of the houses history beyond the basics. He misidentifies the servants quarters on the third floor as guest rooms, and he zooms in on dusty books left from Lynnewoods years as a seminary as if they had a greater historical significance. Commenters responded with quibbles, naturally, but many thanked Patterson and asked how he managed to get permission to go inside. He was lucky and turned up at the right time, one person replied. Other explorers have been refused. Liam OMara, a Lansdale native and senior at Loyola University Maryland, had a similar stroke of luck when he went to Lynnewood Hall in mid-July. He knew of its reputation from a California friend and urban-exploration enthusiast who had told him, Its the hardest spot for any explorer. He and a friend from out of town drove to Elkins Park on a lark one afternoon. They visited another abandoned property nearby and came over to shoot photos of Lynnewoods hulking exterior from the fence. As they walked, they were joined by a passing group of kids and another young woman who had also come to take faraway photos. OMara saw a car pull up and suspected it was the groundskeeper. He approached and asked if there was any chance they could come in. Eventually the groundskeeper, who doesnt speak much English, signaled for him to go to the gate, where the group went and waited for a while, hoping the caretaker would return. A Cheltenham Police car pulled up in the meantime. We were talking to the police for like 20 minutes, OMara said. And in the video, I cropped it on purpose, the cop goes, [The groundskeeper]s not going to let you in. And then I skip to the next clip of him letting us in. OMara and company cajoled the groundskeeper to give them a short, guided look inside for 20 minutes. The groundskeeper said no photos were allowed, so the footage OMara took amounts to just 3 minutes. He was compelled to take a video, he said. Its just something I probably would regret forever if I didnt. The hurried shots of the houses interior show first and second floors much better preserved than the third floor, where water damage has slowly chewed through the ceilings, exposing their beams and joists. But part of OMaras takeaway from his incomplete tour was how well-preserved Lynnewood is compared with other urban-explorer hot spots, which tend to be totally abandoned. Theres, like, no broken windows in there, which kind of amazes me. ... And another thing is graffiti. This is definitely the only place Ive been that has zero graffiti, OMara said. It looks like everyone in here that has gotten in understood the significance of it. Cheltenham Police Department spokesperson Lt. Andy Snyder said the police receive calls about Lynnewood Hall a handful of times a year. Thats just spitballing, he said. I definitely wouldnt call it any kind of hot location for us. Officers tend to use a shortcut between the station and Cheltenham Mall that takes them by the area about once an hour, he said, explaining why it so happened that both men had encountered police on their visits. Theres lots of reasons that theres an aura about the Wideners and an aura about that house, said David Rowland, president of the board of directors at the Old York Road Historical Society. Theres the seemingly bottomless wealth and the tragic history, but another part of the appeal is that its forbidden, he said. When might there be a day an average person could hope to see inside without Patterson and OMaras luck? Rowland doesnt think its likely to be anytime soon, given Yoons reluctance to lower the price significantly. And, in fact, fresh glimpses inside Lynnewood Hall may become even more rare, even on YouTube. Rowland hears that the groundskeeper is retiring. Correction: The original article stated that Cheltenham Township was reluctant to rezone Lynnewood Halls property. It was rezoned in 2017 for adaptive-reuse mixed-use development. Hurricane Laura was hardly done ripping across Louisiana before scientists started combing through satellite imagery and drone footage and preparing to survey coastal areas to see what damage was caused by the monster storm. Southwest Louisianas gulf coast is a fragile yet vibrant region, home to important fisheries, petrochemical plants and small communities of people who live at the waters edge. But numerous factors have contributed over the decades to erosion, which can be exacerbated by hurricanes. Some key takeaways of the immediate analysis of Lauras effects have emerged: It Will Take Months to Know Effects Scientists say some coastal impact from Hurricane Laura is inevitable. Pounding waves can tear at the marshes that make up most of the coast, and storm surge can inundate wetland areas, depositing sand and sediment in places that didnt have so much before. Laura certainly moved things around, but it could take months to figure out if the hurricane caused any significant and permanent land loss. Bren Haase, who heads the states Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, said the eastern Cameron shoreline got pounded pretty hard. But they havent been able to measure what has happened yet. In the western parts of Cameron Parish, where the shoreline is more sandy beach, many homes were badly damaged and helping people recover is the top priority, but the beach itself seemed to have fared well, he said. Kara Doran, an oceanographer with the U.S. Geological Survey, said about 70% of the coastline from from Gilchrist, Texas, to Pecan Island, Louisiana about 125 miles (200 km) had overwash. That means sand was transported landward, covering as much as 165 yards (150 meters) of marsh. There was a tremendous amount of water flowing over that area, Doran said. But it will take months to assess whether all that water and sand leads to permanent land loss, said Brady Couvillion, also of USGS. Initial satellite imagery showed extensive flooding, much of which got trapped and hasnt receded. The question is what lies beneath. Once those flood waters recede, that area may have converted to open water or it may go back to a marsh condition and thats whats going to take some time to assess, he said. Salinitys a Problem Another question is how long storm surge waters sit before eventually draining away. If salty water sits behind natural ridges or man-made structures for a long time, it can damage or kill the plant life. This was a problem after 2005s Hurricane Rita, said Natalie Snider, Senior Director of Coastal Resilience with the Environmental Defense Fund. The saltwater just shocks the system and it cant handle it, she said. We need rain. We need that fresh water to really flush it out. Haase said they are mobilizing equipment, such as an amphibious marsh backhoe, to cut a drainage canal about 300 yards (275 meters) long through a beach that has long prevented the Mermentau River from reaching the sea. Theyre also moving in pumps to dry out key areas, helping the residents as well as the marsh. Did Wetlands Protect the Coast? One of the benefits of having a vibrant coastal wetlands, scientists argue, is that it provides a natural buffer that can reduce the power of a hurricanes storm surge before it hits inland areas where more people live. Laura took a slight jog to the East just before making landfall which probably prevented some of the worst storm surge from pushing all the way into Lake Charles. Naomi Yoder, from Healthy Gulf, which advocates for environmental causes along the coast, believes the wetlands in Cameron and Vermilion parishes also lessened the impact of the storm surge in some areas. Yoder said its important not to minimize the damage in places like Lake Charles where the hurricanes howling winds badly damaged homes and businesses. But she said it helped people in the area to have large swathes of intact wetlands take the brunt of the storm, in places including the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge and the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. A lot of what CPRA does involves restoring land in coastal Louisiana. Haase said the agency has built close to six square miles of new land in Cameron and Vermilion Parishes over the last few years. He said initial assessments indicate those marsh creation areas survived the storm. This might be in part because the storm blew through so quickly and the storm surge was so high that it simply rode over the marshes, rather than tearing them up. Every storm is different coming in at different angles and different speeds so its hard to measure exactly how much protection wetlands provide. But Hasse said: If you give me a choice of having that land between the Gulf and my home, I will take it every time. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Louisiana Hurricane Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators. As schools reopen across N.J., we want to know what is and isnt working. Tell us about it here. After more than two decades leading the states second largest university, Susan A. Cole will step down as president of Montclair State University at the end of this academic year. In her fall address on Wednesday, Cole announced she would retire on July 1, 2021 or whenever an incoming president can take over. This was not the kind of last year I would have preferred either for me or for all of you, Cole said in her address. But in this last year, whatever it brings, I will continue to do my best for you and for the university. The announcement comes in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has upended higher education nationwide. Unlike neighboring institutions like Rutgers and Princeton University, Montclair has continued to offer in-person classes and on-campus housing in a hybrid semester, this fall. Keep up with the latest in N.J. schools coverage. Sign up with your email here: Once we are firmly on the other side of the crisis, we will be able to turn our attention again to realizing our ever-evolving vision for the future, Cole said. However, my role in this universitys growth and development is coming to a close. Cole, 78, took the helm of the university in 1998 as Montclairs eighth president and the first woman in that role. She oversaw the creation of four new schools and colleges, the schools upgraded classification to a doctoral research university and the installation of a New Jersey Transit station at the school. Susan Cole has led the university through a remarkable period of growth and transformation, said Francis Cuss, chair of the Board of Trustees, in a Montclair press release. The Board greatly admires her leadership abilities and deeply appreciates that she has agreed to remain as president to lead the university through this very challenging year, until a national search for her successor is completed and a new president appointed. Montclair wasnt Coles first tenure as a university president. She first served a five-year stint as president of Metropolitan State University. Before that, she acted as Vice President for University Administration and Personnel at Rutgers, Associate University Dean for Academic Affairs at Antioch University and as a faculty member at the City University of New York. In 2009, then Governor-Elect Chris Christie selected Cole as a member of his transition team. She had worked with the previous five administrations in various roles. The people of New Jersey owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Dr. Susan Cole for her extraordinary contributions to our state, Gov. Phil Murphy said in the release. She believes deeply in the power of higher education to transform lives and open doors of opportunity. Dr. Cole has been a tireless advocate for the students she serves, and I have great respect and admiration for her and wish her nothing but the best as she embarks on this next chapter. Cole promised students her attention and dedication to students during an unprecedented 2020-21 school year. Until July or whenever after that date the new president can take over, I will be president, fully engaged, as I have always been, Cole said. This is not a farewell speech the farewell speeches will undoubtedly come much later but right now, we have a very tough year to get through together and that is what needs to be the focus of our attention. As schools reopen across N.J., we want to know what is and isnt working. Tell us about it here. Josh Axelrod may be reached at jaxelrod@njadvancemedia.com. Have a news tip or a story idea about New Jersey schools? Send it here. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:30:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China will work with Saudi Arabia within the framework of the G20 to make COVID-19 vaccines affordable and available to all countries and all people. In a telephone conversation with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Xi said that China will continue to work with Saudi Arabia on the research and development of COVID-19 vaccines, and the two sides should intensify communication and coordination to promote cooperation within the G20 and help make COVID-19 vaccines a global public good. Xi said that since the establishment of China-Saudi Arabia diplomatic ties 30 years ago, bilateral relations have made great progress and practical cooperation in various fields between the two sides has seen steady progress. At present, China-Saudi Arabia relations have entered a mature period of rapid development and are facing new development opportunities, he said, adding that the Chinese side is willing to take the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship as an opportunity to enhance political mutual trust and continue to support each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns. The Chinese side is also ready to work with Saudi Arabia to strengthen the docking of the Belt and Road Initiative with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, push forward cooperation in all fields, and promote even greater development of the China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership, said Xi, adding that the Chinese side is willing to work with Saudi Arabia to take the China-Arab strategic partnership to a higher level. Xi also said that in the face of the sudden strike of the COVID-19 outbreak, Saudi Arabia has supported China's fight against the epidemic, and that China has actively provided material assistance to Saudi Arabia while overcoming difficulties, adding that the epidemic is the common enemy of the human race, and only through unity and cooperation can all countries beat the virus. Xi said that as the outbreak is still spreading around the globe, China will continue to fully support Saudi Arabia's efforts against COVID-19, carry out cooperation in vaccine research and development, and help Saudi Arabia resume work and production. He also stressed that China appreciates Saudi Arabia's tremendous efforts to promote cooperation within the G20 since it took over the rotating presidency, and stands ready to closely communicate and coordinate with Saudi Arabia to bolster G20 cooperation, help make COVID-19 vaccines a global public good and make them affordable and available to all countries and all people. China, he added, is ready to work with G20 members, including Saudi Arabia, to increase assistance to developing countries, build an open world economy, maintain stability of global industrial and supply chains, facilitate orderly personnel flow, guide digital economy cooperation, and foster an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory digital economy environment. For his part, Salman said that bilateral relations have seen sound development and the friendship between the two peoples has been continuously strengthened. Saudi Arabia, he added, attaches great importance to the development of its comprehensive strategic partnership with China and hopes to strengthen bilateral cooperation in battling the pandemic, especially in vaccine research and development, better synergize its Vision 2030 and China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, and deepen practical cooperation in various fields. Saudi Arabia appreciates China's support and assistance for its work as the G20 presidency, the king said, adding that his country hopes to maintain close communication and coordination with China to promote solidarity and cooperation among the G20 members, and make due contributions to prevailing over the pandemic and restoring economic growth and stability in the world. Enditem An EasyJet pilot has been accused of 'ambushing' a passenger with chronic asthma after he demanded the man wear a mask or be thrown off his flight. Nick, who spoke under partial anonymity, was confronted by the plane's pilot and told he would have to don a face covering despite his explanation that he would not be able to breathe during the hour-long flight from Jersey to Gatwick. He told the BBC he was heckled by the other passengers on the flight and was left with no other choice than to wear a mask - which made him hyperventilate. 'Whether it's a polo neck or a scarf round your face, the sensation is stifling. I just find it increasingly difficult to breathe,' he said. Nick, who spoke under partial anonymity, was confronted by the plane's pilot and told he would have to don a face covering despite his explanation he would not be able to breathe during the hour-long flight from Jersey to Gatwick Who is legally exempt from wearing a face covering in England? Although face masks are required in enclosed public spaces such as public transport in England, some people do not have to wear them. These people include: Children under the age of 11; People who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability; Employees of indoor settings (or people acting on their behalf, such as someone leading part of a prayer service) or transport workers; Police officers and other emergency workers; Where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress; If you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate; To avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury, to yourself or others - including if it would negatively impact on your ability to exercise or participate in a strenuous activity. Advertisement Nick's flight was delayed by 30 minutes, something he said the other passengers blamed him for. In a 30-second video other passengers cheered and applauded the pilot after he told Nick he would be kicked off the flight. Face coverings are mandatory on public transport in England because they are believed to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Those who don't have to wear a mask include: children under the age of 11; people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability; and where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause severe distress. In England people can choose to carry a card or badge to show they are exempt, according to the Department for Transport in England, but this is a personal choice and not enforced by law. Nick showed the plane's crew an official exemption card he had printed out from the Government's website before flying to the island of Jersey to see his family last month. It was accepted on the way to the island but disputed on the return journey - with Nick facing confrontation with staff 'around six times'. He added: 'I was insulted, shouted at, laughed at. It felt like everybody was against me.' Footage filmed on Nick's phone showed the pilot telling Nick if he didn't put on a mask he 'was off'. EasyJet said all customers are required to wear a face covering but acknowledged some passengers can't. A statement from the airline said: 'We have recently updated our policies in line with recent UK government guidance so that as well as a medical certificate, customers can alternatively provide a relevant document from a government website or lanyard. In a 30-second video other passengers cheered and applauded the pilot after he told Nick he would be kicked off the flight Face coverings are mandatory on public transport in England because they are believed to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Pictured, a woman wore a face covering in Caerphilly, Wales, today 'We are sorry that this new policy was not recognised by the crew on this occasion.' Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation's head of policy, Sarah MacFadyen, said for a small number of people with asthma it is 'impossible for them to breathe' while wearing a mask. She added: 'That's why these exemptions are in place, so they can still go out and live their lives.' ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Many thousands of Veterans and their supporters have signed an online pledge to "Stand Up for Our Veterans, Say NO to Joe Biden!, Promise to Vote." The online pledge is part of an ambitious outreach effort by the Coalition for American Veterans. Recently, more than 12,000 additional people have signed the pledge. In what many expect to be a close presidential election, this can potentially augment the pro-Veteran cause and make a difference in the swing states targeted by the Coalition: Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Coalition for American Veterans has three primary goals. First, building a grassroots base of support to ensure elected officials will stand up for and protect our nation's Veterans. Second, supporting candidates that support veterans and opposing candidates that don't. Third, supporting Veterans that have the ambition of running for elected office. Between now and Election Day, the Coalition for American Veterans is conducting a grassroots outreach effort to stand up for Veterans' issues via videos, rallies, telephone town hall meetings, social media, phone calls, mailings, text messages, email alerts, and literature distribution. SOURCE Coalition for American Veterans Related Links https://coalitionforamericanveterans.com/ By Liang Jun and Sun Wenjing The US has given India a lot of support recently for geopolitical reasons and has been pressing it to sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) as soon as possible. The BECA, along with the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), and the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), is considered by American and Indian militaries as the cornerstones of all their major military cooperation. These agreements have jointly defined the general standards and systems for the two militaries, provided the legal basis for their interoperability, and set the guidance on Americas export of cutting-edge weapon technologies to India. In the Pentagons development of the military relationship with all allies and partners in the past few decades, signing the four agreements is a routine protocol thats called the conventional tool for building military cooperation. Over recent years, the US has alternately extended the olive branch and wielded the stick to force India to sign the four agreements as soon as possible, but India, the self-proclaimed leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, hasnt given a definite answer yet with a mind to gain itself more interests by dancing between the major countries. After Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came in power in 2014, the country has been taking big strides in seeking military cooperation with Washington. Due to recent border clashes, the Indian Defense Ministry announced that it is speeding up the negotiations with Americas National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in the attempt to sign the agreement before the US presidential election in November this year. On the surface, Washington and New Delhi are having close military cooperation, but its in fact nothing more than sheer business in which both sides are just using each other to grind their own ax. Actually Washington has already made a fortune out of New Delhi. As is known to all, India is a major arms purchaser, but its consistent weapon purchase from Russia has got under Americas skin. Yet as the US-India agreements are signed one by one, India has purchased more weapons and equipment from the US, driving bilateral arms trade volume to increase at a geometric rate. According to statistics from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Americas arms sales to India soared by 569% in 2013-2018, becoming the latters second-largest weapon provider at one time, and its cumulative arms sales to the country have amounted to USD20 billion so far. Unlike the US that aims at military and economic interests, India has spent so much money on signing the agreements in order to fulfill its major country ambition. On the one hand, New Delhi wishes to check its neighbors by having Washington on its side, to offset the influence of other major countries and cement its position as the South Asian leader. On the other hand, it hopes to obtain American weapons and relevant technologies more conveniently to enhance its military strength and evolve into a military power as well. After all, it was because of the signing of COMCASA that India has obtained the authentic Sea Guardian long-distance drone from the US, not the version with navigation, missile guidance and foe/friend identification systems dismantled. The signing of BECA would enable India to use American positioning data to increase the combat accuracy of its cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and UAVs. Since the US-India military cooperation is basically a business deal, they would definitely calculate who has more to gain or lose. In comparison, Washington benefits more from the cooperation while New Delhi is more passive and pays a higher price. Economic interests aside, the US and India dont gain equal military interests from the agreements. For instance, LEMOA allows both countries to share their logistics bases, but its mostly American military vessels and aircraft visiting Indian port bases, which compensates for the fact that the US military has only one military base, namely the Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean and enhances its force projection capability in the region. Although the agreements give India access to advanced American weapons, thats more loss than gain in that they erode Indian sovereignty and core secrets. COMCASA, for instance, forces India to open its most sensitive government and military communication networks to the US, including the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) responsible for the deployment of nuclear weapons. If BECA is signed, the US military will be likely to have access to the strategic geo-information from the Indian military, whose ongoing technological systems might even be aborted. To keep the advanced weapons it sold to India from falling in a third partys hands, Washington also signed the End User Monitoring Agreement (EUMA) with New Delhi that puts rigorous restrictions and rules on how India should use and process the equipment and technologies it has purchased. According to EUMA, American inspectors can conduct random examination and counting of the sold equipment to decide if India has used them for pre-described purposes or imitated them in any way. Once India violates any rule, Washington would be so harsh as to cut off the logistics supply and reduce the equipment into a heap of scrap iron. To keep India dependent on American weapons, EUMA also prevents it from buying such equipment from other providers without the US prior permission, not even Americas allies, leaving New Delhi no choice but to order even parts and components directly from the US. Arms sale has become an important means for Washington to keep its grip on New Delhi, for which the all-round restrictions have made the cornerstone agreements much less appealing as they really bring few benefits to the country. Whats intriguing is that the more the Indian troops use weapons made in the US, the harder it is for them to cooperate with their traditional partner Russia, not to mention the hindrance on the development of theIndian military industry, undermining the material foundation for Indias strategic independence. Disclaimer: This article is originally published on Xinmin News Net, one of the biggest mainstream news network based in Shanghai City. It is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Winter has arrived early in the Midwest, with September snowstorms causing temperatures to plunge by more than 60 degrees in some regions. Up to 17 feet of snow fell in mountainous areas of Wyoming on Labor Day - which marks the unofficial end of summer. Snow also fell in nearby Yellowstone National Park, with a bison seen walking through sleet and icy winds in one video shared on social media. 'Labor Day in Yellowstone. Surely this bison is a metaphor for something in 2020,' Twitter user Chris Frink wrote beneath the short clip. Winter has arrived early in the Midwest, with a September snowstorm causing temperatures to plunge by more than 60 degrees in some regions. Pictured: A bison in Evergreen, Colorado on Tuesday The bison was seen walking through the snow in Yellowstone on Labor Day The snow forced the closure of Yellowstone's east entrance on Monday, which still remains blocked off to the public. The Montana town of Red Lodge, which lays close to Yellowstone recorded 10.5 inches of snow. Meanwhile, bison were also seen in Evergreen, Colorado on Tuesday, as snow fell for a second consecutive day. In nearby Fort Collins, Colorado, residents spent the morning of Labor Day monitoring the nearby Cameron Peak Wildfire. The fire had razed 100,000 acres of land, with smoke turning the sky bright orange, Temperatures climbed into the 90s, following near record-breaking heat over the weekend. But by Tuesday, the area was doused in snow, with temperatures plunging into the 30s. The icy temperatures have helped fatigued firefighters catch a much-needed break in their efforts to contain the blaze. On Monday, many Colorado residents spent the morning monitoring the Cameron Peak Wildfire (pictured). But in less than 24 hours, the smoke had been replaced by snowfall Members of the Colorado National Guard are seen standing in snow on Tuesday, at a roadblock which had been set up for the Cameron Peak wildfire outside of Fort Collins There were similar stories in the Colorado cities of Denver and Boulder, with locals battling record-high temperature of 101 degrees on Saturday. By Tuesday, they were were shoveling snow and scraping ice from the windshields of their cars. The weather still remains icy in both cities. Denver is expected to hit highs of just 45 forecast for Wednesday, while Boulder will reach just 40. However, the cold weather is only temporary, with temperatures expected to climb back into the 80s by the end of the week. Smoke from the Cameron Peak wildfire is seen over Denver on Sunday morning. Snow would be falling in the city less than 24 hours later An electrician is seen performing repair work to a power line on Wednesday following a snowstorm in Denver Cars are seen driving on a snowy highway outside of Denver on Tuesday The Kurdish-led administration blames the government for the spread of the pandemic because of the lack of movement restrictions, Shaam network says The Health Authority of the Autonomous Administration recorded 15 new coronavirus cases today, amidst an absence of precautionary and preventive measures. People kept on visiting regime areas, despite a high number of infections and deaths there, as 65 injuries and two deaths were recorded yesterday. This brings the number of cases in areas under Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control to 704. The 15 new cases were distributed as follows: four in Hassakeh, four in Qamishli, two in al-Malikiyah, two in Rumaylan, one case in Tell Tamer, and one in each of al-Darbasiyah and al-Maabadah within the areas under the Autonomous Administration. According to the Health Authority, the death toll in the Autonomous Administrations control areas is 42. The number of recoveries reached 212 cases after 14 new recoveries were recorded, according to the authoritys statement on Tuesday. The announcement of new coronavirus cases by the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administrations Health Authority has significantly increased. The first official announcement addressing the pandemic came through a press conference held by the head of the Health Authority, Joan Mustafa, in early May. The Health Authority of the SDF held the Assad regime responsible for any case of coronavirus in the areas it controls in northeastern Syria due to its disregard, its failure to abide by the rules and procedures of prevention, and its continued freedom of movement in its areas under its control. Air transportation continues between regime and SDF areas, with more flights announced recently. This comes amid an absence of preventive measures despite the escalating numbers of coronavirus cases and despite the Autonomous Administrations announcement that it is closing its crossings while air travel with the regime is still ongoing. The Autonomous Administration has been repeatedly accusing the regime of being responsible for any infections in its areas of control. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. French Prime Minister Jean Castex is in isolation until the end of the week after coming into contact with a person who tested positive for Covid-19. Despite testing negative himself, he has had to cancel a number of engagements and will perform his duties from a distance. The prime minister Jean Castex was travelling for two hours in the same car as the Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme last Saturday, who announced on Tuesday he had tested positive to Covid-19. In video footage from their visit of the 8th stage of the Tour on Saturday, the men were seen to be wearing masks. Prudhomme told the press he had already completed several tests for coronavirus in recent weeks, and this was the first positive one. He also said he had not been in close contact with any of the riders. Sticking to protocol Although Castex himself tested negative, and has shown no symptoms, he is obliged to apply the protocol in place for contact cases, which involves respecting a quarantine until at least Saturday, according to government sources. A second test is to be carried out at the weekend to confirm the results. The prime minister will remain confined at Matignon, in Paris until at least Saturday, when hell be re-tested, explained France Television journalist Jean-Baptiste Marteau. This will correspond to seven days since the contact on the Tour de France. Castex will participate in a government seminar on Wednesday and the cabinet meeting via video conference. He will also not be present at the La Republique en Marche (LREM) meeting on Thursday to elect a new party leader. Caution within family sphere President Emmanuel Macron also tested negative following his return from Lebanon and Iraq, but he is likely to be re-tested in the coming days. Macron has encouraged his staff to set the example by following the health protocol in place to curb the spread of coronavirus, and he called to all French people to respect social distancing and hygiene rules, especially in the private sphere, referring to a high level of contamination within family circles. Public health agency Sante Publique France recorded 6 544 new cases of coronavirus over the previous 24 hour Monday to Tuesay, a jump up from Mondays count which was 4,203. It said 91 new clusters had been reported within the same period, bringing the total to 612 nationwide. By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan carries out large-scale social projects for the improvement of the populations welfare. The countrys social projects are record high in 2020 despite the pandemic. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection is also taking measures to increase access of disabled people to the labor market and small business, as a result of which 4,000 people with disabilities have created their own households under the self-employment program, Minister Sahil Babayev has said. Addressing the meeting via a videoconference with President of the International Social Security Association Joachim Breuer, Minister Babayev said that the ministry is developing specialized profile tests, modern modular training programs and professional standards for people with disabilities. Babayev noted recent reforms in the sphere of labor, employment and social protection and wide use of electronic technologies in this spheres. The minister noted the work done during the pandemic to expand social protection and active employment programs. In addition, he emphasized the measures taken for professional rehabilitation of disabled people. In turn, Breuer highly appreciated work done in Azerbaijan during the pandemic for the social security of the population. Moreover, DOST Working Center under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection implements a program of paid public works in Ganja and other regions across the country. The program, which plays an important role in expanding employment opportunities for unemployed and job seekers, also includes about 1,300 people, mainly from vulnerable groups, in Ganja. Each of them has an employment contract, which creates the basis for their future rights to social security. Paid public works include landscaping, park maintenance, disinfection, social services for single elderly and disabled people, and much more. It should be noted that Azerbaijan has provided social assistance to about 2.6 million people during the period of January-August 2020. The population received AZN 3.8 million ($2.2M) for these types of social assistance, which is by 25.7 percent or AZN 782.7 million ($460.4M) more than in the same period of last year. Likewise, the ministry aims to attract 12,000 unemployed people to the self-employment program in 2020. So far, some 5,100 unemployed people in Azerbaijan are involved in the self-employment program. Of them, 970 of citizens participating in the program are people with disabilities, 659 are IDPs, 87 are members of martyrs families, 78 are people released from correctional institutions and 57 are recipients of targeted social assistance. Azerbaijan also continues opening vocational education centers that are providing training courses for those who have difficulty in choosing a suitable job due to a lack of qualifications, as well as for those who need to change their profession due to a lack of work that matches their professional skills. Additionally, a record number of over 1,500 apartments and private houses, as well as 400 cars will be handed over to martyrs families and disabled war veterans in 2020. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Inside Hook Disneys live-action remake of Mulan already turned some heads with its $30 streaming price, but now the movie has sparked some more serious controversy: as The New York Times reports, some are calling for a boycott of the film because it was filmed partly in Xinjiang, a region in China where Uighur Muslims have been detained in mass internment camps. This film was undertaken with the assistance of the Chinese police while at the same time these police were committing crimes against the Uighur people in Turpan, Tahir Imin, a Uighur activist based in Washington, told the Times. Every big company in America needs to think about whether their business is helping the Chinese government oppress the Uighur people. Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin weighed in on the issue on Twitter, writing, While the CCP is committing crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, Disney thanked four of the propaganda departments that are lying to the world about these crimes. It also thanked the Turpan Public Security Bureau, which is on the entity list for its role in these atrocities. While the CCP is committing crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, @Disney thanked four of the propaganda departments that are lying to the world about these crimes. It also thanked the Turpan Public Security Bureau, which is on the entity list for its role in these atrocities. https://t.co/I03q4XB4FC Rep. Mike Gallagher (@RepGallagher) September 8, 2020 Mulan specifically thank the publicity department of CPC Xinjiang uyghur autonomous region committee in the credits. You know, the place where the cultural genocide is happening. They filmed extensively in Xinjiang, which the subtitles call Northwest China#BoycottMulan pic.twitter.com/mba3oMYDvV Jeannette Ng (@jeannette_ng) September 7, 2020 The movie is also being boycotted by pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong and those who sympathize with them after Mulans titular star, Liu Yifei, voiced her support for the Hong Kong police, who have been accused of using excessive force against protestors. She said, I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong. Regulatory News: On 8 September 2020, SFL (Paris:FLY) completed the tender offer launched on 2 September 2020 on its two bond issues maturing in November 2021 (ISIN Code: FR0012346856) (the "2021 Notes") and November 2022 (ISIN Code: FR0013053030) (the "2022 Notes", and together with the 2021 Notes, the "Notes"). This transaction enables SFL to purchase a portion of the Notes in a total nominal amount of 160,700,000, including (i) 100,300,000 of 2021 Notes at a tender price of 101.797 (as per 0.00% tender yield) (249,700,000 remaining outstanding) and (ii) 60,400,000 of 2022 Notes at a tender price of 104.15 of the principal amount of the 2022 Notes (289,600,000 remaining outstanding). This tender offer is part of SFL's active debt management strategy, and allows SFL to optimise its cost of debt and to improve the balance sheet structure. About SFL Leader in the prime segment of the Parisian commercial real estate market, Societe Fonciere Lyonnaise stands out for the quality of its property portfolio, which is valued at 7.2 billion and is focused on the Central Business District of Paris (cloud.paris, Edouard VII, Washington Plaza, etc.), and for the quality of its client portfolio, which is composed of prestigious companies in the consulting, media, digital, luxury, finance and insurance sectors. As France's oldest property company, SFL demonstrates year after year an unwavering commitment to its strategy focused on creating a high value in use for users and, ultimately, substantial appraisal values for its properties. Stock market: Euronext Paris Compartment A Euronext Paris ISIN FR0000033409 Bloomberg: FLY FP Reuters: FLYP PA S&P rating: BBB+ stable outlook www.fonciere-lyonnaise.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005470/en/ Contacts: SFL Thomas Fareng Phone +33 (0)1 42 97 27 00 t.fareng@fonciere-lyonnaise.com Evidence Gregoire Silly Phone +33 (0)6 99 10 78 99 gregoire.silly@evidenceparis.fr Detailed locations of as many as 15 detention camps for Uyghurs have been unearthed in Turpan city of the northwest Chinese province of Xinjiang, the region where several scenes of Disney's new film 'Mulan' were filmed, according to a Washington-based Uyghur group. Washington [DC], September 9 (ANI): Detailed locations of as many as 15 detention camps for Uyghurs have been unearthed in Turpan city of the northwest Chinese province of Xinjiang, the region where several scenes of Disneys new film Mulan were filmed, according to a Washington-based Uyghur group. This is a significant development as Disney has come under fire for shooting in Xinjiang province, the region where Chinese government is accused of carrying out a brutal campaign of repression against Uyghur Muslims. The movie, slated for release across China on September 11, garnered controversy after Disney thanked Turpan Public Security Bureau and the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Committee in the film credits, which are Chinese government entities directly involved in mass internment of Uyghurs and others, said the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM). Mulans lead actor, Liu Yifei, has also been criticised for backing the Hong Kong Police crackdown on pro-democracy protestors. ETNAM had publicly released the coordinates of 182 concentration camps, 209 prisons and 74 Bingtuan (Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps) labour camps across East Turkistan in November last year. The group has now shared the exact locations of 10 concentration camps and five prisons located nearly 130 kilometres radius of Turpan region. It said there were five concentration camps and two prisons operating in Turpan City alone. In Pichan County of Turpan, four concentration camps and two prisons are present while one concentration camp and one prison are present in Toqsun County of Turpan. These facilities have been operating since 2017 and many of the concentration camps have been expanded in 2018. According to testimonies of former detainees in concentration camps and prisons and their size, these facilities easily hold more than 100,000 people, mostly Uyghurs, according to ETNAM. Salih Hudayar, the groups founder and president said, By filming the movie in Turpan, East Turkistan, where there are possibly hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs being detained in concentration camps and prisons, Disney is not only helping promote Chinese government propaganda but it is also helping the CCP whitewash the genocide faced by Uyghurs and demonising the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples of East Turkistan as barbarians and as enemies of China and the Chinese people. Last December, China had claimed that everyone in the so-called re-education concentration camps across Xinjiang had graduated. However, these concentration camps and prisons are still operating based on the satellite image seen from March to July this year. ETNAM has called on the people all over the world to boycott Mulan and asked Disney to cancel its screenings of the movie as soon as possible. The group has also demanded a formal apology to the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples of East Turkistan. China has been criticised globally for cracking down on the Uyghurs by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities and sending members of the community to undergo some form of forceful re-education or indoctrination. (ANI) Also Read: Amid India China standoff, students in for long wait: Indian Embassy issues advisory Chinese foreign ministry accuses Australian authorities of interrogating and raiding homes of its state media workers. China has alleged Australian authorities interrogated and raided the homes of Chinese state media workers in Australia in June, a move that Beijing says led to the evacuation of two Australian journalists from China this week. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Wednesday said Australian security intelligence agents raided the homes of four Chinese journalists working for Xinhua News Agency and China Media Group. The agents seized the journalists work computers, mobile phones and childrens tablets and electronic toys, the spokesman alleged. Zhao said Australian officials cited a possible violation of the countrys foreign interference laws for their raids in June, but did not provide a reasonable explanation for the searches. The Australian governments behaviour blatantly violates the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese journalists there and caused severe harm to the physical and mental health of the journalists and their families, Zhao said in a daily briefing. We ask Australia to immediately stop such blatant irrational behaviours, stop harassing and oppressing Chinese personnel in Australia under whatever pretext. Reuters news agency said the Australian foreign affairs department did not immediately respond to a request for comment A spokesman for Australias Attorney General Christian Porter declined to comment on operational matters when asked about an earlier report on the Australian raids by Xinhua, but added that authorities take issues of foreign interference very seriously. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) also declined to comment on the Xinhua report. Xinhua reported that the Chinese journalists were told to be silent about the incident, without detailing how many were questioned or citing sources for its report. The Chinese embassy in Canberra said it had provided consular support to the journalists, in response to a question about the raids. Journalists Bill Birtles and Michael Smith talk to reporters in Sydney [ABC/Reuters] Strained relations The allegations of the Australian raids in late June is the latest tussle in a deteriorating relationship between the two major trading partners, and comes just a day after the two Australian journalists flew home from China with the help of consular officials. The ABCs Bill Birtles, based in Beijing, and AFRs Michael Smith, located in Shanghai, were questioned by Chinas state security ministry. The two Australian journalists who arrived home from China on Tuesday had sought shelter in the embassy in Beijing and the consulate in Shanghai after police entered their homes a week ago and told them they were barred from leaving China. They had been questioned in the case of Cheng Lei, an Australian national and anchor for Chinas state broadcaster CGTN, who was detained by China last month. Chinese officials confirmed on Tuesday she was being held on suspicion of illegal activities that endanger Chinas security. The departure of the two reporters leaves the Australian media organisations with no correspondents in China for the first time since the 1970s. Chinas relationship with Australia has worsened this year after Beijing promised trade reprisals and said it was angered by Australias call for an international inquiry into the source of the coronavirus pandemic. There are stories that are disturbing and unpleasant to hear. The news of a terrorist attack on the nations capital is one of such news. As the nations seat of power, the security of Abuja should be the primary concern of every citizen and government in power in Nigeria. Nothing is more pleasant to the ears than hearing the news debunking the fallacy, over the weekend, of news of a letter in circulation purportedly by the authorities of Nigerian Customs Service-revealing the existence of Boko Haram terrorists camps (BHTs) in and around the Federal Capital Territory. The purported but scary memo has exposed the plan of terrorists to launch a deadly attack on some selected targets within the territory. It listed 5 camps set up by the terror group in strategic enclaves of Abuja: the Kunyam bush (along airport road), Robuchi (Gwagwalada forest), Kwakwu forest (Kuje) Unaisha forest ( Toto LG of Nasaraw state) and Gegu forest (Kogi state). It is good news that the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) has denied issuing a red alert about terrorists regrouping around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Despite denying the memo which reportedly emanated from the Nigerian Customs Service, the Nigerian government should be proactive and be on the alert about the uncertain security situation in the country. The security agencies and their personnel should not go to sleep on hearing the soothing news that NCS did not release any warnings of attack. There is work to do. There is need to do a thorough investigation to find out the source of the alarming threat? Not only that, the culprit must be punished for causing unnecessary public fears and emboldening the determination of terrorists to attack the capital of our nation. If the truth is to be told, the security situation in Abuja is precarious and not different from other places under the imminent deadly assault by terrorists. The pockets of coordinated offensives by daredevil terrorists in all the states that have common border with FCT is a good food for thought. Based on the reality of the situation on ground, residents of the FCT do not need warning of a possible attack. The signs are as clear as daylight. The FCT Administration, Abuja residents and the security agencies should look into their hearts, be open to truth and accept the reality that security of lives and property is a collective responsibility. It is high time we focused our attention and fight our common enemy and stop the apportioning of blame mentality. With the recent discovery of terrorists camps in Nasarawa and Niger states, and a couple of intermittent and violent attacks in Kaduna and kogi states, inhabitants of Abuja city should not live in the delusion that they are not vulnerable to terrorist incursion. The report by Council on Foreign Relations about Abubakar Shekaus blood thirsty jihadist faction establishing bases in north central Nigeria, particularly Niger State is frightening. Not long ago, Boko Haram released a video of its members celebrating Sallah eid el-fitr in a camp in Niger state. In a related development, the Nigerian military discovered bomb factory and destroyed camp of a new terrorist group Darul Salam in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa state. The major target of terrorists attack in central Nigeria is the Federal capital Territory. What we are witnessing today is the attempt by terrorist cells to regroup and launch an offensive on the heart of the nation. The government has built a fortress around Abuja. There have been escalation of minor crimes in the city. The security architecture of Abuja has proven to be impregnable so far. That notwithstanding, we cannot afford to be complacent. Sporadic attacks in the neighboring states of Abuja are a source of concern. Government should do whatever is humanly possible to forestall terrorist incursion into the city. An attack on Abuja is an attack on the entire nation. According to World Economic Forum (WEF),cities are the new frontline of terrorism. It says: The goal of todays terrorist is not only to target civilians and spread fear but also to turn city residents against each other. That terrorists target cities makes sense. Cities like Abuja May be potential targets of assault precisely because they are centres of political, economic and cultural power. We are dealing with monsters who kill fellow human beings for amusement. Even wild beasts hunt and kill for food. They do not maim, destroy habitat or kill for pleasure. It is amazing that animals are more compassionate than terrorists. While we are sleeping, they are busy recruiting boys in north western Nigeria. Because of the failure to take a decisive action against this dangerous trend, we are indirectly emboldening the terrorists to regroup in our midst. This is how it started in Maiduguri. The terrorists are wild beasts in the garb of human beings. Their heart is hardened, and it is devoid of mercy. They take delight in causing extensive damage and inflicting maximum injury to their innocent and helpless victims. Abuja is a microcosm of Nigeria. It is the Metropole of our country. It is our pride. A devastating blow to the city is a blow to Nigeria. We should therefore take the security of Abuja and all our cities seriously. We must not give terrorists the liberty to unleash terror on Nigerias seat of government. If you think you are safe because you are shielded by security escort from the onslaught of terrorists, you are wrong. Nobody is safe. We are all victims of terrorism. We must fight it together. Saleh Bature is Abuja based journalist, social commentator and advocate of dialogue. You can reach him via email at [email protected] live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The countrys largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) on Wednesday said it has raised Rs 4,000 crore through the issuance of Basel III compliant debt instruments. The Committee of Directors for Capital Raising at its meeting on Wednesday accorded approval to allot 40,000 Basel III compliant additional tier 1 bonds (AT1) aggregating to Rs 4,000 crore to bond subscribers on September 9, 2020, SBI said in a regulatory filing. The bonds bear a coupon rate of 7.74 percent. This is the lowest pricing ever offered on such debt, issued by any bank since the country started implementing the stringent Basel III capital rules in 2013, the lender said. "The overwhelming success of this issuance reaffirms State Banks paper as gold standard and showcases the investor interest for such quality papers. The apprehensions that prevailed in the market post Yes Bank AT 1 write down in March 2020 have been firmly put behind, the banks deputy managing director (finance) Swaminathan J said in the release. The interest payout on such bonds is better than the cost of equity for the banks and it provides a good risk-adjusted return to the investors, hence offers a win-win situation for both the banks and the investors, he said. As the aggregate bids were in excess of Rs 6,000 crore, the bank exercised the full greenshoe option of Rs 3,000 crore over and above the base issue size of Rs 1,000 crore. A greenshoe option means an over-allotment option. It is a provision in an underwriting agreement which grants the underwriter the right to sell investors more shares than initially planned by the issuer if the demand is higher than expected. While SBI has AAA credit rating from local credit agencies, its AT1 offering is rated AA+, which is the highest rating in the country for these instruments in view of the hybrid and high-risk nature of these instruments. While the AT 1 instrument is perpetual in nature, it can be called back by the lender after five years or any anniversary date thereafter, the release said. Last month, the bank issued tier 2 bonds aggregating to Rs 8,931 crore, at 6.80 percent. Both the issuances were solely managed by SBI Capital Markets Ltd. Authorities searching a Worcester apartment on Wednesday following the arrest of two men on drug and firearm charges uncovered what appeared to be bomb-making materials, officials said. A search warrant for a fourth-floor apartment at 85 Harding St. was issued after Massachusetts State Police detectives on Tuesday arrested 38-year-old David Dolan and 33-year-old Weah Wisner, both of Worcester, according to the office of Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. When investigators started the search of the apartment Wednesday morning, it was quickly halted after the apparent bomb-making materials were found, Earlys office said in a statement. The apartment building was evacuated while Harding Street was closed between Temple and Winter streets for several hours, officials said. State Police units, including Crime Scene Services, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, the Firearms Identification Section and the Special Tactical Operations (STOP) Team responded to the scene along with the state Join HAZMAT Incident Response Team, Worcester police, Worcester firefighters and EMTs, Earlys office said. The district attorneys office did not release further information about the search of the apartment. Dolan is awaiting arraignment and was sent to the hospital for precautionary reasons before his court appearance, Earlys office said. He has been ordered held without bail pending a hearing on an open warrant for home invasion and illegal possession of a firearm. The state plans to file a motion for dangerousness on the new charges, the statement said. Wisner was arraigned in Worcester District Court on Wednesday and ordered held on $10,000 bail for charges of trafficking cocaine (18-36 grams), distributing cocaine (subsequent offense), two counts of carrying a firearm without a license, two counts of possession of ammunition without an FID card and possession of a firearm while committing a felony. His case has been continued to Oct. 8, the district attorneys office said. Related Content: Gbao, 72, was given a 25-year sentence for acts including terrorism, extermination, murder, rape and sexual slavery. A former rebel leader in Sierra Leone, imprisoned for crimes against humanity committed during the countrys civil war, has been granted conditional early release, the countrys UN-backed tribunal said. Augustine Gbao, 72, a former leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), was given a 25-year sentence for acts including terrorism, extermination, murder, rape and sexual slavery. Former RUF commander Augustine Gbao has been granted conditional early release, with a three-month delay, during which time he must undergo specific training geared to his understanding of and acceptance of responsibility for the harm he inflicted by his crimes, the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone, based in The Hague, said in a statement released on Wednesday. The court said it found that Gbao, who was detained in 2003 and is serving his sentence in Rwanda, had largely behaved properly in prison and showed remorse. Gbao will be able to serve the remainder of his sentence in his community of Blama, a town in Sierra Leones Eastern Province, subject to close supervision and strict conditions. The conditions include a radio and television apology to the victims of his crimes and to the people of Sierra Leone. The Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone is the successor to a court established by the United Nations in 2002 to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for the atrocities during the West African countrys 1991-2001 civil war. The conflict, financed largely by so-called blood diamonds, left 120,000 people dead and tens of thousands mutilated. Between 1991 and 2001, the RUF carried out a series of atrocities in an attempt to gain control over Sierra Leones lucrative mining districts. On Tuesday, the court rejected a bid by former Liberian President and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor who is serving a 50-year sentence for crimes committed in Sierra Leone to be moved from a British jail, where he claimed he risks dying from coronavirus. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- He preyed on a concerned grandmother, and now hell pay for it. Wenjiang Kong bilked the 76-year-old Michigan resident of more than $9,100 when she was conned into sending the cash to an address in Stapleton, authorities said. The woman was led to believe the money was needed to post bail for her grandson. However, as it turned out, no family member had been busted, said officials. But the joke is on Kong. The 22-year-old Brooklyn resident is on the hook to fork over full restitution, as well as to spend some time on probation, after pleading guilty to grand larceny. Kong was arrested on April 23, 2019, said authorities. The scheme worked this way, according to a criminal complaint and a source with knowledge of the case: The victim was initially instructed to send $9,000 to a home on the 200 block of Gordon Street to spring her grandson from jail. She sent the cash to the location via FedEx despite not having any arrested family members, the complaint said. The complaint does not explicitly state that Kong made the phone calls instructing the woman to send the money to the Gordon Street home. However, the defendant retrieved the money from that location between 7 and 8 a.m. on April 19, 2019, authorities said. Afterward, the victim was contacted a second time. She was told to send an additional $9,000 to the residence, said the source. This time, though, the woman contacted authorities, the source said. She then sent a small amount of cash, and police tracked the package, said the source. Cops nabbed Kong on April 23, 2019, when he went to pick up the second package, the source said. While authorities originally said the woman had lost more than $18,000, the source said the actual figure was $9,187. Kong told cops he was at the location because he wanted to buy a home and saw a real estate sign outside, said police. I know no one lives there, its vacant, the complaint quotes Kong as saying. Kong said he saw a FedEx worker drop a package when he last visited the home. There was cash in the first package, a few thousand, Kong said, according to the complaint. I went back because there was cash the first time. I know I was wrong. I shouldnt have done it. Kong was indicted on charges of grand larceny, petit larceny and stolen-property possession. He recently pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to third-degree grand larceny, the top count against him. In exchange, hell be sentenced Oct. 19 to five years' probation, and must repay the victim the swindled $9,187. A full order of protection will be issued in the womans favor. Kongs lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment. The US presidential election is now eight weeks away. The campaign between Trump and Biden is pitting an administration that is making an increasingly open appeal to violence and police state repression against a Democratic Party campaign that, as always, offers no genuine alternative to the drive toward authoritarianism and war. The Trump administration is utilizing the election campaign in an attempt to build up a right-wing, fascistic movement on a ferociously antisocialist basis. Trump has followed up his praise of Kyle Rittenhouse, who murdered two protesters and injured a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin last month, with calls for vengeance directed against opponents of police violence. At his press conference on Monday, the president hailed the killing of protester Michael Reinoehl by US Marshals last week. If somebody is breaking the law, there has got to be a form of retribution, Trump declared, condoning extrajudicial reprisals from his supporters. The same day, he retweeted a statement from right-wing commentator Dinesh DSouza declaring that political unrest would lead to the rise of citizen militias around the countrythat is, fascistic vigilante organizations like Patriot Prayer, responsible for terrorizing protesters in Portland, Oregon. As the World Socialist Web Site has noted, Trump is not running for president; he is running for Fuhrer. His campaign seems to be modeled on Hitlers bid for German chancellor in 1932. Using language that is unprecedented in American history, Trump is seeking to create conditions, regardless of the outcome on November 3, in which he will emerge as the leader of an extra-constitutional, right-wing movement. There is no doubt that if Trump wins, he will immediately escalate the suppression of democratic rights and implementation of police state forms of rule. Under these conditions, the argument of the Democratic Party is that all opposition to Trump must be directed behind the election of Biden. For workers to allow their struggles to be subordinated to the electoral considerations of the Democratic Party, however, would be a fatal political error. Trump did not emerge from nowhere. He expresses in the most unvarnished form the essentially fascistic, antidemocratic impulse of the American ruling class as a whole. That Trump is not some sort of demon unleashed from hell is revealed in the fact that the growth of authoritarianism and fascism is a universal phenomenon, from Brazil and India to France and Germany. The working class must direct its opposition to the underlying disease of which Trump is an expression. What are the conditions that are fueling this crisis? First, the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the catastrophic state to which capitalism has driven society. It is an extreme expression and product of the subordination of everything to the profit interests of the corporate and financial oligarchy. The ruling class has effectively adopted a policy of herd immunity, allowing the virus to spread without restraint. The back-to-work campaign, spearheaded by Trump but implemented by both the Democrats and Republicans, has already led to an enormous surge in the death toll, which is now approaching 200,000 people. The University of Washington now estimates that the number of deaths by the end of the year could rise to above 400,000. Second, alongside the health impact of the pandemic is a deepening social and economic crisis for millions of people. Despite the back-to-work campaign, there are more than 11 million fewer jobs now than before the pandemic hit. It is six weeks since Congress allowed federal unemployment benefits to expire, throwing millions into poverty. The number of Americans facing hunger this year is projected to increase by 45 percent, to more than 50 million. The multitrillion-dollar bailout of Wall Street, sanctioned with the nearly unanimous support of Congress in late March, produced massive growth in the wealth of the oligarchy. On Tuesday, Forbes published its latest update on the wealth of American billionaires, reporting that the wealth of the richest 400 people has reached a record $3.2 trillion, up $240 billion from a year ago. Third, the deepening economic, social and political crisis increases the danger that the ruling class will see war abroad as a means of resolving its problems at home. Trump is making aggressive moves in the South China Sea as part of its offensive against China, while the Democrats, if they come to power, are committed to an intensification of the conflict with Russia and war in the Middle East. It is to these conditions that the Trump administration is responding. In its October 19, 2019 statement, No to American fascism! Build a mass movement to force Trump out!, the Socialist Equality Party stated: To downplay, let alone deny, the fact that the Trump presidency is metastasizing rapidly into a right-wing authoritarian regime, with distinctly fascist characteristics, is to close ones eyes to political reality. The old refrain, It cant happen herei.e., that American democracy is eternally immune from the cancer of fascismis hopelessly out of date. The very fact that a thug like Trump ascended to the White House testifies to the terminal crisis of the existing political system. These processes have only intensified over the past year, vastly accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. Trumps fascistic rhetoric is an attempt to beat back a growing social movement of the working class against the policies of the corporate and financial oligarchy. The Democratic Party, however, represents another faction of the same oligarchy. Its appeal is to dominant factions of the military and the intelligence agencies as the arbiters of political power to whom it will turn if Trump refuses to leave office. Its main aim is to suppress any form of social opposition that threatens the interests of the ruling elite. Over the past week, Biden has denounced protests over police violence, attacked socialism, and made clear that he will run his campaign on the most right-wing basis possible. In the final stages of the election, the Democrats are attempting to revive their anti-Russia campaign to ever more explicitly target left-wing opposition within the United States as the work of foreign adversaries. Biden presents himself as the man in the middle under conditions of a developing civil war situation. His campaign offers nothing to address the social catastrophe confronting masses of people. The Democrats open embrace of militarist violencewelcoming as part of their coalition the leading architects of the Iraq wareven allows the fascistic Trump to posture as an opponent of the military-industrial complex. The Democrats are above all opposed to raising any issues that undermine the economic and financial interests of the ruling elite. An indication of the social policies that a Biden campaign would pursue if in office was given in an article published in the Washington Post on Monday. Referring to the economic proposals released by the Biden campaignconsisting of milquetoast reforms that were the product of discussions with the Sanders-Warren wing of the partythe Post wrote: But in private calls with Wall Street leaders, the Biden campaign made it clear those proposals would not be central to Bidens agenda. They basically said, Listen, this is just an exercise to keep the Warren people happy, and dont read too much into it, said one investment banker, referring to liberal supporters of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-mass.). The banker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private talks, said that message was conveyed on multiple calls. The Democratic Party, for all its denunciations of Trump, makes no mention of the essentially fascistic character of the policies he is pursuing. It should be recalled that even though Trump lost the last election by three million votes, the immediate response of the Democratic Party was to offer its collaboration. The election, Obama said, was an intramural scrimmage between two sides of the same team. If the Democrats were to lose on November 3, or even if they were to win, the response would be no different. They would immediately offer an olive branch to Trump and the Republican Party. The ability of Trump to attract and maintain a following is largely a product of the inability of the Democrats to offer anything to address the social crisis. In the end, the actual differences are marginal, focused above all on foreign policy. The fact that the contest is even close, under conditions of mass death and social devastation, is an indictment of the Democratic Party. It is incapable of making a popular appeal precisely because of the class interests that it represents. The strategy of the working class cannot be guided by the arithmetic of an election, but the logic of the class struggle. The Socialist Equality Party and our election campaignJoseph Kishore for president and Norissa Santa Cruz for vice presidentdirect all of our attention to the growth of working class opposition. The election must be seen not as an end, but as part of a broader process. This will prepare the working class for whatever outcomewhether it is Trump or Biden in the White House or whether it is the direct intervention of the military. There is already growing opposition in the working class. Teachers and parents are mobilizing against the efforts to reopen the schools amidst the raging pandemic. Educators and students have begun to fight against the dangerous reopening of colleges and universities, including a strike that began yesterday at the University of Michigan by 1,000 lecturers and graduate students. There is seething anger among autoworkers, Amazon workers, transportation workers, service workers and other sections of the working class to the back-to-work campaign and the effort by the corporations to use the pandemic to increase exploitation. A winter of discontent is brewing with millions out of work and facing poverty and eviction. This is combined with the continued protests over police violence and racism, sparked in late May by the murder of George Floyd. While fueled by the unending epidemic of police violence, the protests have given expression to deep social anger and a desire among millions of workers and youth to fight back. The struggles of different sections of the working class must be organized and united through the formation of independent factory, workplace and neighborhood safety committees. The fight of teachers against the back-to-school campaign must be connected with the fight of students against the reopening of the universities, the fight of workers against the horrific conditions in the plants, the fight of the unemployed against social devastation, and the fight of the youth against police violence. At issue in every struggle is the question of political power: What class rules and in whose interests. The only solution to the crisis is one that is directed against the capitalist system. A massive diversion of social resources away from the bailout of the rich and the financing of militarism and war is required. The wealth of the oligarchs must be seized, and the gigantic corporations and banks turned into public utilities to create the conditions for a globally coordinated program to save lives. The fight against the pandemic is not primarily a medical question. As with every great problem confronting the working classsocial inequality and poverty, war, environmental degradation and dictatorshipit is a political and revolutionary question, which raises the need for the working class to take power in its own hands, overthrow capitalism, and restructure all of society on the basis of social need. This program must become the basis for unifying all the struggles of the working class in the United States and, moreover, provide a lead to the fight of workers throughout the world. The next two months are critical. The SEP and our sister parties in the International Committee of the Fourth International are spearheading the fight to build a socialist leadership in the working class. This is the most urgent political task. The essential conclusion that must be drawn is to join and build the Socialist Equality Party. Louis Vuitton owner LVMH is scrapping its $16.2 billion acquisition of Tiffany, a deal that would have been the biggest ever in the luxury industry. The luxury-goods giant said Wednesday the merger agreement signed last November provides for a closing deadline no later than Nov. 24, 2020. But Tiffany had requested to extend the date to Dec. 31, and the French minister of foreign affairs had directed the company to defer the deal until after Jan. 6 due to a U.S. threat of taxes on French goods. The company said in a statement that it will not be able to complete the acquisition of Tiffany "as it stands." It said it needs additional time to figure out any impact from potential U.S. tariffs on French goods, and therefore can't close the deal before the end of the year. Tiffany shares tumbled 10% in early trading Wednesday. Tiffany shares, which have a market value of $14.8 billion, have fallen nearly 9% this year. A representative for Tiffany did not respond to a CNBC request for comment. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. jewelry chain has filed a lawsuit in Delaware to enforce the agreement, saying the request from the French government has no basis in law. The coronavirus pandemic has hit the luxury retail sector hard, sending Tiffany's same-store sales down 44% and throwing the LVMH deal into doubt. Investors worried whether the French company overpaid, and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault was looking to lower the price of buying the U.S. jewelry chain, according to people familiar with the matter. Amid the turmoil, LVMH and Tiffany had agreed to push back an initial deadline from Aug. 24 to Nov. 24, as talks started to sour. Analysts had said they believed the transaction was still going to go through, but at a lower price. With international tourism seemingly dragged to a halt, Tiffany's and other luxury retailers' businesses have been battered, as many relied on big spenders from China venturing to their flagship shops in the U.S. to splurge on handbags and diamonds. In buying Tiffany, LVMH had been looking to grow its jewelry business, which had been one of the hottest and fastest-growing categories in luxury until the pandemic hit. At the time of Tiffany's earnings report in early June, the company was still waiting to clear key regulatory hurdles for the deal. Some other retail-related deals have been called off because of the pandemic. The biggest U.S. mall owner Simon Property Group has terminated its deal to buy the high-end mall owner Taubman, prompting Taubman to file a counterclaim against Simon's accusations. The private-equity firm Sycamore also backed out of its deal to take over Victoria's Secret from L Brands. Correction: The merger agreement signed last November provides for a closing deadline no later than Nov. 24, 2020. An earlier version of this story misstated the date. KAMPALA The Uganda Police Force has September 7 released an advert for recruiting 5000 suitable qualified Ugandan citizens who want to join the force as probational police constables. Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga says the new batch of officers forms part of the recruitment of 10000 new police officers which was launched in August 2019, as part of the uplift program. *It is our determination therefore to continue with our planned programs despite the difficult COVID-19 climate. The 1st batch of new officers was successfully passed out covid-19 free on August 21, he said. According to the advert, applicants must posses a maximum academic qualification of O level or its equivalent with at least a 4 credits including English and at least a pass in Mathematics. Those who posses qualifications above UCE should NOT apply, reads an excerpt. Police further say candidates must be Ugandan citizens with valid National IDs, have no criminal record, ready to undertake the requisite twelve months police basic training and must be physically fit. Police add that these must be ready to work for long hours and at times under difficult conditions. They should also be ready to work in any part of the country, possess good communication skills. HOW TO APPLY: Hand written applications addressed to the IGP accompanied by Certified copies of Academic documents. Photocopy of the National ID and photocopy of the ID of the previous schools attended. 3 recent Passport size photographs, recommendation letters from LCI, LCII, LCIII and RDC (from the respective districts of recruitment). All in the file folder which should be delivered to the Police District/Divisional Headquarters not later than September 19,2020, Enanga further empasised that the police is an equal opportunities employer and the process of recruitment is by rule and merit. The effective recruitment into the force is subject to successful completion of the initial training, he said. He warned all applicants against giving bribes or make attempts to influence the recruitment process through politicians, unscrupulous people, intermediary agents or policemen. The public should know that being a police officer is more than a career, but a noble calling. Any persons found to be giving false promises must be reported to the nearest police station, PSU or other Anti-Corruption Agency for investigation, said Enanga. Related More arrests are expected as gardai continue to close in on the so-called "paymaster" behind the savage abduction and torture of QIH director Kevin Lunney. Senior gardai have been holding regular "investigation strategy" conferences as their investigation into events surrounding the horrific crime continues. "These high-level strategy meetings are generally being held in Cavan garda station and have been attended by senior officers including chief superintendents and heads of various specialist national garda units," a senior source told Independent.ie. "This is still a massive investigation with lots of new evidence coming in. The purpose of the case conferences has been to analyse all the material that has been obtained with a view to determine what is the best way to bring the investigation forward. "Throughout the summer there were a number of these meetings and this will continue with more arrests expected in this case once everything is lined up," the source added. Mr Lunney, a father-of-six, was abducted close to his home in Co Fermanagh on the evening of September 17 last year. The businessman's leg was broken, he was doused in bleach and the letters QIH were carved into his chest during the two-and-a-half-hour ordeal before he was dumped on a roadside in Co Cavan. Four suspects have already been charged with falsely imprisoning and assaulting the Quinn Industrial Holdings director almost a year ago but gardai say their investigations are "far from over". Senior sources say officers are determined to obtain enough evidence to secure criminal charges against the so-called "paymaster" who orchestrated the savage abduction and allegedly controlled a network of front companies and bank accounts used to launder monies paid to gang boss Cyril "Dublin Jimmy" McGuinness. Notorious criminal McGuinness (54) died of a heart attack last November in Derbyshire, England, when police raided a safe-house that he was hiding in as part of a major arrest operation involving three police forces into the horrific Lunney case. Yesterday in the High Court, one of the charged men - Alan O'Brien (39) of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin - brought a challenge against the Special Criminal Court's jurisdiction to hear his trial. He claims the Director of Public Prosecution's decision he should not be tried before a jury represents a significant curtailment of his constitutional rights. Mr OBrien and three others are accused of falsely imprisoning and causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan, on September 17 last year. He has brought a judicial review action aimed at preventing his trial before the Special Criminal Court, due to commence next January, from taking place. Mr OBrien is the second of the four accused men to challenge the SCCs jurisdiction to hear the trial. Last month, the High Court granted permission to another man who cannot be named for legal reasons to bring an action that raises similar grounds. In July, Mr OBrien failed in an application at the Special Criminal Court to have the charges against him dismissed. Both he and the man who cannot be named for legal reasons have been remanded in custody awaiting trial. The two other defendants in the case are Luke OReilly (66), from Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan, and Darren Redmond (25), from Caledon Road, East Wall. They were granted bail by the High Court in April despite garda objections. Neither Mr OReilly nor Mr Redmond has challenged the Special Criminal Courts jurisdiction. Wits University pauses Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trial as part of standard regulatory procedure Wits University will pause the Covid-19 vaccine trial it is running with the University of Oxford following a medical event in a volunteer in the UK. The Ox1nCov19 trial, led in South Africa by Professor Shabir Madhi, Executive Director of the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA), will be paused as part of standard regulatory procedure designed to uphold the safety of participants. Following a medical event experienced by a participant involved in the study of the ChAdOx1-CoV19 vaccine in the UK, the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) has recommended that all studies which they are overseeing pause further vaccination. This will allow the DSMC to undertake a thorough review of the case in the UK. The details of the medical event that the participant in the UK experienced may not be divulged as this contravenes patient confidentiality. Because the South African study is overseen by the same safety committee, all sites in the country have paused further vaccination. South African trial volunteers who are scheduled to receive either a first or second dose of the vaccine have been notified and we are in regular communication with them as to when vaccination will resume. This decision will be based on the DSMCs recommendation. Ensuring the safety of all our study participants is our highest priority, says Madhi. Pausing vaccination to review safety is evidence of the application of sound clinical practice and demonstrates the rigour of the independent oversight process under which this trial is being conducted. Assessing the safety of the vaccine is the reason why studies such as these are essential in South Africa, before there is widespread use of the vaccine. A spokesperson at the University of Oxford, which leads the trial in the UK and where a participant experienced the medical event, said: As part of the ongoing randomised controlled global trials of the coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process triggered a study pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the studies, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. In large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully. We are committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our studies. About the South African Ox1nCov19 vaccine trial Wits University announced South Africa and Africas first Covid-19 vaccine trial, the so-called Oxford trial, on 23 June 2020. In South Africa, the study aims to enroll up to 2020 participants at up to seven sites in Gauteng and the Western Cape provinces. In Gauteng, the sites are in Hillbrow, Soweto, and Tshwane. In the Western Cape, the sites are in Cape Town and Stellenbosch. The trial tests if the vaccine known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is safe and able to protect people from developing Covid-19 illness. The trial will also provide valuable information on whether the body generates good immune responses against the virus. All South African trial volunteers have provided written informed consent to participate in the trial. Participant safety a priority Although the development of this vaccine is on accelerated timeline to address an unprecedented pandemic, the clinical development of the vaccine has built-in reviews processed by the independent international DSMC, as well as regulatory oversight locally by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAPHRA) and the University of the Witwatersrand Human Research Ethics Committee. The vaccine will only be licensed for use after adequate studies have been undertaken to confirm its safety and effectiveness. Status of the South African Ox1nCov19 vaccine trial The enrolment statistics of this trial as at 9 September 2020 are as follows: 2 886 volunteers screened 1 814 of required 2020 enrolled 1800 out of 1970 (91%) enrolled are HIV negative 14 out of 50 (28%) enrolled are HIV positive About the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine The technical name of the vaccine is ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 because it made from a virus called ChAdOx1, which is a weakened and non-replicating version of a common cold virus (adenovirus). The vaccine has been engineered to express the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The vaccine was made by adding genetic material called spike glycoprotein that is expressed on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 to the ChAdOx1 virus. This spike glycoprotein is usually found on the surface of the novel coronavirus and is what gives the coronavirus its distinct spiky appearance. These spikes play an essential role in laying a path for infection by the coronavirus. The virus that causes Covid-19 uses this spike protein to bind to ACE2 receptors on human cells. ACE2 is a protein on the surface of many cell types. It is an enzyme that generates small proteins that then go on to regulate functions in the cell. In this way, the virus gains entry to the cells in the human body and causes Covid-19 infection. Researchers have shown that antibodies produced against sections of the spike protein after natural infection are able to neutralize (kill) the virus when tested in the laboratory. By vaccinating volunteers with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, scientists hope to make the human body recognise and develop an immune response (i.e., develop antibodies) to the spike glycoprotein that will help stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering human cells and causing Covid-19. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine at a meeting on September 9 approved the provisions of the bill on amendments to the law on automobile transport in order to approve the definitions "electric vehicle" and "electric charging infrastructure." According to the text of the said bill, promulgated during the government meeting, the terms defined are as follows: "electric vehicle" ("electric car"), "electric bus," "a charging station for electric vehicles," "electric truck," "electric car," "hybrid electric car," "plug-in hybrid electric vehicle." "We are gradually moving towards the widespread use of more environmentally friendly and modern types of transport with electric motors. Electric cars have already become an integral part of our life and in the future this direction will only develop. And the better the government, the Verkhovna Rada and the state as a whole will contribute to an increase in the level of electric mobility in Ukraine, the faster it will happen," Minister of Infrastructure Vladyslav Krykliy said. He also expressed hope that the Verkhovna Rada will soon adopt these changes. The document was adopted with revision at the request of the President's Office of Ukraine. Inheritance gives a headstart in life. From the literature of Jane Austen to the theories on modern inequality, the importance of inheritance in shaping a persons status, class, and income in society cannot be denied. Only the wise, after a lifetime wasted in figuring out ways to create wealth, come to realise the three time-tested steps to becoming rich: marriage, inheritance and entrepreneurship. While marrying into wealth is the oft-opened door for women and entrepreneurship seems to be slowly working for some of them, inheritance was often deemed the last citadel to fall for the path to a gender equal world. In that sense, Supreme Courts August 11 ruling is epochal. All the noise notwithstanding, the order is technically a mere clarification to the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 (HSAA) which granted male and female siblings equal rights over ancestral property. The August 11 order clarifies that the womans right stands legal irrespective of whether her father is living or has died. This clarification is at once a relief and a grim revelation. For years, the confusion on the HSAA has held women from claiming their rights even as the prolonged struggle for the confusion to clear reminds us of the challenges that continue to mar the struggle for womens inheritance rights in India. In retrospect, the 2005 Act upset the gender inequality apple cart, even if only in inheritance rights society just wasnt ready for womens claim over ancestral property that for years remained the sole claim of male heirs in Hindu families. Multiple petitions challenging the HSAAs equal inheritance rights for men and women have reflected the persistence of toxic Indian social mores and cultural norms that designate, in a misogynist fashion, sons as superior beings to women at birth. They have questioned if women could be granted these rights even after their fathers had died. Obviously, no one ever asked the male heirs to ancestral property if they could claim their share when their fathers had died. Until the August 11 ruling, this charade was reserved for women who asserted their inheritance rights in courts. Numerous judgments didnt help the situation with conflicting rulings over the years, sometimes granting the right only to living daughters of living fathers, and sometimes granting it to daughters irrespective of whether the daughter was living. There have been many flip-flops along the way with courts often reversing the rulings of other courts to limit the laws application to daughters of living fathers alone. In some instances, the courts conferred the rights for property to the womens husbands extended families in the absence of children, even if the property was solely earned by women. That the Hindu Succession Act 1956 is inherently a law with gender discrimination, makes the fulcrum of property rights discourse in India. Denying unequal footing to men and women places the law in direct conflict with the fundamental rights prescribed under the Constitution. The law has discriminatory flaws in plenty: from treatment of natal families of men, male and female relatives, heirs and lineage, to the scheme of devolution of property, the law treats women unfairly. The inherent discrimination makes the 1956 Act outdated and outlandish in more ways than one, given that womens position in the economy has undergone a transition in the years since the law was drafted. Riding on increased access to higher and professional education, more Indian women are in the workforce today and many more own property, open savings accounts and run businesses. That said, will granting equal property rights enhance gender equality in India? Between 1970 and 1990, inheritance rights for women were equalised with the rights of men by five Indian states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka in legislative reforms. The evidence has been mixed, especially with respect to the HSA and its staggered implementation which records negative effects of more equal rights, ranging from an increase in suicides among both men and women, to a flare-up in household conflicts and domestic violence. More recently, a paper released in August 2018 pointed to an exacerbation of the historic son preference in India specifically in the context of the legislation of equal inheritance rights for women indicating that the reform in HSAA encouraged female foeticide and female infant mortality. This is not good news for the struggle for equal property rights for women, which has been seeking equal footing for women in access to and devolution of land and property, and not merely inheritance rights to ancestral property. In the coming years, how far the Indian State can reform the HSA will decide how far India can advance itself. Discriminatory property and land laws not just compromise the socioeconomic position of women, they also hinder their access to credit and labour market opportunities. In India, where a large percentage of land and property are still acquired by inheritance, unequal inheritance rights will not just keep women poor, but also increase their dependence on men leading to unequal economic and social outcomes for both households and economy. Chicken barbecue planned in Hadley HADLEY VFW Post No. 5836 will host a chicken barbecue from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Rockwell Street. Dinners are take-out only. Meals cost $10. Pick-up at side door only. Masks are required. Call ahead to reserve a meal at 518-696-5890. Leave name, phone number, number of dinners and pickup time. Church will host rummage, bake sale ROCK CITY FALLS The Simpson United Methodist Church is hosting a rummage and bake sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 19 at 1089 Rock City Road. There will be clothes, books, household items and more. No donations needed. There will also be an array of homemade baked goods. For questions, call Marcy at 518-867-1027. Historical Society to host archaeology presentation HADLEY The Hadley-Lake Luzerne Historical Society will host a presentation by Charles Vandrei, a state Department of Environmental Conservation Historic Preservation officer in the Division of Lands and Forests, at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Sam Smead Pavilion Park, corner of Stony Creek Road and Maple Street. Vandrei will present a PowerPoint overview of New York state archaeology research, includiing pre-European contact temporary fishing villages, 20th-century Cold War installations, Native American underwater sites and historic shipwrecks. This will be an in-person presentation at the Hadley Park Pavilion, with all current CDC and state guidelines followed. Masks and social distancing are required. Picnic tables in the pavilion will be available for seating, or bring a chair. If there is inclement weather, the event will be postponed. For more information, call 518-769-2616. SGF church to host drive-thru dinner SOUTH GLENS FALLS The South Glens Falls United Methodist Church will host its first dinner of the season from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at 15 Maplewood Parkway. This dinner will be a drive-thru pick-up dinner. Dinners will be bagged and delivered to cars. The full meal will include homemade chocolate chip cookies. Pre-orders will be taken. Dinners cost $12. Delivery is also available. Hometown is compiled by Gretta Hochsprung. If youd like to let her know about an upcoming event, email ghochsprung@poststar.com or call 518-742-3206. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 With schools opening Tuesday, and that coming right after a long holiday weekend, officials are holding their collective breath to see whether San Antonio will experience another spike in novel coronavirus cases. But it wont be evident for another two to three weeks, said Assistant City Manager Colleen Bridger, whos serving as Metro Health interim director. Thatll be the next time frame were watching very closely to see if individuals did wear their masks, maintain their physical distance over the Labor Day holiday, she said at the city-county briefing Tuesday. Mayor Ron Nirenberg said there were 193 new cases of the novel coronavirus Tuesday, a decrease from Sundays 228. Updated coronavirus data was not reported Monday due to the Labor Day holiday. The total number of cases in Bexar County stands at 47,736. Before the holiday weekend, Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff urged San Antonians not to ruin the progress that has been made since July. The mayor said the people he saw out and about over the holiday weekend appeared to be following precautions, wearing masks and practicing social distancing. We had some violations reported, Nirenberg acknowledged, saying that was to be expected. Were not going to be at 100 percent, but were counting on people to do their part to get us as close to it as we can. One new death occurred within the past two weeks a Hispanic man in his 70s pushing the death toll in Bexar County to 979, as verified by Metro Health. The department is no longer reporting on a daily basis the number of deaths it verifies that are older than 14 days. Instead, it will report those older backlogged deaths once a week, on Sundays. Meanwhile, hospital numbers continue their steady downward trend. Nirenberg reported 304 coronavirus patients in San Antonio hospitals Tuesday, down from 306 Sunday. There were 23 new admissions. The last time there were fewer than 304 coronavirus patients in San Antonio hospitals was June 18, Wolff said. Of those in the hospital, 134 were in intensive care, down from 141 Sunday, and 81 were on ventilators to help them breathe, down from 32 on Sunday. Its getting better, Wolffe said, but he urged residents to continue to follow the precautions recommended by health professionals. We still have a few challenges ahead of us. Nirenberg agreed. The pandemic isnt over because we want it to be, he said. Remember your social life isnt worth someones actual life. Area report Laredo confirmed four new deaths Tuesday in Webb County, including two men in their 70s, a woman in her 70s, and a man in his 80s. No ethnicity was given for any of the deceased. This brings Webb Countys death toll to 259. Laredo also has had 12,144 positive cases of COVID-19, with 719 of those active. City officials reported 126 of those are hospitalized with 58 in intensive care. In Hidalgo County, 16 more people died with the virus, increasing the death total to 1,311. Officials also reported 161 new cases, pushing the total of positive cases in the county to 28,893. Of those, 2,140 are considered active and 257 are in area hospitals. 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 Kevin Spacey at the 2017 AMD British Academy Britannia Awards Frazer Harrison/BAFTA LA/Getty Images for BAFTA LA Two men sued actor Kevin Spacey on Wednesday, alleging that he committed sexual battery against them when they were 14 years old in the 1980s. One of the plaintiffs is Anthony Rapp, the actor who was the first to come forward with allegations against Spacey in October 2017. Read more from Variety: "The Venture Bros." canceled at Adult Swim after seven seasons Rapp alleges that Spacey invited him to a party at Spacey's apartment in 1986. While there, Rapp alleges that Spacey grabbed his buttocks, led him onto a bed, and laid on top of him. Rapp states that he was able to flee to a bathroom, and later got out the apartment. The second plaintiff is identified only as C.D. The complaint alleges that Spacey met C.D. in 1981, as a student in Spacey's acting class. C.D. was 12 years old at the time. Read more from Variety: "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" to end after 20 seasons on E! According to the complaint, Spacey met C.D. again when the latter was 14, and Spacey invited the boy to his apartment. There, C.D. alleges that he performed anal sex on Spacey and oral sex. The two engaged in sex acts on several other occasions, according to the suit. On their final encounter, according to the complaint, Spacey attempted to perform anal sex on the boy. The boy said "No" several times, and was ultimately able to free himself and flee the apartment, according to the suit. The suit claims that both accusers have suffered psychological damage because of Spacey's abuse. Read more from Variety: Oscars announce new inclusion requirements for Best Picture eligibility Spacey has faced criminal and civil cases in Nantucket, Mass., and Los Angeles, though he has not been held liable in any proceedings thus far. The Nantucket case was dropped after the accuser invoked the Fifth Amendment right not to testify in pre-trial proceedings. The Los Angeles case in which he was accused of sexually assaulting a massage therapist was dismissed after the accuser died of natural causes. Story continues Spacey has also faced multiple investigations in London. Related Articles Here are 20 of the most anticipated book titles being released in 2022. Some are out already, and the listed release dates are current as of Jan. 10. The Special Rapporteur for Human Rights to Cambodia expressed concern on Tuesday over the recent slew of arrests of youth and rights activists, who attempted to protest restrictions on the right to free assembly in Phnom Penh. Rhona Smith, who is in her second mandate as a rights rapporteur to Cambodia, said in a Facebook post that she was concerned about the recent arrest of individuals, including a monk, on incitement charges, which she said was in violation of articles in the Cambodian Constitution. I encourage Cambodian authorities to ensure that these rights are respected and protected and to create an environment in which individuals are able to exercise these rights, she said in the Facebook post. I urge that those arrested are promptly brought before a court of law and their due process rights are fully respected. I am following these events closely in Cambodia, she added. Since the start of September, at least seven youth and rights activists from groups like Khmer Thavrak and Khmer Intellectual Students Association have been arrested for alleged incitement to protest rights violations and the arrest of prominent Cambodians, like teachers union member Rong Chhun. The arrests include Khmer Thavrak members, Venerable Koet Saray, Tha Lavi and Eng Malay, who is also known as So Meta; and Mr. Mean Prommony with the Khmer Intellectual Students Association, who were planning a week-long protest but were blocked by Phnom Penh officials and security personnel. Three other Khmer Thavrak members were arrested and detained in August, as well as three members from environment advocacy group Mother Nature. Rights groups have slammed the arrests and called for the youth activists to be released. Soeng Senkaruna, senior human rights monitor at ADHOC, said the latest string of arrests was creating a human rights crisis that would attract further pressure from the international community, referring to the recent partial withdrawal of trade privileges to the European Union. In fact, the E.U. has already used its influence to remove the 20 percent of [products in the] preferential tariff system, and we are concerned that if Cambodia remains in this situation, other international communities may be monitoring us, he said. Chad Roedemeier, spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, said on Monday that the United States supported the rights to free expression and association and was very concerned over the arrests of Cambodians seeking to exercise these freedoms. We urge the government to facilitate a process of open dialogue and reconciliation with all stakeholders, he said in an email. One of the arrested activists, So Meta, was detained by police after she and other activists submitted a petition to the U.S. Embassy detailing the rights situation in Cambodia. Chhay Kimkhoeun, spokesperson for the National Police, justified law enforcement officials actions citing the need to protect national security. [Rights groups] just make accusations. From their perspective, they must make accusations. But for the government, we do [things] only for social security and safety. Thats all, he said. In response to concerns raised by Special Rapporteur Rhona Smith, Chin Malin, a senior official of the Ministry of Justice, said the rapporteur was only reacting to the reports she had obtained, instead pointing to her statement calling for authorities to implement due process in these cases. She encourages the authorities to apply the law to those who violate the law in accordance with the court procedures, he said. So, this is what the authorities are implementing. And this is what other democratic societies adhering to the rule of law always do, meaning that enforcing the law against those violating the law. On Tuesday, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor also commented on Twitter expression concern over the governments characterization of Khmer Thavrak and Mother Natures activities as illegal. I am also receiving reports of planned searches of other NGOs, & that Human Rights Defenders are being arrested & imprisoned, she wrote on Twitter. When you increase tensions with firearms, its just not a good mix, Smith said. Sooner or later, we are going to have different groups with different opinions who square off with each other. I believe this will be something we can use to increase safety in all of Richmond. While most of the protests in the city this summer were organized and held by people protesting racial injustice and police brutality, heavily armed demonstrators have also appeared around the state Capitol and other parts of the city during the General Assemblys special session that started last month. The new ordinance is based on legislation the General Assembly approved earlier this year to give localities more authority to ban guns in government buildings and public parks. Last year, anticipating the legislations passage, the City Council gave symbolic approval to Stoneys proposal to ban guns in public parks and city buildings after a mass shooting in a Virginia Beach municipal building left 12 dead. All parties to the six-year-long war in Yemen are violating international law, and the countries supplying them with weapons are helping perpetuate the conflict, UN investigators said in a new report Wednesday. For the third year in a row, a panel of UN-appointed experts found that all parties to the conflict the government of Yemen, the Iran-aligned Houthis, the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council and the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition have committed a range of human rights violations. Yemen remains a tortured land, with its people ravaged in ways that should shock the conscience of humanity, said Kamel Jendoubi, the panels chairman. The war between the Houthis, who overran the capital in 2014, and a coalition of Arab nations, which intervened the next year to oust the rebels and restore the internationally recognized government, has created what the UN describes as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Thousands of civilians have died, mainly in coalition airstrikes, and the fighting has left roughly 80% of the population in need of some form of aid. The panel of experts said the parties to the conflict have carried out forced disappearances, arbitrary detention and torture, including sexual violence which may amount to war crimes. In addition, the Iran-backed Houthis had planted landmines earlier in the conflict that are still killing and injuring civilians, including a 15-year-old girl who died herding sheep and a 12-year-old boy who died herding cattle. The report, which covered violations from June 2019 to June 2020, documented four coalition airstrikes or series of airstrikes that investigators said failed to take the necessary precautions to protect civilians. The panel cited one of the deadliest airstrikes this year, which left some 50 civilians killed and injured in Al-Hayjah area of Al-Jawf governorate in February. The report specifically called out the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Iran for their support of parties to the conflict including through arms transfers, thereby helping to perpetuate the conflict. The United States has sold billions in arms to Saudi Arabia and until 2018 assisted Riyadhs military campaign in Yemen with mid-air refueling. Last month, a State Department inspector general concluded that the administration failed to fully evaluate the potential for civilian casualties when selling arms to the kingdom and other regional allies. The experts called on the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Yemen to the International Criminal Court and to expand the list of persons targeted with sanctions. The international community has a responsibility to put an end to this pandemic of impunity, said Jendoubi. After years of documenting the terrible toll of this war, no one can say we did not know what was happening in Yemen.' President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that the entire procurement system must be re-evaluated and methods found to ensure the correctitude of the system. "It's a problem that has been brought to my attention and I'm obviously dissatisfied, but my dissatisfaction is not just about someone who failed to contract the handbook, but the whole system doesn't seem to work. Look at all those acquisitions that couldn't be made, because of the bureaucratic methods that are so complicated that even the Government is unable to buy tablets. And this is not about a rocket flying to Mars, after all, this is about tablets for children who cannot go physically to school, and I believe that the whole system of procurement must be re-evaluated and methods must be found for these acquisitions to be correct. The result can be challenged, as far as I am concerned, but everything, the entire process must take a reasonably short time and then, certainly, such problems will be eliminated," Iohannis told a press conference at the Cotroceni Palace."After the parliamentary elections, we will take the job very seriously not just to implement the "Educated Romania" programme on paper, but to find the best methods to make the right procurement procedures, in such a way that they will be completed in a foreseeable time and in a timely manner. (...) This Government has not even been put into operation to defeat any inherited system, this Government, and I think we all remember this, it was put in charge to manage the public affairs until the parliamentary elections, to approve the budget and solve the current problems, and it did solve them, it dealt with the pandemic, it solved the problems related to the beginning of the school year and many other things, and I am convinced that after the parliamentary elections there will be a parliamentary and governmental framework that will allow us to solve the rest of the problems that we have inherited from the PSD," Iohannis said. Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the NHS Test and Trace system is on the verge of collapse, after a senior official apologised to those who have been unable to get a check for coronavirus. The Labour leader called on Boris Johnson to take responsibility for a system which he said had told people needing tests that none were available or asked them to travel hundreds of miles for an appointment. The services director of testing Sarah-Jane Marsh today offered a heartfelt apology to anyone unable to get a Cover-19 test, explaining that while testing sites have capacity, the system was experiencing a pinch-point in laboratory processing. We are doing all we can to expand quickly, she said. The testing team work on this 18 hours a day, seven days a week. We recognise the country is depending on us. Labour branded the situation a fiasco. But Matt Hancock - who yesterday said no-one should have to drive more than 75 miles for a test - told the Health and Social Care Select Committee that problems with testing capacity will be sorted in a matter of a couple of weeks. Matt Hancock answers questions on the coronavirus crisis in the House of Commons (Parliament Live) We are working incredibly hard, the health secretary told MPs. We are doing everything we can. We have had these operational issues that I have talked about, we have had a problem with a couple of contracts. Recent days have seen floods of complaints of the government's coronavirus test booking service offering appointments involving lengthy journeys, including residents in London being told to travel to Wales and those in Cumbria to head to Scotland. One Conservative MP in Hampshire, Caroline Nokes, revealed her daughter had been told to travel to Inverness a distance of almost 600 miles. And Andy Thompson, from Crewe, said his six-year-old daughter had been unable to get a test for her continuous cough. Its an absolute shambles. No home tests available. And now the nearest test centre is Oldham, a 100-mile round-trip with a sick child, he told the PA news agency. I didnt realise how bad it is. If you havent got a car, no way youre getting tested. The reports have sparked fresh criticism of the Test and Trace system, which has missed its target of reaching 80 per cent of close contacts for 10 weeks running now. Can I please offer my heartfelt apologies to anyone who cannot get a COVID test at present," Ms Marsh tweeted on Tuesday. All of our testing sites have capacity, which is why they dont look overcrowded, its our laboratory processing that is the critical pinch-point. We are doing all we can to expand quickly. Sir Keir said the stories showed a lack of good governance of the system, regarded as crucial to the UKs chances of damping down Covid infection. The government should have used the summer, when cases were relatively low, to get an effective test-and-trace network in place, he said. What were now seeing is stories over the past few days that is showing the testing regime is on the verge of collapse, said the Labour leader. Heartbreaking stories from people who need a test being told no tests are available. Keir Starmer Or the website is crashing, or people are being told to go miles and miles for a test. Nobody can argue that that is good governance. He continued to support the principles of the governments coronavirus restrictions, saying he did not want to undermine messaging during the pandemic. But he criticised the government's own messaging as confused. We're seeing this increase in infection rate, thats the time the testing regime needs to work and it's not working and the prime minister needs to take responsibility, Sir Keir added. The continued failings of the national testing system came as a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned that latest increase in coronavirus cases is very worrying. Generally, it is local outbreaks, but there is also very worrying increases in cases, particularly over the last few days, Professor Andrew Hayward told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. That is what we are really keeping a close eye on the extent to which it moves away from these local outbreaks to broader community transmission. What we saw in the last few days from this surveillance data was this worrying increase in cases which, as we know from the first wave of the pandemic, can potentially get out of hand if we don't be very serious about the control measures. Wildfires have burned a record 2 million acres in California this year, and the danger for more destruction is so high the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday it was closing all eight national forests in the southern half of the state. After a typically dry summer, California is parched heading into fall and what normally is the most dangerous time for wildfires. Two of the three largest fires in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area. More than 14,000 firefighters are battling those fires and dozens of others more around California. A three-day heat wave brought triple-digit temperatures to much of the state during Labor Day weekend. But right behind it was a weather system with dry winds that could fan fires. The states largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, was preparing to cut power to 158,000 customers in 21 counties in the northern half of the state to reduce the possibility its lines and other equipment could spark new fires. Randy Moore, regional forester for the Forest Services Pacific Southwest Region that covers California, announced the national forest closures and said the decision would be re-evaluated daily. Campgrounds at all national forests in the state also were closed. The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously. Moore said. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire. Lynne Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said its unnerving to have reached a record for acreage burned when September and October usually are the worst for fires because vegetation has dried out and high winds are more common. The previous high was 1.96 million acres burned in 2018. Cal Fire began tracking the numbers in 1987. While the two mammoth Bay Area fires were largely contained after burning for three weeks, firefighters struggled to corral several other major blazes ahead of the expected winds. Evacuation orders were expanded to more mountain communities Monday as the largest blaze, the Creek Fire, churned through the Sierra National Forest in Central California. It was one of many recent major fires that has displayed terrifyingly swift movement. The fire moved 15 miles in a single day and burned 56 square miles. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Photo: (Photo : YouTube/Eyewitness News ABC7NY) A little girl saved a distressed swan trapped inside a storm drain on Long Island. People have been giving her praise for doing the right thing. Unusual noise from the drain Last week, the WABC reported that Olivia Cammarata heard an unusual noise coming from the drain when she was walking with her grandmother right near her Merrick home. The five-year-old girl and her grandma saw a large, white swan trapped in the storm grate. It was trying to escape but to no avail. Olivia told CBS2's Steve Overmyer that she felt it was weird when she saw the swan. The bird had swum from a nearby lake and got into the storm drains before it ran out of gas. Olivia said that it might be feeling sad because it did not feel comfortable. See also: Veteran's Dog Will Finally Be Reunited with His Human [Almost Got Deported] The little girl's quick action saved the swan News4JAX reported that Olivia quickly took her grandma's phone and commanded Siri to text her dad. Olivia's father told WABC that he received a text message saying that there is an emergency because there is a swan in the drain. He called Nassau County emergency services and animal control when he arrived at the scene. The first responders did their best to free the bird. Police officers lifted the drain cover as two wildlife rehabilitators removed the swan from the drain using a large net. See also: Stress Reduction: Pets Help College Students, Study Proves The distressed swan could not escape on its own Officials said that if Olivia had not seen the bird, there is a chance that it would not have survived the incident. Karenlynn Stracher, wildlife rehabilitator, told WABC that the swan was definitely in distress. She explained that there is no way for it to escape on its own. Stracher said that when swans could not spread their wings, they could not move. Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) officers noted that the successful rescue of the swan is an essential reminder of why people need to speak up. They praised Olivia for bringing something good despite the difficult times that the world is having right now. Officers' message to kids The outlet reported that Lashaun Carr, NCPD officer, has a message for the kids. The officer said that children should tell their parents when they see something unusual, like a distressed animal. Carr said that it is a way so they can call help and the officers could handle the situation. See also: Honey Bee Venom Successfully Killed Breast Cancer Cells, Study Proves David Tait, NCPD officer, added that despite everything that has been happening right now, something good like this happens. He said that it is amazing that a little girl and a swan could bring a smile on people's faces even for a little while. Little Olivia told WABC that she felt good after rescuing the swan she named Peanut. She said that when she grows up, she wants to become a veterinarian, so that she could take care of pets. It sounded like a standard drug bust, at least according to the police report of the February 2019 incident. Armed with a search warrant, New Brunswick Police Det. Joshua Alexander said he approached the home of a couple suspected of distributing marijuana along with a group of plainclothes cops. Alexander wrote in his report that detectives knocked on the door several times, and announced their presence. Since there was no response from inside, a command was given to bust down the door. A blaze on the oil tanker New Diamond was finally brought under control on Wednesday, the Sri Lankan navy said A stricken oil tanker off Sri Lanka that has been on fire since last week has left a kilometre-long (0.6 mile) slick across the Indian Ocean, the country's navy said Wednesday, sparking fears of an environmental disaster. The blaze was finally brought under control on Wednesday but a trail of diesel has been spilled across the sea. A fire first erupted on board last Thursday and was thought to have been completely doused on Saturday, but reignited a day later. Sri Lanka's navy said there were no flames or smoke Wednesday from the New Diamond vessel, which is carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude oil and 1,700 tonnes of diesel. The fresh fire was triggered Sunday by strong winds that pushed the crippled tanker about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) closer to Sri Lanka's eastern shores. A powerful tug boat was used to bring the drifting ship back to a location 68 kilometres (42 miles) from land, the navy said. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it had deployed aircraft to spray chemical dispersants on the slick and mitigate the environmental impact. The ICG also said it provided 2,200 kilos of dry chemical powder to the Sri Lankan air force to drop on the burning tanker on Tuesday as a fire retardant. The blaze had weakened the structure of the Panamanian-registered 330-metre (1,089-feet) tanker and the vessel was slightly leaning to the left, the ICG said. Rescuers said the blaze had not reached the crude oil cargo. The diesel is thought to have leaked when the ship's fuel storage tanks ruptured and mixed with sea water that was pumped to douse the flames. Sri Lanka's chief prosecutor, Dappula de Livera, told local marine authorities to pursue a claim for damages and order the owners to tow the tanker away from Sri Lankan waters. The vessel first reported a fire while passing the country's east coast on Thursday after a boiler room explosion killed a Filipino crew member. In July, Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef in Mauritius, leaking more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the island nation's pristine waters. aj/axn Dr Anthony Fauci says it is unlikely the United States will have a coronavirus vaccine ahead of November's presidential election but he is optimistic there will be one by the end of the year. The comments by the top infectious disease doctor in the US came after President Donald Trump vowed that his administration would have the COVID-19 vaccine ready by Election Day. When asked about a timeline for COVID-19 vaccine on CBS This Morning on Wednesday, Fauci said he couldn't rule out one being made available earlier but insisted that the end of the year was a more likely scenario. 'The projection that I've made and I'll stick by it is that we would likely get an answer if this is safe and effective by the end of the year.... The more likely scenario is that we'll know by the end of this calendar year. 'Hopefully we'll be able to start vaccinations in earnest as we begin 2021.' Fauci said initial trial results are likely to become available in November or December but late October remains a possibility. Dr Anthony Fauci says it is unlikely the United States will have a coronavirus vaccine ahead of November's presidential election but he is optimistic there will be one by the end of the year Three US vaccine candidates are currently in phase three clinical trials but one of those, which is being carried out by AstraZeneca, has now been put on hold after an unexplained illness in a participant. Fauci said that AstraZeneca's decision to pause the global trials of its experimental vaccine was unfortunate but not an uncommon safety precaution in the development process. AstraZeneca, of which the US has ordered 100 million doses, said on Tuesday it voluntarily paused trials, including late-stage ones, after an unexplained illness in a participant, to allow an independent committee to review safety data. It was working to expedite the review to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline. Fauci said the pause was not uncommon in vaccine development and that he hoped the company could proceed with its trial. 'This particular candidate from the AstraZeneca company had a serious adverse event, which means you put the rest of the enrollment of individual volunteers on hold until you can work out precisely what went on,' Fauci said. 'It's really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this, so it's unfortunate that it happened. 'Hopefully, they'll work it out and be able to proceed along with the remainder of the trial but you don't know. They need to investigate it further.' The vaccine, which AstraZeneca is developing with the University of Oxford, has been described by the World Health Organization as probably the world's leading candidate and the most advanced in terms of development. Three US vaccine candidates are currently in phase three clinical trials but one of those, which is being carried out by AstraZeneca (above), has now been put on hold after an unexplained illness in a participant Daily cases across the country are averaging at just over 40,000 per day - a toll not seen since the last week of June. The US now has more than 6.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases Deaths from the virus have more than doubled over the summer to nearly 190,000. The average number of daily deaths is now at just over 800, which is down from the peak 2,000 fatalities per day back in April Trump has repeatedly said a vaccine is possible before the November 3 election. 'We're going to have a vaccine very soon. Maybe even before a very special date. You know what date I'm talking about,' Trump said during a news briefing on Monday. He has accused a 'deep state' within the nation's top health regulator of trying to slow pivotal clinical trials to hamper his chances at a second term. The US Food and Drug Administration has refuted that claim, saying its decisions will be guided by data alone. Drugmakers, seeking to bolster public confidence amid political squabbles on Tuesday pledged to uphold scientific safety and efficacy standards in their quest for a vaccine. However, comments from companies suggest they could have an answer on whether their vaccines work within that time frame. US drug giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech have recently suggested their vaccines could be ready for approval by mid-October or early November. During a Research! America 2020 National Health Research Forum on Tuesday, Fauci said the number of vaccine candidates was promising. 'You have a lot of candidates in play, which really is the reason why we're optimistic that we will be successful with one or more, and that will likely start taking place by the end of the calendar year 2020,' he said. When asked about the COVID-19 outlook for the United States, Fauci said it was a 'mixed bag'. 'If you look at the country... there are some areas doing very well right now, particularly those that got hit badly early on. For example, the New York City metropolitan area has, for at least a month now, been less than 1 percent test positivity,' Fauci said. Trump has repeatedly said a vaccine is possible before the November 3 election. 'We're going to have a vaccine very soon. Maybe even before a very special date. You know what date I'm talking about,' Trump said during a news briefing on Monday He added that Southern states that saw surges when they started reopening economies had pushed the country's baseline daily infection rate from about 20,000 to 70,000. Fauci noted that the infections in those Sunbelt hotspot states was now declining. 'Just as those states are starting to level off and come down. We're seeing surges in places like Montana, the Dakotas, Michigan... some areas are doing really well and others are threatening to have surges,' he said. 'If you're looking at the country as a whole, we need to do much better.' The average number of new coronavirus cases per day across the US are the lowest they have been in more than two months - as health officials warn that large crowds over the Labor Day holiday weekend could potentially spark a surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming days. Daily cases across the country are averaging at just over 40,000 per day - a toll not seen since the last week of June. Cases are currently declining nationally after plateauing for the last week two weeks following the initial steep decline in July. The US now has more than 6.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases. Deaths from the virus have more than doubled over the summer to nearly 190,000. The average number of daily deaths is now at just over 800, which is down from the peak 2,000 fatalities per day back in April. While cases and deaths have been declining nationally for several weeks, health officials said they feared the Labor Day holiday weekend could cause a spike like the one that followed Memorial Day. The US had about 1.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases around Memorial Day before backyard parties and other gatherings contributed to a summertime surge. The current average number of daily cases is double the number ahead of the Memorial Day weekend back in May. Many health experts partly blame the July spike on social gatherings held around Memorial Day. If there has been one constant accusation against the Gandhis, it is that they have always surrounded themselves with a triple-A rated coterie of allies, aides and advisors. While the existence of this inner circle has been continual, the members have fluctuated over the years, their dwindling combined political acumen and mass support perhaps mirroring the fortunes of the Congress party. This inner circle is structured like a solar system. How much sway these members hold over decision-making depends on their closeness to the Gandhis as their political careers rely on orbiting around the shining star of the party at the time. But the fading light of the current leadership Sonia Gandhi as well as her son Rahul Gandhi has meant that the Congress now has two stars, and those orbiting around each of them have gotten fewer over the years, while some overlap. As the current interim president, Sonia Gandhi continues to place her trust in the old guard, surrounding herself with respected leaders like Manmohan Singh and former defence minister AK Antony, as well as the likes of Ambika Soni and powerful party treasurer Ahmed Patel, who have been part of her camp ever since she first took over as the Congress chief in 1998. Rounding out this group is Suman Dubey, who was a close friend of former PM Rajiv Gandhi and was a founding members of the charitable organisation in his name. A senior leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad, whose unlikely mutiny against the Congress leadership added heft to the rebellion by the Group of 23, however, no longer finds himself in this exclusive club despite being a Gandhi loyalist for nearly four decades. Also watching from the sidelines will be other dissidents like Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma and Veerappa Moilly. The second rung in Sonia Gandhis inner circle consists of other leaders that form the old guard Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, former home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and nine-time Lok Sabha MP, Malikarjun Kharge, who led the Congress in the lower house between 2014 and 2019, but now sits in the Rajya Sabha after his unblemished election record was beaten last year. Also finding a place in this middle rung are two faithful retainers of Rahul Gandhi - Randeep Surjewala, who has lost his last two elections and KC Venugopal, who won twice from Alappuzha but didnt contest in 2019. Looking in from the outside boundaries of this inner circle are Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, who opposed the bid by some Congress leaders to challenge the Gandhi family leadership in the party, and described their move to call for a rehaul of the party as ill-timed. Another leader who finds himself at this level is senior lawyer and spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, who has also called on all party members to follow and trust the leadership. Former union minister P Chidambaram, who was also not in the list of 23 signatories of the missive sent to Sonia Gandhi seeking organisational reforms, is also in this final layer of this inner circle. He was recently duly rewarded by the party high command and was given a place at the high table on key committees set up by Sonia Gandhi ahead of the parliament session while dissidents" were overlooked. As is former minister Jairam Ramesh, who has always managed to please his different bosses. Not only is he in the camp of Sonia Gandhi, he is also considered close to Rahul Gandhi and was included in his consultative committee to help the party tide over this dry Covid-19 political period. While Sonia Gandhi keeps the company of veteran leaders who have in the past proven themselves in the political arena, the Office of RG as Rahul Gandhis camp is informally known consists mostly of young politicians and professionals who he thinks can bring a new style of functioning and revive the fortunes of the Congress. Apart from Surjewala and Venugopal, the closest aides of Rahul Gandhi are social media coordinator Nikhil Alva, former investment banker Alankar Sawai, strategic advisor Sachin Rao, Oxford scholar Kaushal Kishore Vidarthee and Sam Pitroda, a telecom engineer who was appointed chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress. Alva, a former television producer and son of former Rajasthan governor and former party general secretary Margaret Alva, has been described as the gatekeeper of Rahul Gandhis Twitter account and was responsible for increasing the engagement on his handle ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Rao, who was last year appointed as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of training" and Sandesh", is an MBA in corporate strategy and international business from Michigan Business School. As part of his training programme, Rao had suggested calling trainers preraks, but the proposal was rejected by Sonia Gandhi and was dubbed as aping the BJP by other party leaders. Less defined is the role of Alankar Sawai, a former employee of a leading private bank and an IIM graduate, who was considered to be the eyes and ears of Rahul Gandhi. Most papers, appointments used to go through him, but many believe he would leave if Rahul does not take charge of the party again soon. Along with Sawai, Rahul Gandhi had entrusted the job of appointments to key positions to Kaushal, who holds a D Phil in social policy and an M Phil in development studies from Oxford University. The Bihar scholar is considered someone to watch out for as he is said to be equally comfortable with new-age technology and understanding the ground realities of the Hindi heartland. Technocrat Sam Pitroda, who has been close to the Congress first family since the times of Rajiv Gandhi, rounds out this inner coterie of non-political figures. As the chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, Pitroda has helped organize Rahul Gandhis meetings with members of the Indian diaspora and his talks at US universities, as well as political campaigns in assembly elections here. Also part of the core team of Rahul Gandhis core team are Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi, son of former CM Tarun Gogoi, and Ajay Maken, who was recently brought back from political oblivion after losing his deposit in two consecutive Delhi Lok Sabha polls and suddenly appointed general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan. Along with this recent placement for Maken, another member of team Rahul - former Assam MP Sushmita Dev - recently becoming more vocal at party fora has led to suggestions that Rahul Gandhi may finally be ready to play a larger role in the party once again. Dev was the head of the women wing of the party and also the most vocal during her stint in Lok Sabha. Srinivas BV, the new Youth Congress president whose hands-on approach has won him praise from senior leaders, and Manicka Tagore, who defeated Vaiko in the Lok Sabha elections, are the others who form part of this group. Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who returned to the Congress fold recently after his rebellion against Gehlot fizzled out, and former Karnataka MP Rajeev Gowda, have also remained in the Rahul Gandhi camp despite the swings in fortune. - Celebrities Julia Barretto and Bela Padilla reacted to the customer service of PLDT to Liza Soberano - Bela shared that she has been having problems with her Internet connection because of the slow speed - Meanwhile, Julia had a short yet relatable reaction to the post of Liza on Twitter - Earlier, Liza revealed that PLDT went to their house and gave her a faster Internet connection PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Liza Soberano recently shared that telecommunications giant PLDT went to their house and gave her a faster Internet connection. KAMI learned that even other celebrities were slightly envious of how PLDT treated Liza. Liza Soberano (Photo from Flickr) Source: UGC In a tweet, Bela Padilla called for the attention of PLDT. She claimed that her Internet connection does not even reach 1 Mbps whenever she tests it. PLDT, bekenemen! My pldt wifi doesnt reach 1 MBPS for downloading and/or uploading everytime I test it...ONE, she said. In a different tweet, Bela also jokingly said that she could not see the ending of the films or shows she was watching because of the poor connection. Less than 1 teh eh. Di ko nakikita ending ng mga pinapanuod koooo hahahah, Bela said. Meanwhile, Julia Barretto had a simple yet relatable response to the customer service of PLDT to Liza. #SanaAll, Julia wrote as she quoted the tweet of Liza. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Liza Soberano is a famous actress and endorser in the Philippines. She is in a love team with Enrique Gil and their popular films are Alone/Together, Just The Way You Are, and My Ex and Whys. Earlier, Liza shared that she experienced slow Internet connection and poor customer service with Converge ICT Solutions Inc. The actress also revealed that PLDT went to their house and gave her a better connection with 300 Mbps Internet speed. Please like and share our Facebook posts to support KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinion about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts! Source: KAMI.com.gh Hyderabad, Sep 9 : Telangana Governor, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Wednesday said the Covid situation in the state could have been better if some of the problems were initially dealt in a cautious manner. She said there was some lag initially due to certain problems but the TRS government later took various steps to handle the situation, taking into account various suggestions, including from her. Interacting with media persons on completion of one year in office, Soundararajan said as a medical doctor herself, she was concerned about under testing and had informed the government, and it later ramped up testing. She said she was also concerned over only one hospital treating Covid patients and lack of treating facilities in the districts. She also felt that private hospitals should have been roped in earlier to treat the patients. She revealed that she wrote 4-5 letters to the government, giving various suggestions. "I had some apprehensions about the procedures and proceedings. I was worried about corona situation in the state not as Governor but as a doctor," she said Stating that her role is complementary and not contradictory to the government, Soundararajan said her words should be taken as sensibly and not sensationally. She also said whatever she spoke was for the good of the people. "I know my constitutional responsibilities. I am only complementing the services and acting like a catalyst and not for any controversy. The governments at the Centre and state are doing their best in containing the pandemic," she said. "I am a physician-turned-politician. When I talk as a physician, it's taken as a politician. If I am talking as a Governor, it will be taken as a politician's words. There is nothing without politics. Even in a family and office, we say 'why you are doing politics'." Replying to a query, she described Covid as the biggest challenge of her first year in office. Soundararajan said Telangana should improve in the health sector, education and tribal welfare. The Governor feels that Telangana should implement Ayushman Bharat scheme of the Centre, saying this will benefit people of the state. She cited an example of Tamil Nadu where the state health insurance scheme was incorporated into the central scheme. She claimed that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao told her that the state will implement the scheme in due course. The Governor expressed hope that the first vaccine for Covid-19 would come from India and within India, from Telangana. She expects the vaccine to be launched in six months to a year. "The vaccine, which has some protocols, should be safe once it is given to the people. We should not be in a hurry. It's not an ordinary virus. It is mutating fast and changing and acting in different ways," she said. Cherishing her association with the people of Telangana during the last one year as the Governor, she said that she was overwhelmed by the love and affection of the people of Telangana who call her as their 'Akka' (sister). "I am the daughter of Tamil Nadu and sister of Telangana. By whatever name they call me as 'akka' or 'amma', what matters most to me is their great affection and I am very happy about their love towards me," the Governor added. Asked about what she liked the most about Hyderabad and Telangana, Soundararajan said that she liked the Hyderabadi biryani, Telangana people's traditions, dressing, culture, affection and humble smiles, and saris. As part of the programme, the Governor initiated the "Chancellor Connects Alumni," which she termed it as her "dream project" to connect alumni of all the universities to contribute their might for their alma mater. New Delhi: Actor-producer Nikhil Dwivedi has tweeted to actress Rhea Chakraborty, saying he would like to work with her when "all this is over". Rhea was on Tuesday arrested in a drug case linked to late star Sushant Singh Rajput's death. She is currently in a jail in Mumbai. In his tweet, the 'Veere Di Wedding' producer wrote, "Rhea, I didn't know you. I don't know what kind of person you are. Maybe you are as bad as you are being made out to be. Maybe you are not. What I do know is that how its all played out for you is unfair, unlawful and not how civilised countries behave. When all this is over we would like to work with you." #Rhea I didn't kno u. I dn't kno wht kind of person u r. May b u r as bad as u r being made out to b. May b u r not. Wht I do kno is tht how its all played out for u is unfair, unlawful how civilised countries behave. Whn all ths is over we wud like to work wth u @Tweet2Rhea Nikhil Dwivedi (@Nikhil_Dwivedi) September 8, 2020 Apart from Nikhil, many celebrities have lent their support to Rhea and have sought justice for her. Social media is flooded with a quote on "smashing patriarchy" and #JusticeForRhea is trending simultaneously. Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Zoya Akhtar, Shweta Bachchan Nanda, Shibani Dandekar, Dia Mirza and several others stars took to social media to share a quote - Roses are red, violets are blue, let's smash patriarchy, me and you - which was written on the T-shirt Rhea wore on Tuesday as she appeared before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on the third day of interrogation, hours after which she was arrested. Meanwhile, Nikhil also hit out at netizens trolling him for "supporting a drug user or drug peddler". He wrote, "To those who think I am supporting a drug user or drug peddler & trolling me.. I wud like to say I DON'T CARE! I'm NOT supporting Rhea but standing up to our tendency to pronounce judgments before law has. I was as disturbed whn men were ousted of their jobs on #MeToo allegations." To those who think I am supporting a drug user or drug peddler &trolling me.. I wud like to say I DON'T CARE! I m NOT supporting #Rhea but standing up to our tendency to pronounce judgments before law has. I was as disturbed whn men were ousted of their jobs on #Metoo allegations Nikhil Dwivedi (@Nikhil_Dwivedi) September 9, 2020 Rhea was in a relationship with Sushant. The 34-year-old actor was found dead at his apartment in Mumbai on June 14. She has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody. Rhea Chakraborty has also been accused of abetment to suicide in connection with Sushant Singh Rajput's death which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing, and a related money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). When the Rev. Lindsay Popperson went to visit residents sick with coronavirus at the Sherrill House in April, she was dressed to the hilt in personal protective garb. Unrecognizable with a face-shield, an N95 mask and a blue gown, Popperson, the nursing homes chaplain wore a printed-out sign displaying her face and the face of her therapy dog Pope Joan, so that residents many of them fatally ill with COVID-19 knew who she was. The duo have been a regular presence at the non-profit long-term care outfit for several years, offering spiritual care to residents who feel cutoff from their communities of faith. This has meant everything from weekly worship services at the Boston facility, to bedside visits from her Shih Tzu springer spaniel. Popperson is ordained in the United Church of Christ, but not all of her work as a chaplain is associated with the church, or any one faith. Its also meant listening, holding hands and being present for residents in need a kind of intimacy that took on new meaning during the COVID pandemic. Hand-holding has become this really precious resource during the pandemic, Popperson said. It just felt like this incredible gift that I got to be in these rooms and holding peoples hands. Like long-term care facilities across Massachusetts, the Sherrill House was hit with a wave of infections at the height of the COVID-19 health crisis. Thirty-two of its residents died from the disease, and 93 recovered. Ahead of the surge in cases, the Sherrill House was the first Massachusetts facility to stop allowing visitors a move that staff say helped to save lives. Theres no question it made a difference, Pattyanne Lyons, the facilitys director of development said. Rev. Lindsay Popperson But the virus would take its toll on residents in a fashion weve become accustomed to hearing about: those infected would be quarantined, away from everyone else living and working in the facility, and away from their families. Popperson, who contracted the virus herself, has known and cared for many of Sherrill Houses residents for years. So when many became sick and couldnt see their loved ones due to infection control protocols, the 32-year-old chaplain found herself in a position to be that person in the room, at the bedside a source of humanity and comfort at a time when the world was learning the pain of a new kind of separation: social distancing. My job is to sit with them in their suffering, Popperson said, to help connect them to whats holy and whats important and what gives them meaning, and to really know them and love them. Popperson said she would sing hymnals and guide residents through prayers and meditations. There was also artistic exchange, a sharing of poems and other personal items. Popperson remembers one woman, who she described as lively, artistic and, in some ways, resistant to the idea of living in a nursing facility, who died from COVID-related complications. It began with a fever; then it was only a matter of days, Popperson said, before she passed away. Popperson was with her the day she died. Although barely responsive, the woman was able to mouth the words to a prayer she knew well, with Popperson by her bedside. On that last day, this old woman was still praying her prayers, she said. And she so knew that she wasnt alone. Long-term care facilities suffered the brunt of coronavirus infections early on in the crisis. Holyoke Soldiers' Home, a long-term care facility for veterans, lost 76 residents, a third of its population, back in March and April. The Department of Public Health began reporting on cases and deaths statistics on a weekly basis in the wake of so many deaths from the virus. At the height of the crisis, nearly half of Massachusetts deaths from COVID-19 were from long-term care facilities. Related Content: VICTORIA - British Columbia's top doctor ordered nightclubs and banquet halls to close on Tuesday to control the spread of COVID-19 and placed new restrictions on the sale of alcohol at pubs, lounges and restaurants. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry looks on during a press conference in the rotunda at Legislature in Victoria, Wednesday, May 6, 2020. British Columbia's top doctor is ordering nightclubs and banquet halls to close to control the spread of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito VICTORIA - British Columbia's top doctor ordered nightclubs and banquet halls to close on Tuesday to control the spread of COVID-19 and placed new restrictions on the sale of alcohol at pubs, lounges and restaurants. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she amended the orders after recent spikes in cases linked to establishments where alcohol is sold. The revised health orders also include a 10 p.m. cut-off for alcohol sales at bars and restaurants, and they must close at 11 p.m. unless they provide full food service. Henry said the province needs to make adjustments now that the summer is coming to a close. "We had a bit of a grace period in the summer, we were able to manage the cases," she told a news conference. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the measures taken by the province reflect "an assessment of the evidence, as they have from the beginning." The province has adjusted its approach to COVID-19 since the pandemic began to protect the public, he said. "And these measures are ... part of the same effort," he added. Henry said as the summer ends, people need to change the way they are socializing. "We're moving from the summer where we all needed a break, but we are now at the point where we're seeing cases continue to increase," she said. "As we get back to work for many people and back to school for many people, it is the time for all of us to cut back on our social interactions." Henry said there have been 429 new COVID-19 cases in B.C. since Friday, bringing the total number of cases to 6,591 cases. The province also recorded two additional deaths, both of them in long-term care homes. The two deaths bring B.C.'s COVID-19 death total to 213 people. She said the new restrictions also place noise limits on pubs, lounges and restaurants to limit close contacts between people. Henry said the lower volumes will make it easier for people to communicate without raising their voices. "And that means music or other background sounds, such as from televisions in bars, lounges and pubs and restaurants, must be no louder than the volume of normal conversation," she said. Henry said the province must focus on getting students back to school and people back to work. "We now need to put our focus and attention on the important things," Henry said. "This is what we all need to do now to reduce our risk of contracting COVID-19 for ourselves and for everyone else." Henry said the stricter health restrictions are necessary because COVID-19 cases were linked to clubs and halls, especially in Metro Vancouver. "Yes, I do think these are necessary actions right now," she added. "We do it for things we think will make a difference. It became apparent that some venues were really high-risk environments." This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 8, 2020. Bengaluru: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday said that with the launch of 103 satellites under single mission it aims at achieving maximise capability with each launch. It also said that its aim is not to set a record. ISROs workhorse PSLV-C37 rocket carrying no less than 103 satellites will be launched in the first week of February. 100 out of the 103 satellites are foreign, while only 3 are Indian. "We are not looking at it as a record or anything. We are just trying to maximise our capability with each launch and trying to utilise that launch for the ability it has got and get the maximum in return," ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said. Speaking at Karnataka ICT Summit 2017, Kumar said that the 103 satellites are actually constellation. "They are all actually a constellation, they are getting into a constellation of satellites providing observation of earth," Kumar said in response to a query on the sidelines of Karnataka ICT Summit 2017. Cartosat-2 series, weighing 730 kg as primary payload, INS-IA and INS-1B, weighing 30 kg are the three Indian satellites. An ISRO official said that earlier the space agency was to launch 83 satellites in the last week of January. Out of 83, 80 satellites were foreign. But 20 more foreign satellites were later added, because of which the launch was delayed by a week. ISRO is working on carrying out frequent satellite launches and make use of each launch or maximise the capability of the launch vehicle, said Kumar. "The next one is going to carry a number of satellites from various companies along with our own Cartosat-2 series satellite and immediately following that we have GSLV Mark III and Mark II.... In the first three months that's what we are targeting, but beyond that we are trying to work for almost one launch a month," he said. "The prime driver for all of this is to increase th capacity. Though we have the number of satellites in operation, we require many more for providing the necessary services that is needed," he added. ISRO is currently carrying out experiments for its second moon mission and its Mars mission has been a success. The space agency said another mission to Mars, Venus and Jupiter are on the horizon and studies are underway. "As we are progressing, we need to look at long-term. So what we are looking beyond Chandrayan-2, for which we are already working on an approved programme," Kumar said. "Beyond that, Mars second mission and Venus mission are all on the horizon, we have to go through the various studies and then formulate, get the approval and move. Right now, they are all in the study phase," he added. Tests for hazard avoidance for Chandrayaan-2 are being conducted by ISRO as it lands its facility in Challakere in Chitradurga district of Karnataka, where simulated lunar craters have been created to evaluate the performance of the system. A partnership agreement in satellite launch technology was on Monday signed by the ISRO Chairman and French Space agency (CNES) President Jean-Yves Le Gall in the presence of visiting French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault. To a question on the agreement, Kumar said "Currently we are working with them on Oceansat-3... And then we are working for a future payload, on an infrared imaging sensor." "We are also looking at possibilities of working with them in various areas of future developments of satellites, launch vehicles," he added. ISRO in the past had worked with CNES on sounding rockets, SARAL satellites programme and had also launched satellites for them. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. French emperor Napoleon is believed to have referred to England, somewhat contemptuously, as a nation of shopkeepers", a phrase also attributed to economist Adam Smith. If either of them were to stereotype India today, they would arguably refer to us as a nation of entrepreneurs". More than 80% of Indians find livelihood in the informal sector, which excludes formal jobs in companies, government or other organizations. The agriculture sector, which accounts for nearly half the workforce, is made up almost entirely of entrepreneur-farmers and daily-wage earners. The industrial and services sectors too largely comprise informal jobs, which are inherently fraught with risk. Managing risk is at the heart of entrepreneurship, regardless of context. For example, a fruit seller on the street assumes an inordinate risk of perishable stock, unpredictable markets and price points, in return for a modest reward. In the corporate world, a seasoned executive may leave her stable job at a large firm to raise angel and venture capital funding for her new business idea. In either case, the entrepreneurs role is to minimize, control or manage risk. This requires a certain set of inherent attributes, such as dealing with high levels of stress. But it also requires a number of learnable skills and attributes. These could include innovation or jugaad, as we say in India, thinking out-of-the-box, and limitless persistence. Further, studies have established that contextual factors such as societal acceptance of failure can increase entrepreneurial success. Clearly, entrepreneurship is key to Indian livelihoods, and entrepreneurial success is an influence-able outcome. One would then expect the education system to be aligned towards preparing students and society for entrepreneurial success. However, the system today is largely geared towards preparing students for linear careers and jobs. Even to succeed at such jobs, the ethos of entrepreneurship is essential. Moreover, education is no longer the realm of just school- and college-going students; it is expanding to include learners of all ages, who must periodically update their capabilities to stay relevant in a changing world. For example, helping a street-side fruit-vendor understand mobile payments or last-mile delivery could enhance her livelihood. A number of encouraging initiatives have been undertaken in recent years to develop entrepreneurial skills in learners, which should gather steam with the support of Indias new National Education Policy. For example, the Atal Innovation Mission of Niti Aayog has been working to launch start-up incubators across the country. One such centre, focused on the fintech space at the grassroots level, will be launched this month (in partnership with Krea University). Poornatha, a Madurai-based organization, provides basic business and finance management skills to micro and small entrepreneurs. To date, they have impacted businesses with a combined revenue of over 1,000 crore. Efforts like Villgro, Unltd India and Bharat Inclusion Initiative have supported grassroot- level entrepreneurship to solve tough problems in sectors like agriculture, health, the environment and rural supply chains. University campuses are wonderful ecosystems for creating disruptive ideas. Indian students today have access to global opportunities. A student of Krea recently competed with teams from 32 countries and won a global covid solution challenge, judged by Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc. Or take the case of Pixxel, a space-tech company started by college students, which will launch a series of satellites to gather high-quality data. From space to health, education, agriculture and supply chains, young entrepreneurs are taking challenges head on and creating sustainable, profitable businesses in the process. Universities in India have begun to respond by creating incubators and entrepreneurship cells where students get access to the right resources and guidance from faculty as well as mentors from the business world. In addition, student-run organizations promote peer learning, creating a vibrant community. Student-managed funds like The Dorm Room Fund in the US, The Creator Fund from Europe and The Campus Capital from the UK, backed by well-known venture capitalists, provide a platform for students to execute their ideas. For example, Dorm Room Fund has invested in more than 200 start-ups and raised $400 million. Incubators such as Antler have also set up operations in India. Student entrepreneurship on campus is central to the learning experience too. The experience as a student-founder could be highly rewarding early in ones career. As most investors and entrepreneurs will attest, technical skills and domain knowledge are not enough to succeed. Most early-stage investors bet on the founding teams passion and attitude, rather than just the business plan. A founder needs to have empathy, humility and resilience to traverse the rough road of entrepreneurship. Universities that focus on developing these traits will produce the leaders of tomorrow. We must re-orient our education system towards developing good student citizensof all ages and across all sections of societyfor our nation of entrepreneurs. This journey has begun, and with the new National Education Policy, we hope to stay the course over the years to come. Kapil Viswanathan and Paula Mariwala are respectively, vice-chairman of Krea University, and president of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs India. These are the authors personal views Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Folk writer of Azerbaijan Chingiz Abdulayev is outraged by the illiteracy of most of his compatriots. Today an interview with Lukashenko was broadcast. It is stated everywhere that they are the leading journalists of Russia. Two of the four journalists Simonyan and Babayan are editors-in-chief. The speakers on Russian television channels are Kurginyan, Sarkisov, Shakhnazarov, Poghosyan, Keosayan, and the list goes on. Dont dare to tell me about their lobbying. They are smart, intelligent and talented people who have good command of Russian. We Azerbaijanis have the opposite examples. Compare the speeches of Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan in Russian or English. Is there any need for comments? Lets talk about Azerbaijani nationalists. Lets close Russian schools we have been hearing the wrathful squeals many times. Calm down. We Azerbaijanis dont even see anyone on foreign TV channels, and those who appear on TV channels have very bad command of Russian. I cant even say anything good about Azerbaijanis speaking English on English-language TV channels, even though the number of Azerbaijanis with command of English is growing. Dear local illiterates, knowing your native language is a necessity and cant even be discussed, but a small country like ours needs thousands of people who at least have excellent command of Russian, English, French and Arabic. We Azerbaijanis dont just need reporters who have command of languages. We need officers who have command of foreign technical equipment, artist and scientists who will present their culture and science to the world, and finally, we need politicians. We Azerbaijanis dont have a lobby not because somebody is standing in our way. Our stupidity, backwardness, inferiority, envy and ignorance these are the main enemies, and this is seen in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, and in international affairs, and in foreign and domestic policies. As one of the local figures said, we dreamed of liberating ourselves from the Russian language, how can we liberate ourselves from the English language. Of course, dreaming is not harmful. But perhaps we can do the opposite and increase the number of schools in different languages and make our children learn second and third languages. Perhaps then we wont remember others lobbying when we see two Azerbaijanis appear on our television screens, even though, really, dreaming is not harmful the writer declared, reports haqqin.az. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministerial meetings were held online on Wednesday due to the risks of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Later in the week, the 10-nation blocs foreign ministers are scheduled to meet their Asian and western counterparts for talks, concluding in the annual security forum. Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told reporters earlier this week that the talks would continue to focus on regional response to the pandemic and help member states recover economically. The key takeaways of the talks are as follows- Estabishment of COVID-19 response fund for member countries Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung told reporters earlier this week that the negotiations would continue to focus on a regional response to the pandemic and ways to help member states recover economically. To help member countries deal with the aftermath of a raging pandemic, a COVID-19 response fund will be established. The response fund will help member countries buy medical supplies and protective suits. Thailand has pledged to contribute $100,000, and ASEAN partners, including China, Japan, and South Korea, were expected to announce contributions, according to a senior Southeast Asian diplomat. 2. Establishment of ASEAN Center on Public health emergencies The AP report said that Japan will research the possibility of establishing an ASEAN center on public health emergencies. The result of the research will pave the path to ASEAN countries dealing with coronavirus-like pandemic effectively. 3. US-China confirm their attendance in Asias largest security forum The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, declared that Washington regards all of Chinas maritime claims illegitimate and remains neutral in territorial disputes, but the Trump administration has sided with the four ASEAN claimant states and Indonesia all the countries that opposed Chinas claims on the entire waterway. Amidst these territorial disputes, China reportedly fired two test missiles in the south China disputes. While these territorial disputes are far from over, both China and the US have confirmed their attendance in the ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday, Asias largest security forum. (With inputs from AP) YEREVAN, 9 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 9 September, USD exchange rate up by 0.24 drams to 488.81 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.80 drams to 575.08 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.05 drams to 6.44 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 5.26 drams to 632.81 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 260.14 drams to 30031.74 drams. Silver price down by 2.23 drams to 419.21 drams. Platinum price up by 54.08 drams to 14159.76 drams. Dublin, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Research Report on Avocado Imports in China 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. In 2018, China imported the largest number of avocados, reaching 43.86 kilotons, with an import value of USD 133.38 million. Then it has slightly decreased in 2019 and 2020. The opportunity for avocados to enter the Chinese market coincides with the vigorous development of e-commerce in China. Various related sales have exposed Online shopping promotions of avocado sales, so it quickly became a famous fruit, driving the import volume. According to the report, from 2014 to 2015, Peru and Chile successively obtained the access certificate for the export of avocados to China and enjoyed the preferential treatment of zero tariffs, thus the avocado market has entered a period of rapid growth. The avocado is one of the fastest-growing fruits in China. In 2010, China imported only 2 tons of avocado. By 2017, the number had increased to 32.14 kilotons, with an increase of about 16 thousand times in seven years. Generally, the import price of the avocado has been declining from USD 3,337.31 per ton in 2017 to USD 2,689.67 in 2020. China's imported avocados are mainly from Chile, Mexico and Peru. The prices of avocados from the Philippines and New Zealand are relatively high. And most avocados are imported though Shanghai and Guangdong Customs. Readers will obtain the following information through this report: Economic Environment of the Avocados Industry in China Policies for Imported Avocados in China Analysis of Supply and Demand of Avocados in China Analysis of Imported Avocados in China Analysis of Major Sources of Avocados in China Price Trends of Imported Avocados in China China's import of avocados into customs Key Topics Covered: 1 The Development Environment of China's Avocado Imports 1.1 China's Consumption Environment 1.2 The Policy Environment for Avocado Imports in China 2 The Status of China's Avocado Imports from 2017 to 2020 2.1 Classification of Avocados by China Customs 2.2 Total Import Volume and Value 2.3 Average Import Price 3 Major Importers of Avocados in China 3.1 HENGXIANG 3.2 Fruity Princess GXF 3.3 MIDAO 4 China's Major Source of Avocado Imports 2017-2020 4.1 China's main source of avocado imports 2017 4.1.1 Import situation 4.1.2 Average Import Price 4.2 China's main source of avocado imports in 2018 4.2.1 Import situation 4.2.2 Average Import Price 4.3 2019 China's main avocado import source countries 4.3.1 Import situation 4.3.2 Average Import Price 4.4 China's main source of avocado imports in 2020 4.4.1 Import situation 4.4.2 Average Import Price 5 Imported Volume and Value of Avocados by Provincial-level Customs in China, 2017-2020 5.1 Imported Volume and Value of Avocados by Provincial-level Customs in China, 2017 5.2 Imported Volume and Value of Avocados by Provincial-level Customs in China, 2018 5.3 Imported Volume and Value of Avocados by Provincial-level Customs in China 2019 5.4 Imported Volume and Value of Avocados by Provincial-level Customs in China 2020 Story continues Companies Mentioned Fruity Princess GXF HENGXIANG MIDAO For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k5rg6b Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 A mother of a 15-year-old girl who was left suicidal after an older chef pressured her into having sex has branded the 700 fine he was handed 'an insult'. Jack Cross, of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, admitted begging the victim for sex after meeting her on social media. The 19-year-old preyed on the schoolgirl in 2017 and after persistently asking her to meet him, they had unprotected sex on two occasions. Persistent Jack Cross pressurised the schoolgirl to have sex with him and admitted three charges of sexual activity with a child at Warwick Crown Court Cross was caught after the girl's teacher heard rumours that she might be pregnant and questioned her. He was arrested and on Tuesday (8 September) he admitted three charges of sexual activity with a child at Warwick Crown Court. Outraged, the girl's stepfather stormed out of the court after Cross was spared jail and handed a 12-month community order. He was also ordered to do 80 hours unpaid work and ordered to register as a sex offender for five years. The judge offered to order Cross to pay the victim 700 compensation but her mother refused, branding it 'an insult'. In a victim impact statement, the court heard the girl suffered flashbacks and felt suicidal. She added that she 'would go to a train station and hope that a train came,' and 'sometimes sat down with a knife'. Recorder Charles Falk said: 'I have read her victim impact statement, and it makes grim reading.' The court heard sous chef left his victim suicidal after pressurising her into having sex with him He told Cross: 'You are now a young man of 19, two weeks off from your 20th birthday. These offences all took place in 2017. 'It is important for you to understand that the law draws a line on a young person's 16th birthday, and you fell on the wrong side of it. 'You were well aware of what you were doing, but you continued to go ahead. 'What you need to understand is that children have a right to be protected. 'That is why the law is there, and the law expects other people to accept those boundaries. 'You were still a young person yourself, and not yet an adult in the eyes of the law. 'But as the older participant you should have shown responsibility, but you sought to persuade and cajole and inveigle her to take part in sexual intercourse.' Warwick Crown Court heard how Cross had sex with the girl at her home while her mother was out - once in her bedroom and a second time in the living room Recorder Falk asked the girl's mother whether she would accept 700 compensation or whether it would be 'adding insult to injury'. The mother replied: 'The second one.' Instead, Cross was ordered to pay 700 court costs. Peter Cooper, prosecutor, said that in 2017 Cross and the girl had arranged to meet after chatting on social media.. Cross then began continually asking her for sex, despite knowing she was only 15, 'and in the end she agreed'. The court heard Cross had sex with the girl at her home while her mother was out - once in her bedroom and another time in the living room. When he was arrested Cross, who accepted he knew she was only 15, claimed that on the first occasion the girl had instigated sex. Amy Jackson, defending, said: 'He accepts he had come to realise before the sexual activity occurred that she was under 16. The court heard Cross and his family had suffered harassment and threats and had left the area and he was now working as a sous chef. Authorities in Belarus tried to forcibly expel leading opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from the country but she tore up her passport in defiance and jumped out a car window to stay, her allies said Tuesday. Kolesnikova, one of the last of the figures still in the country leading mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, was detained at the border early Tuesday after going missing Monday. Border officials said she had been trying to flee the country but two colleagues with her who crossed into Ukraine said she had resisted the expulsion. At a press conference in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, the press secretary of the opposition's Coordination Council, Anton Rodnenkov, and its executive secretary Ivan Kravtsov described a dramatic series of events as the three were taken to the border. Rodnenkov and Kravtsov said they were seized in Minsk as they were on their way to Kolesnikova's flat on Monday following reports of her abduction. Moved between various buildings with their hands tied and bags over their heads, the two men were interrogated, threatened with legal action and finally offered the chance to leave the country alongside Kolesnikova, Kravtsov said. "What they were interested in was getting Maria Kolesnikova outside the country. They said this was necessary to de-escalate the situation in Belarus," Kravtsov said. - 'Kidnapping in broad daylight' - The three were eventually taken in a car to the buffer zone between the two countries' borders. "It was clear that she was being taken by force, she was resisting. She was pushed into the back seat, she yelled that she wasn't going anywhere," Rodnenkov said. "She tore up her passport into small pieces," then went out the car window and walked back to the Belarusian border, Rodnenkov said. Kolesnikova played a major role in the campaign of opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who claimed victory over President Alexander Lukashenko in a disputed election last month. Story continues She has since spoken at huge protests against his rule. As, border police said Kolesnikova was being held on Tuesday as they investigated the circumstances at the border. Tikhanovskaya called for her ally to be immediately freed. "By kidnapping people in broad daylight, Lukashenko is showing his weakness and fear," she said in a statement from Lithuania, where she has taken refuge. Kolesnikova went missing on Monday, witnesses saying she had been bundled into a minibus on the street in Minsk. One of the strongest opposition speakers, she had insisted she would not leave Belarus voluntarily. Lukashenko, in an interview with Russian media, claimed Kolesnikova and her companions "were fleeing to Ukraine" and said the guards "detained her as was required". "The people in the car hit the gas. And she was apparently thrown out of the car as it was moving," he said. He said he would not talk to the Coordination Council because he did not know the members or recognise them as opposition. - 'Russia will be next' - France's foreign ministry condemned "the arbirary arrests" and the practice of forcing opposition leaders into exile. Amnesty International also denounced what it called the "abduction-style arrests" and called for "an end to the campaign of intimidation and political persecution against opponents of the administration." But the strongman himself told television channels: "If Lukashenko collapses today the whole system would collapse and Belarus would collapse in turn. "If Belarus falls, Russia will be next," he added. The Coordination Council was set up to ensure a peaceful transfer of power after Tikhanovskaya rejected Lukashenko's claim to have won the August 9 presidential election with 80 percent of the vote. The authorities have tried to stop the Council from working by detaining activists and forcing them to leave the country. Kolesnikova, 38, is the only one of the trio of women who fronted Tikhanovskaya's campaign still in Belarus. Police in Belarus have been intensifying their crackdown on the opposition, with more than 600 people arrested on Sunday at the latest huge weekend protest against Lukashenko. bur-mm/jj/ach An Adelaide man has been charged over an alleged plot to import 20kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $20million, into South Australia from Greece. The 46-year-old was arrested on Tuesday after Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force officers executed search warrants at two inner-city properties. A joint agency investigation was launched last week after ABF officers in South Australia selected an air cargo consignment labelled as welding for examination. An Adelaide man has been charged over an alleged plot to import 20kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $20million, into South Australia from Greece A joint agency investigation was launched last week after ABF officers in South Australia selected an air cargo consignment labelled as welding for examination A wooden crate containing two welding machines was X-rayed, with anomalies revealed in both. ABF officers removed a panel from one piece of machinery and found an electronic safe. Inside the safe were nine rectangular packages that allegedly contained a white powder, with tests returning a presumptive positive result to cocaine. AFP officers were called in and dismantled the second welder, where they found another safe with nine similar packages stored inside. Forensic tests by the AFP confirmed the 18 seized packages contained about 20kg of cocaine. This equates to about 20,000 street level deals, which police say can be sold for about $5million wholesale and has an approximate street value of $20million. A wooden crate containing two welding machines was X-rayed, with anomalies revealed in both Police allege the Adelaide man had organised the consignment and arranged for it to be delivered to his former workplace, without the knowledge of the business owners. It is also alleged he made inquiries to the freight company about when the consignment would be available. The man was arrested at his Adelaide home, where police seized electronic devices and documentation allegedly connected to the consignment. He was charged him with importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and is expected to appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Video PlayerClose Chen Wei, recipient of the "People's Hero" national honorary title, arrives at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Li Xiang] BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) Chinese military medical scientist Chen Wei was awarded the national honorary title "the People's Hero" Tuesday for her outstanding contributions to the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. At a meeting held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented medals to her and other recipients. Chen, a 54-year-old researcher at the Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences, has made major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and protective medicine. On Jan. 23, China locked down Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province, to curb the spread of the infectious disease. Three days later, Chen arrived in Wuhan to focus on vaccine development. Chen cut her black hair short for the convenience of working in a protective suit. After months of intense lab research and on the frontline battle against the virus, some of her hair turned grey. "It is the call of duty because I'm a person in uniform. I was obliged to do all that I did," she said. On March 16, the adenovirus vector vaccine developed by Chen's team started phase-one clinical trials, the first in the world. According to the data published in the medical journal The Lancet in May, all 108 vaccinated participants produced antibodies. "By releasing our testing methods and indicators to the world, we have helped researchers from other countries take fewer detours and promote global vaccine research," Chen said. Chen Wei, recipient of the "People's Hero" national honorary title, arrives at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020.[Xinhua/Yin Bogu] In July, the data of the vaccine's phase-two clinical trials was also released to the world. The results of the two phases of clinical trials verified the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. It was not the first time that Chen has stood on the front line against viruses over the past decades. Her team developed a nasal spray that helped protect medical staff against SARS viruses in 2003, and developed a vaccine for Ebola in 2014. She attributes the outstanding achievements to her team. "Everyone in the team has shown extraordinary perseverance and contributed their wisdom," she said. Chen was born in the city of Lanxi, east China's Zhejiang Province, in 1966. On April 12 this year, she sent a voice message to more than 80,000 middle and primary school students in Lanxi. "We must bring good to society so that our lives will be meaningful, and your world will be even more splendid by bringing warmth to others," Chen said in the message. (Source: Xinhua) South Sudan's health minister Elizabeth Achuei Yol (C) awards a certificate to a member of the Chinese medical expert team in Juba, South Sudan, Sept 6, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] JUBA - The seventh batch of Chinese medical team in South Sudan on Sunday had left the country after completing a 17-month medical assistance mission in the east African country. The Chinese medics were replaced by the eight batch which arrived in South Sudan about two weeks ago. During their stay, the 15-member team, from China's Anhui Province, provided about 8,000 free medical consultations across South Sudan. The medical team was joined in the trip back to China by another eight-member Chinese medical expert team returning from anti-virus missions in Guinea and South Sudan. South Sudan's health minister Elizabeth Achuei Yol said the Chinese medics have been resourceful to the people of South Sudan. "We are honored and happy for the great job the Chinese have done and continue to do in South Sudan. We are particularly proud of the skills the expert team passed to our medical staff," Achuei said during a joint farewell ceremony for the Chinese medical teams on Sunday. "We will never forget the good things China has done for us especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. I want this relationship to be promoted for the future generations," she added. Hua Ning, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, said China will continue to support South Sudan's quest to build a strong and resilient health care system. "Good friends will always feel close even though they are thousands of miles away from each other. So, we are determined to push forward the relation between China and South Sudan," Hua said. While in South Sudan, the two medical teams provided several training sessions to medical students, health workers and also shared experience on the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump supporters cheer as he arrives last Thursday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa. Read more To cover how Pennsylvania is shaping the 2020 election, The Philadelphia Inquirer has launched a new email newsletter. Every Wednesday, youll get reporting from counties across the state, insight into issues that impact you, fact checks on what candidates are saying, and more. You can sign up to get it in your inbox here. You can also view the web version of this email. The final sprint is here. Joe Biden was in Harrisburg on Labor Day, which marks the traditional start of the fall campaign. Vice President Mike Pence is back today, visiting Beaver and Westmoreland Counties. And Friday could see Biden and President Donald Trump cross paths: Both are visiting the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville for the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But while both campaigns are active on the ground (in very different ways), only one has been invading your TV screen. Well explain. Well also introduce you to 24 Pennsylvania voters who youll hear a lot from over the next couple months. Follow all our election coverage. And email us at election@inquirer.com. Julia Terruso, Andrew Seidman (@JuliaTerruso, @AndrewSeidman, election@inquirer.com) Asymmetrical warfare, on the ground and on TV As Trump stood in front of Air Force One in an airport hangar in Westmoreland County, he took a moment to bask in the adulation of his supporters and draw attention to the overflow crowd. We have thousands of people behind this hangar, and were trying to get 'em in, Trump said last week during his Pennsylvania rally. And Id love to get 'em in. Trump compared his crowd with Bidens stop the same day in Wisconsin: There was nobody there. (Biden met with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man shot in the back seven times by a white Kenosha police officer.) Its hardly a secret that Trump obsesses over crowd sizes, and we noted last week how only one campaign is going about things like theres no pandemic. Biden continues to keep his events socially distanced. But both campaigns have another way of reaching voters: TV advertising. And on this front, its Biden whos been ubiquitous in recent weeks, with Trump nowhere to be seen. Having spent so much of the cash it raised, Trumps campaign halted all TV ads in Pennsylvania last month. Biden? His campaign spent a whopping $10 million on the airwaves, and another $5 million through Labor Day. Thats a $15 million to zero advantage over the course of about five weeks. And that could be a big deal in a state many strategists think could decide the winner. The president did get some air support from outside Republican groups. But the dynamic is emblematic of the different ways Trump and Biden are campaigning during the coronavirus pandemic. The Trump campaign says its field staff and volunteers are knocking on doors and basically operating in a pre-pandemic mode in keeping with Trumps message that the coronavirus is mostly a thing of the past, even as the U.S. death toll passed 190,000. Biden campaigned virtually through most of the summer, citing public health concerns. He has stepped up his travel schedule for the homestretch. But dont expect a Biden rally with thousands cheering him on anytime soon. Answering your questions about voting Can I vote in person after requesting to vote by mail? Yes. If youve requested to vote by mail, you can bring your ballot with you and hand it over to poll workers to be voided. At that point, youll be allowed to vote on the machines as though you never requested a mail ballot at all. If you dont have your ballot with you, including if it didnt arrive on time, you can still show up to the polls and vote on a provisional ballot, which is a paper ballot that is set aside and counted once it is clear you are eligible to vote. How can I check my vote by mail status? You can check your ballot status online, including whether your application has been approved, the ballot has been mailed, and whether its been received once you send it back. If you include your email address when applying to vote by mail, you should also get emails notifying you of changes to your ballot status. And you can always call your county office to check your status. Read more: Everything you need to know about voting, by mail or in person Send us more voting questions here Jonathan Lai (@Elaijuh) What were paying attention to Overheard on the campaign trail I wish I could vote for him every four years. Congress dont have term limits, why should the guy at the top? He should be president for life. Dawn Hoyman, 53, at Trumps rally in Latrobe Meet 24 voters who will inform our coverage We want to understand, and serve, all the voters of Pennsylvania. So weve unveiled a new project: The Inquirers Election 2020 Roundtable. The Roundtable brings together 24 voters from all over Pennsylvania for a series of open, virtual conversations about what matters most to them. Well talk about the issues. Well talk about the candidates. Well ask them what they want to talk about. Well endeavor to answer their questions and share those answers with you. This is even more important now, when the pandemic has made it more difficult for us to meet voters where they work, where they play, where they shop, and where they live. Our Roundtable includes Democrats, Republicans, and independents. They are from Scranton and Allentown, Williamsport and Easton, Bloomsburg and Gettysburg, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. They are Black, white, Asian, and Latino. Some have consistently voted for Democrats or Republicans in recent presidential elections. Others have voted for both. Some supported Barack Obama before casting a ballot for Donald Trump. Some backed Mitt Romney before pulling the lever for Hillary Clinton. Some plan to vote for Trump. Some plan to vote for Joe Biden. Some are undecided. Our first virtual convening is this week. Meet the Roundtable members, and read more about how we built the group. Deep channels link ocean to Antarctic glacier Newly discovered deep seabed channels beneath Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica may be the pathway for warm ocean water to melt the underside of the ice. Data from two research missions, using aircraft and ship, are helping scientists to understand the contribution this huge and remote glacier is likely to make to future global sea level rise. Researchers from UK and US International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC), collected data from the glacier and adjoining Dotson and Crosson ice shelves during January-March 2019. While one team collected airborne data flying over the glacier and ice shelf in a British Antarctic Survey Twin Otter aircraft, the other mapped the sea floor at the ice front from the US Antarctic Program icebreaker RV Nathaniel B Palmer. Publishing this month (9 September) in the journal The Cryosphere the two research papers describe the discovery. Thwaites Glacier covers 192,000 square kilometres (74,000 square miles) - the size of Great Britain or the US state of Florida - and is particularly susceptible to climate and ocean changes. Over the past 30 years, the overall rate of ice loss from Thwaites and its neighbouring glaciers has increased more than 5-fold. Already, ice draining from Thwaites into the Amundsen Sea accounts for about four percent of global sea-level rise. A run-away collapse of the glacier could lead to a significant increase in sea levels of around 65 cm (25 inches) and scientists want to find out how quickly this could happen. Lead author Dr Tom Jordan, an aero-geophysicist at British Antarctic Survey (BAS), who led the airborne survey, says: "It was fantastic to be able to map the channels and cavity system hidden beneath the ice shelf; they are deeper than expected - some are more than 800 metres deep. They form the critical link between the ocean and the glacier. "The offshore channels, along with the adjacent cavity system, are very likely to be the route by which warm ocean water passes underneath the ice shelf up to the grounding line, where the ice meets the bed." Dave Porter at LDEO Columbia University, who flew over Thwaites Glacier for the airborne survey, says: "Flying over the recently-collapsed ice tongue and being able to see first-hand the changes occurring at Thwaites Glacier was both awe inspiring and disconcerting, but also gratifying to know the airborne data we were collecting would help reveal the hidden structures below." Exceptional sea-ice break up in early 2019 enabled the team on the RV Nathaniel B Palmer to survey over 2000 square kilometres of sea floor at the glacier's ice front. The area surveyed had previously been hidden beneath part of the floating ice shelf extending from Thwaites Glacier, which broke off in 2002, and in most subsequent years the area was inaccessible due to thick sea-ice cover. The team's findings reveal the sea floor is generally deeper and has more deep channels leading towards the grounding line under the ice shelf than was previously thought. Lead author, Dr Kelly Hogan, is a marine geophysicist at BAS. She was part of the team surveying the seabed. She says: "We found the coastal sea floor, which is incredibly rugged, is a really good analogue for the bed beneath the present-day Thwaites Glacier both in terms of its shape and rock type. By examining retreat patterns over this sea-floor terrain we will be able to help numerical modellers and glaciologists in their quest to predict future retreat. "This research has filled a critical data gap. Together the new coastal sea floor maps and the cavity maps track the deep channels for over 100 km to where the glacier sits on the bed. For the first time we have a clear view of the pathways along which warm water can reach the underside of the glacier, causing it to melt and contribute to global sea-level rise." ### New gravity-derived bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson ice shelves revealing two ice shelf populations by Jordan, T. A., Porter, D., Tinto, K., Millan, R., Muto, A., Hogan, K., Larter, R. D., Graham, A. G. C., and Pade, J. D. is published in The Cryosphere, 14, 2869-2882, https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 5194/ tc-14-2869-2020 , 2020. Revealing the former bed of Thwaites Glacier using sea-floor bathymetry: implications for warm-water routing and bed controls on ice flow and buttressing by Hogan, K. A., Larter, R. D., Graham, A. G. C., Arthern, R., Kirkham, J. D., Totten Minzoni, R., Jordan, T. A., Clark, R., Fitzgerald, V., Wahlin, A. K., Anderson, J. B., Hillenbrand, C.-D., Nitsche, F. O., Simkins, L., Smith, J. A., Gohl, K., Arndt, J. E., Hong, J., and Wellner, J. is published in The Cryosphere, 14, 2883-2908, https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 5194/ 10. 5194/ tc-14-2883-2020 , 2020. Issued by the British Antarctic Survey Press Office on behalf of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC). Please contact Senior Communications Manager: Athena Dinar email: amdi@bas.ac.uk, tel: +44 (0) 7909 008516 Corporate and Internal Communications Manager: Livia Oldland email: livand@bas.ac.uk. Tel: +44 (0) 7850 541910 Images and video of researchers working on the ship and from the air are available from the Press Office as above. ITGC is a five-year, $50 million joint U.S. and U.K. mission to learn more about Thwaites Glacier, its past, and what the future may hold. Significant contributions to the research are also coming from Sweden, Germany, and South Korea. The ultimate goal of the project is to predict how much Thwaites will contribute to global sea-level rise, and how soon a transition to more rapid ice retreat might occur. ITGC is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.K. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). http://www. thwaitesglacier. org Ice shelf - is a large floating platform of ice that forms where a glacier or ice sheet flows down to a coastline and onto the ocean surface. Ice shelves are only found in Antarctica, Greenland, Canada, and the Russian Arctic. Ice sheet - also known as a continental glacier, is a mass of glacial ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi). Glacier - is a huge mass of ice that moves slowly over land. The term "glacier" comes from the French word glace (glah-SAY), which means ice. Glaciers are often called "rivers of ice." The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is the UK's main agency for funding and managing research, training and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences. Our work covers the full range of atmospheric, Earth, biological, terrestrial and aquatic science, from the deep oceans to the upper atmosphere and from the poles to the equator. We coordinate some of the world's most exciting research projects, tackling major issues such as climate change, environmental influences on human health, the genetic make-up of life on Earth, and much more. NERC is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. Find out more at nerc.ukri.org. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) The U.S. Congress in 1950 established the Foundation "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes." NSF is vital because its supports basic research to create knowledge that transforms the future. With an annual budget of $7.8 billion (fiscal year 2018), NSF funds discovery, learning, innovation and research infrastructure to boost U.S. leadership in all aspects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research and education. In contrast, other federal agencies support research focused on specific missions, such as health, energy or defense. Through its Office of Polar Programs, the U.S. National Science Foundation manages the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). Under a Presidential Mandate, the Program coordinates all U.S. research on the Southernmost Continent, funds Antarctic research carried out by university researchers nationwide, operates three year-round Antarctic research stations and two research vessels and provides or coordinates all of the logistical support required to make the science possible. British Antarctic Survey (BAS), an institute of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), delivers and enables world-leading interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions. Its skilled science and support staff based in Cambridge, Antarctica and the Arctic, work together to deliver research that uses the Polar Regions to advance our understanding of Earth as a sustainable planet. Through its extensive logistic capability and know how BAS facilitates access for the British and international science community to the UK polar research operation. Numerous national and international collaborations, combined with an excellent infrastructure help sustain a world leading position for the UK in Antarctic affairs. For more information visit http://www. bas. ac. uk @basnews This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Even as the world continues to grapple with the covid-19 pandemic, the remarkable resilience of Indias tech industry has been on display, with investments soaring to a mammoth $38 billion. A significant portion of these investments went to software as a service (SaaS)-based companies, which witnessed a major growth brought about by an increasing demand for digital tools and automation amid the current crisis. Unsurprisingly, eight of the worlds 10 richest companies grew and expanded because they are tech companies. The fastest-growing jobs on LinkedIns list of emerging jobs globally are artificial intelligence specialist and data scientist. During the covid period itself, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and Google enhanced their market capitalization by over $1 trillion. India is the youngest country in the world with a vibrant startup ecosystem. In 2019 alone, over 1,300 startups were added, thereby solidifying Indias position as the third largest startup ecosystem in the world. This opportunity did not go unnoticed with private equity investments hitting a 10-year-high in 2019, attracting $17.3 billion and registering a yearly growth of 60.5%. Investor confidence in India has never been higher; India has, in fact, been able to turn the covid-19 crisis into an opportunity by positioning itself as the preferred investment destination. The strong and sustained growth and innovation in the technology space presents a unique opportunity for India to position itself as the Tech Garage of the World. Through the development of innovative digital and technology solutions, India can successfully find solutions to the massive and intractable challenges across sectors such as healthcare, education, financial inclusion, modernisation of agriculture and others. The role of government in crafting such tech solutions at scale to tackle these challenges is critical but must be augmented through the nimbleness and creativity of the private entrepreneur. As John Maynard Keynes said in 1926, the important thing for the government to do is not to do what individuals are doing already and to do them a little better, but to do things that are at present not being done at all". To rephrase Keynesthe government and the private sector can together do what has not yet been conceived let, alone done, devise solutions that cannot occur in silos and to execute to perfection. Indias IT/ITeS industry is a global powerhouse, but there is a noticeable dearth of world-class platform companies. The massive $167 billion IT industry mostly comprises companies that provide software services and backend IT support. While there is a plethora of new-age product startups in the consumer internet and enterprise space, the shortcoming lies in the absence of platform companies that can compete with global players. The templates for platform-based models do exist in India, which could serve as the blueprint for the emergence of future platform companies. In fact, National Health Stack and Aarogya Setu were developed envisioning a cohesive future for a healthtech ecosystem in India with public and private participation. The development of Health Stack is an excellent example of the government laying down the building blocks, essential in implementing digital health initiatives, to successfully achieve convergence that can be deployed by both public and private health providers. Perhaps one of the most powerful examples of the potential that India has is the success of the UPI platform in the digital financial inclusion space. UPI, which is just 4 years old, reports 10 times the number of transactions as compared to the decades-old Amex. Our ability to scale up UPI as a global platform could well make it surpass the number of transactions of both Visa and MasterCard in the next few years. Silicon Valley faces a glass ceiling on innovation. Its innovations like driverless cars are for the developed world. Indias problems are far more complex and provide an opportunity to use tech and innovate at scale. Templates for this already exist and are being developed as we speak. The Prime Minister recently entrusted NITI Aayog with the task of developing technological products in partnership with the private sector, which would enable India to leapfrog in the post-covid era. As a result, seven technological solutions were developed that addressed themes ranging from financial inclusion to healthcare to telemedicine to a digital higher education university; these products are currently in different stages of evolution. The Prime Minister also launched the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge to encourage the creation of world-class made in India Apps. The response was overwhelming. The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is driving Atal Tinkering Labs with AI, and robotics and 3D printing are being taught from class VI onwards. AIM also supports incubators and has catalysed a creative and innovative culture. My belief is that the development of these world-class products requires skilful application of artificial intelligence. This necessitates five critical inputs: flow of data-hungry young entrepreneurs, AI algorithm engineers, computing powers, and AI-enabling policy environment. While India has humongous data, thanks to mobiles and low data costs and top-class start-up entrepreneurs, it severely lacks in product managers, AI scientists, product designers and software engineers. Our IIITs and IITs must be reoriented to produce AI engineers who can partner tech entrepreneurs to launch cutting-edge global tech companies. The government has a crucial role to play in positioning India as the Tech Garage of the World. It should act as a catalyst, and bring together the synergies of the private sector with the aim of innovating for India and the world. It has the potential to provide an enabling environment and a favourable regulatory ecosystem for the development of technology products and provide the size and scale necessary for their rollout. The product development should ideally be undertaken through private entrepreneurship, with the government acting as a facilitator. The key principles of product design should incorporate transparency, security and ease of access. The products must have open architecture, should be portable to any hosting environment and should be available in official and regional languages. The irrevocable shift brought about by covid-19 presents opportunities to develop new technology platforms. In this process, data integrity, authenticity and privacy should be embedded into the design of a product. A balance needs to be struck between regulation and product design through a dynamic collaboration between the government and technology entrepreneurs. Going forward, the government should strive to envision a direction for technological change and invest in that direction by creating markets and opportunities that can be seized by willing private sector companies. The collective synergies of the private (creativity, inventiveness and product design) and public (scale, size last mile connectivity) have immense potential to maximize the impact of tech-driven development. India as a Tech Garage also encapsulates the principles of Aatma Nirbhar Bharatnot just confident, outward-looking and non-insular, but also one that develops indigenous technology solutions at super scale for complex problems. As the worlds Tech Garage, our ability to develop technological solutions for a country as vast and diverse as India will also provide us with the unique opportunity to present a roadmap for addressing the needs of the next 7.5 billion people of the world who will move from poverty to middle class in the next decade. Amitabh Kant is CEO, NITI Aayog. Views expressed are personal. 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 Y oung people from across the UK have urged ministers not to play the "blame game" when it comes to determining the cause for a spike in coronavirus cases. Ministers are set to discuss a legal ban on gatherings of more than six people in a bid to crack down on parties being held in defiance of social distancing guidance. It comes after analysis of data by the Joint Biosecurity Centre which told Downing Street that, according to one source, infections are rising steeply and that Britain could face the same upwards spiral as France and Spain. Boris Johnson told his Cabinet that ministers must ensure there is no complacency among the public, and particularly young people, following the rise in Covid-19 infections. Health Secretary Matt Hancock also appeared to single out young people when he told Radio 1 Newsbeat listeners: "Don't kill your gran by catching coronavirus and then passing it on." People took to social media to discuss the prospect of a "Lockdown 2" and voice their opinions about how much of a role young people have in spreading Covid-19. Speaking about Mr Johnson's comments, Katie, 23, from Surrey told the Evening Standard: "Personally, I feel that this accusation is a generalised assumption rather than a fully investigated and well evidenced conclusion as to why the R rate is rising. Katie said it was inevitable that infections would rise with businesses and schools reopening / Anna Petric "I am not naive enough to not acknowledge that some young people have broken rules, however, with businesses and schools reopening and with more testing now available, it was inevitable that there would be an apparent rise in cases. "It is unfair to blame a second wave solely on a, generally, compliant generation. There are too many variables to be able to pin blame on one group of people and the negative discourse that has come as a result of this is counterproductive." She added that it is "negative" to categorise young people under one heading. "Realistically, as I said before, this shouldnt be a blame game, just acceptance that with the country opening up and with greater testing capabilities, the R rate was inevitably going to appear to rise once again." Lily Browne from east Norfolk told the Evening Standard that she felt "offended and outraged" by the ministers' comments and that the opening of pubs and Eat Out To Help Out scheme should also be acknowledged as causes for the rise of infections. Lily said all age groups should be held accountable / Lily Browne "I believe everyones to blame - we all became too relaxed when places were opening again," said the 17-year-old. "Ultimately when you open up places again a spike is going to happen because everyones been trapped away for so long! "But I do believe that some people of the young age group category have not been sensible when going out to pubs by not following the guidelines, and relaxing on distancing. However, I believe that every age group has people doing the same thing." Mufaro Muza, 19, from Berkshire works in a restaurant. Mufaro works front of house at a restaurant / MufaroMuza She said: "For the past two months Ive dealt with more middle aged to senior people. But nonetheless it isnt an age thing, all age groups are responsible. "Yes, Ill admit, a lot more young people were out and about during lockdown, but there werent many cases being recorded then. "Even so, young people arent the only demographic of people going out. Eat Out to Help Out was utilised by everybody. "The statement made by the ministers offended me tremendously." Helena said most young people are being 'overly careful' / Helena Davidson Helena Davidson, 23, from Manchester has just completed her masters degree and said she has struggled to find even a part time minimum wage job. "Every young person I know is in the same boat," said Helena. "Were all being overly careful because our chance to get a career in the next year will be completely destroyed if we go back into lockdown." She added: "At work we adhere to the strictest hygiene standards sanitising everything, wearing masks and taking temperatures, and I most often see middle aged people not wearing masks properly, moving tables to sit with their mates and generally flouting all the new systems in the pub I work in. "I feel so uncomfortable when drunk middle aged men refuse to keep their distance from me while Im at work. "It is disgusting that the government is blaming young people who are working out of necessity just to survive when [MPs and advisers] flouted the lockdown." GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- September 11, 2020 marks the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attack on America. The West Michigan Community Day of Remembrance and Scout Salute committee will continue the tradition of honoring the victims, first responders and heroes on Friday with a virtual public event due to the novel coronavirus. The President Ford Field Service Council, Boy Scouts of America with support from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation will lead the West Michigan community in a day-long salute. The activities will be available on the foundations Facebook page. The remembrance activities begin at sunrise, 7:19 a.m. Individuals are asked to share photos of their virtual participation on the Facebook page. Honor guards from the Grand Rapids Police and Fire Departments will lower the flag outside of the Gerald R. Ford Public Museum at sunrise to commemorate the opening of the days events to pay respect those who died. Nearly 3,000 people died after terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and a third plan that was hijacked and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. The fire department will ring a bell honoring those who died, at the exact time the planes crashed. At 12 p.m., Michael C.H. McDaniel, an Eagle Scout and current WMU-Cooley Law School associate dean, will speak. McDaniel is also a retired Brigadier General and former Deputy Assistance Secretary for Homeland Security. At 6:45 p.m., the Boy Scouts of America will lead a short discussion on the days activities. A closing ceremony will take place at sunset, 7:59 p.m. A separate in-person event, the Grand Rapids 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12. The stair climb, endorsed by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, pays tribute to the fallen public safety members who rescued civilians in response to the 2001 attack. The climb will take place from 8 to 11 a.m. at Fifth Third Ballpark, 4500 W River Dr. NE in Comstock Park. Masks will be required for the event with the exception of the climb. Of those who lost their lives, 343 were members of the Fire Department City of New York, 23 members of the New York City Police Department and 37 members of the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey Police Department. The climb will replicate the 110 floors these public safety members made to rescue innocent civilians. The event was started by firefighters in Denver, Colorado and has since grown into a national event. All profits from the event will be donated to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and will benefit surviving relatives of fallen firefighters. More information and registration for the event is available on the Facebook event page. More on MLive: WMU athletics creates diversity task force around the motto We Must Unite Will Smith announces Fresh Prince reboot Bel-Air coming to streaming service Alleged intruder in Eminems home told rapper he was going to kill him, according to testimony A leading African safari business that has decided to open its camps in Kenya despite Foreign Office advice claims to have tapped into huge pent-up demand for adventure travel. Paul Goldstein, co-owner of Kicheche Safari Camps in the Masai Mara, said that customers have committed tens of thousands of pounds to experience Africas wildlife at a time when there are precious few tourists. While there are fewer tourists here now than at any time in living memory, the Mara continues to move to nature's hypnotic rhythm, he said. His company took the decision to restart international operations despite the Foreign Office continuing to warn against travel to most countries including Kenya. The country opened its borders to tourists in August. All visitors must produce a negative test for Covid-19 conducted within four days of the flight to Kenya. According to the latest figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Kenya has about one-eighth the infection rate of the UK. But the Foreign Office warns against travel to the whole of Africa. The FCDO says: "This advice is being kept under constant review. Travel disruption is still possible and national control measures may be brought in with little notice. One Kicheche customer wrote: The five of us are really looking forward to our safari at Bush Camp later in September, this year. Can we have James as our guide again please? We have our virus test booked, we have travel insurance and work from home so see no reason not to travel because of this silly unenforced quarantine. Cruise virus risks: when to travel to minimise them Mr Goldstein said: None of us would encourage or condone behaviour detrimental to public health, but it's clear that all-or-nothing government quarantine policy is not only ineffective but also astonishingly destructive to communities worldwide dependent on tourism for their livelihoods. That so many individuals and families are now conducting their own intelligent, nuanced risk assessments and taking the appropriate and prudent measures to ensure the safety of themselves and others is both encouraging and testament, perhaps, to common sense and shrinking faith in government policy. Many people have had enough of being pushed around by a government chucking out quarantine and blanket advisories like confetti. A UK government spokesperson said: We are taking clear and decisive action to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. We keep the data for all countries and territories under constant review. A senior UK politician told the countrys parliament on September 8 that proposed legislation related to Brexit does break international law in a very specific and limited way. Asked for assurances that the UKs Internal Market bill, which was due to be published the following day, did not violate international obligations, Brandon Lewis, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, replied, "I would say to my honourable friend that, yes, this does break international law in a very specific and limited way. Were taking the power to disapply the EU law concept of direct effect required by Article 4 in certain very tightly defined circumstances, he said. There are clear precedents for the UK, and indeed other countries, needing to consider their international obligations as circumstances change. And I would say to honourable members here, many of whom would have been in this house when we passed the Finance Act in 2013 which contains an example of treaty override. It contains provisions that expressly disapply international tax treaties to the extent that these conflicted with the general anti-abuse rule. And I would say to my honourable friend we are determined to ensure we are delivering on the agreement we have in the protocol and our leading priority is to do that through the negotiations and through the joint committee work. The clauses which will be in the bill tomorrow are specifically there for should that fail to ensure that we are able to deliver on our commitments to the people of Northern Ireland, Lewis said. Lewis was responding to a question from his Conservative Party colleague Robert Neill, who asked for assurances that nothing in the bill does, or potentially might breach, international legal obligations or international legal arrangements that we have entered into. The legislation comes amid ongoing tensions and negotiations between the UK and the European Union over Brexit. Credit: UK Parliament via Storyful Responding to a question about how serious the Trump administration approached the spread of COVID-19, Vice President Mike Pence defended the president's leadership. "No American who required a ventilator was ever denied a ventilator," Pence said in a one-on-one interview with our sister station WTAE-TV. "We slowed the spread. We flattened the curve." The disease has killed over 190,000 people in the U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that had it been handled differently, the number of lives lost could have been substantially higher. The virus continues to spread in the U.S. One projection by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projects 400,000 or more people in America could die by Jan. 1, describing that as a "likely" scenario that could be more or less depending on mask wearing usage and social distancing. Pence said, "We have a ways to go. We all have a role to play. And we grieve the loss of life here in Pennsylvania and around the country." The vice president said we're well on our way to having a vaccine, crediting it to the president's actions. Pence traveled to western Pennsylvania on Wednesday to speak for a campaign event at a PennEnergy Resources site. Earlier in the day, Pence spoke with pro-life advocates during an event at Cornerstone Ministries in Export. The visits won't be the last time the 2020 campaign trail comes through the Pittsburgh area. On Friday, Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will be in Shanksville, Somerset County, where the Flight 93 National Memorial is located, 19 years since the 9/11 attacks. Washington Oswego native Noel Francisco is on a new list of 20 people that President Donald Trump says he will consider for a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Francisco, 51, served as U.S. Solicitor General under Trump until July, when he left to rejoin the Washington law firm of Jones Day. The 1987 graduate of Oswego High School had been the Trump administrations top lawyer arguing cases at the Supreme Court for the past three years. Trump included Franciscos name on a list made public Wednesday of people the president would consider appointing to the Supreme Court in a second term. Trump also released a list of potential Supreme Court nominees during his 2016 presidential campaign. In addition to Francisco, others on the new list include U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri. Francisco argued 17 cases before the Supreme Court while serving as solicitor general on issues that included religious liberty, separation of powers and free speech. Related: Noel Francisco, legal star never forgot his home Francisco successfully argued in favor of Trumps controversial travel ban, a move that blocked people from several predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Francisco grew up in Oswego, the son of the late Dr. Nemesio Francisco, a Filipino immigrant, and Therese Francisco. MORE ON THE 2020 ELECTION Trump keeps saying he could win New York. Heres why thats dreaming Trump suggests voting twice. If you do that in NY, your vote counts only once New York opens web portal to accept applications for absentee ballots New York recruits poll workers to ease shortage caused by coronavirus Absentee ballot vs. mail-in ballot: Whats the difference? Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Months before Cpl. Michael Owen fatally shot a man in handcuffs, the Prince George's County, Md., Police Department's early-warning system flagged him as an officer who might be headed for trouble. Owen triggered the system by using force twice in quick succession last summer. But his supervisors were not formally notified until January. And they had not taken action by Jan. 27, when Owen killed William Green in the front seat of his police cruiser, sparking outrage in Maryland that was amplified by the national reaction to the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. With law enforcement agencies across the country under pressure to improve officer training and oversight, Owen's case is a cautionary tale of missed opportunities, the limits of early-warning systems and the danger of relying on police officers to report for themselves when they are stressed or struggling. Owen's supervisors were unaware that he had sought workers' compensation for psychological difficulties stemming from a fatal shooting early in his career, department officials say, even though Owen was supposed to notify them. Over the next decade, Owen used force against civilians at least nine times, according to a Washington Post examination of his career. Twice last year, videos taken as Owen was arresting people show him with his hands on their necks. Criminal charges against some of the people Owen arrested over the years were dropped because he did not show up in court. Department officials say Owen, who was fired after the Green shooting, has not been found at fault in any of the cases identified by The Washington Post. He is charged with murder and being held without bond; his trial date has not been set. Owen's attorney Thomas Mooney said he has not examined previous uses of force by Owen closely enough to comment on specific instances. But he said such interactions can be routine. "Being a police officer is a tough job, and they deal with people who act erratically and unusually and aggressively all the time," Mooney said. "So he finds himself the subject of an investigation because somebody's complaining - that's every police officer in the county that's on the streets." 5 1 of 5 Washington Post photo by Katherine Frey Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Washington Post photo by Michael S. Williamson Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Washington Post photo by Michael Robinson Chavez Show More Show Less 5 of 5 Experts agree that for an officer to accumulate use-of-force encounters, and even complaints, over the years does not necessarily indicate bad behavior. But they say an officer's repeated absence in court can be a sign of trouble. They also say the sluggish pace of the early-warning system is a significant problem that jeopardizes officers and civilians on the streets. "That's far too long a lag time to get to these officers who might be in immediate distress," said Christopher Harris, a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell who has studied early-intervention systems and advised police departments on using them. "And this officer might have been, given the claims that he filed and some of the other history that he had." In the wake of Floyd's killing in May, the Maryland legislature is debating ways to hold officers more accountable, and a Prince George's County task force is scrutinizing police hiring, training and use of force. State Del. Alonzo Washington, D-Prince George's, who is co-leading the county task force, said the group will study ways to prevent officer misconduct, including the early-warning system, which is supposed to track uses of force, complaints against officers, missed court appearances and other potential indicators. "This system should be up-to-date and run on time," Washington said. In reference to Green's shooting, he added: "This type of case worries Prince Georgians every day - that it's going to happen to their son, their daughter, their father, their sister or their brother." - - - The last 911 response of Owen's career came in late January. Police were called after a Buick driven by Green slammed into several cars near the District of Columbia border. Police suspected that the 43-year-old was on drugs. Owen got Green out of the car, cuffed his hands behind his back and placed him in the cruiser to wait for a drug recognition expert, according to police records and interviews. The former officer is accused of firing seven shots a few minutes later, six of which hit Green, still handcuffed in the front seat. Green, a father of two who worked as a Megabus luggage loader, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The next day, Owen was booked into jail. Owen, according to his attorney, told authorities he'd feared for his life because Green "attempted to obtain my firearm." Prosecutors say there is no evidence Green posed a serious threat. It is not publicly known how many other times Owen used force, because the Prince George's police department does not disclose the reports that such incidents generate. The Post's review relied primarily on searching for arrests by Owen in court records. One incident occurred less than a month before Green was killed. Again, the civilian was in handcuffs. On Dec. 29, tow-truck operator Jerry Costen was helping his niece with her broken-down car in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Fort Washington, Md. A man came toward them, appearing to be wounded. Costen, 42, yelled at his son to call 911. The teen ran to a car to grab a phone, but officers were already arriving, having been summoned by someone else. A video taken by Costen's daughter, obtained by The Post, shows an unidentified officer pointing a gun at Costen's running son, and Costen striding toward them, yelling, "That's my son, man! He's 16 years old!" As the officer yells for everyone to get on the ground, Owen walks over and grabs Costen. The officers put Costen and his son in handcuffs. "Why are you locking me up?" Costen says. "For what?" Owen, who is 6-foot-3 and weighs 279 pounds, eventually pushes the increasingly agitated Costen against a patrol car. Costen can again be heard on the video yelling, "For what?" Owen pulls Costen to the ground and presses his fingers to either side of Costen's neck, ordering him to "calm down." Costen screams until Owen releases the pressure. Costen was charged with assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and failure to obey a lawful order. The police report says he "attempted to head-butt [Owen] and spat on him" as Owen was walking him toward the cruiser. The video does not appear to show that behavior. Costen's niece Krytiseya Jordan-Worthy was charged with resisting arrest, failure to obey a lawful order and disorderly conduct. She filed an affidavit in court saying she was punched and slammed to the ground by another officer during the arrest. Nearly a year earlier, Owen wrapped his hands around a man's neck during an altercation that followed a traffic stop. Jonathan Harris, 27, was driving a car with no tags. He was on probation, records show, after pleading guilty to theft and second-degree assault in a 2014 case. Video of the Jan. 3, 2019, arrest, taken by Harris and obtained by The Post, shows officers pulling Harris out of his car and Owen pinning Harris to the pavement, his hands around Harris's neck. Department policy prohibits chokeholds. Police officials said they had not seen the video or received formal complaints about the arrest. Harris, who declined to comment, faces a charge of failure to obey a lawful order. But prosecutors intend to drop the charge, state's attorney's office spokeswoman Denise Smith said, because "the case did not meet elements" required for the offense. Prosecutors dropped the charges against Costen and Jordan-Worthy in February after reviewing evidence, including the video. Police officials told The Post that the incident leading to their arrests is under investigation. Costen and Jordan-Worthy, who have filed complaints with the department and are represented by attorneys, declined to comment. - - - The incidents that triggered the department's "early identification system" happened last summer. On July 13, 2019, Owen was dispatched to a Temple Hills home where Devonne Gaillard, 29, was arguing with his girlfriend. "He wanted to talk to me, and I didn't want to talk to him no more, so I walked away," Gaillard said. "When I turned my back, he grabbed me and slammed me on my neck." Gaillard's arrest report, written by another officer, said Gaillard had "balled his fists," "advanced" and "made evasive movements." He was charged with disorderly conduct and failure to obey a lawful order. Prosecutors dropped the charges in February because of Owen's involvement in the case. Gaillard said he did not file a complaint, because doing so seemed pointless. "I'm a young Black man with long dreadlocks. They don't want to hear nothing I got to say." On July 31, officers pursued a man on a suspected stolen motorcycle, who crashed and fled. Owen found him, and there was a brief struggle, according to a police report. Owen had drawn his gun. As he tried to re-holster it, he accidentally fired. No one was hit. It took the early-warning system, which relied on information being compiled by hand and entered into a database, months to create the flag, police officials say. Owen's supervisors were not notified until January. Their deadline to meet with Owen and decide whether counseling, training or other actions were warranted was Feb. 29 - a month after Owen shot Green. "The whole point of having the early intervention is you help the officer when they seem like they're in distress, before things get worse," said Harris, the University of Massachusetts professor. Former Prince George's County police chief Hank Stawinski - who had ordered Owen arrested after the January shooting - told The Post that he understood the system was too slow and had been working to upgrade it. "We were moving to fix those deficiencies," Stawinski said in an interview before his resignation in June. Maj. James McCreary, who heads the department's internal affairs division, told the county task force in August that police officials are working to make the system faster. "So if there's an early-warning violation, as soon as we see it we can push it out to the district commanders," he said. Still, department officials say it's not clear that quicker action would have prevented Green's shooting. Owen's supervisors have to review each use of force and could have acted if they found his actions concerning. After firing his gun in July 2019, Owen was required to complete "judgment enhancement shooting training" and meet with a department psychologist, all of which happened within a week, department officials say. - - - Owen had filed a workers' compensation claim the previous March, saying the effects of a years-old injury were worsening. Documents on the claim, obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act request, are redacted and do not reveal the nature of Owen's difficulties. But the documents say he was being treated by psychiatrist Patrick Sheehan, who has extensive experience diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder among police officers. And Owen's sister, Venesha Owen, told The Post that her brother suffered from PTSD. Sheehan declined to comment. The claim sought additional compensation for a partial disability claim Owen filed years earlier. But the date listed on the initial claim does not match either of the shootings attributed to Owen before he shot Green. The first happened weeks after Owen graduated from the police academy in 2010. He said he fired at a would-be mugger while off duty, according to a police account, apparently missing his target. A second came in 2011, after Owen left a Toys for Tots event at police headquarters. As he was driving in Landover, he saw a man lying in a front yard and stopped to see whether he needed help, according to the police department's written account. That account says the man, Rodney Deron Edwards, pulled a gun on Owen, prompting him to fire his own weapon. Edwards, 35, was killed. Department officials said a loaded handgun was found at the scene, and court records show that Edwards's criminal history included gun charges. Police officials deemed the shooting justified, though Edwards's family members dispute that. His uncle Henry Edwards said he does not believe his nephew - whose hand was disabled from an accident - had a gun on him or would have posed a threat to Owen. "He's not going to pull no gun on no police officer," Henry Edwards told The Post. The next October, Owen filed the claim saying he had suffered harm due to a "fatal shooting of suspect" on Nov. 29, 2010. Edwards was killed Dec. 17, 2011. Officials say they have no record of a shooting involving Owen on the 2010 date. Owen's workers' compensation attorney, John Hall, did not respond to requests for comment on the date discrepancy. The Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission awarded Owen payments to compensate him for a "permanent partial disability," records show. The amount of the award, which would be in addition to Owen's regular pay, was redacted. Owen remained on duty. Owen's claim said he notified a police captain of his difficulties, as required by the department. But police spokeswoman Christina Cotterman said the captain was not notified. That means that while some parts of the county bureaucracy were aware of the claim, Owen's supervisors - according to the department - were not. "The Department is currently investigating how he was able to circumvent the internal process and go directly toward workers' compensation," Cotterman said in an email. "The required notification would have put the Department in a position to track this issue." When Owen sought additional payments last year, the commission agreed. Cotterman said the police department is considering whether to incorporate data from workers' compensation records into its early-warning system. Experts say the more indicators a system relies on, the better it can detect potential problems. "At no point has the Department been made aware that any medical professional representing any party in this matter concluded that Corporal Owen was not fit for duty or posed any threat to himself or the community," Cotterman said. - - - Other Prince George's residents who had encounters with Owen over the years have accused him of brutality and a lack of professionalism. Several who were arrested by Owen, and accused of aggressive behavior toward him, had charges dropped because Owen did not attend court proceedings - another indicator of potential trouble that the warning system tracks. "He put me in a headlock and started slinging me on my porch," said Bernard Lewis of Temple Hills, who was arrested by Owen in 2013. "He dragged me down the steps and put me in handcuffs on the ground. He put his hand on the back of my head and pushed my face in the dirt." Owen had approached Lewis, 17 at the time, and several friends because he thought they were suspicious, according to a police report. Owen ended up arresting Lewis on charges of assault, failure to obey a lawful order and disorderly conduct, saying the teen had taken "an aggressive stance with clinched fists," punched him in the chin and tried to grab his gun. Lewis, now 25, denies punching Owen, grabbing at his gun or acting aggressively. The charges were dropped after Owen did not appear in court. Lewis sued Owen for false arrest, but the suit was dismissed because he had waived the right to sue while getting the arrest expunged. Cotterman said Owen also triggered the early-warning system in 2016 by not appearing in court on two occasions. She said a Maryland law protecting personnel records prevents her from providing more detail or saying whether the department took action. The Post found two people arrested by Owen that year whose charges were dropped when he did not show up. One was a woman pulled over for traffic violations and arrested for a suspended license. Owen added charges of assault and attempted escape, writing in an arrest report that she spit at him as they traveled along Interstate 495 in his patrol car, "became extremely violent and began attempts to exit." The woman, who spoke on the condition that she not be identified because she finds the arrest humiliating, denies being violent or trying to escape. "This man, from the jump, was very nasty," she said. "I kept telling him how unfit of an officer I felt that he was, how unprofessional he was." The woman said her insults seemed to trigger Owen. "He jerked the car to a stop and reached over and pulled me toward him and strangled me, telling me don't disrespect him, don't talk back to him. "I had three court dates, but he never showed," the woman said. The charges were dropped. The woman said she filed a complaint and spoke with police internal affairs investigators but never heard back. Department officials said Maryland law prohibits them from confirming or discussing such complaints. One evening later that year, Owen encountered a Hyundai Santa Fe that had run off the road. He wrote in a police report that the driver refused commands to get out of the car, started "yelling profanities at me" and then charged toward Owen, swinging clenched fists. Owen wrote that he took the man "to the ground" and arrested him on a charge of disorderly conduct. The man, Wayne Jones, is a sergeant with the University of the District of Columbia police force. He disputed Owen's story. "I didn't charge him, he didn't handcuff me, he didn't throw me to the ground or none of that," Jones, 66, said in an interview. Jones said he worked the night before the incident, spent that day in court, then fell asleep behind the wheel on the way home. Just before the court date, Jones said, he got a call from Owen, who said not to worry. "He said, 'I'm not even going to show up. You didn't do anything, and I don't want to be there to have to answer any questions.' " Face masks and shields, gloves and gowns, sanitizers and sterilizing stations, foggers and sprayers. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Face masks and shields, gloves and gowns, sanitizers and sterilizing stations, foggers and sprayers. Those are among the products for sale at Exchange PPE, which opens its Bannatyne Avenue doors Thursday. "Its not like what were doing is reinventing the wheel, by any means," says Josh Giesbrecht, president of the Indigenous owned-and-operated company devoted entirely to selling personal protective equipment. "But its a new economy and were definitely meeting a massive demand." MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Face masks and shields, gloves and gowns, sanitizers and sterilizing stations, foggers and sprayers. Those are among the products for sale at Exchange PPE, which opens its Bannatyne Avenue doors Thursday. Giesbrecht said hes hoping the new boutique-style outlet at 171 Bannatyne will soon become the "Apple Store for affordable pandemic planning." He said he couldnt conceive of a business entirely dedicated to sales of PPE as recently as three months ago. "I know it isnt the kind of enterprise thatll last forever," he said. "But its the kind of enterprise thatll keep growing and changing as demand shifts throughout the pandemic whether that be turning from sanitizers to foggers, or further beyond." Online sales and daily deliveries are expected to launch in a couple of weeks, he said, adding the company is also selling wholesale to small and medium-sized businesses across the province. Before the pandemic, Giesbrecht worked in the legal cannabis industry, creating CBD products for sale in Akwesasne and Mohawk territories in Ontario. It was the Winnipeggers contacts in the hemp industry, he said, that allowed him to urgently begin a search for PPE supplies when those territories started mandating lockdowns. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Josh Giesbrecht said hes hoping the new boutique-style outlet at 171 Bannatyne will soon become the Apple Store for affordable pandemic planning. "As the pandemic hit Canada in March, I very quickly saw the need for something like this," he said. "Especially for remote Indigenous communities, as someone whos from the Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation himself, I felt a sense of responsibility to see what I could do about this." Seeking permission to enter one Indigenous community at a time beginning in late May, Giesbrecht and his business partners began providing affordable PPE to several First Nations in Manitoba. 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. "As we now open ourselves up to the rest of the country, were still hoping to keep Indigenous communities as our major focus," he said. Noel Bernier, CEO of the company, said a large part of their business approach is to "educate the masses." "When customers walk through our doors, they arent just going to look at all these various different pandemic solutions were bringing them," he said. "Theyre also going to know about why theyre there in the first place." "The government can only tell you so much about how you can protect yourself best, and at the end of the day, we want you to walk out knowing more about these solutions than your knowledge walking in." temur.durrani@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @temurdur Moments at IAG 2020: Chinese teams compete with their fighting spirit EditorChen Lufan Time2020-09-09 15:30:50 Chinese participants run toward finishing line in the International Army Games 2020. The International Army Games(IAG) 2020 was held in Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan from August 23 to September 5 and was attended by 156 teams from more than 30 countries and regions. After fierce competition with their counterparts, the Chinese teams achieved good results and demonstrated good image of Chinese military. Chinese military dispatched 6 teams, including more than 260 contestants to compete in contests of "Tank Biathlon ", "safe environment", "Masters of Armored Vehicles ", " Army Scout Masters", "Open Water" and "Airborne Platoon". Apart from using indigenous built Type-96B main battle tank in the "Tank Biathlon", the Chinese crews competed with Russia's equipment and weapons in other events. The Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District (Castro CBD) is considering installing a network of security cameras in the Castro, Duboce Triangle, and Upper Market area. The purchase and installation of the high-definition cameras would be funded by tech entrepreneur Chris Larsen, the co-founder of cryptocurrency company Ripple and mortgage lender E-Loans. He would also finance the cameras' first year of maintenance. Larsen, who lives in Russian Hill, has been gifting security cameras to the city's CBDs since 2012, and his network now spans 1,000 cameras. He was driven to pitch in after his father-in-law's car was robbed, his own car windows were smashed, and his house was targeted for a burglary attempt. [Criminals] dont care at all they dont care if theyre being seen, Larsen told the New York Times in a July interview. "Its brazen." Larsen's camera network is spread across six CBDs in the city: Fisherman's Wharf, Japantown, Lower Polk, Mid-Market, the Tenderloin and Union Square. If it approves the cameras, the Castro CBD would be the seventh member of the group. Castro CBD boundary map. | Image: Castro CBD "I understand why the Castro CBD wants to do it," said District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. He and Andrea Aiello, the Castro CBD's director, say they hear constantly from constituents about property crimes in the neighborhood. The petty crimes that plague the Castro smashed windows, small fires, car break-ins, bike theft, phone theft and residential burglaries have skyrocketed this year. Compared to 2019, burglaries in the Mission Police District (which includes the Castro) are up 41%. Vehicle thefts are up 33%, and arsons are up 52%. Not every crime category has increased assaults and robberies are down, likely due to fewer people getting out and about during shelter-in-place. But Aiello says she's heard from numerous business owners and residents who've been dealing with smashed windows and break-ins for years, and would like to see the cameras installed. Year-over-year crime data from SFPD's Mission Station. 2020 crimes are in gold, while 2019 crimes are in blue. | Image: SFPD "When I meet with neighbors and police, one of the first things police suggest is installing cameras," said Mandelman. "But I think cameras always raise privacy concerns." Maintained by Mission-based Applied Video Solutions, the cameras would only be installed on homes and businesses with their owners' permission. Aiello says the exact number and locations of the cameras haven't been decided this early in the process. If it moves forward, they'd likely be chosen based on crime data and consultations with SFPD. The high-definition cameras have video quality that's far superior to home security cameras like Ring or Nest, or the user-based app Citizen. They also time-stamp footage and use a larger field of view, making the resulting videos more compelling as evidence in court. Audio is not recorded, and all footage is deleted after 30 days. The security camera footage would not have facial-recognition technology (which is banned in San Francisco). Larsen told the Times he also personally opposes its use. Aiello says that access to the camera footage, which will be recorded 24/7, would be overseen by a neighborhood coalition. If someone needs access to the footage like police, a crime victim or a defense lawyer they'd have to send a request to the coalition. With the plan still in its early stages, Aiello says she's not sure how the members of the coalition will be chosen. A screenshot showing the high-definition images produced by the cameras. | Image: Audio Video Solutions The possibility of installing cameras comes at a critical juncture for the Castro CBD, which is funded through an assessment fee on property owners in the Castro area. The CBD which was just renewed by property owners for another 15-year term uses that money to clean and brighten the neighborhood, promote public safety and lobby for larger, city-funded improvements. Those city grants, along with private donations, help flesh out its overall budget. But with the city's budget deficit ballooning and a recession underway, the CBD has had to cut back significantly on spending. Its 2020-2021 budget is $866,274, down from $1.1 million in 2019-2020. (That's despite a sizable increase in the assessment fees on property owners, which rose from $534,000 in fiscal year 2019-2020 to $819,403 in fiscal year 2020-21.) The cutbacks have led to some hard choices, including the possibility of laying off Cody Clements, the SF Patrol Special Police officer who guards the neighborhood. Most of his roughly $98,000 salary is paid by a grant from the city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD). The CBD has secured an approximately $200,000 OEWD grant for this fiscal year, but Aiello says she and the Castro Cares leadership team are still discussing the best use for the funds. She's not sure whether the OEWD grant money can be spent on the maintenance and operation of the camera network. "I need to learn more about the grant process." Audio Visual Solutions' detailed implementation plan for the cameras. | Image: Audio Visual Solutions Maintaining the cameras could be more costly than continuing to employ Clements. Lorraine Lewis, the director of business planning and administration for the Tenderloin Community Benefit District (TLCBD), says her organization spends $136,000 a year to maintain, insure and staff its 90-camera network. Almost all that funding comes from grants. The cameras' impact is also unclear. Lewis says she's not sure whether the cameras decreased crime in the Tenderloin, or otherwise served as a deterrent. What she can say is that the camera network has provided greater coverage of any crimes it captures, creating a chain of evidence that can be used by a public defender or the office of District Attorney Chesa Boudin. During a Tenderloin CBD meeting about the cameras in July, Boudin told the Times that he has mixed opinions on them. He likes that they can save the city money on policing; a single SFPD drug bust costs about $20,000, whereas a camera can capture similar evidence for a much lower cost. But he's not sure how useful they are for arresting high-level crime ring leaders, rather than minor players on the sidewalks. And he's wary of the potential implications of individual citizens being empowered as crime-fighters, as many important laws that regulate sworn officers including the city's laws on facial-recognition tech don't apply to them. Given the current conversation around policing, the potential police abuse of the technology is another concern. The SF Examiner recently reported that the Union Square BID let SFPD conduct live surveillance through its cameras during the George Floyd protests. Saira Hussain, a staff attorney and privacy activist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the Examiner that the surveillance was "extremely concerning," and could have a chilling effect on protesters' First Amendment rights. A smashed window at Louis Vuitton in Union Square, vandalized during the George Floyd protests in late May. | Photo: Saul N./Hoodline Aiello says the Castro CBD is still in a very early phase of deciding whether to install the cameras. She plans to conduct significant community outreach, and despite the shelter-in-place order, believes that can be done virtually. Should the security cameras be approved, it's unclear how the Castro CBD will pay for their maintenance. Aiello says they're still discussing it, and it's possible the cameras may ultimately prove to be too expensive. The next meeting about the cameras will be on Sept. 24 at 10 a.m., when the Castro CBD's Services Committee will hear a proposal from Applied Video Solutions. The virtual meeting is open to the public. Mandelman anticipates both enthusiasm and concern from neighbors about the issue. "The Castro CBD is going to need to think long and hard to come up with policy and protocols that the material they collect is used in a way the neighborhood is comfortable with," he said. Two Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) -- have launched a campaign urging people to switch off lights and light candles to highlight rising unemployment and other issues facing the country. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has appealed to people to switch off lights for 9 minutes at 9 pm on September 9 to express solidarity with the families facing unemployment. When the youths get determined, oppressive rulers lose their sleep, Yadav, also the president of SP, said in a tweet. "Come, let us light the torch of revolution by switching off the lights for 9 minutes at 9 PM tonight to express solidarity with the youths and their families who are facing the darkness of unemployment, Yadav tweeted, using the hashtag. #9Baje9Minute. This comes a day after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav urged people in poll-bound Bihar to light a candle on their roofs or in the balconies of their houses around the same time demanding employment. The exercise is similar to Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal in April when he asked people to light candles, lamps and turn mobile phone torches on as a mark of respect for the workers from healthcare and other sectors who were at the forefront in the fight against Coronavirus pandemic. Pointing to joblessness among educated youth, SP leader Anurag Bhadauria said the government of the day had not done anything for them. Isnt it the governments responsibility to provide jobs to the unemployed youth, Bhadauria told newspersons. The switching off lights campaign is to mark our protest against governments failures, he said. The UP Congress has also urged people to light candles and earthen lamps around the same time to remove what their leaders called the dark clouds of arrogance from the jumlebaaz governments eyes. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, too, has supported the campaign. The youth of the country want to make their voice heard. The youth are raising their voice against stalled recruitments, examination dates, appointments and jobs, Vadra said in a tweet using the hashtag '9 baje 9 minute yuvaon ki baat' and #StopPrivatisation_SaveGovtJob. Opposition parties, including the Congress, have stepped up their attack against the government over the long-festering economic crisis, rise in unemployment and dismal GDP figures. The Congress party said that with a labour force of 42.8 crore, including 3.6 crore unemployed, across the country, job creation should be the government's top priority. "Twelve crore jobs have vanished; 5-trillion dollar economy has vanished; the common man's income too and so the country's prosperity has vanished." Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said last week Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Pietro Paganini (The Jakarta Post) Rome Wed, September 9, 2020 09:05 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43a10b9 3 Opinion parliamentary-democracy,representative-democracy,Insight,democracy,liberal-democracy,liberalism,liberal Free Politics cannot be reduced to a win-or-lose dichotomy. It is wrong to claim that a political party or movement has won an election, because doing so polarizes participation into fixed ideas that suppress the free choice of citizens and slows the emergence of new solutions (to be verified) to problems of human cohabitation. This is what we are experiencing in this moment in history, with even some (self-styled) liberals having abandoned the experimental approach in favor of the conformist uniformity of ideas, rendered inconsistent by time. Ideas naturally prevail as a result of free choices made by citizens, who are the sole winners or losers, depending on how their choices play out. In representative or parliamentary democracies, our expectations and needs, as citizens, seek representation in the ideas and projects pursued by political movements, precisely to respond to our demands. Political proposals, encapsulating ideas and projects, compete with one another. Increased competition at once reflects and gives rise to greater diversity. The goal is to best represent diversity in addressing society's problems. To this end, we need electoral laws that ensure greater expression of diversity, both by qualitatively broadening participation in the legislature, and by expanding what is on offer in terms of political movements to include but not homogenize the diversity of projects from which to choose (because representation thrives on choice). Furthermore, there is a need for other forums for exchange, aside from the legislature, where diversity can be expressed and give rise to political projects. In this context, rather than winners or losers, there are prevailing projects, backed by the citizens. With citizens' support comes responsibility. Indeed, it is the citizens who stand to win or lose, depending on whether those who represent them succeed in bringing the relevant projects to fruition, thus improving the freedom and prosperity of each individual. It is therefore fundamentally wrong to compete with the aim of winning above all else. Likewise, it is dangerous to announce a winner, and naive to celebrate. Victory relies on another's defeat. Democracy does not work that way. Nobody is defeated, except for citizens who pinned their hopes on projects that ultimately failed. Democracy involves working together to ensure that the projects that prevail are highly representative and can respond to our various needs as citizens. This involves a specific experimental approach, the objective of which is to constantly try new solutions, appropriate to the evolving times. The culture of winners and losers is not tied to an approach, but instead takes refuge in fixed, unchanging ideas, with the sole aim of winning the vote, rather than seeking to make the project work. And so the goal is no longer to solve the problems, but instead to use those problems as a means of gaining support from citizens. The goal is to win the vote. This is at the heart of the polarization we are currently experiencing: citizens are taking refuge in immovable ideas, even at the cost of defeating those who are different. Diversity is not an asset to draw on, but an enemy to suppress. The terminology is not incidental, it has cultural roots. It is fueled by the media, and social media in particular. The terms "winner" and "loser" are used to simplify the concept of prevalence, but they are inappropriate, and their use is not coincidental. Rather it is cultural, in keeping with historicist logic, which sees one idea win out over others that, in turn, are victims of that idea, to which everyone conforms. Only a revolution can unseat the dominant idea, in favor of the alternative. A revolutionary narrative style is easier to digest, cognitively, because it pushes us toward one idea, spurning the other and its supporters. Using a very simple framework (right or wrong, black or white, etc.), the winner draws admiration and contempt, as does the loser. It is a model that polarizes citizens, hindering tolerance and, consequently, the recognition of diversity and of alternative solutions to real problems. Representative democracy proves weak in this context, because citizens prefer simple, clear solutions (even if they are short-sighted) to the complex dynamics of democratic conflict. And when the demiurgic effect of polarization wears off (for example during an economic crisis), revolution follows, which in turn sets the polarization process in motion once again. There can be no advancement of knowledge without constant conflict, because revolutions involve rejecting what came before, to replace it with apparent innovations. Apparent innovations, because they do not respond to everyday experimentation, as is typical of democratic conflict, but instead re-propose the same content in different forms. And so, as is currently the case, we remain tied to old frameworks, opposed to one another, to deal with every new issue the world presents. It is critical that we urgently abandon this rigid framework, to return to democratic conflict. This change can only be driven by liberals. But too many, betraying the spirit of liberalism, remain attached to the past, hostile to the present, making no effort to understand what is happening. -------- Business professor at Temple University, Rome, adjunct assistant professor of business administration at John Cabot University and cofounder of Competere think tank Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Honey, I Shrunk the Celebrities. Now at the Toronto International Film Festival. With the Toronto International Film Festival beginning this week, but a truncated TIFF think if TIFF had gastric bypass surgery not only are we not getting the usual rainfall of agents, publicists, studio heads, party planners and hangers-on galore, but the celebs themselves are in stasis. Like, actually shrunken down, as they have been all pandemic-long: prisoners of little boxes on Zoom, doing whatever interviews or public engagements they have to do via video-conferencing. Larger than life? Try smaller. The weird hybridness of TIFF this year reflects where the wider celebrity economy is, at large, as it does anything else. Hold the Spanx, in other words. The dirty little secret? Some stars, like Kate Winslet, kinda dig it. I can be barefoot and I dont have to put a dress on so its awesome, she recently told the Hollywood Reporter when checking in about the world premiere of her newest film, Ammonite, co-starring Saoirse Ronan, in Toronto on Sept. 11. With expectations climbing for the film it is being repped by Neon, the distributor that brought Parasite to TIFF last year, later driving it to Oscar it will be screened in front of a live audience here, with Winslet beaming in via the glories of WiFi. Later, shell also accept an award at the TIFF Tribute Gala (which also has Shawn Mendes performing). I can have my glass of wine just out of frame, like that, the six-time Oscar nominee explained, pantomiming her glass off-screen strategy. Given how gruelling and back-to-back actually coming to the festival can be for A-listers as TIFF has grown, one can partly understand Winslets relief. She is, after all, the star who I distinctly remember seeing fly in from the U.K. to walk the red carpet for a gala a few years back, waving dutifully inside Roy Thomson Hall, and then promptly getting on a plane back across the pond that same night. What the fest is losing this year is the serendipity that it can generate, especially on the party circuit (the serendipity we have all been missing these last few months). Like that time, five festivals ago, when Greta Gerwig met the aforementioned Ronan in Toronto and they hatched an idea to make Lady Bird together. Or how schmoozing at the fest can even lead to lovey-dovey and marriage. Like when Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander met on the dance floor at Soho House on Adelaide. I was there! (The chemistry was so instant they did not actually speak that night, only danced.) Be it in the flesh or not, a smaller pool than an Oahu-style wave as far as the lineup goes, the usual awards season jockeying is on this week, whether it be in the form of a temperature check for a star in midstream, like Vanessa Kirby, or an established lion like Anthony Hopkins looking for another rumble. The former best known for her cheeky performance as Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of The Crown is in the film Pieces of a Woman, in which she plays a mother struggling with the loss of a child. Having just played in Venice, where she got raves, it amounts to a big career boost for the British starlet, career pole-positioning being so often the goal when it comes to the fest. We are talking about the kind of role that takes her into Michelle Williams territory, I hear. Hopkins, meanwhile, stars in the dementia drama The Father (with Olivia Colman) and he is so good in the movie it first premiered in a pre-pandemic Sundance Film Fest, back in January that one awards season watcher put it this way: I dont see a universe where Anthony Hopkins doesnt get nominated, or win a second Oscar, for his performance in The Father. Its an absolutely stunning and devastating performance. The man is on another level. Hoping to double down on this hype as The Father gets another rollout in Toronto this week Sony Classics, which is now behind the film, hopes to establish the 82-year-old icon as a Best Actor front-runner. Plus Idris Elba on a horse and Frances McDormand in a van. Those are among other performances on the radar. (See: Concrete Cowboy, and Nomadland, respectively.) Pre-parties, post-parties, breakfast parties. Try no parties. The usual social connective tissue of the fest has been ripped up this year. That is true. And with it, the hive consensus that begins to form IRL about certain movies in the context of all the influential opinion-makers, especially those from New York and L.A. Without experiencing the contagion of emotion or laughter in the theatres media types are all screening their films at home it all becomes something all together now no? The tweet goes on. I guess. - A woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer is giving her kids the chance to celebrate one final Christmas with her - The woman identified as Ciara Haggan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 and she has only a few weeks to live - Good Samaritans have raised almost 10,000 for her to make sure she and daughters enjoy their final days together - Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A woman from Northern Ireland battling terminal breast cancer, Ciara Haggan, is giving her kids the chance to celebrate one final Christmas with her. The woman who has only a few weeks to live has received help from people as almost 10,000 (GHc73,934) has been raised to make sure she and her daughters enjoy their final days together. According to the woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, Christmas has always been their favourite, Belfast Telegraph reports. YEN.com.gh gathers that the woman is determined to keep fighting until the end to make every day as special as possible. Ciara Haggan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 and she has only a few weeks to live, Photo credit: Belfast Telegraph Source: UGC The 38-year-old woman said: "My mindset now is that I want my kids to live each day like there's no tomorrow because there might not be for me. "I wanted so much to give the kids a final Christmas Day to remember." Ciara said some of the money has been set aside to give her daughters a proper holiday with their uncle in 2021. She added: "I'll be gone before the real Christmas arrives." Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh previously reported that Ida Price of Louisiana beat the odds after fighting off COVID-19 while at the same time battling cancer, making her more of a medical miracle. The 89-year-old grandma learnt she had coronavirus in late March 2020 after a relative tested positive. Not long after, she was tested and was diagnosed with COVID-19, though she showed no symptoms. Price said she didnt have a fever and never had a cough. Neither did she experience any chest pains. After testing positive for the COVID-19, her children moved quickly to bring her to Houston from her home in Louisiana and checked her into United Memorial Medical Hospital because she was already battling colon cancer. 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 By Sukanya Roy, TwoCircles.net Palakkad: On the evening of 24 August, Palakkad North Division police turned up at the house of two brothers, Abdurrahman (18) and Bilal (20), to question them in connection with a physical assault attempt on an RSS worker. Soon, they were taken into custody and tortured. They were unaware of this assault incident and continuously asserted their innocence to the police, said their lawyer Advocate Mohammad Rashid. Support TwoCircles One week after his arrest, Abdurrahman was still in the hospital suffering from serious injuries on his genitals, thighs, chest, and legs, while Bilal is still in judicial custody in an equally wretched condition, additionally facing criminal prosecution under IPC Sec. 308 (culpable homicide), 341, 324 and others. Adv. Rashid narrates, When sub-inspector Sudheesh Kumars team of nine officers barged into the house, not a single male family member was present. Their younger sister attempted to call her father, but the police threatened that they would pick her up too. They took the boys away without any intimation to the family members. When his family eventually came to know, they called up the police station, but the police denied keeping the youths in their custody. However, what transpired inside the police station paints a horrific picture of human rights abuse and police brutality. Adv. Rashid conveyed to TwoCircles.net what Abdurrahman recounted of his trauma when he was finally released after 24 hours. A group of ten police officers started by beating both the youths on their feet. They were tied up and 150-200 lashes were inflicted on them. They stood on his thighs and beat them on the head, he said. He continued to describe how the violence escalated. Then, two police officers sat on their chests while the others used a cigarette lighter to burn their genitals. They even sprayed their private parts with pepper spray, he said. Equally condemnable was the motive behind torturing them, especially harming their genitals. SI Sudheesh Kumar revealed it himself. Now, you will not be able to give birth to any more Muslims, he is reported to have said while in the act. Consequently, a video was made by Abdurrahmans friends where he shared the gruesome details of the torture they had suffered. The Police hastened to strengthen the oppressive chokehold around Abdurrahman, this time by penalising his right to free speech. An FIR was slapped against him, on grounds of spreading fake news and communal disharmony, under Sec 153 (A). Although he has been granted anticipatory bail by the Sessions Court Palakkad, Abdurrahman was dismissed from the hospital only on the 1 September, after being treated for multiple internal injuries and severe blood loss for over a week. Bilal was not granted bail in his hearing on 3 September. The boys mother Hajira has filed written complaints to the Kerala DGP, the CM, the Chairman of NHRC, Palakkad Superintendent of Police, and the District Collector. She expects justice to be delivered to her sons. SI Sudheesh Kumar and his team need to be punished for their crimes, said Adv. Rashid. The building of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has humiliated Muslims across the country, making them feel overpowered by the Hindu majoritarian fervour surrounding the event. A gaudy display of cultural and political supremacy has been waved in their faces, with TV channels redecorating their sets after temples, anchors dressing up as gods, and political leaders proclaiming 5 August as some annual momentous occasion first the scrapping of Article 370 in J&K, and now, Bhoomi Pujan. We are witnessing repetitive normalisations of a national policy of violent arbitrariness. But it is necessary also to note the Ram Temple event as the beginning of a wave of illegal detentions and police crackdowns against Muslims for their online activity. During the lockdown, the UP police have filed FIRs against at least seven people for posting WhatsApp statuses against the RSS, alleging them of hurting religious sentiments. A first-year journalism student from Bahraich, UP, was detained and insulted for sharing a status tagged with #RSSseAazadi. Another such FIR has filed against a PhD scholar at AMU, who is unable to return home in fear of being arrested. There had been altercations between the BJP and CFI parties regarding the Ayodhya Ram Mandir issue, in some areas of Palakkad in the recent past, says Al Bilal, Kerala State Committee member of Campus Front of India. The police have been questioning us ever since, about physical confrontations as well as online content we have posted. But nothing unusual had happened so far, he added. When I saw the video after Abdurrahman was released, he was not even being able to stand up or walk properly. The multiple bruises on his legs were blood-stained, Al Bilal added. I couldnt watch it without crying. It reminded me of my own younger brother. What if he were to be arrested on grounds of mere suspicion and then treated so ruthlessly? he asked. Mushtaq Usman, the Palakkad District president of Campus Front of India, expressed his outrage over this case. Bilal was working as an electrician, and Abdurrahman has recently finished school. They are simple people who had done nothing to deserve this kind of inhuman torture. Further, the specific religious comment made by the sub-inspector exposes the sheer hatred and sense of vengeance that the Palakkad police feels towards the Muslim community. His claim is corroborated by Reny Ayline, National Secretary of the National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation (NCHRO), who is himself a Palakkad native. Neither of the two boys have any criminal history. Its not as if they were on the run. This kind of secretive detention post-sundown, followed by a denial of information to their family about their whereabouts, and then torturing them brutally in custody, reeks of an insidious attitude. Reny continues, When I was in Kashmir on a fact-finding mission, the local youth described how the Army uses illegal detention as a tool of intimidation. One of the most common methods of torture is to damage the genitals and rectal areas of even those who are picked up on grounds of mere suspicion. Similar things are happening in Kerala now. Although a Left party is ruling, the aggressive behaviour of the police has exposed this spirit of pseudo-secularism. The police brutality against Abdurrahman and Bilal has several glaring precedents. In 2011, a Dalit man by the name of Sampath, accused in the murder of his wife, was killed in the custody of Palakkad police. Three officers were arrested and fourteen others have been implicated in the investigation. All of them were suspended. In 2019, a Dalit teenager named Vinayakan was tortured severely in police custody. His offence was sporting a hairstyle that made him look like a criminal, in the words of his arresting officer. He committed suicide the next day, succumbing to the intense mental torment and shame that the police torture had left him grappling with. The concerned officers were suspended for six months and then reinstated. In 1991, when BJP chief Murli Manohar Joshis Ekta Yatra reached Palakkad, riots erupted between BJP cadres and locals. The then Kerala police chief Raman Srivastava ordered his unit in Puthupally to open fire on Muslims, saying, I want the dead bodies of Muslim bastards! However, no riot had taken place in Puthupally. An 11-year-old girl, Sirajunnisa, who was playing in front of her home, was shot dead due to this indiscriminate firing. Srivastava was neither dismissed from office nor did Sirajunnisas family obtain justice. Palakkad district is a strong hub of the Sangh Parivar, and this incident was pivotal to the growth of its stronghold, Reny explains. From 1991 to now, the political situation has not changed here. What good are the latest guns and modern vehicles when the mindset of the police force remains unchanged? What the British did to Indians, police forces are doing to their own people, he commented. In the past year, police forces across the country have unleashed unprecedented brutality on citizens belonging to vulnerable social communities. The police attack in 2019 on Jamia Milia University students, and shortly after in Aligarh Muslim University during the anti-CAA-NRC protests are testimony to this. The distinct role of the Delhi police in covering for the Hindu rioters, and falsely framing the Muslim residents in North-East Delhi during the riots, is undeniable as well. Further, caste-based violence during the lockdown has only exacerbated owing to the negligence and bias of the police against the victims of these vicious attacks. In July, the Tamil Nadu police failed to deliver justice to the family of a minor Dalit girl who was raped by two dominant-group youths and left in a canal in Thoothukudi. The police pinned a superficial angle of mental instability to the offenders actions, denied alleged rape charges, and transferred the case to CBI. In another case in the same month, Kadayam forest officials picked up an old Dalit farmer at midnight and tortured him in custody after levelling baseless charges of stealing electricity for fencing his lands. He was declared dead upon arrival at the Tenkasi Government Hospital. Even though an FIR was lodged at the Alwarkurichi police station, the forest officials who not only tortured the victim to death but also tried to secretly bury his body, have not been arrested yet. Each of these cases, as well as Renys statement, highlights the lack of morality that grows as a festering wound within Indian police forces, and their disrespect for laws they are themselves meant to uphold. By perpetuating and enforcing the divide-and-rule policies of various ruling dispensations, it strengthens by the day, as a practical tool for implementing neo-colonialism in India. Adv. Mohammad Shareef, National Treasurer of the NCHRO, commented on the Palakkad case, saying, This is a violation of fundamental laws, codes in police manuals, as well as tenets of our constitution. Article 21 guarantees every individual the dignity of life. The two youths were not treated with any dignity in this case. When asked about whether the boys family could reasonably hope for justice, he said, In some cases, the action is taken against concerned officials. But in a sizable number of incidents the police ignore the complaint, and NHRC does not attend to the matter adequately. There are still more legal resources that could be taken, but the cases get very prolonged, with no guarantee of real justice. MONROE A member of the towns school community has tested positive for COVID-19, acting Superintendent Joseph Kobza stated in a letter sent to families Tuesday. Kobza, in his letter, said the administration believes the potential for exposure is small. We have been working with our local health department as well as the Connecticut Department of Public Health to determine contact tracing, Kobza wrote. Kobza informed the Board of Education of the positive test, without offering an identification of the individual or school, at its Tuesday meeting. What we want people to know is if you were not contacted by (interim Assistant Principal) Jack (Ceccolini) or I today, there no close contact, Kobza told the board. Kobza wrote that school and health department personnel have contacted parents and guardians of students who may have had the potential for close contact with the COVID-19 individual. He added that close contact is defined as being within six feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes. If you were not directly contacted, then it was determined that your child did not have close contact and should not be at increased risk from COVID-19, Kobza wrote. It has been determined that no staff members had close contact with the individual. Kobza said schools remain open to in-person learning for all students, bus transportation continues and we are working closely with the Monroe Health Department and the Department of Public Health to ensure necessary measures continue to be in place to protect all staff and students. Kobza asked parents that if their child has any of the symptoms of illness listed on the self assessment checklist to contact their pediatrician and keep their child at home. The district will continue to provide additional information to parents as it is available, Kobza wrote. brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2020) - Roscan Gold Corporation (TSXV: ROS) (FSE: 2OJ) (OTC Pink: RCGCF) ("Roscan" or the "Company") is pleased to report on bottle roll test work recently completed on crushed rejects of diamond drill samples from the Mankouke South Target. Test work has been completed at ALS Laboratory in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in August 2020 and recorded an overall metallurgical recovery of 90% from 139 samples (Table 1). The preliminary test work (bottle roll) in 2020 was focused on defining the cyanide recoveries that are expected from the Mankouke South project material. Additional work is still required for the metallurgical process at Mankouke South, but no significant metallurgical issues related to gold recovery have been identified from the work to date. Nana Sangmuah, President and CEO, stated, "Preliminary metallurgical testing shows high recoveries of up to 96.5% in the Mankouke South Target. Further metallurgical test work will be completed in 2021 to determine the variation in gold recoveries between the oxide, transition zones and fresh rock. We are very excited and encouraged about these initial results, which clearly indicate the potential to recover the gold in a conventional manner." Lithology Code Weathering Fresh Rock (py %) Recovery (%) No. of Samples Laterite Laterite 92.8 7 Greywacke Saprolite No fresh pyrite 96.5 45 Greywacke/Shale Saprolite No fresh pyrite 91.6 4 Greywacke Saprolite With fresh pyrite 84.0 57 Greywacke/Shale Saprolite With fresh pyrite 82.0 12 Polymitic Breccia Fresh 90.5 14 Total 90 139 Table 1: Summary of Preliminary Metallurgical Result for Mankouke South Gregory Isenor, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, reviewed the bottle roll test work completed at ALS, and this news release. Gregory Isenor, P.Geo., an Officer and Director of Roscan, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. About Roscan Roscan Gold Corporation is a well-funded Canadian gold exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of gold properties in West Africa. The Company has assembled a significant land position of 100%-owned permits in an area of producing gold mines (including B2 Gold's Fekola Mine which lies in a contiguous property to the west of Kandiole), and major gold deposits, located both north and south of its Kandiole Project in West Mali. For further information, please contact: Andrew J. Ramcharan, P.Eng Executive Vice President - Corporate Development Tel: (416) 572-2295 Email: aramcharan@Roscan.ca Greg Isenor, P.Geo Executive Vice-Chairman Tel: (902) 832-5555 Email: gpisenor@Roscan.ca Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63403 Company Will Be Majority Partner in the New Solis Gainesville Apartments VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (NYSE: AHH) today announced it has entered into a joint venture with Terwilliger Pappas to develop Solis Gainesville in Gainesville, Georgia. Solis Gainesville will be a new 223-unit multifamily development strategically located in downtown Gainesville, Georgia, approximately one hour northeast of Atlanta. In addition to boutique hotel-inspired amenities, the $52 million project will feature public park and civic space connecting to an existing pedestrian bridge that provides direct walkable access to upscale retail, dining, greenway, performing arts, and cultural offerings as well as Gainesville City Hall and the historic Gainesville Square. The City of Gainesville is located in Northeast Georgia, approximately 50 miles northeast of Atlanta and 100 miles southwest of Greenville, South Carolina. Located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the 19th largest city in the state is surrounded on three sides by Lake Lanier. Gainesville is the largest of six cities in Hall County with a population of more than 42,000. As the business hub for Northeast Georgia, Gainesville's daytime population is estimated to exceed 100,000. Gainesville is also home to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center (located less than one mile from Solis Gainesville) with approximately 9,000 employees throughout Hall County. I am pleased to announce our partnership in another high-quality multifamily development, said Louis Haddad, President & CEO of Armada Hoffler Properties. Solis Gainesville is the most recent addition to our growing pipeline of apartment projects and our second venture with Terwilliger Pappas. Solis Gainesville, along with our previously announced acquisitions, continues our rapid progress toward achieving portfolio equilibrium across the office, retail, and multifamily segments. We look forward to breaking ground on the project later this month with anticipated completion in 2022. Story continues About Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (NYSE: AHH) is a vertically-integrated, self-managed real estate investment trust ("REIT") with four decades of experience developing, building, acquiring, and managing high-quality, institutional-grade office, retail, and multifamily properties located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. In addition to developing and building properties for its own account, the Company also provides development and general contracting construction services to third-party clients. Founded in 1979 by Daniel A. Hoffler, the Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For more information, visit ArmadaHoffler.com . About Terwilliger Pappas Founded in 2013, Terwilliger Pappas is a privately held real estate developer based in North Carolina. Since its inception, Terwilliger Pappas has developed more than 23 multifamily and mixed-use projects throughout the southeast. For more information, visit www.terwilligerpappas.com . Forward-Looking Statements Certain matters within this press release, including with respect to the details of the Companys proposed development of Solis Gainesville and the commencement of construction, are discussed using forward-looking language as specified in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and, as such, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may adversely affect the cause the actual results or performance to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Companys actual future results and trends may differ materially from expectations depending on a variety of factors discussed in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These factors include, without limitation: (a) the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on macroeconomic conditions and economic conditions in the markets in which the Company operates, including, among others: (i) disruptions in, or a lack of access to, the capital markets or disruptions in the Companys ability to draw amounts under its credit facility or to borrow amounts subject to existing construction loan commitments, (ii) adverse impacts to the Companys tenants and other third parties businesses that adversely affect the ability and willingness of the Companys tenants other third parties to satisfy their obligations to the Company, (iii) the ability and willingness of the Companys tenants to renew their leases with the Company upon expiration of the leases or to re-lease the Companys properties on the same or better terms in the event of nonrenewal or early termination of existing leases, and (iv) federal and state government initiatives to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, including the timing and amount of economic stimulus or other initiatives; (b) the Companys ability to consummate previously disclosed acquisitions and, or to commence construction on development projects, in each case on the timeframes and on terms currently anticipated; (c) the Companys ability to accurately assess and predict the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its results of operations, financial condition, acquisition and disposition activities and growth opportunities; and (d) the information under the heading Risk Factors included in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the Company Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, and in other filings the Company makes from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Contact: Michael P. OHara Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Secretary Email: MOHara@ArmadaHoffler.com Phone: (757) 366-6684 CLEVELAND, Ohio A 15-year-old boy admitted involvement in the fatal shooting of Cleveland police Det. James Skernivitz and a police informant, a prosecutor said on Wednesday. Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Karly Huml said during an arraignment in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court that the teen made the admission to detectives Tuesday following his arrest. The teen is charged with aggravated murder, felonious assault and aggravated robbery. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Magistrate Judge Mark Majer ordered the teen held in the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center while the case is pending. Majer said during the hearing that he could ultimately be charged as an adult as the case progresses. The teens mother told the judge that the boy attends Denison Elementary School. The teen said little during the hearing, other than saying that hes trying to get by, when Majer asked how he was doing. Majer said if the teens case remains in juvenile court, he could be held in the states juvenile prison system until he turns 21. If hes tried as an adult, the minimum penalty if convicted would be life in prison with the possibility of parole in 20 years. Assistant Cuyahoga County Public Defender Britta Barthol unsuccessfully argued for the boy to be released from the detention center on house arrest, citing his lack of prior criminal charges. The teen is one of three people charged in Thursdays shooting that killed Skernivitz and informant Scott Dingess, 50. David McDaniel, 18, had a not-guilty plea entered on his behalf Wednesday at his initial appearance in Cleveland Municipal Court. A municipal judge ordered him held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on $3 million bond. A 17-year-old boy charged in the case pleaded not guilty Tuesday and remains in the juvenile detention center. Majer ordered the two teens separated inside the juvenile lockup while the case is pending. Skernivitz, a detective in the departments gang investigation unit, was investigating drug dealing at the time of the shooting. The shooting happened about 10 p.m. Thursday behind a mostly abandoned strip mall on West 67th Place, near the intersection of West 65th Street and Storer Avenue. Skernivitz and Dingess sat in Skernivitzs unmarked police car during an undercover drug investigation. Three people walked up to Skernivitzs car and opened fire. A bullet hit Skernivitz in the chest, and several bullets hit Dingess. Skernivitz drove forward and crashed into a fence outside a school. Huml said surveillance cameras in the area recorded the shooting. Skernivitzs funeral is set for 10 a.m. Friday at Rocket Mortgage Field House in downtown Cleveland. It was previously set to be held at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Read more from cleveland.com: Slain Cleveland police officers funeral changed to Rocket Mortgage Field House Man charged in fatal shooting of Cleveland police officer, informant held on $3 million bond Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on slain Cleveland police officer: He spent more than two decades protecting citizens of Ohio Two teens, man charged in fatal shooting of Cleveland police officer, informant NEET 2020 to be held on schedule as SC refuses to intervene India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 09: The NEET 2020 exams will be held on schedule on September 13 as the Supreme Court has refused to intervene. The court said it would not intervene in the varied petitions seeking postponement of the exams. Last week, the court rejected a petition that sought review of its August 17 order which allowed the conduct of the NEET-UG and JEE (Mains) examination. The court was then hearing a petition filed by the Cabinet Ministers of six non-BJP ruled states. The petitioners had said that the exams should be postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The court which was hearing the plea by ministers from West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Punjab , Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh said that there is no merit in the plea. The court''s August 17 order, which allowed the exams to be held has become a political battle as the ministers of six states -- ruled by parties like Congress, TMC, JMM, NCP and Shiv Sena -- sought postponement of the exams "in a manner that achieves the twin objectives of ensuring that the academic year of the students is not wasted and their health and safety is not compromised." Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News The top court had refused to interfere with the conduct of the medical and engineering entrance exams, saying that life must go on and students can't lose a precious year due to the pandemic. The court had on August 17, dismissed a plea by one Sayantan Biswas and others seeking direction to NTA to postpone them after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured that all safeguards would be taken. By Kang Seung-woo Kim Yo-jong, North Korea's de facto second-in-command, has been out of the public eye for more than a month, leaving the South Korean government and experts scrambling to find out what has happened to the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un. Kim Yo-jong / Korea Times file After identifying a need for medical consumables and disposables to difficult-to-deliver regions and rural communities across Africa, 20-year old Tony McPherson launched McPherson Trading, a tender based procurement consultancy to help fill this gap. Tony McPherson, group CEO of McPherson Holdings Africas weak supply system has a lot to do with poor procurement practices, lack of storage facilities for pharmaceutical supplies and products, poor transportation systems and inefficient manufacturing capacity. Navigating this business has been tough but there is a dire need to achieve quality healthcare and medical access in African countries. Business runs in the family Ive been fortunate to be surrounded by a long line of businessmen and women from whom I could learn from, which has really equipped me with the knowledge needed to overcome the immense challenges of making this business work. Advice to young entrepreneurs Throw yourself into the deep-end The human instinct is to swim, not to sink. I can confidently say that most young entrepreneurs will find their niche and end up succeeding in whatever industry they throw themselves into, within the first three years. People need to remember, sustainable businesses that focus on longevity are not built overnight. The human instinct is to swim, not to sink. I can confidently say that most young entrepreneurs will find their niche and end up succeeding in whatever industry they throw themselves into, within the first three years. People need to remember, sustainable businesses that focus on longevity are not built overnight. Avoid debt My biggest piece of advice to any aspiring entrepreneur is to start small and grow at the pace in which your cash flow allows. You do not have to get into debt to make money. Anything is achievable without loans, credit cards, and overdraft facilities if you start small. One of my mentors, Penny Streeter OBE, has always said to me never buy anything you cannot afford cash. To this day, I make use of this principle across all my businesses. My biggest piece of advice to any aspiring entrepreneur is to start small and grow at the pace in which your cash flow allows. You do not have to get into debt to make money. Anything is achievable without loans, credit cards, and overdraft facilities if you start small. One of my mentors, Penny Streeter OBE, has always said to me never buy anything you cannot afford cash. To this day, I make use of this principle across all my businesses. Find you niche market The most successful companies are those which operate in a niche market that is not overcrowded with competition. Offer a product or service that no one else does. Within every industry there is always a niche, and most of the time you will not find it if you are looking. You need to stumble upon it as a problem that needs a solution. The most successful companies are those which operate in a niche market that is not overcrowded with competition. Offer a product or service that no one else does. Within every industry there is always a niche, and most of the time you will not find it if you are looking. You need to stumble upon it as a problem that needs a solution. Do things properly If you are going to do something, do it properly from the get-go or you are wasting your time. Things like compliance, taxation, and SOP's need to be in place from the start. If not, it will haunt you later. If you are going to do something, do it properly from the get-go or you are wasting your time. Things like compliance, taxation, and SOP's need to be in place from the start. If not, it will haunt you later. Be your own cheerleader As an entrepreneur you need to be able to self-motivate. There are going to be times when others will not always agree with you or understand your decisions and that is when you need to trust your instinct. As an entrepreneur you need to be able to self-motivate. There are going to be times when others will not always agree with you or understand your decisions and that is when you need to trust your instinct. Set goals Learn to be goal-orientated. Set daily goals, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly goals, etc. Do not be afraid to reward your efforts every now and again when you reach your goals. It is important to look after yourself, too. Learn to be goal-orientated. Set daily goals, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly goals, etc. Do not be afraid to reward your efforts every now and again when you reach your goals. It is important to look after yourself, too. Network It is so important to network. Take every opportunity to go to conferences, events, and seminars. Word of mouth is still one of the best forms of advertising. It is so important to network. Take every opportunity to go to conferences, events, and seminars. Word of mouth is still one of the best forms of advertising. Hire the right team When the time comes to hire assistance, make sure you have the right people working for you, as they are ultimately working towards you company goals. Encourage your team to have their own professional goals too. This will motivate your employees and build long-standing teams. When the time comes to hire assistance, make sure you have the right people working for you, as they are ultimately working towards you company goals. Encourage your team to have their own professional goals too. This will motivate your employees and build long-standing teams. Take time off Being an entrepreneur is not a 9 to 5 job. It is not how the movies portray it: glamorous business trips, private jets and meeting influential people for lunch. It is blood, sweat, tears, and many curse words. It is probably the hardest working job in the world. Your brain is constantly running on overtime, you are always busy, and you will burn yourself out. You need to reset, relax and breath otherwise you will age beyond your years. Since opening doors in January 2019, the company has serviced countries such as Mali, Malawi, Tanzania, the DRC, Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen, and consigned roughly R30 million worth of stock to date.Infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV have long been some of the worlds biggest killers, and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), African countries still lag far behind the global average in all three.Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 93% of malaria-related deaths in the world, while 20.7 million people in East and Southern Africa are living with HIV, with TB accounting for around one in three AIDS-related deaths. Many clinics in rural towns are starved for any sort of medical equipment and supplies needed to treat these diseases.According to the World Health Body, low-income countries experience poor availability of essential medicines and equipment in health facilities, substandard-quality treatments, frequent stock issues and suboptimal prescription and use of medicines.These issues are particularly extreme in hard to reach rural areas, where large corporations do not regularly operate, so they do not possess expertise on the logistical struggles encountered in these regions. We have managed to make a big difference over the last two years in getting supplies to rural clinics and relief programmes in a timely manner, with demand increasing. Covid-19 has definitely played a role in this demand as well says McPherson.McPherson Trading specialises in consumables and disposables such as PPE, needles, syringes, intravenous and arterial lines, sutures, saline and distilled water, wound dressings, and single-use medical equipment.McPherson believes the gap in getting medical supplies to hard-to-reach regions in Africa is nowhere near closed and that it will take a lot of time and financial investment to reach a consistent level of procurement throughout the continent. He cites obstacles like bad roads with severe potholes and vegetation that make it impossible for delivery trucks to reach their destination. In some landlocked areas, crates of supplies must be delivered with helicopters, which is a costly endeavour.The young entrepreneur is also the group CEO of McPherson Holdings which includes the running of his late grandfathers international pharmaceutical company, EmOx Oxygen, the manufacturer of the worlds only emergency powder-based oxygen. This officially makes McPherson the youngest CEO of an international pharmaceutical company in the world a title he was awarded at the ARAB Health Conference held in Dubai last year. He attributes successfully maximising supply-chain and logistics across Africa to receiving invaluable guidance from his father, who has been involved in cross-border logistics since the age of 24.McPherson Trading was selected as one the top 20 SMMEs in South Africa.His passion and effort in helping to improve and provide quality healthcare to communities across Africa has not gone unnoticed. Within only 11 months of founding McPherson Trading, McPherson won the 2019 NSBC Youth Entrepreneur Champion Award, and the company was placed among the top 20 SMMEs in South Africa. Success has been attained by re-investment of funds into the company, streamlining import/export permit processing with an in-house permit controller which has helped to drastically decrease delivery times and building an extensive network of service providers.Whats promising is that many of the programmes running in the areas we service have realised the ease with which they can expand their efforts with a more efficient supply chain in place. The long-term goal for us is expansion, and to eventually open local branches in the communities we serve, so that we can eliminate having to buy internationally. I would also like to become accredited to supply a larger variety of products, supplies and medications, says McPherson.McPherson shares his to tips/advice to other young entrepreneurs: By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have prepared orders to block imports of cotton and tomato products from western China's Xinjiang region over allegations they are produced with forced labor, although a formal announcement has been delayed. The Trump administration announcement of the actions, initially expected on Tuesday, has been put off until later this week because of "scheduling issues," a CBP spokesman said. The cotton and tomato bans along with five other import bans over alleged Xinjiang forced-labor ... Three Typhoons Hit Northeastern China, Causing Floods and Crop Destruction Three typhoons hit northeastern Chinas Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces from Aug. 27 to Sept. 8, causing heavy rain and devastating flooding. Chinas Emergency Management Ministry said on Sept. 8 that water levels of 23 major rivers in Heilongjiang Province had topped warning levels, but said additional rainfall was in the forecast until Sept. 11. Five of the rivers have risen above their guarantee levels, which means embankment breaches could occur at any time. The ministry said a similar situation was occurring in Jilin Province. In an online video, farmers could be heard shouting, My goodness! What can I live with? as they watched their crops being submerged by floodwaters. With harvest season approaching and many crops about to mature, farmers lost their source of income. As flooding destroyed bridges and roads in rural areas, villagers were forced to leave home in a hurry as the risk of mudslides loomed. Meanwhile, cars were seen stalled in stormwater in major cities such as Yanbian in Jilin and Harbin in Heilongjiang. Historic Flooding On Sept. 8, Chinas National Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the emergency management ministry met to discuss the flood response. According to state-run Beijing News, authorities asked the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang to monitor the risk of flooding, mudslides, and waterlogging in cities due to rainfall thats expected to continue until Sept. 11. On Sept. 6, the Heilongjiang-operated Dongbei Net reported that 23 local rivers were experiencing their worst flooding in the past five to 20 years. On Sept. 9, state-run Xinhua reported that more rivers suffered flooding, with 25 rivers reaching above warning levels. On Sept. 9, Dongbei Net noted that annually, an average of 1.2 typhoons affect northeastern China, but there were three this year: Bavi, Maysak, and Haishen. Temperatures in northeastern China could drop to about 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) in the evening, creating a challenge for people who are homeless after being forced to evacuate. Harvest Late August and early September is the harvest season for rice, corn, and wheat in northeastern China. Two weeks later, farmers usually harvest soybeans. Heilongjiang is one of Chinas main producers of corn, soybean, and Japonica rice. Its soybean yield makes up 45 percent of Chinese production. It also harvests 40 percent of Chinese-produced Japonica rice, and 20 percent of Chinas corn, according to state-run media Futures Daily. Local villagers shared videos with The Epoch Times, in which farmers in the Harbin area stood in their swampy fields and tried to harvest whatever corn hadnt yet been destroyed. In other videos, the flooding appeared too severe to even enter the fields, leaving villagers to stand by as their crops were washed away. Other Areas Other areas of China have experienced unusually heavy rainfall. In the southern city of Xiamen, in Guangdong Province, heavy rain triggered flooding on Sept. 7. In southwestern Chinas Liupanshui city in Guizhou Province, stormwaters flowed into the first floor of local stores and residents houses on Sept. 6. In the northwestern city of Longnan in Gansu Province, rainfall caused mudslides on Sept. 7. In mid-August, mudslides there had killed at least five people, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust on Wednesday set up the first Indira Gandhi Chair in Environmental Sciences in collaboration with Bengaluru-based National Institute of Advanced Studies to commemorate two of the former prime ministers passions ecology and science. I recall that she (Indira Gandhi) established the ministry of environment in November 1980 and she remained its cabinet minister until her death four years later, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said at the launch. All through her tenure in this position distinguished scientists served as secretaries in the ministry. Sonia Gandhi also added that Indira Gandhi was drawn to the natural habitat. Throughout her life Indira Gandhi was fascinated by and drawn to Nature in all its aspects. ..The Silent Valley decision is perhaps the most telling example, said Gandhi, referring to a decision by the former PM in 1983 to call off a hydroelectric project in the national park in Kerala. She also emphasised the personal commitment of Indira Gandhi to protect wildlife, preserve forests and combat air and water pollution. A number of conservation programmes for endangered species, in which we now take pride, were conceived of and launched because of her personal concern and involvement. And when the world had not yet discovered the value and virtue of environmental protection, she was the only Prime Minister to address the first ever UN Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in June 1972, Sonia said. Today, more than ever before, we need that courage and resolve, she added. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also present at the launch. Her years as Prime Minister are peppered with path-breaking initiatives in the realm of science and technology. While ISRO was already in fledgling existence and the cooperative milk movement had started earlier, it was she who pushed the space programme and the white revolution to new heights. Who can forget the moment when Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut, told her that from outer space, India appeared to him as sare jehan se achcha, he said. He added that environmental sciences were gaining in urgency as we witness global warming and numerous environment-related challenges. Tesla boss Elon Musk clawed back some of his losses last night after seeing 12.6billion wiped off his fortune in just one day. The electric car magnate suffered the largest single-day wipeout in the history of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on Tuesday when the stock dived 21 per cent.That took Musk's losses to 22.2billion since Tesla shares peaked last week. The 49-year-old, who recently became a father for the seventh time with pop star Grimes, clawed back some of those losses last night as Tesla stock rose around 8 per cent. Out of charge: Electric car magnate Elon Musk has suffered the largest single-day wipeout in the history of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on Tuesday when the stock dived 21 per cent That added more than 3billion to his fortune, leaving South African-born Musk sixth on the Billionaires Index, with a total net worth of 66billion. Tesla shares are still up 325 per cent this year despite losses of almost 30 per cent since they peaked last week. The Billionaires Index also marked a record gain for a billionaire on Tuesday, as China's Zhong Shanshan added more than 23billion to his fortune. The entrepreneur listed shares in his bottled water company Nongfu Spring on the stock market on Tuesday, which rocketed as investors began to trade them. Shanshan is now worth 39billion. Major US tech entrepreneurs have watched their wealth swing wildly in recent months. The pandemic, which shut millions at home and drove them to shop and do business online, caused investors to pile their money into companies they thought would benefit. Shares in online video conferencing firm Zoom, which few had heard about before the pandemic, have rocketed 441 per cent since the beginning of the year. Anyone who had 1,000 invested in the company in January would now be sitting on 5,410. Amazon, which has seen unprecedented demand during lockdown, is up 73.7 per cent. This has added to the wealth of its founder Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, whose 11 per cent stake in Amazon is worth 139billion. He saw his wealth jump above the $200billion (154billion) mark for the first time last month a level it would have hit much earlier, if it wasn't for his blockbuster divorce from wife MacKenzie Scott last year. The break-up left her with a 4pc stake in Amazon, and she is 15th on the Billionaires Index with a 46.5billion fortune. But even Bezos, who is dating former news anchor Lauren Sanchez, saw 6billion knocked off his paper wealth on Tuesday, as investors pulled back from tech stocks. The rout came as investors fretted tech firms are getting too popular for their own good. After the recent rally, some market experts think a 'bubble' is forming meaning shares in the big-name tech companies are too expensive, and could fall in value as investors are no longer willing to stump up the sky-high prices to buy them. The body of a young Northern Virginia boy who went missing while swimming in the Rappahannock River on Monday afternoon was recovered early Wednesday morning. Hasnain Ghafoor, 15, of Manassas, was recovered from the river at 8:36 a.m. near Virginia Route 3s Chatham Bridge near downtown Fredericksburg. Officials said the teen was not wearing a personal flotation device. Stafford County Sheriffs Maj. Shawn Kimmitz said the teen entered the Rappahannock with family members on Monday upstream about 4 p.m. near Falmouth and swam across the river to Old Mill Park. From there, he walked about 100 yards along the riverbank then attempted to cross the river again back to the Falmouth side, but the strong current took him, Kimmitz said. Along with Stafford Countys dive team, divers and rescue personnel from Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County and Prince William County, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and Marine Corps Base Quantico participated in search and recovery operations. Mid-Atlantic Dogs, Blue and Gray Search and Rescue Dogs and Dogs East also helped in the effort. Mondays death marks the third on the river in a nine-day period. On Saturday afternoon, Stafford divers found a body in the Rappahannock at Muddy Creek near the King George County line. The body was transferred to the medical examiner and the identity of that person is still unknown. Last Tuesday, search teams recovered the body of 40-year-old Brandon Childs, who went missing while kayaking Aug. 30 near the Fredericksburg City Dock. Officials determined Childs was not wearing a personal flotation device. Since 1985, more than 80 people have drowned in the Rappahannock. River experts say the Rappahannock River is unpredictable and can be extremely dangerous. Its not like other rivers in the area. Its got tides, its brackish, it has rapids, said Joe Young, a Fredericksburg police officer who serves as the city watershed manager. Its smooth on top, but at the bottom, its moving three times faster than it is on the surface, especially down by the City Dock. Local authorities and river experts are adamant that people wear life jackets for all river activities, and be exceedingly cautious whether boating, fishing, swimming or even walking on the riverbank. If you have a PFD on correctly, it should keep you afloat, but at high water levels, its going to be tough to get to the bank, said Bill Micks, co-owner of the Virginia Outdoor Center. Plus, youre dealing with debris in the river. Its dangerous. You shouldnt be out there when its high, whether you have a life jacket or not. James Scott Baron: 540-374-5438 jbaron@freelancestar.com Wind turbines rise behind the Kimberly Run coal mine in Friedens, Somerset County. Joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative would cap the amount of carbon that coal and other power plants in Pennsylvania can emit. Read more Pennsylvanias elected officials are locked in a stalemate over an initiative meant to fight climate change: the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Signed onto by 11 states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the program limits the amount of carbon pollution that power plants in the region can emit, and auctions off pollution permits accordingly. After Gov. Tom Wolf signed an executive order last October for Pennsylvania to join, the state House of Representatives pushed back in July by passing a bill approved by the Senate on Sept. 9* requiring the governor to get the legislatures sign-off before imposing any kind of carbon tax. The states Environmental Quality Board will weigh in on Sept. 15 by voting on a rule that would green light Pennsylvanias participation in RGGI. Ahead of that vote, The Inquirer turned to a researcher for PennEnvironment and the chairman of the Pennsylvania Senates Environmental Resources and Energy Committee to debate: Should our state join RGGI? Yes: This emissions cap is a proven way for Pennsylvania to become a clean energy leader. By Kelly Flanigan Climate change is the most profound environmental threat facing our planet today. The actions we take over the next few years will impact not just Pennsylvanians, but people all around the world, for generations to come. Weve known for years that we must drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Ultimately, we need to get to net-zero emissions worldwide by no later than 2050. As the fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the nation, Pennsylvania has a responsibility to be a leader in implementing climate solutions and reducing emissions. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a key step toward that goal. Over the past 12 years, RGGI has proven to be the most successful state-level program in the nation for addressing greenhouse gas emissions. The data is indisputable: from 2008 through 2018, carbon pollution has decreased by 47% in participating RGGI states, outpacing the rest of the country by 90%. When Pennsylvania joins RGGI, its projected to further reduce carbon emissions statewide by a massive 188 million tons by 2030, in addition to curbing other harmful pollutants. Opponents argue that joining RGGI will put an end to coal-related jobs. But the reality is that coal jobs are already on the way out in Pennsylvania, with or without RGGI. Coal has proven too expensive to reliably generate energy, leading to coal plants quickly being phased out here and across the nation. READ MORE: Pennsylvania joins Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, taking landmark and controversial climate step Sadly, polluters and their political allies love to fall back on the age-old jobs vs. the environment trope, arguing that if Pennsylvania participated in RGGI, it would create an economic disaster. Weve seen these arguments for decades, as polluters made the same claims when we passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and essentially every other environmental protection that they did not want to comply with. Yet, none of those laws spelled economic doom. As for RGGI, studies by independent sources show the opposite: the initiative is projected to create 27,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania and put nearly $2 billion into the states economy over the next decade alone. With investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and greenhouse gas abatement, most jobs would be created in renewable energy and energy efficiency, but also through electricity bill savings. Modeling suggests that, across the board, if companies are saving money on energy costs, they can hire additional workers. Studies have also shown that the cost of implementing RGGI is negligible and, if done correctly, will actually save consumers money. Electricity prices have in fact fallen by 5.7% in RGGI states, while prices have increased in the rest of the country by 8.6%. Lower air pollution in RGGI states has led to significantly fewer premature deaths, heart attacks, and respiratory illnesses. Kelly Flanigan The benefits of joining RGGI extend far beyond the economy and the climate. Reducing emissions from dirty power plants also has tremendous health benefits. Lower air pollution in RGGI states has led to significantly fewer premature deaths, heart attacks, and respiratory illnesses. At a time when public health is a top priority for most Pennsylvanians, steps toward better air quality should be a top priority for our elected officials. Its time for our politicians to stop dragging their feet and make Pennsylvania a clean energy leader. By requiring companies to pay for how much they pollute, we can drive down climate and air pollution, inject much-needed money into our states economy and create thousands of good jobs right here in Pennsylvania. Above all else, we need to create a safe, liveable climate for generations to come. RGGI is the first step for Pennsylvania. Kelly Flanigan is the global warming solutions associate for PennEnvironment, a statewide environmental advocacy nonprofit. No: RGGI is a lose-lose proposition. By Gene Yaw Gov. Tom Wolf continues to double down on his scheme to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which, if not prevented by the General Assembly or the courts, will lead to higher electricity rates for every homeowner, renter, and business in southeastern Pennsylvania. Just as important, RGGI will lead to a discriminatory and job-killing tax on all coal- and gas-fired electric generation plants in the state. Lets look at the bigger picture this is merely an attempt by the Wolf administration to eliminate fossil fuels altogether. I have news for the governor: Fossil fuels are needed to produce every windmill and solar panel to enhance our clean energy portfolio. Windmills and solar panels do not just drop out of the sky. They involve several manufacturing processes and materials that utilize fossil fuels, such as mining and steel and plastic production. I ask the governor to name one, just one, clean energy overture that does not rely on fossil fuel for all or part of its production. The RGGI does not look at the whole picture and ignores the multitude of ramifications it generates and encourages while focusing on the very limited point of emissions at the end of all manufacturing processes. Ignored are questions and considerations regarding the increase in mining activity in the U.S. to provide the raw materials needed to produce clean energy, and the effect of increased mining in developing countries to support our clean energy goals. Are we going to accept being dependent on foreign governments, and are we going to exploit child labor for our clean energy materials, like the cobalt mining going on today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? We are in great conflict with RGGI states like New York and New Jersey, which have banned new pipelines. Gene Yaw The RGGI proposal has already been rejected by three DEP citizen advisory panels: the Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee, the Citizens Advisory Council, and the Small Business Compliance Advisory Committee. These committees are not just a rubber stamp for the administration. They have all expressed valid concerns surrounding RGGI implementation. The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, which I chair, continues to review and receive feedback about the immediate and irreparable harm triggered by the RGGI carbon tax. Further, we continue to examine ICF International, the Fairfax, Va.-based global consulting and technology services company employed by DEP to study Pennsylvanias potential participation in RGGI. Our examination includes their clear conflict of interest first reported on July 9, in which ICF signed on to a letter circulated to members of the states Environmental Quality Board from businesses that support DEPs proposed RGGI regulations. READ MORE: Northeast governors slow to embrace regional climate pact In his 2020 budget address, the governor promised RGGI would raise hundreds of millions of dollars to make our air cleaner. This statement is terribly misleading and fails to account for the enormous risks to Pennsylvanias economy, communities, and ratepayers in the event of the proposed carbon tax. We are in great conflict with RGGI states like New York and New Jersey, which have banned new pipelines that would allow our abundant, low-cost Marcellus Shale gas to flow to large markets like New York City and Boston, whose ratepayers currently have to rely on foreign imports to supply their gas needs. The above questions, and many more, suggest the enormous policy implications of an RGGI carbon tax exactly the sort of balance of actual risks and perceived benefits that the people of Pennsylvania elected the General Assembly to perform, not the executive branch. State Sen. Gene Yaw is chairman of the state Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. *Editors note: This post has been updated to reflect the state Senates Sept. 9 vote. DALTON, Ga. - A Texas fugitive who fled into the woods in Georgia after shooting at an officer who pulled him over has been captured, authorities said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted that Dalton Potter was in custody after authorities surrounded him late Wednesday following another shooting outside the town of Resaca, northwest of Atlanta. In that shooting, two days after the initial traffic stop, Potter shot a man on his property and the man fired back, authorities said. Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood had told reporters Wednesday that investigators had surrounded Potter, 29, northwest of the town. We probably have over 100 officers, weve set up a strong perimeter, we still have the (Georgia State Patrol) helicopter in the air, weve got K-9s on the ground tracking in the woods, Chitwood said, noting that it was getting dark outside. Chitwood said the civilian who was shot was hospitalized in stable condition. Noah Cloer identified his father, Eddie Cloer, as the victim. He was feeding animals in his yard when Potter attacked, shooting him in the arm and grazing his head, Noah Cloer told WTVC. Eddie Cloer was able to fire back and Potter fled, his son said. Resaca is about 75 miles (120 kilometres) northwest of Atlanta, and about 16 miles (26 kilometres) from the city of Dalton, where investigators said Potter fired multiple shots at Whitfield County Sheriffs Deputy Darrell Hackney around midnight Monday morning during a traffic stop. Hackney was struck, but his ballistic vest saved him, the GBI said. Hackney and another deputy returned fire, but Potter drove away south on Interstate 75. He wrecked the truck and escaped into the woods on foot, the GBI said. The GBI also revealed Wednesday that Potter was hauling explosives in a stolen trailer that was found along the southbound lanes of I-75, near the Whitfield-Gordon county line. The GBIs bomb disposal unit will get rid of the explosives, the agency said. Potter, from Leakey, Texas, was wanted in Georgia on five counts of aggravated assault, and on Texas charges of larceny and theft of more than $2500. A second Texas man, Jonathan Hosmer, 47, was arrested Tuesday after surveillance video recorded him leaving the truck crash. Also wanted in Texas on larceny and theft charges, hes charged in Georgia with possession of methamphetamine, bringing stolen property into the state, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Francis is the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics around the world The pleasures of a well-cooked meal or loving sexual intercourse are "divine" and have unjustly fallen victim to "overzealousness" on the part of the Church in the past, Pope Francis says in a book of interviews published Wednesday. "Pleasure arrives directly from God, it is neither Catholic, nor Christian, nor anything else, it is simply divine," Francis told Italian writer and gourmet Carlo Petrini. "The Church has condemned inhuman, brutish, vulgar pleasure, but has on the other hand always accepted human, simple, moral pleasure," he added. Francis -- born Jorge Bergoglio in Argentina -- said that there was no place for an "overzealous morality" that denies pleasure, something he admitted existed in the Church in the past but insisted is "a wrong interpretation of the Christian message". "The pleasure of eating is there to keep you healthy by eating, just like sexual pleasure is there to make love more beautiful and guarantee the perpetuation of the species," the pope said. Opposing views "have caused enormous harm, which can still be felt strongly today in some cases," he added. "The pleasure of eating and sexual pleasure come from God." Francis, the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics around the world, singled out a 1987 Danish film called "Babette's Feast" as reflecting his message on pleasure. Set in the 19th Century, it tells the story of a lottery-winning chef who invites a group of ultra-puritan Protestant worshippers to a sumptuous banquet. The film is "a hymn to Christian charity, to love," the pope said. Wednesday's book, "TerraFutura, conversations with Pope Francis on integral ecology" was written by Petrini, the founder of the global "slow food" movement created in the 1980s in opposition to "fast food". The interviews focus on the pope's vision of environmentalism with a social face, outlined in his 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si". cm/mr/tgb/mbx Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:17:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China is willing to import more high-quality agricultural products and high value-added products from Uruguay that meet market demands and actively foster new growth areas of bilateral cooperation such as e-commerce and trade in services. In a telephone conversation with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, Xi added that China welcomes Uruguay to the upcoming third China International Import Expo. Uruguay is one of the first Latin American countries that voiced support for and offered assistance to China's fight against the COVID-19 outbreak, Xi said. Noting that China has always been deeply attached to the epidemic fight of the Uruguayan people, Xi said the Chinese government, relevant provinces and all sectors of the Chinese society have delivered anti-epidemic supplies to and shared epidemic control experience with Uruguay. As the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, solidarity and cooperation should be pursued in the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said. He said that the Chinese side will continue to work together with Uruguay to promote anti-epidemic cooperation, firmly support the World Health Organization in playing a leading role, join hands to win the anti-epidemic battle as soon as possible, and jointly push forward the building of a global community of health for all. Uruguay is a good and trust-worthy friend of China in Latin America, Xi said, adding that the two countries have always understood and supported each other. Since the establishment of the China-Uruguay strategic partnership in 2016, political mutual trust between the two sides has been continuously deepened and bilateral cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results, Xi said. China will open itself even wider to the world in an all-round way, and foster a new development pattern in which domestic and foreign markets boost each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay, Xi said, adding that it will provide wider markets and development opportunities for countries around the world, including Uruguay. The two countries should advance high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, strengthen bilateral exchanges and cooperation in such areas as culture, education and sports, and consolidate public support for the China-Uruguay friendship, Xi said. Both sides should also take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations to firmly support the democratization of international relations and economic globalization, he said. Xi also said he hopes that the Uruguayan side would play an active role in promoting the free trade cooperation between China and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the development of China-Latin America relations, as well as the overall cooperation between China and Latin America. For his part, Lacalle Pou said he agrees with Xi's remarks on the current international situation, and admires the great achievements China has made in its anti-epidemic battle, adding that under the current circumstances, only by remaining open to the outside world and strengthening solidarity and cooperation can the common interests of all countries be better safeguarded. Noting that Uruguay and China are good partners, Lacalle Pou said long distance has never hindered the development of friendly relations between the two countries. He said the Uruguayan side hopes that the economic complementarity between the two countries can be fully exploited, bilateral relations be further deepened, and cooperation in such areas as agricultural products, infrastructure and innovation be advanced. Uruguay is willing to work with China to safeguard free trade and push for stronger cooperation between Mercosur and China, he added. Enditem France on Wednesday described India as its foremost Asian strategic partner and said the upcoming visit of its Defence Minister Florence Parly to the country is aimed at further strengthening the forward-looking defence cooperation with New Delhi. Parly will visit India on Thursday to attend a ceremony in Ambala to induct the first batch of five Rafale jets into the Indian Air Force (IAF). The French Defence Minister will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. In a statement, the French embassy here said the focus of the talks will be on maritime security ties in the Indo-Pacific, counter-terror cooperation and strengthening overall bilateral defence partnership. Their broad-ranging talks will cover, among others, industrial and technological partnership in line with the Make in India programme, operational defence cooperation, particularly maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, modalities of continuing the armed forces joint exercises in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, counter-terrorism cooperation as well as major regional and international strategic issues, the embassy said. It said the talks will take forward the decision of French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deepen and expand the Indo-French partnership with strategic autonomy, and the defence of a multipolar order as its cornerstones. It will be Parlys third visit to India since 2017 and one of her very first official trips since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, the embassy said. The French defence minister will be accompanied by top executives from Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, Safran, and MBDA, representing the French defence majors that have been partnering with many Indian companies as part of the Rafale deal. The Rafale jets, produced by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, will be formally inducted into the IAF at the ceremony in Ambala air base on Thursday in presence of Singh, Parly and several top military officials. During her visit to the national capital, Parly will also pay floral tributes to Indias valiant soldiers at the National War Memorial. The ties between India and France are on an upswing in the last few years with cooperation witnessing a major expansion in key areas. The areas of defence and security, civil nuclear cooperation and trade and investment constitute the principal pillars of the Indo-French strategic partnership. In addition, India and France are increasingly engaged in new areas of cooperation such as in the Indian Ocean region, climate change and sustainable growth and development. The two countries share a close degree of convergence on a range of regional and global issues as well including ways to deal with terrorism and extremism. Both India and France have important bilateral investment and trade cooperation. France has emerged as a major source of FDI in India with more than 1,000 French establishments operating in the country with a total turnover of around USD 20 billion. Kim Osadchuk will not head the Burleigh County Human Service Zone following claims she created a hostile work environment. Osadchuck was recommended by the Burleigh County Human Service Zone Board in a 5-2 vote last week but rejected by the state Department of Human Services, which has the final say on hiring human service zone directors. The zones oversee services previously handled by county social service offices, such as child welfare, support for the elderly and people with disabilities, and financial support such as heating assistance. Some zones represent multiple counties. Osadchuk, who was director of Burleigh County Social Services before being named interim zone director, did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment on the state's decision not to give her the job permanently. Human Services Chief Operating Officer Sara Stolt said the decision not to hire Osadchuk was made after an investigation into claims Osadchuk had created a hostile work environment. The report, which was based on interviews with current and former employees, led department officials to believe that a hostile work environment existed in the Burleigh County Human Service Zone, even if only a fraction of employees might have experienced it, Stolt said. The report, which was conducted by Vogel Law Firm and funded by the state, said that Osadchuk called former employees' new employers to ask that they not work with the zone, and targeted employees to make them quit. "We can't have someone in a leadership position who does that, even if it's just the perception of a hostile work environment," Stolt said. Osadchuk defended herself at a zone board meeting last Wednesday, saying disgruntled employees were unhappy she began enforcing department policies. She said she called one employee's new employer because that person was "trashing" the zone, which Osadchuk found unprofessional. The zone board had voted to hire Osadchuk to lead the agency before the investigation, and some members last week said they stood by their decision. They also referenced positive messages about Osadchuk they received. Some zone board members expressed concerns with the report at last Wednesday's meeting, saying it did not tell them definitively if a hostile work environment existed in the zone. Osadchuk during the meeting said that most of her current employees had no complaints and were not interviewed during the investigation. As of Tuesday, Osadchuk was still the zone's interim director. The zone board was to hold a special meeting Wednesday to discuss the process of hiring a new director. "Decisions like this are never easy," Stolt said. "We hope to build a collaborative process with the zone board to find someone to lead the human service zone." Osadchuk must be offered another position in the human service zone under the 2019 law that restructured the social service system. That position has not yet been identified and no offer has been made, according to Stolt. Reach Sam Nelson at 701-250-8264 or sam.nelson@bismarcktribune.com. Love 12 Funny 3 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 2 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. Andersen Global strengthens its presence in Eastern Europe by signing a Collaboration Agreement with Turcan Cazac, the leading business law firm in the Republic of Moldova. Founded in 1999, led by Managing Partner Alexander Turcan, Turcan Cazac holds a Band 1 ranking in Chambers Global and has been recognized as the leading commercial and corporate law firm in Moldova since 2001 by Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500, IFLR1000 and Best Lawyers. The firms current portfolio includes over 500 foreign companies operating in Moldova with a full-service capability in M&A, finance, corporate and commercial, litigation and employment. Over the years, our firm has built a reputable position in providing the leading law practice for the country. Our tax practice has also been growing and has become an important area of the firm, Alexander said. The collaboration with Andersen Global will further our firms growth and capability in delivering the highest level of client services internationally, and we look forward to working together. Turcan Cazac is a leader in the Moldovan market, and this collaboration reflects our desire to align ourselves with firms that share our vision and underscores our commitment to provide best-in-class service seamlessly to our clients, Andersen Global Chairman and Andersen CEO Mark Vorsatz said. Additionally, Alexander and his team have working relationships with several of our collaborating firms in the region. This creates significant connectivity and establishes a strong foundation as we continue to expand our global platform in the region. Andersen Global is an international association of legally separate, independent member firms comprised of tax and legal professionals around the world. Established in 2013 by U.S. member firm Andersen Tax LLC, Andersen Global now has more than 6,000 professionals worldwide and a presence in over 196 locations through its member firms and collaborating firms. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200908005061/en/ Texas officials must notify voters that their mail ballot has been rejected because of a signature issue, a federal judge has ruled, a decision hailed by voting rights groups as a huge victory. Voters are required to sign their mail ballot envelope, and that signature is used to verify their identity against a database of voter signatures. However, issues can arise when voters names change or their signature differs from the one in the database. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia found that the process violates voters constitutional rights because it does not provide a method to remedy the signature issue. As a result, voters face complete disenfranchisement, and thus, their right to vote is at stake, Garcia wrote in the 103-page order issued Tuesday. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has appealed the ruling to the Fifth Circuit. Garcias ruling requires that election officials give voters an opportunity to confirm their identity and save their ballot from rejection. The case stems from a lawsuit filed last year by the League of Women Voters of Texas, Austin Justice Coalition, Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, MOVE Texas Civic Fund, and individual plaintiffs Dr. George Richardson and Rosalie Weisfeld. Todays decision is a huge victory for Texas voters, especially those with disabilities and the elderly, who will rely on voting by mail this year because of their higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, according to statement from Grace Chimene, president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. Now, all Texas voters will be given the opportunity to ensure their ballots will count. The attorney general, whose office represents state agencies in suits against them, declined to comment on pending litigation. The state had argued that its mail-in ballot framework did not impose a severe burden, and any burden it did impose was necessary to uphold its interest to prevent fraud. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The case could have far-reaching implications for the upcoming election, which was already expected to yield record turnout even before the pandemic. Political watchers have said they expect the number of voters using mail-in ballots to increase as people remain wary of standing in lines at polling places amid the health crisis. In his order, Garcia required Texas Secretary of State Ruth Hughs to give notice to local election officials within 10 days that they must provide voters with a pre-rejection notice of a perceived mismatched signature and a meaningful opportunity to cure his or her ballots rejection. He also ordered Hughs to tell the officials that for the Nov. 3 election, they can either quit rejecting mail-in ballots with mismatched signatures, or notify the voter within a day of the rejection determination and give him or her time to correct the problem. In Texas, there are limited populations that can vote by mail: those 65 and over, those who will be outside the county at the time of the election, those who are in jail and those who have a disability. The last day to register for the general election in Texas is Oct. 5. The last day to apply to receive a ballot by mail is Oct. 23. Under current procedures, mail-in ballots are looked over by a committee of local election officials who match signatures from the ballot envelope to the ballot application. Other signatures on file with the county from within six years can also be used for comparison. Once the signatures are verified, the ballot can be counted. The issue highlighted by the suit was the lack of uniformity among counties in how the election code was being enforced, as the law doesnt specify such a standard. It also did not require officials to notify voters of rejections until 10 days after an election. More than 5,000 voters had their ballots rejected because of perceived signature mismatches during the 2016 and 2018 elections, according to the suit. Garcia made clear in his ruling that the matter would be best handled by the state Legislature. The legislature set forth step-by-step cure procedures for voters who make other mistakes while voting, and ultimately, a similar legislative framework for signature mismatch voters may ultimately be the most appropriate solution for addressing the procedural deficiencies inherent in the existing process, Garcia wrote. If no action is taken, the court will hold a hearing at some point after the 2020 election to decide whether to extend Tuesdays injunction to future elections. julian.gill@chron.com taylor.goldenstein@chron.com To the Editor: It is my honor to have worked alongside Maria Horn on the Board of Directors of Womens Support Services from 2009 until 2019. In 2016, I succeeded Maria as board chair. Over 10 years, we worked closely on two strategic planning processes, the search for our executive director, and every committee. I was fortunate to learn first hand from Maria how to work effectively with a diversity of challenges. Various aspects of her leadership style resonated with me: her enthusiasm for listening to a divergent range of opinions; her laser-like ability to synthesize an abundance of information and articulate a distilled and understandable interpretation; her consistency in seeking democratic consensus on difficult issues; her understanding of the importance of investing confidence in her fellow board members; compassion for the victims of domestic violence and the importance of returning the conversation to that priority; a refreshing knack for seeing the wood in spite of the trees. Maria works hard in every quarter, she shows up, she speaks up, and she gets the work done. She is as smart as a whip. I want somebody smart, compassionate, and committed to represent me in government. Reeling from the results of the 2016 election, I resolved to do something. When I learnt that Maria was running for the 64th, I resolved to become a US citizen, so that I could vote for her, and for this country. I became a citizen in March 2019. I understand that Connecticut is not a swing state, but this local election is critically important. Please exercise your right to vote, because your vote is vital, and please vote for Maria Horn, because Maria is the best somebody, and Maria will get the job done. Judith Crouch, Sharon SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyperledger , an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies, today announced that eight new organizations, including Chainstack, SIMBA Chain, SIX Digital Exchange and Visa, have joined as members of the the multi-venture, multi-stakeholder effort hosted at the Linux Foundation . These new members are joining the rest of the Hyperledger community for the annual Member Summit. This year's two-day virtual event will have interactive programming in three time zones to engage the entire global Hyperledger community. In addition, Hyperledger announced seven more companies, Creativehill, DeepDive Technology Group, NEC, SAP, SwissCom, Tech Mahindra and Tencent, have completed the training requirements to become Hyperledger Certified Service Providers (HCSPs). This brings the total number of HCSPs to 18. New member EMURGO is also jumping in quickly by joining the ranks of official Hyperledger Training Partners . The growing number of deployment-focused partners points to the increasing adoption of enterprise blockchain across a range of industries, geographies and use cases. To illustrate that point further, Hyperledger has been building out its case study library . Just this week, Hyperledger published a case study on CULedger's MemberPass permanent, portable digital identity solution for credit union members . Other recent additions include detailed looks at Mindtree's dual solutions for revolutionizing loyalty programs and Soramitsu's work with the National Bank of Cambodia on a retail payments system as well as a solution brief on Joisto's blockchain-based solution for GDPR-compliant document and data storage . "In a year that has looked like no other, Member Summit is an even more important grounding point for our community," said Brian Behlendorf, Executive Director, Hyperledger. "The pace of adoption for enterprise blockchain is accelerating, and our members are a driving force for critical new technologies and solutions. Our latest members will be important new voices as we set agendas and roadmaps that will keep us pushing this market forward in the year ahead." Hyperledger allows organizations to create solid, industry-specific applications, platforms and hardware systems to support their individual business transactions by offering enterprise-grade, open source distributed ledger frameworks, libraries and tools. General members joining the community are Chainstack, Creativehill, DeepDive Technology Group, EMURGO, SIMBA Chain, SIX Digital Exchange, Valid Network and Visa. New member quotes: Chainstack "Chainstack provides enterprise-grade, managed blockchain services on any cloud. Our mission is to bring scalability, flexibility and transparency to the industry," said Laurent Dedenis, CEO, Chainstack. "Blockchain technology, and Hyperledger in particular, has the power to resolve some inefficiencies and generate value for the enterprise world. We are thrilled to join the Hyperledger community now as we officially roll out the Chainstack 2.0 blockchain management services platform with a brand-new applications marketplace and API." Creativehill "Creativehill is very honored and thrilled to join the Hyperledger community of leading blockchain enterprises," said Cheonwoon Yim, Co-Founder & CEO of Creativehill. "We provide blockchain technology to the finance and public sectors based on research we started with Hyperledger Fabric version 0.6. Moreover, our company also offers consultation and reports to other fields to which this technology can be applied. Recently, we focused on producing a use case combining health care and supply chain management. We would like to cooperate on this with the Hyperledger community and contribute our knowledge and efforts to the development of the ecosystem." DeepDive Technology Group "We believe that blockchain innovation is bigger than the internet itself," said Misha Hanin, Founder & CEO, DeepDive Technology Group. "We believe that in the next 3, 5, 7, 10 years, we'll see a huge WORLD transformation driven by blockchain. We'll start solving huge problems for large enterprise companies, governments, and entire nations using this technology. At DeepDive Technology Group, we believe that Hyperledger Fabric will play the absolute leading role in driving blockchain innovation forward. Our own team of enterprise blockchain trailblazers is currently building production level use-cases using Hyperledger Fabric; we see how in the past two years, blockchain has gone from something almost no enterprises talked about, to something half of enterprises have now planned serious investments in. We're thankful to be members of the Hyperledger community, to play a leading role in the advancement of enterprise blockchain ourselves." EMURGO "As a global blockchain solutions provider and founding entity of the globally recognized Cardano blockchain, EMURGO is excited to enter Hyperledger and join hands with a phenomenal group of organizations that are building robust blockchain infrastructures to support a new spectrum of valued services," said Ken Kodama, EMURGO CEO. "EMURGO is highly committed to developing end-to-end, tailored blockchain solutions such as our new customized Brandmark solution in order for clients to address existing inefficiencies in industries like supply chain. Becoming a part of Hyperledger's world class open community enables fellow members with a wealth of varied experiences to strategically exchange valuable resources and collaborate on furthering the maturation of the overall blockchain ecosystem with real solutions to meet the needs of clients." SIMBA Chain "We are excited to join Hyperledger, a premier development framework for enterprise blockchain solutions, and be part of a community comprising so many premier organizations exploring collaborative models for blockchain technologies," said Joel Neidig, CEO of SIMBA Chain, a Smart Contract as a Service and blockchain innovation platform company. "SIMBA's roots go back to one of DARPA's first blockchain contracts, so we have a long-standing focus on working with small and large enterprises, governments and other organizations to bring practical use-cases to full realization. With our platform's recent support for Hyperledger, we believe now is a great time to join and help bring the community forward." SIX Digital Exchange "SIX Digital Exchange is on the leading edge of building next generation digital market infrastructure to support the evolution of financial markets with enterprise blockchain and digital assets as a foundation," said Tim Grant, Head of Business, SIX Digital Exchange. "Hyperledger is one of the most significant industry focal points for the continued development of enterprise blockchain, and we feel that it is key that we bring our insights to the table to help drive the formation of a global financial market ecosystem that drives new products, services and business models into the marketplace and supports a better future for governments, corporations and individuals." Valid Network "As the provider of a first of its kind blockchain security solution, we are more than excited to take part in the Hyperledger community and the Linux Foundation," said Kfir Nissan, co-founder and CEO at Valid Network. "We see joining this collaboration as an important strategic step for our company and technology, and believe that together we can build a future of secured and trusted blockchain solutions for enterprises all over the world, enabling them to innovate with blockchain faster and safer than they could ever imagine." Members big and small are collaborating across company and country lines to ensure the success of Hyperledger business blockchain technologies, building products, services and solutions on top of Hyperledger code bases that are critical to their lines of business. Learn more about becoming a member of Hyperledger. About Hyperledger Hyperledger is an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies. It is a global collaboration including leaders in finance, banking, healthcare, supply chains, manufacturing and technology. Hyperledger hosts many enterprise blockchain technology projects including distributed ledger frameworks, smart contract engines, client libraries, graphical interfaces, utility libraries and sample applications. All Hyperledger code is built publicly and available under the Apache license. The Linux Foundation hosts Hyperledger under the foundation. To learn more, visit: https://www.hyperledger.org/ . Contact: Emily Fisher Linux Foundation/Hyperledger [email protected] SOURCE Hyperledger Related Links https://www.hyperledger.org/ W&M launches bachelors in Data Science, Jump Start summer program Data is pervasive: Hongmin Yu '20 combs through data produced by a mass spectrometer during her work in a chemistry lab in 2018. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption This summer, as educators around the world prepared for teaching a fall semester remotely amid pandemic, faculty from William & Marys Data Science program already had a head start or rather, a jump start. In May, William & Mary launched Jump Start Data Science. The program is an accelerated minor in Data Science, taught remotely from late May to early August. During the summer, students take the first four of the six classes required for a minor in data science, and complete the remained two courses for the minor the following academic year. My class was always intended to be offered as a remote learning opportunity for students, said Matt Haug, associate professor of philosophy, who taught Ethics and Data Science this summer. Haug designed his virtual class last spring, through a course development seminar offered by W&Ms Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation. Even before the pandemic, I was preparing to teach remotely, Haug said. The Jump Start program offers a total of 15 credits, which can be used toward a minor or toward the universitys newly SCHEV-approved bachelor of science degree in data science. William & Mary started its data science program in 2017 as a minor and a self-designed major. Matthias Leu, director of the program, said William & Mary graduated 42 data science self-designed majors since 2019. The first Jump Start class of 27 students completed summer coursework in August. We are very excited to launch the B.S. in data science this fall, Leu said. This allows W&M to offer a degree that is of great interest to students from across disciplines and prepares students to be competitive in the job market. Judging on the basis of student enrollment this fall, with a record enrollment of over 90 students in the Introduction to Data Science course, we are pleased to see that students show great interest in this degree. Data science is an interdisciplinary program at William & Mary, primarily drawing on faculty from the natural and social sciences, while also incorporating courses in linguistics, philosophy and communication. Coursework embraces programming, modeling and ethics, giving students an understanding of the moral implications of working with algorithms and big data. "A data scientist must be able to adapt their skills to a wide variety of situations and disciplines," said Ron Smith, a lecturer of Data Science, who taught the course Reasoning Under Uncertainty this summer. "As such, it's important for a data scientist to not only have a solid blend of mathematical and computational skills, but also have a keen eye for detail and be able to communicate their results to their audience." He explained that Jump Start students were exposed to a lot of information over the course of the summer, ranging from introductory programming to learning how to program convulutional neural networks and giving presentations on their results. I would say data science at William & Mary is a kind of microcosm of data science itself, said Tyler Frazier, lecturer of data science, who taught Applied Machine Learning for the Jump Start program, where he introduced students to the worlds of computer vision, natural language processing and probabilistic deep learning. There is so much demand in the marketplace for generalist data science skills. I would argue that the proliferation of data in the world today makes data science applicable to every discipline, he said. Data Science can serve as an excellent investigative pathway for developing and forming the research question any student may decide to pursue through the course of their academic and professional career. After completing the Jump Start program, students will find their skills as undergraduate researchers in high demand. Sarena Oberoi 23 decided to join the Jump Start program after taking Frazier's DATA 150 class last spring. She said over the summer she came to appreciate how applicable data science is for many different fields. I am interested in the public health field, so Im excited to use some of the data science methods I learned going forward, Oberoi said. Since I plan on going into the dental field, I hope to use convolutional neural networks and other methods to help distinguish different dental problems. Oberois Jump Start classmate Devika Puri 23 also plans to enter health field. For her final project this summer, Puri built a convolutional neural network to classify cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart condition) in women, based on chest X-ray scans. As a premedical student, Im fascinated by how data science applies to public health and have seen the value in this field firsthand with the COVID-19 crisis, Puri said. An experience I thoroughly enjoyed this summer was using the programming skills we developed to pull COVID-19 data from the Virginia Department of Health to create graphs and calculate 7-day averages of coronavirus cases. It felt like we were real data scientists working on analyzing the pandemic data. Faculty may have been prepared to teach remotely, but nothing could have prepared them for teaching during a pandemic, explained Michele King, lecturer of speech at William & Mary. I would say one of our big successes this summer was the ability to cultivate relationships and build community, said King, who taught Public Speaking this summer. We did regular pulse checks and talked about overall wellness and stresses in dealing with this transition. King said having a relatively small number of students in the program helped foster a sense of community. They also had the shared experience of taking the same courses at the same time. What is nice about this program is theres a sense of cohesiveness because all the students are going through this together, said Dana Willner, lecturer of computer science, who teaches Programming for Data Science, the first course offered in Jump Start. They have a shared experience with a course and they know that they're all working towards a common goal. That led to an overall sense of collaboration. Willner said that even with a small group of students, the range of disciplines represented in the inaugural class was impressive. The students were majoring in a wide diversity of fields, such as business, psychological sciences and biology. I'm actually a molecular biologist by training, Willner said. A lot of the work I did was high-throughput DNA sequencing, so I did a lot of programming, but I don't have a Ph.D in computer science. Its in biology. I tell my students this because I want them to understand how accessible and applicable data science is for everyone. Luke Denoncourt 22 was part of Jump Starts inaugural class and is double majoring in biology and data science. He says the program provided him with technical skills that once intimidated him. The most memorable aspect of the summer program is making and operating neural networks, he said. Before this summer, I only knew the cliche view that they are super sophisticated techniques for incredibly smart people. Now I have a real understanding and appreciation for these tools. While computer programming is fundamental to the coursework, Jump Start places equal weight on critical thinking, with courses in ethics and public speaking. For example, this summer Haug taught students about the psychological theories underpinning the spread of misinformation online. We took a hard look at motivated reasoning and how that can lead to false beliefs and exacerbate false beliefs, Haug said. We also studied models of communication communities, which actually originated in field of economics, but philosophers of science have used them to talk about the spread of false beliefs. In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, Haug taught his students about algorithmic bias, specifically algorithmic racial bias and how they influence policing. There are algorithms that are used to predict things like recidivism, Haug explained. They use all these different data points and we looked at the ways in which they exacerbate existing racial biases in the criminal justice system. Throughout the summer, the program included an ongoing section of public speaking and offered students the opportunity to connect with a variety of employers who recruit at William & Mary. The goal was to give students real world experience with technical communication, King explained. You can have the most brilliant ideas, but they won't walk themselves, she said. No matter what career path you choose, you will eventually have to stand in front of an audience to present your research, business concept, or proposal. In my class, students learn how to organize their message in an engaging and compelling way. As part of the program, students participated in professional development workshops on topics including resume and cover letter writing and interviewing. They also met with organization representatives to learn about trends in data science, internships and full-time positions, the application process and how to stand out as a candidate. It was exciting and encouraging to see real examples of what I could be doing in the next five to ten years, said Maddie Sharpe 23. One reason I love data science is because it is flexible and easily applicable in today's world. I think the skills I have learned this summer will always be useful to me no matter what I do, and thats exactly what I need right now. Even as AstraZeneca has paused trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate after one of the participants in United Kingdom developed an unexplained illness, over 100 volunteers in India have completed the crucial week after receiving shots in the phase two human trials without showing any adverse reaction. Pune based Serum institute of India (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. SII clarified that the Indian trials of the vaccine candidate are continuing without any problems. We (Serum Institute of India) cant comment on reports of AstraZeneca pausing the trials in the UK, other than that they have been paused for review and shall restart soon. The Indian trials are continuing and we have faced no issues at all, SII said in a statement. Of the 100 volunteers, 34 were from Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College and hospital in Pune, who have been administered vaccine shots after trials for phase two began in India on August 26. Also Read: Anthony Fauci says Astrazeneca vaccine pause unfortunate but a safety valve According to doctors at the medical college and hospital, none of the 34 volunteers have shown any sign of any health-related complications, with all their vital parameters appearing normal. Besides Bharti Vidyapeeth, two other hospitals in Pune are carrying out trials including the KEM. Also Read: Pfizer, BioNTech lock biggest EU vaccine deal of 200 million doses We have completed the phase-two trials of 100 enrolments in India of which 34 were from Bharti Vidyapeeth. Its been a week after the shots were given to 34 volunteers at our institute and none of them showed any adverse reaction, said Dr Sanjay Lalwani, medical director at Bharti Vidyapeeth medical college and hospital. The entire data about volunteers and the results of trials, according to Lalwani, has been submitted to SII. The data in turn will be picked up by Data System Monitoring Board at Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) level for further review. Britain will on Wednesday unveil legislation that it admits breaks international law by rewriting parts of its Brexit divorce treaty relating to Northern Ireland, sparking widespread criticism and clouding the latest round of fraught EU trade talks. After leaving the European Union earlier this year following a bitterly divisive referendum, Britain is racing to agree a trade deal with Brussels as the clock ticks down to a crunch EU summit in mid-October. An eighth round of talks began in London on Tuesday. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, whose country is the EU nation most affected by Brexit, warned that reneging on last year's divorce pact "could seriously erode and damage political trust". European Parliament president David Sassoli added: "Any attempts by the UK to undermine the agreement would have serious consequences." Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Britain will cope with the economic dislocation of leaving the transition period at the end of the year without a deal, despite also facing the coronavirus crisis. But the prospect has caused the pound to slump on currency markets and made UK businesses increasingly anxious. Johnson's government has urged Brussels to show "more realism" about dealing with a heavyweight economic power on its borders. It insists the changes to the Withdrawal Agreement it will publish on Wednesday are technical and required to ensure businesses in Northern Ireland can enjoy friction-free trade with both the EU and the rest of the UK from next year. Responding to a question in parliament, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis conceded: "Yes, this does break international law in a very specific and limited way." Lewis said there were "clear precedents" for such a move as circumstances change. But in Dublin, Coveney said the comments were "gravely concerning" and said he had asked the Irish ambassador to raise the issue directly with London. Story continues - Shock in US - Britain also faced warnings from across the Atlantic of consequences for a separate US-UK trade deal if it backtracked on the Brexit deal. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi last year warned a deal between London and Washington would be dead on arrival in Congress if the peace accord that ended decades of bloodshed in Northern Ireland were undermined. On Tuesday, Democrat Congressman Brendan Boyle told BBC radio it "would be very difficult to enter into a trade negotiation with a party that would have just ripped up a very important agreement to us". There was criticism at home in Britain, too, with former prime minister Theresa May and the main opposition Labour party both expressing alarm. Jonathan Jones, the head of the government's legal department, was also revealed to have resigned, in a move the Financial Times linked to the Northern Ireland row. It reported he was "very unhappy" about the decision to rewrite the Northern Ireland Protocol -- a vital part of the EU withdrawal pact designed to avoid a return to the unrest that stalked British rule in the province. Johnson's spokesman said the government was "fully committed to implementing" the protocol. But he stressed "we cannot allow damaging default provisions to kick in" for Northern Ireland if London and Brussels fail to negotiate a deal this year. The British government's claim that it has only now found problems with the protocol prompted disbelief from opposition parties. They seized on Jones' exit to level new charges of incompetence against Johnson after months of policy U-turns in his government's coronavirus response. Britain and the EU agree a deal must be struck by next month's EU summit, to give time for translation and parliamentary ratification before the end of 2020. But divisions remain on totemic issues such as state subsidies for industry and fishing rights. Northern Ireland will have Britain's only land border with the EU, and the Brexit protocol means the territory will continue to follow some of the bloc's rules to ensure the frontier remains open. Removing a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, was a key part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought an end to 30 years of violence. jit-ar/pvh/gle/jah A Buddhist monk and a famous local rapper also detained. Protests over the detentions of opponents and the management of the border issue with Vietnam. The United Nations warns: respect the "right to freedom of expression and peaceful association". Phnom Penh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Cambodian authorities have arrested at least six activists in recent days, including a Buddhist monk and a famous local rapper and musician. They were arrested for organizing protests over the ongoing border dispute with Vietnam. International NGOs and local movements sound the alarm for a growing repression of rights and freedom of expression in the Asian country. In a note, the Cambodian Ministry of the Interior reports that the six arrested will have to answer for various charges, including "instigation to commit a crime and create chaos in society" based on articles 494 and 495 of the Penal Code. "Khmer Thavarak and the Mother Nature NGO have been working to incite people to provoke instability and social unrest by using social media and other means to disseminate information, the ministry said. The age-old problem of the 1,228-kilometer border between Vietnam and Cambodia is a very sensitive issue for Cambodians, who see the Vietnamese as the cause of their troubles in the recent past (war, Khmer Rouge, and now economic colonization). The borders between the two countries have never been very precise. In 2006, the two governments tried to define them by seeking an agreement and this came at the expense of some groups of Cambodians, who lost their lands in a disputed area. In the province of Tboung Khmum, Khmer Thavarak, affiliated with the (banned) opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arrested. Since 7 September he has been held in the Prey Sar prison. The same day saw the arrest of Mean Prommony, vice-president of the Khmer Student League, and of the venerable Koet Saray; the two were organizing a protest march to be held in Freedom Park in Phnom Penh to demand the release of trade unionist Rong Chhun, who has been in prison since July 31. The 22-year-old rapper and musician Kea Sokun, famous for his popular song "Khmer Land" in which he criticizes the government for managing the border issue with Vietnam, has also been in custody since 4 September. He will have to answer for the accusation of incitement to violence. Commenting on the arrests, Rhona Smith, the UN Special Rapporteur on Cambodia, wrote in a Facebook post that The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly are protected by international human rights norms and standards as well as by the Cambodian Constitution. I encourage Cambodian authorities to ensure that these rights are respected and protected and to create an environment in which individuals are able to exercise these rights. I urge that those arrested are promptly brought before a court of law and their due process rights are fully respected, she said. After the Mumbai civic body demolished parts of an office owned by actor Kangana Ranaut, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) backed the film star in the midst of a raging political debate on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Maharashtras ruling Shiv Sena said the BJPs support to Rananut was a conspiracy against Mumbai as well as the state. Sharad Pawar, a leader of Sena ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), said there was no need to take Ranaut seriously. Devendra Fadnavis, a former chief minister and a BJP leader, termed the Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)s action against Ranauts office as state-sponsored terrorism. While one cannot support the statement made against Mumbai police or Maharashtra (by Ranaut), one cannot support such action by the government...Until yesterday, this construction was legal. You take action and point to illegalities only because someone spoke about you. Then what about other illegal constructions in the city? he asked in a video message. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Pawar said he had no information about the legality of the construction in question. I read about it only in the newspapers. It wont be appropriate to comment on this without having proper information. Illegal work is not a new thing in Mumbai. However, BMCs action in the backdrop of the ongoing situation (when Rananut is locked in verbal spat with the Sena) allows people to raise doubts over it. BMC officials have their own rules and may have found it appropriate to take the action, he said. We are giving too much importance to the people making such statements. One must understand the impact of such statements on the people at large, Pawar added. The Sena, meanwhile, took on the Union home ministry for providing Y-plus security to actor Ranaut two days ago, calling it an insult to Mumbai and its police. In an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Wednesday, the party alleged that the BJPs support to the actor looked like a conspiracy. There is always a danger to Mumbai because those who support disrespect to Mumbadevi are sitting in Delhi and in Maharashtras assemblyFirst, defame Mumbai, then weaken it. Make Mumbai completely bankrupt and then, one day, separate it from Maharashtra. It is clearly seen that these steps are being taken again, the Saamana editorial said. The Sena mouthpiece added that the Maharashtra unit of BJP should not have supported the ones who referred to the chief minister in a disrespectful manner. Vivekanand Gupta, an advocate and a BJP leader, said: BMC cannot demolish any property in view of the Covid-19 situation. He added that the Bombay high court, on March 26, put a restriction on carrying out demolition drives during lockdown and that the scope of the order was extended till September 30. When companies dispatched office staff to work remotely from home, cut business trips and canceled business lunches, they also eliminated the jobs cleaning their offices and hotel rooms, driving them around town and serving them meals. For this army of service workers across urban America, the pandemic risks becoming more than a short-term economic shock. If white-collar America doesnt return to the office, service workers will be left with nobody to serve. The worry is particularly acute in cities, which for decades have sustained tens of millions of jobs for workers without a college education. Now remote work is adding to other pressures that have stunted opportunities. The collapse of retailers like J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus has wiped out many low-wage jobs. The implosion of tourism in cities like New York and San Francisco will end many more. Fear is budding that even when the pandemic has passed, the economy may not provide the jobs it once did. President Trump has been nominated by a far-right nationalist in Norway for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Shawn Thew / European Pressphoto Agency) Dear Nobel Peace Prize Committee: I saw in the news this morning that our president, Donald J. Trump, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by a right-wing nationalist member of the Norwegian parliament for his role in getting Israel and the U.A.E. to agree to like each other. Frankly, I was surprised he wasnt nominated for the Nobel in literature, given the depth, creativity and productivity of his fictions, but so be it. It also made me curious about the nominating process, so I looked on your website and found the criteria for who is allowed to nominate someone. I was pleased to see that you accept nominations from university professors, professors emeriti and associate professors of history, social sciences, law, philosophy, theology, and religion. I taught as an adjunct at a local university for about five years, and following the standards under which Trump claimed Tuesday that he is the number one environmental president since Teddy Roosevelt (more fodder for the literature nomination), I am claiming eligibility to nominate contenders for the Peace Prize. I have some names in mind. For example, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has excelled as an agent of peace during his tenure as Senate majority leader. He's been masterful, in fact. By not bringing up for a vote some 375 bills passed by the Democratic-controlled House, McConnell has kept the peace in the Senate. Fewer bills on the floor means less partisan rancor. Then theres Atty. Gen. William Barr, who deserves consideration for seeking to drop the charges to which former National Security advisor Michael Flynn has already pleaded guilty, a move that was certain to smooth relations between the White House and the Justice Department. Barr also sent federal agents to clear protesters from the area between the White House and St. Johns Church a block away, allowing the president to hoist a Bible as a prop for a photo shoot while avoiding any possible friction with the protesters. Story continues And lets not forget acting Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf, who at Trumps direction sent federal agents to pacify the streets of Portland, Ore. That worked really well. I realize that the Peace Prize committee has a lot of nominations to deal with each year more than 300 this cycle alone. The nomination deadline for the prize to be announced in October is long past, so I recognize that my suggestions, like Trump's nomination, wont be considered until next year. Thats fine. But Id like to preserve the right to submit more names as additional members of the Trump administration distinguish themselves over the coming months in the pursuit of peace. Good luck, Scott Martelle KENOSHA Kyle Rittenhouse could spend the rest of his life behind bars if he is convicted of the first-degree intentional homicide charges he faces in the killings of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum. However, several attorneys and gun-rights advocates who have spoken out about the case say theres a good chance the teenagers claims to self-defense will win the day in court. What happened Rittenhouse is a 17-year-old from Antioch, Ill. On Aug. 25, he traveled to Kenosha, a city to which he was not a stranger. Rittenhouses defense team said that a local business owner connected with Rittenhouse and others that morning while they were cleaning graffiti, asking for help defending his property in case protests turned into riots again that night. Rittenhouse shot Rosenbaum in the parking lot of a car dealership/mechanics shop. The owner of the shop was not reachable for comment. One of the attorneys supporting Rittenhouse, L. Lin Wood of Atlanta, said in a tweet last month that the weapon the teenager was carrying that night was not brought across state lines, but rather was provided by a friend of Rittenhouses who is a Wisconsin resident. Social media posts show that Rittenhouse was familiar with firearms, as he had posed in photos with guns since he was a boy. Video of the two shootings appear to show that Rittenhouse was being pursued in both instances. Its unclear exactly what led up to the first killing of Rosenbaum, a 36-year-old from Kenosha although video shows Rittenhouse running away from Rosenbaum in a parking lot. Rosenbaum throws something at Rittenhouse: a criminal complaint from the Kenosha County District Attorneys Office states that the item was a plastic bag. Those defending Rittenhouse say that Rosenbaum then started trying to take Rittenhouses gun when Rosenbaum was shot in the head. Moments later, video shows Rittenhouse calls someone on the phone, saying I just killed someone as he starts running away. At this point, some of the demonstrators start chasing Rittenhouse, calling out He just shot somebody! As Rittenhouse is pursued northbound on Sheridan Road toward law enforcement, he falls to the ground. The two other people who Rittenhouse shot Huber, a 26-year-old from Silver Lake who died after being shot in the chest; and Gaige Grosskreutz, who was severely wounded with a shot to the arm but survived were recorded running after Rittenhouse, with Huber seen trying to hit Rittenhouse with a skateboard, when they were shot. Rittenhouse then runs toward police vehicles with his arms raised as onlookers yell he just shot somebody, but the teenager was not apprehended at that time. The next day, he was taken into custody in Illinois. The case for self-defense In the common law, deadly force is justified if they feel they are at risk of death or serious bodily injury, said Alan Rice, a spokesperson and firearms instructor with Gun Owners of America, a nonprofit Second Amendment-rights lobbying organization that says it has more than 2 million members. Rittenhouses primary defense attorney, John Pierce, said in a Sept. 1 Twitter video, If this is not self-defense for Kyle Rittenhouse under these circumstances, then no one can protect themselves, no one can protect their family and no one can protect their country this is a watershed moment in American history. However, numerous widely circulated social media posts claim that since Rittenhouse was in the process of committing a crime as he has been charged with possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 then self-defense cannot be claimed. However, the Wisconsin state sub-statute in question (Statute 939.48 1m.b.1) is not that clear. Under Statute 939.48, if an actor (i.e. someone claiming self-defense, such as Rittenhouse) intentionally used force that was intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm, the court may not consider whether the actor had an opportunity to flee or retreat before he or she used force and shall presume that the actor reasonably believed that the force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself if the actor makes such a claim. And then, substatute 939.48 1m.b.1 states that if the actor was engaged in a criminal activity then the presumption that the actor reasonably believed that the force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself (and if) the person against whom the force was used was in the process of unlawfully and forcibly entering the actors dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business no longer applies. This clause is tied into what is often known as a Castle Doctrine, which is a type of law that allows people to defend themselves and their property while at home. Although this statute, at first reading, may make it appear that Rittenhouse could not claim self-defense if he was engaged in criminal activity such as carrying a firearm underage, Kenosha-based defense attorney Michael Cicchini said that this is not the case. Since Rittenhouse was not defending his own dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business under rules colloquially known as The Castle Doctrine then this criminal activity exemption no longer applies. Statute 939.48 1m.b.1 is also rarely used. Cicchini said he has never seen the statute cited in his 20-plus years of practice. Pierce has indicated he plans to argue that Rittenhouse was legally carrying the firearm, which could nullify this whole argument. That charge is incorrect, Pierce told Fox News host Tucker Carlson during an interview televised Aug. 31. As a 17-year-old he is legally entitled to have that firearm in his possession. Moreover, we are going to be arguing that the Second Amendment and Title 10 Section 246 of the United States Code (which allows militias to consist of able-bodied males at least 17 years of age) renders that charge, and any ordinance that that charge would be based on, to be blatantly unconstitutional. The group that Rittenhouse aligned himself with on Aug. 25 was calling itself a local militia. What sparked the shootings? Whatever started the confrontation between Rosenbaum and Rittenhouse and thus led to the group chasing Rittenhouse down Sheridan Road preceding Hubers death may not matter either, legally speaking. Colion Noir, a gun rights activist and attorney with a degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law whose full name is Collins Iyare Idehen Jr., broke down the shootings in a video viewed more than 1.7 million times on YouTube. In the video, Noir points out that whoever the aggressor is in a given scenario can change instantaneously in a legal sense. I think its pretty reasonable to assume that if someone is chasing you and throwing objects at you and then, when youre cornered by them and they try to take your gun away from you, at best youre risk of great bodily injury and at worst risk of death, Noir pointed out, saying that Rittenhouse has a good case of self-defense in the killing of Rosenbaum. As for the shootings of Huber and Grosskreutz, Noir said: Again, legally this is self-defense. Yes, the people attacking Kyle think he just murdered someone. But they are attacking him, not defending themselves from him to prevent death or great bodily injury. So under the letter of the law, they are the aggressor at that moment. And because they have disparity of force, i.e., way more people than him Kyle is legally justified to use deadly force to stop them. In his breakdown, Noir said: Personally, I wish he would have just stayed home. Hell, I wish they all would have just stayed home. Rittenhouses extradition hearing is set for Sept. 25 in Illinois. Special journal issue features Nemours heart specialists' best practices for children JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (September 9, 2020) - The September issue of Progress in Pediatric Cardiology will exclusively feature articles by pediatric cardiologists at Nemours Children's Health System on echocardiography and other cardiac imaging techniques used in the care of children with cardiovascular disease. The 15 original papers and four case studies highlight best practices for imaging to screen, diagnose, and manage congenital heart disease (CHD) and other forms of cardiovascular disease over the entire lifespan to improve patient outcomes. CHD affects approximately 1 in 100 children. Many of these conditions are now highly treatable, with research showing that more than 90% of children born today with CHD live into adulthood. "Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and making the diagnosis is critical. Echocardiography is the primary non-invasive tool for assessing cardiac structure and function and can image any patient from fetuses during pregnancy to adults," said Gul H. Dadlani, MD, an author on several articles in the issue, and chief of pediatric cardiology at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando. "As children with rare cardiovascular disorders live longer, there is a need for greater awareness of imaging techniques for these complex patients to improve the quality of their care." The issue includes review articles, technical papers on specific uses of echocardiography, case studies of patient illnesses, and discussion on the use of echocardiography in specific disorders, as well as the role of advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Also included are articles highlighting important modifications made during COVID-19. Specific articles of interest, available free, include: Segmental approach to performing a standard pediatric echocardiogram (Madueme, et al.) describes protocol for a segmental format to improve pediatric cardiac assessment with guidance for capturing imaging in a predictable, consistent ,and reproducible manner to yield accurate information, understanding the need for flexibility and modifications needed when treating pediatric patients. Cardiovascular screening in Williams syndrome (Dadlani, et al.) details a systematic screening approach for clinicians caring for patients with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, to use for the detection of cardiovascular disease to help prevent sudden cardiac arrest. Severe cardiac dysfunction in a patient with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), associated with COVID-19: Retrospective diagnosis of a puzzling presentation. A case report (Vari, et al.) reviews key details in the care, diagnosis, and treatment of one of the first U.S. cases of MIS-C. This and subsequent cases at Nemours led to the development of clinical guidelines for the evaluation and care of children with this novel presentation of COVID-19. The evolution of fetal echocardiography before and during COVID-19 (Nigam, et al.) highlights changes made in fetal echocardiography for screening critical congenital heart disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, and guidance for using a fetal tele-echocardiography approach in the future. "There are gaps in awareness about how to complete high quality echocardiograms that will allow us to diagnose congenital anomalies that can be life-threatening," said Shubhika Srivastava, MD, an author on several articles in the issue, and chief of pediatric cardiology at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware. "Standardization and continued quality improvement through the review of best practices, like those outlined in the issue, allow for a continuous learning environment leading to consistent approaches, fewer errors and better patient outcomes." The special issue's articles, authored and co-edited by physicians from Nemours' Cardiac Centers, stem from Nemours' deep expertise in pediatric cardiology. The multi-state health system has world-class Cardiac Centers at its two free-standing children's hospitals with dedicated surgical suites, interventional and electrophysiology labs, cardiac intensive care units, non-invasive imaging exercise physiology labs. The two hospitals are united via a common electronic medical record and imaging systems. Each site has dedicated cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensivists, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, pediatric cardiologists, cardiac genetics, psychologists, nurse practitioners and nurses committed to providing exceptional cardiac care. ### About Nemours Children's Health System Nemours is an internationally recognized children's health system that owns and operates the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., and Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Fla., along with outpatient facilities in five states, delivering pediatric primary, specialty and urgent care. Nemours also powers the world's most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, KidsHealth.org and offers on-demand, online video patient visits through Nemours CareConnect. Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, Nemours provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to families in the communities it serves. This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The virtual event, hosted by Vietnam, was attended by leaders of the 10 AIPA member parliaments, parliamentary leaders of country observers of AIPA, the AIPA Secretary-General and Secretariat, the Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the ASEAN Secretary-General, along with representatives of the UN Secretary-General and guest parliaments of the host country. Addressing the first plenary session, Speaker of the Legislative Council of Brunei Pehin Abdul Rahman Taib said the theme of AIPA 41 this year, Parliamentary Diplomacy for Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community, is relevant in the current context as the region faces unprecedented challenges in adapting to the new norm. The theme further emphasises the role of national parliaments of ASEAN as the voice of the people and the need to stand in solidarity and to respond swiftly to pressing issues, in accordance with the international laws, he noted. Speaker of the House of Representatives of Indonesia Puan Maharani held that the theme of this years General Assembly marks the increasingly important role of the parliament, especially in this time of COVID-19 pandemic, which is impacting so many lives and limiting economic activities, causing the region to be in the verge of recession. She said in this situation, as parliament we need to encourage ASEAN Member States government to deliver adequate policy to curb the spread of COVID-19, reduce greater economic impact and ensuring social welfare. Meanwhile, Chairwoman of the Lao National Assembly Pany Yathotou expressed high valuation of and support for the theme of AIPA 41, which contributes further to implementing the commitment of the 36th ASEAN Summit and reaffirming the importance of close cooperation and partnership among ASEAN member states, and between ASEAN and its dialogue partners with a view to responding to the emerging challenges in the region. Yathotou showed her confidence that fellow AIPA members will continue to fulfill their role through parliamentary diplomacy with a view to encouraging the governments of ASEAN member states to implement measures and translate commitment of the ASEAN leaders as well as the heads of AIPA towards tangible results. President of the Thai National Assembly Chuan Leekpai noted at the regional level, it is preferable for AIPA to exchange knowledge and experiences among member parliaments, including knowledge on a new and unexpected way of life under the current and post-COVID-19 situation. Member parliaments in different countries can directly communicate with one another and help parliaments to function more smoothly and effectively. He added the ASEAN Community building can be essentially strengthened through the harmonisation of laws of the member states. For ASEAN to truly attain a regional community, it is urged to create common legal standards across the region. Each parliament can still maintain its responsibility for the enactment of laws to regulate affairs within its own jurisdiction. Harmonisation is nevertheless essential to ensure that the same or similar rules and regulations are moving in the same direction, most notably trade, investment, and movement of professionals, making the region, not only friendly, but also legally friendly. Regarding the COVID-19 fight, President of Cambodias National Assembly Heng Samrin called for deeper regional integration while the region is struggling to recover from this crisis. Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Puan Maharani underscored the need to optimise the role as parliaments by performing legislative duty related to the effort of combating COVID-19 and its socio-economic impact, such as laws related to fiscal stimulus or strengthening social safety net. Parliament should also improve oversight to ensure that those laws would be implemented, and their benefits would be felt by the people. To advance as a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, it is necessary to enhance the capacity to respond effectively to emerging regional challenges, including in the context of human security. She voiced her belief that regional countries as one ASEAN Community will overcome this difficult time and working together in addressing other regional challenges. Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Malaysian Parliament Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun highlighted that facing COVID-19, it is needed to enhance solidarity and cooperation. On behalf of the Parliament of Malaysia, we are ready to provide our undivided support of the remarkable efforts by our fellow AIPA members towards the realisation and collaboration of a greater ASEAN. I look forward to strengthening the relationships of our institutions, he added. Northrop Grumman has named its next space station resupply ship after Dr Kalpana Chawla, an astronaut of Indian decent. Washington [US], September 9 (ANI): Northrop Grumman has named its next space station resupply ship after Dr Kalpana Chawla, an astronaut of Indian decent. The S.S. Kalpana Chawla, Northrop Grummans next Cygnus spacecraft to launch to the International Space Station, is christened in honor of the Columbia astronaut, company officials announced on Tuesday (September 8) Northrop Grumman is proud to name the NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft after former astronaut Kalpana Chawla. It is the companys tradition to name each Cygnus after an individual who has played a pivotal role in human spaceflight. Chawla was selected in honor of her prominent place in history as the first woman of Indian descent to go to space, Northrop Grumman said in a statement. Also Read: Russia releases first batch of Covid-19 vaccine into public Also Read: Donald Trump calls NAFTA, China entry into WTO as most disastrous deals in history Today we honor Kalpana Chawla, who made history at NASA as the first female astronaut of Indian descent. Her contributions to human spaceflight have had a lasting impact. Meet our next Cygnus vehicle, the S.S. Kalpana Chawla, the aerospace and defense technology company tweeted. Northrop Grumman, NASAs resupply contractor further added, Liftoff is targeted for September 29 from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility. The Cygnus spacecraft will deliver approximately 3,629 kg (8,000lb.) of cargo to the space station. The S.S. Kalpana Chawla will be launched into orbit from Virginia Spaces Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Wallops Island, Virginia. Northrop Grumman will load critical cargo into S.S. Kalpana Chawla (Cygnus spacecraft), 24 hours before the scheduled launch. Upon arrival at the International Space Station, the cargo will be unloaded from Cygnus. Once the spacecraft departs the station, S.S. Kalpana Chawla will host the Spacecraft Fire Experiment -V (Saffire-V) to study the behavior of large-scale fires in microgravity after which it will perform a safe, destructive reentry into Earths atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Kalpana Chawla, the spacecrafts namesake, the path to becoming an astronaut began in Karnal, India. Chawla known to her friends as K.C. knew that she wanted to be an aerospace engineer at an early age. She was influenced by watching the planes from the local flying clubs and by her father. Every once in a while, Chawla said, wed ask my dad if we could get a ride in one of these planes. And, he did take us to the flying club and get us a ride in the Pushpak and a glider that the flying club had, the fallen astronaut often said in interviews. She graduated from Tagore School, Karnal, India, in 1976 and received a bachelors degree in aeronautical engineering from Indias Punjab Engineering College in 1982. Then, she moved to the United States to go to graduate school at the University of Texas-Arlington, where she received a masters degree in aerospace engineering in 1984. Then, she moved to Boulder, Colo., to pursue a doctorate in aerospace engineering, which she received in 1988. Her career with NASA began in 1988 when she went to work for the Ames Research Center in California. Chawlas work at Ames centered on powered-lift computational fluid dynamics, which involves aircraft like the Harrier. After a brief career outside NASA, she returned as an astronaut candidate in December 1994. Her first flight was STS-87, the fourth U.S Microgravity Payload flight, on Space Shuttle Columbia from Nov. 19 to Dec. 5, 1997. She returned to space on Jan. 16, 2003, aboard Columbia for a 16-day research flight. The STS-107 crew conducted more than 80 experiments. Chawla and her six STS-107 crewmates perished Feb. 1, 2003, over Texas as Columbia was re-entering Earths atmosphere. (ANI) Also Read: Amid India China standoff, students in for long wait: Indian Embassy issues advisory Love them, hate them ignore them at national peril, is the babu guarantee and Dilips belief. Share significant babu escapades dilipcherian@hotmail.com Last year, the government endorsed lists of dozens of officers of the IRS and IT services accused of corruption and other charges Now, as part of weeding out inefficient and corrupt babus, the Modi sarkar has again reiterated that Central ministries and departments must constantly update the list of officers who have completed 30 years of service. Representational Image Transparency and weeding out corruption is a big theme with the Modi sarkar, and it has doggedly pursued this goal despite pushback from the babus. Last year, the government endorsed lists of dozens of officers of the IRS and IT services accused of corruption, sexual harassment and other charges. The campaign continues Now, as part of weeding out inefficient and corrupt babus, the Modi sarkar has again reiterated that Central ministries and departments must constantly update the list of officers who have completed 30 years of service. Besides, the register of officers with doubtful integrity will be regularly reviewed and updated to help identify babus who can be prematurely retired from service. Sources say that the department of personnel and training (DoPT) issued a letter to this effect on August 28. Apparently, the names of such officers will be forwarded to the respective review committees on a routine basis. Cases about the IAS, IPS, IFS and Railway cadre babus will be considered by the respective secretary of DoPT, ministry of home affairs, ministry of external affairs and Central Railway Board, respectively. Will corrupt babus get the message? CBDT chief gets extension The chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Pramod Chandra Mody, got his term extended by six months ending February 28, 2021. A retired 1982-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, Mody was slated to retire on August 31. His predecessor Sushil Chandra (now Election Commissioner) too got an extension in May 2017, which was considered a rare exception at that time. Now with Modys continued tenure, it seems to have become a norm. The virtually last-minute announcement has finally ended the hectic speculation in babu circles about the governments plans. Since the beginning of August, the Board has been led by two retired IRS officers, Mody and member Sushil Kumar Gupta. According to sources, there was a keen tussle between the two seniormost babus for the top slot. Finally, it appears that the government decided to go with a tried and tested hand than opt for a new face. Modys extension also puts paid to the hopes of Seema Khorana Patra and Prabhash Shankar who were next in line in seniority to have a go at the top post. Return of the prodigal? Shah Faesals brush with politics in Jammu & Kashmir turned out to be short-lived. The erstwhile IAS topper had made headlines last year when he announced he was quitting the civil service to protest the situation in Kashmir. He founded a political party Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM). Now, more than a year later, he has left his own party and indicated that he might return to the service. According to sources, the government has not accepted his resignation of January 2019, pending investigation into some of his posts on social media. Apparently, before quitting politics Faesal contacted top officials in the home ministry, and if we believe the rumours, even national security advisor Ajit Doval, before announcing his decision. Those in the know say that since the government has not accepted his resignation, the door is open for his re-entry into the IAS. However, he will have to withdraw his resignation first. The website of the department of personnel and training (DoPT) still shows Faesal as a serving officer, even though he plunged into politics for a year and a half. Since his resignation has not been processed, Faesal can still withdraw his resignation. But more likely the final say in this matter may be a political one than an administrative decision. Babus must be karmayogis The Modi sarkar has now added Karmayogi to the governments expanding lexicon of buzzwords. The Union Cabinet has given its approval to Mission Karmayogi, a skill-building programme for civil servants. It has been touted as the biggest human resource development reform in the government. According to C. Chandramouli, secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, babus will have to be imaginative and progressive, energetic and enabling, transparent and tech enabled, and constructive and creative to face modern challenges. But, all that it sounds like is a fancier word for good old training. Share a babu experience! Follow dilipthecherian@Twitter.com. Lets multiply the effect. A dog owner was savagely mauled to death by his own Rottweiler following an argument with his roommate. Dave Whitney, 59, was brutally attacked inside his home in Morley, 10km northeast of Perth's CBD, on Monday night. Mr Whitney, a former broadcast operator, was arguing with roommate Brody Gardner, 36, when his Rottweiler inflicted the deadly injuries, Nine News reported. Father and former broadcast operator Dave Whitney (pictured), 59, was mauled to death by his own Rottweiler after an argument with his 36-year-old roommate Brody Gardner Emergency services were called to Mr Whitney's home (pictured) in Morley, 10km northeast of Perth's CBD, on Monday night and tried to save the dad after he sustained life threatening-injuries Emergency services were called to the Halvorson Road home at 8.10pm, responding to an animal complaint, and found the Perth father with life-threatening injuries. Paramedics desperately worked to keep Mr Whitney alive but he died at the scene. Detectives from the homicide squad were called to take over the investigation and the Rottweiler was seized by an animal ranger. The dog was later put down after it lunged at officers. Mr Gardner was questioned by homicide detectives after the attack and was released without charge. Mr Whitney's neighbours said they had complained about the dog to the local council and said the Rottweiler had attacked several children. 'He's attacked numerous children. It's heart-wrenching because we could have prevented some of this,' Danielle Marendaz said. Neighbours said Mr Whitney (pictured second from left) and his roommate were also attacked by the dog in April and had been rushed to hospital to receive surgery Police (pictured) questioned the 36-year-old roommate and he was released without charge Neighbours also said the Rottweiler had previously attacked its owner. Both Mr Whitney and Mr Gardner were rushed to hospital in April and needed plastic surgery to address their injuries. 'They got in an attack a couple of months ago and I had to take both of them to hospital. 'They knocked on my door and they both had gashes on their arms and legs and stuff, and they were in hospital for like three days,' Hailie Featherstone told ABC. Friends described Mr Whitney, who previously worked at channel Seven and Ten, as a 'gentle' and 'down-to-earth man'. The investigation is ongoing. With recent Miami Law graduates facing several uncertainties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from the economic downturn to a delayed and unclear Florida Bar exam process Dean Anthony Varona reached out to the alumni community for support. Many of our recent graduates are encountering financial, family, healthcare, and other stressors that will worsen significantly if their employment is delayed, unavailable, or otherwise affected by the uncertainties around the Florida Bar Exam, Varona shared in an email to Miami Law alumni. In that same communication, the dean encouraged those who had already hired a May 2020 graduate not to delay their start date and he asked others if they had opportunities to please connect with him directly. And, immediately, several alumni responded. Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos J. Martinez, J.D. 90, is sponsoring a Temporary Supervised Practice (TSP) program and inviting qualifying law school graduates to volunteer a minimum of 10 weeks at his law office. The program will allow law school graduates who meet specific requirements to temporarily practice law in Florida under the supervision of an approved practitioner. According to Martinez, TSP volunteers gain invaluable hands-on experience in preparing and litigating criminal cases in the state judicial system under the supervision of an experienced attorney. Brian Kelley, J.D. 10 and Todd L. Wallen, J.D. 98, Miami Law alumni and the shareholders of Wallen Kelley, recently hired three Miami Law class of 2020 graduates in response to the appeal. Our firm was founded by Canes and we want to see law students from Miami succeed, Kelley said. As weve been blessed with significant firm growth over the past few months, we felt it only made sense to tap into the potential of UM Law to help us fill the positions. We were blown away by the sheer quality of the applicants and cant believe that we were able to find such capable attorneys that were ready to hit the ground running. Id strongly recommend bringing in as many of the graduating students as possible it was absolutely worth our time and I can guarantee we will be doing so in the future as well. Jordan A. Shaw, J.D. 14, a partner of Zebersky Payne Shaw Lewenz, LLP, along with Miami Law alumni Edward H. Zebersky, J.D. 91, Todd S. Payne, B.A. 84, J.D. 89, and Michael T. Lewenz, J.D. 14, have offered to mentor recent graduates. We are a law firm of Canes, Shaw said. All four named partners are Canes, two thirds of our associates are Canes, and we currently have two law clerksboth Canes. We have true pride in alma mater, so when our alma mater is in need, we do not hesitate to serve. If you or your firm have opportunities for recent graduates, please contact Dean Varona or the Career Development Office. Flash The European Commission welcomed the decision of TikTok to join the Code of Conduct of the European Union (EU) on countering illegal hate speech online. "I commend TikTok for their decision to sign up to our EU Code of Conduct," EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders commented on Tuesday, when retweeting an announcement from the EU's executive arm. "By signing up to our Code of Conduct, TikTok has demonstrated a firm commitment to tackling illegal hate speech online. The EU needs robust cooperation with such prominent actors to make the digital environment a safe place for all," Reynders said in the announcement. TikTok is the ninth partner to join the Code of Conduct, joining other giants like Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, etc. The Code of Conduct, launched in 2016, has led to IT companies assessing 90 percent of flagged content within 24 hours and removing 71 percent of the content deemed to be illegal hate speech, according to the European Commission. TikTok is a video-sharing, music and social networking service owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, and specializes in user-made short videos. In the framework of the Army 2020 military-technical forum that took place near Moscow last week, Russia signed contracts for the supply of weapons and military hardware to Laos and Sudan, among others. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link Upgraded T-72B1 MBTs of the Lao Peoples Liberation Army on parade celebrating 70th Anniversary of the foundation of Laotian Peoples Armed Forces in Vientiane, January 20th, 2019 (Picture source: Reddit) According to the Russian Defense Ministry, talks were held with specialists from Serbia, Mongolia, Sudan and Laos."International contract documents for the supply of Russian products designed for military use were signed with the Sudanese and Laotian sides in the follow-up of the talks," the ministry said. No details were provided. Close diplomatic and military ties between Russia and Laos date back to the post-Vietnam war era. They got somewhat loose when USSR collapsed, due to a lack of resources, but they have since been revigorated. So, Russia already supplied Laos with tanks and other military hardware, a process that is visibly going on, if not speeding up. Sudan is also a long customer of the Russian defense industry. Hence a significant delegation attended Army 2020. LONDON: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is wanted by the United States because he is a political enemy" of President Donald Trump, his London extradition hearing was told on Wednesday. Australian-born Assange, 49, is fighting against being sent to the United States, where he is charged with conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law over the release of confidential cables by WikiLeaks in 2010-2011. Paul Rogers, a professor of peace studies at Britains Bradford University, told Londons Old Bailey court that the timing of the U.S. prosecution was connected to Assanges political views and Trumps hostility towards him. The evidence does support very strongly this does appear to be a political trial," Rogers said. Assange and WikiLeaks enraged the U.S. government a decade ago by publishing thousands of secret American documents, but he was not charged with any criminal offence at the time. His supporters see him as a champion of free speech exposing abuses of power and hypocrisy by Washington and regard his prosecution as threat to journalism. U.S. authorities say he recklessly endangered the lives of sources with his releases. Rogers said the Trump administration viewed Assange as a political enemy" because of his opinions. Assanges defence team are arguing the U.S. case is politically-motivated, something which would bar his extradition. The opinions and views of Mr Assange, demonstrated in his words and actions with the organisation WikiLeaks over many years, can be seen as very clearly placing him in the crosshairs of dispute with the philosophy of the Trump administration," Rogers said in his statement to the court. James Lewis, the lawyer representing the United States, challenged the assertion the case was politically-motivated, saying U.S. federal prosecutors were forbidden to consider political opinion in making their decisions. Im not saying they are acting in bad faith," Rogers said. Im saying that at a different level, a political decision was taken to investigate this further after it had lapsed for eight years." Assange was warned by the judge on Tuesday he would be removed from the courtroom and tried in his absence if he interrupted proceedings after Assange shouting nonsense" at Lewis. 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 Zubair was booked by Delhi Polices Cyber Cell on the complaint of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights for 'threatening and torturing a girl child through Twitter' New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the police not to take any coercive steps against fact-check website Alt News co-founder Mohd Zubair in a case of allegedly threatening, torturing a minor on social media. Justice Yogesh Khanna sought a response of the police and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), on whose complaint a case was lodged, on the journalist's plea seeking quashing of the FIR against him. The Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Zubair on 9 August for the offenses under the Information Technology Act for allegedly threatening and torturing a girl child on Twitter on a complaint received from the NCPCR. The NCPCR complaint referred to the photo of a girl and her father shared by Zubair on Twitter during an online spat with the minor's father. The high court also directed Twitter India to cooperate with the police in the investigation of the matter. The accused approached the high court seeking quashing of the FIR against him. He also sought a copy of the FIR saying the cyber cell refused to provide him with the document. Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra, representing the state and DCP of police, said though he has no instructions from the department about the matter as an officer of the court he has no objection in supplying the copy of the FIR to the accused as he has a right to know the allegations against him. The high court directed the police to provide him with a copy of the FIR so that he can respond to the allegations. Zubair refuted the allegation levelled in the FIR as an absolutely frivolous complaint. The high court ordered Delhi Police and DCP Cyber Cell Anyesh Roy to file a status report within eight weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on 8 December. No coercive action against the petitioner (Zubair) till then, the judge said. During the hearing, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Zubair, submitted that he is the co-founder of the fact-checking website news outlet Alt News and debunks misinformation put out by individuals and political parties without any bias. Due to the nature of his work, he is often abused, threatened, and demeaned by people. He said two FIRs have been lodged against him for the same incident, one in Delhi and the other in Chhattisgarh. He submitted that he was being trolled for his posts on Twitter by a man who abused, demeaned and even left communally charged comments on Zubair's Twitter page. Later, the journalist posted the display picture of the man, standing with his minor daughter whose face was cautiously blurred by the petitioner and wrote a tweet. After this, a complaint was made against him with the NCPCR and an FIR was lodged. Mehra submitted that the journalist was a habitual offender and till the time police get information about a third Twitter handle, he can be given interim protection. He said the police are still investigating the matter and the FIR was lodged solely on the version of the complainant, NCPCR chairman. Advocate Anindita Pujari, appearing for NCPCR chairman Priyank Kanoongo, submitted that he shall be deleted from the array of parties as he was only an informant and doing his statutory duty. Zubair's counsel said the NCPCR chief was made a party as he had tweeted about the matter from his personal handle and not the commission's handle. Last week, the NCPCR chief had tweeted, "According to the ATR received in @NCPCR_, an FIR has been lodged against the alleged persons for threatening and torturing a girl child on @Twitter. As per the request made by @TwitterIndia an additional time of 10 days has been provided to them to provide relevant information." Bulk deliveries of a vaccine against the coronavirus Covid-19 infection to the regions are scheduled to begin in November - December, Russian Healthcare Minister Mikhail Murashko was quoted as saying in a media report. Earlier the Healthcare Ministry reported that the first batch of the Sputnik V vaccine was released for civilian circulation. "The vaccine against the coronavirus infection in mass format will begin to arrive as early as November - December," the minister was quoted by Russian news agency Tass. The minister noted that now it is also important to begin inoculation against the flu and that the Arkhangelsk Region has already received batches of this vaccine. Earlier the minister explained that the term "civilian circulation" means inoculation of people from risk groups, such as teachers and healthcare workers, which will be conducted simultaneously with post-registration clinical trials. On August 11, Russia became the first worldwide to register the vaccine against the coronavirus which was named Sputnik V. The preparation was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center and passed clinical trials in June - July. On August 15, the Healthcare Ministry announced the production launch of the preparation. On September 8, the first batch of the vaccine was released for civilian circulation. PCT LTD (OTC Pink: PCTL) is providing a brief statement on current business activities through its UK-based partner, Paradigm Convergence Technologies (Europe) Ltd. Paradigm Convergence Technologies (Europe) Ltd, aligned with NTH Solutions and PCT LTD confirms that PCT LTD's equipment, generating Hypochlorous Acid- ("HOCl-") based disinfectant, is being delivered for use in the cleaning and disinfecting services market segment by NTH Solutions and a company strategically aligned with NTH Solutions. Gary Grieco, PCT LTD's CEO, commented, "While we continue to work out the final details relative to the U.K.'s healthcare industry's needs, we are pleased to be an integral part of the solutions for other disinfectant markets in Europe." "The original healthcare tests have been completed and the trial was expanded to include a smaller hospital in Hartlepool," says Chairman/Managing Director of Paradigm Convergence Technologies (Europe), Barry Dunn. "It has been a long process but certainly worth it." Further updates on UK activities will be made available once definitive information is confirmed and finalized. Additional updates will be available during the company's upcoming Shareholder Conference Call. Shareholder Conference Call Updating an earlier release, a prior communication incorrectly indicated the date of the upcoming Shareholder Conference Call as being on Wednesday, September 29th. The company would like to confirm the date of the upcoming Shareholder Conference Call as being scheduled for Tuesday, September 29thThe company deeply regrets the error and looks forward to speaking directly with shareholders on Tuesday, September 29th About PCT LTD: PCT LTD ("PCTL") focuses its business on acquiring, developing and providing sustainable, environmentally safe disinfecting, cleaning and tracking technologies. The company acquires and holds rights to innovative products and technologies, which are commercialized through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, Paradigm Convergence Technologies Corporation (PCT Corp). Currently trading on OTC, "PCTL" aspires to and is actively engaged in preparations for up-listing its common stock to a national securities exchange. The Company established entry into its target markets with commercially viable products in the United States and now continues to gain market share in the U.S. and U.K. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, goals, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Such statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those presently anticipated. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: the ability of PCTL to fulfill orders to the United Kingdom; PCTL's continued installation of equipment; subsequent installations of PCTL's Annihilyzer Infection Control Systems and other larger-volume equipment; PCTL's ability to raise sufficient funds to satisfy its working capital requirements; the ability of PCTL to execute its business plan; any other effects resulting from the information disclosed above; risks and effects of legal and administrative proceedings and government regulation; future financial and operational results; competition; general economic conditions; and the ability to manage and continue growth. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those indicated. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements PCTL makes in this press release include market conditions and those set forth in reports or documents it files from time to time with the SEC. PCTL undertakes no obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect current events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909006057/en/ Contacts: Gary Grieco, CEO and Chairman, PCT LTD (843) 390-7900 Office (843) 390-2347 Fax www.para-con.com www.pctcorphealth.com www.survivalyte.com Rich Inza, Investor Relations (RMJ Consulting, LLC) (843) 491-4611 IR@para-con.com Last month, Netflix felt compelled to apologise. By its own admission, the streaming service had done Cuties, a French film released on the platform this 9 September, a monumental disservice. The problem originated with a poster released and subsequently removed by Netflix. While the French version depicts 11-year-old protagonist Amy and her friends gleefully carrying a bunch of shopping bags, Netflixs took a much different approach. In it, the girls are onstage, three of them mid-twerk, all of them adopting provocative poses in revealing, hardly age-appropriate outfits. It looks, in short, like Toddlers and Tiaras French Tweens Edition. The image does, in fact, reflect a specific scene in the film. But without context, and without director Maimouna Doucoures skilled storytelling, it fatally fails to reflect the essence of Cuties. Amy (Fathia Youssouf), the films protagonist, joins a dance group and searches for her place in the world. The daughter of Senegalese parents, she struggles between the conservative, obedient model of femininity she finds at home, and the more liberated model offered by her dance friends even though their apparent empowerment is surface-level at best, and extremely fragile. The film examines the way in which our culture inappropriately hypersexualises girls bodies. And it does so in a way that is unambiguous, honest, and brave. But Netflixs poster muddied the waters, and now a petition demanding the film be removed from the platform (where it hasnt even been released yet) has received more than 300,000 signatures. Were deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties, Netflix tweeted, referring to the movie both by its original French title and its English name. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. Weve now updated the pictures and description. Cuties trailer Yes, it was nice of Netflix to apologise. Removing the poster was wise, too. But its hard not to wish none of this had happened in the first place, mainly because Cuties and its critical success are, sadly, statistical anomalies to begin with. This is a movie about a black girl, directed and written by a black woman. Its a coming-of-age story centering a group of girls, when the genre so frequently favours boys. It premiered at Sundance in 2020 and won Doucoure the Directing Award in the World Cinema Dramatic category. A release on Netflix was destined to open the film to an international audience a precious rarity for so many non-English-language features. Cuties can still find fans abroad, but it deserved to do so without any of the accompanying noise. Cuties is a movie about girls and the culture that sexualises them. It is, crucially, not a movie in favour of hypersexualisation. Just because a work of art depicts something, that doesnt mean its advocating for it. If that were the case, no thriller would ever get written no rape scene, no burglary even, would ever be depicted on screen. The Cuties controversy is reminiscent of another wave of outrage that washed over France, this time in 1857 over the classic novel Madame Bovary. Gustave Flaubert, its illustrious author, was accused of obscenity for its depiction of adultery, despite the fact that the titular Madame Bovary dies by suicide after her affairs. But even in the 19th century, Flaubert was quickly acquitted. Hopefully, the same will happen for Cuties, with the controversy reduced to one or two paragraphs on a Wikipedia page. At its heart, Cuties captures the casual (and at times not-so-casual) violence and volatility of female friendships at that age. Watching Amy attempt to fit in with her new clique, I found myself revisiting my own pre-adolescence that feeling of watching the world from the sidelines, the eagerness to find a spot at the centre of it all, and the relentlessness with which tween diplomacy consistently pushes you back to the margins. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up One of the most touching moments comes when Amys closest friend, Angelica (Medina El Aidi-Azouni), turns to Amy, whos busy intertwining her friends hair with her own. They say Im a bad daughter, that I cant do anything, Angelica tells Amy of her own family. But people, they like me. Right, Amy? They like me? Its so raw, so moving, its as if the movie is taking you by the hand and saying, See? This is the deeper truth Ive been trying to show you all along. Yes, the dance scenes are uncomfortable to watch at times. In fact, they should be uncomfortable. The experience they reflect that of being an 11-year-old girl constantly pulled between different versions of what it means to be a woman when you are, really, still a girl is excruciating. Doucoure explained in an interview with the French radio station France Culture that she chose to film those dance scenes, which includes close-ups of the girls bodies and of their faces, in a way that would bring the viewer as close to Amy as possible. In those moments, we see the girls as they would like to see themselves. Yet the film constantly bookends those scenes with sequences that bring the girls back to their unfair, complicated, unnecessarily brutal reality. For all its explorations of what it means to exist in a girls body, Cuties never leads its viewers astray. Doucoure never wavers from her original intentions. The girls in the movie are so obviously children. Not just that theyre childish, immature, riddled with growing pains. Cuties is too important and too clever a film to be subjected to the kind of policing thats been directed at it. Watch it. Will you feel uncomfortable doing so? Probably, but the discomfort is only one part of the experience. Youll feel empathy for Amy, for her friends and family. Perhaps youll feel relieved your pre-adolescence is behind you. Dont let the poster distract you. Its only one facet of a much bigger, more interesting story. Cuties is out on Netflix on 9 September. 2020 began a decade that I think will be defined by irony. Ill skip over the prominent political examples and jump right into social media and drill down to focus on Facebook. Last week we ran a survey asking people which of the CEOs that were questioned by Congress last month is the most trustworthy. Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg took the dubious prize for last place. Tim Cook of Apple was voted the most trustworthy of the four CEOs. Online survey of ECT News Network visitors conducted Aug. 3 10, 2020 These results reveal overwhelmingly that issues of trust exist for these big tech company leaders across-the-board. With that said, I think this survey and Zuckerbergs image showcases an incredible level of incompetence, particularly given that Facebook appears to be tied so deeply to the amount of fake news that is currently surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and I believe it will eventually lead to the mother of all class-action lawsuits against the company. If you think about it, you have a CEO of a company that is structured to mine user information and manipulate opinion, and a firm that still mostly sells hardware. There shouldnt be any competition; Facebook has the tools and information access to assure it is beloved. Yet Apple, which doesnt have anywhere near that level of reach nor engagement, has a far better image. Lets talk about ironic incompetence this week, and well close with my product of the week: a stand-alone Microsoft Teams appliance that belatedly makes the video phone real (sort of). The Potential Power of Facebook For those that participate on Facebook, the company has data on you that is unprecedented. It knows when you were born, where you like to vacation, where you work, your title, your close friends (at least those on Facebook), what makes you mad, and what makes you happy. Facebook knows much of what you buy, who you are likely to vote for, and it likely knows who you voted for in past elections. With the level of information Facebook collects on you, it could manipulate you, emulate you, and either do you great harm or, potentially, help you out a great deal. Harm could include aggregating comments youve made over time to make you appear sexist or racist. Doing you well could include making you visible in a positive way to those that have some control over your career or might be convinced to give you a job offer. There is also little doubt Facebook has the capability to change the outcome of an election or change the impression of a sitting politician. It can also help keep you safe by pointing out false information that puts you at risk, or it can (as Facebook did in my case) spread information that could put your life at risk. With that kind of massive power, the person running the company needs to be trustworthy, because, if he or she isnt, we are not only in a world of hurt individually, but likely in a world of hurt as a nation. I believe that by the end of the year it is very likely that well conclude that, for the good of the nation, Facebook will need to be shut down and it doesnt need to end that way. A D V E R T I S E M E N T With Great Power With high power comes great responsibility is one of the most memorable Stan Lee Spiderman quotes, and that is hard to argue with. What we often talk about is the abuse of power and the other well-known quote, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Facebook has an unprecedented amount of power, and it has the potential to be a great force for good in the world. Instead, it the company has chosen a very different path, and Mark Zuckerberg is seen as the face of that problem. The ideal person to run a company like Facebook is someone who both understands the technology that Facebook uses and the social science underneath human interaction. That grants the core skills to steer the company; but if we want the company to do good rather than evil with the power, the person leading the company needs some other skills. The leader must understand strategy to assure long-term outcomes. They need empathy so they are less apt to harm intentionally or by accident, they must have a strong ethical core, and the person needs to be successfully charismatic. Together these attributes would assure the company is run by someone that people trust, and is trustworthy, and that Facebooks power isnt used to abuse people. As TikTok is exemplifying, if a social media service is seen as a threat, a government can ban it. There is a decent chance that enough people will see Facebook as a problem during both the pandemic and the coming election that a more serious effort to shut down the service along with other social media properties will result. Thats on top of the possible class action litigation over false information tied to folks who now arent socially distancing. Fast forward a year, and I doubt there will be a jury pool or judge that did not lose someone due to this false information being spread on social media. Since Facebook is at the heart of this issue and appears to have deep pockets, itll be an extremely attractive target, particularly given how poorly Zuckerberg does in testimony. Discovery to Judgement I was reminded last week of how advanced discovery tools had become when I was briefed by Celebrate, who has one of the newer class of AI-driven solutions. I expect internal emails, notes, and employee social media posts will showcase that a large number of Facebook employees have been concerned with the firms spread of false medical (and other) information. This information should build a case for intentional gross negligence that, in turn, will be tied to the historic death toll we are likely to see by year-end. I, and other Facebook users, have been actively trying to fight this false information. But we dont have the tools or scale that Facebook enjoys, and when we lose loved ones, as a result, we are likely to make credible and motivational statements about Facebooks culpability. Its not just the deaths directly connected to not wearing masks and socially distancing. Millions of people could become insolvent by the end of next month, suicides are on the rise and likely not to peak before year-end, and divorces are expected to spike in the coming months. A large percentage, if not most, of these outcomes, should be partially tied to the spread of critical false information on Facebook. In short, once we can again open the courts, Facebook is on the shortlist of companies likely to be blamed for the avoidable severity of this pandemic. This outcome is not only because it had the power, but it failed to use it to stop the dissemination of false information, but Facebook will be shown to have profited from the spread. Wrapping Up: Facebook Needs a New CEO If Facebook doesnt step up to the challenge (and frankly it may be too late) of using the incredible power it has responsibly and for the good of its users, it is likely to be put down much like what may happen to TikTok. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Zuckerberg may find that even his extreme wealth isnt enough to cover the liability he has accrued. The company desperately needs a new face and better leadership to both fully utilize the potential of a social media platform at scale, and to assure it is a force for good and not partially responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths and the millions of devastated people we are likely to be talking about by the end of 2020. The firm needs to be run by someone trusted and trustworthy, and that isnt Mark Zuckerberg. Not even close. I first got excited about video conferencing in the mid-60s after seeing the AT&T exhibit at Disneyland. The future was coming, and it sure as heck took a lot longer than anyone expected for this technology to catch on. With the pandemic, the need to replicate in-person meetings with video technology has become the go-to solution for most of us. However, using your laptop to do a video call and also to do work is problematic because you are consuming your limited screen real estate for both note taking and the call itself. It makes multitasking, where you are listening to a meeting while catching up with your work, far more difficult. But if you take the call on separate hardware, like a phone, your laptop remains untouched, and you can continue to function much like you would with a hands-free phone call. That is what the Lenovo ThinkSmart View does. Tied to Microsoft Teams, which is fast becoming the new enterprise standard for video collaboration; this is an affordable (US$349.99), easy-to-use device that is dedicated to video calls. Reviews by Microsoft Teams users have generally been positive. However, there have been issues with the camera placement being too low, and the lack of support for other collaboration platforms like Zoom or WebEx. (The video conferencing industry is on a 40-year whirlwind effort to improve interoperability.) Lenovo ThinkSmart View The ThinkSmart View is a first-generation product, but it did borrow from Lenovos impressive digital assistant design. You do need a business Teams license to use it properly and, while it has a great speaker, you may find pairing a set of headphones works better to both keep the background noise down and limit how much you annoy your spouse. For the right user and business, the ThinkSmart View could be an ideal tool to connect remote employees more solidly with their teams and management. As a result, the ThinkSmart View is my product of the week. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network. The Indian Air Force will formally induct the Rafale fighter jets at the Ambala air base on Thursday in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly, the IAF said in a statement on Wednesday. Five Rafales of the 36 ordered by the IAF arrived at the Ambala airbase on July 29, ending the IAFs agonizing wait for new fighter jets to sharpen its combat potential. While IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and other senior officials welcomed the Rafales and the pilots on their arrival, a formal induction ceremony is being held now. These Rafale jets are part of the IAFs No. 17 Squadron, which is also known as the Golden Arrows. Chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, defence secretary Ajay Kumar and Defence Research and Development Organisation chief G Satheesh Reddy are among the dignitaries attending the ceremony. Dassault Aviation chairman Eric Trappier will also be present. Rafales are manufactured by Dassault Aviation. At Ambala, the programme will include ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional Sarva Dharma Puja, air display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by the Sarang helicopter aerobatic team, the IAF statement said. After the ceremonial events, the Indian and French delegations will hold a bilateral meeting, it added. The next batch of three to four Rafale jets is expected to reach Ambala from France in October followed by a third batch in December, officials said. All deliveries will be completed by the end of 2021. India ordered 36 Rafale jets from France in a government-to-government deal worth Rs 59,000 crore in September 2016. Indias new Rafale fighters will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of the air force and prove to be a game changer with their advanced weaponry, high-tech sensors, superior radar for detection and tracking of targets and ability to carry an impressive payload, experts previously told Hindustan Times. The Rafale weaponry includes Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, Mica multi-mission air-to-air missiles and Scalp deep-strike cruise missiles --- weapons that allow fighter pilots to attack air and ground targets from standoff ranges and fill a significant capability gap. MOORESVILLE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / AMV Holdings, LLC (AMV) is pleased to announce that it has been notified by the FDA that its first Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) filed on 8/25/2020 has been accepted for review. Since receiving the notification, AMV has filed an additional 104 PMTA submissions accounting for over 5,000 SKUs. All of these submissions reflect the same file and information structure as the PMTA for which AMV has already received its acceptance for review notification. The FDA's PMTA process requires an applicant to show that the product is appropriate for the protection of public health and is a regulatory requirement for vapor products to remain on the market. The deadline for PMTA submissions is September 9, 2020. Acceptance of a PMTA is the first step in a long approval process that, if positive, will cumulate in a marketing order. "We are proud of our team and their achievement in completing a significant step in a rigorous regulatory process and look forward to the FDA's review of all our products. We view this multi-year effort as another milestone in leading with science and quality in the vapor industry. We hope that the FDA's PMTA process will increase consumers' trust in the industry and the products we offer give combustible tobacco users a reliable alternative." said Mark Kehaya, Chairman of AMV Holdings. AMV Holdings, which includes the brands Alohma, Kure, Madvapes, ELB Labs, and Wholesale Vaping Supply, is a leading manufacturer and retailer of ENDS products in the United States and Europe. AMV currently operates 113 retail locations in the United States through a combination of corporately owned, franchised, and licensed stores and a further 7 stores in Germany and Ireland. AMV manufactures e-liquids through ELB Labs, to distribute to their brick and mortar vape stores, online (B2C) e-commerce platforms, and third-party vape stores for consumers who want to switch from smoking cigarettes to vaping/e-cigarettes. "It's exciting to know that we will be able to continue to offer our guests PRIME e-liquids in all our retail locations. The process with the FDA has enabled us to document our philosophy of providing high-quality standards and superior chemistry of our PRIME e-liquid line, that is something we are all proud of. We look forward to providing our guests with the best service and products in the industry for many years to come." Sam Salaymeh, President of AMV Holdings. ABOUT AMV HOLDINGS AMV Holdings is the largest operator of specialty brick and mortar vape stores in the USA and the manufacturer of multiple e-liquid brands, including the exclusive PRIME line of nicotine e-liquids. AMV Holdings operates 120+ retail locations under the Alohma, Kure, Madvapes and MAXX brands in the US and Europe. CONTACT: Nicole Brewer pr@amvholdings.com 704.617.4444 SOURCE: AMV Holdings, LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605359/AMV-Holdings-Receives-First-FDA-Premarket-Tobacco-Product-Application-Acceptance Welcome to Source Notes, a Future Tense column about the internets knowledge ecosystem. The banner posted across Scots Wikipedia bears an important notice: Followin recent revelations, Scots Wikipedia is presently reviewin its airticles for muckle leid inaccuracies. In addition to that general warning, hundreds of articles also display this more specific disclaimer: The Scots that wis uised in this airticle wis written bi a body thats mither tongue isna Scots. Please impruive this airticle gin ye can. This warning and its related call to action are currently stamped over hundreds of Scots Wikipedia articles on topics ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to Kamala Harris to the Sermon on the Munt. Advertisement In August, someone going by the handle Ultach posted threads on 4chan and Reddit revealing that an American teenager who does not speak Scots was responsible for nearly half of the articles on Scots Wikipedia. That teenager is the 19-year-old North Carolinian behind the username AmaryllisGardner, whose alias is often shortened to AG. Ultach wrote in his viral posts that Scots Wikipedia was legendarily bad in part because AG did not understand Scots grammar or vocabulary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether or not the Scots Wikipedia project serves to delegitimize the Scots language has been a long-term concern. Turns out, AG had misused common elements of the Scots language like syne and an aw. Many of AGs articles did not use proper Scots grammar; instead, he had seemingly inserted Scots words at random into ordinary English sentences. Take AGs original article for Veelage, which stated, A veelage is a clustered human settlement or commonty, larger than a hamlet but smawer nor a toun. This page has since been fixed with proper Scots and now states that a veelage is muckler nor a clachan but no as muckle nor a toun. Ultach concluded his Reddit post by writing that AG had engaged in cultural vandalism on a hitherto unprecedented scale. Advertisement Advertisement The intention behind Scots Wikipedia is to produce an encyclopedia written in the Scots language, sometimes referred to as Lowland Scots and not to be confused with Scottish Gaelic, which falls within the Celtic language family. The Scots language is sometimes characterized as a sister language of Modern English, and sometimes classified as a dialect. Either way, the shared ancestry means that English speakers can often grasp the gist of whats being communicated in Scots. A classic example is the poetry of Robert Burns, who wrote The best laid schemes o mice an men/ Gang aft agley. At present, there are nearly 58,000 articles on Scots Wikipedia compared with the more than 6 million articles on English Wikipedia. In relation to other language editions, Scots Wikipedia is often classified as a small wiki. Advertisement Advertisement But the public response to Ultachs revelations about AG has been anything but small or minkie. British news outlets have been highly critical, describing the situation as a hijacking of the Scots language (the Spectator), Wikipedia boy butchers Scots language (the Times), and Shock an aw (the Guardian). In the midst of the fallout, its worth considering why the news about Scots Wikipedia has struck such a cultural nerve and how open knowledge projects like Wikipedia can potentially self-correct. Advertisement Advertisement Actual Scots speakers say their passion for the language stems from their lived experience. Cobra! is a 26-year-old based in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, who has actively edited Scots Wikipedia for about five years. For a lot of my life, like many natives, Ive had to suppress my Scots because of its stigma, Cobra! told me on Discord. Growing up, he heard Scots described as dirty talk. Later in life, he made a deliberate effort to rediscover his language. Cobra! said he became interested in improving Scots Wikipedia largely because he was aware it wasnt the best representation of the language and that it was sometimes used by Redditors as proof that Scots wasnt a language at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether or not the Scots Wikipedia project serves to delegitimize the Scots language has been a long-term concern. My colleague Jane C. Hu wrote for Slate in 2014 that the project is no joke, although she admitted that at first glance it read like a transcription of a person with a Scottish accent. Historically there has been some debate about whether Scots is its own separate language, a dialect of English, or slang. Yet Scots is formally recognized as one of Scotlands three official languages, together with English and Scottish Gaelic. Ryan Dempsey, aka Ultach, told me in an email that he was motivated to go public with the AG story because he was frustrated with how the language was perceived. Hes from a region of Northern Ireland that speaks Ulster Scots, and its always been very annoying to see [Scots] maligned as just English with an accent by people who arent familiar with it, he wrote. After discovering that AG did not actually speak Scots, Dempsey said he felt that he had cracked the code on why Scots Wikipedia had such a bad reputation. Dempsey told me he initially suspected that his posts on 4chan and Reddit would fizzle out instead of going viral. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Dempsey also notes that AG was by no means the only culprit. In fact, there were dozens of people writing on the encyclopedia in mangled English that they passed off as Scots. The prospect of so many Wikipedia articles being written in phony Scots is especially scary because, as Nicolas Rivero reported for the Verge, Wikipedia pages are often used as training data to teach A.I. systems the language. Garbage Scots in, garbage Scots out. Among the many offenders, AG stood out for being the most prolific. When I reached out to AG himself, he described his history with the Scots Wikipedia project. In 2013, 12-year-old me was eager to contribute to any Wikimedia project in any way I could, AG wrote in an email. After writing many articles in English, he turned his attention to the relative lack of content in foreign language wikis. Scots Wikipedia seemed like a good fit because the bare content was mutually intelligible to English. Advertisement Despite his well-meaning enthusiasm, AG admitted to making many mistakes. For example, AG used the Scots Online Dictionary to look up specific words in Scots. But the content that AG added to Wikipedia was not a true translation because he did not fully understand Scots grammar and syntax. Many people wonder how its possible for someone to rack up so many edits on any site as I have on Wikipedia, AG wrote in an email. My best explanation is naive passion and (clinically diagnosed) OCD. In a statement to the overall Wikimedia community about his conduct, AG said that he was devastated after years of my thinking I was doing good. Advertisement Advertisement Since the revelations about AG, the Scots Wikipedia community has considered several proposals for how to move forward. There was the Nuke and start over option, which stemmed from the argument that Scots Wikipedia has done more harm than good for the language. Another proposal involved paying Scots linguists as auditors to review the project. This was dismissed because it defied the Wikipedia ethos that the encyclopedia projects are owned and managed by volunteers. Still other proposals involved the mass rollback of all articles with content that had been added by AG. But this mass rollback could introduce entirely new problems, since other contributors have added content on top of AGs edits. In some ways, the strategy of removing AGs content is like a highly precarious move in Jenga: Extracting his work could bring the entire structure down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For now, the community is using a wide variety of technical tools to address the issues, including posting notices on top of AGs articles. The Wikipedia editor James Salsman also used a Scottish government word list to identify about 1,000 articles that have English words that should not appear in Scots. According to Salsmans tool, the Scots article on Rafael Nadal, for example, has 93 non-Scots English words, including stay, which, and friend. Advertisement In addition to providing technical tools, volunteers have been generous with their time. Soon after news of AG spread, Cobra!, the 26-year-old Scotsman, organized E Scots Leed Editathon. Throughout the virtual event, volunteers made about 3,000 edits, created new pages, and fixed old ones. The Scots Language Centre based in Perth was involved in both publicizing the event and inviting group members to attend. But its worth noting that the Scots Wikipedia Editathon had only about 30 attendeescompared with the 18,700 upvotes on the original Reddit post about AG. With Wikipedia, as in life, there is more outrage than productive engagement. Advertisement In Dempseys opinion, the situation with Scots Wikipedia is highly specific to the Scots language experience. Being a sister-language to [one of] the most widely spoken language[s] in the world puts it in an awkward position: Youre always going to get some people who think they can speak a language just because they already speak a language related to it, Dempsey wrote. Then again, Wikipedia editors are understandably concerned with ensuring that a situation like this does not recur in the futureor at the very least, that its discovered more quickly than the seven years it took to interrupt AG. One current proposal is the small wiki audit, an initiative to regularly check in on the content of smaller wiki projects. Implementing a routine audit process can perhaps provide an extra degree of governance, which matters for smaller wikis since they generally have less contributors to monitor one anothers work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps the Scots language will benefit from helpful headwinds. I think Scots speakers have found an amazing environment to thrive in and finally find their voice on the internet, wrote Joanna Kopaczyk, a senior lecturer in Scots and English at the University of Glasgow. Kopaczyk cited ongoing efforts to pass a Scots Language Act and normalize the use of Scots in professional, educational, and broadcasting contexts, among others. If there is any reason to think the situation with Scots Wikipedia will improve over time, it might simply be that Wikipedia editors themselves are quite industriousand, relatively speaking, more forgiving. When I connected with him by email, AG described how he had been the target of a torrent of online harassment ever since the Scots Wikipedia story broke, particularly on non-Wikipedia platforms. I can say that in contrast to the negativity of Reddit and 4chan, [the] welcoming atmosphere of the Wikimedia and Scots language community has warmed my heart, AG said in an email. Theyve told me that Im welcome to contribute to the wiki in the future (just not in the way I contributed before without learning properly). Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Jackson and his two friends entered a vehicle that was parked, which police say Botello was in with another individual. Police did not release further details as to what happened in the vehicle that led to the killing, but Mundelein Police Chief John Monahan said information that came out initially about the nature of the incident proved to be correct. Working with Ardan Labs and now Apilayer to continue the project has been a great boon to the open-source community. Ardan Labs announces they have secured the acquisition of Caddy Server with Apilayer. Caddy is a leading open-source extensible web server platform (written in the Go programming language) that has secured trillions of network connections around the globe. Apilayer a leading provider of cloud-based API and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) brands. Matt Holt started building Caddy in 2014 as a way to provide automatic and default HTTPS support for websites. Since then, Matt and the open-source community has built Caddy to provide easy, powerful, and dynamic configuration, with an extensible framework that provides high levels of resilience. Im pleased to look back now and see that over 300 people have collaborated to make privacy the default for the web, Matt explained. Weve raised the bar for similar products and made TLS more accessible and reliable than ever. Working with Ardan Labs and now Apilayer to continue the project has been a great boon to the open-source community. Bill Kennedy, the Managing Partner at Ardan Labs had this to say: I am very happy for Matt, Caddy, and the Go community. I feel blessed that Ardan Labs was able to support Matt and the project at a time when it was needed most. We at Ardan always believed in Matt and the full potential of the product, and this acquisition by Apilayer shows that supporting free open-source software can result in positive outcomes. I am most thankful to Apilayer because now Caddys future is secure and companies can feel confident that the product will be available for many years to come. As a developer-centric company, our leading API solutions and products are used to power automation processes for hundreds of thousands of customers, ranging from small websites, SMBs, all the way to Fortune 500 enterprises. The acquisition of Caddy brings us one step closer to the developer community, and gives us the opportunity to continue building on the innovative platform that the Caddy team has developed," said Julian Zehetmayr, Founder & CEO of Apilayer. Julian also said, Caddys innovative technology and thriving open-source community were one of the most attractive elements in this partnership. Caddy will remain a separate and independent open-source brand and will continue to be directed by its original author, Matt Holt. Apilayer is committed to continued innovation, increased investment, and support for the project over the years to come. About Caddy In 2015, Caddy (https://caddyserver.com/) became the first web server platform to implement automatic HTTPS, which obtains and automatically renews TLS certificates for all sites using Lets Encrypt; and is still the only web server to use HTTPS by default. Caddy has since been downloaded over 30 million times and served trillions of HTTP(S) requests. Its a popular choice for developers and businesses alike as it makes it easy to configure new sites and deploy HTTPS into production at scale. Version 2 was released in May 2020 and is currently seeing growing adoption, especially in the business sector. About Ardan Labs Based in Miami, FL USA, Ardan Labs (https://www.ardanlabs.com/) is a premier Software Development, Staffing & Training Firm with a strong emphasis on Go, Docker, Kubernetes, Application and Service development. Since 2010 Ardan Labs has partnered with over 250 companies worldwide to help train their engineers and build production-quality software. About Apilayer Based in Vienna, Austria, Apilayer (https://apilayer.com/) is a leading provider of cloud-based API and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) brands for developers, startups as well as Fortune 500s. With close to 1 million B2B customers worldwide, our scalable products range from automated data verification, lookup, conversion, and enrichment all the way to productivity solutions in the Electronic Signature and Cloud Accounting space. Bharat Forge Ltd is quoting at Rs 465, down 1.31% on the day as on 13:29 IST on the NSE. The stock jumped 13.01% in last one year as compared to a 1.77% rally in NIFTY and a 5.75% spurt in the Nifty Auto index. Bharat Forge Ltd fell for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 465, down 1.31% on the day as on 13:29 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.76% on the day, quoting at 11231.25. The Sensex is at 38089.93, down 0.72%.Bharat Forge Ltd has gained around 9.98% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Bharat Forge Ltd is a constituent, has increased around 3.01% in last one month and is currently quoting at 7888, down 0.47% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 21.57 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 49.76 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark September futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 468.9, down 0.8% on the day. Bharat Forge Ltd jumped 13.01% in last one year as compared to a 1.77% rally in NIFTY and a 5.75% spurt in the Nifty Auto index. The PE of the stock is 65.99 based on TTM earnings ending June 20. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 12,000 men, women and children ran out of tents in panic as the fire destroyed most the camp. European officials said the fate of 12,600 refugees and migrants now homeless after a fire at their camp on a Greek island needs to be addressed as a top priority. They also said the incident is going to force Europe to reconsider how it cares for people who reach its shores. The overnight blaze nearly razed the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos island, fire safety officials told state broadcaster ERT on Wednesday. No deaths were reported and the fire was largely under control by the morning hours, according to the Greek government. But the incident has shone a harsh light on European policies that left 12,600 crowded in a camp designed for about a fifth of that number and has created pressure to find housing for the camps residents, some of whom have been waiting for months for the chance to leave the camp and travel onwards. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the incident had shown that the situation on Lesbos is untenable and that Greece needs the help of its EU allies in managing the situation. 200909035949757 Its a question of public health, of humanity, but also national security, he said in a statement broadcast by ERT. Under present EU rules, those seeking asylum must make their claim in the member state where they first arrive, leading to bottlenecks at the EUs external borders. The system puts great pressure on Greece, Italy, Spain and Malta, among others, but several other member states oppose permanent redistribution quotas. Pressure also builds within the camps as the people living there increasingly losing hope that they might reach Europe. Government spokesperson Stelios Petsas said the cause of the fire was suspected to be arson. He also said camp residents had thrown stones at firefighters and tried to prevent them from putting the fires out, adding that Athens has sent additional riot police units to the island. Giorgos Koumoutsakos, the Greek deputy minister of migration, said the fire had been started during protests by migrants and refugees who did not want to go into isolation after testing positive for coronavirus. After warnings from aid groups about the high risk of the spread of COVID-19, the first case of coronavirus infection was reported at the camp last week. As of Tuesday, 35 cases had been confirmed. On Wednesday, Germany pushed for urgent reform of the EUs migration policies, with its minister for Europe telling the AFP news agency it was all the more crucial to act quickly. 200902120237795 We urgently need a common refugee intake programme among as many EU countries as possible and finally a common asylum and migration policy for the EU, said Michael Roth. Protecting Europe means defending human rights. Germany and the European Union must quickly help the refugees, and Greece now needs our support and solidarity, stressed the minister, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the bloc. Fearing a humanitarian disaster, German Chancellor Angela Merkel kept the countrys doors open, allowing in hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, a policy the far right seized upon to gain a foothold in parliament at that time. In 2016, the bloc struck a deal with Turkey for Ankara to take back migrants in exchange for financial assistance and political concessions. Last September, Germany, France, Italy and Malta agreed on a temporary mechanism, on a voluntary basis, for the distribution of migrants and refugees rescued at sea. So far, however, only a few countries, such as Portugal, Luxembourg and Ireland, have joined the initiative. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) Exports may be fueled by trade deals and production of halal products, the Department of Trade and Industry said Wednesday. Trade Sercetary Ramon Lopez was quizzed during the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on the 2021 budget on efforts to boost exports in the wake of the pandemic. Lopez cited the planned signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a trade deal among the Assocation of Southeast Asian Nations, South Korea, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and China. This is expected to be take place in November. Another move is the production of halal products, Lopez said, adding that this is a new market segment. Halal is the process of preparing goods that follow Muslim standards. Earlier reports said the global halal market is valued at $3.3 trillion. In 2018, the countrys halal exports reached $560 million. Lopez also said free trade deals would also help fuel exports The country is in talks with South Korea for the export of more bananas. Lopez said on the agenda is lower tariffs on Philippine bananas to compete with Ecuador and Vietnam. The Trade chief said there is a need to work on the supply side of the equation. If we are to promote the increase in production capacity diyan dapat pamunta yung support (that is where support should go). How do we strengthen local capacity, manufacturing capacity to be able to export more, he said. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that as of June 2020, exports declined by 13.3 percent, still lower than last years growth of 3.9 percent, but an improvement from the previous months contraction of 26.9 percent. Somrita Ghosh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: With multiple patients after recovering from coronavirus returning to hospitals with several other health concerns stemming from the virus, the Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH) is working on coming up with post-Covid care guidelines which can be followed by all hospitals in the national capital. We are framing guidelines for post-Covid care. These will go to all the hospitals in the city. Once completed, we will put it up on our website and any hospital or clinic who is willing to provide post-Covid care to its patients can adopt it. These guidelines will help the physician treat the patient better, said Nodal Officer of RGSSH for the coronavirus ward and post-Covid ward Dr Ajeet Jain. In the guidelines, Dr Jain added that there will be detailed findings on the symptomatology of different patients, investigation and treatment provided to them during their stay at the facilitys Covid ward.For example, if someone is developing pulmonary fibrosis and facing shortness of breathing post-Covid recovery then in such cases what medicine is needed to be provided. Or when a comorbid patient is admitted what treatment should be given so that the patient after recovery does not have to come back for post-Covid care, noted Dr Jain. The final draft of the guidelines to be published will take some time before being put on the hospitals website. The hospital is also collecting data on the status of Covid-19 patients and is in the process of publishing their findings. RGSSH has also been operating OPDs in Post-Covid Care wards since last month. This is the first such facility in the national capital. As of now doctors from the neuro department, medicine, gastro and cardio are providing counselling for the same. If patient count in OPDs increases then we may have to think of a separate ward with beds by next year. Maybe there could be a dedicated post-Covid hospital where recovered patients could be admitted, said Dr Jain. The November election is shaping up to be a repeat of the one in 2000 when recounts of the presidential vote tally dragged on for five weeks. Theres even a new website called The Recount. But its not a recount that Americans are being conditioned to accept as normal, this time its the initial count. Its the initial vote count that Democrats want to drag on and on; perhaps past the Electoral College deadline in December and even past Inauguration Day in 2021. And if the initial counting drags on for long enough, there wont be time for any recounts. Thats because just like the proverbial show, the government must go on. And you can take this to the bank: if the counting produces a Biden win, Democrats will declare victory and attempt to stop the counting cold. On August 24, The Recount ran a 2:27 minute video of Hillary Clinton urging that Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances. (Just after she says that, Democrat strategist Jennifer Palmieri raises her arms in triumph.) Clinton then says that the vote counting will drag out. Republican vote counters, poll workers, and lawyers should adopt Clintons tactics and iron will. Democrats are preparing voters to expect a Trump landslide on the night of the election which will be undone when mail-in ballots are counted. On September 1, Fast Company explained the red mirage: The term describes an election outcome in which early results appear to favor President Trump, but then tip toward a decisive victory for Joe Biden as more mail-in ballots are counted In one modeling outcome, Trump could see a projected 408 electoral votes on election night, compared to 130 for Biden, but thats with only 15% of the mail-in votes being counted, Axios reports. The tide could then turn to favor Biden as we count more votes -- polling data shows Democrats are more likely to vote by mail. Even before the advent of universal mail-in voting, there was already a lot of doubt about Americas elections. Since 1996, its been illegal for foreigners to vote in elections for federal officials. Even so, several states have instituted automatic voter registration, including the state with the most votes in the Electoral College, California. If foreigners are present on the registries of such states, how can their registries be used to mail out mail-in ballots? Indeed, how can such states use their registries to conduct federal elections of any kind, even in-person voting? On September 3, the Daily Caller ran Vince Coglianeses Theres Only One Way To Avert An Election Disaster -- Open The Polls, a fine article that everyone concerned about election integrity should read. Its also very sobering: In a bipartisan war game conducted in June, Podesta reportedly played the role of Joe Biden. In one scenario, Biden narrowly lost the election. Podesta -- acting as the septuagenarian -- refused to concede and tried to manipulate votes in the Electoral College. In that scenario, California, Oregon, and Washington then threatened to secede from the United States if Mr. Trump took office as planned, The New York Times reported. The House named Mr. Biden president; the Senate and White House stuck with Mr. Trump. At that point in the scenario, the nation stopped looking to the media for cues, and waited to see what the military would do. In other words, Democrats are willing to bring America to the brink of civil war to fill and satisfy that gnawing hole in their lives: their need to rule. Coglianese asserts that the only way to prevent chaos and give confidence to Americans is by reopening every available polling place in America and that Congress should act swiftly to compel the nations governors to open the polls to in-person voting. And Coglianeses right; that is what should happen. But the U.S. House is controlled by the vain ridiculous power-mad Nancy Pelosi, and shes not going to do anything remotely like what Coglianese is proposing. Nancy would prefer the nation slide into civil war than lose her position as Speaker of the House. So its highly unlikely that Congress will do anything to salvage the 2020 election. Perhaps the executive branch of the federal government might do something, after all, there are federal statutes that pertain to elections; perhaps those laws could be enforced. But its doubtful that anything to salvage the election will be coming out of the Swamp. So in accordance with the 1996 statute (see 611. Voting by aliens, page 26) that forbids aliens (i.e. foreigners) from voting for federal officials, Republicans should demand that the citizenship of voters using mail-in ballots be established beyond a doubt. Of course, this will elicit much moaning and micturition by Democrats in states that have moved toward mail-in ballots. But Republicans need to adopt Hillarys stance: don't give an inch. Regardless of whether a state uses mail-in voting or in-person voting, heres what should happen to salvage the 2020 elections and prevent a civil war: 1) Congress would require voters to use their SSNs to vote in federal elections (i.e. for federal officials), and their SSNs would go on their ballots. Voters would use the de facto national ID as their voter ID. 2) Congress would require the states to conduct federal elections separately from all other elections; that is, only federal officials would be on the ballot. Without having to vote for state/local officials and initiatives, in-person voting will go much faster. 3) Congress would require the states to put all their ballots in a federal election into a single file and give a copy of that file to the feds. This would provide the best way for verifying the citizenship of voters and for detecting double voting, as the feds would put all the state ballot files into a single national file, then a computer program would read through the national file while verifying the SSNs against the SSA database. By requiring the SSN, the states wont even need to use their corrupted voter registries to conduct federal elections. If one were to deliberately devise a system to facilitate the theft of elections, itd be mail-in ballots. Democrats have actually succeeded in making elections more suspect than they were in 2000. Republican vote counters must be prepared to challenge each and every mail-in ballot. The citizenship of every voter casting a mail-in ballot must be confirmed. Anything short of that makes a mockery of our democracy. If Democrats had any interest in democracy, theyd have made some minimal effort to ensure the integrity of the vote with their infernal mail-in ballots. But what the states have done is create systems where the legitimacy of ballots can be neither verified nor falsified, at least in any timely manner. How is a vote counter looking at a mail-in ballot supposed to know whether it was even used by the person it was sent to? Are the states going to have handwriting experts to confirm all the signatures? Signatures can be forged. With their universal mail-in voting and automatic voter registration, the Blue States are trying to disenfranchise the Red States? The only way around it is to use the SSN to vote, which is much less subjective than handwriting analysis. Congress and the states have had 20 years to make changes that would give the American people confidence in the legitimacy of the vote, so good luck on getting anything out of them in the less than two months before Nov. 3. But when one considers how expeditiously President Trump ramped up the production of PPE and ventilators (a complex piece of machinery), one would think Congress and the states might have enough time to do something to salvage the 2020 election, were they so inclined. Jon N. Hall of ULTRACON OPINION is a programmer from Kansas City. (My most recent articles on election integrity are HERE and HERE.) Image: Pikist MBABANE The total number of COVID-19 related deaths has risen to 96 following two that were recorded yesterday together with 20 new cases. This is according to a statement released by Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi. This means that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases are 4 904. Both deaths are in the age bracket of 30 to 39 years and are females. The first reported death is of a 36-year-old female from the Manzini Region who died on Monday at one of the health facilities. The deceased is reported to have died four days after being admitted with severe COVID-19 symptoms. The other death is of a 30-year-old female from the Shiselweni Region, who died last Saturday at one of the health facilities while undergoing treatment for severe COVID-19 symptoms. Meanwhile, there were 308 results that were received yesterday where 20 tests came positive. Manzini had 13 new COVID-19 cases followed by Hhohho with three, while Shiselweni and Lubombo regions had two cases each. Also, eight of the cases were asymptomatic, nine had mild symptoms; two had moderate symptoms while one presented with severe symptoms. The youngest case was one, in the age group of zero to nine years while the eldest were two in the 70 to 79 years bracket. There were also 30 recoveries that were recorded yesterday, totalling to 4 059 in the country. This means that active cases are 749 in the country. The figures reflect a 3 310 difference between active cases and recoveries, in favour of the latter. The minister also stated that they noted with concern the increase in numbers of deaths of confirmed COVID-19 cases as a result of co-existing medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiac disease and asthma. We therefore urge the public, especially males, to ensure that they do medical check-ups regularly, at least once a year and those diagnosed with a chronic illness should adhere to the treatment as advised by health workers, she said. Since it would be too much of a stretch to refer to a series of stage performances as Carnival, the Government has decided to offer instead a Taste of Carnival. For traditional Carnival interests whose events will be facilitated and supported by the State, the proposal presented on Wednesday by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Randall Mitchell, must be a welcome case of half a loaf being plenty better than none. Afghan first Vice President Amrullah Saleh (right). Afghan officials claimed a failed assassination attempt against Afghanistan's first vice president Saleh. Razwan Murad, a spokesman for the first vice president said Wednesday, Sept. 9, that the enemies of Afghanistan again tried to harm Saleh, but the vicious and terrorist attempt has failed and Saleh has survived. (AP) Kabul: Afghanistan's vice president Amrullah Saleh sustained minor injuries Wednesday when his convoy was targeted in Kabul in an explosion that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than a dozen, officials said. The attack was quickly condemned as an attempt to frustrate the Afghan peace process, coming as the government prepares to send negotiators to the Qatari capital of Doha for long-delayed talks with the Taliban. In a video posted on Facebook soon after the explosion, Saleh, an outspoken Taliban critic, said he had been travelling to his office when his convoy was attacked. "I am fine but some of my guards have been wounded. My son, who was in the car with me, and I are both fine," Saleh said, with bandages on his left hand. "I have some burns on my face and hand. The blast was strong." Tareq Arain, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said the explosion targeted Saleh's convoy. "Unfortunately, 10 civilians, mostly people who were working in the area, were killed, and 15, including a number of the first VP's bodyguards, were wounded," he told reporters at the scene. Saleh is the senior of Afghanistan's two vice presidents. The Taliban, who have pledged not to launch attacks in urban areas under a deal with the United States, denied responsibility. Abdullah, a shopkeeper who gave only one name, said the blast had blown out his windows. "A shop that sold gas cylinders also caught fire, causing the cylinders to blow up," he said. Saleh survived an assassination attempt last year ahead of presidential elections. At least 20 people -- most of them civilians -- were killed and 50 others wounded when a suicide attacker and gunmen targeted Saleh's Kabul office at that time. 'Enemies of peace' The EU in Afghanistan said Wednesday's attack was a "desperate act by spoilers of peace efforts", while NATO's mission in the country said in a statement that "enemies of peace" were ignoring the will of the Afghan people for peace talks to begin. President Ashraf Ghani, who met Saleh soon after Wednesday's blast, condemned what he said was a "terrorist attack" on his first deputy. "The terrorists and their foreign backers cannot undermine the people's strong faith in peace, democracy and the bright future of our country," Ghani said in a statement. Saleh on Sunday said Kabul's negotiating team would push early on at peace talks for a permanent truce. "The first test for the Taliban is (a) ceasefire," Saleh told Tolo News. "If they accept the ceasefire, they are committed to peace. If not, they are not." Even as preparations for negotiations continue, violence on the ground has carried on unabated, with the Taliban unleashing daily attacks. "These attacks shatter the hopes of the millions of Afghans who dream (of) peace and are looking forward to seeing the start of peace talks and end of violence," Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for Ghani, tweeted on Tuesday. Peace talks were supposed to begin in March but were repeatedly delayed over a prisoner swap that included the release of hundreds of battle-hardened insurgents. Paris and Canberra in particular have opposed the release of six Taliban militants because of their links to the killings of French and Australian civilians and troops. Saleh said Sunday the six inmates would be sent to Qatar. Economic Resilience Fund has helped Kronospan protect jobs and support our local suppliers This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Sep 9th, 2020 Hundreds of jobs at Chirk-based manufacturer Kronospan have been safeguarded with help from the Welsh Governments Economic Resilience Fund. The company, which supplies wood-based panel products, has been described by Welsh Government as a key employer in North East Wales with more than 620 workers. Kronospan experienced a dramatic reduction in sales as a result of the pandemic and the subsequent interruptions to cash flow, which left the company facing an extremely challenging period. It received 622,000 from the Welsh Governments ERF, which has helped the business continue to operate through the pandemic and ultimately protect the workforce. The ERF, which is part of the Welsh Governments 1.7bn support package for businesses, is providing thousands of companies across Wales with significant financial support. It complements the help provided by the UK Government. To date, more than 13,000 businesses have received financial support worth more than 280m and the fund has helped protect more than 75,000 jobs. Ben Spruce, chief financial officer of Kronospan, said: The assistance provided by Welsh Government has helped us protect jobs and support our local suppliers. It has been a difficult period for everyone and we are extremely grateful to our entire team, both those who have worked throughout and those who were furloughed and have now returned. The support received demonstrates to us the proactive approach Welsh Government has taken during this crisis to support businesses, protect jobs and help the regional economy build back stronger. Deputy Minister for Economy, Lee Waters said: Kronospan is an important employer in North East Wales and Im pleased we have been able to provide crucial financial assistance at a time when the company needed it most, helping protect hundreds of jobs. Coronavirus has placed incredibly difficult challenges on our business community and our immediate response has been to try and protect companies, jobs and livelihoods through an unprecedented package of support, delivered at pace, worth 1.7bn. Our Economic Resilience Fund has been a key part of that and absolutely essential in supporting thousands of businesses across Wales in dealing with the economic impacts of the pandemic. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Opposition is expected to corner the government during the monsoon session, beginning next week, over Chinese transgressions in Ladakh, Covid-19 management and impact of lockdown, the state of economy and pending GST dues to states, among other issues. A meeting of the leaders of like-minded opposition parties is likely to be held later this week to chart out a joint strategy ahead of the session. Congress president Sonia Gandhi chaired the meeting of the partys Parliament Strategy Group on Tuesday and discussed the partys stand on 11 ordinances brought by the government. According to Congress sources, it was agreed that the party should oppose three agriculture related ordinances. The meeting was attended by Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, A K Antony, Ahmed Patel, K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, K Suresh, Manish Tewari, Gaurav Gogoi, Manickam Tagore and Ravneet Singh Bittu. It has been decided to raise issues related to India-China standoff, Covid-19 and lockdown, economy and GDP decline under Rule 193, said Suresh. Other issues to be taken up relate to job losses, Facebooks nexus with BJP, PM-CARES Fund, non- payment of GST dues and privatisation of airports. Sonia might miss the initial part of the monsoon session as she is scheduled to leave for the US for health check-up. The sources said the party may offer the deputy chairman's post to its ally DMK, and Tiruchi Siva is among the candidates being considered. In case the DMK does not contest, the Congress will field its own candidate as it does not want the post to go uncontested. According to a notification from Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the election of the deputy chairman has been fixed for September 14, when the session will commence. Notices of motions for election to the deputy chairman's post would be received by Rajya Sabha till noon on September 11, it said. Harivansh is likely to be fielded as the NDA nominee again for the post which had fallen vacant after his term ended. He has since been re-elected to the Upper House as a member from Bihar. The Congress had contested the post by fielding BK Hariprasad in August 2018 when Harivansh won. The NDA has since then further improved its position in the House, though it is still short of majority. The strategy group meeting was attended by party leaders from both the houses including Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Senior party leaders Ahmed Patel and Mallikarjun Kharge, besides Congress deputy leaders in both houses, Anand Sharma and Gaurav Gogoi, and chief whips Jairam Ramesh and K Suresh, party's whips in Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore and Ravneet Bittu, attended the virtual meeting. This was the first time that some of the letter-writers, Azad, Sharma and Manish Tewari, who had demanded an overhaul of the party, came face to face with the Congress leadership after the recent stormy CWC meeting. The party will raise in both the houses the issue of Chinese aggression at the border and the current situation there, the sources said, adding a wide ranging discussion was held on the issue during the meeting. The sources claimed some members including Sharma and Tewari said that the party should not come across as "not being nationalist", and its position on the issue should not lower the morale of the soldiers. Rahul Gandhi, however, said the issue will be raised strongly but the party should calibrate its position on the issue, the sources said. Senior party leader Ahmed Patel pointed to articles written by some leaders, saying it should be avoided as an individual's stand does not reflect the party's position on the issue. Former PM Singh said that the Congress should demand a white paper on China, COVID and unemployment issues, the sources said. The Congress will also demand a discussion on the state of the economy after the GDP growth numbers for the last quarter contracted by 23.9 per cent. The issue of the failure of the central government to pay GST compensation to states will also be taken up for discussion. The Congress strategy group decided to raise the issue of restoration of the Question Hour in both houses during the session. The issue would be taken up in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee in both houses. The Congress also decided to raise in Parliament the issue of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the wake of the rise in the daily number of cases and India taking the second spot in total cases in the world, besides the effect of lockdown. The Congress is also set to strongly oppose a number of ordinances that the government has brought, including those on granting exemption to PM Cares Fund on tax, two farm ordinances and one each on essential commodities and banking regulations. It will, however, be supportive in some ordinances. The proposed environment impact assessment (EIA) report will also be raised during the upcoming session. The meeting started with an address by Sonia Gandhi who sought the suggestion of leaders on the issues to be taken up during the upcoming session. The Congress is planning to launch an offensive against the government by evolving a joint opposition strategy in this regard. A meeting with leaders of other opposition parties is on the cards in this regard, the sources said. (With PTI Inputs) Credit: CC0 Public Domain Feeling misunderstood by other groups makes people more likely to support separatist causes like Brexit and Scottish independence, new research suggests. The University of Exeter studied links between political views and so-called "felt understanding"feeling understood and listened to by other groups, such as Europeans and EU institutions (in the case of Brexit), or the English public and politicians (in the case of Scottish independence). The research also examined Protestant-Catholic relations in Northern Ireland and Basque-Spanish relations. In all cases, feeling poorly understood by other groups was linked to dramatically higher levels of support for separatism. In the Basque study, people one point lower on a seven-point "felt understanding" scale (feeling less understood by Spanish people) were more than six times more likely to back independence. However, "felt understanding" was also a unique predictor of trust and forgivenessthe more people felt understood by members of the other group, the more likely they were to trust and forgive them. "Our research demonstrates the critical role of 'felt understanding' in relations between groups of people," said lead author Dr. Andrew Livingstone, of the University of Exeter. "When peopleindividually and collectivelyfeel that those around them aren't 'getting' their point of view, and if people feel they lack the ability to determine their own future, you get responses that are about 'taking back control'. "Such responses might, in large part, be about people making their voices heard. "Voting is fundamentally an act of communication, though it's not always easy to interpret what voters 'mean' by their vote." Felt understanding was found to be a stronger predictor of separatism than beliefs about the "out-group" (ie Europeans, English people, etc) or "meta-beliefs" (what people imagined the out-group thought of them). It was also a stronger predictor of Brexit vote than more commonly-discussed factors like age or highest educational qualification. Dr. Livingstone said the research, which included data from more than 7,000 participants, showed the vital importance of making people feel heard. "Even if people have been brought to a belief by misinformation, it doesn't mean their belief is insincere," he said. "One of the worst ways to change such a belief is to tell people their views aren't genuine, or that they are fools. "The first step is to ask people why they hold a particular belief, and to listen to the answer. "It's not about pretending to agreeit's about showing them you've really listened and understood their point of view, even if you ultimately disagree." Following the 2019 UK general election and the divisive debate over Brexit, Dr. Livingstone noted the call from Prime Minister Boris Johnson to "let the healing begin". "Boris Johnson had to acknowledge the fact that people want respect for the way they see the world," he said. The studies of Scottish independence, Brexit, Northern Ireland and Basque separatism did not address cause and effect. This was tested by a fifth study in which young people in Spain saw one of two mock newspaper articlesone suggesting that older people understood them and cared about their concerns, and the other suggesting they didn't. Young people who were told older people understood them (higher "felt understanding") reported more positive views of older people. Explore further Brexit positions drive voter attention at least as much as party loyalties, study shows More information: Andrew G. Livingstone et al, "They just don't understand us": The role of felt understanding in intergroup relations., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2019). Journal information: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Andrew G. Livingstone et al, "They just don't understand us": The role of felt understanding in intergroup relations.,(2019). DOI: 10.1037/pspi0000221 Amsterdam, 9 September 2020 - Heineken N.V. (HEINEKEN) today announced it is entering the Peruvian beer market through the acquisition of local beer brand Tres Cruces and the incorporation of its local operating team in Lima. HEINEKEN aims to build a diverse portfolio in Peru consisting of local beer brands, complemented with its range of leading international brands. To support its strategy in Peru, HEINEKEN is entering into a strategic partnership with Peruvian beverage player AJE Group (AJE). AJE is a leader in numerous non-alcoholic beverages, with a strong route-to-market and distribution network across Peru. AJE will be our local sales and distribution partner in the highly relevant traditional channel in the country. Marc Busain, President Americas at HEINEKEN said: "While we are navigating the global COVID-19 crisis, we are also building for the future. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that we continue to expand our footprint in South America entering a strategic market such as Peru. Peru has favourable demographics and is a promising beer market. Our partnership with AJE will be instrumental to grow our business in the country. We are pleased that our investment will significantly expand the beer category in Peru. Given that these are challenging times also for Peru, our thoughts remain with all those affected by COVID-19 in the country." Mr. Angel Ananos, President of the Board of AJE said: "We are delighted to team up with HEINEKEN in the beer market in Peru. We believe AJE's local knowledge and strong access to the market in combination with HEINEKEN's leading brand portfolio and commercial capabilities will benefit customers and consumers in the country. Our partnership will bring more choices into the Peruvian beer market." Peru is one of the largest beer markets in South America with around 14 million hectolitres of annual beer sales of which about 40% are sold in Lima alone. It is the largest market in the region where HEINEKEN did not yet have operations. The premium beer segment is significantly underdeveloped, representing less than 4% of the total market. Peru has a population of 32 million and has solid macroeconomic fundamentals, attractive development of consumer demographics and a stable local currency. As in other markets where HEINEKEN operates, the company will ensure in Peru that employees working in its local operations follow strict hygiene and social distancing guidelines and will receive support to do their jobs safely. HEINEKEN will also work closely with its suppliers and customers and listen to their concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses. Financial terms are not disclosed. -ENDS- Press enquiries Tim van der Zanden / Michael Fuchs E-mail: pressoffice@heineken.com Tel: +31-20-5239-355 Investor and analyst enquiries Federico Castillo Martinez/ Janine Ackermann / Robin Achten E-mail: investors@heineken.com Tel: +31-20-5239-590 About HEINEKEN HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 300 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. HEINEKEN is committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brewing a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. It employs over 85,000 employees and operates breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY). Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN's website: www.theHEINEKENcompany.com and follow us on Twitter via @HEINEKENCorp. Attachment Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 21:09:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she is "very concerned" about the United Kingdom's intention to breach the Brexit agreement. "Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement. This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda (Latin words, meaning "Agreements are to be kept") = the foundation of prosperous future relations," she tweeted. European Council President Charles Michel echoed: "The Withdrawal agreement was concluded and ratified by both sides, it has to be applied in full." The two leaders of the European Union (EU) made the remarks after the British government announced earlier Wednesday to bring to the UK parliament a new bill that could partially breach the Brexit deal reached with Brussels. The Internal Market Bill is supposed to protect jobs and trade across the whole of Britain after the Transition Period ends, according to the UK government. But a BBC report said it could override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement that secured the UK's exit from the EU, in breach of international law. The Withdrawal Agreement was signed between the EU and the UK on Jan. 24 of 2020, setting the terms of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. Britain ended its EU membership on Jan. 31 and at that moment the Withdrawal Agreement entered into force. But the UK is still following EU rules during the transition period until Dec. 31 of 2020 to allow both sides to bridge differences on the post-Brexit relationship, and forge a permanent future trade deal. Enditem Foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea pledged to contribute 1 million U.S. dollars to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) COVID-19 fund. During an online meeting on Wednesday, South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-hwa and Japanese foreign minister Motegi Toshimitsu said that the amount will be used to buy medical supply and to finance the development of a vaccine against the coronavirus. The meeting was held amid the immense crisis brought by the coronavirus pandemic, the rising tensions in the disputed South China Sea and the escalating regional rivalry between Washington and Beijing. The 10 ASEAN bloc's foreign ministers would also meet Asian and Western counterparts, including those from the U.S. and China, for talks later in the week that would be capped by an annual security forum. Southeast Asian nations have been impacted by the pandemic differently, with hard-hit Philippines grappling with more than 240,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections, including nearly 4,000 deaths, and the tiny socialist state of Laos reporting just 22 cases. The Philippines and Indonesia separately have twice more infections than China, where the outbreak started. Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings told CNBC that the streaming giant has not in recent years tried to gain access to the Chinese market, focusing instead on growth opportunities presented elsewhere around the globe. "We got turned down by the Chinese government several years ago. And we have not been spending any time on China in the last couple years," Hastings said in interview with CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin that aired Wednesday on "Squawk Box." "There's so much opportunity for us in Asia, the rest of Asia India, in particular, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and then all through Europe and Latin America," Hastings said. International subscribers have been key to Netflix's growth strategy and closely followed by Wall Street investors. As of 2014, Netflix was streaming in more than 40 countries. Now, it is available in over 190 but China is not one. China, as the world's second-largest economy, is viewed as a key market for many American businesses such as Apple. However, tensions between the U.S. and China have become increasingly tense under the administration of President Donald Trump, who most recently has focused his ire on Chinese tech firms that he claims represent a national security risk. Trump, in particular, has taken steps to to restrict access in the U.S. to TikTok, the popular video social media app owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance. In its July earnings report, Netflix began to count TikTok as one of its competitors. TikTok has denied claims that it poses a national security risk to U.S.-based users. The U.S. and China have also engaged in a contentious trade war that saw the two countries implement billions of dollars of import tariffs on each other's goods before reaching a "phase one" trade deal earlier this year. Hastings, who co-founded Netflix in 1997, lamented the frostiness of the relationship between the U.S. and China. "It's a pity from a long-term perspective of the U.S. and Chinese disengagement," he said. "But there's nothing we can do about that. And instead, we're focusing on entertaining everybody else." A Co Antrim mum who has only a few weeks to live is giving her kids the chance to celebrate one final Christmas with her. Terminal breast cancer patient Ciara Haggan (38) said she had been overwhelmed by support by people from Larne, her home town, who have raised almost 10,000 to make sure she and daughters Reagan (20) and Aria (9) enjoy their final days together. While she knows she is entering her final few weeks, she is determined to keep fighting until the end to make every day as special as possible. "Christmas has always been our favourite," said Ciara, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. "My mindset now is that I want my kids to live each day like there's no tomorrow because there might not be for me. "I wanted so much to give the kids a final Christmas Day to remember." With the money raised to date, Ciara and her family have been treated to weekends away, giving her children plenty of material for a scrapbook of memories. "Some of the money has been set aside to give my daughters a proper holiday with their uncle next year," she said. "Aria says, 'Sure why can't you come with us?' It's very hard to tell her that won't happen. "I'll be gone before the real Christmas arrives." The biggest day of all will see Santa arrive on September 19. "Yes, a visit from Santa is arranged. It's all planned, the Christmas tree, the presents, the food," Ciara said. "The turkey dinner has been organised for us by Marty McToal and some of my old colleagues from the Highways Hotel in Larne are planning a silver service. "I have got to say thanks to Helen Kelly, Murray McDowell, Angeline Campbell, Graham McConnell, Carla Small, Bill Guiller, Bernie McAllister and Lyndsay Morrow for everything they have done to make the time I have with my family so special." A few months after being told she had breast cancer in 2016, Ciara looked like she was in the clear. "I had five months where I was cancer-free, but it came back and it just kept coming and coming at me," she said. "Finally, they said there was nothing more they could do, but I won't stop fighting until the end. I've just been thinking that I want to give the children as much fun with me as possible. "I've never been one to save for the future. You never know what's waiting for you tomorrow, so enjoy today as much as you can. That's what I intend to do." WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Children's Bureau, Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Prevent Child Abuse America are partnering to launch a national effort to prove it is possible to fundamentally rethink child welfare. This first-of-its-kind effort Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-Being will work across the public, private and philanthropic sectors to assist jurisdictions in developing more just and equitable systems that benefit all children and families and break harmful intergenerational cycles of trauma and poverty. Thriving Families will help select jurisdictions move from traditional, reactive systems to ones designed to proactively support child and family well-being and prevent child maltreatment and unnecessary family separation. This multiyear commitment will provide resources and support from the four partners and other relevant child- and family-serving federal agencies, jurisdictions, diverse community stakeholders and the public, private, faith-based and philanthropic sectors to create more just, equitable and humane child and family well-being systems. Work will begin soon at demonstration sites in California (Los Angeles County), Colorado, Nebraska and South Carolina. "Having invested heavily in elevating the voices of parents and youth with lived experience in child welfare, we now have not only the opportunity but the obligation to act on what they've told us they need to stay strong and healthy," says Jerry Milner, associate commissioner for the Children's Bureau at the U.S. Administration of Children and Families. "Our four organizations are uniquely prepared and driven to do just that, by transforming child welfare into a child and family well-being system." "Now is a time to reimagine how we as a collective of caring and supportive adults child welfare practitioners, parents, children and older youth, advocates and community partners can redefine the mission and objectives of child welfare to help ensure all children, Black, Brown and Indigenous families who have been overrepresented in our systems, have the opportunities they need and deserve to thrive," says Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez, vice president of the Center for Systems Innovation at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. TO ARRANGE MEDIA INTERVIEWS, PLEASE CONTACT: The U.S. Children's Bureau Administration for Children & Families Health and Human Services Caroline Thorman Director of communications Desk: 202.401.4777 Cell: 202.841.0035 [email protected] Casey Family Programs Melanie Coon Communications manager 206.930.1612 [email protected] The Annie E. Casey Foundation Gina Davis Senior communications associate 410.949.1962 [email protected] Prevent Child Abuse America Charles Mutscheller Chief communications officer 312.663.3520, ext. 819 [email protected] SOURCE The Annie E. Casey Foundation Four men face multiple charges after police quashed a smuggling ring that used a helicopter to transport cannabis into the U.S. from Canada, including at least one incident at the Niagara border. The arrests came following a 16-month joint investigation by law enforcement officials on both sides of the border including the RCMP, U.S. Homeland Security and Ontario Provincial Police. The RCMP said a Jet Ranger helicopter was used to fly the illegally-grown cannabis across the border at low altitudes to avoid detection. On April 9, for example, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers spotted a helicopter hovering suspiciously low over Grand Island on the Niagara River. They searched the area and near a public hiking trail found four large duffel bags containing about 50 kilograms of marijuana with a street value of about US$150,000. An RCMP spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed the April incident was related to the joint investigation. Police executed six search warrants within the Toronto area and Quebec and seized more than 800 marijuana plants and dried cannabis from an illegal grow-operation, and about 400 grams of suspected cocaine. Police said the gang was also involved in importing guns from the U.S. into Canada. Eighteen handguns were seized during the raids. An investigation into the origin of the weapons is ongoing. The helicopter, a truck and trailer were seized as offence-related property. The RCMP continues to be committed to combating transnational organized crime and keeping our citizens safe by removing illicit commodities off the streets and out of the hands of these groups, Hamilton-Niagara RCMP Insp. Ann Koenig said in a prepared statement. Charged with various offences including conspiracy to export cannabis, possession of cannabis for the purpose of exporting it and illegally cultivating cannabis are: Kamal Deep Bassan, 36, of Vaughan; Ramindejit Assi, 25, of Burlington; Derek Chi-Yeung Ng, 40, of East Gwillimbury; and Parmjot Saini, 30, of Woodbridge. This important disruption removed 18 firearms from a criminal organization that posed a significant threat to Canadian communities and brazenly exploited our shared border through the air, Michael Buckley, attache for Homeland Security Investigations at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, said Wednesday in a prepared statement. Marijuana seizures at the U.S. border have increased dramatically since cannabis was legalized for sale in Canada. On June 25, for example, border agents at the Peace Bridgelinking Buffalo and Fort Erie discovered more than $27 million in marijuana hidden in a tractor-trailer. On Aug. 10, nearly two tonnes of marijuana with a street value of $10 million was discovered inside a trailer at the Peace Bridge. THIAROYE, Senegal - Before the old man dies, he yearns to see his father's bones. It's the only way to clear his family's name, he said, and prove a long-buried truth to the world: Hundreds of West African soldiers who fought to liberate France in World War II were killed upon their return one morning at the order of French commanders. "These White men threw away Black men like they were nothing," he said. Biram Senghor, 82, is among the last living sons of the victims, who belonged to a force known as the Senegalese Sharpshooters, though many hailed from other former French colonies: Burkina Faso, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Mali. Now he hopes the global reckoning over racial atrocities past and present will help lift their legacy out of obscurity. France has maintained that 70 Sharpshooters were laid to rest at a military cemetery near the Senegalese capital, but historians from both continents say the true number is likely higher than 300 - and that the war veterans actually remain in a mass grave. "We have to dig them up," Senghor said on a recent afternoon, fury lacing his voice. "We have to count them. We have to rebury them individually like human beings. To truly honor them." Painful chapters of history burst open worldwide after George Floyd's killing renewed outrage this summer around old symbols and systems of oppression. Statues were toppled in the United States, Belgium, Britain and New Zealand. Companies, universities and public figures around the globe apologized for their own wrongdoings. The relationship between Senegal and France, dating back more than three centuries, is fertile ground for such moral excavation, activists here say. The West African territory was the European power's regional headquarters until Senegal's independence in 1960, and leaders on both sides have hesitated to probe the collective memory too deeply. Senghor, a colonial-era veteran himself, has made the plea for exhumation to French and Senegalese presidents since the 1970s, urging them to correct the record once and for all. Today, no one disputes that the story began with a group of West African soldiers, freshly returned from deployment, asking for their wages. They had gone four years without the promised amount and confronted colonial authorities led by Charles de Gaulle in a Senegalese garrison town called Thiaroye, which was supposed to be the last stop before home. That's where things get murky. A general reported a violent uprising in Thiaroye on Dec. 1, 1944, writing at the time that killing their comrades was a "necessary painful stab in a dangerous abscess." Senegalese researchers say that was a lie: The West Africans no longer had weapons. They'd protested and cornered a general but released him unharmed. The French responded with machine guns. "As soon as victory came, they were erased," said Mor Ndao, chairman of the Senegalese commission for military history. "Instead of money and bread, they got bullets." French President Emmanuel Macron's office did not respond to requests for comment. Seven decades later, France acknowledged that something went horrifically wrong when then-President Francois Hollande handed over the European nation's archives on Thiaroye to Senegalese President Macky Sall. "I wanted to right an injustice and salute the memory of the men who wore the French uniform," Hollande said on a 2014 visit to the military cemetery, "and on whom the French had turned their rifles, because that is what happened." Yet he cited the lower death toll, irking Senghor and the Senegalese activists who wanted France to be more explicit - to call it a massacre, not a mutiny - and to answer for the Sharpshooters who were missing. Historians are still unable to trace about 350 men known to have been at the camp, Ndao and other Senegalese officials say, and consider them probable victims. The hunt for facts is blocked, researchers say, by the Senegalese government ignoring their requests to access the archives. (Sall's spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.) Senghor's father had been labeled a "deserter." French historian Armelle Mabon helped him uncover that record at a military archive office in Caen, France. It bolstered his appeal to a Paris court for a correction: "died for France." His next hearing in the French capital is scheduled for Sept. 11. "My father and the Sharpshooters - they did not run away," Senghor said. "They did not abandon their families. They are here in a mass grave." - - - People used to tell Senghor he looked just like his father: big, strong, yet gentle in the eyes - an imposing man who winked at babies. M'bap Senghor was a millet farmer until the order came in 1939: He'd be fighting Nazis in France. He did not know how long. He did not have a choice. France would rule Senegal for another two decades, and survival meant following colonial mandates, even if that meant leaving your wife and toddler to fight for another country's sovereignty. During the conflict, France drafted about 200,000 West Africans into battle, Senegalese historians say. They were known as the Sharpshooters, a name born of mockery around their lack of formal training. At least 14,000 died. Others - including M'bap - fell into the hands of German soldiers, who sent Black prisoners to labor camps in northeastern France, saying they wanted to rid their soil of "racial contamination." He languished there until freedom came in 1944. M'bap boarded a British ship to Senegal that November with nearly 1,700 other Sharpshooters, according to maritime logs obtained by Mabon, the French historian. His life ended less than a month later about 100 miles from his home. As colonial officers prepared their reports for Paris, survivors - 34 of whom were later jailed on mutiny charges - spread word of a massacre at the military outpost in Thiaroye, telling people that French soldiers had opened fire on unarmed West Africans just after the 9:30 a.m. roll call. The violence did not seem like a hasty response to a mortal threat, a French officer's chef later told researchers - the colonial leader's wife had warned the Senegalese cook to hide that morning in a cellar. Senghor, who was 6 years old then, remembers his grandmother telling him through tears: The French killed your father. He did not remember M'bap's face, but he knew the man through family stories. Home disintegrated after his death. Senghor's mother remarried and sent him to live with an uncle, whose wife resented having to look after another child. And because Senghor was the son of a "deserter," the state offered him no financial help. "I became an orphan," he said at home in rural Diakhao, where his family has lived for generations. "What I remember from childhood is pain." Senghor recalls struggling to escape that pain. The millet fields would not get him far, he knew - M'bap had left no inheritance from his farming days - so he joined the force that upended his life: the colonial-era military. It was the only path in 1958 to the police department, which offered some of the best salaries in town, so he endured a culture of segregation - a kitchen for Blacks, and a kitchen for Whites. "We didn't have the same rights," he said. "We were subjects." M'bap was not far from his mind when Senegal became independent in 1960. Senghor quietly searched for answers as he became a police officer, got married and built his children a home in the countryside - just down the road from where his father grew up. His 25-year-old son, Seydina Alioune, a philosophy student at Senegal's biggest university, is staying there now to wait out the coronavirus pandemic. Senghor's eyesight is fading, so the younger man narrates the news on social media: the protest movements challenging power structures - in the capital, Dakar, too - and the webby organizing behind them. In the United States, it's #BlackLivesMatter. In France, it's #JusticeForAdama, named for a Malian French man who died in police custody. Here it could be #Thiaroye44. "I don't have much hope," Senghor said. "It's on TV all the time," his son said of the protests. "They are talking about the victims of racism." Over the years, Senghor pressed authorities to remove M'bap's shameful label - they did - and add "died for France" to his file. They did not, citing a lack of death certificate and no proof that M'bap did not participate in a mutiny. Senghor has demanded the money his father should have received in 1944. (Still nothing.) And he found a community of veterans and researchers pushing, without success, for exhumation. Senegal has the power to do it, but activists say the government does not want to upset relations with France. A lack of funding could also impede progress, especially during a pandemic. (Sall's office did not respond to requests for comment.) "We must identify these bodies and hand them over to their relatives if they are still alive," said Babacar Gaye, the former chief of staff of the Senegalese army. "The story would have been completely different if they were White," said Mabon, who has spent eight years at the University of Southern Brittany researching the killings. "M'bap and the others would have been exhumed a long time ago." - - - The military cemetery in Thiaroye rests off a busy road. One of its concrete walls collapsed, and the caretaker is looking for a contractor who can fix it cheaply. Weeds poke through the graves. The white tombstones are all blank. Senghor tries to make the three-hour trek at least once per year - usually when he has business in Dakar - and meet people who share his mission. There was the late filmmaker whose movie about Thiaroye was censored in Senegal and banned for years in France. The politicians named a holiday after Sharpshooters, though it is not widely observed. More recently, there are graffiti artists who paint murals of the victims. Teachers who informally add Thiaroye to their lesson plans. Soldiers who guard a museum on the grounds, featuring old photos and uniforms. This year, the pandemic stopped Senghor from visiting. He last came with his son in October to pray at the spot where M'bap is thought to be buried under a baobab tree. There could be other mass graves, though - historians clash on that point. They asked God to deliver justice. They talked about history. They described this family ritual one August afternoon at home, where military certificates - Senghor's - hung on the concrete walls. The aroma of his daughter-in-law's beef and rice wafted through the compound. The old man took out the last letter he wrote to the Senegalese and French presidents last year. It probably will be his final missive, he said. The unfinished job haunts him, but his energy is dwindling. He sorely needs eye surgery. "I don't think I will do it again," he said. He cannot attend his court date in Paris, either. He does not have the money. And even if he did, thanks to travel restrictions, he'd need special permission to enter France. His son told him not to worry - he'll keep fighting the Senghor family battle with his keyboard. No matter what the court rules or the Senegalese government decides, M'bap's great-grandchildren will know his story. - - - The Washington Post's Khadidiatou Ba and Borso Tall contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Steve Holland (Reuters) Washington, United States Wed, September 9, 2020 11:45 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43ad90a 2 World Donald-Trump,Middle-East,Israel-UAE,Israel-Palestine-conflict,normalization Free US President Donald Trump will hold a Sept. 15 signing ceremony for a groundbreaking Middle East agreement normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, a senior White House official said on Tuesday. As part of the deal, announced at the White House on Aug. 13 following what officials said were 18 months of talks, the Gulf state agreed to normal relations with Israel, while Israel agreed to continue with plans to suspend its annexation of the West Bank. The senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan would lead the two delegations to the ceremony. "I am proud to embark next week to Washington, at the invitation of President Trump, to take part in the this historic ceremony at the White House for the foundation of the peace treaty between Israel and the United [Arab] Emirates," Netanyahu wrote on Twitter. Trump and other administration officials have said they expect Saudi Arabia and other countries to follow suit in recognizing Israel. Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner and other top administration officials accompanied an Israeli delegation last week on the first flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates to celebrate the agreement. Iran has dismissed the agreement, which also served to firm up opposition to Tehran, a regional power seen by the UAE, Israel and the United States as the main threat in the Middle East. The deal falls short of any grand Middle East peace plan to resolve decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians despite Trump's pledge to do so. The White House hope is that more such deals between Israel and the Gulf states will emerge, prompting the Palestinians to join negotiations. Trump proposed a peace plan in January that heavily favored the Israelis, but it has not advanced in any significant way. The Palestinian leadership initially called the accord "betrayal" and a "stab in the back of the Palestinian cause," but has curbed its criticism, according to a draft resolution ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday. The draft, seen by Reuters, does not include a call to condemn, or act against, the Emirates over the US-brokered deal. The United Arab Emirates is planning to make its first official visit to Israel on Sept. 22, a source familiar with the provisional itinerary said on Monday. Varanasi: Three persons were arrested with over 20 litres of illicit liquor in Varanasi on Wednesday, police said. Police seized 5 litres of illicit liquor from Rajesh Bharti, 10 litres from Natthu Yadav and 5 litres from Monu Yadav, they said. They were arrested in separate raids in the city. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hours before President Donald Trump arrived in Winston-Salem, N.C., for a campaign rally on Tuesday, the county's top Republican official issued a warning: The president better be wearing a mask. "It's been ordered by the governor," David Plyler, a Trump supporter and GOP chair of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, told the Winston-Salem Journal. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in North Carolina, do as the governor says." But when the president emerged Tuesday evening to address a cheering group of supporters, his face was fully exposed, a likely violation of the state's coronavirus rules. The same was true of many of the supporters behind his podium, especially those high up in the stands and out of view. And in fact, the whole event appears to have defied restrictions from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, D, who has limited outdoor mass gatherings at 50 people under the state's current phase of reopening. Trump jeered that crowd cap too, suggesting that his supporters received less leeway than the widespread demonstrations for racial justice that have swept the nation this summer, often bringing hundreds of people in proximity on city streets. "We call you peaceful protesters, you know why?" Trump told his supporters, who were tightly packed into several bleachers erected near Smith Reynolds Airport. "Because they have rules in these Democrat-run states that if you're campaigning, you cannot have more than five people. They did that for me." Both his words and the optics of his rally in Winston-Salem on Tuesday point to a growing rift in the 2020 campaign season: As Democratic nominee Joe Biden quietly holds small campaign events with only a few dozen people, the president has instead orchestrated loud, in-person gatherings that flout local health rules. It is another sign of the long shadow the coronavirus pandemic has cast over this year's presidential election. The virus, which has infected nearly 6.3 million Americans and killed at least 186,000, has became a signature talking point for Trump as he insists on "The Great American Comeback" and asserts that a vaccine could be coming as soon as Election Day. For months, the president ridiculed face masks and refused to appear in public with one on, until he suddenly changed course in July and tweeted a photo of himself with his face covered, calling it a "patriotic" act. But after mocking Biden for wearing a mask and insisting that reporters remove theirs while asking him questions during a news conference, Trump on Tuesday evening appeared to make a full, unabashed return to his previous stance on the coverings. Trump's campaign told CNN that masks and hand sanitizer would be provided for Winston-Salem rally attendees, who would be screened before the event with temperature checks. Anyone signing up for a ticket was also required to acknowledge the possibility of infection, as has been true of other audiences on the campaign trail. Earlier on Tuesday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows suggested that Trump did not need to wear a mask because he is tested daily. "When you wear a mask, it's really for others' protection, not for your own protection," Meadows told reporters. Still, Plyler, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners chair, said that the president needed to stop politicizing the issue and instead lead the country on the single prevention measure that has shown to be most effective in curbing the spread of the virus. "The president of the United States sets the example for everybody else," Plyler told CNN. "You can hear it: if the president of the United States says I don't have to wear it, I'm not going to wear it. And I can guarantee you that will be done." Plyler also pointed to the situation in North Carolina as a sign of the need for Cooper's face mask mandate. Although the state has moved to "Phase 2.5" of reopening, with gyms and playgrounds allowed to reopen under certain conditions, 6,000 people are infected in Forsyth County, he said. The county has had 86 covid-19 fatalities. "We've got the virus here. The virus doesn't give a rip whether it's the president or God Almighty himself. It's going to find its place," he told CNN. "And the way we have to figure this, at least in my mind, is that we all have to be careful about it." A proud Trump supporter, Plyler said he would have tried to attend the rally if he had not scheduled a medical procedure well in advance. And looking ahead to other rallies, he offered a practical suggestion for the campaign. "You know what would be neat?" he said. "If before he got off the plane if he gave everybody a box of Make America Great Again masks." 09/29/2020 Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu LOWELL, Mass. UMass Lowell was recently awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant from Tufts Health Plan Foundation to create a citywide, age-friendly initiative that builds community capacity to promote health, independence and quality of life for older residents in Lowell. The effort is a partnership with the city of Lowell and local organizations that is being led by UMass Lowells Sabrina Noel , who is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences and director for community engagement in the Center for Population Health. The program is designed to: Provide insight on existing or needed changes to programs, policies and infrastructure within the city of Lowell to support productive and high-quality aging within the community; Increase the ability for individuals of all ages within the city to participate in making their city a community that supports aging in place. Our project aims to include the voices of residents, particularly older adults, in the assessment of existing resources, but also in the planning of short- and long-term community-based goals to support health and well-being of older adults, said Noel, who has been conducting research in partnership with local area communities for nearly a decade on issues including aging, nutrition and chronic conditions, such as osteoporosis and cardiometabolic health outcomes. Undergraduate and graduate students will also be involved, Noel said, from planning and conducting the community assessment, to collecting and analyzing data, as well as receiving training and experience in community-engaged research. This grant is one of 13 new community investments totaling $1.7 million by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation in support of collaborative community efforts and systems change to advance healthy aging. UMass Lowell is collaborating with several local organizations, including the Greater Lowell Health Alliance, the Lowell Council on Aging, the Lowell Housing Authority, Elder Services of Merrimack Valley and DYouville Life and Wellness to develop the age-friendly initiative in Lowell. This partnership between the city of Lowell and UMass Lowell will help ensure we understand and meet the needs of residents of all ages. This grant provides the opportunity for representatives of both partners to bring their expertise and experience together through this new initiative, said Lowell Mayor John Leahy. Lowell is a gateway city and home to a large immigrant population, including the nations second-largest Cambodian community. The team has worked over the past year to build capacity to conduct a comprehensive citywide assessment that caters to the unique needs of its residents that will focus on nine areas spanning from housing to healthy living to inclusion and access. The assessment will identify areas of priority to inform the development, implementation and evaluation of programs and policies, as well as changes to infrastructure, to promote aging in place. The Age Friendly Lowell initiative is deeply rooted in engaging older adults, drawing on their experiences and insights. Our team is committed to working together to ensure that the voices of older adults are echoed throughout all stages of this initiative, said Noel. We have an opportunity to think differently about how our systems are addressing community needs," said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Tufts Health Plan Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship at Tufts Health Plan. We are living in unprecedented times. We need to learn from this experience and think about how we can change the conditions that hold problems in place. The Tufts Health Plan Foundation supports the health and wellness of the diverse communities it serves. The foundation has given more than $40 million since 2008 to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island nonprofits that promote healthy living with an emphasis on older adults. The Tufts Health Plan Foundation funds programs that move communities toward implementing age-friendly policies and practices that are relevant, focus on older adults and include them in community solutions. UMass Lowell is a national research university offering its more than 18,000 students bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu Regulatory compliance is becoming more challenging for all industries, but in the financial, payments, contact center, and healthcare industries, the requirements are becoming even more intense, especially given attacks (and successful breaches) of mission-critical systems in these industries. We caught up with Orhan Yildirim, CTO, Ironsphere, a Privileged Access Management (PAM) company based in New Jersey, to learn about the changes they are seeing and how PAM can help automate and deliver on compliance needs, including complex and expensive audits. Lets start with Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Orhan Yildirim said. Otherwise known as SOX, it is an important part of compliance challenges. We work with many large, global banks, and have addressed SOX at deep levels. The government has advanced the standard by requiring that board-level audit committees, rather than CEOs or CFOs, participate. This means that the mechanisms must be top tier, and the reporting clear and concise. With board members directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the external auditing of public companies, SOX regulations insist that no conflict of interest exists between audit committee members and accounting firms hired to perform such audits. Accounting firms have a direct line of reporting to audit committees, Orhan Yildirim explained. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which enforces SOX auditing standards, has warned public company accounting firms that they can no longer provide audit opinions without establishing a basis for using that work or otherwise providing substantive evidence of having supervised, and are being asked to substantiate objective opinions with evidence of internal control uniformity across the enterprise. Demand for our PAM solutions often comes from board members, Yildirim said, who understand how stressed their IT teams are, and wish to support them with better tools. A sister to SOX is PCI (News - Alert), short for the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Given the ramping up of attacks on financial payments systems, Orhan Yildirim said, all banks that process the payment transactions associated with these cards are responsible for ensuring that merchants meet the standard or face severe penalties. Yildirim also said PCI could be even more difficult given third-party providers and partners. PCI DSS applies not only to the primary business, but also to any platform that supports that business by accepting, storing, processing, or transmitting payment card data, including personal data from credit and debit cards. Any business partner or vendor that handles cardholder data or sensitive authentication data is classified as a PCI merchant and is required to comply. The large banks we work with are very well-aware of their responsibility for the entire ecosystem they have built, which makes third-party PAM capabilities deeply valuable. PCI DSS requirements are intended to ensure that organizations: Build and maintain secure networks and systems Protect cardholder data Maintain a vulnerability management program Implement strong access control measures Regularly monitor and test networks Maintain an information security policy PAM is the first line of defense, Orhan Yildirim said, in complying efficiently to protect data and reputations every day, while also supporting audits as they come up. PAM must be able to ensure cardholder data can only be accessed by authorized users, with explicit approval for only the data needed to perform their job role. PAM solutions must enforce strong password management settings, track and record sessions, secure audit logs, and generally prevent the abuse of accounts. The third major compliance challenge is in the healthcare industry. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was signed into law on August 21, 1996, in the U.S. One of the most important provisions of HIPAA is the mandatory safeguarding of all recorded personal health information (PHI), including PHI stored in an electronic form (ePHI). The reach of HIPAAs provisions for safeguarding PHI was extended under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act on February 17, 2009, and again on January 25, 2013, in HIPAAs omnibus final rule. Covered entities include hospitals, medical billing centers, health insurance companies, healthcare clearinghouses, and other health care providers. Organizations subject to HIPAA must ensure the confidentiality of all electronically protected health information created, shared and stored, Orhan Yildirim said. With COVID-19, we are seeing massive attacks from adversaries on healthcare systems, including those using non-HIPAA compliant platforms to deliver telemedicine during the crisis. While this is understandable, give the global health emergency, we are seeing a surge in demand for fully compliant systems moving forward. HIPAAs requirements, in brief, are to: Ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all electronically protected health information created, received, maintained, or transmitted Regularly review system activity records, such as audit logs, access reports, and security incident tracking reports Establish, document, review, and modify a users right of access to a workstation, transaction, program, or process containing ePHI Monitor login attempts and report discrepancies Identify, respond to, and document PHI breach incidents, as well as properly notify specified parties By implementing a quality Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution, enterprises and organizations can address multiple needs in a unified and efficient way, Orhan Yildirim said. Not only can overburdened IT teams protect what they connect, but they can prove regulatory compliance by automating more controls and being able to generate alerts, reports, and audit materials, should their organization face a regulatory review. There has never been a more important time for complying with regulations, nor a more important time for IT teams to use productivity tools so they can keep up with these new pressures. Edited by Maurice Nagle John Boadu, the General-Secretary of the New Patriotic Party has questioned the ability of the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress John Dramani Mahama to deliver on all the promises he has made if he is elected on December 7. The NDC unveiled its manifesto on Monday, September 7, 2020, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra. The party promised to extend the Free SHS programme to private schools and supply free laptops to the students of tertiary institutions. The NDC also stated that it will embark on a $10 billion infrastructure drive and also foot 50% of fees for tertiary students. But in an interview with Neat FM, John Boadu said that the track record of John Mahama does not correspond with the promises he is making. He wondered how a government led by John Dramani Mahama will raise funds to execute the promises indicated in the manifesto. He accused him of managing the economy poorly when he was president. He has been vice president and president so if he had something good to do, he would have done it. The NDC and John Mahama dont have the track record of running prudent economic management. When you look at the growth rate, their time was the worst. He had an opportunity to run the country, what did he do? It is easy to write manifestoes but running a country is different. A manifesto is just English but what is his record. Hes been president for five years and his record does match what he is promising, he said. 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 The door isnt closed on President Donald Trumps reelection, but time is running short. Labor Day once marked the start of concerted general-election campaigning, but it comes with a far greater sense of urgency this year for Trump. Because of coronavirus-related changes in election administration across the country, more Americans than ever are expected to cast their ballots early this year, whether by mail or in person. And Trump, who didnt get the election-changing convention bounce he hoped for, still trails Joe Biden by a significant margin among voters nationally and by varying, but mostly smaller, gaps in many of the key battleground states. The latest updates to POLITICOs Election Forecast point to a relatively stable political environment, and that's not what the president needs. Even as turbulence pervades the news around politics, Biden is still staked to a lead and favored to win the presidency, as more than half a million absentee ballots were dropped in the mail last week in North Carolina and Minnesota prepares to open in-person early voting at the end of next week. Biden's edge is not overwhelming, though, given Trumps advantages in the Electoral College. Meanwhile, the battle for the Senate is as tight as ever, with both parties fighting over a handful of hotly contested seats that will tilt what is likely to be a narrow majority for either side, even as Democrats could strengthen their already tight grasp on the House. Presidential: Lean Democratic Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Del., Friday Sept. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Biden remains the favorite to be sworn in as the nations 46th president next January, but the swing-state battlefield is still up for grabs. There are still enough electoral votes in the four states rated as toss-ups Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin to tilt the race one way or the other. But Bidens edge comes from two states Trump carried in 2016, Michigan and Pennsylvania, leaning towards him along with other traditional battlegrounds, like Nevada and New Hampshire, which Hillary Clinton won. Minnesota also remains in the Lean Democratic category, though both campaigns are playing heavily there. Polls also show tight races in states like Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas, but those states are still leaning in Trumps column for now. Story continues Two long-time battleground states, Colorado and Virginia, are almost entirely off the board for Trump. He is barely contesting the combined 22 electoral votes from both states, while Biden has booked a nominal amount of TV advertising for the final stretch just to be safe. Colorado and Virginia have moved from Lean Democratic to Likely Democratic. And while polls currently point to a Biden victory that would be short of a landslide Bidens lead is slightly smaller than it was two months ago, when the forecast was last updated a bigger Biden win that would expand the electoral map is still possible. Alaska and Montana, two Republican-leaning, idiosyncratic states, moved from Solid Republican to Likely Republican, as public and private polling shows the president underperforming his 2016 margins there. Senate: Toss Up Control of the Senate remains firmly up for grabs. Republicans currently hold 53 seats, plus the vice presidency. If Biden and Kamala Harris win the November election, Democrats would have to flip a net of three seats to wrest away the gavel from Republicans. The GOP can pad its majority by an additional seat by ousting Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama; Jones race has been rated Lean Republican since the forecast debuted late last year. Defeat in Alabama would put Democrats four seats away from the majority, but two GOP-held seats are now leaning in their direction. Colorado has joined Arizona in the Lean Democratic category: Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, the Democratic nominee, is consistently ahead of first-term GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, who is being weighed down by the presidents poor poll numbers in the increasingly blue state. There are four toss-up races, all currently held by Republicans Iowa, Maine, Montana and North Carolina and the party that wins the majority of them should control the chamber next year. Of the four, North Carolina is the most promising for Democrats, as the partys nominee, Cal Cunningham, is leading GOP Sen. Thom Tillis in most polls. In Maine, Democratic state House Speaker Sara Gideon has a narrow lead in public polling averages over long-time GOP Sen. Susan Collins, though Republicans are confident Collins independent image with Mainers isnt a thing of the past, allowing her to win a fifth term. Iowa and Montana are considered a little stronger for Republicans, though Democrats are investing heavily in both races. After that, Democrats have other options in races currently rated as Lean Republican, though they must overcome GOP advantages with less than two months to go. The two seats up in Georgia, where GOP Sen. David Perdue is sharing the ballot with a special election for the other seat, could end up in January runoffs if no candidate wins a majority in either race. Democratic candidates have struggled historically in those post-election runoffs, which Democrats criticize as vestiges of Jim Crow-era election rules in Southern states. Joining the list of Lean Republican states are Kansas and South Carolina. In Kansas, the top national GOP super PAC is spending more than $5 million over the next four weeks to prop up the partys candidate, GOP Rep. Roger Marshall, against state Sen. Barbara Bollier, a Republican-turned-Democrat who has excelled at fundraising. National Democrats havent fully engaged here, though perhaps they would have if the controversial Kris Kobach had won last months GOP primary. As it stands, the Democratic Party has remained focused strictly on the core battleground. Similarly, neither party has dipped into South Carolina but thats because they dont have to. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison have been two of their parties best fundraisers and wont require any kind of outside intervention. Polls show Graham only narrowly ahead of Harrison, warranting a move to Lean Republican. Meanwhile, Republicans arent content with Alabama as their only offensive opportunity. They are mounting a renewed charge to put Michigan where first-term Democratic Sen. Gary Peters faces GOP repeat candidate John James at the center of the map. But Peters still retains an advantage, keeping the race in Lean Democratic. House: Likely Democratic Democrats have fortified their House majority, benefiting from both from a national environment that resembles the 2018 midterm wave and strong fundraising from battleground incumbents in their 233-seat caucus. In the current forecast, 217 seats are currently rated as Solid, Likely or Lean Democratic right on the cusp of the 218 needed to win a majority. Of the 26 seats moving in the latest forecast, 23 of them are towards Democrats. The list includes three House Democratic freshmen whose reelection bids moved from Toss Up races into the Lean Democratic category: Reps. Gil Cisneros in Orange County, Calif.; Lucy McBath in suburban Atlanta; and Elissa Slotkin in Michigan. Meanwhile, six GOP-held seats moved from Lean Republican to Toss Up: Rep. David Schweikerts seat near Phoenix; an open seat in the Indianapolis suburbs; Rep. Don Bacons Omaha, Neb.-based seat; party-switching Rep. Jeff Van Drews South Jersey district; an open seat on the South Shore of Long Island; and Rep. John Katkos competitive seat near Syracuse, N.Y. There are some bright spots for Republicans: Freshman Democratic Rep. Debbie Murcasel-Powells South Florida district and an open seat in Southeast Iowa moved from Lean Democratic to Toss Up, as both parties see close races in those places. Trump carried the Iowa district, which is being vacated by retiring Rep. Dave Loebsack. Murcasel-Powells district went heavily for Hillary Clinton in 2016, but Trumps improving numbers in South Florida have improved the partys outlook here, as has the strong Republican recruit, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. Governors North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper updates the public during a press briefing on the COVID-19 virus on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, N.C. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP) The biggest prize of the 2020 gubernatorial landscape remains North Carolina, where despite tight races for president and Senate, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper remains ahead of his GOP challenger, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. Despite Coopers high approval ratings on his handling of the coronavirus 65 percent of voters said he was doing a good job in a Monmouth University poll last week, compared to 31 percent who said he was doing a bad job Forest has been a harsh critic of the governors containment policies, calling them too restrictive. In a new ad that began airing this week, Forest pledged to open schools in the state, which are either conducting remote instruction, or a hybrid with some in-person attendance. Forests strategy isnt redounding to his benefit at the moment: He was trailing Cooper by roughly 10 points in the Monmouth poll. Elsewhere, the most hotly contested races based on where the parties are investing their resources are in Missouri and Montana, with both currently rated as Lean Republican. In Missouri, Democrats are hopeful that state Auditor Nicole Galloway can unseat GOP Gov. Mike Parson. Democrats are defending the governors mansion in Montana, with Gov. Steve Bullock term-limited and running for Senate. Republicans nominated the man Bullock defeated in 2016, now-Rep. Greg Gianforte, while the Democratic candidate is Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney. Bullock, Cooney and Democratic congressional nominee Kathleen Williams are all seeking to overcome that states GOP orientation at the presidential level, even though Trump is underperforming his 2016 numbers at present. One state where Republicans are in a stronger position: Vermont. Despite the states bright-blue presidential outlook, GOP Gov. Phil Scott is well-positioned to win a third two-year term against Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a member of the Progressive Party who won the Democratic primary this summer. The race moved from Lean Republican to Likely Republican. India's national capital Delhi invited city bars to re-start business from today even as the country posted another single-day wave of almost 90,000 new coronavirus cases with more than 1,000 daily deaths for the eighth straight day on Wednesday. It took to 4.3 million India's Covid-19 tally with 73,890 deaths, narrowing the dreaded numbers gap with the United States. Delhi tip-toes into city bars The opposition Aam Aadmi Party, which administers Delhi state, uncorked public drinking for 22 days until September 30 even as the hard-hit capital city registered 3,609 new cases which marked its highest single-day count since June 24. Delhi has so far reported 197,135 infections but officials said life must go on in the city of 20 million. West Bengal state allowed public bars to reopen on September 1 and so far there have been no problem as they are following all health rules, a city official said. Delhi clubs, hotels and restaurants must also do the same during happy hours or face action, he warned. The hugely-popular National Press Club in Delhi said only two members can share one table and that too for an hour. Restaurateur Priyank Sukhija vowed to follow the rules at his city watering holes, popular among expatriates and well-heeled locals out on a bibulous evening. Live performances will also not happen for a while since people usually tend to stand up and dance, Sukhija told The Hindustan Times. Another upscale restaurant chain said it had already started serving alcohol customers in cities such as Chandigarh and Gurugram. The numbers have been good, but nothing compared to pre-Covid times, said Mayank Bhatt, the chain's brand head. Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies trade lobby hailed Delhi government's step. 15,000 cases of liquor are locked up in inventory with bars and restaurants, and liquidation of that will be a great relief to the hospitality sector, Confederation chief Vinod Giri said. Liquor sale accounts for 14 percent of Delhi's annual earnings of 724 million Euros. But the public's hesitance to return to old habits underscore predictions that takeaway delivery groups could eat up half the revenue of dine-in restaurants and clubs in financial year ending March 2021, ratings agencies say. City trains ramp up service, schools, parliament set to reopen On Wednesday, Delhi city also expanded the services of its suburban trains as more and more offices re-opened, prodding home-bound workers to report back on duty. The Delhi Metro Rail Corp, which daily carried 2.2 million commuters, started limited operations after a gap of 171 days on Monday. Elaborate measures were also being put in place to help parliamentarians keep their distance in the Delhi-based national legislature which will resume business next Monday. The federal government hopes to turn at least 11 key drafts into law during the 18-day session, which will bypass traditions to avoid infections from spreading. The health ministry meanwhile said schools can also reopen from September 21 provided they follow strict public health safety regulations. Health Ministry issues standard operation procedures for partial reopening of schools for students of 9th-12th classes on a voluntary basis, for taking guidance from their teachers, it announced on Twitter. Experts such as Shahid Jameel urged the authorities to practice extreme caution. It is a matter of grave concern that the outbreak is expanding into areas where we can't provide the medical help that the people need, the virologist told television. - The Ghana Police Service has sent 28 officers home for various acts of misconduct - According to the police administration, the offences include insubordination and being drunk while on duty - The public reported 181 cases between January and August 2020 against police officers - Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The Ghana Police Service has sacked 28 men and women in the service for various acts of misconduct The public reported about 181 cases against some police personnel from January to August 2020. Out of the 181 cases lodged these 28 service personnel were found culpable after investigations. Director of Public Affairs, Ghana Police, Supt. Sheila Kessie Abayie-Buckman. Source: GNA Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Election 2020: Bawumia electrifies Mahamas hometown Bole The Ghana News Agency (GNA), in an interview with Supt. Sheila Kessie Abayie-Buckman, revealed that the affected officers were from the ranks of Constable to Assistant Commissioner of Police. She also listed some of the offences for which the affected persons were sacked as follows; they included engagement in part-time business ventures outside the Service without permission, insubordination and being drunk whilst on duty. The rest are absence of officers from duty without permission, misuse of firearms, negligence which led to the escape of prisoners from lawful custody and failure to make an entry in official documents. Mrs. Abayie-Buckman further noted that the majority of the cases lodged by the public were found out to be partially true. She added that apart from the 28 personnel who have been axed, some other officers had their ranks reduced. She also opined that the actions taken by the police hierarchy are to ensure and maintain high standards of professionalism in the Service. READ ALSO: KATH CEO tests positive for COVID-19 Mrs. Abayie-Buckman concluding by saying some very exemplary officers were also commended and promoted. The Daily Graphic also reported that 291 complaints were made to the police in 2019. Meanwhile, the public has been urged to report police personnel who misconduct themselves in their line of duty. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that army colonel Assimi Goita announced himself as Mali's new military leader following the Tuesday, August 18 coup that was condemned by the international community. After meeting top civil servants on Wednesday, August 19, Goita said he was the leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People that had seized power. His entourage told journalists Goita had until now, headed Mali's special forces based in the centre of the West African country, which has been torn by jihadist and sectarian violence. John Mahama's emotional moment on stage at the NDC's manifesto launch | #Yencomgh 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 He was nominated by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, an ultra-conservative member of the Norwegian Parliament, who praised Trump for his efforts towards resolving conflicts worldwide, Xinhua news agency reported. Washington, Sep 9 (IANS) President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Tybring-Gjedde, an immigration sceptic who nominated Trump in 2018 for his meeting with Kim Jong-Un in Singapore, claimed not to be connected to the US President. Insisting he is not a Trump supporter, he said: "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News. "The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing," he said. Tybring-Gjedde, who is a four-term Progress Party member of the Norwegian Parliament who also serves as chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said the Trump administration deserved to be honoured for its role in the establishment of relations between the UAE and Israel. --IANS sdr/arm Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum was at headquarters of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NEPHC) to make passionate request for extension of 132 Kilovolt electricity line from Maiduguri to Dikwa and Marte. The Governor was received by the companys top management, led by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Chiedu Ugbo on Wednesday afternoon in Abuja. He was accompanied by a former Borno State Deputy Governor, Adamu Shettima Dibal and some Government officials. Powering Marte will aide CBDAs irrigation Governor Zulum in his remarks, told NDPHCs management that connecting 132 kV line to Marte in northern Borno will power machines for irrigation activities operated by the Chad Basin Development Authority. He noted that when put to maximum use, Chad basins irrigation activities have potentials of meeting 30% of Nigerias food requirement. Governor Zulum who was in Marte twice this year over resuscitation of CBDAs irrigation equipment, said resumption of activities will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs for communities and families affected by boko harams killings and displacement. He also urged the NDPHC to also consider the possibility of reaching Gamboru through Dikwa given the short distance between the two local government areas. Wants Gwoza connected from Bama Governor Babagana Umara Zulum also requested that the Niger Delta Power Holding Company make effort to extend its already established power infrastructure in Bama to neighboring Gwoza. He said doing so will help in continued multi-stakeholder efforts to restore livelihoods and social services after setbacks caused by the violence of boko haram. Zulum paid glowing tribute to the Chief Executive Officer, Management and Staff of the NDPHC for establishing power infrastructure in Bama and other parts of Borno state. The Governor said the company had shown compassion for the people of Borno who actually deserve all the support available in the country, in order to aid restoration efforts. Frost and Sullivan's white paper highlights the importance of using automated tools like BAS in identifying security gaps. In Automated Breach and Attack Simulation: The Cost & Risk Reduction Revolution is Here , Frost & Sullivan's Global Cybersecurity Program Leader Jarad Carleton writes, "Leveraging advanced automated BAS technology is a best practice that more enterprises with a large number of endpoints need to embrace. It will unquestionably enable organizations to raise the bar on security hygiene while simultaneously allowing IT departments to become more efficient." A Critical Period for Cybersecurity In 2019, there were roughly 2.3 billion endpoints globally, according to Carleton. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing millions of workers to telecommute, the job of maintaining endpoint security has become much more complex, as workers use their devices outside of the office and away from IT oversight and assistance. Carleton notes that today's organizations must deal with vulnerabilities arising from unpatched software, system misconfigurations, weak or compromised credentials, exploited trust relationships, poor encryption standards, or zero-day exploits. In addition to commonly known vulnerabilities, continuous changes in the user environment can lead to misconfigurations that are at the root of many security vulnerabilities. Given these conditions, it's imperative that enterprises have the right tools in place to maintain strong security. One of the best ways to ensure that unauthorized endpoint access or another common vulnerability does not lead to a costly data breach is the deployment of BAS technology offering continuous monitoring and real-time vulnerability analysis. Benefits Over Conventional Security Testing While breach and attack technology is similar in many ways to traditional penetration testing or red team exercises, it offers a few key differentiators. Manual testing is resource-intensive and expensive, which means that it is typically staged once or twice annually. This means that enterprises have little visibility into the state of their security in between testing periods. In addition to manual testing being expensive, it is often disruptive to business processes. Breach and attack software solves this problem through automation. Instead of paying for a security team of variable skill and experience to conduct episodic tests and waiting weeks or months for results, enterprises get the benefit of 24/7 testing -- the key to maintaining deep visibility into evolving vulnerabilities. In an era where dynamic cloud environments introduce a steady stream of changes, continuous monitoring is invaluable. Additionally, while manual penetration tests can sometimes cause unanticipated collateral damage to live networks, BAS software can be safely run with no impact to production. The XM Cyber Solution Founded by three senior executives from the Israeli intelligence community, XM Cyber offers a cloud-based, automated BAS platform that offers protection in hybrid environments. XM Cyber technology mimics cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities and offers prioritized remediation. "XM Cyber's platform mimics a real cyber adversary and conducts reconnaissance in the network and, eventually, inside secure zones," Carleton writes. "At the end of the simulation, the enterprise can view the number of critical assets compromised and track each attack vector and its path to the defined critical assets. The enterprise security team is then able to investigate each step leading to the simulated breach and determine whether one or more choke points can be addressed to protect secure zones." Frost & Sullivan's Verdict The solution, according to Carleton, is the adoption of tools such as those offered by XM Cyber. "Automated BAS tools such as XM Cyber change this equation and enable organizations to continuously monitor their IT environment for vulnerabilities in a safe, scalable, and cost-effective manner as the network changes. Since minimal input is required from security analysts, IT teams can focus their efforts on other critical tasks. Frost & Sullivan believes that leveraging advanced automated BAS technology is a best practice that more enterprises with a large number of endpoints need to embrace. It will unquestionably enable organizations to raise the bar on security hygiene while simultaneously allowing IT departments to become more efficient." To download the white paper, please click here. About XM Cyber XM Cyber brings innovation to the security industry with patented products that address the unique gaps that arise in large, complex networks. By safely and continuously simulating attacks on premise and in the cloud, XM Cyber exposes real-life security issues that arise from vulnerabilities, human error and misconfigurations. Remediation recommendations are prioritized based on criticality and relation to the customer's most critical assets. The customer achieves a continual cycle of security posture improvement, optimizing security investments and human resources, and lowering exposure and risk. XM Cyber was founded by top executives from the Israeli cyber intelligence community and has offices in the US, UK, and Israel. For more information: www.xmcyber.com Social Networks: Follow us on Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube Fusion PR (for XM Cyber) Brian Janson E: [email protected] T: +1(646)-452-7111 SOURCE XM Cyber Related Links www.xmcyber.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi will digitally launch the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) on Thursday and also inaugurate the e-Gopala App, a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers. In a statement on Wednesday, the Prime Minister's Office said that Modi will also launch several other initiatives in the fisheries and animal husbandry sectors in Bihar, a state which is heading for the assembly polls in October-November. The PMMSY is a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable development of fisheries sector in the country with an estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crore for its implementation during 2020-21 to 2024-25 as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat package. The investment of Rs. 20,050 crore under PMMSY is the highest ever in the fisheries sector, the PMO said. The project in Bihar envisages investment of Rs 1,390 crore with the central share of Rs 535 crore and the additional fish production target pegged at three lakh tons. During the current fiscal, the Union government has sanctioned Bihar''s proposal costing Rs 107 crore. Modi will also announce the establishment of a fish brood bank at Sitamarhi and of aquatic disease referral laboratory at Kishanganj, for which assistance has been provided under the PMMSY. "These facilities will help in enhancing production and productivity of fish by ensuring timely availability of quality and affordable fish seed for the fish farmers and address the need for disease diagnosis as well as water and soil testing facilities," the statement said. The e-Gopala app, it added, is a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers. At present no digital platform is available in the country for farmers managing livestock including buying and selling of disease free germplasm in all forms, availability of quality breeding services and guiding farmers for animal nutrition, treatment of animals using appropriate medicine. There is no mechanism to send alerts on due date for vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis and calving among other issues and inform farmers about various government schemes and campaigns in the area. The e-Gopala app will provide solutions to farmers on all these aspects, the PMO said. The prime minister will also inaugurate one-unit fish feed mill at Madhepura and two units of ''Fish on Wheels'' assisted at Patna under ''blue revolution''. He will also interact with the beneficiaries on the occasion. Among other launches by Modi is the comprehensive fish production technology centre at Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University in Pusa in Bihar. The centre, with facilities for seed production technology and demonstration unit technology for fish, referral laboratory and diagnostic testing, will facilitate in boosting fish production and assist in capacity building of fish farmers, the PMO said. The PMMSY aims at enhancing fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25, increasing fisheries export earnings to Rs 1,00,000 crore by 2024-25, doubling of incomes of fishers and fish farmers, reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25 per cent to about 10 per cent and generation of additional 55 lakhs direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in fisheries sector and allied activities. After issuing its prestigious peace prize to a series of assorted clowns and faceless bureaucrats, has the Nobel peace committee decided to try to make its peace prize worth something again? Something connected to actual peacemaking? Sure looks like it, given that one of them, a member of Norway's parliament, has nominated President Trump for the prestigious prize. According to the New York Post: President Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, according to a report. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament and chairman to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, submitted the nomination, Fox News reported. "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," Tybring-Gjedde, told Fox News. The Norwegian noted that Trump played a key role in this development, the biggest platform for peace since Israel's entente with Egypt several decades ago, and what's more, other Arab states would likely follow suit. In fact, quite a few are. And the troublemakers among them, such as the Palestinian "state," are walking back their opposition to the accord. In short, peace is breaking out all over. On merit alone, by any objective standard, Trump's act is a massive contribution to peace. And it's not just the Israel-UAE peacemaking, either. Fact is, the Trump umbrella of peace-making is multiplicative. Trump's rub-out of Qassem Soleimani, Iran's chief terrorist, has led to global terrorism waning. Trump's peace-brokering between longtime enemies Kosovo and Serbia snuffed out another smoldering ember of war in Europe. Trump's risky move to engage North Korea's psychopathic dictator one-on-one, breaking all foreign policy conventional wisdom created even more peace or at least bought time for something steadier, too the freak, after all, had been hurling rockets at Los Angeles before that. And for keeping the U.S out of all wars and bringing troops home during his term, Trump deserves credit there, too. Yes, that's a heady record of peacemaking, and the Nobel committee couldn't ignore it if it cared about its credibility. They may refuse to give him the prize on the grounds that they hate him (all Eurotrash hates Trump) and hand it instead to some nonentity, but if so, they'll lose credibility, given the obvious objective merit of the Trump nomination. Eyes are on them now, and eyebrows will be raised if peace of President Trump's contribution somehow doesn't make the cut. Their credibility has been battered based on their handing the award to assorted losers in the past, and they've already begun to reward actual peacemaking. Last year, they awarded the prize to an Ethiopian leader who created peace over the more symbolic greenie activist Greta Thunberg. If they go with Trump in 2020, the award would follow the same pattern which is a far cry from the awful characters who've gotten it in recent years, such as charlatan Al Gore, fraudster Rigoberta Menchu, former Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos (who ignored a popular referendum to sell his country down the river to FARC's Marxist terrorists in a Cuba-brokered accord), Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who joined the Burmese tin-pot generals oppressing ethnic minorities when she was allowed into power, and an assortment of favored globalist bureaucracies. Worst of all was their awarding of their famed prize to President Obama on the grounds that 'maybe he will create peace' in 2009, when he just got elected to office, before he even had a chance to show anything. That foolish wishful thinking was followed by considerable instability around the world, including increased U.S. military engagement and multiplying wars from Libya to North Korea to the South China Sea. Oh, and Iran got itself a license to make a nuclear bomb on that watch. That was some peace Obama created. Now that they've recognized reality, and one of them has put Trump's name forward, a marker has been set. If they don't give Trump the prize now, their credibility will be nil. Yet we know they know there's an election on, and they want Joe Biden as president. What will it be: objective facts on the ground for peace or their own political wishful thinking? If Trump doesn't get the prize at this point, we can chalk it up to his preternatural ability to rat out leftists for the frauds they are. If they do give it, peace will mean something again. What a dilemma for this bunch. Image credit: Twitter screen shot, processed with FotoSketcher. Chinese leader Xi Jinping (bottom) arrives at the closing session of the Chinese regimes rubber-stamp legislature conference while other Communist Party officials applaud, in Beijing, on May 28, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Analysts Say Beijings Claim of Defeating COVID-19 Is for Fulfilling Political Agenda The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) declared victory over the COVID-19 pandemic on Sept. 8, despite infections still popping up in mainland China. Observers believe that Chinese leader Xi Jinpings rush to celebration is aimed at countering criticism and pressure from both within the Party and the international community, as a growing number of countries have lambasted Beijing for covering up the initial outbreak and allowing the virus to spread globally. The seven members of the CCPs Politburo Standing Committeethe Partys top decision-making bodyattended a celebration ceremony held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi delivered a speech, claiming that the Party enabled the country to pass an extraordinary and historic test. He also gave out medals to medical personnel including Zhong Nanshan, respiratory disease expert and academician at the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Chen Wei, head of the Biological Engineering Institute, which is part of an academy affiliated with Chinas military, the Peoples Liberation Army. He is a top expert in Chinas bioweapons research. Outbreaks of the CCP virus have continually cropped up in parts of China. A resurgence occurred in Beijing in June, which spread to other parts of the country. In mid-July, an outbreak in Urumqi, Xinjiang led to lockdown policies throughout the region. And in late July, a third wave outbreak hit northeastern China. Chinas COVID-19 statistics have been called into question by experts and leaked government documents. Meanwhile at a World Health Organization (WHO) press conference on Sept. 7, Executive Director of WHOs Emergency Projects Michael Ryan emphasized that until the global pandemic is truly over, any place is at risk of recurrence. Observers and activists believe that Xi wants to use the victory celebration to lessen the pressure from different factions within the Party and to consolidate his position and power as its leader. Human right activist Hu Jia said in an interview given to Radio Free Asia: he (Xi) wants to minimize his responsibilities here. And secondly, to show that the Chinese political model has a unique advantage in fighting the pandemic, and the advantage of the Chinese socialist system. This is to reinforce the idea in the minds of Chinese citizens, who are being ruled by it. Chinese political scholar Wu Qiang told BBC Chinese that the celebration was being held before the U.S. presidential election and an upcoming China-EU summit to show that Chinas anti-pandemic model is successful and to counter international criticism of the CCP. Chinese netizens criticized Beijings ceremony as a political performance. Netizen Quan Zhisheng asked a series of questions: is the epidemic completely over? Has the vaccine been developed? Has the whole nation paid public tribute to the victims? Have the officials who covered up the pandemic been dealt with? Yetthe celebration party was held! Netizen RHBNg commented: the Party-state is good at turning funerals into celebrations. This time the commendation ceremony may be its way of bluffing to other countries that China has completely eliminated the pandemic, and people can then come here for tourism, business, or school as usual. And [the Party] can deceive other countries to open up to China. (Alliance News) - Wincanton PLC on Wednesday said it expects results for the current year to be materially ahead of market expectations amid the combination of improved trading performance, cost cuts, and a recovering UK economy. The company noted, however, that its assumptions are based on no further Covid-19 impact that will hurt the business. The stock was trading 13% higher on Wednesday in London at 203.00 pence each. The logistics company said it has seen a continued improvement in profitability in July and August, with a "particularly strong" performance in Digital & eFulfilment. Wincanton explained that the Digital & eFulfilment business is benefiting from an increase in demand for online retail, with revenue significantly ahead of pre-Covid-19 levels. Volumes in the home delivery business within this sector have remained high through the summer months. Performance across the rest of the company was "encouraging", it said, supported by changes to the cost base implemented earlier in the year. "The balance sheet remains healthy, with strong cash collection and a robust working capital position," Wincanton said in its unscheduled statement Wednesday. By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. A 31-year-old man in the final weeks of his life has been praised for writing an honest and emotional blog about the prospect of dying - and the things he won't get to do. Elliot Dallen, who lives in London, posted a 'call to arms' on his blog, The Cortisol Diaries, to raise money for one of his favourite charities, Trekstock, which supports young people with cancer. The former Barclays employee was diagnosed with adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare and aggressive cancer, after a 'massive' tumour was found on his adrenal gland two years ago - after months of symptoms including a bloated face, problems sleeping and bladder issues. In the heart-wrenching post, entitled The Switch and Call to Arms, which was also published in the Guardian, he discusses how he's pondered during lockdown the life that he might have had, including getting married and having children. Scroll down for video Elliot Dallen, 31, who lives in London, was diagnosed with a rare adrenal cancer in 2018 and is now likely to be in the final weeks of his life; in his latest post on his blog The Cortisol Diaries, he reflects on the life he might have had and talked frankly about the prospect of dying He's also brutally honest about how his body has failed him in recent months and how hopes that a drug trial might keep his cancer at bay were crushingly dashed. In the post, published on August 28th, Elliot says he had planned 'more of the same' for his 30s 'and possibly some settling down for the usually hectic 40s and 50s with kids, mortgage etc.' He describes in harrowing detail - and often with humour - his dramatic weight-loss in recent weeks and how he realised 'life is for living' after much-awaited access to a drugs trial left him 'a shell of who I was'. Elliot, who studied at Exeter University and has travelled extensively, wrote: 'After pinning my hopes on this idea for so long, it took just 10 days for it to batter me. 'My days involved moving from my room to the sofa, feeling like I had flu and the mental fog that so often accompanies chemotherapy. 'And almost immediately I realised I just couldnt do it. Life for me is about living, not just clocking up the years.' Elliot pictured with his sister; the 31-year-old urges people to do something for others in his emotional post Elliot also leaves readers with five things that he thinks have been important to him; the importance of positivity and gratitude; being vulnerable and connecting to others, doing something for others and protecting the planet. He also says that 'a life, if well lived, is long enough' and asks readers to appreciate their wellness, saying: 'The human body is a wonderful thing. You only appreciate this when it starts to fail you and physically completing your waking hours becomes a 12-hour long struggle.' Those who've read Elliot's latest post have responded with praise. One wrote: 'I don't know what to say but I just want you to know that you've made an impact on my life, you write so openly and honestly about your situation.' Another added: 'Thank you for allowing us to get to know you; you are one incredible person. I have learned a lot from you. Thank you too for your candor. Wishing you nothing but warmth and peace.' He ends the post by saying what would make him happy, writing: 'Apart from the obvious - looking after each other during the period after Ive gone and helping with the grieving - Im gonna push for people to really give to charity.' So far, Elliot has raised more than 12,000 for Trekstock. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Toronto International Film Festival, one of the three major movie events in the world, is going hybrid with socially distanced in-person screenings, drive-in shows and an online debut. The 45th edition of North Americas largest movie event will still span 10 days from Thursday. We began this year planning for a festival much like our previous editions, but along the way we had to rethink just about everything. This years line-up reflects that tumult, said Cameron Bailey, TIFFs artistic director and co-head. TIFF has usually featured close to 400 films. But 2020 will witness a pared-down slate, with 61 features, 36 shorts and another 30 films that will be restricted to the industry to keep its marketplace buzzing. Among the novelties for regular festival-goers will be the outdoor experience, with screenings at two drive-in venues and an open-air cinema in Toronto. Physical screenings will be limited to a maximum of 50 persons in the theatre. The online platform will also debut this year and feature all the films available to the public, though they will be geographically limited to Canada. Also Read: While media attention was focused on the insider-outsider debate, Chaitanya Tamhane made history Unlike previous years, stars will be unable to visit Toronto in person due to mandatory quarantine requirements. But they will make online appearances to interact with audiences. Given the backdrop, TIFF is also partnering with a healthcare company for the festival. The festival will open with African-American director Spike Lees filmed version of David Byrnes American Utopia, a Broadway musical from the founder and frontman of the classic band Talking Heads. India will be represented at TIFF this year by The Disciple, a film from Mumbai-based director Chaitanya Tamhane. In addition, the closing night presentation will feature episodes of Indian-American director Mira Nairs TV adaptation of Vikram Seths novel Suitable Boy. We could never have anticipated the global seismic changes we would be facing in 2020, TIFFs executive director and Co-Head Joana Vicente said. And while TIFF 2020 will miss the adulatory crowds swarming around stars for selfies, organisers hope it will be a memorable experience in a year of duress. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anirudh Bhattacharyya Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American issues, and an author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York spanning print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. ...view detail ALBANY - Adjunct English professor Sophia Cantave had just finished her spring semester classes at Bronx Community College when she received a letter that her services were no longer needed at the City University of New York school. Cantave, who was on the cusp of her sixth year at the college, had just come off a semester fraught with challenges the coronavirus pandemic hit just as students found their stride in the English 112 class and were forced to go to remote online learning. The Staten Island resident said students struggled to access computers and reliable internet connections, and she was there to help them navigate through the crises. I love working with that population, Cantave said, noting that many of her students are immigrants or come from low-income households. I love doing the work that I do. I love the connections, trying to get them to see whats out there and what they can do and give them the confidence they need. CUNY officials blame the Professional Staff Congress the labor union representing 30,000 CUNY faculty and staff for the nearly 3,000 adjuncts who were not asked to return for the fall semester because the union rejected extending the deadline for reappointing the teachers who work on limited-term contracts. However, Cantave and other CUNY adjuncts say they were told the cuts were because of anticipated deficits from the coronavirus pandemic. The CUNY schools were among the first casualties of New York trimming state funding to the university system, which amounted to about $270 million in late June. As New York lawmakers continue to press for additional federal funding to crawl out of the $14.5 billion deficit the state faces from revenue declines due to the pandemic, few sectors and industries have been spared from the Empire States 20 percent aid reductions, forcing local governments and industry leaders to cut staff and services. For months, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and state budget officials have warned that without additional federal stimulus money, New York and local governments will have to make drastic cuts to essential services, including law enforcement agencies, fire departments and schools. Primary education is the most recent casualty from the cuts, with local school districts announcing possible layoffs and moving to more remote learning to save money. States hardest hit by COVID-19 have urged the federal government to provide additional funding, arguing that the deficits they face are from responding to the public health crisis. But whether thats the best path forward for the national economy is a point of contention among federal lawmakers and economists. Also, the prospect of federal money flowing to state and local governments has become more uncertain as Congress is stuck in a gridlock. This week U.S. Senate Republicans presented a trimmed-down stimulus package that would provide $500 billion for small businesses, enhanced unemployment insurance, child care, the U.S. Postal Service, coronavirus testing and schools. But the proposal, which is not expected to pass, offers nothing for state and local governments. State v. Federal responsibility GOP lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have been steadfast in their refusal to provide aid directly to state and local governments, insisting the money amounts to a bail out for blue states that have mismanaged their finances. Still others fear adding to the growing national debt. And, depending on who you ask, some experts agree. The federal government has already done its part. It has already sent money to the states both for flexible spending and for COVID-related expenses. Its already done this, so lets not pretend it hasnt, said Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center. Most states havent even begun to spend down their COVID-related federal money, so for anyone to be talking about how more money would be exactly what they need is just incorrect. New York received $5.1 billion from the federal government to cover COVID-related expenses, and has spent about $2.2 billion so far, but the states budget plan expects the rest will be exhausted by the end of the year. Counties and cities with populations over 500,000 also received a slice of the funding, including New York City, which has spent the $1.4 billion it was allotted, according to a U.S. Treasury report on the assistance. State budget officials said New York did not receive any flexible funding, leaving the Empire State on their own to deal with the deficit caused by declines in sales and income tax revenues, as well as other revenue sources, including gaming. Conversely, there are economists who point to the federal governments ability to shoulder a large amount of debt; states inability to borrow to pay bills or declare bankruptcy; and the importance of supporting local governments to ensure a quick economic recovery as reasons for the feds to step up. New York took out a $4.5 billion short-term bond earlier this year to cover cash flow issues from delayed federal income tax payments, but budget officials said it would not be prudent to borrow to cover this years deficit as it would cost taxpayers more in interest. Budget officials estimate an expected $62 billion deficit through 2024. Without federal intervention, states will have to lay people off or raise taxes, which is counterproductive during a deep recession, said Len Burman, Paul Volcker chair in behavioral economics and professor of public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University. This is a huge crisis, Burman said. Even if we have an effective vaccine that comes online in the next few months, its going to take us a long time to recover and its going to be a lot worse if the federal government doesnt take action. Deficit, recession history Part of the hesitancy to provide additional stimulus stems from the growing federal deficit, which is expected to balloon to at least $3.7 trillion by the end of the fiscal year. The nation ended 2019 just shy of a $1 trillion deficit, which economists say is due to the 2017 tax cuts passed by the current administration. A huge deficit got built up as a result of the latest 2017 tax overhaul, said Kajal Lahiri, an economics professor at the University at Albany. The economy failed before COVID-19 came, but it looks like because of COVID, all of these things happened. The nations debt has grown as federal lawmakers passed stimulus packages, now at its highest since World War II, economists say. The debt is expected to be 100 percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the monetary value of finished goods and services by the end of the year. That percentage could rise further as the United States is bracing for a potential COVID-19 surge this fall, and could surpass the record set in 1946, at 106.1 percent of GDP. The federal government regularly borrows trillions of dollars and rarely is without a deficit, economists say. The last time the deficit was eliminated was in the late-1990s under former President Bill Clinton. Prior to that, the U.S. last operated in the black in 1834, Burman said. Ive written about the dangers of taking on too much debt, but this isnt the time to worry about it, he said. The thing to worry about right now is keeping the economy from going into a tailspin. The need for federal support of state and local governments is a lesson learned during the Great Recession which began in late 2007 and ended in June 2009 and took a full seven years to recover from, according to the Economic Policy Institute. A 2016 report by the institute argued the slow recovery was due to a lack of government spending, which government officials refrained from doing because of legal constraints most states face, including balanced budget requirements and the inability to borrow money to cover operating expenses. During the Great Recession, New York faced a $15.4 billion, two-year budget gap in 2009-10, which then-Gov. David A. Paterson ultimately addressed by laying off 900 state workers along with offering early retirement incentives, leaving non-essential positions vacant and eliminating unfilled posts. Paterson also raised taxes and fees and cut billions from the 2009-10 fiscal year budget. De Rugy dismissed fears of a slow economic recovery and suggested a slower bounce back would allow for better fiscal policy decisions. Reducing the deficit De Rugy and New York University economics professor Nicholas Economides say rather than doling out more federal aid to state and local governments, leaders should identify where expenses can be reduced and productivity increased with fewer employees. It seems to me like the governor has put all his hopes on the federal money, and getting money from the federal government, and thats extremely dangerous, Economides said. Its possible to do the same job with fewer people. Its possible to do technological changes that allow you to do things more efficiently, and that seriously needs to be taken into consideration. State budget officials bristled at the notion they are waiting on the federal government to act, pointing to measures taken to reduce spending by $4 billion. Those measures include a hiring freeze across departments as well as delayed pay raises for some 80,000 employees, although Cuomo has made a number of hires in his office. The state also has a freeze on new state contracts and has withheld roughly 20 percent of payments to current contractors. If the federal government does not act and provide flexible funding, then permanent cuts will be made, which will be devastating long-term to schools, hospitals, police and fire departments, along with other critical services, and weaken New York states ability to lead the national economic recovery as the producer of nearly 10 percent of national GDP, budget spokesman Freeman Klopott said in a statement. Once the state has clarity from Washington, we will develop a formal spending reduction plan for the Legislatures review. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Economides and de Rugy insisted states could find savings to close their respective deficits, including delaying capital expenditures, reducing the state workforce, reforming public employee benefits and eliminating subsidies to big businesses. This would be a good time to say we need to start having a conversation to put our state on sound footing, so that next time an emergency happens, were not massively in debt and have to cut education spending. de Rugy said. States need to be prepared. The more the federal government will bail them out, the less they will be prepared. Progressive legislators, labor unions and community advocates have urged New York to consider raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers to assist with the deficit and help fund necessary programs, like rent and mortgage relief, for residents. Proposed legislation would bump up the tax brackets for New Yorkers who make $1 million or more annually, implement a "pied-a-terre" tax on second homes in New York City and a new capital gains tax on the state's resident billionaires. Another bill to eliminate the rebate on stock transfer taxes, proposed by Assemblyman Phil Steck, could also bring in additional revenue that the legislator said could be used to fund schools. While no date is set, legislators anticipate returning some time in September once a clearer picture comes out of Washington and budget officials reveal final figures. I think there is no good way that the state or the localities are going to get out of this without very significant federal relief, Manhattan Democratic Sen. Brian Kavanagh said. With that said, I think the state also should be looking at ways of increasing revenue to cover some of our costs. However, Cuomo and budget officials have dismissed the notion, arguing that it could not cover the deficit New York faces in the years to come. New York already has some of the highest taxes, including the second-highest tax in the nation on wealthy residents. Fiscal policy experts say raising taxes on the wealthy could prompt them to leave the state, further eroding New Yorks tax base. During a news conference this week, Cuomo suggested tax increases should first be considered on the federal level before New York raises state taxes. "Why force our state to increase taxes and then put us at a competitive disadvantage," the governor said. "The best option is federal government do your job and give us the resources we need otherwise the national economy is going to suffer." During an online news conference Wednesday by Fiscal Policy Institute and Strong Economy for All, economists said most of the arguments against raising taxes on the wealthy including fears they will flee New York for lower taxed states or that the tax revenues would not address the state's deficit are not valid. Cristobal Young, the author of The Myth of Millionaire Tax Flight, asserted that wealthy Americans especially those more established in their careers are less likely to leave a state compared to both middle and low-income communities. Emmanuel Saez, director of the Center for Equitable Growth at the University of California, Berkley, said passing a capital gains tax in New York could provide a one-time $23 billion revenue boost almost immediately to the state. Going forward, the state would rake in about $2 billion annually, he added. Saez, an economist who has worked on wealth tax policies for both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaigns, said New York's current taxes on the wealthy do not capture the largest portion of the wealth. "We estimate the majority of billionaires' wealth is in the form of capital gains, for which they are not taxed," he said. "A New York billionaire tax directly addresses this tax injustice as it would impose a tax on unrealized capital gains." Sen. Liz Krueger, who chairs the Senates Finance Committee, said shes begun reaching out to corporate entities to see how they might help the state. Im going to them and saying: 'We need money, were in really bad trouble. You fill in the blank industry apparently are doing quite well. I need money from you,' she said. I dont care how I get it. Tell me how you want to pay it. Despite the push for aid appearing to divide on party lines, New York lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are in agreement that federal assistance is needed. We need federal aid there's simply no way around it, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said. Without federal action, local governments are looking at dramatic cuts to critical services, laying off employees, or forcing tax increases on New Yorkers. None of those options will help expedite the state's recovery. Bala Chauhan By Express News Service BENGALURU: A common procurement and supply chain of contraband narcotics and drugs between a section of Sandalwood and Bollywood actors is said to be emerging in the Bengaluru drug bust case, according to highly placed sources. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) is on the lookout for Aditya Alva, son of late Jeevaraj Alva and brother-in-law of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, who has been named as the sixth accused in the suo motu FIR registered by the CCB at the Cottonpet police station on September 4. The FIR names 12 suspects, including Sandalwood actor Ragini Dwivedi. According to the CCB, Alva has not been traced in the city so far. The police have reportedly questioned his bodyguard, the sources said. An official source told The New Indian Express that some of the suspects named in the FIR may have some critical information regarding the common drug supply chain between Sandalwood and Bollywood actors and also in the case in which actor Rhea Chakraborty has been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. ALSO READ: Sandalwood drug racket: Sanjjanaa Galrani drops names as cops raid house A team of NCB, Bengaluru zonal unit, has been camping in Mumbai since last week for investigation in the Rhea case soon after they arrested three alleged drug peddlers including a woman, Anikha, in Bengaluru, which reportedly led to the CCB raids on the Sandalwood personalities. The NCB case is separate from the CCB case, the officer stressed. Seven suspects held under NDPS Act so far Seven people have been arrested by the CCB so far under the NDPS Act, including Sandalwood actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani, high-profile event manager Viren Khanna, RTO clerk Ravishankar, realtor Rahul Shetty, alleged drug suppliers Loom Pepper Samba (Senegalese) and Niyaz Ahmed from Kerala. Barring Sanjjanaa and Niyaz, the FIR was registered against 12 suspects under Section 120b (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 21 (possession, purchase or use of any manufactured drug or any preparation containing any manufactured drug), 21(c) (rigorous imprisonment not less than 10 years), 27a (punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders), 27b (consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance) and 29 (abetment or being party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence) of the NDPS Act. SATO Corporation Press release 8 September 2020 9:00 am Kuva, joka sisaltaa kohteen sisa, poyta, istuminen, elaminen Kuvaus luotu automaattisesti Every other person in Finland reports being ashamed of their home. Up to one in five feels this way all the time or much of the time. More than half of the people dream of having a more comfortable home. These are some of the findings of the 1,000+ respondent survey commissioned in August/September by SATO, one of Finlands largest rental housing providers. SATO, which owns around 26,000 rental homes across Finland, commissioned a survey of how people in Finland feel about the decor, tidiness and comfort of their homes. Conducted in August/September, the survey revealed that 49% of respondents felt home shame all the time, much of the time or some of the time. Home shame was more common among women than men. Among the respondents, 74% said that everyday life created clutter in the home in the form of piles of clothes or other things. Such clutter was a permanent factor of life for 22% of respondents. Around one quarter of those who reported clutter also felt ashamed of their clutter much of the time. A messy home can put pressure on anyone, and people prefer not to expose their messes to outsiders: according to the survey, up to 90% clean house before having people over. Professional organiser and non-fiction author Ilana Aalto considers the figures unfortunately high. As she sees it, clutter in the home is directly proportionate to the stresses and strains of everyday life. It is also indicative of how people own much more stuff than they have the energy to take care of. "In Finland, the home is considered an indicator of overall respectability. Shame comes into the picture especially when we look at our home through the eyes of an outsider. We imagine that everyone elses home is much nicer and tidier. In my experience, many people find entertaining and family events highly stressful. They may start cleaning house and hiding away the clutter even weeks in advance", Aalto says. Story continues "People put inordinate effort into making their homes spick and span when having people over, just to cover up the messiness of everyday life. No wonder that entertaining in the home has been in decline in Finland for the past 40 years", Aalto add Even when a work in progress, the home is a source of joy and happiness The respondents nonetheless had mainly positive feelings about their home. This came to light when respondents were asked to choose the emotion(s) they most associated with their home. Happiness was chosen by 45%, joy by 43% and gratitude by 38%. For many, incompleteness in the home was also a familiar feeling. A sense of inadequacy regarding their home was reported by 16% of respondents. Most of the respondents were happy with the decor, tidiness and comfort of their homes. As many as 80% reported being happy with the comfort of their homes, while 76% were happy with the decor in their homes. Tidiness of the home was a source of happiness for 70%. Still, more than half of the respondents dreamed of greater comfort, yet reported the barrier to this to be lack of money (39%), lack of time (12%) and lack of skills (7%). Only 7% of respondents reported that instead of seeing barriers, they were constantly working to make their home more comfortable. The homes shown on social media platforms and other media put pressures on 35% of respondents to decorate and organise their own homes. Such pressures were much more commonplace among women: 76% of the male respondents reported feeling such pressures seldom or never, while among women this figure was only 55%. Aalto advises to take such images as eye candy that can be enjoyed without any compulsion to strive for the same "The pressure comes off when enjoyment of the home is measured by wellbeing, smooth everyday living and the security that comes from having a home not by how others might look at our homes", Aalto says" "Especially now, that we are all spending much more time at home, it would be high time to shift from home shame to home-positivity." The survey was conducted as an online panel survey among the Dynata consumer panel and it had 1,005 respondents. The sample is representative of the Finnish-speaking population in mainland Finland aged 1874. The representativeness of the responses was confirmed according to age, gender and location. For more information on the survey, please contact: Miia Eloranta, Director of Marketing and Communications, SATO Corporation, phone +358 50 441 4221, miiia.eloranta@sato.fi Ilana Aalto, professional organiser, PhD, phone +358 40 558 0811, ilana@paikkakaikelle.fi SATO is one of Finland's leading rental housing providers. SATO aims to offer a comprehensive choice of rental housing and an excellent customer experience. At year-end 2019, SATO owned over 26 000 apartments in Finland's largest growth centres and in St Petersburg. We promote sustainable development and initiative through our operations and work in open interaction with our stakeholders to generate added value. We operate profitably and with a long-term view. We increase the value of our housing stock through investments, divestments and repairs. SATO Group's net sales in 2019 were EUR 296 million, operating profit EUR 726 million and profit before taxes EUR 671 million. The value of SATO's investment assets is roughly EUR 4,7 billion. Fraud fight: Ian Dyson of the City of London Police Fraud used to be seen as a 'victimless' crime. Make no mistake, at the City of London Police we have never agreed with that narrative. And public opinion is now recognising the emotional - as well as financial - harm caused by this most prevalent of crimes. The sad fact is that you are more likely to be the victim of fraud than any other type of crime. And while the internet has brought a wealth of opportunities, it has also allowed fraud to flourish: the criminal can target people nationally and internationally, yet never have to look a victim in the eye. Proceeds are then used to fund serious and organised crime gangs, allowing them to finance the sale of drugs, weapons and modern slavery. City of London Police is policing's National Lead Force for fraud. We work closely with partners and other law-enforcement agencies to provide a linked-up response to tackle it. We host the national reporting centre, Action Fraud, which receives reports of fraud and cyber crime. And we run the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), responsible for assessing these reports, linking similar ones and identifying viable lines of inquiry for police forces to investigate. With more than 320,000 frauds reported to Action Fraud last year, police forces can't investigate every one. But all reports matter in helping us to spot complex patterns. In the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic, there were more than 2,500 reports to Action Fraud and losses exceeded 8 million, mostly in online fraud. We were able to identify more than 1,700 fraudulent telephone numbers, websites and email addresses that we could disrupt, saving many more people from becoming victims. Working with the National Crime Agency and other police forces, City of London Police co-ordinated an operation on courier fraud at the beginning of the year, which has resulted in 100 arrests. Anyone can be a victim of fraud, and no one should feel too embarrassed to report it; scams can be sophisticated and convincing. If you receive an unsolicited call, email or text message, stop and think. Are you being asked for personal information or financial details? If so, don't respond. Only a criminal will try to rush you into making a decision. And if you do fall victim please report it to Action Fraud (0300 123 2040 or action fraud.police.uk). A roadside bomb in Kabul targeted first Afghan Vice-President, Amrullah Saleh, on Wednesday, morning but he escaped unharmed, his spokesperson said. The attack killed at least 10 people. The Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which comes just ahead of long-awaited peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Qatars capital Doha. Today, once again the enemy of Afghanistan tried to harm Saleh, but they failed in their evil aim, and Saleh escaped the attack unharmed, Razwan Murad, a spokesperson for Salehs office, wrote on Facebook. He told Reuters the bomb targeted Mr Salehs convoy and some of his bodyguards were injured. Mr Saleh appeared in a video on his social media accounts soon after, saying he had sustained a minor burn on his face and an injury to his hand in the attack. Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a post on Twitter that Taliban fighters were not involved in the blast. The former intelligence chief and the senior of President Ashraf Ghanis two vice-presidents, has survived several assassination attempts, including one on his office last year that killed 20 people. Wednesdays blast killed at least 10 civilians and wounded 15 people including Mr Salehs security guards, according to the Interior Ministry. Such attacks wont weaken our resolve for a lasting and dignified peace in Afghanistan, Javid Faisal, spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a tweet. International powers including the European Union and Pakistan also condemned the attack. This is an attack on the Republic and desperate act by spoilers of peace efforts, who must be collectively confronted, the EU Delegation in Afghanistan said in a statement on Twitter. Officials and diplomats have warned that rising violence is sapping trust needed for the success of talks aimed at ending an insurgency that began when the Taliban was ousted from power in Kabul by U.S.-back forces in late 2001. (Reuters/NAN) The US announced a sharp cut Wednesday to troop numbers in Iraq, as President Donald Trump seeks to honor his pledge to halt the country's "endless wars" overseas, with just two months to go until the election. The move, reducing the Pentagon's footprint in Iraq from 5,200 military personnel to just 3,000, and an expected parallel announcement on Afghanistan, comes as Trump strives to cast himself as a peacemaker as he fights an uphill battle to stay in power. General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of the US military's Central Command, said during an event in Baghdad that the decision was "due to our confidence in the Iraqi security forces' increased ability to operate independently." That would take the US presence there to its lowest level since Trump's predecessor Barack Obama cut troops to a token force in 2012 in a previous attempt to end the then nine-year-old war. But Obama was forced to reverse course by the rise of the Islamic State group (IS), raising the number of troops inside Iraq back over 5,000 as part of an international coalition to combat the jihadists. 'Bringing them back home' Trump has already made some cuts in Iraq, pulling troops back to US bases in the Gulf region over the past year as they faced rocket attacks by Iran-linked Iraqi armed groups. But, fighting for reelection against Democrat Joe Biden, he has sought to honor his repeated pledge during the 2016 campaign to end US wars abroad and bring back servicemen. "We kept America out of new wars and we're bringing our troops back home, we're bringing them back home from all these faraway places," Trump said in a campaign speech in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Tuesday. "We've spent hundreds of billions of dollars, and what do we get out of it?" he said, adding: "Biden voted for the Iraq war." Cuts in Afghanistan McKenzie said the US could continue supporting the Iraqi military in its fight against IS, but said the "ultimate goal" was an Iraq where local forces can by themselves prevent the extremists from returning. Trump has also pushed hard to pull back US forces from Afghanistan, where they rose to more than 12,000 under his watch to pressure the Taliban and IS. The number fell to about 8,600 in July following the February peace accord with the Taliban and McKenzie has said they could all be gone by May 2021 if the Taliban and the Afghan government reach their own agreement. But Trump's pressure on the Pentagon to more quickly disengage in the Middle East and Afghanistan has strained relations between the White House and US defense chiefs. Former defense secretary Jim Mattis quit in December 2018 after Trump declared all US troops would leave Syria. Under Mattis' successor Mark Esper, the Pentagon has remained wary of hasty withdrawals, cautious that the Taliban would overwhelm Afghan government forces if the US pulls out too quickly. It has also taken account of Iran's influence in Iraq and the Middle East, which could grow if US forces vacate the region. Focus on voters Trump believes pushing ahead with withdrawals could boost his standing among voters fed up with continuing US involvement in conflicts that began after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States by Al Qaeda. But support for Trump has also been eroded by disdainful remarks he has made toward the military. Last week the Atlantic magazine reported that in 2018 Trump referred to US Marines buried in a World War I cemetery in France as "losers" and "suckers" for getting killed in action. The White House has denied the comments, but the reporter cited multiple first-hand sources, and has been backed up by other publications. Then on Sunday Trump suggested that the Pentagon leadership supports wars to keep defense contractors in business. "I'm not saying the military is in love with me; the soldiers are," Trump said at the White House. "The top people in the Pentagon probably aren't, because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy." 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. File photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi. Reuters Russia's Putin sent staff from RT, the Russian-controlled TV channel, to state media stations in Belarus a signal that he does not want protestors to push Belarus's Lukashenko out of power. "Putin has decided to fully back Lukashenko to prevent him from falling to this popular uprising," a NATO military official told Insider. "This is the first stage of propping up your dictator ally: Solidify control over state media. Then bolster intelligence gathering on who opposes you," the source said. Meanwhile, Lukashenko is continuing to arrest any opposition leaders who have not fled the country. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. After weeks of speculation and ambiguity, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be trying to solidify the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a source tells Insider. The key signal? Putin sent Russian resources from RT to "solidify control over state media" in Belarus, a source told Insider. Meanwhile, Lukashenko continues to arrest his opponents. On September 7, Lukashenko detained the last major opposition candidate to his 26-year presidency, Maria Kolesnikova. She was one of three major opposition candidates to Lukashenko, and last to remain inside Belarus. The others have fled into exile. The arrests came less than a month after an election widely seen as fraudulent. While the official result returned Lukashenko to power with a huge majority, no one believes the result is real. The public has been protesting on the streets of Minsk for weeks, prompting speculation that Lukashenko might be forced out of power by his own citizens. After a wave of arrests of protesters and threats to activists, Kolesnikova was detained at the border between Belarus and Ukraine late Monday night. Two of her aides made it to Ukraine. But Kolesnikova's status is currently unknown. It is widely suspected she was arrested. The disappearance of the last remaining opposition figure comes just two days after more than 100,000 people demonstrated peacefully against Lukashenko. Story continues 'Putin has decided to fully back Lukashenko to prevent him from falling to this popular uprising' Now, European intelligence services say Lukashenko is clearly under Putin's protection. That's important because, for weeks, Putin seemed to be publicly ambivalent about the fate of his neighboring strongman. "Putin has decided to fully back Lukashenko to prevent him from falling to this popular uprising," said a NATO military official from a Baltic country, who cannot be identified speaking to the media. "What his end goal with this is remains unclear. But for now we have seen the signs that he is pushing soft power support to Lukashenko. The question is, do we see a hard power effort or 'Little Green Men,' if the soft power fails." "Little Green Men" is military shorthand for the irregular, somewhat anonymous military operations conducted by unmarked Russian forces in 2014 in Crimea, and 2008 in Georgia. Lukashenko spoke directly about the support from Putin in an interview Tuesday with Russian state broadcaster RT's editor Margarita Simonyan and several friendly Russian journalists. He thanked Simonyan specifically for sending technicians and staff to help keep Belarus's national broadcasters on-air. There had been widespread resignations from Belarusian media staffers demanding the release of detained colleagues. 'We have also seen several planes closely associated with the FSB flying in people and equipment' On Monday, the Moscow Times reported that RT workers had replaced a substantial number of Belrusian media workers who had gone on strike or were deemed potentially disloyal to the regime. Some 300 are reported to have gone on strike or resigned. "We have also seen several planes closely associated with the FSB flying in people and equipment for intelligence and surveillance operations targeting the opposition leadership," said the Baltic official. "This is the first stage of propping up your dictator ally: Solidify control over state media. Then bolster intelligence gathering on who opposes you. Putin knows you can't arrest 100,000 people for demonstrating but he's convinced if you arrest the right 500 people, the other 100,000 won't show up." Read more: Read the original article on Business Insider Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls of the day: Peloton, DraftKings, Virgin Galactic & more Published Wed, Sep 9 2020 8:46 AM EDT ATLANTA, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 22nd consecutive year, Georgia Power has been named a "Top U.S. Utility for Economic Development" by Site Selection magazine. Only 20 utilities were chosen for this honor out of more than 3,300 across the country. Georgia Power partnered with state and community organizations last year to assist 99 companies with their business relocation and expansion projects, resulting in more than 16,000 jobs created or retained and $5.2 billion in capital investment. In the last ten years alone, the company assisted more than 1,000 companies that created or retained 161,000 jobs and invested $37 billion in Georgia. To learn more about our community and economic development initiatives, visit SelectGeorgia.com. "When we work together with business, state and local leaders, our economy and better yet, our citizens can prosper," said Anne Kaiser, Georgia Power's vice president of community and economic development. "Georgia Power is proud of our role in helping our state remain one of the strongest economies in the nation. Our efforts help create opportunities for Georgians through business development and support of communities, in which we must work together, especially now during the pandemic. Not only do we provide the energy infrastructure needed to do business, we also contribute to the broad-based team that is 'community and economic development' in Georgia." Georgia Power partners with organizations such as the Georgia Department of Economic Development to promote Georgia as a leading state for business. Georgia Power offers free community and economic development consultation and services to prospective companies navigating the site selection process all while serving as a liaison between state and local organizations. Georgia Power is dedicated not only to facilitating a company's expansion in Georgia or its move to the state but also assisting local communities with expansion, retention and recruitment of jobs and investment. The company's community and economic development team is also invested in creating a renewable talent pipeline through its education and workforce development initiatives. In the award citation, Site Selection noted the addition of "Project Management 201" to community and economic development education offerings from Georgia Power. This new course expands on lessons taught in "Project Management 101," which is offered by the company to economic development officials across the state. Georgia Power also contributes community and economic development leadership through offerings from the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. The Site Selection rankings were based on analysis of corporate-end user projects activity in 2019 in utilities' territories. In addition to examining facility investment project totals and calculating those projects' jobs and capital investment numbers on a cumulative and per-capita basis, Site Selection also looked at website tools and data; innovative programs and incentives for business, including energy efficiency and renewable energy programs; and the utility's own job-creating infrastructure and facility investment trends. 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 Indian soldiers have set up barbed wire obstacles at points where Chinese troops have come a few metres away from their positions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. India has warned against attempts to enter its territory as Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops, armed with medieval-type weapons, have been making multiple attempts to take over Indian-held positions. Apart from setting obstacles to avoid further escalation at the LAC and dissuade the Chinese side from provocative and aggressive movements, India has also warned it will retaliate if Chinese troops continue to make incursion attempts. India's clear message was given when Indian and Chinese military representatives met on Wednesday to amicably de-escalate tension at the LAC in eastern Ladakh, sources said. The meeting, however, remained "inconclusive" and the talks will continue. PLA troops had made an attempt to dislodge Indian soldiers from their positions at the LAC on Monday and warning shots were also fired. Sources also said that India clearly stated during Wednesday's meeting that if Chinese troops would carry out provocative military movements, Indian soldiers will retaliate. India had found that China started fresh build up at the finger area north of Pangong Tso (lake). The deployments of PLA troops have increased since Tuesday evening. They are also bringing in more material and logistics items. The troops from two sides are just a short distance from each other. "They are within clear visible range and Indian troops are keeping a close watch on the activities of the Chinese," said a government source. On Tuesday, around 40 to 50 Chinese troops, armed with spears and other sharp-edged weapons, besides guns, had reached a few metres from the Indian Army position at heights north of Rezang La, and seemed to be poised for a fresh attempt to dislodge the Indian soldiers from their position. This came in wake of the skirmish on the southern bank on September 7 where the Indian Army dominates the key positions. Indian Army has occupied crucial heights in areas around the southern bank of Pangong lake and the Chinese have made several attempts to take over the Indian positions. This area has become the new friction point, even as the Indian Army seems to be in an advantageous position, having occupied the heights that allow it to dominate China's Moldo garrison and the Spangur Gap under Chinese control. Both Indian and China lay claim to some of these heights. One of the most critical heights the Indian Army is manning is the Rechin La, which the Chinese are protesting against. From here, the Indian Army enjoys a vantage point not just for Chinese military bases on the southern bank of the Pangong lake but can also be in range of the Finger 4 area on the north of the lake. India and China are engaged in a four-month-long standoff at the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues. (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) " Motorcycle helmets are those that are made of either strong and lightweight material like carbon fiber or equipped with connectivity features. worldwide motorcycle helmets market to increase at a compound annual Growth rate of 7.7% during the forecast period. With increasing preference for touring and recreational activities, demand for premium motorcycles is also growing across the world, which in turn, is expected to fuel the connected motorcycle helmet market in the coming years. Some of the other key factors that would push the market includes launch of new helmet models with better features and connectivity. The target market for premium helmets constitutes people who have relatively high disposable income and ride motorcycles for recreational or leisure activities. As such, the developed markets, Europe, North America, and Japan are the major markets for premium helmets worldwide. Recent studies have found a direct correlation between the price of the helmet and the safety it provides. Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3109 Harley-Davidson opened its only manufacturing plant outside of North America in India and has started Rolling out locally manufactured bikes at relatively affordable prices. BMW Motorcycles has tied up with TVS Motors of India to locally manufacture and export bikes. Women, who are more safety conscious than male riders provide a new market for the motorcycle industry. Cruising has become a culture along trials like Philadelphia. These trends will change the market landscape and the premium motorcycle helmet market will boom. The Asia-Pacific region, backed by a widening consumer base, is expected to lead the growth in the market in the premium motorcycle helmet segment but the base will be very low as the current market is very small. Get Request for Table of Contents: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/requesttoc/3109 The developed markets, Europe, North America, and Japan are the major markets for premium helmets worldwide. Recent studies have found a direct correlation between the price of the helmet and the safety it provides. Premium motorcycle helmets are comparatively high priced and are made of a superior-quality material, which is much more comfortable for the rider compared to the material used in basic helmets, and a few are equipped with various features such as Bluetooth and GPS. Some major players operating in the global motorcycle connected helmet market include Schuberth GmbH, ONeal, H&H Sports Protection, HJC Inc., AGV, SHOEI CO.,LTD., Bell Powersports, Inc., Ivolution Sports Inc., etc. By PTI MUMBAI: RPI (A) workers will provide protection to actress Kangana Ranaut when she reaches Mumbai, Union minister Ramdas Athawale said on Tuesday. The actress is locked in a bitter war of words with the ruling Shiv Sena over her comments on the Mumbai Police after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. After Sena MP Sanjay Raut reportedly asked Ranaut not to return to Mumbai for comparing the city to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (Pok), the actress had dared anybody to stop her when she reaches here on September 9. "RPI (A) workers have geared up to protect Ranaut who is scheduled to reach Mumbai on Wednesday. Our party workers will offer protection to her at the airport as well as at her residence," Athawale said in a statement. Athawale's party is an ally of the BJP in the Centre and in Maharashtra. Earlier, Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik had issued a slap threat after the actress dared anyone to stop her when she returns to Mumbai. The Centre on Monday decided to provide Y-plus category security to the actress. While lashing out at the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Athawale said, "Ranaut did not criticise the Mumbai city but the state government. It's against the democratic principles to oppose her right to live here on the grounds of her critical remarks against the government. She has all the rights to live here in Mumbai". The Union minister also claimed that Ranaut had thanked him for offering her protection in Mumbai. "Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut shouldn't have threatened the actress over her right to live in Mumbai," he added. The trouble started after the actress said she didn't trust Mumbai Police following the death of Rajput and that she feared them more than the "movie mafia". Reacting strongly to her comment, Sanjay Raut had purportedly said, "We kindly request her not to come to Mumbai. This is nothing but an insult to Mumbai Police." Hitting back, Ranaut tweeted, "Why is Mumbai feeling like Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir?" The tweet evoked strong reaction from leaders of the Sena and ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday in an exclusive interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" that her former colleagues who have criticized President Donald Trump after leaving their positions were "disgruntled employees" who "have tried to push their own agenda." Sanders, whose memoir was published Tuesday, told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that the cacophony of negative comments from former officials -- including former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis -- contrasted sharply with her own account because hers was "honest." "It's really simple," Sanders said. "I think mine is actually the honest account. You're looking at people who have left as disgruntled employees, people who have tried to push their own agenda." PHOTO: Sarah Sanders appears on 'Good Morning America,' Sept. 8, 2020. (ABC News) Sanders' book, "Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House," covers her years in the White House. She said it was "very candid, very authentic and shows you a different side of the president." MORE: A message for President Donald Trump from his niece: 'Resign' One voice critical of Trump -- Retired Gen. John F. Kelly, a former White House chief of staff under Trump -- has remained silent in the past several days after a report in The Atlantic last week said Trump had made disparaging remarks about members of the military. Pressed by Stephanopoulos on why Kelly had not spoken out to defend the president, as Sanders and numerous other current and former officials had, Sanders said, "That's a question you'd have to ask General Kelly." Sanders said she was present on the day Trump reportedly called fallen service members "losers" and "suckers" and that "those comments didn't happen." ABC News has not confirmed The Atlantic's account. In a later interview on "The View," Sanders sidestepped a question from co-host Meghan McCain about Trump's past "incendiary" comments about her father, the late Sen. John McCain, and other members of the military -- and how that makes these allegations more believable even though they come from anonymous sources. Story continues She said she "witnessed firsthand the president's respect and admiration for the men and women of our armed forces." Pressed by McCain, Sanders later added, "There's no denying the fact that not only did Donald Trump dislike your father, your father disliked the president." "I'm not saying that there weren't some moments that were heated, that were not of the highest level of respect," Sanders said, "but when it comes to who this president is, at his heart, and how he feels about the men and women of our armed services, I can say for my own experience he has a great level of respect." She said she was not present for an incident in 2017, when, according to The Atlantic, standing beside the grave of Kelly's son, who died in Afghanistan in 2010, Trump said: "I don't get it. What was in it for them?" "I was not standing next to the president for that, no," Sanders said. Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, also has a book critical of the president out Tuesday. "Having a difference of opinion is not a bad thing," Sanders said on "Good Morning America." "I think that's one of the reasons the president has been successful. He's willing to listen to those people." PHOTO: Sarah Sanders speaks to the media outside the West Wing of the White House, May 23, 2019. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images, FILE) The former press secretary would not confirm speculation she was considering a run for governor of Arkansas, her home state. Her father, Mike Huckabee, served as governor from 1996 to 2007. MORE: The Note: Erstwhile allies keep Trump on guard and off message "We'll see," Sanders said. "Right now my focus is on the 2020 election, helping the president get re-elected. I'd love to see us pick up some more seats in the Senate and take back the House, and I'll make a decision on that after we get through 2020." Sanders also said that being a mother helped her in her role as press secretary, from telling both reporters and children "no" to having a consistent message. "I think being a mom made me a better press secretary, and being a press secretary for Donald Trump, I think, made me a better mom," she said. Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Former officials critical of Trump are 'disgruntled employees' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com My Story for His Glory: The Power of Prayer: a gripping journey of a life driven by Gods spirit that has led her to fulfill His plans and purpose. My Story for His Glory: The Power of Prayer is the creation of published author Sammie Davis-Dyson, a writer who wishes to share her life with those who have lost hope or feel that their prayers go no higher than the ceiling. Davis-Dyson shares, Whether I had to be taken into sleeplessness, loss of appetite, spiritual pressure, or financial deficit, I learned that the discipline of God is always consistent. Indeed, he is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). Not only is his discipline consistent across the board, for all of his children, so is his reward for their pleasing and faithful behavior. Walking in obedience to his wooing and to his word pays dividends for this life and for eternity (1 Corinthians 3:915)! My story is only beginning in this book. Its focus is, indeed, about the phenomenal ways in which Holy Spirit has been the core driver of my lifes circumstances and situations. No, not in interfering with my free will, but using my life circumstances and choices to influence his sovereign will and plan for me. Indeed, he knows the plans he has for me which are to give me a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Though that verse was directed specifically to the children of Israel, it can certainly be generalized as applicable to all of us. My desire, above all, is that this book will encourage the hopeless. But it is also my desire to emphasize that God is not our genie, Santa Claus, or slot machine. If we choose to walk in willful perpetual disobedience, the consequences are punishments, not rewards. I learned that truth the hard way! Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Sammie Davis-Dysons new book is a fascinating read that carries hope to the readers and gives them the faith that prayer is an effective way to communicate with God. Through this, one will be inspired to establish a stronger relationship with Him, the Savior, and the Spirit. View a synopsis of My Story for His Glory: The Power of Prayer on YouTube. Consumers can purchase My Story for His Glory: The Power of Prayer at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about My Story for His Glory: The Power of Prayer, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Gary Fountain, For the Chronicle / Gary Fountain/For the Chronicle Hacking into and interrupting a Zoom conference aka "Zoom bombing"is illegal. And a Richmond, Texas teen is now facing federal criminal charges for such an act targeting a University of Houston lecture. The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Texas reported that 19-year-old Ibraheem Ahmed Al Bayati is facing federal criminal charges after allegedly interrupting a University of Houston Zoom lecture on Sept. 2 and asking "What does any of this have to do with the fact that UH is about to get bombed in a few days?" OTTAWA - WE Charity says it is closing its Canadian operations, blaming COVID-19 and the political fallout from the Liberal government's plan to have it run a multimillion-dollar student-volunteer program for leaving it in financial ruin. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Co-founders Craig (left) and Marc Kielburger introduce Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau at the WE Day celebrations in Ottawa in 2015. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press files) OTTAWA - WE Charity says it is closing its Canadian operations, blaming COVID-19 and the political fallout from the Liberal government's plan to have it run a multimillion-dollar student-volunteer program for leaving it in financial ruin. Craig and Marc Kielburger, who are also planning to step down from the organization they co-founded, released an open letter Wednesday explaining the move. "COVID-19 disrupted every aspect of our work," the brothers wrote in the letter. "The fallout from the Canada Student Service Grant has placed us as a charity in the middle of political battles and misinformation that we are ill-equipped to fight. "The financial math for the charity's future is clear." The Toronto-based youth organization shared the news with its Canadian-based staff on Wednesday. WE's operations in Britain and the U.S will not be immediately affected. Neither will its for-profit affiliate, ME to WE, which makes money through leadership courses, retail sales and travel programs. The move represents a stunning fall for the charity, which the Kielburgers first created in 1995 as a way for youth in Canada to help less-fortunate kids around the world. Few could have foreseen the degree to which the government's spring decision to have WE administer the now-defunct student grant program would hurt both the Liberals and the charity. The deal would have seen WE paid up to $43.5 million to run the program. The federal government had budgeted $912 million for the program, which was designed to cover up to $5,000 in education costs for students who volunteered during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sole-sourced contract with WE pegged the cost at $543 million and stipulated the organization would not make money on the deal. Marc Kielburger, screen left, and Craig Kielburger, screen right, appear as witnesses via videoconference during a House of Commons finance committee in the Wellington Building in Ottawa on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. WE Charity is closing its Canadian operations. The Toronto-based youth organization dropped the bombshell news to its staff this afternoon, with co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger blaming COVID-19 and the controversy surrounding plans to have it run a federal student-volunteer program. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick News of the deal prompted immediate questions about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ties to WE. The controversy has since expanded to include former finance minister Bill Morneau. Both face investigations by the federal ethics watchdog into whether they violated the Conflict of Interest Act. Both have apologized for not recusing themselves from the decision to award WE the contract. A spokesman for Trudeau declined to comment on the news Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Youth Minister Bardish Chagger, who was responsible for the program, also declined comment. WE backed out of the deal in early July, citing the political controversy. Many of its corporate sponsors eventually cut ties with the organization at a time when it was already struggling to make ends meet because of the pandemic-related shutdown. WE says it plans to lay off 115 Canadian staff and sell all its property in Canada in the coming months, including its landmark $15-million Global Learning Centre in downtown Toronto, which opened in 2017. It follows news last month that WE would be laying off dozens of employees in Canada and the United Kingdom. At the time, WE said it would assess its real estate holdings but planned to keep its headquarters in Toronto. The net profits will be put in an endowment fund that will be overseen by a new board of governors and used to complete several projects in communities in Latin America, Asia and Africa that were started by WE but remain unfinished. The fund will also cover the operating costs of several large-scale infrastructure projects, such as a hospital and college in Kenya and an agricultural centre in Ecuador. However, no new projects or programs will be launched. All future WE Day events are also being cancelled while the organization says it will no longer have staff to work with teachers, though existing resources will be digitized and available online. WE says it was active in 7,000 schools across Canada. "Without decisive action, WE Charity's ongoing costs to operate in Canada would exceed revenue and consume savings that are essential to establish the endowment fund," wrote the Kielburgers, who plan to leave after the transition is finished. "We calculate that this action preserves as many humanitarian and educational programs as possible, for as long as possible. Putting children first means prioritizing them above the charity. This is a heartbreaking decision." Asked who will oversee the sale of the charity's property, WE executive director Dalal Al-Waheidi said in a statement that a special committee of the board of directors comprised of individuals with legal, financial and property experience will be responsible. "One hundred per cent of all proceeds will be directed to the charity and/or towards the formation of the future charitable endowment," she added. "For the sake of absolute clarity, no individual(s) will benefit in any way from the transactions." New Democrat MP Charlie Angus said the shutdown of WE's Canadian operations demonstrates that the charity was in a precarious financial position even before the controversy. "What we've learned from our parliamentary investigation is that this was an organization that had grown very quickly, really over-extended themselves and were in economic free fall," Angus said, accusing WE of being "desperate to play on their links to the Trudeau family." WE has returned the $30 the government paid it to launch the program and has said it won't ask to be reimbursed for roughly $5 million in expenses. The question of how and why WE was selected to run the Canada Student Service Grant is expected to feature prominently when the House of Commons returns on Sept. 23, after Trudeau prorogued Parliament last month. 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 Liberals insist the charity was recommended by the non-partisan public service, but thousands of documents released by the government last month suggested bureaucrats may have been pushed in that direction by their political masters. Much of the focus has been around the ties that Trudeau and his family have to WE. The prime minister has been a featured speaker at six WE Day rallies while his wife, mother and brother have all received money from the organization. Several parliamentary committees launched investigations into the deal over the summer, but they were halted because of prorogation. Opposition parties have promised to resume those studies when Parliament returns. Shortly after WE's announcement Wednesday, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole tweeted: "WE must immediately release the documents that the Finance Committee requested on their involvement in Justin Trudeau's $900 million scandal." In testimony to the finance committee in July, the Kielburgers said they agreed to run the grant program to help Canadian students, adding that if they'd known how things would have played out, they wouldn't have answered the government's phone call. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2020. Simply Business, Inc., a digital insurance agency offering small business insurance policies on behalf of a panel of carriers, will work with AXIS Insurance on a new product intended for U.S. small business owners who conduct business from their homes. The product, to be called AXIS Home Based Business insurance, will offer customized coverage that is designed specifically for home business operations. The Home Based Business policy will fill gaps left by homeowners insurance policies that may not cover commercial losses, and as a result, leave entrepreneurs who run their businesses from home unprotected from a variety of unexpected events that could jeopardize their business. According to Peter Wilson, CEO, AXIS Insurance, the AXIS Home Based Business insurance product provides businesses with the flexibility to have what they need and nothing they dont. AXIS Insurance is the specialty insurance business segment of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited. Simply Business offers small business owners tailored business insurance by offering customers via an online platform. The company began in the United Kingdom and expanded to the United States in 2017. Its U.S. headquarters is in Boston and the company serves 600,000 customers globally. AXIS Insurance the insurance business segment of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited provides property & casualty, professional lines, terrorism, marine, renewable energy, aviation, credit & political risk, environmental, accident & health coverages and other customized insurance. Products are offered through distribution partners, which include wholesale brokers, retail brokers and designated managing general agents/underwriters (MGAs/MGUs) in the U.S. and abroad. Coverages are backed by the financial strength and security of the AXIS Insurance Companies. AXIS Capital, through its operating subsidiaries, is a global provider of specialty lines insurance and treaty reinsurance with shareholders equity at June 30, 2020 of $5.3 billion and locations in Bermuda, the United States, Europe, Singapore, Canada and the Middle East. Topics USA Commercial Lines Business Insurance New Markets Insurance Wholesale The United States on Wednesday kept India in its list of countries under do not travel advisories due to Covid-19 pandemic, but took Pakistan and Bangladesh off it. The US removed a pandemic-related global travel advisory for Americans in August and switched to a country-specific system, working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It had then kept most countries in the category of Level 4: Do Not Travel. Pakistan and Bangladesh were among the six countries moved to the category of less prohibitive Level 3: reconsider travel, on Wednesday. The other four were Benin, Kuwait, Mexico, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. We continue to monitor health and safety conditions around the world, working with the CDC and other agencies, as conditions evolve, the state department said in a statement. Do not travel to India due to Covid-19, said the departments travel advisory page, which also said, exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism. The CDC has advised American travellers that Covid-19 risk in India is high. If you get sick in India and need medical care, resources may be limited, added the advisory. MAPLETON TOWNSHIP A Kitchener man has died in a single-vehicle crash in Mapleton Township, north of Elmira. On Tuesday at around 3:50 p.m., emergency responders were called to Side Road 15 near Concession 14. Wellington County OPP said the driver, identified as 47-year-old Gregory Lautenschlager, was in a commercial garbage truck that left the roadway and rolled on its side in a ditch. He was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Concession 14 and Side Road 15 were temporarily closed but have since reopened. A police investigation is still ongoing and officers are asking anyone who may have seen the crash to contact them at 1-888-310-1122. The UK government has refused to declare drug deaths in Scotland a public health emergency, despite it having the highest reported rate in the EU. The most recent statistics available indicate 1,187 people died of substance misuse in Scotland in 2018, nearly triple the UK rate and the highest on record. Following an inquiry, Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee called for the UK government to declare the "drug death crisis" a public health emergency and tackle it in this way, rather than as a criminal justice matter. The committee also called for the decriminalisation of small amounts of drugs for personal use, and urged that either legislation should be brought forward at Westminster for a pilot safe drug-consumption facility in Scotland, or that these powers should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. The UK government rejected these recommendations, saying it "does not accept that problem drug use is singularly a health issue" and it uses a "balanced and evidence based" to tackle this, adding it is "determined to do more to help prevent" drug deaths across the UK. Responding to the recommendations on safe drug-consumption facilities, the UK government said primary legislation would be required and added: "We want to do all we can to stop people having access to drugs that could ultimately kill them. "No illegal drug-taking can be assumed to be safe and there is no safe way to take them." On decriminalisation, it said this would "not eliminate the crime committed by the illicit trade, nor would it address the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families and communities". Accepting a recommendation for the UK and Scottish governments to work together on their approach to problem drug use, the UK government added: "As a government we will continue to work closely in partnership with the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and with healthcare, policing, housing and employment, voluntary sector and other partners at all levels to tackle drug misuse. "We are already taking action to tackle problem drug use, and our approach continues to be a balanced one, which is anchored in education to reduce demand, tough and intelligent enforcement to restrict supply, evidence-based treatment to aid recovery, and co-ordinated global action." Committee chairman Pete Wishart said: "We are surprised and disappointed by the government's almost wholesale rejection of recommendations by a Westminster Select Committee, after collecting a substantial body of evidence from people with lived experience, charities and academics, as well as legal, criminal justice and health professionals...few of these will find comfort in this response." He said "lives could be saved" through a proposed safe drug-consumption facility pilot scheme in Glasgow, adding: "The government describes its approach to tackling the issue as 'evidence-based' but offers little evidence supporting it and fails to address why the evidence we collected should be discounted." He called on the government to share its evidence, adding: "What is evident is there's little change in the government's drugs strategy despite the death rate in Scotland from problem drug use remaining stubbornly higher than any country in Europe. "This fact itself should demonstrate that the current approach isn't working. This is undoubtedly a public health emergency." Scotland's public health minister Joe FitzPatrick also said the UK Government response is "extremely disappointing". He added: "It's clear the Misuse of Drugs Act is no longer fit for purpose. To enable innovations, such as a safer drug-consumption facility, the law needs to change. "The UK government has, however, refused to take the action that will allow us to save the lives of those who are most at risk as a result of their drug use." PRESS RELEASE Paris, September 9, 2020 - 5.45 p.m. YOUR OPERATIONAL LEASING SOLUTION FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION H1 2020 RESULTS Growth in results: EBITDA: +41% to 22.6 million Positive net profit (Group share) of 2.5 million Good resilience of the business model in the context of Covid-19 The consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2020 were approved by the Management Partners on September 8, 2020 and were submitted to the Supervisory Board today. They were subject to a limited review by the Statutory Auditors. Their report is currently being prepared. ANALYSIS OF REVENUE FROM ACTIVITIES Revenue from activities in the first half of 2020 increased by 2.3% to 81.3 million (81.0 million at constant scope and currency1), compared with 79.5 million in the first half of 2019. This performance was primarily driven by an 11.2% increase in leasing revenue on owned equipment (26.6 million) and by the sale of equipment for a total of 16.1 million versus 12.7 million in the first half of 2019. Syndication fees and capital gains not linked to recurring activities came to 0.5 million, compared with 0.8 million a year earlier. Revenue from activities (in thousands) Q1 2020 Q2 2020 H1 2020 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 H1 2019 Leasing revenue on owned equipment 13,305 13,253 26,558 11,641 12,243 23,884 Leasing revenue on managed equipment (1) 14,889 14,005 28,894 16,541 16,038 32,579 Ancillary services 4,708 4,593 9,301 4,594 4,876 9,470 Total leasing activity 32,902 31,851 64,753 32,776 33,157 65,933 Sales of owned equipment 5,872 7,217 13,089 3,271 6,925 10,196 Margins on sale of managed equipment 2,134 876 3,010 831 1,697 2,528 Total sales of equipment 8,006 8,093 16,099 4,102 8,622 12,724 Fees on syndication and other capital gains on disposals 247 232 479 389 449 838 Total revenue from activities 41,155 40,176 81,331 37,267 42,228 79,495 (1) The Group is in the process of analysing the accounting impacts of the IFRS-IC decision, but does not expect there to be a significant impact on the classification of subleases ANALYSIS OF CONTRIBUTION BY DIVISION Revenue from activities (in thousands) Q1 2020 Q2 2020 H1 2020 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 H1 2019 Leasing revenue on owned equipment 9,182 9,140 18,322 8,536 9,240 17,776 Leasing revenue on managed equipment (1) 4,024 3,955 7,979 3,422 3,507 6,929 Ancillary services 1,645 2,138 3,783 1,437 2,141 3,578 Total leasing activity 14,851 15,233 30,084 13,395 14,888 28,283 Sales of owned equipment 939 662 1,601 88 61 149 Total sales of equipment 939 662 1,601 88 61 149 Fees on syndication 214 232 446 Freight railcars 16,004 16,127 32,131 13,483 14,949 28,432 Leasing revenue on owned equipment 1,533 1,520 3,053 1,523 1,650 3,173 Ancillary services 1,349 544 1,893 1,317 1,243 2,560 Total leasing activity 2,882 2,064 4,946 2,840 2,893 5,733 Sales of owned equipment 42 42 Total sales of equipment 42 42 River barges 2,882 2,064 4,946 2,882 2,893 5,775 Leasing revenue on owned equipment 2,577 2,582 5,159 1,558 1,331 2,889 Leasing revenue on managed equipment (1) 10,865 10,050 20,915 13,119 12,531 25,650 Ancillary services 1,663 2,040 3,703 1,818 1,490 3,308 Total leasing activity 15,105 14,672 29,777 16,495 15,352 31,847 Sales of owned equipment 4,065 4,192 8,257 1,833 3,009 4,842 Margins on sales of managed equipment 2,134 876 3,010 831 1,697 2,528 Total sales of equipment 6,199 5,068 11,267 2,664 4,706 7,370 Fees on syndication and Other capital gains on disposals 18 18 389 (7) 382 Containers 21,322 19,740 41,062 19,548 20,051 39,599 Leasing revenue on owned equipment 13 11 24 24 22 46 Ancillary services 51 (129) (78) 22 2 24 Total leasing activity 64 (118) (54) 46 24 70 Sales of owned equipment 868 2,363 3,231 1,308 3,855 5,163 Total sales of equipment 868 2,363 3,231 1,308 3,855 5,163 Other capital gains on disposal 15 15 456 456 Miscellaneous and eliminations 947 2,245 3,192 1,354 4,335 5,689 Total revenue from activities 41,155 40,176 81,331 37,267 42,228 79,495 (1) The Group is in the process of analysing the accounting impacts of the IFRS-IC decision, but does not expect there to be a significant impact on the classification of subleases Revenue from the Freight Railcars division reached 32.1 million, an increase of 13% from 28.4 million in the first half of 2019. Leasing revenue increased by 6.4% to 30.1 million over the period, thanks to an increase in lease rates which offset a slight drop in utilization rates (85.6% on average over the period). Sales of freight railcars and syndication margins both increased, with disposals to investors. Touax retains the management of this equipment. Revenue from the River Barges division reached 4.9 million over the period, compared with 5.8 million in the first half of 2019, mainly attributable to a lower charter rate, while the average utilization rate over the period increased to 93.5%. Revenue from the Containers division increased by 3.7% to 41.1 million over the first half of 2020. The asset investment strategy conducted over the past two years has helped to boost growth in leasing revenue on owned equipment by 78.6% to 5.2 million (up 74.2% to 5.0 million at constant currency). As expected, leasing revenue from managed equipment declined slightly to 20.9 million (20.4 million at constant currency) due to the temporary impact of the reduction in the fleet under management. The average utilization rate over the period was 95.6%, compared with 97.7% in the first half of 2019, which testifies to the resilience of the long-term leasing businesses despite the impact of the pandemic on global growth. Brisk momentum in the trading of new and used containers generated growth in container sales to 11.3 million at June 30, 2020, compared with 7.4 million in the first half of 2019. Revenue from the sale of Modular Buildings in Africa, which is booked under "Miscellaneous", came to 3.2 million for the period, with deliveries at a low level during the first half of the year because of the lockdowns implemented as a result of the health crisis. ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST HALF RESULTS Key figures (in million) 06/2020 06/2019 12/2019 Revenue from activities 81.3 79.5 169.0 Of which Freight railcars 32.1 28.4 61.1 Of which River barges 4.9 5.8 11.8 Of which Containers 41.1 39.6 81.8 Of which Miscellaneous and eliminations 3.2 5.7 14.3 Gross operating margin - EBITDAR (1) 45.5 43.1 90.3 EBITDA (2) 22.6 16.1 36.9 Current operating income 10.8 5.6 15.1 Operating income 10.8 5.6 15.1 Profit before taxes 4.6 -1.0 0.7 Consolidated net profit (loss) (Group's share) 2.5 -2.5 -2.7 Including net income from continuing activities 2.5 -2.0 -2.0 Including net income from discontinued activities -0.5 -0.7 Earnings per share () 0.35 -0.36 -0.39 Total non-current assets 347.6 330.2 325.2 Total assets 458.0 471.4 446.8 Total shareholders' equity 123.7 126.8 123.1 Net financial debt (3) 208.0 195.6 199.3 Operating cash flow of the retained operations (4) 0.6 4.1 8.3 Loan-to-value ratio 54% 55% 54% (1) The Group calculates EBITDAR (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortization and rent) by adding current operating income to depreciation and amortization and provisions for fixed assets and distributions to investors. (2) EBITDA corresponds to EBITDAR minus distributions to investors. (3) Including 155.8 million in non-recourse debt at June 30, 2020. (4) Operating cash flows include the purchase and sale of equipment. Group EBITDA came to 22.6 million at June 30, 2020, an increase of 41% compared with the first half of 2019, thanks to growth in all activities. EBITDA of the Freight Railcars division reached 14.0 million over the period, an increase of 36.0%, thanks to the combined effects of growth in revenue from activities and lower operating expenses. EBITDA of the River Barges division came out at 1.9 million in the first half of 2020 versus 1.4 million in 2019. EBITDA of the Containers activity increased from 3.8 million during the first half of 2019 to 6.3 million in the first half of 2020, attributable to strong sales momentum and lower payments to investors because of the growth in the fleet under management during the period. EBITDA of the Modular Building Africa activity and corporate expenses were stable at 0.5 million after 0.6 million in the first half of 2019. Current operating income reached 10.8 million, an increase of 94%. reached 10.8 million, an increase of 94%. The Group share of net profit came to 2.5 million in the first half of 2020, versus a loss of 2.5 million a year earlier. FINANCIAL STRUCTURE The balance sheet shows a total of 458 million at June 30, 2020 compared with 447 million at December 31, 2019. Tangible assets (non-current assets excluding goodwill + inventories) stood at 378 million versus 364 million at December 31, 2019. Cash flow from operations amounted to 0.6 million, incorporating 27.8 million related to equipment purchases. Nominal gross debt stood at 245 million versus 239 million at December 31, 2019, while Group net debt came to 208 million versus 199 million at the end of 2019. At June 30, 2020, the Group's gearing and Loan-to-Value ratios were 1.68x and 54% respectively versus 1.62x and 54% at December 31, 2019. POST CLOSING EVENTS On August 10, 2020, Touax SCA announced that its subsidiary Touax Rail Limited had signed an agreement on a capital increase of 81.9 million with DIF Capital Partners to speed up the development of its long-term freight railcar leasing activities in Europe and Asia. Touax SCA will continue to be the majority shareholder, with 51% of the capital. Touax expects the transaction to be finalized by the end of September. OUTLOOK Touax returned to profit in the first half of 2020, validating its strategy to refocus on its three long-term equipment leasing businesses in sustainable transportation and demonstrating the resilience of its business model in the current environment dominated by Covid-19. After growth of 1.5% in 2019, the European rail freight market is expected to show a contraction of 7% (source: UIRR - growth in intermodal transport via rail), followed by a rebound in 2021. Touax Rail plans to forge ahead with its development, drawing on its new financing sources in a market that offers investment opportunities in certain types of railcars and in the fleets of clients looking to outsource ownership and maintenance. Touax Rail also stands to benefit from government stimulus plans for rail freight in Europe and Asia. River transportation should continue to benefit by the positive impact of the ecological transition. After growth in the container trading business of 1.8% in 2019, a decline of 5.5% is forecast for 2020 followed by a recovery of 6.3% in 2021 (source: Drewry). A recovery was seen in Asia this summer, with an uptick in the leasing market for new containers, while the utilization rate of our global fleet returned to 96% in August. From a structural and medium to long-term perspective, Europe's Green Deal, together with the various infrastructure sector recovery drives announced by governments and the tendency towards outsourcing should continue to underpin investment in our asset classes. UPCOMING EVENTS September 9, 2020: SFAF webcast to present the 2020 interim financial statements September 11, 2020: Webcast to present the interim results November 13, 2020: Q3 2020 Revenue from activities TOUAX Group leases out tangible assets (freight railcars, river barges and containers) on a daily basis worldwide, both on its own account and for investors. With nearly 1.1bn in assets under management, TOUAX is one of the leading European players in the leasing of such equipment. TOUAX is listed on the EURONEXT stock market in Paris - Euronext Paris Compartment C (ISIN code: FR0000033003) - and is listed on the CAC Small, CAC Mid & Small and EnterNextPEA-PME 150 indices. For further information please visit: www.touax.com Contacts: TOUAX ACTIFIN Fabrice & Raphael WALEWSKI Ghislaine Gasparetto touax@touax.com ggasparetto@actifin.fr www.touax.com Tel: +33 1 56 88 11 11 Tel: +33 1 46 96 18 00 1 Based on a comparable structure and average exchange rates in H1 2019. Attachment US President, Donald Trump, has been nominated for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in reaching the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The Nobel Peace Prize is one of five Nobel Prizes, alongside Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Chemistry and Physics. The winner is selected by a panel of five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee which is appointed by the Parliament of Norway. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament and chairman to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, submitted Trump's nomination. Tybring-Gjedde in 2018 had also submitted a nomination for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his Singapore summit which hosted Kim Jong Un. "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News. In addition to the Israel-UAE deal, the nomination letter to the Nobel Committee cited Trump's "key role in facilitating contact between conflicting parties... such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan, and the conflict between North and South Korea." Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News on Wednesday morning, September 9. Tybring-Gjedde also revealed he is "not a big Trump supporter." but compared to Obama who won in 2009 Trump has done a lot to foster peace in the world. "The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the facts not on the way he behaves sometimes," he continued. "The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. "For example, Barack Obama did nothing," he said to Fox News, referring to former US president Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace prize committee in 2009 said the reason for awarding Obama the award was his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." The prize will be awarded on December 10, 2020. 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 Another Belarus opposition figure was seized on Wednesday (September 9). Maxim Znak was detained by masked men wearing plain clothes, according to his supporters. He was taken two days after another opposition leader, Maria Kolesnikova was snatched in the street - also by masked men. She thwarted an attempt to deport her by tearing up her passport to avoid being forced to cross the border into Ukraine on Tuesday (Sepetember 8), according to two of her allies. She remains in detention, but her whereabouts are unknown. Znak's detainment comes as authorities extended a systematic campaign to round up the leaders of a month-long protest movement. Both he, and Kolesnikova, are prominent leaders of demonstrations - which demand the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko, following an August 9th election that the opposition says was rigged. Znak was the last member of the opposition's Coordination Council still active inside Belarus, apart from Nobel prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich, who has served as a figurehead for the movement. On Wednesday, she accused the Belarus authorities of terrorizing their own people - and demanded Znak's immediate release. She had summoned supporters to her home after being harassed by repeated phone calls from unknown numbers - and constant ringing at her door by strangers. The rest of the Coordination Council members have either fled, been forced abroad or been detained in a crackdown by Lukashenkos security forces, as he seeks to maintain his 26-year grip on power in the former Soviet republic. On Tuesday, he said that without his rule, Belarus would collapse. And on Wednesday, he blamed the protests on 'foreign interference'. Another exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was Lukashenko's main opponent during the election, said on Wednesday that anti-government demonstrations in her country should remain peaceful. She spoke during a visit to the Polish capital of Warsaw. Poland, along with Lithuania and Latvia, has sought to "set an example" for the European Union by offering extensive financial and social support to Belarus' opposition movement. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Climate change and the spread of infectious disease are seen as the top threats by the majority of people in 14 economically advanced nations surveyed by the Pew Research Center. In similar surveys conducted by the Washington-based center in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the chief threats were seen as climate change and terrorism. For the latest survey, published on Wednesday, Pew questioned 14,276 adults living in Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Sweden and the United States between June 10 and August 3. "In a year when the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated news headlines around the world, it is perhaps unsurprising to discover that majorities in 14 countries surveyed this past summer see the spread of infectious disease as a major threat to their countries," the authors of the survey said. A median percentage of 70 percent cited climate change as a major threat to their countries, followed by the spread of infectious diseases with 69 percent, terrorism (66 percent), cyberattacks from other countries (65 percent) and the spread of nuclear weapons (61 percent). Other major threats cited included the condition of the global economy and global poverty. "In terms of relative rankings, climate change outpaces or ties infectious disease as the most frequently mentioned 'major threat' in eight of 14 countries polled," Pew said, including seven of the nine European countries surveyed. In the European nations, "climate change remains the topmost perceived threat, even as people there also express grave concern about the risks posed by infectious disease." In the United States, climate change was most commonly cited first as a major threat followed by cyberattacks from other countries, terrorism, the spread of nuclear weapons and climate change. In two countries, Australia and Denmark, cyberattacks were most commonly cited as the major threat. "With the global economy hard hit by COVID-19 related disruptions, concerns about the global economy have increased substantially in most of the countries since the question was last asked in 2018," Pew said. "Majorities in 10 of the 14 countries polled describe the condition of the global economy as a major threat." This view was particularly pronounced in Britain, where 65 percent cited the world's economic situation as a major threat, up from 41 percent two years ago, Japan (74 percent, up from 52 percent) and France (67 percent, up from 46 percent). 2020 AFP Queensland public servants will face a tougher time for poor performance and can move into permanent jobs more easily under some of the final laws to sail through Parliament before the October election. The amendment bill was introduced in July by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, after the first review of public employment laws since the late 1980s found "significant" issues with the sector. Four in five public sector workers in Queensland are employed on a permanent basis. Credit:Jeffrey Chan Changes will mean workers in casual, temporary and contract roles can request to be made permanent after 12 months and managers can not turn them down without a valid reason. Those acting in higher duties for more than a year would be able to ask for a permanent move into that position. Huaweis new FreeBuds 3i wireless earbuds are now available to purchase in South Africa. The FreeBuds 3i share a similar design to the FreeBuds 3, but they come with a few useful improvements. Among these is what Huawei calls Ultimate Active Noise Cancellation, which uses an outward-facing mic to detect ambient noise and actively counter this with anti-noise. A separate inward-facing microphone picks up the rest of the noise in your ears for further cancellation. An outer microphone on the bottom of the earbud is used for calling and voice commands. The wireless earphones also have built-in capacitive sensors on both sides, allowing you to control features of the hardware and music playback with different taps on the earbuds themselves. For example, a long tap will toggle active noise cancellation, while a double-tap will play or pause music and answer or end calls. The FreeBuds 3i are shipped with a charging case that has a battery life of 14.5 hours, and the earbuds themselves offer 3.5 hours of playback time on a single charge. The new wireless earbuds were listed on the Huawei Store this week, and are priced at R1,999. Customers who purchase the FreeBuds 3i from the Huawei Store will also receive a free 10,000mAh power bank. Huawei FreeBuds 3i Now read: Launch date of new Apple Watch announced Congressman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz) speaks before Vice President Mike Pence at a "Latter-day Saints for Trump" campaign event in Mesa, Ariz. August 11, 2020. It was his second stop in the battle ground state after visiting Tucson earlier in the day. Rep. Andy Biggs is neither a physician nor a scientist but he continues to attack public health advice and scientific evidence on COVID-19. Biggs, R-Ariz., in recent days has posted a string of pro-hydroxychloroquine and anti-mask messages on social media. In his latest tweets, Biggs urges Arizonans to flout national and local public health guidance on COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, or new coronavirus. He says Arizonans should be able to use hydroxychloroquine as a preventive COVID-19 measure, though it's not recommended for prophylactic use by the federal or state government. He's also been urging members of the public to "unmask." Earlier this summer, Biggs challenged Arizona's rising hospitalization numbers and suggested the COVID-19 pandemic was being blown out of proportion. As of Tuesday, the Arizona Department of Health Services was reporting 206,045 COVID-19 cases and 5,221 known deaths from the respiratory illness. "There's no medical basis for what he's telling people do to and he has no scientific standing to make these statements," Dr. Lee Ann Kelley, Maricopa County Medical Society president, said of Biggs. "It is absurd this has become a political issue instead of a public health issue," Kelley said. "There is tons of evidence that masks do work and I do believe one of the reasons Arizona's numbers went down was because of the mask mandates." There is real "cause and effect" evidence that masks do work and for Biggs to tell people that wearing a mask is about freedom is "highly irresponsible," she said. Arizona experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases in June and July that overwhelmed hospitals to a point where they canceled elective surgeries, scrambled to add COVID-19 beds and negative pressure rooms, and hired nurses and respiratory therapists from other states. Arizona has one of the highest infection rates in the country, the CDC's COVID tracker says. Its death rate of 72 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people is above the U.S. average of 57 deaths per 100,000 people, the CDC says. Story continues Arizona should embrace President @realDonaldTrumps call to give Americans the right to try hydroxychloroquine. pic.twitter.com/pzja9DHReC Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 6, 2020 'Fight the medical establishment' In his tweets, Biggs says Arizonans should "fight the medical establishment" to have more access to hydroxychloroquine. The drug "has unfortunately become too politicized, including in Arizona," he tweeted Aug. 31. He has since tweeted in support of Arizonans' "right to try" hydroxychloroquine five more times. Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are anti-malarial drugs that were used as a treatment for certain hospitalized COVID-19 patients early on in the pandemic under an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA revoked that emergency use authorization June 15 because the federal agency found that that found the medicines "showed no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery." On July 1, the FDA issued a summary of safety issues with the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Those issues include reports of serious heart rhythm problems, blood and lymph system disorders, kidney injuries and liver failure. Many public health officials are fighting against a patients right to try hydroxychloroquine, including in Arizona. If hydroxychloroquine is effective when used early, then lives will be saved. Arizonans must fight the medical establishment so we can have the right to try. pic.twitter.com/lmqwmaRSJH Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 3, 2020 Ducey: Hydroxychloroquine can't be used to prevent COVID-19 in AZ Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on April 2 issued an executive order that says Arizona providers may prescribe hydroxychloroquine to someone who has COVID-19. But they can't prescribe it to prevent COVID-19, the order says. In a Sept. 1 interview with conservative radio host Ed Martin on the Pro America Report, Biggs says that in Arizona it is "basically illegal to fill a prescription for someone who is not getting hydroxychloroquine for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or for malaria and that's absurd." Biggs did not mention that providers are allowed to prescribe hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. Biggs spokesman Daniel Stefanski confirmed Wednesday via text message that Biggs is aware of Ducey's executive order and that in the interview with Martin he was trying to highlight the inability for Arizona providers to prescribe the drug prophylactically for COVID-19. Biggs told Martin in the interview that hydroxychloroquine is "a safe drug that seems to have some positive effects, so let us make that choice. Let us as free individuals make that choice after meeting with our physician." He blames restrictions on the drug that are in place in various states on "petty tyrants." The Arizona Department of Health Services does not recommend hydroxychloroquine be used prophylactically outside of a clinical trial, department spokesman Steve Elliott wrote in an email. Elliott confirmed that Ducey's executive order is still in effect and that Arizona providers may prescribe hydroxychloroquine to patients with COVID-19, as long as it's not as a preventive measure. "We continue to review the current medical literature and will update if appropriate," Elliott wrote. The Arizona mainstream media vehemently opposes the efforts to listen to science, data, and common sense to #UnMaskArizona. pic.twitter.com/3sYJp4dNSV Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 8, 2020 'Are you going to see a politician when you get sick?' Biggs' tweets also urge Arizonans to "unmask," saying it is a "path of renewed freedom." "In general, people need to understand the point of wearing a mask is so you are protecting others from what you are exhaling," said Dr. Ross Goldberg, a general surgeon in Phoenix who is president of the Arizona Medical Association. "The mask isn't to protect you from stuff coming towards you, it's to prevent you from spreading anything that you are breathing out. If you are wearing a mask and someone else is wearing a mask you have now both protected each other from each other." Science has already shown that the use of cloth or surgical masks by the general public will significantly reduce transmission, Goldberg said, though it's not a perfect prevention measure. It also works best if everyone participates, he said. "If I'm in a crowd of people and I'm the only one wearing a mask, the only one who is protecting people is me," Goldberg said. "I'm not protected; I'm protecting others." A June 1 article in the Lancet, a top medical journal, reviewed 172 different observational studies from 16 countries and found face mask use could largely reduce the risk of infection. A study published June 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal found that COVID-19 transmission is primarily airborne and that widespread mask-wearing significantly reduces the number of infections. Without masks, social distancing is not enough, according to the article, which studied trends in Wuhan, China; Italy; and New York City. "I wear them in the operating room to protect the patient from me. Not to protect me from the patient," Goldberg said. "It may protect me from a blood splatter. But when I'm operating I'm operating over a sterile field. You don't want me breathing over that sterile field." Arizonans at some point should be able to safely unmask when disease transmission levels reach a "very low" point, Goldberg said. "Are you going to go see a politician when you get sick or are you going to go see your doctor?" Goldberg asked. "And if the answer is that you are going to go see your doctor, then why are we listening to politicians now giving medical advice when we won't listen to them about any other medical advice?" Biggs, who also leads the conservative House Freedom Caucus on Capitol Hill, and his constituents are not under "any mandate to subscribe to any particular health organizations or health studies," Stefanski wrote in a text message. "He doesn't believe that he knows better, nor does he believe that an organization or study knows what is best for him," Stefanski wrote. "He, along with each of his constituents, should have the freedom to choose what is best for themselves, their families, and their loved ones in any health scenario." Bureaucrats, health officials and local government leaders have been wrong more than they have been right when it comes to COVID-19, Stefanski wrote. Kelley said that that are all kinds of existing public health rules in society to keep everyone safe, such as wearing seatbelts, following speed limits and not smoking in public places where people would have to breathe secondhand smoke. "I believe that these precautions wearing masks and social distancing are crucial toward eliminating the virus or at least reducing it to manageable numbers and helping us as a state survive until we get a vaccine," she said. "... Rep. Biggs needs to stay in his lane." President Donald J. Trump has advocated for Americans to have the right to try hydroxychloroquine in the ongoing fight against COVID-19, but this drug has unfortunately become too politicized, including in Arizona. https://t.co/hW4Qbto0mK Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) August 31, 2020 Mask mandates symbolize where we can choose to go: on a path of renewed freedom or down the path of untethered government control of every aspect of our lives, which will surely lead to ruin.#UnMaskArizona pic.twitter.com/LTGHktlFb6 Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 1, 2020 Arizona Republic reporter Alison Steinbach contributed to this report. Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on Twitter @stephanieinnes This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rep. Andy Biggs tweets about COVID-19, wearing masks, hydroxychloroquine IN one of the largest acquisitions in its history, Great-West Lifecos U.S subsidiary Empower Retirement has agreed to pay about $4.4 billion for the retirement services business of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. IN one of the largest acquisitions in its history, Great-West Lifecos U.S subsidiary Empower Retirement has agreed to pay about $4.4 billion for the retirement services business of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Coming only a couple of months after paying $1 billion for another U.S. financial planning and retirement services business, it underlines the Winnipeg-based financial services companys interest in the large and growing U.S. retirement services business. MassMutuals retirement services business has about 2.5 million participants in 26,000 plans and about US$167 billion in assets. The transaction expands Empowers reach to more than 12.2 million retirement-plan participants with assets under administration to US$834 billion on behalf of 67,000 plans. Empower Retirement, which was formed in 2014, is the second-largest retirement service company in the U.S. by a large margin over the third-largest. Fidelity Investments is the largest. Paul Mahon, CEO of Great-West Lifeco, said the company wanted to commit to this business in the U.S. and saw the MassMutual deal as a big opportunity. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS GWL's CEO Paul Mahon, announced today that it's U.S. subsidiary, Empower Retirement has acquired the retirement services business of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company for US$3.35 billion, increasing its presence in the U.S. retirement business by 50 per cent and bolstering its position as second-largest player in that market where it will now have assets of US$834 billion. 200908 - Tuesday, September 08, 2020. "What you always want to do is play to your strengths," he said in an interview Tuesday. In Canada, Great-West Lifeco is the largest provider of life insurance through its newly rebranded national operation, Canada Life. In the U.S., Mahon said GWLs strength is in the retirement services business, which has been growing at a pace almost three times the market rate. (In early 2019, GWLs Denver-based subsidiary Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company sold most of its U.S. life insurance business for about $1.6 billion.) "The opportunity comes from the fact that we know the retirement services market there," Mahon said. "We have had great success in building the Empower business through acquisitions and organically." He said, "As we look at what is going on there is a shift to more digital ways of doing business with digital advice and hybrid digital advice. The Empower platform is really well-positioned for that. We really like the fact that we are building a big franchise." The deal was partially set up by the $1-billion acquisition in June of a California company, Personal Capital, which is a hybrid wealth manager that combines a leading-edge digital technology with personalized advice delivered by human advisers. Mahon said it will leverage Personal Capitals automated technologies to help expand the business in the U.S. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS GWLs CEO Paul Mahon announced Tuesday that its U.S. subsidiary, Empower Retirement, has acquired the retirement services business of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. MassMutuals retirement plan business includes defined-contribution and defined-benefit retirement plans as well as other financial planning offerings. Mahon said that in addition to having "strengths" in the retirement services business in the U.S., the fact there is so much growth potential also tipped the scales to make such a large investment. Demographics is driving growth in peoples retirement savings but Mahon said there are other opportunities as well. "Its also growing because of the relationships we have with participants through digital and hybrid digital channels, which means we can offer them other products and services and advice and guidance," he said. "We see a significant opportunity to do 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. In the past decade, Mass Mutual doubled the number of participants served and assets under management more than quadrupled to more than US$160 billion from US$34 billion. In a prepared statement, Roger Crandall, MassMutuals chairman and CEO, said, "In Empower, we are pleased to have found a strong, long-term home for MassMutuals retirement plan business, and believe this transaction will greatly benefit our policy owners and customers as we invest in our future growth and accelerate progress on our strategy." Empower has acquired a few other large retirement services portfolios from Met Life and JP Morgan, but this is by far the largest. In fact, it is one of the three largest deals in Great-West Lifecos history. This deal also means Great-West Lifecos U.S. operations, which includes the investment management firm Putnam Investments, is expected to account for more than 20 per cent of Great-West Lifecos earnings after the integration processes are completed by 2022. Great-West Lifeco is a publicly traded subsidiary of a group headed by Montreal-based Power Corp. of Canada, one of Canadas largest non-bank financial companies. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca One person is in hospital following a fire at a Fort Erie townhouse complex Wednesday. Niagara Regional Police said emergency crews were called to a residence on Bertie Street at about 2 p.m. in response to a structure fire. Members of Fort Erie Fire Department removed one person from the home and he was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. No other information was immediately available. President Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for historic Middle East deal Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Donald Trump was nominated Wednesday for the Nobel Peace Prize, considered the world's most prestigious prize awarded for the preservation of peace. The nomination for the 2021 prize was made by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, who cited the presidents work in helping to broker a historic peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Today I have nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, Tybring-Gjedde announced on Facebook, highlighting the peace agreement. The agreement can open for lasting peace between several Arab countries and Israel, he said. It is now to hope that the Nobel Committee is able to consider what Trump has achieved internationally and that it does not stumble in established prejudice against the US President. In his will, Alfred Nobel set three criteria to qualify for the Nobel Peace Prize. Donald Trump satisfies all three. NOMINASJON AV PRESIDENT TRUMP TIL NOBELS FREDSPRIS Jeg har i dag nominert USAs President Donald Trump til Nobels... Posted by Christian Tybring-Gjedde on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 Speaking with Fox News about his nomination of President Trump, Tybring-Gjedde said he believes the president deserves the award more than most other recipients of the prize. For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees, the Norwegian lawmaker said. According to the United Nations, Alfred Nobel, the famous chemist and philanthropist after whom the prize was named, was inspired by belief in the community of man as outlined in his will made in 1895. The Peace Prize was to be awarded to the person who had done most for "fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." In a joint statement last month, President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed said the parties had agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. After 49 years, Israel and the United Arab Emirates will fully normalize their diplomatic relations. They will exchange embassies and ambassadors, and begin cooperation across the board and on a broad range of areas, including tourism, education, healthcare, trade, and security, Trump would say later at a press briefing. This is a truly historic moment. Not since the Israel-Jordan peace treaty was signed more than 25 years ago has so much progress been made towards peace in the Middle East. By uniting two of Americas closest and most capable partners in the region something which [they] said could not be done this deal is a significant step towards building a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous Middle East. During his press briefing in August, Trump also pointed out how crucial it was for people of all faiths to come together to fight Islamic extremism. This deal will allow much greater access to Muslims from throughout the world to visit the many historic sites in Israel which the Muslims want to see very badly and have wanted to see for many, many decades and to peacefully pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is a very special place for them, Trump said. My first trip as President was to Saudi Arabia in May of 2017. In my speech to the assembled leaders of 54 Muslim countries every single one was by their leader, their number-one leader. It was an amazing really, an incredible event. A very important event. I made clear that the problems of the Middle East can only be solved when people of all faiths come together to fight Islamic extremism and pursue economic opportunity for people of all faiths. Israel is expected to join the United Arab Emirates at a White House ceremony on Sept. 15 to sign the historic agreement, Fox News reported. Tybring-Gjedde previously nominated the president for the Nobel Peace Prize along with another Norwegian official in 2018 after Trumps Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un. Japans prime minister reportedly did the same, according to Fox News, but the president did not win. The Norwegian lawmaker argued that this time around he hopes the Nobel Prize selection committee will look at the facts. Im not a big Trump supporter, Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News. The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the facts not on the way he behaves sometimes. The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing. In 2009, just nine months into his presidency, Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for what the committee called his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." Only three other U.S. presidents have received the award: President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 for having negotiated peace in the Russo-Japanese war; President Woodrow Wilson in 1920 for being the leading architect of the League of Nations; and President Jimmy Carter in 2002 for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 22:17:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) --The 54th session of the Arab League (AL) Council at the level of foreign ministers kicked off on Wednesday via a video conference under Palestine's presidency. "The meeting will tackle key Arab issues topped by the Palestinian developments as well as political, security, social and health issues in addition to developments in Libya," said a statement of the Cairo-based AL. AL's Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit reiterated rejection for the Israeli annexation plans in his speech, deeming it as "a crime of war." "I renew full opposition to such plans or any other ongoing arrangements at the intranational level that would diminish the Palestinian right, or prejudice the status of the city of Jerusalem," he added, noting that the Palestine cause has been and will remain an issue of Arab consensus. Aboul-Gheit stressed that the Arab Peace Initiative is still the basic plan for achieving a comprehensive, just and permanent peace between Israel and the Arabs. A U.S.-brokered agreement to normalize ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was announced on Aug. 13. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said that the kingdom supports all efforts to reach a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that the Israeli-UAE deal is "a surprise and an earthquake that hit the Arabs," calling for "an immediate rejection of the deal before the signing ceremony planned in Washington on Sept. 15." Enditem A Republican lawmaker, Scott Perry, has presented a bill in the United States House of Representatives, Name the Enemy Act, demanding the Chinese head of state, Xi Jinping, should not be referred to as the Chinese President anymore. China is not a democracy and Chinese people have not elected him while the word President is generally used for the head of a republic, he has argued. Chinas 1954 constitution, under Mao Zedong, the founder of the Peoples Republic of China, called the Chinese leader Chairman in its English translation. But to give the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) absolute power over the country, Mao introduced a new constitution. The new constitution in 1975 eliminated the State Chairman office. The Party Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) was now the most powerful person in the country. But when China decided to open its economy in 1979 to connect to the outside world, then the countrys head of the state, Deng Xiaoping, thought of some cosmetic changes to please the international community. A new constitution was enacted in 1982 which talked about judicial rights, freedom of press, freedom of speech and protection of human rights. Moreover, the new constitution also re-established the State Chairman office, with its English translation of the state leader as the President now. Deng Xiaoping also put a two-term limit to the future presidents office. But the so-called reformist constitution failed as it was silent on the absolute powers of the CPC. And the massacre at the Tiananmen Square protests made this apparent. Now the current Chinese president, Xi Jinping, it seems, is all set to debunk all those claims falsely made some 40 years ago. He is working to establish a personality cult for himself like Mao Zedong and wants to remain Chinas president as long as he wants. It seems he wants to control China as Party Chairman, like Mao did. Xi Jinping has become so powerful that he has abolished the two-term rule and can remain Chinas president even for life unless he is brought down by the internal rival factions in the Chinese Communist Party. But the possibility of the internal rival factions emerging in the ruling CPC looks bleak when we see the brutal crackdown machinery Xi Jinping has established in China, in the name of bringing down corruption, to sideline his political rivals. And abolition of the two-term rule is the best example to understand it as his political rivals failed to stop him. Xi was inducted in Chinas most elite political body, Politburo Standing Committee, in 2007, made vice-president in 2008 and was seen as a likely successor to previous Chinese president Hu Jintao. He became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012 where he said his first motto was bringing China out of its massive corruption problem. It was a clear move to emerge as a hero in peoples perception. According to Xinhua, Chinas official news agency, 2012 saw 173,000 corrupt officials punished. With Xi becoming Chinese president the next year, the graph of corrupt Chinese officials being punished has mostly seen an uptick every year, something that may build his image among Chinas ordinary people. Year-wise number of corrupt officials punished: 2012: 173,000 2013: 1,82,000 2014: 232,000 2015: 3,36,000 2016: 4,15,000 2017:5,27,000 2018:6,21,000 2019 (Jan-Nov):485,000 (Xinhua and Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China) Though it was a good populist move, Xi used it to sideline his political rivals as well. Xi began his term with formation of small groups headed by his trusted people to rule over the ministries. According to a BBC analysis, under Xis first term, from 2012 to 2017, more than 170 ministers and minister-level officers were sacked with many in jail facing charges of corruption and violation of party discipline. From 1949 to 2012, China saw 35 CPC Central Committee Members prosecuted in different cases, but under Xis leadership, just five years, from 2012 to 2017, saw conviction of the same number of Central Committee Members. The past three years, from 2017 to 2019, saw China launching probes into 86 key officials of the CPC, government organs and certain financial institutions and 61 high-profile centrally administered officials. One of the political leaders convicted was former rising star Sun Zhengcai. A politburo member, he was tipped to be a future president. In 2017, Sun was accused of CPC disloyalty. The CPC claimed he was involved in a plot to overthrow Xi Jinping but when he was sentenced to life in May 2018, he was, in fact, convicted for bribery. The latest high-profile victim in Xis purge is Cai Xia, a CCP insider. Staying in the US since 2019, she was a professor in the Central Party School of CCP where the Chinese president and top leaders spend their formative years. The CCP has expelled her from the party for discipline or, rather, for being disloyal to Xi Jinping. She says the CCP has become a political zombie under Xi Jinpings leadership and Xi has alienated China from the world. She has also accused him of provoking conflict with India. Key officials probed: 2017: 9 2018: 15 2019: 62 High-profile centrally administered officials probed: 2017: 18 2018: 23 2019: 20 (Xinhua and Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China) Xi Jinping has not left even the army. His first term saw investigation and sacking of more than 60 generals. They were replaced with young officers who will remain more loyal to Xi than aged army generals. Those purged included General Fang Fenghui, the former chief of joint staff and General Zhang Yang, the former Political Work Department director of the Central Military Commission (CMC). In January this year, Xi Jinping vowed to deepen this anti-corruption system machinery put in place. A communique was adopted to give more teeth to the process. Xi put emphasis on reforming the disciplinary inspection and supervision system. So, we can expect more purge in the days ahead as Jinping completes his second term as the General Secretary in 2022 and as President in 2023. Most high-profile leaders targeted so far: Cai Xia: Was CPC insider, professor at CPC school for senior political leaders and an outspoken critic of Xi. Was expelled from CPC, her retirement benefits stripped. Presently staying in the US. Ren Zhiqiang: Veteran CPC Member and property tycoon of China. Was also an outspoken critic of Xi. He was expelled from CPC, his assets seized. He is facing criminal charges. Sun Zhengcai: Politburo member, was tipped to be the future PM. CPC claimed that he plotted to overthrow Xi Jinping. Was handed life sentence for bribery. Zhou Yongkang: Third senior-most politician, was Chinas security chief. CPC claimed he plotted to overthrow Xi Jinping and he was jailed for life for bribery, corruption and disloyalty. Xu Caihou:: He was the Vice-Chairman, Central Military Commission. CPC claimed he, too, plotted to overthrow Xi Jinping. He was expelled from CPC, prosecuted. Caihou died from cancer in 2015. Ling Jihua: A trusted advisor of Hu Jintao, Director of the General Office of CPC, he has been jailed for life for bribery. CPC claimed he plotted to overthrow Xi Jinping. Guo Boxiong He was the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission. CPC claimed he plotted to overthrow Xi Jinping. He has been Jailed for life for bribery. KABUL -- Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh has escaped with only slight injuries after an apparent assassination attempt in the capital early on September 9 that killed at least 10 people. A bomb was said to have targeted a convoy carrying the 49-year-old former intelligence chief and his son. A video posted to Facebook after the incident showed Saleh standing next to a flag with a bandaged left hand but otherwise looking well. "I am fine but some of my guards have been wounded," Saleh says in the clip. "My son, who was in the car with me, and I are both fine." "I have some burns on my face and hand. The blast was strong." The incident comes with fears that increasing violence in Afghanistan could erode trust and set back planned talks to end the two-decade insurgency against the central government formed after the ousting of the fundamentalist Taliban in late 2001. The enemies of Afghanistan and the enemies of our leaders who want to defend this country's national interests with their lives and souls today again wanted to attack Amrullah Saleh," Saleh's spokesman, Rizwan Murad, told RFE/RL. "He survived the attack by the grace of God [and] having the prayers of his people." A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, in a message to media outlets denied the militant group's involvement in the attack on Saleh's convoy. Afghan officials this week postponed a scheduled trip to Doha for long-awaited peace talks with the Taliban because of logistical issues at the venue of the talks in the Qatari capital. Both sides had indicated that talks could begin soon after they finalized a months-long prisoner exchange last week. A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on September 7 that both sides were making final preparations. Saleh has been heavily involved in preparing for those negotiations. He said last week that the Afghan government side would immediately press for a cease-fire to test whether the Taliban "are committed to peace." Two Deaths Reported Details are still emerging of the attack on Saleh's motorcade. Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told RFE/RL that "at least 10 civilians" were killed and 15 others, including bodyguards, were injured. "The blast occurred when the vice president's convoy was crossing" the scene, Arian said. The delayed intra-Afghan negotiations should follow on a landmark deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in February. 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. With reporting by AFP and Reuters Peruvian government announces Supreme Decree to increase funding to communities Calgary, Alberta and Houston, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2020) - PetroTal Corp. (TSXV: TAL) (AIM: PTAL) ("PetroTal" or the "Company") expects and is ready to reopen the Bretana oil field as soon as the ongoing discussions between the communities and the Government of Peru have been ratified, which is expected in the next few days as reported by Government officials. PetroTal commends the efforts of all parties to reach a negotiated settlement that will ultimately benefit the communities, the Peruvian government, and all operating companies, including PetroTal. On August 28, 2020, the Government of Peru announced a Supreme Decree ("Decree") approving the financial Gap Closure Plan within a number of provinces in northeast Peru, including Loreto, the area where PetroTal operates the Bretana oil field. PetroTal welcomes the announcement that the Decree provides for a six year financial commitment of approximately US$1.7 billion (6 billion soles) to the communities, of which US$46 million (162 million soles) will be designated for economic development of the localities over the next four months, by the Peruvian government. The Decree specifically addresses the local community participation criteria and takes steps to ensure that the funding process is properly monitored to ensure maximum benefit to the communities. The published Decree can be found at https://www.gob.pe/institucion/pcm/normas-legales/1124063-145-2020-pcm. Since the announcement of the Decree, which PetroTal strongly supports, government and municipality representatives have been consulting with the community representatives on the Decree. After meeting with the Bretana community in the coming days, it is expected that PetroTal will restart oil production shortly thereafter. In order to fully support the collective efforts of the communities and the government to reach an acceptable funding solution, PetroTal remains awaiting government agreements. PetroTal acknowledges the efforts at all levels of the Peruvian government to resolve the recent social disruption and to ensure a long term solution is in place to minimize future disruptions. Equally, the Company acknowledges the support received from the Bretana community. Story continues Further updates on the reopening of the Bretana field and export of oil into the pipeline will be provided as and when appropriate. ABOUT PETROTAL PetroTal is a publiclytraded, dualquoted (TSXV: TAL) (AIM: PTAL) oil and gas development and production company domiciled in Calgary, Alberta, focused on the development of oil assets in Peru. PetroTal's flagship asset is its 100% working interest in Bretana oil field in Peru's Block 95 where oil production was initiated in June 2018, and in early 2020 became the second largest crude oil producer in Peru with more than 10,000 bopd of production. Additionally, the Company has large exploration prospects and is engaged in finding a partner to drill the Osheki prospect in Block 107. The Company's management team has significant experience in developing and exploring for oil in Northern Peru and is led by a Board of Directors that is focused on safely and cost effectively developing the Bretana oil field. For further information, please see the Company's website at www.petrotal-corp.com, the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com, or contact: Douglas Urch Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Durch@PetroTal-Corp.com T: (713) 609-9101 Manuel Pablo Zuniga-Pflucker President and Chief Executive Officer Mzuniga@PetroTal-Corp.com T: (713) 609-9101 Celicourt Communications Mark Antelme / Jimmy Lea petrotal@celicourt.uk T : 44 (0) 208 434 2643 Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated & Financial Adviser) James Spinney / Ritchie Balmer T: 44 (0) 207 409 3494 Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Joint Broker) Callum Stewart / Simon Mensley / Ashton Clanfield Tel: +44 (0) 20 7710 7600 Auctus Advisors LLP (Joint Broker) Jonathan Wright / Rupert Holdsworth Hunt / Harry Baker T: +44 (0) 7711 627449 READER ADVISORIES FORWARDLOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains certain statements that may be deemed to be forwardlooking statements. Such statements relate to possible future events, including, but not limited to: PetroTal's business strategy, objectives, strength and focus; the reopening of the Bretana oil field and resumption of oil production therefrom; the effect and implementation of the Decree; and the ongoing effects of Covid-19 on the Company and its employees. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements. Forward looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "estimate", "potential", "will", "should", "continue", "may", "objective" and similar expressions. The forwardlooking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including, but not limited to: expectations and assumptions concerning the reopening of existing infrastructure, its ability to deliver production and the anticipated capital expenditures associated therewith; successful implementation of the Decree; prevailing commodity prices and actual prices received for PetroTal's products; the availability and performance of drilling rigs, facilities, pipelines, inventory and barge storage capacity, other oilfield services and skilled labour; royalty regimes; exchange rates; the application of regulatory and licensing requirements; current legislation; the success of future drilling and development activities; and general economic conditions. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forwardlooking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forwardlooking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forwardlooking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Please refer to the risk factors identified in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2019 and management's discussion and analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forwardlooking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forwardlooking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63466 Researchers from Israel have found that there could be a link between deficiency of vitamin D and infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Their study titled, The link between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 in a large population, has been released pre-publication at the medRxiv* server. What was this study about? With over 27.4 million reported cases around the world, the pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus is raging on. It has so far taken over 896,000 lives. The disease is particularly dangerous for aging and vulnerable populations. Israel spared There have been some recent studies that connect vitamin D deficiency with COVID-19 infection and severe disease due to the infection. Studies have shown that in countries where there are higher rates of vitamin D deficiency, there is also a greater prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The Israeli researchers who conducted this study write that the general population of Israel has been so far relatively spared by the pandemic with an infection rate of 0.88 percent equally among men and women. Men and women They, however, noted that the rates of infection were higher (3.03 percent) in the Jewish ultra-orthodox population and 1.4 percent among the Arab communities. In these communities, the male-to-female ratio is also varied, they wrote. Among Arab communities, women were far more affected than men (1:1.5 men: women) and in the ultra-orthodox, men were more affected (1.25:1 men: women) Explaining these gender differences, the team writes that the lifestyles and clothing of these communities could allow for a difference in Vitamin d levels among men and women. They wrote that there had been studies showing severe vitamin D deficiency being endemic and common among Arab women. This could be a clue regarding their higher risk of getting COVID-19, the team writes. Distribution of blood vitamin D levels measured between years 2010-2020 in the three subpopulations in males (upper panel), and females (bottom panel) What was done? The Clalit Health Services (CHS) provides healthcare services to over 4.6 million participants whose electronic health records (EHR) are being maintained meticulously. This study was conducted to check the association between vitamin D levels and Covid-19 incidence, as well as the impact of the purchase of vitamin D supplements on the risk of COVID-19, the team explained. Results from the vitamin D tests were collected from the CHS members performed between 2010 and 2019. A relationship was assessed between vitamin D deficiency and Covid-19 incidence in 200 regions. Over the past years, a vast number of men and women had undergone tests to check for their Vitamin D levels. The authors defined vitamin D deficiency as levels below 50 nmol/L and severe vitamin D deficiency as levels below 30 nmol/L. Their records showed that vitamin D deficiency was more common among Ultra-orthodox and Arabs. Aram females were particularly at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Results revealed that 81.5 percent of the individuals tested had vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L, and 59.1 percent below 30 nmol/L. Distribution of vitamin D measured in the blood between years 2010-2020 among individuals later infected with SARS-CoV-2 patients and the rest of the population From the onset of the pandemic till 31st August 2020, a total of 52,537 CHS members had positive RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2. Next, the team also matched 52,405 patients infected with COVID 19, with 524,050 control individuals of the same gender, age, and residence. Their vitamin D tests were also used in the analysis. In the last four months, their use of Vitamin D was also assessed with their chances of getting infected with COVID-19. What was found? Results revealed a significant connection between the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 incidence. This was significant for the female to male ratio for severe vitamin D deficiency, the team found. They wrote, In the matched cohort, we found a significant association between low vitamin D levels and the risk of Covid-19, with the highest risk observed for severe vitamin D deficiency. They wrote, We found a highly significant positive correlation between the proportion of females affected by severe vitamin D deficiency and SARS-CoV-2 incidence, both across the different groups. Those that took vitamin D supplements as drops over the last 4 months were found to be protected from the infection. Conclusions and implications The authors wrote, ...we have uncovered what appears to be a strong and significant association between low vitamin D levels and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. They also explained that different communities. The risk was highest among those living in communities with a higher prevalence of the deficiency, they found. They added that to date its had been seen that northerly latitude is associated with higher mortality rate and hospitalization rate for COVID-19 worldwide. Vitamin D levels could play a role in this association, as well. They speculated that viruses like the coronavirus could disrupt the cell junction integrity, which Vitamin D could help maintain. They added that Vitamin D could help enhance the innate cellular immunity and thus protect from the infection. The authors concluded that this was one of the most extensive recent studies that looked at the association between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 occurrence. It showed that taking the supplements could protect from the infection and reduce incidence among those living in the same geographical regions. *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. MUMBAI: A day after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested her, Rhea Chakraborty was on Wednesday shifted from the anti-drug agency's office in south Mumbai to the Byculla jail. Shortly after her arrest on Tuesday in the drugs case linked to her boyfriend and actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, she was sent in judicial custody till September 22 by a local court. On Wednesday, she stepped out of the NCB office at 10.15 am after spending the night there and was taken to the Byculla jail by the agency officials. The court had rejected her bail application. The NCB had told the court that she was an "active member" of a drug syndicate and procured drugs for Rajput, her boyfriend. The NCB, however, said it did not want her custody as it had already questioned her for three days. Immediately after her arrest, the 28-year-old Rhea was taken for medical tests including COVID-19 test to the civic- run Sion hospital in Central Mumbai. At the hospital, her antigen test for COVID-19 came out negative, officials said. She was then taken to the NCB office in south Mumbai around 7.15 pm, and produced before the court through video-conference. Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Samuel Miranda and a few others are under investigation over their alleged links to drug peddlers in connection with the ongoing probe into Rajputs mystery-shrouded death at his Mumbai residentce. The US House of Representatives Speaker is threatening that there will be 'absolutely no chance' of a trade deal with Britain if Boris Johnson overrides the Brexit deal with Brussels. Nancy Pelosi, a prominent Democrat, said that the American Congress would never pass an economic agreement that it felt could 'imperil' the Northern Ireland peace accord. Ms Pelosi called the Good Friday Agreement the 'bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland and an inspiration for the whole world', adding that the deal was 'treasured by the American people and will be proudly defended in the United States Congress'. A senior European source last night told The Times they thought the Prime Minister had a no-deal strategy. 'They're laughing at us,' the source said. 'The constant references to the WTO is a signal ''You can go to hell''. My gut feeling is that the British government has opted for no-deal,' the source said.' The comments come after the Prime Minister caught the EU by surprise by unveiling plans to override key elements of the Brexit deal regarding Northern Ireland. Nancy Pelosi, a prominent Democrat, said that the American Congress would never pass an economic agreement that it felt could 'imperil' the Northern Ireland peace accord The comments come after the Prime Minister caught the EU by surprise by unveiling plans to override key elements of the Brexit deal regarding Northern Ireland Ministers have admitted that the proposed Internal Market Bill will breach international law. In a statement on Wednesday, Ms Pelosi said: 'Whatever form it takes, Brexit cannot be allowed to imperil the Good Friday Agreement, including the stability brought by the invisible and frictionless border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. Brussels threatened to make food exports from Great Britain to Northern Ireland illegal Michel Barnier's team made threats to make food exports from Great Britain to Northern Ireland illegal if the UK did not bow to their trade deal demands, it emerged today. The chief negotiator's warning prompted the government to make legal changes to the Withdrawal Agreement, according to the Sun. Under the deal, the export of products of animal origin, including meat, fish, shellfish, eggs and dairy from the UK mainland to Northern Ireland will be subject to EU oversight. After Brussels warned the UK might not be on an approved list in the event of a No Deal, ministers demanded new domestic legislation in the Withdrawal Agreement, to avoid exports being made illegal. Advertisement 'The UK must respect the Northern Ireland Protocol as signed with the EU to ensure the free flow of goods across the border. 'If the UK violates that international treaty and Brexit undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement passing the Congress.' Ministers argue the new proposed legislation is necessary to protect the Northern Ireland peace process if London and Brussels are unable to agree a free trade deal before the current Brexit transition period runs out at the end of the year. Mr Johnson discussed the proposed legislation with Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin on Wednesday by telephone. Former Prime Minister Sir John Major took aim at Boris Johnson's plans to override parts of the Brexit divorce deal as he warned the UK's global reputation as a trustworthy nation is at stake. He joined Theresa May in criticising the current Tory occupant of Downing Street as he said the UK's signature on treaties has long been viewed as 'sacrosanct'. Any move to row back on what was agreed between Brussels and Britain last year would mean losing 'something beyond price that may never be regained', he said. The former premier's intervention came after Mr Johnson insisted he was doing his 'duty' as he faced a growing Tory mutiny for threatening to renege on the Brexit accord. Legislation published this week would unilaterally decide details that Brussels insists must be settled by a joint committee, including customs arrangements between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis sparked outrage by bluntly admitting that the measures will breach international law. European commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned that the move would undermine 'prosperous future relations'. Former Prime Minister Sir John Major today took aim at Boris Johnson's plans to override parts of the Brexit divorce deal as he warned the UK's global reputation as a trustworthy nation is at stake Former UK ambassador Lord Darroch said he suspected Boris Johnson was trying to 'create chaos' so he could extract better terms, and there was an 'aspect of the way Donald Trump would have done it' (PM and US president are pictured together last September' But Downing Street extraordinarily claimed that the Withdrawal Agreement was 'not like any other treaty' because it was sealed 'at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances'. And Mr Johnson told the Commons that his first responsibility was to protect the Peace Process. 'My job is to uphold the integrity of the UK but also to protect the Northern Irish peace process and the Good Friday Agreement,' the PM said. 'To do that we need a legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations of the protocol, which could lead to a border down the Irish Sea in a way that I believe and I think members around the House believe would be prejudicial to the interests of the Good Friday Agreement and prejudicial to the interests of peace in our country. That has to be our priority.' The UK's former ambassador to the US has waded into the row by suggesting that the dramatic step is a Trump-style bid to get a better deal in post-Brexit trade negotiations, which are at a critical stage. Lord Darroch said he suspected Mr Johnson was trying to 'create chaos' so he could extract better terms, and there was an 'aspect of the way Donald Trump would have done it'. Meanwhile, David Melding, a Welsh Conservative politician, quit the Tory frontbench in the Senedd over concerns about the PM's approach to Brexit. Sir John said in a statement that Mr Johnson's plans could cost the UK its 'reputation for honouring the promises we make'. The former PM said: 'For generations, Britain's word solemnly given has been accepted by friend and foe. Our signature on any treaty or agreement has been sacrosanct. 'Over the last century, as our military strength has dwindled, our word has retained its power. 'If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained.' Malaysia detains two vessels, 26 Vietnamese fishermen September 09,2020 | Source: NST Two Vietnamese fishing vessels with 26 crew members were detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for encroaching into the state waters yesterday. The two vessels were spotted about 33 nautical miles off Pulau Tioman during the Op Kuda Laut operation about 2.30pm. Pahang MMEA director Marine First Admiral Amran Daud said upon realising the presence of MMEA's patrol vessel at sea, the suspects tried to flee before they later surrendered. "Based on the vessel registration number, the fishermen were from Vietnam and both the vessels were laden with three tonnes of catch. The 26 crew members and two skippers were between 17 and 50 years old, and did not have any documents with them. "MMEA seized fishing equipment, diesel supply and the vessels worth about RM2 million. The seized vessels were taken to Tanjung Gemok maritime post while the crew members have been detained for further investigations," he said in a statement today. He said the foreign fishermen were being investigated under Section 16 (3) and Section 15(1)(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for failing to inform the Malaysian authorities on their arrival and fishing in the Malaysian waters without permission respectively. Amran said all the suspects who underwent Covid-19 screening will be also investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/1963 for not possessing valid identification documents. If convicted, each crew member can be fined up to RM100,000, or a jail term not more than two years while the both skippers can be fined up to RM1 million each, or a jail term not more than three years. 2020 New Straits Times, New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd. A part of Media Prima Group. Theme(s): Others. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- New four-week COVID-19 case projections released today by PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) suggest some outbreaks on college campuses will lead to increased community spread, while other schools will be likely to contain transmission. The updated forecasts also project upticks once again in communities across the Mid-Atlantic, such as Richmond and Baltimore, and the Sun Belt, from San Diego to Phoenix, that had stable or declining case count projections over the past few weeks. Through their county-level forecasting model and test positivity data, the researchers have been closely monitoring whether college campus outbreaks are impacting transmission risk in their surrounding towns and communitiesand the results are mixed. Projections are improving for South Bend, Ind., home to the University of Notre Dame, and the Research Triangle in North Carolina, which experienced significant outbreaks on the campuses of the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. The communities surrounding the University of Michigan, Purdue University and Duke University have not seen forecasts dramatically change as students returned. Vermont colleges have largely started their academic years without significant transmission, likely the result of both the low case counts that New England maintained throughout the summer, and the safety protocols that colleges are following throughout the state. However, the researchers are detecting concerning risk for increased transmission to counties that neighbor some college towns, including communities near Boulder County, Colo. (University of Colorado Boulder), Washington County, Ark. (University of Arkansas), Leon County, Fla. (Florida State University), and Centre County, Pa. (Penn State University). The researchers believe the next 2-3 weeks of data will be crucial for understanding the impact of universities' mitigation plans on the risk for widespread community transmission. While the effects of Labor Day weekend travel are not yet apparent in the data, the new projections show some areas along the I-95 corridor, from Virginia to southern New Jersey, are once again seeing increased risk. Richmond's projected case counts continue to rise and several counties surrounding Washington, D.C. are experiencing test positivity rates as high as 10%. Baltimore and Philadelphia's forecasts also worsened slightly this week. In the Southwest, Pima, Pinal, and Maricopa Counties in Arizona experienced simultaneous increases in transmission risk for the first time in many weeks, signaling a need to watch reopening strategies, and San Diego, Imperial and Kings Counties in California are also expected to see spikes in case counts over the next four weeks. Finally, the projections show a continued challenging situation across much of the Midwest with transmission risk the highest across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. While hospitalizations have not increased with the rise in cases seen in these communities, the researchers stress the importance of watching hospitalization data over the next several weeks as the weather turns cooler for a sign of what much of the rest of the country could experience in the fall. "While we weren't surprised to see outbreaks on college campuses as students returned, what's most important now is understanding which safety plans are most successful at containing the spread of the virus from reaching the surrounding community," said David Rubin, MD, MSCE, director of PolicyLab at CHOP and a professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. "It's encouraging to see that some universities have been able to reduce transmission risk off campus while keeping students on campus and continuing instruction, even if virtually. We must learn from these situations and ensure that if outbreaks occur, our safety protocols can protect the most vulnerable members of the community from additional risk." For additional comments from COVID-Lab's lead investigators and collaborators, read this blog post: https://policylab.chop.edu/blog/covid-19-outlook-finding-our-bearings-after-labor-day Background Researchers at PolicyLab at CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania developed the model, known as COVID-Lab: Mapping COVID-19 in Your Community, which tracks COVID-19 transmission and test positivity rates across all U.S. counties, and projects case counts for 817 counties with active outbreaks, representing 82% of the U.S. population and 88% of all identified coronavirus cases. The researchers built their model to observe how social distancing, population density, daily temperatures, and humidity affect the number and spread of COVID-19 infections over time across a county, accounting for test positivity rates and population characteristics such as age, insurance status, crowding within homes and diabetes prevalence. COVID-Lab's projections forecast the number of coronavirus cases communities could experience over the next four weeks based on a three-day average of their current social distancing practices, defined by the change in travel to non-essential businesses as compared to pre-epidemic. This is just one tool in a toolbox of resources policymakers and decision-makers can use as they manage their COVID-19 response efforts. The application of this model, which focuses on time-varying transmission rates during the early months of the pandemic in the U.S., was released on July 23, following peer review, in JAMA Network Open. You can read more about how the team validates their models for accuracy in this blog post. The data are publicly available in the form of interactive maps and graphs. About PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is dedicated to achieving optimal child health and well-being by informing program and policy changes through interdisciplinary research. Founded in 2008, PolicyLab is a Center of Emphasis within the CHOP Research Institute, one of the largest pediatric research institutes in the country. With more than 30 highly regarded faculty and 60 passionate staff who bring expertise from myriad of fields covering health, research and health policy, our work focuses on improving public systems, improving health care delivery and improving child health outcomes. For more information, visit http://www.policylab.chop.edu . MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Walens, Strategic Ops & Comms Director PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia [email protected] or (734) 904-2181 SOURCE PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Related Links http://www.policylab.chop.edu WASHINGTONLast Thursday, Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg cited unnamed senior military sources about disparaging comments U.S. President Donald Trump is said to have made about the military, including calling American soldiers killed in war suckers and losers. A week later, the story is still being discussed, with Trump repeatedly, strenuously denying he said such things or holds such attitudes, and attacking the motives of senior members of the military who might have said them to Goldberg. Journalists at Fox News, AP, and Washington Post have cited their own confidential sources as confirming the Atlantic report. Even with the usual outrage-of-the-minute revolving door of Trump news, the pandemic and the churn of the election campaign, the story has had unusual staying power. The beliefs of Trumps own supporters might indicate a reason why thats the case. When Canadian pollster Frank Graves of Ekos Research looks at the attitudes in the U.S. towards Trump, he finds one eerily strong predictor of support. Among those with an ordered outlook, 78 per cent planned to vote for Trump. If we apply the index, its even a tighter fit now than it was in 2016, when it was probably your strongest predictor of Trump voting, Graves said on the phone this week. That index hes speaking ofis modified from a popular post-Second World War attitudinal profile meant to measure support for authoritarianism the Authoritarian Personality scale most associated with Theodor Adorno. Graves uses ordered in place of authoritarian to avoid negative connotations, but applications of the concept by other researchers have found similar results. After the 2016 election, the website Vox noted the trend and commissioned research showing that for those with such attitudes, a willingness to support military intervention against other countries was the most commonly held policy position. The ordered or authoritarian outlook is based in large part on respect for authority, and perhaps through that, reverence for the military. So it potentially resonates among Trump supporters who usually shrug off other scandals. Its really damaging, says Spencer Critchley, a Democratic strategist who wrote a book called Patriots of Two Nations outlining the divide between Trumps support base and the American political mainstream. For Trump to express contempt for the military hits at a sacred symbol of this world view. The world view Critchley describes goes beyond the index Graves tested, and encompasses a theory that Trumps voter base has a way of looking at the world based on tradition, culture, ethnicity and ties to the land that is more based in belief or faith than the enlightenment principles of reason and evidence that are taken as fundamental by liberals and much of the moderate right. The typical criticisms of Trump, even when backed by direct evidence, Critchley says, hold no resonance with Trumps supporters because their faith in him takes precedence. But, Critchley says, the image of Trump displaying an attitude of contempt to one of the pillars of their world view, the military, has the potential to pierce their faith. Especially because, according to Critchley, the report is believable. Trumps history of public comments and previous reports, Critchley says, laid the groundwork for these reports to ring true. An abbreviated version of Trumps history includes comments and attitudes of disrespect for military figures and sacrifice. In 2015, Trump called John McCain a loser, and went on to say McCain, who was tortured for more than five years as a prisoner of war, was not a war hero, because I like people who werent captured. In 2016, he caused a controversy when he belittled the Muslim family of a soldier who died in Iraq. Trump famously avoided military service in Vietnam, citing bone spurs in his foot. He has at times bragged about avoiding service in radio interviews, as well as describing his active sex life in the age of sexually transmitted diseases as the equivalent of a soldier going over to Vietnam. In her book about Trumps family life, his niece Mary Trump discusses how Trump and his father showed disdain for her father for his service in the national guard, and described their disdain for military service in general. She writes that Trump and his former wife, Ivana, threatened their son Don Jr. that if he joined the army theyd disown him in a second. Its in that context, Critchley says, that the Atlantic article has landed. The resentment that Trump exploited to get elected, that these elites are screwing you, theyre conning you and screwing you all the time hes exposed as that privileged, rich kid whos expressing contempt for these heartland Americans who go off and risk their lives in service of the country. Its the combination of the sacredness of the military to his supporters, and the believability of the reports, Critchley says, that may hurt him politically. Thats why hes panicked about this one. Read more about: (Natural News) Air travel giant American Airlines (AA) has altered its company policy to allow flight attendants to wear Black Lives Matter (BLM) pins and other associated bling on their work uniforms. To show its support for all the rioting, looting and other violence taking place in cities all across the country, AA is lifting restrictions that previously required its employees to remain neutral about hot-button political issues like BLM while on-duty. In a company announcement, AA suggested that we now live in a time where it is so important to have a dialogue about this important issue of racism in our society and try to find common ground. And the best place for that, apparently, is while masked and in-flight. American is truly committed to having an inclusive culture that is welcoming to all and a reflection of our country and world, the statement goes on to explain. This is why American is so committed to creating a more tolerant and diverse team. Through our partnership with Americans office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we are continuing to work through an overall plan for addressing these issues in our workplace. Part of this plan is to also create an official AA symbol that supports BLM, Antifa, and other woke causes for employees to wear while they serve air travelers drinks and pretzels. In addition, the company is also working to design its own pin that will show its symbolic support of a diverse and inclusive work environment, AA says. American Airlines is so committed to fighting racism that it is hiring only black people to design uniform pin Just in case these changes are inadequate, AA has decided to go a step further in the fight against racism by hiring only black people from its Black Professional Network to design the companys new uniform pin. No white people will be on the design team because white people are bad and black people are good. Only black people can lead the way into a new anti-racist world, in other words, where whiteness is fully extinguished, and true and pure equality takes its place. The airline said it is showing support for black colleagues who have experienced discrimination and injustice, not any particular organization, reported NBC 5. In the immediate aftermath of the George Floyd incident, AA publicly announced that demonstrations, aka rioting and looting, highlight the urgent need for systemic change, because Black Lives Matter. Not everyone who works for AA is happy about these changes, though. One company flight attendant reportedly told the New York Post that she takes serious offense to the new BLM pin rule, as her husband is a law enforcement officer. As far as Im concerned, all lives matter, this individual, who has worked for the airline for many years, wrote in an email to AAs senior management. I am completely disgusted at the fact that we cant show our support for our God, our country, our LEOs but when it comes to BLM organization (which is controversial in itself), American Airlines says thats obviously different, she added. Another flight attendant who goes by the name of John says that not wearing a BLM pin, under these new rules, could cause strife among employees. Those who choose not to support BLM domestic terrorism will be ostracized and labeled as racist, even though BLM is a terrorist organization that promotes violence to further their agenda. If this pin is sanctioned, I will wear my NYPD pin supporting the police department, John says. The latest news stories about multinational corporations like AA pandering to far-left domestic terrorism can be found at PoliticalCorrectness.news. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com North Adams Schools to Begin Hybrid Instruction on Sept. 21 The School Committee approved an agreement with the teachers' union that would begin hybrid learning on Sept. 21. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The School Committee and the teachers' union have signed an agreement to begin the shift from remote to partial in-school learning starting Sept. 21. All students except those who have opted for full remote are expected to be on the hybrid schedule by Oct. 8. The committee voted in August to start the year fully remote on Sept. 15 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the transition to a hybrid learning plan open-ended until a memorandum of agreement could be negotiated with the North Adams Teachers Association. The NATA voted on Saturday to agree to the plan; the committee voted on Tuesday evening to endorse it 6-1, with committee member Tara Jacobs voting against. "It was a process that was rooted in ... the reopening plan that was developed by the district leadership team and members of the NATA bargaining unit, it was informed by the August meeting of the School Committee," said Mayor Thomas Bernard, chairman. The school system has already set up school opening updates for Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 6:30 p.m. for prekindergarten through Grade 6 and Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. for Grades 7-12. A question-and-answer session for all grades will be held on Friday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m. All students will begin school on the Canvas learning management system on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Thursday, Sept. 17: prekindergarten and certain special programs including the Adult Transition and the Drury Off-Campus programs at the Armory will begin in person. Monday, Sept. 21: Students in cohort A, Grades K-3 & 7-8 begin a hybrid schedule. Thursday, Sept. 24: Students in cohort B, Grades K-3 & 7-8 begin a hybrid schedule. Monday, Sept. 28: Students in cohort A, Grades 4-6 & 9-10 begin a hybrid schedule. Thursday, Oct. 1: Students in cohort B, Grades 4-6 & 9-10 begin a hybrid schedule. Monday, Oct. 5: Students in cohort A, Grades 11-12 begin. Thursday, Oct. 8: Students in cohort B, Grades 11-12 begin. As presented by the administration last month , students will be in school for partial days with everyone remote on Wednesday to allow for enhanced cleaning within the school buildings for the novel coronavirus. Superintendent Barbara Malkas reminded the committee that the public schools had implemented a remote-learning plan in the spring that ended on July 31. "We entered into negotiations this year following the conclusion and acceptance of the pandemic recovery plan that was submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education," she said, adding, "the parameters of the larger pandemic recovery plan are incorporated into this MOA." The plans cover such issues as the gradual integration of hybrid learning, the parameters for synchronous learning, health metrics for North Adams and the surrounding communities, and an agreement on inspections of the school buildings' air exchangers and filtration systems. "There is a lot of work to be done in order to schedule our students, being able to provide opportunities for workshops and training for families," Malkas said. "Also really making sure that we're scheduling our staff, so that we have sufficient staff to be able to provide remote teaching for remote-learning students, but also be able to provide in-person instruction for our students." The negotiations were handled by the mayor and School Committee members Karen Bond and Jacobs with the bargaining team from NATA. Malkas and the mayor thanked NATA co-Presidents Michelle Darling and Lisa Tanner for the leadership and responsiveness. Committee member Ian Bergeron said he still had some concerns about the language on mask use in the MOA. "I'm hopeful that when this is put into place that people recognize the sentiment of the document," he said. "It is intended to protect students, it's also intended to allow teachers the ability to allow for exceptions and mask use when it is necessary, and not as a common practice throughout the day." Bernard said health and safety of students, families and staff was a priority and public health data will continue to inform the school system's plans. The choices in the MOA creates will allow for a "quick phase" in hybrid learning while still keeping the remote option open for those families who chose it, he said. "I think it's going to be important because as we are data driven, we don't know how long we will be able to just sustain a hybrid model, so the importance of connectivity and connection among students and teachers for as long as we can have it is an important piece of this," he said. Committee Vice Chairwoman Heather Boulger said she wanted to make sure educators had the resources they needed. "And then the second thing that I want to say is about some of the language and the MOA is big about is in social distancing," she said. "And I think it's imperative that our parents and community leaders, serve as role models, to make sure that their children understand how important it is to wear your masks and to socially distance, when in school and when in your classroom to make sure we're keeping everybody as safe as possible. ... "I'm just asking everybody to be kind, to be compassionate, to be patient because we're going to need all of that to get through this." A Peterborough-area snowbird who was stranded alone in Costa Rica during the COVID-19 pandemic has returned home. Im glad to be back, said Troy Patterson over the phone from a cottage on Rice Lake on Monday. Patterson, 59, arrived in Toronto late Friday night on a chartered flight of about 30 other Canadians who were also stuck in the Central American country. Friends were there to pick him up and take him to a cottage he leases on Rice Lake, where he was in quarantine on Monday. Patterson is a building contractor who spends summers working and living at a cottage on Rice Lake and winters in a small house in Costa Rica. Both homes are leased to him. When the federal government called Canadians abroad home in the worsening COVID-19 pandemic in March, Patterson didnt leave: hed prepaid for a plane ticket to Toronto for April 1, and figured travel restrictions would be lifted by then. When that didnt happen, he booked three separate flights home only to have those commercial flights cancelled. The cancellations occurred because the airlines were never sanctioned by the Costa Rican government to fly a money-grab on the part of the airlines, he said. After The Examiner reported his conundrum in August, he was contacted online by a group of Canadians who were organizing a charter flight and asked him if he wanted to buy a seat. Some of the Canadians wanted to get to Costa Rica to retirement properties they own there, while others were stuck in the country and wanted to get back to Canada. Patterson said his leased cottage which isnt winterized will be available to him for about eight weeks. After that he doesnt know where he will live. All he knows for sure is that he wont be able to afford to travel again for at least a year. Whats next? What will I do? he said. Well figure it out one step at a time. Over the weekend friends and family came for a physically distanced visit, and Patterson says it was hard to see loved ones and not embrace them. But he says the last several months have been emotionally difficult: it took weeks of perseverance to apply successfully for CERB by phone, for example, while his money was running out. On Monday he thanked all the people who helped get him home, including those at The Examiner. I cant express how grateful I am to my peeps in Peterborough, he said. I could still be stuck there. There were no Ukrainian army casualties. No violations of the ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation zone in eastern Ukraine's Donbas were recorded on Tuesday, September 8. There were no Ukrainian army casualties, the JFO Command said in a morning update on Facebook on Wednesday, September 9. The Ukrainian military continue adhering to the ceasefire and are ready to respond to any attack by the enemy, it said. Read alsoZelensky on ceasefire violations in Donbas: Russia must adhere to agreementsSince Wednesday midnight, the sides have continued observing the full and comprehensive ceasefire. A landmine clearance operation is under way. Around 8 hectares in the frontline zone have been cleared of landmines. Some 53 mines and improvised explosive devices were found and sent for disposal. What is more, Joint Forces personnel are engaged in repairing and rebuilding houses and civilian infrastructure. In the past 24 hours, 15 facilities were fully repaired. The situation is under full control of the Ukrainian military. Escalation in Donbas: latest SAGINAW, MI President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to visit Saginaw County on Thursday as he campaigns for reelection, and Debra Ell says she couldnt be more excited. Michigan - I think were the key to this election. Were probably the most important state right now and he loves Michigan. Hes done a lot for us and I think we waited a long time for him to come back in here," said Ell, who describes herself as a grassroots political organizer. Trump is scheduled to host a campaign rally at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, at Avflight Saginaw, an aviation company located at the MBS International Airport in Freeland. Related: President Donald Trump holding Saginaw County airport rally Thursday Ell, who is connected with the Michigan Conservative Coalition, opened a voter-information center last year in Saginaw County and got some attention by initially selling Trump-themed Christmas merchandise. The space is now used to sell custom Trump yard signs, register people to vote and let people sign their names to several petitions, one of which calls for legislation to repeal the Emergency Powers of Governor Act. Related: President Trump ornaments, hats and more offered by new shop in Saginaw County Recently, the office, located at 4607 Bay Road within Bay Plaza, has a lot of people visiting, according to Ell. I think theres a lot of confidence, people are excited, but its that silent majority, Ell said. But this time its much stronger than 2016. People were going to vote for him, but they werent going to talk about it. In 2016, Trump won Saginaw County in 2016 with roughly 48 percent of the vote. The county is among a dozen that Trump flipped in 2016 after they previously voted for the Obama-Biden ticket twice, and Trump was the first Republican to win Saginaw County since 1984. Saginaw County Republican Party Vice Chair Thomas Roy said he believes the Republican organizations in mid-Michigan are excited for Trumps visit this week. Ever since its been announced people have been bombarding us with phone calls and Facebook messages, asking us how they can get involved, how they can volunteer, how they can come to the rally, Roy said. Everything has been very positive. Saginaw County Commissioner Cheryl Hadsall, a Democrat, says the Saginaw County Democratic Party will be working phones on Thursday to get fellow Democrats to vote. Hes coming to Saginaw to rally up the Republicans, were going to rally up the Democrats in other ways, Hadsall said. She added the phone calls are safe to do during the coronavirus pandemic because volunteers will be given a list of people to call from their homes. MBS Airport Manager James Canders said hes heard up to 5,000 people will attend Thursdays rally. This event was just announced over the weekend, so everyone is trying to put things together very quickly, Canders said. Hes only going to be on the ground for a short time, for a couple of hours, and hell depart. Canders said that the actual space where the rally will be held can hold 1,700 people, but attendees will also be allowed to gather outside on the ramp, he said. The airport manager said once Trump is on the ground, portions of Freeland and Garfield roads will be shut down, so those hoping to attend should get to the event early, Canders said To get tickets for the event, visit here. Later in the week, on Sunday, Sept. 13, Ell is hosting a MAGA - Back the Blue car and bike cruise and flyover in Frankenmuth. Ell said the event will showcase support for police officers and Trump. Several small planes and helicopters will fly over the city at some point during the event, Ell said. The grassroots organizer said voters are interested in what she calls common sense patriotism." Theyre attracted to the common sense patriotism of this man, who isnt talking down to them," Ell said. They look at the results. They might not like something about him, but its all external stuff, its not what is going to make a difference and now we got socialism. In 2016, we had anti-Hilary vote and now we have the anti-socialism vote that is bringing in those extra votes. Related news: President Donald Trump holding Saginaw County airport rally Thursday Trump and Biden back-to-back visits show Michigan is still a 2020 battleground It was a stormy day in the ongoing Kangana Ranaut-Shiv Sena affair as the BMC, ruled by the Sena, demolished portions of the Bandra bungalow of the Bollywood actress, just hours before she arrived in Mumbai from Manali. After reaching her residence, Ranaut also posted a video slamming Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the Sena chief. In the video, she said: "Uddhav Thackeray, tujhe kya lagta hai? (what do you think?) That you colluded along with the film mafia, demolished my home and took revenge on me? My home was demolished today, your arrogance will crumble tomorrow. This is the wheel of time, remember, it never stays the same." The 33-year-old actor has alleged that the Maharashtra government is targeting her because of her fight with the Shiv Sena. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party had slammed Ranaut for comparing Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. While the Bombay High eventually stayed the demolition process after she filed a plea via her lawyer Rizwan Siddique, another parallel development may lead to another fight between the state government and the Centre on behalf of the Ranaut. Speaking to reporters, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday had said the Mumbai police will probe allegations by Adhyayan Suman that actor Kangana Ranaut took drugs. Deshmukh said Adhyayan, the son of actor Shekhar Suman, was once in a relationship with Ranaut and he had alleged that she used to take drugs. "The Mumbai police will investigate this matter," the home minister added. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Today's Daily Dose brings you news about AstraZeneca pausing its phase 3 study of COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Albireo's positive data from phase 3 trial of Odevixibat in progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, Corbus' disappointing results from its phase 3 trial of Lenabasum in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, RedHill's promising 'in vitro' data of COVID-19 drug candidate, Spero's ADAPT-PO trial results and Pfizer's equity investment in Trillium. Read on. 1. AstraZeneca Pauses COVID-19 Vaccine Trial AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) has paused the phase III study of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222, following an adverse reaction in a trial participant, reports Stat News. AZD1222, being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford researchers, is in phase III development in the U.S., UK, Brazil, and South Africa with additional trials planned to start in Japan and Russia. The U.S. has recorded 6,326,696 active cases of COVID-19 and 189,639 deaths as of this writing, according to the Johns Hopkins University database. AZN closed Tuesday's trading at $54.71, up 2.11%. In after-hours, the stock was down 8.14% at $50.25. 2. Albireo Pharma Soars to New High Shares of Albireo Pharma Inc. (ALBO) jumped as much as 79 percent to touch a new 52-week high of $49 in intraday trading Tuesday, following positive topline results from a global phase III clinical trial of Odevixibat in progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis of type 1 or type 2, a rare genetic liver disease. In the phase III trial, dubbed PEDFIC 1, the two primary endpoints namely reductions in pruritus and serum bile acids achieved highly statistical significance with Odevixibat. The investigational drug was also well tolerated with a very low incidence of diarrhea. The company is planning to complete regulatory filings for Odevixibat in the indication of progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis in the EU and in the U.S. by early 2021. In other news, the company announced that it has commenced a proposed underwritten public offering of 3 million shares of its common stock. ALBO closed Tuesday's trading at $39.62, up 44.76%. 3. Co-Diagnostics to Expand COVID-19 Testing Services Co-Diagnostics Inc. (CODX) has entered into an agreement with Arches Research Inc, a CLIA laboratory and subsidiary of Polarity TE, Inc, (PTE), to expand COVID-19 testing services. Co-Diagnostics' Logix Smart COVID-19 test, which is CE-marked and authorized for emergency use by the FDA, is used for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the US and many other countries. Arches Research has been using Co-Diagnostics' tests for its customers since early this year. CODX closed Tuesday's trading at $11.70, up 41.99%. 4. Corbus Pharma Plunges on Disappointing Trial Results Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. (CRBP) plunged more than 75% on Tuesday, following disappointing results from its phase III trial of Lenabasum in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. Systemic sclerosis, a form of scleroderma, is a chronic, rare, debilitating autoimmune disease affecting about 200,000 people in the North America, EU, and Japan. The median American College of Rheumatology Combined Response Index for Systemic Sclerosis (ACR CRISS) scores at Week 52 that reflects the probability of patient improvement was set as the primary endpoint of the trial. In the phase III trial, dubbed RESOLVE-1, there were no significant differences in the primary and secondary endpoints when comparing Lenabasum to placebo, both added to background immunosuppressive drugs. CRBP closed Tuesday's trading at $2.23, down 75.89%. 5. RedHill Rallies on Promising In vitro Data of COVID-19 Drug Candidate RedHill Biopharma Ltd.'s (RDHL) drug candidate Opaganib has demonstrated complete inhibition of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in an in vitro model of human lung bronchial tissue comparing favorably with Gilead Inc's (GILD) Remdesivir. It should be noted that Remdesivir has received FDA's emergency use authorization to treat all hospitalized patients with Covid-19. RedHill's Opaganib is under a global Phase 2/3 study in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia as well as in a phase 2 study in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia in the U.S. RDHL closed Tuesday's trading at $8.41, up 13.04%. 6. Spero Therapeutics Gets a Boost from ADAPT-PO Trial Results Spero Therapeutics Inc.'s (SPRO) pivotal phase III clinical trial of oral antibiotic candidate, Tebipenem HBr, has yielded positive results in the treatment of adults with complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI) and acute pyelonephritis. In the phase III study, dubbed ADAPT-PO, oral Tebipenem HBr was statistically non-inferior to Merck's approved intravenous (IV) Ertapenem in the treatment of patients with cUTI and patients with acute pyelonephritis. Spero intends to complete NDA submission for U.S. regulatory approval of Tebipenem HBr in the second quarter of 2021. SPRO closed Tuesday's trading at $13.07, up 45.87%. In after-hours, the stock gained another 1.07% to $13.21. 7. Strongbridge Biopharma Slumps despite LOGICS study Achieving Main Goal Strongbridge Biopharma plc's (SBBP) phase III withdrawal study evaluating RECORLEV for the treatment of endogenous Cushing's syndrome, dubbed LOGICS, has met the primary endpoint with high statistical significance. However, shares fell more than 20%, following the results. At the end of the withdrawal phase of the LOGICS study, 54.5 percent more patients who were withdrawn to placebo had a loss of mean urinary free cortisol response as compared with those who remained on RECORLEV, noted the company. The adverse events of special interest in the LOGICS study included those that were liver-related, those related to adrenal insufficiency, and QT interval prolongation. The company is planning to submit a New Drug Application for RECORLEV to the FDA in the first quarter of 2021. SBBP closed Tuesday's trading at $2.82, down 20.11%. 8. Trillium Gets equity investment from Pfizer Trillium Therapeutics Inc. (TRIL) soared more than 38 percent in after-hours Tuesday, following a proposed equity investment from Pfizer Inc. (PFE) via a registered direct offering. The company has agreed to sell 2.29 million common shares at a price of $10.88 per share to Pfizer for gross proceeds of $25.0 million. The offering is expected to close on or about September 10, 2020. Trillium's lead candidates include TTI-621, under a phase 1 study in patients with advanced relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies, and TTI-622, which is being evaluated in a phase 1a/1b study in patients with advanced relapsed or refractory lymphoma or multiple myeloma. TRIL closed Tuesday's trading at $9.46, down 1.77%. In extended trading, the stock was up 38.48% at $13.10. 9. Stocks That Moved On No News SCWorx Corp. (WORX) closed Tuesday's trading at $1.86, up 22.37%. Cancer Genetics Inc. (CGIX) closed Tuesday's trading at $5.26, up 21.48%. TRACON Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TCON) closed Tuesday's trading at $3.74, up 20.65%. Biocept Inc. (BIOC) closed Tuesday's trading at $4.42, down 16.89%. Venus Concept Inc. (VERO) closed Tuesday's trading at $2.23, down 16.48%. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de SEATTLE, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambia Grove, a health care innovation hub, announces its fourth TRAILS Competition focused this year on improving the experience of people living with serious illness through palliative care. Cambia Grove invites health care startups of all stages to submit solutions that improve care of seriously ill people and their families for the chance at a personalized accelerator program, in order to help the winning TRAILS team optimize their palliative care solution through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with Banister Advisors. The Center to Advance Palliative Care released data demonstrating 90,000,000 Americans live with serious illness today. As baby boomers continue to age, the demand for serious illness care is expected to more than double within the next 25 years. "Palliative care is whole person care. A typical team is interdisciplinary, made of providers and social workers that must communicate really well in order to provide person focused support for the patient." said Maura Little, Executive Director of Cambia Grove. "We're using the interactive framework of the TRAILS Competition to charge the palliative care space with innovators primed to collaborate. We're excited to partner with Banister Advisors to develop solutions that improve the experience of people living with serious illness and expanding their access to palliative care in the face of COVID-19 and underlying systemic racism in the health care system." The TRAILS Competition was designed to provide promising startups access to knowledge within the health care system to better understand how their solution can be positioned to create impact. Through this year's tailored accelerator experience, the winning startup will be connected to established health care professionals and organizations working to advance palliative care within Banister Advisors' vast network. "We are grateful to be working with the Cambia Grove's TRAILS competition and the greater community of entrepreneurs to advance health care innovation," said Vanessa Brewster Laughlin, Banister Advisors Principal. "As this year's prize partner, we look forward to collaborating on real solutions with the 2020 winner and offering our client experience to help alleviate historical inequities and systemic barriers to palliative care." Entries must be submitted to the TRAILS Competition application page by September 22, 2020 11:59PM PDT to be eligible. Semifinalists will receive feedback including a candid evaluation of the product's ability to address the challenge statement. Five finalists will be announced October 26, and invited to virtually pitch their solution to a panel of judges November TBD, 2020. Precursor palliative events and the 2020 TRAILS Competition challenge statement have given innovators a grounding in palliative care. At Cambia Grove's June Under the Aspens the guest speakers identified areas for personalizing palliative care, including improving communication and decision-making about care options and broadening pain management to assuage psychosocial and mental pain. Peggy Maguire, President, Cambia Health Foundation; Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Palliative Care Solutions, sees "opportunity for enabling communicative empathy with the convenience of digital." Two additional virtual events being held for innovators interested in learning more about palliative care are the formal competition launch today at 12pm PT and tomorrow, the community can join Amy and Maya of Seattle Children's Hospital for a Pediatric Palliative Care Roundtable discussing the role of children's palliative services and how it differs from adult palliative care. For more information on the TRAILS Competition, including dates and details on submission requirements, please visit the TRAILS Competition application homepage. Fall TRAILS Competition Testimonials Spring TRAILS judge Wendy Sue L. Swanson MD, MBE, former Pediatrician and Chief of Digital Innovation at Seattle Children's Hospital, calls the competition's prize incomparable. "What's great about the TRAILS Competition is that the prize is not just money, or not just a trophy, or not just any press that's gained," said Swanson. "It's earnestly the partnership that all three of our hospitals up and down the west coast that said 'you know what, if you win, we'll invite you into our hospital. We'll help you shadow with clinicians, we'll engage you with patients and families where we can, and we'll help you think about your journey with access,' and that's the best prize I would suggest that's out there." Spring TRAILS winner Carly Kiselycznyk, Founder, CEO of BrainChild, speaks to the value of personal interaction with the providers making the decision implement her company's product. "As a startup founder, one of my greatest concerns is that our technology will actually be useful for providers. We can have a completely new and innovative solution, but it will not matter if no one has the time, money, or energy to implement it," said Carly Kiselycznyk, Founder, CEO of BrainChild. "Seeing how providers interact with patients is essential to better understand the realities of providers' day-to-day workflow and incorporate solutions to these pain points early in development. This opportunity from Cambia Grove provided a unique and invaluable experience that is rarely available to startup founders." About Cambia Grove Cambia Grove is a health care-focused innovation center where innovators and entrepreneurs can convene and catalyze new solutions. We offer a shared space for the emerging health care economic cluster where a host of stakeholders set aside competition in favor of true collaboration toward the shared goals of better health and a more sustainable system. To learn more, visit us at CambiaGrove.com or on Twitter. About Cambia Health Solutions Cambia Health Solutions, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is dedicated to transforming health care. We put people at the heart of everything we do as we work to make the health care system more economically sustainable and efficient for people and their families. Our company reaches over 80 million Americans nationwide, including more than three million people in the Pacific Northwest who are enrolled in our regional health plans. To learn more about us, visit CambiaHealth.com or Twitter.com/cambia. SOURCE Cambia Grove UK prime minister, Boris Johnson will place a ban on groups of more than six people gathering in homes, parks, pubs, and restaurants in England in a bid to stop COVID-19 spike. The 'rule of six' is a dramatic reduction on the limit of 30 which was first put in place on July 4. The new rule, which comes into force on 14 September, will see first offenders fined 100, which will then double on each repeat offence up to 3,200. The decision comes after the latest COVID-19 figures revealed there were a further 2,460 confirmed cases in the UK as of 9 am on Tuesday, following 2,948 on Monday and 2,988 on Sunday. Announcing the new restrictions, Mr Johnson said: 'We need to act now to stop the virus spreading. So we are simplifying and strengthening the rules on social contact making them easier to understand and for the police to enforce. 'It is absolutely critical that people now abide by these rules and remember the basics washing your hands, covering your face, keeping space from others, and getting a test if you have symptoms.' Discussing the stringent move, Health Secretary, Matt Hancock insisted the public must follow the coronavirus rule saying: 'Abiding by these rules is absolutely vital to protect life. We've seen the increase in the number of cases sadly in the last few days. We've seen that across Europe there's a second wave that many countries have experienced. 'Some of those countries have then got that second wave under control. If you look at what's happened in Belgium they saw an increase and then they've brought it down, whereas in France and Spain that just hasn't happened. 'On the question of the Northern Ireland Protocol the Government has a number of international obligations and the primary amongst those in this context is about protecting the peace process. 'In the case of coronavirus everybody understands how important it is that we together keep this under control, we can't do it individually because of the nature of the disease. 'So, yes, it is incredibly important that everybody follows these new rules and we'll be bringing in strict enforcement.' Fines for those who breach the rule will range from 100 to 3,200, the Health Secretary said, adding that there will be exceptions for events such as weddings, funerals and Christenings. Speaking to Times Radio, Matt Hancock said: 'It will be much easier for the police to enforce because the previous rules where you had two households it was much harder to work out what was and wasn't OK.' 'We have got to bring in clear, stricter rules this autumn unfortunately to stop the spread of the virus,' he said. 'One of the things we heard back including from the police directly was that we needed a simpler set of rules that are very straightforward, (that) everybody can understand, and we will be publishing those rules very clearly and then enforcing against them.' 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 In order to implement the National Education Policy, 2020 in the state, the Maharashtra education department has now formed several committees to give their suggestions and recommendations to the government. In a government resolution released on September 8, the department announced the formation of a five-member coordinating committee would collate suggestions from different study groups and committees. The coordinating committee, consisting officials from Pune and Chandrapur zilla parishads, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and states publishing bureau Balbharti, has to submit its report to the government by October 15. The committee will collate suggestions received from various stakeholders in the past and in the coming days. A draft guideline would be prepared for its implementation in the state, states the GR. After the Union cabinet passed National Education Policy, 2020 last month, the state education department held several consultations with experts and stakeholders over its implementation. All the suggestions and recommendations made in these consultation meetings shall be taken into consideration for the report, said a member of the coordinating committee. President Trump acknowledged in early February that the coronavirus pandemic was more deadly than the flu and said in March that he was intentionally playing down the severity of the virus outbreak, according to recordings of interviews with journalist Bob Woodward for a new book. The private comments contrast sharply with the presidents public claims that the virus would simply disappear and was very much under control. In a February 7 phone interview, Trump made clear he knew the threat the novel virus posed: You just breathe the air and thats how its passed. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flus. This is deadly stuff. As The Washington Post notes, Trump would go on to tell the public that the virus was no worse than the flu, saying it would soon disappear and that his administration had the outbreak under control. Trump claimed later in February that the number of U.S. cases "within a couple of days is going to be down close to zero," and he continued to hold campaign rallies that experts warned could put attendees at risk. In a March 19 interview with Woodward, Trump admitted he was purposely minimizing the threat from the virus: To be honest with you, I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I dont want to create a panic. In that March interview, Trump also told Woodward that plenty of young people were contracting the virus. The president would later claim publicly that children are almost immune to infection. Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, blasted Trump for the recorded comments, saying the presidents decisions betrayed the American people and cost tens of thousands of lives and millions more of American livelihoods. He knew how deadly it was. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed for months, Biden said at an event in Michigan. He failed to do his job, on purpose, he said. Story continues White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany insisted Wednesday that the president has never lied to the American public about Covid and was exhibiting strong leadership by trying to maintain confidence and calm. The president never downplayed the virus, she said. Trump later reiterated to reporters that he wanted to show strength and avoid public panic. He said his administration has done an amazing job in combatting the virus and that the country otherwise would have seen millions of Covid-19 deaths. Woodward conducted 18 interviews with Trump for his book, Rage, due to be released next week. CNN and The Washington Post obtained copies of the book and published details and audio recordings on Wednesday. The book reportedly also includes brutal criticisms of Trump from several of his former top national security officials. Why it matters: These are potential bombshells that could have Trump again on the defensive about his coronavirus response even as his campaign has tried to shift the focus in the presidential race. Yes, Trump has managed to survive and maintain the support of his base after past damaging comments, but this time the revelations are more directly tied to the voting publics health and wellbeing and the Covid death toll is nearing 190,000. One thing is certain: Youll be hearing a lot more about Woodwards book over the next week. Read more about Woodwards revelations at The Washington Post and CNN. Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter. Laredo City Council on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Rene Benavides, chief prosecutor in the 49th District Court for the Webb County District Attorneys Office, as the new city attorney. Their vote was unanimous; council members roundly praised Benavides for his temperament and apolitical manner. Councilman Alberto Torres said when he learned that Benavides was the top choice for the position, he was pleased that he didnt already know him. That means Benavides is apolitical and comes with no strings attached, Torres said. Last year Councilman George Altgelt, an attorney, tried a case against Benavides and lost. Altgelt said Benavides won fair and square, and that one would be hard-pressed to find someone so hardworking and ethical as he. Mayor Pete Saenz said he was glad to hear that Benavides is apolitical and encouraged him to behave as a judge would, not getting too involved with anyone on council or trying to please one faction over another. Benavides said he wants to make the City Attorneys Office second to none. He looks forward to getting to know council members so that they can establish trust and know that when the City Attorneys Office makes a legal opinion that it is sound, constitutionally protected and advances the interests of the City of Laredo, he said. He also said he understood that this position was not an 8-5 office job and that he will be accessible to council as former City Attorney and now Assistant City Manager Kristina Hale had been. City Manager Robert Eads, who made the appointment, said that Benavides was born in Laredo, spent his early childhood here and graduated from Zapata High School. He received his bachelors degree from Baylor University, his law degree from the South Texas College of Law and has practiced law for 20 years, including in the San Antonio City Attorneys Office and the civil division of the United States Attorneys Office. Eads noted that Benavides will be tested on a daily basis and doesnt shy away from the long hours of the job. He will complete his transition into the job by Oct. 5, the city manager said. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The Committee of Investigations has pressed charges of Creating or Leading a Criminal Subculture Group against Arsen Arsen Yerevansky Mkrtchyan, a reputed thief-in-law said to have been crowned as such in 1999 by "thief-in-law" Maels Kndo Mayis Mkrtchyan (now deceased) and "thief-in-law" Aslan Ded Hasan Usoyan, the Russian mob boss who was shot dead on 16 January 2013 in Moscow. 11 others are also facing criminal charges. Under the Armenian law enacted earlier this year, it is illegal to belong to a criminal subculture even if the suspect isnt linked to having committed any other crime. The Committee of Investigations said Arsen Yerevansky continued maintaining his criminal status after the initiation of the anti-mafia law and used his influence as a thief in law to resolve various disputes or gain illicit profits, among other actions. Earlier, on 28 August, authorities jailed reputed crime boss, thief-in-law Gevorg Oshakantsi Gevorik Melikyan on similar charges. Days later, reputed crime boss Andranik Zap Leninakansky Soghoyan was placed under arrest for allegedly leading an organized crime syndicate as a thief in law. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan As Katy Independent School District greeted nearly 41,000 students for the first day of in-person instruction on Tuesday, Sept. 8, McElwain Elementary School opened for the first time for approximately 370 young learners. School started virtually on Aug. 19 for the districts nearly 84,000 students, but Sept. 8 was the first time students have been on campus since March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Families waited in their vehicles in the drop-off line at McElwain Elementary in both excitement and anxiousness for finally getting back in the classroom. Related: Katy ISD school nurse dies from COVID-19 Im kind of nervous just because, you know, with everything thats going on, but I feel like she needs normal back in her life. Being at home for six months, its been hard for them to adjust to that because they were used to a schedule, said Amber Rodriguez, who was dropping her daughter Aria off for the second grade. But at the same time, Im excited to send her back, you know, for her to get out, experience the whole school thing again. Stephanie Sell was dropping her son Elijah off for kindergarten. Since he did not attend pre-K, this was his first time to go to school. He said he was looking forward to the big day. Sell was ready for him to have more social interaction and said she wasnt all that concerned about COVID-19. It seems to be hitting people with other health conditions, and luckily Eli has been very healthy. So if it does happen, then well deal with it, Sell said. Superintendent Ken Gregorski was there to welcome and cheer on the McElwain Elementary students with smiles, hellos and a clapping noisemaker as they walked in to their brand-new building for the first time. He said he was pleased with the safety protocols that the district has in place, such as wearing masks and shields, hand washing, safety videos and a range of information resources on the Smart Restart webpage. Gregorski explained though that they would go through the first day and adapt as needed. Related: Katy ISD ranks near top of Forbes list of Texas best employers We get the kids in school today, and we look at those practices, see whats working. And if there are things we can put into place tomorrow, or the next day, we will be doing those things, Gregorski said. One of his biggest concerns throughout the pandemic, he said, has been to get students back in the classroom where they can succeed but in a safe manner. Gregorski explained that Katy ISD has a mitigation system in place for when a student or staff member develops the virus at school, to isolate that person to prevent others from getting sick. He said a new testing center will immediately test a district staff worker. We test our own staff members here in Katy ISD. We have our own site, our own labs, our own quick tests because we want those staff members who may have been exposed to know that they can get a test right away to see what may have happened, Gregorski said. He noted he was thankful for an understanding and patient district community and for staff members that have put in countless hours to provide school environments that are safe and ready for students to learn. The school was named after architect Peter McElwain, who helped develop 40 schools and district facilities like the Leonard E. Merrell Center and Gerald D. Young Agricultural Sciences Center from 1998 to 2017. McElwain also worked on several major renovations of schools. I felt extremely fortunate to be involved with a great team of folks both inside the district and outside the district in the development of these facilities because it was one of the fastest growing times that the school district has ever experienced, McElwain said. Related: Option period for virtual or in-person learning begins for Katy ISD families He said he felt proud and honored to walk into a school that bears his name. He said his objective during his career and life has been to support the education of young people in different ways. Since his retirement, he has written two childrens books, which now have copies in the school library. McElwain explained that the new school building was designed with flexible areas like learning steps to sit and places in the hallways where students can gather and learn together. The school has a capacity of 1,000 students, so even when all the Katy Virtual Academy students eventually arrive at campus, there will still be a lot of room to grow. Jordan High School also opened in Fulshear on Sept. 8 and has the capacity for 3,000 students. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com Commentary: Unity, cooperation the right choice in face of major crisis BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Unity and cooperation is the right choice for the international community in the face of a major crisis. For China, nationwide solidarity has played a key role in battling the COVID-19 epidemic. The country has put people's lives and health first and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect people's lives. The Chinese people have demonstrated their solidarity, the highest degree of discipline, self-sacrifice and an unconquerable will to win during the fight against the virus. With nationwide efforts, China has basically controlled the epidemic, successfully resumed work and school and gradually brought its economy back on track. Meanwhile, China has been working together with other countries, and contributing its wisdom and strength to the global fight against the pandemic. In an open, transparent and responsible manner, China gave timely notification to the international community of the onset of the epidemic, and shared without reserve its experience in containing the spread of the virus and treating the infected. China twice donated funds to the World Health Organization totaling 50 million U.S. dollars and sent 34 medical expert teams to 32 countries. China also provided anti-epidemic assistance to 150 countries and four international organizations. It offered or exported anti-epidemic materials to more than 200 countries and regions. For example, between March 15 and Sept. 6, China exported 151.5 billion masks, 1.4 billion protective suits, 230 million goggles and 209,000 ventilators to support the global fight against COVID-19. With concrete actions, China has helped save a great number of lives from COVID-19 around the world. Most recently, at a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic on Tuesday, China vows to continue to support the World Health Organization in playing a leading role in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and to play the role of being the largest supplier of global anti-epidemic materials. At present, the COVID-19 pandemic is still wreaking havoc in many parts of the world. Data from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University showed the global death toll from the virus rose to 890,064, with a caseload of more than 27.2 million worldwide as of 3:28 p.m. (1928 GMT). Countries should put people and their lives front and center and further strengthen international cooperation, which is the right way to conquer the common threat. N urungji is Korean scorched rice, similar to Iranian tahdig or Spanish soccarat the crust on the bottom of the pan and, like those, considered a very desirable part of eating, a perk in fact. I didnt know about nurungji until encountering it at Bermondsey restaurant Sollip, where it is incorporated into sourdough bread, explaining its agreeable nuttiness and unusual softness. Woongchul Park and his wife Bomee Ki met while studying at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in London. Woongchul went on to work at Koffmanns and at The Ledbury. Bomee, a pastry chef, has worked at The Arts Club in Dover Street. After time out back in Korea they returned to open Sollip meaning pine needle at the ill-starred moment of mid-March and after a few days had to content themselves by running the premises as a shop. Now during the day it remains a shop featuring their pickles, sauces and cool, calm ceramics. Korean to me, and maybe to you, can signify fireworks on the plate, set off by garlic-driven kimchi. Here Korean is but a subtle influence on European traditions. It does well to be prepared with this knowledge if you are anticipating crunchy chicken wings or a riotous bowl of bibimbap mined with gochujang. Michelin stars have twinkled over these talents... The menu is divided into snacks, other dishes, and desserts including a snack of Jochung (grain syrup) Madeleine. Gougeres made with aged Cheddar and fermented soybean have a depth charge usually denied to choux dough. Gamtae sandwich, a dolls house sando, is made with Ducketts Caerphilly and seaweed. What I find fishy, a friend describes as truffley. Carrot-water kimchi flavours a little heap of sliced cooked carrots overlapping on goats cheese decorated with hazelnuts and dill. Demure is an adjective I can use. Revved up: Sollip cassoulet, with belly pork, canellini beans, and 10-months-fermented kimchi / Lucy Young Pictures of the neat slice of daikon tarte Tatin sitting quite near a spoon of chilli chive potato cream are appearing in social media. As a recipe idea it is a cunning notion, but would be much improved hot from the oven as its apple inspiration is usually served rather than cold and lonely. Because I have never knowingly eaten dried acorn we order barley risotto in which it is a constituent. It turns out a slightly mournful bowlful. Best of what we try (in hindsight I regret not ordering braised beef shortrib with black truffle butter rice) is Sollip cassoulet, incorporating belly pork and notably virtuous cannellini beans with 10-months-fermented kimchi slightly revving the broth. Sollip is a brave, still rather tentative mom-and-pop endeavour. Service is not its strong suit but that can easily be improved. Independent and to some extent groundbreaking, it deserves support. Fay's Favourites - Korean Chick and Beers Fly in New Malden, Korean central, on uplifting wings and more. 282 Burlington Road, KT3. 020 8942 1932 Dotori Regularly rammed, cash-only, vibrant neighbourhood dive. 3 Stroud Green Road, N4. dotori.co.uk Koba Bristling with tabletop grills, it reopened this week with extra treats for September. 11 Rathbone Street, W1. kobalondon.com Libyas National Oil Corporation (NOC) said that a warship had been staying at the Ras Lanuf oil terminal for several days, and has demanded that the military activity at vital Libyan oil facilities cease. Libyas oil terminals remain out of service, and the country has not exported oil since January. Currently, oil production in Libya is just 100,000 bpddown from 1.2 million bpd at the start of the year, just before paramilitary formations affiliated with the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar occupied Libya's oil export terminals and oilfields. Libyas conflict continues, preventing oil production and exports from the African OPEC member. Two weeks ago, Haftar's forces rejected the ceasefire announced two days earlier by the UN-backed government of Libya and the east-based rival administration, dismissing the proposal for truce as a "marketing" stunt. On Tuesday, NOC said that a warship had entered the Ras Lanuf oil terminal on Saturday and, at present, remains in port. NOC demands the immediate withdrawal of all military personnel from its facilities to protect the safety of its employees and the integrity of its infrastructure. We cannot tolerate the lives of our employees being put at risk or our facilities being damaged or destroyed by illegal military activity, a spokesman for the oil firm said in a statement. Last Friday, NOC said that military personnel fired live rounds and heavy weapons at the Ras Lanuf port, calling for immediate and unconditional demilitarisation of all oil facilities. There needs to be an immediate withdrawal of all military groups, especially foreign mercenaries, from its facilities, NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla said. Sanalla warned last month that oil tanks full to the brim at Libya's oil export terminals are posing a risk to local communities and the facilities themselves, while the port closures threaten gas production feeding power stations, leading to blackouts in many parts of the country. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The impact of Covid-19 on the insurance sector in Saudi Arabia and the efforts of sector players to support the national response to the challenges of the pandemic are explored in a report by Oxford Business Group (OBG). Produced with Najm Insurance Services, the Covid-19 Response Report (CRR) provides an in-depth analysis of Saudi Arabias response to the coronavirus in an easy-to-navigate and accessible format, focusing on key data and infographics relating to the countrys socio-economic landscape. The report examines the Kingdoms robust macroeconomic position before the crisis, looking at how the combination of low public debt, a strong credit rating and high FX reserves enabled it to absorb the initial shock of the pandemic. It also considers the positive impact that swiftly implemented containment measures had on curbing the spread of the virus, including the rapid rollout of testing procedures, which helped the country to record one of the lowest case-fatality rates in the G20. Further decisive action from the Ministry of Finance and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, the Kingdoms central bank, played a major part in reducing fallout from Covid-19 on both the private sector and households. The CRR provides details of the wide-ranging initiatives introduced, which include stimulus packages totalling SAR 120bn and a Loan Guarantee Programme that enabled banks and insurance companies to relieve SMEs from finance costs associated with the Kafala programme. It also documents the additional steps taken by the insurance industry to support the Kingdoms fight against the pandemic, which included making a collaborative donation of SR67.7 million. With insurance penetration levels in the country still relatively low, OBG highlights the potential for expansion that the sector offers. It also analyses the likely drivers of new industry growth, which range from Saudi Arabias many mandatory insurance requirements to its growing population and the regional infrastructure pipeline. Licence-holders will find a case study detailing the steps Najm Insurance Services took to accelerate its digital services as a way of easing the impact of the virus. There is also coverage of the disruptive role that fintech, and specifically insurtech, are expected to play in the industry going forward. Andrew Jeffreys, OBGs CEO, said that while Saudi Arabia has had to contend with both Covid-19 and a decline in global oil prices in recent months, the country was well placed to rebound in 2021. Activity is already increasing across several sectors of the national economy, as our report shows, while consumer sentiment has remained largely positive, which bodes well for a swift recovery, he said. We expect momentum to increase in the coming months and the Kingdom to remain focused on its long-term aim of economic diversification, in line with the objectives laid out in Vision 2030, he added. Mohammad Al Suliman, CEO at Najm Insurance Services, noted that the auto segment was well placed to rally, buoyed by strong sales last year and in the first three months of 2020. With digitisation integral to the realisation of Vision 2030, upgradingour digital services and preparing technology infrastructure and security systems have been our main focus in recent months, he said. This strategy not only aligns us with Saudi Arabias digital transformation goals, but has also enabled us to continue meeting our customers needs quickly and seamlessly, despite the challenges stemming from Covid-19. The CRR forms part of a series of tailored reports which OBG is currently producing with its partners, alongside other highly relevant, go-to research tools, including a range of country-specific Covid-19 Economic Impact Assessment articles and interviews. TradeArabia News Service A Limerick-based medical consultant has agreed a settlement with the Revenue Commissioners totalling almost 600,000. According to the latest List of Tax Defaulters, Dr Kevin Hickey, a well-known gynecologist with an address at 21 Ascot Terrace, O'Connell Avenue, Limerick, has paid 598,761.59 relating to the under-declaration of Income Tax. The settlement, includes 318,322.72 in tax, 184,942.05 in interest and penalties totalling 95,496.82. Separately, a company - Dr Kevin Hickey Unlimited - also of 21 Ascot Terrace, O'Connell Avenue, Limerick has reached a tax settlement totalling 1,216,196.44. The company has been described by the Revenue as a Medical Service Provider. That settlement, which relates to the under-declaration of Corporation Tax, PAYE, PRSI and USC includes 622,311.26 in tax, 407,191.80 in interest and 186,693.38 in penalties. Landlord Abdul Waheed has also been included on the latest List of Tax Defaulters. Mr Waheed, who has an address at 10 Carrinderry Rivers, Annacotty has paid a total of 57,225 relating to the under-declaration of Income Tax and VAT. The settlement includes 31,576 in tax, 13,019 in penalties and 12,630 in penalties. Nationally, 25 settlements were agreed with the Revenue during the second quarter of 2020. These have a total value of 8,491,348. For more Limerick news click here. A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration declined to comment. A person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the participant who experienced the suspected adverse reaction had been enrolled in a Phase 2/3 trial based in the United Kingdom. The individual also said that a volunteer in the U.K. trial had received a diagnosis of transverse myelitis, an inflammatory syndrome that affects the spinal cord and is often sparked by viral infections. However, the timing of this diagnosis, and whether it was directly linked to AstraZenecas vaccine, is still unknown. Transverse myelitis can result from a number of causes that set off the bodys inflammatory responses, including viral infections, said Dr. Gabriella Garcia, a neurologist at Yale New Haven Hospital. But, she added, the condition is often treatable with steroids. AstraZeneca declined to comment on the location of the participant and did not confirm the diagnosis of transverse myelitis. The event is being investigated by an independent committee, and it is too early to conclude the specific diagnosis, the company said. Some said the companys halt was evidence that the process was working as it should. At this stage, we dont know if the events that triggered the hold are related to vaccination, said Dr. Luciana Borio, who oversaw public health preparedness for the National Security Council under Mr. Trump and who was acting chief scientist at the F.D.A. under President Barack Obama. But it is important for them to be thoroughly investigated. AstraZenecas vaccine uses a viral vector that ferries coronavirus genes into human cells. The viral vector in this case is a modified chimpanzee adenovirus, altered to render it harmless to people. The coronavirus components of the vaccine are intended to spark a protective immune response that would be roused again should the actual coronavirus try to infect a vaccinated individual. In a paper published in The Lancet in July, researchers behind AstraZenecas formulation reported that the majority of participants in the vaccines Phase 1/2 trials, which are designed to assess the products safety, had experienced some mild or moderate side effects, including muscle aches and chills. None of the reactions, however, were considered severe or life-threatening, and resolved quickly. The vaccine was deemed safe enough to proceed to further testing. AstraZenecas vaccine is in Phase 2/3 trials in England and India, and in Phase 3 trials in Brazil, South Africa and more than 60 sites in the United States. The company intended for its U.S. enrollment to reach 30,000, and started its American trials on Aug. 31. Eva Dubin, Glenn Dubin, and Selina Dubin attend The Museum of Modern Art's Party in the Garden at MOMA in New York City in a 2017 file photograph. (Lars Niki/Getty Images for The Museum of Modern Art) US Virgin Islands Seeks Jeffrey Epstein-Related Documents From New York Billionaire U.S. Virgin Islands officials are seeking documents related to Jeffrey Epstein from a New York billionaire and his wife, according to new filings. Epstein, a money manager and convicted sex offender, died in prison, in what was ruled a suicide, while awaiting child sex trafficking charges last year. Attorney General Denise George in January launched an investigation into Epsteins estate, his trust, and five entities linked to Epstein that were alleged to have been part of his expansive scheme of human trafficking and sexually abusing young women and underage girls in the Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands Justice Department said in a statement. Epstein bought a private island known as Little St. James in 1998. It was allegedly the site of numerous rapes and sexual assaults. He bought nearby Great St. James in 2016. Prosecutors in July issued subpoenas in the case for Charles Schwab, Citibank, and other banks. Last month, the government announced the intent to subpoena Leon Black, a billionaire who serves as CEO of Apollo Global Management, an investment firm, and Lesley Groff, an alleged recruiter for Epstein. The latest subpoenas are for documents from billionaire Glenn Dubin and his wife, Eva Andersson-Dubin, who was reportedly romantically involved with Epstein in the 1980s. Prosecutors want all documents and communications relating to financial transactions between the Dubins and Epstein or any Epstein entity, agent, or associate, including three wire transfers between 2014 and 2016. They also requested documents relating to the Virgin Islands or Little St. James, including but not limited to travel to or from the islands or island. A spokesperson for the couple said in a statement to news outlets, The Dubins have previously said that they are horrified by and were completely unaware of Jeffrey Epsteins unspeakable conduct. Jeffrey Epstein in a July 2019 mugshot. (Department of Justice) Jeffrey Epstein looks on near his lawyer Martin Weinberg and Judge Richard Berman during a status hearing in his sex trafficking case, in this court sketch in New York on July 31, 2019. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) The couple told Epsteins probation officer in 2009, a year after he pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor, that they were 100 percent comfortable having him around their children, including a teenage daughter, according to an email obtained by Business Insider. Their spokesperson said last year that if the couple had known about the sex trafficking allegations, they would have cut off all ties and certainly never have allowed their children to be in his presence. According to previously released flight manifests from Epsteins private planes, the Dubins flew on the aircraft a number of times between 1996 and 2005. During many flights, their children were on board. Epsteins longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell was on some of the same flights. Maxwell is being held in federal prison in New York City after being arrested earlier this year on charges including transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Authorities alleged Maxwell groomed minor girls for abuse that took place in New York, Florida, and New Mexico, among other places. Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, and then delivered them into the trap that she and Jeffrey Epstein had set. She pretended to be a woman they could trust, acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in announcing the charges. Maxwell pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in 2021. Glenn Dubin told Reuters in January that he was retiring from managing hedge funds to focus on direct investing through his family office. Dubin said the move was not related to renewed attention over his links to Epstein. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 12:48:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Local people stand beside a damaged house near the site of bomb attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Sept. 9, 2020. The Afghan First Vice-President Amrullah Saleh escaped a bomb attack in Kabul during Wednesday's morning rush hour, reported local media. "The bomb blast targeted vehicles of First Vice-President Amrullah Saleh. Some last vehicles of the convoy have been affected," Arian News TV reported. An Interior Ministry official told Xinhua that two people were killed and 12 others wounded in the attack. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua) KABUL, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan First Vice-President Amrullah Saleh escaped a bomb attack in Kabul during Wednesday's morning rush hour, reported local media. "The bomb blast targeted vehicles of First Vice-President Amrullah Saleh. Some last vehicles of the convoy have been affected," Arian News TV reported. An Interior Ministry official told Xinhua that two people were killed and 12 others wounded in the attack. The blast occurred at 7:35 a.m. (GMT 03:05) in Sabiqa Square of Taimani locality, Police District 4 of the city, sending a column of thick smoke into the sky and triggering panic, a witness told Xinhua earlier in the day. "The blast also caused destruction in the populated area," he added. "The nature of the blast seemed to be a suicide car bomb blast. A convoy of a high ranking official was passing by the area, and the motorcade could be the obvious target of the blast," witness Mohammad Nabi said. Wednesday's explosion came as peace efforts have been underway with the Taliban. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Donald Trump President Donald Trump greets supporters following a Fox News Town Hall event with moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum on March 05, 2020 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Among other topics, President Trump discussed his administration's response to the Coronavirus and the economy. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Veteran journalist Bob Woodward conducted a series of interviews with President Donald Trump for his new book, "Rage," which is due out on Sep. 15 but the details are already coming out. Between December 2019 and July 2020, Woodward conducted 18 on-the-record interviews with the president and "Rage" is based in part on those interviews. And the revelations are nothing short of explosive. Here are four of the most stunning details: 1. Trump rages about the generals Woodward quotes Woodward as saying, "My fucking generals are a bunch of pussies. They care more about their alliances than they do about trade deals." https://twitter.com/jameshohmann/status/1303727901871935488 2. Mattis and Coats recognized Trump's unfitness "Rage," according to Washington Post reporters Robert Costa and Philip Rucker, contains "brutal assessments of Trump's conduct from Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, former Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats and others: Mattis quietly went to Washington National Cathedral to pray about his concern for the nation's fate under Trump's command and, according to Woodward, told Coats, "There may come a time when we have to take collective action" since Trump is "dangerous. He's unfit." In a separate conversation recounted by Woodward, Mattis told Coats, "The president has no moral compass," to which the director of national intelligence replied: "True. To him, a lie is not a lie. It's just what he thinks. He doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie." 3. He knowingly misled about COVID-19 Story continues Another damning thing in Woodward's book, the Post and CNN are reporting, is that Trump acknowledged that the coronavirus was "deadly" even when he was still claiming that it didn't pose a major threat to the United States. During a February 7 interview, according to CNN, Trump told Woodward, "This is deadly stuff." Trump told Woodward it was "pretty amazing" how deadly COVID-19 was and acknowledged that it was perhaps five times "more deadly" than the flu. "You just breathe the air, and that's how it's passed," Trump told Woodward that day. "And so, that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu." At that point, coronavirus was spreading rapidly in Mainland China. But Trump was still insisting that it wouldn't imperil the United States. The COVID-19 death count, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, has since killed more than 189,900 people in the U.S. and over 898,700 people worldwide (as of Sept. 9). Trump has said that back in January and February, he had no way of knowing how deadly COVID-19 could become in the U.S. But Robert Costa and Philip Rucker of the Washington Post report that on January 28 according to Woodward's book National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien warned Trump, "This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency. This is going to be the roughest thing you face." Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger agreed with O'Brien that day, telling Trump that based on what he was hearing from contacts in China, COVID-19 was shaping up to be the worst health crisis since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918/1919 which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. In March, after the World Health Organization had declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic, Trump began to publicly acknowledge how dangerous it was. And during a March 19 conversation, according to Costa and Rucker, Trump admitted to Woodward that he had deliberately downplayed the danger. "I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic," Trump told the journalist/author who is famous for his Washington Post reporting, with Carl Bernstein, on the Watergate scandal back in the 1970s. 4. Fauci reportedly lambasted the president in private According to "Rage," expert immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci who has been part of Trump's coronavirus task force expressed frustration over Trump's response to the coronavirus crisis, describing Trump's leadership as "rudderless" and complaining to others that his "attention span is like a minus number." Fauci, Woodward says in the book, told an associate, "His sole purpose is to get reelected." Related Articles STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- About 60 Staten Island bars and restaurants were represented at a rally in front of the Richmond County Courthouse Tuesday, Sept. 8. Owners, servers and kitchen workers stood in solidarity with politicians and three attorneys representing the businesses. After almost six months of no indoor dining in the pandemic with no clear answers on why that is so, the group announced a lawsuit and injunction underway to change the course of events. Were not going to be bullied! boomed Tottenville restaurant owner Rob DeLuca to a crowd of reporters. Restaurant owner Rob DeLuca of DeLuca's Italian in Tottenville boomed, "We will not be bullied!" to a crowd of reporters and restaurant owners in front of the Richmond County Courthouse. We feel were being discriminated against...Right here, this is the knock out punch for us, DeLuca said firmly from the podium. Tommy Casatelli said he agreed with the strong sentiment. Casatelli owns HoBrah restaurants in Bay Ridge and West Brighton. He is also a partner in Kettle Black of West Brighton and Brooklyn. He said, Hopefully something happens before this thing goes to court. Nobody wanted that. We just need to be heard and we feel like we were being pushed around and ignored. And hopefully thats going to stop." Casatelli held his own press conference in August on Forest Avenue. He felt the temperament of the gathering today was more emotional. IROAR stands for the Independent Restaurant Owners Association Rescue. Even though most of Staten Islands elected officials have come out in full support of the restaurants reopening indoors, the lawsuit and injunction are not political in nature, maintained Lou Gelormino and Mark Fonte. They are lawyers along with Syosett attorney James Mermigis. Mermigis also is behind other suits in the region that have prompted a relaxation on gym restrictions in the pandemic recovery. The trio spoke on behalf of plaintiffs Bocellis Restaurant in Grasmere and Joyces Tavern in Eltingville. The two eateries are host for IROAR. IROAR stands for the Independent Restaurant Owners Association Rescue, which is also part of the suit. Rob Hanley of Bocelli said, Regarding the injunction we did not want it to come to this but we are long past the point as business owners of being able to comply with governmental mandates. Patience and resources have been depleted and we can no longer passively accept the decisions of the governor and the mayor. Gelormino and Fonte said theyre asking for the judiciary to be a check on the legislative balances. The decision to reopen dining rooms has dragged on way too long now, they said. Restaurants rally in front of the Richmond County Courthouse, St. George, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020 as lawyers for proprietors file suit and push for injunction to terminate ban on indoor dining. On Tuesday Gov. Andrew Cuomo boasted once again of low COVID numbers in New York State. As of the afternoon, Sept. 8 saw 32 straight days with an infection rate below 1 percent, according to the governors office. Mermigis said, I stand that there is no science...this is random and arbitrary. Restaurant owners expressed further discontent on the state of affairs in business. Saloonkeepers lamented repeat visits from the State Liquor Authority, Buildings Department and other agencies that dont necessarily result in fines but have become nuisances. The ladies from newly opened lounge District in Annadale in IROAR shirts, rallying to reopen dining rooms. Chris Lacey of Laceys Bridge Tavern in Elm Park said, I dont understand the need to have 4,000 police officers doing enforcement in the five boroughs when they dont need that in the rest of the state or the rest of the country. I also really dont understand [Councilwoman] Debi Roses comment about needing special filtration when no one else has it in the rest of the country or the rest of the world has that in restaurants. I dont understand who she is representing with that. Elected officials in attendance at the rally were Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn); Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore); Councilmember Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island). Councilmember Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore) was represented by staffer Mike Tannousis, an Assembly hopeful. Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com. Baby Moon Baby Shop is Tullamore's first dedicated nursery store. Located at 18 Cloncollig Industrial estate, the shop, which opened on June 9, is packed full of great merchandise for your baby. With stroller prices ranging from 500 to 1,500, other items in the store include,cots, buggies, child car seats, clothing and a fabulous range of stylish bags for holding nappies, bottles, wipes etc and lots more. Owners Barry and Grace Mooney first got the idea for the shop when they were expecting their first child Kate who is now six. ''I passed a comment, we have to travel to Dublin and Galway to get bits and pieces for the baby. It would be great if Tullamore had a baby shop dedicated to baby products,'' says Barry. But life intervened and the Offaly natives went to the UK for five years Grace to work as a primary school teacher and Barry to start work in the pram company iCandy, which is one of the brands they now stock in their store. It was while he was working there that he got to know the ins and outs of the industry. Meanwhile Grace and Barry added to their family while there with the birth of Anna. In November 2019 the couple returned to Ireland. ''We made a decision then to come home to Offaly. I'm from Mucklagh and Grace is from Kinnitty. We discussed how Tullamore would be the location for our new venture. I had been back and forth for a number of months looking at premises and we did a lot of work setting up the business from the UK,'' adds Barry. ''The key brands we stock include, iCandy, Uppababy, Bugaboo, Cybex and Silver Cross . Car seat brands include Maxi, Cosi and Cybex. Cots are from Gaia baby and Silver Cross. ''We know these brands will stand the test of time,'' he says. The shop opened at the height of the pandemic, but fortunately customers were still eager to visit the store by appointment and with all safety precautions in place Barry and Grace began trading on the June 9. ''The second lockdown in Offaly, Laois and Kildare impacted us in the store and footfall was down, but since it has been lifted we are busy again, which is great.'' One of the reasons Barry and Grace chose their present location was because once the Covid pandemic is over they have plans to open a fitting service for child car seats. ''People will be able to drive around the back, the doors will open and they can drive their car right in and we can fit car seats and bases for our customers. Our dedicated team are fully trained across all our brands, so if it's raining or snowing outside, they can come in here, they will be nice and dry and we will look after them. But that won't be until post Covid as we are not allowed into cars at the moment,'' says Barry. The shop also offers dedicated customer parking outside the front door which makes it very convenient, especially for pregnant women. Another service you can avail of at Baby Moon Baby Shop is the assembly of prams. ''If people buy products from us we will build the pram free of charge. We take that stress away from parents who have enough on their plate as expecting a baby, especially in the current climate can be stressful enough.'' In addition, customers can pay a deposit and pay off instalments as they wish. This can even be done from the comfort of their own home as payments can be taken over the phone. The name Baby Moon Baby Shop comes from the newest trend among expectant mothers-to-be who often go on a pamper day prior to the birth of their baby, in other words a Babymoon. Moon is also a play on Barry's surname Mooney. Grace and Barry now have three little girls Kate, Anna and finally Lily who was born during the lock down, so they have plenty of experience in the wants and needs of parents. If you want to find out more about Baby Moon Baby Shop then log onto their website www.babymoonbabyshop.ie. You can also find them on Instagram and Facebook. They reach out to parents through social media and one of the recent features was a Parent & Toddler First Aid Course which was a warmly received by parent and parents to be.Grace and Barry have plans to hold similar training sessions in the future. Baby Moon Baby Shop is located at Unit 18 Cloncollig Industrial Estate, past the King Oak shop, continue on around the corner and the store is on your right. (Opposite Midland Veterinary) You can find them at their Eircode location: R35 XE03. There was nothing to justify a Limerick man's decision to use force against his friend in a bar following a row over payment for cocaine "let alone the level of force used", a prosecution barrister has told a jury at the Central Criminal Court today. The trial has heard that the deceased sustained six stab wounds in the pub, including two fatal ones to the heart and jugular vein, after insisting to the accused that he was owed 100 for cocaine. Evidence has been heard that the accused admitted stabbing the deceased to gardai but said he had acted in self-defence out of concern he was going to be attacked as he was not from that part of Limerick city. Mark Crawford, 43, who has an address at Quarry Road, Thomondgate, Limerick has pleaded not guilty to murdering Patrick 'Pa' O'Connor, 24, at Fitzgerald's Bar, Sexton Street, in Limerick city between July 7 and July 8, 2018. In his closing address today Counsel for the State John Fitzgerald SC appealed to the jurors to decide the case in accordance with the evidence and not with their emotions. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster has testified that she conducted a post mortem on Mr O'Connor and found six stab wounds on his body, including those to his heart, jugular vein, neck and arm. Mr Fitzgerald said the accused told gardai in his interviews that he had never meant to kill Mr O'Connor. "Just because he said that does not mean you have to believe it. You can intend something without desiring it," he pointed out. The barrister stressed that if one puts a knife into the neck, heart, back and arm of another person then it is a natural and probable consequence that one is going to cause death or serious injury to that individual. "If you agree with me then you can safely infer that Mr Crawford intended to kill Mr O'Connor and no amount of remorse or tears alters that," he submitted. The lawyer argued that it was clear that the accused had gotten rid of the flick-knife used in the attack and did it in such a way that gardai would never be able to retrieve it. He said Mr Crawford was shown in CCTV footage wearing certain clothes during the incident in the Limerick pub which were never found. Mr Fizgerald asked the jury to decide if this amounted to panic or self-preservation. Mr Fitzgerald said the accused man went to his sister's house at O'Briens Bridge in Clare and then Nenagh in Tipperary following the incident before surrendering himself to gardai in Shannon, Tipperary two days later. "That is a lot of movement, a lot of time and a lot of thinking time. All of his actions suggest fear of the consequences rather than remorse. It was more regret for the situation he was in rather than for Mr O'Connor," he submitted. Mr Fitzgerald reminded the jury that barman Cyril O'Connor testified that he remembered Mr Crawford holding Mr O'Connor with his left hand while punching him repeatedly with what one now knows was a knife in his right hand. The witness also drew the jury's attention to that fact that the witness said Mr O'Connor was sitting down at the time and Mr Crawford was standing up. Regarding the issue of self-defence, Mr Fitzgerald said that when one looked with any degree of closeness at the case there was nothing to suggest an attack that could have justified the accused's decision to use force, let alone the horrific level of force used. "If that level of threat could ever justify being stabbed then the streets would be littered with bodies," he said, adding that Mr Crawford told gardai that he might have got a dig at most from Mr O'Connor. "There was not a standoff, whatever happened was instant. Nothing like this comes even close to the level of force that was inflicted," he added. Defence counsel Patrick McGrath SC submitted in his closing speech that his client was genuinely distressed and remorseful for what transpired that night and to suggest otherwise was asking one to misinterpret the evidence. "This is a tragic, unfortunate and very sad case. There can be little if any doubt about the remorse Mr Crawford had after he realised what he had done," he said. The lawyer said his client was not a cold-blooded man and there was no evidence to suggest he was a calculated killer. Mr McGrath said Mr Crawford morally believed he was responsible for his friend's death from the outset. However, he said that no one intended to do harm to anyone that day and murder verdicts were reserved for the most serious and most malicious types of killings. Counsel went on to tell the jury that if they were in doubt in relation to Mr Crawford's intention on the night or if he mistakenly believed he was under threat and had used too much force then the appropriate verdict to return was manslaughter. Ms Justice Tara Burns will continue charging the jury of 11 men and one woman tomorrow. 'I express my sincere solidarity with the brotherly Sudanese government and people amid the heavy rains and flash floods that have ravaged their country, causing devastation and tragic loss of life,' El-Sisi tweeted Egyptian Minister of Health Hala Zayed left Khartoum on Wednesday after a two-day visit during which she met her Sudanese counterpart Osama Abdel-Rahim. The two ministers' talks touched upon the conditions in Sudan after rising floodwaters hit swaths of the country in recent days. The weeks of heavy flooding have left dozens of people dead and destroyed tens of thousands of homes. Zayed reaffirmed Egypts readiness to support Sudan in such critical times, as the two ministers witnessed the delivery of a new aid shipment from Egypt on Wednesday. On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi expressed support to Sudan. I express my sincere solidarity with the brotherly Sudanese government and people amid the heavy rains and flash floods that have ravaged their country, causing devastation and tragic loss of life, El-Sisi tweeted. While the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday while Egypt expresses its sincere condolences to the victims of the floods that swept through brotherly Sudan, it affirms its readiness to coordinate with its brothers in Sudan necessary humanitarian relief efforts to face the repercussions of the floods. Upon directives from El-Sisi, Egypt sent on Wednesday two additional military aircraft, part of Egypts ongoing aid airlift operation to Sudan, loaded with foodstuffs and medical supplies, the Egyptian health ministry said in a statement. On Tuesday, three Egyptian military planes carrying 42 tonnes of food, medical supplies and medicine arrived in Khartoum. According to Egyptian Charge dAffaires to Sudan Nader Zaki, who was quoted by Sudanese news agency SUNA, this was the largest humanitarian shipment Egypt has sent since the beginning of the crisis in Sudan. Egypt has sent Sudan over 80 tonnes of humanitarian aid so far, Zaki said on Tuesday, adding that this amount is less than half of the total amount scheduled to be sent. During her two-day visit, Zayed was accompanied by an Egyptian medical team consisting of 20 doctors and nurses, who will be deployed in the four most affected areas in Khartoum State, the health ministrys statement said. Sudan's Security and Defence Council declared a national state of emergency for three months on Saturday because of the floods, which have killed 99 people, and designated Sudan a natural disaster zone, Sudans state news agency SUNA said. The levels of floods and rain this year have exceeded the records set in 1946 and 1988, with expectations of continued flooding, Al-Sheikh added. Search Keywords: Short link: A top medical voice at University of Alabama officials is taking a cautiously optimistic view of COVID-19 testing trends three weeks after classes began in Tuscaloosa. Dr. Ricky Friend, the dean of UAs College of Community Health Sciences, on Wednesday said theyve seen daily positives drop for a second straight week. He noted the numbers released last Friday reflected 125 positive tests per day, down from 164 a day from the previous round of data. Im happy to report that positive trend has continued this week and should be reflected in the Systems next data release on Friday," Friend said Wednesday. "The numbers weve seen over the past five or six days have been very encouraging. The number of daily positives, the number of active cases and the number of students in quarantine and isolation spaces continue to fall. The University of Alabama System releases testing numbers weekly on Friday evenings for all three campuses. The Tuscaloosa campus has reported 1,899 positive tests among students since classes began Aug. 19 while UAB had 29 and UA-Huntsville reported 17. Dates Positives per day Aug. 19-24 95 Aug. 25-27 164 Aug. 28-Sept. 3 125 Friend was asked how many of the students who tested positive showed symptoms, but he didnt have that data on hand at the moment and would follow up later. With Tuscaloosa isolation/quarantine space, Friend said as of Wednesday morning, it was below 25 percent of the 600 beds available. I think were doing fine there, Friend said. That number was 39.97 percent when the UA System released its latest numbers last Friday evening. Students who live within a radius of a few hours from Tuscaloosa are permitted to return home if they are able to safely isolate and if they dont have vulnerable family members at home, Friend said. RELATED: What its really like on the Alabama campus during COVID-19 Friend said the numbers are going down as a result of mitigation efforts over the last few weeks including a two-week closure of bars in Tuscaloosa. He also noted they were prepared for the possibility of an increase in positives after students returned from the Labor Day long weekend. Friend also said they would be watching closely as Tuscaloosa bars were allowed to reopen with reduced capacities. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox did a live interview with CNN at the same time Friend met with local reporters over video conference. He noted the positive trend in hospitalizations among the reasons relax some of the restrictions on the 29 bars in the city. DCH Hospital in Tuscaloosa reported 44 coronavirus-related inpatients on Tuesday -- a 38 percent drop since the first day of classes when there were 71 on Aug. 19. RELATED: This is just insane: Students say UA is doing too little to protect them from COVID-19 DCH also reports 3.4 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 25 who tested positive required inpatient care in Tuscaloosa. I remain cautiously optimistic that we can continue to reverse these trends, Friend said, and with the full commitment from our students, theres a viable path for us to complete the semester on campus. Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook. Asia summits under way amid U.S.-China friction Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh chairs a video meeting with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Nations ASEAN countries in Hanoi By James Pearson and Khanh Vu HANOI (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers kicked off a series of regional summits on Wednesday expected to seek collaboration to fight global threats and to try to de-escalate a tit-for-tat U.S.-China rivalry as the world's two biggest economies vie for influence. Russia, Japan, Australia, South Korea and India were among other countries remotely joining an event hosted by Vietnam that will include a 27-nation security forum, as concern grows about rhetoric and accidental conflict, and about other countries being caught up in the fray. "The regional geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape, including the South China Sea, are witnessing growing volatilities that are detrimental to peace and stability," Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in opening the summit. Vietnam's foreign minister, Pham Binh Minh, said the role of international law and multilateral institutions was being "greatly challenged". The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined several countries from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and "many other partners" in raising concerns about China's "aggressive actions" in the South China Sea. Pompeo and several countries voiced concern about China's imposition of a new national security law on Hong Kong, the arrests of pro-democracy students, postponement of the territory's elections and disqualification of pro-democracy electoral candidates, department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said. Pompeo and other ministers also called for a cessation of violence and a negotiated solution to escalating violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State and for North Korea to abandon its weapons of mass destruction, she said. China's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, accused the United States of intervening directly in disputes among claimants in the South China Sea and of being the biggest driver of its militarisation. Story continues "Peace and stability is China's greatest strategic interest in the South China Sea," he told the meeting, according to China's foreign ministry's website. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in an interview with Reuters cautioned the United States and China against entangling Southeast Asian nations in their geopolitical battle. "We don't want to get trapped by this rivalry," she said on Tuesday, describing militarisation of the waterway as "worrying". U.S.-CHINA TENSIONS President Donald Trump has trumpeted his tough approach to China in the run-up to his November re-election bid and his administration has spoken out strongly against Beijing over issues from ranging from trade to espionage and China's maritime conduct. Washington has accused Beijing of bullying its neighbours by sending ships close to their offshore energy operations, and of opportunism in holding military exercises and testing new defence hardware in disputed locations, while rival claimants battle coronavirus outbreaks. China says its actions were lawful. Since mid-August, the United States has repeatedly riled China by sending warships to the South China Sea and the sensitive Taiwan Strait and flew a reconnaissance plane over Chinese live-fire drills. It blacklisted 24 Chinese entities over their involvement in building and militarising artificial islands. "There's no desire to take sides - or to be seen to be doing so," said Collin Koh, a security expert at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. ASEAN would instead discuss with China the advancement of a code of maritime conduct and access to a COVID-19 vaccine, and talk to the United States about increasing investment from corporate America. ASEAN would try to "de-focus on the intensifying rivalry", he said. Ortagus said Pompeo praised ASEAN unity and transparency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and underscored the U.S. commitment to partnering with ASEAN countries in economic recovery efforts. (Reporting by James Pearson and Khanh Vu; Additional reporting by Tom Allard and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta, Twinnie Siu in Hong Kong, Colin Qian in Beijing and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Peter Cooney) EmpowerPharm Inc. , the first wholly Canadian owned and operated pharmaceutical company established in Canada in recent years , is ushering in a new era for prescription medicine. The early-stage company has identified the growing need for innovative therapies to treat anxiety and is developing a first-of-its-kind prescription drug containing synthetic CBD as the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufactured as tablets to treat anxiety. Pending the results of the clinical research, Empower CBDTM may help the hundreds-of-thousands of Canadians who suffer from anxiety, an issue that continues to skyrocket in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will 'Empower' sufferers to use an alternative treatment to avoid the potentially addictive prescription products currently prescribed for anxiety. A CAMH report from mid-July reported that 25% of Canadians aged 18-39 and 19% aged 40-59 continue to experience moderate to severe anxiety. Meanwhile, a Deloitte study released in August estimates Canadians will face a potentially explosive increase of mental illness for up to 10 years after the pandemic is over. EmpowerPharm is led by three prominent leaders who pioneered Canada's generic pharmaceutical industry, helped scale the industry globally and created thousands of Canadian jobs. Each member of the senior management team brings an average 30 years of industry experience to the company. EmpowerPharm Inc. is helmed by: Aubrey Dan , O.C. Executive Chairman & Co-Founder: Former pharmaceutical executive at Novopharm Ltd ., President of Wampole Canada Inc. and Order of Canada recipient , O.C. Executive Chairman & Co-Founder: Former pharmaceutical executive at ., President of Wampole Canada Inc. and Order of recipient Peter Billiaert President & Co-Founder: Former Vice President with Novopharm Ltd. and Teva Pharmaceuticals President & Co-Founder: Former Vice President with Jack Kay Vice Chairman: Former President and CEO of Apotex Inc. EmpowerPharm recently completed a $26 million-dollar construction of the first Canadian GMP-ready facility for the manufacture of pharmaceutical CBD. The Burlington, Ontario facility awaits Health Canada inspection as one of the final steps to receiving its Drug Establishment License (DEL). The synthetic CBD (API) used in Empower CBDTM tablets will be 99% pure with zero THC, and will be approved by national regulatory authorities including Health Canada and the FDA based on robust clinical evidence. Once clinical research has been completed and proven to be effective, Empower CBDTM will seek a Drug Identification Number (DIN) from Health Canada. The prescription medicine will be sold exclusively through pharmacies or dispensed in hospitals by qualified health professionals. EmpowerPharm will pursue both private and public coverage, ensuring that treatment costs for many patients will be reimbursed by insurance companies and/or provincial drug plans for wide patient accessibility. Canada is trailblazing a new era in treatment options for anxiety! SOURCE EmpowerPharm Inc. Damascus, Sep 9 : Agricultural lands have been engulfed by wildfires in the countryside of the Hama Province, a Syrian official said on Wednesday. Cited by the pro-government Sham FM radio, Muhammad al-Hazouri, Governor of Hama, said between 7,000 dunam (7 square km) to 8,000 dunam have been burnt by the wildfires that have intensified over the past few days in the countryside of Masyaf area in Hama. The Governor said no civilian got physically hurt by the fire as they have escaped, Xinhua news agency reported. He stressed that the main goal was to put down the fire, acknowledging that there has been a failure in some areas due to the tough geographic location. The Governor said 95 per cent of the fire was contained but new fires have emerged in the same region. A day earlier, helicopters of the Syrian army took part in extinguishing the fire in the towns in Masyaf. On Wednesday, state news agency SANA said that an Iranian aircraft carrying 40 tons of water joined the Syrian helicopters in fighting the fire. It was not immediately clear what had caused the fire but it comes as very high temperatures are sweeping the country. Another Black police chief in a major city, this time in Texas, steps down This week, U. Renee Hall the first Black woman to lead the Dallas police force submitted her resignation, becoming the latest in a string of commanding officers across the nation whove stepped down from their posts after months of protests against police brutality. READ MORE: GWU history department demands resignation of professor who pretended to be Black According to The Associated Press, Tuesday, Hall, 49, turned in her resignation letter, which didnt give a reason for stepping down but did explain that she planned to stay on through the end of the year. Protesters march down the streets during a rally in remembrance of Sandra Bland on July 13, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. Today is the fifth anniversary of Blands death by hanging in her jail cell three days after her arrest at a confrontational traffic stop. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) In recent months she, like many others, has faced criticism for how her department has dealt with protests sparked by the case of George Floyd, a Black man who died while in police custody in May after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes. Hall reportedly wrote in her resignation letter that while Dallas police have dealt with an unthinkable series of events in the time since she took office in 2017, she remains proud of how the 3,000-officer department both coped and implemented critical reforms. Community reacts to Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Halls resignation https://t.co/vsoYFTUd2m Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) September 9, 2020 Although city spokeswoman Catherine Cuellar originally said City Manager T.C. Broadnax accepted Hallss resignation effective Nov. 10, she later clarified that the chief had agreed to Broadnaxs request to have the department benefit from her leadership through the end of the year. When you review Chief Halls Dallas record, there arent enough superlatives to describe the impact shes had here, Broadnax said in a statement. Story continues In the wake of Floyds death, police chiefs across the nation have stepped down for various reasons in Seattle, Atlanta, Portland, Oregon, and Richmond, Virginia. Read More: Rochester police chief and entire command staff retire after facing backlash for Prude death Tuesday the same day as Halls resignation top police leaders in Rochester, New York, announced their retirements amidst nightly protests ignited by the suffocation death of Daniel Prude while in police custody. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Dallas first Black female police chief steps down after protest backlash appeared first on TheGrio. West has been ousted from the ballot in several other states because of deficient paperwork. Last month, Virginias Board of Elections found that he had met the requirements for the ballot: His team had gathered 5,000 petition signatures at least 200 of them from each congressional district and pledges from 13 voters to support him as electors. Black and Latino defendants in Massachusetts are more likely than white defendants to be locked up for drug and weapons offences and get longer sentences than white people sent to prison for similar crimes, researchers at Harvard Law School have said in a report. In a years-long study sought by the chief justice of Massachusettss highest court, Harvard researchers found significant racial disparities in the handling of weapon and drug cases, crimes they said carry long-standing racialised stigmas. The disparities remain even after controlling for charge severity and additional factors, according to the report from the law schools Criminal Justice Policy Program. The researchers found that racial disparities in the length of sentences are driven largely by the fact that Black and Latino defendants tend to face more serious initial charges than white defendants. That puts Black and Latino defendants at risk of harsher punishments and can influence their decisions in plea negotiations, they wrote in the report released on Wednesday. The penalty in incarceration length is largest for drug and weapons charges, offenses that carry longstanding racialised stigmas. We believe that this evidence is consistent with racially disparate initial charging practices leading to weaker initial positions in the plea bargaining process for Black defendants, which then translate into longer incarceration sentences for similar offenses, the researchers wrote. NYPD officers arresting Black Lives Matter protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, during a protest sparked by the death of George Floyd [Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo] The report comes amid a racial reckoning across the United States sparked by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police earlier this year. At this time of national reckoning about race, we hope this report will inspire Massachusetts to confront the racial disparities that permeate our criminal system, Brook Hopkins, executive director of the Criminal Justice Policy Program, said in an emailed statement. Chief Justice Ralph Gants of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court asked the Harvard Law School in 2016 to conduct the study to explain why the incarceration rate for Black people and Latinos is so much higher than it is for white people. The Massachusetts Sentencing Commission found that Black people in the state were imprisoned at a rate nearly eight times that of white people in 2014 and that Latinos were imprisoned at a rate nearly five times that of white people. This impressive report will provide us with important guidance as we work to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in the Massachusetts criminal justice system, Gants said in an emailed statement. Anthony Benedetti, chief counsel of Massachusettss public defender agency, said the research shows more of what we have known for years that Black and Latinx men and women unfairly experience significantly worse outcomes than do their white peers. They are pushed into the criminal legal system earlier, are sucked in deeper, and they are held within its clutches longer, Benedetti, of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, said in an emailed statement. The Massachusetts Sentencing Commission found that Black people in the state were imprisoned at a rate nearly eight times that of white people in 2014, and that Latinos were imprisoned at a rate nearly five times that of white people [/Mark Tenally/AP Photo] The researchers said they cannot say for sure whether the differences in the initial charges brought against Black and Latino defendants versus white defendants stem from decisions made by police and prosecutors, as opposed to differences in their criminal conduct. But, while Black and Latino suspects tend to face more serious initial charges than white people, they are convicted of charges roughly equal in seriousness, which indicates that the underlying conduct in these cases may be similar across race, the researchers found. In fact, Black defendants sent to state prison are convicted of less serious crimes on average than white defendants even though the Black defendants were initially hit with more severe charges, they said. The evidence is most consistent with Black and Latinx defendants receiving more severe initial charges than White defendants for similar conduct, they wrote. And the initial charge is crucial because it sets the baseline in plea negotiations, which is how the vast majority of cases are resolved, the report said. HOUSTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexitas, a leading provider of high-quality services to the legal market and a portfolio company of funds advised by Apax Partners, announced its acquisition of Axiom Requisition. Since 1998, Axiom has served law firms and insurance carriers by providing medical records in a timely and dependable manner. Their innovative approach has enabled the company to become one of the largest medical record retrieval firms in the Midwest. Utilizing a proprietary software platform, Axiom provides process efficiencies for their clients that are unique in the industry. "Josh and his team have built a best-in-class organization. This opportunity will allow Lexitas to further build upon the strong, long-standing relationships Axiom has in place throughout the country," said Gary Buckland, CEO of Lexitas. "Axiom represents a compelling next step in Lexitas' continued nationwide expansion and highly successful growth strategy." Josh Sanford, CEO of Axiom Requisition, said, "We are looking forward expanding our national reach through partnering with the Lexitas family of companies. The relationships developed throughout the deal process assured me that this was the right move for Axiom to get us to that next level." Founded in 1987, Lexitas is a leading national provider of legal support services to law firms, corporations, third-party administrators, and insurance companies. Services include record retrieval, court reporting, legal videography, legal staffing, document review and commercial contracts outsourcing. For more information visit https://lexitaslegal.com and https://axiomcopy.com. SOURCE Lexitas Related Links https://lexitaslegal.com 'The committing of the SFF into operations in Ladakh is a signal from New Delhi of how seriously it takes the Chinese intrusions and the lengths India will go to in combating them.' Ajai Shukla reports. IMAGE: Ladakhis pay homage to Special Frontier Force commando Nyima Tenzin who lost his life in the last week of August when he stepped on a landmine near the Line of Actual Control during his funeral in Devachan, Leh. Photograph: PTI Photo At 7 am on Tuesday, a small army convoy rolled into the Tibetan settlement of Choglamsar, adjoining Leh, the capital of Ladakh. Inside a truck, draped in the Indian Tricolour, lay the coffin of Company Leader Nyima Tenzin of the Special Frontier Force, an elite paratroop unit manned by volunteers from the 120,000-strong Tibetan refugee community in India. An army officer handed over Tenzin's body to his wife and three children. A Tibetan nationalist at heart, with his loyalty to the traditional Snow Lion flag, Nyima Tenzin completed his last journey wrapped in the Tricolour by a grateful nation, which he had served for 33 years and for which he laid down his life on the towering heights above the Pangong lake. The army also delivered news of the grievous wounding of 24-year-old Tenzin Londhen in the same operation. Both these soldiers were from 7 Vikas, one of the seven SFF battalions -- almost a division worth of Special Forces -- that have been moved to Ladakh and deployed against the Chinese. Details of the operation in which Tenzin died remain secret, but it is learnt to have resulted in Chinese casualties. The SFF was raised in November 1962 in the aftermath of India's crushing defeat by China. Codenamed 'Establishment 22', it initially consisted of a ragtag bunch of 'guerrilla companies' tasked to operate behind Chinese lines. Issued United States weapons and trained by American instructors, most recruits were fresh from Tibet and could not speak Hindi or English. Interpreters were needed to interface with them. Today's SFF is recruited from Tibetan refugee communities dotted all around the country. Many speak Kannada and Oriya better than Tibetan. "The tsampa eaters have become dosa-eaters," says an old-timer regretfully, referring to the traditional Tibetan cereal. What has not changed about these superb highland troops is their ability to function normally at altitudes that drain plainsmen. As the SFF's role evolved, it was decided they would be infiltrated in wartime into Tibet, or para-dropped deep inside that territory. There, they would operate in small groups, disrupting and sabotaging People's Liberation Army columns. They would live off the land, dependent for food, shelter and security on a restive Tibetan populace that remains intensely hostile to the Chinese. Initially, the Indian Army strongly resisted this new force. Facing severe criticism in 1963 and eager to prove his force's worth, the SFF chief sent 120 Tibetan soldiers for an army field exercise, codenamed Garuda. This proved to be a dramatic success for the SFF. In the 1971 Bangladesh war, the SFF further distinguished itself, with its soldiers winning 580 cash awards (they were not eligible for gallantry awards). Almost 250 SFF soldiers were casualties in that conflict. Yet, till the 1980s, the SFF's salaries, perks and ration scales remained below those of the army. Instead of pensions, SFF soldiers got a lump sum payment on discharge. Today, the SFF is paid and equipped on par with the army. "The committing of the SFF into operations in Ladakh is a signal from New Delhi of how seriously it takes the Chinese intrusions and the lengths India will go to in combating them," says a senior diplomat and China expert. Founder, CEO & Managing Partner of Mitchell & Mitchell Wines, Frank Mitchell with bottles of his wine in the Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia on Monday, July 27, 2020. Mitchell & Mitchell Wines in one of Philadelphia's only Black-owned wine businesses. Read more Jewell Searcy of Overbrook Park cherishes the evenings when she can indulge in a glass of wine. Before raising it to her lips, she swirls the wine around the well of her glass, then lifts it to her nose to smell preparing her mind for the taste. Her favorite white wine is a viognier by Mitchell & Mitchell Wines, one of Phillys only Black-owned wine companies. Shes ordered it once a month for the past eight years. Its the right flavor for my palate, Searcy said. And the flavor never changes. Consistency is one of the principles that the cofounders of Mitchell & Mitchell, Frank and Kenya Mitchell, abide by. They started making wine in 2012 after realizing that the libations took up the largest portion of their budget for the several dinner parties they hosted and attended with their friends and family. READ MORE: Black-owned wineries that ship bottles to Philly Mitchell & Mitchell offers at least a dozen varietals, including a pinotage, sauvignon blanc, and pinot grigio. Their prices range from $15 to $40 per bottle. Mitchell & Mitchell wines are available at farmers markets in Lansdowne and Clark Park. The company also delivers around the Philadelphia region. Since launching the business, the Mitchell & Mitchell team has grown to include eight people. Initially, the Mitchells only made wine to offset the cost of our dinner parties, Frank Mitchell said. The other participants of the dinner parties told us they didnt want us to cook anymore. The wine was so good that our friends thought it was unfair to have to cook and bring the wine. Pretty soon, among their group of friends, the Mitchells became synonymous with good wine and good company. Both have culinary backgrounds. Before they went into business for themselves, Frank Mitchell managed several restaurants, from fast food to full service, he said. And Kenya Mitchell has nearly 20 years of experience working in bakeries in Philadelphia. In 2013, at a dinner party hosted by the Mitchells, one of their guests received word that her father had died. The couple offered condolences and half a case of wine they had bottled for the nights event. We explained to [our friend] that its taboo to bring wine to a wake, Frank Mitchell said. But once people come to your house, theyre going to want something to drink, so you might as well take this home with you and let them drink it. After being home with her family for an hour, their friend called the Mitchells and asked if they could make more. They obliged. Her friends and family were very persistent about paying for it, but we just gave it to them, Frank Mitchell said. We used the motivation from that experience to look at going into making wines professionally. Later that year, Mitchell & Mitchell Wines was officially launched. The Mitchells source the grapes for their wines from a third party supplier in New Jersey. They have access to grapes from around the world, including Chile, South Africa, and Italy. We get the fruit and then we make the wine right here in Philadelphia, at a processing plant they own near St. Joes University. There, the grapes are crushed, fermenting agents are added, and at that point, its just a waiting game, Frank Mitchell said. Their wine is also bottled and boxed at the plant. There are two of our wines that Im really enjoying right now, said Kenya Mitchell. Our pinotage, a fruit-forward cross between cinsault and pinot noir, and our chenin blanc," a semisweet white wine. During the early stages, the company didnt have a marketing strategy. We were trying to market the wine to the wrong people, said Frank Mitchell. We were actually going to other small businesses that we thought had a use for our product and tried to get them to make direct purchases. When the team brainstormed solutions, they figured out a way to be more profitable and sustainable. Once we realized that we could sell our wines at farmers markets where people are going to come with the intention of supporting other small businesses, we were able to refocus our efforts. Frank Mitchell said. That was the most pivotal point for us: learning how to collaborate with other businesses. Sales associate Helly Manson said that aside from the wine itself, Mitchell & Mitchells success can be credited to the generous personalities of its owners. The Mitchells are such great people and they know everybody. Theyre both super responsive to their customers needs, said Manson, whos worked for the company for about a year. Kenya will give out wine recipes [and pairings] to go with the wine shes selling," like Manchego with the cabernet sauvignon or goat cheese with the chenin blanc. Manson recalled a time when their team was nearly sold out of wine in the middle of a busy day at the Clark Park farmers market. Frank Mitchell made multiple trips from their home in Overbrook Park to make sure the team was fully stocked. One of the most rewarding parts about running the business is actually meeting our customers, said Kenya Mitchell. Being with them for dinners, celebrating special occasions or celebrations, I feel honored that they have us at their table. Frank Mitchell said the coronavirus pandemic has had a positive impact on their business. People are spending more time at home, and buying a bottle of wine and cooking dinner at home has replaced going out on a Saturday night, he said. The unexpected surge in sales hasnt overwhelmed the team. Frank Mitchell said the company was on a path to grow before the pandemic started. Since were still a young company, our goal is to double production every year. So we had the inventory in place when they began to see the demand for their wines rise. READ MORE: A Philly craft beer was brewed to support Black Lives Matter Being one of the few Black-owned winemakers isnt a big deal to us, Frank Mitchell said. We try to brand ourselves as a Pennsylvania winery with a twist, and that we specialize in making good wines." Enjoying a bottle of Mitchell & Mitchell wine is like having the world at your fingertips, at Pennsylvania prices, said Kenya Mitchell. Short-term goals for Mitchell & Mitchell include continuing to refine the brand and reaching more consumers. The company would also like to break in to markets in Maryland and New Jersey. One thing that makes me proud about owning a business is that it gives you the opportunity to be in control of your own destiny, said Frank Mitchell. The only limitation to what you can do is your imagination. New Delhi, Sep 9 : As India dominates south of Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh, China has started fresh build up at Finger area north of the Lake, sources said on Wednesday. It started soon after the skirmish on the southern bank took place on September 7 where warning shots were fired by both sides. The deployment of People's Liberation Army troops have increased since Tuesday evening. They are also bringing in more materials and logistics items. The troops from both sides are at a short range from each other. "They are within clear visible range and Indian troops are keeping a close watch on the activities," said a government source. The Chinese continue to sit atop Finger 4 ridgeline. The north bank of the lake is divided into 8 fingers that are contested by both sides. India claims that the Line of Actual Control at Finger 8 and had been holding on to area till Finger 4 but in a clear alteration of status quo the Chinese have been camping at Finger 4 and have set up fortifications between Finger 5 and 8. The Indian Army have occupied crucial heights in areas around the south bank of Pangong Lake and the Chinese have made several attempts to take over Indian positions. It has become the new friction point where Indian Army seems be in an advantageous position. The Indian Army has occupied heights that allow it to dominate the Chinese Moldo garrison and the Spangur Gap under Chinese control. Both Indian and China lay claim to some of these heights. One of the most critical heights the Indian Army is manning is the Rechin La, which the Chinese are protesting against. From here the Indian Army enjoys a vantage point not just over Chinese army military bases on the south bank of the the Pangong Lake but can also be within range of the Finger 4 area on the north of the lake on the opposite side. India and China have been engaged in a standoff since May at the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues. (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has dismissed a plea challenging NCLT's approval to the resolution plan of debt-ridden Uttam Value Steel. A three-member bench has upheld the orders of the Delhi-based principal bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approving the resolution plan submitted by a consortium of US-based CarVal Investors and Nithia Capital. Uttam Value Steels has an admitted debt of Rs 3,003 crore. "We find that there is no merit in this Appeal and the Appeal is hereby dismissed," said an bench headed by Acting Chairperson Justice B L Bhat. The appellate tribunal order came over a petition filed by five operation creditors of Uttam Value Steel challenging the two orders passed by the on April 30 and May 6. The creditors had alleged that the resolution plan was approved by the Committee of Creditors, even before the mandatory approval from the Competition Commission of India was granted. According to them, it was contrary to the provision to Section 31(4) of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, which required prior mandatory approval from the CCI for submission of bids. They have also alleged submission of false information in the resolution plan where the consortium had mentioned Johannes Sittard as a Director of Nithia Capital Resources Advisors LLP, in its revised bids on April 19, 2019 and again on May 15, 2019. According to them, it was incorrect as Sittard had resigned as a Director from Nithia Capital with effect from April 1, 2018 and not a part of the management team. He was the only person with technical knowledge in the field of mining and metals and the consortium had no technical expert and raised a question over their ability in running of the plants slated to be taken over. They have also alleged that the bank guarantee of Rs 250 crore was not provided by the consortium in terms of RFRP (Request for Resolution Plan). However, the appellate tribunal rejected the allegations and said: "It is found that the Bank Guarantee for the requisite amount was kept for one year for full amount of Rs 250 crore but after one year due to the financial crisis due to pandemic COVID-19, the Resolution Applicant requested for reduction of amount of Performance Bank Guarantee and CoC has accepted the lower amount of Rs 50 crore in place of PBG of Rs 250 crore as required by RFRP after expiry of the PBG on April 30, 2020. The said that CoC has exercised its right under clauses of the RFRP, agreed to allow for modification in the validity period of PBG. Regarding the technical expertise, the said Sittard was still continuing with the company. According to the appellate tribunal, the has already made appropriate arrangement by putting a specific condition that the resolution applicant would appoint an observer. Observing that individual can come and go and a company is to run, the NCLAT fixed responsibility on CarVal Investors that Sittard should continue for next one year or for such extended period till the Corporate Debtor (Uttam Value Steels) stands on its feet. Regarding the CCI approval, the NCLAT said it is complied with in the present case. The approval from CCI has been obtained in June, 2019 and had approved the resolution plan in April and May 2020. (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.) Data provided by the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service indicated that as of Sept. 1, there were 60 single-family homes on the market. They ranged from a two-bedroom, 1,266-square-foot, two-story cottage built in 1940 on 0.11 acres, listed for $263,900, to a 291-acre historic estate with a five-bedroom, 4,704-square-foot house built in 1860, for $4.25 million. There were two multifamily homes for sale: a 2,318-square-foot, three-unit house on 0.6 acres, listed for $350,000, and a 4,034-square-foot, three-unit house on 6.88 acres, listed for $1.35 million. There were no available condominiums. The median sale price for a single-family home during the 12-month period ending Sept. 1 was $354,000, up from $306,500 during the previous year. For multifamily homes, the median was $360,000, up from $266,750. For condominiums, the median was $240,000, up from $235,000. The Vibe Ms. Shaw called Pawling the quintessential small town, with lots of community activities among them, a townwide garage sale, an arts-and-crafts festival and a holiday Decemberfest, all sponsored by the Pawling Chamber of Commerce. In Quaker Hill, the (temporarily closed) Akin Free Library, a Second Empire-style building, houses the Gunnison Museum of Natural History and the Historical Society Museum. At Lakeside Park, the town holds the Music by the Lake series every summer (it was canceled this year). By Express News Service CHENNAI: While a major debate rages on over the Hindi 'imposition' in the State, the ordeals of Assistant Commissioner Balamurugan add a new twist to the old tale. An officer with the outer commissionerate of the Goods and Services Tax office in Chennai, Balamurugan was posted in the department's "Capacity Building and Hindi Cell" recently. While the job entails promoting Hindi as the official language in filing proceedings with the department, the irony is that Balamurugan does not know or understand Hindi. Balamurugan's superintendent also does not know the language. The Chennai commissionerate consists of three members and Balamurugan, one of those three, was posted there last November. Till date, it was not a problem for Balamurugan or superintendent Sukumar as their colleague, Inspector Ranjan Dahiya was fluent in Hindi. "Dahiya would help us with all the correspondence. We only had to sign at those places crossed by him. We would not even read what was written, Balamurugan tells Express. My seniors know that I do not speak Hindi," says Balamurugan. The trouble started when Dahiya was transferred out. A new inspector, Vijay Kumar, was posted to that vacancy. "Now, none of the three officials in the Hindi cell know the language. We are dependant on a tax assistant, who holds additional charge of the cell, for help. Initially, I thought they might have erred on my transfer. But now, I feel this is being done on purpose," he says, adding that he has written to the Chairman of the Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs on the matter. "It is not that I am against Hindi. When I was transferred to Mumbai, I took my children and wife along, so that they can learn Hindi. But this is like putting pressure on me," he says. Currently, of the six officials at the eligible level, only one knows Hindi. "He should have been transferred in my place. This is being done to belittle my Tamil sentiment," says Balamurugan. G Ravindranath, Commissioner of GST & Central Excise, Chennai Outer, could not be contacted for his reaction. A few months back, my mother gave me two overstuffed plastic folders my beloved aunt had passed away months before and my uncle had discovered the folders in her things. They were her Maggie Files, filled with newspaper clippings, cards and printed emails spanning 10 years and three overseas deployments with the Marines. She had saved everything, including the custom forms from the weekly care packages she sent me and my fellow Marines over the years. Right there in my hands was an extensive paper trail of our relationship, slightly yellowed and faded, and smelling of her favorite brand of cigarettes. I remember those packages. She always asked if there was someone in my unit who didnt get much mail and might need extra support from home. She would also be sure to rotate the point of origin, sending packages from the three post offices in our area. She wanted to make sure she was giving business to small towns. Maybe it was because her uncle was a postal carrier for decades, or maybe it was just because she understood that postal services were critical to life in rural America. The U.S. Postal Service is the only mail delivery service with a universal obligation to deliver mail to every point in the country from dirt roads in middle America to paths in mountain towns. They deliver prescriptions to the sick, elderly and veterans; Social Security checks and birthday cards. They deliver care packages to young Marines in Iraq. With an upcoming election, the postal service is critical in getting absentee ballots to polling places safely and quickly. Absentee ballots are sometimes the only option for elderly Americans, active duty military members and their families to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Incidentally enough, these groups all tend to lean conservative politically. In fact, contrary to unfounded political statements, studies routinely show that mail-in voting favors neither party and is a safe and secure process of our democracy. The postal service isnt perfect, but it works so much so that Americans have more faith in the postal service than in the CIA or FEMA and nearly 70% of Americans support mail-in voting. President Trump himself has requested a mail-in ballot. Knowing how much the post office does for all Americans, especially those in heavily Republican areas, Im saddened to hear of President Trumps war on the postal service. I cant begin to understand the motivations behind the move to reduce mailboxes or cut workers especially during a pandemic but I can recognize the real impact these moves have on me and my communities. My boyfriends daughter loves getting the mail every day she can recognize the sound of the mail truck as it rounds the corner to our house. Throwing on my flip-flops and racing to the box, she likes to sort the packages and letters. During quarantine, this ritual became even more important a connection to the outside world. In an age of instant messaging and FaceTime, Ill admit I was tickled to see her writing cards to her grandparents and asking her cousins in Ukraine if they would be willing to be pen pals. She even wants to be a mail carrier when she grows up because she wants to bring people that same joy. The post office is something we often take for granted, I know I have. I stress every year about designing the perfect Christmas card and making sure I get one to every address on my ever-expanding list. I even take special care to order an assortment of holiday stamps early and allow time to scent the cards with pine or cinnamon. I rarely stop to think of the work that happens after I drop off my cards. The men and women who sort, drive and deliver my little messages around the country who probably wonder what kind of person makes scented holiday cards. If I stop to really think about it, the USPS has been an integral part of my life delivering much-needed supplies and shoes during long runs, birthday packages to friends far way, or announcing major life events the postal service has supported me in all my adventures, big or small. Communication is backbone of connection, and we are all in desperate need of connection these days. So, I ask my fellow rural Americans to join me in contacting our representatives and sharing how safe, secure and timely mail impacts us all. Demand that the postmaster general stay true to his commitment to suspend damaging changes and not only restore the postal service its former capacity, but bolster it in preparation for Novembers election. In a time where everything seems political, supporting the U.S. Postal Service is a no-brainer. It isnt partisan, its patriotic. Maggie Seymour is a native of Alexander and a graduate of Franklin High School. She served 10 years as an active-duty Marine officer and now lives in Beaufort, South Carolina, where she works as a writer and researcher. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has affected all aspects of healthcareincluding sharp drops in educational opportunities for resident physicians in training. In response, urology training programs across the United States joined forces to develop a multi-institutional online video lecture collaboration, according to a special article in Urology Practice, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). Called "Urology Collaborative Online Video Didactics"Urology COViD for shortthe online lecture series has been a runaway success in the urology world, with thousands of views and overwhelmingly positive reviews from trainees and educators. Lindsay A. Hampson, Assistant Professor of Urology at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and colleagues share their experience with the development and initial evaluation of the groundbreaking lecture series. Urology Programs Team Up to Replace Educational Opportunities Lost to Coronavirus An overlooked effect of drastic declines in routine clinical care has been the loss of invaluable training opportunities for resident physicians. This may be especially true in surgical specialties such as urology, as many hospitals have only recently started to resume operations other than emergency or urgent surgery. Spurred by an example from another surgical subspecialty (otolaryngology), the urology residents at UCSF brought the idea to Dr. Hampson. The following day Dr. Hampson conceptualized Urology COViD and reached out to program directors at eight academic training programs: UCSF, University of Washington, University of California-Davis, Stanford University, University of Minnesota, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and University of Virginia. There was immediate buy-in, with programs across the country facing the same issues with how to train residents during decreased clinical volume and changing educational contexts. Within a week the UCSF team had created a new website (urologycovid.ucsf.edu/) and launched Urology COViD as a "urology-specific collaborative didactic series." Almost immediately, there was a significant influx of collaborating programs from across the country; by the end of the first week of lectures, volunteer faculty had filled all 84 available lecture slots. The following week, a month-long waiting list was filled. Consisting of a 45-minute lecture followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session, lectures are delivered live over the Zoom platform in webinar format, including interactive features. All lectures are subsequently posted on the website for viewing via YouTube. By any measure, Urology COViD has been a smashing success, with lectures delivered by faculty from 35 institutions. The twice-daily webinars have been seen by an average of more than 470 viewers live on Zoom. Within the first two weeks, there were more than 7,000 views of the lecture recordings on YouTube. More than 90 percent of users leaving feedback on the lecture series and videos have left above average or excellent ratings. More than 80 percent said the series provided a sense of "community connectedness" during a time of social isolation. "All (100 percent) of the viewers surveyed in this study indicated that they would like to see the series continue into the future," the researchers write. Urology COViD is resuming in September and is expected to provide continued educational opportunities even after the pandemic ends. "There will be a time in the future when we are back in the operating rooms, clinics and lecture halls," Dr. Hampson and colleagues conclude. "We hope that this series can evolve and persist so that these new collaborative educational efforts can outlast the pandemic and continue to provide a source of shared knowledge, resident teaching, and community building for our diverse field." Explore further Survey shows global urological services have been significantly deferred due to COVID-19 pandemic More information: Yi Li et al. Multi-Institutional Collaborative Resident Education in the Era of COVID-19, Urology Practice (2020). Yi Li et al. Multi-Institutional Collaborative Resident Education in the Era of COVID-19,(2020). DOI: 10.1097/UPJ.0000000000000158 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Wed, September 9, 2020 09:40 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43a483d 2 SE Asia Malaysia,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free Malaysian authorities on Tuesday reminded the public to avoid physical contact, including fist bumps as a form of greeting, as the number of new coronavirus cases in the country climbed to a three-month high. The fist bump, where two people briefly press their closed fists together, has replaced the traditional handshake in popularity as people around the world sought to limit the spread of the pandemic. But Malaysia's top health official said any form of physical contact presents the risk of infection and reminded people to maintain a distance of at least one meter. "This is why we're telling people not to fist bump," the Director-General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah told reporters. The Southeast Asian country recorded a three-digit rise in new infections for the first time since early June, with 100 cases reported on Tuesday. Malaysia has so far avoided the level of outbreaks seen in neighbors the Philippines and Indonesia, which have 241,987 and 200,035 cases respectively. Indonesia's death toll of 8,230 is the region's highest. Malaysia has reported a total of 9,559 infections, including 128 deaths. Hanson was catapulted into Federal Parliament by the voters of the strongly working-class Queensland seat of Oxley. She won Liberal Party preselection only because no-one in the party thought the seat was winnable, and despite the fact that she was overcome with emotion and unable to complete her speech to the preselection panel. There was only one other contender. The Liberal Party then did her the favour of disendorsing her for unacceptable comments about Aborigines, which elevated her to national prominence and did wonders for her recognition in Oxley. Independent MP Pauline Hanson arriving at Canberra airport, November, 1996. Credit:Mike Bowers Her anti-Aboriginal views tapped strong sentiment in blue-collar households which believed the Labor Party was more concerned with noisy interest groups than its battling, taxpaying worker supporters. As an Independent rather than a Liberal, Hanson was a more attractive alternative for Labor voters. She won the seat with the largest anti-Labor swing in the country. Her triumph was the most spectacular manifestation of what happened across the country: traditional Labor voters voting against the Keating Government. Hanson is no political genius. She was tossed onto the political stage by a freak combination of circumstances and will go no further than the place she now holds on the fringe of the political process. Her political career is likely to follow a similar, but less spectacular, trajectory to Bronwyn Bishop's. Like Bishop she will be a one-speech wonder whose novelty value will eventually fade as she says the same things over and over. Hanson's place in the political system is as a beacon, a warning to the main political parties of something quiet nasty happening out in the electorate. She is the embodiment of a strong and widespread sense in the community of alienation from, and disillusionment with, the political system and government. She is a protest. The views she expresses are a collection of the grievances from mainly working-class, white Anglo-Saxons living in their own homes and battling to pay mortgages and worried about their jobs, their security and their children's futures, who feel that no-one is listening to them and no-one cares. They are deeply angry at what they believe was Labor's obsession with fixing problems for organised groups which made a lot of noise while it forgot them. The opinions Hanson is expressing are driven by fear - fear of change which isn't understood and which the political process has not explained. In some cases, it is change that the mainstream political parties have conspired together not to debate for fear that the debate would be divisive. Politicians like Paul Keating believed the Australian electorate was much more sophisticated in its understanding of the quality of policy decisions than the media understood and that good policy would always win in the end. He was the most policy driven modern politician and presided over an extraordinary period of change in Australia. But he was humiliatingly rejected by voters because they believed that none of his great policy reforms did anything for them. Pauline Hanson collecting the how to vote form for One Nation before going in to vote at Ipswich North Primary School, 1998. Credit:Dallas Kilponen Mabo and the recognition of prior Aboriginal ownership is a classic example of the gulf between Keating's vision and the electoral reality. Keating did what he believed was right for the Aboriginal people but failed to convince his own blue-collar voters that this was relevant to them because it made Australia a better place. They just saw Aboriginal people getting his attention and special treatment while he ignored them. Hostility to assistance to other disadvantaged groups, such as single mothers and the unemployed, to the levels of Asian immigration, to Australia giving foreign aid or signing UN treaties and to foreign ownership of Australian businesses, all come from the failure of the political process to take the people along with it on important change. Pauline Hanson and the popular support she is receiving are depressing evidence of a systematic failure in Australian politics. That she is able to be seen as someone with something worthwhile to say in the Australian political debate when she says Aborigines are better off than whites because the colour of their skin qualifies them for special benefits, that she can't go to the Gold Coast because it is overrun with Asians, that Australia should stop all foreign aid and withdraw from the United Nations and so on, is more an indictment of the political system than of her. John Howard recognised there was political opportunity in this for the Coalition and, helped by extensive polling, branded much of this government policy "political correctness". He made these dirty words and turned them into votes for the Coalition. There is a risk for Howard, however, that the "Hansonism" which the demonising of political correctness has produced could turn against him as his Government inevitably has to deal with its own special-interest pressure groups. The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a fresh batch of petitions seeking deferment of NEET, which is scheduled to be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on September 13. Everything is over now, even the review petitions have been dismissed, the apex court said while refusing to entertain the pleas that had also sought an increase in a number of exam centres. A bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan observed that the authorities will take all steps necessary to help aspirants sit for the test. Some petitions had cited Bihar floods for deferment, while some others weekend Covid-19 lockdowns, the bench said. The petitioners had demanded that the NEET be held in 5-6 shifts for over 15.9 lakh students across 3843 centres. Presenting a fresh plea for deferring the exam and requesting for more centres, the senior lawyers of the Supreme Court made last ditch effort to bring relief to students who have been seeking to postpone NEET 2020 amid the coronavirus scare. The National Testing Agency (NTA) had recently conducted JEE Main 2020 examination, following which students and experts had questioned how would social distancing be maintained when more number of aspirants would sit for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for medical courses. The fresh plea in SC also requests for a staggered examination over five to six days, like the JEE Main examination. Informing about the fresh plea, advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava tweeted on Tuesday: #NEET friends, Today evening I had a detailed discussion with Respected Senior Advocate, who will appear for us in our NEET Case tomorrow. We are seeking postponement, more centres, NEET in 5-6 Days etc. Both of us are working pro bono. We will try our Best. U keep studying." The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed a plea seeking postponement of JEE (Main) April 2020 and NEET-Undergraduate examinations, which are scheduled for September, amid spurt in number of Covid-19 cases, saying precious year of students cannot be wasted" and life has to go on. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said career of students cannot be put under jeopardy for long". Life has to go on. Life has to move ahead. Precious year of students cannot be wasted," the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, said during the hearing conducted through video conferencing while paving the way for commencement of the exams as scheduled. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the apex court that due precautions and all safeguards would be taken while conducting these examinations. The counsel appearing for the petitioners told the bench that lakhs of students are looking towards the top court for relief and they were only seeking postponement of these exams. The plea, filed by 11 students belonging to 11 states, had sought quashing of the July 3 notices issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA), by which it was decided to conduct the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) April 2020 and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-Undergraduate exams in September. As per the public notices issued by NTA, JEE (Main) April 2020 was conducted from September 1-6, while NEET UG 2020 exam is scheduled for September 13. The plea, filed through advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, had referred to Covid-19 pandemic and said authorities be directed to conduct these exams only after normalcy is restored. By Alexis Akwagyiram and Tom Wilson LAGOS/LONDON (Reuters) - Four months ago, Abolaji Odunjo made a fundamental change to his business selling mobile phones in a bustling street market in Lagos: He started paying his suppliers in bitcoin. Odunjo sources handsets and accessories from China and the United Arab Emirates. His Chinese suppliers asked to be paid in the cryptocurrency, he said, for speed and convenience. The shift has boosted his profits, as he no longer has to buy dollars using the Nigerian naira or shell out fees to money-transfer firms. It is also one example of how, in Africa, bitcoin - the original and biggest cryptocurrency - is finding the practical use that it has largely failed to elsewhere. "Bitcoin helped to protect my business against the currency devaluation, and enabled me to grow at the same time," Odunjo told Reuters from his two-by-eight metre shop. "You don't have to pay charges, you don't have to buy dollars," the 30-year-old said, raising his voice above the sound of loud haggling and the honking horns of scooters. Odunjo is one of many people at the heart of a quiet bitcoin boom in Africa, driven by payments from small businesses as well as remittances sent home from migrant workers, according to data shared exclusively with Reuters and interviews with around 20 bitcoin users and five cryptocurrency exchanges. Monthly cryptocurrency transfers to and from Africa of under $10,000 - typically made by individuals and small businesses - jumped more than 55% in a year to reach $316 million in June, the data from U.S. blockchain research firm Chainalysis shows. The number of monthly transfers also rose by almost half, surpassing 600,700, according to Chainalysis, which says the research is the most comprehensive effort yet to map out global crypto use. Much of the activity took place in Nigeria, the continent's biggest economy, along with South Africa and Kenya. This represents a reversal for bitcoin which, despite its birth as a payments tool over a decade ago, has mainly been used for speculation by financial traders rather than for commerce. Why a boom in Africa? Young, tech-savvy populations that have adapted quickly to bitcoin; weaker local currencies that make it harder to get dollars, the de facto currency of global trade; and complex bureaucracy that complicates money transfers. Story continues The bitcoin users interviewed by Reuters, based in five countries from Nigeria to Botswana, said the cryptocurrency was helping people make their businesses nimbler and more profitable, and helping those working in places like Europe and North America hang on to more of the earnings they send home. Yet risks abound. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are unregulated in many countries and their legal status is unclear, meaning there is no safety net and little recourse if you lose funds. For many, converting local currencies to and from bitcoin relies on informal brokers. Prices are volatile, and buying and selling is a complex process that demands technical knowledge. In 2018, the Nigerian central bank warned cryptocurrencies were not legal tender, and investors were unprotected. (Graphic: Crypto transfers soar in Africa - https://graphics.reuters.com/CRYPTO-CURRENCIES/AFRICA/xklpynddbvg/chart.png) TO SHANGHAI WITH CRYPTO A steady stream of customers comes and goes from Odunjo's shop, one of a dozen units along a dark corridor in an indoor section of the market known as Computer Village. Odunjo makes two or three transfers a month of around 0.5-0.7 bitcoin ($5,900-$8,300) each, to suppliers in Shanghai and Zhangzhou. East Asia, Chainalysis found, is one of the top partners for bitcoin trading with Africa. Odunjo's trades offer a microcosm of the wider trends at play in both Nigeria and across the continent. In Nigeria, small cryptocurrency transfers totalled nearly $56 million in June, nearly 50% more than a year before. The number of transactions jumped over 55% to 120,000. Gauging how cryptocurrencies are used in particular locations is tough, though. Digital coins offer a high degree of anonymity, and though the value of transactions can be tracked on the blockchain, the identity or whereabouts of a user cannot. Chainalysis, which tracks crypto flows for financial firms and U.S. law enforcement, gathered the data by analysing web traffic and trading patterns, though locations can be obscured by virtual private networks. It separated transfers of under $10,000 from larger sums common among professional traders. (Graphic: Africa's crypto hotspots - https://graphics.reuters.com/CRYPTO-CURRENCIES/AFRICA/xegvbolrypq/chart.png) NAIRA'S LOSS, BITCOIN'S GAIN With Nigeria's oil-dependent economy rocked by low crude prices and COVID-19, the central bank has twice devalued the naira this year. As a result, Odunjo and other importers must pay more to buy increasingly scarce dollars. The naira's fall has pushed many Nigerians towards bitcoin, the interviews showed, as they seek methods of purchasing goods from overseas without having to buy dollars. Sylvester Kalu, who runs a clothing starch maker in Uyo, eastern Nigeria, uses bitcoin to buy supplies from Istanbul and Shenzhen. "Everything is oil. When the price of oil dropped, forex became scare," he said. "That became a very big problem." The 30-year-old said his transactions totalled around 2 bitcoin ($20,000) a time, adding: "I don't need anyone in the banks, I don't need a person to use the back door to get dollars." Timi Ajiboye, who runs Lagos exchange BuyCoins, said its monthly cryptocurrency volumes jumped over three-fold to $21 million in June after the naira was devalued in March. Exchanges across Africa spoke of a similar boom. Yellow Card, which operates in five countries, said its monthly crypto volumes had jumped five-fold in 2020 to $25 million in August. A big driver was workers using bitcoin for remittances, it added. Luno said the combined monthly bitcoin trading volumes of all market participants in South Africa and Nigeria had jumped by half this year to more than $536 million in August. (Graphic: Nigeria's crypto boom - https://graphics.reuters.com/CRYPTO-CURRENCIES/AFRICA/oakveonbbvr/chart.png) IT'S A RISKY BUSINESS For some people working abroad, in other continents or other African countries, sending money home via bitcoin can be quicker and cheaper. A Nigerian worker in London sending 100 pounds ($132) in cash to Lagos via a big traditional money-transfer firm, for example, would pay fees of around 5%. Costs are lower when sending larger amounts or using a debit card, but the exchange rates on offer are typically several percentage points less favourable than the market rate. Bitcoin fees vary depending on the exchange or broker, but would typically total about 2%-2.5% for sending 100 pounds. However both exchanges and over-the-counter (OTC) brokers carry risks, from hacks to scams. And bitcoin, while handy for transfers, isn't much use on the ground - shops and landlords rarely accept it, for instance. This means friends or family sent funds by workers must convert it back to traditional currency, often via a broker at their end, introducing additional risk. Yet the bitcoin users interviewed said many OTC brokers, who rely on word-of-mouth reviews, functioned reliably in an increasingly competitive market and were loath to imperil the reputations they needed to stay in business. And for a growing number of people, the potential rewards outweigh the pitfalls. "People are very adoptive of any technology that will make their life easier," said Frankline Kihiu, a crypto broker in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. "In most African countries, there are lots of government restrictions that bitcoin takes away." ($1 = 0.7585 pounds) (1 bitcoin = $10,065) (Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram in Lagos and Tom Wilson in London; Additional reporting by Nneka Chile in Lagos; Editing by Pravin Char) Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2020) - Roscan Gold Corporation (TSXV: ROS) (FSE: 2OJ) (OTC Pink: RCGCF) ("Roscan" or the "Company") is pleased to report on bottle roll test work recently completed on crushed rejects of diamond drill samples from the Mankouke South Target. Test work has been completed at ALS Laboratory in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in August 2020 and recorded an overall metallurgical recovery of 90% from 139 samples (Table 1). The preliminary test work (bottle roll) in 2020 was focused on defining the cyanide recoveries that are expected from the Mankouke South project material. Additional work is still required for the metallurgical process at Mankouke South, but no significant metallurgical issues related to gold recovery have been identified from the work to date. Nana Sangmuah, President and CEO, stated, "Preliminary metallurgical testing shows high recoveries of up to 96.5% in the Mankouke South Target. Further metallurgical test work will be completed in 2021 to determine the variation in gold recoveries between the oxide, transition zones and fresh rock. We are very excited and encouraged about these initial results, which clearly indicate the potential to recover the gold in a conventional manner." Lithology Code Weathering Fresh Rock (py %) Recovery (%) No. of Samples Laterite Laterite 92.8 7 Greywacke Saprolite No fresh pyrite 96.5 45 Greywacke/Shale Saprolite No fresh pyrite 91.6 4 Greywacke Saprolite With fresh pyrite 84.0 57 Greywacke/Shale Saprolite With fresh pyrite 82.0 12 Polymitic Breccia Fresh 90.5 14 Total 90 139 Table 1: Summary of Preliminary Metallurgical Result for Mankouke South Gregory Isenor, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, reviewed the bottle roll test work completed at ALS, and this news release. Gregory Isenor, P.Geo., an Officer and Director of Roscan, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. Story continues About Roscan Roscan Gold Corporation is a well-funded Canadian gold exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of gold properties in West Africa. The Company has assembled a significant land position of 100%-owned permits in an area of producing gold mines (including B2 Gold's Fekola Mine which lies in a contiguous property to the west of Kandiole), and major gold deposits, located both north and south of its Kandiole Project in West Mali. For further information, please contact: Andrew J. Ramcharan, P.Eng Executive Vice President - Corporate Development Tel: (416) 572-2295 Email: aramcharan@Roscan.ca Greg Isenor, P.Geo Executive Vice-Chairman Tel: (902) 832-5555 Email: gpisenor@Roscan.ca Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63403 No Question Hour in Parliament monsoon session! Opposition parties on Wednesday hit out at the government on Wednesday over the suspension of Question Hour in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament. Monsoon session of Parliament is scheduled to begin from September 14 and conclude on October 1. According to notifications issued by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats, there will be no Question Hour and private members' bills will not be taken up in the Monsoon session, while the Zero Hour will be restricted. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sought justification of no Question Hour in the monsoon session. Criticising the move, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien accused that the pandemic is an excuse to murder democracy. Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha said, "It is disappointing. No Question Hour in such a time when coronavirus has taken so many lives, infection is rising, management regarding it is below poor." Cartoonist: Satish Acharya Source: Sify BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: The increase in Iran's trade relations with Azerbaijan after the imposition of US sanctions on Iran was positively assessed by Iran, Iranian political scientist Elyas Vahedi told Trend. According to Vahedi, Azerbaijan is one of the most important countries in the South Caucasus, Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions. "In fact, Iran-Azerbaijan relations can expand and develop not through bilateral trade, but through joint investment and production projects and regional and international trade agreements. The North-South International Transport Corridor can connect India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia and several other countries to one another and increase economic cooperation many times," he added. The political scientist stressed that Iran is also Azerbaijan's southern gateway to international waters. Iran can connect Azerbaijan to the Middle East, the Indian Ocean and the African continent. Vahedi noted that there have been discussions on military and security cooperation over the past 2-3 years, and this process can be positively assessed. Because both countries are necessary for the region. According to the statistics of Islamic Republic of Iranian Customs Administration (IRICA), Iran exported goods worth $429 million to Azerbaijan during the last Iranian year (from March 21, 2019 to March 20, 2020). BRIDGEPORT A local man was in custody Tuesday after police said he choked and stabbed a woman in front of her young daughter. Bruce Betancourt, 30, of uncertain address, was charged Saturday with second-degree assault, second-degree strangulation, risk of injury to a child and disorderly conduct. These charges are insane, Betancourt said from his cell via video conferencing during his arraignment hearing Tuesday. Senior Assistant States Attorney Nicholas Bove urged Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton to set a high bond for Betancourt based on the allegations against him. Based on the allegations and his prior criminal record, he is extremely dangerous and poses a danger to the community, the judge agreed and ordered Betancourt held in lieu of $250,000 bond. She continued the case to Nov. 9. Police said on Saturday night they were called to Madison Terrace for a disturbance. When officers got there, they found a woman standing in the parking lot with her daughter hysterically crying. Police said the woman told them she had gotten into an argument with Betancourt when he suddenly grabbed her neck with both hands and choked her until she became faint. Betancourt punched the woman in the side of the head and then grabbed a large kitchen knife, held it to the womans throat and threatenedd to kill both her and her daughter, police said. He let the woman go but only after jabbing her in the head with the knife, police said. Police said the woman waited until Betancourt fell asleep and then fled the apartment with her daughter. When officers confronted Betancourt, they said he claimed he had taken heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine before arguing with the victim. Fifteen more minors returned from Syria through offices of Russian Childrens Ombudsman The press service of Russia's Children Rights Commissioner 11:22 09/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 9 (RAPSI) A plane of Russias Defense Ministry with fifteen Russian children onboard returned from Syria overnight into Wednesday, the press service of the minors ombudsman Anna Kuznetsova told RAPSI on Wednesday. During the flight the minors were accompanied by doctors. After the landing they were transferred to an observation center, according to the statement. This plane carried in particular ill children, Kuznetsova noted. Paralyzed boy and girl as well as children with fragment wounds were sent to a hospital. After all quarantine measures they will go to their relatives in Astrakhan, Dagestan, Chechnya, Kabardino-Balkaria. The ombudsman added that the work on the return of a next group of 70 children is underway now. In August, 26 minors returned from orphanages in Syrias Damask with the direct assistance of Kuznetsova. This was the first flight after the lifting of the coronavirus restrictions. The children were accompanied by doctors. After all quarantine measures they will be transferred to their relatives. Paris Hilton has claimed she felt 'pressured' into making her sex tape with her 'first real boyfriend' Rick Salomon. In her upcoming documentary This Is Paris, the socialite, 39, compared the ordeal to being 'electronically raped' and admitted she wasn't 'in the right head space' after the video leaked online. Filmed at the height of their relationship in 2001, the home-made movie was subsequently sold by poker player Rick, 52, following their separation in 2004 and distributed with the title 1 Night In Paris. 'It was like being electronically raped': Paris Hilton has claimed she was 'pressured' into making her sex tape with her 'first real boyfriend' Rick Salomon According to The Sun, the media personality reflected: 'It was my first real relationship. Eighteen. I was so in love with him and I wanted to make him happy. 'And I just remember him pulling out the camera. And he was kind of pressuring me into it. It was like being electronically raped.' Sharing her thoughts on whether the outcome would have been the same if the tape was released today, the heiress added: 'That was a private moment of a teenage girl, not in her right head space, but everyone was watching it and laughing like it's something funny. Drama: Filmed at the height of their romance in 2001, the home-made movie was subsequently sold by poker player Rick (pictured in 2005), 52, following their separation in 2004 'I was just so lost': In her upcoming documentary This Is Paris, the socialite, 39, admitted she wasn't 'in the right head space' after the video leaked online (pictured in 2019) On and off: The New Jersey native went onto marry model Pamela Anderson twice, between the years of 2007 and 2008, and 2014 and 2015 (pictured in 2014) 'If that happened today, it would not be the same story at all, but they made me the bad person. I did something bad...I was just so lost and desperate for love that I found the worst possible person.' The Simple Life star echoed her comments in a recent interview with The Allbright as she said: 'I would say that the tape is something that I will regret for the rest of my life. I was a teenager; I was in love. I trusted the wrong person. And I let that happen. 'I think a lot of young girls - especially when you're in a relationship - just want that love so bad and you trust that they're going to keep something private, but you never know what's going to happen, because people change, and some guys are not good people.' Traumatic: Elsewhere in the documentary, the reality star discussed the physical and mental abuse she faced as a teenager at a boarding school in Utah (pictured in 2000) Elsewhere in the documentary, the reality star discussed the physical and mental abuse she faced as a teenager at a boarding school in Utah, and experiencing 'multiple' abusive relationships. Paris' wealthy parents Kathy and Richard sent her to many boarding schools following a rebellious phase after living at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City with her family. Paris spent 11 months at Provo Canyon School, the last in a series of institutions which focuses on behavioural and mental development. 'I buried my truth for so long': Paris spent 11 months at Provo Canyon School as a teen, the last in a series of institutions which focuses on behavioural and mental development The DJ - who revealed she was placed in solitary confinement after attempting to flee the education centre - recalled to People: 'I buried my truth for so long. 'But Im proud of the strong woman Ive become. People might assume everything in my life came easy to me, but I want to show the world who I truly am.' Between 2011 and 2014, police responded to 56 calls for assault at Provo and 25 for sexual offences. The Stars Are Blind artist - who left the school in 1999 after she turned 18 - elaborated: 'I was so grateful to be out of there, I didnt even want to bring it up again. It was just something I was ashamed of and I didnt want to speak of it.' In a statement to People, the boarding school said: 'Originally opened in 1971, Provo Canyon School was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. 'We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time.' MailOnline has contacted Provo Canyon School for further comment. Due to her traumatic experience, she also admitted to 'normalising' abuse when it came to her romances, adding: 'I had become so used to it at Provo, that it made me feel like it was normal.' Nowadays, Paris is in a 'safe' and healthy relationship with entrepreneur Carter Reum, who she has been dating for nine months. On their blossoming romance, the businesswoman recently said in a separate interview: 'I feel so safe with him. Before, I don't think I was really ready for a good relationship. But I've learned so much. And I'm so grateful to have found my perfect match.' This Is Paris is set for release on YouTube on September 14. Paris Hilton spoke at all-female members club, The AllBright digital event series about female resilience and entrepreneurship. DENVER, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Behavioral Innovations, a pioneer in providing evidence-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) announces its entry in Colorado with their newest center opening in Littleton, CO and other upcoming locations in Arvada, Highlands Ranch, and Commerce City. With 48 locations in Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado, Behavioral Innovations has been serving the needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for the past 20 years. Their centers provide 1-to-1 personalized treatment plans that include a fun, interactive, and naturalistic teaching environment to help every child reach their potential. The Littleton Autism Treatment Center is located at 10789 Bradford Rd, Suite 150, Littleton, CO 80127 and provides easy access to neighboring communities of Highlands Ranch and Columbine, with convenient access to the broader Denver metro via the I-470 loop. The center will be overseen by Sarah Nickel, M.S., BCBA. "We understand how stressful it can be for parents to navigate through the process, which is why we provide assistance and support at every step of the way, from initial assessment, benefits verification, diagnosis, and finally a personalized treatment plan for the child. Parents will love our 1:1 therapist to child interaction and our facilities go above and beyond the CDC recommended guidelines for safety of our children and staff in current times.", said Sarah. They are especially honored to be situated close to Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. (BACB), which is also located on Bradford Road. The BACB's certification requirements and examination content are developed by experts in ABA Therapy and are regularly reviewed in accordance to established standards. Behavioral Innovations credentials their clinical staff to strict BACB protocols and holds all staff accountable to the high BACB standards. More information about the Littleton center can be found on their website or by contacting (720) 642-7019. About Behavioral Innovations Behavioral Innovations was founded 20 years ago when Behavior Analysts Lori Russo, Carla Edwards, and Billy Edwards noticed a lack of available resources to assist children diagnosed with autism. Their first ABA-based autism therapy center was opened in Dallas, Texas in 2003. Teams at the centers demonstrate passion and dedication to improving the lives of children on the autism spectrum and their families, and specialized admissions, insurance, billing, and operations team members assist families through the complete parent journey. To learn more, visit the Behavioral Innovations website. People can follow them on Facebook and Instagram to receive regular updates on ABA Therapy and autism resources. SOURCE Behavioral Innovations The United States has spent $3.5 billion on the Somali security forces (army and police) since 2000 and has little to show for it. Efforts to establish an efficient national police force have failed. There has been some success with developing a professional, reliable and effective army, especially several hundred special operations troops. However, most of the officers are corrupt and their troops are not much better, despite being selected and trained by Western specialists in that sort of thing. The culture of corruption (according to outsiders) is seen by most Somalis as taking money from gullible foreigners in order to enrich your family and clan. There has never been an effective national government in Somalia. The only government Somalis can depend on is the informal one provided by your clan. Some clans are more powerful than others and the stronger clans prey on the weaker ones. All non-Somalis are seen as weak and potential sources of plunder. Other nations in the region have long seen Somalia as a threat and recent efforts to change that have failed. This does not mean al Shabaab has been free to do what they want. The army and national police are not the only armed force in the nation and not the most powerful one. That would be local clan or independent self-defense militias. When angry, the armed local clans and independent militias cause al Shabaab the most trouble. The army, peacekeepers and police are a minor problem in comparison. In a growing number of instances the local government forces agree to reinforce the local militia to defeat al Shabaab attacks. The nationwide cell-phone service makes this possible. Al Shabaab leaders advise local commanders to be more diplomatic. That is easier said than done when the locals are armed and fed up with years of threats and extortion, as well as al Shabaab demanding more of the local teenage boys be turned over so they can be converted into al Shabaab fighters, or murdered if the young men refuse to cooperate. It is estimated that in the last decade al Shabaab intimidation attacks have killed over 5,000 civilians. Demanding teenage boys to be trained as replacements for al Shabaab casualties has become a major issue with civilians. The army and peacekeepers are more powerful but they come and go. A well-armed, organized and led militia is always around to confront al Shabaab. So far the Islamic terrorists have not come up with an effective response to this local resistance. September 8, 2020: In Balad (30 kilometers north of Mogadishu) a large force of al Shabaab gunmen tried to seize the town. The army garrison defeated the attack, killing fourteen of the attackers and wounding many more. One soldier was killed and six wounded. Balad was under al Shabaab control until June 2012 and because of a shortage of trained and trustworthy security personnel the government had to make deals with local warlords to keep the peace. These warlords were initially uncomfortable around and hostile towards the trained police and army units. The militiamen were undisciplined and unpredictable. After a few years relations improved, in part because the militias needed the additional forces to keep al Shabaab out. Balad is a major market town that lies astride a key road al Shabaab would like to have more control over. September 7, 2020: In the south (Jubbaland, on the Kenya border) al Shabaab used a suicide car bomber to attacks Somali-American special operations base 50 kilometers west of the port city of Kismayo. The attack killed three Somali Special Forces troops and wounded an American as well as a Somali Special Forces operator. This attack, which included some mortar shells fired into the base, was not unusual. This area has, for years, been the scene of heavy fighting involving Somali, Kenyan and American forces against al Shabaab. Kismayo is the largest port in Somalia and is near the Kenyan border. Somali smugglers are very active in the area and they pay al Shabaab for protection from all the troops operating down there. So far this year there have been 46 American airstrikes in Somalia and most of them are in the south, close to the Kenyan border. American Special Forces have been operating down there for years and have taken casualties. In 2018 al Shabaab mortar fire killed an American Special Forces soldier and wounded four others. The Americans and some Kenyan soldiers were setting up an outpost near the Jubba River. Al Shabaab force was on the other side of the river had been firing on Kenyan peacekeepers operating in the area. Despite this attack, and several others, Kenyan and American troops finished setting up the combat outpost, which was used to hunt for al Shabaab forces in the area and drive them out. The death of the Special Forces NCO was the second American death in Somalia in two years. A Navy SEAL commando died during a May 2017 raid. Al Shabaab believes that the Somali and American Special Forces troops operate a network of local informants who provide target information for the airstrikes, which often kill key al Shabaab leaders. Al Shabaab regularly seizes and murders local civilians it suspects of being informants. Most of these victims are innocent but al Shabaab wants to terrorize the locals into silence. That is difficult because most of the locals hate, as well as fear, al Shabaab. September 2, 2020: In Kenya the government announced it had identified nine Kenyans (or Somalis living in Kenya) who were doing business with al Shabaab and providing various banking services. These nine men have had their assets frozen and are being prosecuted. August 27, 2020: In the southeast (Lower Shabelle region) American UAVs carried out an attack on al Shabaab, killing eight of the Islamic terrorists who were surrounded in a building and refused to surrender. The airstrike killed six al Shabaab men and wounded three others who were captured. August 20, 2020: In the far north Somali pirates released the last three of their foreign hostages. These three were Iranian fishermen captured in 2015. The Iranian government used various techniques to obtain the freedom of the other 16 crew on that fishing boat. Details were not made public about how the last three hostages were freed. This marks the end of an era. The decline began in 2008 with the organization and deployment of the international anti-piracy patrol off the Somali coast. By 2012 the pirates were unable to capture anymore large ships for multi-million-dollar ransoms. It was still possible to capture foreign fishing boats or small coastal cargo ships but these often yielded no ransom at all. With the big money gone the major pirate gangs disbanded. Some pirates still operate off the coast, without much success. The anti-piracy patrol is still there and large ships carry armed guards now, who will open fire if small speedboats get too close. Another factor in the demise of big-league piracy was the government of Puntland drove the pirate gangs out of local ports like Hur and Hobyo, which had long served as a base for pirates until local officials shut down most pirate gangs in 2012. The pirate gangs continued to operate out of Puntland ports but these ports were more closely watched by the anti-piracy patrol. August 16, 2020: In Mogadishu al Shabaab attacked and briefly occupied a beachside hotel. A suicide car bomb was used to breech the hotel perimeter and al Shabaab gunmen entered to kill security forces and capture or kill guests. The next day police attacked the hotel and killed the last of the five al Shabaab men who carried out the operation. Eleven others died, including one the policemen involved in the counterattack. August 12, 2020: In the north (Mudug, 500 kilometers north of Mogadishu), soldiers came to the aid of some herders who were fighting al Shabaab gunmen who demanded supplies so that the Islamic terrorists could set up in new base in an area the herders used to graze their animals. Al Shabaab believed the herders had too few gunmen to resist but soldiers showed up and that forced al Shabaab to withdraw. The Islamic terrorists lost 16 dead and even more were wounded. Al Shabaab survives in the north, as it does elsewhere in Somalia, by taxing the locals. Often the clans and local businesses work out a mutually agreeable tax rate. In a growing number of instances the victims of this extortion get organized and gather enough gunmen to defeat al Shabaab retaliation. If the locals can resist long enough (a few months to a year) al Shabaab will move away to a less hostile territory. There are fewer and fewer less hostile areas to operate in, at least one that yield enough income to keep al Shabaab going. August 10, 2020: Outside Mogadishu 19 prisoners, guards and al Shabaab attackers died when the Islamic terrorists sought to fight their way into the prison and free al Shabaab men being held there. The attackers took control of a small area of the prison compound and were killed or captured after several hours of fighting. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) walks through Statuary Hall to the House Chamber for President Donald Trumps State of the Union address in the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Schiff: New Whistleblower Complaint Alleges Suppression of Russian Election Interference Reports Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the head of the House Intelligence Committee, said a new whistleblower has come forward, alleging suppression of intelligence reports on Russian election interference. Weve received a whistleblower complaint alleging DHS suppressed intel reports on Russian election interference, altered intel to match false Trump claims and made false statements to Congress, he wrote on Wednesday afternoon. This puts our national security at risk. Schiff said, We will investigate. Schiff, who was the main architect of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump late last year, alleged that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and White House officials suppressed the reports. He said that former Intelligence and Analysis Acting Under Secretary Brian Murphy filed a whistleblower reprisal complaint at the DHSs Office of Inspector General. The whistleblower retaliation complaint filed by former Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis Brian Murphy outlines grave and disturbing allegations that senior White House and Department of Homeland Security officials improperly sought to politicize, manipulate, and censor intelligence in order to benefit President Trump politically, he added. This puts our nation and its security at grave risk. The White House has not responded to a request for comment. A panel headed by former special counsel Robert Mueller found that Trumps campaign did not collude with Moscow in the leadup to the 2016 elections. After that, Inspector General of the United States Department of Justice Michael Horowitz found there were 17 significant errors and omissions, and in March 2020, he found there were apparent errors or inadequately supported facts in about two dozen FBI wiretap applicationssimilar to those that were used to surveil former Trump campaign associate Carter Page. China, Not Russia? William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, which is overseen by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, found that China, not Russia, poses the greatest threat to election security in 2020. Beijing recognizes its efforts might affect the presidential race, Evanina said on July 24. The paramilitary police officers march outside the Forbidden City, near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China on May 20, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) The American public has a role to play in securing the election, particularly in maintaining vigilance against foreign influence, Evanina said. At the most basic level, we encourage Americans to consume information with a critical eye, check out sources before reposting or spreading messages, practice good cyber hygiene and media literacy, and report suspicious election-related activity to authorities. Schiffs comments also come after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said on Aug. 30 that it is necessary to scale back election security briefings due to congressional leaks. Ratcliffe said on Fox News that he had been frequently briefing not just the oversight committees but every member of Congress. But, he said, within minutes of one of those briefings ending, a number of members of Congress went to a number of different outlets and leaked classified information for political purposes. The top intelligence official added that it is designed to create a narrative that simply isnt true, that somehow Russia is a greater national security threat than China. I dont mean to minimize Russia. They are a serious national security threat, but day in, day out, the threats that we face from China are significantly greater, Ratcliffe added. Anyone who says otherwise is just politicizing intelligence for their own narrative. Schiff, however, said over the weekend that China does not pose a greater threat than Russia, responding to a comment from Attorney General William Barr, who made the assertion. Update: Fires burning near Lincoln City scorch 2,400 acres; officials report favorable shift in winds Several wildfires burning near the Oregon Coast have forced immediate evacuations in a swath of Lincoln City. Evacuees jammed roadways, many sitting in traffic for hours. Two large fires burning since late Monday in Lincoln County, the Echo Mountain fire and the Kimberling fire, have together grown to about 1,000 acres, driven by east winds of 30 to 50 mph, fire officials said. The cause has not been determined. As of 8 P.M. Wednesday, officials ordered residents of the following areas to evacuate immediately: All of East Devils Lake Road; Northwest 40th north to OR-18, from ocean to East Devils Lake Road; Highway 101 from Northeast East Devils Lake Road to North Three Rocks Road; OR-18 from Milepost 0 to Rose Lodge; Northeast Highland Road and all roads off it; North Slick Rock Creek Road; North Boulder Creek Road; North Sundown Drive; North Bear Creek Road; South Schooner Creek Road; North Meadow Place; North Mable Drive and Forest Road 25. The county is posting evacuation areas on its website and on an interactive map. An evacuation point has been established in Newport at the Newport Recreation Center. Chinook Winds, which had been serving as a temporary evacuation point, has now itself been evacuated. An ember ignited also a grassfire at the Chinook Winds golf course in the north of Lincoln City. Shelter is available for evacuees at the Newport Recreation Center, at 225 SE Avery St. People can take their livestock to the Livestock County Commons at 633 NE 3rd St., Newport. People south of 40th Street to the Lincoln City Outlets are under Level 2 evacuation orders meaning get set and be prepared to leave immediately. Level 1 be ready orders extended south nearly to Gleneden Beach. Lincoln City police is directing everyone south on Highway 101. pic.twitter.com/rZjlPQEfY7 Michael Heinbach (@MichaelHeinbach) September 9, 2020 Fires have closed Oregon 18 at Milepost 7, and U.S. 101 is closed from Gleneden Beach to Lincoln City. Fires are burning on both sides of Oregon 18 near Otis, according to local officials. Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, in the Level 2 evacuation area, has shut down. Officials there made the decision to close at 9 a.m. and move patients to Newport. People trying to evacuate flooded highways in the area, and drivers were also using filling center turn lane in addition to two southbound lanes. Traffic on U.S. 101 is now using the turning lane, in addition to the two southbound lanes, to evacuate from Lincoln City Wednesday afternoon. Shelia Orwoll said she was trying to leave Roads End in the north of Lincoln City but sat in her car for two hours on the highway before parking at a beach access point where she could abandon her car and flee to the ocean. Im just sitting here looking at the ocean and looking in my rear view mirror to see if the fire comes over the hill, she said. They say go, but I dont know where Im supposed to go. Orwoll later got back on the road and headed south, traveling about 12 miles over the course of an hour. Lincoln Citys year-round population is just over 9,000, but local estimates say it can grow to 30,000 during the busiest tourist months. The county has about 50,000 permanent residents. The blazes that make up the Echo Mountain fire complex ignited north of Oregon 18 near the communities of Otis and Rose Lodge. The eastern Echo Mountain fire jumped the highway and is moving south. An aircraft equipped with infrared cameras is expected to provide more information about the size and dynamics of the fire. Officials say it will take 48 hours to assess overnight damage because firefighting personnel are stretched thin. Officials urged residents to be careful with motorized equipment and other potential ignition sources. We cant handle another fire start on the landscape," said Michael Currans, an Oregon Department of Forestry forester. Michelle Blanchard evacuated her home in Otis at 2 a.m. Tuesday, before an evacuation order came down, then returned later in the day to pick up supplies. Just a few hundred feet away from the home, family members could hear the crackling fire and see billowing smoke. We got as much stuff as we possibly could, and it was starting to get really hot by our house, she said. So we got the hell out of there. Blanchard evacuated to her grandmothers home north of Lincoln City, then evacuated again Wednesday. Emergency responders had blocked U.S. 101 southbound, so they left to the north in a caravan of 15 friends and family members in 12 vehicles. She doesnt expect to find much left when she returns home. Probably all burned down, she said. Thats how it feels its going to be." -- Elliot Njus; enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjus There are no suckers and losers buried in the American cemeteries, only brave young men and women who did not look to how they could get something out of serving. They served because they knew it was the right thing to do. Robert Benson, Gretna Unfair, false attacks on Trump I take strong issue with Tom Purcells criticism of President Trump (Sept. 5 Pulse) regarding certain of the presidents remarks and the unsubstantiated remarks attributed to him by an anonymous source and published in a magazine that dislikes the president, as I assume is the case with Mr. Purcell. Any article that quotes an unnamed source is suspicious at best. When that publication openly and strongly dislikes the subject of the quote in the first place, it should be ignored and certainly not passed on as fact as did Mr. Purcell. He did not mention that John Bolton, one of the presidents most outspoken critics, was on that trip with the president and states on the record that he was never aware of any such remarks by Mr. Trump. President Trump was lying when he claimed in 2011 that he had paid private investigators to go to Hawaii to dig up information on former President Barack Obama's birth certificate, Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Tuesday. In his new book, Disloyal: A Memoir, Cohen writes about Trump pushing the false claim that Obama was not actually born in Hawaii. Cohen told Maddow that when Trump began talking endlessly about the conspiracy theory, he "saw that his poll numbers and his popularity and the number of times that he's gracing the cover of the newspaper is increasing." Trump didn't actually believe any of it, Cohen said, but "he doesn't care what he says, he doesn't care who gets hurt, so long as he wins." After Trump claimed to have sent private investigators to Hawaii, he declared that they couldn't "believe what they're finding." Later, Trump refused to share what the PIs allegedly uncovered, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper it wasn't "appropriate" to reveal their discoveries and letting ABC News' George Stephanopoulos know "it's none of your business right now." "He never sent anybody anywhere, he just said it and everybody sort of bought into it," Cohen said. "'Of course Donald Trump sent somebody, he's rich, right, who wouldn't send somebody if you wanted to prove your point?' Well, Donald Trump didn't do it because he didn't want to spend the money and he didn't believe it. His hatred for Barack Obama is plain and simple: He's Black, he went to Harvard Law, he graduated the top of his class, he's incredibly articulate, and he's all the things that Donald Trump wants to be, and he just can't handle it." More stories from theweek.com The true Election Day nightmare scenario New York Times investigation sheds more light on bribery, corruption at Beirut port that set stage for deadly blast The Lincoln Project's inevitable ad on Trump's toxic comments on U.S. troops uses his own slurs against him Thursday closures: Schools, parks and businesses (live updates) Wildfires, poor air quality and power outages are closing schools, services and state recreation sites in western Oregon. "Its best not to visit any state parks until conditions improve, said Chris Havel, Oregon Parks and Recreations District associate director. "If you do travel to a park, or anywhere else for that matter, give space to emergency personnel and be prepared for unexpected closures. SCHOOLS: Oregonlive.com maintains a page that lists up-to-the-minute school closures. Visit this page for details: oregonlive.com/weather/page/oregon_school_closures_delays Canby Sch. Dist.: Closed. No meal service today. Cascade Sch. Dist.: Closed, no kindergarten or preschool Wednesday. Colton Sch. Dist.: Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) will be postponed until further notice. Officials hope to start CDL on Monday, Sept. 14. Community Action Head Start - Marion/Polk: Closed. All Head Start, EHS and Child Care Partnerships sites closed. Damascus Christian: Closed. Camp is canceled for Wednesday. Elkton Sch. Dist.: All campuses closed. The Elkton School District #34 will be closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Estacada Sch. Dist.: No meal service or tech service Wednesday. Schools are closed through Sept. 11. Campuses are still open to evacuees. Gervais Sch. Dist.: All offices closed but online classes will begin as scheduled. Lane Community College: All locations will remain closed Wednesday. Lincoln Co. Sch. Dist.: Closed. Molalla River Sch. Dist.: Closed. School start postponed until Monday, Sept 14. North Marion Sch. Dist.: Closed. Oakland Sch. Dist.: Closed, staff report. Schools closed Wednesday. Oregon City Sch. Dist.: Closed. School start postponed. Eastham early childhood and K-5 childcare closed. Meal service at designated pick up sites only. Oregon Coast Comm. College: Closed. Newport Campus may open at noon Wednesday, conditions permitting. Lincoln City and Waldport Centers will be closed. Check Facebook for updates. Oregon State University: Partially closed. All nonessential programs and operations on the Corvallis campus, Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station operations in western Oregon are closed. The OSU Portland Center is entirely closed. Regis St. Mary Catholic School (Stayton): Closed, no preschool. Salem Academy: Closed, no kindergarten or preschool. St. Matthew (Hillsboro): LOI is canceled for this week. Students will participate in Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) for the remainder of the week. Sherwood Sch. Dist.: All outdoor activities in the district canceled Wednesday. Summit Learning Charter: Closed. Eagle Creek campus is closed. Live classes also canceled. Sutherlin Sch. Dist.: Schools closed. District office staff report only if safe to do so. Triangle Lake Charter School (Blachly School District) is moving the first day of school for students to Monday Sept. 21. Western Oregon University: Campus closed until 5 p.m. Wednesday and again Thursday. Woodburn School Dist.: Closed through Thursday, Sept. 11. SERVICES: Kaiser Permanente is closely monitoring the wildfires in the mid-Willamette Valley. For Wednesday, Keizer Station Medical Office is closed. Dental offices closed today are Valley River, Skyline, and North Lancaster. Patient appointments are being rescheduled. PeaceHealth Medical Groups Barger Clinic in West Eugene and Dexter Clinic in East Lane County will be closed Wednesday. Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Marion County as the Beachie Creek fire burned in the Opal Creek Wilderness near Detroit. PARKS AND RECREATION: The following Oregon State Parks are closed to all visitors until further notice or unless otherwise noted: Silver Falls State Park near Silverton. Detroit Lake campground and Mongold day-use area near Detroit. North Santiam State Park near Mehama. Collier Memorial State Park near Klamath Falls, closed the remainder of September, which is when its normal camping season ends. All state parks and boat ramps on Fall Creek Reservoir including Winberry day-use area, North Shore day-use area and Cascara campground are closed until further notice. Cape Lookout State Park near Tillamook will close through Sep. 10. All recreation has been shut down on Mount Hood. Read more about that here: oregonlive.com/travel Bureau of Land Management Northwest Oregon District has temporarily closed all recreation sites and certain roads from September 8-15. All BLM developed campgrounds in northwestern Oregon are closed, and dispersed camping is prohibited. Members of the public may not enter closed recreation areas. This temporary closure covers the northwestern part of the state, west of the Cascade Range and north from Cottage Grove to the Columbia River. Siuslaw National Forest: All forested, coastal, and sand areas, including the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Sand Lake, developed campgrounds, dispersed camping, day use areas, wilderness areas, and all forest roads and trails will be temporarily closed to the public starting Thursday, Sept. 10 at noon. Officials are encouraging the public to begin avoiding the forest immediately. New fire regulations were issued as of Wednesday, Sept. 9. Prohibitions include: Building, maintaining, attending, or using a campfire, fire, or stove fire. Welding or operating a torch with an open flame. Operating generators in areas of vegetation. Using a vehicle off Forest Service roads except when parking in an area devoid of vegetation for 10 feet. This excludes recreation on the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and the Sand Lake Recreation Area. Smoking outdoors in close proximity to flammable materials or vegetation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District is closing several recreation areas it manages near area dams. Check the website for closed areas: nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Site-Status/ The Santiam State Forest is closed to all public use. -- Rosemarie Stein; rstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-4376; @TrafficPortland -- -- K. Rambo; krambo@oregonian.com; @k_rambo_ Credit: CC0 Public Domain Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a gammaretrovirus that occurs worldwide in domestic cats, as well as small wild cats. It is associated with various serious, and sometimes fatal, diseases including anemia, immunosuppression and certain cancers. First described over 55 years ago, FeLV has been the subject of intense research interest, which has led to increasingly robust diagnostic assays and efficacious vaccines. While the prevalence of this infection in domestic cats has reduced in many geographic regions, the disease is still something of an enigma and can spread quickly, particularly within naive 'multi-cat' populations such as shelters and breeding catteries, as well as within pet homes with multiple cats. An important goal in order to reduce the prevalence further is understanding the FeLV status of every cat at risk of infection. A state-of-the-art Premier Review published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery this month aims to contribute diagnostic expertise to veterinarians in practice by reviewing recent insights into infection pathogenesis, gained using molecular techniques. Writing for an international audience of veterinary practitioners and feline researchers, Professors Regina Hofmann-Lehmann, of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and Katrin Hartmann, of LMU Munich, Germany, explain that not only are there several different outcomes of FeLV infection, but that these can vary over time. Newly classified as 'progressive', 'regressive', 'focal' and 'abortive' infection, the authors describe how it can be helpful to think of these outcomes in terms of a set of balance scales, with the cat's immune response on one side and the virus on the other. From an epidemiological point of view, it is the progressively infected cat that is most significant. In these infections, the virus has the upper handthese cats shed high numbers of FeLV particles and pose an infection risk to other cats. Regardless of their health status, progressively infected cats need to be kept apart from FeLV-naive companions. From a clinical point of view, progressively infected cats are a priority too: they are at high risk of succumbing to potentially fatal disease; though, if well cared for, many can continue to live a healthy and happy life, sometimes for years. Of the other possible outcomes, abortive infection is the most favorable for the catthese cats have strong anti-FeLV immunity. Regressively infected cats will have developed a partially effective antiviral immune response that can keep the virus in check; however, they probably never clear the infection completely, and can shed virus, and thus pose an infection risk, in the early phase of infection or if reactivation occurs. In focal infection, which is comparatively rare, the cat's immune system keeps viral replication sequestered in certain tissues. When it comes to FeLV testing, seemingly perplexing or 'discordant' test results are not uncommon, particularly in the early phase of infection, and can pose considerable challenges for the practitioner needing to establish the FeLV status and implement appropriate therapeutic and epidemiological measures. The authors discuss the most frequently used methods for FeLV detection, including free FeLV p27 antigen testing, viral RNA testing and FeLV provirus testing, focusing on when to test and how to interpret a positive or a negative result. The detection of anti-FeLV antibodies, including a point-of-care test for FeLV p15E introduced recently onto the European market, is also discussed. A diagnostic algorithm produced by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD) that provides guidance on which test to choose in which scenario is incorporated within the review article. As well as being expert members of the ABCD, both authors were members of an expert panel for recently published consensus guidelines from the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) on feline retrovirus testing and management, and together the guidelines and review article present the current state of knowledge about this potentially deadly virus. Discussing their ambition for their article, Professors Hofmann-Lehmann and Hartmann comment: "We hope that this review will not only increase awareness of this fatal but preventable disease, but also help veterinarians in clinical practice when diagnosing this remarkable but tricky infection." Explore further AAFP releases updated feline retrovirus guidelines to the veterinary community More information: Regina Hofmann-Lehmann et al, Feline leukaemia virus infection: A practical approach to diagnosis, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2020). Regina Hofmann-Lehmann et al, Feline leukaemia virus infection: A practical approach to diagnosis,(2020). DOI: 10.1177/1098612X20941785 A blaze on the oil tanker New Diamond was finally brought under control on Wednesday, the Sri Lankan navy said A blaze on a stricken oil tanker off Sri Lanka was finally extinguished Wednesday, authorities said, but while no crude has escaped the cargo, diesel leaking from the ship's engine raised fears for the environment. Sri Lanka's air force said the week-long fire had damaged much of the Panamanian-registered New Diamond's super structure, as well as the engine room and living quarters. While the cargo of 270,000 tonnes of crude oil was unaffected, some of the 1,700 tonnes of diesel fuel had leaked into the Indian Ocean, creating a half-mile slick visible from the air. "We have observed no smoke or flames from the tanker since this morning," air force spokesman Dushan Wijesinghe told AFP. "But tug boats are spraying water to cool the vessel." Sri Lanka's disaster management chief Sudantha Ranasinghe said the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was spraying chemicals to disperse the diesel spill. Officials said they hoped experts flown in by the Dutch salvage company SMIT would be able to board the tanker later Wednesday or Thursday to carry out an assessment. Sri Lanka was taking precautionary measures should the slick reach its shores around 70 kilometres (45 miles) away, Ranasinghe said. "At the moment, there is no danger of the diesel reaching our coasts," he told AFP. "But, should the worst happen, we are ready to deal with that." Sri Lanka's air force said the week-long fire had damaged much of the Panamanian-registered New Diamond's super structure The diesel is thought to have seaped out when the ship's fuel storage tanks ruptured and mixed with sea water used to douse the flames. The tanker was travelling from Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip carrying crude for the Indian Oil Company. The major fire was thought to have been completely doused on Sunday, but reignited a day later as heavy winds lashed the extremely hot surfaces of the stern. Strong winds also pushed the crippled vessel about 20 kilometres (12 miles) closer to Sri Lanka's eastern shores on Tuesday, but it has now been towed further out, the Sri Lanka navy said. The ICG said it provided 2,200 kilos of dry chemical powder to the Sri Lankan air force to drop on the burning tanker on Tuesday as a fire retardant. The blaze had weakened the structure of the 330-metre (1,089-feet) tanker and the vessel was listing slightly to port, the ICG said. Sri Lanka's chief prosecutor, Dappula de Livera, told local marine authorities to pursue a claim for damages and order the owners to tow the tanker away from Sri Lankan waters. The vessel issued its first distress signal while passing Sri Lanka's east coast on Thursday after a boiler room explosion killed a Filipino crew member. In July, Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef in Mauritius, leaking more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the island nation's pristine waters. Explore further Kilometre-long slick left by burning oil tanker off Sri Lanka 2020 AFP It was nice for the BLM Network (also known as NBC) to interrupt its coverage of the Breonna Taylor protest Saturday to show the Kentucky Derby. The protesters have a legitimate issue in Ms. Taylor's death, but it has nothing to do with race. No-knock warrants need to be re-evaluated and certainly the procedures of the Louisville PD need to be thoroughly reviewed to prevent officers from going to the wrong address. Somebody needs to be held responsible. Meanwhile on Aug. 18, Louisville had two murders that were the 99th and 100th of the year. They have already surpassed last years total with four months to go. Of the murders, 40 victims have been under 26 years old. This includes Trinity Randolph, a three-year-old who was sitting in her dollhouse when gunned down. I am happy to see one community leader in Louisville, Christopher 2X, actually understands the problem. Here is his quote from the Louisville Courier Journal: The unity has to be real, and the way weve come together for Breonna (Taylor), ....weve got to come together for all these kids that are dying to senseless violence and never had a chance because they grew up in an environment that normalized violence at a young age." Good for you Christopher, the black community needs many more leaders like yourself. Douglas Jones Ooltewah The "Tribute in Light" memorial to the World Trade Center is seen from the Empire State Building in New York City on April 3, 2002. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) The Memory of 9/11 Still Shapes Our World, so Let Us Take the Best From It Commentary It may be nearly two decades past now, but there is still no escaping the memory of Sept. 11, 2001. The emotions we felt that day and in its immediate aftermath left marks on our minds and on our souls that we will feel until the day we die. Therefore, when I am asked to reflect, my mind runs the gamut of reactions. One can never forget the tragedy or the horror. To forget the revulsion we felt at the sheer barbarism and cruelty, or our shock and sorrow at the deaths of so many of our fellow New Yorkers and fellow Americans, would be a disservice to their memory. But neither can we allow ourselves to dwell incessantly on that long-ago terrorthats what the people who perpetrated these attacks would want. We must turn our thoughts eventually to the hope, the resolve, and the heroism we all witnessed, not only on that day, but in the days, weeks, months, and years that followed. We have a duty to never forget the unbreakable spirit, always within us, that emerged into the open in our darkest of hoursa duty every bit as solemn as our duty to remember the fallen. It is the great honor of my life that I was able to give voice and direction to the outpouring of patriotism unleashed by those attacks, a patriotism determined to rebuild our city, fortify our country, and visit justice on those responsible. As I look out on the world forged by those efforts and those sacrifices, I am reminded that the events of today have been shaped to a significant degree by the events of 9/11. Take, for example, the war in Afghanistan, begun shortly after the Twin Towers fell and now fought by soldiers who, in some cases, were not yet born when they did. I look on with trepidation for their safety and reverence for their sacrifice, even as I reflect proudly on the justice they and their predecessors meted out on the battlefields of that war. As I do, I am hopeful that we will be able to bring them all home and get them out of harms way with all possible speed. President Donald Trump broke with precedent and ran on that very platform in 2016, promising to finally end the endless wars that were started in the years following 9/11. My hope that this worthy goal will finally be accomplished was boosted by reports that he will appoint Will Ruger, a man committed to ending the war, to the post of U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. Closer to the site of Ground Zero itself, unfortunately, I see less cause for optimism. When I see the civil disorder and the violence that have been allowed to go unchecked by the citys leaders, I am reminded of the bad old days of New York City in the 1970s and 80snot just in the resurgence of violence, but in the naive attitudes that enable it. It is disheartening. I see this heaped upon a city already asked to endure incredible restrictions and disruptions of normal life in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and Im forced to think that while recent events are perhaps not as much of a threat to our personal safety as 9/11, they may yet turn out to be more harmful to our spirit. Therefore, as we look back on the multitude of memories of that day 19 years ago, I hope we can all remember that this city and this country have endured the unimaginable and emerged unbrokenand that we can do it again. Rudy Giuliani is the former mayor of New York City. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Skeletal study suggests at least 11 fish species are capable of walking GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- An international team of scientists has identified at least 11 species of fish suspected to have land-walking abilities. The findings are based on CT scans and a new evolutionary map of the hillstream loach family, which includes the only living fish species caught in the act of walking: a rare, blind cavefish known as Cryptotora thamicola, or the cave angel fish. Pinpointing which species of hillstream loaches have walking capabilities can help scientists piece together how the first land-walking vertebrates might have come to be. In a new study, researchers from the Florida Museum of Natural History, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Louisiana State University and Maejo University in Thailand analyzed the bone structure of nearly 30 hillstream loach species, describing for the first time three categories of pelvic shapes. Based on the shape of the bone that connects some loaches' spines to their pelvic fins, the team found that 10 other species of loach shared the cave angel fish's unusually hefty pelvic girdle. "Fishes don't usually have any connection between their spine and pelvic fin," said biologist Zachary Randall, manager of the Florida Museum's imaging lab and one of the study's co-authors. "But before, the idea was that the cave angel fish was totally unique. 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." But not all loaches are so gifted: Though more than 100 species of hillstream loach are found throughout Southeast Asia, the cave angel fish is the only one whose walking capabilities have been observed and studied. Its salamander-like wiggle, powered by enlarged ribs bolstered with stabilizing muscle attachments, was first described in Scientific Reports in 2016 by Brooke Flammang, an assistant professor of biology at NJIT and the study's lead principal investigator. Randall said the cave angel fish's walk is a key adaptation for surviving fast-flowing cave streams. It can grip rocky streambeds and move between habitats - even up waterfalls - as water levels fluctuate in the dry season. The cave angel fish's increased mobility could help it access well-oxygenated stream regions with few or no occupants. Still, little is known about the species, including what it eats. "These loaches have converged on a structural requirement to support terrestrial walking not seen in other fishes," said study lead author and NJIT Ph.D. candidate Callie Crawford in a statement. "The relationships among these fishes suggest that the ability to adapt to fast-flowing rivers may be what was passed on genetically," rather than a set of specific physical characteristics. The team used CT scanning and DNA analysis to trace the evolutionary history of the hillstream loach family and found that, rather than evolving from a single origin, a robust pelvic region appeared several times across the hillstream loach family. "Even though the cave angel fish was first described in 1988, this is the first time it's been included in the hillstream loach family tree," Randall said. "With our Thai collaborators and using DNA analysis, we were able to use hundreds of genes to trace how pelvic shapes in these fish have evolved over time. Now, we have a much more accurate tree that adds a framework for studying how many species can walk and the extent to which they're able to." "This study brought together a team of researchers with interests and levels of expertise that varied from those of us who do fieldwork and study fishes in their natural habitats to geneticists to comparative anatomists," added Lawrence Page, Florida Museum curator of fishes and a co-principal investigator of the study. "The result is a greatly improved understanding of the evolution of an extremely uncommon event - the ability of a fish to walk on land." Randall and his team most recently observed the cave angel fish on a 2019 cave excursion in northwest Thailand. Given the rarity of spotting a cave angel fish in the field, Randall said the team was surprised to find six of them clinging to the bed of a fast-flowing shallow stream among glittering stalagmites in one of the cave's chambers. He added that the cave angel fish's rarity meant that museum specimens and CT data were key to mapping the family's evolution. "The beauty of CT scanning is that you can capture different types of high-resolution data without compromising the integrity of the specimen," Randall said. "For rare species like this one, it even allows you to capture things that are hard to observe in the field, even what it eats." The team published its work in the Journal of Morphology. ### Prosanta Chakrabarty, curator of fishes at LSU's Museum of Natural Science, is a co-principal investigator of the study. Pamela Hart of LSU and Apinun Suvarnaraksha of Maejo University are also co-authors. Some CT scans used in the research came from the National Science Foundation-funded oVert project. This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Japan amounted to $805.01 million over 1H2020, compared to $809.2 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee. The share of Japan in the total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at 1.9 percent during the reporting period compared to 1.8 percent during the same period of 2019. Kazakh exports to Japan amounted to $549.3 million over the period from January through June 2020, compared to $473.5 million during the same period of 2019. Japans share in the total volume of Kazakhstans export also amounted to 2.1 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 1.7 percent during the same period of 2019. In turn, Kazakhstans imports from Japan stood at about $255.6 million over the reporting period, compared to $335.6 million during the same period of 2019. Japans share in the total volume of Kazakhstans import amounted to 1.5 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 1.9 percent during the same period of 2019. The total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover amounted to $42.5 billion over the period from January 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). During the reporting period, Kazakhstan has exported spare parts for vehicles and machinery, cables, electric equipment, weighing equipment, aluminum, articles of ferrous metals, ferroalloys, and other goods to Japan. In turn, Japan exported tea, coffee, rice, other types of food products, some petroleum products, metals, fertilizers, paints, activated coal, and other goods to Kazakhstan during the reporting period of 2020. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh *Please purchase through the Frank Clegg website. They have all stock of both the black and brown versions of the bag* The idea behind the PS Shop is to produce occasional pieces of menswear that I love, but cant find elsewhere. There is no aim of becoming a full brand, or filling out categories: I will not be selling suits or shoes anytime soon. If I have a choice of what I do for a living, I would rather be a writer than a shopkeeper. But it is really fun to develop beautiful products occasionally, to make them part of how I dress and if suitable, make small runs for readers. Its like trying a beautiful tweed, making a jacket in it, and spreading the word to everyone you know. This is pretty much how things worked out with this nubuck tote bag, made by Frank Clegg. I fell in love with the leather when I visited the Clegg factory in Massachusetts, at the end of 2018. The full skin was draped across a cutting table, halfway down the room. I instinctively picked it up, rolled it between my fingers. It felt like the softest suede, but without the delicacy of calf. It had real, meaty body. Frank, Ian, Andrew and I spent a good half hour leaning on that table talking about the skin - as pictured below. Im pleased I look as enthusiastic as I felt. I kindly asked if it was possible to make a tote bag out of the leather. Apparently it was, so we went through some details - basically, the same as the existing Tall Tote that Clegg makes, just with additional pockets. I knew that model, and how well it would work for me. I received the bag three weeks later, and have used it consistently for the 18 months since. Im no leather expert. My eye is that of a consumer, not a craftsman. So sometimes I worry that the decisions I make will turn out to be foolish. Thats certainly happened with the occasional bespoke commission. Fortunately, that was not the case here. Over those 18 months the tote has more than lived up to expectations. I love using it, I get regular compliments on it, and I think Id be happy if it were the only bag I owned. There is no better material for an unlined bag, for my style and preferences, than this nubuck bullskin. As alluded to earlier, the thing I like most is the contrast between the soft surface and the thick, strong body. It also has a wonderful depth of the colour, and its rich, dark brown goes with everything, from workwear to worsteds. In fact, Im not sure how it does that. I guess because its so dark, and subtle. The style might be too casual for some suit wearers, but the material certainly isnt. The leather is also - helpfully, and surprisingly - water and oil resistant, and almost impervious to stains. Its made by Remy Carriat, a family-owned French tannery. The nubuck, which they call Gochoki, is made from a young bull leather. It has a grain applied, which is buffed to give it that silky suede finish. But its also given a 3M treatment during the tanning process, which makes it water and oil-resistant. I can attest to the effectiveness of that treatment after my months of use. Despite carrying it at least once a week, in rain and shine, there are no marks on it anywhere - other than the darkening on the handles you get from your hands. Because the leather is so nice, we doubled it up so it's on the inside of the bag as well, which means you get the feeling of it when you reach in to grab the contents. The two pockets (one on each side) are also made out of the bullskin. The thickness of the leather makes it a little heavier than other totes, but the fact it doesnt have any internal structure saves a little weight too. I certainly dont notice the weight, unless the bag is stuffed with weighty items - and then anything would be heavy. The only thing it isnt so practical for is carrying a computer, as there is no separate compartment. But that doesnt mean you couldnt carry one in there - you just might want to have it in a separate case. The design and dimensions, as mentioned, are the same as the Tall Tote from Clegg, which you can see here. The only design change we made was to put in two pockets, one zipped (shown above) and one open, to make it easier to carry a phone, keys and other smaller items. Personally, its something I feel any unlined tote needs - I hate rooting around at the bottom for things. The zips are solid brass, as on all Clegg hardware. The bags are available now, as usual, on the Permanent Style shop, and cost 730 + VAT. One thing weve done differently with stock, this time, is that Clegg have held onto some of it, in order to better cater to orders from North America. So if you order from the US or Canada from their site, youll get that stock and save on both shipping and duties. Im sure these will go quickly, but, presuming we can always get the leather, I think this will be re-made and re-issued in the future too. Certainly, Ill be carrying mine (and therefore featuring it on the site), for a long time to come. Any questions let me know below, or through the dedicated shop email: [email protected]. All details and images on the shop page here. Photography: Paris, in tweed jacket, Alex Natt @adnatt London, in navy coat, Milad Abedi @milad_abedi US, at Clegg factory, M.Studios Clothes featured: About 300 Rohingya immigrants who had reportedly been stranded at sea for seven months, arrived in Indonesia on Monday morning. According to United Nations officials, this is the largest group of members of the Muslim minority arriving in one country at one time. Local residents found the migrants, including more than 12 children, in a wooden boat at sea near the city of Lhokseumawe on the northern coast of Sumatra, officials said. They are believed to be part of the 800 Rohingyas who left refugee camps in Bangladesh in the first few months of this year, where they usually protect themselves from persecution in Myanmar. There are already five million of them in the camps. "Rohingya refugees are still willing to risk everything in search of safety," said Amnesty Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid. "Their testimonies, once again, show how perilous these boat journeys can be." Here are some pictures: COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohios consumer watchdog agency has asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to investigate whether FirstEnergy and its affiliates improperly spent ratepayer money on their pursuit of a nuclear bailout bill at the center of a federal corruption probe. Ohio Consumers' Counsel Bruce Weston has asked the PUCO to hire an independent auditor to review whether FirstEnergy or its affiliates spent restricted money from electricity customers' bills on lobbying for House Bill 6, which will charge Ohio electricity customers more than $1 billion to subsidize two Ohio nuclear plants formerly owned by FirstEnergy. Weston made the request Tuesday, via filings in two cases before the PUCO, whose commissioners are appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine. The PUCO is not required to respond. PUCO spokesman Matt Schilling said other parties in the cases, which involve FirstEnergy and its finances, have the right to respond to the consumers' counsels request. The commission will review all that before making a determination on how to respond to the motion, Schilling said. But, he noted that the PUCO annually audits all money raised by riders on electricity bills to review whether utility companies spent them appropriately. Federal charging documents allege FirstEnergy and its affiliates spent $60 million in a bribery scheme involving former House Speaker Larry Householder to help get the bailout bill passed. Householder and company funneled money through a network of political groups that helped Householder get elected to his leadership position in the legislature, according to federal officials. He then used his position to pressure lawmakers to pass the bill and, finally, defend it against a repeal effort, federal prosecutors have said. If the PUCO were to take up the case, it would be the third state agency to begin an investigation in response to the federal corruption probe. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has said he might try to block the nuclear subsidies when they go into effect in January. Secretary of State Frank LaRose has referred 162 possible campaign-finance violations described in federal charging documents to the Ohio Elections Commission for further review. Its the right thing to do, said Ashley Brown, a former member of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio from 1983 to 1993 and now the executive director of the Harvard Electricity Policy Group at Harvard Universitys John F. Kennedy School of Government. Brown wrote a Sept. 4 op-ed published on cleveland.com, calling for a PUCO review of FirstEnergy. I dont think that a diligent public utilities commission can avoid having an in-depth audit by an outside firm that looks at financial and management issues. You cant have a functional regulatory process in the state without appropriate governance, he said. A spokeswoman for FirstEnergy said the company does not comment on pending litigation. Householder and four allies political aide Jeff Longstreth and lobbyists Neil Clark, Juan Cespedes and Matt Borges were arrested in July and charged with racketeering. All have pleaded not guilty. One of the cases the Ohio Consumers' Counsel filed its request in involves a special fee formerly paid by FirstEnergy customers until it was struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court last year. The court and an auditor hired by PUCO found FirstEnergy didnt always use the fee, which cost Ohio ratepayers over $150 million annually, for its purported purpose of modernizing its in-state power grid. But the court didnt require the company to refund the fee, and the PUCO has said it considers the matter closed. Weston, in the filing, said the PUCO should re-open the case involving the fee in light of the new information alleged in the U.S. Criminal Complaint about FirstEnergys use of extraordinary amounts of money in its efforts for the passage of House Bill 6. LOS ANGELESSection 230, the 1996 law known as the First Amendment of the Internet, has come under threat in recent months from both sides of the political aisle in Washington. Multiple bills now under consideration in Congress would roll back online free speech protections granted by the law. But on Tuesday, Donald Trump ramped up the attacks, posting a message on his Twitter account demanding that Section 230 be repealed immediately. Trumps tweet came in response to a meme posted on Twitter showing a doctored photo of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dressed in a Russian military uniform, with the caption Moscow Mitch. Why does Twitter leave phony pictures like this up, but take down Republican/Conservative pictures and statements that are true? Trump wrote in the tweet. Mitch must fight back and repeal Section 230, immediately. McConnell has not yet commented publicly on Trumps tweet, but also on Tuesday three Republican senators introduced a bill which they titled the Online Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Act. While not a full repeal of Section 230, the bill would remove most of the protections for online platforms over content posted by users. Under Section 230, platforms such as Twitter, or Facebook may not be held legally responsible for content posted by third parties. The new proposed legislation would strip that protection in most cases. Only when platforms remove specific types of content such as pro-terrorist posts, or those that promote self harm would the Section 230 shield still apply. But it is not only Trump and other Republicans attempting scale back Section 230. Other bills currently in Congress have been co-sponsored by Democrats. And Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also supports repeal of Section 230, and his vice-presidential running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, is expected to support revisions the law. In July, the Senate set hearings on the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (PACT) Act, which was sponsored by Hawaii Democrat Brain Schatz, and South Dakota Republican John Thune. The law would end protections for third-party content, but only when a platform is notified that the content has been deemed illegal by a court. The Online Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Act is a GOP-only effort, however, with Republican Senators Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee as the only sponsors so far. According to an analysis by Casey Newton of the tech news site The Verge, even a repeal of Section 230 would not compel Twitter to take down a picture of McConnell depicting him as Russian because political speech is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution, regardless of whether that speech takes place online or off. The United States permits its citizens to speak freely about politicians even to say mean things about them, Newton wrote. Repealing Section 230 would likely have no impact on the tweet in question, because the Twitter users speech is protected under the First Amendment. Photo By Gerd Altmann / Pixabay The finance minister said easy access and efficiency in providing banking services will help in revival of businesses which are restarting operations after the lockdown. IMAGE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launches PSB Alliance Doorstep Banking Services and declares EASE 2.0 Index Results during a meeting via video conference in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said banks are going to be the catalysts for economic revival and also urged them to adopt digital technologies for efficiency and growth. Applauding lenders for their contribution towards the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), she, however, added that banking services have still not reached certain areas. "At this stage, the catalysts for this economic revival, the catalysts who have the pulse of every one of their customers, are banks," the finance minister said. She was speaking at the launch of PSB Alliance-Doorstep Banking Services, a customer outreach initiative by state-run lenders. The catalysts are going to play a very active role in making sure that every gap in the expectations of businesses which are struggling to get back to normalcy is adequately addressed, Sitharaman emphasised. "How much ever you can, using your prudential norms, fill that gap and expectation and make sure that economic revival is facilitated very efficiently by using digital technologies," she said. The minister said easy access and efficiency in providing banking services will help in revival of businesses which are restarting operations after the lockdown. "This is where if I have praised you for the wonderful service that you did during the lockdown. Now, it is incumbent on all of us to make sure that facilitation for the revival is going to be even better served by you all," she said. The finance minister said it will make a huge difference if banks are able to provide services to customers through feature phones and not just smartphones. "The 40 crore (beneficiaries of PMJDY) that you are able to talk about today, cannot be a laurel on which we can afford to live any further. Yes, we achieved that. Kudos to everyone who achieved. "But what I still feel is that there is still a gap even in the most developed states. There is a gap in some pockets of a district, some pockets of forested remote areas, some pockets which are hilly," she said. Sitharaman urged banks to make special efforts to reach out to people through 'bank mitras' so that no one feels excluded in the current digital revolution in the banking sector. The minister further said banks have to introspect on their core business and also focus on welfare. "You don't forget your core activity, which is lending and making money out of it and that is a legitimate activity. You will do that and also being in the public sector, do some things which are welfare related as announced by the government," she said. She emphasised that even private sector banks will have to contribute towards implementation of government schemes. She further said banks should ensure that their employees know the details of all government schemes which are to be implemented through them. "It is your duty to know about the schemes that the government passes to customers through you. I would want to be sure that your staff at every level has at least some idea of what are the government schemes being passed through you to citizens," the minister said. This awareness is going to make banks more accessible to customers who want to avail those schemes, she added. The finance minister was speaking after launching the doorstep banking service by state-run lenders. The initiative provides convenience of banking services to customers at their doorstep through the universal touch points of call centre, web portal or mobile app. Customers can also track their service request through these channels. The services shall be rendered by doorstep banking agents deployed by selected service providers at 100 centres across the country. Currently, only non-financial services such as pick up of cheque and demand draft, new cheque book requisition slip, 15G / 15H forms, request for account statement, among others, are available to customers. Financial services shall be made available from October 2020. The services can be availed by customers of public sector banks (PSBs) at nominal charges. It will benefit all customers, particularly senior citizens and the differently-abled. Department of Financial Services secretary Debasish Panda and Indian Banks Association (IBA) chairman Rajnish Kumar were also present at the virtual event. Just when Bay Area residents thought the world outside couldn't get stranger, the sky Wednesday dimly glowed a pumpkin orange color you'd expect to see on Mars. With wildfire smoke high aloft in the atmosphere, the sky was a sickly yellow on Tuesday, but today a thicker blanket of toxic air is traveling overhead and the color turned an even stranger, richer hue. The sun's rays struggled to penetrate the smoke, and at 10:45 a.m., it looked as if it were dawn. "Extremely dense & tall smoke plumes from numerous large wildfires, some of which have been generating nocturnal pyrocumulunimbus clouds ('fire thunderstorms), are almost completely blocking out the sun across some portions of Northern California this morning," UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain shared on Twitter. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE In some spots the sooty air reached the ground, and National Weather Service forecaster Roger Gass said a weather spotter saw falling ash at Buchanan Field Airport in Concord. "They reported a significant amount of ash," said Gass. "Almost to the point where it looked like moderate to heavy snow." But while the toxic haze in the East Bay settled close to the surface, across most of the Bay Area the smoke was high in the atmosphere with the air quality ranging from good to moderate on the ground. Because the fires are farther away from the Bay Area, the smoke is getting lofted high into the atmosphere, Gass explained. The mass of polluted air hovered above a marine layer in the early morning that pushed inland from the Pacific Ocean overnight. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE "That's the reason it doesnt smell smoky but the sky is a different color," Gass said. Jan Null, who runs a private forecasting service called Golden Gate Weather Services, added that the marine inversion layer acts as a barrier. "Thats why air quality isnt too bad this morning," Null said. "The smoke is not able to mix down through the inversion. The smoke is also sort of traveling past us." National Weather Service forecaster Brian Garcia said he has never seen anything like the dystopian skies over the greater Bay Area on Wednesday. "This is not a common sight because this takes very specific conditions in order for this to happen," explained Garcia, who works at the NWS Bay Area office in Monterey. "Obviously, you need fires that have ample smoke production. Then you need wind to bring that smoke in over the Bay Area." Strong northerly winds are injecting smoke from wildfires in Northern California into the upper levels of the atmosphere and pushing it south to the Bay Area. Frederic Larson "The wind at those higher levels have been just the right strength and in the perfect direction to push the smoke over the Bay Area," he explained. "The winds are even weakening a little over the Bay Area and we're just seeing the smoke set up shop here. Its not moving out of the Bay Area as fast as its coming in. Those concentrations in those mid- to upper-levels are becoming more dense with smoke concentrations. What that gives us is a day like were seeing today." The smoke and ash overhead acted as a filter, refracting sunlight in the same way particles in the atmosphere do at sunset and sunrise. It's difficult to track exactly where the smoke is coming from as the wind is constantly shifting, but Garcia said the August Complex in Mendocino County and the North Complex east of Chico are generating copious amounts of smoke. Anna Kariel Fires are also burning across Oregon. Gov. Kate Brown declared a statewide emergency Tuesday as conflagrations grew rapidly in Marion, Lane, Jackson, Coos, Lincoln, Washington and Clackamas counties. With the current wind pattern, smoke from Oregon is being swept over the Pacific Ocean, with some of it blowing back into Northern California but most of it landing in Southern California. Tuesday and Wednesday's conditions are different from recent weeks when smoke from nearby blazes, located directly within the boundaries of the Bay Area, traveled low in the atmosphere, nearly hugging the ground. The Bay Area smelled like a campfire for weeks. The LNU Lightning Complex in the North Bay, the SCU Lightning Complex in the East Bay and the Woodward Fire in Marin County are now all nearly contained. It's hard to pin down the air quality forecast for Wednesday, but with the northerly winds aloft expected to lighten, gravity could take over as the primary vertical transport of the smoke and smoke could descend closer to the surface through the day, leading to darker skies and worsening air quality, according to the NWS. Rebecca Hyde By nightfall, the smoke may lighten and disperse. "We will see the winds shift, instead of pulling the smoke in from the north toward the south, well start to see the wind pushing from the south to the north," said Garcia. Thats only in certain layers of the atmosphere. This will help thin the concentration, but we will still see smoke lingering around in different layers in the atmosphere." Typically, a strong onshore wind would pick up in the afternoon, blowing smoke from the coast into inland valleys, but Garcia said due to the heavy smoke pushing temperatures down, a sea breeze is unlikely to develop. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE "When we have heat inland, it helps draw in the sea breeze from the ocean," he said. Garcia added even if coastal winds begin to blow, they will be traveling near the ground and would unlikely impact smoke in the upper atmosphere. Bay Area Air Quality Management District spokesperson Aaron Richardson said the air-quality forecast is for unhealthy levels in the North Bay and parts of the East Bay this afternoon with deteriorating conditions off and on throughout the entire region. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE With all these fires burning its hard to know what the impacts will be," Richardson said. The Air Quality District has a Spare the Air Alert in effect through Friday, Sept. 11, which makes it illegal to burn wood or wood products. Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. Bank of Montreals top executive says its a myth that his companys commercial lending business is taking big risks and argues the bank will come through the recession with fewer loan losses than rivals. Ive got skeptics against me out there right now that theres going to be a shoe to drop in our commercial bank because of loan impairments that will be higher in a COVID recession than they might be in other recessions, chief executive officer Darryl White told Bloomberg in an interview. Im happy to take them on because I predict that we will continue in this environment to have lower loan losses than our peers. Bank of Montreals emphasis on commercial lending has helped the Toronto-based firm increase earnings in recent years while expanding in the U.S., where the company owns Chicago-based BMO Harris Bank and has an investment-banking presence. About 57 per cent of its loans were to businesses and governments in the fiscal third quarter, higher than the 41 per cent average for Canadas six biggest lenders, according to the banks financial disclosures. Yet with this years virus-fuelled recession and a poor showing in the U.S. Federal Reserves annual stress test, some have questioned whether the bank is too exposed to business lending. Among Canadas six large banks, only Bank of Nova Scotias share price has performed worse this year. The Feds stress test results released in June concluded that in a severely adverse scenario the capital strength of Bank of Montreals U.S. holding company would be the lowest of 33 banks reviewed a finding the bank disputes. Theres a little bit of myth-busting that I think we need to do to get people enlightened on what our North American commercial business is and how powerful it is and how completely integrated it is with our Canadian business, White, 49, said. This is a leadership business that will be with us for a very long time. Bank of Montreals underwriting practices havent changed and its bankers have been able to select business clients they think can weather the downturn, White said, adding that he sees nothing in the current environment to suggest theyre going to face outsized losses. He aims to prove the naysayers wrong at a Sept. 30 investor event. White became CEO of Canadas fourth-largest lender by assets in November 2017. Within his first year he set a goal to increase earnings from the U.S. to a third of overall profit, up from about 24 per cent before he took over. The U.S. share of profit reached 34 per cent in fiscal 2019 and was at 32 per cent in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, according to company disclosures. A U.S. earnings contribution between 33 per cent and 35 per cent is comfortable, White said, adding that he doesnt see a need to deviate from that range. Relative to what I see today in terms of economic activity in Canada and the U.S., I think its a great number for us as a bank, White said. More of the same would be fantastic, but well do it with the discipline on efficiency. White also reiterated his interest in improving productivity at what has been Canadas least efficient bank, though he said his goal will be harder to reach because of the business impact from COVID-19. The bank has a target of improving its efficiency ratio a measure of what it costs to produce a dollar of revenue to 58 per cent or better on an adjusted basis by the end of fiscal 2021. The measure has fallen to 60.2 per cent for the year to date, an improvement from the 61.9 per cent level at the end of his first year. At this point, were not waving the flag and were going to stay committed to the objective, White said. Itll be harder to get to, for sure, but were still on it. Diversity targets Separately, the bank set new diversity targets for the next five years, which include: Increasing representation of Black employees in senior leadership roles to 3.5 per cent in Canada and seven per cent in the U.S. Increasing representation of employees of colour in senior leadership roles to 30 per cent or more in Canada and the U.S. Increasing representation of Latino employees in senior leadership roles to seven per cent in the U.S. Increasing representation of Black and Latino interns and entry-level employees to 30 per cent in the U.S. and ensuring 40 per cent of student opportunity in Canada is directed to BIPOC youth. Increasing representation for Indigenous employees to 1.6 per cent of Canadian workforce. Increasing representation of persons with disabilities to within five per cent to seven per cent of workforce. Introducing an LGBTQ2+ representation goal of three per cent of workforce. Read more about: Wildfires raged through Oregon and Washington Monday and Tuesday, prompting evacuations, blanketing Seattle in unhealthy levels of smoke and destroying nearly all of a small Washington farming town. The town of Malden in eastern Washington lost 80 percent of its structures including its fire station, post office, City Hall and library after a fast-moving blaze roared through on Monday, NPR reported. The scale of this disaster really cant be expressed in words, Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said in a statement reported by NPR. The fire will be extinguished, but a community has been changed for a lifetime. I just hope we dont find the fire took more than homes and buildings. I pray everyone got out in time. Per @PalouseNews these photos show the near total destruction of Malden, Wa. hit by an unbelievably fast wildfire just hours ago. #WAWildfires pic.twitter.com/0yZp4M2sdn Zach Anders (@ZachAndersTV) September 8, 2020 As of early Tuesday, there were no reports of injuries from the fire. In the rest of Washington state, fires consumed more than 330,000 acres in a 24-hour period, fueled by strong winds and dry vegetation, NBC News reported. More acres burned yesterday than in 12 of the last entire fire seasons in the state of Washington, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a Tuesday press conference, as NBC News reported. Yesterday, 330,000 acres burned in WA. Thats more than 12 of the last 18 entire fire seasons. In a single day. pic.twitter.com/Op7UEfhTNA Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) September 8, 2020 The two largest fires burning in the state are the 174,000-acre Pearl Hill Fire, in Douglas County, and the 163,000-acre Cold Springs Fire near Omak. Neither was contained at all as of Tuesdays press conference. The Babbs-Malden Fire, the blaze that destroyed Malden, had spread to 8,943 acres and was also not contained. West of the cascades, a fire burned through Graham, Washington Monday, destroying six homes and forcing around 100 people to evacuate, The Seattle Times reported. You didnt have time to pack clothes, it was like, get out, now, 55-year-old construction worker Tim VanBrocklin told The Seattle Times. It was pretty nasty here, embers flying around our faces. A drone shot capturing the destruction and devastation after a brush fire exploded overnight in #Graham. Firefighters from around the Puget Sound are working to contain the fire. pic.twitter.com/lCgmyKD3DK Graham Fire & Rescue (@GrahamFireWa) September 8, 2020 The wind that drove the fires also carried their smoke into the Seattle area Monday night and Tuesday morning. It was so smoky you couldnt see across the water, you couldnt see the ferry boats coming across until the last few moments, Andy Lipscomb, who works in Seattle, told KOMO News Tuesday. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency scientists predict that air quality in the area will remain at unhealthy or unhealthy for sensitive groups levels through Wednesday and possibly into Thursday as easterly winds continue to blow. Smoke arrives. #wawx A short animation of satellite images late this afternoon (as downloaded from the excellent CIRA websitethe Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, in partnership with NOAA and Colorado State University). pic.twitter.com/2EmPJm5uaZ NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) September 8, 2020 In neighboring Oregon, wildfires have prompted thousands to flee their homes, ABC News reported. One of those people was Jody Evans of Detroit, Oregon. Fire on both sides, winds blowing, ash flying it was like driving through hell, Evans told NewsChannel 21. Did you lose everything, or is the only thing you saved yourself? There were 35 active fires burning more than 367,279 acres in the state, ABC News reported early Wednesday morning. The fires prompted Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to issue an emergency conflagration declaration. This frees up state resources to battle blazes too big for local crews to handle on their own, USA TODAY explained. This is proving to be an unprecedented and significant fire event for our state, and frankly for the entire West Coast, Brown said, as USA TODAY reported. Listen up: We're in an unprecedented fire event. Several significant, growing fires across the state continue to spread due to hot, dry weather & high winds. Oregonians' lives are at risk. Follow evacuation orders, try to reduce your smoke exposure and take care of each other. pic.twitter.com/t4ZZ7qIViX Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) September 8, 2020 Scott Morrison has fired a warning to social media companies after a video of a man killing himself circulated online. The shocking video was uploaded to Facebook Live late last month - and swiftly removed on the day - but copies have been widely shared on Chinese-owned app TikTok which is popular with children. In a video from his office in Parliament House on Wednesday, Mr Morrison described the footage as 'horrifying.' In a warning to social media companies, he said: 'You need to be accountable and you need to be responsible for making sure that your product does not harm Australians. 'My government will be doing everything to make sure we hold you to account for that.' TikTok is struggling to remove the video because it has been embedded in several other videos, including footage showing kittens. Mr Morrison began his video by saying: 'Social media has become, like it or not, part of our modern life. 'It gives us a bit of a laugh, people doing silly dances. Sometimes, they are taking the mickey out of me. 'But there is a serious concern and a serious side with what happens with social media and we saw that with that disgraceful video that was uploaded onto TikTok. 'Now TikTok, I know kids look at it and they have a lot of fun and there's nothing wrong with that. The Chinese-run social media app is still struggling to delete the graphic video, which features a 33-year-old man from the US as he ended his life 'But those who run these organisations have a responsibility to those who are watching it and particularly when it comes to children. 'The rules in the real world, how you behave in the real world have to be the same in the social media world. You need to be accountable. You need to be responsible.' Presenter Sam Armytage spoke about the footage on Sunrise on Wednesday morning, calling for social media companies to be held accountable for what they publish. 'Teenagers should not be exposed to this sort of stuff,' Ms Armytage said. 'It's disturbing, they need to be regulated, if they want to publish they need to live by regulations like the rest of us.' 'If social media companies can't take down horrific content like this does the government need to block them.' Sam Armytage (right) and Australian broadcaster Justin Smith (left) blasted social media app TikTok after thousands of children were lured into watching a horrific suicide video A spokeswoman for TikTok confirmed the suicide video had been circulating. She insisted the platform was doing all it could to remove the content in a timely matter TIKTOK: A CHINESE-OWNED SOCIAL MEDIA APP SPECIALISING IN SHORT VIDEO CLIPS TikTok is a Chinese social media app where users can live stream, create short videos and music videos and Gifs with a host of functions. TikTok's tagline is 'Make every second count'. It was the most downloaded app in the US in 2018 and the world's fourth most downloaded app in 2018, ahead of Instagram and Snapchat. TikTok is known in China as Douyin where it was launched in 2016 and then made more widely available around the world in 2017. Douyin is still the version of the app used in China, available to download separately to TikTok. It offers users a raft of colourful modification and editing tools including overlaying music, sound, animated stickers, filters and augmented reality (AR) for creating short videos. The Beijing based social network has more than 500 million active users and the company is now worth more than $75 billion (58 billion). In 2020 Donald Trump called for the US arm of TikTok to be sold to an American company over fears the China-owned app posed a national security risk. Talks are under way between ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart over US operations after Trump threatened a download ban in the US. Advertisement Australian broadcaster Justin Smith, who also appeared on the segment, said the government needs to start issuing warnings when this type of material appears on social media. 'They are the publishers of this material, Channel 7 is the publisher of this segment, if we were to do something like that Channel 7 would have to pay for it,' he said. 'But TikTok and Facebook and Twitter just seem to shrug their shoulders as they have done many times and say 'h, it's up to people to put up what they want''. 'They are the publishers, they need to start taking responsibility for that.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government's eSafety Commissioner was working to have the footage removed from the site. 'No child should be exposed to horrifying content like this and platforms like TikTok need to put in more resources to detect and tear down this sort of harmful content,' he said. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also spoke out against the 'horrifying footage', calling for more to be done to 'protect children and families from the dangers of social media'. A TikTok spokeswoman insisted the platform was doing all it could to remove the content. 'Our systems have been automatically detecting and flagging these clips for violating our policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide,' she said. 'We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who've reported content and warned others against watching, engaging, or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family.' The app has a safety centre which has access to suicide hotlines for any users who were distressed by the footage. In spite of their efforts, the man's name was trending on TikTok Australia on Tuesday morning, as were several clips of young people who explained that they were traumatised after watching the video. The video prompted Bellevue Hill Public School in Sydney's eastern suburbs to issue a warning letter to parents about the video on Tuesday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government's eSafety Commissioner was working to have the footage removed from the site The video sparked schools to issue a warning letter to parents, including this one in Sydney's eastern suburbs 'We strongly recommend that you also be extra vigilant with the supervision of your child's social media use until this content is removed,' the letter supplied to Daily Mail Australia states. 'We have also received reports that trolls are using videos of puppies and kittens to lure children into see the video.' Parents are urged to speak to their children if they have viewed the footage. Facebook removed the video from the platform on the same day that it was uploaded, and has been working to ensure any copies of the video are also deleted. The streaming service was criticised last year after Brenton Tarrant was able to live stream the Christchurch mosque mass murder in New Zealand. A Facebook spokeswoman said: 'Our thoughts remain with (the victim's) family and friends during this difficult time.' Lifeline: 13 11 14 Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 When asked about these charges, health plans say they are doing their best to follow the rules and cover all costs related to the testing. If a claim is submitted with the proper coding to demonstrate that a test was given to diagnose COVID-19, or that a service was delivered to treat COVID-19, generally the claims for those tests and services are being covered at no cost to the patient, said Kristine Grow, a spokeswoman for Americas Health Insurance Plans. In defense procurement, writes Brose, the goal is to buy deterrence, the prevention of war. And the only way to deter wars is to be so clearly capable of winning them that no rival power ever seeks to get its way through violence. Today, writes Flournoy in Foreign Affairs, the risk of war with China is higher than it has been for decades, and is growing because of growing Chinese assertiveness and military strength and eroding U.S. deterrence. And if conflict comes, the United States can no longer expect to quickly achieve air, space, or maritime superiority; the U.S. military would need to fight to gain advantage, and then to keep it, in the face of continuous efforts to disrupt and degrade its battle management networks. RICHMONDThe Pamunkey Regional Jail is on lockdown after roughly 70 percent of inmates recently tested for COVID-19 had positive results, officials said Wednesday. There have been no deaths or hospitalizations and the vast majority of those testing positive showed mild or no symptoms, said James Willett, the jail superintendent. Most of the nearly 3,000 inmates held in prisons by the Virginia Department of Corrections who have tested positive have also been asymptomatic. The virus was able to gain a strong foothold at the jail despite precautions put in place in March that included isolation areas for new arrestees, screening, temperature checks, enhanced cleaning and the cancellation of all unnecessary visits and programs as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Williett. The 549-inmate facility, which takes inmates from Hanover and Caroline counties, the town of Ashland and the U.S. Marshals Service, currently houses 380 offenders. Willett and other officials said the first known cases were two staff members who tested positive on Aug. 20. On Aug. 28, a contractor tested positive and on Aug. 31 another employee. DENVER, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Teachers and families across the country need to be more innovative than ever in a COVID school year where technology is being used for learning wherever it happens, and CenturyLink is helping them do that. Nourishing heads, hearts and stomachs, CenturyLink's Clark M. Williams Foundation is helping to support students in kindergarten through high school by awarding $500,000 in teacher technology grants and providing more than 400,000 meals through the Campaign to Fight Hunger. Anh Le, Tom Judd, Lynette McHenry Kings Way Christian Schools in Vancouver, WA Anh Le, Xuejun (X.J.) Wang, Michael Miller, Mairi Scott-Aguirre Centennial High School in Portland, OR Michael Miller Centennial High School in Portland, OR Olivia Bruner, Amber Oldroyd James Madison Preparatory School in Tempe, AZ Samantha Ridderbusch, Sharon Little, Anh Le, Sarah Shields, Xuejun (X.J.) Wang Wilkes Elementary School in Portland, OR Sharon Little Wilkes Elementary School in Portland, OR Tom Judd - Kings Way Christian Schools in Vancouver, WA "Teachers, students and families are facing so many challenges," said Stephanie Calhoun, CenturyLink vice president, talent management. "CenturyLink understands how important it is to have technology in today's classrooms wherever they may be, and food on the table to help kids be ready to learn. We are proud to offer this funding to innovative teachers bringing useful technology into everyday learning and the many organizations feeding families in need." CenturyLink steps up to help students during unique times CenturyLink presented funding checks to 113 schools in 27 states as part of the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation's 2019-20 Teachers and Technology grant program. The much-needed funding is furthering human progress by giving teachers and students access to the technology they need now. Since its inception in 2008, more than $11 million has been awarded to schools in CenturyLink's local service areas and corporate locations. A class full of calculators, CenturyLink makes a difference "Before I applied for this grant, I only had two calculators in my classroom for my students to use. The students who couldn't afford a graphing calculator would share those two; sometimes up to three students were using the same calculator to learn the technology," said Olivia Bruner, Algebra 2 teacher, James Madison Preparatory School, Tempe, Arizona. "Now, with CenturyLink's grant, I will have a full class set of calculators, meaning that all my students, no matter their financial situation, will be able to learn how to use a graphing calculator." View a complete list of the 2019-20 CenturyLink Teachers and Technology Grants awarded - www.centurylink.com/teachersandtechnology Feeding families fueling learning The CenturyLink Campaign to Fight Hunger, a month-long online food drive that ended July 31, raised more than $40,000 benefitting 68 food banks located in communities the company serves across the U.S. and abroad. Since starting an annual food drive in 2009, CenturyLink employees and community members have joined with the CenturyLink Clark M. Williams Foundation to provide over $13 million and more than 83 million meals. Generous contributions collected from employees and a matching pledge from the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation will be distributed to participating food banks based on the dollar amount of donations directed to them through the campaign's online donation site. Campaign raises hunger awareness and the acute need now According to Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, nearly 18 million children face hunger in the U.S. and 37 million Americans suffer from food insecurity. Action Against Hunger says one in nine people worldwide do not get enough food with estimates that COVID-19 repercussions could double the number of people facing acute hunger by the end of 2020. Key Facts Across the United States , more than 300 Teacher and Technology grant applications were submitted for the 2019-2020 awards. 113 Teacher and Technology grants were funded based on the impact they will have on students in the classroom and the overall innovation of the project The CenturyLink Teachers and Technology grant program, which began in 2008, has awarded more than $11 million to technology-based learning projects to date. CenturyLink service is neither required nor considered in the review of Teacher and Technology grant applications According to Feed America, nearly 18 million children face hunger in the US and one in nine do not get enough food worldwide. More than 83 million meals have been provided to food organizations in US and abroad since the Campaign to Fight Hunger began in 2009 Since 2009 the Campaign to Fight Hunger has raised more than $13 million . About the CenturyLink Foundation CenturyLink improves the lives of our customers by connecting them to the power of the digital world. CenturyLink extends this vision through the CenturyLink Clark M. Williams Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to contributing to endeavors that improve the well-being and overall quality of life for people throughout CenturyLink's communities. Named after CenturyLink's founder Clarke M. Williams, the Foundation is endowed by CenturyLink to support K-12 STEM education and other initiatives that encourage our employees to use their time, talents and treasure to strengthen their communities. SOURCE CenturyLink Inc. Related Links http://news.centurylink.com U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters prior to boarding Air Force One as he departs Washington for campaign travel to Florida and North Carolina at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, September 8, 2020. A super PAC backing President Donald Trump is unleashing a wave of new ads against Democratic nominee Joe Biden as the commander in chief struggles in nationwide polls and the campaign appears to be in need of air cover. The PAC, America First Action, is announcing a $22 million spending spree on digital and TV ads that will target the key battleground states of Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio. These ads will air from now until Election Day in November. It's in addition to the PAC's recent decision to spend more than $18 million on ads in those four states. The spots focus, in part, on the ongoing protests in states such as Wisconsin. One of the PAC's messages is that under a Biden administration, small business owners won't be as protected from potential rioters as they are under Trump. The ads contend that Biden doesn't have the mental stamina to be president. Another ad looks to paint Biden as a president who will defund the police. The nation has been experiencing widespread protests often in reaction to the killing of Black men and women by police. Biden, who is not in favor of defunding the police, has said that looters and rioters should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. A health assessment of Biden showed that he is a "healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency." Brian O. Walsh, president of America First Action, told CNBC late Tuesday that the additional $22 million is just the beginning of its spending spree for the final months of the election. "To be frank, we look at these battleground states, and we are feeling optimistic and aggressive, and we have to put the pedal to the metal all the way until the end," Walsh said. The group is committed to spending more than $200 million in the 2020 election cycle to assist Trump's bid for reelection, a spokeswoman for the PAC said. So far it has invested at least $36 million, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. On August 26, the wealth of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the worlds richest man, crossed over $200 billion ($200,000,000,000). The net worth of this individual human being is now roughly equivalent to the annual gross domestic product of the entire nation of Greece ($218 billion), which in turn represents the collective labor of millions of workers over an entire year. For comparison, the Ukraine has a GDP of $131 billion, Hungary has a GDP of $157 billion, and Sri Lanka has a GDP of $89 billion. The personal wealth of Bezos is also higher than the entire government budgets of Austria ($201.9 billion, according to 2017 figures), Turkey ($190.4 billion), Argentina ($161 billion), Israel ($102 billion), and Poland ($102 billion). Jeff Bezos (Credit: Wikimedia Commons) The scale of Bezoss wealth is not even the most startling factwhat is most striking is the speed with which he has accumulated it. Since the start of the year, in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Bezos has increased his wealth by about $87 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. By comparison, this is on the scale of the entire national budgets of Iran ($86 billion), Iraq ($76 billion), New Zealand ($72 billion), and Egypt ($63 billion). The wealth that Bezos has appropriated in eight months$87 billionexceeds the total combined annual national budgets of Libya (roughly $22.3 billion), Armenia ($2.9 billion), North Korea ($3.3 billion), Afghanistan ($6.6 billion), Georgia ($4.8 billion), El Salvador ($6.8 billion), Honduras ($5.1 billion), Turkmenistan ($4.7 billion), Zimbabwe ($4.8 billion), Nicaragua ($4.1 billion), Uganda ($5.3 billion), and Cambodia ($4.7 billion), and Jordan ($11.8 billion). With wealth on this scale, Bezos has taken a large bite out of the total resources available to human civilization on Planet Earth. He is not just a country unto himselfhe is many countries. The sum of $202 billion is the equivalent of the combined national budgets of 118 entire countries. This is a personal fortune unprecedented in modern history. The comedian John Oliver once described the wealth accumulated by Bezos as a computer glitch in capitalism. In one sense, this quip captures the irrationality associated with the incomprehensible number of zeros that have been added to his account, as if by some sort of programming error at the bank. But it is not the case that the Bezoss wealth is developing outside or in opposition to the foreseeable operation of capitalism in the current epoch. On the contrary, his obscene levels of wealth are a particularly concentrated expression of those processes. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the worlds 500 richest people have accumulated an additional $809 billion so far this year, increasing their total wealth by around 14 percent. This includes Silicon Valley mogul Elon Musk, whose worth topped $100 billion on Friday. By comparison, the entire military budget of Russia, which is so often accused of meddling and interfering with US interests, is around $50 billion. The enormous growth of industry and the remarkably rapid concentration of production in ever-larger enterprises are one of the most characteristic features of capitalism, Lenin wrote in Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism (1916), at a time when the revenues of the giant conglomerates were measured in the mere millions of dollars. Amazons total market capitalization is now $1.703 trillion. Analyzing the latest statistics on the emergence and concentration of monopolies in 1916, Lenin wrote that a very important feature of capitalism in its highest stage of development is so-called combination of production, that is to say, the grouping in a single enterprise of different branches of industry, which either represent the consecutive stages in the processing of raw materials (for example, the smelting of iron ore into pig-iron, the conversion of pig-iron into steel, and then, perhaps, the manufacture of steel goods)or are auxiliary to one another (for example, the utilisation of scrap, or of by-products, the manufacture of packing materials, etc.). Amazon is an expression of this process of combination on a scale unimaginable in Lenins time. Amazon has been obsessed with vertical integration since its inception, wrote Enrique Dans, professor at the IE Business School in Madrid, in a blog post. After establishing very high levels of operational efficiency in its warehouses, Amazon then offered companies the chance to store their products there, as well as using the companys picking and packing services. Finally, Amazon begandeveloping its own fleets of vans and personnel. Offering its own logistics services is simply another logical step in Amazons vertical integration process. As of December 2019, Amazon Logistics was already set to surpass delivery volume of FedEx and UPS by 2022. In addition to Amazon Logistics, the Bezos-Amazon conglomerate, via numerous subsidiaries, has already extended its tentacles into maritime shipping, comic books, the Washington Post, voice-recognizing appliances, fitness watches, cloud storage, health care, banking, communications satellites, home automation, video games, and grocery stores. Amazon has also been integrating itself into the state apparatus, accepting a $600 million contract from the Central Intelligence Agency, a $10 billion contract from the Department of Defense, and supplying facial recognition software (Amazon Rekognition) to police. This process of monopolization and combination has placed Amazon in a position to leverage huge gains from the overall devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The huge increase in Bezoss wealth during the pandemic is bound up with the surge in the value of Amazon stock, of which he owns around 54 million shares. At the end of July, in particular, Amazons stock skyrocketed after the company reported second quarter results showing soaring cash flow, sales, and income. During the second quarter of 2020representing April, May, and JuneAmazon reported an increase of net sales of 40 percent, to $88.9 billion in the second quarter, compared with $63.4 billion in second quarter 2019. The companys operating income swelled to $5.8 billion, compared with operating income of $3.1 billion over the same period in 2019, and net income increased to $5.2 billion ($10.30 per share), compared with net income of $2.6 billion ($5.22 per share) the same period in 2019. This is the same periodApril, May, and June 2020 that corresponded to a historic catastrophe in the United States and around the world, as work ground to a halt amid the pandemic, hundreds of thousands became ill and tens of thousands lost their lives. Meanwhile, tens of millions lost their jobs, and countless small enterprises were bankrupted. As a primary means of safely obtaining essential goods during the pandemic as they sheltered in their homes, tens of millions of people turned to Amazon. While many workplaces closed their doors during the pandemic, Amazon insisted on operating at full speed without regard for the pandemic. When it came to personal protective and safety equipment, Bezos told Amazon workers they would have to wait our turn. When tens of thousands of workers refused to show up to the warehouses and risk infection, Amazon announced it would simply hire 175,000 more workers (upon which Bezos congratulated himself as a job creator). As of June 22, as the close of the immensely profitably second quarter approached, former Amazon worker Jana Jumpp had counted 1,573 reported COVID-19 cases among Amazon workers. However, since Amazon refused to disclose the actual number of infections, she told the World Socialist Web Site: I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. It is now clearer than ever why Amazon kept workers at their stations during the pandemic without adequate safety measures, even while workers became seriously ill and lost their lives, and even as workers anger exploded in protests and walkouts. Amazons CEO, and all of the Wall Street elites whose fingers were in the pie, made a lot of money. Moreover, amid the smoking ruins of the world economy, Amazon now surveys the scene and sees boundless opportunities for further profit. Opportunities loom in every direction. Bloated with cash, it is poised to conquer new territory, crushing weakened and smaller competitors under its weight. This state of affairs is not lost on Wall Street, as investors swarm to buy Amazon stock, driving the price (and Bezoss own personal wealth) higher and higher. The dizzying rise in the stock price took it from just over $3,000 a share by the end of July up to $3,400 by the end of August. This is not some kind of aberration within an otherwise healthy capitalist system; it is capitalism itself, in its final period of decline. Or as Lenin put it: Monopolies, oligarchy, the striving for domination and not for freedom, the exploitation of an increasing number of small or weak nations by a handful of the richest or most powerful nationsall these have given birth to those distinctive characteristics of imperialism which compel us to define it as parasitic or decaying capitalism. The Democratic Partyone of the twin parties of the financial oligarchy that promotes militarism and waris not a vehicle for opposition to capitalism or its particular expression in Amazon and Bezos. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, to cite just one example, raised significant sums for his campaign at a fundraiser in Seattle in November of last year co-hosted by Amazon general counsel David Zapolsky. Tickets ranged between $1,000 and $2,800 per person. The piling up of obscene fortunes by the worlds top 500 billionaires in the midst of a global pandemic is a prelude to the social revolution of the proletariat around the world, who will not tolerate indefinitely the homicidal and incompetent policies of the financial oligarchy. Workers in every workplace, school, and industry must form squads and battalions of the rank-and-file, including at Amazon itself, to resist deadly working conditions, fight for collective workers control, and carry forward the struggle against capitalism and for socialism. For help setting up a safety committee at your own site, contact the World Socialist Web Sites International Amazon Workers Voice. SAN RAMON, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- National mortgage media group HousingWire announced its 2020 HousingWire Insiders, an annual list honoring the unsung heroes of the housing industry working behind the scenes to drive their companies to success. This year, CMG Financial's Candace Baima, Vice President, National Underwriting Manager, was honored among only 50 winners nationwide. CMG Financial Candace Baima is both a mortgage industry and CMG Financial veteran. She has over 20 years of mortgage operational experience and has held numerous important roles including DE underwriter, corporate underwriting supervisor, and retail lending underwriting and operations manager. Last year, she was promoted to Vice President, National Underwriting Manager, Retail Lending at CMG Financial. "This year's Insiders represent the unsung heroes of their companies; the team that, behind the scenes, kept everything on track during unprecedented times," HousingWire Magazine Editor Kelsey Ramirez said. "This year, the need for the services of these 50 winners shown greater than ever, and they rose to the challenge." In 2019, Candace played an instrumental role in creating jumbo guidelines for a new jumbo investor and establishing a secure partnership. She also spearheaded the enhancement of an internal training program to onboard new underwriters and promote processors to underwriters. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Candace's leadership and guidance made it possible for CMG Financial's operations team to keep their momentum going and adjust to remote work and other unforeseen challenges. "The winners of our 2020 Insider Awards demonstrate expertise in areas that are critical to the success of the companies they work for," HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler said. "Especially during this year, which has required rapid adaptation in so many areas, these Insiders have been invaluable to the smooth functioning of the entire housing ecosystem." HousingWire Insiders stats and facts: 50 winners 5th annual list Various sectors of the housing economy are represented: mortgage lending, servicing, investing and real estate Chosen by HousingWire's editorial board based on their accomplishments in the last 12 months About CMG Financial CMG Financial is a well-capitalized, privately held mortgage-banking firm founded in 1993. The company makes its products and services available to the market through three distinct origination channels including Retail Lending, Wholesale Lending, and Correspondent Lending. CMG Financial currently operates in all states, including the District of Columbia, and holds federal agency lending approvals with HUD, VA, RHS, GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC. Throughout the mortgage banking and housing markets, CMG Financial is widely known for responsible lending practices, industry and consumer advocacy, product innovation, and operational efficiency. About HousingWire HousingWire is by far the nation's most influential source of news and information for U.S. mortgage markets, boasting a readership that spans lending, servicing, investments and real estate market participants as well as financial market professionals. Winner of numerous awards, including a 2012 Eddie Award for national editorial excellence in the B2B Banking/Business/Finance, HousingWire has been recognized for excellence in journalism by the Society of Business Editors and Writers, the American Society of Business Press Editors, the National Association of Real Estate Editors, and Trade Association Business. Media Contact: Madelynn Graham Phone: 443.455.1137 Email: [email protected] Related Images image1.png Related Links HousingWire Insider 2020 SOURCE CMG Financial Meerut : , Sep 9 (IANS) A gym trainer was shot dead by unidentified motorcycle borne assailants in Meerut on Wednesday while he was returning home from his daily morning walk. The incident was reported from near Madaripur village. The deceased has been identified as Parvinder,45, of Sakauti. He also worked as a contractor. Circle officer of Daurala Sanjeev Dixit said that the incident occurred at 6.30 a.m. when two motorcycle borne miscreants pumped five bullets into Parvinder who died on the spot. "Efforts are on to identify the criminals through CCTV footage and inputs of local residents," said Dixit. A passer-by informed the police of the incident. The Assailants fled the scene before police reached. The body has been sent for post mortem and a search has been launched to identify and arrest criminals. Sushant Singh case news: Actress Rhea Chakraborty has been moved to Byculla Jail, Mumbai today following her arrest over drug charges. She was sent to jail till September 22 by a magistrate who rejected her bail plea last night. According to an India Today report, she spent the night at the NCB lockup before being moved to Byculla Jail. Chakraborty has been arrested under sections 20B, 27A, 21, 22, 29 and 28 of the Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. If Rhea is found guilty under these sections, she could land up in jail for 10 long years. Here's what these sections mean Section 20 (B): Punishment for a person who "produces, manufactures, possesses, sells, purchases, transports, imports inter-state, exports inter-state or uses cannabis" in "small quantity" faces an imprisonment of upto 1 year and a fine of upto Rs 10,000. For "intermediate quantity", the imprisonment is upto 10 years with a fine of upto Rs 1, 00,000 while "commercial quantity" of above 10 kg ganja comes with a minimum 10 year sentence that can be extended upto 20 years. Section 21: Punishes a person who possesses, sells, purchases, transports or imports manufactured drugs. Under this section, the definition of manufactured drugs has been listed as 'all coca derivatives, medicinal cannabis, opium derivatives and poppy straw concentrate'. Punishment and fine depends on the quantity seized. Section 22: This section focuses on punishment for consumption of narcotic drugs/ psychotropic substances such as cocaine or morphine. Penalties are the same as Section 21. Section 27A: Consumption of any narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. This section lays down punishment for someone consuming narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances like cocaine, morphine, and diacetylmorphine or any other narcotics/ psychotropic substances. Persons charged under this offence can be subjected to rigorous imprisonment for a minimum duration of 10 years that can be extended to upto 20 years with a fine not more than Rs 2,00,000. Sections 28 and 29: Punishment for any offender charged under the NDPS Act Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput case: NCB arrests Rhea Chakraborty; to be taken for medical tests Also read: Kangana vs Sena in Maharashtra as actor moves Bombay HC over demolition of her office Also read: Shock awaits Kangana Ranaut in Mumbai; BMC starts demolition of 'unauthorised' office Coronavirus Updates: Despite a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the AAP government has ruled out the possibility of another lockdown, asserting that the economy 'cannot be kept shut for eternity' Auto refresh feeds "This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials." "As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee," a spokesperson said. The company, which is developing the drug alongside the University of Oxford, is a frontrunner in the global race for a Covid-19 vaccine. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Tuesday it had "voluntarily paused" a randomized clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine in what it called a routine action after a volunteer developed an unexplained illness. Russia denounced criticism as an attempt to undermine Moscow's research and a Russian investor claimed vindication when Britain's prestigious Lancet published research that showed patients in early tests developed antibodies with "no serious adverse events." This raised concerns among Western scientists over a lack of safety data, with some warning that moving too quickly on a vaccine could be dangerous. Russia announced in August that its vaccine, named "Sputnik V" after the Soviet-era satellite that was the first launched into space in 1957, had already received approval. Early tests of a Russian coronavirus vaccine showed encouraging results when details were published Friday, but experts said the trials were too small to prove safety and effectiveness. "2,479 fresh COVID-19 cases, 2,485 recoveries and 10 deaths reported in Telangana on 8 September," said the state health department. With nearly 2,500 new COVID-19 infections in Telangana, the overall count in the state climbed to 1,47,642 on Wednesday. Of the total, there are 31,654 active cases. As part of stage-I of resuming metro services, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) restarts operations on its Blue Line on Wednesday, ANI reported. As many as 2,579 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Assam on Tuesday, taking the total number of positive cases to 1,30,823 in the state. The total number of cases includes 99,073 recoveries, 378 deaths, and 31,369 active cases, said State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Over 5.18 crore COVID-19 samples have been tested till now, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), adding that 11,54,549 samples were tested on Tuesday alone. "The Blue and Pink lines resumed services today. Slowly and steadily, Delhi Metro will be back to take you places! #MetroBackOnTrack," the DMRC tweeted. Trains are to operate in batches of four-hour each from 7-11 am in the morning and 4-8 pm in the evening in the first. Delhi Metro's Blue Line and Pink Line resumed services with curtailed operation timings on Wednesday after being closed for 171 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. Tamil Nadu recorded 87 deaths on Tuesday, putting the state toll at 8,012. 84 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. The state discharged 6599 patients following treatment, putting the total number of recoveries at 4,16,715. Tamil Nadu recorded 5,684 positive cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the overall count to 4,74,940. Among these, Chennai reported 988 positive cases, bringing the citys total to 1,43,603. Of the total, there are 8,97,394 active cases, 33,98,845 cured/discharged/migrated and 73,890 deaths, said the health ministry on Wednesday. India's COVID-19 cases exceeded 43 lakh on Wednesday after 89,706 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours. The COVID-19 toll climbed to 73,890 after 1,115 new deaths were recorded. With 33,98,845 COVID-19 patients being cured, India's recovery rate increased to 77.77 percent on Wednesday. While, the fatality rate stood at 1.69 percent after nearly 74,000 patients succumbed to the highly infectious disease. In early August India became the third country in the world to pass two million cases. Although India has a low death rate from COVID-19 disease, nearly 1,000 deaths have been recorded every day from across the country for the last nine days. On Wednesday, the toll due to the infectious disease has risen to 73,890 with 1,115 more fatalities. Twelve fatalities each have been reported from Chhattisgarh, Puducherry and Uttarakhand, 11 from Goa, 10 from Telangana, nine from Tripura, eight from Assam, five from Himachal Pradesh, four each from Bihar and Chandigarh, two from Sikkim, while Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur have registered one fatality each. Of the 1,115 fresh COVID-19 deaths in India, 380 are from Maharashtra, 146 from Karnataka, 87 from Tamil Nadu, 73 from Andhra Pradesh, 71 from Uttar Pradesh, 67 from Punjab, 57 from West Bengal, 25 from Haryana, 20 from Madhya Pradesh, 19 from Delhi,14 each from Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand, 13 each from Gujarat, Odisha, Kerala and Rajasthan. So far, 1,609 people have died of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh, 1,164 in Rajasthan, 916 in Telangana, 854 in Haryana, 815 in Jammu and Kashmir, 765 in Bihar, 569 in Odisha, 496 in Jharkhand, 407 in Chhattisgarh, 378 in Assam, 372 in Kerala and 360 in Uttarakhand. Of the total 73,890 COVID-19 deaths in India, Maharashtra has reported the maximum at 27,407 followed by 8,012 in Tamil Nadu, 6,680 in Karnataka, 4,618 in Delhi,4,560 in Andhra Pradesh, 4,047 in Uttar Pradesh, 3,677 in West Bengal, 3,133 in Gujarat and 1,990 in Punjab. One more fatality has taken the northeastern state's coronavirus toll to nine, a health official said. The fresh infections have pushed Arunachal Pradesh's caseload to 5,402, State Surveillance Officer Dr L Jampa said. Arunachal Pradesh reported 221 fresh COVID-19 infections for first time in single day, taking the overall count to 5,402 on Wednesday. Of the new cases, 59 security personnel have also tested positive in the state. India has the second-most reported cases in the world and the third-most reported deaths behind the United States and Brazil. More than 10 lakh people have tested positive for the coronavirus in India in less than two weeks with the total caseload exceeded over 43.7 lakh on Wednesday. Testing has been ramped up to more than 10 million daily, with cumulative testing exceeding five crore. "Students of Class 9 to 12 shall be permitted to visit their school on voluntary basis for taking guidance from their teachers. This will be subject to written consent of their parents/guardians. Such visits and teacher student interaction must be organized in a staggered manner," stated the guidelines issued by the health ministry. The government also said that online or distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged. However, only schools outside the containment zones will be allowed to open. Assemblies, sports and events, which can lead to overcrowding, are strictly prohibited in the schools that are opting to start operations. In the backdrop of the ongoing 'Unlock 4', partial resumption of activities in schools for students of Classes 9-12 will be allowed from 21 September, the union health ministry said on Tuesday. Odisha has reported 3,748 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 1,35,130 on Wednesday. Of the total, there are 1,02,185 recoveries and 32,312 active cases, said the state health department. "Sorry, we are not inclined to entertain, the bench said. 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. The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a batch of pleas seeking deferment or cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) scheduled for 13 September. "4.5 lakh street vendors were registered in Madhya Pradesh, with more than 4 lakh vendors having been given identification and vendor certification," the press note stated. According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Centre had launched the PM SVANidhi scheme on 1 June, 2020, to help poor street vendors, impacted by coronavirus, to resume livelihood activities. The lockdown due to COVID-19 has affected the businesses of street vendors. The purpose of this 'Svanidhi Samvaad' scheme is that those people can start afresh and begin their work again easily, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Sixty percent of the total cases are recorded only in five states, said the health ministry. Maharashtra reported more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases alone of the total 89,706 fresh infections reported in past 24 hrs, said the health ministry on Wednesday. This was followed by Andhra Pradesh for recording more than 10,000 cases. The number of people recovered from COVID-19 in India has surged to 33,98,844, further improving the recovery rate to 77.77 percent, while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.69 percent, the Union Health Ministry said Wednesday. The health ministry on Wednesday said that 60 percent of the total 43.7 lakh COVID-19 infections in India were reported in five states. This included Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. The COVID-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh, with just about 70 lakh population, have reached 7,832, according to the data provided by the state health department till Tuesday. "The coronavirus cases are increasing day by day and neither their index cases nor travel history is being found which establishes its community spread," she added. Shimla Chief Medical Officer Surekha Chopra said the recent data of COVID-19 cases established community spread of the virus. "Total number of positive cases in the police force rises to 17,972, including 3,523 active cases, 14,269 recoveries and 180 deaths so far," said the Maharashtra Police. With 533 more cops testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Maharashtra, the overall count in the police force has risen to 17,972 on Wednesday. The death of three more police personnel has increased the COVID-19 toll to 180. Over 78,700 international passengers submitted their self-declaration form through the portal, the DIAL said in a press release. The government had said last month that from 8 August, if any arriving international passenger has a negative report from an RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey, he or she need not undergo institutional quarantine in India. Delhi airport had launched an online portal for this purpose. Delhi airport's online portal has received approximately 45,288 applications from international passengers since 8 August to avail exemption from seven-day institutional quarantine, said its operator DIAL on Wednesday. The state also reported 728 new cases taking the total number of infected people to 94,854. As per the bulletin, 76,624 people have been discharged after treatment till now Rajasthan recorded seven more fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the toll in the state to 1,171, according to a health department bulletin. Over 11.5 lakh COVID-19 samples have been tested for the first time in single day, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday. So far, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has tested over 5 crore samples. The minister's aide said that Kanwar Pal's report came positive in the morning and he was currently in Chandigarh. "After some symptoms, I got my Covid test done and it returned positive. I request all those who might have come in my contact to isolate themselves and get their tests done," the minister tweeted. Haryana Education Minister Kanwar Pal said on Wednesday that he has tested positive for coronavirus. He requested all those who might have come in his contact during the past few days to isolate themselves and get their tests done. With the addition of 1,392 fresh cases of COVID-19, the tally in Maharashtra's Thane district has reached 1,36,429, an official told news agency PTI. Apart from this, the district also recorded 24 fatalities on Tuesday that has taken the toll to 3,774, the official said. A sum of Rs 10,339 crore has been released during COVID-19 period under the simplified payment process as envisaged in ambitious Aatm-Nirbhar Bharat scheme. Another sum of Rs 2,475 crore is being processed and likely to be released soon," ANI quoted Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as saying. Amid a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday directed medical superintendents and senior officials to take every possible step to prevent the spread of the virus in the city. This is the fourth part of the video series launched by the former Congress president on the economy and the lockdown. "The lockdown was an attack on labourers, farmers and small shopkeepers. It was an attack on our unorganised sector. We have to understand this. We all have to stand against this attack," he said. "Whatever was done in the name of Corona was the third attack on the unorganised sector," he also said. "The lockdown was not an attack on corona. The lockdown was an attack on the poor of India. It was an attack on the future of our youth," Gandhi said in a video series on the lockdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the lockdown was not an attack on coronavirus but on the poor people and proved to be a "death sentence" for the unorganised sector as it "finished" jobs and small businesses. Everyone should stand against the attack, he said. "To defeat coronavirus anywhere, we need to defeat it everywhere." "Our chances to develop and deploy a safe and effective vaccine have never been higher, both for Europeans here at home, or for the rest of the world," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. The European Commission announced Wednesday it has reached a deal with a sixth pharmaceutical firm, this time BioNTech-Pfizer, to reserve a further 200 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine. Journalist Rana Ayyub tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday,. She took to Twitter to share her test result and inform that she was has found a hospital bed in Navi Mumbai. The Union health ministry says Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu account for 61% of the total active cases in the country. He said the state government was committed to protect the people from the infection and provide better treatment to all. "Contact tracing has an important role in controlling the spread of COVID-19 infection. This work should be conducted in a systematic and effective manner. In Lucknow, Prayagraj and Kanpur, contact tracing should be increased," a statement quoted the chief minister as saying. He was speaking at a COVID-19 review meeting here. According to the health department, the state reported 6,743 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, out of which, 887 cases were found in Lucknow, 431 in Kanpur Nagar, 306 cases in Allahabad, among other places. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday called for increasing contact tracing of coronavirus patients in Lucknow, Kanpur and Allahabad. The Serum Institute of India says it will continue trials of the Oxford vaccine despite AstraZeneca pausing the study. We cant comment much on the UK trials, but they have been paused for further review and they hope to restart soon, the institute says. As far as Indian trials are concerned, it is continuing and we have faced no issues at all. Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda on Wednesday expressed happiness after six members of the dwindling Great Andamanese tribe, who tested positive for coronavirus, recovered and returned to their island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. As many as 582 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura on Wednesday, pushing the state's tally to 16,739, a health official said. Tripura's coronavirus death toll rose to 161 as nine more people succumbed to the infection, he said. As many as 533 policemen in Maharashtra test positive for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours. The forces tally rises to 17,972. Three more deaths push the toll to 180. Metro Rail officials said these trains will operate only during peak hours from 8 am to 11 am and 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm. However, the services are yet to attract large number of passengers as most have apparently kept away due to Covid-19 apprehensions,according to officials. As part of gradually restoring Metro rail operations,the Bangalore Metro Rail on Wednesday commenced services on another sector--the Green line-- two days after resuming it on another one. Nine out of the total deaths on Wednesday occurred in Puducherry and the remaining one was reported from Karaikal region. Of the total 18,084 cases, 4,770 were active while 12,967 patients recovered and discharged so far. Five women and as many men succumbed to COVID-19 in Puducherry on Wednesday while 341 more people contracted the virus, pushing the tally of infections to 18,084. A release from Health and Family Welfare department said 341 new cases were reported at the end of testing of 2,560. Of the total number of cases, 2,470 patients have already recovered from the infection and discharged from hospitals, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said. The number of active cases in Dharavi climbed down to 99 on Wednesday. Dharavi, the largest slum in Mumbai, reported nine new coronavirus positive cases on Wednesday, which took the count of patients to 2,839, a senior civic official said. In the first eight days of the month, Delhi registered 22,378 fresh coronavirus cases, including 3,609 fresh coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the highest single-day spike in 76 days, as the city moved towards two lakh-mark with over 4,618 deaths due to COVID-19 so far. The minister also asserted that "extreme caution and not panic" should be the response of the city, and people should exhibit greater alertness and responsibility in public places to deal with this health crisis. Despite a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital over the last fortnight, the Delhi government has ruled out the possibility of another lockdown, with Health Minister Satyendar Jain asserting that the economy "cannot be kept shut for eternity" as livelihoods of millions depend on it. "I wanted to give you an update. I had to go for 'Roadies' and before that I had to test for COVID-19. Two of my tests were negative, but the result which came today was positive. "BMC has asked me to self-isolate. So I am home quarantining," Raftaar shared in a video posted on his Instagram Story. Rapper Raftaar on Wednesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently home quarantined. The 31-year-old rapper said he was supposed to start shooting for the latest season of MTV's reality show "Roadies" and therefore got himself tested for coronavirus. The number of active cases in the state rose to 97,271 after a total of 4,25,607 patients recovered and 4,634 died. The latest bulletin said 9,842 patients had recovered in 24 hours ending 9 am on Wednesday, while 74 more succumbed to the pandemic in the state. The Coronavirus graph of Andhra Pradesh continued its progression on a steep incline and reached 5,27,512 on Wednesday as 10,418 cases were added anew. Jain asserted that Delhi government is committed to taking measures for ease of doing business to catalyse industrial growth, the statement said. The Industries minister also suggested that there may be a moratorium of no or minimal government interference for at least a year to help the industry get back to growth, said a Delhi government statement. The COVID-19 pandemic-induced uncertainties has led to a "drastic" drop in the average spend of people, Delhi minister Satyendar Jain said on Wednesday and emphasized that there is need to work towards building consumer confidence to avoid a long-term downward spiralling effect on the industry. With this, the state has achieved a recovery rate of 82.01 percent. Like Tuesday, the number of recovered cases exceeded the new cases on Wednesday. As many as 1,336 patients were discharged during the day, which pushed the number of recovered cases to 88,815, the department said in its release. Gujarat's coronavirus tally rose to 1,08,295 with the addition of 1,329 new cases on Wednesday, the state health department said. With 16 fatalities, the death toll rose to 3,152, it said. A total of 281 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recoveries to 17,156, he said. As many as 2,608 swab samples were tested, of which 1,502 were negative, 621 were positive and 485 reports are awaited, he said. At least 621 persons tested positive for coronavirus in Goa, while six patients died of the infection on Wednesday, an official from the health department said. With the addition of 621 new cases, the tally in the coastal state rose to 22,251, the official said. With 121 patients being discharged after treatment in the day, the number of recoveries rose to 27,145 in the district, the department said. Of the 171 fresh cases, Ahmedabad city contributed 149 patients while 22 cases were reported from rural areas. All four deaths occurred in the city. The COVID-19 tally in Ahmedabad district crossed the 33,000 mark and reached 33,037 on Wednesday with addition of 171 new cases, Gujarat health department said. The cumulative toll rose to 1,760 with four new fatalities, it said. Karnataka on Wednesday reported a spike of 9,540 COVID-19 cases and 128 fatalities, taking the total infection count to 4,21,730 and the toll to 6,808. The day also saw 6,860 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of new cases reported on Wednesday, 3,419 were from Bengaluru urban alone. The Chief Minister, who inaugurated the hospital through video conferencing, thanked the Tata Group for showing interest in the health sector of Kerala. Built by the Tata Group using prefabricated containers in just five months at a cost of Rs 60 crore, the 551 bed hospital has 36 ventilators for the patients. The first dedicated COVID-19 hospital in Kerala, built by the Tata Group, was inaugurated here on Wednesday by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who said it was an excellent example of how Public Private Partnership can be put to good use. The central drug regulator has issued a show-cause notice to Serum Institute of India (SII) for not informing it about pharma giant AstraZeneca pausing the clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19 in other countries and also for not submitting casualty analysis of the "reported serious adverse events". The show-cause notice was issued following reports that human trials of the most promising COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being developed by the University of Oxford, have been put on hold after a UK participant had an adverse reaction to it. In the first eight days of the month, Delhi registered 22,378 fresh coronavirus cases, including 3,609 fresh coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the highest single-day spike in 76 days, as the city moved towards two lakh-mark with over 4,618 deaths due to COVID-19 so far. The minister also asserted that "extreme caution and not panic" should be the response of the city, and people should exhibit greater alertness and responsibility in public places to deal with this health crisis. Despite a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital over the last fortnight, the Delhi government has ruled out the possibility of another lockdown, with Health Minister Satyendar Jain asserting that the economy "cannot be kept shut for eternity" as livelihoods of millions depend on it. "I wanted to give you an update. I had to go for 'Roadies' and before that I had to test for COVID-19. Two of my tests were negative, but the result which came today was positive. "BMC has asked me to self-isolate. So I am home quarantining," Raftaar shared in a video posted on his Instagram Story. Rapper Raftaar on Wednesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently home quarantined. The 31-year-old rapper said he was supposed to start shooting for the latest season of MTV's reality show "Roadies" and therefore got himself tested for coronavirus. The number of active cases in the state rose to 97,271 after a total of 4,25,607 patients recovered and 4,634 died. The latest bulletin said 9,842 patients had recovered in 24 hours ending 9 am on Wednesday, while 74 more succumbed to the pandemic in the state. The Coronavirus graph of Andhra Pradesh continued its progression on a steep incline and reached 5,27,512 on Wednesday as 10,418 cases were added anew. Jain asserted that Delhi government is committed to taking measures for ease of doing business to catalyse industrial growth, the statement said. The Industries minister also suggested that there may be a moratorium of no or minimal government interference for at least a year to help the industry get back to growth, said a Delhi government statement. The COVID-19 pandemic-induced uncertainties has led to a "drastic" drop in the average spend of people, Delhi minister Satyendar Jain said on Wednesday and emphasized that there is need to work towards building consumer confidence to avoid a long-term downward spiralling effect on the industry. With this, the state has achieved a recovery rate of 82.01 percent. Like Tuesday, the number of recovered cases exceeded the new cases on Wednesday. As many as 1,336 patients were discharged during the day, which pushed the number of recovered cases to 88,815, the department said in its release. Gujarat's coronavirus tally rose to 1,08,295 with the addition of 1,329 new cases on Wednesday, the state health department said. With 16 fatalities, the death toll rose to 3,152, it said. A total of 281 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recoveries to 17,156, he said. As many as 2,608 swab samples were tested, of which 1,502 were negative, 621 were positive and 485 reports are awaited, he said. At least 621 persons tested positive for coronavirus in Goa, while six patients died of the infection on Wednesday, an official from the health department said. With the addition of 621 new cases, the tally in the coastal state rose to 22,251, the official said. With 121 patients being discharged after treatment in the day, the number of recoveries rose to 27,145 in the district, the department said. Of the 171 fresh cases, Ahmedabad city contributed 149 patients while 22 cases were reported from rural areas. All four deaths occurred in the city. The COVID-19 tally in Ahmedabad district crossed the 33,000 mark and reached 33,037 on Wednesday with addition of 171 new cases, Gujarat health department said. The cumulative toll rose to 1,760 with four new fatalities, it said. Karnataka on Wednesday reported a spike of 9,540 COVID-19 cases and 128 fatalities, taking the total infection count to 4,21,730 and the toll to 6,808. The day also saw 6,860 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of new cases reported on Wednesday, 3,419 were from Bengaluru urban alone. The Chief Minister, who inaugurated the hospital through video conferencing, thanked the Tata Group for showing interest in the health sector of Kerala. Built by the Tata Group using prefabricated containers in just five months at a cost of Rs 60 crore, the 551 bed hospital has 36 ventilators for the patients. The first dedicated COVID-19 hospital in Kerala, built by the Tata Group, was inaugurated here on Wednesday by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who said it was an excellent example of how Public Private Partnership can be put to good use. The central drug regulator has issued a show-cause notice to Serum Institute of India (SII) for not informing it about pharma giant AstraZeneca pausing the clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19 in other countries and also for not submitting casualty analysis of the "reported serious adverse events". The show-cause notice was issued following reports that human trials of the most promising COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being developed by the University of Oxford, have been put on hold after a UK participant had an adverse reaction to it. Coronavirus LATEST Updates: Despite a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases in Delhi over the last fortnight, the AAP government has ruled out the possibility of another lockdown, with Health Minister Satyendar Jain asserting that the economy "cannot be kept shut for eternity" as livelihoods of millions depend on it. However, the Bengaluru metro services are yet to attract large number of passengers as most have apparently kept away due to Covid-19 apprehensions,according to officials. According to the health department, the Uttar Pradesh has reported 6,743 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, out of which, 887 cases were found in Lucknow, 431 in Kanpur Nagar, 306 cases in Allahabad, among other places. "The lockdown was not an attack on corona. The lockdown was an attack on the poor of India. It was an attack on the future of our youth," Gandhi said in a video series on the lockdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Over 11.5 lakh COVID-19 samples have been tested for the first time in single day, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday. So far, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has tested over 5 crore samples. The death of three more Maharashtra Police personnel in the past 24 hours has increased the COVID-19 toll to 180. Maharashtra reported more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases alone of the total 89,706 fresh infections reported in past 24 hrs, said the health ministry on Wednesday. Although India has a low death rate from COVID-19 disease, nearly 1,000 deaths have been recorded every day from across the country for the last nine days. On Wednesday, the toll due to the infectious disease has risen to 73,890 with 1,115 more fatalities. India's COVID-19 cases exceeded 43 lakh on Wednesday after 89,706 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours. Delhi Metro's Blue Line and Pink Line resumed services with curtailed operation timings on Wednesday after being closed for 171 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Tuesday it had "voluntarily paused" a randomized clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine in what it called a routine action after a volunteer developed an unexplained illness. India's daily coronavirus cases on Tuesday saw a slight dip with 75,809 cases reported in 24 hours as against the 90,802 recorded on Monday, but the toll due to COVID-19 surged to 72,775 with a record 1,113 patients succumbing to the virus. Amid rising cases, the Central Government underlined increasing reports from state governments about people becoming lax in taking precautions against COVID-19, and how it is hampering the efforts to curb the spread of the virus. The number of recoveries on Tuesday surged to 33,23,950 pushing the recovery rate to 77.65 percent, according to the health ministry data. The data showed that there are 8,83,697 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprise 20.65 percent of the total caseload of 42,80,422. During a media briefing, the Centre claimed that India's COVID-19 cases per million population (now at 3,102), is among the lowest in the world. Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul also urged people to get themselves tested, stating that the government had facilitated extensive testing and also allowed testing on demand. Paul, who also chairs the national expert group on COVID-19 vaccine administration, said that the government was considering Russia's request for conducting phase-3 clinical trial and manufacturing its COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V' in India. The health ministry also released guidelines for the partial re-opening of schools on a voluntary basis, stipulating disinfection of the premises and stressing on ensuring proper distance between students and teachers, In Delhi, the high court, expressing concern over the sharp rise in cases in the National Capital, said that doctor's prescription will no longer be mandatory for those who want to get themselves tested for COVID-19. Health minister Satyendra Jain, in an interview with news agency PTI, however, said that there was no reason to panic and that the spike in cases will "plateau" after 10-15 days. Five states account for 70% deaths, 62% active cases: Health ministry In a briefing on the COVID-19 situation in the country, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that India's COVID-19 fatality rate is among the lowest globally and currently stands at 1.7o percent. "The COVID-19 deaths per million population in India is 53 as compared to the world average of 115 deaths per million. This is also among the lowest in the world," he said. Giving a state-wise break up of India's coronavirus cases and deaths, Bhushan said that five states Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh account for approximately 70 percent of total COVID-19 deaths in the country. "A total of 28 states and UTs have COVID-19 case fatality rate lower than the national average of 1.70 percent," the official noted. He added that the five states also account for 62 percent of total active COVID-19 cases in the country. "While 14 states and UTs have less than 5,000 active COVID-19 cases, Lakshadweep has no active cases," Bhushan said. Responding to a question, the health secretary said that six persons from a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands had tested positive for the coronavirus but all have recovered now. In the Nicobarese tribe which is not a PVTG, there are still 15 active cases, the official informed. Jammu and Kashmir reports record spike Meanwhile, states and Union Territories continued reporting more cases and deaths due to the infection. Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its biggest single-day spike of 1,355 COVID-19 cases, pushing the Union Territory's infection count to 45,925. Among the new cases, 785 were from the Jammu region and 570 were from the Kashmir Valley. The toll in the UT rose to 815 with 14 more dying of the disease. Maharashtra recorded 20,131 new COVID-19 cases, taking its caseload to 9,43,772, while the toll increased to 27,407 with 380 persons succumbing to the disease. For the fifth day in a row, Andhra Pradesh, the second worst-affected state in the country by the virus, saw more number of coronavirus patients getting discharged than the addition of new cases. On Tuesday, 11,691 COVID-19 patients got discharged from hospitals in the state while 10,601 fresh cases took the overall count to 5,17,094. In Tamil Nadu, the toll crossed 8,000 with 87 more fatalities, while 5,684 fresh cases pushed the cumulative case count to to 4,74,940. The toll now stands at 8,012. Recoveries outnumbered new infections for the third successive day with 6,599 people getting discharged, taking the total number of people who have recovered from the disease to 4,16,71, said the state health department. Delhi also saw a spike of 3,609 fresh coronavirus cases with over 45,000 COVID-19 tests being conducted in 24 hours. According to the latest health bulletin issued by the state government, the total cases crossed 1.97 lakh while the toll mounted to 4,618, with 19 more fatalities. No prescription needed for testing in Delhi The Delhi High Court noted that there was a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases from 31 August in the National capital and said that the figures were rather alarming. To prevent any delays given the situation, the court said that those who want to voluntarily get themselves tested need not obtain a prescription from a doctor. The person concerned will only be required to fill an ICMR form and attach Aadhaar card with Delhi address as proof, the bench of justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad said. The bench also asked private laboratories to allot 2,000 RT-PCR tests per day for those who want to undergo the test. The bench directed the Delhi government to ramp up the mobile facilities from two to four and said that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) should display advertisements about the nearby COVID-19 testing camps at prominent spots near the entry and exit area of the stations. While the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro resumed services with restricted timings from Monday as part of the fourth phase of 'unlocking' activities, the Blue and Pink Line are set to start operations on Wednesday. Cases will plateau soon, says Delhi health minister Meanwhile Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain sought to allay fears over the rapid spread of the infection, saying that "the current situation is far better than in June" when the city witnessed a big wave of infections. He also attributed the rise in cases to an increase in testing. In an interview to PTI, Jain said,"One of the main reasons why we are seeing such a rise in the number of fresh cases is because we are going aggressive as far as testing is concerned. We have been conducting tests in markets, crowded places, Mohalla Clinics, hospitals, and many other places. "The scale of testing per day has been almost quadrupled than what was in June," Jain said, claiming that Delhi is doing more tests per million people than any other state. "There is a spike in the number of cases, but the fact is that we have also increased the scale of testing as we don't want to leave even a single person who has been infected untraced, including asymptomatic ones. This spike will come down in the next 10-15 days, and cases will sort of plateau and stabilise by then," Jain asserted. When asked about the most effective strategy of the government, Jain said, "home isolation was our biggest strategy, and it proved to be a game-changer. We are on the right course, and we will continue to pursue that strategy for effective COVID-19 management." Centre issues SOPs for partial re-opening of schools Even as state governments and UTs released their daily figures on COVID-19, the health ministry issued SOPs for the partial re-opening of schools from 21 September. Under the Unlock-4 guidelines, schools outside containment zones have been allowed to partially reopen for students from Classes 9 to 12 who want to take guidance from their teachers. Disallowing sharing of notebooks, pens/pencils,water bottles, etc, among students, prohibition of assemblies and sports, encouraging online learning, entry of asymptomatic persons are some of the health ministry's guidelines However, written consent of the students' parents or guardians will be required and the teacher-student interactions must be organised in a staggered manner, the guidelines stated. According to the 'SOP for partial reopening of Schools for students of Classes 9 to 12 on a voluntary basis', the seating arrangement has to be made to ensure a distance of six feet between chairs, desks, etc, and the faculty will ensure that they themselves and students wear masks throughout the teaching/guidance activities. Sanitiser dispensers and thermal screening provisions should be made at the entrance and frequently touched surfaces must be regularly disinfected with one percent sodium hypochlorite, the guidelines stated. Schools that were used as COVID-19 quarantine centres should be properly sanitised and deep-cleaned before partial functioning is resumed, the document stated. The guidelines also called for ensuring regular counselling for students and teachers reporting mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. It is advisable that teachers, school counsellors and school health workers should work in unison to ensure emotional safety of the students With inputs from PTI Un policier patrouille a Bamenda, ville d'une province anglophone du Cameroun, le 22 fevrier 2018 AFP/Archives/Reinnier KAZE Defence and Security Forces have launched an operation to restore security in Bamenda, capital of Cameroons North West Region, security chiefs said in a joint press release Tuesday, September 8. The Commander of the 5th Joint Military Region, Brigadier General Nka Valere, the Commander of the 5th Gendarmerie Region, Brigadier General Ekongwese Divine Nnoko and the North West Regional Delegate for National Security, Police Commissioner Gousmo Emile said operation Bamenda clean took off on Tuesday. The population of the city of Bamenda and its environs are hereby informed that on instructions from the top command, Defence and Security Forces, DSF, have initiated a special operation to secure the city of Bamenda and its surroundings code-named Bamenda clean from Tuesday, September 8, 2020, Tuesdays press release read in part. The security chiefs said the operation is in response to rising insecurity occasioned by the activities of terrorists and criminals. Hear them: The purpose of this operation is to protect and secure the population of the city of Bamenda and its surroundings. This is in response to frequent attacks perpetrated by terrorists and criminals such as kidnappings, robbery of banks and stores, looting, wanton killings of civilians and personnel of the Defence and Security Forces. The atmosphere of terror imposed by these terrorists and criminals on our population is unacceptable. Each and every one is therefore invited to collaborate with the Defence and Security Forces throughout this operation. In addition, the population is also invited to scrupulously respect the orders taken by the city Mayor of Bamenda and the SDO of Mezam prohibiting the circulation of commercial motorbikes within the urban perimeter of the Bamenda city. These orders are part and parcel of measures to secure and protect the population. We call on the syndicates of motorbike riders in various subdivisions to ensure that the implementation of these orders dont suffer any derailments in order to re-enforce security measures. Operation "Bamenda Clean" launched (c) WhatsApp Cameroons Defence and Security Forces have been battling armed men in the North West and South West Regions who seek to create a putative state called Ambazonia. Corporate demands by Common Law Lawyers and Anglophone Teachers led to protests in November 2016. The street demonstrations later morphed into ongoing running gun battles between state forces and armed separatist fighters in the predominantly English-speaking regions, leading to untold destruction of human lives, their habitats, and livelihoods. Tit-for-tat killings have become part of daily lives in some parts of the English-speaking regions. The security boost in Bamenda comes after last week's attacks that left a police inspector dead. Government responded by restricting the circulation of motorbikes within the urban center of Bamenda. Norway-based separatist Lucas Ayaba Cho, leader of the Ambazonia Governing Council, AGovC, that runs the Ambazonia Defence Forces, ADF, called on armed fighters to lockdown Bamenda until the restriction on the circulation of motorbikes is lifted. More and more Indian workers are returning home as Singapore businesses cut down on workforce following the severe impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, an official said. "On an average, about 100 Indian nationals in Singapore continue to register daily with the High Commission here for flights back home, with over 11,000 having registered so far," Indian High Commissioner P Kumaran said on Wednesday. Special flights have been arranged as part of the ongoing Vande Bharat Mission and, wherever necessary, more flights are added to help meet the high demand for some destinations to help Indian nationals return home as they have lost their jobs, or going back for medical treatment or family-distress situation, he said. Kumaran said the high commission would continue to work to ensure enough repatriation flights, even though formal flights between Singapore and India have not resumed. The high commission has repatriated over 17,000 Indian nationals by arranging 120 special flights since May, said Kumaran. Speaking to PTI, the envoy also listed out his priorities in working on the India-Singapore relationship during his tenure here, especially further intensifying the political engagement, focus on increasing trade and investment flows, and technology collaborations in the space of fintech and startups. "We have planned an India-ASEAN hackathon later this year, as part of similar hackathons done between Indian and Singapore in the past," he said. "We are also working further on other collaboration opportunities such enabling digital payments in Singapore through Indian domestic RuPay cards, working together to develop a Global Stack, on the lines of India Stack, and for making our MSME platforms interoperable." Discussions are ongoing with the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) to explore opportunities for a manufacturing partnership. "India offers industrial sites in planned economic zones to promote manufacturing," he said, stressing that country had "a very cost competitive" manufacturing ecosystem, especially its low labour cost. Singapore, through regionally-linked institutions and trade bodies such as the SMF, as well as a good understanding of the ASEAN market, offers good scope for such a win-win partnership. "This perfectly fits into the India's strategy to be a global manufacturing hub with Singapores investment in specialised manufacturing sectors and cooperation in the area of developing the required skills for Indian workers," Kumaran said. "Singapore has been a longstanding FDI source for the Indian market and, by expanding collaborations with SMF, we aim to bring in more industries into the manufacturing sector in the country," said Kumaran. Investors see India as a long-term market with a growing domestic demand and the ongoing economic reforms creating a business-friendly environment as well as government's support for export-oriented industries, according to Kumaran. Separately, the high commissioner is also set to start work on India's new High Commission building at Stevens Road on the outskirts of the hotel-belt of Orchard Road and the central business district. It is designed to be a multi-storey complex on the free-hold land parcel owned by the Indian government, along with the current chancery and the High Commissioner's residence. "We are looking at completing the Indian High Commission's new complex in about three years," said the envoy. She's been spotted spending time with her boyfriend in Los Angeles in recent days. But Chantel Jeffries and Andrew Taggart took their romance south of the border on Tuesday, seen soaking up the sun while vacationing in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas. The 27-year-old DJ and model put on a red-hot display while going for a dip in the ocean with her 31-year-old boyfriend Drew, who's one-half of The Chainsmokers. Mexican getaway: Chantel Jeffries, 27, showed off her stunning physique in a skimpy string bikini while vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Tuesday with her boyfriend Andrew Taggart, 31 Chantel flaunted her rock-hard abs in her string bikini, which had triangular cups, while long strings dangled down her thighs from her high-cut bottoms. The white two-piece suit was decorated with an intriguing African nature scene featuring an elephant, a giraffe and plenty of flora. The musician stayed off the hot sand with a pair of fluffy white and orange sandals, and she ran her fingers through her raven locks as she headed toward the water. Drew opted for more reserved beach attire with a set of red swim trunks, and he sported a close-cropped beard. Eye-catching: Chanel flaunted her rock-hard abs in the string bikini, which was decorated with an African nature scene featuring an elephant and a giraffe Red-hot: The musician stayed off the hot sand with a pair of fluffy white and orange sandals, and she ran her fingers through her raven locks as she headed toward the water On Monday, Chantel showed off another seaside bikini look while vacation in Mexico. She posted a selfie showcasing her clear skin and her blue top, along with a second photo highlighting her pert derriere. 'dolce far niente,' she wrote, which is an Italian phrase that translates to 'pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness,' according to Merriam-Webster. The DJ may have been planning out her Mexican trip late last month when she showed off another two-piece suit, this time a white design covered in pink and purple flowers. Beach ready: On Monday, Chantel showed off another seaside bikini look while vacation in Mexico Trim figure: She posted a selfie showcasing her clear skin and her blue top, along with a second photo highlighting her pert derriere Prepared: The DJ may have been planning out her Mexican trip late last month when she showed off another two-piece suit Simple: This suit featured a white design covered in pink and purple flowers Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic pandemic, both Chantel and Drew seem to have been traveling across the US and throughout North America. In the same post from August 30, she included snaps of the two lovebirds while visiting Maine. She beamed in a gray sweatshirt and tiny black shorts while blocking out the sun with thin black sunglasses. Drew embraced her in one selfie and wore a charcoal sweatshirt and an intriguing set of angular pentagonal sunglasses. 'Straight up *vibing*,' she captioned the pictures. Risky business: She included a photo of her and Drew in Maine, indicating they've been traveling across North America despite the ongoing pandemic Casual: She beamed in a gray sweatshirt and tiny black shorts while blocking out the sun with thin black sunglasses Chantel, who was previously linked to Machine Gun Kelly, Justin Bieber and Diplo, was first linked with Drew in February. She showed the relationship was heating up late in July with an Instagram photo shared with her 4.7 million followers of the two kissing while dining outdoors. She shared the post the same day that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo lambasted Drew's group The Chainsmokers for 'egregious social distancing violations' after the performed in front of a packed crowd with few mask wearers at a Safe & Sound charity event in New York's Southampton. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 15:41 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43c1c2e 1 City Jakarta-administration,COVID-19-Jakarta,coronavirus,anies-baswedan,COVID-19 Free The Jakarta administration is set to hold a special meeting on Wednesday to assess its COVID-19 countermeasures as cases in the capital continue to rise. The task force will hold a special meeting to evaluate the latest developments of COVID-19 in Jakarta because the situation is alarming, Governor Anies Baswesdan said on Wednesday. In the past week, Anies said, Jakarta's positivity rate the percentage of COVID-19 tests that return a positive result had increased to 13.2 percent, while the national rate had reached 18.4 percent. Both figures far exceed the World Health Organizations standard of 5 percent for the relaxation of restrictions. Cumulatively, the positivity rate over the course of the pandemic was 6.9 percent in Jakarta and 13.9 percent nationally, Anies added. The governor said the condition was worrying because of Jakartas healthcare limitations. If the number of people requiring treatment is more than the capacity of the hospitals and the number of medical personnel, we will face a big problem, he said. Read also: Industrial COVID-19 clusters in Bekasi, Karawang reach 500 cases Anies said the Jakarta administration would prepare new policies and expected better enforcement of health protocols in communities. Jakarta is currently under transitional large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), a relaxation of the previously imposed restrictions, as the capital gradually reopens businesses and services to keep the economy running. The capital entered transitional PSBB on June 4 and has since extended the policy five times. The move, however, seems to have backfired as new coronavirus clusters have emerged in the capital. As of Tuesday afternoon, Jakarta had confirmed 48,811 COVID-19 cases, with 1,330 fatalities and 36,451 recoveries. Amid the rising rate of transmission, gravediggers have raised concerns about seemingly endless work with minimum protective gear. The available land in designated COVID-19 cemeteries is decreasing. Currently, we have designated cemeteries in Tegal Alur and Pondok Ranggon. In Tegal Alur, there are still about two hectares of land available, with one hectare accommodating roughly 3,000 burials, Anies said. The management of Pondok Ranggon cemetery previously reported that by the end of August, there would only be space for another 1,100 burials. Space is expected to run out in October. IVI to ready clinical trial sites for COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials in 4 countries September 9, 2020 - SEOUL, South Korea - The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) announced today that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded close to 1.5 million USD to IVI to support clinical trial site preparedness in four African and Asian countries to potentially support future COVID-19 Phase III efficacy vaccine trials. Following successful completion of early-stage clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, it will be essential to transition to efficacy trials at different sites around the world with high disease burden, including those in resource-limited settings. To ensure these sites are prepared for efficacy trials with the necessary technical capability, trained staff, sufficient trial participants, and a thorough assessment of prevailing COVID-19 burden, IVI aims to bolster in-country capacity at select sites by 4Q2020. Dr Florian Marks, Deputy Director General of Epidemiology, Public Health, Impact, and Clinical Development at IVI, said: "The COVID-19 threat is worldwide, which means preparations for the development and delivery of safe and effective vaccines must also be a global project. It is imperative that lack of resources does not equate to exclusion, that COVID-19 vaccines be regarded as global public goods from the outset, and that equal access is ensured. We look forward to working with our long-time partners in Africa and Asia to accelerate the global push toward a COVID-19 vaccine solution." IVI currently conducts active projects in Africa and Asia, including disease prevention and surveillance for cholera and typhoid in Mozambique and Ghana, respectively, as well as a Phase III clinical trial for a novel typhoid conjugate vaccine in the Philippines. IVI also received funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) this May to strengthen COVID-19 surveillance in Madagascar and Burkina Faso. ### About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a nonprofit inter-governmental organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, IVI was the first international organization hosted by Korea. IVI has 36 signatory countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) on its treaty, including Korea, Sweden, India, and Finland as state funders. Our mandate is to make vaccines available and accessible for the world's most vulnerable people. We focus on infectious diseases of global health importance such as cholera, typhoid, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, Group A Strep, Hepatitis A, HPV, TB, HIV, MERS, COVID-19, as well as antimicrobial resistance. For more information, please visit https:/ / www. ivi. int CONTACT Aerie Em, Global Communications & Media Specialist +82 2 881 1386 | aerie.em@ivi.int This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alyssa's Law states "Public schools, including charter schools, shall implement a mobile panic alert system capable of connecting diverse emergency services technologies to ensure real-time coordination." Florida has become one of the first to put this legislation into action. In short, "Alyssa's Law" ensures measures are put in place to protect students in the event of an emergency. Public and Charter schools are now required to provide their staff with a Panic Button System that aids the staff to contact emergency services in the event of a crisis. Emergencies such as an active shooter on campus, a school fire, a major flooding, or a medical emergency involving a student or staff member all count as events that constitute a system for protection. In order to get this done, Florida has set aside $8 million in grants for school districts to install a system in compliance with Alyssa's Law by the 2021-2022 school year. Solution - Panic Button System REVLAB Technology LLC has developed and produced an effective mobile application panic button solution to be used in schools. The company was originally positioned to support hotels across the country to fill a similar piece of legislation that requires hotels to provide location-based Hotel Panic Buttons to lone-workers / hospitality staff in order to prevent harassment from guests within guestrooms. After much success in the hospitality industry and through further development, REVLAB has created a solution based on its existing Panic Button technology to fulfill the needs of the school's silent panic button laws. The new School Panic Button solution by REVLAB is compatible with iOS / Android Smartphones. Being a mobile application allows the lightweight designed solution to be highly cost-effective and relatively quick to install on school campuses all while being fully compliant with what the law requires. The panic button system works through three simple processes... Open mobile application and press the "Panic Button" to call for help The call for help is stored in a secure Google-hosted database for record-keeping The system contacts the relevant authorities and/or sends SMS text messages to all relevant parties As Congress pushes for Alyssa's Law to be approved at a national level, REVLAB remains ready to accommodate a growing market of Panic Button users to ensure safety nationwide. Request Quote: [email protected] Learn more: https://www.revlabtech.com/school-panic-button SOURCE REVLAB Technology LLC Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.'s (NYSE:HLX) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 15.7x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 19x and even P/E's above 37x are quite common. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified. Helix Energy Solutions Group's negative earnings growth of late has neither been better nor worse than most other companies. It might be that many expect the company's earnings performance to degrade further, which has repressed the P/E. If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. At the very least, you'd be hoping that earnings don't fall off a cliff if your plan is to pick up some stock while it's out of favour. Check out our latest analysis for Helix Energy Solutions Group pe If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Helix Energy Solutions Group. How Is Helix Energy Solutions Group's Growth Trending? Helix Energy Solutions Group'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. Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 2.8% decrease to the company's bottom line. At least EPS has managed not to go completely backwards from three years ago in aggregate, thanks to the earlier period of growth. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time. The Bottom Line On Helix Energy Solutions Group's P/E Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company. And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Helix Energy Solutions Group you should know about. You might be able to find a better investment than Helix Energy Solutions Group. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings). This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 18:01:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will visit European countries next week, Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday. During his European tour, Zarif will visit Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The imminent trip of the minister comes at a time when the United States has mounted pressures on the UN Security Council for the return of pre-2015 nuclear deal sanctions against Iran. He would likely to discuss the Europeans' help to block the U.S. fresh initiative against the Islamic republic. Recently, the UN Security Council voted against Washington's move to extend a UN arms ban against Tehran, and has opposed the return of pre-2015 sanctions. Enditem Type address separated by commas Your Email: ALBANY An electronic payment company that became entangled in the MyPayrollHR debacle is alleging that Pioneer Bank improperly seized $20 million in payroll taxes that the now-defunct Clifton Park payroll firm siphoned from its business customers last year as part of a $100 million fraud scheme. The company, National Payment Corp. of Tampa, Fla., is demanding in a federal lawsuit that Pioneer release the money so it can be paid to the IRS and other state taxing entities. "Despite being fully cognizant of the origin and purpose of the funds, Pioneer has clung to the monies with reprehensible avarice," lawyers for National Payment alleged in a filing made in U.S. District Court in Albany on Sept. 4. National Payment and Pioneer are just two of more than 1,000 companies that have become embroiled in the demise of MyPayrollHR and a decade-long scheme by its former CEO, Michael Mann, to fraudulently obtain tens of millions of dollars in loans by falsifying his business records. Mann's scheme came crashing down a year ago after Pioneer, which had extended his company a $42 million line of credit only weeks before, froze his business accounts after uncovering millions of dollars in suspicious deposits and withdrawals that led to a $15 million overdraft. As part of his scheme, Mann would temporarily divert payroll fund and payroll taxes from MyPayrollHR's clients to his accounts at Pioneer as a way to pay down his loan. So when Pioneer froze his accounts, the workers employed by for Mann's customers not only didn't receive their paychecks that week, but their employers were left holding the bag for their unpaid payroll taxes. "Pioneer has caused thousands of employers already struggling due to the pandemic to receive deficiency notices from the IRS and other taxing jurisdictions, and in many instances having to pay taxes a second time to avoid penalties, interest, and collection actions," National Payment said in its filing against the Colonie-based bank. Mann, 50, pleaded guilty last month to 12 federal felonies, including bank fraud, wire fraud, identity theft and filing false tax records. He is facing up to 32 years in prison at his sentencing scheduled for December, and has been ordered to repay his victims $101 million in restitution. National Payment is arguing that Pioneer improperly used the money as collateral to cover the $42 million line of credit that the bank issued to a company that Mann owned called ValueWise, which was the holding company of MyPayrollHR. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Pioneer insists that allegation is incorrect, and that the payroll tax funds which the bank claims it did not know the origin of were only used to cover Mann's massive overdraft, which the bank says is allowed under banking laws. "Because Pioneer Bank did not know that third-party payroll or taxes were being processed through accounts at Pioneer Bank, the allegation that Pioneer Bank used payroll tax funds as collateral for loans to ValueWise is simply false," Jeffrey Kuhn, an Albany attorney working on the case for Pioneer Bank, told the Times Union on Tuesday. "There is zero evidence that Pioneer Bank knew the accounts were being used to process third-party payroll or taxes," Kuhn said. One of the Berejiklian government's longest-serving MPs says Deputy Premier John Barilaro has shown unprecedented disloyalty to the Coalition and has abused his position as leader as bitter division over a koala policy escalates. In a extraordinary attack on the NSW Nationals leader, Liberal upper house MP Catherine Cusack said: "In 30 years I have never seen such behaviour by any leader in politics." John Barilaro and Catherine Cusack. Her comments come as Mr Barilaro confirmed four Nationals MPs, two in the lower house and two in the upper house, intend to move to the crossbench, which will strip the government of its majority. Ms Cusack said Mr Barilaro should resign as leader of the junior Coalition partner if he refuses to follow cabinet processes and "continues to embolden government MPs to move to the crossbench". Development of a COVID-19 vaccine will not be compromised by outside political considerations, U.S. health experts told lawmakers Wednesday. The nation's top health officials said the six vaccine candidates currently in large-scale U.S. trials are expected to deliver a result that can be distributed to the most vulnerable populations including health care workers and first responders by the end of this year. "We need to follow the process because the process works," U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told Senate lawmakers Wednesday. President Donald Trump has made vaccine development an issue in the U.S. presidential election, suggesting his administration's efforts to fast-track a vaccine could yield results by October. If this happened, it would be the fastest ever development of a vaccine for a novel virus. "Under Operation Warp Speed, we're producing a vaccine in record time. This is a vaccine that we're going to have very soon, very, very soon. By the end of the year, but much sooner than that, perhaps. And this is something that's incredible. This would've taken two or three years by the last administration, and in all fairness, by most other administrations," Trump said Tuesday. Congressional Democrats have alleged Trump is pushing vaccine development to boost his re-election chances. "FDA [Food and Drug Administration] scientists' efforts to ensure the safety and efficacy of vaccines must not be undermined by political meddling," said Democratic Senator Patty Murray, the ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. "CDC's [Center for Disease Control] role in distributing the vaccine and prioritizing who receives the first doses must not be supplanted by politicians or campaign strategists or corporate lobbyists. If we are going to begin to turn the page on this pandemic, people across the country must not have any doubt in this process or in the final product," Murray added. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said the president's actions have not been helpful in getting the American public to have faith in a vaccine. "The president has accused FDA officials of being deep state operatives, he's tweeted conspiracy theories about COVID-19 deaths, and he has implicitly tied vaccine development to his reelection campaign," Warren said. Scientific and safety standards "I just hope Americans will choose to take the information they need from scientists and physicians and not from politicians," said Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Collins detailed the ways Operation Warp Speed has accelerated the vaccine development process while not compromising the scientific integrity of the process. "We have done that by carrying out steps in parallel that are traditionally done in sequence. We've eliminated downtime by moving into new phases before data from the previous phase is completely analyzed," Collins told lawmakers. "We have started to manufacture doses of all these vaccines before we know if they work, understanding that we are spending hundreds of millions of dollars for vaccine doses that we may have to throw away if they don't work." Nine U.S. and European companies involved in vaccine development pledged Tuesday to uphold scientific and safety standards in the effort to find a cure for COVID-19. Unusual statement by nine competing firms comes as Trump pushes for vaccine approval before Election Day "We want it to be known that also in the current situation we are not willing to compromise safety and efficacy," said Ugur Sahin, chief executive of Pfizer's German partner BioNTech and one of the co-signers of the pledge. Another co-signer, AstraZeneca also said Tuesday that it had voluntarily paused late-stage trials of its vaccine due to illness in one of the study volunteers. The company noted this is not an unusual occurrence or response during vaccine development. The U.S. leads the world in confirmed COVID-19 deaths, with nearly 190,000. The U.S. is also home to a world-leading 6.3 million coronavirus infections, nearly one-quarter of the more than 27.3 million worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. Adams and Collins said the vaccine was still on track to be distributed to the American public by 2021. TECUMSEH, MI A man was stabbed twice during an alleged domestic dispute with a woman in a Tecumseh apartment community on Tuesday evening, police said. Police were called at 6:22 p.m. Sept. 8, to an apartment in the 1000 block of E. Chicago Boulevard where officers found a 20-year-old Tecumseh man with stab wounds on his arm and leg, according to the Tecumseh Police Department. Officers determined the man was stabbed during a domestic dispute with a 20=year-old woman at the residence, police said. No arrests were made as the man was uncooperative with officers, police said. He was treated for his injuries at the scene and declined further medical treatment, police said. The case has been sent to the Lenawee County Prosecutors Office for review and possible charges. The Tecumseh Fire Department, Lenawee Community Ambulance, Raisin Township Police Department, Lenawee County Sheriffs Office and Michigan State Police assisted at the scene. More from MLive: Spiked Sunny Delight, juice box cocktails and live music planned for Circ Bar reopening Residence hall staff on strike at University of Michigan, demand more coronavirus protections 4 Jackson-area students named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists Racial equity efforts move forward in Jackson T his will sound like a grizzle but it really isnt: in the smartwatch field, you have to accept compromises or, more euphemistically, make choices. Its now seven years since Samsung released its first smartwatch that big old square unit with a camera embedded in the strap but unfortunately, there is still not one, certainly in the Android phone world, watch that will do everything everyone wants. Take the new Samsung Galaxy Watch3, announced a few weeks ago at the South Korean giant's Unpacked event. Like its immediate predecessor, it's a brilliant bit of hardware but it can be let down by the Tizen OS software. However, after spending a week using the new smartwatch, it's clear the Galaxy Watch3 continues the brand's tradition of fine smartwatches and is easily a competitor to the Apple Watch. Here's why. Samsung Galaxy Watch3: Design, look and comfort No, you didnt miss a version the Galaxy Watch3 is the successor to the Galaxy Watch that has gone for more traditional exterior design. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, left, next to the original Galaxy Watch The Galaxy Watch was an eye-catching hunk of metal that was sporty in look, whereas the 3 either the 41mm or 45mm sizes is slightly slimmed down and toned down. The two rubberised buttons for circular metal ones and the 3 has combined the magic of being slightly smaller and lighter but with a larger screen. Then there's the bezel. Smartwatch screens have always been nicely responsive but the fatter-fingered of us sometimes face issues and that is where Samsung scored an ace with the rotating bezel to also scroll through notifications. It feels a more solid option than on the original and blows the competition out of the water for navigation. As well, the Watch 3 comes with a traditional leather strap (which is easily replaceable) and the black version I trialled gives off a subtle vibe that those who dont need to shout they are wearing a smartwatch might find more appealing. To labour a Galaxy pun, if the original was Jupiter, the Watch 3 is Saturn the next step on, slightly smaller and maybe better looking. Samsung Galaxy Watch3: Tech and performance First up is the screen its what youll be looking at after all and the 360x360 resolution across the 1.2 or 1.3 inch circular Super AMOLED edge to edge panel is bright enough even on the sunniest of days. Theres 1GB of RAM and the chipset is the same as the original Galaxy Watch but thats not proven to be an issue. The Galaxy Watch3 is speedy and theres been none of the lag that switched me away from Google's WearOS devices. A note on software: Wear OS is a good platform that meshes seamlessly into your Google accounts and apps but its watches, in my experience, have constantly let it down performance-wise. Samsung, instead, chooses to run its watches on TizenOS. Thats not a bad OS, in fact, Samsungs system is as good as Wear, but app options are limited or buggy and you lose that all-encompassing Google integration. Onboard storage is 8GB but almost half of that is taken up with the OS and pre-loaded apps. When it comes to battery, the Watch3 has taken a step backwards in this regard with a smaller battery. Real-world experience gave two full days between charges on the original and the 3 will last a day-and-a-half. Now while that easily outstrips the day youll get on Wear, it is still betwixt and between in that youll probably end up charging the 3 each day. Samsung Galaxy Watch3: Fitness and health features This is where we have the most notable upgrades, with SpO2 measuring for blood oxygen, advanced running detection, VO2max and scoring your sleep. Whats also impressive is the impression that things like the sleep monitoring and the step count are just a little more accurate. The automated exercise detection for a lengthy walk, a run or a cycle operate seamlessly. Samsung (Samsung)Electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood pressure monitoring are on this device but the functionality hasnt been opened up yet. As well, the Galaxy Watch3 is IP68 water-resistant so shower and swimming (in the pool at least) are absolutely fine. The only quibble would be about working out in the gym but that comes down to the software. Samsung Galaxy Watch3: Tizen v Wear This is the main drawback and, to repeat, it is not a failure of Tizen, which does what it needs to do in both design and performance exceptionally well. But Samsung, or more importantly its customers, have been let down by developers who have either not come to the party or produced some sub-standard options. Strava, for instance, on the original Galaxy Watch has rendered itself essentially unusable but that's not a disaster if running is your fitness choice. Samsung Health works very well with an excellent user-interface and the VO2 Max option on the Galaxy Watch3 is an excellent step forward (if you will pardon the pun). Despite claims online to the contrary, it then synced with Strava so you shouldn't face the pain of beginning a whole new running history. However Ive found the gym tracking a disappointment on both devices and Samsung Health. Wears Google Fit is far more flexible and accurate in automatically recording sets and reps compared to Samsung Health or the third-party apps on offer. The mapping options are disappointing until you find the third-party app that brings Googles directions into the Galaxy Watch3 and don't even go down the road trying to compare Google Assistant and Bixby. Ultimately it would be a better user experience if Tizen meshed with Google and therefore your phone. Samsung Galaxy Watch3: Verdict I love smartwatches Ive had seven so far and I have to say the Galaxy Watch3 and its older brother are easily the most impressive Ive used. The Galaxy Watch3 is pricey at the time of this review youre looking between 399 and 459 depending on if you plan to fork out on 4G cellular connectivity but you get what you pay for. Whether the Galaxy Watch3 makes enough advances for those with the original to upgrade is questionable, but if youre looking for the best smartwatch options to sport on your wrist in 2020 then this has to be on your radar. Samsung Galaxy Watch3 is available to buy now, with prices starting from 399, at johnlewis.com The Polytechnic Ibadan on Tuesday said that it has constituted a 15-man task force committee to enforce compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols in the institution. Rector of the institution, Kazeem Adebiyi, made the disclosure when the management of the institution met some representatives of neighbouring communities around the institution. Premium Times reports that the landlords from some areas around the institution such as Sango, Alemuloke, Iso pako, Ijokodo, Agbaje, Apete, Awotan, Patako, Ariyibi, Arola, Olomo, among others, attended the meeting. Mr Adebiyi, while addressing the landlords, noted that the 15-man Task Force Committee on Covid-19 was constituted by the management as part of preparations for the re-opening of the institution. He said that the 15- member committee is headed by the institutions Director of Medical Services. He noted that the committee is saddled with the responsibility of preventing and curtailing the spread of the virus. The committee, according to the rector, has an 8- point term of reference. He added that the committee will provide a minimum health and safety threshold required for resumption of academic activities. Speaking further, Mr Adebiyi maintained that the committee will identify and monitor specific areas of the institution that may be prone to the pandemic and come up with recommendations on how to handle such a situation. He noted that the infectious nature of the virus has made it mandatory for the communities to also put in place safety measures to protect themselves and their tenants which include the returning students. Mr Adebiyi, who addressed the gathering of representatives of communities landlord associations at a meeting held at the North Campus Assembly Hall of the Institution on Tuesday, sought the support of the landlords on issues of security and Covid-19 pandemic. ALSO READ: Ibadan Polytechnic set to resume academic activities At the meeting, the landlords promised to persuade all neighbouring communities to fumigate their houses, especially the houses where students staying off-campus reside. The landlords, who agreed to put in place all the required health measures, also pledged to cooperate with the management of the institution on issues of security and forward complaints to the students affairs office for necessary action. It was also agreed that town and gown meetings should be held regularly to monitor issues affecting the institution and the communities. The Shiv Sena on Wednesday took on the Union home ministry and the Bharatiya Janata Party for providing Y-plus security to actor Kangana Ranaut, calling it an insult to Mumbai and its police. An editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana published Wednesday, called the actor, who is scheduled to arrive in Mumbai, a supari actor. The Sena mouthpiece added the Maharashtra unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should have not supported people who refer to the chief minister in a disrespectful manner. Also Read: Maharashtra home minister receives threat call for criticising Kangana Ranaut Comparing Mumbai to Pakistan occupied Kashmir and insulting the khaki uniform by likening the Mumbai police to the mafia are signs of a disturbed mindset... But when the nationalist Modi governments home ministry stands by such people and provides them security cover, then our 106 martyrs must be shedding tears in heaven, the editorial said. (106 people had died during the movement that took place to include Mumbai in Maharashtra). It added that though the Shiv Sena had taken a different route, it would never allow disrespect towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It said that Modi was just not a person, but an institution in the form of Prime Minister. If any person arrogantly challenges the chief minister of Maharashtra, then the whole of Maharashtra should be united against it. The Bharatiya Janata Party is directly supporting those who insult Mumbai and the chief minister of the state, it added. Also Read: Kangana Ranaut tests Covid-19 negative, leaves Himachal home for Mumbai The editorial further said that insulting Mumbai was equivalent to making derogatory statements against Mumba Devi, the Goddess of Mumbai. Our goddess was insulted by comparing her with the Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Hindutva and culture, religion and renunciation of 106 martyrs were insulted and despite this, the Central government is giving respect in the form of special protection to the person who insulted Maharashtra, it said. The names of those who insult the mother of Mumbai will be written with asphalt in the history of Maharashtra, it added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Butte County firefighters watch as flames tower over their truck at the Bear fire in Oroville, California "Unprecedented" wildfires fueled by strong winds and searing temperatures were raging cross a wide swathe of California, Oregon and Washington on Wednesday, destroying scores of homes and businesses in the western US states and forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. In California, where at least eight deaths have been reported, National Guard helicopters rescued hundreds of people trapped by the Creek Fire in the Sierra National Forest. The National Guard released video footage of rescued campers as they disembarked from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter wearing hiking clothes and toting backpacks. Some had pet dogs on leashes. In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown declared the fires in the northwestern state to be a "once-in-a-generation event." "Almost every year since becoming governor, I've witnessed historic fire seasons," Brown said. "This is proving to be an unprecedented and significant fire event for our state." Jay Inslee, the governor of neighboring Washington state, described the wildfires as "unprecedented and heartbreaking." Inslee, who campaigned for the Democratic nomination for president on a platform of battling climate change, and California Governor Gavin Newsom both blamed the effects of a changing climate for the exceptional ferocity of this year's blazes. "I quite literally have no patience for climate change deniers," Newsom said. "It's completely inconsistent, that point of view, with the reality on the ground." The Bidwell Bar Bridge is surrounded by fire in Lake Oroville during the Bear Fire in Oroville, California As for Inslee, he said that "we're living in a new worldthis is not the old Washington. "The conditions are so dry and are so hot because the climate has changed," the governor said. "The devastation is all over our state." Inslee said 330,000 acres (133,500 hectares) of land had burned in Washington on Monday alone, more in a single day than in 12 of the last 18 fire seasons. 'Driving through hell' Jody Evans, a resident of the town of Detroit in Oregon, fled her home as the fire approached. "Coming through fire on both sides, trees down, wind blowing, ash flying," Evans told Newschannel 21. "It was like driving through hell." The town of Malden in Washington state was nearly totally razed, with 80 percent of its buildings including the fire station, post office and city hall "completely burned to the ground," the local sheriff said in a statement. Burned vehicles smoldering in Fresno County, California "The scale of this disaster really can't be expressed in words," said Sheriff Brett Myers. "The fire will be extinguished but a community has been changed for a lifetime." More than 170,000 Californians were left without electricity as utility company PG&E enacted a "last resort" shutoff across large swathes of the state due to the extreme wildfire threat. Gusty winds and temperatures of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) were hampering the efforts of the thousands of firefighters battling the blazes in California. In California, more than 14,000 firefighters are fighting 25 major wildfires across the country's most populous state. The Creek Fire has ripped through more than 140,000 acres and was zero percent contained Tuesday. Wildfires spread rapidly over the Labor Day holiday weekend, which saw a record 121-degree Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) temperature recorded in Los Angeles County. Butte County firefighters watch as flames quickly spread across a road at the Bear Fire in Oroville, California Map of California showing active wildfires as of Sep 8. Santa Ana winds were expected to strengthen through to Wednesday morning, with gusts of 55 miles (88 kilometers) per hour. "We simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire," said Randy Moore, regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region. California has seen more than 7,600 fires this year which have burned more than 2.2 million acresan annual record, with nearly four months of fire season still to come. Last year, there were nearly 5,000 fires which burned 117,586 acres, according to Cal Fire. Explore further Smoke hampers rescue as California fires burn record 2 million acres 2020 AFP United States President Donald Trump has been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize 2021 for his role in brokering a deal between Israel and United Arab Emirates, according to reports. The nomination was submitted by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a Norwegian parliamentarian to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. "It is for his contribution for peace between Israel and the UAE. It is a unique deal," Christian Tybring-Gjedde told Reuters. No matter how Trump acts at home and what he says at press conferences, he has absolutely a chance at getting the Nobel Peace Prize," Tybring-Gjedde, told The Associated Press. Earlier, Tybring-Gjedde nominated Trump for the award for his diplomatic efforts with North Korea. Last year Trump said he deserved to be awarded the Peace Prize for his work on North Korea and Syria, but he complained he probably would never get the honour. Last month, Trump took to Twitter to announce the "historic deal" struck between Israel and UAE, one which the United States had helped broker. "Trump administration played a key role in the establishment of relations between The UAE and Israel," he told Fox News. The Norwegian Nobel Committee doesnt publicly comment on nominees. Under its rules, the information is required to be kept secret for 50 years. Israel and the United Arab Emirates on August 13 struck a historic deal aimed at fully normalising relations between the two Middle Eastern nations. The announcement of the deal, which the United States helped broker, was made by US President Donald Trump. "HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates," Trump tweeted. Under the peace deal, Israel has agreed to suspend declaring sovereignty over the areas outlined in Trump's 'Vision for Peace'. The joint statement said the three leaders had "agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates." "This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region," the statement said. It is now to hope that the Nobel Committee is able to consider what Trump has achieved internationally and that it does not stumble in established prejudice against the US President," Tybring-Gjedde said in a Facebook post. As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity," Tybring-Gjedde wrote in his nomination letter to the Nobel Committee. Former US President Barack Obama won the prize in 2009 just months into his first term in office. The winner will be announced on October 9 in Oslo. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Duracell, the battery unit of Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc., sued the maker of Energizer batteries on Tuesday, accusing it falsely advertising that its Energizer MAX batteries last up to 50% longer than other alkaline batteries. The lawsuit follows Energizer Holdings Inc.s own lawsuit last Sept. 30 accusing Duracell of falsely advertising that its then-new Optimum batteries were more powerful and lasted longer than rival batteries. Duracell filed counterclaims alleging false advertising in that case. It is now accusing Energizer of having doubled down by claiming on battery packages, on printed coupons and through in-store advertising that MAX batteries are up to 50% longer lasting than basic alkaline in demanding devices. Energizer is attempting to confuse and mislead consumers regarding the comparative benefits of Energizers MAX batteries relative to other alkaline batteries, including Duracells Coppertop batteries, Duracells complaint said. Lawyers for Energizer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both lawsuits were filed in Manhattan federal court. The companies have sought damages for false advertising under New York law and the federal Lanham Act, as well as halts to any improper advertising. Duracell said it had a 45% share of the U.S. market for alkaline household batteries, while Energizer has a 26% share. Berkshire bought Duracell, which has offices in Bethel, Connecticut, from Procter & Gamble Co in February 2016. Energizer is based in St. Louis. The latest case is Duracell US Operations Inc v Energizer Brands LLC, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-07318. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lincoln Feast) Topics Claims USA New York XIAMEN, China, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Leaders in different fields have expressed their appreciation for China's efforts in helping the world economy recover and enhancing global cooperation through video speeches at the 2020 China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT). The CIFIT 2020, which kicked off here Tuesday, has attracted exhibitors from more than 40 countries and regions including Britain, Germany, Japan and South Korea. The event will last till Friday. Holding such an international event during the pandemic is "of great significance," said Bahlil Lahadalia, head of the Indonesian Coordinating Investment Board when addressing the opening ceremony of an investment forum during the fair. "It is extremely important for all participants to strengthen the unity of nations in the face of the epidemic," he said. Calling for closer cooperation between China and Southeast Asian nations, Dato Lim Jock Hoi, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said that the joint efforts between ASEAN and China to strengthen regional supply chains and the promotion of trade and investment are crucial. China has offered an important platform for "advancing economic development and trade cooperation worldwide ... (and) has opened favorable prospects for international investments," said Khalifa Elmoktar, chairman of the Mauritanian Parliamentary Group of Mauritanian-Chinese Friendship. Fahad Al Gergawi, president of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, recalled his experience attending the CIFIT in 2018, noting that the event is "truly an example of an international event that fosters international investments and trade." It brings together representatives from governments and businesses and drives cooperation and partnerships for global prosperity, he said. "Humanity is indeed a community with a shared future and mutually beneficial cooperation represents the prevailing trend of time," he added. Chief Executive of the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) Matthew Rous believes that by holding such a fair, China provides an "invaluable opportunity" for the CBBC to work with its Chinese partners. Referring to the hit the world economy has taken from the COVID-19 pandemic, Rous said that "we will weather this storm together and emerge stronger from it." SALT LAKE CITY - A police shooting that wounded a 13-year-old autistic boy in Salt Lake City is revealing shortfalls in the way officers respond to a mental health crisis, an advocacy group said Wednesday, a part of policing thats facing renewed scrutiny during nationwide protests over brutality by law enforcement. Similar questions are being raised in Rochester, New York, following the death of a Black man whose brother called police about his unusual behaviour shortly after a mental health evaluation. It comes as demonstrators have urged cities to defund the police and shift money to social services instead. In Utah, the boy survived with serious injuries. He appears to be white based on a photo posted online by his mother, Golda Barton, although police have not provided his race. Barton says she called 911 on Friday night because he was having a breakdown and she needed help from a crisis-intervention officer. The Salt Lake City officers who came were not specialists in crisis intervention but had some mental health training, and they ended up shooting the boy as he ran away because they believed he made threats involving a weapon, authorities said. There was no indications he had a weapon. An officer trained in crisis response would have handled the situation differently, focusing on deescalation and avoiding shouting or using sirens, which can be disorienting, said Sherri Wittwer, board president of CIT Utah, a non-profit that provides crisis intervention training for law enforcement. Someone whos in a mental health crisis ... may have different behaviours, Wittwer said. And thats why we need to have officers who understand the different ways that can look. Some police departments even undergo training specifically on communicating with people with autism, a developmental disorder that can involve varying degrees of language and social impairment. The Salt Lake Police Department has about three officers who are crisis-intervention specialists, but they dont respond to every call involving mental health issues, said Detective Michael Ruff, a department spokesman. He stood by the departments model, which includes giving every new recruit 40 hours of crisis-intervention training at its police academy. Were very comfortable with the program we used and with the individuals who are teaching it, he said. Theres more than one way to be CIT trained. Ruff declined to say what tactics the officers used to deescalate the situation before shooting the boy. The department says it will co-operate with multiple investigations. But for Wittwer, the case is an example of why the state needs a unified, consistent program. In 2016, Salt Lake City police opted out of the training her group provides. When people call for an officer, theyre in their most vulnerable state, and they need to have trust in who will be coming to their door, she said. The officers names, body-camera video and 911 call records have not been released. The boys mother, meanwhile, told Salt Lake Citys KUTV that she informed police her son has autism, was unarmed and did not know how to regulate his behaviour. Barton hoped they would help deescalate the situation and calm him down. Instead, two officers who entered her home told her son to get down on the ground and shot him. Hes a small child, Barton told the TV station. Why didnt you just tackle him? Hes a baby. He has mental issues. ___ Eppolito is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to consider a PIL which questioned the closure of religious places during the Covid-19 pandemic even as states are giving markets, manufacturing units and liquor stores priority to remain open. The pandemic due to unemployment, financial stress, etc. has affected the mental health of many followers and worshippers which can be majorly resolved by allowing religious places to reopen and helping them attain spiritual peace and happiness, said a petition filed by a Gujarat-based public trust Gitarth Ganga Trust. The petitioner demanded opening of all places of worship belonging to all religions. Even when the Ministry of Home Affairs has allowed opening of religious places under its May 30 Unlock 1.0 guidelines, no order has been passed by states for nearly three months to allow opening of places of worship of all religions abiding with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued for containing the spread of Covid-19 released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on June 8, 2020, said advocate Surjendu Sankar Das, who filed the petition for the trust. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde issued notice on the petition to the Centre and all states and union territories. Interestingly, the CJI-headed bench on August 21 had allowed opening of three Jain temples in Mumbai for the last two days of the Paryushan festival. While allowing five devotees at a time to offer worship at the Jain temples in Dadar, Byculla and Chembur, the bench had remarked, We find it strange that you (Maharashtra government) are allowing every activity involving economic interests and money. But if it involves religion, you say you cannot do it because of Covid-19. The present petition has adopted a similar line of argument by stating, In permitting businesses and commercial activities and prohibiting religious practices, the states have weighed the risk of a Covid-19 outbreak with the reward of the value of the business. The petition goes on to state that it is concerned for the well-being and spiritual happiness of each and every resident of India and wants all religious places to open with all necessary precautions as not doing so violates fundamental rights of citizens to practice and profess any religion protected under Articles 25 and 26. WARSAW, Poland: Polands prime minister gave Belarus leading opposition presidential candidate the symbolic keys to a new Belarusian center in Warsaw, saying Wednesday that the Polish government wanted to provide Belarusians with a home to continue their struggle for change. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki greeted Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has contested official election results that handed the authoritarian president of Belarus a sixth term, along with other opposition members in a villa the Polish government made available as a new, larger location for the Belarusian House. Poland is an open home for all Belarusians who need help, Morawiecki said. We want all Belarusians to find their real, most wonderful home in Belarus as soon as possible, but we realistically know that this fight must also be fought and supported from somewhere else," he said. Weeks of massive street protests in Belarus have followed an election on Aug. 9 that longtime authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko claims to have won with 80% of the vote to Tsikhanouskayas 10%, but which is widely seen as having been rigged. Amid the turmoil in Belarus, neighboring Poland and Lithuania have played key roles in supporting the Belarusian opposition. Tsikhanouskaya moved to Lithuania a day after the vote under pressure from authorities. Morawieckis government has in past weeks announced a series of efforts to help, including providing scholarships and places at Polish universities for Belarusian students and academics. The prime minister said Wednesday that Poland plans to present to the European Union an economic plan to provide further assistance. The entire EU supports the Belarusian people in their right to express their will, to live in freedom, in democracy, Morawiecki said. The villa that the Polish government made available to the Belarusian community was built in the 1930s and is regarded as a jewel of modernist architecture. Located in the prestigious Saska Kpa neighborhood, it has served as the French ambassadors residence and the Tunisian Embassy. A huge white-red-white flag with a coat of arms decorated the villa on Wednesday. It was not the official flag of Belarus but has appeared at anti-Lukashenko protests. ___ ___ Follow all AP stories on the developments in Belarus at https://apnews.com/Belarus 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 Some 174 candidates representing different constituencies countrywide won seats in the 300-member body in August after they secured an outright majority in the polling Polling stations in 14 governorates opened at 9am on Wednesday for the final day in Egypts Senate elections run-offs amid strict preventative measures against coronavirus, with 52 candidates competing for 26 seats. The contested seats are in 14 governorates: Qalioubiya, Menoufiya, Kafr El-Sheikh, Giza, Beni Suef, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailia and Marsa Matrouh. Vote counting will start after polls close at 9pm. The 52 candidates who are competing in the run-offs include 24 affiliated with pro-government Mostaqbal Watan; four with the Islamist Nour Party; three with the Guardians of the Nation Party; two with the People's Republican Party; one with the Congress Party; one with the National Movement Party; and one with the Ittihad Party, according to the National Elections Authority (NEA). Some 174 candidates representing different constituencies countrywide won seats in the 300-member body in August after they secured an outright majority in the polling. During the first round of voting the pro-government coalition "National Unified List", which is led by the Mostaqbal Watan Party (Future of Homeland), secured 118 (around 60 percent) out of the 200 contested seats. The National Election Authority (NEA) announced Mostaqbal Watan won 68 individual seats and 50 party list seats. The Senate, which was created in accordance with constitutional amendments approved last year, will act as an advisory chamber to the House of Representatives. It will sit in place of the Shura Council, the upper house of parliament that was dissolved in 2014. Two-thirds of the members are elected via the individual candidacy and the closed party list systems, and the rest will be appointed by the president. Egyptian expats voted abroad on Sunday and Monday. The first session of the new body, where senators are required to be sworn in, is set to be held in October. The first five-year term of the Senate will end in 2025. Search Keywords: Short link: Oregon has limited resources to tap in the all-out battle to contain wildfires around the state, because national and regional teams are all tied up on various fires at this point, forestry officials told a state board Wednesday morning. Travis Medema, regional forestry manager for Eastern Oregon, told the Board of Forestry during a virtual meeting that the Pacific Northwest and the entire nation are both at preparedness level five, which means there are literally no resources available that can be deployed to new or growing fires. It has been absolutely unprecedented in my career and I think all of our careers, Medema said of the fast-growing wildfires stoked in the last 48 hours by strong east winds and extremely dry weather. Medema said thousands of homes have been destroyed in the fires. He indicated that at least some Oregonians have died but he did not say how many or offer any details about the deaths. The Oregonian/OregonLive and other news outlets have not reported any deaths reported by any other agencies. State Forester Peter Daugherty acknowledged that a heart-breaking number of homes and businesses have been lost in fires around the state in the last 48 hours, including in some cases the homes of agency staff. The forestry departments Lyons office was destroyed last evening, Daugherty told board members. Medema said the catastrophic growth of the fires is making it difficult to keep accurate tallies of the acres burned. He predicted it will take days to get accurate information, months to contain fires and decades for Oregon communities to recover. The most challenging fires are in areas of extreme drought or abnormal drought in Oregon, Medema said. Hotter than average temperatures predicted through the fall will likely keep the fire risk high. We anticipate the remainder of September to be extremely challenging based off the temperature outlook, Medema said, adding that theme and trend continues in forecasts into October and November. Medema said the Oregon Department of Forestrys wildfire response involves seven spheres of operation around the state. They are as follows: Northwest Oregon, including from the coast range to Washington and Clackamas counties; the Santiam and Lionshead fires, which at approximately 200,000 acres have already burned more than the entire Oregon acreage burned in 2013; the Holiday Farm fire in Lane County which is approximately 126,000 acres in size; the Archie Creek and Star Mountain fires near Glide; the Alameda and Obenchain fires in Jackson County in southwest Oregon; the Echo Mountain fire complex in Lincoln County; and the Two Four Two fire near Chiloquin in Klamath County estimated at around 10,000 acres. Just a week ago, most fires in eastern and southern Oregon were contained and northwest Oregon was largely untouched by flames, Medema told board members. Medema said the forestry agency has had some successes, such as using newly purchased infrared technology to detect from an airplane at least 10 fires while they were still small enough to be easily extinguished. Medema said Oregon needs to boost its wildfire protection program and that will require support from the board, Gov. Kate Browns administration and the Legislature. Near the end of the meeting, board member Cindy Deacon Williams recounted the large-scale evacuations she watched near her home in southern Oregon near the Alameda and Obenchain fires and then her own evacuation. I think the entire Rogue Valley was in chaos, Deacon Williams said. A two-lane country road near her house was one of the evacuation routes from Talent, so she watched a stream of people departing. Later in the evening, we evacuated ourselves and there was basically Im sorry nowhere to go. Even as people evacuated away from the Alameda fire toward Central Point, additional fires sprang up at Central Point, Deacon Williams said. The closure of I-5 also made evacuation difficult, she said. Its a very challenging set of circumstances that the fire folks have to deal with whether theyre in real rugged country in the back country or on an (urban-rural) interface and I frankly just want to thank everyone for their remarkable response, Deacon Williams said. Tom Imeson, chair of the forestry board, said Deacon Williams' experience is unfortunately not unique. That fear exists from southern Oregon all the way up the Cascades to Clackamas County and almost every major drainage, rural community within those drainages, Imeson said. Youve got thousands and thousands of Oregonians whove experienced that same thing. -- Hillary Borrud: hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Queen Elizabeth has found a new use for her country home, Sandringham estate, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The sprawling property, situated about 100 miles north of London in Norfolk, is where the Queen and the royal family typically spend the holidays, but this month, the estate will be open to the public for a special weekend of drive-in movie screenings, an ideal way to enjoy the cinema while also maintaining a safe distance from others. According to the estates official website, patrons will be allowed to sit or stand outside of their cars so long as they are staying within the area designated for their vehicle, and there will be a different food vendor each day depending upon the film. Movies that will be shown the weekend of Sep. 25 through Sept. 27 include 1917, Rocketman, Toy Story, The Greatest Showman, Grease, Moana, and A Star is Born. Appropriately, the Saturday evening film is a showing of Bohemian Rhapsody, which chronicles the rock-and-roll lifestyle of Freddie Mercury and the band Queen. Trooping The Colour 2020 Photo: Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images See the video. Queen Elizabeth likely wont be making a guest appearance at the drive-in cinema this fall, though a press release from Buckingham Palace did note that she and Prince Philip will be visiting the estate during the second half of September. The royals are currently enjoying a stay at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where they spend the end of every summer. Prior to their warm-weather retreat, the pair spent the first few months of quarantine at Windsor Castle. According to People, the 94-year-old matriarch will head back to Windsor at the beginning of October, with trips to her main residence, Buckingham Palace in London, for special events only. The Sunday Times reports that this will be the longest time that Queen Elizabeth has been away from Buckingham Palace in her 68-year reign. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) The Supreme Court has denied the petition of lawyer Larry Gadon to nullify the law that renamed the Manila International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the high court's spokesperson said on Wednesday. Supreme Court Spokesman Brian Hosaka said the justices unanimously denied the petition on Tuesday for "lack of merit." Gadon on August 27 asked the Supreme Court to declare Republic Act 6636 as null and void, insisting former Senator Benigno Aquino III is not even considered a hero, thus does not deserve to have an airport named after him. He said the decision to rename the country's main airport did not even adhere to the guidelines of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, which states a public place should be named or renamed after a person within 10 years of his death "except for high reasons." Aquino was assassinated on the tarmac of the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983. The law to rename the airport was enacted on November 27, 1987 to honor the late statesman. CNN Philippines correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. Reuters/Julia Quenzler LONDONIn a few weeks or months, Judge Vanessa Baraitser will rule on whether Julian Assange can be taken to the United States to face a string of serious espionage charges, so its probably a good idea for him to stay in her good graces. But on Tuesday, the second day of the WikiLeaks founders extradition hearing in London, which was delayed for months by the coronavirus pandemic, Baraitser delivered a forceful warning to Assange that he will be removed from court for good if he cant keep his thoughts to himself while witnesses are delivering their evidence. Assange reportedly shouted out nonsense during the hearing when the lawyer representing the U.S. told a witness that the WikiLeaks founder was facing extradition not for handling leaked documents but for releasing the names and endangering U.S. informants. Clearly displeased by his outburst, Baraitser told Assange, who was in the dock, that he must not speak out even when he inevitably disagrees with the position of the prosecution team. If you interrupt proceedings and disrupt a witness who is properly giving their evidence, it is open to me to continue without you in your absence, Baraitser told Assange. This is obviously not something I wish to do. I am, therefore, giving you a clear warning. The judge added, I understand youll hear things you disagree with and youd like to contradict and speak about these things yourself, but this is not your opportunity to do so. The warning came after the founder of the legal charity Reprieve, Clive Stafford-Smith, told the court that grave violations of law, including the use of U.S. drones for targeted strikes in Pakistan as well as alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay, had been exposed in the documents published by WikiLeaks. James Lewis QC, who is representing the U.S. authorities, hit back that the case was not about the usefulness of the documents and that the U.S. charges revolve around the publication of the names of informants in Iraq and Afghanistan that had put their lives in danger. It was Lewis rebuttal that provoked Assanges outburst. Story continues It was just the second day of a four-week hearing at the Old Bailey, where the WikiLeaks founder is fighting extradition to the U.S. to face an 18-count indictment on espionage charges. Assange embarrassed the U.S. government a decade ago by publishing thousands upon thousands of confidential American documents. However, Assanges supporters see him as a journalist and a champion of free speechan argument which has been adopted by his lawyers in the early days of the hearing. The U.S. charges against Assange carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. 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. University of Georgia undergraduate students move into Brumby Hall one week before the start of the fall semester during the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP) Coronavirus infections continue to spread at the University of Georgia, with the school reporting more than 1,400 new cases of COVID-19 in the past week. The numbers, reported Wednesday, push the 39,000-student university close to 2,600 total infections in the past four weeks, according to the school's data. Although Georgia College & State University still has recorded a larger share of infections among its campus community since Aug. 1, UGA's outbreak is now the fastest growing among universities in the state that are publicly reporting numbers. The surge is clearly reflected in the figures for the broader Athens-Clarke County community. Clarke County is 23rd among U.S. counties for the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days, according to figures kept by The Associated Press, although the university says some tests may come from students and employees elsewhere. And a rising positivity rate suggests things could be getting worse, with 8% of surveillance tests conducted to keep an eye on the spread of the virus coming back positive last week, compared to 5% the week before. The growing outbreak at the university comes as case numbers across Georgia continue to fall. The state is now recording about 1,800 newly confirmed infections a day, down more than half from its late July peak. That's still above the national average for new infections, on a per person basis, but Georgia has fallen from the worst for new infections to No. 11 as of Tuesday. More than 287,000 infections have been confirmed and at least 6,128 people in Georgia have died from the virus. The number of people hospitalized with confirmed cases of coronavirus fell below 1,500 on Wednesday, down more than half from the peak of 3,200 in July. Students walk on campus at University of Georgia, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. in Athens, Ga. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP) The university announced Tuesday that it was increasing the number of daily surveillance tests available from 360 to 450, and inviting randomized groups of students to come take a test, starting with campus housing residents. Georgia College & State University, with 645 positive tests since Aug. 1, still has the highest share of campus infections, but new cases have slowed there. Cases are still rising fast at Georgia Southern University, which has reported 942 infections in recent weeks. Georgia Tech, which has reported 717 cases since the beginning of August, is urging students who share dorm rooms to move into singles. Dr. Garth Russo, executive director of UGA's University Health Center, suggested in a news release that because only one faculty member tested positive last week, it suggests that the virus is being spread somewhere else besides classrooms. Signs mark the entrance to the University of Georgia's COVID-19 testing site in Athens, Ga, on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP) Signs mark the entrance to the University of Georgia's COVID-19 testing site in Athens, Ga, on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP) Not all faculty members feel reassured, though. More than 350 faculty members statewide have signed a recent petition by the state chapter of the American Association of University Professors calling for the system or individual institutions to move to fully online instruction. The Board of Regents has a mandate that each university must have at least some in-person classes, with dorms and dining facilities opening at all the schools. President Jere Morehead pronounced the trend "disturbing" after calling it "concerning" last week. He again told students it was their responsibility to follow health rules. "Each of us must make sound decisions in the coming days and weeks so that we can turn the trajectory, as we have seen at other institutions in the state," Morehead said in a statement. But the student newspaper, The Red & Black, editorialized last week that "the blame should not rest entirely on students." "The University System of Georgia decided to have in-person classes this fall despite the blatant risk it poses to the residents of Athens-Clarke County," the newspaper wrote. "Even bound by the guidelines placed on them by the USG Board of Regents, the administrators at UGA did not create a strong enough plan to keep students and Athens residents safe." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:21:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it had summoned German Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr and expressed a strong protest in connection with the "unfounded accusations and ultimatum" related to the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The ministry also accused Berlin of an "obvious use of the situation that has arisen with it as a pretext for discrediting our country in the international arena," it said in a statement. Moscow also demanded that Germany provide Navalny's medical examination results and test samples for the comprehensive study by and verification of Russian specialists, the statement said. Russia will regard the failure to provide the materials as a refusal of the German government to establish the truth and its actions in connection with Navalny as a "gross hostile provocation against Russia, fraught with consequences for Russian-German relations, as well as a serious complication of the international situation," it said. On Tuesday, foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries and the High Representative of the European Union issued a statement demanding Russia to "urgently and fully establish transparency on who is responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack." Navalny, a harsh critic of the Kremlin, became unwell on a flight from the Russian city of Tomsk to Moscow on Aug. 20 and the plane had to make an emergency landing in the city of Omsk. Navalny reportedly fell into a coma after being hospitalized in Omsk and was later transferred to Germany for treatment. On Monday, the Charite hospital in Berlin, where Navalny is being treated, issued a statement saying that his condition had improved and he was being weaned off mechanical ventilation after coming round from his coma. Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement complaining that the German authorities had consistently avoided providing Russia with Navalny's medical examination results. "The absence of the above information does not allow Russian law enforcement agencies to use all the necessary procedural mechanisms to establish the circumstances of the incident," the statement said. Also on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference that Moscow had accumulated a lot of questions to Germany about an "absolutely inappropriate attitude towards the official requests that we send to Berlin." Enditem A new poll shows a majority of Portland voters support a November ballot measure to create a new community-driven police oversight system, believe there is a systemic problem in the citys policing system and have an unfavorable impression of Mayor Ted Wheeler and the police union that represents the majority of city officers. Two months ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Wheeler drew an unfavorable rating of 63%, with 26% rating him favorably. The survey of 435 voters deemed by pollsters likely to vote this fall found that 59% of them feel Portland is heading in the wrong direction. Most of them also support the Black Lives Matter movement and more of them name homelessness as an extremely important problem facing the city than any other issue. Support for Black Lives Matter was particularly strong, with 76% of poll respondents saying they view it favorably and 22% saying the opposite. The poll was commissioned and paid for by Yes for Real Community Oversight of Police, a political action committee set up to advocate for the ballot measure, and conducted by California-based FM3 Research. Voters were surveyed online and by phone between Aug. 25 and Aug. 30 and results have margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. The results, provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive on Tuesday, provide the latest glimpses into public opinion on police accountability, nightly protests calling for criminal and social justice changes and some elected leaders and city agencies. [Read the full poll results] The Portland City Council in July voted unanimously to let voters decide Nov. 3 on whether to revamp the citys police oversight system. Proponents have called the ballot measure a framework for the new system and said voter approval would lead to the City Council forming a commission that would be given 18 months to iron out all the details. Supporters have said they want the new system to be independent of the city, give more power to community board members to investigate police misconduct complaints and have the authority to compel officers to testify and impose discipline. The citys current panel charged with handling those complaints, the Independent Police Review, is overseen by the citys auditor and investigates complaints made against police officers. The office has been criticized for its lack of disciplinary power, low funding, lack of subpoena power and lengthy investigations that regularly end with investigative findings kept confidential. In addition, the city has the Citizen Review Committee, a volunteer board that also review community concerns about policing, hears appeals and aids in police policy recommendations. Portland Auditor Mary Hull Caballero and the Portland Police Association have opposed the ballot measure. The union said it believes it could be illegal and Hull Caballero has said the proposal wasnt adequately vetted, had too little community input before being put on the ballot and faces obstacles like state law and the police unions contract with the city that would prevent any new oversight system from being effective. The poll didnt ask voters' opinions of the auditor, but it tested the strength of several of her arguments and found that they resonated faintly or not at all with most survey participants. The poll found 56% view the police union unfavorably and 61% dont consider its statements about the measure believable. Its not entirely clear from the ballot measure what would happen to the Citizen Review Committee if voters approve the new system in November. Portlands police agency also has its own internal affairs unit that investigates misconduct allegations. Three members of the 11-member Citizen Review Committee announced last week that they were resigning. Two cited concerns over the current police accountability system and the law enforcement agencys response to nightly protests over the last three months. Around 70% of those surveyed said they hadnt participated in any protests since June and another near 70% said they didnt have a close friend or relative who works in law enforcement. The majority of participants said they approved of demonstrations in the city, with 92% supporting non-violent protests and 67% in favor of what was described as these protests. Around 70% of respondents said they would vote for the ballot measure that would amend the city charter to allow a new independent community police oversight system. But the poll also showed a divide in support based on political party and ideology. More than 90% of people who described themselves as progressive or liberal said they support the ballot measure, and around 65% of self-proclaimed moderates did the same. But 78% of those who said they were conservative, a group that makes up a small portion of the Portland electorate, said they wouldnt support the ballot measure. Also, almost 90% of people who said they were Democrats said they would support the measure, as did a little more than 60% of Independent voters. Nearly 70% of Republicans said they will probably or definitely vote against it. Those were the only groups that pollsters identified of which a majority said they oppose the ballot measure. The poll showed men and women, voters in all age ranges, white and voters of color, and residents throughout the city with varying incomes all said they supported the ballot measure, with every group except voters age 65 and other lending greater than 70% support or leaning that way. The least supportive demographic group by race, gender, age and geography were residents of the citys west side, 48% of whom said they will likely vote yes and 32% said no. Also, 56% of those polled said they believe there is a systemic problem in Portland policing that has led to repeated police violence and mistreatment of Black Portlanders and people with mental illness. Around 30% said they didnt believe there was any systemic racial bias in Portlands police system and attributed misconduct to a handful of bad cops. The poll found 46% of respondents hold favorable views of Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, whose office crafted and sponsors the ballot measure, compared to 29% who view her unfavorably. In addition, 45% expressed favorable views of the police bureau and 31% of the Portland Police Association. Wheeler, with his 63% unfavorable rating, is in the midst of a reelection campaign. He faces urban policy consultant Sarah Iannarone in the Nov. 3 runoff, and there has also been support for a community-run write-in campaign for city activist Teressa Raiford, who finished third in the May primary. Homelessness, the economic impacts of the coronavirus outbreak and cost of healthcare were seen as the three most serious problems Portland faces, according to the poll, with all of them receiving more than 75% of the vote. Nearly all of the respondents, 93%, said homelessness was a serious problem. Police use of force, racial discrimination, housing costs and coronavirus-related health impacts were also seen as serious problems for the city, but in lesser degrees, the poll showed. It found 72% of likely voters think police use of force against people of color is a serious issue, but the numbers registered at 67% on use of force against Black people, 65% on use of force against people with mental illness and 59% on use of force against protesters. Around 70% of the respondents said racial discrimination and prejudice, housing costs, and the health impacts of the coronavirus outbreak are serious problems for Portland. -- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. What Sharad Pawar said on demolition work at Kangana Ranauts Mumbai office The Mumbai civic bodys demolition drive at Kangana Ranauts Mumbai office in the wake of recent controversial remarks by the actor gives people reasons to doubt, said Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, whose party is part of the Maharashtra government. Read more. New generation of locusts may attack crops in UP after monsoon Experts have warned that a new generation of locust swarms may attack crops in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Rajasthan after the monsoon retreats even as the toxic insecticides sprayed to kill them might have caused adverse environmental and health consequences. Read more. India, Australia, France hold 1st senior officials dialogue in backdrop of Chinese aggression The foreign secretaries of India, Australia and France co-chaired the first senior officials trilateral dialogue on Wednesday, with the focus on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and strengthening multilateralism. Read more. Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showiks bail plea to be heard by Mumbai court tomorrow A special court in Mumbai will hear the bail applications of Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik on Thursday, the actors lawyer said today. Chakraborty was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday for her alleged involvement in a drugs case linked to late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death. Read more. Kangana Ranaut shares video message for Uddhav Thackeray, compares her plight to that of Kashmiri Pandits As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday demolished illegal alterations at the Bandra property of actor Kangana Ranaut, she hit back saying My Mumbai is PoK now. The actor has claimed that there were no illegal structures in her home. Read more. Royal Enfield goes global again, establishes first assembly plant outside India Royal Enfield on Wednesday announced that it will commence local assembly of motorcycles in Argentina in partnership with Grupo Simpa. Royal Enfield partnered with Grupo Simpa back in 2018 which is the local distributor in the country for RE. Read more. World Suicide Prevention Day 2020: Significance of suicide prevention during a global pandemic World Suicide Prevention Day is observed annually on September 10 to raise awareness regarding the subject of suicide and the actions that can be taken to prevent these tragedies on a global scale. Read more. Threat of climate change is real, near and dangerous: Piyush Goyal Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that the threat of climate change is real and dangerous and the country has to move towards a world of net-zero carbon emissions. We ultimately have to move towards a world where we are net zero in terms of carbon emissions. Watch here. Started comparing himself with Dhoni: Fmr chief selector on Rishabh Pant Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020. Every player has to call it a day and Dhoni too has decided to hang up his golden boots. The development didnt come as a shock and the Indian team management has been working towards preparing itself for this eventuality for a while now. Read more. The COVID-19 pandemic has fostered fear and uncertainty, which has led to a proliferation of dodgy products marketed as helpful. This is a scary illness, and were trying to grasp any product or any idea that can protect us or lead us back to normal life, says Luis Ostrosky, MD, an infectious disease specialist at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston. But there's no easy fix. The Food and Drug Administration has already sent more than 90 warning letters alerting companies that their products can't legally be sold as treating or preventing COVID-19. CR consulted with experts and researched some of the most common schemes. Heres what we know. Bogus Treatments One of the first coronavirus offerings to draw widespread attention was touted by the televangelist and convicted fraudster Jim Bakker, who promoted a silver solution with the claim that it could cure the virus in hours. But according to the National Institutes of Health, taking silver orally wont help and could do serious damage. A lot of these are products in search of indications, says Peter Lurie, MD, who worked at the FDA and is now president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Before COVID-19, Lurie says, silver was marketed as good for the flu. The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission have also issued warnings to companies selling essential oils, homeopathic products, ozone therapy, and even certain vitamins. You see countless ads online for products like these, despite the fact that none have been proved to be effective against COVID-19, says Ravina Kullar, PharmD, an infectious disease expert and epidemiologist in Los Angeles. Watch out for: Claims that a product treats or prevents COVID-19, Ostrosky says. Be especially wary of those that are advertised or popularized online, he says. Dont trust claims about boosting immunity, which is essentially meaningless, according to Kullar and Lurie. Story continues Financial and Identity Scams As of Aug. 3, the FTC had received more than 79,000 reports of fraud related to COVID-19, stimulus payments, N95 masks, and related terms, resulting in at least $97 million in fraud loss. Older adults may be especially vulnerable to such scams, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The tricks people are using to steal money and data arent new, says Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center. But the scope and the scale and the speed and efficiency have changed, she says. These include traditional phishing scams meant to steal identities or passwords as well as imposter scams where people pretend to be from the government to steal Social Security numbers. There are also newer schemes, such as fraudulent offers of a free antibody test, that are designed to get your Medicare info or steal your identity, the FBI has warned. Watch out for: Calls, texts, or email about COVID-19. Dont provide personal info, such as your Social Security number, drivers license number, Medicare ID, or banking and credit card information, the CFPB says. Dont click on links if you arent sure theyre legitimate, and dont accept an offer of a free COVID-19 test that doesnt come from a known source. Fake Contact Tracers To help control the outbreak, people called contact tracers follow up with anyone who may have had contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19 so they can take appropriate precautions. Responding is critical, but authorities have warned that scammers are pretending to be tracers in order to steal financial or medical information. In general, real contact tracers will simply want to confirmvia text message or phone callwhether you were in a specific location or interacted with a specific person. Watch out for: A contact-tracing request for your Social Security or drivers license number, or banking information. And dont click links in random texts claimed to be from contact tracers. Doing so could compromise your personal information. Editors Note: This article also appeared in the October 2020 issue of Consumer Reports On Health. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. A group of handy Australian mums have revealed how to remove nail polish from carpet after a woman desperately asked for advice on social media. Posting to the popular Mums Who Clean Facebook group, Sarah shared a photo of the pink nail polish that had spilled onto her new grey carpet. 'Quick what do I do? Whole nail polish bottle on our brand new carpet! I've scrubbed it with nail polish remover and vinegar and bicarb soda and it's not working!!' she wrote. More than 160 mums offered their advice and named the products they use to make carpet look brand new after accidents at home. A group of Australian mums have revealed how to remove nail polish from carpet after a woman was desperately seeking advice. Sarah shared a photo (pictured) of the pink nail polish that had spilled onto her new grey carpet 'Windex works wonders. This has happened to me, takes a bit of scrubbing,' one woman said. 'Lots of hairspray works well,' another mum said, a third added: 'Try baby wipes in a little area.' Another mum shared a photo in the comments and revealed she used a combination of Windex, hairspray and Bissell spot cleaner to transform her carpet. After applying the products, she dabbed the areas with paper towel to apply pressure and help remove the stains. Another mum shared a photo (pictured) in the comments and revealed she used a combination of Windex, hairspray and Bissell spot cleaner to make her carpet look new. After applying the products, she dabbed the carpet with paper towel to remove the stains Popular unique suggestions were Windex (left), hairspray, dishwashing liquid as well as tonic water (right) rather than using vinegar or bicarb soda. Others suggested carpet cleaner, dishwashing liquid, tonic water as well as sugar to attempt to remove the stains. 'Pour sugar on it straight away if it ever happens again. The sugar acts like a sponge and absorbs it or something,' a mum said. 'Nail polish remover and dab paper towel, it will come off on the paper towel,' another suggested. But some suggested calling carpet professionals to inspect the stains or use the house insurance to replace the carpet if needed. MUMS PRODUCTS TO REMOVE NAIL POLISH FROM CARPET Hairspray Carpet cleaner Acetone cleaning solvent Sugar Dishwashing liquid Windex spray Tonic water Vinegar Bicarb soda Source: Mums Who Clean Facebook Advertisement Depending on the amount of nail polish spilled on the carpet will determine how much product should be used to attempt to remove the stain. Antibacterial products including vinegar are known to easy remove stains due to the acidity it contains. Products such as Windex are also used to remove tough stains on glass, but is said to also work on material due to the chemicals it contains. BOSTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- College Guidance Network today announced the launch of its virtual programming network that will help solve a major problem for students and families: Navigating the complex and competitive college admissions process, made even more complex by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is initially launching as a free public service for Massachusetts schools, adding another tool to the state's high school counselors' toolkit. Looking ahead, College Guidance Network plans to offer free programming to schools nationally in 2021. Not far in the rearview is the college admissions scandal which shone a light on just how competitive and expensive the American college process is. For families with the financial means, there are private services that can cost upwards of $5,000 or $400/hour. But for the overwhelming majority of families in America, high-quality, on-demand college admissions guidance is not accessible in a way that fits seamlessly into their daily lives. High School-based Resources are Stretched Thin The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a ratio of 250 students per counselor; according to Department of Education statistics, the national average is 430-to-1. "Providing college admission guidance to students and families is difficult enough in a good year but now, with the numerous restrictions and challenges in the COVID era, school counselors will need even more tools in their toolbox to provide such assistance," said Robert Bardwell, Executive Director of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association. "I am thankful that the College Guidance Network is filling that void to provide high-quality, relevant and targeted college admission information to Massachusetts students and families in the safety of their homes." How It Works The Network's programming follows the college applications process timeline, with content such as presentations by leading experts, live interactive Q&A sessions, and take-away toolkits being offered each month so students and families can apply the insights to their own applications. In this model, schools act as local affiliates who sign up to share the free programming with their communities. The Zoom link is sent to participating schools two days before each episode and they distribute to students and their families. "We are creating the first virtual programming network in the education space," said Jon Carson, CEO and founder of College Guidance Network. "Like MasterClass, we are leveraging the power of going high on both top talent and production quality to deliver a valuable and personal experience for each user. Families and schools are overwhelmed; we seek to make their lives easier by bringing together the best of the best, through a single, easy-to-use solution." Every episode has three elements: A 40-minute interview or panel with recognized experts on the topic, with a focus on at least 5+ actionable insights A live 20-minute Q&A session A take-away toolkit with a session summary, a parent/student discussion guide, and free or low-cost resources Like a traditional network, episodes are available for later viewing, and content will be available in multiple languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Hindi. The Fall 2020 programming is available here:https://www.collegeguidancenetwork.com/programming. A Unique Partner Collation and Founding Team Launch partners include Naviance by Hobsons, Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MSCA), and Boston.com. "We are always looking for ways to support our school counselor partners in the exceptional work they do each day with - and on behalf of - their students," said Kate Cassino, CEO of Hobsons (the parent company of Naviance). "When we saw what College Guidance Network was building to complement the college application process, we believed it could be a valuable resource for school counselors to support their students' college pathway." The College Guidance Network team is comprised of entrepreneurs and education leaders from across New England and the U.S., including a multiple Emmy-winning producer, former SVP of education for PBS, a former senior executive from ACT, and an award-winning edtech entrepreneur. Importantly, most of the founding team are parents of current or former high school students who are experiencing or have experienced the high-stress college application process first-hand. The advisory board includes the former head of the National School Boards Association, the recent head of equity and access for ACT (formerly with the Gates Foundation), and a former college admissions officer. About College Guidance Network College Guidance Network uses the power of virtual technology to demystify the college process in the time of COVID-19 and increase access to excellent guidance and the best resources, thereby addressing the "guidance gap." We enable schools to amplify their college support by bringing some of the very best experts to families virtually. Our free, 10-episode programming series, available in September 2020, offers a coordinated curriculum that provides expert advice on topics like finding the right college, the nuances of applying in the age of COVID-19, and how to pay for college. For more information, visit https://www.collegeguidancenetwork.com/. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-guidance-network Twitter: https://twitter.com/collegegn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collegeguidancenetwork For media inquiries, contact: Elizabeth Yekhtikian (on behalf of College Guidance Network) [email protected] (617) 686-9541 SOURCE College Guidance Network Related Links https://www.collegeguidancenetwork.com China confirmed that an Australian television anchor was being held over suspected state security violations hours after the last two correspondents from the country's media outlets fled, highlighting the mounting political pressures on Beijing's foreign press corps. Cheng Lei an Australian citizen employed by China's English-language state broadcaster CGTN before her detention last month was "suspected of carrying out criminal activities endangering China's national security," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters on Tuesday in Beijing. Cheng Lei, the Australian anchor for China's government-run English news channel CGTN. Credit: Getty Images The allegations, which give authorities broad powers to hold suspects for months without charge or access to a lawyer, are among the most serious ever brought against a foreign journalist in China. Before her detention on August 14, Cheng had hosted business shows as a CGTN anchor since 2012 and was well known among Beijing's small circle of diplomats and journalists. She was previously China correspondent for CNBC, after graduating from the University of Queensland with a bachelor's degree in commerce and serving a stint as an accountant at Cadbury Schweppes, according to her LinkedIn profile. Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell, who will both give evidence to the inquiry - ROBERT PERRY/AFP Nicola Sturgeon's husband has told a Holyrood inquiry he knew his wife was meeting Alex Salmond in their home about "something serious" but never asked what. Peter Murrell, who is also the SNP's chief executive, said he was aware of meetings between his wife and Mr Salmond in April and July 2018, shortly before sexual misconduct allegations became public. But he said Ms Sturgeon told him she could not discuss the details and he accepted this as the "nature of Nicolas job means that when she tells me she cant discuss something, I dont press it." Mr Murrell insisted he only found out about the allegations in August 2018 when they were reported in the media, despite Ms Sturgeon having known about them for at least four months. He also told the inquiry he was unaware of any instances where a Scottish Government minister had used their SNP email addresses for communicating instead of their government accounts, despite his wife using a party email for out-of-hours work for years. In addition, Mr Murrell said he had "no direct knowledge of" how the complaints against Mr Salmond were handled by the Scottish Government or the former First Minister's successful judicial review, when the country's highest civil court found the investigation was unlawful. Alex Salmond successfully challenged a civil service probe against him in court, and was then cleared of all charges in the subsequent criminal case - AFP/ANDY BUCHANAN But the chairman of the cross-party committee conducting the inquiry challenged his evidence and demanded answers to a series of key questions to which he did not provide a response. Linda Fabiani, an SNP MSP, asked him to "canvas colleagues" for information and records, including emails, minutes, notes, texts, papers and WhatsApp messages "from all levels of the SNP." Mr Murrell's letter was published the day after Mr Salmond offered to take Ms Sturgeon's government back to court to help the inquiry obtain key documents that have been withheld about the botched sexual misconduct investigation into him. The former First Minister's solicitor said he was willing to apply to the Court of Session for the documents after the SNP government failed to hand them over to the inquiry. Story continues The committee's complaints that the Scottish Government is being evasive and secretive intensified yesterday when Ms Sturgeon's chief mandarin wrote to Ms Fabiani to apologise for providing incorrect evidence the day before. Leslie Evans, the Scottish Government's permanent secretary, told the inquiry she was unaware of any role played by special advisers in the legal battle against Mr Salmond only for it to emerge that she attended talks with Ms Sturgeon and Liz Lloyd, the First Minister's chief of staff. Leslie Evans, the Scottish Government's permanent secretary - Getty Images Europe/Pool Ms Sturgeon told MSPs in January last year that she discovered Mr Salmond was under investigation for sexual misconduct when he came to her Glasgow home on April 2, 2018. Despite being aware of the inquiry, she met him again in Aberdeen before the SNP conference on June 7, and again in her home on July 14. She also spoke to him by phone on April 23 and July 18 that year. In his letter to the committee, Mr Murrell said: I knew about the meetings between Nicola and Alex Salmond at our home on April 2 and July 14, 2018 and I had the sense that something serious was being discussed. Nicola told me she couldnt discuss the details." He added: "I was not present at these meetings and made no contribution to them. Mr Murrell said the SNP took no action in relation to the complaints against Mr Salmond before they became public. But the Scottish Tories highlighted evidence from Mr Salmond's court case, in which he was acquitted of all 13 charges, when a complainer said she sent a message to SNP headquarters in November 2017 and was told "we'll sit on that and hope we never need to deploy it." Murdo Fraser, a Tory committee member, said this meant the SNP took no action for up to nine months, before the allegations became public. He also poured scorn on Mr Murrell's claim his wife did not tell him about her "showdowns" with Mr Salmond, saying: "The Sturgeon household must have the sturdiest Chinese walls in history." In her letter, Ms Evans said her incorrect answer on Ms Lloyd's involvement "was based upon my best recollection at the time." But Jackie Baillie, a Scottish Labour committee member, said her failure to recall the meeting was "truly remarkable." She added: "Time and time again this committee has been faced with evasion and secrecy from witnesses. This must end." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Brenda Goh (Reuters) Shanghai, China Wed, September 9, 2020 16:00 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43c3376 2 World US-China,US-China-tension,US-China-trade-war,bilateral-spat,bilateral-tension,diplomatic-relations,diplomatic-tension,diplomatic-spat Free US companies in China are increasingly fretful that trade tensions between the world's two biggest economies will drag out over years and nearly a third said their ability to retain staff had been affected, a survey showed. Half of the firms said they believe soured ties will last at least three years, up sharply from 30% in 2019, according to an annual business sentiment survey conducted by the American Chamber Commerce in Shanghai and consultancy PWC China. Of those, 27% said they believe tensions will last indefinitely, compared with just 13% last year. "US businesses in China would like to see the two countries resolve their outstanding issues quickly and reduce tensions. A workable cooperative framework for the next decade would be a good place to focus discussions," Ker Gibbs, president of the business chamber, said in a statement. US-China tensions, already high after last year's trade war, have further intensified this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak and as Washington blacklists or threatens to blacklist Chinese technology companies on national security grounds. With the US election approaching, President Donald Trump this week again raised the idea of separating the US and Chinese economies, also known as decoupling, suggesting the United States would not lose money if the countries no longer did business. Underscoring the worries about bilateral tensions as well as economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, only 29% of firms plan to increase their investment in China this year, down from 47% in 2019. But the proportion of companies with a pessimistic five-year outlook receded slightly, at 18.5% versus 21.1% in 2019. The improvement may be attributable to the Phase One trade deal, the report said, although it noted pessimism remained historically high. Until 2019, firms with pessimistic five-year outlooks had hovered at around 7% for several years. This year's survey was conducted June 16-July 16 and garnered responses from 346 companies spanning sectors such as industrial manufacturing, automotive and pharmaceutical. More than 90% of respondents said they were committed to remaining in China, while 71% of firms that own or outsource production in China said they did not intend to shift manufacturing to other countries. Charlamagne Tha Gods new podcast with iHeartMedia will be anchored by his popular radio show, The Breakfast Club This week it was announced that radio host and author Charlamagne Tha God has successfully inked a partnership with iHeartMedia to launch the Black Effect Podcast Network, anchored by his own popular syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club. According to CNN, the new network which is slated to debut this fall with 18 podcasts on iHeartRadio and other podcast platforms will be curated by Charlamagne. Charlamagne Tha God, co-host of The Breakfast Club on New Yorks Power 105.1, speaks with host Bobby Bones about his book Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It on stage at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, California on May 8, 2017. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia) I thought Why cant we do that with a Black podcast network,' the popular radio host recalled to CNN in a recent interview. READ MORE: Black comedienne recast as voice of Missy in Netflixs Big Mouth iHeartMedia has reportedly positioned the venture to become, the worlds largest podcast publisher dedicated to Black listeners and voices in Black culture. Not surprisingly, a replay of Charlamagnes nationally syndicated radio show, The Breakfast Club which averages over 4.5 million weekly listeners and is syndicated by iHeartMedias Premiere Networks will be the Black Effect Podcast Networks flagship show. Blackness has an immediate, culture-shifting effect on everything, the 42-year-old said in a statement. Blackness controls the cool. Blackness is the culture, but Black Voices are not monolithic. The only way to appreciate the diversity of thought and experiences in Black culture is to build a platform for those voices to be heard. "The only way to appreciate the diversity of thought and experiences in Black culture is to build a platform for those voices to be heard. @cthagod https://t.co/mcOcDQ8ttp iHeartRadio (@iHeartRadio) September 9, 2020 READ MORE: Ciara to host new Apple Music radio show Story continues He added that his ultimate vision is to amplify, elevate, and empower emerging and established talent. Our goal is to shift the narrative from Black creators signing transactional deals, to instead forming legacy partnerships that build generational wealth while allowing each creative to have an equitable stake in their future. As a long-time partner of iHeart, its an honor to make history with them. He also noted that much of his lineup will be hosted by women as hes always been surrounded by nothing but Black women, personally and professionally. Its just about being intentional, like actually being intentional with the voices that we choose to put on various platforms and just being intentional about empowering the voices that need to be heard, he concluded. Shut up, get out of the way and let Black women lead and that I truly believe theyll take us to the promised land. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Charlamagne Tha God launches Black Effect Podcast Network with iHeartMedia appeared first on TheGrio. Mobile phone and landline users in India reportedly declined further by over 56 lakh users in May 2020, after an estimated decline of 82 lakh users in the preceding month, claims a report by market analysis and research agency, India Ratings & Research. According to its latest digest on the telecom market published earlier this week, the number of telecom subscribers in India, including both mobile and fixed line users, have continued to decline as one of the many long lasting impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report, however, indicates that the decline in Indias mobile and landline telecom users, including users of wired and wireless internet services, has slowed down in the more recent months, in comparison to the decline in the initial months of the nationwide lockdown imposed as a result of the pandemic. According to India Ratings, the decline in telecom users was heavily contributed by the movement of Indias migrant labourer force back to their native towns and villages in the initial months of the pandemic. As a large section of Indias workforce either lost employment or faced declines in average earnings, the telecom sector appears to have taken an even further hit as users may have looked to cut down on additional expenses. India Ratings market report is also corroborated by the monthly subscriber reports published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India as well. ALSO READ | May Cancel Spectrum Licenses if Telcos Are Not Ready to Pay AGR Dues: SC According to TRAIs monthly reports, India saw a decline of about 85 lakh telecom subscribers in April 2020, followed by a second decline of almost 58 lakh users in May this year. As per TRAI data, the decline in Indias telecom user base started in March after growing steadily through February 2020. This clearly coincides with the timeline of when the Indian government imposed a nationwide lockdown to stifle the Covid-19 pandemic, which in turn caused many industries to come to a screeching halt. In the cut-throat telecom sector, Reliance Jio continues to lead the market in terms of both revenue and market share. While Bharti Airtel has held on to its second position in the market, the third telecom operator in India, Vodafone-Idea, finds itself in increasingly troubled conditions. It recently rebranded itself as Vi, and aims to raise funds in order to remain in business. Recent reports have suggested influx of foreign investors for the troubled operator, but no announcements have been made so far. Going forward, it will be interesting to observe if the decline in telecom subscribers continue. India Ratings market analysis suggests that this decline may at least continue in the immediate future, beyond which it needs to be observed if the decline will be a long-lasting affair, or if the industry manages to bounce back as industries begin reopening. Kangana Ranaut is currently on her way to Mumbai as BMC demolishes parts of her Mumbai office over 'illegal construction'. The tiff between Kangana and Maharashtra government comes after the actress spoke openly about drug nexus in the state. Actor Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday took to Twitter to state my Mumbai is POK now and posted photographs of city municipal corporation officials demolishing her property in the city. The Panga actor who is on her way to Mumbai from Chandigarh kept posting on Twitter as a team from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) corporation demolished illegal alterations at her office. I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy, the Panga actress tweeted. She also tweeted Pakistan in one tweet and in another she wrote Babur and his army. Ranaut had yesterday slammed Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut for telling her not to return to the financial capital, claiming that the remark seems like an open threat to her. Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai, after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir? Kangana had tweeted. I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy pic.twitter.com/bWHyEtz7Qy Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 #WATCH: Actor Kangana Ranaut at Mohali International Airport, she will be leaving for Mumbai shortly. pic.twitter.com/nacEgRTyr5 ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2020 The BMC had on Tuesday served a stop-work notice to Ranaut for alleged unauthorised construction in her office in Mumbai, mentioning 14 violations after taking a note of several illegal alterations. On Monday, the civic body had carried out an inspection at the office of the actor turned filmmakers film company Manikarnika Films. The office is situated in Mumbais Pali Hills. Earlier this morning, Ranaut, through her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui, responded to the civic bodys notice, accusing it of trespassing on her property and making false claims. No work is being carried out by my client (Kangana) in her premises as falsely understood by you (BMC). Therefore the Stop Work Notice issued is absolutely bad in law and appears to have been issued only to intimidate my client by misusing your dominant position, Ranauts lawyer said in the letter to Executive Engineer, H/West Ward. Nonetheless, all allegations made by your department by resorting to falsehood shall be legally dealt with by my client under the appropriate provisions of law and therefore my client who is expected to arrive in Mumbai tomorrow requests for a maximum of 7 days to respond to and duly address the concerns mired in your said Notice, the letter read. My client has the right to prosecute the officers for trespassing upon her premises illegally with a criminal intent to cause injury, the letter added. Ranaut also posted on Twitter: There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like. She added the hashtag #deathofdemocracy to the tweet. Ranaut has been engaged in a bitter war of words with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut after her remarks that she feels unsafe in Mumbai and has no trust in the Mumbai Police after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. The Ministry of Home Affairs approved Y-plus security to the Queen actress after she received threats for comparing Mumbai with Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Yesterday, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked Mumbai Police to probe Ranauts connection in an alleged drug nexus. JERSEYVILLE A traffic stop during an Illinois State Police DUI checkpoint on Aug. 30 has led to multiple felony charges against a Jacksonville man. Brent B. Boyd, 37, of Jacksonville, was charged Aug. 31 with being an armed habitual criminal, a Class X felony; unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 1 felony; aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle, a Class 2 felony; and aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and driving while drivers license is revoked, both Class 4 felonies. According to court documents and Jersey County States Attorney Ben Goetten, on Aug. 30 the state police were conducting a roadside safety checkpoint on U.S. 267 southwest of Jersey Street when Boyd approached driving a 2020 Chevrolet. When Mr. Boyds vehicle approached the checkpoint, he temporarily crossed over the fog line, Goetten said. When the trooper approached the driver side window, he detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle. Officers determined that Boyd was impaired, and his drivers license was revoked. During a search of the vehicle, officers discovered a loaded and unholstered Beretta Nano 9mm handgun, and that Boyd had two convictions for violations of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. It was also noted that the handguns serial number had been defaced and the weapon was immediately accessible. Officers also alelgedly found between 15-100 grams of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $100,000. Other felony charges filed recently by the Jersey County States Attorneys Office include: Patrick W. Patsaros, 47, of Jerseyville, was charged Aug. 31 with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony; and on Sept. 2 was charged with criminal damage to property over $500. According to court documents, on July 21 Patsaros allegedly attacked another man with a knife, cutting him in the lower calf area of both legs. On Sept. 2 Patsaros reportedly damaged the property of another person by slashing four car tires with a knife in the 200 block of Ferguson, Jerseyville. Bail was set at $25,000 for the aggravated battery charge, and $5,000 for the criminal damage charge. Jacob R. Fry, 34, of Jerseyville, was charged Sept. 3 with theft, a Class 3 felony. According to court documents, on Sept. 2 he allegedly had control over stolen property, including six suitcases, a compressor, and a portable heater, all having a value of more than $500. Bail was set at $10,000. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:13:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Phuket International Airport said Wednesday that it had held a dress rehearsal for international arrivals amid the COVID-19 pandemic to conform with the Thai government's "Phuket Model" program once the scheme approved by the Cabinet meeting. The rehearsal covered every step, from beginning of tourist arrivals to temperature screening, filling out health related documents, and taking tourists to quarantine facility. "This is a mandatory dress rehearsal as the Thai government wishes to see the 'Phuket Model' as the pilot project, the first every province to welcome tourists during the pandemic," said Thanee Chuangchoo, general manager of Phuket International Airport. "Also, all incoming passengers will need to thermo-scanned, and then go through a COVID-19 swab test." He said if any passenger demonstrates signs of illnesses, his/her medical certificate and fit-to-fly papers will be closely inspected. All inbound visitors will need to download the Airports of Thailand (AOT) application before they undergo the immigration and customs formalities. They will then be transferred to their quarantine facilities. However, if anyone is found to have a temperature, he/she will be isolated from others and monitored. If their condition worsens, they will be sent to hospital. The "Phuket Model" is a scheme initiated by the government to open up the popular resort island to healthy tourists for long term stay. The scheme was launched in a bid to reboot the economic and tourism sectors of Phuket that is badly hit by the pandemic. The "Phuket Model" was slated for October. However, the plan is currently being shelved and debated when Thailand discovered a new local COVID-19 case in Bangkok after a 100 day mark of free local transmission. A large portion of Phuket residents also expressed fear that by allowing foreigners in, the island may risk the second wave of infections. Enditem Within hours of having a caesarean and discovering her baby had been born without an oesophagus, Christine Stoove and her husband were left at the mercy of the Queensland border closure. Newborn Joey Tornatora was rushed by ambulance from the Tweed Hospital in northern NSW to the Mater Hospital in Brisbane the day after he was born on August 19. His father Mario Tornatora had to jump through bureaucratic hoops just to see him. Newborn Joey Tornatora was rushed by ambulance from the Tweed Hospital in northern NSW to the Mater Hospital in Brisbane the day after he was born. Responding to a question about family separation between the two states, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Wednesday launched a scathing attack at Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her government's border policy. "I can only express my anger, my supreme anger, at the Queensland Premier's decision which, in my view, broadly across the border currently is nothing more than base, loopy politics," Mr Hazzard said. "I'm appalled by what's going on up there." Hundreds of supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Tuesday defied health and safety protocols to give Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo a rousing welcome, as he begins a five-day working visit to the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions. Many of the supporters, clad in NPP paraphernalia, were not wearing face masks, while social distancing was also absent at the "Jenata Park", the durbar ground, near the Kajaji market where they had positioned themselves to catch a glimpse of the President. It was, however, extremely hectic for security operatives to control the electrifying crowd, including children who held placards with inscriptions such as "Four more for Nana", "Nana free water", and "Nana deserves another term to transform Ghana." The Kajaji township was virtually silent as a majority of the residents thronged to the venue of the durbar grounds when President Akufo-Addo arrived in the town around 1430 hours. Nana Osre Sunkwa II, the Kyidomhene of the Kajaji-Nkomi Traditional Area, who welcomed the President and his entourage, said the NPP government had fulfilled many of its 2016 manifesto and campaign promises and commended President Akufo-Addo for the feat. He said the Free Senior High School programme had lessened the economic burden of many parents in rural areas. Nana Sunkwa II appealed to the President to rehabilitate the Atebubu-Kwame-Danso and portions of the Kwame-Danso-Kajaji stretch to facilitate the movement of the people and enhance their economic activities. He said the area also required a district hospital and appealed to the President to assist the people in that regard. 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 Landmark graft trial puts Mexican justice to test Supporters of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hold a protest to call for his predecessors to face trial over corruption allegations A widening corruption scandal has given Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador an opportunity to burnish his anti-graft credentials, but experts say the landmark case is in danger of being politicized. Lopez Obrador, a left-wing populist who came to power in 2018 vowing to clean up the country, has called for several former presidents to face court over the explosive allegations. "The plague of corruption caused the crisis in Mexico," he said during a state of the nation address last week. Mexico's political elite has been rocked by the claims of Emilio Lozoya, a former advisor to ex-president Enrique Pena Nieto and the one-time head of state oil giant PEMEX. Lozoya has implicated Pena Nieto and former presidents Felipe Calderon and Carlos Salinas during his corruption trial linked to Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. But a series of leaks of videos and allegations related to the case have raised concerns that the former leaders are already being tried in the court of public opinion. "Trials by media tend to provoke the lynching of the accused without the public caring afterwards that they have been acquitted," said prominent criminal lawyer Juan Velasquez. - Stuffing suitcases - Lopez Obrador has used his daily appearances in front of the media to highlight the allegations against his rivals. Last month he played a video allegedly showing two former Senate officials receiving wads of bills as bribes and stuffing them in suitcases. For Lopez Obrador, "it's more important that the details of these corruption networks are spread," said Julio Hernandez, columnist for Mexican daily La Jornada and The Washington Post. "From an ethical point of view, it may be correct; from a legal point of view, no," he added. Mexico is considered one of the world's most corrupt countries, ranked 130 out of 180 in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Lozoya's allegations are the latest twist in a scandal involving Odebrecht that has brought down ex-presidents and top officials in countries including Brazil, Peru and Colombia. Story continues According to prosecutors, he alleges that $4.4 million of bribes from the Brazilian firm were channeled into the presidential campaign that brought Pena Nieto to power in 2012. Lozoya also says he was ordered by Pena Nieto and former finance minister Luis Videgaray to bribe lawmakers to approve key reforms. He linked Calderon, who was in office from 2006 to 2012, to alleged irregularities in Odebrecht's construction of a petrochemical plant in Mexico. Lopez Obrador has called on his predecessors to testify in court, but he has been accused by Calderon of using Lozoya "as an instrument of revenge and political persecution." - 'Political purposes' - "We're seeing a president who is asking for videos to be shown, violating presumptions of innocence," said Esteban Illades, writer and digital editor of the magazine Nexos. "Trials by media, for political purposes, are rife in this country." Last month Lopez Obrador found himself on the defensive after a video emerged purportedly showing his brother receiving campaign cash. The president, who has his eye on legislative elections next year, dismissed the leak as a smear tactic and called for an investigation, saying "there should be no impunity for anyone." In Mexico, such campaign donations are legal provided the electoral authorities are informed. Lopez Obrador enjoyed a solid approval rating of 58 percent in August, although that was far below a peak of 81 percent seen in February 2019, according to the polling firm Oraculus. While experts say it is too early to know what impact his rivals' woes will have on his popularity, Hernandez thinks it will be positive. "The noise that's been made is going to help him heading towards the elections," he said. jla-dr/jh To the public, it omits the reality that we wont use the information to get rid of officers, he said. To the officers, it says this is only about hand-holding and supporting officer health and wellness when at least it should also be about trying to correct behavior and address problematic behavior. NEW HAVEN Six prospective city police officers swore an oath to New Haven Friday, as Police Chief Otoniel Reyes welcomed them at an important time for this department and for the profession as a whole. John Bodman, Thomas Brunski, Tyler Camp, Kevin Joyner, Roberto Talloni and Antonio Tuccinardi will go on to attend the POST training academy in Milford for six months, then, if they successfully complete that process, undergo additional weeks of training by the New Haven Police Department, allowing them to acclimate to the departments rules and value systems, Reyes said. Reyes noted that they had chosen to take on the mantle of policing, which he considers probably one of the most honorable professions in the world, during a time of challenge and change. But regardless, he noted, the officers had committed to a role based in service to and care for community residents. (The profession has) certainly evolved and will continue to evolve, but the fundamental principles of policing are service. The fundamental principles of policing are sacrifice. And thats what you are embarking on today you are making the ultimate sacrifice, to say that you will, at any given time, lay your life down for another human being, sometimes, who you might not even like, said Reyes. And so, without knowing any of you, I know something that you are brave individuals. You have courage, because youve taken on this responsibility and youve made this choice probably during one of the most pivotal times in our profession. And so, for that, I congratulate you, for that I commend you. And now the real work begins. Reyes said the training would be rigorous, physically, mentally and emotionally, designed to determine whether they are suited for the job. Beyond the choice that youve made, you will be dealing with the realities of what it means to put on a uniform. The realities that, at any given point, people will not like to see you coming. You will not always be touted as a hero. And you will have to endure that, said Reyes. You will have to persevere through some of the most difficult times, such as what were seeing today, and still maintain that oath that you are about to take today, to honor that commitment that you are starting to make today. On Friday, the six men, five of whom are Connecticut residents, raised their hands and swore to faithfully and impartially do their duty as cadet officers, and, in that effort, at all times strive to use the power entrusted to them for the best interests of the city. Capt. Anthony Duff declined to note the specific towns of residence for the six prospective officers, saying he could not find precedent for doing so. If the six men complete their training and become officers, Reyes noted that they will serve under a field training officer for 12 weeks, then remain on probation for three years, per the unions contract with the city. The department is still recruiting new officers, with applications currently being accepted through Sept. 11, Reyes noted. Applications can be submitted by visiing www.policeapp.com/Entry-Level-New-Haven-CT-Police-Officer-Jobs/2590/. Reyes told the Board of Police Commissioners Tuesday that the department is seeking to rebuild its ranks, which dwindled during protracted contractual negotiations with the city that ended last year, and put two more classes of officers through the academy in 2020. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Halle Berry opens up about her new film, Bruised and her 2002 Oscar win Halle Berry is finally taking her seat in the directors chair. The actress recently sat down with Variety Magazine for a cover shoot and dished on what its like going from actor to director in her new film Bruised, opening doors for women of color and the curse she feels followed her after winning an Oscar for Best Actress in 2002. Read More: Halle Berry apologizes for comments about playing transgender man Berry is a testament to never giving up on your dreams. At 54, the actress is finally directing her first film. Bruised, debuting at the Toronto Film Festival this week stars Berry as a disgraced mixed martial arts fighter. According to Variety, Berry cracked two ribs while shooting the film. But she wasnt going to let the pain of her injury derail her dream of directing. I didnt want to stop because I had prepared for so long. We had rehearsed; we were ready. So my mind, my directors mind, was just keep going. And I compartmentalized that, and I just kept going: Im not going to stop. Ive come too far. Im going to act as if this isnt hurting. Im going to will myself through it. And so we did. Halle Berry accepts her award for Best Actress at the 74Th Annual Academy Awards March 24, 2002, At The Kodak Theater In Hollywood, Ca. (Photo By Getty Images) Berry is used to fighting through the pain. As the first and only woman of color to win an Academy Award for Best Actress she felt the coveted award would not only increase her chances at roles but also the chances for other women of color. .But almost 20 years later, women of color are still being ignored in Hollywood for their performances and Berrys career has been slowed by what she calls the Oscar curse the idea that every post-Oscar performance has to be the same award-winning caliber. But shes most disappointed that her win didnt have the impact she thought it would. Its one of my biggest heartbreaks. The morning after, I thought, Wow, I was chosen to open a door. And then, to have no one I question, Was that an important moment, or was it just an important moment for me? I wanted to believe it was so much bigger than me. It felt so much bigger than me, mainly because I knew others should have been there before me and they werent. Story continues But despite Hollywoods continuing struggles with diversity, Berry is owning her new role as director and storyteller. Read More: Halle Berry says Pierce Brosnan saved her life while filming Die Another Day I definitely feel like theres a turning point. Im more encouraged that as women, we are feeling confident enough to tell our stories. And there is a place for us to tell our stories. For so long, our experiences have been told narratively through the guise of men. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Halle Berry on directorial debut, Oscar curse appeared first on TheGrio. Amid the simmering tensions between Indian and Chinese troops at Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, China has started deploying its soldiers in large numbers near the LAC. On Monday (September 7), the Indian Army succeeded in foiling the incursion of People's Liberation Army (PLA) into Mukhri area of Chushul, but more such actions are expected from China in the coming days. On September 1, China had deployed a battalion of the PLA Ground Force near Rechin La at LAC and has also deployed two battalions near the Spangur lake. All of these are part of the 62 Combined Arms Brigade present at Shikwan. It is to be noted that Indian Army had succeeded in capturing Rechin La and Rezang La on August 29-30. From here the Indian Army can also keep an eye on Moldo Cantonment of China and PLA troops are now looking for opportunities to re-occupy these peaks of strategic importance. China has also deployed two motorized divisions in Ladakh.The 4th Motorized Division is deployed in front of Chushul and the 6th Motorized Division is present from the west side of Pangong to Daulat Beg Oldi. Live TV Besides this, the battalions of tanks of 4 motorized divisions have taken up positions around the Spangur Gap. In a mirror deployment, the Indian Army has also deployed its tanks and armored vehicles all around the LAC from where there is a possibility of a major attack from the Chinese troops. There are wide plains in this area, which are good for the action of tanks and armored vehicles, therefore the armies of both the countries can carry out big attacks from here. Authorities are asking for the publics help in solving the shooting death of a 20-year-old Montgomery man. Bernard Hardy Jr. was shot on July 10. Montgomery police responded at 10:50 p.m. that Friday to the 6300 block of Atlanta Highway on a report of a person shot. He was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead. Authorities are looking for witnesses and suspects in the July 10, 2020 shooting death of Bernard Hardy Jr. in Montgomery. (Central Alabama Crime Stoppers) According to Central Alabama Crime Stoppers, video surveillance from a local business in the area shows two black vehicles, one possibly a Ram 1500 pickup truck and the second a Dodge Charger, at or near the scene that night. Investigators are actively searching for the identity of the drivers and the passengers who were in those vehicles on July 10. Anyone with information is asked to call Montgomery police at 334-625-2832 and refer to case number 2020-00143444. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers' 24-hour tip line at 334-215-STOP (7867) or through the P3-tips app. The Mizoram government has banned the use of China-made Kenbo motorcycles as they are being used in the border state to bring smuggled or illegal substances, including drugs, from neighbouring Myanmar, an official said on Wednesday. Though the two-wheelers are made outside the country and are unregistered in Mizoram, a huge number of such bikes are brought into the state. These are randomly used in Champhai, Hnahthial, Lawngtlai, Siaha and Serchhip districts along the Myanmar border," the official said. Although Mizorams mountainous and unfenced international border with Bangladesh (318 km) and Myanmar (404 km) and inter-state borders with Tripura, Assam and Manipur are sealed in view of the Covid-19 outbreak, smuggling of various drugs, including methamphetamine tablets, foreign-made cigarettes, arms and ammunition and other contraband is still going on. While the Border Security Force guards the Bangladesh border, the border with Myanmar is looked after by the Assam Rifles and it has seized smuggled drugs and other contraband, including heroin, valued around Rs 29 crore since July 1. Methamphetamine tablets (also called Yaba tablet or party tablet) contain a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine and are misused as high-dosage drugs in India, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. According to the BSF, Assam Rifles and intelligence officials, Yaba tablets and other drugs are smuggled into the northeastern states from neighbouring Myanmar and then smuggled to Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka as well as various Indian states. The NYPD has released the mugshots of a wealthy Upper East Side college student, 20, and six others who allegedly smashed up store windows causing $100,000 worth of damage to New York City businesses during weekend riots. Clara Kraebber, the privileged daughter of an architect and psychiatrist, was one of eight people arrested Friday night after a small faction broke off from peaceful protests and vandalized Manhattan store fronts. Kraebber is facing up to four years behind bars for rioting and misdemeanor graffiti. Frank Furhmeister, 30, of Stuyvesant Heights; Claire Severine, 27, of Washington Heights; Etkar Surette, 27, of Prospect Park South; Jane Buffo, 19, of Lower Manhattan; Jade O'Halloran, 30, of Crown Heights; Adi Sragovilh, 20, of Great Neck; and Elliot Rucka, 20, of Portland, Oregon, were also arrested and face rioting charges. The NYPD has released the mugshots of Clara Kraebber (top left), the 20-year-old wealthy Upper East Side college student, and six others who allegedly smashed up store windows causing $100,000 worth of damage to New York City businesses during weekend riots Kraebber was among those arrested after a vandalism spree on Friday in the Flatiron District. She is an undergraduate at Rice and comes from a wealthy Upper East Side family 'On Friday, September 4th, these individuals were arrested for rioting during demonstrations in Manhattan,' NYPD News tweeted Tuesday alongside the mugs of Kraebber and six other alleged rioters. 'They were part of a large group breaking storefront windows. Our investigation into this incident continues.' The group are suspected of being the culprits behind the estimated $100,000 worth of damage wrought on Manhattan businesses Friday night. Rioters were caught on surveillance footage smashing the store windows of a Starbucks coffee shop in Soho using umbrellas and other objects, reported the NY Post. Six other businesses below West 22nd Street also had their windows smashed including several banks and Duane Reade. Three other buildings were also vandalized with graffiti during the three-hour rampage that stretched two miles from Foley Square up to 24th Street, authorities said. A protest had been organized that day by the New Afrikan Black Panther Party and the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement activist groups. Rioters were caught on surveillance footage smashing the store windows of a Starbucks coffee shop in Soho using umbrellas and other objects Six other businesses below West 22nd Street also had their windows smashed including several banks and Duane Reade. The smashed up Starbucks window Cops confirmed Saturday that eight arrests were made of people aged 19 to 30 years old for rioting and related charges Friday night The plan was to march from Foley Square to Chelsea and across to Flatiron, calling for an end to systemic racism and police brutality after several black men and women have been killed by cops in recent months across America. It is not clear if any of the suspects arrested are part of the activist groups or if they participated in protests earlier in the day. Cops confirmed Saturday that eight arrests were made of people aged 19 to 30 years old for rioting and related charges Friday night. Seven suspects are native to New York and the eighth is from Portland. Kraebber, a history undergrad at Rice University in Houston, has been slammed for 'hypocrisy' and branded the 'poster child for white privilege' following her arrest. 'This is the height of hypocrisy,' an anonymous law enforcement source source told The Post. 'This girl should be the poster child for white privilege, growing up on the Upper East Side and another home in Connecticut. 'I wonder how her rich parents feel about their daughter. How would they feel if they graffitied their townhouse?' Kraebber comes from wealth, with her family living in a luxury Upper East Side apartment that they bought for $1.8 million in 2016, the Post reported. They also own a second home with four fireplaces in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Demonstrators march in Rochester, New York, Monday after footage was released by the family of Daniel Prude, 41, showing cops putting a spit hood over his face and pushing his face into the ground for two minutes until he passed out and died on March 23 Peaceful demonstrators raise their fist in the air during protests last month in Kenosha, Wisconsin over the shooting of Jacob Blake Protesters at a makeshift memorial in LA last week following the shooting death of Dijon Kizzee by cops Thousands have taken to the streets demanding justice and calling for an end to police brutality and racism since May following the 'murder' of black man George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop who knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes until he passed out and died. Floyd's death reignited outrage over the death of EMT Breonna Taylor, 26, who was shot eight times while sleeping in her bed when three plain clothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her Louisville apartment on March 13. In June, unarmed father Rayshard Brooks was shot dead while he ran away from cops in the drive-thru of a Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta. On August 23, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a white cop in front of his three young children, leaving the father-of-six paralyzed from the waist down. A week later on August 30, Dijon Kizzee, 29, was gunned down in the street by LA cops who allegedly shot him 20 times and then handcuffed his dead body after trying to pull him over for an alleged bicycle code violation. Last week, footage was released by the family of Daniel Prude, 41, showing cops in Rochester, New York, putting a spit hood over his face and pushing his face into the ground for two minutes until he passed out and died on March 23. The Monroe County medical examiner listed the manner of death as homicide caused by 'complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint' but no charges have been brought against any of the cops. Education Minister Norma Foley launches the 2020 Lee Strand Homework Journal. Pictured with Minister Foley are Gearoid Linnane, CEO; Teresa Higgins-Walker, Marketing Manager; and Emma Mulcahy (8) with her sister Lauren (5) from Knocknagashel. Photo Domnick Walsh It's as sure a sign of the school term starting as uniforms in shop windows and the day's getting shorter. This week Lee Strand released their latest Homework Journal, and Eduction Minister Norma Foley was on hand to launch the 2020 version of a journal that has been a staple of Kerry childrens' school bags for the last decade. The new journal was launched by Minister Foley at the Lee Strand milk plant over the weekend and, once again, this year the journals will be distributed for free to over 10,000 primary school pupils across Kerry and west Limerick. "Lee Strand is delighted to offer homework journals to national school pupils in Kerry and West Limerick over the past nine years. To celebrate Lee Strand's 100th year, the homework journal has a special 100th year theme for pupils and teachers to enjoy in the classroom," said Lee Strand CEO Gearoid Linnane. Schools can receive further information on the Lee Strand homework journals by contacting Teresa Higgins-Walker, Marketing Manager, Lee Strand on 066 7121084. The journals are worth 4.50 each and are printed in full colour with a hardback cover for extra durability in school bags. They are filled with lots of interesting and educational material,along with useful resources like timetables and maths tables. The Akufo-Addo government has indebted Ghanas cocoa trees to the tune of $600 million, opposition lawmaker Eric Opoku has said. The Asunafo South Constituency MP told Accra-based Asempa FM that: For the first time in the history of cocoa in Ghana, the NPP government has used Ghanas cocoa to go for a $600 million to plant cocoa trees to replace dead ones. Theres a two-year moratorium on that loan, Mr Opoku said. After the grace period, Ghana will use seven years to pay that loan, he noted. So, that means even our cocoa trees owe $600 million, thanks to President Akufo-Addos government. Apart from cocoa trees having been plunged into debt by the Akufo-Addo government, Mr Opoku also said the incumbent administration has collateralised revenue accrued to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETfund) for 10 years for a $1.5 billion loan. So, for the next 10 years, 60 per cent of the GETfund will be used to pay that $1.5 billion debt. This robs the education sector of the much-needed funds to solve problems in the education sector, he said. Despite the $1.5 billion loan for which accruals to the GETfund have been collateralised, Mr Opoku said the current administration has failed to even build a single senior high school or university in the past four years. Again, he noted that the Akufo-Addo government has used Ghanas bauxite to go for a $2 billion loan from China the Sinohydro deal. In his view, the government has mortgaged Ghanas bauxite resources through the deal, meaning no bauxite for the next generation to come. Source: classfmonline.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 Michigan reported 783 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, also adding 13 more deaths. The state has seen 108,595 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, with 6,552 deaths tied to the disease. The update came as schools have started, with a mix of districts starting virtually and opening buildings, with gyms and fitness centers reopening, and high school athletes returning to the playing field. All across the state, we have flattened the curve, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said in a Tuesday video update on YouTube and Twitter. On Wednesday morning, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addressed ongoing concerns on a cable news interview. We know the weather is changing,.. which means more people will be inside, thats when we have to have heightened concerns for a resurgence, Whitmer told the audience of Morning Joe on MSNBC. It also comes on a day that Bob Woodward revealed interviews that showed President Donald Trump was aware of the seriousness of the disease and purposely downplayed in the late winter. In Warren at a campaign stop, former Vice President Joe Biden slammed the president, saying, He lied to the American people. On Wednesday, the world had reported more than 27.6 million cases of COVID-19, with nearly 899,000 killed, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In the United States, more than 6.3 million people have been infected with COVID-19 with the death toll hitting 190,000. Michigan continued to rank 18th in the nation in total cases, having for weeks early in the pandemic having ranked fourth. Counting the probable cases, the state of Michigan has 119,863 total cases and 6,887 deaths. Local trends The area with the most cases was again Wayne County, excluding Detroit, where another 166 cases were confirmed. This brought the areas total to 16,705, the highest number of confirmed cases in a particular zone. The state has separated data from the city of Detroit and the rest of Wayne County since it started presenting data about the spread of the coronavirus. In July, the rest of Wayne County surpassed Detroit in the number of cases. On Wednesday, Detroit continued its trend of reduced new caseload, adding just 38 new cases to bring its total to 13,913 confirmed cases. One day after Michigan State University announced that 124 students living off campus has been confirmed to have COVID-19, Ingham County added perhaps its highest number of new cases, adding 103 new cases to reach 2,120. For much of the summer, the number of new cases in Ingham County, where Lansing, East Lansing and MSU are located, has been between 10 and 30 when higher, reaching as high as 45, even when a brew pub was making national headlines for being identified as the source of an outbreak that infected more than 100. But as college students have returned, cases have spiked. After adding 47 cases on Friday, on Saturday, 71 cases were added, and they jumped by 79 with the Sunday/Monday update. The county had ended August with 1,735 cases. To the north, Isabella County home to Central Michigan University added 11 cases to reach 520. This reversed a four-day trend of lower daily new cases. Gratiot County added just one case, to reach 182 and Clare County stayed the same at 96. North of Detroit In the Detroit suburbs, Oakland County added 85 cases to reach 15,123, and Macomb County added 71 to reach 12,947. We keep talking about flattening the curve, and we have done that in Macomb County, Macomb Countys executive said. Hackel said the key is the percentage of the positive tests, which was 7.0% in August and is 5.4% in September. In April, the percent of positive cases was 30.2%, when fewer tests were available and people generally had to have symptoms to get a test. In April, Macomb County saw 6,243 confirmed cases, but the next three months, the numbers went down to 1,893 in May, 765 in June, and then 2,665 in July. But in August, it reached 4,680. However, hospitalizations and deaths were down. The healthcare system here in Macomb County has been pretty clear, theyve got an 8% capacity right now in their facilities of people who have COVID, Hackel said, saying there had been concerns in the spring about reaching capacity. Oakland County also announced efforts to helps schools budgets. #OaklandCounty is distributing $28 million from its CARES Act funds to help school districts and charter schools during the #COVID19 pandemic, County Executive Dave Coulters office tweeted Wednesday. Funds will help districts recover unexpected costs incurred preparing for remote and in-class learning. Eligible expenses include plexiglass, personal protection equipment, creation of safety protocols, no-touch thermometers, disinfectant, signage, retrofitting and remote tech. Funds will be awarded in part on need and the # of students who receive free or reduced-price lunches. In west Michigan, many new cases were reported as well: * Kent County added 59 cases to reach 8,083 * Ottawa County added 61 cases to reach 2,522 * Kalamazoo County added 27 cases to reach 1,912. Accused deputy killer was a convicted carjacker out of Macomb County Book: Trump said of virus, I wanted to always play it down Michigan 2020 Census campaign releases videos in Arabic to promote response rates Man accused of felony drunk driving on mini-bike in Ferndale Michigan reports less than 500 new COVID-19 cases Two Christian colleges in Texas have filed a lawsuit against a charitable organization, claiming that its board and the millions of dollars overseen by it have been hijacked in a secret coup orchestrated by ex-Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson and his longtime associates. In a Tuesday filing in Tarrant County, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Baylor University allege that they were not notified about changes to the bylaws and charitable purpose of the Harold E. Riley Foundation. The changes came days after Pattersons 2018 ouster as president of Southwestern over his handling of students sexual abuse reports. The foundation was established in 2002 by Riley, a successful businessman, to support both schools. Recent tax filings show it holds more than $15 million in assets, mostly via shares in Citizens Inc., an Austin-based insurance company founded by Riley, who died in 2017. According to the suit, the foundations new leadership already has sold off $4 million in shares while significantly curtailing its donations to both institutions a direct violation of the foundations stated purpose. The suit also accuses the foundation of using funds to purchase a car and to hire high-priced law firms to engineer the secret coup and of improperly appointing associates to salaried positions within the foundation. Patterson is not named as a defendant in the suit, but he is mentioned numerous times. The foundations current president, Mike Hughes who served as Southwesterns vice president for advancement under Patterson is listed as a defendant. And in a separate lawsuit filed last week in Colorado, the new board of the Riley foundation notes recent attempts to install Patterson and Augie Boto, the former attorney for the Southern Baptist Conventions executive committee, as directors for Citizens Inc. A spokesperson for Citizens said it was monitoring the lawsuit. Pattersons longtime attorney, J. Shelby Sharpe of Fort Worth, declined comment, saying he had not yet seen the lawsuit. Boto could not be reached for comment. In a statement, a Baylor official said it is frankly disheartening to have discovered that Mr. Rileys legacy and the educational funding for future generations of Christian leaders appear to have been misused. A Southwestern official called the changes an attempt to siphon off (Rileys) generous testamentary gift that was specifically designed to benefit the two schools. This is but the latest in a two-year pattern of attempts to divert support away from the seminary to other causes, Colby Adams, Southwesterns vice president for strategic initiatives, said in a statement. We have sought relief with heavy hearts but firm resolve to expose and stop ongoing efforts to cause harm to our students and generous ministry partners. The new accusations follow years of fights in public and in private between Patterson, who was a two-term president of the SBC, and Southwestern since he was removed as president amid reports that he had attempted to conceal students sexual abuse reports. In one email, Patterson allegedly said he wanted to meet with a student who said she was raped so he could break her down. His attorney has since said those remarks were taken out of context. That student filed suit last year, accusing Patterson of threatening, humiliating and shaming her after she reported being repeatedly raped at gunpoint by another student. Her lawsuit came as the SBC continued to grapple with Abuse of Faith, a Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News investigation that found that roughly 400 SBC church leaders and volunteers had been credibly accused or convicted of sex crimes in the last two decades. Then, last October, Patterson was accused of trying to siphon donations to the school by denigrating female faculty members there, a charge he denied at the time. Southwesterns leaders eventually passed a resolution defending the faculty members. robert.downen@chron.com Elle Macpherson has shut down rumours she's engaged to her boyfriend, disgraced anti-vaxxer doctor Andrew Wakefield. The Australian supermodel, 56, recently sparked engagement speculation when she was spotted on Instagram with a ring on her wedding finger - not long after Andrew, 63, officially divorced his ex-wife Carmel on August 30th. However, Elle's spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday that her mystery ring isn't what it seems. Not engaged: Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson, 56, has shut down rumours she's engaged to her boyfriend, disgraced anti-vaxxer doctor Andrew Wakefield, 63. Pictured together 'Elle frequently wears her Yoga ring on her 'wedding' finger... it's just a rumour', her spokesperson said. It comes as a flurry of false reports emerged claiming that the glamorous businesswoman is already planning her wedding to Andrew. Woman's Day magazine alleged on Wednesday that Elle is looking forward to settling down with the discredited doctor. Elle's ring riddle: The Australian supermodel, 56, sparked speculation she was engaged last month when she was spotted on Instagram with a ring on her wedding finger. Elle wore a ring on her wedding finger in this Instagram post on July 30 False alarm: 'Elle frequently wears her Yoga ring on her 'wedding' finger... it's just a rumour', her spokesperson said. Elle is pictured wearing a gold band on her wedding finger in an Instagram selfie on Monday 'She's very happy and everyone thinks a wedding is on the cards', a source claimed, adding that the couple 'work well together' despite Andrew's controversial history. Wednesday's New Idea magazine went so far as to claim Elle and Andrew plan to tie the knot 'in a matter of weeks'. 'She doesn't want to waste time, so they're planning a quickie ceremony... something small and intimate,' an 'insider' claimed. Favoured finger: Elle was spotted wearing a pear-shaped diamond ring on her wedding finger in her friend Jim DeCola's (right) Instagram post on Sunday 'Elle is really excited. It will be the wedding of the year in her adopted hometown of Miami,' they added. Andrew has made headlines for falsely claiming that the MMR vaccine causes autism. The discredited former doctor was struck off the British medical register in 2010 for unethical behaviour and misconduct. Controversial partner: Andrew (left) is infamous for falsely claiming that the MMR vaccine causes autism Not great: The discredited former doctor (left) was struck off the British medical register in 2010 for unethical behaviour and misconduct He then moved to America, where he is lionised in certain anti-vaxxer circles - Donald Trump and Robert De Niro are among his fans - with his then-wife, Carmel, 62, and their four children. He and Carmel, who settled in Austin, Texas, are said to have separated in early 2017 after 32 years of marriage. In November that year, he met Elle at a 'Doctors Who Rock' awards ceremony in Orlando, Florida. The couple were first spotted kissing at a farmers market in Miami in 2018. Over four dozen representatives from various mass organisations were called for the two-day process in Kanpur, reports Siddharth Kalhans. IMAGE: Congress general secretary and in-charge of UP affairs, Priyanka Gandhi, asked party leaders to prepare the manifesto as per the demand and aspirations of the people. Photograph: Atul Loke/ Getty Images The Congress will release its election manifesto six months before the assembly elections, and has decided to consult over a million stakeholders before coming out with the final draft. The people the party will reach out to include farmers, students, youths, women, pensioners, traders, entrepreneurs, workers, and petty shopkeepers, among others. According to senior party leaders, consultations with stakeholders had begun in January this year. Over four dozen representatives from various mass organisations were called for a two-day process in Kanpur. However, the exercise was hampered due to Covid-19 and the lockdown. Now the party will restart the process soon and almost all the districts would be covered. Congress general secretary and in-charge of UP affairs, Priyanka Gandhi, has asked party leaders to prepare the manifesto as per the demand and aspirations of the people instead of making it a customary exercise. She has asked party members to include all sections of society in the consultation process. According to a youth leader of the Congress, the idea is to decentralise the process of preparing the election manifesto. To broaden the base of consultation, meetings would be held in every district of the state. He said the manifesto would be released six to eight months before the polls. However, there will be possibility of adding more issues in it at the time of election. It may be mentioned that on Sunday evening, the central leadership of congress had released the list of manifesto committee members. The list includes former union minister Salman Khursheed, former MP P L Punia, UP legislator party leader Aradhana Mishra, Vivek Bansal, Supriya Srinet and Amitabh Dubey. While the committee will compile suggestions and prepare a final draft of the manifesto, local leaders and party workers will be deployed to hold consultations with a large number of people all over the state. UPDATE: This story has been updated with additional details. Police shut down a section of U.S. 1 in central Florida Tuesday due to fires from an explosion. Palm Bay police said in a Twitter post that officers were checking out reports of an explosion. They posted photos of smoke plumes coming from an industrial area. Florida Today reported that several large explosions were heard around 10:30 a.m. Smoke dissipated within about 30 minutes, but a shelter-in-place order was given for Palm Bay High School, and other nearby schools. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. The explosion originated from an industrial storage area containing 30-40 50-gallon barrels of an isopropyl alcohol-based solution, Palm Bay spokeswoman Keely Leggett told the newspaper. No injuries have been reported and crews are investigating, officials said. Police have asked residents to avoid the area. Palm Bay is in Brevard County, south of Melbourne. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Florida Law Enforcement Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. Nearly 280 Vietnamese citizens flown home from France, Morocco and Chile Nearly 280 Vietnamese citizens from France, Morocco and Chile were brought home on a repatriation flight which landed safely at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday morning. Vietnamese citizens wait for the repatriation flight at the airport in Paris on September 8. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the flight was arranged by the Vietnamese government, local authorities of the three countries and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines. People were helped to gather at an airport in Paris for the repatriation flight. Passengers include children aged under 18, the elderly, the ill, workers whose visas or labour contracts expired, students with no residences due to dormitory closures and those in extremely difficult circumstances. After landing at the airport, all passengers and crew members of the flight were given health check-ups and sent to quarantine areas. To date, over 120 repatriation flights have been arranged by Vietnamese authorities since April 10 to help nearly 36,000 local people stranded abroad due to Covid-19 return home, the ministry said, adding that more such flights are set to be conducted in the coming time. Several large wildfires are burning in California, where extreme heat and dry, windy conditions are fueling the flames. Two of the three largest fires in state history are burning in the northern San Francisco Bay area. Reports say more than 14,000 firefighters are battling those fires and over 20 others across California. The fire danger also is high in Southern California, where fires were burning in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The U.S. Forest Service closed all eight national forests in the area on Monday and shut down campgrounds around the state. September and October are traditionally wildfire season in California. A record 809,000 hectares have burned this year. The previous record, set two years ago, included the deadliest wildfire in state history. That fire destroyed most of the community of Paradise and killed 85 people. Officials have blamed the record-breaking fires on electricity lines along with strong winds and dry conditions. To guard against new wildfires, Californias biggest electricity provider now cuts power to areas with high-risk conditions. In recent days, power was cut to more than 172,000 homes in an effort to prevent new fires. The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously, said Randy Moore, an official with the U.S. Forest Services Pacific Southwest Region. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire, he added. On Saturday, National Guard rescuers in two military helicopters airlifted 214 people to safety after flames trapped them in a wooded camping area near Mammoth Pool Reservoir. The manmade lake is north of the city of Fresno. Twelve people were hospitalized, two of them with serious injuries. Early Tuesday, California National Guard and Navy helicopters rescued another 13 people trapped in Fresno County. The rescue flights had been delayed because of heavy smoke Monday night. Lynne Tolmachoff is a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. She told The Associated Press it was unnerving to have already reached a record for area burned when September and October are usually the worst months for fires. Nine hundred wildfires have been reported in California since August 15. Many of them are believed to have been caused by lightning strikes in the middle of August. There have been eight fire deaths and more than 3,300 structures destroyed. California faced a serious heatwave during the Labor Day holiday weekend. Much of California reached temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius. Death Valley, a desert area in eastern California, hit a record-high of 51.7 Celsius on Saturday. That number beat the former record of 48 Celsius set in 2017, the National Weather Service said. Some parts of the U.S. also experienced huge temperature changes in recent days. One of those areas is the western city of Denver, Colorado. On Monday, Denver reached a temperature of at least 33 degrees Celsius. For Tuesday, state weather officials predicted the low to be well below 0 degrees Celsius, the Denver Post reported. The officials also predicted stormy conditions, including snow. The big temperature drop could break a state record. The largest one day temperature change in history for Denver was set back in January 1872. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story flame n. the visible part of a fire display v. to show, to make visible unnerving adj. to cause someone to feel afraid or upset, unable to think clearly Humanitarian workers say real numbers are much higher, including hundreds of staff employed by NGO partners, Al-Jazeera reports More than 200 United Nations staff members have been infected by COVID-19 in Syria as the global body steps up plans to combat the spread of the pandemic in the war-torn country, medical workers and UN officials said. UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria Imran Riza last week told UN heads of agencies in a letter that the UN was in the final stages of securing a medical facility to treat the cases. More than two hundred cases have been reported among UN staff members, some of whom have been hospitalised and three who were medically evacuated, the letter said. Reuters news agency on Monday said the letter was leaked to it by an infected local UN staff member. Humanitarian workers and medics said the real number of cases is considerably higher, including the hundreds of staff employed by NGO partners working for nearly a dozen UN agencies that oversee the countrys humanitarian relief operations. Riza said there had been a ten-fold spike in infections in Syria in the two months since he last briefed staff, referring to health ministry figures that say there have been 3,171 cases and 134 deaths since the first case was reported on March 23. The epidemiological situation across the country has changed considerably, Riza said. Damascus-based medics and relief workers are sceptical of official figures, saying the authorities are covering up the true extent. The authorities deny that, but admit testing is limited. The UN has expressed concern about the spread of the coronavirus in a country where the health infrastructure has been shattered by war and medical supplies are limited. Independent medics and relief workers say many doctors and medical workers have died in recent weeks. Witnesses and cemetery officials say there had been a tripling of burials since July in a cemetery that lies south of the capital, where NGOs and medics say most cases are concentrated. 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. Chinese Regime Keeps List of Foreigners It Wants to Recruit, Monitors Expats: Leaked Documents From Houston to the small town of Esbjerg in Denmark, the Chinese regime has its eyes on Chinese nationals and foreigners around the worldpeople it hopes to influence into furthering Beijings interests. The list, disclosed in a leaked government document that was recently obtained by The Epoch Times, revealed that the Chinese regime seeks to cultivate talent in a wide breadth of sectors and countries. For decades, Beijing has maintained such talent-recruitment programs, such as the widely scrutinized Thousand Talents Plan, which lures overseas Chinese and foreign experts into working in Chinas science and tech sectorsto help fulfill its ambition of turning China into a high-tech manufacturing powerhouse. The internal list offers a glimpse into the scale of Beijings influence operations and also reveals that they stretch across diverse fields. Another set of documents revealed that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities have begun tracking expatriates living in China and monitoring their health status. A third set exposed how authorities keep a tight leash on citizens who travel abroad. Foreigners and Chinese Living Abroad The documents were all issued by the Foreign Affairs Office of the municipal government of Daqing. A city with a population of about 2.7 million as of the end of 2019, its located in northern Chinas Heilongjiang Province. In a 2019 document, Daqings Foreign Affairs Office stated that it would start an initiative called the one hundred overseas talent cultivation plan. The central government and many local governments in China have such talent recruitment programs. A 2019 report by the U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission estimated that there were hundreds of such programs at the local government level. Though the office didnt explain how it would carry out its plan, nor its specific goals, it listed 129 overseas individuals it would like to recruit. Among them were at least 70 who werent ethnically Chinese, based on having a non-Chinese name. The document contained only the first names for some of these individuals. But each entry stated their current or former job positions, their career fields, as well as their contact information. A section of the list maintained by the Daqing city governments Foreign Affairs Office, redacted to protect identities. (Provided to The Epoch Times) The targeted people span the globeNew Zealand, United Kingdom, Pakistan, Spain, Ghana, Malaysia, and South Africa among themand work in a variety of fields: staff in the tourism industry, professors at universities, CEOs, and other business executives, chemistry specialists, people working in international trade and business, manager of a waste treatment plant, and so forth. The list also included several former politicians, including two former mayors of the Australian city of Perth; a former mayor of the Canadian city of St. John; Naheed Nenshi, the current mayor of Calgary; and Jesper Frost Rasmussen, the current mayor of Esbjerg, Denmark. A spokesperson for Nenshi told The Epoch Times in an email that the Calgary mayor was not aware he was on any list. Calgary has been sister cities with Daqing since 1985, but the Nenshi has not had personal contact with the citys officials, the spokesperson added. Rasmussen did not respond to a request for comment. Officials in the local governments of Houston; Tokyo; and Calgary, Canada, were also targeted, in positions such as high-level policy consultant and executive official. Chinese individuals who were officials at the Japan-based firms Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsubishi Chemical, as well as a Chinese manager of a Hawaii travel agency, were also on the list. A 2020 action plan issued by the Daqing office stated that the government would focus on establishing ties with businesses in Japan and South Korea. Health Monitoring During the COVID-19 pandemic, officials also monitored foreigners in Daqing. In one document dated Feb. 29, the Daqing office kept a record of over 180 foreigners in the city, including exchange students, teachers, and foreign experts. These expats came from countries such as the United States, Canada, Chad, Morocco, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Taiwan, Sweden, the UK, and Australia. It stated that local health officials were monitoring their health status due to the pandemic, and showed their detailed personal information, such as passport numbers, birthdays, and current residential addresses in China. Another document, dated April 9, is a daily work report, which updated the number of foreigners who were either working or studying in Daqing (220). One section detailed whether foreigners who recently arrived in Daqing were under quarantine. At the time, those entering Heilongjiang Province were required to be quarantined for 14 days. For example, an unnamed foreigner was placed under isolation at home after arriving from Chengdu, the capital of southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province. The foreigner arrived in China from Canada on March 6, the document stated. Chinese Officials, Teachers Another document warned that those Chinese officials who travel overseas on business trips were at risk of having their political ideologies changed. The Daqing office set out specific guidelines for these people, before they leave and after they return to China. Before embarking on their overseas trips, theyre to sign a pre-departure letter and undergo training given by the Daqings state secrecy bureau, the document stated. Daqings state security bureau would also provide education lessons to these people before and after their overseas business trips. While the leaked document didnt explain exactly what the pre-departure letter stipulates, Chinese universities also require their teachers to sign such documents before going on business trips overseas. Changzhou College of Information Technology, which is located in coastal Chinas Jiangsu Province, requires its teachers to sign one such letter, which required that they not be interviewed by foreign journalists unless with approval from the leader organizing their trip, that they not leave the group without permission to see friends or family members living abroad, and that they not watch any activities organized by members of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice thats been severely persecuted by the Chinese regime since 1999. Epoch Times staff member Cathy He contributed to this report. This article has been updated to include a comment from the mayor of Calgary. (ASX:BRN) Hello, Katrina Bullock for the Finance News Network. Joining me today from BrainChip Holdings is President and CEO Lou DiNardo. Lou, welcome back.Good morning. It's a pleasure to be here.Now, BrainChip is a global technology company producing a ground-breaking chip with AI capabilities. Could you tell us more?Certainly. BrainChip's developing a neuromorphic processor, which is a completely different architecture from what's historically been considered compute. The device is called Akida, and we really address a wide variety of applications targeted primarily at the far edge devices, surveillance cameras, automobiles, devices at the edge, not in the cloud, not in the data centre.Thanks, Lou. Now, BrainChip's recently announced collaborations and partnership agreements for that Akida chip. Could you tell us more about those, starting with VORAGO Technologies?Sure. VORAGO is an interesting company. They take existing designs such as we have with Akida and they radiation harden them so they're fit for space flight and aerospace applications. They work closely with NASA, and in turn, we will work closely with NASA. So it's an exciting opportunity for us to get Akida into spacecraft and into space.That agreement exercises our early access program. As Akida is now in test and ready to deliver shortly to customers on the early access program, they'll have access to both the devices, evaluation boards, as well as dedicated support.Can you tell us about your venture with Magik Eye, Incorporated?Yes. Magik Eye is an interesting company. They have a proprietary technology to do what's called 3D point cloud. Primarily, people expect 3D point cloud to be used in LiDAR applications for automotive, their driver assistance systems, as well as autonomous vehicles.This opportunity with Magik Eye, they use an off-the-shelf CMOS sensor, and use some proprietary technology. They're coupling that with Akida to do everything from video gaming to automobiles. They open up or are a gateway for us into the Japanese market. They're a well-known entity in Japan. So we're looking forward to working with them and very excited about the applications that they serve.The Akida Chip has been available for testing as a software development kit for some time now. What difference do you think it makes having the physical chip?It's very significant. There's a lot of noise in the marketplace around artificial intelligence. You read the newspaper every day, everybody's claiming to be in artificial intelligence. We have a full simulation package and customers or potential customers have been working with that for many months, but having silicon validation, where they can see it working in hardware, makes a big difference. It helps build confidence.Now to finances and your share price, which has been on a bullish run of late. Could you provide an update on your funding agreement with the LDA Capital?Yes, again, you're right. The share price has taken a very nice step up. If you'd look back just a few months ago, we were in single digits, and yesterday, we tipped well over 50 cents a share, so give or take a thousand percent increase in a few months. So we have a loyal Australian shareholder base. They're building confidence in the company and they demonstrate that with the demand for our equity.The agreement we have with a US-based investor, LDA, is it gives us access to 29 million Aussie dollars. But as a put option, it's at our discretion when and if we choose to put the shares, we can raise the capital. So it's very flexible and somewhat favorable to the company, which is very nice.And Lou, shareholders would no doubt be thrilled with the share price over recent months. Where is the stock sitting today, and what value does that put on the company?Your market is just open, so I haven't checked yet this morning since I've been on with you. Yesterday, we had a very nice ride. I think we, for the height of the day, was 59 cents Aussie. I think we closed at 50, and again, well up from single digits just several months ago.Lou, what's ahead for the next couple of quarters?The next couple of quarters, as we finish out this year, we will go through the validation process of each of the functional blocks on the IC, manufacture the evaluation boards, get them in the hands of customers. As we get into the first and second quarter of next year, that'll be reduced to practice, hopefully by our customers as we expect. And we'll start to see things go into end equipment, where they'll do their testing and validation of the entire system.Lou, before we let you go, anything else you'd like to add?You asked some very good questions. I think it's an extremely exciting time for BrainChip. We've worked for the better part of four or five years in developing and designing this integrated circuit. As an engineering team, a management team, sales and marketing, it really is rewarding to have silicon in hand and be able to deliver that to customers.Lou DiNardo, thanks for the update and congratulations again on the progress and the market's response.Thank you very much. By Associated Press HANOIR: Southeast Asia's top diplomats held their annual talks by video Wednesday to discuss the immense crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions in the South China Sea amid the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ministerial meetings, delayed by a month, were held online due to continuing health risks posed by COVID-19. The 10-nation bloc's foreign ministers were to meet Asian and Western counterparts, including those from the U.S. and China, later in the week, capped by an annual security forum. Vietnam is hosting the talks as this year's chairman of the diverse group. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called for regional solidarity amid the headwinds in an austere opening ceremony attended by a few dozen diplomats in the capital, Hanoi. "The valuable fruits of our cooperation are being tested in an environment full of volatility and unprecedented challenges, especially the COVID-19 pandemic," Phuc said. The pandemic has delayed or cancelled dozens of meetings and shut out the colourful ceremonies, group handshakes and photo-ops that have been the trademarks of ASEAN's annual gatherings. The talks focused on combating the pandemic and ways to help member states recover economically. The contagion has devastated the region's manufacturing, export, travel and tourism industries and sparked the worst economic recessions in decades across the region of 650 million people. Southeast Asian nations have been impacted by the pandemic differently, with hard-hit Philippines grappling with more than 245,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections, including nearly 4,000 deaths, and the tiny socialist state of Laos reporting just 22 cases. The Philippines and Indonesia each have more than double the infections reported by China, where the outbreak started late last year. A senior Southeast Asian diplomat said a key project is establishing a COVID-19 response fund to help ASEAN member states buy medical supplies and protective suits. The diplomat said Thailand has pledged to contribute $100,000 and ASEAN partners, including China, Japan and South Korea, were expected to announce contributions. A regional stockpile of medical supplies has also been approved, and a study to be financed by Japan will research the possibility of establishing an ASEAN center on public health emergencies, according to the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly. A long-thorny issue on the agenda is the territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving China, Taiwan and ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. When the territorial conflicts were discussed, "concerns were expressed by some ministers on the land reclamations, activities and serious incidents in the area which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region," the ministers said in a draft communique, a copy of which was seen by The Associated Press. ALSO WATCH: In July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that Washington regards virtually all of China's maritime claims in the disputed offshore region outside of its internationally recognized waters to be illegitimate. Although it remains neutral in territorial disputes, the Trump administration was in effect siding with the four ASEAN claimant states, along with Indonesia, which have opposed China's claims to virtually the entire waterway. China then accused the U.S. of sowing discord in the strategic region and last month, its military reportedly test-fired two missiles in the South China Sea during exercises. China has pushed for the resumption of negotiations with ASEAN on a code of conduct aimed at preventing armed clashes in the disputed waters. But Hoang Thi Ha of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore said major differences between China and rival claimant states would stymie any breakthrough or an early agreement. "Given the recent developments both on the lawfare front and tensions at sea, I don't see much silver lining," she said. Pompeo and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, have confirmed their attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday, Asia's largest security forum, which will also be done by video. North Korea's foreign minister will skip the forum but its representative to ASEAN will participate, according to Vietnam's foreign ministry. A chain with a mission to lead communities in healthy, sustainable living has opened its fourth location in the Lehigh Valley. Susan and Jim Dale of the Saucon Valley area opened their latest Playa Bowls location this past June at Lower Nazareth Commons in Lower Nazareth Township. It filled a vacancy left by Zoup! Fresh Soup Co., which closed in June 2019 at 3770 Dryland Way. The couple already owns other regional locations at 310 E. Third St. in the Polk Street Commercial Center in South Bethlehem and at 16 N. Third St. in Downtown Easton, as well as at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. The owners opened their first Playa Bowls in Bethlehem in September 2017 after being frequent customers of locations down the Jersey Shore. The chain was started by founders Robert Giuliani and Abby Taylor, both Jersey Shore natives and longtime surfers. The pair were inspired by chasing summer on surf trips to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, California and Hawaii, finding areas with their own unique version of an acai or pitaya bowl, according to the chains website. The founders eventually recreated their favorite recipes, putting their own twist on the treats in Belmar along the Jersey Shore. The Dales wanted to bring that feel to the Lehigh Valley, Susan previously said. The Easton location followed that December. The Promenade location opened in autumn 2019. The couple also owns locations in Villanova-Wayne, Montgomery County, and Doylestown, Bucks County. All the locations feature surf decor and colorful, vibrant walls. The Lower Nazareth location carries the usual staple of bowls -- combining acai berries, a Brazillian fruit chock full of antioxidants, with bananas, fruits, granola, honey, peanut butter and other toppings. The menu also features pitaya (dragon fruit), green (kale), coconut, chia and oatmeal bowls. Theres also poke bowls, which feature fresh fish, fruit and other ingredients. Some of the most popular, a manager in Lower Nazareth said Wednesday, are the Electric Mermaid bowl, which is pitaya blend topped with kiwi, pineapple, mango, granola, coconut flakes and honey, and the Nutella bowl, which is an acai blend topped with granola, banana, strawberry, coconut flakes and Nutella drizzle. Guests also can nosh on such specialties as the Rock-n-Roll Shrimp bowl, featuring wild Gulf shrimp, sweet chili sauce, onion, scallion, mango, crispy shallots and seaweed salad. All bowls start at around $9. The Lower Nazareth location also has a variety of about 25 different kinds of smoothies on its menu, as well as such juices as the Beach Break, with pineapple, carrot, ginger and lemon,; Endless Summer, with carrot and ginger; and Dawn Patrol, a concoction of orange, carrot and apple. Currently, the Lower Nazareth location offers both indoor seating for six guests and outdoor seating for eight guests. A manager Wednesday said this is based on the 25% capacity restrictions set forth by Gov. Tom Wolf and could change once eateries move to 50% capacity on Sept. 21. Theres also take out and the ability to order online, she said. Lower Nazareth Commons also is home to Kay Jewelers, Longhorn Steakhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jersey Mikes, Five Guys and Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. SingularityU South Africa has announced the first 40 speakers that will address Africa at the SingularityU South Africa Summit Online on 14 and 15 October 2020. The lineup includes thought leaders from across the globe, some as far as USA, Denmark, Netherlands and Australia, and includes sought after South African captains of industry. Top row, left to right: Andile Ngcaba, Jaya Baloo, David Roberts. Bottom row, left to right: Vivienne Ming, Dr Divya Chander Moonshot Thinking: by Lisa Andrews and Christina Gerakiteys by Lisa Andrews and Christina Gerakiteys Smarten up your home with IoT (internet of things) - by Phathizwe Malinga (internet of things) - by Phathizwe Malinga The Stress Code by author Richard Sutton by author Richard Sutton Business Rescue by Maurice Crespi by Maurice Crespi Getting off the grid or whichever plain youre on - by Adriana Marais True to the SingularityU prowess of demystifying exponential technologies and their potential to solve the global grand challenges, the worlds top innovators will share the latest insights. American neuroscientist Vivienne Ming and founder of Socos Labs will address how artificial intelligence can make us better humans. Australian AI expert Kellie Nuttall will speak about artificial intelligence and the future of work while South African technology pioneer Andile Ngcaba will share how artificial intelligence can effectively be used by governments. LinkedIns Top Voice in Tech Cathy Hackl will explain the impact of emerging technologies on business. World renowned leadership, disruption and innovation expert David Roberts will discuss how to be a strategic, empathetic leader in the new world.This years summit boasts several female headline speakers. Physician and futurist Dr Divya Chander will address human brain interfaces. Journalist and educator Esther Wojcicki will talk to after-school learning. South African healthcare entrepreneur Kim Hulett who enthralled audiences at the 2019 summit with her talk on designer babies will return this year to tackle the future of healthcare, while American Tiffany Vora will present an international perspective on this topic. Leading Johannesburg blogger Angie Dauberman will discuss abundance in food. New perspectives on cybersecurity in a digitised world will be addressed by Dutch cybersecurity specialist Jaya Baloo. At the forefront of innovation in governance, Danish Carin Ism will speak on the future of governance in a post-Covid world.Designers inspire and empower businesses and entrepreneurs to think bigger and have a positive impact on the world, leading entrepreneurs will take to the stage to share their expertise in an actionable way. MTN executive David Gilarranz will address frictionless payments. American entrepreneur David Hite will speak about investing in a new world, while Catherine Wood will share her billion dollar expertise on investing in disruptive innovation. A session on wealth management and transparency will be presented by wealth management tycoon Paul Pagnato. The World Banks lead economist Waolfgang Fengler and Fred Swaniker, founder of the African Leadership Group will share their unique perspectives on education and business.We are thrilled to have assembled a stellar line up of trailblazers from around the world to headline the fourth annual SingularityU South Africa Summit, showcasing the ground-breaking technologies and innovations that are available to take the continent forward, said Mic Mann, Co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa. This years summit will make a meaningful contribution to developing human capital in Africa, and work to enhance the quality of life through education, networking and an exponential mindset added Shayne Mann, Co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa.Now in its fourth year, the 2020 event will take place in a custom built online environment. The presentation format has been revised for the 2020 summit, with shorter talks making way for deeper engagement online with less screen fatigue and a greater variety of topics to be covered. The summit will also feature an online expo area, where delegates can engage with the latest products and developments from exhibitors and make business happen.The SingularityU South Africa Summit 2020 will be hosted in collaboration with The Development Bank of Southern Africa, global partner Deloitte, and strategic partner MTN. To join the SingularityU community of changemakers, or to book, visit https://singularityusouthafricasummit.org/ Book before 8 September 2020 and save R5,000 off your ticket.Book before 24 September 2020 and save R3,750 off your ticketBook before 2 October 2020 and save R2,000 off your ticket price13 October 2020 Registration closes 16 October 2020All prices include VAT. Facebook has issued a major threat to Australian news publishers. Image: Getty Social media giant Facebook has escalated tensions between itself and Australian news publishers, threatening to ban users from sharing news content. Facebook would prevent Australian users from sharing news stories if it and Google are forced to compensate publishers for holding their stories on the platform. As it stands, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions (ACCC) draft code aims to address acute bargaining power imbalances and is intended to be reviewed after a year, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said. Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the details are yet to be ironed out, in terms of how much content is worth and how Facebook and Google would pay. Fletcher said the code would also support smaller publishers through the ability to collective bargain, and also said there would be penalties of up to 10 per cent of Australian turnover for companies that refused to engage. However, Facebook Australia and New Zealand managing director Will Easton said the draft code will hurt Facebook. "Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram," Easton said on Tuesday. "This is not our first choice it is our last. "But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australia's news and media sector." In the year to May, Facebook shares of news content generated $200 million in revenue for publishers, he added. "When crafting this new legislation, the commission overseeing the process ignored important facts, most critically the relationship between the news media and social media and which one benefits most from the other," Easton said. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg responded by saying the government doesnt respond to coercion or heavy handed threats. He said the reforms are world leading and will create a more sustainable landscape. Story continues The Australias Institutes Centre for Responsibility director Peter Lewis said Facebook has a pattern of behaviour of treating democracy with contempt. Rather than working with the Federal Government to give effect to the ACCC to build a sustainable model for the Australian media, Facebook is threatening to block it from its platform, Lewis said. This builds on Facebooks refusal to ensure truth in political advertising or proactively moderate divisive and destructive content on its site. In fact, if they follow through on this threat Facebook will removing trusted journalism from its site allowing disinformation and conspiracy theories to flourish. Facebooks statement comes weeks after Google said the plan to force it to share ad revenue, would affect all Australian users. Google said the code favours big media companies and would allow them to make enormous and unreasonable demands. However, the ACCC said this was misinformation from Google. "The draft code will allow Australian news businesses to negotiate for fair payment for their journalists work that is included on Google services. This will address a significant bargaining power imbalance between Australian news media businesses and Google and Facebook," it said, adding: "A healthy news media sector is essential to a well-functioning democracy." Want to take control of your finances and your future? Join the Womens Money Movement on LinkedIn and follow Yahoo Finance Australia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. BRUSSELS, LAUSANNE, Switzerland, and Paris, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Oncomfort, the Belgian inventor of and leader in Digital Sedation - a method for relieving patients' pain and anxiety without medication - today announces the completion of a 10 million Series A funding round co-led by two prominent institutional investors: Debiopharm and Credit Mutuel Innovation. Oncomfort plans to use this investment to develop its innovative digital therapy solutions and accelerate its international expansion. Major investment to support Oncomfort's roadmap Founded in 2017, Oncomfort is a Belgian scale-up specialized in Digital Sedation, a completely new method for relieving patients' pain and anxiety through treatment with clinically proven sessions of therapeutic Virtual Reality. Since the launch of the Sedakit for Digital Sedation in Benelux and France in June 2019, over 30,000 patients have been treated and have had their pain and anxiety relieved before, during, and after interventions in many clinical fields such as anesthesia, oncology, interventional radiology and cardiology, as well as pediatrics. Oncomfort has raised no less than 10 million in a Series A funding round. It plans to use this investment to develop its Digital Sedation solution and accelerate its international expansion on the European and American markets. The investment round was realized with two leading institutional investors: the Swiss Debiopharm, and the French Credit Mutuel Innovation (CMI). The investment includes continuing support from Wallonia Innovation and Growth (W.IN.G) and the existing investors. Both institutional investors will join Oncomfort's newly composed Board of Directors. "We are at a tipping point in our digital therapy," says Mario Huyghe, CEO of Oncomfort. "The medical community has discovered the advantages and potential of Digital Sedationto relieve pain and anxiety without medication. Virtual Reality acts as an enabler for this digital therapy. Yet, Oncomfort's true potential comes from the scientific evidence of its digital sedation and the multidisciplinary co-creation with the expertise of anesthesiologists, neurologists, psychologists, and hypnotherapists. With this Series A funding, we will accelerate our product development with a broader engineering team and invest in the international expansion of Oncomfort." Medical efficacy and optimization of the patient's journey "We are delighted to find a scientifically validated digital tool to support the overall journey of patients, which frequently includes various levels of pain, anxiety, and fear. The fact that advanced Virtual Reality in combination with hypnotherapy and integrative therapeutic techniques can be used to effectively sedate patients is truly impressive and offers an interesting option for patients to find physical and emotional relief," explained Thierry Mauvernay, President of Debiopharm. "Our investment in Oncomfort's digital sedation solution is based on the strong potential of digital therapeutics as well as the specific intellectual property and scientific evidence that Oncomfort has built over recent years," continued Karine Lignel, CEO of Credit Mutuel Innovation. "With this investment in Oncomfort, we want to push the boundaries to inspire healthcare stakeholders to acknowledge that there is much more we can do for patients through digital technology," said Tanja Dowe, CEO of Debiopharm Innovation Fund. "We were convinced, on the one hand, by the scientific results and the technological developments already achieved by Oncomfort, that will enable an even more personalized patient care thanks to the upcoming new features of the Sedakit, and on the other hand by the high level of the team and its partners. With this long-term investment, we are committed to supporting Oncomfort's team to unleash its potential in the European and American market," explained Delphine Cardi, Director of Participations, and Tanguy Besson, Associate at Credit Mutuel Innovation. "Having supported Oncomfort since 2017, W.IN.G is delighted to see it gather substantial funding and will continue to invest in its development, which it regards as promising. By supporting this start-up from the outset, W.IN.G also wanted to assist the emergence of a disruptive technology to relieve the pain of patients in the healthcare sector," concluded Colin Loyens, Investment Manager. About Oncomfort Oncomfort, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Wavre near Brussels (Belgium), combines Virtual Reality capabilities and knowledge on clinical hypnosis into an innovative medical solution for digital sedation. Co-founders Diane Jooris, Gerald de Patoul, Mario Huyghe, and Julien Tesse built a co-creative team that successfully brings to market medical CE-approved applications for digital sedation as well as anxiety and pain management. Both nationally and internationally, Oncomfort has received multiple awards in the fields of clinical application, innovation, and entrepreneurship. For more information, please visit www.oncomfort.com. Or find us on LinkedIn. Press contact Laurence de Crombrugghe laurence@oncomfort.com, +32 (0)478 39 47 50 Leslie Buyle for Oncomfort Leslie.buyle@ketchum.com, +32 (0)498 67 46 15 About Debiopharm Debiopharm develops, manufactures, and invests in innovative therapies and technologies that respond to high unmet medical needs in oncology and bacterial infections. Through our digital health investments, we provide funding and strategic guidance for companies with an ambition to improve the patient journey and re-imagine how clinical trials are conducted. Our growing portfolio company achievements include 10 FDA clearances, 13 CE marks, 2 IPOs, and 4 trade exits. Since 2008, we have invested over USD 120 million, typically leading the investment rounds of our 16 portfolio companies. For more information, please visit https://www.debiopharm.com/digital-health/. Or follow us on Twitter via @debiopharmfund. Press contact Dawn Haughton dawn.haughton@debiopharm.com, +41 (0)21 321 01 11 About Credit Mutuel Innovation Credit Mutuel Innovation is the venture capital subsidiary of Credit Mutuel Equity ( 3.0 billion in capital), a member of Credit Mutuel Alliance Federale. Its objective is to invest in companies developing promising technologies. Credit Mutuel Innovation selects companies with strong growth potential in dynamic sectors such as information technology, telecommunications, electronics, life sciences, new materials and environment. For more than 15 years, Credit Mutuel Innovation has invested - and often reinvests - its own capital to support innovative companies to their market. Credit Mutuel Innovation's policy is to provide long-term equity support to innovative startups to streamline their chances of success. For more information, please visit www.creditmutuelequity.com. Innovation contact Delphine Cardi, Investment Director delphine.cardi@creditmutuel.fr, +33 (0)7 87 13 92 97 Tanguy Besson, Associate tanguy.besson@creditmutuel.fr, +33 (0)6 44 26 05 86 LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Semihandmade, the multi-million-dollar Los Angeles-based company best known for pairing stylish doors with IKEA cabinets and the masterminds behind some of the most beloved kitchens and DIY spaces on Instagram, welcomes Beth Fuchs Brenner to the newly created position of President. A driving force in the home decor and design world, Brenner most recently served as President of Galerie Media Group, where she oversaw print and digital advertising, brand marketing, editorial operations and web development for Galerie and galeriemagazine.com. Prior to her time at Galerie, Brenner was the Chief Revenue Officer of Domino Media Group where she led print, digital, and experiential advertising as well as forged numerous strategic partnerships that contributed to the development and growth of Domino's publishing, licensing, and e-commerce businesses. Brenner also led the team that gave birth to the original Domino magazine back in 2005. "Coming to Semihandmade combines so many of the talents and leadership skills I've honed in my media years; business development, brand marketing, influencer partnerships, product licensing, e-commerce strategy all contributing to revenue growth. These experiences, alongside my knowledge and love for the design industry, makes this a perfect fit," says Brenner. Over the next year, Semihandmade is gearing up for explosive growth and Brenner is a key addition to the executive team alongside founder and CEO John McDonald. "Beth has been a maven in the media space for years. We are excited to have her join Semihandmade as we begin to expand the brand's footprint. She has a proven track record of integrating bold, progressive new marketing approaches to the industry and Semihandmade is thrilled to have her take a leadership role in what's next," says McDonald. About Semihandmade Founded by John McDonald, Semihandmade launched in 2011 with the goal of using IKEA cabinets as a base for handmade craftsmanship at a competitive price. Semihandmade has grown to over 60 employees and opened showrooms in NY, LA, Minneapolis, Palm Springs, and Chicago. The company has ranked among Inc. Magazine's 2000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. every year since 2015 and shipped over 5,000 IKEA projects in 2019. www.semihandmade.com Media Contact: LaRue PR [email protected] - 732.667.7777 SOURCE Semihandmade If organizers of the annual Wreaths Across America project can raise $21,000, wreaths will be placed in December on all 1,391 grave sites at the Nebraska Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Grand Island. The wreaths will be laid upon the headstones Dec. 19, which is National Wreaths Across America Day. The local effort is a partnership between VFW Auxiliary 1347 and Grand Island Express. Last year, wreaths were placed at 1,200 of the graves. Because not every grave was covered, more money is needed this year. So we have a big project ahead of us, said La Vonne Catron, treasurer of VFW Auxiliary 1347. It costs $15 to sponsor a veterans wreath, each of which is made fresh from a balsam tree. A donation of $75 will sponsor five wreaths. To make your donation by mail, send it to Grand Island Express in care of Tammie Dimmitt, 432 S. Stuhr Road, Grand Island, NE 68801. To donate online, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/14882/Overview/?relatedId0&modSwdonate. Two fundraisers will help local organizers toward their goal. Boris Johnson today said he wants everybody in the UK to be able to take a daily coronavirus test in order to get life back to normal after Matt Hancock blasted people for needlessly booking checks. The Prime Minister said his 'vision' for the future is for the whole nation to have access to a pregnancy-style test which would reveal within 15 minutes if someone has the virus. The PM said the so-called 'enabling tests' could be used at the start of the day so that workers know for certain whether they are infected and need to stay at home. His comments came after Mr Hancock blamed an ongoing test and trace fiasco on people without coronavirus symptoms trying to get checked. The Government is facing mounting criticism after reports of numerous people with symptoms being unable to get a test or being told they have to travel long distances to get one. The Health Secretary said people without symptoms unnecessarily booking tests was putting the system under strain. He also hinted Covid tests could be rationed unless people who are fit and healthy stop draining capacity, as he said: 'We've got to be firmer, I'm afraid, with the rules around eligibility for testing.' Mr Hancock said it was 'not acceptable' for people to ask for a test if they have no symptoms. Boris Johnson told MPs today that his 'vision' is for everybody in the UK to be able to access daily coronavirus tests In other coronavirus developments today: Gatherings of more than six are being banned to try to halt a second wave of coronavirus; Oxford and AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine trial is put on hold for safety reasons after a British volunteer had a 'serious' reaction that could have been caused by injection; Business leaders, MPs and scientists told the Prime Minister not to lock Britain down again, with one think-tank warning a second shutdown would be 'catastrophic'; The daily Covid death toll reached 30 yesterday the most in six weeks; Health bosses apologised for testing system failures after laboratory backlogs left many people unable to book; The first 'credible' cases of reinfection by coronavirus are starting to be seen, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs; Aviation minister Kelly Tolhurst was quietly replaced amid continuing fury at the lack of coronavirus tests at airports; The number of patients waiting for an organ transplant has risen to a five-year high because of the pandemic; 5 RAPID TESTS ALREADY BEING EVALUATED BY PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND Rapid pregnancy-style tests for Covid-19 could be approved within weeks, according to a leading scientist. Sir John Bell, an Oxford University scientist and key Government adviser, said the cheap devices were currently being assessed by scientists at Public Health England. He claimed they could be sold on Amazon or Boots for as little as 5 if they are proven to be over 90 per cent accurate. Professor Bell said the devices, that are 'no larger than a teacup', plug into a socket in the wall and process swabs within an hour. One from the US which is currently under review is able to process a sample in the time it would take for a person to have a shower or eat their breakfast, he claimed. The UK is currently relying on PCR swab tests which take at least 24 hours to turnaround after being sent to a laboratory. Home test kits are already part of the Government's testing scheme but they still need to be sent to the laboratory. Less than seven per cent come back in the 24-hour target time. There are at least four rapid tests being trialled in hospitals and care homes. But they are clunky and not designed to be taken at home. Sir John, a regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, believes mass screening will become possible with rapid home kit tests. Advertisement Sir Keir Starmer grilled Mr Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions over people's inability to get coronavirus tests. Mr Johnson defended the current performance of NHS Test and Trace and said its workers were 'doing a heroic job'. He then set out more detail of the Government's plans to move to a mass testing regime which will see people without symptoms routinely checked. Mr Johnson said: 'Yes, we will do more and the world we want to move to as fast as possible is a world in which everybody can take enabling tests at the beginning of the day, an antigen test, to identify whether we have the virus or not, like a pregnancy test, within 15 minutes or so, so that we know whether we are able to live our lives as normally as possible. That is the vision that the Health Secretary and others have been sketching out over the last few days. That is where we intend to get to. Earlier, the Health Secretary rejected claims that the testing system was failing, telling Sky News that testing capacity was at its highest ever level. He added: 'We have had stories of schools sending a whole year group to go and get a test and that is not appropriate, what is appropriate is that if you have symptoms then get a test.' Questioned over whether the system was failing, he told Sky News: 'I completely reject the accusation, in fact quite the contrary.' He said the UK has the biggest system per capita in Europe and the highest testing capacity 'we've ever had'. 'However in the last couple of weeks we've seen an increase in demand, including an increase in demand from people who are not eligible for tests, people who don't have symptoms,' he added. 'We've seen an increase of about 25% of people who are coming forward that don't have symptoms and aren't eligible.' The Health Secretary told the public not to get coronavirus tests unless they have symptoms in order to stop people having to travel long distances to get tested and to avoid shortages. He told BBC Breakfast: 'We have seen this quite sharp rise in the last couple of weeks of people without symptoms who don't have a good reason coming forward to get a test. 'There have been stories of whole schools, or parts of schools, being all sent to get a test - that is not acceptable, that is not an appropriate use of our testing resources. 'I've even heard stories of people saying, 'I'm going on holiday next week therefore I'm going to get a test.' No - that is not what the testing system is there for. 'We've got to be firmer, I'm afraid, with the rules around eligibility for testing.' 'Of people who got symptoms, 92 per cent got a test within ten miles of (their home),' he told the Today programme. 'The reason we have constraints at the moment is not because capacity has gone down, it's because demand has gone up. 'For instance, I've heard stories of whole schools been told to get a test and all pupils. That is not what testing is there for.' Defending the government's test and trace service amid growing criticism, the Health Secretary claimed people with no symptoms applying for tests was putting the system under strain The positivity rate of coronavirus tests in the UK has remained flat since June, showing that the proportion of people testing positive is not changing drastically - this suggests the rising number of cases is linked to the rising number of tests Testing has increased vastly from no more than 13,000 tests per day at the start of April to around 150,000 in July and 200,000 in August Mr Hancock also said he'd heard of cases of people requesting coronavirus tests because they were going on holiday and wanted to find out whether they had the virus. Testing capacity has recently been cranked up across the UK to 'record highs' but it is still meant to only be available for people who have coronavirus symptoms. MailOnline found that it was possible to order a coronavirus test, even if you didn't have Covid symptoms, by filling in a request form online saying that you'd been asked to take one. There was no option to say that you had been asked to get a test by your school, or that you had no symptoms but were concerned. The director of testing, Sarah-Jane Marsh, yesterday apologised to those who were not getting tests and warned they were at a 'critical pinch-point'. 'Can I please offer my heartfelt apologies to anyone who cannot get a Covid test at present,' she wrote. Mr Hancock also today refused to rule out a second national lockdown, telling Sky News: 'Our goal is to avoid having to do anything more drastic - I won't make a vow like that. 'I'm a Health Secretary in the middle of a pandemic.' The coronavirus test ordering system does not give users the option to say they are ordering a test because they are concerned PEOPLE BEING DIRECTED TO TESTING STATIONS 100+ MILES AWAY IS 'LUDICROUS', DOCTORS SAY The British Medical Association today said it was 'ludicrous' that the coronavirus test booking system is directing people to centres dozens or even hundreds of miles away from their homes. People report being instructed to drive dozens of miles, some of them more than 100 miles or even from Suffolk to Scotland, to their closest available same-day test. An investigation by the BBC found that the system routinely tried to direct people to testing centres tens or hundreds of miles from their homes. London postcodes were directed to Cardiff, it found, while someone in Devon might have to travel more than 100 miles to Wales, and a postcode in the Lake District redirected to a test centre in Scotland. One hapless man, David Llewellyn, told the broadcaster he was told to go to a centre near Blackburn, near Manchester, more than 200 miles from his home in Suffolk. And a MailOnline investigation discovered testing centres in Twickenham, Heathrow and Greenwich were practically empty despite callers being told no slots were unavailable. A number of people in the capital needing swabs have now come forward to complain they had been told none could be taken in the city. Dr Peter English, chair of public health at the British Medical Association, said: 'Its ludicrous that people are being directed so far from their homes for testing. 'In some cases, it means driving for three hours and back which is completely inappropriate at the best of times, let alone for someone who may be ill with Covid-19 symptoms. Travelling such distances are expensive, and thats if individuals have access to a car at all.' Health Secretary acknowledged the system was facing 'operational challenges' but said it was 'working well' overall. Advertisement NHS testing boss issues 'heartfelt apology' to people unable to get Covid tests and blames lack of capacity at laboratories for backlog By Jemma Carr for MailOnline NHS Test and Trace director of testing Sarah-Jane Marsh (pictured) has issued an apology A senior official at NHS Test and Trace last night issued an apology to people unable to get a Covid-19 test as officials consider new lockdown restrictions to curb the current spike in cases. Director of testing Sarah-Jane Marsh said there is capacity at testing sites but laboratories processing the tests are at a 'critical pinch-point'. Ms Marsh added that the system is doing 'all it can to expand quickly'. There have been reports of people being told there are no appointments available at test centres in England and that there are no home tests kits available to send out. Ms Marsh wrote on Twitter: 'Can I please offer my heartfelt apologies to anyone who cannot get a Covid test at present. 'All of our testing sites have capacity, which is why they don't look overcrowded; it's our laboratory processing that is the critical pinch-point. We are doing all we can to expand quickly. 'We have additional NHS, Lighthouse, University and Partner Labs all due to open up imminently and we are also expanding the use of non-Laboratory based tests.The testing team work on this 18 hours a day, seven days a week. We recognise the country is depending on us.' Andy Thompson, 38, a technical manager from Crewe, said his six-year-old daughter is home from school with a continuous cough, but has so far been unable to get a home test. 'It's an absolute shambles. No home tests available. And now the nearest test centre is Oldham, a 100-mile round-trip with a sick child,' he said. Ms Marsh said there is capacity at testing sites but laboratories processing the tests are at a 'critical pinch-point' 'I didn't realise how bad it is. If you haven't got a car, no way you're getting tested.' People have also complained in recent days and weeks of being directed hundreds of miles to get a test. On Monday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock pledged that people would have to travel no more than 75 miles for a test. Further problems with the testing system came as a member of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said the latest increase in coronavirus cases is 'very worrying'. Professor Andrew Hayward said scientists are monitoring the data closely for signs of wider community transmission of the disease. 'Generally it is local outbreaks, but there is also very worrying increases in cases, particularly over the last few days,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'That is what we are really keeping a close eye on - the extent to which it moves away from these local outbreaks to broader community transmission. 'What we saw in the last few days from this surveillance data was this worrying increase in cases which, as we know from the first wave of the pandemic, can potentially get out of hand if we don't be very serious about the control measures.' A worker carries an information sign at a drive-through testing site in Bolton on Monday Their (Admiral's) mission to grow visitor relationships and revenue for publishers aligns perfectly with the CBAs mission to improve ad experiences to benefit visitors, publishers, brands and the Internet long-term." - Neal Thurman, Director of the Coalition for Better Ads Admiral, the worlds leading Visitor Relationship Management (VRM) platform, announced today a partnership with the Coalition for Better Ads (CBA) to unlock new revenue for publishers participating in the CBAs Better Ads Experience Program. The partnership kicked off with a survey of 1,200+ adblock users from the Admiral Adblock Research Panel and includes multiple pilots with publishers participating in the Better Ads Experience Program to connect compliance with revenue growth. The CBA has leveraged consumer insights and cross-industry expertise to develop and implement new global standards, the Better Ad Standards, and the Better Ads Experience Program, for improved advertising experiences based upon extensive consumer research. The CBA includes over 100 of the largest media publishers, brands and trade associations committed to improving ad experiences worldwide, including Board members such as the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers, Facebook, Google, IAB, IAB Europe, Microsoft, Network Advertising Initiative, Unilever and the World Federation of Advertisers. Admiral, one of the CBAs earliest members, helps thousands of media publishers grow visitor relationships and revenue by improving ad experiences and empowering publishers to offer a diverse range of value exchanges, including adblock recovery, email newsletters, paid subscriptions, donations and more. Admiral is the leader in adblock recovery and has supported the Coalition for Better Ads since the beginning.Their mission to grow visitor relationships and revenue for publishers aligns perfectly with the CBAs mission to improve ad experiences to benefit visitors, publishers, brands and the Internet long-term, says Neal Thurman, Director of the Coalition for Better Ads. The CBA has focused on raising industry awareness of annoying ad experiences through extensive consumer research. This data-driven approach has helped publishers understand the importance of quality ad experiences to long-term sustainability. The next phase of our work aims to build consumer awareness of this improved online ad experience. Thousands of publishers have committed to stop using ads that dont meet the Better Ads Standards, but most adblock users dont even realize it. Now that the Standards have been researched, defined and implemented, and publishers are improving their visitor ad experiences, this partnership with Admiral aims to help publishers see immediate revenue benefits from their commitment to Better Ads. The primary goal of this multi-phase partnership is to directly connect publisher actions to meet the Better Ads Standards, with immediate consumer awareness and revenue benefits, says Dan Rua, Admiral CEO. Media publishers have worked extra hard over the past few years to improve their ad experiences, but the payback horizon can be long and uncertain if consumers never actually know about the publishers commitment to improved ad experiences. Silent adherence to the Better Ads Standards can leave adblock users completely unaware because their blocker hides any improvements. To reach its full potential, Better Ads publishers can connect compliance with awareness, transparently asking adblock users to checkout their improved ad experience and to support the publishers committed to Better Ads. ADBLOCKER SURVEY The first phase of the CBA+Admiral partnership included a survey of 1,200+ adblock users from June 22, 2020 to August 5, 2020, describing the Better Ads Standards and the fifteen different ad formats that dont meet the Better Ads Standards and asking adblock users if they would be willing to turn off their adblocker to support sites that certify compliance with the Better Ads Standards. More than twenty-four percent (24.3%) of adblock users said I would be much more willing to allow ads to support a Better Ads-certified site and roughly twenty percent (19.9%) of adblock users said I would be somewhat more willing to allow ads to support a Better Ads-certified site; for a combined total of 44.2% of adblock users willing to allow ads to support Better Ads-Certified sites. In fact, when asked about their willingness to add a list of Better Ads-certified sites to their adblocker versus having to opt-in on every site, roughly nineteen percent of respondents (18.6%) said Yes, I want to support all sites that commit to The Better Ads Standards and more than twenty-three percent (23.4%) said Maybe, I'd need to learn more. Therefore, with education, as many as 42% of adblockers would consider supporting all publishers adhering to the Better Ads Standards, by default. These results are particularly encouraging given that adblocker awareness and understanding of the Better Ads Standards was low for respondents before taking this survey and support for the Better Ads Standards will grow with greater consumer visibility on publisher sites. BETTER ADS CERTIFIED PILOTS The second phase of the CBA+Admiral partnership includes integration of Better Ads-certified branding and messaging within Admirals Engage adblock recovery module, empowering Better Ads-certified publishers to message adblocking visitors to allow Better Ads and measure improved adblock revenue recovery. The goal of the pilots are to test whether adblock visitor actions will match their survey responses, supporting publishers they know have committed to use ads that meet the Better Ads Standards. Existing publishers who are registered with the Better Ads Experience Program and publishers using Admirals VRM platform are eligible for the pilot. New publishers interested in unlocking adblock revenue at a discounted pilot rate are encouraged to apply at https://getadmiral.com/betterads. Pilot participants will benefit by providing their visitors a Better Ads Experience, testing opportunities to unlock new revenue quickly, early access to adblock recovery best practices gleaned from all pilots, and promotion by the CBA and Admiral with some of the largest brands and agencies in the world, as a publishing leader committed to quality ad experiences that benefit visitors and brands long-term. Were excited to kickoff this partnership with Admiral, adding to our collective research on the benefits of ad quality with these pilots and securing unique pilot pricing for our members and all Better Ads-certified publishers, says Neal. This is one of those rare win-win-win partnerships for visitors, publishers and brands that moves us all closer to sustainability. Its not enough to just improve ad experiences, thats table stakes, says Rua. Publishers also need to educate visitors about their commitment to ad quality and this partnership makes that very easy, with zero dev lift for Better Ads-certified publishers. At a time like this, its OK to ask visitors to help support content they love, and publishers who take actions to improve ad experiences and visitor relationships will be rewarded with sustainable revenue. For more information on the CBA+Admiral partnership, members can visit https://getadmiral.com/betterads. ABOUT THE COALITION FOR BETTER ADS Leading international trade associations and companies involved in online media formed the Coalition for Better Ads to improve consumers experience with online advertising. The Coalition has conducted extensive consumer research to develop Better Ads Standards to help the online ad industry address consumer preferences. The Coalitions members include leading global advertisers, advertising agencies, publishers, and technology companies. An additional 80 trade associations from around the world are affiliates of the Coalition for Better Ads. Companies and trade associations that wish to join the Coalition can learn more at http://www.betterads.org. ABOUT ADMIRAL Admiral is The Visitor Relationship Management (VRM) Company, helping thousands of publishers worldwide target, engage, and grow first-party relationships with their visitors to increase ARPV and prepare for post-cookie monetization. Our VRM platform includes registration walls, paid subscriptions and donations, advanced adblock analytics and revenue recovery, GDPR/CCPA privacy consent, email acquisition, social growth and more. For more information, visit us at http://www.GetAdmiral.com. SAN DIEGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ProciseDx Inc. announced today that it has received CE mark for its infliximab (Procise IFX) and adalimumab (Procise ADL) point of care tests for use on the ProciseDx system. Previously, patients and physicians had to wait up to one week for drug level test results which delayed dose adjustment for 2 to 6 weeks. Each test provides valuable diagnostic data for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in less than 5 minutes with fingerpick blood. This advance will allow improved treatment for European patients currently using TDM with biologics such as Remicade and Humira as part of their treatment regimen. The ProciseDx instrument is about the size of a shoe box and can provide diagnostics results in as little as 2 minutes from a finger prick drop of blood. ProciseDx in San Diego, CA is producing point-of-care diagnostics which provide easy, immediate and accurate results. Key members of the gastrointestinal community throughout Europe have been searching for this solution to improve their patients' care. "With ProciseDx, we will be able to measure levels of infliximab and adalimumab in five minutes from fingerstick blood," stated Geert D'Haens, Professor of Gastroenterology at Amsterdam Medical Center. "This information during the patient visit will be incorporated into our immediate treatment decisions." "We expect that this development of rapid TDM and immediate knowledge of drug levels will allow physicians to make timely dosing decisions and thereby improve drug efficacy. We want to make therapeutic drug monitoring as beneficial as possible for the patient," said ProciseDx CEO Larry Mimms. "By bringing testing to the point of care, drug dosing can be adjusted on the spot instead of waiting a week or longer for results." The CE Mark allows distributors in Europe to sell the ProciseDx platform with CRP, IFX and ADL assays, with more assay menu coming soon. On July 21st ProciseDx announced that Biosynex S.A., a French diagnostics company, had become a shareholder in ProciseDx and would distribute the ProciseDx menu in France. http://ereleases.com/y/gefu About ProciseDx Inc. ProciseDx is a diagnostics company committed to the development and commercialization of a broad portfolio of point-of-care diagnostic tests for use in physician offices, retail clinics and urgent care. ProciseDx has 30 employees, 30,000 sq. ft. of laboratory, manufacturing and office space and is ISO13485 certified. ProciseDx is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information about ProciseDx, please visit us at www.procisediagnostics.com . Contacts Peter Westlake 619-821-0660 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE ProciseDx Inc Related Links http://www.procisediagnostics.com We know the IRS wrongly sent coronavirus stimulus checks to deceased people. It mistakenly garnished stimulus payments for back child support that wasnt owed by the new spouses of those who had the debts. Some people even got a second stimulus check in error. And thousands of non-U.S. residents who live overseas but who at one time worked in the United States have received stimulus payments, media reports say. Hundreds of Austrians received payments in recent months, according to The Washington Post. One 73-year-old Austrian, who received a $2,400 check for him and his wife, told the countrys public broadcaster that he thought it was a scam. We quietly went to the bank where we were told theyll see if its real, he told the news organization. Three days later, we had the money in our bank account. Neither spouse is a U.S. citizen or resident two of the eligibility requirements to get a stimulus payment but the Austrian worked in the United States in the 1960s, the news organization said. The IRS didnt immediately respond to NJ Advance Medias request for comment. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage The Washington Post said it wasnt clear how many checks were cashed in Austria, but thats not the only country where people have wrongly received checks. According to a report from NPR last month, thousands of foreign workers on temporary work visas in the United States also received the payments. It said one tax preparation firm reported that it has clients from 129 countries who received the checks, including people from Brazil, Canada, China, India, Nigeria and South Korea. NPR said government officials explained that unintentional errors on tax returns could be the cause. It also noted that cashing the checks could result in a change in visa status or difficulties in reentering the United States. Those who received payments told NPR some checks were mailed to their former U.S. addresses and forwarded to them, while others said the checks were mailed to their overseas addresses. Its unknown how many payments were sent in error or how much money was sent wrongly to these foreign workers. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. New Delhi: US President Donald Trump attacked Democratic Vice President nominee Kamala Harris on Tuesday saying that she is not well liked and that it would be "an insult" to the US if she becomes the President. "People don`t like Kamala Harris -- nobody likes her. She can never be the first woman president of the US. It will be an insult to our country," Trump said while addressing a rally in North Carolina. In his attack, Trump said that it was interesting that Democratic President nominee Joe Biden picked Harris as his running mate in the upcoming elections despite her leaving the Presidential race. "She left the race (for president) and it`s interesting that they picked her because, in theory, they should win California but I don`t know, we will make them play for that. You always pick someone who is going up in the polls," Trump added. Trump trained his guns at Biden alleging that it was clear why China and the "rioters" want him to win because "they know his policies will be the downfall of America". "It`s very simple to remember -- if Biden wins, China wins, it is as simple as that. You have a situation where we build the greatest economy in the history of the world and we were forced to close it because the China plague came in and now we have opened it (the economy)," Trump said at a rally in North Carolina. The US Presidential elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, this year. A blaze tore through a refugees camp on the Greek island of Lesbos overnight, leaving roughly 12,000 people without shelter on Wednesday. No casualties have yet been reported but among those displaced at the Moria camp are 4,000 children, according to the United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR. "We're talking also about people who are vulnerable people, who have fled their country, so they already have physical or psychological traumas," Stella Nanou, spokesperson for UNHCR in Greece, told NBC News. "They need to be assisted as soon as possible." Image: Migrants sit inside the burnt Moria Camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on Sept. 9, 2020, after a major fire. (Anthi Pazianou / AFP - Getty Images) The cause of the fire, which has left the camp largely destroyed, is not yet known. Aid organizations are now scrambling to find temporary shelter for the refugees and asylum seekers to support them in the coming day, Nanou said. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was also convening an emergency ministerial meeting Wednesday morning to examine the situation and decide on measures to be taken, his office said. For months, UNHCR and other aid groups have been calling on improvements for what has been described as an "alarming" situation at the camp, Nanou said. The camp designed to host just 3,000 refugees was four times overcapacity. Refugees have been flooding the Greece's islands since the 2015 crisis, leaving Moria camp to host 20,000 refugees and asylum seekers at its peak. People at the camp were largely from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Palestine, Nanou said. While numbers have since declined, conditions remained overcrowded, unsanitary and unsafe when the fire sparked, Nanou said. More than half the population were living in makeshift shelters or summer tents. Image: Fire burns container houses and tents in the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece (Panagiotis Balaskas / AP) At least 400 unaccompanied children are among the group, as well as pregnant women and elderly people. One building had been identified as a possible shelter for those children Wednesday, Nanou said, while more tents and materials that can be used as makeshift tents are being collected. Story continues Tensions are also running high between the refugees and residents of nearby towns, she said, raising concerns this could cause conflicts as people are pushed from the camps into the wider community. "Our call to everyone is to exercise restraint," she said. Aid groups are also concerned about the spread of the coronavirus among refugees. At least 35 people have tested positive for the virus, Nanou said, and were under quarantine. "Those who were living in Moria are now left with nothing; already traumatized people have now lost what few belongings they had," Dimitra Kalogeropoulou, Greece country director for the International Rescue Committee said in a statement. Kalogeropoulou said support from the international community was needed to find a long term solution. "It is high time that EU countries work with the Greek government to urgently relocate refugees and asylum-seekers not only to the Greek mainland but also to other EU countries," she said. European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, who is responsible for migration matters, tweeted that he had been in touch with Greece's Prime Minister and assured him that the European Commission is ready to assist Greece immediately at all levels at this difficult time. While tragic, Nanou said the crisis may now force everyone to take much-needed action on the living conditions of the refugees. "Perhaps now, you know, there is an opportunity out of this disaster to identify some solutions for these people," she said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Gordon Ramsay worked for free last year after deciding not to take any salary from his company's profits. The celebrity TV chef, 53, is the director of Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Ltd which includes eateries such as his three Michelin star Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. A report filed to Companies House now shows that the chef didn't take any director's dividend from the profits which totalled 11.9m last year, reports The Sun. Boss: Gordon Ramsay worked for free last year after deciding not to take any salary from his own company's profits Gordon's company has an interest in fourteen London based restaurants and also has licence agreements for 10 others around the world. These include his three Michelin star Restaurant Godon Ramsay and the one Michelein star Petrus, as well as the Savoy Grill and Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay. The report also revealed that Gordon is planning on opening up to 50 sites over the next five years in the UK as well as 200 in Asia. One of the ventures named is the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in Macau, with the report suggesting that this should be open in the autumn of 2020. Chef: The star still makes money from his TV appearances (pictured on Hells Kitchen) And determined to make the most out of his business, Gordon is also set to launch an Academy to develop young chefs skills and passion. The chef has an estimated worth of 200m and this was the second year he didn't take any dividend. However his fellow director Andy Wenlock was paid a wage of 417,000. He also put in 7.4m of his own money as a 'loan' according to the report and has given 'personal guarantees totalling 5 million in respect of the Groups banking facility'. It comes after Gordon began reopening the first of his 35 restaurants in July after the business struggled during the coronavirus pandemic. However his ambitions to 'create a billion-dollar dining proposition' are undented by the Covid-19 pandemic that has devastated much of the hospitality trade. Gordon believes the new restaurants will create around 2,000 jobs in the UK including some in head office. Businessman: Gordon has several restaurants across London and is planning to open more around the world (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay restaurant pictured ) 'We have big dreams, big plans and a global strategy so ambitious it takes my breath away,' he has previously said. 'We have had to acknowledge and review the impact of the horrendous coronavirus pandemic. 'We continue to be optimistic and ambitious, knowing it is more important than ever before to invest in our industry, to support suppliers and to create jobs.' Gordon Ramsay Holdings said: 'GRNA (Gordon Ramsay North America) has exclusive rights to develop Gordon Ramsay branded restaurants in North America, Canada and the Caribbean where it has plans to open up to 200 restaurants as well as continuing to grow its very successful licence business with other partners. Getting back on track: The TV chef began reopening the first of his 35 restaurants in July after the business struggled during the coronavirus pandemic 'The pandemic has had a significant impact on the group. It is difficult to estimate how the outbreak will impact trading and for how long and the directors consider this as a level of uncertainty over which they have no control.' Despite the coronavirus, Gordon intends to launch a new 'Street Burger' outlet this winter, which will be modelled on his 15 all-you-can-eat Street Pizza brand. A second Hell's Kitchen is opening in Dubai the first is in Las Vegas and a Pub and Grill is scheduled to open in Macau in the autumn. While back in May, The Sun reported Ramsay had taken out loans with Barclays against 16 companies, which includes those managing some of his Michelin star outlets. The loans were intended to provide a lifeline to companies which manage some of the TV chef's flagship eateries, such as London's Savoy Grill and Petrus. Gordon prompted outrage by reportedly using the government's taxpayer funded furlough scheme to pay 500 workers sacked from his restaurants in March as the hospitality industry ground to a halt. It is understood that some of the workers made redundant by Ramsay are being paid via the furlough scheme that is estimated to cost the government around 80bn of taxpayers' money. The lockdown led Ramsay to lay off 500 employees in March, with no guarantee their jobs would be safe in the future. Chefs, waiters and other staff were called to a meeting and told their contracts were being terminated - rather than being furloughed on 80 per cent pay. BRIDGEPORT A city man jailed in Hawaii awaiting trial on burglary charges has been accused of killing a fellow inmate, according to correction officials. Oahu Community Correction Center staff were alerted to a report of an inmate-on-inmate assault around 9 p.m. Aug. 31, according to Toni Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the Hawaii Department of Public Safety. Schwartz said 62-year-old Vance Grace, who was pending trial on charges of promoting prison contraband, was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:43 p.m. The cause of death was not immediately released. Ezequiel Zayas, 27, was arrested and charged by the Hawaii Attorney Generals office with first-degree murder and second-degree murder, Schwartz said. He remains at OCCC, according to Schwartz. The Department of Public Safety is also conducting an internal administrative investigation into the incident. Zayas has ties to Connecticut and was reported missing to Bridgeport police last summer. Bridgeport police took a missing person report for Zayas on Aug. 9, 2019, after he hadnt been seen since July 29. On Aug. 23, 2019, Zayas mother notified Bridgeport police after she learned her son was being treated by a doctor in Honolulu. She told police her son wanted to come back to Connecticut. More than a month later, Zayas was charged with first-degree burglary by police in Hawaii on Sept. 22, 2019. The charges stemmed from a burglary of a Honolulu home while the owners were on vacation, police said. The homeowners said Zayas left a diary that they claimed included entries about each of the family members. The family was concerned Zayas may have been watching them and were granted a temporary retraining order against him. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9 By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) donated another $952,000 worth of medical supplies to the Uzbek Ministry of Health, Trend reports with reference to the ADB. UNICEF, with financial support from ADB and in agreement with the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan, has purchased personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers who provide medical services to patients with COVID-19. This includes 71,100 overalls and 8,000 shoe covers, as well as RNA Mini reagent kits, designed for high-quality and fast laboratory tests. Although the situation with COVID-19 in Uzbekistan is improving, we still need to be careful as the prevalence of the disease among people remains high, said ADB Country Director for Uzbekistan, Cindy Malvicini. We need to protect medical workers first as they are in a frontline. The PPE we procured with UNICEF will help give medical workers confidence that they can stay safe while attending to those infected. ADB remains committed to helping the people of Uzbekistan overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, added the ADB Country Director. All delivered equipment and PPE will be distributed across all regions of Uzbekistan, including remote areas. The availability of the necessary medical supplies such as PPE, test kits and essential medicines are very important both to control the spread of the disease and to ensure the continuity of essential medical services, said UNICEF Uzbekistan Country Director, Munir Mammadzade. UNICEF is always ready to assist the Ministry of Health in strengthening the procurement and supply of medical supplies, and expresses its gratitude to ADB for financial support, Mammadzade noted. UNICEF works under extremely difficult conditions to reach the most disadvantaged children. They operate in more than 190 countries and territories for the benefit of every child, everywhere in the world, striving to make them better for everyone. ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient Asia and the Pacific region while continuing its work to eradicate extreme poverty. ADB was established in 1966. Its members are 68 countries, 49 of which are countries of the Asia-Pacific region. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @romakayeva A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a Trump administration rule that narrowed the definition of joint employer, and which the attorneys general of 17 states and Washington, D.C. said would eliminate important labor protections for workers. U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods in Manhattan said the rule was arbitrary and capricious because the Department of Labor failed to justify it or account for its costs to workers, which the states estimated at more than $1 billion annually. In a 62-page decision, Woods also said the rule conflicted with the broader worker protections under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, adding that the Labor Department had recognized joint employer liability since 1939. Some background: Board Finalizes Rule Scaling Back Joint Employer Liability for Franchisees, Contractors A U.S. labor finalized a rule that will make it more difficult to hold companies liable for unlawful labor practices by franchisees and contractors, reversing a more worker-friendly Obama-era standard criticized by business groups. The rule by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) requires that companies have direct control over the working conditions of franchise and contract workers in order to be considered their joint employers. McDonalds Wins Battle With Labor, Avoids Joint Employer Liability with Franchises The Republican majority boards decision signals that the agency is unlikely to hold franchisers and companies that rely on contracted labor liable for labor law violations at their subsidiaries workplaces without strong evidence that the parent company directly controls the workers involved. If the Departments interpretation were clear (or even permissible), some court would have probably adopted its rationale, Woods wrote. But the Department has found not a one. Over eighty years later, this dog has yet to bark. Narrowing the joint employer standard has long been a goal of such companies as McDonalds, Amazon.com, FedEx and hotel operators that depend heavily on franchises or outsourcing. Led by New York and Pennsylvania, the mostly Democratic-leaning states said the administrations rule would make it harder to hold companies liable for violations by franchisees and contractors of minimum wage and overtime laws. A spokesman for the Labor Department said it is disappointed with the decision and will review its legal options. The attorneys general of New York and Pennsylvania had no immediate comment. Under the revised rule, companies would be treated as joint employers of franchise and contract workers if they set their pay, and controlled hiring and firing processes, among other factors. The rule set aside Obama administration guidance that the employment relationship hinge on economic realities, such as the work being performed and companies influence over the workplace environment. Woods was appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama. The case is New York et al v Scalia et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-01689. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Tom Brown and Lincoln Feast) Topics Legislation USA Commercial Lines Business Insurance New York Indian Air Force all set to induct five Rafale jets at Ambala on Thursday India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Sep 09: The Indian Air Force will on Thursday formally induct its latest Rafale fighter jets at the Ambala airbase in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh, officials said Wednesday. French defence minister Florence Parly and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria will attend the ceremony, they added. The two ministers are likely to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the event. It can be seen that as many as five of the 36 Rafales ordered by the Indian Air Force arrived at the Ambala airbase on July 29. India had ordered the jets from France in a government-to-government deal worth Rs 59,000 crore in September 2016. While the air chief and other IAF officials welcomed the Rafales and the pilots on arrival, a formal induction ceremony is being held on September 10. Why India can never let its guard down against Christian missionaries and their NGOs Meanwhile, the next batch comprising three or four Rafale jets is expected to reach Ambala from France in October, followed by a third batch in December, the officials said. All deliveries will be completed by the end of 2021. According to reports, India's new Rafale fighters will significantly improve the offensive capabilities of the air force with their advanced weaponry, high-tech sensors, superior radar for detection and tracking of targets and ability to carry an impressive payload. Fake: Old image of India-China soldiers being passed of as clashes in Ladakh The weaponry in the Rafale includes Meteor, beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, Mica, multi-mission air-to-air missiles, and Scalp, deep-strike cruise missiles-weapons that allow fighter pilots to attack air and ground targets from standoff ranges and fill a significant capability gap. Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News However, the Indian Air Force could deploy its new fighter jets in the Ladakh sector as part of India's overarching plan to strengthen its military posture in the region, where Indian and Chinese forces are locked in a tense border confrontation and military friction has grown in recent weeks. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, September 9, 2020, 12:17 [IST] BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9 Trend: The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has made a statement on the occasion of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend on Sept. 9. September 9 is the International Day to Protect Education from Attack following Resolution 74/275 of the United Nations General Assembly adopted on May 28, 2020. The Republic of Azerbaijan, being a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, as well as to the 1949 Geneva Conventions for the Protection of War Victims, has strongly and consistently supported international efforts aimed at ensuring effective protection for the rights of children and improving the situation of children affected by armed conflict, the message said. The ongoing armed aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan has inflicted serious damage upon the education infrastructure of Azerbaijan, the message said. Some 1,107 educational facilities and 855 kindergartens in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan were destroyed. As a result of ethnic cleansing policy, all Azerbaijanis, including schoolchildren, students, and teachers have been expelled from their native lands in Armenia proper and the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the message said. Tens of thousands Azerbaijani refugee and internally displaced boys and girls continue to realize their right to education under the shadow of serious challenges stemming from their continued displacement. Many others along the line of confrontation attend their classes under the constant threat of being attacked by indiscriminate shelling of armed forces of Armenia, despite the formal ceasefire, the message said. Thus, as a result of heavy indiscriminate shelling of armed forces of Armenia in April 2016 alone, many schools in the Goranboy, Tartar, Aghdam and Aghjabedi districts of Azerbaijan were seriously damaged, the secondary school of the Sarijaly village of the Aghdam district attended by 220 schoolchildren was destroyed. While joining the international community in marking September 9 as the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, we underline Armenias responsibility for war crimes it has committed concerning Azerbaijani schoolchildren, the message said. In the context of realization of the vision of this remarkable day, we underline the utmost necessity of ending the impunity for the above-mentioned crimes through bringing all perpetrators into justice. Armenia must implement the demands of the four resolutions of the UN Security Council 1993 (822, 853, 874 and 884) to enable tens of thousands Azerbaijani children to realize their right to education in safety, the message said. Azerbaijan counts on support and solidarity of the international community, in this regard. 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. For the first time, scientists have viewed the deepest regions of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, discovered five undescribed species consisting of black corals and sponges, and recorded Australia's first observation of an extremely rare fish. They also took critical habitat samples that will lead to a greater understanding of the spatial relationships between seabed features and the animals found in the Coral Sea. The complex and scientifically challenging research was completed aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor, on its fourth expedition of the year, as part of the Institute's Australia campaign. Using a remotely operated underwater robot to view high-resolution video of the bottom of the ocean floor, some 1,820 meters deep, the science team examined deep sea bathymetry, wildlife, and ecosystems. The collaborative mission brought together scientists from Geoscience Australia, James Cook University, University of Sydney, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Queensland Museum Network, and Queensland University of Technology, to answer a range of questions about the geological evolution and biology of the deep sea canyons and reefs. "This included the most comprehensive midwater robotic dive survey series to ever have been conducted in the South Pacific," said Dr. Brendan Brooke, the expedition's lead scientist from Geoscience Australia. "Research vessel Falkor has integrated a range of technologies that have allowed us to work across the full range of ocean depths in the Coral Sea and to provide data for multiple disciplines including geology, biology, and oceanography." During the expedition, researchers took the deepest samples ever collected of soft coral and scleractinian coral in the Coral Sea. They also collected the first sample of ancient bedrock beneath the Great Barrier Reef, estimated to be between 40 and 50 million years old. Scientists made the first recorded observation in Australia of the extremely rare fish Rhinopias agroliba , a colorful and well-camouflaged ambush predator in the scorpionfish family. The cruise also included the most comprehensive survey of midwater jellyfish in the South Pacific. In addition to the underwater dives, high-resolution mapping of the seafloor was conducted and covered 38,395 square kilometers, an area three times greater than Sydney. The maps include all the major coral atolls on the Queensland Plateau within the Coral Sea Marine Park and an 80-kilometer section of canyons off the northern Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. "These maps, samples, and images are fascinating and provide a new understanding of the geological diversity and biological wealth of a region that is already world-renowned for its natural beauty," said Dr. Jyotika Virmani, executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute. "The data will help marine park managers to protect these ecosystems that are so vital for our global biodiversity and human health. " Live streaming of the 18 underwater robotic dives via Schmidt Ocean's channel on YouTube and 112 hours of high definition underwater video during the month-long expedition, which ended August 30, allowed the science team to share their knowledge and excitement of the voyage's discoveries with the world. Through the livestreams, the scientists could interact directly with the public via chat and commentary. "Schmidt Ocean Institute and the technology that it has brought to Australia is a huge enabler in better understanding our marine resources from a lens of diverse disciplines," said Dr. Scott Nichol, one of the lead expedition scientists from Geoscience Australia. "This work brings new understanding and will keep the scientists busy for years." ### Roberto Azevedo stepped down as director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on August 31, becoming the first to do so before the end of his term. Azevedo's surprise announcement was made in May, and the Brazilian was in the third year of his second four-year term. Eight candidates from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America are vying for the post, but world events are rapidly making this competition irrelevant. There is no U.S. candidate, nor does there need to be one, as Washington should shun the WTO as an organization that is not just useless, but illegitimate. The WTO is based on the principle that "A country should not discriminate between its trading partners and should not discriminate between its own and foreign products, services or nationals." This means national governments cannot protect their own people. Indeed, the WTO claims the authority to declare national laws to be illegal and to authorize sanctions. Who in a democracy would support leaders who abandon their constituents, their countrymen, in international competition? Even in vital contests with foreign adversaries, citizens can get no help from their governments. They are on their own in a hostile world. A starker rejection of the social contract would be hard to imagine. On the larger canvas of international relations, the WTO principle holds that there can be no distinction made between allies and enemies as trading partners. American should accord England and China the same trust. Security considerations can no longer apply to the transfer of goods, capital, or technology. It is, after all, such a peaceful world, no one will ever use their enhanced resources to build weapons aimed at us. The economic basis of the international balance of power is no longer a concern because the balance of power is no longer a concern. Or so the globalist ideology that spawned the WTO would have it. We are just citizens of the world. If your neighbor loses his job because the work is now being done in China, there is nothing to worry about because Chinese workers are your neighbors too. In the globalist business model, there are only factors of production with no identity. During the debate over the creation of the WTO during the Clinton administration, its proponents argued that those who opposed globalization were isolationists. This was a nonsense charge as nations and empires have long pursued global ambitions while keeping an eye on their economies. To mobilize the means to project power into the wider world, governments must development domestic industries and attend to the international flow of wealth and resources. This is not isolationism, it is strategy. Globalization was the rejection of state-directed trade and finance. Everything was to be turned over to transnational corporations with no allegiance to any country. This was done in the name of efficiency measured by profits. There would be a global division of labor that would generate interdependence as the foundation for peace. This idea had its roots in two centuries of classical liberal ideology, but its record of success was lacking. Trotted out at the end of every war to end all wars since the Treaty of Paris in 1763, those it has mislead have paid a heavy price by leaving their societies weakened and vulnerable when new threats inevitably arose. The 1990s was a period of immense corruption hiding behind liberal ideals. Communities across America were gutted as companies went out of business or relocated to distant lands; not by the invisible hands of academic theory but by the very visible, grasping hands of corporate managers and foreign officials. The Chinese made the largest gains from globalization and are now its strongest defenders. Beijing did not withdraw government control from international economics, and has in every way discriminated in its own interest. It is ironic that those transnational corporations that had "escaped" regulation by the U.S. government under the banner of free trade were firmly captured in Chinas sovereign grip; forced to surrender control of enterprises and technology to a power determined to displace them both at home and abroad. Beijings opening up was a hungry maw gobbling down resources from overseas to strengthen its own capabilities. A September 3 editorial in China Daily expressed the hope that the next WTO leader will reverse the organization's downslide and save globalization The post-pandemic world needs a robust global industrial chain and high-speed market operation to offset losses. China wants to retain its grip on key industrial chains with access to export markets to recover from the coronavirus it released on the world. Beijing has practiced what British historian Bernard Semmel called free trade imperialism. Great Britain became the workshop of the world by the middle of the 19th century by creating industries that could outcompete rivals in an open system. China has done the same, but on a less noble basis. London led the Industrial Revolution and built its superiority on innovation. Beijing built its edge on cheap labor backed by stolen technology. The market, however, does not judge on merits, only on results. Other nations erected trade barriers to protect the development of their economies by the end of the 19th century. The U.S. and Germany were the most successful and surpassed England in output as the 20th century dawned. Today, similar measures must be taken across the world to decouple from China and regain control over domestic economies. An earlier China Daily column voiced the regimes claim that it is too late for the world to escape Beijings control, Even if more regionalized and diversified supply chains would reduce risks, China retains considerable competitive advantages in many areas, such as electronics and machinery and equipment manufacturing. It cannot be replaced, at least not in the near term and the world may now be more dependent on China than China is on the world. The just released Pentagon report on the Military and Security Developments Involving the Peoples Republic of China demonstrates why decoupling cannot be delayed. It presents Chinas military-civilian fusion (MCF) strategy for converting commercial success into national power. While MCF has broader purposes than acquiring foreign technology, in practice, MCF means there is not a clear line between the PRCs civilian and military economies, raising due diligence costs for U.S. and global entities that do not desire to contribute to the PRCs military modernization. The broad measures taken by the Trump administration against China have been based on national security concerns. These actions have not been taken through the WTO, which would only have delayed them at best or sidelined them at worst. The U.S. does not need a permission slip from an illegitimate foreign body to protect its security, independence, and prosperity. The globalization moment has come and gone. The 2017 "National Security Strategy" embraced the world as it is, an arena of Great Power competition where wealth and power are up for grabs and security cannot be taken for granted. The fate of the national economy cannot be left to chance or the whim of those who care nothing for the larger consequences of their actions. They certainly cannot be left vulnerable to the plans of foreign strategists who wish to do us existential harm. There is no place for the WTO or the sophistry that spawned it. Archives around the world are filled with documents that no longer have any meaning except to historians. The WTO can join the pile simply by being ignored. William R. Hawkins is an economist and widely published author in the fields of national security and international economics with a long career in academe, think tanks and on Capitol Hill. Image: WTO Since June 2019, Jo Ann Vaught has been making the 130-mile trip each month from Loris, near Myrtle Beach, to Charleston to get her husband the treatment he needs at the VA hospital. When she has to rest her head between moments of comforting him, she said the Fisher House on Wentworth Street has been her "home away from home." Fisher House, where guests stay free of charge as either a veteran or service member, is for those who receive care at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. It has become a necessity for hundreds of South Carolina families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the home continues to house anyone who needs a place to stay and offers help during the financial and physical hardships caused by the virus. But it hasn't been easy. Part of the mission of Fisher House is to make the environment as comfortable, friendly and familiar as possible. But in a COVID-19 world, everything has changed. Meals that were typically served family-style are now prepackaged. Mingling that was once encouraged in the dining room and common areas has been curbed. A full-house of 16 rooms has now been reduced to eight, to increase social distancing. In these economic hard times, having free meals and free lodging is a godsend for many families. But Fisher House is also in need of assistance. To help provide for guests, the Friends of Fisher House has raised funds to subsidize costs associated with the home's mission. That comes as charitable organizations are hurting. A recent survey from the Charities Aid Foundation of America found that 96.5 percent of respondents reported experiencing negative impacts related to the virus nationwide, including a drop in contributions. Kent Hutchinson, treasurer for Friends of Fisher House, said the home isn't immune to those financial impacts and that flagging contribution numbers have been "terrible" compared with past years. "We have been getting around $4,000 or $5,000 a month in contributions," Hutchinson said. "But last year we were getting $14,000 or $15,000 a month." Despite the financial hardships, Fisher House hasn't turned anyone away. Still, there are stories of those trying to make do. Because of high hotel room prices in the Holy City, up to 25 percent of treated veterans had family members sleeping in their hospital room or in their vehicle, according to Fisher House. Additionally, Charleston's VA has had some COVID-19 patients 20 at one point, spokeswoman Tonya Lobbestael said. As a result, family visits have mostly been prohibited. Sign up for our SC Military Digest newsletter Get exclusive military reporting, updates from Palmetto State bases, headlines from around the globe and more delivered to your inbox each Tuesday. Email Sign up! Fisher House also doesn't know which veterans are being treated for COVID-19 or if their families may have been exposed to the virus. So, the challenge becomes trying to accommodate as many people as safely possible in the 15,000-square-foot, 16-bedroom home. With help from the VA, numerous precautions have been taken to stop the spread of COVID-19. When guests arrive, they have their temperatures taken immediately. They are given branded Fisher House masks (that come in blue, black or camouflage). The operation has added touchless soap and water dispensers throughout the home. Silverware and food items are individually packaged. In the rooms, remote controls are wrapped and plastic seals are placed around all of the toilets. Elevator buttons, door handles and tables are routinely washed by staff members. "The staff is very thorough," said Vicki Johnson, manager of Fisher House. "And we need to be, because these families rely on us. On average, people stay about six days. The longest stay we had was a family from Florence who stayed for 10 months." Since the pandemic arrived in South Carolina in March, Fisher House has put up more 122 families. "It's a very safe haven," Vaught said. "And they take all the precautions to make it comfortable for us in times like this." Nearly 2,000 families have stayed at Fisher House since it opened in 2018 for more than 8,000 nights of lodging. With the average price of a hotel room being about $120, it has amounted to more than $1 million in savings. There's also a sharing of stories. In each of the rooms is a small journal on a desk. Guests are encouraged to write in it as their family members are receiving treatment. Some of the entries are sad, and talk about the hardships they face when a loved one is getting treatment. But there is also a glimmer of gratitude and thankfulness for being able to stay at the Fisher House, too. "If I was not so worried about my husband, I would have thought I was on vacation," a guest wrote in one of the journals in July. Hutchinson said he hopes a major letter-writing campaign, and the upcoming holiday, will encourage people to donate to the nonprofit that helps run Fisher House. Financial worries aside, he knows they won't turn away anyone soon. The Supreme Court has ruled that the width of the Char Dham highway, an ambitious 900-kilometre project that promises to offer all-weather connectivity to four Hindu pilgrimage centres in Uttarakhand, and the ancillary benefit of facilitating rapid movement of Indian military forces to areas adjoining its border with China, shall not exceed the 5.5 metres specified in 2018 by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) for roads under construction in mountainous terrain. The matter came up for hearing before a bench headed by justice R F Nariman which told solicitor general Tushar Mehta on Tuesday that the ministrys guidelines should apply to the two-lane highway, which will connect Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. All you have to do is to go by your 2018 guidelines. How can you not go by your own guidelines? the bench asked Mehta after hearing Ravi Chopra, chairman of the high-powered committee (HPC) formed by the apex court last year to review the environmental impact of the project. The court accepted the final report submitted by the committee, some members of which have differed with the central government on the width of the highway. The Centre has been in favour of a two-lane highway with a width of seven metres; some HPC members , including Chopra, contended that such a broad road would be dangerous for the fragile Himalayan ecology that is highly susceptible to landslides. In its order published on Wednesday, the apex court rejected Mehtas suggestion that the 2018 circular on road width was prospective in nature and not meant for projects under construction. Tushar Mehta, learned Solicitor General, persisted with his arguments that the 2018 circular is only prospective in nature. We are well aware of the distinction between something which is retrospective in the sense that it applies for the first time to projects which are already completed as opposed to ongoing projects, where it is necessary to take stock of the current situation and then move forward, the court said. Having taken stock of the current situation and of the fragility generally of the ecosystem in mountain terrain, we are of the view that this argument has no legs to stand on, the order read. It also says that plantations should be taken up in stretches affected by landslides and construction activity. Solicitor general Mehta submitted to the court an affidavit by MoRTH hich said a width of seven metres was required for strategic roads connecting to international borders such as the one between India and China on which military vehicles ply. Mehta said the argument that the intermediate carriageways width should no exceed 5.5 metres was a minority view in the committee. The advocate who represented the petitioner Citizens of Green Doon and Ors, a Dehradun-based environmental group, said the contentious issue of the highways width had been addressed by the apex court. The SC has clearly said that in the Char Dham projects intermediate lane configuration with road width of 5.5 metres has to be followed, as per the MoRTHs circular of 2018 meant for hilly and mountainous regions. The Centres plan of building a seven-metre wide highway will not be considered. I have highlighted that a lot of damage has been done to the fragile ecology of the Himalayas. Now, the damages have to be mitigated, said the advocate, Sanjay Parikh. Several landslides were triggered by construction work on the Char Dham highway this year, according to the committee that reviewed its environmental impact.. The affidavit, seen by HT, said that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) was engaged by the ministry to carry out landslide susceptibility mapping of vulnerable areas in Uttarakhand. The exercise revealed that around half of Uttarakhand is highly or moderately susceptible to landslides, establishing that the work on the Char Dham highway is not the only factor responsible for the phenomenon. MoRTH cited a report by the Disaster Management Centre of Uttarakhand, which showed that between January 1 and August 28, 66 people were killed, 40 injured and 419 buildings destroyed by natural disasters in the state. Landslides claimed 22 lives; 38 died because of flash floods. Chopra, the chairman of the committee, submitted a detailed report to the ministry of environment on August 13 citing environmental lapses and violations that took place during the construction of the Char Dham highway.The report said the developer carried out extensive work such as felling of thousands of trees without the clearance of the ministry. Works such as hill cutting, digging and dumping of muck is in gross violation of the Forest Conservation (FC) Act, 1980, which has resulted in massive damage to the ecology of these valleys, the report added. In August last year, the apex court cleared the decks for the Char Dham highway project by modifying a National Green Tribunal order to constitute a high-powered committee to look into environmental concerns. It said the committee shall consider the cumulative and independent impact of the Char Dham project on the entire Himalayan valley. (PTI contributed to this story) LOWELL, Mass., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Versatope Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing vaccines and therapeutics, announced today that it has been awarded a Phase 1 Small Business and Innovation Award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a novel vaccine for the prevention and possible treatment for Clostridioides difficile, also known as C. diff. Computer-assisted visualization of the seven-subunit assembly of the toxin B of C. difficile. The C. diff toxins assemble into a large molecular complex and part of the toxin will be expressed on the surface of exosome-like membrane vesicles. Carlos Faerman, Versatope Therapeutics, Inc. 2020 C. diff is a bacterium that causes diarrhea and colitis (an inflammation of the colon). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are about 500,000 cases in the United States annually, with almost 20% infection recurrence within 2-8 weeks. Approximately 1 in 11 infected people over the age of 65 die of the C. diff infection, or 15,000 people per year. The NIAID grant will support Versatope's goal of producing a C. diff vaccine designed to protect against recurring disease by using exosome-like bacterial vesicles. NIAID funding will support early stage manufacturing, stability and preclinical studies to demonstrate safety and tolerability. "The support from NIAID will enable Versatope to apply its bioinformatic and structure-based vaccine approach to new bacterial infection targets and deliver novel C. diff vaccine candidates," said Christopher Locher, Ph.D., CEO of Versatope Therapeutics, Inc. "We are proud to have Versatope as an M2D2 resident company. They are a talented, top-notch team and it is very rewarding to watch their successes as they develop a novel vaccine technology," said Mary Ann Picard, University of Massachusetts Lowell Director of Operations, M2D2. "I am excited that Versatope has received this well-deserved funding for their program for preventing C. difficile infection and recurrence. I look forward to working with them for the development of a vaccine to treat the urgent threat of this pathogen," said William J. Weiss, University of North Texas College of Pharmacy, Director of Preclinical Services. "We are proud to have Versatope as part of the Massachusetts life sciences community and look forward to their successes as they advance their cutting-edge vaccine technology for patients around the world," said Robert K. Coughlin, President & CEO of MassBio. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Award no. R43AI149901, entitled, "Novel C. Difficile Vaccine Using Nano-vesicle Delivery System." About Versatope Therapeutics Versatope Therapeutics, Inc., is a start-up biotechnology company based at the University of Massachusetts M2D2 focused on the development of an immunotherapy platform using recombinant vesicles from probiotic bacteria. The company combines bioinformatics, synthetic biology, chemistry, and leverages the therapeutic applications of the rOMV technology to create new vaccines and therapeutics. Learn more about Versatope Therapeutics at www.versatope.com and on Twitter @VersatopeRx. Versatope Contact: Christopher Locher, PhD, CEO +1 781 879-3119 [email protected] SOURCE Versatope Therapeutics Related Links http://www.versatope.com On Tuesday, Shiv Sena's IT cell filed a complaint against actor Kangana Ranaut seeking an FIR under 'charges of sedition' for comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Senas Thane legislator Pratap Sarnaik also called for a case of sedition to be registered against Ranaut. Reacting to this, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy questioned the Maharashtra Government that "on what basis does it want Kangana to be booked on the charge of Sedition?'' '...wholly inapplicable to Kangana' Taking to Twitter, Subramanian Swamy further asked, "Which sections of which act has been invoked.?" Then, he said that according to his knowledge, "the only section is of IPC 124A which is wholly inapplicable to Kangana for whatever she has done or spoken." On what basis does Maharashtra Governments wants Kangana to be booked on charge of Sedition? Which Sections of which Act has been invoked. According to my knowledge the only Section is of IPC 124A which is wholly inapplicable to Kangana for whatever she has done or spoken. Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 8, 2020 Last week, Kangana Ranauts comments about Mumbai and the citys police force sparked a political row, with Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh saying she has no right to stay in Mumbai. The controversy erupted after Ranaut tweeted that Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut had issued an open threat to her to not return to the city if she had no faith in the Mumbai Police. Kangana to arrive in Mumbai on September 9 Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut also used a cuss word against the Manikarnika actor. The latter has been granted Y-grade security by the Centre. NCW has also stepped in and NCW chief Rekha Sharma has demanded protection for the actor. Kangana who is currently in Himachal Pradesh has announced that she will return to Mumbai on September 9. Taking to Twitter, Kangana then said that she has decided to return as many people are threatening her to not come back to Mumbai. READ | In NEET-JEE row, Subramanian Swamy says 'almost impossible to ask SC to reverse order' READ | 'Postpone NEET if classes won't start till 2021 amid COVID crisis,' says Subramanian Swamy I see many people are threatening me to not come back to Mumbai so I have now decided to travel to Mumbai this coming week on 9th September, I will post the time when I land at the Mumbai airport, kisi ke baap mein himmat hai toh rok le https://t.co/9706wS2qEd Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 4, 2020 Union minister Ramdas Athawale, however, said that Republican Party of India (RPI) will provide security to Ranaut. Everyone is entitled to air their views and stay in any part of the country. It is wrong on the part of Sena to threaten her. My RPI activists will offer her protection, said Athawale. Kangana has in the past two months slammed Mumbai Police for their sham investigation in Sushant Singh Rajput case and has shared explosive details on Bollywood's drug nexus in her interview to Republic TV. READ | Subramanian Swamy questions EAM Jaishankar's scheduled meeting with Chinese FM in Moscow READ | Subramanian Swamy attacks 'rogue' BJP IT cell; seeks sacking of 'one Malviya character' An official at the Department of Homeland Security said in a whistle-blower complaint released Wednesday that he was pressured by agency leaders to suppress details in his intelligence reports that President Donald Trump might find objectionable, including intelligence on Russian interference in the election and the threat posed by white supremacists. The complaint alleges that former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, current acting Secretary Chad Wolf and his deputy, Ken Cuccinelli, repeatedly wanted intelligence assessments changed in ways that would support administration policies or avoid offending the president. Brian Murphy says in a whistle-blower complaint filed with the agency's inspector general that he was demoted for refusing to alter his intelligence reports in an 'illegal and improper' manner. A whistleblower said acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf told him to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference to the U.S. because it 'made the president look bad' The whistleblower also alleged Wolf's deputy Ken Cuccinelli (left) and his predecessor former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (right) had made similar asks on topics like the threat posed by white supremacists The former FBI agent and Marine Corps veteran had served as principal deputy under secretary in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. In August, he was demoted to assistant to the deputy under secretary for DHS Management. 'Mr. Murphy is, put simply, a dedicated public servant who has had a laudable career prior to the recent events that have led to the submission of this package to the OIG,' his complaint states. 'Prior to his current circumstances, he had never had so much as a negative fitness report in his professional career with the U.S. Government.' In one example, he said Nielsen and her deputies pressed him to exaggerate the number of migrants with links to terrorism who have been detained at the Southwest border. Murphy said she falsely used a higher figure in testimony to Congress. The complaint says Wolf, who has been nominated to be secretary by Trump, directed Murphy to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference to the U.S. because it 'made the President look bad.' Murphy said he declined because it would be a violation of his duties not to do it. He said Cuccinelli directed him to modify a section of a report on white supremacy to make the threat appear less severe, and to include information on left-wing groups to echo administration talking points around civil unrest following the protests over the killing of George Floyd. A copy of the complaint was released Wednesday by Rep. Adam Schiff of the House Intelligence Committee. Schiff says he has asked Murphy to testify to Congress. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press. A boy miraculously recovered from a rare inflammatory disease linked to COVID-19 and will be discharged from the hospital this week. At Monash Children's Hospital in Melbourne, a nine-year-old boy was admitted to the intensive care unit with a severe immune response condition known as the paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS-TS), as per The Age. The boy was one of the first Australian children to contain the condition. According to the doctors, there have been a tiny number of confirmed PIMS-TS cases in the country, with a few children who are still under investigation. The boy was first admitted in another Melbourne hospital last week after experiencing fever, abdominal pain, and a red rash. The doctors, who examined the child, diagnosed him with the syndrome. He was then transferred to Monash, where he was given proper treatment with intravenous antibodies. Steroids were also used to dampen his immune response and blood thinner medication to avoid the risk of blood clots. Professor Jim Buttery, the hospital's head of infection and immunity, said: "He's made an excellent recovery." Buttery added that the hospital, where the boy was first presented, made an excellent and immediate diagnosis; thus, the child was able to receive therapy early. "He's likely to be going home this week, which is great news," Buttery said. The PIMS-TS is a rare illness that involves swelling of blood vessels in the body. The syndrome can trigger a temperature, swollen glands in the neck, and rash. Children have largely been spared from the worst health outcomes of COVID-19. But in April this year, a cluster of PIMS-TS cases among children in Britain prompted an urgent alert to doctors worldwide. After developing the disease, there are at least three children across the world that have died. The PIMS-TS is similar to Kawasaki disease that has the same symptoms of fever and peeling skin. However, it is not yet verified if PIMS-TS is a classic Kawasaki disease. The condition commonly occurs in early adolescence or primary-school-aged children. The Lancet published a recent study that detailed 78 cases reported by paediatric units in Britain in April and May. The findings indicated that boys and those from ethnic minorities were over-presented. The average age of affected children was 11. After two to six weeks of contracting COVID-19, the PIMS-TS appears to children. The disease has also been found in Switzerland, Spain, and France. A recent Latin Post report noted that PIMS is known as a multisystem inflammatory syndrome or (MIS-C), a new and mysterious disease that affects hundreds of children worldwide. The disease could develop after contracting the coronavirus. The light case of COVID-19 does not guarantee that the condition won't be very serious or fatal. A neonatologist from the University of Texas Health Science Centre, Alvaro Moreira, told the UT Health that children do not need to exhibit upper respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 to develop MIS-C, which is frightening. PIMS-TS or MIS-C causes severe inflammation in several parts of the body, including lungs, heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, skin, etc. The amount of the inflammation in PIMS-TS is worse than the Kawasaki disease, as per Moreira. Check these out: Post COVID-19 Syndrome: A New Mysterious Disease That May Affect Children Even Worse J&J Recruits 20,000 People in Latin America for the COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to COVID-19 Risk, New Study Finds Bishkek, Sep 9 : Amid Covid-19 pandemic, Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday celebrated Komuz Day, which falls on September 9 annually. Komuz is a traditional string instrument used in Central Asian music, and is widely recognized as a national symbol of Kyrgyzstan, Xinhua news agency reported. "For our people, the komuz is not just a traditional musical instrument, but along with the pinnacle of our culture -- Manas epic -- is an inexhaustible heritage that tells through melodies the glorious path of ancestors to future generations," President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said in an address to the nation to mark Komuz Day. To honor the holiday, the country's culture ministry announced Komuz Week, starting from September 13. However, taking into account the current epidemiological situation, all related activities will be carried out online. A decree on the celebration of Komuz Day, as an integral part of the culture of the Kyrgyz people, was signed by Jeenbekov in July 2019. Teenage naturalist Dara McAnulty has won this year's Wainwright Prize for nature writing with his passionate portrayal of his intense connection with the natural world. The 16-year-old from Castlewellan in Co Down, who has autism, said he was "stunned, honoured and deeply humbled" by the accolade after he enthralled this year's judging panel with his breathtaking account of his explorations into the natural world. His debut book, Diary Of A Young Naturalist, charts his encounters with wildlife and nature which act as an antidote to his struggles with everyday life, the clatter of classrooms, the sensory overload of shopping centres and his problems with social integration. Dara's mother Roisin, and younger siblings, brother Lorcan and sister Blathnaid, are also autistic. In his book, Dara recounts his life as he and his family move across Northern Ireland, transporting him away from his beloved forest, called Big Dog, near his previous home in Co Fermanagh, and the added challenges of changing schools and dealing with bullying. The book evolved from his wildlife blog, Young Fermanagh Naturalist, which he began when he was 12, charting how he finds peace in his connection with nature, diarised from spring equinox to spring equinox, from his 14th to 15th birthday. Reviewers loved Diary Of A Young Naturalist, praising the "both spirited and spiritual" prose and how the "depth of his feeling illuminates every page of this miraculous memoir" Dara was named as the youngest ever winner of a major literary prize at an online ceremony yesterday evening. In his acceptance speech, Dara said: "It is an astounding moment not just for me but for young people, young writers, young nature-lovers. "This tells our community that our voices matter, our ideas (are) worthy, our stories captivating. "When young autistic people are nurtured and accepted, miraculous things can happen and this is certainly one of them." Chair of the judging panel, TV presenter Julia Bradbury, praised Diary of a Young Naturalist as "a significant nature book" and all the more remarkable "because it is Dara McAnulty's first, completed before his 16th birthday". She added: "Our Wainwright Prize winner this year is nuanced, passionate and caring. "It's a wonderful diary that fits around Dara's personal endeavours and family experiences, but ultimately, shaped by the nature that surrounds us all. The judges were almost breathless from reading it and would like to call for it to be immediately listed on the national curriculum. "Such is the book's power to move and the urgency of the situation we face," Julia said. Named after nature writer Alfred Wainwright, the prize is run in association with the National Trust, and aims to reward outstanding literary titles inspired by the general outdoors and UK nature and travel. Last year's winner was Underland by Robert Macfarlane. Dara has also campaigned to end the persecution of birds of prey, fundraised for wildlife organisations and been a voice in the #IWill campaign for youth social action. He is currently writing a children's book and says he plans to donate the 2,500 prize money to his school's environmental group, Roots and Shoots at Shimna Integrated College "to attempt to enhance people's lives". Adrian and Gracie Cooper, the husband and wife team behind Dara's publisher Little Toller, based in Dorset, called him "an inspiration for us all". "I hope this prize will urge other small presses to keep doing what they do, overcoming adversity to nurture writers, challenge stereotypes, stretch boundaries and keep finding inventive and passionate ways to connect writers with readers," they said. IONE, CA, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Purebase Corporation (OTCQB: PUBC), a diversified resource company, headquartered in Ione, California, today announces several updates to its production of next-generation, carbon-reducing supplementary cementing materials (SCMs). Recent ASTM Certification for Purebase eMK-25 For the last two years, Purebase has been developing SCMs with industry experts and universities to address the issue of excessive greenhouse gas emissions in the production of cement. In April 2020, Purebases eMK-25, received two certifications from an accredited lab based on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Specifically, the certifications ASTM C618 and ASTM C1567. This milestone marks a major step towards commercialization for eMK-25 to be used in all cement mixes. Significant Greenhouse Emissions Reductions The cement industry currently represents 8% of the world's annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and for every ton of cement produced, approximately one ton of carbon is added to the earths atmosphere. Purebases eMK-25 can help reduce this emission significantly because it is a natural pozzolan that requires significantly less energy needed to produce regular cement. When cement is replaced with eMK-25, there is an immediate reduction of the amount of greenhouse gas (carbon footprint) produced. A Changing Regulatory Environment in the U.S. West In November 2019, Marin County, California became the first county in the United States to require that all construction projects in development within the city and county of Marin use a low carbon concrete. Other municipalities that are considering or enacting low carbon concrete requirements include the cities of Portland (Oregon), Alameda (California), Berkeley (California), and San Francisco (California). Within the Marin County low carbon concrete code is the regulation of the Upfront Embodied Carbon, which measures the greenhouse gases emitted during the material extraction, transportation and manufacturing of the concrete. Because Purebase has access to certain resources in the State of California that are not available to competitors, it may have a lower Upfront Embodied Carbon as defined by Marin Countys code, which could be an important logistical advantage for Purebase, as new regulations get passed throughout the Western United States. Purebases President and CEO, Scott Dockter stated, Getting ASTM Certifications is a major step towards getting our new SCMs into the West Coast markets, but were developing new SCMS as well. He further added, In August, we completed trials on a second SCM that is targeting a different segment of the concrete industry. This second SCM is currently at an independent third party lab for certification based on ASTM standards, and we hope to have certification by mid-October. About Purebase Corporation Purebase Corporation (OTCQB: PUBC) is a diversified resource company that acquires, develops and markets minerals for use in the agriculture, construction and other specialty industries. Contacts David Harvey | Purebase Corporation david.harvey@purebase.com, and please visit our corporate website and subscribe to our upcoming Newsletter www.purebase.com/newsletter Safe Harbor On the other hand, some colleges that have practiced careful surveillance are largely controlling the disease. Boston University, where all undergraduates get tested twice a week, has only 21 active cases of Covid-19. It has the advantage of being in a state with a declining case count. Duke, in North Carolina, is not so lucky, but it has kept its number of confirmed positive cases to 52 so far by conducting pooled tests and quarantining contacts of possibly infected people as they wait for results. Neighboring University of North Carolina and North Carolina State failed to be as careful at the start of the year; their students have had to be sent home to study remotely. Calls to Lifeline's 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention hotline have broken the organisation's 57-year record, with 3326 calls on Tuesday, a 30 per cent increase on the same day last year. The fallout from a global recession could cause a mental health pandemic that will last longer than the physical health pandemic, Lifeline's chairman John Brogden writes in an opinion piece published in the Herald on Thursday to mark World Suicide Prevention Day and RU-OK? Day. John Brogden, chairman of Lifeline. "When people lose their job, they lose their family, they lose their home and they risk losing their life," said Mr Brogden, who is also chief executive of Landcom. The former senior Liberal MP describes himself as a 51-year-old man with depression and suicidal ideation that he lives with every day. "I'm not normal. What the hell is normal anyway?" he asks. More people die by suicide than in road accidents every year. "Eight Australians will die by suicide today six men and two women," Brogden writes. A court in southern Vietnams Ho Chi Minh City is set to try a group of 20 linked to the bombing of a city police station in a plot allegedly tied to a Canada-based exile group, state media reports said without specifying a date for the coming trial. The June 20, 2018 bomb attack wrecked the police station of Ward 12 in the citys Tan Binh district, leaving one officer injured, and was blamed by authorities on an exile group called Trieu Dai Viet Nguyen, or the Viet Nguyen Dynasty. A second attack was planned for the police station at the Tam Hiep ward of Dong Nai provinces Bien Hoa City but was never carried out, state media sources said. Nguyen Tuan Thanh and his father, Nguyen Khanh, residents of the Ho Nai 3 commune in Dong Nais Trang Bom district, were arrested and charged with directing others to carry out the first attack and for plotting the second, police sources said. State media said that both men had confessed to close ties with the exiled Ngo Hung, commander-in-chief of the Viet Nguyen Dynasty, with Ngo naming Nguyen Khanh as head of a proposed Dong Nai Autonomous Area and sending him VND 120 million (U.S. $5,300) to finance the bombings. Nguyen then assigned his nephew Duong Ba Giang to build the bombs and gave one to a group member named Vu Hoang Nam, who carried out the attack on the police station in Tan Binh. A group member named Nguyen Xuan Phuong was then asked to bomb the police station in Bien Hoa, but failed to carry out the attack, sources said. In an interview with RFA in 2018, Ngo Hung confirmed the explosion was directed by his group and demanded that Vietnam free the arrested men. He is now being sought by Vietnamese police. Other recent attacks Vietnamese activists opposed to Vietnams one-party communist government have been implicated in several bomb attacks in recent years, with a court in Binh Duong province in April sentencing one man to more than a decade in prison for setting off a bomb at the provincial tax office last year, according to state media. According to the Ministry of Public Security, Truong Duong, a 40-year-old truck driver, had received payment from the U.S.-based Provisional Government of Vietnam exile group under the leadership of Dao Minh Quan, which Vietnam declared a terrorist organization in 2018. The Provisional Government of Vietnam is also accused of masterminding a petrol bomb attack that destroyed hundreds of motorbikes at a police warehouse in Dong Nai in April 2017 and an attempted attack on Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City later that same month. Vietnam has issued international arrest warrants for Quan and six other members of the organization, all of whom are living either in the U.S. or in Canada. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huy Le. Written in English by Richard Finney. FAIRBANKS, Alaska - The Alaska Court of Appeals has ruled law enforcement officers cannot use cameras and drones for aerial searches of property without a warrant. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FAIRBANKS, Alaska - The Alaska Court of Appeals has ruled law enforcement officers cannot use cameras and drones for aerial searches of property without a warrant. The court acknowledged police have a legal right to fly over property, but the use of observational technology violates the right to privacy guaranteed in the Alaska Constitution, KTVF-TV reported Monday. An officers use of vision-enhancing technology should be deemed a search if the technology allows the officer to make observations that are significantly more detailed than what an unaided human eye would be able to see at the same distance, the ruling said. Maria Bahr, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Law, said in an email the state is deciding whether to seek a review by the Alaska Supreme Court. She noted the Supreme Court is not obligated to accept any possible petition for review of the case. The Fairbanks Police Department uses drones, but it said the ruling is unlikely to affect their work. Our policy has always been, if you think you need a search warrant we should probably get one, especially if we are already going to be somewhere with the intent of looking into private property, said Officer Jason Pace, who flies the department's drones. 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 ruling stems from a 2012 case in which Alaska State Troopers received a tip about marijuana being grown on a property near Fairbanks. Troopers could not confirm the report because of thick trees obscuring the view. But then they used a helicopter to take photos with a telephoto camera lens. Troopers used the images to apply for a search warrant and arrest John William McKelvey. McKelveys attorney, Robert John, filed a motion to suppress evidence, claiming that taking photos from the air to obtain a warrant invaded his clients right to privacy. The trial court rejected the argument, and McKelvey was found guilty on two charges. The case was heard by the Alaska Court of Appeals in 2018. John said the appeal ruling confirmed police in the air "can only investigate with their naked eye. They cannot employ technology. They cannot employ drones. (Natural News) If you believe in the Theory of Evolution as put forth by the late Charles Darwin, then you are a racist who needs to be decolonized. This is the position of Great Britains Natural History Museum, which recently launched a review aiming to stamp out offensive and problematic collections specifically associated with Darwin and his evolutionary endeavors and expeditions. Audit rooms, statues and items such as exotic birds will all be pored over to identify any potential elements of racism that warrant their immediate removal from the facility. And this is all being done to show how science, racism, and colonial power were inherently intertwined, according to the museums curators. According to a document about the review, the Natural History Museum decided to take on this investigation in light of Black Lives Matter and the recent anti-racist demonstrations around the world. To please the BLM mob, in other words, the Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom is planning to go over each and every piece in its facility to see whether any statues (or collections) could potentially cause offense. This will include taking a closer look at Darwins specimen collections gathered from the Galapagos Island, which the museum says represent just one of many British colonialist scientific expeditions. The word colonial, as used by the museum, may as well equate to racism, because that is what is meant every time it is used. And because the entire basis of Darwins Theory of Evolution was built upon colonialist endeavors, his entire life is an embodiment of racism. The Black Lives Matter movement has demonstrated that we need to do more and act faster, so as a first step we have commenced an institution-wide review on naming and recognition, says Michael Dixon, director of the Natural History Museum. We want to learn and educate ourselves, recognizing that greater understanding and awareness on diversity and inclusion are essential. Museums themselves are racist, claims museum curator Because many of Darwins finds occurred in places like South America where people have darker skin, this also amounts to racism because white people are apparently not supposed to travel to places where the natives are not also white. At the same time, white people keeping to themselves in their own predominantly white areas is also considered to be racist, which begs the question: Is there anything white people can do that is not automatically racist, according to the Left? As for the Natural History Museum, the entire place needs to be gutted and decolonized there is that word again in order to eliminate all traces of racism from the building. One curator argues that the museum itself is racist because museums were put in place to legitimize a racist ideology. This same curator contends that covert racism exists in the gaps between the displays, whatever that means. Other figures on the chopping block at the U.K.s Natural History Museum include pieces by Sir Joseph Banks, who journeyed with Captain James Cook on behalf of the British Empire. Because both of these men had lighter skin, they are racist and must be removed from the museum. The Democrats have a similar agenda, by the way, as they push for the elimination of whiteness from American society. How does a collection of birds legitimize a racist ideology? asked one Breitbart News commenter. Only when youre so racist that you view anything done by white people as racist.' When youre that racist that you see racism where there is literally nothing except possibly dust, then youre probably as racist as anyone else in history, this same commenter added. More related news about the downfall of the West due to anti-white racism and the push for white genocide can be found at Collapse.news. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com Upfluence Our integration with Shopify cements our position as the most powerful influencer marketing tool within the eCommerce sector, said Upfluence CEO Kevin Creusy. Upfluence Software, the all-in-one SaaS firm that helps brands and agencies identify, contact, manage and analyze their influencers at scale, announced today it integrates with Shopify. Offering access to more than 3 million influencers in its proprietary database featuring a fully-integrated influencer campaign management platform, Upfluence now becomes the only influencer marketing solution with a dedicated tool for brands and agencies to manage influencer outreach and activation within an eCommerce brands own customer base. Our integration with Shopify cements our position as the most powerful influencer marketing tool within the eCommerce sector, said Upfluence CEO Kevin Creusy. The way forward for highly successful, long-term influencer partnerships is to activate your brands customer network. This is the smartest solution to eCommerce influencer recruitment that saves time and resources, while leveraging pre-existing relationships for maximum authenticity. Upfluences new integration with Shopify provides several valuable benefits for sales-focused influencer marketing campaigns. This includes leveraging data on purchasing patterns and influencer metrics to enhance an eCommerce brands activation of influential customers for data-driven influencer and affiliate marketing campaigns. These integrated campaigns deliver powerful results thanks to native promotional codes for precise performance tracking and revenue measurement. Additional benefits include: Easily capture social reach data of eCommerce website visitors in order to identify customers with high-value social influence. Combine social reach data (follower count, engagement rate) with purchase data - including the value of purchase history, & use of discount codes, to build detailed customer profiles and identify a brands best ambassadors. Clarify customer value, in terms of social influence and purchase history, thereby offering unique opportunities for new audience segmentation, highly personalized communication, activation for affiliate marketing campaigns, and authentic influencer marketing. Brands can boost their affiliate campaigns by recruiting influencers from their customer base, thereby leveraging the organic affinity and genuine brand appreciation of influential customers to launch high-performing affiliate campaigns using trackable promotional codes. Maximize eCommerce success with organic influencers - a brands most authentic content creators for generating an impressive ROI. About Shopify Shopify is a leading global commerce company, providing trusted tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for reliability, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers everywhere. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify powers over one million businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Allbirds, Gymshark, PepsiCo, Staples and many more. For more information, visit https://www.shopify.com/ About Upfluence Driven by data and characterized by its cutting-edge design, Upfluence Software is the only all-in-one SaaS that allows brands and agencies to run powerful integrated influencer-driven affiliate campaigns with organic influencers, supported by A to Z campaign management features and results tracking. Since 2016, Upfluence has shown stable double-digit monthly revenue growth, added 60 new team members, and served over 1,300 clients worldwide including Saatchi & Saatchi, Nestle, and more. Visit https://www.upfluence.com to learn more. Media Contact press@upfluence.com +1 415 366 0167 | +33 4 20 88 00 40 The mother of a 15-year-old boy who can suffer from hundreds of seizures a day has called on the health secretary Matt Hancock to intervene and allow him a prescription for medical cannabis on the NHS. Charlotte Caldwells son Billy has severe epilepsy and has been accessing specialist cannabis oil from a private doctor through a temporary arrangement which runs out on Monday. A high-profile campaign by Ms Caldwell saw UK rules relaxed in November 2018 to allow some cannabis-derived medicines to be prescribed by specialist doctors in limited circumstances. A Canadian company had agreed to provide the product to the family free of charge, but the arrangement has now come to an end prompting Ms Caldwell to call on the government to make it available for Billy and others with his condition through the NHS. Ms Caldwell, from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, said: I cant express enough to Matt Hancock and to the health minister in Northern Ireland, Robin Swann please, please intervene and stop this torturous ordeal for Billy. The case first attracted attention in July 2018 when cannabis oil containing Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) brought back by the Caldwell family from Canada was seized at Londons Heathrow airport Billy was then admitted to hospital after suffering for intensified seizures before the cannabis oil was returned. Ms Caldwell said her sons condition has significantly eased thanks to the medicinal substance. Billy is doing incredibly well hes vibrant and happy. Hes healthy and well, she told BBC Radio 5 Lives The Emma Barnett Show. Last month her sons case was referred to the Refractory Epilepsy Specialist Clinical Advisory Service (Recas) and the panel recommended his cannabis-based treatment should continue. Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy at Heathrow Airport in 2018 after having a supply of cannabis oil confiscated (PA) Ms Caldwell has now withdrawn judicial review proceedings against Northern Irelands Health and Social Care Board over an alleged failure to make a decision on the medication. Monye Anyadike-Danes QC said: My client thinks this matter can best be pursued through the Recas panel. Recommended Government urged to end deadlock over medical cannabis prescriptions for severely epileptic children Ms Caldwell now wants the health authorities to allow a GP to lawfully write prescriptions for medical cannabis, and has written to Mr Hancock to point out the Recas panels recommendation. They have come to conclusion there is no legal or clinical reason barriers to medical cannabis access for Billy, she said. Ms Caldwell told the BBC she did not want other families to go through such an arduous legal fight. We have the last 18 months been through what I can only describe as a very torturous ordeal, she told the BBC. Billy is one of the most vulnerable in our society, and he has been left high and dry by the powers that be. An officer watches an oil transporting train at a railway crossing in Daqing, China, on May 2016. (Nicolas Asfouri AFP via Getty Images) Chinese Regime Targets Calgary Mayor, Other Officials for Influence Purposes: Leaked Document Expansive influence efforts include sister-city networks not covered by foreign diplomacy regulations Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, a number of Calgary city officials, several academics, and a now-former mayor of St. Johns are all on a list of targets that Chinese officials hope to influence to further the communist regimes interests. The list, disclosed in a leaked government document recently obtained by The Epoch Times, reveals names spanning a wide range of sectors and countries in which the Chinese regime seeks to cultivate talent. The document was issued by the Foreign Affairs Office of the municipal government of Daqing, a city in northeastern China. Mayor of Calgary Naheed Nenshi speaks with reporters in Ottawa on Nov. 21, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Daqings Foreign Affairs Office states in the 2019 document that it would start an initiative called the one hundred overseas talent cultivation plan. Its a program found in many other local governments in China, as well as within the central government. A 2019 report by the U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission listed several national-level talent programs that have recruited or repatriated tens of thousands of individuals to China, and stated that hundreds of such programs exist at the local government level as well. In the leaked document, although the office doesnt explain how it would carry out its plan, nor the plans specific goals, it listed 129 overseas individuals it wished to recruit. The document contains only the first name for some of those individuals, but each entry states the persons current or former job positions, career fields, and contact information. The list consists of 19 people in Canada, 13 of whom are based in Calgary. Besides Nenshi, the list includes a number of other senior city officials, along with Derek Zhao, who at one point was in charge of the China initiative at Calgary Economic Development, a not-for-profit corporation partly funded by the city and other government partners. Other targets are academics, a University of Calgary senior administrative official, and senior executives with a number of Calgary-based businesses. The City of Calgary is a sister city of Daqing, also an energy hub. A section of the list maintained by the Daqing city governments Foreign Affairs Office, partly redacted to protect identities. (Provided to The Epoch Times) A spokesperson for Nenshi told The Epoch Times that the mayor was not aware he was on any list. While Daqing has been one of Calgarys sister cities since 1985, Mayor Nenshi has had no personal contact with city officials, Adam Noble-Johnson, the mayors communications strategist, said in an email. The document also lists officials from the Atlantic provinces. Included are former St. Johns mayor Dennis OKeefe as well as an official with Halifax Partnershipthe citys economic development organization. The Epoch Times contacted Calgary Economic Development and the mayors office in St. Johns but didnt hear back. The list has targets that span the globe, including people in the United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Pakistan, Spain, and the current mayor of the small city of Esbjerg in Denmark. The Epoch Times contacted the Esbjerg mayor but received no reply. Two former mayors of the Australian city of Perth were also included. According to China commentator and Epoch Times contributor Heng He, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dubs its city partnerships as citizen diplomacy. Heng says that the Chinese organization in charge of promoting ties between Chinese and foreign citiesthe Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC)has senior Party officials among its ranks and is a proxy of Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this way, in addition to the official embassy and consulate, CCP foreign affairs agencies have added a quasi-diplomatic organization that isnt on the list of diplomatic envoys and isnt regulated by foreign governments, he says. According to Heng, the friendship city can be co-opted to perform tasks that further the CCPs interests without being noticed. This includes united front work, the CCPs term for efforts to influence people and organizations overseas to promote its agenda, Heng says. CCP Influence Scholars Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg write in their new book, Hidden Hand, that Chinese officials use sister city arrangements to build personal relationships. These can then be weaponized when a city plans activities that go against CCP positions, such as deals with Taiwan or meetings with the Dalai Lama. The CCP uses a strategy dubbed as using the countryside to surround the cities, note Hamilton and Ohlberg. This strategy originates from the time before the CCP came to power in China in 1949, when the Party retreated to the countryside and surrounded the cities in its fight against the rival Nationalist Party. This slogan should not be understood only in the literal sense; the idea is to go to areas where the CCPs enemies are weak or not well represented, organize the population there, and then use them to encircle the enemys strongholds, the book says. Connections with these local politicians can then be leveraged to pressure national governments. In 2010, when Richard Fadden was head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, he said that a number of provincial and municipal politicians in Canada were suspected of being under the influence of foreign governments. Other security experts and China analysts also support that position. The CCP will carefully identify where the centres of political, economic, and cultural power lie, and who are the most powerful people in those areas, Hamilton, a professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, told The Epoch Times in a previous interview. It will then attempt to create a profile of each person and find a way to approach them to draw them into the CCP world. Hamilton said the CCP is very good at disguising its operations, hiding behind ideas such as people-to-people exchanges or win-win cooperation and building economic linkages. Mostly the elites themselves are duped by this strategy, because the CCP plays on their weaknesses. It appeals to their desires and their hopes. Thousand Talents Recruitment Beijing has a number of programs to target people with specialized skills to work for the benefit of the regime. One such program is the Thousand Talents Plan, which lures overseas Chinese and foreign experts into its science and tech sectors. Earlier this year, U.S. federal prosecutors arrested Charles Lieber, chair of Harvard Universitys chemistry and chemical biology department at the time, for allegedly lying about his participation in the Thousand Talents Plan. Charles Lieber, former chair of Harvard Universitys chemistry and chemical biology department, in a file photo. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images) The Epoch Times has obtained other documents from the Daqing city government that show how authorities keep a tight leash on citizens who travel abroad, and how theyve started tracking expats living in China and monitoring their health status. In one document dated Feb. 29, the Daqing office kept a record of over 180 foreigners in the city, including exchange students, teachers, and foreign experts. These expats came from a variety of countries such as Canada, the United States, Chad, Morocco, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Taiwan, Sweden, the U.K., and Australia. The document states that local health officials were monitoring these individuals health status due to the pandemic, and showed their detailed personal information, such as passport numbers, birthdays, and current residential addresses in China. Another document, dated April 9, is a daily work report, which updated the number of foreigners who were either working or studying in Daqing. Still another document warned that Chinese officials who travel overseas on business trips are at risk of having their political ideologies changed. The Daqing office set out specific guidelines for these people, both before they leave and after they return to China. Before embarking on their overseas trips, they must sign a pre-departure letter and undergo training given by the Daqings state secrecy bureau, the document says. Daqings state security bureau also provides education lessons to these people before and after their overseas business trips. With reporting by Cathy He Omid Ghoreishi Senior Reporter Follow Omid Ghoreishi is an Epoch Times reporter based in Toronto. A person in a protective mask looks at the view as New York City continues Phase 4 of reopening following CCP virus restrictions, in New York City on Sept. 4, 2020. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images) Americans More Optimistic About CCP Virus Outlook, Gallup Poll Says Americans are becoming less gloomy about the CCP virus crisis, a Gallup poll shows. The uptick in optimism hasnt, on the whole, translated into reduced use of precautions such as social distancing and avoiding public gatherings, although the percentage of people saying they always wear a mask when outdoors has fallen to a new low, the survey says. Fewer than half of the people who responded to the survey, conducted Aug. 1730 on a random sample of 2,714 adults, said they think the health crisis from the outbreak of the virus is getting worse. Thats down 14 percentage points from mid-August, when 61 percent said their impression of the coronavirus situation in the U.S. was deteriorating. Pessimism topped out in July, when 73 percent said they thought the pandemic was getting worse, as COVID-19 cases surged in parts of the country. The number of new daily cases peaked July 24, with a Worldometers compilation of official data showing 78,615 infections. After falling steadily, the new daily case count was 28,561 on Sept. 8. Optimism, meanwhile, is on the rise, the survey shows. Compared to a mid-July low of just 15 percent expressing the view that the CCP virus situation in the United States is getting better, in the second half of August, 30 percent said they think theres an improvement. In addition, 23 percent of respondents said they think the situation is staying the same. Fear about contracting the virus also dropped in August, with 53 percent saying they are very or somewhat worried about falling ill with COVID-19, compared from the 5559 percent range Gallup said it has noted since June. Americans use of virus-related safety precautions such as self-isolation, social distancing, and avoiding public gatherings has remained mostly constant since around the beginning of June. While the percentage of people who said they practiced social distancing often or very often peaked at 92 percent in late March and early Aprilthe height of the CCP virus lockdownsthat percentage has been in the 7378 percent range since early June. The use of face masks remains high, with 92 percent of respondents said they wore a facial covering in the past week when outside their home. However, the percentage of those saying they always wear one in outdoor settings fell to a new low of 24 percent, down from 29 percent a week earlier. To date, the number of Americans who have been infected by the CCP virus stands at more than 6.33 million, while more than 189,000 have died, a Johns Hopkins University tally shows. The biodegradable polymers market is expected to grow by USD 3.98 billion 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/20200909005821/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Biodegradable Polymers Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Request challenges and opportunities influenced by COVID-19 pandemic Request a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts Growing environmental concerns and increasing stringency of regulations regarding the use of plastic are driving the demand for natural, sustainable, and green alternatives with functional benefits. Besides, consumers are increasing their preference for sustainable options over plastics. This is compelling major plastics manufacturers and packaging vendors to opt for biodegradable polymers. The use of biodegradable polymers will reduce the burden caused by single-use products such as bags, bottles, caps, cups, lids, and straws on the ecosystem. These factors are expected to drive the growth of the global biodegradable polymers during the forecast period. 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=IRTNTR44384 As per Technavio, the emergence of bio-based and renewable raw materials 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. Biodegradable Polymers Market: Emergence of Bio-based and Renewable Raw Materials Consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the harmful effects of plastics on the environment. This is driving many end-users to adopt sustainable solutions and reduce the dependence on petroleum-based plastics. Hence, vendors in the market are increasing the use of renewable energy sources, biomass, and bio-based raw materials such as starch and vegetable crop derivatives to produce biodegradable polymers. This trend is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the global biodegradable polymers market during the forecast period. "Government emphasis on efficient plastic waste management and a keen focus on sustainable production 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 Biodegradable Polymers Market: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the biodegradable polymers market by Product (PLA, Starch-based polymer, and Others), Geography (Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and MEA), and Application (Food packaging, Foam packaging, Biodegradable bags, Agriculture, and Others). The European region led the biodegradable polymers market in 2019, followed by North America, APAC, South America, and MEA respectively. During the forecast period, Europe is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to the shift toward a resource-efficient low-carbon economy 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/20200909005821/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/ Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that vicious rumours were being spread and if it could be proved that West Bengal government has said there will be no Durga Puja this year, she "will do sit-ups in front of people 100 times". "A political party is spreading vicious rumours about Durga Puja, so far we haven't had any meeting on it. Prove that West Bengal govt has said there will be no Durga Puja, I will do sit-ups in front of people 100 times, the Chief Minister said while addressing the Observance of Police Day function through video conference. "Some fake IT pages are spreading misinformation on Durga Puja. I am asking the police to find out these people who purposely spread fake news and make them hold their ears and do sit-ups. Only fake news is being spread to destroy communal harmony. Those who have never worshipped Kali and Durga or Hanuman are talking about puja," she added. The existing COVID-19 lockdown measures in West Bengal have been extended till September 20. 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. CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The MIT Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program announced today that ResMed, a global digital health and connected medical device company, has become the newest member of its industry partnership. This addition brings the partner company total to 2518 of which are in the Fortune 500 or Global Fortune 500. MIT LGO collaborates with the MIT Sloan School of Management and the MIT School of Engineering to deliver an interdisciplinary Engineering-MBA dual degree program. The two-year curriculum features internships at elite partner companies. MIT LGO students develop leadership skills for the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, geosciences, energy, high-tech, and global supply chain industries, among others. Founded in 1989, ResMed provides digital health technologies and cloud-connectable medical devices that transform care for millions living with sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other chronic diseases. The company also provides software to out-of-hospital care agencies to streamline transitions of care into and between these care settings for seniors and their care providers. ResMed employs more than 7,500 employees worldwide and sells product into more than 140 countries. ResMed achieved revenues of US$3.0 billion in fiscal year 2020 and has a market capitalization of $25 billion. ResMed CEO Mick Farrell is a 1998 alumnus of the MIT LGO program. "ResMed aligns with the underlying vision of the MIT LGO program to meld engineering and management excellence," said Thomas Roemer, Executive Director of the MIT LGO program. "The ResMed internships will be high value engagements that train future operations leaders with the technical depth and management capability to drive innovation in industry 4.0. It will also generate unique research insights into AI and machine learning." "The future of healthcare is digital, and we need leaders with both engineering expertise and business acumen to help guide this industry and provide life-changing care to billions of people worldwide," said Farrell. ResMed will launch its MIT LGO internship program in June 2021 with projects that aim to shape the future of healthcare. Six-month internships to be held in San Diego and/or European and Asia-Pacific locations will focus on optimizing global supply chains to provide access to rich information and empower rapid decision making, the use of data science techniques to personalize patient therapy, and exploring machine learning solutions to improve operational efficiency. "The MIT LGO program is well aligned with ResMed's ongoing digital health technology strategy," said ResMed's program sponsor and Chief Technology Officer Bobby Ghoshal. "We're excited to help develop the next generation of industry leaders." For further information, contact: Paul Denning or Patricia Favreau Director of Media Relations Associate Director of Media Relations (617) 253-0576 617-253-3492 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE MIT Sloan School of Management Related Links http://www.mitsloan.mit.edu The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has authorized Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko to sign framework agreements on interaction with state-owned banks. This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Finance Ministry. The Cabinet of Ministers will sign framework agreements on interaction with state-owned banks. On the part of the Cabinet of Ministers, the agreements will be signed by Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and Economy, Trade and Agriculture Development Minister Ihor Petrashko. The corresponding decision was made at a government meeting on August 26, 2020. In Ukraine, framework agreements on interaction between the government and state-owned objects are concluded for the first time. The key goal of framework agreements with state-owned banks is to resolve issues of interaction between the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Finance and state banks on the basis of transparency and accountability in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine and Ukraine's obligations to international partners and creditors in terms of implementing financial policy. ish A suspicious online university whose curriculum appears to be cut and pasted from a European school, two companies with nearly identical websites and two others with practically no internet presence all five of these businesses are connected to the same Texas man. And all five received Paycheck Protection Program loans for a total of at least $3.65 million. But should they have? These companies are among more than 75 businesses that received loans of at least $150,000 from the coronavirus small business relief program but dont appear to have existed before this spring or to have met other eligibility criteria for the program, which was administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Collectively, the questionable loans, which are publicly reported as a range of values rather than a specific amount, totaled somewhere between $20 million and $50 million. No state produced more businesses flagged in the analysis than Florida, which accounted for more than one out of every four businesses that fit the pattern. The questionable loans were flagged in a joint investigation by Miami Herald/McClatchy and the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, a nonprofit group of journalists and data scientists researching corruption. A number of the businesses have owners with troubled financial pasts, including some with multiple personal bankruptcies and others with convictions for fraud. Former federal agents and prosecutors who spoke with the Herald/McClatchy expressed alarm at the findings and the lax fraud controls in the program. This is disturbing on all levels, said Ben Curtis, a partner in the Miami office of McDermott Will & Emery and the former assistant chief of the Criminal Division Fraud Section at the U.S. Department of Justice. You have a federal government that is somehow comfortable releasing massive amounts of money to the general public with very little diligence on the front end. And because they structure this program like a glorified honor system, you have an almost salivating group of bad actors ready to fleece it from inception. Story continues Prosecutors have brought charges against more than 20 businesses for fraud under the CARES Act, which authorized the loan program, and a recent report by the House Committee on Oversight suggested that there could have been billions of dollars worth of fraud in the PPP program. Rep. James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, called on the inspectors general of the U.S. Treasury Department and SBA to investigate the program. Experts say the size and speed of coronavirus relief programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program made them vulnerable. This is going to be the biggest fraud in government history, the magnitude of which we will not know for many years to come, said Vic Hartman, a former FBI agent and author of a 2019 book about fraud based on lessons from his career. The PPP was designed to help existing businesses stay afloat and keep employees on the payroll during the pandemic-related downturn. It was not meant to provide seed money for new businesses. Under the rules of the program, businesses were required to have been in operation on Feb. 15, 2020, but vetting of potential borrowers was left to banks that issued the loans. They in turn were required only to take borrowers at their word for much of the required information. Loan amounts, for example, were based on self-reported data on a companys payroll in the previous year, with the maximum loan size capped at $10 million. The loans, which carry a 1% interest rate, are forgiven if used for payroll and other approved expenses within 24 weeks after the award was given and borrowers can avoid making any repayment at all if they submit their paperwork on time. The analysis matched data made publicly available about more than 600,000 businesses that received PPP loans greater than $150,000 with corporate registration data from the open source database OpenCorporates, which draws its data from state corporation records across the country. Newly created businesses flagged in the analysis were then manually reviewed by researchers and reporters to determine which businesses appeared to be in potential violation of the programs rules. The SBA didnt release the names of businesses that got loans below $150,000, and the corporate registration data didnt include information for 11 states and contained incomplete information for several others, meaning that the analysis is likely a significant undercount of the true number of newly created businesses that received PPP funds and other businesses that fraudulently obtained loans through the program. The SBA provided a short statement to the Herald and declined to answer detailed questions about the findings and businesses flagged in the analysis. The SBA does not comment on individual borrowers. Evidence of waste, fraud, and abuse with any of SBAs loan programs is not tolerated and should be reported. ... The SBA successfully distributed 5.21 million loans and $525 billion to small businesses in an unprecedented amount of time, through the Paycheck Payment Program, the SBA said, misstating the name of the Paycheck Protection Program. String of suits Two newly created Florida businesses that got PPP loans have virtually no footprint physical or digital but appear to be connected to the same Florida family. Buccaneer Technologies received a PPP loan between $350,000 and $1 million on May 11, three days after the business was registered with the Florida secretary of state. Sonata Technologies, meanwhile, was approved for a PPP loan of between $1 million and $2 million on May 26, eight days after the business was registered with the state. Buccaneer Technologies, which indicated that it is an advertising agency, listed a virtual office in Miami as its business address, while Sonata Technologies listed a virtual office in Aventura as its business address. But both companies list the same home address in Apopka for their managing members. Emmet Bowens is listed as the CEO of Buccaneer Technologies, while Equansha Bowens is listed as the manager for Sonata Technologies. Property records show that Emmet Bowens owns the Apopka home. The relationship between Emmet and Equansha is unclear. Emmet Bowens faced two lawsuits in 2019 after defaulting on payments for a 2019 Ford F-150 and a used 2015 Mercedes C-Class. The suit to recover the F-150 is ongoing, while the suit to recover the Mercedes was voluntarily dismissed in early August, within months of the PPP loan approval. Bowens and his wife, Taquanda, have also been involved in an ongoing suit brought by a mortgage company that says the couple owe more than $190,000 from the previous owners unpaid mortgage and fees for the Apopka house that they bought in foreclosure in 2017. The couple have disputed the legitimacy of the claim. In 2011, Emmet Bowens, under the name Emmitt Pascal Bowens, filed for bankruptcy in Tennessee, seeking to discharge more than $290,000 in debt, but his bankruptcy request was denied after it was challenged by the auto finance company Ally because the company said Bowens had transferred, removed, concealed or has permitted the same to be done, to a Chevrolet Avalanche he had defaulted on that the finance company had tried to repossess earlier in court. Emmet and Equansha Bowens did not respond to requests for comment to numerous telephone numbers and email addresses associated with them or through the lawyer Emmet and Taquanda have retained to represent them in the mortgage dispute. Double dipping A different business flagged in the analysis appears to have gotten two PPP loans, which is prohibited by the program rules. Power1 Integrated was awarded a loan valued between $150,000 to $350,000 from Itria Ventures LLC on June 29 and then awarded a second PPP loan in the same range from Zions Bank the following day. Neither bank responded to a request for comment. And both loans were reported as active. The company was registered in California on May 14, listing a shared office space in Beverly Hills as its business address. Employees of the shared space said that the company is not a registered user of the location and that it has received mail addressed to the business that it returned to sender. Power1 Integrated indicated in its filing with the state that it had been incorporated by Donald Walter Winston and that its agent was Langford & Hadley, headquartered at a different virtual office. A business listing the name Donald Winston and the same address as Power1 Integrated was also awarded a PPP loan of between $150,000 to $350,000 on May 21, 2020. Theres no record of a company by that name registered with the state and the virtual office where Langford & Hadley is supposedly headquartered had no record of the company. There is a Facebook profile for a Donald W. Winston, who is supposedly a tax attorney in Los Angeles, but the California Bar doesnt list any lawyer by that name and the accounts profile picture is actually a stock photo of a man in front of a book. The Herald/McClatchy reached out to an email address associated with a business seemingly related to Power1 Integrated and got no response. The profile picture for the Facebook account of a user named Donald W. Winston uses a stock image of a smiling lawyer. A pretty blatant copy In Texas, a network of five companies that received between $3.65 million and $8.7 million in PPP funds likewise appears suspicious. Joseph Sinoj, the Texas man connecting all of them, said he is a controlling manager for the companies, but not the beneficial owner. The websites for two of the companies, MK Analytics and Sanbi Solutions, were essentially identical to the website for SanJose Systems, a Texas technology company that lists Sinoj as its CEO. SanJose Systems did not receive a PPP loan. Screenshots of websites from three companies all connected to the same Texas man, which are strikingly similar. Two of the three companies received Paycheck Protection Program loans. When asked about the similarities, Sinoj replied that the websites might be out of date. All the websites may not be updated most frequently, he said. After the Herald/McClatchy contacted Sinoj, the websites for MK Analytics and Sanbi Solutions were altered. The MK Analytics website currently says Planned maintenance in progress. Sunny Matthew, a vice president for business intelligence with Sanbi Solutions, said that Sanbis website had been out of date. He said that the company, widely engaged in the business of Enterprise resource planning, ERP systems Integrations, Performance management solutions and Business intelligence solution, had been in existence for nearly two years and that its relationship with MK Analytics is thru supplier/vendor category. All three sites previously touted a contract SanJose Systems signed with the Texas Department of Information Resources. The contract effectively added SanJose Systems to the states preferred vendor list, but state records show that the companys only customer was a nonprofit university, AnnJose University, registered in Texas by a man named Joseph Varghese who also registered SanJose Systems. Sinoj declined to answer questions about AnnJose University and its purchases from SanJose Systems, saying he had a meeting to attend. The website for AnnJose University lists a shared office space in New Orleans as the physical address for the online university, which does not appear to be accredited, is not licensed or registered in the state of Louisiana and was granted a religious exemption from oversight by the state of Texas. The university purports to offer degrees in theology, but much of the content on the site appears to be copied from Domuni Universitas, an online theological university founded in France, which has no connection to AnnJose. One page on the AnnJose site even includes a reference to Domuni Universitas. A reference to Domuni Universitas on the web site for AnnJose University, an online university based in New Orleans that appears to have copied much of the material on its website from Domuni, which is a European online university. Its a pretty blatant copy, said Carly Wood, head of the English department at Domuni. She said the European online university, which has roughly 3,000 students, was not aware of the AnnJose site until being contacted by a reporter from the Herald/McClatchy. She said the university is taking steps to try to get the AnnJose site taken down. You just wonder what the intentions are, Wood said. Are they trying to get money out of it? AnnJose University obtained a PPP loan valued at between $150,000 and $350,000 on May 10, indicating that it provided environmental consulting services. The other companies, which all got loans in June, all indicated that they provided custom computer programming services. Three of the four companies, MK Analytics, Sanbi Solutions and KMS Traders Group LLC, all got loans through Radius Bank, while KJ Traders and Consultants LLC got a loan through Celtic Bank. All four of the software companies listed Wyoming addresses and the companies were registered there in recent months. MK Analytics, Sanbi Solutions and KJ Traders and Consultants were all registered in May, weeks before obtaining PPP loans, and months after the Feb. 15, 2020, deadline by which companies needed to be in operation. KMS Traders Group, which received the largest PPP loan of all of the companies, between $2 to $5 million, was registered six days after it was awarded the loan and the company indicated that the loan would save 97 jobs. In response to a list of questions sent to Sinoj, Mani Kandathil, the chief operating officer for KMS Traders Group, said that the information provided by the company to the SBA was accurate and that despite the July registration in Wyoming, the business had been in operation since December 2018. The Wyoming registration documents shows the entity classification adopted according to an update in operating agreement of the Entity by the business and its date, Kandathil said in an email. The business was in operation on Feb 15th 2020 and business started on Dec 2018. Kandathil declined to say where the business has been in operation during that time. The website for the company was registered on Aug. 25, 2020, according to internet registration data, and appears to have gone live after the Herald/McClatchy began reaching out with questions about the business. [After publication, Nidhila K, a representative for KJ Traders and Consultants, reached out to say that the company did not, in fact, receive a PPP loan, despite records suggesting otherwise. The company has no idea who is behind this mess. The company has not received any PPP loan from SBA.] Pay and chase Despite these examples, experts believe that most of the PPP money went to deserving businesses that were kept afloat by the funds. The majority of businesses are legit and took advantage of the program the way it was supposed to be taken advantage of. But there are bad apples out there, said Jeffrey Scheer, a business lawyer at Bond, Schoeneck and King. And even if some of the money is later determined to have gone to ineligible borrowers, that isnt necessarily a design flaw with the program. Hartman, the former FBI agent, said he suspects that the programs architects likely understood that some degree of fraud would be inevitable with the rapid rollout, but that they would be able to reel back some of the fraudulently obtained money after it went out. Its called pay and chase, Hartman said. You pay and then you chase all the fraudsters. Other fraud experts say the amount of money obtained by ineligible borrowers might wind up being worth it in the broader calculation of the economic recovery. It sounds weird for an anti-fraud guy to say this, but that doesnt mean the program was misguided, said John Warren, general counsel for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Im sure there are thousands of businesses that were saved because of it. This article has been updated to provide an after-publication statement from KJ Traders and Consultants. For all of President Donald Trump's attacks on Democrats for trying to expand universal mail-in voting, the rules for how voters will get and cast ballots for the Nov. 3 election are pretty much set. States such as Pennsylvania and New York are still tinkering with deadlines and procedures, but most significant changes would require state laws to be passed, some states are already starting to send out ballots, and the companies that provide election services are already at capacity. What this means is that voters -- especially Democratic voters who are looking for every avenue to make sure their mail-in votes get tallied -- must play by the existing rules. State officials have little leeway at this point to expand the reach of mail-in votes or change the deadlines for submitting ballots, short of getting court orders. A record number of voters are expected to cast ballots by mail this year due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, as Democrats push to make it easier for voters to cast ballots remotely. As many as half of the projected 150 million votes could be cast by mail, according to Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political science professor who tracks voter turnout. Trump has focused his ire on so-called universal mail-in balloting, where states automatically send a ballot to every registered voter. He's called it "rigged" and "unfair," seeking to differentiate it from the kind of absentee ballots he's casting in Florida. "This will be the most fraudulent election in history," Trump said of universal mail-in balloting in an Aug. 20 appearance on Fox News. "It's just a horrible, horrible thing. And it's impossible to police." Despite Trump's accusations that Democrats are staging a sweeping expansion of this practice, only nine states, the District of Columbia and some counties in Montana, Nebraska and North Dakota plan to send a ballot to every voter. It's likely too late for any other state to scale up a universal vote-by-mail system now, said Amber McReynolds, chief executive officer for the National Vote At Home Institute and Coalition. Of those nine states, Oregon, Washington, Utah and Colorado have been automatically mailing a ballot to every voter for years. and Hawaii was already implementing the practice before the pandemic. Only one of the states expanding the practice, Nevada, is a swing state, where the Trump campaign is suing to stop it. Even so, Trump's efforts to cast doubt on the reliability of mail-in votes is alarming Democrats. Data company Hawkfish predicts that more Democrats than Republicans will vote by mail this year, resulting in a "red mirage" -- meaning that Trump could register a lead on Election Night that changes after outstanding ballots are counted. (Michael Bloomberg, the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, is an investor in Hawkfish and used it in his Democratic presidential campaign.) A change in election results after the counting of mail-in ballots and provisional ballots is what Ohio State University professor Edward Foley dubs the "big blue shift," since the mail-in votes are expected to favor Trump's Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Foley said there could be multiple states where the presidential race is too close to call on Election Night because of outstanding uncounted ballots. Election officials in Pennsylvania and Michigan are pushing their Republican-controlled legislatures to change laws that prohibit processing of mail-in ballots until Election Day to allow counties to start tabulating results early to avoid having a backlog of uncounted votes at the end of Election Night. In Pennsylvania, the House passed such a measure last week that's now before the Senate. But Democrats argue the bill is too restrictive and would eliminate the use of drop boxes for collecting ballots. Democratic Governor Tom Wolf plans to veto the measure if it remains in its current form. In Wisconsin, there's a pending federal court case with a proposal to allow more time for processing mail-in ballots. However the legislature isn't scheduled to come back into session before the election. In North Carolina, there have already been almost 16 times more requests for absentee ballots through Sunday compared with the same point in 2016, according to data posted by the State Board of Elections. And while the share of requests by Democrats has increased to 52% from 37% four years ago, requests from Republicans have declined to 16% from 35%, data show. Trump's railing against mail-in balloting could discourage Republicans from doing it this year, said Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College in North Carolina who tracks early voting. More than 30 U.S. states have made changes to accommodate mail-in voting in response to the pandemic, with some deciding to mail an application or ballot to every registered voter and others eliminating the need to provide an excuse to get an absentee ballot, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. On Tuesday, for example, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced he will allow voters to drop off completed ballots at early voting sites. It's possible but unlikely that states such as Arizona, which already have a large percentage of voters on a list to automatically receive a ballot, could expand the practice, said Paul Gronke, a political science professor at Reed College and director of the Early Voting Information Center. It would be especially difficult for states to hire vendors to process the mailings because they're already at capacity with the surge in voting by mail across the U.S., said Jeff Ellington, president of Arizona-based Runbeck Election Services, which provides mailing, printing and other election services. "We've been turning down people since July," Runbeck said. A June study of universal mail-in ballot results in the states using it from 1996 to 2018 also concluded it increased overall turnout only modestly and didn't favor one party significantly. Beijing's decision to force two Australian journalists to leave China came after counterespionage agency ASIO questioned at least one Chinese journalist in Australia and the visas of two prominent academics were cancelled. The Morrison government is looking to avoid a dangerous game of "tit-for-tat" after Chinese state media accused Australia of "hypocrisy" for expressing concern over the last two accredited Australian journalists being forced out of China. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly claimed the reason for their questioning of ABC journalist Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review's Mike Smith was due to their involvement in the case of Australian-TV anchor Cheng Lei, who is being detained under national security laws in Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party's state media mouthpiece, Xinhua, then published a report on Tuesday night claiming an Australian intelligence agency recently raided the residences of Chinese journalists in Australia, questioned them and seized their computers and smartphones. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being persecuted by Donald Trump because of the President's 'considerable personal antipathy' to Barack Obama, a professor of peace studies told his extradition hearing in London today. Professor Paul Rogers called Assange's prosecution politically motivated, and said his political opinions put him in the 'crosshairs' of the Trump administration. Assange, 49, is wanted in the US for allegedly conspiring with army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to expose military secrets between January and May 2010. He is fighting extradition to the US on an 18-count indictment, which alleges he plotted to hack computers and conspired to obtain and disclose national defence information. Seventeen of the 18 charges fall under the Espionage Act. If convicted, Assange faces a possible penalty of 175 years in jail. Assange, 49, is wanted in the US for allegedly conspiring with army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to expose military secrets between January and May 2010 (pictured: court artist sketch of Assange appearing at the Old Bailey, September 7, 2020) Professor Paul Rogers called Assange's prosecution is politically motivated, and said his political opinions put him in the 'crosshairs' of Donald Trump's administration Prof Rogers told the Old Bailey today that leaked documents published by WikiLeaks exposed details of an extra 15,000 civilians killed in Iraq. The revelations were 'significant' in showing how the US coalition's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were going 'wrong' despite repeated public claims of their success, the Bradford University emeritus professor said. '(It was) probably one of the most significant parts of the whole operation, putting into the public domain a very distressing aspect of the whole war,' he said. 'There is now greater caution among western countries, particularly the US and UK, to go to war, particularly at an early stage. 'I think that's particularly down to WikiLeaks.' Political scientist Prof Rogers said Assange's work through WikiLeaks as well as public speeches demonstrated his 'libertarian' political views. Julian Assange's partner Stella Moris and Assange's lawyer Jennifer Robinson arriving at the Old Bailey today, ahead of a hearing to decide whether Assange should be extradited 'The opinions and views of Mr Assange, demonstrated in his words and actions with the organisation WikiLeaks over many years, can be seen as very clearly placing him in the crosshairs of dispute with the philosophy of the Trump administration,' he concluded in a report submitted to the court. Prof Rogers said Assange's success in bringing things to public attention was seen as a 'danger' to the Trump administration. 'This belief that Assange and what he stands for represents some kind of threat to normal political endeavour,' he explained. Asked by Edward Fitzgerald QC, for Assange, if he believed the charges against Assange are motivated by 'criminal justice concerns' or political considerations, Prof Rogers said: 'I have to say it appears to be the latter. 'This does appear to be a political trial.' The defence witness said the fact Barack Obama's administration did not prosecute Assange was also a factor in the Trump administration's decision making. Julian Assange is warned over outbursts from the dock after interrupting evidence of human rights lawyer at his extradition hearing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was yesterday warned his extradition hearing will continue without him if he continues to speak from the dock. The judge, Vanessa Baraitser, briefly adjourned proceedings at the Old Bailey after the 49-year-old interrupted the evidence of US human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith. The outburst could not be heard by journalists, who are following proceedings on a videolink from another court. Advertisement 'There are some personal elements which do relate to President Trump himself. 'President Obama took this decision not to charge Assange and that would be one reason, probably a significant one, why Mr Trump would take a different view. 'Much of this case relies heavily on politics and the changing administrations within the US. An administration has come in which takes views on many subjects. 'This is an administration that really sees this from a political standpoint.' He added: 'Mr Trump appears to take considerable personal antipathy to President Obama and what he did during his time in office. 'I think it's reasonable to say that would be one reason, probably a significant one, as to why Mr Trump took this view.' Trevor Timm, co-founder and executive director of the San Francisco-based Freedom of the Press Foundation, said his organisation had contributed around $100,000 to Assange's legal costs. He described the case as 'a dire threat to press freedoms in the US' and agreed that it was the 'thin end of the wedge to prosecute journalists'. Appearing in court by video-link, he said: 'Virtually every newspaper in the US has vehemently condemned the charges before the court today as a potentially clear and present danger to the freedom of the press in the US. 'This indictment is unconstitutional. WikiLeaks, like anybody else, has a first-amendment right to ask to see documents which potentially show corruption and illegality. 'If this was to go forward it would potentially criminalise all those other organisations.' In a written statement, Mr Timm described the decision to charge Assange as 'a massive and unprecedented escalation in Trump's war on journalism'. 'The Trump administration is moving to explicitly criminalise national security journalism, and if this prosecution is allowed to go forward, dozens of reporters at the New York Times, Washington Post and elsewhere would also be in danger,' he added. The defence witness suggested the charges relating to possessing classified material and working with sources to obtain such material could effectively 'criminalise journalists' whether or not Assange was considered a journalist himself. The court heard Timm had previously called for the leak of a classified CIA report allegedly detailing 'systematic torture regime' in the 2000s. James Lewis QC, for the US government, asked: 'Do you yourself feel threatened if the prosecution went ahead?' Mr Timm replied: 'Myself, personally? I work on behalf of journalists in the US. I feel their rights are under threat. I myself am not a full-time national security reporter. My fear is on their behalf.' Assange has been held on remand in Belmarsh prison since last September after serving a 50-week jail sentence for breaching his bail conditions while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for almost seven years. The hearing, which is expected to last for around four weeks, continues. India's biggest syringe manufacturer is ramping up production to churn out a billion units, anticipating a surge in demand for coronavirus vaccinations India's biggest syringe manufacturer is ramping up production to churn out a billion units, anticipating a surge in demand as the global race to find a coronavirus vaccine heats up. While the focus on tackling the pandemic has mostly been on the development of vaccines, experts say medical essentials to administer them are also vital. Hindustan Syringesone of the world's largest makers of the itemsaid it is increasing its output of auto-disable devices (which prevent re-use) from 700 million a year to one billion by 2021 to meet the expected demand. "Even if 60 percent of the world's population is immunised, it would mean four to five billion syringes would be required," Hindustan Syringes managing director Rajiv Nath told AFP at their factory in northern Haryana state. There are currently more than 30 candidate vaccines being tested on humans, with governments hoping to deploy one as soon as possible with the coronavirus wrecking lives and economies. Shortages of PPE such as masks hampered early responses to the pandemic, and countries have now started building up their stockpile of syringes, vials and needles. "We may have sufficient capacity for the first wave of vaccines which would only be administered to priority groups," Prashant Yadav, a healthcare supply chains expert at Harvard Medical School, told AFP. While the focus on tackling the pandemic has mostly been on the development of vaccines, experts say medical essentials to administer them are also vital "(But) when we get to a large-scale vaccination in late 2021 or 2022 and the dose demand estimates would be greater than 10 billion, that's when syringe supply starts becoming a constraint." So far, UNICEF has ordered 140 million syringes from Hindustan for COVAX, a global initiative aimed at ensuring a more equitable distribution of vaccines to poorer nations. Much of the world's demand for syringes is expected to be met by factories in China and India. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Cases about whether patients have the right to control their own medical records are being played out around the country, Edelson said. We believe this case where U of C is alleged to have handed over hundreds of thousands of patient records to a company that has made billions of dollars mining peoples data presents the most significant battleground to date. The federal government has awarded $1.2 million toward a loan program for Central New York small businesses struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced today it would invest $19 million in Upstate New York businesses in the western and central regions, as part of the CARES Act stimulus package passed by Congress in response to the pandemic. Officials set aside $1.2 million of the money for the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, which will administer a revolving loan fund" for small businesses. CNYRPDB Executive Director David Bottar said the program will target manufacturing and service-related businesses. Retail businesses will generally not be eligible, he said. The program is aimed at helping companies grow and develop business through the pandemic, Bottar said. Its different than the Paycheck Protection Program, which sought to as quickly as possible get cash to struggling businesses. This is moreso long-term oriented, than short-term emergency funding, Bottar said. Businesses in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties will be eligible to apply. Bottar said he expects the program to launch in early November. He encouraged interested business owners to check out the boards website, where more information about applying to the program, and other resources for small businesses will be posted. He said business owners were also welcome to email him at the address listed on the website. CNY BACK IN BUSINESS Rolling the dice: Upstate New York casinos reopen today (list) Coronavirus in NY: Beard trims, facials, lip waxing are back, with two catches Put the U Back in Syrac_se invites people back downtown to dine, shop, and have fun CNY hotel owners sue for insurance coverage: business down $6.5M, decimated by coronavirus 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 The leaders of Planned Parenthood and its political arm in Texas, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, are no strangers to political controversy. But they probably werent expecting to elicit a ferocious backlash over endorsing a legislator who is a long-time advocate for womens health and LGBTQ rights, in addition to being pro-choice. Granted, the legislator in question--state Rep. Sarah Davis, who has represented House District 134 in Harris County since 2010--is a Republican. But still. In a normal political environment--or rather, the kind of political environment which we would all like to see, and routinely exhort our political leaders to build--there would be no controversy over such an endorsement. The pushback began even before Planned Parenthood Texas Votes last week announced its endorsements in this years Texas House races. Davis was the only Republican to earn the groups nod, along with a slate of Democratic challengers and incumbents, including state Reps. Jon Rosenthal of Houston and Gina Calanni of Katy. Davis, an attorney by training, has won the groups support in previous election cycles. And already, this year, she had been backed by Equality Texas and the Human Rights Campaign, and not for the first time. Both of those organizations are focused on LGBTQ rights and are, like Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, nonpartisan organizationsalbeit in a context where few Republican elected officials openly align with them on the issues. A petition circulated by Sherry Merfish, a former Planned Parenthood board member, had argued that in 2020, the stakes are simply too high for that organization to endorse Davis . Democrats have set their sights on retaking control of the Texas House this year, in advance of 2021s redistricting cycle, and the district Davis represents--a highly affluent and educated one, encompassing West University Hills, Southside Place, Bellaire and a bit of Houston--is a blue one, at least on paper. The petition, which was signed by hundreds of Texans, argued that although Davis is pro-choice, the rest of her record is at odds with the overarching goals of the Democratic Party: Sacrificing a pro-choice Democratic majority this election to keep a Republican in office, no matter her stance on reproductive justice, cannot be justified. It continued: We are not single-issue voters because we do not lead single issue lives. On HoustonChronicle.com: Planned Parenthood group endorses Sarah Davis, rebuffing activists' push to support her Dem opponent So Planned Parenthood Texas Votes decision to endorse Davis anyway, despite the pre-emptive push back, was a divisive one. The only way to end the 10-year epidemic of Texas deadly anti-choice laws is for Democrats to retake the Texas House, said Daviss Democratic opponent,attorney Ann Johnson, in a tweet. I am profoundly disappointed Texas Planned Parenthood has ignored the voices of our local community and is now standing in the way of that overarching effort. This line of argument is plausible, and must be compelling to many Democratic voters in this still-red state. Johnson is a longtime supporter of reproductive rights and justice herself, as well as being aligned with most of the Democrats in the Texas Legislature on issues such as gun rights. And, of course, every seat that Democrats flip bring them one step closer to the majority, at which point they would be able to pass legislation through the chamber, at least, without scrounging up support from the handful of Republicans willing to cross the aisle, from time to time. But its also easy to understand why Davis would have earned the confidence of an organization such as Planned Parenthood Texas Votes over the course of the past decade. In addition to being the only openly pro-choice Republican in the Texas Legislature, Davis is a key voice when it comes to funding for womens health programs, given her role as the chair of Article IIhealth and human serviceson the House Appropriations Committee. Shes also one of the few legislators of either party who has a record of standing up to her own party, and reaping the consequences. The most dramatic example of this came in 2018, when Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed Davis primary challenger, conservative attorney Susanna Dokupil, and accused Davis of misleading her constituents by refusing to campaign as a Democrat. Among the issues Abbott raised that year was Daviss support of reproductive rights. Dokupils challenge failed, and Davis, on primary election night, used her victory speech to explain why. On a state level, if we continue to govern from the fringe or from the far right, the election results that were seeing tonight should be perfectly predictable, because thats not who Texans are, she said. Regardless if youre a Republican or Democrat, were Texans and we care about each other. We just want some common sense governance. If we continue to elect leaders who want to focus on very fringe issues, this party my party is going to continue to suffer losses. Davis is also--and perhaps not coincidentally--one of the relatively few elected officials in these polarized times with a record of electoral success in the face of strong headwinds. In 2016, she won re-election by ten points, even as Democrat Hillary Clinton carried her district in that years presidential race. In 2018, similarly, Davis bested Democrat Alison Lami Sawyer by 5 points in the general election, during what was otherwise a countywide blue wave. In other words, the voices of the local community, as expressed at the ballot box, have been speaking in Daviss favor. That may change in 2020, of course. But in the meantime, its hard to fault the nonpartisan groups that have looked at Davis record, and decided to support her return to the legislature. erica.grieder@chron.com Biden walks back federal mask mandate citing constitutional concerns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is walking back his claim to implement a national mask mandate if he were elected. In a Sunday interview with AZFamilys Politics Unplugged," Biden said that there are constitutional issues with a federal mask requirement. But heres the deal, the federal government theres a constitutional issue whether the federal government could issue such a mandate. I dont think constitutionally they could, so I wouldnt issue a mandate, Biden continued. Its about making sure the public is safe and secure, and that is a local decision but there should be national standards laid out as to how it should be gone about. You cant mandate that. In June, Biden said that he would use executive power to implement a national mask mandate. In an interview with KDKAs Ken Rice, he said that he would do everything possible to make it required the people had to wear masks in public. Biden: I would go back to making sure that everybody had masks, that you had PPE lined up, making sure we stockpile all the things that we need and we dont have now. The one thing we do know, these masks make a gigantic difference. I would insist that everybody in public be wearing that mask. Anyone to reopen, it would have to make sure that they walked into a business that had masks. Rice: Couldnt you use your federal leverage to mandate that? Biden: Yes. Rice: Would you? Biden: Yes, I would from an executive standpoint, yes I would. Rice: So you would, in effect, mandate the wearing of masks? Biden: I would do everything possible to make it required the people had to wear masks in public. Last month, Bidens vice president pick, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., defended Bidens position but called it a standard that would not be enforced with punishment. It's a standard. I mean, nobody's going to be punished, Harris said to TODAYs Craig Melvin. Nobody likes to wear a mask. This is a universal feeling, right? ... The point is this: What we, as responsible people who love our neighbor, we have to just do that right now. God willing, it won't be forever. But this is a sacrifice we have to make. President Donald Trump has opposed a national mask mandate, saying he wants "people to have a certain freedom, and I dont believe in that." While encouraging people to wear masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, his administration has argued that mask mandates should be left to the states. In March, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference with the Accountability Court against the accused for the alleged violation of the rules of the Toshakhana (state gift repository) which it argued had caused a heavy loss to the national exchequer, the News International reported. Islamabad, Sep 9 (IANS) Former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani were indicted by the Accountability Court on Wednesday, while ex-premier Nawaz Sharif was declared a proclaimed offender over his continuous absence from the proceedings. The reference also names Omni Group CEO Khawaja Anwar Majid and his son, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majid. The NAB alleged that Gilani, in order to extend the illegal benefit to the accused, allowed them to keep luxury vehicles gifted to them by foreign dignitaries by relaxing the procedures governing their use. The anti-graft body stated in the reference that "through dishonest and illegal means for their personal benefit and interest" the accused (Nawaz and Zardari) retained the vehicles in question "against a nominal payment of 15 per cent of their total value". The former President has been accused of making the payments through the Omni group owners for which, according to NAB, he has not provided any justification. When the proceedings resumed on Wednesday, the court indicted all the four accused present in the court, who pleaded not guilty. "I have never worked against the rules. I approved the summary which was prepared as per the law," Gilani told the court. He added that if the summary was illegal, then it would not have been moved. The court then responded saying that it was not talking about the merits of the case right now. "You should argue this during the trial," Accountability Court Judge Asghar Ali told Gilani. The court also declared Sharif a proclaimed offender and issued a perpetual warrant for his arrest over his continued no-show. The court also asked the authorities to submit the details of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader's properties within seven days. The court, after issuing the warrants, adjourned the hearing till September 24. Meanwhile, Zardari, when asked about the charges against him, said that he has always respected the courts. "I have been exonerated earlier and will be exonerated this time as well," claimed the former President. --IANS sdr/bg Several brokers used shares of dormant or inactive clients to provide margins for other more active clients. This prompted Sebi to rework its entire system of pledging. Most brokerages are rattled by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (Sebis) new margin pledging norms. Here is why Sebi introduced this new system and why it is worrying the broking community: What has triggered the move by Sebi? Under the earlier system, as part of the account opening form, several brokers obtained a power of attorney (POA) from their clients to access their account. This was required to provide higher margins for trading. A POA allowed a broker to move client securities from their dematerialised (demat) account to a collateral account, which could be accessed by both the broker as well as a client. Several brokers were seen misusing the POAs, prompting Sebi to rework its entire system of pledging. How did brokers misuse the POA? Several brokers used shares of dormant or inactive clients to provide margins for other more active clients. Some brokers even raised money by pledging shares in the collateral account to fund other businesses. They also siphoned off dividends of inactive clients. Sebi has taken action against several brokers for misusing their client securities. How will the new pledging system work? Now that Sebi has done away with the system of creating POAs, brokers will not have direct access to client securities. Instead, clients will be able to pledge and re-pledge their holdings with brokers for generating margins. Depository firms CDSL and NSDL have developed a software for pledging and repledging demat holdings directly by clients. Whenever clients have to generate margins, they will now be directed to the webpage of the depository. After OTP authentication, clients will be able to see their holdings, which can be pledged or unpledged with the broker to generate margins for trading. When does the pledging system come into effect? The new system has become effective from September 1, 2020. It was supposed to come into effect from August 1. However, due to under-preparedness of brokers and depository firms, Sebi delayed the implementation by a month. The market regulator allowed the earlier and the new systems to work in parallel in the interim. As a result, many brokers, especially the tech-savvy ones, have already moved to the new system. Some traditional brokers are still not prepared. They had approached the market regulator seeking more time. However, Sebi has turned the request down following assurances by depositories that the new system was ready. Will the new system impact the stock markets? Many are expecting the trading volumes to come down in the cash segment. This has less to do with the new pledging system and more to do with the new margin norms. Under the new margin norms, Sebi has virtually put an end to excessive leverage trades. The regulator has directed brokers to collect higher margins from their client. The margins differ for individual stocks based on their VAR and ELM readings (value at risk and extreme loss margin). Failing to do so, Sebi will impose heavy penalties. Also, clients will have to wait for the settlement cycle (T+2) to complete to use the proceeds of their sales or to pledge share they have newly bought. Earlier, brokers allowed clients to use profits from their trades or allowed newly bought shares to be pledged even before the settlement cycle completed. Some expect cash market volumes to drop by 25 per cent. Also, some attributed Mondays selloff due to unwinding of positions required to move to the new system. What changes for stock market investors? Clients who are not into intra-day and ultra-short-term trading may not be impacted much. However, those who are active traders will have to provide higher margins, which will technically increase their trading costs. It could also take time for traders to get a handle on the new system. Further, there could be delays in getting shares pledged and unpledged in case depository systems are not able to take the load and generate OTPs on time. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters The Dallas Zoo has welcomed three African lion cubs one male and two females. The cubs, born on August 17, are the first litter of three born at the zoo since 1974. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 18:20:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Nurses working in Zimbabwe government health institutions began returning to work on Wednesday after nearly three months of industrial action, following a call by their leaders to report for duty. The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) on Tuesday urged its members to return to their stations immediately, saying they wanted to give the government a chance to address their grievances. The nurses had been on strike since June 18 demanding better working conditions. The new stance follows the government's restructuring of the health ministry and pledges to improve nurses' conditions of service. ZINA secretary-general Enock Dongo told media that they had communicated with their members to start reporting for duty if they could raise money for transport. He said the restructuring of the ministry had been long overdue, but implored the government to consult widely. "We advocated the restructuring of the ministry long back and this will enable our health system to meet international standards. "We have the expertise to do all the clinical services but the structure which the ministry was operating under was wrong. It demotivated staff and there were no efficient services," he said. A source at the country's largest referral center, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, told Xinhua Wednesday that the nurses had returned to work but were staging a sit-in. "Maybe they just want to mark themselves present at their stations without doing any work," he said. It is reported that junior doctors also reaffirmed that they were not on industrial action and were supporting the newly streamlined operations of the health ministry. Enditem Nathalie Dupree is the author of 14 cookbooks, including the James Beard award-winning Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking. She lives in Charleston and may be reached through Nathaliedupree.com. This report is part of "Turning Point," a groundbreaking month-long series by ABC News examining the racial reckoning sweeping the United States and exploring whether it can lead to lasting reconciliation. As Pennsylvania Democrats aim to flip the Keystone State back to blue come November, the state's political leaders are making historic moves within their party in terms of politics and representation. With two months until the general election, Pennsylvania finds itself increasingly in the 2020 campaign spotlight against a backdrop of a national reckoning over race and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And, as both presidential campaigns gear up for the final push, the state's reputation as a key presidential battleground has some Pennsylvania Democrats hoping to see their state's shift toward diversity reflected in the national political landscape. Among them is Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who made his mark on the national stage as one of a group of young Democratic National Convention keynote speakers whom the party identified as "diverse voices from the next generation of party leaders." PHOTO: Pennsylvania state House Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, speaks at a campaign stop to support Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, Jan. 8, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Andrew Harnik/AP) For emerging political leaders like Kenyatta, being 30 years old and the only gay, Black man elected to the state legislature is something he feels should be normalized rather than seen as unusual. Kenyatta, who represents the state's 181st District, located in Philadelphia County, says these differences only give him more willpower to break what may come across as "different." "I used to believe, when I decided to run, I had this whole list of all these different reasons why I felt like, you know, maybe I wasn't the right person," said Kenyatta in an interview with ABC News. "But I look now and everything that I thought disqualified me actually qualified me." Kenyatta isn't the only one shaking expectations in Pennsylvania's political landscape -- Nikil Saval, who already made Pennsylvania history by being the first Asian American to be elected as a Democratic ward leader in Philadelphia, is now running to represent the state's First Senate District. Story continues MORE: Biden, Trump campaigns focus in on Pennsylvania Saval, who is going into November unopposed, will be the first Asian American elected to the Pennsylvania Senate and the first Indian American elected to the state's legislature. For Saval, the shift he sees across the state's electorate could be indicative of a larger generational change. "I think there's just a cause for people of my generation and younger who have been through, you know, now two major recessions, kind of endless war and just felt really frustrated by politics as usual," Saval said in an interview with ABC News. Kenyatta echoed that sentiment, saying that he sees the frustrations of voters he represents as a reflection of the developing political climate across the state. That evolution could also affect future policy change across Pennsylvania, where voters in this election cycle are seeing more representation in their government. "I think that people closest to the pain ought to be closest to the power," said Kenyatta. "I'm viewing issues from a variety of different perspectives, just naturally. And, I think it makes you a better legislator because you're more sensitive to how the decisions we make impact a variety of different groups... the groups who were not centered in the conversation as the policy was being proposed in the first place -- because that's what you end up having." Saval, who was endorsed by Bernie Sanders, and has made it a priority to focus on Pennsylvania's working-class, added that seeing a shift in generational politics has already made its way to the national political stage among Democrats. "There's like a willingness to seek out sharper voices, more diverse voices," he said. "You see this nationally. I was obviously inspired by the notion of when you start seeing figures like Ilhan Omar or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez winning national elections. It's our federal level elections -- you suddenly feel like there's a place for you to actually enter [and] be forthright and speak your mind." Statewide representation is also evident in the race for Pennsylvania's auditor general, in which both candidates are people of color -- meaning that no matter the outcome, Pennsylvanians will elect a candidate with a racially diverse background as the top legal and financial supervisor of the state for the first time. PHOTO: Nikil Saval from a photo on his website for State Senate in Pennsylvania. (Nikil Saval for State Senate) The candidates include Democrat Nina Ahmad and Republican Tim DeFoor. Ahmad came to the United States from Bangladesh as a student when she was 21 years old, and DeFoor, who is currently the Dauphin County controller, is of African American descent. Upon arriving in the U.S., Ahmad enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, and went on to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry before becoming a molecular biologist. If elected, Ahmad would be the first woman of color to serve in a statewide executive position, as well as the only woman and person of color in the Keystone State's executive branch. "I pinch myself sometimes, you know?" Ahmad said in an interview with ABC News. "I'm running for statewide office, and I got 551,144 votes split... in a six-way race. I'm very pleasantly surprised from time to time as to 'how did I get here?'" "I'm an immigrant from Bangladesh and I lived through the War of Independence, which was very brutal and very bloody. And so, I've seen what people sacrificed for freedom," she said. "200,000 women and girls were brutalized, you know? I don't want to use the trigger words, but they did that as a tool of war. That has made me fight to level the playing field, not just for women but for marginalized communities, because I know what it means to be on the receiving end of that." Ahmad said she thinks people are having conversations about race in unprecedented ways because communities across Pennsylvania are rising up to address the cause of race relations head-on. Ahmad remains hopeful that those kinds of changes will continue and expand into meaningful change and inclusivity both on a state level and on a national level. MORE: After Joe Biden's comments on diversity in Black community, some worry blunders could impact support "We've always had people everywhere -- in all 67 counties -- who care deeply about human rights, but sometimes they haven't had enough numbers or, you know, felt courageous enough to speak up about it," she said. "I owe a great debt of gratitude to all whose shoulders I stand on, all whose sacrifice I stand in," Ahmad said. "It's like my little prayer that I say every time to remind myself: I didn't get here by myself, it was a lot of people's hard work and blood, sweat and tears that allows me to be here today. So, I'm very hopeful, and I'm going to fight for that dream." Though many Democrats feel empowered by the change seen across some parts of the state, the political weight of Pennsylvania as a battleground looms over how the party is organizing statewide campaigns in 2020. Four years ago, President Donald Trump won the Keystone State by just 0.7% of the vote, and this year, a tight race could take place again, as recent polls indicate shaky footing for both Trump, and his opponent, Joe Biden. According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, Biden has an eight-point lead in Pennsylvania, 52% to Trump's 44%. Meanwhile, a Monmouth University poll showed a tighter race between the two, with Biden leading Trump by four points among Pennsylvania's registered voters: 49% to 45%. "I think things are changing across the state," Saval said. "It may also be polarizing, and... there may be people drawing lines. I mean, things may also be getting more conservative in certain ways. There's radicalization happening on the right, clearly." According to an analysis of the 2016 presidential election conducted by the American Center for Progress, the majority of voters in Pennsylvania were white, but a larger portion of those voters, 54%, were non-college educated, while 30% had a college degree. The nonpartisan group's data also indicated that among the state's minority voters, about 10% were Black, 4% were Latino and 3% were Asian or of another race. PHOTO: Nina Ahmad, a former city official seeking to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Rep. Bob Brady's seat, speaks with members of the media in Philadelphia, Jan. 31, 2018. (Matt Rourke/AP) While the American Center for Progress notes that turnout among Black voters decreased by 0.2% in 2016 when compared to 2012, the turnout for other minority groups rose. Latino voters rose by six points, while Asian and other minority voters went up eight points. While presidential candidates must still focus on winning over white, non-college educated voters, in addition to expanding the vote in highly-diverse urban areas, like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the rising voting patterns among minorities are likely to play a large factor in places with high Latino populations, like Reading, Allentown, Hazleton, Lancaster and Lebanon. Kenyatta said he hopes that diversity in politics extends to show the inclusivity of educational backgrounds and careers. He said these changes should happen not just in the scope of the 2020 election, but for all elections going forward. "My hope is not that people look up to me, but that they look in the mirror that they're not saying, 'Oh my God, look what Malcolm did,' but they're saying, 'Oh my God, look what I can do,'" said Kenyatta. "Because we have to get to a place where it's no longer major news when a young Latina, or LGBTQ person or somebody who grew up working poor finally runs for office. We need to get to a place where that's no longer news, [but] the norm." Kenyatta said elected officials like himself give a sense of hope and change to the future of politics in the battleground state: something he wishes all residents could see in a positive way in order to truly make a difference. "But the visibility does matter, because it's difficult for people to be what they can't see," he said. "But once people see me, my message always to them is to then see yourself." Democrats in Pennsylvania hope to see diversity reflected in 2020 election originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Under Unlock-4, students can visit schools for guidance from teachers, however they will have to compulsorily wear masks and will not be allowed to share notebooks, pens or water bottles, the new guideline said New Delhi: Disallowing sharing of notebooks, pens/pencils,water bottles etc among students, prohibition of assemblies and sports, encouraging online learning, entry of asymptomatic persons are some of the health ministry's guidelines for partial reopening of schools for students of Classes 9 to 12 from 21 September on a voluntary basis. However, written consent of the students' parents or guardians will be required and such visits for teacher-student interactions must be organized in a staggered manner, the guidelines stated. According to the 'SOP for partial reopening of Schools for students of 9th to 12th classes on a voluntary basis, for taking guidance from their teachers: In the context of COVID-19', a seating arrangement has to be made to ensure a distance of 6 feet between chairs, desks etc and the teaching faculty will ensure that they themselves and students wear masks throughout the conduct of the teaching/guidance activities. "Sharing of items like notebook, pens/pencil, eraser, water bottle etc. amongst students should not be allowed. Cafeteria/mess facility, if any within the premises, shall remain closed," the SOPs stated. For ensuring queue management inside and outside the premises, specific markings on the floor with a gap of six feet may be made. Similarly, physical distancing shall also be maintained in staff rooms, office areas including reception area, and other places such as mess, libraries, cafeterias, etc. Weather permitting, outdoor spaces may be utilized for conducting teacher-student interactions, keeping in view the safety and security of students and physical distancing protocols, the guidelines said. The concerned teaching and non-teaching employees (up to 50 percent of the strength) may be called to schools for online teaching/tele-counselling and related work. "Installation and use of the Aarogya Setu App may be advised wherever feasible," the SOPs said. Appropriate back-up stock of personal protection items like face covers/masks, visors, hand sanitizers etc shall be made available by management to the teachers and employees, it said. "Provide an adequate supply of thermal guns, alcohol wipes or one per cent sodium hypochlorite solutions and disposable paper towels, soap, IEC materials on COVID. Pulse oximeter to check oxygen saturation levels of any symptomatic person must be arranged," the guidelines stated. The guidelines also call for ensuring regular counselling for students and teachers reporting mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. "It is advisable that teachers, school counsellors and school health workers should work in unison to ensure emotional safety of the students," it said. Entrance should have mandatory hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and thermal screening provisions. For conduct of skill-based training in workshops/laboratories, a floor area of four square metre per person should be made available for working on equipment or work stations. Cleaning and regular disinfection (using 1 pc sodium hypochlorite) of frequently touched surfaces (door knobs, elevator buttons, hand rails, chairs, benches, washroom fixtures, etc.) to be made mandatory in all class rooms, laboratories, lockers, parking areas, other common areas etc. before the beginning of classes and at the end of the day, the guidelines stated. "All employees who are at higher risk i.e. older employees, pregnant employees and employees who have underlying medical conditions to take extra precautions. They should preferably not be exposed to any front-line work requiring direct contact with the students," the guidelines said. If the transportation facility is being managed by the school, proper physical distancing, sanitization of buses/other transport vehicles (with one percent sodium hypochlorite) shall be ensured. Prior to resumption of activities, all work areas intended for teaching/demonstrations etc., including laboratories, other common utility areas shall be sanitized with 1 per cent sodium hypochlorite solution, with particular attention to frequently touched surfaces. Schools that were used as quarantine centres will be properly sanitized and deep cleaned before partial functioning is resumed. In case a student/teacher/employee develops symptoms, the ill person should be in a room or area where they are isolated from others and the nearest medical facility (hospital/clinic) should be informed. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger coined the famous aphorism that "Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic politics." In the half century since this insightful pronouncement, the situation has only deteriorated. Today, Israel is a state in disarray. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brought the lack of management and control to an art form of rare perfection. With the number of coronavirus infections breaking daily records, Israel is verging on anarchy. The final nail in the coffin of Israeli governance was hammered in Sept. 7 when the chair of the Yisrael Beitenu party, Avigdor Liberman, called on Israelis to stop obeying government-issued instructions related to controlling the COVID-19 epidemic. I call on the people to act in accordance with common sense and not in accordance with government guidelines, Liberman said, accusing Netanyahu of having sacrificed the publics health for the health of his coalition, and therefore government decisions being made now are illegal. Following Libermans widely quoted remarks, Netanyahu sent an urgent letter to all the heads of the Knesset opposition factions (among them Liberman, Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid, Meretz party head Nitzan Horowitz and others), urging them to stop undermining the government. The lawmakers immediately fired back angry responses, calling on Netanyahu to step down and accept responsibility for the chaos. Libermans exhortations reflect what appears to verge on a campaign of organized civil disobedience. The government of Israel and the project manager it appointed to deal with the spread of the coronavirus, Dr. Ronni Gamzu, are unable to come up with a publicly credible, organized response. Public trust in the governments coronavirus-related decisions, motivations and performance has plunged to record lows. More than 65% of Israelis give Netanyahus handling of the countrys health and economic crisis a failing grade. Moreover, that is not all. The government has lost almost all ability to issue publicly acceptable instructions and to translate them into action. The prevailing sense is one of a free-for-all, of every man and woman for himself or herself. In recent days, Israel has broken all previous records for the number of daily COVID-19 diagnoses, crossing the 3,000 mark, sending shock waves throughout the system, from Netanyahu down to the heads of the coronavirus hospital wards. Already on Sept. 3, in response to the hike in numbers, Gamzu presented to the government an emergency plan. Gamzu was planning for a lockdown on some 10 designated red towns and neighborhoods where the rate of infection is particularly high. The residents of these towns are either Israeli Arabs or ultra-Orthodox Jews, two population cohorts that account for a significant number of Israels COVID-19 cases due to their crowded neighborhoods, large families and prevailing norms of mass gatherings for prayers and celebrations. The response to Gamzus lockdown decision broke out three days later. On Sept. 6, mayors of ultra-Orthodox towns informed the prime minister that they were considering a halt to all cooperation with the coronavirus czar and the government guidelines. Some of them dubbed Gamzu as anti-Semite and mounted vicious attacks against him on social media and elsewhere. Arab mayors were also clearly dissatisfied with the decision and spoke of a lack of police enforcement of coronavirus rules in their communities. After the mayors came the ultra-Orthodox Knesset members and government ministers to whom Netanyahu owes his political survival. They demanded an urgent meeting with Netanyahu, at which they hurled harsh accusations against him, not just over the planned lockdown but also in the wake of the farcical handling of the annual pilgrimage of Breslov Hasidim to Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews from Israel and other countries congregate each year in the Ukrainian town of Uman on the eve of the Jewish New Year to worship at the grave of their revered Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Israeli and Ukrainian authorities sought to prevent this years pilgrimage over coronavirus infection concerns. The Breslov Hasidim, considered hard-core Netanyahu voters, announced they would no longer vote for the prime minister and Netanyahu was quick to fold. He distanced himself from the decision to close Ukraine off to the pilgrims and did what he does best in such cases: He formed a ministerial committee to examine the issue and draw up a format for the annual trip to Breslov. His attempts to evade the Uman affair were not entirely successful. And so, Sept. 6 was particularly chaotic. The ultra-Orthodox turned on Netanyahu in full force, the public expressed disgust with the governments performance and Netanyahu gave in, once again. The decision on a total lockdown in ultra-Orthodox and Arab towns was rescinded and replaced by a decision to impose a nightly curfew on 40 towns hard hit by COVID-19. That decision, too, was delayed at the last minute Sept. 7. On Sept. 8, the ministerial coronavirus committee convened and after much arm-twisting, voted in favor of a weeklong nighttime curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. in dozens of towns and neighborhoods, starting immediately. The vote notwithstanding, Israel is clearly on the brink of anarchy. In addition to Libermans call for civil disobedience, the head of the opposition Yamina party, Naftali Bennett, has also expressed particularly lethal criticism of Netanyahu in recent days. The prevailing sense is of a loss of government control given the inability to agree on solutions, implement them and mobilize the publics support. For now, none of this is having a significant destructive effect on Netanyahu. Although public satisfaction with his performance is at an almost record low, support for his Likud party remains firm and the party is still by far the biggest in the Knesset. Support for the party appears stagnant at about 30 Knesset seats (compared with the 36 it garnered in the March 2 election), while the politician benefiting most from the Likud decline is Bennett. His Yamina party, which garnered six Knesset seats in March, is polling at 21 seats, according to a Sept. 7 Channel 13 television poll. Netanyahu is bleeding in the polls, but his disenchanted voters are moving to the right, not to the center or left. If elections were held now, Netanyahu would still manage to put together a coalition government with relative ease, without Liberman and the political center-left. Bennett is the only one who could try to blackmail Netanyahu politically after elections given his Yamina party's surging support. Here, however, the crisis of trust between Netanyahu and the public could come into play. How will he talk Bennett into a deal of the type he forged in April with Blue and White party chief Benny Gantz, including a job switch arrangement, when everyone knows he has no intention of making good on his arrangement with Gantz? Netanyahu tells himself that all will be well, that he will cross that bridge when the time comes. Still, right now, the bridge seems to be coming apart. At the meeting of the Committee on Economic Matters on September 9 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi An official of the Vietnamese National Assembly has suggested continuing to review and perfect the legal framework to promote trade facilitation to ensure uninterrupted circulation of goods and supply chains in the ASEAN region. Nguyen Manh Tien, Vice Chairman of the NAs Committee for Foreign Affairs and Head of the Vietnamese NAs Delegation, made the suggestion at a virtual meeting of the Committee on Economic Matters of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41) on September 9. The meeting focused on the topic The Role of Parliaments in Promoting ASEAN Cohesiveness and Economic Recovery post-COVID 19. Tien said over the past several months, ASEAN countries have taken their own measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic as well as respond to the economic impacts of the pandemic. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is not just a medical crisis, but a crisis for the growth when international trade and supply chains are disrupted. Facing this situation, the Vietnamese delegation was deeply concerned about the great losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in ASEAN countries, he said, adding that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused a great hindrance to the economies of ASEAN countries as well as their internal and external trade activities. Therefore, the economic integration in promoting economic growth and recovery of ASEAN member countries and the good implementation of digital economic activities will be of profound importance, playing an important role in strengthening ASEAN economic integration as well as ASEANs readiness to respond to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In that spirit, Tien recommended the ASEAN community to unify to implement a series of breakthrough and feasible solutions, which are: Firstly, promoting accelerated exchange of information relating to tourism and health and other necessary measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic; promoting the safety in travelling, applying safety standards and medical procedures to facilitate cross-border movement of ASEAN citizens, and adhering to international health and safety standards as well as commitments under relevant Agreements among ASEAN member countries; Secondly, studying the concept of "travel bubble" between "green countries" as a preliminary initiative in the process of reopening the border, forming safe travel zones within ASEAN and proposing to issue reference guidelines to all ASEAN member countries without prejudice to commitments under the relevant agreements among ASEAN member countries; Thirdly, continuing to review and perfect the legal framework to promote trade facilitation, to ensure uninterrupted circulation of goods and supply chains in the region; building open, sustainable and responsible investment policies in the region; ensuring food security and agricultural value chains; increasing the use of renewable energy; proceeding to build a circular economy; Fourthly, speeding up the ratification of regional trade agreements and treaties; prioritising efforts to finalise negotiations and sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by 2020; strengthening capacity, participation and strengthening parliamentary oversight of the implementation of trade and investment commitments within the regional and international frameworks, considering it as a key tool to promote broader economic linkages within the ASEAN Community and between ASEAN and other partners. Fifthly, enhancing the development of digital infrastructure, digital connectivity, digital data security, digital knowledge and skills connecting ASEAN member countries to develop the digital economy; sharing information and experiences to handle challenges facing e-commerce platforms; taking advantage of the opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to overcome the disadvantages of economic lockdown and social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic and remaining competitiveness in the digital economy era. Sixthly, building regional connectivity infrastructure, enhancing transport connectivity and the need to strengthen cooperation in the Mekong sub-region and other ASEAN subregions, especially on environmental protection, smart agriculture development and sustainable management of transboundary natural resources to ensure food, water and energy security in the subregions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the meeting, delegates spoke highly of the Vietnamese National Assemblys efforts to hold the 41st General Assembly of AIPA via a teleconference as the COVID-19 pandemic is raging in the region and the world. They discussed measures to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 while fine-tuning legal frameworks to promote economic recovery when the pandemic is put under control. The participants affirmed the importance of economic connectivity, including maintaining supply chains, in promoting ASEAN member nations economic growth and comprehensive recovery. They also called for cooperation among AIPA member parliaments in building new legal frameworks to institutionalise national preparedness and response mechanisms against COVID-19 and future pandemics. A Resolution on the Role of Parliaments in Promoting ASEAN Cohesiveness and Economic Recovery Post-COVID-19 was approved at the end of the meeting. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) now comprises 10 members, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. June 9, 2020 The hurt The events of the past two weeks have, sadly, reinforced my perception of our country. Although I did not want to believe its true, I believe that deep down we live in a racist country. We are a nation where a majority of white citizens are perfectly comfortable remaining uninvolved, allowing the worst things to happen to citizens of color. As long as the atrocities are not witnessed, occur far away and do not directly affect the white majority, the oppressions/discriminations/killings are allowed to go unchecked. On May 25, 2020, a Black man was dragged out of his car, restrained and then killed by a white police officer while three fellow officers casually watched, essentially guarding the murderer. These men knew they were being recorded, but that fact did nothing to dissuade their actions and inactions. Every person of color knew what would happen next. The police would claim he had been resisting arrest or bring up the familiar narratives white Americans hold for Black men: He was threatening them. They were afraid for their lives. He has a criminal record. The sad reality is that the system would have bought the polices defenses if not for the security camera footage, showing them dragging an unarmed, unresisting Black man from his car. They may have had to stand trial, but they would have had the best lawyers to defend them. Swaths of politicians would have been on their side. An entire information ecosystem would have supported their telling of the event while simultaneously denigrating the life of the victim: This Black man got what was coming to him. He deserved punishment. Hes one less criminal we have to protect you from. Is spending a fake $20 bill, using drugs or having an imperfect past grounds for capital punishment? It is if you are a Black man in the United States of America. Time and time again, we have all seen that the police need far less justification for killing or brutalizing a Black man or woman in the United States of America. The killing of George Floyd has touched a nerve in this country and the world. It has been encouraging to see people of all races, colors and walks of life participating in massive peaceful protests against police brutality, racism and the structural inequalities baked into the very fabric of our nation. The video, the heavy-handed police tactics and the subsequent actions of our national and local leaders have all served as proof, leaving no doubt about the existence of institutionalized racism in our nation. Many of us have watched the video of a Black man begging for his life, calling out to his dead mother, and then slumping, surrendering to death. If you watched, you could see yourself as one of seven people five in the video, and two not. Black people knew we were either Mr. Floyd or the person taking the video. Either someone has his knee on our neck, or we are witnessing the atrocity, powerless to do anything about it. White people may have realized they were one of the police. Either the cop with the knee on the neck or one of the three police officers who just let it happen. There is one other white person who I wish was in the video: the cop who would have pushed the knee off Mr. Floyds neck. The cop who would not stand to let a person die unjustly under their watch. White people, you need to ask yourself who you are. If you do nothing, you stand on the same side of the cop who has his knee on someones neck. If you are the cop who would have pushed the knee off Mr. Floyds neck, we thank you for your willingness to ally yourself with the cause by doing something. These white people are the same who marched hand in hand with Dr. King in Selma, gave their lives in Mississippi so that Black people could have the right to vote, refused to move away when a Black family moved into the neighborhood, rented apartments to single Black mothers with teenage sons, and approved mortgages for Black families with a good income but a marginal credit score. We know who you are, and we appreciate your works. However, what is hard to hear and harder to acknowledge is that many white individuals are the cops standing there, backs turned as a knee is on someones neck. You are probably not a racist, but you are definitely not anti-racist. You will spend $40,000 a year to send your child to private school but vote against a small tax increase meant to benefit schools in the poorer, darker areas of your community. You will post on social media how horrible the Floyd incident was, but cant take the time to march in protest, to hand out masks or bottles of water. You will decry the violence of the protests, but not denounce the violence that led to the protests. You place Black Lives Matter signs in your front yard and call it a day. You know who you are, and we are asking you to turn around, look at the knee on a human beings neck and please push it off. You can help. The hope In 1993, I came to Stanford with a suitcase of clothes and another full of books. Those suitcases contained all of my possessions. I spent the next 25 years there as an MD/PhD student, a neurosurgery resident and faculty member. At every level, I encountered genuine discrimination. I had my fellow medical students tell me to my face that I got in only because of my race. I had a Stanford sheriff run me down on my bike while riding home from the lab. Officers in the car identified themselves as police by turning the police lights on after I was already face down in the dirt. They quickly went back in their vehicle and rode off after I reached in my wallet and pulled out my Stanford ID card. I am lucky they didnt think it was a gun. I have had parents request the services of a different neurosurgeon for no apparent reason. I have had nurses mistake me for a food services employee and ask me to take out the food tray of a patient I had removed a brainstem tumor from a week earlier. I had a faculty colleague tell me that I didnt deserve to be a PI of a lab at Stanford. He didnt know I was instrumental in recruiting him to Stanford years earlier. However, none of those negative experiences came close to the positive experiences I have had with the students, faculty and staff at Stanford. I cant tell you how many times a person at Stanford gave me a chance and took a chance on me. I cant tell you how many times at Stanford I heard, Well, all things being equal, we are going to take the women and persons of color. I cant tell you how many times Stanford offered me opportunities to help others just like me. Stanford is not a perfect place. Like the rest of our society, most there are content to turn their backs. There are even a few people who want their knee on someones neck. However, Stanfords halls are filled with people, programs and institutions that are anti-racist. Over the next weeks, months and years, the Stanford community will respond to the tragedy of George Floyds murder. There will be many responses data-driven, compassionate and models for others to follow. For those of us who are Black, we must not give up, no matter how hard the struggle, because our surrender is victory to the cop with his knee on Mr. Floyds neck. And to all our white colleagues, friends and family at Stanford who commit to a life of anti-racism, we thank you for your support because we cannot do this alone. Together we will stand; divided, we will fall. Take care, Sam Samuel H. Cheshier wrote this letter to Irv Weissman, MD, after police killed George Floyd. We published it with his permisstion. Contact the magazine editor at medmag@stanford.edu. We are extremely proud to be selected as the winner of the 2020 new product of the year award for perimeter protection by such a prestigious media brand as Security Today, states Michael Stoll, VP of Technical Sales & Marketing. Aeroturn LLC, a leading turnstile manufacturer that offers 100% Made In The USA turnstiles, today announced that the company has won the prestigious New Product of the Year Award in the perimeter protection category from Security Today for its X-Wing Optical Glass Turnstile. Security Today magazine, the leading industry media brand providing technology, education and solutions for security professionals, and securitytoday.com, the preeminent editorial website for the security industry, announced the winners of the Security Today 2020 New Product of the Year Award in early September. The Security Today New Product of the Year Award honors the outstanding product development achievements of security equipment manufacturers that have products that are particularly noteworthy in their ability to improve security. In the 12th successful year of the independently juried contest, winners were honored in 37 product award categories and Aeroturn is proud to be included on the winners list. Aeroturns X-Wing Optical Glass Turnstile is a locking security turnstile with capability of 72"AFF tempered safety glass barriers and currently equipped with 3-D contactless entry and/or exit readers for access or denied access. One of the big 2020 innovations is that without scrapping the existing entry reader type (prox or contactless); thermal imaging/temperature sensing tablets are retrofittable to new and existing equipment as the need arises. Aeroturn currently has customers that are budgeting already for the additional temperature scanners on new and future products. Since Aeroturn products have a 20-year service life, the investment pays for itself many times over and adds an additional level of health security. We are extremely proud to be selected as the winner of the 2020 new product of the year award for perimeter protection by such a prestigious media brand as Security Today, states Michael Stoll, VP of Technical Sales & Marketing. New products and technologies are the backbone of the security industry; however, with the pandemic affecting everyone these days, businesses have been in survival mode, said Ralph C. Jensen, editor in chief of Security Today magazine. The products we have seen entered in this year's competition are the best of the best. Manufacturers are once again stepping forward with solutions that will impact end users safety and security. There are many options out there for turnstiles, but none can compete with Aeroturns reliability and quality perimeter protection solutions. For further information, please send an email to sales@aeroturn.com or visit http://www.aeroturn.com. About Aeroturn LLC Based out of our 100% Made in USA Oxford, CT location, Aeroturn has been offering integrators and end users this centurys turnstiles that include a comprehensive range of turnstile products. With an engineering team that is second to none; the team has been together for over two and a half decades in the product design, development and manufacturing field and continues to lead the way in the security industry. Since its inception in 2001, Aeroturn offers every customer a 5-year warranty, zero maintenance mechanisms, 10 million passages guaranteed, site specific cabinets, 10,000 cycle factory burn-in, and industry unique-factory direct delivery & installation. The company installed its first turnstiles in 2003 and 2004 and has not stopped delivering quality turnstiles and services over the years to its high-profile customers in a wide variety of vertical markets that includes commercial, private, government, industrial, bio-pharma and education. Working closely with the architect, consultant & engineering community, Aeroturn understands the specific needs of its customers and continues to exceed expectations on each and every project. For further information on Aeroturns turnkey turnstile solutions, visit http://www.aeroturn.com. Company Contact: Michael Stoll, VP Technical Sales & Marketing Aeroturn LLC Phone: 203-262-8309 mike.stoll@aeroturn.com PR Contact: Monique Merhige, President Infusion Direct Marketing Inc. Phone: 772-236-0233 Email: monique@infusiondirect.com The Chairman of M attended a rehearsal on Wednesday, in the Chamber for the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament as arrangements have been made keeping in view COVID-19 pandemic. The officials who attended the rehearsal followed the social distancing protocol along with wearing masks.This will be the 252nd session of The monsoon session of Parliament is scheduled to begin from September 14 and conclude on October 1, without any day off. Both the Houses of Parliament will sit for four hours daily adhering to precautionary measures. On the first day of the session on September 14, the Lower House will meet from 9 AM to 1 PM and sitting in the Upper House will be held from 3 PM to 7 PM. On subsequent days, proceedings in Rajya Sabha will be held from 9 AM till 1 PM while the time for Lok Sabha sittings has been fixed from 3 PM to 7 PM. (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.) After days of protests against the Rochester Police Department in light of the death of Daniel Prude, its top officer and his deputy announced Tuesday they are retiring from the force. Along with the police chief, six other department leaders announced they will vacate their roles. Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary said in a statement that he was honored to serve the city in upstate New York for 20 years and commended his staff. However, he said the protests and criticism of his handling of the investigation into the March 23 incident "are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity." MORE: Demonstrators march to Rochester Public Safety Building to protest death of Daniel Prude "As a man of integrity, I will not sit idly by while outside entities attempt to destroy my character," he said in a statement. "The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation and know what I stand for." His retirement will be effective Sept. 29, according to Rochester City Council President Loretta Scott. Scott told ABC News as of now there is no blueprint for how the city moves forward following the retirements of the command staff. Antonio Romanucci, the attorney representing Prude's children, called Singletary's departure "an important and necessary step to healing and meaningful reform in the community." "Clearly, the conduct of the officers in Mr. Prude's case was inhumane, and the subsequent cover-up was unacceptable," he said in a statement. "We look forward to securing justice for Mr. Prude and to having Rochester leaders do the hard work needed to address issues of systemic racism and training protocols in the police department." PHOTO: Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary speaks during a news conference regarding the protests over the death of a Black man, Daniel Prude, after police put a spit hood over his head during an arrest on March 23, in Rochester, N.Y., Sept. 6, 2020. (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters) Mayor Lovely Warren informed the Rochester City Council that in addition to Singletary, the entire command staff announced it would be vacating their roles today. She noted that none of the police leaders were asked to resign. Story continues The police union said the announcement took it by surprise, but laid blame at the foot of the mayor's office. "The events that have unfolded today have taken us completely by surprise, as they have everyone else," the Rochester Police Locust Club said in a statement. "What is clear is that the problems of leadership go directly to the Mayors office. Our priority now is on the dedicated men and woman, who despite unprecedented challenges, continue to do a very difficult job." MORE: New York forms grand jury to investigate Daniel Prude's death at hands of Rochester police "Our members remain focused and committed to serving the citizens of this city, despite the lack of support and leadership that we are witnessing coming from our elected officials in City Hall," the union added. The announcement came during a scheduled city council meeting Tuesday afternoon, and Scott said she was totally unaware Singletary would make the announcement he did. "It was unexpected. I didn't know that it was going to happen," Scott said. "I don't know blindside is the right word. But yeah, right. This was a briefing to talk about how the police handled the protests." PHOTO: An image made from video shows Rochester, N.Y., Mayor Lovely Warren informing the City Council that the Rochester police department command staff announced their retirement, Sept. 8, 2020. (Rochester, NY City Council) Deputy Chief Joseph Morabito was among those retiring. He had served on the Rochester Police Department for 34 years. "It has also been my honor to serve this community through these many years; a community I was born and raised in, and deeply love," he wrote in a statement. Cmdr. Fabian Rivera and Cmdr. Elena Correia also announced their retirements, while Deputy Chief Mark Simmons and Cmdr. Henry Favor each left the command staff to return to their previous ranks of lieutenant. Deputy Chief Mark Mura announced he would return to the rank of captain. Tameshay Prude, Daniel Prudes sister and administrator of his estate, said in a statement the departures were "a good step," but reiterated that the entire force needed an overhaul. MORE: Daniel Prude's brother speaks out about ongoing protests Last week, body camera footage was released showing the March 23 incident involving Rochester police officers and Prude, 41. Prude's brother, Joe, called 911 to get help, saying Daniel was having a mental health emergency. In the video, officers approached Prude, who was naked, and Prude initially complied with the officers' orders. Prude was subsequently seen shouting and spitting, which prompted officers to place a spit bag over his head. The officers are then seen pinning Prude to the ground while the bag is still on his head and he eventually goes lifeless. Prude died a week later. The news sparked protests throughout the city over the last six days and in some instances, things got heated. Officers have had to use pepper spray and tear gas on the protesters after they said bottles and rocks were thrown at them. PHOTO: A woman holds up a sign during a standoff between demonstrators and police officers in front of the Public Safety Building after a peaceful march for Daniel Prude on Sept. 7, 2020 in Rochester, N.Y. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) The New York State Attorney General's Office is investigating the incident and seven Rochester Police Department members have been suspended with pay. The AG's office said over the weekend that it will empanel a grand jury to decide whether the incident merits criminal charges. Prude's death was not made public until the video was released by The Democrat and Chronicle on Sept. 2. Since the release of the video, advocates and community activists have criticized the police force for keeping Prude's death and investigation under wraps for months. Warren and Singletary have defended their actions and said that everything they've done so far was by the book. "He didn't in any way try to cover this up," Warren told the city council. ABC News' Alondra Valle, Chris Donato and Josh Hoyos contributed to this report. This report was featured in the Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, episode of Start Here, ABC News daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. Rochester police chief, deputies step down suddenly following protests over death of Daniel Prude originally appeared on abcnews.go.com CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NearU HVAC Services today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Hagan Heating and Air, in Anderson, SC. This marks NearU's fourth acquisition in six months. Under NearU's ownership, Hagan will strategically join forces with Carolina Heating Services, another market-leading NearU company that is based in nearby Greenville, SC. Paul Hagan, the Founder of Hagan Heating and Air, will continue to lead the company's customer service efforts. "Hagan Heating and Air has loyally served thousands of customers over the last three decades. Their local brand is associated with premium and honest customer service. We look forward to building on this reputation by providing more bandwidth and expertise to the talented Hagan team. Our portfolio in Upstate South Carolina now boasts two strong and strategically-combined local brands: Carolina Heating Services in Greenville and Hagan Heating and Air in Anderson. We welcome the customers and employees of Hagan Heating and Air to the rapidly growing NearU family," said Ashish Achlerkar, NearU's Founder, Chairman and CEO. "At Hagan, we have worked hard and honestly to always do right by our customers and employees. We chose to transition our brand to NearU because of our confidence in NearU's vision for the HVAC industry. The NearU team delivered a fair value to our shareholders and a clear plan to add more value to our customers and employees. I am confident that our customer and employee experience will further flourish under NearU's ownership. I am committed to partnering in that endeavor in my new role as a NearU team member," said Paul Hagan, the Founder of Hagan Heating and Air. "I am excited to see the Carolina Heating Services brand grow with the acquisition of Hagan Heating and Air. Paul Hagan and his team exemplify what HVAC contracting is all about: customer service and quality workmanship. NearU has a bright future ahead, and I am dedicated to supporting their team in its continued growth in the Carolinas," said Scott Kelly, the Founder of Carolina Heating Services, a NearU company. About NearU: NearU is a technician and customer-centric provider of residential and light commercial HVAC services. The company is well-capitalized and seeks to grow organically and by acquiring or partnering with leading HVAC contractors. www.NearU.Services About Hagan Heating and Air: Hagan Heating and Air, an Anderson, SC-based company, provides recurring maintenance, repair, and installation services for HVAC equipment. The Company was founded in 1987 and became a part of NearU HVAC Services in September 2020. https://haganair.com/ For More Information, Contact : Ashish Achlerkar NearU Founder and CEO (704) 604-1574 [email protected] SOURCE NearU Related Links nearu.services China may have given oil markets false hope. A rapidly rebounding economy in the Asian powerhouse had initially revived demand, but bloated inventories and stockpiling by domestic refineries have exposed the fragility of prices. A look at Chinese ports tells the full story. Shandong - home to a host of independent refineries - is completely congested. The volume of crude stored on tankers idled in Chinese waters near the port city for over a week has quintupled from normal levels. Chinese refineries, which had taken advantage of relatively cheap prices over the past quarter, are ... Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. They do not reflect the view/s of Business Standard. ITHACA, N.Y.- Using publicly available tourist photos of world landmarks such as the Trevi Fountain in Rome or Top of the Rock in New York City, Cornell University researchers have developed a method to create maneuverable 3D images that show changes in appearance over time. The method, which employs deep learning to ingest and synthesize tens of thousands of mostly untagged and undated photos, solves a problem that has eluded experts in computer vision for six decades. "It's a new way of modeling scenes that not only allows you to move your head and see, say, the fountain from different viewpoints, but also gives you controls for changing the time," said Noah Snavely, associate professor of computer science at Cornell Tech and senior author of "Crowdsampling the Plenoptic Function," presented at the European Conference on Computer Vision, held virtually Aug. 23-28. "If you really went to the Trevi Fountain on your vacation, the way it would look would depend on what time you went - at night, it would be lit up by floodlights from the bottom. In the afternoon, it would be sunlit, unless you went on a cloudy day," Snavely said. "We learned the whole range of appearances, based on time of day and weather, from these unorganized photo collections, such that you can explore the whole range and simultaneously move around the scene." Representing a place in a photorealistic way is challenging for traditional computer vision, partly because of the sheer number of textures to be reproduced. "The real world is so diverse in its appearance and has different kinds of materials - shiny things, water, thin structures," Snavely said. Another problem is the inconsistency of the available data. Describing how something looks from every possible viewpoint in space and time - known as the plenoptic function - would be a manageable task with hundreds of webcams affixed around a scene, recording data day and night. But since this isn't practical, the researchers had to develop a way to compensate. "There may not be a photo taken at 4 p.m. from this exact viewpoint in the data set. So we have to learn from a photo taken at 9 p.m. at one location, and a photo taken at 4:03 from another location," Snavely said. "And we don't know the granularity of when these photos were taken. But using deep learning allows us to infer what the scene would have looked like at any given time and place." The researchers introduced a new scene representation called Deep Multiplane Images to interpolate appearance in four dimensions - 3D, plus changes over time. Their method is inspired in part on a classic animation technique developed by the Walt Disney Company in the 1930s, which uses layers of transparencies to create a 3D effect without redrawing every aspect of a scene. "We use the same idea invented for creating 3D effects in 2D animation to create 3D effects in real-world scenes, to create this deep multilayer image by fitting it to all these disparate measurements from the tourists' photos," Snavely said. "It's interesting that it kind of stems from this very old, classic technique used in animation." In the study, they showed that this model could be trained to create a scene using around 50,000 publicly available images found on sites such as Flickr and Instagram. The method has implications for computer vision research, as well as virtual tourism - particularly useful at a time when few can travel in person. "You can get the sense of really being there," Snavely said. "It works surprisingly well for a range of scenes." ### First author of the paper is Cornell Tech doctoral student Zhengqi Li. Abe Davis, assistant professor of computer science in the Faculty of Computing and Information Science, and Cornell Tech doctoral student Wenqi Xian also contributed. The research was partly supported by philanthropist Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, and Wendy Schmidt, by recommendation of the Schmidt Futures Program. Hometowns of Presidential candidates are normally 'no go zones' for their main opponents but Vice President Bawumia on Monday defied that widely-held view in Bole, the hometown of NDC flagbearer John Dramani Mahama. On the 4th day of his tour of the northern regions of the country, Dr. Bawumia stormed Bole to round off his visits to the newly created Savannah Region. What was meant to be a private visit to the Bole Naa turned out to be a stunning experience as the home of Mahama offered Dr. Bawumia an unimaginable tumultuous welcome. Scores of youth met the Vice President at the entrace of Bole in the outskirts and led him into the town and to his destination. As his entourage slowly headed to the Bole Naa's Palace, scores of people, both young and old poured out in their numbers and followed him to the Palace. By the time Dr. Bawumia was through with his meeting with the Bole Naa, people had massed up in front of the Palace chanting songs in support of President Akuffo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia. As Bawumia stepped out of the Palace, the crowd demanded he says something and he obliged. "Wow! This is Bole! This is Bole! This is Bole!", a stunned Dr. Bawumia said. He continued: "From what i seee tonight, in shaa Allah David Sey Dema will be the next member of Parliament for Bole Constituency." "We are so happy for this welcome. This is a massive welcome," he added. Dr. Bawumia said the 2020 elections is about records and sustaining the massive and inclusive development, as well as the social interventions President Akufo-Addo has initiated in his first. He said unlike former President Mahama, who disappointed the north despite pumping $100 million dollars into SADA, President Akufo-Addo has kept faith with the north with several development initiatives. Dr. Bawumia said, even Bole Constituency, the home of former President Maham has not been left out, as it has benefited from 10 dams from the One Village One Dam, among other national interventions. As Dr. Bawumia listed President Akufo-Addos numerous achievements one after the other, the ecstatic crowd responded wildly to it. He urged them to make history by voting massively for President Akufo-Addo and electing the NPP Parliamentary candidate to Parliament. 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 (REUTERS) The federal government says new financial supports for Black entrepreneurs and business owners is a first step in its plan to tackle systemic racism, while working to identify barriers to success. Ottawa says COVID-19 has highlighted and exacerbated existing systemic barriers faced by Black entrepreneurs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced investments of up to nearly $221 million in partnership with Canadian banks, including up to $93 million from the Government of Canada over the next four years. The program is the first of its kind in Canada. Trudeau says the ideas and the ability to succeed are all there within the Black community, but access to funding remains an obstacle. What this program will do over the coming four years is ensure, by working with financial institutions there is much greater access to capital for these Black businesses, which face systemic barriers and discrimination every single day, he said, during a news conference. The program includes up to $53 million to develop and implement a new National Ecosystem Fund to support Black-led businesses. Up to $33.3 million is for the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, which wil provide loans between $25,000 and $250,000. The government is also partnering with financial institutions to make up to $128 million available in additional lending support. Up to $6.5 million is for the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, to collect data on the state of Black entrepreneurship and barriers to success as well as opportunities for growth. It will be run by Black-led community and business organizations, in partnership with educational institutions. The Parliamentary Black Caucus called on governments across the country to immediately address systemic racism in June. It would be lovely to imagine that, with four years of working with almost all financial institutions on delivering capital it will become very obvious to those institutions, what we and so many of us in this room already know, that investing in black businesses is an amazing way to create wealth and prosperity for everyone, said Trudeau Story continues And in four years, well look at this and perhaps there will be different challenges we have to invest in because the challenges of access will have been so significantly improved. Greg Fergus, Liberal MP for Hull-Aylmer, and chair of the Parliamentary Black Caucus called it a positive step in the right direction. It will not, in one fell swoop eliminate all of systemic racism and the consequences, but weve take a positive step forward. he said during the news conference. Its a way for Black Canadians to tell a different story to non-Black Canadians about what we want to do and the prosperity we want to create, the opportunities that are before us and now we have the means to do this. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce applauded the announcement. It aligns with our views on the importance of an inclusive recovery that leaves no opportunity for growth left unpursued, it told Yahoo Finance Canada. Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inherent Biosciences, a biotechnology company headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, today announced a $255,959 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study epigenetic biomarkers to predict patient response to SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) infection. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop an on-site, clinical test to screen incoming patients potentially infected with COVID-19 and prioritize hospital resources and personnel based on a predicted infection severity and treatment response. The variation in symptoms and outcomes for COVID-19 progression makes it challenging for health care workers to triage patients accurately. The development of a DNA methylation-based test to predict the severity of COVID-19 infection has tremendous potential for managing current and future pandemics. "NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering," said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. "With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs." Andy Olson, Co-founder and CEO of Inherent Biosciences, remarked: "We're thrilled to announce this award, which will enable us to expand our discovery and commercialization pipeline into the area of infectious disease - a critical area as witnessed by the COVID-19 pandemic we're living through." The award provides support for Inherent to generate a comprehensive dataset of white blood cell DNA methylation patterns, health history, and clinical data for patients infected with COVID-19. The company then uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to identify DNA methylation biomarkers predictive of disease severity and treatment response. Kristin Brogaard, Ph.D., Co-founder and COO of the company, and Principal Investigator for the project added: "Our focus is translating epigenetic discoveries, specifically DNA methylation biomarkers, from research discoveries into commercial products that benefit consumers, patients and health care providers." Inherent has already translated one epigenetic discovery into a commercial product. The company's first product called "Path" (PathFertility.com) is for couples trying to conceive. Path is marketed directly to consumers as a general wellness sperm DNA test related to maintaining or encouraging a general state of health, specifically male reproductive health. About Inherent Biosciences - Inherent Biosciences, Inc. is a molecular diagnostics company at the intersection of epigenetics and AI. Inherent believes that guesswork and trial-and-error medicine lead to severe pain and suffering. Inherent's vision is to revolutionize trial and error medicine and restore hope. The company does this by discovering what is inherent in our biology about the unexplained and translating discoveries into personal insights that inform actions. Learn more at www.inherentbio.com or connect on LinkedIn. Contact: Inherent Biosciences, Inc. Andy Olson, CEO Phone: (509) 496-1204 Email: [email protected] Related Images inherent-biosciences-logo.png Inherent Biosciences Logo Company logo SOURCE Inherent Biosciences Related Links http://www.inherentbio.com N icola Sturgeon has slammed the UK Government as a "bunch of incompetent and unscrupulous chancers" over claims the Brexit deal with the EU was signed in a rush. Downing Street has sought to justify the Internal Markets Bill, which will override parts of Boris Johnsons Withdrawal Agreement, saying the deal was written "at pace" in "the most challenging" circumstances. "It was agreed at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances to deliver on a clear political decision by the British people with the clear overriding purpose of protecting the special circumstances of Northern Ireland," the Prime Ministers official spokesman said. "It contains ambiguities and in key areas there is a lack of clarity. It was written on the assumption that subsequent agreements to clarify these aspects could be reached between us and the EU on the details and that may yet be possible." Responding to the remarks, Ms Sturgeon said the Government's "incompetence" was "trashing the UK's international reputation". "In the General Election it was, according to the PM oven ready now, when they want to jettison it in breach of international law, it was signed in a rush," the Scottish First Minister tweeted. "What a bunch of incompetent and unscrupulous chancers and they are trashing the UKs international reputation. Earlier, Ms Sturgeon said the new legislation setting out trading arrangements within the UK after the Brexit transition period was a "full frontal assault on devolution". "The Internal Market Bill that the UK Government will publish today is a full frontal assault on devolution," she said on Twitter. "At forthcoming @ScotParl elections, @theSNP will make case for independence. And more and more this is not about independence v the status quo of devolution. Its about independence as the only way to protect the Scottish Parliament from being undermined and its powers eroded. "And added to all of the above, this is a Bill that, by the governments own admission, breaks international law. "This UK gov is the most reckless (& to make it worse, incompetently so) and unprincipled in my lifetime. Scotland can do better and we will have that choice." Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis confirmed to MPs on Tuesday that the legislation would breach international law in a "very specific and limited way". The bill, published on Wednesday, gives ministers the power to decide themselves - rather than in agreement with Europe - about checks on goods between Northern Ireland and the mainland as well as on state aid. It also says that the provisions in the bill "must be introduced notwithstanding any relevant international or domestic law" - meaning that this legislation must be regarded first. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement. She tweeted: "This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda = the foundation of prosperous future relations." Influential Irish-American US Congressman Richard Neal has also urged the UK to uphold the rule of law and warned that any US-UK trade deal would be dependent on protecting the Good Friday Agreement. Maple Gold provides exploration update and outlook at Douay Gold Project Posted by Publisher Internet Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (?Maple Gold? or the ?Company?) (TSX-V: MGM, OTCQB: MGMLF; Frankfurt: M3G https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/maple-gold-mines-ltd/ ) is pleased to provide a recap of its exploration programs during the first half of 2020 and an outlook on exploration work planned at its Douay Gold Project (the ?Project?) in northern Quebec, Canada. ?Our exploration team achieved excellent assay results across multiple zones during our winter 2020 program and the data will be used to design upcoming drill campaigns to uncover higher grade targets and to expand and upgrade the known resources at Douay,? stated Matthew Hornor, President and Chief Executive Officer. ?Maple Gold has a massive 357-square-kilometre land package with the opportunity to establish a district-scale gold project in the heart of the Abitibi Gold Belt. With our recently closed C$4.75 million financing, we are fully funded to execute on our exploration plans with the aim of completing an updated resource estimate in 2021.? Summary of H1 Exploration Results From January to March 2020, Maple Gold completed a 4,370-metre drill campaign where 11 of the 14 holes drilled intersected higher-than-deposit-average-grade gold mineralization (see Figure 2).? Key results from the winter 2020 drill program is included in Table 1. Highlights include: Porphyry Zone: Hole DO-20-281 intercepted 75 metres of 1.23 g/t Au, including 31 metres of 1.61 g/t Au; and hole DO-20-283 intercepted 17 metres of 1.91 g/t Au and 7 metres of 1.06 g/t Au at end-of-hole (see news from May 27 and June 10, 2020). These results were obtained from the western part of the Porphyry zone (?Western Porphyry?), which includes the largest block of indicated resources outside of the Douay West Zone, and confirmed the presence of some of the longest, most continuous, intrusive-hosted intercepts on the Project. This zone will be a key focus for the Company?s subsequent exploration campaigns to add near-surface, higher-grade ounces and upgrade the resource category in the area. NW Zone: A single site (DO-20-272) was drilled to test the western continuity of a near-surface historical intercept near the northwest edge of the current resource conceptual pit as defined by the RPA 2019 NI 43-101 report. Results surpassed those of the historical hole with several significant intercepts obtained from top of bedrock including 3.4 metres of 3.60 g/t Au followed by 20 metres of 1.15 g/t Au, the former starting from 39.6 metres downhole and the latter from 50.0 metres downhole. These intercepts were significant as they not only indicated the potential for expanded near-surface and higher grade resources in the NW Zone, but also the potential presence of similar additional mineralization along this relatively sparsely drilled contact area both to the west and to the east. This contact at the NW Zone marks a major lithotectonic boundary, with significantly younger sedimentary rocks to the north in fault contact with older basaltic rocks to the south. This geological setting is comparable to that of nearby deposits at Casa Berardi and Vezza which contain higher-grade gold mineralization ranging between 5.0 to 6.0 g/t Au. There are multiple drilling gaps within this geological setting along the northern flank of the resource with a total cumulative length of approximately 3.5 kilometres that will be further explored. 531 Zone: Hole DO-20-262X established a third higher-grade area in this zone after it intercepted 3.5 metres of 5.96 g/t Au, including 1.7 metres of 11.35 g/t Au (see news from March 16, 2020). The 531 zone appears geologically similar to the higher-grade Douay West Zone and geophysical surveys completed earlier this year at 531 Zone support the Company?s interpretation that this zone is open laterally and to depth. Maple Gold also completed holes at the Nika Zone and southeastern part of the Porphyry Zone (?SE Porphyry?), with several notable intercepts but less significant results relative to other zones. Final assay results included several lower-grade assays consisting of over 10-to-15-metre intervals of 0.5 g/t Au.? This includes hole DO-20-273 which intercepted 10.5 metres of 0.52 g/t Au followed by 14 metres of 0.54 g/t Au, including 3 metres of 1.20 g/t Au. Further downhole, two additional higher-grade intercepts were cut including 6.7 metres of 1.07 g/t Au and 3.8 metres of 1.49 g/t Au.? Due to the greater geological complexity at these targets and excellent results obtained from other zones, the Nika and SE Porphyry areas will be less of a focus for the Company in the near term. In addition to its drilling program, the Company?s modern Induced Polarization (?IP?) winter program has been proven effective at detecting causative sources to depths of 500 metres and has generated very promising IP anomalies.? This work not only supported the Company?s target concept at the 531 Zone, but also showed a new open anomaly on trend with the Main Zone, and detailed a now drill-ready regional discovery target located approximately 4 kilometres to the northeast of the known deposit (NE Target). As a result, the Company expects to continue expanding its IP program to cover the margins of the current resource area as well as more conceptual targets further afield.? Details of promising results from all areas as well as resulting targets will be released once final interpretations are completed. Finally, an Artificial Intelligence study with CGI is ongoing to generate gold prospectivity maps and provide additional target areas to validate and rank in advance of the Company\-\-s next phases of drilling (see news from July 7).? Preliminary results from this work is expected shortly and will also be considered for the fall 2020 drill campaign.? Outlook on H2 Exploration The Company is pursuing an integrated, two-fold exploration strategy at its Douay Project consisting of: 1. Defining and drill-testing discovery targets: Due to the proximity of the Project to the high-grade and past producing Vezza mine (~0.5Moz of 6.0 g/t Au) and Eagle-Telbel mine (1.15Moz @ 6.5 g/t Au) located 12 kilometres and 1 kilometre from the Douay property boundary, respectively potential for new higher-grade discoveries at Douay is considered excellent.? While mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Project, the Company continues to expand its IP program to detail new discovery targets in search of higher-grade gold zones in the area. Fall 2020 drilling campaign: a 3,000-metre program, expected to commence in October, is planned and will focus primarily on drill testing new discovery targets with the potential for higher grade mineralization. Permits for several drill sites are already in hand, with additional sites having been requested in early August (additional program details will be released in the coming weeks). 2. Advanced definition of near-surface, higher-grade potential starter pit areas: Results from the Western Porphyry and NW Zones obtained during the H1 work program support the Company?s objective of expanding known near-surface, higher-than-deposit-average grade gold accumulations that the Company views as potential starter pit areas. The Western Porphyry, NW and Douay West zones are expected to form part of a key subset of the total contained ounces in terms of initial focus for economic analysis and conceptual mine planning. Winter 2021 drilling campaign:? A program consisting of over 10,000 metres is being planned and will take place from January to April 2021.? Drill targets are being planned and will mainly be focused on the above priority areas that have the potential to unlock significant value with further step-out and infill drilling (see Figure 2). Once the fall and winter drilling programs have been completed, the Company expects to prepare an updated resource estimate and to initiate preliminary economic study work in 2021. Qualified Person The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc, P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration, of Maple Gold.?Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.?Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this news release through his direct participation in the work. Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) Maple Gold implements strict Quality Assurance (?QA?) and Quality Control (?QC?) protocols at Douay covering the planning and placing of drill holes in the field; drilling and retrieving the NQ-sized drill core; drill-hole surveying; core transport to the Douay Camp; core logging by qualified personnel; sampling and bagging of core for analysis; transport of core from site to the ALS laboratory in Val d?Or, QC; sample preparation for assaying; and analysis, recording and final statistical vetting of results. For a complete description of protocols, please visit the Company?s QA/QC page on the website at: http://maplegoldmines.com/index.php/en/projects/qa-qc-qp-statement About Maple Gold Maple Gold Mines Ltd. controls the 357-square-kilometre Douay Gold Project located within the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt in northern Quebec, Canada. The Project has an established National Instrument 43-101 gold resource of 422,000 ounces in the Indicated category (8.6Mt grading 1.52 g/t Au) and 2.35 million ounces in the Inferred category (71.2Mt grading 1.03 g/t Au) with significant potential for resource expansion and new discoveries. The Project benefits from exceptional infrastructure access and the Company is currently focused on carrying out aggressive exploration programs to expand and update the known resource.? For more information, please visit www.maplegoldmines.com. ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD. ?Matthew Hornor? B. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO For Further Information Please Contact: Mr. Joness Lang Executive Vice-President Cell: 778.686.6836 Email: jlang@maplegoldmines.com In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch 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. Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains ?forward-looking information\ and ?forward-looking statements? (collectively referred to as ?forward-looking statements?) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about the prospective? mineral potential of the Porphyry Zone, the potential for significant mineralisation from other drilling in the referenced drill program and the completion of the drill program. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management?s best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company?s expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.?s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company?s website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 19:26:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- As China has made significant achievements in its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say that China has set an example for the world in dealing with the virus. "If we were able to hand over an award for the best country in response to coronavirus, China would have deserved the first, second, and third place due to its outstanding success by achieving these results," Ghanim Al-Hujailan, infectious diseases consultant at Al-Adan Hospital of Kuwait, told Xinhua in a recent interview. China's experiences should be written as a reference in medical books for dealing with future epidemics, he said, attributing China's success in stopping the spread of the epidemic to its ability to manage the country efficiently. The Chinese system made the best decision for its people during the COVID-19 crisis, as it was able to control the disease in record time, he added. He also said that China has demonstrated its humanitarian spirit by providing advice, medicine and medical teams to countries around the world, including capitalist countries. Raed Sayed Hashem, head of the Crisis and Disaster Management Team at Amiri Hospital of Kuwait, said that China's health measures have helped the country control the spread of the virus. "China has not recorded any new local cases recently, while most countries in the world did not reach the level even with their strict health measures," he said. Hashem said Kuwait is one of the countries that has failed to reach China's level in controlling the epidemic due to the nature of its social life. He also praised China's commitment to helping the world with aid, "which helped save people's lives by providing large quantities of protective equipment and ventilators." In April, a team of Chinese medical experts visited Kuwait to share their experience in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 with their Kuwaiti counterparts. Abdullah Al-Shammari, preventive health doctor from the Kuwaiti Health Ministry, told Xinhua that the support and medical advice provided by the Chinese team have helped doctors in Kuwait gain better knowledge of the virus. "China was and still is the reference for the world to get to know this new disease," he said, adding that China's success in controlling the spread of the virus has proven that "it has done well." Enditem Seven people were fatally shot early Monday morning at a rural Southern California home that the authorities said housed a large-scale illegal marijuana-growing operation. More than 1,000 pounds of marijuana and several hundred marijuana plants with a street value of up to $5 million were found at the house in Aguanga, an unincorporated area of Riverside County north of San Diego, according to the Riverside County Sheriffs Department. One victim, a woman, was transported by paramedics to a hospital for treatment, the office said. All seven died as a result of their injuries, officials said. Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a news conference on Tuesday night that the illegal marijuana trade remains a constant and deadly menace, even as the state has legalized recreational marijuana. Marijuana is not a victimless crime, he said. These illegal operations are extremely dangerous. So far this year, the sheriffs office has responded to eight episodes in Riverside County with a total of 14 murder victims dealing strictly with marijuana, he said. US President Donald Trump has promised to end what he calls America's endless wars US President Donald Trump will announce further troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan in the next few days, a senior administration official said Tuesday. The official told reporters traveling with the president to expect an announcement Wednesday on Iraq, and on Afghanistan in the coming days. During a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi in August, Trump said American troops would leave Iraq but gave no timetable. The talks between the pair came with attacks on American targets by pro-Iranian fighters on the rise and the Iraqi government facing calls to expel the roughly 5,000 US troops deployed in the country as part of anti-jihadist efforts. The US military withdrew from Iraq in late 2011, leaving a small mission attached to the US embassy. But additional American forces were deployed a few years later to support Iraqi forces in their war against Islamic State, which carried out a devastating offensive in the summer of 2014. In Afghanistan the US currently has 8,600 soldiers in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed in February between Washington and the Taliban. The Pentagon said in August that its goal was to get down to fewer than 5,000 troops as inter-Afghan peace talks progress. Trump previously mentioned in an interview with Axios that the White House aimed to reach 4,000 to 5,000 troops in Afghanistan by the November presidential election. Under the US-Taliban deal, all foreign troops must leave the country by the spring of 2021, in exchange for security commitments from the militants. Trump, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in the polls ahead of the November 3 election, has previously promised to bring troops home in a bid to end what he has called America's endless wars. to/axn Priti Patel has called Extinction Rebellion eco-crusaders turned criminals and accused them of attacking Britains way of life with a recent protest. Addressing a police conference, the home secretary hit out at the blocking of printing presses, adding: I refuse point blank to allow that kind of anarchy on our streets and Im right behind [the police] as you bring the full might of the law down upon that selfish minority. The very criminals who disrupt our free society must be stopped and together we must all stand firm against the guerilla tactics of Extinction Rebellion. Ms Patel called the group an emerging threat and accused them of launching a shameful attack on our way of life, our economy and the livelihoods of the hard-working majority. She told police to adapt to the threat that they pose and ensure that justice is served, adding: Police have a whole range of powers at their disposal and they should be used because it is right for the police to police against those who threaten our freedoms. Police and fire services at the protest outside Newsprinters printing works in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. (PA) Asked by The Independent why the government was singling the environmental group out when police were using the same laws and tactics deployed for all protests, Ms Patel said it was undermining a functioning society. These are not peaceful tactics, these are tactics that are deployed to cause maximum damage to society the blocking of roads for example, she added.That is a threat, there is a real threat to our society but these are the types of tactics that we simply cannot allow to persist. A spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion said their actions were a call for greater democracy, not an affront on it. The action affected one edition of a selection of newspapers, all with powerful voices who are having no trouble at all getting their chosen angle on this across, she added. In the wake of Extinction Rebellions actions the government is attempting to push through anti-democratic and authoritarian policies to inhibit peaceful protest. Ms Patel stopped short of supporting a ban on demonstrations in light of rising coronavirus infections, but said I dont think we should be seeing demonstrations during the pandemic. On Monday, the government said powers to help police deal with disruptive protests were under constant review following Extinction Rebellion's printing press blockade targeting newspapers including The Sun, The Times, the Daily Mail, andThe Daily Telegraph. Ms Patel called the demonstration wrong and a shameful attack on British society. She called for police to use their full powers against those who threaten our freedoms, adding: We will look at new legislation in this space, but before we come up with new police powers we have to effectively test the strength of current powers. Her speech to the Police Superintendents Associations (PSA) annual conference came amid reports that the government could classify Extinction Rebellion as a criminal group. Kit Malthouse, the policing minister, previously told MPs: The classification or otherwise of any group in this country depends upon their conduct. And whether Extinction Rebellion in its wider sense needs to think about perhaps that group within its number that is employing these extreme tactics and whether it is appropriate for them to be members of the organisation is for them. He said that 51 protesters were arrested and charged in Hertfordshire and 30 protesters arrested and charged in Merseyside over the printing press blockade, following hundreds of arrests during Extinction Rebellions recent protests. Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Show all 46 1 /46 Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf A protester gives a thumbs up as he stalls a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London City of London Protesters hold up traffic on Upper Thames Street in the City of London Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf Protesters hold a banner as they hold up a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers remove plants that were placed in the occupation of Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Police officers arrive at Oxford Circus as they prepare to remove protesters during the fifth day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, April 19 Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge An activist waters the plants at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Undeterred by over 400 arrests, climate change activists continued their demonstration into a fifth day in London with a small protest at the country's main Heathrow Airport, along with the ongoing protest camps at other iconic locations around the British capital Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Protesters with the words 'glued on' written on their hands hold hands as police officers arrive at Oxford Circus Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers circle the lorry that serves as the central stage to the Waterloo Bridge occupation, repeating their tactic from a earlier at the Oxford Circus occupation Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Oxford Circus reopens after being closed for days due to occupation AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers prepare to move in on the occupation of Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Activists relax on a sofa at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus British actress Emma Thompson talks to members of the media from atop the pink boat after police officers surrounded the boat being used as a stage as climate change activists occupy the road junction at Oxford Circus in central London during the fifth day of environmental protesst by the Extinction Rebellion group AFP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by police on Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Activists on Waterloo Bridge have made a garden for their occupation site, April 20 Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on April 15 at the start of a civil disobedience campaign calling for governments to declare an ecological emergency over climate change, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new "citizens' assemblies on climate and ecological justice" Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Emma Thompson joins the Extinction Rebellion protest at Oxford Circus. Thompson spoke from the pink boat at the centre of the occupation AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Extinction Rebellion protesters sit outside Heathrow Airport on April 19 Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Climate protestors hold a demo outside Heathrow Airport Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Marble Arch Protesters prepare for another day at Marble Arch as the Extinction Rebellion protests enter their fifth day Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus British actress Emma Thompson gives an address from the stage atop the pink boat AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Actress Emma Thompson takes a photo with a Extinction Rebellion demonstrator PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Climate change activists blockade Oxford Circus on the third day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change activists stand atop a bus shelter as they take part in a blockade of Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf Police is seen as climate change activists demonstrate during the Extinction Rebellion protest, at Canary Wharf DLR station in London Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Police speak to climate change activists blockading Waterloo bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change activists, one (right) with her hand glued to the underside of a truck parked across Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Environmental campaigners protest in the centre of Oxford Circus Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Jeremy Corbyn's Home Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion protest sit after glueing themselves to the front fence of Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn's house Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Marble Arch Dozens of tents have been pitched at Marble Arch in a large scale occupation Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf station Police remove climate activists who glued themselves on top of a train at Canary Wharf station EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Police forces carry a protester AP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf station A climate change protestor who glued his hand to a window halts a DLR train AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Pedestrians and a cyclist pass graffiti drawn by protestors who blocked Waterloo Bridge AP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change protestors practice yoga on Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge A climate change activist gestures while being detained by police officers Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Protestors sit on the road AP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus AP During the PSA conference on Monday, police leaders said demonstrations were adding pressure to forces as crime levels return to normal and coronavirus continues. Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, said he expected groups on both sides of the Brexit debate would be wanting to make their voice heard leading up to December. He added: We are going into an incredibly difficult time economically and we can anticipate quite a bit of protest coming through. Mr Hewitt and other senior officers urged the government to protect police funding going forward, as the impact of coronavirus threatens some of its sources. Chief superintendent Paul Griffiths, president of the PSA, had told Ms Patel that police cannot be left to suffer during the economic downturn caused by coronavirus , and said there is nervousness about the future. I will pull no punches when it comes yet again to getting what you need in this spending review, the home secretary said. That is a promise that I will keep. The Home Office said it had already given the biggest funding boost for the policing system in a decade and enabled the recruitment of 20,000 new officers, although police associations have highlighted that the government had not fully replaced what had been lost through a decade of cuts. Ms Patel confirmed plans to create a police covenant aimed at boosting protection and support for officers, staff and their families. She has met with the widow of PC Andrew Harper last week, as part of a campaign in his name for mandatory life sentences for killing emergency service workers. Ms Patel said: The police and the families that stand behind them deserve special recognition. Their bravery and sacrifices are what keep us and our loved ones safe. I will put the police covenant in law to ensure they will always have the support of the nation. New Delhi: Technology giant Google has rolled out the much-anticipated Android 11 with new privacy features, built-in screen recording and more. Android 11 will begin rolling out on select phones with more partners launching and upgrading devices over the coming months. For a better management of privacy features, Google is bringing One-time permissions that will allow you to grant single use access to your most sensitive permissions like microphone, camera and location. "The next time the app needs access to the sensors, it must ask you for your permission again," Google said. Android will now auto-reset permissions for your unused apps and notify you accordingly. You can always decide to re-grant the app permissions the next time you use the app, Google said. Android 11 also brings the privacy protections to your company-owned device. Google said, the work profile gives your IT department tools to manage a device without monitoring your personal profile data or activity on your phone. In Android 11, conversations across messaging apps will be moved to a dedicated space in the notifications section, making it easy to manage conversations in one spot One can also prioritise conversations from the key people in his or her life. With built-in screen recording, you can capture and share what's happening on your phone. With Android 11, users can now access all their smart devices in one place, simply by long pressing the power button. Google Calendar will allow people to see personal events in their work calendar, helping to better schedule around commitments across their day. Personal calendar events will remain privately stored on device in the personal profile, invisible to both colleagues and IT, Google said. To date, 1,744 metres over three drill holes as part of 2020 maiden drilling program at Pijili; Addition of a second diamond drill rig in early August; Initial holes have encountered varying intensities of porphyry style alteration assemblages, hydrothermal brecciation, and variable amounts of sulphide mineralization (chalcopyrite, bornite, molybdenite; and pyrite), and; The first drill core assays are expected to be available in October. The Partners are the first explorers to drill this new porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system identified at the Pijili project's Mercy concession, in southwestern Ecuador's Azuay province. The project is located approximately 5 km south of the Chaucha copper-molybdenum deposit controlled by Southern Copper Corporation. A second diamond drill rig was added to the project in early August with both drill rigs owned and operated by Andesdrill S.A. of Ecuador, a wholly owned subsidiary of Salazar. Drilling to date has completed a total of approximately 1,744 metres with one drill hole complete and two in progress. Collar locations for the drill holes are presented in Table 1 and a location plan map is shown in Figure 1. The first drill hole, MERC-001, was recently completed and it was collared to examine the mapped hydrothermal breccia units located approximately 300 metres to the north of artisanal mine workings. MERC-001 intersected numerous breccia units at the top of the drill hole (1.40 to 19.85 metres; 34.40 to 40.2 metres; 65.75 to 67.25 metres; and 112.20 to 131.25 metres) within a variably altered quartz diorite intrusion over its 915-metre length. The breccia units at the top of the drill hole were predominantly biotite and chlorite altered and contained visible sulphide mineralization (chalcopyrite, pyrite, bornite, and molybdenite). The determination of orientation and potential structural control of the hydrothermal breccia units will require additional drilling at this early stage. The second drill hole, MERC-002, is currently in progress. It is collared 685 metres to the northwest of MERC-001 and the drill hole was designed to evaluate an area of hydrothermal breccia mapped on surface associated with the Zambohuaycu showing. Channel sampling results from this showing returned the following highlighted results (see June 8, 2020 news release): Channel sample ZAMB-CN03 42.0 metres grading 0.44% copper, 0.14 g/t gold, and 0.012% molybdenum, including 10.0 metres grading 0.77% copper, 0.32 g/t gold, and 0.020% molybdenum Chip sample ZAMB-CP01 26.7 metres grading 0.30% copper, 0.47 g/t gold, and 0.010% molybdenum Chip sample ZAMB-CP04 5.6 metres grading 0.69% copper, 0.22 g/t gold, and 0.001% molybdenum MERC-002 successfully intersected mineralized hydrothermal breccia in two intervals from 14.00 metres to 110.70 metres and 113.95 metres to 149.10 metres. These two intervals contain variable concentrations of sulphide mineralization (chalcopyrite, bornite, molybdenite) and display both biotite and chlorite alteration. Below the hydrothermal breccia intervals in MERC-002, weaker intensity sulphide mineralization continues to be noted in both feldspar phyric and hornblende phyric diorite intrusive phases to the current depth of approximately 559 metres. Technical crews continue to sample MERC-002 as drilling continues. A follow-up drill hole is being planned to further evaluate the orientation and potential structural control of the mineralized hydrothermal breccia. The third drill hole, MERC-003, is currently in progress and it is collared 167 metres to the east-northeast of MERC-002. This drill hole was designed to evaluate the porphyry-style veining mapped on surface and to determine if hydrothermal breccia units mapped at the Zambohuaycu showing extend to the northeast. Drilling has verified the presence of porphyry-style veining with variable sulphide mineralization (chalcopyrite pyrite) to its current depth of approximately 270 metres, hosted in predominantly hornblende phyric intrusion. No hydrothermal breccia has been intersected in MERC-003 to date. Table 1: Drill Collar Information Hole ID EAST NORTH ELEV (m) AZIMUTH DIP PLANNED DEPTH (m) EOH (m) MERC-001 678454 9670625 3236 225 -80 900 915.0 MERC-002 677819 9670884 2826 330 -70 600 In progress MERC-003(2) 677977 9670939 2952 180 -50 500 In progress MERC-004(3) 677819 9670884 2826 330 -85 600 N/A Notes: (1) UTM Datum (Provisional South American 1956, Zone 17) (2) The drill collar locations for MERC-001 MERC-002, and MERC-003 are taken with handheld GPS units in the field (3) The planned drill collar location for MERC-004 is off the same platform of MERC-002 with only the inclination (dip) being modified A manual trenching program at Pijili has recommenced to support the drilling program and to evaluate possible extensions to channel and chip sampling presented in the June 8, 2020 news release. Assay results from drill core samples will be released after they are received from the laboratory and passed internal quality control and quality assurance (QAQC) protocols. The first batch of drill core results are expected to be available in October. Similarly, the manual trenching geochemistry results for both chip and channel samples will be available later in the year. Qualified Persons, Technical Information, and QAQC Protocols The Pijili project work program is being managed and reviewed by Vice President of Exploration for Adventus, Jason Dunning, M.Sc., P.Geo., a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101, who has also reviewed and approved the technical and scientific information of this news release as accurate. Technical staff collect and process samples that are securely sealed and shipped to Bureau Veritas ("BV") in Quito for sample preparation that includes crushing and milling to prepare pulps that are then split for shipment to their facility in Lima, Peru for analysis. All assay data have undergone internal validation of QAQC; noting there is an established sampling control program with blind insertion of assay blanks, certified industry standards and sample duplicates for the Pijili project. A QAQC program is also in place at BV and includes insertion of blanks, standards, and duplicate reanalysis of selected samples. BV's quality system complies with the requirements for the International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025: 1999. At BV, gold is analyzed by classical fire assay techniques with an ICP-AES finish, and both silver and base metals are analyzed by a 44-element aqua regia ICP-AES technique. Overlimit protocols are in place for gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. About Adventus Adventus Mining Corporation (ADZN.TSXV) (ADVZF.OTCQX) is a unique copper-gold exploration and development company, focused primarily on Ecuador. Its strategic shareholders include Altius Minerals Corporation, Greenstone Resources LP, Resource Capital Funds, Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., and the Nobis Group of Ecuador. Adventus is leading the exploration and engineering advancement of the Curipamba copper-gold project in Ecuador as part of an earn-in agreement to obtain a 75% ownership interest. In addition, Adventus is engaged in a country-wide exploration alliance with its partners in Ecuador, which has incorporated the Pijili and Santiago copper-gold projects to date. Adventus also controls an exploration project portfolio in Ireland with South32 as funding partner as well as an investment portfolio of equities in several junior exploration companies. Adventus is based in Toronto, Canada, and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ADZN and trades on the OTCQX in the United States under the symbol ADVZF. About Salazar Salazar Resources (SRL.V) (CCG.F) is focused on creating value and positive change through discovery, exploration and development in Ecuador. The team has an unrivalled understanding of the geology in-country, and has played an integral role in the discovery of many of the major projects in Ecuador, including the two newest operating gold and copper mines. Salazar Resources has a wholly-owned pipeline of copper-gold exploration projects across Ecuador with a strategy to make another commercial discovery and farm-out non-core assets. The Company actively engages with Ecuadorian communities and together with the Salazar family it co-founded The Salazar Foundation, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable progress through economic development. The Company already has carried interests in three projects. At its maiden discovery, Curipamba, Salazar Resources has a 25% stake fully carried through to production. A feasibility study is underway and a 2019 PEA generated a base case NPV(8%) of US$288 million. At two copper-gold porphyry projects, Pijili and Santiago, the Company has a 20% stake fully carried through to a construction decision. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This press release contains "forward -looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. 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 "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "is expected", "scheduled", "estimates", "pending", "intends", "plans", "forecasts", "targets", or "hopes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "will", "should" "might", "will be taken", or "occur" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information herein includes, but is not limited to, statements that address activities, events, or developments that Adventus and Salazar expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future. Although Adventus and Salazar have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Adventus and Salazar undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. SOURCE Adventus Mining Corporation Related Links www.salazarresources.com Somrita Ghosh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Somvati was reunited with her 12-year-old daughter last week after almost four months. Back in July, she had lost all hope of finding her child who had been missing since first week of May. She had also approached the police but there was no hope. At that time, someone suggested approaching the office of local MLA Raghav Chadha. My daughter had gone to play in the evening. She didnt return till late night and we were worried, the next day we went to the police station with her photograph and documents. We heard nothing from them for two months. Then, at end of July, I went to the MLAs office. They assured us of help in finding the child, said Somvati. Payal Sarkar, a research fellow working with Chadha, took up the matter and sought help from advocate Shreyans Raniwala to support Somavati with legal aid and also make fast track the process. The girl went missing from her locality on May 5. Her mother had registered a complaint in the police station. According to the mother, police had not disclosed the progress in the investigation nor questioned any suspects. The advocate filed a complaint at MM court for a court-monitored probe. The IO sent a two page report to the court stating all the formal procedures have been followed yet there was no trace of the child, said Payal. Sarkar, meanwhile, had approached associates from Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) to spread the word to find the girl and help in the case. The child was found at Old Delhi Railway Station, playing with other homeless children. She was found on August 29. She cannot remember how she had reached the station and been staying there for how many days. The cops were informed and she was taken to police station and then Child Welfare Committee for further inspection, Sarkar said. Dan Feltes, the New Hampshire State Senate majority leader, defeated a candidate endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders in a tight Democratic primary for New Hampshire governor, a display of enduring if tenuous strength for the partys establishment wing. The race between Mr. Feltes and Andru Volinsky, a lawyer and education activist, resembled other recent primaries this year that have pitted progressives against establishment Democrats. But while the support of Mr. Sanders, who won the New Hampshire presidential primary, helped rally progressive voters in the contest, that was not enough: Though the race was closer than expected, Mr. Feltes bested Mr. Volinsky, 52 percent to 48 percent, according to The Asssociated Press, which made the call Wednesday morning. Mr. Feltes will take on Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, who easily won his primary on Tuesday. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, easily won hers, too, reinforcing the states status as a battleground eight weeks ahead of the general election, when the top two down-ballot races will now feature popular incumbents, one from each party. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is in the process of constructing a digital payment index to assess the extent of digitisation in the country and innovation in existing modes and channels to bridge digital divide, a senior official of the apex bank said on Wednesday. Observing that digital payments in India have been growing rapidly, RBI Executive Director T Rabi Sankar said there is still a lot of catching up to do as per-capita penetration is still quite low. "RBI is in the process of...constructing and periodically publishing a composite digital payment index (DPI) to capture the extent of digitisation. The DPI could be the key to accurately measure the deepening and penetration of digital payments across the country," he said while addressing a webinar organised by the US-India Business Council. A comprehensive index has also been recommended by a high-level committee headed by Nandan Nilekani on deepening digital payment in India. Earlier in February, the RBI said the DPI would be based on multiple parameters and shall reflect the penetration and deepening of various digital payment modes. Sankar said financial inclusion is well recognised as a key driver of economic growth. Access to formal finance cannot only boost jobs and economic resilience, it could also lead to reduction in poverty and economic inequality when still 50 per cent of the total population in the emerging economies in financially excluded. Given the size at hand, he said digital technologies offer most-effective channel to deliver finance to these underserved population. Oslo: A right-wing Norwegian politician has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 for helping broker a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. It's the second time Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of parliament for the right-wing Progress Party, has put forward the US President for the honour. Donald Trump last year said he deserved to be awarded the Peace Prize, but complained he probably would never get the honour. Credit:AP Thousands of people are eligible to nominate candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, including members of parliaments and governments, university professors and past laureates. The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides on the award, declined to comment. The Bombay High Court has asked Brihan Mumbai Corporation (BMC) to stop the demolition drive at actress Kangana Ranaut's Mumbai office. The court has asked the civic body to repond to Kangana's petition. BMC's response to Kangana's plea will be heard before the bench of justice SJ Kathawalla at 3pm tomorrow (September 10, 2020). Kangana Ranaut's lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui told PTI, 'We filed a petition this morning seeking an urgent hearing. We have sought a stay on the demolition process by way of interim relief. Earlier, in the morning, Kangana shared pictures of BMC officials carrying out the demolition work at her Pali Hill office in Mumbai. The actress lashed out at the Maharashtra government for targeting her, and called the demolition of her office as 'death of democracy." She also claimed that there is no illegal construction at her house. Meanwhile, celebrities like Renuka Shahane, Sona Mohapatra and others reacted to the demolition of Kangana's property by BMC. Renuka Shahane tweeted, "Though I did not like @KanganaTeam's comment comparing Mumbai to POK I am appalled by the revenge demolition carried out by @mybmc You do not have to stoop so low. @CMOMaharashtraplease intervene. There is a pandemic we are dealing with. Do we need this unnecessary drama?." "Demolition squads now #Mumbai ??? What the hell is this. What do you expect from a government that doesn't win an election to come to power??!! Travesty. Sickening," read Sona Mohaptra's tweet. Dia Mirza posted on her Twitter page, "Kangana comparing Mumbai to POK is not acceptable. But there is absolutely no doubt that @mybmc moving to suddenly conduct a demolition of areas of her office space is totally questionable. Why now? Why like this? What were you doing all this while if there were irregularities?" On Tuesday, (September 8, 2020), Kangana had approached the Bombay High Court, challenging the notice issued by BMC for "illegal construction" at her property and sought a stay on the demolition process. Meanwhile, Kangana Ranaut arrived in Mumbai today amid her ongoing verbal tussle with Maharashtra government, after she compared Mumbai to PoK and criticized the Mumbai Police over their handling of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. The actress has been given Y-plus security cover by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the wake of her war of words with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut On Demolition Of Her Office: My Enemies Prove Again Why Mumbai Is PoK Now FlexScan Flexible Riser Scanning We have been deploying our patented FlexScan technology, since 2008, on numerous projects for various clients all over the world. However, this project represents a material change in the uptake of this service. Flexlife, part of the Seanamic Group of companies, in partnership with Oceaneering, has been awarded a multi-year contract for the scanning of flexible risers by a leading South American operator, utilizing Flexlifes patented FlexScan technology. The contract covers the scanning of all deepwater, uninsulated flexible pipelines as part of a larger integrity management program to determine if the flexible risers annuli are flooded. The initial contract is for two years with an option to extend as needed. Flexlife has leveraged a long standing relationship with its partner Oceaneering, to deliver the FlexScan technology via Oceaneerings Neptune ultrasonic testing tool. Stewart Duthie, Flexlifes Director of Subsea Technology, commented: We have been deploying our patented FlexScan technology, since 2008, on numerous projects for various clients all over the world. However, this project represents a material change in the uptake of this service. Prior to this mobilization we have undertaken a rigorous qualification program to validate the tool for this operator, including performing tests in a hyperbaric chamber to simulate deep water operations down to 2500m. This advances the understanding of how Ultrasonic signals behave under significant hyperbaric pressure ensuring that data collected is robust and unambiguous. The FlexScan technology remains one of the best tools in the industry for flexible riser integrity, and results from such a scanning campaign can be incorporated into future engineering and life extension studies. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Its no secret that when Engadget chooses which products to review, we usually go for the top of the line. But sometimes, we pick stuff because its cheap or seemingly a decent deal. This is one of those cases. The Bip S is a $70 smartwatch from the budget brand Amazfit. It offers built-in GPS, an optical heart-rate sensor, basic smartwatch notifications, sleep tracking, water resistance and a battery rated for up to 40 hours on a charge. Not bad for under $100. This probably wont come as a surprise, but there are compromises aplenty. And yet, after a week of wearing it I feel comfortable recommending it, albeit with some caveats. If youre primarily in the market for a smartwatch, the trade-offs here probably arent worth the bargain-basement price. But if all you want is a cheap sports watch for exercising, the Bip S suddenly becomes much more compelling. Amazfit Bip S SCORE 80 Engadget 80 Critics 4 reviews 73 Users 1 review 80 View All Ratings & Reviews Pros Lightweight design Long battery life Accurate GPS tracking Built-in heart rate monitor Water resistant Display is easily viewable outdoors Basic smartwatch features Cons Crude user interface Limited support for third-party services Pausing workouts feels labored Hardware and design Like so many smartwatches, the Bip S is Apple Watch-like in principle, with a square screen, silicone strap and a button on the right side that, in Apple-speak, would be called a Digital Crown. Of course, this is a $70 watch, not a $399 one, which means youll need to adjust your expectations accordingly. The included silicone strap feels stiff, while the 1.28-inch, 176-x-176 screen is framed on all sides by some chunky bezels. The watch, available in four colors, is delicate enough that it never seemed out of place on my small wrist. Its not exactly pretty, though. Then again, the display is always on -- a feature the Apple Watch didnt get until five years in. And while the polycarbonate Bip S feels a little cheap, its hard to argue with its lightweight build: just 31 grams, or 1.1 ounces. It certainly feels lighter on my wrist than the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music I normally wear. The screen is also clad in Gorilla Glass and a fingerprint-repellent coating. To its credit, the display stayed scratch-free during my testing. Its also worth noting that as cheap as this watch is, it has an optical heart rate sensor, which is amazing when you consider that some of the other devices in this price range are basic fitness tracking bands. Dana Wollman/Engadget The watch is also rated for 5 ATM water resistance, which means it can withstand the equivalent of 50 meters of water pressure. In laymans terms, the watch should do just fine for swimming, let alone baths. I dont have access to a pool where I live, but I did take the watch into the shower with me and had no issues. At a glance, the screens dull colors and tiny font add to that air of cheapness, but then you remember that transflective TFT display is actually crucial to achieving long battery life. Huami, the company that owns the Amazfit brand, claims the Bip S can last up to 40 days on a charge, or 22 days with continuous GPS use. The company adds that 15 days is probably more realistic under what it calls typical usage conditions. I didnt have 40 days to test this review, and 22 hours of nonstop running seemed unrealistic, but I can say that after a week of use and five runs, I still had 74-percent battery capacity. This would also be a good time to mention that the seemingly muted screen was unfailingly easy to make out, even in the middle of the afternoon on a sunny summer day, User experience Dana Wollman/Engadget Ultimately, its less the hardware that makes the Bip S feel cheap but the software -- specifically, a combination of the app design and device firmware. Not all of the watch faces are available with a US-friendly 12-hour clock. You can only input your height in centimeters. Even if you choose miles over kilometers, the mile alert youll see throughout your jog still refers to your pace in the last km. Theres no progress bar when you install firmware updates. You can only link to two third-party services -- Strava and Apple Health -- and if you log into Strava using Facebook, youll see a warning that Zepps built-ini browser is not supported. Throughout, the app and firmware are riddled with awkward translations and some peculiar punctuation choices. As it happens, Huami is listed on the New York Stock Exchange in the US and claims to be the first Chinese smart hardware company to enter the American market. But to a user who hasnt heard of Amazfit, much less Huami, goofs and inconsistencies like these could confer an air of illegitimacy. Gallery: Amazfit's Zepp app | 28 Photos /28 Gallery: Amazfit's Zepp app | 28 Photos /28 Its a shame too, because the underlying hardware is quite comprehensive for a $70 device. It can track steps, distance, pace, sleep quality, heart rate, calorie burn, cadence and stride length. At its best, the Zepp app displays this info on one tidy screen, complete with colorful graphs and maps. Those maps even use a red-yellow-green scheme to show where along your route you sped up or slowed down. Its a shame the rest of it feels a little scattered. In particular, the settings menus could use some streamlining. When you launch the app theres an Enjoy tab on the bottom where you can set an alarm or event reminder; follow friends; set step, weight, calorie and sleep goals; change your watch face; and adjust incoming call and app notification settings. But theres also a Profile tab on the bottom of the homescreen, where you can check on your goal streak and the watchs battery life; view records and friends; add third-party accounts; and switch between imperial and metric units. In that same menu, theres a sub-menu called Amazfit Bip S which brings you to many of the settings found on the Enjoy tab. It took me a few days to remember where to find what I was looking for, and there are times when Im still not sure. As a sports watch Dana Wollman/Engadget By the time I took the Bip S for my first test run, I had already concluded the app was unpolished, and maybe even a little sketchy. It turns out, though, that the device excels as a sports watch. The GPS radio was quick to lock in my location, as marked by a haptic buzz and an on-screen message (got location successfully). My final distance and average pace consistently matched what my Garmin logs when I run the same route. My heart rate readings (including how much time I spent in each aerobic zone) also more or less matched what my Gamin has been telling me lately. The mile alerts are prompt, too. If that sounds like a low bar for getting excited, consider that it takes my Garmin Forerunner 645 about four seconds after the watch hits a new mile to alert me and show my trailing-mile pace. In other words, my pace for that mile always has a few extra seconds tacked on. Thankfully, youll encounter no such delays on the Bip S. Additionally, youll find other common running-watch features like auto-pause and heat rate alerts. My main complaints are that the on-screen layout isnt customizable; you cant switch from current to average pace, for instance. Pausing your run is also a weird affair. You want to press that side button, except its actually a long-press, during which time you see an animated ring fill up on screen. That second-or-two delay means if you dont hold your finger long enough you wont successfully pause. That delay also creates the illusion that youre losing time off your pace while you wait for the watch, and Im pretty sure thats true -- whenever I unpause or end a workout, my total time is a few seconds past where I left it. This certainly isnt a dealbreaker, but it could be annoying for folks obsessed with speed. Dana Wollman/Engadget Aside from outdoor running, the watch has nine other built-in sport modes, including walking, treadmill running, cycling, spinning, free weights (freestyle), elliptical, yoga, jumping rope and both open-water and pool swimming. As you might expect with a budget device, there is no automatic workout detection like what youll find on the Apple Watch, though Amazfit does offer that on higher-end products like the GTS/GTR, the T-Rex, the X and Stratos 3. Like other smartwatches, you can opt into reminders to get up and move throughout the day. As Ive noticed on other watches and fitness trackers, the idea really is to get moving; in other words, a few minutes on my feet washing dishes didnt cut it, for instance. I enjoyed the celebratory buzz when I would meet my step goal, and found myself glancing at my watch face throughout the day to see how far off my goal I was. My only quibble there is that I found myself wishing for Garmin and Apples auto-goal-adjusting feature, which takes into account your recent activity patterns. Here, its up to you to manually change the goal yourself if you so choose. If this sounds like an advanced feature, keep in mind that Garmins $70 Vivofit 4 can learn users behavior and assign them custom goals. As a smartwatch Dana Wollman/Engadget The Bip S isnt a real smartwatch in the sense that there are no purpose-built apps, like on the Apple Watch. That said, you can use the watch to mirror any smartphone notifications. (It may sound obvious, but its worth a reminder: The app menu will show different available apps depending on which ones are set up to show notifications on your phone.) As mentioned, you can also set an alarm, check the weather and download different watch faces, two of which are editable. I got particular use out of the music controls, which worked equally well with Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You wont see any flourishes like album art, but you can pause and skip tracks, which is all you need anyway. When a notification comes in, the watch will buzz. (It even does this if youve taken the watch off and left it on your nightstand.) These notifications arent really actionable but then again, smartwatch alerts rarely are. I can see on my watch that someone liked one of my tweets or shared one of my posts. Cool. (Shrug.) Wrap-up Gallery: Amazfit Bip S review | 23 Photos /23 Gallery: Amazfit Bip S review | 23 Photos /23 In researching this review, I was surprised to learn how expensive running watches still are. I could have sworn prices had fallen more sharply. In Garmins lineup, for instance, the cheapest Forerunner watch costs $170. Garmin also sells a smartwatch with running features, the Vivosmart 4, for $130. But nothing close to $70 that could be considered a GPS watch, much less a GPS smartwatch. At that price, Garmini will sell you the Vivofit 4 fitness tracker I mentioned earlier. Meanwhile, the cheapest Apple Watch, the Series 3, costs between $169 and $199. Its simply in a different league than the Bip S. I did find the Polar M200 on sale at Amazon for $80, a steep cut from its original price of $150. I havent tested the M200, but I have had positive experiences with other Polar devices. Whether you should buy this $70 watch ultimately comes down not just to your needs, but your expectations. If you want a smartwatch that also happens to have running features, theres a chance youll feel let down by the devices crude UI and limited utility. But, if you really just want an inexpensive running watch, the Bip S should be enough. Concerned Citizens of Okyeman and Okyeman Youth For Development have this morning (Wednesday) hit the streets of Asamankese in the Eastern Region in protest against the unfortunate comment posted by Bolgatanga Central MP, Hon Isaac Adongo and shared by H.E John Dramani Mahama on his Facebook timeline. The comment "Akyem Sakawa Boys" did not go down well with the people of the Akyem land hence the demonstration to demand apology and retraction from the statesman and flag bearer of the main opposition NDC, John Dramani Mahama. John Mahama recently shared a comment by MP for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, in which he sought to say that an Akyem Sakawa Mafia in government initiated the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal to rob the state. Agyapa Royalties fraud is the last straw: The Akyem sakawa boys and grandpas must go, was the headline of the original post that was also shared by Mr Mahama. Since Mr Mahama shared the post, it has been condemned as ethnocentric against the people of Akyem Abuakwa. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his vice, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, have condemned the comment as tribal bigotry. President Akufo-Addo has expressed his disappointment in this remark. According to him, sometimes, one would hope when things come out, people will comment on them. The comment made by my opponent: Akyem Sakawa people, I have not heard any public figure in this country or anybody comment on it. The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has asked former President John Dramani Mahama to render an apology to the people of Akyem over his alleged Akyem Sakawa Mafias comment. The Vice President has waded into the Akyem Sakawa Mafias because he believes that it is unfortunate for the former president to lump up a whole tribe with one negative description. Speaking to the chiefs and people of Gushegu, Dr. Bawumia said John Dramani Mahama cannot win an election with insults and tribal division. However, National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi who thinks there was nothing wrong in what the former President did has added that the MP was right in describing those 'involved in the Agyapa royalties deal' as Akyem sakawa boys and grandpas. Source: Michael Akrofi, Eastern Regional Correspondent 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 UK-based drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc. voluntarily suspended global trials of its experimental Covid-19 vaccine after one volunteer developed an unexplained illness on Wednesday, which experts say may delay the discovery of a vaccine, but wouldnt necessarily set back international efforts to develop one. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials, AstraZeneca spokesperson Michele Meixell said in a statement. Shares of AstraZeneca tumbled more than 8% in after-hours US trading following the announcement. Shares of rival vaccine developers rose with Moderna Inc. gaining more than 4%, and Pfizer around 1%. AstraZenecas vaccine candidate, which has been developed with researchers from the University of Oxford, had been in the most advanced stage multi-country trials when the abrupt suspension was announced. Trials of the vaccine, called AZD1222, were underway at different stages in the UK, US, Brazil, South Africa and India, where it has partnered with Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII). Trials have also been planned in Japan and Russia. SII plans to continue with its 2-3 trials in India once it gets approval from the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) We cant comment much on the UK trials, but they have been paused for further review and they hope to restart soon. As far as Indian trials are concerned, it is continuing and we have faced no issues at all, SII said in an emailed statement. Vaccine trials were paused after a participant in the UK was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord usually caused by infections. The data will be reviewed by the DSMB, which is a panel of independent experts that monitors potential harmful effects of from experimental drugs and vaccines during clinical trials. A clinical trial being paused is uncommon but it has happened before in other clinical trials. There will now be an investigation by the adverse events committee of the trial to see if this is causal or coincidental. Since transverse myelitis is known to be caused by viruses, this demands a thorough review, including tests for other viruses. Till a clear determination is made, the trial has to be suspended, said Dr K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India. Dr Anurag Agrawal, director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, said the pause was a result of routine precaution and not a major setback. The suspension of the trial is because of just one unexplained illness. This is required by safety guidelines while the case is analysed further. Just one person having unexplained illness is not something that should make us worry unduly about vaccine safety, said Dr Agrawal. Dr Gagandeep Kang, professor in the department of gastrointestinal sciences at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, agreed : It is not a major setback as clinical holds on trials do happen to protect participants out of an abundance of caution. The DSMB will assess the data and look at relatedness to the vaccine and then take a call on how the trial should go ahead, said Dr Kang. Investigating whether an adverse effect is or is not be related to the vaccine must be done to establish its safety. The trials can be resumed only if the cause of the adverse event is unrelated to the vaccine. You can compromise on efficacy and produce a vaccine that has 70% efficacy, but you cant take a chance with 100% safety, said Dr Randeep Guleria, director, All India Institute of Medial Sciences, New Delhi, which is one of the dozen sites for the Indian Council of Medical Research-Bharat Biotech Covaxin, which began Phase 2 trials this week. One adverse reaction among a few thousands could potentially mean many thousands getting sick when billions get vaccinated. Compromising on safety can potentially kill the Covid-19 vaccine programme as doubts about safety would lead to people refusing to get vaccinated when we do have a vaccine, which would be counterproductive, said Dr Guleria. Even misplaced fear of adverse reactions can lead to people refusing to get vaccinated, as seen in the recent past against vaccines to protect against Measles Rubella (MR), human papillomavirus (HPV) against cervical cancer, and polio, among others. Several governments, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and not-for-profit organisations and international partners are racing against time to develop an effective vaccine to stop the spread of Covid-19. Thirty-four experimental vaccines are undergoing clinical evaluation, and 145 are in preclinical evaluation stages within nine months of the virus being identified. Eleven candidates, including Astra Zenecas vaccine, are in late-stage trials, according to the World Health Organisations draft landscape of Covid-19 candidate vaccines on September 8. Nine leading US and European vaccine developers on Tuesday pledged to uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first Covid-19 vaccines. The companies included AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc., Novavax Inc, Sanofi SA and BioNTech SE. Apart from SIIs vaccine, two other experimental Covid-19 vaccines are in or entering late-stage trials in India. The first doses of the Phase 2-3 trials of the Indian Council of Medical Research-Bharat Biotech experimental vaccine Covaxin were given on Tuesday while Zydus Cadilas ZyCoV-D vaccine has successfully completed Phase 1 and progressed to Phase 2. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A formal induction ceremony of the five high-profile Rafale fighter aircraft into the Indian Air Force's (IAF) 17 Squadron, the 'Golden Arrows', will be held at the Ambala airbase in Haryana on Thursday. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly will be the chief guests for the event. The Rafale jets are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in more than two decades. The first batch of five Rafale jets, which arrived at the Ambala airbase on July 29, have already proven their mettle with successful weapons firing at a test range after arrival. When the first batch of Rafales arrived at Ambala, the IAF had said that efforts are focused on operationalisation of the aircraft at the earliest. Live TV A tentative schedule for the induction ceremony said that the event will start at 8 am and conclude post noon. At 8 am, the entry will be opened. The induction ceremony will take place from 10 am to 11.45 am. From 12 noon to 1 pm, Union Defence Minister and his French counterpart will address a press briefing which will be followed by lunch. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Singh said, "At 10.00 AM tomorrow, Rafale aircraft will be formally inducted into IAF at the Air Force Station in Ambala. The aircraft will be part of 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows. The Rafale jets are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in more than two decades." At 10.00 AM tomorrow, #Rafale aircraft will be formally inducted into @IAF_MCC at the Air Force Station in Ambala. The aircraft will be part of 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows. The Rafale jets are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in more than two decades. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 9, 2020 An official statement of the IAF read, "At Ambala, the event will include the ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional Sarva Dharma Puja, Air Display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by Sarang Aerobatic Team. Afterwards, a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the Rafale aircraft. The programme will culminate with the ceremonial induction of Rafale aircraft to 17 Squadron." After the ceremonial events, the Indian and French delegation will have a bilateral meeting, read the statement. Other than having a bilateral meeting with Rajnath Singh, Parly will also meet National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, sources had said earlier. After the ceremony, the French side is also likely to raise the possibility of a larger order for the Rafale fighter jets under the 'Make in India' initiative, sources had said. The statement also said that Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy along with other senior officers of Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces will be present to mark a very important milestone in the history of the IAF. The French delegation will be represented by Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain, Air General Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of the Air Staff of the French Air Force and other senior officials. A large delegation of senior functionaries of French Defence Industries which includes Eric Trappier Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassault Aviation and Eric Beranger, CEO, MBDA will be present during the ceremony. The first batch of five incoming Rafale fighter jets landed at the Ambala Air Force base around 3.14 PM on July 29, 2020, amid a ceremonial welcome and unprecedented security. The squadron of Rafale jets has been stationed at the Ambala airbase in Haryana. The fleet of five jets comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft. The jets will be inducted into the IAF as part of its No. 17 Squadron, also known as the 'Golden Arrows'. Nearly four years ago, India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to purchase 36 Rafale jets under a Rs 59,000-crore deal to boost the IAF's combat capabilities. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Of the 36 jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. The IAF has undertaken major infrastructure upgrades at the Ambala base for the deployment of the first Rafale squadron. Built in 1948, the airbase is located on the east side of Ambala and is used for military and government flights. The airbase has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MIG-21 'Bison'. Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh was the first commander of the base. The Mirage fighters that were used for the airstrike in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack had taken off from Ambala. The Rafale aircraft will give India a strategic advantage in case of any aerial combat with China in the mountainous Tibet region as the fleet will be able to use the terrain to its advantage, destroy enemy air defence and incapacitate the surface-to-air missiles, former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal (retd) BS Dhanoa had said to news agency PTI in August. Dhanoa, known as the architect of the Balakot strikes, had said the Rafale jets along with S-400 missile systems will give the Indian Air Force a major combat edge in the entire region and that India's adversaries will think twice before starting a war with it. In case of Pakistan, he had said the purpose of the S-400 and Rafale is to hit Pakistani aircraft inside Pakistani air space and not when they come inside Indian territory, adding the neighbouring country would not have responded on February 27, 2019, to the Balakot air strikes if India had the French-manufactured jets then. In an interview to PTI, Dhanoa had said the Rafale, with its fantastic electronic warfare suite and manoeuvrability, will be able to use mountainous terrain in Tibet to its advantage and blind the enemy before India's strike aircraft penetrate hostile airspace to carry out their missions. Paramedics took almost 20 minutes to arrive following the Manchester Arena bomb explosion and only three entered the blast zone to treat casualties, a public inquiry heard yesterday. Just one ambulance worker went into the City Room foyer where Salman Abedi, 22, had detonated his backpack device in the first 40 minutes and the fire brigade didnt arrive until more than two hours later. In the case of at least one victim, 28-year-old John Atkinson, the issue of survivability whether he would have lived had he been treated sooner will need to be examined, Paul Greaney QC said. He wasnt evacuated from the scene for more than 40 minutes and chest compressions only began an hour and 16 minutes later, but by then it was too late. Mr Atkinson, a support worker, died along with 21 other victims. Ronald Blake was trying to help stricken John Atkinson, 28, (pictured) who had been caught in the blast carried out by suicide bomber Salman Abedi in the City Rooms, the foyer of the arena when he made the desparate phone call for help The second day of the public inquiry into the attack on the Manchester Arena in 2017 heard how seconds after the blast, Mr Blake phone police saying: 'There's loads injured. It's manic. Big explosion. I'm with a man now that's injured' On the second day of the hearing, it emerged that a catalogue of failings have been identified by experts relating to the emergency response by police, ambulance and fire service following the attack on May 22, 2017. Mr Greaney said that, as the minutes ticked by after the 10.31pm explosion, police officers became more and more frustrated about the lack of ambulances and paramedics. Several begged their control rooms to send more ambos to the City Room, which was described as a war zone by one officer. Instead, the responsibility for treating casualties was left to 11 first aiders working at the venue for a private firm contracted by owners SMG. Many of them had merely a first aid at work qualification and were ill-equipped to deal with a major incident, the hearing at Manchester Magistrates Court was told. Mr Greaney said it wasnt until 10.49pm that advanced paramedic Patrick Ennis, who worked for the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), arrived after self-deploying when he heard about the attack. Another five paramedics arrived shortly after but only Mr Ennis immediately entered the City Room to treat casualties. It wasnt until 11.14pm that two more specialist ambulance staff were sent into the blast zone. The delays meant that only one proper stretcher was used to evacuate the injured. Sir John said: 'Salman Abedi (left) blew himself up in the explosion but he intended as many people as possible would die with him.' Right: A CCTV image of Salman Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena, on May 22, 2017, where he detonated his bomb Salman Abedi was seen 'adjusting wiring' underneath his clothes in the moments leading up to the devastating terror attack which left 22 people dead on May 22, 2017 Advice was also given by Mr Ennis to the private medical staff to prioritise those with breathing problems or who were bleeding profusely and not to try to resuscitate anyone in cardiac arrest. That should be kept squarely in mind in Mr Atkinsons case, Mr Greaney said. Only three NWAS paramedics ever entered the City Room, he added. An important thing for the inquiry to consider will be why that was and if it was reasonable. A distressing 999 call was played from a member of the public who comforted Mr Atkinson for almost an hour. Ron Blake, who was waiting for his daughter to come out of the Ariana Grande concert, told the operator that Mr Atkinson was really injured with his leg pumping with blood. Mr Atkinson was eventually evacuated from the City Room at 11.17pm. But he went into cardiac arrest and attempts at resuscitation did not begin until 11.47pm more than an hour and 16 minutes after the explosion. Another victim who died, Georgina Callander, 18, was also not taken to a waiting ambulance until 11.26pm. And it was only at 12.37am that three vehicles from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service arrived. Mr Greaney said: An important part of the inquiry is to look at how that came to pass and whether it made any difference. But he said the purpose of the inquiry was not to vilify those who tried their best to help in the immediate aftermath. He admitted they were under enormous pressure but insisted it was vital that mistakes were highlighted to help the bereaved families find the truth so lessons could be learned. iStock/jetcityimageBy: CATHERINE THORBECKE, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- Elon Musk's net worth took a steep nosedive on Tuesday, plummeting by more than $16 billion in one day after Tesla stock tumbled. The Tesla chief executive, who owns about 20% of the electric carmaker's shares, saw his personal wealth plunge $16.3 billion to $82.3 billion, according to Bloomberg's real-time Billionaires Index. The dip is the largest single-day wipeout record in the history of the index, according to Bloomberg. The decline now makes him the world's sixth richest person, down from fourth. The losses for Musk, 49, came as Tesla shares dropped 21% Tuesday, their biggest single-day fall ever. By Wednesday afternoon, they had rebounded slightly, gaining back nearly 6%. Tesla head Elon Musk talks to the press as he arrives at the construction site of the new Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin on Sept. 03, 2020 near Gruenheide, Germany. Tesla stock has experienced a remarkable rally this year, raising some questions about the company's valuation. These questions may have in part prompted the steep sell-off that began last week and has since wiped out nearly 30% of Tesla's market capitalization. The sell-off also comes on the heels of a 5-for-1 stock split that went into effect on Aug. 31. Still, even including this past week's tumble, Tesla shares have spiked more than 300% since the beginning of the year. In March, when the stock market bottomed out, Musks net worth was $24.5 billion but hit $115 billion by Aug. 31. The wealth of the top 1% has swung widely since the pandemic began, largely at the whim of U.S. equity markets. Despite the robust stock market recovery, experts have warned that equating those gains to an overall economic rebound can be misleading and that not enough Americans are truly benefiting. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Teachers surveyed in August represented 29 states and Washington, D.C. and averaged 10.7 years of teaching experience, with 98% of teachers responding that they have taught ELL students in the last three years. Highlights from the survey results include: 99% of educators stated that the current virtual environment changed the way they will plan to communicate with ELL students and their families stated that the current virtual environment changed the way they will plan to communicate with ELL students and their families 62% of teachers use translation daily to communicate with parents of students, with 35% and 3% using translation weekly or monthly, respectively use translation daily to communicate with parents of students, with 35% and 3% using translation weekly or monthly, respectively Teachers are most likely to primarily use phones (38%) to communicate with parents of students, followed by email (20%) or a messaging platform (17%) like Microsoft Teams to communicate with parents of students, followed by email (20%) or a messaging platform (17%) like Microsoft Teams Compared to all respondents, teachers who use translation daily to communicate with parents of students are more likely to communicate using phones (43.5%) and less likely to communicate using email (11.3%) With close to one million units in service around the globe, Pocketalk has been used in a number of industries to build community and break down communication barriers when it matters most. Aligned with recent findings from Pearson's Global Learners Survey on how government funds should be spent in education in response to COVID-19, Pocketalk saw the need for translation services in education from its own survey findings to provide tech for underserved learners, to ensure teachers are equipped to handle emergency situations with quick, accurate communication and to offer more remote learning solutions. "Pocketalk was designed to create an authentic communication experience, and for educators, we found that frequent communication with students and families during the pandemic is a critical part of ensuring all students have the ability to learn this school year and feel welcome, no matter the circumstances," said Joe Miller, General Manager (Americas) of Pocketalk. "Through our first-ever Back to School program, we shifted the dialogue from speculation about what will happen to an actionable campaign that supplies teachers with the tools they need. The success of the program and benefits of Pocketalk for education have now sparked a new initiative for our customers to join in giving back to our educators." Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 15, Pocketalk will extend the opportunity to donate devices for teachers to its customers. For each new device sold, Pocketalk will give a Classic device to a school or district, up to an additional 200 units. U.S. residents purchasing a new device will receive an email to submit their school district of choice. Pocketalk units donated during the Back to School program were dispatched to teachers on a first-come, first-serve basis. Pocketalk also offers significant discounts for educators still interested in receiving devices. Those interested can contact [email protected] for bulk purchasing or receive individual discount codes on the website . More information on the Back to School program and survey results can be found on Pocketalk's press room . For more information about Pocketalk, visit www.pocketalk.net and follow Pocketalk on Instagram and Facebook . About Pocketalk: With more than 700,000 units sold worldwide, Pocketalk is the global leader in connecting the world and unlocking possibilities as the only translation device on the market that enables an authentic communication experience. Developed, manufactured and distributed by Sourcenext, the largest distributor and creator of software, hardware, and IoT products in Japan, Pocketalk's U.S. team and headquarters is now based in Palo Alto, Calif. The two-way translation device can translate 74 languages, both audio and text, and, with its built-in data option, can be utilized in more than 130 countries and regions. Additional product information, photos and video can be found in the digital media kit ( brandfolder.com/pocketalk ). To purchase Pocketalk and to find out more, visit Pocketalk.net. SOURCE Pocketalk Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 22:10:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Wednesday reported 879 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country so far to 20,462. The center said in a statement that 82 patients have newly recovered and 10 more died, bringing the total recoveries to 2,329 and the death toll to 324. A series of precautionary measures against COVID-19 have been taken by the Libyan authorities since the first case was announced in March, which include closing the country's borders, shutting down schools and mosques, banning public gatherings and imposing a curfew. China donated medical aid to Libya in June to help the country's pandemic battle, including 834 nucleic acid diagnostic kits, 5,000 medical protective suits, 15,000 N95 face masks, 100,000 surgical masks, 5,000 pairs of goggles and 5,000 pairs of medical gloves. Enditem Will come back to haunt you: Jaishankar in veiled reference to Pakistan S Jaishankar stresses on connectivity,proposes Chabahar Port be included in the NorthSouth Transport Corridor India-Central Asia dialogue: Need to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Afghan, says Jaishankar External Affairs Minister Jaishankar speaks to US Secretary of State, Russian counterpart S Jaishankar meets Russian counterpart; discusses ways to enhance bilateral ties India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 09: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said he held "excellent talks" with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during which they discussed bilateral strategic ties and exchanged views on the international situation. Jaishankar is here on a four-day visit to Russia to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). "Pleasure to meet FM Sergey Lavrov, this time in person. Excellent talks that reflect our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Value our exchanges on the international situation," Jaishankar tweeted. Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Russian counterpart Gen. Sergey Shoigu in Moscow during which he appreciated the "steadfast support" provided by Russia in response to the country's defence and security needs. India-China tensions: India fully prepared, will retaliate say sources | Oneindia News Singh, who was on a three-day visit to Russia to attend a crucial meeting of the SCO, pressed for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier. PM Modi speaks to Saudi King, two leaders exchange views on global challenges following COVID Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held separate bilateral meetings with his Kyrgyz and Tajik counterparts here and discussed ways to boost India's strategic partnership with the two Central Asian countries. "A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines," Jaishankar tweeted after his first bilateral meeting of the day. The two leaders discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. "Agreed to further enhance our strategic partnership in all spheres," Jaishankar wrote. Jaishankar thanked Aidarbekov for the support in facilitating the return of Indian nationals from the Central Asian country. Air India operated several flights under Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate its nationals stranded in other nations due to lockdown. About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. A few businessmen are engaged in trade and services in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Indian Embassy in Bishkek. Jaishankar later said he held a warm meeting with Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin. "Pleased with our growing bilateral and regional cooperation. Highly value this strategic partnership," Jaishankar tweeted. A SHAKE-UP is surely coming at gold investor Primorus Investments, where lately things have been anything but glittering. The AIM listed stock did make a profit for the half-year while admitting life has been challenging. Today it emerged that one shareholder with 5% of the stock has sent a letter demanding a general meeting at which they intend to seek the removal of the board, appointing Rupert Labrum, Hedley Clark and Matthew Beardmore in their place. The shares jumped 5% top 4.2p, which values the company at 6 million Equally intriguingly, and so far unnoticed, former Infrastrata CEO Adrian Pocock just took his own stake in Primorus past 3%. His motives are unclear, but it is unlikely he plans to back present management. At Infrastrata, he bought in at 0.46p back in April 2017 and rallied shareholders to oust the entire board some say that makes him the only person to fire an entire stock exchange listed board this century. Infrastrata is now a fairly decent business which owns Harland & Wolff, the shipyard which built the Titanic. Infrastrata shares today edged up slightly to 40p. Pocock has a certain following in the City, with fans keen to know what he plans next for Primorus. Elsewhere, logistics firm Wincanton said its profits would be well ahead of the market's forecasts as booming demand for home shopping boosted its delivery vans arm and a cost savings plan bore fruit. The shares jumped 19p to 199p. Oil and gas producer Kosmos Energy has agreed to sell certain exploration assets in Africa and South America to a unit of Royal Dutch Shell for up to $200 million. Shell will acquire the company's participating interest in blocks offshore Sao Tome and Principe, Suriname, Namibia and South Africa. Kosmos shares rose 4.5p to 93.7p. Unilever shares rose 92p to 4660p, one day after the CEO Alan Jope said he expects shareholders to support the company plan to unify its headquarters in London and scrap its Dutch base. The wider stock market remains sluggish, with worries about where tech stocks in the US are headed weighing on sentiment in London. The FTSE 100 did manage to add 50 points, but remains below the 6000 level at 5979. The biggest gainer was Ashtead, up 79p at 2780p. The worst faller was BA owner IAG, down 7p at 200p. President Donald Trump expanded a ban on new offshore drilling Tuesday, an election year reversal likely to appeal to voters in Florida and other coastal states. Two years ago, Trump had taken steps to vastly expand offshore drilling from coast to coast. This protects your beautiful gulf and your beautiful ocean, and it will for a long time to come, Trump said as he announced the expanded drilling ban during an appearance at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. The president signed a memorandum instructing the interior secretary to prohibit drilling in the waters off both Florida coasts, and off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina for a period of 10 years from July 1, 2022, to June 20, 2032. The existing moratorium covers the Gulf of Mexico, and Trump said the new one would also cover the Atlantic coast a significant political concern in coastal states like Florida. Trump used the event to portray himself as an environmental steward and contrast his record against that of Democrat Joe Biden. But the Trump administration has overturned or weakened numerous regulations meant to protect air and water quality and lands essential for imperiled species. The trip comes as Trump steps up his travel to battleground states eight week before the election. From Florida, he headed for a campaign rally in North Carolina, another must-win for his re-election, before returning to the White House late Tuesday. Trump used the North Carolina stop to campaign against the states restrictive coronavirus guidelines, as he openly flouted the 50-person cap on outdoor events with a rally of thousands of supporters standing shoulder-to-shoulder on an airport tarmac. Also read: Trump slams Harris for doubting vaccine, says shell never be president Your state should be open, Trump said, baselessly claiming that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and others were trying to hamstring their economies with restrictions to hurt his reelection. Its a shame whats going on, and Ill tell you what, on November 4, every one of those states will be open. Theyre doing it for political reasons. Back in Florida, Trump used the taxpayer-funded event to lambaste his opponent with claims that Biden would destroy Americas middle class and give a free pass to the worlds worst foreign polluters. Biden has called for eliminating carbon emissions from power plants by 2035 and modernizing the electric grid. Both moves would curtail fossil fuel demand. His plan also includes significant direct public spending and tax subsidies for other energy sources, which Bidens campaign says would spur new jobs even as traditional energy jobs wane. Biden calls out China as the worlds biggest coal polluter and says hed hinge all future trade deals with Beijing on carbon reductions. He supports an international alliance to help other nations afford low-carbon development and pitches a global moratorium on Arctic offshore drilling. The announcement could open Trump to charges of an election year flip-flop given that in January 2018 he acted to vastly expand offshore drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic oceans and he has supported efforts to boost American energy production to lessen reliance on foreign sources. Biden accused Trump of conveniently changing his mind. Just months ago, Donald Trump was planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida, Biden tweeted. Now, with 56 days until the election, he conveniently says that he changed his mind. Unbelievable. You dont have to guess where I stand: I oppose new offshore drilling. Trump offered himself as the greatest environmental president since Theodore Roosevelt. Who would have thought? Trump is the great environmentalist, the president said. You hear that? Thats good, and I am. I am. I believe strongly in it. But Trump has rolled back numerous regulations designed to protect the environment, from power plant emissions to auto fuel standards to clean water. He withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Accord, a global agreement to address the emission of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. The environment has also been the primary target of Trumps push to eliminate regulations, eliminating or weakening dozens of rules that protect the air and water, along with lands essential for imperiled species while reversing Obama-era initiatives to fight climate change. Trump replaced Obamas Clean Power Plan aimed at slashing greenhouse gas pollution from electric plants and eased automobile fuel economy standards. Under Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency stripped federal protection from millions of acres of streams and wetlands. He lifted restrictions on oil and gas exploration in sensitive areas and shortened environmental reviews of construction projects such as highways and pipelines. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a longtime Trump ally who has opposed the administrations drilling exploration expansion plans, applauded Tuesdays announcement as good news but warned we must remain vigilant in the conservation and preservation of our coastline. Trump said he had also been discussing the moratorium with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who greeted Trump at the airport in West Palm Beach and attended the Jupiter event. About 200 people attended. Few wore face coverings or practiced social distancing. Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director for the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, said Floridians will remember it was Trump who previously proposed opening the state to drilling in the first place. Voters shouldnt be duped by this cheap, last-minute maneuver, Lopez said in an emailed statement. It cant even begin to make up for the aggressive efforts to expand dirty offshore drilling since Trumps been in office. Energy industry groups said the decision was the wrong approach for the times. Offshore access is critical for growing US energy leadership and providing affordable energy for American families, said Lem Smith, vice president of upstream policy at the American Petroleum Institute, in an emailed statement. The ban puts at risk hundreds of thousands of new jobs, US energy security advancements and billions of dollars in critical revenue for states, he added. NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Paxos Trust Company, a New York-regulated financial institution that digitizes and mobilizes assets, today announced Societe Generale is the third broker-dealer client using Paxos Settlement Service to settle U.S. listed equity trades. Paxos Settlement Service is a private, permissioned blockchain solution designed to allow two parties to bilaterally settle securities trades directly with each other. The service represents the first live application of blockchain technology in the listed U.S. equities market. Paxos is operating the service under No-Action relief from the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Since the initial launch in February, the first two participants, Credit Suisse and Instinet, have been using the technology to settle securities trades on a daily basis. With each additional broker-dealer, the benefits of the network increase, delivering greater savings and efficiencies to its participants. Charles Cascarilla, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Paxos, stated, "We're transforming post-trade infrastructure in the securities industry. The Paxos Settlement Service can reduce ongoing costs associated with settlement and unlock capital tied up in the legacy settlement system. The No-Action relief phase gives us the opportunity to grow our network and refine the service with early adopters while we build toward a scaled solution that delivers long-term benefits industry-wide." Jeffrey Rosen, Chief Operating Officer, Americas Global Markets at Societe Generale, added, "We believe that by streamlining equities settlements with the Paxos Settlement Service we'll be able to deliver meaningful efficiency in our settlement operations in the long-term. We've worked closely with Paxos to tailor the platform to our unique workflows and feel this is an important step forward to evolving market structure and optimizing the trading life cycle." Paxos can operate the Paxos Settlement Service with a total of seven broker-dealer clients under No-Action relief. About Paxos Paxos is a New York-regulated financial institution on a mission to create a global, frictionless economy. By building infrastructure to enable the movement between physical and digital assets, Paxos is creating a future where all assetsfrom money to commodities to securitiesare digitized and can move instantaneously, 24/7. Today, as the first regulated Trust company for digital assets, Paxos technology makes it possible to tokenize, custody, trade and settle assets. Paxos is the largest issuer of regulated stablecoins including Binance USD (BUSD), a white-label stablecoin offered through Paxos Stablecoin as a Service. Paxos products also include: Paxos Crypto Brokerage and Commodities & FX Post-Trade Service, which has been used to confirm more than $2 trillion commodities and FX trades. With offices in New York, London and Singapore, Paxos takes a global view of modernizing the financial system. Learn more at www.paxos.com. Paxos Media Contact: Rebecca McClain [email protected] SOURCE Paxos Related Links http://www.paxos.com archived recording (police officer) I got him. 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We have work to do in terms of building trust and legitimacy with the people that we have sworn to serve and protect. rukmini callimachi And yet, those very reforms set into motion a raid that a few months later killed a 26-year-old woman. archived recording (speaker) We want justice! archived recording (crowd) We want justice! archived recording (speaker) Justice for who? rukmini callimachi Her name was Breonna Taylor. archived recording (crowd) Breonna Taylor. archived recording (speaker) I cant hear you! Justice for who? archived recording (crowd) Breonna Taylor! archived recording (speaker) Justice for who? michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. archived recording (speaker) Say her name! archived recording (crowd) Breonna Taylor. archived recording (speaker) Say it louder! archived recording (crowd) Breonna Taylor. michael barbaro This is The Daily. archived recording 1 Breonna Taylor. archived recording 2 Breonna Taylor. michael barbaro Over the past five months archived recording Breonna Taylor. michael barbaro the name Breonna Taylor archived recording (SINGING) Say her name! Breonna Taylor. michael barbaro has become a national rallying cry for those demanding changes in American policing. archived recording (crowd) Arrest the cops! archived recording (speaker) Arrest the cops! archived recording (crowd) Arrest the cops! archived recording (rapper) Arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor. archived recording (newscaster) Protests and celebrities speaking out. archived recording (lebron james) We feel for her and we want justice. archived recording (singer) Say her name, say her name! Breonna Taylor. archived recording (newscaster) Beyonce is demanding justice for Breonna Taylor. [music] archived recording (beyonce) (SINGING) Breonna! Breonna. michael barbaro But unlike George Floyd, Eric Garner or Rayshard Brooks, theres no video capturing the final moments of her life. archived recording (cardi b) Do you know Breonna Taylors story, her whole story? michael barbaro Today: A Times investigation pieces together what actually happened to Breonna Taylor. In part one, Rukmini Callimachi tells the story of how police ended up at her door. Its Wednesday, September 9. rukmini callimachi All right, lets get started. OK? archived recording Mhm. michael barbaro Rukmini, where does your reporting start for this story? rukmini callimachi So I met my colleague, the documentary filmmaker, Yoruba Richen, in Louisville. yoruba richen So can you start off by telling me your names and what your relation is to Breonna? rukmini callimachi And we spent the next couple of weeks speaking to the people who knew Breonna best. tamika palmer My names Tamika Palmer. I have two daughters. rukmini callimachi Her mom. tamika palmer Breonna Taylor, JuNiyah Palmer. kenneth walker My name is Kenneth Walker. rukmini callimachi Her boyfriend. preonia flakes My name is Preonia Flakes. And I am Breonnas cousin. rukmini callimachi Her cousins. preonia flakes I would say our relationship was more like sisters, twin cousins. Pre and Bre. rukmini callimachi Her very best friends going all the way back to her childhood. Her co-workers. And in combination with the thousands of pages of documents that I was able to acquire about her case, what comes across is that this is a young woman who was dealt, I would say a pretty tough hand in life. yoruba richen What was your reaction when you find out you were pregnant? How old were you? tamika palmer [LAUGHS] I was, like, in disbelief. I was 16 years old though. So rukmini callimachi She was born to a teenage mom. tamika palmer I just knew I had to be a better person then, at that point. So I took it on. rukmini callimachi Her dad was convicted on a murder and drug charge when she was just six years old and was sent to prison for the rest of her life. yoruba richen What was she like as a child? tamika palmer Breonna was a good kid. She was easy, even just as a young kid. She just was she was smart. rukmini callimachi But what you also see amidst the challenges of her early life is a person who was trying to push beyond the limitations of her circumstances. tamika palmer She was one of those people, she made a plan, and she went. That was it. Like, it has to be done this way. And, like, OK. preonia flakes Just seeing how she was wanting to be successful, she kind of, like, drove that into my head. Like, this is what were going to do. This is how youre going to do it. And Im going to show you how to do it. rukmini callimachi We spoke to one of her oldest friends who said that her mom, when they were children, would not let her go to sleepovers at all, except if the sleepover was at Breonnas house. Why? Because Breonna was considered the responsible one. She was the one among their little group of friends who made sure that the other girls got to school on time if there was a sleepover, who made sure that they did their homework. She seemed to be taking almost an adult role in her immediate circle. tamika palmer Even as a kid, I can remember her being 7 years old, saying to my mother, let me check your blood sugar. rukmini callimachi When she was very young, she started to show an interest in medicine, and in health care and in helping other people. Her mom describes how, when Breonna learned that her grandmother had an insulin problem, she wanted to prick her grandmothers finger with a needle and draw blood so that she could test her blood sugar level. She thought that that was interesting. And she kept on asking her grandmother if she could do that. tamika palmer Like, leave her alone! But she my mother would let her stick her finger in. And she was so pumped up to do it. And helped her do her insulin. Im like, oh, my God. rukmini callimachi We see that in ninth grade, she begged her mom to give her permission to take the bus and to go start working at a local fast food joint after school. Her friends say that they never really knew her without a job. preonia flakes She taught me stuff my own people, my own siblings, my own mother didnt teach me. The family I came from, really not supportive. So I used to make little Facebook statuses like, whos going to come to my graduation if I had it, even though I know yall dont really mess with me? Bre would be, like, dont worry about them. And as long as Im by your side, thats all that matters. Because Im a leader. rukmini callimachi Breonna is the first person in her family to graduate from high school. And she then goes to college. yoruba richen Tell me how you met? kenneth walker We met, I guess on Twitter. rukmini callimachi In college, she starts a banter on Twitter with another college student. kenneth walker Kind of like, flirting on the timeline, I guess, so to say. rukmini callimachi His name was Kenneth Walker. He went by Kenny to all of his friends. kenneth walker And she went to University of Kentucky. And I went to Western Kentucky. rukmini callimachi And they start a sort of emoji-filled, flirtatious Twitter banter that, by 2016, evolved into the beginnings of a romance and of a relationship. kenneth walker I kept on telling her I dont want to be friends no more. But we can be if we have to be. But I dont want to be. rukmini callimachi It was an on again, off again relationship. But whats clear in this back and forth is that Kenny seemed to really have identified her as the person that he wanted to be his life partner. kenneth walker Seems like when nobody else was there for me, she was always there. rukmini callimachi And it was Breonna that wasnt 100 percent sure about him. kenneth walker Some days it was, yeah, lets marry and have a kid. And then other days, like, no, lets be single and live kid-free lives. So there was a million time when Id say Im not messing with her anymore ever again. And Im sure she said the same thing several times. rukmini callimachi But everybody we spoke to described him as somebody who genuinely loved her. kenneth walker We can be friends. And we can be everything else, too. Thats the goal when you trying to be with somebody or love them, whatever. You want to be friends with them also. And thats rare. So if you come across that, I think you should try to take advantage of it. rukmini callimachi What we now know is that a few months after she started dating Kenny in 2016, she also starts seeing another man. His name is Jamarcus Glover. And by all accounts, hes, in many ways, the opposite of Kenny. Jamarcus is a twice convicted drug dealer. He was sentenced in 2008 when he was 18 years old in Mississippi, his home state, for drug trafficking. And later in 2014, he moves to Kentucky. Hes charged again for drug possession. And he would spend the next several years in and out of jail. And it bears noting that he seems to enter her life at what was ostensibly a low point. She had started college. But she dropped out because she felt homesick and was really missing her family. She got her E.M.T. certification and began working as a first responder, riding ambulances. But a year into that job, she quit. On social media, she says that she was discouraged by the 16-hour shifts and by the low pay. And pretty soon into her relationship with Jamarcus, his problems become her problems. archived recording [KNOCKING ON DOOR] And this is the first time that you see the police coming and knocking on the door of Apartment 4 at 3003 Springfield Drive. archived recording 1 [KNOCKING ON DOOR] archived recording 2 [DOOR OPENS] archived recording (officer 1) Breonna? Is this is your place? breonna taylor Yes. rukmini callimachi And they came because of a favor that she had done for him. archived recording (officer 1) OK. So whats your name, young man? archived recording (jamarcus glover) Jamarcus. archived recording (officer 1) Whats that? archived recording (jamarcus glover) Jamarcus. archived recording (officer 1) Jamarcus. Whats your last name? archived recording (jamarcus glover) Glover. archived recording (officer 1) Glover? rukmini callimachi So what happened is she had rented a car. Her own car was apparently in the shop. So she had rented a car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. And Jamarcus Glover asked her for the keys. She handed over the keys. He then handed them to a third person, a man. And a couple of hours later, that person was found dead, slumped over the wheel of the car. His body was riddled with bullets. And on the floorboard of the car and in the console, they found several baggies of drugs. archived recording (officer 1) What I need to know is whats going on with the rental car and the person that was in the car. archived recording (breonna taylor) I dont know who was in the car. archived recording (jamarcus glover) She let me use the car. archived recording (breonna taylor) back at home, and thats all I know. archived recording (officer 1) Mhm. archived recording (breonna taylor) Thats all I know. rukmini callimachi The person that ends up dead at the wheel of the car is a man thats known to them only by his nickname Rambo. And in fact, hes the brother of one of Jamarcus Glovers associates, a member of what turns out to be a criminal drug syndicate. And that man had gone to jail on multiple occasions with Jamarcus. archived recording (officer 1) Are you all into the game? archived recording (jamarcus glover) Oh, no. archived recording (officer 1) I mean, come on now. archived recording (jamarcus glover) Well I mean, I roll with them. [INAUDIBLE] archived recording (officer 1) And lets just be honest right here, OK? archived recording (jamarcus glover) I roll with them. But they aint got nothing to do with a gang. They archived recording (officer 1) Im not saying gang. I said the game. Are you working? How did he make his money? How do you make your money? archived recording (jamarcus glover) Oh, no, no. Aint hell, no. [INAUDIBLE] archived recording (officer 1) Are you working now? archived recording (jamarcus glover) No. archived recording (officer 2) Where you work at? archived recording (breonna taylor) I dont work right now. I just left my job over the weekend. archived recording (officer 2) Where were you? archived recording (breonna taylor) E.M.S., Louisville Metro. archived recording (officer 2) What were you doing for them? archived recording (breonna taylor) E.M.T. rukmini callimachi I saw the police notes. And they concluded that Breonna really had no foreknowledge of how this car was going to be used. And that Jamarcus also did not appear to be aware that this man was going to get killed. archived recording [CHATTER] archived recording (officer 2) All right, man. Hey, take care of yourself, all right? archived recording (jamarcus glover) All right. archived recording [RADIO SOUNDS] archived recording (officer 1) See you later, lady. archived recording (officer 2) Be careful, all right? michael barbaro Well be right back. Rukmini, when you talked to Breonnas family and her friends, did Jamarcus come up? And what did they say about him? rukmini callimachi You know, this was really hard to get at. Because when we spoke to her mother, her cousins, her best friends, you ask about Jamarcus Glover and either they stopped making eye contact with you, or they say to you that they dont want to talk about him. Or they say to you that they dont know him. And this relationship is something that we have essentially uncovered through documents. michael barbaro Mhm. rukmini callimachi This was clearly something that those who love her did not want to talk about. The closest I got was one of her oldest childhood friends, somebody whos known her since she was in elementary school. And all she would say to me was, I didnt like him regarding Jamarcus. But what we see in the documents that weve amassed is that in the next four years, she was on again and off again with Kenny and with Jamarcus. And in the periods that shes with Jamarcus, he repeatedly entangles her in his problems and in his run-ins and dealings with police. This is a man who is in and out of jail. And he asks her to pay his bail twice in 2017. And then later, in 2019, you see her paying bail for another man, another accused drug dealer who was a friend of Jamarcuss, and who was believed to be part of this criminal syndicate alongside him. archived recording (police officer) Are you saying something about work? rukmini callimachi That same year, 2019 archived recording (police officer) Do me a favor. Put your hands on the steering wheel. rukmini callimachi thats the year that the video of the homecoming king getting pulled over by Louisville police goes viral. archived recording (police officer) Now do me a favor. Grab your phone and your wallet and stick it on the seat. archived recording (black teenager) Why? archived recording (police officer) Because Im telling you. Or its going to fall out when you get out of the vehicle. rukmini callimachi And when he gets pulled over for the infraction of making a wide turn, things very quickly escalate. Hes pulled out of his car by the white police officer. archived recording (police officer) Yeah. Were allowed to pat you down copper for a wide turn. archived recording (black teenager) Mama, they patting me down! archived recording (police officer) Yep. Were allowed to do that. rukmini callimachi Hes on the phone with his mom. And the cops begin searching his car for drugs. archived recording (police officer) and stay over here, please. Maam, please stay over here. rukmini callimachi His mom eventually shows up. archived recording (police officer) Stay over there, please. If you approach my traffic stop, I will take you. archived recording (mother) Hes my son. archived recording (police officer) Maam, if you approach my traffic stop, I will take you to jail. I dont care! rukmini callimachi And in the conversation that ensues, another officer begins to explain to the mom the larger strategy of what theyre trying to do with these traffic stops. archived recording (mother) What Im saying is, if its a wrong turn, give him a ticket. You dont have to bring archived recording (police officer) Thats not what were out here for. OK? archived recording (mother) What are you out here for? Thats what he said. archived recording Were a violent were a violent crimes unit. First, were not narcotics. OK. archived recording (mother) But what do you mean violent? archived recording (police officer) So listen. Just will you listen to me? Because I want to explain rukmini callimachi What they would do is they would identify an area that had a high crime rate. And then they would flood that area with police officers who would pull people over for minor offenses for turning without signaling, for having a broken tail light, for making a wide turn. And once the people were pulled over, they would search their cars for drugs or for other contraband and essentially look for evidence of more serious offenses. archived recording (mother) I dont care. I appreciate yall being out here for violent crimes. My son is not a violent nothing. archived recording (police officer) No one said he was a violent crime. No one said he was. archived recording (mother) He shouldnt even be out of the car handcuffed right now. archived recording (police officer) Can you tell me can you tell me how to pick out violent crimes? rukmini callimachi As a result, it created a lot of bad will between the citys police department and the citys Black population. Black people who were just going about their daily lives were getting pulled over and aggressively searched when they were doing nothing more than, like the teenage boy in the viral video, going to the store to get a slushie in his moms car. archived recording (police officer) All right, sir, hes your ID back. Youve got court October 2 for improper turning at 7:00 p.m. [INAUDIBLE] Do you understand the reason why youre stopped? All righty. Have a wonderful day. rukmini callimachi So it just so happened that the week that the video of the homecoming king went viral, that week coincided with a visit to the department of a policing expert named Robin Engel. Shes a professor at the University of Cincinnati. And she has been promoting a different approach to policing that has actually really been successful and borne fruit in a couple of communities, including Cincinnati and Las Vegas. When the video caused the uproar that it caused, the police chief pulled her aside in a conference room and said to her, how can we do better? michael barbaro And what was her answer? rukmini callimachi Her answer was instead of flooding a large area with police, you go hyper focused. And you look at a micro location that has been the locus of repeat crime a storefront, an abandoned warehouse, a city block, an apartment building. And you ask yourself, what is it about that specific location? What are the parameters of that location that are making it conducive to repeat crime? And then once you identify that place, you begin putting a lot of police resources into monitoring that microlocation. And she told him about how this method of policing had dramatically reduced violent crime as much as 70 percent to 80 percent in one particular neighborhood in Cincinnati. So when the police chief hears about this, he naturally got excited. And by December of last year, the police department had created its own squad that was going to target crime through this new method. So the next thing that happens is they identify the area of the city that has the highest crime. And they end up honing in on a street called Elliot Avenue, the 2400 block of Elliott Avenue basically one city block. So it was on this block that they erected a pole camera in January. What they saw is that within an hour of erecting the camera on January 2, between 15 and 20 cars had stopped in front of 2424 Eliott Avenue. 2424 Eliott Avenue was one of four trap houses, or drug houses, that were being operated by Jamarcus Glover. And this is how Jamarcus basically ends up in the crosshairs of this new squad that was created for the purpose of reforming police conduct in the city. That same day, this is January 2, in addition to seeing the 15 to 20 cars that stopped in front of this house these are presumably customers who are coming and going, buying drugs they see between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. that evening a Chevrolet Impala pull up. They run the plates. And they learn that that car is registered to Breonna Taylor. archived recording Hello. This is a free call from archived recording (jamarcus glover) Hello rukmini callimachi The next day, the 3rd of January archived recording an inmate at Louisville Metropolitan Corrections Department. rukmini callimachi Jamarcus Glover is arrested. And he makes a series of recorded phone calls to Breonna Taylor from jail. archived recording (jamarcus glover) Hello. archived recording (breonna taylor) [INAUDIBLE] archived recording (jamarcus glover) You been asleep? archived recording (breonna taylor) I was asleep, Im so sorry. rukmini callimachi In one of those recorded calls, you hear Jamarcus Glover asking her to arrange his bail by contacting another associate of his. archived recording (breonna taylor) You say he was already back at the trap and then I talked to him again just a minute ago to see if he had contacted him. They couldnt post bond till 1:00. archived recording (jamarcus glover) Yeah, Im waiting now. rukmini callimachi And in these calls archived recording (breonna taylor) Yeah. Mmm. archived recording (jamarcus glover) [MOANS] archived recording (breonna taylor) I think Im about to be sick. [INAUDIBLE] I feel like I got hit by a bus. archived recording (jamarcus glover) Well come give me some rest in your bed. rukmini callimachi You can sense the intimacy between them. archived recording (breonna taylor) Jamarcus. archived recording (jamarcus glover) What? You dont want me [INAUDIBLE]? archived recording (breonna taylor) I didnt say that. archived recording (jamarcus glover) Ugh, need some rest. I havent had no rest. Like none. archived recording (breonna taylor) Yeah I know. I havent really been sleeping for real either. I keep waking up every other hour type shit. archived recording (jamarcus glover) Yeah. archived recording (breonna taylor) When youre around, I stress a lot. archived recording (jamarcus glover) Huh? archived recording (breonna taylor) When youre around, I stress more. You know? archived recording (jamarcus glover) Why? archived recording (breonna taylor) Well, because I just Ill always be worried about you. archived recording (jamarcus glover) Aw. Well, I love you. Im going try to make sure this [INAUDIBLE] archived recording (breonna taylor) OK. I love you, too. archived recording (jamarcus glover) I love you. And Ill call you back and let you know. archived recording (breonna taylor) OK. rukmini callimachi So Jamarcus gets bailed out. And in the course of the next two months, this newly created squad continues to surveil the trap house at the 2400 block of Elliott. They end up putting a G.P.S. on Jamarcus car. And that G.P.S. shows that he makes repeated trips in January between the trap house and Breonna Taylors apartment. They also send police to watch her apartment. And on one day in mid-January, they photograph Jamarcus going into her apartment and emerging from it with a package in his hands, and then driving straight back to the trap house. On another occasion in February, they film her and him arriving in the same car at the trap house. He is seen getting out of the drivers side door. Shes seen getting out of the passenger side door. He goes into the trap house. He comes back out. And they drive away together. But the thing that the police had missed as they were carrying out this intense surveillance was the new arc of Breonna Taylors life that had been building for some time. preonia flakes This is messages from January. It says: This year Im coming for everything. She said, Im speaking it into existence. And she sent two emojis with the fingers crossed and some hearts. She was coming for everything she wanted this year. 2020 was her year. rukmini callimachi After leaving her job as an E.M.T., she got back on her feet. And she got a job as an emergency room technician. She picked up a second shift. And she was now working basically two jobs at this E.R. and at another hospital. And you see that her life, according to her social media posts, is really on this positive trajectory. Shes bought herself a new car. Shes going to save up for a home. And crucially, in mid-February, she appears to break up for good with Jamarcus Glover. And the reason I say for good is theres evidence thats come out since then that indicates that she actually blocked him on her cell phone. archived recording (speaker) These two here, they might as well get married. archived recording (breonna taylor) Do you want to be my baby daddy? archived recording (kenneth walker) Yes. archived recording (breonna taylor) Are we going to have fun, baby? archived recording (kenneth walker) Yes. archived recording (breonna taylor) When? archived recording (kenneth walker) Today. archived recording (breonna taylor) Ooh. archived recording (kenneth walker) [LAUGHTER] rukmini callimachi And from what we know kenneth walker Everything was, like, really good. It was great. rukmini callimachi she seems to commit to Kenny. kenneth walker There was a whole lot of marriage talk and baby talk. We even had baby names and everything. Kenbre, just for the record, that was the girl name. Thats Kenny and Bre mixed. I liked that. rukmini callimachi So theyre very much launched on what looks to be a serious relationship. But even as these sweeping changes are occurring in Breonna Taylors life, the police are barreling forward on their investigation. michael barbaro Mhm. rukmini callimachi And they believe by March that they have enough evidence to hit five locations that are crucial to Jamarcus Glovers criminal syndicate. Four of them are on Elliott Avenue and around Elliott Avenue these are the trap houses that he operated. And the fifth is the home of Breonna Taylor. michael barbaro Tomorrow on The Daily: What happened during the police raid? Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. The chief of police in Rochester, New York resigned on Tuesday, amid growing outrage and widening investigations into the death of Daniel Prude by officers in his department. Prude suffocated after police placed a hood over his head and pressed him into the ground for two minutes a death that Rochester officials did not disclose for months. The police chief, LaRon Singletary, has denied that the officers involved did anything wrong. And archived recording (albert bourla) It is an unprecedented moment. Its an historic pledge. Nine vaccine makers are coming out, saying that they will stand with science. michael barbaro in an unusual public pledge, the C.E.O.s of nine drug companies, including Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, said that they would not distribute a vaccine for the coronavirus until it had been thoroughly vetted for safety and effectiveness. archived recording (albert bourla) With increasing public concerns about the processes that we are using to develop these vaccines, and even more importantly, the processes that will be used to evaluate these vaccines, we saw it as critical to come out and reiterate our commitment that we will develop our products our vaccines, using the highest ethical standards. michael barbaro Tech Tattle Flying V takes to the sky Airplanes have had the same basic shape for decades now, a long barrel filled with passengers flanked by wings to lift them into the sky. But a new aircraft, named Flying V, being developed by a team of Dutch researchers, might change that concept. The Flying V carries its fuel in the wings, but it also carries passengers in its wings. Read this to know more about Flying V. SPRINGFIELD A Chicopee man with a record of criminal offenses will serve more than five years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing firearms and ammunition, including a machine gun. Hector Gomez, 33, was sentenced in federal court in Springfield to five years in prison and three years supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni also sentenced Gomes to an additional consecutive 20 months behind bars for violating the terms of a previous supervised release, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling. Law enforcement agents raided Gomezs home at 238 East Main St. with a warrant on May 18, 2019. They confiscated a Bushmaster .223 caliber assault rifle, an Arsenal 7.62 mm rifle, 14 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, 28 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition and 60 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. Gomez, who was out on probation at the time of the raid, is not allowed to possess any guns because he is a convicted felon, Lelling said. Gomez pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and to possession of an unregistered firearm in February in federal court in Springfield, Lelling said. At the time of the raid, Gomez was on supervised release after being arrested as part of a 2014 gang sweep in Holyoke by local and federal law enforcement and charged with distribution of heroin, and possession of heroin with intent to distribute. He spent 14 months in custody before he was found guilty of the charges. In December 2015, Mastroianni sentenced him to time served plus four years of supervised release. Two months before the gun raid, in March 2019, Gomez was also arrested for assault with intent to murder in connection with a Sept. 11, 2018 shooting in the Forest Park neighborhood of Springfield. The victim was shot in the stomach and survived. At the time of the 2019 arrests, police said Gomez had connections to the La Familia gang. Related content: The comparison between Mumbai and its police force with Pakistan is "outlandish", Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil said on Wednesday in a veiled attack on actress Kangana Ranaut over her tweets that have riled the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) dispensation. Patil said it was "painful" to come across people who are "not grateful" to what Mumbai and Maharashtra has to offer in terms of opportunities, women safety, and tolerance. "People comparing this great city and our police force to that of Pakistan is outlandish. At best, it is a baseless remark to gain publicity and limelight. #UddhavThackeray #BMCMumbai @DGPMaharashtra @MumbaiPolice," Patil tweeted. The water resources minister said Mumbai is the mother which does not discriminate. He also called for being "respectful" to the spirit of Mumbai and the dignity of the elected offices of the state. "Don't bite the hands which feed you," Patil added. Earlier in the day, the Mumbai civic body demolished"illegal alterations" at the bungalow of Ranaut at Pali Hill in Bandra. After arriving in Mumbai from her home state Himachal Pradesh, Ranaut once again equated Mumbai with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). "I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy," she tweeted. Ranaut also shared few photographs of BMC officials at her house, with the captions "Pakistan#deathofdemocracy"and "Babur and his army #deathofdemocracy". Shares of Pharma, closed over 3 per cent lower on Wednesday after its COVID-19 vaccine study was paused following a participant's unexplained illness. The stock, which tumbled 13.40 per cent to Rs 3,650 during the day on the BSE, later recovered most of the lost ground and closed at Rs 4,074.15, 3.34 per cent lower. On the NSE, it closed 3.80 per cent lower at Rs 4,070 after tanking 12.31 per cent to Rs 3,710 during the day. The human trials of one of the most promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates, being developed by the University of Oxford, has been put on hold after a UK participant had an adverse reaction to it. AstraZeneca, the biopharmaceutical giant in tie-up with the university to produce the vaccine, described the pause as a "routine" one following what was an unexplained illness". The trials had moved into Phase III after successful Phase I and II testing had raised worldwide hopes of it being ready by early next year as results showed that it produced a positive immune response. The vaccine moved to Phase III testing in recent weeks, involving around 30,000 participants in the US as well as in the UK, Brazil and South Africa. As part of the ongoing randomised, controlled global trials of the Oxford vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow a review of safety data by an independent committee, said a spokesperson for on Tuesday evening. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. In large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully, the spokesperson said. Stressing that the adverse reaction involved only a single patient, the spokesperson added that the team is working to expedite the review of the single event to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline. (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.) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said he held 'excellent talks' with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during which they discussed bilateral strategic ties and exchanged views on the international situation. IMAGE: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow. Photograph: Kind courtesy @DrSJaishankar/Twitter Jaishankar is in Moscow on a four-day visit to Russia to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). 'Pleasure to meet FM Sergey Lavrov, this time in person. Excellent talks that reflect our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Value our exchanges on the international situation,' Jaishankar tweeted after talks with his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the SCO meeting. The meeting could not be held earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 'We highly appreciate an opportunity to discuss the development of Russia-India strategic partnership in all areas: bilateral relations, cooperation within the frameworks of SCO, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), UN (United Nations),' Lavrov was quoted as saying by the Embassy of Russia in India. Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow during which he appreciated the 'steadfast support' provided by Russia in response to the country's defence and security needs. Singh, who was on a three-day visit to Russia to attend a crucial meeting of the SCO, pressed for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held separate bilateral meetings with his Kyrgyz and Tajik counterparts here and discussed ways to boost India's strategic partnership with the two Central Asian countries. 'A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines,' Jaishankar tweeted after his first bilateral meeting of the day. IMAGE: Jaishankar also met Tajik FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin in Moscow. Photograph: Kind courtesy @DrSJaishankar/Twitter The two leaders discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. 'Agreed to further enhance our strategic partnership in all spheres,' Jaishankar wrote. Jaishankar thanked Aidarbekov for the support in facilitating the return of Indian nationals from the Central Asian country. Air India operated several flights under Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate its nationals stranded in other nations due to lockdown. About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. A few businessmen are engaged in trade and services in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Indian Embassy in Bishkek. Jaishankar later said he held a warm meeting with Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin. 'Pleased with our growing bilateral and regional cooperation. Highly value this strategic partnership,' Jaishankar tweeted. He also said he held a fruitful interaction with his Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov in Moscow, during which they agreed to further enhance their strategic partnership in all spheres. 'A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines,' Jaishankar tweeted. The two leaders discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. 'Agreed to further enhance our strategic partnership in all spheres,' Jaishankar wrote. Jaishankar thanked Aidarbekov for the support in facilitating the return of Indian nationals from the Central Asian country. Air India operated several flights under Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate its nationals stranded in other nations due to lockdown. About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. A few businessmen are engaged in trade and services in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Indian Embassy in Bishkek. Source: CNN DECEMBER 25, 2018: Letter from Kim Jong Un to President Trump Your Excellency, It has been 200 days since the historic DPRK-US summit in Singapore this past June, and the year is now almost coming to an end. Even now I cannot forget that moment of history when I firmly held Your Excellency's hand at that beautiful and sacred location as the whole world watched with great interest and hope to relive the honor of that day. As I mentioned at that time, I feel very honored to have established an excellent relationship with a person such as Your Excellency. As the new year 2019 approaches, critical issues that require endless effort toward even higher ideals and goals still await us. Just as Your Excellency frankly noted, as we enter the new year the whole world will certainly once again come to see, not so far in the future, another historic meeting between myself and Your Excellency reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film. I have already instructed my closest and most trusted colleagues and the relevant organs to speed up the preparations for holding a second DPRK-US summit and am prepared to achieve good results with Your Excellency during the next meeting. Nevertheless, what worries me is that it may not reflect positively on us should both sides appear to stubbornly insist on our respective positions regarding the location of the summit. It could also result in wasting a lot of time. Therefore, my position is to urgently hold senior-level contact between the DPRK and the US to internally (translator's note: privately) discuss and coordinate issues regarding the location. I hope that Your Excellency will once again demonstrate great decisiveness and excellent leadership to accomplish results in the second DPRK summit. I wholeheartedly hope that the things that Your Excellency seeks to achieve will come to great fruition. I wish the honorable First Lady, your family and those close to you good health, happiness and great success. Sincerely, with unchanging respect for Your Excellency the President, Chairman State Affairs Commission Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong Un 25 December 2018 JUNE 10, 2019: Letter from Kim Jong Un to President Trump Your Excellency Mr. President, I am writing this letter to you as we are nearing the first anniversary of our meeting in Singapore on June 12 -- the historic moment of great significance that captured the attention of the world and left an imprint still indelible in my memory -- as well as to congratulate you on your birthday, which is just days away. I take it as a great honor to be able to send such a letter to Your Excellency. I extend my sincere and warm regards to Your Excellency on the occasion of your birthday. My regards also to the First Lady and the rest of your family and all your people, and I wish everyone good health and happiness and hope that everyone's dream will become a beautiful reality. Like the brief time we had together a year ago in Singapore, every minute we shared 103 days ago in Hanoi was also a moment of glory that remains a precious memory. Such a precious memory that I have in my unwavering respect for you will provide impetus for me to take my steps when we walk toward each other again someday in the future. I also believe that the deep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force that leads the progress of the DPRK-US relations, clearing all the hurdles we face in the process of bringing about the developments we seek to achieve. Your Excellency Mr. President, I still respect and lay my hopes on the will and determination that you showed in our first meeting to resolve the issue of our unique style that nobody had ever tried, and to write a new history. Today's reality is that without a new approach and the courage it takes, the prospects for resolution of the issue will only be bleak. I believe the one day will come sooner or later when we sit down together to make great things happen, with the will to give another chance to our mutual trust. Such a day should come again. It may well be recorded as yet another fantastic moment in history. I assure Your Excellency that my respect for you will never change. Happy birthday once again, Your Excellency. I hope Your Excellency will always be in good health and achieve success in your work. I extend my best wishes on behalf of my family to the First Lady and the rest of your family. Sincerely yours, Kim Jong Un There is no dearth of crazy people in this world. A story of a woman has surfaced online telling that she drove 75 km during the coronavirus lockdown for kebabs. According to Evening Standard, the woman, when came across police, told them that she had come out looking for kebabs. Victoria Police revealed that they caught her in Werribee, south west of Melbourne on September 7 during the curfew hours. She apprised the police that after buying kebabs, she had plans to visit her boyfriend in Werribee. The police slapped a fine of $1,652 on woman for breaking the coronavirus lockdown. The city remains under curfew from 8 pm to 5 am in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation. The news website reported that the police served a man with a fine for visiting his semi-intimate partner" during the curfew. Besides, two women were caught eating ice-cream at 2 am. When the cops asked the women why they were out in violation of the curfew orders, they replied they thought it was 6 am. Victoria Police fined 171 people overnight for violating the COVID-19 lockdown guidelines. Out of these, 31 were issued challans for not wearing face masks and 67 for breaching the curfew. In July, a man in Australia took his craziness for butter chicken to another level. He travelled 32 km for the dish from Werribee. In this attempt, he broke the lockdown restrictions. Police pulled him over on his way and he was issued a fine of $1652. He did this to satiate his cravings for a particular kind of butter chicken. Outbreak of the novel coronavirus has forced people to stay indoors and many have been avoiding eating outside fearing they may contract the infection. In order to enjoy their favourite food, people have donned their chef hat. They have tried various dishes at home, learning from the internet. Defence minister Rajnath Singh, his French counterpart Florence Parly and Indias top military brass will attend a ceremony in Ambala airbase on September 10 to formally induct five Rafale fighter jets into the Indian Air Force, officials said. Parly and Singh will hold talks in Ambala on ways to further deepen bilateral defence and security cooperation after the ceremony, they said. The French defence minister is scheduled to arrive Thursday morning and will depart late afternoon, the officials said. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. The jets, produced by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are yet to be formally inducted into the IAF. Ten Rafale jets have been delivered to India so far and five of them stayed back in France for imparting training to IAF pilots. The delivery of all 36 aircraft is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021. A second batch of four to five Rafale jets are likely to arrive in India by November. Sources said a preliminary discussion on a possible procurement of another batch of 36 Rafale jets by India from France may figure in the talks between Singh and Parly. The Rafale jets, known for air-superiority and precision strikes, are Indias first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 year after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. The Rafale jet is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDAs Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Meteor is a next generation beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. While the first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed at Ambala air base, the second one will be based at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The new fleet will be part of the 17 Squadron of the IAF which was resurrected on September 10 last year. The squadron was originally raised at Air Force Station, Ambala on Oct 1 1951. The 17 Squadron has many firsts to its credit; in 1955 it was equipped with the first jet fighter, the legendary De Havilland Vampire. ALBANY A month after New York closed its rental assistance program, tenants who have struggled to pay rent during the coronavirus pandemic continue to wait for funds to be released. The state Division of Homes and Community Renewal, which is responsible for administering the COVID-19 rent relief program, received over 90,000 applications for assistance, but it remains unclear if any of the $100 million designated for the program has been handed out. Our overriding concern is to make sure that the applications are going to get processed, people get notified, and the money starts to flow, Manhattan Democratic Sen. Brian Kavanagh said. We have no indication yet on how that is going. A Homes and Community Renewal spokesperson said staff is working diligently to process the applications and are following up with applications containing errors or missing information. We want to ensure that residents arent disqualified from consideration due to a minor mistake on their paperwork that may include inadequately verifying primary residence; providing proper ID; demonstrating proof of loss of income, or typos in addresses and/or zip codes, the spokesperson said. We also ask landlords to be on the look out for emails and phone calls from our staff who may need further information for verification before any assistance can be paid. To qualify, an applicants household income must be below 80 percent of the areas median income, adjusted for household size. A household must also be paying more than 30 percent of its gross monthly income for rent, and have less monthly income in any month between April and July than it did before March 1 due to the pandemic. For months, housing experts and advocates have warned of a looming housing crisis without fiscal relief for tenants and homeowners unable to make rent or mortgage payments during the public health crisis. New York has a moratorium in place through September, which prevents eviction proceedings for unpaid rent during the height of the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control recently announced an eviction moratorium through Dec. 31 nationwide; however, its more restricted than the states moratorium. While the state Legislature in June approved $100 million for rental assistance, many lawmakers recognized it would not be enough to meet the need. But New York may not be able to provide additional assistance unless the federal government provides more stimulus money. Were anxious to see the result of this process. I think we will be very interested about who was eligible and who wasnt and also the geographic spread of who is receiving aid, Kavanagh said. Its important that people in all parts of the state have access to this. State officials familiar with the program who were not authorized to speak on it publicly said the largest portion of the funding is likely to go downstate where the rent burden is greatest. The Times Union has submitted a Freedom of Information Law request for more detailed information on the disbursement of funds. Where the funds go and who ultimately benefits from them is part of the data state legislators are seeking to understand the efficacy of the program and fine tune it going forward, Kavanagh said. Beyond more money to keep New Yorkers in their homes, Kavanagh said the Legislature also needs to address the states eviction moratorium sunsetting in October. The senator has proposed a bill that would extend the moratorium to Jan. 20. The states rent relief program only covered April through July, so we obviously have additional rent since then, he said. The governor and legislature should address that for these applicants, and obviously there are many more tenants out there who wouldnt qualify for this program that also need relief. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Vietnam needs to pay more attention to improving its infrastructure and increasing connectivity to attract FDI. - VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam Themed Capitalising on Vietnams Investment Opportunities Post COVID-19, the webinar drew senior leaders from businesses and organisations across Asia, Europe and the US. Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said that trade conflicts among major economies had forced international corporations and enterprises to relocate to avoid high taxes. The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences had made countries, international corporations and businesses speed up their investment restructuring plans to avoid dependence on one country or partner. Many countries had already issued preferential policies and support packages to retain as well as attract foreign investors. Dung said Vietnam had been taking drastic measures to meet investors requirements such as preparing land funds, factories, energy facilities and incentive packages for large projects that applied advanced technology. The country had also created conditions for Vietnamese businesses to join the global value chain. With its existing competitive advantages, strong reforms of the investment environment and increasing international position, and positive and effective anti-COVID-19 measures, Vietnam has been highly appreciated by the world community, becoming an attractive and safe investment destination for foreign investors, he added. In the context that global FDI is likely to decline by 40 per cent in 2020, Vietnam is looking relatively positive having attracted total registered capital of nearly US$20 billion in the first eight months of the year, with new capital increasing by 6.6 per cent and additional capital by 22.2 per cent. These figures are very encouraging, confirming the efforts and determination of the Government and all levels to attract foreign investment, especially high quality FDI, he said. The minister said Vietnam was building a 10-year development strategy with institutional breakthroughs, and infrastructure and human resources would continue to be focused on. Sharing the idea, Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Le Minh Hung said: Over the past 20 years, Vietnam has been rated as an attractive destination by foreign investors thanks to many factors, including political, economic and social stability. Policies to facilitate foreign investment play a very important role. The Vietnamese Government has pursued this direction, but the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic require the country to be more flexible in its response and take concrete and timely measures to mitigate its impacts and when possible, turn challenges into opportunities. To seize these opportunities, the Governor said that from 2021-25, the State Bank would continue to give priority to the completion of a monetary-banking legal framework. Specifically, the Law on Credit Institutions, Law on Deposit Insurance and new regulations will be added to help credit institutions provide a full range of financial services and products. The central bank will strengthen banking supervision and shift from compliance inspections to risk-based supervision in accordance with international practices and standards. The State Bank of Vietnam will continue to ensure a stable macro environment, creating conditions for the banking system to support the economy's recovery, but still focusing on ensuring quality, operational and financial safety. From the perspective of an international corporation, C. K. Tong, CEO of BW Industrial Development, said Vietnam had an advantage in growth rate compared to many countries in the region. However, the country needed to pay more attention to improving its infrastructure, and increasing connectivity such as the North-South expressway, special hubs, traffic density and developing local industrial clusters to effectively attract FDI. Given its strong fundamentals of a young, dynamic and tech-savvy population, a growing domestic market, a rising middle class and an open economy, Vietnam continues to offer exciting investment opportunities. Many start-ups and multinational corporations have set up their operations in Vietnam to leverage its strategic connectivity and proximity to Asian economies as a gateway to grow their businesses. While COVID-19 is likely here to stay for a while, it should not prevent us from exploring the new opportunities that Vietnam can offer and attempt new strategies to build and sustain growth in the country, said Nirukt Sapru, CEO of Vietnam and ASEAN & South Asia Cluster Markets, Standard Chartered Bank. A survey conducted during the Standard Chartered ASEAN Business Forum 2020 showed that 38 per cent of respondents would consider Vietnam for their supply chain diversification. This was the highest ratio among ASEAN countries. Theres little doubt that Vietnam has been getting a lot of investor attention, evidenced by the strong FDI inflow into the country in recent years. The webminar was part of the Standard Chartered ASEAN Series, which was started by the virtual Standard Chartered ASEAN Business Forum 2020 in late August. The forum was officiated over by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and attracted 4,700 participants globally. NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / ?????Newswire's Earned Media Advantage Guided Tour (EMA GT), a service designed to help businesses deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time, celebrated its one year anniversary in the month of August. The service adds value to traditional press release distribution by providing customers with people, a media and marketing communications plan, software delivered as a service (platform), press release campaign/media and marketing program production, and results (performance). Newswire's Earned Media Advantage Guided Tour is "The Only Media and Marketing Communications Utility" available on demand that empowers the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, site traffic, leads and sales through its integrated media and marketing communications services. The guided tour service has resulted in earned media coverage from notable outlets such as Forbes, Business Insider, Digiday, CNBC, NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, Newsweek, ESPN, CheddarTV, and Yahoo! Finance. These placements position customers as thought leaders in their respective industries while complementing lead generation through an integrated communications strategy provided by Newswire. "Newswire utilizes the Market Builder and Sales Accelerator as its business development platform," said Erik Rohrmann SVP and COO of Newswire. "We continue to propel company growth of more than 50% per annum, a 200% increase in daily site traffic, 200% increase in new accounts, 50% greater returns on paid advertising while reducing spend by 25%, and a dramatic increase in SEO ranking in our industry," added Rohrmann. Newswire combines its industry expertise with powerful software and technology to help customers increase brand awareness, lead generation, and boost sales revenue, all for a fraction of the cost of trying to integrate multiple services like media databases, hiring additional staff, SEO services, media monitoring and paid advertising. Companies have experienced tremendous results on the EMA GT program, which have positively impacted business growth across many areas. "We were able to rapidly and efficiently expand our media and marketing team without placing added stress on our existing staff. Newswire has been able to amplify our brand awareness, generate hundreds of leads within our target audience and establish a presence in the media for our company," said Ken Sternfeld, Chief Pharmacist Officer and Founder, RXVIP Concierge. "We could not be happier with the relationship we have built with the Newswire team and the results we are seeing." "The EMA GT Market Builder and Sales Accelerator were built based on feedback from the C-suite that we speak to on a daily basis and can be utilized by any small-to-midsize business looking to get more value from their own media. SEO content optimization, backlinks designed to increase traffic, multi-media thought leadership content, high-impact plan development, media and marketing asset build and platform set up for high production and real-time performance is unique to our industry," said Charlie Terenzio, Newswire's VP Earned Media. With Newswire's EMA GT Market Builder, Newswire writes customers' stories each month, distributes the releases to over 6,000 media outlets nationally, and targeted industries include targeted outreach to the media to secure earned media for the client. In addition, the stories each month are repurposed and distributed to 1,500 potential buyers, yielding 5% highly qualified leads for clients. Newswire's EMA GT Sales Accelerator boosts the Market Builder footprint, providing weekly press release campaigns consisting of a full complement of 4 media programs and 4 marketing programs designed to accelerate thought leadership, leads, and sales. Newswire offers Free Media and Marketing Communications Assessments for its customers to help them build plans to utilize Newswire's people, plan, platform, production, and proven performance methodology to build market awareness and drive new sales. About Newswire Newswire delivers press release and multimedia distribution software and services (SaaS) that empower the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased traffic, greater return on media and marketing communications spend, and the competitive edge. With over a decade of experience, Newswire continues to provide its customers with the ability to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time through the right medium. To learn more about how Newswire can help you, visit http://www.newswire.com. Contact Information Erik Rohrmann SVP and Chief Operating Officer erik@newswire.com 1-800-713-7278 Related Images SOURCE: Newswire View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605367/Newswire-Celebrates-One-Year-Anniversary-the-Earned-Media-Advantage-Guided-Tour-Launched-in-August-of-2019 Police were seen carrying bags stuffed with cash from the scene of an armed raid on a traveller site in one of the UK's biggest ever 'gun crime' stings. Hundreds of armed officers tore into the traveller site at 3am today in Orpington, south-east London. Footage showed more than 30 police vehicles were involved, while specialist anti-terrorism officers and trained dog units also assisted. Seven people have been arrested, while two people are being supported by specialists from the police's Modern Slavery Team, say the Metropolitan Police. Commander Kyle Gordon, the lead for the force's firearms operations, told Sky News: 'Any operation where there may be firearms involved requires a lot of planning and a lot of specialist assets. Police were seen carrying bags stuffed with cash from the scene of an armed raid on a traveller site in one of the UK's biggest ever 'gun crime' stings Piles of cash were seen stuffed into evidence bags after hundreds of armed officers tore into the traveller site at 3am today in Orpington, south-east London This is the dramatic moment where hundreds of police officers raided a traveller site in a 3am bust - thought to be one of Britain's biggest ever gun crime stings Footage shows the massive police raid at a traveller site in Orpington, south-east London Seven people have been arrested during the raid, which took place in the early hours of this morning 'As well as the local safer neighbourhood teams and officers that are leading this operation, of course we have our specialist firearms command involved, and a number of public order assets as well. 'Those teams will do everything they can to identify the risk in advance so they can plan around that to minimise the risk - not just to the people on the site and the wider public, but also to themselves as well.' Footage shows police, including armed officers, sweeping the large traveller site in the early hours of this morning. Elite officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Specialist Firearms team were also involved, as well as police dogs and specialist search units. Police are said to have used drones and stun grenades, also known as flash-bangs, during the raid. Officer say they used a number of 'distraction techniques' used to enter the site. Seven people have been arrested on suspicion of offences including possession with intent to supply drugs, handling stolen goods and burglary while police say they have seized 17 dogs. One woman, who has lived in the area for around 16 years, said police helicopters regularly fly over the area and the traveller site is a regular source of trouble. The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'Some of them cause trouble and they get visitors coming up and acting tough. 'A lot of them are nice but a few spoil it for the rest. It's gotten worse over the years.' A second neighbour described frequent police activity in the area including what appeared to be a smaller-scale raid roughly two weeks ago. They said: 'I saw the meat wagons carrying armed police about two weeks ago and there were road closures that they said was for fly tipping but I think it was surveillance.' Police officers from the Metropolitan Police have today been seen around the site in Orpington Investigators will spend around two days searching the site, following intelligence about where guns might be hidden A line of police vehicles was seen near to the 22-pitch traveller site, in Star Lane, south-east London Police search teams were seen scouring the area throughout today. They are expected to carry out searches tomorrow as well An aerial view of the raveller site on Star Lane in Orpington, where police raided in the early hours of today Investigators will now spend around two days searching the site, the 22-pitch site, on Star Lane, near Orpington, following intelligence about where guns might be hidden. Commander Gordon said: 'Tackling violent crime remains the Met's top priority and our efforts to prevent serious harm and loss of life on the streets of London have not wavered, including over the last few challenging months. 'This operation clearly demonstrates that every officer from local neighbourhood teams all the way up to our specialist crime investigators is focused on bringing those responsible for violence and organised criminality on the streets of London to justice, to keep our communities safe. 'This case was led by local neighbourhood officers in response to local issues, and its success would not have been possible without the support of partners and communities. 'This operation has targeted serious and organised crime head on, and will mean the surrounding communities are now safer for those living within them. 'Over recent months we have seen an increase in the number of firearms incidents across London and proactive operations like this are crucial to removing the availability of weapons and drugs on the streets. 'We have now seized dozens of lethal firearms and prevented them entering the hands of dangerous individuals.' Superintendent Andy Brittain, from the Met Police's South Area Basic Command Unit, added: 'We've been listening to the concerns of the local community and I hope that today's activity shows how seriously we take your concerns and that we do act upon them. Footage shows police, including armed officers, sweeping the large traveller site in the early hours of this morning Elite officers from counter-terrorism units in the capital were also involved, while police are said to have used stun grenades, also known as flash-bangs, during the raid Meanwhile detailed searches of the site are taking place this morning following the early morning raid Commander Gordon said: 'Tackling violent crime remains the Met's top priority and our efforts to prevent serious harm and loss of life on the streets of London have not wavered.' Pictured: Police at the scene today 'This is a prime example of why we rely on intelligence and information so much from our communities. It helps us keep your streets safe. 'Local residents may see an enhanced police presence over the next few days and possibly some road closures whilst we carry out or searches. 'We are working with the local authorities to look after the safeguarding of residents and children that may be temporarily displaced whilst we do these searches.' Earlier this year Britain's biggest ever crime bust captured 746 crooked kingpins and foiled hundred of plots after raids by every UK police force, with 54 million of dirty cash, two tonnes of drugs and 77 firearms seized after an impenetrable phone network was smashed. A sting spanning the globe saw scores of raids carried out across the country in a major move in the battle against drugs, guns and illegal activity. During the two-month operation officers seized the illegal cash along with firearms including hand grenade and machine guns. But it was only made possible after the National Crime Agency and European forces managed to get inside a formerly secure phone system called EncroChat in an operation dubbed Operation Venetic. BIRMINGHAM: The haul from the nationwide sting found 54million in cash among drugs and guns It is a messaging system, which is similar to WhatsApp, and is only pre-loaded onto special phones which have to be specially bought. Criminals paid 1,500 for a six month contract to use them and could send a 'kill code text' which wiped everything on the customised Android handset. Experts in France and the Netherlands infiltrated the illegal communication network, which helped them understand what crimes gangs were planning, like in TV hit The Wire. In the show one of the police officers built up cases against crooks by using a device called the Triggerfish, which collected data from their phones. In the real world, investigators found 60,000 users worldwide and around 10,000 users in the UK alone on EncroChat the sole use was for coordinating and planning the distribution of drugs, guns, dirty cash, money laundering and plots to kill rival criminals. It was a treasure trove of evidence as top level criminals could be monitored speaking freely about their operations and plans, thinking their network could never be cracked. Government shark hunters have found "a large tiger shark in nets off Greenmount" near where a man was attacked and killed on Tuesday evening, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed. Nick Slater, 46, died after he was bitten on the leg off Greenmount Beach in Coolangatta just after 5pm the first fatal shark attack at a Gold Coast beach in 62 years. Ms Palaszczuk offered her "deepest condolences to the friends and family of the man taken so tragically". "This morning, shark control contractors found a large tiger shark in nets off Greenmount," she told State Parliament. The Indiana House is likely to relocate the majority of its legislative activity next year to rooms in a government office building adjacent to the Statehouse to ensure sufficient social distancing and maintain other safety precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic. The details of the temporary move still are being hammered out. But members of the bipartisan, bicameral Legislative Continuity Committee endorsed a recommendation Wednesday that the 100 state representatives largely vacate the Statehouse to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19 among lawmakers and the public. Under the tentative plan, the House would convene in single room composed of what usually is three large conference rooms at the Indiana Government Center South building, which is connected to the Statehouse by an underground tunnel. According to Adam Brown, a director at the Legislative Services Agency, there is sufficient space in Conference Rooms A, B and C to seat each representative at an individual desk placed at least 6 feet apart from other members. The "Europe Starch Softgel Capsules Market Forecast to 2027 Covid-19 Impact and Analysis by Application (Pharmaceutical, Health Supplements, Others); Distribution Channel (Supermarket and Hypermarket, Pharmacy and Drugstore, Online Provider)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Europe starch softgel capsules market is expected to reach US$ 161.36 million by 2027 from US$ 114.85 million in 2019. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2020 to 2027. The growth of the Europe starch softgel capsules market is attributed to increasing availability of vegetarian softgel capsules and rising preference of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies toward softgel capsules. However, difficulties in optimizing cellulose/starch for API delivery hinders the growth of the market. Germany is the largest market for starch softgel capsules owing to rising prevalence of chronic diseases and increasing investments by market players. For instance, in April 2019, Catalent expanded its integrated turnkey softgel capabilities at its facility in Eberbach, Germany. The company invested US$ 14 million in this expansion, which includes two new softgel encapsulation lines dedicated to the company's Vegicaps technology. This investment is driven by the increased demand for animal-free consumer health products. Based on application, the Europe starch softgel capsules market is segmented into pharmaceutical, health supplements, and others. In 2019, the health supplements segment held a larger share of the market. Also, it is estimated to register a higher CAGR in the market during the forecast period. In terms of distribution channel, the Europe starch softgel capsules market is categorized into supermarket and hypermarket, pharmacy and drugstore, and online provider. In 2019, the pharmacy and drugstore segment held a larger share of the market; however, the online provider segment is expected to register a higher CAGR during the forecast period. A few major primary and secondary sources referred to in the process of preparing the report on the starch softgel capsules market are the World Health Organization, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and Council for Responsible Nutrition, among others. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 1.1 Study Scope 1.2 Research Report Guidance 1.3 Market Segmentation 1.3.1 Europe Starch Softgel Capsules Market- By Application 1.3.2 Europe Starch Softgel Capsules Market- By Distribution Channel 1.3.3 Europe Starch Softgel Capsules Market- By Region 2. Starch Softgel Capsules Market Key Takeaways 2.1 Coverage 2.2 Secondary Research 2.3 Primary Research 3. Starch Softgel Capsules Market Landscape 3.1 Overview 3.2 PEST Analysis 3.2.1 Europe 3.3 Expert Opinion 4. Europe Starch Softgel Capsules Market Industry Dynamics 4.1 Key Drivers 4.1.1 Increasing Availability of Vegetarian Softgel Capsules 4.1.2 Rising Preference of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Companies Toward Softgel Capsules 4.2 Key Market Restraints 4.2.1 Difficulties in Optimizing Cellulose/Starch for API Delivery 4.3 Key Market Opportunities 4.3.1 Developing Healthcare Industry 4.4 Future Trends 4.4.1 Increasing Online Distribution Platforms 4.5 Impact Analysis 5. Starch Softgel Capsules Market Regional Analysis 5.1 Europe Starch Softgel Capsules Market Revenue Forecast And Analysis 6. Starch Softgel Capsules Market Analysis By Application 6.1 Overview 6.2 Starch Softgel Capsules Market Revenue Share, by Application, 2019 and 2027 (%) 6.2.1 Europe: Starch Softgel Capsules Market, by Application Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (USD Million) 6.3 Pharmaceutical 6.3.1 Overview 6.3.2 Pharmaceutical: Starch Softgel Capsules Market Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 6.4 Health Supplements 6.4.1 Overview 6.4.2 Health Supplements: Starch Softgel Capsules Market Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 6.5 Other Applications 6.5.1 Overview 6.5.2 Health Supplements: Starch Softgel Capsules Market Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 7. Starch Softgel Capsules Market By Distribution Channel 7.1 Overview 7.2 Starch Softgel Capsules Market, by Distribution Channel, 2019 and 2027 (%) 7.2.1 Europe: Starch Softgel Capsules Market, By Distribution Channel Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (USD Million) 7.3 Supermarket and Hypermarket 7.3.1 Overview 7.3.2 Supermarket and Hypermarket Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2027 (US$ Million) 7.4 Pharmacy and Drugstore 7.4.1 Overview 7.4.2 Pharmacy and Drugstore: Starch Softgel Capsules Market Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 7.5 Online Providers 7.5.1 Overview 7.5.2 Online Providers: Starch Softgel Capsules Market Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 8. Starch Softgel Capsules Market- Regional Analysis 9. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Europe Starch Softgel Capsules Market 9.1 Europe: Impact assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 10. Company Profile Catalent Inc Robinson Pharma, Inc ProCaps CAPTEK Softgel International Inc Sirio Pharma Co For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/e9dfws View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005747/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 Despite calls from the Just Transition Commissioner Kieran Mulvey and local politicians, the ESB are pressing ahead with plans to demolish Lanesboro and Shannonbridge ESB power stations when they are decommissioned at the end of 2020. The establishment of a dedicated Energy Hub and a Centre for Climate Change in the Midlands were among the key recommendations made by Mr Mulvey in May when he published his eagerly anticipated first Just Transition report. And he expressed the view that the dismantling of the power stations in Longford and Offaly shouldnt happen until the Energy Hub option is explored. However, ESB has today, on e-tenders, invited bids for the contract to demolish Lanesboro and Shannonbridge power stations. Bids for the work must be be submitted by 2pm on October 9, 2020. The contract includes for the removal of all structures, buildings and plant components with associated waste disposal as per the stipulations outlined in the planning and environmental regulations for each site. It is proposed that the contract will include; fuel supply system, ash removal system, powerhouse structures, chimneys, site buildings, underground structures/services, all power plant components remaining after asset recovery programme. With his audience of union leadership and journalists socially distanced to reduce the risk posed by coronavirus, Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden delivers remarks in the parking lot outside the United Auto Workers Region 1 offices in Warren, Mich., on Sept. 9, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Biden Proposes Offshoring Tax Penalty in Michigan Speech Former Vice President Joe Biden proposed an offshoring tax penalty and a reshoring tax credit during a speech in Michigan on Sept. 9. Were going to impose a tax penalty on companies that avoid paying U.S. taxes by offshoring jobs and manufacturing only to sell those good back to the American consumer, Biden said. If your big corporate strategy is to boost your shareholders profits, your CEOs bonuses by moving jobs out, well, were going to make sure you not only pay full U.S. taxes on those profits, but were going to guarantee, were going to add a 10 percent offshoring penalty surtax to your bill. Corporate taxes would go up across the board from 21 to 28 percent under Bidens proposed tax plan. The 10 percent surtax is effectively a 2.8 percent tax penalty, which means the targeted companies would pay 30.8 percent on their offshoring profits. Biden also proposed a 10 percent tax credit for companies that reshore jobs, revitalize U.S. facilities, or expand their U.S. manufacturing payrolls, among other criteria. If you are ready to make it in America, then just like there are consequences for offshoring, there will be rewards and incentives for creating good-paying jobs here at home, Biden said. Under the proposed plan, American companies would no longer be able to write off expenses associated with moving jobs or production overseas. President Donald Trumps reelection campaign didnt respond to a request for comment. The president and his campaign spokespeople have repeatedly denounced Bidens plan for tax increases. Joe Bidens plans to raise taxes by $4 trillion and implement his version of the Green New Deal would destroy the economy just as American workers and businesses begin their recovery, the campaign said in a Sept. 9 statement. The campaigns $4 trillion figure is an apparent reference to the Tax Foundations estimate that suggests that Bidens tax plan would raise $3.8 trillion in tax revenue over the course of a decade. Trump campaigned in 2016 on a promise to bring back American jobs. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in 2017 went a long way toward delivering on that promise by slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent. Bidens campaign claims the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes three loopholes, which the former vice presidents proposal would remedy. In an additional proposal, Biden said he would take several executive actions during his first week in office, if elected, to make sure the federal government buys U.S. products. Trump has taken a number of steps to achieve the same goal, which Biden claims have been insufficient. The Democratic presidential nominee said the U.S. government spends $600 billion annually on federal contracts, money which should go to U.S. companies, but is often sent overseas. A fact sheet from the Biden campaign listed six executive actions aimed to solve the problem, the core of which appears to be a plan to invoke the Defense Production Act and the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 Act to compel the federal government to abide by existing buy-American rules. One of the other proposals would create a Made in America Office within the White House Office of Management and Budget. The plan is part of a broader Biden strategy to hone in on economic matters, which have tended to be President Donald Trumps strong suit. While Trumps approval on the economy fell as the outbreak of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus drove lockdowns and historic job losses, the downward trend bottomed in early August and the presidents approval on the economy has since been on the rise. Trump, along with economic experts in his administration like Larry Kudlow, have repeatedly touted the dynamics of the post-outbreak economic rebound across a number of measures, including retail sales, factory numbers, and the stock market. While there are still around 10 million fewer jobs in the economy than before the outbreak, the rebound has, on the whole, been sharp. Recent Labor Department figures show that the U.S. economy added 10.5 million jobs since May. Two of the three major Wall Street stock indexes have recovered all their pandemic losses and are now trading close to their all-time highs. Biden has attacked Trump on the economy, claiming the president has focused on corporate welfare and tax cuts for the wealthy instead of helping ordinary Americans. Trump won Michigan by 0.3 percent of the vote in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. The state is a toss-up again this year with Biden leading by 3.2 percent in an average of polls maintained by Real Clear Politics. Tom Ozimek contributed to this report. U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton answers journalists questions after his meeting with Belarus President in Minsk on Aug. 29, 2019. (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images) Bolton Refutes Allegations That Trump Disparaged Military Personnel Former national security adviser John Bolton has joined a growing list of top U.S. officials to refute a report that claimed, citing anonymous sources, that President Donald Trump spoke disparagingly about fallen U.S. military personnel and canceled a visit to an American cemetery during a trip to France because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead. Bolton on Monday dismissed last weeks report by magazine The Atlantic as simply false during an appearance on Fox Newss The Story. The Atlantics report, which relies entirely on unnamed sources, claimed that the president in 2018 made disparaging remarks about Marines buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris, France. The report also claims he turned down a trip to visit the cemetery because he feared his hair would become disheveled in rain. According to what the article said, the president made disparaging remarks about soldiers and people buried in the cemetery in connection with the decision for him not to go to the ceremony that was planned that afternoon, and that was simply false, Bolton said. I dont know who told the author that, but that was false. Read More John Kelly Aide Denies Claims That Trump Denigrated Troops Bolton, who has previously called the president unfit for office, said he was present for the discussion about visiting the cemetery] and reiterated Trumps remarks about the poor weather conditions. The main issue was whether or not weather conditions permitted the president to go out to the cemetery, the former national security adviser told host Martha MacCallum, describing the canceled trip as a very straight weather call. I didnt hear that, he added, referring to allegations that the president disparaged the American war dead. Im not saying he didnt say them later in the day or another time, but I was there for that discussion. Bolton noted that while he isnt able to state that the president has never disparaged veterans in the past, he was responding to the what he took to be the main allegations of The Atlantic report. I was simply responding to what I thought [was] the main point of The Atlantic article: that at the critical point Saturday morning, when the decision was made not to go to Aisne-Marne, that he made the disparaging remarks, and he did not, he said. Separately on Monday, the U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco Jamie McCourt, who was present when the Aisne-Marne trip was canceled, told Breitbart News that the allegations are untrue. A number of other on-the-record sources have also leapt to the presidents defense and rebutted the story. Needless to say, I never spoke to The Atlantic, and I cant imagine who would, McCourt told Breitbart News. In my presence, POTUS has NEVER denigrated any member of the U.S. military or anyone in service to our country. And he certainly did not that day, either. Let me add, he was devastated to not be able to go to the cemetery at Belleau Wood. In fact, the next day, he attended and spoke at the ceremony in Suresnes in the pouring rain, McCourt added. The president denied the report last week calling it a disgrace and fake news. He told reporters that he planned to visit the cemetery in France by helicopter, but was advised by the U.S. Secret Service not to because of heavy rainfall at the time. The alternative, a long drive, would have meant going through very busy areas of Paris and the Secret Service objected, even though he insisted on the drive also, he said. The Secret Service told me you cant do it. I said I have to do it. They said you cant do it, he recounted. Trump added, expressing incredulity at the situation, Now all of a sudden somebody makes up this horrible story that I didnt want to go, and then they make up an even worse story, an even worse story, calling certain names to our fallen heroes. Its a disgrace that a magazine is able to write it. And to think that I would make statements negative to our military and our fallen heroes when nobodys done what Ive done with the budgets, with the military budgets, with getting pay raises for our military, he noted. Its a disgraceful situation by a magazine thats a terrible magazine. Trump called on reporters to speak to General Keith Kellogg because he knows exactly the story. Select Stores to Distribute Free Bags of Snacks to Help Students Stay Fueled and Focused QUINCY, Mass., Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With schools adopting hybrid or remote models of learning this fall, many students may continue to face a nutritional gap as parents struggle to afford groceries given the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to buy additional food for a home-bound family. With food playing a vital role in student success, Stop & Shop today is launching a Back-to-School Snack Program to help ease the burden on families as a result of the pandemic and ensure students are fueled for a successful school year. Beginning Wednesday, September 9th and running through early October, the Stop & Shop Back-to-School Snack Program will provide a free bag of better-for-you snacks, as well as hand sanitizer, to students who visit one of the supermarkets 52 stores hosting the program. The participating stores include all twenty-seven Stop & Shop locations in New York City, nine Boston, MA, stores and four Providence, RI, stores, as well as select stores in Westchester, NY; Western Massachusetts; Bridgeport & the Hartford area in CT; and Fall River, MA. Each store will have a weekly distribution where parents and kids can go to a designated table to receive their free bag of snacks. The parent, guardian or child will be requested to show a school ID, and there is a limit of 1 snack bag per child, per week. The distribution dates vary by store, and customers can look for a sign at their local store to indicate when the event will take place each week. With COVID-19, we know that food insecurity has increased in the United States and studies show that is particularly true for households with young children, said Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid. We hope our snack program will make a difference in the lives of thousands of families and students across our communities. Story continues Each bag contains snacks that will appeal to students of all ages: RX Kids Double Chocolate Bar: a protein bar for kids Whisps: light, crunchy cheese crisps that are delicious low-carb, high-protein snack Sparkling Ice: Sparkling Water. Zero Sugar. Full of Flavor MadeGood Chocolate Banana Bars & Chocolate Chip Crispy Squares: better-for-you versions of beloved treats! CLIF Kid Z-Bar: organic energy snack made for kids Creative Roots: plant-powered hydration in a variety of fruit flavors The bag will also include a bottle of Life to Go hand sanitizer, as well as a sidewalk chalk set. Snack bag distribution varies by week, so customers are encouraged to check with their local participating store for details. For more information about how Stop & Shop is supporting its local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit http://www.stopandshop.com/covid . About Stop & Shop A neighborhood grocer for more than 100 years, today's Stop & Shop is refreshed, reenergized and inspired, delivering new conveniences for customers. Committed to helping its communities enjoy better food and better lives, Stop & Shop has a longstanding history of giving back to the neighborhoods it serves with a focus on fighting hunger and pediatric cancer research and care. The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC, an Ahold Delhaize USA Company, employs more than 60,000 associates and operates over 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. To learn more about Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com. CONTACT: Media Contact: Stefanie Shuman - Stefanie.Shuman@stopandshop.com - KATH CEO has tested positive for Coronavirus - The boss of Ghana's second-biggest referral health center is in quarantine - Ghana has a total of 45, 012 cases with 283 fatalities - Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in News coming in indicates that the Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Dr. Oheneba-Owusu Danso has tested positive for COVID-19. According to Dailymailgh.com, Dr. Danso is currently receiving treatment at the COVID-19 treatment center at the hospital. The illness of Dr. Oheneba-Owusu Danso has forced other top executives of the biggest referral center in the Ashanti Region, to self-quarantine. KATH CEO, Dr. Oheneba-Owusu Danso. Source: Dailymailgh.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Video: Emotional John Mahama teary during NDC manifesto launch The public affairs department of the hospital is yet to publicly issue a statement on the matter. In July 2020, a health worker at KATH died after testing positive for COVID-19. The victim, who was a radiographer, was amongst about 254 staff who were diagnosed with the virus. About 203 of the affected staff have so far recovered. Ghana has a total of 45, 012 cases with 283 fatalities. Meanwhile, Ghana has also recorded COVID-19 cases of loads health practitioners across the country, with some deaths as well. READ ALSO: Election 2020: Bawumia electrifies Mahamas hometown Bole YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Dr. Opoku Oware Ampomah has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Korle Bu Teaching hospital. According to a statement sighted by YEN.com.gh, President Akufo-Addo nominated Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah for the appointment as the Chief Executive of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The statement signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante indicated that Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu must take the necessary steps to regularise the said appointment in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Ghana Health Service and the Teaching Hospitals Act, 1996 (Act 525). We don't want NPP or NDC. We want another party in power" - Angry Ghanaian speaks | #Yencomgh Got a story you think we should know about? Get interactive via our Facebook page! Source: YEN.com.gh TICKERS: MIS, TSXV Source: Bill Powers for Streetwise Reports (9/8/20) Orefinders CEO Stephen Stewart tells Bill Powers of MiningStockEducation.com about his company's plans for three discovery campaigns in historical and prolific mining districts in Ontario and Nevada. Eric Sprott invested in Orefinders Resources Inc. (ORX:TSX.V) in February 2020 due to the discovery potential at its numerous projects in close proximity to Kirkland Lake Gold Inc.'s (KL:TSX; KL:NYSE) world-class Macassa Mine. Only after Sprott's investment did the market begin to awaken to Orefinders' compelling investment value proposition. Over the last five years, Orefinders operated under the radar and quietly assembled a portfolio of assets in the Kirkland Lake area that CEO Stephen Stewart believes could one day deliver "that billion-dollar drill hole." Orefinders is a gold explorer with the third largest land package on the Ontario side of the prolific Cadillac Break in Canada, and is about to commence on six to nine months of nonstop drilling at its projects. In addition to the tremendous discovery potential, the company has an approximately one-million gold-ounce resource (historic and NI-43-101) at its three projects combined, as well as three control block positions in three prospective junior miners. In this interview, CEO Stephen Stewart explains the inherent value within Orefinders as well as the blue-sky discovery potential. Bill Powers: I'd like you to start off by sharing a little more about your background, your group's background and your past success. I don't think the market is aware fully of your past success, which you shared with me back in February when we were originally chatting about your company. Please share a little more about your background. Stephen Stewart: Sure, happy to. So, I grew up in the mining industry. My father was a mining lawyer and I always worked side by side with hi and I still do. He's still involved in all of our companies. In a sense, I grew up discussing and thinking about this industry at the breakfast table and the dinner table. Formally speaking, my background is in finance. So I understand how money works and how things are valued. That's really been my focus and I apply that toward the junior mining industry, which isn't really high finance but, certainly in dollars and cents, matters. And in terms of my past successes, our group, I guess, largely is known for being the assembler of what became the Cote Lake project. We drilled a discovery hole and we were significant shareholders in Trelawney when it was sold back in 2012 to IAMGOLD Corp. (IMG:TSX; IAG:NYSE)for over $600 million; almost $700 million. So, that was one of our big wins. And we were also involved with the early days of what's now called the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario, which is a phenomenal world-class deposit up there that sadly has fallen on hard times due to infrastructure and issues. . .[E]ver since 2015, we have been involved with Orefinders and other companies that are in its portfolio. Bill: When a new speculator or investor is looking at a potential exploration and development company, one of the things, as you know, we need to look at is the management's perspective. Can we trust them with our money? And one of the first things you look at to see is how do they compensate themselves. Share a little bit about your perspective on the whole idea of founder shares, options. How have you bought your shares? When do you plan to sell your shares? Stephen: Okay, good question. Firstly, I pay myself $10,000 a month. Very simple. In terms of founders' shares, there are zero founders' shares that I have received from Orefinders, or actually from any of the companies I'm involved with, and I'm involved with a few. So I have bought, with cash, every single share that I own, vis-a-vis on market or in a private placement. And I typically participate in every single private placement I'm involved withnot everyone, but most. So I am directly aligned with shareholders, in that sense. Bill: If someone sees you selling in the open market, what should they think? Stephen: They should sell too. Frankly, unless we have a tremendous success and we are multi-dollar stock, I don't believe that anybody sitting in my seat should be selling their shares while trying to convince the public that they should be buying those very same shares. That sends the wrong message. We are in this to make a discovery. We are in this to sell this company and make money, just like the rest of our shareholders. And I'll note that I do pay myself, of course, a salary. I think I earn every penny of it. But I will also note that in the last number of years, I put more money into this company than my salary by quite a distance, I would imagine. I own about 5 million shares Orefinders. Bill: So you're an investor even more so than an employee? Stephen: Well, that's the only way I'm going to make money. I mean, nobody got rich off a salary. I'm in this business to make substantial money. And I think with Orefinders, we're in a good position to do that. So, $10,000 a month pays the rent, so to speak, but I'm here to make 10, 20, 50 times my money. Bill: Stephen, when we spoke 18 months ago, I remember you sharing with me that your approach was to acquire assets. And at that time you weren't particularly focused on drilling because you just didn't feel like the market would reward that, and that, at that time, it wouldn't be in the best interest of shareholders. However, when we spoke in February this year, your mentality and your outlook seemed to change. Can you talk to us now about what you've done in the last few years with Orefinders to set yourself up for what you're about to do right now? Stephen: Sure. Well, you're absolutely right. From 2015 to December 2019, Orefinders had a very clear philosophy, which we were very forthright with investors. And we said, "We refuse to drill, all else equal." It just didn't provide the appropriate return on investment, which we seek, which starts at 10 times your money. And also, the cost of capital was too high, meaning we had to give away 25%, 30% of our company to do any drill program of significance. So our share price was too low. And if you met or exceeded expectations, it was often met with the liquidity event. Now, if you made a world-class discovery, like a Hemlo or a Voisey's Bay, that would have been superseded, but that's not really an investment proposition that we were interested in. We're most interested in mitigating the risk. And so we saw the opportunity to take advantage of the market. The market was a down market, and we could buy other people's projects that they were having a hard time raising money for. And so, Orefinders really developed this portfolio, we now have six assets. We accumulated them in a down market and perhaps more importantly, we accumulated them largely out of distressed, or call it unique, situations. We bought problems that we believe we can sell. And now, if people go to our [Dec. 30, 2019] news release, we announced before gold really started to move. We felt that the pivot was in place. And what I mean by that, it was time to go back to the drill bit. We feel, and felt, that investors are going to start to pay for quality results and discovery. And so we've developed this portfolio, we bought it cheap, and now we're cashing ourselves up. We've got $2 million in the treasury. We've got another probably $8 million in marketable securities. And we just announced a $2 million financing that's closing in a few weeks; that's going to give us a great position. And now it's all about putting the money into the ground and looking for that billion-dollar drill hole that we seek. Bill: Great. I want to talk about the fundamental value in your company. So if I do just some quick back-of-the-napkin math, your market cap, as we speak is about $20 million, and your enterprise value would be about $10 million. Is that correct? Stephen: That's fair to say with our cash. And if you strip out our cash and marketable securities, yes. Bill: Okay. So with a $10 million enterprise value, let's first talk about your projects, your three projects, Knight, McGarry and Mirado. Where's the value currently, before you begin to drill these projects? Stephen: Well, I guess you could say the value is retained in the ounces in the ground, and not all ounces are created equal, as we should know. However, each of those projects has 43-101 historical ounces in the neighborhood collectively, of about a million ounces. And you can attribute all sorts of different multiples on a per ounce basis. But if you're going to attribute a million dollars relative, or a million ounces relative to our market cap, that's $10 an ounce, which is extremely low. So I think our enterprise value is quite attractive, at this point in time. Bill: Then you also have three equity stakes in companies. Talk to us about this please. Stephen: That's correct, we own three positionsI would say control block positionsone in Mistango River Resources (MIS:CNS.X), which we acquired vis-a-vis a hostile proxy battle that ended last year. And we've got a very exciting project in Kirkland Lake that we're going to be drilling extensively very soon; it's right beside all of Orefinders assets as well, so that's why we got attracted to that project. As well we have about an 9% position in a company called Power Ore (PORE:TSX.V). It owns a very sexy copper-gold, very large-scale mine that was operated by Falconbridge. They took out 1.5 billion pounds of copper; a million ounces of gold out of that. And we spun that off in 2018 because. . .we had a non-core asset that we weren't getting any value forit was not a gold assetand then went on to create that company. And then last we've got a 26% interest in a company called Pacific Precious. Pacific Precious is a private company, and its planned IPO [initial public offering] is later this year, in Q4. It's led by a gentleman by the name of Ron Stewart. Ron is not related, we just happen to be from the same clan in Scotland, if you go back far enough, I suppose. But that focus is going to be in Nevada. It controls a project, right beside Barrick Gold Corp.'s (ABX:TSX; GOLD:NYSE) Goldrush, which is a monster deposit. And I think investors can anticipate that company to grow in terms of its portfolio in Nevada as well. Bill: Okay, so you're raising $2 million. You'll have about $4 million in the treasury. How are you going to spend that to advance these projects? Stephen: We're going to put as much of that into the ground as possible, as I said before, and as we said in December. We believe the time is now to put it into the ground and make a discovery. The accumulation of these assets was phase one. Now phase two is to drill. And so, a couple of weeks ago, we put out a news release that we're going to be drilling our Knight project, which is just 60 kilometers west of Kirkland Lake. We've got 5,000 meters planned. I think investors can expect us to probably double that when we close this financing. So that'll be our first drill program. It's got a very attractive discovery drill target on it. We're going to put about 10% of those meters into [a] discovery target. It's sort of binary. If we hit it, it's going to be very interesting, potentially game-changing. If we miss it, it's no big deal. The vast majority of those meters are going to go toward our Tyranite project, which is an existing high-grade mine, more traditional style. It's got very good historical intersects. Now we're going deeper and we're going laterally. So we're going to be expanding those resources. So, that's our first drill program on the Knight. Then we'll subsequently pull the drill over to our McGarry project, which is about 20 kilometers west of Kirkland Lake, and it's beside the Kerr-Addison, which was a world-class, 12-million-ounce, high-grade producer. We have the same style of mineralization on there. Again, we'll have a sort of a two-pronged drill program approach. One is some. . .lower-hanging fruit on known mineralization, which is right beside the Kerr-Addison. We'll look to expand our existing resource there, which we have an eight-gram per ton resource there. But also, [on] the McGarry, there's about a kilometer and a half of strike length on the Cadillac Break, which is a world-class fault, where all this gold in Kirkland Lake came from. It's really never been drilled. And so that's going to be the discovery aspect, and investors can expect us to come out with probably a 7,000- or 8,000-meter drill program toward the end of this year on that one as well. So, details to come forth on the McGarry. And our last project is called Mirado. We've got about 450,000 ounces in an open pit there. We view that as having multimillion-ounce potential, but it's really just a function of drilling it out. Without getting too technical, it's just step-out drilling, but there's definitely potential to grow that. And. . .I'll note that on our McGarry, our Knight and our Mirado. . .we have direct exposure to in Mistango[all are] very proximal. They're all next-door neighbors. And that was by design, certainly not by accident. I do believe thatand I've been vocal about thismergers and acquisitions are inevitable in this industry, and Orefinders, Mistango and all of our properties have really put ourselves in front of what we see as a coming wave of mergers and acquisitions. Not that we're waiting on being bought out, far from it. We're going to go and drill our own properties and see what happens. But, we plan to make ourselves so attractive that the big guys, the guys that build mines and operate mines, just can't resist. Bill: Stephen, speculators that focus on Canadian mining stocks will understand the significance, geologically and location-wise, of your projects and why it's so good. But perhaps [some] don't pay as much attention to Canada, or maybe they're newer to investing and speculating in mining stocks. You mentioned Kirkland Lakecan you elaborate a little more on the grade and the resource at Kirkland Lake and why where your projects are located is excellent? Stephen: Sure. Well, Kirkland Lake can be defined as the third largest gold ore body in the history of the world. Not many people know that, but Kirkland Lake or Kirkland Lake Gold, the corporation, now mines the highest-grade mine in the world. It's called the Macassa, and the Macassa, next year, is going to be pulling out 400,000 gold ounces at nearly 20 grams per ton, which is just phenomenal. And they've just made a new discovery there called the South Mine Complex, which they think is going to be putting that mine in operation for the next 30, 40 years. I mean, so who said mining is not sustainable? And so that is, I guess, the big dog in Kirkland Lake town; the Kirkland Lake mine. Now, just about 20 kilometers to the east of that is something called the Kerr-Addison, and I mentioned that before. We're right beside that on the McGarry. That mine was also, in its day, world-class. And these two mines really are the goalposts of the Cadillac Break on the Ontario side, which is by no exaggeration is a world-class fault systemwhich is just a crack in the earth where this hydrothermal fluid carrying the gold can seep into and deposit this gold over millions of years. There is another orebody lurking in between those two world-class monsters. And we are the third largest landowner collectively in that region, between those two projects, aside from Kirkland Lake Gold, themselves multi-billion dollar company, as well as Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (AEM:TSX; AEM:NYSE), the other major in the area. So those are the two big dogs and then it's us. So we think we are phenomenally well positioned. Bill: I also think it's unique that at your McGarry project, you own a tailings facility right next to the Kerr-Addison. So as I was going through your presentation, the word that came to mind was "ransom." It's almost like you have a ransom on that project, don't you? Stephen: Well, I don't know if I'd use that word, but certainly strategic would be the word that would come to mind. The Kerr-Addison itself right now, as I said, is shut down. It was a high-grade underground mine in 1996, but it has been reinterpreted into an open pit-type of a deposit. . .It's a big deposit too. So that's going to get a lot of attention. And, as you know. . .Orefinders owns the tailings facility on its McGarry project. That is not an insignificant fact. So it is my belief that whoever buys the Kerr-Addisonand somebody is going to buy the Kerr-Addison, somebody large I thinkthey are going to require our property because they need to put that waste material somewhere. Now, again, that's not our strategy, but that's a nice card to have in our back pocket. However, the McGarry, I think, offers the potential to discover its own Kerr-Addison 2.0 on it. And that's ultimately why we're there. We're not there to be in a blocking position. We're there to discover an ore body and sell it to the highest bidder. But if having the tailings facility is a plus, well, then we have that plus. Bill: What about Mistango River Resources, one of your equity positions. Eric Sprott invested in this company as well. Talk to us about the prospectivity that the Orefinders investors would get through the stake in Mistango. Stephen: Orefinders owns 20% of Mistango, and you're right, Mr. Sprott came in. Actually, he came in on four separate occasions this year, two times into Orefinders and two times into Mistango. And Mistango has $4 million in its treasury right now. It announced a $3 million financing, contemporaneously; it announced the same day as the Orefinders. It's a broker deal done by Echelon, and we've got large institutional names coming in. And I certainly hope Mr. Sprott is going to come in againwe'll make that announcement at close. And it is going to be drilling. It is in the process of defining a very substantial drill program on its Eby-Baldwin project, which is directly beside the Macassa minewhich I told you about; that 400,000-ounce per year, 20-gram per ton gold deposit that Kirkland Lake Gold owns. The Eby-Baldwin, owned by Mistango 100%; it's right there. We believe it's the same geologic setting, and it's well financed to go and find a discovery on its own. What Mistango is seeking [are] a couple of intersections to prove that that Kirkland Lake orebody, which I mentionedwhich has been mined for nearly 100 years, and is the third largest gold orebody in the worldwe are trying to prove that it continues to go west onto our property. And when I say continue, I mean, the Macassa is one of seven mines in history [that] have extracted from this ore body. We believe that Mistango has the eighth, and we will, come closing this financing, have $7 million worth of drilling to go out there and prove it. If we do, then, oh boy, is that 20% that Orefinders owns going to be worth an awful lot. Bill: And Pacific Preciousif you could give us your commentary on the speculative upside. Stephen: What's going to happen there is that Orefinders owns 10 million shares. It's going to dividend out at least 5 million of those directly to our shareholders as a part of the IPO process. So Orefinders shareholders can expect a zero cost-basis dividend coming to them by the end of the year. It owns a project called the Golden Trend, which is again, contiguous. . .I guess we like contiguous projects. . .but this project is contiguous to Gold Rush, which is nearly a 15-million gold ounce, 10-gram per ton, monster deposit owned by Nevada Gold Mines, which is the joint venture between Barrick and Newmont Corp. (NEM:NYSE). This is a monster mine. We believe we are in the same geological context; this is in the Cortez Trend. It is really the Beverly Hills 90210 zip code to be in for gold mining. So, that is a very prospective project that Pacific Precious is going to raise money for in the very near term, and put some holes in there and try to find a deposit. In addition to that, you can expect the leadership, led by Ron Stewart, to go out and acquire additional projects. We love Nevada. Well, we love. . .First all, I love Ontario; I love Quebec. There's no better place to do business. If we're going to do business anywhere else, it would be in Nevada. And so that's giving us, and Orefinders shareholders, direct exposure to Nevada. Bill: With an enterprise value of about CAD$10 million, just with the funda mental value within the company, I find that compelling before the speculative blue-sky potential. And then Stephen, just to recap here with your position in Pacific Precious, Mistango, and the three projects, how many projects will be drilled, let's say, within the next six months, and potentially more value created? Stephen: I think, once we close this financing, we're going to be drilling in just a matter of days. I don't anticipate we'll stop drilling for the next six to nine months. That's my plan. So we're going to start drilling on the Knight. We're probably going to double that to 10,000 meters. We're going to have at least 6,000 to 8,000 meters on McGarry. And then, last, we're going to drill our Mirado project, which was our first project, but certainly doesn't deserve to be mentioned last. Those three projects are going to get an awful lot of attention. As I said off the top, we spent an awful lot of work putting together this portfolio, with the idea that when the time is right, we're going to raise money and put it into the ground, and the time is now. And so our shareholders can expect us to do exactly what we said we're going to do. And we'll see if Mother Nature cooperates. Bill Powers is the host of the Mining Stock Education podcast that interviews many of the top names in the natural resource sector and profiles quality mining investment opportunities. Powers is an avid resource investor with an entrepreneurial background in sales, management and small business development. His latest interviews can be found at MiningStockEducation.com. [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) Bill Powers: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Orefinders Resources. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: Orefinders Resources is a MiningStockEducation.com advertiser. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. 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Do not base any investment decision on the information contained on MiningStockEducation.com, our podcast or our videos. We usually hold equity positions in and are compensated by the companies we feature and are therefore biased and hold an obvious conflict of interest. MiningStockEducation.com may provide website addresses or links to websites and we disclaim any responsibility for the content of any such other websites. The information you find on MiningStockEducation.com is to be used at your own risk. By reading MiningStockEducation.com, you agree to hold MiningStockEducation.com, its owner, associates, sponsors, affiliates, and partners harmless and to completely release them from any and all liabilities due to any and all losses, damages, or injuries (financial or otherwise) that may be incurred. Images provided by the author. A Conservative MP has been urged to apologise after claiming Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonards English accent is the reason why Labour isnt doing well in Scotland." Dehenna Davison, who represents Bishop Auckland, tweeted: Watching Sophy Ridge on Sky and she is discussing why the Labour Party isnt doing well in Scotland. I think Ive got to the bottom of it ... The Scottish Labour Leader ... has a broad Lancashire accent. Mr Leonard responded by pointing out that he is actually from Yorkshire but Scotland has long been his home. I came to study (at Stirling Uni) four decades ago. Scotland has been my home ever since. And its a broad Yorkshire accent, as it happens! SNP MP Hannah Bardell said Ms Davison should apologise for this ill-judged tweet, which says far more about backwards Tory attitudes than it does about Scotland, which is a welcoming country. She added: Place of birth appears to be an obsession for the Tories with their hostile migration policies but Scotland has been built on people of all backgrounds making our country their home, and it is all the better for it. Scotlands SNP justice secretary Humza Yousaf made light of the remark. Richard Leonard has ninety-nine problems but his accent aint one, he tweeted. Others, however, accused the Tory politician of racism. SNP councillor Michelle Campbell, who sits on Renfrewshire Council said: Racism as casual as you like, alive and well in this democracy ... This is racism. This exacerbates the issue. It is ignorance. Conservative MSPs also took aim at Ms Davisons remark, with Dean Lockhart saying Mr Leonards accent is irrelevant. Mr Lockhart tweeted: In fairness, Richard Leonards accent is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he leads a party in a poor third position in Scottish politics and has continued to fail to stand up to the SNP in their relentless push for separation. A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: This criticism is unacceptable. It plays into the kind of divisive politics that the SNP promote. Pubs, bars and restaurants in Bolton will only be able to operate as takeaways and will be forced to close their doors under a 10pm curfew, in a significant escalation of coronavirus restrictions in the area, Matt Hancock has announced. The health secretary also said current guidance that people cannot socialise outside their households will be put into law in the Greater Manchester borough because of a surge in Covid-19 cases. In a statement in the Commons, Mr Hancock said that Bolton has the highest case rate in the country with 120 cases per 100,000 population, and he claimed the rise was largely due to socialising by people in their twenties and thirties. The cabinet minister said: Through our contact tracing system weve identified a number of pubs at which the virus has spread significantly. We are therefore taking the following action in Bolton, starting immediately. We will restrict all hospitality to takeaways only and we will introduce a late-night restriction of operating hours, which will mean all venues will be required to close from 10pm until 5am. Well introduce urgently further measures that put the current guidance that people cannot socialise outside the household into law. Mr Hancock said that visitor restrictions will also be put into place in care homes in the area. I want to say this to everybody directly living in Bolton I know how anxious this can be, and I know the impact that these measures will have," he said. "We're asking you to take a step back at a time when we all just want to get on with our lives and what we love and back to normal. But we need to take this crucial step to keep the virus at bay. "Because as we've seen elsewhere, if we act early and control the virus, then we can save lives." He continued: "Now I know social distancing can be hard, and how it can be extra-tough for students who will be starting university but please, stick with it and play your part in getting this virus under control." The action comes after the UK recorded close to 3,000 new cases of the virus on Monday for a second day running amid rising levels of transmission in European countries such as France and Spain. Pressed over concerns of a second wave of the coronavirus in the UK, Mr Hancock earlier told the Commons Health and Social Care Committee he was obviously concerned about a surge in positive test results for the virus. There is no inevitability to a second peak, he said. It depends on the actions that all of us take. Of course in government were concerned about this and we keep all options open, but everybody has a part to play. He added: It is for all of us to take this very seriously indeed. Weve seen in other countries if you dont take a second spike seriously, then it can lead to very serious problems down the track." It has been announced that Robert P. 'Col. Bob' Wedel passed away on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 at the age of 77. He was born January 8, 1943, the eldest of Paul and Magdalena (Hauser) Wedel in Columbus, Wis. He graduated in 1960 from Columbus High School and served in the National Guard until 1969. He was married to Kathy Pritchard on November 14, 1964 and they welcomed their daughters, Patti and Nichole. They continued to work side by side in all of their many adventures. In his earlier years, he had ownership in the Redbud Bowling Alley, Bobs Furniture Mart, Hard Heads Tap and CBW Livestock. In addition, he had pursued his pilots license as well as raced both stock cars and Standardbreds. In 1974, He graduated from Reisch Worldwide Auction College and found his true passion in auctioneering. His legacy, Bobs Auction Service, began as a small, family run business, holding their first consignment sale in downtown Columbus in 1976. In addition to his beloved consignment sales, he had worked at Midwest Livestock Producers in Lomira, several car auctions, and held many household, farm, business and estate auctions over the years. He loved reminiscing about past auctions, always pointing out where there had been one. His children were part of the business since they were old enough to walk and have taken on more and more responsibilities over the years. He had worked to provide mentorship and direction to ensure his legacy could continue. One of his favourite sayings was If you do something you love, you never work a day in your life. He truly lived his life and loved every minute of it. He loved spending time with, teasing, and providing for his wife, daughters and grandkids. He always seemed to know what they needed, even if they didnt think they wanted it. When he wasnt taking care of his family, he absolutely loved playing cards, rarely missing an opportunity to play euchre or sheepshead. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Kathy; daughters, Patti Inglett and Nichole (Brian) Glynn; grandchildren, Miranda Inglett, Abby Inglett, Ronnie Inglett, Ashley Glynn, Aiden Glynn, Riley Glynn and Brendan Glynn; honourary son and protege, Nathan Pollnow (family); brothers, Frank and Jim; sister, Sharon (Bill) Sonnleitner; sister-in-law, Audrey (Bob) Biersach; and many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; infant daughter, Constance; son-in-law, Steven Inglett; sister-in-law, Suzanne; and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Ruth and Bob Obermeyer. A private family service will be held with a public memorial to be held at a future date. Memorials will be organized by the family, setting up an FFA Alumni scholarship, as well as donations to The Lewy Body Dementia Association in memory of his mother. Please watch www.colbob.com for updates. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Robert Wedel. (USTA) Rohingya leaders visit a vegetable field in Bhashan Char Island during their trip to assess its suitability for relocation, Sept. 6, 2020. Rohingya leaders taken over the weekend to evaluate conditions on a Bay of Bengal island developed to house refugees reported the site is safe and well managed, but about 300 refugees living there since May said they are eager to move to camps on the mainland. The 40 Rohingya leaders, representing 34 refugee camps in Coxs Bazar, were taken to Bhashan Char by members of Bangladeshs armed forces. Seven other Rohingya were dropped from the delegation because they fell sick, leaders said. I didnt see any of the scary things I heard about the situation on the island, Mohammad Kalam, a Rohingya leader, told BenarNews after the delegation returned. On the contrary, the overall management of the place, including the security and safety, is very nice. I like everything I have seen. Bangladesh officials want to relocate 100,000 refugees to the Bhashan Char site while international humanitarian organizations have questioned the suitability of the flood-prone islet for housing refugees. They have raised dozens of issues that need addressing to make it safe for habitation, including protection from disasters including cyclones and tidal surges. Bangladesh has spent about U.S. $280 million to construct housing, a large embankment, and other infrastructure on the island. An additional $92 million was allocated in December 2019 for raising the height of the embankment and to build an administrative building, a jetty and residential facilities for U.N. officials, Enamur Rahman, the state minister for disaster management and relief, told BenarNews at the time. The delegation toured those facilities during the visit. We were shown around the embankment and other installations including the fish farming ponds, residences, mosques, health centers, schools, playgrounds and cemeteries, Mostafa Kamal, a Rohingya leader, told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Another leader said he thinks some refugees might be willing to relocate to the island because of its topography. We think that some Rohingya might be willing to go there. Especially those who live in coastal or riverine areas in Myanmar will love this place, Hefzur Rahman told BenarNews. We will try to get some families from each camp to agree to go to there. Authorities said the facilities on the island are better than in the refugee camps where more than 740,000 Rohingya who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar three years ago, have been living. In all, about 1 million Rohingya live in the camps in and around Coxs Bazar. Rohingya living in Bhashan Char since May cry upon meeting the delegation from Coxs Bazar, Sept. 6, 2020. Credit: Mohammad Kalam Further assessments needed After hearing from their leaders, other Rohingya may be interested in going to Bhashan Char, but they will be consulted individually before being put on a list for eventual relocation, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mahbub Alam Talukder told BenarNews. The unfounded fears of the Rohingya have disappeared after visiting Bhashan Char, Talukder said. The government sent them to see the rehabilitation center with their own eyes so they can make a decision [about whether they want to relocate.] Still, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that while such visits are good practice, thorough technical and protection assessments must be made before considering any relocation. Such an inspection will help the Rohingya make an informed decision about voluntary relocation to Bhashan Char, Mostafa Mohammad Sajjad Hossain, a spokesman for the UNHCRs Dhaka office, told BenarNews. They cried a lot Meanwhile, members of the delegation said that many of the 306 Rohingya refugees on the island want to return to Coxs Bazar, not because of the living conditions in Bhashan Char but because they want to be united with their families. I met the Rohingya on Sunday afternoon during a visit. They cried a lot, said Rohingya leader Kamal. Many of them have relatives in Coxs Bazar. They have been urging the authorities to move them to the refugee camps there. They told us that there was no problem with living on the island. But they feel isolated from their community. In May, 186 women, 96 men and 24 children arrived on the Bangladesh coast in a dinghy, leading authorities to take them to Bhashan Char, citing COVID-19 fears. Southeast Asia-based rights group Fortify Rights, alleged recently that some of the Rohingya were being detained against their will. No decision has been taken on them yet, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mahabub said. Separately, almost 300 Rohingya Muslims were found on a beach in Indonesias Aceh province on Monday after having spent more than half a year at sea, officials said. They underwent COVID-19 tests and received aid after being transferred to a government building, officials said Tuesday. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that refugees from other camps would get an opportunity to assess conditions at Bhashan Char. (CNN) - The pharmaceutical company Inovio plans to begin a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate this month, according to company president and CEO Dr. Joseph Kim. Were a few months behind some of the early leaders in the Phase 3 trials, but we feel the positive attributes of our DNA vaccine will provide a great alternative in terms of safety and product stability and efficacy, Kim told CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Inovio's vaccine technology works by delivering particles of DNA directly into cells, triggering an immune response to the novel coronavirus inside the cells. The Phase 2/3 clinical trial was first announced in August on an earnings call. Inovio plans to enroll 6,000 to 10,000 volunteers in the study. Thats less than the 30,000 volunteers who are being enrolled in clinical trials for several other COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Kim said the trial will be smaller than others because theyll be targeting high-risk people, such as factory workers. In August, Inovio shared results of small a Phase 1 clinical trial involving 40 volunteers. Side effects were mild, and the vaccine showed evidence of neutralizing antibodies and T cell responses. The data has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Inovios COVID-19 vaccine is being funded, in part, by the US Department of Defense, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The company has not received funding from Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administrations initiative to fast-track the development and delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine. Three Phase 3 trials have already started in the US. Two other companies are also scheduled to begin Phase 3 trials this month, according to Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser of Operation Warp Speed. Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline expect to start a Phase 3 trial in the US by the end of the year. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Inovio plans to start Phase 2/3 clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine this month" Bela Bajaria has been named global head of television at Netflix as vice president of original content Cindy Holland exits the company after an 18-year tenure. The move comes as part of an effort to streamline the companys original content divisions by co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Previously, Holland had overseen all English-language originals for Netflix, while Bajaria was responsible for local-language content for Europe, the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, India, Asia and Latin America. Since becoming co-CEO, Ive wanted to simplify the way our content teams operate with one global film team led by Scott Stuber and one for TV, which will now be led by Bela Bajaria, Sarandos said in a statement. Since joining Netflix in 2016, Bela has demonstrated her versatility and creativity building out our unscripted team and helping to take our local language slate, which is increasingly important for our members, to the next level. I cant wait to see what Bela and the TV team achieve in the years to come. Also Read: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on Working From Home: 'I Don't See Any Positives' Bajaria joined Netflix in 2016 to lead the companys expansion into unscripted programming. She was later promoted to VP, Local Language Originals, managing the teams behind international projects such as La Casa de Papel (Spain), The Witcher (Poland), Sacred Games (India), Kingdom (Korea), Blood & Water (South Africa) and Sintonia (Brazil). Holland joined Netflix in 2002, originally overseeing DVD acquisition. She later became a key player in the streamers push into original content, working on shows like House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, Stranger Things, The Crown, Ozark and Narcos, as well as unscripted and documentary programming, including Making a Murderer and Chefs Table. According to an individual familiar with the situation, Holland will depart the company next month. Also Read: Wall Street Plunges as Netflix, Apple and Facebook Suffer Big Losses Story continues It has been a real joy to lead the original series team for the last eight years, Holland said in a statement. From transitioning the company out of DVDs into streaming, to launching our first slate of original series and documentaries, Ive loved every moment. I am proud of the impact and the diversity of the stories weve brought to audiences around the world, and to have worked with some of the most inspiring creators and executives in our business. These kinds of changes are never easy, and I am enormously grateful to Cindy Holland for everything she has done over the last 18 years at Netflix first licensing DVDs and then as the driving force behind our first eight years of English original series, said Sarandos. Cindys been a great champion of creators and the power that comes from seeing more perspectives reflected on screen launching enduring dramas like Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things and The Crown. Most important of all shes been a fabulous colleague. We wish her all the best for the future. Read original story Bela Bajaria Named Netflix Global Head of TV, Cindy Holland Exits At TheWrap Advertisement A collection of some of the most significant moments and figures of the Civil Rights movement have been brought to life in newly-colorized images. British author and visual historian Jordan J. Lloyd has brought color to more than a dozen black and white pictures which depict pivotal moments in the crucial movement. The powerful images show the struggle black people went through during segregation and the many attempts they had to make to get equal rights to things such as pay, jobs and housing. Some examples in the online gallery include the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, a young boy drinking from a separate water fountain and a black man having to use a different entrance to the white people at a movie theater. The collection also features head shots of some of the influential players in the movement, such as Malcolm X Angela Davis and Martin Luther King Jr - who delivered his iconic and empowering 'I Have a Dream' speech standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial at the March on Washington. Jordan has released the high-resolution in full color for free for the public on picture sharing site Unsplash and were shared on BoredPanda. Men and woman of all generations took to the streets of Washington DC clutching placards demanding equal rights for - including integrated schools and decent housing A snapshot, taken by the Seattle Police, shows a Congress of Racial Equality-sponsored demonstration outside a realtor office in May 4, 1964. The protestors were calling for an end to racial discrimination and demanding the need for open housing A black man is pictured entering the segreated entrance of the movie theatre on a Saturday afternoon in Belzoni, Mississippi Delta. Picture taken in October 1939 A young boy drinks from a fountain designated for 'coloreds' on the county courthouse lawn in Halifax, North Carolina, 1938 One of the biggest figureheads of the Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King pictured speaking at a press conference on August 26, 1963, two days before thousands of protesters descended on the of Washington DC for the March on Washington (left). Right, vocal spokesman for the Nation of Islam Malcolm X, a human rights activist, pictured waiting at the Martin Luther King press conference on March 26, 1964, before the pair met for the first and only time on Capitol Hill Leaders of the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, smiled, waved and cheered as the enormous crowds took to the streets demanding equal rights from all Political activist Angela Davis pictured in 1974 (left). Davis was a longtime member of the Communist Party USA. When studying in Frankfurt, Germany, the US-bored activist returned to her home country and became involved in number causes, including the second-wave feminist movement and the Black Panther party. Right, a woman leads speeches at the Poor People's March at Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on June 19, 1968. The year long campaign, organised by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, calling for an end to economic injustice The demonstrators, of all racial backgrounds and ages, which were involved in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom held thousands of signs calling for equal voting rights and jobs for all with decent pay During the protests, hundreds of demonstrators gathered around the reflecting pool and dipped their feet in the water, in front of the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr gave his iconic speech Civil rights leader John Lewis, who went on to serve in the United States House of Representatives until his death in July this year, speaking at a meeting of American Society Of Newspaper Editors, Statler Hilton Hotel, Washington DC on April 16, 1964 Thousands of protestors, including a priests and people from a variety of backgrounds and ages, lined the streets calling on the government to 'end the bias now' American lawyer and civil rights activist Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to hold the office of the United States Solicitor General, pictured on September 17, 1957. The lawyer founded the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund African-American demonstrators gather outside the White House in Washington DC with signs stating 'We demand the right to vote everywhere' and 'Stop brutality in Alabama' in response to police brutality against activists in Selma on March 12, 1965 Even young women joined the protests, carrying signs with the thousands of people in the crowd at the March on Washington A Facebook software engineer on Tuesday quit the company alleging that the social media giant is profiting off hate". Ashok Chandwaney posted a letter on Facebooks internal employee network after 8 am saying, Im quitting because I can no longer stomach contributing to an organization that is profiting off hate in the US and globally." The nearly 1,300-word letter, which has made very specific claims against the company, was accessed by The Washington Post. Chandwaney, 28, became the latest employee to resign from Facebook amid growing discontent against the companies policies on hate. Responding to the allegation, Facebook spokeswoman Liz Bourgeois said, We dont benefit from hate. We invest billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and are in deep partnership with outside experts to review and update our policies. This summer we launched an industry leading policy to go after QAnon, grew our fact-checking program, and removed millions of posts tied to hate organizations - over 96% of which we found before anyone reported them to us." Chandwaney, who identifies himself as a gender non-binary and uses they and them as pronouns, said although Facebook is a genial and supportive workplace, it has not done enough to tackle racism, disinformation and incitements to violence. Citing specific incidents, the 28-year-old spoke of the companys role in fueling genocide in Myanmar and violence in Kenosha. In his letter, he further highlights Facebooks refusal to remove US President Donald Trumps post from May saying when the looting starts, the shooting starts". Talking about the companys response to ongoing civil rights issues, he said, There have been so many comments that have been PR fluff rather than substantive." He also spoke out about the companys policy that lets politicians to make claims which may not be factually correct. Allowing lies in election ads is pretty damaging, especially in the current political moment were in." Citing the work of civil rights group Color of Change, a critic of Facebook, Chandwaney said, It is clear to me that despite the best efforts of many of us who work here, and outside advocates like Color Of Change, Facebook is choosing to be on the wrong side of history." The civil rights group had alleged that several people of colour withing the company have complained of about the companys stance on similar issues. We need more Facebook employees to speak out. We need more Facebook people to push harder," groups executive director, Rashad Robinson said. Ive just come to realize how all of these moments have hit them, how much they dont trust Mark Zuckerberg." Facebook, which counts India among its largest markets with over 300 million users, has also been in the eye of a storm after a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report alleged that its content policies favoured the ruling BJP in India. The report had alleged that Facebook had ignored posts containing hate speech by a BJP MLA. A Canadian law firm has launched a class-action lawsuit against TD Bank and TD Home and Auto Insurance, alleging the financial giant is refusing to pay travel insurance claims to customers who have been offered credits or vouchers for trips cancelled due to COVID-19. The lawsuit, launched by Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, alleges that TD has been denying trip cancellation claims on the basis that customers have been offered credits or vouchers by the airline or other company, despite such a circumstance not appearing in the insurance policies. A spokesperson for TDs insurance arm said in an email that the firm does not comment on matters before the courts. Co-founding partner and Toronto insurance lawyer Sivan Tumarkin said he has heard from individuals in this situation from across the country dealing with a number of insurance providers, but that the story of Kevin Lyons seemed so clear-cut that he decided to launch the first such class action in Canada. Lyons is the first plaintiff in the lawsuit. According to the law firm, Lyons had booked a 12-day trip for his family, beginning with a cruise out of Italy on March 8. But the family doctor told them not to go, as COVID-19 had begun to spread and Lyons 16-year-old is a leukemia survivor. Lyons cancelled the trip after the government issued advisories, and put in a trip cancellation claim with TD. Out of the $6,673.36 he claimed, he received just under $80 for part of his Airbnb reservation. The rest was denied because TD said Lyons had future credit available from the companies he cancelled with, according to the statement of claim. Lyons isnt alone, said Tumarkin. Ive spoken with quite a few individuals who had submitted claims, and they are getting denied. Theyre not being told by the insurance companies that you dont have coverage, Tumarkin said. What theyre told is because you are being offered a credit or a voucher by the airline, by the cruise line that somehow disentitles you to reimbursement under the insurance policy. But Tumarkin said Lyons policy, and others like it, do not mention such a clause. I mean, its so plain and simple in my mind that they ought to have paid, he said of TD. The class action covers people insured by TD for trip cancellation benefits back to March 16, 2018. Tumarkin said while Canada hasnt seen much in the way of individual claims against insurance companies, which he attributes to the cost, he expects to see class-action claims against travel insurance companies climb which they already have in the United States, he said. I think this is the first time in history where so many people have had to cancel their trips en masse, he said. This is unprecedented. Tumarkin said while there has been a lot of controversy regarding airlines giving credit and vouchers instead of refunds, he understands where airlines are coming from, and believes theyre in a different boat than insurers. Insurance companies are in the business of insuring risk, he said. CANTON, MO. Payton Flowers and Cole Hansel of Edwardsville were among the more than 350 Culver-Stockton students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members who spent Aug. 22 volunteering for the 11th annual Everyone Doing More event. In years past, EDM gave students the opportunity to go into the Canton community to perform service projects. This years activities were limited to the C-SC campus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but organizers designed each activity for students to help other groups and organizations. Newly minted federal Conservative leader Erin OToole has tapped his partys Niagara Falls MP, Tony Baldinelli, to advise him on tourism issues. OToole announced his shadow cabinet and House of Commons leadership team Tuesday, which includes Baldinelli as special adviser on tourism recovery. OToole became leader of the Conservatives Aug. 24, replacing Andrew Scheer. Baldinelli was elected to his first term as MP for the Niagara Falls riding in the 2019 election. Baldinelli said OToole called him Monday evening, when he offered him the position. We had a nice conversation. He indicated he is well aware of the importance of the tourism sector and the important role it plays in our economy. He asked if I could be an adviser with regards to that, so that I can bring forward the issues and concerns of the sector as we go about not only trying to hold the government to account, but also having them come forward with ideas and plans that many of the stakeholders have put forward. He said the Conservatives have been asking the Liberal government to come forward with a COVID-19 tourism recovery plan since March. Were still waiting. Baldinelli, who worked 18 years with Niagara Parks Commission, including as manager of communications and stakeholder relations, said he plans to bring his experience in the sector to his new role. He said he started with Niagara Parks one month before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which caused a ripple effect that created a major downturn in Canadas and Niagaras tourism economy. Baldinelli said the recovery was a slow process, but that the local sector did eventually bounce back, pointing to last year as probably the best one in several years. All of a sudden, COVID came and like a number of us have said, it hit us first, it hit us hardest and its going to take us the longest to recover. Niagara Falls Tourism president Janice Thomson, who worked with Baldinelli at Niagara Parks, said the appointment should be seen as a good one for the local sector. Weve had wonderful co-operation from the federal government, from the federal minister of tourism on recognizing the importance of Niagara Falls as a tourist destination Minister (Melanie) Joly has been exceptional in her support for us, Thomson said. If Tony can provide more support from a different direction, then that can only bode well for the destination. We certainly have nothing but praise for the co-operation and the support that weve seen from the federal and the provincial governments. On the evening of Nov. 3, Americans settle nervously in front of their screens to await elections results. In the early hours Donald Trump seems to be having an excellent night. Counting the votes cast at polling places, Trump is winning Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. Those states dont even begin processing mail-in ballots until Election Day, yet Trump quickly declares victory. So do many other Republican candidates. The media complains that its premature, but Trumpworld is ecstatic. Democrats know that as many as 40 percent of the ballots are mail-in and still being counted, and those votes are likely to be overwhelmingly for Joe Biden, but they cant control the emotions of that night. Its a gut punch. As the mail-in ballots are tallied, the Trump leads erode. But the situation is genuinely unclear. Trump is on the warpath, raging about fraud. Within weeks there are lawsuits and challenges everywhere. Its like Florida in 2000, but the chaos is happening in many states at once. Ballots are getting tossed because of problems with signatures, or not getting tossed, amid national frenzy. Trump says he wont let Democrats steal the election and declares himself re-elected. Its an outrage, but as when he used the White House for a campaign prop during his convention, whos going to stop him? A certain kind of Republican takes to the streets to enforce Trumps version of events. According to research done by Larry Bartels of Vanderbilt, 50 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it. Nearly as many believe, that A time will come when patriotic Americans have to take the law into their own hands. The left is in the streets, too. On the fringe of the left there are those who want to overthrow the racist, cisgendered, patriarchal neoliberal oligarchy. This is their chance at mayhem, too, and they seize it with sometimes violent passion. But a new force looms into view. For the whole Trump era a certain sort of conservative has been cowering from the Trump onslaught. Certain sorts of moderates and liberals have also been keeping their heads down, so they wont get bitten off by the woke mobs. But now the very existence of the republic is at stake. It turns out, amid the existential crisis, there really is a group of sober people who are militant about America, who can see reality unblinkered by the lens of partisanship and who are finally compelled to organize. They understand that, like so many American tragedies, this is largely about race. Its about the transition from a certain kind of white-dominated America to a diverse America and the people who will do anything to stop it. Martin Luther King Jr. once argued that sin is buried so deep in the human soul that sweet words are insufficient to get people to give up their unjust power. Instead of assured progress in wisdom and decency, he wrote, man faces the ever-present possibility of a swift relapse not merely to animalism, but into such calculated cruelty as no other animal can practice. But the realist militants who walk in Kings shadow also know that it is the U.S. Constitution that keeps us from slipping into chaos. They know, too, that this crisis is not just about race, but also the greatness of American institutions, so scorned and derided of late. If Trump claims a victory that is not rightly his, a few marches in the streets will not be an adequate response. There may have to be a sustained campaign of civic action, as in Hong Kong and Belarus, to rally the majority that wants to preserve democracy, that isolates those who would undo it. Two themes would have to feature in such civic action. The first is ardent patriotism. The country survives such a crisis only if most peoples love of nation overwhelms the partisan fury that will threaten to envelop us. The second is the preservation of constitutional order. Through epic acts of self-discipline, the nonviolent civil rights marchers in the 1960s forced their foes to reveal that if there were to be any violence and anarchy, it would come from the foes. Thats how the movement captured the moral high ground and won the mind of the nation. The process of mobilizing for an accurate election outcome, before it is too late, would be a struggle to preserve the order of our civic structure against the myriad foes who talk blithely about tearing down systems, disorder and disruption. It may be how we rediscover our nation again. Its time to start thinking about what you would do. @nytdavidbrooks Western New York had one of its best recent statistical days Monday in relation to the coronavirus. So did area colleges. The University at Buffalo reported only seven new positive diagnoses among its students. The total of confirmed cases for the entire month at SUNY Buffalo State is 12. The region, which has had the highest daily positive test rate in the state for much of the last three weeks, had its lowest single-day rate over that same period for Monday's tests, according to data provided by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Western New York was at 1% for its positive test rate, which reflects the percentage of tests that were positive for Covid-19. "Better news for Western New York, well see where they are tomorrow," said Cuomo during a briefing Tuesday morning in New York City. The governor did express a degree of caution because Monday was a holiday. Throughout the pandemic, testing totals are often lower and reporting of results are sometimes slower for weekend days and holidays. This is the shocking moment a racist pensioner is beaten up by two black passengers after he called them 'monkeys' on a bus in north London yesterday. The confrontation took place on a street around Edgware at around 6pm yesterday. In the footage, the pensioner is accused of calling the black passengers 'monkeys' to which he replies: 'Yes you're a monkey'. Other passengers stand between the arguing parties and try to defuse the situation, while encouraging the two black commuters to leave the bus. They do, but more angry words are exchanged before the pensioner jumps to his feet and appears to swing at the black passengers. He is then punched several times, leaving him with a black eye and a bump on his head. The pensioner is accused of calling the black passengers 'monkeys' to which he replies: 'Yes you're a monkey' The pensioner jumps to his feet and appears to swing at the black passengers. He is then punched several times, leaving him with a black eye and a bump on his head The video was posted by Instagram user @jayjaydax who claimed that the man had racially abused the group of young passengers prior to the fight - calling the group 'monkeys' and 'n******'. She wrote: 'We had just gotten on the bus, we decided to stand because the back had a couple people. My cousin was leaning on the hand bars and the man randomly pushed his elbow off. So he did the normal thing and turned around confused and asked, ''Why did you push my arm off?'' 'The man then replied by shouting don't talk to me you monkey which is when my friend turned around and said what did you say. 'We were all so shocked and then the man proceeded by shouting ''Stop talking to me you monkeys, f*** off'' repeatedly. She claims that another passenger on the bus reported the elderly man to the bus driver who called the police. But she adds: 'The bus driver called the police on the white man but they clearly didn't get there in time. The man then began calling us n***** and saying we shouldn't be on the bus. He then kept coming forward as if he was going to push us. 'But then as you can see in the video, he ended up actually swinging for my friends which is why they hit him. It was simply self defence.' The camerawoman said that the other bus passengers advised that the group leave the scene before the police arrived at the incident: 'Everybody on the bus suggested us leaving. They all already know how the system is. We would have been arrested.' At the start of the clip, a young male in the group asks the old man: 'So we're all monkeys? I'm a monkey yeah?' The pensioner retorts: 'F*** off! Yes you're a monkey.' In the next clip, the black passenger vows to hurt the pensioner but his friends attempt to restrain him and beg him not to fight. However, the young male continues raging and says: 'I'm going to f*** you up! Get off the bus!' Hearing this threat, the furious pensioner gets up from his seat and starts to approach the younger man. He shouts: 'Come on and come back I got ya!' Other passengers stand between the pensioner and the black commuters and try to defuse the situation. One of the black passengers leaves the bus, though the confrontation continues Several passengers try to restrain the pair as the black passenger says: 'Come off the bus now!' But the pensioner shouts back 'I'm not getting off the f*cking bus!' Passengers manage to briefly separate the pair and get the young male to exit the bus, though they continue shouting at each other. The argument gets increasingly heated and another young male starts pushing his way back on the bus. He comes towards the pensioner who tries to swing a punch at the young man and fails. This leads to the young male repeatedly punching the pensioner in the head with a second black passenger getting involved too. Eventually the two young males' friends pull him off the old man and tell them to 'leave it'. In a final clip, the elderly man is seen bleeding with a black eye and a huge bump on his head from the fight. An older bystander on the bus is heard telling the young group who beat the pensioner: 'If the police come, you are going to get in trouble!' The pensioner continues sitting in his seat with blood and bruises on his heads as the video cuts to an end. In a lengthy post accompanying the clip, @jayjaydax wrote: 'Imagine being on the bus minding your business when a man begins calling you a monkey and a n***** and shouting at you to get off the bus. Keep in mind he tried swinging first.' In a caption on one of her Instagram clips, @jayjaydax claimed that the old man 'got what he deserved'. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) San Francisco, United States Wed, September 9, 2020 09:52 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43a5940 2 Science & Tech Apple,5G,iPhone,united-states Free Apple on Tuesday fired off invitations to a September 15 online event expected to star the first iPhone tailored for superfast 5G telecom networks. The typically tight-lipped technology titan revealed only that the presentation would be streamed starting at 1700 GMT from its headquarters in Silicon Valley. Copies of the emailed invitation spread quickly on social media, featuring a video-snippet version of the Apple logo in blue that unraveled into the event date. The invitation was also posted at the Apple website, where the event will be streamed. Apple has routinely held events this time of year to unveil new iPhones, and expectations are that this time around the spotlight will shine on a 5G model, with other new handsets possible as well. Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said in a note to investors that a check of Apple's supply chain in Asian strengthened his confidence in an iPhone 12 "supercycle" kicked off by the release of several new models in October. Ives saw the China market as a "key ingredient in Apple's recipe for success," expecting it to account for about 20 percent of iPhone upgrades in the coming year. Read also: Apple's complete 2020 iPhone lineup to support 5G 5G networks are touted as promising an exponential leap in the amount and speed of wireless data, enabling advances in self-driving vehicles, virtual reality, connected health and more as sensors and servers communicate instantly. Technology analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group cautioned that Apple might not have the chip technology in place for a 5G iPhone despite wanting one on the market. Apple last year made $1 billion deal to acquire the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business, a move giving the iPhone maker more control over its supply chain. The deal came after Intel announced it was abandoning efforts to compete with modem chips for smartphones synched to 5G networks. Apple has been investing in its own mobile chips to ramp up performance and features in its devices and reduce its dependence on sector leader Qualcomm. "If you have a premium phone, I don't see how you do it without 5G," Enderle said. Smartphone rivals typically launch updated models before the year-end gift-giving season, which could be tempered this time around by economic disruption caused by the pandemic. CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Windsor Advantage, LLC , a leading lender service provider to lenders participating in Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs, has successfully completed its 10th consecutive year of comprehensive Service Organization Control (SOC I Type II) auditing. A milestone in compliance, the SOC I Type II audit opinion of Plante Moran (covering the 12 months ended June 30, 2020) reassures client lenders who choose Windsor to facilitate their participation in the SBA 7(a) and USDA loan programs. "Successfully completing the SOC I Type II audit reflects our continued dedication to designing and following the internal controls necessary to ensure our clients receive the highest level of security and service in a continuously evolving compliance environment," said CEO Mike Breckheimer. This more stringent certification involves an assessment of Windsor's corporate-wide policies and procedures related to handling client data and addresses the design and implementation of all critical controls. The Type II audit also measures the security of Windsor's information technology. Most importantly, this more thorough audit assures clients that Windsor Advantage not only has the appropriate policies and procedures in place but that these same operate effectively in practice. "The security and confidentiality of client information is the number one priority of Windsor Advantage. Each of our processes are implemented with a focus on maintaining the integrity of our client's the data," said Breckheimer. "Windsor Advantage is uniquely qualified to provide lenders with a comprehensive solution to SBA lending and USDA lending. We take pride in the fact at Windsor is a company with extensive experience, cutting-edge systems and deep relationships, all delivered within an environment that has been audited by large CPA firms specializing in audits of internal controls." About Plante Moran Plante Moran is one of the nation's largest public accounting and business advisory firms, providing clients with financial, human capital, operations, strategy, technology, and family wealth management services. Plante Moran, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, has been recognized by a number of organizations, including FORTUNE magazine, as one of the country's best places to work. For more information please visit www.plantemoran.com. About Windsor Advantage, LLC Windsor Advantage provides banks, credit unions and CDFIs with a comprehensive outsourced SBA 7(a) and USDA lending platform. Since 2010, Windsor has processed more than $2.6 billion in government guaranteed loans and currently services a portfolio in excess of $1.7 billion (as of December 31, 2019) for over 90 lenders nationwide. With more than 150 years of cumulative SBA lending experience, cutting edge technology, rigid controls and consistent processes, Windsor is uniquely qualified to assist any size lender with implementing a thoughtful and profitable government guaranteed lending initiative. The company is based in Chicago, Illinois with offices in Indianapolis, Indiana and Charleston, South Carolina. For more information, call 317.602.6648 or visit www.WindsorAdvantage.com. SOURCE Windsor Advantage, LLC Related Links http://www.windsoradvantage.com PIGGS PEAK A shopping complex worth E50 million, which is under construction and was expected to change the face of Piggs Peak, has since been suspended after concerns by residents and business owners. The complex, which is known as Ndlaludzaka House, is being constructed within the town centre but recently some of the land near the project has been collapsing. This was blamed on the excavations being done on the construction site. It was gathered that the land collapsed at least three times, resulting in telephone poles as well as a nearby road collapsing. The road has now been closed, leaving some of the residents and business owners unhappy about this. A businessman along the same road complained that the construction had disrupted his operations, making it difficult for his clients to reach him. Where are the engineers who are supposed to prevent this? asked the businessman. Danger The businessman said under normal circumstances, engineers should monitor such constructions to prevent imminent danger. He said this could also result in lives being lost. He wondered why the engineers responsible for the construction were failing to prevent the land from collapsing. The construction is also said to be a danger to a nearby butchery due to a sharp steep that has been created due to the excavations. There is a concern that the land near the butchery may curve in. There is usually a lot of people in the butchery, said a concerned resident. Some of the residents are now accusing the town council of being selective in the manner in which some property owners were being ordered to stop while others continued despite non-compliance. They wondered why the construction of Ndlaludzaka House had continued despite that part of the land had collapsed and caused damage to the nearby road. The road has now been closed off as a result of the collapse. The concerns were also reported to the town council for the town engineer to investigate the matter. When reached for comment on the matter, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mzwandile Ndzinisa, confirmed that there was a road which was collapsing due to an ongoing construction. He also said the council had also engaged the project manager and they assured that this was being attended to. Letter Ndzinisa further confirmed that the council had issued a letter to the developer instructing them to suspend the ongoing construction immediately as it was posing a danger to the public. Meanwhile, the property owner Vuyani Dlamini, who is the Director of Phoyeye Investments, which owns the structure, is referred to by some of the residents, as nguboyemphi. He said he did not understand why people were only complaining now. Bane mona (they are jealous), he said. He said he was aware of the collapsing of land resulting in the road also being damaged. Dlamini said this was because the land was wet. Dlamini also said the contractor would soon build a retaining wall to support the collapsing road. He said this would prevent any future danger. About a week ago, the town council also ordered the suspension of construction work which was being done by resident Busta Vilakati at Macambeni Township. Vilakati had been constructing a double storey structure from wood but he was ordered to stop after the town council informed him that he had diverted from the original plan of building a temporary structure. Vilakati had insisted that he had been constructing a temporary structure because he used wood. The matter is still pending as the council has now sought the services of a legal representative to handle the matter. Dublin, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Egypt Energy Monitor" newsletter has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Egypt Energy Monitor covers the fast-changing energy and power sectors in the Arab world's most populous country. The Egypt Energy Monitor is an essential resource for companies and other organizations seeking to understand and do business in the market. It features: Daily media monitoring of local and international news as well as original content and analysis across key subsectors and Q&As interviews with key industry players Unique project tracker with 130+ profiles of current and future power plants, spanning solar, wind, gas, coal, hydro and nuclear Comprehensive profiles of local and international, private-sector and government players including contacts and key activities in Myanmar A comprehensive and searchable database of tenders A library of data, laws and other useful resources and third-party reports The content covers upstream and downstream oil and gas, conventional and renewable power, transmission infrastructure, fuel, and related areas. It spans issues such as contract awards, new entrants, legislation, projects, company news, public-sector changes and more. Companies Mentioned 365 Ecology Alexandria Specialty Petroleum Products Company (ASPPC) DB Schenker East Gas Company (EGC) Egyptian International Gas Technology Company (Gastec) Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) EGYTRAFO Group El-Neel Oil Marketing Company (Petroneel) Enviromena Environics Gama Construction Ganoub el Wadi Petroleum Holding Company (GANOPE) Gas Metro Industries Gas Regulatory Authority (GRA) Gastone Global Energy Services (GES) Hydro Power Plants Executive Authority (HPPEA) Kom Ombo Petroleum Company Masader Environmental and Energy Services Middle East Oil Tankage and Pipelines (MIDTAP) NEDCO for Engineering, Contracting, and Supplies Neptune Energy Egypt OCA International Offshore Shukeir Oil Company (OSOCO) Petrotreatment Petroleum and Environmental Services Sojitz Solanile Solargy Renewable Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Wood Group Story continues For more information about this newsletter visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/6nbgmw About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 A hitman who shot dead an innocent mother-of-nine and her sleeping nephew is facing life in prison after it took five trials to convict him of the double murder. Obina Ezeoke, 28, snuck into the East Finchley home of Annie Ekofo, 53, in the early hours of the morning and shot dead student Bervil Kalikaka-Ekofo, 21, as he slept. Ezeoke then turned the gun on Mrs Efoko when she rushed out of her bedroom to investigate the disturbance. The drug dealer was first put on trial over the September 2016 double murder in 2017, but the case had to be aborted due to the judge being struck down with chronic back pain. Juries in the re-trial and a third trial were deadlocked on their verdicts and a fourth trial was ordered, but that was then abandoned when the coronavirus crisis struck. East Finchley Shooting 1 /17 East Finchley Shooting Family members outside flats in in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley, north London where Anny Ekofo, 52, and her nephew Bevely, 21, where found dead with gunshot wounds Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Family members outside flats in in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley, north London where Anny Ekofo, 52, and her nephew Bevely, 21, were found dead with gunshot wounds. Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Family members outside flats in in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley, north London where Anny Ekofo, 52, and her nephew Bevely, 21, were found dead with gunshot wounds. Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Family members outside flats in in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley, north London where Anny Ekofo, 52, and her nephew Bevely, 21, were found dead with gunshot wounds. Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Family members outside flats in in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley, north London where Anny Ekofo, 52, and her nephew Bevely, 21, were found dead with gunshot wounds. Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Family members outside flats in in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley, north London where Anny Ekofo, 52, and her nephew Bevely, 21, where found dead with gunshot wounds. Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Family members outside flats in in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley, north London where Anny Ekofo, 52, and her nephew Bevely, 21, were found dead with gunshot wounds. Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA The bodies of Anny Ekofo, 52, and her nephew Bevely, 21, are removed from flats in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley, north London after they were found dead with gunshot wounds. Victim Bervil Ekofo pictured with his mother Maymie Botamba. PA Distraught onlookers at the scene in East Finchley. Lucy Young Shooting: Police at the scene of the incident on Elmhurst Crescent. @miliremersaro Forensics attend the scene at Elmhurst Crescent. Lucy Young The flats in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley, north London. Francesca Gosling/PA At the Old Bailey this morning, a fifth jury finally delivered guilty verdicts against Ozeoke, condemning him to two mandatory life sentence. The court has heard that the shooting may have been a revenge hit after footage of Ezeoke was shared on social media, but the intended target is believed to have been Ms Ekofo's son Ryan Efey. Ezeoke insisted in his defence case that he was not the gunman. Mark Heywood QC described how an assassin crept noiselessly into a second-floor family home as six occupants slept. He said: The killer moved to his left and into a bedroom. There ahead of him was a young man, sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor under a duvet. Family members outside flats in in Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley ( Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) / Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA For the killer this was as good a target as he could expect a young man of the house of just the right age. He crept forward, gun in hand. He raised the muzzle and placed it almost against the back of the sleeping, dreadlocked head. And then, with a deliberation and purpose that was as much cowardly as it was murderous, he pulled the trigger. After Ezeoke had unleashed hell, Mrs Ekofo went into the hall, dressed only in her underwear, jurors were told. Instead of waving his revolver to scare her off, the killer pulled the trigger for a second time, the court heard. Forensics at the scene of the double murder / Lucy Young Mr Heywood told jurors that cowardly Ezeoke had gone to the flat deliberately to kill one of the teenage boys in the family as part of a vendetta of violence. He said: His hate was such that he did not falter when confronted by a second person he simply took her life as well. In fact both lives were innocent. The young man he killed was a cousin, visiting at short notice, for one night only. Ezeoke had admitted dealing in Class A drugs, and said he was the victim of a serious assault in 2014, after which he switched to dealing cannabis instead. The key evidence against him centred around firearms residue found in Ezeokes car, which was used in the getaway, and on his top recovered from a female friends home. Ezeoke told successive juries that he had an alibi for time of the shootings. He claimed his Vauxhall Meriva had been leased from a man who took it back the day before the murder. He attempted to explain the presence of the gunshot residue saying the vehicle, which was registered under false details, must have been used in a previous shooting. The fifth jury to try the case deliberated for 41 hours over eight days to find Ezeoke of Cambridge Heath, east London, guilty of two counts of murder. Mrs Justice Cutts remanded him in custody until sentencing on October 1. Additional reporting by PA Media. Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The Government of Senegalese will release an emergency fund of 10 billion CFA francs to fight against floods that occurred last weekend throughout the country, President Macky Sall announced on Tuesday evening Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Chairman of the Portuguese Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Portuguese Communities Sergio Pinto discussed the security situation in eastern Ukraine. The two officials met during Kulebas visit to Portugal on September 9, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on its Facebook page. "Dmytro Kuleba and Sergio Pinto discussed the security situation in eastern Ukraine, the recent violation by the Russian side of a full and comprehensive ceasefire, which resulted in the death and injury of Ukrainian servicemen, and Ukraine's political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict," the report reads. The interlocutors paid special attention to the development of economic ties, an increase in trade and investment as a way to mitigate the economic consequences of COVID-19. The minister stressed that Ukraine is grateful to Portugal for its consistent support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our state, as well as for the rehabilitation of Ukrainian war veterans in Portugal. The Portuguese side assured that the composition of the Portugal-Ukraine Friendship Group in the Assembly of the Republic would soon be approved. In addition, Kuleba will meet with Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva today. Following the meeting, the ministers will hold a joint press conference. As Ukrinform reported, on September 6, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire twice, as a result of which one Ukrainian serviceman was killed, and another one was wounded. ish Slate is making its essential coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. On Wednesday, the Washington Post published excerpts of reporter Bob Woodwards new book Rage. In one passage, backed up by audio recordings, President Donald Trump acknowledged the severity of the COVID-19 crisis months before he would ever admit its seriousness in public. Indeed, even as Trump was telling the public to treat the disease like you treat the flu and downplaying its deadliness in press conferences and interviews, he was telling Woodward he knew it was far more dangerous than the flu. Advertisement Woodwards recording makes it clear that the president was not simply misinformed or being wishful about the virus, but deliberately lying about what he knew. As the country got off to a slow and ineffective response to the virus, Trump would say that the pandemic came out of nowhere and that the danger could not have been foreseen. In fact, he was specifically aware of the threat, and chose to misinform the public about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. In a conversation with Woodward on Feb. 7, Trump said that he had confidence that Chinas president, Xi Jinping, had the disease under control, but added ominously: It goes through air, Bob. Thats always tougher than the touch. You know, the touch, you dont have to touch things. Right? But the air, you just breathe the air and thats how its passed. And so, thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than youryou know, your, even your strenuous flus. You know, people dont realize, we lose 25,000, 30,000 people a year here. Who would ever think that, right? Pretty amazing. And then I say, well, is that the same thing? This is more deadly. This is 5 peryou know, this is 5 percent versus 1 percent and less than 1 percent. You know? So, this is deadly stuff. Advertisement Advertisement Throughout February and early March, Trump publicly downplayed the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic, regularly compared it to the flu, and even issued statements directly contradicting what hed already told Woodward about his awareness of the diseases death rate. Advertisement During a press conference on Feb. 26, for instance, Trump encouraged the public to view this the same as the flu and to treat this like you treat the flu.* Less than three weeks earlier, he told Woodward the disease was more deadly than even your strenuous flus. Also, in a Fox News appearance on March 4, Trump told Sean Hannity that his hunch was that the deadliness of the disease was being exaggerated. A lot of people will have this and its very mild, theyll get better very rapidly, they dont even see a doctor, they dont even call a doctor, Trump said. When you do have a death all of a sudden it seems like 3 or 4 percent, which is a very high number, as opposed to a fraction of 1 percent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He continued: Personally, I would say the number is way under 1 percent. Again, to Woodward less than one month earlier, he said this is more deadly. This is 5 percent. Five days after his Fox News interview, on March 9, Trump again sent out a tweet comparing COVID-19 to the common flu. At the time Trump made these statements, only a handful of people had died in the United States of COVID-19. Since then, more than 189,000 people have died in the United States from the disease. Recent projections say that total could double by the start of next year. Advertisement Advertisement In a follow-up conversation with Woodward on March 19 after he had acknowledged privately the threat of the virus but played it down publicly, Trump told the journalist that I wanted to always play it down, I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic. During her press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, The president never downplayed the virus. For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below. Denise Richards rang in her two-year wedding anniversary with Aaron Phypers this Tuesday on Instagram. The 49-year-old Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills posted an album of romantic throwback snapshots from their Malibu nuptials. 'Happy 2nd Anniversary my [heart] .... so blessed & grateful to have you as my soul mate, twin flame, partner in crime, confidant, best friend, lover, best daddy to Eloise, & our menagerie of beautiful furry misfits, best step dad ever, most supportive of my career, I know my mom brought us together & I couldnt imagine going through this beautiful journey with anyone other than you. I love you so much,' she wrote. Look of love: Denise Richards rang in her two-year wedding anniversary with Aaron Phypers this Tuesday on Instagram In a string of pictures from their seaside ceremony Denise could be seen cuddling up to Aaron, who was once married to Nicollette Sheridan. Aaron was 1970s California chic in a flowing white button-down shirt with several of the buttons left beguilingly open over his chest. She could be seen in her Mark Zunino wedding mini-dress holding hands with Aaron in front of a huge infinity symbol made of roses. Meanwhile Denise, the ex-wife of Charlie Sheen, had legs for days in her high-cut bridal mini as she hopped behind Aaron on a 'Just Married' motorcycle. All that sweet affection: The 49-year-old Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills posted an album of romantic throwback snapshots from their Malibu nuptials Since the wedding Aaron has adopted Denise's nine-year-old daughter Eloise, whom she adopted in 2011 and who has special needs. Denise has been seen on the currently airing season of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills staunchly denying Brandi Glanville's claim that they had an affair. Brandi, who herself used to be a Beverly Hills Housewife, alleged that she had a dalliance with Denise last April. At a group dinner in Rome, Denise blew up at her fellow Housewives whom she felt had relentlessly 'interrogated' her about the subject. So in love: In a string of pictures from their seaside ceremony Denise could be seen cuddling up to Aaron, who was once married to Nicollette Sheridan The meal deteriorated into a massive row where Denise slammed her co-stars as 'mean girls' and fled the table before a producer convinced her to come back. This February she responded to an Instagram comment claiming she had an 'open marriage' and insisted that she is '100% monogamous to my husband.' Last year the onetime Bond girl revealed that both she and Aaron got happy ending massages at her suggestion during their romance. The blonde actress recently returned to Madrid to resume filming on the series Glow And Darkness after the shoot was put on hold on March because of COVID-19. Vroom vroom: Aaron was 1970s California chic in a flowing white button-down shirt with several of the buttons left beguilingly open over his chest Sadie, Sadie, married lady: Meanwhile Denise, the ex-wife of Charlie Sheen, had legs for days in her high-cut bridal mini as she hopped behind Aaron on a 'Just Married' motorcycle Denise shares her elder two daughters - Sam, 16, and Lola, 15 - with Charlie, with whom she now has a friendly co-parenting relationship. After they co-starred in the 2000 film Good Advice and she got a guest shot on his show Spin City in 2001, Denise and Charlie tied the knot in 2002. Denise filed for divorce in 2005 and during their explosive split she accused him of making death threats against her, shoving her and endangering their children via his affinity for prostitutes and pornography, TMZ reported. Charlie, who was reportedly once thrown out of the Plaza Hotel by police after trashing his room while on cocaine, is now HIV positive. Family man: Since the wedding Aaron has adopted Denise's nine-year-old daughter Eloise, whom she adopted in 2011 and who has special needs Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sonia Elks (Reuters) London, United Kingdom Wed, September 9, 2020 11:33 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43ad6a5 2 Lifestyle Britain,club,London,equality,gender Free A businesswoman is set to launch legal action against one of the world's oldest private members' clubs as she argues its men-only membership rules breach British equality laws. The Garrick Club, founded in 1831, has welcomed famous men including novelist Charles Dickens and artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, but continues to refuse women membership, despite the push for gender equality worldwide. Now it is facing a legal challenge from entrepreneur Emily Bendell who believes that allowing "gentleman members only" violates the Equality Act 2010 that bars discriminatory treatment towards women and other minorities. "The world has now moved on," Bendell, who founded the lingerie firm Bluebella in 2005, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding that she had been "shocked" to learn that male-only membership clubs still existed in Britain. "This is a really influential club ... It's excluding women from those connections and all those invisible relationships that propagate power." The Garrick Club did not respond to requests for comment. Women remain under-represented in public life and senior business positions despite growing calls for greater diversity and equality, with ingrained sexism, "old boy" networks and inflexible working conditions keeping women out of top jobs. Read also: Sexism in the city: Business women take on old-boy London clubs The Garrick Club was founded by a group of "literary gentlemen" with the aim of bringing together actors and supporters of theater. Women may visit as guests brought by a club member but they cannot join in their own right or pay for services at the club, such as its restaurant, lounge and hotel rooms. The Equality Act 2010 does not bar single-sex associations but service providers can only limit access to a single gender if they provide a good reason for doing so, said Bendell's barrister Jennifer Danvers of Cloisters. "In essence, women are only able to access the club's services as second-class citizens on the whim of a man who has to both invite and pay for them," said Bendell and her lawyers, who include Leigh Day solicitors, in a letter to the club. The letter gave the Garrick Club 28 days to respond, and confirm any plans to change its policy. Failing that, Bendell said she intends to seek an injunction preventing the Garrick Club from "continuing to operate its discriminatory policy". The Garrick Club has been debating whether it should allow female members. In 2015, a majority of members backed a resolution proposing it open up to women, but failed to reach the two-thirds majority required to pass. Topics : Britain club London equality gender As the fall approaches, pediatric hospitals will start seeing children with seasonal influenza A and B. At the same time, COVID-19 will be co-circulating in communities with the flu and other respiratory viruses, making it more difficult to identify and prevent the novel coronavirus. With little published data directly comparing the clinical features of children with COVID-19 to those with seasonal flu, researchers at Children's National Hospital decided to conduct a retrospective cohort study of patients in the two groups. Their findings -- published September 8 in JAMA Network Open -- surprised them. The study -- detailed in the article "Comparison of Clinical Features of US Children With COVID-19 vs Seasonal Influenza A and B" -- showed no statistically significant differences in the rates of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit and mechanical ventilator use between the two groups. The other unexpected finding was that more patients with COVID-19 than those with seasonal influenza reported fever, cough, diarrhea or vomiting, headache, body ache or chest pain at the time of diagnosis, says Xiaoyan Song, Ph.D., M.Sc., M.B., the study's principal investigator. "I didn't see this coming when I was thinking about doing the study," says Dr. Song, director of Infection Control and Epidemiology at Children's National since 2007 and a professor of pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. "It took several rounds of thinking and combing through the data to convince myself that this was the conclusion." Given that much remains unknown about COVID-19, the researchers' discovery that children with the disease present with more symptoms at the time of diagnosis is a valuable one. It's a good cue from a prevention and planning perspective. We always emphasize early recognition and early isolation with COVID. Having a clinical picture in mind will assist clinicians as they diagnose patients with symptoms of the coronavirus." Dr. Xiaoyan Song, Ph.D., M.Sc., M.B., study's principal investigator The study included 315 children who were diagnosed with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 between March 25, 2020, and May 15, 2020, and 1,402 children who were diagnosed with a laboratory-confirmed seasonal influenza between Oct. 1, 2019, and June 6, 2020, at Children's National. Asymptomatic patients who tested positive for COVID-19 during pre-admission or pre-procedural screening were excluded from the study. Of the 315 patients who tested positive for COVID-19, 52% were male, with a median age of 8.4 years. Of these patients, 54 (17.1 %) were hospitalized, including 18 (5.7%) who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and 10 (3.2%) who received mechanical ventilator treatment. Among the 1,402 patients who tested positive for influenza A or B, 52% were male, with a median age of 3.9 years, and 291 (21.2%) were hospitalized, including 143 for influenza A and 148 for influenza B. Ninety-eight patients (7.0%) were admitted to the ICU, and 27 (1.9%) received mechanical ventilator support. The study showed a slight difference in the age of children hospitalized with COVID-19 compared to those hospitalized with seasonal influenza. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had a median age of 9.7 years vs. those hospitalized with seasonal influenza who had a median age of 4.2 years. In both groups, fever was the most often reported symptom at the time of diagnosis followed by cough. A greater proportion of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 than those hospitalized with seasonal influenza reported fever (76% vs. 55%), cough (48% vs. 31%), diarrhea or vomiting (26% vs. 12%), headache (11% vs. 3%), body ache/myalgia (22% vs. 7%), and chest pain (11% vs. 3%). More patients hospitalized with COVID-19 than those with seasonal influenza reported sore throat or congestion (22% vs. 20%) and shortness of breath (30% vs. 20%), but the differences were not statistically significant. During the study period, the researchers noticed an abrupt decline of influenza cases at Children's National after local schools closed in mid-March and stay-at-home orders were implemented about two weeks later to combat the community spread of COVID-19. Dr. Song says the impact of school closures on the spread of COVID-19 among children is the next area of study for her research team. "We want to assess the quantitative impact of school closures so we can determine at what point the cost of closing schools and staying at home outweighs the benefit of reducing transmission of COVID-19 and burdens on the health care system," she says. Dr. Song urges members of the community "first and foremost to stay calm and be strong. We're learning new and valuable things about this virus each day, which in turn improves care. The collision of the flu and COVID-19 this fall could mean an increase in pediatric hospitalizations. That's why it's important to get your flu shot, because it can help take at least one respiratory virus out of circulation." Kalyn Oyer is a Charleston native who covers arts & entertainment and food & bev for The Post and Courier. She's a music festival & concert photographer and used to write about music for the Charleston City Paper, among other publications. Money has been one of the biggest issues surrounding Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry since they stepped down from their roles as senior royals. Fans want to know how they will make money as private citizens. There is also been outcry over the $3.1 million British taxpayers spent to renovate Frogmore Cottage. Harry and Meghan have just put those issues to rest since signing a multi-million-dollar deal with Netflix. They also paid back the Sovereign Grant fund and severed all ties with Britains public purse. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images The Frogmore Cottage renovations were a point of contention in the British press As royal fans remember, Queen Elizabeth gifted Frogmore Cottage at Windsor to Harry and Meghan when they tied the knot in May 2018. It was supposed to be their royal home when they officially became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. As Hello! notes, Harry and Meghan reportedly spent $3.1 million (2.4 million) on renovations. But, just 18 months after their wedding day, the couple announced their plans to step down as senior royals. The duke and duchess then fled to Canada with their son Archie Harrison. Harry and Meghan explained in their Megxit announcement that one of their goals was to be financially independent. However, they did not share how they planned to earn millions of dollars so they could continue the lifestyle they were accustomed to. At the same time, the couples critics were vocal in the UK press about Harry and Meghan being held accountable for paying back the money used for the Frogmore Cottage renovations. Frogmore Cottage will still be Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys official UK residence After Harry and Meghan reportedly signed a multi-year, nine-figure deal with Netflix, the couple officially covered the renovation costs for Frogmore Cottage. A spokesperson for the duke and duchess confirmed the news in a statement. A contribution has been made to the Sovereign Grant by The Duke of Sussex, the statement read. This contribution as originally offered by Prince Harry has fully covered the necessary renovation costs of Frogmore Cottage, a property of Her Majesty The Queen, and will remain the UK residence of the Duke and his family. RELATED: How Queen Elizabeth May Have Actually Encouraged Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Exit Until now, Harry and Meghan were paying off the $3.1 million with monthly payments of $23,400. At that rate, it would have taken them eleven years to pay back British taxpayers. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle want to end unjustified public interest in their new lives in America Six months after the official Megxit of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the UK press has continued their relentless coverage. The Sussexes have not made any official public appearances amid the pandemic. But photographers are still trying every trick in the book to capture images of the couple and their son. Harry and Meghan recently purchased a home in the exclusive area of Montecito, California. An insider claims that they are no longer receiving any money from the Prince of Wales and they are completely on their own financially. RELATED: Prince Harry and Prince William: A Look Back at Their Relationship Before Meghan Markle Their goal is to end the British medias interest in their new lives. They hope that paying off Frogmore Cottage will help them achieve that goal. Still, they face plenty of scrutiny for every choice they make. The couple recently canceled a fundraiser for injured veterans after signing their Netflix deal. Which led to tabloids accusing Meghan and Harry of putting their own financial interests ahead of fundraising for those in need. New Delhi, Sep 10 : The railway unit of the Delhi Police has rescued 14 children trafficked from different districts of Bihar to Delhi and arrested 10 people, officials said on Wednesday. The rescued children, who are in the age group of 12-14 years, have been taken to a quarantine centre in south Delhi's Lajpat Nagar. According to the police, the matter came to light after an information was received from an NGO on September 7 about 14 children being brought to Delhi by the Mahananda Express from different districts of Bihar. A joint operation was launched at the Old Delhi Railway Station by the police and the NGO Bachpan Bacho Andolan, Salam Balak Trust and RPF personnel. The teams kept a sharp vigil on the movement of passengers when the train arrived. The CCTV cameras were also closely monitored to see any suspicious movement. Meticulous scanning finally bore fruit and few persons in suspicious circumstances were noticed with some juveniles. In the end, 10 persons were detained and 14 children accompanying them were rescued. The children were medically examined and taken to a quarantine centre in Lajpat Nagar. They were produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) through video conferencing. Based on their statements made before the committee, a case was registered and the 10 accused persons were arrested. During sustained interrogation, the accused revealed that the children belonged to different districts of Bihar -- 6 from Katihar, 2 from Begusarai, 2 from Kishanganj, and 1 from Purnia. The accused planned to take the children to different places in and around Delhi -- 4 to Azadpur, 2 to Seelampur, 2 to Haryana and 6 to Punjab. "Because of the shortage of labourers in factories due to Covid-19 pandemic, the accused saw an opportunity to bring the children and make them work in the factories. They used to target poor families in Bihar and promised them jobs and supplied their children to different places for child labour," said Harendra K. Singh, DCP, Railways. OTTAWA: With COVID-19 cases in Canada on the rise again and children returning to schools across the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday urged people to be careful in order to avoid new major outbreaks. "Canadians need to continue to be vigilant," Trudeau said in a news conference broadcast from Toronto. "The last thing that anyone wants is to have to once again shut down our economies and spend our lives to try and counter a massive second wave." Canada reported 1,606 new cases on Tuesday, taking the nation`s total to 133,748. The coronavirus reproduction number, which shows how many people someone with COVID-19 is infecting, has risen to just above one, an indication that the virus is spreading. The rise comes as schools across the country started to reopen after a nearly five-month forced shutdown to contain the spread of the virus. Quebec, which welcomed back pupils last month, has already reported COVID-19 cases in schools. Alberta, which reopened schools a week ago, reported 11 COVID-19 cases spread across 11 schools on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, Canada`s western province of British Columbia tightened some of its rules to help curb the virus` spread. It has asked restaurants, pubs and bars to end liquor sales at 10:00 p.m., and ordered bars and restaurants to close by 11:00 p.m., unless serving food. A facility believed to be a re-education camp where mostly Muslim Uyghur ethnic minorities are detained, in Artux, north of Kashgar in China's western Xinjiang region, on June 2, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images) Over 130 British Lawmakers Condemn China Over Abuse of Uyghurs Over 130 British lawmakers have signed a letter to the Chinese ambassador condemning what they described as an alleged systematic and calculated program of ethnic cleansing against the Uyghur people in Chinas far western Xinjiang region. When the world is presented with such overwhelming evidence of gross human rights abuses, nobody can turn a blind eye, read the cross-party letter, bearing Tuesdays date, and signed by 135 British lawmakers. The letter referred to the huge numbers of Uyghur people believed to be held and subject to persecution and torture in Xinjiang detention camps. 135 Cross-party MPs and Peers have signed a letter to express condemnation at the treatment of #Uyghurs https://t.co/FiQ438z0QQ APPG on Uyghurs (@AppgUyghurs) September 9, 2020 Horrifying Testimony We understand that approximately one million people have been detained and held in detention camps. Those who have escaped give horrifying testimony of religious persecution, physical abuse and torture, the lawmakers wrote in the letter. We as Parliamentarians in the United Kingdom write to express our absolute condemnation of this oppression and call for it to end immediately. People hold signs protesting Chinas treatment of the Uyghur people during a court appearance by Huaweis Financial Chief Meng Wanzhou, outside of British Columbia Supreme Court building in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on May 8, 2019. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters) The letter referred to reports of forced population control and mass detention of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, as well as to sickening footage apparently showing large numbers of blindfolded and shaven men waiting to be loaded onto trains. The lawmakers said the video footagewhich was recently shown to Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming during a BBC interviewbore chilling similarities to historical footage of Nazi concentration camps. The lawmakers cited a reported 60 percent fall in Uyghur birth rates in some areas and that Uyghur women are allegedly being subjected to forced sterilization, forced abortion, and the forced removal of their wombs, as part of shocking accusations that the Chinese regime is proactively trying to reduce the Uyghur population. Ethnic Cleansing The [Chinese] governments actions must be stated for what they are: a systematic and calculated program of ethnic cleansing against the Uyghur people, the letter stated. Labour Member of Parliament Siobhain McDonagh, who wrote the letter and published it on Twitter on Wednesday, raised the issue in the House of Commons during Prime Ministers question time. They herd them onto trains, they shave their heads, they abort their babies, she said. McDonagh told the House that a genocide of the Uyghur people by the Chinese government is taking place before our eyes. Saying it was easy to criticize the next world superpower but harder to take action, she asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson what action he would take to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, and called on him to lead an international tribunal on the matter. Because this time, McDonagh said, no country can say that they didnt know. Johnson replied that she was entirely right to draw attention to the plight of the Uyghurs and that Britain raises such concerns directly with the Chinese authorities, and well continue to do so in the G-20, at the UN, and in every other context. Chinese officials have repeatedly derided allegations of genocide, forced sterilization, and the mass detention of nearly 1 million Uyghurs in Xinjiang, saying the allegations are lies fabricated by anti-China forces. Chinese officials maintain that the Uyghurs are not mistreated and that the Chinese state always protects the legitimate rights of ethnic minorities. The Associated Press contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil prices surged higher on Wednesday, rebounding strongly after suffering a terrible setback a session earlier, amid hopes the U.S. inventory data for last week will show a drop in stockpiles. The official data from U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) will be out at 10:30 AM on Thursday, a day later than the usual release time, due to a holiday on Monday. The American Petroleum Institute's weekly oil report will be out later today. West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil futures for October ended up $1.29 or about 3.5% at $38.05 a barrel. On Tuesday, WTI Crude futures had lost as much as 7.6% and closed at a 3-month low. Brent Crude futures were up by about $1.20 or 3% at $40.99 a barrel, after falling over 5% in the previous session. According to estimates, U.S. crude oil production will likely drop by 870,000 barrels per day to 11.38 million barrels per day this year. Analysts reportedly expect EIA data to show a decline of about 500,000 barrels in crude stockpiles for the week ended September 4. The survey by S&P Global Platts expect gasoline supplies to have dropped by about 2.5 million barrels, and distillates stockpile to have risen by about 300,000 barrels last week. Although oil prices rose today, concerns about outlook for energy demand remain due to continued surge in coronavirus cases in the U.K., Spain and India. The growing number of new cases is raising worries that economic recovery will be much slower than initially thought. 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. "In a court filing Tuesday, the Justice Department said Trump was acting 'within the scope' of his job as president when he said Carroll lied about the incident" The U.S. Justice Department, controlled by Donald Trump and headed by the lyin'-ass Worst Attorney General Ever, Bill Barr, is trying to take over as President Donald Trump's personal legal defense in a defamation suit brought by E. Jean Carroll, the writer who says Trump raped her two decades ago. "TRUMP HURLS BILL BARR AT ME," Ms. Carroll wrote on Twitter tonight in response to the news. "Just when @realDonaldTrump is required to produce documents and DNA in discovery, he sics the DOJ on us. THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED." Thanking her lawyers, Carroll then added, "IT JUST PROVES THAT TRUMP IS GUILTY!" TRUMP HURLS BILL BARR AT ME. Just when @realDonaldTrump is required to produce documents and DNA in discovery, he sics the DOJ on us. THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED!! My attorney, @kaplanrobbie, and I are happy to TAKE THEM ALL ON! @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/rAmKnqpo5s E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) September 8, 2020 "The move could further delay a suit in which Carroll is demanding potentially damaging evidence from Trump during the final weeks before the presidential election, including a deposition and a DNA sample to compare to a dress she claims she was wearing at the time of the alleged attack," write Bloomberg News reporters Bob Van Voris and Erik Larson, adding that taxpayers would probably be footing the bill for any damages awarded. Excerpt from their report for Bloomberg News: In a court filing Tuesday, the Justice Department said Trump was acting "within the scope" of his job as president when he said Carroll lied about the incident, prompting her lawsuit. The U.S. also moved the case to Manhattan federal court from a New York state court, where a judge last month denied his request to stall the suit. "Today's actions demonstrate that Trump will do everything possible, including using the full powers of the federal government, to block discovery from going forward in my case before the upcoming election to try to prevent a jury from ever deciding which one of us is lying," Carroll said in a statement Tuesday. It's not clear why the Justice Department is only now seeking to take over Trump's defense of the suit, which was filed in November 2019. Trump, who has denied he raped Carroll, has been represented in the case by his longtime outside lawyer Marc Kasowitz. The lawyer didn't immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment. The Justice Department also didn't immediately return an email. Read more at Bloomberg: U.S. Seeks to Defend Trump in Rape Accuser's Defamation Suit "Should the Justice Department be allowed to take over, it could mean the end of Carroll's lawsuit as the federal government can't be sued for defamation," notes CNN legal analyst and University of Texas law school professor Steve Vladeck. IT JUST PROVES THAT TRUMP IS GUILTY! (And also, that I have the best attorney in America, THE BEAST, Robbie Kaplan!) @kaplanrobbie https://t.co/prpts2Yjkn E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) September 9, 2020 It's possible this is the most ridiculous legal claim in the history of the Justice Department. https://t.co/6rB61CjKYz James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) September 9, 2020 Breaking News: The Justice Department wants to take over President Trump's defense in a defamation suit from E. Jean Carroll, who said he raped her in the 1990s. https://t.co/oscfoz9e1i The New York Times (@nytimes) September 8, 2020 And here's the DOJ memo in support of motion to substitute the U.S. as a defendant in Carroll v. Trump: https://t.co/vYeD2ddHug https://t.co/cfpXu9dchq Joe Palazzolo (@joe_palazzolo) September 9, 2020 Remarkable. Short on campaign cash to fight rape allegations Trump is having the DOJ take over his defense in the Jean Carroll defamation case with the argument that he was acting in the scope of his presidential duties when he denied raping Carroll. https://t.co/ADA8bvZMLM Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) September 9, 2020 "Should the Justice Department be allowed to take over, it could mean the end of Carroll's lawsuit as the federal government can't be sued for defamation, noted CNN legal analyst and University of Texas law school professor Steve Vladeck." https://t.co/onshFAscty Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) September 9, 2020 The secondment of two key staffers from embattled public insurance giant icare, which forced the resignation of the NSW Treasurer's most senior adviser, was unlawful. An upper house committee inquiry on Wednesday heard Treasury officials were unable to identify who approved the secondment of the two icare staffers to the office of Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, and that their move was "effectively" unlawful. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet Credit:Steven Siewert, Kate Geraghty The hearing heard fresh revelations of the financial crisis enveloping the state-run insurer, with Treasury Secretary Michael Pratt saying privatisation of icare was now being considered. Committee member Greens MP David Shoebridge said such a move would be "a disaster for injured workers and a disaster for the state's finances." For nearly 50 years, most of Amtrak's long-distance trains have operated daily. But the coronavirus pandemic is about to change that: Starting on Oct. 1, almost all of Amtrak's long-distance trains will go from daily to three days a week, with the exception of the Auto Train from Lorton, Virginia, to Sanford, Florida. Amtrak's chief marketing and commercial officer, Roger Harris, told USA TODAY that the changes are not intended to be permanent: "Its fully our intention to go back to daily." But the temporary cuts will affect numerous majority-Black communities in southern states. More than half of the African Americans in the U.S. live in the South, census data show, and they use Amtrak more than the general population. African Americans are 13% of the U.S. population, but 19% of Amtrak's ridership, according to a recent passenger survey. Though Amtrak did not provide ridership data on race by route, its trains serve numerous majority-Black communities throughout the South. One example is Greenwood, Mississippi, population 13,561. According to the U.S. Census, 71% of its residents are African American. According to Amtrak, Greenwood is the second-busiest stop on the City of New Orleans between Memphis and New Orleans. The busiest stop on the route is Jackson, Mississippi, where 82% of its 160,628 residents are Black. Memphis, population 651,073, is 64% Black. New Orleans, the southern anchor of both the Crescent and the City of New Orleans, has 390,144 residents, nearly 60% of whom are Black. Birmingham, Alabama, on the Crescent route, with 209,435 residents, is 70% Black. Amtrak received $1 billion in relief funds in legislation Congress approved in April to blunt the pandemic's impact. The railroad later requested more funding to keep its trains operating at regular service levels, but lawmakers have shown little inclination they will provide it. "We have asked Congress for enough money to sustain us," Harris said, adding, "We've been careful with our funds." Story continues Connection was established in Great Migration Though Amtrak was created in 1970, and it inherited trains that for decades played a role in transporting the wave of African Americans from the South to their new lives in northern and western cities, known as the Great Migration. The trains include the City of New Orleans from Chicago to New Orleans; the Crescent from New York to New Orleans; the Palmetto from New York to Savannah, Georgia; and the Silver Star and Silver Meteor from New York to Miami. The railroads that originally operated these trains the Illinois Central, the Southern, the Atlantic Coast Line, the Seaboard Air Line and the Pennsylvania Railroad have since merged into other companies. In-depth: Trains made the Great Migration possible. They remain a connection for Black Americans. Amtrak now operates their trains, largely on the same rails, with sleeping compartments and dining cars just as those railroads did in the earlier era when 6 million African Americans left the south for cities like Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, many of them by train. By the time Amtrak took over the few trains that remained, travelers had largely abandoned passenger trains for automobiles, buses and planes. Still, the coming schedule changes will interrupt a connection between North and South that's existed for generations of descendants of the Great Migration, some of whom still ride the train back and forth. Harris said Amtrak recognizes the role the predecessor railroads played in the Great Migration. "You see a really strong reflection of that history," Harris said, in the passengers who ride the trains today. One of them is Carolyn Stagger Cokley, director of customer programs for the Rail Passengers Association, an advocacy group in Washington. She has a trip to Charleston, South Carolina, in October, to celebrate the college graduation of her twin nephews. Amtrak's schedule changes will affect Cokley's trip. She's planning to go a day or two early and stay a day or two later. "Well be boarding Amtrak and heading to Charleston," she said. "Well plan our time around the schedule." Amtrak makes a station stop at Alexandria, Virginia, on Aug. 7, 2016. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amtrak cuts interrupt North-South connection for Black Americans People in San Francisco and elsewhere in California woke Wednesday to a deep orange sky that triggered apocalyptic visions in a year already rife with disturbing events. Skies so dark at times that it appeared more night than day were accompanied in some places with ash falling like snow, the cause being massive wild fires filling the air with smoke and cinders. "The orange skies this morning are a result of wildfire smoke in the air," San Francisco Bay air quality officials said in a tweet. "These smoke particles scatter blue light and only allow yellow-orange-red light to reach the surface, causing skies to look orange." As smoke gets thick in some areas, it blocks sunlight causing dark skies, the officials explained. Photos of the eerie scene, particularly of a San Francisco skyline fit for a dystopian science fiction film, spread quickly on social media. "Is there a word for 'the apocalypse is upon us burnt sienna?' read one tweet fired off by someone who felt using the word 'orange' to describe the sky was being too kind. Others likened the scenes to planets other than Earth. "If literal fire skies don't wake us up to climate change, then nothing will," tweeted YouTube influencer and Zadiko tea startup chief Zack Kornfeld. "Enjoy joking about how crazy this year is because we made this mess and it's only going to get worse." Dark skies blocking the sun chilled temperatures at what has historically been the warmest time year in San Francisco. "Geo-color imagery shows a very thick multilevel smoke deck over much of California," the US National Weather Service said in a tweet. "This smoke is filtering the incoming energy from the sun, causing much cooler temperatures and dark dreary red-shifted skies across many areas." What were being described as "unprecedented" wildfires, fueled by strong winds and searing temperatures, were raging cross a wide swathe of California, Oregon and Washington on Wednesday, destroying scores of homes and businesses in the western US states and forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. Story continues In California, where at least eight deaths have been reported, National Guard helicopters rescued hundreds of people trapped by the Creek Fire in the Sierra National Forest. In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown declared the fires in the northwestern state to be a "once-in-a-generation event." Jay Inslee, the governor of neighboring Washington state, described the wildfires as "unprecedented and heartbreaking." Inslee, who campaigned for the Democratic nomination for president on a platform of battling climate change, and California Governor Gavin Newsom both blamed the effects of a changing climate for the exceptional ferocity of this year's blazes. "I quite literally have no patience for climate change deniers," Newsom said. "It's completely inconsistent, that point of view, with the reality on the ground." gc/jh While Californias climate has always made the state prone to fires, the link between human-caused climate change and bigger fires is inextricable, said Park Williams, a bioclimatologist at Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. This climate change connection is straightforward: Warmer temperatures dry out fuels, he said. In areas with abundant and very dry fuels, all you need is a spark. In pretty much every single way, a perfect recipe for fire is just kind of written in California, Dr. Williams said. Nature creates the perfect conditions for fire, as long as people are there to start the fires. But then climate change, in a few different ways, seems to also load the dice toward more fire in the future. Even if the conditions are right for a wildfire, you still need something or someone to ignite it. Sometimes the trigger is nature, like the unusual lightning strikes that set off the L.N.U. Lightning Complex fires in August, but more often than not humans are responsible, said Nina S. Oakley, a research scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Whether it is downed power lines or the fire ignited last weekend by smoke-generating fireworks as part of a gender-reveal party, humans tend to play a part and not just in the initial trigger of a blaze, she said. You also have the human contribution to wildfire, which includes the warming that has been caused by greenhouse gas emissions and the accompanying increased drying, as well as forest policies that involved suppressing fires instead of letting some burn, leaving fuel in place. Those factors, she said, are contributing to creating a situation favorable to wildfire. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has often held up California as an example of the consequences of climate change, said on Tuesday that he had no patience for climate change deniers. Advertisement The home of 'naughty Tory' MP Charlie Elphicke has gone up for sale for 1.4million as he faces jail following his sexual assault convictions - and ahead of his impending divorce. The disgraced Conservative politician has listed his 1.4million property in Dover, Kent, for sale following his three-week trial and conviction on July 30. A jury unanimously found Elphicke, 49, guilty of one count of sexual assault in 2007, and two further counts against a second woman in 2016. He is currently awaiting sentencing next Tuesday. The MP for Dover shared four-bedroom property The Edge with his wife Natalie Elphicke, who succeeded him as MP for the area in 2019. The St Margaret's Bay property is thought to be the most valuable in its area. The home of 'naughty Tory' MP Charlie Elphicke has gone up for sale for 1.4million as he faces jail following his sexual assault convictions - and ahead of his impending divorce from current Tory MP Natalie Elphicke (pictured arriving at court) Natalie Elphicke tweeted that her marriage to the 'only man I have ever loved' was over after 25 years after he was convicted The disgraced Conservative and former Government whip has listed his 1.4million property in Dover, Kent, for sale following his stunning three-week trial and conviction on July 30 The home of 'naughty Tory' MP Charlie Elphicke has gone up for sale for 1.4million as he faces jail following his sexual assault convictions - and ahead of his impending divorce from current Tory MP Natalie Elphicke The MP for Dover shared four-bedroom property The Edge with his wife Natalie Elphicke, who succeeded him as MP for the area in 2019. The St Margaret's Bay property is thought to be the most valuable in its area The house, which is also home to the couple's two children and which dates back to the 1920s, has been extensively modernised and renovated by the couple since they purchased it in 2012. The property comes with four reception rooms, a spacious kitchen, and 'the best 180-degree views to be found on the SE Kent Coast' according to estate agents Strutt & Parker's website. The sellers say the 'enviable' property also comes with half an acre of land and will afford the new owners an outlook to the White Cliffs of Dover. The house, which is also home to the couple's two children and which dates back to the 1920s, has been extensively modernised and renovated by the couple since they purchased it in 2012 The property comes with four reception rooms, a spacious kitchen, and 'the best 180-degree views to be found on the SE Kent Coast' according to estate agents Strutt & Parker's website The sellers say the 'enviable' property also comes with half an acre of land and will afford the new owners an outlook to the White Cliffs of Dover The announcement of the sale comes following Ms Elphicke's announcement that she is filing for divorce despite standing by her husband's side for three-and-a-half weeks in court The property comes with four reception rooms, a spacious kitchen, and 'the best 180-degree views to be found on the SE Kent Coast' according to estate agents Strutt & Parker's website The MP for Dover shared four-bedroom property The Edge with his wife Natalie Elphicke, who succeeded him as MP for the area in 2019. The St Margaret's Bay property is thought to be the most valuable in its area The announcement of the sale comes following Ms Elphicke's announcement that she is filing for divorce despite standing by her husband's side for three-and-a-half weeks in court. Southwark Crown Court heard that Elphicke pounced on one of his victims as they shared a glass of wine, talking 'suggestively' about bondage and whips before plunging his hands down her blouse. In the 2007 incident, Elphicke is said to have chased around the kitchen in his London townhouse trying to slap her bottom 'like a sketch from Benny hill' and singing 'I'm a naughty Tory' when she tried to flee. In 2016, he twice sexually assaulted a parliamentary worker aged in her 20s, first attempting to kiss the woman and grope her breast. Elphicke will be sentenced on Tuesday. The property comes with four reception rooms, a spacious kitchen, and 'the best 180-degree views to be found on the SE Kent Coast' according to estate agents Strutt & Parker's website The MP for Dover shared four-bedroom property The Edge with his wife Natalie Elphicke, who succeeded him as MP for the area in 2019. The St Margaret's Bay property is thought to be the most valuable in its area A woman schoolteacher accused of having a love affair with a boy pupil, was actually looking for the name of the movie Fatal Attraction when she Google-searched the word 'alibi,' a jury was told today. Kandice Barbar, 35, claimed during her cross-examination in court today that the only reason she had a long Google search history regarding her boy romance, was to jog her memory. The married teacher is on trial for alleged sex with a 15-year-old boy who was a pupil at the school in Buckinghamshire, where she taught. Kandice Barber, of Wendover, Buckinghamshire, said the the boy had pestered her after she gave him her phone number so he could discuss a problem Daniel Barber arrived at Aylesbury Crown Court today after the jury heard how his wife Kandice had had multiple phone conversations with the complainant Kandice Barber (left) is accused of meeting up for sex with a schoolboy three times in 2018 - in a field, in woods and in her 4x4 - as well as sending topless pictures of herself to him on Snapchat. Barber denies the allegations and claims her account was hacked The jury heard that on September 30, 2018 at 5.08am, Barber had searched 'what is the name of someone you are having an affair with?' and the word 'alibi' before Googling 20 seconds later 'when you have a plan of where you have been'. The next day, the defendant searched 'a lie of where you have been,' before later looking up 'good secluded areas,' and 'Holiday Inn, Wycombe'. In the witness box, Barber explained: 'I was up at 5am as my mum and I were going to set up a car boot sale. On the way there was a name of a film that was bugging me, so I googled those words. We were trying to remember the film name. 'I thought the name had something to do with adultery but it turned out to be the film Fatal Attraction.' The defendant added that she had Googled the hotel for her son's father to stay in while he visited and 'good secluded areas' was in relation to wanting to take her Labrador dog for a walk off the lead as he 'absolutely loves lakes'. Barber stands accused of meeting up with one of her 15-year-old pupils for sex on three occasions in late 2018. One of the alleged incidents took place in a field, while the second reportedly took place in woodland and the final incident is alleged to have taken place in her 4x4 car. Barber told the court she had googled the word 'alibi' because she was trying to remember the name of the film Fatal Attraction, featuring Glenn Close, pictured After rumours about the pair's relationship spread throughout Princes Risborough Secondary School, Barber was arrested at school and claimed the allegations were complete fiction. At Aylesbury Crown Court, Judge Francis Sheridan told the defendant that although the boy had called her three times, the majority of phone calls had been started by her to which the 35-year-old retorted: 'A lot of the time I am calling because he has contacted me on Snapchat saying "call me call me". 'Now I think he was clearly infatuated and obsessed with me. For me it was all perfectly innocent conversation.' The court heard that Barber had begged the boy to delete the messages between them following rumours that had floated around in school and at a meeting with the head teacher, Nicholas Simms. She told the court: 'At one point I asked the boy to delete messages between us because I was concerned about losing my job. My eldest son had got wind of the rumours, he is the type of person who would ask to see my phone.' Prosecutor Richard Milne questioned: 'He has gone to all this trouble to create a fictitious relationship between the two of you. He has messaged himself to create this fantasy relationship with you?' Her husband Daniel Barber is expected to give evidence later in the trial. Daniel Barber arrived at Aylesbury Crown Court today after the jury heard how his wife Kandice had had multiple phone conversations with the complainant Kandice Barber, right, arrives at Aylesbury Crown Court, Buckinghamshire, left, where she is appearing accused of engaging in illegal sexual activity with a 15-year-old boy The court also heard that Barber had searched the word 'alibi' and 'good secluded areas' into Google, and had had multiple phone conversations with the student , according to police Earlier, the court heard Barber is alleged to have sent the boy a message claiming the youngster's penis was larger than her husband's. Prosecutors told a jury how Barber suggested she might be pregnant with the boy's child, which kept him quiet about the affair because he did not want his child to be born in prison. Barber had later implied she would accuse the boy complainant of raping her if he told the headmaster, at the school where she worked and he studied, about the affair, it was claimed. The court heard evidence from one of the schoolboy victim's close friends who said he'd seen messages from the woman teacher. 'First I didn't believe it at all, then I started seeing the videos and messages and all that, I was like "yeah, it's probably true",' the witness said. 'The messages said that he (the complainant) had a bigger penis than her husband.' She denies three counts of causing or inciting a child aged under 16 to engage in a sexual act, one count of sexual communication with a child, one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activities while in a position of trust, and one count of causing a child to watch a sexual act by a person in a position of trust. The trial continues. Snohomish City Council vacancy open for applications SNOHOMISH Applications are being taken for the City Council seat throughout this month, with the council scheduled to decide who to appoint onto council next month. Any qualified resident living within the city limits of Snohomish may apply online at www.snohomishwa.gov, or contact City Clerk Brandi Whitson at 360-282-3181 to request an application. Applications must be received by the City Clerk no later than Friday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. Any applications received after that time will not be considered. Councilman Jason Sanders stepped down Aug. 31 as he and his family moved to Eastern Washington. The position will be included in the regular 2021 general election as a special election for a two-year term to fill the rest of what would have been Sanders term. He was re-elected in 2019. Sanders himself was appointed to council in 2017 against a field of seven candidates; he was on the Economic Development Committee before getting the appointment. The City Council is tentatively scheduled to meet on Oct. 6 to conduct an initial review of the applications, and depending on how many are received, it may narrow the number to be interviewed to about six finalists. The Finalists will be invited to participate in a public meeting tentatively scheduled for Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. to interview with City Councilmembers. Following the interviews, it is expected that a selection will be made. The selected candidate will be sworn in at the regularly scheduled council meeting on approximately Tuesday, Nov. 3. Check out our online publications! The Inspector-General of the National Police Service Hillary Mutyambai has warned that police will not spare any leader fanning hate speech and incitement. Following recent remarks against the President by MPs Johanna Ngeno and Oscar Sudi, Mutyambai on Tuesday said leaders making hate utterances, including social media posts, which are intended to incite Kenyans to violence, will meet the full force of the law. I take seriously any threats that affect the security of the people and their property. Police officers and investigators have important roles to play in responding to these incidences of hate speech and incitement to violence. The National Police Service will leave no opportunity to any leader intending to incite the general public to violence. Such incitement shall be faced with full force of law, said the IG. Mutyambai also called on Kenyans to resist any attempts by leaders to incite them to violence. Let us be aware that any individual who incites or threatens violence on people based on ethnic, political or religious affiliations on social media, print media and in public gatherings commits a serious offense and will face drastic legal action, he said. The police boss also assured that security agencies were alert and working in collaboration to enforce the law against individuals and groups attempting to cause breaches of peace, as well as risk the peoples safety and security. A lawyer representing them, Tigran Yegorian, claimed on Monday that the trial, which began in May 2019, has become a farce because of what he called delay tactics adopted by Kocharian and the other defendants. He complained that a Yerevan district court is still not examining substantive issues because of numerous petitions mostly relating to procedural issues submitted by the defendants lawyers. Yegorian also said that he and his clients do not trust the Armenian judiciary because they believe the countrys current government has not done enough to reform it since taking office after the 2018 Velvet Revolution. The boycott is therefore also a message addressed to the government, he told RFE/RLs Armenian service. Justice Minister Rustam Badasian dismissed the criticism on Tuesday. Badasian said that while he shares the relatives concerns about the course of the trial he believes that the government must not interfere in court hearings on the case. Such intervention would run counter to judicial independence guaranteed by the Armenian constitution, he told reporters. Badasian also defended quite intensive judicial reforms launched by Armenias current political leadership. I think its wrong to link the overall course of the reforms to a particular court case, he said. Sargis Kloyan, whose son Gor was among eight protesters killed in March 2008 street clashes with security forces, said the boycott will continue until the authorities initiate major changes in the judiciary. He was particularly upset with Kocharians release from prison ordered by Armenias Court of Appeals in May this year. Kocharian, who was first arrested in July 2018, his former chief of staff and two retired army generals stand accused of illegally using Armenian army units against opposition protesters in the wake of a disputed presidential election held in February 2008. They reject the accusations as politically motivated. Kocharian, who handed over power to Serzh Sarkisian in April 2008, has consistently defended the use of force against supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition candidate in the presidential ballot. He maintains that security forces thwarted a violent seizure of power by the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition. (Getty Images) Harrowing images show the trail of destruction left behind by the California wildfires that have so far decimated more than two million acres of land, burned houses to the ground and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. As of Wednesday morning, 25 blazes continued to ravage the state, which is experiencing a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures reaching 121F (49.4C) in LA County on Sunday the highest ever recorded in the area, forecasters said. The Creek Fire, which started on Friday, had burned through 152,833 acres as of Tuesday night, Cal Fire said. Authorities say there are now some 85 fires tearing across the West Coast, in what has been described as an unprecedented wildfire season, aided by the sweltering conditions and dry land. The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously, said Randy Moore, regional forester for the California Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Region. "Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire." Meanwhile, in Orgeon thousands of people were forced to flee their homes to escape an inferno that is thought to have torched more than 200,000 acres. Governor Kate Brown on Tuesday declared a fire emergency as she sought to obtain more resources for emergency services tackling three major fires in the state. "This is definitely a once-in-a-generation event," she told a press briefing. A burned car sits completely destroyed after the Creek Fire swept through the area on September 8, 2020 near Shaver Lake, CaliforniaGetty Images Parts of Washington state are also being engulfed by flames. Governor Jay Inslee said the state has experienced more fires this summer than it has in the past 12 years. Around 100,000 people were left without power in the state on Tuesday. A fire in the small town of Malden scorched more than three-quarters of homes and public infrastructure, authorities said. "I just can't reiterate," governor Inslee said, "we think almost all of these fires were human-caused, in some dimension. If you can avoid being outside for anything that would even cause a spark, I hope people can avoid those conditions." Story continues In a surreal turn of events, fire crews battling a blaze in Colorado were aided by unexpected snowfall that helped tame the flames. Wildfires raged unchecked throughout California on Wednesday, and gusty winds could drive flames into new ferocity, authorities warned. Diablo winds in the north and Santa Ana winds in the south were forecast into Wednesday at a time when existing wildfires already have grown explosively. A man digs through the wreckage after a fire torched parts of Graham, WashingtonAP On Tuesday firefighters were forced to deploy emergency shelters as flames overtook them and destroyed the Nacimiento Station, a fire station in the Los Padres National Forest on the state's central coast, the US Forest Service said. They suffered from burns and smoke inhalation, and three were flown to a hospital in Fresno, where one was in critical condition. In the past two days, helicopters were used to rescue hundreds of people stranded in the burning Sierra National Forest, where the Creek Fire has destroyed 365 buildings, including at least 45 homes, and threatened 5,000 structures, fire officials said. Flames also threatened the foothill community of Auberry, between Shaver Lake and Fresno. In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, and the forecast predicted the arrival of the region's notorious Santa Anas. The hot, dry winds could reach 50 mph at times, forecasters said. People in a half-dozen foothill communities east of Los Angeles were being told to stay alert because of a fire in the Angeles National Forest. "The combination of gusty winds, very dry air, and dry vegetation will create critical fire danger," the National Weather Service warned. The US Forest Service on Monday decided to close all eight national forests in the southern half of the state and shutter campgrounds statewide. A burned Valero gas station smolders during the Creek fire in an unincorporated area of Fresno County, California on September 08, 2020AFP via Getty Images More than 14,000 firefighters are battling fires. Two of the three largest blazes in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area, though they are largely contained after burning for three weeks. California has already set a record with nearly 2.3 million acres (930,800 hectares) burned this year surpassing a record set just two years ago and the worst part of the wildfire season is only beginning. "It's extraordinary, the challenge that we've faced so far this season," Governor Gavin Newsom said. The threat of winds tearing down power lines or hurling debris into them and sparking a wildfire prompted Pacific Gas & Electric, the state's largest utility, to shut off power to 172,000 customers over the weekend. More outages were expected Wednesday, with power not expected to be completely restored until Wednesday night. To the south, Southern California Edison warned roughly 55,000 customer accounts may lose power while San Diego Gas & Electric said 16,700 customers are at risk of a preemptive outage. In the Sierra National Forest east of Fresno, dozens of campers and hikers were stranded at the Vermilion Valley Resort after the only road in a narrow route snaking along a steep cliff was closed on Sunday because of the Creek Fire. A Butte county firefighter douses flames at the Bear fire in Oroville, California on September 9, 2020AFP via Getty Images Well before dawn on Tuesday, the sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air awoke Katelyn Mueller, bringing relief after two anxious nights camping in the smoke. "It was probably the one time you're excited to hear a helicopter," Mueller said. "You could almost feel a sigh of relief seeing it come in." The use of military helicopters to rescue a large number of civilians for a second day 164 before dawn Tuesday and 214 people from a wooded camping area on Saturday is rare, if not unprecedented. "This is emblematic of how fast that fire was moving, plus the physical geography of that environment with one road in and one road out," said Char Miller, a professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College who has written extensively about wildfires. "Unless you wanted an absolute human disaster, you had to move fast." Numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger wildfires in America to global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas, especially because climate change has made California much drier, making plants more flammable. "The frequency of extreme wild fire weather has doubled in California over the past four decades, with the main driver being the effect of rising temperature on dry fuels, meaning that the fuel loads are now frequently at record or near-record levels when ignition occurs and when strong winds blow," Stanford University climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh said in an email. Additional reporting by Associated Press. Two weeks after armed men invaded a school, Prince Academy, located at Damba-Kasaya village in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State to kidnap seven students and a teacher, the government federal, state and local government is yet to give a situational report on the effort being made to release the students. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the incident happened around 8 a.m. while the students were preparing for their junior secondary school examination. The report also showed that the invaders killed a male teacher of the school known as Benjamin Auta. According to the report, the abducted students were JSS3 students who were among the students in exit classes the government asked to resume for their Junior Secondary School examination. When contacted to give an update on the governments effort to rescue the student of Prince Academy, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ibraheem Musa, said he was indisposed and thus would be unable to respond to the question. Ben Goong, the spokesperson for the federal ministry of education, told PREMIUM TIMES that the school where the abduction took place is not under the purview of his ministry. Kindly direct your questions to Kaduna State authorities, he added. The police spokesperson of Kaduna State, Muhammed Jalige, did not respond to the phone calls and messages sent across to him. However, the state commissioner of police, Muri Musa, when contacted promised the spokesperson will reach out to our reporter. Condemnation A non-profit organisation, Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) has condemned the federal government and the Kaduna state government over their negligence and silence in handling the abduction of some students of Prince Academy in Kaduna State. The organisation said, it is shocked at the incompetent manner in which the reopening of schools amidst a COVID19 pandemic was handled; this in an environment beleaguered by some of the highest levels of insecurity around the world. The group described the silence of the government as repeating a pattern of cynical disregard for the lives of our citizens who show up in school in pursuit of knowledge. No one should ever have to choose between education and their lives. In a statement on Wednesday, the BBOG group said that the abduction of the school children is a reminder of a similar tragedy that befell 219 Chibok schoolgirls in 2014. It is now two weeks (14 days) since the news broke that gunmen attacked yet another school in the country Prince Academy in Damba-Kasaya village in Chikun Local Government in Kaduna State. It was reported that the terrorists killed one-person and abducted Junior Secondary School students as well as a teacher who had been asked to resume school by both the Federal and State governments, the statement reads in part. Demands The group requested President Muhammadu Buhari and the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, to intensify efforts to rescue the children abducted from Prince Academy. We also demand a public statement and transparency and accountability on this heart-breaking situation. Nigeria cannot afford to once again abandon her young children to terrorists. We demand immediate justice for and the rescue of the #KadunaStudents and their teacher. ALSO READ: NSCDC confirms death of kidnapped officer in Kaduna State We demand the fastest possible rescue of Favour Danjuma-9 years old, Happy Odoji-14, Ezra Bako-15, Miracle Danjuma 13 and their teacher- Christiana Madugu. This is a constitutional duty their government owes them and that duty must be performed now, the statement read in part. Repeated pattern The children activist group also said the failure of the federal government to publicly acknowledge the ChibokGirls tragedy and mount a swift rescue operation was what laid the foundation for the continuing captivity of the remaining 112 Schoolgirls and Leah Sharibu of Dapchi School six years and two years on, respectively. According to the children advocacy group, in what amounts to a case of egregious negligence of citizens by their government, neither the government of Kaduna State nor the relevant security establishments of the Federal Government has made any statement whatsoever on this repeat tragedy of schoolchildren being abducted from their schools. It was highly condemnable that under the leadership of President Buhari and El-Rufai respectively as Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces and Governor of Kaduna State, the country was experiencing a tragic reminder of the gross mishandling of a similar tragedy that befell 219 Chibok schoolgirls in 2014. Worse still, many days after their abduction, parents, and citizens are yet to hear any word from the Government on the status of their children. What happened to the Safe School Initiative that prescribes a certain minimum standard of security measures for schools situated in highly insecure parts of the country like Prince Academy? In commemoration of the World International Day to Protect Education from Attack, which is celebrated on September 9, Premium Times reported how the United Nations advised the government to prioritise safety in schools for educators and students. Warsaw is ready to offer Germany to use the prospective Baltic Pipe infrastructure instead of Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, government spokesman Piotr Muller told Polish television, Sputnik reports. The Baltic Pipe, with the annual capacity of 10 billion cubic meters (353 billion cubic feet), will transport natural gas from Norway to Poland via Denmark. It is expected to be put into operation in 2022, when the contract on Russian gas supplies to Poland expires. "We need to consider various options when it comes to energy security. Poland has stressed from the very beginning that European solidarity in this regard should be unambiguous. Therefore, if the German side declares such needs, Poland is open to [let Berlin] use the infrastructure that it is building for own energy security," Muller said, when asked whether the Baltic Pipe might replace Nord Stream 2. The official went on to call for a consolidated EU approach to the matter, noting that "it is hard not to look with concern at such initiatives as Nord Stream 2, which contradict the idea of solidarity and energy security." The US, backed by Poland, Baltic nations and Ukraine, has been actively seeking to disrupt the pipeline, which will carry up to 55 billion cubic meters (1.942 trillion cubic feet) of Russian gas per year to Germany via the Baltic Sea. In December 2019, a threat of US sanctions forced Swiss pipelay company Allseas to quit the project with just 100 miles of the pipeline left to lay. Russia is now finishing the pipeline on its own. A professor at George Washington University who pretended that she was black resigned on Wednesday, the university confirmed. Jessica Krug, an associate professor of history and Africana studies, grew up as a white Jewish child in Kansas City. In later life, however, she assumed a series of different black identities, which she confessed to in a Medium blog post on September 3. On Wednesday the university confirmed she had resigned. 'Update regarding Jessica Krug: Dr. Krug has resigned her position, effective immediately,' GWU tweeted. Dr Jessica Krug resigned from George Washington University, it was confirmed Wednesday The Washington DC-based university confirmed the news in a tweet on Wednesday evening 'Her classes for this semester will be taught by other faculty members, and students in those courses will receive additional information this week.' M. Brian Blake, the provost of GWU, and Paul Wahlbeck, dean of GWU's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, wrote an email to students and staff detailing their decision. 'Dr. Krug has resigned her position, effective immediately,' they wrote. 'Her classes for this semester will be taught by other faculty members, and students in those courses will receive additional information this week.' The email encouraged students to seek support from campus resources and said: 'We hope that with this update our community can begin to heal and move forward.' Krug has not commented since the scandal broke last week. The history department's faculty called for her resignation the day after she wrote the blog post. They said they were 'shocked and appalled' by the information in the Medium post, and called for Krug's resignation. 'Failing that, the department recommends the rescinding of her tenure and the termination of her appointment,' they wrote. According to her sister-in-law, Jessica Krug is 'white as snow white' and the family only discovered the masquerade after being contacted by the media. Krug appeared downcast on Saturday night while returning to her East Harlem apartment building after a tumultuous week. Jessica Krug, a former African and Latin American studies professor at George Washington University, was spotted for the first time since the scandal broke Sister-in-law: 'We had no clue, we are shocked right now and hurt. Our name is ruined' While dressed in a pink blouse, jeans and sunglasses, Krug kept a bag slung over her shoulders as she attempted to keep a low-profile. Students, colleagues and others who've encountered Krug have expressed their utter shock over the admission. But according to her sister-in-law, her family was blindsided, too. The sister-in-law, who wished to remain anonymous, told CNN that 'there's no way she's black.' 'I can tell you that, there's no member of the family that is black,' she said. The sister-in-law said that her husband has been estranged from Krug for two decades. She confirmed that her husband and Krug are Jewish and grew up in Kansas. Krug (pictured): 'For the better part of my adult life, every move I've made, every relationship I've formed, has been rooted in the napalm toxic soil of lies' 'Our last name is tarnished, and all my husband and I want to do is cry our eyes out right now. I can only imagine my father-in-law rolling around in his grave,' she said. She claimed that the family was completely unaware of Krug's deceit until they received a phone call on Thursday from a reporter. 'We had no clue, we are shocked right now and hurt. Our name is ruined,' the sister-in-law said. 'It hurts because she slapped everyone in the face, not only her family, she slapped every black woman in the face.' The sister-in-law said she has not met Krug, and she's not welcome in their home. The sister-in-law of Krug (pictured) said they only learned of the deception after they were contacted by a reporter on Thursday In her blog post, titled 'The Truth, and the Anti-Black Violence of My Lies', she went into detail about the deceptions that rooted in all aspects of her life. 'For the better part of my adult life, every move I've made, every relationship I've formed, has been rooted in the napalm toxic soil of lies,' she wrote. 'To an escalating degree over my adult life, I have eschewed my lived experience as a white Jewish child in suburban Kansas City under various assumed identities within a Blackness that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness. ' Pictured: The book Fugitive Modernities written by Krug Her confession is reminiscent of Rachel Dolezal, a former NAACP leader from Washington state who was exposed as a white woman pretending to be black in 2015. In her blog post, Krug said she has battled 'unaddressed mental health demons' her entire life and that she first assumed a false identity as a child. She wrote that her mental health issues could never explain or justify why she pretended to be black. 'When I was a teenager fleeing trauma, I could just run away to a new place and become a new person. But this isn't trauma that anyone imposed on me, this is harm that I have enacted onto so many others. There is nowhere to run. I have ended the life I had no right to live in the first place,' she said. In a video posted online in June of this year under her activist pseudonym, Jessica La Bombalera, Krug denounced 'all these white New Yorkers who waited four hours with us to be able to speak and then did not yield their time for Black and Brown indigenous New Yorkers'. She adds: 'Much power to all my siblings who were standing up, my black and brown siblings who were standing.' Krug has been teaching classes on African American history at George Washington University since 2012. Her biography page on the university website says she also specializes in subjects including Latin America, Africa, imperialism and colonialism. 09.09.2020 LISTEN The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) on 7 September issued a public notice stating that anyone wishing to publish information online must be licensed ahead of a 5 October deadline. It is the latest blow to the right to freedom of expression in Uganda ahead of 2021 elections, following guidelines issued in June restricting public gatherings for electoral processes, in compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures. This means that election campaigning will only be allowed through media and social media platforms. The requirement for people to seek authorisation before posting information online is retrogressive and a blatant violation of the right to freedom of expression and access to information. With restrictions on public gatherings already in place, the Ugandan authorities are shutting off a vital channel for people to express their political opinions and share critical information about COVID-19, said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for East and Southern Africa. Freedom of expression does not need a license. The Communications Commission cited Section 27 of the 2013 Uganda Communications Act, among others, which prohibits broadcasting content without a broadcasting licence. By applying this law to those sharing content on the internet and on social media platforms, the authorities are effectively criminalizing the right to freedom of expression online. The regulations cited are overly broad and ambiguous, and do not differentiate between media broadcasting and communications between friends. This means it is impossible for an individual to know what exactly is being regulated. These vague regulations will turn social media into minefield, with users likely to find themselves on the wrong side of the law and may face prosecution simply for expressing their views. The Ugandan authorities must do away with these requirements and amend laws that are promoting online censorship. They should respect, protect, promote and fulfil human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and access to information, said Deprose Muchena. The 2016 Ugandan general elections took place amidst a government-ordered social media shutdown that European Union election observers said unreasonably constrained freedom of expression and access to information. Just before those elections, the UCC had directed Uganda's main communications providers to block access to social media platforms for national security reasons, which had not been defined. Background On 1 July 2018, the Ugandan authorities introduced a tax on social media use in Uganda to raise revenue from what they described as gossip on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Viber. According to Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the social media tax reduced social media users from 47% to 38%. The Uganda Revenue Authority admitted in January 2020 that the tax had dismally failed to raise the revenue anticipated. The Nigeria Army has confirmed the killing of Terwase Akwaza, alias Gana, tagged the most wanted criminal in Benue state. The Commander, 4 Special Forces Command, Doma, Nasarawa state, Moundhey Ali, told journalists on Tuesday that Gana was killed at a roadblock mounted by the army along Gbese-Gboko-Makurdi road following exchange of gunfire. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Benue State Government had in 2015 granted amnesty to over 500 persons including Gana, who were terrorising parts of Benue and Taraba states, but most of them relapsed into criminality. Gana was later in 2017 declared wanted by the police while the Benue State Government placed a N10 million bounty on him. According to Mr Ali, a major-general, the army has recorded another breakthrough in their efforts to rid the country of the activities of bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements. He said: At about 12:00 hours today (Tuesday), we received strategic information on the movement of the dreaded bandit Terwase Akwaza Agbadu AKA Gana along Gbese-Gboko-Makurdi road. Troops of Operation Ayem Akpatuma III moved swiftly and mounted snap roadblocks along the routes. At about 13:00 hours, there was a meeting engagement with the convoy of Gana, a shoot out ensued and the bandit was killed. The commander also said that 40 armed members of Ganas gang were captured during the operation. He said the captured gang members were in army custody and would be handed over to the appropriate authority for prosecution. Mr Ali also disclosed that several rifles, pump action guns, ammunition, charms and explosives among other items were recovered from the gang. He said Ganas corpse had been deposited in an undisclosed hospital mortuary. (NAN) Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole introduces his Deputy Leader Candice Bergen as they hold a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. 2, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) OToole Set to Helm First Conservative Caucus Meeting Since Winning Leadership OTTAWAErin OToole will lay out a mission statement for the Conservative party today at his first official caucus meeting since he won the leadership race last month. Hints of the tone and scope of his address to MPs, who will gather largely in person in Ottawa, were laid out in a Labour Day message posted to social media on Monday. In it, OToole promises a Canada First economic strategy, which puts the wellness of families and higher wages, rather than GDP growth, at its core. The populist message is expected to be reflected in his remarks to caucus as he moves forward with his promise to broaden the appeal of the Conservatives. OToole took a step in that direction Tuesday with the unveiling of which MPs will serve as critics for the next session of Parliament, taking care to place visible minority and female MPs on the front benches. But todays speech may also hold clues as to how his party will handle the potential showdown in Parliament after the minority Liberals present a throne speech on Sept. 23 that will trigger a vote of confidence. OToole has already suggested bringing down the government is not his priority, and that he wants to keep his focus on ensuring economic support for Canadians. On his roster of critics, he gave himself another role: critic for middle-class prosperity, a symbol of that focus. The job, however, also takes a little dig at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who, when he became prime minister, also appointed himself the minister for youth. One of OTooles lines of argument has been that Trudeaus focus has been misplaced. The youth role was later handed over to Bardish Chagger after the 2019 federal election, when Trudeau also created the middle-class prosperity portfolio. OToole won the leadership race over three other contenders on Aug. 24, after an hours-long delay in the release of results due to problems with the vote-counting machines. He ran his campaign on a promise to take Canada back, using emails, social media memes and speeches more or less arguing the Liberals were driving the country into the ground and that he was best placed to turn it around. The tone, however, has softened considerably since his victory, starting just minutes after he won. Though he positioned himself as a true blue Conservative, a nod to more right-leaning voters among the partys grassroots, in his victory speech and since hes pledged to build a party open to all. In his speech, he had singled out union workers as being among those his party wants to court, and in his Labour Day message he appeared to speak to them anew. He referenced the fact his home riding was the home of the automotive sector, and that his own father spent years working for General Motors. But unlike his predecessors who traditionally place blame for losses in the manufacturing sector on government policy, OToole expanded his own scope of criticism. Part of the problem is big business, corporate and financial power brokers who care more about their shareholders than their employees, he said. They love trade deals with China that allow them to access cheap labour. OTooles play for union votes reflects the fact that there are swing ridings in the country known to bounce between the Conservatives and the NDP, a party with historic roots within the union movement. Many of those seats are in vote-rich Ontario and in British Columbia, and winning those ridings will be key for OToole should he hope for his party to form government in the next election. By Stephanie Levitz The move comes as President Donald Trump tries to make good on his campaign promise to get the United States out of endless wars. During a visit to Iraq, Marine General Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, said the reduction in Iraq reflects US confidence in the ability of US-trained Iraqi security forces to handle the militant threat from the Islamic State group, which entered Iraq from Syria in 2014. Late on Tuesday, a senior Trump administration official, told reporters on Air Force One that such an announcement was coming and that an announcement on the withdrawal of additional troops from Afghanistan could also be expected in the coming days. Mr Trump has been trying to make the case that he has fulfilled the promises he made four years ago as he campaigns for a second term. Advertisement US forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001. They invaded Iraq in 2003 and left in 2011 but returned in 2014 after the Islamic State group overran large parts of Iraq. In recognition of the great progress the Iraqi forces have made and in consultation and co-ordination with the government of Iraq and our coalition partners, the United States has decided to reduce our troop presence in Iraq from about 5,200 to 3,000 troops during the month of September, Mr McKenzie said. Mr McKenzie said the remaining US troops would continue advising and assisting Iraqi security forces as they attempt to root out remnants of the so-called Islamic State group, sometimes known as Isis. The US decision is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to the ultimate goal, which is an Iraqi security force that is capable of preventing an Isis resurgence and of securing Iraqs sovereignty without external assistance, Mr McKenzie said. The journey has been difficult, the sacrifice has been great, but the progress has been significant. Tensions spiked between the US and Iraq in January after a US drone strike near the Baghdad airport killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Angry Iraqi politicians, spurred on by Shiite political factions, passed a non-binding resolution to oust all US-led coalition forces from the country. In response to the Soleimani killing, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on al-Asad air base in Iraq on January 8, which resulted in traumatic brain injuries to more than 100 American troops. Two months later, US fighter jets struck five sites in retaliation, targeting Iranian-backed Shiite militia members believed responsible for the January rocket attack. Daniel Nazaryan of Tujunga collects candy at the Montrose Trick-or-Treat Spooktacular in October 2017. (Tim Berger / Times Community News) Less than a day after issuing new health guidelines that banned trick-or-treating and other Halloween activities, Los Angeles County public health officials walked back the decision Wednesday. Citing an inability to maintain safe social distancing and the potential for gatherings beyond household members, county officials initially nixed trick-or-treating along with other Halloween traditions, including haunted houses and parades. But Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Wednesday that the guidelines have been "slightly revised." Ferrer said the change distinguishes between activities originally prohibited under the health officer order from activities that are "not recommended." "This year, its just not safe to celebrate in the ways we usually do," Ferrer said. "We are recommending that trick-or-treating not happen this year." The Department of Public Health previously said that because some of the traditional ways in which Halloween is celebrated do not allow contact with nonhousehold members to be minimized, it is important to identify safer alternatives. Trunk-or-treat events involving car-to-car candy dispersal, which are sometimes held by churches or schools, also are not recommended under the revised order. The news was not well-received by some residents, and even a few celebrities took umbrage with the rules. (Warning: Link includes profanity.) I do not agree with the new measures in place, said Joanna Cortez, an Elysian Valley resident with two nieces and a baby on the way. Trick-or-treating is an outdoor activity," she said, noting that wrapped and packaged candy can easily be sanitized before being consumed. "We can have measures in place like social distancing and leaving out candy in a bowl for children versus actually handing out candy. But other community members werent so sure. James Lamb said that in previous years, he's had hundreds of trick-or-treaters at his Burbank home on Halloween, but in light of the pandemic, it doesn't seem like a good idea this year. Story continues I don't think there is any good alternative at this point, short of buying your own kids candy and just staying home, unfortunately, said Lamb, the father of an immunocompromised child. Health officials insist it can be difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors when children are trick-or-treating. But L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said that "even a pandemic cant cancel Halloween." "In fact, its the only day of the year we were expected to wear masks before this crisis started," said Hahn, whose Fourth District includes many of the beach cities. "Be safe, practice physical distancing and get creative about how you celebrate with your kids this year," she said in a statement. Representatives from the candy industry also added their voice in opposition to the earlier ban on trick-or-treating. "There will be regional differences across the country in the way that people are going to celebrate the Halloween season throughout the month of October," said Carly Schildhaus of the National Confectioners Assn. "We're pleased that the Public Health Department in L.A. County is reassessing their earlier decision that really lacked creativity when it comes to trick-or-treating and Halloween." Other Halloween events, including large gatherings or parties with nonhousehold members either indoors or outside, will not be permitted under the new health order. The latest guidelines also prevent carnivals, festivals and haunted house attractions, and instead encourage online parties, car parades that comply with vehicle parade protocols and Halloween movie nights at drive-in theaters that meet health and safety standards. Annual Halloween events such as Knotts Scary Farm and the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland have already been canceled because of the pandemic. The county won't strip away all Halloween celebrations. Halloween meals at outdoor restaurants, Halloween-themed art installations at outdoor museums and dressing up homes and yards with decorations are still allowed provided they comply with countywide COVID-19 protocols. The announcement follows a scorching hot Labor Day weekend, in which public health officials urged residents to stay home to avoid holiday-related outbreaks such as those tied to Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. As of Wednesday, COVID-19 has claimed more than 13,900 lives in California, with over 746,000 confirmed cases. Times staff writer Jaclyn Cosgrove contributed to this report. Zelensky during visit to Khmelnytsky NPP discusses possibility of financing completion of third, fourth power units President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Khmelnytsky NPP has discussed with the plant management the possibility of financing the construction of the third and fourth power units. "All this needs to be calculated, then a proposal will be made," he said at a briefing during a working trip to Khmelnytsky region. According to the head of state, the implementation of the project will not only create jobs in the nuclear industry, but also provide orders for machine building and other enterprises of the country. As reported, the completion of the third and fourth power units at Khmelnytsky NPP was repeatedly postponed. The readiness to participate in the completion of the units via production of two sets of reactor facilities was previously confirmed by Czech-based Skoda. Since the lockdown rules have lifted significantly, Im sure a lot of you are itching to go out on a road trip. If youre in the market looking for something that will help ferry the entire family, heres a list we think could make that choice easier. The government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Tuesday signed a $500 million loan to build a high-speed 82-kilometer Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor. The project will improve regional connectivity and mobility in the national capital region (NCR). This is the first tranche of a total $1 billion facility, which will support construction of the first of three priority rail corridors planned under the NCR Regional Plan 2021 to connect Delhi to other cities in adjoining states. Development of this corridor will have a huge demonstration effect and pave the way for a paradigm shift in mobility and the pattern of urban development within the region, Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, said after signing the loan agreement, as per a statement by the ministry. The project is expected to have a transformational impact on the development trajectory of the national capital region by introducing high-level technologies for RRTS, signaling, and station designs. Besides, the project will also support transit-oriented development (TOD) with systematic urban and land use planning around the RRTS corridor while promoting value capture financing (VCF) to generate additional municipal revenues, said Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADBs India Resident Mission. With a design speed of 180 km per hour and high-frequency operations of every 510 minutes, the 82-km corridor connecting Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh is expected to reduce the journey time to about 1 hour from the present 34 hours. The first tranche financing will be used for constructing electrified tracks, signaling systems, multimodal hubs and stations with design features that are friendly to elderly, women, children and the disabled. Another $3 million grant from ADBs Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction will support various activities, including provision of visual, hearing and mobility aids, such as wheelchairs for differently abled persons, the government said. A worker, wearing a protective mask against the coronavirus, stocks produce before the opening of Gus's Community Market, Friday, March 27, 2020, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) Read more As COVID-19 continues to ravage our region, frontline workers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland continue to put themselves in harms way for our communities. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 152 represents more than 13,500 workers in many essential businesses in this region, including supermarkets, health-care facilities, and manufacturing plants. Many of them are required to interact with hundreds, if not thousands, of customers, patients, or coworkers every day. Sadly, all of them continue to live with the daily fear of not only contracting the virus but also bringing it home to their families. Without these essential employees, our communities would not have the food, medicines, or medical care they need during this ongoing crisis. Given the risks, as COVID-19 cases continue to spread, it is time for the CEOs of every grocery, health care, and manufacturing facility to step up and guarantee hazard pay for all of these courageous workers. READ MORE: Grocery workers say morale is at an all-time low: They dont even treat us like humans anymore The members of our union know firsthand that the dangers have not disappeared, yet many of our largest grocery chains ended hazard pay for these workers as if the pandemic was suddenly over and their employees were no longer at risk. Some workers, especially those in health care whose risk is potentially even greater, never received hazard pay at all. It was stunning to see grocery chains like Wakefern ShopRite, Acme Markets, and others raking in billions in profit during the pandemic and still choosing to cut hazard pay for their brave frontline workers. In reality, these employees continue to get sick and die from COVID-19. There have already been at least 100 deaths of grocery workers, and thousands more have been exposed. In the Philadelphia region, more than 400 employees have been infected while doing their jobs. These companies are treating their own employees as expendable at a time when the danger of COVID-19 is just as real as it was on day one of the pandemic. Our communities count on these essential workers, yet they have nothing to show for it. On top of it all, our UFCW Local 152 members have worked harder than ever during this crisis. They have been berated by customers for lacking product, endured expletives simply because they enforced social distancing rules, and more than once suffered threats of bodily harm over simple mask-wearing. Many of our regions largest companies refuse to release the numbers on how many of their own workers have died, become sick, or were exposed during this pandemic. It is outrageous that these CEOs are keeping all of us in the dark about the dangers these workers face. Our families deserve better. READ MORE: Grocery store workers are suddenly on the front lines in the coronavirus outbreak, and theyre anxious As COVID-19 cases continue to spread, it is time for corporate CEOs to provide the strong hazard pay their workers have earned for risking their health and safety. The only way we will get through this is together, and that starts with companies doing the right thing and putting workers and their families first. Brian String is the president of UFCW Local 152, the union for 13,500 workers in grocery stores and other essential businesses serving New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. Private equity giant Silver Lake Partners will invest Rs 7,500 crore in the retail unit of Indias Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) in exchange for a 1.75 percent stake. The investment values Reliance Retail at a pre-money equity value of Rs 4.21 lakh crore, RIL said in an exchange filing on September 9. RIL, an oil-to-telecom conglomerate, is expanding its retail business and lining up a posse of global investors to take on rivals such as Amazon India and Walmart-owned Flipkart in Indias huge market. The Reliance arm is Indias biggest brick-and-mortar retail business and its footprint spans across 11,806 retail stores in over 7,000 towns with 28.7 million sq ft of retail space. Reliance Retail, founded in 2006, said in end August that it would buy the retail and logistics businesses of Kishore Biyanis Future Group in a deal valued at $3.38 billion, including debt. Reliance Retail launched an online grocery service named JioMart in May and now sells a raft of items such as electronics, jewellery, apparel and vegetables, among others. It acquired British toy chain Hamleys last year, and also runs the outlets of global brands such as Burberry, Armani and Jimmy Choo, among others, in India. RIL, controlled by Indias richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has raised more than $20 billion from a clutch of global investors including Facebook Inc by selling stakes in its Jio Platforms, its digital business. Silver Lake was the first US private equity firm to invest in Jio after the Facebook deal, pumping more than Rs 10,200 crore. With the latest investment, Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail account for over Rs 9 lakh crore of RIL valuation. The latest investment by Silver Lake, the worlds largest tech investor, in Reliance Retail underscores its clear belief that the RIL unit is set to lead a disruptive, technology led transformation of Indian retail sector particularly relevant in the post-pandemic India. Silver Lake has a terrific track record of investing in some of the largest and successful tech companies globally such as Twitter, Airbnb, Alibaba, Dell Technologies, ANT Financials, Twitter, Alphabets Waymo and Verily, among others. This investment is another strong endorsement of RILs tech and consumer business capabilities, disruptive business models and secular long-term growth potential. It further reaffirms RILs continuing attraction among global investors for best representing Indias vast tech-led growth potential, a deep understanding of the Indian markets, the rapid digitisation opportunity in the post-Covid world, and capabilities to bring cutting-edge technologies and tools such as AI, Blockchain, AR/VR, Big data into play for all Indians. Commenting on the transaction with Silver Lake, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries, said, I am delighted to extend our relationship with Silver Lake to our transformational efforts of building an inclusive partnership with millions of small merchants while providing value to Indian consumers across the country in the Indian retail sector. We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms. Silver Lake will be an invaluable partner in implementing our vision for Indian Retail. Egon Durban, Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Silver Lake, said, We are pleased to deepen our relationship with Reliance with this investment. Mukesh Ambani and his team at Reliance have created an outstanding world leader in retail and technology through their courageous vision, commitment to societal benefits, innovation excellence and relentless execution. The success of JioMart in such a short time span, especially while India, along with the rest of the world, battles the COVID-19 pandemic, is truly unprecedented, and the most exciting growth phase has just begun. Reliances New Commerce strategy could become the disruptor of this decade. We are thrilled to have been invited to partner with Reliance in their mission for Indian Retail. The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals. Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Retail and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsels. Latham & Watkins and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co acted as legal counsels for Silver Lake. Reliance Retail Limited, a subsidiary of RRVL, operates India's largest, fastest growing and most profitable retail business serving close to 640 million footfalls across its ~12,000 stores nationwide. Reliance Retails vision is to galvanize the Indian retail sector through an inclusive strategy serving millions of customers by empowering millions of farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and working closely with global and domestic companies as a preferred partner, to deliver immense benefits to Indian society, while protecting and generating employment for millions of Indians. Reliance Retail, through its New Commerce strategy, has started a transformational digitalization of small and unorganised merchants and is committed to expanding the network to over 20 million of these merchants, helping them benefit from the use of technology tools and efficient supply chain infrastructure to deliver a superior value proposition to their own customers. : Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd After distancing itself from actor Kangana Ranauts remarks about Mumbai and city police, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday backed her and slammed Shiv Sena for the vengeful demolition of her office. The Sena said that BJPs support to Kangana is a conspiracy to ultimately separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. On Wednesday, BMC demolished illegal structural changes allegedly carried out at the actors office at Pali Hill. Sena, which is locked in a verbal spat with the Hindi film actor, controls the Mumbai civic body for more than two decades. Former chief minister and leader of Opposition, Devendra Fadnavis termed BMCs demolition of Ranauts office as `state-sponsored terrorism. While one cannot support the statement made against Mumbai police or Maharashtra, one also cannot support such action by the government. It maligns the entire state in the country. Until yesterday, this construction was legal, only because someone spoke about you, you take action and point to illegalities. Then what about other illegal constructions in the city. This is state-sponsored terrorism, said Fadnavis. Fadnavis also termed Thackeray led government as the most scared and undemocratic government in the history of Maharashtra. BJP chief Chandrakant Patil also slammed the government and asked Sena leadership to keep Sena MP Sanjay Raut under control. This `dadagiri wont work. Kangana, as an Indian, can travel wherever she wants to. Is this how a woman is respected? What is the language that is being used? Raut should be kept under control, said Patil. Meanwhile, in an embarrassment for the Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said that the timing of the action taken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation gave rise to doubts over it. He also said that there was no need to take Ranaut seriously. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on the statements made by Ranaut in the last few days, Pawar said, We are giving too much importance to the people making such statements. One must understand the impact of such statements on the people at large. Pawar said he had no information about the legality of the construction at Ranauts office which was demolished by the BMC today, but said the action has allowed the people to raise doubt indicating that it could have been avoided. I dont know if there was any illegal structure; I read about it only in the newspapers. It wont be appropriate to comment on this without having proper information. Illegal work is not a new thing in Mumbai. However, BMCs action in the backdrop of the ongoing situation allows people to raise doubt over it. BMC officials have their own rules and may have found it appropriate to take the action, the veteran leader said. Sena on Wednesday took on the Union home ministry for providing Y-plus security to actor Kangana Ranaut calling it an insult to Mumbai and its police. In an editorial in Sena mouthpiece, Saamana published on Wednesday, the party alleged that the BJPs support to the actor looked like a conspiracy to ultimately separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. There is always a danger to Mumbai because those who support disrespect to Mumbadevi are sitting in Delhi and Maharashtras assembly First, defame Mumbai, then weaken it. Make Mumbai completely bankrupt and then one day separate it from Maharashtra. It is seen that these steps are being taken again, the Saamana editorial said. It added, Comparing Mumbai to Pakistan occupied Kashmir and insulting the khaki uniform by calling Mumbai police as mafias are signs of a disturbed mindset The editorial, without naming the actor referred to her as a supari actor. The Sena mouthpiece added the Maharashtra unit of BJP should have not supported the ones who referred to Maharashtra chief minister in a disrespectful manner. Parrish Manuel was at work Saturday when he got a phone call saying that his brother was surrounded by police. He didnt know what was going on or where, but he was obviously worried. With just a few minutes of down time at work, Manuel got on Facebook to see if it yielded any clues. It was then he saw where there had been a shooting at Bass Pro Shops in the Spanish Fort, a suburb of Mobile in Baldwin County. Still, Manuel said, it didnt register that his brothers situation was in any way linked to the unfolding drama at the Spanish Fort Town Center where police said someone had unleashed roughly 50 rounds from three different guns into the massive retail building. "It didnt dawn on me that it was him,'' Manuel said. Then I got a text and it said Spanish Fort and I said, 'Oh my God and thats when it hit me. It was devastating to us. Manuel didnt initially make the link because what was happening there was so unlike anything his brother, 38-year-old Robert Smith Jr., would do. Or so they thought. "It was very uncharacteristic of him,'' Manuel said. On the contrary, Manuel said, his brother is anything but violent. "No one saw this coming because he is so lovable,'' he said. Everybody looked up to Junior. Smith and Manuel shared a mother and were raised together in the small Clarke County town of Grove Hill, about 1 hours north of Spanish Fort. They graduated from Clarke County High School and eventually Smith went on to work for Dumas Manufacturing, a company that makes church pews and courthouse seating. About two years ago, their mother died. The loss was hard on everyone, especially Smith who was the baby of the tight-knit family. "As the youngest, he was still dealing with that,'' Manuel said. Then, about a year ago, Smiths father suffered a stroke and Smith quit work to become his caretaker. Manuel said he spoke on the phone frequently with his brother and he and other family members began to notice in recent weeks that something wasnt right. "In the past couple of weeks, something happened. I dont know if somebody did something to him, but he started acting strange,'' Manuel said. I know when I talked to him on the phone, he would start saying stuff that really just didnt make any sense, just talking out of his head. "We knew something wasnt right, but whatever it was, we never thought it would get to the extent that it did,'' he said. Whatever was going with Smith, it appears to have come to a head Saturday when authorities say the father of one son opened fire at Bass Pro Shops. Spanish Fort Police Chief John Barber on Tuesday said Smith fired three different weapons that day. Its a miracle shoppers and workers werent injured, he said. "He was hitting the building consistently but only a few of the rounds actually penetrated. They have reinforced glass, and a steel door,'' Barber said. The exterior of the build itself actually prevented the rounds from entering. "One of the employees was able to shut the door and lock him out and make sure he didnt gain entry,'' the chief said. Otherwise it could have been a much different situation. Barber said Smith fired an AR 15, a 9 mm pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun. Responding officers encountered Smith wearing body armor as he was attempting to move to the main entrance of the store. Our officers before they approached him actually up-armored, they have active shooters kits which is additional body armor, helmets, and we actually issue AR rifles as well should they ever have a situation like they did on Saturday when we had a subject who had multiple assault weapons and body armor as well. "The timing of when they got there, he didnt have a weapon at that time but we believe he was trying to gain access to a weapon and was unable to before the officers were able to deploy less than lethal force and take him into custody,'' Barber said. Police used a Taser to subdue Smith. One officer was treated for minor injuries sustained during the arrest and Smith was hospitalized for a medical issue unrelated to the arrest. Smith after being released from the hospital was booked into the Baldwin County Jail on charges of second-degree assault, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. He remains held on bonds totaling $570,000. Barber said they are looking to add to stronger charges against him and are working with the Baldwin County District Attorneys Office to do so but have not yet completed the process. A search warrant Sunday at Smiths Grove Hill home turned up 10 additional weapons and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. As far as a motive, Barber said they are still developing information. "Were still working on that. Were not ready to announce what we think the motive is,'' he said. Did he go there to do that? Thats part of what were still trying to determine. Was it pre-planned or random or not? That has not been fully determined. Smith has no criminal history in Alabama and no ties to Spanish Fort. "He was not known to us,'' the chief said. None of the weapons recovered were stolen. Investigators are still tracing them to find out when they were purchased and from whom. "It appears hes a collector of sorts. I say collector, hes obviously got a collection'' Barber said. What were trying to determine is over what period of time did he acquire them. Did he have these guns for a period of years, buying them one at a time or did he buy them all in a short period of time before the incident? Thats what were trying to determine. We dont have the answer on that yet. Manuel said his brother has always collected guns. "He was into guns. We both are really, I just dont have quite as many as hes got,'' his brother said. "That has been his passion - guns and hunting. " At a time where officer-involved shootings are under intense scrutiny nationwide, Barber said hes proud of his officers for the way Saturdays incident ended without loss of life to anyone. "To come to a conclusion like it did when our officers were able to use less than lethal force when we had a subject that expended dozens of rounds into the building using at least three different weapons according to the casings, is phenomenal,'' he said. At a time where law enforcement is being criticized for all their actions and different incidents nationwide, this is certainly a situation where they showed restraint and took him into custody and prevented what would have been a mass shooting situation. Barber also said the female companion with Smith on Saturday has been interviewed and released. What we are seeing initially is that she was uninvolved and unaware of what was about to happen, but we are continuing to make sure thats the case. Like authorities, Smiths family said they dont know prompted Smiths actions on Saturday. "I dont know,'' Manuel said. I dont have any idea. Im trying to figure it out. Also like authorities, Smiths family is also thankful that no one was hurt or killed in the barrage of gunfire. ''Im very thankful not only for him but for the people inside the store,'' Manuel said. Oh my God Im so grateful to God for the way it turned out. "I want people to know that hes not a monster. This is something totally strange. Its hard to explain,'' Manuel said. Hes a big gentle guy. Loving. Not only his family but to other people. "I dont want the world to think of him as a mass shooter,'' he said. Ill never believe he went there with intentions to do a mass shooting. He needs some help and Ive seen that the last two weeks. The family has not yet been able to visit with Smith in jail, but Manuel said he plans to do so as soon as possible. "I want to tell him first of all to be thankful to God for the way it turned out,'' he said. And I will tell him that we love him dearly and whatever he needs, were here to help him. Were going to do our best. Processing and profiting from failure: The view from Mount 'Hoary' (pt. 4) Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment On April 1, 1966, I stepped off an airplane at the Birmingham Airport, not knowing that within a few months I would be back there as an employee of a major airline, facing another failure. I sucked up courage as I walked with my wife and our baby girl through the concourse toward a moment I had been dreading for four months: the encounter with family members who had tried their best to persuade me not to throw away my graduate education, put my family at risk, and waste the big investment many generous people had made to help me get to the seminary I had left to take an English-language church in Nuremberg, Germany, made up of military personnel who would soon be sent to Vietnam. But on that day, those same family members would do their best to encourage me to go forward. I am now hoary with age a term rarely used anymore. Literally, it describes a color, gray-white, like my meager hair. Hoary came to mean venerable, the definition to which I aspire at this point in life. We are all climbing Mount Hoary, the massif of time. The higher you go the clearer things look if you see the expedition up the slopes through the eyes of the Lord, and if you turn away from the gaze on failure. If you focus on the failures of Death Valley all you will see from the peak of Hoary will be opportunities lost, advantages abandoned, and redemptions missed. Worst of all, you will miss knowing by experience as well as faith that God really is working for good in everything including your failures for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Through failure I learned that I shouldnt blame Gods will for my mistakes, but to note especially His sovereignty over the whole of my life failures and all. So, from up here on Level 8 of Mount Hoary I can see the road traveled, the wrong turns, the potholes, and places where I tripped and lost ground. But I can see the goodness and sweet providences of God where He used the wrong turns to get me on an entirely new course, filled in the potholes I had dug, and reached out and with His great hand pulled me back on track when I fell and slid. Occasionally from this altitude of age I get glimpses of where I am going, and that is truly thrilling. Fifty-four years ago, my immediate challenge was to get a job. I figured I had thrown away my ministerial career in dropping out of seminary, and thought I had no skills in anything else. So, I went to work as a laborer in a box factory. Soon I realized I needed more money, so I signed on as a ramp agent for Delta Airlines, loading and unloading airplanes. I quickly discovered I had no aptitude for that job and was failing sometimes dangerously when I almost drove a luggage cart into a DC-9 jet, and on another occasion when I came too near a whirling propeller. One afternoon I was perusing the newspaper when I saw the byline of a student I had known a few years earlier in college. I want to try to learn that, I told myself. I figured the best way was to dive in, and applied for a job at the smaller of Birminghams two newspapers. I fell in love with journalism. I was certain I had found my new career. A year later I landed a job at the larger paper in fact, the largest in Alabama at that time, The Birmingham News. I was a reporter primarily covering the religion beat but filling in for other beat-reporters. Eventually I was promoted to the editorial page staff and given my own weekly column. Because of that work, and through circumstances too detailed to describe here, I was asked to join the White House staff of President Richard Nixon in 1970. I was certain I had arrived at the top of another mountain the peak of success. The Lord had another agenda for me in the White House. I started attending a staff prayer breakfast on Thursday mornings. Four years earlier I had given up on the Lord and a career in ministry, but now, week by week, I was inching back to the fellowship with Him that had been so special in my earlier life. I did not know it, but a colleague, Chuck Colson, was on the same journey. Ultimately, in 1973, God renewed my call to ministry, and now, in my late seventies, I am still at it. The view from Mount Hoary is lovely. All those hard places of failure were used by the Lord of time and history to get me where I was destined to be. I understand the Apostle Paul a bit better when he said, in Romans 5:2-5, ... we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Craig D. Lounsbrough put it this way: Without mountains, we might find ourselves relieved that we can avoid the pain of the ascent, but well forever miss the thrill of the summit. And in such a terribly scandalous trade-off, it is the absence of pain that becomes the thief of life. Dont let the pain of your failure rob you of the thrill of the summit. A government plan to override elements of Boris Johnsons Brexit deal with Brussels would breach international law. (Getty) A French MEP has said she is flabbergasted that the UK is prepared to break international law over Boris Johnsons Brexit deal with Brussels. Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis sparked fury on Tuesday when he admitted that changes in the Internal Market Bill would breach international law in a very specific and limited way. He defended the measure by telling MPs it was necessary to ensure Northern Ireland could continue to enjoy unfettered access to markets in the rest of the UK. But Nathalie Loiseau said the move was a huge concern. French MEP Nathalie Loiseau said Boris Johnson's plan to break the law was a 'huge concern'. (AP) She told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Im flabbergasted by what I heard yesterday. The ink of the Withdrawal Agreement is still wet. Were negotiating the future relationship and we hear that the British government seems not to believe any more in a rules-based order. This is of course a huge concern. And it creates questions and scepticism about how much you can trust your partner in negotiation for the future. You dont break international commitments in specific and limited manners. Either you break them or you abide by them. Either you are legal or you are illegal. German paper Der Spiegel was critical of Boris Johnson in a scathing editorial. (Der Spiegel) International reaction The EU has warned Britain its international reputation would be tarnished and there would be no trade deal if it tried to undercut the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, signed in January, in relation to the protocol for Northern Ireland. Reaction to the governments plan has been negative from countries around the world. German paper Der Spiegel said that the plan to break international law was a masterpiece in the the art of denial of reality. It added: As depressing, frustrating, or shocking as it may be, it isn't really surprising. Because when it comes to Northern Ireland, Boris Johnson is a repeat offender. French paper Le Monde said it was the British themselves who invented the concept of the value of an international treaty, adding: This is the red line that Boris Johnson's government seems ready to cross, despite protests from its European partners, its political opponents and even some figures from the Conservative Party. Story continues French newspaper Le Monde hit out at the government's plans. (Le Monde) One of those figures from the Conservative Party is chairman of the Commons defence committee Tobias Ellwood, who said the government should not lose sight of who we are and what we stand for He told the Today programme: This is about the rule of law and our resolve and commitment to uphold it. To unilaterally ignore any treaty in its obligations which weve signed and submitted to the United Nations would actually go against everything we believe in. Britains soft power & respected voice on the intl stage comes from our duty & resolve to defend & uphold intl laws. This cannot change as we secure Brexit -otherwise our stance in holding China/Russia/ Iran etc to account & upgrading the rules based order is severely weakened. pic.twitter.com/jprMEur3i8 Tobias Ellwood MP (@Tobias_Ellwood) September 8, 2020 He added: How can we look at countries such as China in the eye and complain about them breaching international obligations over Hong Kong, or indeed Russia over ballistic missiles, or indeed Iran over the nuclear deal if we go down this road? Across the Atlantic, the New York Times also criticised the plan, describing Johnsons move as aggressive. 1/ The Internal Market Bill that the U.K. government will publish today is a full frontal assault on devolution. And to the usual but the SNP would say that voices, read the Welsh Government view below, rightly referring to the Bill stealing powers from the devolved govts... https://t.co/iYoxyRtinS Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) September 9, 2020 Should the UK pull back from the Withdrawal Agreement, the paper said, it would be at the cost of trigging another confrontation with the EU and would raise questions about the governments commitments to the rule of law. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the new legislation would be a full-frontal assault on devolution. She added on Twitter: This UK government is the most reckless and unprincipled in my lifetime. Health secretary Matt Hancock said breaking the law was 'necessary'. (PA) Breaking the law necessary Health secretary Matt Hancock said this morning that he was comfortable with the UK breaking the law on the Withdrawal Agreement as it was necessary to preserve peace in Northern Ireland. He told Times Radio: The primary international obligation around this issue is to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland and I very much hope we conclude a deal before the end of the transition period. I think that we will and it is in everybodys interest to do so as we did last time, but I also understand why ministers have chosen to prioritise at the absolute top of that the importance of protecting the peace process in Northern Ireland. The UK left the EU on 31 January after Boris Johnson got his Brexit deal through Parliament. (AP) The governments admission on Tuesday came as the head of the government legal department Sir Jonathan Jones became the latest senior civil servant to quit his post. No reason was given for his resignation but the Financial Times reported that he was very unhappy with the proposed changes to the Withdrawal Agreement. The UK left the EU on 31 January but talks on new trade terms have made little headway as the October deadline approaches before the end of the status-quo transition arrangement in late December. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Karen Adams brings over 20 years experience leading large public and private insurance and mental health and wellness companies VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CloudMD Software & Services Inc. (TSXV: DOC, OTCQB: DOCRF, Frankfurt: 6PH) (the Company or CloudMD), a telehealth company revolutionizing the delivery of healthcare to patients, is excited to announce that it has appointed experienced healthcare executive, Karen Adams as Chief Health Innovation Officer. Karen is a tenured senior executive and has over 20 years experience in building insurance companies and driving innovation and growth in public, private and not for profit organizations supporting employee/consumer mental health and wellness. Karen is a nationally recognized leader in developing solutions for payors and individuals in mental health and wellness. Over the last 20 years, Karen was responsible for building the Employee Assistance Industry (EAP) by convincing organizations that the investment in mental health would increase productivity and wellbeing. She was responsible for creating the team that brought a focus on mental health in the workplace resulting in Canadas largest EAP provider in Canada (Shepell.fgi). Shes held various senior management positions at Morneau Shepell, SCM Insurance Services (the largest independent, privately owned provider of claims management, risk management, and medical evaluations in Canada) and mental health platform provider Snapclarity. She was previously Board Chair of Ontario Shores Foundation for mental health sciences in Ontario. One of CloudMDs key priorities is providing a holistic approach to healthcare in North America. The Company is integrating primary care and mental health resources, both publicly and privately, to ensure that patients have a personalized wellness plan with the right services for the right mental health issue. Payors and individuals in North America are searching for a single integrated solution for healthcare, shifting the focus so employees understand how to manage their mental and physical health. This shift is providing an opportunity for innovation in employer solutions to manage the holistic view of patient care. The Company understands that the siloed approach to managing health needs will not realize the outcomes that are needed in healthcare. A holistic mental and physical health view of the person supported by technology, human touch and artificial intelligence will optimize individual healthcare journeys resulting in prevention and recovery along the continuum of care. Story continues Dr. Essam Hamza, CEO of CloudMD commented, CloudMD recognizes the importance of team based, integrated, continuity of care and providing whole person healthcare solutions to our patients. Right now, in the United States, almost a quarter (22.3%) of all adults with a mental illness reported that they were unable to receive the treatment they needed and 57.2% of adults with a mental illness received no treatment at all. Over 26 million individuals in the U.S. experiencing a mental health illness are going untreated (1). It is undeniable that there is a significant disconnect between physical and mental health support. Karen is a pioneer in her field and will be instrumental in navigating CloudMD through the prevailing mental health sector and will be extremely valuable as we look to increase our scope of services by providing both physical and mental health support to our patients. We are thrilled to welcome her to our team and her experience with insurers, advisors and organizations will enable us to change the landscape on how healthcare is available in the workplace. I am excited about the possibility of transforming health and wellness for individuals by offering a new approach to managing health. An ecosystem with the patient at the centre will enable the right care at the right time for the right health issue. We believe that the industry is ready for an innovative way to approach healthcare that empowers an individual to manage their health through informed choices. The pandemic has brought the importance of individualized healthcare to the forefront. I look forward to working with the team to create industry leading offerings in managing the mental and physical health of individuals. Karen Adams, Chief Innovation Officer, CloudMD. Karen will provide vision, leadership and coordination of the Companys strategy to leverage its healthcare technology solutions and integrated platform of telehealth and EMR solutions to provide a coordinated accessible healthcare platform. Karen will focus on continuing to introduce continuity of care across the CloudMD network by utilizing pioneering approaches to wellness that will support employer, insurers and advisors ability to enhance the employee experience through focus on health. About CloudMD Software & Services CloudMD is digitizing the delivery of healthcare by providing patients access to all points of their care from their phone, tablet or desktop computer. The Company offers SAAS based health technology solutions to medical clinics across Canada and has developed proprietary technology that delivers quality healthcare through the combination of connected primary care clinics, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence (AI). CloudMD currently provides service to a combined ecosystem of 376 clinics, over 3000 licensed practitioners and almost 3 million patient charts across its servers. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Essam Hamza, MD" Chief Executive Officer FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: CloudMD Software & Services Inc. investors.cloudmd.ca Email: investors@cloudmd.ca (1) Mental Health in America Prevalence Data (https://www.mhanational.org/issues/mental-health-america-prevalence-data) Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on CloudMDs expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates, including with respect to its business plans and its intended use of the proceeds of the Offering. Although CloudMD believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and CloudMD undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, unless otherwise required to do so by law. The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/09/2020 -- Covid-19 Impact Update Global Market Research Industry Analysts at AMA constantly monitor the industry impacts of current events in real-time here is an update of how this industry is likely to be impacted as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic: Business insurance coverage protects the businesses from losses due to events which may occur during the normal course of business. There are many types of insurance for businesses which include coverage for legal liability, property damage, and employee-related risks. The market of business insurance is increasing due to the growing technological advancement in every field also growing stringent government rules and regulations due to rising property threat is further driving the overall market. While there are some aspects which are hindering the market due to tricky terms and conditions there can be negative perception related to it. Latest added Business Insurance Market research study by AMA Research offers detailed outlook and elaborates market review till 2025. The market Study is segmented by key regions that are accelerating the mercerization. At present, the market players are strategizing and overcoming challenges of current scenario; The study explored is a perfect mix of qualitative and quantitative Market data collected and validated majorly through primary data and secondary sources. Major Players in This Report Include, Allianz (Germany), AXA (France), Nippon Life Insurance (Japan), American Intl. Group (United States), Aviva (United Kingdom), Assicurazioni Generali (Italy), State Farm Insurance (United States), Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance (Japan), Munich Re Group (Germany), Zurich Financial Services (Switzerland), Prudential (United States), Asahi Mutual Life Insurance (Japan), Sumitomo Life Insurance (Japan), Aegon (Netherlands), MetLife (United States), Swiss Reinsurance (Switzerland), CNP Assurances ( France), Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company (Japan), Standard Life Assurance (United Kingdom) and WanaArtha Life (Indonesia). Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/14860-global-business-insurance-market-1 The latest edition of this report you will be entitled to receive additional chapter / commentary on latest scenario, economic slowdown and COVID-19 impact on overall industry. Further it will also provide qualitative information about when industry could come back on track and what possible measures industry players are taking to deal with current situation. Each of the segment analysis table for forecast period also high % impact on growth. This research is categorized differently considering the various aspects of this market. It also evaluates the upcoming situation by considering project pipelines of company, long term agreements to derive growth estimates. The forecast is analyzed based on the volume and revenue of this market. The tools used for analyzing the Business InsuranceMarket research report include SWOT analysis. The Business Insurancesegments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below: Type (Property Insurance, Product liability insurance, Business interruption insurance, Workers' compensation insurance, Professional liability insurance, Commercial Auto Insurance, Other), Application (Large Corporations, Small and Medium-Sized Companies), Coverage Area (Small Coverage, Medium Coverage, Full Coverage) Highlights of the report: - A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent market - Important changes in market dynamics - Market segmentation up to the second or third level - Historical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volume - Reporting and evaluation of recent industry developments - Market shares and strategies of key players - Emerging niche segments and regional markets - An objective assessment of the trajectory of the market - Recommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the market For Early Buyers | Get Up to 20-50% Discount on Various License type of this Premium Version of the Report: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/14860-global-business-insurance-market-1 The regional analysis of Business InsuranceMarket is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is the leading region across the world. Whereas, owing to rising no. of research activities in countries such as China, India, and Japan, Asia Pacific region is also expected to exhibit higher growth rate the forecast period 2020-2025. Limited scope research document specific to Country or Region meeting your business objective. GET FULL COPY OF Latest Edition of United States Business Insurancemarket study with COVID-19 Impact Analysis @ USD 2000 And, 2020 Released copy of Europe Business Insurancemarket study with COVID-19 Impact Analysis @ USD 2500 Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Business Insurance Market: Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Business Insurance market Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary the basic information of the Business Insurance Market. Chapter 3: Displayingthe Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Business Insurance Chapter 4: Presenting the Business Insurance Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis. Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2014-2019 Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Business Insurance market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions. Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source finally, Business Insurance Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies. Get More Information: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/14860-global-business-insurance-market-1 Key questions answered - Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Business Insurance market? - What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Business Insurance market? - What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Business Insurance market? - What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? Definitively, this report will give you an unmistakable perspective on every single reality of the market without a need to allude to some other research report or an information source. Our report will give all of you the realities about the past, present, and eventual fate of the concerned Market. Thanks for reading this article, we can also provide customized report as per company's specific needs. You can also get separate chapter wise or region wise report versions includingNorth America, Europe or Asia. LYNCHBURG, Va., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty announced that it will host its first-ever Faith Summit on Thursday, September 10 in Lynchburg, Virginia. This will be an action conference to confront issues that are dividing the nation and encourage unity based on our common Christian-Judeo beliefs on which our nation was founded. The summit will be available for virtual access via live stream. WHO: Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty, and Christian pastors and leaders, including Governor Mike Huckabee, Eric Metaxas, Pastor Rob McCoy, congressional candidates Kathy Barnette and Kim Klacik, and others. WHAT: Get Louder Faith Summit: Fighting for the Soul of the Nation An action conference to gather and courageously proclaim unapologetic love and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to provide encouragement and to build a strong coalition of leaders to confront issues that are dividing the nation. WHERE: Liberty University, LaHaye Center, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA WHEN: Thursday, September 10, 2020, 10:00 AM 5:00 PM EDT DETAILS: Summit moderators and participants will include former Governor Mike Huckabee, Pastor Rob McCoy, Eric Metaxas, Jack Brewer, Jenna Ellis, Charlie Kirk, former Congressman Dave Brat, and others. The invitation-only summit will feature pastors and Christian leaders delivering keynote remarks and participating in panel discussions, including: Get Louder: Awakening the Sleeping Church; Mobilizing the Next Gen; Re-Opening the American Mind; Protecting God-Given Rights; Uniting a Coalition; and Taking the Hill: Courage That Counts. STREAMING INFO: To live stream the Get Louder Faith Summit, go online to: https://watch.liberty.edu/media/t/1_3nofidki; or watch on America's Voice News streaming live at https://americasvoice.news and broadcast live on Dish Network Channel 219 and Pluto TV Channel 247. Seating at the Faith Summit is extremely limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. To request an exclusive invitation on a first-come first-served basis, send an e-mail to [email protected]. SOURCE Falkirk Center Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Indian Army has positioned its soldiers on higher peaks in the Finger 4 area on the northern bank of Pangong Tso lake and fortified its positions using barbed wire in both the north and south banks of the lake in eastern Ladakh. We have now repositioned our troops at dominating heights within our area around Finger 4 on the north bank of Pangong Tso, a senior officer confirmed. The Indian side is now able to observe all Chinese movements in and around Finger 4, which was where the flare-up first began in May. We have placed barbed wires ahead of our positions all along these areas. PLA troops in the south bank tried to remove them on Monday so as to reach our positions. But we warned them sternly of strong action, a source said. ALSO READ: India strengthens military presence at all strategic points in Pangong lake area: Sources When the PLA fired bullets into the air for intimidation, we used megaphones to convey in Mandarin that it will be dealt with sternly. After some time the Chinese went back. At present, they are about 300 metres away from Indian positions on at least three heights in south Pangong, the source said. The Chinese have now deployed battle tanks in the Spanggur Gap. They have around 15-20 tanks near Spangur Gap and are trying to intimidate us, the source said. Also, the Chinese have amassed 5,000-7,000 troops in Moldo, opposite Chushul Sector. According to sources, the top leadership in China is directly in contact with its military and is coordination all action along the LAC. Meanwhile, the Brigade commanders of both sides met in the Chushul-Moldo area. Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Joh Sung-wook speaks during a press conference at the agency's head office in Sejong, Tuesday. Courtesy of FTC By Nam Hyun-woo Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) heralded tighter investigations into monopolistic practices in app market operation and mobile phone operating systems, which appear to be targeting Google for running exclusive policies based on its market dominance. Controversies are rising over Google's looming policy to have app developers use an in-app payment system, in which Google takes a 30 percent cut from each payment made. This drew strong opposition from app developers claiming that Google is abusing its market dominance. "We believe the recent controversy over the app market fee mostly stems from lack of competition between app markets," FTC Chairwoman Joh Sung-wook said during a press conference on Tuesday. The remarks were embargoed until Wednesday morning. "Currently, the FTC is closely monitoring the impact on fair competition of a change in fee systems for app markets." Though Joh did not single out any companies by name, her remarks are interpreted as an apparent warning against Google. Sales in the Google Play Store accounted for 63.4 percent of the total app market sales available in Korea as of 2019. Both Google Play Store and Apple App Store take a 30-percent cut from in-app payments. While Apple has been forcing its in-app payment module for all apps offering in-app purchases since 2011, Google has only applied its in-app payment system to game apps, allowing other types of apps to use their own payment systems. However, Google is now planning to expand the in-app payment system to all apps bringing them under the 30-percent rule. The Korea Internet Corporations Association filed a petition to the Korea Communications Commission on Aug. 24, asking for an investigation into whether Google and Apple are violating laws related to in-app purchases. Also, Rep. Jo Seoung-lae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) tabled a revision on the Telecommunications Business Act prohibiting app market operators from forcing particular payment systems on apps. Apple has been running the 30-percent rule for all apps since the launch of its in-app payment service, while Google is attempting to apply the rule after securing market dominance with looser policies, which could be deemed as abuse of its dominant position. "In businesses related to app markets, first movers retain high market shares," Joh said. "It becomes problematic when companies controlling the market abuse their status and exclude others from competition. If dominant companies raise fees or exercise other (unfair) practices, app developers and consumers will suffer." gettyimagesbank An official at the Department of Homeland Security says he was pressured by agency leaders to suppress details in his intelligence reports that President Donald Trump might find objectionable, including intelligence on Russian interference in the election and the threat posed by white supremacists. Acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told the senior aide to stop providing intelligence assessments on Russia's interference in the United States, the now removed official said in a whistleblower complaint released on Wednesday. Brian Murphy also says in a whistle-blower complaint filed with the agency's inspector general that he was demoted from his position for refusing to do so. Murphy also said in the complaint that Wolf told him to begin reporting on Chinese and Iranian interference, and that the instructions to do so came from White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien. Tale of Chad and Vlad: The whistleblower alleges he was told by Chad Wolf not to report on Russian election interference and pivot from Vladimir Putin to China and Iran New whistleblower: Brian Murphy says that as a senior Homeland Security official he was ordered to suppress intelligence which would not 'reflect' on Donald Trump U.S. officials have said that Russia, China and Iran have been working to influence the outcome of the Nov. 3 presidential election. The former FBI agent and Marine Corps veteran had served as principal deputy under secretary in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. A copy of the complaint was released Wednesday by Rep. Adam Schiff of the House Intelligence Committee. Schiff says he has asked Murphy to testify to Congress. 'Mr. Murphy is, put simply, a dedicated public servant who has had a laudable career prior to the recent events that have led to the submission of this package to the OIG,' his complaint states. 'Prior to his current circumstances, he had never had so much as a negative fitness report in his professional career with the U.S. Government.' In his complaint, he alleges that former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, current acting Secretary Chad Wolf and his deputy, Ken Cuccinelli, repeatedly pressed him to change intelligence assessments in ways that would support administration policies or avoid offending the president. The complaint says Wolf, who has been nominated to be secretary by Trump, directed Murphy to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference to the U.S. because it 'made the President look bad.' Murphy said he declined because it would be a violation of his duties not to do it. U.S. intelligence assessments that a Russian influence operation aimed at swaying the 2016 election in Republican Donald Trump's favor has overshadowed much of his presidency with a series of investigations being dismissed by Trump as a hoax. Trump has expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose government denied election meddling. U.S. officials say Russia, China and Iran have been working to influence the 2020 election between Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Murphy's complaint said that he declined to comply with Wolf's order because doing so 'would put the country in substantial and specific danger.' On a second occasion in July, Murphy said that Wolf told him that an intelligence notification on Russian disinformation efforts should be 'held' because 'it made the president look bad.' Murphy said that he 'objected, stating that it was improper to hold a vetted intelligence product for reasons for political embarrassment. In response, Mr. Wolf took steps to exclude Mr. Murphy from relevant future meetings on the subject,' according to the complaint. Implicated: Whistleblower Brian Murphy says he was removed from his role because he refused to make intelligence palatable to Donald Trump The complaint outlined other allegations of misconduct by Trump administration officials. In one example, he said Nielsen and her deputies pressed him to ensure that intelligence assessments he produced supported administration claims that large numbers of suspected terrorists were entering the country from Mexico. He said Cuccinelli directed him to modify a section of a report on white supremacy to make the threat appear less severe, and to include information on left-wing groups to echo administration talking points around civil unrest following the protests over the killing of George Floyd. Cuccinelli, Murphy said, told him to modify the section on white supremacists 'in a manner that made the threat appear less severe, as well as include information on the prominence of violent 'left-wing' groups.' Murphy said he declined to censor or manipulate the intelligence, believing this would be 'improper administration of an intelligence program,' and that he warned one of the officials that doing so would constitute a felony. Officials said they would sit on a homeland threat assessment, according to Murphy, following expressions of 'concerns' by Wolf and Cuccinelli about how it would 'reflect upon President Trump.' DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press. NEW HAVEN Through an Assistance to Firefighters grant, obtained through a competitive process from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, city firefighters are expected to be outfitted soon with breathing apparatuses based on the latest safety standards. The breathing apparatuses used by New Haven firefighters are two generations old; parts have become more scarce and expensive, officials said Wednesday. They sound an alarm when a firefighter has roughly five minutes of oxygen left. Among other changes, firefighters now will be notified when they have about 10 to 15 minutes of oxygen left. The difference represents a lifetime when feeling your way through a dark, unfamiliar, smoke-choked building, Assistant Chief Mark Vendetto said. Mayor Justin Elicker, U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, Fire Chief John Alston and Emergency Management Director Rick Fontana celebrated the grant Wednesday, describing the new equipment as a boon to firefighters and the funds as a boon to taxpayers. Elicker said the department would be outfitted with 109 breathing apparatuses, 365 face masks and a new compressor. He praised city officials for submitting a competitive grant application, and thanked firefighters and other first responders for their service in recent months, as the city has dealt with the pandemic and major storms. Were grateful for people putting themselves at risk for the community, said Elicker. Thank you for the work you are doing every day to keep people safe. Elicker said parts for the current apparatuses have become harder to find as the technology has aged. The city would be required to purchase new packs at some point; the grant helps the city with both an immediate expense and the costs of bonding the purchase, he said. DeLauro said the funding came from a $355 million pool from the federal government, included as part of the typical appropriations process, which was open to fire departments across the country. The government will supply $836,000; the city will provide a 10 percent match, she said. She said she was pleased to be there to celebrate the new funds. Our responsibility, those of us who serve, whether its in the legislature or on the Board of Aldermen ... is to make sure that our firefighters have the best possible equipment. It protects them and it protects us, said DeLauro. They (deal) with life and death situations. ... They rush to the fore to extinguish the danger. People are rushing out, but our firefighters are rushing in. ... We are so, so grateful, and we are all humbled by your courage and your selflessness. Alston said the department was excited and happy to be able to be awarded the funds and upgrade to the latest technology. This is the next level of breathing apparatus, said Alston. This grant is going to save the citizens of New Haven a lot of money, close to a million dollars, (and) provide our firefighters with the ultimate protection, so we can send them home to their families after their tour the same or better than when they went in. Vendetto said the departments current breathing packs were built based on the National Fire Protection Associations 2007 update to its safety standards. The association has since updated its standards, in 2013 and 2018, he said. Fontana said this is the fourth consecutive year the city has obtained an Assistance to Firefighters grant. Last year, the grant paid for the departments heavy rescue vehicle, he said. I think the most important aspect of this is making sure that when firefighters enter an atmosphere thats immediately dangerous to health, that they have the right equipment. And this gives them the right equipment, said Fontana. Its a rarity to earn funds through this program year after year, DeLauro said. She praised the quality of the citys efforts that brought the funds home. Alston donned a new breathing apparatus. Along with Lt. Josh Vega and Firefighter Mike Milano, he entered a smoke-filled building on the campus of the departments training academy. Visibility in the room was non-existent; the haze, although not actually formed from harmful smoke, was thick. The three men walked through the building, then came out to rejoin the small crowd safe and sound. The Board of Alders still has to formally vote to accept the funding, according to city spokesman Gage Frank. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com [September 09, 2020] Astute Acquires Socialbakers to Strengthen Customer Experience Offering with Social Media Marketing Astute, Inc.("Astute") a leading customer engagement and Voice of the Customer ("VoC") platform, today announced its acquisition of Socialbakers a.s. ("Socialbakers"), a market-leading unified social media marketing platform. The acquisition will allow global brands to manage research, content, engagement, social listening and VoC in a single software-as-a-service (" SaaS (News - Alert) ") platform. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005665/en/ Socialbakers' AI-powered social media marketing platform is used by more than 2,500 enterprise and mid-market brands around the world. Socialbakers' SaaS platform enables brands to reach and engage with audiences across social media channels via one unified platform. With consumers spending increasingly more time discovering content, engaging with brands, and purchasing products online, social media has become the primary channel for brands to deliver exceptional customer experience, from the first touchpoint to post-purchase care. Astute's current AI-driven solutions cover a broad range of applications, including a robust omnichannel customer engagement platform, Voice of the Customer, and customer relationship management ("CRM") systems. Astute is an end-to-end solution for interacting across all channels where today's consumers want to engage with brands, eliminating friction while capturing first-party data to drive insights across the business. The company has been supporting global brands' customer experience improvement initiatives for 25 years. "The lines between customer care, customer experience, and marketing have become increasingly blurred, presenting real challenges for companies," said Mark Zablan, CEO of Astute. "Combining the market-leading social media marketing capabilities of Socialbakers with Astute's engagement suite not only helps our customers tackle this challenge more effectively, but also marks a major milestone along Astute's jurney towards becoming the end-to-end customer engagement platform that the Chief Customer Officer needs to succeed." "Consumer demand for outstanding omnichannel customer experience means brands are looking for a unified platform to manage the customer journey across all touchpoints," said Yuval Ben-Itzhak (News - Alert) , CEO at Socialbakers. "We are very excited to be joining with Astute to provide brands with an integrated customer experience platform, enabling them to deliver a best-in-class experience across the entire omnichannel customer journey. Today, many brands are already leveraging both of the Socialbakers and Astute platforms, and we are looking forward to expanding our combined offering to brands and businesses around the world." This transaction marks an important step in Astute's mission to becoming the Chief Customer Officer's platform of choice. The company's momentum is also evidenced by recent developments such as the addition of experienced SaaS technology executive Mark Zablan as CEO, acquiring VoC leader iperceptions, bringing on new customers such as The Emerson Group, and winning multiple awards including the 2020 Stevie Award for Most Innovative Tech Company and Business Intelligence Group's Best Places to Work Award. About Astute Astute is a full-service end-to-end customer engagement platform for the world's largest global brands. Astute unifies all first-party data across the customer journey, offering AI-driven customer self-service, agent desktop CRM, social media management, and powerful Voice of the Customer tracking and analytics. No matter how customers choose to engage, Astute elevates the interaction while capturing invaluable first-party data to improve the journey. Winner of the 2020 Stevie Award for Most Innovative Tech Company and CUSTOMER Magazine's 2020 Contact Center Technology Award, Astute's commitment to innovating the customer experience is well-recognized in the market. Learn more at?astutesolutions.com. About Socialbakers Socialbakers is the trusted social media management partner to thousands of enterprise and mid-market brands. Leveraging the largest social media data-set in the industry, Socialbakers' AI-powered social media marketing suite helps brands large and small ensure their investment in social media is delivering measurable business outcomes. With over 2,500 clients across 100 countries, Socialbakers is the leading social media management platform, tracking 10 million social profiles across all major social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn (News - Alert) , Pinterest, Google+, and VK.com. Socialbakers has been a Facebook Marketing Partner since 2011, a Pinterest Marketing Partner since 2017 and a LinkedIn Marketing Partner since 2017. For more information, visit www.socialbakers.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005665/en/ [ Back To SIP Trunking Home's Homepage ] NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Forum's DPHARM event, the world's leading conference on decentralized clinical trials, today announced that it has received a record number of speaking submissions across the pharmaceutical industry to present on the rapid deployment of decentralized clinical trials at the 10th annual event, to be held virtually on September 22-23. DPHARM will feature more than 20 talks from pharma companies, which will share learnings from decentralizing clinical trials during the COVID pandemic, with representation from EMD Serono, Janssen, Pfizer, Novartis, GSK, BMS, Roche, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Takeda, Boehringer Inghelheim UCB, Vertex, BMS, Regeneron and more. Leading CROs and tech, software and service companies that have been on the front lines partnering to rapidly decentralize clinical trial technologies and services will also be speaking. These include IQVIA, Parexel, PRA Health, Oracle Health Sciences, Microsoft, TrialSpark, Science37, Trialscope, Edetek, Thread, Saama, Tasso, BBK and Elligo to name a few. "We are especially delighted to welcome Dr Amy Abernerthy, Principal Deputy Commissioner of the FDA and one of the leading voices on modernizing clinical trials, to speak on decentralized clinical trials as well as real world data, technology and patient centrality," said Valerie Bowling, DPHARM Director. DPHARM's strong growth over the past 10 years is due to its commitment to a patient-centered vision that resonates with R&D leaders, who are united in the shared goal of increasing virtual and flexible trial options. DPHARM's additional achievements include: 300% growth in total attendance since launch 5X growth in speaking faculty since launch The most keynote-level speakers for a decentralized clinical trial-focused event One of the first R&D conferences to include patient perspectives The formation of DPHARM Idol which highlights young entrepreneurial companies demonstrating their ability to disrupt an aspect of clinical trials DPHARM-launched sister events to help reduce the gaps between care, industry and patients, including Patients as Partners, Mobile in Clinical Trials and CRAACO Technology sessions focused on solving industry issues A dedicated quarterly DPHARM newsletter highlighting voices from all sides of R&D committed to bold ideas to reduce barriers for patients to participate in clinical research MOSCOW: Russia summoned Germanys ambassador on Wednesday to accuse Berlin of using the case of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to discredit Moscow and demanded that Germany immediately hand over medical data about his illness. Navalny, an opponent of President Vladimir Putin, was airlifted to Berlin for treatment after falling ill in Russia. Germany says he was poisoned with a rare nerve agent, but Moscow says it has seen no solid evidence of that in a case prompting Western calls for new sanctions on Moscow. A strong protest was made to the ambassador in connection with Germanys unfounded accusations and ultimatums as well as Berlins obvious use of the situation to discredit our country on the international stage," Russias foreign ministry said. Moscow, it added, told the German envoy that Russia expected a response to an Aug. 27 request for information including all medical data, biomaterials, examination results and test samples to be studied and verified. German government vice-spokeswoman Martina Fietz said it had done everything necessary to help answer Russian requests and Navalnys case was now a matter for the judiciary. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Russia would need to see proper medical information indicating Navalny was poisoned before Moscow could open an investigation. Navalnys lawyer told German television station SWR that Russia was actively preventing an investigation. Vyacheslav Grimaldi added that he would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights should legal avenues in Russia be exhausted. The German ambassador to Moscow spent around two hours inside the foreign ministry before leaving without making any comments to reporters. 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 When someone asked Leon Fleisher who were the greatest pianists of the 20th century, the American keyboard virtuoso reportedly offered two names, Vladimir Horowitz and Glenn Gould. In recounting the anecdote recently, James Anagnoson, dean of the Royal Conservatorys Glenn Gould School and a member of Canadas foremost piano duo, Anagnoson and Kinton, said there were actually three, the third being Fleisher himself. Of the three, Fleisher, who died a few weeks ago at the age of 92, was undoubtedly the least famous, thanks to an attack of focal dystonia in is mid-30s brought on, he insisted, by over-practising which for years deprived him of the use of his right hand. He did go on to champion and expand the repertoire for left hand and eventually recovered partial use of his right, but the resulting career was necessarily lower-key than might have been expected. What became evident is that it made possible his becoming one of the major teachers of his generation. Among his students at the University of Michigan, one of a number of schools with which he became associated, was Peter Simon, who took a doctorate under Fleishers tutelage and eventually became president of the Royal Conservatory. When we were planning to set up the Glenn Gould School (now the conservatorys professional wing), he recalls, we aimed to create a great school and Leon was the first artist I approached to join us. I think of him as the schools godfather. He set the standard. Because of his other teaching commitments, particularly with Johns Hopkins Universitys Peabody Institute, where he had been teaching since 1959, Fleisher was unable to accept a full-time appointment. But in the early years, Anagnoson points out, he dropped in almost every couple of weeks and always wanted to return. What made him a special teacher? He never taught the same piece the same way, Anagnoson says. He always taught the person. Students always play early and he would tell them, You need to play as late as you can without playing late. Simon agrees. He was a musical father figure to me. He had something of a Socratic approach, asking you what you were trying to do and helping you analyze how to do it. As a fellow teacher at the conservatory I experienced the effect he had on students, who would come into my class after rehearsing with the Conservatory Orchestra, saying Leon Fleisher doesnt have much of a conducting technique, but he knows how to inspire. Even as a pianist he was never a showy musician. Listen to his classic performances of the Beethoven and Brahms concerti recorded with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell and you will find a naturalness at odds with the image of the virtuoso. I was lucky enough to hear both Vladimir Horowitz and Glenn Gould live and they were showmen. Fleisher just played and it sounded just right. He played his first concert with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra back in 1955 under Sir Ernest MacMillan and his last appearance with the orchestra took place in his 90th year. He remained a performing artist, but those who encountered him only in the concert hall or on records missed the important role he played in the shaping of the next generation of musicians. In addition to his university and conservatory work, he had a long association with the Boston Symphony Orchestras Tanglewood Music Center where he was artistic director from 1985 to 1997, his kindness and sense of humour complementing his erudition to produce a kind of teaching rooted in humanism. A few years ago he surprised some of his students and colleagues by releasing a CD album titled All The Things You Are and, yes, the title comes from a song by Jerome Kern. It was an album with left-hand arrangements of Kern, Gershwin and even the Brahms adaptation of Bachs famous Chaconne. He made one hand convincingly do the work of two. But it wasnt a stunt. Fleishers fingers were servant to his mind and that minds utter devotion to musical meaning. Horowitz and Gould perhaps enjoyed louder applause. But to thoughtful musicians, Fleisher was their peer. The title of his autobiography? My Nine Lives. He lived them well. WL William Littler is a Toronto-based classical music writer and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Read more about: Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci criticized President Donald Trump as 'rudderless' in dealing with the coronavirus, according to Bob Woodward's bombshell new book. The nation's top infectious disease expert made the comment to an associate, according to Woodward's book 'Rage.' Excerpts of the book came out Wednesday. Trump's 'attention span is like a minus number,' Woodward quotes Fauci as saying. 'His sole purpose is to get reelected,' according to the book, which reports Fauci told other players that Trump is on a separate channel and wasn't focussed in meetings. Those searing comments, contained in Washington Post excerpts, came on a day Fauci said he is 'frustrated' by large political gatherings where many people aren't wearing masks even as he once again sought to temper what might come off as public criticism of Trump. Fauci called on public officials to 'set an example' following a Trump rally in North Carolina attended by thousands of people. Fauci, who for months has tried to balance his desire to share public health warnings without drawing headlines that put him at odds with President Trump, was asked on 'CBS This Morning' if it was frustrating for him as an expert to see rallies with large contingents of unmasked people. 'The president continues to hold these massive rallies where people are not wearing masks including the president himself,' interviewer Gayle King asked Fauci. Trump spoke to thousands in Winston-Salem on Tuesday. Some attendees, like those behind him here, wore masks, but many in the crowd were maskless 'Well, yes, it is. I've said that often,' Fauci responded. 'That situation is we want to set an example. Because we know that when you do four or five typical kind of public health measures: mask, physical distance, avoiding crowds, making sure you do most things outdoors versus indoors,' he continued. 'Those are the kinds of things that turn around surges and also prevent us from getting surges. So I certainly would like to see universal wearing of masks,' he said. President Trump speaks to the large crowd during a Make America Great Again Rally for President Trump at the Smith Reynolds Regional Airport in Winston-Salem, NC Many people a few rows back from the president did not wear masks 'His sole purpose is to get reelected,' infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci is quoted as saying about Trump in a new book by Bob Woodward Bob Woodward interviewed the president as the virus was raging Fauci spoke as many states have reached a plateau in their coronavirus cases, but the nation has not yet experienced the steep downward slope some nations have achieved. The U.S. has experienced more than 190,000 deaths from COVID-19, with more than 6 million infections. Fauci spoke hours after Trump staged two campaign rallies, one in Jupiter, Florida and another in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Hundreds gathered for the outdoor event, where the Winston-Salem Journal reported red hats outnumbered masks 100-1. A bank of people seated immediately behind Trump did include many people wearing masks. Trump himself didn't wear one. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Telugu serial actress K Sravani, known for her roles in serials such as Mouna Raagam and Manasu Mamatha, died by suicide on Tuesday night. Sravani's parents have alleged that her boyfriend, Devaraj, was harassing her and this led her to take the extreme step. She was a resident of Madhuranagar, under the SR Nagar police limits and was living with Devaraj. According to police, Shravani had met Devaraj on Tiktok a few months ago and they bonded well. Since a few months, Devaraj has been allegedly harassing the actress by blackmailing her, regarding some videos shot by him on smartphone. On Tuesday night, Sravani returned home after finishing shooting. She took the extreme step in her bathroom, by hanging herself from the ceiling. In the early hours of Wednesday, her neighbours informed the police. A complaint is lodged with the police in connection with the case. Police shifted her body to the mortuary for examining postmortem. (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA's 24x7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance) When The Military Times released new survey results last week showing President Donald Trumps falling support among service members, it seemed like that would be Trumps worst military news of the week. Then came Thursday. Senior administration officials shared with The Atlantic a slew of incendiary and derogatory comments Trump has made in the last three years against U.S. service members, past and present. The comments are, predictably, bad. The first took place on Memorial Day 2017 in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery where veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. Trump arrived with then-Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and others. Kellys son Robert, also a Marine, is buried in Section 60. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. While visiting the younger Kellys gravesite, Trump reportedly turned to his future chief of staff and said, "I dont get it. What was in it for them?" As bizarre and hurtful as that comment presumably was, The Atlantic says Trump saved special vitriol for the late Sen. John McCain. McCain, of course, is widely regarded as an American hero for enduring torture for five years in a North Vietnamese prison. When McCain died in 2018, Trump told his close circle, "Were not going to support that losers funeral." When he saw flags lowered to half-staff, Trump demanded to know "what the (expletive) are we doing that for? Guy was a (expletive) loser." I never agreed with McCain on anything policy-related, but this boggles the mind. Of course, it didnt end there. In 2018, Trump was scheduled to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris. That was until he reportedly asked senior officials that morning, "Why should I go to that cemetery? Its filled with losers." He apparently made the same remark about former President George H.W. Bush, calling him a "loser" for being shot down by the Japanese in World War II. When Trump speaks of American military dead, Republicans and Democrats alike, its always about "losers." But thats not the only word he uses. On the same trip, according to The Atlantic, he referred to the more than 1,800 marines killed at Belleau Wood as "suckers." And because there is no bottom, it gets worse. In 2018, as Trump was planning a military parade at the White House, he asked senior staff not to include wounded veteran amputees because people would feel uncomfortable around them. "Nobody wants to see that," he reportedly said. All this invective aimed at the military was confirmed by The Associated Press. The Washington Post also confirmed Trumps statements, adding an absolute doozy that would end any other presidential administration. Of course Trump and administration officials vehemently dispute the claims. According to the Post, a former senior administration official said Trump referred to soldiers missing in action, again, as "losers." The source told the Post that Trump said MIA troops "had performed poorly and gotten caught and deserved what they got." Losers, losers, losers, losers, suckers. They "deserved what they got." If youre in the military, thats what Trump thinks of you. These are his words, not mine. If you have a family member in the military a child, a parent or a sibling then this is what Trump thinks of them. Unfortunately, none of this is surprising; the scandalous private comments are only versions of what weve all heard him say in public. Trump has disparaged the military time and again, from when he said, "I like people who werent captured" to his denigration of the Khan family, whose son was killed in Iraq. His actions are even worse. He deeply offended the U.S. Army by abandoning our Kurdish allies in Syria and Iraq. He said nothing to Vladimir Putin when it was reported that the Russian government had paid bounties for the deaths of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. I was standing in Section 60 at Arlington when Trumps motorcade arrived with Kelly that Memorial Day in 2017. It was my last Memorial Day in Washington before moving back to Texas after eight years. As soon as he stepped out of the limo, my friends and I began walking toward the exit. Unlike most veterans at the time, we knew he would defile the moment and the sacred ground on which we stood. We didnt want to stick around for it. Trump still had the support of most of the military on that day. Even earlier last week, he couldve counted on the 37% of service members who said they were going to vote for him. But most of that has to disappear now. And he has no one but himself, in all his broken sullenness, to blame. The thing about Trumps disdain for the military is that it goes both ways. Brandon Friedman is an entrepreneur and former Obama administration official. He served as an infantry officer in the Armys 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan and Iraq. MUMBAI : Mortgage financier Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd has launched a qualified institutional placement (QIP) offering to raise funds from institutional investors, the company said in a stock exchange filing on Wednesday. Indiabulls aims to raise around 735 crore through the QIP, according to a person aware of the companys fundraising plans. A QIP is a fundraising route that allows listed companies to raise capital through equity or equity linked instruments quickly. Indiabulls has set a floor price of 206.7 per share. On Wednesday, the companys shares closed at 201.15 apiece, down 0.54% on the BSE, while the benchmark Sensex closed trading at 38,193.92 points, down 0.45%. The company intends to use the proceeds from the share sale to augment its capital adequacy ratio and maintain liquidity to meet funding requirements of its business activities, it said in an offer document filed with the exchanges. IDFC Securities and SBI Capital Markets are advising Indiabulls Housing on the fundraise. In a separate filing, the company said that it is exploring various options for a partial divestment of its equity shareholding in UK-based OakNorth Bank Ltd, in one or more tranches. The divestment shall result in boosting capital adequacy ratio and shall free up capital to grow the companys loan book. The firm had invested 663 crore in November 2015 for a 40% stake in the bank. Within two years of this, in November 2017, the company recouped its investment by selling approximately 10% of the bank to the government of Singapore-owned investment arm GIC for 770 crore," Indiabulls Housing Finance filing added. Founded in 2015, OakNorth Bank has grown its deposits to just under 3 billion and its loan book to over 4 billion, the company added. Last month, Sameer Gehlaut, co-founder and chairman of Indiabulls Housing Finance, stepped down from his position in the mortgage lender. Gehlaut, who was replaced by S.S. Mundra, former deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India, took charge as the chief executive of subsidiary Indiabulls Ventures. Gehlaut will continue as a non-executive, non-independent director of Indiabulls Housing Finance and will focus on growing the consumer finance and healthcare business through Indiabulls Ventures. 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 SPRINGFIELD The Springfield Police Department celebrated the promotion of 11 new supervisory officers with a pinning ceremony Wednesday at the Carriage House at Forest Park. The newly promoted officers one lieutenant and 10 sergeants will be instrumental in the future of the department, said Police Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood. She said that while she and her senior officers determine the policy and direction of the department, its the lieutenants and in particular the sergeants who work the closest with the 370 rank-and-file patrol officers. They provide supervision and mentorship and enforce discipline, she said. Police work nowadays is definitely a team sport, she said. I count immensely on the lieutenants and sergeants. Moving up to the rank of sergeant represents a significant change, she said. Thats going from always having to be concerned about yourself and being responsible for yourself to now being concerned and responsible for others, she said. You have to start thinking outside the box. You cant be a selfish individual and be a sergeant. Promoted to sergeant were Jacob Werbicki, Emily Dunn, Eric Podgurski, Reinaldo Bermudez, Dennis Hackett Jr., Eugene Roux, Edward VanZandt III, Jacob Strange, William Catellier and Daniel Johnson. Mel Kwatowski was promoted to lieutenant in April, but his pinning ceremony was delayed until Wednesday. He had been a sergeant since 2015. The department, which has seen its reputation tarnished over the last decade by multiple cases of officer misconduct, has also seen many newer officers coming onboard in the last five years, and more police academy classes are on the way. You have a lot of young women and men who will be under your command that are counting on you to build them up, to help them do the right thing, Clapprood said. And you have me counting on you to hold them accountable, to ask the best of them every day. She thanked them for being willing to be a part of my team, and to help me make the Springfield Police Department, once again, the finest police department in New England. Mayor Domenic Sarno said police are sometimes called to make split-second decisions, and its the role of the sergeants and lieutenants to say this is how you handle this situation, this is how you do not handle this situation. You cannot put a price tag on that. Dunn, the lone woman in the group, said afterward that the promotion leaves her feeling both nervous and excited. The new responsibilities that come with command account for the nervousness, she said. But at the same time, she said, its exciting to go out and help change for maybe just one person the perception of the department. An eight-year member of the department, she spent four years preparing for the sergeants exam. Dunn is acutely aware that she is just the second Hispanic woman to earn a supervisory position in the department. The first was Naomi Reyes, who was promoted to sergeant in April. Dunn said she is taking on the added responsibility of being a role model, and if young people see her in her role as a supervisor, perhaps they will try to follow in her footsteps. You can probably count on one hand the number of female supervisors in the department, from myself up to Commissioner Clapprood, she said. Here are biographies of the new supervisors, supplied by the Springfield Police Department. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday said he held "excellent talks" with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during which they discussed bilateral strategic ties and exchanged views on the international situation. Jaishankar is in the Russian capital city of Moscow on a four-day visit to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). "Pleasure to meet FM Sergey Lavrov, this time in person. Excellent talks that reflect our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Value our exchanges on the international situation," Jaishankar tweeted. Pleasure to meet FM Sergey Lavrov, this time in person. Excellent talks that reflect our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Value our exchanges on the international situation. pic.twitter.com/e9ztsiuy8l Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 9, 2020 Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow during which he appreciated the steadfast support provided by Russia in response to the country's defence and security needs. Singh, who was on a three-day visit to Russia to attend a crucial meeting of the SCO, pressed for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held separate bilateral meetings with his Kyrgyz and Tajik counterparts and discussed ways to boost India's strategic partnership with the two Central Asian countries. "A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines," Jaishankar tweeted after his first bilateral meeting of the day. The two leaders discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. "Agreed to further enhance our strategic partnership in all spheres," Jaishankar wrote. Jaishankar thanked Aidarbekov for the support in facilitating the return of Indian nationals from the Central Asian country. Air India operated several flights under Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate its nationals stranded in other nations due to lockdown. About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. A few businessmen are engaged in trade and services in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Indian Embassy in Bishkek. Jaishankar later said he held a warm meeting with Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin. "Pleased with our growing bilateral and regional cooperation. Highly value this strategic partnership," Jaishankar tweeted. FELTON, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global education and learning analytics market size is estimated to attain USD 49.12 billion, by the end of 2025, and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 17.4% from 2019 to 2025, according to a new report by Million Insights. Growing trend of e-learning practices such as learning management systems, mobile learning is expected to propel the market growth. These learning technologies improve the teaching and student efficiency. In the educational sector, the learning analytical solutions are gaining in popularity. These tools help to analyze and take faster decisions with high efficiency. These analytical tools provide data-driven information, which helps to enhance the performance of students. Personalized lessons are made from decisions through data to address the needs of learning students. Please click here to get the sample pdf and find more details on "Education & Learning Analytics Market" Report 2025. In the enterprise sector, medium and small business owners are investing in learning analytical solutions owing to its benefits in different applications. These solutions provide real-time data for customers, supply chain, and production facilities to enhance their operational capabilities. Moreover, it also offers personalized and customized training practices which enable greater return on investment and also helps to determine key performance indicator. All these key factors are projected to surge the demand for learning and educational tools in the coming few years. Major players in the education and learning analytics market include IBM Corporation, Blackboard Inc., Oracle, D2L Corporation, Microsoft, Micro Strategy Inc. and Tableau Software, Inc. Further key findings from the report suggest: Prescriptive type segment is anticipated to grow at the CAGR of over 20.0% from 2019 to 2025. Academic segment is projected to propel at substantial rate over the forecasted period. This growth is attributed by increasing concerns like student retention, feedback in the educational institutes. Based on end use, enterprise segment is anticipated to hold the largest share in the overall market. Services segment in component is projected to grow at significant rate, due to rising adoption of learning tools in enterprise and academics sector. In 2018, North America led the market with highest share; it is projected to dominate its position in the next few years. Browse 171 page research report with TOC on "Global Education and Learning Analytics Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/global-education-learning-analytics-market Million Insights has segmented the global education & learning analytics market based on type, deployment, component, end use and region: Browse latest market research reports available with Million Insights: Education and Learning Analytics Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025) Descriptive Predictive Prescriptive Education and Learning Analytics Deployment Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025) On-premise Cloud Education and Learning Analytics Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025) Software Services Managed Professional Consulting Support & maintenance Education and Learning Analytics End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025) Academics K12 Higher education Enterprises Retail Financial services Healthcare Public sector Others Education and Learning Analytics Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. Germany Asia Pacific China India Australia Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa C-RAN Market - The global C-RAN market size was worth USD 8.47 billion in 2019. The market is estimated to register 22.7% CAGR over the forecast duration, 2020 to 2027. Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) is a centralized radio access network. in 2019. The market is estimated to register 22.7% CAGR over the forecast duration, 2020 to 2027. Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) is a centralized radio access network. Smart Cities Market - The global smart cities market size was accounted for USD 83.9 billion in 2019. The market is projected to witness 24.7% CAGR over the forecast period, 2020 to 2027. Owing to the increasing awareness for "smart everything", the smart cities concept is gaining traction. in 2019. The market is projected to witness 24.7% CAGR over the forecast period, 2020 to 2027. Owing to the increasing awareness for "smart everything", the smart cities concept is gaining traction. Flexible Display Market - The global flexible display market size was accounted for USD 6.98 billion in 2018 and expected to grow with a CAGR of 28.1% over the forecast period, from 2019 to 2025. Factors such as growing adoption of display-based consumer electronic devices and increasing demand for light-weight, flexible, and energy-efficient gadgets are driving the market growth. in 2018 and expected to grow with a CAGR of 28.1% over the forecast period, from 2019 to 2025. Factors such as growing adoption of display-based consumer electronic devices and increasing demand for light-weight, flexible, and energy-efficient gadgets are driving the market growth. Flat Glass Market - The global flat glass market size was worth USD 115.8 billion in 2019. It is estimated that the market would exhibit 7.3% CAGR revenue-wise over the forecast duration, 2020 to 2027. Construction activities have recovered in North America while emerging regions such as Asia Pacific is witnessing significant development in new construction. About Million Insights: Million Insights, is a distributor of market research reports, published by premium publishers only. We have a comprehensive market place, that will enable you to compare data points, before you make a purchase. Enabling informed buying, is our motto and we strive hard to ensure that our clients get to browse through multiple samples, prior to an investment. Service flexibility & the fastest response time are two pillars, on which our business model is founded. Our market research report store, includes in-depth reports, from across various industry verticals, such as healthcare, technology, chemicals, food & beverages, consumer goods, material science & automotive. Contact: Ryan Manuel Research Support Specialist, USA Million Insights Phone: +1-408-610-2300 Toll Free: 1-866-831-4085 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.millioninsights.com/ Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Million Insights Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 19:16:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) held here has demonstrated China's determination and confidence in economic globalization, experts worldwide have said. They added that Xi's speech has also shown China's willingness to work together with other countries to push for a global economic recovery. "We hope that this year's CIFTIS, held under the theme of 'Global Services, Shared Prosperity,' will present an opportunity and serve as a platform and a bridge for people from across the world to fully showcase the new progress and breakthroughs in services trade and share in the new technologies and benefits of human progress," said Xi, while addressing the Global Trade in Services Summit of the CIFTIS via video on Friday. Noting China has effectively controlled the COVID-19 pandemic and its economy continues to recover, Guo Jie, professor in finance at Durham University of Britain, said the CIFTIS reflects the strong momentum and vitality of China's economy and will promote the high-quality development of China's service industry. The fair will help accelerate the establishment of a new development pattern featuring dual circulation, which takes the domestic market as the mainstay while letting domestic and foreign markets boost each other, said Guo. It will also help the global economy find a way out of the crisis and achieve a recovery from the recession, Guo added. Li Yuan, professor of Institute of East Asian Studies at University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, said the CIFTIS sends a clear message to the world that China's economy is recovering and the country is willing to join hands with others to promote the recovery of the world economy as soon as possible. Xi's inspiring words have boosted the confidence of all countries in coping with this difficult moment in human history, said Li. Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, former economic advisor to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said China's holding of the CIFTIS has once again demonstrated that China is not only an active promoter of global multilateralism but also a significant contributor to the building of a more reasonable global political and economic order and the cause of equal development. China is taking concrete actions to push global governance to develop in a more equitable manner, said Costantinos. Noting the CIFTIS offers new solutions to problems in a more connected world, Alvaro Echeverria, vice president of the Asia Pacific Chamber of Commerce in Chile, said China is working with its partners from all over the world to create new business and service models. The CIFTIS will play a very positive role in the recovery of the world economy, Echeverria said. Oh Ei Sun, principal advisor of Malaysia's Pacific Research Center, said the holding of the CIFTIS will help countries conduct more in-depth exchanges in services. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, Oh said he expected China to play a greater role in promoting the liberalization of the services trade. Alexey Maslov, acting director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of Russian Academy of Sciences, said the structure of global trade has dramatically changed amid the pandemic and services have become vital in promoting trade. China attaches great importance to trade in services and has huge potential in this area, said Maslov. Calling China's holding of the CIFTIS a positive move, Maria Gustava, Mozambique's ambassador to China, said the fair demonstrates that there are diverse ways to promote investment and service exchanges among countries even amid the pandemic. "China, by taking such strong measures as hosting the CIFTIS despite the risks and challenges of COVID-19, demonstrates its resolve to attain a higher level of opening-up to the outside world," said Yu Hong, senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore. "The CIFTIS will be beneficial not only to the development of the service industry in China, but also to stabilizing the service industry elsewhere when global economies have been badly battered by COVID-19," Yu said. Enditem President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was nominated by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, an ultra-conservative member of the Norwegian Parliament, who praised Trump for his efforts towards resolving conflicts worldwide, Xinhua news agency reported. Tybring-Gjedde, an immigration sceptic who nominated Trump in 2018 for his meeting with Kim Jong-Un in Singapore, claimed not to be connected to the US President. Insisting he is not a Trump supporter, he said: "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News. "The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing," he said. Tybring-Gjedde, who is a four-term Progress Party member of the Norwegian Parliament who also serves as chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said the Trump administration deserved to be honoured for its role in the establishment of relations between the UAE and Israel. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media FAIRFIELD Just one day before schools reopened, Superintendent of Schools Mike Cummings said robocalls about the first day of school being postponed were fake. In a Monday memo to families shared by members of the Board of Education, Cummings said parents may have received a robocall about the first day of school being pushed back two weeks. , , , 120 25000 , 252 154 , 24 62 78 98 , , 94 1000 251.66 , 162.64 , 102.45 , 101.72 87.56 Odisha Weather Forecast News Update: , An estimated 45 million people in southern Africa are food insecure, with the number of people without access to adequate, affordable and nutritious food up 10% from last year, the World Food Program said Monday. The coronavirus pandemic, coupled with climate change and the struggling economies of several countries, are the main causes of the food insecurity, said international aid organizations in a webinar organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of Southern Africa. Zimbabwe is the country affected the most, with the number of its food insecure people expected to reach 8.6 million by the end of this year, World Food Program director in southern Africa, Lola Castro, said. "We are going to see levels of food insecurity that we have never seen for many years," in 13 of the region's 16 countries, Castro said. "We have chronic underlying causes that we know very well, and they are basically mostly related to climatic shocks ... drought, floods or big cyclones," Castro said. She said COVID-19, the disease caused by the coonavirus, was an additional emergency that has enormously hurt the livelihoods of many poor people in the region. Lockdowns have made large numbers of people unemployed, increasing food insecurity, she said. Many farmers, especially women, had been severely affected by COVID-19 and its impact on food production, ActionAid Africa humanitarian adviser Chikondi Chabvuta said. "Southern Africa has faced impacts of climate change for the past four years nonstop. ... I have witnessed the short-lived hope in people's eyes these past four years when seeds are distributed or exchanged in the hope for a better yield next season, only to be disappointed by more climate disasters," she said. "COVID-19 is exposing the existing systematic weaknesses of the regional policies meant to develop resilient food security," Chabvuta said. "This includes reliance on imports for agricultural production for food supply." Zimbabwean farmer Juliet Hove said lack of access to water and the markets were also major problems for small-scale farmers in her country. According to Hove, COVID-19 restrictions on movements were preventing small-scale farmers from traveling to marketplaces to sell seeds and produce, reducing their ability to earn an income. Participants of the consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on resolving the situation in Donbas agreed on a joint inspection near the Shumy settlement with the participation of OSCE coordinator representative. "The Ukrainian side will provide logistics and security guarantees to all participants in the inspection," the press service of the President's Office of Ukraine said following an extraordinary meeting of the TCG in the format of a videoconference, which took place on Wednesday in order to prevent a breakdown of the full and comprehensive ceasefire in Donbas. The President's Office said that the OSCE has once again confirmed the inconsistency of any accusations against the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the Shumy settlement from July 5 to September 2. Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Yasar Halit Cevik said that this fact was stated in their report dated September 5, 2020. Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG Leonid Kravchuk said that today gives hope for the implementation of the ceasefire regime in the future by all parties. "To this end, the Ukrainian side will use any mechanisms both within the TCG and within the Normandy Format, which will save the lives of Ukrainian servicemen and civilians. We remain fully committed to the peace process and implementation of the agreements reached," he said. Earlier in the media there was information about the order of the so-called head of the "DPR" Denys Pushylin from September 7 to start shelling Ukrainian positions in the area of the village of Shumy. Pushylin said that the Ukrainian servicemen allegedly violated one of the points of the ceasefire agreement and started to illegally set up positions in the area of the village. The Ukrainian Armed Forces denied the charges. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) observers in their report of September 5 also confirmed the absence of any changes in the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the specified area. 09.09.2020 LISTEN Toh/Tovie Clan of Adidome is cautioning the general public to cease dealing with Mr. Samuel Yao Adzimah, then known as Togbe Kwasinyi Agyeman IV in any matters regarding the Clan (Kingmakers of Adidome) or in respect of anything concerning traditional authority over Mafi Adidome. The clan says he remains a destooled chief and should therefore not be entertained or accorded any recognition and courtesies as the Fia of Adidome. In a statement copied to ModernGhana News, the Stool Father and Head of the Toh/Tovie Clan of Adidome, Zikpuitor/Hlortator Seth Kwabla Fiagbenu said Mr. Samuel Yao Adzimah who ruled for 6years was destooled on 3rd December, 1980 by his Kingmakers in accordance with customs and tradition. Mr Samuel Yao Adzimah destoolment, he noted, was officially acknowledged and effected by the National House of Chiefs (NHC) on 2nd April, 1992, currently, records of the Register of Chiefs at the NHC (attached), confirms his status as a destooled chief. According to him, over the years, Mr Samuel Yao Adzimah in self-grand-style continued to hold himself as the Chief of Adidome, in complete defiance of restrictions placed on him by the laws of Ghana and by his status as a destooled chief. He added that Mr Samuel Yao Adzimah is parading around claiming he was reinstated by the Head of State at the time. But his Kingmakers and Clan Elders insisted and still insist that no President/Head of State has the right to choose or impose a Chief on a people when his Kingmakers have rightfully destooled him after he had grossly breached his traditional oath of office, Zikpuitor/Hlortator Seth Kwabla Fiagbenu intimated. He stresses that the clan has taken steps to report his conduct to the Police to initiate criminal action against Mr Samuel Yao Adzimah and against any individual or institution who might still deal with him in his self-arrogated capacity as the Fia of Adidome. He is asking the general public to deal with Amega John Yao Fiagbenu as the Regent of the Toh/Tovie Clan of Adidome until a new Chief is enstooled. Zikpuitor/Hlortator Seth Kwabla Fiagbenu added, Accordingly, in all matters that require the presence, support, attention or the consent of the Chief or our Stool and Clan, either in the Adidome, the Mafi Traditional Area or anywhere else, they should be directed to the Regent of the stool in the person of Regent John Yao Fiagbenu and the Stool Father and Head of Clan, Zikpuitor/Hlortator Seth Kwabla Fiagbenu. Read full release below: CONFIRMATION OF THE DESTOOLMENT OF TOGBE KWASINYI AGYEMAN IV AS FIA OF ADIDOME AND INTRODUCTION OF AMEGA JOHN YAO FIAGBENU AS REGENT OF THE TOH/TOVIE CLAN OF ADIDOME The Stool Father and Head of Toh/Tovie Clan of Mafi Adidome and its surrounding communities wishes to inform and confirm to the general public that Mr. Samuel Yao Adzimah, then known as Togbe Kwasinyi Agyeman IV, remains a destooled chief and should therefore not be entertained or accorded any recognition and courtesies as the Fia of Adidome. Mr. Samuel Yao Adzimah was enstooled in 1974, but was destooled on 3rd December, 1980 by his Kingmakers in accordance with our customs and tradition. His destoolment was however officially acknowledged and effected by the National House of Chiefs (NHC) on 2nd April, 1992. Currently, records of the Register of Chiefs at the NHC (attached), confirms his status as a destooled chief. However, over the years after his destoolment, Mr. Adzimah continued to hold himself as the Chief of Adidome, in complete defiance of restrictions placed on him by the laws of Ghana and by his status as a destooled chief, claiming that he was reinstated by the Head of State at the time . But his Kingmakers and Clan Elders insisted and still insist that no President/Head of State has the right to choose or impose a Chief on a people when his Kingmakers have rightfully destooled him after he had grossly breached his traditional oath of office. By holding himself as the Chief of Adidome over the years after he was customarily and legally destooled, Mr. Samuel Yao Adzimah has breached the Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759), Section 63(a) which is a criminal offence. Act 759, Section 63 (a) reads; A person who acts or performs the functions of a chief when that person is not qualified to act, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than two hundred penalty units or to a term of Imprisonment of not more than three months or to both and in the case of a continuing offence to a further fine of not more than twenty-five penalty units for each day on which the offence continues. We are therefore inclined to report his conduct to the Police to initiate criminal action against Mr. Samuel Yao Adzimah and against any individual or institution who might still deal with him in his self-arrogated capacity as the Fia of Adidome. The general public is therefore hereby cautioned not to deal with Mr. Samuel Yao Adzimah in any matters regarding the Toh/Tovie Clan (Kingmakers of Adidome) or in respect of anything concerning traditional authority over Mafi Adidome . The Stool Father/Head of Clan, Kingmakers and principal Elders of the Clan are happy to announce that we have appointed AMEGA JOHN YAO FIAGBENU as the Regent of the Toh/Tovie Clan of Adidome until a new Chief is enstooled . He therefore has jurisdiction over Adidome. Accordingly, in all matters that require the presence, support, attention or the consent of the Chief or our Stool and Clan, either in the Adidome, the Mafi Traditional Area or anywhere else, they should be directed to the Regent of the stool in the person of REGENT JOHN YAO FIAGBENU and the Stool Father and Head of Clan, Zikpuitor/Hlortator SETH KWABLA FIAGBENU. We look forward to the cooperation of all clan members, citizens/residents of Adidome and the entire Mafi State as we work together to lift Adidome and the entire Mafi State to its rightful place. Together, we can recover lost glories and create the right environment for our people to take advantage of opportunities available. END. Zikpuitor/Hlortator Seth Kwabla Fiagbenu (Stool Father and Head of the Toh/Tovie Clan of Adidome) Find attached documents of Mr Samuel Yao Adzimah distoolment: DOWNLOAD FILE: 99202035107-sxoaredq5l-national-register-of-chiefs-extract.pdf DOWNLOAD FILE: 99202035104-pukwo0a442-lawyers-letter-to-mafi-traditional-area-prez.pdf Police will be told to crack down on Brits who break Boris Johnson's new ban on social gatherings of more than six people, despite officers' complaints about 'constantly changing' rules. Those who fail to comply with the rules, which come into force on Monday, could end up being fined 100. Repeat offenders will then see these penalties doubled for each subsequent breach, up to a total of 3,200. Ministers hope the ban will help police take action against mass raves, which they fear are behind the recent surge in coronavirus cases. Crowds of young people gathered in Hackney earlier this week for an illegal street party. Downing Street hopes the new ban will make it easier for police to crack down on raves NEW LOCKDOWN RULES FOR ENGLAND FROM MONDAY Max social gatherings SIX PEOPLE Applies indoors and outdoors Applies in private homes Applies in pubs and restaurants Does NOT apply to schools or workplaces Does NOT apply to weddings, funerals, team sport Does NOT apply if household bubbles are bigger than six people Police will be encouraged to break up larger groups and issue 100 fines, which will then double on each repeat offence up to 3,200 Advertisement The Prime Minister will outline further details of the new plans at a press conference today, after warning a recent surge in positive coronavirus cases must not be allowed to get out of control. It will be illegal to assemble in groups of seven or more anywhere in England, whether indoors or out, from next week, but for a few exceptions. Ministers were shocked on Sunday when virus cases doubled to almost 3,000 the highest figure since May, with 'young people, often in affluent areas' being blamed for driving the increase. Number 10 said Mr Johnson held a virtual roundtable with police forces last week where officers expressed their desire for rules on social contact to be simplified. But the Police Federation of England and Wales last night urged the Government to 'play its part' through a public information campaign after 'so many changes in legislation'. The association's national chairman John Apter said: 'For policing, these constant changes to legislation are becoming the norm. The pressures on policing have increased significantly over recent months and this latest change will add to this pressure. 'My colleagues will support the public through what is going to be a very difficult time. At all times they will also remind people that a breach of these regulations means breaking the law. 'However, the Government needs to play its part. With so many changes in legislation, an effective public information campaign must be a priority - as there's been so much confusion for the public and many people don't know exactly what the law says.' The Government has been fearful hospitalisations will soon begin to rise as a result of rising infections, despite scientists reassuring that most cases are among younger, healthy generations. Official data shows the surge of new cases over July and August has been driven by those in their teens and 20s while cases in older generations continue to decline. Police Federation chairman John Apter, pictured, said: 'For policing, these constant changes to legislation are becoming the norm. The pressures on policing have increased significantly over recent months and this latest change will add to this pressure' British hospital admissions have remained stable with just one in 100,000 people currently needing medical care for Covid-19 infection, which further supports people aren't getting seriously sick with the disease. It follows Health Secretary Matt Hancock telling MPs in the House of Commons that 'just because we've come through one peak, it does not mean we cannot see another one coming'. Cases have been on an upward trajectory in the late summer, with some 2,193 people now being diagnosed each day, on average. Infection rates are highest among those in their teens and 20s, official data shows, and Mr Hancock has said it is mostly '17 to 21 year olds' testing positive. Scientists have consistently said this is not something to worry about until spread starts spilling into the vulnerable and elderly parts of the community - which hospital and death data has so far suggested is not the case. Health officials are rattled, however, and are warning young people to stop going to parties and large gatherings and to respect the social distancing laws. Mr Hancock even appeared on Radio 1 to tell youngsters 'Don't kill your gran' as deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said people had 'relaxed too much'. The Prime Minister's new 'rule of six' is a dramatic reduction on the limit of 30 put in place on July 4, with only schools, workplaces and a limited number of other locations being exempt. Police in Ho Chi Minh City said on Wednesday that they had broken up a ring that smuggled drugs from Cambodia into Vietnam. The racket was busted on September 2, officers announced. On that day, police raided a house in Go Vap District and arrested Bui Thi Kieu Loan, 35, Nguyen Hoang Tu, 36, and Pham Dinh Nhan, 43. Police officers seized 47kg of drugs, including almost 30kg of crystal meth, 9.2kg of ketamine, 20,000 ecstasy tablets, and 5.27kg of heroin. The suspects stashed the drugs in fruit boxes in a bid to avoid police detection. This racket was just set up in mid-July to traffic drugs from Cambodia into Ho Chi Minh City, police said. Traffickers hid drugs in fruit boxes to avoid police detection. Photo: Supplied On Sunday, Vietnamese police captured eight Laotians when they were carrying 10kg of crystal meth and a loaded pistol across the border from Laos. The eight moved from Laos Savannakhet to Quang Tri Province in north-central Vietnam via Lao Bao International Border Gate, located on the Vietnamese side. A Vietnam court on Monday condemned two people to death while handing a life sentence to three others for dealing in large amounts of crystal meth in late 2019. The Southeast Asian nation adopts a harsh stance against drug trafficking. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine could face capital punishment. Manufacturing or selling from 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Recent projections raised concern amongst the public, although the reality proved to be more reassuring. Were the projections wrong? RTL's Carine Lemmer examines the background to the predictions. Carine Lemmer report: why were the projections wrong? Professor Paul Wilmes of Research Luxembourg explained the projections relied on mathematical models, which are not necessarily incorrect, but difficult to predict. It is a method commonly used to predict such situations. Wilmes said researchers had very clearly forecast a second wave and this prediction did come to fruition. Wilmes went on to clarify that predictions for the second wave had been based on data gathered from the first wave, in which the focus was primarily on the most vulnerable members of society. In the meantime, the results of the large-scale testing project, coupled with data on the most affected age groups, have helped researchers adjust their prognosis. However, it is still not feasible to give exact figures, said Wilmes. At present, the figures would indicate that the Grand Duchy is in a stable situation, explained Wilmes. However, there is still a linear increase, with an average of 45 new infections over the last four weeks. According to Wilmes, although the virus is controlled at this point, the situation could change at any given moment. Researchers have already predicted an increase of 30-70% in infections from mid-September, coinciding with schools reopening and holidaymakers returning from their travels, as well as increasing social contacts. More arrests are expected as gardai continue to close in on a 'paymaster' behind the savage abduction and torture of Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney. Senior gardai have been holding regular "investigation strategy" case conferences as their investigation into all events surrounding the horrific crime continues. "These high level strategy meetings are generally being held in Cavan garda station and have been attended by senior officers including chief superintendents and heads of various specialist national garda units," a senior source said. "This is still a massive investigation with lots of new evidence coming in. "The purpose of the case conferences has been to analyse all the material that has being obtained with a view to determine what is the best way to bring the investigation forward. "Throughout the summer there were a number of these meetings and this will continue with more arrests expected in this case once everything is lined up," the source added. Mr Lunney, a father-of-six, was abducted close to his home in Co Fermanagh on the evening of September 17 last year. The businessman's leg was broken, he was doused in bleach and the letters QIH were carved into his chest during the two-and-a-half hour ordeal before he was dumped on a Co Cavan road. Four suspects have already been charged with falsely imprisoning and assaulting the director almost a year ago but gardai say that their investigations are "far from over". Senior sources say officers are determined to obtain enough evidence to secure criminal charges against the so-called 'paymaster' who orchestrated the savage abduction and allegedly controlled a network of front companies and bank accounts used to launder monies paid to gang boss Cyril 'Dublin Jimmy' McGuinness. Notorious criminal McGuinness (54) died of a heart attack last November in Derbyshire, England, when English police raided a safe-house that he was hiding in as part of a major arrest operation involving three police forces into the horrific Lunney case. Yesterday in the High Court in Dublin, one of the charged men - Alan O'Brien (39) of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin - brought a challenge against the Special Criminal Court's jurisdiction to hear his trial. He claims the Director of Public Prosecution's decision that he should not be tried before a jury represents a significant curtailment of his constitutional rights. Brisbane father Mark, 39, was diagnosed a month ago with an inoperable cancer and is not expected to live until Christmas - but only one of his children has been given permission to cross into Queensland and say goodbye The family of a dying father have hit out at the outrageous government decision to allow only one of his four children into Queensland from Sydney to say their final goodbye. Brisbane truck driver Mark Keans, 39, was diagnosed with stage four terminal cancer in his brain and lungs a month ago and is not expected to make it to Christmas. Despite his family applying for an exemption to enter the state a month ago, Queensland Health have so far not granted their request. Mr Keans' loved ones have instead been forced to find other ways of getting into the Sunshine State - where the ailing Dad has chosen to die at home with the help of palliative chemotherapy to ease his suffering. New South Wales Health has proposed allowing one of his children - all of whom are under the age of 13 - to see their father for a supervised one-hour visit before going back across the border. But his sister Tam Langborne told Daily Mail Australia the family were at a loss deciding which of the kids would get to see their father in his final moments. Scroll down for video Mr Keans pictured with his children (L-R) Noah 13, Caitlyn 11, Caleb 11, and Isaac, 7. The father's sister said allowing just one child an hour-long visit to see their father would do more harm than good 'The youngest of the children is only seven years old. I think sending him by himself to see his Dad for an hour would do a lot more damage than good,' she said. The other option presented to Mr Keans' relatives was for them to quarantine in Queensland for two weeks - but Ms Langborne said the family simply could not afford the cost involved in putting up 11 people in a hotel for that length of time. Queensland's quarantine fees are $2,800 for one adult, $3,710 for two adults, and $4,620 for two adults and two children. 'I understand the reasons behind the border closure but what hurts the most is actors and sporting teams get a free ride to go into Queensland because they have a name,' she said. 'All we want to do is sit with our brother and say thanks for a good life and for the kids to see him for the last time.' Their anguish comes as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk cops fierce criticism for letting 400 AFL officials enter the state ahead of the Grand Final, while repeatedly knocking back everyday Australians with health or family reasons. US movie star Tom Hanks will not have to undergo hotel quarantine after flying into Queensland from the US - with Ms Palaszczuk saying Hanks was exempt because of the industry's COVID-safe plan. Mr Keans' sister said the family simply could not afford the cost involved in putting up 11 people in a hotel for two weeks All of Mr Keans' children are under the age of 13 and are 'desperate' to see him before he dies Mr Keans' father Bruce Langborne said officials had even told him his family were being selfish for wanting to get all four of the children across the border as they were putting other cancer patients at risk. 'They desperately want to see him,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'They [Queensland authorities] said we were being selfish and weren't thinking of the other cancer patients.' Mr Langborne said the family had no idea how they would choose one child to cross the border. Pictured: Mr Keans' four children. Queensland's quarantine fees are $4,620 for two adults and two children. Getting all 11 members of the father's close family across the border was financially beyond them 'The only option is one adult and one child,' he said. 'We'd be chaperoned up there and chaperoned back.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted NSW Health and Queensland Health for comment. The family's case was raised in Queensland parliament on Tuesday by Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington as New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian hit out at the northern state's border policies. 'Our nation needs to deal with the pandemic... were Australians as well as living in NSW and a lot of families arent able to see each other,' she said. Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson (pictured) won't be subjected to mandatory hotel quarantine because the film industry has a COVID-safe plan QUEENSLAND HEALTH RESPONDS TO CRITICISM OVER MARK KEANS' CASE We understand and sympathise that this is a very difficult time and there are challenges. We are in the midst of a global pandemic and we need to protect our communities, especially the most vulnerable members of the community. Queenslands current border restrictions are in place for one purpose to save lives. We understand the health directions in place are strict, but they are designed to protect Queenslanders from COVID-19. Source: Queensland Health spokeswoman Advertisement NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard also hit out at Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on the subject of families being separated on either side of the border. 'I can only express my anger, my supreme anger, at the Queensland Premiers decision which in my view broadly across the border currently is nothing more than base, loopy politics,' he said. 'I'm appalled by what's going on up there'. The Langborne family are not alone, with dozens more falling victim to Palaszczuk's hardline stance on her border. One Queensland grandmother was forced to recover from brain surgery in a quarantine hotel after the operation in Sydney. The children's grandfather Bruce Langborne (pictured) said officials had even told him his family were being selfish as bringing all four of them across would put other cancer patients at risk Jayne Brown, 60, spent two weeks confined to a tiny hotel room in Brisbane following the surgery by renowned neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo - who removed two large tumours on her brain. Poll Should Tom Hanks have to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine? Yes No Undecided Should Tom Hanks have to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine? Yes 1286 votes No 156 votes Undecided 37 votes Now share your opinion The grandmother-of-seven requested an exemption from hotel quarantine to self-isolate at home on the Sunshine Coast, but was rejected twice. She blasted the Queensland premier, who allowed 400 AFL players and officials from coronavirus-riddled Victoria to enter the state last Tuesday night. 'I don't understand it, mind-blowing,' Ms Brown told Nine News last week. Meanwhile, a young mother with a newborn baby has been left in limbo over when she will next be reunited with her mine worker husband due to Queensland's strict border restrictions. Laura Goff, 29, and Chris Bennett, 27, welcomed their daughter Adalyn at the end of July in Wangi Wangi, Lake Macquarie, NSW. But six weeks later, Mr Bennett, a fitter in mines at Moranbah in North Queensland, was forced to leave his loved ones behind to return to his week-on-week-off work schedule in North Queensland. Queensland's mandatory $2,800 two-week hotel quarantine for anyone entering the state from NSW will make it impossible for the young father to return to see his family during his days off. Ms Goff doesn't even know when she will see her husband again, and is grappling with raising and watching seven-week-old daughter Adalyn meet milestones on her own. Lake Macquarie couple Laura Goff, 29, and Chris Bennett, 27, welcomed their daughter Adalyn (pictured together) to the world in July 'I try not to get too caught up in the fact that he works away because that's entirely our choice, but it is hard knowing that I don't know when he is going to come back,' she told the Newcastle Herald. 'He usually comes back and we get a full week of family stuff, but we just don't get that at the moment.' A heavily pregnant mother was also forced to wait 16 hours for emergency surgery in Sydney after being turned away at the Queensland border, before losing one of her unborn twin babies. Ms Palaszczuk 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. A heavily pregnant mother was forced to wait 16 hours for emergency surgery in Sydney after being turned away at the Queensland border, before losing one of her unborn twin babies 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. Mr Watt said the family were very upset about his daughter being denied an exemption. Jayne Brown (pictured) was denided an exemption to self-isolate at her Sunshine Coast home Queensland Chief Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the NSW woman's exemption had been approved as soon as her application had been made. Ms Palaszczuk defended her border restrictions as calls grow for New South Wales and Queensland residents to be able to cross the border freely. 'We would not be in the situation we are today without the advice of the Chief Health Officer, under this government we will continue to accept and abide by her advice,' she said. Motorists are stopped at a checkpoint at Coolangatta on the Queensland - New South Wales border on August 7. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended her state's strict entry restrictions - saying she too can't visit her uncle who had lung cancer Ms Palaszczuk also said she had sympathy for people unable to visit loved ones in hospital during the hard border lockdown and that she had been unable to visit her uncle when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Queensland briefly reopened the state's southern border in July before shutting again amid a spike in cases in New South Wales. The Sunshine State recorded eight new coronavirus cases overnight, the state's biggest daily rise in nearly five months while NSW confirmed an additional nine cases. EDMONTON, Alberta, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Backwoods Energy Services (Backwoods), one of the largest diversified Indigenous-owned businesses in Canada, is pleased to announce the closing of an investment by a consortium of six First Nations, the Indigenous Communities Syndicate LP (ICS) in the $1.5-billion Cascade Power Plant project. Cascade is a 900MW combined cycle power plant that will provide eight per cent of Albertas energy supply. The ICS is owned by Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Enoch Cree Nation, Kehewin Cree Nation, OChiese First Nation, Paul First Nation and Whitefish Lake First Nation. The ICS completed the acquisition with its co-investment partner Canadian based pension fund , OPTrust. The Backwoods team developed and executed on an incredibly creative and accretive structure that added meaningful value, said Simon Moody, Director, OPTrust. OPTrust is proud to be a part of a transaction that demonstrates how Investors, Industry, Government and Indigenous communities can work collaboratively for the betterment of all stakeholders. The transaction also involved a $93-million loan guarantee by the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC). We are pleased to have supported this transaction in the Cascade Power Project that provides significant benefit to the six First Nation investors, is based on commercial terms, and meets all other AIOC criteria, said Alicia DuBois, CEO, Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation. This is a momentous deal and Im proud for this to be the first project approved by the AIOC. I want to especially thank the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation and their team at Backwoods for their hard work to design and structure this meaningful transaction that will bring lasting prosperity to Indigenous communities in Alberta. The AIOC investment into this important piece of provincial infrastructure will be transformative to all six First Nations and will provide hundreds of millions of dollars in cashflow for future generations. The Cascade project also represents an important step toward financial independence and self-reliance for First Nations in Alberta. Being the first AIOC approved transaction was a real test. Standards and criteria were extremely high and time frames were challenging. This was a complex financial transaction with multiple participants, and we are pleased to be part of the first AIOC approved transaction on strictly commercial terms, said Paul Poscente, CEO, Backwoods Energy Services. I would like to thank the team at Agentis Capital for their efforts on this transaction as well as Scott Alanen for his extraordinary work as the point person on the Backwoods team. This deal is meaningful to so many for decades to come and I believe our work here can be a national blueprint for how major energy and infrastructure projects can be successfully financed on commercial terms and built to include Indigenous peoples. For more information, please visit backwoodsenergy.ca For media inquiries, please contact: Jacinda Ardern has made a special visit to a small New Zealand community devastated by the White Island volcano disaster. A total of 21 people, including 14 Australians, were killed when the volcano erupted on the island on December 9 last year. Many were holidaymakers on a cruise visiting the iconic attraction with their families, before their lives were ripped apart in a matter of minutes. On Wednesday morning the New Zealand Prime Minister made her first visit since the disaster to Whakatane, the seaside town just 50km away from the island. Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday visited Whakatane, the closest town to White Island for the first time after the deadly volcano eruption Ms Ardern (pictured in the town) made the heartfelt visit to the community on Wednesday and spoke with many of the first responders The volcano on White Island erupted on December 9 (pictured) and left 21 dead including 14 Australians Ms Ardern met for morning tea with a series of workers who were first at the scene and who witnessed the horror unfold. These included Ngati Awa, the local Maori community, as well as helicopter pilots, coast guard, St John's ambulance workers and staff at the Whakatane Hospital. But despite the heartache felt across the community, Ms Ardern said she received letters from many who still thought of Whakatane fondly. 'In the aftermath of Whakaari I received a lot of letters from those who had lost loved ones, particularly those who were overseas. Many of those came from our Australian friends,' she said. 'I was deeply moved by those letters. 'In a circumstance where it would be completely understandable to feel such pain and grief when you think of New Zealand and when you think of Whakatane, yet the opposite was true. 'Those letters often detail the close connection that they feel here to this place, and to all of you. Ms Ardern is seen with Whakatane Mayor Judy Turner (pictured, left) during a morning tea on Wednesday The prime minister bumped elbows with an occupational therapist on Wednesday (pictured). She also met with other medical staff and helicopter pilots involved in the volcano disaster 'And in some cases they even said that if they were to lose a loved one anywhere, this is the place that they would want to be safe and held and cared for. 'That in my mind has happened as a result of the way you responded.' Tamsin Davies, the clinical lead at Whakatane Hospital's emergency department, held back tears as she remembered the traumatic days that followed the eruption. She said dozens of victims presenting with horrific burns and internal injuries remained 'incredibly' etched on her memory. 'You wouldn't be human if it wasn't,' Dr Davies said. 'It's not just us as the hospital staff that it will have a lasting effect on, I think it's the country. 'I have incredible pride in our team, and how everyone helped each other and helped all of the casualties that we had.' Dave van Dyke, a registered nurse and Whakatane Hospital coordinator, said the town would always remember the Australian medics who flew to NZ for support. Ms Ardern (pictured, with locals) said it was heartwarming to see how the community came together in the wake of the volcano eruption 'We had a number of nurses that came across after the event and they were a vital part of our support, and part of our recovering the days after the event as well. For that we're extremely grateful,' he said. A number of inquiries - including a multi-million dollar WorkSafe probe - have been launched into the disaster. There were 47 people on the island when its volcano erupted, with those lucky enough to make it out alive carrying painful scars and lifelong disfiguring. Trips out to the island once brought in more than $4million a year but it is now deserted, with the layers of ash a reminder of the disaster. Stephanie Browitt (pictured) suffered burns to 70 per cent of her body in White Island eruption Ms Browitt took an image of smoke on the volcano just moments before it erupted killing her father and sister The eruption trapped tourists on the island, many unable to outrun the plumes of acidic gas and ash that surrounded them. Some saw their entire families wiped out, others suffered excruciating burns to nearly all of their bodies and many have undergone dozens of surgeries or been placed into long comas. Among the list of victims was Melbourne father Paul Browitt and his 21-year-old daughter Krystal. His 23-year-old daughter Stephanie received third degree burns to 70 per cent of her body and lost a number of her fingers. She was one of the few survivors who was airlifted off the island by a rescue helicopter. When Tesla Inc.s shareholders gather September 22 for their annual meeting, Kristin Hull will have roughly three minutes to make the case against the companys use of mandatory arbitration for employee sexual harassment and racial discrimination claims. Hull is the founder and chief executive of Nia Impact Capital, a social impact fund based in Oakland, California that invests in several sustainable energy companies. Tesla is its biggest name and among its largest holdings. Late last year, she filed a first-of-its-kind proposal for a Tesla shareholder resolution. The ask: for the board of the Palo Alto, California-based electric-car maker, which has over 60,000 employees globally, to prepare a report on its use of employee arbitration. Most people who work directly for Tesla sign away their rights to a trial. Hull wants to know how many discrimination and harassment cases go to arbitration, how much thats costing the company, and investors, and the demographics of those bringing the claims. We are in this to win this, said Hull during a socially distant interview in Oaklands historic Preservation Park, near Nias office. Its the issue of our time, and its a Civil Rights issue. Elon Musk cant be given a pass for that with the company he runs.The widespread use of forced arbitration has come under fire since the #MeToo movement exposed it as a tool that effectively keeps harassment complaints quiet. In recent years, employee and shareholder activists pushed several large companies, including Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp., Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. to end its use for sexual harassment cases. But racial dynamics are just as pernicious, and Black Lives Matter is now drawing more attention to its role in discrimination claims. Arbitration is used as a form of claim suppression, Cliff Palefsky, a San Francisco employment lawyer, who has testified before Congress about mandatory arbitration, said of the practice broadly. Instead of court, its a secret tribunal with no right of appeal. Teslas board opposes the proposal. In a proxy statement it said Nia has not stated convincing support for a correlation between arbitration and harassment, discrimination or limits on employee grievances generally. The company added that it is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and says arbitration offers an alternative form of adjudication that is often quicker than trial, and just as fair. Teslas communications director, board Chair Robyn Denholm, and Vice President of People Valerie Workman did not respond to inquiries about the resolution. Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. and Glass Lewis, the two leading proxy advisory firms, have recommended shareholders vote for the proposal. Although the companys code of conduct bans harassment and discrimination in the workplace, Tesla has faced multiple allegations of racial discrimination and harassment at its factory in Fremont, California, said ISS in its analysis. Teslas largest institutional shareholders, including Scottish investment firm Baillie Gifford and Vanguard, typically conduct their own research and do not discuss how they plan on voting. Calvert Research & Management has indicated it will vote for it. The proposal needs majority investor support to pass. The electric-car behemoths stock, which recently split, is up almost 300% this year. Chief Executive Officer ElonMusk is the largest shareholder with an 18% stake, and even after Tuesdays sell off, the worlds fifth richest person. When it comes to transparency on diversity and inclusion, Tesla falls behind even some of its Silicon Valley neighbors. Unlike Facebook, Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc., the company has never released diversity statistics. Its corporate website doesnt include an organizational chart, and the only management officials listed on its investor relations page are four male executives. In recent years, Tesla has faced high profile allegations of racial discrimination at its Fremont plant, where roughly 10,000 people work. In late 2017, a Black worker, Marcus Vaughn, filed a lawsuit saying the plant was a hotbed of racist behavior. Tesla responded to Vaughns case with a lengthy blog post titled Hotbed of Misinformation that said the company had investigated the alleged incidents and fired three people as a result. In 2018, Owen Diaz and his son Demetric filed suit as well, alleging a pattern of racial harassment and hostility. Demetric dropped his suit voluntarily, but Owens case is slated for trial before a U.S. district court judge in San Francisco in October. The company said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg at the time that it takes discrimination and harassment of all forms extremely seriously and has a dedicated team focused on investigating and addressing workplace concerns. All three men were contract workers, so they never signed arbitration agreements. Tesla argued that Vaughns case shouldnt go to court anyway; the car-maker lost that appeal. Since 2014, workers have filed 145 complaints with Californias Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleging discrimination at Tesla on the basis of race, age, gender, disability, medical leave, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and national origin, according to a synopsis provided by the agency after a California Public Records Act request. This May, three separate people alleged they were forced to quit because of their race. While the state issued right-to-sue letters in all three cases allowing them to proceed in court, its possible theyll be bound by arbitration clauses. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on the complaints. Arbitration has long been the bane of employment discrimination lawyers. Instead of having a hearing before a jury, cases go in front of an arbitrator, which industry data shows are overwhelmingly older White men. Transcripts usually arent available to the public, keeping bad actors out of the public eye and allowing inappropriate behavior to go unchecked. The deck is stacked in a much less favorable way for employees, said Hilary Hammell, an employment discrimination attorney at Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP in Oakland, who has written about how forced arbitration can hurt Black workers. Employers, and their lawyers, argue that the process is expedient, just, and cost-effective. And in the era of Covid-19, arbitration proceedings can be conducted remotely, while jury trials have largely ground to a halt. For Hull, this isnt her first time pushing companies for more transparency. In June, she got 70% support from shareholders at cyber-security company Fortinet Inc. for a proposal requiring the firm to release an annual diversity report. Tesla will be tougher: Hull doesnt know if shell get enough support. The annual meetings tend to be lovefests for Musk and the company he built. Musks presentation takes center stage, while voting on resolutions is typically a short and straightforward affair. Some investors are like: What are you doing? Tesla is way too big, Hull said. But even if the resolution fails, she sees it as the opening salvo in a much larger, and longer, campaign. If we lose, we will come back with way more investors, she said. Weve put a stake in the ground. With assistance from Josh Eidelson. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. A man detained for matching the description of a burglar was later asked to work with the sheriff's department after a viral video showed how police and the public could interact professionally. Joseph Griffin was stopped while jogging in the Florida suburb of Deltona, north of Orlando, by police who said he matched a description from a nearby burglary - a white tank top, black shorts and beard. "Hey buddy, you're not in any trouble or anything. There's a burglary that happened -- you kind of fit the description. Let me just make sure that you're not him," the officer can be heard saying on the video. "So, I'm not saying it's you, but it was a black male, again, not saying it's you buddy." Mr Griffin, who was wearing a white tank top and black shorts when pulled over, was detained for questioning but cleared of any connection to the burglary soon after with a suspect later arrested. After a Facebook live video of the incident on 27 August quickly spread across social media, Mr Griffin was invited to participate in the Volusia County Sheriff Department's implicit biased training series next Month, according to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. A former military police officer who is now a registered nurse, Mr Griffin told local news Fox 35 Orlando that his experience in law enforcement taught him to remain calm and compliant. When you see your neighbour get pulled over and talk to the cops, perception is reality at that point and youre gonna automatically assume that you know theyre doing something, he said. Mr Chitwood, who posted the police bodycam footage to Facebook, said in a statement that he wanted to recognise the professional work of the deputies and the cooperation of Mr Griffin. Witnesses' descriptions are never perfect, and it is very scary when your future is in the hands of that non-perfect identification and description, Mr Chitwood said. "Mr Griffin was calm and cooperative even though he had reason to be frustrated with the inconvenience." M icrosoft has finally come forward and announced that its next-generation consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, will be released on November 10. Both consoles also have a price attached to them and it seems like an extremely reasonable price for a next-generation console. The Xbox Series S will cost 249 while the bigger Xbox Series X is on sale for 449, with options to pay for the consoles through monthly instalments. A trailer showing off Microsoft's second next-generation console, the Xbox Series S, was revealed earlier this week showing off the new console's specs. After the console was revealed early online through leaks, Microsoft has finally come forward and announced that its next-generation consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, will be released on November 10. Rumours of Microsoft's Series S console have long been around, but now fans have finally received confirmation from the tech firm. Earlier leaks this week seemed to be correct as Microsoft's announcement of both consoles were entirely accurate to what was rumoured. Quick Resume feature Microsoft has been talking about a feature called 'quick resume' since it first announced the Xbox Series X. The idea behind it is you can stop playing a game at any time and then, even after shutting the console down, turn it back on and jump back in immediately where you left it, regardless of whether or not you just saved your game. After speaking about it at length theoretically, Xbox shared a video clip on Twitter of how this will work in practice - and it will work with at least four games at any time. "Switch between multiple games seamlessly and get playing sooner with Quick Resume", the tweet reads. As we see in the video, you can press pause on a game and seamless switch to another one without having to wait long at all. How useful this proves to be, however, will only become clear once the console is released on November 10. Xbox Series S load times Xbox has also given us a demonstration at how fast games will load, running on the Xbox Series S. The video compares loading The Outer Worlds on a current-gen Xbox One S versus the next-gen Xbox Series S. As you can see from the video, Xbox Series S loads the game in roughly 11 seconds, while the Xbox One loads the game in 42 seconds. This seems like a pretty great indicator that we won't be subjected to extremely long load times when playing on an Xbox Series S, but how well the game is made and optimised could also play a factor in this. Xbox Series S console specs From the trailer, which you can view below, there's plenty of details about what's in this cheaper console. To begin with, we see that this is the 'smallest Xbox ever', as it will be nearly 60 per cent smaller than the Xbox Series X, but it will still play next-generation games. SSD and Performance The Series S will come with a custom NVME SSD, which will have 512 GB of storage on it. This is compared to Series X, which will come with an SSD with 1TB of storage, double the Series S. While there's no more detail on the SSD, the video says it will deliver "incredibly fast load times" and "seamless game switching". Thanks to the SSD and hardware, the Series S will be able to play games in 1440p and run them in up to 120 frames per second (FPS), which is a massive boost compared to the current PS4 and Xbox One consoles. Series S will also come with ray tracing, which is a lighting enhancement to make games look more realistic, as well as 4K media playback with 4K upscaling for games on the console. To compare, the more expensive Xbox Series X will come with an SSD with 1TB and the capability to play games at 8K resolutions. All digital One huge difference from the Series X is, of course, the removal of the disc tray. This means the console will be entirely digital and can only run games or films which you would download from the Xbox Live Store, so you'd need constant internet access, just like last year's Xbox One S All-Digital. While this might be ideal for some who prefer to have a totally digital library, it removes the choice of being able to use your Xbox to play physical DVDs or Blu Ray discs, while also meaning you won't be able to put any Xbox One game discs you own in there to play through backwards compatibility. There are plenty of positives to having a digital-only library, however, and it might become the norm as consoles evolve even more. Having no physical copies of games would mean that your chance of breaking of losing them would be completely non-existent, for example. Sony has revealed the price and release date of its console the PS5, also launching a digital-only version of it as well. The PS5 will cost 449, while the digital-only version costs 359. If you want to know more about the Xbox Series S and X, check out this article here. The Xbox Series S and X will be available to pre-order starting September 22. O'Toole says his 'Canada First' strategy means economic self-sufficiency, getting tough on China New Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says his plan for a "Canada First" economic strategy would prioritize the needs of working families and take a harder line against China in international affairs. O'Toole made the comments in an interview with CBC's Power and Politics host Vassy Kapelos that aired Tuesday. "We have to put Canadian working families first," O'Toole said. "I'm going to do that, from trade to our own domestic economic response post-COVID." The MP for Durham in Ontario was elected leader of the Official Opposition last month at a leadership convention marred by delays due to malfunctioning mail-opening machines. He has since moved swiftly to put his mark on the party and its message ahead of the return of Parliament later this month, appointing key allies to leadership positions and assembling a team of critics. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil the Liberal government's plans for an economic recovery in a speech from the throne on Sept. 23 that's expected to rely heavily on policies to tackle climate change. A fall election could be called if the government loses a confidence vote following the throne speech. When asked whether his economic plan would differ from U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" policy which has seen the president slap tariffs on Canadian imports of steel and aluminum and start a trade war with China O'Toole said it wouldn't. "No, it's not different at all. In fact, there's more self-sufficiency," he said. "More self-sufficiency in [personal protective equipment], more ability to have food security, energy security." WATCH: Erin O'Toole on his 'Canada First' strategy O'Toole said he would pursue strategies similar to those adopted by the Ontario and Quebec governments since March, which promote domestic production of key items needed to ensure health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, including medical masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. Story continues But O'Toole said his approach wouldn't stray as far into protectionism as Trump's has. "I'm more of a free trader than what we see in the United States right now," O'Toole said. "We see some protectionism and we really see a couple of large corporate interests being advanced. That actually hurts a lot of middle size employers in both the United States and Canada." O'Toole said that while he disagrees with some of Trump's economic policies, he agrees with his hardline approach to China. O'Toole accused China of dumping steel and said Canada shouldn't rely on the Asian power to supply goods necessary to combat a possible second wave of COVID-19. He said an O'Toole government would work closely with allies like the U.S., U.K. and Australia to present a united front against China. "We have to be eyes-wide-open with China," O'Toole said. "If I'm prime minister, we will have a serious, mature approach with China that I think shows our concerns with them on the global stage." Commitment to Paris Agreement targets O'Toole also committed during the interview to meeting Canada's greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Paris Agreement, which he pointed out were set by the previous Conservative government under Stephen Harper. To get there, though, O'Toole said he would let the provinces take the lead. "[I'm] committed to that through partnering with provinces, not an Ottawa-knows-best approach as we've seen with the carbon tax," said O'Toole. WATCH: O'Toole says he would partner with provinces to reduce emissions O'Toole's platform during the election called for scrapping the carbon tax and replacing it with a climate policy founded on market-based principles and focused on making industry pay, rather than taxing individual Canadians. The issue of climate policy dogged the Conservatives during the last federal election campaign. Former leader Andrew Scheer said the party's environmental plan was Canada's best chance of meeting the Paris targets but it set no targets for greenhouse gas reductions. "The Conservatives will have a serious plan that is not a tax on families and businesses, that will get our emissions down by partnering, by being strategic and and taking it seriously, but not through just a tax mechanism," O'Toole said. Criticizing the Liberal pandemic response O'Toole said there were major flaws in the Liberal government's response to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CERB which pays $2,000 per month to people who were out of work because of COVID-19 started paying out weeks before the wage subsidy did. The wage subsidy originally was set at 10 per cent but later increased to 75 per cent after the program came in for criticism. O'Toole said that lag between the launch of the CERB and the wage subsidy meant many people lost their jobs at the beginning of the pandemic. "Employers who didn't think the government was going to have a serious wage subsidy program let people go because they knew the CERB was there," O'Toole said. "My approach was, let's put as many jobs in hibernation as possible so that they're there for full employment or as close to it coming out of the first wave. That's what they got wrong out of the gate." When the CERB ends on Sept. 27, the Liberals plan to transition people collecting it to employment insurance (EI) and to set up separate benefits for people who don't qualify for EI. O'Toole said he agrees in principle with expanding EI, but said his party will look to make improvements. "We have to learn about what they did wrong, but let Canadians know we're going to have everyone's back as we emerge from the toughest challenge we faced in my lifetime," said O'Toole. Were in a state of emergency, and not just COVID-19, or riots or looting. A number of my colleagues are using fear of the 1960s, to say the National Guard shouldnt be deployed, he told me. But there arent enough resources at present to help gain control. The short-term reality is, if we dont bring our city back, no one will want to invest money in our city and bring jobs. Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales announced Tuesday that he is re-examining the death of Marquise Jones, the San Antonio man killed by police in 2014. On Tuesday, Gonzales said he met with the Jones family, which provided his office with additional information about the shooting, though he did not elaborate what that information was. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox In 2014, Jones was shot and killed by off-duty SAPD Officer Robert Encina, who said he shot the 23-year-old in self defense. Jones was the passenger of a vehicle that was involved in a small fender bender in the drive-thru of Chacho's located on Perrin Beitel Road. Encina, who was working security at the restaurant, was talking to one of the drivers when Jones stepped out of the vehicle. Encina said Jones brandished a weapon and feared for his life so he fired his weapon, hitting Jones twice in the torso, according to police. READ ALSO: Jones, Scott and Roundtree: Protesters want justice for three black men killed by SAPD Gonzlaes said that since he took office in 2019, he has "repeatedly re-examined" the officer-involved shootings in San Antonio. In an effort to better re-examine facts in this particular incident, Gonzales assigned two veteran prosecutors to be a fresh set of eyes to conduct a full case review. "I know the Jones family has waited a long time to get answers from the District Attorneys Office," Gonzales said in a statement. The District Attorney said he will be in communication with the family during the review and provide next steps after the examination is finished. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Syracuse, N.Y. A state agency says it cannot find a July 9 inspection report for a Liverpool senior facility where a coronavirus outbreak killed at least 10 residents earlier this summer. The Post-Standard/Syracuse.com requested the document Aug. 6 from the state Health Department under the states freedom of information law. In a Sept. 3 letter, the health department says it cannot provide the report yet " because a diligent search for responsive documents is still being conducted." It estimated the search process wont be done until Nov. 10. Finding the document should not require much searching. The departments public affairs office issued a statement Aug. 5 summarizing the reports findings. That statement said Keepsake Village did not ensure adequate supervision to maintain resident safety during the COVID-19 outbreak due to failure to comply with the Departments guidelines, Executive Orders, and the facilitys own policies. Keepsake Village is a state-licensed adult care facility for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. A coronavirus outbreak that began in June at the 58-bed Liverpool facility infected at least 38 residents and 21 employees. The Central New York regional office of the state ombudsman program, that advocates for residents of senior living facilities, has a copy of the report, but says it is not authorized to share it. Keepsake is required by state law to conspicuously post copies of some inspection reports inside its facility for review by residents and visitors. Even if it posts the July 9 report, visitors wont see it because Keepsake has banned visitors since the pandemic began in March. The facility has not responded to requests from The Post-Standard/Syracuse.com for a copy of the report. The health departments records access office processes FOIL requests and reviews requested documents. Silvia Andrejuk, a health department attorney, said the records access office has not received the inspection report yet. She apologized for the delay and said the department receives 400 to 500 FOIL requests a month. Richard Mollot of the Long Term Care Coalition, a consumer advocacy group, said the health department needs to be more transparent, especially now when adult care facility and nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. Its really important the public and families have information about whats going on, what the violations are and what the facility is doing to correct them, Mollot said. James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 01:21:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah announced on Wednesday that the U.S. sanctions policy will not achieve its goal in Lebanon, the National News Agency reported. "U.S. sanctions will increase people's commitment to their rights to free decision, national dignity and full sovereignty," Hezbollah said in a statement. Hezbollah's statement comes after the U.S. treasury's latest sanctions against Former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and Former Minister of Public Works and Transportation Youssef Fenianos over allegedly providing material support to Hezbollah and corruption. Enditem The hotel business has never been worse than it is right now. After a period of not paying their debts, some owners face the existential threat of losing their properties. And maybe more. Employees, obviously, face furloughs, firings and reduced hours. Lenders to hotels also have a series of terrible choices to make in the next six to 12 months. Compared to this, the mortgage crisis of 2008 seems quaint. Back then, just the home owner and banker had to come to terms. It was simple. But with a delinquent hotel mortgage, there are a lot more moving parts. Jeffrey Diener, a San Francisco-based partner at the law firm DLA Piper, explained to me that the upcoming negotiations between owners and their lenders will require unusual cooperation. Thats because, in addition to the owner and lender, there is also the hotel brand owner. So typically this (debt negotiation) is a trilateral agreement, rather than a bilateral agreement, said Diener, who specializes in commercial real estate. But as we spoke further, I learned that its not just three parties involved. There are four. Because often, especially with large hotels and large investors, the ownership group is split between the institutional investors and the management company. The investors put up the money, and the management company does the work of hiring and running the day-to-day operations. The management company gets paid a percentage of revenue. But, of course, theres not enough revenue to go around right now. So really there are four competing interests as part of the negotiation process. Well, no, thats not quite right, either. Because in many cases employees are represented by a union, which has a stake in the outcome. So large hotel debt workouts really need to take at least five big groups into consideration. Worried yet? The problems of hotel debt negotiation have only just begun. When a hotel mortgage goes south, to misquote Shakespeare, the first thing we do is hire all the lawyers. Sandi Kellman, a Chicago-based partner in the hospitality group at DLA Piper, said the process can start out optimistically. Nobody wants it to go bad, she said. The owner, the brand, the management group, the lender, the union. Nobody wants the banks to take the property back. For this reason, she said, she believes most bank lenders are willing to offer 90- to 180-day forbearances on the debt. But things get complicated, as Diener pointed out, because even the act of contacting the hotels lender just to begin a negotiation! can negatively impact the hotel owner. If the loan is made by Wall Street investors in the form of a commercial mortgage-backed security, or CMBS, those loan documents contain scary minefields in the fine print. Diener and Kellman pointed out a few likely problems. In the loan documents, requesting forgiveness, forbearance or restructuring typically triggers penalty rates of interest or huge fees. Henry Feldman, an owner of a La Quinta Hotel and Conference Center in San Antonio, described one such consequence of initiating a conversation about debt restructuring. Today, unfortunately Im dealing with a CMBS loan, he said. I went to them and said, Id like to refinance. The only way to do that would be to pay a huge fee. That fee was running close to 20 percent of the loan itself. The CMBS servicers have put us in a no-win situation, Feldman said. Diener and Kellman noted a related minefield for owners known as the Bad Boy Guarantee. (Quick aside: When I heard this legal term related to hotel debt financing, I was surprised because, coincidentally, that is the title of my upcoming racy romance novel. It involves a swashbucklingly handsome finance columnist and the white-coated, glasses-wearing professor of medicine he loves racing to find a cure for COVID-19. The columnist is shirtless on the cover, obviously. But I digress.) So, what actually is a Bad Boy Guarantee, you ask, in the context of hotel debt? The boring legal term is a non-recourse carve-out guarantee, but I prefer Bad Boys because, who doesnt? Amirite? Its a clause negotiated on behalf of lenders to allow them to go after hotel owners personally if a debt isnt paid. The Bad Boy Guarantee kicks in if hotel ownership does something obviously criminal or willfully immoral, by which the lenders can make the owners personally liable. Whenever a debt goes unpaid, the lenders lawyers will review the conditions of the Bad Boy Guarantee, seeking leverage points in the negotiation. If they look hard enough, will they find a way to trigger this clause and go after the owners personally? As Diener explained: During the 2008 financial crisis, anytime we had a loan that was going sideways, we would look at the personal or recourse guarantees. Why? Among other reasons, one common guarantee trigger is admitting your inability to pay your debt as it comes due. So, simply by reaching out to your lender and saying, Hey, weve got a problem making next months mortgage; wed love to talk with you about it before it comes due and work something out, you may have just inadvertently triggered your Bad Boy Guarantee. Its the kind of thing owners dont worry about in good times but becomes a nightmare in bad times. Bad times like now, when 66 percent of Houston hotel CMBS bonds, for example, are delinquent. When, at an average rate of 40 percent occupancy, or worse, virtually no hotels are able to turn a profit. Few are even able to pay their mortgage. So what happens next? David Pascale, a senior vice president at George Smith Partners, a commercial real estate financing specialist, said, You will see hotels sold by CMBS servicers at prices well below 2019 prices. You will see bottom feeders trying to take advantage of the dislocations. Kellman said she has seen investors already looking to cherry-pick specific types of luxury hotels. In addition, Kellman said, People are looking at hospitality assets and looking at repurposing. People are looking at hotels and thinking about converting to multifamily properties. Diener believes that lots of investors have dry powder available to pick up properties on the cheap. All this means that over the next 12 months, we could see a huge change in ownership in the hotel industry. Pascale is cautiously optimistic that the government will foresee this scenario and intervene. Bipartisan legislation has been proposed, known as the HOPE Act, to allow the Treasury Department to invest equity in hotels, earning a 2.5 percent return. The thinking is this would allow hotel owners to ride out the pandemic period to normalization, Pascale. But hes skeptical help will come in time. The question is, if Congress cant agree on anything in a hyper-partisan environment before this election, and if they cant agree on bare-bones stimulus, are they going to agree on a targeted benefit (for hotel owners?) he asked. Michael Taylor is a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and author of The Financial Rules for New College Graduates. michael@michaelthesmart money.com |twitter.com/michael_taylor Detroit General Motors announced its second major electric vehicle partnership in less than a week on Tuesday, this time a $2 billion deal with startup Nikola. GM will take an 11 percent ownership stake in the Phoenix company and will engineer and build Nikola's Badger hydrogen fuel cell and electric pickup truck. The Badger is expected to be in production by the end of 2022. GM also will help with cost reductions for Nikola's other vehicles, including heavy trucks, and the company will use GM's battery system and hydrogen fuel technology. In exchange for the 10-year deal, GM will get $2 billion worth of Nikola's newly issued common stock that will come in three increments through 2025. News of the deal sent shares of both companies surging despite a broader-market downturn. Nikola shares were up nearly 38 percent in trading late Tuesday, while GM advanced about 8 percent. The move sets up GM for a new revenue stream and possibly a change in its business model, essentially becoming a parts supplier to other companies for electric vehicle frames, batteries, controls and components. GM has been under pressure from Wall Street to more quickly monetize its electric vehicle technology and industry analysts have suggested spinning off its EV unit as a separate company. GM CEO Mary Barra said on a conference call that GM has a "platform that others can use that's going to give us scale and help us drive efficiency." She said the electric vehicle platform and batteries are attractive to other companies, which is a huge opportunity for GM. "We're going to leverage that and really seize the opportunity that we have to grow," she said. However, she wouldn't comment on whether GM is in talks with other companies. Nikola will be responsible for the sales and marketing of the Badger, but it will be built on GM's new battery electric truck underpinnings and use GM fuel cell and battery technology. GM also will supply batteries for other Nikola vehicles including heavy trucks. GM has its own battery electric truck, a GMC Hummer, due to go on sale a year ahead of the Badger. The deal is the second major partnership announced by GM this month as it lines up companies to share in the costs of developing electric and autonomous vehicle technology. On Thursday GM said it would join with Japanese automaker Honda to share the costs of building vehicles powered by batteries and internal combustion engines. GM expects to get more than $4 billion in benefits from the deal with the stock as well as from contracting to manufacture the Badger. GM also will get supply contracts for batteries and fuel cells and electric vehicle regulatory credits that can be used by GM to comply with fuel economy and pollution standards, or sold to other companies. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Nikola founder and Executive Chairman Trevor Milton said the agreement relieves his company of the expense of building another factory to make the Badger, which is a little larger than a Chevrolet Silverado. Nikola, however, will keep building a U.S. factory in Coolidge, Ariz., to make heavy trucks. Nikola Corp., which hasn't made a profit yet and lost $86.6 million in the second quarter, expects to save over $4 billion in battery and powertrain costs over 10 years. Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives, in a note to investors Tuesday, wrote that the deal is huge step forward for Nikola, giving the company credibility with Badger production and its hydrogen fuel cell and semi truck ambitions. "There have been many skeptics around Nikola and its founder Trevor Milton's ambitions over the coming years, which now get thrown out the window with stalwart GM making a major strategic bet on Nikola," he wrote. Nikola, founded in 2015, became a public company in June after a merger with VectoIQ Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special-purpose acquisition company. When it went public, it added former GM Vice Chairman Stephen Girsky, CEO of VectoIQ, to its board of directors. Barra said that Girsky made initial introductions to help start the deal. The dining room links to a small, furnished solarium with a glass ceiling and a French country feel. The idea was to have your aperitifs in the living room, dinner in the dining room, and your liquor in the solarium, Mr. Jasmin said. From the solarium, a door opens to a small back terrace. The homes kitchen, also off the solarium, was meant as a functional kitchen, for catered meals, and its a very different look from the rest of the house, Mr. Jasmin said. A curved staircase ascends to the main suite, which occupies the entire second floor. This was the owners private floor, and its the masterpiece of the building, Mr. Jasmin said. It feels like a Parisian apartment. A large bedroom with en suite bath flows through a wide archway into a high-ceilinged, tiled living room. A pair of cast-iron doors conceal an office, which Mr. Jasmin said could become a bedroom. Five bedrooms occupy the buildings third floor, though only one bathroom. The floor has a small kitchen with a washer-dryer and a dining area. A spiral staircase leads from the third floor to an unfinished attic, which is almost full-sized. A tall adult can stand in it, Mr. Jasmin said. The owner, a Montreal businesswoman who also lives in Paris, once hosted fashion shows in the house, and many dinners for Montreals whos who, Mr. Jasmin said. Over a half-century of ownership, she has replaced electrical and HVAC systems, upgraded windows to withstand Montreal winters, and preserved the landmark facade. Astute, a customer engagement platform headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is announcing that it has acquired social media marketing company Socialbakers. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Socialbakers CEO Yuval Ben-Itzhak will become president of Socialbakers for the combined company, and he told me via email that the entire Socialbakers team will be joining as well, resulting in a combined organization with more than 600 employees and $100 million in annual recurring revenue. Socialbakers was one of the last independent players from the first wave of social analytics. Founded in 2008 and based in Prague, the company raised a total of $34 million in funding, according to Crunchbase, from investors including Earlybird Venture Capital and Index Ventures. And it's used by more than 2,500 brands globally. Astute, meanwhile, has been around for 25 years, and focuses on unifying customer data. Ben-Itzhak said that by acquiring Socialbakers, Astute will be able to add social media-focused features like audience insights, content planning, influencer marketing and ad analytics. "Socialbakers and Astute are already sharing dozens of mutual brand customers in the enterprise segment," he said. "This is, in fact, how the acquisition talks came about. The platform integration process has already started and is expected to continue through Q4." In a statement, Astute CEO Mark Zablan also emphasized the comprehensiveness of the resulting platform. "The lines between customer care, customer experience, and marketing have become increasingly blurred, presenting real challenges for companies, Zablan said. Combining the market-leading social media marketing capabilities of Socialbakers with Astutes engagement suite not only helps our customers tackle this challenge more effectively, but also marks a major milestone along Astutes journey towards becoming the end-to-end customer engagement platform that the Chief Customer Officer needs to succeed. The government on Tuesday informed the that the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, will be placed before the in the ensuing Monsoon Session. A bench comprising Justices N.V. Ramana, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy said: "At the commencement of hearing, the Additional Solicitor General, appearing on behalf of the Union of India, submits that the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 is going to be placed before the in the ensuing Monsoon Session. Additional Solicitor General, accordingly, prays for an adjournment of eight weeks." After a brief hearing on the matter, the bench posted the matter for further hearing after eight weeks. The Centre shared this information with the top court during the hearing of an appeal, which is connected with the issue of citizenship of a child born in India, where the biological parents are foreign nationals, but the woman who gave birth is an Indian. The Lok Sabha had last year passed the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, which places an absolute prohibition on commercial surrogacy and according to it, the intending couple for surrogacy should be Indian citizens. The appeal has arisen from a 2009 Gujarat High Court verdict, which held that babies born in India to the gestational surrogate are Indian citizens and entitled to passports. The Centre has challenged this verdict in the apex court. The High Court judgment verdict was in connection with the twin babies born to an Indian surrogate mother in Gujarat's Anand district and a German father in 2008. German Jan Balaz is the father of two boys, Balaz Nikolas and Balaz Leonard. --IANS ss/vd (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.) She says its an interesting time to be affiliated with Steppenwolf, in the wake of Black Lives Matter and so much racial reckoning. Frankly our theater company is reckoning with all those conversations, as are all theater companies that might survive this pandemic, she says. Sometimes the conversations are national, sometimes theyre very, very personal. I think its often hard for organizations who consider themselves to be liberal to acknowledge it: No matter how liberal you may be, the organization is still rooted in the same systemic issues that are impacting society. You have to acknowledge that systemic racism is part of your institution, too. Steppenwolf has made efforts. But theyre not enough. Its not enough. None of it is enough, or we wouldnt be having the civil rights movement were having in this country. Its up to artists to not only take a lead in those conversations, but then tell the history when its over. Artists will keep the history, even as a lot of theater companies go under and new ones rise up to take their place. " With Delhi experiencing a fresh surge in its daily coronavirus cases, the Delhi Police on Wednesday said each of its police stations will deploy a dedicated team which will be sent to one location in their respective district to prosecute those violating Covid-19 norms. In view of spread of coronavirus in Delhi, each police station shall detail one dedicated team, comprising of an upper subordinate and one lower subordinate to report to one location in their respective district to prosecute persons who violate protocols, the Delhi Police said today. This statement by the Delhi Police comes even as a number of economic activities have opened up in the national capital as a part of the ongoing fourth stage of the nationwide unlock. While Metro services resumed on Monday, schools, too, will partially reopen from September 21. On Tuesday, Delhi recorded 3,609 new cases of coronavirus-its highest single-day spike since June 24-taking its tally past the 1.97 lakh mark. The death toll here stands at 4,618 after 19 deaths took place on the day. Also on Tuesday, the Delhi government conducted 45,797 tests for Covid-19, the highest for a single-day. This is also the first time more than 40,000 coronavirus tests were conducted in Delhi. Students of the Accra School of Hygiene, Korle-Bu, have staged a protest against a directive by the school authority to vacate the school premises on or before 12 noon on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. The school management explained that the decision was made based on a letter received from the Students Representative Council (SRC) dated Monday, September 7, to suspend their end of semester examination. Recent letter from the SRC proposed this date (September 7) for the end of semester examination and was considered by management, hence, the preparation of a new time table for the exams to commence on Tuesday, September 7. In view of this new decision by the SRC to suspend the exams again, management has resolved that all final year students should vacate the school for their homes on or before 12 pm on Tuesday, September 8, until further notice, it stated. Allowance for graduates The President of the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Hygiene, Korle Bu, Mr. Freeheart Owusu Ampomah, told Graphic Online, that their decision suspend the exams was due to unfair mode of payment of their training allowances. We received clearance for the payment of our allowances on Tuesday, September, 8, however, the clearance indicated to the Controller and Accountants General Department to pay us just 10 months allowance. Final year students are to receive 30 months allowance, which is GH12,000, Second-year student; GH 8000 for 20months, and First-year; 10months for GH4000, he said. "Also, graduates from all three School of Hygiene; Korle Bu, Ho, and Tamale, who were part of the allowance have been scraped off according to the clearance," he said. Engagement with Sanitation Ministry Mr. Ampomah, however, noted that the student leaders, on Monday, September 7, met with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, to which the ministry promised to correct the errors on the clearance. The Sanitation Ministry said it will on Wednesday meet with the Finance ministry to correct the errors. We hope that all goes well but we think the ministry is using the school authority as a tool to scrap some students out of the allowance. We do not accept this and wont accept the 10months pay as well, he said. School authority Meanwhile, the Acting Principal of the Korle-Bu School of Hygiene, Mr. Isaac Newton Dzahene, in an interview with Accra based Citi FM, expressed displeasure in the manner in which the students were handling the issue, noting that it was beyond the school authority. We want them to finish the academic year and go home. What they are demanding is beyond the school authority. The payment of their allowances has gone past the school, and they together with the media are aware that the matter has reached the ministerial level. What we can do is to prepare the ground for them to write the exams, which we did and yesterday. They themselves propose that they want to write the exams, now they have come out to say that they won't write the exams again, what are we going to do again, he said. Source: Graphic.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin -- (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 10:59 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43ab0a3 1 Business venture-capital,startup,funding,Accelerating-Asia,karyakarsa,MyBrand Free Early-stage venture capital fund Accelerating Asia announced on Tuesday that it would invest in eight startups chosen to join its latest accelerator cohort through a preseries A round of funding. The companies include two Indonesian startups: KaryaKarsa and MyBrand. KaryaKarsa is a platform that seeks to enable people to monetize their creations, such as music and visual art. MyBrand is a social marketplace for home-based food and beverage businesses and street food vendors. The eight startups were chosen out of the approximately 450 startups from 25 countries that applied for the venture capital firms third accelerator cohort program, according to Accelerating Asia cofounder Craig Dixon. Dixon said each startup would receive an initial investment of SG$50,000 (US$36,500) and that those that showed good performance could receive up to SG$150,000 after the program concluded in November. We have reinforced our presence in Indonesia through our recruitment efforts for this cohort, he said in a statement on Tuesday. The talents of our startups are well placed to benefit investors, and we believe they can be part of the solution to address problems in the post-COVID-19 world. Other startups in the accelerator programs include Singaporean renewable energy funding aggregator Energy Lite and Indian company ProjectPro, which provides a work automation platform that seeks to help data scientists work faster. Accelerator Asia said that in the first four weeks of the program, the startups had received more than SGD$ 1.2 million in initial commitments from existing investors and angel investors. The programs alumni have worked with regional angel investors such as Hong Kong-based AngelHub, Angel Investment Network Indonesia (ANGIN) and AngelCentral, as well as with investors like Cocoon Capital, Monks Hill Ventures and Golden Gate Ventures. (eyc) President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed businessman Atedo Peterside and finance minister Zainab Ahmed as co-chairpersons of the steering committee of Nigerias new development plan, Agenda 2050. This was disclosed by Mr Buharis spokesperson, Femi Adesina. The committee was inaugurated on Wednesday. Speaking at the inauguration, President Buhari said: The main objectives of these Successor Plans are to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within the next 10 years, particularly given the World Banks projection that Nigeria will become the worlds third most populous country by 2050 with over 400 million people. Read Mr Adesinas full statement below. AGENDA 2050: PRESIDENT BUHARI INAUGURATES NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE, SAYS NEW DEVELOPMENT PLAN WILL LIFT 100 MILLION NIGERIANS OUT POVERTY BY 2030 President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday in Abuja inaugurated the National Steering Committee to oversee the development of the Nigeria Agenda 2050 and Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) to succeed Vision 20:2020 and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017 2020. The National Steering Committee for the development of Successor Plans to Vision 20:2020 and ERGP will be jointly chaired by Atedo Peterside and Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning. Speaking at the inauguration, President Buhari said: The main objectives of these Successor Plans are to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within the next 10 years, particularly given the World Banks projection that Nigeria will become the worlds third most populous country by 2050 with over 400 million people. The president noted that it had become necessary to develop Successor Plans to the Nigeria Vision 20:2020 and the ERGP, which both lapse in December this year, in order to ensure continuity and efficiency in the countrys development planning. On the mandate of the National Steering Committee, President Buhari said it would oversee governance structure comprising the Central Working Group and 26 Technical Working Groups for the important national assignment. It is my expectation that the Steering Committee will oversee the execution of key deliverables, including recommending measures to ensure the continuous implementation of the Plans even after the expiration of the tenure of successive Administrations including legislation, if required. Such legislation may introduce much-needed rigour and discipline to the nations development planning as well as institutionalise planned outcomes for the future. I trust that our partners in the National Assembly will support us in exploring these reforms, he said. President Buhari urged the National Steering Committee not to lose sight of the important role Nigeria plays on the continent as well as in the global community. He said the Successor Plans must, therefore, be designed to sustain national development, as well as support regional and global strategic interests, as outlined in the African Union Agenda 2063, the ECOWAS Integration Agenda 2050 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Underscoring the importance of national development planning, the President said if carefully conceived and diligently implemented, it can transform the economic fortunes of a nation. The Chinese experience is an example. It has resulted in lifting over 700 million people out of poverty over the last four decades. Indeed, Chinas track record of positive economic growth, since 1992, was only halted in the first quarter of 2020, due to onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. COVID-19 presents the world and Nigeria with a crisis as well as an opportunity. The current global health and economic crises give us an opportunity to think afresh and chart an optimal path forward, he said. The President recalled that in February 2017 when he launched the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, its objectives included, restoring and sustaining growth, investing in people and building a globally competitive economy. On the other hand, he said Nigerias Vision 20:2020 was an articulation of the long-term intent to launch Nigeria onto a path of sustained socio-economic development. The ERGP shared this vision, which ensured that the country exited recession in 2017 and sustained growth in Gross Domestic Product until the recent global economic challenges occasioned by COVID-19. Advertisements Over the decades, successive planning and visioning exercises have guided investment in human capital development, the implementation of our infrastructural roadmap, and supported social investment in our peoples lives and livelihoods, he said. The President wished the committee success in its assignment, adding that he looked forward to receiving regular reports of deliberations. On the composition of the committee, the President said in order to ensure a truly consultative, participatory and inclusive planning process, the membership will comprise representatives of one State governor from each of the six geopolitical zones, the Senate and House of Representatives, ministers and representatives of key agencies. Other members of the National Steering Committee are major political parties, ALGON, captains of industries, Labour Organizations, youth organizations and womens societies, farmers associations, traditional and religious leaders, people with special needs and members of the press. At the heart of the Successor Plans is the partnership between the public and private sectors, with Government as the enabler of private sector investment and industry, the President said. In her remarks, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Ahmed noted that lately, various zones of the country have been pursuing different economic cooperation within their areas. She, therefore, urged that the new Plans consider the comparative advantages available in these regional blocs to build a virile Nigeria. Although the two National Plans are on their way out, the question that will remain on the lips of Nigerians and which we must be ready to provide an answer with little or no prompting as we progress with the preparation of the successor Plans, is how much the Plans have transformed Nigerian economy. As the National Steering Committee for the preparation of the new Plans, we must therefore strive to give hope to the great citizens of this country with the quality of Plans that we are coming up with, she said. Also speaking, the co-chair Mr Peterside pledged to work as a team, commending the President for making the Committee very inclusive. For a development plan to be successful, it has to be inclusive, people should be consulted, own it and believe it is working for them, he said. The drought that hit central and northern Europe in summer 2018 had serious effects on crops, forests and grasslands. Researchers from the European Research Infrastructure Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS), including researchers from the University of Gottingen, are showing what effects this had and what lessons can be learned. The results of 16 studies that are currently underway have been published as a special issue in the journal Philosophical Transactions. The interdisciplinary teams shed light on different aspects of this research. Among many findings, they found that the plants initially benefited from the warm and sunny conditions in spring, but had too little water available for their roots when the summer heatwave started. As a result, grasslands began to dry up and numerous arable areas recorded the lowest yields for decades. The forests protected themselves by greatly reducing their evaporation for several weeks, but this then led to a sharp drop in carbon dioxide uptake. Such effects were observed simultaneously - all the way from Switzerland to the Netherlands and Germany, and from the Czech Republic to Sweden and Finland. The Bioclimatology Group of the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology at the University of Gottingen contributes to ICOS with a meteorological station in the Hainich National Park. For the last 20 years every 30 minutes, the station has measured the carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour exchange between forest and atmosphere. Comparing the data across Europe shows that the area under investigation is one of those most affected by the 2018 drought. "In 2018, the CO2 uptake calculated over the whole year was about 30 percent lower than the average of the past 20 years," says Head of the Group Professor Alexander Knohl. "On some days in the summer of 2018, the forest actually emitted carbon dioxide instead of absorbing it," adds Dr Lukas Siebicke. "In the past 20 years, this has never happened before." The measurements from the meteorological station in the Hainich National Park are of great international scientific importance for two reasons: it is one of the world's longest time series for such continuous measurements; and it is one of the oldest unmanaged forests in which such measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapour exchange takes place. ICOS is a European research infrastructure for measuring carbon dioxide fluxes between land, ocean and atmosphere. Across Europe, 140 measuring stations in twelve countries are involved. ICOS stations are subject to a rigorous quality assurance process and provide standardised data that is made freely available for research, teaching and other applications. ICOS provides essential data for the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and for the decision-making processes within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. ### Further information about ICOS can be found at http://www.icos-cp.eu/. Original publication: Wouter Peters et al. Impacts of the 2018 severe drought and heatwave in Europe: from site to continental scale. Philosophical Transactions (2020) https://royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/375/1810 Contact: Professor Alexander Knohl University of Gottingen Bioclimatology Group Busgenweg 2, 37077 Gottingen, Germany Tel: +49 (0)551 3923682 Email: aknohl@uni-goettingen.de http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/67076.html Dr Lukas Siebicke University of Gottingen Bioclimatology Group Busgenweg 2, 37077 Gottingen, Germany Tel: +49 (0)551 398100 Email: lukas.siebicke@forst.uni-goettingen.de http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/67076.html At the end of May, Elaine Kinchen took the plunge and switched from being an activist to a journalist. Kinchens activism dates to being a student and protesting George W Bushs 2003 decision to invade Iraq on trumped up claims about weapons of mass destruction. Her decision to become a journalist was triggered by the protests that gripped Portland and other cities following the killing by police in Minneapolis of George Floyd, and the desire to document them. Given the chance to hit the streets running by podcaster and videographer Robert Evans, Kinchen and her parter did just that. They did so in an environment that Evans, who has previously covered conflicts in Ukraine and Iraq, described as as close up to the line as you can get to actual war without live rounds. Very quickly on, Kinchen learned she needed goggles to deal with all the tear gas police were firing, sometimes so much it filled city blocks. Soon after, she realised she would need a gas mask if she planned to go out night after night. Now, as the demonstrations in Portland have passed the 100 day mark and tensions intensified following the killings of protesters in both Portland and Wisconsin by rival factions, she usually wears a ballistic or bullet-proof vest. She has ordered a bullet proof helmet. Chaos in Portland as protests continue Despite that, and despite being conscious of the responsibility of being the parent of two children, the 35-year-old reckons it is only a matter of time before she gets hurt or is picked up by police, who she has watched arrest half-a-dozen of her colleagues. Many of Portlands journalists have filed lawsuits against the city. In August, a court issued a ruling permitting journalists and legal observers not to disperse when ordered to do so by police, even if they declare a riot. In terms of safety gear, I sometimes wear a bulletproof vest, helmet, goggles, she says. But there's only so much you can do and I just kind of assume that at some point, I will be injured or arrested, and so far I've been relatively lucky. As protests swept the US following the killing of 46-year-old Mr Floyd, The Independent has detailed how dozens of journalists were arrested or detained by police, in the process of doing their work. One of The Independents own reporters was arrested by police in Seattle while covering an operation to clear a protest encampment in the Capitol Hill area. 'La resistencia civil y la desobediencia civil son la base del cambio', dice el activista Jamal Williams A charge of failure to disperse was subsequently dropped. Kinchen says about five or six journalists have been arrested in Portland, including her partner. She says she continues to go out and cover the protests four or five nights a week. She also has a day job as the vice principal of a small private school. It gives a very interesting perspective, because there is a little bit of separation between myself and the events unfolding, she says of the difference between being a reporter and a protester. So in some ways it's easier to analyse things and look at the goals and not be so deeply attached. Other than the physical dangers and the risk of being arrested, Kinchen has learned on the job about how to work among the protesters, many of whom resent having their faces pictured by the media. One reason for this, protesters say, is that police can seek to use such footage to identify people and subsequently bring charges. In Seattle, five media outlets are fighting a court order to hand over raw footage taken at a protest in downtown Seattle on May 30. It means I need to think about how and why I'm filming people - am I filming people in ways that they will be helpful to them, that gives information, or am I filming, people in ways that is sensationalist, and will endanger my subjects. To do this, she sometimes cuts out faces, or shows an angle that blurs that view. I have a fisheye lens on my camera, that will make it a little bit distorted. Even though she is new to the business, she says she took the ethical aspect of journalism very seriously. I became a member of the reporters union. I take that seriously, she adds I do not want to endanger any of my subjects, and so I need to always consider what I am filming and what Im posting. The governments new literacy scheme, Padhna Likhna Abhiyan, will be a leap forward for achieving the goal of total literacy by 2030, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said on Tuesday. The principal target of the programme is to impart functional literacy and numeracy to 57 lakh non-literate and non-numerate adults in both rural and urban areas across the country in the age group of 15 years and above, Nishank said at a 54th International Literacy Day event. This target mostly comprises women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, minorities and other disadvantaged groups. In the scheme, among others, priority will be given to districts with female literacy rates less than 60 per cent as per latest census, he added. Padhna Likhna Abhiyan will be a leap forward for achieving the goal of total literacy by 2030, he said. The minister called upon all stakeholders, including state governments, civil society organisations, corporate bodies, intelligentsia and fellow citizens, to join hands in transforming India to a fully literate society making the country Saakshar Bharat-Aatmanirbhar Bharat (literate India, self-reliant India). Illiteracy is a sin and shame and must be eradicated. Literacy can play an important role of empowering, transforming and improving quality of life of individuals as well as society, especially women and those belonging to disadvantaged groups of society. There is an urgent need to focus attention ensuring that everyone is brought into the fold of literacy and formal education to catch up so that we can move faster towards the national goal, Minister of State for Education Sanjay Dhotre said. Literacy need not be viewed as an end in itself. This is particularly relevant to our country as large part of our population is under 35 years of age. This young population, entering into world of work without adequate levels of education and vocational skills will prevent us from taking full advantage of demographic dividend. We have to think how the youth can be brought into the ambit of education and lifelong learning, he added. In a bid to give a boost to adult education and eradicate illiteracy from the country, the Ministry of Education has launched Padhna Likhna Abhiyan. Under the campaign, students will be engaged and encouraged to teach illiterate elderly people of their respective areas. By ANI KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that vicious rumours were being spread and if it could be proved that West Bengal government has said there will be no Durga Puja this year, she "will do sit-ups in front of people 100 times". "A political party is spreading vicious rumours about Durga Puja, so far we haven't had any meeting on it. Prove that West Bengal govt has said there will be no Durga Puja, I will do sit-ups in front of people 100 times," the Chief Minister said while addressing the Observance of Police Day function through video conference. "Some fake IT pages are spreading misinformation on Durga Puja. I am asking the police to find out these people who purposely spread fake news and make them hold their ears and do sit-ups. Only fake news is being spread to destroy communal harmony. Those who have never worshipped Kali and Durga or Hanuman are talking about puja," she added. The existing COVID-19 lockdown measures in West Bengal have been extended till September 20. Banerjee, during a programme here to mark Bengal's first Police Day, said the two forces have been diligently performing their duties and providing all possible help to the people of the state, amid the crisis. Bengal had observed Police Day on September 1, but the programme was postponed to September 8, as the state was mourning the demise of former president Pranab Mukherjee. "The police forces in the state are humane and brave. They should not pay heed to any adverse comment and keep up the good work," Banerjee said at the programme. Several police personnel received medals and certificates for their services at the programme. "Apart from maintaining law and order, they have also donated blood during this pandemic. Several members of the force, who had contracted the disease and recovered, are donating plasma for COVID-19 treatment, thus saving the lives of many patients," Banerjee said. She congratulated the family members for standing beside the police personnel, as they worked tirelessly to combat the COVID situation. "The Kolkata Police, which was once equated with the Scotland Yard, is excelling further, while the West Bengal Police is also faring well," she said, after virtually inaugurating a cyber forensic laboratory, three new police stations at Khardah, Sagarpara and Kalitala Asuti, and 22 other buildings, including some police barracks. Banerjee said emphasis would be laid on cyber security and those circulating fake news about Bengal through their IT cell and "trying to create communal tension" would be made to do sit-ups, holding their ears. The chief minister, who also holds the Home (Police) portfolio, further said that junior constables will be promoted to the post of constable after completion of five years in service -- a move that would benefit 3,500 personnel. She announced terminal benefits of Rs 3 lakh, at the age of 60 years, for home guards, civil defence volunteers, civic volunteers, village police volunteers, Asha workers and auxiliary fire operators. They will also be entitled to an annual bonus of Rs 2,000. At least 2.51 lakh people will benefit from the decision, Banerjee said. Talking about preparations for this year's Durga puja, the CM said the pandemic has shown no sign of waning yet, and decisions will be taken after assessing the situation. State Home secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay, on the occasion, said that the kin of 20 COVID warriors who succumbed to the infection -- eight personnel of the West Bengal Police, seven of the Kolkata Police, four officials of the health department and one of the personnel department - were being given jobs, under the Compassionate Appointment Scheme, as promised by the government. Bandopadhyay also said that 24 police personnel have died of COVID-19 in West Bengal so far. Among others, State Director General of Police Virendra was present at the programme. (With PTI Inputs) Cancer patients are receiving terminal diagnoses over the phone or Skype because many of them prefer it, Matt Hancock said yesterday. The Health Secretary said many patients would rather be given the bad news that way than a consultant telling them in person. He said some want to be surrounded by their family rather than being stuck in a hospital. The minister told MPs: 'Some people find that receiving bad news at home is better rather than in the unfamiliar circumstances of being in a hospital but of course it should be done in a sensitive way where people have the support around them.' Cancer patients are receiving terminal diagnoses over the phone or Skype because many of them prefer it, Matt Hancock said yesterday (stock picture) Appearing before the Commons health select committee, Mr Hancock also pledged action to ensure that fathers can be present throughout their partner's labour. It comes amid concern that social distancing rules are leaving women anxious. Some hospitals said partners could be present only when women were in the later stages of labour, while many banned partners from attending antenatal appointments, including scans. The Health Secretary said: 'I've heard loud and clear the call for better access to maternity services during pregnancy and birth. I have taken this up with the NHS. I hope we will be able to make progress.' The Daily Mail has highlighted concerns about growing moves to replace face-to-face consultations with virtual ones a set-up which has increased since the coronavirus outbreak. But Labour MP Rosie Cooper, who is on the health committee, highlighted the 'dreadful downsides' of this approach. The Health Secretary said many patients would rather be given the bad news that way than a consultant telling them in person (stock picture) She said a consultant from Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool had recently called a patient at home and told them 'that chemo wasn't working and that it was terminal and nothing could be done'. She added: 'Nothing was done to ensure that patient was not on his own. Do you think it is appropriate that we deliver that kind of news over the telephone without ensuring there is some support there?' Mr Hancock replied: 'I think the natural instinct of everybody would be to say that that should be given face to face. 'I'm also aware of some of the evidence that came up through the use of video conferencing that patients prefer to hear bad news when they can be with their family at home when it is well prepared and organised. 'We shouldn't automatically reject the use of telemedicine, even in this scenario.' He added: 'We need to learn from how this has been done with an open mind as to what works well, what must return to being done face to face. 'Even though there is a huge enthusiasm for technology I wouldn't have expected any evidence that people prefer to hear bad news over a video conference than face to face and when I saw that I was surprised. 'But once you think about it you can understand it, if it's done sensitively.' However, the Labour MP said: 'The difficulty is the consultant knows the message they're going to deliver, the patient doesn't know what they're getting. So if you don't check that they're with their family then this can cause a drop in the person's ability to deal with their illness.' Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday exhorted banks to extend their cooperation in providing benefits to the people especially farmers, entrepreneurs, small businessmen under the "Atma Nirbhar Bharat" economic package announced by the Centre. The DyCM, who also holds the Finance portfolio, asked banks to provide more loans to wood-based industries, agro- based processing units such as Makhana, vegetable, fruits, honey, maize and seed. The state government has made a provision to give these units capital and interest subsidy between 15 to 35 per cent, he said. The DyCM said this while reviewing the various aspects of Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme during the 73rd meeting of State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) here in the state capital. Expressing concern over banks approving a very low number of applications and amount to footpath vendors under Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme, he said that of 14,917 applications, only 3,974 have been approved and of this, only 45 applicants were given Rs 10,000 each as loan. The state government has asked its Urban Development and Housing Department to submit one lakh applications of footpath vendors for getting loans from banks, he said. Similarly, Rs 2 lakh crore loan has to be disbursed across the country among Kisan Credit Card (KCC) holders, he said, adding that only 69,689 farmers (having KCCs) in Bihar have been sanctioned Rs 960.85 crore as KCC loans. Of 40,602 applications of dairy, fishery and poultry farmers, only 7,217 applications have been approved for which Rs 63.39 crore loan has been sanctioned, he said, adding that 12 lakh applications of dairy farmers of Bihar will be submitted in banks for loan. Under collateral free loan of Rs 3 lakh crore to MSME sector and other entrepreneurs and traders, Rs 2051.11 crore has been sanctioned as loan for 1,17,713 applicants in Bihar, the DyCM said. He also expressed concern over the 10 districts which have achieved less than 10 per cent of the annual credit plan target and asked officials that he would hold another meeting separately after 15 days to review the performance of these 10 districts. (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.) Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors globally. Due to continuous growth, ecologically, economically and socially sustainable sites for aquaculture are already in use, which has caused a need for new fish farming techniques. Recirculating aquaculture systems, technology that recycles and saves water, has expanded in recent years. The operation and management of bioreactors has been one of the biggest issues, which microbiological processes were studied by M.Sc. Jani Pulkkinen in his dissertation. Credit: University of Jyvaskyla Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors globally. Due to continuous growth, ecologically, economically and socially sustainable sites for aquaculture are already in use, which has caused a need for new fish farming techniques. Recirculating aquaculture systems, technology that recycles and saves water, has expanded in recent years. The technology has not yet achieved economic viability, mainly due to high investment and operating costs. In addition, the operation and management of bioreactors has been one of the biggest issues, which microbiological processes were studied by M.Sc. Jani Pulkkinen in his dissertation. Bioreactors utilize bacteria in the water purification process.In bioreactors, toxic ammonia excreted by fish is microbially converted to more harmless nitrate in the nitrification process. "Although bioreactors are designed for the decomposition of nitrogen compounds, the main functions of bacteria in bioreactors were the decomposition of carbohydrates, amino acids and fats. The impact of bioreactors as a whole on water quality is thus much more diverse than previously thought. A diverse and stable bacterial community can maintain good water quality, not only in terms of nitrogen compounds, but also in organic matter," Jani Pulkkinen says. Different types of bioreactors can trap solids from water or affect the gas balance, but different bioreactors also have different nitrification efficiencies, i.e. how fast ammonia can be converted to nitrate. "The sizing and selection of bioreactor type should be done taking into account the characteristics of the entire water treatment system," says Pulkkinen. The biological and mechanical solids removal capacity of bioreactors can compensate the properties of the rest of the water treatment system. By optimizing the entire water treatment system, the best possible water quality can be maintained for the well-being and growth of the fish, which enables cost-effective and environmentally friendly aquaculture. The dissertation consisted of four publications using modern molecular microbiology methods. All studies were conducted in the experimental recirculating aquaculture facilities of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) Laukaa fish farm.The dissertation has been funded by Luke, the European Union and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. The doctoral dissertation has been published in the JYU Dissertations series, number 242, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla 2020, ISSN 2489-9003, ISBN 978-951-39-8197-6 (PDF). Explore further The new recirculating aquaculture development environment in Laukaa gives new boost to fish farming More information: The publication is available in the JYX publication archive at: The publication is available in the JYX publication archive at: urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-8197-6 The Supreme Court on Wednesday imposed an interim stay on quotas in jobs and education to Marathas and referred the matter to a larger bench that is likely to examine if the controversial 2018 law, which breached the 50% apex-court mandated cap in caste-based reservation, was legal. The three-judge bench order, which evoked sharp reactions from political leaders in Maharashtra, said admissions under the quota in post-graduate courses will remain unaltered. The matter will now be placed before Chief Justice of India, SA Bobde, for constitution of a larger bench. The decision came on petitions challenging the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act (SEBC Act) of 2018 that fulfilled a decades-old demand by the dominant community after a state government panel found the Marathas socially and economically backward. The law originally provided 16% quota but in June 2019, the Bombay high court trimmed the quantum of the quota to 12% in education and 13% in jobs, as recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission. In its order, the high court upheld the legislations constitutional validity and said the 50% cap can be breached in exceptional circumstances, and if the quota was based on quantifiable data. Soon after, petitioners moved the top court and contended that the law breached the 50% reservation threshold prescribed in the 1992 Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case. As that case was decided by a bench of nine judges, various parties sought reference of the case to a bench of 11 judges to conclusively settle the issue. Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Maharashtra, said, on August 26, that the case will have to be heard by a Constitution bench as it involved substantial legal questions relating to reservation threshold. Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for an applicant supporting the law, had also demanded an 11-judge bench. The matter has to go before a 11-judge bench. 50% criterion was evolved through judicial decision making. 85 percent (people) in Maharashtra belong to backward classes, Sibal told the bench on August 26. He also submitted that reservation in 28 states exceed the 50% threshold after the Parliament introduced 10% reservation to Economically Weaker sections (EWS) by amending the Constitution in 2019. In Maharashtra, many politicians said they were taken aback by the decision. Maharashtra minister Ashok Chavan said the decision was unexpected and shocking. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called it a black day for Marathas. The MVA [Maha Vikas Aghadi] could not ensure the reservation held ground before the Supreme Court, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil told reporters. (With agency inputs) AJ Grady will celebrate his 6th birthday in October. After having eczema as a baby, AJ later developed food allergies. They are part of a chain reaction of allergic diseases called the atopic march and a new study by National Jewish Health finds it's more common in babies born in the fall. Credit: National Jewish Health Food allergies are on the rise, with more than five million children, about two kids in every school classroom, now suffering from allergy to at least one food. Researchers at National Jewish Health are working to discover what is responsible for this increase and have determined that many allergic conditions likely start with dry, cracked skin, which leads to a chain reaction of allergic diseases known as the atopic march. It begins in infancy with eczema and leads to food allergies, asthma and hay fever later in childhood. Now, their latest study reveals that the time of year a baby is born may be a risk factor for the atopic march. "We looked at every child treated in our clinic, and those born in the fall were much more likely to experience all of the conditions associated with the atopic march," said Jessica Hui, MD, a pediatrician at National Jewish Health and lead author of the study. "Now we are learning more about why that is and we strongly believe it stems from the bacteria on the skin on how they affect the skin barrier." Children with eczema often have high levels of a harmful bacteria called staph aureus on their skin, which weakens the skin's ability to keep out allergens and pathogens. "When food particles are able to penetrate the skin rather than being digested, the body sees them as foreign and creates antibodies against them, which causes the child to become allergic," Dr. Hui said. Researchers are now conducting a clinical trial to look at a wide variety of factors that may contribute to this weakened skin barrier in babies. They're enrolling pregnant women and following their babies into early childhood to consider everything from environmental factors to genetics to medications taken and products used in the home. They hope that this will not only help explain why babies born in the fall are at greater risk, but will also help develop solutions to stop the atopic march in its tracks. Researchers at National Jewish Health are working to stop the chain reaction of eczema, food allergies, asthma and hay fever. Credit: National Jewish Health "We think if we can intervene at a very young age, even right after the baby's out of the womb, then potentially that's a way for us to try to stop the development of this atopic march," Dr. Hui said. A new study by researchers at National Jewish Health found babies born in the fall are more likely to experience a lifetime of allergic conditions that start with eczema and lead to food allergies, asthma and hay fever. Credit: National Jewish Health Other potential solutions to prevent the atopic march is sealing the skin barriers of babies with eczema using wet wraps and lotions and introducing allergenic food early in life for kids at risk. The study is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Explore further Cracks in the skin of eczema patients promote allergic diseases Afghan's first vice-president Amrullah Saleh (C) speaks to the media at the Independent Electoral Commission office in Kabul. - At least two people were killed and a dozen more wounded in an explosion targeting the convoy of Afghanistan's vice president Amrullah Saleh in central Kabul early on September 9, officials said. (AFP File) New Delhi: India on Wednesday strongly condemned the cowardly terrorist attack on Afghan Vice-president (VP) Amrullah Saleh who survived the terror attack, saying India stands with Afghanistan in the fight to eradicate terror infrastructure and sponsors for enduring peace in Afghanistan. The word sponsors used by New Delhi is being seen as a thinly-veiled reference to Pakistan which has historically backed various terror groups in Afghanistan. India, which is a strong supporter of the Afghan Government, has nevertheless supported the Afghan peace process between the Afghan Government and the Pakistan-backed Taliban but is worried over the prospect of a growing role for the Taliban in the strife-torn country. Saleh is reportedly a former Afghan Intelligence chief and staunch critic of the Taliban and is hated by Pakistan-backed terror groups. MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava tweeted, India strongly condemns cowardly terrorist attack on Afghan VP Amrullah Saleh. Our condolences to martyrs and prayers with injured. India stands with Afghanistan in the fight to eradicate terror infrastructure and sponsors for enduring peace in Afghanistan. According to media reports, a roadside bomb in Kabul targeted Saleh on Wednesday morning but while he escaped the attack, 10 others were killed and at least 15 were wounded. The Taliban has reportedly denied responsibility. According to these reports, in a video posted on Facebook soon after the explosion, Saleh, with bandages on his left hand, said he had been travelling to his office when his convoy was attacked. Saleh was quoted as saying, I am fine but some of my guards have been wounded. My son, who was in the car with me, and I are both fine. I have some burns on my face and hand. The blast was strong. SHAVER LAKE, Calif. - More than a dozen California firefighters trying to protect a fire station in rugged mountains were overrun by flames Tuesday, and several were hurt. Elsewhere, military helicopters rescued more than 150 people stranded in a burning forest. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Smoke from wildfires burning east of Los Angeles dims the sunrise on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, seen from Pasadena, Calif. The Bobcat Fire was burning near Cogswell Reservoir in the San Gabriel Mountains while the El Dorado Fire consumed thousands of acres of vegetation near the community of Yucaipa on the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains. (AP Photo/John Antczak) SHAVER LAKE, Calif. - More than a dozen California firefighters trying to protect a fire station in rugged mountains were overrun by flames Tuesday, and several were hurt. Elsewhere, military helicopters rescued more than 150 people stranded in a burning forest. Fourteen firefighters deployed emergency shelters as flames overtook them and destroyed the Nacimiento Station in the Los Padres National Forest on the state's central coast, the U.S. Forest Service said. They suffered from burns and smoke inhalation, and three were flown to a hospital in Fresno, where one was in critical condition. The injuries came as wind-driven flames of more than two dozen major fires chewed through bone-dry California and forced new evacuations after a scorching Labor Day weekend that saw a dramatic airlift of more than 200 people. CORRECTS COUNTY TO MADERA COUNTY INSTEAD OF MARIPOSA COUNTY - A firefighter battles the Creek Fire as it threatens homes in the Cascadel Woods neighborhood of Madera County, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Pilots wearing night-vision goggles to find a place to land before dawn pulled another 164 people from the Sierra National Forest and were working to rescue 17 others Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. Its where training meets the moment, but it always takes the courage, the conviction and the grit of real people doing real work, said Newsom, who called the fires historic. California has already set a record with nearly 2.3 million acres (930,800 hectares) burned this year, and the worst part of the wildfire season is just beginning. The previous acreage record was set just two years ago and included the deadliest wildfire in state history, which was started by power lines and swept through the community of Paradise, killing 85 people. Fresno County Sheriff's Deputy Jeffery Shipman, left, stands along California State Highway 168 as the Creek Fire burns in the near vicinity, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in Shaver Lake, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) That 2018 blaze forced the state's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, to seek bankruptcy protection and guard against new disasters by cutting power preemptively when fire conditions are exceptionally dangerous. The utility shut off power to 172,000 customers over the weekend. More outages were expected in Northern California as high and dry winds were expected until Wednesday. More than 14,000 firefighters were battling fires around the state. Two of the three largest blazes in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area, though they are largely contained after burning three weeks. California was not alone: Hurricane-force winds and high temperatures kicked up wildfires across parts of the Pacific Northwest over the holiday weekend, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and mostly destroying the small town of Malden in eastern Washington. Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters work to douse brush fires in the Sepulveda Basin in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020. In Southern California, crews scrambled to douse several fires that popped up. The largest was a blaze in the foothills of Yucaipa east of Los Angeles that prompted evacuation orders for eastern portions of the city of 54,000 along with several mountain communities. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, and the forecast called for the arrival of the region's notorious Santa Ana winds. The U.S. Forest Service on Monday decided to close all eight national forests in the southern half of the state and shutter campgrounds statewide. In the Sierra National Forest east of Fresno, dozens of campers and hikers were stranded at the Vermilion Valley Resort after the only road in a narrow route snaking along a steep cliff was closed Sunday because of the Creek Fire. Well before dawn Tuesday, the sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air awoke Katelyn Mueller, bringing relief after two anxious nights camping in the smoke. It was probably the one time youre excited to hear a helicopter, Mueller said. You could almost feel a sigh of relief seeing it come in. A Red Cross worker takes details from newly arrived evacuees at the parking lot of the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem, Ore., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. Red Cross spokesman Chad Carter said 600 evacuees had checked in by early Tuesday afternoon to the site, one of at least 10 fire evacuation centers in Oregon set up by the organization. High winds kicked up wildfires across the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, burning hundreds of thousands of acres, mostly destroying the small town of Malden in eastern Washington state and forcing evacuations and highway closures in Oregon. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky) She and others had to abandon their vehicles and were flown to Fresno, where a friend picked her and three friends up for the drive back to San Diego. The fire had roared through the forest exceptionally quickly, advancing 15 miles (24 kilometres) in a single day over the holiday weekend. It has burned 254.4 square miles (658.89 square kilometres) since starting Friday from an unknown origin. About 365 buildings, including at least 45 homes, were confirmed destroyed so far, and another 5,000 structures were threatened. Cressmans General Store, a gas station and popular stop for more than a century near Shaver Lake, was a total loss. Flames threatened the foothill community of Auberry between the lake and Fresno. The use of military helicopters to rescue a large number of civilians for a second day after 214 people were lifted to safety after flames trapped them in a wooded camping area near Mammoth Pool Reservoir on Saturday is rare, if not unprecedented. Char Miller, a professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College who has written extensively about wildfires, said hes only seen rescues of this size during floods, when people need to be plucked from narrow canyons. This is emblematic of how fast that fire was moving, plus the physical geography of that environment with one road in and one road out. Its scary enough to drive there when nothing is burning, Miller said. Unless you wanted an absolute human disaster, you had to move fast. Steve Lohr of the U.S. Forest Service defended the decision not to close the national forests sooner. We can second-guess ourselves, but Ill say that we didnt take the situation lightly," Lohr said. "When you have a fire run 15 miles in one day, in one afternoon, theres no model that can predict that. And so we can look at those things and learn from them, but the fires are behaving in such a way that weve not seen. 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. Numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger wildfires in America to global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas, especially because climate change has made California much drier. A drier California means plants are more flammable. "The frequency of extreme wild fire weather has doubled in California over the past four decades, with the main driver being the effect of rising temperature on dry fuels, meaning that the fuel loads are now frequently at record or near-record levels when ignition occurs and when strong winds blow, Stanford University climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh said in an email. Arson is suspected as the cause of the blaze that injured the firefighters above the scenic Big Sur coastal region. The fire had been burning for weeks, but it doubled in size overnight. Police arrested a Fresno man near the fire's starting point Aug. 19 on charges that included arson of forestland and illegal marijuana cultivation. He's being held on $2 million bail. ___ Melley reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Christopher Weber, Frank Baker and John Antczak in Los Angeles, Olga Rodriguez and Juliet Williams in San Francisco and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed. Senate Republicans are set to introduce a new plan for $1,200 stimulus checks, and it could set up a procedural vote as soon as this week. New relief package Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed the news on September 8, explaining that Republicans are introducing a new targeted proposal that is aimed at helping those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. McConnell stated that despite not including every idea that the party likes, the new plan focuses on urgent healthcare, education, and economic issues, which all suffered during the height of the pandemic. The senator then went on to insist that he will be moving immediately to set up a floor vote as soon as this week. He also took the change to slam Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi for blocking the previously proposed stimulus package that the Republicans have written. Also Read: Fact Check: Were 20,000 Fake IDs Seized as a Voter-Fraud Scheme? In a series of tweets, the senator wrote that Senate Republicans have been trying for months to deliver more COVID-19 relief to American families. He added that Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer had blocked them at every turn. "Every action has suggested they simply do not want families to get any more bipartisan help before the election," he wrote on his official Twitter account. A day ago, the House Speaker blasted Republicans who are refusing to lift a finger for the coronavirus check deal. Democrats and Republicans had not settled on several issues, including the cost of the package, when Congress adjourned for a summer break last month, accrding to VOX. Lawmakers are due to return from recess, leaving many Americans hopeful that a bill similar to the Cares package and anther round of $1,200 stimulus check will get approval by the end of this week, and the distribution will start at the end of this month. CARES plan In March, the CARES plan created by the Republican senate was passed. There were key provisions included in the bill and what it meant for American taxpayers, according to Forbes. Americans who paid taxes received a one-time direct deposit of $1,200, and married couples received $2,400 plus an additional $500 per child. The payments were available for incomes up to $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for married couples. For the unemployed, the program gave $250 billion for an extended unemployment insurance program and expanded eligibility and offered workers an additional $600 per week for four months, on top what state programs pay. The program also extends UI benefits through Dec.31, 2020, for eligible workers. The deal applies to the self-employed, independent contractors, and gig economy workers. As for the payroll taxes, the measure allows employers to delay the payment of their portion of 2020 payroll taxes until 2021 and 2022. For the retirement funds, the bill waived a 10% early withdrawal penalty for distributions of up to $100,000 for coronavirus-related purposes, retroactive to January 1, 2021. Withdrawals are still taxed, but taxes are spread over three years, or the taxpayers have the three-year period to roll it back over. For small business relief, $350 billion was dedicated to preventing layoffs and business closures since workers had to stay home during the outbreak. Companies with 500 employees or fewer that maintain their payroll during coronavirus got up to 9 weeks of cash-flow assistance. The employers who maintained payroll had their interests on mortgage obligations, rent, and utilities forgiven as long as they used portion o the load for payroll costs. Related Article: Second Stimulus Check Update: Taxation and Mode of Distribution @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A 27-year-old man has appeared in court charged with murder and seven counts of attempted murder after a series of stabbings in Birmingham. Zephaniah McLeod, of Nately Grove, Selly Oak, appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday following knife attacks which resulted in the death of Jacob Billington on Sunday, West Midlands Police said. McLeod spoke only to confirm his personal details during a five-minute appearance before two magistrates. He appeared over a videolink because of routine Covid-19 safety measures operating in court. He could be seen seated in a chair wearing a light grey T-shirt, with an appropriate adult close by. Throughout the hearing he rubbed his face, forehead and ear with his hands, frequently obscuring his face. Jacob Billington / PA McLeod was asked for his date of birth several times, before eventually confirming the details to the court clerk. During the hearing, which lasted a total of 18 minutes including legal submissions, the court clerk read out the details of the charges faced by McLeod, who was not asked for any pleas. The court heard the alleged victims of the attempted murder charges are Dimitar Bachvarov, Migle Dolobauskaite, Thomas Glassey, Michael Callaghan, Shane Rowley, Rhys Cummings and Ryan Bowers. Adjourning the proceedings, chairman of the bench David Warner told the court: "Before we retire, I would just like to express the courts sympathy with everybody who has been affected by these tragic events." The defendant was remanded to appear by videolink at the citys Crown Court on Thursday. A police officer outside a property on Nately Grove, Selly Oak, Birmingham / PA The force declared a major incident after Mr Billington was killed and seven other people were stabbed during a rampage in the city centre spanning some 90 minutes. Two of the victims remain in a critical condition with one, a 22-year-old woman, now critical but stable. Another man, aged 30, remains in a serious condition in hospital, while four others have been discharged. Mr Billington was fatally stabbed in Irving Street, Birmingham, at about 1.52am, while out with old school friends from Liverpool, who were visiting the city. A post-mortem examination concluded he died from a stab wound to the neck. A police officer and vehicles at a cordon in Irving Street in Birmingham after a number of people were stabbed in the city / PA Wire/PA Images His devastated family paid tribute to him as the light of our life, in a statement issued through police on Monday. The 23-year-old, from Crosby, Merseyside, had been working as a library intern at Sheffield Hallam University after graduating from there and was also a drummer in a band. A university spokesman said: Jacob was a Sheffield Hallam graduate and had joined the library as a graduate intern, where his warmth and enthusiasm made him a greatly valued member of our team. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and colleagues at this very difficult time. Police forensic officers in Hurst Walk in Birmingham after a number of people were stabbed / PA One of Mr Billingtons friends, Michael Callaghan, also 23 and a fellow bandmate, was seriously injured in the attack. Both men had previously attended Sacred Heart Catholic College in Crosby, where prayers were said on Monday evening for their families. In a statement the school said: "We are saddened at the events in Birmingham which took Jacobs life and left Michael critically injured." It added: "We are praying for Michaels recovery and will never forget Jacob, his life touched so many in our school." Three people arrested early on Monday at an address in Selly Oak on suspicion of assisting an offender have all been released pending investigation, police said. Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro, leading the investigation, said: "Since these tragic events unfolded in the early hours of Sunday morning weve had a team of officers working non-stop on the investigation. "Our driving focus is to secure justice for the victims, their family and friends. "Our sympathies remain with everyone whos been impacted by these terrible crimes. "Our investigation continues and I would urge any witnesses whove not yet spoken to us, or anyone with information they feel could help, to get in touch." Suzanne Llewellyn, deputy chief crown prosecutor of Crown Prosecution Service West Midlands, said: "Following an incident in Birmingham city centre in the early hours of September 6 2020, the CPS has authorised West Midlands Police to charge Zephaniah McLeod with one count of murder and seven counts of attempted murder. "This decision was made following careful consideration of the evidence presented to us by West Midlands Police as a result of their ongoing investigation. "Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the victims affected in this incident." Bill Barr; Donald Trump U.S. President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr speak in the Oval Office before signing an executive order related to regulating social media Doug MIlls-Pool/Getty Images One of Deutsche Bank's most famous customers has been President Donald Trump, and Deutsche's activities including its dealings with Trump have been the subject of investigations by prosecutors as well as members of Congress. The German bank, Bloomberg News is reporting, has hired attorney Robert Kimmitt whose relationship with Attorney General William Barr goes back to the late 1980s to represent it in Washington, D.C. The 72-year-old Kimmitt is a former U.S. ambassador to Germany. According to Bloomberg, Kimmitt's "precise role" in Deutsche "isn't clear even to many executives within the bank." Bloomberg journalists Greg Farrell, Steven Arons, Christian Berthelsen and Tom Schoenberg explain, "When Kimmitt was hired, many top executives in the U.S. weren't immediately informed of his role, according to other people familiar with the matter. Lawyers representing the bank in U.S. Justice Department investigations have been dealing directly with line prosecutors in several long-running investigations. In at least one of those investigations, the Department has relayed almost no information in years, these people said." The reporters note that according to Bloomberg's sources, some of Deutsche's senior executives in Frankfurt, Germany are hoping that Kimmitt's relationship with Barr "could help clear up a logjam of Justice Department investigations." Kimmit, Bloomberg notes, "has close connections to both Deutsche Bank and the Justice Department." Kimmitt's relationship with Barr goes back to the presidential election of 1988, when Vice President George H.W. Bush received the Republican nomination and went up against the Democratic presidential nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. That year, Bloomberg explains, Kimmitt and Barr "were responsible for vetting potential running mates for the vice president." Story continues After evaluating various possibilities, the GOP chose Dan Quayle as Bush's running mate. Bush defeated Dukakis in the general election, and Barr served as Bush's attorney general in the early 1990s before becoming attorney general for the Trump Administration in 2019. Related Articles WASHINGTON: The Group of Seven foreign ministers on Tuesday condemned the confirmed poisoning" of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in the strongest terms, according to a statement released by the U.S. State Department. We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the confirmed poisoning of Alexei Navalny," said the statement. Navalny, who is being treated in a Berlin hospital, was airlifted to Germany after falling ill on a Russian domestic flight last month. Germany says he was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him; Russia has said it has seen no evidence that Navalny was poisoned. Germany briefed the G7, which the United States is chairing this year, on its determination that Navalny is the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve-agent of the Novichok group, a substance developed by Russia," the G7 statement said. Any use of chemical weapons, anywhere, anytime, by anybody, under any circumstances whatsoever, is unacceptable and contravenes the international norms prohibiting the use of such weapons," the statement added, calling on Russia establish who was responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack." We will continue to monitor closely how Russia responds to international calls for an explanation of the hideous poisoning of Mr. Navalny," it 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 Three workers of Highly Electrical Appliances India Pvt Ltd, a Chinese multinational firm in Ahmedabads Sanad tested positive for the novel coronavirus on September 3. In another worrisome development, two more staff members of Chiripal Group tested positive for Covid-19, pushing the tally of industrial-linked cases from the industrial areas of Ahmedabad district to 514, The Indian Express reported. Out of the 20 fresh infections that surfaced in Ahmedabad rural last week, five were from the industrial area of Sanand and Dholka. At present, these two areas constitute the highest number of coronavirus infections among employees who came back to work after the Covid-related curbs were eased in a graded manner from April 20. Till now, Ahmedabad rural has reported a total of 1,800 positive cases of the novel coronavirus. Out of these, 28 percent were seen in industries that are in the vicinity of the citys rural areas. To put things in perspective, out of the 424 cases reported in Dholka, 137 infections are industry-linked while in Sanad, of the cumulative 417 infections, 132, i.e. 31 percent trace their origins to industries. As per Sanand Industrial Association (SIA), a body of MSME units in the area, more than 12,000 migrant workers have come back to the state from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The president of SIA, Ajit Shah, told IE that not all of them have been tested for the infection and added that though a few positive cases had emerged, the situation was not alarming. There are around 20,000 workers engaged in MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) units in Sanand. The government is organising drives throughout these 800 MSMSE units in Sanand. A government official told the publication that out of the total 1,808 cases in Ahmedabad rural, 985 infections are in municipalities, while 823 cases were reported from villages. The least number of coronavirus cases in industrial areas four infections have been reported from Dholera, where a new Special Investment Region (SIR) is being established, and in Mandal (29), where the Maruti Suzuki plant is located. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases in Ahmedabad district climbed by 170 to 32,866 on Tuesday, Gujarat health department said. With three people succumbing to the infection, the toll went up to 1,756, it said. A total of 95 patients, including 68 in Ahmedabad and 27 in rural areas, were discharged after treatment in the day, increasing the number of recoveries to 27,024. Of the 170 infections, Ahmedabad city reported 148 cases while rural areas added 22 patients. LEHI, Utah, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Young Living, the world's leading provider of essential oils, today announced donations from its third annual International Essential Oils Day on July 11 totaled $292,000. The money will go to the D. Gary Young Global Leadership Fund for Higher Education. Prior to this year's International Essential Oils Day, Young Living pledged to donate 5% of global sales on July 11 to its foundation. The final donation of $292,000 will help deserving students from the Young Living Academy in Chongon, Ecuador as well as rising leaders and deserving students in other developing nations pursue higher education opportunities at a university or trade school. This fund helps bridge a difficult gap for underprivileged students who have big dreams but who often can't afford higher education. "This donation will go a long way in helping build a strong foundation for the future leaders of the communities we serve around the world," said Jackie Skinner, executive director of the Young Living Foundation. "Seeing the Young Living family come together this year for International Essential Oils Day was incredibly rewarding, especially given everything that is going on in the world today. It's inspiring to see this level of support for the Foundation." International Essential Oils Day was first celebrated in 2018. This officially recognized day celebrates the power and benefits of essential oils and Young Living's history in bringing them to the world. More information can be found at InternationalEssentialOilsDay.com. Young Living continues to encourage donations to the D. Gary Young Global Leadership Fund for Higher Education through direct donations. Direct donations can be made at: https://younglivingfoundation.org/embedded-cart About Young Living Essential Oils Young Living Essential Oils, LC, based in Lehi, Utah, is the world leader in essential oils, offering the highest quality oil-infused products available. Young Living takes its industry leadership seriously, setting the standard with its proprietary Seed to Seal quality commitment, which involves three critical pillars: Sourcing, Science, and Standards. These guiding principles help Young Living protect the planet and provide pure, authentic products that its members can feel confident about using and sharing with friends and family. Young Living's productswhich all come from corporate-owned farms, partner farms, and Seed to Seal-certified suppliersnot only support a healthy lifestyle but also provide opportunities for over 6 million global members to find a sense of purpose and whole-life wellness by aligning their work with their values and passions. For more information, visit YoungLiving.com, follow @youngliving on Instagram, or like us on Facebook. SOURCE Young Living Essential Oils New resource will increase opportunities and accelerate economic recovery solutions for women entrepreneurs, particularly in disadvantaged communities Washington, Sept. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Small Business Administration today announced grant funding for a new SBA Womens Business Center in Mississippi, which will be hosted by Alcorn State University, a designated historically black college and university (HBCU) in Claiborne County, Mississippi. The SBAs funding of this new Womens Business Center (WBC) will further bring an important new small business resource to women entrepreneurs in Mississippi at a time when their businesses are working to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. This center is an important step in SBAs ongoing effort to expand services and accelerate local economic opportunities. Small business ownership is a powerful mechanism for upward mobility and wealth creation, and President Trumps Administration is doing everything possible to cultivate entrepreneurship in communities that have historically been denied opportunities and otherwise left behind. Administrator Carranzas top priorities have included providing better resources to small businesses in disadvantaged communities and helping women-owned small businesses grow and flourish. Alcorn State University will be the third HBCU to host a WBC under Carranzas leadership. The WBC at Alcorn State University will carry out the mission with the support of the SBAs Office of Womens Business Ownership (OWBO). SBAs OWBO was founded in 1979 to help women start their businesses, as well as grow, expand and recover their businesses as America works to restart the economy from the effects of the pandemic. The grant funding period will begin on October 1, 2020. For over 30 years, the SBAs Office of Womens Business Ownership has proudly empowered women to become entrepreneurs through the education, training, and resources our Womens Business Centers provide, said Sery Kim, Assistant Administrator for OWBO. With more than 100 WBCs located in nearly every state, OWBO is committed to assist women, regardless of color or demographic, with overcoming challenges in pursuing their dreams. This new WBC will enable the SBA to help more women entrepreneurs not only to sustain their businesses or recover but be poised for expansion. Story continues SBA is committed to safely opening WBCs and expanding resources for women entrepreneurs who continue to succeed at making an impact on our nations job creation and economic recovery. Dr. Felecia Nave is the 20th president of Alcorn State University and is the first women president in the universitys 149-year history. Dr. Nave added, Alcorn State University is honored to partner with the SBA to host a Womens Business Center in Mississippi. The Alcorn State University WBC will provide even greater access to women entrepreneurs because we know entrepreneurship and small business ownership are proven paths toward financial independence and economic preservation, especially for women and minorities. We share in the common goal of helping develop women entrepreneurs to be successful in the 21st century global marketplace. The SBAs WBCs are a national network of over 100 centers, offering one-on-one counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs on numerous business development topics, including business startup, financial management, and procurement. To learn more about the SBAs programs and services for women entrepreneurs, visit www.sba.gov/women, and find other WBC locations and SBA resources at www.sba.gov/local-assistance. To learn more about the SBAs OWBO, visit online at https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-locations/headquarters-offices/office-womens-business-ownership. About the U.S. Small Business Administration The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit https://www.sba.gov. CONTACT: Carol Wilkerson United States Small Business Administration 2022058520 carol.wilkerson@sba.gov Five Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry will be joining (ISA)'s Coalition for Sustainable Climate Action (ISA-CSCA) as Corporate Partners and will be contributing to ISA's Corpus Fund, said Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas on Tuesday. In his inaugural speech at the First World Solar Technology Summit organized by ISA, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas said that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and GAIL (India) Limited will be contributing to ISA's Corpus Fund. According to a press statement, Pradhan said that increasingly and rightly so, Indian Oil & Gas companies are actively taking part in this clean energy transition. "In order to reduce carbon footprint, these companies will be focusing more on green energy investments such as renewables, biofuels and hydrogen going forward. We are also actively encouraging industry in general, and Oil & Gas companies in particular, become participants to this solar transition," he added. On the achievements made in the sector so far, Pradhan said that our oil & gas companies are also making efforts to deploy solar panels across the value chain of their operations, and current installed solar power capacity is 270 MW. "Additional 60 MW solar capacity will be added in the coming year. We have taken up the mission of solarizing about 50% of fuel stations owned by Public Sector oil companies in the next five years. More than 5000 fuel stations of Indian Oil, the largest Public Sector Oil Marketing company, were solarized last year. A substantial amount of solar PV capacity was also added by Oil & Gas companies during the last few years," the press statement read. The Minister said that Oil & Gas are increasingly evaluating new opportunities in the solar and RE space for diversification. Recently, French major Total has also announced investments for buying about 2 GW operating PV plants in India. "Despite the Covid-19 pandemic presented challenges, we are in the process of overhauling India's supply chains and reduce overdependence on imports for solar modules. Under the 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan' or Self-Reliant India reform announced by Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our country has received proposals from various players for over 10 GW of fresh solar equipment manufacturing," Pradhan said. "In line with Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to action for developing low-cost indoor solar cooking solutions, our company IOCL has tied up with M/s Sun Bucket System, a US-based start-up working in the niche area of solar energy-based products. We are encouraging Indian oil & gas companies to develop such innovative and scalable tie-ups in solar sector, which have the potential to make nationwide impact", he added. Lauding the role of the ISA for making rapid strides since its launch at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris on 30 November 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then French President, Pradhan said that as the latest inter-governmental international organization with its headquarters in India, ISA is not only a testament to India's unwavering faith in multilateralism but also a commitment to a better, sustainable and greener future. He said that the Alliance reflects the vision and the firm belief that the beneficence of the Sun could be used to bring together the peoples of this planet for a shared solution to our energy needs. Pradhan said that there has always been a vision to make solar energy accessible and affordable for the poor by addressing the various financial and technological factors that currently impede such access. "The platform provided by ISA perfectly fits and matches growing energy needs of countries across the globe. The Oil & Gas companies in India will work closely with ISA to explore opportunities for implementation of solar-based projects within India as well as in other countries particularly other developing countries where ISA is focusing for faster development of solar energy infrastructure", Pradhan emphasized. The governments failure to properly communicate its Covid-19 public health message has been described as an abuse of power. TCD law professor Dr David Kenny told an Oireachtas committee that public health guidelines had confused members of the public. He was one of a number of academics, legal experts and civil society groups before the Special Committee on Covid-19 response on Wednesday that criticised the governments response to the pandemic. It was unclear to those cocooning in the most severe period of movement restrictions if they were legally required to stay in their homes; they were not, Dr Kenny said. It has been heavily implied in several instances that the requirement to isolate for 14 days after travel is a legal obligation; it is not, and never has been. It might be thought in some quarters that this is a useful strategy for ensuring compliance with public health advice, as people will be more likely to comply if they think they are legally obliged to do so. Expand Close A course worker disinfects hand rails at The Curragh Racecourse, Co Kildare (Brian Lawless/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A course worker disinfects hand rails at The Curragh Racecourse, Co Kildare (Brian Lawless/PA) But such a strategy raises serious rule of law concerns, and has real costs. It confuses members of the public; erodes public trust in communication about the law; and is an abuse of State power, implying a legal threat that does not exist. Law Society of Ireland president Michele OBoyle told the committee that the Governments communication of public health restrictions fell short on some occasions during the pandemic. While the situation facing the State in March was unprecedented, when interfering in the fundamental rights of citizens, the least intrusive approach possible which achieves the required result should always be chosen, she said. It is a requirement under Irish law, EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights that there should be certainty as to the nature of legal obligations placed on individuals. On some occasions, the communications around restrictions fell short of providing such certainty because the extent and application of those restrictions was unclear. She raised concerns over the use of garda powers to ensure people complied with Covid-19 measures. The advisability of using policing as a means to ensure compliance with public health guidelines should be extremely carefully considered, Ms OBoyle told TDs and senators. In general terms, we would caution against introducing powers normally reserved for the investigation of serious criminal offences for the purposes of enforcing what are, at their core, health regulations. Doireann Ansbro of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties also raised concerns about the restriction of individuals rights in the governments emergency legislation. She said it was important that there was more guidance around what constitutes a lawful reasonable excuse for not observing restrictions. Expand Close Lord Sumption (Jonathan Brady/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lord Sumption (Jonathan Brady/PA) A situation where people are uncertain about what guidelines are legally required or what behaviour is or isnt now illegal is simply untenable. Laws must be published in advance and government must be very clear about what is a law and what is not. She described last weeks pub grub regulations as unnecessary and inappropriate. Its clear the human rights tests of necessity and proportionality have not been applied to these regulations and if they had they would not have been met, she said. Earlier in the day the committee heard that the political response to the pandemic has been extreme and was outweighing other important economic and societal issues. Retired UK Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption said governments in Europe and North America had treated the outbreak of Covid-19 as an unprecedented situation, when he believes it should not be considered as such. There have been epidemics and pandemics before over the last 40 or 50 years and theyve hardly touched Europe or North America, he said. That has given us a sense of invulnerability which we are now learning was a mistake, we are not actually invulnerable. The reason why the reaction has been so extreme is that we have come to believe that there is nothing that the state cannot do to protect us, and that is something borne of our extremely fortunate experience over the last half century. Its not going to continue. Were likely to have more pandemics of this kind and we have to develop the kind of sense of proportion that Im afraid weve forgot over the last century since the previous pandemic which was the Spanish flu between 1918 and 1921. Lord Sumption and Gabriel Buquicchio, president of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, joined the committee meeting by video link from London and Strasbourg respectively. Mr Buquicchio told the committee a lot of good lessons are being learned now for the next crisis, as he warned: Unfortunately, I feel well have new pandemics like this one if not more serious. The committee met to discuss the legislation and regulations introduced by the State in response to the virus. The committee also examined the legal framework used to underpin responses to the pandemic in the UK and other jurisdictions. Asked by Fianna Fail TD Jim OCallaghan whether too much emphasis has been put on public health advice to the exclusion of other important factors, such as the mental health of older people and the educational needs of children, Lord Sumption said: I do think so. The question is how far should you allow clinical and medical considerations to outweigh the many other factors that make up the vigour of human life in a free and open society like ours. He said it is not an issue that should be handed over to scientists even if the scientists agreed, which they dont. In her statement, chairwoman of the Bar Council of Ireland Maura McNally urged the Oireachtas to ensure the courts system has sufficient funding to address the backlog of cases created by the lockdown. She said meaningful and timely access to courts was not only necessary but hugely important. The body, which represents 2,200 barristers, also called for better communication from the Government about Covid-19 public health guidance. London: The British judge hearing Julian Assange's extradition case has warned the WikiLeaks founder that he could be kicked out of his own court hearing if he continues to interrupt witnesses while they are giving evidence. Judge Vanessa Baraitser told Assange on Tuesday that she did not want to hear his case in his absence but that she would be left with no choice if he continued to shout from the dock. Julian Assange's biological father John Shipton stands in front of his poster near the Central Criminal Court Old Bailey in London, Tuesday. Credit:AP Assange shouted "this is nonsense" as James Lewis QC, the lawyer for the US government, told the Old Bailey that the 49-year-old was not facing charges for the blanket publication of thousands of secret military and diplomatic documents by WikiLeaks. Lewis said Assange instead faced 18 counts related to computer hacking and conspiring to penetrate US systems in violation of the Espionage Act. Marking a feat, the Indian Air Force will formally induct its latest Rafale fighter jets at the Ambala airbase on Thursday at 10 am in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh, officials said Wednesday. French defence minister Florence Parly and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria are also expected to attend the ceremony. The acquisition of jets by India is a part of the IAFs No. 17 Squadron which is also known as the Golden Arrows. The new Rafale fighters are expected to be deployed in the Ladakh sector as part of Indias overarching plan to strengthen its military posture in the region. The move is seen as Indias attempt to flex muscles where its troops are engaged in a bitter and tense border confrontation with China, where military friction has grown in recent weeks. Here is all you need to know about Indias latest warplane move: Guarding over skies night and day, hail or shine The arrival of Rafale combat jets last month has added more muscle to the Indian Air Forces ability to secure our countrys airspace. Heres a detailed look at all the major aircraft in the IAFs formidable fleet. Read more. Rafale vs J-20: Ex-IAF chief Dhanoa calls Chinas bluff with two simple questions Former Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Friday dismissed claims that the Rafale fighter jets inducted by the Indian Air Force this week had no chance against Chinas J-20 stealth fighter.The claims, made by an expert in Chinese Communist Partys tabloid Global Times, said that the Rafale was only superior to the IAFs Sukhoi-30 MKI jets but a generation below Chinese PLAs J-20 fighter. Read more. Birds have entered Indian airspace: Rajnath Singh tweets his welcome to 5 Rafales The five Rafale aircraft, on their way to the Indian Air Force base in Haryanas Ambala, were on Wednesday escorted into the Indian air space by Sukhoi fighter jets. Defence minister Rajnath Singh tweeted several photographs and a video of the Rafale jets entering Indian air space. Read more. Moments after Rafale fighter jets land, Rajnath Singhs veiled warning to China While the Indian Air Force (IAF) plan against the threat of Chinese Air Force remains classified, the basic strategy against Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) was put to test very successfully during 2018 Gagan Shakti pan-India air exercises. The strategy is simple: Disperse, Absorb, Recoup and Retaliate. Read more. With Rafales induction, IAF will have an edge over neighbours. Heres how The new aircraft will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of IAF, which has for long-planned to update its fighter jet force. Defence experts have said the induction of the controversial Rafale fighter jets will be a game-changer for India in regional politics of South Asia. Read more. Shots from 30,000 feet: Pics show Rafales re-fuelling mid-air on way home The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets, on their way to India, were seen being re-fuelled mid-air from a French Air Force tanker, and the pictures taken at 30,000 feet were posted on Twitter by the Indian embassy in France. Read more. IAF may deploy Rafale fighters in Ladakh sector amid border row The Indian Air Force could deploy its new Rafale fighter jets in the Ladakh sector as part of Indias overarching plan to strengthen its military posture in the region, where Indian and Chinese forces are locked in a tense border confrontation and disengagement has turned out to be a challenging process, people familiar with the developments said on Sunday. Read more. Rafale, the fighter jet that will be a game changer for India: 10 points The induction of the controversial Rafale fighter aircraft will be a game changer for India in regional politics of South Asia, as far as its neighbours are concerned, defence experts have reiterated. Read more. Rafale case: The Supreme Court verdict is a boost for transparency The Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday in the Rafale case came as a setback to the government. The unanimous judgment by the three-member bench, led by chief justice Ranjan Gogoi, overruled the central governments objections over the admissibility of some documents, which, the latter claimed, were sensitive in nature and had been obtained through unauthorised photocopying and leakage. Read more. CAG compares Rafale deal with similar aircraft offers The CAG report on capital acquisitions by the IAF may compare the Rafale deal with offers made by other manufacturers whose products were being considered, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon made by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), HT learns. Read more. Question the government on Rafale The Rafale deal is back in the news. Writing in The Hindu, its former editor N Ram has shown why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government ended up paying substantially more for 36 fighter aircraft. The article has drawn the ire of the governments votaries and their responses merit scrutiny. But we also need to go beyond the question of costs and look at the causes and consequences of the decision to scrap the older process for acquiring 126 aircraft. Read more. Give me 20 minutes: Rahul Gandhi dares PM to one-on-one debate on Rafale Hours after he opened a debate on the Rafale deal in parliament, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to renew the oppositions demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the purchase of the 36 aircrafts. Read more. India needs fourth generation aircraft, Rafale fits the bill, IAF tells Supreme Court As part of a four-hour-long Supreme Court hearing in the Rafale case, air vice marshal J Chalapathi, who has been associated with Rafale aircraft procurement decision, defended the purchase, saying India needed a fourth generation plus aircraft and Rafale fitted the bill. Read more. This is Dassault Aviations choice, says French firm after Hollandes remarks It was Dassault Aviations choice to partner with the Reliance group, the French company has clarified as a political firestorm raged in India after former president Francois Hollandes reported remarks on the multi-billion dollar Rafale jet deal on Friday. Read more. CAG to audit Rafale procurement only after payments are completed The Comptroller and Auditor General of India will audit the governments procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France for $8.7 billion, as it does all other deals, but only after the deal is fully executed and the payments are completed, according to a senior CAG official who asked not to be identified. Read more. A Rohingya family stands by their makeshift tent at a new IDP camp in Tankhali, Bangladesh. Nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees have fled into Bangladesh since late August during the outbreak of violence in the Rakhine state as recent satellite images released by Amnesty International provided evidence that security forces were trying to push the minority Muslim group out of the country. The "clearance operation" began at 3 a.m. in western Myanmar, the soldier says. The colonel in charge told the troops in Myanmar's 565th light infantry battalion their task was to wipe out the Rohingya villagers in the area, ordering them to "shoot all that you see and all that you hear," Pvt. Myo Win Tun says in video testimony obtained by NBC News. His unit carried out the order, the private says, raping women first before killing them along with children and the elderly. The troops buried 30 bodies in a mass grave near a cell phone tower and an army base, the soldier says. "The Muslim men were shot on their foreheads and kicked into the grave," the soldier says. His shocking testimony, along with that of another soldier deployed to a nearby township, marks the first time members of Myanmar's military have confessed to mass killings in August 2017 that United Nations officials and human rights groups call a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya minority. The testimony of the two soldiers, which was first reported by the New York Times, echoes the accounts of many Rohingya refugees and could have a dramatic impact on future proceedings at the International Criminal Court, which is examining whether Myanmar military officers committed crimes against the Rohingya community. It remains unclear if the two soldiers will be charged, or serve as witnesses for the prosecution of senior military leaders. "This is the first time that Myanmar soldiers are coming forward in this way," said Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at Fortify Rights, a human rights group. Smith said the soldiers' detailed testimony confirms acts of violence against Rohingyas that amount to genocide and crimes against humanity, and could open the door for others in the military to come clean. "This is the crack in the armor of impunity in the history of the Myanmar army's campaign against the Rohingya and other ethnic nationalities," Smith told NBC News. The two soldiers fled Myanmar and have been flown to The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is located, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. NBC News could not independently confirm the statements from the soldiers but their testimony appears to match accounts from human rights groups and Rohingya refugees. Myanmar's mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment. In his video testimony, Pvt. Myo Win Tun says the same colonel who gave his unit the original orders, Col. Than Htike, told the troops "to exterminate all" Rohingya. Both soldiers, speaking without emotion in a flat monotone, described how the troops from all ranks raped Rohingya women before destroying the villages. "We also raped Muslim women prior to shooting them," Pvt. Myo Win Tun says. "There were the Corporals, Sergeants, and Officers who raped Muslim women. I also raped one time." In the same region, another unit was carrying out a massacre against Rohingya under similar orders, according to video testimony from a second soldier, Pvt. Zaw Naing Tun of the 353rd Light Infantry Battalion. "We wiped out about 20 Muslim villages," Pvt. Zaw Naing Tun says in the video. His unit of roughly 80 troops was told "to kill all, irrespective of children and adults," he says. Pvt. Zaw Naing Tun says fellow troops and officers raped Rohingya women. He did not take part as he was ordered to guard the area where the rapes were carried out, the soldier says. "I was sentry outside while they were raping. I had to do the sentry because I am a private," he says. "I can't remember all of their names and ranks because there were a lot of them." Over a period of days, Pvt. Zaw Naing Tun says his battalion launched attacks on 20 villages in Maungdaw Township, including Doe Tan, Ngan Chaung, Kyet Yoe Pyin, Zin Paing Nyar and U Shey Kya. He says he and fellow soldiers shot and killed seven Rohingya in Zin Paing Nyar. He also says in the video that they abducted 10 unarmed Rohingya, tied them up with ropes, killed them and buried them in a mass grave. He and other privates dug the hole for the mass grave, he says. The August 2017 military campaign against the Rohingya Muslims forced an estimated 730,000 to flee the country, mostly in neighboring Bangladesh. An international fact-finding team appointed by the United Nations concluded that top military commanders in Myanmar should be investigated and prosecuted for genocide and other crimes against humanity. The crimes included murder, rape, torture, sexual slavery, persecution and enslavement, the investigators said. According to the United Nations, about 200 Rohingya villages were razed from 2017 to 2019. Myanmar has denied it carried out a pogrom against the Rohingya. The country's civilian leader and winner of the Nobel peace prize, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, spoke in defense of Myanmar in another case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The United States has labeled the 2017 events as "ethnic cleansing" and demanded Myanmar hold those responsible to account, but the Trump administration has stopped short of defining the army's actions as genocide. Gambia, acting on behalf of the 57 countries in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, has filed a case before the International Court of Justice, accusing Myanmar of trying to "destroy the Rohingya as a group, in whole or in part, by the use of mass murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, as well as the systematic destruction by fire of their villages." $175 million extension aims to position Edinburgh as one of world's 'smartest' cities EDINBURGH, United Kingdom, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) has signed a six-year extension to its contract with City of Edinburgh Council, extending the global IT and business consulting services company's role as primary provider of end-to-end managed IT services to the local authority until 2029. The contract extension, valued at $175M CAD, tasks CGI with helping to deliver Edinburgh's vision of becoming one of the world's 'smartest' capital cities. CGI will achieve this goal partly through supporting the creation of a Smart City Operations Center, which will deliver transformative digital services using artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and advanced analytics to accelerate benefits to Edinburgh's citizens. Together, City of Edinburgh Council and CGI will achieve a significant evolution of services in Edinburgh, with several new systems and processes fundamentally improving the lives of all the Scottish capital's citizens and workers. Depute Council Leader Cammy Day is the City of Edinburgh Council's Smart Cities lead. He said: "Becoming a smart Capital city will make Edinburgh a more sustainable and fair city so I'm pleased we've secured CGI's long-term support to help us with our vision. We're already well on our way to transforming the way we deliver many Council services, making them much more efficient and easy to use for residents. We want to develop this further and under the contract, we're looking at making digital learning services a lot more accessible and inclusive for all our pupils and residents. The work we'll do with CGI will also support our plans for lowering carbon emissions and lowering costs by using smart technology." Planned improvements will include bridging the digital divide in Edinburgh, providing schools with digitally advanced networks and equipment, and helping Edinburgh meet its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. Smart City systems will address core programs and projects such as finance, tourism, health and social care, intelligent traffic signals, smart streetlights, and even intelligent sanitation systems. CGI will also help enable further efficiencies and savings for City of Edinburgh Council while building on a successful five-year relationship between the two organisations. Lindsay McGranaghan, Vice President and Business Unit Leader for Scotland, said: "Edinburgh is a vibrant and diverse capital city that is growing at twice the national Scottish average. This growth brings huge opportunities to develop a modern, digital infrastructure that meets the demands of 21st century living. By using the latest digital technology, we aim to help the Council make living and working in Edinburgh more transparent, collaborative and dynamic. The Council's vision will enhance its relationship with its citizens, and allow them to live and work in a digitally-advanced smart city." Tara McGeehan, President of CGI's operations in the UK and Australia, said: "I'm delighted that CGI is extending its strategic partnership with City of Edinburgh Council. At CGI our work on Smart Cities is incredibly important to us. We draw on experience from Montreal, Helsinki, and other cities around the world in bringing Smart Cities to life, and we take a pragmatic approach to enabling technology." About CGI Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 77,500 consultants and other professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. With Fiscal 2019 reported revenue of C$12.1 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com. SOURCE CGI Inc. Related Links www.cgi.com Actor Anthony Rapp and another man, identified as C.D, have filed a lawsuit against Kevin Spacey, alleging he sexually assaulted them when they were teenagers in the Eighties. Rapp, who was the first person to accuse Spacey of sexual misconduct in October 2017, alleged that Spacey forced himself on him at a party in 1986. The other plaintiff, C.D., alleged that he and Spacey had several sexual encounters during the early Eighties when C.D. was 14. Rapp and C.D. were able to file their claim under New Yorks Child Victims Act, which allows victims of childhood abuse to bring lawsuits over such crimes even after theyve fallen outside the statute of limitations. Both Rapp and C.D. have accused Spacey of assault, battery and intentional inflection of emotional distress and are suing for unspecified damages. In a statement, attorneys representing Rapp and C.D., Ben Rubinowitz and Peter Saghir, said, Kevin Spacey sexually abused Mr. Rapp and another gentleman, who needs to remain anonymous, when they were 14 years old. Spaceys conduct was not only improper and abusive, but it was a crime. In bringing this action under New Yorks Child Victims Act, Mr. Rapp, who previously came forward to Buzzfeed about the abuse, and our client who needs to remain anonymous have taken the first step to hold Spacey accountable. This lawsuit sends a strong message that no matter how wealthy, powerful or famous you may be you are not above the law. Our clients are looking forward to their day in Court and to obtaining justice for a crime that never should have happened. A lawyer for Spacey did not immediately return Rolling Stones request for comment. At the time Rapp first came forward with his allegations, Spacey wrote he was beyond horrified to hear [Rapps] story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago, the actor wrote on Twitter.But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years. Story continues Rapps accusation in the complaint mirrors the one he shared with Buzzfeed in October 2017. At the time, Rapp was 14 and a child actor on Broadway, when he attended a party at Spaceys Manhattan apartment. At the party, according to the suit, Spacey intentionally and voluntarily and without plaintiffs consent engaged in an unwanted sexual advance with a 14-year-old and grabbed [Rapps] buttocks, lifted him onto a bed and laid on [his] body. Rapp, fearing for his safety, ran to the bathroom and was eventually able to leave the apartment while Spacey allegedly tried to persuade [him] to stay. The suit claims that, because of the encounter, Rapp sustained psychological injuries, including but not limited to, severe emotional distress, humiliation, fright, anger, depression and anxiety; a severe shock to his nervous system; and has been caused to suffer mental anguish, emotional and psychological damage. C.D., meanwhile, claims that he was 12 when he met Spacey in 1981, when Spacey taught him in an acting class in Westchester County, New York. When C.D. was 14, Spacey allegedly invited him to his apartment, where Spacey engaged in sexual acts with the plaintiff including, but not limited to, the plaintiff performing anal intercourse on defendant Spacey and oral sex. The suit claims that Spacey and C.D. continued to engage in sexual acts on different occasions, and during the final encounter Spacey for the first time, attempted to anally sodomize the plaintiff, C.D. According to the suit, C.D. resisted and told Spacey No multiple times, but Spacey allegedly did not stop. Per the suit, C.D. was able to free himself and fled Spaceys apartment. Similar to Rapp, C.D. also claims he suffered extensive psychological damage as a result of his alleged encounters with Spacey. Rapp and C.D.s lawsuit against Spacey comes after the disgraced actor saw charges dropped and dismissed in criminal and civil cases in Massachusetts and California last year. In the Massachusetts case, the charges were dropped after the accuser invoked the Fifth Amendment, while the California case was dismissed after the accuser died of natural causes. More from Rolling Stone See where your favorite artists and songs rank on the Rolling Stone Charts. Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 09.09.2020 LISTEN The Commonwealth Secretariat is commemorating four decades of international election observation and its contribution to democracy. A two-day symposium will reflect on the Commonwealths electoral history and the trends which have influenced elections, with the aim of helping stakeholders learn from experiences and improve and adapt for the future. Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland will deliver the keynote address on 15 September 2020. All media (press and broadcast) interested in interviewing the Secretary-General remotely are requested to enquire in writing to [email protected] Members of the press are invited to listen in and cover the symposium, which will be held on 15 and 16 September 2020. Please register via the Symposium Channel : https://www.gotostage.com/channel/8d4980e30f0c43068174d4cfc598895b Please note, you will have to register separately for each session in the channels above. 15 September 2020, 2pm BST Topic: Reflecting on the Commonwealths Electoral History and Evolution: Personal Perspectives Speakers Dr Lawrence Gonzi, Prime Minister of Malta (2004-2013) HE Dr Goodluck Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2010-2015) HE Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica (2007-2011) Zainab Bangura, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi HE Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth (2008-2014) Dr Rajen Prasad QSO, Commonwealth Special Envoy to Lesotho (2014-2016) 16 September 2020, 12pm BST Topic: Key Electoral Trends Influencing the Last 40 Years Speakers Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman, Electoral Commission of Ghana (1993-2015) Olufunto Akinduro, Senior Programme Officer- Elections (Africa and West Asia), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), Nigeria Hon. Sana Ullah Baloch, Member of the Balochistan Provincial Assembly, Pakistan Lomcebo Dlamini, Human Rights Lawyer, Eswatini Dr Eric Kwa, Secretary of the Department of Justice and Attorney General, Papua New Guinea Dr Lisa Ann Vasciannie, Lecturer, University of West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. The Commonwealth is made up of 54 independent countries with a combined population of 2.4 billion people working together to pursue common goals, which promote development, democracy and peace. Secretariat supports member countries to build democratic and inclusive institutions, strengthen governance and promote justice and human rights as well as promoting regular elections, strengthening election bodies, institutions and processes, and enabling citizen participation and representation at national and local level. The Commonwealth has observed over 160 elections in 40 countries. We were one of the original signatories to the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, agreed at the United Nations in 2005, which is followed by election observers globally. Member countries are supported by a network of more than 80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations. Website www.thecommonwealth.org Join the conversation Tweets by @commonwealthsec DALTON, Ga. A Texas fugitive who fled into the woods in Georgia after shooting at an officer who pulled him over has been captured, authorities said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted that Dalton Potter was in custody after authorities surrounded him late Wednesday following another shooting outside the town of Resaca, northwest of Atlanta. In that shooting, two days after the initial traffic stop, Potter shot a man on his property and the man fired back, authorities said. Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood had told reporters Wednesday that investigators had surrounded Potter, 29, northwest of the town. We probably have over 100 officers, weve set up a strong perimeter, we still have the (Georgia State Patrol) helicopter in the air, weve got K-9s on the ground tracking in the woods, Chitwood said, noting that it was getting dark outside. Chitwood said the civilian who was shot was hospitalized in stable condition. Noah Cloer identified his father, Eddie Cloer, as the victim. He was feeding animals in his yard when Potter attacked, shooting him in the arm and grazing his head, Noah Cloer told WTVC. Eddie Cloer was able to fire back and Potter fled, his son said. Resaca is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, and about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the city of Dalton, where investigators said Potter fired multiple shots at Whitfield County Sheriffs Deputy Darrell Hackney around midnight Monday morning during a traffic stop. Hackney was struck, but his ballistic vest saved him, the GBI said. Hackney and another deputy returned fire, but Potter drove away south on Interstate 75. He wrecked the truck and escaped into the woods on foot, the GBI said. The GBI also revealed Wednesday that Potter was hauling explosives in a stolen trailer that was found along the southbound lanes of I-75, near the Whitfield-Gordon county line. The GBIs bomb disposal unit will get rid of the explosives, the agency said. Potter, from Leakey, Texas, was wanted in Georgia on five counts of aggravated assault, and on Texas charges of larceny and theft of more than $2500. A second Texas man, Jonathan Hosmer, 47, was arrested Tuesday after surveillance video recorded him leaving the truck crash. Also wanted in Texas on larceny and theft charges, hes charged in Georgia with possession of methamphetamine, bringing stolen property into the state, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. No requirement of a prescription from a qualified medical practitioner for Covid-19 testing in Delhi: Delhi govt Delhi records over 4K new COVID-19 cases, highest single-day spike so far Mumbai's Covid-19 tally rises to 1,60,744 with addition of 2,227 new cases A health worker behind a protective screen collects a swab sample for coronavirus (Covid-19) testing. As per the Union health ministry's dashboard, India on Wednesday logged 89,706 cases and 1,115 deaths due to Covid-19, taking the tally and death toll to 4,370,128 and 73,890 respectively. The active cases have climbed to 897,394 whereas nearly 3.34 million have recovered so far. Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit from the pandemic with over 943,000 Covid-19 cases followed by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Maharashtra has logged 150,902 cases in the last eight days with health officials saying that the scenario is likely to continue for the next few weeks as new infections are unlikely to come down soon. Meanwhile, Delhi recorded its highest single-day spike of 3,609 cases in more than 78 days which pushed the tally to over 197,000. The state government has ramped up testing amid fears of a second wave of the outbreak. On Tuesday, record 45,797 tests were carried out which crossed chief minister Arvind Kejriwals target of 40,000 tests per day. Click here for complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic India is considering Russias proposal for conducting the third phase of clinical trials and manufacturing of its vaccine Sputnik V by firms in the country, Niti Aayog member Vinod Paul said. Sputnik V is the worlds first Covid vaccine to be approved by a government, after it received regulatory clearance from Russia on August 11. Follow live updates here: By Online Desk MUMBAI: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has again received threat calls over his stance in connection with the controversy involving actress Kangana Ranaut, sources close to him said on Wednesday. Deshmukh received the calls from Himachal Pradesh and another location from different numbers on Tuesday and at around 6 am on Wednesday, the sources said, adding that the callers asked the minister not to get involved in the controversy involving the actress. Ranaut, who is in the eye of the storm over her recent remarks in which she likened Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), hails from Himachal Pradesh. "The minister received five or so calls from Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday. He received two more calls at around 6 am on Wednesday," the sources said. One of the callers identified himself as Mrutyunjay Garg, they said. ALSO READ | Kangana faces drug use probe, gets BMC notice for illegal construction "The callers asked the minister to not get involved in the controversy involving the actress," the sources added. Earlier also, an anonymous caller phoned Deshmukh's Nagpur office, threatening him and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, a minister said on Monday. Ranaut recently also said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia", and would prefer security either from her home state Himachal Pradesh or the Centre. Deshmukh last week said those who think Maharashtra or Mumbai is not safe for them have no right to live in the state. On Monday, he expressed surprise over the Centre's decision to provide 'Y-plus' security to Ranaut, who, he said, had "insulted" Mumbai and Maharashtra with her remarks. The state Home Minister on Tuesday said the Mumbai Police will probe allegations by actor Adhyayan Suman that Ranaut took drugs. Deshmukh said Adhyayan Suman, the son of actor Shekhar Suman, was once in a relationship with Ranaut and he had alleged that she used to take drugs. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police have made adequate security arrangements near the airport here ahead of actress Kangana Ranaut's arrival, an official said on Wednesday. ALSO READ | Karni Sena supports Kangana Ranaut, holds protest against Sanjay Raut Ranaut, who is locked in a bitter war of words with the ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra over her comments on the Mumbai Police after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, is expected to reach here in the afternoon. "We have made adequate security arrangements near the airport to avoid any untoward incident," a police official said. The actress had tweeted that she will be returning to Mumbai from Himachal Pradesh on September 9 and dared anyone to stop her. Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said workers of his Republican Party of India (A) will provide protection to Ranaut when she reaches Mumbai. (With PTI Inputs) At least seven people have died in the western United States as firefighters battle dozens of wildfires up and down the coast. Nearly 200 wildfires across nine western states are currently burning. In Okanogan County, Washington, a child died and his parents suffered third-degree burns when the family attempted to outrun the Cold Springs wildfire, authorities said. Sheriff Tony Hawley said the trio was discovered on the bank of the Columbia River after they abandoned the car they had been traveling in. Three people were found dead in Butte County, California, the county's sheriff coroner, Kory Honea, confirmed Wednesday night. "We are in the process of recovering the remains and investigating the scenes. We have not identified or notified the loved ones yet," he said. PHOTO: A home is engulfed in flames during the 'Creek Fire' in the Tollhouse area of unincorporated Fresno County, Calif., Sept. 8, 2020. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images) In the fire perimeter in Butte County, approximately 4,200 structures have been damaged or destroyed. Two people were found dead in a vehicle in Marion County, Oregon, Wednesday, after fire swept through the area on Monday. Sheriff Joe Kast said he fears that others will be found deceased. Also in Oregon, another victim was found near the origin of the Almeda Fire that began near homes in Medford yesterday, officials said. The blaze is moving so fast that it is hard for firefighters to stay ahead of it, said Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler. MORE: 3 firefighters injured battling California wildfire All of the structures in the path of the fire were left completely burned, according to fire officials. As of Wednesday afternoon the blaze had burned through 3,000 acres and was 0% contained. Authorities went door-to-door to get people to leave their homes, but some refused, officials said. Their status is unknown. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act Wednesday as wildfires continued to spread throughout the state. Former President Barack Obama tweeted about the fires Wednesday night, saying the effects of climate change are clearer than ever. Story continues The fires across the West Coast are just the latest examples of the very real ways our changing climate is changing our communities. Protecting our planet is on the ballot. Vote like your life depends on itbecause it does. pic.twitter.com/gKGegXWxQu Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 10, 2020 PHOTO: Red sky and thick smoke are seen in Salem City, Oregon, U.S., in this picture obtained from social media. (Zak Stone/ZAK STONE via Reuters) Oregon has at least 35 active fires, with more than 476,994 acres burning in the state, according to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. The fires have burned hundreds of homes, destroying a substantial amount of some communities, Brown told reporters Wednesday. Brown said the fires could potentially "be the greatest loss of human life and property due to wildfire" in the state's history. The Oregon fires, including the Beachie Creek, Lionshead, Holiday Farm and Almeda fires, have forced thousands to evacuate. PHOTO: A woman looks at a town by the Pacific Ocean coast as smoke from wildfires covers an area near Yachats, Oregon, U.S., September 8, 2020. (Carlos Barria/Reuters) "For people and families in the evacuation areas, please listen to local calls to evacuate as needed -- these lifesaving measures can protect the lives of you and your loved ones, as well as our firefighters," Brown said. As of midday Wednesday, The Beachie Creek Fire was 132,450 acres and was 0% contained, while the Lionshead Fire was 91,754 acres and and only 5% contained. In neighboring California, the skies over Northern California turned orange as emergency personnel continued to battle multiple blazes there. PHOTO: A boat motors by as the Bidwell Bar Bridge is surrounded by fire in Lake Oroville during the Bear fire in Oroville, Calif., on Sept. 9, 2020. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images) More than 14,000 firefighters are currently battling the blazes across millions of acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The destructive Creek Fire near Fresno, California, is burning at least 163,138 acres and was 0% contained as of 4 a.m. ET. The Creek Fire, the cause of which is still under investigation, has destroyed 65 structures and has forced many evacuations in Fresno County due to what authorities call an "immediate threat to life." PHOTO: A community of forest homes lies in ruins along Auberry Road in the Meadow Lakes area after the Creek Fire swept through, Sept. 8, 2020, near Shaver Lake, Calif. (David Mcnew/Getty Images) Santa Ana wind gusts between 40 to 50 mph overnight continued to fan the flames in Southern California. The El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino, California, was 19% contained Wednesday, with 11,479 acres burned. The Valley Fire near San Diego was 17,565 acres with 11% contained. At least 36 structures have been destroyed by the Valley Fire, with nine others damaged. Two injuries have been reported. The fire has forced several nearby communities to evacuate. More than 10,000 acres are burning near the Angeles National Forest due to the Bobcat Fire, which is 0% contained. Residents and forest visitors have been evacuated from Big Santa Anita Canyon, Mt. Wilson, San Gabriel Canyon, and Monrovia Canyon. The Sheep Fire near the Plumas National Forest was 29,570 acres but 95% contained Wednesday. Authorities say this fire was caused by lightning. PHOTO: Butte county firefighters watch as flames tower over their truck at the Bear fire in Oroville, Calif., on Sept. 9, 2020. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images) So far this year, the state has had 7,606 fires and 2.3 million acres burned. In 2019, California had 4,927 fires and 118,000 acres burned, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Santa Ana winds were expected to calm down on Wednesday afternoon. All wind advisories and warnings have been discontinued, but red flag and critical fire danger warnings continue today up and down the West Coast, from Seattle to Los Angeles. ABC News' Melissa Griffin, Jen Harrison, Leah Larosa and Marilyn Heck contributed to this report. At least 7 dead as nearly 200 wildfires burn across West originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Vijay Inder Singla Chandigarh: The Punjab Education Department has issued instructions to the school heads not to compel the students for the transfer certificate in connection with the admission in the government schools. According to a spokesperson of the school education department, the education secretary Krishan Kumar has issued the instructions to all the district education officers and school heads in this regard. Advertisement Krishan KumarEarlier, Punjab School Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla had directed to remove the restriction of transfer certificate for admission in government schools so that the students should not face any difficulty in getting admission in government schools. According to the spokesperson, the restriction of transfer certificate for admission in government schools has been lifted and school heads have been asked to admit such students at their own level. Vijay Inder Singla Advertisement At the same time the school heads have been directed to take in written from the parents of the students who do not have the transfer certificate. According to the spokesperson, instructions have also been issued to the district authorities to send the names of the schools to headquarter which are not issuing transfer certificates to the students. Local forensic labs in Harris County can now determine whether a leafy green is hemp or marijuana following a state policy that legalized some uses of the cannabis plant. The Houston Forensic Science Center and the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences will use the test on samples that could contain illegal amounts of THC, the results of which could be used to prosecute criminal cases. THC is the main active ingredient in cannabis. Last year in June, state lawmakers followed suit with federal guidance to legalize hemp often used in textiles and fuel by defining it as a cannabis product that contains 0.3 percent or less of the controlled substance. Anything higher than 1 percent would be classified as the controlled substance. The gesture, while aimed at helping hemp farmers, created an unintentional prosecution problem. Previously, authorities only had to show that THC existed in a sample. The policy forced law enforcement to specify how much of the chemical was present and whether it was an illegal amount. In Harris County, the District Attorneys Office requires positive lab results in order to accept criminal charges. But no labs in southeast Texas were accredited or had the equipment to test the difference between hemp and marijuana in seized samples. Private labs in Dallas and Pennsylvania could but at a cost to the forensic agencies. Samples from just one felony case could cost up to $30,000 to be tested, said Dr. Peter Stout, president of the Houston Forensic Science Center. The test, Stout said, adds a level of confidence to prosecuting some marijuana cases. Law enforcement put themselves at risk trying to do these arrests and seizures, and if they dont have any confidence in what the outcome would be, Id be hesitant, Stout said. There still is a law that everybody has to attempt to enforce. Our objective is to provide scientific results. The road to reach that confidence was not easy. Over the past 15 months, two forensic lab employees have worked on nothing but adapting a marijuana test based on a method from the Drug Enforcement Administration that could differentiate hemp from marijuana. Because the new policy did not earmark funds for labs to purchase new equipment, forensics officials had to make do with what staffing and equipment they had, Stout said. During that time, Houston Police Department investigators and prosecutors flagged at least 15 new felony marijuana cases as a priority for testing. Those samples should be analyzed in the coming weeks, he continued, and charges could follow if the material tests positive as marijuana. Harris County Institute of Forensic Science spokeswoman Michele Arnold said they started using the same test Aug. 31 but did not have a backlog in samples from county law enforcement agencies. The new test which both agencies are using has two caveats. It only works on plant material. Testing locally for marijuana in an edible, such as a pot-laced brownie, cookie or gummy, or the oil sometimes found in a vape pen is impossible, Stout explained. If authorities want to pursue a case involving edibles, those samples will still need to be sent to an outside lab. And theres an intentional gray area defined as the percentage gap between the 0.3 percent or lower for hemp and 1 percent or higher for marijuana where there could be illegal traces of THC in a sample but the risk of a false positive is too high to be used in court, according to officials. A more sensitive test would again have to be outsourced. Marijuana is, analytically, a pain in the butt, Stout said, explaining that the cannabis plant contains multiple, but similar cannabinoids acids. Some of those compounds do not result in a high. Ramit Plushnick-Masti, spokeswoman for the Houston Forensic Science Center, said law enforcement, prosecutors and defense attorneys must acknowledge the limitations of the test in an end-user agreement. Most misdemeanor amounts of marijuana 4 ounces or less are not tested, forensic officials said. In response to last years new state law, District Attorney Kim Ogg had roughly two dozen pending low-level pot cases be dismissed and ordered that future cases involving 4 ounces or less not be prosecuted unless police request a lab test and it comes back positive. Offenders are instead referred to a marijuana diversion program. nicole.hensley@chron.com Health officials said they worried that many of the cases were in young people, raising the danger that Britain is on the same path as France and Spain, where a jump in cases prompted Britain to impose a travel quarantine on both countries. The countrys infection rate has risen from 12.5 per 100,000 people last week to 19.7 per 100,000, indicating that the R number a measurement that shows how many people are being infected on average by each person with the virus has risen above one, a critical threshold. Its a stitch in time to save nine, Mr. Johnson said at a news conference, flanked by his chief medical and scientific advisers. These measures are not another national lockdown. The whole point of them is to avoid a new national lockdown. Health experts praised Mr. Johnson for imposing modest restrictions now, rather than risking a larger spike, which would necessitate more draconian measures. But they said Britains policies continued to be inconsistent. Authorities allowed a crowd to gather for the opening day of horse races on Wednesday in Doncaster, in northern England, before abruptly closing the rest of the races to spectators. The U.K. government is muddled and needs to decide on a clear strategy because in the current approach, both the health and the economy will suffer, and compliance by the public will continue to fall, said Devi Sridhar, professor and chairwoman of global public health at the University of Edinburgh. The mixed messages reflect a lingering tension within Mr. Johnsons cabinet and party between those who worry about a deadly second wave of infections this fall and winter and those who argue that more lockdowns will throttle the economy. Even now, Mr. Johnson insisted that schools would stay open and that people should still consider returning to work, as long as it was safe. Are you better off now than you were in July? On the face of it, that shouldnt even be a question. After all, stocks are up; the economy added more than a million jobs in August (Ill explain the scare quotes in a minute); preliminary estimates suggest that gross domestic product is growing rapidly in the third quarter, which ends this month. But the stock market isnt the economy: more than half of all stocks are owned by only 1 percent of Americans, while the bottom half of the population owns only 0.7 percent of the market. Jobs and GDP, by contrast, sort of are the economy. But they arent the economys point. What some economists and many politicians often forget is that economics isnt fundamentally about data, its about people. I like data as much as, or probably more than, the next guy. But an economys success should be judged not by impersonal statistics, but by whether peoples lives are getting better. And the simple fact is that over the past few weeks the lives of many Americans have gotten much worse. Obviously this is true for the roughly 30,000 Americans who died of COVID-19 in August for comparison, only 4,000 people died in the European Union, which has a larger population plus the unknown but large number of our citizens who suffered long-term health damage. And dont look now, but the number of new coronavirus cases, which had been declining, seems to have plateaued; between Labor Day and school reopenings, theres a pretty good chance that the virus situation is about to take another turn for the worse. But things have already gotten worse for millions of families that lost most of their normal income as a result of the pandemic and still havent gotten it back. For the first few months of the pandemic depression many of these Americans were getting by thanks to emergency federal aid. But much of that aid was cut off at the end of July, and despite job gains were in the midst of a huge increase in national misery. So lets talk about that employment report. One important thing to bear in mind about official monthly job statistics is that theyre based on surveys conducted during the second week of the month. Thats why I used scare quotes around August: What Fridays report actually gave us was a snapshot of the state of the labor market around Aug. 12. This may be important. Private data suggest a slowdown in job growth since late July. So the next employment report, which will be based on data collected this week and will also be the last report before the election will probably (not certainly) be weaker than the last. In any case, that August report wasnt great considering the context. In normal times a gain of 1.4 million jobs would be impressive, even if some of those jobs were a temporary blip associated with the census. But were still more than 11 million jobs down from where we were in February. And the situation remains dire for the hardest-hit workers. The pandemic slump disproportionately hit workers in the leisure and hospitality sector think restaurants and employment in that sector is still down around 25 percent, while the unemployment rate for workers in the industry is still over 20 percent, more than four times what it was a year ago. In part because of where the slump was concentrated, the unemployed tend to be Americans who were earning low wages even before the slump. And one disturbing fact about the August report was that average wages rose. No, thats not a misprint: If the low-wage workers hit worst by the slump were being rehired, wed expect average wages to fall, as they did during the snapback of May and June. Rising average wages at this point are a sign that those who really need jobs arent getting them. So the economy is still bypassing those who need a recovery most. Yet most of the safety net that temporarily sustained the economic victims of the coronavirus has been torn down. The CARES Act, enacted in March, gave the unemployed an extra $600 a week in benefits. This supplement played a crucial role in limiting extreme hardship; poverty may even have gone down. But the supplement ended on July 31, and all indications are that Republicans in the Senate will do nothing to restore aid before the election. President Donald Trumps attempt to implement a $300 per week supplement by executive action will fail to reach many and prove inadequate even for those who get it. Families may have scraped by for a few weeks on saved money, but things are about to get very hard for millions. The bottom line here is that before you cite economic statistics, you want to think about what they mean for people and their lives. The data arent meaningless: A million jobs gained is better than a million jobs lost, and growing GDP is better than shrinking GDP. But there is often a disconnect between the headline numbers and the reality of American life, and that is especially true right now. The fact is that this economy just isnt working for many Americans, who are facing hard times that thanks to political decisions by Trump and his allies are just getting harder. Krugman is a New York Times columnist and winner of a Nobel Prize in Economics. A former nursery assistant has avoided jail after filming herself sitting on 16-month-old twins to make money for a holiday by selling the video to a pervert. Gemma McFee was spared jail by a sheriff because she had been 'naive' and was 'manipulated and exploited' by a man with a fetish for women sitting on babies. McFee, now 28, sent seven separate video clips to RAF serviceman Andrew Kerr, who duped the woman into sending him the cruel videos by claiming he was a documentary filmmaker and a stuntman. She was sentenced to 200 hours community service, placed on a restriction of liberty order for eight months, and under social work supervision for three years. She is also banned from having any contact with any child under 17. The sentence was handed down at Dundee Sheriff Court last November, but any mention of the case was banned until the resolution of proceedings against Kerr. McFee, of Barry, Angus, pleaded guilty in October 2019 to assaulting the twins at a house in Arbroath, also Angus, in June 2018. Gemma McFee was spared jail by a sheriff because she had been 'naive' and was 'manipulated and exploited' by a man with a fetish for women sitting on babies Kerr, 35, pleaded guilty yesterday to inciting McFee to commit the offences. He also admitted attempting to incite a woman in Elgin to assault a child by sitting and standing on them, and possessing child abuse images at addresses including RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Sentence on Kerr was deferred for social workers to study a report on him by a psychosexual therapist. Dealing with McFee, Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown said it was her view that a non-custodial sentence would achieve the purposes of punishment and societal disapproval as well as give an opportunity for 'effective rehabilitation'. She told McFee: 'Although you committed assaults against two very young children, it's clear that you did not intend to harm or physically hurt the children. 'You exercised extremely poor judgement at a time when your mental health was frail and you were experiencing financial difficulties. 'You were manipulated and exploited by a male who took advantage of your vulnerable state. I think that your relative youth may provide an explanation for your naivety in response to the suggestion posed by the male (Kerr). 'It is accepted there was no actual danger to the lives of the two children.. Had the assaults continued then their lives would have been in danger, but they did not. 'No medical treatment was required and you eventually came to your senses and refused the increasingly more dangerous suggestions (made by Kerr). 'While the psychological impact of the knowledge of these offences when the children are older is unknown, there is no significant physical impact upon them. 'You've expressed considerable remorse.' McFee, who was 25 and unemployed at the time of the offences, wept openly in the dock as the video clips showing her placing a cushion on the 16-month-old twin babies and repeatedly sitting and putting her weight on them were played in court. The boy and girl could be seen in severe discomfort, crying and struggling to breathe at times as she applied 'significant' pressure. McFee, now 28, sent seven separate video clips to RAF serviceman Andrew Kerr, who duped the woman into sending him the cruel videos by claiming he was a documentary filmmaker Prosecutor Kirsten Letford said Kerr, who had posed as a film stuntman, had initially paid McFee to stand on him, under the guise of it being for a film. Mrs Letford said: 'He then incited her to sit on the babies for payment and from the conversation between them she was a willing participant, for financial gain. 'He gave her detailed instructions and asked her to send him recordings of the assaults. She would be paid for the clips.' Facebook conversations Kerr had with the accused were read out in court. On June 18, 2018, Kerr stated: 'You can do it on the floor but usually easier to start on the bed or sofa, that way you can apply your full weight.' He also suggested that she smother the babies, and that she sit on their heads. Mrs Letford said: 'When it is clear she is motivated by financial gain he tells her that the higher quality the clips were the bigger the financial gain would be for her, adding that she needed to cover more of the child and put more weight on them. 'At the time of these assaults, bank statements show she was experiencing some financial difficulties. Throughout the conversation, she continually asks questions about how much money she would receive for making the video clips. 'At one stage when asked to make another video she stated, 'Yeah will do. I'm due a holiday so let's see if I can make as much as possible'.' In one conversation McFee told Kerr: 'He really really didn't like that last one. I'll have to stop and give him a breather.' The video clips, ranging from four to 40 seconds in length, were played in court, showing the accused sitting on the bodies of the children and the head of one of them, placing varying degrees of body weight on them. Mrs Letford said: 'Each of the children appeared to be laughing and giggling at the beginning, however as she places more body weight onto them they become extremely distressed, crying out and attempting to escape from underneath her.' Medical evidence showed it was unlikely that the children had suffered any physical damage from the assaults, the prosecutor said. However had the assaults continued for any longer, doctors said, it would have caused danger to their lives. Sheriff Martin-Brown said said McFee had 'fully co-operated' with the police and could have been required to give evidence against Kerr. Defending Kerr, John Kilcoyne told Dundee Sheriff Court that the loss of his pet dog and the death of his mother had coincided with the start of his sick behaviour. 'He recognises it is very unusual and concerning behaviour and there is a risk of further offending. He had a difficult childhood and it appears this offending commenced in 2012 when his mother passed away,' he said. 'He lost his home and he lost his dog and at that time the offending commenced. He was in the RAF for 10 years and has a strong work ethic. 'His life goals are to meet a partner, settle down and have a family. He wants to get back working, find a family and have a family life.' Disney's DIS live-action remake of Mulan caused Disney+ app downloads to spike this weekend when it debuted on the streaming service after a theatrical release was cancelled in the United States, Canada and New Zealand due to the coronavirus outbreak, per a Bloomberg report. According to Sensor Tower, downloads of the Disney+ app spiked 68% from Sep 4 through Sep 6, compared to one weekend prior. Moreover, consumer spending on Disney+ also spiked 193% over the same period. This could be attributed to customers paying the $29.99 Premier Access fee to watch the movie. The $200 million film, Mulan tells the story of a young Chinese woman who decides to disguise herself as a man in order to protect her father from serving in a war that could put his life in danger, harnessing her true potential and strength in the process. Notably, Mulan is the first Disney-branded film to feature an all-Asian cast and it is the most expensive live-action film with a female director. Although Hamilton led to an increase of Disney+ app downloads of 79% during the first three days, Mulans contribution is also expected to boost customer growth through Premier Access on the streaming service. (Read more: Disney Benefits From Hamilton's Launch on Disney+) The Walt Disney Company Price and Consensus The Walt Disney Company Price and Consensus The Walt Disney Company price-consensus-chart | The Walt Disney Company Quote Disney+s Solid Content Portfolio to Fend Off Competition Solid content portfolio of Disney+ is expected to have helped the company gain users during lockdowns amid the pandemic-related physical distancing. Disney+ is expected to have between 60 million and 90 million subscribers globally by the end of fiscal 2024. However, based on the current coronavirus-driven momentum, Disney+ is expected to surpass the lower end in 2020. Notably, as of Aug 3, Disney+s subscriber base had already surpassed 60.5 million. Moreover, the streaming service has been benefiting from this Zacks Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) companys bundle offering that comprises ESPN and Hulu. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Mulans success undoubtedly strengthens Disney+s competitive position in the streaming market currently dominated by Netflix NFLX and Amazon prime video. Markedly, Disney+s closest competitor Netflix added 10.09 million paid subscribers globally in its recently reported second-quarter 2020 results. According to a recent report by Grand View Research, the global video streaming market size was valued at $42.6 billion in 2019 and will witness a CAGR of 20.4% between 2020 and 2027. Moreover, streaming competition is set to get much more intense with the launch of Comcasts CMCSA ad-supported streaming service Peacock and Apples AAPL strengthening Apple TV+ content lineup. Disneys release strategy follows Comcasts Universal Studios, which made its Trolls World Tour film available online in April for a $20 fee. With a release strategy to test whether streaming subscribers are willing to pay extra fees to purchase content, Disney might continue releasing more of their bigger films on the platform thereby contributing to the top-line growth in the near term. While Jungle Cruise is slated to release on Jul 30, 2021, Marvel Studios' Black Widow will arrive in theaters on Nov 6, 2020, with The Eternals moving to February 12, 2021. Story continues The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Click to get this free report Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Walt Disney Company (DIS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The brain has about 100 billion cells called neurons. Its made up of distinct parts, that developed though human evolution. Credit: American Heart Association For the 795,000 lives changed by stroke in the U.S. each year, rehabilitation offers a way to achieve the best possible recovery from a stroke. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic changes the way healthcare is delivered, it is important for stroke survivors to take advantage of the first three months after a stroke. Though recovery continues for years after a stroke, this "golden" time is when the brain is able to most quickly adjust to the damage done by the stroke so the survivor can learn new ways to do things. "After a stroke, a person may need therapy to learn to walk or talk again, re-learn skills needed to be independent, recover communications and cognition skills, and address other consequences of stroke," said Joel Stein, M.D., physical medicine and rehabilitation physician and professor at Columbia University and Vice Chair of the American Stroke Association's Guidelines for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery. "Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some recent stroke patients may be going without rehab during this important 'golden' time and other survivors may also be forgoing helpful therapy." An individualized rehabilitation program is critical. The pandemic has required rehabilitation professionals to get creative to deliver essential therapies to stroke survivors. Now sessions may be held via video calls or there may be enhanced collaboration with organizations providing in-home support and an increased emphasis on personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff and patients at in-person visits. The American Stroke Association provides recovery tips and resources for stroke survivors and their caregivers: Ask the doctor for an assessment of physical and cognitive challenges you face after stroke and a specific plan to address each challenge. Work with your doctor to get a plan to manage risk factors to prevent another stroke. This may include being physically active, not smoking and managing your blood pressure. Early rehabilitation matters. As soon as your medical team gives the "all clear," start your personalized rehabilitation program right away. Don't delay. Talk with your health care provider about any financial constraints, such as ability to pay for medications, so a plan can be developed to identify alternative community resources. Communicate and follow up regularly with a team of health care providers as some challengessuch as remembering medications or depressionmay not be immediately clear. Support from friends and family is especially important during stroke rehabilitation. If a stroke survivor is in a rehabilitation facility that has visitor restrictions due to COVID-19, stay connected via video calls, handwritten letters and window visits as possible. Family caregivers may also regularly call with questions and for updates from the staff at the rehabilitation facility. "Rehabilitation is an important step in a stroke survivor's recovery," said Stein. "Knowing how important it is and how to best support someone who has recently had a stroke during the pandemic may be one of the most impactful things you can do as a caregiver." Explore further American Stroke Association offers new stroke rehabilitation toolkits More information: For more information about recovery, including a Life After Stroke Guide, and how to make informed decisions after a stroke, visit For more information about recovery, including a Life After Stroke Guide, and how to make informed decisions after a stroke, visit stroke.org/recovery 09.09.2020 LISTEN The king of the Igbo People in Ghana, HRM EZE DR. AMB. CHUKWUDI J. IHENETU on Tuesday, September 8 announced the cancellation of the 2020 edition of the annual New Yam Festival/IGBO Day in Ghana. According to him, this has become necessary due to the challenges associated with the COVID 19 pandemic as relating to public gatherings, social distancing, International travels and other related protocols which has become the new normal. You may recall that the Igbo New Yam Festival, held in the third week of September every year since 2012, attracts a huge number of traditional rulers, cultural ambassadors guests, visitors and tourists from around the world and has become one of the largest Diaspora festivals in Ghana. The core objective of the Festival is to propagate Nigerian-Igbo cultural heritage and enshrine their traditional values. Create synergy with the Ghanaian culture and sustain family value systems. ABOUT THE IGBO COMMUNITY The Igbo Community consists of people from five Eastern geographical area of Nigeria and constitutes the largest number of investors and residents in Ghana. The Igbo People are the only Diaspora Community with a chief recognized by the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and inducted by the GA Traditional Council. ABOUT THE IGBO NEW YAM FESTIVAL All across Igboland and among the Igbos in the Diaspora the New Yam Festival is a highly captivating art event. The colourful festival is a visual spectacle of coherence, of dance, of joy and feasting, an annual display for community members, to mark the end of the cultivation season. A festival where people express their gratitude to those that helped reap a bountiful harvest. The theme for the festival is based on Cultural Sustainability. Sustainability in this context means that the Igbo People in Ghana seek to ensure that they keep showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the two countries and harnessing them for posterity. This Cultural festival helps to strengthen and build connections between the two nations and to create a better understanding about the people from various local communities in Ghana and Igboland. Recently, the Igbo King, Eze Dr Chukwudi Ihenetu, was inducted as a council member of the Academy of Universal Peace, USA, United Nations University- with presence in 77 countries. He is also a member of the World Peace Committee among others. For further information or clarifications, kindly call the Palace of Eze Ndi Igbo Ghana on +233264421111 or Project Coordinator on +233244677555, 233202659024. www.ezeigbogh.com, [email protected] National Motorists Association (NMA) President Gary Biller cautions public officials and the media that a report from Sam Schwartz Engineering claiming a significant increase in motor vehicle fatality rates due in part to higher travel speeds during the COVID-19 pandemic may be misleading. The report, based on data from a limited number of states, claims that while the overall number of auto fatalities during the first 6 months of 2020 declined by about 6% compared to the same period last year, the fatality rate based on 100,000 vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased by 12.7% due to a significant decrease in the number of miles traveled. The report posits, without proof, that higher travel speeds is a likely factor in the increase. Said Biller, The limited data from less than half the states and the speculation that vehicle speed is the cause of the increase in the fatality rate, along with other factors that Sam Schwartz appears not to have considered, provide needed context for the preliminary conclusions of the report. One possible explanation for the rate increase may be a change in travel patterns during the pandemic, rather than a change in individual driver behavior. An analysis conducted for the NMA by Jay Beeber, Executive Director of Safer Streets LA, using data from the Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for all states shows that fatality rates are higher on non-interstate roadways versus interstate highways, and higher on roadways (both interstate and non-interstate) in rural areas versus roadways in urban areas. For example, in 2018, the most recent year for which full data were available, the fatality rate per 100,000 VMT on interstate highways was 0.68 compared to a fatality rate of 1.14 on non-interstate roadways. Likewise, the fatality rate on roadways in rural areas was 1.65, while the rate on urban roadways was 0.85. During the 2020 lockdowns, vehicle travel did not decrease in equal proportions on all types of roadways throughout the US. Over the first four months of the pandemic, March through June, vehicle miles traveled on interstate highways decreased 36 percent, but were down five percent less than that on non-interstate roadways. Similarly, urban roadways saw a 34 percent decrease in VMT, while rural roadway travel decreased 28 percent. This shift to a higher percentage of driving occurring on rural roadways and non-highway roadways, which naturally have higher fatality rates, could very well account for the increase in fatality rates identified in the Sam Schwartz report, explained Beeber. Additionally, Sam Schwartz was only able to obtain data from 22 states and the District of Columbia, and it is unclear whether these states are representative of the entire country. Further, motor vehicle fatality rates have declined over the past three years, so a small uptick in the rate may simply be a result of the natural statistical fluctuation seen from year to year. Its important to note, added Biller, that we are currently living in a time of historically safe roadways. The fatality rate on our nations roadways has decreased almost 30 percent in the past two decades, and is down about 80 percent since 1966. We should be careful not to put too much stock in limited reports announcing how dangerous our roadways have become, especially ones that blame bad drivers for what may well be a statistical anomaly. Contacts: Shelia Dunn, Communications Director, National Motorists Association Gary Biller, President, National Motorists Association Email: nma@motorists.org Telephone: 608-849-6000 Website: https://www.motorists.org Jay Beeber, Executive Director, Safer Streets L.A. Email: jay@saferstreetsla.org Telephone: 818-205-4790 About the National Motorists Association: The National Motorists Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1982 to protect the rights and of drivers. The membership-based organization advocates for traffic laws fairly written and enforced, traffic penalties based on sensible standards, traffic safety built on proven engineering solutions and driver education based on advanced driving-skill development. Actor Akshay Kumar, who is currently in Scotland shooting for his upcoming film Bell Bottom, turns 53 on Wednesday. On the occasion, a host of Bollywood stars took to social media to wish him. Sooryavanshi co-star Ajay Devgn wrote on Instagram, sharing a picture with Akshay, Happy Birthday Akki. I know its an on set birthday in Scotland. Stay safe. Best wishes for all times to come @akshaykumar. Lara Dutta, who too is in Scotland and stars in Bell Bottom with Akshay, shared a new poster from the film and wrote: BIRTHDAY SPECIAL!!! Introducing the suave retro look of @akshaykumar from #Bellbottom ! Akshays Airlift co-star also wished the star. She said: Happiest birthday to the man who works each day like its his first ever and savours it like its his last!! The audience and cinema halls await you!! Have your besssst year ahead @akshaykumar!! P.S. thanks for this invaluable life lesson...I await to apply this somewhere!! @miteshrajani Actors Varun Dhawan, Taapsee Pannu and Kiara Advani also wished Akshay. Here are Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani and Taapsee Pannus messages for Akshay Kumar. Parineeti Chopra wished Akshay and wrote: Happy bday to my FAVOURITE co-star and human being! You set new standards in humility, discipline and work ethic everyday. (Using this opportunity to share this epic throwback of us!! @akshaykumar. Actor Tisca Chopra wrote on Twitter: Hope you have a crackling birthday @akshaykumar!! Your evolution as an actor, the solid work ethic & tremendous discipline sets the bar so very high .. Have your best year yet, cant wait to see you on the big screen again.. #HappyBirthdayAkshayKumar Hope you have a crackling birthday @akshaykumar!! Your evolution as an actor, the solid work ethic & tremendous discipline sets the bar so very high .. Have your best year yet, cant wait to see you on the big screen again.. #HappyBirthdayAkshayKumar Tisca Chopra (@tiscatime) September 9, 2020 TV actor Arjun Bijlani also took to Twitter and wrote: Your harwork is inspirational @akshaykumar. Happy birthday sir.. god bless you .. Want to have fitness goals like you. One of my favourite actors.. and the masti you do is another level.. Red heartRed heart#HappyBirthdayAkshayKumar Your harwork is inspirational @akshaykumar . Happy birthday sir.. god bless you .. Want to have fitness goals like you. One of my favourite actors.. and the masti you do is another level.. #HappyBirthdayAkshayKumar . pic.twitter.com/SHTutzvBuz Arjun Bijlani (@Thearjunbijlani) September 9, 2020 Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs father files complaint against Susan Walker for professional misconduct Neha Dhupia took to Instagram stories and said: Happy birthday Akshay Kumar, dher saara pyar and shared a picture with him. Few days back, some pictures from the shoot of Bell Bottom found their way to the internet. The pictures looked retro, in keeping with the 1980s in which era the spy thriller is reportedly set in. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON South Africa: Police urged to ensure rule of law Police Minister Bheki Cele has called on police officers to continue to ensure the safety of customers, staff members and property of Clicks stores. This follows what the Ministry describes as organised acts of vandalism at Clicks stores in some provinces. The Ministers comments come after public outrage following the Clicks advertisement, where black hair is portrayed as dry and damaged. In a statement on Wednesday, Cele denounced acts of vandalism and malicious damage to property at various businesses, including a Clicks store that was petrol bombed in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga on Monday. Ten people, including an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of Parliament (MP), have been arrested for charges relating to the destruction of property. The MP has been charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, the Ministry said. The Minister said the advert that has sparked public outrage must be condemned from all quarters. The genesis of this advert is glaring racism that is shown by this business and we must collectively condemn it at all costs. The demonstration of such blatant disregard and humiliation of African people cant go unabated. However, Cele cautioned against the damaging of property as an act of protest against the advert. The Police Minister has also noted the investigation of a case of the pointing of a firearm in Port Elizabeth. It is alleged that a 52-year-old woman pointed a firearm at EFF members staging a picket inside a mall in Welmer Park. Police should ensure that the rule of law is maintained. They must deal decisively with those who choose to break the law. Im encouraged that officers are making arrests and urge them to continue to ensure the protection and safety of customers, staff members in the affected areas, Cele said. - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. WINSTED Northwestern Connecticut Community College is launching a series of online exhibits that will feature former art students who own art-related businesses. The online gallery will be found on the college website at: https://www.nwcc.edu/gallery/. The series begins in October with month-long exhibitions focusing on the work of artistic entrepreneurs, according to a statement. Over the years I have meet some very talented and driven people, the selection here represents people who are making a go of it in original ways, said Sue Berg, gallery coordinator. The first exhibition will feature Jennifer Hallock, an interior designer and painter who lives in San Francisco. After that, the artists will include Meredith Perrotto, artist, and owner of Soul Shine Maine ; David Garcia, designer for Quality and Conflict clothing brand ; Jenny Adison, owner, and head printmaker at Lock and Key Press ; Jack McLaughlin, painter, and mixed media artist ; Sarah Thompson, photographer ; Darcy St. Onge, web designer and freelance graphic designer; and Feather Vansvik, mixed media artist who lives in Dingle, Sweden. A wide variety of works and artistic mediums are represented. Northwestern Connecticut Community College is a valuable resource for young people looking for a quality education at an affordable cost. These artist entrepreneurs are but the tip of the iceberg in terms of successful students who have called NCCC home, according to NCCC. The Art Department offers an array of credit courses leading to an Associate in Science degree or Certificates. Students may choose to specialize in Graphic Design, Digital Media, or Fine Arts (drawing, painting, ceramics, and sculpture), as they progress in the art program. Certificate programs are available in Fine Arts and Graphic Design. For more information about Northwestern Connecticut Community College Art Departments programs, contact Professor Janet Nesteruk at Jnesteruk@nwcc.edu or Professor Sue Berg at Sberg@nwcc.edu. (Newser) Update: A $71.5 million compensation fund will be set up for women abused by former gynecologist Robert Hadden, Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital announced Wednesday. The settlement was reached with 79 women, the AP reports. The hospitals said they're working on settlements with other women who have filed lawsuits. A criminal case against Hadden is still proceeding. "Every patient deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to be safe and secure," a Columbia University hospital official said. Our original story from September 2020 follows: story continues below A New York City gynecologist accused of molesting scores of patientsincluding the wife of former presidential candidate Andrew Yangwas arrested Wednesday morning on federal charges. Robert Hadden, who dodged jail time in a 2016 plea deal after 19 patients accused him of abuse, faces six counts of inducing others to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, Fox News reports. According to the indictment, Hadden abused dozens of patients "under the guise of conducting purported gynecological and obstetric examinations," using his position as a Columbia University doctor to convince patients the "sexual abuse he inflicted on them was appropriate and medically necessary." The abuse detailed in the charges started in 1993 and continued until at least 2012, according to the indictment. The indictment states that Hadden often asked women "detailed, inappropriate questions about their own sexual activities and sexual partners," the AP reports. It states Hadden would have been well aware one victim was a minorbecause he delivered her. The indictment identifies the victims only by number, so it's not known whether Evelyn Yang is among them, the New York Times reports. She disclosed earlier this year that the "pervy" doctor had assaulted her when she was seven months pregnant. Hadden, 62, lost his license and was required to register as a sex offender under the 2016 plea deal. Yang was among around 70 plaintiffs who joined a civil suit this year and called for an investigation of Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance's handling of the case. (Read more gynecologist stories.) PPP National Chairman, Nana Ofori Owusu has waded into the "Akyem Mafia" discussions asking Ghanaians not to pay attention to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) because they are also guilty of making ethnocentric comments. According to him, even though the NDC should be condemned for tribal remarks; the NPP are also guilty of such offense. Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Nana Ofori Owusu said, "the two have a history with this. This has been happening and it should be condemned . . . these two parties are the same. Ghanaians should reject them, it is like they turn to have selective amnesia when it suits them . . " 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 TANZANIA, Tanzania - Top U.N. officials warned Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated discrimination and other human rights violations that can fuel conflict, and its indirect consequences are dwarfing the impact of the virus itself in the worlds most fragile countries. U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo and U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock painted a grim picture to the U.N. Security Council of the global impact of the pandemic that has blanketed the world, with over 26 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 860,000 deaths. Lowcock warned the council that the indirect economic and health effects from the crisis in fragile countries will be higher poverty, lower life expectancy, more starvation, less education and more child death. He said roughly a third of the cases and fatalities are in countries affected by humanitarian or refugee crises, or those facing high levels of vulnerability. But the full extent isnt known because testing in these fragile countries is very low and in some places many people are reluctant to seek help, perhaps fearing being quarantined or fearing they wont get useful medical treatment, he said. The better news is that it seems possible that the fatality rate from COVID-19 may be lower in these fragile countries than initially feared, he said, but the indirect impact is greater. DiCarlo said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres March 23 call for a global cease-fire to deliver life-saving aid during the pandemic had an encouraging initial response, with temporary truces announced from Colombia and Ukraine to the Philippines and Cameroon. However, many expired without extensions, resulting in little improvement on the ground, the undersecretary-general for political and peace-building affairs said. Still, U.N. envoys are pursuing Guterres call for peace negotiations and cease-fires in conflict-torn Yemen, Libya, Syria and elsewhere, DiCarlo said. She said another potential driver of instability is peoples perception that authorities have not addressed the pandemic effectively or have not been transparent about its impact, adding that reports of corruption related to COVID-19 responses are accentuating this trend. As for growing human rights challenges during the pandemic, DiCarlo pointed to increased discrimination including in access to health services, surging violence against women particularly in the home during lock-downs, and growing limitations being placed on the media, civic space and freedom of expression. Social media platforms are used to spread disinformation about the pandemic, DiCarlo said. And there has been a rise in stigma and hate speech, especially against migrants and foreigners. During the pandemic, U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the U.N.s far-flung missions, with over 100,000 personnel, continued to prevent and respond to threats to civilians, which have unfortunately not decreased in the past six months despite the secretary-generals global cease-fire call. He singled out continued violence in Mali, Central African Republic and Congo. Lacroix told the council the responses to COVID-19 have been criticized in some countries, resulting in heightened political tensions in the areas of operation of some peacekeeping missions. And he said the pandemics impact has slowed down the implementation of peace agreements and transitions, pointing to South Sudan as an example. Lowcock, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said the main indirect effects of the pandemic on fragile countries are economic weakening commodity prices, declining remittances, disruptions to trade, and lock-down measures making it harder for people to survive, especially day labourers and many women. The humanitarian chief said another important impact is on health and education, because in the most fragile countries people are vulnerable to killer diseases like measles, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDs, and because infant mortality and the numbers of women losing their lives in childbirth are much higher than in better off countries. Unfortunately, Lowcock said, there is evidence of a significant crunch on health services as a result of the pandemic. As for education, he said, more than half a billion children in humanitarian crises and fragile contexts have been affected by school closures and many girls now unable to go to school will never go back. One example of the impact has been the disruption to vaccination campaigns in 45 countries facing humanitarian or refugee crises or high levels of vulnerability from other causes, Lowcock said, stressing that this could put more than 80 million children under the age of one at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. He said the U.N. World Food Program and Food and Agriculture Organization also report that food insecurity is spiking as people lose their incomes and have to reduce consumption. Lowcock said 27 countries are now in danger of a sharp deterioration in food security and without quick action child wasting, or acute malnutrition, could affect an additional 7 million children in the first year of the pandemic. W hat, you mean there isnt one? Thats what I thought when I heard that Paines Plough, the London-based touring theatre company, was inviting applications for the first womens prize for playwrighting. It was the same when the companys co-directors, Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner, were approached with the idea by the independent producer Ellie Keel. Our first reaction was, surely that exists? Bennett tells me (there is an international one, the Susan Smith Blackburn prize, but not solely for the UK and Ireland). We jumped at it. This was last year she and Posner had just taken over, in August, at Paines Plough. Our remit was looking at inclusivity and unheard voices and our first season was an entirely female and non-binary season of playwrights. And so it felt very much on our agenda. But do we really need a prize specifically for women? How to put it... Bennett begins. Theres a narrative thats coming out that... thats sorted now. Women do lots of plays now, dont they? Sometimes they even get to go in the big space and play. But when you look at statistics, only 26 per cent of new, main-stage plays in Britain in 2018 were written by women. Women are often put in studio spaces over large spaces and then you look at the multiplicity of voices among women, and which ones are held up, its still a perpetual problem. This is about redressing the balance. Female-identifying writers at any stage of their career are eligible the seven finalists, announced tomorrow, include debut and established playwrights and everything in between. And theyre big, Posner says. Theres a range of scale but theres an epic-ness about all of them. All of them have a sense of injustice, all of them say, I am here, hear me, and so many are experimental with form. It gives the lie to the cliche that women write on a domestic scale. It is about permission, says Bennett. All the stats back up that men are given permission to escalate through space at a different rate to women. The same for directors. Youre told, oh, you did really well, why dont you do another studio show? And another? And so many of my male contemporaries would do that studio show and then the next [time], Id see them [programmed] in the main house. She acknowledges that there could be many reasons for that, but when you look at that trend across gender, it becomes marked. Clearly womens voices still need amplifying, and Posner and Bennett are fizzing at the opportunity. The joy of being in this position is the chance to make big changes within our sector, says Posner. If were not doing that then we shouldnt be here. Our Empty Theatres by Helen Murray - in pictures 1 /30 Our Empty Theatres by Helen Murray - in pictures Our Empty Theatres Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Theatre Royal Stratford East Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Royal Court Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres The Yard Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Young Vic Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Bush Theatre Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Hampstead Theatre Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Roundhouse Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Kiln Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Gate Theatre Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Unicorn Theatre Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Soho Theatre Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres The Albany Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Almeida Theatre Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Donmar Warehouse Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Theatre 503 Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Leeds Playhouse Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Shakespeares Globe Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Criterion Theatre Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Lyric Hammersmith Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Manchester Royal Exchange Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Liverpool Everyman Helen Murray Our Empty Theatres Battersea Arts Centre Helen Murray But thats not an easy task when two weeks into the run of your first programmed show, the country goes into lockdown. It doesnt seem to have deterred them, however, as Posner notes with what she and her co-director laughingly call her Posnertivity. Obviously its stressful and scary, and the unknown is frightening, she says, but there are also loads of positives. Building on a long-running Paines Plough project, Come to Where Im From, which invites playwrights from across Britain to write mini-plays about their hometowns, Bennett and Posner set up Come to Where I Am, for which writers created short pieces about the place they found themselves. A second programme, The Place I Call Home, to be launched shortly, is a cross-Europe collaboration that matches pairs of writers to create bilingual plays on the subject, which will be realised in digital formats that take into account the fact that not everyone wants to watch a play on a screen after a day of WFH. Weve been able to commission over 65 writers during this time, Posner says. Weve connected with, like, 400 writers and artists online. Its stuff that we wouldnt have done during this period wed have been in Edinburgh. Weve opened up dialogues. Theyve even reached a hitherto forgotten audience the holy grail for theatre companies. One element of Come to Where I Am is a phone-call service to isolated groups, mainly elderly people, using TV actors such as Julie Hesmondhalgh to do short, live audio performances for people who dont have access to the internet, or a laptop. There was one that we did in Doncaster, and people phoned in and there was someone mowing the lawn in the background the whole time. You could hear people reacting on the phone, laughing and some of these elderly people had had no [other] conversation at all. And people say theatre is a luxury. Theyre not entirely blase about the future the inevitable hole in the budget is still yawning and the Governments bailout doesnt prioritise companies that were relatively stable when it was announced. Posner and Bennett dont know when normal productions might return, but theyre keeping busy. With a group of other touring companies theyve been developing an anti-racism rider to ensure the best possible experience for creatives of colour who work on their shows. We cant control every environment that we take people into because we cant be there and we tour to over 50 places a year. But what we can do is set an expectation to the people that we partner with, which asks them to comply with our regulations and our policy around anti-racism and fair treatment, Bennett explains. Posner is typically optimistic. What does Paines Plough mean in the theatre ecology? How can we carry on telling stories? Sure, its wonderful seeing a big story on a massive stage, but can we clap our hands and say, isnt it wonderful seeing a big story outside on a massive grass verge? With 100, 200, 800 people socially distanced? Thats whats so exciting about being a touring company, being able to have those conversations and being responsive. I cant wait to see what they do next. Even if its tiny, itll be epic. The Womens Prize for Playwrighting finalists are announced tomorrow at womensprizeforplaywrighting.co.uk and painesplough.com Mexican military and border agents rescued two pregnant Haitian women who fell ill trying to cross the Mexico-United States border. Mexico's National Institute of Migration said in a statement Monday that agents were alerted by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol about a group of individuals who were trying to unlawfully cross into California through Tecate, Baja California. The 11 migrants and the U.S. citizen were in the municipality of San Pablo, several yards from making it into the United States when the two women fell ill during the dangerous hike through the mountainous town of La Rumorosa. A pregnant woman from Haiti received medical attention from the Red Cross in Tecate, a city in the Mexican state of Baja California after she fell ill while trying to cross into the United States Mexican soldiers in Baja California, Mexico, transport an ill migrant from Haiti after she and another Haitian pregnant woman got sick while trekking through the mountainous town of La Rumorosa before they were spotted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who alerted its counterpart in Mexico The National Institute of Migration said that both women were at least seven months pregnant and that one of them required emergency treatment after Red Cross paramedics noticed she was bleeding. Both individuals were rushed to Tecate General Hospital where they received care. The second pregnant woman was treated for dehydration and exhaustion. The migrants were part of four families, which included six adults and five children, were from Haiti, Honduras and Mexico. It's unknown why the U.S. citizen was accompanying the group of migrants. DailyMail.com reached out the National Institute of Migration for comment. Mexican Red Cross paramedics along with border agents and soldiers provide aid to a sick migrant from Haiti near the Mexico-United States border By Express News Service BENGALURU: After its inauguration in May was postponed due to protests and the Covid-19 pandemic, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday inaugurated the Veer Savarkar flyover in Yelahanka. Ahead of the inaugural ceremony, dozens of JDS workers who had threatened to protest against naming the flyover after Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, were taken into preventive custody. Members of various pro-Kannada groups also questioned the governments decision to name the flyover after someone from Maharashtra instead of someone from Karnataka. This controversy comes at a time when the state hasnt yet steered clear of the controversy in Belagavi over installing statues of Chatrapathi Shivaji and Sangolli Rayanna. I was picked up by the police early in the morning from my home. We had announced a protest at the inauguration venue, but dozens of us JDS workers were taken into custody, said Praveen Kumar, president, JDS youth wing. Kumar was taken to Yelahanka New Town police station, while other JDS workers were detained at a private resort. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had decided to name the flyover after Savarkar in February. Even though the BBMP maintained that due process was followed while taking up the proposal in the Council, and that public opinion was sought while selecting a name, Opposition parties accused the government of insulting freedom fighters from Karnataka by choosing Savarkars name. Dictatorial behaviour by the state government for arresting our JDS Bengaluru district youth wing president and denying the right to peacefully protest against naming a flyover after Savarkar, is unacceptable, the JDS wrote in a social media statement. New Delhi, Sep 9 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to entertain fresh petitions to seek postponement of NEET (UG) 2020 for admissions to undergraduate medical and dental courses, slated to be held on September 13. A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah said that it not inclined to examine the matter as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) is scheduled to be held in a few days. The National Testing Agency will hold the NEET (UG) for admissions to MBBS/BDS and other undergraduate medical courses in approved/recognised medical/dental and other colleges/institutes in India. The apex court had rejected a bunch of PILs as well as a review petition filed by six Ministers from non-BJP ruled states to seek postponement of the exam. The bench said: "Everything is over now. A review has been dismissed. The JEE is over. How can we consider this now?" Senior Advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for one of the petitioners, contended that they are asking for the exam postponement and sought to highlight the practical difficulties faced by students. Datar cited an example of Bihar, where there are only two examination centres. The bench replied that all arrangements will be made for NEET. It said that there cannot be different dates for holding entrance test in different states. Datar urged the top court to consider postponement of NEET for three weeks. Senior Advocate KTS Tulsi, representing another petitioner, argued that Covid-19 cases are increasing rapidly, and cited a record surge of nearly 90,000 coronavirus cases in a day. Tusli also cited a Bombay High Court order, wherein it said that candidates who could not appear for the exam should be appropriately considered. The bench said that it was for the examination body to decide, and not the court. Advocate Shoeb Alam, appearing for a petitioner, submitted that there was some lacuna in the National Testing Agency guidelines. He also referred to the guidelines and advisory issued for students in containment zones etc to take the exam later on. The bench observed that the authorities concerned will take all necessary precautions to ensure safety of candidates. Alam insisted that local authorities may be directed to ensure that the guidelines are enforced properly, to which the court replied that all this will be done. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Slamming the fake news on Durga Puja ban doing the rounds, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on September 8 that she would hold her ears and do 100 'uthak baithak' (squats) if the claims of the fake social media post concerning restrictions on the high-octane Bengali festival can be proven. Addressing a programme organised to commemorate Police Day at the West Bengal state secretariat, the chief minister said: I have been hearing rumours about Durga Puja not being allowed by the state government. Prove it! Or else hold your ear and do squats. If you can prove your claims that the government has indeed taken such a step, I will hold my ears and do squats 100 times before the public. Without naming the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), she said: A political party is spreading vicious rumours about Durga Puja Some fake IT pages are spreading misinformation on Durga Puja. I am asking the police to find out these people who are purposely spreading fake news to destroy communal harmony. Those who have never worshipped Kali and Durga or Hanuman are talking about puja. A social media post had been circulating over the past few days suggesting the Bengal government would impose night curfews from October 21, i.e., Panchami, during Durga Puja celebrations, to avoid crowding in pandals amid the coronavirus pandemic. In effect, it claimed that pandal-hopping at night would be banned during the five-day religious festival. The West Bengal Police had also taken to Twitter on September 8 to announce that the social media post is fake.(With ANI inputs) More in What you need to know for Wednesday, September 9 (2 of 15) One hundred years ago this week, San Antonians awoke to a flash flood that tore through the city, leaving behind destruction and death in its wake. In 1921, a storm hovering over Taylor and Thrall north of the region caused by the remnants of a hurricane produced 23 inches of rain in a single day. By Sept. 9, the heavy rainfall had surged into the San Antonio River, causing a wall of water 10 to 30 inches that caught the sleeping city off guard. According to San Antonio Express-News archives, downtown streets were flooded with up to 12 feet of rain. Fifty-two people died. Headlines from the days that followed captured the torrent's torment on San Antonio. "River rise brings widespread loss; Caught unaware, sleeping, scores are suddenly swept off," a Sept. 11 headline reads. Devastating floods also affected Williamson and Milam counties, where flooding of the San Gabriel River killed 119. See some of the photos of the historic San Antonio flood below. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Police on Tuesday said they arrested three men last week in connection with a series of burglaries in which the suspects stole bikes after forcing their way into homes in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. Investigators believe the trio is linked to at least three burglaries, two in August and one last week. After speaking to witnesses, officers were able get a description of the suspects. Then last Wednesday, a plainclothes officer spotted two of the suspects near Pier 27 as they attempted to steal a bike. Officers identified the pair as brothers Header Cauich, 30, and Daniel Cauich, 34, both of San Francisco, and took them into custody. That same day, officers patrolling the 400 block of Broadway spotted the third suspect, identified as 24-year-old Jose Xoolcaamal of San Francisco, and took him into custody as well. All three men have been arrested on suspicion of burglary. Xoolcaamal was also arrested in connection with unrelated burglary warrants, while both Header and Daniel Cauich were both also arrested on suspicion of theft, possession of burglary tools and possession of stolen property, police said. Back in 2016, both brothers and a third suspect were charged with murder for the June 5, 2016 killing of Larry Teevy, 55, but the charges against the brothers didn't stick. Police said they're continuing to investigate whether other home burglaries in North Beach are linked to the suspects. Police are reminding residents to remember to lock their doors and windows, and recommend other measures like surveillance cameras or motion lights. Anyone with information about the burglaries is being asked to contact police's 24-hour anonymous tipline at (415) 575-4444 or text TIP411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 15:21:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Zimbabwe's Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa praised the significant role played by China in bolstering the country's fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Mutsvangwa told Xinhua in a recent interview that China has played a significant role in slowing down the spread of the virus in Zimbabwe, which had recorded 7,298 positive cases as of Monday. Mutsvangwa stressed the importance of the medical equipment donated by China to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe. She said China's experience and success in curbing the spread of the virus provided Zimbabwe with valuable lessons in how to fight the pandemic. Since the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in March, Zimbabwe has received lots of support from China to fight against the pandemic. Since the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in March, Zimbabwe has received lots of support from China to fight against the pandemic. In May, a twelve member medical team from China was dispatched to Zimbabwe. And China has also donated a significant amount of medical supplies to the country. In a major boost for the Indian Air Force, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will formally unveil India's new Rafale fighter jets in Ambala on September 10. The first batch of five of the 36 combat aircraft arrived at the Ambala Air Force Station on July 29, while the second batch of Rafale fighter jets from France is expected to arrive in India in October. It may also be noted that Minister of Armed Forces of France Mrs Florence Parly will be Chief Guest for the event. The aircraft will be part of 17 Squadron, the 'Golden Arrows'. According to sources, the induction ceremony will take place in the presence of Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the entire top military brass of the country. The first five Rafale jets have been engaged in practising night flying in terrains of Himachal Pradesh. With highly efficient air-to-air missiles and SCALP air-to-ground standoff weapons, the IAF squadron is ready to be inducted in service. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Mrs Florence Parly Minister of Armed Forces of France will be Chief Guest for the event. Mrs Florence Parly will be given a ceremonial Guard of Honour on arrival at Delhi: Indian Air Force (File pic) https://t.co/ol0x2WkC8W pic.twitter.com/7rXMM6DEu3 ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2020 READ: Rafale deal: FM Sitharaman says CAG Defence report to be tabled in upcoming parl session READ: IAF raises concern over safety of Rafale jets due to birds; pens letter to Haryana Govt All about the Rafale Jet The 5 Rafale fighters are fully operational, with the first 18 jets to be stationed in Ambala and the next 18 fighters to be based in the Hashimara airbase near the Bhutan border once the complement is completed. The Rafales are equipped with programmable signal processors (PSP) and hold the capacity to change signal frequencies in times of conflict. The Rafale jet will be able to use terrain in Tibet to its advantage, destroy enemy air defence and incapacitate the surface-to-air missiles, former IAF Chief BS Dhanoa had said as quoted by PTI. In case of beyond visual range combat, Rafale is superior to China's much-touted but untested J-20 jet, he said adding that the Rafales will play a key role in Tibet for information dominance. Rafale is powered by two SNECMA M88 engines, which helps it attain a range of more than 3,700 km. Having a top speed of 2223 km, it is equipped with laser-guided bombs weighing 900 kg. 2500 rounds per minute can be fired from its internal cannon. Rafale considered as a 4.5 generation aircraft will now lead the IAF's fighter jets. Also, Rafale maintenance time per flight hour is 2.25 hours against 6-8 hrs for other fighters. READ: French defence minister likely to visit India next month to attend Rafale induction ceremony READ: Rajnath Singh to formally induct Rafale on September 10; French counterpart invited Former Secretary of State Peter Hain has told the First and Deputy First Ministers that they must build a personal relationship if legacy issues in Northern Ireland are to be progressed. Speaking as Westminster's Northern Ireland Affairs Committee discussed legacy issues, Lord Hain said the lack of trust is holding Northern Ireland back. He urged the DUP and Sinn Fein to look back to the example of Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness if they want to move forward. "The problem with the NI Executive is that the basis of personal trust they started out with in 2007 under Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness is not there," Lord Hain told MPs. Read More "Two more improbable people to share power together you couldn't imagine but they developed a relationship where they could actually work together. "That has broken down and that's the root of the terrible delay to victims' pensions. We've seen two of those victims die. There's culpability there where the Deputy First Minister was effectively blocking the payment. "The root of that is the failure by the DUP and Sinn Fein to establish a working relationship. They've gone backwards. "They don't have to like each other, go for a pint, worship together, but what they should do is form a proper relationship." Lord Hain also told Secretary of State Brandon Lewis that he needs to show honesty if he is to be a successful in the role. Read More "The Secretary of State needs to start behaving like an honest broker," said Lord Hain. "Successive Secretaries of State, with the exception of Julian Smith who stood out, have taken a more unionist position," he continued. "You can't be in anyone's pocket. "And the Secretary of State has to start obeying the law. If he says he's prepared to break the law why should anyone think he would uphold the Good Friday Agreement which itself is subject to international law? It's destroying trust in Northern Ireland. "Northern Ireland needs constant attention. You can't fly in for an hour. It takes hard work and relationship building." Read More The former Labour MP also criticised a claim by the Justice Minister Naomi Long that victims may not start receiving payments from the Troubles pension for six months. "We have already seen the death of two victims. How many more must die?" he asked. He also questioned the Government's current legacy policy. Under plans unveiled in March, only a small number of killings will receive "full-blown" investigations while the vast majority of unsolved cases would be closed. That, said Lord Hain, could lead to dissident republicans and loyalists believing that if they wait long enough their crimes could be "written off". Also giving evidence were former UUP leader Sir Reg Empey, former SDLP leader Baroness Margaret Ritchie and former special adviser to several Secretaries of State Lord Jonathan Caine. Responding to a question from DUP MP Ian Paisley over the need for a new inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, Lord Empey said: "I am concerned there are cases where support groups have been formed around particular individuals and that tends to diminish the case of the ordinary person who doesn't have that sort of celebrity support." True crime author Shanna Hogan died last week, two days after apparently tripping and falling into her family pool. The 38-year-old had been at home in Phoenix, Arizona, when her husband Matt LaRussa says he came home to find her unresponsive. She had been swimming with their 15-month-old son Zander, he said, who was unharmed. Matt says he pulled his wife of 20 years from the water and gave her CPR. Shanna Hogan was pronounced dead on September 1, three days after falling into the pool while she was swimming with her 15-month-old son, Zander Hogan with her husband Matt LaRussa and their 15-month-old son. The pair were married for 20 years She was taken to the hospital but had suffered such severe brain damage that she did not recover and on September 1, was pronounced dead. He announced her death on Facebook and said the family had opted for her organs to be donated. 'I am so broken by losing Shanna my best friend for almost twenty years. 'But I know the her gifts have already save 4 people and I know their will be more people she will save. 'I would give anything in the world to have her back and hold her for ever, but that was not our story. I am so thankful for the 20 years. 'And have so many memories that I will never forget and be sure to teach our son who Shanna was nd to be a great man. I will never forget her,' he wrote. Hogan was a New York Times bestseller and was best known for her book about the Jodi Arias murder trial Now, he is trying to raise $100,000 on a GoFundMe account to pay for her medical bills and to 'raise Zander without a mother'. Hogan was a New York Times bestseller and celebrated true crime author who was best known for her book, Picture Perfect: the Jody Arias Story. In 2013, Arias was convicted of murdering her boyfriend Travis Alexander five years earlier. Hogan became an expert on the crime and was regularly asked to comment on it on true crime shows. She had several other true crime books which she sold on Amazon. Miami Latinos are giving President Donald Trump a fighting chance for his reelection bid as a new survey had him tied statistically with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden among the Hispanics in Miami-Dade. The newly released poll conducted by the Miami Herald and the Bendixen & Amandi International had Trump leading by a slim margin with 47 percent to Biden's 46 percent among Miami Latinos. This is significant because Miami-Dade is the biggest county of Florida, which is a must-win swing state. The poll was conducted among 500 likely Miami-Dade voters from September 1 to 4 with a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points for voters' entire sample. With Trump tightly engaging Biden for Miami Latinos voters support in Miami-Dade, this suggests that the President has successfully got the support of the Cuban Americans. The Cuban Americans represent a big influential voting group in Miami-Dade and the entire Florida as well, according to a report on The Hill. Historically, more than other Latinos, including Miami Latinos in Florida, the Cuban Americans have favored the Republicans over the Democrats. Back in the 2016 presidential election, although Hillary Clinton got 62 percent of the total votes from Latinos in Florida, while Trump only managed 35 percent overall among the Cuban American voters, Trump was up by 54 percent while Clinton only had 41 percent. These numbers were taken during the exit polls. Although Biden could rest in the poll having him clinched an overall 55 percent vote in Miami-Dade and Trump only accounts for 38 percent, Trump would not need to win Miami-Dade to get the 29 electoral votes of Florida. That is what makes the votes of Miami Latinos so important for both candidates. If Trump could narrow the margin of victory for Biden in Miami-Dade that has always leaned on Democrats for decades, then it could help the President cut down his possible deficits in other counties of Florida, especially the swing counties along the 1-4 corridor in Central Florida. Another reason why Biden should not take Miami Latinos for granted is that in another survey conducted by Equis Research, a Democratic firm, it showed that Biden is underperforming Clinton's margins among Hispanic voters in Florida. In 2016, Clinton had 53 percent of all Hispanic voters in Florida to Trump's 37 percent. In an article on Miami Herald, Miami-based pollster Fernand Amandi said that Biden underperforming in a county where he should be the strongest candidate is a source of concern. Not to mention that this county is the largest in the state, this could put Biden in trouble of winning Florida. According to the Business Insider, Biden's soft support among Latino voters has been an issue for months. Another survey done by NBC News/Marist Florida, and conducted from August 31 to September 6, had Trump leading Biden 50 percent to 46 percent among likely Latino voters. This means that Biden would have to work harder to get Miami Latinos' support if he wants to get Florida. Check these out: US Election Issues: Trump, Biden Present American Realities That Are Polars Apart Hispanics in Florida Are More Likely to Vote for Trump Majority of Latino Voters in California Are Certain to Vote in November WESTPORT Since Sept. 11, 2001, the nation has come together each year to commemorate the anniversary of a moment that forever changed America. This years ceremony will also reflect the current challenging times. On Thursday, the states 19th Sept. 11 memorial ceremony will be held at Sherwood Island State Park and include safety measures because of the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing is at a premium, Max Reiss, a spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont, said. Where instead of having an audience of people there, instead of having people stand close to each other, the goal is to have people stay as far apart as is reasonable to make sure we prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. The event will be held outdoors and face coverings are required for attendees in addition to maintaining proper social distancing. While the event may be scaled back for safety reasons, Reiss said it was important to continue the ceremony. Just as the nation has adapted to a new normal under COVID-19, there is a parallel to how life changed after two planes crashed into the Twin Towers and one into the Pentagon, he said. Your experience going to the airport changed, your experience going to a sporting event changed, your experience maybe even going to school changed, Reiss said. Its important to continue these type of ceremonies in the safest possible way to make sure we are not forgetting what the impact of what that day is and was. The ceremony will be live streamed on Connecticut Network tomorrow for those who cannot attend in person, he said. The events of 9/11 made a huge impact on the residents of the tri-state area and certainly to the residents of Connecticut, and specifically Westport, said First Selectman Jim Marpe, who will be attending the ceremony for the eighth time. When the Twin Towers were struck, people who made their way to Sherwood Island were able to see the smoke and fire in New York City from miles away, he said. A memorial was erected in the location many stood to witness the tragedy from afar. As a result, I think Westport is honored to be the site of the Connecticut memorial in remembrance of all the people who were sadly killed on that tragic day, Marpe said. He said the ceremony causes everyone to think about the importance of human life. It reminds us how fragile life can be and consequently how we need to be sure each day were considering the importance and challenges of all our fellow human beings, Marpe said. Reiss shared similar sentiments. People still get asked where were you when (9/11) happened and we know people are going to be asking where were you when the pandemic happened, he said. This is the kind of moment to commemorate and show how we all came together. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com Migrant workers form wastern Uttar Pradesh who returned home during the lockdown will now get a chance to start fisheries business with support from the Lucknow-based National Bureau of Fish Genetics Resources (NBFGR). The Institute will provide assistance to migrant labourers in 14 districts of UP to which majority of the migrants returned post lockdown. Most of these migrant workers lost their jobs and savings during the lockdown and depend on government aid to make ends meet. A possible employment in the fisheries sector can help them become self-reliant once again. The plan is to involve around 3,000 families of migrant workers with the fisheries sector in these districts. We provide training and technological help to these workers. They can use this to set up successful businesses, said Kuldeep K Lal, director NBFGR. After poultry, fisheries is the second fastest growing meat industry in the country, according to experts. The migrants can capitalise on the upward trend. NBFGR experts will provide training to these migrants to farm a variety of freshwater fish and crustaceans like prawns and crabs. Easy availability of space and fresh water in the area will make it easier for migrant workers to start their business. We will also take help of the local district administration to provide help in starting the business or taking loans from banks for the same, said the director. The districts that will benefit through the initiative include Ballia, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Sultanpur, Mau, Sonbhadra, Gonda, Basti, Jaunpur and Azamgarh etc. Dharmendra Verma, a migrant worker in Gorakhapur is looking forward to the programme. Around 50 people in my village have returned from different states. We all are ready to take up fisheries as a business because it will allow us to work without leaving our village, he said. As the ruins of New Yorks World Trade Center smoldered following the September 11 attacks of 2001, skeptics doubted it could ever rise again. Now, as the 19th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the grand vision set forth after its destruction has largely been realized. But the rebuilt World Trade Center complex is under threat anew - this time, from a microscopic virus. People are much more worried about someone coughing on them than someone blowing up a building," said Vishal Garg, chief executive of mortgage refinance startup Better.com, headquartered at 7 World Trade Center adjacent to the site known as Ground Zero. After the Twin Towers and surrounding buildings were destroyed by al Qaeda hijackers, killing 2,753 of the nearly 3,000 people who died that day, the economy of lower Manhattan was devastated. But a plan was born, and a lengthy metamorphosis turned the disaster zone into a giant pit, then a walled-off construction site, and finally, some $25 billion later, a tourist attraction and business center with three skyscrapers, a transportation hub, a museum and a memorial. The coronavirus pandemic has stalled its completion, with a performing arts center under construction and a fourth and final skyscraper planned. Six months after New York City began shutting down due to COVID-19, the World Trade Center and the once-bustling Financial District are now eerily devoid of crowds. Its pretty melancholy. A bit gloomy," said James Busse, a retail stock broker taking a cigarette break nearby. Ground Zero became both a solemn memorial and a leisure destination. Choked-up visitors to the 9/11 museum or memorial could step onto an esplanade of children eating ice cream or out-of-town visitors admiring the glass-sheathed towers. One World Trade Center, Americas tallest building at 1,776 feet (541 meters), was built with a bomb-resistant base, as the old World Trade Center had been attacked in a truck bombing in 1993. The vision laid out in Daniel Libeskinds 2003 master plan drove a renaissance that has diversified the local economy, previously reliant on finance. The public and private sectors have invested some $25 billion in reconstruction, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the land. Everybody coming to New York wants to come to Ground Zero," Libeskind said in an interview. It is the center of New York. It is the great public space." At its heart are two reflecting pools designed by Michael Arad, marking the footprints of where the Twin Towers once stood, with a pair of four-sided waterfalls draining into an abyss. The names of the victims are etched into its bronze borders. Pre-pandemic, hundreds of visitors would gather there. But on a recent afternoon a family from Wichita, Kansas, were the only people at the south tower pool. TWIN TOWER NOSTALGIA Nostalgia over the Twin Towers grew after they were destroyed along with so many innocent lives, but they were unloved in their time. Completed in the 1970s, the World Trade Center replaced a neighborhood known as Radio Row with an oversized block containing the Twin Towers and little else. The site was frequently called a windswept plaza." The problem with the World Trade Center is that it never really was that good," said Carl Weisbrod, a former city planning official who worked on the redevelopment of the new site. Whats emerged is a central business district that is now a model for the 21st Century as opposed to a sort of a historical artifact of the 20th Century." Planning the new site stirred public emotions associated with the attack on the United States, the loss of life and fears of working in tall buildings again. Critics say the end result still lacks affordable housing and lament the absence of a direct rail link to major regional airports. Architectural critics have called One World Trade Center lackluster. But there is agreement that, considering all the interests and complexities, it works. They did a really wonderful job of knitting it back in the city, but still honoring that sacred site," said Leslie Koch, president of the complexs Performing Arts Center. THE MOVERS ARE HERE In New Yorks vertigo-inducing real estate market, prices rarely drop except after events like 9/11 or a recession, and prices are falling again now. Downtown Manhattan rents are down 1.4% through July, the largest annualized fall since 2010, said Nancy Wu, an economist with the real estate database StreetEasy. As of 2019, the neighborhoods rental market was the citys fastest-growing. But the inventory of available apartments rose 80 percent this July from a year earlier, Wu said. Guy Khan, ?director of banking at a financial services company, said the downturn was apparent around his home near City Hall, with chain stores and mom-and-pops closing and neighbors fleeing for the suburbs. You see moving trucks every day," he said. Developer Larry Silverstein acquired a 99-year lease on the Twin Towers from the Port Authority for $3.2 billion just six weeks before 9/11. He has spent the past 19 years rebuilding. In 2015, Silverstein forecast the entire site would be rebuilt by 2020, but that changed after the planned anchor tenant for 2 World Trade Center pulled out. Life is so unpredictable," he said. Silverstein and Libeskind, the master planner, see the pandemic as a temporary pause in downtown Manhattans ascendance, noting how predictions of decline after 9/11 proved wrong. People said New York will never come back. And its the same thing during the pandemic," Libeskind said. But I dont believe it. New York is too resilient," . Flash Roadside bombs largely used by militants to target security personnel often caused civilian casualties in Afghanistan and seven people including four civilians were killed on Tuesday, officials said. In the latest roadside bomb attack which hit central Daikundi province at noon, two policemen were killed, Naqibullah Malistani, a senior police officer in the province, said. Earlier in the day, two civilians lost their lives when a roadside bomb planted by militants struck their car in Darabad district of western Farah province, police spokesman Mohibullah Mohab confirmed. Similarly, three people including a security personnel were killed and three civilians were injured as a roadside bomb went off in Nishgam area of Ghazi Abad district in eastern Kunar province on Monday, provincial government spokesman Abdul Ghani Musamim said. Officials have blamed the Taliban militants for the deadly roadside bombings. The police have also discovered two weapon caches containing explosive materials in Achin and Durbaba districts of Nangarhar province, Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The armed group which largely rely on roadside and suicide bombings have not commented on the reports. Civilians often bear the brunt of war in Afghanistan as more than 1,200 civilians had been killed and over 1,700 others injured in conflicts and violent incidents in Afghanistan in the first half of 2020, said a report of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission released in July. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday credited a drop in homicides in Chicago to Operation Legend, a recent initiative that sent federal law enforcement to cities struggling with spikes in violent crime. The data, however, shows there may not be much to celebrate. At a press conference in Chicago, Barr and other federal officials gave an update on the progress of Operation Legend and its impact on crime. The Department of Justice announced more than 2,000 arrests since its launch. Calling it one of the most significant federal law enforcement operations in recent years, Barr said Operation Legend is working. Crime is down, Barr said. And order is being restored to this great American city. The initiative continues as Chicago and other Democratic-led cities with troubling crime rates remain political fodder for the Trump administration. The president has railed against the leadership in Chicago, New York and elsewhere for their surges in violence. Operation Legend has been framed as the federal governments attempt to clean up these cities. The initiative began on July 8 in Kansas City, Mo., and expanded to Chicago and Albuquerque on July 22. In a statement released after Wednesdays presser, Barr asserted that Operation Legend has contributed to a 50 percent drop in homicides in the first seven weeks of its operation, compared with the five weeks prior to the operations launch. He said that between April and the end of July, fatal shootings were rising in Chicago, but began declining in August. On Aug. 31, the Chicago Police Department reported a 45 percent decrease in murders in August compared with July, and a 35 percent decrease compared with June, according to a news release. In fact, [August] saw the lowest number of murders since April, the Chicago Police Department said in the statement. The department declined to comment on Operation Legend and Barrs remarks to Yahoo News. Attorney General William Barr speaks on Operation Legend during a press conference in Chicago on Wednesday. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images) The department and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot were noticeably absent Wednesday, despite the initiative being billed as a unified local-federal collaboration. Barr said they were certainly invited and could have attended, but one of the odd things about our program in this city are some of the politics involved, Im sure that was an element of it. Story continues Lightfoot didnt oppose the crimefighting effort when it was announced in July but expressed skepticism about whether it would add value. However, at a press conference later Wednesday she slammed what she described as an attempt to score political points for Trumps reelection campaign. It was politics that made us decide not to be there, Lightfoot said. Were never going to be used as a prop. Never. During Barrs press conference, reporters pointed out that the attorney general is highlighting month-to-month changes to the crime rate. The overall homicide rate, according to statistics provided by the Chicago Police Department, still appears to be on a worrisome trajectory. Data shows the city has seen 524 murders this year as of Sept. 6, up from 345 murders at this time last year, and a 31 percent increase from the amount of murders around this time in 2018. Barr was asked if it was premature to say that an initiative thats been in the city for just a few weeks is driving down crime. Many criminologists caution against using relatively short periods to denote a trend, or pointing to any one factor as a contributor to rising, or falling, crime. Im highly skeptical that any single law enforcement action taken over the last six or eight weeks has had much of an impact, Jeff Asher, a crime analyst who is compiling 2020 homicide data for multiple U.S. cities, told Yahoo News. Its like a drop in the bucket [in] Chicago. Barr at the press conference on Wednesday. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images) But Barr said hes confident that the work being done is improving the situation. U.S. Attorney John Lausch of the Northern District of Illinois agreed. Very clearly, Operation Legend helped, Lausch said. It helped stop what we were seeing were increases in homicides month after month after month. May, June, July. It was getting out of control, and it dropped. Barr said a similar drop is happening in other Operation Legend cities. A reporter, though, noted that Chicago has seen big crime shifts, month to month, up and down, over the years and asked Barr how he can credit a drop in murders to Operation Legend. That is an absurd question, Barr responded. I did not attribute it entirely. What I said is I believe that it was an important part of that drop. Barrs comments about the crime rate are factually inaccurate, Lightfoot said Wednesday, adding that the city started to see a downward trend in shootings and homicides beginning in late July. The first additional federal agents that came to Chicago as part of Operation Legend didnt even get here until Aug. 3. Ashers data shows that in Chicago and other cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Oakland, overall violent crime has remained mostly steady, with a slight dip in 2020 compared with last year around this time. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: London: All social gatherings of more than six people will be banned in England, under new limits to be announced on Wednesday by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to curb the spread of coronavirus. At a press conference, Johnson will confirm that police iin England will have new powers to disperse and fine any group larger than six people meeting indoors or outdoors from September 14. That marks a tightening of the current rules, under which police can break up gatherings of more than 30. A social distancing sign is displayed in front of "Out of Order" a 1989 red phone box sculpture by British artist David Mach, in London. Credit:AP The rules only apply in England coronavirus restrictions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are managed in those jurisdictions by devolved governments. There will be exceptions in England for people getting together for work, weddings and funerals as well as for organised sports, but parties in pubs and restaurants, and gatherings in public spaces will be hit by the new limits. The Minister for Tourism is to haul in the board of Failte Ireland "at the earliest opportunity" after another shock resignation. Irish Examiner last night, admitting they took a foreign holiday after an investigation by the A second member of the tourism board resigned. Breege O'Donoghue, the former long-time executive director of Primark/Penneys in Dublin, spent time in Spain over the summer, a destination that is not on Ireland's Green List of countries. Ms O'Donoghue went on holiday to her second home in Marbella, Spain for a week in July and another week in August. It is understood Failte Ireland were unaware of the trip until approached by the Irish Examiner. Sources say after being alerted by the Examiner, Failte Ireland ascertained Ms O'Donoghue's movements, and Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport, and the Gaeltacht Catherine Martin was informed of the relevations by Failte Ireland's CEO Paul Kelly. Ms Donoghue tendered her resignation on Tuesday evening to the minister which was accepted. Breege O'Donoghue, the former long-time executive director of Primark/Penneys in Dublin, spent time in Spain over the summer, a destination that is not on Ireland's Green List of countries. Picture: Dara Mac Donaill / The Irish Times A statement released by Minister Catherine Martin said: "We are all aware of the devastating impact that Covid-19 restrictions have had on the tourism and hospitality sectors and I am disappointed to learn that a second member of the board of Failte Ireland travelled abroad this summer, notwithstanding Government advice. "In order to support our own industry, and in line with the prevailing Government health advice, Failte Ireland has been to the forefront in promoting domestic holidays. "Ultimately, staying at home supports our tourism industry at a devastating time, showing solidarity in the face of a pandemic that is costing lives and livelihoods across Ireland and the world. "I rang Ms ODonoghue this evening and she has offered her resignation which I have accepted. "I wish to thank Ms ODonoghue for her service as a member of the board of Failte Ireland and her important contribution to the work of promoting tourism in Ireland during this time. "I have accepted her resignation as I believe it would not be tenable for her to continue in the role, given all of the circumstances." The former Penney's head is the second board member after the chairman of Failte Ireland Michael Cawley resigned from his position in August after it emerged he travelled for a family holiday to Italy. The minister has now sought a meeting with the Failte Ireland board to discuss the resignations and the actions of the board going forward. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 21:16:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOGADISHU, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Somali National Army (SNA) on Tuesday killed 13 al-Shabab extremists in an offensive in the southern region of Lower Juba, a military officer confirmed on Wednesday. Ismail Abdi Malik Malin, an SNA commander, said the army launched an attack on the militants' bases on the outskirts of Kismayo town, inflicting severe casualties. "There was an intense confrontation between the army and the militants, but we overpowered them, killing 13 of them including two senior leaders," Malin said. He added that the army is pursuing the remnants who fled to the forest. Southern regions of Somalia have become the battleground of the clashes between government forces and al-Shabab extremists since the militants were chased out of the capital Mogadishu in August 2011 by African Union Forces and Somali Army. Enditem President Trump mounted a public attack unusual even for him over the Labor Day weekend, accusing his military leadership of advocating war so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy. Even for a president who has never hesitated to contradict himself for political advantage, it was a remarkable shift. His questioning the patriotism and judgment of Americas military leaders, even accusing them of pursuing global conflicts to profit the military-industrial complex, marked an election-year shift in which he has turned against two of the remaining institutions he spent most of his first term embracing as pillars of his America First policy. It was Mr. Trump, from the earliest days of his transition, who talked reverentially about his great generals, telling two interviewers that he surrounded himself with them because they conveyed the sense of toughness he wanted to mark Americas global role. Nearly four years later, all of these generals have been banished from his inner circle. Mr. Trump himself has consistently championed American arms sales, forgiving Saudi Arabia for the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the high civilian death toll from the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen justifying it because the country buys billions of dollars annually in American weapons. People attend a rally for Vice President Mike Pence as he speaks during the Donald J. Trump for President Latino Coalition Rollout at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Miami Airport & Convention Center on June 25, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Polls show Democratic nominee Joe Biden underperforming among Latino voters in Florida, putting him neck-and-neck with President Donald Trump in the crucial battleground state less than eight weeks out from Election Day. An NBC News/Marist poll released Tuesday showed Trump leading Biden among Latinos in Florida, 50%-46%. That survey found Trump and Biden virtually tied at 48% among likely voters in the state overall. The results came from phone interviews with 766 likely voters from Aug. 31 to Sunday just after the Republican National Convention. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Another survey of Miami-Dade County voters, shared Tuesday by Bendixen & Amandi International and The Miami Herald, also gave Trump a slight lead over Biden among Hispanic voters, though the result fell within the margin of error. While Biden is still leading Trump in a series of key swing states, including the Sunshine State, the recent surveys show the nominee's support among Latinos in Florida is well behind where Hillary Clinton stood in 2016 exit polls of the state which she lost to Trump. "While Donald Trump divides the community and falls short on plans to achieve democracy in Latin America, Joe Biden offers a real plan to empower the Cuban and Venezuelan people, stand up for democracy, and defend human right," Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said in a statement to CNBC. "Joe Biden is ready to lift up Hispanic communities to reach their full potential, whether by fighting for the success of our small businesses or ensuring access to quality, affordable health care. As Hispanic voters continue to lean in more on this race, their support for Joe Biden will continue to grow," Munoz said. The shifting ground in the delegate-rich swing state follows months of criticism toward the Biden campaign's lackluster approach to courting Latino voters. Politico reported in May that Latino political operatives felt unclear about the campaign's strategy for marshaling support from the demographic. In an op-ed for CNBC last month, Voto Latino CEO Maria Teresa Kumar argued that the Biden campaign has fallen short on reaching out to the Latino community. "While Trump will not assume his path to victory will be with majority support among Latinos, he will surely exploit any weakness to undercut the vice president and other candidates," Kumar wrote. Hispanics are projected to become the largest minority voting bloc in the country in 2020, Pew Research reported last year. In Florida, Pew found that 20% of eligible voters are Latino. But that broad Latino label masks a wide range of political diversity among people from different countries. While Clinton in 2016 won 62% of the Latino vote in Florida compared with just 35% for Trump Trump handily beat Clinton among Cuban Americans in the state, 54%-41%, according to CNN's exit poll. In Tuesday's survey from Bendixen & Amandi, Cuban Americans broke for Trump over Biden by a whopping 38 percentage points. First-generation Cuban Americans, many of whom fled the communist government of Cuba, tend to vote Republican, though younger generations have a lower identification with the GOP. Still, the demographic isn't always a lock for the Republican candidate: Barack Obama won a slightly larger share of Cuban Americans in Florida than Mitt Romney in the 2012 race. Polling averages from RealClearPolitics show Biden's lead in Florida narrowing in recent weeks. The site currently gives the Democrat a 0.8-point spread over Trump, which is only slightly ahead of where Clinton was on this date four years ago. The Biden campaign appears to be responding accordingly, announcing increased Spanish-language television spending and new hires aimed at targeting the Hispanic community, NBC News reported last week. Trump, meanwhile, has sought to tar Biden and the Democratic Party as far-left socialists a message that Democratic operatives say could tap into fears of those in Latino communities wary of authoritarian regimes. The president visited Jupiter, Florida, on Tuesday to announce he would sign an extension and expansion of a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic coast. In his remarks, Trump accused his political opponents of using environmental policy as "an excuse to advance a socialist platform that will impose trillions and trillions of dollars in new taxes, and send our jobs overseas, making it impossible to open up new companies and to live less expensively." Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, is scheduled to visit Miami with her husband on Thursday. President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana on Tuesday said that his aim is to make the southern African country a land of small stock production, Trend reports citing Xinhua. Responding to a social media post by Batlang Serema, Botswana's High Commissioner Designate to Namibia, Masisi said indeed there are good returns in small stock production. Serema had posted that he had just come from an auction by the Namibia Livestock Auctioneers Ltd where two rams sold for 75,000 Namibian dollars (about 4,425 U.S. dollars). "My aim is to make Botswana the land of small stock. We must increase our small stock herd," said Masisi. Masisi said Botswana can be able to feed "ourselves and also meet the demands of big markets in Asia, Middle East and Europe." "Namibia is already in full force and wants us to catch up with them. I am making my personal contribution through the donation of bucks and rams to farmers that have seriously taken up small stock production in the 57 constituencies," he said. Late last month, Masisi donated a buck and a ram to two youthful small stock farmers at Chadibe cluster farms in the outskirts of Francistown, Botswana's second largest city situated some 430 km northeast of the country's capital, Gaborone. It is at this donation ceremony that Masisi announced that Botswana had secured markets for sheep and goat meat in Saudi Arabia and Norway. A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken on April 10, 2020. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters) AstraZeneca Pauses COVID-19 Vaccine Study Due to One Potentially Unexplained Illness AstraZeneca temporarily halted late-stage studies for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate to determine whether the vaccine caused a potentially unexplained illness in one of the recipients. The company said in a statement on the evening of Sept. 8 that its standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data. The statement did not provide further details. The health news site STAT reported that the pause was prompted by a potential side effect which occurred in the United Kingdom. The pause applies to the studies AstraZeneca is running in the United States and other countries. The company began recruiting 30,000 participants in the United States in August. Thousands of people in Britain, Brazil, and South Africa are also part of the trial. Moderna and Pfizer are also conducting large-scale final-stages trials in the United States for vaccines that work differently from AstraZenecas. Moderna and Pfizer have recruited roughly two-thirds of the needed participants. President Donald Trump has suggested that at least one of the vaccines may be approved as soon as October. The pause is part of a mandatory protocol built into the study, which requires that any serious or unexpected reaction be investigated. The company pointed out that illnesses of all sorts could arise in studies of thousands of people. We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline, the company statement said. Its likely the unexplained illness was serious enough to require hospitalization and not a mild side effect such as fever or muscle pain, said Deborah Fuller, a University of Washington researcher who is working on a different COVID-19 vaccine that has not yet started human testing. This is not something to be alarmed about, Fuller said. Instead, its reassuring that the company is pausing the study to figure out whats happening and carefully monitoring the health of study participants, she added. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York, said on Twitter that the illness may be unrelated to the vaccine, but the important part is that this is why we do trials before rolling out a vaccine to the general public. During the third and final stage of testing, researchers look for any signs of possible side effects that may have gone undetected in earlier patient research. Because of their large size, the studies are considered the most important study phase for picking up less common side effects and establishing safety. The trials also assess effectiveness by tracking who gets sick and who doesnt between patients getting the vaccine and those receiving a dummy shot. Representatives for the FDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday evening. The Associated Press contributed to this report. AKRON, Ohio Nearly a year after METRO RTA partnered with the EZfare app to allow riders to buy a digital bus pass, the transit agency has launched a service for patrons to plan and pay for trips through a single app. The Moovit app, available for free on Apple and Android devices, on Wednesday announced its partnership with METRO RTA, which previously encouraged passengers to plan their trip using the transit function of Google Maps. METRO partnered with EZfare in October 2019, which allows riders to use their smartphone to purchase a bus pass and show it to the bus driver. The Moovit app an Israel-based company incorporates EZfare ticketing, while also showing bus lines and trip times. After users can select their route, the app will calculate the total fare for the rider to purchase an e-ticket. Moovit will display the digital ticket and a unique QR code, which can be shown to the bus driver or scanned when boarding. EZfare and Moovit are now available for 13 transit agencies in Ohio and northern Kentucky, including PARTA in Portage County, MCPT in Medina County, Laketran in Lake County and SARTA in Stark County. Passengers can use the services to transfer between lines. Our partnership with Moovit is an exciting one, because it provides a one-stop shop for passengers to plan their trip and purchase their bus fare all in one app, said METRO spokeswoman Halee Gerenday. Additionally, passengers transferring to one of our neighboring systems, PARTA (Portage County) or SARTA (Stark County), can see on the map where to make their connection. METROs integration with Moovit is another example of how we are taking steps to enhance the transit experience for our passengers. Yovav Meydad, chief growth and marketing officer for Moovit, said the technology is a way to limit personal contact and using cash or coins during the coronavirus pandemic. With seamless integration of mobile ticketing and payment providers, users no longer need to search pockets for change or stand in line to top up monthly transit passes, Meydad said. THE State is now facing a potential lawsuit for tortious assault and battery by a family that was tear-gassed by police while at the Queens Park Savannah in Port of Spain last Sunday. Acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob has been given 28 days within which to provide specific pieces of information to attorneys representing the family or, in default, a civil claim will be filed at the High Court, the familys attorneys warned yesterday. ENSIGN TOWNSHIP, MI - Talk about getting away from it all. This luxury retreat is located off the grid in the middle of a forest in Michigans Upper Peninsula. This is MLives House of the Week. We feature different types of homes every Wednesday like this one, which is in the middle of nowhere. The Victorian government has established 25 sewage-testing sites to detect coronavirus, as the state recorded 76 new cases of COVID-19 in the past day and 11 more people died. Premier Daniel Andrews said the "world-class" testing would allow authorities to be one step ahead of the virus by potentially picking up traces of COVID-19 in localities before positive cases emerged. Jeroen Weimar, a former departmental secretary now responsible for the states testing strategy, said sewer testing picked up COVID-19 in Apollo Bay, which prompted health authorities to urge residents to be tested. So far, no positive test results have been recorded. "We are taking samples at the 25 sample locations to see if there are changes in the level of coronavirus present in the waste water, he said. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has spent more than three years in jail in Iran, is now facing a new unspecified charge, according to state TV. The British-Iranian dual national appeared before a branch of the country's Revolutionary Court in Tehran, where she was first sentenced in 2017, on Tuesday morning. Her court appearance was confirmed by Tulip Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, who said she had been in touch with Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Ms Siddiq said on her Twitter account that Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who lived in West Hampstead with her husband and daughter before she was arrested by Iranian authorities on a trip to see her family, was taken to court this morning and told she will face another trial on Sunday. The MP ended her tweet with the popular hashtag FreeNazanin, which Twitter users all around the world are following to show their support for Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The latest development appears to dash any hope of Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe being allowed to return to the UK. She was granted temporarily release this March at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis but was ordered to stay at her parents home in Tehran. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: "Iran bringing new charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is indefensible and unacceptable. "We have been consistently clear that she must not be returned to prison." Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: "This is hostage diplomacy and Iran needs to know that Britain will not stand for it." Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016, after travelling to Iran with her young daughter to visit family. The Iranian government accused Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe of plotting to overthrow the government - claims strongly denied by Nazanin and her family. She was working for Thomson Reuters Foundation, the news agency's charitable arm at the time. Responding to the news, Kate Allen, Amnesty International UKs Director, said:If confirmed, this would be our worst fears come true. This will be a terrible blow for her, her family and for her many supporters and well-wishers. Nazanin has already been convicted once after a deeply unfair trial, and there should be no question of her being put through that ordeal again. There have always been concerns that the Iranian authorities were playing cruel political games with Nazanin, and that looks to be the case here. As a matter of absolute urgency the UK government should make fresh representations on Nazanins behalf, seeking to have any suggestion of a second trial removed. Ms Allen added: Having failed for the past four-and-a-half years to secure her freedom, ministers now need to step up efforts to ensure Nazanins full and unconditional release from her house arrest in Tehran, and her safe return to her family here in Britain. The new charges come after Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes family publicly linked her imprisonment to Irans negotiations with the British Government over a 400m settlement held by London, a payment the late Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi made for Chieftain tanks that were never delivered. Tehran has denied that her detention was linked to the negotiations. It is believed that the new charges could be an attempt to gain new leverage in the negotiations. Poachers used a silenced hunting rifle to kill this black rhino for its horn while it drank at a water hole in South Africa. Around the world, one rhino is killed every 10 hours. To stop this slaughter, either consumer demand for their horn must be eradicated, or poachers must be stopped from killing them. Those are the intractable options. Charity Save the Rhino is committed to changing how rhino horn is perceived in South East Asia - where most trafficked horn ends up, and where it is prized as a symbol of power and wealth. However, enacting a cultural change could take decades. Thats too long for some species of rhinoceros, such the Javan and Sumatran, who are on the path to extinction. With consumer demand unlikely to disappear any time soon, and a black market continuing regardless, the survival of rhinos hinges on innovative strategies to prevent poaching. Recommended Why we need to win the war against rhino poachers One of the most important is what happens inside the courtrooms that trial rhino horn hunters and traffickers. Shamini Jayanathan is a criminal barrister working in illegal wildlife trafficking in Africa, with a focus on prosecutions. She tells The Independent: The only way to tackle and deter the killing of rhinos is through the courts. Arrests and seizures of horn represent only a disruption to criminal operations, not an end. Ms Jayanathan explains that because the rhino is such a highly protected animal, many African countries rightly have high minimum prison terms for related cases. But as a result, every defendant pleads not guilty, meaning there is no incentive to cooperation. Trials can last years, with hearings delayed or endlessly postponed, running up costs and zapping time and momentum. The Covid-19 conservation crisis has shown the urgency of The Independents Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, which seeks an international effort to clamp down on illegal trade of wild animals (ESI) The biggest enemy to rhino horn cases is delay, says Ms Jayanathan. And as the legal maxim attests, justice delayed is justice denied. There is ongoing, vital work in the courts to speed up criminal trial process, to ensure the prosecution case is strong at the start of the case, and that the sentence at the end is proportionate to the crime. The Independents Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, which was launched earlier this year, seeks an international effort to clamp down on poaching and the illegal trade of wild animals. South Africa is home to nearly 80 per cent of the world's remaining rhinos. It has been hit hard by wildlife crime, with more than 1,000 rhinos killed there each year between 2013 and 2017. In March 2017 the South African government created Skukuza Regional Court close to the edge of one of its most famous nature conservancy, Kruger National Park. Hailed as a hugely positive step for the effective and swift handling of trials for rhino poachers and traffickers, Skukuzas two senior prosecutors had backgrounds in organised crime cases and extensive knowledge of wildlife crime-related law. During its first year, the rhino court - as it became known - brought more than 90 poachers to justice, with a 100 percent conviction rate. Prison sentences ranged from 12 to 40 years. Elsewhere in South Africa, fewer than 25 per cent of similar convictions resulted in sentences longer than 10 years, according to Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. Rhino poaching also declined. Last year in South Africa there was a reported 594 rhinos killed for their horn, down from 769 in 2018. And the data detailing where rhinos were killed suggests that poachers had begun to avoid Kruger to hunt in other provinces - likely deterred by the rhino court. However, Skukuza Regional Court has been closed since August last year, amid unexpected plans to move it almost 100km away from Kruger. Save the Rhinos Emma Pereira says that moving the court could have dire consequences for rhinos. Skukuzas proximity to Kruger is really helpful in terms of rangers being able to quickly get there to give evidence that can help secure convictions. Moving it might mean it would take much longer for a ranger to travel there and back, something many just wont be able to do." Activists created a petition to fight the plan, and the Department of Justice and Correctional Services has halted the decision for now, as stakeholders question how the upheaval would benefit rhinos. Recommended Leading US investigator into illegal ivory and rhino horn trade stabbed to death in his Kenyan home Crispin Phiri, spokesperson for the department, says the court plays an important role in conserving our environment in so far as rhino poaching is concerned, and confirmed a moratorium to get a proper briefing on what the understanding is and the motivation for moving the court. Most working in wildlife crime agree that Skukuza is a model that works, and one that needs replicating in countries that have a population of rhino, or act as trafficking transit corridors. To protect rhinos and other wildlife at risk from poachers, The Independent is working with Space for Giants, a conservation charity that has extensive expertise in strengthening the judicial and conservation authorities in six African countries. Between 2016 and 2020 Ms Jayanathan led Space for Giants' team of legal professionals training prosecutors, investigators and magistrates so trials run smoother and legal processes are more effective. She says: In Kenya - where we collaborated with prosecution services and the judiciary, Kenya Wildlife Service and other partners - we have seen a steady rate of convictions of wildlife criminals, including rhino horn traffickers. Rhino cases are inevitably hard fought because the penalties are so high. But progress is being made. In Kenya, in the courts we have worked in, we have reduced the average time for criminal procedures from 32 months to 11 months, and we have also seen a reduction in rhino horn crime. Pereira agrees that strengthening the judicial process is a vital part of the fight to save rhinos, to act as both punishment and deterrent. Save the Rhino is working with partners to develop learning among the legal system, such as how evidence is collected, and making it standard across the board, she says. Often, when it comes to rhino horn cases, evidence is not as well understood by judiciary, or courts are not able to trace people to give evidence. The picture is slowly getting better; there have been some large fines for people who have done the damage to rhinos - but we are seeing a lot of corruption too. It takes a mental toll on those dedicated to protecting rhinos - especially on rangers who are having to work overtime as a result of Covid. The fight to save rhinos a long, hard slog. Donate to help Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade HERE FROM prison officer to award-winning author, Rathkeale native Bill Bradshaw's third book, Delphine, is proving a big hit in the world of literature. Bill worked as a prison officer in Mountjoy and Limerick Prison for over three decades. He left that line of work behind in 2012 to focus on writing. He published his first novel, From the Horse's Mouth A Jailer's Tale, in 2005 during his career as a prison officer. The novel was a fictionalised version of real life events in Mountjoy at the time. The book was published by Trafford Publishing in Canada and became the best-selling Irish book that they have published in their history. Bill's second novel titled Hello, Welcome, was published in 2017 and won the Austin MacAuleys Book of the Year Award. It outlines the journey of a lonely widower from a life of isolation into the heart of a revolution in another part of the world. Fast-forward to 2020, Bill recently published his third book, Delphine, which explores the journey of a lady named Laura Brady who was sent to live with relatives in Ontario, Canada as a three-year-old. The now 50-year-old author was never told why she was sent to live in Canada and the news that her biological mother is dying lures her back to the west of Ireland to get answers and establish her family's history. Delphine has already garnered several awards including Book of the Month and it is competing in two categories for the An Post Irish Book of the Year Awards 2020. Bill was voted Author of the Month for July/August 2020 by WorldAuthors.org and he has been shortlisted for their Author of the Year award which takes place on December 15 in Delhi. Bill has even opened the door for a possible Netflix series. He initially wrote the screenplay while he was writing the book. Bill is in contact with Belfast-based Northern Ireland Screen and Wee Buns Films. As a writer from the Republic of Ireland it would be nigh-on impossible for Bill to go ahead without the support of Screen Ireland so he is knocking on their door to see what they'll do with me. In the meantime I've adapted a six-episode series. Lockdown afforded us plenty of Netflix time and I see the structure that they use and I think the six episodes I've done would be absolutely perfect for Netflix, Bill said. Bill's next book is titled Three Men Dwell which captures the true story of three lighthouse men who disappeared from a lighthouse off the coast of Scotland in 1900. Gardners Books in the UK have taken on Delphine as their chief distributor which means there's an international distributor of the book, Bill concluded. The book is available to purchase from Amazon and The Crescent Bookshop in Limerick. Delphine is officially a Crescent Bookshop Bestseller after selling out after a few days. A 70year-old man was bludgeoned to death in Bharari village about 60 km southeast of Prayagraj late Tuesday night, police said Wednesday Senior police officials reached the spot and began investigations after the mans body was .discovered in the morning. According to reports, the body of Shobhnath Yadav was found on his cot in the courtyard of his house with injuries on his face. A grinding stone suspected to have been used in the assault was lying on his face. Police said Shobhnaths son Ravishankar told them that he saw two persons talking to his father at around 11 in the night and assumed that they may be neighbours. Early this morning, he saw a grinding stone on his fathers face and removed it only to discover that he was dead. Superintendent of police (Crime) Ashutosh Mishra reached the spot and questioned the family and villagers in connection with the murder. Shobhnaths family had enmity with one of their neighbours in which a person was killed. Shobhnaths son was arrested for the murder in 2014 and is out on bail. There are no indications of any loot attempt and it is possible that the murder took place over old enmity. However, further action will be taken after receiving a complaint from the family Mishra said. In another crime in Prayagraj district, unidentified miscreants barged into a house and looted cash and valuables after taking the family hostage at gunpoint at Updaura village in the trans-Ganga area. Police reached the spot and launched a hunt for the looters but to no avail. The house where the robbers struck belongs to a lawyer who lives in the city. His wife Gauri Mishra and three children live in the village. Gauri told the police that at around 2 am, she opened the main door of the house to go to the toilet in the outer part of the residence when some robbers held her at gunpoint and took her and the children hostage. The miscreants then looted 3,000 in cash and gold and silver ornaments worth several lakhs of rupees. Gauri and the children raised an alarm after the robbers left. Villagers rushed to the spot but the looters had fled by then. SP (trans-Ganga) NK Singh said miscreants were being traced on the basis of details provided by the woman. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In convicting him of crimes against humanity and war crimes in 2010, the international court said the number of his victims probably was "considerably greater". On appeal, the court rejected his plea for release, unswayed by his conversion to evangelical Christianity and his arguments that he had been merely a "cog" in the Khmer Rouge killing machine. I am solely and individually liable for the loss of at least 12,380 lives, the former chief of the prison and torture centre known as Tuol Sleng told the tribunal in the capital, Phnom Penh. I still and forever wish to most respectfully and humbly apologise to the dead souls. Kaing Guek Iev, also known as "Duch" in the court room during his 2010 trial in Phnom Penh. Credit:Getty Appearing before a special court in his native Cambodia in 2009, Kaing Khek Iev confessed to a role in the brutal Khmer Rouge regime of the late 1970s that made him one of the most prolific mass murderers of recent history. The tribunal noted as aggravating factors his "leadership role and particular enthusiasm in the commission of his crimes". Better known by his nom de guerre, Brother Duch, or simply Duch, the one-time mathematics teacher turned torturer died on September 2 at a hospital in Phnom Penh. He was 77. A prison official, Chat Sineang, said that Duch, who was serving a life sentence, was hospitalised after developing breathing problems two days earlier. Duch (pronounced roughly as Doik in the Khmer language) was one of only three former leaders to go on trial for the depredations of the radical communist Khmer Rouge regime, which killed an estimated 2 million Cambodians during its 1975-1979 rule. He was the only one to admit his guilt. Everyone sent to Tuol Sleng, Duch testified, was automatically presumed guilty and destined for execution in Cambodias "killing fields". He was aware that much of the information in the confessions he extracted was false fabricated by prisoners who would say anything to stop the torture, he said. But he passed it on to his superiors anyway, perpetuating the cycle of new arrests and killings when inmates named their supposed "accomplices". Khmer Rouge executioners typically clubbed prisoners with steel pipes or farm implements to save bullets, Duch said then slit their throats and pushed them into open pits. Duchs men killed children who entered Tuol Sleng by dropping them on their heads from the buildings third floor or, he admitted, by "smashing them against a tree". Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Richa Naidu (Reuters) Chicago, United States Wed, September 9, 2020 17:30 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43cfcc4 2 Food Hershey,coronavirus,COVID-19,Halloween,united-states,advertising,chocolate Free Spooked by COVID-19, Martha Jones of Southern Kentucky will not let her three children trick-or-treat this year. Instead, she is transforming her sun deck into a mini-haunted house and setting up games, a grill and a bonfire in her backyard. "It'll give the children something to be excited about without going door-to-door for candy," said Jones, a 31-year-old chocolatier. Hundreds of miles away in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, 43-year-old musician Paul Lee is figuring out how to make sure his two kids can safely go trick-or-treating - the Halloween custom in some countries of children wearing costumes and going from house to house, asking for candy with the phrase "Trick or treat". In the weeks leading up to the Oct. 31 event, Jones and Lee will see very different ads on social media and websites from candy maker Hershey Co, based on where they live, how likely they are to be on lockdown, and what Halloween activities they have been searching for online. This is part of a new marketing strategy in partnership with Alphabet Inc's Google, Hershey executives told Reuters. Hershey will tailor digital ads to households using search data provided by Google to overcome fresh challenges that threaten to derail this years Halloween. The Pennsylvania-based candymaker struck a deal with Google last month for access to data showing whether people are more or less likely to go outside based on what they search for. For instance, a person who sought out business hours for nearby stores or vacation ideas suggests the likelihood to go outside. So Jones and other people staying home for the holiday could see videos and clips on social media of people eating KitKats and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups under twinkly lights in their backyards or living rooms. In places where people are more inclined to venture out, they might see ads of mask-clad kids and adults going door-to-door for candy. "On a weekly basis, we can change how we're talking to consumers based on what we're seeing geographically," Phil Stanley, Hershey's chief sales officer, said in an interview in August. The move is one of many strategic changes to marketing and logistics that US candy companies are making ahead of Halloween, after a disappointing Easter. Halloween is typically the candy industry's biggest holiday season by sales, followed by the periods around Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day. For Hershey, Halloween represents a tenth of its roughly $8 billion in annual sales. This year, anticipating a sharp increase in online sales and fewer trick-or-treaters, Hershey, Mondelez International Inc and their rivals are shrinking candy packs, spending more on digital marketing, setting up Halloween store displays earlier in the year, and keeping aside more e-commerce inventory for retailers trying to make up for lost brick-and-mortar sales. Hershey, which relies on trick-or-treating for about half of its Halloween sales, told Reuters it plans to increase digital media spending on Halloween by 160% versus last year, targeting mainly e-commerce shoppers. Mondelez, which makes Sour Patch Kids chewy candies, said it too plans to spend more this Halloween on social and digital media. Read also: Researchers working on nutrient-rich milk chocolate Neighborhood watch Only about one-third of US parents plan on sending their kids trick-or-treating this year, according to Matt Voda, CEO of marketing analytics firm OptiMine Software. "So that's the big dilemma for candy companies - how do you overcome that potential shortfall?" A key part of the industry's marketing strategy is convincing people that going out is no longer an essential part of Halloween. The message candy makers are pushing is that shoppers should buy candy for Halloween-at-home in the three months leading up to the event. Retailers like Walmart Inc and Target Corp reinforced this idea when they started setting up Halloween displays as early as August, a move that has so far driven a 24.8 percent increase in Hershey's seasonal sales. The trick is convincing the right people to shop for home celebrations while not alienating others who plan to continue to go door-to-door with their kids. "We have the ability to tailor our advertising by ZIP Code," said Hershey spokeswoman Allison Kleinfelter, referring to a postal code used by the US Postal Service to designate locations. "Our team can see where there are differences like in cities or large states." The Google data that Hershey is mining weekly flags which people are more likely to go out and the degree to which local governments are restricting movement in their areas. Hershey said the data - which is completely anonymous, showing only the data points of unnamed users - is used with research from shopper surveys, retailers and municipalities. "It's impossible to say how much more Hershey is going to be able to sell before Halloween, whether it'll be enough," Wells Fargo analyst John Baumgartner said. "But will they keep it from being a complete washout? It's possible." A global tech trade association on Wednesday urged India not to accept the report by the Expert Committee on Non-Personal Data Governance Framework, noting that it has several troubling elements that will threaten foreign investments, create a hostile business environment and have a chilling effect on innovation in the country. The government has invited public feedback on the report prepared by a committee of experts on ''non-personal data governance framework''. An expert panel - chaired by Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan - had given recommendations on the proposed rules for non-personal data framework in its report submitted to the government, in July this year. The panel has been tasked to study various issues relating to non-personal data and to make specific suggestions for consideration of the central government on the regulation of non-personal data. While the Personal Data Protection Bill is still in process, the panel in its report has defined non-personal data as information which is not personal as defined in the bill in the works. In a submission, Washington-based Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) said the report has several troubling elements related to forced data sharing, data localisation and the country's broader data policy ecosystem. If adopted by the Government of India, the recommendations in the report would have a significant, negative impact on most if not all companies that do business in India, including through mandatory sharing of proprietary data sets with competitors and the government, ITI said in a statement. ITI said the report if accepted would threaten foreign investments in India, create a hostile business environment, and have a chilling effect on innovation in the country. "(Data) collection and use are not the exclusive province of a select group of firms, but in fact are increasingly critical to every globally competitive company," ITI wrote in its comments. "Sectors ranging from manufacturing to agriculture to logistics leverage disparate data sets to drive innovations in new products, services, and processes. The legal framework proposed by the report would impact every major player operating in the Indian economy - as well as their partners - in a manner that undermines the stated objectives of the Report," ITI said. ITI said the underlying premises of the report are incorrect and unsupported; forced data sharing undermines intellectual property rights; and that the report creates uncertainty and confusion around India's data policy ecosystem. ITI said that it is also concerned about data sharing should not be mandatory and forced data localisation serves as a barrier to trade and investment. Also read: Govt found over 40 cybersecurity loopholes at National Payments Corp in 2019 Also read: Paytm Mall slaps legal notice on intelligence firm over data breach claim Google Android 11 update is officially rolling out for Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme smartphones UPDATE: ColorOS 11 update timeline is now out for Oppo smartphones in India. The Google Android 11 update is officially rolling out for Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme smartphones. As of now, these are the only companies that will receive the update with more phones set to get the update in the coming months. Google has released the final Android 11 update for Pixel phones. In fact, other manufacturers are kicking off public beta tests for their mid-range and flagship smartphones right now. With the Android 11 update, Google is adding a dedicated Conversations tab in the notification centre that groups all the chats from messaging apps, native screen recorder, smart reply features, app suggestions, one-time permissions to apps and more. The Android 11 update brings a lot of optimizations, fine-tuning the system and other enhancements that make the experience a lot smoother. Hello, Android 11! Learn all about the new features that make staying in touch easier, controlling your connected devices simpler, plus new privacy improvements: https://t.co/qUCmyz37WZ pic.twitter.com/ExkZIXafau Android (@Android) September 8, 2020 Here is a list of all the smartphones set to receive the Google Android 11 update in India. Google Pixel Android 11 update Google Android 11 update is now available for Pixel phones and if you are a user who owns a Pixel 2 or above, the update should be reaching you soon. Google has announced the availability of Android 11 update for the following phones: Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL Pixel 4a OnePlus OxygenOS 11 update OnePlus has announced OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 1 for the OnePlus 8 series. The company had already pushed out the Android 11 Developer Preview 3 based OxygenOS earlier in August. Now, users of OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro can download the Open Beta 1 that brings in a slew of changes to the design and optimisations that make the OxygenOS 11 a smooth affair. If you own either the OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro, you can download the Open Beta 1 manually from the links below. Do note that if you choose to perform a local upgrade (recommended), there wont be any loss of data and your OnePlus 8 series phone will get updated to OxygenOS 11 beta. Download OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 1 for OnePlus 8 here and for OnePlus 8 Pro here. After downloading the update, copy it to the root directory. Go to the Settings menu and scroll down to System and then tap System Updates. Tap the Settings icon on the top-right corner and select local upgrade. Choose the installation package and the phone will begin updating. Read more about the new features and changes in OxygenOS 11 here. Xiaomi MIUI Android 11 update #Android11 is ready to rock! Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro will be the first batch Xiaomi devices to receive the update of Android 11. @Android Check out for more information: https://t.co/RyQkL8EQwt pic.twitter.com/bAKHrS7JX3 MIUI (@miuirom) September 8, 2020 Xiaomi has announced MIUI 12 global beta based on Android 11 for the Mi 10 series and Poco F2 Pro. In a post on its Mi Community, Xiaomi is accepting submissions for pilot testers for its Android 11 beta ROM made for Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro and Poco F2 Pro. It is a limited release so interested users will have to fill a form with details about their smartphones and only a selected few will be chosen to test out the MIUI Global ROM. Realme UI Android 11 update We are thrilled to announce that #realme is among the first smartphone brands to provide @Android 11 to its users. Our official Android 11 Preview is now available for #realmeX50Pro. Check out #realmeCommunity to join & get to enjoy #Android11 right away https://t.co/WPdPu0VFow pic.twitter.com/V53vjphyHO realme (@realmemobiles) September 8, 2020 Realme is offering the Android 11 Preview of the Realme UI for the Realme X50 Pro. Like the Xiaomi MIUI beta test, Realme is also accepting applications from its fans and has limited the preview release program for 100 users of the Realme X5 Pro. Oppo ColorOS Android 11 update ATTENTION #OPPOColorOS11 based on #Android11 is coming! Save the date to uncover the endless wonders of ColorOS 11 by joining our Global Launch Event at 9AM (GMT) on September 14th! pic.twitter.com/IOzTmTGNpi ColorOS (@colorosglobal) September 9, 2020 Oppo has also released the ColorOS 11 public beta for the Oppo Find X2 series. The company has also revealed that it is going to launch the ColorOS 11 officially on September 14 in a virtual event. The ColorOS Android 11 beta update will be provided to 2,000 users and Oppo is accepting applications for beta testers over on its Community forum. UPDATE 14/09/2020 The Android 11 build of Oppo's ColorOS is simply called ColorOS 11 and the beta version of the update has started to roll out to the Oppo Find X3 and the Reno3 series. That means the Oppo Find X2 and the Oppo Reno3 Pro users can update their smartphones to Android 11 starting today. Oppo has also shared the roadmap of updates for its other flagship portfolios across the world. Some are also relevant for the Indian market. We will update this list as and when more phones start receiving the Android 11 update in India. A string of tweets that were posted by the Twitter account @lifeisasoph who claims to be related to Jacob Blake's ex-girlfriend, the 29-year-old Black man who was shot numerous times by the police in the city of Kenosha in Wisconsin, draw attention early in September. Despite being suspended by the social media site at the end of August, people were able to hold on to several screenshots of the tweet. The said screenshots were then uploaded by netizens on the popular website for the United States President Donald Trump's supporters, The Donald. Radio host Richard Randall on September 2 shared a post on his Facebook account which states that neither Black Lives Matter nor Twitter care regarding the life of Sabrina who is a black woman that was sexually assaulted by Jacob Blake just before the police arrived and will going to arrest him. Aunt of Sabrina was standing up for her on Twitter but she was banned as well. Screenshots of numerous tweets along with a caption by @lifeisasoph had earlier been posted to the Twitter account of @Patrici15767099: The right-wing website published an article on August 31 that unquestioningly presented the tweets of @lifeisasoph, identity, face value, and wrote 'After the aunt of the rape victim used Twitter, calling out the hypocrisy, the popular social media platform shut her account right away.' On August 31 the social media platform Twitter suspended the account of @lifeisasoph integrating a number of principally right-learning observers into their promotion of the claims of the account. They also shared the account's tweets at face value while claiming Twitter had banned the account correctly due to its claims that were accurate and real. Read also: Jacob Blake, Shot by Kenosha Police, Answers Domestic Abuse Charges from Hospital Bed One of the examples is the right-wing commentator Evan Kilgore, who posted numerous screenshots of @lifeisasoph's tweets together with the caption that Twitter is insane for suspending the account of the aunt of Jacob Blake's ex-girlfriend, @lifeisasoph after she began speaking out against him publicly. To keep up with the broad pattern of disinformation, the previous claims of @lifeisasoph went to an in-depth examination that condemns Blake and the racial justice protests that followed after the shooting incident. Despite the claims coming from the family of the ex-girlfriend of Blake who accused him of domestic abuse and sexual assault, the family link claim was bogus. Is the account owned by a Man from St. Louis or a Woman from Africa? Before the social media suspended the account @lifeisasoph, the fact-checking site snpoes.com, collected enough evidence, talking about past tweets coming from the account wherein numerous patterns of inauthentic behavior, mostly used to advanced right-wing talking points in the debates in social media. The adoption of the aunt of an alleged victim of sexual assault was the latest move but the most distasteful one which shows tendency. Several posts were shared by the person behind the account, but despite the numerous claims, the shared arguments do not enhance the account's credibility but instead it reflects being unauthentic. Related article: Fact Check: Did Police Shooting Victim Jacob Blake Rape a 14-Year-Old Child? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. SYDNEY : Australia is not worried about AstraZeneca Plc's decision to put on hold its COVID-19 vaccine trial, its deputy chief medical officer said on Wednesday, as daily cases nudged higher in the country's coronavirus hot spot. AstraZeneca on Tuesday said it has paused a late-stage trial of one of the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates after an unexplained illness in a study participant. The nature of the case and when it happened were not detailed, although the participant is expected to recover, according to Stat News, which first reported the news. "With the information that I have got at the moment, I am not worried about it," Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth told Sky News, adding the hold on trials does not mean the vaccine "is off the table". "In some respects, this is a very positive thing because it shows that despite the accelerated vaccine development, safety is the priority of the clinical trialists and investigators." Coatsworth said Australia like many other governments has invested in several coronavirus vaccine candidates, "knowing not all of them will get through". AstraZeneca's decision to place the trial on hold comes after a pledge from nine leading U.S. and European vaccine developers on Tuesday to uphold scientific safety and efficacy standards for their vaccines despite the urgency to contain the pandemic. Australia on Monday said it would get the first doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine in January 2021 if trials proved successful after reaching a preliminary deal in August. It had also signed an agreement on a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Queensland. Both these vaccines will be manufactured locally by CSL Ltd. Australia's coronavirus hot spot of Victoria on Wednesday, meanwhile, reported its biggest rise in daily cases in three days as the state boosted its contact tracing programme to ease the spread of the virus. Victoria, which is at the centre of Australia's second wave of coronavirus outbreak, now accounts for about 75% of Australia's 26,450 COVID-19 cases and 90% of its 781 deaths. The state reported 76 new cases and 11 deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. 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!! Durham, NC - Results of a clinical trial released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine indicate that a combination of stem cell therapy and educational intervention can significantly help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). "Social communication, language, and daily skills improved markedly within 18 months after stem cell transplantation. Conversely, repetitive behaviors and hyperactivity decreased remarkably," reported the study's corresponding author, Nguyen Thanh Liem, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Liem, director of Vinmec Research Institute of Stem Cell and Gene Technology in Hanoi, is internationally recognized for his work in applying stem cells for different neurologic conditions (including cerebral palsy due to asphyxia, cerebral palsy related to neonatal icterus, cerebral palsy due to intracranial hemorrhage in neonatal period). He and his Vinmec team collaborated with researchers at Stanford University and Keele University on the two-year study. ASD affects more than 18 out of every 1,000 children over the age of 8, according to the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control. It involves a complex spectrum of disorders characterized by a deficit of social communication and interaction, restricted interest and repetitive verbal and nonverbal behavior. Children with ASD also commonly experience sleep disorders, seizures and gastrointestinal difficulties. While its cause has yet to be determined, many factors -- including genetic mutations, immune dysregulation, decreased blood flow in the brain, exposure to maternal antibodies during pregnancy and weak functional connectivity across brain regions -- appear to contribute to ASD's development. Multiple approaches including behavioral therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and medications are required to ameliorate its symptoms. Educational and behavioral interventions are also crucial. The evidence indicates that young children with ASD benefit from interventions that focus on improving social interaction, communication and challenging behaviors. Unfortunately, however, many children who receive those treatments remain significantly impaired. "In search of better outcomes in the management of ASD, alternative and complementary treatments are being investigated," Dr. Liem said. "As stem cell therapy has shown promise in clinical trials treating several different types of neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, cerebral trauma, spinal cord injury, researchers have theorized that it might be useful in treating ASD, too." In fact, one recent study using a mouse strain bred to have autistic-like symptoms showed that transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells resulted in a reduction in stereotypical behaviors, a decrease in cognitive rigidity and an improvement in social behavior. This and other animal studies that proved the safety of the therapy paved the way for subsequent trials in children. "However," Dr. Liem said, "while broadly consistent in outcome reporting, disparities remain around cell sources, processing, dosage and delivery route. The aim of our own study, then, was to investigate the safety and clinical outcomes of high-dosage autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMNC) transplantation combined with educational intervention." Thirty children ranging in age from 3 to 7, with a confirmed autism diagnosis and whose CARS scores (which rates the level of ASD) placed them in the "severe" category, were selected for the open-labeled, uncontrolled trial. Each received an infusion of their own stem cells via injection into the space between their fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae; six months later, the procedure was repeated. After the first transplantation, all patients underwent eight weeks of educational intervention based on the Early Start Denver Model, a widely adopted play-based program that fuses behavioral and developmental principles. The children were then evaluated at intervals of six, 12 and 18 months, comparing their CARS and VABS (which measures adaptive behavior) scores with those at baseline. During this period there were no signs of any major adverse side effects. "Although all participants still belonged to the severe level at the baseline after receiving behavioral intervention with a mean duration of 3.5 years, this study showed improvements in various aspects after BMMNC transplantation combined with educational intervention," Dr. Liem said. "Positive changes in social communication, eye contact, language, behaviors and daily skills were observed and learning ability also remarkably improved, especially after 18 months. Also, the rate of children with hyperactive disorder decreased by 50 percent and the number of children who can go to school without support increased." Positive changes also were found in evaluation measures, including severity and adaptive ability. The number of patients requiring very substantial support decreased from 28 to 18. "We noticed that the improvements appeared to be influenced by the CARS scores at baseline," Dr. Liem said. "Patients with a CARS score ? 49 at baseline showed better improvement than those who had CARS scores > 49 points. This would imply that patients with lesser severity had better outcomes after transplantation. We also noticed that the longer the follow-up duration was, the lower the severity of ASD and the better the children's adaptive functioning." Meanwhile, the improvement increased progressively according to the follow-up duration, implying that the treatments have a sustainable long-term effect. "Our study demonstrates the importance of balancing basic research and scientific rigor with compassionate use in translational medicine," the study authors emphasized. "While the mode-of-action of stem cell therapy is not yet completely understood, the positive results of this trial are testament to the safety and feasibility of applying stem cells toward treating diseases that have otherwise no, or only palliative, treatment options. "Based on a sound scientific rationale and responsible clinical conduct, we believe that more extensive, controlled clinical trials will reveal the full potential of stem cell therapy for autism spectrum disorder." "The clinical finding showing that the cell therapy treatment safely reduced severe autism spectrum disorder characterizations in children is encouraging," said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. "The findings are promising and open the opportunity for the development of a translational medicine approach that could help affected children." ### The full article, "Outcomes of Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cell Transplantation Combined with Interventional Education for Autism Spectrum Disorder," can be accessed at https://stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/sctm.20-0102. About STEM CELLS Translational Medicine: STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM), co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley, is a monthly peer-reviewed publication dedicated to significantly advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices. SCTM is the official journal partner of Regenerative Medicine Foundation. About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes two other internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals: STEM CELLS (http://www.StemCells.com), celebrating its 38th year, is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. The Oncologist (http://www.TheOncologist.com), also a monthly peer-reviewed publication, entering its 25th year, is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. All three journals are premier periodicals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines. About Wiley: Wiley, a global company, helps people and organizations develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Our online scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, combined with our digital learning, assessment and certification solutions, help universities, learned societies, businesses, governments and individuals increase the academic and professional impact of their work. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to our stakeholders. The company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. About Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF): The non-profit Regenerative Medicine Foundation fosters strategic collaborations to accelerate the development of regenerative medicine to improve health and deliver cures. RMF pursues its mission by producing its flagship World Stem Cell Summit, honouring leaders through the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Awards, and promoting educational initiatives. CHANGSHA, China, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Themed at "New Digital Economy, New Future", 2020 Internet Yuelu Summit held its opening ceremony on 8th September in Changsha, which revives the city in the name of "Internet" again, according to the Publicity Department of CPC Changsha Municipal Committee. The Summit is organized by Office of Hunan Cyberspace Affairs Commission, Industry and Information Technology Department of Hunan Province, Hunan Xiangjiang New Area and China Federation of Internet Societies. The first Yuelu Summit in 2014 opened a new chapter for the development of Hunan mobile internet industry. As a pioneer, Changsha, has not only created a new city brand, also made itself as an innovation city of Internet in China, after nearly 6 years of struggles and attempts. Firstly known as the "Capital of Construction Machinery", "City of Manufacturing" to "The 5th City of Mobile Internet", Changsha embraces the world with its profound culture over a thousand years. Changsha is located comparatively not advantageously to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Zhejiang, but it has the advantage of talents when the internet industry is just emerging. Nearly 1/3 of the Internet elites in China are from Hunan. Yao Jinbo, CEO of 58 Group, was born in Yiyang, Hunan. He has so much affection in his hometown that he settled the second headquarter in Changsha, except the biggest one in Beijing, as Changsha is a cluster of universities, talents and media industries and its core position in Central China. Except 58 Group, Xiangjiang Kunpeng, Cloud Tencent (Changsha) and other well-known software and internet leading enterprises have also established their headquarter or second headquarter in Changsha by the end of 2019. Mobile internet is giving momentum for new forms of business and emerging industries thanks to the rapid development of big data, AI and industrial internet technologies, particularly the 5G and AI. 5G new infrastructure is growing vigorously. It is reported that 13,586 5G base stations and 26 database centers of several kinds have been built in Hunan, and 19,000 5G base stations are expected to open by the end of this year. When driverless technology is still new to people, it appeared authentically in Changsha. National Intelligent Network Automobile (Changsha) Test Area was put into plan in 2016. On 19th April 2020, driverless technology has entered an new era as Baidu Apollo driverless taxies were open free to Changsha citizens. The first put-in-use "smart bus line" was open 11 days later. On 31st August, China's first "smart highway", which supports 5G automatic driving test and application - G5517 from Changsha to Yiyang was open to use. It is equipped with 5G base stations, cameras and other facilities every 150 meters, which provides conditions for driverless. After 2 years' development, Changsha intelligent network automobile industry has been in a leading position in China. At present, Changsha has started a new journey of innovation and development supported by mobile internet. New economies like "AI" "Smart Drive" and "Block-chain" will constantly provide new momentum for the high-quality development of Changsha. According to the lately released 2020 CHANGSHA INTERNET DEVELOPMENT WHITE PAPER, in 2019, the scale of the mobile internet industry in Changsha has exceeded 100 billion yuan, ranking the sixth among the municipalities and provincial capital cities, and ranking the first in Central China. Image Attachments Links: Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=371010 Caption: Opening Ceremony of 2020 Internet Yuelu Summit Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=371011 Caption: Changsha citizens are lining up for smart bus test. Moroccan-brokered talks between Libya's two rival administrations have led to agreement on the need for compromise, Morocco's MAP news agency reported Tuesday. The meeting was held at the initiative of Rabat, which had hosted peace talks in 2015 that led to the creation of a United Nations-recognised government for Libya. The talks came after the two sides announced a surprise ceasefire last month. MAP, citing a joint statement at the end of the meetings, said the parties had agreed to work to eradicate corruption and the abuse of public funds in the chaos-strewn country and to end its institutional divisions. They had made "important compromises", it said, without giving any specifics. "The two parties hope to secure positive and concrete results that will clear the way to achieving the process of a comprehensive political settlement." Abdessalam al-Safraoui, heading the team from Tripoli, said Monday that the dialogue in the coastal town of Bouznika, south of Rabat, was focused on appointments at the top of Libya's key institutions. The naming of the heads of Libya's central bank, its National Oil Corporation and the armed forces have been the main points of dispute, according to Libyan media. Dubbed the "Libyan Dialogue", the talks that opened Sunday brought together five members of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and five from a parliament headquartered in the eastern city of Tobruk. The dialogue, held at the initiative of Morocco which hosted peace talks in 2015 that led to the creation of the UN-recognised GNA, was held behind closed doors. Libyan-led dialogue' "We trust that the latest initiative by Morocco will have a positive impact on the United Nations facilitation of the Libyan owned and Libyan-led political dialogue", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman said Monday. Libya has endured almost a decade of violent chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi. The crisis worsened last year when military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who backs the Tobruk parliament and is supported by Egypt, the UAE and Russia, launched an offensive to seize Tripoli from the GNA. Haftar was beaten back earlier this year by Turkish-backed GNA forces and fighting has now stalled around the Mediterranean city of Sirte, the gateway to Libya's eastern oil fields and export terminals. On August 22, the rival administrations announced separately that they would cease all hostilities and hold nationwide elections, moves welcomed by the international community. Photo taken on Sept 2, 2020 shows the outdoor exhibition area of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua] China plans to build pioneering fintech hubs nationwide, focusing on the research and development of blockchain technology and digital currency to boost investment in financial infrastructure, according to officials and experts on Tuesday. They made the remarks at the 2020 China Financial Technology Forum, part of the ongoing 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing. According to a report issued at the forum, Beijing ranks top among eight cities around the world, thanks to its huge consumer market, advanced technology application and fast development of the fintech ecosystem. Other cities that China aims to develop as global fintech hubs are Shanghai, Shenzhen in Guangdong province, and Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, according to the report. Last year, the People's Bank of China, China's central bank, published a three-year fintech development plan, from 2019 to 2021. So far, some results have been achieved and major projects are proceeding as scheduled, said Li Wei, head of the science and technology department of the PBOC. Issuing the central bank digital currency was included in that blueprint, which also involves developing fintech services based on blockchain, big data, artificial intelligence and financial security technology. The three-year plan aims to promote China's fintech industry to an international leading level. So far, the basic technology framework of the digital currency designed by the central bank, has almost been completed, with sophisticated top-level design, and trials are ongoing in some application scenarios, said Ben Shenglin, co-head of the International Monetary Institute at Renmin University of China. The fast progress will give the PBOC a leading position among its global peers in officially launching a digital currency, Ben told China Daily on the sidelines of the forum. Zhou Gengqiang, deputy secretary-general of the China Banking Association, said that along with the research and promotion of the central bank digital currency, commercial banks should have more opportunities to provide usage scenarios, as well as data and client services, in order to bring more safe and convenient products to customers. Executives from multilateral development banks expressed their expectations about the central bank digital currency, which is undergoing tests. Anil Kishora, vice-president of the New Development Bank, a multilateral development bank set up by the BRICS nationsBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa-said that the PBOC is expected to be one of the leading central banks to issue a digital currency and attention should be paid to its impact on regulatory policy in the future. Joachim von Amsberg, vice-president for policy and strategy of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, said that the financing gap of digital infrastructure in Asia is predicted to reach $500 billion by 2030, which provides huge opportunities for the multilateral development bank to increase cross-border investment. Li, the PBOC official, said that regulations on fintech technology development will focus on protecting personal privacy, expanding fintech services to benefit more individuals, and streamlining regulations. "The third group of fintech regulation projects in Beijing are in the pipeline," Li said. Beijing became the first city in China to launch fintech regulation trials, or the so-called Regulatory Sandbox, a British regulatory model. Now 17 projects are undergoing tests, including blockchain-based credit services and supply chain financing. Nearly 150 international and domestic financial institutions are participating online and offline in the financial services thematic exhibition at the CIFTIS, including 43 foreign financial institutions from 18 countries and regions. Kill all you see, whether children or adults Two soldiers from Myanmar have publicly confessed to taking part in the executions and mass burials of civilians in 2017, in what United Nations officials say was a genocidal campaign against the countrys Rohingya Muslim minority. One of the men, Pvt. Myo Win Tun, said he was ordered by a commanding officer: Shoot all you see and all you hear. The soldiers video testimony, recorded by a rebel militia, is the first time that members of the Tatmadaw, as Myanmars military is known, have admitted to such crimes, which also included rape and the destruction of entire villages. The soldiers have been taken to The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is investigating the Tatmadaws actions against the Rohingya. Our reporters say that details in the soldiers testimonies align with satellite photos and accounts from witnesses and survivors, many of whom are now in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Myanmar has repeatedly denied any orchestrated campaign against the Rohingya. Step back: There can be, after hearing 100 stories about a village being burned to the ground, a kind of sameness to the stories that detracts from the horror, said Hannah Beech, The Timess Southeast Asia bureau chief. To now have the accounts of the people who did it, who were ordered to do it, I think it will make some people in the camps feel some kind of closure or justice. There are currently only ten countries on the green list, but Minister of State Niall Collins says he expects more to be added next week. His comments come after Ryanair said it would close its bases in Cork and Shannon airports for the winter if more countries are not added to the travel list. This would result in 130 staff being put on unpaid leave for six months. The Limerick TD also says Ryanair needs to consider the country's best interests. Living with Covid plan Mr Collins said: "What I would say to Ryanair is that they have to realise that the Government has to have the interests of the population and of the country and the economy first. No one business or person comes above that so the Government will publish a medium term 'living with Covid' plan next Monday and all aspects of society and business will be mentioned and planned for." Advertisement Mr Collins was referring to the Government's six-nine month Covid-19 plan which is set to be announced on Monday, September 14th. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has described it as important as if not more important to my mind than the budget. When we first went out in March, we actually kept every school open, so we had a little over 600 sites open, Cooper said. We had those sites open all the way for spring break, and in order to make sure that families wouldnt have to come to the schools so often, we decided to do three days' worth of food in a day. Toronto-Dominion Bank is facing a class-action lawsuit over its refusal to pay travel insurance claims following trip cancellations triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lead plaintiff Kevin Lyons cancelled his familys flight to Italy along with their Mediterranean cruise in early March after the Canadian government advised against travel to the region, the proposed class action says. TD turned down a claim for $6,673 by Lyons, citing the travel credit available to him for the flights and cruise, according to the statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court. Lawyer Sivan Tumarkin, whose firm represents Lyons, says future credit does not amount to cash reimbursement and that TD must pay the Toronto residents claims under the terms of its own travel insurance policy. Nowhere does it say in the policy that if youre offered a credit or voucher that the insurance company is off the hook for reimbursing you that expense, he said. Many Canadians are experiencing similar frustrations with travel insurers, since vouchers make a poor replacement for refunds given the uncertainty around travel and health over the next couple years, Tumarkin said. Theyre just angry. One lady, she said, My elderly mother is not going to be able to travel. This was going to be the last trip. For her its principle. Its just not right, he said. How do we know that cruise line is going to be in business? Its so speculative now. These airlines, are they going to be in business? TD said it could not comment on the specifics of the case because it is before the courts. When a customer is provided with the option to receive 100 per cent credit and transfer their trip to a future date then they are not eligible for trip cancellation reimbursement, TD spokeswoman Elizabeth Goldenshtein said in an email. Our trip cancellation coverage is consistent with the industry-wide position on this coverage. Few individual claims against insurance companies have emerged since March due to the legal cost, Tumarkin said. But class-action claims, which have sprouted up in parts of the U.S., could mushroom north of the border as well. Canadian airlines have also faced class-action lawsuits over their refusal to refund most passengers for services that were never rendered during the pandemic. I understand where theyre coming from, whether I agree or not. But insurance companies have specifically insured against the risk of trip cancellation, Tumarkin said. The lawsuit against TD Bank and TD Home and Auto Insurance must be approved by a judge if it is to go ahead. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:TD) A dog owner has issued a heart breaking plea to other dog owners after her beloved pet was savagely attacked by an unleashed dog. Johanna Samson penned the heart felt Facebook post that has since been shared more than 6,500 times, asking dog owners to keep their dogs on a leash in public, regardless of how well-behaved they think their dogs are. To all the offleashers, why do you walk your dog without a leash? No, I get it your dog is amazing and well trained. Maybe you and your dog have been through extensive training and your dog knows a slew of verbal commands. Or maybe your dog is a service dog or a therapy dog that visits sick kids in the hospital. I get it, you have a good dog, Ms Samson wrote. Pet owners were left heartbroken when their pooch was attacked by a strange unleashed dog. Source: Facebook/Johanna Samson The nurse from Michigan said when she is walking her dog, the last thing she should have to be concerned about is how a strange unleashed dog will react to hers. The truth is, I dont care about your dog in that moment. When my fiance is running with our dog leashed and your dog is unleashed, my concern is for my loved one and our dog, not you or your unleashed dog, she explained. Ms Samson who also rides horses explained that she knows animals can act spontaneously and she is always prepared. When Im working with my horse, I dont think shes going to purposely spook, but Im prepared my whole ride for that one time she does take off with me on her. Its simple, animals are wired to react instinctively, she wrote. Johanna Samson (pictured) believes all pets should be on a leash in public. Source: Johanna Samson The animal lover shared a photo of her pet dog, looking miserable in a cone after being approached by a strange dog off the leash while out on a walk. You said your dog was okay to approach, but before my fiance knew it, your dog had latched on to our dogs head. You stood there and did nothing. My fiance had to fall to the ground and basically suffocate your dog to get her to let go of our dog. If it had been me running with our dog instead, she would be dead, Ms Samson shared. Story continues After taking their pooch to the vets, she received stitches to put the dogs ear back together and close the large gash on the side of her head. Now she has stitches, has to wear a cone for two weeks, and whimpers in pain, Ms Samson continued. The dog owners are also concerned their pet may suffer from PTSD from the attack and begin to fear other dogs. I hope and pray that our dog doesnt live with these residual effects the rest of her life, she added. The passionate plea ended with a caution to dog owners who walk their dog off leash in public areas. Next time you want to walk with your dog off leash in a public rec area, think twice. You almost took our dog from us too soon. I dont know how to make you care about other people and their animals, but please let this be a lesson to you. LEASH UP YOUR DOG. 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. By Trend According to international law and conventions, it is illegal for business entities to do any kind of business investment in the occupied territories, Chairman of Azerbaijani-American Youth Association Vugar Ahmadov told Trend. "None of the countries can provide a guarantee for the security and continued prosperity of these companies. Additionally, it will undermine the credibility of any company that operates in occupied territories. Even though Armenia has occupied Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno Karabakh since 1993 year and continues to so to this day, some foreign companies continue investing in the occupied Nagorno Karabakh region," he said. "One of these foreign companies is the Franck Muller Group. This company is world-famous for its grand complications and luxury watches as well as being in business in partnership with Pierre Coffey. Franck Muller watches are worn by celebrities like Demi Moore and Elton John. CEO of this company is Vartan Sirmakes who is of Armenian descent, who is the one most active investor in Armenia as well as in the occupied Nagorno Karabakh region, controlled by the Armenian separatist regime," Ahmadov said. "Sirmakes promised to implement the various development programs for both Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh which will lead to the creation of new jobs and ensuring economic activity. In October 2014, Gold Star CJSC started the exploitation of the gold mine (referred to by Armenia as Tundurget) near Vejnali village in the occupied Zangilan district of Azerbaijan," Ahmadov noted. "There is another fact about the investment projects of this company in occupied Azerbaijani territories which are against all international norms and conventions. In November 2015, the Narimanov district court of Baku has ruled to demand the custody of Vartan Sirmakes, who is a citizen of Switzerland. Azerbaijan applied to Interpol for Sirmakes arrest," Ahmadov said. "Azerbaijani government pleaded several times with the international community, foreign companies, and citizens of foreign countries from refraining of making visits to Nagorno Karabakh, the occupied Azerbaijani territories," he said, adding that those foreign citizens who have violated these rules have faced with appropriate legal actions within the international frameworks. "We as the civil society of Azerbaijan would like once more to appeal to international foreign companies and citizens to be careful and refrain from any activities in occupied Nagorno Karabakh region because it will undermine the credibility of these companies and may lead to legal actions against them. As long as the Armenian-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict has not been resolved, any business activities, foreign investments in this region may be considered under the threat. As the civil society we protest any kind of similar activity in the occupied Azerbaijani territories," he said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz " " People wait in line to hand in their ballots to election officials after voting at a YMCA in Chinatown during the Massachusetts State Primary on Sept. 1, 2020 in Boston. Political polling tries to determine how people will vote in an election. JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images The news cycle is jam-packed with polls. Flip on the nightly broadcasts or browse online news articles and you'll be bombarded by the latest "statistics" about the percentage of Americans who believe in God; the breakdown of dog-lovers versus cat-lovers; and how many people between the ages of 65 and 85 own a Nintendo Switch. When it's an election year, poll numbers are headlines in themselves: "Clinton Leads Trump Among College-Educated Voters;" "Republicans More Likely to Vote Than Democrats;" and even the occasional "Dewey Defeats Truman!" Sure, polls make great headlines, but how accurate are they? How much faith should we put in polls, particularly political polls that attempt to predict the outcome of an election? Who conducts these polls, and how do they decide whom to ask? Is it possible to achieve a representative sample of voters from randomly pulling numbers out of the phone book? Advertisement Political polling is a type of public opinion polling. When done right, public opinion polling is an accurate social science with strict rules about sample size, random selection of participants and margins of error. However, even the best public opinion poll is only a snapshot of public opinion at the particular moment in time, not an eternal truth [source: Zukin]. If you poll public opinion on nuclear energy right after a nuclear disaster, it's going to be much lower than the day before the disaster. The same is true for political polls. Voter opinion shifts dramatically from week to week, even day to day, as candidates battle it out on the campaign field. Political polling wasn't always so scientific. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, journalists would conduct informal straw polls of average citizens to gauge public opinion on politicians and upcoming elections [source: Crossen]. A newspaperman traveling on a train might ask the same question to everyone sitting in his car, tally the results and publish them as fact in the next day's paper. In the 1930s, the popular magazine "Literary Digest" conducted public opinion polls of its large subscribership by mail and phone, believing that a large sample size would automatically generate infallible results. The magazine failed to notice that its readership was wealthier and more likely to be Republican than the average U.S. voter, leading the magazine to erroneously predict a landslide victory for Alf Landon over Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 [source: Crossen]. Today, the top political polling organizations employ mathematical methods and computer analysis to collect responses from the best representative sample of the American voting public. But there's still plenty of "art" in the science of political polling. Even random responses must be adjusted and sifted to identify subtle trends in voter opinion that can help predict the eventual winner on Election Day. Let's start our examination of political polling with the most important indicator of accuracy: a representative sample. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 01:36:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Hussein Ali (L) talks with other migrant workers in Tripoli, Libya, Sept. 8, 2020. (Photo by Mohamed Arhoma/Xinhua) TRIPOLI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Hussein Ali, who came to Libya from Niger three years ago, didn't expect that the strict measures against the COVID-19 pandemic cost him the only source of income. Ali used to work for an average of 10 to 15 U.S. dollars per day in the capital Tripoli. "But now, I am unemployed because of the pandemic that suddenly stopped many businesses. There's nothing I can do," Ali told Xinhua. "Currently, I work to do services to homeowners. But my monthly income has decreased significantly over the past five months. Sometimes, I can't even make money for food," Ali said. "Besides the frightening rise of the foreign exchange rate of the U.S. dollar (against the Libya dinar) in the black market, I was unable to transfer money for my family for three months. The coronavirus stopped everything in Libya. There's nothing we can do but wait. Maybe things will change for the better in the future," he added. Khadija Mahmoud, a migrant from Sudan, is also affected by the COVID-19. "I used to work four days a week in a private company in Tripoli, where I did cleaning and cooking work. Currently, the company is closed and I have not received my salaries for four months," Mahmoud told Xinhua. "Every day, I receive promises from the company's officials that the company will reopen soon. But so far, nothing is clear," she said. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that more than 60 percent of migrant workers in Libya have lost their work during the past few months because of the precautionary measures against COVID-19. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 500,000 illegal migrants in Libya who depend on daily labor for income have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Libyan National Center for Disease Control said that the total number of COVID-19 cases in Libya has so far reached 20,462, including 2,329 recoveries and 324 deaths. A series of precautionary measures against COVID-19 have been taken by the Libyan authorities since the first case was announced in March, which include closing the country's borders, shutting down schools and mosques, banning public gatherings and imposing a curfew. Enditem By PTI NEW DELHI: The Punjab and Haryana governments have submitted to a Supreme Court-mandated panel their action plan to check stubble burning -- a major contributor to extreme levels of air pollution that choke the national capital in winters. The states have proposed setting up more custom hiring centres (CHCs) to give farm machinery on rental basis to farmers who cannot afford to purchase the high-end equipment for crop residue management and supplying more balers -- a machine used to compress stubble into compact bales. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, stubble burning contributed significantly to air pollution in Delhi last year with the share of farm fire smoke in particulate matter peaking to 44 per cent in November. The Punjab government has told the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) that it has been utilising crop residue through biomass-based power plants and various bio-CNG projects are under process. The state has now proposed to set up a 25-megawatt solar-biomass project. "As the existing high price of electricity from biomass plants is unattractive for power utilities and distribution companies, a scheme for combining solar with biomass has been proposed. It will reduce the price of electricity generated," it told the EPCA. Punjab has already set up 7,378 CHCs. The state will establish 5,200 more CHCs this year to accomplish the target of having one CHC in each village. The administration will provide 220 balers this year, according to the EPCA. Farmers sell bales to nearby factories, mainly biomass plants, at around Rs 120 per quintal. The state has also launched a mobile application to help farmers rent machinery to manage crop residue. Last year, Punjab produced around 20 million tonnes paddy residue. Farmers burnt 9.8 million tonnes of it. These figures will be used as a benchmark for the state's performance this year. The Haryana government told EPCA that a committee has been set up to look into the progress of bio-CNG and bio-ethanol projects and biomass plants to manage crop residue. The state has set up 2,879 CHCs and 2,000 more will be established by October. As many as 791 balers will be supplied by the time harvesting starts. A mobile application is being promoted for providing machinery on rent to farmers. The state has already launched "Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana", a scheme for promoting cultivation of vegetables. Around 1,09,000 hectares of land has already been diverted from paddy to other crops such as maize, millet and cotton. Last year, Haryana produced 7 million tonnes of paddy residue, of which farmers burnt 1.23 million tonnes. The period between October 15 and November 15 is considered critical as a maximum number of stubble burning incidents takes place in this span in Punjab and adjoining states and is one of the main reasons for the alarming spike in pollution in Delhi-NCR. Despite a ban on stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, farmers continue to defy it because of lack of financial incentives. State governments are providing 50 to 80 per cent subsidy to farmers and cooperative societies to buy modern farm equipment for in-situ management of paddy straw and running a massive awareness campaign against stubble burning. Hyderabad, Sep 9 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday said his government was ensuring that Telangana, as the home state, gets priority in supply of Covid-19 vaccine as and when it is manufactured by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech. He told the state Assembly that the government will talk to the company and will ensure that Telangana gets priority. "We will talk to Bharat Biotech. Definitely, it's a home state and if vaccines are made here, we will get first priority. There should be no doubt. We are ensuring this," he said. The Chief Minister gave the assurance when All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi raised the issue during a discussion on the Covid situation in the state. Stating that Phase-2 clinical trials of Bharat Biotech's vaccine have started, Owaisi said Telangana should have some share if the vaccine is produced here. "The work is being done here. Telangana should have some share," he said. Owaisi lauded the research being done by Bharat Biotech and said the company placed Hyderabad on the world health map. India's first indigenous coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, has successfully completed Phase-1 trials and the Centre has given its approval for Phase-2 trials. The vaccine is likely to be launched in early 2021. Bharat Biotech had announced on June 29 that it successfully developed Covaxin in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). The SARS-CoV-2 strain was isolated in NIV, Pune and transferred to Bharat Biotech. The indigenous, inactivated vaccineAcandidate has been developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's high containment facility located in Genome Valley, Hyderabad. Delta Air Lines, which has been offering daily flights from Worcester Regional Airport to Detriot since last year, has reported to Massport that it will be suspending operations in Worcester next month, officials said. Massport did not have an exact date for the last Delta flight in Worcester. This move is not unexpected, as every major airline has had to make tough decisions at a time when demand for flying and travel is so low. We continue to have conversations with our airline partners and look forward to commercial service returning to Worcester in the near future, a Massport spokeswoman said in a statement. In 2019, Delta started offering the trips to Detroit, becoming the airports third airline offering daily flights in recent years. Before Massport purchased the airport in 2010, it was eyed for closure. JetBlue and American Airlines also fly out of Worcester, however, both airlines were granted exemptions to suspend flights in June amid the coronavirus pandemic. Massport did not have an update as to JetBlue or American operations in Worcester on Wednesday. Earlier Wednesday, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Massport launched a survey to gather information about regional travel through the airport. The information collected in the Air Service Survey will be used to help Massport recruit more flights and airlines to Worcester, Chamber President Tim Murray said in an email to chamber members Wednesday. Prior to COVID-19, the positive economic impact of the growth at Worcester Regional Airport was significant for Worcester and the region, Murray wrote in the email. The survey can be found on the chambers website. Worcester Regional Airport has received millions of dollars in aid and grant money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act during the pandemic. Related Content: Where should Worcester Regional Airport fly to next? Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Massport release survey to reestablish momentum for airport Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers and THPs Criminal Investigation Division on Sunday located two stolen commercial box trailers loaded with approximately $450,000 worth of Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) that were originally bound for hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana.THP Sergeant Bobby Bullington located a stolen commercial box trailer belonging to Conley Trucking Company out of South Carolina at a Pilot Travel Center off I-81 in Jefferson County. Sergeant Bullington also located the driver, Antonio Eaddy, from North Carolina.The investigation revealed the vehicle identification number plate had been removed from the trailer. A secondary VIN was found which confirmed that the trailer was listed in the National Crime Information Center as stolen.THP Criminal Investigation Division Trooper Michael Hall responded to the scene. During his investigation, the cargo was identified belonging to Federal Emergency Management Agency. Troopers contacted FEMA and were informed the cargo contained 30,780 pre-packaged individual Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) bound for hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana. The load was valued over $200,000.After further investigation, a second stolen commercial box trailer was located at a Pilot Travel Center off I-40 in Cumberland County. THP-CID Trooper Billy Collins and THP-CID Sergeant Jonathan Scott confirmed the commercial box trailer was stolen from Florence County, SC. The driver of this vehicle has not yet been located.Eaddy was arrested without incident and charged with class A felony theft over $250,000, driving on a suspended license and criminal impersonation.Investigators notified all parties of their respective property having been recovered. With wildfires burning across significant swaths of western Oregon, residents who arent in the immediate path of the flames have been impacted by a less pressing but still concerning problem: Wildfire smoke. On Wednesday, some of the more than 50 air quality monitoring stations scattered across the state show Woodburn, Corvallis, Eugene, Roseburg and Lincoln City blanketed with levels of smoke dangerous to everyone -- young and old, healthy or not. Oregons emergency responders are well aware the skies are amber, orange or even red in some areas. Dont call 911 to report smoke, theres smoke everywhere and our 911 system is being inundated with smoke calls, said Andrew Phelps, director of Oregons Office of Emergency Management, on Wednesday. The Portland area so far has largely been spared the air quality problems plaguing some other parts of the state. With the exception of Monday, when particulate levels reached 'unhealthy" levels for everyone, Portland has measured mostly good or moderate levels of smoke this week. Some areas of the city, however, have registered air quality thats unhealthy to sensitive groups, which includes people with asthma or heart and lung disease. Type in your city or ZIP code at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys air quality website, airnow.gov, to check the latest particulate levels where you live. Or view interactive maps at the states web page, oregonsmoke.blogspot.com, or the EPAs web page, fire.airnow.gov. Air particulate levels of zero to 50 is considered good, 50 to 100 moderate, 101 to 150 unhealthy for some groups, 151 to 200 unhealthy for everyone and 200 to 300 very unhealthy. Particulate levels in the hardest hit parts of the state were off the scale -- measuring more than 500. Tiny smoke particles can embed themselves in the lungs, enter the bloodstream and affect the heart, according to the EPA. Larger particles can cause eye, nose and throat irritation. The Washington State Department of Health says wildfire smoke can weaken immune systems and possibly increase a persons susceptibility to COVID-19. Smoke also can make matters worse for those already battling the novel coronavirus, as they struggle to breathe. One study found that people who live in areas with heavy air pollution are more likely to die from the disease. As areas around the state are currently inundated with putrid air, people who must venture outside are looking for ways to protect themselves from breathing in the particulate-filled air. State environmental authorities are urging people with chronic illnesses, such as heart and lung disease, to stay in their homes and avoid prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke. They also recommend that small children and the elderly limit their exposure. Here are some of the recommendations from the Oregon Health Authority: If possible, stay inside, close windows or use air conditioners (if you have them) with the intake closed. Also, run a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA), or an electro-static precipitator (ESP). If you do not have air conditioning and it is too hot to stay indoors with the windows closed, find a clean-air space in your community, such as a library, shopping mall or community center. If poor air quality continues overnight, you may need to book a hotel room, or stay with a friend who has air conditioning. Dont use anything that burns, like candles or gas stoves. And dont smoke cigarettes indoors, which contributes to the already poor air quality. Refrain from vacuuming or doing other activities that stir up dust. The American Lung Association recommends placing damp towels under doors or in other crevices where polluted air might leak in. Do not rely on masks for protection. Most non-medical grade masks wont protect lungs from the fine particulates of wildfire smoke. Bandanas are equally ineffective. Although respirators, like those labeled NIOSH and the rating of N95 or N100, can protect against smoke, they must be properly fitted by a trained professional, and are in scarce supply due to the coronavirus pandemic. Officials also have urged that these masks be reserved for medical and other frontline workers. Ultimately, the agency recommends limiting exposure to smoky air as much as possible. For more information about effective masks, see the Respirator Fact Sheet provided by CDCs National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Avoid outdoor activities, especially exercise, when air quality is unhealthy and hazardous. Asthma sufferers or those with other respiratory problems should follow their breathing management plans or talk to their doctors. Have an adequate supply of medication on hand (OHA recommends a five-day supply). If you spend time in a vehicle, turn the air conditioning on recirculate. -- Grant Butler; gbutler@oregonian.com; 503-221-8566; @grantbutler -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee Criminals follow money, and the impacts of the COVID pandemic led them straight to unemployment insurance (UI) programs. Coming off historically low unemployment rates and staffing, UI agencies were hit with a double whammy of a massive explosion in claims and changes to the system by the CARES Act. How did they respond? By shoveling money out the door with both hands. What was the result? Billions -- most likely, tens of billions -- of dollars, in fraud went to organized criminal networks. Ive testified in states across the country and at the federal level about the scourge of UI fraud. Most recently I was in Pennsylvania, where the states Department of Labor and Industry was overwhelmed by claims and, despite herculean efforts, is receiving thousands of calls per day from citizens in need. Lawmakers were concerned about threats to its Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program -- and they are right to be concerned: UI fraud is rampant. Some examples are stark. My home state of Washington was hit badly by Scattered Canary, a fraud operation conducted by a ring out of Nigeria. Losses quickly grew from $1 million to $300 million to $576 million. At the peak, the state admitted over 56% of all money going out the door was lost to fraud. The same ring hit numerous states, including Massachusetts, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Florida. Florida hackers who hijacked computers using malware tried to file $500 million in claims in Maryland. A state contractor hired to process claims for Michigans UI agency stole $2 million. But thats the tip of the iceberg. The Identity Theft Resource Center has seen 28 times the number of UI fraud cases reported year-to-date in 2020, compared to 2019. The Secret Service reports that UI fraud is now the bulk of its work. Overreaction hurts people in need In response to the waves of fraud, states clamped down in the most manual way possible. Agency employees, contractors and in some cases the National Guard were called up to manually process documents. State after state saw backlogs in claims -- tens of thousands in some cases, and more than 1 million in California. Real people with legitimate claims havent received a single UI payment after waiting for two or three months. Or they received assistance for just one or two weeks, then were shut down and caught in an administrative nightmare. For those whose identities were stolen to file claims, it could be even worse as they fight that damaging impact and try to reclaim payments made to criminals. Legislatures all over the country are making inquiries to find out exactly what happened, and how to set matters straight. The balancing act Its time to think differently. Lets stop funding identity thieves and bring together multiple datasets within each state to help validate identities and ensure that claims are paid to real Americans who are hurting. One of the best approaches that could be quickly implemented is to run all the existing claims through analytics software to not only detect fraud and stop future payments, but see who looks like a real person and approve payment immediately. What does that look like in the data? Here are a couple of examples taken from real-world experience: One person laid off from a restaurant in Massachusetts might bank at a small out-of-state bank in Indiana. But if 20 people from that restaurant are all at that same small bank, its a huge warning light for identity theft. An independent hairdresser shut down during the pandemic can file for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The UI agency doesnt have much information on that person, as they were exempt from previous withholding. But they will have a business license from the state, a cosmetology license and state tax filings. If none of those exist, its identity theft. Even for citizens with legitimate needs, payment speed is inhibited by fears that people will get money they dont deserve. The risks of overpayments of a few hundred dollars that can be collected once people go back to work is small compared to an explosion of fraud. UI agencies need people to staff the inundated phone lines and to process payments. However, analytics technology can be used as a force multiplier, poring through thousands of claims filed across many different accounts, providing a thorough view of risk, reducing fraud and adding speed and confidence to the payment process. Its time to stop rewarding criminals. Its time to help Americans in need. Lets get off the seesaw. NEW MILFORD - A steady stream of cars dropped off students at all five of the town's public schools Tuesday morning for the first day of classes. "We're thrilled to be back," New Milford High School Principal Greg Shugrue said as he helped direct traffic near the front door of the school. "It's been a long time." The district closed its doors this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic. Students worked remotely for the remainder of the school year. Schools opened this week under the hybrid model, with half of the student population attending school in person on Monday and Tuesday and the other half on Thursday and Friday. Everyone will use remote learning Wednesday. "We've done a lot of work to prepare for this day," Shugrue said. "And it's great to see the kids walking into the building." Large partitions with clear screens separating students in small groups were set atop each of the cafeteria tables at the schools, allowing students to see one another and talk. Signs with reminders about maintaining social distance and keeping masks on were posted outside on school sidewalks and inside the entries of the schools as seen from the front doors. Painted stars, buses and other symbols lined the sidewalks of the elementary schools, guiding students into the doors and indicating a safe social distance. A bottle of hand sanitizer sat on a stool near at least one entrance of Northville Elementary School, and hand sanitizer was available at various locations at each school. Staff and students were masked, and some staff wore gloves. Jennifer Meyers, assistant principal at Sarah Noble Intermediate School, praised the teachers for their creativity in decorating their classrooms. In a typical year, classrooms have fun and colorful decorations. But this year, teachers took it to another level to "make it feel even more warm and cozy based on the guidelines," Meyers said. Interim Superintendent Paul Smotas joined New Milford Police Chief Spencer Cerruto to greet families outside Northville. "Things went smoothly," Smotas said after monitoring the student drop-off area, where parents stepped out of their vehicles and helped their children adjust their masks and put on their backpacks. Police were stationed on Hipp Road between Schaghticoke Middle School and Northville to oversee the traffic flow for the start of school at each building. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Alisha DiCorpo joined administrators and teachers welcoming students back at NMHS and Hill and Plain School. "The children appeared happy to be back at school and were wearing their masks as they exited the buses," she said. "As I entered the high school classrooms, the teachers were balancing the students who were working remotely with those students who were in class," she related. "As this certainly requires careful preparation and thought, our teachers and students were ready to begin and were doing a nice job trying to teach/learn in either setting." Meyers described the students as "off to a great start, keeping 6 feet apart and following the rules" in place. "There are a lot less kids, but they're having a great time," she said, noting she was watching the third-graders play at recess around noon. The district has 3,778 students enrolled as of Sept. 1. The number of students enrolled in hybrid and remote learning were unavailable Tuesday morning, according to Smotas, who described them as "fluid." He said the exact numbers won't be available for a few days, or even weeks. Smotas said as of last Friday, many parents hadn't yet decided what method their children would take for the academic year. "People wanted to wait to see how things went," he said. "And so many variables go into a parent's decision." About 12 teachers did not return to the classroom for the start of the year. Some of them are out under the Family Medical Leave Act. "It's been a long six months and the kids deserve and need to be back in school," Smotas said. "It's so nice to have the faculty and children back," DiCorpo said. "I'm looking forward to seeing cohort B students in person later this week." Its a dangerous time to be a journalist in Canada. The arrest and charging of Oneida reporter Karl Dockstader last week hit home for many of us. Its a shocking violation of the rights of journalists and for everyone who believes in the values of a democratic society. Dockstader was covering the contentious story of the 1492 Land Back Lane Haudenosaunee occupation regarding a housing development near Caledonia, Ont. Dockstader travelled to Caledonia from his home in Niagara Falls to cover the story for a radio show he co-hosts, One Dish One Mic on News Talk 610 CKTB. Hes also the current recipient of the Canadian Journalism Foundation and CBC Indigenous Fellowship. After a week of camping out, immersing himself in the lives of the land defenders, earning their trust and bearing witness to their side of the battle, he went back home. Two days later he was charged with mischief and failing to comply with an order. The OPP knew he was a journalist on assignment, but they charged him anyway. Alarm bells sounded in journalism circles across the nation. The Canadian Association of Journalists president Brent Jolly condemned the arrest. The OPP are well aware that journalists have an established constitutional right to be present and cover matters of public interest, he said. Attempting to prevent a properly credentialed journalist from documenting a moment of contentious action is impermissible in a country like Canada. Journalism should never be silenced. Ryerson University Fellow and Yellowhead Institute Haudenosaunee researcher Courtney Skye was also arrested. Indigenous voices have been stifled in the media and Canadian society for generations. Its only been in the last decade or two that our stories have gained any substantive traction with the mainstream. Our people are most often portrayed inaccurately in the media via way of stereotypical nuances and negativity that perpetuates the racism that runs rampant in this country. These portrayals aid in the oppression against Indigenous communities that already deal with appalling statistics and human rights violations. Sept. 4 marked the 25th anniversary of the Ipperwash tragedy in southern Ontario. Dudley George, an Ojibwa land defender was shot to death by an OPP sniper while occupying land promised by the federal government to the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation. There were no journalists present when George was killed. But have we learned from the past? Does society understand the importance and implications of covering these kinds of conflicts? Not only to inform and educate the public, but so that it doesnt happen again. These days a clear pattern of journalists targeted on the job by police is emerging all were reporting on Indigenous conflicts with the state. In 2016, award-winning journalist Justin Brake was arrested and charged with criminal and civil contempt of a court injunction and criminal mischief while covering a protest at a hydroelectric project in Muskrat Falls, Labrador. After four years of battling through the courts all charges against Brake have been dismissed. In February, demonstrations erupted across Canada in support of Wetsuweten land defenders opposing the Coastal Gas Link LNG pipeline in their traditional territories. RCMP and armed military forces raided checkpoints and a healing centre there, arresting and jailing land defenders. My colleagues were on scene and threatened by police. Jerome Turner, award-winning Gixstan journalist had shotguns pointed in his face and a sniper gun aimed at him; award-winning photojournalist Amber Bracken was pushed back and warned by police not to get in the way; award-winning photojournalist Jesse Winte was detained by police; and American documentary filmmaker Melissa Cox was arrested documenting the conflict nearby on unceded Gitxsan territory. In August, Danish journalist Kristian Lindhardt was denied entry into Canada. He was reporting on Indigenous resistance to the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and had been in Canada filming for the Danish public broadcaster before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The world is experiencing chaotic times but we cannot allow the freedoms of the press to be threatened, anytime. That opens the door to tyranny, further injustice and the trampling of all our rights. In a democracy, journalists have to be supported on the front lines of documenting history and truth-telling in the public interest and for power and politics to be held to account. To police forces everywhere, stop trying to muzzle us. While remote learning has been challenging for many students and their families, teachers are also experiencing stress and anxiety, Monash University's Emily Berger said. "The increased workload is made worse when educators have their own children at home engaging in remote learning," Dr Berger said. Academic Penny Van Bergen surveyed 210 primary and secondary teachers during the April lockdown and found many were really challenged by combining teaching and parenting at home. "There's a lot of scheduling, a lot of brain capacity to think about interacting with your own class while having your own child next to you with headphones on," said Dr Van Bergen, who is associate professor of educational psychology at Macquarie University. Loading "Everybody thinks about teachers as being there for their students and I think they really have tried to be and have thought about ways they can do that, but often they have those dual roles," she said. "The important thing is for teachers to be looking after themselves and to be reaching out for help because it is such a tough role at the moment." Ms Straford said while her family would much rather be back at school, especially after such a long stint at home, there were advantages to lockdown 2.0. "Some of the positives out of this are being at home with the kids and the school day finishes and no one has got anything on, so there's time in the day," she said. "With four kids, there was a fair bit of after school activity going on around here. It hasn't happened this year and I'm a bit scared about [returning to the packed schedule] next year." Ms Straford said the lockdown had extended her professional creativity and "shone a light on the absolute strength of the school community and the parent community, the kindnesses that have come through." "Fundamentally, teachers do this job because we love working with students and, so, they have been our greatest motivators," she said. "Yeah, it has been difficult ... [but] I'm doing my best and I know as a parent that my kids' teachers are doing an absolutely amazing job." Thousands of refugees and migrants fled the flames that tore through a camp under a coronavirus lockdown, on Greeces island of Lesbos. The fire broke out at the overcrowded Moira camp just after midnight Tuesday, fire brigade officials said. By early Wednesday morning, most of Moria had been reduced to a smouldering, mangled mass of burned shelters, with a few people searching the debris for their possessions. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities, while the cause of the blaze which burned the tents and containers refugees had been living in was not immediately clear. Moria was probably totally destroyed, Migration Ministry official Manos Logothetis told the state-run Athens News Agency. Initial reports suggested fires broke out at different locations in the sprawling camp after authorities tried to isolate a number of individuals who tested positive for COVID-19. The fire is still raging, the camp has been evacuated. All these people are on the national road towards Mytilini. There are police out who are not letting them through. These people are sleeping left and right in the fields, Panagiotis Deligiannis, a witness from Moria, told Reuters news agency. At least 25 firefighters on 10 engines, aided by police, battled the flames both inside and outside the facility, the fire brigade said, adding that the firefighters had been pushed back by camp residents during their efforts. People were seen leaving the camp, carrying their belongings. The situation was out of control, policeman Argyris Syvris told Open TV, adding that police had been forced to release about 200 people held in a separate quarter of the camp who were to be repatriated to their countries. The Moria facility, which hosts some 13,000 people more than four times its stated capacity has been frequently criticised by aid groups for poor living conditions. It was placed under quarantine last week after authorities confirmed that an asylum seeker had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Confirmed infections have risen to 35 since then. Lesbos, which lies just off the Turkish coast, was on the front line of a massive movement of refugees and migrants to Europe in 2015 and 2016. Due to the pandemic, since March 1, all arrivals to the island have been quarantined away from the camps. In the Moria camp, aid groups have warned that physical distancing and basic hygiene measures are impossible to implement due to the living conditions. By Josie Heisig Now, more than ever, theres something so appealing about wide-open spaces, peaceful pastures, and meadows bursting with colourful wildflowers. That trifecta lends itself well to finding freedom and adventure, with a touch of cowboy flavour. For a powerful connection to nature and the wild, guest ranches in BC offer plenty of room to roam, and beautiful animals to explore the varied terrain with. At the heart of BCs cowboy culture are the Cariboo and Chilcotinhome to over half of the provinces guest ranches. Sundance Guest Ranch, four hours from Vancouver, boasts a commanding view of the Thompson River Valley, a herd of over 100 horses, and thousands of acres to traverse. Meals here are legendary, and are included with your stay (the adults-only BYOB lounge is also a favourite part of the vacation experience). The ranch has implemented measures to protect staff and guests, including asking guests to bring snacks, supplies, and alcohol from their home communities instead of stopping in the town of Ashcroft. Closer to Clinton (two hours from Kamloops, 5.5 hours from Vancouver), Big Bar Ranch is a historic homestead enveloped by lush grasslands. Take in panoramic views of the Fraser River canyon on guided horseback rides, or cast a line in a private lake. Meal packages are also available if you need a break from all that home cooking youve been doing lately. This rustic, family-friendly retreat also welcomes pets, so bring your furry friends. A bit farther north, cabin life is calling at Spring Lake Ranch near 100 Mile House. This summer, the ranch will allow a maximum of 30 guests at a time, spread out over seven cabins, making it a great option for small groups. When youre ready for a break from the saddle, grab a book and enjoy a lazy afternoon on the dock, hop on a wagon ride, or explore the 3.2-kilometre lake by canoe, pedal boat, or rowboat, then return to make meals in the comfort of your cabin. Located on Highway 24 (a.k.a. The Fishing Highway) near Bridge Lake, Free Rein Guest Ranch (opening June 21) has that intimate, all-inclusive experience dialed in. With a maximum of 12 guests, theres tons of room to spread out and explore the rolling hills, hidden lakes, and secret meadows of the Cariboo countryside. As night falls, gather around the campfire to tell tall tales, roast marshmallows, and marvel at the sunset as it reflects off the water. Sure, youre guaranteed to see horses and cattle in this part of the province, but dont be surprised to encounter other animalsfrom a safe distance, of course. Bring your love of nature and spirit of adventure to Chilcotin Holidays, near Lillooet, for a ranch-based wildlife viewing trip. Go for a guided horseback ride (or drive) through the rugged landscape of the South Chilcotin mountains where bears, wolves and bighorn sheep roam in the wild. Tours range from three days to seven days. Or, if youre feeling the need for extreme solitude, you and your family (or bubble) can rent out a wilderness camp to practice the ultimate in physical distancing. For an ultra-luxe holiday, consider Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort. Situated at the foot of the Cariboo Mountains, this family-owned, all-inclusive retreat is a 90-minute chartered float-plane ride from Vancouver. The owners keep the exact location on the down-low to protect their hidden oasisrumour has it the Google Maps listing is deliberately wrong. Guests can horseback ride for days in 10,000 acres of wilderness or indulge in activities such as fly-fishing, mountain biking, and canoeing. At the end of the day, sleep tight under the night skies at Siwashs Star Campcomplete with a wood-fired cedar soaker hot tubor watch the horses frolic from your balcony in a luxurious loft suite. Adventures in the saddle also await near Kamloops. Campbell Hills Guest Ranch welcomes guests on all-inclusive holidays orfor those seeking a shorter commitmentguided day trips. This classically-styled ranch is best-suited to family holidays or romantic getaways with its intimate lodge and cozy cabin offerings. When you need a break from the saddle, learn to lasso (and wow your friends when you get home!) or take advantage of a guided ATV tour. Insider tip: Consider the ranchs famed Themed Nights when youre packing for your trip. You just never know when youll need to kick up your cowboy boots for a night of karaoke or line dancingishing Flies| Blake Jorgenson Over in the southeastern corner of BC near Cranbrook, youll find the all-inclusive Three Bars Guest Ranch. Nestled between the Purcell Mountains and the Canadian Rockies, its home to more than 120 horses (making it a 2:1 horse to guest ratio). The massive log guest ranch is a show-stopper and the focal point of the ranch, with 23 newly-renovated, luxury log cabins arranged around it. No detail is spared hereeven the furniture is handmade. With 35,000 acres of wilderness to explore, theres plenty of terrain to cover by riding, hiking or mountain biking. This part of the province is also famous for fly-fishing, so, while youre there, drop a line in the St. Marys River which runs alongside 15 km of the ranch. Originally published on HelloBC.com A Vietjet aircraft that slid off the runway and into the grass field at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC, June 14, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/E.Cuong. Vietnam saw a significant decrease in the number of aviation accidents in January-August amid limited air travel due to Covid-19, but some serious cases underlined that safety remains a concern. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) said Tuesday that there were 36 incidents in the first eight months of this year, down 45 percent year-on-year. However, among these were two accidents deemed "serious" and six others carrying a high level threat to aviation safety, Giao Thong, the Transport Ministry's news website, reported. The administration said 17 of the incidents were caused by human error and 14 others were due to technical errors. One incident was caused by bad weather conditions and the remaining four are still under investigation. One of the two "serious incidents" was the explosion of a tire as a Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321 took off from HCMCs Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Phnom Penh in Cambodia in March. No passenger was injured. The other serious accident happened when a Vietjet Air aircraft carrying 217 passengers skidded off the runway and into a grassy bank upon landing in Tan Son Nhat from Phu Quoc Island last June. The airline blamed the incident on unfavorable weather conditions, but aviation authorities are still investigating it. Airports across Vietnam served 14.6 million passengers in the first six months this year, down 46 percent from the same period last year. The country has suspended international flights since late March, while several social distancing periods also limited domestic air travel. New Delhi: Businessmen and manufacturers in Mumbai and Pune have been hit hard by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move. 70 per cent of the businessmen in financial capital of Mumbai and the manufacturing hub of Pune along with nearby areas bore the blunt of currency ban on daily basis transactions, says a SBI research report. The report also found that construction sector and the informal roadside vendors have been impacted greatly. 55 per cent and 71 per cent respondents said that their business came down by over 50 per cent. The survey was conducted between December 30 and January 3. Sectors such as construction and the informal roadside vendors are the worst hit by note-ban, an report said on Tuesday. A total of 175 responses were recorded and analysed of which 40 per cent respondents were from premier business locations of Mumbai and the remaining 60 per cent were from Pune and nearby areas. Main finding of the report # 15 per cent of cash-based transactions adopted digital modes in the weeks following demonetisation. # Around Rs 25,000 crore worth of cash based transactions migrated to digital modes in the last 2 months. # While 69 per cent of the respondents said that they have been impacted. # 63 per cent of the sample still supported the demonetisation. # The respondents said the lack of supply of lower denomination notes resulted in more chaos. # The prevalence of digital mode of payments in chemist shops and even in automobile stores has possibly resulted in only marginal impact on their sales, says the survey. # Within the textile sector, shopkeepers dealing with retail segment have been more impacted than those in the wholesale segment. Moreover, the wedding season has been disappointing with sales dipping significantly.The gems and jewellery sector has also been hit with declining sales. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest Business News, Economy News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Release Brings Major Scalability & Performance Improvements to Digital Dollar Stablecoins for Global Consumer Payment Adoption SAN FRANCISCO and BOSTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Centre Consortium is excited to announce that Algorand is now an official blockchain for USD Coin (USDC). The newly released mainnet implementation of USDC for Algorand is available today, and becomes the second major blockchain after Ethererum with native support for USDC. The Algorand blockchain brings significant innovations to the market, specifically around transaction scale and speed, helping to expand the use cases for USDC across a broad range of payments and financial applications. As evidenced by the recent and very rapid growth and usage of stablecoins on public chains like Ethereum, there is a tremendous need for blockchain infrastructure that can scale to support significantly higher transaction throughput and lower fees on public Layer 1 blockchain infrastructure. Critically, Algorand brings over 1,000 tps and transaction fees of 1/20th of a cent to the USDC ecosystem, and soon to be released innovations from Algorand offer the potential of scaling throughput by 8-10x on Layer 1, accompanied by new secure smart contracts that complement standard tokens such as USDC. This expanding support for USDC on new blockchains comes as USDC has rapidly grown to over 1.8 billion in circulation, experiencing more than 3x growth in the past six months, and decisively becoming the world's leading compliant and regulated digital dollar stablecoin. Centre was formed with the vision of creating a global standard for fiat-based internet-native digital currency, allowing money to be exchanged instantly, globally and at a low cost over the open internet, in much the same way that content, messages and data flow over the internet today. Just as the standards and formats we use for content and data (HTTP) and communications (SMTP, SMS, VOIP) work across multiple platforms, devices and operating systems, Centre aims to ensure that its stablecoin standards, formats and protocols work across multiple major blockchain platforms. Earlier this year, Centre announced its Multichain USDC Framework , an effort to increase interoperability and provide a wide range of developers, projects and ecosystems with the power of USDC and future Centre stablecoins. The Centre Multichain USDC Framework establishes a rigorous set of criteria for the issuance and operation of USDC on new blockchains, while also supporting innovation and experimentation by third-party developers and blockchain platforms. Algorand is the first blockchain platform to achieve the highest level of certification as an official chain for USDC, and will be an excellent addition to the Centre multi-stakeholder ecosystem. Centre has also been encouraged by the broad and growing interest in using USDC within regulated financial institution settings, including by leading consumer fintech and payments companies, global banking and securities firms. Algorand brings a deep focus on the features and needs of regulated financial institutions, supporting these expanding use cases. "This is a defining milestone for frictionless mainstream payments as well as sophisticated financial applications," said Silvio Micali, Founder of Algorand, Inc. "This launch brings together the convenience of USDC and an advanced protocol for global financial exchange in which Layer-1 smart contracts are as simple and secure as ordinary payments." "Expanding USDC from Ethereum to additional blockchains like Algorand will ensure USDC has the flexibility to support everything from emerging DeFi projects to large-scale financial institutions. Today's launch represents a significant improvement to USDC's scalability, improving its utility and making it a significantly more useful protocol for solving real-world financial problems," said Alesia Haas, Chief Financial Officer at Coinbase. "We look forward to supporting USDC on Algorand for both our retail and institutional customers in the future." "Algorand has been at the forefront of innovation in scalable, secure blockchain infrastructure, and with the next major phase of growth with USDC demanding web-scale infrastructure for global consumer payments applications, we are excited to support the launch of USDC on Algorand," said Jeremy Allaire, Chairman and CEO of Circle. "Algorand's focus on providing capabilities that are geared towards regulated financial institutions is also important as digital dollar stablecoins such as USDC become a core market infrastructure in the financial services industry more broadly." Availability USDC for Algorand is available today on the Algorand Mainnet . Also, today, Centre member and USDC issuer Circle announced the general availability of support for Algorand within Circle's family of platform services and APIs , including Circle Payments, Wallets, Marketplaces and Business Account APIs. Developers leveraging Algorand for payments, commerce and financial applications now have access to powerful APIs for connecting to banks and cards, storing and managing digital currency wallets, and building custom financial applications. As part of this release, wallet developers and exchanges can take advantage of new Circle Wallet APIs that enable seamless cross-chain swaps of USDC-ERC20 (Ethereum) and USDC-ASA (Algorand), enabling applications that already support USDC on Ethereum to be able to send and receive USDC over Algorand, and vice versa. About the Algorand Foundation The Algorand Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that has a vision of a borderless, frictionless economy built on public, decentralized blockchain technology. The Foundation, in partnership with Algorand Inc, has built the Algorand blockchain protocol initially designed by cryptography pioneer and Turing award winner Silvio Micali and a team of leading scientists as the cornerstone of achieving this vision. The Foundation envisions a wide breadth of applications being built on this protocol by a new, wider community of mainstream developers. The Foundation is committed to facilitating this innovation in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner by utilizing the Proof of Stake consensus algorithm. For more information, visit https://algorand.foundation/ About Circle Circle is a global financial technology firm that enables businesses of all sizes to harness the power of stablecoins and public blockchains for payments, commerce and financial applications worldwide. Circle's platform has supported over 100 million transactions worth tens of billions of dollars, with nearly 10 million retail customers, over a thousand businesses, while storing and securing more than $5 billion in digital currency assets. Circle is also a principal developer of USD Coin (USDC), which together with Coinbase and the Centre Consortium oversees the standards and protocol for what has become the fastest growing, regulated, fully-reserved stablecoin. USDC now stands at a 1.8 billion market cap and is adding nearly 200 million net new digital dollars in circulation every week. Today, Circle's transactional services, business accounts, and platform APIs are giving rise to a new generation of financial services and commerce applications that hold the promise of raising global economic prosperity for all through programmable internet commerce. Learn more at https://circle.com About Coinbase Coinbase is the easiest and most trusted place to buy, sell, and manage cryptocurrencies, offering a suite of products for individual investors, active traders, businesses and institutions. Founded in June of 2012, Coinbase has built the world's leading compliant crypto company, serving 35 million accounts in more than 100 countries. Coinbase has raised more than $525M in funding from leading investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global Management, IVP, USV, DFJ and NYSE, and has grown to more than 1,000 employees. Headquartered in San Francisco, Coinbase also has offices in Portland, New York, London, Dublin, and Tokyo. SOURCE Centre Consortium Delhi reports highest-ever daily spike of 4,039 Covid-19 cases, tally tops 2 lakh India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 09: Despite a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, which reported the highest single-day spike till date with 4,039 fresh cases on Wednesday, the Delhi government has ruled out possibility of another lockdown, with Health Minister Satyendar Jain asserting that the economy 'cannot be kept shut for eternity' as livelihoods of millions depend on it. India records a biggest single day spike of over 95,000 cases, with 1,172 deaths | Oneindia News The minister also asserted that 'extreme caution and not panic' should be the response of the city, and people should exhibit greater alertness and responsibility in public places to deal with this health crisis. In the first nine days of the month, Delhi has registered 26,417 fresh coronavirus cases, as the city breached the two lakh-mark on Wednesday with over 4,638 deaths due to COVID-19 so far. Amidst an atmosphere of anxiety due to the massive surge in Delhi, especially after the coronavirus cases were steadily declining in August, Jain said, 'this is once in a century pandemic after the Spanish Flu of 1918. And, people will have to learn to live with COVID-19 as it is not going away so soon'.'Also, one can't keep everything (economy) shut for eternity, as the livelihoods of milions depend on it,' the Delhi health minister told PTI in an interview when asked if there could be another phase of lockdown in the city given the current scenario. National capital's highest single-day tally was recorded three days after Delhi Metro resumed services in a calibrated manner. Many feel that resumption of metro services may lead to further spike in the coronavirus infections. Asked if it was a right decision to open the metro amid spurt in cases, he said,'people will have to be more alert and exhibit greater responsibility in public. If you don't wear a mask, not just metro, you can contract the infection anywhere'. Asserting that 'there is no need to panic', Jain said,'like, I have said, we have to learn to live with COVID. Earlier, it was believed that the virus will die out in summers or it will taper off in the monsoon. It is still there. It seems it will continue for a fairly long time.' While the Delhi Metro was closed since March 22, a nationwide lockdown was imposed by the Centre from March 25, pushing people to stay indoors and halting commercial activities. The unlocking of economic activities in a phased manner has begun from June onwards. 'If lockdown was the solution, then no new cases would have emerged. New cases in the country have touched the 90,000-mark in a day, and the unlock process is still on. The lockdown has not ended yet,' Jain said. Many states extended or reinforced lockdown after cases increased drastically. The Punjab government recently said that all existing restrictions imposed to combat COVID-19, including weekend lockdown, will be in place in most of the municipal towns of the state till the end of September. Medical experts have already flagged multiple reasons that could have contributed to increasing caseload in the national capital in the past one week or so, including, reopening of economic activities and complacency among people in adhering to norms such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Agreeing with experts, Jain said,'however, authorities have penalised such violators and a good quantum of fine has been imposed on them in the last several days, which should serve as a deterrence to others, who are displaying laidback attitude towards the pandemic situation.' 'I want to repeat again. The number of new cases has been rising, also because we have increased the testing exponentially. People should not panic but be cautious,' he asserted. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had recently announced to double its scale to 40,000 tests per day. Asked if experts suggest reinforcing the lockdown, Jain said, 'we listen to experts only, and no expert has suggested that so far'. He, however, added that there are a few people who have started 'liking'' the lockdown, and these people don't have to worry about income. But the reality is that there is a large population which struggles to make ends meet, and one should think about them too'. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, September 9, 2020, 21:08 [IST] The five Rafale fighter jets are scheduled to be officially inducted into the Indian Air Force on Thursday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly, along with India's top military officials, will attend a ceremony at the Ambala airbase tomorrow. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, four years after signing a contract with the French government to procure 36 aircraft for Rs 59,000 crore. Here are key things to know about Rafale jets: So far, 10 aircraft have been delivered to India. Five of these stayed back in France for imparting training to the IAF pilots. The second batch of 4-5 aircraft is expected to arrive by November. The delivery of all 36 aircraft is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. Of the 36 Rafale jets, 30 are fighter jets and six will be twin-seater trainers. They are expected to have nearly all the features of the fighter jets. India has made such a high profile acquisition 23 years after the Sukhoi jets deal with Russia. Rafale jets are globally known for their air-superiority and precision strikes. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor, a beyond visual range air-to-air missile, and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Meteor is a next-generation beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM). It is designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The Rafale will also have 13 Indian specific enhancements. These will be integrated once the full delivery is completed. The first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed at the Ambala air base, while the second will be based at Hasimara base in West Bengal.Also read: Rajnath Singh to induct five Rafale jets into Indian Air Force on Sept 10 Also read:India's Rafale vs Pakistan's JF-17, F-16 vs China's J-20: Which one is better? The U.S. government should start making businesses pay for their greenhouse gas emissions to help combat global warming, according to a powerful group of finance and energy titans including Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and BP Plc. Climate change poses a significant risk to the financial system and regulators must "move urgently and decisively," the group said in a report that was signed by executives from the three firms and more than two dozen other global businesses, investors and nonprofit organizations. The document released Wednesday was produced by a committee that advises the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on climate-related market risks. The panel is sponsored by Rostin Behnam, a Democratic commissioner at the CFTC. Extreme weather events, previewed by those the U.S. has seen all summer, "pose significant challenges to our financial system and our ability to sustain long-term economic growth," Behnam said in a statement. The report wasn't voted on by commissioners at the Republican-led agency. CFTC Chairman Heath Tarbert said in a statement that he appreciated Behnam's "leadership on convening various private sector perspectives," but cautioned against moving too quickly. The "report acknowledges that 'transition risks' of a green economy could be just as disruptive to our financial system as the possible physical manifestations of climate change, and that moving too fast too soon could be just as disorderly as doing too little too late," he said. Calls by corporate executives for a tougher government stance have had little success during President Donald Trump's administration as officials have reversed policies implemented to cut emissions and the U.S. is withdrawing from the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change. Wednesday's report includes a series of nonbinding recommendations, but it could serve as a blueprint if Democratic candidate Joe Biden wins the White House in November. The U.S. should price greenhouse gas pollution to ensure that financial markets reduce risks "consistent with the Paris agreement," the report said. Its authors stressed how unprepared financial markets are to deal with climate change, warning that without a carbon price "capital will continue to flow in the wrong direction, rather than toward accelerating the transition to a net-zero emissions economy." Using carbon pricing to lower emissions has seen some success in Europe, where the rising cost of allowances and cheaper natural gas have helped reduce the role of coal in the power sector, leading to an 8.3% drop in emissions last year. The U.S. has some regional carbon markets, led by California's, but nothing close to Europe's scale. Bob Litterman, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. executive and founding partner of Kepos Capital who chairs the CFTC advisory committee, led the call for U.S. carbon pricing in the group's report. Litterman has spent much of the last decade writing and speaking about how a basic economic principle -- that people respond to price incentives -- applies to climate change. Carbon dioxide emissions inflict a cost on society that is not reflected in market energy prices, he has argued, and a carbon price is the most efficient way to fix it. Nathaniel Bullard, chief content officer of BloombergNEF, is a member of the CFTC climate-risk subcommittee, which also included representatives from Marsh & McLennan Cos., Citigroup Inc., Cargill Inc. and ConocoPhillips. A unanimous report from such a diverse collection of authors could also be a political signal to the ultimate authority in carbon policy: the U.S. Congress. There are existing laws that enable regulators to help markets deal with climate risk, including mandating material disclosures to protect investors and ensuring institutions have the ability to absorb climate-related losses. Still, the threat goes beyond the finance industry, according to Jesse Keenan, a Tulane University professor who was an editor of the report. "This isn't just about Wall Street," he said. "This is about the entirety of the U.S. financial system, and that includes our housing and labor markets as well." 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 15:59:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Wednesday condemned a bomb attack in Kabul targeting Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who escaped with minor wounds during the morning rush hour. The Afghan media reported that the bomb blast targeted the convoy of Saleh and some last vehicles of the convoy have been affected. At least 10 people were killed and 15 others wounded in the attack, an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman confirmed. "Pakistan strongly condemns the terrorist attack" on the convoy of Saleh, spokesman of the Pakistani Foreign Ministry Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a tweet, adding that it is a matter of relief that the vice president remained unharmed. "We extend heartfelt sympathies and condolences to bereaved families and pray for swift recovery of those wounded," Chaudhri said. Enditem There's more news on the planned Singapore India Gateway (SING) cable system, for which a new contract has just been announced. Global Marine, a provider of subsea fibre optic cable installation and maintenance solutions to the telecoms sector, has been awarded the Desk Top Study (DTS) for the SING cable system. Global Marine explains that its DTS utilises bathymetry, geology, currents, weather, seismology, tides, permits and reviews of other seabed users to detail all the influences on cable route safety and provide sound engineering solutions for the environment encountered. The study also identifies possible sources of risk to the cable, and the extent of that risk, including an analysis of faults on existing systems nearby from Global Marines extensive worldwide database. The SING submarine cable system is the inaugural project by Datawave Networks and will provide ultra-high capacity connectivity between Singapore and India. Datawave Networks is an international provider of independent, open-access subsea network infrastructure solutions. Donald Trump won the presidency despite ample proof that he abuses women. Multiple women had credibly accused him of assaulting, harassing, and degrading them by the time he was running. Four years ago, we all heard him boast of acts so vile on the Access Hollywood tape that even some Republicans denounced himbefore rejoining the fold by insisting that Trump the man (a vulgar predator) is really not the same person as Trump the president (a constitutional conservative). That fictional distinction allowed spineless Republicans to celebrate their presidents actions (more far-right judges! Fewer Muslims!) without fretting over his cruel and fundamentally profane personal and ethical life. Advertisement On Tuesday, however, Donald Trumps Department of Justice declared that Trump the man and Trump the president are formally one and the same. In an unprecedented and jaw-dropping motion, DOJ attorneys asserted that Trumps choice to disparage women, which he has done while in office, falls within the scope of his employment as the president. As a result, they claim, the DOJ should replace Trumps private attorneys in journalist E. Jean Carrolls defamation lawsuit, which would force the courts to throw out her case because one cannot sue the federal government for defamation. Trump and his Justice Department arent just claiming immunity from legal consequences from such statements because he is the president. Theyre saying those statements are part of his job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a refresher, Carroll sued Trump in state court in New York for defamation in November of 2019, when, in response to a book she had published alleging he raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman changing room in the 1990s, the president responded that he had never met her (a photograph showed the two together) and that she was fabricating her claims just to sell books. Trump also said the advice columnist was not my type as a horrifying means of refuting the rape claim. Carrolls suit claimed these statements were false, defamatory, and damaging to her reputation, and she sought punitive damages. As part of her suit, she requested a DNA sample to compare Trumps with DNA found on the dress she says she was wearing when the assault occurred. Advertisement Advertisement If the DOJ s motion succeeds and Trump gets swapped out as defendant, Carrolls lawsuit will die. As the Trumpian playbook requires, the president first attempted to get the lawsuit thrown out, arguing that New York courts did not have jurisdiction over him because he doesnt reside in the state. But in January, Justice Doris Ling-Cohan of the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan rejected that claim. Just last month, Justice Verna L. Saunders denied another effort to delay the litigation, finding that the U.S. Supreme Courts July decision regarding a grand jurys subpoena for Trumps financial records permits a state court to exercise jurisdiction over a sitting president. Trumps filings in the Carroll litigation were due this week. But on Tuesday, the Justice Department moved to replace Trumps personal lawyers and to defend him, citing the Federal Tort Claims Act, which gives federal employees immunity from certain lawsuits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The filings include a notice of removal from state to federal court and a motion seeking an order substituting the United States as defendant for President Donald J. Trump in the litigation. These filings were signed by Jeffrey Bossert Clark, acting assistant attorney general, as well as James G. Touhey Jr., director of the torts branch, and attorney Stephen R. Terrell. Notably, nobody in the Southern District of New York, to which the case is being removed, signed the filings. Attorney General William Barrs Justice Department attempts to explain why this suit should be defended in federal court, with the DOJ acting on behalf of Trump, at taxpayer expense. Citing the Westfall Act as legal authority, Justice Department lawyers argue that if the attorney general certifies that a federal employee has been sued for acts that fall within the scope of his employment, then that suit must be removed to federal court. In turn, the original defendant will be replaced with the United States. Because the Attorney Generals delegate has certified that Trump was acting as president when he publicly denied as false the allegations made by Plaintiff, the case must be moved to federal district court and the United States must become the defendant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This maneuver is essentially a kill switch. Federal law does not permit plaintiffs to sue the United States for defamation. So if the DOJs motion succeeds and Trump gets swapped out as defendant, Carrolls lawsuit will die. Stop and consider for a moment that the Justice Department is arguingin the words of Roberta Kaplan, Carrolls attorneythat when [Trump] lied about sexually assaulting our client, explaining that she wasnt his type, he was acting in his official capacity as President of the United States. Beyond the mere act of, once again, conscripting the Department of Justice into acting as his personal Roy Cohn, Trump now has his attorney general claiming that when Trump insults, demeans, and belittles women, he is acting within his scope of office as President. This logic suggests that if Donald Trump were to say, just for instance, that women let him grab their private parts because when youre famous, they let you do it, some attorneys employed by the government would likely argue that he is saying that in his capacity as president as well. In other words, the stuff that once horrified you in the Access Hollywood tapes four years ago? Now those kinds of comments could just be considered presidential acts. Advertisement Advertisement The cases cited for support essentially codify into law the despicable doctrine of Boys Will Be Boys. The strongest case comes from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2006, involving Cass Ballenger, a Republican congressman from North Carolina, who scored immunity for comments he made under the scope of his employment when he told a reporter he and his wife separated in part because of her dissatisfaction with life in Washington, D.C. Why was she dissatisfied? Because, Ballenger said, she was uncomfortable living across the street from the headquarters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations after the September 11th attacks, because, Ballenger falsely claimed, CAIR is the fund-raising arm for Hezbollah. The organization sued the congressman for these lies, but a federal court threw out the case, finding that talking to a reporter was part of Ballengers authorized duties. The casual Islamophobia? That was just him doing his job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The practical purpose of substituting the government as defendant in the Carroll case is to delay and to slow-walk and, eventually, to get it tossed altogether. The larger purpose is to reaffirm that the Justice Department serves as Donald Trumps personal fixer, and that the things Donald Trump did decades before he was in office are immune from legal consequences because today he is president. The larger damage is that Trump is making an affirmative argument that the office of the president can be used to disparage women, and that itself will shield the occupant from consequences. Advertisement Advertisement The consequence of the logic applied here is unavoidable. Its no longer just thatas his attorney once actually claimedTrump can shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and be immune from indictment, perhaps even investigation, because he is president. (This summer, the Supreme Court affirmed that this theory was wrong, but in practice there would be no consequences for Trump doing so.) The new claim is a good deal more horrifying still: He could stand on Fifth Avenue and shoot someone, and it would be an official presidential act. Advertisement If there is any silver lining here, its that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that courts can review the attorney generals claim that a federal worker was acting within the scope of his employment. It will be up to the federal judiciary, then, to determine whether Trump is protected by the relevant law, though the statute shields employees of a federal agency, and the presidency is not an agency. Even if the courts decide Trump falls under the statute, they still have to decide whether he was acting within his authorized duties when he disparaged Carroll. That claim is as laughable as it is offensive, resting on a hopelessly cynical and debauched view of the presidency as an office from which the commander in chief can trash-talk his alleged former victims when he should be leading the nation he was elected to serve. At long last, Trumps defenders are formally acknowledging that the sexual predator on the Access Hollywood tape is who the president really is. TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The most popular free-to-play social bingo game Bingo Blitz, part of leading game company Playtika, will be donating $100,000 to Make-A-Wish to fulfil the wishes of children with critical illnesses ranging from backyard makeovers, to becoming a superhero for the day, to meeting a favorite celebrity. This will coincide with in-game activities to mark the occasion. How it will work Within the Bingo Blitz game, players can color a variety of artworks as part of a painting themed minigame, and are awarded different paint colors as they play the main game. For the duration of this partnership, these artworks will represent the wishes of children around the world. This will be the first partnership between Bingo Blitz and Make-A-Wish. Why it matters Make-A-Wish is centred upon the understanding that by facilitating children's wishes, the emotional and physical strength they need to fight their illnesses can be supported and nurtured. During this period of uncertainty throughout COVID-19, Make-A-Wish has been committed to ensuring that children were - and are - able to access and benefit from these experiences, adapting the wish granting format and delivery in accordance with government guidelines. The donation is expected to fund approximately 50 wishes worldwide. However, it Given the scale of the current crisis, it is a challenge for Make-A-Wish to meet the need without wider financial support. Bingo Blitz players will now have the opportunity to contribute and play an integral part in this important cause. Why gaming? Millions of people play casual games on social media or on their smartphones daily, making up a huge and influential online community. With over one million people playing Bingo Blitz each day, the team are passionate about mobilising casual gamers to make a real difference in communities across the country. Bingo Blitz is part of leading gaming company Playtika, which is already a partner of the World Health Organization's #PlayApartTogether campaign. #PlayApartTogether promotes the importance of social distancing to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, whilst at the same time encouraging people to reach out to and support others through gaming. The campaign is rallying the gaming community worldwide to combat loneliness and social isolation. This partnership between Bingo Blitz and Make-A-Wish is a powerful addition to this work, ensuring that millions of gamers are able to show their support to children around the world through this difficult time. To achieve this in-game feature, Bingo Blitz created dedicated development time and content creation to maximise the output of the partnership. Dudu Dahan, General Manager at Bingo Blitz said, "We are proud to partner with Make-A-Wish and support their vital work. Our players have shown time and again that they are concerned for the wellbeing of those around them, and we know that they will embrace this campaign to help put a smile on the faces of children around the world. For us, this is an excellent way of showing that games are not just a way to pass the time, but can be a true force for good. We have shown this time and again with our various donations, volunteering activities, and associations with charities around the world." Amanda Clayton, VP of Integrated Fundraising for Make-A-Wish America said, "We thank the Bingo Blitz players for embracing this campaign the money they are raising allows us to continue supporting the emotional and physical strength children need to fight their illnesses." Denise Bar Aharon, CEO and Co-Founder, Make-A-Wish Israel said, "The Bingo Blitz team have created this campaign with a sense of joy and excitement. They have found a way to join play and the act of giving which will have a profound impact on the lives of the children, and their families." Images and video available on request. About Bingo Blitz Bingo Blitz is the #1 free-to-play social bingo game, with over 1 million active players per day on social networks and mobile platforms. At Bingo Blitz, we care about our players and are driven by a commitment to provide them with the highest quality product and user experience. Through a high-action, skill-based game, packed with exciting narratives, innovative features, and mega prizes, our mission is to reinvent the way people play Bingo. Our unique social platform and content make it fun and easy for millions of people to play and connect with each other worldwide. play.bingoblitz.com/Free About Make-A-Wish Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We seek to bring every eligible child's wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child's treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness. Make-A-Wish is the world's leading children's wish-granting organization, serving children in every community in the United States and in nearly 50 countries worldwide thanks to generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 40,000 volunteers. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 500,000 life-changing wishes worldwide. For more information about Make-A-Wish, visit worldwish.org. About Playtika: Playtika Holding Corp. is a leading gaming company with over 30 million monthly active users playing its titles. Founded in 2010, Playtika was among the first to offer free-to-play games on social networks and, shortly after, on mobile platforms. With a management team headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, Playtika and its subsidiaries have over three thousand employees in offices worldwide including Tel Aviv, London, Berlin, Vienna, Helsinki, Montreal, Chicago, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Kiev, Bucharest, Minsk, Dnepr, and Vinnitsa. https://www.playtika.com/ SOURCE Playtika Related Links playtika.com Samsung has announced Fila-branded Galaxy Buds Live earbuds. On top of that, it seems like the company may be working on a new collaboration with BTS. The companys collab with K-pop superstars, BTS, paid off, big time. It seems like the South Korean tech giant may be looking to prolong that cooperation because of it, at least according to Ishan Agarwal. The tipster hinted that a new collab may take place. Whats interesting, is that both Fila and Samsung have BTS as their brand ambassadors, which may have something to do with the presumption that a new collab is coming. Advertisement In any case, regarding these new earbuds. They are the exact same Samsung Galaxy Buds Live earbuds youre used to, but with Fila branding. The official name of these is Samsung x Fila Galaxy Buds Live. Fila-branded Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are based on the Mystic White model Theyre based on the Mystic White model, and come with Filas logo on them. There are actually two bespoke cases included in the retail package, and one does look like a shoe box. Youll also notice that a small Fila sneaker keychain is attached to the case fo the earbuds. It seems like Samsung is planning to produce only 2,000 units of these special edition earbuds. Advertisement They will launch today in South Korea, on the Kakao Shopping Live channel, and a wider online launch will follow tomorrow. More information should be available via Samsungs and Filas websites. Were still not sure if these earbuds will become available outside of Korea, though. Well find out more in the near future, quite probably, as Samsung is unlikely to share such info during the Korea launch. Samsung initially announced the Galaxy Buds Live earbuds last month. We reviewed them shortly after that, and you can check out that review by clicking here. Advertisement The Galaxy Buds Live are quite an impressive pair of TWS earbuds The Galaxy Buds Live are actually quite impressive in a number of ways. The battery life is really good, while the sound quality is also impressive. There are some issues there, though, so check out the full review for more information. It will be interesting to see how well will these Fila-branded Samsung Galaxy Buds Live do. The BTS-branded products were selling like hotcakes for the company. Truth be said, these are all limited products, Samsung is only planning to produce 2,000 of them, so selling all of them is probably guaranteed. We do hope that Samsung will reveal how long it took for them all to sell out. Bobby Henline (FoxNews) A US Army veteran has hit out at social media users for using photographs of him in attacks against president Donald Trumps alleged comments on veterans. The controversy comes following a report byThe Atlantic that the president had made derogatory remarks about lost service members and prisoners of war. Mr Trump has fiercely denied the articles claims. Posts began circulating on social media using the image of Bobby Henline, lone survivor out of five soldiers in an IED blast in Iraq, hitting out at the presidents alleged comments, the veteran told Fox News in an interview. And they're using that to sell something that they believe in for their agenda. It's not fair to put us [veterans] as props in the middle of all that, Mr Henline, a four-tour Iraq War veteran told the broadcaster. I'm just so irritated that they put my image up there because now it looks like the president called me a loser." Mr Henline is seeking to have the posts taken down as he believes people are wrongly using his image to further a political agenda that the accusations against the president are false. I really believe the president didn't say this," he said. "Theres been anonymous sources and other sources in the room that arent necessarily friends with the president or believe in his ways, but they're still not gonna slam him and make up this rumor and keep it spreading. And so with that said, I don't think he really said this." One of the images circulating appears to show Mr Henline with a banner reading, Trump says hes a loser. I say hes a hero! What do you say?" Mr Henline, a motivational speaker and a comedian, said he was quickly made aware of the posts circulating on social media and quickly took to Instragram to condemn the use of his person image insisting users stop using me for your propaganda." While Mr Henline said that he was successful in getting some of the posts taken down, he said that more have been published in their place. Story continues The Atlantics article, which has drawn outrage from Mr Trump and his supporters, draws on multiple anonymous sources detailing a number of unflattering alleged incidents surrounding the president involving war dead. What animal would say that? Mr Trump said in response to the accusations as he arrived back in Washington after a campaign stop on Thursday. A number of the presidents supporters, who have put themselves in the room where some of the reported comments were allegedly said, have publicly denied the accusations. Former national security adviser John Bolton and Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders have both gone on the record saying the comments are false. Read more 'He is panicking': Veterans slam Trump in ad as polls among service members show declining support for president The logo of TikTok is seen on a smartphone screen in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, Aug. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) "By signing up to our Code of Conduct, TikTok has demonstrated a firm commitment to tackling illegal hate speech online. The EU needs robust cooperation with such prominent actors to make the digital environment a safe place for all." BRUSSELS, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission welcomed the decision of TikTok to join the Code of Conduct of the European Union (EU) on countering illegal hate speech online. "I commend TikTok for their decision to sign up to our EU Code of Conduct," EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders commented on Tuesday, when retweeting an announcement from the EU's executive arm. "By signing up to our Code of Conduct, TikTok has demonstrated a firm commitment to tackling illegal hate speech online. The EU needs robust cooperation with such prominent actors to make the digital environment a safe place for all," Reynders said in the announcement. European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders attends a press conference in Brussles, Belgium, on Sept. 4, 2020. (European Union/Handout via Xinhua) TikTok is the ninth partner to join the Code of Conduct, joining other giants like Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, etc. The Code of Conduct, launched in 2016, has led to IT companies assessing 90 percent of flagged content within 24 hours and removing 71 percent of the content deemed to be illegal hate speech, according to the European Commission. TikTok is a video-sharing, music and social networking service owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, and specializes in user-made short videos. Key indices extended losses and hit fresh intraday low in early afternoon trade. Rising Covid-19 cases and weak global cues dampened investors sentiment. At 12:27 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 346.22 points or 0.90% at 38,019.13. The Nifty 50 index lost 97.65 points or 0.86% at 11,219.70. The broader market tumbled. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 1.38% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index was declined 2.03%. Sellers outpaced buyers. On the BSE, 516 shares rose and 1924 shares fell. A total of 130 shares were unchanged. Investors turned cautious after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was quoted by the media as saying that the current India-China border situation was "very serious". In a fresh sign of escalation, India and China reportedly accused each other of firing into the air on the border of western Himalayas. The overnight selloff on Wall Street exacerbated the selling in domestic shares. Growing Sino-US tensions have contributed, to some extent, to the recent fall witnessed in the US markets. As per reports, US President Donald Trump launched a fresh broadside against China, promising a "decoupling" of the US economy from the Chinese one if he is re-elected in November. COVID-19 Update: Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 2,75,79,437 with 8,97,614 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. India reported 8,97,394 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 73,890 deaths while 33,98,844 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Derivatives: The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose 1.24% to 23.07. The Nifty September 2020 futures were trading at 11,225.85, at a premium of 6.15 points compared with the spot at 11,219.70. The Nifty option chain for 10 September 2020 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 35.59 lakh contracts at the 11,300 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 38.40 lakh contracts was seen at 11,000 strike price. The Nifty option chain for 24 September 2020 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 21.74 lakh contracts at the 11,500 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 29.93 lakh contracts was seen at 11,000 strike price. Buzzing Index: The Nifty Pharma index was up 0.51% to 11,149.45. It was the only sectoral index on the NSE to trade in the green. The index had fallen 3.63% in the past three sessions. Biocon (up 1.42%), Lupin (up 1.09%), Dr. Reddy's Labs (up 0.92%), Torrent Pharma (up 0.70%), Sun Pharma (up 0.69%), Cipla (up 0.73%) and Divi's Labs (up 0.48%) advanced. Aurobindo Pharma (down 1.27%), Cadila Healthcare (down 0.3%) and Alkem Laboratories (down 0.14%) declined. Stocks in Spotlight: IRCTC fell 3.7% to Rs 1326. As per media reports, the government is planning to sell 15-20% of its stake in the company via offer for sale (OFS). The Department of Disinvestment has invited bids for the appointment of merchant bankers and selling brokers, as per a news report. SML Isuzu fell 2.43% to Rs 403. The company reported a net loss of Rs 52.26 crore in Q1 FY21 as compared to a net profit of Rs 16.66 crore in Q1 FY20. Net sales during the quarter declined 93.9% YoY to Rs 28.74 crore during the quarter. Info Edge (India) fell 1.92% to Rs 3250. A global brokerage firm has downgraded the stock to 'outperform' from 'buy' with a target price of Rs 3,580. The foreign brokerage reportedly highlighted that the 44% year-on-year (YoY) drop in billing in Q1 was higher than its estimates of a 38% decline. Cost control is likely to stay, though the ad spend could increase, it reportedly said. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Offshore Asset Gets Significant Resource Upgrade This article was first published on Rigzone here Chariot Oil & Gas Limited (AIM: CHAR) has announced a significant resource upgrade for the Anchois asset in the Lixus license offshore Morocco. Following the reprocessing of 3D seismic data across the license, Netherland Sewell & Associates Inc. performed an updated independent assessment on a 20 square mile area covering the Anchois gas discovery. This led to an upgrade of the audited total remaining recoverable resource for Anchois to in excess of one trillion cubic feet, which represented a 148 percent increase, Chariot outlined. According to the company, Chariots technical team is continuing to identify, evaluate and quantify additional material gas prospects in the Lixus license based on the reprocessed data. The recent work on the Lixus license confirms the materiality of the Anchois gas field development project, Adonis Pouroulis, Chariots acting chief executive officer, said in a company statement. We continue to hold the view that this asset has the capacity to be a value accretive and long-term project of national significance to Morocco. The Anchois development has the potential to supply material gas volumes into existing markets in the near-term, and the exploration prospectivity of the Lixus license is of a scale sufficient to provide the Moroccan power sector with a clean, reliable, low cost and sustainable supply of gas for decades to come, he added. Take control of your future. Search THOUSANDS of Oil & Gas jobs on Rigzone.com Search Now >> We continue to make progress in unlocking the Anchois development and generating near term cash flows and we look forward to keeping our shareholders updated on developments on Lixus and, as previously announced, the other opportunities being reviewed over the coming months, Pouroulis went on to say. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Chariot Oil & Gas Holdings (Morocco) Limited, the business has a 75 percent interest in, and operatorship of, Lixus, in partnership with the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines, which holds a 25 percent stake. Story continues Chariot, which is based in Guernsey, has operations in Morocco, Namibia and Brazil. The business describes Morocco as an emerging hydrocarbon province and has highlighted several areas of interest in the country, its website shows. To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com More From Rigzone.com, The Leading Energy Platform: >> Find the latest oil and gas jobs on Rigzone.com << Whether youre in the process of moving, running out of space in your closet, or needing an emergency preparedness unit to store all of your extra goods and supplies, StorQuest Self Storage is here to help. StorQuest is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its storage facility in Fresno located at 5365 N. Island Waterpark Dr., right next door to The Island Waterpark. StorQuest offers a variety of awesome storage solutions to Fresno residents and business owners alike, including state-of-the-art security, drive up units, and RV parking. StorQuest also offers specialized solutions for any circumstance, such as climate controlled storage and automobile storage. Additionally, StorQuest offers contact-less rentals which includes 24/7 customer leasing and support, telephonic and online rentals, electronic gate access, online bill payment and month-to-month terms. Interested customers should contact the facility directly at 559-753-9777 or visit http://www.storquest.com to receive $1 Off First Months Rent. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook , Pinterest and Twitter to keep up-to-date with business trends and exciting news! We are looking forward to continuing serving the Fresno community, and remember whatever life has in store for you, were here to help you make room for it. About William Warren Group & StorQuest Self Storage. StorQuest Self Storage, owned by The William Warren Group, Inc., owns and operates a thriving network of modern, innovative self storage properties across the United States. StorQuest is focused on delivering the highest-quality storage solutions backed by the best service in the industry, at an affordable price for all customers. To learn more visit: http://www.williamwarren.com and http://www.storquest.com. A trusted member of the IRA who was caught after an FBI agent uncovered a Dublin-based plot to buy a grenade and Semtex online has lost an appeal against the severity of his prison sentence. The Special Criminal Court trial of Jonathan Hawthorn (47) heard he had taken delivery of fake explosives that were disguised as Play Doh. Lawyers for Hawthorn, of Ballintyre Downs, Ballinteer, Dublin 16, claimed the headline sentence imposed on him by the Special Criminal Court in October 2018 was excessive and one which was usually reserved for people involved in a leadership role in an illegal organisation. Hawthorn previously lost an appeal against his conviction, which he had principally challenged over the anonymity granted to six witnesses in the case, including the undercover FBI agent and members of the Garda National Surveillance Unit. Kerida Naidoo SC, for Hawthorn, said the headline prison sentence of six and a half years imposed by the Special Criminal Court, which was reduced to five years when mitigating factors were taken into account, indicated the court believed his offence was at the upper end of the scale in terms of seriousness. Mr Naidoo pointed out that the maximum jail term for a conviction of membership of an illegal organisation is eight years. He told the Court of Appeal that a separate ruling by the Special Criminal Court had set out parameters for sentencing in such cases and had indicated that a prison term of between 64 months (five years and four months) and eight years should be reserved for the most serious cases. Mr Naidoo accepted that the Special Criminal Court was entitled to infer from the evidence that Hawthorn was a trusted member of an illegal organisation but not that he was in a senior leadership role. While aggravating factors could be taken into account, Mr Naidoo said the principal factor in terms of sentencing was ones role in an illegal organisation. For that reason, he argued the headline figure given to his client should not have exceeded five years and four months. Mr Naidoo said there were other offences in relation to directing criminal organisations but the DPP had not chosen to charge Hawthorn with any of them. Opposing the appeal, Paul Greene SC for the DPP, said the nature of ones conduct while a member of an illegal organisation was also of relevance. Mr Green said Hawthorn had engaged in deliberate, intentional behaviour and was clearly a trusted member of the IRA by the fact that he was transporting material at the time of his arrest which he believed had the capacity to cause serious harm. The original trial heard an undercover FBI agent monitoring the dark web was contacted by someone who ordered Semtex, an F-1 Soviet fragmentation grenade, a handgun and 100 rounds of ammunition. Gardai, who were alerted to the intended purchase of the weapons and explosives, arranged for a fake DHL delivery of the requested items and arrested Hawthorn at St James Hospital on September 14, 2016 after he had earlier collected the package at Dolphin House in Rialto. Hawthorn was found (GUILTY) guilty by the three-judge court of membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA on September 14, 2016. The President of the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice George Birmingham, said the sentencing parameters set out by the Special Criminal Court in a different case were non-binding and were not even a persuasive authority. Mr Justice Birmingham said the Special Criminal Court had been entitled to conclude that Hawthorn was a significant player because of his role in acquiring what he had believed was explosive material sources over the Dark Net. He also said another factor beside ones rank in an illegal organisation was the importance of the task that they were about. Delivering judgment today, Mr Justice Birmingham, sitting with Ms Justice Una Ni Raifeartaigh and Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly said the appellant was clearly a person of major significance to the unlawful organisation. The offence had to be seen as "very serious offending indeed" and fully justified the headline sentence which fell towards the upper end of the scale. The three-judge court described the sentence as falling well within the normal range and dismissed the appeal. The gynecologist accused of sexual assault by the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang was indicted on federal charges for the sexual abuse of six women over nearly two decades, according to federal prosecutors. Former Manhattan doctor Robert Hadden is charged with six counts of enticing women to engage in illegal sex acts, Audrey Strauss, the acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced Wednesday at a joint news conference with FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney Jr. Hadden, 62, was arrested by federal authorities at 6 a.m. in New Jersey, Strauss said. Prosecutors allege that Hadden sexually assaulted dozens of women who were his patients at his OB/GYN practice from 1993 to 2012 "under the guise of purported medical examinations," Strauss said. "Hadden acted as a predator in a white coat," Strauss said. At least one of the victims listed in the indictment, whom Hadden had delivered himself, was underage during the alleged assault, Strauss said. It was not immediately clear why federal prosecutors listed six of the growing number of women who have accused Hadden, and the U.S. attorney's office declined to comment further. Hadden targeted unwitting women, according to Strauss, including many victims who saw Hadden as their first gynecologist. "Many of Hadden's victims did not know what to expect during an OB/GYN examination and were less likely to challenge Hadden when he engaged in sexually abusive behavior," she said. "As a result, some of his victims immediately identified Hadden's conduct as abusive but many didn't know that his examinations were inappropriate, and so [they] returned to see him for years." The new charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. At a bond hearing later Wednesday, Hadden's lawyer, Isabelle Kirshner, argued before Magistrate Judge Robert Lehrburger that Hadden should be released from detention because he is caring for ill family members including his son with mental disabilities. Lehrburger agreed to his release on a $1 million bond and pretrial restrictions on where Hadden is allowed to go. Kirshner declined to comment to The Post about the allegations presented at the news briefing Wednesday, saying she is representing him only for the arraignment thus far. Alleged victims also spoke during the bond hearing, including three who shared statements with Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey under the pseudonym Jane Doe. Citing the precedent of the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Comey argued that the anonymous women could also be able to give their side to the court. "I don't think [Hadden] deserves any opportunity to prevent justice," one woman said in a statement. "The court needs to ensure he has no chance to leave or hurt himself." Hadden previously pleaded guilty in 2016 and was given a deal by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., which has been criticized as lax for the allegations levied. Hadden was forced to give up his medical license and register as a Level 1 sex offender but did not serve time in prison. Strauss declined to comment on the 2016 deal. Vance's office told The Washington Post it was involved in the federal investigation. "Our office provided substantial assistance leading to today's indictment, and our continuing investigation - which examines potential failures by Dr. Hadden's employer and hospital to disclose additional incidents of abuse to our office and to regulators when required - is intensely active and ongoing," Vance's spokesman Danny Frost wrote in an email. Anthony DiPietro, an attorney who represents more than 100 women accusing Hadden of assault, said he was thankful for the renewed effort to prosecute Hadden after the case languished for years. "In some ways, this has been a long time coming, but in others, maybe things are just getting started," DiPietro said in an interview. "We're just grateful that prosecutors at the SDNY are taking a close look at this." On behalf of the victims, DiPietro is also suing Columbia University, accusing the administration of knowingly allowing the abuses to continue unfettered for decades. "To me, what happened was, Hadden was allowed to negotiate something that closely resembled an early retirement than a criminal sentence for a sexual felony," DiPietro said of Hadden's earlier plea deal. In an emotional interview with CNN, Evelyn Yang called the punishment a "slap on the wrist." Yang said she was seven months pregnant when Hadden assaulted her at the end of a routine appointment. "I just kind of froze, like a deer in headlights. Just frozen," she told CNN in January. " . . . I remember trying to fix my eyes on a spot on the wall and just trying to avoid seeing his face as he was assaulting me. Just waiting for it to be over." Marissa Hoechstetter, another Hadden accuser, called the indictment an example of "the collective power of survivors' voices." Hoechstetter echoed Yang's frustrations with the plea deal, saying the federal case offers the victims a second chance at justice. "At a time when the world is focused on criminal justice reforms and the power of district attorneys, the Hadden story is a shining example of our flawed two-tiered system of justice," she wrote in an emailed statement. "I hope that today's revelation offers hope and encouragement to any of Hadden's other former patients who wish to come forward." - - - The Washington Post's Shayna Jacobs and Allyson Chiu contributed to this report. President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that he will not attend any first day of school ceremony, but will have a video message to students and teachers. Asked at a news conference if first day of school ceremony should be held at the beginning of this school year, Iohannis said: "In my opinion, such festivities should not be organised this year. They are events where many people congregate; it is difficult for people to keep their distance. (...) I will not attend any kind of first day of school ceremony, but I will have a video message to students and teachers." Renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan was awarded the Medal of the Republic, the highest state honor. Zhong identified the SARS virus in 2003 and is currently leading the Chinese government's efforts in the fight against COVID-19. Three other medical specialists were conferred on the national honorary title, "the People's Hero." The recipients are Zhang Boli, a traditional Chinese medicine expert who presided over the research of the COVID-19 treatment scheme combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, Zhang Dingyu, head of Wuhan's designated coronavirus-treating Jinyintan Hospital, and Chen Wei, a military medical scientist who made major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and protective medicine. "Medical workers are the most beautiful angels and the most lovable people in the new era," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech after presenting the medals. "Their names and feats will never be forgotten by the nation, the people and history, and will be engraved on the monument of the republic." Millions of medical workers fought on the frontline against COVID-19 nationwide, including 540,000 in central China's Hubei Province and its capital city Wuhan, the hardest-hit region during the outbreak, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission. Joint efforts to address global challenges Xi pledged that China will join hands with the international community to tackle the global challenges of the pandemic. Noting that the novel coronavirus outbreak is the worst pandemic the world has seen in a century, he underscored China's contributions in the global fight. China has acted with "openness, transparency and responsibility" and actively fulfilled its international obligations since the start of the outbreak, he stressed. It "voluntarily provided information about the outbreak to the World Health Organization (WHO) and relevant countries and regional organizations in a most timely fashion, and released the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus at the earliest possible time," he said. China has conducted more than 70 exchanges with various countries and international and regional organizations on epidemic control to share its experience, Xi noted. China has announced the decision to provide two batches of cash support totaling 50 million U.S. dollars to the WHO; it has sent 34 medical expert teams to 32 countries and offered assistance to 150 countries and four international organizations; from March 15 to September 6, the country exported 151.5 billion masks, 1.4 billion protective suits, 230 million pairs of goggles, 209,000 ventilators, 470 million testing kits and 80.14 million infrared thermometers, according to Xi. The pandemic has demonstrated that mankind is a community that shares weal and woe, he said, calling for solidarity and cooperation across the world to tackle the crisis. China will continue to promote international cooperation on epidemic control, support the WHO in playing the leading role in the fight, and contribute to the building of a community of common health for mankind, he said. China steadfast in pursuing better future The president reviewed what measures China has taken to fight the virus and called for unity and determination throughout the nation to address challenges and achieve development goals. Over the past seven-plus months, more than 80,000 Chinese were infected by the virus and about 4,700 people lost their lives. The numbers could have been much bigger without the firm measures implemented at various levels and sacrifices made by medical workers, community workers as well as residents who have strictly followed restrictions for epidemic control. "In little more than a month, the rising spread of the virus was contained; in around two months, the daily increase in domestic coronavirus cases fell to single digits; and in approximately three months, a decisive victory was secured in the battle to defend Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan," Xi noted. With the easing of the outbreak, China announced a series of policies to help enterprises, create jobs, boost investment and consumption and advance poverty alleviation, he said. The world's second-largest economy grew by 3.2 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, reversing a 6.8-percent decline in the first quarter. "China has become the first major economy to return to growth since the start of the pandemic," Xi said. Looking ahead, Xi said China must continue to implement regular epidemic control measures and strive for full victory in the fight against COVID-19. He stressed strengthening institutional guarantees for safeguarding the people's lives and health, calling for developing a strong public health system and upgrading the system of prevention, control and treatment of major epidemics. He also called for intensified efforts to ensure economic growth and improve people's livelihood, stressing that national development goals and tasks must be accomplished. China aims to eradicate absolute poverty and complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020. Meanwhile, Xi stressed the importance of increasing awareness of risks and sticking to bottom-line thinking and called for efforts to enhance capabilities to prevent and defuse different kinds of risks along China's development path. He expressed confidence in China's future in the new era. "Nobody and no force can stop the Chinese people from achieving a better life!" Xi said. Original article: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-08/China-honors-pandemic-fighters-vows-to-carry-on-fighting-COVID-19-TCeSeTaCze/index.html SOURCE CGTN There is a famous saying that every Egyptian knows Egypt is the gift of the Nile. However, the point of my book is that it goes both ways because I want to argue that the Nile is also the gift of Egypt, says Nezar AlSayyad, author of The Nile: Urban Histories on the Banks of a River, which will be published in Arabic soon. It was the culture of the ancient Egyptians that made the Nile the way it is and that led to the incredible association between the Nile and Egypt even though more than 80 per cent of the Nile is not in Egypt. An architect, city planner, urban historian, and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, AlSayyad is the author of several volumes examining aspects of the countrys urban history. He spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly during a recent visit to Cairo when he met with his Egyptian publishers Al-Shorouk in anticipation of the upcoming publication of his book in Arabic. In the book, AlSayyad adds that the Nile has many gifts beyond Egypt. Perhaps one of its greatest gifts is the urban life that has sprung up along it and its tributaries, from its sources in Burundi, Rwanda, and Ethiopia all the way to the harsh deserts of Sudan and Egypt. In his preface to the book, originally published by Edinburgh University Press in the UK in 2019, AlSayyad wrote that this book is not really about the Nile as a water body, nor is it about the environmental history of the Nile. It is instead a series of vignettes that attempt to narrate the urban life that has sprung up along the Niles banks over five millennia. The book attempts to tell the urban histories of the river, treating the Nile, its tributaries, and lakes as actors on the stage of the Nile Basin. Rather than viewing historic events as unrelated occurrences, the book will present them as interconnected elements linked and influenced by the river, which has in turn been transformed by them. Speaking to the Weekly, AlSayyad added that what Egyptian and other Arabic-speaking audiences would get their hands on when they read the book was a compilation of the histories of the Nile. There is simply no single history for the long journey of the River Nile that has been there for two million years and has been an inhabited river for 8,000 years, he said. As he writes in the book, this river, which may be considered the longest in the world (if one includes all of its tributaries), travels through a host of different countries, and its journey through Egypt occupies less than one-fifth of its total course. Today, 11 countries are at least partly included in the Nile Basin, starting with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan in Central Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Eritrea in East Africa, and finally Sudan and Egypt to the north. Because of the diversity of lands in its basin, the Nile passes through very different climatic zones and natural areas, allowing it to support many types or species of plant life, birds, fish, animals, and peoples. There are actually three geographical areas from which the Nile springs. First are the highlands of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, where are located the Mountains of the Moon, or the Ruwenzori, and the Kikizi range. A second important region is the Lake Plateau, a large catchment area containing Lake Edward, Lake Albert, Lake Victoria, and Lake Kyoga, which ultimately feeds many tributaries, including Bahr Al-Jabal, Bahr Al-Arab, Bahr Al-Ghazal, and Bahr Al-Zaraf, which converge to produce the White Nile. Third are the mountains of Ethiopia, which produce many rivers and streams that flow into Lake Tana and give us the Blue Nile. AlSayyads book is based in part on an eight-month research trip through the cities on the banks of the Nile. Every one of the multiple histories it offers is a close encounter with a particular historical period as projected through one location and one individual.For example, in Burundi, hundreds of miles from the countrys largest city Bujumbura in a remote location in the hills of Mount Kikizi in the Lake Plateau region, AlSayyad starts his chapter Finding the Source of the Nile: Centuries of Discovery by examining a small pyramid. Four metres in height, the four-sided structure bears a copper plaque that reads in Latin caput Nili or the source of the Nile.Throughout recorded history, the Nile has witnessed the rise and fall of many great cities. Geographically, going from south to north, the Nile has sustained cities like Kampala in Uganda, Juba in South Sudan, Gondar and Bahr Dar in Ethiopia, Khartoum, Omdurman, Meroe and Napata in Sudan; and Aswan, Thebes (now Luxor), Akhetaten (now Amarna), Fayoum, Memphis, Al-Qahira (now Cairo), Avaris, Mansoura, Damietta, Rosetta, and Alexandria, all in Egypt, he writes.As such, the book is also a cultural and historical guide for all those interested in the Nile Valley. In a sense, the book is the story of the cities created, nourished, and destroyed under the auspices of the Nile, AlSayyad explained.RESEARCH: Through research that started in August 2014 and took him to many hard-to-reach places, AlSayyad saw the diverse flow of the river and the forms of life on its banks.He came to see for himself that there was no single culture or population that lived along the banks of the Nile on its long journey through East Africa. I became more and more convinced that the cultures of the peoples of the Nile are extremely diverse, as diverse as the rivers histories in fact, he said.One thing he noted was that more often than not these peoples chose to build their cities near but not next to the Nile in order to avoid the destruction that sometimes came with the floods when the waters rose. He was speaking just days before Khartoum, one of the cities his book examines, suffered the devastating consequences of a flood higher than anything recorded since the early 20th century.Egypts very close association with the Nile features prominently in the book. The Nile has been celebrated by its surrounding inhabitants since the time of the ancient Egyptians, a tradition that continues today. And contemporary Egyptians celebrate many occasions related to the Nile, some of which may have started as the religious practices of one group or another but evolved over time into general cultural practices or national festivals. One major celebration in Egypt related to the Nile used to be Wafaa Al-Nil, meaning Gratitude to the Nile. It occurred every summer in August, around the time the annual flood reached its peak, he writes.According to AlSayyad, because Egypt now controls the flow of the Nile through the Aswan High Dam, this celebration has now ceased, as Egyptians, now feeling secure from floods and with a reliable source of water, have started to take the Nile for granted.He adds that Hapi, the ancient Egyptian god of the Nile, was represented as a strong-bodied man with a prominent chest and a huge belly, symbolising fertility. Because the level of the Nile fluctuated and the floods were not always guaranteed, Hapi was considered a temperamental deity, and a myth later emerged that Hapi was not satisfied, and that Egyptians should present him with sacrificial gifts.In particular, the legend mentioned that Egyptians should sacrifice a living bride to the Nile once a year. There is absolutely no evidence that the ancient Egyptians ever made such offerings of living persons. Although the practice continued in Egypt all the way through the Middle Ages, the sacrificial bride was typically replaced by a wooden life-size doll.Throughout history, the Nile has defined the shape and content of Egyptian culture, and the remains of great cities in the Nile Valley and Delta illuminate the primacy of the river in the life of the ancient Egyptians.AlSayyad notes that for specific purposes, some of these settlements were built away from the Nile, for example, to accommodate the craftsmen and labourers who built Egypts temples, tombs, and pyramids. But, he said, all the other ancient cities, towns, and villages were located close to the rivers banks. For these settlements, the Nile offered plentiful water, fertile silt for agriculture, and a connection to each other and the outside world.Beyond serving as an artery of trade and communication, the river also provided a stage for ritual and ceremonial activities. It would not be an exaggeration to describe the Nile as a life-giving river. With cities, towns, and villages alike situated on the Niles narrow flood plain, the river provided plentiful points for shipping and trading. Ancient Egyptian settlements thus did not need to be concentrated, but were relatively dispersed, giving ancient Egypt the unique identity of a state defined by scattered settlements of various sizes. NILE CITIES: In chapter three of his book entitled The Nile of Lower Egypt: Memphis, the First Capital City, AlSayyad looks at some of the cities that have been built along the Nile in Egypt. Although most cities along the Nile were constructed on terraces, for some reason Memphis was built on the valley floor, a decision which ultimately led to its impermanence compared with other Egyptian monuments. It is known it was built initially as a fortress in an area where the Nile was diverted, creating an arc-like form to its east. And under the Sixth Dynasty it became the formal capital of Egypt. It was probably also then that it was given the name Mennefer, meaning lasting and beautiful in ancient Egyptian, he writes. In chapter four on the Thebes of the Pharaohs: The Nile of Upper Egypt, AlSayyad notes that unlike Memphis, located away from the Nile to avoid its floodwater, the settlement at Thebes bordered directly on the river. This helped make the Theban region an ideal site for a religious centre. The Nile Valley here is surrounded by mountains which create a bounded plane. In physical terms, the river running through may be seen as dividing Thebes into an east and a west bank. But, spiritually, it may alternately be seen as a path, not an edge, connecting the two worlds of Thebes: the living and the dead, the profane and the sacred, the present and the past, and, even today, the modern and the eternal, he writes. He also reveals that the route of the river has changed repeatedly over the years. What we see today is not what used to be there over a million years ago, and it is not necessarily what is going to be there in a few thousand or few hundred years, he says.The exact route of the Nile through the ages is poorly known, which is why many Egyptologists plot its present-day course differently than on maps of archaeological times, AlSayyad writes. This changing course may have led to misinterpretations of ancient monuments and settlements bordering the river, he adds.To serve the reader better, AlSayyads book comes with maps that depict the movement of the route of the Nile throughout its history. I had to have the maps in colour, even in the Arabic edition where all the other pictures will be in black and white to make the price of the book as low as possible, he commented. It was very important to capture the changes that have occurred in the route of the Nile, given their major impact on the northeast region of Africa, he said.In addition to the histories of the cities on the banks of the River Nile and the history of the river in the east and northeast of Africa, the book helps readers understand all sorts of things related to the Nile. Where does the Nile start? Where did it use to end? What routes has it taken and how many branches has it had? What is the difference between the banks of the Nile in Ethiopia and in Egypt? What is the rationale behind choosing Blue and White to name the two branches of the Nile that start in Ethiopia and in Congo and Burundi to meet south of Khartoum as the Blue and White Nile? Why do some of the Nile Basin countries have bridges when others dont, for example.We are so proud of the Nile, but I dont think we know it well enough. We love it, but we also need to know it, AlSayyad said. For example, I dont think that many Egyptians today know that until the 1950s the colour of the Nile in Egypt used to be green and that the kind of greyish colour that we see today only came about after the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, he added.We need to know the Nile, and we also need to think about how we can better use its water and how we can better protect its quality.AlSayyads book does not approach the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that is being built on the Nile in Ethiopia despite the fact that the research for the book started when the three countries along the Blue Nile were looking for an agreement on how to help Ethiopia construct its dam to generate electricity without causing harm to downstream countries like Sudan and Egypt.But a better understanding of the Nile would help its people across its journey to come up with answers to the big questions, he said. These would include questions such as those that hang over the GERD, the Jonglei Canal project in South Sudan, and others, he added. The dispute over the GERD Gonernment sources in Cairo this week said that there might be a delay in the next round of negotiations on a comprehensive and conclusive agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile. We were considering the possible dates and thinking that there might be a meeting late next week or the week after that. But now there is a question mark hanging over this because of the current situation of the flooding in Sudan, a government source said. Late last month, the legal and technical delegations of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia ended yet another round of the talks that were initiated in June under the auspices of South Africa, the current chair of the African Union (AU), without even coming close to reaching even a basic agreement on the GERD. According to informed Egyptian and Sudanese sources, the chances for a deal on the Dam in the coming weeks seem unlikely. The most controversial issue, according to sources in Cairo and Khartoum, is not only about the GERD itself, but also about quotas of Nile water, especially from the Blue Nile on which the GERD is being constructed. According to the Egyptian sources, Egypt is not at all opposed to the right of Ethiopia to benefit from the Niles water. We accepted the GERD as a hydrological project that Ethiopia said was designed to generate electricity, but a few years down the road it turned out that this was not only the plan. Instead, Ethiopia wants to contest Egypts water rights to the Nile, the Egyptian source said. Throughout five years of talks that started in 2015 upon the signing of the Declaration of Principles for the GERD in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, Egypt has aimed to defend its legal and just right to 55 billion cubic metres of Nile water a year, not only on the basis of legal agreements but also on the fact that the UN acknowledges that Egypt is water-poor. For its part, Ethiopia has declined this legal right and instead has dubbed it colonial. In an attempt to overcome such hurdles, Sudan proposed to both countries that they put aside the debate on water rights and focus instead on the filling and operation of the GERD. However, according to Egyptian sources, throughout the negotiations on the GERD Ethiopia has nevertheless been effectively challenging Egypts water rights. This is what it boils down to when we are discussing the filling and operation of the GERD during drought and non-drought years: we want to make sure that what we receive annually from the Blue Nile does not go below 40 billion cubic metres of water, while Ethiopia has been talking about reducing this to 30 to 32 billion cubic meters a year, the source said. If Ethiopia was just thinking of the GERD as a project to generate electricity, then it would not be thinking of cutting close to half of our annual share of Nile water. But is seems increasingly likely that what Ethiopia has in mind goes way beyond the generation of electricity, he added. Other Egyptian sources have suggested that what Ethiopia has in mind is to turn the reservoir of the GERD into a water bank for its own use. They add that while Ethiopia may not be planning to deny Egypt its annual share of water from the Nile, it may want Egypt to pay in return for its full share. This, the same sources say, goes back to the debates of 2009 and 2010 when several of the Nile Basin countries were discussing a possible agreement that would have cut not just Egypts share of the Niles water, but Sudans share as well. The discussion on this started before the splitting of Sudan into two countries in 2011. Last week, Ethiopia was again telling its international interlocutors that what the Nile Basin countries, both on the Blue and the White Niles, need now is a new agreement on shares of Nile water. Egypt has always opposed the confusion of the issues. It has, however, agreed to a US proposal to work for now on an agreement for the filling and operation of the GERD and to discuss future development issues in a later agreement. However, official Egyptian sources say that even in the filling and operation agreement on the GERD there must be a reference to a future agreement on the use of Nile water. Ethiopia is as opposed to this as it is to finding an agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD. There are also concerns raised by Sudan on the ecological impacts of the GERD and its impact on Sudanese dams. With South Africas presidency of the AU set to expire in February, the next few months will be vital. If an agreement is not reached by the beginning of next year, then it will be time for a new round of talks, perhaps under the auspices of a new facilitator. Meanwhile, Ethiopia has said that it will go ahead with the next filling of the GERD as it did with the last, with or without an agreement. *A version of this article appears in print in the 10 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: However, U.S. officials a month ago seized Iranian gasoline en route to Maduro in a flotilla of four Greek-owned ships flying the flag of the West African nation of Liberia. No military force was used in the seizures and the ships werent physically confiscated. Rather, U.S. officials threatened ship owners, insurers and captains with sanction to force them to hand over their cargo. On 7 September, a Saudi court has issued a final verdict in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, commuting the convicts previous death sentences. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns a ruling that "fails international efforts to end impunity for crimes against journalists, " and calls on Saudi Arabia government to take its responsibility in an obvious case of impunity. Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and fierce critic of the Saudi government who lived in exile in the US, was killed by a Saudi squad in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on 2 October 2018. The Saudi government gave conflicting information about the circumstances of his murder, trying to cover up the truth. The IFJ has repeatedly called for an independent investigation and an end to impunity for Khashoggis murderers. The first trial held in December 2019 behind closed doors handed the death penalty to five suspects and prison terms totaling more than 24 years to three other more suspects. In May 2020, Khashoggis sons pardoned the killers, granting mercy to the five people who initially received death sentences and paving the way for the final ruling on 7 September that commuted their sentences. A report by the Washington Post said that Khashoggi's sons had received houses and monthly payments, suggesting that Saudi authorities tried to buy the family. On 7 September, the official Saudi Press Agency, citing a spokesman for the public prosecutor, said that five of the convicted received a sentence of five years while three other suspects sentences were reduced to between seven and ten years. The convicts remained unnamed. The verdict was widely criticised, including by UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions Agnes Callamard, who denounced on Twitter the lack of transparency and fairness in the trial. Khashoggis fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, called the verdict a complete mockery of justice on Twitter. IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: This trial has fallen far short of international standards of due process and is a shocking denial of justice to the murdered journalist, his family and the global community of journalists. Instead of revealing the circumstances of the killing, the court protected the people responsible for Khashoggi's murder. The verdict fails international efforts to end impunity in crimes against journalists. Saudi Arabia must provide answers before the case is closed, including naming the person who ordered and planned the killing and where the body of our murdered colleague is. I immediately held on to each word, feeling like the world had just stopped. "No, no medical conditions, where is he?" The paramedic relayed the address, and I immediately knew about his condition. "My son has overdosed on heroin," I replied to the paramedic. I'm sure the paramedic was shocked by my response, I was confident with my answer and my overriding concern was giving the information to the paramedic as quickly as possible so that proper treatment could be administered. The paramedic assured me they'd do everything possible, and they'd call me back. My son was not in some seedy housing project in the slums of Houston, he was being intibated (a breathing tube was being inserted into his lungs) by HFD while lying on the living room floor of a home in a nice, peaceful, family neighborhood here in KINGWOOD. The next 20 or 30 minutes were a living hell waiting for further word from the paramedics. The call finally came, and I was told that my son had regained consciousness and was breathing on his own and was being transported to the emergency room. You may be wondering why I would be writing this letter. The answer is simple. As a parent you need to fully understand that Kingwood is not immune to drugs. The use of methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine, crack and other drugs is relatively prevalent here, just as it is in most other communities. Prescription drugs such as Xanax, Vicodin, Oxycotin and Aderall are commonly sold on the corner and abused by kids each day in Kingwood. I know this to be true because I've spoken with many police officers and asked some very poignant questions. I've also spoken with paramedics that have responded to overdoses in this community. I've also got a child that's taken most and acquired them all without leaving the limits of Kingwood. I've also spoken to professional drug counselors that have worked with children in this area and have shared my frustration with the lack of services for drug addiction in Kingwood because the community at large is in DENIAL that a drug problem exists in the Living Forest. Our children are not saints because they live in Kingwood, nor is this community insulated from the scourge of drugs. Drug abuse and addiction crosses all racial, ethnic, religious and socio-economic lines and does not stop when it sees a "Welcome to Kingwood" sign. This problem is not only in Porter, New Caney or Humble. It is also here. Wake up Kingwood parents. To the parents of my son's drug dealer, and yes, your son is a drug dealer, here is what I have to say to you: I know that it's difficult to admit that your child is an addict. I also know that you have endured the same hell that I have lived through. Your children are probably the most important people to you, yet you are allowing your son's addiction to ruin your lives and that of your younger child. What risk is your younger child being placed in? I hope that your family can overcome this and neither of your children come as close to death as mine did at your home. Fortunately, my son's overdose was not fatal and you have been spared the embarrassment of having your neighbors see crime scene tape wrapped around your home this time. If your son is not in rehab or jail, he is using. You need to face the cold harsh reality of his addiction before you can help him get better. He will only be able to overcome his addiction if he wants to overcome it. Stop protecting him from the consequences of his addiction. You know where his heroin and needles are hidden in your home. I can only hope that the seriousness of this incident is a wake up call for you. I also know first hand how hard tough love can be. To my son's drug dealer - thank you for calling the ambulance. That is the only redeeming quality you have with me. I'm sure you have others but they have been obscured by your heroin use. I know that kicking it is hard; you've tried before. I know you still have a conscience or you would have allowed my son to die. I know what happened Friday morning. I know that you provided the heroin. I know that you shot up in front of your little brother. Would you provide heroin for your brother or just bars and pot? You didn't get arrested this time and I'm not sure why. You are an addict - you are sick. You need help and maybe it's not too late to ask your parents to help you get clean but you've got to want to be clean. When my son gets out of rehab, please leave him alone, please don't call him please don't contact him. Please don't give him heroin. You may wonder how kids become involved in drugs. It's actually pretty simple. Someone usually offers it to them or they start with your liquor or medicine cabinet at home. It's terribly ironic that drug abuse often begins at home. Kids don't intend on becoming addicts, it just happens with time and usually starts with what most of us would consider to be "safer drugs" like alcohol and pot. Some kids have addictive personalities, and some drugs are very physically addictive. A drug counselor once told me "no kid wakes up one day and says, I think I'll become an addict." I know my son never made the choice to become an addict but he did make the choice to use. Kids in middle schools are rapidly becoming the next generation of drug users. My middle school aged child has been approached repeatedly to "go smoke some pot." My son started at about that age too, with alcohol and pot. I hope each time she is approached to use drugs she envisions her brother after his overdose, lying in the emergency room hooked up to the monitors with an oxygen tube in his nose and an IV in his arm. I don't think she has ever been more scared in her entire life. As she buried her head into my chest and sobbed, the ER was a strangely comforting place. My son has entered drug rehab and I pray each day that he will overcome his addiction. He has stopped using before. The day he overdosed was the first time he'd used heroin in about four months. It was just like he used it the first time again, and it almost killed him. He is scared. He had a come to a Jesus enlightenment of sorts when he nearly died. He knows that another few minutes would have been the end of his life. The paramedics and medical staff made that very clear to him by repeatedly telling him "you had no pulse, you were not breathing, your heart wasn't pumping, you were blue, you were as close to death as you can get and still make it back." I hope he stays scared for a very long time. I hope that this letter will enlighten those of you who say "It could never happen to my child, it could never happen in Kingwood." Believe me, it can. Share this with your kids. Ask them questions. Know their friends and their friend's parents. Don't be afraid to ask the hard question and watch for the signs of drug use. Don't be afraid to get involved. I was told by the HPD officer who investigated my son's overdose that there was no "probable cause" to search the home where my son was found overdosed. If a minor overdosed on heroin does not constitute "probable cause" for a search, then our legal system is a farce. Shame on our law makers for allowing this dealer/addict another day of freedom to use, abuse and provide drugs. Houston Police Department offers an anonymous tip hotline at 713-466-3673 to report suspected drug activity. Use it. I wish I had done more to stop the drug dealing that I knew was going on but part of me wanted to spare the drug dealer's parents of this nightmare. Part of me wanted to not get involved, I was already involved enough dealing with an addicted kid. I now realize that I should have been more vigilant. Until yesterday, I did not know this hotline existed. Press your local representatives to provide the community with adequate patrol officers and investigators. Even though overall crime has increased in our community, the patrol officers are being reduced. I'm sure the statistics would support that drug activity in Kingwood is on the rise. Kingwood is getting a new community center. Perhaps so KYODO NEWS - Sep 10, 2020 - 01:20 | World, All The foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations met Wednesday, with the coronavirus pandemic, territorial disputes in the South China Sea and Rohingya refugees high on the agenda. ASEAN-related gatherings through Saturday are being held via videoconference due to the pandemic, which has made international travel difficult. The meetings were originally scheduled for early August in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, which is the regional group's chair this year. The pandemic dominated the day's talks, as underlined in a draft joint communique seen by Kyodo News but not yet finalized ahead of its planned release after the one-day ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting concludes. In the draft, the ministers acknowledge "a severe and multidimensional impact" from the coronavirus pandemic on the region through such challenges as widespread supply chain disruptions, job losses and demand shocks. But the ministers also express optimism about a quick recovery from the pandemic's fallout due to member countries' "strong mettle and self-reliance" and support from their partners outside ASEAN. In his remarks, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc proposed making use of a regional COVID-19 response fund and the ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies established after ASEAN leaders agreed in April to help procure crucial medical supplies and equipment for frontline response and prevention efforts in all member states. "We need to promptly help our people and businesses restore production and return their life to normal in order to speed up economic recovery," the prime minister told the foreign ministers via video link. One of the other issues discussed at the ministerial conference was the South China Sea, where tensions have risen since the United States' recent formal rejection of China's claims to offshore resources in most of the waters. In the South China Sea -- home to some of the world's busiest sea lanes -- China has in recent years built artificial islands with military infrastructure, much to the consternation of some ASEAN countries with overlapping territorial claims. While not fully agreed upon, a portion of the draft communique mentions the foreign ministers' "concerns on land reclamations, activities and serious incidents in the South China Sea." The statement also says these developments "have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region." However, member countries were divided over how to deal with the growing presence of China in the sea. In an apparent attempt to ease harsh tones over China's behavior, Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishamuddin Tun Hussein said the South China Sea issue "must be managed and resolved in a rational manner" and ASEAN has to "look at all avenues, all approaches, to ensure our region is not complicated further by other powers." Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi shared a similar view, expressing concern over the increasing tension and rivalry of major countries in the South China Sea. "Such a situation will surely bring impacts to peace, stability and welfare in the region (and) what is more worrying is that other countries have frequently been sandwiched and forced to choose," she said. "Rivalry will not benefit anyone," the minister added, calling on all sides to focus instead on improving cooperation. The draft also touches on Rohingya Muslims sheltering in some ASEAN countries after fleeing Myanmar's western Rakhine State to neighboring Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown on insurgents. Since August 2017, over 740,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh. International efforts to repatriate them have failed so far, as the refugees remain fearful of violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. The foreign ministers' meeting will be followed by a series of related meetings involving ASEAN partner countries, such as Japan, China and the United States, with the four-day event culminating in Saturday's ASEAN Regional Forum, a security-themed conference that also includes North Korea. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (Christine Tjandraningsih, Chanantorn Kamjan, Puy Kea and Vivian Ho contributed to this story from Jakarta, Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur) Related coverage: Asian leaders affirm urgent need to develop coronavirus treatment OPINION: What supply chain resilience means for Australia-India-Japan ties? ASEAN leaders' summit postponed until late June amid coronavirus crisis The Midwest Independent Booksellers Association and Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association co-hosted a panel September 8 on a topic very much on industry professionals minds: Virtual Author Events from the Publishers Perspective. The program, part of the virtual Heartland Fall Forum series, was moderated by GLIBA executive director Larry Law and featured Ronnie Kutys of HarperCollins, Matt Flores from Penguin Random House, and Alex Kelleher-Nagorski, associate director of publicity, Scholastic. Close to 60 booksellers attended, with the discussion ranging from the logistics of hosting virtual events that pull in customers, not just viewers, to co-op opportunities, to security. While the three publishers' reps agreed that virtual events are effective in drawing large audiences from far beyond the bookstores physical location, there are flip sides to virtual events ranging from the need to make each event on an authors tour unique to delivering a program that keeps viewers engaged. It is tricky trying to distinguish one virtual event from another. Kelleher-Nagorski said, while Kutys pointed out that audiences "want a little more than the traditional format of an author making a short presentation, answering questions, and signing books. Kutys also reminded booksellers of the importance to make clear to viewers that the book is for sale. As for ticketed virtual events versus non-ticketed events, publishers' reps and booksellers agreed that tour stops should be consistent: either all virtual events must be ticketed for a bestselling author or all stops should be non-ticketed for that author. If its a ticketed tour, we want to keep it ticketed throughout, Flores said, and Kutys added, Its unfair to have x number of ticketed events, then follow it up with unticketed events. We want to be as fair as possible. Flores acknowledged, however, that publishers and booksellers alike must have realistic expectations regarding virtual events, even of big names, saying that we dont expect these events to have the same sales as in-person events with the same author. Kristen Sandstrom, manager of Apostle Islands Booksellers in Bayfield, Wis. pointed out that sales dont always occur during the virtual event. She said that when the store hosted Peter Geye recently, discussing his novel, Northernmost, there were no sales during the event, but heavy sales before and after. Its a bestseller in our store, she said. In response, Flores urged booksellers to share such information with publishers when reporting sales data afterwards to publicists. The publishers reps and booksellers agreed that swag is a good incentive to spur sales during virtual events. Kutys noted that customers who attended virtual events for the latest book by the husband and wife writing team of Ilona Andrews were sent the link to an exclusive short story by the co-authors. She also noted that some HarperCollins authors have signed tip-ins that are made available exclusively to customers attending virtual events. Kelleher-Nagorski told booksellers that when booksellers submit bids to publishers for virtual events, they are welcome to suggest appropriate conversation partners though it does not determine whether or not a request will be granted. It doesnt have to be another author, Kelleher-Nagorski added. Publishers are also considering sending groups of authors on virtual tours, rather than single authors per event, to further build audiences. Flores noted that virtual events are treated much as in-person events, when decisions are made on where to place the author on a virtual tour. Its very similar to in-person events, he said, in that publishers consider previous experience hosting events, and ask the following questions of the bookseller: What platform are you using? How are you marketing it? How are you insuring security? The Co-op Question The issue of publisher co-op opportunities was also addressed, with booksellers asking about opportunities to offset the cost of paying for platforms to host events, because, as Kris Kleindienst, co-owner of Left Bank Books in St. Louis, Mo. pointed out, with viewers coming from outside the stores customer base, sales do not balance out the expenses incurred by the store in hosting a virtual event. All three publishers' reps explained that co-op opportunities for virtual events are under discussion at their companies, as they realize that virtual events cost more than originally estimated. Were open to finding ways to partner with stores to do what works best, to make sure youre getting as much out of it as we are, Kelleher-Nagorski said. If a bookstore doesnt have the staff or a platform to effectively host a secure virtual event, Kutys said, Well work with you to make sure its the most secure event possible, but make sure its your event, not a HarperCollins event. All three panelists agreed that links and any other communications with audiences about a virtual event should come from the store, not from the publisher, to maintain customer privacy and to avoid confusion. The three panelists stressed the importance of security for authors during virtual events, with Kelleher-Nagorski disclosing that he prefers Crowdcast to Zoom for virtual events, as Crowdcast seems to be more secure. Flores pointed out that using Eventbrite to register audiences also offers an extra layer of security for virtual events. When it comes down to it in this new world of hosting virtual events, the publishers reps emphasized that communication between bookseller and publisher is key. Stay in communication with us and the publicist all the way up to the event, Flores suggested, with Kelleher-Nasgorski adding that it is essential that the publisher and bookseller are "on the same page," especially in marketing events. Authors are included in marketing strategies, and the three panelists urged booksellers to contact them immediately if an author is not promoting beforehand any store's virtual event on their social media platforms. Despite technical glitches and all the logistics surrounding virtual events, Kutys concluded that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. HarperCollins can be more creative in connecting authors with stores that are harder to get to," she said, "Now we can make that happen. Virtual events will always be part of tours from now on. From local charities to farmers, volunteers willing to tend to human and animal needs alike stepped up Saturday to keep the momentum of mid-va No CEO wants to cut jobs, but even those who take pride in principled, ethical leadership know downsizing sometimes is required. When we asked Harry Kraemer, a former CEO who teaches values-based leadership at Northwesterns Kellogg School of Management, how a mayor might approach a budget crunch, he didnt flinch at the notion of layoffs. I dont think it matters at all whether its a for-profit, nonprofit or government entity. In my mind, youve got a mission youve got to accomplish and you have a certain amount of resources, he says. The values part of the equation includes how fairly and sensitively layoffs are conducted, he explained. For example, that means providing laid off workers with job-hunting assistance. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) says it has signed a deal with a Mexican pharmaceutical company, Landsteiner Scientific, to deliver 32 million doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. The fund said on September 9 that shipments to Mexico will begin in November, pending approval by Mexican medical regulators. According to the RDIF, Landsteiner Scientific will be Sputnik V's distributor in Mexico. Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said the same day that the Moscow-based Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, which developed the vaccine, was open to make it available for other countries, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during talks with his Kazakh counterpart, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, that the two countries had reached agreements on deliveries of the Russian vaccine to Kazakhstan for tests and vaccinations. The first batch of the new vaccine was released for civil distribution on September 8, with Russian officials adding that a countrywide COVID-19 vaccination campaign will begin next month following post-registration tests. Despite a lack of published data, Russia approved the vaccine for domestic use on August 11. President Vladimir Putin said at the time of the announcement that the vaccine provided "sustainable immunity" and that one of his own daughters had been inoculated. Data on the tests, however, was published later in the British medical journal The Lancet showing patients involved in early tests developed antibodies with "no serious adverse events." On August 15, the Gamaleya center and Binnopharm pharmaceutical company started producing the vaccine. Russian authorities have said that they expect the number of vaccines needed to cover Russia's entire population will have been produced within one year. Russia has recorded just over 1 million cases of the coronavirus, with more than 18,000 deaths. With reporting by TASS and Interfax Police are looking for information after one man was injured during a shooting in Lebanon city this weekend. According to a statement from Lebanon City Police Chief Todd Breiner, officers responded to a call for shots fired in the 200 block of East Cumberland Street around 3:31 a.m. Saturday. Police were later alerted to a man with a gunshot wound at Wellspan Good Samaritan Hospital. The man suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg while in the area of the shooting report. Officers at the scene found evidence of gunshots, including empty bullet casings and blood inside and outside a house, although when they arrived no one was home. The injured man is a resident of Massachusetts, police said. There was no one else injured in the shooting, and police said the man was transported to another medical facility where he was treated and released. Police believe the shooting was targeted, and it was not a random act. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the Lebanon City Police Department at 717 272 2054 or Crimes Stoppers at 717 270 9800. Read more on PennLive: A woman is detained during a rally in support of Maria Kolesnikova, a member of the Coordination Council created by the opposition to facilitate talks with President Alexander Lukashenko on a transition of power, in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 8, 2020. (AP Photo) In Canada, Calls to Impose Sanctions and Join Allies Against Belarusian Regime Russia poised to deploy police forces to Belarus at request of long-standing dictator and ally Protests that began in May in Belarus against the authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko have only increased in size and intensity since the Aug. 9 election, which Canada and many other countries widely perceive as having been fraudulent and rigged. Widespread unrest since the election has seen at least four people killed, hundreds injured, and hundreds more arrested. Pro-democracy protesters want Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, to resign. Although Canada may have little leverage in the situation, some say there are certain actions the government can take. One is to support our allies in Europe and to stand up for democratic norms in Belarus. Canada has limited interests in Belarus and thus limited leverage with Lukashenkos regime. Our main interests are the defence of democratic values on the one hand and support for our allies, particularly the Baltic states, on the other, Balkan Devlen, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said in an interview. We, together with our European allies, should make it clear to Lukashenkoand his principal backer in the Kremlinthat violence against democratic opposition and the demonstrators will not be tolerated and that there will be financial and political consequences for doing otherwise. In response to Lukashenkos theft of the election and conduct since then, the European Union has drafted a round of personal sanctions that seek to freeze assets and impose travel bans on 31 Belarusian officials. The three Baltic member states of the EULatvia, Estonia, and Lithuaniahave already banned Lukashenko and 29 other high-ranking officials. Some MPs are also calling for sanctions. On Sept. 3, Conservative MPs Michael Cooper and Kerry Diotte and NDP MP Heather McPherson joined a rally outside the Alberta legislature to call on Ottawa to take action. The government has tools at its disposal that it can use today. Its time that the government stopped talking about the possibility of sanctions and started imposing them, Cooper said, according to the Edmonton Journal. Global Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has issued multiple statements condemning the Belarus regimes actions following the election. Canada will continue to stand with the people of Belarus, and we will work with our international partners to ensure that their voices are heard and that those responsible for undermining democracy and for brutal actions against protestors are held to account, Champagne said in an Aug. 17 statement. Amid the clampdown on the protesters, there are reports of torture and abuse of those who have been arrested and detained by the regime. Journalists, particularly those working for foreign media outlets, have also had their accreditation revoked, and two journalists were deported in August. Maria Kolesnikova, one of Lukashenkos most prominent opponents involved in the protests, was abducted in Minsk by men in masks on Sept. 7. She is reportedly being held on the border with Ukraine as the authorities attempt to expel her to Ukraine. On Sept. 6, over 600 protesters were arrested following a mass anti-government rally. Devlen notes that the Baltic states took a principled and strong stance against Lukashenkos brazen attempt to steal the election and gave full support to the democratic opposition despite being more vulnerable to pressure from Russia due to their geographic location. There has been much concern among observers as to the possible response from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who pledged at the end of August that Moscow would help Belarus with its security. He said on Russian state TV that Lukashenko had asked him to set up a certain police reserve, which he has done, adding that it will not be used until the situation gets out of control. Amid the turmoil, there have also been talks of further integration between the two allies. Belarus has been grappling with financial problems, with Russia offering to refinance US$1 billion of Belarusian debt. It is not realistic to expect EU or Canada to intervene directly in Belarus but we could make it too costly for Putin to support a violent suppression of the democratic movement, Devlen says. Noting that the current turmoil is not sustainable, Devlen says Putin will eventually start thinking about letting Lukashenko go to ensure that the opposition would not turn anti-Russian because of his support for the regime. There is no love lost between Putin and Lukashenko. Putin is interested in ensuring that any regime in Minsk is not anti-Russia, he says. So what we can do, together with our European allies, is to push for a negotiated exit for Lukashenko, and the way to do that is to make both Lukashenko and Putin understand clearly that they cannot repress the peoples uprising with force without incurring significant financial and political costs. North Carolina caps outdoor gatherings at 50 people to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but dont tell that to President Donald Trump. He basked in a largely maskless crowd of several thousand supporters during a rally in this critical battleground state. As far as the eye can see, Trump said, reveling at the sight of people flouting public health guidelines at Tuesdays rally. I really believe that these crowds are bigger than they were four years ago. A day earlier in Pennsylvania, Trumps Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, held a socially distanced meeting in a backyard. His team has been so attentive to local regulations that some staffers have left the room if they risked breaking the rules on crowd limits. I really miss being able to, you know, grab hands and shake hands, Biden recently told supporters. You cant do that now. With less than eight weeks until Election Day, Trump and Biden are taking diametrically opposite approaches to campaigning during a pandemic and the differences amount to more than political theater. The candidates are effectively staking out different visions for the country with Biden emphasizing guidelines supported by local health officials while Trump rails against restrictions that he argues without evidence are politically motivated. By the way, your state should be open, Trump said in North Carolina a state where he has feuded with Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, over his abandoned plans to hold the Republican National Convention in Charlotte. Its you, its Michigan, its a couple others, Trump added, as he sees a potent line of attack in battleground states run by Democrats. Trump aides and allies suggest the president sees his rallies as a manifestation of the reopening hes preaching and that he believes is vital to the nations economic recovery and what voters want. In a dig at those who warn against reopening too quickly, Trump suggested that these states would suddenly reopen the day after the election when opponents advocating caution can no longer hurt his reelection. Outdoor events used to be few and far between for Trump, who prefers the deafening echo and air conditioning of indoor arenas. But in the wake of a June rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when the president addressed a half-empty arena and a promised five-figure overflow crowd never materialized, his campaign decided to move to lower-stakes airport hangars and tarmacs. The one thing that has stayed the same: crowing about his crowd sizes in comparison with Bidens. If he had 200 people, I think it would be a lot, Trump said Tuesday of his opponent. Have you ever seen the gyms with the circles? Thats his crowd. If he had 200 people. Bidens crowds, in fact, have been far smaller. The former vice president has appeared in public only sparingly since the pandemic hit and with the strictest adherence to state guidelines: 25 people in Pennsylvania, 50 in Michigan and mandatory face-coverings all around. Bidens approach reflects the reluctance of many of his supporters to attend large gatherings. For someone who has never been a natural in an arena, the smaller events allow Biden to have more personal interactions with representatives from key voting blocs, like labor and community leaders. But they also allow him to largely avoid any controversy created by a critical questioner or a protester, both of whom he was forced to grapple with multiple times on the campaign trail before the pandemic struck. Even when Biden is confronted with organic crowds of supporters, hes rarely given the opportunity for an unscripted interaction with them. As Biden gave a speech last week focused on the Trump administrations response to the coronavirus at a university building in Pittsburgh, a crowd of more than 100 gathered and continued to arrive even as his event wrapped up. They chanted We want Joe! and waved Biden signs, some of them homemade. But, after his speech, Biden remained inside the building to attend a virtual fundraiser, then abruptly left to pass out pizzas at a nearby firehouse without approaching the supporters. Three days later, after Biden visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, he and his wife, Jill, stopped at the home of a supporter in Wauwatosa, a leafy Milwaukee suburb. With so many people confined to their homes, the presence of Bidens motorcade on a small street drew more than 200 people out onto their porches or the street. The Bidens spent more than half an hour meeting in a quiet back patio with two teachers and a parent concerned about how to resume in-person learning during the pandemic. The crowd cheered and chanted Go Joe!, but the private meeting ran so long that Biden only interacted with them for less than a minute. As he was leaving, he walked to the middle of the street and then, surrounded by Secret Service agents, bellowed, Dont forget to vote! Earlier this week, however, Biden took a moment after an event focused on labor leaders at a supporters house in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to greet a crowd of about two dozen supporters that had assembled across the street. Flanked by Secret Service agents, Biden said a few words to the crowd about his belief that Americans can do anything when theyre unified and about the need to vote, then spoke briefly to reporters and departed. Later that day, Biden waved at a crowd of about 100 from the window of the AFL-CIO Pennsylvania headquarters, but declined to come any nearer after leaving the building. Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamana on Wednesday, in an apparent reference to actor Kangana Ranaut, said that the Union Home Ministry's decision to provide security to her is unfortunate as the actor had 'insulted' Mumbai by comparing it to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. "Comparing Mumbai to 'Pak Occupied' Kashmir and insulting the khaki uniform by calling the Mumbai Police a mafia are signs of a deteriorated mentality. Insulting the 11 crore Marathi people of Maharashtra and Mumbai seems like a crime like treason. But when the Union Ministry of Home Affairs of the Modi government stands with the people committing such crimes, our 108 martyrs, who laid down their lives for retaining Mumbai as the capital of Maharashtra after independence, will be shedding tears in heaven," Shiv Sena said in Saamana. "If any person arrogantly challenges the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, then the whole of Maharashtra should be united against it. The Bharatiya Janata Party is directly supporting those who insult Mumbai and the Chief Minister of the State," it added. The Shiv Sena further said that insulting Mumbai is equivalent to making derogatory statements against Mumba Devi, the Goddess of Mumbai. "Mumbai is the offering of Goddess 'Mumba Devi'. A Koli named 'Munga' established this Goddess, hence her name was first named 'Mungachi Aai' and 'Maha-Ambai'. Some say that Mumbai is the form of 'Mrunmayi'. Our goddess was insulted by comparing her with the Pakistan occupied area. Hindutva and culture, religion and renunciation of 108 martyrs were insulted and by doing such insult, the Central Government is giving respect to the guard of special protection to the person insulted Maharashtra," it said. "The names of those who insult the mother of 'Mumbai' will be written with asphalt in the history of Maharashtra," it added. Shiv Sena further attacked the BJP and said that it should have focused on the India-China situation rather than standing with the opposers of Maharashtra. "Today, BJP men are standing with the opposers of Maharashtra, the same faith should have been shown against the Chinese. Then the country would not have been insulted on the border of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh," it said. (ANI) Also Read: BMC serves notice to Kangana Ranaut for unauthorised construction in Mumbai office Even quantum computers make mistakes. Their computing ability is extraordinary; indeed, it exceeds that of classical computers by far. This is because circuits in quantum computers are based on qubits that can represent not only 0s or 1s, but also superpositions of 0 and 1 states by using the principles of quantum mechanics. Despite their great potential, qubits are extremely fragile and prone to errors due to the interactions with the external environment. To solve this crucial issue, an international research group developed and implemented a new protocol that allows for the protection and the correction of the fragile quantum information in case of errors due to qubit loss. This research group published the results of their study in Nature. "Developing a fully functioning quantum processor still represents a great challenge for scientists across the world", explains Davide Vodola who is one of the authors of the study as well as a researcher at the University of Bologna. "This research allowed us, for the first time, to implement a protocol that can detect and, at the same time, correct errors due to qubit loss. This ability could prove to be essential for the future development of large-scale quantum computers". We know that quantum processors show a certain tolerance against computational errors. But we know too little about how to prevent and correct the errors that are due to a complete or partial loss of qubits. When quantum computers elaborate the data, some qubits can be completely lost from the quantum registers or they can transition to unwanted electronic states. The outcome of both these processes is a loss that may render the quantum processor useless. For this reason, devising theory-based and experimental techniques that can analyse and mitigate the consequences of these errors is extremely important. "To solve this problem, the first thing our research group did was to develop an effective theoretical approach to the issue", says Vodola. "We managed to show that the information stored in a register with some qubits can be protected and fully retrieved in case one of these qubits gets lost". Then, the research group implemented this protocol in a real-life quantum processor. This is not easy at all, however. Indeed, for assessing whether a qubit is lost, a direct measurement of it will destroy all the information that is contained in the quantum register. The research group came up with the solution of using an additional qubit that functions as a probe and can assess the presence or absence of other qubits without altering the computing process. This idea worked, allowing the researchers to successfully test their protocol in real-time. "We are happy with the results of this test on the trapped-ion quantum processor of the University of Innsbruck", confirms Vodola. "The same protocol can be implemented in different quantum computer architectures that are currently under development by other research centres or private institutions". ### The title of this study is "Experimental deterministic correction of qubit loss" and was published in Nature journal. A research group led by Innsbruck University (Austria) carried out the experiment; the researchers are Rainer Blatt and Thomas Monz (leading the team of the trapped-ion quantum processor), Roman Stricker, Martin Ringbauer and Phillip Schindler, who carried out the experiment. Davide Vodola, who works as a researcher at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Bologna, and Markus Muller (RWTH Aachen University, Germany) also participated in the study. Boeing has recorded its first orders of the year for the grounded 737 Max, but a new flaw has surfaced in another of its planes, compounding the company's struggle to recover during a pandemic that has undercut demand for new jetliners. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this June 12, 2017, file photo, a Boeing 787 airplane being built for Norwegian Air Shuttle is shown at Boeing Co.'s assembly facility, in Everett, Wash. Boeing is dealing with a new production problem involving its 787 jet, in which inspections have found flaws in the way that sections of the rear of the plane were joined together. Boeing said Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, it's not an immediate safety risk but could cause the planes to age prematurely. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) Boeing has recorded its first orders of the year for the grounded 737 Max, but a new flaw has surfaced in another of its planes, compounding the company's struggle to recover during a pandemic that has undercut demand for new jetliners. Boeing said Tuesday it is inspecting part of the tail of the two-aisle 787 after finding that pieces were clamped together too tightly, which could lead to premature fatigue of a part called the horizontal stabilizer. The company said it believes the problem affects 893 of the nearly 1,000 787s that have been built. Boeing expects the inspections of recently finished planes to affect the timing of 787 deliveries in the near term, spokesman Peter Pedraza said in a statement. The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the matter. It is too early to speculate about the nature or extent of any proposed Airworthiness Directives that might arise from the agencys investigation, said the spokesman, Lynn Lunsford, referring to potential safety orders that could be imposed on Boeing. Boeing disclosed last month that it found two other manufacturing flaws in the 787, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner and is built largely of carbon composite materials. The company grounded eight planes because of those issues. The company said Tuesday that during production of the tail horizontal stabilizers at a Boeing plant in Salt Lake City, some parts were clamped together with too much force, resulting in improper gaps between sections. Boeing doesnt believe it is an immediate safety issue but could lead to premature aging of the parts, and it is delaying some 787 deliveries while determining whether repairs are needed on planes that have already been delivered. The Chicago-based company, which builds planes in Washington state and South Carolina, said it delivered 13 airliners last month, including four 787s. It is a popular plane among airlines for international routes. Cowen analyst Cai von Rumohr expected Boeing to deliver 13 787s. He said airlines are pushing back deliveries because international travel is so depressed. Boeings slow pace of deliveries since early 2019, when the Max was grounded, has robbed the company of much-needed cash. Amid the bad news around the 787, Boeing reported Tuesday that it received orders for five Max jets in August, two by Polish charter airline Enter Air and three by a buyer that Boeing did not identify. It also reported selling three 777 cargo freighters. However, cancellations continue to outpace new orders, and Boeing has removed other sales from its backlog because the financial health of the airline customer makes the orders uncertain. 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. So far this year, Boeing has lost 932 more orders than it has gained. The pandemic has undermined air travel, leading to fewer flights and leaving airlines with no need for new planes. Boeing is still working with U.S. and foreign regulators to clear the Max for return to flying after two deadly crashes. Nearly 400 Max jets were in use when the fleet was grounded worldwide in March 2019 after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people. The Max was Boeing's bestselling plane. Boeing dispatched a Max to Vancouver on Tuesday for flight tests this week with European regulators. The company has already conducted several test flights with FAA experts to demonstrate changes that Boeing made to computers and software after an automated system pushed down the noses of planes before they crashed. Boeing shares fell 5.8% in Tuesday trading. ___ David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter Shes one of Australia's better known fashion exports, but Shanina Shaik was turning heads in London as she ventured out for a shopping trip on Wednesday. The Melbourne born model caught the eye in a stylish white polo top and high slung leather trousers while venturing out in the English capital with a friend. Shanina, 27, added to her look with a pair of strappy slingback heels, while a distinctive Louis Vuitton handbag rounded things off. Make way: She's one of Australia's better known fashion exports, but Shanina Shaik was turning heads in London as she ventured out for a shopping trip on Wednesday On a bright day in London the model kept her eyes shielded behind a pair of heavily tinted sunglasses as she made her way into popular Italian restaurant Scalini. She gave her look an understated flourish by styling her hair with a conventional centre parting, while hr make-up was reduced to natural colour tones. Evidently in high spirits, the model gave onlookers a beaming smile as she exited the Chelsea eatery following a light lunch. In good company: Shanina was joined by a friend during her latest appearance in the capital Smart: The Melbourne born model caught the eye in a stylish white polo top and high slung leather slacks Let's go Shanina was in high spirits as she stepped onto the street after dining out at popular Italian restaurant Scalini Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Monday, Shanina reflected on the progress the brand has made over the years, saying it has opened up to diversity on the runway. 'I think that over the years Victoria's Secret has opened up to more diversity,' she told the publication. 'I think we will see more and more in the coming years,' Shanina added, explaining that the girls who currently strut the coveted runway work very hard. Finishing touches: Shanina added to her look with a pair of strappy slingback heels, while a distinctive Louis Vuitton handbag rounded things off 'The girls who walk for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show work really hard to be their fittest and healthiest.' The interview comes after model Robyn Lawley, 29, launched a petition to boycott the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, for not casting any plus size models. 'I am sick and tired of seeing the same body type,' Robyn said on The Morning Show last month. Robyn called for Victoria's Secret to feature 'a few other sizes' and for the lingerie brand to add more diversity. Madeline Smith who starred as Miss Caruso in the Bond film Live And Let Die (pictured), says Bond girls have been trailblazers NO BY MADELINE SMITH, BOND GIRL IN LIVE AND LET DIE Let's keep things in perspective. When woke women decry Bond girls as sexist anachronisms, they are forgetting the context in which the films were made. Ive never regretted playing Italian secret agent Miss Caruso in the 1973 Bond film Live And Let Die. The part was so sketchy that she was originally known merely as Beautiful Woman. Objectified? You may think that if you look at the film from the po-faced perspective of 21st-century feminism, but it is, in essence, a cartoon. It was created not to be scrutinised by the politically correct, but with the laudable aim of entertaining families. I featured in a scene worthy of a Whitehall farce in which Bond played by that most gentlemanly of actors, Roger Moore (pictured with me) unzips my dress with a magic watch. The dress was a preposterous creation, with a padded bra that enhanced my bust, and the ridiculous zip wouldnt unfasten. So three people, two of them men, disappeared under my frock to yank it down. Did I worry about the indignity? Of course not! I still laugh about it. But I would guard against trivialising all Bond girls and portraying them as the vacuous creations of sexist male writers. The redoubtable Honor Blackman, who played Pussy Galore (yes, I know the name is a ghastly double entendre, but lets remember this is comedy) was hardly a shrinking violet. Her character was skilled in martial arts and led an all-female aviation group. She was not a cipher, any more than Diana Riggs Bond girl was. Far from being stereotypes entrenched in an era of casual sexism, the Bond girls have been trailblazers. Moonrakers Dr Holly Goodhead, played by Lois Chiles way back in 1979, was a NASA aerospace engineer long before it became fashionable to urge women to study science. Bond girls like me have been trailblazers A woman? Bond asks in surprise when he meets her. Your powers of observation do you credit, she replies with glorious sarcasm. Neither should we overlook the fact that Monica Bellucci was 50 when she played the first Bond girl who was older than the male protagonist. Another quiet triumph for older actresses. Now, of course, we have been promised that Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who co-wrote the new Bond, No Time To Die, will bring us a cast of strong, exciting women. I have no doubt that she will. I just hope that, with all the clamouring to appease the politically correct, she has not forgotten that what audiences need most right now is the escapism and glamour of 007 and his bevy of unashamedly sexy sidekicks. YES Tanya Gold (pictured) argues Bond has become a parody BY TANYA GOLD, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR Bond girls are less a sexist relic than a sexist joke. The clue is in their collective noun. They are defined by who beds them. Gemma Arterton, who played Strawberry Fields because you want to lie down in her? in Quantum Of Solace recently said she wouldnt take the part now as she had no backstory. Thats true. Bond girls live and die to have sex with the spy, often literally. So many La Perla-clad bodies become corpses. Its an occupational hazard. When I think of Bond girls, I see cleavage and hear women shouting, James! a bit like cross mothers of teenage boys. There have been gauche attempts at modernisation, but they seem pointless the script doesnt want the modernisation to succeed. Yes, Bond had a female M in Judi Dench, but she died in his arms. He had a clever girlfriend in Eva Greens Vesper Lynd, but she drowned in a palazzo. My husband says Bond would have been faithful to Tracy, played by Diana Rigg, whom he married but I doubt it. She gets killed, of course. Its easy to be faithful to a memory. The older I get, the less I care about being asked to believe that the babe in the shorts is actually the worlds top nuclear physicist Dr Christmas Jones, played by Denise Richards. Or that Barbara Bach, who starred as Russian agent Triple X (geddit?), would throw the Motherland over for a tryst with 007. The world has moved on but Bond cant Bond began as a masculine fantasy, but he has, through overuse, become parody. The world has moved on, but Bond cant. In the real 21st century his jaw would be broken by the first woman he tries to pun into bed. Every character in the Bond films is a relic: the women; the villains (too often foreign, like Enid Blyton baddies). But no one more so than Bond himself. He is a poster boy for broken mid-20th-century masculinity. He cant form relationships, so he acts out his trauma, caused by being orphaned, through sex addiction. Imagine him in a studio flat in Neasden, rather than a luxe hotel in Barbados, and hes less interesting. So dont let Bond and his fembots vex you. Rather, remember this: there is a female Bond already. Her name is Lisbeth Salander: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. To his credit, current Bond Daniel Craig knows this. He starred as her sidekick her Bond girl in the film adaptation of Stieg Larssons book, trussed up by a serial killer until she saves his life. Was he trying to make a point? Fine Gael Senator Micheal Carrigy said when approached by my Fine Gael colleague Neale Richmond TD to take part in the Marie Keating Foundations Stand up for your Prostate campaign I had no hesitation in throwing my full support behind him and the campaign which is aimed at empowering men to feel comfortable discussing their health with friends and relatives and to get checked regularly. Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in Ireland, with over 3,350 men diagnosed with the illness every year. This year I am delighted to lend my support to Marie Keatings Blue September campaign to continue to raise awareness on this important issue. Men often do not talk openly about our health; in fact, three-quarters of men claim they have never had a conversation with a close male relative or friend about their prostate health. Given that you are 2.5 times more likely to develop prostate cancer if a close relative has had it, this is concerning. Many men with prostate cancer show no symptoms at all and so it is crucial that those over 50 talk to their doctor about prostate cancer. If detected early, over 90% of men will survive. I would encourage men to use this opportunity to discuss their health with friends and family, and work towards these conversations becoming second nature. Awareness is key. If we take the lead to talk about our health with our brothers, fathers, children and friends, together we can bring about change, one conversation at a time." California's already record-setting fire season worsened considerably Wednesday as more than two dozen fires forced thousands of residents from their homes amid growing alarm about a new monster blaze that rapidly consumed more than 250,000 acres around Oroville and killed at least three people. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea announced the deaths Wednesday evening. He did not provide details about where the victims died but said the bodies were found in areas where the Bear fire, part of the massive North Complex, had swept through. The remains of two people were found at one location; the third body was found elsewhere. Honea said his agency and others had desperately tried over the last 24 hours to alert residents in mountain communities that the fire was headed in their direction and that they needed to evacuate. In announcing the deaths, Honea said he was reminded of how, two years earlier, he had to disclose the toll of the Camp fire, which killed 85 people and is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. We cannot underestimate what they can do to the community and what they can do to the people we love, he said. Twenty-eight major wildfires burning statewide have prompted more than 64,000 people to evacuate, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Some 20,000 residents in Plumas, Butte and Yuba counties have been forced to flee from the North Complex fires, which exploded in size as "topography, high winds and dry fuels aligned to produce unprecedented fire behavior," officials said Wednesday morning. Overnight, the complex which includes the Bear fire spread at a rate of about 2,000 acres an hour, according to federal firefighters handling the incident. By Wednesday morning, it had consumed an additional 80,000 acres bringing its total size to more than 254,000 acres, stunning fire officials with its speed and ferocity and extending its potential threat all the way to the towns of Paradise and Concow, which were devastated in the 2018 Camp fire. Story continues Photos showed devastation in the tiny Butte County hamlet of Berry Creek, where many homes and other structures were destroyed by flames. Officials said they don't know the extent of the destruction in the town, which is north of the Oroville Dam. Some witnesses said many buildings were lost. Both towns are now under evacuation warnings, while evacuation orders have been issued for other areas around Lake Oroville. Jay Kurth, incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service, said the agency was still working Wednesday morning to figure out where the fire footprint really is because of the extreme overnight activity. Kurth added that weather conditions had improved with daybreak, including a softening of the winds, but he said the situation remained volatile. "Overall, the combination of hot, very dry and windy weather is a culmination of very critical conditions for the state," Brent Wachter, a predictive services meteorologist with the Forest Service, said in a video statement Wednesday. Nearby, 3,000 residents were evacuated from the community of Loma Rica in Yuba County on Wednesday as the Willow fire grew to 1,000 acres, according to Cal Fire. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. also worked Wednesday to restore service to numerous communities whose power had been shut off in hopes of avoiding new fires potentially being sparked by downed power lines. As of just after 11 a.m., power had been restored to 30,000 customers, the utility said. In light of the unprecedented fire conditions, the Forest Service announced that all national forests in California would be temporarily closed starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday. The agency had already closed eight of the state's national forests Monday but moved to shut the remaining 10 Eldorado, Klamath, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Six Rivers, Plumas, Shasta-Trinity, Tahoe and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit "to protect the public and our firefighters," Regional Forester Randy Moore said. "We will keep [closures] in place until conditions improve and we are confident that national forest visitors can recreate safely," he added in a statement. "I ask all Californians and visitors to take these closures and evacuations seriously for their own safety and to allow our firefighters to focus on the mission of safely suppressing these fires." With the potential for more strong winds in the forecast and red flag warnings in place for much of the state through Wednesday evening, fire officials warned that the challenging conditions present a risk not only of swelling existing fires some of which already rank among the largest in California's history but also of giving a foothold to new ones. "Yesterday and overnight, firefighters had a significant battle on their hands as winds whipped a number of fires, allowing significant growth and extreme fire behavior, not only for a number of new fires, but also in some of the major fires that have been burning," Berlant said. The Dolan fire burning in Monterey County, for instance, has doubled in size this week a frenetic growth rate one official attributed to the combination of strong winds, punishing temperatures and steep, rugged terrain. Flames burn behind the Bidwell Bar Bridge at Lake Oroville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press ) That fire had burned through more than 93,000 acres and was 20% contained as of Wednesday morning. For wildland firefighters, weve been in an all-hands-on-deck situation for weeks now, said Jacob Welsh, public information officer for Pacific Northwest Team 2, pointing to the number of significant fires burning up and down the West Coast. He added: Ive never seen anything like this in 20 years. Forecasters said winds remained relatively calm in the vicinity of the Bobcat fire, burning in the San Gabriel Mountains above Monrovia, and near the Creek fire in the Sierra foothills. "We didnt have much wind overnight, Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said of the Bobcat fire. As of Wednesday morning, Wofford said, winds were generally under 15 mph, though we could get some gusts, 20 to 30 mph, later this morning around the fire area. The smoldering remains of a structure are seen along Auberry Road in Fresno County, where the Creek fire burned through. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) "Were getting some stronger winds now, but theyre mostly on the ridges higher up above where the fire is currently," he said about 7:30 a.m. Though extreme winds have howled in some parts of the state, Wofford said, the [Bobcat] fire area was always a little bit questionable given its location it wasnt in an area that typically gets these strong winds. Were just fortunate it wasnt in one of those areas, he said. Officials on Tuesday expanded the evacuation warning area for the Bobcat fire warning residents of Monrovia, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Bradbury, Altadena, Duarte and Pasadena that they should be prepared to leave quickly should the need arise. That blaze has charred more than 11,400 acres and is still 0% contained. Regarding the Creek fire, "generally speaking most locations werent that windy the other day," said Colin McKellar, a weather service meteorologist in Hanford. "Were getting kind of lucky in that sense," he said Wednesday. "The winds arent going to be that big of an issue." Forecasters also said it appeared that winds could weaken throughout the day. Cars cross the Golden Gate Bridge under an eerie midday sky in San Francisco. (Harold Postic / AFP/Getty Images) "Were encouraged that the wind activity appears to be dying down and the rest of the week looks a little more favorable from a wind perspective and a weather perspective," Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a briefing Wednesday. Still, the rash of new fires has been devastating. The Creek fire alone has burned more than 163,000 acres and destroyed an estimated 360 structures as of Wednesday morning. An additional 5,296 structures are threatened. On Tuesday, officials issued new evacuation orders covering the Fresno County communities of Tollhouse, Burrough Valley and Cold Springs Rancheria. The bulk of the firefighting efforts Wednesday were on the Creek fires southern flank, closest to foothill towns such as Prather, Auberry and Clovis in the flatland, where winds were light and ash rained down throughout the day. The forest that surrounds them is filled with up to 2,000 tons of burnable timber per acre, most of it dead and dry from a bark beetle infestation that exploded in the Sierra Nevada during the drought that began in 2012. Crews are focusing on areas south of the fire, clearing roads in any communities not evacuated and making sure people can get out if theyre evacuated, fire spokesman Chris Vestal said. Relatively scant growth was reported on two other Southern California wildfires. The El Dorado fire, near Yucaipa, was 11,479 acres and 19% contained as of Wednesday, while the Valley fire, southeast of Alpine in San Diego County near the Mexican border, was 17,565 acres and 11% contained, according to Cal Fire. An orange glow is seen over a darkened Howard Street in San Francisco. (Philip Pacheco / Getty Images) As of Wednesday, more than 14,000 firefighters were contending with 28 major wildfires, according to Cal Fire, and the agency had increased staffing in preparation for critical fire weather in several areas. So far this year, 7,657 fires statewide have scorched more than 2.5 million combined acres, Berlant said. That's an increase of more than 2,000% over the number of acres burned by this time last year. "This year has already been a very destructive fire season, and it is nowhere close to being over," Berlant said. Fire activity has been particularly prolific since Aug. 15, which marked the start of a lightning siege that unleashed thousands of lightning strikes statewide. Eight people have died during the weeks-long firestorm, and more than 3,400 structures have been destroyed. This is a challenging year, Newsom said this week. Its historic in terms of magnitude, scope and consequence, and it also has required a deep reservoir of resource. The numerous fires also have wreaked havoc on the region's air quality. The National Weather Service said Wednesday morning there was an "unprecedented amount of smoke in the atmosphere as a record number of acres burn across California and the West," obscuring the marine layer up and down the West Coast. Satellite imagery posted by the agency showed a blanket of smoke over much of California and extending far out over the Pacific Ocean. Air quality officials have issued a wildfire smoke advisory for much of Southern California through Wednesday evening, warning that meteorological conditions will bring smoke and ash into portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange Counties. The Transamerica Pyramid and Salesforce Tower are partially obscured by an orange smoky haze late Wednesday in San Francisco. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press ) According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the worst concentrations of smoke, which contains tiny, lung-damaging pollution particles known as PM2.5, are expected in communities closest to the Bobcat and El Dorado fires the latter of which is burning near Yucaipa. The smoke thats blanketing Californias entire Central Valley and Sierra foothills is also hurting firefighters' ability to defend against the oncoming flames. The high-pressure system thats brought record-breaking heat is also, with few exceptions, keeping smoke from the states myriad fires closer to the ground, creating a gray shroud that makes it unsafe for pilots to fly and survey where the fires have been and where they are going, officials said. One of the things weve seen statewide is with all the smoke, we cant get a good assessment, said Vestal, the Creek fire spokesman. Burning in extremely dry and steep terrain, flames carry the potential to spread their red-hot embers across football-field distances in seconds and miles in minutes making situational awareness for the crews that battle them paramount. Its hard to see that same vantage point from the ground, Vestal said. We get to make some tactical decisions and the chiefs can then order resources and figure out what exactly it is, where our values at risk are, if theres any critical infrastructure, anything that needs extra protection. Its just a lot easier to see it from above and get that full, really comprehensive view of the incident. For the record: 10:50 PM, Sep. 09, 2020: A previous version of this story misspelled the last name of Creek fire response spokesman Chris Vestal as Vestel. After the Bermuda-based reinsurer Watford Holdings was advised by one of its investors to sell itself back in May, the firm has now received a $500-million offer from a consortium led by Arch Capital Group, according to an exclusive report from Reuters. The acquisition bid comes at the one-year mark of Watford Holdings going public, during which time its shares have lost around a third of their value, leading to questions around whether the reinsurer could garner enough investment returns to cover all of its expenses as it paid out on insurance policies. Pipeline technology specialist STATS (UK) Ltd generated revenues of 39.1 million ($50.63 million) and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) of 5.6 million $7.25 million) according to its annual accounts as on December 31, 2019. Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the fall in the price of oil, STATS said it was confident its 2020 performance and activity levels would be broadly consistent with those of 2019. In the Middle East, STATS continued to secure contracts in their core markets of the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, a statement said. Milestone achievements in 2019 included completing a key project in Saudi Arabia utilising the companys patented BISEP technology, establishing an operational facility in Muscat to support work with Petroleum Development Oman, and successfully delivering a technically challenging large-diameter isolation project in Qatar. STATS also completed subsea hot tapping workscopes in the UAE and in Egypt, and towards the end of 2019 the companys Abu Dhabi branch moved to new larger facilities. While revenues dropped by 10%, down from 43.4 million, the accounts noted that the largest ever contract completed by STATS, for a major Abu Dhabi client, had made a significant contribution to its 2018 results. Based in Kintore, near Aberdeen, UK, STATS principal activity is the provision of pressurised pipeline isolation, hot tapping and plugging services to the global oil, gas and petrochemical industries. The companys success in recent years of internationalising its business continued, with 85% of revenues derived from projects executed outside of the UK, a rise of 5% on 2018. Elsewhere, STATS increased its market presence in the US where revenues grew by 176% on the previous year, and relocated to larger facilities in Canada which allowed the ramping up of the in-house design and manufacture of pipeline fittings for North American clients. Diversification away from a rental-only model of the companys patented isolation tools to include product sales had found particular success in Canada and Iraq, while there was strong demand for the groups Type Approved mechanical pipe connectors in the UK oil and gas sector. In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding with Sakhalin Energy Investment Company and INTRA was signed in 2019 for a long-term frame agreement covering isolation works in Russia. STATS Group Chief Executive Officer, Leigh Howarth, said: As Covid-19 evolved into a global pandemic in the early part of 2020, this had an impact on our trading performance. Not surprisingly, several significant contracts which had been a long time in planning were postponed by our clients until later this year or 2021 but on the positive side there is a healthy programme of work ahead of us. The response from our staff across all our global locations in dealing with the changed environment was outstanding. The introduction of new working practices has allowed us to continue delivering our services and, encouragingly, secure new work. As a result, and notwithstanding the impact of Covid-19 and the resulting lower demand for oil and the subsequent drop in price, we are optimistic that activity levels in 2020 will be broadly consistent with those of 2019. The groups pre-tax profits for 2019 were 0.2 million compared to 2.5 million in 2018, while Ebitda earnings decreased from 7.6 million in 2018 to 5.6 million. Investment continues in to research and development activities relating to STATSs proprietary technology products and to secure patents and trademarks where appropriate.--TradeArabia News Service Sushant Singh Rajput case has brought the limelight on the existing drug menace in the country and the film industry. When Rhea Chakrabortys WhatsApp chats revealed the drugs angle in Sushants case, Narcotics Control Bureau joined the probe and has been cracking down on the syndicate in Mumbai city and elsewhere. Meanwhile, Raveena Tandon weighed in on the topic of drugs, allegedly being rampantly consumed by film industry professionals. She took to social media to express her dismay over the situation. Drugs, ruins entire generations.Time to unearth/uproot this from the base. Lets not stop at Bollywood, sandalwood or all collective woods. Get after it with a vengeance.get it out from colleges, parties, politics, hotels, everywhere.It took #SSRDeathCase for authorities wake up (sic), Raveena tweeted. Drugs,ruins entire generations.Time to unearth/uproot this from the base.Lets not stop at Bollywood,sandalwood or all collective woods.Get after it with a vengeance.get it out from colleges,parties,politics hotels,https://t.co/bwVscGp4lv took #SSRDeathCase for authorities wakeup. Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) September 8, 2020 While drug accusations have cropped up against some in Bollywood, Kannada film industry is also facing the menace of illegal substances being peddled and consumed. Two actress- Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani- have been taken into custody by the Central Crime Branch, which is probing drug abuse in Bengaluru city. Ragini has been accused for supplying drugs to people at high-end parties. In Sushants case, Dipesh Sawant, Samuel Miranda, Showik and Rhea Chakraborty have been arrested by the NCB for possible links to the drugs syndicate operating from Mumbai. Some researchers propose adopting so-called challenge trials. In the final stage of testing, researchers typically give a vaccine to one group of volunteers and a placebo to another, then wait to see whether significantly fewer in the first group develop the targeted infection. That takes time. A quicker but riskier alternative is to inject volunteers with the vaccine, then deliberately expose them to the pathogen. Such challenge trials are the basis for animal studies of vaccines, and theyve been used in human tests of cholera, malaria and typhoid shots as well. Some prominent scientists have argued that the urgency of a Covid-19 vaccine justifies their use now, and the website 1daysooner.org has collected the names of tens of thousands of people who say theyd participate. Skeptics say its unethical to use this trial design until there are better, proven therapies to treat those who would become sick. Press Release 9 September 2020 Organiser of ITB Asia 2020 Virtual today revealed Reinventing Travel in the New Normal as the theme for this year's virtual event. The three-day, 120-session themed agenda has been specially curated to help travel industry professionals navigate through the current challenges and prepare for the industry's recovery. The virtual event next month will see travel industry professionals around the world connect to share ideas and plans that will shape the next decade of travel in a post-pandemic world. The virtual event will be hosted on ITB Community, which has over 1,500 community members and over 400 buyers subscribed till date, since the launch 2 weeks ago. Ms Katrina Leung, Managing Director, Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia, states, "We are proud to announce the theme of this year's virtual event, which will provide the foundation for the travel industry as it moves towards recovery. We truly believe that ITB Asia will play a fundamental role in shaping the future of travel in the new normal. Enabling participants to connect virtually allows for seamless knowledge sharing at a pivotal point in the travel industry's history. Till date, we've over 100 confirmed exhibitors registered for ITB Asia 2020 Virtual." Keynote sessions this year will highlight the emerging trends the travel industry should consider as they continue to navigate COVID-19. Speakers will also address industry's best practices, business innovations, industry know-how and professional tips on how to adopt the mindset of industry leaders when navigating through challenges. Industry-leading keynote speakers this year include: Angel Llull Mancas , Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Booking.com ; , Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific, ; Hermione Joye , Sector Lead, Travel and Vertical Search APAC, Google ; , Sector Lead, Travel and Vertical Search APAC, ; Deep Kalra , Chairman & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip ; , Chairman & Group CEO, ; Axel Hefer , Managing Director & CEO, trivago ; and , Managing Director & CEO, ; and Ben Drew, President, Viator. Said Angel Llull Mancas, Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Booking.com, "Despite challenging times, I'm heartened that our industry continues to rally together as one strong community - to share global learnings and insights, support industry recovery and restore consumer confidence in travel. As we emerge from this global pandemic, our world and industry will undoubtedly be different, but one thing is for certain - travel and the desire to explore and experience our world will remain fundamental to people's lives. I look forward to sharing how Booking.com continues to stay agile and adaptable today, leveraging the power of our innovation, technology and tools to better support and enable our partners and customers." Over the course of the three-day event, sessions will address six core themes: Corporate Travel Thinking outside the box is critical when it comes to the future of corporate travel, and this series of conferences will urge participants to challenge their approach to "business as usual". Key speakers will include Tobias Ragge, CEO of HRS Group, who will cover The new prospects for Corporate Travel, and Brett Thomson, General Manager, Corporate Travel, TAG, who will discuss Building a better solution for International Mobility. MICE Show Asia Rethinking the MICE industry will be encouraged in this series of conferences, and participants will be challenged to question their familiar and comfortable approach to everything MICE. Key speakers will include Matthias Schultze, Managing Director, German Convention Bureau (GCB) who will share What's next in the constantly changing business events industry, and Edward Koh, Executive Director, Conventions, Meetings & Incentive Travel, Singapore Tourism Board (STB), who will also discuss Doing MICE business in the New Normal. Travel Tech Asia The role of technology in travel is more important than ever before. This conference series will explore what technologies will define the future of travel, as well as those tech trends that are taking off now and helping to keep the industry moving. Oliver Dlouhy,Co-Founder & CEO, Kiwi.com will consider COVID-19 as a fast track to fully digital travel distribution and Richard Harris, Founder & CEO, who will discuss the future of AI in travel in his keynote You can't predict the future of travel. But the machine can. Destination Marketing This conference series sees national tourism boards, destination agencies and marketing experts come together to discuss how to adapt strategies to serve customers in the new normal. Nicola Eliot, Vice President, BBC StoryWorks APAC, BBC Global News will consider How to create the right stories at the right time to reach out to an audience dreaming of travel. Hotel Revenue and Distribution Hoteliers and those in related fields will share thoughts on how hotels and accommodation can adapt to the current situation as well as how to stay strong during this time. Allen Law, CEO, Park Hotel Group will discuss Navigating the crisis and beyond: Rebound, Recession & Reimagination and Jennifer Li, EVP & Chief Business Officer, Tujia will consider How to revive homestays after the pandemic? Tours, Attractions and Activities Participants will share thoughts and insights on how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the way the travel industry sees customers and businesses in the tours and activities market. James Thornton, CEO, Intrepid Travel will host a speech on the tour operators of the future, and Claudio Bellinzona, Co-Founder & COO, Musement will discuss What tours & activities companies can do to prepare for re-opening and recovery. Attendees will have the opportunity to attend over 120 virtual conference sessions led by more than 120 expert speakers from 21 - 23 October 2020. For more information visit http://bit.ly/ITBAsia2020ConferenceAgenda. An 86-year-old grandmother has been brutally raped and assaulted by a 33-year-old man in India. The woman told her attacker she was 'like his grandmother' in a bid to stop the assault after he lured her from her home on Monday evening. The man, who has since been arrested, approached the woman while she was waiting on her doorstep in Delhi for the evening milkman. An 86-year-old grandmother has been brutally raped and assaulted by a 33-year-old man in India Swati Maliwal, head of the Delhi Commission for Women, told the BBC: 'He told her that her regular milk delivery man wasn't coming and offered to take her to the place where she could get milk.' She willingly trusted him and accompanied him to find milk but he instead took her to a nearby farm and raped her. Ms Maliwal said: 'She kept crying and begging him to leave her. She told him that she was like his grandmother. 'But he ignored her pleas and assaulted her mercilessly when she tried to resist and protect herself.' Indians protest against rape and sexual violence in December following the case of a 27-year-old vet who was gang-raped and murdered in Hyderabad Local villagers heard her cries and rushed to rescue her, handing over the rapist to the police. Ms Maliwal visited the woman at her home on Tuesday, describing it as 'heart-breaking'. She said she has bruises all over her face and body and suffered vaginal bleeding and extreme trauma. The campaigner has demanded the death penalty for the attacker and is writing to the chief justice of the Delhi Court to fast track the case. India was classified the most dangerous place for women in 2018 because of its high levels of domestic and sexual violence. India was classified the most dangerous place for women in 2018 because of its high levels of domestic and sexual violence The Thomson Reuters Foundation poll of 550 global experts made the classification based on the 33,356 rapes and 89,097 assaults that year. In 2017, there were as many as 90 rapes reported to police every day, according to government data. Rape is one of the fastest growing crimes in India with the National Crime Records Bureau reporting in 2019 that the number of attacks doubled in the 17 years between 2001 and 2017. The same data showed that every fourth rape victim in India in 2018 was a minor, and over 50 per cent of them were between 18 and 30 years old. In just under 94 per cent of rape cases the victims knew their rapists who were often family members, friends, partners or employers. And yet India's National Family Health Survey said that 80 per cent of women who experience sexual violence do not report it. In December 2019 American media organisation National Public Radio interviewed activists and experts about why rape is such an issue in India. Altamash Khan is an instructor that works with colleges on how to prevent sexual violence and works with nonprofit Men Against Violence and Abuse in Mumbai. He told NPR he thinks sexual violence would be reduced if 'we can chip away at age-old patriarchal values' and look at 'the spectrum of violence' including things like catcalling. Warren County reported four additional cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and surrounding counties all reported upticks in positive cases as well. Two of the new cases are people who had close contact with the Warren County resident who died last week after having a coronavirus infection. Two others are college students who returned to Warren County after contracting the virus at their college campus. Those two cases are not connected, according to a news release. Two people recovered from the virus and officials are monitoring 11 active cases. All are mildly ill and no one is hospitalized. Also on Tuesday: Warren County health officials reported no indication of COVID-19 infections among residents at a skilled nursing facility where a staff member tested positive earlier this week. Washington County reported two additional cases on Tuesday for a total of 262 cases. Saratoga County reported 25 new cases of the virus on Tuesday since it last reported totals on Friday, for a total of 930. A total of 859 people have recovered from the virus. There are 54 active cases and three people are hospitalized. Glens Falls Hospital reported no COVID-19 patients in-house and Saratoga Hospital reported two. Essex County reported five new cases since Friday. There are three cases associated with the Essex Center outbreak, including two residents and one staff member. The other two cases are not connected to the facility and are unrelated to each other, according to a news release. Four people are hospitalized. Gov. Andrew Cuomo added Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia to the quarantine list and removed Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There are now a total of 34 states and the territory of Guam where travelers coming to New York must quarantine for 14 days. Statewide, the number of hospitalizations increased by 32 to 445. Five people died on Monday. A total of 0.96% of tests administered statewide were positive for COVID-19. The rate has been below 1% for over a month. Cuomo credited New Yorkers for their continued compliance and discipline by wearing masks, staying socially distant and being smart. Cuomo announced that a new portal for K-12 school districts will go live on Wednesday. It can be found at forward.ny.gov/dashboard-covid-19-data-schools. Every district will be required to report information about positive COVID-19 tests to the Department of Health on a daily basis. Cuomo said that parents and teachers want facts. Plans look good on paper, but then they do not do well in the implementation phase, he said. If Im going to make a decision to send my child back to school, Im going to be darn sure that the plan is smart; they can do the plan and I want to know theyre actually implementing the plan, he said. The database will contain information about positive cases, including the date of the test; whether the infected person is a student or staff member; when the test was done; how long it took to get the results and whether the student is attending classes in person or just online. In addition, Cuomo said he is signing an executive order that will require that colleges that have more than 100 cases must end in-person learning and go online. Cuomo sounded a pessimistic tone about colleges that have seen outbreaks among students attending parties. Some students, unlike myself, want to socialize, so they come back to college. I want to see my friends. I want to enjoy libations. We want to go to a bar. We want to have a party, he said. Yes, those situations are increasing the spread, because people coming from around the country and around the world to these colleges. Cuomo also continued urging the federal government to provide aid to state and local governments and he lambasted President Donald Trump for his handling of the pandemic. He criticized Trumps campaign promise to build a wall on the Mexican border. Why didnt you stop the virus? The virus killed many more Americans than anything that you were worried about on the southern border, Cuomo said. This nation loses more people every day due to COVID than any nation on the globe. You know who did that? Donald Trumps incompetence and now they wont provide federal funding to repair the damage that they created. Reach Michael Goot at 518-742-3320 or mgoot@poststar.com and follow his blog poststar.com/blogs/michael_goot/. Love 2 Funny 3 Wow 2 Sad 2 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 to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. Its anonymous! Dear How to Do It, The first time I (34, female) saw my boyfriend (40, male) have an orgasm, I thought he was having a seizure: For a solid 10 minutes (not exaggerating), he alternately writhed around like he was being electrocuted, barked like a walrus, got stiff as a board, started to drool, etc., etc. It scared the hell out of me until he finally came out of it and said, Oh, yeah, I have intense orgasms sometimes. I should have warned you. Sorry Advertisement The thing is, he has orgasms like this every time. It is simultaneously the most beautiful and hysterical thing Ive ever witnessed. That said, I know this isnt normal, and it can be quite limiting in some ways: It means that his orgasm almost always marks the end of sex because, frankly, by the time hes done, Im not really in the mood for anything else. It also means theres no such thing as a quickie for us, and some other gamescovert sex in public places, for examplemean he doesnt get to come. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not that he isnt a generous lover: He makes sure I orgasm hard and often, hes happy going down on me or using his fingers, and he has plenty of stamina. But sometimes Id like to end with a cuddle together (before Im no longer turned on) or something other than holding him while he writhes around and I try and hold back a giggle. When we visited his parents early this spring, we agreed to try and see if he could rein it in a little bit, and while he avoided the usual walrus bark noises that would have tipped off half the retirement community, he did spent five minutes looking like Edvard Munchs The Scream trying to hold it in. Advertisement Advertisement Weve discussed having more sex where he doesnt come, but I feel really cruel taking that away from him. But Id also like to be able to do different things that require some modicum of control over himself when he orgasms. Ive thought about suggesting he see a doctor, but I have no idea what hed say. Hey, doc, I have these mind-blowing, full-body orgasms every time I come. Can you help me with that? I guess Im just looking for ideas and thoughts. Advertisement Walrus Trainer Dear WT, For a previous column about a woman who orgasmed so hard she thought she was having a seizure, my co-columnist Rich spoke to Dr. Tami Rowen, the director of the sexual health program at the University of California, San Francisco. She told him that while climaxes like your boyfriends are unusual, orgasms involve muscle contractions, so there are all kinds of manifestations of them. Its true: Some orgasms are barely felt. Others are earth-shattering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Your boyfriends orgasms sound like they might destroy the solar system. But one thing conspicuously missing from your letter is discussion of how your boyfriend feels about them. Your quote from him seems very matter-of-factthis is his body, this is how it reactsbut you dont mention whether hed like to change his orgasms or whether he wants to engage in sexual activities that require a quiet, modest orgasm from him or whether he needs to have an orgasm during those activities. It seems like hes willing to forgo his own orgasm sometimes to provide you with the post-coital snuggles you desire. Accepting his willingness seems more like functional problem-solving than an act of cruelty. If he wants to investigate ways to change his sexual responsemaybe hes in pain or otherwise not enjoying himselfthats one thing, but if he doesnt, then I think you should try to be happy with what you have. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dear How to Do It, Ive been with my boyfriend for around six months now, and we recently started having sex and exploring our sexualities together. While its exciting for the both of us, Im usually the one thats holding back: Im deeply self-conscious about my *ahem* lady parts. Whether its my labia, smell, hair, or just my privates in general, Im always hesitant to take off my underwear, and I usually need lots of coaxing and reassurance. My boyfriend never forces me to do anything, and hes always understanding when I push his hands away, but I can tell hes disappointed. I was sexually abused during childhood, and its given me very warped perceptions of what sex is and how it should be done. Ive grown to be ashamed of my body and especially fearful toward men, but Im going to therapy for it and have been making significant progress mentally. Physically, though, I still have issues with my appearance. I guess it doesnt help that Ill occasionally watch porn and wish to look like the girls on-screen, even though I know its dramatized and most actresses receive cosmetic surgery to appeal to the male audience. I dont want to harm the natural flow of things down there, like pH levels with fragrances or douching, or even labiaplasty, but I want to be confident in what goes on in my vagina. Im hesitant to explain why Im self-conscious to my boyfriend because I feel like most men just dont understand the female anatomy and how to care for it. Is there anything I can do for myself? I feel like Im burdened with this, and I want to be free with my sexuality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Naked and Afraid Dear Naked and Afraid, Theres a book from Cleis Press called Healing Sex that I think might help you embrace your body and sexuality. It has exercises like rocking your pelvis in a sexual manner and sitting with the feelings that come up. You can also ask your therapist for help around this issue. You might feel self-conscious, but what a great way to practice talking about sexuality, right? As for the labia in pornography, Id like you to stay with me for the whole paragraph, please. Most of the women who perform in pornography are walking around with the vulva nature gave them. Theres this idea thats been circulating for my whole time in the adult industry, probably longer, that all of us have labiaplasty and anal bleaching done, and that just isnt true. Sure, there are a couple of cases, but it isnt the norm. Now Id like you to go to fleshlight.com/stoya and look at my Fleshlight. See those inner labia? See how one side is longer than the other, and theyre both pretty protruding? Those are the labia of a woman who won awards from most of the porn industry award shows and consistently has one of the best-selling Fleshlights. Take a look through the rest of the featured performers under the Fleshlight Girls tab. Youll see plenty of variation. Protruding inner labia are not only fine, they can be quite popular. And while Ive been offered boob jobs, no one has ever suggested I change my lower anatomy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre correct that most men dont understand the female anatomy. Most sex ed programs are woefully deficient, and learning about sex from porn can be problematic for a number of reasons. If you can find the courage, talking to your partner about your body is a great way to help him learn. If youre feeling nervous about these conversations, you can practice in the mirror first and turn the lights down when youre talking. You can also let him know that youre feeling uncomfortable, and ask him to be patient and gentle with you. This can be as simple as Im sensitive about my labia and would like us to turn the lights off while we have sex or I feel concerned about how I might smell. Can we open the windows? The idea is to get comfortable enough to start sitting with discomfort and getting accustomed to it, with the hope that youll begin to associate the smell of vagina with the good feelings of mutually consensual sex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You also might try exploring your own body. You can get a mirror and a flashlight and take a look at your parts. You can sniff your underwear or insert a finger into yourself and smell that. And you can stop when you get uncomfortable and revisit the exploration later. Good luck. Remember your therapist is there to support you, your body is beautiful, and you deserve tenderness and care. Get Our Sex Advice Newsletter Walruses, letter follow-ups, and more, delivered weekly. 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. Dear How to Do It, My husband and I (straight couple) have been together and monogamous for more than 20 years. We opened up a while back, although he isnt interested in having other partners. I started seeing a mutual friend, and we ended up in something like kitchen table polyamory for about a year. Then my boyfriend decided he wanted to look for a monogamous life partner, so we broke up about a month before quarantine started. We have stayed friends, but it has been very difficult for me, emotionally and sexually. The boyfriend and I had amazing sex, while the sex life with my husband has always been lackluster (it has improved a bit over the last couple of years). We still see the boyfriend socially during quarantine; he is in our bubble because of his mental health right now. He has suffered a lot of loss in the past couple of years, and quarantine has been hard for him. I know that I have made choices to keep him close by, but it is really difficult for me to not want him sexually and to try to return to a platonic relationship. The breakup has been excruciating for me emotionally, given that we havent stopped our contact and he is in our social circle. He also doesnt really want to talk about our feelings, because he thinks that doesnt help him move on toward finding someone new. The depth of this relationship took me by surprise in some ways. Im jealous. I want him to still want me (and Im annoyed that he wont still sleep with me since he clearly isnt getting any during quarantine). And I am struggling to be his friend but not his girlfriend. Any additional insight is welcomed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clean Break Dear Clean Break, As you note, you made a choice to keep your ex-boyfriend close by, and you can choose to end that closeness. I get that your ex has social needs and is having a rough time with personal and global crises, but your emotional well-being matters too. You say youre having emotional difficulty with the breakup. Thats valid. That deserves as much attention and care as your exs needs. Sometimes whats needed is a full and clean break to allow for separation and healing before attempting platonic relations, and it seems like thats the case here. You arent dating any longer. Youre having a hard time separating the romantic and physical from the emotional, which is a completely understandable stage to go through during a breakup. Presumably he has other friends that he can spend time with, and if he doesnt, he will have to pursue other avenues for a social lifeline. Advertisement Whats Welsh for bae? Listen to the women of Thirst Aid Kit discuss the appeal of Matthew Rhys. Dear How to Do It, A few months before the pandemic started, my boyfriend and I decided to open up our relationship by having threesomes with other people. This move was prompted by meI felt our sex life had plateaued, and when my boyfriend expressed interest in having sex with other people, I thought it might be a great way to experiment and improve our own sex. For a while, it worked out really well. Our threesomes improved our sex life on the whole, made things more exciting, and even improved our relationship (we had something to talk about! we had a fun new thing happening in our lives!). But when COVID-19 finally hit and we stopped having threesomes for health reasons, our sex life reached a standstill again. Were having sex less often and, worse yet, Im not enjoying the sex as much. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opening up our relationship (and having to close it again) made me realize that my boyfriend and I just dont have very good sex. Hes not very receptive to my wants and needs, even when I express them clearly. I didnt realize this until we slept with other people who actually listened to what I asked for and what turns me on. Now, when we do have sex, I find it disappointing. My boyfriend is really wonderfulevery aspect of his personality is amazing, and we get along greatand we have a wonderful relationship. I just didnt realize how big of a problem our sex life was until I had sex with people who I was better matched with. I know this letter is long-winded, but I just dont know how to move forward here. Can I fix my sex life with my boyfriend and hope that hes more responsive? Do I just wait until we feel safe to have threesomes again? Or do I accept that our sex life is doomed? Advertisement Open and Shut Dear Open and Shut, You describe the relationship as wonderful, but you say your boyfriend isnt receptive to your clearly expressed wants and needs. Im imagining that this is a purely sexual issue, but if it isntif he ignores your needs in other areas of the relationshipIm wondering how great this really is. Advertisement Advertisement If its a sex-only issue, it should be pretty simple to sit down together for a talk and broach the subject of applying some of the tenderness and care he exercises in the rest of your relationship to your bedroom activities. Youll want to pick a time when youre both calm, alert, and have plenty of time to talk. You can start with I loved how fresh and exciting all of those threesomes were, and Im hoping we can bring some of that excitement into our paired play. Give him space to respond and, if appropriate, bring up some of these wants and needs you have in a way that presents them as options for making your sex life spicier. You might want to make a list beforehand of things you fantasize about and would like to incorporate. Advertisement Advertisement If he doesnt get the hint, and youre willing to walk away from the relationship, it would be reasonable to communicate where you are. Something like I need a partner who pays attention to my wants and needs during sex, and you arent giving me that. Youll want to underline the depth of your feelings toward him and your hope that the two of you can make something work. Advertisement Stoya More How to Do It Im in a great marriage. But hes slowing down a lot more than meIm female and about 10 years younger than him. Sex definitely takes more planning and assistance than it used to. But I am nowhere near ready to give up sex for life. My solution is for me to have a very discreet lover on the side and keep it to myself, but when I floated that, he was horrified and couldnt believe Id even suggest such a thing. I have an out-of-state friend who would probably happily agree to be secret lovers (I travel frequently so that wouldnt raise any suspicions), and my husband could stay blissfully unaware that I cant give up on sex. Bad idea? New Delhi: In Sushant Singh Rajput`s death case, the DNA report on Tuesday showed you two unseen videos of the actor to inform you about his state of mind. The unseen videos were shot in February this year. Today, we will show you another video which has probably been recorded at Rhea Chakraborty's house in Mumbai. In the latest video, Rhea Chakraborty is seen recording it on her mobile phone. Sushant Singh appears sick and upset in this video as expressions on his face are changing rapidly, and he looks helpless. Notably, Rhea Chakraborty's father Lt. Col. Indrajit Chakraborty is also a doctor. In 1988, he received a degree from the famous Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. He has retired from the Indian Army, after serving as a doctor for a long time. These videos raise a question on the role of Rhea Chakraborty's father as to how he failed to assess the condition of Sushant Singh Rajput despite being a doctor. Why did he not help Sushant Singh? As a doctor, he should have immediately admitted Sushant to some hospital, but he was perhaps apathetic to the actor's health. In the first video showed yesterday, Sushant did not appear to be fully conscious, rather looks intoxicated. The woman asking questions to him is no doubt, Rhea Chakraborty. Sushant Singh Rajput is seen holding a book in his hands. The book 'Loaded', authored by Sarah Newcomb, is based on the philosophy of moving forward while retaining values in life. In the second video, Sushant was seen talking to two persons, and of them is apparently Rhea Chakraborty. These videos showed a poor image of the actor who in reel life played the role of iconic characters. The private videos of Sushant Singh Rajput shown by DNA have invited a plethora of reaction. Some people have expressed their anger as they feel the videos would help Rhea Chakraborty, while others stated that it was not right to show Sushant's personal moments. The DNA report, however, wants to remind you about the stand Zee News took while taking the cause of Sushant Singh Rajput. 1. Firstly, you should not forget that we refused to interview Rhea Chakraborty to show her in a positive spirit. Her lawyers had contacted us with the condition that we should conduct an interview with favouring Rhea. 2. Secondly, we showed all the private videos of Sushant Singh after the arrest of Rhea Chakraborty despite having them in our possession. By doing this, we decided not to extend any advantage to Rhea's lawyers. 3. Thirdly, we have been constantly demanding that Rhea Chakraborty should be arrested. We also told you a day ahead that she would be arrested in our DNA report on Monday. The case of Sushant Singh Rajput involves the interests of big people. This includes powerful people not only from the film industry but also from the drug mafia. The matter appears to have a link with the politics of Maharashtra as well as the country. The real culprits behind Sushant's appear to be so powerful that they knew how to use even the media in their favour. We will now tell you the effect of these private videos shown on the Zee News. The 5 big points are: 1. After watching the new videos of Sushant Singh Rajput, for the first time, people are saying why was Rhea Chakraborty making these videos? What could be her motive in making such videos when Sushant's condition was not normal. 2. When Rhea Chakraborty is making these videos, she has deliberately tried to show her a positive role. That is why probably she sounds talking nicely in the videos. 3. Rhea Chakraborty's role is now being questioned for initially giving drugs to Sushant to reach this stage, and then making his videos to have proofs. 4. It is being asked if Sushant Singh Rajput was so ill, why was Rhea Chakraborty giving him drugs. She knew it well that Sushant was under medication for depression. Taking drugs with medicines for depression was no doubt fatal. 5. If Sushant's condition was so bad then why did Rhea Chakraborty not get him admitted to a hospital? Prior to leaving him, why did she not inform Sushant's family about his condition? Notably, Rhea Chakraborty, who was arrested in a drug case linked with actor Sushant Singh`s death and was later sent to the custody of NCB till September 22, on Wednesday submitted a bail application in Mumbai's local court, claiming that she was being falsely implicated in the case. Her lawyer Satish Maneshinde stated that hearing in the bail applications of Rhea and her brother Showik, who was also arrested in the same case, will be held on September 10. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alexandria Sage (Agence France-Presse) Venice, Italy Wed, September 9, 2020 15:31 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43c14ea 2 News Venice,Venice-Film-Festival,film,film-festival Free It's been a bad year for Venice. In November, the highest tides in over 50 years left it submerged -- the famous Italian lagoon city drenched, despondent and economically devastated. Fast forward to February when the surrounding region, Veneto, saw Italy's first death from coronavirus -- an epidemic that went on to kill over 35,000 people in the country. Finally this month, the opening of the prestigious Venice film festival on September 2 was trumpeted as a sign of hope and renewal for the beloved yet beleaguered city. But one week into the world-renowned "Mostra del Cinema" on the beachfront Lido, a twenty-minute boat ride from Venice, many Venetians say there is still little to celebrate. "Nothing has changed much," said Francesca, a tour operator manning a stand on the Venice waterfront who declined to give her last name. For those locals accustomed to the estimated 30 million tourists who visit each year, whose presence makes it a challenge to cross the Rialto Bridge or snap a photo of the Bridge of Sighs, the city feels empty, she said. Visibly missing are visitors from the United States and China, among other countries, who are still prohibited from traveling to the country. "All my family works in tourism. It makes me sad on one hand, but it's beautiful," she said, referring to the fewer tourists. Although visitors now outnumber pigeons and seagulls in Saint Mark's Square, and hotels are at 40 to 50 percent capacity, according to the mayor, the city has not yet hit its stride. Many businesses are still shuttered from the coronavirus lockdown. About a third of shops lining Saint Mark's Square were closed on Tuesday, as a few hundred tourists meandered around, enjoying the sunny weather. Venetians also point out that those who attend the festival don't necessarily move outside their film industry bubble on the Lido. "People come but it's not like people come to buy fish," said Andrea Dei Rossi, a seller inside the Mercato di Rialto, whose fish market has been in operation since the 11th century. "It's been a hard year for all of us," Dei Rossi said. "The fact that we're open is wonderful." Dei Rossi's business is down 80 percent this year, he said, due primarily to the closure of many of the city's restaurants. Read also: Venice Film Festival opens despite pandemic 'A matter of image' The festival, now in its 77th year, is a scaled-down version of its former self this September amid ongoing travel restrictions preventing many stars, filmmakers and industry executives from attending. But restaurants, bars and other businesses on the Lido are enjoying at least a temporary boost with the arrival of the film crowd. One waitress, Betelehem Pilastro, described the festival as a yearly "adventure" that "gives so much work to so many people". Others are more skeptical, like water taxi driver Walter, who asked his last name not be used. "There are hardly any films, just some Italian productions. It's a political festival that had to happen no matter what, even without content, to show that Venice is alive," he said. "I consider this festival just a matter of image." Read also: Doge's Palace reopens as tourists flock back to Venice Rent is due The Serenissima, as the floating city of Venice is called in Italian, is home to a mere 50,000 residents who lament the city's depopulation, the worsening annual flooding, and the mass tourism threatening their environmentally fragile city. The infamous "acqua alta", or periodic high water, hit 187cm in November, the highest level since 1966. The city declared a state of emergency as shops, homes and over 50 churches were inundated with water, causing millions of dollars in damages and a collapse in tourism. Just as the city was digging itself out, coronavirus struck. Shopkeeper Lumine Vanda said Venetians are aware they're not alone in dealing with the difficult economic repercussions from coronavirus. Still, the insecurity felt today by locals was worse than anything experienced in her lifetime, said the 75-year-old. In March, Vanda's landlords cut by half the 5000 euro ($5900) rent she pays for her artisanal shoe and handbag shop on the Rialto Bridge. But that discount will run out at the end of the year. "In January they'll ask for five months rent," said Vanda. "How will we do that?" MHLABUBOVU - In a bid to circumvent anarchy at LaMgabhi and Mhlabubovu, armed police officers have been deployed to these areas. LaMgabhi is where former Minister of Public Works and Transport Ntuthuko Dlamini resides. The former legislator, who is also a businessman, established a shopping complex at Mhlabubovu. The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) deployed armed officers to the two areas soon after the shooting incident which claimed two lives and left one man fighting for his life in hospital. This was during a fight which allegedly ensued after LaMgabhi Inner Council stopped Luyengweni Inner Council from allocating land to people at Mhlabubovu. Claimed Mhlabubovu is an area which had been claimed by the two chiefdoms for many years despite verdicts from traditional authorities. The verdicts were to the effect that the land was under the late Chief Ndzimanye of LaMgabhi. When the places were visited yesterday, it was discovered that a marquee had been pitched next to the shopping complex belonging to the former minister, who has since been arrested and charged with two counts of murder and attempted murder. About eight uniformed police officers were found next to the marquee, where they were in a discussion. One of them had a gun while others had batons. In front of the shopping complex was a stationary tactic armoured vehicle belonging to the Operational Support Service Unit (OSSU). Inside the car were four armed police officers. Noted was that there were few movements around the shopping complex yesterday. The residents of Mhlabubovu stated that they were living under a state of insecurity and fear following the shooting incident in the area. Some of the residents appreciated the police presence at the two places. The residents stated that the police officers were deployed shortly after the shooting incident on Monday. Some armed police officers were deployed at Dlaminis homestead. They were visible at the guard house. Globally, millions of people have been infected with the novel coronavirus. Cases are skyrocketing in many countries, including the United States, India, and Brazil. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is mainly a respiratory illness. It spreads by infectious respiratory droplets when someone sneezes, coughs, speaks, or breathes. Now, a new report by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) highlights the link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and food safety. ICMSF is a global non-government organization that aims to provide information on food safety and human health. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many reports have shown that food may be carriers of the infectious agent. These reports have sparked panic and worry about whether ordering food or having food delivered can pave the way for infection with SARS-CoV-2. This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles give coronaviruses their name, crown-like. Image captured and colorized at NIAID's Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana. Credit: NIAID Not likely a virus source The agency looked at the evidence that SARS-CoV-2 might be carried on food or its packaging. The team of researchers has found very little, echoing the previous results of a study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that there is no real risk of contracting the virus from food or food packaging. Further, the agency said that up to date, there had been no reports of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from food and food packaging. Considering that there are to date, no proven cases or scientific associations between food consumption and COVID-19, it is highly unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 constitutes a food safety risk, the researchers said. There are relatively few reports of SARS-CoV-2 virus being found on food ingredients, food products, and packaging materials, the agency added. The report also says that whether it is possible that people could eat something contaminated with the virus and become infected, there has been no case reported of such a mode of transmission. The reports show that a hazard to human health may be present. They do not show that there is a hazard present, or it is a risk to human health via ingestion or handling of food. Viruses present on food or food packaging will also lose viability over time. Following a risk-based approach, it is very unlikely that such contamination would result in infection, the report explained. Handwashing is important Though food and food packaging are unlikely sources of SARS-CoV-2 infections, it is still essential for manufacturers, food handlers, and buyers to practice proper hand hygiene. They should wash their hands before and after preparing food, before eating, or after touching common surfaces that may harbor the virus. Further, the agency urged food companies to impose the wearing of masks among employees during the handling and delivery of food items. Proper hygiene among workers, along with the disinfection of tools, equipment, and working environment, can help prevent contamination of food products. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that eating or handling food, including frozen food and food packages, is considered low. The health agency said that the best way to combat the coronavirus disease is to observe infection control measures and everyday actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object, including food or food packaging, that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, the health agency said. After shopping, handling food packages, or before preparing or eating food, it is important to always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, it added. Global case toll The coronavirus pandemic is continuously spreading worldwide, and the case toll has now topped 27.45 million people. More than 894,000 people have died while 18.41 million people have recovered. The United States has more than 6.32 million cases of COVID-19, and at least 189,000 deaths. India surpasses Brazil, with more than 4.28 million confirmed cases. Brazil has more than 4.14 million cases and at least 126,000 deaths. Russia, Peru, Colombia, and South Africa follow as they report a high number of cases, with more than 1 million cases, more than 691,000 cases, 671,000 cases, and 640,000 cases, respectively. Thanks to the painstaking efforts to restore ecology, Qilihai Wetland in Ninghe district in north China's Tianjin municipality has not only improved its environment, but also brought income growth to residents. Qilihai Wetland (Photo/Xinhua) The wetland, which covers 87.12 square kilometers of core areas and buffer zones, as well as 4,000 hectares of reeds and 2,333 hectares of water areas, is surrounded by 38 villages of 6 townships that are home to 120,000 people. Aquaculture was a major industry there. Around 2012, Qilihai Wetland started developing tourism, and could receive over 10,000 visitors per day at most. "We wanted to exploit the wetland and enrich the residents," said Chen Li, head of the management committee of the Qilihai Wetland nature reserve. However, the lack of planning, the use of fertilizers, as well as the discharge of domestic sewage and garbage had all brought severe environmental issues to the nature reserve, he introduced. To address the problem, leaders of Tianjin municipality had visited Qilihai Wetland for multiple times to make restoration plans. In 2015, the wetland park in the region was shut down, then demolished two years later to restore vegetation. Besides, the municipality implemented 10 major projects to restore the ecology there. "In 2017, 4,560 hectares of land in Qilihai Wetland's core areas were transferred and cleared for closed management; last year, another 3,700 hectares were transferred," introduced Chen Yong, head of Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources. In addition, a massive ecological relocation project is scheduled to be implemented at the end of this year, which involves 25,000 residents from 5 villages in the buffer zones, he added. So far, 1,086 parks, plank roads, docks, hotels and restaurants in the Qilihai Wetland nature reserve have been demolished, totaling over a million square meters. Du Naihe is a villager from Qilihai Wetland who started running crab breeding business in 1980s. Several years ago, he contracted 333 hectares of fishponds and opened an agritainment facility. "My agritainment facility and fishponds were requested to be closed and moved out of Qilihai Wetland on Dec. 26, 2017," Du told the People's Daily. However, the man was not discouraged and started over again. Last year, he took the lead to establish a mixed farming cooperative which plants rice and raises crabs in the rice paddies outside the "ecological red line". "The juvenile crabs eat pests in the paddies, so there's no need for us to use pesticides or extra fodder. In addition, the excrement of the crabs also enhances the fertility of the soil," Du explained. "I can make at least 500,000 yuan ($73,156) this year from my 13,000 kilograms of crabs," he said, adding that it's worthy to move out of Qilihai Wetland. The mixed farming mode soon became popular in nearby villages, and a special technical service group was established to guide the villagers. "Based on conservative estimation, the mixed farming mode can increase 500 to 1,000 yuan of income every 667 square meters," said Wang Jin, director of Ninghe district's commission for agriculture and rural affairs. According to him, the district is expected to see an income growth of nearly 100 million yuan for its over 10,000 hectares of rice-crab commensal fields. So far, the district has finished 6 out of its 10 major projects of ecological restoration, which effectively recovered the ecological functions of the wetland, Chen said. Over 1,400 oriental storks visited the wetland this spring, and some endangered bird species that had disappeared for over 10 years also foraged there, including reed parrotbill, Chinese penduline tit and bearded reedling, he introduced. "Qilihai wetland is clean now, and the concentration of negative oxygen ions here is tens of times higher than that in the downtown," Du said, adding that what they gave up years ago was merely short-term interests, but what they created for future generations was infinite vitality. "While they may not look exactly the same as before the pandemic, jobs are coming back strong, and we need workers to fill them." - Express CEO Bill Stoller Companies with 50-99 employees are the most likely to increase employee count in the second half of 2020, according to a recent survey from The Harris Poll. Largely following the same pattern as the first half of the year, hiring decision-makers at companies with just a handful of employees remain doubtful staff size will increase any time soon. Just 18% of companies with 2-9 employees anticipate hiring more staff, while 34% of companies with 10-49 workers said they would bring on more people. Businesses with 50-99 employees display the most optimism at 53%. Forty-nine percent of larger companies with 100-499 employees see hiring increases, as well as 40% of companies with 500+ workers. Express experts agree small businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic shut down and may not have the capital to come out on the other side. The pandemic had a very big impact on small businesses, and most do not have the financial stability to suffer such a downturn, Express Corporate Developer Patty OConnor said. Three-to-four months with minimal business has left many in a very questionable state. They will be lucky to keep their doors open, much less hire. Larger businesses, on the other hand, are seeing business ramp back up and need additional employees to meet demand. Larger businesses have to catch up from being shut down during COVID-19 or if they were an essential provider, they are busy with additional business due to the pandemic, said Janis Petrini, Express franchise owner in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They are also dealing with their employees not being able to return to work due to caring for family members and may need to make adjustments in their schedule. With all these variables, companies need to add employees. Companies in the technology industry intend to increase employee count more so than other industries, according to hiring decision-makers. Those in the tech industry are most likely to report these increases at 53%, as compared to other industries like retail (29%), banking/finance (38%) and manufacturing (36%). This comes as no surprise to Utica, New York, Express franchise owner John Calabrese, as a large majority of the workforce pivoted to remote earlier this year. Remote work is a main driver here, he said. Many IT firms needed to ramp up support for their business clients remote needs. Technology has been an overall winner in this economy due to the shift in companies business models and ways of doing business. Calabrese adds hes seen an uptick in requests for help desk technicians, network administrators, digital media developers and software developers. Overall, we are seeing a steady recovery in our market with hundreds of jobs open across a variety of business sectors, he said. In Michigan, Petrini also sees the manufacturing, auto and food and medical packaging industries booming to support necessary supplies. However, restaurants and gyms are still struggling under current state closures, she said. Michigan has a very strict closure order that is preventing the state from fully functioning. As the unemployment rate continues to drop, Express CEO Bill Stoller is optimistic business will continue to pick up across the country. While they may not look exactly the same as before the pandemic, jobs are coming back strong, and we need workers to fill them, he said. Survey Methodology The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between April 21 and May 6, 2020, among 1,005 U.S. hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed or have been laid off, furloughed, or given a zero hour schedule in the past 60 days but worked full-time or were self-employed full-time prior, work at companies with more than 1 employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena Karami, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966. About Bill Stoller William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has more than 825 franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa, and beginning in 2020 will expand to Australia and New Zealand. Since its inception, Express has put more than 8 million people to work worldwide. About Express Employment Professionals At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve, employing 552,000 people across North America in 2019. For more information, visit http://www.ExpressPros.com. Police on Wednesday said they have arrested a 57-year-old woman for allegedly cheating job aspirants in the name of providing them government jobs in Delhi. The woman, investigators said, has previously been involved in five similar cases of cheating and was arrested in these cases in the last one decade and let out on bail. Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) RP Meena said that on Tuesday afternoon, the Hazrat Nizamuddin police received a call that a woman cheat has been caught in Bhogal market. A police team reached the spot and found that one Anita Dhiman alias Anita Panikar had been caught by two brothers, who alleged that she had duped them of Rs 4.45 lakh in the name of providing government jobs to his daughter and son, said the DCP. The brothers alleged that in June 2020, they came in contact with Dhiman, who had convinced them that on payment of a certain sum of money, she could get jobs for their son and daughter in Delhi government, through VIP quota. The brothers fell for her trap and gave her R4.45 lakh on the promise that she would get them the promised jobs. However, the woman neither kept her promise nor returned their money back. During enquiry, we learnt that she had also duped another person, one Kishan Jaiswal, of R1.35 lakh using the same modus operandi. Accordingly, we registered a case of cheating and arrested Dhiman, said DCP Meena. During interrogation, DCP Meena said, the woman, who lives alone in a rented flat in Safdarjung Enclave area, told them that she needed the money because there were many criminal cases pending against her in a Delhi court. She was earlier arrested in a cheating case registered with the Economic Offences Wing in 2009, he added. The Trump administration will announce Wednesday that it is withdrawing up to a third of US troops from Iraq, as President Donald Trump tries to make good on his campaign promise to disentangle the country from 'endless wars.' A senior administration official discussed the draw-down with reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday night, on condition of anonymity. The official said the administration is also looking to announce the withdrawal of additional troops from Afghanistan in the coming days. The planned announcements come as the president has been trying to make the case that he has fulfilled the promises he made four years ago as he tries to secure a second term. The Trump administration will announce Wednesday that it is withdrawing up to a third of US troops from Iraq, as President Donald Trump tries to make good on his campaign promise to disentangle the country from 'endless wars' The decision also comes as Trump, a Republican, faces blowback from a report that he allegedly made disparaging remarks about U.S. war dead. The Atlantic claimed in a story published last week that Trump referred to dead US troops as 'losers' and 'suckers'. The White House has strenuously denied the report and Trump has derided The Atlantic as a failing magazine. There are more than 5,000 American troops in Iraq now. In July, the top U.S. general for the Middle East said he believed the U.S. will keep a smaller but enduring presence in the country. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said he believes the Iraqis welcome the U.S. and coalition troops, especially in the ongoing fight to keep IS fighters from taking hold of the country again. Trump told reporters two weeks ago that 'we look forward to the day when we dont have to be there.' The comments came during an Oval Office meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. However, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasized at that same meeting that a full withdrawal of U.S. troops would only occur once 'we can complete the mission.' WASHINGTON - Amtrak chief executive William Flynn told lawmakers on Wednesday that the railroad needs nearly $5 billion in federal assistance to help make up for losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In his first appearance at a congressional hearing, Flynn said the railroad anticipates needing up to $4.9 billion - including $2.8 billion in supplemental funding - to operate and invest in the rail network, and to address lawmakers' concerns, such as avoiding employee furloughs and maintaining daily service on its long-distance trains. Given the uncertainty of supplemental funding for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, Flynn said the railroad has no option but to reduce operations and its workforce next month. "As difficult as these actions are, if we do not take such cost-saving measures and fail to receive supplemental funding, we anticipate burning nearly $250 million each month," Flynn said. "At this rate of loss, we would be forced to take drastic measures with long-lasting impacts on the company, on our employees and on our network." The two-hour hearing before the House subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials was about Amtrak's response to the pandemic and came days after the company announced that it would be furloughing 2,050 workers at the end of the month. The railroad also announced substantial service cuts beginning Oct. 1. Amtrak is decreasing service on most of its long-distance trains to three times a week from daily. The carrier also is reducing train frequencies in the Northeast Corridor, the busiest in its network, and on its state-funded routes. Congress is considering a request from the railroad for $2.84 billion - double the $1.475 billion in supplemental federal funding that Amtrak projected in May it would need to maintain service levels. The funding is in addition to the roughly $2 billion in federal subsidies it receives annually to cover operations. Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., chair of the subcommittee, asked Flynn to commit to rescind the furloughs and service cuts if Congress decided to give the company the $4.9 billion it wants. "We will do as directed by Congress," Flynn answered. "If that $4.9 billion instructs us to rescind the furloughs and rescind the service cuts, we'll do that." If Congress does not provide the supplemental funding, however, even more dramatic reductions across the company would be necessary to "stave off bankruptcy," Flynn said. In May the federal government released more than $1 billion in relief money to Amtrak to keep the railroad running and its front-line workers on the job during the pandemic. Amtrak said those funds helped it avoid furloughs and maintain operations in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. But some committee members said Congress provided the Cares Act money with the understanding that part of the funds would be used to prevent furloughs for the duration of the pandemic. Some said the recent announcement that Amtrak will furlough 2,050 employees next month "is extremely disappointing." Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) said by cutting the workforce Amtrak is going to lose the support of members of Congress and that the service cuts will only "continue to spiral that bottom line deficit." "These 2,000 line workers are very important to us. They are the heart and soul of Amtrak," Lynch said. "You are not keeping faith with the people who run those trains and maintain those trains every single day." Lipinski lamented that Amtrak did not request additional funding sooner. "Amtrak has had months to come to Congress and request additional funding to help keep workers on the payroll," he said. "The principal reason Amtrak didn't get any money in the Heroes Act passed by the House was that Amtrak didn't submit a supplemental request until 10 days after passage." Lipinski said he is urging Congress to act quickly to prevent the furloughs and the cuts to long-distance service. It's unclear whether Congress will act quickly enough for Amtrak to reverse the changes that are set to take effect Oct. 1. Amtrak's ridership plummeted 97% in the weeks after the coronavirus pandemic hit the nation. Six months into the crisis, ridership and revenue are down 80% compared with a year ago, according to the company. At the hearing, two labor unions and the Rail Passengers Association pleaded with lawmakers to avert the service and workforce cuts, saying they will hurt Amtrak in the long run. Jim Mathews, president and chief executive of the Rail Passengers Association, which represents 28,000 members and 41 millions passengers, said nine months of daily service cuts could cost the interior regions of the country that are served by Amtrak's long-distance trains at least $2.3 billion. The figure could rise above $3 billion if the cuts remain in place for the full year, according to the group's analysis of the economic impacts of Amtrak's decision. "The existence of Amtrak buoys the economies of hundreds of towns and cities all across America," Mathews said. "Degrading that service means withdrawing those benefits from millions of Americans, even those who don't necessarily ride the trains themselves, because in many cases lives and livelihoods depend on the routes' operation. "Amtrak is a taxpayer-supported public service," Mathews said. "Its object is not profit, but to serve the nation. It cannot fulfill its mandate by cutting service for half the country during one of the most severe economic crises our nation has experienced and during a pandemic that has made air travel a perilous gamble for millions of Americans." 18th St. S. and Crystal Dr., 10:35 p.m. Aug. 30. A male asked for cash from a man inside a commercial building, and when he declined, the male struck the man, implied he had a firearm and fled. When the man exited the building, the male sprayed him with a fire extinguisher and fled on foot. Police located the male and determined that he had also thrown a wine bottle at a window, causing it to break. A 26-year-old male, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged. Spains Partido Popular (PP) and its disgraced former treasurer, Luis Barcenas, have become a broken mirror that reflects back the dirt of the Spanish deep state: the systematic use of the countrys intelligence services to further a partisan agenda. Its many plots and subplots merely attest, time and again, to an embarrassing political culture that is extremely detrimental to Spains captive democracy and to a ruling party, the PP, which remains forever suspect. The latest episode in a string of scandals involves two top party officials, Catalonias Jorge Fernandez Diaz, who was Spains Interior Minister, and the PPs then-secretary general, Maria Dolores de Cospedal. It appears that both were involved in the so-called Operation Kitchen to spy on Luis Barcenas on orders from top Rajoy administration officials at least between 2013 and 2015. That is the conclusion of the inquiry led by Manuel Garcia-Castellon, the examining judge who has now disclosed the findings of the proceedings. Fernandez Diaz is a PP old-timer who led the partys Catalan branch for decades and then began a government career in Madrid, all the way to the top of the Ministry of the Interior, an office he had to quit after attaining the dubious honour of being the first high-ranking appointee to ever be formally reprimanded in Parliament, over the so-called Operation Catalonia: in October 2014 Fernandez and the then-director of Catalonias Anti-Fraud Bureau conspired to launch a smear campaign that involved fabricating evidence to bring pro-independence parties into disrepute. That abuse of power using government institutions for partisan purposes against the political parties that led Catalonias independence push was part of Fernandez Diazs modus operandi at the helm of the Interior Ministry, according to the Prosecutions accusations which have now been revealed. Prosecutors Ignacio Stampa and Miguel Serrano speak of a conspiracy within the police force, a dirty war waged for the PPs benefit that aimed to gather specific intelligence on the whereabouts of the compromising material on top PP leaders that Luis Barcenas and his wife had collected, an operation that, needless to say, was never sanctioned by a court of law. Cospedal was apparently aware of this affair, which would make her complicit in the plot. At any rate, Fernandez Diazs indictment is practically a given, whereas it remains to be seen whether the evidence against Cospedal and her husband, Ignacio Lopez del Hierro, provides sufficient grounds to press charges against them. There is a world of difference between being a public servant and a self-serving use of the states powers, between following a political calling and unrestrained sectarian partisanship. This new court case merely puts a new stain on Fernandez Diazs record. In turn, the poor ethics of Spains 1978 democracy are exposed once again through the impunity and opacity with which a certain power-hungry political class has conducted itself for too many decades. Unfortunately, minister Fernandez Diazs alleged wrongdoing cant have been too unusual. Representative Image Chinese troops carried rods, spears, clubs and sharp weapons in trying to close in on an Indian position in Mukhpari area of Rezang-La ridgeline in eastern Ladakh on Monday evening, government sources said. As tension escalated at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the sources said around 50-60 soldiers of Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) approached the Indian post in the southern bank of Pangon lake area at around 6 p.m. but the Indian Army personnel posted there strongly confronted them, forcing their retreat. It may be recalled that the Chinese troops had mounted a savage attack on Indian soldiers with stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs during the Galwan Valley clashes in eastern Ladakh on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. On Monday evening too, the Chinese troops were carrying rods, spears, clubs and sharp weapons, the sources said. When the Indian Army forced the Chinese troops to return, they fired 10-15 rounds in the air to intimidate Indian soldiers, in the first use of firearms along the LAC after a gap of 45 years. The previous instance of shots being fired at the de-facto border was in 1975. The sources said Indian troops did not use any firearm. They said the attempt of the Chinese troops was to remove Indian Army from the strategic heights in Mukhpari peak and Rezang-La areas. The PLA has been eyeing to capture the strategic heights in the last three-four days, the sources said, adding the Chinese troops damaged an iron fence on Monday evening which was put up by Indian troops in the area. The PLA late on Monday night alleged that Indian troops crossed the LAC and outrageously fired warning shots near the Pangong lake. The Indian Army on Tuesday rejected the charges. India continues to dominate strategic peaks around the southern bank of Pangong lake area overlooking key Chinese formations in the Moldo area. The notion that victims or potential victims of sexual harassment are architects of their fate especially by their attitude, dressing, or willingness to be in a compromising place with their violators is wrong and should be resisted in every situation. The victim must always be seen as the victim and not to be blamed. This was the view of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in his contributions on Wednesday at a webinar on Anti-Sexual Harassment themed Finding Safe Spaces for Female Students in Nigerian Universities, organised by the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. The event was based on the book authored by notable journalist and former presidential spokesman, Olusegun Adeniyi, titled NAKED ABUSE: SEX FOR GRADES IN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES. According to him, the victim must always be seen as the victim. There cannot be an excuse, especially given the power configuration between students and lecturers, that the victim could have somehow invited the abuse upon themselves. I think it is an important consideration to be made and we must not allow that notion to persist. Advocating stricter punishments for rape offenders especially in situations involving lecturers and their female students, Mr Osinbajo said there cannot be an excuse especially given the power configuration between students and lecturers that the victim could have somehow invited the abuse upon themselves. I think it is an important consideration to be made and we must not allow that notion to persist. Continuing, the Vice President said there is also the comparison sometimes made between demanding bribes for service and sex for grades. Sometimes people will argue that a bribe is a bribe and there is no reason why the punishment for sex as the currency of the bribe, should be stricter than an ordinary bribe. Referring to Mr Adeniyis book, Mr Osinbajo said developing and adhering to a set of ethical codes of conduct for conversations and interactions involving lecturers and students in universities would greatly address the problem. He said: to ensure that both faculty and students are sufficiently clear about the issues and rules, there is a need for a code of conduct or ethical guidelines based on best practices in appropriate student/lecturer interactions. It is important that these are clearly defined in ethical guidelines that are contained in some documents that people can refer to and see. It is important both for the lecturer and the student that there is some reference to some code of conduct. Speaking further on ways of resolving issues around sexual harassment in Nigerian universities, Mr Osinbajo said the search for answers to creating safe spaces for female students in universities must begin from the question of why is it that such an evidently rampant crime is so under-reported? According to him, there are obviously many cases of people who share their anecdotal experiences without necessarily reporting to the authorities. I think the answer is clearly that this low reportability is on account of the fact that many victims do not feel confident that they will get redress, or that they will be treated fairly or that they will not be visited with the same fearful consequences that were the subject of the demand in the first place. The fear that they will neither get a sympathetic nor understanding hearing, let alone justice, and that they will end up suffering the same consequences the predator had threatened would occur if they did not submit to their demands. Then there is, of course, the shame and stigma that could attend speaking up. I think that in ensuring that we create safe spaces, we must do at least the basics, which is providing the support and resources they need to report abusers. Every institution must make it easy for victims or potential victims to report perpetrators to trusted formal structures or secure channels created specifically for the purpose of resolving such cases, the vice president added. Mr Osinbajo also recommended the adoption of a mandatory well thought-out whistleblower process emphasizing confidentiality, professional legal and medical help for victims or potential victims. Dignitaries who also spoke at the webinar besides Mr Adeniyi, the Guest Speaker, included the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege; the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; the First Lady of Ekiti State, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi; and the Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Eyitope Ogunbode. Meanwhile, in another development, Mr Osinbajo has underscored the synergy between the legislature and the executive in supporting policies and programmes of the administration especially those geared towards boosting the nations economic base. The vice president stated this on Wednesday at a virtual Citizens Dialogue on the Green Imperative Project. The Green Imperative Project is a bilateral initiative between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Brazilian government to develop Nigerias agricultural production base through a mechanization programme that is spread across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country. Laolu Akande Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity Office of the Vice President The commander of US forces in the Middle East on Wednesday formally announced a long-expected reduction of the number of US troops in Iraq, from more than 5,000 to some 3,000. In recognition of the great progress the Iraqi forces have made and in consultation and coordination with the government of Iraq and our coalition partners, the United States has decided to reduce our troop presence in Iraq from about 5,200 to 3,000 troops during the month of September, CENTCOM commander Gen. Kenneth Frank McKenzie said during a coalition change-of-command ceremony in Baghdad. This decision is due to our confidence in the Iraqi Security Forces increased ability to operate independently, McKenzie said, according to a readout of his statement provided to Al-Monitor. The drawdown announcement comes three weeks after Iraqs Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited Washington to discuss the United States security and economic relations with Iraq now that the Islamic State (IS) has been reduced to scattered sleeper cells. McKenzie hinted in July at his openness to a drawdown in Iraq, saying he believed the US-led coalition could continue to contain IS with fewer forces in the country. The CENTCOM commander has expressed confidence that the remnants of IS can no longer seize and hold territory. "This is a result of a lot of hard work by both countries, and the coalition, over many years," former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Middle East Affairs Michael Mulroy told Al-Monitor by phone. "It is critical that we maintain enough of our forces in Iraq to ensure that ISIS can never again regain its territory in Iraq or Syria. There were too many sacrifices by both countries to allow that to happen," said Mulroy, now a security analyst for ABC News. "We also need to maintain our strong relationship with the Iraqi military to help counter Iran's influence in Iraq." Earlier this year, the US-led multinational coalition in Iraq began withdrawing from satellite bases to consolidate its main effort at a headquarters in Baghdad and at other larger bases. The transition was long-planned, the coalition said, but was accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic and harassing rocket fire by suspected Iran-linked militias. One of the fusillades nearly drove the United States and Iran to the brink of war, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy acknowledged Wednesday. A rocket strike that killed an Iraqi-born American contractor at the K1 air base near Kirkuk in December led to a see-saw of retaliation that culminated in US President Donald Trump ordering the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport. Iran responded with ballistic missile barrages that caused concussive brain injuries to more than 100 US military personnel in Iraq. US officials have urged their Iraqi counterparts to carry out reforms in the countrys security, with particular emphasis on bringing Hashid Shaabi militias under Baghdads direct control. The progress of that reform is not tied to US decisions regarding its troop presence in Iraq, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq David Copley said last month. The decision to reduce the US component of the coalitions presence is ultimately a political one, military officials have said. Late on Tuesday, a senior US official told reporters aboard Air Force One that Trump would announce the drawdown from Iraq on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Trump is facing reelection and has promised to end US involvement in what he calls endless wars, though US coalition forces no longer regularly accompany Iraqi troops on counter-IS operations. The Pentagon also plans to reduce the US troop presence in Afghanistan by roughly 50% by November, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said last month. The official aboard Air Force One on Wednesday also said Trump was set to make an announcement on that drawdown in the coming days. Trump deferred to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month when asked if the White House had a timeline for the reduction of US troops in Iraq. As soon as we complete the mission, Pompeo said. The presidents made very clear: He wants to get our forces down to the lowest level as quickly as we possibly can. Thats the mission hes given us, and were working with the Iraqis to achieve that. At some point, well obviously be gone, Trump told reporters after meeting Kadhimi. We look forward to the day when we wont have to be there. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) Lawmakers questioned Wednesday the 19.13 billion funding for a task force dedicated to combatting communist rebels, saying the money may be better spent to support struggling industries. The proposed budget for 2021 boosts funding for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC), a body created by President Rodrigo Duterte through Executive Order 70 issued in 2018. The task force provides a "whole-of-nation" approach in curbing armed rebel groups and is assigned to create a National Peace Framework. NTF ELCAC received 1.7 billion this year. READ: Gov't shifts to 'civilian-led approach' in fight vs. communists Duterte Next year, the bulk of the task force's funds -- 16.44 billion -- will be released as support to barangays ravaged by armed attacks. However, Senator Franklin Drilon said it appears inappropriate to allot this much to the body while the country grapples with the COVID-19 crisis. "Against that kind of program, DOLE is only getting 15.9 billion, OWWA is only getting 7.5 billion, DOT is only getting 3.5 billion... Are we saying that the communist insurgency will be a bigger threat than our unemployment and poverty situation?," Drilon said as the chamber started discussions for the 4.506-trillion national budget. READ: AFP focuses on Abu Sayyaf troops in Basilan, Sulu in anti-terrorism thrust Some 4.6 million Filipino adults were unemployed in July, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado explained that there's a need to provide support to these communities as well, which traces back to 2016 onwards. "The projects are identified by the barangays themselves. It's just that the NTF ELCAC as national secretariat is the repository of the funds," he told lawmakers. "Nawasak na po 'yung buhay nila eh, nawalan na sila ng hanapbuhay. Ano ngayon ang kapalit? Ito 'yung ina-address natin dito [Their lives have been ruined, they already lost their jobs. What's in store for them? That's what we're addressing here]," Avisado added. The Interior Department will receive 1.19 billion, while the Department of Agriculture will take 480 million from the NTF ELCAC, along with the Department of Agrarian Reform (400 million) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (340 million) for various livelihood assistance projects. Avisado went on to explain that neither the 2021 spending plan nor the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act carried provisions for additional cash aid for the Social Amelioration Program, saying relaxed quarantine rules have allowed workers to make money again. Senators Risa Hontiveros also expressed concern, saying that a lump-sum approach for anti-terrorism initiatives could leave the funds open to misuse. However, the Budget chief explained that the funds are meant to support grassroots projects for barangays which have been cleared of rebel troops, with the task force in charge of downloading funds to the communities. The task force has also been accused of red-tagging critics of the Duterte administration. RELATED: DND: Gabriela a front for communist groups Drilon is not convinced, adding that the release of barangay funds through the NTF ELCAC could be used for political purposes. He pointed out that late 2021 already marks the start of the election season. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 2.5 million veteran-owned firms that employ over 5.8 million people. A veteran owns one in ten of every ten business. So what makes veterans good entrepreneurs? In this article, we get insights on qualities that can be transferred from battlefield frontline to business fronts that make veterans good entrepreneurs. 'Military precision' is used to denote the accuracy and meticulous plans that go to an activity or event. The military is associated with getting their work portion done even when under no supervision. Veterans are used to that kind of discipline. Establishing successful business ventures is no different. Businesses often have different facets that require your attention as an entrepreneur. Sales, HR, financing, planning, marketing, to mention a few, require proper coordination to achieve desired results. Veterans can transfer the discipline, and the work ethics learned in the frontline to the business front and boardrooms with excellent results. Related: How the Memory of His Fallen Brothers Powers Dakota Meyer's Passion Dedication and focus The military is trained to focus until they win. The commitment to serving goes beyond a pay or reward. It's about service and royalty. Enterprises will require dedicated attention and focus an all elements that count if they are to succeed. Focusing on providing a solution or value to the clients is essential for a business to thrive. Veterans who carry this focused attitude and values to the business environment are likely to succeed. Teamwork Successful enterprises require coordination between various business elements and teams. Veterans, on the other hand, are used to teamwork. It's their style of work to work in groups or organizations. Collaboration creates trust and lines of responsibility. To grow or scale businesses beyond sole proprietorship calls for cooperation for which veterans have the upper hand. It is no wonder veterans are 45% more likely to be self-employed than non-veterans. Ability to work under pressure Establishing and running business ventures is not smooth sailing. There are challenges to deal with regularly. Having the ability to deal with stressors and stressful situations is suitable for businesses. Problem-solving is a skill that is part of military work. Veterans who venture into the market are likely to handle and solve problems better. Having a team that is dedicated to serving, disciplined, hardworking, and resilient is good for business growth. While veterans can transition some of their skills in the service to make good entrepreneurs building such a team takes patience. Related: 5 Tips for Military Vets Transitioning Into a Remote Workforce or Business While in The US Army deployed to Iraq and later to Afghanistan with the depart of state under contract. I experienced many situations that have made me my decisions more planned and thinking ahead of possible outcomes similar to mission briefings. The goal with my column writing is to bring readers who haven't served a point of view for business from the military mindset, and those who have served helped to learn from those who have the skill to succeed in business. Related: Why Veterans Make Great Entrepreneurs How to Hire a Veteran 'Building a Business Is Just as Hard as Combat': How a Life in the Military Gave Patch Baker the Skills to Help Veterans Excel at Becoming Entrepreneurs Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Luke Bonnes, seventh-grade student, types on his personal computer during a cyber class at Peirce Middle School in West Chester, Pa. Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. West Chester is launching a new cyber school program next year in an attempt to bring students back into the district from cyber charters. Read more Every disaster has winners and losers, but this pandemic has inflicted more loss than most in terms of both lives and livelihoods. COVID-19 has also produced winners who have benefited from the pandemic as a result of disaster capitalism, or just good timing. They include Amazon, Zoom, and Netflix. They also include Pennsylvanias 14 cyber charter schools which are, according to some reports, seeing skyrocketing interest and increased enrollment. Its too early for the Pennsylvania Department of Education to have official tallies of cyber enrollment for this school session, but many districts have seen increases in interest in cyber charters. The School District of Philadelphia says cyber enrollment could be up by 18%, which could mean 1,200 more students. As districts struggle to find a clear path to providing public education, those schools that have already established online learning must seem like attractive and obvious options to parents. But thats worrisome, for a number of reasons. Last year, the state spent $463 million to educate 30,000 cyber students. Cyber charters get the same per-pupil allocation from districts as brick-and-mortar charters, even though their costs are far lower. READ MORE: Are districts paying too much for cyber students? Charters get their per-pupil money from district budgets, whether or not students are coming from a private, parochial school or school in another district. With so much educational uncertainty, many parents paying tuition for private or parochial schools may very well decide to save tuition and enroll in cyber public schools. And that could be wreak havoc on public school budgets since they pay cybers no matter where students are coming from. In Philadelphia, 1,200 new cyber students could cost as much as $18 million. Thats not just disaster capitalism; its simply disaster especially given the overall poor performance of cyber charters. In a 2019 study, Stanford Universitys Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) raised red flags about Pennsylvanias cyber charters, which have shown overwhelmingly negative results in student academic growth and little to no progress since 2013. READ MORE: When it comes to cyber charters, doing nothing is not an option | Editorial The entire charter sector has been allowed to mushroom with virtually no change to the original 1997 charter law. Many calls to reform funding and oversight of charters, especially cybers, have been ignored. Even troubling reports like a recent one from Auditor General Eugene DePasquale that found one cyber charter operator to have a fund balance of $82 million do not prompt action in Harrisburg. And neither the auditor general nor the Department of Education, which oversees cyber charters, has the authority to order full financial reviews of cybers. That should change immediately. One recent proposal from State Rep. Curt Sonney (R., Erie) would eliminate cyber charters and require public school districts to establish their own full-time cyber education programs. Sonney should keep pushing for this. Virtual education offered by districts is a promising direction, especially in light of a new report by Research for Action, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, AFT Pennsylvania, and PCCY, which found that teachers around the state adapted quickly to online tools. The pandemic may be less physically harmful to children, but it has the potential to ruin their futures by disrupting their educations. State lawmakers should not be complicit in this disaster. Disney is under fire for filming part of its live-action reboot Mulan in Xinjiang, the region in China where the government has been accused of human rights abuses against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. The final credits in the film, which was released on Disney+ last week and is being rolled out in several countries this month, thank propaganda departments in Xinjiang and the public security bureau of Turpan, a Uighur-majority city in the region. Human rights activists and some China experts have taken to social media to condemn Disney for turning a blind eye to alleged abuses in Xinjiang. They accuse the American enterprise of kowtowing to China for access to its lucrative movie market, the second-largest in the world. Expand Close Yifei Liu stars in the live-action reboot of Mulan (AP/Chris Pizzello, File) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Yifei Liu stars in the live-action reboot of Mulan (AP/Chris Pizzello, File) Amnesty International tweeted a link to a media report on the controversy and asked Disney: Can you show us your human rights due diligence report? A Washington Post opinion contributor called the movie a scandal, and one widely shared tweet suggested the Mulan crew would have seen re-education camps for Uighurs en route to filming locations. Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in the remote Xinjiang region have been locked up in camps as part of a government assimilation campaign launched in response to decades of sometimes violent struggle against Chinese rule. Some have been subjected to forced sterilisation and abortion, and in recent months, ordered to drink traditional Chinese medicines to combat the coronavirus outbreak. Expand Close Disney is under fire for filming part of the movie in Xinjiang (AP/Ng Han Guan) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Disney is under fire for filming part of the movie in Xinjiang (AP/Ng Han Guan) Chinese authorities defend the camps as job training centres, though former detainees describe them as prison-like facilities where they were humiliated, beaten and deprived of food. There is no so-called re-education camp in Xinjiang, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said when asked about the Mulan controversy. The establishment of the vocational education and training centres in Xinjiang is a positive attempt and active exploration of preventive counter-terrorism and deradicalisation. There have been no violent terrorist attacks in Xinjiang for more than three years. Video of the Day The film, which is a remake of the popular 1998 animation, is based on the ancient Chinese tale of Hua Mulan, a young woman who takes her fathers place in the army by dressing as a man. EDWARDSVILLE Madison County officials look to take on challenging conversations about suicide to further support the community, focusing on veterans. Suicide is a human issue and we need to do what we can by having difficult conversations, Madison County Mental Health Board Executive Director Deborah Humphrey said. Humphrey said veterans are especially at risk, because so many are afraid to come forward for fear of the stigma attached to it. When a veteran is emotionally wounded and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and experience significant life stressors it can affect the ability to cope, Humphrey said. This can escalate a veteran into an emotional crisis episode or thoughts of suicide, attempting or even death by suicide. The average number of veterans who commit suicide every day is between 17 and 23. The actual number of those who think about it is far greater, Humphrey said. Humphrey said she recently attended several presentations, held by the Madison County Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC), on the Presidents Roadmap to Empower and End National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) and what the VAC is doing locally to develop a Veterans Crisis Response Program built around the PREVENTS Roadmap. Elected officials, community leaders, law enforcement and mental health professionals who attended the events learned about the Presidents Roadmap and the Veterans Crisis Response Program. On March 5, 2019, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13861, known as PREVENTS and created an interagency task force to lead the development and implementation of a national, comprehensive roadmap to change how our nation treats mental health and understands suicide prevention. Humphrey said VAC Superintendent Brad Lavite presented information about helping veterans in crisis, but also about taking a public approach to suicide prevention. Brad did a great job bringing everyone together, educating and engaging them, she said. She said the presentations focused on stakeholders working with the VAC in developing and implementing a Veterans Crisis Response Program that responds to veterans in crisis and can possibly be emulated and expanded to assist any citizen experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal. Bringing key stakeholders together in planning and implementing this initiative will have positive results, she said. This collaborative effort will help veterans get the support and services to help reduce or prevent a crisis episode as early as possible and guide them to appropriate stabilization services and treatment when needed. Suicide is a public health crisis. In 2018, there were 48,334 suicides in the United States and veterans account for 20 to 22 percent. According to the Federal VA Geographical Index, Madison County veterans population is approximately 22,500. A range between 10 to 30 percent of veterans will experience PTSD or a mental health related crisis. Humphrey said through the PREVENTS Roadmap, the VAC hopes to bring together law enforcement and other first responders to co-develop a Veterans Crisis Response Program overseen by an Accredited Veterans Service Officer employed by the VAC. When a veteran experiences a crisis episode related to their PTSD, first responders law enforcement and medical and mental health professionals are called to assist in de-escalating the event or aid the individuals in accessing treatment, she said. First responders are overwhelmed and often uncertain on how to respond to various types of calls and situations that involve mental health and suicide when its a veteran with diagnosed with PTSD or other mental health conditions. The VAC began developing the framework for its Veterans Crisis Response Program in 2018 and they hope it will become the model for other VACs and agencies in helping to reduce the fall-out when a mental health crisis occurs, thus preventing suicide locally and across the State of Illinois. September is National Suicide Prevention Month and Thursday marks World Suicide Prevention Day. To get involved, visit https://survey.voice.va.gov/?CSignals-PREVENTS and take the PREVENTS survey. Feedback on this survey from veterans service organizations, veterans and community organizations aids the PREVENTS office. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Chennai Metro Rail has extended its operations by an hour as the Green Line between St Thomas Mount and Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M G Ramachandran Central Metro via Koyambedu resumed operations on Wednesday. A Chennai Metro Rail spokesman said that the operations have been extended till 9 pm from Thursday considering several requests from the public with a peak hour (morning: 08:30 am to 10:30 am and evening: 5 pm to 8 pm) headway of five minutes and non-peak hour headway of 10 minutes. Train services from Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Metro Station to Airport Metro Station via Koyambedu will resume from Thursday, said the spokesman. Meanwhile, the Phase I extension project from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar, which has been hit due to shortage of migrant workers, is likely to be completed by December. The Phase-I extension from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar built at an estimated cost of Rs 3,770 crore was to be ready for inauguration by June 2020. The work was hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many migrant workers left for their homes after the lockdown. Now with the lockdown easing, migrant workers will resume the operation, said sources. The Phase-I extension covers a length of 9.051 km. Chennai Metro has planned to extend the Corridor-1 from Washermanpet to Wimco Nagar to provide a linkage with the suburban system of Southern Railway and increase the ridership. Construction of the extension project was delayed by five years as the Centre gave its approval only by 2016. The plan is to benefit commuters from northern parts of the city with nine stations at Washermanpet, Korukkupet, Theagaraya College, Tondiarpet, Tollgate, Thangal, Gowri Ashram, Tiruvottiyur and Wimco Nagar. From Washermanpet till Korukkupet, trains will run underground and beyond that it will be an elevated corridor. The red zone regime could be introduced if the epidemic situation worsens. Ukraine's Health Ministry does not rule out the introduction of a red zone mode across Ukraine if the epidemic situation worsens. "If the epidemic situation worsens, it is possible the government will be forced to introduce a red zone mode across the country to curb the incidence rate. Since the health of the nation is the main priority of the government," as reported by the RBC Ukraine news agency. At the same time, the Cabinet of Ministers plans to continue the adaptive quarantine so as not to restrict the work of the business. Read alsoUkraine reports over 2,500 new COVID-19 cases on Sept 9It is noted the number of COVID-19 cases across the country has doubled over the past month. The Health Ministry told the publication such an increase is already leading to an overcrowding of hospitals where patients with COVID-19 are treated. In this situation, the ministry blames non-compliance with quarantine measures. Quarantine in Ukraine: background NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice today announced that Alfred (Fred) Festa, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of W. R. Grace & Company, has been engaged as an Operating Advisor to CD&R's funds. Mr. Festa has a demonstrated record of success in senior corporate leadership positions. He joined Grace as President and Chief Operating Officer in 2003 and went on to serve as Chief Executive Officer from 2005 until 2018 and Chairman until 2019. He is credited with leading the W.R. Grace's operational turnaround, including repositioning the company's business portfolio by spinning off its construction chemicals and packaging operations and integrating 27 acquisitions, expanding into emerging markets, and pursuing significant organic growth initiatives. "Fred's deep experience and relationships in the chemical and broader industrial markets and track record of driving growth and operational excellence align well with CD&R's investment strategy and focus," said Nate Sleeper, CD&R's Chief Executive Officer. "Many of us have had the pleasure of getting to know Fred over the last year and recognize him as an exceptionally talented leader who will be a great asset to our funds as we continue to expand our capabilities within the industrial sector." "CD&R has a long history of investing in the chemical industry, and we believe Fred's capabilities and network will allow us to continue to build on our track record of success in this market," said Andrew Campelli, CD&R Principal. "Fred has a demonstrated ability to drive significant value creation while managing operational and financial complexity, which will be valuable to CD&R funds as we continue to emphasize creative investments in the chemical and industrial sectors." "CD&R's reputation for partnering with management teams to build stronger companies is compelling," said Mr. Festa. "I look forward to contributing to CD&R funds' investment efforts by leveraging my broad industrial experience, particularly in the chemicals sector, and working with the team to make the companies in which CD&R funds invest more valuable." Prior to joining Grace, Mr. Festa was President and CEO of ICG, Commerce Inc. Previously, he held a number of leadership roles at the AlliedSignal Corporation, including President E-business, Vice President and General Manager of Performance Fibers and Chemical Intermediaries Division, and Vice President and Business Development Polymers Division and of the Specialty Chemicals Division. Mr. Festa began his business career in Finance at GE and over a subsequent 12-year period held numerous financial positions, primarily within the Aerospace division. Mr. Festa is a Board Member of the home construction company, NVR Inc., and earned a BS in Finance from State University of New York. About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with a strategy predicated on building stronger, more profitable businesses. Since inception, CD&R has managed the investment of more than $30 billion in 93 businesses representing a broad range of industries with an aggregate transaction value of more than $140 billion. The Firm's investments in the industrial chemicals sector have included Diversey, Solenis, and Univar. The Firm has offices in New York and London. For more information, please visit www.cdr-inc.com. SOURCE Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Related Links http://www.cdr-inc.com States of California, Oregon and Washington are going through hell as blazing wildfires are causing catastrophic damage to life and property. Reuters California has over 20 major wildfires burning 2.2 million hectares of land across the state. In fact, a fire caused in San Bernardino County, southeast of LA was caused after a pyrotechnic device went wrong at a gender reveal party, burning nearly 11,000 acres of land. The state of Washington has seen more fires than it has seen in the past 12 fire seasons, according to Governor Jay Inslee. Fires have covered over 330,000 acres of land in just 24 hours. In Oregon, the states governor has gone ahead and declared an emergency with mandatory evacuation orders for thousands of residents. What started late Tuesday, in Almeda has now spread to regions of Medford, which is home to over 80,000. Winds with speeds up to 40 kilometres per hour are contributing to spreading the fire even further in Oregon. While much data hasnt been revealed with regards to the damages caused by the fires in Oregon, The Oregon Department of Forestry has estimated that the fire in Almeda has damaged up to 2500 to 3000 acres of land. Twitter: @finalpopgirl Why have the skies turned red? People from Oregon have been sharing images of skies that have turned bloody red, something straight out of a Stranger Things episode. While it might appear that weve entered hell (the way humans are treating the environment this was expected sooner or later), there is actually a scientific phenomenon behind this called light scattering. Associate Professor Koh Tieh Yong, of the Singapore University of Social Sciences, explained this in a conversation with BBC regarding a similar wildfire that broke in Indonesia. Normally, when light rays hit Earths surface it goes through nitrogen and oxygen molecules that make the light bounce off in every direction. The short wavelengths of blue light are more easily scattered by small objects, hence we see the sky as blue in the daytime. Twitter:@FlyAir4 In a situation like the one weve seen in Oregon when the fire burns trees and everything in its way, it releases particles. These smoke particles are larger than the gas molecules of nitrogen and oxygen. Because of this, they end up scattering the longer red wavelengths instead and with smoke particles in such intensity, it overpowers the blue or Rayleigh scattering, making skies red. After months in the Covid-19 shadows Brexit is moving again but its going backwards. Heres an update on all you need to know. After two days of cautiously watching and waiting, Taoiseach Micheal Martin will hit the phone this afternoon and talk to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The phone call comes as the London government has admitted it intends breaking international law via new domestic legislation which dilutes special trade status already guaranteed to Northern Ireland in the EU after Brexit fully happens. The move had infuriated all Dail parties, and all politicians in the North bar the Democratic Unionist Party. Mr Martin was slow to bow to opposition pressure to publicly tackle Johnson on the latest move. Some, including Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, think Mr Johnson is sabre-rattling and trying to benefit from a big upset in ongoing EU-UK talks. These talks are making no progress on forging a new Brussels-London trade deal before a standstill transition period ends on December 31. Read More LONDON Today UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson published his Internal Market Bill which allows London power, without EU consultation, to change customs rules applying to Northern Ireland. These rules effectively keep the North in the EU single market after Brexit but require controls of imports and exports to the North. Johnson this afternoon brushed aside objections from the opposition and key people in his own Conservative Party. Yes, indeed we will press on with this law, he said. The draft law also allows London to ignore EU rules on state aid to business in the North. The UK PM argues any international law breaches are limited and technical. The move is about ensuring smooth trade between the North and England, Scotland and Wales after Brexit, and avoiding a border in the Irish Sea. BRUSSELS Dismay reigned across the board at the prospect of the UK reneging on last Octobers Withdrawal Agreement giving Northern Ireland special trade status. There is a circling of the wagons around the EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier. European Parliament president David Sassoli said there would be no EU divisions. French trade minister Frank Reister thought Boris Johnson may be trying diversion tactics in talks which are going against him. There is a game of bluff going on, the French trade minister said. He added that an EU-UK trade deal can still happen provided London guaranteed no undercutting on labour and environment standards and kept Brussels state-aid rules on grants to business. Of course, the UK must also grant continued access to its fishing grounds from January 1 next. But in Brussels, as elsewhere, the clock is ticking. A trade deal must be in place by mid-October if it is to be approved by member states in time for the December 31 deadline for the UK leaving the EU for trade purposes. The view across all EU capitals right now is that Brexit is going backwards. The danger of a calamitous no-deal Brexit threatens tens of thousands of Irish jobs. New Delhi, Sep 9 : Continuing his attack on the government over the state of economy, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the unplanned lockdown broke the backbone of Indian economy and it was the Modi government's third attack on the unorganised sector. Releasing his fourth video of the series on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi said: "The poor, those working in small and medium businesses, are daily wage earners. They eat with what they earn each day. When you announced a lockdown without a notice, you attacked them." Gandhi reiteriated his point that the lockdown did not yield results as India surpassed Brazil and became the second worst-hit nation by the pandemic. "The Prime Minister said the fight will be for 21 days, the backbone of the unorganized sector broke in 21 days," he added. The Congress leader alleged that the government did not pay any heed on the advice of the party and when it was time to open after the lockdown, Congress party told the government several times that helping the poor was essential. "A scheme like NYAY needed to be implemented, money needed to be directly deposited in bank accounts. But they didn't do it," said Rahul Gandhi. The Congress in its letters to the Prime Minister had suggested that for small and medium businesses, the government should prepare a package. "They needed to be saved. Without this money they would not be able to survive, but the government did nothing. Instead, the government waived off taxes worth lakhs of crores of the richest 15-20 people," the Congress leader said. "The lockdown was not an attack on corona but an attack on the poor of India. It was an attack on the future of our youth, labourers, farmers and small shopkeepers and unorganised sector," Gandhi has been saying this all along. Earlier Rahul Gandhi in his video had questioned the GST and demonisation. Rahul Gandhi had said that the GST was the UPA's idea of easy taxation but the NDA has made it "complex and complicated". "The GST implemented by NDA government is different as four slabs of taxes are there to the tune of 28 per cent, it's very complicated and very difficult to understand," said Rahul. The small and medium businesses can't comply with this tax procedure but the big companies can hire as many accountants as possible, he said. He had said that "this GST is an absolute failure. Not only is it unsuccessful, it is an attack on the poor and on the small and medium businesses. GST is not a tax system, it is an attack on India's poor. It is an attack on small shopkeepers, small and medium businesses, farmers and labourers." Rahul last week released his second video and alleged that demonetisation was an attack on India's poor, its farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers and termed it as an attack on India's unorganised economy. Rahul Gandhi said that "demonetisation did not erase black money as was claimed by the Prime Minister and it did not benefit the poor and the advantage was given to India's biggest billionaires." He had said demonetisation wiped out cash from the system and due to this the informal sector has suffered because the unorganised economy runs on cash whether it is a small shopkeeper, farmer or labourer. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text [New Whitepaper] Guide to Selecting a Virtual Agent or Chatbot Vendor: Forget the Technology & Focus on Experience You should never underestimate the benefits of working with an extremely knowledgeable vendor who will become a trusted partner throughout your virtual agent journey. Creative Virtual, a world leader in customer and employee engagement solutions, today announced the publication of a new resource to assist organisations with selecting a virtual agent vendor. The whitepaper, Guide to Selecting a Virtual Agent or Chatbot Vendor: Forget the Technology & Focus on Experience, provides insights into the right questions to ask about a providers experience and expertise during the procurement process. The increased demand for digital self-service this year is resulting in many companies adding AI-powered virtual agents and chatbots to their customer and employee engagement strategies. To create a positive user experience and achieve long-term success with these solutions, organisations must not only select a robust technology but also work with highly skilled industry specialists to implement and maintain solutions properly. You should never underestimate the benefits of working with an extremely knowledgeable vendor who will become a trusted partner throughout your virtual agent journey, says Rachel F Freeman, Operations Director at Creative Virtual. If you dont have confidence your vendor is focused on really understanding your needs and guiding you in the right direction, you are working with the wrong team. This new guide gives a behind-the-scenes look into how to find a provider with the right experience, knowledge and skills. In addition to contributions from Rachel, the whitepaper also includes insights from Claudio Chico, Rachael Needham, Len Power, Maria Ward, Rob Foster, Laura Ludmany, Peter Studd, Ridhi Mathur and Mandy Reed. These industry experts draw from a combined 83 years of experience in the virtual agent and chatbot field to explore six different areas of experience that are essential for success. This includes skill in building a strong business case, integrating with other systems and technologies, creating the right user experience and identifying future developments. Download a copy of the new Guide to Selecting a Virtual Agent or Chatbot Vendor: Forget the Technology & Focus on Experience to learn more. Visit the Creative Virtual website to learn more about the Neutrino release of V-Person which brings together the right combination of conversational AI, orchestration tools and industry expertise to create customer and employee conversations. ABOUT CREATIVE VIRTUAL Creative Virtual is a world leader in virtual agent, chatbot, live chat and conversational AI solutions that bring together humans and artificial intelligence to create conversations with customers and employees across touchpoints in a seamless, personalised way and at large scale. Leading global organisations, including HSBC, BT, Chase, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Lloyds Banking Group and American Family Insurance, rely on our award-winning V-Person technology to improve their support experience, reduce costs, increase sales and build brand loyalty. Named the Product Leader in AI-Enhanced Customer Self-Service by Frost & Sullivan and awarded The Queens Awards for Enterprise: Innovation, Creative Virtual delivers an industry-leading combination of proven technology and expert guidance from a highly experienced team and extensive partner network. Our global team supports installs around the world in over 35 languages, providing both localised support and international insights to our customers and partners. To learn more visit http://www.creativevirtual.com. President Akufo-Addo has described himself as a leader who can be trusted. He is asking Ghanaians to continue to believe in him to take the country to a good place. The most important thing I want to say is that I want Ghanaians to know I didnt become President to deceive anybody. When I made my promises during my run for the presidency, the opposition said I couldnt do what I had promised and that I was deceiving Ghanaians because they dont have the vision, they dont have the understanding of how to do things. Everything I wanted to do in education, industry, agriculture, each one of the policies they said we couldnt do it and it was misplaced, but Ghanaians have realised I came to tell the truth, I came to help the nation to prosper and that is exactly what we are doing now. I want the Ghanaian people to understand that Akufo-Addo is a truthful person and he is a man of his words and, so, they should trust me. Ill not drive the country into a ditch, on the contrary, I want to take the country to a good place. Nana Akufo-Addo said these in an interview on Techiman-based Classic FM on Tuesday, 8 September 2020. The President is on a six-day tour of Bono East, Bono and Ahafo regions. On day two of his visit, which is today, Wednesday, 9 September, the President will cut the sod for the construction of Tuobodom town roads, attend a durbar and inspect the ongoing construction of the Regional Coordinating Council in Techiman South and North. On Thursday, 10 September, President Akufo-Addo will inspect the ongoing construction of various educational facilities under the Senior High School Intervention Projects at Sunyani Senior High School in Sunyani East and West. He will then inspect the ongoing Baanafo-Zezera Adamsu road construction in Jaman South and visit the WEDDI Africa Tomato Processing Factory and Agro-Farms in Berekum West. The President will continue his tour on Friday, 11 September with the inspection of ongoing rehabilitation of the 15-km New Dormaa Yawhima road among others and will attend a durbar of chiefs and people of Odumase Kwatire and Adentia Badu. On Saturday, 12th and Sunday 13th September, President Akufo-Addo will inaugurate and inspect ongoing projects in Tano North, Tano South, Asutifi North, which include the opening of a 68-bed ward doctors accommodation and childrens ward at the Kenyasi Government Hospital. In the Ahafo region, President Akufo-Addo will attend durbars, commission a business Resource Centre in Goaso, cut sod for the construction of a 30-bed polyclinic in Mim and inspect the ongoing construction of roads in Sankore before wrapping up his tour. Throughout the tour, the President will use the opportunity to hear first-hand from the people and commit to the remaining parts of his administrations agenda. ---classfmonline Hes the coup leader who wont talk about whether he might be ousted in a coup. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stormed out of a media briefing late on Tuesday after he was asked about the possibility of the army seizing power, as political ructions intensify before expected mass protests on September 19. Go, go back home, he said with a wave and walked off. Thai Prime Minister and coup leader Prayut Chan-o-cha. Credit:AP Prayut came to power after a coup in 2014, Thailands 12th since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. He was reinstated as prime minister after elections last year. A major fire swept through a notoriously overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos early Wednesday, leaving thousands of people in need of emergency shelter. No injuries were reported. Complicating matters, the Moria camp was under a coronavirus lockdown when flames gutted much of it overnight. Authorities scrambled to find a way to house camp residents left homeless while also preventing the spread of the virus. ``The combination of migration and the pandemic in these conditions is creating an exceptionally demanding situation,'' Alternate Migration Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos said. Civil protection authorities declared a four-month state of emergency for public health reasons on Lesbos. Koumoutsakos said it appeared the blaze broke out ``as the result of the discontent'' of some camp residents over the lockdown measures and isolation orders imposed after 36 people tested positive for COVID-19. The positive cases were detected in broad testing and contact tracing after a Somali man who returned to the camp after being granted asylum fell ill with the virus. ``I recognize the difficult circumstances,`` Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, expressing sorrow over the fire. ``However, nothing can become an excuse for violent reaction to health checks. And, more so, for unrest of this extent.'' The prime minister added: ``The situation in Moria cannot continue because it constitutes simultaneously a question of public health, humanity and national security.'' In dramatic scenes, men, women and children fled fires that broke out during the night at multiple points and were fanned by gale-force winds, gutting much of the facility and some of the surrounding hillside olive groves. Protests also broke out involving migrants, riot police, and firefighters. Police set up road blocks restricting access to the island's main town of Mytilene. Mitsotakis said those left homeless would be temporarily housed in tents, and all unaccompanied children and teenagers _ just over 400 _ would be transferred from the island. No other migrants or refugees, however, would be allowed to leave. Aid agencies have long warned of dire conditions at Moria, where more than 12,500 people live in and around a facility built to house just over 2,750. The camp has become a symbol of what critics say is Europe's failure to humanely handle the migration and refugee situation. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic noted similarly overcrowded conditions on other Greek islands and said the situation could degenerate there too. The fire shows the urgency of rethinking Europe's approach to migration, ``which has led to the overcrowded, inhumane and completely unsustainable situation in Moria and elsewhere on the Aegean islands,`` Mijatovic said. Under a 2016 deal between the European Union and Turkey designed to stem the flow of hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees, those arriving on Greek islands like Lesbos from the nearby Turkish coast are held there pending either deportation back to Turkey or the acceptance of their asylum claims. Although the deal dramatically reduced the flow, delays in processing asylum claims and the continued arrival of hundreds of asylum seekers led island camps to quickly exceed their capacity. Successive Greek governments have called on other European countries to share the burden. ``The problem of the handling of migration flows is, after all, mainly a European one,'' Mitsotakis said, noting Athens was in constant contact with European authorities on the issue. ``Greece has already borne a far heavier burden than its share.'' European authorities, who have often come under criticism for not doing enough to ease the migration burden on southern countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain, offered assistance. ``We will not leave Greece alone with this situation -- and above all -- we will not leave the people in this camp alone,'' German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. ``We have already offered the Greek government support . and we will also make this an issue during our (EU) Council Presidency,'' Maas added. ``I believe that the European Union as a whole has a responsibility.'' Germany holds the EU's rotating presidency. A spokesman for German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Berlin was in talks with Athens over what assistance Germany could provide. Pressed on whether Seehofer would reconsider his objection to individual German states or cities taking in refugees voluntarily, spokesman Steve Alter said it was important first to see what was needed urgently, and the current situation ``is no reason to call into question our current legal order.'' Dutch Development Cooperation Minister Sigrid Kaag pledged 1 million euros (about $1.2 million) in emergency aid for Greece to help provide accommodation, housing and care to migrants, while EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said she had agreed to finance the transfer and accommodation of the 400 unaccompanied children from Lesbos to the mainland. In Spain's Canary Islands, authorities are scrambling to build new migrant centers after an increase of arrivals turned the western Atlantic route into this year's deadliest for migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa by sea. But the facilities won't be ready for months, leaving hundreds sleeping in tents. Nearly 4,000 people arrived in the archipelago near West Africa between Jan. 1 and the end of August, up from 584 in the same period of 2019. More than 250 have died, according to the International Organization for Migration. In Moria, protests of living conditions and fires have broken out before, but Wednesday's was by far the largest blaze. Greece's interior and migration ministers, along with the head of the country's public health organization, flew to Lesbos with emergency aid. European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, who is responsible for migration matters, tweeted he had been in touch with Mitsotakis and ``assured him that the European Commission is ready to assist Greece immediately at all levels at this difficult time.'' Search Keywords: Short link: iStock/ArtistGNDphotography (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- With schools now back in sessions, health officials are closely monitoring the COVID-19 infection rate among U.S. children. Between August 20 and September 3, an additional 70,630 children were diagnosed with the virus, bumping the overall infected number to more than 513,000. The latest increase in cases marks a 16 percent rise in over two weeks, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). With the current infection rate, children now make up 9.8 percent of all COVID cases as of September 3. Now, with schools open following the Labor Day holiday, health officials are looking into how that rate changes in order to provide a clearer picture on how the novel coronavirus impacts children. Said the AAP on Tuesday, ""The data -- while limited because of its reliance on how each state reports its cases -- underscores the urgent need to control the virus in communities before schools and businesses can reopen safely." Meanwhile, college campuses continue to combat outbreaks on premises, with the University of New Hampshire suspending a fraternity for throwing a party where a large amount of partygoers did not wear a mask. Shortly after, the campus marked a cluster of new cases that were linked to the party. University of New Hampshire president James W. Dean Jr. lambasted the students and fraternity, declaring, "The August 29 party is reprehensible and will not be tolerated" and that "this is reckless behavior and the kind of behavior that undermines our planning and will lead to us switching to a fully remote mode." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The Armenian government shut down all schools and universities in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Virtually all of them switched to online classes that continued until the end of the last academic year in June. The government decided last month to reopen all educational institutions amid a falling number of coronavirus cases recorded in the country. Under the safety protocols issued by it, there can be no more than 20 students in a classroom at a time and all of them will have to wear face masks during classes. For their part, the school administrations will have to provide the students with hand sanitizers and regularly disinfect classrooms. They must also ensure all teachers get tested for COVID-19 by September 15. There were chaotic scenes on Wednesday at Yerevans Policlinic No. 8 where teachers from two schools were scheduled to have coronavirus tests. Not all of them observed physical distancing as they waited in a long line formed in a crowded policlinic courtyard. Many decried the lack of space there, saying that they risk getting infected with COVID-19. We are jeopardizing not only ourselves but also our students, one angry teacher told RFE/RLs Armenian service. If you consider this barn a medical institution then I dont know what to say. Im not concerned, Im angry because all this testing could have been organized inside schools in proper a manner without this fuss, said another. Other teachers were too scared to enter the building and waited their turn outside it. I have a small child and an elderly person at home and am now afraid of entering the building in these conditions, explained one of them. They are not preventing but actually contributing to the spread of the disease. Maybe we summoned too many teachers at a time and are having such a problem because of that, acknowledged the policlinic director, Armine Harutiunian. The Ministry of Health reported in the morning that a record-high 3,518 coronavirus tests have been carried out across Armenia in the past day. The daily number of such tests has averaged roughly 2,000 during the pandemic. A ministry spokeswoman confirmed that the sharp increase is the result of the mass testing among schoolteachers. Uttar Pradesh: East UP migrants to get support for starting fisheries business September 09,2020 | Source: Hindustan Times Migrant workers form wastern Uttar Pradesh who returned home during the lockdown will now get a chance to start fisheries business with support from the Lucknow-based National Bureau of Fish Genetics Resources (NBFGR). The Institute will provide assistance to migrant labourers in 14 districts of UP to which majority of the migrants returned post lockdown. Most of these migrant workers lost their jobs and savings during the lockdown and depend on government aid to make ends meet. A possible employment in the fisheries sector can help them become self-reliant once again. The plan is to involve around 3,000 families of migrant workers with the fisheries sector in these districts. We provide training and technological help to these workers. They can use this to set up successful businesses, said Kuldeep K Lal, director NBFGR. After poultry, fisheries is the second fastest growing meat industry in the country, according to experts. The migrants can capitalise on the upward trend. NBFGR experts will provide training to these migrants to farm a variety of freshwater fish and crustaceans like prawns and crabs. Easy availability of space and fresh water in the area will make it easier for migrant workers to start their business. We will also take help of the local district administration to provide help in starting the business or taking loans from banks for the same, said the director. The districts that will benefit through the initiative include Ballia, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Sultanpur, Mau, Sonbhadra, Gonda, Basti, Jaunpur and Azamgarh etc. Dharmendra Verma, a migrant worker in Gorakhapur is looking forward to the programme. Around 50 people in my village have returned from different states. We all are ready to take up fisheries as a business because it will allow us to work without leaving our village, he said. The entire Lebanese cabinet is set to resign over last weeks devastating blast at Beirut port which killed hundreds of people and injured thousands more. The news was initially announced by the countrys health minister Hamad Hassan who told reporters after a cabinet meeting that Prime Minister Hassan Diab will head to the presidential palace to hand over the resignation in the name of all the ministers. Mr Diab is expected to address to the nation at 7:30 pm local time (5.30pm BST), his office said. Lebaneses beleaguered government had faced mounting pressure from angry citizens to step down after it emerged Tuesdays explosion was caused by a fire igniting a 2,700 tonne poorly-stored stockpile of explosive ammonium nitrate that the authorities knew about. The fury has only mounted as the government has been accused of doing little to help the 300,000 people who were made homeless or those whose businesses and livelihoods were destroyed. Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Show all 24 1 /24 Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Smoke rises after an explosion in Beirut Karim Sokhn/Instagram/Reuters Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Firefighters douse a blaze at the scene AFP via Getty Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Reuters Massive explosion rocks central Beirut A wounded man walks near the scene of the explosion AFP via Getty Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Grabs from a video show the explosion Twitter Massive explosion rocks central Beirut A man reacts at the scene AFP Massive explosion rocks central Beirut A wounded man is checked by a fireman AFP via Getty Massive explosion rocks central Beirut The blast, which rattled entire buildings and broke glass, was felt in several parts of the city AFP via Getty Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Damage is seen Reuters Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Soldiers search for survivors AP Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Damage and debris EPA Massive explosion rocks central Beirut A man walks by an overturned car Getty Images Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Fires burning at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut AFP via GettY Massive explosion rocks central Beirut AP Massive explosion rocks central Beirut A man walks past damaged buildings Reuters Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Glass was blown out of many buildings AFP via Getty Massive explosion rocks central Beirut AP Massive explosion rocks central Beirut AFP via Getty Massive explosion rocks central Beirut People move a gurney at a damaged hospital Reuters Massive explosion rocks central Beirut A woman takes pictures of a damaged church AP Massive explosion rocks central Beirut Police and forensic officers work at the scene AFP via Getty Massive explosion rocks central Beirut AP Massive explosion rocks central Beirut An injured man sits next to a restauran AFP via Getty Massive explosion rocks central Beirut AP Beiruts streets have been rocked by anti-government protests over the last two days, as demonstrators and members of the security forces have clashed outside parliament as well as several ministries, which citizens tried to occupy. The explosion, centred at Beirut port, is believed to be one of the single largest non-nuclear blasts in modern history. It killed a t least 160 people and wounded about 6,000, in addition to destroying the countrys main port and damaging large parts of the capital. Losses from the blast are estimated to be between $10 billion to $15 billion, and nearly 300,000 people were left homeless in the immediate aftermath. At the rallies, protesters holding nooses have told The Independent they blame the horrific incident on rampant corruption within the ruling elite. They said they feared the 250 million Euros raised by the international community in a virtual pledging conference hosted by France, would end up being squandered by the authorities and not helping the people. About 20 people have been detained over the blast, including the head of Lebanons customs department and his predecessor, as well as the head of the port. Dozens of people have been questioned, including two former Cabinet ministers, according to government officials. Public Prosecutor Ghassan El Khoury began questioning Maj. Gen. Tony Saliba, the head of State Security on Monday. It gave no further details, but other generals are scheduled to be questioned. Prior to the full resignation of government at least three ministers had already stepped down including the environment minister Damianos Kattar, who is a close aide of prime minister Diab. Standing at the foot of History were the titles of Roger Lucas Reporters Notebook in the Star. This is really true in the Grand Coulee Dam Area. We live under the shadow of one of the Greatest Project ever built, Grand Coulee Dam. But there is some much more history in the Grand Coulee Dam Area than Grand Coulee Dam which visitors from all over the world flock to this area to see.... President Trump has done more for the American people than the last four presidents combined. He has followed the economic reality that existed since the founding, and President Calvin Coolidge's quote well defines it: "The chief business of the American people," he said, "is business." To that end, the president has done a spectacular job. He has reduced silly regulations that made it more difficult for American people to have jobs and for companies to thrive. He signed a bill that reduced the ridiculous rate of corporate taxes. He withdrew our country from the Paris climate accord that is based upon the phony science of climate change. It's perplexing that the president is not pushing back on the false science being shoved into the face of every American today (except in South Dakota and, to a lesser extent, Georgia) regarding the forced wearing of face masks. Is it still patriotic to wear a mask, as the president said, even though evidence is overwhelming that COVID-19 is apparently a run-of-the-mill virus in a long line of many? This isn't the Black Plague, as feckless bureaucrats and those who stand to make a fortune from the big lie are telling you. Masks also aren't the only thing between life and death, as those vested interests want you to think. President Trump knows this. RedState.com reports on an in-depth investigation of COVID testing and the lie of how dangerous and widespread the "scary" COVID really is. Why the silence from the White House? Governors across the country are holding their constituents (not their servants, as many of them think) hostage to unilateral and unconstitutional dictates. Some Republicans are just as guilty as Democrats, so let's dispense with the "Democrat mandate" nonsense. Republican governors love forcing you to wear masks, too. Where is the president who said the country should be opened by Easter? He was right then; he's not right about masks being patriotic. Why don't we hear about how masks not only don't help, but are harmful to many people? On top of that, what about the CDC having to admit that this COVID virus, which was supposed to wipe out two million Americans, actually resulted in about 0.005% of its guess? That's ten thousand deaths. The CDC last week admitted that the true number of deaths that can be attributed to COVID alone is six percent of the total number of deaths being reported. While the virus appears to have been present in many other deaths (again, maybe), there's no way to confirm its effect, therefore it can't be used as a standard one way or the other. True science would dismiss it as an unreliable variable. And let's not forget the occasional motorcycle death counted as COVID, or people signed up for testing who got tired of waiting for a test and left, who received notice that they had tested positive. The numbers don't add up at all. The evidence is out there for anyone who isn't too lazy to look we've been had. COVID-19 (scary-sounding, isn't it?) is just another virus that happens to be dangerous to people mainly over 70 years old. What virus isn't? The flu is, too; so is the common cold. Governors Democrat and Republican are, for their own reasons (follow the money), insisting that people wear masks no matter how worthless they are in stopping a virus. A thin film of porous cloth can't do the trick. Most masks people wear prevent nothing, except an experience as a human being with dignity living in liberty. Dr. Scott Atlas, President Trump's new coronavirus adviser from Stanford University, who questions the value of wearing masks, finally brings reason to the coronavirus discussion. He doesn't parrot the tyrannical objectives of the other members who make up the White House task force. He actually looks at the facts and goes from there. Imagine that. President Trump finally has a man advising him who doesn't favor tyranny over science. The president needs to use his bully pulpit to call the 48 tiny tyrants to account. What say you, Mr. President? Joel Krogen is a Lutheran pastor fed up with lies and tyranny of officials abusing their authority to rob people of their dignity and independence. 1776preacher@gmail.com Image credit: Pixabay public domain. Robert A. Hadden, 62, faces six counts of inducing others to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. He was arrested on Wednesday A former Columbia University gynecologist accused of sexually abusing more than two dozen patients, including the wife of former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, now faces federal charges. The doctor, Robert A. Hadden, 62, faces six counts of inducing others to travel to engage in illegal sex acts in a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday. The sexual abuse allegations against Hadden date back as early as 1993 and include the alleged abuse of a minor who he understood to be under 18 in part because he had delivered her at birth. The indictment said Hadden had sexually abused dozens of female patients, including multiple minors, 'under the guise of conducting purported gynecological and obstetric examinations' at his medical offices and Manhattan hospitals. It notes that Hadden used his role as a doctor in a prominent university to make or attempt to make his victims believe that the sexual abuse he allegedly inflicted on them was appropriate and medically necessary. Yet during these appointments, he groped and penetrated patients during vaginal examinations and 'mole checks' that served 'no medical purpose'. Hadden also allegedly made sexually inappropriate remarks and surreptitiously performed oral sex on patients It claims he encouraged his patients to see him often and would try to make them feel at ease by showing them photographs of his family. The indictment describes the alleged abuse of a patient who Hadden had delivered at birth The victims allege that Hadden would conduct two breast exams during an appointment He would 'develop a relationship with his victims and causing them to trust him,' it adds. The document alleges that Hadden also targeted younger or less experienced victims such as first-time mothers so they would not know that his actions were not medically necessary. Some of his victims would realize his inappropriate conduct, it notes, while others would continue to attend appointments with Hadden for years. It claims he would frequently conduct two breast exams in an appointment, one when a chaperone was present and another when he found opportunities to be alone with victims. The second examinations were described by victims as 'long' and 'sexualized'. In other instances he would tell his patients that they needed to be fully nude for pelvic exams, it said. His victims claim that some of his conduct in examinations lacked 'any valid medical purpose' Hadden formerly worked at Columbia University, pictured Two of the victim stories described in the indictment claim that at appointments shortly after childbirth, Hadden squeezed their nipples to extract milk with no medical purpose. At least two other victims accused him of licking their vagina during a medical exam. One victim, named only as victim 4, said that during vaginal exams, Hadden would apply lubrication directly onto the outside of her vagina. In other cases it alleges he would ask patients inappropriate questions about their sex lives and advise them on how to 'groom their public hair and how to masturbate or have orgasm'. The document also alleges that Hadden would use access to birth control as power over his patients. Once giving them free birth control, it claims he would give only a few months supply to ensure that they would schedule another appointment soon. The indictment notes that Hadden allegedly had dozens of victims, including multiple minors, but only details the allegations of one minor victim and five other adult female victims. Hadden (pictured outside his home) stood accused in a sex-abuse case involving six patients back in 2016 but reached a deal, pleading guilty to two counts of criminal sexual act in the third degree and forcible touching. He lost his medical license but served no prison time The minor victim visited Hadden between 2010 and 2012 after he pushed her parent to begin bringing her to appointments once she neared puberty. Hadden was arrested Wednesday morning in New Jersey, authorities said. He has a home in Englewood, which is located about 10 miles outside Manhattan. He is set to appear Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan federal court. Hadden, who had avoided prison time but surrendered his medical license in an earlier plea deal with state prosecutors, has faced a growing chorus of accusers in recent years. They have included Evelyn Yang, the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who earlier this year told CNN that Hadden assaulted her in 2012, including when she was seven months pregnant. Andrew Yang said he was 'extraordinarily proud' of his wife Evelyn (pictured together) for telling her story in January and no one deserves to be treated as she was Hoechstetter (pictured with NYC council speaker Corey Johnson) called for Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance to resign for 'failing to protect victims of sexual assault' after Hadden reached a plea deal for sexual assault charges in 2016. She said the federal indictment Wednesday 'only puts into high relief the betrayal I and his other victims experienced by the Manhattan DA' Hadden reached a plea agreement in 2016 with prosecutors in the office of Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, who reopened an investigation into the doctor amid criticism over his handling of a case that included five counts of committing a criminal sexual act. Evelyn Yang, in the CNN interview, called Hadden's punishment a 'slap on the wrist.' 'What happened to me should have never happened,' she said. Marissa Hoechstetter, another Hadden accuser, has said Vance's office misled her about the statute of limitations in Hadden's case and was already negotiating the plea deal when she was still talking to prosecutors about testifying at a potential trial. The federal indictment Wednesday 'only puts into high relief the betrayal I and his other victims experienced by the Manhattan DA,' she said. 'I hope that through the course of this, the world will finally see the full extent of Hadden's decades of sexual abuse and the institutional cowardice that protected and enabled him for so long,' Hoechstetter said in a statement to The Associated Press. 'He and his enablers must be held accountable if we are to make change in a system that harms those it is meant to protect.' Danny Frost, a spokesman for Vance, said state prosecutors provided 'substantial assistance' leading to the indictment. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is still conducting its own 'intensely active' investigation into 'potential failures by Dr. Haddens employer and hospital to disclose additional incidents of abuse to our office and to regulators when required.' 09.09.2020 LISTEN Ghana will for the first time have the benefit of full research on its elderly population with the establishment of the first Specialist Geriatric Healthcare facility at the Metro Health Hospital in Kumasi. Aside from the care for the elderly, the hospital will serve as a base for gathering data on the peculiar health conditions and needs of persons above 60 years. This data which will be shared with the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana College of Physicians and surgeons will serve as a reference for policy-making for the countrys aged. Opening the facility, Specialist geriatrician and Chief Executive of the Metro Health Hospital Dr Phyllis Tawia emphasized the urgency of identifying the aged as a critical population who demand special care. She explained, Ghana has some policies that exempt or reduce the amount the aged pay to renew their health insurance policies. But more needs to be done in improving access because some cannot even walk around with their canes and walking sticks as there are no proper pavements in many areas. With time, when we have data on our aged people than we can share information with our politicians and our leaders which will enable them to set up or bring out policies for them. Deputy Director of health in charge of clinical care with the Ghana Health Service Dr Rita Larsen Reindorf told Ultimate News, Ghana has always depended on data from outside Ghana to deal with ageing related issues. She told reporter Ivan Heathcote Fumador, working with the Hospital will begin to reveal the peculiar cases of Ghana to help the country make tailor-made decisions for persons above 60 years. Dr Reindorf lamented, There are peculiarities with the ageing process and all the information we have available is coming from elsewhere where they have studied their aged population So we cant just import what is being done outside and this is the reason I am happy for such a center which apart from providing medical care, is also going to research into the ageing process for the Ghanaian population, she commended. JUST A DECADE AGO, The world had 600 million persons above 60 years. This Population of older persons is projected to increase to almost 2.6 billion in 2050, Per Ghanas life expectancy which stands at 63 years, it is projected that 12% of the countrys population will be bulged with persons above 60 by the year 2050, a statistic which will be the highest in Sub Saharan Africa. Jay Jones LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / The 23-year-old Entrepreneur who originally grew up in Shropshire, United Kingdom, has been running an online marketing company throughout the last 12 months. However, only in the last 5 months has Jay really driven his businesses sales through the roof by expanding his target market. Jay Jones began his early entrepreneurial career when he learnt how to trade stocks and shares, making what he describes as 'a good return' on his investments, Jay decided to come away from this when the pandemic first broke out, due to the stock market being in freefall and very unpredictable. During the start of our current pandemic around 6 months ago, Jay began his new venture, where he helps businesses and brands grown their online social media presence. While having a thorough and in depth conversation with Jay, we asked him what made him begin this business venture and where did the idea of his businesses come from? "At the beginning of the pandemic I noticed a lot of businesses were struggling, desperately paying thousands of pounds on promotion with nothing to show for it. After a lot of thought, I knew there was a niche in the market that I could target and ultimately I could help grow. Therefore I started reaching out to businesses via any way that I possibly could, proposing how I could help scale their business, brand and social media presence". One of the biggest obstacles Jay faced when launching his business was the competition within the industry, but his passion for putting the customer first and having great customer relations helped his business grow and challenge his competition from the very start. Jay is making huge steps towards his success in 2020, teaming up with some of the world's leading celebrities and influencers to help scale his customers online presence, alongside giving out thousands of pounds worth of cash and prizes along the way! If you are a business, brand or social media influencer who is looking to grow your social media presence, you can reach Jay on his Instagram (@Jayjones.1) or simply click here. SOURCE: INSTANT MARKETING LTD View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605350/Internet-Entrepreneur-Jay-Jones-Set-To-Hit-Six-Figures-In-Sales-Working-Through-Instagram-DMs The 80-year-old CAP is the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, conducting approximately 90 percent of all inland SAR operations nationwide. Last year, it executed 845 missions, flew 1,158 hours, made 534 finds and saved 117 lives. Today, more than 450 of CAP's nearly 600 aircraft are equipped with Rhotheta DFs. "Over the last two decades, Rhotheta International has cultivated a symbiotic relationship with CAP, fusing their extensive SAR operational experience with Rhotheta's engineering expertise," said Ventura Rigol, Rhotheta International's chief executive officer and general manager. "We have a history of listening to their needs and evolving our products accordingly." Over the years, CAP has extended accolades to Rigol and his organization for "outstanding product and technical support to Civil Air Patrol and its members." In one of its recognition letters, CAP stated, "The performance of these systems has met and exceeded our expectation - some of our members have said the DF 'takes all the fun out of tracking ELTs (emergency locator transmitters)!' - allowing our crews to fly directly to the RF (radio frequency) signal source. No matter what the particular geography is as we fly over all kinds of terrains, the performance and effectiveness of your system has been unquestionable." Last month, CAP surpassed the 100-lives-saved mark for the fourth consecutive year when it rescued two lost hikers in Wyoming. The availability of small, low-cost personal locator beacons is likely a contributing factor to increases in rescues over the last decade. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration statistics, the number of individuals rescued in 2019 was more than double the number just 10 years prior. Rhotheta DFs are a proven, valued tool in CAP's SAR arsenal. Rhotheta International provides sales engineering, comprehensive service, and product support for customers in North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, China and Israel. For more information about Rhotheta International and its products, visit https://rhothetaint.com. To learn more about CAP and its programs, visit https://gocivilairpatrol.com . IMAGE LINKS: [1] https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0909s2p-Rhotheta-aircraft-300dpi.jpg Caption: A Civil Air Patrol aircraft overhead is a comforting sight to those in distress situations. The Rhotheta radio direction finder on the aircraft's underside is used to guide the aircraft to the location of emergency beacons used by aviators, mariners, and outdoor enthusiasts. Photo credit: ( Photo by Josh Beasley/ CC BY 2.0 ) [2] https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0909s2p-Rhotheta-infographic-300dpi.jpg Caption: CAP infographic. This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE Rhotheta International Inc. Related Links https://rhothetaint.com The UK faces being locked out of the continent from January as EU countries look to standardise their approach to fighting the pandemic. Britons could be forced to quarantine or take Covid-19 tests when travelling to EU countries, and might even be banned from Europe as a whole if infections continue to rise. The European Commission and member states are discussing standardised 'red to green' colour system of country Covid levels, as well as infection rate thresholds at which to enforce a local lockdown. But the plans don't involve the UK, which will be treated as a non-EU country when the Brexit transition period ends on December 31. Britons could be forced to quarantine or take Covid-19 tests when travelling to EU countries, and might even be banned from Europe as a whole if infections continue to rise. Pictured: Departures at Croatia's Split Airport 'European challenges require European co-ordination,' a Commission spokesman said yesterday according to the Daily Telegraph, before adding that the plans were 'welcomed' by national diplomats. The Commission say the aim is for countries to have 'common criteria' on which to base future decisions about lockdowns, with individual governments still deciding travel restrictions internationally. Newsite ShengenVisaInfo reports three criteria which the Commission wants member states to judge other countries handling of the pandemic on: Number of new Coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the last two weeks prior to the evaluation Share of positive tests from the total of tests carried out in a seven-day period Number of COVID-19 tests carried out per every 100 000 people during a seven-day period The European Commission and member states are discussing standardised 'red to green' colour system of country Covid levels, as well as infection rate thresholds at which to enforce a local lockdown The proposal suggests countries with a weekly testing rate over 250 per 100,000 people should not restrict the free movement of member states where their Covid cases are equal or less than 50 per 100,000 people during a 14-day period, or positive tests account for less than 3 per cent. These countries should be marked as green, or safe to travel to. Countries with rates above this level are labelled orange, and in more serious cases red. Brussels has banned all non-essential travel to the bloc from non-EU countries. Eleven countries including Australia, China, if it lifts a similar ban, South Africa and New Zealand, but not the US, are exempt. The UK has not implemented the ban and, because it shares the Common Travel Area with Britain, neither has Ireland. Brussels' recommendations say that EU members should not refuse entry to people travelling from other member states, even if they arrive from high- risk zones, but that they could require quarantine or Covid-19 tests. But the Commission's plans don't involve the UK, which will be treated as a non-EU country when the Brexit transition period ends on December 31 Today the UK government announced a ban on gatherings of more than six to try to halt a second wave of coronavirus as new cases almost hit 3,000 Once the UK has left the Customs Union and Single Market at the end of the year, it will be treated as a non-EU country. One EU diplomat described the commission plans as 'laudable' and said there would be increased co-ordination and communication between member states after border restrictions were reintroduced in the passport-free Schengen Zone at the height of the crisis. 'Member states are clear they consider the assessment of risk and deci- sion on restrictions will remain their own,' the diplomat said. Today the UK government announced a ban on gatherings of more than six to try to halt a second wave of coronavirus as new cases almost hit 3,000. In his first reversal of the easing of national lockdown, Boris Johnson last night warned a surge in cases must not be allowed to get out of control. From Monday it will be illegal to assemble in groups of seven or more anywhere in England, whether indoors or out. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) Farmers and policymakers should think beyond rice as they seek to raise incomes and pull more Filipino families out of poverty, a new World Bank report said. "Transforming Philippine agriculture into a dynamic, high-growth sector is essential, not only because of its connection to food security and the agri-food system, but also for poverty reduction," read the report named Transforming Philippine Agriculture during COVID-19 and Beyond released Wednesday. World Bank Senior Agricultural Economist Eli Weiss said that while rice remains the country's staple, other high-value produce would be the source of bigger incomes and more job opportunities. The report pointed out that yields are low in rice, which should trigger local planters to diversify or shift to high value-added products that are also in demand here and abroad. RELATED: Farming is sexy: Agribusiness owner encourages youth to go into farming What to plant should be driven by demand rather than supply, which will prove to be more rewarding, it added. Contract farming, where farms supply the needs of companies, may also be considered. Despite this, rice growing remains the target of the Department of Agriculture, which the bank dubbed as a "legacy" project. "The vast majority of the budget of the National Irrigation (Administration) is devoted to single-crop rice production schemes. All of this support is for a crop that comprises only about 18 percent of the value of production," the study pointed out, saying it was inefficient. Policy shifts mean investing more into agricultural research and development, infrastructure, innovation systems, market information systems, and biosecurity systems beyond current support given to farmers. To justify the shift, the DA should do cost-benefit analyses to guide policies. Farmlands can also be consolidated to boost production and make it easier to modernize. The multilateral lender also pointed out how the Rice Liberalization Act which replaced import quotas on the crop with tariffs has proven to be a game-changer, which would level the playing field among non-rice farmers. The agriculture sector has become a laggard in terms of productivity, growing only by about 32 percent in the past 20 years against neighboring Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Meanwhile, the World Bank lauded how the Philippines was able to keep the farm sector growing even during recession, with agriculture being the only industry to expand during the first six months. Authorities should go beyond rice self-sufficiency towards nutrition security. "Availability and affordability of food are key, not self-sufficiency," the report added. Some scientists have expressed doubts over the drugs effectiveness as it is based on a common cold virus. Chinas CanSino Biologics Inc says expert opinion critical of its high-profile coronavirus vaccine candidate should not be followed blindly without sufficient clinical trial data. Scientists outside the company have expressed concern that the effectiveness of CanSinos candidate Ad5-nCoV, which is based on a common cold virus to which many people have been exposed, could be limited. They said existing antibodies against the common cold virus might undermine Ad5-nCoV. Vaccine development is a practice-based science, and we should not blindly follow experts, Zhu Tao, the companys chief scientific officer, said during an investor conference. He said there were instances in which vaccines created using methods doubted by experts had obtained regulatory approvals after clinical trials proved they worked. No evidence showed that existing antibodies against the common cold could have a significant adverse impact on Ad5-nCoVs ability to trigger antibodies against the novel coronavirus, Zhu said, citing results from 128 participants tested with a lower dose of the vaccine candidate in a mid-stage trial. Ad5-nCoV, still in final-stage trials, has been approved for use in the Chinese military. Vaccine companies normally have to collect data in large-scale, late-stage trials to obtain regulatory approval for mass use. It is unscientific to compare the antibody levels generated by different vaccine candidates so far, because varied testing methods could distort results, Zhu said. AstraZeneca Plc on Tuesday said it has paused a late-stage trial of one of its leading experimental viral vector-based vaccines, which uses a technology similar to CanSinos, after an unexplained illness in a study participant. The hiccup does not mean all viral-vector based experimental vaccines are risky, Zhu said, adding that it was not rare for clinical trials to be paused. CanSinos shares rose as much as six percent in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Ace cinematographer PC Sreeram on Tuesday said that he had rejected a film offer as it had actress Kangana Ranaut as the lead. His tweet comes in the wake of backlash that Kangana has been receiving for her Mumbai feels like PoK" remarks. Had to reject a film as it had Kangana Ranaut as the lead. Deep down I felt uneasy and explained my stand to the makers and they were understanding. Some times its only about what feels right. Wishing them all the best," PC Sreeram tweeted. Kangana was quick to respond to his tweet. I missed the opportunity to work with a legend like you sir, its entirely my loss, I dont know what exactly made you uneasy about me but I am glad you took the right call, wish you all the best," she replied. I missed the opportunity to work with a legend like you sir, its entirely my loss, I dont know what exactly made you uneasy about me but I am glad you took the right call, wish you all the best Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 8, 2020 Meanwhile, Kangana Ranaut has been given Y-plus category security and will be protected by about 10 armed commandos, the Union Home Ministry announced on Monday, propelling the actor to the centre of a heated political row with Maharashtras ruling Shiv Sena and its coalition partners criticising the BJP-led Centre for the decision. Ranaut, who had said she feared Mumbai Police after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and likened the Maharashtra capital to Pakistan occupied Kashmir, thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah and declared that no one could crush a patriot. The decision to provide 24X7 security comes two days before Ranaut, who is in her home state Himachal Pradesh, plans to visit Mumbai on September 9. Her comments, including on drug use in the section of the film industry, led to a bitter row with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, and many more joining in with their views. She is the first Bollywood actor who will be guarded by CRPF commandos, an official privy to the development said. Mali's former minister of energy and mines Hamed Sow has saluted France for its numerous sacrifices to the Malian people after two French soldiers were killed in northern Mali, in a fresh setback for Operation Barkhane. "France must be commended for all of the sacrifices it makes to Mali," Sow told RFI Tuesday, three days after two French soldiers were killed and one seriously injured by a homemade bomb in northern Mali. Their death brings the total number of soldiers who have died serving in Mali to 45. "Not only has France paid a heavy human price but it has also made a huge financial sacrifice," Sow said. Between 2014 and 2017, France spent a little over 400 million euros on its anti-terror Operation Barkhane, which the former Malian minister claims costs Paris "2 million euros per day". "Malians should be grateful to France," he continued. "It is the only country that has taken decisive action in the war in the Sahel." Fight to go on France has deployed over 5,000 troops in West Africa to fight jihadists in the region. French Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly on Monday insisted that the fight would continue. "It is not the time to give up when (our) strategy is starting to bear fruit," she said. The latest killings however have renewed doubts about the effectiveness of France's military involvement in Mali. "These two boys, these two soldiers (...) did not die in vain," Parly insisted. "They fought for France and led a fight against terrorism which does not stop, which must be continued". Neocolonialism claims Critics however have denounced France's military operation in its former colony as a neocolonialist foray, which so far has yielded little results. "It is true that when the army of a former colonial power is present on the ground for a long time and doesn't achieve quick results, this can lead some people to think that France is trying to reconquer Mali," comments Hamed Sow. Story continues The former minister for energy and mines, who served under the government of President Ahmed Toumani Toure between 2007 and 2009, reckons this type of analysis is skewed. "France is not here to sell arms to Mali," he says, pointing to the minimal trade flows between the two partners. "Other observers claim the French are here for our mineral resources. I'm a former mining minister and I didn't see a single French company on the market when I was in office." Resisting anti-French hostility In January, hundreds of Malians took to the streets in frustration over the increasing number of militant attacks that killed thousands of people across the region last year alone, and calling on French troops to leave. On Thursday, at least ten Malian soldiers were killed in an ambush in the centre of the country near the Mauritanian border, further underscoring the insecurity in the region despite the heavy presence of Barkhane troops. While Sow acknowledges the "agony" of Malians who have lost loved ones, he urges them not to be manipulated. "People who drum up anti-French sentiment are doing so for their own benefit." "France's interest in Mali is more to do with geopolitics than financial considerations," he claims, warning that if the situation in the Sahel deteriorates it could have far reaching consequences beyond Africa. Civilian transition French officials share the same concern and are worried that last month's military coup could undermine the fight against the Islamist groups active in Mali and the wider Sahel region. In part two of our interview, RFI asks Hamed Sow where Mali goes next as the country's new junta rulers kick off national transition talks to steer Mali to civilian rule. The latest analyst coverage could presage a bad day for Victory Offices Limited (ASX:VOL), with the covering analyst making across-the-board cuts to their statutory estimates that might leave shareholders a little shell-shocked. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts went under the knife, suggesting the analyst has soured majorly on the business. Shares are up 7.5% to AU$0.28 in the past week. We'd be curious to see if the downgrade is enough to reverse investor sentiment on the business. Following the downgrade, the consensus from lone analyst covering Victory Offices is for revenues of AU$29m in 2021, implying a concerning 34% decline in sales compared to the last 12 months. Losses are expected to be contained, narrowing 10% from last year to AU$0.18. Yet before this consensus update, the analyst had been forecasting revenues of AU$32m and losses of AU$0.14 per share in 2021. Ergo, there's been a clear change in sentiment, with the analyst administering a notable cut to this year's revenue estimates, while at the same time increasing their loss per share forecasts. See our latest analysis for Victory Offices Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 34%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 30% over the last three years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 11% annually for the foreseeable future. It's pretty clear that Victory Offices' revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry. The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that the analyst increased their loss per share estimates for this year. Unfortunately the analyst also downgraded their revenue estimates, and industry data suggests that Victory Offices' revenues are expected to grow slower than the wider market. After a cut like that, investors could be forgiven for thinking the analyst is a lot more bearish on Victory Offices, and a few readers might choose to steer clear of the stock. Story continues There might be good reason for analyst bearishness towards Victory Offices, like major dilution from new stock issuance in the past year. Learn more, and discover the 2 other warning signs we've identified, for free on our platform here. Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. 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. (Bloomberg) -- Seven months after launching its first modern reboot of the early-2000s classic, Motorola on Wednesday announced its second-generation foldable Razr and said the first had greater impact on improving its brand rather than sales. The new Android smartphone continues to give Chinas Lenovo Group Ltd. a unique selling point versus the likes of Apple Inc.: a screen that folds in half like a flip phone. Still measuring 6.2 inches, the main display functions like that of any other modern device, but it turns into a compact square when closed, and Motorola has focused on improving the things a user can do with the exterior screen in this new iteration. It also adds 5G wireless capabilities, a faster processor and much-improved cameras. The Razr brought in more people switching from competing Android brands this year than any other Motorola device, according to the company. 20% of Razr buyers were iPhone or iPad owners, the company added, indicating that the pricey Razr was crossing partisan tech divides and appealing to those loyal to the Apple brand.Priced at $1,399, the 5G Razr is $100 cheaper than its predecessor and also more affordable than the $1,449 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G, its only competition in this nascent class and pocketable size. In an interview, Motorola executives said the first Razr owns 50% of the foldable phone market in North America. Motorola is launching the 5G edition in several new countries, including China. In the U.S., the new Razr will go on sale later this year, adding T-Mobile and AT&T to Verizon Wireless as carrier options. Sergio Buniac, Motorolas president, told Bloomberg News that sales numbers for the original model were in line with internal projections, though he wouldnt divulge specifics. He said that the device wasnt a major portion of the companys overall sales in 2020, but that the impact was larger than the numbers as it drove new awareness of Motorola as a brand. Story continues The first foldable Razrs launch just weeks before the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. hurt the debut, but the company was profitable across all geographies during the quarter from April to June and grew 35% from the previous quarter, Buniac said. Read the review of last years model: Motorolas $1,500 Razr Reboot Feels More Prototype Than Premium The tweaked Razr 5G design has a more polished back, updated colors and a fingerprint scanner that has been moved from the front chin to the back. Depending on a persons hand size, that is either an improvement or a downgrade. The camera specifications are updated considerably, going from a 5-megapixel selfie camera to 20 megapixels and upgrading to a more sophisticated 12-megapixel main shooter on the rear with larger individual pixels and optical image stabilization. This is one of the few flagship-tier Android devices on the market without a multi-camera system, one of the compromises enforced by the foldable form factor. Stepping up to Qualcomms Snapdragon 765G processor is a move in the right direction, though a tier below Samsungs Z Flip 5G. The new Razrs battery has also been upgraded to 2,800mAh, but it too is behind most of the Android competition. The new Razr feels decidedly less flimsy in the hand than the original foldable, but the screen still emits a slight creak when it opens and closes. It is also a fingerprint magnet and uses a plastic cover unlike its Samsung rival with ultrathin glass. $1,399 is a high price to pay for a phone without an overwhelming use case advantage, especially at a time when every Android manufacturer is putting out devices, including Motorolas own Edge+, that cost hundreds of dollars less and offer far better specifications, displays and battery life. 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. Speaking at a Vietnam-Japan investment connection seminar on September 9, Nakajima said that Vietnams FDI attraction had increased constantly up until 2019, with many global businesses, including those from Japan, having strengthened their investment in the country. Since the beginning of the year, FDI inflows in Vietnam have slowed down due to the impact of the disease; however, it is just a short-term pause and capital flow will recover in the post-COVID-19 period, he said. The JETRO official attributed the slowdown in FDI inflows from Japan to the fact that many Japanese enterprises operating in Vietnam are confronting numerous difficulties caused by COVID-19. According to JETROs survey results, up to 65% of said businesses have reported a sharp fall in revenue. In addition, Japanese firms have also hesitated after the return of the pandemic to the country at the end of July. Nonetheless, Nakajima said the proportion of Japanese companies with reduced turnover in Vietnam is still much lower than that in other countries in the region. Notably, only 5% of the enterprises reported a revenue reduction of over 50%, which is a relatively small figure. Elaborating upon his statement on the prompt recovery of FDI inflows in Vietnam, he said that the Vietnamese Government has issued many policies to attract and create favourable conditions for foreign companies, including those from Japan. A production line at the Strong Way Industrial Co., Ltd at the Khai Quang Industrial Park in Vinh Yen city, Vinh Phuc province. (Photo: VNA) In addition, Vietnam has joined many free trade agreements (FTAs) and economic partnership agreements (EPAs), and is gradually participating in more global supply chains. Most international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), have forecast that Vietnam will be the only nation in Southeast Asia to register positive growth this year. This is a bright spot on the gloomy economic picture of the whole region. The Vietnam-Japan trade exchange seminar was held virtually by the Ministry of Industry and Trades Trade Promotion Agency, in coordination with the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), JETRO and Vietnams trade office in Japan, with the participation of hundreds of businesses from the two countries. Addressing the plenary session, AJC Secretary-General Masataka Fujita pointed out the negative effects of COVID-19 on the Asian economy in general and Vietnam in particular, emphasising the need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries to overcome the difficulties caused by the pandemic. For his part, Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency Vu Ba Phu affirmed that after 47 years of bilateral diplomatic relations, Japan continues to be an important investment partner of Vietnam. In recent years, the wave of Japanese investment in Vietnam has constantly increased in terms of both the number of enterprises and their investment capital. Enhancing the attraction of Japanese investment in the near future, along with the application of measures to encourage technology transfer, will help improve Vietnams technology level and production capacity, contributing to realising the goal of bringing Vietnam to basically become a modern industrial country. At the seminar, Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Japan Ta Duc Minh, and representatives of Vietnams Vinh Phuc, Quang Ninh and Nghe An provinces presented the current situation and solutions to attract further FDI from Japan. WHAT: Release of David Lees short poetry collection The Allegory of Perfection: A Triptych WHEN: Immediately WHERE: https://www.sugarhousereview.com/product-page/the-allegory-of-perfection-by-david-lee COST: $10, plus s+h Sugar House Review Press is pleased to announce the publication and release of inaugural Utah Poet Laureate David Lees new book, The Allegory of Perfection: A Triptych. The book, a chapbook (a short collection), includes three narrative poems thoughtfully illustrated by Whitney Staheli. This release, made possible through the generous support of the Cedar City Arts Council and Artisans Art Gallery, marks Sugar House Review Presss first non-serial collection of poetry. A live reading and book launch for the poet will be announced at a later date following the COVID-19 pandemic. Lees poems in Allegory find their roots in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave." It is a timely and comic tale of a small Texas county's most colorful residents, including the ever-unpopular-legend-in-his-own-mind Larry Joe Williams. The poet notes that, readers should not necessarily see Donald Trump in the persona of Larry Joe, but if that occurs it follows as a natural sequence in the method of allegory. David Lee is an American poet whose 1999 collection News From Down to the Cafe was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and, in 2001, was a finalist for the United States Poet Laureate position. He has been acclaimed by the Utah Endowment for the Humanities as one of the 12 greatest writers to ever emerge from the state. A former farmer, he is the subject of the PBS documentary The Pig Poet. His poems have appeared widely in publications including Poetry, Ploughshares, The Missouri Review, and many other magazines. Lee is the recipient of the Utah Governors Award for lifetime achievement in the arts, the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Award in Poetry, and the Western States Book Award in Poetry. His book So Quietly the Earth was among the 25 books chosen for the New York Public Library's 2004 "Books to Remember" list. Whitney Staheli is an artist and illustrator based in southern Utah. She received her bachelors in psychology from Southern Utah University in 2012, graduating summa cum laude with minors in studio arts and family services. She works at the Southern Utah Museum of Art as the manager of finance and administration. The Cedar City (Utah) Arts Council fosters a thriving arts community in Iron County through advocacy, appreciation, education, and support. Established in 2009, Artisans Art Gallery displays and sells local art and handcrafted items from over 5o local and regional artists. Artisans is located in the quaint downtown district of Cedar City and just one block east of Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Sugar House Review Press, an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit, promotes an eclectic range of poets through publishing and live events to build nationally connected literary communities and foster the literary arts in Utah. The presss poetry magazine, Sugar House Review, celebrated 10 continuous years of publication in 2019 with a full-format, illustrated edition of the magazine available here. Publishers and educators: please direct review copy requests to editors@sugarhousereview.com. A robber has been killed instantly after being knocked down on the Mankpang-Adwoape road by a bus he tried robbing on Monday, September 7. The Mercedes Benz bus with registration No. GR 4336 D was travelling from the Buipe market to Mpaha in the Savannah Region when the incident occurred. The Buipe Police Command in a statement noted that the driver of the bus, one Yakubu Fataw, spotted two men hiding in the bush when he reached a section of the road between Mankpang and Adwoape. The driver run over one of the robbers who had emerged out of the bush with a shotgun. One of them, armed with a shotgun, suddenly came out from the bush and shot into the windscreen but the driver managed and knocked him down killing him instantly whilst the other fled through the bush, the statement recounted. The vehicle then crashed after the driver lost control, leaving some passengers injured. Some of the passengers on board sustained various degrees of injury and were rushed to Tamale Teaching Hospital for treatment, the statement indicated. The body of the robber has been sent to the Tamale Teaching Hospital mortuary. The police retrieved one shotgun, three BB live cartridges and one used cartridge from the deceased. The vehicle has also been towed to the Buipe police command. ---citinewsroom Entering the home stretch of his reelection campaign, President Trump told supporters in North Carolina Tuesday that Democrat Kamala Harris could never be your first woman president. At a rally held outdoors at Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem, Trump took aim at Harris, the first Black and first Indian-American to be nominated for vice president of a major party in the U.S. People dont like her. Nobody likes her. She could never be the first woman president, Trump said. She could never be. That would be an insult to our country. As he has at past rallies, Trump noted that Harris poor performance in the Democratic primary, and painted her as farther to the left than liberals like Sen. Bernie Sanders. You know whos further left than crazy Bernie? Ka-ma-la, Trump said, mocking the pronunciation of her name. Ka-ma-la. You remember she left the race sort of interesting that they picked her because in theory they should be able to win California. President Trump addresses supporters. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) It was an escalation in a growing war of words between Trump and Harris, who has stepped up her presence on the campaign trail in recent days in support of former Vice President Joe Biden. Over the weekend, Harris made headlines by questioning whether Trump was rushing a vaccine to market ahead of the 2020 election, before it could be shown to be effective and safe. I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump, Harris told CNN, adding that she worried that the president would silence public health officials. "If past is prologue ... they'll be muzzled. They'll be suppressed," she said. During a Labor Day news conference, Trump blasted Harris for those remarks. "Okay. Let's disparage the vaccine," Trump told reporters. "That's so bad for this country. So bad for the world to even say that." Spokespeople for Bidens campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Trumps speech. Along with taking aim at Harris, Trump touted economic performance prior to the coronavirus pandemic and vowed booming markets would return. Trumps rally crowd of several hundred seemed to be a clear violation of current social distancing regulations in North Carolina, also vowed Republicans would reopen states that still have restrictions. He mocked Democrats for promoting mask wearing and Biden for speaking in front of small, socially distant groups. Story continues Overall, the president cast the coming election in dramatic terms. He predicted Democrats would engage in thieving, and stealing, and robbing to ensure victory. Trump also suggested Biden would cause economic collapse and described the Democratic ticket as being in lockstep with rioters who have engaged in vandalism and looting in recent months at protests against racial injustice in cities around the country. On November 3rd, Americans will decide whether we will quickly return to record prosperity or whether we allow the same left wing extremists that have no idea what theyre doing to burn down buildings, or take control of government, set fire to a whole country, Trump said, adding, If our foreign adversaries were devising a scheme to cripple America, they could hardly do better than ... Biden, Kamala Harris. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: World Suicide Prevention Day is observed annually on September 10 to raise awareness regarding the subject of suicide and the actions that can be taken to prevent these tragedies on a global scale. In 2003, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) collaborated with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) to host the first ever World Suicide Prevention Day. Since then many countries around the world have joined them in this venture, in 2011, approximately 40 countries held awareness events to mark this occasion. According to the suicide data collection done by the WHO, close to 800,00 people die each year, due to suicide, boiling down to 1 death every 40 seconds and that is not taking into account the 20 million suicide attempts. However, reducing these tragedies into statistics does not mean that there are set causes or stereotypes that can be applied to it. There are several convergences that finally lead to suicide. Often it is a combination of genetic, psychological, social, cultural and other risk factors additionally combined with the experience of loss and trauma, that can wreak havoc in peoples lives. Not just the ones that take their own lives but of those around them as well. For each suicide approximately 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected. Regardless of the immediate cause or trigger that leads to suicide, ignoring all the factors that play a role would be a gross misrepresentation of the suffering of so many people. Each of these heterogenous individuals present a wide array of multifaceted causal influences that precede the final act. And it is often this heterogeneity that presents the biggest challenge in the prevention of suicide. The observance of World Suicide Prevention Day seeks to highlight that through the adoption of a multilevel and cohesive approach, each individual can work towards suicide prevention. Even the smallest members of society can play a massive role, through initiating conversation, educating oneself and others about the causes and warning signs of suicide. Perhaps most importantly, even the simplest gestures of compassion can help save a life. The ongoing pandemic has created a world environment that is harsh and seriously detrimental for mental health, especially with the downturn of the economy, the isolation that has come with months of social distancing and the sheer stress of navigating through life while people across the globe are suffering through a dangerous virus. These circumstances have pandemonium all around the globe, making this the most imperative time to focus on suicide prevention. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 07:48 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4395cd4 1 National Women-Empowerment-and-Child-Protection,Bintang-Puspayoga,sexual-violence-bill,house-of-representatives,sexual-violence,law,RUU-PKS,deliberation Free The Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry has urged lawmakers to pass the sexual violence eradication bill into law to fill the countrys legal gaps pertaining to sexual violence prevention and mitigation. We need a regulation to fulfill the legal needs of sexual violence victims as they are prone to stigmatization and revictimization, Minister Bintang Puspayoga said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com. The bill, which has been under deliberation at the House of Representatives since 2016, consists of the element of prevention, treatment, protection and counseling for victims, as well as punishment for perpetrators. It also expands the definition of sexual violence into nine categories, namely sexual harassment, exploitation, contraception coercion, abortion coercion, rape, forced marriage, forced prostitution, sexual slavery and torture. Read also: Sexual violence bill withdrawal risks sacrificing nations safety Indonesias prevailing regulations do not recognize the complex definition of sexual violence. The Criminal Code, for example, only recognizes forcible penile penetration of a womans vagina as rape. It does not recognize sexual harassment. Bintang deplored the sluggish progress of the bill's deliberation at the house, emphasizing that the country urgently needed a regulation that specifically regulates victims rights for physical and mental rehabilitation. The House has officially dropped the bill from this years National legislation Program (Prolegnas) priority list, citing complicated deliberations". The bill has faced strong opposition from members of Islamic political parties such as the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), who argued that the bill supported the legalization of adultery and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) behavior. (vny) President Akufo-Addo's complaint to the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference about the ethnocentric comment Akyem Sakawa Boys made by Hon Isaac Adongo in reference to the Agyapa Royalty deal and re-echoed by John Dramani Mahama means nothing to the aide of the former President. The private legal practitioner, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe reacting to it on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show said President Akufo-Addo's complaint to the Catholic Bishops has fallen on deaf ears as the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is not prepared to let the Agyapa Royalty deal pass. He can report us to the UN Secretary-General, we will repeat it. This 'Agyabone' deal is bad; it is the retirement package for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the good people of Ghana will decide on December 7. Enough is enough, we are tired of them," he said. President Akufo-Addo could not tell the Catholic Bishops' that his MP and Minister during the voter registration exercise fired gun shots; he could not tell them that. We will not allow anybody to distract the people of this country from having honest conversations about the 'Agyabone' deal," he insisted. President Nana Akufo-Addo has angrily condemned a reference to himself and his home townpeople as Akyem Mafia and Sakawa people by NDC Bolgatanga Central MP, Isaac Adongo, which was amplified by former President John Mahama, who shared it on his Facebook timeline a few days ago. The Bolgatanga Central MP, in a statement relating to the controversial Agyapa Roylaties deal, accused the President and his kith of forming a families-and-friends cartel to capture the mineral resources of the state via the deal. At a meeting with the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference at the Jubilee House on Friday, 4 August 2020, President Akufo-Addo not only said he was very disturbed by the ethnocentric tagging of his ethnic group, but also said that is the kind of language we dont want in our politics. Sometimes, one would hope when things come out, people will comment on them. The comment made by my opponent: Akyem Sakawa people, I have not heard any public figure in this country or anybody comment on it. If I was to get up to make a comment about northerners or Gonjas, you can imagine the uproar that will be in the country, the President bemoaned. According to him, free speech must not be seen from the perspective of allowing the opposition to go at the government at the least opportunity. If you criticise the government, no matter what you say, it is legitimate. If the government is to respond, that is somehow illegitimate, the President complained, adding: If the President opens his mouth and says something that is unacceptable, he should be reprimanded. In the same way, opposition politicians, if they conduct themselves by their utterances in an unacceptable manner, they should be brought to book. 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 1. UN: Gaza is on the verge of becoming unlivable UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nikolay Mladenov welcomed the truce between Israel and Hamas on Aug. 31, which was brokered by Qatar and also involved UN and Egyptian mediation. Israel and Hamas agreed to the deal following weeks of violence that began with Hamas sending incendiary balloons into Israeli towns close to Gazas border, starting more than 200 fires. Israel responded with more than 100 air and tank attacks and by closing the Gaza border. Despite the material damage and costs to an already beleaguered population, there were no casualties, as it seemed neither side wanted to escalate. The reduction in tensions has allowed UN and relief agencies to return to focusing on Gazas humanitarian crisis, including a collapsing health care system, high unemployment, and inadequate and unreliable power supplies. Gaza has been reduced to a humanitarian whisper, said Michael Lynk, UN Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory. 2. Qatar: Doha stakes claim as go-to mediator Although the truce between the UAE and Israel has been a breakthrough in Arab-Israeli diplomacy, Qatar remains a go-to broker of negotiations with Hamas for Israel. Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of the Qatar Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, played the key role in getting both sides to deescalate. In a statement provided exclusively to Al-Monitor, Emadi explained the context and outcome of the negotiations. In return for Hamas refraining from the launching of rockets and incendiary balloons from Gaza, Israel agreed to: - Open borders to allow more consumer goods into Gaza; - Resume talks between Israeli and Palestinian businessmen to facilitate the trade and flow of workers into Israel; - Allow construction of an American-financed hospital. Qatar provided $34 million in assistance to Gaza this past month, in addition to working with UN agencies to provide electricity. With this latest diplomatic success, Qatar seems to be staking its claim as an indispensable partner in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, despite the UAE-Israel peace agreement, and Egypts long-standing role as intermediary (see below). Palestinian leaders have criticized the UAE deal with Israel as a betrayal, although the UAE conditioned the agreement on Israel holding off on expanding settlements into the West Bank. In 2017, the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an embargo on trade and travel to Qatar. 3. Israel: Gantz presses hard line for return of missing Israelis While he has allowed some Gaza development projects to proceed, Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz is also taking a hard line against Hamas on the return of Israeli citizens and bodies of IDF soldiers. There is a consensus among Israels security leaders of the need to provide economic and humanitarian relief to Gaza, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gantz, his political rival, agree on the need to keep the pressure on Hamas. Gantz signed orders to seize millions of dollars worth of Hamas funds and property in Gaza, the West Bank and worldwide. He is also not returning bodies of Hamas members killed by Israel until Hamas accounts for and returns the remains of all missing Israelis. Read Danny Zakens report from Israel here. 4. Gaza: Hamas balloon offensive disappoints citizens Adnan Abu Amer reports from Gaza that many Palestinians were dismayed at the futility and lack of effect of Hamas balloon offensive, given the overambitious statements by Hamas leaders who had predicted it would lead to a lifting of Israels blockade. The outcome fell short of Hamas rhetoric. Abu Amer writes: Unlike previous escalation rounds, Hamas did not launch rockets on Israel, and no Palestinians were killed in Gaza in the Israeli shelling, a sign that neither party wanted an open confrontation. Things may have gone differently if not for the novel coronavirus. It would have been difficult for Hamas to battle both the pandemic and Israel at once. Abu Amer also points out the interests of both Egypt and Qatar, who are regional rivals, in seeking influence with Hamas with this round going to Qatar: Hamas sees Egypt as a country with deep interests in the Gaza Strip as it borders the enclave. Meanwhile, Hamas benefits from Qatars funding and foreign connections. Hamas has proven able to communicate with both even though the two countries have deep-seated enmity over regional disputes including Cairos accusations that Doha is harboring Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members wanted by Egyptian authorities. Read Adnans report from Gaza here. 5. Gaza: Islamic Jihad not pleased with truce Unlike Hamas, which controls the government in Gaza, Islamic Jihad does not have the burden of governance. The group, therefore, can take more extreme positions than Hamas, which Hamas can also use as leverage in its dealings with Israel. Both factions have good ties with Iran and mostly coordinate their actions. Islamic Jihad has not made an official statement about the Israel-Hamas truce, was not privy to the negotiations and is not pleased with the agreement, Al-Monitor has learned. Islamic Jihad leader Ahmed al-Mudallal refused to answer Al-Monitor's question about whether his movement was a partner to the agreement. He said, What matters is what this agreement will lead to. The struggle against the Israeli siege on Gaza using various methods will only stop once the Israeli siege on Gaza is completely lifted. Read the report from Gaza by Tamam Mohsen here. In case you missed it: Widow of Yasser Arafat backs UAE deal Suha Arafat, widow of PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, backed the Israel-UAE peace deal and called out Palestinian Authority leaders for criticizing the Emirates. She asked Palestinian generations to read history well to learn how the UAE has always and continues to support the Palestinian people and cause. Read the article by Ahmed Melhem here. Cool thing: Egyptian women go natural for curly, kinky hair Natural curly or kinky hair has been considered as a fashion and style negative, forcing women to straighten their hair to avoid harassment or criticism. Not anymore. Read the article here by Youssra el-Sharkaway. The majority of Australians support mandatory face masks despite there being few cases of COVID-19 outside of Victoria. A survey showed 67 per cent of Australians either strongly or somewhat agreed that face masks should be mandatory in all public places, as the nation continues to deal with isolated outbreaks of the respiratory illness. A survey conducted by Vox Pop Labs with ABC, asked Australians each week for more than three months whether or not they support the compulsory wearing of face masks. People out shopping in the CBD wearing face masks on September 05, 2020 in Sydney Melburnians pictured wearing face masks on August 29 as the state battles through a second wave of COVID-19 Victoria had the highest support at 80.6 per cent of respondents who called on the implementation of mandatory face masks in public. In NSW and ACT a total of 71 per cent of respondents supported it the use of face masks in all public places. Support of face masks NSW/ACT - 71 per cent of respondents support mandatory face masks NT/WA - 58.2 per cent of residents in favour of face masks QLD - 62.2 per cent support mandatory use of face masks SA - 50.6 per cent think face masks should be worn in public VIC/TAS - 80.6 per cent of residents support compulsory face masks Advertisement Only 62.2 per cent of Queensland were in favour in face masks being used in public places. Not far behind were residents in the Northern territory and Western Australia where 58.2 per cent of survey responders supported compulsory face masks in public. The lowest support was in South Australia where only 50.6 survey responders believed face masks should be compulsory - and only seven per cent of those strongly agreed. Victoria is the only state to have made wearing masks compulsory after battling through a second wave of the deadly virus. Residents in hotspots in Sydney and Brisbane are encouraged to also wear face masks when social distancing is impossible, governments there have not yet made them mandatory. Last month, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced mask wearing is now 'strongly recommended' in places where it's impossible to socially distance. 'I want to stress it is not compulsory, but it is a strong recommendation from NSW Health, given where we are in the pandemic, given the risk posed from Victoria and given the rate of community transmission in New South Wales,' she previously said. According to the survey, 78 per cent of New South Wales residents say they regularly put on a face mask to protect themselves from COVID-19. Police officers are also required to wear face masks in Melbourne during the state's strictest lockdown (pictured on September 6) A face mask wearing couple takes a walk as police look on in Melbourne on September 6, 2020 The COVID-19 results also shows that there's far more people in favour of mandatory face masks in theory than in practice, with far fewer actually wearing them. A total of 57 per cent of respondents in Western Australia and the Northern Territory said face masks should be compulsory compared to the 15 per cent who say they wear one. Behavioural psychologist at the University of Melbourne, Dominika Kwasnicka, said there is probably still some stigma behind the face coverings as its not part of 'our culture. 'We can see in our history, for instance when we started encouraging people to wear seatbelts,' she told ABC. 'People didn't consider them necessary, didn't consider them as something that would save their lives. But with time we made them compulsory. 'I'm very confident that we can also change social norms when it comes to wearing a mask, but it's going to take time.' Across the past three weeks, dozens of Iranian women of various backgrounds have taken to social media, in their own #MeToo moment, to report their experiences of sexual harassment and assault. The police have announced they have taken action against at least one suspect. Many women hope this will be just the beginning of a broader movement against sexual violence. Irans #MeToo moment began in early August, when a group of women journalists recorded a video in which they shared their experiences of being harassed by newsroom colleagues or influential people they had interviewed. Then, other women, mostly with anonymised accounts on Twitter, started sharing their experiences of sexual harassment and rape, including by men in positions of power. In one case, a former journalist, Sara Omatali, tweeted that a well-known artist had sexually assaulted her in the summer of 2006. This was not the first time that allegations of sexual harassment were raised on social media, but this time there was more momentum with more women willing to share their stories. In a few cases, multiple women named or used the initials of specific alleged attackers, with hundreds more calling for their prosecution. There are many reasons to be pessimistic about how far calls for accountability could go under current legal restrictions and civil society repression in Iran. But the past few weeks have also been the source of inspiration, refocusing the conversation in public space on one of the most fundamental elements of womens rights protection against gender-based violence. Reading the social media posts makes many feel that society, and particularly the social media-savvy crowd, is more ready to listen to the narrative of those who have experienced abuse and to press for accountability and change. On August 25, General Hossein Rahimi, the Tehran police chief, announced that the police had arrested a man with the initials KE who was accused of rape by multiple women on social media, and invited others to file their complaints with the police, promising to respect their privacy. One woman who had accompanied her friend to file a complaint against the suspect with the police wrote on her Instagram that she felt the police had treated them with respect and did not infringe on their private life. Attempts to hold sexual harassment offenders accountable through the judiciary have proven to be difficult in various legal systems, but in some countries, including Iran, women can face criminal charges for reporting rape. Irans legal system criminalises consensual sexual relationships outside of marriage, which are punishable by flogging, so a victim risks being prosecuted if the authorities do not believe her. This is especially the case if there is a pre-existing relationship or the authorities construe any form of behaviour leading up to the assault as providing consent. Moreover, the criminal law explicitly excludes marital rape, and has a limited and problematic definition of rape that includes sexual intercourse outside of marriage between a man and a woman, including adultery or fornication, instead of a broader gender-neutral definition to include other forms of penetration without consent or in coercive circumstances. In addition, in practice, law enforcement, prosecutors and judges in Iran expect high evidentiary standards to prove coercion, such as bodily harm or attempts to flee. To make matters worse, the mandatory punishment for rape, called forced zina under Iranian law, is the death penalty. These legal restrictions, combined with patriarchal social norms, make seeking justice a heavy burden on victims, to the point that many would prefer to not file complaints. The inadequate legal protections have undoubtedly contributed to a culture of impunity for harassers. But the recent events have shown that more women are willing to defy traditional, political and ideological norms to speak out against sexual assault, naming their attackers and demanding accountability. The alleged attackers identified on social media range from teachers and university professors, to artists, a manager in the start-up industry, and even a sociologist who works on womens rights issues. It is particularly encouraging to see that, in a society that still criminalises consensual sexual relationships with no marriage and those who choose to engage in them, society is finding its way to push for fundamental human rights. But this change did not happen overnight. Social media has undoubtedly been a great amplifier and connector, allowing Iranian women to read one anothers stories as well as the experiences of women in other countries. But where Iranian women are standing today is also the result of years of work on the ground by Iranian womens rights defenders and ordinary women who have fought to be recognised in society. August marked the 14th anniversary of Iranian womens rights activists launching the One Million Signature campaign to challenge discriminatory laws. Many of the activists from the campaign experienced persecution. Some left the country during various periods of crackdown on civil society, while continuing repression has made it difficult for womens rights activists to push for reforms. Yet women have continued to demand change, launching new campaigns against child marriage, harassment in public places, violence against women, and the compulsory wearing of hijab. For instance, after an amendment to Irans citizenship law in 2019, women who are married to foreign men are now being able to pass their nationality to their children. In Irans #MeToo moment, the Iranian authorities have taken an important step by arresting one suspect, but they are facing a much more serious test both in how they are going to handle the judicial process and how they will deal with other, much more powerful, alleged sexual predators. The authorities must ultimately amend the law with a definition of rape that is gender-neutral, includes marital rape and other forms of penetration, as well as other forms of sexual assault, and is not punishable by death. Women speaking out online show that they are not waiting around for the authorities to give them their rights. In the face of oppression, Iranian women have demanded their rights and continued to push for change in many different and innovative ways. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. A promising coronavirus vaccine trial being carried out by pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University has been suspended after a participant developed an unexplained illness. AstraZeneca described the move as a "routine" pause, stressing the adverse reaction was only recorded in a single participant during Phase 3 tests that were being carried out in the UK, US, Brazil and South Africa. Reports say the volunteer who fell ill is located in the UK and is expected to recover, although exact details of the adverse reaction suffered were not made public. While some 180 potential vaccines against Covid-19 are being developed around the world, its been hoped this vaccine would be among the first to come on the market perhaps as early as January. Following successful phase 1 and 2 testing, some 30,000 participants are involved in the late-stage trials before they were "voluntarily paused" to allow a review by an independent committee, AstraZeneca said. "As part of the ongoing randomised, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee," a spokesperson told The Guardian newspaper. Analysis by the BBC says this marks the second time the vaccine trial has been paused since the first lot of volunteers were immunised in April. Given Phase 3 vaccine trials can last several years, the WHO has said it does not expect any Covid-19 vaccine to fully meet its efficacy and safety guidelines in order to be approved this year. France is among four European countries that had signed deals to supply doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine, while on Monday Australia announced it would manufacture nearly 34 million doses should it prove effective. Meanwhile Russia this week began rolling out its coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, to the general public as part of a year-long mass vaccination campaign, after a recent study showed the jab caused no adverse side-effects. BEIJING : The foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) would hold a luncheon meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Moscow, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is in Moscow on a four-day visit to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the SCO of which both India and China are members. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is the host of the meeting of SCO foreign ministers being held in the Russian capital from Wednesday to Thursday. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also hold bilateral meetings with relevant member states of the SCO and attend a luncheon for the RIC foreign ministers, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here. Under the RIC framework, the foreign ministers of the three countries meet periodically to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of their interest. Zhao, however, said he was not aware of the timing of the RIC foreign ministers meeting. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were admitted as observers of the grouping in 2005. Both the countries were admitted as full members of the bloc in 2017. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. COVID19 lockdown affected the businesses of street vendors, says PM Modi India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bhopal, Sep 09: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with beneficiaries of the PM Street Vendors'' Aatmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme from Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. The interaction was also attended by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The prime minister urged the small vendors to use digital modes of payments as much as possible. He also urged them to stop using plastic. PM Modi was full of praises for these vendors for maintaining cleanliness. He added that the PM-SVANidhi scheme was launched to ensured that all these people are able to recover and restart their business. He said that this is the first time that street vendors have been put together under a structure. The Union government had launched the PM SVANidhi scheme on June 1 to help poor street vendors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic resume livelihood activities. Applications of 2.45 lakh eligible beneficiaries of the scheme have been presented through the portal to banks for credit facility, out of which acceptance has been granted to around 1.4 lakh street vendors of amount worth Rs 140 crore, it said. "The state of Madhya Pradesh stands first in the number of total applications accepted, with 47 per cent of these coming from the state alone," the statement added. Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News Arrangements for beneficiaries of the scheme in the state to watch the programme in public places have been made through LED screens in 378 municipal bodies, it said, noting that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, will also participate in the programme through video conferencing. CHATSWORTH, Calif.Sometimes sex brings couples together in ways they never imagined. Zalo USA has helped bring one former celebrity couple closer, for sure. Real Housewives of New Jersey reality TV star Teresa Giudice has announced that she is joining her ex-husband, Joe Giudice, as brand ambassadors to their fans. Despite their divorce, Teresa and Joe Giudice maintain a friendly relationship, further solidified by their latest venture, which will be prominently featured in the 11th season of RHONJ, as revealed on HollywoodLife.com. When I introduced Teresa to Zalo USA, she fell in love with the texture and had a vision to be a part of the team, Joe Giudice told Celeb Magazine. We will be supportive of one another as we embark on this new journey together to teach self-love to our fans. So I guess you can say were back together; just not as husband and wife, Joe continued, but as co-parents and business partners. Four months previously, he first announced his new role with the brand to his 409K followers on Instagram with an IG story that said, Proud to be working with the Zalo USA team and their award-winning products. Currently living in Italy after being ordered to leave the U.S. following a highly publicized stint in prison, the reality star is known as a loving father and serial entrepreneur. Zalo USA is a multiple award-winning brand of premium quality pleasure products with innovative features such as pre-heating and thrusting options, Bluetooth connectivity, and powerful whisper-quiet motors. Zalo products are also renowned for their exquisite details including gold plating, real Swarovski crystals, and jewelry box-style packaging. Additionally, Zalo USA offers a variety of high-impact marketing tools for every kind of retailer. Zalo most recently introduced the King Vibrating Thruster. Now in stock and ready to ship, the King Vibrating Thruster is part of Zalos Legend Series. Made from ultra-soft liquid silicone, King also offers powerful 7,000 RPM per minute vibration. For more information, visit ZaloUSA.com. Clearing the air around British-Swedish biopharmaceutical major AstraZeneca putting a pause on the COVID-19 trials after a UK patient reported illness, Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla told BusinessToday.In the Indian trials, which are being conducted on the same Oxford vaccine, have not been stopped. "The Indian trials have not been stopped yet...and there's nothing to worry about. It's some unrelated issue that happened... neurological issue with a patient in the UK and we have to wait for AstraZeneca to explain what happened there but this is not vaccine-related. So, nothing to really worry about, and the India trials are also going on, that has not been stopped," Poonawalla said. Also read: Don't panic! Oxford coronavirus vaccine trials halted not cancelled AstraZeneca PLC, which is working with a team of the University of Oxford, today decided to temporarily pause the clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine after one of the volunteers in the UK developed an "unexplained" illness. The candidate vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca is one of the frontrunners in the race to find the coronavirus vaccine. Earlier, an AstraZeneca spokesperson described the pause as a "routine action", which must be done as part of the process in case of an "unexplained illness" in any of the participants. Also read: India coronavirus vaccine trials 'not stopped yet': Serum's Adar Poonawalla after AstraZeneca halts global trials The company halted the stage-3 trials a day after nine drug makers, including AstraZeneca itself vowed to uphold the "highest ethical and scientific standards" in developing their vaccines against the virus. Without divulging other details regarding the illness in the participant, the company said it is expediting the "standard review process" and hoped it will not cause any further delay in the trials. The New York Times, however, published a source saying the UK participant concerned had suffered 'transverse myelitis', which is an inflammatory syndrome in the spinal cord. The health problem is caused by viral infections. However, it's yet to be established whether this was in direct response to the vaccine or due to other health-related issue. Notably, clinical development trials of AZD1222 (better known as the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine) are being conducted globally, with late-stage clinical trials ongoing in the UK, Brazil and South Africa and more trials planned in Japan and Russia. More than 50,000 participants have been enrolled for the final phase of trials in the US, Brazil, the UK and India. In India, Cyrus Poonawalla-led Serum Institute of India (SII) is the partner of the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute to conduct vaccine trials. The domestic vaccine major is right now conducting phase two/three trial across 17 sites in the country. The Oxford vaccine has been described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the world's leading candidate and the most advanced in terms of development. However, temporary pausing of trials at such a crucial stage could delay the prospects for its approval this year. Besides AstraZeneca, there are nine companies that are currently undertaking the late-stage Phase 3 trials for their vaccine candidates. Findings related to AstraZeneca trials The interim results of Phase 1 and 2 trials had shown that the Oxford vaccine generated "robust immune responses" against the COVID-19 virus in all evaluated participants. However, the Phase 1/2 of AstraZeneca also reported that about 60 per cent of 1,000 participants given the vaccine experienced side effects, The Lancet report said. All effects, which included fever, headaches, muscle pain, and injection site reactions, were deemed mild or moderate and subsided during the course of the study only. How does the Oxford vaccine work The vaccine uses an adenovirus that carries a gene for one of the proteins in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The adenovirus is designed to induce the immune system to generate a protective response against SARS-2. SII's big plan for India If trial process goes smoothly in India, Serum Institute's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, named 'Covishield', would be commercialised in November. A Serum Institute of India (SII) top official had told BusinessToday.In on August 23 that the government had given the company a 'special manufacturing priority licence' and fast-tracked the trial protocol processes to get the trials completed in 58 days. The company had started trials among 1,600 volunteers at 17 centres, each with about 100 volunteers, on August 22. However, SII had declined to confirm the time when the vaccine will be available in the market. Serum Institute has promised to provide 400 million doses to low-and middle-income countries by 2020, and 1 billion doses in total. It aims to make over 6 crore doses per month of its vaccine candidate, which will be increased to 10 crore per month by April 2021. It has also partnered with many countries and organisations like The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to produce and fund the vaccine. Also read: 'Excited, looking forward to Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine,' says Adar Poonawalla Also Read: Coronavirus vaccine: Govt plans to manufacture Russia's Sputnik V in India Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: AstraZeneca's study put on hold after one 'potentially unexplained' illness Former Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama has challenged President Uhuru Kenyatta to act decisively on the revenue allocation formula stalement. Speaking during an interview on K24 TV on Tuesday, the outspoken politician said if he were the President, it would take him just three hours to resolve the matter. President Uhuru Kenyatta has the mandate to sit down with CS Treasury and senate and agree to release at least 50 per cent to allow counties to operate while senate is still debating on the remaining 50 per cent, he said. Give me that seat for just six hours and it will take me only three hours to send money to the counties. According to Muthama, a resolution has been difficult to find because the government is bankrupt. If the Executive wanted to solve the revenue allocation stalemate they could call the senators and solve the issue but that not the case because the government is bankrupt, he said. All these English being used on revenue allocation is unnecessary it is simple mathematics and I put all the blame on the Executive, the President should call senators and come up with a solution, added Muthama. The 10th sitting of the Senate to resolve the third generation revenue formula failed to take off on Tuesday. The 12-member Senate Committee postponed the debate to next week, further delaying disbursement of funds to devolved units. 7-year old Juwairiya Auwal has become another victim of ritual killers in Plateau State. She was allegedly slaughtered by a woman dressed in Fulani dress. Narrating how her younger sister was killed by the Fulani woman to those who came to Jumairiya;s rescue too late, Fatima Auwal, who spoke in Hausa, said they were out selling brooms when they met the Fulani woman along Tudun Osi in Jos North, who pretended to be a prospective buyer. She said the woman, did ask them to give her a broom, but they refused, as she was not willing to pay for it. Suddenly, she touched their heads and they found themselves in a hut in the popular Jos Museum. Lamenting, Fatima Auwal told the crowd that she only opened her eyes and found the elderly Fulani woman, slaughtering her younger sister, Jumairiya. According to her, it was at that point she escaped to look for help. I ran looking for help, I met a man reading a newspaper and narrate what happened to him, but before we got back to the hut the old woman had disappeared. The man rushed to the nearest police station and reported the incident. The police arrived and picked up the corpse of my sister to Plateau State Specialist Hospital. The strange thing is that, my sister was slaughtered, but no trace of her blood on the ground or her body. The family of late Juwairiya Auwal, have since buried the slaughtered girl. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates National Cement to boost production and build new plant 09 September 2020 Ethiopias National Cement (East African Holdings) is currently conducting a study at its plant in Dire Dawa to boost its 3000tpd capacity by 30 per cent. "We are planning to start implementing this plan and start producing 4000t of cement per day within the coming six months," said Buzuayehu Tadele Bizenu, board chairman of East African Holdings. Last year, the company produced over 1.2Mt of cement with most of the cement products sold in the domestic market. East Africa Holdings is also working with foreign investors to open a new cement factory, according to New Business Ethiopia. The plant would produce between 5000-8000tpd of cement for both the domestic and foreign markets. Mr Bizenu has stated that the plans are expected to move to implementation phase during the third quarter of Ethiopias New Year, which starts on 11 September. Published under Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 20:14:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she is "very concerned" about the United Kingdom's intention to breach the Brexit agreement. "Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement. This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda (Latin words, meaning "Agreements are to be kept") = the foundation of prosperous future relations," she tweeted. Enditem The Vatican is close to renewing a historic agreement with China on the appointment of bishops in the country, as the two states inch toward restoring diplomatic relations after almost 70 years. The accord, first signed in September 2018, is due to be rolled over, possibly for another two years in the coming weeks, according to two people familiar with the matter who declined to be named discussing confidential talks. 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. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.9 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Two thirds of the global regas capacity will come from 33 new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, Trend reports with reference to Wood Mackenzie. Following on from the projects which have already taken final investment decisions (FID), more developments are waiting in the wings for approval to move to the construction phase. Three new regas terminals have received FIDs this year, one in Europe and two in China. We believe there are four more terminals which have a good chance of reaching FID before the end of 2020, one in Greece, another in Hong Kong and two further South American developments, in Brazil and Nicaragua. New terminals are also proposed for China, Australia, Vietnam, and Ecuador. Even in the current environment, global regas is expanding. The amount of new capacity under construction this year 144 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) is equivalent to 40 percent of the 2020 global LNG supply. Two-thirds of this capacity will come from 33 new LNG terminals, 10 of them based in China (which is the fastest-growing LNG demand centre), while the remaining are expansions of existing terminals. This is not to say coronavirus has not had an impact. Many completion dates have been set back because of the pandemic. In China, for example, the completion dates for expanding two facilities due this year (Caofeidian and Rudong terminals) have slipped to 2021. The pandemic has also hit construction of pipeline infrastructure in South Asia, reducing available capacity at recently commissioned terminals. With 166 proposed LNG regas terminals at the pre-FID stage, Wood Mackenzies LNG project regas tracker evaluates each one, ranking it against the six key criteria which must be reached before an FID is taken: participation; end-user market; development concept and engineering; environmental and regulatory approvals; financing; and LNG supply, said Wood Mackenzie. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn The Health Ministry has informed that the COVID-19 situation in the country has been stabilized, Kazinform reports. As of September 9, the country has reported a total of 106,498 COVID-19 cases, including 73 recent cases the country registered over the past day. 4,810 COVID-19 patients still stay in hospitals, 100,042 or 94% of the total COVID-19 infected people have beaten the virus and been discharged from hospitals. The countrys total COVID-19 death toll stands at 1,646. Kazakhstan has also reported 28.228 COVID-19 possible cases with negative PCR test results. to the Health Minister, Alexey Tsoi, the strict restrictions have led to 6 and 6.6 times reduction in hospital beds and intensive care beds, respectively since July 5. Other figures include a 5.5-fold drop of ambulance calls relating to the COVID-19 infection, and a 7.6-time increase in mobile crews as clinics switched to home-based care. Not only is the world in the grasp of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Americas western wildlands are burning up as well. Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters California has a dual crises: the massive wildfire complexes and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. At this time last year, California had seen 4,292 fires that burned 56,000 acres. So far this year, weve had 7,002 fires that have burned a... Pro-life students sue Georgia Tech over refusal to fund Alveda King event Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A student group has sued the Georgia Institute of Technology, claiming that they discriminated against them when they requested and were denied funding for an event featuring pro-life activist Alveda King. The Students for Life at Georgia Tech filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division. The suit names as defendants various Georgia Tech officials, the schools Student Government Association, and the Regents of the University System of Georgia. At issue was the SGAs refusal last year to provide funding for an event featuring King, with the suit claiming that the funding was denied because of the speakers religious and pro-life views. The suit also argues that speaker requests from other student groups "are routinely 'fast tracked' without any discussion" by SGA members. It is discriminatory and unconstitutional to withhold funding from student activity fees that students have already paid into simply because a group holds a pro-life, conservative, or religious belief, states the complaint. The Supreme Court made it clear twenty years ago that if public universities wish to force students to pay student activity fees, then those universities have an affirmative duty to ensure that the funds are distributed in a viewpoint neutral mannernot by a simple majority vote. The students are being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a high-profile conservative law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases. ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer said in a statement released Wednesday that he believed Georgia Techs student government engaged in unconstitutional behavior. The student government discriminated against the viewpoints of Students for Life and Ms. King in favor of the views of students the SGA members were afraid to offend, he said. Rather than exemplify this sort of hostility toward the First Amendment, universities should exemplify the importance of those freedoms. When they dont, they communicate to an entire generation that the Constitution doesnt matter. The Christian Post received a statement via email from Georgia Tech regarding the lawsuit, explaining that they just learned of the lawsuit and do not comment on pending litigation. Georgia Tech holds freedom of expression as an essential cornerstone to the advancement of knowledge, it added. The University System of Georgia similarly told CP that they do not give comment on pending litigation, but said they supported freedom of speech on campus. [T]he USG is committed to protecting the free expression rights of our students, faculty, staff, and those on our campuses. The USG is reviewing the complaint along with the Georgia Attorney Generals Office," they stated. ump biden US President Donald Trump has said the environmental policies of his Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden would "destroy" America's middle class while giving a "free pass" to the world's worst polluters like China, Russia, India, and many others. In a major policy speech on his record of natural conservation and environmental protection", Trump told a gathering in Jupiter, Florida that his administration is proving every day that the US can improve its environment while creating millions of high-paying jobs. This is a really sharp contrast to the extreme, radical left that you've had to deal with. And what you're doing right now is a lot better than anything you've ever been accustomed to, I will tell you that, he said. Joe Biden's plan would destroy America's middle class while giving a free pass to the world's worst foreign polluters like China, Russia, India, and many others. They don't have to clean up their lands, but we have to clean up ours, Trump said. Biden and his running mate Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris will challenge Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the November 3 presidential election. Trump has repeatedly blamed China, India and other countries for allegedly not doing enough for the climate. He has also blamed India and China for his decision in 2017 to withdraw from the historic Paris climate accord, saying the agreement was unfair as it would have made the US pay for nations which benefited the most from the deal. Trump said that the agenda of the left is not about protecting the environment, "it's about punishing America." Instead of focusing on radical ideology, my administration is focused on delivering real results, and that's what we have. We right now have the cleanest air we've ever had in this country, he said. In a statement, the White House said that Trump's policies are promoting economic growth, while still maintaining standards that allow Americans to have among the cleanest air and water in the world. While America has become the world's number one producer of oil and natural gas, our nation has continued to successfully cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, it said. The President has also balanced oil and gas production with the interests of residents of the Southeast, withdrawing certain offshore waters from development for 10 years. President Trump negotiated the historic USMCA, which contains the strongest environmental protections of any trade agreement in history, it added. The United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a free trade agreement concluded between Canada, Mexico, and the United States as a successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Opposition Democratic Party in a statement alleged that despite promises to protect Florida's environment, Trump has torn down climate policies and environmental protections and failed to prioritise Everglades restoration. The Everglades was an immense ecosystem that once covered about 3,000,000 acres in Florida. In 2000, Congress approved the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) that provides funding for alterations to existing structures and addition of new structures (reservoirs, channels, etc) that attempt to re-create the effect of the original water flow. Denying climate change, Trump has squandered American leadership and ignored its threat to our environment, economy, and national security, it alleged. air, clean water, and public land protections, Trump has done more to eliminate environmental protections than any other president, the Democratic Party alleged. Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. You can purchase shares before the 14th of September in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 9th of October. Altria Group's next dividend payment will be US$0.86 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$3.44 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Altria Group has a trailing yield of 8.0% on the current stock price of $43.07. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing. Check out our latest analysis for Altria Group Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Altria Group reported a loss last year, so it's not great to see that it has continued paying a dividend. Considering the lack of profitability, we also need to check if the company generated enough cash flow to cover the dividend payment. If cash earnings don't cover the dividend, the company would have to pay dividends out of cash in the bank, or by borrowing money, neither of which is long-term sustainable. Dividends consumed 61% of the company's free cash flow last year, which is within a normal range for most dividend-paying organisations. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. Altria Group reported a loss last year, and the general trend suggests its earnings have also been declining in recent years, making us wonder if the dividend is at risk. Story continues Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Altria Group has delivered 9.7% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. Get our latest analysis on Altria Group's balance sheet health here. The Bottom Line From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Altria Group? It's hard to get used to Altria Group paying a dividend despite reporting a loss over the past year. At least the dividend was covered by free cash flow, however. With the way things are shaping up from a dividend perspective, we'd be inclined to steer clear of Altria Group. Having said that, if you're looking at this stock without much concern for the dividend, you should still be familiar of the risks involved with Altria Group. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Altria Group (1 shouldn't be ignored) you should be aware of. If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. SAN DIEGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Synergy One Lending is pleased to announce Donnie Dillow has joined the company as VP, Operations in Denver, Colorado. Dillow, who previously led the Colorado operations' center for Guild Mortgage, will lead the fulfillment unit supporting the Colorado production team that has tripled its production over the last 6 months under the leadership of Eric Kulbe and Ryan Pilgrim. Synergy One's COO, Nicole Abraham, said "Donnie's addition is critical to support the explosive growth we are experiencing in Colorado and neighboring states. Donnie is widely regarded as one of the top operations' executives in the country and it is an honor to have him aboard. I simply cannot overstate the trust Donnie instills in our entire team." Synergy One Lending is based in San Diego, CA and is currently licensed in 32 states. If you're looking for high growth opportunities, contact Aaron Nemec at [email protected] or Ben Green at [email protected]. SOURCE Synergy One Lending Related Links https://s1lending.com/ SALEM Hundreds of people displaced from wildfires in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains poured Wednesday into the Oregon State Fairgrounds as ash continued to fall from the sky, a grim harbinger of the devastation in one corner of rural Oregon decimated by ferocious wildfires that appear to have leveled entire communities. Shellshocked Oregonians watched and wondered helplessly what the next hours would bring. By the afternoon, Marion County leaders confirmed that two bodies had been discovered in a car along Oregon 22 the main east-west road that many people had used to escape their burning towns along the Santiam River. Theyre not going to be the only folks that we find deceased up there," Sheriff Joe Kast said a late news briefing. Family members confirmed a boy and his grandmother died in the fires, but the Marion County Sheriffs Office did not confirm the ages of the two people who died and later in the evening would confirm only one death -- an adolescent boy. Kast led county commissioners on a driving tour from Salem up to Detroit, a route he described as treacherous and impassable and not something I want to do again." He said crews will work to clear the state highway as soon as possible. The fairgrounds served as one of the main gathering points for people who fled the states largest current fires, Santiam and Lionshead, that tore through roughly 200,000 acres in the last 72 hours in Marion County. Red Cross volunteers gave out food and a counselor tried to help people overcome by their narrow getaways and the thoughts of their overwhelming losses. Some drove their campers into the fairgrounds and others set up tents or stayed in the shelter. This is a nightmare, Barb Mahlum, a Gates resident, told The Oregonian/OregonLive after fleeing flames that destroyed her home. It was my dream house, she said, and its gone. Dennis Mahlum said he and his wife got out earlier than most when he saw an ominous orange ball of fire to the east of their home in Gates a town of less than 500 along Oregon 22 in the canyon. It appears to be one of of several hard-hit spots in the county. A lot of our neighbors didnt get out until 2 in the morning" on Tuesday, Mahlum said. It was almost too late for them. Several other people from Gates who took refuge at the fairgrounds described the town as all but destroyed. Michelle Benthins home was standing when she left Tuesday but she doesnt know if it still is. She showed videos on her phone of the surreal scene and the increasingly orange sky. Her husband has since returned to Gates, she said, and told her the extent of the damage. The Gates school was destroyed, the mayors house, Benthins sister, Hermione Babe Doshiers, home, at least half the town. It looks absolutely terrifying, she said of the damage. In a midday news conference, Gov. Kate Brown and state fire officials bluntly described the states situation as unprecedented and deadly. The state leaders said there would be sizable losses in life and property. I know that Oregonians are tough and strong and resilient and creative," Brown said. Were going to have to put all these qualities to work in the future." Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron fought back tears earlier Wednesday describing his own familys harrowing escape from wildfires surrounding his rural community of Detroit and other small towns dotting the hills east of Salem. Cameron and his fiance and her daughter drove two vehicles west along Oregon 22 in the early morning hours Tuesday, dodging burning embers and driving through the decimated communities of Gates and Mill City along the route. The fire on both sides was so hot I thought my car was going to melt, Cameron said during the county commissions first meeting since the Santiam and Lionshead fires broke out. The fires began during the Labor Day weekend and blew up as high winds from the east roared through the mountains and foothills. Fire officials said Wednesday a downed power line sparked some of the blazes, but there were other fires that had been burning for nearly a month that boiled up with the winds. Cameron said he was still shaking just recounting the story. The county commissioners and Kast said theres so much they still dont know about the extent of the devastation: how many homes and businesses and other structures have been destroyed, how many people have been injured and if anyone has died in the midst of it all. It will be a miracle if we dont have loss of life, Cameron said at the morning meeting before the first fatalities were confirmed. No one knows how many people escaped, but one commissioner said he was told the fairgrounds served 350 breakfasts Wednesday to people sheltering there. Much of the commissioners meeting centered on recounting the dramatic events of the past day and publicly thanking neighboring counties for their assistance and the firefighters and law enforcement officers who risked their lives to try and get people out of danger Kast, the sheriff, said his deputies performed heroic actions across the wooded region in the days leading up to the blaze, as they worked to inform hikers, hunters and campers on the Pacific Crest Trail and in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness about the chaotic conditions expected Their work continued amid the chaotic dangerous conditions Monday evening and into Tuesday morning. Warning crews eventually had to get out Tuesday morning and havent been back since. 'It was just too dangerous to be up the canyon anymore," Kast said. He knows some rural residents drove east over the Cascade Mountains to escape but hes not sure how many. I know that sheriffs up and down the (Willamette) valley are also experiencing the same things that were dealing with, Kast said. The dangers continue for towns all across the county Mt. Angel, Silverton, Sublimity, Stayton, basically the entire county, Kast said. At this point it doesnt seem like any communities are off of the list of areas that are Level 2 be set to go evacuation notice, he said. He didnt have an update on the fires boundary. Its certainly been a year, said Sam Brentano, a county commissioner and former mayor of Sublimity, No way about it. Brentano said the Keizer Volcanoes opened their stadium to the community, as did the Marion County Fairgrounds. He said elected officials have fielded calls from Polk, Linn and Tillamook county officials asking how they could help. Brentano said he hoped the county is through the worst of it. Things arent over yet, but I think its better, he said. County leaders have communicated with the White House and state, local and other federal officials. Between the feds, the state, the county, private individuals, insurance companies, its going to be a long-term long road back, Cameron said. He said he got a text from a friend and neighbor who lost his home. We just have to have hope. Were going to get through this, he said. By the end of the day, fire and law enforcement officials still didnt know the extent of the damage. When asked whether Detroit was harder hit than Gates or Lyons, officials said they they would continue assessing the destruction in coming days. We know that the people of Marion county will come together," Kast said. Thats what people who live in remote areas do, the sheriff said: They know their neighbors and they rise to the occasion to help them. Andrew Theen Brooke Herbert New way to target some rapidly dividing cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of Oxford say they have found a new way to kill some multiplying human breast cancer cells by selectively attacking the core of their cell division machinery. The technique, so far tested only on lab-grown and patient-derived cancer cells, could advance efforts to find drugs that kill breast cancer cells in a subset of patients, and leave healthy cells unharmed. A summary of the scientists' findings are published Sept. 9 in Nature. "Some of the most widely used cancer drugs already kill rapidly dividing cells," says Andrew Holland, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular biology and genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "However, most of these drugs have notable drawbacks, including killing healthy cells, such as fast-multiplying bone marrow cells, along with the cancer cells." Holland, whose research focuses on mammalian -- including human -- cell division also notes that unchecked mistakes in cell division can fuel genetic errors that, in some cases, go on to develop into cancer cells. Because all mammalian cells have similar processes for cell division, Holland and his team have looked for cell division mechanisms specific to cancer cells in a variety of lab-grown cells. During their search, he says, they came across a line of human breast cancer cells that are very dependent on cell structures called centrioles to divide and survive. Centrioles act as the structural core of centrosomes, which organize thin tubes of proteins that give cells their shape and help separate DNA when the cell divides. However, many cells can divide without centrioles and centrosomes. Although other cells are able to live without centrioles, Holland's team found that these lab-grown breast cancer cells could not. Close analysis showed that the centriole-dependent breast cancer cells had a section of genome that had been abnormally copied many times, an alteration found in about 9% of breast cancers. The researchers studied the genes encoded in the highly copied region and found a gene that was producing high levels of a protein -- TRIM37 -- shown to control centrosomes. Next, the researchers tested a way to interfere with the cell division process in the cells with high TRIM37 levels. They used an experimental drug called a PLK4 inhibitor, which disrupts proteins that make centrioles. They added the drug to the lab-grown breast cancer cells with normal TRIM37 levels and found that the cells were able to successfully divide, even though the drug had removed the cell's centrioles. However, when they added the drug to breast cancer cells with high TRIM37 levels, the opposite happened -- the cells could no longer divide and most cells stopped growing or died. "The idea would be to identify tumors with high levels of TRIM37 and use a PLK4 inhibitor to selectively kill cancer cells and leave healthy cells relatively unharmed," says Holland. The Johns Hopkins and Oxford teams also discovered why high levels of TRIM37 leave cells vulnerable to drugs that remove centrioles. Holland's previous research has shown that normal cells can divide without centrioles, because the material around the centriole, called the pericentriolar material, is able to do the same job as centrosomes. In the current study, the researchers found that high levels of TRIM37 cause cells to degrade pericentriolar material. Thus, by adding a drug that removes centrioles, the cells have no way -- either with centrosomes or pericentriolar material -- to organize the tubes that help divide the DNA during cell division. Now, Holland and his team are looking for other, more stable drugs similar to the PLK4 inhibitor used in the current study and are attempting to identify additional human cancer cell lines that are sensitive to these inhibitors. ### Scientists who contributed to the research include Zhong Y. Yeow, Mary-Anne Durin, Daniela Moralli, Catherine Green and J. Ross Chapman from the University of Oxford; Rebecca Marlow, Eleanor G. Knight, Daniela Novo, Syed Haider, Andrew Tutt and Christopher Lord from the Institute of Cancer Research, London; Luned Badder from King's College London; and Bramwell Lambrus, Kevin Zhan, Lauren Evans, Phillip Scott, Thao Phan, Elizabeth Park and Lorena Ruiz from Johns Hopkins. Funding for the research was provided by a Cancer Research UK Career Development Fellowship, the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM114119 and R01GM133897), an American Cancer Society Scholar grant, an American Cancer Society Mission Boost Grant, the National Science Scholarship from A*STAR, Singapore. The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics is supported by a Wellcome grant. The Lord and Tutt laboratories are funded by NC3Rs (NC/P001262/1), Breast Cancer Now funding, private donations to the ICR Development Office and National Health Service funding. This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. New Delhi: Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday (September 9, 2020) inaugurated Doorstep Banking Services by PSBs and participated in the awards ceremony to felicitate best performing banks on EASE Banking Reforms Index. As part of the EASE Reforms, Doorstep Banking Services is envisaged to provide the convenience of banking services to the customers at their doorstep through the universal touchpoints of Call Centre, Web Portal or Mobile App. Customers can also track their service request through these channels. The services will be rendered by the Doorstep Banking Agents deployed by the selected Service Providers at 100 centres across the country. Smt @nsitharaman launches PSB Alliance Doorstep Banking Services and declares EASE 2.0 Index Results. pic.twitter.com/8OssWCFtlK NSitharamanOffice (@nsitharamanoffc) September 9, 2020 At present only non-financial services like pick up of negotiable instruments (cheque, demand draft, pay order, etc), pick up new cheque book requisition slip, pick up of 15G or 15H forms, pick up of IT or GST challan, issue request for standing instructions, request for account statement, delivery of non-personalised cheque book, demand draft, pay order, delivery of term deposit receipt, acknowledgement, etc, delivery of TDS or Form 16 certificate issuance, delivery of the pre-paid instrument or gift card are available to customers. Financial services shall be made available from October 2020. The services can be availed by customers of Public Sector Banks at nominal charges. The services shall benefit all customers, particularly senior citizens and "divyangs" who would find it at ease to avail these services. Performance of PSB on EASE 2.0 Index: A common reform agenda for PSBs, EASE Agenda is aimed at institutionalizing clean and smart banking. It was launched in January 2018, and the subsequent edition of the program EASE 2.0 built on the foundation laid in EASE 1.0 and furthered the progress on reforms. Reform Action Points in EASE 2.0 aimed at making the reforms journey irreversible, strengthening processes and systems, and driving outcomes. PSBs have shown a healthy trajectory in their performance over four quarters since the launch of EASE 2.0 Reforms Agenda. The overall score of PSBs increased by 37% between March-2019 and March-2020, with the average EASE index score improving from 49.2 to 67.4 out of 100. Significant progress is seen across six themes of the Reforms Agenda, with the highest improvement seen in the themes of responsible Banking, Governance and HR, PSBs as Udyamimitra for MSMEs, and Credit off-take. PSBs have adopted tech-enabled, smart banking in all areas, setting up retail and MSME Loan Management Systems for reduced loan turnaround time andPSBloansin59minutes.comandTReDS for digital lending. PSBs have instituted real-time visibility to retail and MSME customers on the status of their loans. Most branch-based services are now accessible from home and mobile, including in local languages. EASE Reforms Index has equipped Boards and leadership for effective governance, instituted risk appetite frameworks, created technology- and data-driven risk assessment and prudential underwriting and pricing systems, introduced Early Warning Signals (EWS) systems and specialised monitoring for time-bound action in respect of stress, put in place focussed recovery arrangements, and established outcome-centric HR systems. Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, and erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce were felicitated for being the top three (in that order) in the Top Performing Banks category according to the EASE 2.0 Index Results. Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India & erstwhile Corporation Bank were awarded in the Top Improvers category basis EASE 2.0 Index. Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India, and Canara Bank were also recognized for outstanding performance in select themes. Major Reform achievements between March 2018 to March 2020: - Most PSB customers now have access to 35+ services such as IMPS, NEFT, RTGS, intra-bank transfer, account statement, cheque book request on mobile/ Internet banking and23 services such as chequebook issuance, cheque status, issuance of form 16A, block/activate the debit card on the call centre. The availability of services has nearly doubled over the last 24 months. - Nearly 4cractive customers on mobile and internet banking with a 140% increase in financial transactions through mobile and internet banking channels and almost 50% of financial transactions through digital channels. - Call centers now offer services in 13regional languages such as Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia. - Complaint redressal average turnaround time reduced from an average of approximately 9 days to 5 days. - 23 branch-equivalent services such as account opening, cash deposit, cash withdrawal, fund transfer made available by PSBs through Bank Mitras. - PSBs have issued RuPay credit cards to nearly 23 crore basic savings account customers. - Significant improvement in customer outreach through dedicated marketing force and external partnerships. The number of dedicated marketing employees has increased from 8,920 to 18,053. - Sourcing of retail and MSME loans through the dedicated salesforce and marketing tie-ups has increased nearly five times from 1.5 lakhs to 8.3 lakh loans. - Turnaround time (weighted average) for retail loans reduced by 67% from the average of nearly 30 days to nearly 10 days. - Cross-sell of non-banking financial products has made available bouquet of financial products to the customer. - For prudential lending, PSBs are now systematically keeping watch on adherence to risk-based pricing, and cases with deviation have reduced from 59% to 20%, and have put in place data-driven risk-scoring for appraisal of high-value loans that factors in group-entities. - Most PSBs have deployed IT-based EWS systems leveraging third-party data, which have enabled early, time-bound action in stressed accounts. - Monitoring has also been strengthened by deploying Agencies for Specialised Monitoring, and proactively monitoring listed entities based on published financials. Slippage into NPA has reduced from 3.90 lakh crore in 12-months ending March-18 to 1.45 lakh crore in 11-months ending February-20. - PSBs have adopted digital platforms such as online OTS, e-B, e-DRT for expedited recovery. 88% of one-time settlement (OTS) cases are now tracked through dedicated IT systems. - PSBs have adopted new ways of credit, such as PSB loans in 59minutes.com and Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) for digital lending for MSMEs and retail. 73% of all PSB inland bills are now discounted through online TReDS. - The Government has introduced several governance reforms. The governance reforms include arms length selection of top bank management through Banks Board Bureau, the introduction of non-executive chairpersons, the broader talent pool for such selections, empowered bank Boards, strengthening of the Board committees system, enhancing the effectiveness of non-official directors, and leadership development and succession planning for the top two levels below the Board. In larger PSBs, Executive Director strength has been increased, and Boards are empowered to introduce CGM level for increased business. Like in the previous year, progress made by PSBs was tracked quarterly through a published EASE Reforms Index leading up to the annual review. In addition to the inclusion of the EASE Reforms Index in the evaluation of Whole Time Directors of PSBs, it has now been made part of the annual appraisal of PSB leadership up to two levels below the Whole Time Directors. The Index measures the performance of each PSB on 120+objective metrics across six themes. It provides all PSBs a comparative evaluation showing where banks stand vis-a-vis benchmarks and peers on the Reforms Agenda. The Index follows a fully transparent scoring methodology, which enables banks to identify precisely their strengths as well as areas for improvement. The goal is to continue driving change by spurring healthy competition among PSBs and by encouraging them to learn from each other. PSBs have stepped up to support the country during COVID-19 PSBs have massively stepped up to support the nation during the COVID-19 crisis. From different modes of staffing to remote working, 80,000+ bank branches were operational during COVID-19. Additionally, there has been 90% uptime of self-service machines during the COVID times and around three times increase in Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) transactions through micro ATMs, and enhanced doorstep banking support by 75,000+Bank Mitras. To further support the customers in these times, the banks have drastically increased the number of services being offered at the call centers, from 11 in March-19 to 23 as of June-20 in 13 regional languages. PSBs way forward to Smart, Tech-enabled Banking for Aspiring India: A comprehensive agenda for smart, tech-enabled banking has been adopted for FY2020-21, under which PSBs have initiated eShishu Mudra for straight-through processing of loans to micro-enterprises and digital personal loan for customers. PSBs have started providing customer-need driven credit offers through analytics and partnerships with FinTechs and e-commerce companies. Many PSBs have already started taking steps in line with the reform priorities. Progress of PSBs will continue to be tracked on metrics linked to Reform Action Points, and their progress will be published through a quarterly index. Financial Health of the PSBs during the EASE Reforms journey: Following the completion of recognition of legacy stress as NPA, PSBs have returned to profitability with sound financial health and institutionalised systems to prevent the recurrence of past weaknesses. The improved financial health of PSBs reflects in many parameters - Gross NPAs reduced from Rs8.96 lakh crore in March-2018 to Rs 6.78 lakh crore in March-2020; - A sharp decline in fraud occurrence from 0.65% of advances during FY10-FY14 to 0.06% in FY19-20; due to fraud prevention reforms and proactive checking of legacy NPA - Record recovery of Rs 2.27 lakh crore in FY19-FY20 driven by newly setup dedicated stressed account management verticals in PSBs; - Asset quality has improved significantly, with the net NPA ratio reducing from 7.97% in March 2018 to 3.75% in March 2020 - Number of PSBs under PCA down to three; - CRAR 197 bps above the regulatory minimum; and - The highest provision coverage ratio of 80.9% in eight years. Click here for Doorstep Banking Services and Declaration of EASE 2.0 Index Results: By Denis Slattery New York Daily News Gov. Cuomo set the table Wednesday for indoor dining to resume in New York City by the end of the month. Restaurants can reopen their dining rooms on Sept. 30 at 25% capacity and tables six feet apart. Temperature checks of all patrons will be mandatory and customers must leave contact information, the governor said during a press briefing in Manhattan. The announcement comes after restaurateurs filed a $2 billion class-action lawsuit, alleging the state is violating the constitutional rights of the owners of more than 150,000 New York City restaurants. New Jersey began allowing eateries to welcome back customers last week with a 25% cap on capacity while restaurants in Upstate New York and on Long Island have been operating at 50% since June. There is almost no other country in the world where I'd wish to live with a mental illness. Yes, there is still not enough funding to match the rights, opportunities and expectations that we have for our mental health, but there is more funding almost every year from state, territory and national budgets. Fifteen years ago, aged 36, near the top of my career and a step away from being premier of NSW, I tried to end my life by suicide. I wanted to die. I didn't reach out for help. I thank God every day that I didn't complete my suicide. John Brogden is the chairman of Lifeline. In a favourite song, Powderfinger sings: "These days turned out nothing like I had planned." I am a 51-year-old man with depression and suicidal ideation. I live with these illnesses every day. Note, I say with them, not through them. I am medicated daily and probably will be for the rest of my life. I see my psychiatrist every fortnight. I try to look after myself physically through exercise and diet. I was not a big drinker, but I haven't drunk alcohol for 15 years. The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has announced the resumption of Emergency Entry Visas (EEV). This follows the re-opening of Ghana's international airport to human traffic on September 1. A statement from the GIS, dated Monday, September 7, 2020, disclosed that the applications will be for emergency entries only. Issuance of EEV was temporarily suspended as a result of the closure of the country's borders as part of measures to prevent the importation of COVID-19. The Ghana Immigration Service wishes to announce for the information of the travelling community and the general public that it has resumed the issuing of Emergency Entry Visas (EEV). This is in consonance with the directive of His Excellency, the President of the Republic for the re-opening of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to traffic effective 1st September 2020, GIS explained in the statement. It noted that the requirements for acquiring EEV remain unchanged. The travelling community and the general public are advised to at all-times deal with the Ghana Immigration Service, and to demand for receipt for the EEV issued to them and ensure that the appropriate visa stickers are affixed in their passports, the statement added. GIS further admonished the travelling community and the general public to be wary of fraudsters who put up as middlemen issuing Emergency Entry Visas in the name of the Ghana Immigration Service. Any applicant who transacts business with such persons does so at his or her own risk, the statement further added. Below is the full statement from the Ghana Immigration Service: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 13:14:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Hu Tao BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Steven Lien remains a frequent traveler even in 2020, "a challenging period" for the world and his business in the aviation industry. Over the past months, he traveled all around China, witnessing countless people on flights. "All thanks to the government's success in pandemic control and the recovering economy," said Lien, president of Honeywell Aerospace Asia Pacific. "We're lucky to be in China!" Lien told Xinhua in a video interview. "The Chinese market is recovering, and the economy is showing its resilience." OPPORTUNITIES IN CHALLENGES Honeywell is a U.S.-headquartered global technology company. Lien, a senior executive in the company's aerospace business in the Asia Pacific region, has returned to his normal schedule of business trips around China as the government has been quick and effective in controlling and preventing the spread of the pandemic. He and his team have two major focuses in the pandemic period: market demand and tech innovation. "In the changing market, we are quick to figure out what people need and provide them with it," Lien said. The company is behind rapid innovations in safety products and solutions and provides new products such as personal protective equipment (PPE), ultraviolet cleaning systems for aircraft, cabin air quality monitoring systems and environmental control system health checks. Lien said it is up to the business sector to provide people what they need to ensure travel safety and influence their travel behaviors, although in the long term, the public will rely on vaccines and other medical solutions. SERVICES IN MEGA MARKET The civil aviation industry is a major weather vane of the economy. Alongside work resumption, China's civil aviation industry has led the global recovery, especially on domestic routes. At the ongoing 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, Lien, appearing on a video screen, shared Honeywell's experience on how connected maintenance services help airlines shorten the turnaround time of flights and reduce flight cancellations and delays. He believes that the efficient use of data will greatly improve industry efficiency and productivity, supporting China's development of "new infrastructure" in the skies. With connected aircraft solutions, they can also support airlines in fuel efficiency, real-time weather forecasting and high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi. "It's just a matter of time before the civil aviation industry recovers to the level before the pandemic," Lien said. China has vowed to promote deeper-level reform and pursue higher-level opening up to provide strong impetus for establishing a new development pattern. "We are adhering to the strategy of 'in China, for China' to develop our business here," said Lien. Honeywell Aerospace moved its Asia Pacific regional headquarters to China in 2003. Ever since, the company has seen improving market performance together with its local partners, including the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China -- developer of China's C919 passenger airplane. In April, Honeywell registered a wholly owned subsidiary Huosheng Industrial Technology Co., Ltd. in the Wuhan Optics Valley, one of the most economically active areas in central China's Hubei Province and home to more than 100,000 tech companies. It is the headquarters for the company's mass mid-segment business in China. Lien is confident as the Chinese market recovery is significant and "remains excited" about the days ahead. "Our long-term strategy in the Chinese market hasn't changed. We need to continue expanding cooperation with China," he said. Enditem Odisha's COVID-19 tally mounted to 1,31,382 on Tuesday and recoveries crossed the landmark one lakh mark, a health department official said. A total of 3,490 people tested positive for the disease on Tuesday, while 2787affected persons were declared cured during the day, the official said. The states recovery figure now stands at 1,02,185, which is 77.77 per cent of the total caseload. Thirteen more fatalities pushed the state's death toll to 569. he said adding 2787 affected person were declared cured during the day. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has thanked health workers, doctors and other COVID warriors for the recovery of over one lakh patients from the highly infectious disease. Of the fresh fatalities, three were reported from Puri, two each from Ganjam, Mayurbhanj and Rayagada and one each from Cuttack, Kandhamal, Khurda and Subarnapur districts. Ganjam district has so far accounted for 209 of the 569 fatalities in the state, followed by Khurda with 77 deaths, he said. Fifty-three patients have so far died in the state due to other ailments, the official said. The fresh COVID-19 cases were reported from all the 30 districts of Of the new cases, 2,094 were reported from quarantine centres and 1,396 people have tested positive during contact- tracing, he said. Khurda district topped the list of fresh cases with 535 infections, followed by Cuttack (376), Mayurbhanj (207) and Rayagada (206). With new cases, fresh recoveries and fatalities, Odishas active case now stands at 28,575 which is 21.74 per cent. The state has so far conducted over 21.84 lakh sample tests, including 41,275 on Monday. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary A K Tripathy along with Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, P K Mohapatra paid a surprise visit to Rourkela to take stock of the COVIDd-19 management in Sundargarh District and in the steel city. Tripathy visited the COVID-19 Hospitals in the city and interacted with patients and hospital staff. He said that the positivity rate in Sundragarh district and Rourkela is one per cent and eight per cent respectively. (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.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) - Kris Aquino, dubbed as the Queen of All Media, said that her supposed television comeback will not push through. In what she called a life update," Aquino said on her Facebook page that the producer chose somebody else he and his sales team felt more viable. No sugarcoating from me, youre getting the honest truth, said the TV personality and actress. Aquino teased last July of her supposed return to television in TV5, after three years of hiatus. Despite her project being canceled, Aquino said that she and her family are still fortunate. She also shared that four people who had close contact with her and her son Bimby, tested positive for COVID-19. But she and her son were negative of the virus. I would like to believe that Im now a glass half full type of person I no longer wish to focus on whats not given, rather I am so very grateful for blessings, and YES, our health is the most precious one, said Aquino. She added, I continue to have faith there will be opportunities all in Gods perfect timing. Narendra Modi Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said efforts are being made to provide an online delivery platform to street food vendors on the lines of big restaurants. After a virtual interaction with beneficiaries of the PM Street Vendors' Aatmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme from Madhya Pradesh, Modi praised the state government for ensuring the scheme's benefits to over lakh people and providing identity cards to over 4.5 lakh people (scheme beneficiaries) in just two months. Advertisement Narendra ModiThe Union government had launched the PM SVANidhi scheme on June 1 to help poor street vendors impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic resume livelihood activities. "I congratulate those who are moving ahead with the SVANidhi Yojna. It is a big thing to provide benefits of the scheme to over one lakh street vendors and providing identity cards to over 4.5 lakh such people. Other states must take inspiration from Madhya Pradesh," Modi said. After his interaction with the street vendors, Modi in a televised address said, "A scheme has been prepared to provide an online platform to street food vendors by using technology. This means, the street food vendors will be able to make online delivery like big restaurants. Efforts are being made to provide this kind of facility." Narendra Modi Advertisement He told the street vendors that if they come forward, the government will take this effort further. The prime minister also urged the street vendors to adopt the digital payment system on a large scale. "The use of digital payment has increased during the past three-four years. Its importance was realised during the corona period. Now customers avoid making payment in cash and pay directly through mobile phone," he said. Advertisement Appealing street vendors to come forward to adopt the digital system, Modi said, "A new beginning has been made by the banks and digital payment system providers." Narendra ModiModi told the street vendors that representatives of banks and such organisations will reach out to them, provide the QR code and inform them about its use. "I appeal to them (street vendors) to use digital payment more and present an example before the world," he said. Advertisement He said the government will make efforts to ensure that street vendors in all big cities of the state get benefit of the PM SVANidhi scheme. Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the University of Zurich have discovered that a drug newly approved for cancer improves kidney dysfunction in a mouse model of Dent disease 2 and Lowe syndrome The study is published today in Kidney International and offers hope for the first disease-modifying treatment. In addition to kidney dysfunction, characteristic of Dent disease 2, boys with Lowe syndrome also require eye cataract surgery as newborns, and suffer seizures and other disabilities. Only supportive treatments are available, such as nutrient supplements and help with learning. These rare diseases are caused by the lack of an enzyme called OCRL that normally controls the lipid composition of cell membranes. The disruption activates a system of filaments inside the cells, called the actin cytoskeleton, in the wrong place. The actin blockage means that the cells in the kidneys that usually reabsorb filtered proteins and essential nutrients don't work properly, causing a loss of these in the urine. Dr Jennifer Gallop's group at the Wellcome Trust/ Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute in Cambridge worked out how the actin system was being activated by the disruption in cell membrane lipids. "By understanding the details of what is happening in cells during Lowe syndrome and Dent disease 2," said Dr Gallop, "we realised that alpelisib, a drug that is already approved for use in patients with cancer, could prevent the actin blockage". This is because alpelisib targets a different step in the pathway, and rebalances the lipid composition. The Gallop group teamed up with Professor Oliver Devuyst from the Institute of Physiology, University of Zurich to test alpelisib in a humanized mouse model of Lowe syndrome and Dent disease 2. Devuyst said "amazingly, treatment with alpelisib improved the actin cytoskeleton of the kidney cells and rescued the reabsorption of the filtered proteins". The researchers don't yet know whether the drug will work in patients and if their neurological symptoms will be helped as well. However, because alpelisib has been used before in another rare disease in children, as well as in adults, there is evidence that it is safe. These efforts of repurposing a drug could potentially lead to the cost-effective development of a treatment for these rare disorders. ### About the Institute of Physiology at University of Zurich, Switzerland The Institute of Physiology at the University of Zurich (UZH) currently hosts about 150 scientists that work in 14 independent research groups. A major focus of research within the Institute is the identification of the mechanisms operating in inherited kidney disorders and causing chronic kidney disease, based on a multidisciplinary approach including human genetics, model organisms and cellular systems. The Institute of Physiology is part of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Kidney Control of Homeostasis (www.nccr-kidney.ch). The institute is recognized for training capacities in cell biology, renal physiology, epithelial disorders, human genetics, and mechanistic studies in mouse and cellular models. The UZH now sits at #1 in Continental Europe and #11 worldwide in the QS World University Rankings under the category Anatomy and Physiology. About the Wellcome Trust/ Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge, UK Named after its co-founder, Nobel Laureate Sir John Gurdon, the Gurdon Institute (part of the University of Cambridge) is a world-leading centre for research at the interface between developmental biology and cancer biology. More than 200 scientists work in the Gurdon Institutes purpose-built laboratories on projects ranging from breast cancer and brain development to lung regeneration and mitochondrial disease. Many have made pioneering contributions to the fields of basic cell biology, cellular reprogramming, epigenetics and DNA repair. Institute scientists use a range of model systems such as yeast, nematode worms, fruit flies, frogs, mammalian cells and organoids to study development and disease at the level of molecules, cells and tissues. Research conducted at the Institute has so far led to a dozen spin-out companies (including KuDOS Pharmaceuticals, Abcam, Chroma Therapeutics, CellCentric, Mission Therapeutics and STORM Therapeutics) and five candidate drugs. One of these, the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza), has been approved for use against certain types of ovarian, breast and prostate cancers. www.gurdon.cam.ac.uk Clear guidelines and recommendations should cover ethical and safe use of secure servers Man is a Social Animal. We are wired up to stay connected physically. In this pandemic, most of us are not able to get the daily share of person to person interaction. Virtual world is not able to establish the connection and provide the contentment which we enjoyed before. Staying at home has been liberating for many in the initial phase, but with time it has become confining. There may be uncalled interruptions by the family members staying under the same roof over longer period. Due to this unexpected lifestyle changes and uncertainties, the majority of us have experienced unpleasant emotions like fear, frustration, irritability, hyper-arousal, and insomnia. Adapting to this New Normal life along with managing the fear of contracting the virus and worrying about the people close to us who are vulnerable, are challenging for all of us. With this there has been a surge of mental health issues during this pandemic. The global pandemic continues to spread posing new challenges to the health system and its resources. Precautionary measures like travel restrictions and social distancing has posed difficulties to the health seekers. People sometimes fail to get timely attention for their health needs. The change has created difficulties even to people with mental health issues. In the wake of the global health crisis, one of the first measures universally adopted was teleconsultations for the minor health ailments. Definitely, this came as a boon for bridging the gap of the spiking cases and the care required. In mental health issues since physical examination is less crucial compared to other health issues Telepsychiatry became the best suited solution to both the health providers and the stakeholders. The surge in teleconsultations lead to the issual of the long-pending telemedicine guidelines by the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW), in collaboration with NITI Aayog and Board of Governors (BoG) Medical Council of India (MCI). The Government of India further released the updated telemedicine guidelines on March 25, 2020, which legalised the practice of teleconsultation and telemedicine in India. According to the latest guidelines, patients can now consult with doctors over chat, audio or video for diagnosis. The fact that mental health services are more concentrated in the urban areas and the existing Mental health Gap was known to us way before the pandemic. Now, Covid-19 outbreak has potentially opened the door to adoption of digital health services even after the pandemic. Physical consultations are definitely going to return. Also, the present change has allowed adaptation of the technology and can be of help to provide mental health services to the underserved areas in India. There is a surge in the usage of smart-phones and digitally literate population in India. Telepsychiatry services are going to play a vital role and can benefit Indians, particularly the rural India. The government has allowed relaxation in the existing rules for tele-consultations. There are more number of start-ups, entrepreneurs, professional associations and academic institutions providing tele-psychiatry services India. As the tele-psychiatry is gaining momentum there needs to be more transparency regarding legal and ethical matters, privacy and confidentiality, and also data security. Psychiatry as a discipline relies on human interaction and observation of human behaviour. Through Telepsychiatry we should try and make it possible to attain confidence between the providers and clients. With all the hope and hype it has created telepsychiatry, it still holds the potential to solve the enormous and entwined problems of underdiagnosing and undertreating people with mental illness. We should also be able to make-up for the lack of trained manpower at rural and peripheral places. We should not underestimate the negative consequences of such unsupervised services. Clear guidelines and recommendations should cover ethical and safe use of secure servers. Encrypted software would be necessary. With the help of technology it is not too late to make a difference to improve the quality of care in these challenging and testing times. Dr Kreethishree Somanna, Consultant psychiatrist, KMC Hospital, Mangalore HALIFAX - Nova Scotia is ready to deal with a second wave of COVID-19 should a resurgence occur, the province's chief medical officer of health told a legislature committee on Tuesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health, provides an update on COVID-19, in Halifax on March 6, 2020. Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health says the province is ready to deal with a second wave of COVID-19 should a resurgence occur. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX - Nova Scotia is ready to deal with a second wave of COVID-19 should a resurgence occur, the province's chief medical officer of health told a legislature committee on Tuesday. Dr. Robert Strang told the health committee that any future response would also include lessons learned from an outbreak that claimed 53 lives at the Northwood long-term care facility in Halifax this spring. Nova Scotia has seen 65 deaths overall. "Look across the country, there's no doubt that COVID has highlighted long-term care as an issue," Strang said. The province is conducting a review into the Northwood outbreak along with another looking broadly at infection control in the long-term care sector. Strang said work is ongoing to ensure strengthened plans are in place at individual long-term care facilities in the event of another outbreak. Deputy health minister Dr. Kevin Orrell, said the two reviews are on course to be ready with recommendations by Sept. 15. In response to a question from NDP committee member Susan LeBlanc, Orrell said an increase to operational funding is under consideration. He pointed out that money has not been an issue since the beginning of the pandemic. "We are $368 million in deficit at the Department of Health and Wellness, and we still will do what we have to do for the people of Nova Scotia and for the vulnerable people in these nursing homes," Orrell said. Orrell was also questioned by Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston about the resumption of non-emergency health procedures and tests that were put on hold on March 17 to free up hospital beds. The deputy minister said procedure rebookings are underway, although a backlog remains. Orrell said hospital admissions across the province have also ramped up to a range of between 90 to 100 per cent of capacity. "In fact that's probably more than we would like because we still have to maintain capacity for the next wave, so there has to be some adjustment of that." Nova Scotia currently has three active cases of COVID-19 and Strang said measures currently in place around border entry, the mandatory use of masks in most indoor areas, and the required testing of students returning to universities and colleges has the province "well positioned for what's to come." He also credited the response of the public, who he said acted quickly to comply with the measures taken by health officials. "All-in-all Nova Scotia has fared well," Strang said. "What got us through the first wave strong preparation and a commitment to keeping cases low will get us through the second wave." So far, Nova Scotia has had 1,086 positive COVID-19 cases with 1,018 cases now resolved. No one is currently in hospital. Strang said testing capacity had increased since the onset of the pandemic from less than 200 a day to 1,500 a day. "At our peak of new cases we were testing more people per capita than any other province," he said. To date, Nova Scotia has had 80,682 negative test results. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2020. BEAUMONT, Texas, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Breathing safe fresh air is essential for healthy living, especially considering the majority of COVID-19 transmissions result from the aerosolization of the virus from coughing, sneezing and breathing. CIMR Tech, a provider of clean air defense solutions, helps to achieve a safe return to indoor spaces and drive economic recovery. In July 2020, Auburn University's McCrary Institute and Air University released a report proposing a "multi-layered air defense for critical infrastructure." CIMR (Continuous Infectious Microbial Reduction) Tech is critical in this air defense model by continuously sanitizing indoor air 24/7/365. Its 'pathogen scavenging technology' is the only clean air solution that envelopes indoor occupants in a safe and effective low-dose hydrogen peroxide gas (.02ppm) to eliminate infectious threats. The technology is self-regulating and ozone-free. "The hydrogen peroxide, ionization, and other technologies we are able to provide seek out these pathogens, attaches itself to them, and destroys them in real-time, creating what we call 'Mighty Safe Air,'" said Alton Holt, Founder & CEO of CIMR Tech. Furthermore, it has been scientifically tested and experientially proven in hundreds of applications against viruses, bacteria, germs, mold and odors. While wiping down surfaces and washing hands are important for reducing the spread of COVID-19, it does not address the issue of transmission through shared air indoors but CIMR Tech does. Its innovative technology is able to shield occupants in a wide range of indoor spaces, so we can safely return to businesses, hospitals, schools and more. About CIMR Tech CIMR Tech is an industry leader in clean air defense, protecting indoor air against airborne threats. Since every building is unique, CIMR Tech offers tailored solutions for a variety of markets like commercial, residential, small business, healthcare and mold mitigation. Learn more about the company at cimrtech.com . Contact: [email protected] (866) 231-3687 SOURCE CIMR Tech Related Links http://cimrtech.com A group of Thai airport workers are suing a security company hired by state-owned Airports of Thailand (AOT), saying they were tricked into accepting worse terms with the threat of losing their jobs, the Thomson Reuters Foundation can reveal. Ten security staff at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport said in a lawsuit they were pressured to resign from ASM Management and sign new contracts as part of a restructuring in May by AOT, which manages six airports and has been hit hard by coronavirus. Labour rights' campaigners have voiced concerns about companies capitalising on the pandemic as an opportunity to cut costs by coercing workers to accept worse terms and conditions. Thailand is fast returning to normalcy having recorded about 58 COVID-19 deaths and 3,440 cases since January, but the tourism-reliant economy has been battered by the collapse of global travel and a ban on foreign travellers imposed in April. The workers in the lawsuit said their new contracts with AOT Aviation Security (AOT AVSEC) - a joint venture between AOT , ASM, and two other security companies - left them on lower pay and without benefits such as a transport allowance. The case was filed in July but had not been made public. The workers are suing ASM for termination without severance pay and not providing payment to cover their notice period. Five lawyers said coercing workers to resign amounted to wrongful dismissal under labour laws, and entitled them to compensation. ASM and AOT declined to be interviewed for this article. AOT AVSEC's human resources manager Pasakorn Aksornsuwan said staff had been "transferred" from ASM, with years of prior service reflected in their salaries. He said the new venture was not involved in making any of them sign resignation letters. One security guard on the lawsuit, Komkrich Dearkhuntod, said he and 100-odd other staff at ASM were given about 10 minutes to resign then sign a new contract one night in April. "Our supervisor told us everything (at AOT AVSEC) would be better than at ASM," he said. "They saw us as security guards and looked down on us since we had little education, they thought they could trick us into signing those papers." Several workers told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that they had heard of hundreds of their colleagues being affected, but said most would not speak out for fear of losing their jobs. AOT AVSEC said 3,000 of its 5,200 person workforce had come from ASM, which previously supplied about 3,500 workers to AOT. It is unclear if all 3,000 ex-ASM staff signed resignation letters before joining AOT AVSEC, and it is unknown how many of the remaning workers were made redundant or left voluntarily. LOWER PAY Pasakorn of AOT AVSEC said some of its workers who had previously been at ASM were now earning less because of pandemic-related cuts to working hours, a lack of overtime payments, and fewer benefits compared with their former jobs. The Ministry of Finance holds a 70% stake in AOT, and its State Enterprise Policy Office said the ministry was not permitted to interfere in the management of state enterprises. The ministry's permanent secretary Prasong Poontaneat, who is also chairman of AOT's board of directors, said he was not aware of any workers being mistreated. Prasong said he oversaw the company's policies rather than its business operations. Top airlines globally have announced layoffs, wage cuts and unpaid leave for staff as cash-strapped firms wait for bailouts amid the pandemic which has hugely disrupted air travel. AOT last month posted its worst-ever quarter while seven Thai airlines asked for a combined 24 billion baht ($770 million) in low interest loans and other support from the government, which is considering the request. However labour rights campaigners fear subcontractors such as ASM are using the pandemic as an opportunity to cut costs by forcing workers to accept worse terms and conditions. "If we can't expect adherence to the state's legal framework and rules by a state-owned enterprise, how can we expect private companies to behave appropriately?" said Erin van der Maas from the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF). "LABOUR RIGHTS VIOLATIONS" About 300 AOT AVSEC staff have recently joined the Wingspan Workers' Union and Airport Workers of Thailand - a union which has nearly 1,800 members and plans to engage in collective bargaining to improve working conditions and terms at AOT AVSEC. Union President Ampai Wivatthanasathapat urged AOT to take responsibility and ensure workers were treated lawfully. "There is a growing trend of labour rights violations among outsourced companies (at the airport), with firms pressuring workers to resign in order to avoid severance pay," she said. Pornnarai Thuiyakhai, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit, said he hoped ASM would repay the workers and that the legal action could put pressure on AOT AVSEC to improve the terms of employment for its staff and reinstate their accrued benefits. The Labour Court in central Ayutthaya province will hold the first mediation session in January next year, Pornnarai said. One of the workers named in the lawsuit, Ploy, said she signed a contract with AOT AVSEC worth 14,000 baht a month - 700 less than she earned at ASM - with all of her benefits scrapped. Yet Ploy said she only earned 11,000 baht last month as AOT AVSEC lowered her working hours citing the coronavirus pandemic. "The only way I can survive ... is by taking another job selling food, which gives me enough money to feed myself," she said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. ($1 = 30.9700 baht) (Reporting by Nanchanok Wongsamuth @nanchanokw; Editing by Kieran Guilbert and Belinda Goldsmith. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org) This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! The swift and unceremonious exit of two Australian journalists from Beijing after a midnight knock on the door shows the situation for foreign correspondents in China to be apparently worse now and considerably riskier than it was in the mid-1970s at the tail end of the brutal Cultural Revolution. During my time as The Sydney Morning Herald's China correspondent, from 1975 to 1978, I recall only one correspondent who was thrown out, a Canadian who had the temerity to write about human rights. His visa was simply not renewed. Occasionally a correspondent would be called into the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand, but that was it. Yvonne Preston, who was China correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald from 1975 to 1978, at her Sydney home. Credit:Janie Barrett Of course, in those days only a handful of Western correspondents worked in China no Americans and they were all closely corralled in the diplomatic compound, guarded night and day by the People's Liberation Army. Interpreters, drivers, cooks and others were tasked with reporting back to the Diplomatic Service Bureau on our activities. Bill Birtles, one of the two correspondents who made their getaway this week, described the growing restrictions felt by journalists in the past few years, difficulties arranging interviews, making phone calls, restrictions on travel, but these were nothing compared with the tight controls kept on correspondents in the '70s. These boots are less than $100 right now at the UGG Closet. Recommendations are independently chosen by Revieweds editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission. Summer's warmth will soon be giving way to fall's cooler temps, and the first thing we'll be reaching for is our trusty UGGs. Luckily, the Australian brand has opened up the UGG Closeta virtual pop-up shop that only opens a few times a year with savings of more than 60% on its iconic sheepskin boots, sandals, apparel, accessories and more. Need help finding products? Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Its free and you can unsubscribe at any time. The brands signature Classic II Short boots or Classic II Minis, for instance, are both 40% off right now in pale blue and blush (the Minis also come in olive and aqua), with the the former falling from $170 to $101.99 in select sizing Minis dropping from $150 to $89.99 and the Short boots (note that you can get the Shorts for slightly less in Amberlight or the Minis in garnet elsewhere.) Both feature sheepskin and suede exteriors and the minis have a soft UGGPure wool lining. The word used most often in reviews for this stylish sneaker is comfortable, making it a no-brainer buy. 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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time. This article originally appeared on Reviewed.com: UGG closet sale: Shop top-rated boots for fall at up to 60% off A month is a long time on Wall Street. For one of 2020s star performers, it has been a stark reminder how quickly sentiment can turn. Over the past month, shares of Inovio Pharmaceuticals (INO) have plummeted by 50% as the tides have turned against this high-flying coronavirus stock. Faced with stiff competition in the race to be first to market with a COVID-19 vaccine, investors have seemingly lost confidence in the small biotechs ability to beat its bigger rivals. But not all on the Street have lowered expectations. Benchmark analyst Aydin Huseynov reiterated a Buy on INO shares alongside a $36 price target. The upside potential from current levels is a massive 272%. (To watch Huseynovs track record, click here) So, whats driving Huseynovs confidence? In a recently published article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the governments OWS (Operation Warp Speed) program laid out its vaccine selection strategy. The program has taken a diverse approach, extending to four different platforms, each one made up of two companies. These include an RNA platform (MRNA, BNTX), live vector platform (AZN, JNJ), protein-based (NVAX, SNY/GSK), and attenuated live vector platform (no companies have been earmarked and none are in clinical trials yet). So, where is Inovio? The company is not on the list, which came as a surprise to Huseynov, given the DoD is supporting Inovios technology/platform, and DoD is part of OWS. Interestingly, however, Huseynov believes Inovios exclusion is based on its differentiated approach, which could result in adoption elsewhere. The analyst explained, We think that by emphasizing syringe-based delivery, it is possible that US-based DNA plasmid vaccine company Inovio, which uses a smart device delivery, may end up being initially sponsored by non-US organizations... It is possible INO may end up receiving CEPI/Gates/Korea/DoD financing first, and then OWS may weight in. So, thats Benchmarks view, what do Huseynovs colleagues make of Inovios prospects? The rest of the Street currently takes a more measured approach. Based on 2 Buys, 5 Holds and 1 Sell, the stock has a Hold consensus rating. However, due to the recent sell off, the $19 average price target could provide investors with returns of 95% in the year ahead. (See INO stock analysis on TipRanks) Story continues To find good ideas for healthcare 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 analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. The Taraba chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the exit of the former Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, from the party made no meaningful impact on the party. The state chairman of the party, Ibrahim El-Sudi, said this in an interview with journalists at the end of a closed-door meeting with the Chairman of the partys Caretaker Committee and Extraordinary Convention, Mai Mala Buni, on Tuesday in Abuja. That is a media hype, as you can see, all the juggernauts, movers and shakers of APC in Taraba are behind me. So, one person cannot destroy or do anything to APC, Mr El-Sudi said. He said the former minister did not command so much political weight as the public was made to believe. He further said that Ms Alhassan only polled 16,000 votes when she left APC to contest the election in another party, while the APC candidate polled over 340,000 votes. So, her movement has not shaken APC in Taraba. It is in the heart of Taraba people that they want APC and they will continue to support APC, he said. Mr El-Sudi also spoke on the essence of his visit, saying that he led a delegation of Taraba APC to thank Mr Buni for the good work he is doing for the party. We also brought the problems of Taraba to the committee to look into them, with a view to solving them. After addressing the chairman and the committee, we were assured that they would look into our problem in order to solve the issues that are hanging in the air, he said. Mr El-Sudi expressed confidence in the ability of the committee to address the Taraba issue, saying that it had so far restored peace in the party across the country. The chairman is a tested and trusted leader, he was a party secretary in his state. He knows the plethora of problems facing the party and he has already taken steps toward solving most of them, Mr El-Sudi said. He appealed to the federal government to address the problem of infrastructure deficit in Taraba. According to him, Taraba needs to have a good road network from Numan to Jalingo. He also expressed the need for the federal government to expedite action toward the completion of the Mambilla hydro electric power project. In another development, a former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, who was also at the APC national secretariat, said the state was ready for true reconciliation among the aggrieved members. Mr Yari, whose faction has engaged the Kabiru Marafa-led faction of the party in a supremacy battle since 2019, led a delegation of Zamfara APC to a meeting with Mr Bunis committee. He said that to achieve genuine reconciliation in the state, all the aggrieved parties must come to a round table with open mind. If everyone is ready for reconciliation, we will know because we have been in this game since 1999 and by Gods grace we can predict the future of APC in Zamfara in 2023, he said. (NAN) New Delhi: The oil slick reported as seen near MT New Diamond was from the explosions that took place in the engine room and other parts of the ship and not from the cargo hold, sources said on Wednesday (September 9, 2020) According to the captain of the MT New Diamond and the salvors who are on-site, the slick was formed by the fuel which was powering the ship(from the tank) and was not from the cargo hold. This comes amid reports of an oil leak from the vessel. Structurally too, only the superstructure (tower) of the cargo vessel which houses the accommodation section is badly damaged owing to the blaze. The ships rear-portion(aft), as seen in the images has sunken(trim) about 3-feet into the water given the amounts of seawater and foam that was sprayed to control the blaze. A tea of salvors have also boarded the MT New Diamond for inspection and the appropriate course of action for employing larger tugs, as a part of salvage and towing will be undertaken. It is also said that the trim at the rear portion of the ship would be corrected. On Monday a fire had re-ignited on-board the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) MT new Diamond off the Sri Lanka coast. It had been doused by Tuesday morning and boundary cooling was being done to prevent re-ignition. The fire had almost risen to a height of up to 60 meters from the main, weather-exposed deck of the ship, which is also known as the weather deck. However, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has said that the blaze has been visibly doused and that measures are being undertaken to prevent re-ignition. Sustained firefighting efforts by ICG Ships Sujay, Shaurya, Sarang, specialised ICG Pollution Response Vessel Samudra Paheredar along with Srilankan Ships and tugs ensured the intensity and magnitude of fire were reduced considerably by Tuesday morning. The master of MT New Diamond, onboard ICGS Shaurya has also intimated the Coast Guard that the fire appears to have been doused. The situation is being monitored closely and boundary cooling with seawater and application of foam has been enhanced to avoid re-ignition. The MT New Diamond is being held about 30 miles from the Sri Lankan Coast by a tug boat and joint firefighting and pollution response operations are being carried out by the assets of the Indian Coast Guard, the Indian Navy and their Sri Lankan counterparts. The ICG vessels have been deployed for fire-fighting and consequential pollution response for MT New Diamond off since September 3rd. A bilateral MoU between ICG and SLCG covers co-operation in the Marine pollution Response domain. The Indian Coast Guard is also the Competent National Authority under South Asian Co-operative for Environment Protection (SACEP) for responding and coordinating pollution response in South Asian Sea region. In order to supplement the surface firefighting efforts with aerial dropping, the Lankan Navy had requested the Indian Coast guard for Dry Chemical Powder (DCP). To facilitate this, ICGS Abheek with 1.5tons of DCP was diverted from on-scene to enter Trincomalee harbour for the handing over. ICG Dornier aircraft with 700 kgs DCP was also dispatched on Thursday morning from Chennai to Trincomalee. An ICG Dornier aircraft continues to operate from Mattala, Sri Lanka besides CG Helicopter embarked on ICGS Sarang being launched regularly for aerial assessment. No oil spill has been reported so far. A 16-member salvage team including Marine Chemists and Naval Architects who are onboard Tugboats on-location are in agreement with the methodology adopted by ICG to fight the fire and are providing suggestions to make the firefighting more effective. This very large crude carrier- MT New Diamond is a Greek-owned vessel, under charter by Indian Oil Cooperation. The vessel has been ablaze following a major explosion in the engine room while transiting Sri Lankas Exclusive Economic Zone. The first information about the vessel being on fire was received at Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (MRCC) Mumbai. MT New Diamond is reportedly carrying more than 2.7 lakh MT Kuwait export crude oil that was destined for Paradip, Odisha. According to Marinetraffic.com, MT New Diamond is a 20-year old Crude oil tanker that is 333 meters long and 60 meters wide. Former Vice President Joe Biden is holding leads in six battleground states over President Trump in a new survey taken after party conventions that failed to move the political needle. New CNBC/Change Research polling released Wednesday shows the Democrat holding a 49 to 45 lead over the president in the six battlegrounds. The poll surveyed Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Former Vice President Joe Biden holds a 49 to 45 lead in a new survey of six battleground states Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin constitute the 'blue wall' that Trump managed to pry from Hillary Clinton in 2016. North Carolina, Arizona, and Florida are states that Biden hopes to snatch from Trump's winning electoral college map. Biden's Pennsylvania lead is four points, 50 to 46, in a state where his edge has been tightening since July. President Donald Trump has managed to narrow Biden leads in Florida and Pennsylvania, but still trails in the battlegrounds, as well as nationally In Florida, Biden holds a narrow three-point lead, 49 to 46, where an eight point lead in July is now less than a percentage point in the Real Clear Politics average. Only in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin did Biden hit 50 percent. Both candidates campaigned in Kenosha last week following violence and protests there, but other surveys have showed Trump's 'law and order' message is not prevailing in the state. The swing state poll comes as the Trump camp has also shifted its focus to Minnesota, a state he narrowly lost that Democrats have carried since 1972. Under electoral college scenarios Trump could score an electoral college win with Minnesota even while giving up Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. The push comes amid Trump's push for suburban voters amid social unrest. A new NBC / Maris poll had Biden leading 53 to 44 in Pennsylvania, the state where Biden was born and held events during an otherwise sparse summer travel schedule. Photograph: Sean Rayford/Getty Images A packed crowd of hundreds gathered in North Carolina for a Donald Trump campaign rally on Tuesday, with many people forgoing masks, in defiance of state guidelines capping gatherings at 50 people. Ahead of the presidents visit to Winston-Salem, the chair of the local county commission, a Republican, urged Trump to wear a face mask. The state has a mask requirement in place to slow the spread of coronavirus. Its been ordered by the governor, said Dave Plyler, the Republican chairman of the Forsyth county board of commissioners, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in North Carolina, do as the governor says. Trump is a citizen of the United States, but he is also a guest in our county, Plyler said. Without a mask, he could get sick, and he could blame the governor. However, Trump did not wear a mask, and used the event to mock his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, for following social distancing guidelines. You ever see the gyms with the circles? he said, an apparent reference to a Biden event held in a school gymnasium with attendees observing social distancing guidelines. Related: 'Get off Twitter': Joe Biden urges Trump to focus on safely reopening schools Nearly 178,000 people in North Carolina have tested positive Covid-19, with more than 1,000 cases reported on Tuesday though the number of cases and deaths are slowly trending downward. Recent polls have found Trump locked in a close race with Biden in North Carolina. As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, the president has often sought to focus on the economy and policing rather than the virus. While supporters waited for Trump to arrive, Knockin on Heavens Door played over the loudspeakers, making for an inadvertently dark soundtrack. Deriding the mass demonstrations across the country against racism and policing, Trump told the jam-packed, cheering crowd: We decided to call our rallies peaceful protests. Story continues The president has previously used the phrase to describe gatherings of his supporters, saying that if protesters against police brutality are allowed to gather then his supporters should be able to as well. Because they have rules in these Democrat-run states that if you campaign you cannot have more than five people, the president said. You cant go to church, you cant do anything outside. If you are willing to riot, running down the main street, if you want to riot and stand on top of each others face and do whatever the hell you want to do, you are allowed to do that because you are considered a peaceful protester. His claims, however, are an exaggeration. In North Carolina, governed by Democrat Roy Cooper, gatherings are currently capped at 50, and masks are mandated. Going outside is allowed in North Carolina (as it is in all states), and churches are allowed to conduct services, though officials recommend that worshippers follow social distancing and wear masks. There have been more than 6.3m cases of coronavirus in the US, with the country approaching 190,000 deaths. Trumps rally comes as health experts warn the hunt for a vaccine has become increasingly politicized, with the Trump administration rushing to release one ahead of the November election. Dr Anthony Fauci, the leading White House infectious disease expert, who has been increasingly at odds with Trump, stressed on Tuesday that a coronavirus vaccine would be unlikely to be ready by the end of the year. Fauci contradicted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has signaled that health officials might expect a vaccine to be ready before the election. Its unlikely well have a definitive answer on whether a vaccine is safe and effective by the election, Fauci said at the Research! America 2020 National Health Research Forum. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen (R) gestures to US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar during his visit to the Presidential Office in Taipei on August 10, 2020. SINGAPORE Taiwan has been building closer relationships with the U.S. recently, raising the ire of China. The development comes as Taipei distances itself from China ahead of the U.S. presidential election and as China steps up military activity around the island. On Aug. 31, State Department Assistant Secretary David Stilwell said Washington and Taipei will establish a new bilateral economic dialogue that will focus on technology but will also cover health care and energy. After the announcement, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said that bilateral relations "are getting stronger by the day." Just days earlier, Taiwan announced that it would ease restrictions on American beef and pork imports, paving the way for an eventual free trade deal with the U.S. Last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar visited Taiwan, becoming the highest-level U.S. official to visit in four decades. The developments between Taipei and Washington come as the rivalry between the U.S. and China grows more tense. "Washington is embroiled in an increasingly ferocious great-power competition with Beijing, raising concerns that the United States may actually be strengthening ties with Taiwan primarily to frustrate and thwart China," Derek Grossman, senior defense analyst at Rand Corp, wrote in an commentary last month that first appeared on the South China Morning Post. The moves drew protests from China, which considers Taiwan as part of its territory that must one day be reunified with the mainland and therefore should have no right to participate in international diplomacy. During Azar's visit, Chinese fighter jets crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait. "Beijing is increasingly concerned about US-Taiwan cooperation, including a call by some Taiwan watchers in the US that Washington should end its policy of strategic ambiguity and pledge concrete support for Taiwan against Chinese aggression," Eurasia analysts Kelsey Broderick and Michael Hirson said in a note on Monday. Washington has no formal diplomatic tie with Taipei but is Taiwan's most powerful international backer and largest arms supplier. By Azernews President Ilham Aliyev has attended the inauguration of the overhead pedestrian crossing on Mardakan-Zughulba highway, Azertag reported on September 9. During the construction of the overhead pedestrian crossing, the surrounding residential area, the presence of a school, the fact that more people use this section of the road, and other factors were taken into account. The overhead pedestrian crossing was built within the framework of the state program for socio-economic development of Baku and its settlements in accordance with the order of Azerbaijani President. Chairman of the State Highway Agency of Azerbaijan Saleh Mammadov informed the president about technical and economic indicators of the overhead pedestrian crossing. It was noted that the total length of overhead pedestrian crossing, including ramps, is 180 meters. The length of the middle part, made of metal mesh on three supports, is 52 meters, and width - 4.5 meters. The crosswalk consists of 39 steel rings crossing at an angle of 57 degrees. Moreover, for ease of movement, ramps have been installed in accordance with international standards. The slope of ramps is 8 degrees. It should be noted that the design of this overhead pedestrian crossing were made by an Italian designer, and the projects were developed by local specialists. The highlights of the second day of Julian Assanges extradition proceedings at the Central Criminal Court in London yielded an interesting bounty. The first was the broader public purpose behind the WikiLeaks disclosures, their utility in legal proceedings, and their importance in disclosing instances of US extrajudicial killings, torture and rendition. The second involved a discussion about the practice of journalism and the politicised nature of the prosecution against Assange. Human rights attorney Clive Stafford Smith and founder of Reprieve, an organisation specialising in investigating instances of US detention, rendition and disappearances, was called by Mark Summers QC for the defence. The disclosures by WikiLeaks, he claimed, had been important in the issue of challenging the legitimacy of US drone strikes in Pakistan. Successful litigation conducted in that country found such strikes criminal offences and that criminal proceedings should be initiated against senior US officials involved in such strikes. A high court in Pakistan had found that they constituted a blatant violation of basic human rights. Stafford Smith noted how the drone assassination program leaked over to narcotics they were targeting people for death for their involvement in drug trade because it was seen as funding terrorism. I could go on The statement submitted to the court by Stafford Smith also emphasised how the WikiLeaks material disclosed on the treatment of detainees in Guantanamo were the top of a very important discourse that would seem to be important in the public interest, about the abysmal intelligence used to detain prisoners and make important public policy decisions. Stafford Smiths statement also volunteers a twist: that the material published by WikiLeaks on the subject seemed to be the best face that the US government could put on the crimes it had committed against the Guantanamo prisoners. In his testimony, Stafford Smith affirmed the mixed returns of those disclosures. The leaks initially seemed to portray the very worst that the US authorities confect about the prisoners I have represented. He was frustrated on first reading the WikiLeaks documents, thinking they would leak what I get to see. The mosaic, however, was pieced together to disprove the case against his client. When it came to discussing the issue of enhanced interrogation techniques used by US personnel, Stafford Smith suggested the similarities shown in method to those used in the Spanish Inquisition. As you go through the documentation WikiLeaks leaked, there are all sorts of things identified, including where people are taken and renditioned and that was the case in Binyams case. In being part of an effort to hold US officials to account for war crimes, Stafford Smith had a teasing pointer on the implications for WikiLeaks. Anyone can be sanctioned who is seeking to assist in an investigation which could lead to ICC [International Criminal Court] investigation, which is what WikiLeaks does. It was a pointed reminder that Assanges defence team could well fall within the remit of US sanctions currently directed at the ICC by the Trump administration. In his overall assessment, Stafford Smith suggested that, The power and value of WikiLeaks disclosures about Iraq and Afghanistan can scarcely be understated, and are of key importance to evidence war crimes and human rights violations by the US and its allies. All of this left James Lewis QC of the prosecution more than a touch cranky. Stafford Smith had referred to cables that did not form the subject of charges against Assange. They were, claimed Lewis, irrelevant; the US case was only concerned with those documents that had revealed the names of informants. The defence claim is precisely the opposite: that such documents as referred to by Stafford Smith would also be covered by the charges of Assange communicating and obtaining classified material. The whole show could be the subject of a prosecution on US soil. Cheekily, Stafford Smith suggested that Lewis was wrong about the way in which cases are prosecuted in the US. Merely because such cables were not outlined in the indictment did not suggest prosecutors would not use them in trial. You cannot tell the court how this case will be prosecuted. Youre making things up. Such legal bickering proved too much for Assange. This is nonsense, he claimed from the dock. Apparently my role is to sit here and legitimate what is illegitimate by proxy. Cue Judge Vanessa Baraitser, who took witheringly to the intervention. I understand of course you will hear things, most likely many things you would not like, and you would like to intervene but it is not your role. While Assange remaining in court was something the court would wish for, it could proceed without you. A feature that has stood out in the entire endeavour against Assange is the stench of politics. Lewis disagrees; the investigation into Assange and WikiLeaks has been an organic, methodical one, building since 2010 and flowering in 2020. The testimony of journalism academic Mark Feldstein suggested otherwise. He referred to a Washington Post piece from November 2013 highlighting the decision by the Obama administration to not proceed. Officials from the Justice Department did stress at the time that no formal decision had been made, as the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks remained impanelled. But there was little possibility of bringing a case against Assange, unless he is implicated in criminal activity other than releasing online top-secret military and diplomatic documents. The implications of prosecuting Assange were evidently clear: to do so would lead to the obvious conclusion that US news organisations and journalists would also face the prosecutors brief. This cautionary attitude was not to be found at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 2017, they were seeking a head on a pike. By then, President Donald Trump had moved into an offensive mode against journalists; the then director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Pompeo was resolute in categorising WikiLeaks as a hostile non-state intelligence agency, while Jeff Sessions as Attorney-General was all zeal in asking prosecutors to take a closer look at the Assange case. But the worm had not entirely turned. Federal attorneys such as James Trump, a figure in the prosecution of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, who had leaked classified material to journalist James Risen, and Daniel Grooms, demurred. Both were concerned that undertaking such a prosecution would fall foul of the First Amendment, and be plagued by legal and factual challenges. Feldstein pushed home the points in his testimony in deeming the efforts against Assange political in nature. The scope of the charges had no precedent; the Obama administration had shown reservations in embarking on what would be a fraught process; the wording of the superseding indictment suggested political leanings; and Trump had shown a deep antipathy for the press. Previous efforts to prosecute journalists, he concluded, were obviously highly political. Undeterred, the prosecution resorted to a conventional tactic: accusing the witness of speculating. The reality Feldstein needed to consider was whether names had been revealed in the publication of such documents. Doing so would result in harm. If this had been the case, suggested Feldstein, the prosecution might have simply used the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, a narrower statute for the purpose. Instead, terms such as conspiracy and recruiting the sort normally coupled with terrorist, had been deployed. Besides, the issue of harm tended to be a bread and butter response by governments that was impossible to prove and used to conceal improprieties. As a case in point, that most pertinent of precedents, the Pentagon Papers, was cited. As Feldstein noted, the arguments made by prosecutors at the time about the consequences of their disclosure possible prolongation of the Vietnam War, identification of CIA officials, exposure of war plans were also caught up in the concept of immediate and irreparable harm. It subsequently transpired that one prosecutor thought no harm would arise at all. What mattered was the effort by the Nixon administration to question the loyalty of media outlets. Standard journalistic method, Feldstein reiterated, directs the source, asking what is needed and seeking more information as relevant. The journalist effectively works with the source. Criminalising that as a case of conspiring would make the most of what investigative journalists do criminal. On the point of the journalists craft, the prosecution continued to push the precarious argument that the publishing activities of the New York Times were different from that of WikiLeaks. Journalists did not steal or unlawfully obtain information. Here, Feldstein conceded, things could be murky. We journalists are not passive stenographers. To suggest receiving anonymously in the mail is the only way is wrong. As to whether he had engaged in publishing such information, Feldstein was unequivocal: not so much classified documents but certainly soliciting and publishing secret information. A balanced overview of the days proceedings would have found Lewis struggling with the prosecution narrative focusing on alleged harm caused by Assange, the defence resolute in returning to the big picture element of the disclosures. This was too much to expect from the pedestrian reporting of a Fourth Estate more obsessed with Assange the man. From The Guardian to the Daily Beast, only one thing mattered: the warning by Judge Baraitser that Assange should keep silent and avoid any outbursts. As Kevin Gosztola observed, US prosecutors win the news cycle on Day 2. Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected] As the Senate returned from its nearly month-long recess on Tuesday, there was little prospect that Congress would provide any significant relief for the tens of millions of workers who lost their $600 weekly federal jobless benefit when it was allowed to expire on July 31. The ending of that lifeline plunged millions of working class families into desperate financial straights. The economy is still short 11 million jobs from the level of employment in February, and more than 30 million unemployed workers continue to receive government aid. As of this week, only 19 states will be providing the temporary $300-per-week benefit authorized by President Trump in an executive order last month. The program is financed by Federal Emergency Relief Agency funds that are expected to run out in about five weeks. The Aspen Institute reported last month that 30-40 million people in the US were at risk of being evicted in the coming months. The Hamilton Project reported even before the cutoff of jobless aid that more than 20 percent of all US households and over 40 percent of mothers with children under the age of 13 were experiencing food insecurity. State and local governments face a collective $500 billion budget deficit, and are preparing massive layoffs and cuts to education, health care, food assistance, public transit, firefighting and pensions. While Republicans and Democrats rushed to pass the multi-trillion-dollar bailout of Wall Street by a near-unanimous vote in last Marchs CARES Act, neither party is in any great hurry to enact legislation to address the worst social crisis since the Great Depression. They have a common interest in using the threat of destitution and homelessness to pressure workers into returning to COVID-19-infected factories and teachers to unsafe schools in order to reopen the economy, i.e., resume the pumping out of profits to back up the massive debt incurred in the bailout of the corporate-financial oligarchy. This homicidal policy is being spearheaded by the Trump administration, but it has the full support of the Democrats, who are implementing it at the state and local level. Amid mutual mudslinging, both parties are posturing as advocates for laid off workers and blaming the other for obstructionism. This is political theater to disarm and deceive workers who are seething with anger over the mounting wealth at the top and indifference to death and poverty for the masses. Not a single prominent Democrat, including presidential candidate Joe Biden, has called for an increase in taxes on the rich or a rescinding of the corporate bailout to fund desperately needed emergency social measures. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a new pandemic relief bill and said there would be a vote on the Senate floor as early as this week. The $500 billion measure is only half as large as the abortive $1 trillion HEALS Act he proposed in July. There are questions as to whether it can garner a 51-vote majority from Senate Republicans, let alone obtain the 60 votes needed to override a filibuster. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer issued a joint statement saying the Republican plan doesnt come close to addressing the problems and is headed nowhere. They are continuing to promote a $2.2 trillion Democratic proposal, a markdown from the $3.2 trillion HEROES Act passed by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives in May. The House is slated to return from its summer break next Monday. The Republican Senate bill includes a federal unemployment supplement of $300 per week, half the benefit that expired six weeks ago, to last through the end of the year. It also includes more than $250 billion in additional small business loans, $105 billion to reopen the schools, $16 billion for coronavirus testing and tracing, $31 billion for vaccine development and distribution, $20 billion for farm assistance, $10 billion for child care support and $10 billion for the US Postal Service. It would provide legal immunity for businesses from potential suits from workers impacted by unsafe conditions during the pandemic and a two-year school choice tax credit to promote private schools at the expense of the public education system. The Republican proposal, backed by the Trump White House, does not include a second cash stipend to families or any funding to aid near-bankrupt state and city governments. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reported that in discussions with House Speaker Pelosi, the two had agreed to pass a clean bill to continue funding the federal government when the current fiscal year ends on September 30. This signifies that the Democrats will not attempt to use the expiration of funding to put pressure on the Republicans to agree to provide significant aid to state and local governments, a full restoration of the $600 jobless benefit, money for food assistance and other provisions they claim to be fighting for. Whatever their secondary, tactical differences with the social policy of Trump and the Republicans, the Democrats are committed to a policy of austerity and intensified attacks on working class living standards. In New York State, Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo is threatening to cut $8.2 billion in grants to local governments, noting that such a measure has no precedent in modern times. He said further that the cuts would hit nearly every activity funded by state government, including special education, child health care, substance-abuse programs and mass transit. States are cutting back on their pension contributions and their outlays for Medicaid. Colorado, headed by Democratic Governor Jared Polis, is increasing co-payments that Medicaid recipients must pay for doctor visits, pharmaceuticals and medical transport. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, says he will send school districts in the state $12.5 billion in IOUs in lieu of cash needed to keep their schools running. The real position of the Democratic Party was spelled out Tuesday in an editorial in the New York Times on New York Citys $5 billion budget shortfall. The editorial is an unvarnished demand, in behalf of Wall Street, that Democratic Mayor de Blasio adopt a program of tough budget and job cuts before seeking a loan to cover the deficit. Before Mr. de Blasio adds billions to the citys debt sheetor lays off thousands of workershe needs to find savings, the newspaper declares. He will have to make unpopular decisions and demand serious cost-saving measures from nearly every city agency and, crucially, the municipal unions, which will have to share in the sacrifice. This includes a far stricter hiring freeze to eliminate thousands of city jobs through attrition. The alternative, the Times suggests, is to turn the citys finances over to the state Financial Control Board, the unelected Wall Street-controlled agency that was set up to impose mass layoffs and sweeping cuts in social services when the city faced bankruptcy in the mid-1970s. Months before the 2020 presidential election, social media is filled with political memes criticizing candidates and campaigns. One of them was a widely shared photograph of U.S Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican from Colorado, at a GOP event wearing a shirt that read "Kill 'em all. Let God sort 'em out." Controversial shirt The meme was shared to Facebook in a post by Texas Rural Voice, a group that described itself as rural Texans and has supported Democratic platforms. Numerous social media users wanted to know if the shirt that Rep. Buck was wearing is true, and it turned out that it was. The images were shared by the Colorado GOP's official Twitter account on August 29, 2020. Joe Jackson, communications director for the Colorado Republican Party, said that Rep. Buck's shirt is not a story nor is it newsworthy. Also Read: Beauty Salon Under Fire for Poster Stating COVID-19 is Not Real, Tells Customers Masks Not Needed Jackson added that the saying on the shirt is well known as being associated with the Marines and Green Berets, and the t-shirt was a gift to the Congressman from his son. Rep. Buck's son is a veteran who went to West Point. Maj Salinas, the branch head of media operations for the U.S Marine Corps, said that the phrase was never adopted as an official motto or slogan for the U.S Marine Corps. The shirt's phrase The phrase "Kill 'em all. Let God sort 'em out," comes from the Latin saying "Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius," which translates to, "Kill them. For the Lord knows those that are His own." The Latin version of the phrase dates back to the Albigensian Crusade of the 13th century when Pope Innocent III launched a 20-year military campaign against the Cathari, a religious sect deemed heretics. The U.S Marine Corps is said to have unofficially adopted the saying during the Vietnam War. Despite the explanation, some social media users argued that Rep. Buck's shirt was in bad taste after months of protests nationwide between protesters of racial injustice and the police. Meanwhile, supporters of Rep. Buck stated that his wearing of the shirt should not be a controversy because he is showing solitary with U.S military forces, as reported by Colorado Peak Politics. Although it is clear that Rep. Buck wore the shirt, it is still not known in what event he wore it. But since the event calendar showed that the GOP event in Colorado happened in August and was held in Delta County, Montrose County, and Mesa County, it is assumed that he wore it during the event. On September 1, the images were shared again with residents in Colorado, and it was sent through an email campaign on behalf of Ike McCorkle, a Democrat from Colorado who is running for the state's 4th Congressional District, which is currently Buck's seat. A spokesperson with McCorkle's campaign confirmed that the picture was taken by a photographer attending a GOP event and that the picture was authentic. Samuel Banick, the communications director for McCorkle's campaign, said that the image captured for Ken Buck was from a "Guns and BBQ" rally held in Grand Junction. Republicans are now accusing McCorkle of dirty politics and are using the shirt to scare off voters, but McCorkle's supports and other social media users stated that the shirt is tone-deaf to the current social and political climate in the country. Related Article: Fact Check: Were 20,000 Fake IDs Seized as a Voter-Fraud Scheme? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This has been a 504 ERROR kind of year. As such, it shouldnt have surprised too many parents and students when their computer screens flashed the dreaded server distress call Tuesday morning while trying to log into the Houston ISD HUB on the first day of virtual school. A crashed server blocking the districts main portal for classwork for 209,000 students? How apropos. Stressed parents had a few options. A: dissolve into a puddle of rage tears in a corner of the nearest locked bathroom. B: Seize the teachable moment and model the virtues of grit and critical thinking by patiently attempting to troubleshoot while adoring kid watches in awe. C. Enlist the assistance of Auntie Netflix. D. All of the above. No judgment here on such personal choices. But the episode is a helpful reminder that for every 504 ERROR we cant control in our new pandemic reality, theres a response we can. Many parents of school-aged kids have been pushed to the brink by the stress, worry and isolation over the past five months as weve attempted to keep our families safe from the novel coronavirus, the bills paid and our sanity intact. So despite the inevitably bumpy start, for families across some 10 school districts in the Houston area, including Cy-Fair, Katy, Klein and Conroe, the start of classes this week seemed to be dry land after months adrift. A welcome rhythm in the cacophony of the spring and summer. Some structure in this abstract expressionist doom-scroll pop-up ad. Insert your preferred metaphor here. All our experiences are different. Case in point: while some families had a menacing error message to contend with Tuesday morning, others had none of the technology they needed to participate in online learning. Some expressed outrage that those students were asked to log on at virtual learning centers across the district until they could be issued the promised computer devices. Certainly a hassle for students and their parents, but again, grasping for a silver lining here, the district estimated that only 12,000 students out of 209,000 lacked devices, which were expected to arrive soon. And how about a word of appreciation for the churches and other organizations that stepped in with temporary launch pads for school kids in need? No doubt that for all of Texas more than 5 million public school children, 2020-2021 is a school year like no other. The first day didnt have the same squeaky linoleum newness. While some kids no doubt successfully lobbied their way into a new pair of Back-To-School sneakers, a gleaming new backpack to ferry books all of 37 inches from the bed to the desk was a harder sell. First day pics featured pajama pants rather than uniform Polos. Even for those students who showed up in person, an apple for the teacher was more likely to mean a slender school-issued computer device than a shiny piece of fruit susceptible to virus transmittal. But still, the new school year offered what the return of classes always offers. Bored kids had hope of some kind of mental stimulation. They had new friends to make, maybe not on the playground but certainly in the chat column of their classrooms video conferencing platform. They had reason for first-day jitters, for nervous anticipation of meeting the teacher. For the first time in months, they had reason to shower and to reacquaint themselves with their toothbrushes. Virtual First Day was a far cry from in-the-flesh First Days of yore. It wasnt fresh-paint-and-disinfectant-smelling real. But its something. Its a new year. A new chance. A whisper, however faint, of normalcy. When that pseudo-normalcy was snatched from the clutches of chaos by the 504 ERROR Tuesday morning, parents flocked to social media to express disappointment and frustration. All was not lost along with the server connection, though. Perhaps pandemic karma had some compassion for a school district whose smart, cautious approach to reopening virtually first, in-person later set an example for other districts. Turned out that while the web host provider was experiencing grave issues at a number of districts, Houston ISD had a Plan B. Acting Superintendent Grenita Lathan announced that the districts HUB was actually still up and running. Though it took a little longer than some parents would have liked, HISDs robocalling system began notifying parents of an alternative URL allowing direct access to the HUB. I cant be angry over something that I cant control, Lathan said, responding to a reporters question at a press conference. But she added: We were prepared. Like I said, we found a fix. An apt lesson in the age of coronavirus. When life gives you an error message, find an alternative URL. Government troops lost control of Mocimboa da Praia around August 11, after intense fighting in and around the town and port. The government has since been reportedly gathering troops in the nearest towns of Mueda and Palma, viewed as preparation for an offensive to retake Mocimboa da Praia. On Monday, President Filipe Nyusi said that government forces had been in action in the strategic village of Awasse, close to Mocimboa da Praia, which has been reported to be under insurgent control. Nyusi did not say whether the government had taken control of Awasse. E-cigarettes do pose a risk to health, a major review of their safety has found. Vaping can worsen heart disease and lung disorders while the risks posed by inhaling flavouring ingredients are still unknown, according to the government backed research. The independent Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) said e-cigarettes should only be used as a stop-smoking aid. The report warned users who do not already use tobacco products risk negative effects on their health by vaping. Health threats to bystanders were considered low but people can suffer an increased heart rate from high nicotine exposure, if stood close to someone vaping, it said. A report ordered by the Department of Health in the UK found that vaping, which is touted as a healthier alternative to smoking, would be a harmful choice unless replacing cigarettes (stock image) Professor Alan Boobis, Chair of the COT, said it was wrong to consider the devices as harmless. He said: Our assessment on e-cigarettes largely reinforces the scientific consensus to date on their relative safety, that while not without risk they are significantly less harmful than smoking. On the types of effects, our assessment shows that e-cigarette users might experience similar types of effects on their health as can occur from smoking conventional cigarettes, such as an increase in signs of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, particularly in those suffering from these conditions, or local irritation such as a burning sensation in the throat, nose, or eyes. But our study does provide reassurance that the health risks to bystanders from the vapour is generally low. The report was ordered by the Department of Health to assess the potential risk of e-cigarettes to human health. Many health experts view them as a crucial tool in the fight against tobacco, leading Public Health England to repeatedly endorse the devices. But others are concerned about unresolved safety concerns and their use by young people in particular. Around 3.6million adults in Britain have used e-cigarettes in the decade or so they have been available on the market. More than one in ten ex-smokers in Britain vape and the number of young people who vape is rising, according to latest estimates. Switching from conventional cigarettes to e-cigarettes is likely to reduce health risks but highlights that some risks will be reduced more than others, the research found. For example, the risk of developing lung cancer is likely to be reduced more than the risk of triggering asthma symptoms, it said. But it warned the long-term health implications are still unclear because of their recent use, with a lack of information on possible adverse health effects following long-term use. It is currently not known what effects might occur, and whether these will be the same as the effects caused by cigarette smoking, it said. Dr Nicholas Hopkinson, reader of respiratory medicine at Imperial College London, said further work was needed to identify any toxic components in e-cigarette vapour to minimise the remaining risk as far as possible. He added: No serious authority suggests that vaping is completely harmless, so people should try to quit vaping too if they can in the long-term, though not at the expense of going back to smoking. Public health officials said they would continue to recommend the devices as a stop-smoking aid but that the devices would remain under review. Martin Dockrell, of Public Health England said: E-cigarettes arent risk free but they are far less harmful than smoking. COTs review of the health risks of e-cigarettes adds to the scientific evidence that supports this view. TOPEKA - Members of a legislative panel said a refreshed approach to the intersection of criminal justice reform and race is needed after decades of inaction. Melody Brannon, a federal public defender in Kansas, said having the same conversations on police reform with the same ideas won't move the needle to where marginalized communities need it to be. CLEVELAND, Ohio Need a flu shot? There are plenty of options available in Greater Cleveland. Public health experts say getting a flu shot could be more important than ever during the coronavirus pandemic. The vaccines could prevent a person from contracting influenza, or at least keep its symptoms mild. That could reduce the number of flu patients in hospitals and free up space for coronavirus patients. Although the flu is not as deadly as the coronavirus, it still poses a significant risk. An estimated 56 million people contracted influenza during the 2019-20 flu season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 740,000 people needed to be hospitalized and 62,000 died. While COVID-19 has been on the top of peoples minds for the past several months, influenza is not a disease that should be taken lightly, as every year thousands of people are hospitalized or die from the illness, Dr. Steven Gordon, the chair of the Cleveland Clinics department of infectious disease, said in a news release. We dont have a vaccine for COVID-19 at this time, but we can get vaccinated and protect ourselves against the flu. Cleveland-area pharmacies said previously that they are ordering more flu vaccines this year because they anticipate more demand for them this fall. Gov. Mike DeWine stressed the importance of getting a flu shot during Tuesdays coronavirus briefing at the Ohio Statehouse. I would urge people, if you have the ability to get out, or have somebody who can take you out, go ahead and not delay, DeWine said. Go ahead and actually get those [flu] shots. Flu shots are recommended for anyone over the age of 6 months, but experts say they can be especially important for those at high risk for developing flu complications. That includes anyone over age 65, children under age 5, pregnant women and anyone with a chronic medical condition. Northeast Ohio hospitals and pharmacies offer various options for getting a flu shot, and some dont require appointments. Most insurance plans do not require an out-of-pocket cost, but the price charged to the provider varies by hospital or pharmacy. HOSPITALS Cleveland Clinic The Clinic is offering flu shots by appointment only at its locations throughout Northeast Ohio. Patients can schedule them by phone or through a MyChart account. Specific appointment times are available to anyone age 65 or older. Clinic patients can also get flu shots at most in-person visits with a doctor, nurse practitioner or physicians assistant, or by calling a primary care physicians office to schedule an appointment. While most insurance plans will not require an out-of-pocket copayment, the health system said patients should check with their provider to determine the cost of the flu shot. MetroHealth MetroHealth will begin offering flu shots toward the end of September. Last year, the health system offered both walk-in and scheduled appointments at any MetroHealth pharmacy, but a spokeswoman could not immediately say if the health system will offer walk-in flu shots due to the pandemic. Most insurance plans will cover the cost of the vaccine, but it will be $25 for those without insurance that covers the copay. University Hospitals University Hospitals recommends that patients contact their primary care physician or call central scheduling at 1-866-UH4-CARE to schedule an appointment. Many of UHs primary care clinics do offer walk-in flu shots, but it varies by practice, a UH spokesman said. PHARMACIES CVS CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations, including those in Target stores, offer flu shots. Appointments are not required but can be scheduled online or through the CVS Pharmacy smartphone app. Most insurance plans and Medicare Part B do not require out-of-pockets copayments. The regular flu shot costs $40 and the high-dose flu shot costs $70. Discount Drug Mart Discount Drug Mart offers walk-in appointments at all of its pharmacies and does not require copays for various insurance plans, which are listed on its website. Giant Eagle Walk-in flu shots are available at all Giant Eagle pharmacy locations, but customers can also call a pharmacy to schedule an appointment. Many insurance plans do not require an out-of-pocket copay for the regular flu shot ($60) or the high-dose flu shot ($88). Rite Aid Rite Aid does not require appointments for flu shots and offers them during pharmacy hours. Most insurance plans do not require any out-of-pocket copay for the flu shots that start at $40, according to Rite Aid. Walgreens All Walgreens pharmacy locations offer walk-in flu shots, but customers can also schedule an appointment online. There is no out-of-pocket copay for many insurance plans. Walmart Customers can schedule an appointment online to get a flu shot at a Walmart pharmacy. There is not copay for many insurance plans. LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES Cuyahoga County Board of Health Beginning Oct. 7 through the end of November, the board of health will offer drive-up flu shots every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at its offices at 5550 Venture Dr. in Parma. In addition, appointments are available at the Parma office and South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights. Call 216-201-2041 to make an appointment. Randi Canion was last seen around 11 p.m. Saturday in the area of North Bayshore Drive and 78th Street (Miami Police) Amber Alert Issued for 10-Year-Old Girl Who Went Missing in Florida Florida officials are searching for a 10-year-old girl, Randi Canion, who disappeared over the weekend in Miami. Authorities issued an AMBER Alert for her on Tuesday after she was last seen at around 11 p.m. on Saturday, officials told local media outlets. Randi might be with an unknown male, and both could be traveling in a white van, officials told Local10. Randi had her hair styled in box braids when she was last seen, officials said. She is 5-foot-3 and about 140 pounds. We know that a 10-year-old, its a risk for anybody to be out there on the streets whether its alone or with someone, so thats why were asking that if anybody has seen her over the weekend, Sunday, Monday to please contact us immediately, said Miami Police spokesperson Michael Vega, according to WTVJ. Please share! FL AMBER Alert for Randi Canion, a black female, 10, last seen in Miami, may be in the company of an Unidentified White Male, may be traveling in a white Van. Contact the Miami Police Department w/any info at 305-603-6300 or 911. #FLAMBER. pic.twitter.com/NesT30QScS FDLE (@fdlepio) September 8, 2020 Westview Baptist Church Pastor A.D. Lenoir Sr. called on the public to be on the lookout for the girl. Im just suggesting that if somebody has her to just bring her back safely and even if shes watching and shes some place all alone, she needs to know that I love her, the church loves her and her family loves her and we want to see her again, he told WTVJ. Vega noted to WTVJ that the child has run away several times in the past. We need your assistance locating 10 year old Randi Canion. She was last seen at approximately 11pm on September 5, 2020, in the area of N. Bayshore Dr. and 78 St. She is 503 and about 140 lbs. If you know her whereabouts please call 305-603-6300 or 305-579-6111. pic.twitter.com/RSMrplWYVR Miami PD (@MiamiPD) September 7, 2020 She has run away previously on at least three occasions, two of them were not reported because she returned home right after, Vega said. A third one in June was reported and we did recover her safely. He added: We do need the publics help. If they think that theyve seen her or they see somebody that might be Randi Canion, please contact the City of Miami Police Department or dial 911 immediately. Those with information should contact the Miami Police Department at 305-603-6300 or 305-579-6111. M att Hancock's criticism of a school that sent an entire year group for coronavirus testing has been branded "disgusting". The Health Secretary told the public on Wednesday morning not to get coronavirus tests unless they have symptoms in order to stop people having to travel long distances to get tested. He said that it was "unacceptable" for whole schools, or large parts of schools, to get tested for coronavirus. But an assistant headteacher at a primary school in Leicestershire said Mr Hancocks criticism was disgusting. The Government had months to consider how the return of schools might affect testing capacity and yet nothing has been done about it, she said. Teachers and children, alongside NHS staff and carers, need to be given testing priority. 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 The teacher said her school had already had six members of staff forced to stay at home due to a lack of available testing, out of a total of around 45 a loss which makes a huge difference to their teaching provision. This had meant that learning support assistants, who were meant to give closer attention to children with special educational needs, were instead having to cover teaching shortages. Teachers are putting themselves at risk with no complaint to give the best life chances by teaching pupils in person in school, she added. Matt Hancock 'completely rejects' test and trace system is failing Teachers want children in school but the lack of adequate availability for teachers and children not only means that teachers cant teach their class but children are needlessly missing out on face-to-face lessons. Mr Hancock had told BBC Breakfast: We have seen this quite sharp rise in the last couple of weeks of people without symptoms who dont have a good reason coming forward to get a test. There have been stories of whole schools, or parts of schools, being all sent to get a test that is not acceptable, that is not an appropriate use of our testing resources. Ive even heard stories of people saying, Im going on holiday next week therefore Im going to get a test. No that is not what the testing system is there for. Weve got to be firmer, Im afraid, with the rules around eligibility for testing. Earlier, he defended the test and trace system as "excellent" despite growing criticism. He said problems have been caused by people without symptoms requesting tests. Questioned over whether the system was failing, he told Sky News: I completely reject the accusation, in fact quite the contrary. He said the UK has the biggest system per capita in Europe and the highest testing capacity weve ever had. However in the last couple of weeks weve seen an increase in demand, including an increase in demand from people who are not eligible for tests, people who dont have symptoms, he added. Weve seen an increase of about 25 per cent of people who are coming forward that dont have symptoms and arent eligible. The Evening Standard has contacted the Department for Health and Social Care for comment. Businesses in England which are forced to close as a result of a local lockdown will now be able to claim a 1,500 survival payment from the Treasury. Ministers announced this afternoon that firms which are required to shut as a result of crackdowns launched following spikes in coronavirus cases will be eligible to apply for the financial help. They will be able to claim a grant worth up to 1,500 per property for every three weeks they are not able to open their doors. The Treasury is hoping the new scheme will provide a 'safety net' to struggling firms and help them stay afloat. The announcement of new support for businesses in local lockdown areas comes after Bolton became the latest location to be subject to tougher restrictions. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay today announced businesses closed by local lockdowns will be eligible to claim 1,500 grants Announcing the new scheme, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay said: 'These grants provide businesses with a safety net as they temporarily close their doors to help save lives in their local areas. 'As local economies eventually and carefully re-open after local interventions, our Plan for Jobs is there waiting to help businesses get back on their feet, protect jobs and thrive in the future.' Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: 'No business should be punished for doing the right thing, which is why today's package will offer additional breathing space for businesses that have had to temporarily close to control the virus. 'Through our wider Plan for Jobs, we will continue to back our innovators and job creators across the country who are playing a critical role as we build back better from the pandemic.' In order to be eligible for the money businesses must have been told to close due to local Covid-19 restrictions. The largest businesses will be able to get 1,500 every three weeks they are required to shut while smaller businesses will receive 1,000. The payments will be triggered by a national decision to close businesses in an area experiencing a spike in cases. Businesses which are still closed as a result of national rules - for example night clubs - will not be eligible for the money. The announcement of the new financial support came after Bolton became the latest location in the UK to be hit with tougher coronavirus restrictions The British Chambers of Commerce welcomed the payments but warned they would not be enough for many firms. The BCC's director general Adam Marshall said: 'Businesses forced to close through no fault of their own will welcome any new grant support, but for most this will not be enough to offset the resulting cash crunch. 'With new local restrictions becoming more frequent, a comprehensive package of support will be needed for affected firms.' The Government yesterday ordered that restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs in Bolton will be immediately restricted to takeaway only while all hospitality venues are required to close between 10pm and 5am. Chandigarh, Sep 9 : Students in Haryana between the age group of 18 to 29 years are worried about their exams, career and job opportunities amid the lockdown and restrictions owing to the coronavirus pandemic. They were equally concerned about families running out of ration owing to lack of jobs. They were also finding difficulty in adapting to online classes. These facts came to light in an assessment by a Bengaluru-based startup 'YourDOST' in collaboration with the state's Department of Higher Education. The findings were made public on Wednesday. The online counselling and emotional wellness services' platform has been providing free support to more than 1,00,000 college students in Haryana. Richa Singh, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer with 'YourDOST', said, "We launched this initiative in April in partnership with the state's Department of Higher Education. Till now we have conducted more than 1,000 sessions with students to motivate them by offering expert guidance." "While conducting these sessions, we have identified three major issues that have been particularly upsetting students during the lockdown. They are worried about their families running out of ration, worry about their exams, job opportunities, and career choices, and finally difficulty in adapting to online classes, a new trend that has emerged during the lockdown," she added. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, students have emerged as one of the most vulnerable sections of society who have been under tremendous pressure. Adding to this emotional turbulence was the isolation of physical distancing to stay safe. Through the 'YourDOST' helpline number 1800 313 2023, students can speak to experts about their personal challenges. The experts help them navigate through their feelings and emotions and in the process deal better with the situation. Sharing his experience, beneficiary Prabhan Hisar said,"It is very useful in these times and it is useful for all those who need support. I would like to thank 'YourDOST' wholeheartedly." "I was particularly worried about my studies and my career. The expert I spoke with guided me so well. I am feeling much better now," added Ankit Makkar of Rohtak. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) NEW HAVEN Like all festivals just about everywhere, the Connecticut Folk Festival wont gather in person this year. But CT Folk has put together a livestreamed Virtual CT Folk Fest & Green Expo that will take place over the next four days and will at least give you plenty of the music you might hope to see. Like the physical festival, its a free event beginning this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and running through Saturday night with a suggested donation of $10 per day. Unlike the physical festival, it will be beamed directly into your living room. Or bedroom. You can watch it while you cook or out on the porch. Folk music fans are asked to visit CT Folks website, http://CTFolk.org, to register for CT Folk Fest and upcoming virtual concerts. More information, including the complete schedule, also is available on its Facebook page (@CTFolk) and Instagram site (@CT_Folk). You can register in advance directly at http://CTFolkFest.eventbrite.com or make donations directly to the festival via Venmo: @CTFolk or PayPal: PayPal.me/CTFolk. We thank our growing community for its continued support of CT Folk, and for tuning in to our virtual programming, including the CT Folk at Home concert series, CT Folk said in a release announcing the virtual festival. Our goal is to continue bringing music to our Connecticut audience through an online platform; but this virtual shift also allows us to reach out beyond our current fanbase and listenership geographically and demographically, said Festival Director Nicole Heriot-Mikula. We ask our listeners to share news of this years virtual festival which also includes a half-day Virtual Green Expo with their friends and family, whether near or far, Heriot-Mikula said in the release. The virtual festivals lineup includes Keller Williams, Ruthie Foster, special musical guest Dom Flemons, Buffalo Rose, Among the Acres, Phat A$tronaut, Bumper Jacksons, John John Brown, Monica Rizzio, Diana Alvarez, Golden Oak and the annual Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition, among other things. Wednesday nights Day 1 lineup includes Crys Matthews, Bumper Jacksons and special guest Reggie Harris. Thursday nights Day 2 lineup, also beginning at 7:30 p.m., includes the 2020 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition Winners: Randy Emmons, The Promise is Hope, Peter Lehndorff, Kim Moberg and Louise Mosrie. Friday nights Day 3 lineup, also beginning at 7:30 p.m., will feature John John Brown, Diana Alvarez, GoldenOak, Monica Rizzio and special guest Lilo & Anina Gonzalez. Saturday will begin with a virual CT Folk Fest Green Expo at 11 a.m. For today, we brought some of our favorite community partners directly to you: Cyril the Sorceror, Massaro Community Farm, Full of Joy Yoga, BringtheHoopla, Infinite Roots Drumming, New Britain Roots & with special guest Thabisa! the release said. Saturdays Day 4 music lineup, beginning at 3 p.m., will feature Phat A$tronaut, Among the Acres, Buffalo Rose, Ruthie Foster, headliner Keller Williams and special guest Dom Flemons. CT Folk board President Lisa Kaston said that this year has presented arts organizations such as CT Folk with the opportunity to re-examine their core values, and the ways in which they can reach out to larger and more diverse audiences. CT Folk relies on the folk tradition of building community, and looks to continually expand that community, Kaston said. And these times call for creative and collaborative ways to support the artists who provide us with great music but who have also been hard hit by this shifting landscape. While we will miss the camaraderie and spontaneity of a live festival, we have already seen that virtual musical events have a great ability to spread joy, while helping to showcase and support an increasingly more eclectic group of performing artists, she said. CT Folk is dedicated to the furtherance of social justice and environmental initiatives that impact our local, as well as global community, and to the advancement of music in all of its varied forms, it said in the release. We note that CT Folk embraces an evolving and more expansive definition of the term folk, to better reflect, nurture and celebrate a culturally rich listening and artist community, it said. Evangelical pastor, 2 others killed in Nigeria in Fulani attack; 7 abducted Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Rev. Alubara Audu from the Evangelical Church Winning All denomination in Nigeria was murdered along with two others during a raid conducted by suspected Fulani radicals on Sunday morning as deadly violence against Christians in the Kaduna state continues. Three were killed and seven were abducted during attacks by armed assailants said to be of Fulani ethnicity on two Adara communities in the southern Kaduna state. The London-based human rights organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide notes that the attack began around 2 a.m. local time when a militia swarmed into the Buda community in Buda ward of the Kajuru local government area, a region that has been hit hard in recent years by deadly communal violence perpetrated by suspected radicals from the Fulani herding community. The United Nations-accredited nongovernmental organization that works in over 20 countries reports that those killed have been identified as Audu, the 45-year-old father of five; 40-year-old Adamu Tata, a father of four; and 37-year-old Ishaku Peter, a father of five. Those who were reportedly abducted from the community during the attack are 25-year-old Sani Peter and 20-year-old Esther Sani Peter. The assailants also attacked the neighboring Kemara Rimi community in the Buda ward, where they abducted 16-year-old Grace Mathew, 35-year-old Ojo Aminu, 37-year-old Danfulani Makaranta, 36-year-old Namiji Gwamna and 36-year-old Ali Musa. CSWs heart goes out to those affected by the continuing violence in southern Kaduna, CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said in a statement. We express our deepest condolences to all those who have lost loved ones in the recent attacks, and continue to call for effective action on the part of the Kaduna State and Nigerian Federal governments to secure the immediate, unconditional, and safe release of all those abducted, and to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. In a statement shared by Nigerian media, Adara Development Association President Awemi Dio Maismari called Sundays attack premeditated and unprovoked. Maismari decried the violence that the Adara community has suffered in recent years. In 2019, a representative of the Adara community traveled to Washington, D.C., to testify about the plight the community faces as hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced from their ancestral lands. The Kaduna state is not alone as thousands of others across Nigerias farm-rich Middle Belt states have been displaced or killed in recent years during attacks carried out by suspected herdsman radicals. These callous and barbaric attacks sometimes abate but never really stop in Adara community, Maismari said, recalling another fatal attack that occurred on Aug. 16 in the Kallah village on the banks of the Kaduna River. This resulted in the death of Mr. Danladi Abashi, a 50-year-old farmer who ventured near the villages that were invaded and are still occupied by Fulani herdsmen in the Kallah/Gefe/Libere area of Kajuru LGA. His body was only recovered with the help of the police because the herdsmen disallowed Adara people from even approaching the occupied enclave. Maismari stressed that the trend of people being abducted for ransom has also been troubling as of late. He said four people were kidnapped on Sept. 2 and before that, on Aug. 27, five people were kidnapped in the Kasuwan Magani ward of Kajuru. With the continuation of such hostilities by Fulani herdsmen even when various peace moves are being initiated, it is becoming clearer that the purported dialogue is serving as a diversion to enable the attackers to continue their diabolical activities, the Adara Development Association president said. We are left wondering whether it is worthwhile engaging in such dialogue and peace talks if this continues. CSWs Thomas said the situation in southern Kaduna should be of the utmost concern to the international community. We continue to call on the U.N. Human Rights Council to convene a special session with a specific focus on the ongoing violence, and urge U.N. member states to raise these concerns with Nigeria at every opportunity, including during the upcoming Human Rights Council session, Thomas stressed. Nigeria ranks as the 12th worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List. Human rights groups and bodies like Jubilee Campaign and Christian Solidarity International have issued warnings stating that the violence suffered by Christians in Nigeria at the hands of radical herdsmen and Islamic extremists is reaching the level of genocide. Additionally, the U.K. All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief reported in June that the violence against Christians in Nigeria can pave the way for genocide. In an April 2019 decision, the 5th District Court of Appeals judges chided the EPA for allowing energy companies to continue storing waste in leaky pits. The judges noted the agencys wastewater standards for power plants hadnt been updated since 1982, the second year of President Reagans first term, the same year that saw the release of the first CD player, the Sony Watchman pocket television, and the Commodore 64 home computer. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) Over 700 private schools offering basic education are not operating this school year, according to the Department of Education. DepEd data as of 1 p.m. of Wednesday showed that 748 out of 14,435 private educational institutions, which opened last academic year suspended operations for academic year 2020 to 2021, a move affecting 3,233 teachers and 40,345 learners. Most of those which stopped operations are in Central Luzon with 141 schools. It was followed by Calabarzon with 121, Metro Manila with 96, Western Visayas with 90, and Bicol Region with 46. Jesus Mateo, undersecretary for Planning, Human Resource and Organizational Development, and Field Operations said Wednesday that the closures may be temporary. Kung maganda-ganda na next year, magbubukas na po sila, Mateo said. [Translation: If the situation improves next year, they will reopen.] Education Secretary Leonor Briones said two of the reasons why schools have decided not to open are low enrollment turnout and transfer of teachers to public schools. Earlier, private schools sought tax relief measures and other forms of aid from the government as they struggle to keep afloat due to the COVID-19 crisis. Once the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act becomes law, teaching and non-teaching of private and public schools who have lost their jobs during the quarantine are entitled to a one-time cash assistance. The measure also states that subsidies and allowances will be provided to qualified students in public and private schools whose families are facing financial difficulties brought about by work stoppage and closure of establishments due to community quarantine. Briones expressed hopes the educational institutions would reconsider their decision since the economy is improving. In mid-March, the government imposed a Luzon-wide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, prompting schools to shut their doors. The health crisis has also forced the country to delay the start of school year to October 5, and shift to remote learning until a coronavirus vaccine becomes available for mass rollout. Officials have begun gradually easing restrictions in June to help the ailing economy recover, allowing more businesses to reopen. Organizer of extremist movement AUE to be imprisoned for 7 years RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 15:29 09/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 9 (RAPSI) The Yekaterinburg Garrison Military Court on Wednesday sentenced Nikolay Babarika to 7 years in jail for organizing an extremist public movement Arestantskoye Ugulovnoye Yedinstvo / Criminal Unity of Inmates (AUE) propagating criminal way of life, the press service of the Russian Prosecutor Generals Office reports. His wife Natalya received a suspended sentence. The movements administrator Artem Zuyev was given 3 years and 9 months in penal colony. Through November 2011 to May 2018, Babarika published in the movements online group about 30,000 materials including those containing calls to extremism, according to prosecutors. The convicts also sold the AUE souveneirs and attributes and published posts calling to thievish living. On August 17, the Supreme Court declared the movement an extremist organization and banned its activities in Russia. The Court granted an administrative claim of the Prosecutor General. The Prosecutor Generals Office stressed that the activities of the movement based on a criminal and extremist ideology presented a real threat to lives and health of citizens, the society, and the state; members of the movement were involved in extremist crimes and mass riots. Car insurance is an absolute necessity for any driver in the US. In some cases, drivers can make some mistakes that will invalidate their insurance policies, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Cheapquotesautoinsurance.com has launched a new blog post that presents the most common situations that can lead to a car insurance cancelation. For more info and free auto insurance quotes, please visit https://cheapquotesautoinsurance.com/the-most-common-mistakes-that-will-invalidate-your-car-insurance/ Car insurance can help drivers overcome delicate situations that can occur after a car accident. Also, car insurance is required by law in most states of the US, with the exception of New Hampshire. However, in some cases, the insurers might decide to cancel the policies of certain drivers. The most common reasons that can lead to policy cancelation, are the following: Insurance fraud. Car insurance providers lose billions of dollars each year. Insurers will compensate for the loss by charging higher premiums to everyone. Drivers who are caught committing insurance fraud will have their policies immediately canceled. On top of that, they will have to face legal penalties, that can range from a large fine and up to ten years in jail. Driving under influence. Drivers who are caught driving while intoxicated will get their policies canceled. The penalties for this crime can range from a hefty fine to one year in jail. Also, drivers will need to carry an SR-22 form for at least three years. Not reporting car modifications. Some modifications will make the car more susceptible to theft, while others will improve the performance. Not reporting the modifications done to a vehicle can lead to policy cancelation. Using a personal car for business. Many ridesharing services are available all across the US. Drivers need commercial insurance or ridesharing insurance in order to use their cars for ridesharing. Drivers that are ridesharing without having one of these types of insurance policies can risk having their insurance policy voided. Failing to pay the premiums. Drivers that are not paying their premiums are not covered. In some cases, drivers that have a good reputation and they missed only one payment, will be forgiven by the insurers and they will be allowed to keep their insurances. Driving with pets. Bringing the pet while driving is a potential risk factor. Drivers should ensure that the pets are properly secured in their places. Drivers that get involved in car accidents without having their pets secured will get their policies voided. For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://cheapquotesautoinsurance.com/ Cheapquotesautoinsurance.com is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. 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. Michelle ONeill said local lockdowns in Northern Ireland are inevitable as coronavirus cases increase (PA) It is inevitable that local lockdowns will be imposed in Northern Ireland to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, Michelle ONeill has said. The Northern Ireland Executive is to meet on Thursday to discuss extensive coronavirus measures as case numbers rise in many areas. Chief scientific adviser Professor Ian Young said there had been a 20-fold increase in the number of cases in recent times compared to just a five-fold rise in the number of tests. The daily average is now over 90. First Minister Arlene Foster said the Executive may have to take similar interventions like those imposed in Glasgow, where households are banned from visiting others indoors. The Department of Health said 607 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last seven days in Northern Ireland. I think it's inevitable that we will be moving very quickly to local lockdowns that's going to be required in order to protect people Michelle O'Neill Another 49 were diagnosed in the most recent 24-hour period, according to the latest daily figures. There were no further deaths. The DUP leader said she does not want to reintroduce widespread lockdown measures. We want to take proportionate action and we will always have to under the law, Mrs Foster added. We will have a full discussion on Covid. You have seen limited lockdowns in other parts of the UK and the Republic, we havent had to do that thus far, we may have to do that tomorrow. Ms ONeill said the Executive will be guided by public health advice. The fact that we have data that brings you right down to the postcode level shows that we are able to adapt in a smaller geographical area where we need to, she added. I think its inevitable that we will be moving very quickly to local lockdowns thats going to be required in order to protect people. Health Minister Robin Swann said he would be asking fellow ministers to tighten coronavirus restrictions during an important Executive meeting on Thursday. The summer is over Robin Swann He said: The message is simple. The summer is over. In common with other jurisdictions, we have decisions to make on how we stem a disturbing increase in Covid cases. I believe concrete action is now necessary. He said students reportedly returning early for house parties was highly irresponsible and dangerous behaviour which could transmit the virus to the elderly when they go home at the weekend. Five people were arrested following incidents in Belfasts Holylands this week. Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said: We are now at a crossroads, individually and collectively. As a society, we have stark choices to make. Mrs Foster also said she hopes to give an indicative date for the reopening of so-called wet pubs on Thursday. She said a rise in Covid-19 cases is connected to household transmission. The Department of Health #COVID19 dashboard has been updated with latest data. 49 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. No deaths have been reported.https://t.co/YN16dmGzhv pic.twitter.com/hoOk1yDfGa Department of Health (@healthdpt) September 9, 2020 The DUP leader praised the hospitality sector for how it has implemented the latest health measures. Having been out and about, I have been very impressed in the way in which the hospitality sector have been able to mitigate against Covid-19, and restrict movement but yet offer a service, Mrs Foster said. I think it is unfair that one section of one part of our economy have not been able to open. I hope that we can give an indicative date tomorrow to those wet pubs. They deserve it and people have been abiding by the law for a very long time and I want to pay tribute to their resilience, but I think we do need to give them, in a graduated way, a date they can reopen. Relief has arrived for riders on the packed No. 126 bus line in Hoboken, NJ Transit officials announced Tuesday. One stop has been added, one stop has been moved one block and another informal stop has been officially added to the route, which runs from the Hoboken Terminal to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. The changes are being instituted to alleviate overcrowding by allowing for more articulated buses on the route that runs north on Clinton Street and Willow Avenue before heading into the Lincoln Tunnel. NJ Transit officials said the 126 is the one of the busiest of its lines in the state. Today, we celebrate a range of new improvements to ... an indispensable route for Hoboken residents traveling to New York City and one of the most heavily-used routes in our entire system, said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett. These improvements include the introduction of our new articulated buses on this route earlier this year, which adds much needed capacity and features many new customer amenities. "We were pleased to partner with Mayor Bhalla and the City of Hoboken to further improve the customer experience by making adjustments to bus stops along the route, which are expected to reduce wait times and promote distancing onboard to the greatest extent possible. The improvement plan includes moving the stop at Sixth and Clinton streets one block south to Fifth Street. The new location is longer, allowing more room for larger, articulated buses, and boasts a wider sidewalk, allowing for a large shelter and other amenities. The new stop also includes proper layover space for buses in an effort to help improve service and reduce wait times during peak periods farther uptown. NJ Transit is also adding a stop on Clinton Street between Seventh and Eighth streets and formalizing the courtesy stop at Willow Avenue and Second Street. The city has updates parking restrictions prohibiting parking during the 4-7 p.m. rush hour at bus stops. Hoboken is committed to working with our partners in government to improve our mass transit infrastructure, and we are thrilled to modernize our bus stops in partnership with NJ Transit, Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla said. Along with the new, articulated buses, Hoboken residents will have improved access and shorter wait times during rush hour and have more reliable transit into New York City." The new articulated buses being deployed on the route are expected to increase onboard customer capacity by 65 percent compared to an average commuter bus, officials said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these larger buses allow for better distancing as a precaution against the spread of the virus. Outbreaks of coronavirus-like illnesses in care homes have dropped to a six month low, according to Public Health England. Between August 24 and August 30 there were 58 outbreaks of coughs or 'acute respiratory infections' in England, said PHE, marking a 38 per cent fall on last week's 94 cases. But the number recorded is more than 90 per cent down on the levels seen at the height of the pandemic, which spiked to 1,010 a week at the start of April. An outbreak constitutes two or more people having the same symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing or difficulty breathing. Not all the outbreaks are confirmed coronavirus cases because the category includes other infections that can lead to coughing, such as influenza. Any rises in infections in care homes are serious, because the elderly are most at risk of dying if they catch coronavirus, or a host of other infections. The report also highlighted a 40 per cent jump in outbreaks in workplace settings, which rose to 45 compared to 32 the week before. And the number also rose in restaurants, to 21, and in educational settings such as schools and universities, to nine. The government has announced restrictions ordering people in England to meet in groups with a maximum size of six people that come into force on Monday. It comes after the UK recorded more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases for three consecutive days. Care home residents are 'losing the will to live' because the sector is still under 'prison-like' lockdowns, MPs were told today (file) The last time the number of outbreaks in care homes was this low was between March 9 and March 15, when they dropped to 41. The UK launched its nationwide lockdown eight days later, by which point outbreaks had surged to 249. The dropping number of outbreaks comes amid mounting concerns about the UK's sudden rise in new coronavirus cases, and fears these could be passed into care homes. Deputy Chief Medical Officer warns Britain faces a 'bumpy ride' in the coming months Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said on Monday that the public had 'relaxed too much' over the summer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam has warned that the public has relaxed 'too much' over the summer as he predicts a 'bumpy ride' for the UK in the weeks ahead. The country has recorded almost 3,000 new cases for two consecutive days, prompting Matt Hancock to describe the figures as 'concerning'. Professor Van-Tam said on Monday that the rising case numbers are also of 'great concern', amid fears Britain's outbreak could get out of control. Should the number of new infections rise too high the track and trace system will be overwhelmed, requiring new social distancing restrictions to be imposed. Coronavirus tests can take up to a week to be processed, meaning the spike happened over the August bank holiday. Advertisement Visitors are allowed to visit care homes in the UK, according to the Department of Health, subject to recommendations from local directors of health. 'We recognise that lockdown has been difficult for many residents and families over the past few months and that visits are important for all those in care settings,' they said. Visitors are required to wear a face mask and wash their hands thoroughly before and after putting it on. But there are concerns these measures could be rolled back in the case of a second wave, after the health secretary said the government is prepared to 'step up' the restrictions as needed. Britons are already facing a 'rule of six' law coming into force on Monday and threats of a curfew should the rate of infections fail to abate. The restrictions will be in place for the 'forseeable future' Hancock told the Today programme, prompting fears they may disrupt Christmas plans. 'Its absolutely there for the foreseeable future', he said. 'I really hope that we can turn this around before Christmas.' 'In a pandemic, Christmas is a long way off. Three months is a long time in a pandemic. 'I very much hope that this stronger together rule with the local action that weve taken in places like Bolton (will be effective). Weve got to make sure that right now people;e both understand the rules and follow them.' Charities warned previous restrictions had 'damaging consequences' for both families and care home residents. Thanking the government for previously deciding to re-allow visits to care home, Lisa Lenton, chair of Care Providers Alliance, said: 'The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll in many ways. The effect of not being able to see friends and family has been very difficult and very upsetting for many - both for the people who access care and support, and for their loved ones who have been isolated. 'The Care Provider Alliance welcomes this overdue guidance - the CPA has been calling for Government guidance for many weeks and released its own visitors protocol last month in its absence. People need people and this is such an important step for the wellbeing of individuals and their relatives.' Care homes have seen the highest number of Covid-like illnesses, according to Public Health England The drop in care home outbreaks comes as coronavirus deaths hit a 24-week low at the end of August, according to figures released by the National Audit Office. A total of 73 people died from Covid-19 in England and Wales in the week ending August 28, they said. The dip marks a 24 per cent drop on the previous week's 96 deaths, the first time they fell to single figures since the pandemic began. It is also a nose-dive from the 8,000-plus deaths a week registered at the peak of the pandemic. But ONS data shows the total number of deaths in the UK has remained above the five-year average for the third week in a row, at 9.6 per cent over the expected level. More than 790 additional people are dying in private homes and care homes, while deaths in hospitals remain below the average. Experts argue this is because many patients are still too scared to seek medical treatment for conditions, while others don't want to 'burden' the health service. Hancock told Sky News that restrictions would be in place for the 'forseeable future' Flu accounted for 14 times more deaths than coronavirus in the last week of August, at 1,040. It marks the twelfth week that deaths from influenza have remained above those from coronavirus. The UK has now registered as many as 57,417 deaths from Covid-19, with 52,316 in England, 4,228 in Scotland and 873 in Northern Ireland. There were a total of 9,032 deaths in the week ending August 28, which is 791 deaths, or 9.6 per cent, above the average. It is the third week in a row that they have remained above the average, with every region in England and Wales seeing more deaths than expected at this time of year. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has insisted that protesters in Belarus are not looking to spread their influence to Russia. "At no point was this a struggle against Russia," she told Russian citizens in a video message on her YouTube channel. Tsikhanouskaya appealed to Russians "not to fall under the influence" of what she termed Russian propaganda. "Russian independent journalists and bloggers, I thank you separately for the attention to all that is happening in our country, for the readiness to report objectively and honestly on events in Belarus," she said. Tsikhanouskaya fled to Lithuania after last month's disputed elections which, according to official results, gave a landslide victory to Belarus' longtime ruler President Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko has attempted to draw Moscow into his struggle with pro-democracy demonstrators, arguing that if his regime falls, then Russia will be next. Amal, whose leader has been leading the talks with the U.S. over the border dispute, said a framework agreement has already been reached with the American side. Washington agreed on it July 9, the group said, but so far is refusing to make a public announcement about the deal. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla spoke to reporters Wednesday about voting access and safety this year during the pandemic. "To say this is an unprecedented year" with the political climate and the pandemic "would be an understatement," said Padilla, who is the state's chief elections officer. The Nov. 3 presidential election is approaching and is less than eight weeks away. Padilla described the date as "the last day to vote," and stressed voting by mail. He said voting by mail is the safest choice. Every registered voter will get a ballot in the mail if their address on file is correct. Vote-by-mail ballots will be sent out during the first week of October. The last day for mailing out ballots to voters is Oct. 5, but for military and overseas voters, ballots are mailed out 45 days in advance. Ballots typically would be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received up to three days afterward, but this year ballots will be accepted up to 17 days after Election Day, Padilla said. New this year is a notification system that allows voters to get a text, email or call telling them where in the process their ballot is, such as when it has been received and when it has been counted. The system is called Where's My Ballot and it is meant to build trust in the voting process, Padilla said. More than 900,000 voters have signed up, but there are 21 million registered voters in California. To sign up for Where's My Ballot, people can go to https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/. In-person voting will still be available this year, but it's going to be different, according to Padilla. There will be masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing, he said. In-person voting might be necessary if a person lost their ballot or made a mistake on the one they received. Padilla said some polling locations have changed because of the pandemic. Some may have needed to be larger, and in larger cities some organizations are making their large facilities available. In the Bay Area, the Chase Center in San Francisco and the Oakland Coliseum will be places to vote. Voters can drop off their ballot at a polling location or in a dropbox. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 19, but state law allows for same-day registration in case someone misses the deadline for registering online or updating their registration. Voters must go to a polling place to register and vote the same day. Citizens can register to vote or update their registration by going to www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Voters can check the status of their registration at https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/. They are urged to update their registration as soon as possible to be sure they get a ballot. "We also recommend you vote early," he said. To protect against fraud in the vote-by-mail process, Padilla said the state has several protections in place. Watermarks on the ballots are unique to each election. Companies that print the ballots must be certified by the state. Return envelopes have unique barcodes and ballots are scanned to make sure people didn't vote somewhere else. Also, each signature is checked. People can help others to vote by becoming a poll worker or providing ideas for voting locations or even offering to host a location. For more information, people can go to https://PollWorker.sos.ca.gov. 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. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. A few minutes after "Parasite" won the best picture trophy at this year's Oscars, I ran into David Rubin, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at the Governors Ball. He looked visibly relieved -- for good reason. Nearly five years after the launch of #OscarsSoWhite on social media, the academy had just dodged yet another exclusionary bullet. Only one of the 20 performers nominated for an acting Oscar in 2020's ceremony was a person of color ("Harriet's" Cynthia Erivo, who lost), and many prognosticators believed "1917" -- a movie almost exclusively made by and starring white men -- would go home with the evening's top award. The academy has now taken a dramatic step to ensure an Oscars night dominated by white people on and off the screen will not happen in the relatively near future. On Tuesday evening, just six months after the 2020 ceremony, the organization announced a radical change. Under new Oscar rules, starting in 2024 a movie must pass at least two of four diversity and inclusion tests to qualify for the best picture statuette. For the two years ahead of the 2024 changes, films under consideration for best picture will be required to submit a "confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form" even though they will not be required to meet the diversity goals to be eligible. The move follows a series of academy efforts to modernize its voter ranks. A 2012 Los Angeles Times investigation found that Oscar voters were 94% Caucasian and 77% male, with a median age of 62. MONOLITHIC VOTING BLOC That story was sparked by a perception that such a monolithic voting bloc was responsible for so many equally monolithic nominations and wins -- like the 2011 best picture award for "The King's Speech." The academy refused to share its membership rolls with The Times, compelling a team of reporters (of which I was a member) to spend a year identifying the age, race and gender of nearly 6,000 Oscar voters. The academy a few years later launched an initiative to double its female and non-white membership by 2020, inviting thousands of younger and more diverse actors and filmmakers into the organization. But there was a big problem. According to one academy board member (called governors) I spoke to today, those new Oscar voters weren't landing any more jobs. As study after study proved, the bulk of positions both in front of and behind the camera were still going to white men. Very little was changing in how Hollywood made movies. That led Lorenza Munoz, the academy's head of member relations and awards, and governor and producer DeVon Franklin to look at the diversity standards implemented by the British Film Institute. Those standards are tied to government funding and eligibility for some categories in the British Academy of Film and Television Awards, the United Kingdom's answer to the Oscars. But any material impact on the BAFTAs has been nearly impossible to find. All 20 of BAFTA's best actor and best supporting actor nominees this year were white, and Margot Robbie and Scarlett Johansson both were nominated twice. According to one tally, there were fewer than five black nominees and only a handful of Asian nominees among BAFTA's more than 160 total nominees. Still, given that American film studios weren't changing their behavior, the academy decided to model the BFI guidelines and change its own requirements, hoping it would lead to more diverse hiring. (Very much like the BFI standards, the academy's new rules require movies to meet at least two of four inclusion benchmarks.) THE REQUIREMENTS The new best picture eligibility standards call for at least one lead or supporting actor from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group or an ensemble that's at least 30% diverse. Another test is that a movie must have multiple department heads who are not white men. The academy also will reward productions that have internship, training, marketing and audience engagement initiatives aimed at women and people of color. And yes, according to the governor I spoke to, that would make another film like "1917" ineligible four years from now. But the producers of that theoretical movie would have a lot of time to find and hire a female composer, a Black costume designer, or a disabled editor. If the movie doesn't want to do that, no one is demanding otherwise. But its makers will have to make alternate plans for Oscar night. MORE ON CHANGES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY After remaining shut for almost six months due to the Covid-9 pandemic, the popular hills stations of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal have opened their gates for tourists. The neighbouring Himalayan state of Sikkim is expected to follow suit from October. Every year more than 10 lakh tourists visit the region. This year, however, because of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, the hill stations were totally shut since March. Sikkim was among the first states to ban the entry of tourists from March 16. On September 5, the West Bengal government had permitted hotels in Darjeeling and Kalimpong to resume their services following social distancing norms and maintaining hygiene. Those within containment zones, however, would have to remain shut. Now that the hotels have opened up we are optimistic that tourists would start arriving and the tourism industry would roll back to normal in a phased manner. We are expecting tourists soon, Sangey Tshering Bhutia, president of Darjeeling Hotel Owners Association. Tourism is one of the important economic activities in the hills with almost 15% of the population dependent on it for their livelihoods. Both Kalimpong and Darjeeling have low cases of Covid-19. On September 8, Kalimpong which has the second lowest number of Covid-9 cases among the districts of West Bengal after Jhargram, had only 64 active cases compared to 4,067 in Kolkata. Hoteliers said that they have drawn up plans on how to sanitise hotels and maintain hygiene when tourists start flocking in. Once a guest checks out of the room it would be sanitized and would be kept vacant for at least three days before allotting to another guest. There would be no buffet system, body temperature of guests would be checked when they check in and all hotel staff would be wearing masks and gloves. The entire hotel would be sanitized regularly, said Diamond Oberoi, managing director of a prominent hotel. Public transport connecting New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri with the hills stations of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and other places have already started. As many tourists prefer to take shared jeeps and buses to the hills from Siliguri bus stand and NJP railway station the drivers would maintain social distance among the tourists while ferrying them to their destination. They would be taking only half the passengers they used to take during pre-Covid times, S N Pradhan, president of Himalayan Transport Coordination Committee So far around seven long distance trains are running via New Jalpaiguri railway station including Agartala-Delhi Rajdhani Express, Brahmaputra Mail and Padatik Express. Subhanan Chanda, chief public relations officer of North East Frontier Railway said that more trains are expected to ply from September 12. In Sikkim, the state tourism department has come up with a draft proposal to open the state for tourists from October. The proposal says domestic tourists with pre-booked or package tours would be allowed initially and they need to produce valid Covid-19 negative certificates at the border check posts. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India and (ADB) on Tuesday signed a 500 million dollar loan, the first tranche of a total one billion dollar facility, to build a modern, high-speed 82-km Delhi-Meerut regional rapid transit system (RRTS) corridor that will improve regional connectivity and mobility in the national capital region. With a design speed of 180 km per hour and high-frequency operations of every five to ten minutes, the corridor connecting Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram at Meerut in Uttar Pradesh is expected to reduce the journey time to about one hour from the present three to four hours. The RRTS will have multi-modal hubs to ensure smooth inter-change with other transport modes. The first tranche loan will support construction of the first of three priority rail corridors planned under the NCR Regional Plan 2021 to connect Delhi to other cities in adjoining states. The signatories to loan agreement were Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB) at the Department of Economic Affairs in Ministry of Finance who signed for the government, and Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission who signed for "The project will provide better connectivity to allow other towns in the NCR to develop as urban economic centres surrounded by residential areas while easing the concentration pressure on Delhi," said Khare after signing the agreement. "Development of this corridor will have a huge demonstration effect and pave the way for a paradigm shift in mobility and the pattern of urban development within the region," he said. Yokoyama said the project is expected to have a transformational impact on the development trajectory of the national capital region by introducing high-level technologies for RRTS, signaling, and station designs. "Besides, the project will also support transit-oriented development (TOD) with systematic urban and land use planning around the RRTS corridor while promoting value capture financing (VCF) to generate additional municipal revenues," he added. The first tranche financing will be used for constructing electrified tracks, signalling systems, multi-modal hubs and stations with design features that are friendly to elderly, women, children and the disabled. It will also support the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) in drafting action plans on TOD, VCF instruments and public-private partnership initiatives, setting up a smart-technology based platform and formulating a gender-friendly workplace policy. A three million dollar grant from ADB's Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction will support various activities, including provision of visual, hearing and mobility aids like wheelchairs for differently abled persons. Training for women and differently abled on safe mobility and employment opportunities and behavioural change for public transport providers will also be given. The ADB-administered multi-donor Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund will provide 2.89 million dollars to support innovations in bu ilding information modeling, universal access design features, TOD and VCF. (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.) LONDON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Makor Group ("Makor"), an international Financial services corporation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Daniel Nevo as the new Vice President of Makor's Investment banking Middle East Operations, based in Tel Aviv. Mr. Nevo will be joining Makor to focus on the Group's continued global expansion, focusing on the development of its Technology & Investment Banking Division. "With the recent opening of diplomatic and commercial channels between Israel and the UAE, we at Makor are excited to seize the new growth opportunities within the region," said Makor Group founder Michael Halimi. "To that end, I am very pleased to be welcoming Daniel [Nevo] to the Makor family. His extensive political and diplomatic experience within the region will undoubtedly prove itself to be a fantastic asset for the team." Nevo joins Makor bringing with him decades of diplomatic and foreign affairs experience. As former Ambassador of Israel in Jordan (2009 - 2015), he has been credited with developing the relationship between the two neighboring countries. Nevo began his career in 1985. Having completed his military service in Israel and graduated from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a Bachelor in Jewish History and Geography, he joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1986, he became Adviser to the Israeli diplomatic mission to the United Nations. In 1988, Nevo joined the Israeli Consulate in Sydney, Australia. Through this period, he also boasts experience as a Coordinator for the Refugee Working Group (1993 - 1995) and Coordinator for Multilateral Peace Talks, a post he took up from 1996. In 2000, Nevo moves to Amman, Jordan, to join the Israeli Embassy, where he works in a variety of posts including Charge D'Affaires (2005 - 2006) and Director of Multilateral Peace Talks for Coordination and Water Issues (2007 - 2009), culminating in his appointment as Ambassador. Notes to editors: About Makor (www.makor-capital.com) Makor Group is an FCA-regulated international brokerage firm established in March 2011 by Michael Halimi and Avi Bouhadana, former Co-Heads of Global Equities at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe. Makor provides securities research and execution services to institutional investors across all asset classes. With offices in New York, Chicago, London, Paris, Geneva, Gibraltar, Tel Aviv and Singapore, and over 150 group employees, Makor provides its clients with an around-the-clock single point of contact. Makor's reputation for original and innovative trading ideas in risk arbitrage, special situations, relative value, and event-driven opportunities is unparalleled. The firm has been widely recognized for its achievements, and for the past 4 years was ranked 1st in the Thomson Reuters EXTEL risk-arb research surveys. Makor acts as agent-only and is therefore not susceptible to common industry conflicts of interest. The firm takes no proprietary positions and as such acts exclusively in the interests of its clients. Makor's understanding of local markets, and extensive global relationships, generate unique sources of liquidity for a diverse client base across all asset classes. In addition to strong client relationships, Makor is a trusted partner for global custodians and prime brokers, understanding that both are integral to the smooth and effective execution of all client transactions. A focus on supporting prime brokerage services, including custody and trade settlement, has been essential to the growth and success of the Makor franchise. Contact Details Anastasia Ulianova +1 212 419 4000 aulianova@makorsecurities.com Jaipur, Sep 9 : Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has postponed all meetings for a month beginning from Wednesday. The decision came on Tuesday night, a state government press release said. Around 40 employees in the Chief Minister's residence and office were found Covid infected. They also included the police and Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) personnel, who were associated with the Chief Minister's security. Gehlot said following the norms of social distancing and health protocols are the main measures which can fight the spread of Covid-19. This infection can be controlled by protecting ourselves. "For this reason, on the advice of doctors, I have decided not to meet anyone for the next one month. However, I will participate via video conference for matters to discuss good governance," he said in the release. Gehlot said that in this crisis of Covid-19 epidemic, protecting the lives of the people of the state was the highest priority of the government. For this, the state government was making every effort by strengthening the medical facilities, but the infection of this epidemic can be prevented with everyone's support, he said. The Chief Minister appealed to the people of the country to wear masks, keep social distancing, avoid crowds, keep social interactions to a minimum, leave home only when necessary and cater to all other health protocols with full responsibility. The 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM-53) and related meetings are organised in the form of video conference from September 9-12.(Photo: VNA) Hanoi The 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM-53) and related meetings are organised in the form of video conference from September 9-12. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is also the ASEAN Chair in 2020, is slated to attend and deliver an opening speech on September 9. A series of important conferences will take place under the chair of Vietnams Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on the first day, including the Executive Committee of the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ)s conference, the 27th ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting on Sub-regional Development, the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting, the ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting, the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Ministerial Meeting, the 21st ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers Meeting, and the 10th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers Meeting. Twenty seven delegations from the 10 ASEAN nations and partners will join 20 meetings in the framework of the AMM-53. Some 40 documents will be adopted at the events, including the AMM-53 Joint Communique, focusing on ASEAN's commitment to promoting the ASEAN Community, economic connectivity and cooperation with dialogue partners. On the occasion, ministers will pass several cooperation plans with partners for the 2021-2025 period. The AMM-53 and related meetings are among the most important events during Vietnams Year of ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020. They take place amid fierce strategic competition between powerful countries, and heightened tension in several hot spots, as well as complicated development of the coronavirus pandemic that clobbers every corner of the ASEAN member states socio-economy. Residents of Rasleek Gaderan village have been living under constant threat since a massive landslide last week damaged at least a dozen houses in Gandh Top area on Ramnagar-Basantgarh axis in Jammu and Kashmirs Udhampur district. A local said, The area has become a sliding zone and the hill is still sinking. At least 12 houses were damaged on September 5. Those who have lost their houses and belongings are very poor and mostly work as labourers in Himachal Pradesh and other states. The villagers have urged lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha to compensate and rehabilitate the families, who have lost their houses and fields to the landslide. The Udhampur district administration has evacuated 40 families so far. Basantgarh sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Vivek Modi said, As many as 12 houses were damaged in the landslide. We have prepared 12 files for necessary action. Majority of those affected have been accommodated by their relatives and friends. The administration has also accommodated a few families at a government school and a community hall. The SDM said the authorities are assessing the damages. The district commissioner will look into all the cases pertaining damage to houses, agricultural and horticultural land. At least a square km has come down, he added. He said the villagers have proposed a survey of the entire area by experts from the Geological Survey of India. Once the debris is cleared, experts will be roped in for the purpose. It was not a sliding zone and even the locals are shocked about what unfolded on September 5. Experts will trace the root cause but for now the restoration of the affected stretch is our priority, the SDM said. The road link between Ramnagar to Basantgarh, especially from Majori onwards near Gandh Top remains snapped since September 5. Though buses are plying on either side of Gandh Top, commuters have to cross one km long affected stretch on foot, he said. Regular traffic is affected because the road is sinking. Once debris is cleared, the PMGSY will restore the stretch, the SDM added. According to a rough estimate, around 300 kanals of land (15 hectares) has been destroyed in the landslide. In 2014, as many as 40 villagers were buried alive in a landslide following incessant rains at Saddal village in Panchari Hills of Udhampur. Former MLA RS Pathania said, A constant threat looms large over the remaining houses in the area and I fear that it is another Saddal in the making. Around 20 to 30 houses have developed cracks and hence cannot be used. The administration has so far not acted promptly. I have taken up the issue with the DC and lieutenant governor with a request to provide them an alternate land where they could be rehabilitated before the onset of winter. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Comedian Niecy Nash had two marriages to men before she surprised fans last week by announcing her marriage to her wife, just months after divorcing her second husband. Nash, 50, recently opened up to People about her marriage to Jessica Betts and the deep bond they share. 13th Annual Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards Luncheon (Rich Fury / WireImage) Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long. "(My marriage) has absolutely nothing to do with gender, and it has everything to do with her soul," Nash said. "She is the most beautiful soul I have ever met in my life. "I was not suppressing my sexuality my whole life. I love who I love. At one point in my life, I married twice, and I love those people. And today I love this person. I've done everything I wanted to do on my own terms and my own way. So my choice now in a partner has nothing to do with who I've always been. It's a matter of who I am in this moment." The "Reno 911!" star shared joyful photos of the newlyweds on Instagram two days after they tied the knot on Aug. 29 at a small ceremony at their home in Ventura County, California. "Mrs. Carol Denise Betts," Nash captioned one photo, referring to her new, married name. Nash continued to People: "I dont feel like my marriage is my coming out of anywhere but rather a going into myself and being honest about who I love. And Im not limiting myself on what that love is supposed to look like." The two were friends before beginning a romantic relationship. Betts shared a video on Instagram in 2018 of them singing together, writing that she was "honored and blessed in her presence." The romance blossomed quickly, considering Nash filed for divorce from ex-husband Jay Tucker in December, and in March, the exes finalized their divorce, according to TMZ. She became legally single in June, and two months later, she married Betts. (Jessica) and I were friends, but I never saw her as someone I would date," Nash told People. "I loved her before I was in love with her because she is such a special human being. But we began to see each other in a way we never had before. Sometimes you get so broken by love (that) you run from it. But Ive learned that you should always hold space for magic because it can happen at any time." COMMERCE, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 99 Cents Only Stores today commenced its "Truckloads of Deals" sweepstakes that will award nine truckloads of products valued at approximately $3500 each from the 99 Cents Only Stores to select customers in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. The contest runs until September 30 and winners will be randomly drawn on or about October 20. "We understand the stress and uncertainty our communities feel during these challenging times," said Bruce Levine, Chief Merchandising Officer. "As we celebrate 9/9 day, a very special day on our calendar, we wanted to do something extra special for our customers." Customers can visit 99only.com/99truck to enter the sweepstakes. Participants must be 18 or older and a resident of California, Nevada, Texas or Arizona to partake. One entry per person and per household. Official contest terms and rules can be found at 99only.com/99truckcontestterms. The Truckloads of Deals Sweepstakes coincides with the company's annual 9/9 Day celebrations, which commemorate the extensive selection of quality products and low prices available every day at the 99 Cents Only Stores. Customers who shop in store on 9/9 Day will receive a free item coupon, redeemable starting September 14. All stores follow the advice of public health experts and comply with all official guidance. Visit 99only.com/99truck for more information. Find a store near you at https://99only.com/stores/near-me. About the 99 Cents Only Stores Founded in 1982, 99 Cents Only Stores is the leading operator of extreme value stores in California and the Southwestern United States. The Company currently operates 385 stores located in California, Texas, Arizona & Nevada. 99 Cents Only Stores offers a broad assortment of name brand and other attractively priced merchandise and compelling seasonal product offerings. SOURCE 99 Cents Only Stores Related Links https://99only.com Appointment 9 September 2020 PRCo Group, one of the world's largest privately-owned communications firms, has announced Sophie Toh as Group Director. A PRWeek 'One to Watch' and 'Significant Hire', Sophie started her career in London, gaining experience within a series of boutique luxury PR agencies and working with some of the world's leading lifestyle brands. In 2009, Sophie moved to the United Arab Emirates, which led her to found TOH in 2011, which she grew into an award-winning consumer agency, with a team of over 30 communications specialists. The agency is proud to represent a roster of high-profile clients including Airbnb, Ferrari, Five Guys, Harvey Nichols Dubai, Monte-Carlo SBM, Patek Philippe, Savills Middle East, VIACOM and Value Retail. PRCo's acquisition of TOH late last year has resulted in a global network of over 100 communications professionals, offering best-in-class consumer and lifestyle campaigns to a world-class client portfolio across offices in London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Milan, Moscow, Munich and Shanghai. As Group Director, Sophie will have oversight of the London office, supported by Olivia Rutland, overseeing the Real Estate side of the business and Sarah Fisher, overseeing the Travel teams. The Group's London office has long represented some of the most prestigious hospitality brands, including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts for over 25 years, and launched some of the world's finest real estate developments including 432 Park Avenue and Chelsea Barracks. Central New York, like many former manufacturing communities, has spent the last few decades in search of a quick fix to return us to our past glory. What if I told you that a technology exists that would help reduce traffic, improve the environment, boost our tax base, and make hunting for parking downtown a thing of the past? It exists; its called the bus. While it wont solve all our regions problems, committing to improving bus service would make Central New York tangibly better. We should start by having CENTRO engage in a total redesign of its service schedule and map, following the lead of other transit agencies around the country. Syracuse, a city where 29.2% of our citizens dont have access to a personal vehicle, needs good bus service. Good bus service not only provides access to job opportunities but also doctor appointments, church services, birthday parties, and all the other destinations that make up a fulfilling life. The difference between good bus service and bad bus service is frequency. As transportation consultant Jarrett Walker stated, Frequency is freedom. If buses reliably show up every 15 minutes, then you do not need to plan your life around the bus schedule. You can arrive at the bus stop with the confidence that even if you just missed the bus, the next one will arrive shortly. However, if the buses run on a 40-minute schedule then missing one can be catastrophic, meaning your day needs to be planned around when the bus will arrive. Given the strained funding of transit agencies, most, like CENTRO, are forced to choose between providing frequent service and covering a broad geographic area. Over the years, CENTROs priority has been to provide coverage over frequency. By having meandering routes that go onto side streets and private developments, Centro has created routes that technically cover a lot of people but take so long to reach their destination that they are rarely, if ever, convenient. In Central New York, many of our suburban and rural communities have made explicit policy decisions that make reliable mass transit infeasible. For buses to be successful, there needs to be a critical mass of people who live within a safe walk of a bus stop. Instead, many towns have zoning regulations that specifically ban dense housing developments and have focused their transportation infrastructure on accommodating drivers instead of pedestrians. By attempting to attract ridership in communities whose policies discourage transit use, CENTRO is setting itself up to fail. Great, frequent bus service can be a game changer for a community. By attracting people to ride the bus instead of driving, we can reduce traffic, improve the environment, and free up parking lots to be used for new housing and businesses developments. Adding dense, transit-oriented development along these networks would create a virtuous cycle where the new funds from expanded property taxes could be used to improve government services, making Syracuse a more attractive community for residents, who, in turn, would improve our tax base. There is clear precedent from other communities for how to redesign a bus system. Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the country, completed a redesign in 2015 and experienced a significant increase in ridership. Other, smaller cities, such as Columbus, Ohio and even Anchorage, Alaska, have also found success by overhauling their systems. Currently, many of CENTROs routes follow the same path of the streetcars they replaced. Our community has changed dramatically since the last streetcar ran and we would be better off if our transit network reflected those changes. Michael Greene | Syracuse Common Councilor-At-Large Write us How to submit letters and commentary to Syracuse.com By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan increased export of fresh cherries and potatoes in the first half of 2020. Export of fresh cherries increased by 7 percent up to 19,950 tons, with revenues from the export of this fruit amounting to $32.2 million, which is an increase by 8.8 percent. Russia accounted for 99.4 percent of fresh cherries export from Azerbaijan during the reporting period as 19,835 tons worth $32.1 million were exported to this country in the reporting period. Furthermore, during the reporting period, Azerbaijan increased export of potatoes by 32 percent up to 81,275 tons. Revenues from potatoes export amounted to 433.7 million. Likewise, Russia accounted for 85 percent of all potatoes export from Azerbaijan in the reporting period. Thus, 69,155 tons of potatoes worth $30.7 million were exported to Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine increased import of potatoes from Azerbaijan up to 7,370 tons worth $1.8 million during the reporting period. It should be noted that the in quantitative terms there was a growth by 2.9 times compared to the same period of 2019. Additionally, among other importers of potatoes from Azerbaijan in the first half of the year were Kazakhstan, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia and Turkmenistan. 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. The volume of imports amounted to $5.9 billion. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Mayor Sylvester Turner has announced that Houston is "cautiously" rolling out live special events. Events will be limited to "controlled environments" with small audiences limited to 25% capacity, and attendees must wear masks, answer a virus questionnaire and take part in a temperature screening. "As this pandemic has changed our lives, it has also changed how we have come together," Turner said in a press conference. "We know that there are opportunities to stage social events if they follow current health and safety guidelines and requirements." COVID-19 updates: Texas positivity rate increases Any event looking for approval from the city must meet extensive criteria before getting approval. The city has approved three events thus far: A drive-in tailgate for the Houston Texans limited to 100 cars; Houston Symphony concerts with 150 available seats; and Houston Dynamo and Dash games with 25% capacity. Festivals, parades, fun runs and other events will not be allowed and will likely not take place through the end of this year, including the Thanksgiving parade. The Mayors Office of Special Events will work with Public Health Authority Dr. David Persse in approving any events to ensure that health and safety guidelines can and will be met. Those interested in hosting an event can apply through the Mayors Office of Special Events. Live events have been cancelled throughout the city since Turner ordered the closure of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on March 11. Houston is currently reporting a positivity rate of 6.6% in COVID-19 testing. Events may be cancelled again should Houston experience another spike in cases. Frontline staff at Britains Heathrow Airport have been told they face the stark choice of either accepting pay cuts of between 15 and 20 percent or suffering job losses. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, these savage ultimatums have become the new normal in industrial relations. On September 2, Heathrow issued formal section 188 notices, which means that after a 45-day consultation period the company can fire and rehire its workforce on company terms. This will affect half the airports ground staff of 4,700, including engineers and security workers. Demands also include the end of the workers final salary pension scheme. Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd is owned by shareholders including Spanish multinational Ferrovial, Qatar Holdings, the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, the UK Universities Superannuation Scheme and Alinda Capital. The company says it will guarantee a job for whomever wishes to remain. Staff, however, could lose up to 10,000 a year. How far Heathrow is prepared to go in cutting pay is indicated by a comment in the Independent, which report of managements plans, No ones salary will fall below the London Living Wage, it said. The London Living Wage is set at just 10.75. British Airways planes at London Heathrow Airport (Photo: Ken Iwelumo/Wikipedia) Heathrow is Londons busiest airport, but with the advent of the coronavirus pandemic travel and tourism ground almost to a standstill. A spokesperson for Heathrow stated, COVID-19 has decimated the aviation industry, which has led to an unprecedented drop in passenger numbers at Heathrow, costing the airport over 1bn since the start of March. Provisional traffic figures for August show passenger numbers remain 82 percent down on last year and we must urgently adapt to this new reality. In March, one runway and two terminals were closed, and most flights were grounded. Most workers were retained at that point under the governments job furlough scheme, which ends in November. In June, the company launched a voluntary redundancy scheme, after slashing managerial roles by a third. Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost across the travel and tourism industries in the recent period. This trend began before the pandemic, which has acted to accelerate efforts to cut costs in an increasingly competitive global market. The threat to jobs and pay cuts at Heathrow follows the recent announcement at Gatwick, Londons other main airport, of its intention to make a quarter of its workforce redundant. This amounts to 600 ground staff posts after a reduction in passenger numbers for August of 80 percent. Gatwick, which is owned by VINCI Airports and Global Infrastructure Partners, announced 200 job losses in March and took out a 300 million bank loan, but later said it needed to reduce costs further. Chief Executive Stewart Wingate blamed the cuts on the devastating impact of the coronavirus on the airline and travel industries. At the moment, with 80 percent of the Gatwick staff on the government furlough scheme, only the north terminal is in operation. In every case, the role of the trade unions is to push through redundancies and facilitate concessions, so long as they receive a place at the negotiating table. Heathrow had been in negotiations with the Unite union for four months before the latest announcement. Unite official Wayne King said the airports plans would further undermine confidence in the industry Our members have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Appealing to Heathrow management to continue already difficult negotiations he added, To conduct industrial relations via the media in such a brutish manner is designed to create fear and panic in a group of key workers. The central pre-occupation of the union bureaucracy is not the interests of workers but to defend the interests of the aviation industry, the auto industry, the aerospace industry, etc. King added: At a time when Unite is working hard to persuade the government to follow the lead of other European nations and provide specific financial support to the aviation sector to ensure that the industry and workers can survive the pandemic and thrive in the future Unite regional manager, Jamie Major, said of the Gatwick job losses, This is a bitter blow for the workers and once again highlights the chronic failure of the government to support the aviation sector, despite promises way back in March that it would do so. Offering to help facilitate the attacks, he continued, Unite will be entering into formal negotiations with Gatwick Airport to ensure that redundancies are minimised and that all redundancy procedures are fair and fully transparent. Last month, the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) foisted a sell-out on pilots at British Airways (BA). The union recommended its members accept a deal in which 270 of BAs 4,300 pilots would lose their jobs. The pay of the remaining workforce will be slashed immediately by 20 percent and fall to an 8 percent cut in two years and only return to where it is now at some undefined future point. BA has also issued an ultimatum to cabin crew and ground staff to either accept redundancy, or a wage cut and inferior terms and conditions. According to Unite, some workers could face cuts in pay of up to 43 percent. Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey pleaded with BA chief executive Alex Cruz to work with Unite to ensure the continued profitability for the company. In mid-August, Cruz hailed the announced significant progress in talks with the unions. This is as more than 6,500 staff have already lost their jobs, including 4,500 cabin crew based at Heathrow and Gatwick, as the company seeks 12,000 redundancies. Like other airlines internationally, BA, with the backing of the unions, is using the pandemic to justify long-planned cuts in jobs, pay and conditions, to gain the edge against international competitors. Just weeks before, BALPA reached an agreement with Ryanair involving a 20 percent pay cut beginning in July. The sell-out deal means pilots have to work to more flexible rota and leave arrangements, to the detriment of their well-being. Again, pay cuts are supposed to be gradually restored over four years. BALPA sold the pay cuts on the basis of saving 260 pilot jobs. However, 70 of these posts are still under threat if Ryanair closes its bases at Leeds/Bradford, Prestwick, Bournemouth and Southend as proposed. In addition to slashing their workers jobs and pay, the airlines are agitating for a reckless opening-up of international travel to facilitate their return to profit-making. The air transport industry has not seen the recovery in passenger traffic it hoped for since lockdown ended, aggravated by the governments imposition of 14-day quarantine measures for travellers returning from virus hotspots. This has deterred potential holidaymakers from making bookings, leading to flights being cancelled during the peak summer holiday season. Writing in the Daily Mail, Heathrow Airport Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye urged the government to introduce swab testing for coronavirus of incoming passengers as an alternative to quarantining. An enthusiastic backer of the criminally irresponsible back to work drive, Holland-Kaye warns that UK business is in danger of falling behind its rivals. This [swab testing at airports] is starting to get their [Germany and Frances] economies moving again and, in fact, both Frankfurt and Charles de Gaulle airports carried more passengers over the last few months than Heathrow, he said. The interests of airline workers are diametrically opposed to those of the airline owners and chief executives, whose only interest in running these companies is the extraction of profitwhatever the costs to their employees. Unite, Balpa and the rest of the trade unions have proved again and again that they stand on the side of the employers. Workers must break from these rotten organisations and form independent rank-and-file committees, in alliance with airline workers internationally, to fight back against the onslaught on their livelihoods and safety. Press Release 9 September 2020 WASHINGTON, D.C. - As states and cities move to reopen, the American travel industry launched a major campaign today with a clear message for Americans: It's OK to start planning your next tripwhenever it may be. Advertisements Hilton is one of the key backers of the "Let's Go There" campaign, which is the result of an industry-wide collaboration of more than 75 businesses and organizations that spent months examining the question: What is the right message to potential travelers while the nation navigates the realities of a pandemic? The answer: Take advantage of the demonstrated personal benefits of travel planning, even by just thinking about a future tripand whenever travelers are ready to actually take it, the industry will be ready to safely welcome them back. "The 'Let's Go There' campaign aims to tell travelers: When it's time for you, we'll be ready," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow, whose organization is supporting the activities of the coalition. "There is pleasure in planning travel, and when the moment is right, the industry is committed to being well-prepared for the safe return of travelers. Our industry recognizes the need to pull together in this momentas colleagues, not competitorsin a united message of welcome, preparedness, and desire to serve travelers' needs." While public health is the top priority, the need to get Americans moving again as soon as safely possible is urgent for jobs and the economy. Travel supported employment for one in 10 American workers pre-pandemicbut more than one-third of those jobs (34%) have been lost since March. The travel industry is committed to being fully prepared for the moment travel demand returns, in order to keep its customers and workers safe and healthy and to restore those jobs as quickly as possible. "Travel is an unstoppable force for good in this world. When people travel, they make connections across cultures, take in new experiences and make memories that last a lifetime," said Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton. "We know that travelers are eager to get back out into the world, and our industry is excited to help them dream about their next trip and welcome them to destinations near and far." The fully integrated campaign will be live over the coming months on national broadcast networks, including CMT, Cooking Channel, ESPN, Freeform and National Geographic Channel. Two spots will air on ESPN's Monday Night Football on Sept. 14. The campaign will also be seen on online video platforms (YouTube and Hulu), will air as radio spots on the iHeartMedia network, and will appear online as digital display, social and programmatic ads. Social media content will be tagged using #LetsMakePlans. Studies showed that mortality rates fell by 21 percent, in patients suffering from a severe form of Covid-19, after 28 days of steroid treatment. Doctors are now able to treat severe cases of the coronavirus much better than when the pandemic began, which could save many lives, experts in France and the United States said. The successful treatments involve steroids and more aggressive use of blood thinners as well as avoiding intubation, a method that risks complications, the experts told AFP. "A lot of progress has been made," said Eric Maury, president of the French Intensive Care Society. "The survivability has greatly increased in the United States," added Daniel Griffin, head of the infectious diseases division at ProHEALTH Care Associates, a group of 1,000 physicians present in 22 hospitals in the New York area. "It isn't just that we're saving certain people, the survivability, the improved outcomes go across all the age groups." First on the list of improvements in medicine. Since June, several studies have shown the benefit of steroids in severely ill coronavirus patients. Research published 2 September in US medical review JAMA found that mortality rates fell by 21 percent in patients suffering from a severe form of Covid-19 after 28 days of steroid treatment compared with those who didn't take anti-inflammatory drugs. No other medicine has shown a significant reduction in mortality. That led the World Health Organization to "recommend systemic corticosteroids rather than no corticosteroids for the treatment of patients with severe and critical COVID-19." "It's a treatment that will be able to save lives," according to Djillali Annane of France's Raymond-Poincare Hospital, co-author of one of the JAMA studies. Another positive change is that blood thinners are used "much earlier and in a much more aggressive way," said Marc Leone of the French Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine. That helps avoid blood clots, a serious complication of Covid-19. Goodbye hydroxychloroquine Generally speaking, "we're not throwing the kitchen sink at people, we're treating them with a more limited targeted list of medications and interventions," says Griffin. That means no more hydroxychloroquine, a controversial drug once backed by US President Donald Trump which studies never proved actually worked. And beyond medicine, progress has been made in caring for severely ill patients. "In the early days, it was intubate them early. Now it's do everything you can to avoid intubation," noted Kiersten Henry, a nurse at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in the US. Intubation consists of putting a tube down the patient's windpipe and hooking them to a ventilator. In some cases, it remains essential but it is an invasive procedure that can lead to complications such as infections. "We quickly realised that patients who ended up on the ventilator were at very low likelihood of surviving to hospital discharge," Griffin says. In Germany, a study published in July in The Lancet medical review showed that 53 percent of all Covid-19 patients placed on ventilators died. That figure climbed to 72 percent for those aged over 80. So an alternative emerged high-flow oxygen therapy, a technique that consists in giving patients large amounts of oxygen via the nose. Complete about-face "It's very efficient, far less invasive and therefore much simpler to use than intubation," said Jean-Damien Ricard of France's Louis-Mourier Hospital. He led a study published in the Intensive Care Medicine journal that showed that oxygen therapy was better than intubation in just over 30 percent of patients. Like those who are intubated, patients given oxygen therapy are placed on their stomachs to "get some air in the lung's back zones," which also appears to help. The studies that confirm these improvements might be recent, but doctors have been putting them into practice for longer, guided by medical observation. Griffin said that "there was a complete about-face" on intubation, steroids, blood thinners and hydroxychloroquine "from early March to early April." "The fundamental things that we switched over to in early April were exactly the opposite of the recommendations in early March," he said. "When a new illness appears, at first we don't know what to do, and then knowledge flourishes every day," said Maury. But despite the improvements, experts warned against excess optimism. "There will always be deaths. People must not think that we've found a treatment for this illness," Leone said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) - Global food and beverage brand Nestle Philippines took a big step in achieving its goal of a waste-free future by reaching its plastic neutrality target in the country for the month of August. Kais Marzouki, chairman and chief executive officer of Nestle Philippines, defined plastic neutrality as Nestle's action of recovering plastic waste equivalent to the amount of plastic it has used in the packaging of its products. He said the food and beverage manufacturer has collected around 2,400 metric tons of plastic waste from landfills and oceans last month. He said Nestle is committed to do it every month. "We are the first multinational company in the Philippines to achieve that," Marzouki told CNN Philippines' Rico Hizon on Wednesday's The Final Word. "We hope that this example will encourage others to join us and to develop plans to have a better future for ourselves and for our children," He said he is hopeful other large corporations will adopt Nestle Philippines' proposed Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme, where large manufacturers using plastic in their product packaging will partner with government and non-governmental organizations to implement waste management programs in communities. Marzouki also bared that Nestle forged partnerships with several cement companies in the country to convert the collected plastic waste into cement kilns, used in processing hydraulic cement products and alternative fuel. To respond to the changing times, Marzouki said Nestle is developing environmentally-friendly packaging. This initiative started when the corporation switched from plastic straws to paper straws in the country. "We consumed on our products 600 million straws every year," he said. "So this is a significant step to better the environment." Nestle also entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Education to provide modules on waste management for 10,000 schools that will be taught to Grades 1 to 10 students. By PTI MOSCOW: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said he held a fruitful interaction with his Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov here on the sidelines of the SCO meeting during which they agreed to further enhance their strategic partnership in all spheres. Jaishankar arrived here on Tuesday on a four-day visit to Russia to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). "A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines," Jaishankar tweeted. The two leaders discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. "Agreed to further enhance our strategic partnership in all spheres," Jaishankar wrote. Jaishankar thanked Aidarbekov for the support in facilitating the return of Indian nationals from the Central Asian country. A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines. Thanked him for the support in facilitating return of Indian nationals. Discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. Agreed to further enhance our Strategic Partnership in all spheres. pic.twitter.com/XySOnoZFKS Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 9, 2020 Air India operated several flights under Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate its nationals stranded in other nations due to lockdown. About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. A few businessmen are engaged in trade and services in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Indian Embassy in Bishkek. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Ankara, Turkey Wed, September 9, 2020 10:40 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43a9e44 2 World Turkey,school-reopening,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free Turkey announced on Tuesday it was scaling back plans to reopen schools later this month, with only the youngest pupils beginning classes at first, for up to two days a week. Fatalities from the coronavirus have jumped to their highest since mid-May when lockdowns were in place. The government has said it does not plan to reintroduce a full lockdown but has urged Turks to follow social distancing and hygiene measures to curb the virus. Masks have been made mandatory. Last month, Education Minister Ziya Selcuk announced that schools, mostly shut since March, would start to reopen on Sept. 21. On Tuesday, however, he said only pre-school and first year pupils would attend in-person classes at first, with further reopening plans to be determined during an evaluation period of three weeks. "We support a more controlled and gradual start in our country," he said in a written statement. Schooling will include a mix of remote and in-person learning. Children in the first school year would attend for one day during an "adaptation week" and then two days in following weeks. Parents who do not want to sent their children to school can opt to continue remote education, he said. Company announcement 18-2020 Sborg, September 9, 2020 Konsolidator signs first customer in the USA Konsolidator has signed its first customer in the USA after a tender process. The consultant in charge for the tender found Konsolidator through Google search, and Konsolidator was selected to the final selection process. Konsolidator was presented online and was finally selected among other candidates. The USA customer is a result of Konsolidators go to market strategy, which emphasizes the strength and reach of digital marketing efforts. Signing the first customer in the USA takes the number of countries where Konsolidator has customers to 10 including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, UK, Singapore, Zambia and USA. Signing a customer in the USA once again illustrates the international potential of our software and demonstrates the potential in the enormous USA market, says CEO Claus Finderup Grove. About Konsolidator Konsolidator A/S is a financial consolidation software company whose primary objective is to make Group CFOs around the world better through automated financial consolidation and reporting in the cloud. Created by CFOs and auditors and powered by innovative technology, Konsolidator removes the complexity of financial consolidation and enables the CFO to save time and gain actionable insights based on key performance data to become a vital part of strategic decision-making. For further information: CEO Claus Finderup Grove, mobile. +45 2095 2988, e-mail: cfg@konsolidator.com Konsolidator A/S Tobaksvejen 2A 2860 Sborg www.konsolidator.com Certified Adviser Ernst & Young P/S Osvald Helmuths Vej 4 2000 Frederiksberg www.ey.com Attachment To a traumatized child, a teddy bear can make a big difference. But as the handful of Lebanese evangelicals trained in counseling are emphasizing in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion, so can an ordinary individual. I dont think the sit-with-a-psychologist model works with a communal culture, said Kate Mayhew, country representative for the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Lebanon. A lay person might be fearful of doing harm. But there is a lot they can do. There is a lot that needs to be done. An impact assessment conducted by Strategy& in the worst affected neighborhoods of Beirut found that 3 in 4 respondents were suffering anxiety two weeks after the blast. Nearly 7 in 10 were experiencing disturbing dreams, and 6 in 10 reported difficulty doing household chores. And according to UNICEF, 50 percent of its respondents said their children were showing signs of trauma and extreme stress. In the poverty-stricken Karantina district directly in front of the port, one child clutched a bag of distributed bread to his chest, rocking back and forth. Though by then such food was readily available, he was imitating the adults who fought and scrambled to grab their share in the first chaotic days of emergency response. He was the hungry kid, the frightened kid, and the active kid all combined in one, said Mayhew. He desperately wanted to show his parents he could also provide for his family. An MCC partner organization was already on the scene, having set up a mobile clinic and counseling sessions for the adults. Eventually they noticed the kids milling around, otherwise neglected by everyone. So they created a camp-like setting in the neighborhood park. Rotating 40 children between eight stations, they played games, danced to music, and did artworkactivities experts say are essential for the emotional and spiritual processing of trauma. And then each kid got a teddy bear. These kids are definitely traumatized, and lost so many of their toys, said Joy El Kazzi, child protection officer for MCC. It was great to see them able to smile. But as a Lebanese, Kazzi was in the minority. Most of MCCs first responders were Syriansrefugees from war who experienced trauma themselves. Long committed to psychological service, in 2012 MCC refocused its trauma training on Syrian refugees. After the explosion, the Syrians were prepared to help this new wound of their hosts. But many Beirut residents were not ready to receive itfrom anybody. Evangelical churches and ministries were among the thousands of Lebanese volunteers who pitched in to sweep shattered glass, repair windows, and offer food to the broken city. But as Anthony Ziade of City Bible Church conducted over 50 needs assessments in the immediate vicinity of his downtown congregation, only three people ticked the box for counseling. If you see a psychologist, it means you are sick, he said. No one will do that; it is the reality here. There is no similar stigma about receiving charityZiade agreed with 25 households to cover their basic repairs. It is an honor and shame society, explained Smyrna Khalaf, a licensed marriage and family counselor and a professor at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. Lebanese, especially men, want to look like they can handle things, she said. Women are less reluctant to admit their weaknesses, and seek help. But there is another factor involved, peculiar to Lebanon, said Celia Khater, chief counselor at Beirut Baptist School (BBS). Lebanese pride themselves on their resilience. Since 1955, BBS has emphasized both mind and spirit, so there is a greater appreciation for psychology among the 1,000 students and their parents. But when her team of three counselors reached out to the families to offer support, only a dozen or so responded. Generation after generation of Lebanese have experienced war. And since October 2019, they have endured a popular uprising, the COVID-19 crisis, and economic collapse. And now the explosion. Stability is the most important thing in the lives of children, but this year we didnt even have one week of it, Khater said. I expected more calls, but the Lebanese culture says Khalas [enough], we can manage. Given that 1 in 4 Lebanese have or have had a mental disorder, they do amazingly well. People are managing now, but scientifically the long-term impact starts one month later, said Mia Atoui, co-founder of Embrace, a secular organization dedicated to raising awareness of mental health issues in Lebanon. Symptoms will fade for many, but hundreds will need ongoing psychological support. Including their children. Those who suffer an adverse traumatic experience in Lebanon are eight times more likely to develop a mental disorder as adults. Khater is counseling one BBS preschooler constantly breaking all his toys. Pressed for the reason, he responds with two words: The explosion. I wish we had a well-trained team of Christian counselors, ready to help in times of trauma, whose names are known, she said. The secular world has its own organizations, but we as a Christian community do not. The above statistics were compiled by IDRAAC, the Beirut-based secular organization founded in 1997 as the first mental health initiative in the Arab world. After the explosion it opened a hotline, as did the American University in Beirut Medical Center. Embrace has operated an emotional support and suicide prevention hotline since 2017, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health. Such groups prioritize public awareness campaigns, to remove the mental health taboo from society. The priority for the church is to preach Christ, said Tony Skaff, pastor of Badaro Baptist Church, who believes the techniques of psychology can be helpful though they will fall short of full healing, without the gospel. But these secular organizations push me. I wish that we could have helped them first. Unaware to many, there is a Christian ministry on standby. Sometimes there is not enough information, said Maya Saleh, trauma healing coordinator for the Bible Society of Lebanon. But we are not unknown. Since 2015, her team has conducted trainings through the Bible-based Trauma Healing Institute, affiliated with the American Bible Society. There are around 300 facilitators, 25 of whom have told Saleh they can be on call. After the explosion, she offered them to several dozen churches and faith-based organizations in Beirut, to train others or to assist with healing groups. Last week, they reached 28 children in Ashrafieh, one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the blast. Some children had witnessed blood dripping down the faces of their loved ones. The Strategy& assessment found 31 percent of Beirut families were severely impacted. This included 16 percent suffering a serious injury, 7 percent forced to relocate, and 5 percent grieving the death of a relative. But given that Lebanese have endured historic trauma, they are well prepared to minister to others. That is the hope of Resurrection Church of Beirut (RCB), and filters into their team of about 50 clean-up volunteers37 of which received basic training in psychological first aid. Most people are not aware they need mental health care, said Khalaf, an RCB member. But in cleaning their homes and giving supplies, you listen to their story and offer support. It is not formal, but it is therapeutic. She explained that the signs to listen for are mood changes, restlessness, anxiety, and a desire to be left alone. They tell people this is normal, and answer many spiritual questions. They also gently inform of therapy options. But in most cases, Khalaf said, if people are helped in the beginning, they wont need much ongoing care. A meaningful response to an explosion of this volumethat brings healing to the souldoesnt require a curriculum, but a person and a community, said Hikmat Kashouh, pastor of RCB. Our civil war experiences help us stand with the traumatized, as those with old scars can tend to new wounds. Sometimes, it is the children who do the healing. During the cooped-up months of COVID-19, evangelical satellite TV provider SAT-7 launched its Allo Marianne program. Aiming to provide a safe space for children to express their emotions, they had no idea how necessary the show would become. After the explosion, host Marianne Awaraji encouraged viewers to draw, to ask questions, and to worship. She also asked them to pray for their friends in Beirut. The lines were flooded with callers throughout the Arab worldpraying for their friends at SAT-7. Our goal at SAT-7 is to always support the kids, Awaraji said. But now, they felt it was their turn to support us. Back in Karantina, however, few families would still have satellite TV. And one month since the explosion, there remain far too few Lebanese therapists to meet the mental health needs. But with the minimum training, MCCs Mayhew reminded, anyone can help. Emotional scars are just as serious as physical scars, she said. And restoring people to wholeness is part of the gospel, as people created in the image of God. ALTON Over the past 19 years, Vintage Voices has become an important cultural event in the community where walking tours are held as actors in period costumes tell the story of Altonians who have shaped the citys history. The 19th annual Vintage Voices tours will be held the first and the second weekends in October at the Alton Cemetery, at Fifth and Vine streets. LONE TREE, Colo., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, is encouraging adults with hearing loss to utilize the Cochlear Hearing Aid Check, a new, free online tool that launches broadly this Healthy Aging Month. The tool allows adults with hearing aids who are struggling to hear to learn if they may benefit from a cochlear implant. The tool aims to help participants, particularly in the aging adult population, compare their hearing performance with hearing aids to people with a cochlear implant, and depending on their results, to seek further hearing healthcare advice to treat their loss. During September's Healthy Aging Month, Cochlear Hearing Aid Check, a new, free online tool, is available for adults with hearing aids who are struggling to hear to learn if they may benefit from a cochlear implant. Take the Hearing Aid Check now: www.HearingAidCheck.com/us. In the United States, one out of three people over the age of 65 and one out of two people over 75 are affected by disabling hearing loss, but only 5 percent of people who could benefit from cochlear implant hearing technology have them.1,2 Research continues to show aging adults with untreated hearing loss can be substantially affected by social isolation and loneliness with impacts to brain health and quality of life.3 Once hearing loss becomes severe to profound, cochlear implants are the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medical solution to effectively treat the loss at that point. Research shows that moving from a hearing aid to a cochlear implant significantly improves hearing ability in noise, including doubling speech understanding.4 However, many adult cochlear implant candidates are not appropriately diagnosed, referred and treated.5 From the initial pilot of the Hearing Aid Check, 93 percent of those who interacted with the Check were over 50 years of age; 81 percent have been diagnosed with hearing loss for over six years; and 85 percent failed the Check, meaning in their hearing aids they performed below or well below the performance of someone with a cochlear implant.6* "We know there is a significant population of adults who are not getting access to or educated about the benefits of cochlear implant technology. Having the appropriate hearing solution can enable a person to hear speech clearly, which helps keep the brain active and mind sharp so they can continue to live a full, independent life," said Nada Hanna, AuD, CCC-A, Lead Clinical Audiologist, Cochlear Implant Specialist, ENT Associates. "If you do not pass the Hearing Aid Check, there is substantial value in scheduling an appointment with a cochlear implant audiologist to find out if cochlear implants could help you get back to hearing." The Hearing Aid Check was developed by an independent Australian research body, National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), in partnership with Cochlear. NAL identified a need for language-independent tests to assess a person's ability to discriminate similar speech sounds. It consists of a minimum of 28 speech sound sets (phonemes - not beeps or words), and up to 81 sound sets presented in background noise. Two sounds are identical, one is different; the participant needs to select the sound they believe is different. The Check is self-administered and simple to complete for adults 18 and over with hearing loss in both ears who wear hearing aid(s). Participants should find a quiet place and allow 10-15 minutes to complete the Hearing Aid Check at their own pace on a personal computer, tablet or mobile device. Upon completion, participants receive a results summary and recommendations for next steps by email, which can include making an appointment with an audiologist who is qualified on a range of hearing options, such as cochlear implants or more powerful hearing aids. "The Hearing Aid Check is a first-of-its-kind tool to give adult hearing aid users a baseline assessment of their hearing and provide recommendations to see if cochlear implants could help them hear better than hearing aids alone," said Patricia Trautwein, MA, AuD, Vice President, Product Management & Marketing, Cochlear Americas. "As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to underscore the value of at-home health tools like Hearing Aid Check, hearing health clinics are open and safely serving patients during this time too. Hearing health should continue to be prioritized, especially if a hearing loss is detected, because we know that hearing and connections continue to be essential during this pandemic and beyond." Cochlear implants are a proven treatment option for those with moderate to profound hearing loss who no longer receive benefit from hearing aids. Cochlear implants have been approved by the FDA for nearly 40 years and are covered by Medicare, most insurance plans and typically Medicaid.** About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH) Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of more than 4,000 people and invests more than AUD$180 million each year in research and development. Products include cochlear implants, bone conduction implants and acoustic implants, which healthcare professionals use to treat a range of moderate to profound types of hearing loss. Since 1981, Cochlear has provided more than 600,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages, in more than 180 countries, to hear. www.cochlear.com/us References Hearing Loss and Older Adults [Internet]. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; c2017 [cited 19 Sept 2019 ]. Available from: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing-loss-older-adults. Market penetration. This figure is a global estimate based on Cochlear sourced data. Brody, J. E. (2018, December 31 ). Hearing Loss Threatens Mind, Life and Limb. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/31/well/live/hearing-loss-threatens-mind-life-and-limb.html. Buchman CA, Herzog JA, McJunkin JL, et al. Assessment of Speech Understanding After Cochlear Implantation in Adult Hearing Aid Users: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Published online August 27, 2020 . doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2020.1584 Buchman CA, Gifford RH, Haynes DS, et al. Unilateral Cochlear Implants for Bilateral Severe, Profound, or Moderate Sloping to Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2020. Epub ahead of print. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2020.0998 Based on internal Cochlear data. "Hearing Aid Check Reporting, Aug. 2020 ." Data on file. The Cochlear Hearing Aid Check is not a diagnostic evaluation and is not intended to replace medical advice. For a complete test or evaluation of your hearing, please consult an audiologist. * Based on the results of the clinical study conducted by NAL; the average score for those with a cochlear implant is 80 percent. These results assume the participant has been treated by a hearing health professional with appropriately fitted hearing aids. ** Covered for Medicare beneficiaries who meet CMS criteria for coverage. Coverage for adult Medicaid recipients varies according to state specific guidelines. Contact your insurance provider or hearing implant specialist to determine your eligibility for coverage. Please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could affect your outcome. Always read the instructions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information. Cochlear Limited 2020. All rights reserved. SOURCE Cochlear Limited Related Links http://www.Cochlear.com/US A nationwide curfew could be introduced across Britain, forcing businesses to close from 10pm, according to reports. It comes after drinkers in Bolton were told to finish their pints before being kicked out of pubs early in an attempt to curtail young people partying, which is thought to have led to a surge in coronavirus cases. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said bars and restaurants in the city will only be allowed to serve takeaway and must close between 10pm and 5am. Mr Hancock said Bolton had 120 cases per 100,000 people, as contact tracing revealed the rise was fuelled by citizens in their 20s and 30s spending time in pubs. According to The Daily Telegraph, ministers could extended the "curfew" to the entire country, after the measure had success in Belgium. A senior Government source told the paper that ministers have discussed the possibility of extending the curfew. Jeremy Hunt, Tory chairman of the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee, asked the Health Secretary on Tuesday if the Government will look to South Korea and Hong Kong as examples of good practice for stemming an increase in cases and avoiding a second lockdown. Responding, Mr Hancock told the Commons: "In some countries, not only in the Far East but also closer to home, they have seen a rise in cases especially among younger people, taken action and that has turned the curve. "That's particularly true, for instance, in Belgium which we were very worried about a month ago but the case rate has come right down when they put a curfew in place." Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces further restrictions to combat coronavirus in Bolton He added: "We'll be stepping up the communications, making sure that people are reminded very clearly with clarity of the rules. "We'll be taking action to step up enforcement too to make sure that we can keep this virus under control until we can build up both the mass testing capacity and, as I mentioned in my statement, ultimately the vaccine on which the scientists are doing great work, but all vaccine work is uncertain until we get clarity from the regulators that it's safe and effective to use." It is thought a disregard for social distancing rules amongst people in their 20s and 30s is responsible for the rising number of cases in Bolton. In a statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr Hancock said: "Unfortunately after improving for several weeks, we've seen a very significant rise in cases in Bolton. "We will restrict all hospitality to takeaways-only and we'll introduce a late-night restriction of operating hours which will mean all venues will be required to close from 10pm to 5am." He added: "Young people do not just spread the virus to each other. They spread the virus to their parents and their grandparents. Loading.... "I know social distancing can be hard, and how it can be extra-tough for students who will be starting university - but please, stick with it and play your part in getting this virus under control." Barr says the case should go to federal court, as it involves rape allegation denials made by Trump while president. US Attorney General William Barr has defended his offices intervention in a defamation lawsuit by a woman who accused President Donald Trump of raping her before he was president. In a court filing on Tuesday, the Department of Justice asked to move the case to federal court and sought to install its own lawyers to replace Trumps private legal team. Justice Department lawyers argued that Trump was acting within the scope of his office as president when he denied raping former Elle magazine advice columnist E Jean Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. He also denied knowing Carroll. The department said it had authority under the federal Westfall Act to move the case from a New York state court and substitute the United States as the sole defendant, potentially putting taxpayers on the hook for defence costs. Speaking at an unrelated news conference, Barr said case law made it clear that elected officials who answer questions while in office about even personal matters are entitled to be defended by government lawyers. Any defamation claim is subject to US law, Barr said on Wednesday. This was a normal application of the law. The law is clear. It is done frequently. The filing came one month after a New York state judge rejected Trumps bid to delay the case, putting Carrolls lawyers in a position to have Trump answer questions under oath, perhaps before the November 3 election, and submit a DNA sample. Unprecedented Former federal prosecutor Melanie Sloan said the Department of Justices intervention in the apparent personal matter was unprecedented. The Department of Justice has never been used this way before, and Mr Trump has a very willing accomplice in the Attorney General [William] Barr whos been willing to take whatever the president asks and go forward and do it, she told Al Jazeera. I think most Americans would be very unhappy to realise that the Department of Justice is now basically acting as the private lawyer for President Trump. Sloan added that the departments argument didnt have a leg to stand on and is likely a delay tactic because the case could have proven embarrassing for Mr Trump before the election, with documents and a deposition and even the DNA. How far he is willing to go Columnist Carroll has said Trump lied about attacking her, and smeared her integrity by concocting other lies to explain why she would make up the rape accusation. Her lawyer said: Trumps effort to wield the power of the US government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent, and shows even more starkly how far he is willing to go to prevent the truth from coming out. Trump has in multiple cases claimed immunity from civil lawsuits in state courts. In rejecting that claim in Carrolls case, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Verna Saunders cited a recent US Supreme Court decision not to block a subpoena for Trumps tax returns by Manhattans district attorney. KALISPELL, Mont., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ClassOne Technology announced the sale of its Solstice LT electroplating system to Jenoptik for manufacturing semiconductor material for high-power diode lasers at its semiconductor production facility in Berlin-Adlershof, Germany. High-power diode lasers play an important role in optical pumping of solid-state lasers as well as in direct use applications such as material processing, sensing as well as in healthcare & life science. The dual-chambered Solstice LT is specially configured for high-performance gold processing. The announcement was made jointly by ClassOne CEO, Byron Exarcos, and Dr. Juergen Sebastian, plant manager of the Jenoptik facility in Berlin. Solstice LT Electroplating System from ClassOne Technology "The new Solstice LT will replace a manual plating wet bench," explained Dr. Sebastian. "This will significantly improve process stability, plating quality as well as reduce our metallization step costs. That's important because at Jenoptik, we build all the semiconductors that go into our diode lasers in-house. The new Solstice LT electroplating system thus ensures very high quality, performance and service life of our end products. Moreover, the new system also promotes Jenoptik's policy of sustainability thanks to the new electrolyte technology." "The Solstice LT for Jenoptik is specially configured with our GoldPro processing chamber," said Exarcos. "GoldPro can deliver unprecedented levels of repeatability wafer-to-wafer, die-to-die, within-die, and within-feature. The bottom line is exceptional uniformity and reproducibility, along with reduced cost of ownership." With the new electroplating system, Jenoptik is now able to process different GaAs wafers sizes to accommodate different customer requirements. Another reason for selecting Solstice was the flexibility of its design, which readily allows the handling of multiple wafer sizes on the same tool. "We're proud to be on the Jenoptik team because their semiconductor lasers are industry leaders," said Exarcos. "Their quality is based on advanced manufacturing, with strict quality controls and state-of-the-art process technologies. It's an environment in which Solstice can play an integral role, and we're looking forward to the next generations of Jenoptik diode lasers!" ClassOne Solstice systems provide high-performance electroplating specifically for 200mm wafer processing. The Solstice series includes fully-automated 8-chamber and 4-chamber systems with up to 75-wph throughput as well as a 2-chamber semiautomated configuration that can be used both for process development and production. In addition to electroplating, the unique Plating-Plus capabilities of the Solstice platform enable it to handle many other important functions, such as wafer cleaning, high-pressure metal lift-off, resist strip, UBM etch, and more. Solstice's class-leading performance and flexibility consistently make it the tool of choice for 200mm plating. About ClassOne ClassOne Technology (classone.com) provides innovative new wet-chemical wafer processing solutions, including electroplaters, spin-rinse-dryers, spray solvent tools and more. The company focuses on making advanced technology available to users of 200mm substrates such as compound semiconductor and many emerging markets, who traditionally have been underserved by the larger equipment manufacturers. Based in Kalispell, Montana, ClassOne Technology is built upon decades of experience from industry veterans creating high-performance semiconductor equipment. ClassOne Technology is a sister company to ClassOne Equipment (ClassOneEquipment.com), long respected as the industry's premier provider of refurbished name-brand processing tools, with over 2,500 systems installed worldwide. About Jenoptik Jenoptik (jenoptik.com) is a globally-operating technology group, active in three photonics-based divisions, Light & Optics, Light & Production, and Light & Safety, together with its mechatronics business managed under the VINCORION brand name. Optical technologies, systems, and solutions form the basis of the company's business. Key markets include security & defense, semiconductor equipment, medical technology, mechanical engineering, traffic, aviation and automotive industries. With a broad portfolio of technologies, the Light & Optics division is a global OEM supplier of solutions and products in the fields of optics, laser technology, digital imaging, opto-electronics and software. For more information, contact: Byron Exarcos ClassOne Technology 109 Cooperative Way Kalispell, MT 59901 tel: +1 (678) 772-9086 email: [email protected] Solstice, GoldPro, and Plating-Plus are trademarks of ClassOne Technology. SOURCE ClassOne Technology Related Links https://classone.com Delta Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, on Wednesday, attributed the security challenges inhibiting socio-economic development of the nation to a multiplicity of factors including a high rate of poverty, unemployment and the geometrical increase in the population of the country. Governor Okowa disclosed this while playing host to the Country Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Vladimir Kreck and the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Abubakar Suleiman, who were in Government House, Asaba for a courtesy call. He said that there was need to look at the totality of the governance approach to security reforms such that it is not just about security agencies, saying many times we blame the security agencies rather than address the root causes of the challenges. According to him, the nation must address the critical issues concerning poverty and unemployment as well as the growing family size in the contemporary Nigerian society as a way of tackling the challenges of insecurity in the country. While thanking the Countrys Representative of KAS for his promise to give support in the area of security sector reforms, the governor noted that the nation needed reforms in the security sector to mitigate its security challenges. The security situation in the country is as a result of multiplicity of challenges that we have; the unemployment situation is high, there is no doubt; the level of education is low; so when there is a lot of ignorance, the poverty rate is high and when you have a combination of all these, and more importantly is the fact that the population size is high. And when you have poverty combined with high population, you are running into a very big problem because you are giving room to families that would continue to breed more and more poverty. It creates a situation that the country would find very difficult to manage and that is exactly where we are heading to. So, it is important that we look into the entire foundation to ascertain where we have gone wrong. So as we address the reforms in terms of approach, information gathering and even going into modern architecture, we must address the issues concerning poverty and unemployment and the growing family size. Until we address the root cause of the security challenges which borders on poverty, unemployment and the growing family size, we may not be able to tackle security issues frontally. As populated as Nigeria is, the more secure that we are as a country, the better for the world because if we are not able to secure ourselves, we will create problem not only for ourselves, we create problems for the world. So, I pray that your assistance will help in one way or the other to help lighten the security burden that we have at the moment. With the cooperation of both national and sub-national government, I am sure that we would definitely be in a position to begin to carry out reforms that would gradually change the scenario as we see it as at today because it is not the best, he added. He applauded the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) for their unwavering commitment towards building legislative capacity in the country. The legislature is an arm of government that we tend to play down on and unfortunately as a nation, for several years, we went through military rule and through those period, there was no room for the growth of legislative studies or growth of personnel in the performance of legislative duties. Even now that we have had a consistent democratic government in the last 20 years, there is still a lot of room for improvement and we thank God that you (KAS) have started partnering with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) to go round the states. It is not just enough to build the National Assembly because the National Assembly alone does not make up the legislature. And until we are able to impact very strongly and build the capacity at sub-national levels, we will be going on the wrong path. The executive governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Twitter handle of Mr Okowa] I am proud of the Delta State House of Assembly because once you are eager to learn, the more effective and efficient you will be in delivering your duties and we do know that the legislature is very important in the running of a democratic government because of its checks and balances roles. It is not possible that the executive arm of government alone runs the totality of government otherwise, it will become a mini dictator within the governance structure. That is why it is actually very important that the legislature is able to stand strong and they can only stand strong when they are well informed. I want to appreciate you people for offering the services that you offer. I must also appreciate the NILDS because you have upped your games in trying to reach out to improve legislative capacity across the nation, Governor Okowa said. Earlier, the Country Representative of KAS, Vladimir Kreck, who was accompanied by the Director-General of NILDS, Abubakar Suleiman, told the governor that the mandate of the German Foundation was to support democracy and good governance, adding that they were in the state to promote capacity of the legislature through training workshop. He, therefore, commended Governor Okowa for his sustained support to the state legislature to build capacity through training since his administration came on board. Goldman Sachs told employees that it would allow them to return to the office in shifts, a rotational approach similar to what JPMorgan Chase announced last month for its investment bank. In a memo sent Wednesday from Goldman CEO David Solomon and his top deputies, the bank alerted its workforce that it was preparing for more employees to return to its offices around the world. "Over the coming days and weeks, colleagues in those offices will hear from their divisional, business and/or local leadership about what to expect for the months ahead, including team rotations in the office where possible, with the goal of giving everyone who can do so an opportunity to come in to their office," Solomon said. Wall Street's traders and bankers have mostly been working from home since March because of the coronavirus pandemic. With cases seemingly under control in New York and London, banks are now wrestling with how to get more of their staff safely back to the office. For JPMorgan, the answer is to allow workers to cycle between days at the office and at home. At Goldman, each business will have its own approach, and some may not need to use worker rotations, according to a person with knowledge of the bank's deliberations. The method will be used for teams where more workers want to return, making it harder to keep people socially distanced at the office without shifts, the person said. "Importantly, this rotational approach will not look the same for everyone, as we each navigate unique personal responsibilities for example, planning around adjusted school schedules, managing personal and family health conditions, and not being comfortable commuting to the office during peak hours, among many other considerations," Solomon said. Read more: JPMorgan will have staff cycle between office and remote work in a move that may remake Wall Street WASHINGTON A whistleblower is accusing top Trump administration homeland security officials of violating laws and policies by lying to Congress and manipulating intelligence reports to conform with President Donald Trump's political agenda. A written complaint by Brian Murphy, who was a top Department of Homeland Security intelligence analyst, accuses top DHS officials of blocking analysis of Russian election interference, watering down intelligence reports about corruption and violence fueling a refugee flow from Central America, and "modify(ing) assessments to ensure they matched up with the public comments by President Trump on the subject of ANTIFA and 'anarchist' groups." The complaint also says DHS gave false information to Congress last year about the numbers of suspected terrorists crossing the southern border. That allegation mirrors the findings of an NBC News report in January 2019, which determined that the Trump administration was misrepresenting the data on suspected terrorists crossing the southern border, claiming thousands when in fact there were almost none. "The whistleblower reprisal complaint depicts a sustained and disturbing pattern of misconduct by senior Trump administration officials within the White House and DHS," said a statement by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who released the complaint Wednesday afternoon. Schiff said the complaint "outlines grave and disturbing allegations that senior White House and Department of Homeland Security officials improperly sought to politicize, manipulate, and censor intelligence in order to benefit President Trump politically." He added: "This puts our nation and its security at grave risk." According to the complaint, Murphy served from March 2018 until July 31, 2020, as principal deputy under secretary in the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis. On Aug. 1, the complaint says, he was demoted to the role of assistant to the deputy under secretary for the DHS Management Division. The complaint says the demotion was in retaliation for the concerns he repeatedly raised. Story continues Murphy, a Marine veteran and former FBI agent, was hired to play a key role in DHS' intelligence collection and analysis operation, the complaint says. The complaint says he made a series of internal complaints about actions taken by three top officials: Nielsen; Chad Wolf, who is serving as acting DHS secretary; and Ken Cuccinelli, the deputy DHS secretary. The complaint says that in mid-May 2020, for example, Wolf "instructed Mr. Murphy to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States, and instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran." Image: Brian Murphy (DHS) The Trump administration has sought to emphasize the roles of China and Iran because the countries are assessed by intelligence agencies to prefer that Trump loses the election. But as NBC News has previously reported, officials briefed about the intelligence say only Russia is actively interfering in the election, trying to undermine Democrat Joe Biden and help Trump. Murphy said Wolf's instructions about Russia "specifically originated from White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien." "Mr. Murphy informed Mr. Wolf he would not comply with these instructions, as doing so would put the country in substantial and specific danger," it says. In July, the complaint says, Murphy was ordered to delay an intelligence report about Russian disinformation efforts. Wolf told Murphy that the intelligence notification should be "held" because it "made the President look bad," the complaint says. Murphy objected, the complaint says, "stating that it was improper to hold a vetted intelligence product for reasons of political embarrassment." Wolf then excluded Murphy from future meetings on the subject. The description of the complaint matches up with a report on Russian efforts to raise questions about Biden's mental and physical health that was held up in July, as DHS acknowledged last week. In a statement, DHS spokesperson Alexei Woltornist said, The Department generally does not comment on the specifics of OIG referrals, but we flatly deny that there is any truth to the merits of Mr. Murphys claim. DHS looks forward to the results of any resulting investigation and we expect it will conclude that no retaliatory action was taken against Mr. Murphy. As Acting Secretary Wolf outlined in his State of the Homeland Address [Wednesday], DHS is working to address all threats to the homeland regardless of ideology. The Acting Secretary is focused on thwarting election interference from any foreign powers and attacks from any extremist group. The complaint says Murphy repeatedly tried to set his bosses straight about the lack of terrorists crossing the southern border but was rebuffed. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics In December 2019, the complaint says, Murphy attended a meeting with Cuccinelli and David Glawe, then the top DHS intelligence official, to discuss intelligence reports about conditions in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Cuccinelli "stated he wanted changes to the information outlining high levels of corruption, violence, and poor economic conditions in the three respective countries," the complaint says, adding that Cuccinelli "accused unknown 'deep state intelligence analysts' of compiling the intelligence information to undermine (President Trump's) policy objectives with respect to asylum." Cuccinelli ordered Murphy and Glawe "to identify the names of the 'deep state' individuals who compiled the intelligence reports and to either fire or reassign them immediately," the complaint says. Murphy later told Glawe that the instructions were illegal, an abuse of authority and improper administration of an intelligence program. About the recent protests, the complaint says, Wolf and Cuccinelli instructed Murphy "to modify intelligence assessments to ensure they matched up with the public comments by President Trump on the subject of ANTIFA and 'anarchist' groups." Murphy refused, the complaint says. Schiff has subpoenaed him to appear for sworn closed-door testimony on Sept. 21. I worked with Brian Murphy at the FBI, John Anticev, a retired FBI counterterrorism agent, told NBC News. His credentials, work ethic and reputation at the Joint Terrorism Task Force were impeccable. His commitment to honesty and integrity in government service as an Agent and Marine Officer is unquestionable. He really is a Boy Scout. Murphy's complaint initially accused Kirstjen Nielsen, then the secretary of homeland security, of providing false testimony in December 2018 to Congress about the number of known or suspected terrorists who crossed the southern border. His lawyers issued a clarification Thursday evening retracting that allegation, saying instead that the incorrect information was given to members of Congress in a PowerPoint presentation, at a meeting led by Nielsen at the White House in January of this year. In a statement issued before the retraction, James Wareham, an attorney for Nielsen, said, "Mr. Murphy's allegations about Secretary Nielsen's testimony are demonstrably false. She never represented that thousands of known or suspected terrorists (KTSs) crossed the Southern Border." Baghdad French President Emmanuel Macron met Iraqi leaders yesterday on his first visit to Baghdad, where he stressed the war-scarred country must assert its sovereignty despite being caught up in US-Iran tensions. Coming straight from a twoday trip to crisis-hit Lebanon, Macron is the most prominent world leader to visit Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhemi came to power in May. The trip aims to launch an initiative alongside the UN to support a process of sovereignty, Macron said on the eve of his Iraq visit. In Baghdad, he voiced his support for his Iraqi counterpart Barham Saleh to help fight Islamic State group sleeper cells and resist foreign interference. Iraq has been going through a challenging time for several years, with war and terrorism as well as multiple foreign interventions, Macron said. You have a transition to lead, he added. France will be by your side so the international community can help. But there were few details on the much-vaunted sovereignty initiative. Iraqi officials told AFP they were not expecting new financial or military aid. President Saleh said he looked forward to a longer visit by Macron in 2021, and Al Kadhemi said he hoped France and Europe as a whole could help restore stability to the rocky region. We do not want to be an arena for confrontations but a zone of stability and moderation, the Iraqi premier said, adding that France and Iraq would sign energy agreements in the future and deepen military cooperation. France has stressed its signs of support for Iraq in recent months. Top diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was the only minister to accompany Macron from Lebanon to Iraq, had also visited Baghdad in July and urged the leadership there to dissociate itself from regional tensions. Macron last week insisted that the fight for Iraqs sovereignty is essential. He said Iraqis, who had suffered so much, deserved options besides domination by regional powers or Islamist extremists. States planned to expand voting by mail before the November elections after the coronavirus pandemic struck the United States earlier this year. According to numerous government officials, it is a safer alternative to in-person polling places. Dangers of mail-in ballots However, right-wing media and groups have continued to highlight alleged instances of voter fraud in different forms since the announcement of voting by mail. Regardless of having no evidence behind their claims, this election was no different. U.S President Donald Trump heavily criticized the use of mail-in ballots and stated on numerous occasions that it would result in voter fraud. A similar claim emerged after a report from Fox10 came about that 19,000 fraudulent driver's licenses had been seized by U.S Customs and Border Protection or CBP at Chicago O'Hare International Airport from early 2020 until June 30. Also Read: US Presidential Elections: Who Leads the Race? Can Stock Market Predict the Next President? Conservative websites like Finish the Race latched onto this story and shared the same post. They argued that the fraudulent licenses would be used to enable record numbers of illegally cast votes through mail-in ballots. Fake ID's have been around for years, made by local criminals. However, the timing of these IDs coming out of China at the same time Democrats are demanding that no ID required universal mail-in voting has sent up red flags. If the Democrats are successful, the mail-in ballot system might produce millions of illegally cast votes for Democratic candidates on November 3, 2020. Were the fake licenses seized? Numerous people are now looking for claims that the fake licenses could result in millions of illegally cast votes for Democrats in the November election. However, there is no obvious or definitive answer. The CBP confirmed that it seized 19,888 counterfeit U.S driver's licenses from January 2020 to June 30 in a Chicago airport. The majority of these shipments arrived from China and Hong Kong. The licenses were for various people in different states, and largely for college students. Some licenses shared the same image but showed different biographical data. In a news report, the CBP said that fraudulent documents like these usually lead to identity theft, critical infrastructure protection, worksite enforcement, and fraud linked to immigration-related crimes. However, while reports of the fraudulent documents were accurate, a spokesperson of CBP stated that officials had no concrete evidence that the fake IDs could be used by people to register to vote. The spokesperson added that they were not able to speculate on the question raised by the public. The CBP also pointed out the bar codes, which contain a digital record of a person's personal information. The bar codes on the fake IDs had been made in such a sophisticated manner that they could pass through a scanner at an establishment such as a restaurant or bar. Michigan secretary of state spokesperson, Tracy Wimmer, said that producing a real person's license, with the exact signature and bar code information was virtually impossible. Wimmer said that voters were validated through many avenues, including contacting the department of state to verify photographs and driver's license number. The signature of the voter must also match the signature that the government has on file when they apply for a ballot. Related Article: Around 100,000 Protesters Demand Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to Resign, Insists Election Was Rigged @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. West Bengal: Sunderbans billed endangered ecosystem, mangroves show signs of climate-resilience by Joydeep Thakur September 09,2020 | Source: Hindustan Times The Sunderbans in West Bengal a UNESCO world heritage site and home to the only tiger that lives in mangroves has been categorized as an endangered ecosystem by a team of scientists from four countries. But there is a silver lining too. The researchers have found that the worlds largest mangrove system, which has been degraded because of unbridled human activities in the past, is showing signs of stabilization and is gradually becoming resilient to climate change. The Sunderbans, which has seen much degradation in the past, has been categorized as an endangered ecosystem according to the International Union for Conservation of Natures The Red List of Ecosystems. Felling of trees for human settlement over the past few centuries which has degraded the mangrove to a large extent and the declining fish population were the two primary reasons to tag the delta as an endangered one. Ongoing threats, including climate change and reduced freshwater supply may further impact the delta, said Punyasloke Bhadury, who heads the Centre for Climate and Environmental Studies at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research. The IUCNs Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) is a global standard for assessing the risk of ecosystem collapse. The Giant Kelp Forest in Alaska, the tidal flats of Yellow Sea in east Asia and Lake Burullus in Egypt also fall in the endangered category. The Gnarled Mossy Cloud Forest in Australia and Gonakier forest in Senegal are two critically endangered ecosystems. The Aral Sea which has dried up has been tagged as a collapsed ecosystem. However, mangrove extent has since stabilised, tiger numbers are slowly recovering and analysis of mangrove condition highlights that only a small proportion of the forest is classified as degraded. We are cautiously optimistic about the future of the Indian Sundarbans, said Michael Sievers, a scientist with School of Environment and Science at Griffith University in Australia and the corresponding author of the research paper. The study was done by researchers from various institutes including the Oxford University and Griffith University in four countries India, UK, Australia and Singapore. The findings have been published in the latest issue of Biological Conservation-- a journal of the Elsevier group. The Sunderbans sprawls over 10,200 sq km. While 4200 sq km lies in West Bengal in India, the remaining 6000 sq km is in Bangladesh. Around 200 tigers have adapted to this mangrove and hence have acquired global importance. The scientists have analysed data of past five decades till March 2020, which means even though they have included the effects of Cyclone Aila in 2009 and Cyclone Bulbul in November 2019, they missed out the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan in May 2020. Cyclone Amphan had devastated almost one third of mangrove forest, top forest officials had said. The scientists have warned that despite the positive signs, several threats remain. Impacts from hydrological modifications and salinity alterations, from climate change and sea level rise, and from coastal erosion and reduced sediment supply all need to be properly monitored and managed where possible. The findings have been shared with authorities of the state pollution control board and the forest department. We are planting around 50 million saplings of mangrove species in the Sunderbans to cope with the loss which the delta has suffered during Cyclone Amphan. The tiger population has increased from 88 to 96 in the past one year. A series of measures such as generating jobs though MGNREGA are being taken for the villagers, said VK Yadav, chief wildlife warden of West Bengal. Getty Images En espanol | Retired service members with Tricare Select health insurance who enlisted in the military before 2018, known as Group A retirees, must start paying an annual enrollment fee beginning next year to remain insured. Members must arrange their payment before Tricare's open enrollment period ends Dec. 14. How much is the annual enrollment fee? The annual fee is $150 for those on an individual plan and $300 for a family plan. To ease the financial strain, Tricare has broken the fee into monthly payments. This equates to $12.50 a month for individuals or $25 a month for a family plan. The enrollment fee will apply toward the catastrophic cap, the most you will pay out of pocket annually, which will increase from $3,000 to $3,500 beginning Jan. 1. Is anyone exempt from the new Tricare Select enrollment fee in 2021? Yes: Active duty family members Survivors of a service member who died on active duty A medically retired retiree or family member How do I pay? In order to maintain health coverage, affected retirees need to set up their monthly payment method during Tricare's open season (Nov. 9 to Dec. 14) with their regional contractor, such as Humana Military in the East, HealthNet Federal Services in the West, and International SOS Government Services overseas. Members are encouraged to pay by allotment, in which a deduction is made from their retired pay account. If you do not receive retired pay though a military pay center, the fee can be paid by providing bank account, credit card or debit card information. In a year where literally everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong and that too on top of a global freaking pandemic, if Donald Trump getting a Nobel Prize nomination gets called the most expected thing to ever happen, then you know it's bad. US President has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for the important role he played in brokering peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. He has been nominated by right-wing Norwegian politician Christian Tybring-Gjeddee, who had nothing but praises for the US Pres. Talking about Trump, he said, "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees." Reuters His nomination letter stated, "As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game-changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity. As anyone can imagine, this news was obviously met with a lot of disbelief, and some cursing at the worst year we've ever seen. Come on, 2020, are you even real at this point? People are just pretending the pandemic doesn't exist, there's a new horror inflicted upon the world, and now this. It all feels like a fever dream. A cruel joke. Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for helping Israel-UAE peace deal. But what about his instigation against Blacks? It's a cruel joke with Black community. Suraj Kumar Bauddh (@SurajKrBauddh) September 9, 2020 By a long shot. 2020 is the most bizzare year ever https://t.co/KhpsmrEoec Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) September 9, 2020 Important question. Nobel Peace Prize hai ya Star Parivaar awards ? #NobelPeacePrize Baba Yaga (@SurtiChurti) September 9, 2020 This will end well. The guy who threatens nuclear war because of hurt feelings nominated for Nobel Peace Prize!!!#NobelPeacePrize #TrumpIsANationalDisgrace pic.twitter.com/cc9MKBZEBG Melani (@MelaniWilliam87) September 9, 2020 Sounds fair. If Donald Trump can been nominated for #NobelPeacePrize, why can't we nominate Nirmala Sitharaman for Economics? pic.twitter.com/fFypqxt4Ah Rais Shaikh (@rais_shk) September 9, 2020 Sadly, he's not. Whoever nominated @realDonaldTrump for the 2021 #NobelPeacePrize is trolling, surely? pic.twitter.com/FzTyhdVS9N The Rise Of Get Porganised (@Simonhooper) September 9, 2020 Oops. Donald Trump amongst other Nobel Peace Prize Nominees#NobelPrize #NobelPeacePrize pic.twitter.com/GexLtRewsr Anant//Sam || Peraltiago Stan Acc (@FancyAdjective) September 9, 2020 Yep. Trump has been nominated or the #NobelPeacePrize for not doing anything? Sounds about right. David Former Trump Supporter Weissman (@davidmweissman) September 9, 2020 Elon, when are you taking us to Mars? So you think that surely 2020 can't get anymore fucked up, then suddenly Trump gets nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Stop the fucking world, I wanna get off #NobelPeacePrize Tilley (@Tillz75) September 9, 2020 Just saying. Adolph Hitler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1939 by a member of the Swedish parliament, E.G.C. Brandt. Just sayin. #Trump#NobelPeacePrize Magnolia Viper (@OleanderNectar) September 9, 2020 Seems like it. Donald trump getting nominated for #NobelPeacePrize What's next? Badshah for Grammy's. 2020 has officially lost it. pic.twitter.com/ItTBfGNDsg K (@_javeri_) September 9, 2020 The year is gone. Donald trump has been nominated for the #NobelPeacePrize. Thats it Im done time to go back to sleep, wake me up when this is all over Emotional Politics (@alex1DayDeals) September 9, 2020 Hmm, trends don't lie. Sounds about right. LAS VEGAS Tourism authorities trying to draw people to The Strip have taken a new approach: Pitching Las Vegas as the place to let loose in a mask. That's the sentiment of a new 15-second commercial the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority launched this week with this new tag line: "Keep your mask up, let your hair down." The "mask up" ad comes two weeks after The Mirage casino resort reopened for the first time in five months. The famed resort is one of the last of 13 MGM Resorts hotels in Las Vegas to welcome back guests. Watch the new ad here: An extension of the "What Happens Here, Only Happens Here" campaign unveiled in January, the new ad follows a string of commercials launched in the wake of a COVID-19 shutdown that shuttered The Strip and left thousands jobless. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak lifted his casino closure order in June, allowing companies to reopen resorts on The Strip. Tourism authorities trying to draw people to The Strip have taken a new approach to attracting visitors: Pitching Las Vegas as the place to let loose with a mask. The LVCVA quickly launched a 30-second commercial called "The Light" to let travelers know the lights of their favorite Las Vegas resorts were about to flip on. The commercial's title described exactly what it showed: A man in a suit flipping a lever that powers up the Strip in a spectacular and colorful fashion. Another ad called "Reimagined" offered a toned-down glimpse of Las Vegas tourism, focusing on outdoor recreation and intimate settings. One shot shows a man and woman in a warm bar conversation, a glass of wine separating them. "Things will be a little different when we open again at least for a while," the narrator says. "We're working to make it more intimate, with more space and the excitement you've come to expect." Ed Komenda writes about Las Vegas for the Reno Gazette Journal and USA Today Network. Do you care about democracy? Then support local journalism by subscribing to the Reno Gazette Journal right here . This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: 'Keep your mask up, let your hair down': Las Vegas' COVID-conscious ad SAN DIEGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Reneo Pharmaceuticals announced today that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products has granted the company orphan drug designation for REN001, an investigational medicine in development for the treatment of LCHAD deficiency, a fatty acid oxidation disorder (FAOD), and MELAS syndrome, a primary mitochondrial myopathy (PMM). REN001 was previously granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of both FAOD and PMM. "Receiving orphan drug designation for REN001 in the European Union, based on our clinical trial results, is an important milestone that underscores the treatment need that exists for patients with genetic myopathies," said Niall O'Donnell, Ph.D., CEO of Reneo Pharmaceuticals. "We are grateful for the support of our clinical sites who are planning to take part in the upcoming FAOD and PMM clinical trials." Reneo is rapidly advancing REN001, a selective PPAR delta agonist, in clinical development as a potential treatment for genetic myopathies, including FAOD and PMM. These myopathies are genetic disorders causing impaired energy production in muscle cells leading to reduced muscle function that adversely impacts daily functions and decreases life expectancy. There are no EMA or FDA approved drugs for treating PMM. Reneo recently announced the completion of a 12-week clinical study in PMM patients with mitochondrial gene defects and a history of myopathy. Data from the study suggest that REN001 was safe and well tolerated in PMM patients. Preliminary positive functional data from this study is aiding in the design of an international clinical trial for PMM, which is expected to start in early 2021. For FAOD patients, a Phase 1b clinical trial is currently recruiting in the U.S. and is expanding to additional international sites, and an observational study is planned to begin later this year. For more info on current clinical trials for REN001, see clinicaltrials.gov. About EU Orphan Drug Designation Orphan drug designation in the European Union (EU) is granted by the European Commission based on a positive opinion issued by the EMA Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products. To qualify, an investigational medicine must be intended to treat a seriously debilitating or life-threatening condition that affects fewer than five in 10,000 people in the EU, and there must be sufficient non-clinical or clinical data to suggest the investigational medicine may produce clinically relevant outcomes. EMA orphan drug designation provides companies with certain benefits and incentives, including clinical protocol assistance, differentiated evaluation procedures for Health Technology Assessments in certain countries, access to a centralized marketing authorization procedure valid in all EU member states, reduced regulatory fees and 10 years of market exclusivity. About Reneo Reneo Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapies for patients with genetic mitochondrial diseases. Many of these diseases are associated with deficiencies in mitochondrial energy production. The company's goal is to improve daily function and quality of life of patients suffering from these diseases, most specifically, by improving how their mitochondria work, preserving muscle function and preventing muscle injury, weakness and wasting. The experienced team of drug development experts, who have collaborated on many successful programs, is dedicated and passionate about finding effective therapies for these complex rare diseases. For more information, please visit www.reneopharma.com. SOURCE Reneo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Related Links http://www.reneopharma.com Cannabis is now available from vending machines in select California dispensaries. Made by California-based Greenstop, the self-serve kiosks can simultaneously serve four customers while still conforming to local regulations. And they couldnt come at a better time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, cannabis is considered an essential business in California, and the system provides dispensaries with a solution to keep customers and sales associates safe. Plus, as an introvert myself, sometimes Im not in the mood to talk to a budtender, and I want to get in and out with my weed. The transaction can happen in seconds, Greenstops executives tell TechCrunch. Greenstop calls it the Smart Dispensary, and thinks of these kiosks as the self-service checkout lane at a grocery store. In this case, a clerk, or a budtender, oversees the operation by granting access after checking IDs and assisting customers when needed. By having this clerk as part of the process, dispensaries conform to regulations and can employ these kiosks as part of their operation. Greenstop was founded and bootstrapped by Timothy Island and James Edwards in 2015; they launched their prototype in 2018. Now, in September of 2020, the company is launching its product, employs 10 people and is looking to raise $5 million to expand the company first in Los Angeles, then throughout California and, finally, expanding nationwide. The Smart Dispensary units are located in two locations at launch: Marina Caregivers in Marina Del Rey, California, and The Healing Touch, in Encino, California. Because each kiosk serves four people, adding one kiosk to a small dispensary can increase sales capacity without hiring a new budtender. Image Credits: Greenstop Initially, the Greenstop machines were designed with just speed in mind. Get in and out with weed as fast as a person could buy a six-pack. Co-CEO Timothy Island tells TechCrunch that after developing the machine, the company discovered other benefits. Story continues [With] the self-service experience, it feels like youre in the drivers seat when youre shopping, Island said. The Greenstop machine features a fully interactive display, allowing the dispensary to upload its entire menu with rich media. Consumers can take their time and read information about strains and types of cannabis. And for the first time, this information is available at a dispensary without talking to someone. Second, the kiosk provides a contact-free shopping experience. The company fitted temporary plexiglass shields to help increase social distancing during the pandemic. Co-CEOs Island and Edwards say in the future, the company expects to launch a mobile app, allowing customers to research and pre-purchase orders from a mobile device. Currently, Greenstop is co-branding the machine along with the dispensaries. By featuring both brands, consumers gain confidence in its legitimacy while Greenstop gains increased brand awareness. The company expects to grow first in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. Eventually, they hope to be in dispensaries throughout California and nationwide. The co-CEOs explain that because the company is not operating as a dispensary, but rather as the maker of a retail product, it can move more quickly into other states. Co-CEO James Edwards said their product is gaining increased attention due to COVID-19. A lot of people see the need not to have to talk to a budtender because, nationwide, you have to talk to a budtender to buy cannabis. Hes right. In some dispensaries, this causes large lines, and space is a premium with social distancing restrictions. COVID-19 is presenting Greenstop with a unique opportunity. Cannabis is booming during the pandemic. Social distancing is becoming the social requirement, and Greenstops product is built and ready to be deployed to make 2020 suck a little bit less. TechCrunch Disrupt 2018 Patients who rely on the U.S. Postal Service for their prescription drugs may have experienced "significant" delays in their deliveries, according to a Senate report released Wednesday, which accused Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of jeopardizing the "health of millions of Americans." Several major U.S. pharmacies told the two Democratic senators leading the investigation - Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Robert Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania - that average delivery times have ticked up since the spring, leading to a flood of angry calls from customers and costly requests to resend their medications. Warren and Casey did not identify the pharmacies, but their report comes nearly three weeks after they asked Walgreens, CVS, and other pharmacies and benefit managers to detail the effects of DeJoy's changes at the Postal Service. This summer, he implemented policies to reduce overtime and mail trips, which postal carriers say have led to backlogs nationwide. Four prescription drug providers told Warren and Casey that delivery times this summer have increased by half a day or more, on average, compared with earlier this year or similar time frames in 2019, according to the Senate report, which was shared early with The Washington Post. Deliveries that might typically take two or three days were instead taking three to four, the lawmakers said, and one pharmacy in particular saw a "marked increase" in the number of shipping delays of seven or more days. "These delays are unacceptable outcomes under any circumstances, but are made even worse by the ongoing pandemic, which has increased demand for mail-order drugs as many Americans are affected by stay-at-home orders or choose to stay at home in order to remain safe," the senators wrote in a letter to the Postal Service's Board of Governors. The medicine delays, in some cases, appear to have started around May, when DeJoy had been tapped for the job but before he officially took the reins. The timeline raises the possibility that the coronavirus pandemic may have contributed to slowdowns for mailed prescription drugs, particularly as patients put new strain on the system by shifting away from in-person pickup to delivery. "Our workforce, like many others, have been impacted by the covid-19 crisis, which has resulted in certain service disruptions," USPS spokesman David Partenheimer said in a statement. He added they are "aggressively working to ensure full service coverage across the network," and touted recent performance data that showed improvements in mail delivery. But Warren and Casey still put much of the blame on DeJoy, pointing to his earlier contention that the new agency practices "should not have impacted anybody." Investigators noted that their inquiry showed that only one of the pharmacies contacted had experienced no significant disruption during the summer - and that the provider said it did not rely extensively on USPS. The company is not named in the report, but Walgreens said in a separate statement that only an "extremely small percentage" of its prescriptions are handled by the Postal Service. Warren and Casey urged the USPS board to take immediate action, stressing that its "failure to fix the service delays caused by Postmaster General DeJoy represent an ongoing public health threat and a dereliction of your responsibility to the American public." Warren added in a statement that DeJoy should resign or be fired. The Senate Democrats' findings threaten to add to the headaches already facing DeJoy, whose changes to the mail service in the name of austerity have evoked widespread suspicion and condemnation. On Monday, top House Democrats opened their own investigation, focusing on reports that DeJoy urged employees at his former business to donate to GOP candidates, then boosted their pay. Lawmakers on the House Oversight and Reform Committee have raised the possibility that DeJoy misled them under oath. The congressional scrutiny began almost as soon as DeJoy assumed the title of postmaster general on June 15. The ally of President Donald Trump and former top Republican fundraiser set about seeking to right the budget of USPS, which has racked up $160.9 billion in debt amid declines in first-class mail delivery and the spiraling cost of retirement benefits. But DeJoy's initiatives, including planned service reductions and the removal of mailboxes, sparked backlash particularly among Democrats, who feared they could undermine the 2020 presidential election - particularly because Trump has openly has sought to discredit voting by mail, claiming without evidence that it will lead to rampant fraud. DeJoy announced last month that he would suspend some of his significant changes to mail processing and delivery until after the election, but his efforts have hardly quieted his congressional critics. Democrats say they have heard an earful from constituents, many of whom have not received their deliveries on time. That includes a groundswell of patients who have had trouble obtaining their prescription drugs through USPS in the middle of a pandemic, Warren and Casey said. To assess the matter, the two Democrats sent letters last month to Cigna Corp., which owns Express Scripts; CVS Health; UnitedHealth Group, which owns OptumHealth; Humana; and the parent company for Walgreens and Duane Reade. T.J. Crawford, a spokesman for Aetna, said the company had not seen the lawmakers' findings but has advocated as part of a Washington coalition for emergency relief funding for USPS. Mark Mathis, a spokesman for Humana, said the company is "seeing increased small parcel shipping volumes across the U.S., impacting all delivery carriers." And Drew Krejci, a spokesman for Optum, said they "continually monitor our shipments and make adjustments as needed." The companies did not answer questions about the extent to which USPS's changes may have created any problems. Other pharmacies and benefit managers did not respond to requests for comment. Lawmakers asked the companies to supply information about the number of customers receiving their prescriptions by mail, the average time it takes for them to be shipped and the extent to which recent Postal Service policy changes have caused new delays for customers or costs to the companies. One company told Senate investigators that its average delivery time increased to 3.6 days in July, compared with 2.7 days last year. Another estimated that it took an average of 3.2 days for its prescriptions to be delivered in July, compared with 2.7 days over the course of 2019. A third shared that the number of prescriptions taking more than five days to arrive has "risen dramatically" since the pandemic began. The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, a nonprofit organization queried by lawmakers, responded that it has not experienced widespread disruption because its members rely on special services, such as refrigeration, that USPS does not provide. But Julie Allen, a top lawyer for the group, said in an interview that it heard scattered reports about delays, particularly affecting patients in need of weekend delivery or those in rural areas. "We have a couple anecdotal events for members that noticed a slowdown particularly the period between March and July," Allen said, adding that it was impossible to tell whether the difficulties, some of which predate DeJoy, are the result of the pandemic or postal changes. The delays still threaten to put seniors, veterans and other Americans at risk of missing much-needed medication, Democratic lawmakers said. They also created headaches for pharmacies, including one that told Senate leaders that it received a fourfold increase in customer calls and inquiries about missing mail-order drugs between May and August. Another said it had an 80% spike in drug reshipments in July, totaling about $700,000 in costs, the report found. In response, Warren and Casey sent a separate letter to the watchdog board that oversees the USPS, urging it to "take quick action to reverse these lapses in service." "As members of the Postal Service Board of Governors, you have both the responsibility and authority to fix this growing problem." Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump on Wednesday of betraying the American people by downplaying the threat of the deadly coronavirus, based on revelations in a new book by Bob Woodward. "He knew and purposely played it down. Worse, he lied to the American people," Biden said before a campaign speech in Warren, Michigan. "He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months." Trump spoke with Woodward, a journalist at The Washington Post and the author of multiple best-selling books, 18 times from Dec. 5, 2019, to July 21, 2020. During the recorded interviews for the book Rage, Trump acknowledged COVID-19 was more deadly and contagious than the flu even as he downplayed its dangers publicly. I wanted to always play it down, Trump told Woodward on March 19, according to excerpts obtained by CNN. I still like playing it down because I dont want to create a panic. Before flying home to Wilmington, Delaware, from Detroit, Biden told reporters traveling with him that he blamed Trump for thousands of deaths from COVID-19 that could have been avoided if the president took more action earlier. I absolutely do, Biden said. Remember what was said by the Columbia medical school. If he had acted one week earlier in March, there would be over 37,000 people alive, according to the experts. Biden contrasted Trump's leadership with that of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who faced huge protests for shutting down the state's economy to hinder the spread of the virus. But Biden said the revelations about Trump came on the day deaths nationwide topped 190,000. "While this deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose," Biden said. "It was a life and death betrayal of the American people." Trump called the book another political hit job Wednesday, despite not having read it, and told reporters he sought to avoid national panic over the virus. Story continues I dont want people to be frightened. I dont want to create panic, Trump said. Certainly Im not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy. Trump said his administration did an incredible job supplying ventilators to any patients who needed them, and in spurring development of vaccines and therapeutics, and by prohibiting arrivals from China. If we didnt do what we did, we would have had millions of people die, Trump said. Asked how the American people could trust him, Trump said he showed leadership and avoided panic. We have to show leadership, Trump said. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden arrives at Detroit Wayne County Airport on his way to meet with United Auto Workers members on Sept. 9, 2020, in Romulus, Mich. Biden, the former vice president, is campaigning in Michigan, a state President Donald Trump won in 2016 by less than 11,000 votes, the narrowest margin of victory in state's presidential election history. Biden has repeatedly urged the Trump administration to take more action to combat the virus, including expanding testing and tracing the contacts of people who are infected. Biden has urged governors to require people to wear masks for three months, in an effort to hinder the spread of the virus. But Trump calls mask-wearing a recommendation and ridicules Biden for wearing one at his public events. Since Im socially distanced, Im allowed to take it off while I speak, Biden said before his speech outside the United Auto Workers regional headquarters. Biden's comments came while campaigning in Michigan, a key battleground state, by proposing to raise the corporate tax rate and penalize companies that move jobs abroad. Trump fought for the 2017 tax cut that reduced the corporate rate to 21% from 35%, and he vows to continue reducing taxes and regulations if reelected. Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes out of nearly 4.8 million cast in 2016. But Democrats hope to flip the state in their favor Nov. 3, along with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Biden leads Trump by an average of 7.5 percentage points in Michigan polls through Wednesday, according to the tracking site FiveThirtyEight.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Joe Biden slams Donald Trump over Bob Woodward book Farmers are using Back British Farming Day to demand that MPs protect Britain's food standards from being undercut by cheaper imports. MPs are being urged to safeguard the UK's high food, environmental and animal welfare standards as the end of the Brexit transition period nears. The public are also encouraged to contact their local parliamentary representatives to show support for Back British Farming Day today (9 September). The NFU's annual initiative, now in its fifth year, is a platform for the industry to show off the importance of British farming for the health of the nation and its contribution to the economy. Farmers and food producers have been using social media to promote their commitment to high production standards. Joe Stanley, a farmer and conservationist from Leicestershire, explained that producers needed the support of MPs and the public more than ever before. "With our exit from the European Union, there's a real danger that our world leading standards in food production will be undercut by future free trade agreements," he said on a video posted on Twitter. "If you care about issues such as animal welfare, and the quality of food on your plates, then this is an issue for you. "Please contact your MPs and let them know this is an issue you care about." It comes as over one million people signed a petition demanding the government to uphold the UK's food and farming standards in any Brexit trade deal. Meanwhile, campaign group Save British Farming (SBF) has also handed out banners and posters to farmers across the UK, urging the government to protect food standards. Merseyside arable farmer Olly Harrison used Back British Farming Day to explain to the public that the best way to back British farming is to look for the Red Tractor. "Never has it been more important to support British farming. We don't know what's going to happen with Brexit, and it's also been an awful year weather wise, yields have been terrible." The NFU highlighted the importance of today: "We will be reminding politicians that British food and farming contributes over 120bn to the UK economy each year and employs four million people. "This autumn will be a critical time for British farming as the Agriculture Bill returns to the Commons to be passed into law and trade negotiations continue with countries across the world. "There has never been a more important time to highlight the crucial role farmers play in feeding the nation and caring for the countryside." MPs are being invited to show their support for farming by wearing a wool and wheatsheaf pin badge in Westminster. How can I get involved with Back British Farming Day? The NFU has listed ways for the public to get involved on Back British Farming Day: Say why youre proud to produce food for the nation and show how you're keeping the nation fed with a short video. Use the Back British Farming day twibbon to add to your profile picture on Twitter. Click on the NFU's Facebook event for Back British Farming Day to stay up to date and ensure you have access to the resources. Reach out to your MP and share your farming images to illustrate why food and farming is important to them. Tag your MP in your Twitter post. If you know your MP, invite them on farm. Invite your MP to wear the wool and wheat-pin badge they will have received from the NFU President Minette Batters and share the picture. See if you can spot your MP wearing a wheat-pin badge in the House of Commons and say thank you on social media. The Views Meghan McCain confronted former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders over the presidents alleged remarks about the military during the debut episode of the shows 24th season. As part of a six-person panel on Tuesday Ms McCain quickly targeted Ms Huckabee Sanders with questions regarding recent accusations in a report by The Atlantic that the president had made derogatory remarks about lost service members and prisoners of war and called them losers and suckers. Ms McCain, the daughter of late former senator and Vietnam veteran John McCain, explained that while usually, she harbours a distrust of unnamed sources as were referenced in The Atlantics article, she feels the accusations have legs" because the president has a record of insulting veterans. The problem as I said before is the president has a pattern of saying incendiary things about people like my father, about people like the Khan family, about people like Col Vindman," Ms McCain said, referring to instances in which Mr Trump has been criticised for his attitude towards veterans. I think if this charge had been levelled anonymously against any other politician, I think people would second-guess it, she added, asking for the former press secretarys perspective on the issue. In response, Ms Huckabee Sanders insisted that the president was consistently respectful towards the military during her time in office. After spending nearly every single day for two-and-a-half years with the president I can tell you I witnessed firsthand the presidents respect and admiration for the men and women of our armed forces. I was one of the few people that were in the room, said Ms Huckabee Sanders, who served as press secretary for Mr Trump between 2017 to 2019, in regards to the accusations in The Atlantic. "Im not an anonymous source, Im going on the record, and Im telling you it didnt happen. Thats not who this president is and thats not how he feels about the men and women in our military. Written by the magazines editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg and drawing on multiple anonymous sources, the article detailed a number of unflattering alleged incidents surrounding the president involving war dead. Mr Trump has fiercely denied the articles claims, asking what animal would say that? and suggested its quotes came from disgruntled former staffers. Probably its a couple of people that have been failures in the administration that I got rid of, Mr Trump told journalists on Thursday. And I couldnt get rid of them fast enough. Or it was just made up Theres not much more I can say. All theyre trying to do is influence a presidential election. The comments from Ms McCain come following a longstanding conflict between the McCains and the president. The late senator and president never hid their mutual disdain for one another and Mr Trump publicly criticised the late senator both while he was alive and following his death. While campaigning in 2015 for the Republican nomination, Mr Trump disputed McCain's title as a war hero. Hes not a war hero, said Mr Trump. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured." The president also doubled down on a bitter tirade against the late senator in 2019 saying: I was never a fan of John McCain and I never will be. At the time Ms McCain, told ABC News that Mr Trump spends his weekend obsessing over great men because he will never be a great man. SRINAGAR: The security forces on Wednesday (September 9, 2020) arrested a suspected terror operative linked to the proscribed terror group Hizbul Mujahideen in J&Ks Kupwara district. According to reports, the Kupwara Police received reliable information that one youth namely Altaf Ahmed Bhat, son of Ali Mohammad Bhat who is the resident of Kanthpora in Sogam Lolab, has come in contact with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists and is being lured to join their ranks. Anticipating that he might face the law for his unlawful actions, the youth absconded from his home. Strenuous efforts were made by the security forces in cooperation with his family and the local police in tracing and apprehending him. During his questioning, it came to fore that he was in touch with recently killed Hizbul Mujahideen commander Hyder through social media while the latter was motivating him to join their ranks. The youth further disclosed that he possessed a grenade that was given to him to target the security forces as a precondition for joining the terrorist ranks. Last night, the Kupwara Police and 47 Batallion, Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army recovered the grenade hidden by him from a nearby nalla in presence of a magistrate. A case FIR no 126/2020 u/s 7/25 Arms Act and Section 13, 18, 39 of the UAPA has been registered at the PS Sogam. Further investigation in the matter is on. Chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy has rejected the idea of building a revenue-earning city to compensate for the loss of Hyderabad to Telangana when Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated in 2014, calling it perverted thinking as mega-cities bring no additional income and instead lead to debt. Nowhere in the world has it been proved. Major cities grow over the decades and centuries. Investing Rs 1,00,000 crore to build a mega metro is not viable. Forget about additional revenue, you cannot even repay the debt [incurred by spending] on infrastructure, Reddy said in an interview to HT. He was responding to a question on his predecessor Chandrababu Naidus idea to build a revenue-earning city comparable to Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad and why not much has been heard of that since Reddy took over. Reddy cited the example of Omaha city in the Midwestern US state of Nebraska with a population of just 400,000. He added 23 of the largest US corporations are headquartered there. That is where [business tycoon] Warren Buffett stays. [Business magnate and Microsoft co-founder] Bill Gates operates from Seattle [in the northwestern US state of Washington with a population of 608,660], he said. Also Read: Jagan govt withdraws subsidy to Discoms, to directly transfer power bill amount to farmers Reddy underlined mega-cities are unwanted, and only drain resources and become a burden on the people. He said none of the top 10 developed countries have a metro and a mega city. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finlandall these developed countries have no mega-cities. Development is not industrialisation or urbanisation. Development means many things like per capita income and happiness index. Reddy said Kerala, too, has no major cities and yet is ahead of other states in terms of several parameters. Development has to be distributed across the state. Visakhapatnam, Anantapuram, Kurnool and Tirupati, and a few other cities can become clusters of development. Ports are being developed. Central Andhra, which is an agriculture hub, can have some agro-logistic parks and all can prosper. Reddy argued revenue gets generated through manufacturing and a proper service sector. Why should the industry be located in urban areas? For instance, Visakhapatnam is not our capital. When it was a small town, a steel plant and a few other industries were set up there a few decades ago. Now, it is emerging as a major city. He added in a similar way, they can have growth centres where industries can be promoted. The Covid-19 experience tells us that most of the cities ultimately become sick. There is a gradual shift from the so-called major cities or metros to medium and small towns. Reddy argued against pouring money into building a congested and a not required urban place. He added money should instead be spent on connecting places and ensuring faster mobility and cost-effectiveness. It is a wrong perception that cities generate more money. Barring a couple of exceptions, greenfield capital cities did not succeed anywhere in the world. He questioned whether the state has resources to build Amravati as per Naidus plan. [US management consulting firm] Boston Consulting Group analysed it from an economic perspective and said its investments are not viable. Also Read: Only way to overcome GST crisis is to borrow money: Jaganmohan Reddy He defended his plans to have separate capitals for executive, judicial, and the legislative arms of the state in Visakhapatnam, Kurnool, and Amravati, saying they should not put all their eggs in one basket. The capitals functions can be distributed among different places. Why all these functions should be delivered from a particular place? The residuary state of Andhra Pradesh suffered twice in the past on account of [loss of] Chennai and Hyderabad. That is what history tells us. If you put all your eggs in one basket, you are going to suffer. Then why you want to continue with the same approach without taking into account past experiences? It is not logical and rationale thinking, he said. The document prepared by the previous [Naidu] regime says that you need Rs 1,00,000 crore [for building the new capital in Amravati]. Instead of planning to build a so-called city at a place which is not suitable for construction of any mega structures on 33,000 acres land acquired or pooled from farmers, he could have planned something on 500 acres elsewhere. Reddy said a special investigating team is probing land deals of his predecessor and his cronies. People with vested interests purchased lands from poor farmers. Then came the announcement of the capital and subsequent scam. Those who purchased land at throwaway prices benefited to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees. It was just a real estate business by the previous regime to benefit a certain section of people. Once the development is diversified and spread across the state, they become centres of growth... Reddy rejected as absurd the suggestion that he wanted to downgrade Amravati to slight Naidu. Why should we bother about Amravati? We believe in the overall development of the state. We did not leave Amravati. The legislature will continue to work from Amravati. He added had there been a referendum option available, they would have gone for it over Amravati. We are confident the people would have given a thumbs up for our decentralised development. A group of farmers have in the high court challenged the move to have three capitals, saying Amravati was made the capital as per a presidential order. The state cannot have three capitals in violation of the order, the farmers have argued. As many as 55 petitions have been filed in the high court challenging the law for the creation of three capitals and abolition of the Capital Region Development Authority for the development of Amravati as the state capital. The Supreme Court last month refused to stay a high court order for the status quo on continuing Amravati as the state capital. It said it cannot interfere in the matter as it was pending before the high court. The Supreme Court also rejected the state governments plea to direct the high court to expedite the hearing in the case. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global gold nanoparticles market is anticipated to reach USD 1.52 billion by 2026 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 10.2 % from 2018 to 2026. Gold nanoparticles market is anticipated to witness significant growth over the forecast period. Growing demand for nano technological medical products, inherent advantages of gold nanoparticles, as well as growing application portfolio in medical field are expected to boost market growth. The global growth in the electronics industry are also expected to contribute to the overall market growth. Inefficient tumor therapy, less developed drug targeting methods, drug resistant tumors, are a major cause for rising number of deaths due to cancer ailments. 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Ask our industry experts: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/gold-nanoparticles-market/speak-to-analyst Gold nanoparticles are used in memory devices. These products are also used to manufacture insulators which display excellent stability and also contribute to the prevention of charge accumulation. Due to their excellent catalytic as well as conductive properties, electronics industry is widely utilizing this material. Research and Development activities are influencing the market growth. Researchers have developed products which can attract and destroy the viruses in the body. These products mimic the human body cells. These products can also be used to cure antimicrobial diseases. Different materials have also been developed to be used to treat ageing skin diseases. The growing medical industry is benefitting the market demand. The prevalent medical industry in North America, as well as strong presence of industry participants is contributing to the regional demand. Strong demand from countries such as China, India and Japan is propelling the Asia Pacific market growth. Companies are focusing on developing regions to gain market share. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 04:19:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday promised to support public health authorities in Germany in the long-term by creating additional jobs and the modernization of information technology. Health authorities played a "very significant role" in keeping the incidence of infection largely under control in Germany so far, said Merkel during her speech at a virtual conference with representatives of the country's public health service. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an "unfathomable extra workload" for health authorities in Germany in terms of tracing infection chains, conducting tests or arranging and managing quarantines, added Merkel. In regions with high COVID-19 infection rates, health authorities had already reached the limit of staff capacities, said Merkel who acknowledged that technical equipment, digital information and communication possibilities "still leave a lot to be desired." The German government allocated 4 billion euros (4.7 billion U.S. dollars) to support public health authorities until 2026. Among other things, around 5,000 new jobs would be created until the end of 2022. "Health authorities are the ones who know best where suitable starting points for change are," stressed Merkel. Enditem BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: The Iranian army will launch the 'Zolfogar 99' naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz in Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean in an area of 2 million square kilometers, tomorrow (September 10), Deputy Coordinator of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said, Trend reports citing Iranian armys official website. According to Sayyari, the three-day military exercises will involve the Navy, Air Force, Land Forces and Defense Forces. The rear admiral added that ships, submarines, including the 'Fatih' submarine and other military equipment will be used in the military exercises. At the same time, Simorgh UAVs will be used in these military exercises, he said. The school year opened Tuesday across South Carolina with a mix of excitement, confusion and emptier classrooms, many with no students at all, as their teachers gave instructions through a computer screen. While some chaos can be expected for any first day back, districts' evolving plans for reopening in the pandemic heightened parents' frustrations over scheduling and how to use school-provided computers. Some didn't even realize their children couldn't return, six months after classrooms were forced to shutter. The state education agency's mask mandate for inside buses and schools seemed to be largely followed. And reminders for students to use their "Superman arms" as overheard at a school in West Columbia made it easier for children to stay apart as they walked the hallways. In all, 32 districts started the school year the day after Labor Day, something unseen in South Carolina in 28 years but encouraged by state officials as a way to better prepare for the unprecedented changes in what learning looks like amid COVID-19. In the Charleston region, only Berkeley County schools opened by offering all students the option of a full week of in-person learning. Nearly half of the district's 31,800 students did so. An almost equal number tuned in virtually but received livestreamed instruction from their teachers to learn along with their classmates. Less than 3 percent chose the district's other virtual learning option, where students largely complete work at their own pace. "I think were going to have more and more kids come back," Superintendent Eddie Ingram told board members Tuesday night. At Howe Hall AIMS (Arts Infused Magnet School) in Goose Creek, Principal Christopher Swetckie looked on with pride as 280 students returned two-thirds of normal enrollment. In classes where it wasn't possible to keep students 6 feet apart, three-sided clear plastic separated them. "Besides the obvious stuff, it's been a great day," Swetckie said. "Learning is happening and that's a great thing to be able to say these days as a principal." In Charleston County, an estimated 13,000 students, or around 25 percent, could take classes in person. Others were learning online either in the "temporary remote" model, waiting for their ability to return, or their parents selected the district's all-virtual option. Some showed up not knowing which model they had been assigned. At Simmons-Pinckney Middle School downtown, Sherrel Brightman and her sixth grade granddaughter were turned away at the door. Brightman thought she had successfully registered her granddaughter for in-person class only to learn Tuesday morning that wasn't the case. She was told her granddaughter needed to go home and sign onto her computer for online classes by 8:30 a.m. "She's disappointed in some sense because she was waiting for this for a long time," Brightman said. She plans to talk with administrators later this week to find out if it's possible for her granddaughter to transfer to in-person school. Another parent, Yulonda Clayton, was also frustrated to learn that her son, an eighth grader at Simmons-Pinckney Middle, was enrolled in the district's online school. Her son, Jacques, showed up outside the building Tuesday morning after he had trouble logging onto his school-issued Chromebook. "I dont want my son to be taught online," Clayton said. "I want him to be in school. I didn't know there was a choice." At West Ashley High School, around 560 students returned to the classroom. Another 75 or so students on the in-person waitlist will likely be able to join by the end of this month, said Principal Ryan Cumback. Normally, the school's enrollment sits at nearly 1,800 students. During class changes, dozens of students flooded the halls. Hallway entrances were marked with small signs and floor arrows that directed the flow of traffic. Almost all students wore their masks properly, although a handful let their face coverings slip below their noses. The lunchroom, which normally holds up to 550 students, now only hosts 160 students at a time, Cumback said. In order to accommodate everyone, the school alternated its daily schedule and has three separate lunch periods. Certain seats at the lunch tables were marked off with blue tape to designate where students could sit. Unmarked seats were spaced out so they were at least 6 feet apart. While most students adhered to the new seating protocol, others ignored it. Teachers and lunch monitors occasionally stepped in to intervene by asking students to move to a different seat not marked off with tape. "Our staff is doing the best they can," Cumback said. A few students exchanged quick hugs and complimented each other on their colorful face masks before joining the winding line of students waiting to get their food. At home, some Charleston families had trouble accessing their online curriculum. Dottie Brown, the principal at Memminger Elementary, said there were some challenges with technology, but that's to be expected. Some parents called the school to say they didn't know how to sign their child on for online learning. Others forgot their child's login information or couldn't access the internet at all. "It was multiple problems that we worked through, but overall I think it was pretty strong. And we'll just continue throughout the week to problem solve and make it as smooth as we can make it," she said. "We'll just continue to get better at it until all of our kids can come back." Despite some of the technology hiccups, the school is in a much better place now with virtual learning than it was this spring, she said. State schools Superintendent Molly Spearman has pledged to legislators that's the case statewide. Dorchester 2 is among districts beginning online only. Not seeing the children in person for the first day of school has been difficult, said Allyson Kahler, a kindergarten teacher at Joseph R. Pye Elementary, which normally holds more than 700 students. On Tuesday, its halls were eerily silent. "I get 20,000 hugs a day," Kahler said. "Its really hard on teachers." By the first day, just six students hadnt picked up their virtual learning equipment. School leaders said thats a good sign. The district is expected to decide Wednesday whether students will be able to return in person by Sept. 21. In the meantime, spaces like the Summerville YMCA opened its doors on Tuesday for the first day of its child care program for members who couldnt remain home with their kids. "This is really allowing people to keep their job," said Jana Chanthabane, director of Summerville YMCA at The Ponds. Around 80 students from kindergarten to seventh grade are signed up to spend their virtual school days at the YMCA facility. Most are Dorchester 2 students. A handful go to a school in Berkeley County. Geny Moringlane, a child development coordinator with the Summerville YMCA, said one of the challenges is getting accustomed to the schedules, since each school is different. "Its a learning process, she said. "Were learning as they learn." Georgetown County also started Tuesday completely virtual. But, as in other all-online districts, teachers still worked from their classroom. While many teachers could welcome students back inside in the coming weeks, depending on the virus and district officials' decisions, Georgetown High School English teacher Jamie Langston is among those who will continue teaching online to students staying in the all-virtual option. "Honestly, I know my way around technology in the classroom, but Im still a little nervous, Langston said. I feel like a first-year teacher. But Im going to do my best today and I think that Ive over-planned." Pleasant Hill Elementary School Principal Teddy Graham readily admitted it's been tough getting ready for such an unprecedented school year. "Its definitely the most difficult thing that Ive encountered in my career, just getting ready for such a vast array of services that were having to provide, he said. In Horry County, students eagerly greeted friends with elbow bumps. But for 13,377 students in the district's virtual program, Tuesday brought more questions and unsatisfactory answers. Many remained without access to their schedules and lacked login information to access the virtual classrooms. The district hopes the all-virtual option will be up and running by Monday. This week, teachers will contact students and parents via email, live meetings and phone, in an effort to meet that goal. Some parents ran thin on patience, complaining their children were mistakenly put in the wrong model. Tia Marie Mahaffey said she met the district's deadline for signing up her son for the all-virtual option, and has proof. But he was placed in a hybrid group that was supposed to report to school Tuesday. "It wasnt my mistake, Mahaffey said. Another Horry County parent, Stephanie Maribel Cruz, said her son landed in the virtual program even though she says she didnt request it. Making things harder, Cruz said, is that her home lacks internet access. Students can get mobile hot spots paid for by the state. They can also come to any school building to access the internet from the parking lots. Across the state, policies prevented parents from accompanying children to their classroom. "I understand it is what it is, its just hard that this is the way it is, said Horry County parent Becky Ballard. Her two children both attend Socastee Elementary. She was especially nervous for her son, Eric Jr., who just started kindergarten. She admitted she's probably more nervous than him about walking in without her. And she took comfort that Eric's protective older sister could look out for him on his first day. Melissa Rutenberg, starting her third year as principal of Forestbrook Middle School, couldnt sleep Monday night out of anticipation of leading a team of teachers and staff through a historic first day of school for Horry County. Asked if she was worried, she responded, "That w word is not in my vocabulary. We are concerned for their safety and that everything goes smoothly. We have done a ton of communication on the front end of students attending our school. Like teachers across the state, Hannah Sweat, a math teacher at Forestbrook Middle, had been preparing throughout the summer to welcome students back into the classroom. "I wanted to make sure I was prepared for basically every outcome and I think that is the same for every teacher in the building, she said. At Northside Middle School in Lexington School District 2, which is just west of Columbia, Principal Matt Schilit noted the strange nature of the first day of the academic year. In his roughly 20 years as an educator, he never envisioned starting school during a pandemic. Masks, social distancing and hybrid schedules are "things, truly speaking, that I never saw coming. But, it's here. And honestly, the kids were just excited (Tuesday) morning to be back in school." The split scheduling and masks make it more difficult for students to get to know their teachers, and each other. But the familiarity will eventually come, said Kathy Jackson, a fifth-grade teacher at Riverbank Elementary School in West Columbia, who's been teaching for a quarter century. "The challenges are trying to get to know the students without really having a lot of face-to-face time," Jackson said. "It's taking some time to get them engaged, but we're getting there." Nick Masuda, Jerrel Floyd, Andrew Miller, Danny Kelly, Jay Rodriguez, Tyler Fleming and Chris Trainor contributed to this report. E ven before the coronavirus pandemic hit, cash was slowly starting to take a backseat in the UK when it came to payments. In 2018, debit cards overtook cash in UK payments for the first time, whilst disappearing ATMs and high street bank branches were making it harder for those who did want to pay with cash to get hold of it in the first place. Over in the Falkland Islands, 8,000 miles away from London, things were very different. It was almost impossible to pay with card. The island's currency, is the Falkland pound, which is pegged to the UK pound, but it was difficult to find anywhere except for the island which meant local businesses would have to take foreign currency from visiting tourists. As well, a lack of ATMs or the infrastructure to facilitate payments meant taking card was a no-go. For business owners like Hattie and Kevin Kilmartin which run Bluff Cove, a tour operator, coffee shop, and store, it meant they could only stock two items to sell in the shop, postcards and fridge magnets, hardly big money makers. It was just too difficult to get the 70,000+ tourists who visit the islands every year from big cruise ships to spend more than $20. Now, a partnership between the Falkland Islands government, Mastercard and the payments tech giant Square has managed to pull the Falklands into the 21st Century, allowing many businesses to accept card payments for the first time. Speaking at a London Tech Week event publicising the partnership, Mastercard Europe president Mark Barnett told the Standard: Businesses in the Falklands previously faced significant challenges in offering convenient and secure electronic ways to pay that most of us in the UK are familiar with and accustomed to. Today, through our partnership with Square and the Falklands Government, the Islands businesses and residents are at the forefront of payment technology, able to make and receive card or electronic payments, whether in person or remotely, which is transforming their opportunities and growing their local economy." It all started after a meeting with UK overseas territories in early 2018 when Barnett met a representative from the island who asked him to help the local businesses take card payments. As part of Project Penguin as it was called in reference to the islands main residents penguins outnumber humans by about 100:1 Mastercard brought on Square, along with the Gibraltar International Bank to ensure the small businesses had bank accounts, to revolutionise the local economy. Small businesses across the island now use Square's payment terminals and card readers / Jane Stockdale The Kilmartins now take 80 per cent of payments through Squares card reader, whilst also using the tech giant's software to manage the shops stock. From selling just two items, they now host about 300 lines including tweed made from the farms wool and to art created by UK-based designers. Its opened up a whole new part of our business and its been really successful because its so simple and safe, explained Hattie. The Falklands Helicopter Service was another one of the local businesses to trial the tech. Its been a game-changer, said MD Sparky Ewen. With Square, we can now take payments online, over the phone and onsite for walk-up bookings. We can run the business on the move and spend less time worrying about cash and more time doing what we love giving a birds eye view of one of the most beautiful places on earth. Installing the infrastructure to help local businesses such as the Kilmartins take card payments is only half the battle. Given how remote The Falklands is, a reliable internet connection can be a struggle. Accepting credit cards through Square means producing electricity out on a remote beach, putting up a mast beaming a signal from our card reader to the nearest point where we could access the local infrastructure for broadband, which was some 30 miles away, explained Kevin. All this is quite complex everything has to work together. To me, thats partly the power of the internet, said Square CEO Jack Dorsey. It makes location irrelevant. As long as the signal is strong, they can be connected and use tools that are just as relevant. Hattie Kilmartin of Bluff Cove / Jane Stockdale If this system doesnt work on the day, however, the Square card reader can still take payments ensuring that if the internet isnt working, the small business owners can still go about their work. The internet doesnt always work so being able to ensure your business still can, and have access to the tools even if the internet happens to be down is really important, Dorsey told the Standard. We want to continue to build for and what are the most important things to get up and running immediately. Coronavirus has had a major impact on the local community given so many businesses rely on tourism. The Kilmartins say previous customers have got in touch about ordering new tweed products, for which they can take payments over the phone. They do have a website but you cant order products from them just yet the nature of shipping from the Falklands is expensive and it could take a while to get to your doorstep, though the couple says this is something they hope to explore in the future. Across the world, the pandemic has accelerated the reliance on card over cash. Though 80 per cent of retail payments are still cash according to Barnett, both him and Dorsey believe Covid-19 will speed up the switch. Card payments are real benefit businesses and we wanted to be able to prove that no matter how remote you are, you can get access to electronic payments, said Barnett. So wheres next on the list? Theres a bunch of Pacific Islands that dont have card payments. Were looking to go there next, he added. KYODO NEWS - Sep 4, 2020 - 20:25 | All, World, Japan A Japanese disaster relief team said Friday it has confirmed there has been no damage from oil spilled from a grounded Japanese freighter off Mauritius on corals and mangroves in wetland sites recognized by the Ramsar Convention. The seven-member team, including five environment experts, has been conducting on-site environmental probes since Aug. 21 at spots including those in two wetlands of international importance -- Blue Bay Marine Park and Pointe D'Esny. "No entry of oil has been confirmed in mangroves, and no oil coating on their roots has been observed either (in the wetlands)," said Noriaki Sakaguchi, a deputy team leader and an ecosystem conservation expert at the Japan International Cooperation Agency, said in an online briefing. "(Blue Bay corals) are healthy as they have not been affected by oil pollution or cloudy water," he said. Along with corals, mangroves are considered a crucial part of the ecosystem because they serve as nurturing grounds for young marine creatures, as well as buffer zones for cyclone waves and tsunami, according to the experts. The team led by Seiji Tashiro, an official of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, has found the wreck of the ship and oil fence ropes crushed corals and made waters near the accident site murky, which put corals under stress as they need sunlight for survival. The team attributed the situation of no damage to installment of oil fences and the direction of ocean current, which is likely to have carried spilled oil away from the Ramsar sites. It also said no significant oil damage was found on Egret Island, near Pointe D'Esny, as many animals and plants had been transferred to mainland Mauritius as a precautionary measure after the accident. "The ecosystem of the entire island has not been threatened by the oil spill," said Yukihiro Haisa, another deputy team leader and a Japanese Environment Ministry official. Japan dispatched the first relief team, consisting of officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Japan Coast Guard and JICA from Aug. 10 to Aug. 23 that provided assistance in on-site oil removal activities. The third team of six members, including experts on corals, mangroves and birds, was set to arrive in Mauritius on Friday, according to JICA. On July 25, the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Wakashio transporting a total of some 3,800 tons of fuel oil and 200 tons of diesel, ran aground near Pointe D'Esny. The vessel is owned by Nagashiki Shipping Co. and operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. More than 1,000 tons of oil have spilled from the vessel since Aug. 6, prompting the Mauritius government to declare an environmental emergency. Related coverage: Japan environment minister vows support for Mauritius over oil spill Japan to provide long-term support to Mauritius after oil spill Mauritius asks Japan for 3.6 bil. yen to help fishermen after oil leak CONWAY, Ark. (September 9, 2020) Hendrix College welcomed the 324 new members of the Class of 2024 in a way no other class has been welcomed in the Colleges 144-year history: with absolutely everyone interacting through computers or mobile devices. This falls new student enrollment was an increase over the prior year. Total enrollment for the 2020-2021 academic year stands at 1,076 undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty and students began the fall 2020 semester Thursday, Aug. 20 with fully remote instruction as the coronavirus pandemic that prompted a mid-March move to remote instruction continues. We are thankful for every student who chooses Hendrix, said Hendrix College President W. Ellis Arnold III 79, noting that new student enrollment is ahead of last year, and retention of returning students was better than the Colleges five-year average. While we miss the energy and excitement of in-person learning on campus, it is inspiring to see our students staying connected to their classmates and succeeding with their education at Hendrix. College administrators have continued to monitor information from the Arkansas Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and Conway Regional Health System, as well as researching additional safety protocols, to prepare for a safe reopening of campus as soon as it is possible. We focus every day on the evolving status of COVID in our community and state, and we look forward with great anticipation to the return of our students to campus, added Arnold. Demographic highlights of the Class of 2024 56% of new students are from Arkansas; 26 U.S. states and one Canadian province are represented in the Class of 2024. Gender representation is 46.7% female and 53.2% male. 21.2% of new students applied for admission under the test-optional policy. Of those who submitted test scores, the average ACT score was 28, and the average SAT score was 1254. 56 are first-generation college students, with 42 of these being from Arkansas. 32.8% of new students are from underrepresented groups: 9.3% African American/Black; 11.6% Hispanic; 5.1% Asian; <1% Native Hawaiian; <1% American Indian/Native American; and 5.8% multi-ethnic. The new class includes 12 Hendrix Aspire Scholars, graduates of Bryant High School (via Aspire partner Arkansas Commitment), Little Rock Catholic High School for Boys, Episcopal Collegiate School, KIPP Blytheville, KIPP Delta Collegiate, Little Rock Central High, and Mount Saint Mary Academy. 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. D etectives have released CCTV footage of a man they want to speak to after a woman was raped in Westminster. Police were called to Royal Street, outside St Thomas Hospital, shortly before 1.30am on November 12, 2019 to a report of a rape. A woman in her forties was physically assaulted before being raped by a man on Royal Street, near the junction with Lambeth Palace Road. The woman is being supported by specialist officers, the Metropolitan Police said. Detective Sergeant Paul Barham said: "This is clearly a horrific incident and we are doing all we can to support the woman and find who is responsible. The man in the CCTV is wearing distinctive clothing so I appeal to anyone who recognises these items of clothing or believes they know who the man is to contact us straight away. The appeal featured on BBC Crimewatch Roadshow on Wednesday. No arrests have been made, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference CAD 379/12NOV. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Brussels, Sep 9 : European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday expressed her concern about the United Kingdom's intention to breach the Brexit agreement, reported Xinhua news agency. "Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement. "This would break international law and undermines trust, " she tweeted. Pope Francis on Monday accepted the resignation of a priest whom he had chosen to become the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese in Duluth, Minnesota, after a nearly 40-year-old allegation of sexual abuse of a minor emerged against the clergyman, church officials said. The priest, Michel J Mulloy, 67, had been scheduled to be installed on 1 October as the bishop of the diocese, which estimated that it serves about 56,000 Catholics at 92 parishes in northeastern Minnesota. But a little more than two weeks after his 19 June appointment by the pope, the Diocese of Rapid City in South Dakota, where Mulloy had been serving as diocesan administrator, was alerted about a sexual abuse allegation against him from the 1980s, church officials said. The bishop-elects resignation came after the Vatican in July told bishops around the world to report cases of clerical sex abuse to the civil authorities, part of an ongoing and contentious effort by Pope Francis to confront a blight on the Catholic Church. James B Bissonette, the diocesan administrator for the Diocese of Duluth, announced Mulloys resignation in a statement on Monday. We grieve with all who have suffered sexual abuse and their loved ones, Mr Bissonette said. I ask you to pray for the person who has come forward with this accusation, for Father Mulloy, for the faithful of our diocese, and for all affected. The Diocese of Rapid City said it informed law enforcement about the allegation and told Mulloy to refrain from engaging in ministry while an independent investigation that it had commissioned was conducted. Based on the findings of that inquiry, the diocese said, the allegation was referred to a lay-majority diocesan review panel, which concluded that it warranted further investigation under canon law. The diocese said it brought the allegation to the attention of the pope. Mulloy did not respond to a phone message seeking comment on Monday, and the diocese did not provide further details about the allegation. It was not immediately clear what capacity Mulloy was serving in at the time. The Rapid City Police Department did not respond to a request for comment Monday, but told The Associated Press that it had no report of allegations against Mulloy. Mulloy, a South Dakota native, was ordained in 1979, according to a post on the website of the Diocese of Sioux Falls announcing his appointment as a bishop. His first assignment was at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City from 1979-81. He was then assigned to Christ the King Parish in Sioux Falls and held positions at several other parishes in South Dakota during the 1980s. The bishops post in the Diocese of Duluth has been vacant since December, when Bishop Paul D Sirba died of a heart attack before celebrating Mass, the Catholic News Agency reported. Mr Bissonette will continue to serve as diocesan administrator until the pope appoints a new bishop. New York Times Indian Navy Ship Nireekshak joined the National Coast Guard of Mauritius in search of the Mauritius Port Authority Tug Sir Gaetan Duval. According to a press release, the diving team confirmed the location of the wreck on September 3 undertaking underwater filming which was shared with Mauritius authorities. The search continues As per the release, The tug was towing a barge to convey equipment being used for pollution control from the MV Wakashio oil spill, before rough weather caused a collision of the tug with the barge causing it to sink. The request for diving assistance was received by the High Commission of India at Mauritius. It said, The ship's specialised diving team conjoined rescue efforts with the National Coast Guard. So far, no oil spill has been observed from the sunken tug and salvage operations are underway." INS Nireekshak was conducting EEZ surveillance due to the request from the Government of Mauritius. However, he was diverted back after this. Read: Mauritius Oil Spill: Three Clean-up Crewmen Die As Boat Capsizes On Collision With Barge According to the reports by ANI, the operations were carried out on September 3 and 4. The operations used High Definition underwater cameras to identify the location in 18 metres of depth. The release said, In addition to the assessment of damage incurred by the sunken tug, underwater videography and photography was also carried out by the specialist divers and handed over to the Mauritius authorities to facilitate further investigation. Read: Mauritius: 18 Whales Wash Up On Shore, Minister Dismisses Oil Spill Link India helps Mauritius Moreover, India has also sent an IAF plane with a 10-member Technical Response Team to help Mauritius in its ongoing oil spill containment and salvage operations. National Crisis Committee of Mauritius, in a statement, said, "At around 4.30 pm, a major detachment of the vessel's forward section was observed." India has also sent 30 tonnes of specialised equipment in an effort to help authorities and volunteers in Mauritius with the salvage, clean-up and containment of the oil spill. As per reports, the equipment and the team have already landed on the island nation via an Indian Air Force aircraft. Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of environmental emergency as the grounded Japanese vessel started to leak fuel into the waters earlier this month. According to international media reports, Jugnauth called the satellite images of oil spill very sensitive. Mauritius even appealed to France for help and said that the spill represents danger for the country that heavily relies on tourism and has been hit hard by the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. The ship was reported to have been carrying nearly 3,800 tonnes of low-sulphur fuel oil, 207 tonnes of diesel, and 90 tonnes of lube oil. Read: Mauritius Residents Cutting Off Hair To Make Nets And Tubes To Soak Catastrophic Oil Spill Also Read: Mauritius Oil Spill: Indian Naval Ship INS Nireekshak Assists In Clean-up Operation (Image Credits: ANI) DUP MP Gavin Robinson has refused to be drawn on whether he feels it acceptable for the UK Government to break international law through new Brexit legislation. On Tuesday, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis sparked fierce criticism when he admitted in the Commons that the Internal Market Bill will break international law in a "very specific and limited way". Read More The bill, to be tabled in the commons on Wednesday afternoon, will set out powers currently held by the EU and how they will be shared out following the end of the Brexit transition period. This has raised concerns, however, that it could allow ministers to change parts of the Withdrawal Agreement's Northern Ireland Protocol, which was agreed last year and designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. It would do this by essentially keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods, meaning some goods moving from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland would be subject to checks. Speaking to the BBC, Gavin Robinson said there had been the "greatest hits" of "negativity and pessimism" from many quarters in recent days over the issue, without anyone seeing the text of the Internal Market Bill. "What's the reality? Where are we? We are three months away from the end of the transition period and there are parts of the Withdrawal Agreement that the European Union gave a commitment to ensure that the joint committee would agree what was at risk, for example goods travelling from GB into Northern Ireland and on to the rest of the EU. They haven't made those simple agreements," he said. "We are sitting in a situation today in the United Kingdom where one to three percent of international goods that arrive here are checked. "Yet, until the EU step up to the plate in the joint committee and agree that domestic goods that we buy in Sainsburys or Asda and Tesco and all the rest that come from GB into Northern Ireland are not at risk, we are going to be in a situation where every tin of beans will be checked." Writing in the Belfast Telegraph on Wednesday Brandon Lewis and Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said the legislation would be a "safety net" that is necessary to "guarantee unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the rest of the UK market". Read More Mr Robinson said he would reserve judgement on the bill until he sees the detail of it, however, he understood the need for such a "safety net" as the EU was "frustrating" aspects of the Withdrawal Agreement that are necessary to protect Northern Ireland businesses and provide clarity going forward". He added: "This is not a case of the UK blindly embarking into a situation where they want to break international law, you have a situation where the Withdrawal Agreement is being frustrated. "That contract, that binding piece of legislation, is being frustrated because the EU simply hasn't agreed the basic fundamentals of it." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 01:09:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends the ASEAN-China foreign ministers' meeting via video link on Sept. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday urged the United States to follow the historical trend toward multipolarity in the world and democracy in international relations. Wang made the remarks while attending the ASEAN-China foreign ministers' meeting via video link. Wang said that the differences and contradictions between China and the United States are not about power or status, nor are they conflicts of social systems. Instead, they are about upholding multilateralism or unilateralism, and about advocating win-win cooperation or zero-sum games. In the age of globalization, all countries have become a part of a community with shared interests. Any unilateral bullying attempts to retain a monopoly position, sabotage other countries' development achievements, or suppress the development space of other countries are doomed to fail, Wang said. China has no ambition to seek hegemony, much less to replace the United States, Wang said. However, China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests. Meanwhile, China is willing to communicate with the United States through dialogue to push the U.S. side toward following the historical trend of multipolarity in the world and democracy in international relations, and correctly viewing and properly handling China-U.S. relations. Regarding cooperation with ASEAN countries, Wang said China is willing to work with them to actively promote exchanges and cooperation in the post-pandemic period, face up to global and regional challenges together, and foster a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Wang made proposals to join efforts to thoroughly prevail over the epidemic, promote regional economic recovery, promote sustainable development, and improve the long-term planning for China-ASEAN cooperation. Enditem Russian Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Tikhonov has been arrested in Moscow on allegations of embezzlement. The Basmanny district court ruled Tikhonov remain in custody for two months. The Investigative Committee said Tikhonov and three other people were accused of embezzling at least 603 million rubles ($7.9 million) at the time he headed the state Russian Energy Agency, a unit of the Energy Ministry. One of Tikhonov's lawyers said his client was not guilty. Tikhonov, 51, was focused on digital projects at the Energy Ministry. He headed the agency from 2014 to 2019 before being promoted to a deputy energy minister. Investigators said the alleged embezzlement of state funds was related to the development of a digital system at the agency. Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and RIA Novosti US President has been nominated for 2021 following his efforts to broker peace between and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The nomination was submitted by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament. He nominated Trump citing his "key role in... creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan". In an exclusive interview to Fox News, Tybring-Gjedde praised Trump for his efforts towards resolving protracted conflicts worldwide. "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," Tybring-Gjedde, a four-term member of Parliament who also serves as chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, told Fox News in an exclusive interview. In his nomination letter to the Nobel committee, Tybring-Gjedde said that the Trump administration has played a key role in the establishment of relations between and the "As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game-changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity," he wrote. Also cited in the letter was the president's "key role in facilitating contact between conflicting parties and ... creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan, and the conflict between North and South Korea, as well as dealing with the nuclear capabilities of North Korea." Tybring-Gjedde, further, praised Trump for withdrawing a large number of troops from the Middle East. "Indeed, Trump has broken a 39-year-old streak of American Presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an armed conflict. The last president to avoid doing so was Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter," he wrote. On Tuesday, a White House official announced Trump will hold a signing ceremony on September 15 for a groundbreaking Middle East agreement normalising relations between and the In a deal brokered by the US, Israel and the last month had agreed to normalise their relations, and an agreement on the mutual establishment of embassies is expected to follow in the coming three weeks. In exchange, Israel said it would halt its plans to formally annex parts of the West Bank. There were 318 candidates for the for 2020. Out of that 211 were individuals and 107 are organisations. Those eligible to nominate someone for the are public figures, including national politicians, professors and former prize winners. In February and March each year, nominations are shortlisted. The winners are announced in October. Five Below CEO Joel Anderson told CNBC on Wednesday that the discount retailer has seen positive signs from back-to-school shopping despite the coronavirus pandemic shifting many districts across the U.S. into remote learning arrangements this fall. "The merchants did a great job pivoting, and we're seeing a great back-to-school season, albeit it's very different than the traditional season all about backpacks and pencils," Anderson said on "Closing Bell." Instead, Anderson said, consumers have been favoring items that can help make learning from home a more enjoyable experience for children who live in places where in-person instruction has been canceled or delayed. "Depending on the state, the municipality, they're going back in their homes and they want to create an environment that makes school comfortable being at home, Zooming," he said, referencing the videoconferencing provider Zoom. Back-to-school shopping is a critical period for many U.S. retailers, but the changing dynamics of the Covid-19 outbreak made for an uncertain fall season. Retail executives from companies such as Walmart and Kohl's indicated last month the sale of school-related items was off to a slower start stemming from the pandemic. "We really shifted it more to being about 'room,'" Anderson said of Five Below's approach to back-to-school shopping. The former president and CEO of Walmart.com said Five Below is approaching the upcoming Halloween season in a similar way, with the prevalence of trick-or-treating likely to be impacted by the pandemic. Earlier Wednesday, new health guidelines from Los Angeles County were released that aimed to curtail Halloween-related activities, citing potential for coronavirus transmission. "It's going to be less about trick-or-treating and more about decor and still creating a fun experience at home, and at Five Below you can do that without having to break the bank, so to speak," said Anderson. Shares of Philadelphia-based Five Below are down about 2% so far in 2020, but the stock has seen a fierce rebound from coronavirus-driven lows. After bottoming at $47.53 per share on March 19, the stock has rallied more than 160% to close Wednesday's session at $125.28. In the early stages of the U.S. Covid-19 outbreak, JPMorgan analyst Matthew Boss pointed to Five Below as one retailer that could emerge stronger as a result of the pandemic, which, in addition to its health consequences, has resulted in significant economic consequences for millions of Americans. Anderson said Wednesday that Five Below opened more than 60 new stores during the second quarter despite the coronavirus-induced disruption to its existing stores, which were temporarily shuttered. "We have a really good muscle on how to open stores quickly," he said. "We never thought we'd have to use that muscle to reopen our existing stores. Basically, at the start of the quarter, we were at zero. We reopened all 900 and then we saw the opportunity to get back to playing offense." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 21:03 498 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43d9773 1 City COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-korona-indonesia,virus-corona,COVID-19-Jakarta,anies-baswedan,PSBB,large-scale-social-restrictions Free Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced on Wednesday that the administration was reimposing the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) policy amid a rising number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the capital. The restrictions will be reimposed on Monday. We have no choice other than to pull the emergency brake, which is reimposing PSBB, Anies said during a press briefing. By reimposing the restrictions, the administration will not allow non-essential workplaces to operate and order its workers to work from home. The administration will also not allow public activities to be held. "People will be told to work, study and pray from home." The governor said he would meet with regional leaders of Greater Jakarta soon to talk about the PSBB. The decision was made considering the high number of daily COVID-19 cases and deaths in the capital, as well as the city's bed occupancy rate. As of Wednesday, health authorities recorded that 1,347 people in Jakarta had died from COVID-19. "One death is too many. Whenever a person dies, there are families and friends being left. It's the lives of our brothers and sisters that we must save," said the governor. He also said that 77 percent of 4,053 isolation beds for COVID-19 patients were occupied. "If we don't pull the brake, we will run out of isolation beds by Sept. 17". Ive wanted Hannah to become Mrs. Chatham since I first met her, but I never knew how I would make her proposal special, Chatham said in a statement provided by Oscar Mayer. "When I interviewed with Oscar Mayer, I insisted she was in the room because she makes me feel comfortable, confident and at my best. When I received the job offer, I immediately knew this was my chance to propose in a place that idolizes how special she truly is to me. Long distance has tested the strength of our relationship, but its never damaged us and now the ring on her hand will symbolize not only our strength, but our future. The proposal came on our 14-month anniversary and driving the Wienermobile not only made my proposal possible, but it made it memorable. ATLANTA - Coronavirus infections continue to spread at the University of Georgia, with the school reporting more than 1,400 new cases of COVID-19 in the past week. The numbers, reported Wednesday, push the 39,000-student university close to 2,600 total infections in the past four weeks, according to the schools data. Although Georgia College & State University still has recorded a larger share of infections among its campus community since Aug. 1, UGAs outbreak is now the fastest growing among universities in the state that are publicly reporting numbers. The surge is clearly reflected in the figures for the broader Athens-Clarke County community. Clarke County is 23rd among U.S. counties for the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days, according to figures kept by The Associated Press, although the university says some tests may come from students and employees elsewhere. And a rising positivity rate suggests things could be getting worse, with 8% of surveillance tests conducted to keep an eye on the spread of the virus coming back positive last week, compared to 5% the week before. The growing outbreak at the university comes as case numbers across Georgia continue to fall. The state is now recording about 1,800 newly confirmed infections a day, down more than half from its late July peak. Thats still above the national average for new infections, on a per person basis, but Georgia has fallen from the worst for new infections to No. 11 as of Tuesday. More than 287,000 infections have been confirmed and at least 6,128 people in Georgia have died from the virus. The number of people hospitalized with confirmed cases of coronavirus fell below 1,500 on Wednesday, down more than half from the peak of 3,200 in July. The university announced Tuesday that it was increasing the number of daily surveillance tests available from 360 to 450, and inviting randomized groups of students to come take a test, starting with campus housing residents. Georgia College & State University, with 645 positive tests since Aug. 1, still has the highest share of campus infections, but new cases have slowed there. Cases are still rising fast at Georgia Southern University, which has reported 942 infections in recent weeks. Georgia Tech, which has reported 717 cases since the beginning of August, is urging students who share dorm rooms to move into singles. Dr. Garth Russo, executive director of UGAs University Health Center, suggested in a news release that because only one faculty member tested positive last week, it suggests that the virus is being spread somewhere else besides classrooms. Not all faculty members feel reassured, though. More than 350 faculty members statewide have signed a recent petition by the state chapter of the American Association of University Professors calling for the system or individual institutions to move to fully online instruction. The Board of Regents has a mandate that each university must have at least some in-person classes, with dorms and dining facilities opening at all the schools. President Jere Morehead pronounced the trend disturbing after calling it concerning last week. He again told students it was their responsibility to follow health rules. Each of us must make sound decisions in the coming days and weeks so that we can turn the trajectory, as we have seen at other institutions in the state, Morehead said in a statement. But the student newspaper, The Red & Black, editorialized last week that the blame should not rest entirely on students. The University System of Georgia decided to have in-person classes this fall despite the blatant risk it poses to the residents of Athens-Clarke County, the newspaper wrote. Even bound by the guidelines placed on them by the USG Board of Regents, the administrators at UGA did not create a strong enough plan to keep students and Athens residents safe. ___ An earlier version of this story has been corrected to show that the numbers were reported Wednesday, not Thursday. ___ Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy New Delhi: A day after pictures of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) armed with rods, spears and machetes surfaced, India on Wednesday raised the issue with China during the commander level talks. This comes two days after Chinese troops tried to lock down Indian posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Pangong Lake in Ladakh. The pictures are first direct evidence of the use of such weapons by the Chinese army against Indian troops along the LAC. The September 7 "provocative" action by the Chinese forces saw them carrying "Guandao", a traditional Chinese Sword which is basically a blade mounted on a wooden or metal pole. The talks lasted for four hours from 11 am to 3 pm but were without any outcome. During the talks "aggressive behaviour" by the Chinese forces was also raised, said a government source. Live TV Both the nations held the first Brigade commanders since the September 7 incident when the Chinese Army PLA troops attempted to close-in on one of the Indian forward positions and shots were fired by them for the first time in 40 years. According to sources, the Chinese indulged in provocative actions all throughout the day on September 8 in the areas around Rezang La, Mukhpari and continued till 6 pm. While no provocative action by the Chinese happened on Wednesday, PLA troops continue to remain in the same general area. The Chinese Army had claimed in a midnight statement on September 7 that Indian side had fired shots which was strongly rebutted by the Indian Army in a statement on September 8. The Army said, "PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air" and "despite the grave provocation, own troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner". The incident happened around the height of Rezang La at LAC and according to sources around 40 PLA soldiers attempted to close in on an Indian position in eastern Ladakh on September 7. The use of firearms along the LAC marks a serious escalation in border tensions, as the previous instance of shots being fired at the de-facto border was in 1975. The pictures clearly indicate that the Chinese Army intended a skirmish similar to June 15 in which both sides suffered casualties. While at least 20 Indian jawans were killed in the violent clash, it is believed that 35-50 Chinese troops were also killed in the incident. Meanwhile, a build-up is being seen by the Chinese troops in the Chushul sector at the LAC in Ladakh. The govt source said, "Chinese are trying to psychologically play things up." September 10 will be an important day as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meet in Russia's capital Moscow. The will be the first in-person meeting between the two foreign ministers in the four-month-long standoff. Matt Hancock has said he is comfortable with a minister outlining the UK's willingness to break international law over plans to unilaterally overwrite part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Speaking after cabinet minister Brandon Lewis conceded the proposals unveiled this week were unlawful in a very specific and limited way provoking outrage the health secretary defended the governments approach. His comments also came after the governments top lawyer resigned his post over reports No 10 would backtrack on the Brexit agreement in the event of talks over a future trading agreement with Brussels collapsing. Pressed on whether he was comfortable with a minister saying the UK is willing to break international law, Mr Hancock replied: I am. He told Times Radio: The primary international obligation around this issue is to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland and I very much hope that we conclude a deal before the end of the transition period and I think that we will and its in everybodys interest to do so as we did last time. But I also understand why ministers have chosen to prioritise at the absolute top of that the importance of protecting the peace process in Northern Ireland. In response to his comments, Labour shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds posted on Twitter: Pirate Britain. Speaking as the government outlined strict new national laws on social gatherings to curb the spread of coronavirus Mr Hancock also replied no when asked whether people could break the rules in a very limited and specific way. He said: This is incredibly important for keeping people safe. Its incredibly important for stopping the spread and therefore protecting education, protecting work. In a separate interview, the cabinet minister insisted the public must follow the rules despite the governments willingness to flout international law on Brexit. "Abiding by these rules is absolutely vital to protect life. We've seen the increase in the number of cases sadly in the last few days. We've seen that across Europe there's a second wave that many countries have experienced, he told Sky News. He added: Some of those countries have then got that second wave under control. If you look at what's happened in Belgium they saw an increase and then they've brought it down, whereas in France and Spain that just hasn't happened. "On the question of the Northern Ireland Protocol the Government has a number of international obligations and the primary amongst those in this context is about protecting the peace process. "In the case of coronavirus everybody understands how important it is that we together keep this under control, we can't do it individually because of the nature of the disease. So, yes, it is incredibly important that everybody follows these new rules and we'll be bringing in strict enforcement." A newly created wildfire research center at San Jose State University seeks to develop advanced tools to forecast wildfire behavior and help California firefighters and forest management officials better respond to blazes throughout the state. The Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center will also increase the monitoring of fire weather conditions, and research the impacts of fires in a social science perspective on the community, said Craig Clements, professor of meteorology and director of the center. University officials said the newly formed center is the largest interdisciplinary wildfire research center of its kind in the United States. The center is housed in the College of Science and is a collaborative, interdisciplinary undertaking with faculty from the College of Social Sciences and the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering. The centers scientists specialize in a number of areas such as fire ecology, fire and fluid dynamics, wildfire behavior modeling and wildfire meteorology, wildfire remote sensing and wildfire management and policy. New faculty joining San Jose State for the center are: Adam Kochanski, Amanda M. Stasiewicz, Ali Tohidi and Kate Wilkin. A fifth faculty member, whose name has not been released, will join the team in January. That professor specializes in wildfire remote sensing and monitoring wildfire behavior and developing novel airborne remote sensing technologies, university officials said. Other existing San Jose State faculty in the center are Clements, Patrick Brown and Mike Voss. Each professor joining the center is teaching two classes in his or her respective field and simultaneously preparing proposals for future classes in various fire specialties. Some are building their respective laboratories on campus including a combustion lab to conduct burn experiments as conditions allow, Clements said. The team met for the first time in person only recently, and members have hosted weekly Zoom calls. The labs are going to take a while because of COVID. Its pretty complicated, but it is what it is, Clements said. He said some of the tools that the team has already started exploring, including its advanced, wildfire behavior prediction system, can help explain extreme fire behaviors that were observing now because of climate change. This model, co-developed by Kochanski, assistant professor of wildfire management in the Department of Environmental Studies, is just one of the models the team hopes to employ. Most wildfire prediction modeling systems that are used by Cal Fire and so-called fire behavior analysts on fires are these somewhat outdated tools. They work, but what they neglect is the interaction of the fire and the atmosphere, so they cant generate fire behaviors, Clements said. They can estimate spotting, but they cant show where those embers may go, or how far they would be traveling. So thats the unique thing about this modeling system. Clements, who is also the director of San Jose States Fire Weather Research Laboratory, said he and his team are fire-line qualified, which means that they are listed on the national Resource Ordering and Status System as being qualified to go behind fire lines, which they have done in recent years. Incident commanders handling response to fires dip into this resource system and can request specific crews to respond, Clements said. Clements said he received a call from Cal Fire officials in mid-August asking for his teams opinion on what they could expect for the day related to forecasts of the fires. He said he supported the Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit with which he said he frequently collaborates and assists and said his team also deployed a radar truck to the CZU Lightning Complex in late August. We got some radar data, but we didnt go out after that, Clements said. In a separate, recent conversation with regional meteorologists analyzing the fires, Clements said he informed them of his teams up-and-running fuel moisture model and forecast tool, which allows them to see how much water is in plants. Thats a really important aspect in fire danger. I sent them the demo version of our modeling tools, so they can see some of these data, Clements said. Now are they gonna totally rely on it? No. Is maybe it something theyre using? I dont know. Did we get some thanks? Yeah, we did. They said, Oh thanks. This is great. But I have no idea if they are actually, you know, continuously looking at that because meteorologists and fire behavior analysts have their tools that they feel comfortable with. Theyre not gonna switch over overnight. But its another tool in their tool set. The team has two customized trucks equipped with Doppler radar and one truck equipped with Doppler lidar. University officials said these are the only mobile fire weather units in the country. Clements said the Doppler lidar truck which had already been deployed to Butte Countys deadly Camp Fire in 2018 can measure the atmosphere above the truck, track fine smoke particles and do wind profiles and is equipped with an advanced service weather station and weather balloon system. The Doppler radar truck which was deployed to the Kincade and Briceburg fires in 2019, and the CZU Lightning Complex can diagnose plume dynamics of blazes, can measure wind and debris, and has further range that allows for reconnaissance in a fire environment, Clements said. The trucks are outfitted for these environments with four-wheel drive, they are lifted, they have areas to keep firefighting tools and fire shelters. Tohidi, assistant professor of fire and fluid dynamics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is an expert in wildfire spread and spot fire ignition. Tohidi developed a spotting prediction system called the ember transport model, which helps in predicting the way embers are blown in the wind, and how they ignite other fuels, Clements said. Clements said the team hopes to integrate Tohidis model into Kochanskis model, so that it can provide tools that can be operational and helpful for wildfire managers responding to fires and complexes in the state. College of Science Dean Michael Kaufman said in a statement that the new center is needed now more than ever before, saying that wildfires have scorched Californias landscape, burning millions of acres, injuring and killing hundreds of people and causing billions of dollars in damages. He said interdisciplinary solutions are required to appropriately find solutions for those challenges. Stasiewicz, assistant professor of wildfire management in the Department of Environmental Studies, will analyze the impacts of the coronavirus on firefighter camps, evacuation centers and wildfire management. Clements said she also plans on developing user-friendly, not super-technical interfaces for fire modeling tools that firefighters can use in the field. Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez ALTON One man was injured by gunfire around noon Wednesday in Alton. At 12:11 p.m Wednesday, Alton Police responded to a report of gunfire at 2605 College Ave. where a man in a Toyota Corolla received non-life threatening injuries. The injured man was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his wounds. Alton Police Deputy Chief Marcos Pulido said the department does not believe this was a random act of violence. A short time later, an Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network broadcast stated authorities were looking for a gray Ford Mustang containing two black male occupants. One of the occupants was described as being 58, 160 pounds and with dreadlocks. No further information was available Wednesday afternoon. D owning Street today said it would be "inhumane" for Iran to send Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe back to prison after she was slapped with fresh charges. The UK Government has been speaking to the "very highest levels" of the Iranian government, the Prime Minister's spokesman said. It comes after the 42-year-old mother-of-one was told she was facing another trial this Sunday as she nears the end of her original five-year sentence. The Prime Minister's spokesman said: Irans decision to bring new charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is indefensible and unacceptable. Nazanin's husband Richard and their daughter Gabriella / Reuters We have been consistently clear that she must not be returned to prison to do so would be unjust and inhumane. We are continuing to support Nazanin and her family at this very distressing time. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been detained in Iran since 2016 but was moved to house arrest in March. However, she was picked up by Iranian Revolutionary Guards yesterday, returned to court and told she would face a second trial. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe told the Standard she was terrified she would face more solitary confinement in Tehrans notorious Evin prison, adding: It brought back all those nightmares. He added: She returned an emotional wreck. She came back [from court] and took off all her clothes to wash them, and showered thoroughly to feel clean again. The Iranian-British national will face a trial this Sunday on fresh charges of spreading anti-government propaganda, Mr Ratcliffe said. The PM's spokesman said the Government was seeking to be allowed to attend any hearing, adding: Weve been very clear with the Iranians she must not be returned to prison. Richard Ratcliffe outside the Iranian Embassy in London. He went on hunger strike out of solidarity with his wife and only stopped once she did / EPA He said they were "determined" to see her reunited with her family in the UK, adding: We have consistently raised the case of Nazanin and other dual British nationals with the very highest levels of the Iranian government and will of course continue to do so. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sentenced to five years in prison in 2016 over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. She has been living at her parents home in Tehran since thousands of prisoners were granted clemency and released from Iranian jails amid the Covid-19 outbreak. It has been claimed Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held in order to force the UK into settling a historic multi-million pound dispute over Chieftain tanks with Iran. Asked about the dispute, the PM's spokesman said it was an "ongoing legal process". External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar landed in Moscow on Tuesday (September 8) on a four-day to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). "EAM @DrSJaishankar landed in Moscow; received by Ambassador and senior officers from Russian Foreign Ministry," tweeted the Indian Embassy in Moscow. Jaishankar's visit to Russia comes days after Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Moscow to attend a meeting of the defence ministers of the eight-nation SCO. It is to be noted that India and China are important members of the SCO. According to External Affairs Ministry, Jaishankar will attend the meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of SCO during his stay in the Russian capital. It is expected that Jaishankar would also meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO meet. The meeting is likely to take place on Thursday (September 10). On Tuesday, EAM Jaishankar met his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Tehran. The EAM had made a stopover in Iran as part of his key Moscow visit. Calling the meeting "productive", the EAM, taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, said "discussed strengthening our bilateral cooperation and reviewed regional developments. Thank him for his gracious hospitality." Javad Zarif had visited India in 2020 to be part Raisina Dialogue. "A productive meeting with FM J Zarif during a stopover in Tehran. Discussed strengthening our bilateral cooperation and reviewed regional developments. Thank him for his gracious hospitality," tweeted Jaishankar. The high-level visits by India to Iran are been considered as a major reached out by New Delhi to a country it considers part of its extended neighbourhood. Iran plays an important role in India's connectivity project via Chabahar port that provides it link to Afghanistan and wider Central Asian region. In a sign that the Bay Area will reopen far more cautiously this fall than in the spring, only Santa Clara County had made enough progress by Tuesday to join San Francisco and Napa counties in the second-most-restrictive tier of Californias new color-coded blueprint for allowing certain businesses to resume. The key to progress is simple: minimizing new coronavirus cases, and tamping down the rate of tests that turn out positive for the virus, say public health officials. Looking at the number of new cases per 100,000 residents in each county, as well as the percentage of diagnostic tests that turn out positive are reliable, early markers of local outbreaks, they said at a news conference Tuesday the day they plan to review counties progress each week. This concept of slow and stringent is really important for California as we begin to see the reductions in case numbers, the reductions in our hospital and ICU numbers overall, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. Since the pandemic began, California has reported 744,391 coronavirus cases and 13,846 deaths from COVID-19. The Bay Area has had 91,835 cases and 1,230 deaths. Under the new monitoring system, a county will land in one of four color-coded tiers. The most restrictive, purple, indicates the county has a widespread coronavirus problem, with case rates and positive test rates too high to broadly reopen. Gyms, for example, cant let customers inside, and schools cant have in-person instruction. The next, red, is for counties with a substantial problem. Gyms can open with 10% capacity, while, at schools, some labs can reopen. Less restrictive is orange, indicating a moderate problem. Gyms can open at 25% capacity. Yellow, for counties with a minimal problem, can have gyms at 50% capacity, as well as saunas, spas and steam rooms. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle The state will monitor every California countys new cases per 100,000 people and positive test rate over a one-week period. Counties not only have to remain in a tier for at least three weeks, but their data must satisfy the criteria for the next tier for two consecutive weeks before they can move to that tier. Here is a breakdown of where each county stands and what it has to do to make progress. Counties that straddle two tiers are placed in the more restrictive one: Alameda (Purple) During the third week of August, the number of new coronavirus cases for every 100,000 people in Alameda County stood at 9.3. Then, in the last week of August, things got better and new cases dropped to 7.8 per 100,000 people. But for the county to move into the red tier and reopen schools, for example, that figure will need to drop to 7 and stay there for two weeks. Meanwhile, the countys rate of positive tests is already in the red tier zone 5% to 8% of tests coming back positive. But without getting its new cases down, Alameda County will remain in the purple tier. Of all the coronavirus tests given in Alameda County during the third week of August, 5.6% came back positive. That rate improved in the final week, dropping to 5%. Contra Costa (Purple) During the third week of August, the number of new coronavirus cases for every 100,000 people stood at 10.8. In the last week of August, new cases dropped to 8.4 per 100,000 people. For the county to allow indoor activities at a limited capacity, they would need to have no more than 7 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks. Overall, 6.2% of the countys coronavirus tests came back positive during the third week of August. That rate was slightly better in the last week of August at 5.3%. Marin (Purple) Marin County had 4.6 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people during the third week of August. But its case rate nearly doubled in the last week of August, to 9.1 cases per 100,000 people. The county testing rate was better, with just 3% of all tests coming back positive during the third week of August. But that rose to 4.4% during the last week of August. Both rates would qualify for the orange tier, where the positive test rate must be from 2% to 4.9%. Constanza Hevia H./Special to The Chronicle The state notified Marin County last week that it would move to the red tier. But state officials reassessed the countys data late Monday and told county officials they would remain in purple. The countys health department asked to appeal the decision through the states adjudication process. We requested a review because if we dont move forward yet, we want to make sure its for the right reasons, said Dr. Matt Willis, the countys public health officer. One cluster of cases in a facility leads to a clear spike in the countywide case rate. These are some of the factors well be discussing with the state. Napa (Red) During the third week of August, the number of new coronavirus cases for every 100,000 people in Napa County stood at 5.7. In the last week of August, that number dropped even lower to 4.2. The countys rate of positive coronavirus tests stood at 4.2% during the third week of August and dropped to 2.9% during the last week of August. For Napa County to move to the less restrictive orange tier, it would need to have no more than 3.9 cases per 100,000 people and, at most, 4.9% of tests coming back positive. San Francisco (Red) During the third week of August, San Francisco had 6.4 cases per 100,000 people. That number improved in the last week of August and stood at 5.1 cases per 100,000 people. The county had a 3.4% rate of positive coronavirus tests during the third week of August, while 2.8% of tests returned positive during the last week of August. The yellow tiers positive test rates must be under 2%. But the county would need to have both 1 to 3.9 cases per 100,000 people, and between a 2% and 4.9% rate of positive coronavirus tests to move to the orange tier. Last week, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Dr. Grant Colfax, the countys public health director, said San Francisco would move slower than the state requires and keep more businesses closed, even in the red tier. Counties can be more restrictive than the state allows, but not less restrictive. We simply must remain vigilant, Colfax has said. I know six months in we are tired, but we must dig deeper and do our part. There is more virus out there than ever before. The most important thing you can do to slow the spread of the virus is to continue to take precautions. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle 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. San Mateo (Purple) San Mateo had 7.6 cases per 100,000 people during the third week of August. That number increased slightly the following week to 7.7 cases per 100,000 people. The county had a 4.8% rate of positive coronavirus tests for the third week of August and a 5.2% rate of positive coronavirus tests for the week ending on Aug. 29. To move into the red tier, San Mateo would need to have 4 to 7 cases per 100,000 people and between a 5% and 8% rate of positive tests. Santa Clara (Red) During the third week of August, Santa Clara had 6.7 cases per 100,000 people adjusted for the week ending on Aug. 19. That number increased slightly to 6.9 cases during the last week of August, but it didnt increase enough to affect the countys new tier designation. The county has a 3.5% positive test rate for both of the last two weeks of August. Santa Clara needs to have between 1 and 3.9 cases per 100,000 people and 2% to 4.9% rate of positive coronavirus tests to move to the orange tier. Solano (Purple) Solanos cases stood at 8 per 100,000 people during the third week of August and 8.1 cases during the last week of the month. The county had a 4.3% rate of positive tests for the third week of August and a slight increase the following week to 4.4% rate of positive tests. Though these figures qualify it for the red tier, the countys case rate needs to come down to at least 7 and stay down for at least two weeks before it can move. Dr. Bela Matyas, the county health officer, said he thinks the figures that counties have to meet before moving to the next tier dont really mean anything. They dont relate to the nature of the outbreak in our community, he said. If you were to take the approach that this outbreak is occurring and we know where the problem is and we believe that these metrics will help you control the problem, I think that would make a tremendous amount of sense, but none of that is true. Sonoma (Purple) During the third week of August, Sonoma had 14 cases per 100,000 people. That number increased to 14.2 cases per 100,000 cases during the last week of August. The county had a 6.5% rate of positive coronavirus tests for the third week of August and a 6.7% rate of positive coronavirus tests for the last week of the month. The county needs to have between 4 and 7 cases per 100,000 people and a rate of positive tests between 5% and 8% to move to the red tier. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani LAS VEGAS, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LMBPN Publishing, a global leader in indie digital book publishing, has today announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive agreement with the organization Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America ("SFWA") to include the short story Messenger by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and R.R. Virdi in SFWA's Nebula Anthology 54. R.R. Virdi and Yudhanjaya Wijeratne Michael Anderle, President / Chief Executive Officer at LMBPN, said, "SFWA's compilation of Nebula Award-nominated stories has been touted as indispensable reading for anyone interested in fantastic fiction by the likes of Publisher's Weekly. We at LMBPN recognize that SFWA acknowledges great stories and writing by including selected stories in their Nebula Anthologies. We are therefore pleased that they have chosen Messenger to be part of the illustrious group of stories that make up their upcoming Nebula Anthology 54 edition. We congratulate Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and R.R. Virdi for this great recognition of their work." Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and R.R. Virdi, Messenger co-authors, add, "Messenger started out as us reimagining what a kaiju-vs-giant-robot story would look like if it was set closer to countries that rarely get explored in this genre. We're thrilled to see it in the SFWA Nebula Anthology 54 and quite happy about its reception. We would like to thank everyone involved in getting this story out there, especially Craig Martelle, who edits the Expanding Universe anthology in which the story originally appeared." About LMBPN Publishing Founded in 2015, LMBPN has rapidly become an industry leader in the digital sci-fi and urban fantasy genres. The company has gained a loyal global fan base that consistently propels LMBPN's books into Amazon.com, Inc. top ranks and has made founding author Michael Anderle a #1 ranked sci-fi author. LMBPN's digital catalog includes over seven hundred titles, many of them in the top 1,000 on Amazon.com*, and over two hundred titles on Audible.com* through LMBPN Audio and approximately another two hundred titles licensed for audio through partners such as Dreamscape Media*, divisions of RB media including, Graphic Audio*, Recorded Books* and Tantor Media*, and Podium Audio* . Combined, the current series have sold over 4,000,000 books, and over a billion pages have been read on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited*. Visit http://LMBPN.com or contact [email protected] *Brands are the property of their respective owners. About SFWA: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. was founded in 1965 by the American science fiction author Damon Knight and was originally named Science Fiction Writers of America. In 1991, the name of the organization was changed to Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, although the acronym SFWA was not changed. In 2013, the members of the organization voted to reincorporate in California, effectively beginning a new 501(c)3 public charity. Activities of the old Massachusetts corporation officially merged into the new California corporation as of July 1st, 2014. Today, SFWA is home to nearly 1900 authors, artists, and allied professionals, and is widely recognized as one of the most effective non-profit writers' organizations in existence. Learn more about SFWA at sfwa.org; you can also follow SFWA on Facebook and Twitter. Media Contact: Judith Anderle Chief Commercial Officer www.lmbpn.com +1-626-827-4549 [email protected] SOURCE LMBPN Publishing BOSTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- G2 Capital Advisors is proud to announce the continued expansion of its team with the addition of Nate McOmber, who joins the firm's Restructuring and Revitalization Practice as Director of Restructuring based out of G2's San Francisco office. Nate brings two decades of experience in financial, strategic, and operational roles across multiple industries, as well as a strong network in the Technology and Business Services sector in the San Francisco Bay Area. "Nate brings deep technical expertise paired with an operational background that will help our clients navigate complex restructuring dynamics. His strong background supporting early stage technology companies in a financial advisory capacity will enable G2 to expand our focus in the sector, providing restructuring services in conjunction with our investment banking offering," said Ben Wright, Chief Operating Officer at G2. The Palo Alto native previously served as Senior Vice President for Sherwood Partners where he led dozens of special situation advisory engagements in the early-stage Technology and Business Services space including out-of-court workouts, insolvency proceedings, corporate wind-downs, loan renegotiations, assignments for the benefit of creditors, and asset sale transactions. Nate is recognized for his expertise in implementing comprehensive solutions for troubled companies. Prior to Sherwood Partners Nate held leadership roles within venture-backed cleantech and specialty chemicals companies. "Nate coming to G2 is the next step in our continued strategic investment in the breadth and depth of our financial advisory team. We're excited to expand our capabilities to support additional clients in the early stage technology space," said Jeffrey Unger, Chairman & CEO at G2. Since February, G2 has added three additional new team members to its Restructuring & Revitalization Practice. Ryan Wittman, Vice President joined the firm after serving as Senior Manager for PerkinElmer, leading the financial team for their services division in the Americas, and acquisitions and divestitures on their Corporate Development team. Prior to PerkinElmer, Ryan was with Brook Venture Partners, a private equity firm focused on the techenabled services industry where he led new deal execution and provided CFO services to portfolio companies. In addition, Matt Powers, joined G2 as an Associate from Textron Inc in early February, and most recently Evan Carlson, joined as an Analyst from General Electric where he served as Corporate Development Associate. G2's team growth highlights the firm's commitment to providing clients unparalleled guidance and the critical support they need to navigate complex markets and operational dynamics faced so far in 2020 with COVID-19. With a significant increase in activity firmwide, these key hires bring unique operational, financial, and transactional experience to support financial restructurings, operational turnarounds, and special situations investment banking engagements. G2 continues to look for exceptional talent to join our expanding team and encourages reaching out to VP of Talent, Amy McCormack regarding interest in learning more about G2's current openings. Contact Nate: Media Relations Inquiries: Talent/HR Inquiries: Nate McOmber Jennifer Johnson Amy McCormack Director, Restructuring Vice President, Marketing VP, Talent G2 Capital Advisors G2 Capital Advisors G2 Capital Advisors [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Securities offered through Hollister Associates, LLC, Member FINRA & SIPC. G2 Capital Advisors, LLC and Hollister Associates, LLC are separate and unaffiliated entities. SOURCE G2 Capital Advisors Related Links http://www.g2cap.com Army said, "India is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation on the LAC. However, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate." At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to using of any aggressive means, including firing, it said. Meanwhile, China said that Indian troops violated a bilateral agreement and fired warning shots in the air during a confrontation with Chinese personnel on the disputed border near the south bank of Pangong Tso Lake on September 7.Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has described the India-China border situation in eastern Ladakh as "very serious." He said there is a need for "very very deep conversation" between the two sides at a political level. Jaishankar said the state of the relationship with China and the state of border situation with the country cannot be de-linked. Tensions escalated manifold along the LAC in eastern Ladakh after the Galwan Valley clashes. 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. A U.S. army veteran blown up on his fourth tour of Iraq has asked critics of Donald Trump to stop using his likeness to illustrate the president's reported comments about 'losers' and 'suckers'. Bobby Henline, who spent 13 years in the army, was the only survivor of five soldiers whose vehicle went over an IED in April 2007. Henline, 49, suffered burns on 40 per cent of his body, and his head was burned down to the skull. He now works as a comedian and motivational speaker. Bobby Henline, 49, has objected to Trump critics using his image to discuss the 'suckers' story A Facebook group, Military Veterans Against Fascism, is among those to use his photograph Henline made a TikTok speaking out against the 'propaganda', saying: 'Stop using my image' But following the controversy of the September 3 Atlantic article, in which Trump was accused of mocking veterans, Henline found his image was being used to illustrate posts about the reported comments. 'I'm just so irritated that they put my image up there because now it looks like the president called me a loser,' he told Fox News. 'And they're using that to sell something that they believe in for their agenda. 'It's not fair to put us [veterans] as props in the middle of all that.' He said the use of his image was 'ridiculous', and said he was convinced Trump did not make the remarks attributed to him. Trump has denied ever saying the remarks. Henline spoke to Fox, saying he didn't believe the president said the remarks attributed to him Henline said: 'That's my image. And it should not be up there speaking for me' 'I really believe the president didn't say this,' Henline said. 'Them taking that well-recognized photo and using it for their agenda and changing veterans' minds, thinking the president talks to them like that is ridiculous. 'And I believe it worked. And that's why I want to get it taken down because it shouldn't be working. 'People need to hear the truth. That's my image. And it should not be up there speaking for me,' Henline said he was irritated at being dragged into the political storm. 'Go on what you have with facts,' Henline said. 'If you don't have the power to win on your own merits, that you have to tear down your opponent, there is a problem there.' Henline enlisted in the United States Army in 1989 at 17 years of age Henline retired, but re-enlisted in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks Following his April 2007 accident, Henline spent two weeks in a medically-induced coma The report, published by the Atlantic on Thursday, credits four separate military sources, and claims that Trump cancelled a visit to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in November 2018 because he was worried his hair would be disheveled by the rain. In a conversation with senior staff before the planned visit, Trump reportedly asked aides: 'Why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers.' During the same trip, the president allegedly later referred to the more than 1,800 Marines who lost their lives in the Battle of Belleau Wood in France as 'suckers' for getting killed. The poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny with the Novichok nerve agent has dealt a blow to French President Emmanuel Macron's strategy of rapprochement with Russia, which troubled some EU allies, analysts say. France has throughout the crisis stood shoulder to shoulder with its close partner Germany, where Navalny is being treated after falling ill on a flight from Siberia and which has told Moscow only a full investigation can lift suspicions of a state-sponsored attack. Analysts say Macron's much-heralded outreach to Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin had -- despite some high-profile diplomacy -- so far failed to bring any concrete results. Paris-Moscow dialogue is unlikely to be severed completely but the dispute has already claimed its first casualty in relations with the cancellation of a planned meeting in Paris next week between the countries' foreign and defence ministers. Next to go could be a trip by Macron to Moscow that had been scheduled for the early autumn. Read: US House members ask Trump to probe Navalny poisoning, suggest sanctions "We can continue to discuss, yes. But to continue this illusion of rapprochement only weakens Europe and the cohesion of the EU," said Nicolas Tenzer, professor at the Paris School of International Affairs. "I do not see how this can continue in these conditions without sending extremely disturbing signals to our European allies," he told AFP. Macron, he added, should be careful not to harm his credibility as a European leader after successfully spearheading a post-coronavirus economic relaunch plan with Germany. "All this risks being undermined by a position that no one would understand towards Russia," he warned. Putin and Macron had agreed in telephone talks this summer that the French president would visit, but this is now under threat, a French diplomatic source said. "Everything is possible," the source added. The crisis moved to a new level last week after Germany announced that Navalny had been poisoned with Novichok, the same nerve agent used to poison former agent Sergei Skripal in Britain in 2018, an attack the West blamed on Russian military intelligence. "It is a chemical, military weapon, it is the State that manufactures it. Moreover, it happened before. France cannot fail to react to this," said Tatiana Kastoueva-Jean, Russia expert at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI). Macron "is squeezed between the desire to resume dialogue with Moscow, despite all the negative factors, and the desire to play the role of leader in Europe," said Kastoueva-Jean. The French president also had to take into account the views of Poland and the three Baltic States who had been ruffled by his overtures to Putin, she added. But she said the dialogue would continue on issues of shared interest, notably the conflict in Libya and the Iranian nuclear crisis. Macron set out his Russia strategy in an explosive interview with The Economist in November 2019, when he declared NATO was brain dead and said Europe needed to have a strategic dialogue with Russia. Examining Russia's long-term strategic options under Putin, he said Russia could not prosper in isolation, would not want to be a "vassal" of China and would eventually have to opt for "a partnership project with Europe". Also Read: EU hobbled over Navalny sanctions response Macron gave Putin the rare honour of a high-profile summit at his Mediterranean summer residence, the Bregancon fortress, in August 2019. He hosted him again in Paris in December for the Kremlin chief's first peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But even top French officials have admitted the president has little to show for his efforts. "If the question is 'are there already tangible results in the dialogue that France launched with Russia?', I would answer you very honestly that this is not yet the case," Defence Minister Florence Parly said in July. While Germany is under pressure to abandon the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline after the poisoning, France has no such banner project with Russia after cancelling the sale of two Mistral warships over the Ukraine crisis. But the scrapping of the meeting between the countries' foreign and defence ministers -- scheduled for September 14 in Paris -- may only be the start. "How can they behave as if nothing has happened?" said Francois Heisbourg, special advisor for the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS). 100pc ready: Marie Mellett said she and colleagues spent six months getting Melletts Emporium of Swinford, Co Mayo, ready to reopen. Photo: Keith Heneghan Publicans welcomed the news they can reopen their pubs from September 21 - but the surge in Covid-19 cases means nothing is certain. Following months of closures, owners of the so-called 'wet pubs' that do not serve food were yesterday given a fresh date for when they can welcome back customers. The news came as a group of pub owners gathered at Leinster House to voice their concerns about the pub trade. "It's very positive news, assuming the Government sticks to it," said Donall O'Keeffe, chief executive of the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA). "This is the fourth date that has been set for the pubs to reopen, and by that stage we will have been closed for 189 days which is an extraordinarily long period. But we think the Cabinet decision this morning is very significant and we have a high degree of confidence the Government will allow us to open. We really look forward to getting back in business." Asked if he had concerns about rising numbers of Covid cases, especially in Dublin and Limerick, Mr O'Keeffe said he did. "We see the trends that are published every night," he said. "It's really concerning in Dublin in particular, but we do think the principle that pubs can reopen subject to public health guidance on September 21 is important. The announcement is long overdue." Similarly, Padraig Cribben of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) said he welcomed the news of an opening date. "We have been looking for this for quite some time and have been up this aisle a few times already. It's important now that we've a definite date," he said. Publican TJ McInerney, owner of TJ Mac's bar in Mullinahone, Co Tipperary, fought back tears as he spoke of the battle to stay in business in the face of the global pandemic. "The opening of pubs will give us back our sense of dignity and our sense of pride," he said. "I've two kids that have aspirations of going to college. I had a college fund set up for them, but it is now spent basically keeping the roof over our head. "The bank are going to be getting in contact with me in October about my next mortgage payment and at this point in time I'm not all too confident," he added. Marie Mellett, owner of Mellett's Emporium in Co Mayo, said she had feared she would not be able to reopen until next year. "Our biggest fear was that it was going to be next year, that we wouldn't get the chance to open this year," she said. "This has come as a massive relief for us today. We're fully confident with operating within the guidelines. We've spent six months getting the premises ready and training with staff. So we are 100pc ready to open within the guidelines." However she acknowledged that the situation could still change as the number of infections continues to rise. "This is our fourth time being in this position. So, while we're very excited, a lot can happen in 24 hours, and we have to be very aware. I mean, we're very aware that the virus is still with us and that things are changing so rapidly. But for now, we'll stay optimistic. "This is our chance to open and prove ourselves and prove that we can do it as well as any of the food pubs that are open. If we were told to close again, I suppose the whole issue around support would have to be looked at. The last support package fell far short of what we needed." She said news of wet pubs reopening would be welcomed in rural communities. The future of the boss of Rio Tinto was hanging in the balance last night as the crisis over the destruction of two 46,000-year-old Aboriginal cave shel- ters intensified. The FTSE 100 mining giant's board met overnight in Australia to determine whether chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques and other senior figures should be sacked. Two of the most powerful independent directors, former Centrica boss Sam Laidlaw and ex-Royal Dutch Shell finance head Simon Henry, want tough action. Sacred site: Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto admitted damaging the the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelter in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia It follows outrage over a bungled response that saw Rio cut the bonuses of Jacques and two other executives but let them keep their jobs. The crisis has infuriated shareholders in the UK and Australia, where Rio has vast operations. The Church of England pensions fund is the latest investor to speak out, declaring that the decision merely to cut bonuses was 'not sufficient'. Adam Matthews, director of ethics and engagement on the Church's pensions board, said: 'It's very much a test for the board how serious their response is. 'It's clear that investors don't feel that the measures they've outlined are sufficient.' Bigwigs lead boardroom revolt Board members Sam Laidlaw, 64 (left) and Simon Henry (right) are leading the backlash against over the destruction of the Juukan Gorge caves The boardroom backlash over the destruction of the Juukan Gorge caves has been led by City heavyweights Sam Laidlaw and Simon Henry. Both have been non-executive directors at Rio Tinto since 2017 and are calling for stronger disciplinary action. Old Etonian Laidlaw, 64 (above left), was the chief executive of British Gas owner Centrica from 2006 to 2014 and has held senior positions at Chevron, HSBC and Hanson and has served on the UK Prime Ministers business advisory group. Henry, 59 (above right ), spent more than 30 years at Royal Dutch Shell, most notably as chief financial officer from 2009 to 2017. He also sits on the board of Lloyds Banking Group and the Governments defence audit committee. Rio destroyed the sites in the Juukan Gorge, Western Australia, in May as part of plans to expand an iron ore mine. Archaeologists insisted the caves were of immense value, with one showing evidence it had been occupied for 46,000 years by the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people. The PKKP people said the destruction was 'soul-destroying'. The industry's relationship with indigenous communities has been slammed by politicians including ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd, who said the firm would be known as 'Rio TNT'. He said: 'Rio Tinto has blown up its own reputation as anything approximating a responsible corporate citizen in Australia. 'The executives responsible for this decision should no longer be executives. For the company, I think their reputation now is mud.' Rio Tinto's board met overnight in Australia to determine whether chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques and other senior figures should be sacked Indigenous leaders on the National Native Title Council have demanded a management 'clean-out'. They said: 'What led to the catastrophic destruction of Juukan Gorge was a result of the enormous cultural and values deficit within Rio Tinto. The decision to slash executive bonuses has been rightfully regarded as falling significantly short of anything approaching appropriate accountability.' Rio had permission from the regional government to blow them up but following the outcry its heritage laws are being redrafted. Jacques and two other executives Chris Salisbury and Simone Niven could be asked to stand down. After an internal investigation they have had their 2020 bonuses docked. In 2019 the equivalent bonus was about 4million. Jacques, 48, has earned 17.2million since he took over as chief executive in 2016. Laidlaw and Henry are said to be at loggerheads with other board members and are urging the chairman to take a hard line. Rio declined to comment. The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $13.3 billion contract for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the service's next-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles to replace the aging Minuteman III ICBMs. The service on Tuesday said the contract for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, known as GBSD, aims to replace the 1970s-era ICBMs by the late 2020s. Northrop Grumman was the sole bidder for the program after Boeing Co. dropped out of the running for the EMD contract last year. Read Next: Troops, DoD Civilians Won't Be Able to Opt Out of Payroll Tax Deferral Plan "Modernizing the nuclear strategic triad is a top priority of our military," said Defense Secretary Mark Esper in a service news release. "It's key to our nation's defense. It provides that strategic nuclear deterrent that we depend on day after day -- that we've depended on decade after decade." Gen. Tim Ray, head of Air Force Global Strike Command, concurred. "I am fully confident in the evolutionary warfighting effectiveness GBSD will ensure," he said in the release. "The increased accuracy, extended range and improved reliability will provide the United States a broader array of options to address unforeseen contingencies, giving us the edge necessary to compete and win against any adversary." The service is responsible for two of the three legs of the nuclear triad -- land-launched nuclear missiles and aircraft with nuclear bombs and missiles. The third leg is submarine-launched nuclear missiles. In 2017, the Air Force awarded two contracts to Northrop and Boeing for preliminary work on the GBSD program to replace its Minuteman III system. Known as the technology maturation and risk reduction (TMRR) phase, the two contracts were not to exceed $359 million each, the service said; Boeing was awarded $349 million and Northrop received $328 million for the 36-month deal. The EMD phase request for proposal was released in July 2019. While the service was always going to down-select and choose a single company to manufacture the next-generation ICBM, Boeing said the service's acquisition approach favored its competitor and exited the competition that same month. "After numerous attempts to resolve concerns within the procurement process, Boeing has informed the Air Force that it will not bid Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) under the current acquisition approach," the company said at the time. That October, the Air Force informed Boeing it would cut off the company's funding to finish out the TMRR phase. Maj. Gen. Mike Lutton, 20th Air Force commander, said in a recent interview that upgrading to a new ICBM system is an affordable alternative for the U.S., as opposed to executing a service life extension program on the current arsenal. Last month, the service celebrated 50 years since the first Minuteman III was placed on alert at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The system was expected to last only 10 years, and "maintaining the weapon can be difficult" due to its age, according to AFGSC. Unlike the laborious challenges with Minuteman, "with [GBSD], there is an opportunity to lower life-cycle costs," Lutton told Military.com last month. Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, has touted the opportunity to use innovative ways to build the fledgling stockpile, particularly in the way the program uses digital engineering to allow developers to see how to make a part before it is manufactured. "Our GBSD team is doing just that by leveraging a modular open system approach to ensure our next-generation ICBM system is adaptable to challenges posed by the pace of technological advancements and new threat environments," Roper said in the release Tuesday. The approach reduces the program's technical risks, added Brig. Gen. Anthony Genatempo, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center commander and Air Force program executive officer for strategic systems. "Its acquisition strategy focuses on mature technologies, smart commonality, modular designs, and maintaining the Air Force's ability to leverage competition throughout the weapon system's lifecycle to ensure it will effectively adapt to evolving environments." Former Defense Secretary William Perry had the following to say about the contract in a Twitter post: "We are spending $13 billion on new nuclear missiles that we do not need and that make us less safe, while at the same time a global pandemic has killed 200,000 Americans. It is 2020, not 1959. Our defense spending should reflect that. #masksnotmissiles" -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Related: The Minuteman III, Designed for 10 Years of Use, Celebrates its 50th Anniversary Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Berlin, Germany Wed, September 9, 2020 17:08 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43cdabe 2 Science & Tech Germany,Facebook,death,Court Free Germany's highest court on Tuesday allowed the parents of a teenage girl who was crushed to death by a Berlin metro train in 2012 to directly access her Facebook account, their lawyer said. The federal court of justice had in 2018 granted the parents limited access to the account to try to determine if the 15-year-old committed suicide. Facebook had argued that granting access to the girl's data could infringe on the private content of other users of the network who had contact with her. After the court's first ruling, the US tech giant handed over a USB drive containing 14,000 pages in PDF format. The daughter's account had been put "In memory of" mode following her death, which allowed posts to be shared but did not enable her family to consult messages or photos. As a result her parents went back to court to force Facebook to grant full access to the account. Read also: After months of speculation, Facebook is starting to merge Instagram and Messenger chats "The transfer of files on USB keys is just not enough," family lawyer Christlieb Klages tweeted. "The heirs must be able to access the account in the same way as the account holder," Klages said, expressing "Joy!" after winning the case. The growing question of digital inheritance raises complicated ethical and legal issues across different nations. In 2016, Apple resisted FBI demands to unlock the iPhone of one of the two shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack the previous year in California. However Apple did cooperate with an Italian father, also in 2016, who after his child died of cancer asked that an iPhone be unlocked to access photos and memories. Topics : Germany Facebook death Court Flash China on Tuesday held the first International Seminar on Global Digital Governance in Beijing and proposed the "Global Initiative on Data Security" during the seminar. The initiative, announced by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi when giving a keynote speech to the seminar via video link, aims to respond to new issues and challenges emerging in the field of data security and contribute to global digital governance. Build peaceful, safe, cooperative cyberspace Wang said that China called on all parties to make joint efforts to build a peaceful, safe, open, cooperative and orderly cyberspace with view to deal with emerging issues and challenges. According to the initiative, states should handle data security in a comprehensive, objective and evidence-based manner, and maintain an open, secure and stable global supply chain. Meanwhile, states should stand against information and communications technology (ICT) activities that impair or steal important data from other states' critical infrastructure. Faced with activities jeopardizing personal information, states should take actions to prevent and put an end to such activities through the use of ICTs, and oppose mass surveillance of other states and the unauthorized collection of personal information of other states through ICTs, it added. Companies should be encouraged to abide by laws and regulations of the state where they operate, while states should not request domestic companies to store data generated and obtained overseas in their own territory. States should also respect the sovereignty, jurisdiction and governance of data of other states, and should not obtain data located in other states through companies or individuals, according to the initiative. Providers of ICT products and services should not install backdoors in their products and services to illegally obtain users' data, and ICT companies should not exploit users' dependence on their products, read the initiative. Reject unilateral acts, bullying Global issues call for global solutions. However, a certain country is bent on unilateral acts, keeps making groundless accusations against others in the name of a so-called "clean" network, and uses security as a pretext to prey on enterprises of other countries. "Such blatant acts of bullying must be opposed and rejected," said Wang. Wang stressed that all parties should uphold multilateralism to develop a set of international rules on data security that reflect the will and respect the interests of all countries through broad-based participation. "Protectionism in the digital domain runs counter to the trend of globalization, undermines the right of global consumers to equally access digital services, and will hold back a country's development," Wang said, adding that all countries should provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for all businesses. He stressed the importance of ensuring fairness and justice, saying that politicizing security issues, adopting double standards, and slandering others violate the basic norms governing international relations and seriously disrupt and hamper global digital cooperation and development. Set blueprint for international data security rules "I hope the Chinese initiative will serve as a basis for international rules on data security and mark the start of a global process in this area," Wang said. Citing that the number of Chinese netizens has exceeded 900 million, Wang said the digital economy in China has been thriving, accounting for more than one-third of the country's GDP. "The Chinese government acts in strict compliance with data security principles," said Wang, adding that China has clear legal provisions for protecting the lawful rights and interests of citizens and organizations, including data security and personal information. China has not asked and will not ask Chinese companies to transfer overseas data to the Chinese government in breach of other countries' laws, said Wang. "China has taken constructive part in multilateral discussions on data security, including at the UN, G20, BRICS, and the ASEAN Regional Forum, contributing China's input to global digital governance," he said, adding that China looks forward to the active participation of all parties to the initiative. The last member of the seven-strong Coordination Council who has not yet fled, told to leave country, or been arrested, is Svetlana Aleksievich, a prominent Belarusian writer and Nobel prize winner. Members of the Belarusian opposition's Coordination Council Maria Kolesnikova and Maksim Znak have been taken into custody as a measure of restraint. The two have been confirmed as suspects in the criminal investigation into their "public calls for action to the detriment of national security," the country's Investigative Committee reported via Telegram. Kolesnikova's lawyer Ilya Salei was also detained as a suspect in the same case. Detectives claim evidence has been obtained testifying to suspects committing "actions aimed at destabilizing the socio-political, economic and media situation in the country, causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus." It is emphasized that these actions were carried out through the use of media and internet resources. Russia's RIA Novosti, citing Kolesnikova's father, reported that she could face imprisonment for a term of two to five years. The last member of the seven-strong Coordination Council that has not yet fled, told to leave country, or been arrested, is Svetlana Aleksievich, a prominent Belarusian writer and Nobel prize winner. On September 9, European diplomats came to Aleksievich's home to try to protect her from the arrest. "Harassments, arrests & forced exile of opposition in Belarus is serious violation of peaceful protests by the regime in Belarus," Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde tweeted. Harassments, arrests & forced exile of opposition in Belarus is serious violation of peaceful protests by the regime in Belarus. Happy to share this photo taken a moment ago in Minsk with Svetlana Aleksijevitj surrounded by European diplomats, including a Swedish diplomat. pic.twitter.com/b96Nafhlf6 Ann Linde (@AnnLinde) September 9, 2020 Abduction of opposition figures in Minsk: background (Newser) A Danish court determined Peter Madsen killed Swedish journalist Kim Wall in August 2017. Now Madsen has verified that fact. The Guardian reports the 49-year-old has for the first time admitted killed Wall, who he long maintained had died accidentally on the submarine he built. The confession came in a TV documentary released Wednesday called the Secret Recordings with Peter Madsen, which was compiled from 20 hours of recorded conversation with Madsen from prison. The BBC reports the calls were recorded without Madsen's knowledge, but that he later gave permission for the conversations to be used. When journalist Kristian Linnemann asks Madsen if he killed Wall, he said this: "Yes. Its my fault she died, and its my fault because I committed the crime. Its all my fault ... There is only one who is guilty, and that is me." story continues below But the Copenhagen Post reports he offers no clear explanation. It quotes him as saying Wall "hits some things," which it observes could mean everything from hitting an instrument in a way that could have endangered them to hitting a nerve during their conversation. Linnemann responds with this: "So this is what triggered you, and this is the moment when everything goes wrong. Instead of hitting yourself, you end up killing her?" He answers yes. Madsen was sentenced to life in prison in 2018. The judge said there was "clear evidence that the accused has shown an interest in killing and dismembering people." (Read more Peter Madsen stories.) LEO Varadkar has said Britain is not a rogue State as he stated the Johnson Governments feared move to override elements of the Withdrawal Agreement may be sabre rattling to gain a trade deal. The Tanaiste said hed found statements coming from the British Government in recent days as extraordinary and not utterances expected from a respected liberal democracy. The British Government has been heavily criticised in Ireland and by Irish America, Mr Varadkar told Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1. Read More Britain is an honest, honorable country, full of honest people, Mr Varadkar said. Its not a rogue state, these were really extraordinary comments, they set off alarm bells in Dublin. I think they backfired Countries around the world are wondering if they should enter into contracts with the UK. Its an agreement we made which was ratified by the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the European Parliament. Mr Varadkar said if he looked back to a year ago when discussions were being had with the British Government, it appeared they were threatening to crash out if they didnt get a deal, and hinting that we will go kamikaze on you, Mr Vardakar said. But the latest incident is possible sabre rattling, Mr Varadkar said. It might be a process of trying to come to an arrangement with the EU but we can't assume its that. I think they want a deal but on the best terms they can get. It seems the sticking points are on fisheries and state aids - what different supports can be given in the country without skewing the playing field.. There is time. Mr Vardakar said Michel Barnier is the best person to judge the situation and he had a lot of faith in him to make the best call. I don't think there can be a Free Trade Agreement when the UK Government isnt honouring the Withdrawal Agreement. They already have legislated for the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement... This issue would not arise if we had a FTA between the EU and UK with tariff-free trade, this would go away. This could be what they're playing at but I don't think it's a good strategy at all. Mr Varadkar said the Government is publishing a Brexit readiness plan this morning with supports for businesses, including 9,000 grants for companies who employ workers to deal with customs procedures, loans and training. Mr Varadkar said: We don't know if there will be tariffs and quotas. There will be delays and bureaucracy. This is going to happen in 16 weeks. I know a lot of businesses are being pulled in different directions with Covid and the recession but this is not a drill, this is real. Britain's former attorney general Dominic Grieve said the Johnson Governments plan to override elements of the Withdrawal Agreement was a matter of the utmost seriousness. Mr Grieve said the move raises questions about the current attorney generals response. Its impossible how the current attorney general can remain in office without ruining her reputation and the Lord Chancellor, whose jobs it is to uphold the rule of law, which includes international law. Mr Grieve told Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1 the British Government may have its faults but it has a record of observing its legal obligations. Its completely unacceptable, I'm astonished, he added. Oregon employers on average will pay less for workers compensation coverage in 2021, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services announced today. The decline in costs marks eight years of average decreases in the pure premium rate the base rate insurers use to determine how much employers must pay for medical claims and lost wages, according to the DCBS. The numbers illustrate positive, long-term trends, according to the department: Employers on average will pay $1 per $100 of payroll for workers comp in 2021, down from $1.05 in 2020, under a proposal by DCBS. That figure covers workers comp claims costs, assessments, and insurer profit and expenses. The pure premium rate will drop by an average 5.6% under the proposal. Oregons lost-time claim frequency has generally been decreasing moderately while the severity of wage-replacement and medical costs are showing a long-term downward trend, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI). Employers cost for workers comp covers the pure premium and insurer profit and expenses, plus the premium assessment. Employers also pay the Workers Benefit Fund assessment, which is a cents-per-hour-worked rate. The decrease in the pure premium of 5.6% is an average, so an individual employer may see a larger or smaller decrease, no change, or even an increase depending on the employers own industry, claims experience, and payroll. Also, pure premium does not take into account the varying expenses and profit of insurers. As we move forward with our rate-setting process, we are focused on taking a cautious, balanced approach, Andrew Stolfi, DCBS director and insurance commissioner, said in a statement. Its an approach that accounts for a tough economy and that helps stabilize programs that benefit employers and workers. The decrease in the pure premium will be effective Jan. 1, 2021, but employers will see the changes when they renew their policies in 2021. The assessment changes will be effective Jan. 1, 2021. Oregons workers compensation premium rates have ranked low nationally for many years. Oregon had the sixth least expensive rates in 2018, according to a nationally recognized biennial study conducted by DCBS. That was an improvement from Oregons ranking as the seventh least expensive state the last time the study was done in 2016. Related: Topics Workers' Compensation Oregon The new UK Internal Market Bill we are introducing to Parliament today will protect jobs and trade across Northern Ireland after the Transition Period ends, guaranteeing that companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK while maintaining our country's world leading standards on worker's rights, food and the environment. With this Bill, we will ensure the smooth operating of the UK internal market and legislate to guarantee unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the rest of the UK market, ensuring these commitments form part of a coherent UK-wide system. From January 1, 2021, powers in at least 70 policy areas previously held by the European Union will flow directly to Stormont and the other devolved administrations of the United Kingdom for the first time. This will give the devolved administrations power over more issues than they have ever had before, including over air quality, energy efficiency of buildings and elements of employment law. Taking back control from Brussels presents an opportunity we have not seen in generations. An opportunity to make the UK, and all its four nations, the best place in the world to work and grow a business. Currently, unelected EU bodies spend billions of pounds of money on this country's behalf. From January 1 this will rightly change, allowing the UK Government to invest in communities and businesses across Northern Ireland as we recover from coronavirus. This power will cover infrastructure, economic development, culture, sport and will support educational, training and exchange opportunities both within the United Kingdom and internationally. The Bill will also set out limited and reasonable steps to ensure a safety net is in place at the end of the Transition Period ensuring this Government is always able to deliver on its commitments to the people of Northern Ireland, preserve the huge gains of the peace process and protect Northern Ireland's place in our United Kingdom. As part of the UKIM Bill, we will ensure Northern Ireland is fully part of the UK's customs territory. We will also guarantee that businesses in NI have true unfettered access to the rest of the United Kingdom and make sure there is no legal confusion about the fact that while Northern Ireland will remain subject to the EU's State Aid regime for the duration of the Protocol, Great Britain will not be subject to EU rules in this area. Once the Transition Period ends, rules that have regulated how each home nation trades with each other over the past 45 years will fall away. Without this urgent legislation to preserve the status quo of seamless internal trade, inconsistent standards, rules and regulations set in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland could create new barriers to trade between each nation, unnecessary red tape for businesses and additional costs for consumers. By introducing this Bill we are guaranteeing an open, fair and competitive market across the whole United Kingdom, ensuring regulations from one part of the country will be recognised in another. The Northern Ireland Executive will still be able to set their own standards as they do now, while also being able to benefit from the trade of businesses based anywhere in the UK. We are grasping the opportunities presented by leaving the European Union with both hands - by guaranteeing the free flow of trade across the United Kingdom, we will ensure the continued prosperity of people and businesses across Northern Ireland. Feynmans advice to W&M student resonates 45 years later I goofed, and so did you: Beulah Cox 77 holds the 1975 letter from renowned physicist Richard Feynman in which the Nobel Laureate tells Cox that she read his book right, but the book was wrong. Their exchange remains a much-shared anecdote in scientific circles. Courtesy photo Photo - of - Hide Caption Beulah Elizabeth Cox 77 is an accomplished violinist, a part of the New York City classical music scene for 30 years. Cox has studied with a Juilliard professor and has a long list of solo, chamber and orchestral credits, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and solo performances in Paris and London. Shes performed on Broadway, including productions of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon and as an on-stage violinist in I Love You. Youre Perfect. Now Change. She is the founder and leader of the Ambrosia Trio, a professional ensemble that gave concerts regularly in the New York area and beyond before going on a pandemic hiatus. Years before making her mark as a professional in the arts, Beulah Elizabeth Cox was a student at William & Mary. A wrong answer for the ages Early in her career as a William & Mary student, Cox turned in a physics exam that contained what became one of the most famous incorrect answers in science. Do you know how long ago this was? Cox asked when a caller wanted to know if she was the Beulah Elizabeth Cox who once corresponded with Richard Feynman. It was August of 1975 45 years ago. Some of the details are lost to the passing years, but here is the gist: Cox saw that she had lost points on a physics exam problem that involved an electrified sphere and Gauss Law. Her answer seemed in accord with an explanation she read in Feynman. But her answer was marked wrong. Perplexed, she wrote to Feynman, holder of any number of science honors, including the 1965 Nobel Prize for Physics. The body of her Aug. 22, 1975 letter read: I recently took a course in elementary physics at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. An exam question concerned Gauss' Law and conductors, namely, does a hollow conductor shield the region outside the conductor from the effects of a charge placed within the hollow but not touching it? I read Chapter 5, Volume II of the Feynman Lectures on Physics , and understood all except the next to the last paragraph in which you say no static distribution of charges inside a closed conductor can produce any fields outside . This was confusing, as it seemed to contradict all your previous statements. My instructor showed me how a simple application of Gauss' Law, with a surface of integration enclosing the entire conductor, shows that the E vector outside the conductor is not zero. Could you perhaps explain what the paragraph in question means? I would greatly appreciate a reply as I am now very confused. Cox let Feynman know in a postscript that there was more at stake than the satisfying of scientific curiosity: PS: I must admit I have a devious motive in writing to you because on the exam I answered with the explanation that your book gave. However my instructor did not give me any points, even after I found your book to validate my answer. If you could clarify this question for me I would be very appreciative. Thanking you in advance. Feynman replied to Cox in a letter dated Sept. 12, 1975: Your instructor was right not to give you any points, for your answer was wrong, as he demonstrated using Gauss law. You should, in science, believe logic and arguments, carefully drawn, and not authorities. You also read the book correctly and understood it. I made a mistake, so the book is wrong. I probably was thinking of a grounded conducting sphere, or else of the fact that moving the charges around in different places inside does not affect things on the outside. I am not sure how I did it, but I goofed. And you goofed, too, for believing me. The Cox-Feynman correspondence, brief as it was, garnered attention, especially in the internet age: A Google search yields pages and pages of hits. Its been immortalized in print, too. For starters, the full exchange is contained in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman. Kip Thorne also referenced the Cox-Feynman letters prominently in his preface of more than one subsequent edition of The Feynman Lectures on Physics corrected editions that note that the sphere is grounded. Why the reply resonates today Thorne, the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus, at California Institute of Technology and the holder of a 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics, said in an email what he believes makes the Cox-Feynman correspondence so resonant, even after all these years: Feynmans straightforward message about not accepting anything on the basis of authority even if that authority is Feynman himself. Its a powerful and very important message, and I think it resonates with people who have some sense of the power of critical thinking. Feynman was a big name in physics even before his Nobel. Etan Markowitz graduated from Caltech in 1962. He said during his time, Feynman taught freshman and sophomore physics for two years. They reserved seats in the lecture hall for enrolled students, because all the upperclass physics students and graduate students all wanted to hear what he had to say, Markowitz said. Anyway, Feynman came in every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for two years, talking about whatever he wanted to talk about. Markowitz said graduate students set up a tape recorder for each session, and photographed each blackboard Feynman used. This raw material was distilled into The Feynman Lectures. Early iterations of the Lectures contained errata, not surprising considering the volume and variety of material churned out by Feynman. In fact, Hans von Baeyer, Chancellor Professor of Physics Emeritus at William & Mary, says that Feynman errata is something of a cottage industry, and the Cox-Feynman correspondence adds a very human touch to what is mostly a set of corrections, checks and confirmations. Markowitz even sought to bring Cox herself for a cameo appearance at a Feynman centennial a few years back, but for a number of reasons it didnt work out. The text of the Cox-Feynman exchange, perpetuated online and in print, may never be lost. The origin story was harder to pin down. Understandably, Cox didnt save the exam and 45 years after the fact, cant recall the Gauss Law problem. She also drew a blank on the instructors name. A dive into the microfilm An appeal to William & Mary Registrar Sallie Marchello brought results. Marchello, engaging my inner Nancy Drew, dove into the microfilm and emerged with a number of possible names for instructors. She also found that von Baeyer was department chair at the time. Von Baeyer knew about the letters. In addition, he confirmed that Paul Cisterino was the instructor and provided an email address. What the instructor remembers Cisterino, astounded to be hearing about this, said in an email that he remembered the incident. He was a graduate student in physics, teaching a summer course for non-majors. Cisterino said he left academia a year or so later for a career in avionics test engineering with the Department of Defense. The way I remember it, I gave a take-home test, and that enabled Ms. Cox to consult Feynman, Cisterino said. I don't recall exactly what the test question was, but it involved the electric field resulting from a statically charged conducting body. He added that the class was a survey course for non-majors, and so he likely would not have required a math-heavy answer, but probably was looking for a general statement about the field, invoking Gauss Law. She came to me right after I handed back the test and told me her answer was in accord with Feynman, Cisterino said. I was baffled by that. Because, Feynman, you knowwell, he could do this stuff in his sleep. The principle in question was basic and fundamental, and it would be hard to imagine Feynman making a mistake like that. But Feynman did, indeed, make that very mistake. Thorne notes in his preface, Feynman was uncomfortably aware of this error, and others. Feynman could have passed the error off as a typo, but he accepted responsibility. More to the point, his I goofed, and so did you answer to Cox underscores the fact that students have responsibilities as well. Feynman's advice is complicated, von Baeyer said. Inside the scientific community his opinion is simple and perfect: Read everything, question everything. She acted impeccably and courageously, von Baeyer added. But in today's world, it is essential to point out that the moral of the story is NOT that Homer nodded. All scientists, including all Nobel laureates, make mistakes. But that by itself is not enough to dismiss their opinions. Feynmans answer goes public on the bulletin board Feynmans reply had its first public exposure in the form of a copy posted in the corridor of Small Hall shortly after its receipt. I have a very faint memory of some students, some physics students graduate students, I believe pointing at me laughing and giggling and discussing among themselves, Cox said. Von Baeyer said that he doesnt remember Cox personally or the receipt of the letter, and learned of her correspondence years later, from Feynmans book. Cisterino said he, like Cox, had a faint memory of the letter being posted publicly for a short time in Small Hall. Cisterino added that he believes the continued circulation of the Cox-Feynman exchange has its roots in the continued interest in Feynman himself. Feynman died in 1988, a public intellectual nearly as prominent in popular culture as he was in physics. Cisterino is among those who consider the response to Cox as classic Feynman. The ready admission that he goofed and he doesnt know why is so characteristic of the utter baring of his soul, Cisterino said. He had no interest in trying to fudge it to save his reputation. Having the grace to say, in essence, beats me; I dont know what I was thinking is so characteristic of his personality as I understand it. Cox herself had put the correspondence in the back of her mind, until July 8, 2004, when a letter arrived from a firm of publishers. They were seeking permission to include her letter in a book that turned out to be Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track. This was exciting, she said. I told my sister about it. And I said, Was I crazy? What was wrong with me? My sister just said, No that sounds exactly like you. Write to a Nobel Laureate? No big deal. In fact, Cox confessed that she is a little nonplussed by references to her courage in writing to a Nobel Laureate. She said she never had any trouble initiating contact with authority figures when she had some business to discuss. Were all just people, she says. She was raised in Hampton and at one time during her youth, family financial constraints put an end to her violin lessons. Cox called up Ronald Marshall, a prominent figure in Hampton Roads classical circles. She kept her voice low, she said, so her family wouldnt hear her negotiating for violin lessons with the concertmaster of the Peninsula Symphony. Cox credits her father, the late Willis Franklin Cox, with inoculating her against awe of prominent persons. Willis Cox served as vice mayor of the city of Hampton and was a friend of former Virginia Governor Linwood Holton. Holton had two daughters roughly the same age as Beulah and her sister. The four girls became friends and would happily engage in a bit of gubernatorial schtick. The limousine would pull up and the people would expect the governor to get out, Cox said. Then the door would open and out would pop four little girls. She added that one of her fellow members of the limo quartet was the governors daughter Anne Holton, who grew up to serve as Virginia secretary of education and to be interim president of George Mason University. In addition, she is married to U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. Coxs comfort in dealing with accomplished and famous people has served her well. She moves easily among the higher strata of the music world. And, like many others, she has noticed the close connection between music and science. She has met many physicians and scientists who are also accomplished musicians. Shes even worked with a doctors orchestra in New York City And these guys are good! Cox said. The fateful take-home exam is no more, but the collected papers of Richard Feynman are held in nearly 100 boxes in an archive at Caltech. He was a productive contributor to and commentator on science and he was an equally prolific letter writer. The Beulah Cox correspondence is filed with the other Cs (including Francis Crick), in Box 24. Box 24s contents hold many testimonies to the contributions of Richard Feynman, but they also speak to the qualities of Beulah Cox, her physics instructor and her alma mater. It speaks very well for William & Mary, not only because Beulah was a smart, brave and persistent student, but also because Paul, the instructor, was sophisticated enough to steer his students toward Feynman, von Baeyer said. He was also smart enough to do the right and honest thing by grading her correctly, instead of buckling under the incredible authority of Feynman's book. Her incorrect answer on the Gauss Law problem did not discourage Cox from continuing studies in science. She augmented her music major with other science courses at William & Mary, including Physics of Music, unsurprisingly. I've always loved science. I've always loved the way scientists think the way they question, she said. I love that. And I loved Feynmans answer to me. It's funny, I didn't feel like it vindicated my professor. I felt like it vindicated me. Patna, Sep 10 : The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar on Wednesday staged a protest against the Nitish Kumar government in the state by lighting lanterns. Top RJD top leaders including former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, her sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav have lit lanterns for 9 minutes at 9 p.m. on Wednesday as a symbolic protest against "the failure of JD-U-BJP government on employment, law and order, agriculture, migration of labourers, flood and Covid-19". Meanwhile, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Ajay Alok reacting to protest said "copying an idea of others needs skill and mind". He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to the people in April to light 'diyas' to show collect resolve and solidarity to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Tejashwi had appealed to the people of Bihar to switch off lights at their houses and light candles, 'diya', lanterns, etc for 9 minutes at 9 p.m. on September 9. He claimed the symbolic way of protesting is "a ray of hope against the darkness currently spread across Bihar". He also slammed the state government on job crisis and other issues which were affecting the common people of the state. Following his appeal, many RJD supporters in different districts like Begusarai, Banka, Bhagalpur, Supaul, Madhepura, Araria, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga have posted their photographs on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, holding lamps. WASHINGTON With cheering crowds, inflated and false claims, and inflammatory partisan rhetoric, President Trump has resumed the mode of politicking he enjoys most: entertaining his supporters at campaign-style rallies. Standing in a sunset glow Tuesday night at an airport hangar in Winston-Salem, N.C., Mr. Trump looked and sounded like the political candidate he was in the pre-coronavirus era. His playlist, featuring Y.M.C.A by the Village People as his inexplicable walk-off song, was back. And so was he, as he resuscitated old obsessions, like the perfect call to Ukraine that ultimately led to his impeachment, and a stale riff about how his coveted border wall would keep undocumented immigrants out of the country a timeless device, just like the wheel. It was his latest stop in a tour that so far has included appearances at airfields in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona and New Hampshire. The campaign did not announce it was resuming the rallies. It simply started scheduling them. Earlier this month, Mongolians in the Chinese Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia demonstrated against government plans to strengthen Chinese language education at the expense of their native Mongolian. Tibetan and Uyghur areas have also complained of a shift in language education. Minorities fear being victims of a concerted plan to wipe out local languages. Hundreds of thousands of students in Inner Mongolia, home to 4,2 million ethnic Mongolians, are reported to have boycotted classes starting 1 September. Unlike China's other main minority areas, Tibet and Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia is relatively stable, in spite of occasional flare-ups of discontent directed at the regime in Beijing. The anger was sparked by a document issued by the Inner Mongolian Education Bureau dated 17 August 2020, saying that three main courses in primary and middle school - general language, history and "Morals and Law" - will now be taught in Mandarin, rather than in the Mongolian language. The document has been published by the New York-based Southern Mongolia Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC). A notice on 7 September from the Inner Mongolia Education authority to students added that schools in the region will gradually implement education in Mandarin over a three-year period from 2020. This is a major political task that we must accomplish well in the present and future generations, the notice adds. Learning several languages definitely has good points, according to Uzhtok Tauhu, the head of the Inner Mongolian Teachers' College's Nationalities Studies Department, quoted by a local website for CCP veterans. Students of minority groups not only are proficient in their mother tongue, but they study Mandarin at school and will soon learn English and other languages as well, so they will follow the general trend of globalisation, he says. But for Mongolian parents and their school-going children, the message is clear: for them,bookmarks folder Projects the move signifies another step by the Chinese government to undermine their traditional culture. Disquiet has led to protest marches, region-wide school boycotts, an avalanche of YouTube-protest-videos, and petitions to the local and central government to stop the new policy. Excessive force Chinese police reacted immediately, and went after the demonstrators. Police in the city of Tongliao put pictures of some 129 people on an online bulletin board, promising a 1,000 Yuan (124 euro) reward for information that would lead to the arrest of any of them. Beijing has always acted with excessive force to put down unrest, says Enghebatu Togochog, Director of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center, contacted by RFI. The crackdown has already started. Hundreds of people have been arrested, detained or put under house arrest, he says. A journalist working for the Los Angeles Times who managed to go to Inner Mongolia's capital Hohhot, was briefly detained and told to leave the region. Political speculation Meanwhile, Beijing has rejected all criticism from the foreign press and human rights organisations. The state-controlled Global Times accuses some western media of having hyped the new regulation, claiming that Inner Mongolia is replacing Mongolian by Putunghua (standard Mandarin.) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said during a press conference on 3 September, that the reports are political speculation with ulterior motives, but adds that the common language of a country is a symbol of its sovereignty, and it is every citizen's right and responsibility to learn and use it. But the change in Beijing's Inner Mongolia's language policy seems to be part of a larger pattern. Difficult to communicate According an explanation by the Inner Mongolian Education Office, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping prioritised Mandarin language education for minorities first during the 2014 Central Ethnic Work Conference. If language is not available, it is difficult to communicate, he was quoted as saying. This not only requires ethnic minorities to learn the national language, but also encourages ethnic minorities to learn the national language well, which is beneficial to employment, acceptance of modern scientific and cultural knowledge, and integration into society. Beijing then aggressively moved to alter language education in minority areas like Xinjiang and Tibet. In a report entitled China's 'Bilingual Education' policy in Tibet, New York-based Human Rights Watch notes in increasing trend of gradual replacement of Tibetan by Chinese as the medium of instruction in primary schools throughout the region. In neighbouring Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uyghurs, a similar policy was implemented. In Xinjiang forced integration policies seem to have been moved to another level with forced detention and re-education programs with a focus on Chinese language. The argument here is separatism, says Michael Dillon, an independent scholar and Xinjiang specialist. It's a term the Chinese think is reinforced by traditional Uyghur language and culture and the religious elements of that. And if you can get away from that, make them more Chinese, then there won't be any demands for a separate administration in Xinjiang, which some Uyghurs certainly still want. Xinjiang education policies may go even further than the ones introduced in Inner-Mongolia. In 2017, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on a document published by the Education Department of Hotan Prefecture in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, a five point directive outlawing the use of Uyghur in language schools in favour of Mandarin Chinese. Additionally, RFA reported, the order bans the use of Uyghur language in collective activities, public activities and management work of the education system. End of diversity? The development spells a dark future for the diversity of China's minorities. Officially, Beijing registers 55 national minorities who, together with the Han-Chinese make up the population of China. Among the largest groups are the Zhuang (about 10 million,) Hui (10 million), Uyghur (10 million), Tibetan (8 million) and Mongol (6 million); these five groups are concentrated in so-called autonomous regions that have the status of provinces, but are nominally administered by a governor who is a member of the minority. However, the real power is always in the hands of the CCP Party Secretary who is, in almost all cases, a Han-Chinese, and who answers directly to the Central Committee in Beijing. United Front Department Traditionally, Beijing's relations with its minorities were in the hands of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission (NEAC,) which is headed by a representative of one of the minorities, currently by a man called Bater, an ethnic Mongol. But in 2018, Beijing announced that the United Front Department (UFD) would take management of the NEAC, and its work with the national minorities. The UFD is a powerful organ aimed at forcefully uniting different religions and political entities under the umbrella of the Communist Party. Article 13 of a watershed policy paper with the innocent title Deepening the Reform of Party and State Organs, published online by the central government on 21 March 2018, says in blunt terms that the Party's United Front Department is now directly responsible for minority affairs: this organ now directly seals the fate of China's 55 minorities. The UFD is certainly meant in part as an instrument of control, says Michael Dillon. Now under Xi Jinping, we're going back to the more authoritarian, nationalist approach of Chinese above everything else. The broadcast in April 2004 of images of torture and other abuse of Iraqis detained at the US-run Abu Ghraib military prison shocks the world Key dates in relations between Iraq and the United States, which invaded in 2003, before withdrawing in 2011, only to return three years later to battle the Islamic State group. Invasion On March 20, 2003, the US leads an invasion of Iraq citing claims that Saddam Hussein's regime is harbouring weapons of mass destruction. On April 9, US troops capture Baghdad, where a large statue of Saddam is symbolically toppled by a US tank amid celebrations by a crowd of Iraqis. US President George W. Bush announces the end of major combat operations on May 1, but says the war against "terrorism" continues. On October 2, a US report acknowledges no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq. On December 13, Saddam is captured near his hometown of Tikrit after nine months on the run. He is hanged three years later. The broadcast in April 2004 of images of torture and other abuse of Iraqis detained at the US-run Abu Ghraib military prison shocks the world. Power is transferred to an interim government in June. - Insurgency, sectarian conflict - In November 2004, more than 10,000 American and 2,000 Iraqi soldiers attack the overwhelmingly Sunni Arab city of Fallujah, which has become a symbol of resistance to foreign occupation, after the lynching of four Americans in March. In February 2006, Al-Qaeda-linked Sunni extremists blow up a Shiite shrine in Samarra, sparking a wave of sectarian killings that rages until 2008 and leaves tens of thousands dead. In January 2007, Bush announces the deployment of 30,000 more troops, bringing the total to 165,000, saying the surge is needed to help Iraq's embattled government restore control. US soldiers depart In February 2009, new US president Barack Obama, who had deeply opposed the war in Iraq, says most troops will be withdrawn by August 2010. On December 18, 2011, the last US soldiers leave. Between 2003 and 2011, more than 100,000 civilians were killed, according to the Iraq Body Count database. The United States has lost nearly 4,500 troops. Fighting the jihadists In January 2014, jihadists from the Islamic State group, capture Fallujah and parts of nearby Ramadi. In June, they seize the northern city of Mosul and by the end of 2014 hold one-third of Iraq. The United States intervenes directly in Iraq for the first time since its forces withdrew in 2011, bombarding jihadist positions which threaten Iraqi Kurdistan and thousands of Christians and Yazidis. With the help of the US-led coalition, Iraqi forces drive IS from all the country's urban centres and, in December 2017, declare victory against IS. Between US and Iran Since 2003, US arch-foe Iran, which supports factions of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force that played a key role driving out IS, has strengthened its influence and become a major trading partner with Iraq. On December 31, 2019, thousands of Iraqis attack the US embassy in Baghdad to protest a deadly bombing against a Hashed faction. On January 3, 2020, top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and senior Hashed commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis are killed in a US air strike in Baghdad. Iran responds with missile strikes on bases hosting US soldiers in Iraq. The Iraqi parliament calls on the government to end the presence of foreign troops in Iraq, where 5,000 American troops are stationed. In early May, intelligence chief Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who has links with both Washington and Tehran, is appointed prime minister replacing Adel Abdel Mahdi, who was ousted after street protests left hundreds dead last October. Towards a withdrawal On August 20, Kadhemi is hosted for the first time by Trump, who says US forces will leave Iraq but gives no timetable or troop levels. On September 9, Trump was expected to announce a new troop withdrawal, a senior administration official said. Search Keywords: Short link: A Sinn Fein TD has described health restrictions in maternity hospitals as "straight-up bonkers." In the Dail this afternoon, Reada Cronin criticised the handling of guidelines in those hospitals by the government. As it currently stands, partners are allowed to enter the wards only after labour begins, though hospitals can implement their own guidelines. "A father can wet his baby's head sooner than he can see his baby's head," she said. "When a child is born so too is a mum and a dad. A dad must be able to attend the birth and attend does not just mean being present it means attending to mother and baby." Cork South West TD Holly Cains agreed. "I have spoken to a woman who endured 23 hours of labour without the support of a loved one. Being in labour is bad enough but it's made worst when you get bad news. We've heard horror stories where women have to ring their partner with bad news who's waiting in the car outside." Mary Butler, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People said that while she acknowledges that the restrictions present difficulties it is a regrettable necessity to reduce footfall in maternity hospitals. "There have been no covid maternity deaths in this country which suggest that this approach is working," she said. Ms Cairns called for more transparency on the restrictions and an explanation for their existence. "We need to see 'the why' in this case. Across the country, we've seen so many restrictions revised and ease." "Will we have clarity of what restrictions are there and when they can be eased?" In her reply, Ms Butler said the case is under constant review from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and said she would present the concerns of the two TDs to the Minister. Earlier this week the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu, also called for a review of the restrictions. Been in contact with Master of National Maternity Hospital on below issue & have asked for restrictions of not allowing partners to attend to be lifted. He assures me he will revert with update. I will also be contacting the other maternity hospitals on Monday with same request. https://t.co/AWOdzaEYgq Hazel Chu (@hazechu) September 5, 2020 Mayor Chu raised the issue after Sarah Flynn, a gentle birth instructor, published a series of tweets describing the difficulties pregnant women are facing when attending hospital appointments alone. The family of a terminally ill Brisbane man not expected to see Christmas are unable to come from NSW to say goodbye instead, they claim Queensland health officials told them only one of the man's children can cross the border. The dying man's father said the response from Queensland Health was "ridiculous" and he has taken particular offence to the contrast with the Lady Pamela case, in which passengers and crew who sailed from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on the luxury yacht were allowed to remain in Queensland. However, in a fresh twist, the 12 exemption requests submitted to Queensland Health by the man's family in NSW have neither been rejected or approved. A Queensland Health spokeswoman said the department "understands and sympathises" with these cases and acknowledges "there are challenges" with the state's tough border restrictions. A Victorian woman has been jailed for setting her elderly neighbour's house on fire while she was asleep inside. Lisa Hay set fire to Catherine Siegers' house in Wangaratta in north-east Victoria on September 1, 2017. The 36-year-old jumped Ms Siegers' fence to start the blaze from her backyard, with the 84-year-old lucky to escape with her life. Hay denied any involvement in the blaze and lied to investigators during her police interview after the fire. Lisa Hay (pictured) set fire to Catherine Siegers' house in Wangaratta on September 1, 2017 When asked if she had ever been in Ms Sieger's backyard before, Hay said 'no', despite detectives finding her fingerprints on the Colorbond fence separating the two homes. In video obtained by 9News, Hay claimed to have slept through the blaze in her house next door. 'Didn't here a thing,' she said. Judge Damian Murphy told Victoria's County Court Hay was a serial arsonist who was responsible for four other suspicious fires on her street alone. 'You have exposed an elderly lady to terrible danger and destroyed her lifetime memories,' Judge Murphy said, as reported by ABC. 'You are to be utterly condemned.' Ms Siegers was asleep inside her home (pictured) when the blaze took hold and was lucky to escape with her life Ms Siegers has a heart condition and had to be taken to hospital after the fire suffering from smoke inhalation. In an impact statement, Ms Siegers said all of her possessions were destroyed in the blaze and her health has never recovered. 'The stress of the night has taken its toll,' she said. Hay was found guilty of arson and reckless conduct endangering life and was sentenced to three years and nine months. She will be eligible for parole in 2022. Taiwan has just 15 formal diplomatic allies and is considered by China a part of its territory, while Somaliland is recognized internationally as part of Somalia, from which it broke away in 1991 as the country broke apart and descended into clan-based civil war. Microsoft is working on a new mid-range laptop to be added to its Surface lineup. This is according to a report from Windows Central, which claimed the company is looking to mirror the success of its budget-oriented Surface Go tablet with another competitively-priced offering. The laptop, which goes by the codename of Sparti, comes in a conventional clamshell form-factor with a lightweight and compact design supposedly aimed at students. According to Windows Centrals sources, current engineering prototypes of the laptop look and feel like the typical Surface device, which means Microsoft is not compromising on its build quality to hit the right price. For its display, the laptop features a 12.5-inch panel, while the entry-level model comes packed with a 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage. It will launch with Windows 10 in S mode, a more limited version of the operating system that only allows the installation of apps through the Windows Store and Internet browsing via Microsoft Edge. The sources indicated pricing is expected to start at between $500 and $600. This would slot it in between the Surface Gos $399 starting price, and the $749 price tag on the entry-level Surface Pro. Windows Central said the new mid-range Surface is expected to be officially announced in October, together with several other Surface devices. Surface comes to South Africa Microsoft launched its first Surface products in South Africa in July. This includes the convertible Surface Pro 7 and more conventional clamshell-design Surface Laptop 3. The Surface Pro 7 is ultra-light and versatile, featuring a 12.3-inch touchscreen display which can be written and drawn on naturally with the Surface Pen. The Surface Laptop 3, meanwhile, is available in 13.5-inch and 15-inch versions. The 13.5-inch version can be configured with up to a 10th-gen Core i7, while the 15-inch version offers up to a Ryzen 7 3780U mobile processor for powerful performance. These laptops offer high-end hardware designed to offer maximum performance and portability as well as deep integration with Microsofts ecosystem. Since they are aimed at the premium market, they are set to compete with devices such as those in Apples MacBook lineup locally. Now read: Microsoft working on new Windows 10 feature to help save space on your PC 3 1 of 3 Courtesy of Mike Baxter, city of Tomball Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy of Mike Baxter, city of Tomball Show More Show Less 3 of 3 A pandemic wont stop Tomball from celebrating all things groovy, baby, as the city prepares to host its third annual GroovFest online this year. The event evolved from Tomballs former Beetles, Brew & Barbecue festival and was named Best New Event in its inaugural year by the Texas Festival & Events Association. The Kenosha County Board met as a committee of the whole Tuesday night at the Kenosha County Job Center to hear from its members about how the community can move forward amid a myriad of issues stemming from the Aug. 23 Kenosha Police shooting of Jacob Blake. The near hour-long special meeting called by Board Chairman John ODay came a week after the board would have met but for lack of agenda items. It also came as some supervisors have expressed the need for an emergency meeting amid the strife and a call for leadership. ODay reminded the audience that the committee of the whole would not include public comments and the board would not take action on items. He also reminded board members to observe proper decorum prior to an update from Wisconsin National Guard Major Gen. Paul Knapp, who said all troops had disengaged from their mission to assist local law enforcement as of midnight on Monday. At one point as many as 2,000 Guard troops were on hand to keep the peace, Knapp said. This is not meant to be a platform for attacks or recriminations. Its meant to begin the process of laying the path forward for the whole Kenosha community, ODay said. Biggest crisis in county history While the board did not vote on any recommendations, Supervisor Terry Rose called on the leadership to consider action on what he termed the biggest crisis in the history of Kenosha County. And the way that we deal with this crisis is utterly important to the people who live here and the example weve set, Rose said. Rose recommended the board draft a resolution for consideration as early as next week to give the county direction and purpose in the near future and beyond. If we speak as a unified board not as Republicans or Democrats or independents, but all Kenoshans working for the best interest of all who live here, he said. Damage to property tops $50 million In speaking with Heather Wessling, vice president of economic development for the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, Rose said the damage to buildings and businesses is an estimated $50 million, including 100 businesses and as many as 40 out-of-business for good. Rose called for asking both federal and state governments for funding to rebuild businesses in both Uptown and downtown Kenosha, and not just for low-interest loans. He also called for the rebuilding of the state corrections center, or the probation and parole building at 60th Street and 13th Avenue, which was burned to the ground in the riots. The county needs to assist the city in bolstering the Uptown community, Rose said. We need to seek federal funds, state funds or local funds to make sure that those body cameras, which we authorized in (a) prior resolution, are made very much a part of the forthcoming budget. Rose also requested a debriefing by the countys own emergency management on what went right and what went wrong. He suggested the county seek state and federal assistance to help pay for damage to county property not covered by insurance. Rose thanked local, state and federal law enforcement and the National Guard and residents who volunteered in cleanup efforts and made food donations. He said those efforts sent a message of Kenoshas strength and that it was not a racist community and one willing to address its deficiencies. But the one issue that we need to make very clear to the people here whose lives have been endangered, whose property has been destroyed, who lived in nightly fear, is the same message we need to send to people who might come here from out of town or elsewhere, Rose said. Our message has to be very clear: Never again. Never again. Never again. Future safety Supervisor Zach Rodriguez read comments and questions from residents, including those who were concerned about the future safety of the community. One resident, he said, was concerned about how the county would handle reactions to verdicts from cases coming out of the unrest which could spawn more rioting. Another resident, he said, wanted to know how the county would continue to address racism in addition to providing county law enforcement with body cameras for evaluating racial bias and policing strategies. Rodriguez also had words for rioters. To the people who burned down our city, we wont allow it ever again, he said. Rodriguez also said he was sure that those who caused destruction were from outside of Kenosha and lacking in awareness of the Uptowns demographics, which include a large segment of people of color. Supervisor Sharon Pomaville said changing the laws to address racism can only go so far. Change comes from changing thoughts and minds and hearts, she said. The community has to take a hard look at ourselves in asking how and where it exists, Pomaville said. Changing the law might actually be the easier part of this, but changing thoughts is at least where we even get to the place of creating any long-lasting change, she said. Supervisor Boyd Frederick encouraged the community and others to spend their money in downtown. Let them see that. Be comfortable downtown, he said. Frederick added that all voices and ideas should be heard even beyond a resolution. Lives lost Supervisor Jerry Gulley said he was ashamed to mention that through 45 minutes of discussion, board members didnt even mention that lives were lost. He was referring to two Kenosha-area protesters who were shot and killed by an armed teenager now facing homicide charges. I think thats critical, and I think 85% of what weve talked about are solving symptoms and not solving causes, Gulley said. We talk about recovering and rebuilding and we cannot pretend that cannot be done on a foundation that does not include equality and inclusion. Gulley said he agreed with Roses assessment for the need to rebuild from the destruction. About two dozen people in the audience held up signs when they agreed and disagreed with statements made by supervisors. One thing many in the audience agreed with is that residents have a say about the concerns, something that Supervisor Laura Belsky said she was willing to facilitate. Supervisor Jeffrey Gentz wondered whether the resolution offered by Rose could be reviewed in committee, which ODay said would take place once introduced on the board floor. I think it needs to be clearly thought out, and I think everything else needs to go through the committee process so it I dont think this needs to be done like tomorrow, he said. I think it needs to be thought through, input given and work through the committee system. While Rodriguez said he would be willing to sit down with community members, he said it was important for residents to call their supervisors and also to speak with Rose. Some in the audience did not feel that Rodriguez was hearing them, however. We lost. Your house didnt get burned down. Your community didnt get burned down, said one man who challenged Rodriguez. Thats our community. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 5 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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that when India has achievements in every international forums today, the media also needs to be global. The Prime Minister of India on Tuesday inaugurated the Patrika Gate on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur and released the Samvad Upanishad and Akshar Yatra, the Scripture of Gulab Kothari, Editor-in-Chief of the Patrika group. The Prime Minister, referring to the self-reliant India campaign, said that India's local products are going global; India's voice is also going global. The Prime Minister said that the world now listens to India higher attention. He said that the demand of the times is that our newspapers and magazines should have global reputation and in the digital age we reach the whole world with this technology. Our countrymen should also be healthy, and the economy should also gain momentum, this is the priority of the country today. On the occasion of the release of Akshar Yatra Granth, the PM assured to win the battle against Corona soon and said that the journey of the country will also become Akshar Yatra. The special guest of the ceremony was Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The Prime Minister expressed happiness in his address that the Patrika group has started giving international awards in memory of its founder Karpoor Chandra Kulish. These efforts will give India a new identity on the global media platform. The Prime Minister said that the different literary awards given in the world, the institutions of India should also give the same genre; it is the need of the hour today. Underlining the important role of media in democracy, the Prime Minister said that in this era of epidemic, Indian media has also done a commendable service of public in awareness campaign against Corona. The PM said that our media has been doing well in highlighting and criticizing the ground level flaws in government schemes along with deliberating the government's actions. There are also occasions when the media is criticized. Especially in the era of social media, it has become more natural. But, learning from criticism is equally natural for all of us. That is why our democracy has become so strong today. Regarding the Patrika Gate and the books to be released, the PM said that the way we are moving forward and accepting our heritage, our science, our culture and our strength, we have to take that confidence forward. Referring to public awareness programs being organized by the Patrika group during the Corona period, Modi said that this campaign still needs to be intensified. PM Modi said that in any society, its enlightened class, society's intelligentsia or writers are like pioneers. Schooling gets over, but our learning process continues throughout its life. In today's era, it is more important that our new generation does not shy away from serious knowledge. We must make a corner for books in our homes. The knowledge of the Upanishads and the thinking of the Vedas is not only a field of spiritual and philosophical attraction; there is a philosophy of creation and science in Vedas and Vedanta. The first of the two Books authored by Gulab Kothari were released in the program, the first being Samvad Upanishad. It is available as a Upanishadic Vedic tradition to the new generation in their scientific -language style. In the second book Akshar Yatra, with the complete introduction of the alphabet, the form of vowel consonants and the meaning of each and every letter is also described in a simple style. Representative memorial of the unified form of Rajasthan With this inauguration, a new attraction was added for the tourists in the form of this magnificent gate, displaying the architectural and cultural heritage of all regions of Rajasthan. Patrika Group has constructed Patrika Gate under the Mission Anupam Yojana of Jaipur Development Authority. This gate on Jawahar Circle, the busiest of Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, naturally attracts attention of the people. Patrika Gate is a representative memorial of the unified form of Rajasthan which reflects the culture of different regions of the state. It is also known as Gateway of Rajasthan. Patrika Gate shows a truly representative image of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot On this occasion, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that I am happy that the Patrika Gate is inaugurated and two scriptures of Gulab Kothari are being released in connection with the Prime Minister. It is a matter of pride. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Rajasthan Patrika has been engaged in social concerns since the time of Karpoor Chand Kulish. This in journalism is itself is a message that everyone should follow. After the approval of JDA by the interest and dedication Patrika has built the gate with a sincerity which will show the picture of Rajasthan to the tourists visiting the state. Instead of becoming the fourth pillar of media, it became a bridge - Gulab Kothari Presiding over the function, the Editor-in-Chief of the Patrika group, Gulab Kothari said that today media is an important entity. But instead of becoming a bridge between the government and the public, it has become the fourth pillar. Kothari said that Rajasthan Patrika will never become the fourth pillar. He called for the need to bring ancient knowledge in a new form to the face of the new generation and said that the Patrika is constantly trying in this direction. Kothari said that when revered Karpoor Chandra Kulish laid the foundation of this newspaper in 1956, the goals and objectives which he laid before him are still intact - be it boldness, objectivity or social harmony. Kothari welcomed the Prime Minister, Governor and Chief Minister. Eric Cavalcanti If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Perhaps not, some say. And if someone is there to hear it? If you think that means it obviously did make a sound, you might need to revise that opinion. We have found a new paradox in quantum mechanics one of our two most fundamental scientific theories, together with Einsteins theory of relativity that throws doubt on some common-sense ideas about physical reality. Quantum mechanics vs common sense Take a look at these three statements: When someone observes an event happening, it really happened. It is possible to make free choices, or at least, statistically random choices. A choice made in one place cant instantly affect a distant event. (Physicists call this locality.) These are all intuitive ideas, and widely believed even by physicists. But our research, published in Nature Physics, shows they cannot all be true or quantum mechanics itself must break down at some level. This is the strongest result yet in a long series of discoveries in quantum mechanics that have upended our ideas about reality. To understand why its so important, lets look at this history. The battle for reality Quantum mechanics works extremely well to describe the behaviour of tiny objects, such as atoms or particles of light (photons). But that behaviour is very odd. In many cases, quantum theory doesnt give definite answers to questions such as where is this particle right now? Instead, it only provides probabilities for where the particle might be found when it is observed. For Niels Bohr, one of the founders of the theory a century ago, thats not because we lack information, but because physical properties like position dont actually exist until they are measured. And whats more, because some properties of a particle cant be perfectly observed simultaneously such as position and velocity they cant be real simultaneously. No less a figure than Albert Einstein found this idea untenable. In a 1935 article with fellow theorists Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen, he argued there must be more to reality than what quantum mechanics could describe. The article considered a pair of distant particles in a special state now known as an entangled state. When the same property (say, position or velocity) is measured on both entangled particles, the result will be random but there will be a correlation between the results from each particle. For example, an observer measuring the position of the first particle could perfectly predict the result of measuring the position of the distant one, without even touching it. Or the observer could choose to predict the velocity instead. This had a natural explanation, they argued, if both properties existed before being measured, contrary to Bohrs interpretation. However, in 1964 Northern Irish physicist John Bell found Einsteins argument broke down if you carried out a more complicated combination of different measurements on the two particles. Bell showed that if the two observers randomly and independently choose between measuring one or another property of their particles, like position or velocity, the average results cannot be explained in any theory where both position and velocity were pre-existing local properties. That sounds incredible, but experiments have now conclusively demonstrated Bells correlations do occur. For many physicists, this is evidence that Bohr was right: physical properties dont exist until they are measured. But that raises the crucial question: what is so special about a measurement? The observer, observed In 1961, the Hungarian-American theoretical physicist Eugene Wigner devised a thought experiment to show whats so tricky about the idea of measurement. He considered a situation in which his friend goes into a tightly sealed lab and performs a measurement on a quantum particle its position, say. However, Wigner noticed that if he applied the equations of quantum mechanics to describe this situation from the outside, the result was quite different. Instead of the friends measurement making the particles position real, from Wigners perspective the friend becomes entangled with the particle and infected with the uncertainty that surrounds it. This is similar to Schrodingers famous cat, a thought experiment in which the fate of a cat in a box becomes entangled with a random quantum event. For Wigner, this was an absurd conclusion. Instead, he believed that once the consciousness of an observer becomes involved, the entanglement would collapse to make the friends observation definite. But what if Wigner was wrong? Our experiment In our research, we built on an extended version of the Wigners friend paradox, first proposed by Caslav Brukner of the University of Vienna. In this scenario, there are two physicists call them Alice and Bob each with their own friends (Charlie and Debbie) in two distant labs. Theres another twist: Charlie and Debbie are now measuring a pair of entangled particles, like in the Bell experiments. As in Wigners argument, the equations of quantum mechanics tell us Charlie and Debbie should become entangled with their observed particles. But because those particles were already entangled with each other, Charlie and Debbie themselves should become entangled in theory. But what does that imply experimentally? Our experiment goes like this: the friends enter their labs and measure their particles. Some time later, Alice and Bob each flip a coin. If its heads, they open the door and ask their friend what they saw. If its tails, they perform a different measurement. This different measurement always gives a positive outcome for Alice if Charlie is entangled with his observed particle in the way calculated by Wigner. Likewise for Bob and Debbie. In any realisation of this measurement, however, any record of their friends observation inside the lab is blocked from reaching the external world. Charlie or Debbie will not remember having seen anything inside the lab, as if waking up from total anaesthesia. But did it really happen, even if they dont remember it? If the three intuitive ideas at the beginning of this article are correct, each friend saw a real and unique outcome for their measurement inside the lab, independent of whether or not Alice or Bob later decided to open their door. Also, what Alice and Charlie see should not depend on how Bobs distant coin lands, and vice versa. We showed that if this were the case, there would be limits to the correlations Alice and Bob could expect to see between their results. We also showed that quantum mechanics predicts Alice and Bob will see correlations that go beyond those limits. Next, we did an experiment to confirm the quantum mechanical predictions using pairs of entangled photons. The role of each friends measurement was played by one of two paths each photon may take in the setup, depending on a property of the photon called polarisation. That is, the path measures the polarisation. Our experiment is only really a proof of principle, since the friends are very small and simple. But it opens the question whether the same results would hold with more complex observers. We may never be able to do this experiment with real humans. But we argue that it may one day be possible to create a conclusive demonstration if the friend is a human-level artificial intelligence running in a massive quantum computer. What does it all mean? Although a conclusive test may be decades away, if the quantum mechanical predictions continue to hold, this has strong implications for our understanding of reality even more so than the Bell correlations. For one, the correlations we discovered cannot be explained just by saying that physical properties dont exist until they are measured. Now the absolute reality of measurement outcomes themselves is called into question. Our results force physicists to deal with the measurement problem head on: either our experiment doesnt scale up, and quantum mechanics gives way to a so-called objective collapse theory, or one of our three common-sense assumptions must be rejected. There are theories, like de Broglie-Bohm, that postulate action at a distance, in which actions can have instantaneous effects elsewhere in the universe. However, this is in direct conflict with Einsteins theory of relativity. Some search for a theory that rejects freedom of choice, but they either require backwards causality, or a seemingly conspiratorial form of fatalism called superdeterminism. Another way to resolve the conflict could be to make Einsteins theory even more relative. For Einstein, different observers could disagree about when or where something happens but what happens was an absolute fact. However, in some interpretations, such as relational quantum mechanics, QBism, or the many-worlds interpretation, events themselves may occur only relative to one or more observers. A fallen tree observed by one may not be a fact for everyone else. All of this does not imply that you can choose your own reality. Firstly, you can choose what questions you ask, but the answers are given by the world. And even in a relational world, when two observers communicate, their realities are entangled. In this way a shared reality can emerge. Which means that if we both witness the same tree falling and you say you cant hear it, you might just need a hearing aid. Eric Cavalcanti, Associate Professor (ARC Future Fellow), Griffith University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A great white shark was spotted less than ten feet from the shore in Cape Cod days before a mother swimming with her baby had a narrow escape. The predator, estimated to be 10ft long, was photographed swimming in the shallows of Race Point Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on Sunday at around 11am. Sharks were spotted in Cape Cod once on Monday and twice on Tuesday as the charity warned of great whites hunting near the shore. Tuesday's second sighting was just 20ft from shore and 'three feet from a woman and baby in the water', according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. A great white shark was spotted swimming around ten feet from the shore at Cape Cod, Massachussetts, at around 11am on Sunday The shark's dorsal fin pokes out of the water as it hunts near the beach in one of four sightings in the last four days in the area Tamzen McKenzie and her friends saw the shark swimming 'less than ten feet from the shore' on Sunday. She said she noticed the seals in the area staying out the water as the shark approached. Writing on social media, she said: 'It swam back and forth in front of us for about 10 minutes, pretty amazing.' There were no lifeguards in the area the shark was spotted and she did not have cellphone service. Shocking footage shows a shark mere inches from a boat at Race Point Beach in Provincetown Tamzen told WBZ-TV: 'Weve never seen one that close. It was super interesting.' It comes after the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy released shocking footage showing a shark swimming a few inches away from a boat in the area. In the video shared on Friday, the huge shark slowly swims right alongside the boat as one passenger shouts: 'Oh my god.' Its left fin nearly touches the hull of the boat as it ominously glides through the water. One passenger lets out a nervous laugh as another woman again says: 'Oh my god,' before the shark begins to swim away. In the video shared on Friday, the huge shark slowly swims right alongside the boat as one passenger shouts: 'Oh my god' Its left fin nearly touches the hull of the boat as it ominously glides through the water at Cape Cod The charity is warning people great whites are known to hunt and feed in shallow waters and they will continue to be a presence off many Cape Cod beaches in the coming weeks. It said: 'This is a good example and reminder of how close to shore white sharks can get. 'As the fall season approaches, we would like to remind everyone that white sharks are still off of the Cape Cod coastline. 'Based on tagging data, peak white shark activity is in August, September, and October. Remember to be shark smart.' Inspirational speaker Jay Shetty has revealed the lessons he learned while living as a monk to improve your everyday life. The bestselling author, 33, from London, has dedicated his life to sharing knowledge gained while living in an Indian monastery for three years, including how to improve your mental health and find life purpose. Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, he revealed how to improve your mood amid the coronavirus pandemic, advising 'finding a daily habit' which brings you peace, which could be as small as a morning tea or reading your favourite book. Viewers heaped on praise for the motivational speaker, insisting his advice is guaranteed to 'steer you in the right direction'. Inspirational speaker Jay Shetty, pictured in California last year, 33, from London, has revealed the lessons he learned while living as a monk to improve your everyday life Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, he revealed how to improve your mood amid the coronavirus pandemic, advising 'finding a daily habit' which brings you peace Speaking of mental health during the pandemic, Jay said: 'One of the most important things is to realise that everyone has lost something or someone, and it's really important not to gloss over that and belittle it and to really accept it. 'The second thing is to see how you can find certainty in your day. What is a daily habit or a ritual that you can do that brings you a sense calm? 'Whether it's a morning tea or reading or listening to something that calms you down, finding a daily habit that brings you that peace.' He went on to explain how he refrains from toxic habits, advising replacing your habit with something else that brings joy. Viewers heaped on praise for the motivational speaker, insisting his advice is guaranteed to 'steer you in the right direction' 'One of the best ways [to avoid bad habits] is to give yourself a really strong reason, that item is not there to serve you', said Jay. 'Whatever that vice or challenge is for you, you can keep drawing your mind back. 'The goal is you can't just remove something, you need to remove it for something that's healthier but gives you the same feeling.' Viewers were quick to comment on the author, with one writing: 'Good to see @JayShettyIW on @GMB this morning! #ThinkLikeAMonk #PositiveVibes'. Another commented: 'Jay shetty is amazing, such an inspiration. He has helped me so much and I'm looking forward to reading his book. If you need guidance this man is the man to steer you in the right direction. If you want mind and soul reprogramming he's a genius. Love him.' He went on to explain to hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid (both pictured) how he refrains from toxic habits, advising replacing your habit with something else that brings joy Jay first heard a monk speak at the age of 21, and for the next three years spent half his summer vacations working for a large financial firms and the other half living as a monk in India A third gushed: 'SO HAPPY JAY IS ON THE SHOW!Red heart SO MUCH WISDOM.' Jay first heard a monk speak at the age of 21, and for the next three years spent half his summer vacations working for a large financial firms and the other half living as a monk in India. After three years of back-and-forth, Jay committed to living the life of a Monk full time, for for another three years lived with monks, woke up at 4 am, meditated for 4-8 hours, studied timeless wisdom and served others in nearby communities. After leaving the monastery, Jay began sharing lessons on mental health and life purpose on social media, and told today how he was inspired to use his life 'in the service of others'. When asked by host Piers about his success in business, the former monk went on: 'I think to me it's been an unravelling of getting to my truest and most authentic self' 'The most important moments in life are always humbling ones, said Jay, 'When you go expecting nothing and you realise how stupid and immature you were. 'When at 18 , I had met people who were rich and famous and attractive but i'd never met someone who was truly happy and the Monk said he was happy because he was using his life in the service of others.' When asked by host Piers Morgan about his success in business, the former monk went on: 'I think to me it's been an unravelling of getting to my truest and most authentic self. 'Since i've left, i've put those practises into the real world and put my life into applying that. I just feel grateful and blessed and humble I live the life I live.' By Trend Over the centuries, Armenia has always betrayed Georgia, and unfortunately today this is also manifested quite clearly, Guram Markhulia, President of the "Caucasus International Center for the Study of Geohistory and Geopolitics" told Trend. In his words, neighboring Armenia does not want Georgian refugees to return to their homes. The Georgians are not going to return to the occupied territories without restoring the territorial integrity of Georgia. The Georgian government, together with the UN, is continuing its diplomatic struggle, Markhulia noted. Markhulia also noted that the actions of the Armenian government are an example of non-recognition of the territorial integrity of Georgia. "If not betrayal, how else to explain the actions of Armenia?" says Markhulia. On September 3, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution Status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia. The document was supported by 84 countries, only 13 countries voted against. Georgian President, Salome Zourabichvili expressed gratitude to the countries that supported Georgia's position. According to him, as a result of Georgia's successful diplomacy this year, Armenia refrained from voting against the resolution, but in the future, it will not change its position, since the Georgian and Armenian foreign policy orientations differ. Georgia's neighbors Azerbaijan and Turkey voted for the UN General Assembly resolution on ensuring the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons from Abkhazia and Samachablo, thereby again supporting Georgia. Armenia, however, avoided this by not participating in the voting. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Joyce White Vance, a former U.S. attorney in Alabama, is a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law. This year, unlike any election year in memory, its possible that Election Night will end without us having the final results. But while its different, it isnt anything to worry about. This year, voters in Alabama, like in most other states, can vote absentee if theyre concerned about Covid-19. With many more Americans likely using mail-in voting because of the pandemic, the count will be slower. Ballots will have to be opened, verified, sorted and counted, and that process cant begin, in Alabama, until election day. At the same time, there may be fewer poll workers available, both here in Alabama and across the country, and that could make the count slower as well. A slower count has nothing to do with accuracy or legitimacy of the process, it simply reflects the unusual moment we are living in. President Trump has claimed that mail-in voting will produce the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, but there is no evidence this is true. Whether a state calls it mail-in or absentee voting, many people, including Alabama military members and their families stationed overseas and college students attending school away from home, have used it for many years without problems. Voters get to complete their ballot at home and, depending on state rules, return it by mail or in person on or before Election Day. Voting by mail is common. In 2016, roughly one out of every four votes was mailed. President Trump has often voted by mail, as have members of his family, Vice President Pence, and other Cabinet members. Every member of the U.S. military stationed overseas votes by mail. Some states, such as California, send a mail-in ballot to every registered voter. Five states including Utah, hardly a progressive stronghold conduct their elections entirely by mail without the type of fraud the president claims will occur. Those states do so because voting by mail is proven safe. States have extra security protocols for mail-in ballots such as bar codes, signature verification, and statistical audits making them as secure as in-person ballots if not more so, because they are paper ballots, not electronic ones. Ballots are delivered through the U.S. Postal Service, which we trust to deliver Social Security checks, tax refunds, credit cards, passports, and life-saving prescription medications. Ignoring all of those facts, and the widespread national support for mail-in voting, the president has declared that he is opposed to fully funding the Postal Service in order to make it harder for Americans to safely and effectively vote by mail in the midst of the pandemic crisis. That admission shines a light on the recent attempts by the new Postmaster General DeJoy, a major Trump donor who has invested millions in USPS competitors and contractors, to slow mail delivery. These include a proposal to nearly triple the postage rate for mail-in ballots, the abrupt removal of important mail sorting machines, and the purge of seasoned postal executives. Fortunately, the intense public and congressional backlash has forced him to abandon some of his plans and DeJoy has committed to prioritizing delivery of ballots. But we must be alert to the possibility that the mail will continue to be slower than usual as we approach Election Day. So, what can we do? First, be vigilant. Pay attention to other changes the administration has in store. One of the most telling images over the last few weeks was trucks hauling away mail boxes, which led to widespread awareness of the interference with the Postal Service. The Presidents statement last month about having sheriffs and other law enforcement involved in Election Day monitoring suggests what may be in store for us. Have a plan, stay alert, and make sure you can vote despite the pandemic and any efforts to suppress voting. Be a reliable source of information for family and friends too. You can call the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights' election protection hotline, 866-OUR-VOTE, if you run into any problems. Second, plan to vote by mail as early as possible. Dont wait until the last minute. If youve moved since you last voted, update your voter registration now, especially if you need to do so before requesting or receiving a mail-in ballot. Rules vary widely, so its important to know your local ones. In Alabama, you need to follow a complicated set of rules precisely to make sure your absentee ballot gets counted. And in Alabama, absentee ballots must be received by the day of the election (other states simply ask for a timely postmark). Although there is no early voting, beginning Wednesday, September 9, you can vote absentee/in person either applying for an absentee ballot by mail or getting one at your county circuit clerks office, or the location theyve designated, and turning it in there, rather than mailing it. If you have questions or want to find out about tracking your ballot, check a reliable source of information like the Secretary of States website. Third, if youd rather vote in person at your polling place, do so early if thats possible in your state. Its not in Alabama, so bring a mask and gloves, as well as water, food, a folding chair, and comfortable shoes. Lines this year may be long, and poll worker shortages may contribute to delays. Finally, prepare to wait for the outcome of many races. Many results on Election Night are media projections based on exit polling. That type of educated prediction is much more difficult when significant numbers of people vote by mail. Be skeptical of campaigns that claim victory before the actual results are tallied. Without meaningful exit polling, and with the time it will take to physically count the huge number of paper ballots that will be mailed, it will take more time to get complete results. Will that be frustrating? Sure! Will it provide an opportunity for some candidates to criticize the delay and claim the delay means there is fraud? Absolutely. But a slow count means a careful, accurate count. It also means that many, many citizens have chosen to exercise their right to vote in a way thats safe for themselves and their communities. Thats exactly how we want our elections to work. Getting it right is more important than getting it fast. TIVERTON, ON, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bruce Power and BWXT Canada Ltd. (BWXT) announced today they are collaborating on several projects to advance the made-in-Ontario economic recovery program, including an estimated $55-million contract for BWXT to perform fuel channel maintenance on Bruce Powers Unit 3 nuclear reactor. The Life Extension project is known as Extended West Shift Plus and is scheduled to be executed in 2021 and will result in the training and hiring of hundreds of skilled-trades workers. Once complete, it will extend the life of Unit 3 to 2023, when Bruce Power is scheduled to start the units Major Component Replacement (MCR) Project. For BWXT, a key supplier in the nuclear energy industry of critical components, fuel, services and medical isotopes, Extended West Shift Plus is the fourth major project of its kind to have been executed by the company in the past 12 years. Todays announcement is exciting news for Ontarios nuclear industry and for the province as the work being done through our Life-Extension Program is creating jobs and providing direct and indirect spending to support getting the economy back on track in the face of the COVID-19 health crisis, said Mike Rencheck, President and CEO, Bruce Power. BWXTs ability to execute on critical projects like Extended West Shift Plus extends the life of our reactors, which Ontarians count on to deliver affordable and reliable electricity. BWXT, which opened a Saugeen Shores office in 2018, is expanding its footprint in Saugeen Shores and is relocating to a larger facility at 714 Elgin St. in Port Elgin which will allow for training of staff to provide reactor inspection and maintenance services. BWXTs Owen Sound manufacturing facility also opened in 2018 and is manufacturing and delivering a supply of critical components to Bruce Power. The two companies also announced today that the first Made in Ontario steam generator, built by United Steel Workers, for the Unit 6 MCR has been shipped from BWXTs plant in Cambridge to Bruce Power. BWXT, a member of the Retooling and Economic Council launched at the end of April by Bruce Power, will manufacture a total of 32 steam generators for Bruce Powers MCR projects. This manufacturing contract, originally awarded in 2016 and extending through 2030, represents the largest and longest standing contract ever signed by BWXT Canada in the companys 175-year history. Contracts like Extended West Shift Plus and design and supply of steam generators for MCR allow BWXT to create and sustain many high-skilled jobs and invest in our communities, said John MacQuarrie, President of BWXT Canada Ltd. These contracts also sustain a lot of jobs for BWXTs supply chain that is largely based in Ontario. Last month, Bruce Power, Isogen a joint venture between Kinectrics and Framatome and BWXT signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance feasibility work for a made-in-Ontario partnership for the production of medical isotopes to meet the growing demands of health-care providers in Canada and internationally. The knowledge and expertise held by Bruce Power, Isogen and BWXT in the area of medical isotopes will benefit people requiring health care not only here at home in Canada, but around the world, Rencheck said. Todays announcement is being lauded by elected officials at the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government. Bruce Power and its suppliers including BWXT continue to demonstrate excellence all of us here in Huron-Bruce can be proud of, said Ben Lobb, MP, Huron-Bruce. Todays announcement is great news as it only continues to support and enhance economic activity locally, and provide opportunities for high-skilled work here at home. Im so proud of the partnership between Bruce Power and BWXT. Their work supports our nuclear industry and provides power for Canadians while also creating high-skill jobs right here in Cambridge, said Cambridge MP Bryan May. Congratulations on this project, and best of luck as you continue to modernize and build our nuclear power infrastructure. The investment in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound by BWXT continues to have positive impacts on our region, said MP Alex Ruff. Their new partnership with Bruce Power announced today will create skilled jobs, assist in local economic recovery efforts, and benefit our communities in the years ahead. Im pleased that Bruce Power and BWXT are working together to create hundreds of skilled jobs while showcasing made-in-Ontario technology, said Bill Walker, Associate Minister of Energy, and MPP, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. The partnership between these two companies will support our vital nuclear refurbishment program and ensure that medical professionals around the world can continue to rely on necessary medical isotopes produced right here in Ontario. I'm pleased to congratulate BWXT for its successful shipment of the first of many steam generators for Bruce Powers MCR Program, said Belinda Karahalios, MPP for Cambridge. Thanks to contract awards like these from Bruce Power, BWXT can continue to contribute to our local economy through long-term jobs that are so important for Cambridge. BWXT has a long and proud history of supplying high-skilled jobs in Cambridge and its contributions to our local economy have been significant, said Mayor of Cambridge, Kathryn McGarry. Im so pleased to see that BWXT continues to supply Bruce Power with components and services that enable Ontarians to enjoy clean affordable power for many decades to come. The partnership announced today between BWXT and Bruce Power will support economic recovery in Peterborough-Kawartha through quality high-skilled jobs in the short and long term, said MPP David Smith. I applaud todays announcement which will also help ensure Ontario has a reliable supply of low-cost, clean energy well into the future. About Bruce Power Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an electricity company based in Bruce County, Ontario. We are powered by our people. Our 4,200 employees are the foundation of our accomplishments and are proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable, low-cost nuclear power to families and businesses across the province. Bruce Power has worked hard to build strong roots in Ontario and is committed to protecting the environment and supporting the communities in which we live. Learn more at www.brucepower.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. About BWXT Canada Ltd. BWXT Canada Ltd. (BWXT Canada) has over 60 years of expertise and experience in the design, manufacturing, commissioning and service of nuclear power generation equipment. This includes steam generators, nuclear fuel and fuel components, critical plant components, parts and related plant services. BWXT Canadas sister company, BWXT ITG Canada, Inc. (BWXT ITG) provides its customers, who conduct life-saving medical procedures for patients around the world, the benefit of decades of experience in the development, manufacturing, packaging and delivery of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario, BWXT in Canada has approximately 1,400 employees at locations in Cambridge, Dundas, Peterborough, Toronto, Arnprior, Pickering, Port Elgin, Owen Sound, Kanata and Oakville, Ontario, and Vancouver. BWXT Canada is a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BWXT). Follow us on Twitter @BWXTech and learn more at www.bwxt.com. Attachment Belarus opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, who was snatched by masked men on Monday and nearly deported, is being held in Mink prison as part of a national security probe. She was driven to the border in the dead of night but she tore up her passport to foil authorities trying to deport her to Ukraine. She has now returned to the capital Minsk and is being held in a pre-trial detention centre amid the ruthless crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko. Fellow opposition politician Maxim Znak is the latest government critic to be snatched from his office by masked men wearing plain clothes. He has been detained alongside Kolesnikova, authorities have confirmed. The country's Investigative Committee, which probes major crime, said in a statement that the two were being held as a probe continued into 'calls urging action aimed at harming national security'. A lawyer for Kolesnikova, the most prominent opposition figure still in Belarus, said she was in a central Minsk jail and faced up to five years in prison. 'Maria is in good spirits,' lawyer Lyudmila Kazak told AFP. 'She confirms she tore up her passport on purpose to remain in Belarus.' Znak, a former lawyer, 39, was one of the last remaining members of the country's opposition Coordination Council still at large. Opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, who was snatched on Monday and nearly deported, is being held in Mink prison Mass protests against Lukashenko have rocked his government since a disputed election on August 9. But on Wednesday, he did not rule out calling early elections but said it was too soon to set a date amid the ugly scenes. Znak, who previously worked as a lawyer for jailed presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryko, had been due to participate in a video call on Wednesday but did not show up, instead sending the word 'masks' to the group. A witness reported seeing Znak being led down the street near his offices by several men in civilian clothes and wearing masks and he has since been detained. Maxim Znak has been taken from his office by masked men wearing plain clothes, his allies have claimed Znak's lawyer was cited as saying that his client's flat was also being searched by the state investigative committee and that he was subject to legal proceedings. Znak was the last member of the Coordination Council still active inside Belarus, other than Nobel prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich, who has acted as a figurehead for the movement. All the rest have fled or been forced abroad or been detained in a crackdown by Lukashenko's security forces as he seeks to maintain his 26-year grip on power in the former Soviet republic. Unprecedented demonstrations broke out after Lukashenko claimed to have defeated political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and won re-election with 80 percent of the vote in the August 9 ballot. President Alexander Lukashenko's ruthless crackdown continues against members of the opposition's Coordination Council In an interview with Russian state media broadcast on Wednesday, Lukashenko said: 'I am inclined to conduct an early presidential election. I do not rule this out. 'I am saying this for the first time,' he noted. The opposition has urged Lukashenko to acknowledge defeat and step down so that fresh elections can be held according to international standards. On Saturday night, Olga Kovalkova, an activist and confidant of opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, was ejected from the country by security forces. She said agents of the Belarusian State Security Committee, or KGB, put her into a car, where she was told to lie on the floor, unaware where they were taking her. On Saturday night, Olga Kovalkova (pictured), an activist and confidant of opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, was ejected from the country by security forces She was dropped off in no-man's land between the Belarus and Poland border, and Polish border guards asked a bus driver headed for Poland to take her on board. The Coordination Council said: 'On the night of September 5, the Belarusian special services took Olga Kovalkova, a confidant of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, to the Belarusian-Polish border and released her to a no-man's land.' She had been offered the choice of leaving the country or remaining behind bars with further prison terms. On Monday, Kolesnikova was detained in the capital of Minsk along with two other council members. They were driven early on Tuesday morning to the border, where authorities told them to cross into Ukraine. When they arrived in a no-man's land between the countries, Kolesnikova ripped her passport into small pieces to make it impossible for the authorities to expel her. She remained in custody on the Belarusian side of the border after the incident. Border police said that Kolesnikova was arrested at a crossing between Belarus and Ukraine (the approximate journey is shown on a map) Two other council members who crossed into Ukraine, Ivan Kravtsov and Anton Rodnenkov, described Kolesnikova's action with open admiration. 'She was shouting that she won't go anywhere,' Rodnenkov said at a news conference in Kyiv. 'Sitting in the car, she saw her passport on a front seat and tore it into many small fragments, crumpled them and threw them out of the window. After that, she opened the back door and walked back to the Belarusian border.' He said that 'Maria is in great shape, full of energy and spirits, as always.' Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman for Belarus' Border Guard Committee, confirmed she is in the custody of Belarusian authorities but refused to give any details of what happened on the border. Border police made the extraordinary claim that Kolesnikova was 'pushed out' of a speeding BMW as it raced to escape the guards. Kolesnikova (right) backed Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (left) who rejected Lukashenko's claim to have won the August 9 election State investigators were also searching the headquarters of jailed opposition politician Viktor Babariko, a witness in Minsk said. The Coordination Council was set up to ensure a peaceful transfer of power after main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya rejected Lukashenko's claim to have been re-elected to a sixth term in the August election. The disputed election has sparked the biggest anti-government demonstrations of Lukashenko's 26-year rule, with tens of thousands taking to the streets for weeks to demand he resign. Lukashenko's security services have hit back with waves of arrests, deadly violence against protesters and a campaign of intimidation and expulsion against opposition leaders. The disputed election has led to mass protests in Minsk, pictured here on Sunday with people waving opposition flags The 66-year-old former state farm director has rejected criticism from the United States and the European Union, which said the election was neither free nor fair and shrugged off their demands to open a dialogue with the opposition. In Washington, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement the US and its allies are considering additional sanctions targeted at Belarus, and he expressed concern about the attempt expulsion of Kalesnikava. 'We commend the courage of Ms. Kolesnikova and of the Belarusian people in peacefully asserting their right to pick their leaders in free and fair elections in the face of unjustified violence and repression by the Belarusian authorities, which included brazen beatings of peaceful marchers in broad daylight and hundreds of detentions September 6, as well as increasing reports of abductions,' Pompeo said. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger to Lukashenko, left for Lithuania a day after the election under pressure from authorities. Addressing the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly on Tuesday, Tsikhanuskaya called for international sanctions against Lukashenko and other government officials. 'We need international pressure on this regime, on this one individual, desperately clinging onto power,' she said. Tsikhanouskaya stated that Lukashenko doesn't have any legitimacy after stealing the vote, warning other countries against deals with the Belarusian government. 'He does not represent Belarus anymore,' she said. In separate comments about the attempt to expel Kolesnikova, Tsikhanouskaya praised her as a 'real hero,' and said that 'such actions are incapable of breaking the will of the people or their desire to change their country's future.' Lukashenko (pictured in Minsk last week) is facing the biggest challenge to his rule since taking power in the ex-Soviet republic in 1994 Kolesnikova, a 38-year-old flute player who led a popular arts center, entered politics just before the election. She led the campaign headquarters of a top potential challenger to Lukashenko, and when he was barred from running and jailed on charges widely seen as political, she joined Tsikhanouskaya's campaign. Despite the pressure on opposition activists, daily protests have continued and crowds have swelled on the weekends. An estimated 100,000 attended a rally Sunday, despite heavy rain. Speaking in an interview, Lukashenko said it's 'tragic' for him to face massive protests, but insisted that he has retained the support of most of the country. Speaking on Russian state media outlet Russia-24, Lukashenko was quoted by one of the journalists present as saying: 'I may have stayed [in power] a little too long. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he stands ready to send police to Belarus on Lukashenko's request if rallies turn violent 'But only I can really protect Belarusians now.' Another reported that the President said: 'I'm not gonna leave just like that. I've built up Belarus for a quarter-century, I won't just give it up. Besides, if I leave, my supporters will be slaughtered.' 'You know what we have come to with the establishment and leadership? If Belarus falls today, Russia will be next,' Lukashenko added. Amid Western criticism, Lukashenko has relied on support from Moscow, his main sponsor and ally. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he stands ready to send police to Belarus on Lukashenko's request if rallies turn violent but there is no need for that yet. It comes as Belarus's leading opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Wednesday called on Russians not to believe propaganda trying to 'poison' ties between the two peoples and thanked those backing Belarusians' 'fight for freedom'. Tikhanovskaya's first major address to Russians came after President Alexander Lukashenko gave a wide-ranging interview to a group of journalists from Russian state media on Tuesday. 'It is very important not to damage ties between the two countries,' 37-year-old Tikhanovskaya said in the video address from EU member Lithuania, where she has taken shelter after being forced out of the country. 'Let's not allow propaganda to poison ties between two friendly peoples, and unscrupulous politicians to damage the interests of both Belarus and Russia,' she said. She said that a month-long protest movement in Belarus was not aimed at Russia and thanked independent Russian journalists for coverage of the demonstrations. 'We... are very grateful to the Russians who support the Belarusian people's fight for freedom,' she said. Unprecedented demonstrations broke out in Belarus after Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet state for 26 years, claimed to have defeated Tikhanovskaya and won re-election with 80 percent of the vote on August 9. Lukashenko has refused to quit and his security forces have detained thousands of protesters, many of whom accused police of beatings and torture. Several people have died during the crackdown. No date has been set, but Lukashenko is preparing to travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin quickly congratulated Lukashenko on his victory last month and has offered Russia's support. Lukashenko gave the interview to Russian journalists including Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Kremlin-controlled channel RT, in which he warned that if his government falls, 'Russia will be next'. Anti-Kremlin placards could be seen at a huge protest march that took place in Minsk on Sunday. It's not clear if President Trump would seriously consider one member of a trio of well-known conservative senators Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to fill the next Supreme Court opening should he still be in the White House. They may not even be interested. Hawley, for his part, has already said he wouldn't be, and there's been some chatter all three could have their eyes on the Oval Office instead. But, still, the lawmakers did make it onto Trump's latest 20-person shortlist of candidates for a future seat on the bench. Brian Fallon, the executive director of Demand Justice, argues that Supreme Court shortlists usually don't include household names, so having the senators on there sends a pretty clear message, even if they're unlikely to get the nod. Usually with these shortlists, the names are obscure and while you can intuit their views on guns, abortion and the ACA, it's subtext rather than text. By including likes of Cruz and Hawley on the list, Trump is putting it in neon lights what another Trump justice will mean. Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) September 9, 2020 Perhaps the list will motivate conservative voters who are on the fence about re-electing Trump this November. After all, judiciary appointments often play a major role in presidential election. But some of Trump critics are wondering if he went in too hot on this one, and may simultaneously motivate liberal voters, who could react strongly to seeing names like Cruz, Cotton, and Hawley on the list. Like liberals are acutely aware that the two oldest liberals on the court could be replaced in the next few years, but now the fundraising emails will scream (accurately!) about them being replaced by Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton. Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) September 9, 2020 More stories from theweek.com Trump knew it all along The true Election Day nightmare scenario The staggering consequences of Trump's coronavirus lies The effect of the ongoing pandemic has rippled through the whole healthcare ecosystem; and healthcare workers continue to battle on the frontlines to treat as many patients as possible. Many patients with Covid-19 needed intensive care, and with great support and impeccable clinical acumen, patients have emerged victorious. However, those who have been critically ill, and those who were treated for prolonged periods in intensive care units may need a few more months to recover fully, despite completing treatment for Covid-19. There is significant evidence that some people with relatively mild symptoms, who were treated at home, may also have a prolonged sickness, even after beating the infection, says Dr Rahul Pandit, Director-Critical Care, Fortis Hospital, Mulund. "It is observed that the virus not only affects the lungs but also has an impact on one's heart, brain, the digestive system, and kidneys amongst other organs. This new phenomenon that has emerged is termed as the 'Post Covid-19 syndrome," he says. He points out that patients who have recovered from Covid-19 might experience: 1. Abnormal heart rate 2. Chronic fatigue 3. Persistent diarrhea 4. Rapid weight loss and digestive issues 5. Mild to severe inflammation in the brain 6. Nausea 7. Loss of appetite, taste and smell 8. Reduced exercise tolerance 9. Disturbed sleep patterns 10. Muscle weakness 11. Neuropsychiatric implications like Depression, Insomnia, etc. HOW SOON, AND WHY DO THESE SYMPTOMS SHOW UP? The symptoms, especially fatigue, may be a continuation of the recovery process and some symptoms may be only noticed after the patient is discharged. In almost 80 per cent of patients, fatigue post illness stays for several weeks and gradually resolves. Poor exercise tolerance, disturbance in sleep wake cycles are noticed usually when the patient returns to confines of his home. The most difficult are the neuropsychiatric and depressive symptoms; it needs specialized training like that of a Clinical Psychologist to diagnose it. HOW SOON CAN A PERSON START SEEKING POST COVID CARE? It is important to seek post COVID19 care right from the 1st follow up post discharge, or usually around 2 weeks post discharge. Then as per requirements, clinical support, physical rehabilitation and psychological support can be offered. By Akbar Mammadov Armenia has started military training for women in occupied territories of Azerbaijan to prepare them for military combats and operations. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans wife Anna Hakobyan has initiated and participated in a military training for fifteen civil women in one of Armenian military units in the occupied Karabakh region of Azerbaijan from 25 August to 31. The military training involved women spend the night in the military unit, master different types of weapons and fire training. During the so-called combat preparedness training, Hakobyan and the other women were completely immersed in military life, wearing uniforms, being stationed in their unit and undergoing professional, physical, combat preparedness and first aid training, said the report. Such military provocation is in stark contrast to Armenian authorities earlier statements that there is no military solution to the conflict. Hakobyans initiative to hold a military training for Armenian women is in stark contrast to her earlier so-called campaign Women For Peace of 2019. In the meantime, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan staged another provocation recently by visiting Azerbaijans occupied Khankendi city on August 30 to promote its populist domestic policy. It should be noted that earlier, Armenia declared its plan to establish militia groups containing civilians, even elderly people under the age of 70, under the guise of volunteers. In addition, the Armenian leaderships deployed mercenaries from the Middle East on the front line during its military provocation in Azerbaijans Tovuz region last month. Commenting on militia groups, Azerbaijani Presidential Aide Hikmat Hajiyev said that this decision reflected demographic crisis in Armenia, and show that Armenia faces difficulties in the recruitment of the armed forces. He stressed that the Armenian leadership, like Bolsheviks, wants to create armed units in order to use these units for their deceitful purposes, including in domestic affairs. It should be noted that Armenia has stepped up its military provocation and rhetoric against Azerbaijani recently. On August 23, Armenian sagotage group sought to infiltrate Azerbaijani position in the direction of Azerbaijans Goranboy district on the front line. The groups leader Senior Lieutenant Gurgen Alaverdyan was detained during the operation. Earlier on July 12, Armenia staged a cross-border military provocation near Azerbaijans Tovuz district, killing 12 Azerbaijani servicemen and a civilian. Large civilian infrastructure was also damaged during the attacks. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 21:45:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at a meeting to commend role models in China's fight against COVID-19 has inspired and encouraged some Chinese people working overseas. Du Jia, commander of the 19th contingent of the Chinese peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, said that Chinese military personnel have been fighting side by side with health workers in the war against the invisible enemy and they are among the role models. Du said the peacekeepers will live up to the trust of the motherland and the people, fulfill every task with high standards, make contributions to peace and stability in the mission area, and demonstrate with their concrete actions that China is a responsible country. Head of the Confucius Institute in Islamabad Zhang Daojian agreed with Xi's remarks that the great virus-fighting spirit vividly demonstrates the Chinese spirit. The great virus-fighting spirit can be traced to the Chinese nation's long-established characteristics and cultural gene, which highly value nation, people and life, Zhang said, adding that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have safeguarded people's lives and health at all costs. Tang Hong, deputy chief engineer of China Railway Sixth Group, said that China's anti-epidemic fight shows a ruling party which governs for the people and puts people's lives first. The fight embodies the spirit of patriotism, collectivism and socialism, as well as the national spirit, said Tang, also project manager of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway in Vietnam. Guo Yadong, head of the 35th Chinese medical team in Sudan, said that Xi's speech is inspiring. Guo said his team will carry forward the spirit of fighting the epidemic and work on the frontline of medical assistance with firmer faith and more enthusiasm, so as to consolidate the friendship between the Chinese and Sudanese people and make new contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind. Enditem NEW YORK CITY New York City restaurants can resume indoor dining starting Sept. 30, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. Cuomo's long-awaited decision Wednesday sets a 25 percent capacity limit for restaurants, along with other strict health standards designed to stop the coronavirus's spread. The state will reassess the guidelines by Nov. 1 and could increase capacity to 50 percent if the city's infection rate does not increase, Cuomo said. And compliance with health standards a sticking point for Cuomo as calls for reopening dining rooms grew will be partly be enforced by asking city dwellers to report capacity violations by phone or text. "New Yorkers themselves will help with compliance," he said. "New Yorkers will keep New Yorkers safe." The announcement came just hours of Mayor Bill de Blasio saying he expected a decision to be made as soon as this week. He issued a statement after Cuomo's announcement that stated the plan puts "health and safety first." The city also will reassess indoor dining if its positive rate reaches above 2 percent, according to the statement a standard not outlined in Cuomos announcement. "Science will guide our decision-making as we continue to monitor progress and health care indicators over the next three weeks to ensure a safe reopening," de Blasio said in the statement. "This may not look like the indoor dining that we all know and love, but it is progress for restaurant workers and all New Yorkers." So what will indoor dining look like? Cuomo outlined the safety standards temperature checks for all customers at the door, no bar seating, masks worn at all times while not at tables, enhanced air filtration and circulation, and midnight closing times. The standards also require restaurants to get contact information from at least one person at a table a mayor's office release stated that will go to the city's Test + Trace program. Story continues Cuomo said the state will closely monitor compliance and the infection rate. He said he'll hit the "pause button" if they respectively dip or spike. Compliance will also be enforced by an existing State Police and State Liquor Authority task force, as well as 400 city code enforcement officers, Cuomo said. He said people can anonymously report violation by calling 833-208-4160 or texting "VIOLATION" to 855-904-5036. "I believe in New Yorkers' ability to do the right thing," he said. "That is not blind faith that is a result of the experience we've had going through COVID." Restaurateurs have been increasingly vocal and litigious to the tune of $2 billion for a return to indoor dining in the city. Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, said in a statement that doing so will help save those vital small businesses and jobs. Were thankful to Governor Cuomo for announcing a return to indoor dining with a blueprint for future expansion, Rigie said. Restaurants are essential to New Yorks economic and social fabric, and indoor dining is a key component to the industrys recovery. Cuomos office issued an additional statement following his conference that acknowledged the struggle for the citys restaurant industry as indoor dining was effectively in perpetual limbo. "This is good news and the right step forward, especially for restaurant owners and staff who have been struggling through this time, Cuomo said in the statement. But it is up to all of us to ensure compliance and the health and safety of those around us." Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on the New York City Patch Tiger King's Joe Exotic has shown off the prison injuries he says were sustained after he was 'sexually assaulted by a guard and beat the f*** up' in an Oklahoma prison. The reality TV star, 57, has written to Donald Trump to ask him to 'grant me a miracle - a pardon' for his 'unjust and mishandled conviction', insisting that the Netflix series that brought him fame is not an accurate representation of his character. Former zoo owner Joe, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was sentenced to 22 years in prison in January over a plot to kill his rival, Carol Baskin, and for killing five tigers in his care. In an email he claimed: 'I was tied in a chair (for) so long the skin came off my arms and then locked in a room naked for eight days sleeping on a cold metal shelf on the floor with dried feces and sperm on it from so many others before me. There is no mental help thereits just abuse.' Federal prison sources told TMZ: 'There was no such assault.' He is currently at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, records show, having been moved from the Grady County jail in Oklahoma. In his handwritten letter to the president, obtained by DailyMail.com, Maldonado-Passage begs for his freedom so he can 'return to helping sick children and the homeless'. He begs Trump: 'Be my hero, please.' Tiger King's Joe Exotic has shown off the prison injuries he says were sustained after he was 'sexually assaulted by a guard and beat the f*** up' in an Oklahoma prison Federal prison sources told TMZ: 'There was no such assault' Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, has asked Donald Trump for a pardon He insists that he was wrongly convicted on the testimony of people who the government knew were lying. 'I grew up having faith in our system until I became trapped in it,' he writes. Maldonado-Passage tells the president that he voted for him, and that he looks up to him. 'If I have ever looked up to anyone it would be you,' he writes. 'Not because I need you to save my life but because you stand for what YOU believe no matter what anyone thinks.' He writes that everything he works for was 'stolen by criminals', and says he is 'begging you to listen to the millions who see the truth'. Describing his alleged abuse in prison Maldonado-Passage told OK!: 'A lot of times you are kept in solitary with nothing or no one which is very hard mentally. 'If youre gay youre not allowed in the TV room to watch TV either, youre treated the same as sex offenders by the inmates.' Maldonado-Passage's legal team intend to submit their case in Washington DC on Wednesday Joe Exotic wrote a two-page handwritten letter to Donald Trump In the letter, the reality TV star spoke of his admiration for the president Maldonado-Passage wrote a separate letter to the president's son, who in April said he felt the 22-year-sentence was 'aggressive'. 'I watched the show but I don't know exactly what he was guilty of or wasn't,' Trump Jr said. 'It doesn't seem like he was totally innocent of anything. But when they're saying, "We're putting this guy away for 30 years," I'm saying, "That seems sort of aggressive."' Maldonado-Passage wrote a letter to Trump Jr on Facebook in June, and in his new letter writes: 'Hey, it's me again, Joe Exotic, I hate to bother you again but I truly have faith in you.' The zoo owner claims that he is the victim of 'fake news', writing that he has been subjected to the whims of 'bad agents, bad cops and bad prosecutors'. He tells Trump Jr, a passionate hunter and outdoorsman, that he has been wrongly judged by over-zealous animal welfare authorities. And he tells him he has been sexually assaulted inside the Grady County jail in Oklahoma. He has since been transferred to a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas. 'I have been sexually assaulted by jail staff, beat up and tied in a chair to the point the skin came off my arms,' he wrote. 'Please be my hero ... my hands are damaged from the abuse in jail so I'm sorry for the soppy (sic) writing and spelling.' The jail has denied that Maldonado-Passage was harmed. Maldonado-Passage was convicted of murder-for-hire for his rivalry with Carol Baskin The threats against Baskin, who runs a big cat sanctuary, were a joke, the defense claims Maldonado-Passage wrote a four-page handwritten letter to Donald Trump Jr Trump Jr said in April that he felt Maldonado-Passage's sentence was 'aggressive' Maldonado-Passage told Trump Jr that he had been sexually assaulted in prison He ended his letter to the president's son: '#TrumpJr2024' Maldonado-Passage previously told OK! magazine about his alleged assault, earlier this month. He ended his letter with the phrase: '#TrumpJr.2024.' In his 257-page file, Maldonado-Passage says he fears he may die before his scheduled 2037 release owing to anemia and other immune deficiencies. He insists that he never intended to kill his rival, Carol Baskin, and described his comments about plotting to murder her - as captured in the Netflix documentary - as 'hyperbole'. His lawyers claim the 'threats' were 'simply another aspect of his showmanship ... Joe's jokes, at most, in bad taste, were merely jokes.' He admitted killing the tigers, but said it was because they needed to be euthanized. Maldonado-Passage also submitted character references including one from his husband Dillon Passage, and one from Kerri Walker, whose cousin worked at the zoo. Walker makes an appeal to Trump, saying Maldonado-Passage was wrongly judged, in the way that Trump was with the 'grab-'em-by-the-p***y' tape. His husband writes: 'I see a sweet, big heart man, with good intentions, who took a few steps down a dark road, and he's just waiting to be pulled out of it.' Dillon Passage wrote: 'I see a sweet, big heart man, with good intentions, who took a few steps down a dark road, and he's just waiting to be pulled out of it' The dossier will be presented to the White House on Wednesday by Eric Love, a former law enforcement officer who now works as a private investigator. # Earlier this year, Trump said he would consider issuing a pardon for Maldonado-Passage, after his son brought the case to him. 'I'll take a look,' he told reporters in April. In June, when Trump Jr interviewed his father for a campaign video, the president said he had seen 'a couple of episodes' of the true crime miniseries. 'He's quite a character,' Trump said of Maldonado-Passage. 'That's a strange guy and a lot of strange people around him.' Maldonado-Passage's supporters also have posted a series of letters online that he's written to the White House seeking a pardon. In August, when Trump promised a 'surprise' pardon, many of the reality TV star's supporters hoped it would be him. Instead, on August 18 Trump posthumously pardoned the woman's suffragist Susan B. Anthony. (Newser) President Trump expanded a ban on new offshore drilling Tuesday, an election-year reversal likely to appeal to voters in Florida and other coastal states. Two years ago, Trump took steps to vastly expand offshore drilling from coast to coast. "This protects your beautiful gulf and your beautiful ocean, and it will for a long time to come," Trump said as he announced the expanded drilling ban during an appearance at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse in Jupiter Fla. The president signed a memorandum instructing the interior secretary to prohibit drilling in the waters off both Florida coasts, and off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina for a period of 10 yearsfrom July 1, 2022, to June 20, 2032, the AP reports. story continues below The existing moratorium covers the Gulf of Mexico, and Trump said the new one would also cover the Atlantic coasta significant political concern in coastal states like Florida. At the event, Trump claimed to be the greatest environmental president since Theodore Roosevelt. "Who would have thought? Trump is the great environmentalist," the president said. "You hear that? Thats good, and I am. I am. I believe strongly in it." Biden accused Trump of conveniently changing his mind. Just months ago, Donald Trump was planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida, Biden tweeted. Now, with 56 days until the election, he conveniently says that he changed his mind. Unbelievable. You dont have to guess where I stand: I oppose new offshore drilling. (Read more President Trump stories.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) - The House of Representatives approved on second reading a bill that would extend the estate tax amnesty program by another two years. House Bill No. 7068 seeks to amend Republic Act No. 11213 or the Tax Amnesty Act by extending the period of availment of estate tax amnesty to four years from the current two years. The Bureau of Internal Revenue defines estate tax as a tax on the right of the deceased person to transmit his/her estate to his/her lawful heirs and beneficiaries at the time of death and on certain transfers, which are made by law as equivalent to testamentary disposition. RA 11213 was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on Feb. 14, 2019 and took effect on May 31 of the same year. Under the law, the tax amnesty covers the estate of decedents who died on or before Dec. 31, 2017, with or without prior assessments. However, the ongoing pandemic made it difficult for taxpayers to settle their estate tax dues even with the amnesty. The people lost precious period of time and possible sources of income in order to avail of this tax amnesty program of the government, read the bill. The amendment to RA 11213 will enable those who want to take advantage of this program ample time to recoup their resources and get back on their feet so they can still apply and pay their estate tax dues." Rep. Joey Salceda of Albay's 2nd District and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, pointed out that only less than 24,000 taxpayers availed of the amnesty since the original deadline for the availment and payment has been extended four times, with the new deadline set on Dec. 31, 2020. With this, Salceda said the low number of availment of the amnesty resulted in earnings of only 1.362 billion out of the projected 6 billion plus. Thus, it is apt that we extend it through legislation, he said. The authors of the proposed measure are Rep. Martin Romualdez of the 1st District of Leyte, Rep. Yedda Maria Romualdez of Tingog Sinirangan Party-List, and Rep. Wilter Palma II of the 1st Dist. of Zamboanga Sibugay. US President Donald Trump has said the environmental policies of his Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden would "destroy" America's middle class while giving a "free pass" to the world's worst polluters like China, Russia, India, and many others. In a major policy speech on his record of natural conservation and environmental protection", Trump told a gathering in Jupiter, Florida that his administration is proving every day that the US can improve its environment while creating millions of high-paying jobs. This is a really sharp contrast to the extreme, radical left that you've had to deal with. And what you're doing right now is a lot better than anything you've ever been accustomed to, I will tell you that, he said. Joe Biden's plan would destroy America's middle class while giving a free pass to the world's worst foreign polluters like China, Russia, India, and many others. They don't have to clean up their lands, but we have to clean up ours, Trump said. Biden and his running mate Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris will challenge Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the November 3 presidential election. Trump has repeatedly blamed China, India and other countries for allegedly not doing enough for the climate. He has also blamed India and China for his decision in 2017 to withdraw from the historic Paris climate accord, saying the agreement was unfair as it would have made the US pay for nations which benefited the most from the deal. Trump said that the agenda of the left is not about protecting the environment, "it's about punishing America." Instead of focusing on radical ideology, my administration is focused on delivering real results, and that's what we have. We right now have the cleanest air we've ever had in this country, he said. In a statement, the White House said that Trump's policies are promoting economic growth, while still maintaining standards that allow Americans to have among the cleanest air and water in the world. While America has become the world's number one producer of oil and natural gas, our nation has continued to successfully cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, it said. The President has also balanced oil and gas production with the interests of residents of the Southeast, withdrawing certain offshore waters from development for 10 years. President Trump negotiated the historic USMCA, which contains the strongest environmental protections of any trade agreement in history, it added. The United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA) is a free trade agreement concluded between Canada, Mexico, and the United States as a successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Opposition Democratic Party in a statement alleged that despite promises to protect Florida's environment, Trump has torn down climate policies and environmental protections and failed to prioritise Everglades restoration. The Everglades was an immense ecosystem that once covered about 3,000,000 acres in Florida. In 2000, Congress approved the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) that provides funding for alterations to existing structures and addition of new structures (reservoirs, channels, etc) that attempt to re-create the effect of the original water flow. Denying climate change, Trump has squandered American leadership and ignored its threat to our environment, economy, and national security, it alleged. By dismantling clean air, clean water, and public land protections, Trump has done more to eliminate environmental protections than any other president, the Democratic Party alleged. For members of law enforcement, protect and serve aims to include everyone. When responding to a distress call, they often find someone agitated, perhaps avoiding eye contact, muttering under his or her breath, not answering simple questions or following basic instructions. In a word, suspicious. The person could be guilty of something. Or under the influence. But he or she might have autism and if so, the officers need to react differently to prevent a fluid situation from quickly going south. A new initiative from the Harris County Sheriffs Office called Project Guardian aims to help deputies avoid causing stress or trauma by alerting them that theyre about to interact with a person on the autism spectrum. The online registry allows families to submit information about a loved one with the developmental disorder, which is marked by impaired communication and often accompanied by sensory sensitivities, repetitive behaviors and a narrow range of interests. Families are encouraged to provide a recent photo of the child or adult and interests or characteristics such as whether the person can communicate verbally along with calming methods that have proved effective. Project Guardian engages the community, builds positive relationships and embraces public safety as a shared responsibility, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a news release. Its an example of what we can accomplish together. Project Guardian For more information or to register a loved one with autism, visit harriscountycit.org/project-guardian. See More Collapse The information is uploaded to a database linked to the dispatch system so that it pops up when deputies are sent to the home of someone enrolled in Project Guardian. Families are also given a Project Guardian decal to place on a front door or window to quickly alert deputies to the presence of someone with autism. On patrol, you can never have enough information, said Sgt. Jose R. Gomez, who leads the patrol bureaus special projects division. A parent, loved one or guardian is going to know way more about what (de-escalation technique) has worked in the past than we will. If we know the person likes Star Wars, we can strike up a conversation about that. Its another tool in our toolbox. Similarly, if the family has indicated loud noises or flashing lights could be upsetting, deputies know to turn off sirens and lights when possible. The program is modeled after the Newport News, Va., police departments effort of the same name. It complements the sheriffs offices other crisis-intervention and mental health efforts to divert people in crisis from arrest and incarceration, Gomez said. Some may have qualms about volunteering personal information, but this has the potential to be life-changing for families, said Judy Blake, leadership and advocacy coordinator of Family to Family Network, a Houston nonprofit that supports children with disabilities, including intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Law enforcement, they need to know. One in 59 children has autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that number, along with any count of adults, is probably low, especially in Houston, with a diverse population that includes refugees and immigrants whose autism often has gone undiagnosed, said Blake, who serves on a juvenile justice subcommittee of the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD. Nationwide, 85 percent of youth in juvenile detention facilities have disabilities that make them eligible for special education services, yet only 37 percent receive them while in school, according to a 2015 report from the National Council on Disability. A disproportionate number are youths of color, the report noted. The sheriffs office doesnt specifically track calls involving autism, but in July, deputies responded to 1,300 with a mental health component, Gomez said. Going forward, as his team follows up with families on incident reports mentioning autism, Project Guardian will be offered. Maranda Marvin said she wouldnt think twice about signing up. As both a mother of a daughter with autism and director of Paradigm Development Center, a nonprofit school in northwest Houston for students 11 and older with the disorder and similar challenges, she sees a clear need. When law enforcement she doesnt recall which agency once was called to the Paradigm Development Center for a student having a behavioral problem, the officers were very nice and calm, but they were not very familiar with how a person with autism may verbalize, not verbalize, shut down or react, Marvin said. Though they welcomed her input, she said, it wouldve been useful had they arrived better equipped. (Sheriffs patrol deputies and detention officers undergo 40 hours of crisis-intervention training, which includes a unit on autism, Gomez said.) Marvin, who is Black, and her husband, Loren Marvin, who is white, have talked to their 15-year-old, Naomi, about various scenarios should she ever need to interact with a member of law enforcement. All we care about is survival, Marvin said, noting she is very for law enforcement and, I totally respect what they have to do. At Paradigm, students learn that to the best of their ability, effective communication is also their responsibility. We make sure our kids understand that this is (law enforcements) job, Marvin said. Gomez said Project Guardian holds great promise, not only for deputies but for communities. When we get to a house, the first person we encounter may be the person in crisis, not the family, he said. This will equip deputies with way more information ahead of time. A Special World shares programs and experiences by and for the disabled community in Greater Houston. suzanne.garofalo@chron.com The election for the post of Deputy Chairman is slated to take place on September 14, the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament, and the opposition parties are planning to field DMK MP Tiruchi Siva as their candidate. The last date for filing nomination is September 11 till 12 pm. Siva has been elected four times to He was also elected to Lok Sabha in 1996 from Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu. A senior opposition leader, who did not want to be named, told ANI that Siva's name was being discussed. "Consultation is going on for election to the post of Deputy Chairman and we are discussing the name of T Siva. He will come to Delhi on September 10. We will then take a final call whether we should contest the election or not," he said. Sources said opposition parties are weighing whether they should contest the poll and the decision will taken after deliberating various factors including their prospects. The ruling NDA has not announced its candidate till now but JD-U member Harivansh is likely to be fielded again as the NDA nominee. The post fell vacant after his term ended. NDA is likely to announce the candidate's name for Deputy Chairman on September 10. The BJP has already started consultations to seek support for the NDA candidate. Sources said efforts are also being made for consensus so that there is a unanimous election to the post. (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.) What do vapers, smokers, and non-smokers with chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes have in common? They all are at higher risk for COVID-19. The scientific explanation behind this is complex and not yet certain -- but it may boil down to an enzyme known as ACE2, that lives on the surface of many cells in the lungs and serves as the entry point for the coronavirus. Evidence shows that people with chronic inflammatory illnesses, vulnerable older adults, and those who smoke or vape, all have an abundance of ACE2 receptor proteins to serve as a gateway to the deadly virus. A research team at the University of Rochester Medical Center, led by Irfan Rahman, Ph.D., published a series of studies during the pandemic that focus on the vital role of ACE2 -- which is already at the center of many other scientific investigations -- to shape a clearer picture of the critical cellular mechanisms that regulate the deadly virus and its link to vaping. While Rochester investigators are working in lock step with scientists around the world, Rahman's special interest is on the growing problem of young people who test positive and may be spreading coronavirus at alarming rates. Even some older children and teens who have higher levels of the ACE2 receptor seem to be more vulnerable to the virus. "Our next step is to investigate whether ACE2 is normally low in young people, hence their relatively low infection and mortality rates from COVID-19, but to find out if ACE2 is increased by smoking or vaping rendering them more susceptible to the virus," said Rahman, Dean's Professor of Environmental Medicine , Medicine (Pulmonary), and Public Health Sciences. "This would be in contrast to older people with lung diseases such as COPD and pulmonary fibrosis, who we already know are at higher risk for severe viral illnesses and death." A post-doctoral scientist in Rahman's lab, Gangandeep Kaur, Ph.D., had prior experience investigating tuberculosis and thus led the new effort to study ties between vaping and coronavirus. The team has published several key peer-reviewed articles relevant to the issue: Smoking, combined with aging, alters more than 20 genes involved in lung cell function and results in a spike in ACE2 receptors and three other proteins associated with the coronavirus, according to a Rahman study in Frontiers in Pharmacology. This strengthens the observations of other researchers, that smokers and people with chronic lung diseases such as COPD are more prone to coronavirus infection. Because vaping and smoking tend to be long-term habits, URMC researchers investigated the chronic effects of nicotine exposure on lung tissue in mice, keeping an eye open for links to known COVID-19 proteins. They discovered other receptors with a direct relationship to ACE2, which also have a significant role in regulating the inflammatory response in the lungs and cause a higher expression of ACE2. This was reported in the Respiratory Research journal and may provide a gene target for the treatment of lung inflammation caused by smoking or vaping. In a June review article written by Rahman and Guiseppe Lungarella, M.D., of the University of Siena, Italy, where COVID-19 swept through the country earlier than in the U.S., they draw additional connections between ACE2 receptors, smokers, and coronavirus. For example, their analysis shows: In Wuhan, China, patients who smoked did worse; fatality rates were higher for men, who have more ACE2 receptors, than in women; and that ACE2 is linked to known nicotine receptors. Kaur, the postdoctoral fellow, is also a co-author. The review suggests that health care providers should ask patients about their smoking and vaping history, to better identify people who could be at higher risk for coronavirus complications, according to the Journal of Inflammation article. Currently, the Rahman lab is examining blood and saliva samples of young people who have been infected with COVID-19 to evaluate ACE2 levels and see if the ACE2 protein can be a biomarker for a rapid coronavirus test. In other recent studies, Rahman and URMC scientists disclosed the 40 chemicals used in flavoring e-liquids and vaping pods, detailing their harmful effects on lung tissue; and demonstrated that vaping is associated with wheezing, which is often a precursor to emphysema, reflux disease, heart disease, lung cancer and sleep apnea. ### BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan. "Dear Emomali Sharifovich, On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my sincerest congratulations to you and all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of your country, Independence Day. We are pleased to see the strengthening of the state independence of the friendly Tajikistan, its achievements in the field of socio-economic development and growing prestige on the international arena. Our countries are bound together by the ties of traditional friendship and cooperation. I believe that based on mutual trust and support, our bilateral relations will continue to develop and strengthen in accordance with the will of our peoples. I would like to emphasize that the people of Azerbaijan are in solidarity with the friendly people of Tajikistan in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic facing the world. Dear Emomali Sharifovich, on such a joyful day, I extend my best regards to you and wish the Republic of Tajikistan peace and prosperity," the letter said. The newly appointed Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Wednesday, says he will improve on the existing cordial relationship between the Force and the media in the state. Mr Adejobi, who took over from Bala Elkana, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, that he would ensure the prompt exchange of accurate information with the media in order to get the desired positive result. He further said that he would apply the R.A.C.E approach in Public Relations as a tactic to properly perpetuate and immerse himself into the new office. Using this approach will provide the foundation for me to inject fresh ideas into the system and bring dynamism to problem-solving. The first thing to do is to research into what things that need to be in place; take Action; then Communicate to people on my course of action. Finally, I will get Evaluation from the feedback I get from people which will enable me to access and cross-check policies and decisions in order to forge ahead, he said. ALSO READ: Police appoint new spokesperson in Lagos Mr Adejobi said that he had been Ogun State PPRO for eight years and was, therefore, familiar with the responsibilities that came with the job. He said that he would work with the Divisional Police Officers (DPO) to gather news on occurrences, strategise and promptly decimate information to the public on matters as they arise. I can relate with the press and I know what they want, for instance, if the details of an important event is missed, a follow up story can be done to make it relevant again, he said. (NAN) By Sarah White and Silvia Aloisi PARIS (Reuters) - Luxury goods group LVMH said on Thursday it would counter-sue Tiffany, accusing it of mismanagement through the coronavirus crisis after the U.S. jeweller accused the French group of trying to bow out of a $16 billion acquisition deal. The owner of brands such as Louis Vuitton, led by billionaire Bernard Arnault, said on Wednesday it could not complete its Tiffany purchase after the French government requested a delay on closing the transaction. Tiffany has filed a lawsuit against LVMH in Delaware - the U.S. state in which the New York-based company is registered - to force it to complete the deal as agreed last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. The spread of the virus has dealt a big blow to the luxury sector and raised questions about whether LVMH was overpaying with its $135 a share offer. "LVMH was surprised by the lawsuit filed by Tiffany against the group," the French group said in a statement, calling it unfounded. "LVMH will defend itself vigorously." LVMH, which said it would also lodge its claim in Delaware, added the lawsuit would challenge the way Tiffany managed its business during the pandemic, including its payout of dividends. Tiffany approved quarterly dividend payouts of $0.58 per share in May and August, as allowed by the merger agreement. LVMH says that given the U.S. company was losing money and its sales were falling because of the health emergency, it should not have done so. LVMH cut its own dividend for the fiscal year 2019 by 30%. LVMH has said it cannot complete the deal under the agreed terms because of the French government's request to delay it, and it had no desire to extend the closing deadline beyond the original date of Nov. 24. But it has rejected Tiffany's claim that it was stalling the transaction by putting off its antitrust clearance requests and also that it was using the French government as a fig leaf to back out of the deal. Story continues It said on Thursday it would file its requests for approval to European competition authorities in the coming days, and expected to win approval in October. A source close the matter said the filing would take place next week. SALES DROP LVMH said in its statement on Thursday that Tiffany had significantly underperformed LVMH's own comparable brands in the first half of 2020, and said the U.S. group's prospects for 2020 were "very disappointing". Tiffany recorded a net loss of $33 million in the first half of 2020, compared to a 17 million euro loss for LVMH's jewellery and watches division, which includes the Bulgari brand. The French group does not disclose the financial performance of individual brands. Like-for-like sales fell 39% at its watches and jewellery division in the first half compared with a 34% fall for Tiffany. However, the French group as a whole, a diversified conglomerate, limited the sales decline for the period to 28% and booked a 1.67 billion euro profit from recurring operations. According to the merger agreement, a material adverse effect (MAE) is triggered if Tiffany's business underperforms its peers substantially. The MAE is a standard clause in merger agreements that a buyer can invoke to pull out of a deal if an event occurs that harms the target company before the deal is finalised. Tiffany said in its lawsuit that LVMH had tried repeatedly to find a pretext to invoke such a clause, and did so for the first time when Tiffany postponed the original Aug. 24 closing deadline for the deal by three months. Sources told Reuters in June that Arnault, a shrewd deal maker known as the "wolf in cashmere" who has built an empire through acquisitions, was exploring ways to renegotiate the price of the Tiffany deal - something the company's finance chief denied on Wednesday. Analysts said the two sides may still agree to close the deal at a lower price, though some did not rule out that Arnault may have already set his sights on a different prey. Swetha Ramachandran, investment manager for European equities at GAM, said Richemont's share price offered LVMH a better deal if it could be engineered and would give the French group to two leading global jewellery brands Cartier and Van Cleef. The speculation helped Richemont shares close 4.3% higher on Thursday. A spokeswoman for Richemont declined to comment. LVMH had no immediate comment. (additional reporting by Melissa Fares in New York, Foo Yun Chee in Brussels, Silke Koltrowitz in Zurich; editing by Elaine Hardcastle and David Evans) After the better part of a year of teasing, the countdown timer is finally ticking for AMDs next-gen Big Navi graphics cards. The company announced today that the Radeon RX 6000 series will be revealed on October 28, hot on the heels of the news of the $500 Xbox Series Xs November 10 release date. Microsofts next-gen console is powered by an AMD chip that blends Ryzen CPU cores with Radeon GPU cores built using the companys new RDNA 2 graphics architecture. At the Bank of America Securities Global Technology Conference in early June, AMD CFO Devinder Kumar said that Big Navi graphics cards will be the first RDNA 2-based product for AMD. Todays announcement confirms it. AMD has spent the better part of a year teasing Big Navi and RDNA 2, the follow-up to the successful new-look GPU architecture introduced in Radeon RX 5700-series graphics cards. CEO Lisa Su first floated the idea of high-end Navi GPUs with ray tracing support all the way back at CES in January, while the company used its financial analyst day in March to reveal more concrete info about RDNA 2. AMD says RDNA 2 chips will deliver massive 50 percent improvement in performance-per-watt over first-gen Navi RDNA GPUs, which themselves delivered a 50 percent efficiency increase over their predecessors. And since theres an RDNA 2 GPU inside that Xbox Series X, the architectures already been confirmed as being DirectX 12 Ultimate compliant, meaning theyll offer real-time ray tracing and support for cool rendering technologies like Variable Rate Shading and Mesh Shading. (Nvidias RTX 20-series Turing GPUs introduced many of those technologies, and Team Greens new GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs will support DX12 Ultimate at their launch on September 17.) Radeon leaders have been much more tight-lipped about Big Navis performance than they have with prior flagship launches. All we really know beyond the previous facts is that the reference cards will now include a dual-fan cooler rather than a traditional blower-style design, as teased in the image at the top of this article. But now that AMD offers separate CDNA and RDNA architectures for data center and gaming graphics cards, respectively, the company has more flexibility in how it designs its consumer GPUs. Gaming GPUs no longer need to be beholden to corporate demands and can focus purely on higher frame rates. By removing datacenter features, AMD can add more gaming features, Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst of Moor Insights & Strategy (and former AMD VP) told me in an emailed statement after the financial analyst day. For instance, if 10 percent of RDNA silicon were datacenter-specific (like virtualization), AMD has 10 percent more die area it can add for gaming-only features, all things equal. That 10 percent could be more ray tracing features, more shader compute units, etc. AMD Wed also expect AMDs RDNA 2 GPUs to support Microsofts forthcoming DirectStorage feature, which seeks to eliminate game-loading times on the PC by letting NVMe SSDs talk directly to the GPU, bypassing the pokey CPU middleman. Nvidia announced the DirectStorage-powered RTX IO technology for its RTX 30-series, and AMD already has experience implementing it thanks to its inclusion in the Xbox Series X. Thats all speculation though. Whats certain is that the countdown timer has begun. AMDs RDNA 2-based Big Navi Radeon RX 6000-series graphics cards will be unveiled on October 28. Game on. Linconln Project blames Donald Trump for Kenosha killings (The Lincoln Project) Donald Trump has been condemned for his endorsement of extremist supporters in an attack advert blaming the US president for two killings that took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of an unarmed black man. The advert, created by the Republican anti-Trump campaign group, The Lincoln Project, draws connections to the presidents rhetoric and the killings of two Black Lives Matter protesters last month. Mr Trump, who defended teenager Kyle Rittenhouse following that shooting in Kenosha, was also described as being dangerous and someone who was radicalising our young men to become killers. The minute-long advert expeclity links Rittenhouses alleged shooting of two people at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on 26 August to Mr Trumps endorsement of the St Louis couple who brandished firearms at protesters in June. As the advert points out, the killing of two people protesting the Kenosha police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man, came 24 hours after Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St Louis couple, addressed the Republican National Convention on 25 August. This is sick. This is wrong. This is dangerous, says the Lincoln Project advert. And as long as Trump is president, hell keep encouraging the kooks, the crazies, the extremists, the angry fringe. It doesnt have to be this way. According to the Morning Consultant, the advert will run for the first time in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, before airing across television networks and online platforms in Florida, Arizona, Pennsylvania and North Carolina later this week. It comes after Mr Trump on Tuesday labelled Black Lives Matter protesters thugs and anarchists, and went on the attack against anti-racism demonstrators and Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent. Read more 'We ended that problem': Trump mocks Biden at rally for going to Kenosha to meet Jacob Blake family I stood in Kenosha and watched Trump's circus come tumbling down Trump is using the Kenosha protests to distract from his failures Multiple Chinese fighter jets entered airspace to Taiwan's southwest on Wednesday, said the island's defence ministry, describing it as a destabilising action which threatened regional peace. Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activities near the island, including regular air force patrols. China says such drills demonstrate its resolve to protect its sovereignty. China has in the last few weeks mounted numerous exercises up and down its coast and near Taiwan. The Chinese Su-30 and J-10 fighters entered Taiwan's 'response zone' to its south-west on Wednesday morning, according to Taiwan's Defence Ministry. In the above file photo, a J-10 fighter jet takes off during a military drill at a military airport in Jinan city, eastern China Taiwan's Defence Ministry said the Chinese Su-30 and J-10 fighters had entered Taiwan's 'response zone' to its southwest on Wednesday morning, adding that multiple aircraft were involved. 'The Defence Ministry solemnly condemns the Chinese Communist's unilateral actions that damage regional peace and stability,' it added. Taiwan's armed forces are able to respond quickly and appropriately to such movements, the military said, calling on people not to be alarmed. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warned last month that the risk of accidental conflict was rising because of tension in the South China Sea and around Taiwan. Tsai is pictured leaveing an inauguration ceremony of a maintenance centre for F-16 fighter jets in Taichung on August 28 Taiwan's Liberty Times newspaper said Taiwan issued 24 verbal warnings over the radio for the Chinese aircraft to leave. Taiwan is currently carrying out live fire weapons tests off its southeast and eastern coast. There was no immediate comment from China. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warned last month that the risk of accidental conflict was rising because of tension in the South China Sea and around Taiwan and communication must be maintained to reduce the risk of miscalculation. Tasers could be made available to more front line police officers in Northern Ireland, inspectors said (Ben Birchall/PA) Tasers could be issued to more frontline police officers in Northern Ireland, inspectors said. The incapacitating devices are a less-lethal alternative to firearms. Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) conducted a wide-ranging review which found the PSNI generally treated its workforce and the public well. The report said: Most frontline PSNI officers arent issued with conducted energy devices (CEDs, such as Tasers). Those devices are less lethal than the firearms issued to all PSNI officers for personal protection purposes. Without immediate access to CEDs, frontline PSNI officers who respond to serious incidents involving dangerous people have fewer options available to them to resolve the incident with the minimum use of force. CEDs could be made available to more officers in the PSNI, but that would attract a high level of interest from communities. So, we recommend that the chief constable consult widely on any proposed changes and communicate the public safety benefits of such an approach, before any changes are made. PSNI deputy chief constable Mark Hamilton welcomed the overall good grading awarded by HMICFRS in the Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy inspection. He added: The availability of CEDs, as a tactical option, is one that we do not take for granted and their issue and use is subject to rigorous accountability and limited to a small group of specialist officers trained and accredited to national standards in its carriage and use. Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International UKs Northern Ireland director, said since these electro-shock devices were issued to the PSNI in 2008, their use has increased to the point where Tasers were drawn or fired on almost 750 occasions in the last two years. He said: Tasers are potentially lethal weapons, linked to hundreds of deaths in the USA and a growing number across the UK where they have been made increasingly available to police. Further roll out of Tasers would be a serious mistake for policing, the campaigner added. More Tasers would inevitably mean more mistakes, more misuse, more tragedy and consequent damage to community relations, he said. Other areas for improvement identified in the inspection included: Officers are not consistently submitting the correct form after incidents where they have used force. HMICFRS said: This means the service is not recording its use of force accurately. It needs to implement a system that identifies when a form is missing and prompts officers to submit one. The service should improve its recording of stop and search data and the quality of its scrutiny, particularly external scrutiny, into the use of this power and its effect on communities. There remain two Protestants for every Catholic officer. Expand Close HM Inspectorate of Constabulary Matt Parr said the PSNI operated in a particularly complicated social and political environment (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp HM Inspectorate of Constabulary Matt Parr said the PSNI operated in a particularly complicated social and political environment (Niall Carson/PA) HM Inspectorate of Constabulary Matt Parr said the PSNI operated in a particularly complicated social and political environment. This can make it difficult for the service to build a positive relationship with some communities. In this context, it has done well to inspire confidence. The service treats the public fairly and respectfully. There are signs that the historically difficult relationship between the PSNI and some Catholic communities is improving. In some areas, officers are now more able to carry out neighbourhood policing using marked police vehicles and organise meetings with community leaders, the report noted. It said more schools are now receptive to working with the PSNIs school liaison officers. Mr Hamilton said: The inspection has shown that we have improved our response to preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour. It has also shown how we continue to plan well for the future and have a good understanding of the changing demands for the service. We are pleased that inspectors acknowledged our continuing work in reaching out to communities. We are also pleased to see our efforts to improve our well being provision, to our officers and staff, and we will continue to work to make it more accessible. We acknowledge the recommendation for greater external scrutiny around stop and search powers. As a police service, we have a number of governance groups to oversee the use of police powers, including stop and search, to ensure that they are being used proportionately and effectively. Actor Rhea Chakroborty and her brother Showik have approached the special court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for bail as their pleas were rejected by the Magistrate court on Wednesday. Showik Chakraborty, Sushants house manager Samuel Miranda and Sushants domestic help Dipesh Sawant, and Bandra residents Zaid Vilatra, Abdel Basit Parihar who were arrested for allegedly peddling drugs were produced before a magistrate court which sent them to judicial custody till September 23, said NCB officials. They have all applied for bail but the matter has been adjourned till tomorrow. In her plea, Rhea has stated that she is innocent and falsely implicated in the case. Further, it is claimed that Rhea was coerced into making self-incriminatory confessions and by her application on September 8 the applicant has formally retracted all such incriminatory confessions. The actors bail plea too was not accepted by the court after the prosecution raised objections regarding jurisdiction of the magistrate court to hear her plea. Questioned for three days by all levels of officers of the NCB from September 6 to 8, Rhea was formally arrested on Tuesday. There was not a single lady officer who interrogated the present applicant as mandated by law. The Honble Supreme Court in the case of Sheela Barse VS State Maharashtra, has held that the interrogation of females should be carried out only in the presence of a female police officer/constable, reads the bail application, highlighting that the agency failed to comply with the guidelines of the apex court. The sister-brother duo has been booked under Section 27 A of the NDPS Act which provides for punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders. As per the provisions, if found guilty the two can face imprisonment not less than 10 years and can also be fined Rs 2 lakh. They have been arrested for allegedly arranging a narcotic substance for actor Sushant Singh Rajput. After the bail pleas were turned down by the magistrate court, the 28-year-olds lawyer Satish Maneshinde approached the special court. The pleas are scheduled for hearing on Thursday where the investigating agency would be required to file their reply before the special court. The defense has raised the issue of applicability of charges of Section 27 A of NDPS Act against the two. In Rheas plea, the defense has stated, The allegations against the present accused would at the most make out a case of purchasing a small quantity of drug which is in essence a bailable offence. There is not a shred of evidence to connect the applicant with financing any illicit traffic or harbouring any offender and hence the ingredients of Section 27 A of the NDPS Act are not made out in present facts and circumstances. The respondent (NCB) is silent as to the amount of financing, quantum of drugs and the type of drugs allegedly procured and financed by the present applicant. The case of the respondent in the layman term is that the applicant would co-ordinate the delivery of the drug for her then boyfriend and occasionally pay for them herself. In essence, her alleged role, if any, is purchase of a small quantity of drugs for her then boyfriend which would squarely fall within the ambit of Section 20 (b) (ii) (A) (produces, manufactures, possesses, sells, purchases, transports, imports inter-State, exports inter-State or uses cannabis,) which is punishable with a maximum imprisonment of upto a year or with fine or both, reads the bail plea filed by Rheas lawyer. The defense alleged that even though the role attributed to Rhea and her brother Showik is identical to that of another accused in the case Kaizan Ebrahim, NCB selectively invoked charges of Section 27 A only against Rhea and Showik. The co-accused Kaizan was in fact released on provisional cash bail on the very first day of his remand by the magistrate court, defense claimed in Rheas bail plea, adding that the agency did not even ask for his custody. The defense have cited several rulings of the Supreme Court to support their contention and contented that in a case when the person is found to have been booked under bailable offence he or she is entitled for bail. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New Delhi: It's Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut vs Maharashtra government and how! Kangana landed in Mumbai from Manali on Wednesday afternoon amid tension and chaos at the airport after her plush recently constructed Pali Hill office was demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). After releasing a fresh video challenging Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, actress Kangana Ranaut in a series of tweets alleged that now she is getting threats that soon her house will be attacked as well. My office was suddenly declared illegal in last 24 hours, they have destroyed everything inside including furniture and lights and now I am getting threats they will come to my house and break it as well,I am glad my judgement of movie mafias favourite worlds best CM was right. My office was suddenly declared illegal in last 24 hours, they have destroyed everything inside including furniture and lights and now I am getting threats they will come to my house and break it as well,I am glad my judgement of movie mafias favourite worlds best CM was right. https://t.co/mMGbFeRztI Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Come Udhav Thakeray and Karan Johar Gang you broke my work place come now break my house then break my face and body, I want world to see clearly what you anyway do underhand, whether I live or die I will expose you regardless Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Today they have demolished my house tomorrow it will be yours, governments come and go when you normalise violent suppression of a voice it becomes the norm, today one person being burned at the stake tomorrow it will be jowhar of thousands,wake up now. Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 The Bombay High Court has meanwhile, granted a stay on the demolition of Kangana Ranaut office, asking the BMC to file reply on actor's petition. Earlier in the day, the BMC officials landed at her Mumbai office, fully prepared to raze down the 'illegal construction', while the actress boarded a flight for Mumbai from Chandigarh. Meanwhile, her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui appeared before the Bombay High Court through video conferencing seeking a stay order on the demolition. Kangana approached the Bombay High Court on Wednesday challenging the notice issued by the Mumbai civic body for 'illegal construction' at her bungalow, and sought a stay on the demolition process. The court sought to know from BMC how it entered the premises and directed it to file an affidavit in response to the plea. The court has posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. All through her journey from Manali to Mumbai via Chandigarh, the actress remained active on social media and kept tweeting about the BMC officials bringing down her property. The demolition notice was issued by BMC on Tuesday under section 351 of the MMC Act and the civic body has given 24 hours to Kangana to respond to the notice. On Tuesday, Kangana took to her social media handles and shared the copy of the reply by her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui to the BMC notice on the demolition of her property in Mumbai. Kangana got into trouble after her controversial Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (Pok) remark on Twitter against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's threat. She tweeted accusing Raut threatening the actress to not return to Mumbai if she has no faith in the police. The actress has been naming and shaming several big Bollywood celebrities for fanning nepotism and recently in the drug conspiracy related to Sushant Singh Rajput case. On Monday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) granted Y category security to Kangana. Sources told Zee News that seven policemen will take care of Kangana's security. Officials of CRPF, Intelligence Bureau and Himachal Pradesh Police arrived at Kangana's Manali home on Tuesday to chalk out plans of the actress' security ahead of her visit to Mumbai on September 9. NEW DELHI : Malls in parts of the country are seeing an increase in footfall as consumer mobility increases with Indias unlocking and shoppers step out to buy casual wear, electronics and fitness goods. However, several mall operators said that with cinemas remaining shut, full recovery could take time. Footfall in malls across the top metros was 30% of pre-covid levels, according to estimates by Susil S. Dungarwal, chief mall mechanic at Beyond Squarefeet, a mall management and advisory firm. People are still fearful of stepping out, but footfall and sales were more encouraging in smaller cities, he said. We have seen an encouraging rebound in consumption and footfalls week-on-week across all our malls. Categories such as electronics have seen a high level of consumption. Its anywhere between 78% and 80% of last year and at some locations has surpassed those levels. Jewellery, watches, accessories almost average about 60% of last years sales. Home accessories started off very strong but are now stable at 45-50% of last year sales," said Rajendra Kalkar, president and full time director of the west region at The Phoenix Mills Ltd, which covers its malls in Lower Parel and Kurla in Mumbai and in Pune. With offices opening steadily, we expect the fashion and footwear category to gain momentum as well as we inch towards the festive season. The same-store sales for August is at 50% of last year, after taking out the non-permissible activities such as food and beverages," Kalkar said. Phoenix is waiting for local authorities to allow food courts to operate as these are a big draw for customers. Malls were allowed to open fairly late and at different times. Delhi and Haryana allowed malls to open in early June, while Maharashtra, with its rising cases, allowed malls to open only last month. In Tamil Nadu, malls reopened on 30 August. Footfall and consumption are gradually picking up week on week basis. The footfall in tier II cities where our malls are present has ramped up to 55-60% and in metro cities such as Mumbai it has reached 30-35%," said Naviin Ibhrampurkar, head of marketing and corporate communications, Inorbit Malls, which is part of K. Raheja Corp. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Victoria will appoint its first gender equality commissioner to enforce equal opportunity laws across the state's 380,000-person public sector workforce. South Australian Equal Opportunity Commissioner Niki Vincent will move to Victoria to ensure its 300 public service employers comply with laws in the Gender Equality Act 2020, which requires them to meet gender targets. Dr Niki Vincent will be Victoria's first Public Sector Equal Opportunity Commissoiner. Councils, universities and TAFEs, Victoria Police and Court Services Victoria and the Office of Public Prosecutions are among employers that will need to actively pursue gender targets, reduce sexual harassment and work to close the gender pay gap under Dr Vincent's oversight. The act - an Australian first - also covers workers in higher education, nursing, teaching and the emergency services. It also subjects any policy, program or service that seeks funding in Victorian budgets to "gendered analysis". Video grab of a video posted by Tsewang Rigzin, editor of the State Times newspaper of Leh. (Photo: Facebook/Ladakh In The Media. Srinagar: Journalists in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are up in arms over the arrest of a newspaper editor over third-party comments posted on a Facebook page run by him. The third-party comments were against a BJP leader who last year figured in a controversy over attempts to bribe journalists for favourable coverage for the party. Tsewang Rigzin, editor of the State Times newspaper, was arrested on September 5 by the Leh police on a complaint lodged by BJP MP Tsering Namgyal. The complaint objected to a comment posted by an unidentified person against BJP leader Vikram Singh Randhawa on a Facebook page called 'Ladakh in Media'. In a video clarification posted on the Facebook page, Rigzin said he was made aware of the hostile comment on the morning of September 4. "I volunteered to remove the post immediately. But I was advised by the police not to delete the comment since it was being investigated." But the next day he was arrested anyway as he was the admin of the Facebook page. Journalists in J&K and beyond have condemned Rigzin's arrest. Some political parties too criticized the Ladakh police and the BJP MP for trying to muzzle freedom of expression. In Delhi, the Indian Journalists Union said in a statement that the arrest was a blatant attack on freedom of expression. Rigzin is the general secretary of the Ladakh Journalists Union, an affiliate of the Indian Journalists Union. In the Facebook video he posted, Rigzin said the arrest seemed to have something to do with an initiative he was part of last year when journalists resisted a move by BJP leaders to pay bribes to reporters for favourable coverage in the elections. "The BJP has been somehow trying to intimidate me for more than a year now, ever since we exposed the bribery case during the Lok Sabha election," said Rigzin. In May last year, Vikram Singh Randhawa and the BJPs J&K unit chief Ravinder Raina were accused by journalists of trying to bribe them with money concealed in envelopes. The Congress candidate for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, Rigzin Spalbar moved the court with a complaint that the BJP violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Subsequently, police registered an FIR and took up an investigation into the matter. According to a complaint lodged with the police by the Press Club of Leh, the BJP leaders tried to bribe media persons on May 2 after a press conference held in Ladakhs main town to use their platform to influence the outcome of the election. Then a video emerged showing Randhawa handing out envelopes to journalists in the presence of his partys state chief. The video was actually CCTV footage from Hotel Sangaylay in Leh, the venue of the BJP leaders press conference. It showed a woman leaving an envelope on the table. She later said that when she asked Randhawa about the Rs. 500 notes contained in the envelope, he told her that it was a token of 'love'. She and other journalists said that when they objected to it, the BJP leader told them that they do this in Jammu all the time, so what was the problem? The BJP claimed that the CCTV footage of the incident does not in fact show an attempt to bribe journalists. The CCTV grab is the invitation envelope being given to reporters for the coverage of the defence ministers visit to Leh. This is being shown as if money is being given, Randhawa said later at a press conference in Jammu. Some of the invitees opened the envelopes and returned them, saying they did not need a 'special invitation'. An official inquiry conducted by the then deputy commissioner of Leh and election officer Avny Lavasa through additional district magistrate of Leh found the allegations were prima facie correct. The United States will withdraw over 2,000 troops from Iraq this month, roughly half of its troop presence, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East said Wednesday. In a long awaited move that works toward President Trumps goal of getting America out of endless wars, forces will be cut from 5,200 to 3,000, Marine General Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, announced during a visit to Iraq. U.S. forces invaded Iraq in 2003 and withdrew in 2011 only to return in 2014 after the Islamic State group invaded large parts of the country. The reduction is a testament to the Trump administrations confidence in U.S.-trained Iraqi security forces to handle the Islamic State group, McKenzie said. The U.S. decision is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to the ultimate goal, which is an Iraqi security force that is capable of preventing an ISIS resurgence and of securing Iraqs sovereignty without external assistance, McKenzie said, according to excerpts released by Centcom. The journey has been difficult, the sacrifice has been great, but the progress has been significant. The remaining troops will continue advising and assisting Iraqi security forces in rooting out remaining Islamic State group forces, he said. A senior administration official has also reportedly said that an announcement on the withdrawal of additional troops from Afghanistan, where U.S. forces have been since 2001, will be made in the coming days. McKenzie announced in June that the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan had fallen to 8,600, the number that the U.S. agreed to in a February deal with the Taliban that sets the terms for a U.S. withdrawal. The deal calls for a full withdrawal by May 2021 if the Taliban follows through on its promise to break with al Qaeda. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday that the move is an example of Trump making good on his promise to end endless wars. When he says, Im going to end endless wars, it is not a slogan like its been for Democrats and past presidents. It is an actual truth. Its what he wants to do, when you look across the world, hes defeated the ISIS caliphate, McEnany said. Story continues He met with the Iraqi prime minister and this was a deliverable from that meeting, the drawdown of U.S. troops. And we believe Iraqi forces are trained and equipped to handle the security of their country, she continued. While Trump has mentioned withdrawing all troops from Iraq, Pentagon officials have warned that military presence in the country is still necessary to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State and to assist the Iraqi government in limiting Irans political and military influence. Relations between the U.S. and Iraq were strained in January when a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Iran retaliated by launching a ballistic missile attack on al-Asad air base in Iraq, resulting in traumatic brain injuries to more than 100 American troops, while Iraqi lawmakers passed a nonbinding resolution to remove all U.S.-led coalition forces from the country. In March, U.S. fighter jets struck five sites, targeting Iranian-backed Shiite militia members who had a suspected role in the January attack. More from National Review Southeast Asias top diplomats to discuss COVID-19 crisis and US-China tensions in South China Sea in online summit. Southeast Asias top diplomats are holding their annual summit with the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions in the South China Sea amid escalating rivalry between the United States and China topping the agenda. The 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit began via video link on Wednesday after being delayed by a month due to the pandemic. The foreign ministers of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are also set to meet Asian and Western counterparts during the summit. Russia, Japan, Australia, South Korea and India are among those remotely joining the event hosted by Vietnam that will also include a 27-nation security forum. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold in a complex manner, and our people and businesses continue to be outstretched by its repercussions, the regional geopolitical and geo-economic landscape, including the South China Sea, are witnessing growing volatilities that endanger peace and stability, Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in his opening address. His speech came at a time when China, the US, and several Southeast Asian nations remain embroiled in a tense standoff over actions in the South China Sea. South China Sea dispute The long-thorny issue on the agenda is the territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving China, Taiwan and ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea as its territory and has carried out live-fire drills in the area in recent months. The US has responded by sending in warships and flying military planes over Chinas naval exercises. In July, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that Washington regards virtually all of Chinas maritime claims in the disputed offshore region outside of its internationally recognised waters to be illegitimate. The Trump administration effectively sided with the four ASEAN claimant states, along with Indonesia, which have all opposed Chinas claims. China then accused the US of sowing discord in the strategic region. Last month, its military reportedly test-fired two missiles in the South China Sea during exercises. The South China Sea issue must be managed and resolved in a rational manner, Malaysias Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told the meeting. We must all refrain from undertaking activities that would complicate matters in the South China Sea. We have to look at all avenues, all approaches to ensure our region is not complicated further by other powers. China has pushed for the resumption of negotiations with ASEAN on a code of conduct aimed at preventing armed clashes in the disputed waters even as it asserts its claims. This week defence minister Wei Fenghe has been touring Southeast Asia to meet regional counterparts. Pompeo and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, have confirmed their attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum, which will also be done by video. North Koreas foreign minister will skip the forum, but its representative to ASEAN will participate, according to Vietnams foreign ministry. Coronavirus pandemic Also on the agenda is the crisis in the region created by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has delayed or cancelled dozens of meetings and shut out the colourful ceremonies, group handshakes and photo-ops that have been the trademarks of ASEANs annual gatherings. Earlier this week, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said the talks would continue to focus on a regional response to the pandemic and ways to help member states recover economically. The contagion has devastated the regions manufacturing, export, travel and tourism industries and sparked the worst economic recessions in decades across the region of 650 million people. Indonesia has been hard hit by the coronavirus compared with other countries in ASEAN with the exception of the Philippines Government officials have taken to using mock coffins in a stark campaign to educate people about the risks of the disease [Dita Alangkara/AP Photo] Southeast Asian nations have been affected by the pandemic differently, with hard-hit Philippines grappling with more than 240,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections, including nearly 4,000 deaths, and the socialist state of Laos reporting just 22 cases. The Philippines and Indonesia each have more than double the infections reported by China, where the outbreak started late last year. A senior Southeast Asian diplomat said a key project is establishing a COVID-19 response fund to help ASEAN member states buy medical supplies and protective suits. The diplomat said Thailand has pledged to contribute $100,000 and ASEAN partners, including China, Japan and South Korea, were expected to announce contributions. A regional stockpile of medical supplies has also been approved, and a study to be financed by Japan will research the possibility of establishing an ASEAN centre on public health emergencies, according to the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly. Your browser does not support the video tag. Thousands of Alabamians have gone on unemployment for the first time over the last few months, as the coronavirus pandemic has decimated economies all over the world. After setting an all-time low with an unemployment rate of 3 percent last October, Alabama reached a 40-year high for with a rate of around 13 percent in May. Then signs of recovery began and unemployment began to fall statewide, according to data from the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama. But the Black Belt, one of the poorest regions in the country, has had an even harder time. [Cant see the chart? Click here.] Since the pandemic began, the unemployment rate in the Black Belt rose higher and has recovered slower than the rest of the state. The disparity in employment between the region and Alabama as a whole goes back far beyond the coronavirus pandemic. In the third entry to the Black Belt 2020, a series of issue briefs on the region from the Education Policy Center and AL.com, a panel of experts and stakeholders examined the disparity and talked about how the regions unemployment issue is tangled up in a host of other challenges. The unemployment rate is one of the most prominent ways economists, policymakers, and everyday Americans gauge the health of the economy, reads the brief written by Hunter Whann, Noel Keeney, Stephen Katsinas, and Emily Jacobs. In the brief, the authors examine the unemployment rate in the months and years before the economic downturn that accompanied the pandemic. In November of 2018, The 18 Alabama counties with the highest unemployment rates were all in the Black Belt, the brief shows. The three counties with the highest unemployment ratesWilcox, Clarke, and Greene counties, at 6.9 percent, 5.9 percent, and 5.8 percent, respectivelywere all in the Black Belt, and had unemployment rates double the statewide rate of 2.7 percent. [Cant see the map? Click here.] And the disparity has existed for much longer. The unemployment rate since at least 1990 has been consistently and without exception higher in the Black Belt that the rest of Alabama, Hunter Whann, one of the briefs authors, said in a media availability on discussing the issue on Tuesday. The road ahead is long." A consistent theme of the Black Belt 2020 project so far is that all of the regions issues are connected. That theme was touched on again Tuesday, as guests reacted to the briefs findings. Sheldon Day, the long time mayor of Thomasville in the Black Belts Clarke County, said fixing the regions unemployment problem will involve keeping a lot of plates spinning at once. Samuel Addy, Senior Research Economist at the University of Alabamas Culverhouse School of Commerce, likened it to flying a plane on all engines. " And Greg Cochran, Executive Directory of the League of Municipalities, said everything has to work in concert together. The Black Belt and the coronavirus pandemic Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the gap between the Black Belt and the rest of Alabama has only widened. Day said many workers in the area may have been labeled as non-essential when the pandemic began, and that a lot of businesses still havent reopened at full capacity. 11 of the 12 Alabama counties with the highest unemployment rate in July of this year are in the Black Belt. Each of those 11 counties had a July unemployment rate higher than 10 percent. Wilcox Countys unemployment rate in July was 19 percent, more than three times its pre-pandemic low. Thats down from a peak of 22.8 percent in April. Lowndes County, just west of Montgomery, had a July unemployment rate of 18.7 percent. See the July unemployment rate in each of Alabamas counties in the chart below: [Cant see the chart? Click here.] The issues Healthcare, education and infrastructure were all mentioned as problems that need to be addressed in order to help the regions unemployment numbers. But the number one problem, according to Day, is the lack of broadband in the region. He said the lack of broadband feeds into everything else. The lack of access to broadband is exacerbating problems that were already here for generations, he said. He said without access to good internet, the gap between the Black Belt and the rest of Alabama will widen. We will never close that gap entirely. Weve accepted that, he said. But the region has to work together to not be left behind. Day said the lack of broadband feeds into all of the regions other problems, many of which have grown worse during the pandemic. Better internet could lead to better healthcare by granting Black Belt residents access to the kind of telemedicine many other regions have grown used to during the pandemic, he said. Broadband would allow students forced to learn from home to be more successful, too, he said. The last issue brief in the Black Belt 2020 series will be on broadband in the region. Day and the other panelists emphasized cooperation, and Day specifically pointed to the type of regional cooperation that allowed Golden Dragon, a Chinese copper company, to locate in a parcel of land just outside of Thomasville as an example. He said that came together through cooperation with Wilcox County, and that prior to the plants construction, Wilcox had an unemployment rate of around 28.6 percent, the highest in the state. Last November, before the pandemic, Wilcoxs unemployment rate was 6.1 percent - still the highest in the state, but a vast improvement. Were competing against the world, Day said. 90 percent of the time, our competition isnt going to be our neighbors. We believe in collaboration, Cochran said. Improving the lives of our citizens will move Alabama forward in a way we can be proud of. Day said there are things the Black Belt could be doing now to help. He said many communities in the Black Belt need to accept our own responsibilities. In particular, he said many small towns in the region hadnt been applying for federal grants that could help pave the way for needed improvements, including Community Development Block Grants through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. We have to raise the expectations of our own communities, he said. Many Black Belt communities have been trying to make it through next month, next year... Theyve lost the ability to dream for the future. He said some of these grants would help bring broadband to the region. Addy, from the University of Alabama, agreed that broadband was a big first step toward improving the regions unemployment rate, and that everyone would need to work together to bring internet to the region. Broadband will have to be an investment from all of us together," Addy said. "And we will all reap the benefits together. Day also talked about Thomasvilles new hospital, and how important it has been for the city and the surrounding area. Before the hospital was opened, people would have the drive 50 miles for an MRI, or 100 miles for other types of tests, he said. Modernizing medicine in the region has been a big part of drawing industry, he said. But its not just about bringing industry in. Its also about growing the workforce from within a community, Cochran said. What are the assets that we can build a community around?... Education, medicine, job training and development - you cant just focus on one. Black Belt 2020 is an ongoing series by AL.com and the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama examining demographic, economic, and education issues, challenges, concerns, and options facing the Black Belt in Alabama. All Creatures Great and Small Rating: Dog Tales: The Making Of Mans Best Friend Rating: Hello Tristan! Good day to you, Mrs Pumphrey and, especially, welcome to Tricki Woo. Two episodes in, the essential cast of All Creatures Great And Small (C5) are all in place. Though his fringe is less extravagantly floppy than his predecessor Peter Davison's, Callum Woodhouse is the perfect actor to play Siegfried Farnon's boozy reprobate of a little brother, Tristan. Woodhouse is best known as Leslie in The Durrells. Clearly it's his destiny to play the wayward sibling of an older, hugely eccentric character. Siegfried might not have written the greatest novels ever to be overlooked by the Nobel prize committee (that'll be Lawrence Durrell and The Alexandria Quartet) but his personality is undeniably brilliant. Hello Tristan! Good day to you, Mrs Pumphrey and, especially, welcome to Tricki Woo. Two episodes in, the essential cast of All Creatures Great And Small (C5) are all in place Samuel West is having a whale of a time discovering his tender-hearted sentimentality as well as his explosions of outrage. There is nothing here to outrage fans of the James Herriot books. The stories haven't been updated or imbued with 21st-century morals, and the nearest they came to being 'sexed up' was a moment at the start when farmer's daughter Helen (Rachel Shenton) caught a glimpse of our hero swimming naked beneath a waterfall. Next time she saw him, she called out cheekily: 'Didn't recognise you with your clothes on!' How the poor lad blushed. Dame Diana Rigg is wonderful as the grand Mrs Pumphrey. In the original TV series, 40 years ago, she was played by Margaretta Scott as a rather woolly-headed woman, slightly deaf and forgetful. If there is anything woolly about Dame Diana, it's wire wool the sort that can easily remove a layer of skin. Her Mrs P had no time for Tristan's flatteries, and although she invited young vet James (Nicholas Ralph) to her soiree, she didn't dream he was good enough to mingle with her guests he was simply there to mind the dog. But what a dog. Tricki Woo is a long-haired Pekingese who lives on caviar, roast beef, trifle and brandy. Evidently he is a creature of refined taste, though gluttony plays havoc with his digestion a condition his owner referred to in the books as 'going flop-bott'. With his usual dry humour, Herriot explained in his memoirs why Tricki was such a valued client of the veterinary practice in Skeldale: 'When he went to the seaside, he sent me boxes of oak-smoked kippers; when the tomatoes ripened in the greenhouse, he sent me a pound or two each week. 'But it was when the Christmas hamper arrived from Fortnum & Mason's that I realised I was on to a really good thing.' The good graces of a dog are worth cultivating something our ancestors understood. Dog Tales: The Making Of Man's Best Friend (BBC4) traced the story of how we befriended and tamed our mutts over tens of thousands of years. The alliance appears to be largely their choice. Clever as the domestic dog is, wild wolves are smarter, one scientist in Austria explained. They looked at early humans and decided to make allies of us. Perhaps the most interesting segment of the documentary was also the most difficult to watch. An experiment with thousands of foxes in Russia has shown that, within ten generations of selective breeding, animals can be reared that are as affectionate as dogs. These foxes roll over to have their tummies tickled and even wag their tails. A scientist scooped one up to cuddle it and said in broken English, 'impossible not love them'. Quite true. But to see fields of the poor creatures in tiny wire cages was horrible. From Popular Mechanics General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., the new head of the U.S. Air Force, warned casualties will be heavy in a future war. Brown believes the U.S. will face World War II-level losses against an advanced adversary like Russia or China. The general believes his service must accelerate change or lose the next war. The new U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff is warning his service it faces stiff competition in a future war, involving aircraft and personnel losses not seen for 80 years. General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. believes the Air Force must work to accelerate change, adapting to new technologies faster than its potential adversaries. Brown warns that good enough today will fail tomorrow, with grave implications for the entire country. YOU LOVE top-notch defense stories (otherwise you wouldn't be here). Get the most elite military content on the internet, any time you want it. In his first new statement as Air Force Chief of Staff, Brown warns the Air Force, its ability to maintain air dominance, and the success of any future war is in serious jeopardy. Writing in Accelerate Change or Lose , Brown dumps a cold bucket of water on his service, saying the Air Force can longer count on the dominance it has enjoyed since the early 1990s, and that threats to the nation won't always be faced thousands of miles from the countrys borders. Brown also notes U.S. adversaries are equipping themselves with new tech as quickly as the Pentagon is, if not sooner. The Air Force has essentially been the supreme air force on the planet since 1991. The destruction of the Yugoslav Air Force in 1999 marked the beginning of more than 20 years of virtually uncontested air operations for the service lasting to this day. Since then, combat operations over Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, and elsewhere have largely been uncontested. Photo credit: Anadolu Agency - Getty Images Air Force fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, tankers, and surveillance planes fly wherever they want and bomb whoever they want, largely without concern of being shot down. With the exception of a handful of several uncrewed drones, most aircraft losses during this time period were due to pilot error or mechanical issues. Story continues Photo credit: TASS - Getty Images Read Up: Our Favorite Military History Books Brown believes a future war will require airmen to think differently about how to fly, fight, and win. Russia and China, with their large air forces and capable air defenses, are a world away from land power-only forces like the Afghan Taliban and the fighters of ISIS. These fully modern air forces, armed with weapons on par with those used by the U.S. Air Force itself, will inflict serious losses. Brown writes: "Airmen are more likely to fight in highly contested environments, and must be prepared to fight through combat attrition rates and risks to the Nation that are more akin to the World War II era than the uncontested environment to which we have since become accustomed. The forces and operational concepts we need must be different. Our approach to deterrence must adapt to the changes in the security." The U.S. Army Air Force lost over 40,000 aircraft in World War II, a number greater than the total number of planes in the current U.S. Air Force many times over. Photo credit: Ethan Miller - Getty Images How will the Air Force do this? Drones, drones, and more drones. Manned military aviation has been in a death spiral for some time. Technological complexity leads to increasingly sophisticated aircraft that require more time and money to develop. As a result, planes like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter require two decades to develop, cost $90 million each, and require months to build. The result is a smaller air force where even brand-new fighter jets feature 20-year-old technology, which isn't capable of making up for World War II-style losses. Photo credit: Kratos Defense Drones, on the other hand, promise to break this death spiral. Uncrewed drones are easier and faster to develop, cost less, and can be built faster than crewed aircraft. Drones can also be stockpiled in larger numbers to quickly replace wartime losses. A shorter development time means new technology can be more quickly integrated into an uncrewed platform, and a modular capability means a single drone can be adapted to a multitude of tasks simply by swapping out the drone's payload. You Might Also Like ALLENDALE, MI Grand Valley State University has the highest number of active coronavirus cases among all universities in Michigan, new data shows. The school of about 28,000 students has reported a total of 394 active cases in students, faculty and staff, as of Tuesday, Sept. 8, according to the universitys COVID-19 Data Dashboard. Thats more than triple the 123 total cases that were reported just one week earlier. Data shows 90 percent of the universitys positive cases are in off-campus students. Near-campus students, or those who live within a mile of campus, make up 212 of the universitys positive cases; other students," or those who live further than a mile from campus, make up 144 cases. There have been 35 on-campus students who tested positive for COVID-19, as well as two staff members and one faculty member, data shows. Coronavirus cases have surged at Grand Valley since the university welcomed students back during move-in week between Aug. 23-27. The university started the fall semester Aug. 31 and is offering a mix of in-person and virtual classes. The universitys seven-day average of daily new cases has risen steadily, more than doubling over the past week. GVSU averaged about 20 new cases per day on Sept. 1, compared to its current average of about 45 new cases per day. About one-fourth of the 394 positive cases were identified through the universitys testing efforts in partnership with Spectrum Health. University leaders announced in August that GVSU would conduct random coronavirus testing on students, faculty and staff this fall as a way to find any virus hot spots. GVSU conducted 2,843 coronavirus tests on campus between Aug. 21 and Sept. 1. Data from tests conducted after Sept. 2 is not yet available, according to the universitys dashboard. Of the 394 total cases, 95 were identified through GVSUs testing partnership with Spectrum Health. That means the majority of student cases were identified through testing by local health departments and reported to GVSU. Grand Valleys main campus in Allendale falls under the jurisdiction of the Ottawa County Department of Public Health, while other parts of the university are within the Kent County Health Department. Most COVID-19 spread at Grand Valley has occurred between roommates in off-campus housing, health experts have found. The Ottawa County Department of Public Health is finding a number of small clusters in apartments or households with GVSU students, said senior epidemiologist Derel Glashower. As we move forward, one of our primary focuses is going to be making sure (students who test positive) are isolated and focusing on contacts to give high priority to roommates and other close contacts, especially in a living situation because it can spread faster in those kinds of environments, he told MLive Wednesday. Glashower declined to say how many GVSU students have tested positive for COVID-19 through the Ottawa County Department of Public Health. Ottawa County was identified as one of eight counties in Michigan with higher rates of coronavirus transmission, most due to outbreaks among university students. Ottawa County was moved from a code yellow to code orange, signaling heightened concern over COVID-19 spread. RELATED: Wednesday, Sept. 9, coronavirus data by Michigan county: Eight counties at red or orange Grand Valleys updated case count makes it the public university with the most active COVID-19 cases in the state right now. Other universities like Michigan State, Central Michigan and Western Michigan have reported less than 200 positive cases. But health experts at GVSU attribute that to discrepancies in reporting procedures between universities. When asked why Grand Valley has the highest reported positive cases among universities across the state, Vice Provost of Health Jean Nagelkerk said each university has flexibility in reporting its cases. At this time, Michigan public universities are not all publicly reporting the same metrics for testing or positive cases, she in a prepared statement to MLive Sept. 9. GVSU is updating its dashboard at the end of each business day. We anticipated that we would see an increase in positive cases as we have a robust testing program for our campus community that includes random, high-risk and targeted testing of students, faculty and staff to mitigate risk for our community and provide support and resources for those who test positive. Many colleges across the state and nationwide have reported rising COVID-19 case numbers since they re-opened and welcomed students back to school for the fall. But school leaders have taken a variety of different approaches to try and slow the spread of the novel respiratory virus. Michigan State University switched to virtual classes Aug. 18 and urged students to stay home this fall in an effort to avoid spread of COVID-19. Still, many students did return to East Lansing, and coronavirus cases have spiked among students who had already moved into off-campus housing. Since Aug. 30, 124 students at MSU have tested positive for COVID-19, many of whom were exposed to the virus when they attended large off-campus gatherings without wearing a mask, the university announced Sept. 8. RELATED: Moving classes online was best decision for public health, Michigan State University president says Eastern Michigan University began its fall semester Aug. 31 online, but pushed back its on-campus move-in to Sept. 17, citing COVID-19 outbreaks. EMU plans to create a public COVID-19 data dashboard this week, but thus far has reported 61 positive cases in off-campus students and four cases in students on campus. Central Michigan University, which has reported 186 cases since June 15, became a hotspot for COVID-19 within a week of re-opening campus on Aug. 17. Administrators responded by threatening to suspend students for attending large parties and suspending all in-person Greek Life activities. We expect better from our students and are taking swift corrective and disciplinary action, including fines and suspensions, against students who host or participate in these large parties," the university said Aug. 22 in a statement provided by Heather L. Smith, executive director of communications. Grand Valley hasnt taken the same approach, relying largely on student accountability and education to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Administrators have previously told MLive they are trying to avoid large parties by focusing on educating students about the importance of social distancing amid the pandemic. Our primary approach has been, and continues to be, one of education and prevention with health guidance and instructions about how to protect themselves in the community, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Loren Rullman told MLive in late August as students arrived on campus. Rullman told MLive Sept. 9 that although Grand Valley has modified its code of student conduct to explicitly reference obligations related to COVID-19, institutional efforts have been and remain primarily educational. Student compliance has been positive with no unexpected increase in referrals to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, he said in a prepared statement. School leaders say theyre going to continue Grand Valleys educational approach to limiting spread of COVID-19, despite rising case numbers. Education is a key element of sharing critical public health information, reinforcing individual behaviors and supporting the campus community, Nagelkerk said. (GVSUs) policies and procedures highlight the importance of decreased density, increased cleaning, social distancing and wearing face coverings. To help you navigate this complicated fall, were pleased to offer you a simpler way to get all of your education news: Our new Michigan Schools: Education in the COVID Era newsletter delivered right to your inbox. To receive this newsletter, simply click here to sign up. 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/. More on MLive: Coronavirus cases triple at Grand Valley State University since move-in week Grand Valley to do random campus coronavirus testing, shift most classes online after Thanksgiving Grand Valley asks students to track temperature, coronavirus symptoms for 2 weeks before classes start Certain news stories send a chill down your spine. The revelation that an employee at Edna Staebler Public School in Waterloo had tested positive for COVID-19, after being at the school last Thursday, was one of them. Schools are almost ready for students. There has been cleaning of surfaces and spacing out of desks to keep children and staff from being infected. Community spread of the disease is low. And yet the virus is still there. Still waiting at the gate. With limited budgets, changing strategies and incomplete understanding of exactly how COVID-19 behaves, the people who run public schools have done everything they can to make them safe for children. Almost $18 million extra will be spent this year by the Waterloo Region District School Board on combating the spread of the disease in schools: Personal protective equipment for staff and students; extra cleaning supplies; frequent sanitizing of school buses; barriers and signs. Everyone has worked hard. Teachers have mastered online technology and are ready to turn on a dime to take new assignments. School trustees have connected with the public and asked searching questions of senior administration. Those administrators have submitted schooling plans to the province, and when they have been rejected, they have tried again. But nobody in Waterloo Region can do anything about the elephant in the room. Which is: When youre trying to avoid a disease spread mostly by airborne droplets, the most important thing is to stay away from one another. Ontarians understand that. In a survey for the Toronto Star by Campaign Research, 80 per cent have said classes should have 20 students or less. But that costs a huge amount of money. At the Waterloo public school board meeting August 31, which was recorded on YouTube, statistics offered by board administration showed how impossible that is. High schools can do it, because the class is divided in half, with students alternating between online and in-class learning. The teacher of the course handles both the online and in-person groups on the same day. Elementary schools are a different story. At about 70 minutes into the Aug. 31 meeting, trustee Scott Piatkowski asked if there would be empty spaces in schools because so many families have opted to learn from home. He was told there would be empty spaces, but they couldnt be used to make elementary class sizes smaller, because there arent the extra teachers to fill those classrooms. The children learning online need their own teachers, too. Superintendent Matthew Gerard said average class sizes are usually 26 in kindergarten, 20 from Grades 1 to 3 and 24.5 in Grades 4 to 8. To reduce those class sizes to 15 students, the board would need to hire another 768 full-time teachers at an additional annual cost of about $96 million, said Gerber, who is the boards treasurer and oversees business services. Its very costly to get those ratios down, Gerard said. And also, it would be very difficult to find all those teachers to hire. RELATED STORIES Waterloo Region https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2020/09/07/covid-19-case-confirmed-at-waterloo-school.html With the understanding that the virus has hit harder in neighbourhoods where people are poor, Gerard pointed out that small amounts of funding had been made available by the province to help with distancing, including money for fewer than 10 full-time teachers to reduce class sizes in a few schools. It will be targeted where needed, based on a variety of factors, most likely socio-economic, he said. But 10 extra teachers in a board serving 65,000 students? Its just a drop in the ocean. The provincial government, which is already struggling with a sagging economy from the pandemic, isnt willing to spend the kind of money it would take to significantly reduce class sizes for everyone. Nor is any other education ministry in Canada. So instead we take our chances, and wait for the inevitable. Adele on Thursday shocked and angered her fans by canceling her Caesar's Palace Las Vegas residency at the last minute, leaving many stranded in the city out of pocket, and unsure whether they can afford the time and money to see her rescheduled show. Fans of the 33-year-old singer had shelled out up to $30,000 for resale tickets for the eagerly-anticipated show - her first live concert in five years. In a video posted to Twitter, Adele sobbed as she said that COVID-19 cases among members of her crew had made it impossible to bring the show to life in time. Adding to her woes were delivery delays that made it 'impossible to finish the show.' She added that she had been awake for 'over 30 hours' trying to solve logistical issues but had simply 'run out of time' to be ready on Friday. Many were sympathetic, but plenty were frustrated. 'This breaks my heart, for you and for me,' tweeted Amy Campbell, a medical professional in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 'I know how hard it is to put on a show, especially with a pandemic. 'But it's also hard to save enough money, to get time off work from a hospital, that is short staffed, book a flight and hotel, fly in two days early and find out 30 hrs before the show, when we are already here, that the reason we came for is not going to happen. 'The people with first weekend show tickets may not be able to afford the time or money to reschedule something like this.' RICHMOND - Independent presidential candidate Kanye West is fighting to get back on the ballot in Virginia after a judge threw him off last week, urging the state's highest court to weigh in quickly because ballots are already being printed and absentee voting starts next week. Attorneys for the rapper-entrepreneur filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Virginia late Tuesday, seeking to overturn Thursday's Richmond Circuit Court ruling that found the West campaign had tricked some voters into helping him get on the ballot. "Ballots will be printed soon and may already be being printed in some Virginia counties, so resolution of this case is essential by on or before September 18, 2020," West's attorneys wrote to the Supreme Court in a motion for expedited consideration. In-person absentee voting begins Sept. 18, and the state faces a Sept. 19 deadline to mail absentee ballots, which are in high demand this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. State Department of Elections spokeswoman Andrea Gaines said the department does not comment on pending litigation. She confirmed that "some localities have started printing their ballots." Fairfax County, with nearly 770,000 registered voters, has been printing ballots without West's name, county spokesman Brian Worthy said Wednesday. It was unclear what would happen to those ballots if West's appeal succeeds. An outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, West could act as a spoiler in swing states by drawing Black voters away from Democratic former vice president Joe Biden. Republican operatives and lawyers have supported West's efforts in at least a half-dozen states. West has been ousted from the ballot in several other states because of deficient paperwork. Last month, Virginia's Board of Elections found that he had met the requirements for the ballot: His team had gathered 5,000 petition signatures - at least 200 of them from each congressional district - and pledges from 13 voters to support him as electors. Marc E. Elias and other attorneys at the nationally prominent Democratic firm Perkins Coie represented two voters who brought the Virginia lawsuit last week, claiming that West's campaign had tricked them into signing up as electors. The BakerHostetler lawyers who filed West's appeal, Trevor Stanley and Mark Braden, "have extensive ties to the Republican Party," Charlotte Gomer, spokeswoman for Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring, said Wednesday in a news release about the appeal. She noted that the lawyers had represented the Republican Party of Virginia in the spring, when it opposed a change to absentee voting requirements. Stanley and Braden did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. In a hearing Thursday, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Joi Jeter Taylor found that 11 of the elector oaths were "obtained by improper, fraudulent and/or misleading means, or are otherwise invalid" because of irregularities related to how they were notarized. In the appeal, West's lawyers contend that Taylor erred, in part because the campaign had little time to arrange for witnesses or otherwise prepare for the hearing, which was held two days after the suit was filed. Herring's office had requested an expedited hearing because of looming deadlines for printing and mailing ballots. By ANI WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has been nominated for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize following his efforts to broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The nomination was submitted by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament. He nominated Trump citing his "key role in... creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan". In an exclusive interview to Fox News, Tybring-Gjedde praised Trump for his efforts towards resolving protracted conflicts worldwide. "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," Tybring-Gjedde, a four-term member of Parliament who also serves as chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, told Fox News in an exclusive interview. ALSO READ | UAE formally ends Israel boycott amid US-brokered deal In his nomination letter to the Nobel committee, Tybring-Gjedde said that the Trump administration has played a key role in the establishment of relations between Israel and the UAE. "As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game-changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity," he wrote. Also cited in the letter was the president's "key role in facilitating contact between conflicting parties and ... creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan, and the conflict between North and South Korea, as well as dealing with the nuclear capabilities of North Korea." ALSO READ | 2020 US elections: Donald Trump campaigns to build 'permission structure' to win back voters Tybring-Gjedde, further, praised Trump for withdrawing a large number of troops from the Middle East. "Indeed, Trump has broken a 39-year-old streak of American Presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict. The last president to avoid doing so was Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter," he wrote. On Tuesday, a White House official announced Trump will hold a signing ceremony on September 15 for a groundbreaking Middle East agreement normalising relations between Israel and the UAE. In a deal brokered by the US, Israel and the UAE last month had agreed to normalise their relations, and an agreement on the mutual establishment of embassies is expected to follow in the coming three weeks. In exchange, Israel said it would halt its plans to formally annex parts of the West Bank. There were 318 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020. Out of that 211 were individuals and 107 are organisations. Those eligible to nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize are public figures, including national politicians, professors and former prize winners. In February and March each year, nominations are shortlisted. The winners are announced in October. Hong Kong: Population to rise to 8.11m in 2041 Hong Kongs population is expected to peak at 8.11 million in mid-2041, then decline to 7.35 million by mid-2069, according to the Census & Statistics Department. The department today released an updated set of population projections covering the next 50 years. From mid-2019 to mid-2041, the population is projected to grow at a rate of 0.4% per annum. With a significant increase in the number of deaths due to an ageing population, coupled with a decrease in the number of births, the population is projected to drop at a rate of 0.3% per annum from mid-2041 to mid-2069. Population ageing is expected to continue. With post-war baby boomers entering old age, the number of elderly people aged 65 and over is projected to nearly double in the coming 20 years. Excluding foreign domestic helpers, the number of elderly people will increase from 18.4% of the total population in 2019 to 33.3% in 2039. The elderly population will remain at over 2.5 million for at least 30 years. Due to the persistently low fertility rate, the proportion of the population under age 15 is projected to fall gradually from 12.2% in 2019 to 7.6% in 2069. The dependency ratio will rise from 441 in 2019 to 853 in 2069. The number of males per 1,000 females, excluding foreign domestic helpers, is projected to reduce from 910 in 2019 to 801 in 2069. Click here for details. The department also published Hong Kong Life Tables 2014-2069 which describes the present and future mortality conditions of Hong Kong in the form of life tables. This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. T he Prime Minister insisted all Britons should obey the law before defending his Governments plans to breach international law over Brexit. Boris Johnson was challenged today by several MPs to explain why he thinks it is acceptable for his administration to not obey the law while expecting people to follow new Covid-19 restrictions on social gatherings. The updated rules which come into place on September 14 ban people in England from gathering in groups of more than six. Mr Johnson's remarks came after Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis acknowledged that legislation to override key elements of the UKs Brexit deal with Brussels would break international law in a very specific and limited way. He said such steps could be taken to protect the UK against extreme or irrational interpretations of the Northern Ireland protocol and they were aimed at protecting the peace process if a free trade deal was not agreed with the EU. The Governments proposals, contained in the UK Internal Market Bill, have provoked a furious reaction from some Conservative MPs. Speaking at Prime Ministers Questions, Liberal Democrat Munira Wilson for Twickenham contrasted the plans with the new Covid-19 restrictions to ban social gatherings of more than six people in England. Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street / Getty Images She said: If ministers think its acceptable for this Government to not obey the law, how on earth can the Prime Minister expect the public at home to do so? Mr Johnson replied: We expect everybody in this country to obey the law. Liberal Democrat former minister Alistair Carmichael highlighted the desire of some Scottish nationalists to hold a wildcat independence referendum, adding: I oppose that because it would be illegal. If the Prime Minister thinks its acceptable for his Government to ignore international law, on what basis would he oppose it? Mr Johnson expressed surprise that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had not raised the fact that the Governments plan to override elements of the Brexit deal with Brussels would breach international law. The Prime Minister said: My job is to uphold the integrity of the UK but also to protect the Northern Irish peace process and the Good Friday Agreement. Mr Johnson expressed surprise that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had not raised any points on the potential over-ride. / PA To do that we need a legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations of the protocol, which could lead to a border down the Irish Sea in a way that I believe and I think members around the House believe would be prejudicial to the interests of the Good Friday Agreement and prejudicial to the interests of peace in our country. That has to be our priority. Earlier, Mr Johnson also told Sir Keir: When it comes, by the way, to sticking up for our UK internal market and for delivering on the will of the British people, one of the most important issues facing us today, he is totally silent on this Bill that obsesses the rest of his backbenchers, hes been totally silent. The great ox once again has stood on his tongue, he has nothing at all to say about that subject today because he doesnt want to offend the huge number of his backbenchers who want to overturn the verdict of the people and take us back into the EU, which is of course what he wants to do himself. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 22:07:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NUR-SULTAN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan will resume flights with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan starting from Thursday, the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development announced. The resumption of flights with Tajikistan is also under consideration, while Malaysia, Poland, Hungary, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic have also submitted applications to resume flights, the ministry added. The Central Asian nation has so far restored regular flights with Turkey, South Korea, the Netherlands, Belarus, Germany, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates. According to the country's health ministry, the COVID-19 epidemic situation in the country has stabilized, with the infection rate dropping significantly. Hospital bed occupancy and ambulance calls have decreased by over five times since the second lockdown was imposed. The number of COVID-19 patients who remain in hospitals has reduced to 4,810 as of Wednesday. Kazakhstan has reported a total of 106,498 COVID-19 cases, with 1,646 deaths and 100,042 recoveries. The country registered 73 new cases in the past 24 hours. Enditem Dyslexia is a frequent disorder of reading acquisition that affects up to 10% of the population, and is characterised by lifelong difficulties with written material. Although several possible causes have been proposed for dyslexia, the predominant one is a phonological deficit, a difficulty in processing language sounds. The phonological deficit in dyslexia is associated with changes in rhythmic or repetitive patterns of neural activity in a sound-processing region of the brain, the left auditory cortex. Neuroscientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have demonstrated, in a study published in Plos Biology, a causal relationship between brain oscillations at a specific frequency (30 Hz) and the ability to process phonemes that is essential for reading. Using a non-invasive electrical stimulation technique capable of synchronizing neural activity at the stimulation frequency, phonological deficits and reading accuracy could be improved in adults with dyslexia. Silvia Marchesotti and Anne-Lise Giraud, respectively researcher and professor in the Department of Basic Neurosciences of the Faculty of Medicine at UNIGE, together with their colleagues, investigated the main possible cause of dyslexia: the phonological deficit. "We know that during brain development, when children start to read, some experience tremendous difficulties matching speech sounds with letters " explains Silvia Marchesotti. These specific difficulties are associated with anomalies of neural activity synchronization in the left auditory cortex at the frequency of 30 Hz. The Geneva study demonstrates for the first time that a causal relationship exists between these brain oscillations and the ability to process speech phonemes. Reading stimulation Neuroscientists applied the technique of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), which is under investigation in medicine to treat illnesses such as depression. A twenty minute stimulation over the left auditory cortex in 15 dyslexic adults and 15 fluent control readers immediately improved phonological processing and reading accuracy in the dyslexia group. The beneficial effect of stimulation is most pronounced in people with poor reading skills, but neuroscientists have noted a slightly disruptive effect in very good readers. Towards non-invasive treatments The Geneva study paves the way for targeted non-invasive therapeutic interventions aimed at improving phonological processing in people with dyslexia. "The next steps for us are to investigate whether normalising oscillatory function in very young children could have a long-lasting effect on the organisation of the reading system," says Silvia Marchesotti. This study will continue within the new National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Evolving Language." The method will be different, however: instead of using electrical stimulation, neuroscientists will try to obtain equivalent results with neurofeedback, a non-invasive technique that involves teaching self-regulation of brain signals to patients. "The goal remains the same, but the use of an even less invasive method will allow conducting trials with children," says Anne-Lise Giraud, the project leader. ### L.A. County Voters Urged to Join Citizens Redistricting Commission Eligible Los Angeles County voters interested in having a say on how voting districts are mapped which can determine how much power various voting blocs have in deciding who runs the county can still apply to join the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission. Los Angeles County Registrar/Recorder-County Clerk announced that the deadline original set for Monday has been extended to Sept. 8. Any L.A. County resident who is a registered voter and meets the eligibility criteria is encouraged to apply online at lavote.net or by returning a paper application that can be downloaded at the same website. Applicants must have been continuously registered to vote in Los Angeles County for the last five years under the same political party affiliation. Eligibility also requires voting in at least one of the last three statewide elections, in June 2018, November 2018 or the March 2020 primary. Neither the applicant or the applicants family may have any disqualifying conflicts of interest. ADVERTISEMENT The commission as a whole will be geographically, socially and ethnically diverse, according to officials, and will be charged with adjusting the countys supervisorial districts to create areas that are roughly equal in population and geography. A similar statewide commission, formed every 10 years following the U.S. Census, is responsible for drawing district lines for state Assembly and Senate and federal congressional seats. However, this will be the first time that a commission is assembled for L.A. County, which had sued to prevent its creation, hoping to maintain control of drawing district lines. The countys complaint sought to declare the law requiring a commission signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2016 after the passage of SB 958 unconstitutional. County lawyers argued that it singled out Los Angeles County and ran counter to laws requiring county offices to be nonpartisan. The State of California has imposed an unfair, unworkable and unconstitutional new redistricting law exclusively on the County of Los Angeles, the lawsuit alleged. The state did so with no rational basis or justification, and absent consultation with Los Angeles County voters, who now find themselves the subjects of an ill-conceived civic experiment that they have no power to fix or to repeal. County officials said local district lines had been drawn based on extensive voter input and claimed that the new arrangement would limit input by independent voters. However, not everyone had been happy with the countys longstanding process. Latino civil rights advocates sued in 1990, accusing the then-board of seeking to dilute the influence of the Latino community in elections, a finding upheld in a ruling by a federal judge. When activists threatened to sue again in 2011, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and then-Supervisor Gloria Molina pushed for a second majority-Latino district, a move that was the subject of heated debate. ADVERTISEMENT Their motion was rejected on a 2-3 vote in September 2011, with three white male board members arguing that it would move nearly a third of the population into new districts and consolidate areas with little in the way of common interests. Then-Sen. Ricardo Lara, who sponsored the 2016 state bill, said it would make board races more competitive and ensure that communities of interests stayed intact when districts were drawn. Supervisor Hilda Solis was among those who asked Brown to veto the bill, writing a personal letter rather than asking the full board to do so, which would have required including the request on a public hearing agenda. The county lost its lawsuit and a subsequent appeal, with a three- judge appeals panel ruling this January that singling out Los Angeles County was reasonable based on the countys unique redistricting history, demographics and geography. The panels opinion took note of past racial discrimination. Los Angeles County has an acknowledged history of racial discrimination in the way its board has drawn district boundaries in the past. Between 1959 and 1990, Los Angeles Countys redistricting efforts were marred by actions intended to `dilute the effect of the Hispanic vote in future elections and preserve incumbencies of the Anglo members of the Board of Supervisors, Justice Carl H. Moor wrote for the majority, referencing language from the 1990 suit. The Second World War, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, was a conflict that affected millions of Britons, including the royal family. Throughout the war, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) attempted to raise morale and often visited bombed areas to see the damage caused by enemy air raids. Recommended Queen to resume royal engagements at Buckingham Palace in October after months of shielding While the royal couple took a keen interest in what was being done to help people who had lost their homes, it was not until their own household was targeted by the Germans that they could truly look the East End in the face. On 13th September 1940, Buckingham Palace was hit by German bombs while King George VI and the Queen Mother were in residence, but what really happened and did anyone get hurt? As we approach the 80th anniversary of the bombings, here is everything you need to know. When was Buckingham Palace bombed? During the Second World War, Buckingham Palace and its grounds were attacked a number times, with bombs directly hitting the building on nine of these occasions. King George VI and the Queen Mother outside Buckingham Palace which suffered bomb damage on 13 September 1940 (Rex Features) According to newspaper reports at the time, on 8 September 1940 a 50-kilogram bomb fell on the grounds of the palace, but it did not explode, and was later destroyed in a controlled explosion. However, on 13 September, a single German raider dropped five bombs, two of which exploded in the inner quadrangle, while King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother were in residence. A third bomb hit the Royal Chapel in the South Wing and a fourth was dropped on the forecourt, while the last fell near the Queen Victoria Memorial. The palace was left with significant damage with many of the windows completely shattered. Was anyone injured during the attack? The attack left three workmen injured but King George and the Queen Mother managed to escape unharmed, according to reports at the time. The bombing left three men injured (Rex Features) After surviving the attack, the Queen Mother later said in a statement: I am glad we have been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face. Did the King or Queen ever speak about the bombings? In 2009, a letter from the Queen Mother describing the moment Buckingham Palace was bombed was shared with the public. The note, which was written to the royal's mother-in-law, Queen Mary, told how the and Queen heard the unmistakable whirr-whirr of a German plane and then the scream of a bomb. The royals had delayed heading down to the palace's air raid shelter because the King had asked his wife to take an eyelash out of his eye. The Queen Mother said she heard the unmistakable whirr-whirr of a German plane prior to the attack (Rex Features) I saw a great column of smoke and earth thrown up into the air, and then we all ducked like lightening into the corridor, the Queen Mother wrote. There was another tremendous explosion, and we and our two pages who were outside the door, remained for a moment or two in the corridor away from the staircase, in case of flying glass. She added: My knees trembled a little bit for a minute or two after the explosions. Where was Queen Elizabeth? Queen Elizabeth, then age 14, and her sister Princess Margaret were not at Buckingham Palace during the attack. According to the ITV documentary Our Queen at War, when the war started, the King sent his daughters to stay at Windsor Castle for safety, before moving them to the Birkhall Estate in Aberdeenshire. Her Majesty and Princess Margaret were looked after by the royal nanny, Marion Crawford. Did the royal family evacuate from the UK during the war? While King George and the Queen Mother were affected by the bombing, the incident went on to actually bolster the reputation of the Royal Family in the eye of the British public. Despite being advised by the Foreign Office to immediately flee the country, the royal couple refused. The Queen Mother declared at the time: The children will not leave unless I do. I shall not leave unless their father does, and the king will not leave the country in any circumstances, whatever. The family of a British teenager who was struck and killed by a car driven by the wife of an American diplomat has filed a civil claim for damages against her in the United States. Harry Dunn, 19, died on Aug. 27, 2019, after his motorcycle was struck by Anne Sacoolas, an American, near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, which is home to a U.S. Air Force communications station. The lawsuit claims wrongful death and seeks financial damages against both Sacoolas and her husband, Jonathan Sacoolas, as the Dunn family lawyers say the Volvo SUV was owned by him when it hit Dunn. Filed in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Virginia, the lawsuit states that as Dunn lay awake, alone, and in pain, knowing that he was badly hurt and dying, facedown by the side of the road, Sacoolas did not call police to report the accident or call an ambulance. Image: Harry Dunn's parents say they want justice for their son. (Courtesy of the Dunn Family) Her conduct was willful or wanton, it says, adding that she showed a conscious disregard for the safety of Harry. A few minutes later, it says a passerby stopped at the scene. This passerby, not Defendant Anne Sacoolas, called for an ambulance, it says. The force of the collision left blood and clothing embedded in the front windshield, the lawsuit says. Having initially cooperated with the police investigation, Sacoolas, 42, returned to the United States three weeks after the crash and the case sparked a transatlantic dispute between Washington and London about whether she had diplomatic immunity from prosecution. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics The U.S. State Department has said she cannot be extradited because she is covered by diplomatic immunity. The U.K., in July, stopped offering immunity from criminal prosecution to the families of the American staff at the base. Sacoolas lawyer, Amy Jeffress of Arnold & Porter, said in an Oct. 14 statement, that her client was driving on the wrong side of the road and is terribly, terribly sorry for that tragic mistake. Story continues There is no dispute as to what happened, the statement said. Anne was driving on the wrong side of the road and had no time to react when she saw the motorbike approaching the crash happened too fast. British police charged Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving in December. She could face up to five years in jail if found guilty. Dunn's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, have called for her to return to the U.K. to face trial. Sacoolas said she cooperated with authorities at the scene and at her home, and she expressed her "deepest sympathies and apologies for this tragic accident" to Dunn's parents. Her lawyer has said previously that Sacoolas will not return voluntarily to potentially face jail for "a terrible but unintentional accident." NBC News approached Jeffress for comment about the civil claim on Thursday. Speaking after it was filed, Dunn family spokesperson Radd Seiger said they had no choice other to launch their campaign. European Union leaders are expected to renew pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping next week over Beijings heavy-handed tactics in Hong Kong as the effects of the national security law start to emerge. In the US, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for stability in Hong Kong after nearly 300 people were arrested on Sunday during protests against postponed local elections. Democracy, respect for fundamental freedoms, and government accountability to the people are the best paths to stability in Hong Kong not draconian efforts to limit free expression, delay elections, and restrict travel, he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. It is understood that the EU officials preparing for the virtual summit with Xi next Monday have been gauging updates about the situation in Hong Kong and will raise the issue with him. In just over two months, Hong Kong police have used the national security law against media mogul Jimmy Lai Chi-ying founder of the opposition Apple Daily newspaper and Agnes Chow Ting, a prominent pro-democracy activist. Over the weekend, Tam Tak-chi, vice-chairman of the localist party People Power, was detained by the police for uttering seditious words, raising fears of a heightened curb on freedom of speech. While the police used a colonial-era sedition law against him, it fell on the national security unit to investigate his case. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor defended Tams arrest, saying that it had nothing to do with freedom of speech and that criticising the government did not fall afoul of the law. China has defended the national security law, saying it is necessary to return Hong Kong to normalcy after protests lasting for months that saw clashes between the police and demonstrators who Beijing claimed were organised by foreign forces. Story continues The US, the EU, Britain Japan, Australia and Canada have all urged China to withdraw the law the most recent call made by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas while meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. The issue is expected to arise again when Xi meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in an online summit. Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU council, hopes to use the summit to get China to agree on economic reforms to secure an investment treaty with the 27-member single market. For von der Leyen and Michel, Mondays virtual summit will be the second discussion with Xi in less than three months. During the last summit, EU leaders warned Xi of very negative consequences over Beijings plan to crack down in Hong Kong. The national security law risks seriously undermining the one country, two systems principle, von der Leyen said in June. In July, the EU proposed a coordinated package across all 27 countries to restrict transactions with the Hong Kong government, including a ban of exports of goods capable of internal repression, the interception of internal communications or cyber-surveillance. The bloc also said it would consider further asylum and migration plans for Hongkongers, and step up coordination with Hong Kong students and universities. Germany and France have announced a halt to extradition treaties with Hong Kong after a similar move by non-EU member state Britain. More from South China Morning Post: This article Xi Jinping likely to face criticism over Hong Kong crackdown during EU summit first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. The Medical University of South Carolina rapidly adapted telehealth technologies to meet the needs of its patients during the pandemic, report researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association Hailed for its ability to erase distance between health care providers in cities and patients in rural areas, telehealth has ironically enabled medical care to continue in a time when we all must keep our distance. Across the country, telehealth use has spiked as providers offer virtual patient visits to ensure medical needs are met while minimizing COVID-19 exposure. Regulatory agencies have loosened some restrictions on telehealth during this crisis, and more and more payers have begun to reimburse for it as they would for any other medical service. The Medical University of South Carolina, one of only two Telehealth Centers of Excellence nationwide, quickly mounted a four-pronged response to the COVID-19 pandemic that ensured both continuity of care for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and continued ambulatory, also referred to as outpatient, care for all other patients. The team of telehealth and bioinformatics experts who led the effort documented their approach and its success in a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Early on, MUSC Health and telehealth leaders saw the need for a coordinated response to the pandemic. "The same realization was coming to the forefront of the minds of the leadership, myself included, in telehealth that this was going to be a big problem," said Dee Ford, M.D., director of the MUSC Telehealth Center of Excellence and lead author on the article. "We needed in our own way to create some kind of response to what we believed to be a pretty significant public health problem. Planning started before we even had a case in the state." Very quickly, MUSC Health was able to stand up virtual screening of patients with suspected COVID-19 and mobile testing sites across the state, a remote home-monitoring program for patients with less severe COVID-19 and a telesitter program for hospitalized patients that enabled providers to monitor and communicate with patients via an audiovisual monitor, minimizing health care exposure and preserving personal protective equipment. It was able to do so in part because it had long been building its telehealth and bioinformatics capacity. With generous funding from the state, the MUSC Health Center for Telehealth, in coordination with the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance, has been expanding its telehealth services throughout even the remotest regions of the state. "The state of South Carolina made an investment in MUSC years ago to develop telehealth programs, which then led to a high state of expertise and readiness to pivot when COVID-19 arrived," said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., CEO of MUSC Health. "The MUSC Health Center for Telehealth is to be congratulated for this ability to lead during this crisis." Since 2012, when MUSC Health adopted EPIC, an electronic health record, the MUSC enterprise has continued to recruit bioinformatics researchers, mainly housed in the Biomedical Informatics Center (BMIC) and Information Solutions, to customize EPIC to the health system's needs and to learn how to improve care by analyzing EHR data. Existing telehealth tools would prove invaluable to the initiative, but they had to be radically reimagined and integrated for the purpose of responding to COVID-19. Realizing that the scale of the effort would require easy-to-use options, telehealth leaders also onboarded some new tools, such as the user-friendly telemedicine platform doxy.me, created by BMIC researcher Brandon Welch, Ph.D. "We had a battlefield-type mentality that we had to all get together to form a new structure," said James McElligott, M.D., executive medical director of the MUSC Health Center for Telehealth. As they worked to build a unified response and fashion existing tools so as to be COVID-19 relevant, telehealth leaders had the full support of hospital leadership, their colleagues in bioinformatics and the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute, which provided technical and logistical support. "No one ever said no, even if that meant working for five months straight and into the late hours of the night and calling up Bioinformatics and saying, 'Make this work like this or change it like this,'" said article co-author Kathryn King, M.D., co-director of the MUSC Telehealth Center of Excellence. "No one ever said no because I think we just knew that it had to happen." MUSC Health chief research information officer and BMIC director Leslie Lenert, M.D., who is senior author of the article, is proud of his bioinformatics team, which put research aside for a time to help meet this urgent clinical need. "We took the research capacity we had for EPIC support and improvement, and we told them to stop, and we put them on this full time. That's why we were able to respond so fast," said Lenert. "So we took our best people, and we put them on this problem immediately. We protected their time, and we told them to get something done. We started early, we committed absolutely and we worked with our clinicians to solve practical problems that they had." With BMIC's help and SCTR's support, existing tools were quickly revamped to ensure continuity of care for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and continued ambulatory care for all other patients. Virtual urgent care Virtual urgent care technology, meant to provide patients a convenient way to be seen for minor illnesses, had to be adapted into a platform for screening patients with suspected COVID-19 and scheduling appointments for them at mobile testing sites throughout the state. Previously, patients reporting serious symptoms, such as shortness of breath, would have been kicked out of that system; therefore, Edward O'Bryan, M.D., telemedicine director for the Emergency Department and direct-to-consumer and institutional telehealth at MUSC, along with other telehealth leaders, had to work rapidly with the virtual urgent care vendor to adapt the technology to screen for COVID-19 symptoms. At the same time, they had to begin staffing up to meet the anticipated demand, increasing the number of providers dedicated to virtual urgent care from fewer than ten to more than a hundred. O'Bryan estimates that more than 150,000 patients have now been screened for COVID-19 through the modified virtual urgent care program. "We were the first people in South Carolina to offer free virtual care COVID screenings," said O'Bryan. "I'm really proud that we were able to roll it out so quickly and that so many South Carolinians took advantage of it." BMIC researchers developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that could analyze symptom data provided by patients during virtual urgent care screenings and prioritize those most likely to have COVID-19 for testing. The algorithm proved critical when testing capacity was challenged and should continue to play a key role with the implementation nationwide of "batch testing." Essentially, samples from patients thought to be at low risk of having COVID-19 could be tested in batches of five to extend testing capacity. If the test comes back negative, all five patients are presumed to have a negative result. The algorithm helps identify low-risk patients appropriate for such batch testing while reserving individual testing for higher-risk patients. "What we were able to do is make a very functional system, which, on the outside, might seem simple -you fill out a questionnaire on a telehealth platform, it goes in and everything happens behind the scenes," said McElligott. "But all of that had to be protected for the patient and linked in with the medical record and the lab. We had to know what to do to get testing sites set up with tents and then use the platforms to guide people there. There's just a whole lot of stuff that had to happen to be able to do this: not one patient at a time, but thousands at a time. We couldn't have done it without the Bioinformatics group stepping in and helping to connect all the dots and then bringing new ideas to the table about how to monitor patients." Remote patient monitoring In the second prong of the four-pronged approach, patients who tested positive were then invited to enroll in a remote patient monitoring (RPM) program. That program, which had been used to track data on patients with chronic disease, was transformed into a virtual means of monitoring and delivering acute care to patients with less severe COVID-19 who were recovering at home. RPM nurses contacted patients by telephone or text to ask if they wished to enroll in the program. Enrolled patients were asked to answer online survey questions daily about the symptoms they were experiencing and to provide temperature and oxygen saturation values. BMIC researchers created a "best practice alert," which notified a patient's RPM nurse should his or her condition begin to deteriorate. The nurse could then call the patient, alert the patient's primary care provider or arrange for a video consultation with a physician at MUSC Health. Patients who developed more severe disease could be hospitalized. By the end of August, 735 patients had been treated through the RPM program. Of those patients, 20% were considered high risk and 32% medium risk. Some of these patients lived alone or in rural areas, and the daily contact and calls with RPM nurses were an emotional, as well as a medical, lifeline. "The lead nurse ends up being a connection to care for a pretty decent number of people who are otherwise fairly isolated," said Ford. "They may live in rural areas. They may be elderly and live alone. They're also supposed to be in quarantine, so they're not supposed to be out and about and have people around them. So, it ends up being an important kind of emotional support tool for folks with cases of COVID-19 that are on home quarantine." Telesitter program The third prong of the approach, a telesitter program, is intended for patients hospitalized with more severe disease. An audiovisual cart, previously used to monitor patients to keep them from falling, was adapted so that caregivers could monitor and interact with patients with COVID-19 without having to don and doff personal protective gear each time, at the same time limiting the exposure of the health care worker. "That's been a real satisfier for the clinical teams. They are able to have that kind of ease of communication without having to go into the patient's room each time," said Ford. Reimagining outpatient care In addition to ensuring a smooth continuum of care for patients with COVID-19, the team of telehealth and bioinformatics experts also wanted to provide a way for providers to continue to treat all of their patients, not just those with COVID-19. During the lockdown, most in-person outpatient visits were canceled, leaving many patients without needed medical care. Leaders at the Center for Telehealth quickly began preparing to transition most outpatient visits to telehealth visits -a gargantuan task. "The scale of response was ... it was something I never thought I'd see," said McElligott. Article co-author Jillian Harvey, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Healthcare Leadership and Management at MUSC, agrees. "Telehealth has always been seen as the promising solution for access to the health care system, but its utilization hasn't picked up as quickly as we expected," explained Harvey. "Now, because of COVID, there has been a huge ramping up of telehealth across the country, especially in March, April and May." During that timeframe, telehealth visits soared from less than 5% to more than 70% of all visits at MUSC Health. Between March and July, almost 30,000 outpatients met with their physicians via secure video teleconferencing. To make that happen so quickly, the Center for Telehealth, which previously had been predominantly focused on providing services externally to patients in remote areas of the state, suddenly had to integrate itself more deeply into clinical practice at MUSC Health. "We had to replicate the whole design of the health system in a microcosm," said McElligott. Typically, he explained, the Center for Telehealth would have smoothed out work processes and flows for such an initiative, but due to the public health emergency, there was no time. "So, we set up an organizational structure to try to get this done, changed video technologies to more user-friendly ones, built a bunch of tip sheets about how to do it, and we just rolled it out and let everybody innovate." And innovate they did. Physicians in every specialty took those tip sheets and figured out for themselves how to overcome every obstacle so that they could begin seeing patients virtually. "So, the true heroes in all of this are the front-line providers who took the information and figured out how to do it themselves because they knew they had to or patients weren't going to be seen," said McElligott. The way forward Due to the pandemic, many more providers, payers and patients have become aware of what telehealth can offer. How deeply it will remain integrated into health systems will depend, in part, on whether payers continue to reimburse for telehealth visits at a similar rate as for in-person care, as they are now doing during the public health emergency. "This ambulatory care conversion required an infrastructure rebuild but is probably the initiative with the most lasting impact," said King. "Now that providers and patients know what telehealth can do, I don't think they will ever give it up." "There's no real going back to a lack of telehealth use," said McElligott. "That has probably been forever changed." Indeed, McElligott believes that the pandemic has helped to transform how providers and the public view health care. "Our health care system has always been very focused on a provider-centric view of health care. In other words, you as a patient come to the provider, and that's how we work," explained McElligott. "Just using distance technologies starts to reverse that. This terrible pandemic has forced a reckoning and a realization that, in terms of the long-term goals of improving health, it's really more important to meet the needs of patients where they're at." ### About the Medical University of South Carolina Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the oldest medical school in the South, as well as the state's only integrated, academic health sciences center with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The state's leader in obtaining biomedical research funds, in fiscal year 2019, MUSC set a new high, bringing in more than $284 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu. As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available, while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 1,600 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians' practice plan, and nearly 275 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eight hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Florence, Lancaster and Marion counties. In 2019, for the fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org. MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3.2 billion. The more than 17,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care. Cash position of 45.3 million at June 30, 2020, covering the next major stages of its project Despite the COVID-19 crisis, CARMAT still on track to meet key deadlines: CE marking expected by the end of 2020, allowing a commercial launch in 2021 Implants within the framework of the feasibility study in the United States expected to begin by the end of 2020 Videoconference with Stephane Piat at 6.30 pm Paris time today Regulatory News: CARMAT Reports Its 2020 Half-year Results and Issues an Update on Its Activities and Outlook CARMAT (FR0010907956, ALCAR) (Paris:ALCAR), the designer and developer of the world's most advanced total artificial heart, aiming to provide a therapeutic alternative for people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, today reports its results for the first half of the year to June 30, 20201 and issues an update on its activities and development prospects. Stephane Piat, Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT, said: "The first half of 2020 was unusual because of the COVID-19 pandemic that affected healthcare systems around the world. For CARMAT, the impact was insofar limited as our activities in France continued with limited hindrances and in strict compliance with the health and safety measures imposed by the authorities. During the first half of the year, we continued our work to ramp up production and enhance the reliability of production processes at our Bois-d'Arcy plant, with a particular emphasis on securing supplies with a view to the commercial phase. On a clinical level, with the gradual easing of restrictions in Europe from mid-May 2020, Rigshopitalet in Denmark was able to perform its first implantation of our device, thus taking the total number of patients in the PIVOTAL study to 13. Given the persistence of the COVID-19 situation and the resulting procurement problems encountered by certain suppliers, CARMAT is now expecting to complete enrollment in the PIVOTAL study by the end of the first quarter of 2021. This delay does not jeopardize the timeframe of the submission and review of the CE marking dossier making it possible for this CE marking to be granted by the end of 2020. We are also continuing to hold discussions with the FDA and various stakeholders in the U.S. feasibility study to enable patient enrollment to begin before the end of 2020 as planned, subject to the public health emergency improving. The "Forfait Innovation" dossier was definitively approved by the French National Authority for Health (HAS) in April, budgetary discussions initiated with the Ministry of Health and Solidarity have entered their final phase and official notification of the decision should be published in the coming weeks. Today, given what we have achieved in recent months and despite the ongoing pandemic context, we are confirming our development strategy and, with a cash position of 45.3 million, have the necessary resources to meet our project's key milestones 2020 half-year results Simplified income statement ( millions) 30/06/2020 (6 months) 30/06/2019 (6 months) Net sales 0.0 0.0 Other operating income 0.3 0.7 Operating expenses -20.9 -24.4 Operating profit/loss -20.6 -23.7 Financial profit/loss -1.0 -0.8 Non-recurring items 0.0 0.0 Research tax credit +0.8 +0.5 Net profit/loss -20.8 -24.0 As its total artificial heart project is still in clinical development, CARMAT generated no sales in the first half of 2020. Over the first half of 2020, operating expenses totaled 20.9 million and were mainly allocated to: production activities: ramping up of production and further work to enhance the reliability of production processes at the Bois-d'Arcy plant; continuation and intensification of actions to secure supplies, including the set-up of "double-sourcing" for key suppliers; - the finalization of the product's commercial configuration, including improvements identified during the research and clinical development phases; - preparation for commercialization in Europe from a regulatory (CE marking process), marketing and commercial perspective, but also from an operational perspective (logistics, IT systems, sales administration, etc.); - the pursuance of clinical activities: ongoing PIVOTAL study in Europe, but also preparation for the launch of the Early Feasibility Study (EFS) in the United States. These expenses were down by 14% compared with the first half of 2019. This decrease was firstly because a large part of R&D activities within the framework of the CE marking process and approval to initiate the EFS in the United States were carried out in 2019, and secondly because there was a slight slowdown in spending in the first half of 2020, notably as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The first half of 2020 thus saw a net loss of 20.8 million, versus a loss of 24.0 million at June 30, 2019, once a financial loss of -1.0 million and Research Tax Credit of +0.8 million are taken into account. Financial structure at June 30, 2020 The Company had a cash position of 45.3 million at June 30, 2020, versus 55.5 million at December 31, 2019. The 10.2 million decrease compared to end-2019 was a result of the following cash flows: ( millions) 30/06/2020 (6 months) Cash flow from operating activities -19.8 Cash flow from investment activities -0.4 Cash flow from financing activities +10.0 Change in cash position -10.2 In May 2020, the Company drew down the second tranche of 10 million of the conditional loan granted in December 2018 by the EIB (European Investment Bank); the Company has the flexibility to draw down the final tranche of 10 million at any time until December 17, 2021. The Company also has access to a 21.9 million contingent equity line with Kepler-Cheuvreux that may be used until September 27, 2021, although the Company does not intend to make use of this line. These financial resources should allow CARMAT to successfully take its project through to CE marking and its commercial launch, whilst continuing its clinical development. H1 2020 highlights and recent developments Clinical development and European market access The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in difficult (or even impossible, as in Kazakhstan) access to hospitals and a suboptimal organization of implant procedures. Within this context, only one implant could be carried out in Denmark during the first half of 2020, taking the total number of implants performed within the framework of the PIVOTAL study to 13 (10 in the first cohort, now closed, and 3 in the ongoing second cohort). The context of the pandemic that is still present today has also led to sourcing problems with certain suppliers of components, and CARMAT is now expecting to complete enrollment (20 patients in total) by the end of the first quarter of 2021. In this respect, over the summer, the Company submitted authorization requests aiming to expand the PIVOTAL study to four new centers in France. Regarding the market access procedure, CARMAT has agreed, with the DEKRA notified body, to a detailed schedule for the filing and review of its dossier that would make it possible to obtain CE marking by the end of 2020 despite the delay resulting from the COVID-19 situation. To date, the prosthesis has achieved, within the framework of the PIVOTAL study, almost 8 years of cumulative continuous support considering all patients who have benefited from the prosthesis. Over the summer, CARMAT also announced the publication of the successful bridge-to-transplant experience performed during the PIVOTAL study on patients in the first cohort in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, the most recognized peer-reviewed journal in the field of transplantation. US market access In February 2020, CARMAT received full approval from the FDA (Food Drug Administration) to undertake a clinical feasibility study in the United States on 10 patients eligible for a transplant. Following this approval, in May, the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) approved coverage of the CARMAT device and routine care items and services supplied to patients within the framework of this study. The various steps (ethics committee approval, execution of contracts with the centers participating in the study, training of personnel, logistics, etc.) necessary to initiate the study made good progress over the first half of the year. Subject to the evolution of the COVID-19 crisis, and notably of travel restrictions in the United States and the ability to get access to participating hospitals, the first implant within the framework of the EFS should take place before the end of 2020, as expected. Forfait Innovation in France In April 2020, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) confirmed its positive opinion regarding the financing by special exemption of the CARMAT total artificial heart within the framework of the EFICAS study, a prospective, multicenter, non-randomized study to be undertaken on 52 patients in France. This study has already received approval from the French National Agency for Medicine and Health Product Safety (ANSM) and the Ile-de-France Patient Protection Committee (CPP). Following these validations, budget discussions were initiated with the Ministry of Health and Solidarity and continued until August because of the COVID-19 context. The Ministry's decision is expected in the coming weeks. Strategy and outlook Factoring the estimated impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the areas of development detailed above, CARMAT intends to focus its resources on the following strategic priorities: obtain CE marking by the end of 2020; initiate implants within the framework of the EFS in the United States by the end of 2020; complete the enrollment of the PIVOTAL study's second patient cohort by the end of the first quarter of 2021; reach a budget agreement with the Ministry of Health regarding the EFICAS study in France in the coming weeks, with implants beginning by the second quarter of 2021; ramp up production, along with the continuous improvement of processes; and secure supplies with a view to the commercial launch expected in 2021. CARMAT is continuing to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation in France and abroad and, depending on its evolution, may have to reassess its impact and adjust the Company's development prospects. Participate in a videoconference with Stephane Piat from 6.30 pm Paris time today (in French) Go to the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qvqA2XcNRGWHvUUjy7cLVg The above link will enable you to register for the Zoom virtual meeting. You will subsequently receive a confirmation email with the link to access the meeting. If you do not have the Zoom app, it will download automatically when you log in. At any time during the presentation, you can send in your question via the webinar platform. It will be put in a queue/line for the Q&A session. About CARMAT: the world's most advanced total artificial heart project A credible response to end-stage heart failure: CARMAT aims to eventually provide a response to a major public health issue associated with heart disease, the world's leading cause of death: chronic and acute heart failure. By pursuing the development of its total artificial heart, composed of the implantable bioprosthesis and its portable external power supply system to which it is connected, CARMAT intends to overcome the well-known shortfall in heart transplants for the tens of thousands of people suffering from irreversible end-stage heart failure, the most seriously affected of the 20 million patients with this progressive disease in Europe and the United States. The result of combining two types of unique expertise: the medical expertise of Professor Carpentier, known throughout the world for inventing Carpentier-Edwards heart valves, which are the most used in the world, and the technological expertise of Airbus Group, world aerospace leader. The first physiological artificial heart: given its size, the use of highly biocompatible materials, its unique self-regulation system and its pulsatile nature, the CARMAT total artificial heart could, assuming the clinical trials are successful, potentially save the lives of thousands of patients each year with no risk of rejection and with a good quality of life. A project leader acknowledged at a European level: with the backing of the European Commission, CARMAT has been granted the largest subsidy ever given to an SME by Bpifrance; a total of 33 million. Strongly committed, prestigious founders and shareholders: Matra Defense SAS (subsidiary of the Airbus Group), Professor Alain Carpentier, the Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue, Truffle Capital, a leading European venture capital firm, ALIAD (Air Liquide's venture capital investor), CorNovum (an investment holding company held 50-50 by Bpifrance and the French State), the family offices of Pierre Bastid (Lohas), of Dr. Antonino Ligresti (Sante Holdings S.R.L.), of the Gaspard family (Corely Belgium SPRL and Bratya SPRL) and of M. Pierre-Edouard Sterin (BAD 21 SPRL), Groupe Therabel as well as the thousands of institutional and individual shareholders who have placed their trust in CARMAT. For more information: www.carmatsa.com Name: CARMAT ISIN code: FR0010907956 Ticker: ALCAR DISCLAIMER This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to, shares in CARMAT ("the Company") in any country. This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to the Company's objectives. Such forward-looking statements are based solely on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company's management and involve risk and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, whether the Company will be successful in implementing its strategies, whether there will be continued growth in the relevant market and demand for the Company's products, new products or technological developments introduced by competitors, and risks associated with managing growth. The Company's objectives as mentioned in this press release may not be achieved for any of these reasons or due to other risks and uncertainties. No guarantee can be given as to any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements, which are subject to inherent risks, including those described in the Universal registration document filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers on March 13, 2020 under number D.20-0126 as well as changes in economic conditions, the financial markets or the markets in which CARMAT operates. In particular, no guarantee can be given concerning the Company's ability to finalize the development, validation and industrialization of the prosthesis and the equipment required for its use, to manufacture the prostheses, satisfy the requirements of the ANSM, enroll patients, obtain satisfactory clinical results, perform the clinical trials and tests required for CE marking and to obtain the CE mark. CARMAT products are currently exclusively used within the framework of clinical trials. 1 First-half accounts were approved by the Board on September 7, 2020 and have been the subject of a limited review by the statutory auditors. The 2020 half-year financial report was published today and is available on the Company's website. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200922005869/en/ Contacts: CARMAT Stephane Piat Chief Executive Officer Pascale d'Arbonneau Chief Financial Officer Tel.: +33 1 39 45 64 50 contact@carmatsas.com Alize RP Press Relations Caroline Carmagnol Tel.: +33 6 64 18 99 59 carmat@alizerp.com NewCap Investor Relations Strategic Communication Dusan Oresansky Emmanuel Huynh Tel.: +33 1 44 71 94 94 carmat@newcap.eu Zimbabwe's conservation groups have welcomed a government ban, announced Tuesday, on all mining in the country's national parks. The government declared the mining halt after weeks of campaigns calling for a stop to Chinese coal-mining grants in Hwange, Zimbabwe's largest national park. The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association on Wednesday welcomed the governments decision to ban all mining in national parks. The group had filed an urgent request Monday at the Harare High Court, arguing that Chinese mining inside Hwange National Park risked permanent damage to the ecology. Despite the apparent win, the associations Richard Ncube said they are going ahead with the court challenge. The reason being that we still have a valid argument to make: as long as there are still valid authorizations that allow the mining company to continue mining in the national park we still have a case to make and we have to get an order before the court so as to stop the mining companies from mining, he said. The ban followed weeks of conservationists campaigns using the hashtag SaveHwangeNationalPark. The conservationists demanded the cancellation of licenses given to Chinese companies to mine coal in Hwange, the country's biggest national park. Minister of Mines Winston Chitando said the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) was given permission before President Emmerson Mnangagwa came to power. The mining concession was granted in 2015 to ZMDC (Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation) who have held that mining concession since thenThey havent done much work on the concession and they proceeded to get a partner to undertake mining in the particular area. The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association cites Chitando and ZMDC as defendants in their High Court petition against mining in Hwange. It also names Zimbabwes Environmental Management Agency and two Chinese mining companies. Conservationists fear that without a court order, Zimbabwes government could grant the companies an exemption or easily rescind the blanket ban on mining in national parks. Simiso Mlevu is spokeswoman for the Center for Natural Resource Governance. Hwange national park is a unique and an important enclave because it is home to more than 45,000 elephants and all other animals which make up the big five. We dont think there is any tourist who would visit Zimbabwe to check on production of any mine. Tourists are attracted by wildlife. We hope government will genuinely stay by its word, she said. Tourism is one of the industries Zimbabwe hopes will revive the countrys struggling economy. But China is also a major investor in Zimbabwe, which hopes that investment in coal mining will help it to become a net energy exporter by 2023. Citrus flatid planthopper. Korea Times file By Ko Dong-hwan This photo posted on Twitter by former lawmaker Lee Jae-oh, July 18, shows stick insects invading a park on Mount. Bong in the Gusan-dong area of Seoul's Eunpyeong District. Capture from Twitter A park on Mount Bong in the Gusan-dong area of Seoul's Eunpyeong District witnessed a rare scene in July that surprised visitors thousands of stick insects everywhere, covering roads, trees, benches and exercise equipment, and even closed circuit television cameras. Some were even found dangling from the bodies of trekkers too busy to notice. Some visitors freaked out, while others found the scene fascinating, noting the creatures' remarkable ability to camouflage themselves as twigs. Eunpyeong and the adjacent Goyang city offices, alongside the Forest Management Service, tried to eradicate the insects twice in July and August. They deployed drones to drop pesticides, an extreme measure never before used in Seoul for such a purpose. The incident, experts say, does not have a clear cause. It only led to hypotheses, one of which was that the insects hatched from eggs that survived the unusually warm winter last year. Another was that for some reasons the balance of the ecosystem in the park area had collapsed, most likely because of human intervention. "Stick insects are hard to find in Korea, much harder than grasshoppers," Jung Boo-hee, a Korea University professor and the founder of the Woori Entomological Institute in Yangpyeong County in Gyeonggi Province, told The Korea Times. Instead of being worried, the expert who has conducted research in forests and fields for nearly 30 years was elated to learn about the insects' mass emergence in the city. Jung was especially excited because Seoul is losing more natural habitats for insects with the increasing construction of apartment buildings and development projects. With their disappearance, the city's grassy zones were becoming "silent grass." "One stick insect lays hundreds of eggs. So it is possible that just a few of those eggs could have brought about the mass infestation. It is also possible that the collapsed ecosystem removed the insects' natural predators such as frogs and birds. In a normal natural balance, if thousands of insects appear, then naturally so do their predators. "Those stick insects in Eunpyeong have now been killed by natural predators, all right humans, who keep interrupting the balance of natural cycles." She doubts such an incident will happen again next year, saying it was rather random, as any species can mushroom in huge numbers "anywhere if the conditions are right." Spotted lantern fly. Korea Times file Another random mass infestation of stick insects was witnessed several decades ago by Park Kyu-tek, an emeritus professor at Kangwon University and entomological expert in his late 70s. His published field research made him popular among global researchers wishing to identify unknown insect species. "I saw the insects when I was part of an environmental impact assessment group for Yongpyeong ski resort in Gangwon Province's Pyeongchang County in 1975," Park told The Korea Times. "They swarmed a verdant valley behind the site in numbers so many that I couldn't even discern any green spot. The following year, I was curious to see if they were still there. I visited again and couldn't see a single stick insect. And I haven't seen another outbreak of a similar kind. "What caused that outbreak? I still don't know. This mass infestation is certainly happening more frequently than before. It is a sign that our ecosystem has sustained a penetration, like a hole. If the system was intact, we wouldn't be able to notice any changes." Entomological experts in Korea mentioned a "collapsed natural balance" as the most plausible reason behind random insect infestations in out-of-proportional scales that have occurred in recent years here. This year has seen an unusually large number of gypsy moths and mosquitoes that carry the Japanese encephalitis virus, like culex pipiens, nationwide. Chuncheon city in Gangwon Province in 2018 was engulfed by moths, while spotted lantern flies and citrus flatid planthoppers were also among species that have left a massive footprint. Climate change is believed to be one of the strongest factors behind the broken natural balance. "Many experts, including myself, believe that climate change and its global warming effect are linked to mass infestations by certain insects," Nam Young-woo, a researcher from Forest Insect Pests and Diseases Division at the National Institute of Forest Science, told The Korea Times. "Insects are sensitive to ambient temperature. So, with a high temperature, bugs grow faster and their number grows faster as well. The mass infestation of stick insects and gypsy moths this year is because much of their eggs survived hibernation during last winter, which was unusually warm and thus had a low fatality rate for them." A warm climate, together with enough humidity, can speed a larva's cocoon stage, slashing its duration from 30 days in half for all kinds of insects, according to Jung. Jung Boo-hee felt a "serious change" in climate conditions in Korea five years ago which was beginning to become unfavorable to insects. Courtesy of Jung Boo-hee Jung sensed in 2015 that climate conditions were becoming seriously unfavorable for insects in Korea as days with high temperatures were increasing. The ever-shortening duration of the spring season also worried her. "There are insects such as longhorn beetles that fully mature and emerge during a brief period in spring, for about a week or two, when early spring flowers wither and late spring flowers begin to bloom," Jung said. "But these insects could not adapt to the climate that began to heat up in about May, bringing an earlier than usual summer. While flowers are naturally more adaptable to weather, insects, whose functions are more locked into their daily lifecycles than weather conditions, cannot keep up with such climate change." Korea does not yet have enough data to establish a firm causal relationship between climate change and the insect population, according to Jung. "While climate change certainly seems to influence the ecosystem, at least five to 10 years of monitoring is required to confirm the relationship," she said. In the absence of certain insects in any ecosystem, others naturally take their place. The problem is, they could seriously disrupt the previous natural order. These disruptors, often referred to as "hazardous species" here, are those with exceptional survival strengths such as mosquitoes and cockroaches, or foreign species that find ideal habitats in new ecosystems including the spotted lantern fly and citrus flatid planthopper in Korea. But Park said such replacements eventually even out naturally unless there is human interference. Seongnam city officials fumigate the Sunae-dong area in Bundang District to kill citrus flatid planthoppers in this August, 2016, file photo. Courtesy of Seongnam City Government "With international trading by people comes foreign insect species. Once they leave their natural grounds and arrive in new environment where there are no natural predators, they start to thrive. But nature's intricate control measures keep things in balance eventually bringing their predators. "But when humans step in and try to quell the situation by sprinkling chemicals from the sky or use other artificial forces, they not only kill the overabundant species but also affect the natural predators. It kills the natural balance. Humans' artificiality also cheats on the natural rivalry between them and bugs on agricultural crops, disrupting the sub-ecosystems on farmlands." Jung said the disrupted natural balance had lowered the number of natural predators and instead given help to intrinsically strong insects that can adapt to extreme conditions. Gypsy moths are one such example they feed on virtually all kinds of fresh leaves on any tree, unlike other moths that eat only certain types. Mosquitoes also have strong adaptability, being able to live in dirty water where their natural predators such as Chinese mud loaches and other fish cannot live. It leads to a boost in mosquito' larvae. This adaptability to the changing environment has even made mosquitoes able to resist various chemicals designed to kill them. "As the country is becoming warmer due to climate change, those that are more susceptible to this will disappear while stronger bugs will survive," Jung said. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. The Senate Republicans proposed a new stimulus package in hopes to boost the aid talks. The new stimulus package includes jobless aid, liability protections for business and school funding among other measures. "Today we're releasing a targeted proposal that focuses on several of the most urgent aspects of this crisis, the issues where bipartisanship should be especially possible," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) was quoted during his speech on the Senate floor Tuesday McConnell added that they are going to get the stonewalling of Democratic leaders out from behind closed doors and put this vote out on the floor. The proposal also includes legal aid for businesses and healthcare facilities; a $29 billion in healthcare funding; $105 billion for schools. This also permits the U.S. Postal Service not to repay $10 billion loan set from the previous stimulus package. A second round of the controversial Paycheck Protection Program for business will also be included, with a budget of $258 billion. Business that have shown a revenue loss will be qualified for this program. A $20 billion additional assistance for farmers, ranchers, and other producers will also be included. Tax breaks for parents dealing with virtual learning will also be provided. With this, parents can use tax-advantaged 529 savings plans for expenses such as books, online materials, and licensed tutoring for students. Parents who also do home school could use the money for educational expenses. Nonprofit organizations that offer scholarships to private-school students would be provided with a two-year tax break for donations. An additional $16 billion would fund coronavirus testing, contact tracing, and surveillance. However, state and local government funding will not be included in GOP's plan for another set of stimulus package. The stimulus package is expected to cost around $300 billion, after the $650 billion in new spending is offset with $350 in savings from unused funds from earlier packages. The proposal for the new stimulus package is designed to ease the spending concerns of some GOP senators. Meanwhile, McConnell said that Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) are stalling talks of new stimulus package for political reasons. "Everything Speaker Pelosi and [Senate Minority] Leader Schumer have done suggests one simple motivation: They do not want American families to see any more bipartisan aid before the polls close on President Trump's reelection," McConnell was quoted in a statement. He added that Pelosi and Schumer have taken Americans' health, jobs, and schools hostage for perceived partisan gain. McConnel introduced the GOP stimulus package in July. However, he never brought to a vote due to Republican skepticism. GOP lawmakers will cast their votes on Thursday when a procedural vote on the measure in held. GOP aides said that changes made it more likely that at least 51 of the chamber's 53 Senate Republicans would support the bill. Check these out: Are You in the First Line of Receiving the Second Stimulus Check? Student Debts Excluded From Second Round of Stimulus Package, Should Be Scrapped Congress Sets to Return to Session Over Second Stimulus Check Mumbai, Sep 9 : On Wednesday, hours after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation started demolishing the Bandra property of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut for alleged unauthorised modifications and extensions, a hashtag appreciating the BMC action started trending on Twitter. Although the BMC action was stalled after a stay by Bombay High Court, a section of netizens used the hashtag #WellDoneBMC to sing praises for the government of Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the BMC. Many used the hashtag to attack Kangana Ranaut for comparing Mumbai with POK. Still others tweeted using the hashtag to share sarcastic remarks and memes targeted at the BMC and support Kangana. "Shame on you bmc and maharastra goverment you r fighting with a girl all the goverment shame on you #WellDoneBMC," tweeted a user. "Governance bodies are for postmortem & demolitions only. Why do not they check regularly when building is under construction but reaches to demolish & that too after completion to damage interior too? They charge development tax for cover area & not internal making. #WellDoneBMC," wrote another user. "#WellDoneBMC. Dear @mybmc, Office todna hai tod diye. Ab us material se do char gadde bhi bhar do na please," shared another user along with photograph of mumbai's pothole-filled roads. Among those taking a jibe at Kangana over her "POK" remarks, a user tweeted: "I can't understand why So many 'Indians' are angry over a demolition of illegal Portion of a building in 'Pakistan Occupied Kashmir' ??? #WellDoneBMC #KanganaRanawat "Dear @KanganaTeam, We Love our country more than anything else, if you don't feel safe in either mumbai or any part of the country, you can go to Nepal..!" trolled another user. "BMC also demolished ramp outside SRK's Mannat but he never compare Mumbai to POK Like Kangana. Some people distributed sweets at that time but now they are crying for Kangna's illegal Office," reads another tweet. "#WellDoneBMC Maharashtra cm is pride," tweeted another user. With Indias coronavirus tally crossing the 43 lakh-mark, the Ministry of Health on Wednesday said 60% of the total cases are from the five worst-hit states, adding that of the cases in the last 24 hours, over 20,000 are from Maharashtra alone. 60% of the total cases are recorded only in five states. Of the total 89,706 new cases, which have been reported in the last 24 hours, Maharashtra has alone contributed more than 20,000 and Andhra Pradesh has contributed more than 10,000, the Health Ministry said today. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, in that order, are the five worst-affected states in the country. Indias current Covid-19 tally stands at 43,70,128. This includes 33,98,844 recovered cases, 8,97,394 active cases and 73,890 deaths, of which 1,115 are from the last 24 hours. Of the 89,706 cases in the last 24 hours, 20,131 were from Maharashtra, the second time the state has reported over 20,000 cases in a single-day. It has been the worst-hit state since the early days of the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, reported 10,601 cases on Tuesday. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been targeted with anti-Semitic graffiti over his strict coronavirus lockdown laws. Shocked residents discovered the graffiti spray-painted on a road in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Donvale on Tuesday morning. 'Stop Dan Andrews,' the graffiti read, but the 'a' had been replaced with a Star of David and a Swastika had replaced the final 's'. The vile message comes just days after Melbourne's lockdown was extended for a further two weeks in a bid to slow the spread of the deadly disease. Shocked residents discovered the graffiti spray-painted on a road in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Donvale on Tuesday morning Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been targeted with anti-Semitic graffiti over his strict coronavirus lockdown laws Australian Financial Review columnist James Thomson shared a picture of the graffiti on Twitter, he wrote: 'Disgusted to see this on a road in Donvale in Melbournes east this morning. 'Appreciate feelings are running high about the lockdown, but this vile garbage is plain wrong.' ABC journalist Dan Ziffer said the graffiti is 'beyond stupid'. 'If people want to better understand fascism theyd do well to visit the Holocaust Centre in Elsternwick when it re-opens,' he wrote on Twitter. 'People living under the boot dont get takeaway coffee and strolls in the park.' Two friends enjoy each others company by the beach in the sun during COVID-19 in Melbourne, Australia Locals enjoy the warmer spring Melbourne weather despite the wind during COVID-19 in Melbourne, Australia There has also been images of Mr Andrews and chief health officer Brett Sutton depicted as Nazi officers circulating on social media. Dr Dvir Abramovich, chairman of civil rights organisation the Anti-Defamation Commission, said using these evil symbols to attack Mr Andrews was an insult to the memory of victims murdered at the hands of the Nazis. 'It is also a kick in the guts of every Holocaust survivor. We trust that those who carried out this outrageous act are identified and are brought to justice. 'We call on all religious and political leaders to declare in one voice that such reprehensible conduct will never be tolerated in our nation.' Melbourne's latest lockdown has seen extra jobloss with hundreds of businesses forced to close (Pictured: A Zara store in Melbourne) Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is excited about the jobs market bounceback being led by NSW. Pictured: coronavirus jobless queue in April outside Centrelink in Melbourne Tensions have flared since Victoria was forced back into lockdown when cases spiked to record breaking figures. But the rules have sparked anger from frustrated residents who have been banned from leaving their homes from 5am to 8pm each night. From August 2 Melbourne was placed under level four restrictions, which came with the police enforceable curfew. Melburnians have only been able to leave their homes between these hours for work, care-giving, medical reasons or on compassionate grounds. A police checkpoint at Albury on the NSW-Victorian border on July 8. It was the first time in 100 years the border was shut. Australia is split between those who want the suppression strategy blaming border closures for economic hardship and those who want elimination The rest of the state was placed under level three restrictions, which saw all cafes and restaurants close for dine-in service. The venues can offer takeaway and food delivery only. There was more fury when Mr Andrews unveiled his long-awaited four-step roadmap on Sunday, revealing Melbourne will continue under strict curfew and lockdown until the end of September. Moving between the stages of the roadmap relies on new infections dropping to five or fewer in one major step, and no new cases for two weeks for the final phase. Mr Andrews has been slammed for having an 'unrealistic' target to end lockdown. Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the state's plan and argued the same standards would put Sydney under curfew. Victoria reported 55 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths on Tuesday. Pictured: A delivery driver is seen on Bourke Street in Melbourne on Sunday Pictured: Two Melburnians sit on the sand and enjoy the sun at St Kilda Beach on Sunday 'The plan that was outlined yesterday, I hope, is a worst-case scenario,' he said on Monday. 'Under the thresholds that have been set in that plan, Sydney would be under curfew now.' But Mr Andrews dismissed the comparisons, noting NSW had not experienced the same level of community transmission as Victoria. 'That's not a point of pride, that's just a fact,' he said. 'I've seen this commentary that under our settings, they'd be in lockdown - no they wouldn't, because they've not had the community transmission that we've had. 'We are different.' After acquiring a piece of Jio Platforms, the worlds largest tech investor, Silver Lake Partners, will invest Rs 7500 crore in the retail arm of Reliance Industries Ltd. The investment will give Silver Lake a 1.75 per cent stake on a fully diluted basis in Reliance Retail, which had a few days ago inked a deal to acquire rival Future Retail. The investment values Reliance Retail at Rs 4.21 lakh crore or about 57 billion US dollars. This marks the second large investment by Silver Lake in a Reliance Industries subsidiary. The US fund had pumped in Rs 10,203 crore for a stake of just over 2 per cent in Jio, the digital services arm of RIL, in two investment rounds in May and June. With this, Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail account for over Rs 9 Lakh crore of RIL valuation. Commenting on the deal, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries, said, I am delighted to extend our relationship with Silver Lake to our transformational efforts of building an inclusive partnership with millions of small merchants while providing value to Indian consumers across the country in the Indian retail sector." We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms. Silver Lake will be an invaluable partner in implementing our vision for Indian Retail, he added. SLP has a track record of investing in some of the largest and successful tech companies globally such as Twitter, Airbnb, Alibaba, Dell Technologies, ANT Financials, Twitter, Alphabets Waymo and Verily amongst others. RIL said the investment by Silver Lake is another strong endorsement of its tech and consumer business capabilities, disruptive business models and secular long-term growth potential. The deal, industry watchers said, was a voted of confidence in Reliance Retails ability to lead a disruptive, technology led transformation of Indian retail sector particularly relevant in the post-pandemic India. Reliances deep understanding of the Indian markets, the rapid digitisation opportunity post-Covid-19 and the companys capabilities to bring cutting-edge technologies and tools such as AI, Blockchain, AR/VR, Big data into play for all Indians are some of the reasons that has made the conglomerate so attractive to global investors. RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani, during the companys annual shareholder meeting in July, had said that it has received strong interest from strategic and financial investors in Reliance Retail, and that it will induct them in the retail business in the next few quarters. Reliance Retail is Indias largest and most profitable retail business," he had added. Last month, Reliance Retail had announced that it is acquiring the retail and wholesale business and the logistics and warehousing business from the Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore. The deal had cemented Reliance Retail as the top player in brick-and-mortar space after getting access to over 1,800 Future Retail stores in India. As part of the deal, fashion and grocery retail formats from Future Groups listed entities such as Big Bazaar, FoodHall, Nilgiris, FBB, Central, Heritage Foods and Brand Factory, barring apparel brands Lee Cooper and All, was acquired by RIL. Reliance, an oil-to-telecoms conglomerate controlled by Indias richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has expanded rapidly to woo potential investors and is pitching its retail business as a formidable force in the worlds second most populous country. Silver Lake shot into prominence after acquiring PC maker Dell Inc along with Michael Dell in 2013. It is a global leader in technology investing, with over $43 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital and a team of approximately 100 investment and operating professionals located around the world in Silicon Valley, New York, Hong Kong and London. The Athletes Village built for Lima's Panamerican Games is being put into service again -- as a hospital treating hundreds of Covid-19 patients. "Every patient who's discharged is a win for us," said Maritz Huapaya, head nurse at the overflow facility set up at the venue to treat the South American country's huge caseload. Lima hosted the Pan American Games in 2019, and the purpose-built athletes' compound hosted thousands of competitors and their delegations. Peru, which has the world's highest mortality rate from Covid-19, converted part of the facility into a hospital in late March to cope with an early surge of virus patients. It has proved a rare bright spot in the country's grim fight against the disease, as more than 10,000 patients have recovered there and been sent home. One of the oldest survivors, 97-year-old Maria Isabel Velasco, was wheeled out of the hospital amid fanfare on Wednesday as nurses in light blue biosafety overalls released colorful balloons and danced to cumbia music, celebrating another small win against the coronavirus. A sign said: "Believe in yourself, everything is possible." "She is leaving totally recovered and lucid," said Carlos Olivera, the director of the facility. - Crisis country - Health workers at the temporary hospital at Villa Panamericana celebrate each time a patient is discharged to go home / AFP Peru, with more than 66,000 infections and nearly 30,000 deaths to date, is Latin America's second hardest-hit country after Brazil. With many poor and vulnerable people among its population of 33 million, Peru has the world's highest mortality rate from Covid-19 -- 90.48 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Peru recorded a new spike in mid-August, but both cases and deaths have been decreasing for the last three weeks. Prime Minister Walter Martos nonetheless last week extended a national emergency until September 30 and prolonged a lockdown in some of the worst-affected areas. The departments of Cusco, Moquegua, Puno and Tacna will remain in lockdown, as they have been since Peru started lifting restrictions in the rest of the country, including Lima, from July 1. The country's borders remain closed and a nighttime curfew in force since March 16 has been extended. - 'Life' - Peru, with more than 66,000 infections and nearly 30,000 deaths to date, is Latin America's second hardest-hit country after Brazil / AFP In the former athletes' facility, more than a thousand apartments were in the process of being refurbished for sale when the pandemic struck and the government turned four of the complex's seven buildings into a hospital for Covid-19 patients. The facility has lost only 53 patients among the more than 12,000 it has treated over the past five months, with more than 10,500 discharged and recovered, officials said. Around 1,600 people are hospitalized there at any one time. Cesar Sayan, 64, was admitted with breathing difficulties in early August. "Now that I'm going home after 33 days, I am grateful to God for giving me this opportunity," Sayan told AFP. More than 1,000 people, including 325 doctors and 354 nurses, work in the emergency hospital in the south of Lima. "This is a small town that has become our new home," said nurse Huapaya, 53, who has lived and worked in the so-called Villa Panamericana since March. "The Villa is life," she said. Ed Yong In a matter of months, a new coronavirus has humbled and humiliated the planets most powerful nation. Ed Yong, science journalist for The Atlantic magazine, will break down what its been like to report on the COVID-19 pandemic during Salt Lake Community Colleges featured annual Tanner Forum on Social Ethics. Mr. Yong will appear in the forum via virtual livestream, which is free and open to the public, on Oct. 13, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., to discuss the unique challenges of reporting on what he terms an omni-crisis. Advanced registration is required for this event. "In a matter of months, a new coronavirus has humbled and humiliated the planets most powerful nation, said Yong. America has failed to protect its people, leaving them with illness and financial ruin, and careening between inaction and ineptitude. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a generation-defining challenge that has left past vulnerabilities exposed and future possibilities unclear. During the livestream event Yong will discuss how the United States got to this point of crisis due to COVID-19 and where America goes from here. For more information about this free event or how to register, visit http://www.slcc.edu/tanner. Based in Washington, DC., Yongs work has been featured in National Geographic, The New Yorker, Wired and more. He has won a variety of awards, including the National Academies Keck Science Communication Award. I Contain Multitudes, his first book, became a New York Times Best Seller and inspired an online film series, an anthology of plays and a clue on Jeopardy. Funded in part by the O.C. Tanner Company, the Tanner Forum on Social Ethics brings nationally and internationally recognized speakers to SLCC. The forum enhances the colleges mission as a community-based learning institution that provides opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the wider community to come together for the thoughtful examination of critical issues in contemporary social ethics. Salt Lake Community College is Utahs largest open-access college, proudly educating the states most diverse student body in 8 areas of study at 12 locations and online. In 2018, the institution celebrated 70 years of providing students with education and training in fields that contribute to Utahs vibrant economy and high quality of life. The majority of SLCC graduates transfer to four-year institutions, and thousands more are trained in direct-to-workforce programs. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. San Francisco, 9 Sep 2020: The Report Mouth Ulcers Treatment Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Drug Class (Antimicrobial, Antihistamine, Analgesics & Corticosteroids), By Formulation (Gels, Lozenges), And Segment Forecasts, 2018 2026 The global mouth ulcers treatment market size is projected to reach USD 1.32 billion by 2026, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., progressing at a CAGR of 3.8% during the forecast period. Increasing geriatric population and rising awareness towards oral hygiene are among the key trends stimulating market growth. The growing global geriatric population is poised to trigger the number of cases of mouth ulcers. As per the findings of the United Nations Organization (UNO), the population base of age 60 years or older across the globe was 962.0 million in 2017, which was more than twice as large as in 1980, when the population was 382.0 million. With the upswing in the demand for denture fittings in this population, a rise in the incidences of improper fittings and deficiency of vitamin B & folic acid is anticipated. Such incidents can lead to mouth ulcers. Newly fitted dentures take some time to adjust. During the procedure, the inner area of the mouth remains moist for a certain period. Such conditions favor fungal infection leading to ulcers. The older population often suffer from such conditions, due to which they are prone to oral problems. In addition, deficiency of vitamins is a common phenomenon observed among the geriatric population, which also increases the probability of suffering from mouth ulcers. Rising awareness regarding oral hygiene in developing countries is also estimated to drive the market over the forecast period. Campaigns on oral hygiene in rural areas of developing countries are working in favor of the market. For instance, every year, Colgate-Palmolive Company conducts an oral health month in rural areas of India in order to impart awareness regarding oral hygiene. Such initiatives are expected to encourage people to take up necessary treatments. Furthermore, a rise in tobacco usage in countries such as U.K. and Mexico is projected to boost the rate of mouth ulcers, thereby benefitting the growth of the market. Access Research Report of Mouth Ulcers Treatment Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/mouth-ulcers-treatment-market Further key findings from the report suggest: Analgesics and Corticosteroids are poised to exhibit the highest CAGR during the forecast period. These are the most prescribed drugs by doctors and are easily available By 2026, Asia Pacific is likely to dominate the mouth ulcer treatment market with a share of around 63.0%. Increasing awareness pertaining to oral hygiene and treatment and rising prevalence of aphthous ulcers are likely to supplement the growth of the market Some of the key companies present in the market are Blistix Inc., Church & Dwight Co., Inc., 3M, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), and others are expected to dominate the market over the forecast period. Browse more reports of this category by Grand View Research at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry/pharmaceuticals Grand View Research has segmented the global mouth ulcers treatment market on the basis of drug class, formulation, and region: Mouth Ulcers Treatment Drug Class Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2026) Antimicrobial Antihistamine Analgesics & Corticosteroids Others Mouth Ulcers Treatment Formulation Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2026) Sprays Mouthwash Gels Lozenges Mouth Ulcers Treatment Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2026) North America Europe Asia-Pacific Latin America MEA Access Press Release of Mouth Ulcers Treatment Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-mouth-ulcers-treatment-market About Grand View Research Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare. For More Information:www.grandviewresearch.com Deepika Padukone recently joined hands with Prabhas and Nag Ashwin for her debut Telugu film and fans have been on the edge ever since the announcement has been made. The movie will begin production next year but seems like Deepika has started doing her homework on the much anticipated cross-over project. The actress took to social media and shared the poster of Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas in the lead roles. The movie is set in the world of the future where bioengineered humans and man co-exist. Alongside the image she wrote, Watch it now." Deepika has been sharing her watchlist during the lockdown with the fans but her sci-fi leaning hints that she is looking forward to her first outing in the genre with Nag Ashwin and Prabhas. Meanwhile, Deepika will be shooting for Shakun Batras untitled next in Goa soon. She will be joined by Ananya Panday and Siddhant Chaturvedi in pivotal roles. The project has been delayed due to the coronavirus spread. While she finishes work on this Bollywood movie, she will also be working on Prabhas 21, which is a new genre for her and the Telugu star as well. Deepika is also going to feature in The Intern remake and will also portray the role of Draupadi in a Mahabharata adaptation. She will next be seen in 83, alongside husband Ranveer Singh. The movies theatrical release has been delayed amid the Covid-19 scare. Many things have gone virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, and seeking a job is no exception. Workforce Solutions of South Texas will host a virtual job fair on Wednesday, Sept. 9 providing an opportunity for many job seekers to network with local companies. We are having our virtual job fair in a platform that people can find, and they are going to be able to search for a job during the fair as we have 11 employers registered in which they could chat with them, have a video conference with them and apply for the positions that these employers will be having. They can do everything from the comfort of their own home as they do not have to come to the center as they can do everything online and go out with a job by 4 p.m., Workforce Solutions of South Texas media administrator Melva Lavin said. While Lavin said many people like to interact through the Workforce Solutions center on Saunders Avenue, she said this is a better way to keep people safe while still pairing employers and potential employees. According to Lavin, the platform used by the Workforce Solutions allows the attendees to feel as if they are there physically there as they can see the booths of the employers, ask questions and even showcase their resumes. She hopes everyone who attends uploads their resumes into the platform. Change is inevitable, and we have to continue growing, changing and evolving with the times and with the needs of the customers we serve, WSST project director Andrea De La Garza said. With our new hiring event system, customers now can register and participate from the comfort and safety of their own home. Although this is new for the people of Laredo seeking jobs through Workforce Solutions and especially those with more limited computer skills, Lavin said there has been an increase in support and usage of these virtual job fairs in the past few months. It has been growing as when we started in the end of March and beginning of April there were much fewer people, but we were using another platform that was harder than the one being used right now, Lavin said. Since June and July since we got this platform, we have seen an increase in the number of people attending and interacting with the employers, which for them this is a difference as it allows for better interaction. According to Lavin, the employers who participate have also voiced positive feedback. So far, the comments have been really good, Lavin said. However, in the beginning they also needed a bit of assistance to use these platforms in creating their booths as they need to upload their logo and banners and provide other info such as linking their social media pages. Lavin said many employers like how Workforce Solutions of South Texas has helped them all along the way to create these booths and also helped set up Facebook Live interviews so they can reach out to more people. Although in previous virtual job fairs the Workforce Solutions of South Texas would feature about 20 employers at a time, they decided to do about half this week to better serve all involved. The 11 employers who will be in attendance at this weeks job fair include Ashley Furniture, Manna Provider Services, Subway, Loves Travel Spot, All Valley Pop A Lock, GCAM, Inc., Gateway Community Health Center, Burger King, Back Porch Mail Center, Silverhawk Transport LLC and 7-Eleven/Stripes. One that is very interesting is the Gateway Community Health Center because they are looking for a medical assistant for Zapata, and they are also looking for eight positions in their Laredo offices, Lavin said. The project director said this is also a great experience for many people looking for remote work from home. There are so many employers out there that are offering to work from home, De La Garza said. What a great opportunity to be able to be home and earn a paycheck. Do not pass this opportunity. Lavin said the fair will also feature providers searching for clients that can in turn provide jobs to many in the community. These providers include Las Promesas de Laredo, CCS, Texas Veterans Commission, Texas Workforce Solutions Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Workforce Solutions for South Texas and Workforce Solutions for South Texas Hire Ability. Their booths will provide a snapshot of their services to attendees who may be interested. Anyone interested that may not make the event does not have to worry as Workforce Solutions of South Texas is hosting a virtual job fair every two weeks. The only thing that will change is the companies and the jobs being offered. The job fair is running Wednesday, Sept. 9 from 2 p.m to 4 p.m., and Lavin stressed the importance of dressing professionally for the event even if its from the comfort participants homes in efforts to provide a good first impression. It is very important to come to the job fair as if they were going to apply physically to a place, Lavin said. We do recommend they dress for success meaning doing things like their hair, being clean, being shaved and wearing good clothes as they can get a job right away after attending the job fair. Even though it is virtual, the employers sometimes send them links to do a Zoom call and get the interview right there. People interested can register for the virtual job fair at southtexasworkforce.easyvirtualfair.com. jorge.vela@lmtonline.com Fort Myers, Fla., Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) welcomes Medical Oncologist and Hematologist Shaachi Gupta, MD, MPH. She is seeing patients at the FCS Atlantis/JFK office located at 5507 South Congress Ave., Suite 130 in Atlantis, FL and the FCS West Palm Beach office at 1309 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL. Board-certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology, Transfusion Medicine and Internal Medicine, Shaachi Gupta, MD, MPH earned her medical degree from Sarojini Naidu Medical College in Agra, India. After graduating from the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Piscataway, NJ with a Master of Public Health degree, she completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Gupta was then awarded a fellowship in Transfusion Medicine at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Womens Hospital followed by a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at St. Elizabeths Medical Center in Boston, MA and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH. Prior to joining FCS, Dr. Gupta cared for cancer patients at NexGen Oncology in Dallas, TX and Arizona Oncology in Tempe, AZ. While treating a wide range of cancer and blood disorders, she led breast cancer research at Arizona Oncology and served as a principal investigator in multiple studies with a focus on breast cancer. Dr. Guptas passion for providing comprehensive team-based cancer care and strong belief in educating and empowering patients exemplifies her commitment to community-based oncology. We are thrilled to welcome her to FCS, said FCS CEO Nathan Walcker. FCS President & Managing Physician Dr. Lucio Gordan, added, With her experience in treating a wide range of cancers and a special focus on breast cancer research, Dr. Gupta will be a strong addition to the FCS team. ### About Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC: (FLCancer.com) Recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. Over the past 5 years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists participation.* Trained in such prestigious medical schools and research institutes as Duke, Stanford, Harvard, Emory, MD Anderson, and Memorial Sloan Kettering, our physicians are consistently ranked nationally as Top Doctors by U.S. News & World Report. Florida Cancer Specialists has built a national reputation for excellence that is reflected in exceptional and compassionate patient care, driven by innovative clinical research, cutting-edge technologies, and advanced treatments, including targeted therapies, genomic-based treatment, and immunotherapy. Our values are embodied by our outstanding team of highly trained and dedicated physicians, clinicians, and staff. *Prior to approval Attachment Chambers representing businesses that directly support over 100,000 jobs across the Mid-West and West have united in one voice in a submission calling for government support to help to help Shannon Airport navigate the current crisis and establish a new model for aviation in Ireland. The joint submission from Limerick, Ennis, Galway and Shannon chambers, which collectively represents 1,358 businesses across the Shannon Airport catchment, has been forwarded to Transport Minister Eamon Ryan ahead of a meeting sought by the group with him last week. The chambers, in their joint submission, state that the ability of firms located in Ireland to do business internationally, and the attractiveness of Ireland for foreign firms, labour, and tourists depends on aviation. As such, the business community in the Mid-West and West of Ireland is deeply concerned following recent decisions by Delta and United Airlines not to resume flights from Shannon Airport in 2021. These concerns have been further exacerbated by recent reports regarding the potential transfer of Aer Lingus aircraft serving routes to the US and UK away from Shannon Airport to alternative UK regional airports, the submission states. Separately, Ryanair has also threatened to close its base at Shannon for the winter if the government does not ease the current travel restrictions. The chambers say that Irelands travel restrictions are among the most restrictive in Europe and the longer these restrictions are in place, the greater the risk they pose to our competitiveness and future economic recovery. While the business communities of the Mid-West and West appreciate that public health advice must take priority, we cannot ignore the fact that government-imposed travel restrictions are forcing airlines to make decisions that will have severe repercussions for regional economies. It is now time for the government to intervene and provide a support package for stricken airlines in order to ensure our connectivity into the future. The chambers call on government to adopt a strategic approach to support for airlines that are struggling to cope with the impact of Covid-19 and to follow the footsteps of Austria and France by ensuring that any support package has strong environmental conditions attached. They also urge Minister Ryan to take the opportunity to advance the main objective of Project Ireland 2040 through the attachment of binding conditions for strategic route development into regional airports that will assist in addressing the regional economic imbalances. They outline seven asks that cover both the current crisis and the need to adopt new aviation policy measures that will enable growth at airports in the regions, in line with the objectives of Project Ireland 2040. Specifically relating to operations at Shannon Airport, the government is being urged to urgently appoint Chair to lead Shannon Group and to allow cross subsidisation from other divisions within the group to support of strategic route and cargo operations development to ensure the long term-viability of Shannon Airport. The critical importance of Transatlantic and European routes with Aer Lingus into Shannon airport cannot be overstated, the submission states. This connectivity to other markets is vital for FDI and indigenous businesses operating across Industry and Tourism in the Mid-West and West. As we continue to navigate through the economic crisis caused by Covid-19, we urge the Minister to ensure that these links to vital markets are protected and new routes developed in support of economic recovery, states the submission. For more Limerick news click here AstraZeneca, one of the companies racing to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus, seems to have hit a stumbling block. The company put a hold on its COVID-19 clinical trials worldwide while it investigated an adverse reaction in a trial participant in the United Kingdom. Its not clear how long the stoppage will last. Sometimes reactions happen during a trial that are purely coincidental, but if they are serious enough, research is put on hold until they can be fully investigated. "We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline," AstraZeneca said in a statement late Tuesday. The company is testing a vaccine originally developed at Oxford University. "This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials." The interruption represents the first major hiccup in what has been a remarkably smooth path in the historically rapid vaccine effort spanning the globe. That said, large-scale, make-or-break Phase 3 clinical trials are where real problems are most likely to occur. In earlier, smaller trials, none of the various candidate vaccines reported very serious reactions. But in larger trials like AstraZeneca's, rarer reactions can pop up, which is why they are done before a vaccine is approved. Such large trials split participants between getting an active vaccine or a placebo. It's not known which the ill person received. In the United States, in addition to AstraZeneca's trial, two large-scale COVID-19 vaccine trials are underway, one by Pfizer and BioNTech, a German company, and another by Moderna, a biotech firm. The medical and biotech news site STAT, which broke the news of the stopped trial, reported that the person's exact reaction was not known, although the patient is expected to recover. Story continues Now the company must try to figure out the cause of the reaction, said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the division of preventive medicine and infectious disease at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Its very possible that according to their protocol, as soon as the event occurs the company can put a hold on the trial and then refer the investigation to the Data Safety Monitoring Board, the external group of experts who then conduct an investigation, he said. In large-scale Phase 3 clinical trials, patients receive either an active vaccine or a placebo. Schaffner offered a hypothetical example of how such a halt might happen. If, for example, one of the vaccine trial participants had a heart attack three days after getting the vaccine and ended up in the hospital, this would immediately qualify as an adverse event. We dont know if its linked to the vaccine or not, but it would likely be the kind of trigger that could cause a pause while the Data Safety Monitoring Board investigated." AstraZeneca's statement in full reads: "As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. In large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully. We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline. We are committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our trials." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID vaccine: AstraZeneca trial on hold after 'unexplained illness' KENOSHA Medic! MEDIC! people yell. Theres a young man being carried on what looks like a tarp away from protesters in Downtown Kenosha on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The man is clearly dazed and may be bleeding. Sam Sansudsavat, a former Army medic now living in Racine, runs over. His apparel is adorned with a red cross and theres a medic patch on his backpack, clearly identifying him as someone there to treat the wounded. Hes trained in combat scenarios. He knows what to do. Sansudsavat and another man whose apparel is covered in the iconic red cross symbols associated with medics check the man over and then move him further away from the ruckus in Civic Center Park where he can be treated. Thats what street medics, the unofficial designation taken on by those who volunteer to treat injured people at protests over the past four months since George Floyds death, are here for: to tend the wounded. On the night of Aug. 25, the only deadly night of protests in Kenosha, street medics were busy. They had been busy for several nights in a row. For days, locals had been comparing Uptown and Downtown to a war zone as smoke hung in the air due to law enforcements use of tear gas and some demonstrators firing back with fireworks following fires that were set throughout Kenoshas Uptown and Downtown. Were trying to keep everyone safe, said Madison Taft, a Kenoshan trained in first aid who volunteered as a street medic last month. Well treat anybody: police, protester, anybody, added Marque Jones, another local volunteering as a medic. Medic station at the ready The street medics' station in Downtown Kenosha in the days following the Jacob Blake shooting was usually set up near Civic Center Park and th Some of the volunteer medics were just people from the community like Taft and Jones who arent trained in the medical field but wanted to be there to help. They did things like treating scrapes and bruises, sharing water and snacks, and washing demonstrators pepper-sprayed eyes with saline solution. We just want to make sure everyone in our community is OK, said Taft, who could barely talk on Aug. 25; her voice had grown hoarse after days of protests following the shooting of Jacob Blake. But others, like Sansudsavat and retired Navy medic Erica Gordon of Indianapolis, are trained to do this. They help people dealing with serious injuries, like a woman bleeding from the head after being hit by less-lethal munitions fired by police. CIVIL UNREST AFTER OFFICER SHOOTING A woman bleeding from the head after getting hit with a rubber bullet is looked over by street medics on Aug. 25. Kenoshas professional emergency medical technicians were staying away throughout demonstrations. Thats been typical nationwide, as EMTs havent been in virtually any area where riots and protests have been held this summer, largely because it has been deemed too dangerous to move emergency vehicles and personnel within protest zones. On Aug. 24, when a toppled lamppost fell on a man, he was bleeding so severely that if street medics werent there, he would have died, Gordon said. This is why street medics are so important. Gordon doesnt hide her political leanings. She named herself the white trash socialist on Twitter, is the communications director for the progressive Our United Left initiative and is a member of LeftFlankVets, an organization of anti-war veterans. On Aug. 25, Sansudsavat said he had friends in Kenosha who asked if he could be there as they predicted violence, and thus injuries, to continue after the numerous injuries that came the day before. This is probably the most cliche thing a medic can do. Everybody is trying to help each other, Sansudsavat said early in the evening of Aug. 25, just as demonstrators started to take over Civic Center Park but before law enforcement was out in force. As a medic you should be always willing to use your skills to help. CIVIL UNREST AFTER OFFICER SHOOTING - TUESDAY A woman has her head bandaged by Sam Sansudsavat at a medic station after being hit in the head with a rubber bullet in Kenosha on Aug. 25. Sansudavat was quickly putting his Army training to use. Within a couple hours, he treated several people who had suffered head wounds, at least one of whom had been hit in the head by a rubber bullet fired by law enforcement. On Aug. 24, another young man had taken a blow to the hand that almost took off his ring finger. As Gordon and another street medic were trying to treat him, a gas canister exploded next to them, forcing the medics to relocate to finish their work. Several of the medics felt like they were being targeted by law enforcement despite their peaceful work, although they did remain in the middle of the fray each night. Is attacking medics during war a war crime? Yes. Do you think the police department who shot a black man 7 times in the back in front of his children care? No, Gordon tweeted afterward. In other communities, law enforcement have targeted and destroyed street medic outposts. In one high profile case in Asheville, N.C., where the destruction was caught on video, the police chief later apologized. Gordon said she also was pepper-sprayed once and struck with a baton, leading to a doctors visit to make sure there wasnt permanent damage to her back. She said that Aug. 24 was exceptionally bad in terms of injuries to demonstrators, even considering the protests shed been at in Minneapolis, Detroit and Virginia Beach. Gordon thinks one of the reasons that Aug. 24 was so bad is that officers were out in riot gear in the early evening, before any violence was reported. Police pre-emptively showing force, according to The Marshall Project, can turn a peaceful protest violent. The next night started more slowly, with only a handful of officers out when curfew hit and only pouring out from inside the courthouse after some demonstrators tried to tip the metal fence. After hearing about all of the injuries in Kenosha, Seattle-based Chaz EMS (a team of certified nursing assistants and EMTs serving at protests) sent its entire crew to southeastern Wisconsin for a few days. A couple Milwaukee-based street medics raised more than $48,000 via GoFundMe to aid the Black Lives Matter cause. Gordon was in the Navy for six years. In 2015 and 2016, she served with the Truman Strike Group to the Middle East, off the coast of Yemen, serving aboard the destroyer USS Gonzalez. Two days after George Floyd died, Gordon was medically discharged from the military. She suffers from PTSD, having gone through a lot of traumatic incidents in the military, she said. She says that, for other ex-military medics like herself, using her expertise to serve civilians taking to the streets in pursuit of societal change helps us (veterans) repair ourselves in a way. We have a lot of guilt for what we did. Love 0 Funny 1 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. The foreign secretaries of India, Australia and France co-chaired the first senior officials trilateral dialogue on Wednesday, with the focus on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and strengthening multilateralism. During the dialogue, the three sides discussed economic and geostrategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and domestic responses to Covid-19, said a statement from the external affairs ministry. People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that Australia and Japan, both members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad along with India and the US, have been driving efforts to forge greater cooperation among countries that have a stake in the Indian Ocean and with members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). Chinas aggressive actions, including the border standoff with India and its military build-up in the South China Sea, have spurred these efforts, the people said. India, Australia and Indonesia are also set to hold two virtual meetings of their foreign and defence ministers to bolster regional cooperation and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific in the coming weeks. Wednesdays virtual meeting was co-chaired by foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, Francois Delattre, the secretary-general of the French ministry for Europe and foreign affairs, and Frances Adamson, secretary of Australias department of foreign affairs and trade. Also Read: Over 300 civil society groups urge more scrutiny of China on human rights The focus of the dialogue was on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement said, adding cooperation on the marine global commons and potential areas for practical cooperation at the trilateral and regional levels were also discussed. This included cooperation through regional organisations such as Asean, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Indian Ocean Commission. Also Read: Mulan movie boycott calls grow over scenes filmed in Chinas Xinjiang The three sides also discussed priorities, challenges and trends in regional and global multilateral institutions, including the best ways to strengthen and reform multilateralism, the statement said. The outcome-oriented meeting was held with the objective of building on the strong bilateral relations that the three countries share with each other and synergising their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region, the statement said. The three countries also agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis. In March, while there was still so much uncertainty about how our country would respond to the coronavirus, cities and states all over the country locked down, millions of Americans lost their jobs, kids finished the school year from home, many Americans fell ill, and, tragically, far too many lives were lost. At the time, we were grappling with many unknowns. We had a lot to learn about the nature of the coronavirus how to stop its spread, how to detect it, how to treat it, and to prepare to fight a deadly pandemic for the long haul. To address this emergency, Congress passed three bills, collectively spending more than $3 trillion, providing immediate financial support to Americans who had lost their jobs, to small businesses, and to federal, state, and local governments to contain the spread of coronavirus. At a time of crisis, Congress came together and passed needed relief legislation to deal with a deadly new pandemic. Now, we face a new challenge. Over the past six months, states have been slow to re-open their economies despite the fact we have flattened the curve, we now know our hospitals will have sufficient capacity, and we know better how to combat the coronavirus. As a result of sustained mandated shutdowns, more than 28 million Americans remain out of work, and GDP has shrunk by 9.5%. Keeping our economy shut down and keeping millions of Americans out of work is not only unsustainable, it poses a grave threat to our country's economic future. Getting our economy going again is critical. The longer we wait to reopen the economy the harder it will be for Main Street to rebound and for our country to recover. But instead of trying to look for solutions and getting the economy back on track, Democrats want Congress to pass the more than $3 trillion HEROES Act, which would keep the economy stalled and prevent kids from safely returning to school this fall. The Democrats' bill also contains a host of leftist dream projects, including blocking deportations of illegal immigrants, letting criminals out of prison, and granting banking perks to the cannabis industry. What we should focus on instead is getting people safely back to work. That's why, as members of Congress came back to Washington, I introduced the Reinvigorating the Economy, Creating Opportunity for every Vocation, Employer, Retiree & Youth Act, or RECOVERY Act for short. To create jobs and get Americans safely back to work, the RECOVERY Act would expand Covid-19 testing, deliver meaningful tax relief to employers and employees, bring supply chains back to the United States, and eliminate burdensome regulations that hurt small businesses. It would also give Americans who stopped saving for retirement this year the ability to make "catch-up" contributions and to restore their nest egg if they took a distribution from their retirement plan to cover expenses. Further, the RECOVERY Act would expedite the FDA approval process for Covid-19 vaccines and treatments approved in other countries. It would also empower states to approve and distribute diagnostic tests. The RECOVERY Act would also help get our kids back to school safely by providing parents the choice and flexibility they need to support their child's learning, and by allowing educators and local leaders to establish guidelines to address the unique needs of their communities. With the RECOVERY Act, I'm urging my colleagues in Congress to focus on getting Americans safely back to work and getting our economy moving again. Letting the Democrats dictate the terms of the next phase of relief legislation will only deepen the economic devastation we've seen and make it more difficult for small businesses to keep their doors open and rehire the millions of hardworking men and women who have lost their jobs. The American people need a recovery bill with long-term, sustainable solutions, not a pork-laden spending bill that will inevitably lead to more temporary relief efforts down the road. Failing to deliver the right legislation will have devastating consequences for generations to come. Frankly, the American people deserve better. Ted Cruz is a U.S. senator for Texas. Most women engaged in a battle with fertility are desperately clutching at the chance to have a baby. My fight is probably better described as an un-fertility battle, as Ive spent the past seven years desperately trying to ensure I never have a baby. Im 29 years old and, while many of my friends are married and starting families, or talking about the families they want in the future, Im still not in that place mentally. More to the point, Ive never been in that place and Im certain I never will be. I have no wish to spend nine months watching my body morph out of shape. I dont want to be responsible for another life and, in all honesty, I dont think Id be very good at it. Im constantly told Ill change my mind, that my biological clock will kick in soon or that Ill want kids when I meet the right man. But I know I wont. Not once in my entire adult life have I ever felt that longing for a baby not even when I had a partner who already had a child. We were together for five years and his daughter was a lovely little girl, but I felt no maternal pangs. Lottie Gross, 29, (pictured) vented the frustrations of being unable to have sterilisation, despite never wanting to have children Yet, no matter how many times Ive pleaded with them, doctors wont countenance a permanent solution and let me have my tubes tied, even though its my body and surely I should be able to make decisions about it. After all, a man can request a vasectomy. Whats so different about a woman asking for the equivalent? I distinctly remember the first time I held a baby; I was around 18 years old and Mum and I had gone to meet my cousins new arrival. Mum cooed over him. They insisted I held him too, and he was thrust into my lap. It was weird, uncomfortable and, in all honesty, I felt a little repulsed. When my friends have babies I feel no pangs of envy or longing, and the thought of becoming an auntie to any future offspring of my older brother is more than enough for me. Theres no deep, psychological reason for this. I was not a troubled child, nor did I have a challenging upbringing. Mum and Dad were excellent parents, supportive and loving, both brilliant role models. (Despite this, I dont really believe in marriage though I could be swayed if it was a deal-breaker for someone I loved.) I believe I was simply made this way. Ive always been honest and open about my child-free ambitions to my parents, who are as supportive as ever (if, perhaps, a little disappointed), and ex-partners have never taken issue with my stance. Lottie (pictured) said in recent years she's become more aware of how her lifestyle as a travel journalist impacts the environment Most of my friends have been unsurprised, too except one who told me I was being irresponsible in my pursuit of sterilisation. Though Id argue that an unwanted pregnancy is more so. But my desire never to reproduce doesnt just come from an ambivalence towards children. In recent years, Ive become more aware of the effect my lifestyle has on the environment. Im not an Extinction Rebellion Birth Strike supporter, nor will I protest at your wanting or having children of your own. But I travel a lot its part of my job as a travel journalist and thats not something Im willing to stop. So when I read that a 2017 study in Sweden showed that having one fewer child per family could save around 58.6 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions each year, it reinforced my decision to live child-free (I wont use the term childless because my life isnt less as a result of not being a mother). When I first held a baby I felt weird and uncomfortable Now its more than personal preference: its a moral obligation. Im not judging parents for their choices, I simply want to make choices Im comfortable with. But it seems the world isnt comfortable with my decision. I was 23 when I first mentioned sterilisation to my GP. Id been suffering ill effects from a Mirena IUD (a contraceptive intrauterine device), which threw my menstrual cycle painfully out of sync. For eight years Id been searching for the right contraception. Id taken and hated every pill and tried injections, which gave me a year-long period, while one terrifying broken condom meant Id never be comfortable relying on them again. I was very much at the end of my tether. After removing the IUD, my doctor and I talked next steps. Lottie (pictured) who is currently single, said the idea of never taking another pill or having an IUD fitted is bliss Theres another coil you can try, she began, but I cut her off. Cant we just tie my tubes? I asked. No, she said. Its not a procedure thats available to me. Youre too young, was her reasoning. I was livid. Apparently I cant be trusted to make such decisions for myself, yet a relative stranger can make assumptions about me which is a travesty. Aged 16 we can choose to have sex. At 18 we can drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes, causing significant damage to our bodies. We can also choose to join the Army and learn to shoot guns that might eventually kill people. Should I actually get pregnant, no matter my age, I can even choose to end the life of the child growing inside me. But even, at the age of 29, I cant choose never to bear children. Im single now, but I will certainly have more long-term relationships in the future, and getting pregnant will remain a problem. So to me, the idea of never having to take another pill again, or have another IUD fitted, is bliss. And, aside from unsavoury side-effects of the contraceptives Ive used, and the suspected links to diseases such as breast cancer, its a waste of NHS resources to keep going like this. Female tubal clip sterilisation is difficult to reverse, says The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Research has found that regret is common, particularly if women are sterilised before the age of 30, if they are childless, or if there is conflict between a woman and her partner. Lottie (pictured) argues she should be allowed to make decisions about her own future without being patronised But lets look at the facts: data suggests that post-sterilisation regret, as its known, is actually unlikely. In a study of 3,672 women who were sterilised between 1985 and 1987, just 7 per cent wished theyd never had it done. In a 1999 study of women who were child-free by choice, only one in 23 had regrets. In younger women, regret is more common, but research by American doctors, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, suggests that still only a fifth of people sterilised under the age of 30 tend to have regrets. I have seen several GPs at various practices across South London and all bar one have rejected my request. Its the same old story: You might change your mind. Of course, its possible that my feelings will change. But I am an adult human being, and living with the consequences of my actions is all part of life. I should be allowed to make these decisions about my own future without being patronised. The only person to entertain the idea was a kind, young, male GP in my last practice in Croydon. I dont see why not, he said. Its your body. Finally, I thought, someone gets it. I left elated. I even called my partner to share the good news. But the next week I was told the GP had moved on and Id have to see someone else. So I found myself back at square one. Im now stuck with a copper IUD inside me and agonising period pains. Lottie (pictured) said research suggests women without children can feel happier and live a healthier lifestyle To an extent, I appreciate their concern. Theyve got to be cautious around recommending such life-altering procedures. Although it can be reversed, its a difficult process and theres no guarantee you will be fertile again. But the UKs General Medical Council says that doctors must work on the presumption that every adult has the capacity . . . to decide whether to consent to, or refuse, proposed medical intervention. So I should be allowed a discussion at the very least. For most women, the keyhole procedure is simple many are in and out within the same day. Under general anaesthetic, a small incision is made near the belly button, then rings or clips are applied to the fallopian tubes to stop the monthly egg from reaching the womb (instead its just absorbed by the body). There are rarely complications and the surgery is 99 per cent successful. Once youve had your first post-op period, you can go back to having sex. You dont go into early menopause because your ovaries are still functioning. There are thousands of women who desire a life without children research suggests it can even make for a happier, healthier lifestyle, with the freedom of a worry-free life as a major benefit. Thats all I want, really. A worry-free life. I love being a woman, but being a woman with a working womb makes me miserable. Why is that so hard to understand? The Socialist Equality Partys (SEP) fight for ballot status in Michigan came to an end on Friday when state election officials began printing ballots and excluded the partys candidates Joseph Kishore for US president and Norissa Santa Cruz for US vice president. The three-month legal battle came to a close as Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor refused to hear the candidates emergency application for a writ of injunctiontheir last effort to challenge the denials in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the Sixth Circuit. The emergency application would have forced the state to postpone ballot printing until the Supreme Court had ruled on the merits of Kishore and Santa Cruzs appeal of the Sixth Circuits August 24 ruling. The candidates filed their appeal to the US Supreme Court on Monday, August 31. Judge Sotomayors refusal to even consider the injunction request is significant, and once again shows the bipartisan effort to keep Kishore and Santa Cruz off the ballot. The district court judge who denied Kishore and Santa Cruzs initial injunction requestSean Coxwas a Republican, as were all three Sixth Circuit panelists who affirmed Coxs ruling against the SEP candidates. Sotomayor was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Sotomayors reasoning, explained by court staff to Kishore and Santa Cruzs attorneys, is that Sotomayor could not accept the filing because Kishore and Santa Cruz had not asked for the exact same type of reliefan injunction pending determination of the writ of certiorari (i.e., pending the outcome of their Supreme Court appeal)at both the district court and court of appeals level. But Kishore and Santa Cruz did request injunctions at every level, as this was the entire basis of their lawsuit. They could not have asked for an injunction pending the outcome of their Supreme Court appeal, because they could not have had a pending appeal until the lower courts denied their case. The only way to resolve this extreme technicality, the court explained, was for Kishore and Santa Cruz to go back to the lower courts and ask them both for injunctions pending the appeal to the Supreme Court. Since this would have required another set of legal briefs, it would have run out the clock before last weeks printing deadline. Kishore and Santa Cruz explained in their request that Sotomayor grant an emergency injunction that they needed a decision by September 4 or the case would be moot. Thus concludes the SEPs legal battle in the federal courts arguing that Michigans ballot access requirement of collecting thousands of physical signatures of registered voters on petitions during the coronavirus pandemic was impossible and, therefore, unconstitutional. The final outcome of this legal fight reinforces the basic position taken at every level of the US courts: any challenge to the political monopoly of the capitalist two-party system by the working class and the SEP on the basis of appeals to fundamental democratic rights, even in the midst of the deadly pandemic, must be rejected at all costs. On June 18, the SEP filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against Michigans Democratic Party Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Director of the Michigan Bureau of Elections Jonathan Brater stating that it was unconstitutional for the state to force voters and candidates to risk their lives in the exercise of their democratic rights to put a socialist on the ballot. The request for an injunction was first denied by District Judge Sean F. Cox and then again by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appealsin rulings that stated the SEP should have been gathering voter signatures during the height of the pandemic in Michigan. On the basis of the specious argument that the SEP did not exercise diligence in signature gathering, the courts, along with the Michigan Democratic Party defendants, made it clear that they had no interest in the health and lives of SEP members, supporters and the voting public. As the SEP explained throughout the ballot access court battle, whatever the differences between the Democrats and Republicans, they are united in their hostility to the struggle of the working class and the fight for socialism. This basic truth was exposed in the course of the court rulings. SEP presidential candidate Kishore said of the Supreme Courts refusal to hear the appeal: The orientation of our campaign is not to the elections but to the growth of the class struggle in the US and around the world. The elections are being held under conditions of extreme crisis. The expanding coronavirus pandemic could claim more than 400,000 lives in the US by the end of this year, and there is a massive social crisis developing, with tens of millions unemployed a reality of hunger and widespread evictions. The election between Biden and Trump marks a breakdown of democratic forms of rule, with Trump making open appeals to fascist violence and Biden denouncing rioters and looters. The solution to this crisis is the development of the social consciousness of the working class. This is the social force to which we are oriented and we are using our election campaign to organize and arm workers with a socialist perspective. Mauritius leader thanks Japan, saying government not responsible for oil spill September 09,2020 | Source: The Japan Times Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said Monday he is thankful for the Japanese governments assistance over a major oil spill despite it not being responsible for the accident, according to Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Motegi spoke by phone with the prime minister for the first time since the oil leakage from a Japanese freighter in July. Jugnauth asked Japan for continued support to restore the Indian Ocean island nations economy and nature following the spill, Motegi told reporters following their conversation, which was carried out at the request of the Japanese government. Telling him Japan takes a serious view of the accident, Motegi said he promised to provide long-term assistance to Mauritius, including steps to enhance safety at sea and revitalize local fishing communities. A Mauritian government document has shown it is proposing that Japan pay a total of 1.34 billion Mauritian rupees, equivalent to around 3.6 billion ($34 million), to assist the local fishing community affected by the spill. Motegi said a specific amount of Japanese aid to Mauritius was not discussed in the telephone talks. Separately, Mauritius is set to seek compensation over the spill from the freighters Japanese owner, Nagashiki Shipping Co., and has called for the submission of claims by those who have sustained losses or damage due to contamination. The Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier Wakashio, operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd., ran aground on July 25, spilling more than 1,000 tons of oil into the environment. Mauritius declared a state of environmental emergency on Aug. 7, citing fears over the impact on endangered species such as birds and sea turtles. Fishing off coastal areas impacted by the spill is currently banned. Japan has so far sent three disaster relief teams to help with oil removal and assess environmental damage. THE JAPAN TIMES LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Theme(s): Others. The Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change is in presence of various complaints of coastal users in relation to works being carried out in front of The Residence Hotel. It is to be noted that the beach in the area has been eroded and at the high tide neither the public nor the hotel guests are able to walk on the beach frontage. In the context of the coastal protection and rehabilitation works on the beach frontage of The Residence Hotel at Belle Mare, this Ministry has issued an EIA Licence on 29 November 2019 to Belle Mare Beach Development Co Ltd for rock revetment over 200 m and the replacement of solid concrete steps with sandy walkway. A site visit was effected by officers of the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change on Saturday 05 September 2020. Several shortcomings were observed and the promoter was requested to comply with the following: a) No further work to be undertaken pending an alternate public access is fully restored; b) A consultative/ informative meeting to be held with coastal users prior to resumption of works in line with EIA Condition 12; c) Sentinels to be posted permanently on site to guide the public on the alternate access; d) An information board to be placed on two sides of the coastal frontage to inform on the project. The information board should contain amongst others: Name of promoter, date of EIA Licence, duration of works and contact person for queries (name and mobile number); and e) No excavation waste to be stacked on the beach frontage. For safety reasons, the public is hereby advised to follow the directions of the dedicated hotel personnel on site and use the alternate access provided, pending completion of the coastal protection works. On completion of the project, an access path along the entire front section of the beach with a permeable rock revetment and a sandy path will be created which will enable passage along the beach even during high tides for both the public and hotels residents. The misleading signboard placed on the beach which indicated amongst others No access to unauthorised personnel has been removed. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday defended the Justice Department's decision to intervene in a lawsuit brought by a woman who claims President Donald Trump raped her decades ago, saying legal precedent is on the government's side, and any uproar about the move is due to the "bizarre political environment." Speaking in Chicago about Operation Legend, a federal effort to crack down on street crime in certain U.S. cities, the attorney general was asked about his department's decision Tuesday to move the lawsuit against the president from state to federal court in New York, and signaling it wants to make the U.S. government - rather than Trump - the defendant in the case. In a court filing in Manhattan federal court, Justice Department lawyers argued the president was "acting within the scope of his office as President of the United States" when he denied during interviews in 2019 that he had raped journalist E. Jean Carroll more than two decades ago in a New York City department store. Carroll sued Trump over that denial in November. The Justice Department's intervention, at a minimum, will slow the case, and could ultimately kill it entirely. "This is a normal application of the law, the law is clear, it is done frequently, and the little tempest that's going on is largely because of the bizarre political environment in which we live," Barr said. He said the White House sent a memorandum to the Justice Department seeking the move, and civil litigation experts at the department agreed, in keeping with the normal procedure for such legal questions. The attorney general cited a 2006 ruling by the D.C. Court of Appeals as further support for the department's decision. In that case, a congressman had been sued over comments he'd made about his pending separation from his wife. The court ruled that even that topic was within the scope of his government employment because a lawmaker's "ability to do his job as a legislator effectively is tied, as in this case, to the Member's relationship with the public and in particular his constituents and colleagues in the Congress." Barr said similar legal arguments have been made by past presidents and vice presidents, including Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. "This has become somewhat routine," Barr said. Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas Law School, called it "a plausible argument" because courts have interpreted the scope of federal employment "very broadly, almost to the point where anything you do while on the job, courts usually treat as scope of employment." That would seem to support the Justice Department position, said Vladeck, who added: "It is not the most ridiculous argument this Justice Department has made in defense of this president." But Vladeck said the filing was still unusual, first in that it involves the president, and second, that it came after Carroll's lawsuit was well underway in state court. Typically the Justice Department will step in at the "earliest moment" it becomes aware of such an issue, he said. "The timing here is really suspicious, because if DOJ is convinced of its view that the conduct was within the scope of the federal officer's employment, it not only has the ability, it has the obligation to step in," Vladeck said. "That they waited until yesterday suggests that they were either sandbagging the state court, or they came to this position recently." Jonathan Turley, a constitutional scholar and law professor at George Washington University, said that while he disagreed with the decision to have the Justice Department intervene, the move was legal and will likely be approved by a court. That is because the law which the Justice Department cited - the Westfall Act - essentially ties the court's hands. "In my view, this is a case where the legal answer diverges from the right answer," Turley said. "A president should not be able to use the Justice Department in cases of this kind. However, I think the court must approve this motion." Turley said it was "attenuated logic" to suggest that even though the sexual assault at issue was alleged to have occurred more than two decades ago, the case should be moved to federal court because the president made more recent comments on the matter. But he said courts have consistently interpreted broadly what applies as on the job conduct. "I think this request was an appalling decision by the White House," said Turley. "I think the attorneys in the White House knew that this is a virtually non-discretionary and automatic provision for the Justice Department. But wiser heads should have prevailed. Someone should have gone to the president and objected. This is not an appropriate use the Justice Department. I think it undermines the Justice Department." What is likely to happen next is that a judge will consider whether Trump was acting within the scope of his job when he made the comments about Carroll - in an interview with the Hill newspaper last year, the president called her a liar and said "she's not my type" - and whether he can be considered a federal "employee" at all, Vladeck said. If the Justice Department is successful, Vladeck said, the effect will almost certainly be to kill the lawsuit entirely. That is because if the government is substituted as a defendant for Trump, it will be protected by the concept of sovereign immunity - which grants the government broad protection from lawsuit. The Justice Department, Vladeck said, would then likely make a separate motion to throw out the case, and it would likely be granted. "If DOJ is correct, if this certification is proper, the effect is not that they take over the case, the effect is that the case gets dismissed," Vladeck said, noting that the time consumed by dealing with the question may be a win in itself, pushing the outcome past November's election. "Even if DOJ loses this argument, it's going to take a while, so Trump wins almost by default," Vladeck said. Turley said that while he felt a court would likely approve the Justice Department's motion to swap Trump out as the defendant, that would not necessarily be fatal to the case - at least not right away. Carroll could challenge immunity claims and seek to press forward with discovery, though she ultimately might face an uphill battle, Turley said. The maneuver removes the case - at least for now - from state court in New York, where a judge last month had rejected Trump's bid for a delay. Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan blasted the department's filing, saying in a statement Tuesday that the president's legal move came as he was "soon going to be required to produce documents, provide a DNA sample, and sit for a deposition." "Realizing that there was no valid basis to appeal that decision in the New York courts, on the very day that he would have been required to appeal, Trump instead enlisted the U.S. Department of Justice to replace his private lawyers and argue that when he lied about sexually assaulting our client, explaining that she 'wasn't his type,' he was acting in his official capacity as President of the United States," Kaplan said. "Even in today's world, that argument is shocking. It offends me as a lawyer, and offends me even more as a citizen," she said. "Trump's effort to wield the power of the U.S. government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent, and shows even more starkly how far he is willing to go to prevent the truth from coming out." Georgia authorities have released body cam footage showing the terrifying moment a fugitive allegedly hauling explosives inside a stolen trailer pulled a gun on a sheriffs deputy and shot him during a traffic stop before dawn on Monday morning. The footage was released on the same day that law enforcement officials in Georgia arrested 47-year-old Jonathan Hosmer, another Texas fugitive tied to the shooting of the deputy. Hosmer, 47, was arrested at around 5am on Tuesday at a location given to law enforcement by an anonymous tipster. He was checked for dehydration and then transported to the Whitfield County Jail. In the bodycam video, a sheriffs deputy carrying a flashlight approaches a pickup truck that has a trailer attached to its rear. When he approaches the drivers side window, he finds a man wearing glasses and a purple tank top. The sheriffs deputy asks the man for ID. Immediately afterward, the man flashes a gun, and the deputy appears to duck. The video ends at this point. Authorities in Georgia released bodycam footage from a traffic stop on the southbound Interstate 75 highway before dawn on Monday When a Whitfield County Sheriff's deputy approached the driver's side window, he asked the driver, who has been identified as Dalton Lee Potter, 29, for his identification Potter is then seen flashing a gun. The sheriff's deputy is knocked backward and the video footage is cut off Law enforcement officials in Georgia identified the man in the video as Dalton Lee Potter. Potter is considered 'armed and dangerous' after he allegedly shot and wounded a sheriff's deputy before crashing their stolen trailer and running off into the woods. Investigators told WGXA-TV that Potter is a 'survivalist' who is skilled at surviving in the woods over the course of a long period of time. According to law enforcement officials, Potter was hauling explosives in the trailer seen in the bodycam video. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation destroyed the explosives in a controlled demolition, according to WRCB-TV. Potter, 29, was wanted in Texas when he was pulled over in a white Chevrolet Tahoe, pulling a stolen utility trailer, in Whitfield County, Georgia, on Monday morning. Potter opened fire on Deputy Darrell Hackney, who was saved only by his bulletproof vest. Hackney and another deputy, Adrian Gomez, both returned fire, but Potter escaped, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Potter, from Leakey, Texas, crashed on I-75 South. Potter, 29, was pulled over early on Monday morning in Whitfield County, Georgia Potter, from Leakey, Texas, was driving a white Chevrolet Tahoe with a stolen trailer behind On Monday morning Georgia sheriffs issued an alert for Potter, following the shooting A second wanted Texas fugitive, Jonathan Hosmer, 47, was later identified by the wreck A second man, Jonathan Hosmer, 47, also from Leakey, was captured on a home surveillance system in a subdivision near the truck wreck. Hosmer was taken into custody on Tuesday. Potter was seen taking off into the woods. Hosmer was wanted in Texas for burglary. Potter has been charged with aggravated assault on the deputy; Hosmer has not yet been charged. 'Potter is considered armed and dangerous and a 'Blue Alert' has been issued for Potter's capture,' the Georgia Bureau of Investigations said. Scott Chitwood, Whitfield County sheriff, said the deputy was treated at a hospital and is now at home. 'Thank goodness that his vest protected it,' said Chitwood. 'He was treated and released at the hospital last night. Had a burning sensation, little abrasion, but overall fine, right below the rib cage.' Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood speaks about the incident on Monday Deputy Darrell Hackney was saved only by his bulletproof vest during the shooting Hosmer, also from Leakey, Texas, was wanted for burglary of a building. He was taken into custody on Tuesday Local residents are assisting police, WRCBtv reported. Chitwood said eyewitness reports have helped them narrow their search, which was filmed by Fox5 Atlanta. 'One of the neighbors gave the description, we felt like it was legitimate, we focused on that area. 'But we've come up with nothing at this point. We did come up with a pack of fresh cigarettes we felt like possibly could be his,' Chitwood added. It's unclear why Potter came to Georgia. Helicopters are pictured searching for the two fugitives in Georgia The 2020 China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) and the Belt and Road Investment Congress opened on Tuesday in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, offering opportunities to promote investment and economic cooperation worldwide. The fair, which has attracted merchants and delegates from 42 countries and regions including Germany, Britain and Japan, is one of the first major international economic and trade events held by China since the COVID-19 outbreak. The four-day event includes the 2020 Global Investment Forum and nine sideline forums and seminars, and delegates participating in this year's fair will focus on the trend of global investment and the world economy amid the pandemic. Covering an area of 110,000 square meters, two exhibition pavilions promoting investment and industry are expected to facilitate investment cooperation among countries and regions along the Belt and Road. The participants are mainly from international organizations, domestic government agencies, business associations and enterprises, as well as foreign government offices, foreign embassies and consulates in China. John Paul Inigo, special trade representative of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center, said the Philippines had received an unprecedented accolade as the guest country of honor for two consecutive years. "Under the increasing connectivity brought by China's Belt and Road Initiative, we are confident that the already-booming trade and investment relationship between the Philippines and China will further grow," Inigo said. China was the Philippines' top trading partner and the total bilateral trade volume hit 35.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. With the aid of cloud services from China's tech giant Alibaba, an online fair is also being held. The CIFIT, approved by the State Council, takes place every September in Xiamen and aims to promote two-way trade and investment between China and the world. Compelling destination for investment The fair, which aims to promote international cooperation and economic globalization, has drawn investors and enterprises from all over the world and offers hope for the recovery of the world economy. Simon Ryley, who runs Herm Studio, a watch business based in London, said the Xiamen fair was a great opportunity to showcase their products with the British Chamber of Commerce Guangdong. "We are confident in the Chinese market, which has a growing middle class, and young people are interested in contemporary fashion and accessories," Ryley said. Established in 2016, the brand was first introduced to China at the end of last year, and they came to the fair looking for partners to open physical stores in the country. Sodick Amoy Co., Ltd., a Japanese-funded manufacturer of CNC discharge machines, attended the international event for the 15th consecutive year. Yoshiaki Daichi, deputy general manager of the Xiamen-based company, said they remained bullish on the Chinese market and vowed to expand investment in China. "The booming maritime and railway shipping network will serve as a new driver for our growth," said Daichi. "This year we will invest approximately 60 million yuan (about 8.77 million U.S. dollars) to expand our Xiamen plant. Once completed, the annual production output will increase by 50 percent." The visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe talks with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on the afternoon of September 8. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency) JAKARTA, Sept. 9 The visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe met with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on September 8. General Wei Fenghe said that China and Indonesia are important neighbors to each other, and have supported each other since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the two sides should deepen and expand cooperation in all fields and push for steady and long-term development of bilateral relations. The Chinese military is ready to work with The Indonesian side to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two states, strengthen strategic communication and enhance the level of defense and security cooperation. At present, within the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea has remained stable on the whole. As a country and neighbor in the region, China is willing to strengthen dialogue and consultation with Indonesia to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea. Prabowo Subianto spoke highly of the important achievements made by the Chinese government and military in the fight against COVID-19 and thanked the Chinese military for providing epidemic prevention assistance to Indonesia. He added that Indonesia attaches great importance to the relations with China and is committed to closer bilateral ties between the two countries. The Indonesian military is ready to strengthen practical cooperation with Chinese side. On the afternoon of September 8, Gen. Wei Fenghe attends the welcome ceremony held by Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto at the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and reviews the guard of honor. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency) The Chinese ambassador to the UK has been at the centre of controversy after his official Twitter account 'liked' a pornographic clip. The 10-second footage, which has been removed from the diplomat's Twitter feed, shows a woman performing a sex act on a man using her feet. The Chinese Embassy in the UK claimed that the ambassador's account had been hacked and called the move 'despicable'. Beijing's top man to Britain, 64-year-old Liu Xiaoming (pictured on February 6), has been humiliated after his official Twitter account 'liked' X-rated pornographic content The 10-second footage, which has been removed from the diplomat's Twitter feed, shows a woman performing a sex act on a man using her feet. The video was first uploaded last May Beijing's top man to Britain, 64-year-old Liu Xiaoming, is known for defending his country's treatment of Hong Kong protesters and Uighur Muslims. His endorsement of the explicit video was flagged by Twitter user Luke de Pulford, who shared a screenshot of Mr Liu's 'likes' feed on Wednesday morning. Mr Pulford, a member of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, said that he 'felt a bit mean' for calling out Mr Liu. 'But then I remembered the #Uyghur concentration camps and #HongKong and quickly got over it,' he wrote. Felt a bit mean for this. But then I remembered the #Uyghur concentration camps and #HongKong and quickly got over it. Luke de Pulford (@lukedepulford) September 9, 2020 I want to thank @AmbLiuXiaoMing for blocking me If this is how he spends his time - when he's not spreading mendacity or harassing critics - I would rather not see@MahuiChina what do you think of your boss' habits?@AmbCuiTiankai @ChinaAmbUN is this how you use Twitter too? https://t.co/CtqFmQRcXd Benedict Rogers (@benedictrogers) September 9, 2020 Commenting on the incident, Benedict Rogers, chair and co-founder of UK-based human rights group Hong Kong Watch, said 'I want to thank @AmbLiuXiaoMing for blocking me'. 'If this is how he spends his time - when he's not spreading mendacity or harassing critics - I would rather not see,' Mr Rogers tweeted. The Chinese Embassy in the UK branded the incident as a 'vicious' attack from 'some anti-China elements'. In a statement, it said: 'Recently, some anti-China elements viciously attacked Ambassador Liu Xiaoming's Twitter account and employed despicable methods to deceive the public. 'The Chinese Embassy strongly condemns such abominable behaviour. 'The Embassy has reported this to Twitter company and urged the latter to make thorough investigations and handle this matter seriously.' Mr Liu has repeatedly championed Beijing's rhetoric over key diplomatic issues, such as Hong Kong, coronavirus, Huawei and human rights abuses, as tensions between China and the UK escalated. In July, he warned the UK it would 'pay the price' for treating China like a 'hostile country'. He said Britain would have to 'bear the consequences' of its foreign policy decisions and that would mean losing the benefits of being Beijing's 'partner'. He also claimed some British politicians appeared to be 'clamouring for a new Cold War' and insisted China wanted to be the UK's 'friend'. Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show, Mr Liu denied reports that China is carrying out a programme of sterilisation of Uighur women in the western Xinjiang region. He insisted Uighur Muslims lived in 'peace and harmony' despite being confronted with a video appearing to show shackled prisoners being herded onto trains. A Vietnamese man who fell ill after being bitten by a king cobra has redirected a part of the monetary support he received from philanthropists to another patient in need at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Phan Van Tam, 38, was hospitalized on August 19 in a critical condition with bite marks on his leg and the venomous snake still attached to his arm. The man had attempted to catch the snake in order to sell it for money to pay his childrens tuition. Both Tam and his wife Bui Thi Ngoc Tuoi worked as day laborers to raise their two children, but he had been unable to work for some months because of an accident having left him with a broken leg before the snakebite. His condition turned critical several times during his treatment and he frequently required expensive procedures such as serum injection, anti-venom as well as blood filtering. Thanks to the rapid spread of their story in local media, the case of Tuoi and Tam was met with profuse support from benefactors from every part of the country, who contributed to a total of VND800 million (US$34,500) to cover Tams treatment cost. As they realized the hospital bill was just over VND500 million ($21,500), the couple diverted VND80 million ($3,450) from the funding they received to another needy patient in a critical condition at Cho Ray Hospital. Le Minh Hien, head of social work at Cho Ray Hospital, sent a thank-you letter to Tuoi on Tuesday for the couples donation. It is such a noble and humanitarian gesture when Tams family, who received support from benefactors, is now donating to other struggling patients, Hien said. Bui Thi Ngoc Tuoi (right) is seen taking care of her husband Phan Van Tam in this photo supplied by Cho Ray Hospital. Having been the caretaker of her husband ever since he met the peril, Tuoi said she could not even dream of being able to pay off the hospital bill this soon. Upon hearing the story [of the other partient], I visited their family to ask and found out that they need a sum total of VND60 million [$2,600]. My husband is even more fretful than me; he urged me to donate right away since were already set for the moment, Tuoi recalled. Instead of giving VND60 million, we decided to donate VND80 million so [the other patient's family] can have a spare amount for food and other necessities on top of the money needed for hospital payment." The remainder of the donations to Tam is reserved for his upcoming skin implant procedure and reinvigoration supplements, among other costs after his discharge, Tuoi added. Having undergone over half a month of treatment to date, Tam has shown positive signs of recovery from his critical condition. He has regained his heart, liver, and lung functions, and can now breathe unassisted. Following his recovery, Tam sent his word of gratitude to the medical practitioners at Cho Ray Hospital and the advocates who supported him and his family through this ordeal. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Some Sanitation Guards under the Zoomlion Ghana in the Hohoe Municipality have appealed to their employers for the payment of their salaries. They said the current economic situation had brought financial challenges on them and they therefore had no option than to call for payment of their 18-months arrears. A Sanitation Guard and spokesman for the group, who wants to be anonymous, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA)that they discharged their duties under the Municipal Environmental Health Office but several attempts made for their payment proved unsuccessful. He said mostly it took them some months before they received part of their accumulated GH100 monthly allowances, which was worrying. We sometimes wait for as long as eight months before we receive three months payment and it is a worrying situation, he said. Mr Philip Anim, Volta Regional Environmental Sanitation Supervisor of Zoomlion Ghana, when contacted by the GNA said the payment of salaries of the workers was delayed due to lack of funds and failure on the part of some sanitation workers to submit their monthly report to the various Environmental Health Offices in their respective districts. He said it was difficult for the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to validate workers, who failed to submit monthly reports and gave the assurance that it would be cleared once funds were released for them to do so. 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 "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" will in 2021 after 20 seasons and 14 years. Rumors have been swirling for quite some time now about the possible end of the show, but the family has not spoken about it until now. Kim Kardashian delivered the news herself. "It is with heavy hearts that we've made the difficult decision as a family to say goodbye to Keeping Up with the Kardashians. After what will be 14 years, 20 seasons, hundreds of episodes, and numerous spin-off shows, we are beyond grateful to all of you who've watched us for all of these years - through the good times, the bad times, the happiness, the tears, and the many relationships and children. We'll forever cherish the wonderful memories and countless people we've met along the way," Kim Kardashian wrote on her social media. She also thanked Ryan Seacrest and the network for trusting her and her whole family. Even for people who do not appreciate the show, this is big news. After all, the family has changed how reality shows are done. Through the show -- without acting or singing background -- the Kardashian sisters (Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner) have become icons. Who would have thought that the Kardashians would finally stop gracing TV screens with their bickering, dating issues, and scandals? KUWTK Through the Years For 14 years, fans have seen them expose their lives to the general public. Fans who were teens back when the show started could be mothers now and still enjoying the show. Not that their lives and income revolved mainly around the show. What has been proven time and time again is that they are savvy entrepreneurs. Kim and Kylie have both set up their own businesses, serving as the CEOs and even the models of their products. The majority of the Kardashian sisters have their own kids already, while Kendall and Kylie grew up in front of viewers. Kendall is now a highly sought-after model while Kylie has become a mother while establishing her own cosmetics empire. Truly, So much has happened since 2007. Kourtney has gotten on with Scott Dissick and broken up with him several times. Khloe had her fair share of love drama and is now a single mom to her daughter, True. They are now too established to need a reality show to document their extraordinary lives. However, this does not mean the fans are ready to see them go. Last of KUWTK Kim kardashian said the show's last episode would air on 2021. The reality star, who was once just Paris Hilton's personal assistant and even figured into a sex tape scandal, has transformed into a household name. Some may bash her and her sisters, but they cannot deny that they represent a side of America's pop culture. Kim knows this. She also wrote that she would not be the established woman she is now without the show and the fans' support. Khloe Kardashian followed suit, reposting Kim's message and adding her own sentiments. While changes can be hard, it is sometimes a must, Khloe said It unknown what exactly triggered the family to stop their show officially, but it is quite obvious that the family members themselves look as if they have outgrown the show. READ MORE: Selena Gomez Toxic? Pop Star Cancels Wedding Dreams for Now Migrants gather outside the camp as a helicopter tackles the fire (Panagiotis Balaskas/AP) Thousands of migrants were left without shelter on Wednesday after overnight fires gutted their overcrowded camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, and authorities warned that some asylum seekers who tested positive for COVID-19 could spread the virus. The Moria camp, which hosts more than 12,000 people, was "probably totally destroyed", one Greek migration official said. Athens declared a state of emergency on Lesbos and sent police reinforcements to the island to help keep order. As migrants camped out in fields nearby or sifted through smouldering debris in search of possessions, Deputy Migration Minister George Koumoutsakos said about 3,000 people affected by the fires would be temporarily housed in tents. "The situation in Moria cannot go on (as it is) because it is simultaneously a public health and national security issue," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address, adding that managing migrant flows was a "European problem". Expand Close Refugees run as fire burns in the Moria refugee camp (Panagiotis Balaskas/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Refugees run as fire burns in the Moria refugee camp (Panagiotis Balaskas/AP) The cause of the fires, which broke out soon after midnight, remained unclear but authorities were investigating whether they were started deliberately after COVID-19 tests led to the isolation of a number of refugees. "There was not just one but many fires in the camp. Migrants threw stones at firefighters trying to put out the fires," Constantine Theophilopoulos, fire brigade chief for the northern Aegean, told ERT TV. The camp had been placed under quarantine last week after an asylum-seeker tested positive for COVID-19. As of late Monday 35 migrants had been confirmed as having the virus. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said camp residents would not be allowed to leave Lesbos due to the pandemic, though EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said the European Union had agreed to fund the immediate transfer of 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers to the Greek mainland. Some migrants tried to head towards the town of Mytilini early on Wednesday but police stopped them, eyewitnesses said. Aid groups have long criticised conditions at the camp, which hosts more than four times its stated capacity, saying it is impossible to implement social distancing and basic hygiene measures there. Mitsotakis said EU Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas would visit Lesbos on Thursday, while the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, said the 27-nation bloc stood ready to mobilise support for Greece. 'Tragically predictable' The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said it had received reports of tensions between people in neighbouring villages and asylum seekers who were trying to reach Mytilini town. "Events in Moria last night are unthinkable but tragically predictable as the dire situation on the islands has gone on for far too long," said Dimitra Kalogeropoulou, International Rescue Committee Greece Director. The UNHCR has previously said nearly half of migrants now detained on the Greek islands are from Afghanistan and a further 19% are from Syria. Lesbos, which is just off the Turkish coast, was on the front line of Europe's migrant crisis in 2015-16. Greek authorities put Lesbos under a state of emergency for four months for public health reasons, allowing them to mobilise all forces to support the asylum seekers and island residents. Mytilini mayor Stratis Kytelis said migrants would have to be moved or housed on ships to prevent the spread of COVID-19. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas described the fires as "a humanitarian disaster", and said EU member states should be ready to take in some of the refugees from the camp. Boris Pistorius, interior minister of the north German state of Lower Saxony and an influential figure in Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), said it was time to shut the Moria camp. "This overcrowded camp is the symbol of the failure of Europe's asylum policy," he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 14:39 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43bd93a 1 National bappenas,Suharso-Monoarfa,new-capital,capital-city,capital-city-relocation,Indonesia-new-capital,East-Kalimantan,North-Penajam-Paser,Kutai-Kartanegara Free The government has postponed the plan to construct Indonesia's new capital city in East Kalimantan as the country switched its priorities to mitigating the coronavirus pandemic, an official has said. National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head Suharso Monoarfa confirmed with The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the capital relocation plan had been suspended for the time being, since the pandemic had forced the government to shift its policies. Suharso previously announced the postponement of the multibillion dollar project during a meeting on Tuesday with House of Representatives Commission XI overseeing finance and banking affairs. To this day, the program of relocating the nation's capital is still on hold, Suharso told lawmakers in the meeting. Although the construction plan was suspended, Suharso said the government would continue with the planning stages for the new capital, which will be built in North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies, including those related to infrastructure development in buffer cities of East Kalimantan's provincial capital, Samarinda, and port city Balikpapan. Read also: Jokowi's capital relocation dream faces COVID-19 hurdle In the initial plan announced last year, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the government would begin construction of the new capital that would replace Jakarta in 2021. President Joko Jokowi Widodo previously said the relocation and construction of the new capital city -- planned to be a smart metropolis that supported the growth of innovation and green industries -- would cost around Rp 466 trillion (US$ 31 billion). According to the Finance Ministry, the state budget would cover Rp 89.4 trillion, 19.2 percent of the cost while Rp 253.4 trillion, 54.4 percent, would be financed through government cooperation with businesses. The remaining Rp 123.2 trillion, 26.4 percent of the cost, would be gained through private financing. During the meeting with the House on Tuesday, Suharso also proposed a Rp 1.77 trillion budget for Bappenas next year, an increase of Rp 260.8 billion from the previously approved Rp 1.5 trillion in the 2021 budget. Out of the additional budget, Rp 240 billion would be used to fund the agencys priority programs, such as the data portal initiative referred to as Satu Data Indonesia (One Data Indonesia) and continuing the sustainable development goals programs. The far-right MP says Trump should be considered because of his work for a peace agreement between the UAE and Israel. A Norwegian lawmaker has said that he has nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said on Wednesday Trump should be considered because of his work for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel which opens up for possible peace in the Middle East. Israel and the UAE agreed last month to a historic deal normalising relations and are scheduled to sign it at a White House ceremony on September 15. No matter how Trump acts at home and what he says at press conferences, he has absolutely a chance at getting the Nobel Peace Prize, Tybring-Gjedde, told The Associated Press news agency. He said he nominated Trump for the 2021 prize as Donald Trump meets the criteria. Christian Tybring-Gjedde of the far-right Progress Party said Donald Trump should be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize [NTB Scanpix/Torstein Boe via Reuters] Nominations must be sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee by February 1, meaning the deadline to nominate people for this years peace prize has passed. Tybring-Gjedde was one of the two Norwegian MPs who had nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his efforts to bring reconciliation between North and South Koreas. Any politician serving in a national legislature can nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize. Former US President Barack Obama was awarded the prize in 2009 only months into his first term, a move many felt was premature. The Norwegian committee said it honoured Obama for his commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. Last year, Trump predicted that he would win the Nobel Prize for a lot of things if they gave it out fairly, which they dont. The Norwegian Nobel Committee does not publicly comment on nominees. Under its rules, the information is required to be kept secret for 50 years. It is now to hope that the Nobel Committee is able to consider what Trump has achieved internationally and that it does not stumble in established prejudice against the US President, Tybring-Gjedde said in a Facebook post. However, he said he does not agree with all of Trumps policies. I am not a big Trump supporter, he said. The process of considering candidates and awarding the Nobel Peace Prize is done in Norway, in contrast to the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded in neighbouring Sweden. Akshay Kumar is perhaps one of the only actors in the Bollywood industry that can pull off iconic performances in comedies like Hera Pheri and in action movies such as Khiladi. This versatile and brilliant actor does not believe in limiting himself in any manner whatsoever. From performing his own stunts in films, training in martial arts like Muay Thai and even earning a black belt in Taekwondo to releasing his own Battle Royal game, FAU-G, it seems that there is precious little that Akshay Kumar is not good at. On the occasion of the 53 birthday of the Padman actor, lets take a look into how Akshay Kumar has inspired people through generations, not just through his diverse acting abilities but also through his incredible fitness levels and dashing good looks, that have only become better with age. For many around the world, having a body or fitness levels like Akshay Kumar is their goal and with Akshay Kumars magnetic personality, people are generally attracted towards him, such is his aura. Where his fitness is concerned, Akshay Kumar believes in the tired and tested method of hard and smart work. He practices something called functional fitness in which one trains their muscles to work more fluidly together through common activities such as work and sports. Aside from martial arts, Akshay Kumar is a firm believer in the powers of Yoga. He is an avid kickboxer, as can be seen from his Instagram page which is littered with all kinds of physical exercises. Akshay Kumar also shared in an interview that he wakes up around 4:30 in the morning to get in a good workout and is usually in bed by 9 pm. Through the course of the years, Akshay Kumar has also graced us with his charming good looks. Be it his boyish charm in the early days of his acting career or the peppered beard he can be seen sporting during the lockdown, it is fair to say that the actor can pull off a moustache just as well as having his head completely shaved. Akshay Kumar looks iconic in the current fashion trends just as much as he looks dashing in three-piece suits, and on his 53 birthday, the actor looks more handsome than ever. With the shoot of his upcoming film, Bell Bottom already in the works, Akshay Kumar has relocated to Scotland with his son Aarav. And even though his birthday will probably be a working one, Akshay Kumar shares in an interview that his wife, Twinkle Khanna is already planning something and with his sons exceptional cooking, he is looking forward to some homemade pizzas and cinnamon buns. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Supporters of Belarusian opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava took to the streets of Minsk on September 8 as authorities reportedly tried -- but failed -- to expel her from the country. Masked officers were seen attacking groups of women at the rally who were protesting against Kalesnikava's detention. Belarusian authorities had driven her to the border with Ukraine a day after she was snatched from the street in Minsk. But Kalesnikava is said to have torn up her passport to avoid deportation. The family who set off a firework during a gender-reveal gathering that sparked a huge blaze in southern California could face charges and multi-millon dollar fines, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has said. Cal Fire confirmed in a statement on Sunday evening that the El Dorado blaze in Yucaipa which officials say has torn through some 8,600 acres of land and was only 7 per cent contained on Monday was started by a smoke generating "pyrotechnic device", used during a gender-reveal party. Gender-reveal parties are gatherings where parents expecting a baby hold an event to reveal its sex to family and close friends. At some parties, parents use exploding coloured pyrotechnics to celebrate blue for a boy and pink for a girl. In its Sunday statement, Cal Fire said that those "responsibile for starting fires due to negligence or illegal activity can be held financially and criminially responsible". Bennet Milloy, a spokesman for Cal Fire, has since doubled down on the warning, telling Mail Online that the family could face a fine aimed at helping to cover the cost of putting the fire out, which could run into millions of dollars. "They understood the seriousness of the fire," Mr Milloy told the publication, when asked if they family realised the gravity of the situation. "They genuinely believed it was an accident." Mr Milloy told Mail Online that the family could be hit with violations of public resources and arson under California's penal code section 452. The statute makes it a crime for a person to recklessly set fire to or burn any structure, forest land, or property. It is not immediately clear if the district attorney for the area plans to pursue the case. If legal proceedings are issued, then it would be the person who lit the firework who would be charged, Milloy told CNN. The fire began on Saturday morning at El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, about 76 miles (115km) east of Los Angeles, Cal Fire said. It has since spread north to Yucaipa Ridge, prompting local officials to issue evacuation orders in the surrounding areas of Oak Glen, Mountain Home Village, and Forest Falls. San Bernardino National Forest CCTV footage reportedly showed a couple and several children walking into the grass at the edge of El Dorado Ranch Park at around 10.20am on Saturday morning. One person can be seen appearing to ignite the firework that started the fire. Shortly afterwards, the group could be seen attempting to bring the blaze under control with water. California is currently in the midst of a record-breaking heatwave. This, along with the dry summer months, has created tinderbox conditions for fires to start in forests and woodland. The El Dorado blaze is just one of a number of fires tearing through the state. The Creek Fire, which has engulfed the Fresno area in central California and caused the emergency evacuation over the weekend of more than 200 people vacationing at a popular reservoir, was still not contained as of Monday afternoon, fire officials said. The blaze, growing under "extreme weather conditions", devoured nearly 79,000 acres of land, while a cause remained under investigation, Cal Fire said in a statement. California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Show all 15 1 /15 California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Rex California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Rex Features California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze Rex Features California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP California wildfires: thousands flee homes after devastating blaze AP Officials in Madera County issued evacuation orders and urged the county's 157,000 residents to leave if they felt unsafe. The Oak Fire in Mendocino County started burning around 1:26 pm on Monday afternoon, according to Cal Fire, and three hours later it had already torched 1,000 acres and destroyed one structure. Videos on social media showed the fire consuming pick-up trucks as it spread along Highway 101 near Willits, California. "If you're trying to get out of an evacuation area please call 911 for help. Don't delay!" the Mendocino Sheriff's Office wrote on Twitter. San Francisco-based power provider PG&E said late on Monday that it began turning off power in "high fire-threat" areas. The outages will impact 172,000 customers in 22 counties, mostly in the Sierra Foothills, PG&E said, adding the shut-off was a safety measure due to the extremely high and dry winds. Recommended Exclusive data shows how emissions soared during California wildfires The California Independent Systems Operator, which runs most of the state's power grid, again urged consumers to cut back on energy consumption and said it was monitoring wildfires throughout the state threatening power lines. In Southern California, east of San Diego, more than 400 firefighters battled the Valley Fire, which burned more than 17,000 acres (6,900 hectares)in Cleveland National Forest. Video shared on social media showed firefighters dousing the flames, the air thick with ash and fire embers. The blaze was 3 per cent contained as of Monday evening. Officials announced the deployment of military aircraft on Monday afternoon to help fight the flames. A fire in San Bernardino County, southeast of Los Angeles, that officials said was caused by a pyrotechnic device used during a gender reveal party, kept burning through the night and was 7 per cent contained as of Monday morning. On Sunday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Bernardino and San Diego counties due to the wildfires, which also prompted the U.S. Forest Service to temporarily close some national forests including the Sierra National Forest, the Angeles National Forest and the San Bernardino National Forest. Additional reporting by Reuters New Delhi: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday addressed the audience at national convention on demonetisation, Jan Vedana Sammelan in Delhi. The convention has been called in the wake of demonetisation sending yet another signal that his elevation to the post of party chief is just a matter of time. Here are the Live updates: #When a judge sits he represents the spirit of the people of the country #All the service that Congress did to institutions, judiciary, RBI, respect of press in 70 years, Modi govt and RSS destroyed it all in just 2.5 years #PM Modi must ask why has the demand for MNREGA suddenly surged, why are people migrating for villages instead of cities #Through demonetisation, they have broken the financial backbone of the country #Achhe din will come when Congress returns to power in 2019 #Demonetisation is a personal decision of PM Modi #I notice things, PM Modi did a lot of yoga but did no padmaasan #2 1/2 yrs back, PM Modi asked everything to join Swacch Bharat, the drama continued for a few days; then Make in India, Skill India #Our friends in the media are under constraints. They come to me & say they want to say some thing but can't #People of country are wondering when are 'Acche din going to come'. I'll tell them it will come when Congress comes to power again #Acche din are only going to come when Congress party is going to come in power in 2019 #Today I read in newspaper that PM said he will transform India. But PM needs to ask himself why suddenly auto sales have fallen #Prime Minister needs to spend sometime with the poor, farmers of the country and ask them why suddenly ppl are running to villages? #Today they (BJP) have weakened every institution. 1st time in history Prime Minister of India is being ridiculed #We do not need to explain what we did or didn't do for last 70 years. BJP under PM Modi has done in 2 1/2 years what we couldn't do #I can name state after state where Congress workers & leaders have sacrificed their sweat and blood #People of the country understand the blood and tears that our leaders have given for this country #The BJP & our PM are in the habit of saying that what Cong did in the last 70 years, people of country know that Rahul had presided over the party's foundation day function on December 28 last and two months back, had chaired a meeting of the Working Committee in the absence of party chief Sonia Gandhi who was said to be unwell. #WATCH "'Acche Din' (good days) will only come when Congress party comes back to power, in 2019," says Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/4wMtOJpxaN ANI (@ANI_news) January 11, 2017 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bear in mind with what follows that I voted Brexit in 2016, and for Boris Johnson and the Tories last December. I long for the moment that Britain truly leaves the EU. With that said, let me express my shock that Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis should have told the Commons on Tuesday that the new Internal Market Bill could lead to the UK breaking international law in a 'very specific and limited way'. Forget the specific and limited business. You either break a law or you don't. And this Government is envisaging the possibility that it might. Such an admission is unprecedented in modern times. By and large, British governments honour their treaties and obey international law. It's one of the things on which we pride ourselves. Less civilised nations may breach their agreements, but we don't. Bear in mind with what follows that I voted Brexit in 2016, and for Boris Johnson and the Tories last December Admittedly, from time to time, British governments do bend the rules. When, in 1956, Prime Minister Anthony Eden colluded secretly with the French and Israelis to invade Egypt after its nationalisation of the Suez Canal, he broke international law. And before Tony Blair took us to war against Iraq in 2003, he leant on the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, to reverse his previous judgment that invasion would be illegal under international law. Note that whenever governments have flouted the law in the past, they have either kept quiet about it, or pretended that what they were doing was perfectly lawful. Not so Brandon Lewis. He was brazen and shameless. Cheerful, too. He might have been announcing an insignificant, but positive development in the province for which he is responsible. Oh, by the way, we may go ahead and break international law. Let me express my shock that Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis (pictured) should have told the Commons on Tuesday that the new Internal Market Bill could lead to the UK breaking international law in a 'very specific and limited way' Was he going out on a limb? Exceeding his brief? That, for a moment, was my vain hope. But neither the Prime Minister nor any senior minister has rapped Mr Lewis's knuckles, or said he wasn't conveying the Government's true position. He clearly was. That is why Sir Jonathan Jones, the Government's most senior lawyer, resigned on Tuesday. It was a momentous event. This eminent legal adviser will rightly not condone tearing up any part of an international agreement. How has it happened that the British Government is preparing to override bits of the Withdrawal Agreement the treaty it signed with the EU last January which set out the terms for our leaving the organisation? The truth is that, in an understandable rush to conclude a deal and meet his deadline of January 31, Boris Johnson characteristically didn't bother with the fine print. Although he denied placing a border in the Irish Sea between Britain and Ireland, this was effectively what he did. Admittedly, from time to time, British governments do bend the rules. When, in 1956, Prime Minister Anthony Eden (pictured) colluded secretly with the French and Israelis to invade Egypt after its nationalisation of the Suez Canal, he broke international law No 10 is now conceding that the Withdrawal Agreement endlessly described as 'oven ready' by Mr Johnson during last December's General Election campaign contained 'ambiguities' and lacked clarity in 'key areas'. The trouble is what the Government regards as a lack of clarity, the EU reasonably regards as an inviolable agreement. If we fail to do a trade deal with Brussels over the next two months, No 10 intends to introduce new legislation. Proposals include eliminating tariffs on goods travelling from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland, if negotiations with the EU on a free trade agreement fail. The Government would also ignore previously agreed obligations on state aid official support for businesses in Northern Ireland. Such measures are, in fact, desirable. But they are at odds with the Withdrawal Agreement. They should have been negotiated before Britain signed it, though it is unlikely the EU would have agreed to them. Once made, an international agreement can't be legally unpicked, unless there has been a material change in circumstances, which within the space of eight months there obviously hasn't been. Boris Johnson seems unable to grasp the sanctity of treaties. They can't be torn up and discarded like old columns. Former PM Theresa May put it well on Tuesday when she asked rhetorically: 'How can the Government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?' And although I am far from being a fan of ex-prime minister Sir John Major, I'm afraid the statement he issued yesterday is correct. 'If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained.' None of this is to deny that the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has behaved in an infuriatingly intransigent manner during talks with his opposite number, David Frost. Brussels is incapable of accepting that, when it finally extricates itself from the EU, Britain will again be an independent nation. Nowhere is this clearer than in negotiations over fishing, where the EU has demanded unfettered access as though nothing has changed. Mr Barnier recently made the nonsensical statement that Britain 'will recover the full sovereignty' of its waters but not necessarily of the fish in them. On state aid, too, Brussels is being unreasonable in dictating that the UK should go on observing EU rules. Such terms have never been forced on a partner in any other trade deal made by the EU. That said, given that the UK has historically dispensed much less state aid than either Germany or France, one wonders why the Government is so exercised. I think it is because it can't bear being in the continuing thrall of the EU in the smallest degree, even if the actual issue is a slight one. So, yes, the EU has been pretty bloody-minded. All the same, I believe the contention of some Brexiteers that the Withdrawal Agreement can legitimately be reopened, because Brussels has shown such bad faith in negotiations, is flaky. Let's hope an agreement is reached. I still think just that it will be. But if it isn't, Boris Johnson and his pugilistic adviser Dominic Cummings (who is surely the main mind behind the Internal Market Bill) mustn't ruin this country's reputation for probity. We're not a rogue state. We're not like China, which has been rightly accused of subverting the treaty signed with the UK guaranteeing the rights of the people of Hong Kong for 50 years from 1997. Unilaterally re-writing parts of an international agreement would confirm the prejudices of Boris Johnson's growing band of critics not a few of them in his own party who believe he has long had a contingent relationship with the truth in every aspect of his life. Until now, I have defended the Prime Minister in my mind against charges that he is a British version of Donald Trump. Isn't he both much cleverer and far more decent than the narcissistic American President? And yet ripping up a treaty is exactly the sort of thing Trump would do. Maybe Johnson and Cummings are just trying to convince EU leaders they are tough, and mean business. Perhaps they realise that, in any case, getting this Bill past a growing number of restive Tories would be uphill work. It may well never happen. But if it does, Boris should be aware that, in trashing this country's reputation for reliability and trustworthiness, he will also destroy his own. LONDON (Reuters) - Newcastle United took issue with the Premier League on Wednesday by accusing the body of acting inappropriately in rejecting a Saudi Arabian-backed takeover bid based on an owners and directors' test. The club, whose version appeared to contradict the league's, issued a statement saying they would be "considering all relevant options available". The proposed 300 million-pound takeover of the club owned by British businessman Mike Ashley collapsed in July. The decision came after long scrutiny by the Premier League which faced pressure to block the deal due to concerns over alleged broadcast piracy in the Gulf state. The consortium included Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF, PCP Capital Partners and the Reuben Brothers. The Premier League's chief executive Richard Masters said in August that the bid had failed after the group declined an offer of independent arbitration and voluntarily withdrew. He also said there was never a point when the Premier League was asked to make an assessment on the suitability of members of the consortium as the group had ended its bid before the issue was resolved. Newcastle said the Premier League had rejected the bid, however. "This conclusion has been reached despite the club providing the Premier League with overwhelming evidence and legal opinions that PIF is independent and autonomous of the Saudi Arabian government," it added. "The club and its owners do not accept that...Masters and the Premier League have acted appropriately in relation to this matter and will be considering all relevant options available to them." Newcastle said Ashley had been "fully committed" to the takeover and felt it was in the best interests of the club. The Premier League season starts on Saturday. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond) Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden rolled out corporate tax proposals Wednesday aimed at protecting U.S. workers by encouraging companies to invest in jobs domestically and punishing multinationals for moving jobs overseas. Bidens proposals include: A 10% surtax on profits of U.S. companies on products made overseas and then sold in the United States. Combined with Bidens proposed 28% corporate tax rate, the plan means companies would pay a 30.8% tax rate on any such profits, Bidens campaign said. A 10% Made in America tax credit meant to spur job creation. The credit would be available to companies that invest in reopening or retooling U.S. facilities or bring back manufacturing or service jobs from foreign countries. Closing what the Biden campaign calls three major offshoring loopholes in the 2017 Republican tax law that allow companies to shield profits from U.S. taxes. Biden also said he would sign a series of executive actions in his first week as president to strengthen the federal governments Buy American rules and support American supply chains. Why it matters: The announcements mark Bidens latest effort to challenge Trump on the issue of the economy and appeal to working-class voters in battleground Midwestern states including Michigan, where he held his event Wednesday. Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust and a former official at the Chicago Federal Reserve, told Bloomberg News that, since the tax changes would require congressional action, they would depend on Democrats winning a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate in Novembers elections. Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter. No gun used in teen attack in Phuket Town: Police PHUKET: Teenagers assaulting another teen on a small backstreet in Phuket Town on Monday night (Sept 7) did not involve any firearms. Phuket City Police have confirmed. violencecrimepolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Wednesday 9 September 2020, 04:53PM The attack occurred coincidentally in front of a building that is home to the Sexy Nights Exclusive Club. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub at least one of the four in the attack was wearing a face mask. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub. The incident occurred in Soi Nimit 2 at about 9pm, Phuket City Police Chief Col Theerawat Liamsuwan told the press yesterday after a video recording of the assault made national news and was played repeatedly by many Thai news agencies, including state news broadcaster MCOT. A resident in the street video recorded the attack with a mobile phone, then called the police on the 191 hotline, Lt Col Theerwat explained. The owner of the commercial building where the altercation took place coincidentally in front of a building that is home to the Sexy Nights Exclusive Club had explained that there are CCTV cameras fitted to the front of the building, but they have not been connected, Lt Col Theerawat continued. The video shows four teenagers gathered in front of the building. At first the group were talking, but then several members of the group started attacking one of the four, he added. During the attack, a sound like a gun firing could be heard when one of the attackers swings an object at the victim, who was already on the ground beside a parked car. The attackers then carried the collapsed teen into a car waiting across the street and left the scene. Col Bandit Khaosutham, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Police Investigation Division, said that police had already tracked down the young man attacked in the incident. I have already found the victim in the video clip and questioned him. He explained that it was just a small argument about a woman in his gang. He does not want police to prosecute his friends, he added, explaining that no charges will be pressed for the attack. As for the sound of the gun being fired, the sound came from a piece of PVC pipe that was used to beat him, Col Bandit said. From the video, the piece of PVC pipe hit the parked car beside where the victmi was sitting. CAIRO - The Palestinian foreign minister Wednesday called on Arab states to dismiss a deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalize relations, describing the agreement scheduled to be finalized next week as an earthquake. The UAE and Israel announced the deal to establish full diplomatic relations on Aug. 13. It reflected a changing Middle East in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians. Most of the Arab world has long rejected diplomatic ties with Israel in the absence of a peace deal establishing a Palestinian state on lands captured by Israel in 1967. That steadfast support for the Palestinians, however, has begun to weaken in recent years, in large part because of shared enmity with Israel toward Iran and Iranian proxies in the region. The Palestinians have repeatedly voiced their rejection of the U.S.-brokered Israel-UAE deal as trading away one of the few cards they have in moribund peace talks with Israel to establish their own independent state the Arab boycott of Israel. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki told the Arab League in Wednesdays meeting that the Palestinian Authority called for an emergency meeting following the announcement of the UAE-Israeli deal. He said one Arab League member opposed a Palestinian request to add an item to the meeting agenda, an apparent reference to a Palestinian-introduced draft resolution on the deal. Al-Malki did not name the country. The meeting was held online because of the coronavirus pandemic. Al-Malki described the deal between the UAE and Israel as an earthquake that hit the Arab consensus over the Palestinian cause and he urged Arab foreign ministers to reject the deal, otherwise our meeting will be considered a blessing or collusion with it, or a cover for it. Hossam Zaki, the Arab Leagues deputy secretary general, told a news conference in Cairo that the foreign ministers failed to reach a compromise on a resolution on the UAE-Israeli deal because of differences between the Palestinians and Emirates on the wording of the Palestinian-introduced draft. A draft resolution needs more time and extensive consultations ... we hope in the future to reach an agreed form, he said. The UAE presented the agreement, which is scheduled to be signed on Sep. 15, as taking Israels planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank off the table. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the pause was temporary. Al-Malki, the Palestinian foreign minister, rejected the argument, saying that Palestinians resistance to and rejection of Israels annexation policies were the cause of Israels suspension of its plans. He accused the U.S. of pressuring other Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel, which he described as a colonial and racist occupation. He was apparently referring to Sudan, which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited last month to push its transitional authorities to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 13:10:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in India rose by 89,706 during the past 24 hours, taking the tally to 4,370,128, and 1,115 deaths were recorded since Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 73,890, according to latest data released by the federal health ministry on Wednesday. Still there are 897,394 active COVID-19 cases across the country, while 3,398,844 people have been cured and discharged till date. Over the past couple of weeks, India has been focusing on ramping up testing capacity, as 51,804,677 samples had been tested till Tuesday, out of which 1,154,549 tests were conducted on Tuesday alone. India is currently passing through the Unlock 4 phase. With effect from Wednesday, all restaurants and bars have been opened. Metro rail services were resumed from Monday in a graded manner maintaining social distancing. On Tuesday, the central government issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding partial reopening of schools, saying students in classes 9-12 can attend classes with effect from Sept. 21. "Students would be allowed to visit their respective schools on voluntary basis for taking guidance from their teachers," said one of the SOPs. They will be allowed to visit their schools with written consent of their parents or guardians. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 20:51:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to Russia to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers and pay visits to Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia from Sept. 10 to 16, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian announced Wednesday. According to Zhao, Wang will exchange views with the foreign ministers of other SCO member states on promoting all-round cooperation in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and on major international and regional issues. Wang will also hold bilateral meetings with his foreign counterparts and attend a luncheon of Chinese, Russian and Indian foreign ministers, Zhao said. During his visit to Russia, Wang will hold talks with his Russian counterpart and compare notes on bilateral ties and international and regional issues of common concern, Zhao said. Wang will meet the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia and hold talks with their foreign ministers to consolidate the traditional friendship, strengthen anti-epidemic cooperation, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, promote high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, and strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, Zhao said. Enditem Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic Industries Oleh Urusky held a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Ukraine Yagmur Ahmet Guldere. The meeting took place on September 8 following the recent visit of a Ukrainian delegation led by Minister Urusky to Turkey, according to the Government portal. Urusky thanked the Turkish side for the hospitality and warm welcome of the Ukrainian delegation and briefed the ambassador on the results of the visit to Ankara and Istanbul, especially on the meeting with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During the meeting, the parties discussed important issues related to the development of Ukrainian-Turkish relations in the field of military-technical cooperation, the implementation of joint projects in the aerospace industry, the development of certain industries and the implementation of current areas of cooperation. The Turkish side also organized other important meetings with the heads of the ministries, departments, enterprises and organizations of the Turkish defense industry. The Deputy PM paid special attention to a specific list of the main areas of cooperation that the parties intend to develop, and stressed that the visit of the delegation highlighted the friendly relations between the two countries and a common strategic vision of industrial development. "Today we have a close and friendly relationship between the countries. During my recent visit to the Republic of Turkey, we identified a number of areas for joint work. We see that both Ukraine and Turkey express interest in the development of cooperation in many areas of the defense industry. I hope that in the future our relations will continue to be filled with specific content and projects that will be mutually beneficial for both countries," Urusky stressed. In his turn, Ambassador Yagmur Ahmet Guldere stressed: "Ukraine is a strategic partner for Turkey and these are not empty words. Cooperation in the defense industry between the countries is a rising star in our relations. We hope for the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries and the creation of new joint projects. Let's work together to develop our industries to strengthen our common security." Moreover, the ambassador noted that interpersonal relations are of utmost importance for both countries. "In 2020, we expect to begin the process of treatment in Turkey of Ukrainian servicemen wounded during the hostilities in eastern Ukraine. We hope that in the near future the necessary procedures will be passed and the servicemen will be able to come to Turkey," he said. In addition, Urusky thanked Turkey for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. At the end of the meeting, the interlocutors expressed mutual respect and their readiness for cooperation. ish Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. You have to have some mechanical ability and some metric tools. Is this buy rs 07 gold a full time job? Maybe not. Can $1,000 a month be made? Yes, very easily. "I went back to Israel a few weeks ago and I was blown away by how fast and how quickly their autonomous driving technology has developed," says Intel CEO Bob Swan in reference to Mobileye. "We went through the streets of Jerusalem. 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[ Keep up on the latest thought leadership, insights, how-to, and analysis on IT through CIOs newsletters. ] Dylan Weymouth, business operations lead at the Warehouse Group, says Noel Leemings Nola digital assistant is a key part of its plans to deliver a multi-channel experience. In retail today, tolerance for poor service is lower than its ever been. Customers expect things to be simple and easy; otherwise, youre at risk of losing them. For me, utopia is getting to a point where we deliver frictionless shopping, making it so easy to interact with us whether on the web, instore or on an app, he says. Nolas origins in the physical store Partnering with local firms Ambit AI and UneeQ Digital Humans, the concept for Nola began in 2019 as an in-store feature at Noel Leemings signature store in Newmarket, Auckland. Noel Leeming wanted to create a wow experience for customers, conveying a forward-thinking brand but also delivering useful information. Placed at the entrance to the store and aided with a microphone, Nola asks how it can help, and customers respond by asking for product availability, store location, opening hours and more. During the conversation, Nola appears to be listening, leaning in slightly and looking interested. Like a good trainee team member, Nola refers to in-store staff if it cant help with more detailed requests. Team members are alerted via a mobile app when, after talking with Nola first, customers needed more specialised help, says Weymouth. We wanted our customers front and centre with Nola as they arrived, interacting with the human-friendly tech as they soaked in the new store. At opening, Nola was going offthe best day saw over 3,000 interactions and within a few months she had posed for nearly 3,000 selfies with customers, Weymouth says. Nola quickly reached 100,000 in-store interactionsshe was an immediate hit. The pandemic put Nola out of workuntil it was moved online When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, stores closed in response to the initial nationwide lockdown, leaving Nola momentarily out of a job. The website and call centre went ballistic with customer interactions, Weymouth says. To pivot Nola to where customers needed it the most, Noel Leeming worked with partner Ambit AI to rapidly put Nola online. We spun this up in two weeks to help with the surge in online demand. Online, Nola was doing 1,000 customer interactions per day, giving customers a direct, efficient route to what they needed. Soon after going live, we enabled chat handover, with Nola referring customers to human agents to help with product availability, sales and services. This transfer of queries to human agents kept our customers engaged during the process, which also kept our staff busy adding value even when stores were closed. It was a win-win, Weymouth recalls. Nola serviced three times as many queries daily than the week before the August 2020 resurgence lockdown. We were stoked to offer customers this channel from the get-go. While Nola was busy fronting customer queries, staff who had been rostered in stores were instead able to focus on online deliveries and fulfilling our one-hour Click&Collect service. They also helped with the customer care centre, inventory checks and stocktakes, Weymouth says. Next up: Noel Leeming will soon add the ability for customers to check their order status through Nola, he says. What CIOs can learn from the Nola experience CiOs considering deployment of their own digital assistant should keep the following lessons from Nolas journey in mind. Find the right partners, adapting with them as the business need changes. Tim Warren, CEO of Ambit AI, says, The partnership brought together three parties, each with specific expertise. Together we were able to find innovative ways of meeting Noel Leemings customers needs. In tough times, having the right partners becomes even more important. During the lockdown, the platform was adapted, as was the partnership, to deliver outcomes more attuned to the needs of customers shopping from home. ROI comes from a focus on the holistic customer experience, not just on the technology. From the start, Nolas value was delivered as an important part of a wider customer experience strategy comprised of the physical store, a service-oriented culture of team working, integrated product information, and ready product availability supported by smart operational processes. Nolas success was helped by combining each of these elements. Be prepared to pivot early and often, sensing and responding to changing needs. Nolas conversational flows were altered in the first 24 hours of deployment, learning from early interactions with customers. This agility hasnt stopped, with the check my order status feature soon to be added and conversational flows being further enriched as Nola learns more about what customers want. Nolas value increases with every insight-driven enhancement. Peter Johnston does business strategy, transformation and leadership innovation based on his experiences in business consulting globally. Johnston launched and led IBM iX in New Zealand, one of the worlds largest digital consulting agencies. W here is it? Staring out at Tuscany's hilly Maremma countryside, Castello di Vicarello is housed in a 12th-century castle that's been transformed into a nine suite contemporary luxury hotel by the Baccheschi Berti family. The drive from Florence takes little under two hours with plenty of Tuscan landscape to keep you engaged: the medieval city of Siena is around the halfway point followed by the charming town of Paganico which is just fifteen minutes from the property. Style Castello di Vicarello is a labour of love, carefully restored by design-savvy couple Carlo and Aurora Baccheschi Berti who spent their time between Bali and Milan before embarking on a twelve-year journey into making it the cosy space it is. The stone and brick walls are brought to life by contemporary artwork, leather furnishings and elaborately carved Indonesian artefacts, giving it a lived-in feel. The same homely warmth continues into all of its nine suites and two communal living rooms; personalised with a selection of vintage books and family photographs. From olive wood flooring and Italian marble bathrooms to day beds and private wine cellars, there are hints of opulence fit for a queen. The outdoor area is a much simpler affair: muted beige sun loungers decorate both of its pools and wrought iron chairs and tables dominate the courtyard. Also dotted around are cosy Balinese huts to escape the afternoon sun. All nine suites have stunning countryside views / Castello di Vicarello Which room? Surrounded by forty hectares of farmland, olive groves and vineyards, it is all about the views at Castello di Vicarello. There isn't a bad room on offer so regardless of whether you are in Suite Vicario, where the general of the castle once resided, or in the more exclusive Suite Torre, you are guaranteed jaw-dropping greenery as far as the eye can see. Couples looking to indulge can opt for Suite The Spa with all the trimmings: a steam room, sauna, and an outdoor jacuzzi with uninterrupted views of the Mediterranean coastline. The floor-to-ceiling windows look out across the Ombrone valley, bringing the outdoors in. The hotel has adopted a farm to table philosophy / Castello di Vicarello Food & Drink The hotel has adopted a farm to table philosophy with all of its ingredients either grown on-site or sourced locally. In amongst the olive groves are patches of vegetable and herb plantations and a short walk away is a hen house for daily supply of eggs. At the heart of the castle is its 900-year-old, fully-functional, family kitchen used to prepare breakfast each morning. With its impressive arched ceiling and a hidden pantry, this room is certainly a sight to behold. Hopeless romantics need to wait until dinner for the big reveal when the terrace, capturing 360-degree views of Maremma, is transformed into a restaurant with candle-lit tables. Pace your way through a set menu comprising of two to four courses celebrating the family's Italian heritage. Spaghetti with truffle shavings is a must-try (when on the menu) as is the wild boar with tomato jelly. Pair the dishes with Castillo di Vicarello's award-winning selection of wines, lovingly crafted by two generations of the Baccheschi Berti family using organically grown grapes. Catch the sunset and socialise over an aperitivo at half six. Guests are spoilt with not one but two infinity pools / Castello di Vicarello Activities Chances are you'll want to swim in the infinity pool all day, but should you fancy doing something else there is plenty on offer. Immerse yourself in the landscape with a hike that takes you through rivers and vineyards or explore the hills on horseback or a bike. The dreamy backdrop is ideal for al-fresco spa treatments, private yoga and meditation sessions. In-room treatments can be booked upon request. Discover the distinct flavours of Tuscany and its age-old secrets from Aurora Baccheschi Berti, author My Tuscan Kitchen, in a cooking class which will have you master dishes like papa al pomodoro, ravioli maremmani and tiramisu. If drinks are more your bag, go wine tasting. The hour-long session hosted by Carlo and his eldest son Brando will have you sample the finest grapes grown and harvested on the property. Learn all about the composition and complexity of the vines occupying seven hectares of the estate. Lovers of astronomy should keep their telescopes at the ready to stargaze the night away. Dine under the stars / Castello di Vicarello Best for Couples and honeymooners looking for refined luxury. How to get there Fly direct from London Heathrow to Pisa with British Airways. Castello di Vicarello is two and a half away by car. If you're planning on making the journey via Florence, the drive is just under two hours. Details Rooms start from 500 per night on a bed and breakfast basis. You can book part of the villa from 4,000 per day with a minimum stay of two nights or the entire castle could be yours from around 10,000 per day with a minimum stay of two nights. castellodivicarello.com/offers BERLIN: Germanys top security official criticized the countrys independent press watchdog Wednesday for ruling that a left-wing newspapers column disparaging the police was covered by freedom of speech. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said in a statement that the verdict was intolerable" because it played down what he considered libelous comments about the police. The German Press Council ruled Tuesday that the column in the Tageszeitung daily, headlined All cops are unfit for work," had addressed structural problems within the police force, such as far-right extremism, violence and racism, in a satirical way. The columnist had suggested that police officers would be better off working on garbage dumps. Seehofer had initially threatened to file a criminal complaint against the columns author after it appeared in June, but then backed off after Chancellor Angela Merkel intervened in the matter. The newspapers editor in chief, Barbara Junge, welcomed the Press Councils ruling. Germany was ranked 11th in the World Press Freedom Index compiled annually by Reporters without Borders. The group noted that solid constitutional guarantees and an independent judiciary ensure a favorable environment for journalists in Germany, but warned of threats and physical attacks against journalists by extremists and hostile demonstrators. 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 UK prime minister Boris Johnson returning to Downing Street on Tuesday, ahead of a speech at a coronavirus press briefing on Wednesday. Photo by Han Yan/Xinhua via Getty UK prime minister Boris Johnson has warned hospitality venues could be fined for failing to enforce social distancing rules, in a televised speech to the nation on Wednesday. Johnson used a live Downing Street press briefing to highlight the governments plans to tighten coronavirus restrictions from Monday, saying he was simplifying and strengthening the rules. Most social gatherings in England will be cut from 30 to six people, and police given greater powers to enforce the limits. The prime minister revealed premises and venues where people meet will have a new legal duty to take and keep customers details, with local authorities encouraged to enforce the law. Meanwhile an army of council COVID-secure marshalls will enforce social distancing in city and town centre venues, he added. These measures are not another national lockdown. The whole point of them is to avoid a second national lockdown, said Johnson. He even hinted theatres could be allowed to re-open in a way much closer to normal this year, and repeated a previous claim some aspects of life could return to normal by Christmas. His comments came after the governments chief medical officer Chris Whitty said infection rates had increased rapidly in recent days, and warned Britain risked following Spain and France with a further spike unless further action was taken. READ MORE: Pound hits six-week low as UK unveils controversial Brexit bill Pub and leisure stocks tumbled on Wednesday amid alarm and uncertainty over how far the gathering rules could hit customer numbers, with some details still to be confirmed. Pub chiefs warned the measures will erode a fragile recovery in consumer and business confidence, and small events firms said large bookings had already been cancelled. Investors meanwhile fear even stricter rules that hammer the economy could be on the way. The lockdown imposed in March fuelled the steepest quarterly decline in UK output since records began 65 years ago. GDP plunged by 20.4% in the second quarter. Story continues The fear is that this is just the top of the iceberg, as the government begins to ramp up tightening measures first in a list of potential actions that could ultimately hit businesses, said Josh Mahony, a senior market analyst at IG, ahead of Johnsons speech. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said tighter gathering rules had been a surprise, and warned new announcements could have a cooling effect on public confidence. McClarkin called for continued business rate relief, VAT and beer duty cuts and sustained furlough support to help pubs survive and save jobs. Pub chains JD Wetherspoon (JDW.L) and Marstons (MARS.L), cinema giant Cineworld (CINE.L) and airlines EasyJet (EZJ.L) and Tui (TUI.L) were among the biggest fallers on the stock market in London earlier on Wednesday. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Britain. Chart: Pantheon Macroeconomics Mahony said it showed investors feared further growth in COVID-19 cases will likely lead to restrictions on travel and social interactions, including other countries imposing quarantine rules on UK travellers. The gathering rules appear to be hitting some firms trade already. One Derby-based caterer said a client had cancelled an event booking on Wednesday. "We were just getting back on track with events up to 30 guests, so this announcement is a disaster, said Helen Skripek, director of The Butlers Pantry. Mike Fishpen, an Oxfordshire chef for private dinner parties, also said three bookings had been scrapped on Wednesday as guests no longer planned to come. I have even lost a large deposit for Christmas Day. Its hard to know if I will have any income now going into winter. But the Treasury caved into pressure to provide more support for firms on Wednesday. Small firms forced to close because of local lockdowns or targeted restrictions can apply for a 1,000 grant for every three weeks of forced closure, and large firms can apply for 1,500. Business groups welcomed the move, but warned it did not go far enough. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) called for an extension to the furlough scheme, and more deferred VAT payments. BOISE, Idaho and NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Albertsons Companies announced today that it has partnered with Phosphorus to begin offering at-home COVID-19 test kits in select market areas, with plans to expand the offering throughout September and October. The saliva tests typically return results in 72 hours or less from the time the lab receives the test. Albertsons Cos. piloted the test kits in the Houston, Austin, and Boise markets and saw rapid adoption from patients. "Customers appreciate the convenience and innovation of taking the test from their own home, said Dan Salemi, GVP Albertsons Cos. Pharmacy. The saliva test is easy to use and comfortable. Patients are never more than a phone call away from our pharmacys guidance and care. And the at-home model can help ease the burden on a stressed health care system. Phosphorus is excited to team up with Albertsons Cos. in this partnership, said Alex Bisignano, Co-Founder and CEO of Phosphorus. Easy, accessible testing is key to containing the spread of the virus, and Albertsons Cos. is leading the delivery of that. In October, Albertsons Cos. expects to have rolled out the offering to all the market areas it serves. The test has received Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA for the detection of COVID-19. The process for obtaining a test is simple. From their home, patients complete a short online questionnaire at scheduletest.com that is reviewed by a local Albertsons Companies pharmacist. The patient is then contacted by the pharmacy to schedule a pickup or delivery. Patients showing symptoms should not pick up their own test; they must send a representative or choose delivery. The patient completes the saliva sample collection and sends it to the lab via the kits prepaid next-day shipping envelope. The results are delivered by email or text, typically within 72 hours or less from the time the lab receives the test. Currently, the pharmacy cannot bill insurance directly for the test; all payment is out of pocket. Patients may be able to submit their receipt to insurance for reimbursement. After the patient learns of the results, an Albertsons Companies pharmacist is available for questions regarding follow-up care. Phosphorus is a leading genomics firm headquartered in New York City with a laboratory in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Phosphorus laboratory is CLIA and CAP certified and licensed for testing in all 50 states. It has re-oriented its operations to focus on COVID-19 testing in order to bring its sensitive testing methodologies and extensive experience in genomics to this public health crisis. About Albertsons Companies Albertsons Companies is a leading food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. Albertsons Cos. is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2019 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the company gave $225 million in food and financial support. In 2020, the Albertsons Cos. made a $53 million commitment to community hunger relief efforts and a $5 million commitment to organizations supporting social justice. These efforts have helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, social justice and programs for people with disabilities and veterans' outreach. About Phosphorus Phosphorus's mission is to improve human health by better understanding and harnessing the power of the human genome. Having built the most comprehensive, high-quality, and cost-effective portfolio of genetic tests, Phosphorus is able to increase access and quality of care in the burgeoning field of genomics. The company currently provides panel-based, constitutional genetic testing in the specialty areas of Fertility, Cardiology, Lipidology, Oncology, Pharmacogenetics, Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Pediatric/Metabolic disorders. Phosphorus also offers the PhosphorusONE proactive health screen - the most comprehensive genomic test for taking a proactive look at your health. Additionally, Phosphorus provides the Elements software platform to enable any laboratory to easily deploy any of the Phosphorus genetic tests on-premise as a local solution. For more information, please visit our website at phosphorus.com. Attachments Automobile registrations slipped by 26.81 per cent in August from the year-ago period even though the country gradually eased COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) said on Wednesday. Three-wheeler registrations were down by 69.51 per cent with 16,857 registrations in August 2020 compared to 55,293 in the year-ago period. Automobile registrations slipped by 26.81 per cent in August from the year-ago period even though the country gradually eased COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) said on Wednesday. FADA President Vinkesh Gulati said August was better than previous month due to onset of the festival season but auto registrations continued to plunge on a year-on-year basis. Three-wheeler registrations were down by 69.51 per cent with 16,857 registrations in August 2020 compared to 55,293 in the year-ago period. Commercial vehicles witnessed a downswing of 57.39 per cent to 26,536 registrations versus 62,270 in August 2019, data released by FADA showed. Two-wheeler registrations totalled 8.98 lakh last month compared to 12.6 lakh in August 2019, marking a slide of 28.71 per cent. Passenger vehicle registrations edged lower by 7.12 per cent to 1.78 lakh from 1.92 lakh in the year-ago period. But tractor registrations rose by 27.8 per cent to 67,406 last month compared to 52,744 in the year-ago period. Also Read: Mercedes S-Class 2021 teaser: Check features and specifications here That took overall vehicle registrations to 11.88 lakh in August 2020, down 26.81 per cent from 16.23 lakh in August 2019. Gulati said customers who were sitting on the fence finally concluded their purchase during ongoing festivals of Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi. Entry-level passenger vehicles were in high demand as personal mobility is being preferred with current pandemic showing no signs of reduction, he said. Overall demand is still not back to pre-COVID levels as banks and non-banking finance companies continue to have a cautious approach towards funding, said Gulati. Commercial vehicles, especially in the medium and heavy commercial vehicles category, are still suffering from higher lead times with financers and an increase in the cost of acquisition leading to viability issues. A stricter CIBIL score is also affecting customer finance, he added. FADA India represents over 15,000 automobile dealers having 25,000 dealerships including 30 associations of automobile dealers at the regional, state and city levels accounting for 90 per cent of market share. (ANI) Also Read: Maruti Suzuki launches new subscription service in Pune and Hyderabad NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashwini Karandikar, the former Global President of Dentsu Aegis's Amnet has joined the Advisory Board of Method Media Intelligence ( www.methodmi.com ). Ashwini is an internationally recognized entrepreneurial executive with proven experience in advertising, business development and operational excellence across the globe. She successfully launched, established, expanded and operated Amnet (Dentsu's global programmatic group) in 50+ markets, making it one of the most globally consistent and profitable business units in the network, and led the development of market leading and revenue generating service innovations, such as the Amnet Audience Center and the Clean Supply initiative. Ashwini joins MMI at a significant juncture in its growth. She will act as an expert advisor to the company, working with its management, employees, consultants, and other advisory board members. Ms. Karandikar will also advise on go-to-market and sales strategies and managing, building, and accelerating customer channels and pipelines of business development and revenue for potential and existing customers. She will also act as a strategic advisor on the company's upcoming financing rounds, facilitating introductions to potential partners, prospects and other relevant contacts. About MMI MMI are laser focused on helping brands pursue a clean supply of media investments via the deployment of newly patented innovative technology, which is privacy-friendly, easy to deploy across 100% of spends, and can be fully integrated to existing data depositories and reporting platforms. Founded in 2017 by Shailin Dhar and Praneet Sharma, MMI have offices in New York, San Francisco, and London, and a growing base of leading advertisers deploying their technology in multiple markets, including General Motors, with additional investment via GM Ventures. Scott Thomson, MMI's Chief Operating Officer, says, "The very fact that we were able to attract someone of Ashwini's stature is testament to the potency of our proposition. She knows the space inside and out, and was once nominated as one of the top 30 most powerful women in the sector. She's super-smart, connected and collaborative, skills we are excited to draw upon as we develop our approach to market." Ashwini Karandikar says, "Media supply ecosystems are evolving and converging at a faster pace than previously forecast. What attracted me to MMI were their elegant and impactful solutions that will enable advertisers to curate goal-based media supply strategies in a clean and transparent manner. I am excited to partner with them to further develop their proposition and footprint." SOURCE Method Media Intelligence Related Links https://www.methodmi.com Three sharks have been caught near a netted Gold Coast beach where a surfer was mauled to death, as investigations into the attack continue. Nick Slater, a 46-year-old real estate agent, was fatally bitten on the leg while surfing at Greenmount Beach at about 5pm on Tuesday. His death is only the second fatal shark attack at one of Queensland's beaches protected by nets and drumlines since 1962. But it has now been revealed the 57km coastline is only protected by 2km of nets, sparking fears beachgoers are not as safe in the water as they once thought. Early analysis of a tooth lodged in Mr Slater's longboard has suggested the 46-year-old was killed by a 3.5m great white shark. Longboard rider Nick Slater, 46, was mauled to death by a shark on the Gold Coast on Tuesday The tooth left embedded in Mr Slater's surfboard has been taken away for analysis to find out what kind of shark attacked him An investigation will also try to uncover whether a dead tiger shark caught in a net off the Gold Coast beach is the same one that attacked the popular estate agent A photo of the tooth has been released by the Department of Fisheries, revealing it was 45mm long and 30mm wide. Queensland Fisheries said two sharks were caught on a drumline and in a shark net near Greenmount Beach on Wednesday. 'There was a 3.3 metre tiger shark alive on a Shark Control Program drumline at North Kirra,' a spokesman said in a statement. A two-metre tiger shark was found in a net a Currumbin. 'Further investigations will be conducted to discover if there is any link between it and the fatal attack,' Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told parliament on Wednesday. On Thursday, a 3.4 metre tiger shark was found on a drumline at Snapper Rocks. 'All catches were processed and disposed of in accordance with the Program's standard operating procedures,' a Department of Agriculture and Fisheries spokesperson said in a statement. 'Tiger sharks are classified as dangerous and included on the Program's list of target species. 'The Queensland Police Service is investigating the fatality at Greenmount Beach and will prepare a report for the coroner.' There are 27 shark nets at Queensland beaches, along with almost 400 baited drumlines, The Courier-Mail reported. Documentary director Andre Borell slammed the state's shark net program, which has been relied on for more than 60 years. 'It's totally unacceptable that our government continue to use safety measures from 1962 that have no scientific backing whatsoever,' he said. Mr Borell said using drone technology and netted swimming enclosures would be a more effective safety measure. Before nets were put in place, the last fatal shark attack off a Gold Coast beach was in 1958. Surf cameras captured the moment Mr Slater was killed by a great white shark at a netted Gold Coast beach in the first fatal attack in the region since 1958 Pictured: Mr Slater was was a real estate agent who lived in Miami on the Gold Coast Mourners descended on Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning to pay their respects to Mr Slater. A Westpac Lifesaver Rescue helicopter was circling in the area after first light looking for sharks. Beaches from Burleigh to Snapper Rocks were closed on Wednesday as lifeguards patrolled the waters on jet skis. The City of Gold Coast moved to reopen the beaches on Thursday. 'City lifeguards have advised that Gold Coast beaches will reopen this morning but surveillance by chopper, drone and lifeguards will continue until the weekend,' the City of Gold Coast said. 'We advise all beachgoers to exercise extreme caution with baitfish in the water.' Thomas Richard Tate, Mayor of the Gold Coast, offered his condolences to Mr Slater's family on Wednesday morning. 'Last time we've had a shark attack is 1958, over 60 years ago,' he told Today. 'It doesn't matter how long it has been, still a devastating shock to the community of the Gold Coast.' Mr Slater is assisted by fellow surfers and beachgoers after he was bitten by a shark on Tuesday Two women hug at Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning, following the death of a surfer Coastalwatch footage captured the moment a surfer brought the injured man to shore with the help of other beachgoers Pictured: Lifeguards on jet skis search the water at Greenmount Beach on Wednesday Mr Tate said the shark attack was a reminder to all beachgoers to 'look after your mates'. 'I mean really it brings to reality, when we go off the land we go into water, it is the shark's domain,' he said. Mr Slater's close friend Adrian Southern said the pair's common ground was their love for surfing. 'I was devastated to hear the news... it was very unlucky, there were about 60 surfers in the water. It could have been anyone out there,' he told Today. Mr Southern said the real estate agent was 'fully aware of the environment he was playing within'. 'Nick wouldn't want to see the shark hunted in that respect... it's only the second attack that's occurred in those protected beaches. 'It's very unusual. But I don't think he'd necessarily want the shark to be destroyed.' A man walks along a boardwalk as Greenmount Beach is closed on Wednesday morning A man walks past a sign declaring Greenmount Beach is closed on Wednesday morning Footage from a Swellnet surf camera shows Mr Slater sitting in the water at the end of the line-up before the shark grabs him and pulls him under. Water can be seen splashing around before the black silhouette of the shark swims away. Some surfers just metres away seem oblivious to what is happening. Mr Slater is then seen floating face down in the water before fellow board-riders drag him to shore. The bite stretched from his upper thigh to his knee and a tooth from the predator remained lodged in his longboard. Two surfers are seen walking near a 'danger' sign on Wednesday morning as beaches are shut from Burleigh to Snapper Rocks Greenmount Beach will remain closed until it's determined there are no longer sharks in the area Coastalwatch footage showed the moment directly after the attack, when a surfer paddled the victim to shore with the help of other beachgoers. Lifeguards were seen waiting on the sand before frantically working to treat the severe injury. The water was evacuated as lifeguards attempted to save the victim. Emergency crews rushed to the popular tourist spot but the real estate agent could not be saved. Mr Slater, who was surfing alone, was pronounced dead minutes after they arrived. Family and friends have flooded social media with tributes to Mr Slater, who has been described as an avid adventurer. 'I'll never forget the look on Dave's face as we found your car last night alone in the car park, confirmation of our worst nightmare,' Mr Slater's good friend Jasmine Robson wrote online. 'Expecting you to be back in an hour after catching a few waves.' Mr Slater's Instagram page showed a life full of adventure, with most of his pictures captured in the ocean. 'Just give me sunshine through the autumn, sweet snow to the spring,' a caption on one of the images said. Greenmount Beach was closed on Wednesday morning after a surfer was mauled by a shark on Tuesday Greenmount Beach, located near the Queensland-New South Wales border, has shark control equipment surrounding it including nets Surfer Jade Parker told 7News he first spotted a school of fish and up to 30 birds near the victim, which is what attracted the shark to the surfer. He had been walking along the footpath near a lookout when he noticed some commotion in the water. 'There were four or five people yelling and pointing at the water, and I looked out to where they were pointing and I spotted a board floating and a body was next to it,' he said. Mr Parker just assumed the surfer had been knocked out because he wasn't moving so he ran down to the beach and swam to the victim, who was in waist deep water. 'There were about three on the scene before me and they were all trying to drag him in with the board he had. I helped drag him into the beach as well.' Surfer Jade Parker told 7News he first spotted a school of fish and up to 30 birds near the victim, which is what attracted the shark to the surfer Two lifeguard vans are pulled up on the sand of Greenmount Beach as the sun rises on Wednesday morning When they arrived on the sand lifeguards were waiting with a stretcher but Mr Parker said he was 'pretty much gone' by the time they arrived. Mr Parker said the injury stretched from the 'groin area to just below his knee'. 'It was pretty much all taken... there was nothing there, it was just hanging there by not much,' he said. 'Honestly, I do not want to get to the gory parts but he was in a bad way. He was not conscious. It looked like he had already pretty much passed away at that point in time.' Mr Parker added that the attack would not put him off surfing. 'I know the sharks are always out there so I will just have to accept that fate,' he said. A woman sits on a rock and looks out to the water at Greenmount Beach on Wednesday morning A sign at Greenmount Beach alerts swimmers and surfers that the beach is closed on Wednesday Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 16:30:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- American scientists have expressed concerns about their government's crackdown on foreign interference at universities, which may drive away scientists of Chinese descent, according to a report by British journal Nature. The research community has been feeling the consequences of political tensions between Washington and Beijing, with many U.S. researchers with ties to China being investigated, the article wrote. Scientists told the journal that they know of ethnic Chinese colleagues who have left the United States because they felt "nervous and unsafe." "They're worried their lives will be ruined for no good reason," said Frank Wu, president of Queen's College in New York. Alice Huang, a biologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, said she knows of four ethnic Chinese researchers who are U.S. citizens and have left the country over the past two years. There have been increasing reports on probes or arrests involving scientists of Chinese descent by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, raising doubts over the agency's claim that it does not conduct investigations based solely on race, ethnicity or national origin. Enditem Kampala, Sep 9 : Uganda will resume international flights from October 1, about six months after the government closed airports in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, an aviation spokesperson said here on Wednesday. Vianney Luggya, the communications officer of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, told Xinhua that the authority has released the tentative schedule for the resumption of international passenger flights to Entebbe International airport, about 40 km south of the capital, Kampala. Ayub Sooma, the aviation authority's director for airports and aviation security, on Tuesday sent the schedule for phase one of passenger flights to Entebbe International airport to various international airlines. The schedule is effective October 1 and will be in operation for the next three months. "This is a tentative schedule for planning purposes. It is part of an ongoing internal discussion between the airport authority and air operators," said Luggya. President Yoweri Museveni last week instructed the national taskforce team on Covid-19 to review the possibility of a phased reopening of the country's international airport, schools and places of worship as the country eases lockdown restrictions. South Africa: Kanana residents move into new homes More residents of Kanana informal settlement in Gugulethu, Cape Town have moved into their brand-new homes in the Forest Village development in Eersteriver. According to the Western Cape government, 51 beneficiaries have now moved out of Kanana as part of the de-densification process during the lockdown period. This means 126 of the 150 beneficiaries that ought to be moving in, have already done so. The Western Cape Human Settlements Minister Tertuis Simmers, said being in a position where tangible change is being made in peoples lives brings him immense joy. We have made a commitment to assisting the most vulnerable from this community and this is exactly what were doing. The elderly and those living with a medically certified disability is our priority and we will continue to assist them. Our aim is to improve the lives of our people, while also restoring their dignity, he said. Im looking forward to ensuring that the remaining 24 from Kanana also swiftly move into their new homes. One of the beneficiaries, Xoliswa Patso, 62, could not contain her excitement. This is a great day. I no longer have to live on the water and my many years of suffering in Kanana are over. Im truly grateful to God and the Minister for changing my life, she said. Simmers has encouraged residents to draft a will and ensure that they leave a legacy for their children. Forest Village is one of the departments projects, which commenced in January 2016 and has a budget allocation of R1.1 billion. This mixed-use development consists of various types of units to cater for beneficiaries of different income levels and specific needs such as Military Veterans, Breaking New Ground (BNG) and Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) units. We remain committed to accelerating human settlement delivery while promoting social inclusion through the development of integrated, resilient, safe and sustainable human settlements in an open opportunity society, Simmers said. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said three focus areas have been identified as they move forward and start the recovery process, which is creating jobs, safety, dignity and well-being. Among those who moved in yesterday, were 84-year-old and 62-year-old beneficiaries, in line with the Department of Human Settlements commitment to prioritising housing for the elderly, those who have been on the waiting list for a long time, backyard dwellers and the disabled, said Winde on Tuesday. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. (Natural News) A Texas county is asking Gov. Greg Abbott to send in state troopers after the Austin city council slashed around $150 million off the budget of its police department. County Judge Bill Gravell Jr. of Williamson County, which covers part of Austin, expressed his concern that recent budget cuts by the Austin city council placed officers in the city and their families in great peril. In addition, Gravell noted that citizens of Austin living within Williamson County will not remain protected at current levels. It is clear that the Austin city council has abdicated [its] responsibility to protect [its] citizens and in turn, citizens of Williamson County, said the country judge, promising to not let politics get in the way of protecting the people. In Texas, a county judge, or county administrator, is the chief executive of the local government. In a letter addressed to Abbott, Gravell also requested for state troopers to be assigned to work with the areas sheriff in protecting Austin citizens. Willamson County Sheriff Robert Chody responded to Gravells letter request, tweeting Austin politics do impact WilCo. Austin politics do impact WilCo. https://t.co/pXQDRq0mTG Williamson County Sheriff Chody (@SheriffChody) August 19, 2020 In an interview with Breitbart Texas, Chody said that the police forces reduced budget could negatively affect the county where he serves as the chief law enforcement officer. Abbott also denounced the Austin police budget cuts, saying: Some cities are more focused on political agendas than public safety. He also warned that the reduced budget for Austins police department paves the way for lawlessness. Despite the budget cuts, Abbott promised that the Department of Public Safety will stand in the gap to protect the city. In addition, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the recent rioting brought about by Black Lives Matter protests in downtown Austin did not end in anarchy, thanks to state troopers. (Related: 3 Antifa rioters in Austin, Texas charged with LOOTING a Target store.) Austin city council: Budgets cuts born out of a lot of hurt The $150 million budget cut came in three tranches. An initial $21.5 million was slashed off through the cancellation of three classes for the police force and reduction of the overtime budget. A second tranche amounting to $79.6 million came from the separation of police functions such as internal affairs, forensics laboratory and 911 dispatch. The last tranche of the police budget cuts amounting to $49.2 million affected typical police expenses such as training and traffic enforcement. Austin city councilman Greg Casar said that the decision to slash the budget for the citys police was born out of a lot of hurt in the community. Currently, the city council is planning to redirect funds slashed from the police department into other sections such as other relevant community programs. We know we have a long way to go, Casar added. Jimmy Flannigan, another Austin councilman, posted his reconstruct and deconstruct proposal in the citys online forum. In his proposal, Flannigan explained the reconstruct portion as a reorganization of the existing force into civilian-led departments, while the deconstruct portion outlined plans to demolish the current Austin police headquarters and relocate staff to other buildings. Find out more news about defunding the police and its consequences at PoliceViolence.news. Sources include: Breitbart.com Twitter.com KXAN.com TexasTribune.org CommunityImpact.com AustinCouncilForum.org WASHINGTON - A senior Department of Homeland Security official alleges that he was told to stop providing intelligence reports on the threat of Russian interference in the 2020 election, in part because it "made the President look bad," an instruction he believed would jeopardize national security. The official, Brian Murphy, who until recently was in charge of intelligence and analysis at DHS, said in a whistleblower complaint that on two occasions he was told to stand down on reporting about the Russian threat and alleged that senior officials told him to modify other intelligence reports, including about white supremacists, to bring them in line with President Donald Trump's public comments, directions he said he refused. On July 8, Murphy said in the complaint, acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf told him that an "intelligence notification" regarding Russian disinformation efforts should be "held" because it was unflattering to Trump, who has long derided the Kremlin's interference as a "hoax" that was concocted by his opponents to delegitimize his victory in 2016. It's not clear who would have seen the notification, but DHS's intelligence reports are routinely shared with the FBI, other federal law enforcement agencies, and state and local governments. Murphy objected to Wolf's instruction, "stating that it was improper to hold a vetted intelligence product for reasons [of] political embarrassment," according to a copy of his whistleblower complaint that was obtained by The Washington Post. More for you Trump says he knew coronavirus was 'deadly' and worse than the flu while intentionally misleading Americans, new book report DHS did not respond to requests for comment. The president's political interests were often of greater concern to senior leaders at the department than reporting the facts based on evidence, Murphy alleges. He claims that Wolf and Ken Cuccinelli, the department's second-in-command, on various occasions instructed him to massage the language in intelligence reports "to ensure they matched up with the public comments by Trump on the subject of ANTIFA and 'anarchist' groups," according to the complaint. Trump has sought to link anti-fascist, or antifa, protesters opposed to police violence with Democratic Party leaders and to associate his opponent, former vice president Joe Biden, with extremists. Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, said in a statement, "If true, these latest revelations cement a pattern of high ranking Trump Administration officials not only keeping law enforcement officials and the American people in the dark about assaults on our democracy, but corrupting intelligence processes to benefit the president politically." Murphy himself has been a recent subject of controversy. He was removed from his position and assigned in July to an administrative role, where he remains. His new assignment followed reports by The Post that his office had compiled "intelligence reports" about tweets by journalists who were covering protests in Portland, Ore. In his complaint, Murphy called press coverage of his office's activities "significantly flawed" and said that his team "never knowingly or deliberately collected information on journalists, at least as far as [he] is aware or ever authorized." Murphy's complaint prompted mixed reactions among former senior administration officials, who said he had valid and significant concerns but described him as a flawed messenger. According to three former senior officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid, Murphy was a poor manager and the source of low morale in his office. Murphy's lawyer, Mark Zaid, declined to comment on the criticism from former officials. He said, "We're focused on substantive whistleblower allegations only." Separately, in a statement Wednesday, Zaid said, "Mr. Murphy followed proper lawful whistleblower rules in reporting serious allegations of misconduct against DHS leadership, particularly involving political distortion of intelligence analysis and retaliation. We have alerted both the Executive and Legislative Branches of these allegations and we will appropriately cooperate with oversight investigations, especially in a classified setting." Murphy's claims that Trump officials tried to downplay the threat from Russia will add to a chorus of complaints on Capitol Hill that administration officials are withholding vital information about election interference from lawmakers and voters. The administration has limited the number of lawmakers who may be briefed on the subject. Murphy alleges an ongoing effort by senior officials to obfuscate the threat from Russia in particular. He claimed that in May, Wolf told him to stop producing intelligence assessments on Russia and shift the focus on election interference to China and Iran. He said Wolf told him "that these instructions specifically originated from White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien." Murphy said he would not comply with the instructions, which he believed would "put the country in substantial and specific danger," according to the complaint, which was filed Tuesday with the DHS inspector general. A White House spokeswoman disputed Murphy's allegations. "Ambassador O'Brien has never sought to dictate the Intelligence Community's focus on threats to the integrity of our elections or on any other topic; any contrary suggestion by a disgruntled former employee, who he has never met or heard of, is false and defamatory," Sarah Matthews said in a statement. "Rather, Ambassador O'Brien has consistently and publicly advocated for a holistic focus on all threats to our elections - whether from Russia, Iran, China, or any other malign actor." Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that Murphy's complaint "outlines grave and disturbing allegations that senior White House and Department of Homeland Security officials improperly sought to politicize, manipulate, and censor intelligence in order to benefit President Trump politically. This puts our nation and its security at grave risk." The committee has asked Murphy to testify later this month. Murphy's allegations track with concerns from other officials, as well as Democratic lawmakers and national security experts, that the Trump administration has tried to downplay the threat from Russia. Last month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated publicly that Russia, China and Iran were engaged in interference campaigns, an assessment that drew sharp rebukes from Democratic lawmakers, who said the administration was trying to equate the efforts of all three countries, when in fact Russia is the only one actively trying to help Trump by attacking Biden. Murphy appeared to share those concerns, stating that the analysis in the intelligence notification, which he said was eventually leaked to the press, "attempts to place the actions of Russia on par with those of Iran and China in a manner that is misleading and inconsistent with the actual intelligence data." Wolf singled out China as a uniquely "menacing actor" and singular threat to U.S. national security during a "State of the Homeland" speech to the department's senior officials on Wednesday. "China has leveraged every aspect of its country including its economy, its military, and its diplomatic power, demonstrating a rejection of Western liberal democracy and continually renewing its commitment to remake the world order in its own authoritarian image," he said. DHS plays a key role in guarding against election interference, mainly by working with state and local governments to ensure that electronic voting systems are protected from hackers and outside manipulation. As part of its mission, the department has also sent unclassified bulletins to state and local authorities describing foreign interference. Recently, DHS issued a report that Russian media is spreading false allegations that mail-in voting is unsafe, with claims that echo the baseless assertions Trump and Attorney General William Barr have made that voting by mail is rife with fraud. Murphy stated that after being told to stand down on Russia in May and shift his focus, he made two classified disclosures on the matter later that month to Cuccinelli. The second occurred after a deputies-level meeting of the National Security Council on election security. Murphy did not provide further details on what he told Cuccinelli but described his concerns as generally having to do with "abuse of authority, willfully withholding intelligence information from Congress, and the improper administration of an intelligence program." Murphy also made a series of allegations in the whistleblower complaint that senior Trump administration officials had pressured him to provide what he considered misleading information about suspected terrorists crossing the border with Mexico, as part of an effort to bolster the case for building a border wall. DHS officials came under pressure from the White House and then-spokeswoman Sarah Sanders to provide information on "known suspected terrorists" to support construction of the border wall during the government shutdown in January 2019, a former DHS official confirmed. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, was not party to the communications outlined in Murphy's complaint but said they were consistent with the pressure coming from the White House at the time. "We were all under pressure to get data on security threats crossing the border," said another former senior DHS official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. "The truth was that there is not a significant number of [known suspected terrorists] crossing illegally between ports of entry." The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central Constituency, Hon. Ebenezer Nii Narh Nartey on Tuesday 8th September, 2020 cut sod for the redevelopment of the Sabon Zongo Market as part of the constituencys allocation of one million dollars. The project, which is being funded by Coastal Development Authority (CODA) under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), when completed will transform the dilapidated structure into an ultramodern trading facility. The new market, which is expected to be completed in three months, will significantly empower families by boosting the economic lives of residents, most of whom are petty traders. Addressing the gathering, The MCE of the Ablekuma Central Municipal Assembly, Hon. Mariama Karley Amui, indicated that construction of the new market was an incontestable proof of the commitment of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to ensure that Zongo communities are properly developed as promised by him. She further indicated that improvement of the dilapidated market has been long overdue, a situation that has compelled some traders to move to other places in the constituency to sell their wares. She called on leaders and members of Sabon Zongo community to give the contractor all the needed support during construction. She also said, lets support the President to deliver on all the good initiatives he is undertaking for Ghanaians". Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Sabon Zongo, the General Secretary of Mallam Baako Family, Seidu Musa Baako stated that construction of the market was a dream come true. According to him, sod was first cut for the project in the First Republic after which it was abandoned. He thanked His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo for prioritising the welfare of residents of Sabon Zongo. He expressed gratitude to the President for the establishment of CODA and the Ministry of Inner Cities and Zongo Development, adding that the two entities have made a dramatic transformation in their lives. He called on all stakeholders to cooperate with the contractor. On his part, Hon. Narh, MP pointed out that construction of the market was in fulfilment of a promise made by the President to give Sabon Zongo a modern market. According to him, for a long time the market received no attention, emphasizing that the current structure was put up in the era of the Late C S Crabbe and Okuley Nortey, both former NPP MPs. Hon. Narh assured that ongoing construction of roads in the constituency will continue from where it paused. He stated that priority will be given to current occupiers in the allocation of stalls when the market is completed. The CEO of CODA, Lawyer Jerry Ahmed Shaib, in his remarks described Hon. Ebenezer Narh as a hardworking MP gifted with persistent lobbying skills. He stated that, in line with the local content policy of CODA, the contractor will be required to recruit artisans and laborers for the project from the constituency. He also informed that CODA has approved funding for the construction of an ultramodern market at Sukura, a neighboring community in the constituency. He referred to the Free SHS initiative of this government as one of the most impacting initiatives and urged all residents to take advantage of it since education is the ultimate equalizer. Present at the colourful event were the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CODA, Lawyer Jerry Ahmed Shaib; Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ablekuma Central Municipal Assembly, Hon. Mariama Karley Amui; Nii Abossey Okai III, Chief of Abossey Okai; Chief of Zongo, Alhaji Yahya Hamisu Baako, traders and members of the Sabon Zongo community. Featured Content I wish I had someone like me in the... Chrissy Teigen has opened up about a scary racist incident that happened over a decade ago in Virginia with her husband John Legend. The 34-year-old supermodel, whose mother is of Thai descent and whose father is Norwegian, spoke about the incident in a wide-ranging profile with Marie Claire. Teigen was with her husband John Legend in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as they were driving at night looking for Legend's godmother's house, when they were followed by two 'neighborhood-watch-type' men. Opening up: Chrissy Teigen has opened up about a scary racist incident that happened over a decade ago in Virginia with her husband John Legend. Telling all: The 34-year-old supermodel, whose mother is of Thai descent and whose father is Norwegian, spoke about the incident in a wide-ranging profile with Marie Claire 'We were in a nicer neighborhood at night, driving slowly, looking for Johns godmothers home,' Teigen began. 'These two guys were in a pickup truck slowly tailing us, flashing their lights and trying to speak to us. When we pulled over, they were like, "What are you guys looking for?" and we gave them the address,' she added. The two men responded, "Get your asses out of here!" with Teigen stating they, 'proceeded to follow us all the way into her driveway.' Nicer neighborhood: 'We were in a nicer neighborhood at night, driving slowly, looking for Johns godmothers home,' Teigen began Once they got to the home, Teigen added, 'they got out of the car and stared at us as we knocked on the door and went inside. It was a terrible, scary experience.' Teigen explained through tears that incident was her 'first taste of seeing what happens to Black men every day.' 'It was horrifying and could have gone wrong so quickly. I was sobbing afterward for hours, and I noticed John wasnt emotional about it,' Teigen admitted. Stared: Once they got to the home, Teigen added, 'they got out of the car and stared at us as we knocked on the door and went inside. It was a terrible, scary experience' 'Seeing that he wasnt very thrown by it was really upsetting because he obviously had experienced it before,' she added. While the incident happened in 2010, when Teigen and Legend were still dating, she believes it still would have happened today, which she blames on the current administration. 'People are very confident in their ways of being open about their racism because they have the backing views of the president,' Teigen added. Experienced: 'Seeing that he wasnt very thrown by it was really upsetting because he obviously had experienced it before,' she added 'It's become such a hurtful, weird presidency for so many Americans, and Im going to fight to get this person out of office because I cant live another four years with this kind of hatred boiling through America,' she added. Teigen is expecting her third child with John Legend, who she dated for four years before he popped the question in 2011 before they tied the knot in Italy in 2013. The happy couple share two kids, four-year-old daughter Luna and two-year-old son Myles. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed "dismay and utter disappointment" over President Rodrigo Duterte's grant of absolute pardon to Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, the American Marine who was convicted of killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude. While the constitutional body recognizes that it is within the President's power to pardon anyone, this must be done "with prudence and sensitivity to the plight of victims," CHR Commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit said in a statement on Wednesday. Gomez-Dumpit said the President's decision, described by the Justice Department as "an act of grace" toward Pemberton, is actually an affront not just to the Laude family but the entire LGBTQI community. "Pemberton committed one of the most brutal crimes against a transwoman in the country," Gomez-Dumpit said. "Pembertons express pardon exhibited double standards, lack of fairness, and the absence of empathy for the LGBTQIA+ community." In October 2014, Laude was found dead in an Olongapo City motel room after a night out with then 19-year-old Pemberton. Laude's neck was blackened with strangulation marks and her head slumped in a toilet bowl, after Pemberton learned that she was a transgender. "Killings of transgender persons continue to rise worldwide," the commissioner also said. "In the Philippines, they continue to be victims of violence and harassment." These should stop and the rights of the LGBTQI community should be protected, she added. On Monday, Duterte surprised the nation by pardoning Pemberton in the midst of appeals filed by the Laude camp and even the Philippines' own Department of Justice to block the American soldier's early release on the basis of good conduct. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra explained that while his department questions the four years' worth of good conduct time allowance credited to Pemberton, he sees nothing "really very objectionable" with the pardon, since it is an exclusive prerogative of the President. Pemberton will soon walk free after less than six years in jail. In line with the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, he has been detained in Camp Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Armed Forces in Quezon City, instead of the New Bilibid Prison. The Court of Appeals initially sentenced Pemberton up to 12 years of imprisonment, but it was later reduced to a maximum of 10 years. The high-profile case has raised emotions in the country, from members and supporters of the LGBTQI community and from those who criticize the special treatment extended to American servicemen. By Associated Press NEW YORK: In the latest sign of how it's prospering while others are faltering during the pandemic, Amazon said Wednesday it is seeking to bring aboard 33,000 people for corporate and tech roles in the next few months. It's the largest number of job openings it's had at one time, and the Seattle-based online behemoth said the hiring is not related to the jobs it typically offers ahead of the busy holiday shopping season. Amazon can afford to grow its workforce: It is one of the few companies that has thrived during the coronavirus outbreak. People have turned to it to order groceries, supplies and other items online, helping the company bring in record revenue and profits between April and June. That came even though it had to spend USD 4 billion on cleaning supplies and to pay workers overtime and bonuses. Demand has been so high, Amazon has struggled to deliver items as fast as it normally does and had to hire 175,000 more people to help pack and ship orders in its warehouses. ALSO READ | Amazon adds 7,000 more jobs in UK as COVID-19 pandemic e-commerce booms Walmart and Target have also seen sales soar during the pandemic. But other retailers have had a rougher time. J.C.Penney, J.Crew and Brooks Brothers have all gone bankrupt. And Lord & Taylor, which has been in business for nearly 200 years, recently said it will be closing its stores for good. Companies across other industries have announced layoffs, including Coca-Cola and American Airlines. Amazon said the jobs will be centered around Amazon's offices across the country, including Denver, New York, Phoenix and its hometown of Seattle. The new hires will work from home at first, but the company said it does want employees to return to the office eventually. ALSO WATCH: Ardine Williams, Amazon's vice president of workforce development, said plans to build a second headquarters near Washington, D.C., are going as planned, despite the pandemic, with 1,000 workers already hired. To fill the 33,000 jobs, Amazon said will hold an online career fair September 16 to collect resumes and give people a chance talk to a recruiter. Those not interested in a job at Amazon can also get resume help, the company said. At a similar career fair last year, about 17,000 people showed up in person and Amazon said it received more than 200,000 applications for 30,000 jobs. In July, the company said its workforce topped 1 million worldwide for the first time, making it the second-biggest U.S-based private employer behind Walmart Inc. An HIV-positive accused paedophile who police allege wants to infect children has been freed on bail. Jadd William Brooker, 38, was granted bail on Thursday at the Christies Beach Magistrates Court in Adelaide to live with his grandmother in home detention. But he remains in custody as prosecutors work to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court. South Australian Police warned Brooker should not be released as he allegedly pursued teenagers for sex and tried to destroy potential evidence, Adelaide Now reported. Jadd William Brooker, 38, was granted bail on Thursday at the Christies Beach Magistrates Court in Adelaide to live with his grandmother in home detention Police allege one of the teenagers Brooker had sex with did not know he was HIV positive, and was also the subject of child exploitation material. '(The surviving victim) was unaware of Brooker's medical status when they engaged in sexual activity, and he is currently undergoing medical testing,' prosecutors told court on Thursday. When he was contacted in prison by his mother she volunteered to delete Brooker's Facebook account and he asked her to wipe other accounts for him, the court heard. Brooker allegedly provided his email and password for his Microsoft Live account and asked his mother to delete it. 'Given the nature of the charges, a lot of potential evidence is stored in the cloud potentially millions of pieces of evidence and this is an attempt to destroy it before police can uncover it,' police prosecutors said. The 38-year-old allegedly pursued 19 children all aged between 13 and 16 for sex online and also has connections to other alleged paedophiles. He is currently in custody as prosecutors are working to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court Despite the warnings from police Magistrate Rodney Oates granted bail as he had no prior criminal history, no breaches of bail and the presumption of innocence. 'I do take into account the fact other charges are being investigated but, in relation to this bail application, I must focus on the charges that are before this court,' he told the court. Brooker is yet to plead to multiple counts of disseminating and possessing child exploitation material. Prosecutors allege the offences occurred from December 2015 and August this year and that Brooker has maintained an illegal relationship with two male teenagers. Investigators allege to have evidence that Brooker intended to 'infect both children and adults with HIV'. Magistrate Oates agreed and released Brooker on $1,000 bail to live with his grandmother under 24-hour electric monitoring. Prosecutors are challenging the decision and Brooker's release was postponed pending a hearing. Managed Accounting and ERP Experts, AcctTwo, Announce 4th Consecutive Year on Inc. 5000 List The Inc. 5000 is an important accolade for us. For our company to be mentioned among the other independent businesses in America that are driving our economy, and showing massive growth--even in uncertain times--thats huge validation and were all very excited about this achievement. Managed accounting experts and six-time Sage Intacct Partner of the Year, AcctTwo, revealed today they earned a 4th consecutive place on the Inc. 5000, Inc. magazines ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. AcctTwo jumped 181 spots from 2019 and showed three-year revenue growth of 181%. The Inc. 5000 list represents the most successful companies within the American economys independent, small business segment. The 2020 Inc. 5000 was ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. Previous honorees include esteemed and successful companies such as Intuit, Microsoft, Patagonia, Under Armour, and Zappos. The Inc. 5000 is an important accolade for us. For our company to be mentioned among the other independent businesses in America that are driving our economy, and showing massive growth--even in uncertain times--thats huge validation and were all very excited about this achievement, said Marcus Wagner, Founder and CEO of AcctTwo. Im most proud of our AcctTwo people. Everyone works tenaciously to help our clients reduce their monthly stress, calm the chaos, and focus on what they need to do to grow the business, added Wagner. A great example is our outsourced accounting service. We couldnt stand by and watch companies struggle so we offered managed accounting services for companies that could no longer afford to be mired down in day-to-day, transactional processes. For us its less about the bottom-line and more about saving you time, having quicker access to financials, in a way thats affordable and scalable. Watch a short video about how AcctTwo Managed Accounting Services works. The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, said Inc. Editor-in-Chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism. According to Inc., the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list have 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 companies achieved a three-year average growth of more than 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s 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 http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc. About 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. About AcctTwo AcctTwo is focused on delivering the future of finance and accounting to its customers. AcctTwo has three main solutions Cloud Accounting Software, Managed Accounting Services, and Software Development, all built around Sage Intaccts best-in-class financial applications. Our dedicated team of over 100 people has helped nearly 1,000 organizations optimize finance and accounting through software implementations, accounting outsourcing, and consulting. AcctTwo has been recognized by Sage Intacct as its Partner of the Year from 2014 2019 and by our customers as a leader in overall satisfaction and popularity through their reviews on G2. AcctTwo is headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information about accounting software customization, please visit https://www.accttwo.com or call 713-744-8400. A man has been arrested and buildings have been evacuated following a 'security incident' outside the ASIO headquarters in Canberra. The public was urged to avoid the area which has since been blocked off by police on Wednesday afternoon. 'ACT Policing is currently responding to an incident at a building on Constitution Ave,' a police spokesman said. A man has been arrested and buildings have been evacuated following an 'incident' at the ASIO headquarters (pictured) in Canberra 'The road has been closed between Anzac Parade and Russell Offices. 'A man is in custody, although some nearby buildings have been evacuated as a precaution, there is no threat to the wider community.' ACT Ambulance Service vehicles also attended the scene, while police ordered bystanders to come inside from balconies. Economy Minister Diane Dodds has announced that Mid Ulster-based paving manufacturer Tobermore is to invest 30million and create 95 jobs in ambitious plans to rapidly grow its business over the next four years. The company is considered one of the leading paving and walling manufacturers and suppliers in the UK and Ireland. Invest Northern Ireland has offered Tobermore 807,500 of funds which includes support for its new production facilities in the Mid Ulster area, the new jobs and investment in new machinery to help meet the growing demand for its products. Managing director David Henderson said: We have experienced extensive growth in recent years due to our exceptional product offering combined with our high levels of customer service, and in return have developed new products to meet the needs of our loyal customer base. This investment will put us in a unique position to exploit multiple markets in the coming years, with UK and Ireland our main priority markets. We are excited by the next stage of our growth plans, which requires the major expansion of our current facilities and significant investment in recruitment and marketing. We are delighted to have received the support of Invest NI as we move forward with our expansion plans. The company began recruitment earlier this year to help it meet customer demand, with 25 of the jobs already in place. A further 70 roles are to be created in areas including sales, operations and production. Minister Diane Dodds added: During such challenging times for companies across Northern Ireland, I would like to congratulate Tobermore on this major announcement. It is investments like this which will drive our economic recovery forward. This 30m investment will help Tobermore meet the growing demand for its products throughout the UK and Ireland, whilst also creating valuable skilled employment opportunities in the Mid Ulster District Council area. The jobs, to be created over the next three years, will generate almost 2.5m in additional annual salaries. Congratulating the company, Kevin Holland, Invest NIs chief executive, said: Supporting businesses with the greatest potential to grow is vital to helping our economy to move forward. We have worked with Tobermore over many years, and recognised the potential the company had to scale rapidly. The company participated in our Leadership for Growth Programme, which has provided the senior team with the right tools to move into this new phase of business growth. To support this, we have offered the company just over 850,000 towards this investment and training of its staff to ensure it can grow and meet demand for its products and services. Video footage shows unopened USPS mail being tossed from a truck into a California parking lot. Bags of mail were dumped in a parking lot from the back of a Budget moving truck in Glendale, California and the United States Postal Service still searches for answers. Read More: Black postal workers worry USPS changes could impact job security According to KTLA5, mail was found in two separate locations in Glendale with one incident captured on surveillance video. Unopened letters and packages were released into parking lots in the early morning hours of Sept. 3. Glendale Police Department Sgt. Christian Hauptmann confirmed the events to the news outlet. While there is no video of the first reported dump, taking place at around 7:30 p.m., the second reported occurrence happening around 5:40 a.m. was caught on tape. U.S. Postal Service workers monitor packages on a conveyor belt at a processing and distribution center on April 29, 2020 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Video footage from 7Q Spa Laser & Aesthetics shows a rented Budget vehicle pulling up to the location leaving bags of letters and packages. It happened early in the morning, 5:40, and it was a Budget rental big truck that backed up to the parking lot. And theyre like, slowly, one by one, theyre dropping the packages, Lilia Serobian, an owner of the spa, told KTLA5. Read More: House Democrats want to give the USPS $25 billion According to CNN, Omar Gonzalez, the Western regional coordinator for the American Postal Workers, says USPS employees had nothing to do with the mysterious attempted mail disposals. We wanted to make sure it wasnt a bargaining employee, Gonzalez said to CNN. We talked to the Glendale supervisor and the Glendale manager and asked from where the contractors would have received the bags. Thats when they responded, telling us the Union should not speak about it. He explains that some companies who ship in bulk have plastic bags with the USPS logo to bring to the bulk shipping department at the dock. Incoming mail is supposed to be placed into USPS trucks and transported to a processing center, according to CNN. Story continues Whether the mail thrown from the truck was incoming or outgoing is unclear. If its outgoing, we dont know how it got into the Budget truck, Gonzales said to CNN. Read More: Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz prevented from entering mail facility The Postal Inspectors office and local police are both conducting investigations. The mail will go through a verification process and be delivered. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post USPS mail dumped in California parking lot in viral video appeared first on TheGrio. Transport manufacturers are the largest UK exporters. Credit: Getty. The EU remains the largest market for UK manufacturers despite a 19% year-on-year jump in goods exported to the US. The UK Manufacturing Facts report released on Thursday reveals that the top six European markets account for a third of all British goods exports. The UK manufacturing export industry currently stands at 367bn ($477) with the US being the single largest importer of UK products. But seven of the top ten UK export markets are based in Europe including Germany, France and Ireland ranked in second to fourth place respectively. China, ranked fifth, is the only top ten destination for UK goods outside of Europe and the US. Exports to the top six European markets Germany, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium are worth 117.4bn alone, according to the report by manufacturers' organisation Make UK and Santander UK. READ MORE: Amazon services arm pays 14m in UK taxes despite revenues of nearly 3bn The UK retained position as the ninth largest manufacturer and tenth for global exports. The data, captured before the coronavirus pandemic, also reveals that among the 2.7 million people employed by UK manufacturers, the average salary stands at 34,538 13% higher than the average UK salary. Transport manufacturers were the largest exporters (22%); food and drink remained the leading sub-sector for output (17%), while transport also generated the most in terms of research and development (36.4%). Stephen Phipson, chief executive at Make UK, said the data demonstrated the overwhelming importance of the need to avoid imposing any Brexit trade barriers. Whilst the United States remains the biggest market and presents significant opportunities for export growth, it is a fallacy to believe that geography is not the biggest factor driving trade. For UK manufacturers, access to their biggest market must be a premium, he added. READ MORE: Valdis Dombrovskis becomes EU trade chief as Ireland loses crucial portfolio Paul Brooks, UK head of manufacturing, Santander UK, said: Our manufacturers have shown unyielding resilience over recent months. Retaining our position as the ninth leading manufacturer makes it clear that the UK is still a major player on the international stage, but we must not rest on our laurels. This data underlines the importance of prioritising manufacturing as the UK establishes new trading relationships with partners around the world. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, said she was 'very concerned' after the Government published the Internal Market Bill, which she warned 'breaks international law and undermines trust' - ARIS OIKONOMOU/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/Shutterstock The European Union is considering legal action against the UK after Boris Johnson pressed ahead with plans to override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement. The bloc believes it may be able to mount a challenge before the Government manages to pass legislation which changes part of the deal struck last year relating to Northern Ireland, which ministers admit does breach international law in a "very specific and limited way." According to Bloomberg, a draft working paper prepared by Brussels and circulated to member states warns that the UK Internal Market Bill represents a clear breach of the agreement which would open the way to legal remedies. It adds that once the transition period ends, the EU could also trigger the dispute settlement mechanism contained in the deal, which could ultimately result in the UK being hit with financial sanctions. It came as the EU called for emergency talks to salvage the Brexit negotiations. The talks will take place on Thursday. Eric Mamer, chief spokesman of the EU Commission, said on Twitter: The EU seeks clarifications from the UK on the full and timely implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement. Maros Sefcovic, Michael Goves counterpart on the UK-EU joint committee set up to implement Brexit, said he would hold an extraordinary meeting as soon as possible to address the blocs strong concerns. That meeting will go ahead on Thursday. Mr Sefcovic told reporters: The Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation and we expect the letter and the spirit of the Withdrawal Agreement will be fully respected. I think on that we have to be very, very clear." It came as Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, said she was very concernedafter the Government published the Internal Market Bill, which she warned breaks international law and undermines trust. On Wednesday, Number 10 issued a fresh line of defence, telling reporters that the withdrawal agreement had been signed "at pace" and it had always been intended that grey areas in the treaty could be clarified later on. Story continues However, Ms von der Leyen said the legal principle of pacta sunt servanda - that an agreement cannot be reneged on - was the foundation of prosperous future relations. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council added that the breaking international law will not create the confidence we need to build our future relationship. EU's Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier attended a meeting in Westminster for the next round of Brexit talks as British and EU negotiators try thrash out a Brexit deal before a looming October deadline - NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/Shuterstock Michel Barnier, the EUs chief negotiator, arrived in London yesterday, with sources indicating he would confront his opposite number Lord Frost over the UKs proposals to change parts of the deal relating to Northern Ireland. Ahead of the meeting, an EU diplomat told The Telegraph: A quick reading of the relevant articles of the Internal Market Bill suggest the UK Government is launching a frontal assault on the Protocol and its obligations. Notwithstanding the consequences for the negotiations this must be the absolute nadir of four years of negotiations by a country known as the cradle of democracy. However, a second EU official insisted the bloc would not walk away at this point, adding that Mr Barnier would frame the UK as being the party responsible for this mess. Responding yesterday, a Government spokesman said they welcomed Mr Sefcovic's request for an additional meeting of the joint committee and would be looking to agree a date with his team. British officials will tell their EU counterparts they do not intend to walk away from any commitments or explicit promises made in the joint committee, The Telegraph understands. Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, and an Irish American, is a strong supporter of the Good Friday Agreement, which requires an open border and of which the US is the guarantor - Patrick Semansky/AP Mr Johnson faced further criticism at homeon Wednesday as Sir John Major became the second former prime minister after Theresa May to warn that changing the withdrawal agreement risked undermining trust in the UK and its standing internationally. For generations...our signature on any treaty or agreement has been sacrosanct, he added. "If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained." Meanwhile, in Washington, senior Democrats warned the UK risked jeopardising a US trade deal if it failed to uphold the withdrawal agreement. They included Richard Neal, the head of the House of Representatives ways and means committee, which holds significant sway over the signing of US trade deals. Mr Neal claimed that Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, who is leading Donald Trump in the polls, shares my position, adding any move which risked a hard border on the island of Ireland represented a very significant problem. Mr Biden, an Irish American, is a strong supporter of the Good Friday Agreement, which requires an open border and of which the US is the guarantor. His comments were echoed by Nancy Pelosi, the most senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, who told the Irish Times: If the UK violates that international treaty and Brexit undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement passing the Congress." Both the House, in which the Democrats wield a majority, and the Senate, will need to ratify any trade deal with the UK. However, the Prime Ministers spokesman insisted that protecting the Northern Ireland peace process was exactly why the UK was making the changes. We are absolutely committed to no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, he added. Speaking earlier at Prime Ministers Questions, Mr Johnson said: We need a legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations of the protocol which could lead to a border down the Irish Sea which I believe...would be prejudicial to the interests of the Good Friday Agreement and prejudicial to the interests of peace in our country. When it comes to Lebanon, the US and France have similar outlooks, but one major point of difference involves the Hezbollah movement -- shunned by Washington but tolerated by a pragmatic Parisian leadership. While the United States seeks to isolate and curb the influence of the Iran-backed group it has designated a "terrorist" organisation and punished with sanctions, France recognises it as a key political actor whose cooperation is needed to lift Lebanon out of crisis. Lebanon's government stepped down last month amid popular anger over a massive blast at Beirut's port on August 4 that killed 191 people, wounded thousands and ravaged large parts of the capital. Both Western powers have agreed Lebanon needs a cabinet different from its predecessors to tackle urgent reforms, but all consensus seems to end there. "France's approach tends to be more realistic," analyst Karim Bitar told AFP. "France views Lebanon as it is, while the (US President Donald) Trump administration tends to view Lebanon as it would like it to be." The US view is that Hezbollah -- the only group not to have disarmed after the 1975-1990 civil war -- holds excessive influence in Lebanon, "which needs to be contained", Bitar said. But Paris recognises "Hezbollah in Lebanon is a major political actor, that it has a wide captive constituency in Lebanon's Shiite community, that it is here to stay," he added. - 'Elected by the people' - The United States has been following closely as French President Emmanuel Macron twice visited Lebanon since August 4 to press for political change and reforms to unlock financial aid. During his last trip, the French leader differentiated between two facets of Hezbollah -- one "terrorist", and the other, a political party "elected by the people" to parliament and allied with the Lebanese president's party that could not be excluded from talks. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has been notably positive about Macron's visits, not labelling them as "foreign interference" as he might have done for such a move by the US. The Shiite movement's parliamentary bloc leader, Mohammad Raad, was among lawmakers who met Macron before he said all sides had agreed to form a new government within a fortnight. France, which has outlined a roadmap for reforms for the next government, "wants to maintain a channel of dialogue with Hezbollah in order to prevent the destabilisation of Lebanon", Bitar said. Paris views itself as "an honest broker" to do this in a time when tensions are at a peak between Washington and Tehran. Observers say France is one of the only Western powers to have maintained direct contact with Hezbollah, pointing to the role of the current French ambassador, who formerly held the same post in Tehran. "There has always been direct contact between Paris and Hezbollah," an Arab diplomat in Beirut told AFP. And as Washington is caught up in preparing for the US presidential polls, it appears to be giving France some leeway on Lebanon. "The Americans have set as a condition that Hezbollah not take part in the (next) government, but they could turn a blind eye to them remaining if there were a deal and reforms," the diplomat said. - Hezbollah 'cannot be trusted' - US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, also visiting Lebanon last week, told Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar that the US appreciated the French initiative, but differed on a few details, including that Hezbollah was not a legitimate political organisation but a "terrorist" group. He did not meet with key political figures, instead seeing army chief Joseph Aoun, lawmakers who resigned after the port blast, civil society activists and Shiite figures opposed to Hezbollah. One such Shiite figure told AFP that Schenker said during their meeting that Hezbollah "cannot be trusted" to lead reforms. "Hezbollah has been given ample opportunity since 2005 to really involve itself in the state and has not changed its behaviour," the source reported Schenker as saying. The United States has demanded Hezbollah lay down its weapons, but also echoed the call of a political minority in Lebanon that the country be "neutral", meaning that it break ties with Iran and distance itself from the region's conflicts. Most Lebanese political sides, however, have accepted that the Shiite movement is a military force to contend with and a political actor present in all branches of state, which, with its allies, currently dominates parliament. Responding to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling for Hezbollah's weapons to be dealt with as a priority, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt in a televised interview last week responded that the solution would come through politics. "Let Pompeo forget the rockets for now. That matter will be solved through politics when the time is right," he said. Good news for Samsung Galaxy S20 series, i.e. Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra owners. Because the OEM has opened up One UI 3.0 Android 11 developer beta program. Developers, who are looking to experience all the features of One UI 3.0, can apply for this program. Notably, the update will be released for the registered devices by this fall. Google recently released the stable Android 11 updates for its devices. Besides, other devices started following suit. And now Samsung has joined the bandwagon as well. Advertisement Moreover, Samsung has recently committed to providing three years of software support for eligible devices. This is big as only OnePlus and Google till now provided this support. Now this One UI 3.0 Android 11 Developer Preview Beta program is live for the Galaxy S20 series users. In fact, Samsung will accept applications on a case-by-case basis. One thing that we can speculate from this is that this might be a cover-up for the delay in the rollout of the stable Android 11 One UI 3.0 update for the devices. Advertisement Galaxy S20 One UI 3.0 Android 11 beta program is live for multiple countries As per sources, this new Galaxy S20 One UI 3.0 Android 11 beta program is live in multiple countries, like China, Germany, India, Poland, Korea, the UK, and the United States. For obvious reasons, you have to own a Galaxy S20 series phone, i.e. Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra in order to be eligible for this program. Besides, currently, this program is available only to approved developers. This is to ensure that the store applications are compatible with the beta update. Advertisement Apparently, in the invite, Samsung also will be collecting feedback from the developers. This will help the OEM to fix the bugs and glitches before the final version is rolled out. Since this is a developer beta, this is a good sign that company is taking precautionary steps to avoid any issues with the final version of One UI 3.0 Android 11 update. However, the OEM has not yet announced when the public beta would start for the audience. In fact, the recently released Galaxy Note 20 series is also not a part of this trial. Advertisement The applications will be processed within 5 business days In order to enroll in this program, approved developers can head over here to know more. One important thing is that before applying for this beta program, it is advised to back up the data on your phone. Apparently, Samsung has included the unlocked as well as Sprint and T-Mobile variants of the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra in the developer beta program. For South Korea, unlocked, KT, LGU+, and SKT variants of the Galaxy S20 series are eligible to register for this program. President Donald Trump knew way back in January exactly how serious the threat Covid-19 posed to the US was, but always wanted to play it down, according to a forthcoming book by legendary investigative journalist Bob Woodward. This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency, national security adviser Robert OBrien told Trump during an Oval Office meeting on January 28, Woodward writes in the book, Rage, according to The Washington Post, where Woodward works as an associate editor. This is going to be the roughest thing you face, OBrien had added. Ten days later, Trump called Woodward and said in an on-record interview: You just breathe the air and thats how its passed. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flu, he said in the interview, which was released on Wednesday and aired by news channels. This is deadly stuff. Also read| Trump downplaying Covid-19 is historic national tragedy: Nancy Pelosi But the president conveyed an altogether different message to the American public then, as he does now. He had said that the threat to the US from the coronavirus was ephemeral and will somehow be over magically. I wanted to always play it down, the president told Woodward in another interview on March 19. Trump is battling continuing criticism of his handling of the pandemic, with allegations that he deliberately downplayed it and ignored advice of his health experts so as to not negatively impact his re-election chances. His administrations response has polled poorly with Americans as well. But the president has fought back, claiming he did well by shutting down the country from travellers from China early, ramping up production of ventilators and protective gear for health care personnel. Woodwards book is based on several on-record interviews with the president, and will join a growing collection of accounts scrutinising Trumps character and performance in office in the weeks near the November 3 elections. It covers the presidents response to the anti-racism unrest, meetings with North Koreas Kim Jong Un and many other issues. A system of 'cannabis cards' for medicinal users which will effectively decriminalise the drug is being backed by police chiefs. Around three and a half million people with health conditions will be allowed to use the card under the proposal, according to The Times. Those with illnesses such as cancer, depression, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis will be eligible to use it and will identify them as a 'registered medical cannabis patient'. It will prevent them being slapped with a fine or five-year prison sentence for buying cannabis on the black market for their condition. Medical cannabis has been legal in the UK for nearly two years. But due to strict rules, only a handful of people have been given an NHS prescription. Currently, it is believe more than a million people in the UK buy cannabis illegally to self-medicate. Police chiefs say they are trying to ensure the card is not exploited by organised crime, but it is not clear yet how this would be done. Patients who have been authorised to use medicinal cannabis for their conditions will not face arrest following the introduction of a new card which has received the backing of police Medical cannabis has been legal in the UK for nearly two years, though only a small number of people have received an NHS prescription for the drug And it will mean police officers have a justification for not arresting them when they are in possession of cannabis. The plan is being backed by the Police Federation of England and Wales and the National Police Chiefs Council is working with the organisers of the cards to design and implement it. Patients who use cannabis to relieve pain from their medical issues find themselves being arrested for possession of the drug. Only a small number of people - thought to be less than 100 - have been given an NHS prescription for medicinal cannabis since it was legalised in November 2018. Epidiolex, for children and adults with epilepsy, nabilone, for chemotherapy patients, and Sativex, for people with MS-related muscle spasticity, are considered licensed cannabis-based medicines. All other cannabis-based medicines are unlicensed and often referred to as 'specials.' The decision to prescribe the cannabis-derived medicines must be made by a specialist doctor not a GP, the Government rules. The cost of a private consultation has priced many out of the option of legal cannabis. So they turn to the black market. MEDICINAL CANNABIS: WHAT ARE THE RULES IN THE UK? Medical cannabis has been available on prescription in the UK since it was approved by the Government in July 2018. Doctors are able to prescribe medicine derived from marijuana, but the decision to must be made by a specialist doctor not a GP, the Government rules. At the time of law change, the Home Secretary Sajid Javid (2018-2019) said: 'Following advice from two sets of independent advisors, I have taken the decision to reschedule cannabis-derived medicinal products meaning they will be available on prescription. 'This will help patients with an exceptional clinical need.' Mr Javid added it was 'in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use'. It came after he granted an exceptional licence for Alfie Dingley, six, and Billy Caldwell, 12, to use cannabis for their epilepsy. Possession of the class B drug will still carry an unlimited fine and up to five years in jail, while dealers face 14 years in prison. Some products that might claim to be medical cannabis, such as CBD oil or hemp oil, are available to buy legally as food supplements from health stores. But there's no guarantee these are of good quality or provide any health benefits. Advertisement Last year, a YouGov survey found that almost three per cent of the adult population, 1.4 million people, were using cannabis for a medical condition. A further two million who are not using the drug may be eligible for the card, the research suggested. Those without a prescription and caught in possession of the drug face a five-year prison sentence as well as an unlimited fine. The dealer can face 14 years in prison. The cannabis card, also referred to as CanCard, is set to be introduced in as private scheme November and will give people who need medical cannabis but cannot afford a prescription support in order to avoid arrest. Simon Kempton, of the Police Federation, told The Times: 'Our members didn't join the police to lock up these people 'This is an initiative that I support, for a number of reasons. Primarily it gives officers information on which to base their decision-making around whether or not to use discretion or to arrest a member of public.' Jason Harwin, from the police council, said: 'This is a real live issue, where the police service finds itself stuck in the middle of a situation where individuals should legitimately be able to access their prescribed medication but because of availability and cost they can't and therefore to address their illness rely on having to use illicit cannabis. 'The card isn't a get out of jail free card... it does not give holders the right to carry illicit drugs. It's a flag to us that the person should be accessing medication.' The police council wants to make sure the cannabis card, funded by companies in the medical cannabis industry, is not taken advantage of by organised crime gangs. Carly Barton, 33, a former university lecturer, is the brains behind the scheme. She suffered a stroke at 24, triggering nerve damage that left her in constant pain. She was prescribed opiates but they left her sedated. In desperation she tried cannabis and found she was pain free and able to lead a productive life. However, she could not afford the private prescription of 1,000 so decided to grow her own, as many others chose to do. But the police raided her house and confiscated her plants. Ms Barton says private clinics have stepped in 'to fill the void' caused by a blocking of integrating cannabis into the healthcare system, The Centre for Medicinal Cannabis - a UK-based industry membership body - reported. Sapphire Clinics is one such private clinic and has become one of the few options for patients to access medicinal cannabis. They clinic in Marleybone, London, had more than 50 people on its waiting list when regulators approved for it to start giving prescriptions in October 2019. It's soared since, according to founder Dr Mikael Sodergren. He said: 'Whilst the treatments on the NHS are still very limited, we are witnessing a significant increase in volume of patients referred to our clinic over recent months. 'This is likely to be due to a combination of factors including increased awareness of both patients and healthcare workers, increased accessibility using our telemedicine platform and significant reduction in costs of medications as importation rules have changed.' The decision to change the law for cannabis-based medicine in 2018 came partly in response to a rapid evidence review of evidence by the chief medical officer. It concluded that medicinal cannabis products could be effective for some medical conditions, backed by compelling campaigns from families who discussed how the treatment had helped their sick children. A remarkable public campaign was spearheaded by a Northern Irish mother, Charlotte Caldwell, on behalf of her son Billy, who is now 15 years old. High concentration forms of cannabis oil have been hailed for treating the symptoms of epilepsy, HIV and cancer. Some products that might claim to be medical cannabis, such as CBD oil or hemp oil, are available to buy legally as food supplements from health stores. But there's no guarantee these are of good quality or provide any health benefits, although anecdotally people report better sleep, mental health and alleviation of common conditions. Did you know NASA's next Mars rover has a nearly identical sibling on Earth for testing? Even better, it's about to roll for the first time through a replica Martian landscape. As NASA's Mars rover Perseverance hurtles through space toward the Red Planet, the six-wheeler's twin is ready to roll here on Earth. A full-scale engineering version of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover - outfitted with wheels, cameras, and powerful computers to help it drive autonomously - has just moved into its garage home at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. This rover model passed its first driving test in a relatively tame warehouselike assembly room at JPL on Sept. 1. Engineers expect to take it out next week into the Mars Yard, where a field of red dirt studded with rocks and other obstacles simulates the Red Planet's surface. "Perseverance's mobility team can't wait to finally drive our test rover outside," said Anais Zarifian, the mobility test bed engineer at JPL. "This is the test robot that comes closest to simulating the actual mission operations Perseverance will experience on Mars - with wheels, eyes, and brains all together - so this rover is going to be especially fun to work with." Wait, Why Does Perseverance Need a Twin? Perseverance isn't flying to Mars with a mechanic. To avoid as many unexpected issues as possible after the rover lands on Feb. 18, 2021, the team needs this Earth-bound vehicle system test bed (VSTB) rover to gauge how hardware and software will perform before they transmit commands up to Perseverance on Mars. This rover model will be particularly useful for completing a full set of software tests so the team can send up patches while Perseverance is en route to Mars or after it has landed. And just like Perseverance has a fitting name - one that captures the hard work of getting the rover on its way to Mars amid a pandemic - its twin has a name, too: OPTIMISM. While OPTIMISM is an acronym for Operational Perseverance Twin for Integration of Mechanisms and Instruments Sent to Mars, the name is also a nod to the mantra of the team that spent two years planning and assembling it. "The Mars 2020 Perseverance test bed team's motto is 'No optimism allowed,'" said Matt Stumbo, the lead for the VSTB rover on the test bed team. "So we named the test rover OPTIMISM to remind us of the work we have to do to fully test the system. Our job is to find problems, not just hope activities will work. As we work through the issues with OPTIMISM, we gain confidence in Perseverance's capabilities and confidence in our ability to operate on Mars." Almost Identical OPTIMISM is nearly identical to Perseverance: It is the same size, has the same mobility system and top driving speed (0.094 mph, or 0.15 kph), and features the same distinctive "head," known as the remote sensing mast. After a second phase of building at the beginning of the new year, it will have the full suite of science instruments, cameras, and computer "brains" Perseverance has, plus its unique system for collecting rock and soil samples. But since OPTIMISM lives at JPL, it also features some Earthly differences. For one thing, while Perseverance gets its power from a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (a kind of nuclear battery that has reliably powered space missions since the 1960s), OPTIMISM features an umbilical cord that can be plugged in for electrical power. That cord also provides an ethernet connection, allowing the mission team to send commands to and receive engineering data back from OPTIMISM without installing the radios Perseverance uses for communication. And whereas Perseverance comes with a heating system to keep it warm in the frigid environment of Mars, OPTIMISM relies on a cooling system for operating in hot Southern California summers. Welcome to the Family OPTIMISM isn't JPL's only VSTB rover. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, which has been exploring the Red Planet since it landed in 2012, has a twin named MAGGIE (Mars Automated Giant Gizmo for Integrated Engineering). MAGGIE has been helping the Curiosity team particularly with strategies for driving across challenging terrain and drilling rocks. OPTIMISM and MAGGIE will live side-by-side in the Mars Yard, giving JPL engineers a two-car garage for the first time. "Missions that are operating require high-fidelity replicas of their systems for testing," Stumbo said. "The Curiosity mission has learned lessons from MAGGIE that were impossible to learn any other way. Now that we have OPTIMISM, the Perseverance mission is well equipped to learn what they need to succeed on Mars." The Perseverance rover's astrobiology mission will search for signs of ancient microbial life. It will also characterize the planet's climate and geology, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first planetary mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent missions, currently under consideration by NASA in cooperation with the European Space Agency, would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these cached samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers. Learn more about the Mars 2020 mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 09:09:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Sri Lankan State Minister of Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya (2nd R) inspects the project Port City Colombo in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sept. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Tang Lu) COLOMBO, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan State Minister of Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya has said during a tour of Chinese-built projects in capital Colombo on Tuesday that Chinese investment will transform the landscape of Sri Lanka. Balasuriya led a delegation of senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a tour of the 356-meter tall Lotus Tower and the 269-hectare Port City Colombo. The tour was joined by officials of the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka including Charge d'Affaires Hu Wei, and representatives of Port City Colombo developer CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd. In an interview with Xinhua, Balasuriya said that the Sri Lankan government was glad to receive investments from China and would ensure that such investments were protected. "Chinese investments will transform the landscape of Sri Lanka. We want to work in partnership with the Chinese government and Chinese companies," Balasuriya said. Balasuriya said that the Sri Lankan government is interested in expediting the Port City Colombo, which was initiated with a 1.4 billion U.S. dollar investment from CHEC, and is projected to bring in 13 billion U.S. dollars worth of investments and over 80,000 jobs. He added that Sri Lanka would endeavor to provide a suitable investment environment in Port City Colombo and that the project would be open to investors from any country in the world. Hu Wei said that cooperation between Sri Lanka and China on Port City Colombo and other projects carries forward the spirit of the Ruber-Rice Pact. The pact was signed between China and Sri Lanka in 1952, which was branded as an agreement of friendship. Enditem Bill Birtles (right) and Michael Smith had to consent to questioning before they were allowed to leave China, shepherded out of the country on a late-night flight by Australian diplomats.(Photo: Twitter @billbirtles) Sydney: Two Australian journalists fled China Tuesday under diplomatic protection amid rapidly deteriorating relations between Beijing and Canberra, as the United States warned that the situation for foreign reporters in the country could get worse. Their dramatic overnight exit came following days of secret wrangling that had seen both men holed up in Australia's diplomatic missions to escape the clutches of China's feared security police. Bill Birtles and Michael Smith had to consent to questioning before they were allowed to leave China, shepherded out of the country on a late-night flight by Australian diplomats. Both men were quizzed about fellow Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who has been detained since last month. Beijing acknowledged Tuesday for the first time that she was being held on national security grounds -- a broad category that can include crimes resulting in lengthy prison sentences. Birtles, who works for public broadcaster ABC, said Tuesday his "interrogation" in a hotel room had touched on Cheng's case, but that he did not think that was its primary objective. "I believe that the whole episode was really one more of harassment of the remaining Australian journalists, rather than a genuine effort to try and get anything useful for that case," he told ABC. China confirmed the two men had been questioned, but insisted the move had been legitimate. "As long as foreign journalists obey the law... they have no reason to worry," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in Beijing. Several reporters for US media have had their visas revoked and been forced to leave the country -- in what critics have interpreted as targeting of Western media outlets by the Communist Party. 'Why is the CCP afraid?' The United States said Tuesday that it had been informed by China's foreign ministry of unspecified tighter rules for foreign media. "These proposed actions will worsen the reporting environment in China, which is already suffering a dearth of open and independent media reporting," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus wrote on Twitter. "Why is the CCP afraid of independent and investigative media reporting?" she said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Reporters Without Borders said at least 19 foreign correspondents have been forced to leave China this year and said the move "increasingly threatens the international community's right to be informed". The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said the two Australians' ordeal marked "a significant escalation" by Beijing and warned that foreign journalists "now face the threat of arbitrary detention for simply doing their work". The episode began almost a week ago, when police carried out synchronised midnight raids on Birtles's home in Beijing and Smith's in Shanghai -- where he was correspondent for the Australian Financial Review. Both were barred from leaving the country and told they would face questioning. "I felt like I suddenly, unintentionally, had become a pawn in some sort of diplomatic tussle," said Birtles. They fled to their closest Australian diplomatic missions until agreeing to answer Ministry of State Security questions in return for safe passage home. Impeding coverage James Curran, an Australian former intelligence analyst and prime ministerial adviser, told AFP the media crackdown and the fact no major Australian media were now represented in China would only hinder public understanding. "The lens through which we are going to get a picture of this country is going to become increasingly shrouded, if not blocked altogether," he said. Author and former China correspondent Richard McGregor said the incident "marks a new low". "Other countries grappling with China will take note. If their bilateral relationship deteriorates, then their own nationals will be in the firing line as well," he said. Australia has increasingly pushed back against what it sees as China's more aggressive projection of power and influence across Asia since President Xi Jinping took power in 2013. "They just seem to be taking the view that as a rising power they should be able to flex their strategic, ideological and rhetorical muscle, and that other countries are just going to have to put up with it," Curran said. Beijing was particularly infuriated by Australia's role in international calls for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. A Chinese envoy in Canberra recently portrayed Australia's behaviour as a betrayal that caused "indignation, anger and frustration" in China. Since then, China has taken steps to curb key Australian imports and encouraged Chinese students and tourists to avoid the country. Officer A. Cruz of the Monroe County Waste Authority Police Department surveys an illegal dump of used tires along Route 611 in Pocono Township, Pa. Read more SWIFTWATER, Pa. The large pile of used tires was sitting somewhere they shouldnt be, beneath tall, majestic pine trees in a retired police officers yard. Tony Covello, the homeowner, is 89 and doesnt move around so well these days. He didnt put the 75 or so tires on his property on busy Route 611 in Pocono Township, but if the person who illegally dumped them there recently isnt caught, hes on the hook for getting rid of them. I sure hope they catch em, Covello told Officer A. Cruz of the Monroe County Waste Authority Police Department. Yeah, I hope so, too, Cruz said to Covello on the mans front porch. Cruz knew the dumper left the tires under cover of darkness, and with no surveillance footage found, no witnesses, and no identifying marks on the tires, finding the culprit would prove difficult. Monroe Countys Waste Authority Police Department consists of Cruz, another officer, a sergeant, and Capt. Jacqueline Bagu, who said that few, if any, other police departments in the country have a dedicated focus on waste disposal. Monroe Countys officers carry service weapons, wear uniforms, and have their own police cruisers. We are, as far as I know, the only solid waste authority that has an enforcement division like ours, she said. With the pandemic, were seeing a lot of new people who dont know what to do with their garbage. The department investigates trash crimes big and small. One caller reported a motorists flicking a cigarette butt from a car and had taken down the license plate, so Cruz tracked the driver down and issued a littering citation. Often, the officers have to dig through trash, including used diapers, to look for mail or other identifiers. Believe it or not, those diapers can get some real weight to them, Cruz said. Trash pickup is complicated in rural parts of Pennsylvania. For urban and suburban areas, trash is something few residents have to think about, unless pickup is delayed. But in many areas of the state, homeowners have to find their own hauler. They pay a monthly fee that can rise depending on how much trash they put out. Some rural townships and housing developments require homeowners to drive their trash to a dump, where they pay by the bag. The weekly pickup and removal of your waste is a miraculous thing, and its tremendously underappreciated, said John Hambrose, a spokesman for Waste Management, the largest waste hauler in the country. READ MORE: Trash piling up? Heres where you can take it. The added steps required for trash disposal and pickup in rural Pennsylvania mean some residents find ways to avoid it by dumping or burning, which is illegal in Monroe County. During the pandemic, as more people are home and some, perhaps out of work, are looking to save money, theres been an uptick in reports of illegal dumping. Fred Vanwhy, owner of Vanwhy Sanitation in Monroe County, says his monthly fees start at $28 for a 45-gallon container. The larger the container a homeowner wants, the higher the cost. He said one street could have multiple garbage collectors. Ive been seeing a lot more trash bags on the side of the road lately, Vanwhy said. The Poconos, including Monroe County, have seen an influx of second-home owners from New York and North Jersey, as well as renters, looking to escape more densely-populated areas. Many of them, Cruz said, are not accustomed to the ways of trash pickup in rural areas. Often, they wind up simply dumping along the side of the road and in other places trash doesnt belong. For instance, we saw a huge uptick in people using other companies dumpsters to get rid of their trash, he said. Thats illegal. They rent those dumpsters for themselves, not for public use. Cruz is currently investigating an Airbnb property where renters are improperly disposing of trash. Rob Dubas, a program director with the nonprofit Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, works with land and business owners whove experienced consistent dumping by providing surveillance cameras. He said the recent problems with trash collection and dumping are not limited to rural areas, noting Philadelphias recent collection delays. Philadelphia city parks, like state parks, have been having a lot of illegal dumping and littering, too, he said. READ MORE: Can you get fined for throwing your trash out on the wrong day right now? One problem that is unique to rural areas, Dubas said, is trash burning. While its illegal to burn anything but brush in Monroe County, Dubas said, some rural townships have no laws against it. Theres definitely some people who do burn their household trash, he said, and that includes plastics and even televisions. Dubas said Pennsylvania has done a lot of work to reduce legacy dumps, places where generations have dumped large amounts of trash. As for the tires on Covellos property, Cruz said the culprit was brazen, dumping the pile along one of the countys busiest roads. Businesses often have to pay a fee to get rid of tires, he said, and many dump them to avoid it. Cruz said the fine for dumping can be as high as $1,000, but since the tires are on Covellos property, hes responsible for getting them hauled away. This was someone with like a dump truck, obviously at night, Cruz said. Its a shame no one saw it. This poor gentleman doesnt deserve this. Cruz said that a judge could decide whether the dumper would have to reimburse Covellos expenses, and that the department was trying to work with Covello to ease the burden. I have a trailer, and I would probably have to do a couple of loads at a time, Covello said. I have a man who does work for me, and hell do most of the heavy lifting. Nine leading U.S. and European vaccine developers pledged on Tuesday to uphold the scientific standards their experimental immunisations will be held against in the global race to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The companies, including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, issued what they called a 'historic pledge' after a rise in concern that safety and efficacy standards might slip in the rush to find a vaccine. The companies said in a statement they would 'uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines.' Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Novavax, Sanofi and BioNTech were also signatories on the pledge letter. The promise to play by established rules underlines a highly politicized debate over what action is needed to rein in COVID-19 quickly and to jumpstart global business and trade. Nine of the companies leading the international race to make coronavirus vaccines pledged on Tuesday that they would stick to scientific rigor and not bow to political pressure to push a shot through to approval (file) The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said last month COVID-19 vaccines may not necessarily need to complete Phase Three clinical trials - large-scale testing intended to demonstrate safety and efficacy - as long as officials are convinced the benefits outweigh the risks. This prompted a call for caution from the World Health Organization (WHO). Developers globally have yet to produce large-scale trial data showing actual infections in participants, yet Russia granted approval to a COVID-19 vaccine last month, prompting some Western experts to criticize a lack of testing. The head of China's Sinovac Biotech has said most of its employees and their families have already taken an experimental vaccine developed by the Chinese firm under the country's emergency-use program. Chinese companies or institutions, which are involved in several leading vaccine projects, did not sign the statement. COMPANIES PROMISE THEY WILL NOT PRIORITIZE SPEED OVER MAKING A SAFE, EFFECTIVE VACCINE 'We want it to be known that also in the current situation we are not willing to compromise safety and efficacy,' said co-signatory Ugur Sahin, chief executive of Pfizer's German partner BioNTech. 'Apart from the pressure and the hope for a vaccine to be available as fast as possible, there is also a lot of uncertainty among people that some development steps may be omitted here.' BioNTech and Pfizer could unveil pivotal trial data as early as October, potentially placing them at the center of bitter U.S. politics before the November 3 presidential election. President Trump has hinted that he is hopeful a vaccine will be ready before a 'special day' in November, likely referring to the election President Donald Trump has said it is possible the United States will have a vaccine before the election. His Democratic rival, vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, has said she would not take his word alone on any potential coronavirus vaccine. The nine companies said they would follow established guidance from expert regulatory authorities such as the FDA. Among other hurdles, approval must be based on large, diverse clinical trials with comparative groups that do not receive the vaccine in question. Participants and those working on the trial must not know which group they belong to, according to the pledge. BioNTech's Sahin said there must be statistical certainty of 95%, in some cases higher, and that a positive reading on efficacy does not come just from random variations but reflects the underlying workings of the compound. The development race has intensified safety concerns about an inoculation, polls have shown. Western regulators have said they would not cut corners but rather prioritize the review workload and allow for development steps in parallel that would normally be handled consecutively. Sahin declined to comment on regulators specifically or on what events prompted the joint statement. FIRMS ARE CRITICAL OF RUSSIA'S RUSHED APPROVAL OF ITS COVID-19 VACCINE The chief executive of German vaccine developer Leukocare, which did not sign the pledge, was more forthright. 'What Russia did - and maybe also there are tendencies in the U.S. to push the approval of a vaccine which has not been sufficiently developed in clinic - bears a huge risk,' said CEO Michael Scholl. 'My biggest fear is that we will approve vaccines that are not safe and that will have a negative impact on the concept of vaccinations in general.' Leukocare is working with Italys ReiThera and Belgiums Univercells to produce a COVID-19 vaccine currently in phase I testing. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2020) - Southern Silver Exploration Corp. (TSXV: SSV) (OTCQB: SSVFF) (Santiago: SSVCL) ("Southern Silver" or the "Company") reported that the following directors were re-elected at its annual general meeting held on September 4, 2020: Lawrence Page, Q.C., D. Roger Scammell, Eugene Spiering, Nigel Bunting, Larry Buchanan, Peter Cheesbrough, Gina Jones and Donald Head. In addition, the shareholders re-appointed Smythe LLP, Chartered Accountants, as auditor of Southern Silver and approved Southern Silver's rolling incentive stock option plan pursuant to which a maximum of 10% of the issued shares will be reserved for issuance under the plan. The plan is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. Shareholders also approved the purchase of Electrum Global Holdings L.P.'s 60% ownership interest in Southern Silver Holdings Limited and indirect 60% interest in the Cerro Las Minitas Property located in Durango, Mexico. More details of this transaction are included in the Company's news release of June 22, 2020 as well as in the information circular for the annual general meeting filed on SEDAR. This transaction is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance and is expected to close shortly. At the annual general meeting, shareholders also resolved to adopt a Shareholder Rights Plan to ensure the fair treatment of all Southern Silver shareholders in the event of an unsolicited take-over bid for the outstanding common shares of the Company. In the event that a take-over bid should occur, the Shareholder Rights Plan provides a mechanism to ensure that shareholders have adequate time to properly evaluate and assess it without facing undue pressure or coercion. The Shareholder Rights Plan also provides the board of directors with additional time to consider any take-over bid and, if applicable, to explore alternative transactions in order to maximize shareholder value. Accordingly, the Shareholder Rights Plan is not designed to prevent take-over bids that treat the Company's shareholders fairly. A copy of the Shareholder Rights Plan Agreement will be available under Southern Silver's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Reference should be made to the full text of the plan for the details of its provisions. The Shareholder Rights Plan is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. Story continues The following officers were re-appointed subsequent to the annual general meeting: Lawrence Page, Q.C. as President, Robert Macdonald as Vice President, Exploration, Graham Thatcher as Chief Financial Officer, and Arie Page as Corporate Secretary. About Southern Silver Exploration Corp. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. is a precious metal exploration and development company with a current focus on the discovery of world-class mineral deposits in north-central Mexico and the southern USA. Our specific emphasis is on the 100% owned Cerro Las Minitas, silver-lead-zinc project, located in the heart of Mexico's Faja de Plata, which hosts multiple world-class mineral deposits such as Penasquito, San Martin, Naica and Pitarrilla. We have assembled a team of highly experienced technical, operational and transactional professionals to support our exploration efforts in developing the world class Cerro Las Minitas project into a premier, high-grade, silver-lead-zinc mine. Our property portfolio also includes the Oro porphyry copper-gold project located in southern New Mexico, USA. The Company engages in the acquisition, exploration and development either directly or through joint-venture relationships in mineral properties in major jurisdictions. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Lawrence Page" Lawrence Page, Q.C. President & Director, Southern Silver Exploration Corp. For further information, please visit Southern Silver's website at southernsilverexploration.com or contact us at 604.641.2759 or by email at ir@mnxltd.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. 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. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63515 Coats noted that the 2018 midterm elections went off largely without incident, thanks in part to an interagency working group led by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to coordinate the sharing of threat data among agencies, and which also provided information to the private sector and state and local election officials. Those processes worked, Coats said. We were able to assure the American people that the votes were not manipulated or influenced in any way that made a change in the result. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 21:55:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on May 22, 2020 shows flags on the Tian'anmen Square and atop the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Indian side's move to first fire shots to threaten the Chinese border patrol personnel in the western sector of the China-India boundary is a serious military provocation of an egregious nature. Since the beginning of this year, India has breached bilateral agreements and important consensus many times in border areas, attempted to unilaterally change the status quo by force and undermined peace and stability in the border region. The responsibility lies entirely with the Indian side. Confrontation does no good for either side. China has kept maximum restraint to prevent potential escalation and has been reiterating that the two sides should seek to resolve issues through peaceful consultation and dialogue. However, China's efforts have not secured a fitting response from the Indian side. Under the current situation, the Chinese border troops were forced to take countermeasures to control the situation. Adopting a defensive military strategy, China has no intention to stir up border tensions or seek military expansion. However, it allows no infringement on its core interests. The Chinese military is absolutely determined, capable and confident in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Not an inch of China's territory shall be lost. It is critical for India to learn from history and make sure the reckless provocations will not be repeated. The two sides should faithfully implement the important consensus reached between the two countries and stick to dialogue and consultation to resolve relevant issues. Both as ancient civilizations with several thousand years of history, China and India have long carried on their exchanges and mutual learning. In the 1950s, China and India jointly championed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and have made historic contributions to building a new type of international relations. This year marks the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, which have achieved comprehensive progress in such a broad range of areas as politics, economy and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, especially in recent years. Realizing a scenario where the dragon and the elephant dance together is the correct choice for the two countries. Only in this way can they bring more benefits to their peoples and continue to produce new glory for Asian civilizations. The Chinese side has called for setting eyes on the big picture of China-India relations and regional peace and stability. Now the key to resolving the tension rests on the Indian side. It is time for the Indian side to wake up to reality, take a responsible attitude toward the bilateral relationship and stand on the right side of history. Colbert is such a fan that he couldnt help but remark that that the novel has a natural point in which the story starts anew, but he hushed up once he realized he was starting to edge to a spoiler for anyone who hadnt read the book. (Much like the recent two-part adaptation of Stephen Kings It, Villeneuve has shot only the first half of Dune, and will need to mount a second production to complete the story; he did not address a timeline in the Q&A for when that could happen.) LISBON: Ukraine said on Wednesday its borders remained open to Belarusian citizens but Kyiv would deal harshly with any attempt by Belarusian or Russian intelligence services to abuse that openness. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking in Lisbon, said any strengthening of Russias position in Belarus as a result of the crisis posed a threat to Ukraines national security. Though the border with Ukraine is free and open to the citizens of Belarus we will harshly react to any attempts to use, to abuse the openness of Ukraine by Belarusian or Russian intelligence services," he told a news conference in the Portuguese capital. He did not elaborate. Belarus has been rocked by mass protests since the re-election of veteran President Alexander Lukashenko in an Aug. 9 election his opponents say was rigged. Kulebas comments came after allies of Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova said she had thwarted an attempt to deport her by tearing up her passport to avoid being forced to cross the border into Ukraine. Two other opposition leaders were however removed to Ukraine by the Belarusian authorities, they said. We have serious reasons to believe that these people did not enter Ukraine voluntarily," Kuleba said. Ukraine, which has already frozen contact with Belarus wanted an independent, sovereign Belarus, where democracy and a market economy flourish, he said. Kyiv has joined the European Union in condemning the recent elections in its northerly neighbour as not free or fair. The Belarus crisis has strained Kyivs relations with Russia, whose Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week accused Ukraine of fomenting trouble in Belarus, an accusation Ukraine denied. 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 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan. "Dear Emomali Sharifovich, On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my sincerest congratulations to you and all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of your country, Independence Day. We are pleased to see the strengthening of the state independence of the friendly Tajikistan, its achievements in the field of socio-economic development and growing prestige on the international arena. Our countries are bound together by the ties of traditional friendship and cooperation. I believe that based on mutual trust and support, our bilateral relations will continue to develop and strengthen in accordance with the will of our peoples. I would like to emphasize that the people of Azerbaijan are in solidarity with the friendly people of Tajikistan in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic facing the world. Dear Emomali Sharifovich, on such a joyful day, I extend my best regards to you and wish the Republic of Tajikistan peace and prosperity," the letter said. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Close Brexit briefing: How long until the end of the transition period? The EU has warned Boris Johnson that plans to rip-up the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement will risk peace in Ireland and lead to a no-deal outcome from trade talks. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, told the UK government that the agreement, which was ratified by the UK last year, was an obligation under international law. It came as Labour said the prime minister was playing a dangerous game in Northern Ireland and risking the UKs international standing. Here are the days events as they happened: Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2020) - (TSXV: NNO) (OTC Pink: NNOMF) (FSE: LBMB). Highlights Robert Morris joins Nano One as an expert advisor on battery raw materials strategies. Automotive companies, investors and governments are increasingly requiring environmentally sustainable supply chain practices. Nano One's latest technology eliminates the need for metal sulfates from refiners and reduces costly and environmentally sensitive waste streams in cathode production. A patent application has been filed that could align Nano One's process with those of the raw material suppliers for a cost effective, integrated and environmentally sustainable supply chain. Dr. Stephen Campbell, CTO of Nano One, is pleased to introduce Nano One advisor Mr. Robert Morris and present an emerging opportunity to leverage Nano One's patented cathode production technologies in addressing a growing requirement for clean and sustainable sources of battery raw materials. "The leaders in electric vehicle manufacturing, investors and governments are all seeking sustainable sources of raw materials for use in lithium-ion batteries, especially nickel and cobalt," said Dr. Campbell. "We believe that Nano One's cathode production technology could contribute by enabling integration with raw material suppliers to eliminate waste streams and provide a cost effective and environmentally sustainable process. We have recently filed another patent application relating to the integration opportunity." Mr. Robert Morris of Morris Consulting has joined Nano One as an advisor to explore business opportunities with battery metal producers looking to provide environmentally sustainable and value added materials into the battery supply chain. Mr. Morris has more than 15 years' experience in the mining industry, most recently with Vale as Executive Vice-President of Sales and Marketing in Base Metals and as President of Vale Japan Ltd. He was instrumental in developing Vale's strategic direction relating to its electric vehicle strategy, positioning its vast nickel and cobalt assets towards the production of essential battery materials. Prior to Vale, Mr. Morris was Managing Director at Umicore Greater China responsible for marketing Umicore's line of cathode battery materials to the China market. Mr. Morris said, "There is a tremendous opportunity to further optimize the global supply chain for the critical metals required for today's lithium ion batteries. In addition to bringing important efficiencies to the supply chain, Nano One's technology has the capability to significantly reduce the waste stream associated with processing these metals in the production of cathode active materials." Mr. Morris joins a strong team of strategic advisors at Nano One including Joe Lowry, Gord Kukec and Dr. Byron Gates. Miners and refiners supply nickel in the form of sulfate (22% nickel, 78% waste) to manufacturers, mostly in China, who mix it in a caustic process with cobalt and manganese to form an intermediate precursor while generating a sizable sulfate waste stream that adds cost, complexity and environmental challenges. Lithium is then added to the precursor in a prolonged thermal process to form cathode powders, before final protective coatings can be applied. This supply chain is long and complicated with waste handling, sales, support, logistics, shipping, and margins added at each stage. Nano One's patented one-pot process forms durable single crystal cathode powders and protective coatings simultaneously and directly from non-sulfate metal salts. It is an aqueous process that operates at room-temperature and atmospheric pressures, and it eliminates the precursor step, and the extra coating steps completely while keeping the sulfate stream at the refiner where it can be recycled. This aligns Nano One with the sustainability objectives of automotive companies, investment communities and governmental infrastructure initiatives. It also offers an opportunity for nickel refiners to provide environmentally and sustainability minded sources of nickel or to integrate and manufacture cost-reduced value-added cathode powders for direct supply to battery manufacturers. Dr. Campbell added, "We look forward to working with Mr. Morris on building relationships with upstream metals refiners and exploring opportunities to align Nano One's processes with those of the raw material suppliers to add value, reduce waste and improve environmental footprints." Nano One Materials Corp. Dan Blondal, CEO For information with respect to Nano One or the contents of this news release, please contact John Lando (President) at (604) 420-2041 or visit the website at www.nanoone.ca. About Nano One Nano One Materials Corp has developed patented technology for the low-cost production of high-performance lithium ion battery cathode materials used in electric vehicles, energy storage and consumer electronics. The processing technology enables lower cost feedstocks, simplifies production, and advances performance for a wide range of cathode materials. Nano One has built a demonstration pilot plant and is partnered with global leaders in the lithium ion battery supply chain to advance its lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium nickel manganese oxide (LNM) cathode technologies for large growth opportunities in e-mobility and renewable energy storage applications. Nano One's pilot and partnership activities are being funded with the assistance and support of the Government of Canada through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), the Automotive Supplier Innovation Program (ASIP) a program of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), and the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. Nano One is also supported through advisory services and research and development project funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Nano One's mission is to establish its patented technology as a leading platform for the global production of a new generation of battery materials. www.nanoone.ca. Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, the execution of the Company's plans. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing', or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including projections for the global demand for LFP. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that is incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63429 Accept Payments from Anywhere, Anytime Business as Usual, Just Online Safe Self-Service Meet Todays Challenges, Be Prepared for Tomorrows The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unexpected challenges for governments. Amid massive shutdowns, agencies that relied on in-person interaction and payments were suddenly faced with a major challenge. As their offices abruptly shuttered, governments were unable to conduct business and as an integral part of that, accept payments.It has been a frustrating and trying time, but challenges can lead to opportunity. While some governments have been notoriously slow adopting change, many governments are now accelerating their timelines. Planned upgrades that were years away are suddenly being implemented in months. Faced with a constantly changing reality and another potential shutdown looming, there has never been a better time for governments to implement and embrace a digital transformation.There are three main changes governments can make to help manage the current reality and prepare for future disruptions: implement a digital payment solution, create an option to conduct business digitally and offer contactless payment solutions.Now more than ever, it is vital to provide taxpayers with their preferred payment method. A 2018 Ipsos study found that one in every four consumers have abandoned a transaction because their preferred method was not available. And consumers have long signaled a desire to make payments online.Before the pandemic, the payment experience was already moving away from cash and checks and toward ACH (eChecks) and digital transactions. According to the Federal Reserve , ACH transfers now exceed the number of payments made by check.Even as governments reopen, the majority of Americans have signaled discomfort in returning to their daily routines. If Americans are uncomfortable at the prospect of dining at their favorite restaurant, they are unlikely to rush into a government office to make a payment. Now is the time for governments to offer an online payment solution like Fortes Electronic BillPayment and Presentation solution (EBPP). Using Fortes online payment options, individuals can create a profile that allows them to manage their payments and accounts, personalize their profile and schedule future payments.There are several major benefits to offering citizens an online payment option. During periods of disruption, such as the ongoing pandemic, residents can make payments from the safety and comfort of their homes. Additionally, in the event that further shutdowns are imposed, governments can keep the revenue flowing, even if citizens cannot leave their homes. By providing citizens more options, governments can avoid future payment disruptions, ensuring that governments can maintain payroll and continue to offer critical services.As the saying goes, even during a crisis, the show must go on. As a result of lengthy shutdowns, government employees were greeted upon their return to a substantial backlog . Through no fault of their own, employees are increasingly overworked and struggling to catch up. To protect against potential disruptions in the future, governments should invest in a solution that allows them to conduct business online.In an effort to prepare for the new normal, agencies are having to prioritize and sequence services and functions and work to create appropriate infrastructure and safeguards for employees and the citizens they serve. To do this, many municipalities have used CARES Act funding to invest in, or expand their usage of, applications like SeamlessDocs to modernize online services for both citizens and staff. These have included services like SBA and rent assistance applications, voter registration, building licenses, emergency paid sick leave forms, and a plethora of others. Municipalities have also benefited from being able to complete forms and payments in a single session thanks to payment integrations through Forte EBPP Building an end-to-end digital experience for government processes improves efficiency, transparency, and accuracy. This makes life easier for employees, as they continue to provide top quality service for citizens. It also safeguards systems and processes from future disruptions, ensuring that the show can indeed go on, even during a pandemic.While there is a growing shift toward online payments, some citizens still prefer an in-person experience to digital. And not everybody has access to a bank account , debit or credit card, requiring them to make cash payments.But the new reality has fundamentally changed the way that governments can safely conduct business. In addition to making online payments an option, governments should offer safe in-person payment options such as self-service kiosks and contactless payment terminals.The concept of self-service is not new. In fact, one study found that 67 percent of consumers prefer to use self-service. Self-service kiosks will allow citizens to make payments, complete forms and search records, all while following social-distancing guidelines. Governments should also utilize contactless payment terminals. Their use was on the rise pre-COVID, and now over half of all Americans have used a contactless payment method. Governments can keep citizens and employees safe, while continuing to offer services and collect payments.As a result of the pandemic, many governments find themselves in a difficult position in terms of budgets. By using kiosks and contactless payment solutions, governments can save money on labor and bolster revenues. Further, their use will allow current employees to tackle the backlog of government business.COVID-19 has substantially disrupted government business, but also provided valuable insights into ways to make governments operate more efficiently. There are key changes agencies can make to make payments simple, secure and accessiblenow and in the future.As payment options go digital, governments should move from an in-person service model and expand their digital offerings to self-service, kiosks and online forms. By offering kiosks and contactless payment methods, governments can keep citizens safe and keep operations moving. By meeting todays challenges, governments can be more than prepared for any disruptions in the future. ByteDance Ltd, the parent company of TikTok, has been in talks with the U.S. government about ways to avoid a full sale of the U.S. operations of their popular video-sharing app. Sources familiar with the matter said that the discussions have risen in prominence since the Chinese government took steps to make it difficult to sell to the likes of Microsoft or other technology giants in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reports. The insight comes as the deadline imposed by President Donald Trump on August 6 against the company, soon approaches. Bytedance Ltd., TikTok's parent company, has been in talks with U.S. gov't officials even though the Chinese government has tried to limit the full sale (stock) TikTok could face restructuring, the source added, but the company is expected to make some type of sale. The app's data security has been a continuous concern for gov't. officials involved in the talks, the sources added. In a statement, Treasury Department spokeswoman Monica Crowley said that the department 'is focused solely at this time on discussions associated with the sale of TikTok in accordance with the August 14 divestiture order signed by the President.' BtyeDance is exploring a series of options that does include a sale of TikTok's U.S. operations to Microsoft, who are joined with Walmart Inc., or Oracle Corp. Sources familiar with the matter say that TikTok could face restructuring or that it may be possible to not have a full sale of U.S. operations (stock) In a statement, Treasury Department spokeswoman Monica Crowley said that the department 'is focused solely at this time on discussions associated with the sale of TikTok in accordance with the August 14 divestiture order signed by the President' Representative from the app's major investors - Sequoia Capital, General Atlantic and Coatue Management LLC - met in Virginia last week with representatives from the CIA to discuss data security, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company has come under global scrutiny amid concerns about TikTok's collection of personal data and censoring of political content. The United States has said it will ban the short video app unless ByteDance sells the app's U.S. operations amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing. ByteDance has said the Chinese government does not have any jurisdiction over TikTok content. TikTok has also faced challenges in India, where it was among dozens of Chinese apps banned in June following a border clash between the countries. 'The TikTok team and especially the deal team have been working day in and day out,' a company source said, adding staff morale at TikTok had been hit by the global challenges as well as the departure of its CEO Kevin Mayer who quit after just three months. ByteDance founder and CEO, Zhang Yiming, said in an earlier letter that the staff had been working 'endless hours' amid the surrounding 'noise'. Switzerland To Add Anti-BEPS Provisions To Two Treaties by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels 09 September 2020 On August 26, 2020, the Swiss Federal Council ratified a new double taxation agreement (DTA) with Bahrain and a Protocol to revise its DTA with Kuwait. The Federal Council said that the DTA with Bahrain will lower tax withheld at source for cross-border income. Dividends will be taxed at five percent at source where the recipient beneficially owns at least 10 percent of the capital of the company paying the dividends, and 15 percent in all other cases. The double tax agreement provides for an exemption from withholding tax at source for interest income and royalties. The DTA also contains provisions for the exchange of information on request and introduces BEPS minimum standard provisions, including the new preamble to prevent treaty shopping and to block the treaty from being used to avoid tax inappropriately. The protocol to the DTA with Kuwait is intended to also introduce provisions to counter tax base erosion and profit shifting and includes an arbitration clause through which both countries agree to resolve long-standing double tax disputes through the appointment of an independent arbitrator. The DTA with Bahrain and the protocol with Kuwait must be approved by the legislative bodies of the countries concerned before they can enter into force. Commuters who travel by yellow-band maxi-taxis between Port of Spain and areas in West Trinidad will have to dig deeper into their pockets from Monday. Chairman of the Yellow Band Route One Association Eon Hewitt told the Express yesterday the fares will go up by $1 across the board, and $2 for the Chaguaramas route. Editor's note: Bobby Naderi is a journalist, guest contributor in print, radio and television, documentary filmmaker and member of the Writers Guild of Great Britain. There is still a bit of silver lining for the China-U.S. relations in this pandemic season of ours. It's always there, and it helps not only the two countries but all of humanity on a falling planet. A pessimist might argue that's like getting mired in the quicksand of wishful thinking, as the undercurrents are still counterproductive, and the signs of the declining cooperation and interdependence are everywhere. It's fairly obvious that these are truths. With growing belligerence, the Donald Trump administration has taken a variety of politically hollow and election-themed actions against China: deploying U.S. aircraft carriers in the South China Sea and weaponizing Taiwan, restricting Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok, forcing Huawei from the Western markets, needling Chinese media outlets and journalists, arbitrarily closing a consulate in Houston, derailing civil society programs and cultural events, banning Chinese diplomats from traveling to the U.S., canceling the visas of graduate or higher-level students and scrutinizing scientific researchers at airports. It's a long list of corrosive minefields between the two countries, and all bets might seem off. It's hard not to despair. The evermore virulent criticisms and calculations might be useful in the short term for the maestro of "the art of the deal" and crew with their own clouded version, but they cannot affect China's long-term incentives. To think that through, China has been living with a storm cloud. But it has also learned to find the bright side, seeing that the political and ideological position of the Trump administration's senior officials doesn't necessarily reflect that of many American people, companies, cultural institutions and academics. As trade partners and despite fundamental political differences, the interests of the U.S. and China are still interconnected, and they cannot decouple. A big part of it is that China hasn't upped the stakes or succumbed to dangerous complacency while trying to respond to Trump's bankrupt, overwrought and uncontrolled actions and dystopic mess. As a goodwill gesture, China has not indulged in unnecessary escalation or anything reckless that might imperil the relationship. It has even bought more than 1 trillion U.S. dollars in U.S. debt in the form of Treasury bills, notes and bonds. By walking on the right path, the world's second-largest economy has managed to create a global place for itself and has become a silver lining for American consumers, businesses and farmers. The plus point is that the political class in Beijing remains pragmatic, and it knows when to stop and when to push ahead under the fundamental norms of international law and the UN Charter. That all sounds auspicious, especially seeing that the political class in Beijing further has the imagination to follow persuasively through on its engaging principles. As encouraged by President Xi Jinping, China has continued to improve its policies of opening the economy of 1.4 billion consumers for Western trade and protecting intellectual property rights, among others. China cares about its reputation, too. It has never tried to undermine its own soft power, which translates into fair governance at home and accountable performance abroad. It hasn't mismanaged or withdrawn from bilateral and international treaties. On balance, it has been honest in implementing international obligations and undertakings. This is essential because the bilateral relations have been there for more than 40 years, and they are worth shielding. The two big powers have hit new lows in their dealings, but they have succeeded in resolving their issues, regardless of who blinked first and who hurt the economic interdependence. No one can say with certainty what will happen next because the blame game and the grim pandemic have changed many possible outcomes. Still, both sides were able to temper their trade war, for instance. They signed phase one of the trade deal in January. Trump reportedly wants phase two because China is buying agricultural goods, and it's a relief to cash-strapped American farmers. But this is not just about two governments trying to live with each other or realize their full potential. It's also about multilateralism and the rule of law that help maintain peace, stability and development in the world since most countries seek all-out relations with both the U.S. and China. A well-ordered and fruitful relationship void of acrimonious trade and tech war and based on mutual understanding and shared benefit will also help establish global order and security. Needless hegemony and containment will turn the relationship from one of mutual trust into strategic friction and ideological struggle for nothing. Declining cooperation will inflict pain on the global economy, as well as their own citizens and markets. It's a well-established fact. In the age of multilateralism and the midst of a grim pandemic that doesn't care about borders, both powers need to make room for one another by balancing realpolitik and integration. It's a policy that doesn't lead to future enmity but responds to rational analysis and deliberation. In a planet troubled by transnational issues, such as the 21st-century public health nightmare, climate change, terrorism, organized crime and cybercrime, China and the U.S. stand to win if they likewise cooperate with Europe and others. Washington and Beijing have time to think that through, perhaps by considering different scenarios based on current demands and trends. With the right choices, Beijing has provided that well-defined opportunity while working out a new type of relationship in keeping with the new reality. The Trump administration needs to avoid pursuing primacy and dominance, as well as all-out containment as a strategy that it knows plays only to its base and is outright self-defeating. Seen from a global perspective, the troubled relationship might have had its ups and downs, but it serves no one's interest to push it into a dangerous new low and present it sunny-side up. Given the state of this planet, both the U.S. and China need to acknowledge the legitimacy of each other's economic models and respect their core principles and values to pave the way to a shared future. Looking ahead and imagining all possibilities, it is difficult to say what relations will be like in the short term. To use a cliche, they are likely to get worse before they get better. But one thing is certain: the long-term outlook is positive and hence universally desirable. Add a piccadilly "inspired" beer to the list of San Antonio drink options. Black Laboratory Brewing will release "Puro San Antonio," described to be inspired by the piccadilly, the delicacy that is raspa flavored with Kool-Aid and loaded with chopped pickles and chamoy. RELATED: That Big Red-flavored beer goes on sale today in San Antonio under a new name The company said they partnered with two local favorites, Alamo Candy and Manny's Snow Wiz Shaved Ice, for all the authentic ingredients to brew a beer that would match the taste of the summertime favorite. "We brewed a base beer of blonde ale and blended it with pickle juice, cherry, Kool-Aid and chamoy to give you a sweet, sour and spicy beer," the company says online. Black Laboratory's online sales of the beer will begin Friday time to be announced and pickup is scheduled for Saturday. The brewing company is encouraging interested buyers to follow their Facebook and Instagram pages for updates on the release. The 16-ounce cans will be sold in packs of two for $13, with a limit of two packs per customer. Black Laboratory Brewing is located at 1602 E. Houston St. Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye Following a Successful Pilot, John Lewis Extends Use of First Insight's Analytics Platform to Enable Data-Driven Decision-making Across Additional Product Categories First Insight, Inc., a global technology company transforming how leading retailers make product investment and pricing decisions, and John Lewis Partners, today announced an expansion of their partnership. The announcement follows a successful validation test program that John Lewis conducted across its home and fashion categories. "It's crucial for retailers and brands to have a deep understanding of their customers and a data-driven decision-making process in order to succeed in today's challenging economic environment," said Greg Petro, CEO and founder of First Insight. "We're very pleased to be expanding our partnership with John Lewis following a successful initial test phase. The retailer will now be able to use voice-of-the-customer analytics to make more informed decisions that will help differentiate its product assortment across numerous categories." The initial pilot enabled John Lewis to improve buy depths and optimize assortments in its womenswear and home categories. In addition, First Insight's testing revealed insights about raw materials: the company discovered strong customer preferences on bedding fabric content and leveraged those insights in finalizing their line. "We want to become even more data-driven in our decisions," said Susan Young, Partner and Head of Trading Operations and Development at John Lewis. "In the trial we used the test results to optimize product and volume buying decisions for our Home and Fashion ranges. We will now expand the use of First Insight to further leverage their customer-driven insights to help our buyers create and select differentiated products." First Insight uses online social engagement tools to gather real-time preference, pricing and sentiment data on potential product offerings. The information is filtered through First Insight's predictive analytic models to determine which products customers like best. About First Insight, Inc. First Insight is the world's leading digital product testing and decision-making platform that empowers companies to incorporate the Voice of the Customer into the design, pricing, planning and marketing of new products. Through the use of online consumer engagement, the First Insight solution gathers real-time consumer data and applies predictive analytic models powered by AI to create actionable insights, which drive measurable value. Enterprises use the First Insight solution to design, select, price, plan and market the most profitable new products for reduced markdown rates and improved sales, margins and inventory turnover. Customers include some of world's leading vertically integrated brands, sporting goods companies, department stores, mass merchant retailers and wholesalers. For further information, please visit www.firstinsight.com. About The John Lewis Partnership The John Lewis Partnership owns and operates two of Britain's best-loved retail brands John Lewis Partners and Waitrose Partners. Started as a radical idea nearly a century ago, the Partnership is the largest employee-owned business in the UK and amongst the largest in the world, with over 80,000 employees who are all Partners in the business. For all intents and purposes, the Partnership is a social enterprise; the profits made are reinvested into the business for customers and Partners. John Lewis Partners operates 50 shops across the UK (37 department stores, 12 John Lewis at home and shops at St Pancras International and Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as johnlewis.com. Waitrose Partners has 338 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 61 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations. Waitrose Partners exports products to more than 50 countries worldwide and has nine shops which operate under licence in the Middle East. The retailer's omnichannel business includes the online grocery service, Waitrose.com, as well as specialist online shops including waitrosecellar.com for wine and waitroseflorist.com for plants and flowers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005372/en/ Contacts: Media Contact Berns Communications Group Stacy Berns Michael McMullan 212-994-4660 sberns@bcg-pr.com mmcmullan@bcg-pr.com First Insight Contact Gretchen Jezerc SVP of Marketing gretchen.jezerc@firstinsight.com The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets will be formally inducted into the Indian Air Force on Thursday in Ambala air base, at a time India is engaged in an escalating border row with China in eastern Ladakh. IMAGE: The first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft fly out from France to India. Photograph: ANI Photo A galaxy of dignitaries including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, his French counterpart Florence Parly, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar will attend the ceremony. "The program will include ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional 'Sarva Dharma Puja', air display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by 'Sarang aerobatic team'," an IAF spokesperson said, describing the ceremony as a 'very important milestone' in the history of the force. The Rafale jets, produced by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are known for air-superiority and precision strikes. IAF Spokesperson Wing Commander Indranil Nandi said a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the Rafale fleet before its ceremonial induction into the 17 squadron of the force. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. The French delegation at the ceremony will include French envoy Emmanuel Lenain, Air Gen Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of French Air Force, Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier and CEO of missile maker MBDA Eric Beranger. After the ceremony, Parly and Singh will hold talks in Ambala on ways to further deepen bilateral defence and security cooperation after the ceremony, they said. 10 Rafale jets have been delivered to India so far and five of them stayed back in France for imparting training to IAF pilots. The delivery of all 36 aircraft is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021. A second batch of four to five Rafale jets are likely to arrive in India by November. Sources said a preliminary discussion on a possible procurement of another batch of 36 Rafale jets by India from France may figure in the talks between Singh and Parly. The Rafale jets are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 year after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Meteor is a next generation beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. While the first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed at Ambala air base, the second one will be based at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The 17 Squadron of the IAF which was resurrected on September 10 last year. The squadron was originally raised at Air Force Station, Ambala on Oct 1 1951. The 17 Squadron has many firsts to its credit; in 1955 it was equipped with the first jet fighter, the legendary De Havilland Vampire. Jennifer Martin, an elementary-school reading teacher in Texas, has spent the past several years adding more than 1,500 books to her personal collection. All of those books, and hundreds more that have been recently donated, are now available to children in Martin's neighborhood, thanks to a free library she opened in the garage of her home. "It was a no-brainer," Martin told "Good Morning America" about opening a library in her home. "In order to create a lifelong reader, a student has to find the joy of reading." Martin, a 20-year teaching veteran, has for the past three years taught in a school district outside of Austin, Texas, that draws in students from many, more remote neighborhoods. PHOTO: Jennifer Martin, an elementary school teacher in Texas, created a public library in the garage of her home. (Jennifer Martin) Because of the school district's location, Martin said the public library closest to her elementary school is at least 15 miles away, and it's difficult for her students to access. MORE: Teachers raise money for students on free and reduced lunch as schools close over coronavirus While the students can check out books from the school library, Martin said she also wanted them to have the experience of picking out and having access to books at a library they could visit during non-school hours. So using books she has collected herself and in many cases paid for out of her own pocket, Martin opened her own library in the home she shares with her dad. PHOTO: Jennifer Martin, an elementary school teacher in Texas, created a public library in the garage of her home. (Jennifer Martin) "The stars just aligned that I dont have children and I dont have a garage full of toys, so I have the space," she said. "And I live in a neighborhood where 40% to 50% of our [elementary school] kids live." Martin, who would previously check out books herself from the Austin Public Library for her students to read, accumulated such a large collection of books by taking in old titles that the school no longer wanted, and by making nearly weekly visits to a store in Austin that sells surplus books for 50 cents apiece. "When I discovered that, I would just go in and see so many titles that I knew my kids wanted," she said. "I dont need to go out to eat for fancy food. Instead, I can spend $20 and get dozens of books." Story continues Martin's library operates on an honor system that allows children to check out two books at a time for any amount of time. When they have read those books, they may return them and get two more. PHOTO: Jennifer Martin, an elementary school teacher in Texas, created a public library in the garage of her home. (Jennifer Martin) These days, the library requires masks and is following social distancing guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic. Martin said she is also following local guidelines when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing the books. Martin said that even while adhering to social distancing, the library has been a way for her to connect with students and for students to connect with each other over books. The school district returned to school earlier this month through virtual learning. MORE: Indiana school district's Wi-Fi buses ease virtual learning for students at home "When they come, they get to see you and talk to you, and were talking books," she said. "I saw a kid on Monday and he said he finished a book, which means he read on Saturday and Sunday, when I didnt tell him to read. He just really wanted to read the book." Martin recalled another incident when a neighborhood kid drove by on a bicycle, asked her if her garage was really a library and then picked out a "Goosebumps" book he had always wanted to read. PHOTO: Jennifer Martin, an elementary school teacher in Texas, created a public library in the garage of her home. (Jennifer Martin) She hopes more of those interactions happen inside her garage library so that students turn into lifelong readers. "Reading is the crux of everything," she said. "It doesn't even matter what you're doing or what you're teaching if you haven't helped bridge the gap between a student and the world of literature, and access to books is the first way to do that." This teacher built a library in her garage when she realized her students didn't have close access to a public library originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Rio Tinto has announced 300 new jobs, with generous relocation packages on offer for new employees moving to Western Australia from interstate. So far this year more than 1,500 people have been hired for the iron ore division in Perth, the Pilbara region, Busselton, Albany and Broome. The mining giant, which will prioritise candidates from WA, is investing $60million in training and development next year, including 150 apprentices and trainees. The mining corporation, which will prioritise candidates from WA, is investing $60million in training and development next year, including 150 apprentices and trainees Rio Tinto has announced 300 new jobs, with generous relocation packages on offer for new employees moving to Western Australia from interstate The announcement comes after calls from Premier Mark McGowan for the mining industry to permanently relocate their 6,000 FIFO workers from Australia's east coast. Mr McGowan on Wednesday said BHP 'has set the benchmark' and called on the mining industry to 'follow BHP's lead'. 'What it means is more people with big incomes coming to live in Western Australia - build houses here, raise their families here and spend their money here,' he said. 'It means the incomes from the mining sector will stay in Western Australia and that's a great thing. Mr McGowan said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted issues with importing workers from interstate and overseas. WA is a near monopoly producer of Australia's biggest export iron ore, the commodity used to make steel. Ms McGowan on Wednesday said BHP 'has set the benchmark' and called on the mining industry to 'follow BHP's lead' The state Labor government conservatively rakes in $5billion a year from iron ore royalties. National iron ore exports are worth more than $100billion a year, with WA home to 98 per cent of Australia's iron ore reserves, meaning the state rakes in about $38,000 per resident from those mineral deposits alone. Two-thirds of that goes to China, Australia's biggest trading partner. Broken down again, iron ore last year made up 43 per cent of Australia's exports to China by value. A petition is gaining traction demanding Nancy Pelosi be prosecuted for 'COVID violations' after she was seen in a hair salon without a mask last week. At least 16,000 people have signed the petition with a 20,000 signature goal urging San Francisco Police Chief William Scott to prosecute the Speaker of the House. The petition includes a letter addressed to the police chief that says, 'Laws aren't just for the ''little people.''' 'Not only did Nancy Pelosi knowingly violate health ordinances, but just destroyed a business because she couldn't take a ounce of responsibility. 'At a very minimum, Nancy Pelosi must be prosecuted by San Francisco for her flaunting of COVID regulations. Now!' A petition has gained 16k signatures demanding Nancy Pelosi be prosecuted for 'COVID violations' after she was seen in a hair salon without a mask The petition includes a letter addressed to the San Francisco police chief that says, 'Laws aren't just for the 'little people' The petition was posted by the Media Action Network, which vows to 'expose and replace' liberal media The petition was posted by the Media Action Network, which vows to 'expose and replace' liberal media. The petition urges San Francisco Police Chief William Scott to prosecute the Speaker of the House 'The ''mainstream'' media pretends to be unbiased referees while they operate as an arm of the Democrat party. As long as they're still faking objectivity, we'll be there to remind them,' the site says. The site was founded by Ken LaCorte, a mentee of the late Fox News boss Roger Ailes who worked as an executive at the network for two decades. 'Join our campaigns to expose the left, protect their victims and replace the liberal media complex,' LaCorte says on the site. Salon SF, found in the affluent Cow Hollow neighborhood, became the subject of headlines after Pelosi was seen flouting pandemic health guidelines inside the business. Pelosi argued that she was 'set up' by the owner, but the salon has since denied those claims and called them 'absolutely false.' The petition states, 'The salon owner gets death threats, while Pelosi has paid ZERO price for her hypocrisy.' Erica Kious, the owner of eSalon SF, said she was forced to shutter her business after she received threats in the wake of exposing Pelosi's trip to the salon. After footage of the Democrat's trip went viral a day later, Kious told Tucker Carlson that her business was 'done'. But a GoFundMe page set up in wake of the scandal reached its target of $300,000. Erica Kious, the owner of eSalon SF, said she was forced to shutter her business after she received threats in the wake of exposing Pelosi's trip to the salon Pelosi said she had been to the salon several times over the years and was 'set up.' 'I take responsibility for trusting the word of a neighborhood salon I've been to over the years many times, and when they said we're able to accommodate people, one person at a time, and that we can set up that time, I trusted that. As it turns out, it was a setup,' she said. 'It was a set up, and I take responsibility for falling for a setup,' she added. Many have deemed Pelosi a hypocrite for flouting face mask guidelines after criticizing Trump for not wearing one. When he was pictured in one in July she said: 'He's crossed a bridge. So hopefully by his example, he will change his attitude, which will be helpful in stopping the spread of the coronavirus.' In July Pelosi announced that all members will be required to wear a mask when voting on the House floor. She said failure to wear would be 'serious breach of decorum' for which members could be removed from the chamber. 'It's a sign of respect for the health, safety and well-being of others present in the chamber and in surrounding areas,' she added. Meanwhile, Trump spewed attacks against Pelosi on Twitter, where he questioned how'd she fare in global negotiations given claims the incident was a 'set up.' 'Nancy Pelosi said she got 'set up' by the owner (a very good one) of a beauty parlor,' Trump wrote. 'If so, how will she do in negotiations against President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia, or Kim Jong Un of North Korea. Not so well, I suspect, but far better than Joe Hiden' would do!' Trump is just one of several Republicans who have leveraged Pelosi's controversy as a criticism against Democrats ahead of the November election. Antarvedi : , Sep 10 (IANS) Police in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district are still clueless about the cause of Antarvedi Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple chariot blaze. "We are still investigating the case and are yet to find any clues or culprit in the case," a police officer told IANS. However, on Tuesday evening, police arrested 43 protesters for pelting stones at a local church, resulting in some window panes breaking, and also for damaging the compound wall of the church. A few videos of the attack emerged, in which a woman was seen asking people around to fetch some stones. "We have arrested 43 people, out whom five were women and three juveniles. The juveniles were handed over to their parents and the women received bail. Remaining 36 were remanded," he said. On Wednesday, the court remanded the arrested people into judicial custody till September 22. The arrested individuals belong to Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Bajrang Dal, RSS and others. "Many non-locals are descending on the village to inflame passions and aggravate the issue but the locals will not fall for their devises," said a local source. According to police, the church was attacked only to create some disturbance, and for no other reason. Meanwhile, a group of local youth belonging to the temple released a video message condemning the attack on the church. "Some people who came to protest have pelted stones on a nearby church which does not have anything to do with the temple issue. On behalf of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple youth we condemn this act," said a local youth belonging to the temple. He said no culprit has been identified in the case and the local Christians have also expressed sorrow and empathy at the unfortunate incident. Byra Nagaraju, another youngster from the temple said "people from all communities in the region live peacefully as friends and relatives". "I received many phone calls from local people who live abroad, enquiring about the incident, majority of them belonging to the Christian faith. They all expressed their sadness over the incident," said Nagaraju. "Many people are arriving here from so many places. Some of them have attacked a church out of immaturity. We categorically condemn this act by those people on behalf of the youth of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple," he asserted. He told the troublemakers not to create any rift among the local people who peacefully coexist as brothers. Andhra Pradesh BJP president Somu Verraju visited the temple on Wednesday along with a delegation of 10 people. He witnessed the burnt chariot, went around the temple and addressed the media. Aimed at avoiding any law and order problems, police did not allow some leaders belonging to BJP and allied parties to come out of their homes from Tuesday night to Wednesday afternoon around 2 p.m. Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Opposition leader in the state, demanded a CBI inquiry into this case and other similar incidents which happened earlier. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms and demand a CBI inquiry into all these incidents," said Naidu. Naidu alleged that he is seeing a pattern in the charring of the chariot at Antarvedi, Bitragunra idols demolition at Pithapuram, attacks on priests at Devarampadu, propagation of other religions under TTD management and the takeover of Simhachalam temple board. However, several YSRCP leaders have condemned the statements of the opposition parties and vowed to punish the people responsible for the chariot burning case. On Saturday night, a six-decade-old wooden chariot of the famous Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Antarvedi in East Godavari district was gutted in a fire under mysterious circumstances. Police are awaiting the forensic report in the case. Scenic Antarvedi is located in the lush green Konaseema region of East Godavari district, 200 km east of Vijaywada. JAKARTA, Indonesia - While Indonesia has recorded more deaths from the coronavirus than any other Southeast Asian country, it also has seen by far the most fatalities among medical workers in the region, leading to concerns about the long-term impact on the nations fragile healthcare system. The tribulations endured by Indonesian healthcare workers are similar to others globally: long working hours, hospitals filled to capacity and a lack of resources like personal protective equipment. Indonesias government has been able to provide PPE to healthcare workers after an initial shortage that saw doctors wearing plastic raincoats while working. But other issues remain in the country, where more than 200 medical workers, mostly doctors and nurses, have died from the virus. According to Dr. Halik Malik, spokesperson for the Indonesian Medical Association, coronavirus and non-coronavirus patients are often treated in the same healthcare facilities, increasing workers potential exposure to the virus. Only workers who are treating known COVID-19 patients are provided virus testing for themselves, he said, noting that results are often delayed. We are worried that if positive cases in the community continue to increase, there will be many cases that cannot be handled properly, Malik said. Indonesia on Tuesday surpassed 200,000 cases of the coronavirus, the second-highest tally in Southeast Asia after the Philippines, which has reported more than 241,000 infections. In all of Asia, Indonesias death toll of 8,230 is second only to India, which has had over 73,000 fatalities. At least 213 healthcare workers have died from COVID-19 in Indonesia, including 107 doctors and 74 nurses, according to the Indonesian Medical Association. The Philippines, which has reported more than 3,900 deaths overall, has seen 33 of its medical workers die from the virus, second-most in the region. The only other Southeast Asian country with more than 100 overall deaths is Malaysia, with 128. Indonesia also has one of the lowest numbers of doctors per capita in Southeast Asia, at just 4.27 per 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. The deaths of so many of its doctors from COVID-19 will impact the countrys healthcare workforce for years to come, said Nurul Nadia, a public health expert from the Center for Indonesias Strategic Development Initiatives, an organization that focuses on health. Our health system is weak, the number of doctors is not ideal, the number of specialist doctors is very few and many have become victims of COVID-19 now, Nadia said. And the spread of the virus is only getting worse across the vast archipelago nation of more than 270 million people. According to the WHO, 66,420 cases were recorded in Indonesia in August alone, a 28% rise from Julys total. While a majority of the cases were in East Java province and Jakarta, Indonesias capital, several other places have emerged as new hot spots. The true number of cases is suspected to be significantly higher, as Indonesia continues to have one of the lowest testing rates in the world. Yet businesses across the country continue to reopen. Bali, one of the countrys largest tourism hubs, began welcoming domestic visitors on July 9. According to Bali Tourism Agency chief Putu Astawa, the island welcomed at least 78,000 domestic tourists in August. In Jakarta, many offices have reopened, contributing to a spike in cases in the sprawling city. As a result of the spike in cases, hospitals are continuing to fill, leading to some becoming overcrowded. Isolation beds are now at 70% capacity in the country, raising concern about the healthcare systems capacity to cope with the increasing number of new cases every week, the WHO said. Medical workers face other burdens for which there are no available statistics. They often work long hours, with no offer of psychological counselling, said Dr. Irman Pahlepi, who has worked in a COVID-19 intake centre since March. The fear of exposure to the virus has also kept many healthcare workers away from their families, as they choose instead to stay in government-provided hotels. Pahlepi, who spent most of the past five months living away from his newlywed wife for fear of infecting her, recently found out his wife is pregnant and decided to move back home to help care for her. But the decision doesnt come without risks, he said. Im getting more scared now, and getting sadder too, Pahlepi said. I remember my family at home more than before. What if we get infected? Healthcare workers across Indonesia are facing other hardships as well. The secretary of the Legal Aid Agency of the Indonesian Nurses Association said that as of May 25, 330 nurses in government-owned or private-owned hospitals experienced pay cuts and did not receive any holiday bonus, according to a report by Amnesty International. Indonesias government announced a plan last week to lessen the burden on healthcare workers by moving patients from hospitals to create more space, adjusting clinical work arrangements to reduce exposure to patients, and providing nutritional supplements to medical workers. We are deeply sorry to our hero health workers, the front-liners, the fighters who have passed away while handling COVID-19 treatment, National COVID-19 Task Force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said at a news conference. Both the task force and the minister of health are very concerned (about) this issue. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Read more about: (Newser) President Trump might be getting some help from the Justice Department with the lawsuit one of his accusers filed against him last year. E. Jean Carroll, who says Trump raped her at a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, sued him for defamation over his public denial of ever having met her; she says that statement, made in 2019, was a lie. Indeed, the two were once photographed together in 1987. On Tuesday, the DoJ moved to replace the president's private legal team with government lawyers who would defend him in the case, a move the New York Times calls "highly unusual" and CNN calls "extraordinary." Lawyers for the department argue in court papers that Trump "was acting within the scope of his office" when he issued the denial, and that's why he's entitled to be defended by government lawyers and for the case to be moved from state court to federal court. story continues below Needless to say, the motion isn't going over well in certain circles. "TRUMP HURLS BILL BARR AT ME," she tweeted. Her lawyer accuses Trump of attempting to "wield the power of the US government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct." One uninvolved law professor puts it this way: "The question is, is it really within the scope of the law for government lawyers to defend someone accused of lying about a rape when he wasnt even president yet?" Sources at the DoJ who were shocked at the move note that Trump also remarked on Carroll's physical appearance when he made his comments and it's not clear whether that would be considered within the scope of presidential duties. One expert says if the motion is accepted, the suit could end up dead in the water because the federal government can't be sued for defamation. Bloomberg notes that even if not accepted, the move could delay Carroll from getting the potentially damaging evidence she wants before Election Day. (Read more E. Jean Carroll stories.) The First Amendments constitutional guarantee of citizens right to lawfully assemble and peacefully protest stands as a landmark advancement in freedom. Most regimes in the era of Jefferson and Madison refused to abide such assertions of popular will, despite rampant injustices. In our time, many governments similarly frown on such an exercise of freedom: Protesters who challenge the status quo face arbitrary punishment, sometimes brutal in its ferocity. Americans can take pride in our First Amendment freedoms. This liberty must be safeguarded, now and for future generations. But of late, gun violence has marred such protests, in a frightening series of deaths. In Kenosha, Wisconsin, authorities have charged a 17-year-old in the shooting deaths of two protesters and the wounding of a third. In Portland, Oregon, gunfire took the life of a protester. And in Omaha, James Scurlock was fatally shot in May during protests over the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. Yes, the Second Amendment safeguards gun rights, though with leeway for government regulation, as the Supreme Court has stated. But experience in Kenosha, in Portland, in Omaha itself makes clear that guns and protests make for a perilous combination. If you plan to participate in a public demonstration, leave any guns at home. Brandishing weapons in a protest environment unavoidably raises tensions and creates the potential for deadly results. Let future demonstrations stand as exercises in freedom energetically asserted, not in more innocent lives taken. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 19:58:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Zakaria Abdul Hamid, chairman of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), speaks during the launching ceremony of "EYE" Short Film & Music Video Competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sept. 9, 2020. Malaysian filmmakers will be able to bring the story of the country's fight against the COVID-19 outbreak to Chinese audience through a collaborative film competition launched on Wednesday. The contest, "EYE" Short Film & Music Video Competition, aims to discover the inspiring moments during the outbreak, including capturing the mutual assistance and support between China and Malaysia in fighting the pandemic together, the organizer said in a statement. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian filmmakers will be able to bring the story of the country's fight against the COVID-19 outbreak to Chinese audience through a collaborative film competition launched on Wednesday. The contest, "EYE" Short Film & Music Video Competition, aims to discover the inspiring moments during the outbreak, including capturing the mutual assistance and support between China and Malaysia in fighting the pandemic together, the organizer said in a statement. Additionally, the competition will give a boost to the country's media creators by reactivating and revitalizing those affected by the disruption caused by COVID-19 as well as to provide a platform to young and talented filmmakers. The competition is organized by Mango Media Malaysia in collaboration with the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), the Chinese embassy in Malaysia, and Xiamen University Malaysia, among others. In his speech in the launching ceremony, Finas chairman Zakaria Abdul Hamid said the competition is an opportunity to boost cultural exchange and to encourage more productions between Malaysian and Chinese filmmakers. Zakaria also said China's film industry, being ahead compared to Malaysia in terms of technology and technique, would help Malaysia's filmmakers who are seeking to collaborate and improve themselves in those areas. Zakaria expressed the hope that more enriched movie themes will be forged for better understanding of cultures and bring both cultures closer. For his part, Minister and Deputy Chief of the Mission of the Chinese embassy in Malaysia Tang Rui told reporters following the event that the collaboration drew upon the longstanding relationship between both countries, especially in the arts sector, and would help deepen their cooperation. "We should continue to carry on this tradition, good relationship in the new era ... the film will be a very good medium and platform for the two countries to strengthen the relationship, to deepen the understanding between the two countries," he said. The competition is open to the public and has no registration fees for the two categories: Short Film and Music Video, with the Short Film being subdivided into student category and public category. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 31. PORTLAND, Ore. Political violence is easy to start, and nearly impossible to stop. A single incident isnt enough to launch a cycle of democratic decay, although the recent killings in Kenosha (rightist shoots leftists) and Portland (leftist shoots rightist) should have everyone in America concerned. With Election Day approaching, we are facing the possibility of months of politicized street violence, unprecedented in our lifetime, and an eruption of false symmetries and polarized thinking that amplify individual incidents into narratives of victimhood. Ive seen this before. As a correspondent in South America, Africa and the Middle East for two decades, Ive watched democracy wrestle with violence and often lose. A man on the ground was shot in the chest in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 25 during protests over the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a police officer. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) In other countries, street fighting and assassinations have been prime drivers in a wave of recent authoritarian transformations. While there are risks to politicians who embrace one side of this divide as President Trump has done, from Charlottesville to Kenosha there is also a proven route to power through encouraging politicized violence. Politicians from Venezuela to Turkey benefit from threatening their opponents, or having supporters do it. In Argentina, political parties routinely mobilize their members for violent street brawling before elections or even when trying to pass a bill. In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has actually cemented his popularity and power by encouraging a wave of vigilante killings. The risk to democracy feels palpable here in Portland. In June, long-simmering Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality erupted in nightly violence as federal riot troops using tear gas and nonlethal munitions tried to clear the streets in front of the federal courthouse. Instead, thousands of new faces joined the protests in July, until Trump pulled back his task force. A relative calm followed late last month, I found the courthouse protest camp abandoned, the streets around it empty. Small, scattered marches continued around the city, often accompanied by property damage, trash fires and vandalism, including to the lobby of Mayor Ted Wheelers apartment building. Story continues But by late August the nations attention switched to Kenosha, Wis., where a protest against a police shooting drew armed counterprotesters, and 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly shot three people, killing two. The national and even global spotlight returned to Oregon on Aug. 29, when a Trump Cruise of supporters in trucks and pickups formed up in Clackamas County and paraded, past my house with horns blaring, into Portland. Over a series of hours the violence returned, first with paintball guns and fists and mace, but then with a real gun. As the protests and counterprotests were breaking up around 9 p.m., Michael F. Reinoehl, an Army veteran and self-described antifa security volunteer, allegedly shot dead Aaron Jay Danielson, a caravan participant and pro-Trump activist from the group Patriot Prayer. Michael Reinoehl is seen during a protest in front of Mayor Ted Wheelers residence on Aug. 28, in Portland, Ore. Reinoehl is suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP) The atmosphere in Portland abruptly flipped from quiet relief to terrified silence; my tour of the five most common protest sites the next night revealed not a single raised fist in the streets. Reinoehl, facing a warrant for his arrest, went into hiding, but popped onto Vice News to admit he was the shooter, claiming he acted out of fear for his life. I had no choice, he told Vice. But late last week, when a task force of federal and local police swarmed him outside a residence in Lacey, Wash., Reinoehl did have a choice. He allegedly chose to pull a gun and face off with officers, according to a neighbor, who told the New York Times that the subsequent fusillade of shots lasted a minute and a half. Do these two killings mean that violence between right and left is equal? No. Reinoehl represents one all-American nightmare, the loose cannon. He was carrying a gun in a movement that largely eschews firearms; in the past two months, searching carefully, I have never seen a gun at any leftist protest in Portland or Minneapolis. Even in the chaos that engulfed Portland this past weekend, the violence that sometimes accompanies left-wing protests is primarily aimed at property, not people. By contrast, this year I have been to multiple right-wing protests, from Michigan to Idaho, and counted hundreds of guns, worn openly and championed as the necessary next step, the essential and final form of resistance to the American left. On a statehouse lawn, at a county fairground and in front of a barbershop, Ive seen the Trump 2020 flag waved by people with purse pistols, black rifle semiautos over their shoulders and even a .50 caliber sniper rifle. I never went to an outdoor Trump rally this year without seeing a gun. When I drove across America in June, interviewing Michigan boogaloo bois and Three Percent Militia members in Idaho, and everyone from a North Dakota farmer to a Washington state politician, I heard the same thing over and over: America has decayed so far already that violence is justified, even desirable, as a tool to remake the country. Even at the Portland courthouse in July I saw rightists making threats almost every night from the racing engines of drive-by counterprotesters in muscle cars to a man wearing MAGA red who wandered the edge of the crowd and threatened to shoot anyone who tried to talk to him. (Im going to kill you, he said when a protester approached him. I will shoot people!) Far-right protesters walk past the state Capitol with long rifles during a rally Monday in Salem, Ore. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images) Up to this point, and with the exception of the rare Molotov cocktail, the weapons have generally been nonlethal, including clubs and tossed cans of black beans. Federal and local police have responded with flash-bang grenades and stinging paintballs, pepper gas from hand-operated canisters and tossed grenades. In Portland, they also used fumigation-style sprayers that required federal officers to move constantly upwind of protesters. But it can be no surprise that in a nation of over 300 million guns, pistols and rifles are increasingly present. An improvised explosive device was thrown at BLM protests in Portland, and a man pulled a gun on several of them in July. Reinoehl had already been arrested for carrying a gun at the protests and said he was shot in the arm while wrestling with a pro-Trump protester in a previous incident. Dan Slater, chair of political science at the University of Michigan, has shown how, around the world, democracy is actually thriving if you redefine democracy as majority rule. The old model of classically liberal, rule-of-law democracy created a citizen compact by protecting everyone (i.e., the weak) equally. The new democratic trend internationally is might makes right, meaning that once you win, you get what you want, without parliaments, the press, minorities, courts, norms or legal niceties getting in the way. This is the model in Turkey, where Recep Tayyip Erdogan has detained over 100,000 opponents and won reelection with a militarized nationalism. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin keeps the peace for ethnic Russians at home while meddling in Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus, an enemy always at hand to justify his reelection. In multicultural Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has divided his countrymen into makers and takers and winked at police and paramilitary groups who terrorize the slums. Likewise, in the Philippines, Duterte has maintained his popularity by targeting slum dwellers and drug addicts, who then die in mysterious midnight executions, terrifying his critics and pacifying an anxious middle class at the same time. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left. (How Hwee Young-Pool/Getty Images) The elections in all these countries may be dubious, or unfriendly to real opposition, but all these leaders won enough votes to claim a democratic mandate. While certainly not up to the best standards, they give these strongmen something to point to when they insist they rule with majority support. The real danger is that majoritarian democracy depends as much on violence as it does on votes violence either verbally implied or all too real, like the trail of dead bodies I followed in the Philippines back toward Dutertes incitements. Violence creates the majority in these countries it validates and intimidates, policing the line between disloyal and loyal, enforcing the rule of the latter. And majority doesnt always mean the most votes, even in the U.S., where Trump was able to handily lose the popular vote only to become president through the Electoral College. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows recently claimed that most of Donald Trumps America is peaceful, as if the president were responsible only for that portion of the country. In any authoritarian system, defining the real citizens can be tricky. They may be defined by history, by loyalty and by group membership (including language, race and gender). Outsiders just dont count. Its not so much that American democracy is at risk of dying. Its that American democracy may be transformed into the illiberal ones we see abroad, where an up-or-down vote on power lets winners take all. From Michigan to Idaho and Portland to Boise, there is a growing confidence on the far right. These self-recruited warriors see themselves not as vigilantes but as modern Minutemen. That farmer in North Dakota told me gun owners were standing by to defeat busloads of anarchist invaders he expected in Bismarck; Trump himself speaks without evidence of planeloads of looters flying to hurt people. Protesters in Portland, Ore., Aug. 28. (John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) But unlike BLM, with its fundamental opposition to the police, right-wing vigilantes usually see themselves as force multipliers, aligned with law enforcement, deputizing themselves as informal paramilitaries and adopting police and army clothing, equipment and weapons. Kyle Rittenhouse was one of dozens of gunmen who stood beside police armored vehicles brandishing rifles that can kill at 1,000 feet. Like Reinoehl, his ideological opposite, Rittenhouse appears to have felt he had no choice about shooting someone. More and more Americans seem to want to decide for themselves when violence is justified. Alexander Reid Ross of the Center for Study of the Radical Right in Portland calls this a dangerous development, as the hierarchical militia movement gives way toward a looser vigilante model in which armed individuals decide for themselves whom to confront in the streets, and when. The military movement has turned a corner, Ross says. It used to be survivalists creating a niche for themselves, developing defensive strongholds like Bunkerville in Nevada or the so-called Redoubt in northern Idaho. Now Ross sees vigilantes going on the offensive, confident in going beyond the law. Ross points out that America is filled with veterans of foreign wars and contractors trained in counterinsurgency doctrines while overseas. And some small number of these veterans now appear to have signed up with the radical right. Their ideology is to punch people into submission in American society, in public, without being shunned, he says. Ross says participating in caravans and counterprotests is a tool that stands in for other acts, for microaggressions. You cant stand on the street in Portland and call somebody a fag anymore, so joining like-minded reactionaries in public violence reframes that derogatory instinct into a brave fight for political correctness. In or out of formal organizations, the armed groups are all equally dangerous. The Proud Boys, an alt-right group, faces off against Black Lives Matters protesters using mace and a paintball gun in Portland, Ore., Aug. 15. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) Even the threat implied by simply carrying rifles through the street can end politics as we know it. As I learned the hard way in Colombia and Yemen, there is no political process at the end of a gun barrel. We already know this from American history. The ex-Confederate states all experienced nearly a century of white rule that was enforced by lynching and more routine forms of domination, while politicians rode white supremacy to office. Politicized street violence isnt some alien import to America. Some politicians may think they can ride this tiger. But things can still go terribly wrong, even for those who think they are on top. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: The hypnotic rhythm of an old manual typewriter going clack-clack-clack-clack-ping! clack-clack-clack-clack-ping! is like a long-ago song that Montgomerys William Lee never tires of hearing. Manual typewriters have a different sound than most other typewriters, he says. Most of them have a distinctive sound. Lee has such a good ear for that sound, he says with a hint of hyperbole, that he can sometimes tell, say, a Royal typewriter from an Underwood, just by listening to the patter of the letters striking the paper as they tap-dance across the page. After selling and repairing typewriters for nearly 50 years, it is a sound that the soft-spoken Lee probably hears in his sleep. Ive been doing this since 1973, he says. I was in Birmingham doing construction work, and I realized thats not what I wanted to do for the rest of my days. So, I came back home and started technical school, and Ive been going at it ever since. As the longtime proprietor of American Typewriter Co., on South Decatur Street in Montgomery, Lee is, in his own words, one of the last of a dying profession a typewriter repairman in an age of computer geeks. I guess when I leave, he says, probably nobody else will come in. At American Typewriter Co., in Montgomery, Ala., owner William Lee has a selection of classic manual typewriters, including this portable Underwood typewriter.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com) Dont know what happened to the years The fourth of 11 children, Lee grew up in neighboring Lowndes County, and he started tinkering with mechanical and electrical gadgets and appliances as a little boy. Ive always had an inquisitive mind of taking things apart and putting them back together, even when I was young, he says. Anything that wouldnt work, there was always a Why? So, I would tear into it, figure out whats going wrong, and fix it. After that brief construction job in Birmingham -- I was there a minute,' he says -- Lee came back home to study office machine repair at John M. Patterson Technical School in Montgomery before he went to work with Royal Office Equipment Co. A few years later, he and his younger brother Alonza Lee went into the office-equipment repair business together, running Lee & Lee Typewriter Service in Macon County. Subsequently, Lee opened his American Typewriter Co. on Highland Avenue in Montgomery around 1982, and he moved his shop to its current location on South Decatur Street about four years later. I bought this building in 86, he says. Ever since, Ive been right here. I dont know what happened to the years. They just went by so fast. (Lees younger brother, who now works out of Birmingham as a long-haul truck driver, also operated an American Typewriter Co. in Birmingham for several years.) When Lee started his business, he serviced typewriters for Alabama State University, Tuskegee University, Huntingdon College and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, he says. We kept em going, Lee says. And we sold them new and used typewriters. Want to read more good news about Alabama? Sign up for the This is Alabama newsletter here. American Typewriter Co., which has been in business since 1982, is at 437 South Decatur St. in Montgomery, Ala.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com) More or less a dying profession These days, Lees clients are a lot fewer and many are much farther between. I had one come from Illinois this past week and another coming from Mississippi, he says. I get customers from Birmingham. I get customers from Florida, Georgia, all around. Many of those customers, he says, are nostalgic baby boomers who came of age before laptops and iPads and who have rediscovered their love of typewriters after finding an old Smith-Corona or IBM Selectric they had stashed in the basement. Or they just want to buy one for old-times sake. There are a lot of people who are still looking for the old typewriters, Lee says. I get more requests for the older manual typewriters than I do the electronic typewriters. Tom Hanks, the Oscar-winning actor who has a collection of more than 100 typewriters, helped inspire that revival in typewriters with his 2017 book Uncommon Type, a collection of short stories in which a typewriter plays a part in each story. There is a percussive quality to writing sometimes, you know, Hanks told journalist Lee Cowan on CBS Sunday Morning when his book came out. If the drums are the backbone of any rock n roll band, the sound of a typewriter is the sound of productivity. William Lees customers, though, arent all just sentimental collectors looking to rekindle old memories. There are some businesses that still have a typewriter sitting next to their computer, he says. Its not the mainline machine, but there is still a need for it in some businesses. In addition to repairing and selling manual and electric typewriters, Lee also services fax machines, printers, copiers and cash registers, he says. Lee, who also raises cattle on his land in Lowndesboro, says he continues to work on typewriters because he loves doing it, not because he needs to. Its more or less a dying profession, but I just like doing it and I havent been in any hurry to close it down, he says. I dont mean to be bragging, but I dont really have to work now. American Typewriter Co. is at 437 South Decatur St. in Montgomery. The phone is 334-269-6924. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. READ MORE: This Alabama barbecue joint has been smoking since 1942 The cool story behind this essential Auburn snack This cozy little bookstore is one of Alabamas hidden gems The sweet story of Millie Ray and her famous orange rolls By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 51 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Waters and Stanton advertising On their Twitter feed amateur radio dealer Waters and Stanton has suggested they may not be advertising in RadCom magazine On August 27 the company started publishing their magazine adverts directly on the web prior to publication of the magazine, see https://twitter.com/wsplc/status/1299080383556919316 In a Tweet on September 8 they said: Having advertised in RadCom for 48 years without a break, we were faced with a non-negotiable page rate increase with just 2 weeks notice. So we have decided that our next advert will be placed on-line.! Check it out. https://tinyurl.com/y2bf4sb9 #hamr #hamradio Source https://twitter.com/wsplc/status/1303340598779412480 JUPITER, Fla. President Donald Trump expanded a ban on new offshore drilling Tuesday, an election-year reversal likely to appeal to voters in Florida and other coastal states. Two years ago, Trump had taken steps to vastly expand offshore drilling from coast to coast. "This protects your beautiful gulf and your beautiful ocean, and it will for a long time to come," Trump said as he announced the expanded drilling ban during an appearance at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. The president signed a memorandum instructing the interior secretary to prohibit drilling in the waters off both Florida coasts, and off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina for a period of 10 years from July 1, 2022, to June 20, 2032. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a longtime Trump ally who has opposed the administration's drilling exploration expansion plans, applauded Tuesday's announcement as "good news" but warned "we must remain vigilant in the conservation and preservation of our coastline." The existing moratorium covers the Gulf of Mexico, and Trump said the new one would also cover the Atlantic coast a significant political concern in coastal states like Florida. Trump used the event to portray himself as an environmental steward and contrast his record against that of Democrat Joe Biden. But the Trump administration has overturned or weakened numerous regulations meant to protect air and water quality and lands essential for imperiled species. The trip comes as Trump steps up his travel to battleground states eight week before the election. From Florida, he headed for a campaign rally in North Carolina, another must-win for his reelection, before returning to the White House late Tuesday. Trump used the taxpayer-funded event to lambaste his opponent with claims that Biden would "destroy America's middle class" and give a "free pass to the world's worst foreign polluters." Biden has called for eliminating carbon emissions from power plants by 2035 and modernizing the electric grid. Both moves would curtail fossil fuel demand. His plan also includes significant direct public spending and tax subsidies for other energy sources, which Biden's campaign says would spur new jobs even as traditional energy jobs wane. Biden calls out China as the world's biggest coal polluter and says he'd hinge all future trade deals with Beijing on carbon reductions. He supports an international alliance to help other nations afford low-carbon development and pitches a global moratorium on Arctic offshore drilling. The announcement could open Trump to charges of an election-year flip-flop given that in January 2018 he acted to vastly expand offshore drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic oceans and he has supported efforts to boost American energy production to lessen reliance on foreign sources. Biden accused Trump of "conveniently" changing his mind. "Just months ago, Donald Trump was planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida," Biden tweeted. "Now, with 56 days until the election, he conveniently says that he changed his mind. Unbelievable. You don't have to guess where I stand: I oppose new offshore drilling." Trump offered himself as the greatest environmental president since Theodore Roosevelt. "Who would have thought? Trump is the great environmentalist," the president said. "You hear that? That's good, and I am. I am. I believe strongly in it." But Trump has rolled back numerous regulations designed to protect the environment, from power plant emissions to auto fuel standards to clean water. He withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, a global agreement to address the emission of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. The environment has also been the primary target of Trump's push to eliminate regulations, eliminating or weakening dozens of rules that protect the air and water, along with lands essential for imperiled species while reversing Obama-era initiatives to fight climate change. Trump replaced Obama's Clean Power Plan aimed at slashing greenhouse gas pollution from electric plants and eased automobile fuel economy standards. Under Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency stripped federal protection from millions of acres of streams and wetlands. He lifted restrictions on oil and gas exploration in sensitive areas and shortened environmental reviews of construction projects such as highways and pipelines. Trump said he had also been discussing the moratorium with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who greeted Trump at the airport in West Palm Beach and attended the Jupiter event. "This protects your beautiful gulf and your beautiful ocean, and it will for a long time to come," Trump said about the ban to an audience of about 200 people, including federal and state officials and members of Congress. Few wore face coverings or practiced social distancing. Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director for the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, said Floridians will remember it was Trump who previously proposed opening the state to drilling in the first place. "Voters shouldn't be duped by this cheap, last-minute maneuver," Lopez said in an emailed statement. "It can't even begin to make up for the aggressive efforts to expand dirty offshore drilling since Trump's been in office." Energy industry groups expressed said the decision was the "wrong approach" for the times. "Offshore access is critical for growing U.S. energy leadership and providing affordable energy for American families," said Lem Smith, vice president of upstream policy at the American Petroleum Institute, in an emailed statement. The ban "puts at risk hundreds of thousands of new jobs, U.S. energy security advancements and billions of dollars in critical revenue for states," he added. Environmental groups and former EPA chiefs from both parties have criticized Trump's environmental record. Current EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, defended it last week in a speech commemorating the agency's 50th anniversary. He contended Trump had reined in an agency that had lost sight of its core mission. A second term would bring more cleanups of Superfund toxic waste dumps and restoration of polluted industrial sites, which drew renewed emphasis during Trump's first term, Wheeler said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Mining Leases Granted and New Exploration Tenements Perth, Sep 9, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cyprium Metals Limited ( ASX:CYM ) is pleased to advise the granting of the mining lease M20/526 at the Cue Copper Project, which replaces the Hollandaire exploration tenement E20/699 and a portion of the Rapier exploration tenement E20/629 (refer to Figure 1*).A mining lease, M51/887, has also been granted for the Nanadie Well Copper-Gold Project, which is located ~75km to the east-northeast of Cyprium's Hollandaire copper deposits (refer to Figure 2*), that Cyprium has reached an agreement to acquire from Horizon Minerals Limited ("HRZ" or "Horizon") during July 2020.Cyprium has applied for exploration tenements to the west and east of the Nanadie Well Copper- Gold Project (refer to Figure 2), to expand our regional presence in the area and increase the projects exploration prospectivity.The Nanadie Well Copper-Gold Project also has the Stark Cu-Ni-PGE prospect along with a number of drill ready targets that offer excellent exploration upside.Executive Director Barry Cahill commented "We are pleased that the mining lease has been granted to remove any uncertainty over the timing of when mining operations could potentially commence, following the successful completion of favourable Cue Copper Project scoping and feasibility studies.We have reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the Nanadie Well Copper-Gold Project during July 2020 and we expect this transaction to complete in the near future. The Nanadie Well deposit and Stark mineralisation are both very prospective and is located only 75km to the east-northeast of our Hollandaire copper deposits. It is an exciting addition that increases our regional mineral resource base and will be included in the ongoing Cue Copper Project scoping study."*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Cyprium Metals Ltd Cyprium Metals Limited (ASX:CYM) is poised to grow to a mid-tier mining business and manage a portfolio of Australian copper projects to deliver vital natural resources, strong shareholder returns and sustainable value for our stakeholders. We pursue this aim, in genuine partnerships with employees, customers, shareholders, local communities and other stakeholders, which is based on integrity, co-operation, transparency and mutual value creation. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that banks would be the catalysts for economic revival. "At this stage, the catalysts for economic revival, the catalysts who have the pulse of every one of their customers, are banks," Sitharaman said while speaking at an event after launching PSB Alliance-Doorstep Banking Services. She also said that other than focussing on core business, the baks should also focus on welfare. "You don't forget your core activity, which is lending and making money out of it and that is a legitimate activity. You will do that and also being in the public sector, do some things which are welfare related as announced by the government," she said. "It is your duty to know about the schemes that the government passes to customers through you. I would want to be sure that your staff at every level has at least some idea of what are the government schemes being passed through you to citizens," Sitharaman said. This awareness is going to make banks more accessible to customers who want to avail those schemes, she added. She also said that banks must use digital technology to fix gaps to ensure a speedy revival. Sitharaman said that these must reach out to those areas where banking has not reached yet. Even in the most developed states, there are gaps in formal banking, Sitharaman added. Meanwhile, Sitharaman had recently said that India's commitment to reform is being taken seriously by foreign investors, which is evident from the good inflow of the Foreign Direct investment (FDI) even during the time of COVID-19. Between April-July, FDI into India stood at $20 billion. Also read: Loan moratorium: FM Sitharaman asks banks to roll out resolution schemes by September 15 Also read: Govt working with RBI to extend moratorium, restructure loans, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman By PTI COLOMBO: The fresh fire on board a giant oil tanker that went up in flames last week off Sri Lanka's eastern waters while carrying crude oil from Kuwait to India is now under control, the Lankan Navy said on Wednesday. The Panama-registered oil tanker was carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip when it caught fire last Thursday. A Filipino crew member died and another was injured in the mishap. "Disaster management teams successfully brought the fire, which reignited aboard MT New Diamond as a result of adverse weather, under control by morning today. There are no flames or smoke to be noticed as of now and the distressed ship is being towed further away towards safe waters by a tug," the Sri Lankan Navy said in a statement. ALSO READ | Sri Lankan Navy, Indian ships battling re-ignited fire on board oil tanker The fire was doused in a joint operation of the Indian and Sri Lankan forces on Sunday. But a new fire broke out within hours due to extreme heat and strong winds. After the second fire was brought under control, the tanker was towed away from the site. "The distressed oil tanker is now about 37 nautical miles off Sangamankanda Point and the disaster management operation is continuing at full steam in rough sea conditions and strong winds," the Navy statement added. It said a narrow diesel patch, 1 km from the ship, was noticed on Monday evening. A Dornier aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard dropped diesel dispersant to minimise potential damage to the marine environment. A local marine research ship has arrived in the waters to assess the situation, the Navy added. ALSO WATCH: Suicide Prevention Australia chief executive Nieves Murray has warned of a delayed spike in deaths from self harm when the pandemic's economic impacts hit, backing calls for JobKeeper to be extended. While current data released by the Victorian coroner last month revealed there had been no increase in the number of people dying by suicide in that state during the coronavirus pandemic, Ms Murray warned the worst impacts were yet to come. Experts fear job losses from the coronavirus lockdown will lead to more self harm. Credit:Jason South "International research shows as economies go down, suicide rates go up, and Australia has just entered its worst recession in nearly a century," Ms Murray said. "Add to that the cost-of-living, social isolation, relationship and family breakdowns, and drug and alcohol issues that generally follow, and were looking at the risk of ongoing severe stress and suicidal risk." In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people are suddenly rethinking the long-held tradition of blowing out candles on birthday cakes but a Florida-based dentist has designed a handy invention that's here to help With new awareness of just how easily germs can spread from a person's mouth, the idea of eating something that another person just blew on seems mildly gross at best and horrifically dangerous at worse. But just abandoning the tradition seems like a loss, too, so Billy Kay, a dentist from Boca Raton, is launching the Top It Cake Shield: a clear plastic shield that perfectly fits cakes and holds candles so kids can still make their birthday wishes. Surprise! The Top It Cake Shield fits over cakes and has a place to hold candles, so kids can still blow them out on their birthdays New normal: The Top It Cake Shield is made in Florida from food-grade, FDA-approved recycled polystyrene. It retails for $4.99 to $14.99 and comes in three sizes Doc: Dr. Billy Kay, a dentist from Boca Raton, had considered the bacteria blown on cakes for 30 years but did something about when the pandemic hit the US The Top It Cake Shield is made in Florida from food-grade, FDA-approved recycled polystyrene. It includes a border that goes around the cake, as well as a lid with a proprietary track system that can hold most types of candles. The shield comes in three sizes: There is a $4.99 version that fits a single slice of cake, and two $14.99 versions that fit quarter-sheet cakes and round cakes up to 10 inches. The shields are now available for pre-order and are expected to ship October 1. Kay told the Today show that he'd actually spent 30 years considering how blowing on birthday candles can spread germs. The idea isn't new. In fact, research by Clemson University's Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences found that 1,400 per cent more bacteria can be found on the outer icing of a cake that has been blown on compared to a cake that hasn't been blown on. Much needed! A study found that 1,400 per cent more bacteria can be found on the outer icing of a cake that has been blown on compared to a cake that hasn't been blown on 'Never has something affected us all with such a vengeance and with such devastating consequences like COVID-19,' said Dr. Kay But when the pandemic hit, Kay realized it was time to do something about it 'Never has something affected us all with such a vengeance and with such devastating consequences like COVID-19. In the past, spread of disease came, but was more selective and shorter in duration,' he said. 'We have all now witnessed a global event that has changed our perception of safety.' So in March, he created a prototype, and by April he'd begun manufacturing it. 'Now more than ever, it is unlikely anyone will consider eating cake that someone blows on. This tradition is engrained in cultures throughout the world and needs to be upheld,' he said. Victoria's health department will undertake contact tracing to investigate the extent of two new coronavirus outbreaks at Woolworths. The positive cases were reported on Tuesday and Wednesday and have been linked to supermarkets at Altona North, north-west of the CBD, and Glen Waverley, east of Melbourne. Woolworths said it has 'high standards of cleaning and hygiene in place' in a statement following the outbreaks. The retailer confirmed an employee who last worked at the Altona North store on September 4 tested positive to COVID-19 and is self-isolating. Outbreaks at Woolworths will be investigated by Victoria's health department following coronavirus cases at two more Melbourne stores including North Altona (pictured) 'We're making contact with our team members and providing our full support to those required to self-isolate in line with advice from the health authorities,' the supermarket giant said in a statement. It also urged customers who shopped in North Altona on Friday 4 September to contact health authorities if they feel unwell within the next two weeks. Woolworths told Daily Mail Australia it became aware of the Glen Waverley outbreak on Tuesday after an infected staff member worked between 8pm and 1am on September 6. 'Team members at the store are undertaking precautionary testing and awaiting COVID-19 test results before returning to work,' a Woolworths spokesperson said. The spokesperson also said Woolworths would normally use staff members from nearby stores to cover the shifts of the employees in isolation. Woolworths said it became aware of an outbreak at the Glen Waverley store (pictured) on Tuesday after an infected staff member worked between 8pm and 1am on September 6 The retailer has not been able to move employees across multiple sites due to Melbourne's Stage Four lockdown (Pictured: a man rides his bike in Melbourne during lockdown) But under Melbourne's strict Stage 4 restrictions, the retailer has not been able to move employees across multiple sites and the store is closed until further notice. 'Our Chief Medical Officer is working on this matter closely with the Department of Health and Human Services and we hope to recommence trade for our customers as soon as possible,' the statement read. Two more team members tested positive to the virus at the Glen Waverley store in August. It has been deep cleaned and will reopen after staff members receive their test results. Victoria recorded another day of double-digit coronavirus infections on Wednesday, with 76 new cases across the state (Picturd: two women enjoy the sunshine in Melbourne during lockdown on Tuesday) Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services for comment. Victoria recorded another day of double-digit coronavirus infections on Wednesday, with just 76 new cases across the state. A further 11 deaths have also been announced, taking the state's death toll to 694. The figures are a marked jump from previous days after the state recorded 55 infections on Tuesday and 41 on Monday - the lowest number in two months. Olympic chiefs, UN must act on China abuses, say NGOs More than one million ethnic Uighurs and other minorities have been herded into internment camps to undergo political indoctrination in Xinjiang, according to rights groups and experts Hundreds of organisations urged the United Nations to probe rights violations in China on Wednesday as other groups called for Olympic chiefs to strip Beijing of the 2022 winter games. Two separate coalitions of rights groups issued calls for a clear international response to China's abuses as concern grows over its clampdown in Hong Kong and mass internment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. More than 160 rights groups warned in a letter dated Tuesday to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach that allowing the 2022 Games to go ahead could cause more repression in China. When asked about the letter, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian dismissed it as an attempt to "politicise sports" that went against the Olympic spirit. A second open letter to UN leaders signed by 321 civil society groups from more than 60 countries urged them to back an international investigation into abuses by the Chinese government. Zhao slammed the claims made in that letter as "groundless and not worth refuting". China faces increased scrutiny over a security law imposed on Hong Kong in June, which radically increased Beijing's control over the city and has led to a brutal crackdown on dissent. - 'Genocide' claim - There has also been mounting concern over the situation in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, where more than one million ethnic Uighurs and other minorities have been herded into internment camps to undergo political indoctrination, according to rights groups and experts. China insists the camps are training centres aimed at providing education to reduce the allure of Islamic radicalism. At the end of July, an overseas-based Uighur group urged the IOC to reconsider holding the 2022 games in China, accusing the government of "genocide" of the Uighur population. Tuesday's letter to the IOC said there had been a "gross increase on the assault on communities living under its rule" after the 2008 Summer Olympic Games were awarded to Beijing. Story continues "The IOC must recognise that the Olympic spirit and the reputation of the Olympic Games will suffer further damage if the worsening human rights crisis, across all areas under China's control, is simply ignored," the letter said. In response, the IOC stressed its political neutrality. "Awarding the Olympic Games to a National Olympic Committee does not mean that the IOC agrees with the political structure, social circumstances or human rights standards in its country," it said in a statement. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet has repeatedly called for Beijing to grant her office "unfettered access" to Xinjiang to investigate alleged abuses. - Abuses felt 'worldwide' - But rights groups are urging her and the UN system as a whole to harden its line. "We believe that the audacity and the uncorrected nature of the Chinese government's human rights violations inside and outside the country warrant a fundamentally different and ambitious response," Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch's China director told reporters. HRW and the 320 other rights groups who signed Wednesday's letter to the UN reiterated a call in June from dozens of UN experts for the UN Human Rights Council to host a special session on Chinese violations. They pointed to the situation in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, as well as in Tibet, and raised concerns over the suppression of vital information linked to the coronavirus pandemic. The NGOs highlighted attacks on activists, journalists, lawyers and government critics across the country and voiced alarm at "the impact of China's rights violations worldwide". They pointed to the targeting of rights defenders and internet censorship and digital surveillance and accused Beijing of working to "distort the mandate" of the rights council by blocking "scrutiny of serious rights violations and international crimes in countries around the world". The council, they said, should establish an "impartial and independent UN mechanism to closely monitor, analyse and report annually" on the rights situation in China. nl-bur/jxb The safety commission was supposed to help end that pattern. It grew out of an agreement by top officials in Virginia, Maryland and the District, with backing from Metro supporters in Congress. It has the power to compel Metro to follow safety plans and fix problems, and can take legal action or fine the transit agency to enforce its findings. It can also force Metro to restrict, suspend, or prohibit rail service on all or part of the [rail system], according to the congressional resolution approving its creation in August 2017. TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2020 /CNW/ - Lingo Media Corporation (TSX-V: LM) (OTC: LMDCF) (FSE: LIMA) ("Lingo Media" or the "Company"), an EdTech company that is 'Changing the way the world learns languages' through innovative online and print-based technologies and solutions, is pleased to announce the election of Laurent Mareschal to its Board of Directors at the Company's Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "Meeting") held in Toronto on September 3, 2020. Mr. Laurent Mareschal brings more than 20 years of financial management experience at Scotiabank, including financial reporting and mergers and acquisitions. Amongst his various assignments, Mr. Mareschal was CFO of Scotiabank's Capital Markets division delivering best in class financial results globally during the Global Financial Crisis. He was also CFO of the Canadian Banking division, during a period in which results grew at twice the rate of competitors. Mr. Mareschal also headed Scotiabank's Small Business Banking division, implementing significant operational and technology improvement to drive efficiencies and growth. He is currently COO and CFO of a Toronto based Venture Capital firm focusing on technology companies. Mr. Mareschal holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University and an MBA in Finance from McMaster University. At the Meeting, the shareholders have re-elected Messrs. Michael Kraft, Gali Bar-Ziv, Hon. Jerry Grafstein, Robert Martellacci and Tommy Weibing Gong, as directors ot the Company increasing the number of board directors from five to six. In addition, shareholders also approved the reappointment of RSM Canada LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as auditors. "We are very pleased to have Laurent join our board and welcome him to our team," said Gali Bar-Ziv, President & CEO of Lingo Media. "With a strong background in finance, corporate banking in addition to mergers and acquisitions, Laurent is a tremendous resource for Lingo Media's management team and the ideal director to chair our audit committee and provide his deep experience, knowledge and network." The directors held a board meeting subsequent to the Meeting and reappointed Michael Kraft as Chairman, Gali Bar-Ziv as President & CEO and Khurram Qureshi as Chief Financial Officer. More specific details of the matters approved at the Meeting are set forth in Lingo Media's Information Circular dated August 4, 2020 and posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. About Lingo Media (TSX-V: LM; OTCQB: LMDCF) Lingo Media is a global EdTech company that is 'Changing the way the world learns language', developing and marketing products for learners of English through various life stages, from classroom to boardroom. By integrating education and technology, the company empowers English language educators to easily transition from traditional teaching methods to digital learning. Lingo Media provides both online and print-based solutions through two distinct business units: ELL Technologies and Lingo Learning. ELL Technologies provides online training and assessment for language learning, while Lingo Learning is a print-based publisher of English language learning programs in China. Lingo Media has formed successful relationships with key government and industry organizations internationally, with a particularly strong presence in Latin America and China and the U.S. and continues to both extend its global reach and expand its product offerings. Follow Lingo Media On: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LingoMedia Twitter: @LingoMediaCorp YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lingomedialm LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lingo-media-corporation RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LingoMedia Portions of this press release may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of securities laws. These statements are made in reliance upon Sections 21E and 27A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties or other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results, performance, or expectations implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially from management's expectations and projections and thus readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Lingo Media has tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words such as "may," "should," "expect," "hope," "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "plan," "estimate" and similar expressions. Lingo Media's expectations, among other things, are dependent upon general economic conditions, the continued and growth in demand for its products, retention of its key management and operating personnel, its need for and availability of additional capital as well as other uncontrollable or unknown factors. No assurance can be given that the actual results will be consistent with the forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by US Federal securities laws, Lingo Media undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or any other reason. Certain factors that can affect the Company's ability to achieve projected results are described in the Company's filings with the Canadian and United States securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE SOURCE Lingo Media Corporation For further information: Lingo Media, Khurram Qureshi, CFO, Tel: (647) 831-1462, Email: [email protected], To learn more, visit us at www.lingomedia.com Related Links http://www.lingomedia.com According to the diplomats, this attack against opposition leader Navalny is another grave blow against democracy and political plurality in Russia. The G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union have called on Russia to establish those responsible for the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. "We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the confirmed poisoning of Alexei Navalny," according to a statement published by the U.S. Department of State on September 8. Read alsoNavalny poisoning: OPCW Director-General issues statementIt is noted Germany has briefed G7 partners on the fact that clinical and toxicological findings by German medical experts and a specialized laboratory of the German armed forces have determined that Navalny is the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve-agent of the "Novichok" group, a substance developed by Russia. "Any use of chemical weapons, anywhere, anytime, by anybody, under any circumstances whatsoever, is unacceptable and contravenes the international norms prohibiting the use of such weapons. We, the G7 foreign ministers, call on Russia to urgently and fully establish transparency on who is responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack and, bearing in mind Russia's commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to bring the perpetrators to justice," reads the statement. According to the diplomats, this attack against opposition leader Navalny is another grave blow against democracy and political plurality in Russia. "We will continue to monitor closely how Russia responds to international calls for an explanation of the hideous poisoning of Mr. Navalny. We remain strongly committed to our support for democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Russia and to bolster our support to the Russian civil society," the report says. Navalny poisoning: background RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A new theory about the nature of dark matter helps explain why a pair of galaxies about 65 million light-years from Earth contains very little of the mysterious matter, according to a study led by a physicist at the University of California, Riverside. Dark matter is nonluminous and cannot be seen directly. Thought to make up 85% of matter in the universe, its nature is not well understood. Unlike normal matter, it does not absorb, reflect, or emit light, making it difficult to detect. The prevailing dark matter theory, known as cold dark matter, or CDM, assumes dark matter particles are collisionless, aside from gravity. A newer second theory, called self-interacting dark matter, or SIDM, proposes dark matter particles self-interact through a new dark force. Both theories explain how the overall structure of the universe emerges, but they predict different dark matter distributions in the inner regions of a galaxy. SIDM suggests dark matter particles strongly collide with one another in a galaxy's inner halo, close to its center. Typically, a visible galaxy is hosted by an invisible dark matter halo -- a concentrated clump of material, shaped like a ball, that surrounds the galaxy and is held together by gravitational forces. Recent observations of two ultra-diffuse galaxies, NGC 1052-DF2 and NGC 1052-DF4, show, however, that this pair of galaxies contains very little, if any, dark matter, challenging physicists' understanding of galaxy formation. Astrophysical observations suggest NGC 1052-DF2 and NGC 1052-DF4 are likely satellite galaxies of NGC1052. "It is commonly thought that dark matter dominates the overall mass in a galaxy," said Hai-Bo Yu, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at UCR, who led the study. "Observations of NGC 1052-DF2 and -DF4 show, however, that the ratio of their dark matter to their stellar masses is about 1, which is 300 times lower than expected. To resolve the discrepancy, we considered that the DF2 and DF4 halos may be losing the majority of their mass through tidal interactions with the massive NGC 1052 galaxy." Using sophisticated simulations, the UCR-led team reproduced the properties of NGC 1052-DF2 and NGC 1052-DF4 through tidal stripping -- the stripping away of material by galactic tidal forces -- by NGC1052. Because the satellite galaxies cannot hold the stripped mass with their own gravitational forces, it effectively gets added to NGC 1052's mass. The researchers considered both CDM and SIDM scenarios. Their results, published in Physical Review Letters, indicate SIDM forms dark-matter-deficient galaxies like NGC 1052-DF2 and -DF4 far more favorably than CDM, as the tidal mass loss of the inner halo is more significant and the stellar distribution is more diffuse in SIDM. The research paper has been selected as an "editors' suggestion" by the journal, an honor that only a select few papers receive each week to promote reading across fields. Yu explained tidal mass loss could occur in both CDM and SIDM halos. In CDM, the inner halo structure is "stiff" and resilient to tidal stripping, which makes it difficult for a typical CDM halo to lose sufficient inner mass in the tidal field to accommodate observations of NGC 1052-DF2 and -DF4. In contrast, in SIDM, dark matter self-interactions could push dark matter particles from the inner to the outer regions, making the inner halo "fluffier" and enhancing the tidal mass loss accordingly. Further, the stellar distribution becomes more diffuse. "A typical CDM halo remains too massive in the inner regions even after tidal evolution," Yu said. Next, the team will perform a more comprehensive study of the NGC 1052 system and explore newly discovered galaxies with novel properties in an effort to better understand the nature of dark matter. ### Yu was joined in the study by Daneng Yang and Haipeng An of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Yu was supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. National Science Foundation. The title of the research paper is "Self-Interacting Dark Matter and the Origin of Ultradiffuse Galaxies NGC1052-DF2 and -DF4." The University of California, Riverside (http://www. ucr. edu ) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment is more than 24,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of almost $2 billion. To learn more, email news@ucr.edu">news@ucr.edu. Most of the Arab world has long rejected diplomatic ties with Israel in the absence of a peace deal establishing a Palestinian state on lands captured by Israel in 1967. That steadfast support for the Palestinians, however, has begun to weaken in recent years, in large part because of shared enmity with Israel toward Iran and Iranian proxies in the region. The Livingston Group is working for San Francisco Zion Church, which is an independent church associated with the South Korean religious sect linked to the spread of COVID-19. South Korea in February traced the outbreak there to the Shinecheonji Church of Christ as more than 5,000 of its members were infected, which then represented nearly 40 percent of all cases in the country. Many followers of the Church, which South Korean lawmakers call a cult, went into hiding to avoid any attempts at contact tracing. South Korea arrested Lee Man-hee, the 88-year-old leader of Shincheonji, in August on charges of murder by willful negligence, embezzling and holding unapproved religious events. Shincheonji supporters claim the government of South Korea is using it as a scapegoat to cover up its mismanagement of the pandemic. "As a new and growing denomination, Shincheonji has become prey to misrepresentation and discrimination by mainstream churches and the secular media," Ki Lee, a spokesperson for the SF Zion Church, told O'Dwyer's. He said church members are subject to hate speech, organized propaganda, forcible deprogramming, and extreme violence. "With the outbreak of COVID-19, persecution of the Shincheonji is intensifying in South Korea and is critically impacting US citizens that are members of associated churches," added Lee. Lee hopes that raising awareness of the misrepresentation and discrimination of the Shincheonji and our privacy concerns as US citizens, and to encourage dialogue on these issues. Former Louisiana Republican Congressman and Speaker-elect Bob Livingston launched TLG in 1999. It is lobbying US officials about the persecution and undue treatment of assorted churches in South Korea and the US and the implications on the privacy rights of Americans. The firms six-month contract went into effect Aug. 17 and is worth $8,500 per month. The pact may be approved for an additional six months upon mutual agreement by both parties. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra were both announced and released last month with prices (US) of $999 and $1,299, respectively. Not even a month has passed and Samsung is already discounting the price of the new Samsung flagship duo. Anyone purchasing the phone unlocked in the US can get a discount of $200 for either smartphone. That bumps the price of the Galaxy Note20 down to $799, and the Note20 Ultra is now $1099. Customers in the US can buy the phone from B&H Photo, Best Buy, or Amazon for the discounted price. Keep in mind this only applies to the unlocked variant and not any carrier-specific ones or any sold directly from Samsungs official website. It isnt unusual for Samsung to discount new smartphone flagships, but weve usually seen this happen with carrier partners offering two-for-one deals when you add lines or open new accounts. We wonder if this move has anything to do with Apples coincidental announcement of its iPhone 12 launch event taking place next week. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G comes with a 6.7-inch FHD+ screen (with 60Hz refresh rate) and punch hole selfie camera. Theres a 4,300 mAh battery on-board and a Snapdragon 865 inside (in the US version). The phone runs Android 10 with One UI 2.5 laid on top, along with either 128GB or 256GB of storage paired 8GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the more expensive Note20 Ultra gets a larger 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, a larger 4,500 mAh battery, and either 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of internal storage, and 12GB of RAM across the board. The Ultra model has a souped up triple camera consisting of a 108MP main camera, a 12MP 5X periscope telephoto camera, and a 12MP ultra wide camera. The regular model uses the same ultra wide camera but swaps the main camera out for a 12MP shooter and the periscope telephoto camera with in favor of a 64MP shooter with 3X hybrid zoom. Retailer links: Best Buy B&H Photo Amazon President Trump enters the White House Diplomatic Room on Wednesday, where he defended his intentional downplaying of the deadly coronavirus. (Associated Press) President Trump said in a taped interview that he deliberately downplayed the danger of the coronavirus in public early this year even though he knew it posed a deadly threat to Americans, a revelation that sent shock waves Wednesday through a presidential campaign entering the homestretch. The damaging disclosure came in one of 18 recorded interviews that Trump gave to veteran journalist Bob Woodward between December and July for "Rage," a book scheduled for publication Tuesday. It exploded into public view on a day when the confirmed U.S. death toll from COVID-19 exceeded 190,000, a once-unimaginable tally. The audio recordings included the president's admission in February that he knew the coronavirus was "more deadly" than the common flu, even though he was claiming otherwise in public. Several weeks later, Trump also acknowledged he was downplaying the pandemic on purpose. "I wanted to always play it down," Trump told Woodward on March 19. "I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic." In their final interview, on July 21, Trump vented to Woodward: "The virus has nothing to do with me. Its not my fault." Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, denounced Trump's comments while the White House, unable to dismiss the president's own words as a news report based on unnamed sources, scrambled to respond. "It was a life-and-death betrayal of the American people," Biden said during a campaign appearance with union members in Warren, Mich. "He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months. "He knew how dangerous it was," Biden continued. "While this deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose." Biden cited researchers who contended that tens of thousands of lives might have been saved if the White House had acted more swiftly to lock down offices, factories and schools in March. Story continues After the story broke, Trump defended his misleading messaging on the pandemic as evidence of leadership, suggesting that conveying strength and resolve was more important than delivering a sobering public health warning. "We want to show confidence," Trump told reporters. "We want to show strength. We want to show strength as a nation and that's what I've done." He added, "You cannot show a sense of panic or you're going to have bigger problems than you had before." Trump's refusal to warn Americans about COVID-19 went beyond his public comments. In the month after telling Woodward he understood the danger of exposure to the coronavirus, he held five campaign rallies, putting tens of thousands of people at potential risk. Woodward's audio tapes with Trump are certain to be featured in Democratic campaign ads, but they may not change the trajectory of the fall campaign. Trump won in 2016 weeks after a video revealed his off-screen comments on "Access Hollywood" bragging that his celebrity enabled him to assault women. For most voters, Trump's coarse, blunt and often incendiary rhetoric and behavior are already baked into their assessments of a highly unconventional and controversial president. But with just 54 days left in a contest that has tightened in some battleground states as Trump has fought to reframe the race around issues of crime and safety, the revelation immediately shifted the focus back to Biden's preferred battleground, the president's response to the deadly pandemic. The impact may be heightened at a moment when millions of families, already locked down or severely constrained since March, have been forced to begin a new school year in virtual form from their homes. Moreover, the economy continues to struggle: Although unemployment has declined, more than 13.6 million Americans are out of work. At the White House, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany argued that Trump's recorded comments were consistent with his public statements from the time, saying he sought to keep the country calm and did not intentionally withhold dire warnings that might have prompted the public to take more adequate precautions. "The president has never lied to the American public on COVID," McEnany said. "The president was expressing calm and his actions reflect that." McEnany flatly denied that Trump did what he can be heard admitting to Woodward that he was doing: "The president never downplayed the virus," she said. "At a time when you're facing insurmountable challenges, it's important to express confidence, it's important to express calm." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was one of the few Republican lawmakers to discuss the audio tapes, arguing that Trump's actions, more than his comments, showed the country he was taking the virus seriously. "I don't think he needs to go on TV and scream, 'We're all going to die,'" Graham said. "But his actions of shutting the economy down were the right actions. I think the tone at the time sort of spoke for itself. People knew it was serious." Democrats were less charitable. "He didn't know how to cope with a challenge to our country," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) told MSNBC. "Secondly, his disdain and denial for science, which has the answers. We could have contained this early on. But, bigger than all of that, bigger than all of that was his total disregard for the impact on individual families in our country." The Woodward book also includes stinging criticisms of Trump from current and former officials who worked closely with him. According to excerpts in the Washington Post, former Defense Secretary James N. Mattis called Trump dangerous and unfit. At one point, Mattis spoke with Dan Coats, then the director of national intelligence, about whether they should take "collective action" and speak out publicly against Trump, who Coats said "doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie." Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key figure on the White House coronavirus task force whose warnings have frustrated the president, reportedly grumbled to Woodward about Trump's attention span being "like a minus number." Woodward also includes an anecdote about Trump lambasting the nation's top military officials in a meeting, saying: "My fucking generals are a bunch of pussies" who care more about military alliances than trade deals. Times staff writer Jennifer Haberkorn contributed to this report. Owners made their contract so short for a reason, said Joost Mes, the director of Avior Marine, a maritime recruitment agency in Manila. The consequences are coming closer, and the margins of safety are getting less. Seafarers have to stay vigilant. Standing in the wrong spot on deck, or missing a step on a long, narrow ladder, could mean injury or death. A distracted watch officer could miss an approaching vessel until it is too late. I can see the fatigue and stress in their faces, Mr. Santillan said in July from his ship, referring to the five men who worked with him on the deck. Im sure they can see it on my face. He said they sometimes worked 23-hour days to meet their schedules. Three of the 20 crew members on a bulk carrier that ran aground off Mauritius in late July, spilling 1,000 tons of oil into the pristine waters, were on extended contracts, according to Lloyds List, a maritime intelligence company. The cause of the accident has not been determined, but the seafarers union said it pointed to the potential consequences of having an overworked crew. Two of the ships officers have been charged with unsafe navigation. In a June survey by the seafarers union, many crew members on extended contracts said exhaustion was affecting their ability to focus. Some compared themselves to prisoners or slaves, according to the survey, and some said they had considered suicide. Members of one crew had to shave their heads after running out of shampoo because no one could go ashore for provisions, according to the survey. Another ships captain had to pull the tooth of a seafarer who could not go ashore to see a dentist, a shipping company executive said. NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The SaveAway platform draws upon several of the pioneering inventions in Inspirave 's first awarded U.S. Patent ( No. 10,380,682 ) for the technology platform enabling micro-saving and social commerce, as well as the critical acclaim that Inspirave has consistently elicited for its relentless advocacy of consumer financial wellness, much needed through the pandemic which finds financial health of many in critical condition. Inspirave's SaveAway Platform reflecting responsive design, seamless multi-screen access and first issued patent in a series The SaveAway Platform Early Access with great social perks for those signing-up at inspirave.com/earlyaccess while spots last With a patent portfolio published internationally , Inspirave being granted the first in that series reflects years developing new-to-market innovations which empower buyers and sellers in fulfilling in-store and e-commerce purchases, without the risk of credit turning into debt. The patent-issuance guarantees legal protection for Inspirave's intellectual property which has been cited in the literature by some of the world's leading institutions spanning across the Americas (Bank of America), Europe (Handelsblatt). and Asia/China (FUZAMEI Tech / Zhejiang University), speaking to the global scope and scale of Inspirave's proprietary technology. The inventions interweave the disciplines of fintech, algorithmic design, and retail e-commerce, with its social foundations drawing from proven behavioral principles and the sharing economy The result? Financial decisions such as those in retail/e-commerce become equally responsible and affordable: By unifying intelligent financial planning with the path-to-purchase, Inspirave has pioneered pathways to harness the support from social ties to make better financial and purchase decisions By cultivating a trusted community, the SaveAway platform also mobilizes social gifting, which can be optionally combined with several other forms of saving By increasing the value of users' available funds, as well as reducing the target price-point, the SaveAway platform opens-up multiple avenues for users to see their purchase-goals fulfilled With over twelve thousand having lined up to experience the platform following the announcement of its limited early access, SaveAway is unlocking a wholly new channel of under- and ill-served consumers for leading brands to realize socially impactful growth. Just as Nobel Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus demonstrated higher effectiveness in group-lending repayments, Inspirave's inventions represent breakthroughs in how retail and financial services create a more perfect union by aligning the best interests of buyers with that of sellers. "There has never been a better time to see Inspirave's economically sustainable blueprint, propelled by greater purchasing power, striking such an inimitably strong chord with our growing community of SaveAway users and partners who recognize that what inspires our new-to-market innovations enabling greater financial wellness and social mobility is our steadfast mission to further human potential and prosperity for all," noted Inspirave CEO Om Kundu. Inspirave's partnerships cemented with industry leaders across retail + payments + technology such as Microsoft and Stripe are ensuring Inspirave's offerings are comprehensively safe and secure: "Microsoft for Startups congratulates SaveAway on this milestone," said Ted Roduner, Director, Microsoft for Startups. "We look forward to working with them as they bring their offering to market." Miguel Sanchez and Philip Shearer, co-founders of MetaBronx, a leading diversity-focused accelerator noted that "what made the SaveAway platform stand out in the Top-6 companies chosen in 2020 derived from the breakthroughs in Inspirave's patented technology as much as its novel operating model, pointing to the massive impact SaveAway is moving forward to uniquely deliver." With the launch of the SaveAway platform, those who socially share that they have signed-up for Early Access are eligible for some truly compelling bonuses these include jumping ahead in the waitlist by a 1,000 spots per referral, along with a $10 credit to both the referrer and referee, and entry into the sweepstakes for up to $1,000 of your SaveAway purchase-goal to be paid for by the company. Media contact: Corey Shapiro [email protected] 917-346-9700 About SaveAway with INSPIRAVE: Named Top Fintech Forward Company To Watch by AMERICAN BANKER and BAI, Inspirave's patented SaveAway technology platform empowers saving more to afford important purchases, without debt: SaveAway with INSPIRAVE represents V-1.0 of an end-to-end ecosystem to fundamentally re-imagine retail e-commerce, unifying intelligent financial planning with the path-to-purchase. Recognized in 2020 among Top Retail Tech Innovations at NRF Big Show, and cited by FORBES among leading Fintech solutions . Inspirave's product-suite is informed by its team's track-record, having elicited consistent acclaim from leading forums including Top-100 for Startup of The Year , Finovate , South by Southwest . Leading brands partnering with Inspirave are equally distinguishing themselves for the SaveAway platform's social impact, and realizing new revenue-streams from its pioneering technology unifying financial and social capital to ensure no purchase-goal is out of reach. SOURCE SaveAway.net Related Links https://www.inspirave.com ConcertoHealth implemented MedeAnalytics' solution with the ACG System add-on to assess cost and utilization patterns within its population. The solution uses predictive algorithms to forecast possible future outcomes for patients based on retrospective and prospective risk scores, which helps stratify risk and identify clinical intervention opportunities. "We were able to significantly decrease utilization for an entire population with MedeAnalytics' predictive analytics. The insights allow ConcertoHealth's home-based complex care team to intervene with patients to slow down disease progression and keep them safely out of the hospital," said Chris Dodd, M.D., chief clinical officer of ConcertoHealth. "With deeper analytics and insight, we have been able to push our hospital utilization, readmission rates and emergency room visits below the national averages for Medicare patients by 47%, 40% and 16%, respectively." "Improving the quality of care and reducing costs is a top priority for the healthcare industry, and ConcertoHealth has proven its ability to drive change," said Paul Kaiser, chief executive officer of MedeAnalytics. "Healthcare organizations can look to ConcertoHealth's success with its data-driven approach as a model they can implement to improve their population health management programs." By combining predictive solutions within MedeAnalytics' platform, ConcertoHealth focused on care within high-risk and rising risk populations. Key statistics included: probability of hospitalization in the next 12 months; prediction of most costly patients; and probability of serious conditions and ICU stays. The reduction in costs, utilization and mortality are apparent when the models are compared with actual healthcare system and service utilization and costs following intervention. MedeAnalytics' Population Health solution is part of its Value Based Performance Management portfolio. It offers insight into clinical quality, utilization and costs associated with patient populations and integrates closely with a broad array of health information exchanges (HIE) and provider-facing clinical workflow partners to provide a comprehensive population health management platform. Read the case study to learn more how ConcertoHealth reduced hospitalizations with predictive analytics. About MedeAnalytics A leader in healthcare analytics, MedeAnalytics helps organizations make even smarter decisions. With the most advanced data orchestration in healthcare, our intelligent cloud-based analytics platform combines data to deliver state-of-the-art analytics, all in a business context. MedeAnalytics' scalable solutions for financial management, operations, value-based care, and strategic planningand the ability to tailor-build applicationsdeliver the action-ready insights organizations need to achieve success. Helping clients realize financial and operational value almost immediately is just one of the many reasons why MedeAnalytics (https://medeanalytics.com/) is the leading healthcare-only analytics provider. About ConcertoHealth ConcertoHealth Inc. is the leading risk-bearing provider of field-based complex care for persistently high-cost and rising-risk populations. The company's multidisciplinary care teams meet patients where they are, with the care they need, whether in the home or hospital. The ConcertoHealth care model improves overall health quality and outcomes with a track record of reducing hospital admits by 47%, readmits by 40% and ER visits by 16% for the most frail and vulnerable populations in America, benefiting patients, payers and provider networks alike. The company is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, and can be found online at concertohealth.com. The Johns Hopkins ACG System, ACG, ADG, Adjusted Clinical Groups are registered trademarks of The Johns Hopkins University. Media Contact: Steph Gustafson Communications Specialist 720-838-6392 [email protected] SOURCE MedeAnalytics Related Links http://www.medeanalytics.com Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) - Leading Filipino telecommunications company Globe Telecom pushes to build more cell sites across the country to improve connectivity among its users in time with increased digital usage under the new normal. Globe has secured 26 permits from local government units (LGUs) in several parts of Northern and Southern Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The move is in line with the recently signed joint memorandum circular by several government agencies, which streamlined the guidelines for the issuance of permits, licenses, and certificates for the construction of telco towers in the country. "We are very grateful for the support being given by these local government units. As we have pointed out many times in the past, Globe is an ally of LGUs, especially during this time of the pandemic, as they look for ways to better serve their constituents in the new normal," said Joel Agustin, Globe Senior Vice President for Program Development, Network Technical Group. Permits to build cell sites were given in Sto. Domingo, Agoo, and Vigan in Ilocos Sur while permits were also secured in Sto. Tomas and Batangas City in Batangas. In the Visayas, Globe likewise got the green light to install cell towers in Toledo City, Cebu. Network rollouts will immediately commence in Mindanao in places like Butuan City in Agusan Del Norte, Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur, and Cagayan De Oro City in Misamis Oriental. Aside from permits, Globe also welcomed reports that 25 LGUs have eliminated the need for a Sangguniang Bayan resolution to allow telcos to expand their network in their areas. The Sangguniang Bayan resolution is among the previously mandated 29 permits telcos needed to build one single cell site. These areas include Magalang, Pampanga; Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya; Cabanatuan and Nampicuan in Nueva Ecija; Santa Maria and San Mateo in Bulacan; Cauayan, Luna, Cabatuan and Ilagan in Isabela; San Jose, Tarlac; Sto. Tomas, Cuenca, Lipa, Taal and San Jose in Batangas; Las Pinas; Morong, Baras, Perez, Tanay and Cardona in Rizal; and Ozamiz City in Misamis Occidental. Aside from the 25 LGUs which are now supporting Globe expansion builds, positive developments are also being noted in Bangued town in Abra, Dasmarinas City in Cavite, and Cebu City. Globe recognizes the efforts of these LGUs for fast-tracking issuance of permits and in cutting red tape, leading to significant improvements in connectivity by giving telcos the go-signal to build more cell sites and cell towers. "Our network expansion will only push through as long as our partnership with them continues to remain strong and will be of great benefit to the public in general," added Agustin. Philippine fishermen stranded at sea by pandemic: We think about jumping overboard by ANA P. SANTOS September 09,2020 | Source: LA Times Anthony Medinas daughter was 5 months old when he left the Philippines and set sail for the Indian Ocean in December 2018 on an odyssey where his livelihood collided with a pandemic that has kept him adrift at sea and exiled from home. For more than a year, his days have been a monotonous blur of endless fishing on the Oceanstar 86, a 465-foot-long vessel with a crew of about three dozen. As long as there was seafood for their nets, including tuna, crab and squid, the crew members had to haul them in, clean and freeze them. When their boat arrived in Singapore in March, Medina planned on catching a flight home. But he was shocked to learn that a virus outbreak had closed borders and shuttered ports, keeping him out of the Philippines and trapped on the fishing boat. We were prohibited from disembarking, said Medina. Our airline ticket was canceled. News about the coronavirus outbreak had upended the globe by then. But because the boat was isolated on the high seas and cut off from the rest of the world, information was limited to what senior crew members shared. The language barrier between the Chinese management on board and the Philippine, Indonesian and Burmese crew didnt prepare Medina for a world that had ground to a standstill to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We didnt have a signal out in the middle of the ocean, said Medina. We heard the captain saying something about a pandemic, but we thought it was just a joke nothing as bad as this. An estimated 300,000 migrant seafarers like Medina are languishing mostly forgotten on stranded vessels scattered across seas or in ports because of the pandemic, according to the International Transport Workers Federation, a London-based trade union. By comparison, there are usually 400,000 merchant sailors at sea year-round during normal times. The Philippines, which has a maritime history that dates back to Spanish colonial rule, is at the center of the crisis. The island archipelago supplies about a quarter of the worlds 1.2 million seafarers because of limited jobs at home. Last year, those hired hands sent home $6.14 billion in remittances a cornerstone of the Philippine economy. Medina and 37 other sailors have been in limbo for more than six months, anchored off Fuzhou, China. Days seep into night and boredom mixes with restlessness and despair. They have become men without countries, castaways and captives in the narrative of an unrelenting pandemic. The shore is so near that we can see it from here, he said. On the really bad days, we think about jumping overboard and swimming to shore. Maybe we can be rescued. Unable to reach land because of entry restrictions, the crews toil on boats that are running out of drinking water. Some vessels are unable to replace crew members, forcing already exhausted seafarers to work several more months than planned. Most urgent now is their survival, said Rossen Karavatchev, fisheries section coordinator for the International Transport Workers Federation. The longer this lasts, the harder this will be. Being anchored in the middle of the ocean for a long period of time is not tenable.... If you get sick on board, sorry, you cant get medical assistance and you cant get out. If you die, you may be thrown into the sea for a sea burial. Medina gave up odd jobs in construction for the steady $350 monthly salary fishing provided and its promise of an escape from poverty. But life at sea has proved to be worse than destitution on land. He now endures sleepless nights with not enough water to drink or bathe with to wash off the stench and slime of fish. A video taken by the 11 Philippine crew on the Oceanstar 86 showed men sleeping on the floor of the laundry room and under tables in what appears to be a kitchen. They heat what little food they have in a kettle. We dont have any more filtered water. We boil the water that comes out of the sink, but it is brown and rusty and tastes bad, said Medina, who worries about the fate of the crew members and their families back home who depend on their salaries. Their contract ended in November, and they are uncertain if they will get paid for working while quarantined at sea. The Philippine Consulate in Xiamen, China, has been sending the crew supplies, but Eduardo Mendez, spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, said logistics makes it difficult to send supplies regularly. On average, fishing crews are at sea for about 11 months at a time. The crisis brought on by the pandemic has forced contract extensions and has many sailing indefinitely. Maritime groups report some seafarers now sailing for 17 to 21 months. An International Transport Workers Federation study conducted by Yale University showed that seafarers experience dangerously high levels of mental stress and have contemplated suicide more than those in any other occupation. The crisis has also underscored the vulnerability of migrant crewmen on vessels with spartan living conditions and notoriously exploitative labor practices that have been compared to slavery even before the coronavirus outbreak. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are about 41,000 migrant fishers around the world, mostly from Southeast Asia. The actual number could be as high as 100,000 because many are undocumented or trafficked into sailing in international waters. In May, a video of the makeshift burial at sea of an Indonesian fisherman sparked outrage and allegations of abuse. An investigation revealed that three Indonesian fishermen on board the Long Xing 629 Chinese fishing vessel had died at sea. Rescued crew shared stories of maltreatment, physical abuse and lack of medical care. Videos from other stranded migrant fishers in Sri Lanka and China tell similar stories of squalid living conditions, crew members falling sick and others dying. At the same time, the macho culture and ship hierarchy promote the stoic toughness of so-called boat face, which prevents the crew from showing any emotion. Youre talking about men who have tales of surviving waves that are taller than skyscrapers. Fear and depression are hard to admit and even harder to talk about, said Lala Tolentino, country director of the welfare organization Mission to Seafarers in Manila. Maritime experts say migrant fishers do not always have the same protections as merchant sailors because of their ambiguous classification; some laws and treaties consider them seafarers while some do not. Additionally, not all fishing vessels have tracking systems or purposely shut them off to avoid detection of overfishing or trespassing into protected waters. Only 13 countries have signed the International Maritime Organization health protocols for safe disembarkation amid the pandemic. As the global economy remains battered by the pandemic, maritime agencies warn of a potential increased risk of ship owners abandoning boats and their crew amid the mounting costs of maintaining their fleets. Seafarers Rights International includes nonpayment of wages and a shrinking supply of food and water on board as early signs of possible ship abandonment. Already 21 ships have been reported abandoned as of July, 15 fewer than all of last year, according to a database compiled by the Geneva-based International Labor Organization. The vast number of shipping companies are trying to do the right thing. But various governments are not allowing crew changes. The rate of progress is not at the pace that we need, said Frederick Kenney, director of legal affairs for the International Maritime Organization. In Montevideo, Uruguay, Philippine fisherman John Lester Jugcal recently stepped on land for the first time in almost two years. Jugcal had been stranded at sea for more than three months. Like the other sailors on his ship, he heard about COVID-19 when his return to the Philippines was blocked by port closures and border restrictions. The death of a crew mate, Rodel Catinoy, of unknown reasons while aboard, haunts Jugcal and the other men and taints the anticipation of going home. We dont know where his body is, said Jugcal. We heard it was placed on a boat now fishing in Peru. We hope his remains are returned to his family. It isnt right if they dont get to say goodbye to him. Medina, meanwhile, sits off the coast of China, with no way to get home to his daughter, who is no longer an infant. 2020, Los Angeles Times Theme(s): Others. - President Edgar Lungu and the people of Gambia are mourning the death of a 22-year-old fish that was believed to be lucky - The fish, named Mafishi, lived in a pond on the grounds of the Copperbelt University and it was believed to have given students of the institution good luck - The students lit candles and marched around campus to mourn the fish PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed! The president of Gambia, Edgar Lungu, has mourned the death of a fish believed to have lived for 22 years. The fish, who lived in a pond on the grounds of the Copperbelt University (CBU), is being mourned by almost everyone in Gambia. The fish identified as Mafishi lived in a pond in Copperbelt University and it was believed to have given students of the institution good luck. Photo credit: Edgar Lungu/Facebook Source: Facebook According to a report by BBC, the students of the institution lit candles and marched around campus to mourn the fish called Mafishi. Briefly.co.za notes that for the last two decades, CBU students have believed that Mafishi would bring them good luck in exams. Reacting to the death of the fish on Facebook, President Lungu quoted Mahatma Gandhi: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I'm glad you received a befitting send-off. We'll all miss you." According to CBU student leader Lawrence Kasonde, the death of the fish is still being investigated. He said: "It is yet to be buried, we are planning on embalming it." READ ALSO: AKA opens up about being labelled 'not black enough' sometimes In other news, a video of a group of baby pigs trying to save a fish went viral on social media and got people talking about how compassionate animals can be. There is no doubt that animals are compassionate and they go out of their way to help one another; this viral video has further proven it. In the video, the baby pigs found a fish lying lifeless on the floor and they used their snouts to push it into a nearby river. The baby pigs were aware of the fact that fish were created to survive in water and not on land, and when they found it on the latter, they wasted no time to push it back to where it belonged. Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news! Source: Briefly News World powers must pull together and retool their economies for a green future or humanity is "doomed", UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned, telling AFP that failure to control the coronavirus pandemic illustrates the danger of disunity. Before the virus struck, 2020 was billed as a pivotal year for the plan to dodge the bullet of catastrophic global warming, with high profile summits planned to catch a wave of public alarm over the future of the planet. The coronavirus crisis may have shunted climate into the sidelines as nations launched unprecedented shutdowns to try to slow its spread, but Guterres said the need for climate action was more urgent than ever. In a searing assessment of the international response, Guterres said the pandemic should sharpen governments' focus on cutting emissions, urging them to use the crisis as a springboard to launch "transformational" policies aimed at weaning societies off fossil fuels. "I think the failure that was shown in the capacity to contain the spread of the virus -- by the fact that there was not enough international coordination in the way the virus was fought -- that failure must make countries understand that they need to change course," he told AFP. "They need to act together in relation to the climate threat that is a much bigger threat than the threat of the pandemic in itself -- it's an existential threat for our planet and for our lives." The UN chief said "pollution and not people" should be taxed and called for nations to end fossil fuel subsidies, launch massive investments in renewables and commit to "carbon neutrality" -- net zero emissions -- by 2050. "We need to have a number of transformational measures in relation to energy, in relation to transportation, in relation to agriculture, in relation to industry, in relation to our own way of life, without which we would be doomed," he said. His comments come as the landmark Paris climate deal goes into effect this year in a bid to cap the rise in temperature to "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The accord was already on a knife edge before the pandemic, with doubts over commitments from major polluting nations and concerns that it is still far short of what science says is needed to avert disastrous climate change. US President Donald Trump shocked the world in 2017 when he said the United States -- history's largest emitter -- was withdrawing from the Paris deal. It is due to leave on November 4, just after the country's presidential election. The pandemic has further dented hopes that diplomatic pressure could sweep foot-dragging nations into announcing bold climate action plans, as major summits were postponed and nations focused inwards. Guterres said there was currently no clear sign that a United States government recovery policy would align with Paris goals, but he expressed hope that states, businesses and individuals "will compensate for the lack of political commitment that exists at the present moment". He said much now rests on the actions of major emitters, China, the US, Europe, Russia, India and Japan, in interviews with AFP and other members of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of news outlets committed to increased climate coverage. "We have never been as fragile as we are, we never needed as much humility, unity and solidarity as now," he said, blasting "irrational demonstrations of xenophobia" and the rise of nationalism. "Either we are united, or we will be doomed," he added, ahead of a largely virtual UN General Assembly this month. 'Wake up' Climate change warnings are no longer predictions of a distant future. Earth's average surface temperature has gone up by one degree Celsius since the 19th century, enough to increase the intensity of droughts, heat waves and tropical cyclones. Burning fossil fuels has been by far the main driver of rising temperatures, with concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere now at their highest levels in around three million years. The last five years were the five hottest on record, while ice sheets are melting at a rate that tracks scientists' worst-case scenarios, prefiguring devastating sea level rises. "The expectations that we have in relation to the next five years about storms, about drought and about other dramatic impacts in the living conditions of many people around the world are absolutely terrible," Guterres said, ahead of a multi-agency climate report on Wednesday. The United Nations says it is still possible to reach a safer goal of a 1.5C cap in temperature rise, but to get there global emissions must fall 7.6 percent annually this decade. While the shutdowns implemented during the pandemic could reduce global emissions by up to eight percent in 2020, scientists have warned that without systemic change in how the world powers and feeds itself, the drop would be essentially meaningless. 'A different world' There are also concerns that massive Covid-19 stimulus packages being devised by governments could provide a crutch to polluting industries. Guterres has urged Japan, India and China to drop their continued reliance on coal. China -- the world's biggest polluter -- has invested heavily in renewable energy, but it has also reportedly stepped up coal production. The UN head said he was hopeful the EU would make good on its green commitments, after it announced its 750-billion-euro ($885 billion) stimulus plan that aims in part to reach carbon neutrality targets. He said the pandemic had demonstrated society's capacity to adapt to transformation. "I don't want to go back to a world where biodiversity is being put into question, to a world where fossil fuels receive more subsidies than renewables, or to a world in which we see inequalities making societies with less and less cohesion and creating instability, creating anger, creating frustration," he added. "I think we need to have a different world, a different normal and we have an opportunity to do so." Gladys Berejiklian and other furious New South Wales politicians have launched their most scathing attack yet on the Queensland premier over 'loopy' border closures. The NSW leader on Wednesday repeated calls for her Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk to reopen the state, saying there was no reason to keep NSW residents out. 'I think people would understand why Victoria is an exception. But no other state or territory really can suggest that NSW isn't managing the pandemic. And I just don't understand why the borders are still there,' Ms Berejiklian said. 'I'm not suggesting we're out of the woods, but we won't be until there's a vaccine. (My) colleagues in other states need to consider where their state will be in six-to-12 months' time, if they don't encourage their borders coming down.' Ms Berejiklian told Sky News: 'New Zealand shut down their economy twice or three times, and they're still getting cases. New Zealand had as many cases as we had, and yet we're managing to keep our economy open. 'It won't affect citizens necessarily in three months or six months, but can you imagine in a year's time? If Queensland, WA don't open their borders, what will happen?' New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured, left) lashed out at Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured, right) while deliberating the long-term damaging effects of the Sunshine State's rules NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard went further in his criticism of Ms Palaszczuk. 'I can only express my supreme anger at the Queensland premier's decision, which in my view ... is nothing more than base, loopy politics,' Mr Hazzard said. 'I'm appalled by what's going on up there.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described NSW's test-and-trace strategy as the 'gold standard' in suppressing coronavirus. However, Ms Berejiklian said contact tracing was only part of the story in dealing with a pandemic and getting the balance right. 'Our public health officials are amongst the best in the world but ... unless you have a whole of governance approach to managing the pandemic the contact tracing isn't as effective and I really want to make that point clear,' she said on Wednesday. While Ms Berejiklian disagreed with the prospect of federal intervention to force states to reopen their borders, she encouraged officials to look at how restrictions were affecting its citizens. Pictured: A police officer directing a car for inspection at a Queensland-New South Wales border check point Her rant comes as NSW politicians berated other states over their closed borders, with one describing QLD's stance as 'loopy'. Pictured: Motorists approaching the QLD-NSW check point They were speaking after NSW reported nine new cases of COVID-19, bringing the cluster linked to Concord and Liverpool hospitals to 12, including eight healthcare workers. NSW Health said investigations into the source of the infections were ongoing and non-urgent surgery at Concord had been cancelled until Friday. The hospital will be closed to all visitors until 10am on Friday for cleaning. Seven cases were linked to a known case or cluster, one has no known source and one is a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine. NSW Health said one case attended Tattersalls City Gym and one was a household contact of a previously reported case linked to the CBD cluster. There are now 68 cases linked to the CBD cluster. Five of the new locally acquired cases are linked to Concord Hospital. Two are healthcare workers, one is a patient and two are household contacts of the patient. Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) described NSW's test-and-trace strategy as the 'gold standard' in suppressing coronavirus while the state remains open for business Ms Berejiklian repeated calls for QLD's premier to reopen her borders, stating there was no reason to keep NSW residents out. Pictured: Motorists approaching the QLD-NSW border check point The two healthcare workers worked at the hospital while potentially infectious but reported having no symptoms while at work and wore personal protective equipment while caring for patients. Contact tracing is underway. NSW Health said 100 students have been identified as close contacts of the boarding student at Sydney's Kincoppal Rose Bay School who tested positive to COVID-19. All close contacts, including teachers and students are in quarantine and the school has been cleaned and the boarding facility remains open to senior year groups. Because a number of boarding staff had been quarantined some year groups had been sent home. NSW Health has also issued public health alert after two confirmed cases visited the Eastern Suburbs Legion Club at Waverley several times while infectious. Anyone who was at the club betwen 5pm and 6:30pm on August 28 must get tested and isolate until they recieve a negative result. Those who visited the club on September 1, 4, 5 and 6 are advised to get tested immediately if symptoms develop. NSW Health is treating 88 COVID-19 cases, including six in intensive care, three of whom are being ventilated. COLUMBUS, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, energy efficiency experts and advocates calling for a full and immediate repeal of House Bill 6 walked through data to dispute the inaccurate and incomplete information used to calculate the short and long-term costs associated with the tainted legislation. Supporters of the bailout legislation have long presented consumer cost savings information based on whiteboard math first sketched out by former House Speaker Larry Householder when House Bill 6 was introduced in April of 2019. These numbers do not tell the whole story. "House Bill 6 has always been a bad deal for Ohioans," said Trish Demeter, Chief of Staff of the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund. "Proponents of this alleged corrupt legislation continue to tell an incomplete and inaccurate story when they say the bill will save Ohioans money. Their numbers exclude savings from using less energy through energy efficiency programs, they exclude additional charges that will hit FirstEnergy customers even harder through a little-known decoupling provision, and they skew compliance costs associated with the renewable energy standard." The numbers included in the analysis provided by House Bill 6 supporters ignored the savings enjoyed by Ohioans as a result of successful efficiency programs that were gutted by the bill, as well as the long-term costs associated with bailout out of two of the region's oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants. A side-by-side comparison of the impact to the average residential monthly utility bill in Ohio under House Bill 6 and before the passage of the bill was detailed during the event. Energy efficiency programs in place prior to the passage of House Bill 6 carried an average monthly fee of $3.36. These programs provide homeowners and small businesses with rebates and incentives to switch out aging appliances and upgrade old equipment that wastes energy. Based on filings with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, utilities report savings of $2.65 for every dollar invested, for an average monthly savings of $7.71 per customer, resulting in cumulative savings of over $7 billion since 2009. Instead of saving customers money, House Bill 6 on the other hand, results in average bills that are $7 per month higher because of lost efficiency savings, lower investments in renewable energy and a new utility decoupling bonus. "You can't analyze the impacts of House Bill 6 by just taking out the costs of efficiency programs and ignoring the much larger cost savings they provide. Any objective, balanced analysis would conclude that the cancellation of efficiency programs in the bill would leave Ohio consumers much worse off," said Chris Neme, Principal of Energy Futures Group. "Utility energy efficiency programs are required by law to be cost-effective they must save more money than they cost. Proponents of House Bill 6 deceptively excluded those cost savings from their analyses of the bill." With income loss and other challenges resulting from COVID-19, House Bill 6 would force Ohio consumers to subsidize a corporation involved in a federal racketeering scandal while also sacrificing their energy efficiency cost savings. "Along with political donations that allegedly came from bribes, former Speaker Householder handed out misleading calculations about the cost of HB6. Nobody should be taking either of those things," said Tom Bullock, Executive Director of Citizens Utility Board (CUB-OH). "CUB Ohio has a fast-growing membership from every corner of the state who agree that Ohio consumers matter, utility bills must be fair, and the alleged corruption and bribery that rigged rules to increase their costs by more than $1 billion must not stand." Just one day before the House Select Committee on Energy Reform and Policy meets for the first time, advocates called on members of the Ohio General Assembly to consider the real costs of House Bill 6 and move forward with a full and immediate repeal. "Our elected officials must act on the opportunity to right this wrong and restore faith and confidence in Ohio government," said Demeter. "House Bill 6 has always been bad public policy, even before news of the alleged corruption surfaced. The only move is a full and immediate repeal of House Bill 6." SOURCE Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund Dhaka, Sept 9 (UNI) Bangladesh fire service and police have recovered the bodies of 10 people after a passenger boat collided with a sand laden trawler on the Gumiti river in Netrakonas kalmakanda Upazila in Bangladesh. The incident took place in the Upazila's Barakhapon Union around 10 am Wednesday. At least 12 others are still missing, Netrokona's Deputy Commissioner Kazi Md Habibur Rahman told this correspondent over mobile phone. Witnesses said the passenger trawler capsized after colliding with the other vessel. While some of the passengers managed to swim to safety, others drowned as the vessel sank. Later, police and members of the fire service began a rescue operation with the help of locals. Three people have been rescued alive so far, according to police. The trawler was heading to Netrokona's Chhakurakona from Sunamganj with around 40-45 passengers on board. However, the authorities could not immediately identify the victims. In another major accident, at least six people have died after a head on collision between an ambulance and a covered van in Barishals Uzirpur upazila in Bangladesh. The accident occurred on the Dhaka-Barishal highway in the Upazila's Jayatri village around 4:45 pm Wednesday, according to Uzirpur Police OC Ziaur Rahman. UNI MAZ JW2252 For a long time, it's been hard to distinguish between Babylon Bee headlines and actual news headlines. The creative minds behind the Babylon Bee therefore decided that it was time to create a new website, Not the Bee, which is devoted to the craziest things the left produces that are true, rather than being satire. Sometimes, though, crazy is scary, and there are few things more frightening than watching critical race theorist Ashleigh Shackelford explain to a room full of white people that they are not human. Although you might think what the video you're about to watch shows is some bizarre, underground, sadomasochist club in which white people pay to be ritually abused by a modern-day version of the Venus of Willendorf, all in the name of sexual kicks, you'd be wrong. Shackelford seems to be making a nice living selling Critical Race Theory (which means nothing more than anti-white racial abuse) to all sorts of institutions. At her website, Shackelford boasts about sharing "her brilliance" with "New York University, University of Richmond, Pendle Hill Quaker Retreat, The Movement for Black Lives, and the City of Richmond." Universities! Cities! Movements! Shackelford must be selling some pretty impressive information. Who is she? What does she offer? Well, this is Shackelford's "about" section: Hunter Ashleigh Shackelford (she/ they) is a Black fat cultural producer, multidisciplinary artist, nonbinary shapeshifter, hood feminist, and data futurist based in Atlanta, Georgia, with roots in Richmond, Virginia. She is the creator and director of a Southern body liberation organization, Free Figure Revolution, which focuses on decolonizing antiblack body violence. With bylines in Wear Your Voice Magazine, For Harriet, Buzzfeed, and Black Girl Dangerous, Ashleigh illustrates the relationship between Blackness, fatness, desire, queerness, afrotechnology, and popular culture. Ashleigh is the project director and creator of 'The Fat Census' and the 'Queer Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Survey.' The Fat Census collected over 6,000 responses from 49 countries worldwide and is the first international radical data collection for and by fat people. As a data futurist, Ashleigh curates more information to create tangible resources for vulnerable communities in addition to programming and safe spaces for marginalized bodies. Ashleigh has utilized organizing, community kickbacks, real nigga shit, and art to ignite consciousness raising and political conversations around the issues of antiblack violence. From protesting, writing, data futurism, community safe spaces, and visual art shows - Ashleigh moves in the legacy of freedom fighting from her home base in the urban South and beyond. The shtick Shackelford sells universities, cities, and movements is as bad as you might imagine, which gets us back to Not the Bee. It obtained a video of one of Shackelford's seminars, in which she cheerfully tells the chastened white attendees that they are racist, sub-human demons. The only thing missing from the abuse session is her black leather corset, dominatrix heels, and whip: Most insane video you'll see today: Woke instructor teaches room full of white people that all white people are forever-racist, sub-human demons https://t.co/SowjfwB9iX pic.twitter.com/zv6tVewd8B Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) September 8, 2020 The written presentations Shackelford offered in support of her critical race theory are just as crazy as her words. Among other things, Shackelford attacks capitalism as racist, even though it is the most colorblind system in the world. It's easy enough to laugh at what Shackelford is selling but, as Tucker Carlson explains, this kind of racist, divisive material is selling for big bucks in the corporate world and, until Trump's Friday order ending critical race theory training in the federal government, was also generating big taxpayer bucks for race-hustlers like Shackelford. In other words, up until Friday, we taxpayers were being milked of money upon penalty of imprisonment to fund seminars offering material every bit as racist and divisive as the ideology that led to the Civil War. This whole line of thinking needs to stop instantly before America is catapulted into a second Civil War that promises to be infinitely more destructive than the first. A judge has ruled Alabama prosecutors can use evidence collected by police after a former NASA astronaut crashed into another car while driving on a rural road more than four years ago, killing two girls. Jurors can hear that one-time space shuttle pilot James Halsell told police about drinking wine at a motel hours before the crash in June 2016, and prosecutors can use evidence found in the room during a search, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Allen W. May Jr. wrote in an order. Halsell, of Huntsville, was arrested after a car crash killed two sisters, 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and Jayla Latrick Parler, 13, near Tuscaloosa. The girls father, who was driving a car that was rear-ended by one driven by Halsell, and a female passenger were injured. The district attorney's office had previously told how an empty 750 millilitre wine bottle was found in his motel room along with a wrapper, corkscrew, wine cup and empty pack of sleeping medication, The Tuscaloosa News reports. Prosecutors can not use anything from an earlier glimpse of the motel room by state trooper who briefly opened the door and looked inside, the judge said. Charged with reckless murder, Halsell was set to go on trial this year before the coronavirus pandemic erupted. No trial date is currently set, but Judge May ruled August 31 on an attempt by the defense to exclude some evidence against Halsell, 63. James Halsell, of Huntsville, was arrested after a car crash killed two sisters, 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler, near Tuscaloosa The girls' father, who was driving a car that was rear-ended by one driven by Halsell Authorities contend Halsell was under the influence of alcohol, but the defense has blamed the wreck on sleeping medication. Halsell, who is free on bond, flew five shuttle missions before retiring from NASA in 2006. He went to work in the aerospace industry after leaving the agency. The crash happened about 2.50am on June 6, 2016, on a highway that Halsell mistook for Interstate 20/59, authorities have said. Atlantis mission commander James Halsell Jr., left, speaks to reporters at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral in 2000. A Tuscaloosa County judge ruled Alabama prosecutors can use evidence collected by police after the former NASA astronaut crashed into another car while driving on a rural road more than four years ago, killing two girls, right In this June 7, 2016, file photo, cars pass charred ground, remnants at the scene of a fatal traffic accident involving former NASA astronaut James Halsell Jr., in rural Tuscaloosa County Documents show Halsell told authorities he had been driving to Louisiana to pick up his son. Troopers said at the time that a Chrysler 300 driven by Halsell collided with a Ford Fiesta in which the girls were riding. The girls, who were not wearing seat-belts, were thrown from the vehicle. Niomi was pronounced dead at the scene and Jayla later died at a local hospital. The girls' father told investigators he was driving about 65 mph on U.S. 82 when a car traveling 'at a very high rate of speed' struck his Ford Fiesta from the rear, crushing the Ford and sending it tumbling across the road, court documents state. An online biography by NASA said Halsell's career with the space agency included five shuttle flights starting in 1994. He spent more than 1,250 hours in space, serving as commander on three shuttle missions and pilot on two others. After the space shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003, Halsell helped lead NASA's return-to-flight effort. He retired in 2006 and worked for at least two aerospace companies afterward, including ATK Launch Systems, Utah, according to his NASA biography. In November Halsell's lawyer said he was having an adverse reaction to the medication Ambien when he crashed. According to today's figures, there were 5 cases in Co Kildare. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that 3 people with COVID-19 have died. There has now been a total of 1,781 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight Tuesday 8th September, the HPSC has been notified of 84 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 30,164 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today; 32 are men / 52 are women 66% are under 45 years of age 30% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case 8 cases have been identified as community transmission 51 in Dublin, 6 in Offaly, 5 in Kildare and the remaining 22 cases are located in Cork, Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon. Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; We continue to see a concerning pattern of cases, particularly in Dublin. Transmission is diffuse across the county, is in all age groups and is mainly being driven by social interaction within and between households. Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said; While the reproduction number for Ireland as a whole is close to 1.0, the reproduction number for Dublin alone is approximately 1.4. We are seeing increasing case numbers in Dublin, growing close to 5% per day. If this were to continue, the number of cases would double every 14 days. Given the size of Dublins population it is essential we prevent any further spread now by limiting our social contacts and taking precautions during any essential contacts. US President Donald Trump, facing the possibility of a cash crunch, said on Tuesday he would spend "whatever it takes" of his own money to finance his 2020 presidential campaign against Democrat Joe Biden if he had to. The Republican president, who trails Biden in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, told reporters before taking off for a trip to Florida that the campaign had double or triple what it had in 2016 but he would spend his own money if needed. "If I have to, I would," Trump said. The New York Times reported that Trump`s initial financial supremacy over former Vice President Biden earlier this year had evaporated, and that of the $1.1 billion his campaign and the party raised from the beginning of 2019 through July, more than $800 million already had been spent. Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised a combined $364.5 million in August, shattering the monthly record for fundraising by a presidential campaign. Trump and Republicans have not announced their August haul. Trump, who was a wealthy New York-based real estate developer before entering politics, was asked how much he might have to spend from his own personal fortune. He had to dip into his own money in 2016 to help pay for his campaign. "Whatever it takes. We have to win. This is the most important election in the history of our country," he said. Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, who took over from Brad Parscale in mid-July, told reporters on a campaign press call on Tuesday that "we are now carefully monitoring the budget." Stepien said the campaign will have more resources to spend than it had in Trump`s 2016 victory and that "we`re very comfortable and confident" in how money is now being spent. Trump, under pressure for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, on Tuesday was traveling to two states critical to his re-election: Florida and North Carolina. With many Republicans pointing fingers at Parscale for spending heavily earlier in the campaign, Trump defended him in a tweet. The president said that due to the virus, his campaign was forced to spend a lot earlier this year to counter what he felt was negative news coverage. "We did, and are doing, a GREAT job, and have a lot of money left over, much more than 2016," he wrote. Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani were shooting for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 in Lucknow in March when the pandemic broke out in India. So due to the lockdown, the actors had to shut shop and return to Mumbai. Now the unlockdown phase is on and the makers of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 are planning to resume the shoot. While the director Anees Bazmee and the actors are all ready to begin, the set in lucknow is proving to be a problem. According to reports in a leading daily, a haveli was built in Lucknow for this horror-comedy. The haveli plays an important role in the film. Now with the set being unused for six months and with the rains pouring down, it isn't in a proper condition to shoot. Speaking about his woes Anees Bazmee says, We had created a haveli in Lucknow. Now that the monsoon is over, we will have to restructure the set and polish it before we start shooting. It needs a little bit of work. I will initiate talks with my art directors on the way forward. They were earlier planning to resume shooting in December but looks like they might start sooner than that. We have decided to accelerate the process and resume shoot as soon as possible; it could be next month. The producers are working out the logistics while we get the combination dates of actors, said the director. While Kiara Advani is gearing up for the release of Laxxmi Bomb on OTT, Kartik Aaryan has two major projects to complete, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and then Dostana 2. The actor also has the Hindi remake of Ala Vaikunthapuramloo remake in the pipeline. A state appellate court this week upheld a 2019 law that extended a requirement that candidates pay a filing fee or submit a petition to appear on the ballot to minor party candidates. A district court found the fee was unconstitutional, siding with nine Libertarians who had sued, saying it was unreasonably burdensome. But the three-justice panel of Texas 14th Court of Appeals on Tuesday sided with the state, saying the plaintiffs did not make a strong enough constitutional argument to waive the secretary of states sovereign immunity to civil suits. The law at issue, House Bill 2504, lowered the amount of votes a party needed to get in a statewide election to retain a place on the ballot. But it also added a requirement that candidates nominated at a convention such as those in the Libertarian and Green parties rather than through a primary had to pay a filing fee or gather petition signatures in order to be on the ballot. Previously, only major party candidates had to pay those fees. The law imposes reasonable and nondiscriminatory restrictions that are sufficiently justified by the States interest in requiring candidates to show a modicum of support to guarantee their names on the general-election ballot, Justice Meagan Hassan wrote. These are the same restrictions imposed on major-party candidates with respect to their participation in the primary election. The ruling Tuesday will not affect Libertarian candidates on the ballot this year. In a separate case, the Texas Supreme Court on Saturday ruled in favor of Libertarians after Republicans attempted to sue them for not paying filing fees. Justices said the candidates could have been tossed only if Republicans had sued before the deadline for candidates to be declared ineligible, which they did not. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Texas Supreme Court rules in favor of Libertarians in ballot case The attorney general and secretary of states offices could not immediately be reached for comment. Attorneys for the Libertarians argued in court that the fees ultimately benefit Republicans and Democrats because the money goes toward their primaries, which are run by the state with taxpayer funds, whereas third-party candidates stand to gain nothing as theyre nominated by convention. The attorneys had argued that the law violated guarantees of the Texas Constitution, including equal protection, due process, association, free speech, as well as the prohibition of special laws. Were disappointed that the 14th Court of Appeals did not address the fact that for the first time in Texas history, maybe American history, nominees of a party are being charged to be on the general election ballot, said Katherine Youngblood, attorney for the plaintiffs. Thats a very important legal issue in Texas and outside of Texas, and we hope that it will be addressed. Youngblood said her clients are still considering their options, including whether theyll appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. SPRINGFIELD A student at Holy Cross Elementary School in Springfield has tested positive for COVID-19, Archdioscese of Philadelphia officials confirmed Tuesday. It was the first case reported at a county elementary school this fall. The school, which reopened Sept. 1, alerted Chester County Department of Health officials Saturday after family members confirmed the child had tested positive. There have been no other cases reported at the school. Officials at the school, which teaches Pre-K through 8th grade, sent a letter to parents confirming the infection and stating the child was in school Sept. 3 and had gone to the office complaining of a stomach ache and fever and was sent home immediately. In the letter, Dr. Mary Rose Worrilow, principal at Holy Cross, said she was advised by health department officials to air out the classrooms and then have them sprayed with the disinfectant foam. She stressed to parents the importance of checking children every morning for high temperatures or other signs of COVID-19 and not to send them to school if they dont feel well. Officials from the health department were contacting others who may have come in contact with the child. Worrilow said the child and siblings are being quarantined and the school, the parish school of Holy Cross Church, located at North Bishop Avenue and Springfield Road, would be allowed to stay open. Worrilow said children, teachers and staff are wearing masks every day and following all health department procedures. Parents picking up their children Tuesday afternoon declined to comment. Officials repeated the importance of watching for symptoms consistent with COVID-19, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, abnormal sense of taste and smell, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, congestion, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. At the college level, Villanova University has reported 54 cases of COVID-19 since students they returned to class on Aug. 17. There have been 30 non-residential students and 24 residential students diagnosed at the Main Line school since that time. Five of the cases are new this week while 20 students have recovered. No staff has been found to have tested positive at Villanova. Students at Villanova who have tested positive are required to isolate for 10 days either at home or in a university facility, while students who come into close contact with a person who tests positive are quarantined for 14 days. This week, Villanova began surveillance testing of students. Surveillance testing involves selecting a random sampling of individuals to be tested regardless of whether they have a known exposure or are showing symptoms. The surveillance testing will continue through the semester. Adding ongoing testing is another example of Villanova continuing to put community first in order to mitigate and monitor the spread of COVID-19, Villianova President Rev. Peter Donohue wrote in a letter to students. Thank you again for everyones efforts to create a safe and healthy environment for our community this semester. The public is able to monitor the number of positive test cases at Villanova through an on-line dashboard https://www1.villanova.edu/university/return-to-campus/dashboard.html Neumann University had its first update from the Chester County Department of Health and have no reported cases of COVUD-19 since students returned to campus. They also have an on-line dashboard which is updated every Friday at noon. To view it go to https://www.neumann.edu/shield-our-knights/covid-dashboard?hsCtaTracking=c2a6cae2-fd67-4e06-8beb-c0f1aa7f3e3a%7C4cee9cee-5d54-460c-8530-ffc6cf6d11a4 Penn State Brandywine in Middletown reported one positive COVUD-19 case in a student during the first week of September. The case was found using randomized surveillance testing. Penn State has performed more than 13,000 tests across all its campuses with 433 positives. The university has also begun pooling of tests, which allows testing of five samples at once for more rapid test results with the goal of testing 1 percent of the school population. To view Penn State dashboard go to https://virusinfo.psu.edu/covid-19-dashboard All public schools in Delaware County have or will open in a virtual format. Catholic high schools are slated to open in a hybrid setting Wednesday. There were new 169 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Delaware County reported Friday and Tuesday bringing the total to 10,727 with 778 deaths and 93,114 negative test results. Tannersville, a village of about 3,000 people in Monroe County, doesnt often get a mention in discussions of Pennsylvanias top fall foliage destinations. But Vacasa, an international vacation rental management company, selected the Pocono Mountain town as its spot in Pennsylvania on its list of top 9 leaf peeping 2020 destinations from east to west. Fun fact: according to the (Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) Fall Foliage Reports, Pennsylvania has a longer and more varied fall foliage season than anywhere in the world. More than 134 species of trees, shrubs, and vines contribute to the regions vibrant autumn display, noted Vacasa. "One of the best places to take it all in is Tannersville, a Poconos Mountain town nestled against Big Pocono State Park and the ever-popular Camelback Mountain Ski Area. Mountain maples, quaking aspens, pin cherries, and more blanket miles of natural terrain showing off their newfound color patterns. Other fall color spots on the list are: Bethel, Maine: hailed as a classic New England village where stunning lighthouses and delicious Maine lobster meet expansive national parks and moose sightings. Sylva, North Carolina: Located at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains, Sylva will evoke all the feelings of fall with colorful trees that surround a truly welcoming destination. Be sure to spend some time strolling Main Street, which was made famous by the Oscar-winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: Vibrant autumnal colors in Pigeon Forge draw guests by the thousands to the area during the long, warm fall season. Due to the regions diverse tree species, leaf peeping guests in Pigeon Forge can experience deep reds, bright oranges and stunning ambers. Blue Ridge, Georgia: Blue Ridge is making just about every one of our lists right now, as it was recently featured as one of the Top 25 Best Places to Buy a Vacation Home. In the heart of Blue Ridge is the Aska Adventure Area, rich with wildlife, vegetation, and (of course) the rainbow of fall colors that flank the Toccoa River. Eagle River, Wisconsin: While New England comes to mind as the leaf peeping capital of the country, Wisconsin is nipping at its heels. The entire state is chock-full of scenic drives just waiting to be explored, many of which you can find in Eagle River. Located on a large chain of freshwater lakes 28 to be exact Eagle River is synonymous with fall festivities that include a hayride tour through a cranberry marsh and indulging on caramel apples as yellow and orange leaves dance at your feet. Whitefish, Montana: Theres really no place like Whitefish at any time of year, but this small Montana town downright captivates in the fall. Kick back in the inviting downtown corridor, where businesses are locally owned and welcome you with open arms. Then head out to catch the colorways on the 26-mile Whitefish Trail. Estes Park, Colorado: Located at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park has a predetermined leaf peeping route that takes you through some of the most intense colors of the fall. Take a twist down the Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway, where youll find autumn leaves ranging from bright green to hazy marigold hues of orange and yellow. White Salmon, Washington: When exploring leaf peeping destinations on the West Coast, you can find the best of both worlds in White Salmon. Take a drive along Highway 84 (in Oregon), where youll sneak a peek at Multnomah Falls on the way to Hood River. Along the route, youll find stunning views of the falls best offerings and waterways to boot. Stop in Hood River for a local craft brew, then head across the Columbia River to lesser-known White Salmon. Wide open spaces, great family-run wineries and spectacular views of fall in the Pacific Northwest will make you pick up your phone to search homes, to buy. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. The Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya recorded a new appeal to the Russians and urged them to support the Belarusian people. The appeal was published on the Telegram channel of Tikhanovskaya's press service. "We - Belarusians - are very grateful to the Russians who already support the struggle of the Belarusian people for freedom. We will not forget any of the gestures or actions of solidarity. Thank you for that! Russian independent journalists and bloggers, I would like to thank you separately for your attention to what is happening in our country, for your willingness to talk with ordinary Belarusians - and broadcast their opinions. This really helps to reduce the effect of Russian and Belarusian propaganda, prevents our people from turning against each other. "Let us not allow propaganda to poison the relations between friendly peoples, and let the ill-considered decisions of politicians harm the interests of both Belarus and Russia. Support the Belarusian people," she said. Mexico has revised down energy giant Pemexs oil production target for next year by more than 8 percent in what was a no-surprise move to those familiar with the companys heavy debt burden, which significantly limits its ability to boost production despite generous state help. The Mexican Ministry of Finance said it now expected Pemex to produce 1.857 million bpd in 2021, according to a Bloomberg report, down from a projection of 2.027 million bpd made in April this year. Yet, according to at least one analyst, even the revised 2021 average looks too optimistic. Barclays chief economist for Latin America, Marco Oviedo, told Bloomberg that Pemex was unlikely to hit that lower target. It seems that they have not learned, Oviedo said. According to government plans, Pemex was supposed to boost oil production by about half a million barrels in 2021. Instead, in July, production fell to 1.54 million bpd because of a sharp drop in the output from Pemexs largest offshore field, Maloob. Output from Maloob fell by more than 30 percent on the year. This meant Pemexs total for July fell to a record low. That led to speculation that the country might have to revise down its production target for 2021. Now, the revision is a fact. Yet Pemex is not only set for failure in meeting its 2021 production target. It is also very likely it will fall short of this years one, too. The company was expected to produce a daily average of 1.83 million barrels of oil, but with the Maloob field output falling and no new production contracts with better-off oil companies on the table, this is unlikely. What makes it even more unlikely is the fact that for the January to July period, Pemexs average daily has been just 1.692 million bpd, with the coronavirus pandemic complicating matters further. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: After recording over 90,000 new infections on Monday, India surpassed Brazil as the country with the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world. Despite the calamitous situation, which includes approximately 1,000 daily deaths, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the various state governments are pushing ahead with the reopening of the economy. This includes the state governments led or supported by the opposition Congress Party and various regional and caste-ist parties, and their Stalinist collaborators in the CPM (Communist Party of India, Marxist) and the CPI (Communist Party of India). According to figures released by Indias Ministry of Health, the country reported a new single-day world record for new infections with 90,802 Monday, pushing Indias official total above 4.2 million. For about a month, India has reported the highest number of daily cases in the world. The death toll has climbed to 71,642. A doctor speaks with a COVID-19 positive patient at an isolation center in Mumbai, India. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) The pace at which the virus is spreading has dramatically accelerated over the past month. Whereas around 55,000 new daily cases were being recorded in the first week of August, India is now averaging well in excess of 80,000 new cases per day. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in India has doubled from 2 million to more than 4 million within just one month. It took just 13 days for infections to increase by one million, from 3 million on August 22 to 4 million on September 4. Horrific as these figures are, they are a substantial underestimation of the true scale of the crisis. Virtually all experts agree that due to a miserably low testing rate, only a fraction of COVID-19 infections are being identified. Some have even suggested that India has already surpassed the United States to become the worst impacted country in the world. Dr. Ramanan Laxinarayan, a public health researcher and director of the Washington-based Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), told CBS News: It's only a matter of time before India crosses (the) US. We are talking about reported infections, and given the low levels of testing, it is certainly possible that actual infections in India have already exceeded those in the US. He added that seroprevelance screenings of blood samples indicate that there have been at least 100 million infections in India. The callous and criminal policies of the Modi government at the center and the various state governments have produced enormous social suffering, in addition to the health catastrophe. Modis ill-conceived and ill-prepared coronavirus national lockdown, which was implemented on March 25 with less than four hours notice, was a total failure. The Indian ruling elite refused to use the time bought by the lockdown to implement a comprehensive system of mass testing and contact tracing, or to pour resources into the countrys chronically under-resourced public health care system. Moreover, the BJP government provided the tens of millions of impoverished workers who lost their jobs overnight due to the lockdown no more than famine-style relief programs, resulting in widespread destitution, homelessness and hunger. The lockdown and the governments refusal to provide social support have produced an unprecedented economic collapse. In the quarter ending in June, Indias GDP declined by 23.9 percent, the largest recorded drop among major economies. The ruling class subsequently exploited this social misery to push workers back on the job, so that the extraction of profit through sweatshop exploitation could resume. The BJP government started sanctioning the removal of lockdown restrictions on export industries and other industrial concerns in late April. This quickly led to a spike in infections. The virus has now spread throughout the country, entrenching itself in poor neighbourhoods in many major cities and in rural areas, where health care facilities are non-existent. It has even reached the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are located more than 1,000 kilometers from the mainland. The surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths has caused no let-up or even pause in the drive of the Modi government and its state counterparts to reopen the economy. Putting profits before human lives, they are pursuing herd immunitya homicidal policy in which the authorities allow the virus to run rampant until it expends itself by infecting the overwhelming majority of the population. Most businesses have now been allowed to reopen. Social distancing and other elementary preventive measures, which were always impossible for the tens of millions of urban poor who live five or more to a room and without access to proper sanitation, have been largely abandoned. Markets in towns and cities across the country are once again teeming with people, increasing the risk of a further acceleration of infections. As per the fourth phase of the Modi governments Unlockdown, on Monday, the same day as India set a new world record for daily infections, subway train networks resumed in the national capital, Delhi, and in more than 10 other cities, ending a five-month shutdown. With large numbers of people crammed into poorly-ventilated subways, infections and deaths are certain to increase sharply. The reopening of the Delhi Metro, the countrys largest rapid transport system, is particularly reckless given the volume of passengers and the recent uptick in coronavirus cases in the capital. Before its forced closure in March, it carried an average of 2.7 million passengers daily in packed trains. The Yellow Line, which was first to reopen, runs between north Delhi and the satellite city of Gurgaon, an industrial and IT hub in the northern Indian state of Haryana. This is the busiest route, connecting 37 stations and carrying around 1.45 million passengers daily. In another example of the ruling elites indifference to the threat posed by the deadly virus to working people, the National Testing Agency (NTA), a central government agency, is going ahead with university entrance examinations in major cities throughout the country. Protests by angry students, many of whom have to travel significant distances to participate, were ignored. The Supreme Court, siding with the Modi governments decision, dismissed an appeal filed on behalf of students on August 17. The Court claimed that failing to hold the exams would put students careers in peril. It added: Life should move on even in COVID-19 times. This is entirely in keeping with the mantra of the Modi government and its state counterparts. They all insist that businesses must reopen and workers be forced to toil in unsafe conditions, so that life can return to normal, i.e., the ruling class can continue to enrich itself. Like their counterparts around the world, the Modi government and Indias capitalist elite as a whole have seized upon the pandemic to shift bourgeois politics further to the right. In Modis own words, his government is pushing ahead with a quantum jump in economic reforms, i.e., pro-investor policies to attract global capital. The reforms include stepped-up privatisations, drastic changes to labor laws so that employers can hire and fire workers at will, the relaxation of regulations on the use of land for corporate development, and harsher austerity measures. To divert the mounting social anger towards its policies in a reactionary direction, Modi is also whipping up a bellicose Indian nationalism by intensifying Indias border conflict with China. In this, he has been encouraged by US imperialism, which views India as a crucial partner in its economic and military-strategic offensive against Beijing. On Monday, tensions between India and China escalated yet again when shots were fired during a dispute between Indian and Chinese troops over where the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the two countries, lies. Each side accused the other of firing the first shot. Although several dozen Indian and Chinese soldiers died in a clash fought with rods and knives on a Himalayan ridge in June, this marked the first time that there had been an exchange of live fire between the two sides in 45 years. So acute has become the danger of a military conflict between the two nuclear-armed powers that even sections of Indias mainstream media that have been urging New Delhi to resist Chinese aggression are now expressing alarm. We are on the verge of entering a dangerous escalation matrix that could lead to full-blown war, declared an editorial in the Times of India. If that happens, it would be a catastrophe. In opposition to the Modi governments right-wing policies, growing numbers of workers have participated in strikes and other protests in recent weeks. Anger has been especially directed at planned privatisations and the authorities failure to supply adequate personal protective equipment for health care and other frontline workers during the pandemic. The only way that the relentless spread of the coronavirus can be stopped, working people shielded from the pandemics ruinous economic fallout, and the Indian ruling elites incendiary alliance with US imperialism and stoking of military conflict can be successfully opposed is by the working class constituting itself as an independent political force. It must rally the rural poor and other toilers behind it in the fight for a workers government and socialism. As the International Committee of the Fourth International explained in its statement, For international working class action against the COVID-19 pandemic!: Control over the response to the pandemic must be taken out of the hands of the capitalist class. Mass action by the working class, coordinated on an international scale, is necessary to bring the pandemic under control and save millions of lives that are now at risk. The fight against the pandemic is not only, or even primarily, a medical issue. It is, above all, a matter of social and political struggle. Chennai, Sep 9 : Senior DMK leaders Duraimurugan and T. R. Baalu were on Wednesday elected unopposed as the Party's General Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam President M. K. Stalin made the announcement at the party's General Council meeting held at the party headquarters here. The party also appointed senior leaders K. Ponmudy and A. Raja as Deputy General Secretaries. The party now has five Deputy General Secretaries. The post of General Secretary fell vacant following the death of K. Anbazhagan this March. The party had earlier convened the General Council meeting on March 29 to elect a new General Secretary, but it got postponed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Senior party leader and former Minister Duraimurugan had resigned as Treasurer and was tipped to be elected as the General Secretary. However, as the General Council meeting was not held on March 29, Stalin had announced that Duraimurugan would continue as the Treasurer. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Terminally ill French man Alain Cocq, who was blocked from livestreaming his final days on Facebook, has accepted palliative care after refusing food and medication for more than three days. Cocq, 57, was admitted to hospital days after using his situation to draw attention to the conditions of terminally ill patients in France who are not allowed to die in line with their wishes. I am sorry but I need some serenity to depart in peace, he said through his spokesperson, lawyer Sophie Medjeberg, who explained Cocq had been admitted to the main hospital in the city of Dijon on Monday. He is suffering too much, it was too hard, Medjeberg told AFP agency on Tuesday. He still wants to go but without suffering. Medjeberg said she did not know if the doctors would resort to deep sedation that could lead to a coma that could be irreversible, or send him back home with a mobile unit for palliative care. Facebook blocks livestreamed video Last week he received a letter from French President Emmanuel Macron in response to a request for deep sedation, with which Macron says that he cannot comply because active assistance in dying was not currently permitted by French law. France's end-of-life laws, updated in 2016, only authorise deep sedation for patients with short term life-threatening conditions, which Cocq is unable to prove. Cocq stopped taking food, drink and medication after his last meal on Friday evening. On Saturday, he began livestreaming his final days on Facebook, saying he believed he had less than a week to live. The social network blocked the livestream and said Sunday its terms and conditions did not allow the site to show suicide attempts. Long-time activist Cocq suffers from a rare genetic condition that causes the walls of the arteries to stock together. His condition is so rare it has no name and there are only three other known cases. He was first diagnosed at age 23, after falling down a flight of stairs. Doctors at the time told him he has two weeks to live. Long confined to a wheelchair, Cocq was a long-time activist for rights for persons with handicaps and for the right to die. He took his case to the European Court for Human Rights in 1993, travelled around France and Europe in 1994. Later confined to a medicalised bed, Cock attended Yellow Vest protests in Dijon. More recently he has bene unable to leave his bed in his apartment. His plight has been compared with that of Vincent Lambert, a French man who died last year after being artificially kept alive for 11 years following a car accident and whose case revealed deep divisions over the right to die. (with AFP) New Delhi: Vehicle registration have shown improvement on month on month basis, but it is still down as compared to year on year basis, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) releasing the monthly vehicle registration data for the month of August 2020 said on Wednesday. Vehicle registrations for August shows improvement due to ongoing festivities when compared MoM but still down by -26.81% on YoY basis, FADA said. On yearly comparison, 2-Wheeler segment witnessed degrowth by -28.71%, 3-Wheeler by -69.51%, CV by -57.39%, and PV by -7.12%. Tractor registration continued its upwards journey with 27.80% growth, FADA said. The Auto Association added that entry Level Passenger Vehicles have shown initial signs of demand revival as customers sitting on fence finally concluded their purchase with Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi during the month. Overall demand still not back to pre-covid levels as despite abundant liquidity, risk averse mood of Banks and NBFCs coupled with stricter CIBIL scores, fails to capture demand in the current month, FADA added. FADA said that it is awaiting the governments reduction on GST for 2 wheelers and roll out of incentive based Scrappage Policy thus re-igniting demand and once again making Auto a lead indicator of growth. "Apart from Rural Market which was showing revival signs until now, Urban Centres for the first time showed initial signs of demand pullback. With the Governments priority in spending towards rural development and agriculture, coupled with good monsoon and a healthy sowing season, Tractor, Small Commercial Vehicles and entry level Passenger Vehicles positively impacted August Sales," FADA President, Vinkesh Gulati said. He added, "Overall demand is still not back to Pre-covid levels as Banks and NBFCs continue to have a cautious approach towards funding. Commercial Vehicles, especially M&HCV category is still suffering from higher lead times with financers and an increase in cost of acquisition leading to viability issues. A stricter CIBIL score is also affecting customer finance." In its near term outlook, the Auto association said that the moratorium period from banks has ended on Aug 31, during which if NPAs are not too high and recovery rate is even neutral to positive, Banks and NBFCs may return with aggressive financing schemes for Auto Loans thus leading to a strong demand pullback. While OEMs are dispatching vehicles to Dealers with a purpose of stocking-up inventory for the upcoming festival season, retail sales are still at 70-75% levels despite the low base of last year. FADA has advised extreme caution to all OEMs and Dealer fraternity to avoid excessive Inventory build-up thus leading to unmanageable interest cost which could further result in dealership closures. Extinction Rebellion Eco-Crusaders Turned Criminals, UK Home Secretary Says Britains Home Secretary Priti Patel said she supports the police as they bring the full might of the law down upon Extinction Rebellion, a group of climate activists she described as so-called eco-crusaders turned criminals. During her virtual speech delivered to the annual conference of the Police Superintendents Association, on Tuesday, Patel said the recent actions of Extinction Rebellion (XR) had exposed another emerging threat. About 100 people from the activist group on Friday blockaded two printing presses that produce several British newspapers, causing the newspapers distribution to be delayed. The group said in a statement that the right-wing media are a barrier to the truth that pollute national debate. Donnachadh McCarthy, a prominent figure in XR, compared the blockaded newspapers with the Nazis. Extinction Rebellion demonstrators hold up a banner in Trafalgar Square, in London, on Sept. 5, 2020. (Hollie Adams/Getty Images) The Home Secretary told the officers at the conference that she refused point blank to allow that kind of anarchy on the streets of Britain, describing the blockade as an attempt to thwart the medias right to publish without fear nor favor, and a shameful attack on our way of life, our economy, and the livelihoods of the hardworking majority. Im right behind you [the police] as you bring the full might of the law down upon that selfish minority. The very criminals who disrupt our free society must be stopped, she said. Police and fire services at the scene, outside Broxbourne newsprinters as protesters continue to block the road, in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, on Sept. 5, 2020. (Yui Mok/PA via AP) The Home Secretary on Sunday published an opinion article in the Daily Mail condemning the group for using guerrilla tactics with contempt for society, and said that shes committed to looking at every opportunity available, including primary legislation, to ensure that the police have the tools to tackle disruptions. Sarah Lunnon, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, said in a statement that the group would not allow them [politicians] to criminalize the noble tradition of nonviolent civil disobedience. Our media and our government are captured by vested interests. They do not want to see change, she said. Its depressingalthough no surprisethat so much of the political and media elite has jumped to their [the newspapers] defense, and jumped at the opportunity to suppress people power and grassroots protest. Ideology and Tactics The British think-tank Policy Exchange in July published a report (pdf) reviewing the ideology and tactics of Extinction Rebellion. Richard Walton, an ex-counter terrorism police chief and a co-author of the report, said the agenda of Extinction Rebellion is rooted in the political extremism of anarchism, eco-socialism, and radical anti-capitalist environmentalism. But he also said that many followers of Extinction Rebellion are completely unaware of this secondary objective, and that the group can still change its strategy, engage in lawful protest, and become a significant and influential global mass movement that is a positive force for change. A family walk past as activists take part in a demonstration outside Buckingham Palace, as part of protests by the Extinction Rebellion climate change group on the fifth day of their new series of mass rebellions, in central London on Sept. 5, 2020 (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images) Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday told Parliament that he draws a sharp distinction, contrast, between the civilized approach to environmental protest and that taken by those who have tried in vain to frustrate the freedom of the press. Regarding punishment for those who blockaded the newspaper printers, he said the government will look at what can be done under laws on public order and nuisance. While most celebrities have their own expensive ways to slow down time, Eva Mendes opts to take a natural and cheaper beauty secret -- and she found the best in coconut oil! If Mendes has to consider an 8th World Wonder among her beauty hacks, she would definitely say that the coconut oil in the Philippines and other tropical countries is one of it. The Cuban-American beauty has always looked incredible since the beginning of her career, so much so that she conquered the covers of Maxim and FHM's "Hottest" lists back in the early 2000s. Despite the fact that she has it all already because of her genes, she still does everything to make the most of her assets. It is a good thing that coconut oil has been there for her, and she spoke about how extraordinary its magic is. Mendes on Having Acne-Free Skin In an interview with Hola! USA, the 46-year-old actress proudly said that she became a big fan of coconut oil due to the extra moisture it brings to her. Coconut oil in the Philippines and other Asian countries has been proven to be rich in Vitamin E. It also has antimicrobial and antioxidants that truly work well in preventing acne. In addition, Mendes said that she uses it on a damp cloth that serves as an instant makeup remover for her. This way, she stops the signs of aging from showing and prevents the occurrence of skin infections. The Secret Behind Mendes' Glossy Hair Fans have been asking the secret behind her all-natural hair hack, and the answer? Coconut oil! Mendes revealed to Byrdie how coconut oil has become part of her beauty secret for years now -- from her genius makeup applying tricks to her lively, bouncy hair. "I'm a big fan of coconut oil and using it as a treatment," she said. "I'll just leave it in my hair and put a shower cap on it and sleep with it overnight. I go after that beachy look, but obviously, that can leave your hair feeling unhealthy, so I really like this coconut oil trick." She also left some piece of advice for first time users, saying that they should apply it on the ends of their hairs first to see the benefits before going up from them. Coconut Oil Offers Hydration To Eva Mendes Mendes is using coconut oil to the fullest, as she blessed her whole body with it. Aside from being her go-to product for her hair and face, she also shared with Redbook that she has jumped fully to the coconut oil bandwagon. Using coconut oil as a beauty product among celebrities is no longer a new technique, but it truly helped Mendes reach her ultimate Hollywood dreamboat. No wonder why coconut oil in the Philippines, Thailand and Asia has been the craze for some time now. This diagram illustrates how the new soft skin stretch device (SSD), developed by UNSW Engineering researchers, works. Credit: UNSW Engineering What if you could touch a loved one during a video callparticularly in today's social distancing era of COVID-19or pick up and handle a virtual tool in a video game? Pending user tests and funding to commercialize the new technology, these ideas could become reality in a couple of years after UNSW Sydney engineers developed a new haptic device which recreates the sense of touch. Haptic technology mimics the experience of touch by stimulating localized areas of the skin in ways that are similar to what is felt in the real world, through force, vibration or motion. Dr. Thanh Nho Do, Scientia Lecturer and UNSW Medical Robotics Lab director, is senior author of a study featuring the new device. His research team featured lead author and Ph.D. candidate Mai Thanh Thai, Phuoc Thien Phan, Trung Thien Hoang and collaborator Scientia Professor Nigel Lovell, Head of the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Do said the sense of touch was something many people took for granted to perform everyday tasks. "When we do things with our hands, such as holding a mobile phone or typing on a keyboard, all of these actions are impossible without haptics," he said. "The human hand has a high density of tactile receptors and is both an interesting and challenging area to encode information through haptic stimulation, because we use our hands to perceive most objects every day. There are many situations where the sense of touch would be useful but is impossible: for example, in a telehealth consultation a doctor is unable to physically examine a patient. So, we aimed to solve this problem." The UNSW study about the new haptic device was published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Access journal recently. Dr. Do said the researchers were so excited about their new haptic technology that they had applied to patent it. "Our three-way directional skin stretch device (SSD), built into the fingertips of the wearable haptic glove we also created, is like wearing a second skinit's soft, stretchable and mimics the sense of touchand will enable new forms of haptic communication to enhance everyday activities," he said. "What's also special about our new technology is that it's scalable and can be integrated into textiles for use in various potential applications such as telehealth, medical devices, surgical robots and training, augmented and virtual reality, teleoperation and industrial settings. The device aims to solve a common problem in emerging systemssuch as assistive devices, remote surgery, self-driving cars and the guidance of human movementswhere visual or auditory feedback can be slow, unintuitive and increase the cognitive load." Why haptic technology needs to improve The study's lead author Mai Thanh Thai said existing technology had great difficulty recreating the sense of touch with objects in virtual environments or located remotely. Credit: University of New South Wales "Visual or auditory cues are easy to replicate, but haptic cues are more challenging to reproduce. In a virtual environment, we can see objects but we are unable to feel them as if we were directly touching them," Mr Thai said. "It is almost impossible to enable a user to feel something happening in a computer or smartphone using a haptic interface, such as commercially available smart glasses. Vibration is the most common haptic technology today and is built into many electronic devices, such as the Taptic Engine attached to the back of a trackpad in laptops, which simulates a button clicking. But haptic feedback with vibration becomes less sensitive when used continuously or when users are in motion, leading to desensitization and impaired device functionality." How the new haptic device works Dr. Do said the researchers' new technology overcame issues with existing haptic devices by introducing a novel method to recreate an effective haptic sensation via soft, miniature artificial muscles. "Our soft, wearable haptic glove enables people to feel virtual or remote objects in a more realistic and immersive way. The inbuilt soft artificial muscles generate sufficient normal and shear forces to the user's fingertips via a soft tactor, enabling them to effectively reproduce the sense of touch," he said. "It works like this: imagine you are in Australia while your friend is in the United States. You wear a haptic glove with our integrated three-way directional SSDs in the fingertips and your friend also wears a glove with integrated 3-D force sensors. If your friend picks up an object, it will physically press against your friend's fingers and their glove with 3-D force sensors will measure these interactions. If these 3-D force signals are sent to your haptic glove, then the integrated three-way directional SSDs will generate these exact 3-D forces at your fingertips, enabling you to experience the same sense of touch as your friend." Implications of the new technology Dr. Do said the ability to effectively reproduce the sense of touch via the new wearable haptic device would have a wide range of benefits; for example, during today's COVID-19 pandemic when people were relying on video calls to stay connected with loved ones. "Unlike existing haptic devices, our technology is soft, lightweight, and thin and therefore, we hope users will be able to integrate it into what they're wearing to provide realistic haptic experiences in settings including rehabilitation, education, training and recreation," he said. "Our technology could enable a user to feel objects inside a virtual world or at a distance; for example, a scientist could feel a virtual rock from another planet without leaving their lab, or a surgeon could feel a patient's organ tissues with surgical tools without directly touching them." Dr. Do estimated the new technology could become available in the next 18 months to three yearsif plans to commercialize the device were realized. "The next step is to conduct user evaluations to validate how effective our device is, because the main scope of our current research has been on the design, fabrication and characterisation of the new technology," he said. "In addition, we plan to implement the device in various haptic applications such as haptic motion guidance, navigational assistance for older people and those with low vision, tactile textual language, and 3-D force feedback display for use in surgical robots, prosthesis and virtual and augmented reality." Explore further Artificial skin could help rehabilitation and enhance virtual reality More information: Mai Thanh Thai et al. Soft Microtubule Muscle-Driven 3-Axis Skin-Stretch Haptic Devices, IEEE Access (2020). Mai Thanh Thai et al. Soft Microtubule Muscle-Driven 3-Axis Skin-Stretch Haptic Devices,(2020). DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3019842 H arry Dunn's family has filed a civil claim for damages in the state of Virginia against his alleged killer. Anne Sacoolas, 43, was charged with causing the teenagers death by dangerous driving following a fatal road crash outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year. She claimed diplomatic immunity following the crash and was able to return to her home country, sparking an international controversy. The suspect was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service in December but an extradition request submitted by the Home Office was rejected by the US State Department the following month. The civil claim announcement comes ahead of the family's meeting with the Director of Public Prosecutions as the Attorney General is considering the possibility of trying Ms Sacoolas virtually or in her absence. Charlotte Charles, the mother of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn / AFP via Getty Images Their spokesman Radd Seiger said Mr Dunns alleged killer had inexplicably made no attempt to resolve the dispute without having to go to court. Speaking ahead of the meeting with Max Hill QC, Mr Seiger told PA: Ever since Harrys family launched their campaign for justice last October, they have tried their level best to avoid any dispute with either Mrs Sacoolas herself, or the British or US governments. They came up against a brick wall at every turn and felt that they had no choice other than to launch their campaign. It remains the intention of the British authorities for Mrs Sacoolas to return to face the legal system in Britain and that is what she must do, self-evidently. Charlotte Charles (centre), the mother of Harry Dunn, walks away with her partner Bruce (left) after they gathered with friends and family at Portland Bill to scatter her son's ashes / PA Mr Seiger continued: Harrys parents are entitled to bring a claim for civil damages for Harrys wrongful death in the US courts in Virginia. They have sought to avoid a formal dispute with Mrs Sacoolas so as not to put the parents through any additional unnecessary stress. Inexplicably, there has been a total failure on Mrs Sacoolass part to enter into the spirit of attempting to resolve the dispute without having to go to court. The parents have therefore, yet again, been forced to take yet another battle on since Harrys death and have today filed a formal complaint against Mrs Sacoolas in the Virginia court. He added: The parents wanted none of this. They have worked hard to avoid this. Mrs Sacoolas and her advisers clearly do not consider the further misery this imposes on Harrys family. They have already been through so much; however, they are more than capable of taking this battle on. Loading.... However, right-minded people on both sides of the Atlantic will rightly be appalled and horrified. Additional reporting by PA Media. Prime Minister lashed out at the country's law enforcement system on Tuesday, continuing a crusade to discredit those who have pressed corruption cases against him ahead of the resumption of his trial early next year. Netanyahu's latest tirade came in response to a report by Channel 12 TV alleging that police covered up a conflict of interest involving one of its senior investigators who was looking into alleged crimes committed by Netanyahu and his wife Sara. Speaking at an event meant to be focused on Israel's struggling battle against the coronavirus, Netanyahu was asked about the report and devoted a chunk of his time accusing the police of conspiring to oust him. The entire chain of command is involved: senior investigators, the chief of police, the state attorney, and everything is sanctioned and authorised by the attorney general, Netanyahu said. This was not an investigation. This is a corrupt political conspiracy to topple a prime minister. To highlight his point about police wrongdoing, Netanyahu addressed another media report claiming the former state prosecutor did not pursue an investigation into a case of alleged police misconduct. The case surrounded the fatal shooting of a Bedouin Arab man in 2017 out of fears it would tarnish the image of law enforcement amid its investigations into Netanyahu. Police shot the man, claiming he had intentionally rammed his car into police who were carrying out a demolition in his village. His family disputes the police claims. On Tuesday, Netanyahu apologised for the killing and for the man being wrongly labeled a terrorist, which he said is what he was told by police at the time. Since he was indicted on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes, Netanyahu has repeatedly sought to disparage the police and prosecutors, accusing them of being biased against him and seeking to force him out of office. Legal officials and experts say Netanyahu's attacks on an independent and reputable system have done lasting damage to Israel's democracy. The charges revolve around a series of scandals that accuse Netanyahu of trading favours with wealthy associates in exchange for gifts and palatable media coverage of himself and his family. Netanyahu's trial is set to resume in January, with evidentiary hearings to take place three times a week and sure to keep Netanyahu's alleged crimes firmly in the public conversation at a time when he faces widespread discontent over his handling of the coronavirus crisis. (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 "Express Delivery Market in Europe 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The express delivery market in Europe is poised to grow by 10.29 bn during 2020-2024 progressing at a CAGR of 4% during the forecast period. The report on the express delivery market in Europe provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current Europe market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by the increase in cross-border trade within Europe, growing use of express delivery services for pharmaceutical goods and growth of the e-commerce industry in Europe. This study identifies the increased investments in the market as one of the prime reasons driving the express delivery market in Europe growth during the next few years. Also, adoption of IT-enabled technology in express delivery services and consolidation within the express delivery market will lead to sizable demand in the market. Also, the express delivery market in Europe analysis report includes information on upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth. This is to help companies strategize and leverage on all forthcoming growth opportunities. Key Topics Covered: Executive Summary Market Overview Market Landscape Market ecosystem Market characteristics Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market segment analysis Market size 2019 Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 2024 Five Forces Analysis Five forces summary Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by Business model Market segments Comparison by Business model B2B Market size and forecast 2019-2024 B2C Market size and forecast 2019-2024 C2C Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by Business model Customer Landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Germany Market size and forecast 2019-2024 France Market size and forecast 2019-2024 UK Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Rest of Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Key leading countries Market opportunity by geography Market drivers Demand led growth Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview Vendor landscape Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors Aramex International LLC BTA International BV Deutsche Post DHL Group DPDgroup DPEX Europe FedEx Corp. Manston Express Transport Schenker AG SDA Express Courier Spa United Parcel Service Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4pb4jm View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005695/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 Security guards have chased down a 22-year-old coward who robbed a 91-year-old woman that was walking to her car after grocery shopping. The dramatic citizen's arrest was captured on body cam footage and shows how the brave responders managed to bring him down. Jourdan Kidd-Karam pleaded guilty to the $65 theft at the Runaway Bay Shopping Centre on the Gold Coast at the Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday. The man's lawyer argued he'd been bingeing on the prescription drug Xanax and just lost 'all of his money' playing the pokies. Jourdan Kidd-Karam (pictured) was brought down by security guards after robbing a 91-year-old woman The court heard that Kidd-Karam had taken at least nine Xanax tablets and drunk up to three beers early that day, leaving him with memory of the incident The court heard the pensioner was walking to her car at about 6.15pm on February 3, when Kidd-Karam reached into her shopping trolley and snatched her purse. Kidd-Karam then sprinted across the car park to make his getaway. But a nearby security guard patrolling the area gave chase, eventually running down the thief and tackling him to the ground. Another security member, along with a van driver, soon followed and the group made a citizen's arrest. The court heard that Kidd-Karam had taken at least nine Xanax tablets and drunk up to three beers early that day, leaving him with memory of the incident. 'He'd lost money gambling and was in a position where he was under the influence of a drug,' prosecutor Joel Sleep told the court. Kidd-Karam was sentence to 80 hours of community service and 12 months probation Defence solicitor Christopher Hannay told Seven News Kidd-Karam's congnitive function has been greatly diminished due to his violent upbringing as a child. 'He's totally dysfunctional,' Hannay told the court. 'There's been abuse, there's been drugs. 'He's had no father figure.' Magistrate Grace Kahlert told Kidd-Karam: 'You should rightly be ashamed of your behaviour.' He sentenced Kidd-Karam to 80 hours of community service and 12 months probation, labeling the crime an 'opportunistic' theft'. Four constables attached with Juhu police station have been arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) for allegedly assaulting a 22-year-old to death, on Wednesday. The constables were suspended from service in August after the Bandra divisions assistant commissioner of police (ACP) informed the Bombay high court (HC) that he had identified the four police personnel from Juhu police station who assaulted the victim Raju Velu Devendra. The accused policemen were identified as naik Santosh Ganptrao Desai, naik Anand Sitaram Gaikwad, constable Digambar Sakharam Chavanm and constable Ankush Ambadas Palve. According to the police sources, following the seriousness of the case, an SIT was formed under the supervision of Sakinaka ACP Milind Khetle. The SIT during the course of investigation found the involvement of the four policemen for assaulting the victim and arrested them. The accused will be produced before the court tomorrow. Police sources said last month an internal inquiry had revealed that the four policemen had assaulted Devendra after he was found outdoors during the Covid-19 lockdown. Devendra was subsequently found dead. Juhu police had, however, maintained that in the intervening night of March 29 and 30, Devendra was spotted by locals while allegedly trying to enter a house near Mutthi Swami Chawl in Vile Parle. According to Juhu police, he attempted to flee by climbing the roof but slipped and fell on the ground. A mob chased him to an open space and beat him up, which led to him losing his consciousness. A patrolling police van later took him to Cooper Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, Juhu police claimed. The police had also registered a case under sections 302 (murder), 141 (unlawful assembly), 142 (intentionally joining unlawful assembly), 143 (member of unlawful assembly), 144 (joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon) and 147 (rioting) of the Indian Penal Code against eight people. The matter, however, reached the high court later when advocate Firdause Irani brought to the notice of the high court Devendras death, which according to his family members, was caused due to police brutalities, in an attempt to highlight the police high-handedness in enforcing lockdown in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. It was only after the high court took serious note of police brutalities that the ACP of Bandra division admitted that Devendras death was not a case of mob lynching and that he was assaulted by four policemen. An effort to recall Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway failed Tuesday because it fell short of the required number of signatures and paperwork was not turned in on time. Jon Rygiewicz, 38, a hotel manager and lifelong Madison resident, started the recall effort July 8. His group, Recall Satya 2020, had 60 days to collect at least 36,203 signatures for the recall to be successful. Those 60 days expired on Sunday, but the group still had until 5 p.m. Tuesday to file the documents with the City Clerks Office, which was closed on Monday because of the Labor Day holiday. As of 5:01 p.m. Tuesday, the city clerks office had not received enough signatures for the recall, Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl said. No recall petitions were dropped off at the clerks office from Rygiewicz or his group on Tuesday. The clerks office had only received up to 53 signatures, which were sent in the mail. Witzel-Behl said her office would not be devoting time to check the validity of those signatures. Rygiewicz said he did not turn in the petitions he collected because he counted the signatures and knew he was short of the number needed. We did not get enough, he said in a Monday interview. Rygiewicz provided the number of signatures he said he received, but the Wisconsin State Journal is not publishing it because the number could not be verified. Rhodes-Conway has said in response to the recall effort that she is focused on serving Madisons residents and is not going to be distracted by a small group of people who want to divide this community. Rhodes-Conway received backlash from protesters for not doing more to reform the Madison Police Department and for sympathizing with Madison police officers in a private video following the looting and unrest Downtown over the summer. Shes also received criticism from supporters of the Madison Police Department because they felt the private delivery of the message to officers came across as disingenuous. Some, including Rygiewicz, said Rhodes-Conway did not do enough to protect the city during the destruction. Despite frustration over the video, local activist organization Urban Triage, which has been a leader in many of the recent protests, said in a statement on Facebook that it did not support the recall because of its pro-police agenda. Rygiewicz ran as a Republican against Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, in 2016, but said he now identifies as an Independent. He said he started the recall in part because of Rhodes-Conways response to the protests. Rygiewicz said he plans to attempt another recall of Rhodes-Conway this spring. This aint over, he said. Well be back in the spring. Were not done yet. <&rdpStrong>Police protests: How Madison answered the police killing of George Floyd, in photos Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Shilajit Mitra By Express News Service In capturing a cruel and vicious world, Indian web-shows often end up resembling it. The blame hasnt spared the eight-part Eros Now series Flesh, which reveals the dark realities of human trafficking through harsh bursts of violence and shock. The intent, possibly, was to make us flinch at the starkness of the subject matter. However, with grotesque sexual violence becoming an almost permanent fixture in our shows, how do you tell good intentions from bad? We pose the question to Swara Bhasker, who plays a conscientious anti-trafficking cop, ACP Radha Nautiyal, in Flesh. Our aim was not to make violence against women and children consumable, Swara says. We didnt try to titillate the audience or cater to the male gaze. Our intention was to show a disturbing reality, so that we think seriously about what goes on in our midst and raise our voices against it. Flesh is directed by Danish Aslam from a story by Pooja Ladha Surti, Siddharth Anand and Sagar Pandya. Starting from Mumbai, the thriller unfurls in two tracks: in one, Zoya (Mahima Makwana), a rich NRI girl, is abducted and sold into the flesh trade. Parallelly, we see children at an orphanage get imbued into a similar network. The show provides a cross-section of the various levels at which trafficking operates: from government-run shelter homes to plush cities. Swara says its startling how deep the nexus runs. We saw it recently during the Muzaffarpur shelter home case. People from all walks of life are complicit in this crime. Its a form of modern slavery, and a damning indictment of our world. The urgency of the subject aside, Swara was stoked to play a spunky undercover cop in Flesh. This is the first time the actor has handled a firearm, and, by her own admission, she hated the experience. Im a scaredy-cat in real life so this was my biggest challenge. First time I shot a gun, I had tinnitus in my ears for half an hour. As her mission progresses, Radha is locked into a cat-and-mouse game with Taj (Akshay Oberoi), a psychotic enforcer in Kolkata. The deranged bisexual villain was an experiment for Akshay, best liked for his typical Bandra boy roles. I havent played a dark, mean role like this since Gurgaon (2016), Akshay says. I love breaking my image as an actor. Just before Flesh, I had played a father of two kids in Hum Tum Aur Them (on ZEE5). So this was a complete 360-degree turn. Like Swara, Akshay feels the violence in the show isnt force-fitted. Audiences today are smart enough to tell an artifice. Danish is a sensible director. He has kept a good control over the material. He didnt go overboard just because its a web show. He kept the violence in line with how these characters would realistically behave. Since his debut with Isi Life Mein...! (2010), Akshay has flitted comfortably between films and web series. Flesh is his fourth web release in 2020. The actor says he isnt hungry for glamourous leading parts, focusing instead on unique and enriching roles. Given the way I look, I could have easily chased after conventional chocolate boy parts. My focus, however, has been on becoming a better actor. The web space, thankfully, has been a blessing in this regard. Of late, the pandemic has also played a role in making it the most popular medium right now. Last month, Swara had tweeted about the media scrutiny surrounding Rhea Chakraborty in the Sushant Singh Rajput case. Several actors including Taapsee Pannu, Lakshmi Manchu, and Vidya Balan had criticised the sensationalist reporting on the ongoing investigation. I stand by what I said, Swara says. I dont think its the job of us as a civil society to be prosecutors or judges. There is a whole judicial process in this country that must be allowed to do its job. I think the media, especially the mainstream media, has played an extremely irresponsible role in Sushants case. The United States President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize weeks after he brokered an agreement to normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, which reportedly is the first such agreement between Israel and a major Arab country in over 26 years. As per Fox News, President Trump's name has been forwarded by a Norwegian politician - Christian Tybring-Gjedde. "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," Tybring-Gjedde, told Fox News. According to a few reports, Tybring-Gjedde had previously submitted a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for President Trump in 2018 for his Singapore summit which hosted North Korea's Supreme leader Kim Jong-un. Meanwhile, a US official on September 8 said that Israel and the United Arab Emirates will sign a US-brokered agreement normalizing their relations at the White House on September 15. As per the agreement, the countries have committed to the exchange of embassies and ambassadors, and to begin cooperation in a broad range of fields including education, healthcare, trade, and security. Notably, the United Arab Emirates is the first major Arab state to recognize Israel since the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty was signed on October 26, 1994. "The accord reached between the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020, is a courageous step toward a more stable, integrated, and prosperous Middle East. The accord inverts traditional thinking about the way to address the regions problems and challenges, focusing on pragmatic steps that have tangible, practical outcomes. It carries with it the promise of new bridges that will serve to de-escalate existing conflicts and prevent future conflicts, read the official joint statement by the US, Israel, and the UAE. The Nobel Peace prize which is awarded on December 10 every year had 318 candidates in 2020. Royal staff staged a rare protest against planned job cuts outside one of Queen Elizabeth IIs main residences, Windsor Castle, their trade union said on Wednesday. The Public and Commercial Service (PCS) Union tweeted a photograph of visitor wardens employed by the royal household protesting about cuts to their pensions and jobs in front of a main gate of the castle on Tuesday. The PCS said royal staff faced 200 compulsory redundancies and cuts to their pension contributions. It said union members employed at the castle by the Royal Collection Trust, part of the Royal Household, had staged a silent protest. The photograph showed six wardens in uniform standing with a life-size cut-out of King Henry VIII. King Henry cut off heads now they want to axe our jobs and cut our pensions, read a message on a placard. The union said 92 people had accepted voluntary redundancy and 200 more faced the prospect of compulsory redundancy on much worse terms. It said lower-paid staff at three royal residences Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Holyrood Castle had their employers pension contributions cut from 15 per cent to 8 per cent. PCS is demanding that the royal family intervenes to prevent any further redundancies and restore the pensions of these frontline workers who are the public face of these iconic historic visitor attractions, the union said. The Royal Collection Trust employs more than 600 staff in roles including curation, conservation, education, visitor and other services, according to its website. (dpa/NAN) Note to readers: Hello world is a program developers run to check if a newly installed programming language is working alright. Startups and tech companies are continuously launching new software to run the real world. This column will attempt to be the "Hello World" for the real world. The startup world is quick to celebrate small wins. Although it generally overlooks the technology services sector, it feels odd when you dont even hear a peep about a company that just went public, in the otherwise jubilant world of startups. Happiest Minds, a company founded in 2011, has just listed on the bourses. About 4.2 million shares in the company were earmarked for retail investors but the company is seeing bids for more than 164 million shares. Hardly any Indian startup has inspired such confidence in retail investors. Well leave it to the analysts to dissect the numbers but what I want to focus on in this edition of Hello World is the entrepreneur behind the company. Hes taken companies from zero to IPO twice and zero to $100 million thrice. Theres a thing or two for todays startups to learn from him. Ashok Soota was 68 when he started Happiest Minds. Hed quit as the Chief Executive Officer of Mindtree a company he co-founded and took public in a huff. Related stories Jayadevan PK evangelist|Freshworks Inc At the time, I wrote an article titled Will Ashok Soota's track-record rub off on Happiest Minds? for a financial daily. Mr. Sootas track record was legendary. In the sixties, he became the chief executive of Shriram Refrigeration and turned it around. Between 1984 to 1999, he was the president of Wipro Infotech which became the second-largest IT services company in India by the time he left. He then started Mindtree with nine co-founders. The company was clocking $275 million in revenues the year before he left and was growing. But many were still skeptical when he started Happiest Minds with 12 founders. Given his age and the fact that the heydays of outsourcing were long gone, several analysts and reporters wondered if this was going to work at all. But Mr. Soota was aiming higher. He was clear from the beginning that hell take the company public. And he wanted Happiest Minds to become the fastest company to reach $100 million in revenue. At his home in Koramangala, where conducted most of his meetings then, hed dribble out bits of information about the new company that he was building. Over the years, Ive had the opportunity to meet him several times. And a few things stood out for me. First, he was always judicious with time. This meant that he not only said no to meetings sometimes but when he did meet, he made sure everyone was prepared. Hed almost always be on time. One day, I was rather unprepared for an interview and started with a bit of a vague and open-ended question. He handed me a sheet of paper and encouraged me to jot down a few questions while he finished up something he was doing. Also Read: Happiest Minds shares surge 138% on debut to hit a high of Rs 395; what should investors do? Second, he practised kindness. One instance underscores this. After hed left Mindtree, a lot of writing in the press was about how the relationship between him and the rest of the founders at the company had soured. As reporters, wed never miss a chance to ask him about that. In an interview, Albert Hieronimus, then chairman at MindTree, was quoted as being critical of Mr Sootas resignation. When I asked Mr. Soota about that, he responded, "Albert often used to say that I hope my 'German English' is not being misunderstood. I feel this is what must have happened. I somehow cannot visualize him making the statements attributed to him. I didnt know and perhaps never will if there is any bad blood between them. But one thing was certain, Mr. Soota chose to answer tough questions with kindness. This is my fourth innings, and it should be the final legacy I hope to create, he told me one day about in 2011. Clearly, with the public listing of Happiest Minds, he has cemented his legacy as one of the finest founders India has ever had; defied the ageist notion that entrepreneurship is a pursuit for young risk-takers and that nice guys finish last. New virus cases knock hopes of reviving Southeast Asia's holiday hotspots Officers wearing protective face masks give warning to visitors for wearing protective masks, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Badung By Sultan Anshori and Orathai Siring BALI, Indonesia/BANGKOK (Reuters) - A spike in coronavirus infections in Indonesia's holiday island of Bali and Thailand's first locally transmitted case in 100 days have dealt further blows to Southeast Asian hopes of reviving vital tourism industries. Plans to reopen Bali to foreign tourists from September have been postponed indefinitely, while Thailand's proposal for the cautious reopening of Phuket island has come into doubt. As well as trying to encourage domestic tourism industries, some Southeast Asian countries have been considering "travel bubbles" with others as a way to get businesses restarted. Bali initially appeared to weather the health crisis better than other parts of Indonesia, which has suffered Southeast Asia's biggest death toll by far. But coronavirus cases have spiked after it reopened its borders to domestic tourism at the end of July. "Increasing domestic tourism is one important factor for increasing cases in Bali," said Dr Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia. While Ketut Suarjaya, the head of Bali's health agency, said domestic tourism was not to blame for the spike in cases, others see Bali's experience as a warning of the dangers of reopening borders too soon. Epidemiologists and public health experts said the arrival of tourists in Bali not only made infection from other parts of Indonesia more likely, but underscored shortcomings in fighting the pandemic, namely a lack of testing and contact tracing. Public health experts also said another likely contributing factor was the arrival of the more infectious mutation of the virus, known as D614G. Bali posted a record 196 coronavirus cases on Friday, the fifth consecutive daily record. Daily cases in the holiday island almost tripled on average over the past six weeks, while the death tally doubled to 116 over that period. Bali souvenir shop owner Kamil, who goes only by one name as is common in Indonesia, said he still wasn't doing much business but tried not to get too stressed. Story continues "I just leave it to God because we cannot predict the future," he said. "All we can do now is run the business according to health protocols." ECONOMIC FALLOUT Indonesia's economy had its first quarterly contraction in over two decades in the second quarter - with Bali's economy shrinking even more than the rest of the country at nearly 11%. Thailand, where foreign visitor spending made up over 11% of GDP last year, has been even harder hit by the collapse in tourism despite better managing the pandemic - also contracting the most since the Asian financial crisis in the second quarter. The country suspended plans for a "travel bubble" agreement with select countries in August as new daily coronavirus cases rose in parts of Asia. Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the official Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said the cautious reopening of Phuket to foreign tourists would likely be delayed until after the planned start date of Oct. 1. Yuthasak told Reuters he hoped it would still start during Europe's winter - Thailand's tourist high season. Vietnam's local tourism reopening, after initially clearing itself of the virus, also took a knock when a new outbreak was discovered in the resort city of Danang in July, forcing it to go under a strict lockdown that was only lifted on Monday. Back in Indonesia, Kamil said he remained positive as long as his shop stayed open. "Maybe there will be a customer," he said. (Corrects paragraph 7 to fix typo) (Additional reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa in Jakarta, and James Pearson in Hanoi; Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa) A federal appellate panels ruling opens the floodgates for hundreds of lawsuits filed by collection agents that are seeking billions of dollars in double damages from insurance carriers that are accused of failing to pay for care that ended up being provided by Medicare and Medicaid. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the Medicare Secondary Payer Act gives MSP Recovery Claims and MSAP Claims the right to pursue claims that were assigned to them by managed care organizations that contracted with Medicare Advantage Plan insurers. In a consolidated case, the panel vacated decisions by two District Court judges in Miami that collection agents have no standing under the act. This is historical. Period, said attorney John H. Ruiz, founder of MSP Recovery. He said the ruling will allow his firm and other collection agents to continue to pursue hundreds of lawsuits that have been filed seeking recoveries in the billions. This latest decision pretty much solidifies everything I set out to accomplish, Ruiz said. The decision is part of a series of rulings that together are making the Medicare Secondary Payer Act a major headache for insurers. In February, the 11th Circuit ruled that parties that bring private causes of action against carriers for violating the Medicare Secondary Payer Act dont have to comply with the three-year notice requirement that applies when Medicare itself seeks recovery from an insurer that had been ordered to pay for medical care or agreed to in a legal settlement. Ruiz said his firm has spent $150 million in investors money to build a database going back 13 years that includes 25 million individuals who received care from Medicare of Medicaid that should have been paid by private carriers. He said he learned while practicing personal injury law in Miami that health care providers did not understand their rights under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act, so he developed an algorithm to identify medical care that was paid by Medicare and Medicaid for beneficiaries whose care should have been provided by auto, workers compensation and liability insurers. MSP Recoverys website shows 114 Medicare Secondary Payer Act putative class-action lawsuits have been filed in state and federal court. Ruiz said more will be coming. The Medicare Secondary Payer Act allows Medicare or other parties to collect double damages by showing that Medicare paid medical bills that an insurance carrier should have paid. A body of case law has established that Medicare Advantage Organizations which contract with the government to provide care at fixed prices enjoy the same right of recovery. The case decided by the 11th Circuit on Friday involved managed care organizations that contracted with Medicare Advantage plans to provide care at capitated rates, meaning a fixed amount for each person covered, no matter how much treatment is required. The court called such companies, often physician groups, downstream organizations. The crux of issue for the consolidated cases before the appellate panel was whether collection agents that have been assigned rights by downstream organizations can collect double damages. MSP Recovery and MSAP Claims had filed suit for monies allegedly owed by Ace American Insurance Co., Auto-Owners Insurance Co., Southern-Owners Insurance Co., Owners Insurance Co., Travelers Casualty and Surety Co., and Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. The 11th Circuit said it gave deference to arguments presented in an amicus curiae brief filed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The panel noted that the act was touted as a cost-saving measure when it was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. It was intended to incentivize private actors to protect the governments interests. Allowing downstream actors who have directly paid beneficiaries medical bills or reimbursed an MAO to recoup damages would plainly benefit the Medicare Advantage system, the court said. It would enable downstream actors to avoid costs that, under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act, should be borne by primary payers, not actors within the Medicare Advantage system. The decision didnt give MSP Recovery everything it wanted. The 11th Circuit agreed with the district court that its lawsuits were incorrectly pleaded, but it reversed the decision to dismiss those cases with prejudice, meaning MSP can amend its lawsuit and try again. Heather Sanderson, chief legal counsel for the Franco Signor consulting firm in Bradenton, Florida, said the decision creates more potential liability for insurers, even though it is limited in scope. She said the decision applies to managed care organizations that were paid directly by Medicare beneficiaries. In most cases, the Medicare Advantage Organization makes those payments itself. Its a relatively small segment of potential plaintiffs, she said. Still, Sanderson said the decision is concerning because there is no deadline to file claims. She said the government does not divulge the identities of persons who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans, so insurers are often not aware when they approve a settlement that the insured person is Medicare beneficiary. Medicare covers people who receive Social Security disability benefits, so its not as simple as checking the persons age, she said. They can forever file a private claim action, thats where I think the court is lacking logic, Sanderson said. She said her firm supports legislation in Congress that would require Medicare to identify to insurers beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. Tom Hanks on Friday, November 22, 2019 (Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) Tom Hanks is in quarantine after landing in Queensland to resume filming on Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic. The actor, whos playing Colonel Tom Parker in the film, landed in a private jet on Tuesday night. Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was questioned in parliament about whether Hanks had been forced to complete quarantine in a hotel and did not deny that he had been granted an exemption. The industry plan for COVID in relation to the screen industry is a plan that has been approved, just like there is for the resources industry, just like there is for the agriculture industry, she said. Under that plan, they have to stay in the place for two weeks, just like everybody else. They will have random checks, as is my understanding, by police. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter "I've had discussion with Mayor Tom Tate to find out how we can have more production on the Gold Coast because other countries are shut down because of COVID." However, despite Hanks exemption from the hotel rules, the actor has been confirmed to be isolating in a hotel ahead of the resumption of production. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks at a press conference as she gives an update on Queensland COVID-19 Border Controls on June 30, 2020. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images) Ms Palaszczuk said the film will bring more than $100 million and 900 jobs to the Gold Coast economy. Austin Butler is playing the King of Rock and Roll in the biopic. Hanks and wife Rita Wilson were amongst the first high profile people to contract coronavirus in mid-March, after falling ill in Australia. The production on Lurhmanns film was halted immediately as the couple went into isolation in hospital. The Queensland premier has also been slammed after allowing 400 AFL players and officials into the state last Tuesday from coronavirus-riddled Victoria. Due to stricter border measures, Queensland residents returning from a declared COVID-19 hotspot or overseas are required to complete two weeks in hotel quarantine. Elvis PRESLEY, with manager Colonel Tom Parker - posed, c.1956/1967. (GAB Archive/Redferns) However, some people are clearly being granted exemptions. Story continues In July, Dannii Minogue was allowed to quarantine in a private Gold Coast residence for 14 days. According to 7News, at the time Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said, "She has a COVID-safe plan which is being managed by an independent third party. Thats the reason that she got that exemption." There are a number of people who have come under that category Ive given an exemption to because they have third party arrangements in place, that Im confident they meet all the requirements that we have in place for hotel quarantine. Editors note: This story has been edited to reflect Hanks decision to quarantine in a private hotel. In this week's TravelSkills on SFGATE newsletter... In the midst of a pandemic-induced airline industry tailspin, it appears that United is taking the long view, adding a bevy of new flights to far-flung destinations (including a new "longest" flight from SFO), and adding new wide-body flights to Hawaii from Chicago and New York. It's even getting a new "enhanced" B787 for its longest haul. Read all about it: United announces SFO's longest flight to Bangalore, India Slowly but surely travelers are returning to the skies, and Southwest Airlines is ready to welcome Californians back with a 2-day sale. If you can book by midnight Wednesday (Sept 9), roundtrip fares are running as low as $80 within California, $100 to/from neighboring states and just $200 to and from Hawaii. Most other airlines have matched Southwest's bargain fares, so if you have a travel itch you need to scratch, now's the time to buy -- and remember that with new airline fee rules, changes and cancellations now happen with no penalties -- but you can't get your money back. Read: Southwest Airlines 2-day sale: Hawaii $198, California $78 In route news, Southwest is finally flying to Palm Springs; San Francisco International is expecting significant delays due to some major runway maintenance next month; United introduces an interactive guide to coronavirus-related travel restrictions; Hawaiian joins other airlines in dropping change fees; Swiss revives SFO flights but Fiji Airways delays its return; route news from Alaska at SFO plus Spirit, JSX and Delta at Oakland and American at San Jose; United sets October schedules; and Global Entry enrollment offices will reopen next month. Read: Routes: New Palm Springs flights, SFO delays, COVID-19 help, change fees With Americans shut out of traveling to most countries in the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mexico is looking more attractive to travelers itching for an international trip. But is now the right time to go? Is Mexico safe? What about later this year or the holidays? Read: Should I book a trip to Mexico? As United has been warning since last spring, it is going to have to shrink its way to survival as demand for air travel remains stalled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, the carrier said it plans to lay off 16,370 employees in October, down from an earlier target of 36,000 after thousands of workers took early retirement, buyouts, or long-term leaves of absence (which United calls "voluntary furloughs") with the industry facing a slow recovery from the pandemic. In the Bay Area, United will lay off 3,246 employees. Read: United to lay off 3,200 employees in the Bay Area Tell your friends about TravelSkills on SFGATE and have them sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts or forward this email to them! Airline ramp workers are the hard-working folks fliers see outside plane windows loading and unloading checked baggage, providing pilots with directional help and doing the physically demanding below wing jobs that get an airplane ready for its next flight. Despite the downturn in air travel, airport ramp workers at some airlines are busier than ever. Why? Read: Airline ramp workers are busier than ever Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. Email: chris@travelskills.com. Get up-to-the-minute travel news via Chris's social feeds: Twitter: @cjmcginnis | Facebook: @TravelSkills ATLANTA, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- An investor group led by Bartow Morgan, Jr., has reached an agreement in principle to acquire the Georgia Banking Company, Morgan and Georgia Banking Company Chief Executive Officer Elliott Miller announced today. In addition, the new ownership group plans to raise $150 million in new capital to build a major presence in commercial lending and private banking, primarily targeting customers in Atlanta, North Fulton, Gwinnett and Cobb counties. Plans also call for adding a variety of new services for medium size businesses, including treasury management products. Georgia Banking Company has assets of approximately $660 million. With offices at 6190 Powers Ferry Road in Sandy Springs and 1624 N Expressway in Griffin, it provides a unique set of mortgage products to independent mortgage bankers across the nation. Earlier this year, the company was ranked as one of the nation's best-performing consumer and mortgage bankers by the Independent Community Bankers Association. The purchase and the new capital-raising effort are expected to close during 2021's first quarter. "Elliott Miller has done an extraordinary job building one of the finest community banks in metro Atlanta," said Morgan. "As our local economy continues to recover from the pandemic and begins a new growth phase, we plan to expand Georgia Banking Company's presence in commercial banking and add more services to help owners of mid-size businesses grow." "Our shareholders are excited about Bartow's plans for our organization's growth and expansion in new areas of banking and financial services," said Miller. "His banking pedigree, business background and knowledge of metro Atlanta's business community are a perfect fit for Georgia Banking Company." In 2011, shortly after The Great Recession ended, Morgan raised $200 million in new capital as chief executive officer of the former Brand Group Holdings, Inc., the parent holding company of the former Brand Banking Company. Much of those funds were used to expand into commercial and industrial (C&I) lending, lending for franchise acquisitions, loan programs for Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) backed loans, and expanded consumer loan and deposit offerings. The agreement brings together two of metro Atlanta's most well-known banking leaders. Morgan has a unique banking history in Georgia. His great, great grandfather, E.M. Brand founded Brand Bank in Gwinnett County in 1905, making Morgan the fifth-generation family member in the banking business. Morgan was born and raised in Gwinnett County and is a former chairman of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as a director of the Buckhead Coalition, on the Board of Trustees of Georgia Gwinnett College and as a board member of the Georgia Ports Authority. Brand was sold to Renasant Corporation in 2018. Miller has been chief executive officer of Georgia Banking Company since the company was founded in 1998. He has served as a member of the board of directors of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia and now serves on the Community Bankers of Georgia FinTech ATDC committee. About Georgia Banking Company Founded in 1998, Georgia Banking Company provides a variety of financial services, including mortgage warehouse banking, construction lending, retail banking, government-guaranteed lending, specialty lending and commercial banking. SOURCE Georgia Banking Company CLEVELAND -- Do you remember where you were when? Certain events in American history are of such significance that they trigger this question among those who were living at the time. The Kennedy assassination. The moon landing. 9/11. Events like these are seared into the American consciousness. Chief Minister urges quicker clearance of NOCs for Punjab cement factories 09 September 2020 Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar, chaired a meeting yesterday at the Punjab Assembly about easing the process of setting up new cement factories in the Pakistani province. The complicated and lengthy process of establishing cement factories has slowed the pace of adding new capacity in the region. The local government wants to boost investment and new job opportunities. Sardar Usman Buzdar linked the issuance of no object certificates (NOC) for establishing a cement factory with the timeline as some departments unnecessarily delay the issuance of NOCs. The issuance of NOC in the minimum time should be ensured under rules and regulations, said he said. He directed to constitute a supervisory committee to present its recommendations for easing the process and issuance of NOCs. He reiterated that investors would be provided every facility and action would be initiated against the officials concerned for any unnecessary delay. Published under FILE PHOTO: Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File) By Nguyen Xuan Quynh and Philip J. Heijmans Negotiations between ASEAN countries and China over a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea will resume no later than November, Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said during a virtual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The talks come as territorial tensions in the sea are on the rise with countries such as Vietnam pushing back against Chinas maritime claims. The meetings will be face to face, Locsin said. The negotiations had been postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The regional geo-political and geo-economic landscape, including the South China Sea, are witnessing growing volatilities that are detrimental to peace and stability, Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at the start of the meetings. Vietnam, which is this years chair of Asean, is hosting the sessions. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. ALBANY Here's how meticulous set decorators can be for a TV series: An empty metal mesh trash barrel stood along a path in Washington Park on Wednesday morning, was moved 20 feet to be placed just so, and then a crew member dropped doggy bags and doggy-doo bags into the barrel. The receptacle was going to be far in the background of a picnic scene for the Amazon Prime Video series Modern Love. For authenticity's sake, a crew member toting a clear plastic garbage bag deposited into the previously empty barrel food containers, various other trash and those distinctive blue bags, used to clean up after a perambulating pooch, that were pendulous with, well, whatever a meticulous set decorator might use for such an assignment. Nearly 50 people, the maximum currently allowed for film and television shoots under New York restrictions related to the containment of the coronavirus, spent hours Wednesday on a grassy, tree-canopied area along the State Street side of the park. All crew members wore masks; the handful of actors, before filming began, had on clear face shields that covered from forehead to below the chin, and some wore paper or cloth masks beneath the shields. "Modern Love" is expected to shoot at six or seven Albany locations through Friday, said Debby Goedeke, Albany's film commissioner. She declined to give specific locations, saying only that no major public buildings would be used, but a city advisory about parking restrictions and street closures suggested shooting would be mainly in Washington Park and on Dove Street in the adjacent Center Square neighborhood. While Goedeke would not confirm the name of the series being shot Wednesday, "Modern Love" was printed on the back of director's chairs set up for cast and crew. Such filming scenes are expected to be familiar locally for several months, as Picrow, the Los Angeles-based production company that makes the series for Amazon, has set up a soundstage in the former Schenectady armory. Officials involved in the arrangement said the second season of the series will be shot on sets built in the armory and on location in the region through the end of the year. Ray Legere, who, with his cousin Jeff Legere bought the armory property at a state auction eight years ago and redeveloped it into an event venue and sports facility called Schenectady Armory Center, confirmed Wednesday that production had started in the building. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Modern Love," based on the popular New York Times column of the same name, is an anthology-style show with a rotating cast that last season included Tina Fey, Andy Garcia, Anne Hathaway, Dev Patel and Ed Sheeran. The first season's eight episodes, each lasting about a half-hour, were shot in and around New York City. Amazon announced it would renew the series for a second season soon after its premiere last fall. It has not revealed casting for the second season. For the park picnic scene, "They wanted something that looked like Brooklyn," said Goedeke. "It always happens that when the location managers get here from New York (City), they say, 'Oh, my God, this is perfect! Why don't we shoot here more often?' Hopefully they'll keep coming back." Shares Issued and Outstanding: 210,417,473 TSX andOTCQX: MPVD TORONTO and NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. ("Mountain Province", the "Company") (TSX andOTCQX: MPVD) is pleased to announce that the nominees listed in the management proxy circular for the 2020 Annual General & Special Meeting of Shareholders ("Annual Meeting") were elected as directors of the Company. Detailed results of the vote for the election of directors at the Annual Meeting held virtually on September 9, 2020 are set out below. Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Jonathan Comerford 84,967,999 97.54% 2,146,759 2.46% Stuart Brown 84,965,619 97.53% 2,149,139 2.47% Brett Desmond 84,971,898 97.54% 2,142,860 2.46% Karen Goracke 85,003,253 97.58% 2,111,505 2.42% Tom Peregoodoff 84,100,517 96.54% 3,014,241 3.46% Dean Chambers 85,002,214 97.57% 2,112,544 2.43% Ken Robertson 85,001,864 97.57% 2,112,894 2.43% At the Annual Meeting, KPMG LLP were re-appointed as auditor of the Company at remuneration to be fixed by the directors. The Company's Long Term Equity Incentive Plan together with all unallocated options, rights and other entitlements thereunder were re-approved by a majority of shareholders. About Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. Mountain Province Diamonds is a 49% participant with De Beers Group in the Gahcho Kue diamond mine located in Canada's Northwest Territories. The Gahcho Kue Joint Venture property consists of several kimberlites that are actively being mined, developed, and explored for future development. The Company also controls 67,164 hectares of highly prospective mineral claims and leases immediately adjacent to the Gahcho Kue Joint Venture property that include an indicated mineral resource at the Kelvin kimberlite and inferred mineral resources for the Faraday kimberlites. For further information on Mountain Province Diamonds and to receive news releases by email, visit the Company's website at www.mountainprovince.com Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to estimated production and mine life of the project of Mountain Province; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production; costs of production; the future price of diamonds; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the ability to manage debt; capital expenditures; the ability to obtain permits for operations; liquidity; tax rates; and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Mountain Province, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be", "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "should" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and 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. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Mountain Province and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in market conditions, changes in project parameters, mine sequencing; production rates; cash flow; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental approvals; supply of, and demand for, diamonds; fluctuating commodity prices and currency exchange rates, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated. These factors are discussed in greater detail in Mountain Province's most recent Annual Information Form and in the most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR, which also provide additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Mountain Province cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Mountain Province 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. Although Mountain Province has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Mountain Province undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed. Further, Mountain Province may make changes to its business plans that could affect its results. The principal assets of Mountain Province are administered pursuant to a joint venture under which Mountain Province is not the operator. Mountain Province is exposed to actions taken or omissions made by the operator within its prerogative and/or determinations made by the joint venture under its terms. Such actions or omissions may impact the future performance of Mountain Province. Under its current note and revolving credit facilities Mountain Province is subject to certain limitations on its ability to pay dividends on common stock. The declaration of dividends is at the discretion of Mountain Province's Board of Directors, subject to the limitations under the Company's debt facilities, and will depend on Mountain Province's financial results, cash requirements, future prospects, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board. SOURCE Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. Related Links http://www.mountainprovince.com Officials holding polls warn that any federal government intervention would amount to a declaration of war. Ethiopias northern Tigray region held regional elections on Wednesday, defying the federal government and increasing political tensions in Africas second-most populous country. Tigray officials, holding polls for the 190-seat regional parliament, warned that any intervention by the federal government would amount to a declaration of war. They objected to the postponement of the national and regional elections, originally scheduled for August, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the extension of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds time in office. The vote went very well, as of now 85 percent of registered voters had cast their ballots, said Getachew Reda, spokesman of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), which for many years was the only party in the region and is expected to gain a majority, challenged by Abiys Prosperity Party and the new Tigray Independence Party. Getachew said results will be announced by September 13. On Saturday, Ethiopias upper house of parliament, which mediates constitutional disputes, ruled that the polls for regional parliaments and other positions were unconstitutional. While Abiy has ruled out military intervention, there are fears that any punitive measures by the federal government could further escalate tensions. The Tigray defiance of the federal government is the latest challenge to the administration of Abiy, who is struggling to hold together a federation that stitches Ethiopias 80-plus ethnic groups into a nation. In addition to TPLF, there are five parties vying in these elections: the National Congress of Great Tigray (Baytona), Salsay Woyane Tigray, Tigray Independence Party, and Assimba Democratic Party. TPLF is expected to win the majority of the 190 seats. Samuel Gebre (@Habesh_) September 9, 2020 Why Tigray matters Tigray has dominated Ethiopian politics since the regions governing party, the TPLF, led an armed struggle to remove the communist Derg government in 1991. Leaders from the ethnic group, which makes up only 6 percent of Ethiopias 110 million population, went on to dominate Ethiopias politics for nearly 30 years. But that ended after anti-government protests swept Abiy to power in 2018. Some 2.7 million people in the Tigray region are expected to cast their votes at more than 2,600 polling stations, regional election officials said. A regional broadcaster, Tigray TV, showed voters lining up in the early hours on Wednesday. Two residents of the regional capital, Mekelle, told The Associated Press there was tight security in the city and surrounding areas, with motorcycles and auto rickshaws banned from the city as of Tuesday evening. On Monday, Ethiopian security officials prevented a dozen people, including four journalists and a senior think-tank analyst, from flying to Tigray to cover the vote. Separately, a non-governmental organisation told AP they had been barred from observing the election for no sufficient reason. The group, Seb Hidri, said the TPLF was behind the ban. DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan is marking 29 years of post-Soviet independence in an uncharacteristically low-profile affair avoiding public events due to the coronavirus pandemic. Each year on September 9, concerts and public celebrations are held across the Central Asian nation to mark its declaration of independence from Moscow ahead of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. But Tajik officials announced last week that this year there would be no public events for reasons of public health. Dushanbe and officials at all levels of the Tajik government were among the last in the world to acknowledge any coronavirus infections. As of September 8, the official number of cases in Tajikistan was 8,860, including 70 deaths. An investigation by RFE/RLs Tajik Service in June revealed that the actual number of COVID-19 deaths there might be several times that figure, including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated infected patients. The pathogen behind the global COVID-19 outbreak had been confirmed in nearly 28 million patients worldwide by September 9. The Supreme Council of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Tajikistan adopted a declaration of independence that was signed by then acting President Qadriddin Aslonov on September 9, 1991, less than four months before the Soviet Union's official dissolution. The current Tajik president, Emomali Rahmon, emerged as leader early in a bloody civil war that lasted from 1992 to 1997. Rahmon has never won an election deemed free or fair by Western observers and is regarded by Human Rights Watch (HRW) as a dictator with an "abysmal human rights record" who routinely persecutes political opponents and stifles free media. LOS ANGELESA new documentary suggests that Osama bin Laden's digital porn stash may have been a means to hide and disguise encrypted messages to his followers in terror cells worldwide, according to an account by The Daily Beast. Bin Laden was behind the 9/11 attacks, which took place 19 years ago, as of Friday. Even though the terrorist leader was an Islamic fundamentalist who was believed to adhere rigidly to his religious practices, when he was slain in 2011, he was found to have collected a large stash of digital porn. Peter Bergen, the documentarys narrator and host, is the author of four books on bin Laden and Al Qaeda, and was the first journalist to meet the reclusive Saudi Arabian terrorist and conduct a televised interview with him, in 1997. His documentary, Bin Ladens Hard Drive, is set to air on the National Geographic cable channel on Thursday, September 10. In researching the film, Bergen combed through 470,000 files recovered from the hard drives in bin Ladens Abbotabad hideout, including the terror leaders porn collection. The files were contained not on a single hard drive, but on five computers, more than 100 USB drives, DVDs and CDs, as well as mobile phones. Exploring these hard drives, its clear that digital information can say a lot. Osama bin Ladens files left behind an imprint of a complex man, responsible for the murder of thousands of people, Bergen said of the documentary, as quoted by The New York Post. History will remember him for that but, in order to cut through the perception of this ascetic in a cave on a holy crusade, its important for us to see how he crafted the videos that went out to his followers. Understanding him is vital in order to combat other potential bin Ladens in the future. The U.S. government has made many of the files public, but has refused to release the pornography that was found on bin Ladens various digital media. Though Bergen theorizes that Bin Laden had an ulterior motive for amassing his large porn stash, according to the Daily Beast report, top forensic psychologist Reid Moloy also says that bin Laden may have simply used the porn the same way anybody else would because despite his reputation as a devoutly religious Muslim, biology trumps ideology. Photo By Hamid Mir / Wikimedia Commons Australian citizen and television anchor Cheng Lei, who worked for China's state television CGTN and has been detained by authorities in China, is seen in this still image taken from an undated footage produced by Australia Global Alumni _ Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. / Reuters Beijing claimed Wednesday that Australia's intelligence agency questioned foreign correspondents working for Chinese state-run media, seizing computers and mobile phones in raids apparently linked to a billowing spy scandal. The accusation, the latest scrap in a diplomatic falling-out that spans security, trade and media freedoms, follows an investigation by Beijing into Australian journalists based in China. The last two foreign correspondents working for Australian media in China, Bill Birtles and Micheal Smith, fled on Monday fearing arrest, while another Cheng Lei, who worked as an anchor for Chinese state TV is being detained under "national security" laws. On Wednesday a spokesman for China's foreign ministry added a new layer to the intrigue, saying Australia-based journalists from Xinhua, China News Service and the China Media group were the target of raids by local intelligence agents in late June. Four journalists were "interrogated... on the grounds of a possible breach of Australia's anti-foreign interference laws", Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing. They were questioned and had their phones, computers and even their children's tablets confiscated. "Journalists of the Chinese media in Australia have strictly observed local laws and regulations," he said. Australia's actions "seriously interferes with the normal reporting duties of the Chinese media... and causes serious damage to the physical and mental health of the journalists and their families." The four are thought to be back in China, he added. Bad relations The accusations are the latest saga to unspool between China and Australia. Beijing is furious at Canberra for taking a leading role in calls for a probe into the orgins of the coronavirus, and has hit back with a battery of tariffs on Australian imports from beef to barley. China is Australia's biggest export market, but that has not deterred Canberra's outspoken approach to sensitive issues ranging from human rights in the northwestern region of Xinjiang to questions over China's role in Australia's 5G network. The Australian intelligence activity against the four Chinese journalists is alleged to have taken place on June 26. ASIO, Australia's main intelligence agency, refused to confirm or deny the raids, while the Australian Federal Police said it had "no comment to make" on the matter. But court documents show Australian intelligence and police officers raided the home and office of New South Wales state legislator Shaoquett Moselmane on the same day in June, as part of a months-long investigation into covert Chinese influence campaigns in Australia. The documents also show the raids were related to the activities of a Moselmane aide, John Zhang, who is accused of collaborating with China's main spy agency. It is believed that Zhang and Moselmane had a WeChat group with the journalists for state-run news organisations who were targeted by the alleged ASIO raids, as well as Chinese state-linked academics. The group "concealed from or failed to disclose to Mr Moselmane that they were acting on behalf of or in collaboration with Chinese State and Party apparatus," documents lodged with Australia's High Court allege. One of the academics in the chat group, Chen Hong a professor at the East China Normal University and a prominent media commentator told AFP on Wednesday that he had learned that his own Australian visa had also been revoked. "The email actually cited that the visa was cancelled because ASIO made an assessment that I directly or indirectly have a risk to Australia's security, which I absolutely refuse to accept, of course," Chen said. Both Zhang and Moselmane maintained the chat group was social in nature and have maintained their innocence. There is no indication the Chinese journalists have been charged. The timing of the allegations against Australian intelligence by Beijing coincided with a furore over the treatment of the two Australian correspondents in China, Birtles and Smith. After midnight visits to their homes by Chinese police last week, the pair sought refuge in diplomatic compounds in Beijing and Shanghai. They were allowed to leave the country only after days of diplomatic wrangling and an agreement that they would undergo questioning before departure. Both men were quizzed about fellow Australian Cheng Lei, who has been detained in China since last month. Their case has been seen another blow to press freedom in China and emblematic of rapidly deteriorating relations between Beijing and Canberra. Several reporters for US media have had their visas revoked and been forced to leave the country in what critics have interpreted as targeting of Western media outlets by the Communist Party. (AFP) A viral photo showcasing one of the University of Georgia's efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus on-campus reveals the fears and frustrations of those who are actually facing the reality of this unprecedented semester. After three seasons of the ABC's excellent political podcast Russia, If You're Listening, host Matt Bevan is back with new episodes focused purely on the last four years of Trump. Now renamed America, If You're Listening, the show will dive deep into a different defining moment in the US president's first term each episode, beginning with Hurricane Maria which tore through Puerto Rico in 2017. The official death count for this tragedy is 64, a number Trump repeated often, despite an estimated 3000 lives lost. Matt Bevan is the host America if you're listening. Credit:Will Ockenden This discrepancy of numbers is not the most shocking part of Bevan's retelling. The US had been hit by two major hurricanes in the lead up to Maria, both smashing mainland states that voted Trump, and the president was praised for his response in the aftermath. This context, easily forgotten in the constant circus that is the Trump presidency, paints a picture of two very different Americas. The America that supports Trump is supported by the president, while the rest of the country is forgotten. "With Hurricane Maria [he said] 'It was fine. Our response was fantastic and any problems [are] the responsibility of local authorities who are all Democrats. It's their fault. It's got nothing to do with me," Bevan says. Ex-Deputy Chair of Moscow Commercial Court challenges her dismissal pixabay.com 15:03 09/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 9 (RAPSI) Former Deputy Chairperson of the Moscow Commercial Court Olga Aleksandrova has challenged a decision of the of the Higher Judges' Qualifications Board terminating her powers, the court press service informs RAPSI on Wednesday. The case is to be heard on October 1, according to the statement. In July 2020, the Board found that certain Aleksandrovas actions had harmed the reputation of a judge and diminished the authority of the judiciary after hearing her subordinate evidence that than Deputy Chair of the Moscow Commercial Court attempted to force her to pass a certain ruling in a dispute. Aleksandrova denies any such wrongdoing, the statement reads. VERY NICE. A sequel to Sacha Baron Cohens infamous and iconic 2006 comedy 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan' has been shot and screened for a select few industry types, according to Collider. Collider's sources say Borat 2 finds Cohens titular character thinking hes a big movie star after the success of the original 2006 film made him famous, so hes trying to hide from the public by pretending to be someone else, and starts meeting and interviewing people incognito. Cohen has been back in the public eye recenly, pulling off a few public pranks leading fans to speculate he was working on something new. The English comedian crashed a political rally in Washington at the end of June, convincing the crowd to sing a racist song with him. Cohen was dressed in overalls and donning a fake beard, with lyrical content including chat about injecting kids with the Wuhan flu. If that's any indicator of what kind of gags to expect from Borat 2, we're pretty keen. According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than half of U.S. adults aged 16 to 74 years old (54% or 130 million people) lack proficiency in literacy, reading below the equivalent of a sixth grade level. Literacy is linked to better health, higher levels of civic engagement and higher earnings in the labor market. This new research by Gallup, on behalf of the Barbara Bush Foundation, quantifies the massive gains in GDP growth within the U.S. at the state, county and metropolitan levels that could result from improving adult literacy rates. "America's low literacy crisis is largely ignored, historically underfunded and woefully under-researched, despite being one of the great solvable problems of our time," said British A. Robinson, president and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation. "We're proud to contribute to the collective knowledge base with this first-of-its-kind study, documenting literacy's relationship to equity and economic mobility in the U.S." Low literacy prevents millions of adults from fully engaging in society as parents, workers and citizens, lying at the core of multigenerational cycles of poverty, poor health and low educational attainment. Nationwide, low-literate adults struggle to earn a living wage, participate in the democratic process, and manage their family's health and finances simply because they lack the ability to read, write and comprehend. The Barbara Bush Foundation partnered with Dr. Jonathan Rothwell, Gallup's principal economist, to conduct this groundbreaking study. Rothwell also serves as a visiting scholar at the George Washington Institute of Public Policy and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, as well as a New York Times contributor and the author of "A Republic of Equals: A Manifesto for a Just Society." "The U.S. confronts a long-standing challenge of high-income inequality, with strikingly large gaps in wealth and income between people of different races," said Rothwell. "On top of these long-term challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened the economy and overlapped with a robust movement addressing racial injustice. Eradicating illiteracy would not solve every problem, but it would help make substantial progress in reducing inequality in the long-term and give a much-needed boost to local and regional economies throughout the country." Key findings from the study include: Improving adult literacy would have enormous economic benefits. Bringing all adults to the equivalent of a sixth grade reading level would generate an additional $2.2 trillion or 10% of GDP in annual income for the country. Bringing all adults to the equivalent of a sixth grade reading level would generate an additional or 10% of GDP in annual income for the country. Income is strongly related to literacy. The average annual income of adults who read at the equivalent of a sixth grade level is $63,000 . This is significantly higher than adults who read at a third to fifth grade level, who earn $48,000 , and much higher than those at the lowest levels of literacy, who earn just $34,000 on average. The average annual income of adults who read at the equivalent of a sixth grade level is . This is significantly higher than adults who read at a third to fifth grade level, who earn , and much higher than those at the lowest levels of literacy, who earn just on average. Economic gains would be high in large metropolitan areas. The nation's largest metropolitan areas including New York City , Los Angeles , Chicago and Dallas would all stand to gain at or just above 10% of their GDP by bringing all adults to a sixth grade reading level. "Eradicating illiteracy would be enormously valuable under any circumstances," Rothwell said. "Given the current economic and health challenges, there is even more at stake in ensuring that everyone can fully participate in society." "This research clearly shows that investing in adult literacy is absolutely critical to strengthening our nation's economy," said Robinson. Governor Jeb Bush will join Rothwell and Robinson for an in-depth virtual discussion of the study's implications on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 11:00 a.m. ET. This webinar is open to the public. Registration information can be found at www.BarbaraBush.org/webinars. The full report "Assessing the Economic Gains from Eradicating Illiteracy Nationally and Regionally within the United States," is available on the Barbara Bush Foundation's website at www.BarbaraBush.org. About the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy: The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy has been the nation's leading advocate for family literacy for more than three decades. Established by former First Lady Barbara Bush in 1989, the Foundation is a public charity that envisions an America in which everyone can read, write, and comprehend in order to navigate the world with dignity. To learn more, visit www.BarbaraBush.org. About Gallup: Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world. SOURCE Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy Related Links barbarabush.org Area 120, Googles internal startup incubator, wants to give YouTubers and other influencers a platform to host paid online events. Fundo, its new app, allows those individuals to set up internet meet and greets and workshops with their fans. It gives hosts full control over how much it costs to attend an event, allowing them to offer free tickets if they so choose. The software takes care of most of the logistics including ticketing and livestreaming so those influencers dont have to use multiple apps just to get their fans on the same video call. One of its main safety features is that only those who have bought a ticket to a get together can attend. Fundo workshop As a regular user, you also wont need to download any other apps outside of Fundo to take part in an experience. You can find Fundo events either through links people share or the apps homepage. Besides YouTubers, Area 120 says it has also seen authors, fitness instructors and lifestyle consultants take advantage of the app. While Fundo might seem like a response to the coronavirus pandemic, Area 120s work on the software actually predates the current situation by a couple of years. Part of the inspiration for the project came from Fundos creators attending VidCon in 2018 and seeing YouTubers and other content creators interact with their fans. Fundo is currently available in the US and Canada, with availability in more countries coming soon. The White Helmets have offered their help to extinguish the raging fires in regime-held areas, Alsouria reports Fires persist in the Masyaf Mountains in the Hama governorate for the fourth consecutive day, amid difficulties containing them. The fires have spread to populated towns in the western countryside of Hama, too. SANA reported on Tuesday that rescue teams managed to extinguish some fires in the vicinity of the town of Ain Halakim, south of Masyaf in the Hama countryside, noting that there are hotbeds of fire that may come back to life. The official Al Ikhbariya channel reported that the fire reached the town of Hazzour, near Ain Halakim, indicating that it approached civilian homes, after it devoured mountain forests. Pro-regime websites indicated that most of the fire suppression operations are carried out manually by firefighting teams, due to the difficulty of bringing tanks to the area, knowing it is a rugged mountainous patch. The fires started a few days ago in the forests of the eastern Lattakia governorate and lasted for three days. They ended up being controlled after they had spread across 20 locations in the governorate. The fires reached the Hama governorate and the outskirts of Homs, where containing them was challenging, which resulted in displacing the population and great damage to agricultural lands and forestry. The fires in Syria gave birth to the #SyriaisBurning hashtag which garnered a wave of solidarity through social media. The hashtag trended in Arab countries. Social media influencers expressed their solidarity with the Syrian people amid this natural disaster. The Syrian White Helmets, which operates in northern Syria, announced its readiness to provide assistance in extinguishing the raging fires in Lattakia and Hama, which are controlled by the Assad regime. They issued a statement today in which they said that the White Helmets, with its expertise and equipment, confirms its readiness to provide assistance in fighting fires and rehabilitating damages. This, however, is contingent upon a guarantee to ensure the safety of volunteers and allowing them to enter the area to reduce the damage, stop the spread of fires, and save civilians. The damage resulting from these fires is not limited to a specific area and may extend to wider regions and threaten civilian gatherings, noting that the damage caused by the fires needs many years to be reversed, according to the statement. 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. The Supreme Court on Wednesday put interim stay on reservation for Maratha community in government jobs and educational institutions for undergraduate courses in Maharashtra. A three-judge bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao stayed the Maharashtra State reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act (SEBC Act) while referring the case to a larger bench to consider larger question of whether reservations in public service and educational institutions can exceed the 50 percent cap laid down by the Supreme Court in its 1992 judgment of Indra Sawhney v. Union of India. The SEBC Act originally provided 16 percent reservation for Maratha community in educational institutions and government jobs. The law was challenged before Bombay high court which in June 2019 upheld its validity but reduced the quota to 12 percent in educational institutions and 13 percent in jobs. Appeals were filed before Supreme Court stating that the reservation would lead to breach of the 50 percent cap prescribed by Indra Sawhney. Maharashtra government had on August 26 asked the court to place the matter before a larger bench considering the fact that it involves determination of substantial legal questions. The nephew of a man who died from coronavirus at a Sussex County nursing home where authorities found 17 bodies in a make-shift morgue filed a class-action lawsuit against the facility Tuesday, contending the owners did not take the proper precautions to prevent residents from contracting COVID-19. Brian Roberts, of New Jersey, filed the complaint in Superior Court of Sussex County against Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center I and II after his uncle, Albert Roberts, died from the virus on April 1. Despite the very serious risk of an outbreak at the Facilities, and the dire consequences that would result if one were to occur, Defendants failed to take reasonable or adequate precautions to protect their residents and/or patients against the potential spread of COVID-19, the filing reads. Roberts accuses the facility of violating state and federal nursing home laws and the consumer fraud act. He contends the nursing home made false promises, misrepresentations and deceptive statements by advertising itself as a high-quality, regulatory-compliant facility on its website even though Andover II had a one-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency that gives assessment ratings for long-term care facilities. Since 2015, CMS has cited Andover I for 24 regulatory violations and Andover II with 48 regulatory violations, according to the suit. Both facilities had continuously failed to meet safety and sanitary standards to prevent the spread of communicable disease among its community, the suit says. Roberts and the Decedent would not have chosen the Facilities for Decedents nursing home/rehabilitation services, or would not have paid what they did had they known Defendants' representations regarding the quality and safety of the Facilities were false and deceptive, the complaint reads. In a statement to NJ Advance Media, Owner Chaim Mutty Scheinbaum said the facility took steps to prepare for the coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic, including increasing social distancing and separating sick patients. Scheinbaum is named in the suit, along with co-owner Louis Schwartz. We monitored and complied with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Despite all our efforts, the virus made its way into our facility, as it did in the majority of long-term care facilities across New Jersey. We took every possible step to handle this crisis internally while simultaneously making dozens of outreaches to local, state, and federal agencies for help, Scheinbaum said in the statement. He said Andover Subacute II has not had a coronavirus symptomatic resident since May 12. This is the second lawsuit against the facility, where at least 57 residents died from the virus. The son of another resident, Joseph Maglioli, also filed a class-action lawsuit in May alleging widespread malpractice and negligence. In response, the home and its owners said Maglioli and other residents were already very ill and would not have benefited from medical aid or treatment. Plaintiffs' conditions were the direct and proximate result of the natural degenerative changes of the human body, and have and would have occurred despite any and all intervention, prescription and treatment, or lack thereof, by these defendants, the nursing home said. Federal regulators hit the facilities with $220,000 in fines and cited them for lapses in patient care amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Tom Hanks doesn't have to undergo hotel quarantine after flying into Queensland from the US, despite Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's 'double-standard' border closures tearing families apart and leaving small towns without supplies. Ms Palaszczuk copped fierce criticism for letting 400 AFL officials descend on the state ahead of the Grand Final, while repeatedly knocking back everyday Australians with health or family reasons. The embattled premier took on a line-up of opposition MPs who grilled her in parliament on Wednesday about the consistency of her border rules designed to contain COVID-19 in southern states. Liberal National Party MP Laura Gerber on Wednesday asked if the American movie star was in mandatory quarantine after flying into Gold Coast on Tuesday night. Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19 and underwent 14 days of self-isolation on the Gold Coast in March, during the filming of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic. The Hollywood couple's diagnosis came after the couple met with several celebrities on the east coast, before Richard Wilkins also tested positive. Tom Hanks arrived at at Coolangatta airport on Tuesday night. The 64-year-old won't be subjected to mandatory hotel quarantine Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed Tom Hanks was exempt from quarantine under the film industry's COVID-safe plan Tom Hanks was pictured with wife Rita Wilson in Bondi in March days before the couple tested positive for coronavirus Rather than spending two weeks in a small room at one of the hotels participating in the quarantine scheme, Hanks and the film crew are allowed to isolate in a luxury resort at Broadbeach, 7News reports. The production company has rented out several floors of the resort to operate its own quarantine operations, meaning Hanks is free to roam throughout the designated areas. Hotels that regular Australians and returned travellers have been forced to isolate in have come under fire for poor quality food, small rooms and a lack of fresh air. Ms Palaszczuk confirmed Hanks was exempt from quarantine under the film industry's COVID-safe plan. 'Under that plan they have to stay in the place for two weeks just like everybody else and they will have random checks, as my understanding, by the police,' she told parliament. 'I've had discussion with Mayor Tom Tate to find out how we can have more production on the Gold Coast because other countries are shut down because of COVID.' Currumbin LNP MP Laura Gerber, who was one of the MPs questioning the premier over her border closures, was ordered to leave the floor for an hour after several interjections. Ms Palaszczuk says the film will bring more than $100million and 900 jobs into the Gold Coast economy. She defended the border policy as recommended by Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young, saying if it wasn't in place Queensland could be in a situation like Victoria. 'I don't know what the future holds, I don't know if all this could be at risk if at the end of October, if the LNP is in office and the borders are open,' she said. Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson (pictured) tested positive for COVID-19 and underwent 14 days of self-isolation on the Gold Coast in March, during the filming of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic The Hollywood couple's diagnosis came after the couple met with several celebrities on the east coast, before Richard Wilkins also tested positive Ms Palaszczuk says the film Hanks is here to shoot will bring more than $100million and 900 jobs into the Gold Coast economy. Pictured with wife Rita Wilson The premier's special treatment of Hanks is likely to stir up even more criticism, after a Queensland grandmother was forced to recover from brain surgery in a quarantine hotel. Jayne Brown, 60, spent two weeks confined to a tiny hotel room in Brisbane following her recent return from Sydney, where renowned neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo removed two large tumours on her brain. Poll Should Tom Hanks have to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine? Yes No Undecided Should Tom Hanks have to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine? Yes 1286 votes No 156 votes Undecided 37 votes Now share your opinion The grandmother-of-seven requested an exemption from hotel quarantine to self-isolate at home on the Sunshine Coast, but was rejected twice. She blasted the Queensland premier, who allowed 400 AFL players and officials from coronavirus-riddled Victoria to enter the state last Tuesday night. 'I don't understand it, mind-blowing,' Ms Brown told Nine News last week. Not even a letter from Dr Teo himself could convince Queensland officials to change their mind and allow Ms Brown and her husband to isolate at their home. Instead, she struggled through hotel confinement in agony unable to walk and limited access to pain relief. Meanwhile, a young mother with a newborn baby has been left in limbo over when she will next be reunited with her mine worker husband due to Queensland's strict border restrictions. Laura Goff, 29, and Chris Bennett, 27, welcomed their daughter Adalyn at the end of July in Wangi Wangi, Lake Macquarie, NSW. But six weeks later, Mr Bennett, a fitter in mines at Moranbah in North Queensland, was forced to leave his loved ones behind to return to his week-on-week-off work schedule in North Queensland. Ms Palaszczuk was slammed last week for saying Queensland's hospitals were 'for our people only' Lake Macquarie couple Laura Goff, 29, and Chris Bennett, 27, welcomed their daughter Adalyn (pictured together) to the world in July Queensland's mandatory $2,800 two-week hotel quarantine for anyone entering the state from NSW will make it impossible for the young father to return to see his family during his days off. Ms Goff doesn't even know when she will see her husband again, and is grappling with raising and watching seven-week-old daughter Adalyn meet milestones on her own. 'I try not to get too caught up in the fact that he works away because that's entirely our choice, but it is hard knowing that I don't know when he is going to come back,' she told the Newcastle Herald. 'He usually comes back and we get a full week of family stuff, but we just don't get that at the moment.' Ms Palaszczuk was slammed last week for saying Queensland's hospitals were 'for our people only'. A heavily pregnant mother was forced to wait 16 hours for emergency surgery in Sydney after being turned away at the Queensland border, before losing one of her unborn twin babies. Ms Palaszczuk initially did not grant the seriously ill mum-to-be's exemption despite her needing emergency surgery for the unborn twins. Speaking on Today on Wednesday, Ms Berejiklian (pictured) said there was no health basis to keeping the Queensland border shut 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. Mr Watt said the family were very upset about his daughter being denied an exemption. Queensland Chief Officer Dr Jeannette Young said 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. The premier's no-nonsense stance on border closures have also left a small drought-stricken town without any supplies. A heavily pregnant mother was forced to wait 16 hours for emergency surgery in Sydney after being turned away at the Queensland border, before losing one of her unborn twin babies Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been criticised for easing her strict border controls to welcome the officials and their loved ones from coronavirus-riddled Victoria Jayne Brown (pictured) was denided an exemption to self-isolate at her Sunshine Coast home A fire tore through Mungindi, on both sides of the Queensland and New South Wales border, last week - wiping out its only supermarket and butcher. But due to border closures, locals have been forced to leave their border bubble to get essentials, or travel 160km to the nearest supermarket. Moree Plains Shire Mayor Katrina Humphries said Mungindi's 600 locals would be forced to leave their border bubble to travel to Mooree to buy supplies. 'Although we are in the shire we aren't all in the bubble, only selected postcodes have been included in it,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's completely split our shire. I've spoken to elderly people who are so frightened that they can't get into Moree to go to the shops because then they'll break the travel bubble.' New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday admitted she 'does begrudge' Ms Palaszczuk of her decision to keep the southern border shut. Australian state border restrictions Victoria: Completely open, but other states are banning residents from going there NSW: Border with Victoria is closed but others are open without restriction Queensland: Open to everywhere but Victoria, NSW, and the ACT Northern Territory: Open to everywhere but Victoria and Sydney, which must do hotel quarantine South Australia: Closed to Victoria, NSW arrivals must self-isolate, rest are open Tasmania: Closed to Victoria, everywhere else must do hotel quarantine Western Australia: Closed to everywhere without an exemption Advertisement Speaking on Today on Wednesday, Ms Berejiklian said there was no health basis to keeping the border restrictions. 'I do begrudge her because the situation has got very low community transmission,' Ms Berejikilian said. 'And NSW has shown that you can have open borders.' Tensions between the two leaders have been simmering for months over Queensland's decision to keep the southern border closed. Ms Berejiklian said a number of Queensland residents were in New South Wales hotels under quarantine with COVID-19. She claimed if NSW had high numbers like Victoria then closing the border was a sensible measure, however, states with a confident health system and low numbers should not be isolated. 'When the case numbers are so low at this stage and yes, it's a daily battle, why would you close your borders? Why would you hurt your businesses and jobs in your own state?' The eight new cases in Queensland brings the number of active cases in the state to 29. Since the pandemic began there have been 1143 confirmed cases in the state, six of therm deadly. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg also criticised Ms Palaszczuk's major coup in securing the AFL grand final, accusing her of favouring sporting stars over desperate families needing to cross the border for medical reasons. The Queensland Premier proudly announced that she'd secured the landmark match on Tuesday alongside AFL CEO Gil McLachlan, who was granted an exemption to fly in to the Sunshine State for the announcement. The Gabba in Brisbane was awarded AFL's showpiece event over Perth's Optus Stadium and the Adelaide Oval last week. But Mr Frydenberg, along with hordes of others, have argued the celebrations were insensitive to families who had been barred from entering Queensland. 'I think the Queensland Premier has got some questions to answer here,' he told A Current Affair. 'How can it be okay for people to go up to prepare for a footy game, and its not okay to go to hospital for treatment?' NORRISTOWN Montgomery County residents and visitors will come together Thursday during the Lights of Hope Event at the Elmwood Park Zoo. The fourth annual event, hosted by the Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, will begin at 6 p.m. in an outdoor setting at the zoo, located at 1661 Harding Blvd. in Norristown. This annual event is held to celebrate those in recovery and to remember those who have lost their lives to the disease of addiction, said Montgomery County Commissioners Chairwoman Valerie Arkoosh. As September marks recovery month, attendees will have the opportunity to decorate a luminaria bag, listen to music, partake in refreshments, and hear from Keynote Speaker Tony Luke, Jr., according to the events webpage. The evening will culminate in a luminara ceremony. The countys Department of Human Services Office of Drug and Alcohol will also participate in Thursdays event, according to Arkoosh. As the outdoor event is taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic era, Arkoosh emphasized participants would need to comply with several health and safety protocols including social distancing and wearing a mask. She added the events capacity is limited to 250 people. Masks, gloves and hand sanitizer will be available for those interested, she said. Event organizers in attendance enforce 6-foot social distancing guidelines, Arkoosh said last week. For more information, call 484-383-0802 or visit the events webpage to register. The Linq Hotel in Las Vegas will soon reopen for weekend stays, reports the Reno Gazette Journal, which is a part of the USA TODAY Network. The Caesars Entertainment property and home of the towering High Roller observation wheel will resume weekend hotel operations at 10 a.m. Thursday. The hotel will be open Thursday-Sunday, according to the company. In addition to hotel rooms, several other amenities will return, including the spa, salon, fitness center and OSheas Casino. The opening of the Linq Hotel follows the return of Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrahs, Paris and Ballys. Tourists and travelers are beginning to return to Las Vegas, but mostly by highway and well below pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, according to airport and convention authority reports released last month. McCarran International Airport said it handled 1.6 million arriving or departing passengers in July, down nearly two-thirds from the same month a year ago but up 56% from a million people in June. The Linq Hotel, home of the High Roller Observation Wheel, is reopening Thursday. Heres what visitors can expect to find when the Linq Hotel returns this week: Spa Open Thursday-Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fitness Center Open Thursday-Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Restaurants Nook Express: Open Friday-Sunday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Book Fan Cave and Lounge Area: Open Thursday, Friday and Monday, 3-11 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. The lounge will serve food from Guy Fieris Vegas Kitchen & Bar). Gaming OSheas Casino: Open Friday-Sunday, 12 p.m. to midnight. The casino bar remains closed. The Book: Open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Retail LINQ Essentials: Open Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight; Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pandemic protocols Hotel staffers will follow COVID-19 health and safety practices, including frequent cleaning and sanitation, according to Caesars. Employees members and guests are required to wear masks, which will be available at the hotel. Ed Komenda writes about Las Vegas for the Reno Gazette Journal and USA Today Network. Story continues Contributing: The Associated Press Hmm: Las Vegas visits still down; tourists opt for road trips more than air travel 'I've lost who I am': 'I've lost who I am': To out-of-work Las Vegas comedians, COVID-19 is no joke This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Las Vegas Linq Hotel to reopen for weekend stays Disruptions to health services due to the pandemic are putting millions of additional lives at risk worldwide, the United Nations said Wednesday, warning that Covid-19 could reverse decades of progress in reducing child mortality. The past 30 years have seen remarkable strides forward in preventing or treating causes of infant deaths including premature births and pneumonia. New mortality estimates published by the UN's children's fund UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank Group found that 2019 saw the lowest number of global under-five deaths on record. Last year around 5.2 million children died due to preventable illness, compared with 12.5 million in 1990. But it warned that the pandemic risked undoing all this by cutting routine child and maternal health services. A UNICEF survey across 77 countries found 68 percent reported at least some disruption in child health checks and immunisations. Neonatal nurse Layla Bridges cares for a premature baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre at Burnley General Hospital in Burnley, north-west England on May 15, 2020, as national health service (NHS) staff in Britain fight the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: AFP Henrietta Fore, UNICEF executive director, said that children and mothers particularly in low- and middle-income countries were being denied access to healthcare as Covid-19 cases clog national infrastructure. "The global community has come too far towards eliminating preventable child deaths to allow the pandemic to stop us in our tracks," she said. "Without urgent investments to re-start disrupted health systems and services, millions of children under five, especially newborns, could die." Neo-natal care in developing nations is relatively inexpensive and can profoundly affect child survival rates. For example, women who receive care by professional midwives are 16 percent less likely to lose their baby and 24 percent less likely to experience pre-term birth, according to the WHO. Modelling conducted earlier this year by Johns Hopkins University found that almost 6,000 additional children could die every single day if Covid-19 healthcare disruptions continue in the medium term. A woman with her baby walks past a street art poster created by the French artist Combo for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Paris, August 29, 2020. Photo: AFP 'Vast inequality' The survey found that seven countries had child mortality rates of more than 50 deaths in 1000 live births last year. In Afghanistan, where 1 in 17 children die before their fifth birthday, the ministry of health reported a "significant reduction" in visits to health facilities, UNICEF said. Much of the disruption may be down to fear of contracting Covid-19. But there are profound risks for mothers and babies avoiding healthcare facilities that have nothing to do with the coronavirus. John Wilmoth, director of the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said that the report showed that the world had made significant progress on reducing child mortality over the last 30 years. "It also draws attention to the need to redress the vast inequities in a child's prospects for survival and good health," he said. New Delhi, Sep 9 : A computer science teacher employed with a New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) school succumbed to coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the tally of total deaths in the civic body to nine. The 40-year-old post-graduate teacher at the Navyug School in Lakshmi Bai Nagar battled with the illness for eight days before breathing her last. More than 150 NDMC employees have contracted the virus in the last few months, of which nine have died. "NDMC has recorded 16 coronavirus cases since last Friday, out of which five people tested positive on Wednesday," said a senior official on condition of anonymity. The official said that crowd has increased in the NDMC building and even those on Covid-19 duty are visiting the headquarters frequently. Five people who tested positive include a peon in the architecture department, a senior assistant in the secretary's establishment branch and three regular muster roll workers. On September 5, NDMC's Covid-19 cell Director had tested positive for the virus. A member of the NDMC Karamchari Sangh had earlier said, "Since July, 100 per cent employees are being called to work, hence no social distancing is being followed, masks are not being worn and fines are not imposed." He had said that earlier the building used to be sanitised three times a day, but the procedure is not being followed now. Meanwhile, Delhi is reporting a sudden spurt in coronavirus cases. The national capital reported 4,039 fresh infections on Wednesday, its highest single-day spike till now. American military presence in Iraq will be reduced from 5,200 to 3,000 troops this month, US Central Command announces. The United States military on Wednesday announced it will reduce its presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 troops this month, formalising a move that had been long expected. We are continuing to expand on our partner capacity programmes that enable Iraqi forces and allow us to reduce our footprint in Iraq, Marine General Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, said during a visit to Iraq. The US and Iraq in June affirmed their commitment to the reduction of American troops in the country in coming months, with no plans by Washington to maintain permanent bases or a permanent military presence. The US has about 5,200 troops that were deployed in Iraq to fight the armed group ISIL (ISIS). Officials in the US-led coalition said Iraqi forces are now mostly able to handle the ISIL remnants on their own. Late Tuesday, a senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters on board Air Force One that such an announcement was coming and an announcement on the withdrawal of additional troops from Afghanistan also could be expected in the coming days. 160708122829653 Continued commitment The US invaded Iraq in 2003 and left in 2011, but returned in 2014 after ISIL overran large parts of the country. In recognition of the great progress the Iraqi forces have made and in consultation and coordination with the government of Iraq and our coalition partners, the United States has decided to reduce our troop presence in Iraq from about 5,200 to 3,000 troops during the month of September, McKenzie said, according to an excerpt of his remarks provided by his office. The remaining US forces will continue advising and assisting Iraqi security forces as they attempt to root out ISIL fighters, McKenzie said. The US decision is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to the ultimate goal, which is an Iraqi security force that is capable of preventing an ISIS resurgence and of securing Iraqs sovereignty without external assistance, McKenzie said. The journey has been difficult, the sacrifice has been great, but the progress has been significant. Endless wars In 2016, Trump campaigned on ending the USs endless wars but US troops remain in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, albeit in smaller numbers. We kept America out of new wars and were bringing our troops back home, were bringing them back home from all these faraway places, Trump said in a campaign speech on Tuesday. Weve spent hundreds of billions of dollars, and what do we get out of it? Last month, during a meeting with the Iraqi prime minister, Trump redoubled his promise to withdraw the US troops still in Iraq. Iraqs parliament voted earlier this year for the departure of foreign troops from Iraq, and US and other coalition troops have been leaving as part of a withdrawal. Trumps meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi came amid a new spike in tensions between Washington and Tehran after Washington said it would seek to reinstate all previously suspended US sanctions on neighbouring Iran at the United Nations. Iraq and Iran have close political, economic, and military ties. Fears of open conflict between the US and Iran grew in January after an American drone strike near Baghdads airport killed top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Angry Iraqi legislators, spurred on by Shia political factions, passed a non-binding resolution to remove all US-led coalition forces from the country. In response to the Soleimani killing, Iran, on January 8, launched a ballistic missile attack on al-Asad airbase in Iraq, which resulted in traumatic brain injuries to more than 100 American troops. US President Donald Trump speaks to the troops during a surprise Thanksgiving day visit at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan [Olivier Douliery/AFP] Afghanistan next? Trump has also pushed hard to pull back US forces from Afghanistan, where they rose to more than 12,000 under his watch to pressure the Taliban and ISIL. The number fell to about 8,600 in July following the February peace accord with the Taliban and McKenzie has said they could all be gone by May 2021 if the Taliban and the Afghan government reach their own agreement. But Trumps pressure on the Pentagon to more quickly disengage in the Middle East and Afghanistan has strained relations between the White House and US defence chiefs. Former defence secretary James Mattis quit in December 2018 after Trump declared all US troops would leave Syria. Under Mattis successor Mark Esper, the Pentagon has remained wary of hasty withdrawals, cautious that the Taliban would overwhelm Afghan government forces if the US pulls out too quickly. It has also taken account of Irans influence in Iraq and the Middle East, which could grow if American forces vacate the region. President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, again told his Ministers to channel their requests to meet him through his Chief of Staff (CoS), Ib... President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, again told his Ministers to channel their requests to meet him through his Chief of Staff (CoS), Ibrahim Gambari. Buhari stated this while speaking at the first-year ministerial performance review retreat of his administration, in Abuja on Tuesday. He said matters related to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) should be handled by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Let me also reiterate that all submissions for my attention or meeting requests should be channelled through the Chief of Staff. While all federal Executive council matters should be coordinated through the secretary to the government of the federation, Buhari said. This is the second time the president would give such a directive to ministers. The first time was in 2019, when Buhari asked them to submit such requests through his former CoS, Abba Kyari. SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- One of America's fastest-growing software development consulting companies, TopDevz, announced the successful release of a new mobile and progressive web app designed to facilitate virtual networking by video conferencing at business events. The algorithm-powered businesspeople matching application is readily available for iOS and Android on their respective app stores. The Client From when it created its first local business mixer over a decade ago, this Florida-based event planning agency has rapidly grown to a full-service events and conferences management company. With numerous events planned and produced nationwide each year and gathering hundreds of businesspeople, the event organizer has become a major player in its industry and received several innovation awards. The Challenge With the spread of Covid-19 across the United States and the following lockdown orders, many events and conferences were postponed or even canceled altogether. As a result, the events industry suffered tremendous losses and companies were forced to reinvent their activity in order to stay in business. As they were looking for new ways to gather business people together while respecting social distancing, the award-winning event organizer turned to TopDevz to help create an innovative solution to facilitate virtual networking. TopDevz' Solution TopDevz created a multi-platform solution to process event registrations and collect attendees' interests to later pair them with relevant contacts. It also integrated a video conferencing system that allows events participants to meet virtually. Project managers can create events on the backend and include a series of questions to gather information used by the platform's algorithm for people matching. Once matched, the attendees receive a push notification instructing them on how to connect with their group in a virtual meeting room. It also gives them information on the people in their group and possible icebreakers. The Outcome Not only did the application built by TopDevz' team of senior software engineers successfully fulfilled its primary objective of gathering business people virtually and increasing participants' engagement, it also created new marketing and revenue opportunities for the event organizer through user data collection and in-app advertising. About TopDevz TopDevz is a team of elite software developers, designers, project managers and quality assurance testers who live and work in the United States and Canada on some of the Nation's most sophisticated software development initiatives. Media Contact: Stephanie Rossignol [email protected] 888-TOP-DEVZ SOURCE TopDevz Related Links http://www.topdevz.com Rep. Park Sung-joong, speaking, and lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party, who are members of the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, hold a press conference at the Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday, to call for the resignation from the committee of ruling Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Yoon Young-chan over his alleged attempts to influence news layouts on a portal site. Yonhap By Jung Da-min The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has come under fire over messages sent by one of its lawmakers that the opposition claims were an attempt to censor news on portal sites. Despite the head of the DPK warning him about the "improper messages," the opposition parties are saying the incident was corroboration that the ruling bloc was attempting to control the media, calling for the lawmaker's resignation. The controversy rose after Telegram messages between Rep. Yoon Young-chan of the DPK and his aide were filmed by a media camera during a National Assembly plenary session, Tuesday. As the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young was delivering a speech, Yoon complained in the messages that the country's internet giant Kakao had put an article on the speech on the main page of its portal site Daum. "Please complain strongly about this to Kakao," Yoon said in the messages. "This is too much. Please tell Kakao to come in." Yoon later said he was telling his aide to ask Kakao why Joo's speech was placed on the main page, while DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon's speech the day before was not. The captured messages immediately caused controversy over interference in the media and portal sites, as many Koreans read news articles on the latter rather than on the formers' websites. Adding to the controversy is that Yoon was previously an executive vice president of another internet portal giant Naver and the former senior press secretary for President Moon Jae-in, and is currently a member of the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, which reviews policies and regulations on the media and the internet and thus has strong influence on portal site operators. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Yoon Young-chan speaks during a meeting of the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, Tuesday. He has been in the hot seat for filing a complaint against portal site operator Kakao over news article layouts that he claimed were unfavorable to his party and the ruling bloc. Yonhap At Tuesday's committee meeting following the incident, Yoon said he regretted that his behavior had become a political issue. But PPP lawmakers on the committee walked out of the meeting room to protest the incident, saying Yoon should resign from his lawmaker position to take responsibility. They said it was problematic that Yoon, who is well aware about the principles of the media and the internet, tried to use his power to help the ruling bloc win public support by controlling its coverage. "The truth about media control has been revealed. We'll take more steps while watching how the incident develops, such as filing a complaint with law enforcement authorities and asking the Assembly's Ethics Committee to discipline him," the PPP lawmakers said in a statement. "The government and the ruling party should thoroughly investigate the case and take full responsibility for it through appropriate measures including Yoon's resignation." PPP Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon said, "Yoon was the senior press secretary in the Moon administration, and this shows there is a high probability that Cheong Wa Dae has frequently tried to controlled portal site operators." Yoon's alleged attempts to "summon" Kakao officials brought strong criticism from the minor opposition parties as well "Rep. Yoon is currently a member of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee which deals with regulations on portals. The Justice Party expresses regret that Yoon's behavior raised suspicions that the ruling party is using its power to control a portal's news layout to influence public opinion," said Justice Party spokeswoman Jo Hye-min. Socar CEO Lee Jae-woong, a former CEO of Daum, also wrote on Facebook: "Lawmakers should not pressure portal site operators to put forward articles that are favorable to their side." As the controversy grew, DPK Chairman Lee issued a strong warning to Yoon about his misconduct that was liable to be "misunderstood," during the party's Supreme Council meeting, Wednesday. Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon speaks during meeting of the party's Supreme Council at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Lee strongly warned DPK member Rep. Yoon Young-chan over his alleged attempt to exercise his influence to control media coverage on portal sites. Yonhap In a rather shocking revelation, United States President Donald Trump was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2021 for brokering a peace deal between Israel and UAE. The news came on Wednesday evening and it was reported that Norwegian politician Christian Tybring-Gjedde put forth the unlikely candidates name. The news comes just two days after Trump tweeted about brokering a historic" peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. What is the historic peace deal between Israel and UAE? On Thursday, the White House announced that a groundbreaking peace agreement in the Middle East between the two hostile nations Israel and UAE will be singed on September 15, hosted by Trump, that will diplomatically normalise relations between the two countries. Announced on Aug. 13, the accord was the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years, and was forged largely through shared fears of Iran. The deal was in fact symbolically signed last month itself when the three countries including the US made a joint statement on Twitter regarding the treaty and the first direct commercial flight between the Jewish nation and Gulf nations took off for the first time. Onboard were leaders from all three countries including Donald Trumps advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Why is the peace deal important? As part of the deal, announced at the White House on Aug. 13 following what officials said were 18 months of talks, the Gulf state agreed to normalise relations with Israel, while Israel agreed to continue with plans to suspend its annexation of the West Bank. As per a report in Reuters, Israels Benjamin Netanyahu and UAEs Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan will be part of the September 15 delegation for the signing of the deal, which has been called historic by both Israel and Trump. Proponents of Trump have surmised that the deal might help solve the conflict in the Middle East and also urge other countries like Saudi Arabia to acknowledge Israel. Is the Israel-UAE peace deal worth a Nobel? Any diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis in the Middle East by governments are commendable. Critics, however, feel that the deal falls short of any grand Middle East peace plan to resolve decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians despite Trumps pledge to do so. The White House hope is that more such deals between Israel and the Gulf states will emerge, prompting the Palestinians to join negotiations. Trump had previously proposed a peace plan in January that heavily favoured the Israelis, but it has not advanced in any significant way. The Palestinian leadership, however, has watered down its criticism of the normalization deal after calling it a stab in the back of Palestinians. Iran, meanwhile, has refused to accept the agreement. Has Donald Trump been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize before? Yes. This is Trumps second nomination for the prestigious which has previously been conferred to persons who have made great contributions to society such as Nelson Mandela who fought Apartheid. The first time Trump was nominated for the award was in 2018 after he appeared for the Singapore Summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after decades of enmity between the two nations. Incidentally, it was the same Christian Tybring-Gjedde who had put forth Trumps name in 2018. While submitting his nomination, Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News in an interview, The committee should look at the facts and judge him (Trump) on the facts not on the way he behaves sometimes," he continued. The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump". Apart from the Israel-UAE deal, Trumps purported role in facilitating contact between North and South Korea and India and Pakistan during the recent dispute regarding Kashmir. Both the deal and the Nobel announcement came just months ahead of the US Presidential elections in November 2020 in which Trump is hoping for a reelection. (With inputs from Reuters) A Belfast hairdresser has said his salon is shutting after a three-month Covid-19 lockdown decimated his business. Bill Harris intends to close his current Hill Street premises, in the city's Cathedral Quarter this weekend. Plans for Bill Harris Hairdressing to cease trading first emerged on social media around noon yesterday, prompting hundreds of messages of support from far and wide. Mr Harris told the Belfast Telegraph that he was disappointed it had come to this. "We are closing," confirmed Mr Harris. "I've been at Hill Street for 10 years but in the city for 47 years. "It is sad - but I don't want to sensationalise it." A lengthy post on Facebook indicates that this Saturday will be the salon's last day of trading, although clients were given assurances that appointments will be honoured over the coming days. "Hey everyone, it comes with great difficulty and sadness to tell you all that after 10 years of trade we will be closing our doors for good after this Saturday, September 12," the message read. "This has been no easy decision but the loss of trade from being closed for three months during lockdown has left us with no other choice as a business. "All appointments this week will be taken as usual." The Facebook post promised that "the team will be contacting those with future appointments to either hand out the numbers of the stylists and colour technicians those of you are booked in with so that you can follow them where they themselves set up". People were also told that the hairdressers affected by the salon's closure will not be hanging up their scissors forever. "We will all still be working but not as this business and most likely in different places," it said. "By all means contact either our Facebook or call and check that we have your number so that appointments can be honoured or rearranged." There was an apology "for all inconvenience this creates for our customers" and an admission that "the news has come to ourselves quite suddenly". The team said it "would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers and staff over the years for making this a great place to work and for the good times along the way". "We would also like to thank business owner Maire Henderson for all of her hard work over the years and for putting up with the headaches managing us," they said. "Keep an eye on our future posts for more details. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you all and I'm sure we'll see you again in the future! Bill and Ben X." Hundreds of people reacted to the news on Facebook and over 125 comments were left within three hours of the post appearing. Karen Ireland said: "Awh Bill the end of an era and a real loss!! Best wishes to you and your family on what comes next xx." Yvonne Smyth revealed that she had heard the news from the other side of the world. "Intergenerational hairstylist [for] the Smyth females," she wrote. "Heard of the sad news via Australia... both in deep shock. Bill, you had faith in the Cathedral Quarter, and we have faith in you. "Know like the phoenix, you'll rise stronger and better from this. Good luck to all the staff, they've learnt from the Master!" John Magill added: "So sorry to hear this Bill. Blessing always. And for all your kindness to my mum. Take care." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of presiding over a "rogue state" as his government introduced legislation that intentionally breaches its EU withdrawal treaty in the messy countdown to a full Brexit divorce. Johnson defended his government's approach after the extraordinary admission that the new bill governing post-Brexit trade in Britain and Northern Ireland actually breaks international law. Asked why the British public at large should respect any laws now, the prime minister told parliament: "We expect everybody in this country to obey the law." In a bad-tempered exchange with Scottish nationalist MP Ian Blackford, Johnson insisted the bill was about "protecting jobs, protecting growth, ensuring the fluidity and safety of our UK internal market. "My job is to uphold the integrity of the UK but also to protect the Northern Ireland peace process and the Good Friday Agreement," he added, calling the new bill a "legal safety net" if the EU makes an "irrational interpretation" of post-Brexit arrangements. New law needed to protect UK The London government maintains its new UK Internal Market Bill is needed to smooth trade between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and help drive the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, once a post-Brexit transition ends this year. But under the terms of the EU Withdrawal Treaty, Britain is meant to liaise with Brussels on any arrangements for Northern Ireland, which will become the UK's only land border with the EU. Blackford argued the new bill was a power-grab by London from the devolved administrations in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. And he gave a withering assessment after Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis had conceded the changes do "break international law in a very specific and limited way". "The prime minister and his friends, a parcel of rogues, are creating a rogue state," he added. Government admits breaking law, just slightly Lewis's admission on Tuesday provoked incredulity across the political spectrum in Britain, Brussels and beyond, just as British and EU negotiators are engaged in fraught talks to agree a new trading relationship by a crunch EU summit in mid-October. The government has struggled to explain why it has only now discovered problems with the EU treaty's provisions for Northern Ireland, nine months after Johnson triumphantly signed the document and said it set Britain on the path to a sovereign new future. The government in Germany, the EU's biggest economy and political heavyweight, said it expected Britain to "fully implement" the Brexit deal. The row stretches well beyond Europe. The United States was a key broker of the 1998 Northern Ireland peace agreement, and Democrats are warning of consequences for a separate US-UK trade deal if London backtracks on its EU obligations. Archaeological discovery: Stone artifacts from pre-Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem unearthed in Israel Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The discovery of carved stone structures and relics is evidence of a magnificent palace from the biblical Jewish Kingdom in Jerusalem, Israeli, according to archaeologists. The artifacts, which were neatly buried, were unearthed approximately 2 miles south of Jerusalem's Old City and are believed to be from a palace that was constructed in the eighth century or seventh century BC, the BBC reported. The ancient remains were found in the East Talpiot neighborhood, which is also called Armon Hanatziv. Three ornate stone capitals carvings which sit atop the columns in addition to items from lavish window frames were among the artifacts discovered. "The column capitals, identified with royal construction of the First Temple period [10th century to the sixth century BC], are the most beautiful and impressive that have been uncovered to date," the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement. That the carved stone capitals were buried in such neat fashion, two of the three of them positioned "one on top of the other" took the IAA by surprise. "At this point it is still difficult to say who hid the capitals in the way they were discovered, and why he did so," Yaakov Billig, a professor and the director of the excavation said, adding that "there is no doubt that this is one of the mysteries at this unique site, to which we will try to offer a solution." Billing believes the building was likely destroyed in 586 B.C. when ancient Babylon laid siege to the Holy City. Whoever lived in the building would have a "breathtaking" view of both the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount and an area now referred to as the City of David, which is situated near the Old City of Jerusalem. The IAA further posited that whoever lived in the structure might have been one of the kings of Judah or the wealthy family of a nobleman. The elaborate carvings were a known symbol of their time period in both of the Kingdoms Israel and Judah, and appear today as one of the motifs on the five shekel coin in contemporary Israel's currency. Late last year, archaeologists in Israel discovered a stone tablet that somewhat resembles a description in the Old Testament that played a role in the story of the Ark of the Covenant. The tablet was found at the excavation site of a 3,100-year-old temple that was uncovered near Jerusalem in the ancient settlement of Beth Shemesh. The shooting is being investigated by officers in Utah who are not members of the Salt Lake City Police Department. The police in Salt Lake City are expected to release body camera footage of the episode by Sept. 21. I know that these things are very difficult for the community as a whole, and there is a process in terms of looking at what happened and investigating it, said Detective Greg Wilking, a spokesman for the Police Department. He declined to name the officer who fired a weapon. Good, bad or in between, that process will be carried out, and we will make the body-worn camera available and hold our officers accountable if thats what needs to happen, he said. The episode raised concerns about how the police handle interactions with people with autism or who are dealing with mental illness. According to a 2017 study from the Autism Institute at Drexel University, an estimated one in five teenagers with autism are stopped and questioned by the police by the time they turn 21. And according to research by the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, people with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, are disproportionately injured in interactions with the police and are five times more likely to be incarcerated than people in the general population. There are plenty of systemic biases against autistic and mentally ill people in Utah, said Whitney Lee Geertsen, the founding director of Neurodiverse Utah, a group that promotes autism acceptance and self-advocacy. She called for more police training on neurodiversity and said that the officers involved in the shooting on Friday should be fired. The Salt Lake City police have repeatedly come under criticism this year. In July, Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah declared a state of emergency in response to protests in Salt Lake City after the authorities said that the fatal police shooting of a 22-year-old man, Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal, in May was justified. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have settled a very large debt. The couple confirmed to People via a spokesperson on Monday that they paid back the roughly $3 million which was spent to renovate their U.K. home, Frogmore Cottage. Originally, that money came from the Sovereign Grant, which is funded by British taxpayers and provided to the royal family for official royal business and duties. The residence was given to them by Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and was extensively updated before they moved in during the spring of 2019. Shortly after, in May of that year, Harry and Meghan welcomed their son Archie. By January of 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their desire to step back as senior members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. They declared that they would split their time between North America and the U.K., and planned to launch a new charitable entity. In the weeks following their shocking initial announcement, the couple reportedly met with the Queen to iron out the details of the unprecedented new arrangement, and Buckingham Palace released a statement clarifying what would become of Frogmore. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared their wish to repay Sovereign Grant expenditure for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their U.K. family home, it read. Their second home, it was widely reported, would be in Canada, and as they wrapped up their last official royal duties in March, they seemingly shuttled between Windsor and Vancouver Island. But by the end of the month, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing mandatory lockdowns throughout the world, reports surfaced that they'd relocated to Los Angeles, Meghan's hometown. Commonwealth Day Service 2020 Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage See the video. It seems like after a bumpy start to the year, they are settling their affairs and preparing for their future. Recently, a spokesperson confirmed that they'd purchased a home in nearby Santa Barbara, and it was confirmed that theyve signed a production deal with Netflix. Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope, read the couple's statement about their new venture to The New York Times. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Gypsum availability and dollar prices impact Dangote Zambia's production costs 09 September 2020 Dangote Cement Zambia Ltd (DCZL) says the closure of Chambeshi Metals has deprived the company gypsum for cement manufacture. DCZL CFO, Bright Tembo, also said the depreciation of the kwacha has impacted on costs of imported materials. "The closure of Chambeshi Metals has deprived DCZL of a reasonably priced GypsumWe have local suppliers who are quoting in dollars and demanding payment in dollars. The depreciation of the kwacha has severely impacted on our costs of imported raw materials," said Mr Tembo. "The demand by the Ministry of Mines for DCZL to remit its contribution to the Environmental Protection Fund over a five-year-period is too onerous," he added. In response, Copperbelt minister, Japhen Mwakalombe, replied, "We are concerned with the prices of cement. I am sad that people have taken advantage of COVID-19. We cant build without cement and these prices our people can't afford and build," he said. "Quoting the materials in dollars shows that they want to sabotage the economy and we need the law to follow such. This shows that some companies are not patriotic and do not want to support the government of the day. For us to develop we need infrastructure development. So if we want to build schools, then we can't." Mr Mwakalombe said the prices of cement were unacceptable. "We cant afford to have the artificial hike of prices because of some individuals," said Mwakalombe. "I will engage the companies that are doing this. I will go company by company and they should stop it because it is working against the people and the economy." Published under The Power of Tokenization for Protecting Sensitive Data For protecting sensitive data, there are many security options to choose from. Tokenization is not yet a popular choice, but it may serve organizations well in fending off threat actors. Sensitive data is replaced with a non-sensitive equivalent, known as a token, that has no exploitable meaning or value. The tokenized data can be stored in the same size and format as the original data, so it is protected without the need to alter database schemas or protocols. Dig into this white paper to learn more about tokenization: How it compares to encryption Where tokenization fits best Dynamic data masking with Thales And more Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 20:48:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Indian side's move to first fire shots to threaten the Chinese border patrol personnel in the western sector of the China-India boundary is a serious military provocation of an egregious nature. Since the beginning of this year, India has breached bilateral agreements and important consensus many times in border areas, attempted to unilaterally change the status quo by force and undermined peace and stability in the border region. The responsibility lies entirely with the Indian side. Confrontation does no good for either side. China has kept maximum restraint to prevent potential escalation and has been reiterating that the two sides should seek to resolve issues through peaceful consultation and dialogue. However, China's efforts have not secured a fitting response from the Indian side. Under the current situation, the Chinese border troops were forced to take countermeasures to control the situation. Adopting a defensive military strategy, China has no intention to stir up border tensions or seek military expansion. However, it allows no infringement on its core interests. The Chinese military is absolutely determined, capable and confident in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Not an inch of China's territory shall be lost. It is critical for India to learn from history and make sure the reckless provocations will not be repeated. The two sides should faithfully implement the important consensus reached between the two countries and stick to dialogue and consultation to resolve relevant issues. Both as ancient civilizations with several thousand years of history, China and India have long carried on their exchanges and mutual learning. In the 1950s, China and India jointly championed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and have made historic contributions to building a new type of international relations. This year marks the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, which have achieved comprehensive progress in such a broad range of areas as politics, economy and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, especially in recent years. Realizing a scenario where the dragon and the elephant dance together is the correct choice for the two countries. Only in this way can they bring more benefits to their peoples and continue to produce new glory for Asian civilizations. The Chinese side has called for setting eyes on the big picture of China-India relations and regional peace and stability. Now the key to resolving the tension rests on the Indian side. It is time for the Indian side to wake up to reality, take a responsible attitude toward the bilateral relationship and stand on the right side of history. Enditem The majority of people in Canada's oil-producing province of Alberta saw their economic fortunes worsened after the pandemic and the oil price crash, compared to a national average of 35 percent who consider they are worse off compared to last year, a new poll showed this week. According to a new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute, the negative impacts of the pandemic on personal finances and the economy have generally soured Canadians on their future financial outlook. This quarter, 17 percent of Canadians said that their economic fortunes improved over the last year. But twice as many35 percentfeel that their economic fortunes have worsened. The number of those negatively impacted rises to 51 percent in Alberta, the poll showed. Residents of Alberta and Saskatchewan are most pessimistic about the coming year, while people in Ontario and Quebec are most optimistic, Angus Reid Institute said. In Alberta, 30 percent of residents say that they believe they will be financially worse off in a year, compared to 26 percent who say they will be better off. The national average of those who say they will be worse off is 20 percent, according to the poll. "You are seeing pessimism among Albertans because they don't think there is a quick fix for the price of oil at this point," Ken Kobly, president of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, told Calgary Herald's columnist Chris Varcoe. The Angus Reid Institute poll was published on Tuesday, the day on which oil prices crashed as the market is increasingly jittery about the slower-than-expected pace of global oil demand recovery. In July, Alberta's economy was recovering from the previous months, but although many sectors, including oil production, saw growth month over month, they were still off from the same month last year, ATB Economics said on Tuesday. "We still have a long way to go before we have made up the ground we lost during the lockdown," ATB Economics noted. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: ABC News Four people, including two adults, a teen and an infant, have been found frozen to death about 40 feet from the U.S.-Canada border while being smuggled into North Dakota, according to U.S. and Canadian authorities. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and law enforcement officers with the Department of Homeland Security performed a traffic stop Jan. 19 on a 15-passenger van about 1 mile from the border when they found two undocumented Indian nationals from Canada inside, according to the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Less than a quarter mile away from the border, law enforcement encountered and apprehended five additional undocumented Indian nationals that walked across the U.S. border from Manitoba, Canada, according to the RCMP. The first-ever ceremony in 2018 was in Back of the Yards with Ayodele Drum and Dance, an all-womens African dance group, and Example Setters. In 2019, the healing ritual took place in Little Village with the Drum Divas, an African American womens drumming group, and with African Explosion. In August, another ceremony was held in Garfield Park with Najwa Dance Corps. Each features a healing circle and conversation after the ceremony. A federal judge heard testimony today in a lawsuit aimed at allowing Alabama counties to offer curbside voting as an election-day option for people at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 or those who have a disability. Alabama law does not specifically prohibit curbside voting but Secretary of State John Merrill has opposed it, and attorneys for the state say its not feasible to offer it for the Nov. 3 general election. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, five people and four organizations, also challenged the state law requiring absentee voters to provide a photo ID with their absentee ballot application and to have their ballots signed by two witnesses or notarized. They claim the ban on curbside voting and the photo ID and witness requirements for absentee voting, as applied during the COVID-19 pandemic, violate the Constitution as well as the Voting Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Alabama attorney generals office has argued that the plaintiffs are challenging laws that are not discriminatory and that do not exclude them from voting. U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon is presiding over the case in federal court in Birmingham. The organizations that are plaintiffs in the case are People First Alabama, the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, Greater Birmingham Ministries, and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute. Plaintiffs are represented by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program, and the ACLU of Alabama. Merrill, the states top election official, and some county election officials are defendants in the case. The lawsuit was filed in May. In June, Kallon ruled the state could not enforce the ban on curbside voting for the July 14 runoff. Kallons ruling also blocked enforcement of the witness and photo ID requirements for absentee voters, although that only applied to Jefferson, Lee, and Mobile counties. On July 2, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the states request for a stay on Kallons ruling, so the ruling was not in effect for the runoff. But the issues remain pending for the Nov. 3 general election. Today, three witnesses testified for the plaintiffs. They were Dr. Arthur Reingold, an epidemiologist; Dr. Eric Peebles, an individual plaintiff; and Annie Carolyn Thompson, an individual plaintiff. Testimony resumes at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. French Defence Minister Florence Parly will embark on an official visit to India on September 10, where she will attend the induction ceremony of the first batch of the Rafale fighter aircraft by the Indian Air Force at Air Force Station (AFS) Ambala. This will mark Parlys third official visit to India since 2017 and one of her first official trips since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, according to a statement by the French Embassy in New Delhi. On this occasion, Minister Parly will strengthen Frances forward-looking defence cooperation with India, its foremost Asian strategic partner, the statement said.During her visit the French Minister will meet her counterpart Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Their broad-ranging talks will cover, among others, industrial and technological partnership in line with the Make in India programme; operational defence cooperation, particularly maritime security in the Indo-Pacific; modalities of continuing the armed forces joint exercises in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic; counter-terrorism cooperation; and major regional and international strategic issues. At AFS Ambala, she will be received by Rajnath and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall RKS Bhadauria. The French Minister will be accompanied, among others, by top executives from Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, Safran, and MBDA, representing the French defence majors that have been partnering with many Indian companies as part of the Rafale agreement. These talks will further President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to deepen and expand the India-France partnership, with strategic autonomy and the defence of a multipolar order as its cornerstones, the statement said. At Ambala, the programme will include the ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional Sarva Dharma Puja, air display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by Sarang Aerobatic Team. Afterwards, a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the Rafale aircraft, the Indian Air Force said in a separate statement. The programme will culminate with the ceremonial induction of Rafale aircraft to 17 Squadron. After the ceremonial events the Indian and French delegation will have a bilateral meeting, the statement said. During her visit, Parly will also pay floral tribute to Indias valiant soldiers at the National War Memorial in Delhi, according to the statement by the French Embassy in New Delhi.Five Rafale fighter aircraft arrived in India from France on July 29. The French-origin fighter aircraft are part of the 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Air Force. The Rafale aircraft have already flown over the Ladakh region and have been familiarising with the terrain over which they have to fly in different parts of the country. The five Rafales which have arrived in the country include three single-seaters and two twin-seaters. The Rafales, armed with the air-to-air meteor, air to ground SCALP and hammer missiles, are expected to give an edge to the Indian Air Force over its traditional adversaries China and Pakistan in the South Asian skies due to its long-range hit capabilities. India had signed a contract for 36 Rafale jets under the largest-ever defence deal signed by the country worth over Rs 60,000 crores, of which the majority payments have already been made to French firm Dassault Aviation. Rajnath had paid a visit to France in October last year to accept the first batch of the Rafale jets on the auspicious festival of Dussehra and also flew the aircraft after performing pooja with traditional Hindu rituals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON President Trump unveiled Wednesday his revamped list of potential Supreme Court justices that includes 20 new names, including Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Why it matters: Top aides and advisers to the president urged him months ago to put together a new list of justices ahead of Election Day to pump up his base and remind them why a Republican needs to remain in the White House. Other notable new additions to the list include Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The idea for the revised list took on increased urgency after the court ruled on two major cases in June one prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and another determining the Trump administration violated federal law in how it tried to end the Obama-era DACA program. What they're saying: Cotton said in a statement that he was "honored" by the selection and added that he believes "the Supreme Court could use some more justices who understand the difference between applying the law and making the law." Cruz said in a statement that he is "grateful for the presidents confidence in me and for his leadership in nominating principled constitutionalists to the federal bench." Hawley tweeted that he has "no interest in the high court" and will "look forward to confirming constitutional conservatives" as a member of the Senate. The other additions: Bridget Bade, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Paul Clement, partner with Kirkland & Ellis LLP partner with Kirkland & Ellis LLP Stuart Kyle Duncan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Steven Engel, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel Noel Francisco, former U.S. solicitor general former U.S. solicitor general James Ho, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Gregory Katsas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Barbara Lagoa, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Christopher Landau, U.S. ambassador to Mexico U.S. ambassador to Mexico Carlos Muniz, Supreme Court of Florida Supreme Court of Florida Martha Pacold, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Peter Phipps, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Sarah Pitlyk, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Allison Jones Rushing, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Kate Todd, deputy White House counsel deputy White House counsel Lawrence VanDyke, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit What we're hearing: Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who has long been viewed in Trumpworld as next in line to fill a vacancy on the bench, is still at the top of the list after her inclusion on Trump's original list, along with Judge Amul Thapar and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). Many within the conservative movement have been lobbying the Trump administration to give more consideration to Lee, especially after his performance fiercely defending the Constitution during Trump's impeachment proceedings, one source familiar with the discussions tells Axios. Behind the scenes: The list's release was originally slated to take place prior to the Republican National Convention providing another talking point for Trump's re-election campaign. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone played a big role in the creation of the list, sources involved in the process tell Axios. The bottom line: "The list is a political statement as much as a working document," one of the sources said. You're trying to create as many touch points as possible to people who you want to re-elect him as president, and energize them to help him get re-elected." COLUMBUS, Ohio - Police SWAT teams and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested a man and woman at a state lawmakers property Wednesday in connection to a homicide that occurred three months ago. Shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday, 21-year-old Iris Green and 24-year-old Cameron Bowen were taken into custody, according to Columbus police. Green worked as a childcare provider for state Rep. Kristin Boggs, a Democrat who lives in the Italian Village neighborhood of Columbus. Green was arrested for allegedly obstructing official business, police said on Twitter. Bowen was arrested for the alleged killing of Harry Williams, who was 29 years old when he was shot May 29 in the north Columbus neighborhood of Linden, Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua said. Williams died shortly after the shooting. Hours later, Columbus named Bowen, along with 25-year-old Dejuan Bowen, as suspects, according to a report from NBC 4 in Columbus. Dejuan Bowen was arrested May 30. Boggs said in a statement that she and her husband were shaken by the arrests, which occurred on their property. The nanny, as part of her compensation, lived in an apartment above Boggs' detached garage, she said. The apartment has a separate entrance and the boyfriend never spent time around Boggs, her husband or their children, she said. In the spring, our family, along with so many others, had to unexpectedly find childcare during the stay-at-home orders, she said. We did our research and made a hire that came highly recommended. Boggs said she will continue to cooperate with police in the investigation. Williams was remembered in an online obituary for his love for his family, playing cards, gaming and weight-lifting. He loved shopping at Walmart in the middle of the night, especially for Christmas and the (childrens) birthdays, the obituary said. Other coverage: 973 new Ohio coronavirus cases: Wednesday update Its just garbage, Gov. Mike DeWine denies FEMA camps All 4 Ohio Supreme Court candidates will participate in a virtual forum Oct. 9 Educators and their students are embarking on an unprecedented school year, thanks for the coronavirus pandemic, and Wawa is showing its appreciation for teachers and other school personnel with free coffee. The chain is offering teachers, faculty members, administrators and school support staff a free coffee any size through Sept. 30. As students make their way back to school in-person and virtually across our communities, we wanted to show our tremendous appreciation for the teachers and faculty who are working tirelessly to educate children in our area despite the many unique challenges our schools face this year, Mike Sherlock, chief food and beverage officer for Wawa, said in a statement. The offer is limited to one coffee per visit and all these customers have to do is tell the cashier they work for a school. Educators in schools nationwide spent the summer mapping out plans for the new year and most districts are starting off with either remote learning or hybrid plans. Sherlock called the coffee offer a way for the company to express its thanks to these workers. In a school year starting out unlike any weve experienced, we are happy to provide this small gesture for a limited time, and we are grateful to so many teachers for providing support for youth in our communities, he said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. WASHINGTON: The U.S. Senate later this week aims to vote on a drastically scaled-back Republican coronavirus aid bill, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday, despite opposition from Democrats who are needed for any measure to be enacted into law. The bill, which some senior Republican aides described as a $300 billion package that was reduced from the $1 trillion McConnell advocated in July, would face a vote on Thursday. Barring a breakthrough, it could be the final attempt to pass a fifth coronavirus aid bill before the Nov. 3 presidential and congressional elections. With Democrats holding out for a far more comprehensive bill to further stimulate the economy and help battle the coronavirus, McConnell said in a Senate floor speech: We want to agree, where bipartisanship is possible and then keep arguing over the rest later." But House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has argued that a subsequent bill would be too far off to avert layoffs of police, fire and medical personnel unless emergency aid is rushed to state and local governments. Several attempts over the past several weeks to work out a deal between congressional Democrats and the Republican White House have so far failed, leaving the two parties more than $2 trillion apart. The Democratic-controlled House in mid-May called for a $3 trillion bill. Democrats called McConnells latest plan emaciated," dismissing it as a political stunt inadequate to responding to a pandemic that has killed nearly 190,000 Americans - more than in any other country in the world. More than 6.3 million Americans have been infected by the novel coronavirus, with millions thrown out of work as the economy contracted. Senate Republicans appear dead-set on another bill which doesnt come close to addressing the problems and is headed nowhere," Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. REPUBLICAN RESISTANCE The latest Republican bill would be augmented by some unspent funding from the CARES Act, which was enacted at the end of March, according to aides who asked not to be identified. It would provide a $300-per-week federal unemployment benefit, down from a $600-per-week provision that expired weeks ago. McConnell also said it would set a second round of loans that can turn into grants for small businesses struggling through the pandemic, along with aid for schools and medical supplies. Businesses would also get new protections against lawsuits as they reopen as the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths rise. Several of McConnells fellow Republicans have resisted doing any new coronavirus aid, citing the $3 trillion enacted earlier this year. The bill currently being considered would not provide the billions of dollars in aid that U.S. airlines, struggling through the pandemic, had lobbied for, according to two congressional aides. Democrats dismissed the proposal as an emaciated" bill that they said was designed to simply provide political cover to Republican senators in tough re-election campaigns this year, instead of a bill that could be enacted into law. Republican aides said the bill includes $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service, which is girding for a large number of mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 elections as a result of people fearful of voting in person because of the virus. The House has approved $25 billion for the Postal Service. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said he was hopeful there would be another round of stimulus funding before Election Day. Meadows told Fox Business Network he hoped legislation put forward by Senate Republicans would provide a basis for a future agreement and that negotiations were ongoing. 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 WARREN, MI -- Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said President Donald Trump purposefully lied about the threat of COVID-19 during a campaign stop in Michigan, in light of a new report about Trumps response to the pandemic. Biden addressed a small crowd of roughly one dozen attendees and a limited pool of reporters Wednesday afternoon at a parking lot behind the UAW Region 1 headquarters in Macomb County. Biden reacted to reporting from the Washington Post about a conversation Trump had with a reporter on Feb. 7, in which Trump acknowledged the virus is more deadly than even your strenuous flu. Biden referenced the Wednesday report shortly after taking the podium in Warren. Biden praised Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a national co-chair of his campaign who was in attendance, for her work to contain COVID-19 outbreaks in Michigan. He said Whitmer exhibited strong executive leadership, contrasting her response with Trump. Meanwhile, on the day we hit 190,000 dead in the United States because of COVID-19, we just learned from Washington Post columnist Bob Woodward that president of the United States has admitted on tape in February he knew about COVID-19, that it passed through the air," Biden said. He knew how deadly it was. He knew and purposefully played it down. Worse, he lied to the American people. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed for months. The coronavirus pandemic has killed 189,147 deaths in the U.S. as of Wednesday and resulted in 6.3 million confirmed cases. In Michigan, 6,539 deaths are linked to the virus, while 107,812 people have been infected. Biden said Trumps failure to take the virus more seriously was a life and death betrayal" of the American people. He called details in the Washington Post report beyond despicable and said Trump is not fit to lead the country. Experts say if he had just acted one week sooner, 36,000 people would have been saved, Biden said. If he acted two weeks sooner back in March, 54,000 lives would have been spared in March and April alone. The bulk of Bidens speech focused on his plan to revitalize American manufacturing industries, including Michigans auto industry. At the end of his remarks, Biden showed the crowd his daily schedule, which has a space for COVID-19 deaths and cases. Every one of these lives matter, Biden said. We cant ever forget that. Bidens visit came just one day before Trump is scheduled to hold a rally at an airport in Saginaw County. The candidates will both visit swing counties that supported Trump after voting for the Obama-Biden ticket in 2008 and 2012. Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes, a narrow margin that made him the first Republican to win the state in nearly 30 years. Bidens Macomb County visit is his first stop in Michigan since the March 10 Democratic primary. The former vice president is back on the campaign trail after cutting back on his public schedule for a few months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees were given temperature checks and answered a series of health questions before entering the venue. Seats were spaced six feet apart and every person wore a mask during the event. Biden has been traveling with a protected pool" of reporters as he hits the campaign trail in battleground states. MLive was also invited to attend Wednesdays event. Vice President Mike Pence held a rally at an airport in Traverse City last month that featured similar health screening and social distancing measures. However, the event attracted a much larger crowd and though it was outdoors, few wore masks or observed social distancing recommendations. Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez drew a contrast between campaign events held by the two candidates in an interview Wednesday. He criticized Trump for holding a rally at an arena in Oklahoma that was later connected to a spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases, though the president has since scaled back his events to reduce the number of attendees. We are not going to put Michiganders or anyone in harms way," Perez said. "I think the Tulsa model was a disastrous model -- putting people in harms way so you can have an ego trip event. Thats not what Joe Biden is going to do. Hes going to be out there aggressively, but hes going to be out there sensibly. READ MORE ON MLIVE: In Michigan, Joe Biden to propose taxing companies that move jobs overseas Michigan Trump surrogates highlight USMCA at event for farmers and ranchers Trump and Biden back-to-back visits show Michigan is still a 2020 battleground Saakashvilis promised return to Georgia and controversy over Russian funding of Patriots Alliance By Malkhaz Matsaberidze President Zurabishvili officially called parliamentary elections for October 31st, thus officially launching the election campaign. The last few days have been full of scandalous events. Among them are Mikheil Saakashvili's statement on his return to Georgia and the scandalous facts related to the Patriots Alliance:Exposed Russian funding; arrival of party leaders in occupied Abkhazia and Batumi with election banners and maps of Georgia on which Adjara was marked with the same colour as the other occupied territories, with arrows showing the threat coming from Turkey.Georgia's third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, announced his return to Georgia on social media on August 27th, posting a special clip on the issue, apologizing for past mistakes, saying he now sees everything clearly and can save the country from Ivanishvili's rule. This speech of Saakashvili, naturally, was followed by a great agitation.Saakashvili's possible arrival provoked mixed reactions from both the opposition and experts. According to many, this will be an attempt to turn Georgian politics into a bipolar one again, with Ivanishvili on one side and Saakashvili on the other. Opposition parties claiming to be "third forces" will be shut down, and the government will again try to intimidate some voters by sending Saakashvili back to Georgia.It is expected that the "National Movement" will nominate Mikheil Saakashvili as its candidate for Prime Minister. Some think it would be a wrong move and that the main opposition party should choose a candidate. According to others, if the National Movement needs Saakashvili to receive more votes, it should do so.The fact that he is a Ukrainian citizen and is sentenced in Georgia, prevents Saakashvili from returning to Georgia and possibly becoming prime minister. Today, Saakashvili will be arrested if he returns, but after the election, if its results do not satisfy the opposition, the government will be accused of rigging the election and protests will start. In this case, Saakashvili's possible appearance will become a serious problem for the Georgian Dream.The main scandalous figure of last week was the Alliance of Patriots. The party has been rumored to be pro-Russian since its inception, but documents have recently circulated that the Patriots Alliance is funded directly by the Kremlin ($8 million 430 thousand). The documents were released on August 24th by the Dossier Center, a Russian investigative project founded by Kremlin critic Mikhail Khadarkovsky. His report describes in detail the network that is engaged in relations with the Patriots Alliance.On August 27th, the United National Movement demanded the withdrawal of the Patriots Alliance from the parliamentary elections. The opposition has spoken of Russia's direct interference in Georgia's election campaign, saying the Patriots Alliance is a Russian project and is acting against Georgia's national interests.Earlier, on August 20th, it was reported that the leaders of the Patriots Alliance, Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi and Irma Inashvili, had crossed into occupied Abkhazia on August 18 for religious purposes in the Ochamchire district. An icon of the Virgin Mary was brought to St. George's Church.This trip was, of course, a part of the election campaign (emphasis on the union with Abkhazia) and could not have taken place without Moscow's intervention. The announcement of this fact was followed by a dissatisfied reaction of the separatist forces in Abkhazia and the Abkhazian Orthodox Church rejected the icon gifted by the Alliance of Patriots.The election banners placed by the Patriots Alliance in Adjara turned out to be even more scandalous. On the map of Georgia shown on the banner, Adjara was depicted as the occupied territories and indicated the threat coming from Turkey.These banners were followed by protests from the pro-Western opposition, which the Georgian Dream described as a "provocation against the country" and the banners were removed from the relevant agency. Irma Inashvili herself declared the incident a provocation of the National Movement, saying they had ordered other types of banners.It has also become clear that the government is not going to withdraw the Patriots Alliance from the elections and does not consider the published documents as a sufficient basis for that. The prosecution refused to consider the matter. The pro-Western opposition views the Georgian Dream and the Patriots Alliance as a united force, leaving the country under Russian influence.If the "Alliance of Patriots" is openly pro-Russian, the "Georgian Dream" has declared a Western orientation, but will not take real steps in this direction. The Georgian Dream declares the National Movement and Saakashvili a pro-Russian force. It is clear that the main confrontation between the ongoing election campaign will unfold between Western and pro-Russian forces. The election campaign will be full of dark PR and will cover many scandalous events. Harare, Sep 9 : As many as 25 Zimbabwean legislators have tested positive for Covid-19 , officials said on Wednesday. Matabeleland North MP Ruth Labode, who is a medical doctor, on Tuesday raised a point of privilege on Parliament's testing and isolation policies. "My concern is that 25 MPs tested positive and among those, there were about nine or so who had already tested positive four weeks ago and isolated," she said. Parliament guidelines require that MPs be tested after every two weeks and those who test positive, immediately go into isolation for 14 days, Xinhua news agency reported. Labode argued that some people who would have earlier tested positive would likely retain a positive result because of the presence of antibodies in their systems even though they were no longer infected or infectious. Therefore, there was no need to continue isolating such people, she said. However, Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda said Parliament was being cautious in keeping those who had earlier been confirmed positive in isolation. "We have decided that all those who test positive be isolated out of an abundance of caution and we will continue following up on them and assisting them," he said. The first two legislators to test positive were diagnosed in July and Parliament immediately suspended business for a month and only resumed sitting last week when all MPs were tested. It also comes amid concerns that Attorney General William Barr has gone out of his way to intervene in other legal cases involving Trump or his allies. Barr tried to decrease the amount of prison time his office sought for Trump ally Roger Stone following a criminal trial where he was found guilty. (Stones sentence was later commuted by Trump.) Barrs Justice Department has acted to dismiss its own case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. New Delhi: The latest development in the dramatic face-off between Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut and Maharashtra government over a tweet by the actress comparing Mumbai to PoK, resulted in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolishing her Pali Hill office on Wednesday morning. The Bombay High Court has meanwhile, granted a stay on the demolition of Kangana Ranaut office, asking the BMC to file reply on actor's petition. Earlier in the day, the BMC officials landed at her Mumbai office, fully prepared to raze down the 'illegal construction', while the actress boarded a flight for Mumbai from Chandigarh. Meanwhile, her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui appeared before the Bombay High Court through video conferencing seeking a stay order on the demolition. Kangana Ranaut approached the Bombay High Court on Wednesday challenging the notice issued by the Mumbai civic body for 'illegal construction' at her bungalow, and sought a stay on the demolition process. "We filed a petition this morning seeking an urgent hearing. We have sought a stay on the demolition process by way of interim relief," Ranaut's advocate Rizwan Siddiqui had told PTI. Justice S J Kathawalla was hearing a petition filed by Ranaut challenging the notice issued by the BMC for illegal construction at her bungalow. The petition also sought a stay on the demolition process. The court sought to know from BMC how it entered the premises and directed it to file an affidavit in response to the plea. The court has posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. All through her journey from Manali to Mumbai via Chandigarh, the actress remained active on social media and kept tweeting about the BMC officials bringing down her property. The demolition notice was issued by BMC on Tuesday under section 351 of the MMC Act and the civic body has given 24 hours to Kangana to respond to the notice. On Tuesday, Kangana took to her social media handles and shared the copy of the reply by her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui to the BMC notice on the demolition of her property in Mumbai. Kangana got into trouble after her controversial Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (Pok) remark on Twitter against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's threat. She tweeted accusing Raut threatening the actress to not return to Mumbai if she has no faith in the police. The actress has been naming and shaming several big Bollywood celebrities for fanning nepotism and recently in the drug conspiracy related to Sushant Singh Rajput case. On Monday, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) granted Y category security to Kangana. Sources told Zee News that seven policemen will take care of Kangana's security. Officials of CRPF, Intelligence Bureau and Himachal Pradesh Police arrived at Kangana's Manali home on Tuesday to chalk out plans of the actress' security ahead of her visit to Mumbai on September 9. (With PTI inputs) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday launched a doorstep banking services initiative by public sector banks (PSBs) which will provide convenience to customers. This is part of EASE (enhanced access and service excellence) reforms that the Department of Financial Services had undertaken in 2018. Now, one can bank from home with the finance minister launching the doorstep service initiative of PSBs, Financial Services Secretary Debasish Panda said. Customer convenience and comfort will be the top priority in the entire process, he added. Asserting that EASE reforms have resulted in improving various financial parameters of PSBs, Panda said there has been a six-fold increase in the number of profitable lenders in the last two years. Recalling the hassle-free transfer of money under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, he said despite the COVID-19 lockdown there was seamless fund transfer in accounts of crores of beneficiaries. As part of the EASE reforms, the doorstep banking initiative is envisaged to provide convenience of banking services to customers at their doorstep through the universal touch points of call centre, web portal or mobile app, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. The services will be rendered by the doorstep banking agents deployed by the selected service providers at 100 centres across the country, it said. At present only non-financial services like pick up of negotiable instruments (cheque/demand draft/pay order etc), pick up of 15G / 15H forms, pick up of IT/GST challan, request for account statement, delivery of term deposit receipt, among others, are available to customers. Financial services shall be made available from October 2020, it said, adding the services can be availed by customers of PSBs at nominal charges. The services shall benefit all customers, particularly senior citizens and divyangs (differently-abled), it added. With regard to performance of PSBs on EASE 2.0 Index, it said they have shown a healthy trajectory in their performance over four quarters. The overall score of PSBs increased by 37 per cent between March 2019 and March 2020, with the average EASE index score improving from 49.2 to 67.4 out of 100, it said. The index measures the performance of each PSB on 120-plus objective metrics across six themes. Significant progress is seen across six themes of the reforms agenda, it said, with the highest improvement seen in the themes of 'Responsible Banking', 'Governance and HR', 'PSBs as Udyamimitra for MSMEs', and 'Credit off-take'. A common reform agenda for PSBs, EASE Agenda is aimed at institutionalising clean and smart banking. It was launched in January 2018, and the subsequent edition of the program EASE 2.0 built on the foundation laid in EASE 1.0 and furthered the progress on reforms. Reform Action Points in EASE 2.0 are aimed at making the reforms journey irreversible, strengthening processes and systems, and driving outcomes. PSBs have massively stepped up to support the nation during the COVID-19 crisis, the statement said. "From different modes of staffing to remote working, 80,000+ bank branches were operational during COVID-19. "Additionally, there has been 90 per cent uptime of self-service machines during the COVID times and around three times increase in Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) transactions through micro ATMs, and enhanced doorstep banking support by 75,000+Bank Mitras," it said. To further support the customers in these times, the banks have drastically increased the number of services being offered at the call centres, from 11 in March-19 to 23 as of June-20 in 13 regional languages, it said. On the way forward for PSBs, it said a comprehensive agenda for smart, tech-enabled banking has been adopted for 2020-21. Under this, PSBs have initiated 'eShishu Mudra' for straight-through processing of loans to micro-enterprises and digital personal loan for customers. PSBs have started providing customer-need driven credit offers through analytics and partnerships with FinTechs and e-commerce companies, it said. "Many PSBs have already started taking steps in line with the reform priorities. Progress of PSBs will continue to be tracked on metrics linked to Reform Action Points, and their progress will be published through a quarterly index," it said. Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, and erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce were felicitated for being the top three in the 'Top Performing Banks' category according to the EASE 2.0 Index results. Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India and erstwhile Corporation Bank were awarded in the 'Top Improvers' category. Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India and Canara Bank were also recognised for outstanding performance in select themes, it added. Hollywood star Zac Efron recently confirmed his new romance with Byron Bay local Vanessa Valladares. And new details have surfaced about how the couple met, with Who magazine reporting that the actor, 32, was introduced to his girlfriend, 25, through her boss at the cafe where she worked as a waitress. Vanessa was working at the Byron Bay General Store cafe and the Light Years restaurant when she met the High School Musical hunk in July. Best boss ever! Zac Efron's new girlfriend, Vanessa Valladares, was reportedly introduced to the Hollywood star by her boss at the Byron Bay cafe where she worked as a waitress 'They were introduced by her boss,' a source told the publication. 'Lucky girl!' Meanwhile, another source told People the couple 'are having fun' at the moment, but they're not ruling out the possibility of a serious relationship. 'Zac met Ness earlier in the summer,' the insider said. He's smitten! Meanwhile, a source told People the couple 'are having fun' at the moment, but they're not ruling out the possibility of a serious relationship They added: 'You can tell that they are having fun. She spends a lot of time at this house.' Last week, the couple took their relationship to the next level when they ventured south to Australia's Thredbo village for a romantic ski trip. And on Friday, they were spotted at Byron Bay hotspot The Farm, which regularly attracts celebrities in the area. Hitting the slopes: Last week, the couple took their relationship to the next level when they ventured south to Australia's Thredbo village for a romantic ski trip Zac and Vanessa were seen picking up a healthy takeaway meal and matching cans of coconut water. The Baywatch star reportedly met Vanessa in July when she was working as a waitress in the coastal NSW town. She is rumoured to have quit her job and is now staying with Zac at Belongil Beach. Going strong: The Baywatch star reportedly met Vanessa in July when she was working as a waitress in the coastal NSW town. She is rumoured to be staying with Zac at Belongil Beach While Vanessa's dating history is not known, Zac has had his fair share of famous exes. In 2005, he began dating actress Vanessa Hudgens after they met on set of High School Musical. They split in December 2010. Zac hooked up with model and entrepreneur Sami Miro in September 2014, but the pair called it quits in April 2016. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Zac's representative for comment. What if you could touch a loved one during a video call - particularly in today's social distancing era of COVID-19 - or pick up and handle a virtual tool in a video game? Pending user tests and funding to commercialise the new technology, these ideas could become reality in a couple of years after UNSW Sydney engineers developed a new haptic device which recreates the sense of touch. Haptic technology mimics the experience of touch by stimulating localised areas of the skin in ways that are similar to what is felt in the real world, through force, vibration or motion. Dr Thanh Nho Do, Scientia Lecturer and UNSW Medical Robotics Lab director, is senior author of a study featuring the new device. His research team featured lead author and PhD candidate Mai Thanh Thai, Phuoc Thien Phan, Trung Thien Hoang and collaborator Scientia Professor Nigel Lovell, Head of the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering. Dr Do said the sense of touch was something many people took for granted to perform everyday tasks. "When we do things with our hands, such as holding a mobile phone or typing on a keyboard, all of these actions are impossible without haptics," he said. "The human hand has a high density of tactile receptors and is both an interesting and challenging area to encode information through haptic stimulation, because we use our hands to perceive most objects every day. "There are many situations where the sense of touch would be useful but is impossible: for example, in a telehealth consultation a doctor is unable to physically examine a patient. So, we aimed to solve this problem." The UNSW study about the new haptic device was published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Access journal recently. Dr Do said the researchers were so excited about their new haptic technology that they had applied to patent it. "Our three-way directional skin stretch device (SSD), built into the fingertips of the wearable haptic glove we also created, is like wearing a second skin - it's soft, stretchable and mimics the sense of touch - and will enable new forms of haptic communication to enhance everyday activities," he said. "What's also special about our new technology is that it's scalable and can be integrated into textiles for use in various potential applications such as telehealth, medical devices, surgical robots and training, augmented and virtual reality, teleoperation and industrial settings. "The device aims to solve a common problem in emerging systems - such as assistive devices, remote surgery, self-driving cars and the guidance of human movements - where visual or auditory feedback can be slow, unintuitive and increase the cognitive load." Why haptic technology needs to improve The study's lead author Mai Thanh Thai said existing technology had great difficulty recreating the sense of touch with objects in virtual environments or located remotely. "Visual or auditory cues are easy to replicate, but haptic cues are more challenging to reproduce. In a virtual environment, we can see objects but we are unable to feel them as if we were directly touching them," Mr Thai said. "It is almost impossible to enable a user to feel something happening in a computer or smartphone using a haptic interface, such as commercially available smart glasses. "Vibration is the most common haptic technology today and is built into many electronic devices, such as the Taptic Engine attached to the back of a trackpad in laptops, which simulates a button clicking. "But haptic feedback with vibration becomes less sensitive when used continuously or when users are in motion, leading to desensitisation and impaired device functionality." How the new haptic device works Dr Do said the researchers' new technology overcame issues with existing haptic devices by introducing a novel method to recreate an effective haptic sensation via soft, miniature artificial "muscles". "Our soft, wearable haptic glove enables people to feel virtual or remote objects in a more realistic and immersive way. The inbuilt soft artificial muscles generate sufficient normal and shear forces to the user's fingertips via a soft tactor, enabling them to effectively reproduce the sense of touch," he said. "It works like this: imagine you are in Australia while your friend is in the United States. You wear a haptic glove with our integrated three-way directional SSDs in the fingertips and your friend also wears a glove with integrated 3D force sensors. "If your friend picks up an object, it will physically press against your friend's fingers and their glove with 3D force sensors will measure these interactions. "If these 3D force signals are sent to your haptic glove, then the integrated three-way directional SSDs will generate these exact 3D forces at your fingertips, enabling you to experience the same sense of touch as your friend." Implications of the new technology Dr Do said the ability to effectively reproduce the sense of touch via the new wearable haptic device would have a wide range of benefits; for example, during today's COVID-19 pandemic when people were relying on video calls to stay connected with loved ones. "Unlike existing haptic devices, our technology is soft, lightweight, and thin and therefore, we hope users will be able to integrate it into what they're wearing to provide realistic haptic experiences in settings including rehabilitation, education, training and recreation," he said. "Our technology could enable a user to feel objects inside a virtual world or at a distance; for example, a scientist could feel a virtual rock from another planet without leaving their lab, or a surgeon could feel a patient's organ tissues with surgical tools without directly touching them." Dr Do estimated the new technology could become available in the next 18 months to three years - if plans to commercialise the device were realised. "The next step is to conduct user evaluations to validate how effective our device is, because the main scope of our current research has been on the design, fabrication and characterisation of the new technology," he said. "In addition, we plan to implement the device in various haptic applications such as haptic motion guidance, navigational assistance for older people and those with low vision, tactile textual language, and 3D force feedback display for use in surgical robots, prosthesis and virtual and augmented reality." ### Find the research paper in IEEE Access: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=9178739 SAN ANTONIO -- Sept. 9, 2020 -- A new study published this month in JGR Planets posits that the major particle ejections off the near-Earth asteroid Bennu may be the consequence of impacts by small, sand-sized particles called meteoroids onto its surface as the object nears the Sun. The study's primary author is Southwest Research Institute scientist Dr. William Bottke, who used data from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Launched in 2016, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is currently orbiting Bennu with the aim of briefly touching on the surface and obtaining a sample from the asteroid in October 2020, and then returning to Earth. "While in orbit, the spacecraft has been sending images of Bennu back to Earth," Bottke said. "One of the most significant things we've noticed is that the asteroid is frequently ejecting materials into space. Tiny rocks are just flying off its surface, yet there is no evidence that they are propelled by sublimating ice, as one might expect from a comet. The biggest events launch rocks as large as a few centimeters." Even more curious is the fact that the observed major ejection events tend to occur in the late afternoon on Bennu. Determined to get to the bottom of these events, Bottke reached out to Althea Moorhead at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Moorhead is a member of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, a group that monitors and models meteoroids that may be hazardous to spacecraft. "Over the years, Althea and her team have built a computer model that determines the number of tiny particles impacting spacecraft," Bottke explained. "We used this software to calculate the number of meteoroid impacts Bennu would face in its current orbit." Many meteoroids originated on comets. As comets approach the Sun, pieces break off as a consequence of solar heating. Some comets even break apart, producing far more small particles than asteroid collisions in the asteroid belt. For this reason, comet fragments are thought to be the major source of meteoroids that fill the inner solar system. Interpreting their modeling results, Bottke's study suggests that as Bennu draws closer to the Sun in its orbit, it experiences a higher number of meteoroid impacts. Moreover, sand-sized meteoroids are predicted to hit Bennu with the force of a shotgun blast about once every two weeks, with most striking in the head-on direction. Their impact location on Bennu corresponds to late afternoon and early evening. Furthermore, Bottke's study points out that the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) previously made similar observations about impacts on the Moon. As with Bennu, most meteoroids hit the Moon head-on (with head-on defined with respect to the motion of the Earth-Moon system around the Sun). The key difference between Bennu and the Moon is how they rotate around their spin axes. The Moon spins west to east, so head-on impacts correspond to sunrise. Bennu spins in the opposite direction, so head-on impacts hit near dusk. At first, Bottke's modeling work seem to predict that meteoroids would eject too little material from Bennu to explain the OSIRIS-REx observations. However, a better match could be obtained if Bennu has a weak porous surface. The possibility that Bennu has this property was recently strengthened by studies of the Bennu-like asteroid Ryugu, the target of Japan's Hayabusa2 sample return mission. Using explosives to launch a small projectile into Ryugu, the Hayabusa2 team produced a crater that was larger than expected by most impact experts. If Bennu's surface is indeed similar to Ryugu's, meteoroid impacts should be capable of ejecting relatively large amounts of debris. The OSIRIS-REx mission is led by the University of Arizona. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center provides overall mission management and Lockheed Martin Space built the spacecraft and executes flight operations. OSIRIS-REx is a New Frontiers Program mission, administered by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/planetary-science. ### After ace cinematographer PC Sreeram said that he had to reject a film as it had actor Kangana Ranaut in the lead role, the actor responded and said that it was "entirely" her loss. The 'Queen' actor responded to PC Sreeram's tweet and said, "I missed the opportunity to work with a legend like you sir, it's entirely my loss." She went on to wish the best to the 'Padman' cinematographer and said that she is glad that he took the "right call." "I don't know what exactly made you uneasy about me but I am glad you took the right call, wish you all the best," she tweeted. Cinematographer PC Sreeram Reveals He Rejected a Project With Kangana Ranaut in Lead Taking to Twitter, the 'Padman' cinematographer had earlier in the day stated that he felt "uneasy" to work in a film with Kangana in the lead. "Had to reject a film as it had Kangana Ranaut as the lead. Deep down I felt uneasy and explained my stand to the makers and they were understanding," he tweeted. "Some times its only abt what feels right. Wishing them all the best," he added. The statement of the 'Cheeni Kum' cinematographer comes amid the ongoing Twitter war between the 'Queen' actor and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, which followed after the actor said she felt unsafe in Mumbai and said the city seems like "Pakistan occupied Kashmir" to her. Kangana Ranauts Office Demolished: Twitterati Slams BMC and Trends #DeathOfDemocracy by Sharing Pics of Pot Holes, Illegal Constructions in Mumbai Kangana Ranaut Reply to PC Sreerams Revelation I missed the opportunity to work with a legend like you sir, its entirely my loss, I dont know what exactly made you uneasy about me but I am glad you took the right call, wish you all the best Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 8, 2020 The 33-year-old actor has been making headlines with her bold statements and revelations about the Hindi film industry after actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai residence in June. Ranaut has been demanding justice for the late Bollywood actor and has been calling for the eradication of what she terms as "nepotism" in the film industry. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 14:51:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The China Coast Guard has ambushed and captured a drug smuggling vessel in waters northwest of Yongshu reef, part of the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea. Launched in cooperation with the drug enforcement department under the Ministry of Public Security, the operation involved the seizure of a large quantity of drugs and the arrest of six suspects. The suspects have confessed, and a further investigation is under way. Enditem YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a consultation today discussing the 2020-2025 draft development strategy of HayPost national postal operator, the PMs Office told Armenpress. Minister of High Technological Industry Hakob Arshakyan firstly introduced the changes made in the HayPost CJSC in the past five months, informed that the Office in the US has re-launched and actions are being taken to open HayPost Office in China. Pensions are already paid online, a new postal department has opened in Barekamavan community. It is expected to launch HayPost electronic wallet by the end of the year. Introducing the 2020-2025 draft development strategy of HayPost CJSC, Director General Hayk Karapetyan talked about the existing problems, the current situation and the development vision. He said the strategy has been drafted jointly with a consulting company based on the study of the best international practice. The strategic goals are to ensure high postal communication availability across Armenia and outside it, to proportionally develop the infrastructures, provide high-quality services and introduce new digital solutions. PM Pashinyan said HayPost has a broad representation across Armenia, and this allows to view the reforms not only from the perspective of improving the postal service, but also developing the adjacent infrastructures and introducing a corporate culture. He tasked to amend the draft, clarify the circle of state services that can be provided by HayPost, and submit it for discussion. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan SmartLinx Touchless Time Clock SmartLinx enables staff to clock in and out without risking disease transmission from contaminated hands. Our healthcare heroes deserve everything we can do to protect them. Were thrilled SmartLinx made this innovation available! said Nancy Stoddard, VP of IT at The New Jewish Home. SmartLinx a leader in workforce management for post-acute care and senior living organizations today introduced the SmartLinx Touchless Time Clock. 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SmartLinx Touchless Time Clocks provide: Secured, fast access Enables employees to punch in with their mobile device, quickly generating a unique QR code Supports offline capture during network outages Protection for residents and employees against infection Eliminates tangible contact with a high-touch device, preventing germs from entering facilities on employee hands Requires employees answer health screening questions before punching into work Support for attendance policies that reduce fraud Prevents buddy punching by distributing unique QR codes encoded with employee demographics and time-sensitive clock in window Enforces scheduling rules for early arrivals and late departures Allows role assignment upon punch-out Were proud to help post-acute care and senior living providers protect residents and employees from infection while providing the workforce management capabilities they need to deliver quality care and contain costs, said James Pirraglia, SmartLinx Vice President of Product Strategy. At SmartLinx, we believe in harnessing the power of real-time data to enable our customers to provide the best care possible while protecting residents. As organizations continue to navigate the global public health crisis caused by COVID-19, were committed to empowering our customers with capabilities that optimize the human potential of their workforce operations. Additional Resources SmartLinx Touchless Time Clocks Product Brochure How SmartLinx Supports Senior Care Facilities Fighting COVID-19 Navigating the New Norm in Post-Acute and Senior Care Staffing a Crisis eBook About SmartLinx Founded in 2000, SmartLinx makes work, work better. Used in thousands of leading organizations, the SmartLinx solutions suite helps skilled nursing and senior care providers manage people and processes by harnessing the power of real-time data. Its solutions suite includes talent acquisition and onboarding, human resources, benefits and payroll, time & attendance, scheduling, compliance, and business analytics. The company is headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey. For more information, please visit http://www.smartlinxsolutions.com or call 877-501-1310. #### This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com Syracuse, N.Y. It might be time to stock up on face masks: Experts say we could be wearing them for a long time. I would say a year and a half to two years, until we get a good vaccinated public against coronavirus, said David Larsen, a Syracuse University public health professor who has championed masks since the pandemic began in March. A volunteer lifeboat worker has been been commemorated for his 40 years of service with a giant mural of his face on the side of a building. Mike Jones started at the RNLI in New Brighton on the Wirral in 1980 when he was just 18, and his service has now been honoured with a painting of his face on a house by graffiti artist Smug One. Its very humbling, Mr Jones told the PA news agency. Its embarrassing, but its nice. Mr Jones has been keen on boats since he was a child and admits part of the attraction of volunteering is the toys we play with. But he added: Its helping other people, and the teamwork the camaraderie of the crews. Everybody works together as a team, one big team all the time. Its one big family. The positioning of the mural, called Unsung Heroes, on Virginia Road means Mr Jones is looking out towards the Irish Sea. Ian Thornton, lifeboat operations manager at New Brighton Lifeboat, said: This is a fantastic and fitting tribute to an amazing person who has volunteered for 40 years with the RNLI. Due to the location of the mural, Mike will always be looking out to sea to keep an eye on whats going on. LOS ANGELES: Investigators are searching for multiple suspects in the fatal shooting of seven people at a large, illegal marijuana cultivation and processing site in Southern Californias rural foothills, the Riverside County sheriff said on Tuesday. The crime scene in the community of Aguanga, abaout 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Los Angeles, was discovered by sheriffs deputies responding early on Monday to reported assault with a deadly weapon, Sheriff Chad Bianco said. Six victims were found dead in and around a single dwelling on the sprawling property. A seventh victim, a woman still alive when deputies arrived about a half hour past midnight, died later at a local hospital, Bianco told a news conference. As of Tuesday afternoon, sheriffs detectives assisted by federal agents were still combing the site for evidence and interviewing witnesses. We believe at this time that there were multiple suspects," he said. More than 20 people lived at property, a major organized crime-type operation" consisting of multiple homes and other buildings, including a cannabis nursery and facilities for drying and processing marijuana plants, the sheriff said. All of the people that were on the site, that were potential witnesses or the victims, were Laotian," he added, without elaborating on their ethnicity or immigration status. Investigators seized more than 1,000 pounds (450kg) of processed marijuana with a street value of $1 million to $5 million, along with a couple hundred live cannabis plants and a lab for extracting cannabis oil from them, he said. While marijuana remains classified as an illegal narcotic under U.S. federal law, California in 2018 legalized possession and use of marijuana by adults for recreational purposes, as well as commercial cultivation and distribution by businesses specially licensed and regulated by the state. But a marijuana black market still thrives, posing what law enforcement considers an ongoing public safety threat. Bianco said the slayings in Aguanga marked the eighth homicide case - totaling 14 victims - related to his countys illicit marijuana trade this year. Marijuana is not a victimless crime," he said. (Reporting and writing by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg in Maplewood, N.J.; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Lincoln Feast.) 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 S chools will be left out of pocket because they have spent so much of their budgets on Covid-proofing their buildings, headteachers warned today. The National Association of Headteachers called for the Government to pay back schools for the money spent on items such as hand sanitiser, extra sinks and more cleaning that are not being reimbursed. Ian Hartwright, senior policy adviser at the NAHT, which represents leaders in the majority of schools, said the Government will pay schools back for money spent on keeping buildings open throughout holidays during the crisis, but will not cover the costs of preparing for the wider reopening, such as cleaning and extra handwashing facilities. Additional cleaning costs will only be reimbursed if they are carried out because of a suspected coronavirus case. As well as increased spending costs, many schools face a double whammy of lost income because they have not been able to hire out their facilities due to the pandemic. The union is calling for the Government to fully fund the costs of making schools safe for pupils and staff. Research by the NAHT shows that 96 per cent of schools are organising regular additional cleaning of classrooms and school premises, and 69 per cent are installing extra handwashing or hand sanitation units. The Prime Minister speaks to school pupils / Andrew Parsons/No10 Downing St Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, told the Standard: All of these measures come at an additional cost. Schools need the Government to make good these unanticipated but necessary costs to protect school budgets so that pupils education is not adversely affected. He added: This would provide some much needed reassurance at a very anxious time for parents and families. A survey of school leaders carried out by the NAHT before the summer holidays found that the average total cost to prepare a school for the return of pupils was 9,990. Children washing their hands as pupils return to school in England / PA It also found that the average estimated loss to school incomes due to lost rental or lettings as a result of the pandemic was 15,915. Half of London headteachers have spent more than 2,500 on Covid-safety measures including buying extra hand washing stations and employing more cleaners, the survey revealed. Mr Whiteman said: As we move into autumn schools will incur further costs and endure further losses. School budgets are already at breaking point. Recent funding announcements are not as generous as ministers claim. It will take until 2022 before the real value of school budgets even reach 2009-10 levels. The Government has already announced a 1 billion coronavirus catch-up fund for schools, and more than 1 billion to pay for major school building and repairs projects. Aspokesman for the Department for Education said: Schools have been able to claim for specific exceptional costs such as additional cleaning required due to confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases worth up to 75,000 for large secondary schools. Throughout the pandemic, schools have continued to receive their core funding, with this year marking the first year of a three-year 14.4 billion total cash boost. ERP Specialist (Finance) (P3), Vienna, Austria Organization: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Country: Austria City: Vienna, Austria Office: IAEA Vienna, Austria Closing date: Tuesday, 29 September 2020 ERP Specialist (Finance)(P3) ( 2020/0409 (014492) ) Organization: MTIT-AIPS Management Section Primary Location: Austria-Vienna-Vienna-IAEA Headquarters Job Posting: 2020-09-01, 12:41:34 PM Contract Type : Fixed Term Regular Probation Period : 1 Year Organizational Setting The Department of Management (MT) provides a platform of services that serves as a foundation for the successful delivery of the IAEAs scientific and technical programmes. Its mission statement is as follows: MT is a partner and a business enabler that champions change and efficiency, leveraging a common purpose. Thus, among other support activities, it assists a scientific manager in recruiting the right expert, helps a technical officer coordinate the purchase of radiation equipment, and ensures that all Board documents are translated and distributed on a timely basis to Member States. The Division of Information Technology provides support to the IAEA in the field of information and communication technology (ICT), including information systems for technical programmes and management. It is responsible for planning, developing and implementing an ICT strategy, for setting and enforcing common ICT standards throughout the Secretariat and for managing central ICT services. The IAEAs ICT infrastructure comprises state of the art hardware and software platforms in a partially decentralized environment. The Division has implemented an IT service management model based on ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) and Prince2 (Projects in a Controlled Environment) best practices. The IAEAs Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, known as the Agency-wide Information System for Programme Support (AIPS), was implemented in a multi-phased phased approach beginning in 2011 and completing in 2017. AIPS provides a single, fully-integrated solution that standardizes and improves efficiency of business processes by leveraging the Oracle ERP suite of products. AIPS encompasses 8 business domains: finance, procurement, programme and project management, planning and budgeting, human resources and payroll, contacts, travel and events management. The AIPS Management Section (AMS) within the Division of Information Technology manages the operations, maintenance, improvements, and support for the AIPS system in collaboration with business process owners. The AMS Section consists of approximately 20 staff members and is led by a Section Head, who reports to the Director of Information Technology/CIO. Main Purpose The ERP Specialist (Finance) is member of the AIPS Management Section (AMS) and reports to the AMS Section Head. She/he provides advice on, applies technical knowledge to, and provides different domains (finance, grants accounting) functional support to the delivery of IT services aimed at supporting the IAEAs Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system known as AIPS (Agency-wide Information System for Programme Support). Role The ERP Specialist (Finance) is: a technical/functional knowledge expert, applying knowledge of Oracle modules in different AIPS areas (finance, grants accounting, SWIFT) within the scope of the project and the corresponding business processes; a level 2 support agent, addressing issues and requests not resolved by the first level staff and providing expert guidance on AIPS application, develops or modifies the application code to support Change Requests and/or issue resolutions. The knowledge is applied to manage and resolve incidents and problems as well as design and implement changes related to the above areas of the AIPS system. Functions / Key Results Expected Provide technical/functional application and business expertise to support end users in the different areas like: Finance (including Payables, Receivables, Treasury, Cash Management, General Ledger, Payments, and Sub-ledger Accounting), Oracle Grants Accounting, SWIFT interfaces. Handle and provide solutions for incidents and application service requests and identify business process improvement opportunities. Participate in the implementation of change requests (analysis and configuration and/or coding of new features, new RIC EFW components, configuration settings, modifications to existing features). Maintain the configuration of live ERP modules in the areas Finance (GL, AP, AR), Oracle Grants Accounting, SWIFT dashboard. Actively participate in testing to validate if the implemented features meets requirements. Provide AIPS Application Level 2 as needed. Document technical and functional requirements to support application change requests. Contribute to the development and implementation of user support and training modules and manuals. Competencies and Expertise Core Competencies Name Definition Planning and Organizing Plans and organizes his/her own work in support of achieving the team or Sections priorities. Takes into account potential changes and proposes contingency plans. Communication Communicates orally and in writing in a clear, concise and impartial manner. Takes time to listen to and understand the perspectives of others and proposes solutions. Achieving Results Takes initiative in defining realistic outputs and clarifying roles, responsibilities and expected results in the context of the Department/Divisions programme. Evaluates his/her results realistically, drawing conclusions from lessons learned. Teamwork Actively contributes to achieving team results. Supports team decisions. Functional Competencies Name Definition Client orientation Helps clients to analyse their needs. Seeks to understand service needs from the clients perspective and ensure that the clients standards are met. Commitment to continuous process improvement Plans and executes activities in the context of quality and risk management and identifies opportunities for process, system and structural improvement, as well as improving current practices. Analyses processes and procedures, and proposes improvements. Technical/scientific credibility Ensures that work is in compliance with internationally accepted professional standards and scientific methods. Provides scientifically/technically accepted information that is credible and reliable. Required Expertise Function Name Expertise Description Information Technology Oracle Information Technology Oracle|Oracle Financials Mastery of Oracle Financials and ability to implement and provide post go-life support in Release 12. Information Technology Oracle Information Technology Oracle|Oracle General Ledger Mastery of Oracle General Ledger and ability to implement and provide post go-life support in Release 12. Information Technology Oracle Information Technology Oracle|Oracle Integration Technologies Mastery of Oracle Integration Technology Interfaces. Information Technology Oracle Oracle Accounts Payables Mastery of Oracle Account Payables and ability to implement and provide post go-life support in Release 12. Information Technology Oracle Oracle Accounts Receivable Mastery of Oracle Account Receivables and ability to implement and provide post go-life support in Release 12. Information Technology Oracle Oracle Cash Management Mastery of Oracle Cash Management and ability to implement and provide post go-life support in Release 12. Asset Expertise Function Name Expertise Description Information Technology Oracle Oracle Developer Tools (SQL/PLSQL/Forms/Reports/WF) Knowledge in design, development, deployment and operations of Oracle E-Business Suite, preferably release R12. Information Technology Oracle Oracle EPM (Hyperion) Knowledge of the implementation and post go-live support in Hyperion 11.1.2.* and/or Cloud. Information Technology Oracle Oracle Technical Data Integrator Knowledge of the implementation and post go-live support in Oracle Data Integrator. Qualifications, Experience and Language skills University degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance or Information Technology. A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in working with the design of implementation and post go-live support for an enterprise scale solution based on Oracle E-Business Suite, preferably R12, with specialization in Finance (GL, AP, AR, Cash Management,..) and Grants Accounting modules. Ability to troubleshoot complex issues, test system patches and conduct regression tests on Oracle R12. Ability to communicate with users, capture requirements and document processes. Familiarity with Oracle Data Integrator (ODI) is highly desirable. Familiarity with Oracle Hyperion or EPBCS is highly desirable. Familiarity with IPSAS and other accounting standards is highly desirable. Familiarity with ITIL is highly desirable. Excellent oral and written command of English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is an asset. Remuneration The IAEA offers an attractive remuneration package including a tax-free annual net base salary starting at US $60962 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance), a variable post adjustment which currently amounts to US $ 30908*, dependency benefits, rental subsidy, education grant, relocation and repatriation expenses; 6 weeks annual vacation, home leave, pension plan and health insurance Tags accounting standards cash management civil servants communication technology enterprise resource planning human resources information systems information technology library oracle payroll prince2 procurement project management risk management service management ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Applications from qualified women and candidates from developing countries are encouraged Applicants should be aware that IAEA staff members are international civil servants and may not accept instructions from any other authority. The IAEA is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. As part of the United Nations common system, the IAEA subscribes to the following core ethical standards (or values): Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for diversity. Staff members may be assigned to any location. The IAEA retains the discretion not to make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade or with a different contract type, or to make an appointment with a modified job description or for shorter duration than indicated above. Testing may be part of the recruitment process UPPER THUMB Now, that a 37-year old Caro man has been found competent to stand trial for the alleged murder of a 36-year-old woman and the knife attack of their infant child, court proceedings are moving forward. Larry E. Lyons is charged with open murder, assault with the intent to murder and child abuse from an incident in December 2019, at a home in Ellington Township. The charges against Lyons stem from the Dec. 15, 2019, incident where police allege he stabbed to death Brandy Marie Dickson, 35, of Caro, and severely injured their infant daughter. who was 11 months old at the time. A motion hearing has been set for 1 p.m., Sept. 17, in Tuscola County Circuit Court, with a trial by jury set to begin Sept. 29. If found guilty, the charge of open murder is punishable by life in prison, and the assault with intent to murder charge also carries a maximum penalty of life in prison or any term of years, said Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene. The investigation showed the alleged attack started inside the home, continued outside, and findings indicate Dickson attempted to protect the child from being stabbed while she was being stabbed. Dickson was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, but life-saving efforts were not successful. The baby sustained cuts and stab wounds to her head, and a skull fracture, but survived the attack. Dickson was found outside of the home with a knife near her when officers arrived on scene. She was taken to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to her injuries. Dickson and Lyons had lived together prior to the incident, but were not living together at the time of the attack. Besides the December 2019 charges, Lyons also faces other charges of domestic violence third offense, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent and an additional child abuse charge. The maximum penalty if convicted on those charges is also life in prison. MEDIA COURTHOUSE An Upper Chichester woman was sentenced to five to 10 years in a state prison Friday after pleading guilty to delivering a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin to a 35-year-old Boothwyn woman in 2017. Ashley Lynn May, 33, entered a negotiated guilty plea to one count of drug delivery resulting in death, a felony of the first degree, before Common Pleas Court Judge Dominic Pileggi. The plea worked out by Deputy District Attorney Laurie Moore and defense counsel Jeffrey Bauer did not include probation or any other conditions. May, of the 900 block of Kingsman Road, was arrested in October 2019, nearly two years after the victims death, following an investigation by the Upper Chichester Police Department, and detectives Timothy Deery and David Tyler of the Delaware County District Attorneys Office Criminal Investigation Division. Upper Chichester police and emergency services personnel responded to a residence on the first block of Mulberry Street in Boothwyn for a medical emergency at 1:41 p.m. Nov. 8, 2017. The victim, Tiffany Minchella, was pronounced dead at the scene. Lying near her body were three blue glassine bags containing white powder, one open blue glassine bag containing white powder that was half empty, a cell phone and a bag containing syringes. Laboratory testing revealed the presence of heroin and fentanyl in the powder. A post-mortem examination determined Minchellas cause of death was drug intoxication, including fentanyl. A forensic examination of the victims cellphone and other evidence including video surveillance established May as the drug dealer who delivered the fentanyl-laced heroin that resulted in Minchellas death. May admitted to detectives Deery and Tyler during an interview Oct. 8, 2019, that she had picked Minchella up the morning of her death and delivered three or four bags of heroin before dropping her off near her home. My world completely crumbled when I heard the words, Your sister is gone,' said Brena Minchella in court Friday. I was completely numb and I was completely lost. Brena Minchella said her sister had been clean for about five years before her death and that Mays own status as an addict should not justify her actions. Whether the death was intended or not, she said, there needs to be accountability, but Brena and other family members said May had never come forward or cooperated on her own and had shown no remorse. Five to ten is not enough for her, said Tiffanys mother, Tina. She took my daughter. Minchellas father, Daniel, said in a letter to the court read by Moore Friday that while May might have five years of her life taken from her, his daughter had 50 years or more ahead of her and that May continued selling drugs with no apparent remorse for another two years. I dont understand the court system, he said in the letter. When someone gets shot, its a big deal, but when someone plays Russian roulette for $15 its not much. It sure seems like their life doesnt matter, like they dont count. He said he could not listen to music anymore because it reminds him too much of his daughter, whose picture he sometimes stares at for minutes at a time just trying to keep her memory fresh in his mind. A piece of my heart is gone, he said. Justice is not being done. Minchellas partner, Danielle Wright, said that while they had been together only a short time, she had shown her what love was. Wright said Minchella was going to meetings, making plans for the future and taking every step to stay clean. Having a weak moment is something that happens sometimes with addicts, said Wright. Even though she might have had a weak moment, that doesnt justify her life being taken. Bauer noted his client did not have a prior record score and had expressed remorse to him multiple times in their meetings. He said May had a rough childhood and was suffering from a litany of mental health issues including anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, for which she had been recommended to attend inpatient treatment. I dont believe Miss May to be evil, he said. I dont believe this was perpetrated with the intent to harm or kill. Knowing that my client was a current user as well as someone who had passed three bags along to the decedent, I dont suspect and I submit to the court that Miss Mays intention was not to end that womans life. It wasnt. May, appearing via closed-circuit television from the county prison, also gave a brief apology to the family and reiterated that she never meant for anything to happen to Minchella. In addition to the prison sentence, May was ordered to submit a DNA sample to state police. She will be given credit for time served to Sept. 20, 2019. A glamorous socialite who stole $26,000 in goods and lied about getting psychiatric help for lying will spend at least a year behind bars for her 'shocking' spree of crimes. Annabel Walker, 32, was led out of the Downing Centre Local Court in handcuffs on Wednesday after being sentenced to 12 months in prison without parole. The jail term is an incredible downfall for Walker a one-time student at Frensham, a prestigious $30,000-a-year boarding school in the NSW southern highlands region. Walker pleaded guilty in July to the spate of charges relating to luxury hotel stays, goods and other services which she never paid for. But on the eve of her sentence date she parted ways with her legal team, leaving her to represent herself in court. That move did not end well with Walker's mother and other relatives crying after she told them 'I love you' as she was led from the courtroom. Annabel Walker (pictured), 32, has been jailed for at least 12 months over what a magistrate called a 'shocking' spree of fraud related crimes She admitted to taking $26,000 in hotel stays (pictured is the lavish Rae's on Wategos resort at Byron Bay where she stayed), products or services without every paying for them The court heard how the socialite's solicitor Michael Moussa called her at 5.30pm on Tuesday night to recuse himself for the matter. 'It has literally been 12 hours since I found out, I haven't slept a wink,' Walker said on Wednesday morning. But despite claiming she learnt from her mistakes, Magistrate Susan McIntyre was unwavering as she ordered Walker be jailed. Mr Moussa had most recently represented Walker in late August when she was hit with further charges of lying about attending court ordered psychiatric treatment she claimed to have undertaken at South Coast Hospital. But Walker admitted on Wednesday that the documents were fake, with Magistrate McIntyre telling the court she had included the names of staff members who had not worked at hospital for many years, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. 'These document offences under the crimes act are at the highest end of offending as it strikes at the heart of the administration of bail, which is a flagrant disregard for your obligations of honesty,' Magistrate McIntyre said. Previously Walker's legal team had denied the claims the documents were fake. They told the court in July their client 'insisted' she had been attending her sessions, but police prosecutor Craig Smith claimed otherwise. 'My instructions are they (police) have confirmed with the hospital that she hasnt been admitted to the hospital since 2018,' Mr Smith said. 'The police have been attempting to locate Ms Walker with a view to an arrest and detention application.' Walker fought back tears in July as Magistrate McIntyre told her she would be jailed for her crimes and slammed her 'disturbing history of dishonesty'. On the eve of her sentence date Ms Walker parted ways with her legal team including Sydney solicitor Michael Moussa (right), and was left to represent herself in court Wednesday's sentencing is the latest in a long downfall for the former student at Frensham, a boarding school in the NSW southern highlands which costs up to $30,000-a-year to attend Walker failed to pay $2,030 for a printing job, $3,361.60 for lighting and $2,816 for a sign to be painted as well as thousands in products from Harvey Norman The court heard that Walker obtained a total of $17, 981 from her former employer in Australian Leisure Group. There was also $2,030 for a printing job, $3,361.60 for lighting and $2,816 for a sign to be painted. Walker had also stayed at the lavish Rae's on Wategos resort in Byron Bay and bought products from a Harvey Norman store, none of which she paid for. She now just wants to get on with her life... - solicitor Michael Moussa on Walker Walker sat quietly in court clutching a tissue tightly in her hand throughout the day. When she was finally called to give evidence in relation to her bail conditions Walker fought back years as she told how she'd lost her job and moved away from Sydney's eastern suburbs after being charged. 'When I was charged I lived in Darlinghurst, but after I moved down to the Southern Highlands to be close to my family,' Walker said. 'I recently lost my lease and property after an article in the local paper about me.' Outside court Mr Moussa told Daily Mail Australia that Walker was now ready to 'get on with her life'. Walker grew up in the Southern Highlands before moving to Sydney's glitzy eastern suburbs Downing Centre Local Court had previously heard Walker was ready to get on with her life, but she will now have to spend at least 12 months in prison before she can do so 'She's had a very hard time and shes learned from her experience and she now just wants to get on with her life,' he said. 'The last year has been very difficult and she has sought the appropriate assistance that she needs and now she's good as gold.' In addition to the fraud charges, Walker was also be re-sentenced over a number of driving offences including low range drink driving. Walker was ordered to compensate the business she had stolen from by Magistrate McIntyre. She will serve at least 12 months behind bars and will not be eligible for parole until Septembner 8, 2021. The San Marcos facility, a 155,000 square foot building is comprised of office space, utilities, vehicle maintenance, and crew facilities. It has been designed to enhance the delivery of operational services in the City. The administration building houses critical City functions such as City dispatch, a back-up emergency operations center, and a large training room. The facility has been designed to a modern specification, including a rooftop solar array and has a robust roof rainwater capture system. The City engaged the Amber and Hunt team through a Progressive Development Agreement, which provides the City with a guaranteed maximum price to complete the project. By utilizing Progressive Development, the City was able to optimize the design and delivery schedule while significantly reducing the procurement risk and expense. Progressive Development is a specialism of the Amber and Hunt team, having successfully used this approach recently to deliver the Travis County Courthouse project. "A Progressive Development Agreement also avoids unnecessary contingencies and prohibitive bid costs that have been a major cause of failures in P3 processes in the US over recent years," said Rodney Moss, Senior Vice President. "It allows the government and the developer to collaboratively de-risk the projects and optimize the scope and cost of capital. The City of San Marcos has been an excellent partner during this project, and the public service facilities created here will serve the citizens of San Marcos for decades to come." For further information: Erica Sibree +44 (0)20 7939 0558 Amber Infrastructure Limited Brenda Christman +1 915.222.1669 Hunt Companies Amber Infrastructure Group Amber Infrastructure ('Amber') is an international infrastructure specialist, focused on investment origination, development, asset management and in Europe, fund management. Amber's core business focuses on infrastructure assets across the public, transport, energy, digital and demographic infrastructure sectors that support the lives of people, homes and businesses internationally. Amber is headquartered in London with offices in Europe, North America and Australia and employs over 130 infrastructure professionals. Amber has had a strategic partnership with the Hunt Group of Companies (Hunt) in the US since 2015. Learn more at www.amberinfrastructure.com. About Hunt Companies: Hunt, based in El Paso, Texas, is a diversified, family-owned holding company that invests in operating businesses, real estate assets and infrastructure assets. Since its founding in 1947, Hunt's size and scope have grown substantially while gaining considerable expertise across multiple real asset sectors. Hunt's reputation is built on integrity and performance. Hunt is committed to a culture of transparency for employees, clients, investors, and the communities it serves. Hunt and its affiliates employ over 3,000 employees across the United States and Europe. Learn more at www.huntcompanies.com. SOURCE Hunt Companies, Inc. Related Links http://www.huntcompanies.com President Donald Trump spoke privately about the deadly nature of the coronavirus in recorded interviews even as he was publicly downplaying the severity of COVID-19 early this year, before the pandemic would take nearly 200,000 American lives and counting. The president shared his stark assessment with the Washington Post's Bob Woodward in recorded phone interviews in February, as the virus was spreading from China to other parts of the world. In recorded interviews that were revealed Wednesday afternoon, Trump who regularly speaks of his disdain for much of the 'fake news' media spoke liberally with Woodward about his inner-thoughts on the virus and private conversations with Kim Jong-un despite having called an earlier Woodward book a 'con on the public.' 'This is deadly stuff,' the president told the Watergate reporter, Washington fixture and author who has interviewed U.S. presidents going back to Nixon. 'This is deadly stuff,' President Donald Trump told Bob Woodward in a Feb. 7th call where they discussed the coronavirus 'You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed,' Trump told him in a Feb. 7 call. 'And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.' Trump had been briefed on the virus in the Oval Office Jan. 28th, as Washington Post excerpts describe. National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien warned him: 'This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency,' according to Woodward. O'Brien's deputy, Matthew Pottinger, warned the threat was akin to the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed 50 million worldwide. His grievous language came as he was telling the nation the virus is 'going to disappear' and would 'all work out fine.' Trump told the nation Jan. 30: 'We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment five. And those people are all recuperating successfully.' Bob Woodward interviewed the president as the virus was raging EMS workers wheel a patient outside NYU Langone Health hospital during the coronavirus pandemic hospital on May 24, 2020 in New York City New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) wearing personal protective equipment lift a man after moving him from a nursing home into an ambulance during an ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., April 16, 2020 Trump spoke to Woodward about his conversations with China's President Xi Jinping as the pandemic unfolded He told the nation Feb. 2: 'Well, we pretty much shut it down coming in from China.' Feb. 7 the date of the Woodward call is the same date Trump tweeted about China's president: 'Nothing is easy, but [Chinese President Xi Jinping] will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone.' Trump continued: 'Great discipline is taking place in China, as President Xi strongly leads what will be a very successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!' Trump then told Woodward in a March 19 interview explaining his comments: 'I wanted to always play it down.' 'I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic,' he said. Woodward conducted 18 interviews with Trump between December and July, according to the Post. As in his prior work, he relies on anonymous sourcing and 'deep background' information. 'Trump never did seem willing to fully mobilize the federal government and continually seemed to push problems off on the states,' Woodward writes in the book, which follows exposes on the internal workings of administrations for decades. 'There was no real management theory of the case or how to organize a massive enterprise to deal with one of the most complex emergencies the United States had ever faced.' The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, turned in a harsh review of Trump's actions in private even as he tries to temper comments in public. Woodward quotes Fauci calling Trump 'rudderless' and saying his 'attention span is like a minus number.' 'His sole purpose is to get reelected,' Fauci told an associate, according to the book. Trump, who has taken to calling COVID-19 the 'China virus' did not appear to share any more personal regrets with Woodward than he does in public. 'The virus has nothing to do with me. Its not my fault,' he told Woodward July 21. At the White House, where a scheduled briefing was delayed by an hour amid the release of excerpts, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany brushed aside repeated questions about how Trump could share grave warnings with Woodward while publicly saying the virus would go away. 'The president was expressing calm. The president was hopeful that we would be able to manage this and handle it in a way that we can make it go away as quickly as possible. The president rose to the occasion and did just that,' she said. She also referenced the financial markets. 'He took this seriously but he still expressed calm. Our food supply chains were at risk. We could not have mass runs on grocery stores. The markets - Also the economy was in play here. We didnt want there to be a huge crash and panic,' she said. During the weeks after the call with Woodward, Trump continued to hold campaign rallies with his supporters. The first was February 10 in New Hampshire, just three days after the call. Vice President Mike Pence, next in the line of succession, also attended. Trump also held rallies in Arizona, Colorado, Las Vegas, South Carolina, and North Carolina up until March 2, when his campaign suspended rallies amid the pandemic. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-08 23:53:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close File photo combined shows a part of Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China's Fujian Province. (Xinhua/Li Xin) XIAMEN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The 2020 China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) and the Belt and Road Investment Congress opened on Tuesday in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, offering opportunities to promote investment and economic cooperation worldwide. The fair, which has attracted merchants and delegates from 42 countries and regions including Germany, Britain and Japan, is one of the first major international economic and trade events held by China since the COVID-19 outbreak. The four-day event includes the 2020 Global Investment Forum and nine sideline forums and seminars, and delegates participating in this year's fair will focus on the trend of global investment and the world economy amid the pandemic. Covering an area of 110,000 square meters, two exhibition pavilions promoting investment and industry are also expected to facilitate investment cooperation among countries and regions along the Belt and Road. The participants are mainly from international organizations, domestic government agencies, business associations and enterprises, as well as foreign government offices, foreign embassies and consulates in China. John Paul Inigo, special trade representative of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center, said the Philippines had received an unprecedented accolade as the guest country of honor for two consecutive years. "Under the increasing connectivity brought by China's Belt and Road Initiative, we are confident that the already-booming trade and investment relationship between the Philippines and China will further grow," Inigo said. China was the Philippines' top trading partner and the total bilateral trade volume hit 35.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. With the aid of cloud services from China's tech giant Alibaba, an online fair is also being held. The CIFIT, approved by the State Council, takes place every September in Xiamen and aims to promote two-way trade and investment between China and the world. The pupil in one of the school's junior classes received notification earlier today, which was confirmed by the school principal according to the Western People. In line with guidelines for schools in the case of a positive case of the virus being confirmed, the HSE were immediately notified and the rest of the students in the class were sent home to isolate. The name of the school has not been reported, but it is understood that it is in the east of the county. The principal said: The rest of the school will continue as normal as the children arent mixing." There have been a number of schools around the country which have sent pupils home due to confirmed cases of the virus. Schools have been reopened for almost two weeks, with schools in Dublin and Kerry among those affected by confirmed cases. Advertisement The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is said to be considering less invasive Covid tests for children, which may allow for swab samples to be taken from the cheek or nostril. 1. President Trump minimized the dangers of the coronavirus even though he knew it was highly contagious and deadly, according to a new book by Bob Woodward. This is deadly stuff, Mr. Trump said in February during one in a series of interviews for Mr. Woodwards upcoming book, Rage. You just breathe the air and thats how its passed, Mr. Trump said, calling it more lethal than even your strenuous flu. The next month, Mr. Trump told Mr. Woodward: I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic. Above, Mr. Trump at the White House today. MORRISVILLE, N.C., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Relias, a trusted partner to more than 11,000 healthcare clients globally, will release its third edition of the State of Training & Staff Development Report at its premier healthcare conference, Impact Nation, September 15-16, 2020. The report includes in-depth analysis of survey data from over 4,000 healthcare professionals across the United States. The report addresses industry trends on advancements and challenges in healthcare staff development, the effect of learning on organizational performance, and the impact of COVID-19. With an emphasis on staff training and development, Impact Nation empowers healthcare leaders and educators with the latest information and best practices to elevate the performance of care teams, reduce risk, and improve outcomes. Natasha Fisher, Relias Vice President of Strategic Marketing, will deliver the keynote address on the State of Training and Development Report. Fisher's keynote is Wednesday, September 16 at 11 AM ET. This session, and the entire virtual conference, is free. Registration is open to all interested parties. Information and registration for media is also available on the website. Attendees will also have access to over 30 additional breakout sessions, including a dedicated Diversity and Inclusion track, and hear from two additional keynote speakers: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is a pediatrician, professor, and public health advocate who spearheaded efforts to reveal, publicize, and fix Flint, Michigan's water crisis. Dr. Hanna-Attisha opens the conference on September 15 at 11:15 AM ET. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, the national award-winning author of Stamped From The Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America and How to Be an Antiracist, will close out the conference on September 16 at 2:30 PM ET. During Impact Nation, Relias will demonstrate, for the first time, its newest feature: Course Creator. This state-of-the-art self-authoring tool, developed in partnership with Synapse, will allow users to improve e-learning courses and content with increased agility and a real-time digital interface. Impact Nation sponsors include American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), DATIS, National Council for Behavioral Health, Positive Approach to Care, McKesson, innovaTel, Skillsoft, and Kronos. About Relias For more than 11,000 healthcare organizations and 4.5 million caregivers, Relias continues to help clients deliver better clinical and financial outcomes by reducing variation in care. Our platform employs performance metrics and assessments to reveal specific gaps in skills and addresses them with targeted, personalized and engaging learning. We help healthcare organizations, their people, and those under their care, get better. Better at identifying problems, addressing them with better knowledge and skills, and better outcomes for all. Let us help you get better: Relias.com For more information, contact: Lizzy Adams Public Relations Manager [email protected] 919.351.1550 SOURCE Relias Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of Oxford say they have found a new way to kill some multiplying human breast cancer cells by selectively attacking the core of their cell division machinery. The technique, so far tested only on lab-grown and patient-derived cancer cells, could advance efforts to find drugs that kill breast cancer cells in a subset of patients, and leave healthy cells unharmed. A summary of the scientists' findings are published Sept. 9 in Nature. "Some of the most widely used cancer drugs already kill rapidly dividing cells," says Andrew Holland, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular biology and genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "However, most of these drugs have notable drawbacks, including killing healthy cells, such as fast-multiplying bone marrow cells, along with the cancer cells." Holland, whose research focuses on mammalian -- including human -- cell division also notes that unchecked mistakes in cell division can fuel genetic errors that, in some cases, go on to develop into cancer cells. Because all mammalian cells have similar processes for cell division, Holland and his team have looked for cell division mechanisms specific to cancer cells in a variety of lab-grown cells. During their search, he says, they came across a line of human breast cancer cells that are very dependent on cell structures called centrioles to divide and survive. Centrioles act as the structural core of centrosomes, which organize thin tubes of proteins that give cells their shape and help separate DNA when the cell divides. However, many cells can divide without centrioles and centrosomes. Although other cells are able to live without centrioles, Holland's team found that these lab-grown breast cancer cells could not. Close analysis showed that the centriole-dependent breast cancer cells had a section of genome that had been abnormally copied many times, an alteration found in about 9% of breast cancers. The researchers studied the genes encoded in the highly copied region and found a gene that was producing high levels of a protein -- TRIM37 -- shown to control centrosomes. Next, the researchers tested a way to interfere with the cell division process in the cells with high TRIM37 levels. They used an experimental drug called a PLK4 inhibitor, which disrupts proteins that make centrioles. They added the drug to the lab-grown breast cancer cells with normal TRIM37 levels and found that the cells were able to successfully divide, even though the drug had removed the cell's centrioles. However, when they added the drug to breast cancer cells with high TRIM37 levels, the opposite happened -- the cells could no longer divide and most cells stopped growing or died. "The idea would be to identify tumors with high levels of TRIM37 and use a PLK4 inhibitor to selectively kill cancer cells and leave healthy cells relatively unharmed," says Holland. The Johns Hopkins and Oxford teams also discovered why high levels of TRIM37 leave cells vulnerable to drugs that remove centrioles. Holland's previous research has shown that normal cells can divide without centrioles, because the material around the centriole, called the pericentriolar material, is able to do the same job as centrosomes. In the current study, the researchers found that high levels of TRIM37 cause cells to degrade pericentriolar material. Thus, by adding a drug that removes centrioles, the cells have no way -- either with centrosomes or pericentriolar material -- to organize the tubes that help divide the DNA during cell division. Now, Holland and his team are looking for other, more stable drugs similar to the PLK4 inhibitor used in the current study and are attempting to identify additional human cancer cell lines that are sensitive to these inhibitors. ### Scientists who contributed to the research include Zhong Y. Yeow, Mary-Anne Durin, Daniela Moralli, Catherine Green and J. Ross Chapman from the University of Oxford; Rebecca Marlow, Eleanor G. Knight, Daniela Novo, Syed Haider, Andrew Tutt and Christopher Lord from the Institute of Cancer Research, London; Luned Badder from King's College London; and Bramwell Lambrus, Kevin Zhan, Lauren Evans, Phillip Scott, Thao Phan, Elizabeth Park and Lorena Ruiz from Johns Hopkins. Funding for the research was provided by a Cancer Research UK Career Development Fellowship, the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM114119 and R01GM133897), an American Cancer Society Scholar grant, an American Cancer Society Mission Boost Grant, the National Science Scholarship from A*STAR, Singapore. The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics is supported by a Wellcome grant. The Lord and Tutt laboratories are funded by NC3Rs (NC/P001262/1), Breast Cancer Now funding, private donations to the ICR Development Office and National Health Service funding. HANOI, Vietnam - Southeast Asias top diplomats held their annual talks by video Wednesday to discuss the immense crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions in the South China Sea amid the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ministerial meetings, delayed by a month, were held online due to continuing health risks posed by COVID-19. The 10-nation blocs foreign ministers were to meet Asian and Western counterparts, including those from the U.S. and China, later in the week, capped by an annual security forum. Vietnam is hosting the talks as this years chairman of the diverse group. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called for regional solidarity amid the headwinds in an austere opening ceremony attended by a few dozen diplomats in the capital, Hanoi. The valuable fruits of our co-operation are being tested in an environment full of volatility and unprecedented challenges, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, Phuc said. The pandemic has delayed or cancelled dozens of meetings and shut out the colorful ceremonies, group handshakes and photo-ops that have been the trademarks of ASEANs annual gatherings. The talks focused on combating the pandemic and ways to help member states recover economically. The contagion has devastated the regions manufacturing, export, travel and tourism industries and sparked the worst economic recessions in decades across the region of 650 million people. Southeast Asian nations have been impacted by the pandemic differently, with hard-hit Philippines grappling with more than 245,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections, including nearly 4,000 deaths, and the tiny socialist state of Laos reporting just 22 cases. The Philippines and Indonesia each have more than double the infections reported by China, where the outbreak started late last year. A senior Southeast Asian diplomat said a key project is establishing a COVID-19 response fund to help ASEAN member states buy medical supplies and protective suits. The diplomat said Thailand has pledged to contribute $100,000 and ASEAN partners, including China, Japan and South Korea, were expected to announce contributions. A regional stockpile of medical supplies has also been approved, and a study to be financed by Japan will research the possibility of establishing an ASEAN centre on public health emergencies, according to the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly. A long-thorny issue on the agenda is the territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving China, Taiwan and ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. When the territorial conflicts were discussed, concerns were expressed by some ministers on the land reclamations, activities and serious incidents in the area which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region, the ministers said in a draft communique, a copy of which was seen by The Associated Press. In July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that Washington regards virtually all of Chinas maritime claims in the disputed offshore region outside of its internationally recognized waters to be illegitimate. Although it remains neutral in territorial disputes, the Trump administration was in effect siding with the four ASEAN claimant states, along with Indonesia, which have opposed Chinas claims to virtually the entire waterway. China then accused the U.S. of sowing discord in the strategic region and last month, its military reportedly test-fired two missiles in the South China Sea during exercises. China has pushed for the resumption of negotiations with ASEAN on a code of conduct aimed at preventing armed clashes in the disputed waters. But Hoang Thi Ha of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore said major differences between China and rival claimant states would stymie any breakthrough or an early agreement. Given the recent developments both on the lawfare front and tensions at sea, I dont see much silver lining, she told The Associated Press. Pompeo and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, have confirmed their attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday, Asias largest security forum, which will also be done by video. North Koreas foreign minister will skip the forum but its representative to ASEAN will participate, according to Vietnams foreign ministry. ___ Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, and Kiko Rosario in Bangkok contributed to this report. An economist and law professor from UCLA, above, has sharply challenged a recent UC Berkeley study on the effects of an affirmative action ban. (Los Angeles Times) Two months before California voters decide whether to again allow affirmative action, debate is heating up over how the 24-year state ban on it has affected Black and Latino students at the University of California. Richard Sander, a UCLA economist and law professor, on Tuesday sharply challenged a recent UC Berkeley study that concluded Black and Latino California students experienced lower enrollment, graduation rates and subsequent wages following passage of Proposition 209, which banned preferential treatment in public education and employment based on race, ethnicity or sex. Sander said the study erroneously claimed that enrollment of underrepresented minorities fell by about 800 students per year after the ban took effect in 1998. Their freshman enrollment did fall in 1998, Sander said, but began growing after that. Graduation rates also increased, as did attainment of degrees in science, technology, engineering and math fields, he said. Sander called the UC Berkeley paper "worse than useless" in its current form, speaking out at a press briefing organized by opponents of Proposition 16, a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot that would repeal the affirmative action ban. He has asserted that the ban was "arguably the best thing that ever happened" to racial minorities because it pushed UC campuses to heavily invest in their academic preparation and helped raise their graduation rates. Zachary Bleemer, the UC Berkeley study's author and research associate at the campus Center for Studies in Higher Education, said he stood by his work but declined to comment further. He did the study for the UC Office of the President. The debate comes amid mounting activism over the repeal effort. In June, the UC Board of Regents unanimously supported a repeal of Proposition 209 , amplifying the sweeping support within the university system to restore affirmative action. Then-UC President Janet Napolitano, all 10 campus chancellors and the governing bodies for faculty, undergraduate and graduate students all expressed support for the repeal effort. Story continues Opponents of affirmative action have staged weekly rallies, arguing that merit, not "racial favoritism," should be used in college admissions. The regents will revisit the issue at their board meeting next week when they discuss a new UC analysis on the impact of Proposition 209 on undergraduate admissions and the hiring of faculty, staff and contractors. The analysis found that the proportion of UC spending for goods and services from minority-owned businesses has dropped from 10.2% in fiscal year 1995 to 2.79% today. The analysis also details the myriad policy and program changes made by UC campuses to widen diversity without using race-based preferences primarily by enrolling more students who are low-income and the first in their families to attend college. But some of those programs depend on state funding, which has varied dramatically over the years. The regents also will vote on a proposal that would bar campuses from using race, ethnicity or gender quotas in admissions, contracting and employment. The U.S. Supreme Court has banned the use of such quotas but has approved limited use of race in college admissions if doing so serves a "compelling governmental interest" and is narrowly tailored to further that interest. Even if voters repeal the ban on affirmative action, UC officials say race and gender would potentially be only two of several factors that UC uses to evaluate applicants including grades, the rigor of high school course loads, leadership activities and economic class. Standardized test scores have been dropped as an admissions criteria for now under a recent court ruling. Bleemer's study out of UC Berkeley focused on the impact of Proposition 209 in the first two years after it took effect, tracking more than 200,000 UC applicants between 1996 and 1999 to see whether they were admitted, where they ultimately enrolled and their academic outcomes. Bleemer also tracked the applicants wage earnings through their early 30s. Sander at UCLA presented data only for freshmen and transfer students, showing their enrollment steadily grew from 1999 onward. UC data for all undergraduates, however, show a more nuanced picture. Overall Black undergraduate student enrollment, for instance, continued to drop until 2002, when it began rising again, according to UC data. The share of UC undergraduates who are Black held at 3% until 2006 and has slowly increased to 4.1% today. Latino enrollment numbers have continuously grown since 1998, but their share among UC undergraduates fell until 2000, according to UC data, hitting a low point of 12.3% before gradually increasing each year to 24.8% in fall 2019. Today, Latino and white students are the UC system's most underrepresented major demographic groups compared with their proportion among California high school graduates who meet UC admission requirements, according to data from UC and the California Department of Education. Latinos, for instance, made up 44.7% of that qualified pool but only about a quarter of UC undergraduates. Whites made up 27% of those eligible for UC admission but 21.4% of UC undergraduates in fall 2019. Black students were at rough parity at 4.2% of eligible students and 4.1% of UC undergraduates. Asian Americans were overrepresented, making up 19.9% of the eligible pool and 33.5% of UC students. In a historic shift, however, Latinos surpassed Asian Americans for the first time to become the leading group of prospective freshmen admitted to UC for fall 2020 part of the systems largest and most diverse first-year class ever admitted, according to preliminary data . Sander also presented data showing that graduation rates of underrepresented minorities have slowly increased. Bleemer's study said after the affirmative action ban took effect, Black and Latino graduation rates worsened when measured against academically comparable Asian Americans and whites. Sander said he and other researchers cannot fully examine the veracity of Bleemer's study because it used a massive database that the UC Office of the President will not publicly provide. A request for the data was rejected by Pamela Brown, vice president of the UC Institutional Research and Academic Planning office because, she told Sander and other researchers in an Aug. 26 email, they contain "sensitive, personally identifiable information." "Why is [UC], which is legally prohibited from engaging in political activity, allowing its confidential data to be used in an amateurish, inaccurate paper that has been prominently injected into a political debate, for what certainly looks [like] an attempt to influence the fate of Prop. 16 on the November ballot?" Sander asked. "Its not hard to connect the dots and see that the university is using its data as a political weapon, to be withheld from objective scholars who might report 'inconvenient truths.' In a statement, the university said Bleemer was given access to the data as an employee of UC's Institutional Research and Academic Planning office and not through a public disclosure. Federal law and the privacy rights of applicants and students prevent UC from publicly disclosing any "highly personal and confidential data" that is sought by Sander, the statement said, and a data set he is requesting in a lawsuit "does not exist and would take UC staff months to compile." The California Public Records Act does not require organizations to create new records, it said. Information about UC, including data on race and ethnicity, is available online at UC Infocenter. Ghanaians do not go to the polls to vote based on manifestos, Rev Micah Oppong-Ababio, fouder of the World of Champions Church, Kasoa, has said. According to him, the two main factors that influence the electorate are tribalism and emotions. Ghanaians dont vote based on manifestos, Rev Oppong-Ababio told Animonyam Okyere on CTVs morning show Dwabre Mu. They vote based on tribalism and emotions, he said. In his view, manifestos wont help the development of the nation. Rather, he said, the country needs a national development plan that will be binding on any political party that assumes the reins of power, irrespective of the manifesto promises of that particular party. To Rev Oppong-Ababio, a national development plan can target five or six areas at a go, for instance, education, roads, industrialisation, health and agriculture. Whichever party is in power at any specific time, he noted, would then have to focus on the specific areas outlined within the plan. Party manifestos are party-specific but a national development plan will encompass the views and opinions of pastors, traditional leader and politicians for the collective development of the nation, Rev Oppong-Ababio said. ---classfmonline Several countries and international organizations have expressed support and appreciation for Moroccos efforts to bring together the Libyan rival parties around the same table as a precious opportunity to find a solution to the crisis, guaranteeing peace, stability and security for Libya and the whole region. Libyan delegations of the High Council of State and the Parliament of Tobruk are gathered in Bouznika, a coastal city to the south of Rabat, since Sunday to discuss ways of sustaining the ceasefire and to open negotiations to end the conflict between the Libyan rival parties. At the end of the first day of discussions, the two delegations expressed their sincere ambition to reach a consensus that will bring Libya out of the crisis and end the suffering of the Libyan people. They also welcomed the sincere will and the concern of Morocco to create the appropriate climate likely to help find a solution to the Libyan crisis, to achieve the political and economic stability of the country, and move towards building a strong and stable state. The participants in the Bouznika meeting said that the talks are making progress and that the focus has been on key regulatory institutions. On Tuesday in Bouznika, the representative of the Libyan High Council of State, Mohamed Khalifa Najm, said the political dialogue between the delegations of the Libyan High Council of State and the Tobruk Parliament is taking place in a positive and constructive atmosphere and important compromises have been reached. Reading out a joint statement by the two delegations, Najm indicated that both parties hope to achieve positive and concrete results that could pave the way for the completion of the process of a comprehensive political settlement throughout the country. The discussions, he added, reached important compromises that include the establishment of clear standards to eradicate corruption and the squandering of public funds and to end the state of institutional division. Several sides have commended Moroccos initiative. In this vein, Jordan commended Moroccos efforts to reach a consensual political settlement between the Libyan parties in order to preserve unity, stability and security in Libya. In a telephone conversation with his Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi affirmed that his country welcomes Moroccos efforts and its initiative to host the inter-Libyan dialogue with the aim of reaching a consensual political settlement between the Libyan parties. Such a settlement would preserve Libyas sovereignty and territorial integrity and restore unity, stability and security in the country, said on Tuesday the Jordanian Foreign Ministry in a statement. On Monday, Bourita held phone talks with his Egyptian peer Sameh Shoukry on the developments in the Libyan dossier and the latest efforts to push for a political solution. The Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement talks with Bourita reflected mutual concern to coordinate and devote joint efforts in order to back efforts to reach a political solution in Libya. Shokry expressed his appreciation to Bourita for keeping up coordination and briefing Egypt on the latest efforts undertaken by Morocco in that regards, and reiterated Egypts constant position to work to achieve a political solution in Libya that preserves the sovereignty and integrity of the country and its people. He said a settlement would also contribute to ensuring regional security, preserving Libyas resources, and protecting the country from terrorism, extremism, and nefarious foreign interference. Several international and regional organizations have also hailed Moroccos initiative to facilitate talks between Libyas rival parliaments. On Monday, the League of Arab States and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) issued statements voicing their support for the dialogue initiative and urging Libyan parties to grab this opportunity to make progress towards peace. The United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union have also expressed support for Moroccos initiative to host the peace talks and end the conflict in Libya. Irelands data protection commissioner has issued Facebook with a preliminary order to stop sending data transfers from EU users to the US. The move, confirmed by Facebook, could spark a new transatlantic digital crisis. The order, described to Independent.ie by people close to the situation as well progressed, is the result of a European Court decision in July, which struck down the transatlantic Privacy Shield treaty. It means that the validity of standard contractual clauses (SCCs) used by thousands of Irish and European companies to transfer data, is now closer to being cancelled. Facebook has reacted by claiming that a cancellation of SCCs could cause near-term chaos for the global economy. The Irish Data Protection Commission has commenced an inquiry into Facebook controlled EU-US data transfers, and has suggested that SCCs cannot in practice be used for EU-US data transfers, said Nick Clegg, Facebooks vice president of global affairs and communications and the former deputy prime minister of the UK. The impact would be felt by businesses large and small, across multiple sectors. In the worst case scenario, this could mean that a small tech start up in Germany would no longer be able to use a US-based cloud provider. A Spanish product development company could no longer be able to run an operation across multiple time zones. A French retailer may find they can no longer maintain a call centre in Morocco. Mr Clegg also claimed that the annulment of the data transfer mechanism could even affect Irelands Covid Tracker app. The effects would reach beyond the business world, and could impact critical public services such as health and education. Irelands Covid Tracking App states, in its terms, that it relies on SCCs as one of a number of mechanisms to transfer data to one of its processors in the US. International cloud providers and email platforms provide services to schools, Universities and hospitals across Europe. Millions of people use video conferencing software every day, to keep in touch with friends and family who live in different countries. A spokesperson for the Irish Data Protection Commissioner said that the agency would make no comment on the matter. However, the Irish regulator has the power to fine giant companies such as Facebook 20m or up to 4pc of global turnover for non-compliance of regulatory orders. The decision has been long-predicted by many privacy campaigners after the European Court ruled that the US was not a trustworthy country to transfer personal data to. Supervisory authorities are required to suspend or prohibit a transfer of personal data to a third country where they take the view, in the light of all the circumstances of that transfer, that the standard data protection clauses are not or cannot be complied with in that country and that the protection of the data transferred that is required by EU law cannot be ensured by other means, said Europes highest court in July. The issue is likely to inflame cross-Atlantic tensions with just two months left until the US presidential election, already one of the most divisive in recent history. A long-barrelled gun has been found by police investigating the shooting of a 15-year-old boy on his way to school. The Year 11 pupil suffered serious injuries in the attack in Kesgrave, Suffolk, on Monday morning and remains in hospital in critical condition. Just over two hours after the shooting, armed police officers arrested another 15-year-old boy four miles away in Ipswich. The teenager, from Woodbridge, is being held for questioning on suspicion of attempted murder. Suffolk Police said the suspect and the victim were known to each other and there was no suggestion of a link to organised crime. Superintendent Kerry Cutler told reporters that the force was not looking for anyone else and confirmed officers had recovered a weapon. The gun, described by police as a long-barrelled firearm, was found in a car seized at the time of the arrest. Police said a witness had reported seeing the vehicle driving away after the attack on the Grange Farm Estate in Kesgrove at 8.40am. This has been a fast-moving investigation, with officers working around the clock, said Temporary Detective Superintendent David Henderson, the senior investigating officer. "I appreciate that many people will still be very concerned at an attack of this nature happening in a small town such as Kesgrave, but we continue to stress that incidents like this are extremely rare and that there is no wider threat to the local community. "In addition, following the initial inquiries that have been carried out, we can confirm that the victim and the suspect are known to each other and at this time there is absolutely nothing to suggest this incident is linked to organised criminality. Our thoughts remain with the victim and his family and we continue to offer them our full support. On Tuesday afternoon officers continued to search the scene in Friends Walk, which has been closed off to the public. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA 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 Kesgrave High School confirmed that one of its Year 11 students had been involved in a serious incident" on their way to class. In order to provide reassurance to the school community there will be a police presence as students leave school today and over the next few days, the school tweeted on Monday. Suffolk Police said its officers will continue to engage with school children, teachers, parents and local residents to provide reassurance, listen to any concerns and to reiterate the fact it is an isolated incident. Samsung Life Insurance headquarters in Seoul / Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung Samsung Life Insurance CEO Jeon Young-muk Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-08 22:56:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the container terminal of Jingtang Port District under Tangshan Port in Tangshan City, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) by Xinhua writers Zhang Yiyi and Jiang Tingting BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- As China walks the talk of wider opening up with a focus on high-quality growth engines, leading global companies are confident of the country's ever-growing market amid its recovery from COVID-19 strains. At the ongoing 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, the first major international economic and trade event held both online and offline by the country since the COVID-19 outbreak, the top Chinese leadership has vowed to ease market access in the service sector further and actively expand imports of quality services. China has become a major contributor to the global growth of trade in services and has been the world's second-largest service importer and exporter since 2014. Visitors take photos at the outdoor exhibition area of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) "Although a relative latecomer in trade in services, China is striving to build a global brand for 'Services by China,'" said Merlin Swire, chairman of Swire Pacific Limited, noting that an already vast and growing middle-income population that prefers to buy goods or services of better quality and variety is a solid foundation for such upgrades. Statistics showed that since 2012, the country's services trade has grown at an average annual rate of 7.8 percent, which is 3.7 percentage points higher than the global growth rate. In 2019, China's international services trade totaled 5.42 trillion yuan (about 775.6 billion U.S. dollars), ranking second in the world for six consecutive years. China has pledged to stay committed to further opening up, with measures including the establishment of a sound negative list management system in cross-border service trade, and promoting open platforms for piloting innovative development of trade in services. "We are pleased to see that the negative list compiled by the Chinese government is getting shorter, and the encouraged catalog is getting longer," said Swire. Shipping and logistics giant Maersk also expects that an improved business climate and a shorter negative list will create more opportunities. It cited the public vessel agency being off the list in 2019 as one of the examples. "We continue to see significant growth potential in China as the economy transforms and the composition of trade evolves towards higher value-added goods," said Jens Eskelund, managing director of Maersk China Ltd. Eskelund, who is also vice president of the European Chamber of Commerce in China, told Xinhua that reciprocity in market access will ultimately benefit both Chinese and European companies and lead to more efficient services for users of shipping services. "It is a very important signal and symbol in terms of opening up and that we are back in business," said Jochen Goller, president and CEO of BMW Group Region China, noting that CIFTIS 2020 is the need of the hour. Despite COVID-19 posing serious challenges to the world, China has proved itself to be an important engine of global economic growth, manifesting strong resilience and growing signs of recovery. "The short-term fluctuations will not change our plans for investment and development in the country," said Zhang Zhuoping, chairman of John Swire & Sons (China) Ltd. "Our strategy is to continue increasing our investment in China and offer high-quality services, products and experiences to Chinese consumers in existing businesses and new areas," said Zhang, adding that the group announced a new joint investment in the field of healthcare services on the Chinese mainland. Under the new economic development pattern of "dual circulation," China continues apace in sharing development opportunities with the rest of the world while reshaping its economy from an export- and investment-driven to domestic demand focused. "In mid- and long-term we are very confident in the Chinese market, and I don't think the prospect of China is changing," said Goller, citing huge potential in domestic need and different business models. KNOXVILLE, TN, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Provectus (OTCQB: PVCT) today announced that the Company has initiated a new sponsored research program with Michio Kurosu, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in Memphis, Tennessee to investigate rose bengal disodium (RBD) targeting of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. RBD is Provectus proprietary lead molecule, and a member of a class of small molecules called halogenated xanthenes that is entirely and wholly owned by the Company. Dr. Kurosus team will undertake in vitro studies on: The spectrum of RBD activity against drug-susceptible and drug-resistant bacterial strains, Synergistic activity of combinations of RBD and US Food and Drug Administration-approved antibiotics for Gram-negative bacteria, The mutation frequency of RBD against bacterial strains, measuring spontaneous bacterial mutations for RBD and these combinations, and Gene analyses of mutant bacterial strains to understand resistance mechanisms. Each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug-resistant bacteria and fungi kill more than 35,000 Americans, while more than 2.8 million Americans are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.1 Provectus current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) RBD is a proprietary pharmaceutical-grade drug substance produced by the Companys quality-by-design (QbD) manufacturing process to exacting regulatory standards that avoids the formation of uncontrolled impurities currently present in commercial-grade rose bengal. Provectus RBD and cGMP RBD manufacturing process are protected by composition of matter and manufacturing patents as well as trade secrets. Dominic Rodrigues, Vice Chair of the Companys Board of Directors said, The initiation of this antibiotic resistance research is another aspect of our ongoing work to investigate and demonstrate rose bengal disodiums unique mechanistic properties and behavior across different disease areas and disease indications. Such work is fundamental to the continued expansion of Provectus drug product platform, where disease-specific formulations of rose bengal disodium can be delivered by oral, intralesional, topical, and potentially other routes of administration. About Rose Bengal Disodium RBD is 4,5,6,7-tetrachloro-2,4,5,7-tetraiodofluorescein disodium, a halogenated xanthene and Provectus proprietary lead molecule. The Company manufactures cGMP RBD using a patented process designed to meet stringent modern global quality requirements for pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients. An intralesional (IL) formulation (i.e., by direct injection) of cGMP RBD drug substance, cGMP PV-10, is being developed as a clinical-stage autolytic immunotherapy drug product for solid tumor cancers. By targeting tumor cell lysosomes, RBD treatment may yield immunogenic cell death in solid tumor cancers that results in tumor-specific reactivity in circulating T cells and a T cell mediated immune response against treatment refractory and immunologically cold tumors.2-4 Adaptive immunity can be enhanced by combining immune checkpoint blockade (CB) with RBD.5 IL PV-10 is undergoing clinical study for relapsed and refractory adult solid tumor cancers, such skin and liver cancers. IL PV-10 is also undergoing preclinical study for relapsed and refractory pediatric solid tumor cancers, such as neuroblastoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and osteosarcoma6,7. A topical formulation of cGMP RBD drug substance, PH-10, is being developed as a clinical-stage immuno-dermatology drug product for inflammatory dermatoses, such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. RBD can modulate multiple interleukin and interferon pathways and key cytokine disease drivers.8 Oral formulations of cGMP RBD are undergoing preclinical study for relapsed and refractory pediatric blood cancers, such as acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myelomonocytic leukemia9,10. Oral formulations of cGMP RBD are undergoing preclinical study as prophylactic and therapeutic treatments for high-risk adult solid tumor cancers, such as head and neck, breast, pancreatic, liver, and colorectal cancers. Intellectual Property (IP) Provectus IP includes a family of US and international (a number of countries in Asia, Europe, and North America) patents that protect the process by which cGMP RBD and related halogenated xanthenes are produced, avoiding the formation of previously unknown impurities that exist in commercial-grade rose bengal in uncontrolled amounts. The requirement to control these impurities is in accordance with International Council on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines for the manufacturing of a pharmaceutical. US patent numbers are 8,530,675 , 9,273,022 , and 9,422,260 , with expirations ranging from 2030 to 2031. About Provectus Provectus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Provectus or the Company) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing immunotherapy medicines for different disease areas based on an entirely- and wholly-owned family of small molecules called halogenated xanthenes. Information about the Companys clinical trials can be found at the NIH registry, www.clinicaltrials.gov . For additional information about Provectus, please visit the Company's website at www.provectusbio.com . References 1. Greg Frank OC. Secretary Azar can't wait to address antibiotic resistance . TheHill. Published August 20, 2020. 2. Wachter et al. Functional Imaging of Photosensitizers using Multiphoton Microscopy . Proceedings of SPIE 4620, 143, 2002. 3. Liu et al. Intralesional rose bengal in melanoma elicits tumor immunity via activation of dendritic cells by the release of high mobility group box 1 . Oncotarget 7, 37893, 2016. 4. Qin et al. Colon cancer cell treatment with rose bengal generates a protective immune response via immunogenic cell death . Cell Death and Disease 8, e2584, 2017. 5. Liu et al. T cell mediated immunity after combination therapy with intralesional PV-10 and blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in a murine melanoma model . PLoS One 13, e0196033, 2018. 6. Swift et al. Potent in vitro and xenograft antitumor activity of a novel agent, PV-10, against relapsed and refractory neuroblastoma . OncoTargets and Therapy 12, 1293, 2019. 7. Swift et al. In vitro and xenograft anti-tumor activity, target modulation and drug synergy studies of PV-10 against refractory pediatric solid tumors . 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Journal of Clinical Oncology 36, 2018 (suppl; abstr 10557). 8. Krueger et al. Immune Modulation by Topical PH-10 Aqueous Hydrogel (Rose Bengal Disodium) in Psoriasis Lesions . Psoriasis Gene to Clinic, 8th International Congress, British Journal of Dermatology 177. 9. Swift et al. In Vitro Activity and Target Modulation of PV-10 Against Relapsed and Refractory Pediatric Leukemia . 2018 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, Blood 132, 2018 (suppl; abstr 5207). 10. Thakur et al. Association of heat shock proteins as chaperone for STING: A potential link in a key immune activation mechanism revealed by the novel anti-cancer agent PV-10 . 2020 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting II, (abstr 5393). Trademarks PV-10 and PH-10 are registered trademarks of Provectus, Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.A. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: The information in this press release may include forward-looking statements, within the meaning of U.S. securities legislation, relating to the business of Provectus and its affiliates, which are based on the opinions and estimates of Company management 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. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as seek, anticipate, budget, plan, continue, estimate, expect, forecast, may, will, project, predict, potential, targeting, intend, could, might, should, believe, and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. The safety and efficacy of the agents and/or uses under investigation have not been established. There is no guarantee that the agents will receive health authority approval or become commercially available in any country for the uses being investigated or that such agents as products will achieve any particular revenue levels. Due to the risks, uncertainties, and assumptions inherent in forward-looking statements, readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof or as of the date specifically specified herein, and Provectus undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Risks, uncertainties, and assumptions include those discussed in the Companys filings with the SEC, including those described in Item 1A of the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Provectus Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 . ### Contact: Provectus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Heather Raines, CPA Chief Financial Officer Phone: (866) 594-5999 A "kamikaze" threat by a British minister to break international law in the implementation of its EU divorce treaty has backfired, but a trade deal is still possible, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday. "These were really extraordinary comments, and certainly set off alarm bells in Dublin. I think they have backfired," Varadkar told RTE radio. "I think they want a deal," he added, saying the remaining issues "would not seem insurmountable". The British government's Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis on Tuesday said Britain could break international law - but only in a "limited way" - after reports it may undercut its Withdrawal Agreement divorce treaty signed with the EU in January. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie A common storyline stretches across three Top 100 profiles this year because with some exceptions, many government employees and contractors have had the same work-from-home environment during the coronavirus pandemic. I spoke with leading public sector market executives at the Top 100s three largest telecommunications companies in AT&T, CenturyLink and Verizon for this years Top 100 edition to learn more about how those business units have contributed to the larger work of the corporations in running the networks and keeping people connected. To hone in on Verizon for this profile: the telecommunications giant is in year two of its shift to a customer-facing model versus one modeled around products and its public sector portfolio falling within the business group, one of three across the corporation. Verizon's share of prime contracts came in at $2.1 billion, good enough for the No. 20 spot on the 2020 Washington Technology Top 100 rankings of the largest government contractors. As a refresh, here is how Verizons public sector senior vice president Mike Maiorana characterizes the opportunities ahead for the company. We now have end-to-end dedicated and disciplined teams, as well as funding, to bring forth solutions and services that resonate well with the customers that were supporting for our specific segment, Maiorana told me. Conversations with executives at blue chip telcos like Verizon often go back-and-forth between developments in the consumer market and enterprise markets such as government, even if they have their own unique characteristics. COVID-19 has even further blurred the lines between both kinds of markets this year, although Maiorana has a pitch for Verizon Public Sectors own uniqueness. In no other segment, are you able to help elevate and deliver for such mission-critical work to ultimately allow for these very important departments and agencies to service and support their constituents in their greatest time of need, Maiorana said. Take for instance this one order Verizon got from the Defense Department early on in the pandemic. USNS Comfort, a Mercy-class Navy hospital ship, was dispatched to New York City in late March to support that jurisdictions COVID-19 response. Verizon helped connect that ship to a wide area network. Thats a tall order to get a request from DOD and a few days later the ship is coming into port, Maiorana said. But were used to that because weve supported mission-critical customers in FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), National Guard. On a government-wide basis, Verizons main goal was to help them shift rapidly to a telework posture and that meant additions of bandwidth and capacity to handle increased traffic. Verizon communicated directly with the Office of Management and Budget to describe how the networks are engineered and their other inner workings. You could imagine with such large workforces being displaced and now working from home or working remotely, Maiorana said. The network capacity, the network performance is critical, then you layer in the collaboration tools....People are now used to staring in their computer 12 hours a day going from one to the next. Contact center activity also increased for agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service. That too required a ramp-up in network capacity and access to collaboration tools, Maiorana said. COVID-19s requirements for telecommunications resources are currently going through the General Services Administrations Networx and WITS contracts given the quick turnarounds they provide. But that is not necessarily holding up work on the next-generation Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions vehicle run by GSA that Verizon is one of nine carriers for. Some EIS task orders, or fair opportunities, are getting pushed out to the right but bid and proposal activity remains constant. Certain agencies that had the mission critical Ive got to do job one, support COVID, we saw a delay and rightfully so, Maiorana said. Others that were not as much in the front line around COVID, (business as usual) related to fair opportunities. Were starting to see more of a cadence of (EIS) awards, which has been terrific, Maiorana added. Two big wins with a combined $885 million ceiling came in last year from the IRS and Social Security Administration. The biggest one yet came earlier this month from the Health and Human Services Department at a ceiling of $2.5 billion over up to 12 years. Even with what todays demands bring, Maiorana highlighted Verizons lean in bent eyeing the future even as some of it goes more toward now. There is what Verizon is doing in the 5G arena, which has applicability for all customers individual and enterprise alike. Verizons 5G coverage is available in 35 metropolitan areas with plans to be in 60 by the end of this year. People realize how important dynamic bandwidth is and when youre getting the network performance that were seeing with 5G, it not only elevates how that smartphone will perform, but it will elevate how the enterprise will perform as agencies are looking to include 5G in their wide area network access planning, Maiorana said. Within its 5G lab in Washington D.C., Verizon has briefed federal agencies over the last 18 months on possible use cases. Maiorana said Verizon is standing up a similar lab for the Energy Departments Pacific Northwest National Laboratories to test new 5G capabilities. A pair of other 5G-for-government efforts Maiorana pointed to include rolling out a network for the Veterans Affairs Departments hospital in Palo Alto, California to support telehealth; plus the launch of a node at the Marine Corps Miramar station in San Diego to eventually create smart bases for the future. In Maioranas words, Verizon is also anxiously awaiting the first batch of prototype awards from the National Spectrum Consortium and expects to be very active in future 5G bids. His pitch on Verizons behalf? Because weve delivered on what we already have enabled, our teams have a license to be proactive and lean in with our clients on new capabilities like 5G. Since our conversation took place, Verizon gave more details on the future of its federal business in the wake of Maioranas announcement in March that he would leave Verizon at the end of this year for a new venture. Former Amazon Web Services executive Jennifer Chronis joined Verizon in early August as head of the federal business. Chronis previously was general manager of AWS Defense Department unit. The House Intelligence Committee received a whistleblower complaint from a former senior Department of Homeland Security official who alleges he was instructed to "cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States" because it "made the president look bad," Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) announced Wednesday. The big picture: U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Russia is actively seeking to denigrate Joe Biden to assist President Trump ahead of the election. The whistleblower, former intelligence and analysis acting undersecretary Brian Murphy, alleges that he was told to instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran, which he did not believe were on par with the actions of Russia. Murphy alleges that he was told by acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf that the instructions came specifically from White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien. The whistleblower complaint also alleges that acting DHS deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli directed Murphy to modify a Homeland Threat Assessment report to make the threat of white supremacist violence "appear less severe." Read the full whistleblower complaint. This story is developing. Please check back for updates. A distressing video that emerged on social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, has reinforced the need for people to reach out during troubling and hard times. On Sunday night (US time), clips of a suicide that had originally been livestreamed on Facebook circulated on other platforms, including TikTok. General Manager of TikTok Australia and New Zealand Lee Hunter says this content is both distressing and a clear violation of their Community Guidelines. "Our systems have been automatically detecting and flagging these clips for violating our policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide. "We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who've reported content and warned others against watching, engaging, or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family. "If anyone in our community is struggling with thoughts of suicide or concerned about someone who is, we encourage them to seek support, and we provide access to hotlines directly from our app and in our Safety Centre . Under its Safety Centre, TikTok has Suicide Prevention Resources. This includes advice on contacting a professional if you are in danger, talking to someone you trust during difficult times and ways to look after and support yourself. We understand and share the concerns expressed by the Prime Minister, eSafety Commissioner and the wider community that materials like this are made and shared. We are working closely with local policymakers and relevant organisations to keep them informed, says Lee. We understand the serious responsibility that we have, along with all platforms, to effectively address harmful content and we want to reiterate that the safety of our users is our utmost priority. If anyone in our community is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or concerned about someone who is, we encourage them to seek support, and we provide access to hotlines and support resources directly from our app and in our Safety Centre. Today is the official World Suicide Prevention Day. Its a day set up to provide the opportunity for people, across the globe, to raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention. Read more here. People who are struggling and need someone to talk to, can call the below helplines: National helplines Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor Lifeline 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP) Suicide Crisis Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Healthline 0800 611 116 Samaritans 0800 726 666 Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a trio of laws on Wednesday intended to bolster struggling small businesses in California and encourage their owners to hire more workers, each of which received bipartisan support but only light scrutiny by the Legislature before its adjournment last week. The governor, who used a delicatessen in Sacramento as the backdrop for a bill-signing ceremony, touted the three laws as important help for businesses that are "the lifeblood of California and its economy." "Small businesses are feeling vulnerable to the pressures of this pandemic so much so that they believe they are likely to close in the not too distant future, " Newsom said, citing a survey that he said found 44% of businesses were considering closure. "That is a jaw-dropping percentage of small businesses that are looking at the prospect of a financial cliff." One effort will ensure coronavirus loan funds that are forgiven aren't treated as taxable income. Newsom said the second bill, enacted as part of the state budget, will accelerate the use of various bond funds though it mostly focuses on a variety of proposals unrelated to helping businesses. The third offers up to $100 million in tax credits for small businesses that have suffered during the pandemic but also agree to hire new or laid-off workers. None faced opposition in the Legislature, and all were easy for Newsom to embrace three of some 400 bills he must sign or veto by the end of the month. The loan forgiveness plan safeguards California business owners against any tax increase triggered by the use of federal Paycheck Protection Program funds. PPP was one of several spring COVID-19 relief strategies deployed by President Trump and Congress. Businesses with 500 or fewer employees were eligible for PPP loans to help cover payroll and other operational expenses. In some cases, those loans were allowed to be converted to subsidies. The law signed by Newsom excludes the forgiven loans from being treated as income subject to California taxes. Although that means less tax revenue collected by the state, a legislative bill analysis suggests the overall impact may be limited because a business owner cannot claim tax deductions for expenses paid with PPP funds. Story continues But the new law offering tax credits to small-business owners will have a clear and immediate effect on the state budget, and received far less review by legislators. Drafted by the governor's financial team, the $100-million tax break makes good on Newsom's promise last month to enact a so-called "Main Street hiring credit" to incentivize some small businesses to restore jobs eliminated earlier this year by the coronavirus-induced recession. The law offers a tax credit to many California companies that had 100 or fewer employees at the end of 2019 and then experienced at least a 50% drop in gross receipts as COVID-19 slowdowns hit during the second quarter of 2020. Those businesses will receive a $1,000 tax credit for each qualified employee hired between July and the end of November, up to $100,000 per business. The business will have five years to use the credit and can apply it to any taxes owed, including sales and use taxes. "They're looking for hope," state Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), a coauthor of the tax credit bill, said of small businesses. "They're looking for leadership, and they're looking for the opportunity to be able to access resources to make them successful." Whether the proposal will work, and its exact cost to the state in the form of reduced tax revenues, is unclear. Jay Chamberlain, the chief of the financial research unit of the California Department of Finance, told lawmakers in a brief committee hearing on Aug. 30 that uncertainty was one reason the tax credits were capped at a cost to the state budget of no more than $100 million. "We don't really have real good data on how many businesses are going to meet the criteria for this credit," Chamberlain said. But with any single business eligible to receive up to $100,000 in tax breaks, the program could benefit as few as 1,000 California companies. And there is no formula in the plan to assess relative need beyond a requirement that the business has lost 50% of its gross revenues an omission noted by supporters of the law during last month's hastily called meeting of the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee. A committee analysis noted that the law's "first-come, first-served" structure left open the possibility that it would "primarily benefit relatively sophisticated businesses at the larger end of the small business range," noting that "these businesses often benefit from accounting and legal advice unavailable to or underused by 'mom and pop' operations." Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), the only member of the committee to vote against the proposal during the short hearing, said the businesses that benefitted might be those that were already in the process of hiring or rehiring for positions cut during the spring and early summer. "We're really taking some easy wins with a tax credit so that we can claim that we've created more jobs through our legislation," Levine said, "when in fact these are jobs that probably would be created by a growing economy." Newsom broached the idea for a hiring tax credit during a livestream event on Aug. 12, saying the goal would be to help small businesses with "one or two employees [or someone who is] self-employed that may want to hire a part-time person or may want to hire a full-time person." All three laws take effect Jan. 1. The tax credits that will be handed out will expire whether a business owner uses them or not on June 1, 2026. Details for applications and approvals must be drafted this fall by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. PLANO, Texas, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Collin Corporate College is offering an exclusive free webinar series to local C-level and human resources executives to assist them in transitioning employees back into a safe work environment. Collin Corporate College's Chief Operating Officer Dr. Roger Widmer will host the first topic in the series, "COVID 19 The Impact on Employee Mental Health," with special guest speaker Michael J. Maxwell, Ph.D., LPC-S, NCC. There is limited availability for the Zoom webinars, which will be offered on a first come basis. Executives throughout the DFW metroplex are encouraged to register early for this half-hour webinar on the day of their choice. Thursday, Sept. 24 - 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29 - 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 - 2 p.m. The webinar series will be conducted in partnership with Collin College and the following area Chambers of Commerce: Plano, Allen-Fairview, Frisco, Wylie, and Celina. The Original Pancake House DFW and Union Gospel Mission Dallas are sponsors of the first webinar in the series. For more information or to register for the webinars, visit www.collin.edu/CorporateCollege or call 972.599.3110. Collin College serves more than 59,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates, including new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity degrees. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. For more information, visit www.collin.edu. Follow us https://www.facebook.com/collincollege https://twitter.com/collincollege Allen - Frisco - McKinney - Plano - Rockwall - Wylie - www.collin.edu Media Contact: [email protected] +1 817-403-0866 mobile SOURCE Collin Corporate College STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- In unprecedented times, Staten Islanders are doing their part to never forget the September 11 attacks. Heres a list of tributes and memorials taking place to honor the memory of those taken from us: EVE OF SOLEMN REMEMBRANCE MASS Jim Smith reads the names of Staten Islanders lost on Sept. 11, 2001 in Our Lady of Pity R.C. Church, Bulls Head. (Courtesy/Mary DiBiase Blaich/Catholic New York)Staten Island Advance For 18 years, Staten Islanders have been gathering on the night of Sept. 10 for Mass to honor and read the names of those Staten Island residents lost due to the September 11th attacks. This year, event organizers are dealing with the loss of Jim Smith, who was one of the events original organizers back in 2002. Organizers say the event will take place, but on a reduced scale. There will also be a live stream of the event available. Those attending in person should expect to follow strict social distancing guidelines. Click here for more details. HEARTFELT CEREMONY TO BE HELD AT RESCUE 5 FDNY Rescue 5 remembers all those lost on 9/11 and since due to illness from the attacks as they pause at each significant time of loss alongside a few family members and fellow firefighters. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) Coronavirus wont stop firefighters from honoring one of their own at Rescue 5 quarters in Concord. The yearly event is meant to highlight and pay tribute to the 11 members of Rescue 5 lost on that fateful day, as well as honor the other 332 firefighters that were lost. Organizers say the goal of the event is to make sure the sacrifice made by so many on that day is always remembered for generations to come. The event will feature prayers, candle lighting and moments of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m., the moment Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Participants may gather at the firehouse beginning at 8 a.m. for the service. Usually, a private reception is held at Snug Harbor Cultural Center for members of service and family, but due to coronavirus restrictions organizers say that event will be postponed. RICHMOND UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER TO PAY TRIBUTE Richmond University Medical Center pays tribute to the victims of the attacks on September 11, 2001 with a ceremony in front of the hospitals 911 memorial on Bard Avenue. (Courtesy of RUMC) Staff members at Richmond University Medical Center will stand in solidarity with the family and friends of those lost on 9/11. The event will take place on Friday, Sept. 11, and will start at 12 p.m., outside the 9/11 memorial at 355 Bard Ave. The event will feature hospital staff, first responders and community leaders who will pay tribute to those lost. The tribute will include a moment of silence as well as reflections from first responders who participated in the rescue operations and cleanup 19 years ago. POSTCARDS VIRTUAL CEREMONY Scenes from the Postcards memorial annual ceremony to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in Manhattan. (Staten Island Advance/Shira Stoll) Families of those lost on 9/11 usually experience waterfront views during the annual postcards ceremony. Due to coronavirus concerns, event organizers have opted to move the ceremony to a virtual setting. The virtual ceremony will begin on Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m. The event will feature name readings of those who perished during the attacks, as well as the reading of names of first responders who died in the aftermath from 9/11-related illnesses. This ceremony can be viewed on the borough presidents office website, statenislandusa.com/Sept11, on its Facebook Page @StatenIslandUSA, or live streamed on its YouTube Channel youtube.com/SIUSABP. It can also be viewed on Staten Island CTV. The Postcards Memorial will be open during the ceremony, but those who wish to visit in-person must wear masks and maintain social distance. Click here for more information. TUNNELS TO TOWERS MEMORIAL CEREMONY Traditionally, hundreds gather each year at the former site of Ground Zero to read the names of those lost during the September 11th attacks. After organizers cancelled the event, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has made sure the reading of the names could take place. According to a post on the foundations website, Tunnel to Towers is making every effort to ensure the safety and health of this years readers. All 140 speakers will wear masks and practice social distancing. Those chosen to read the names will read 21 names each. According to a memo released by the foundation, the event is also expected to be attended by Vice President Mike Pence. BOROUGH HALL TO CO-SPONSOR BLOOD DRIVE A hospital phlebotemist collects blood from a donor in Borough Hall. (Staten Island Advance/Anthony DePrimo) On Friday, Borough President James Oddo will team up with medical professionals to co-sponsor a blood drive meant to honor those who perished on the morning of September 11th. The 9/11 Memorial Blood Drive with the New York Blood Center will take place at the centers Staten Island location, 2791 Richmond Ave., from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Due to coronavirus concerns, donors temperatures will be taken prior to being allowed to start the donation process, and they will be required to wear a face covering. Appointments will need to be made in advance. Those interested in participating can visit the website or call Jenn McCorry at 516-477-5872. 9/11 MUSEUM ANNOUNCES REOPENING After a long hiatus from accepting public visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic, executives from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan announced that they will be reopening to visitors. According to the museums website, the museum will open to the families of 9/11 victims on Sept. 11. Exhibits will reopen to the general public on Saturday, Sept 12. All guests will be expected to adhere to strict health and safety measures. Museum capacity will also be limited to 25% of legal capacity. All visitors will be required to purchase tickets in advance. The Woodford Folk Festival may have been cancelled but organisers are passionate about bringing an acoustic music tour around various Queensland communities. The Festival of Small Halls has announced its spring tour, featuring singer-songwriter Shellie Morris and blues duo Hussy Hicks, will be held from October 14 to November 1. Queensland's acoustic musical talent will play in 13 community halls across 7000 kilometres on a tour organised by veteran festival producers Woodfordia Inc. Artist Shellie Morris will tour Queensland communites as part of the Festival of Small Halls in October. The tour will begin in Springbrook Community Hall on the Gold Coast before heading to Cunnamulla, nearly 800 kilometres west of Brisbane. JACKSON, MI -- Gym rats, fitness fans and YMCA lovers will soon finally be able to visit the Jackson YMCA. The Y leaders have announced the facility will reopen on Monday, Sept. 14, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmers most recent executive order loosened restrictions on gym operations during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Related: Jackson YMCA will reopen in mid-September, officials say The Ys fitness services were largely shut down for nearly six months, with only fitness classes offered outdoors since June. The wellness center and pools at 127 W. Wesley St. downtown will reopen at 25% capacity beginning Monday. The Summit Branch, 2151 Ferguson Road, will remain closed during the first phase of reopening, officials said. Members can also expect wellness checks when entering the facility, one-way foot traffic patterns, sneeze guards at the front desk and checkout desk, additional staff for cleaning the equipment, locker rooms and shared spaces, and closed lockers for deep cleaning from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. daily. Services that dont align with state requirements have been suspended, such as the Kids Zone, Free Coffee Friday, adult and youth sports, some specialty programming and the sauna, according to the YMCA website. Our Y has always been more than a building; its about people from all backgrounds and walks of life who come together to improve their lives, nurture their families and strengthen their community," Jackson YMCA CEO Shawna Tello said in a statement. We are so grateful to the people who have stood by us throughout these challenging times. You were here for your community when it needed it most, and we remain here for you. New hours will be limited to 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The facility will be closed on Sunday. MORE JACKSON NEWS: Three new Bright Spots murals taking shape in Jackson Large gatherings to blame for 124 Michigan State University students testing positive for coronavirus, officials say Barricaded gunman arrested in Jackson after countywide search for gunfire suspects Thousands of Australians are taking advantage of a quarantine loophole to avoid COVID-19 restrictions and state border closures. Since July 17, 62,974 people have entered the Northern Territory, which has zero active coronavirus cases. The figure is equivalent to a quarter of the population in Australia's Top End, or almost half Darwin's population. Interstate travellers are only required to undertake two weeks of quarantine in the NT if they're travelling from or through a declared hotspot. Once the two weeks is up, they are then free to travel anywhere in Australia. Territory chief minister Michael Gunner said there were 700 COVID refugees in quarantine at Howard Springs (pictured) Mr Gunner said many have described the facility as 'great' and 'better than a hotel'. Pictured: Two women at Howard Springs (left) and buildings at the facility (right) The mandatory stay at Howards Spring costs $2,500 per person or $5,000 for a family of two or more sharing the accommodation. Many are fleeing to the Territory to wait out the pandemic or quarantine before heading to the AFL finals in Queensland. The facility, just south-west of Darwin, has received the tick of approval from many passing through. Some have described it as 'great' and 'better than a hotel', according to chief minister Michael Gunner. He labelled the NT as 'the safest place in Australia' and said there were currently 700 people in quarantine at Howard Springs. Two Victorian teachers who fled their home state told Mr Gunner they 'loved it', and were working remotely. 'So sorry Dan, we're taking your Victorians, this is a much better place to live and she's relocated to the Territory to teach her primary school kids,' Mr Gunner told news.com.au. Australians arriving in the Northern Territory can travel anywhere else in the country once they clear the 14-day quarantine. Pictured: People arriving at an airport A Darwin resident added: 'My new housemate is a Victorian public servant who has moved here for a month without telling her boss. They assume she is working from home, which she is. From my house!' 'If you're safe, you're welcome here and we want you here. We have great weather, great people and no coronavirus,' Mr Gunner said. One of the COVID refugees staying at Howard Springs is Australian hip-hop artist Illy, who celebrated his birthday on site on Sunday. In a post the 35-year-old uploaded to Facebook, Illy can be seen sprawlled out on a bed with balloons and tinsel to celebrate the occasion. His post read: 'birthdays in quarantine hit different.' One of the COVID refugees staying at Howard Springs is Australian hip-hop artist Illy (pictured), who celebrated his birthday on site on Sunday The rapper, who released his new album Loose Ends in July, flew up from Victoria to play at Rebound - taking place at the Darwin Ski Club - on October 3. Illy will be playing alongside acts including Lime Cordiale, Hot Dub Time Machne and Hermitude. 'This time last week I got a last minute offer to play a show. An actual f**king show, holy sh*t. The catch - gotta do 2 weeks of quarantine first. Rough deal right. Maybe normally, but what the f**k is normal in 2020,' he wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. 'Amongst everything else, it's been the longest space between shows since my first time on stage. That's been my life forever. I miss it. So, hi Darwin, live from day 1 of quarantine. See you at Rebound, October 3. Single tear.' Illy's celebratory post in COVID-19 quarantine even attracted a shout-out from Mr Gunner. 'We're seeing heaps of Australians from across the country come to the Territory, quarantine for 2 weeks to keep our community safe, and then enjoy our great Territory lifestyle,' Mr Gunenr said in a Facebook post. 'And I'm glad it means contributing to our music scene too. 'We're all very excited to have you up here to play at REBOUND 2020 in October. Here's to the Territory.' CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Landmarks Illinois is excited to announce the nine recipients of the 2020 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards. The annual awards program, now in its 27th year, honors exceptional historic preservation projects and the people saving important places in Illinois. Projects and individuals in Aurora, Chicago, Galena, Moline, Rockford and Watseka, Illinois, will receive awards in the categories of Adaptive Use, Rehabilitation, Restoration, Advocacy and Lifetime Achievement. The 2020 award winners will be honored at a virtual awards ceremony October 21, 2020, the details of which are below. In addition to an award, recipients receive a $1,000 prize. "Our 2020 award recipients represent a wide range of Illinois preservation projects, from multi-million dollar redevelopments in large cities to grassroots, local efforts in small towns," said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. "One thing these award-winning preservation efforts all have in common, though, is how they will each play an important role in revitalizing our Illinois communities in the months and years to come. While we cannot gather in person this year to celebrate the incredibly dedicated people who led these inspiring projects, Landmarks Illinois is as proud as ever to recognize their contribution to saving our historic places." A jury of historic preservation professionals selected this year's winners. Projects are judged on their impact to the community and how it inspires others, the quality and degree of difficulty of the project and the degree to which the project aligns with Landmarks Illinois' mission. The 2020 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award recipients are listed below. Visit our website to read more details on each project and project leaders. Aurora Arts Center, Aurora: Award for Adaptive Use Located in two downtown historic buildings dating back to the 1920s, the Aurora Arts Center offers affordable housing for artists, job opportunities and arts education space. The adaptive reuse project led by the nonprofit developer group, The Community Builders, has contributed to the revitalization of the city's downtown district, providing new economic opportunities and greater access to the arts for all residents. Cook County Hospital Administration Building, Chicago: Award for Adaptive Use Civic Health Development Group led the $140 million rehabilitation of the long-vacant Old Cook County Hospital, which has completely revived the 1913 Beaux-Arts building and the Illinois Medical District on Chicago's Near West Side. The project was 20 years in the making and has transformed the threatened building named four times to Landmarks Illinois' Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois into a mixed-use complex that includes a Hyatt hotel, Cook County medical office facility and retail space. Lathrop, Chicago: Award for Rehabilitation Lathrop Community Partners, a development partnership between Related Midwest, Heartland Housing and Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp., have rehabilitated the historic Lathrop Homes on Chicago's Northside. Originally built in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration project, the new Lathrop Homes includes a renovation of 16 of the original 32 historic buildings to produce 414 mixed-income residences, green space along the Chicago River, community gathering space, administrative buildings and more. University of Chicago Keller Center, Chicago: Award for Adaptive Use The University of Chicago-led restoration of the 1962 Edward Durrell Stone-designed Keller Center has been thoughtfully and sustainably reimagined, creating 125,000 square feet of usable and enjoyable space for both the academic and larger university community. Home to the university's Harris School of Public Policy, the transformed building now serves as a learning laboratory where students can witness real-world challenges and solutions through design. The Mark Twain, Chicago: Award for Rehabilitation The NHP Foundation, a nonprofit real estate corporation, has rehabilitated the 1930 Art Deco building in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, creating 140 single-room occupancy affordable housing units. The project impeccably restored the historic character of both the interior and exterior of the building while also meeting all Department of Housing SRO requirements. Marilyn and Carl Johnson, Galena: Joe Antunovich Award for Leadership, Lifetime Achievement The Johnsons are being honored for their nearly 50 years of dedication to historic preservation in their home city of Galena. Through advocacy, education and hands-on practice, the Johnsons have helped preserve a number of historic buildings in Galena, and co-founded the Galena Foundation, which continues to promote the city's unique history and heritage. Garfield School Senior Residences, Moline: Award for Adaptive Use Gorman and Company led a sustainable and energy efficient adaptive reuse of the former Garfield school campus, constructed in 1902 and vacant since 2014. The former school now is home to senior residences that feature historic character from the building's original design. The project has brought needed affordable senior housing to Moline and revitalized an aging and once-neglected property. Friends of Ziock, Rockford: Award for Advocacy The longtime advocacy efforts of the Friends of Ziock group resulted in the much needed rehabilitation of Rockford's Ziock Building. The former daylight factory built between 1912 and 1950 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places has been transformed into a hotel and convention center that can attract economic activity and tourism to Rockford. The redevelopment of the former factory, led by Gorman & Company, would not have happened without the dedicated individuals who continued to push for the building's reuse for nearly a decade. Roff House, Watseka: Award for Restoration John Whitman is being honored for his loving restoration of the Roff House, an 1868 Italianate-style historic home in Watseka widely known for its supernatural lore and for attracting thousands of visitors a year. Whitman undertook a meticulous five-phase restoration of the home to honor its history and its original architectural features, resulting in a revived local landmark. More about the Awards Ceremony & Special Pre-Event Happy Hour Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Landmarks Illinois will host its first virtual Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards Ceremony on October 21, 2020, at 6 p.m. The awards ceremony is free to Landmarks Illinois members and $10 to members of the public or non-Landmarks Illinois members. Registration is required to attend the virtual event, and registered guests will receive a custom link and information on how to access the online ceremony prior to the event. Register here. Guests are also welcome to register and attend Breweries Saving Buildings: A Virtual Happy Hour hosted by the Skyline Council of Landmarks Illinois that begins at 5 p.m. directly before the awards ceremony on October 21, 2020. This special event will focus on how craft breweries are revitalizing historic buildings and surrounding neighborhoods in Illinois. Brewmasters and owners from past preservation award-winning projects Eris Brewery & Cider House of Chicago and Prairie Street Brewing Company of Rockford will take guests on a virtual tour of their historic homes and lead us in an online taste testing of their beer and ciders. Registration is required and tickets are $5 for all attendees. Guests will be able to purchase beer and cider tasting kits that include specific craft brews from Eris and Prairie Street Brewing prior to the event. Please visit our website for more information on these events and to register for both. About Landmarks Illinois We are People Saving Places for People. Landmarks Illinois is a membership-based nonprofit organization serving the people of Illinois. We inspire and empower stakeholders to save places that matter to them by providing free guidance, practical and financial resources and access to strategic partnerships. For more information, visit www.Landmarks.org. View and download photos of each award project here. Media Contact: Kaitlyn McAvoy Communications Manager, Landmarks Illinois 312-922-1742 [email protected] SOURCE Landmarks Illinois Related Links http://www.landmarks.org Actress Kangana Ranaut, who reached Mumbai from Himachal on Wednesday, has released a video statement condemning the demolition of her Bandra office by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for alleged illegal extensions and modifications. Her production house Manikarnika Films functioned from the office. In the video shot in Hindi, Kangana was seen addressing Uddhav Thackeray directly saying that his ego will be demolished like her house. She also said that she understood what Kashmiri Pandits went through and promised the country she will not only make a film about Ayodhya but also Kashmir. The actress then said that there is a huge significance that this happened to her and sarcastically said that the BMC has done a huge favour on her. She also previously shared pictures of her half-demolished office on Twitter. Take a look below: She had also tweeted saying that no illegal construction was done in her office. There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut." There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Meanwhile, Kangana Ranaut had approached the Bombay High Court on Wednesday challenging the notice issued by the Mumbai civic body for illegal construction at her bungalow, and sought a stay on the demolition process. We filed a petition this morning seeking urgent hearing. We have sought a stay on the demolition process by way of interim relief," Ranauts advocate Rizwan Siddiqui told PTI. , , , https://t.co/3YkJdLfO0y Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 He further said, There is nothing illegal. Its a bungalow and residential property, which was not used for commercial purposes. Kangana will assess the damage and it may be in crores. They have damaged furniture and paintings." Kangana had previously been locked in a bitter war of words with Shiv Sena and Maharashtra government, and had compared Mumbai to Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Shiv Sena had also organised a protest against the actress last week. On Wednesday, Kangana was provided Y+ security by the Central government for protection. (Newser) A fast-moving wildfire in the mountains along California's central coast trapped 14 firefighters, who deployed emergency shelters as the blaze overran a fire station, authorities say. Several firefighters were treated for burns and one was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The US Forest Service says the Nacimiento Station in the Los Padres National Forest was destroyed. Elsewhere in the state, helicopters rescued more than 100 campers, hikers, and others trapped in Sierra National Forest by the Creek fire, reports the Los Angeles Times. Another 200 were rescued over the weekend. story continues below With at least two dozen major fires burning, California has already set a record, with more than 2.3 million acres burned, and the time of year when wildfires are usually worst is just beginning, the AP reports. The US Forest Service has closed campsites statewide. "Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior. New fire starts are likely. Weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire," says Randy Moore, a forester for the Forest Services Pacific Southwest region. The New York Times reports that major fires are also burning in Oregon and Washington state, where a blaze has destroyed 80% of the buildings in Malden, population 200. (One California fire was caused by a gender reveal party.) SV Krishna Chaitanya By Express News Service CHENNAI: Not letting the coronavirus pandemic derail the nation's space programme, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had decided to go ahead with projects by relaxing the complete lockdown at the Sriharikota rocket launch station. All administrative officers and senior staff associated with scientific and technical work have been asked to attend duties on all working days. The New Indian Express has accessed the fresh working modalities issued by Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-Shar) Controller V Kumbakarnan, according to which 50 per cent of employees will be working based on a roster system prepared by respective division heads. "Employees residing in SDSC-Shar housing colonies at Sriharikota and Sullurpeta shall attend the duties. Operation and maintenance contract employees residing in department colonies shall only be called for duties based on essentiality of work. Construction works shall continue as per prevailing arrangements," the circular reads. Employees are also directed to inform the office, if they or any family member is undergoing a COVID-19 test and shall self-isolate till a conclusive test result is obtained. "Suppression of information by any employee in this regard will be viewed seriously and action as deemed fit will be initiated as per extant rules," the authorities said. People with underlying conditions (comorbidities) and undergoing treatment for these ailments before enforcement of the lockdown, upon production of medical prescription from the treating physician, persons with disabilities and pregnant women are exempted from the duty roster. Attending mass gatherings prohibited In a separate circular, the SDSC-Shar Controller has warned employees of stringent action after it was found that a majority of COVID-19 cases were the result of employees attending some kind of mass gathering, including marriages, funerals, house warming ceremonies etc. "Most employees did not give any information about attending such functions. Leaving headquarters to attend such mass gatherings is one of the major factors for the spread of COVID-19 in SDSC-Shar. In order to contain the spread, all employees are advised to desist from participating in functions. As per CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964, prior permission of competent authority has to be taken by the government servants before leaving the station/headquarters. Therefore, the employees are advised to comply with the rules. In case the employee did not obtain permission and attend any kind of function and was later diagnosed as COVID-19 positive, action as deemed fit shall be taken for hiding the information," Kumbakarnan said. KYIV, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Supreme Court on Wednesday stopped the implementation of a ruling which obliged top lender PrivatBank to pay back $350 million to six non-resident companies, PrivatBank said. This month, a court ruled that PrivatBank must pay back $350 million deposited in the accounts of several non-resident companies before its nationalisation in 2016. The bank and Ukraine's justice ministry said they would appeal that ruling. The bank said the execution of the decision was stopped pending consideration of appeals on previous claims. The central bank pronounced PrivatBank insolvent in 2016 and wrote off the assets of its owners and related firms to cover the lender's capital gap. It said PrivatBank was nationalised because shady lending practices had pushed it toward insolvency. The Kyiv government invested more than $5.7 billion to rescue the savings of about 20 million small depositors. Former shareholders deny any wrongdoing and have fought in different courts since 2016 to reverse the nationalisation. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; editing by Jason Neely) Upcl.org scored 42 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 1 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the upcl homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the upcl homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the upcl homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the upcl homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if upcl has a Facebook fan page). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the upcl homepage on Twitter + the total number of upcl followers (if upcl has a Twitter account). Basic Information PAGE TITLE Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE HTML 4.01 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE ISO-8859-1 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache-Coyote/1.1 (Servlet/3.0 JBossAS-6) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. The language of upcl.org as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Operative System running on the server. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for upcl.org 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 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. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Letter to the Editor Government and Psychology There is a tension in all of us in our choices. We can choose a path that helps us survive better or we can choose one that helps the community survive better. The first leads to the rich man. The second doesnt necessarily lead to Lazarus, but it leads to a healthy community. This tension is part of evolution. Its why the dinosaurs got bigger and stronger, but bigger and stronger also makes one more vulnerable to collapse. The second pathway is one of cooperation and it leads to more resilience, diversity and health. A very useful game used in psychological research showing these two paths is called The Prisoners Dilemma. It began simply as a what would you do? question for a prisoner and his accomplice who are questioned separately by the police after being apprehended at a crime. The choices are to defect and survive better or cooperate. If they both defect and rat on each other they both go to jail. If one rats and the other stays silent the defector gets a better deal and his cooperator buddy gets more prison time. If they both cooperate the information is less so they both get a lighter sentence. Thousands of studies have been done with this game and it has been expanded to other areas of our social interaction. In this expansion, the lone defector is rewarded with $5. Mutual defectors get nothing. Mutual cooperators each get $3. It has been computerized and played enough to see the end results: a society of cooperators has the highest fitness; a society of defectors has the lowest; and in a mixed society, the defectors have the edgeentirely at the expense of the cooperators. In my book, Lets Make America Healthy Again, this game plays a part in how I look at government. We have a mixed society and the defectors have an edgeat the expense of the cooperators. The Build the Wall fund that got Steve Bannon indicted is just one example of the defectors winning at the expense of the cooperators. So are the six bankruptcies of our President that left his cooperators unpaid, and the same can be said of his turning his back on the Kurds who were the primary force ending Isis. On the other hand, there is also the cooperation displayed by Roger Stone in not revealing anything about the connection he fostered between the Trump campaign with WikiLeaks and Russia that resulted in his partner pardoning him. Cooperation works even when society is left out. Both survival by natural selection and the cooperation that leads to a healthy society are part of evolution. Both are necessary, but they need to be in balance. And we need to understand that ego-oriented survival that comes from Social Darwinism is a mistaken application of natural selection to society. Its closer to that seen in Cain when his ego was threatened by Abels accepted sacrifice. Egos can be very fragile and in powerful defectors that is dangerous. Our choice this November is very much between a society run by defectors and one run by cooperators. Lon Jones D.O. Plainview, TX Len Camardas Prey of the Falcon highlights the importance of the role of women as leaders in society HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C., Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mysterious abductions of female students from universities throughout Europe brings together law enforcement agencies in a complicated investigation to find the missing women and bring them home in Len Camardas new novel, Prey of the Falcon: An International Thriller (published by AuthorHouse). Two women, a Spaniard and her American friend, go missing from the University of Madrid in a suspected abduction. Gone without a trace with no demand for ransom, no communication from would-be kidnappers nothing. Principal investigators, Gino Cerone and Mercedes Garcia, soon discover a dark plot that touches the best and brightest women leaders amongst their peers at universities across Europe, eventually taking them to the desert kingdoms of the Middle East to find answers. Camarda hopes his book shows readers A broad brush approach to discussing the sometimes schizophrenic policies and politics of the countries of the Middle East, and despite the majesty, magic and mystery of these lands---historically and currently---the complexities they present, now and for their future. Prey of the Falcon is available for purchase online on AuthorHouses website: https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/807755-prey-of-the-falcon. Prey of the Falcon By Len Camarda Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 298 pages | ISBN 9781728361475 Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 298 pages | ISBN 9781728361499 E-Book | 298 pages | ISBN 9781728361482 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Len Camarda has published several short stories and his first novel, The Seventh Treasure, has received outstanding reviews. He is also an accomplished painter. A 40 year career, mostly internationally, took him virtually around the world, including working and living in Panama, Holland and Spain with his wife and daughter. Living abroad was truly life changing, experiencing different cultures, awesome vistas and creating friendships that have endured for more than 30 years. Originally from New York, Camarda, his wife and two toy poodles Demi Tazza and Cappuccino live in the low country of South Carolina. As with The Seventh Treasure, the author plans to donate sales and royalties for Prey of the Falcon to the Wounded Warriors Project and the Hilton Head Humane Association. Story continues AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 833-262-8899. Attachment CONTACT: Marketing Services AuthorHouse 833-262-8899 pressreleases@authorhouse.com Djeneba Aduayom for Womens HealthFor the October cover of Women's Health magazine, Gabrielle Union rocked her natural hair, which brought her an overwhelming feeling of empowerment. "I don't think I've ever felt more powerful," Union said during an appearance on Good Morning America on Tuesday. "It was the first time shooting a cover with a Black female photographer, and I've been in the business 25 years -- so it's unfortunate that it took that long to happen, but it just felt so empowering to be shot by a Black woman." The L.A. Finest's star said it was an "amazing experience" wearing her natural hair for the first time. "No wigs or clips or weaves or anything just my own natural curls, and I felt so amazing," Union shared. "I was fully in my body, and I felt like my most authentic self." As a former America's Got Talent judge, Union says she's hopeful for "change" in the future after filing her recent discrimination complaint against NBC which has been a hot topic of discussion over the past few months. "Change is all about perspective. Change is happening, but it's slow," Union said. "One of the things I have to stay hopeful about is that more people than not want to be on the right side of history when this whole thing is said and done and are truly embracing creating safer, happier, healthier, more inclusive workplaces." By Rachel George Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. HONG KONG, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Decentralized Finance (DeFi) growth has been explosive. In the last year, the value locked into DeFi has increased 1500% to $8bn, according to DeFi Pulse. As analysts question how disruptive it will be to traditional finance, Crypto.com and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), have today, released a joint research report weighing the implications DeFi will have on centralised finance. Crypto.com x BCG Platinion (PRNewsfoto/Crypto.com) The Sudden Rise of DeFi: Opportunities and Risks for Financial Services (PRNewsfoto/Crypto.com) Crypto.com Logo (PRNewsfoto/Crypto.com) "The Sudden Rise of DeFi: Opportunities and Risks for Financial Services" explores the factors driving the growth of the DeFi industry, which is an Open Finance movement built upon public programmable blockchains such as Ethereum. DeFi's proponents expect a disruption of mainstream financial services by allowing all aspects of financial services to be automated and performed by anyone, without a central authority or intermediary. The report tempers the anticipated potential of DeFi with an honest assessment of current challenges facing the industry and the underlying technology. Regulation and governance have given the centralised finance (CeFi) industry an enormous proportion of the value generated from financial services. While DeFi may be perceived as a threat to CeFi, Crypto.com and BCG's report offers a roadmap for financial services leaders to build a new generation of politically and technologically resilient financial solutions that are extremely valuable and more relevant in today's digital economy. Kris Marszalek, Co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com said: "Our joint research into DeFi provides a deep dive into the reasons behind its growth, differentiators against CeFi and its potential to disrupt mainstream finance. Whereas much existing research into DeFi is project-specific and crypto-centric, this report leverages both Crypto.com and BCG's respective areas of expertise to deliver a comprehensive side-by-side comparison with incumbents in traditional finance." Kaj Burchardi, Managing Director with BCG Platinion said: "Whether companies choose to embrace decentralised finance or not, they still need to understand the impact it will have and track customer demand for autonomy, especially in payments, loans and exchange. By uncovering current levels of liquidity, charting the progress of regulation, and judging levels of risk - companies can continually assess whether services should be substituted for a more decentralised model. By partnering with Crypto.com, we have been able to advise companies with an honest appraisal on DeFi, giving them the tools to make informed decisions on its adoption." About the research https://defi-pubs.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/BCG_Crypto.com_The_Sudden_Rise_of_DeFi_Opportunities_and+Risks_for_Financial_Services.pdf About Crypto.com Crypto.com was founded in 2016 on a simple belief: it's a basic human right for everyone to control their money, data and identity. Crypto.com serves over 3 million customers today, providing them with a powerful alternative to traditional financial services through the Crypto.com App, the Crypto.com Card and the Crypto.com Exchange.Crypto.com is built on a solid foundation of security, privacy and compliance and is the first cryptocurrency company in the world to have ISO/IEC 27701:2019, CCSS Level 3, ISO27001:2013 and PCI:DSS 3.2.1, Level 1 compliance. Crypto.com is headquartered in Hong Kong with a 500+ strong team. Find out more by visiting https://crypto.com About BCG Platinion As a part of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), BCG Platinion provides consulting services in design, development and implementation of advanced technology solutions that fuel creation of new-generation business models. Today, our presence spans the globe with offices in Europe, North and South America, South Africa and Asia Pacific. About Boston Consulting Group Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we help clients with total transformationinspiring complex change, enabling organizations to grow, building competitive advantage, and driving bottom-line impact. To succeed, organizations must blend digital and human capabilities. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives to spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting along with technology and design, corporate and digital venturesand business purpose. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, generating results that allow our clients to thrive. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/888271/Crypto_Logo.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1251545/Foris_Image_Infographic.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1251663/CryptoCom_BCG_platinion.jpg SOURCE Crypto.com The Western U.S. is being hit by wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres along the Pacific Coast, while Colorado has seen records for both hot and cold temperatures within three days. Driving the news: California fighters are battling more than two dozen major fires, as PG&E cut power to 170,000 customers in a safety shutdown. In Oregon, thousands were forced to evacuate as several large wildfires ravage the state. In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) tweeted that 330,000 acres had burned in the state in a single day "more than 12 of the last 18 entire fire seasons." A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted. What's happening: In California, dozens of people trapped by flames had to be rescued from the Sierra National Forest on Tuesday. In the Los Padres National Forest on California's central coast, several firefighters and operators were wounded, one critically, after being surrounded by fire at the Nacimiento Station. The National Forest Service has temporarily closed forests, trails and campgrounds across the state In Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown (D) invoked an emergency conflagration declaration Tuesday to free up state resources to fight the fires. Wind was continuing to fuel the wildfires, "with devastating consequences" across state, she noted. A massive wildfire has left the communities of Blue River and Vida are "a total loss including an estimated 150 homes," the WasteWise Lane County said in a statement. communities of Blue River and Vida are "a total loss including an estimated 150 homes," the WasteWise Lane County said in a statement. Brown described the situation at a news conference as "an unprecedented and significant fire event for our state." In Washington, some 100,000 people were without power on Tuesday, Inslee said. In the town of Malden, Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers confirmed in a statement that 80% of homes and other structures had been destroyed. "The scale of this disaster really can't be expressed in words," Myers said. In Colorado, Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said the sudden change from searing heat to snow would give firefighters battling the massive Cameron Peak Fire in the state's north some relief, but it's "certainly not going to stop this fire." The blaze is the fifth largest recorded in Colorado and has prompted evacuations as it burned across over 102,000 acres as of Tuesday, the Colorado Sun notes. Of note: Denver on Tuesday tied with a 1962 record for the lowest temperature, as it hit 31F, according to the National Weather Service. On Saturday, Denver hit a record high of 101F. A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted. Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout Several commuters called for NJ Transits CEO and the board chairwoman to resign as a veteran state senator questioned the power structure between agency top management and the board of directors. Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg said the board of directors currently isnt living up to the charge in a reform law she co-authored, when she spoke at NJ Transits board of directors meeting Wednesday morning. I wrote to the chairman and the board and many of my questions have yet to receive an answer and many highlight how the board is not living up to its charge, Weinberg said. The veteran lawmaker wrote the bill signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in December 2018 that put more experts and riders on the board. But she found it was necessary to write another bill this year to clarify that law. Weinberg said there is a difference between what the reform law intended and what is happening. Several commuters went further, calling on NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett and Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, whos also board chairwoman, to resign because significant progress hasnt been made during the three years theyve been in charge. Does the board answer to the CEO or does Kevin Corbett answer to the board? asked Ryan Felmet, a rider and independent commuter advocate. "Its been three years, do you think Kevin Corbett has done an adequate job to get NJ Transit back on track? Has he restored the public trust? Felmet agreed with Weinberg, saying theres a failure in accountability of management to the board. We in the legislature intended to have NJ Transit run by a board of experts, professionals and riders, Weinberg said. Neither I or the legislature wants to direct NJ Transits daily affairs, we didnt want governors office running NJT. We wanted a board to serve riders and direct staff. Corbett replied that he works for the board. I certainly report to the board, he said after the meeting. Well respond to any questions she (Weinberg) wants. However, he said the boards job is to provide guidance and oversight, not to manage. The agency has a more dynamic board and committee meetings are getting more open, Corbett said. Responding to calls for his resignation, Corbett said the agencys record during the past three years should speak for itself. He noted progress made replenishing the depleted ranks of locomotive engineers and bus drivers, buying new equipment, meeting the first deadline in 2018 toward installing a mandatory federal safety system. Everyones entitled to their own opinion. We have a tremendous amount of accomplishments, he said. There isnt any major transit system that doesnt have people saying those things. Weinberg, and other commuters who spoke, brought up questions about how NJ Transit management responded to specific issues, such as a woman who was stuck on an empty train for 90 minutes and a recent bus crash at the Port Authority bus terminal and private commuter bus lines that have suspended service. Weinberg said board members should have learned about the Port Authority bus terminal crash and the stranded train rider from management, not by reading news accounts. Thats contrary to what the reform law intended when an operating and customer service committee was created, she said. The committee is supposed to advise (the full board) on customer issues. Why isnt the board informed of these matters? Weinberg said. How can they be expected to make improvements if they dont know what customers go through? Commuters who spoke criticized what they called managements callous dismissal of what the stranded passenger went through by comparing it to being no worse than sitting in traffic at the August committee meeting. The agencys infamous customer advocate also came under fire for making his personal Twitter account private. Weinberg asked how commuters can contact Stewart Mader, the agencys customer advocate since he took that step. Her current bill clarifying the NJ Transit reform law would revamp the customer advocate position and job description to have more accountability and transparency about what they do. If he is to communicate with riders, how will he do it? she asked. Corbett said he can be reached through the agencys customer service department. The plight of private commuter bus carriers, which augment NJ Transit service in certain regions also is an outstanding question Weinberg said remains unanswered by the agency. DeCamp bus indefinitely suspended service in August after ridership didnt come back, sparking a request from private bus companies that NJ Transit share a portion of the $1.4 billion federal CARES act funding. The agency spent $350 million of that funding so far and Weinberg asked if there would be a surplus of CARES act funding at the end of fiscal year 2021. Finally, she questioned whether a planned infusion of between $375 million to $500 million from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to NJ Transits operating budget will happen as proposed, in the recently approved toll increase package. This is an important pledge for NJ Transit to help end the annual capital to operating budget transfer, Weinberg said. Documents from the Turnpike Authority say that funding will start at $375 million is fiscal year 2021 and increase to a maximum of $525 million afterward. That will negate the need for a fare increase in fiscal year 2021, said a letter from the authority to Murphy about the toll increases passed in May. New Jersey Turnpike Authority drivers will benefit from commuter traffic taken off the toll roads and NJ Transit can reducing using money for major projects for operating expenses, meaning less funding coming from the states general treasury. Its part of a solution, he said. Its not uncommon for agencies, such as the (New York) MTA to cross subsidize transit. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. SV Krishna Chaitanya By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, which is about 100 km from Chennai, finds no respite from coronavirus. The space centre reported 47 fresh Covid-19 cases on Wednesday taking the tally to over 100 in just the last four days. Considering the gravity of the situation, the Nellore district administration has deployed a 'Sanjeevini' bus at the space centre to beef-up Covid-19 testing. The Andhra Pradesh government has converted the APSRTC Garuda AC buses into testing facilities. ALSO READ | Covid concerns skyrocket at space centre in Sriharikota Apart from RT-PCR tests being conducted by the administration, rapid Antigen tests are being conducted by district authorities through Sanjeevini. While RT-PCR tests have diagnosed 33 fresh cases, 14 persons found positive through antigen tests on Wednesday. Nellore district collector KVN Chakradhar Babu told The New Indian Express that there was nothing to panic. "Through Sanjeevini, we have screened over 600 people at Shar in the last three days, of which 61 turned positive. The tests are still in progress. Most of them are asymptomatic. They are kept in isolation and monitored within the Sriharikota rocket launch station in Shar. I am in constant touch with the Shar co-ordinator and whatever support they need, the district administration is ready to provide." ALSO READ | ISRO back in mission mode, allows 50% staff to work at Sriharikota rocket launch station Over concerns of bed shortage in Nellore that was voiced by Shar authorities, Babu said previously only two Covid-19 hospitals were operational, but as on date, "we are having 14 Covid-19 hospitals with sufficient ICU, non-ICU beds. Ventilators and oxygen support are stocked-up in adequate quantities to meet the requirement." Despite an unprecedented rise in Covid cases, Shar authorities have chosen to keep the operations going. Still, 50% of staff are attending duties on a roster basis. Sources told Express that ISRO was planning to launch at least two launches by end of this year and for this reason, it was critical to carry out operation and maintenance works at Sriharikota. The collector also confirmed that ISRO was planning for a couple of launches. There are ways bars can open safely if the governor chooses reopen them, according to Midland Health CEO Russell Meyers. Meyers said social distancing rules similar to those restaurants must follow could be implemented. Whether patrons choose to follow those rules is another matter, he said. Gov. Greg Abbott said last month that bars could potentially reopen once coronavirus metrics improve more significantly. He said he would need to see the states positivity rate drop below 10 percent for a sustained period of time and for hospitalizations to decrease, according to an article from the Texas Tribune. Meyers said Tuesday that the number of people testing positive during Midland Health testing was below 10 percent for two straight weeks. He said that more than 400 people had been tested each week and those people exhibited symptoms or had been determined to have been exposed to someone who tested positive for coronavirus. Meyers said that the same type of things being done in restaurants certainly can be done in bars, but the challenge has been when a person consumes alcoholic beverages and their inhibitions and compliance with those kinds of rules tends to be reduced. So, it actually makes it less likely that people will follow the rules once they get a drink or two in them, Meyers said. Im glad that Im not in the governors shoes and having to make those decisions. Meyers said Abbott wants the economy to continue to reopen, while still taking into consideration the health of the community. As the numbers go down, I know the governor is going to have to consider that, Meyers said. Whether it can be done safely or not, I think is somewhat in question. But there are ways that that can be done, and I would hope that those are considered. New rules approved by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in late August eliminated requirements that prevented many bars from reopening under Abbotts COVID-19 restrictions, according to a story in the Austin American-Statesman. The rules lift the requirement for an on-site kitchen and let bars count the sales from prepackaged food and food trucks as food revenue. The idea is to help bars raise their total revenue from food above 51 percent, which is the threshold needed to qualify for a food and beverage permit. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:16:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's chief justice on Tuesday called for a higher level of judicial cooperation among BRICS countries to jointly deal with risks and challenges. Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court, made the remarks while attending the BRICS Chief Justices Forum via video link. Zhou put forward proposals for the courts of BRICS countries to build extensive consensus, share experience, and improve mechanisms to elevate pragmatic judicial cooperation to a new level. Multilateral judicial cooperation should be consolidated and deepened to serve as a driving force in building an open world economy and promoting reform of global governance, he said. Enditem New Delhi, Sep 9 : Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde on Wednesday said that most of the apex court judges have been advised to sit separately while taking up matters through video conferencing against the backdrop of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The remarks from the CJI came while adjourning a petition concerning the ongoing reclamation work for the Mumbai coastal road project. The bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, told senior advocate Harish Salve, who was about to begin his arguments, that it will hear the matter some other day. The Chief Justice said: "Most of us are sitting separately... we have been asked to sit separately." He added that he hopes everything is all right. He took up the case from his chamber while the other two judges on the bench were sitting in the courtroom. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that everything will be fine. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said the case could be adjourned for two weeks. On September 7, the Supreme Court was informed that Attorney General K.K. Venugopal has gone into self-quarantine, after one of his colleagues tested positive for Covid-19. The information was shared with a bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and Hemant Gupta during the hearing of a matter connected with the vacancies in the tribunals. In view of this development, the Centre sought an adjournment in the matter. The bench was requested by Additional Solicitor General S.V, Raju that it should allow a short adjournment in the case as the AG, who was representing the Centre in the matter, has gone into self-quarantine. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday said COVID-19 has demonstrated the weaknesses in society and economics in a "very big way" specially in the informal sector where a huge migration of people was seen during the lockdown. Yunus, an economist, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance. Addressing the third Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit on the Fair Share for Children, the Nobel laureate from Bangladesh said specifically in India it was seen how migrants walked back to their homes after losing their incomes in the lockdown. "COVID has demonstrated the weaknesses in our society and economics in a very big way. One is the massive migration of informal sector people who were working on a daily income basis. They soon ran out of their income and couldn't feed themselves and pay rent specifically in India so they walked back home miles because there was no income here," he said. Yunus was addressing a session on 'Food Insecurity during COVID-19: Ending Child Hunger and Stopping the Virus for Good'. "So this is one issue we have to raise that how to make income possible wherever you are born," he said. The coronavirus-triggered lockdown has had a devastating impact on the economy as well as on the livelihoods of lakhs of migrant workers. The plight of migrant workers who were walking from urban centres across the country to their villages hundreds of kilometres away had grabbed headlines for almost two months. On the impact of COVID-19 on children, Yunus said children are not isolated from the effects of the pandemic. "We need to pay attention (on nutrition) but focusing on children alone will not lead us to a solution. Child and mother are together so if the mother is hungry the child remains hungry too so we have to address families who are in shortage of food. We have to think about the families," he said. "In the long term, we need to look at families as complete bodies. Affordability of food is important here, not availability of food and that is where we have to focus all our attention," he added. There is clear international demand for ICU ventilators, like the Chirana Aura V, and I look forward to working alongside our partners across the globe to lead the companys efforts in making the product available, said Reeves. IPM Chirana, a new joint venture formed to rapidly accelerate the production of vital ICU ventilators to combat the effects of COVID-19, has appointed Bud Reeves as Chief Executive Officer and Mike Gentile as Vice President of Medical Affairs. The high-profile team will lead the international production of the Chirana Aura V ventilator, an advanced critical care ventilation system, as it launches to the global market. In one of the most significant bids to aid the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, IPM Chirana was formed as a strategic partnership between Europes leading InfraTech asset manager, IPM Group, Chirana Medical, Ximedica and NDA Partners to rapidly accelerate global production of Chirana Aura V critical care ventilators. As IPM Chiranas new Chief Executive Officer, Bud Reeves will lead efforts to address the shortage of critical care ventilators by ensuring that the Aura V ventilator will be made available internationally. With over 20 years of experience in leadership and sales experience in the medical respiratory industry, Reeves will first support manufacturing efforts in the Americas, as the company looks to expand global production of the Aura V by approximately 5,000 ventilators per annum. Reeves previously served as Director of Sales and Strategic Business Channels at Phillips Healthcare, prior to which he served as Director of Sales, Corporate and Strategic Accounts at Respironics, overseeing all GPO, IDN and distribution management. The opportunity to lead the global expansion of IPM Chirana at this critical time is very exciting, said Reeves. There is clear international demand for ICU ventilators, like the Chirana Aura V, and I look forward to working alongside our partners across the globe to lead the companys efforts in making the product available. Mike Gentile joins IPM Chirana as Vice President of Medical Affairs, following his role as Vice President of Medical Affairs at VERO Biotech, where he successfully helped launch the first tankless inhaled nitric oxide system at the US-based medical technology company. Gentile previously held the position of Associate in Research at Duke University, one of the worlds leading medical universities, from 2003-2018, where he formulated and guided research, teaching and testing of mechanical ventilation technology and strategies. Im very pleased to join IPM Chirana at this immensely important time for the medical technology industry, said Gentile. As leaders in the field of ventilation, IPM Chirana has huge potential to become critically important to the global production of ICU ventilators, and I look forward to working closely with the team to ensure the company can realize its global ambition. Reeves will take up his position from IPM Chiranas office in North Carolina from which he will look to establish a team to drive regulatory approvals and a best-in-class sales team. Gentile will also be based in the North Carolina office and will support the regulatory process for the Aura V ventilator, clinical studies, marketing and further product development. We are delighted to welcome both Bud and Mike to the leadership team at IPM Chirana, added Peter Gajdos, IPM Chirana Executive Chairman and Head of Venture Capital at IPM Group. Their combined experience, expertise and dedication to the industry will be invaluable as we launch in the global market. We are very confident that their track record of success in building strong teams and delivering consistently high performing results will help rapidly grow the company in the USA and globally. About IPM Chirana IPM Chirana is an international joint venture comprising of Chirana Medical (medical technology), IPM Group (finance and strategy), Ximedica (design and contract manufacturing) and NDA Partners (regulatory advisory). https://www.ipmllp.com/case-study/ipm-chirana/ About IPM Group IPM Group (IPM) is an asset and wealth management company that currently holds more than one billion US dollars in assets under management. IPM was established in London in 2014 and has global presence with offices in London, Bratislava, Seoul, San Francisco and Hong Kong. The IPMs portfolio companies are positioned to solve some of the worlds pressing issues across sectors including energy, mobility and AI enabled critical infrastructure. The dynamic and disruptive approach of the company has seen it become responsible for many first of their kind transactions across the globe, in the process, seeding Silicon Valley expertise in the heart of the Danube Valley. The company has the potential to support Europes bid for technological and supply chain sovereignty in its areas of activity. http://www.ipmllp.com The boss of one of Australia's biggest biotech companies has slammed Daniel Andrews' road map out of lockdown as a disaster and has warned there may never be a successful coronavirus vaccine. CSL chairman Brian McNamee described the Premier's strategy as a 'map for misery' for Victoria and crushing policy for a dynamic city such as Melbourne as it recovers from a second horror coronavirus wave. He also warned against the federal and state governments assuming a vaccine was on its way after Australia's hopes for a vaccine being developed in the UK was put on hold earlier this week. Dr McNamee told the Herald Sun: 'It's a map for misery for Victoria. Why do I say that? There's so many factors that influence that. 'First of all the modelling is too narrow in the context they're looking for. Your model is only as good as your inputs and what you are trying to achieve with that model.' Australia's hopes for a vaccine suffered a setback this week after one being developed in the UK was paused. Pictured is a woman at drug company AstraZeneca's headquarters in Sydney MELBOURNE CURFEW WAS ANDREWS' CALL Daniel Andrews claimed on Wednesday that he only introduced Melbourne's overnight curfew to make it easier for police to enforce lockdown. But in an extraordinary retort, Victoria Police's Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said he did not request a curfew and that he only found about the new law hours before the public was told. 'I was never consulted. I've made enquiries to determine if anyone in the organisation was briefed on the matter,' he told the 3AW radio station. 'We had never asked for a curfew.' After initially denying it was his decision to bring in the stay-at-home rule, Mr Andrews finally came clean and admitted he was responsible for it and that it wasn't based on medical advice. The decision was 'ultimately made by me', the premier said at his daily press conference on Wednesday. 'It's not a matter for Brett [Sutton], that's not health advice, that's about achieving a health outcome. His advice is 'do whatever you can to limit movement'. Mr Sutton, Victoria's Chief Health Officer, had earlier confirmed that he did not advise implement the curfew. Advertisement The Melbourne businessman says he doesn't know anyone who supports Premier Andrews' strict stage four lockdown and his 'roadmap' to ending restrictions. He told the publication the premier doesn't understand the severity of what is happening in the economy. Australian's second largest city will remain in stage four lockdown until at least September 28 after Premier Andrews extended it by two weeks on Sunday. Regional Victoria remains under stage three restrictions which allows residents to leave home for essential purposes. He's among a host of business and community leaders who have slammed the premier's plan out of lockdown this week. Others included Australian Workers' Union state secretary Ben Davis, Kmart Group managing director Ian Bailey, Harvey Norman chairman Gerry Harvey, Australian Retailers Association chief Paul Zahra and Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp. Dr McNamee also had a dire warning regarding the coronavirus vaccine, despite CSL being charged as one of the companies to manufacture it in Australia. He believes Victorian government's lockdown strategy relies on a vaccine but warned it may be 'a very long way off'. 'We can't bank on a vaccine. I think the treatments are improving but we have to learn to live with COVID. We have to manage it,' Dr McNamee told the Herald Sun. Australia's hopes for a coronavirus vaccine are under threat after trials in the UK were paused over major safety concerns. Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate are on hold after a patient became seriously ill on Tuesday. The jab being developed at Oxford University is the only overseas candidate that Australia has agreed to buy while other developed countries have signed several deals. CSL chairman Brian McNamee has described the Premier's road map out of lockdown as a disaster and a 'map of misery'. Pictured are police patrolling Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall on Thursday, which remains under stage four lockdown until at least September 28 The road map out of Melbourne lockdown has been described as a crushing policy by one businessman. Pictured are Melburnians soaking up the sunshine in the CBD on Thursday Australia has only one deal to buy a vaccine from overseas - the Oxford one with Prime Minister Scott Morrison under pressure to sign more deals. Dr McNamee wasn't surprised about the vaccine trial pause. 'We've said all along everyone is working incredibly hard, we're cautiously optimistic, but there are risks and that's why at CSL we've got two vaccines we could manufacture because the likelihood of both working is not high,' he said. Mr Andrews claimed on Wednesday that he only introduced Melbourne's overnight curfew to make it easier for police to enforce lockdown. But in an extraordinary retort, Victoria Police's Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said he did not request a curfew and that he only found about the new law hours before the public was told. 'I was never consulted. I've made enquiries to determine if anyone in the organisation was briefed on the matter,' he told the 3AW radio station. 'We had never asked for a curfew.' After initially denying it was his decision to bring in the stay-at-home rule, Mr Andrews finally came clean and admitted he was responsible for it and that it wasn't based on medical advice. The decision was 'ultimately made by me', the premier said at his daily press conference on Wednesday. 'It's not a matter for Brett [Sutton], that's not health advice, that's about achieving a health outcome. His advice is "do whatever you can to limit movement". Mr Sutton, Victoria's Chief Health Officer, had earlier confirmed that he did not advise implement the curfew. Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured left at Astra Zeneca's Sydney headquarters on August 19) is under pressure to to sign more deals get Australia a vaccine MELBOURNE'S ROADMAP OUT OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWN - WHAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO AND WHEN: Step one: Came into effect on September 14 Step two: Came into effect on September 28 Step three: When there is a daily statewide average of five new cases over the past 14 days. The original aim was for October 26, brought forward to October 19 after the 14-day average of new cases fell below initial expectations, but again put on hold after new case numbers plateaued. This has now been revamped to be a series of 'mini-steps' and more gradual easings as the numbers proved difficult to shift. Step four: The move to step four will come when there have been no new COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days. The aim is for this to come into place on November 23 COVID Normal: After 28 days of no new COVID-19 cases, things will return to normal. FREEDOMS YOU GET AT EACH STEP OF EASING Step one - came into effect September 14 - Curfew has been eased to 9pm-5am - People can still only leave home for the four reasons (shopping, exercise, work and care or medical attention) - Public gatherings increased to two people, or a household, for a maximum of two hours - Singles can have one nominated person to their home as part of the 'singles social bubble' - Childcare and early educators to remain closed - Schools will continue to learn remotely unless they have exemptions - Adult education to continue to be done remotely, unless they have exemption - Only go to work if you are in a permitted industry - Cafes and restaurants will continue with take away only - Retail businesses will remain open for essential shopping, with others only operating with click and collect - Only one person per household can do the essential shopping Step two - came into effect September 28 - Melbourne's curfew lifted - Public gatherings increase again to five people from a maximum of two households - Childcare and early educators can re-open - Schools to continue with remote learning, but Prep to Grade Two and Year 11 and Year 12 students will gradually return to class in Term 4 - There will be an increase to permitted workplaces Step three - originally expected October 26, brought forward to October 19 - There are no restrictions on leaving home - Public gatherings increase to 10 people together outdoors - A 'household bubble' will be introduced, so five people from one house can visit another - Remote learning to continue, but Grades 3 to Year 11 can gradually return to class - Adult education to continue to be done remotely, but hands on classes will see a phased return to onsite - Work from home is encouraged - Up to 10 people can eat together at restaurants and cafes, with the majority of tables outdoor - Retail shops to reopen, with hairdresses operating under safety measures but beauty stores to remain closed - Real estate agents can conduct private inspections by appointment - The one person per household limit on shopping is to be revoked Step four - November 22 - Public gatherings to increase to 50 people outdoors - Up to 20 visitors can attend a home at any one time - All adult education will return to onsite with safety measures in place - Groups limited to 20 indoors and a maximum of 50 patrons per venue - All retail stores to reopen, while real estate agents can operate with safety measures and by keeping a record of attendants Step five - COVID normal: - Public gatherings have no restriction - There will also be no restriction on visitors to homes - Phased return to onsite work for work from home workers - Schools to reopen as normal - Restrictions on hospitality removed, but venues to continue keeping records Advertisement Dan Andrews admits the Melbourne curfew was put in place to make it easier for cops to enforce the lockdown after taking responsibility for the 8pm restrictions Daniel Andrews has admitted it was his decision to introduce Melbourne curfew Comes after chief health officer revealed he did not recommend measure Victoria's top cop has revealed police weren't consulted about night curfew Premier Andrews reiterated his strong stance on night curfews on Thursday Premier Daniel Andrews has taken responsibility for his 'captain's call' of night curfews in Melbourne to help Victoria Police enforce Stage Four lockdowns. Five million Melburnians are currently banned from leaving their homes each night between 8pm and 5am under some of the harshest coronavirus restrictions in the world. The night curfew, which has now been in place for 57 days, will be eased to 9pm to 5am from 11.59pm on September 13. Andrews claimed on Wednesday that he only introduced Melbourne's overnight curfew to make it easier for police to enforce lockdown. But in an extraordinary retort, Victoria Police's Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said he did not request a curfew and that he only found about the new law hours before the public was told. Andrews was also forced to backflip his previous admissions he'd taken advice about the curfew from chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton when he revealed he wasn't responsible for the restrictions. Victoria Police boss says officers weren't consulted by the government over its decision to enforce a night curfew between the hours of 8pm-5am. Pictured are police patrolling the streets of Melbourne during stage four lockdown on Wednesday When Chief Commissioner Patton was asked if police were consulted about the curfew by 3AW morning show host Neil Mitchell on Thursday morning, he replied: 'No.' 'At no stage?' Mitchell quizzed further. Again Comissioner Patton replied: 'No.' 'The reality is I was never consulted our policy area was provided a copy of the proposed guidelines for our information a couple of hours before they were signed off.' Commisioner Patton admitted the night curfew has been effective and made it easier for his officers to police the city. 'We are able to enforce with the curfew and movement is very much restricted because of it but we weren't involved in discussions over it,' he added. He also admitted police found out about the curfew a few hours before being made public on August 2. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) has been forced to admit the night curfew was based on his advice Mr Andrews was initially reluctant to identify himself as the person responsible for the curfew during his daily press conference on Wednesday. 'I can't pinpoint the individual and the day, I can't give you a specific person,' he told reporters. 'If you want to go out and be unlawful now police have got the easiest set of arrangements they have ever had to catch you and fine you. That's what a curfew delivers.' Following grilling by reporters, Mr Andrews finally buckled under pressure and admitted it was his decision to implement the night curfew. 'These are decisions ultimately made by me, so the answer to the question (of why there is a curfew) is, I've made that decision. It's a challenging one to make, but it's effective.' He reiterated his strong stance night curfews on Thursday and vowed to remain accountable for his decision. CSL chairman Brian McNamee has described the Premier's road map out of lockdown as a disaster and a 'map of misery'. Pictured are police patrolling Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall on Thursday, which remains under stage four lockdown until at least September 28 'As I said before, if people find fault with the rule, they can take it up with me,' Premier Andrews told reporters on Thursday. 'Decisions are made by groups of people. And I can't necessarily pinpoint for you the exact individual and the exact moment that it was suggested that we put a curfew on. 'What I'm saying to you is, anyone who's displeased with that or doesn't think that's a proportionate measure, well, that's a decision that I've made.' The premier insists the curfew has been effective and is working. 'There's no denying - simply no denying - that those measures have made the job of police never easy, but it has made it clearer-cut, it has made it somewhat simpler, and driving down movement, just as a - there's no denying less movement means less virus,' Mr Andrews added. 'That's what all of these rules are about. And the curfew will come off when it is appropriate.' A woman in a face mask crosses the road at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne on Tuesday He added the night curfew was about achieving health outcomes. 'It's not a matter for Brett [Sutton], that's not health advice, that's about achieving a health outcome,' the Premier said. 'His advice is 'do whatever you can to limit movement'. Police then say 'we need rules we can enforce'. These are decisions ultimately made by me.' 'It just makes the job of police much, much easier.' Under some of the toughest coronavirus restrictions in the world, five million Melbourne residents are not allowed out of their homes between 8pm and 5am. Pictured: Police patrol Elizabeth Street on Sunday The state opposition was quick to slam the Premier following his starting admission on Wednesday that the curfew wasn't based on health advice. 'It wasn't a Brett Sutton call, it wasn't a medical evidence call, it was a captain's call by the Premier who wanted to keep Melbourne in curfew,' Victorian Liberals Leader Michael O'Brien said. 'The curfew should go. When you consider how extreme a curfew is in wartime we haven't been subject to a curfew.' Former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett also weighed into the debate on Thursday morning. 'Since when did a deputy chief medical officer have the authority to lock down six million people? On what grounds? At whose request? And apparently without the knowledge of the Chief Medical Officer. We are being led by a very small group of vindictive, thoughtless and cruel individuals,' he tweeted. Health experts have also weighed into the debate about night curfews. Sydney Associate Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott believes they encouraged large numbers of residents to congregate at shops prior to closing each night. 'The danger associated with introducing a curfew is shortly before that time, people realise they need to do things, so they may turn up to the shops and find 1000 other people have also had the same dilemma,' he told the Age. 'At least previously in Australia's pandemic plans we were doing the opposite, we would look to extend business operation hours and spread people's risk of infection. A curfew would do the exact reverse of that, which is risk consolidating people in high numbers at specific locations.' Meanwhile, Professor Sutton revealed medical experts did not request the curfew but it was brought in as the state government declared a state of disaster on August 2. The road map out of Melbourne lockdown has been described as a crushing policy. Pictured are Melburnians soaking up the sunshine in the CBD on Thursday 'The curfew came in as part of the state of disaster... it wasn't a state of emergency requirement,' Professor Sutton told Melbourne radio station 3AW. 'It wasn't something that I was against from a public health perspective. 'I was consulted on it but it was a separate decision-making pathway.' Professor Sutton was also asked for his personal opinion on the effectiveness of the curfew during Tuesday's interview. 'I haven't reflected on it, I think it has been useful. If I put my mind to it, probably,' he said. Professor Sutton denied any rumours that he had fallen out with Mr Andrews and said: 'We've worked very well together.' 'I get along pretty well with all sorts hopefully across the political spectrum and across all the various personality types,' he said. 'My gig is to provide straight up robust advice. 'I'm pretty comfortable with giving it, maybe when it's not comfortably received.' Under Mr Andrews' road map to easing restrictions, released on Sunday, lockdown will only end when there are an average of five cases per day, which is not expected in Melbourne until October 26. Until then, a curfew will be in place from 9pm to 5am and residents can only leave home for exercise, shopping, school and work, and caregiving. China Inner Mongolia Protests In this image made from video taken in August 2020, parents confront authorities outside a school in Tongliao in Northwestern China's Inner Mongolia region. Ethnic Mongolians, including students and parents, in Chinas Inner Mongolia region are demonstrating their anger in rare public protests against a new bilingual education policy that they say is endangering the Mongolian language. (AP Photo) BEIJING (AP) Local authorities in China's Inner Mongolia region have denied they used force or detained an American reporter when she was questioned at a police station last week. The Los Angeles Times said Thursday that one of its reporters was grabbed by the throat and pushed into a cell and held for more than four hours before being forced to leave the area in northern China. Theres no instance of the police using both hands to pinch the neck or being detained in a police cell, nor was there any instance of being detained or expelled, the press office for Hohhot, the provincial capital, said in a written response to questions from The Associated Press. The statement, dated Tuesday, said the reporter was interviewing a pedestrian and accused her of filming or photographing the person without the interviewee's permission. It said the reporter chose to go back to Beijing voluntarily. The newspapers Beijing bureau chief, Alice Su, who is the journalist in question, declined to comment. She was covering protests and class boycotts that had broken out in Inner Mongolia over a move to increase the use of Chinese in schools where Mongolian has been the main language of instruction. Authorities, who have detained more than 20 people, are trying to clamp down on information about the protests, according to a protester and a U.S.-based activist group that advocates for the rights of ethnic Mongolians. The incident came at a time of growing pressure on foreign journalists in China. On Tuesday, the last two journalists working for Australian media in China returned home after police demanded interviews with them and temporarily blocked their departures. They were told they were persons of interest into an investigation into an Australian who works for state media in China, according to The Australian Financial Review. The other Australian, Cheng Lei, has been detained on suspicion of endangering Chinas national security, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Tuesday without elaborating. The U.S. and China are currently engaged in a back-and-forth over the treatment of journalists in their respective countries, including restrictions on visas. Inner Mongolia is a region of 25 million people that borders the country of Mongolia to the north. About 17% of the population is ethnic Mongolian, while the Han make up 79%. By Tina Bellon (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc on Tuesday said every vehicle on its global ride-hailing platform will be electric by 2040, and it vowed to contribute $800 million through 2025 to help drivers switch to battery-powered vehicles, including discounts for vehicles bought or leased from partner automakers. Uber, which as of early February said it had 5 million drivers worldwide, said it formed partnerships with General Motors and the Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi alliance. In addition to the vehicle discounts, Uber said the $800 million includes discounts for ... AstraZeneca has announced a pause on clinical trials of a candidate vaccine for Covid-19 developed by University of Oxford to review an unexplained illness in one of the participants in the UK, just hours after it joined eight other drug makers to make an unusual safety pledge. Phase 3 clinical trials of its vaccine had started in the US last week and first doses were expected to be delivered as early as October. There was no word on how long the review will last, or if the illness was caused by the in-trial vaccine. The British-Swedish company is a front-runner in the race for a vaccine for Covid-19 that has killed nearly 900,000 people globally and infected more than 27 million. Its vaccine candidate has been undergoing late-stage trials around the world, with the India leg expected to start soon. The company said in a statement the pause in the global trials was a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. In large trials, illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully, it added. The announcement came just hours after AstraZeneca joined eight other pharmaceutical giants to release a joint pledge to not apply for regulatory approval or authorisation of their candidate vaccines till their safety and efficacy had been established, a move that they said was historic. Signed by the chief executive officers of AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Novavax, Sanofi, BioNTech and Pfizer, it said the companies would seek regulatory approval or authorisation for vaccines only if their safety and efficacy had been established in Phase 3 clinical trials. The safety and well-being of vaccinated individuals (is) our top priority, the companies said in the pledge on Tuesday, titled Biopharma Leaders Unite to Stand with Science. The companies have between themselves developed 70 novel vaccines in the past. We believe this pledge will help ensure public confidence in the rigorous scientific and regulatory process by which Covid-19 vaccines are evaluated and may ultimately be approved, they added. AstraZeneca began Phase 3 clinical trials in the US on August 31 on 30,000 volunteers. Called D8110C00001, it is funded by the US department of health and human services and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is led by Dr Anthony Fauci, the foremost US epidemiologist. According to an agreement AstraZeneca had signed with the US government, it was expected to make available at least 300 million doses of the vaccine to the country, with the first lots delivered as early as October 2020, subject to approval by the Food and Drug Administration, the US drug regulator, or its European counterpart. The US has invested billions of dollars in other vaccine projects as well, under a multi-agency programme called Operation Warp Speed. The safety pledge by the vaccine companies came amid growing perception that despite him claims to the contrary, President Donald Trump is rushing the search for a vaccine breakthrough before November 3, the election day, to help his re-election chances. Also Read: Russian vaccine trials show strong immune response, The Lancet reports Many Americans are sceptical of the vaccine search and will not be queueing up for a shot when one becomes available, according to polls. A CBS/YouGov poll released on Sunday found that 65% respondents would think the vaccine is rushed through, if they were told it had been found. The rest said they would call it a scientific achievement. Only 21% of them will try to get a shot as soon as possible, down from 32% in July; and 58% will wait to see what happens, up from 51% in July. Its a trend that has been reflected in many recent polls, showing growing scepticism about a coronavirus vaccine. Lately, the president has clashed with his Democratic challenger Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris for their scepticism about his claims. He has demanded an apology from Harris for saying she would not trust the president on a vaccine. The Biden-Harris campaign doubled down on their criticism of the president on Tuesday, asking for the criteria that would be used to determine the vaccine is safe and works, who will make that determination and if the vaccine will be distributed free, safely, equitably, and without politics. BASKERVILLE, Va., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- John Deere, the world's leading manufacturer of farm equipment, takes pride in its corporate values of "integrity, quality, commitment, innovation." But the nearly 200-year-old American industrial giant apparently cares little for equality and inclusiveness. Year after year the National Black Farmers' Association (NBFA) has invited the Deere company to display its equipment at the NBFA's annual conference. Repeatedly John Deere executives have curtly declined the invitation. "John Deere has shown throughout its history that it has little respect for black farmers. The company seems to view our invitations as a nuisance," said NBFA president John Boyd. "I have reached out to Mr. John May, President of John Deere, numerous times to discuss the issues raised by the NBFA. Mr. May's response is 'I decline your invitation,'" which is unacceptable. With 116,000 members in 42 states, the NBFA represents a substantial customer base for John Deere. Many farmers would relish the opportunity to see firsthand the new and emerging farm technology that is developed to enhance their performance and productivity. But the company continues to participate at predominantly white farm shows and events while snubbing the black farmers' events. Deere has never displayed any of its equipment--not even a lawn mower. John Deere denies black farmers the respect and dignity they deserve, reflecting the level of disdain that is still widely prevalent in agricultural industries. Since the racial unrest spurred by the merciless killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day and the shooting of Jason Blake in Wisconsin last month, many sectors of American society have recently taken actions to address the shameful racial disparities in treatment and opportunities that plague people of color. Needed change seems to be rising, especially in this year of the nation's racial reckoning, when protests have roiled cities and towns. But not at John Deere. The National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) members deserve the very same treatment as the Farm Bureau, whose members enjoy discounts on John Deere purchases. "Service call inquiries to John Deere equipment from black farmers is much slower than their white counterparts," said Boyd. "We buy tractors and John Deere parts as well. We deserve to be treated with dignity and respect not as a nuisance." "We announce a boycott of John Deere. We are asking all NBFA members to stop buying John Deere tractors, implements, mowers and parts," Boyd said. "We are now open to new relationships with companies who value the work of NBFA members." For interviews, please contact John Boyd at [email protected] or at 804-691-8528. http://www.JohnBoydJr.com SOURCE National Black Farmers Association Related Links www.blackfarmers.org Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category A County Derry paving manufacturer is to invest 30 million and create 95 jobs in ambitious plans to rapidly grow its business over the next four years. Tobermore, based in the town from where it draws its name, was founded in 1942 and currently employs over 300 staff and made the jobs and investment announcement on Wednesday morning. Economy Minister Diane Dodds congratulated the manufacturer. During such challenging times for companies across Northern Ireland, I would like to congratulate Tobermore on this major announcement. It is investments like this which will drive our economic recovery forward," she said. This 30million investment will help Tobermore meet the growing demand for its products throughout the UK and Ireland, whilst also creating valuable skilled employment opportunities in the Mid Ulster District Council area. "The jobs, to be created over the next three years, will generate almost 2.5million in additional annual salaries. Invest Northern Ireland has offered Tobermore 807,500 of funding, which includes support for its new production facilities in the Mid Ulster area, 95 new jobs and investment in new machinery to help meet the growing demand for its products. Managing Director of Tobermore, David Henderson, said the investment would leave the company in a 'unique' position. "We have experienced extensive growth in recent years due to our exceptional product offering combined with our high levels of customer service, and in return have developed new products to meet the needs of our loyal customer base," he said. This investment will put us in a unique position to exploit multiple markets in the coming years, with UK and Ireland our main priority markets. We are excited by the next stage of our growth plans, which requires the major expansion of our current facilities and significant investment in recruitment and marketing. We are delighted to have received the support of Invest NI as we move forward with our expansion plans. The company began recruitment earlier this year to help it meet customer demand, with 25 of the jobs already in place. A further 70 roles are to be created in areas including sales, operations and production. CEO of Invest NI, Kevin Holland, said they had worked with Tobermore over a number of years and recognised their potential. Supporting businesses with the greatest potential to grow is vital to helping our economy to move forward. We have worked with Tobermore over many years, and recognised the potential the company had to scale rapidly," he said. The company participated in our Leadership for Growth Programme, which has provided the senior team with the right tools to move into this new phase of business growth. "To support this, we have offered the company just over 850,000 towards this investment and training of its staff to ensure it can grow and meet demand for its products and services. CARROLLTON TWP, MI Three people are accused of trying to murder a man who was injured in a recent gun-involved fight in Carrollton Township. Prosecutors are alleging that about 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6, Kayla A. Woods, 30, was at a residence on Pioneer Trail when she got into a fight with a 33-year-old woman and a 26-year-old woman. Woods ended up leaving the area, but returned about an hour later with Marissa A. Burnette, 25, Demetrius D. Hogg, 27, and an unidentified man, prosecutors allege. Woods and Burnette began fighting two women, prosecutors say. A 39-year-old man at the house tried breaking up the scuffle and was assaulted by Hogg, prosecutors contend. Hogg was armed with a handgun and fired at least one round, prosecutors allege. The male who had attempted to quell the fight suffered head injuries that required treatment at an area hospital. Someone called 911 and the suspects fled the scene. About 2 a.m., police stopped a vehicle containing Woods, Burnette, and Hogg and placed them under arrest. The unidentified male suspect who had been with them at the house was not in the vehicle police stopped. Saginaw County District Judge David D. Hoffman on Wednesday, Sept. 9, arraigned Woods, Burnette and Hogg on single counts of assault with intent to murder and felony firearm. Hoffman also arraigned Hogg on a second count of felony firearm and a charge of felonious assault. The judge further arraigned Woods and Burnette on misdemeanor counts of assault and battery. At the trios arraignment, defense attorney Ann Chamberlain said Woods and Burnette are each employed and the sole providers for two children. She asked the judge to set a reasonable bond for the two women, adding neither has a criminal record. Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Shellbe A. Sanborn requested a high bond for both women, citing the severity of the charges. Hoffman set each of their bonds at $250,000 cash-surety. Woods hung her head and sobbed on hearing this. Chamberlain said Hogg is self-employed as a roofing subcontractor. He is currently on probation on a domestic violence conviction. Hoffman set Hoggs bond at $350,000 cash-surety. The trios next court dates are pending. Read more: Man accused of sexually assaulting 2 girls near Frankenmuth splash pad 2 women killed in U.S. 10 crash remembered for their loving ways Pizza delivery man shot in Saginaw Prosecutors have opened a criminal case against a leading opposition figure inside Belarus as Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of the country's reinvigorated opposition to five-term President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, urged protesters at home to "remain peaceful" amid an intensifying crackdown that featured another suspected abduction by regime forces. Tsikhanouskaya's latest plea came during a visit to Warsaw, Poland, and with indications swirling that Belarusian masked men had quietly taken away lawyer Maksim Znak and might be trying to do the same to Nobel Prize-winning writer and Lukashenka critic Svetlana Alexievich. Meanwhile, Belarus's Prosecutor-General's Office announced it had opened a criminal case against Maryya Kalesnikava, another member of the presidium of the opposition's Coordination Council, for what it called "public calls for seizing power in the country." Kalesnikava was grabbed off the street in Minsk by masked men on September 8 along with two other opposition organizers before they mysteriously turned up at the border with Ukraine. The authorities tried to expel her, but she reportedly foiled them by tearing up her passport. The opposition leaders she was with at the border, council press secretary Anton Randyonkau and executive secretary Ivan Krautsou, are reportedly in Ukraine. "The protests must remain peaceful," Tsikhanouskaya said in an address at Warsaw University. "I think it is impossible to fight violence and give violence," she said during a speech at Warsaw University. Lukashenka, who has led the country for 26 years and claimed victory in a disputed presidential election on August 9, has refused to meet with the opposition or agree to a new election. A month of regular protests has ensued, including demonstrations from some of the workers and other prominent groups the strongman president has kept in tight lockstep in the past. Lukashenka told Russian media in an extended interview on September 8 that "maybe I overstayed a bit." It was his strongest acknowledgement so far of any mistake on his part but was followed by a vow to stay on as president. Torture, Beatings His postelection clampdown has included thousands of arrests, beatings and other mistreatment of peaceful protesters, and expulsions of foreign journalists. European Council President Charles Michel on September 9 urged the EU member states to "speed up the process on sanctions" against senior Belarusian officials suspected of involvement in election fraud and a brutal crackdown against protesters. "Political persecution in Belarus including detentions on political grounds and forced exile must stop. Belarusian authorities must free political prisoners and let citizens exercise their right to freedom of speech and assembly," Michel tweeted. Meanwhile, in a statement on September 9, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) called for an international investigation into "human rights crimes" in Belarus. It cited "multiple, credible reports of massive, serious violations of the right to free and fair elections, of the freedom of expression and assembly, of the right to liberty, and of acts of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment against peaceful protesters." The committee also said that it didn't recognize the result of the presidential election and demanded that a new vote be held "in a fair and transparent manner, under the supervision of international observers." Hours before Tsikhanouskaya's address, colleagues of one of the last free members of the Belarusian opposition's top organizing body still in the country reported signs that Znak had been snatched by authorities operating with no apparent public accountability. Znak, a lawyer, was one of two members of the Coordination Council's presidium who had managed to continue speaking out from inside the country. The other is the ailing Alexievich, whose long-running health problems have limited her activities. Swedish television quoted Alexievich's Swedish translator as saying that Alexievich told her that "men in black clothes and masks" tried to enter Alexievich's home on September 9 but that the writer had not been detained. Sweden's ambassador to Belarus said Swedish and other diplomats had gathered with Alexievich at her apartment in the capital. "She has signaled that she is worried and is now in the company of, among others, our embassy's second in charge and some other ambassadors," the ambassador, Christina Johannesson, told Swedish television SVT. Timeline: Postelection Developments In Belarus Some of the key events that have followed the contested reelection of longtime Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Earlier in the day, Alexievich issued a statement via the Belarusian PEN Center on September 9 saying, "There are no longer any of my like-minded friends in the presidium of the Coordinating Council. Everyone is either in jail or thrown abroad. Today they took, the last, Maksim Znak." "[T]he best of us are being kidnapped," she said. Alexievich rejected the notion, promoted by Lukashenka and his prosecutors, that the opposition was "preparing a coup" and instead said they sought "to prevent a split in the country" and instead wanted "a dialogue to begin in society." She appealed to "the Russian intelligentsia" to speak out against Belarusian injustice and on behalf of "a small, proud people being trampled." Znak's associates told the independent Russian-language Tut.by news website on September 9 that he failed to log on for a planned interview via Internet from the headquarters of jailed opposition politician Viktar Babaryka earlier in the day. When they called his phone, they said, Znak said hurriedly that "Somebody came here" and hung up. Then a text message came from his phone that said only "Masks," after which his telephone went unanswered. Babaryko's press service later said an eyewitness reported seeing the 39-year-old Znak being marched down the street near his offices by masked men in civilian clothes. On September 7, another member of the presidium of the opposition's Coordination Council, Maryya Kalesnikava, was grabbed off the street in Minsk by masked men. She and two other opposition organizers turned up the next day at Belarus's border with Ukraine in an apparent attempt to expel her, although she reportedly tore up her passport to avoid deportation. Belarus's authorities, who had denied Kalesnikava was in custody, later acknowledged that she had been detained. The opposition leaders she was with at the border, council press secretary Anton Randyonkau and executive secretary Ivan Krautsou, reportedly are in Ukraine. Clampdown On Council The Coordination Council has pressed for a peaceful transition of power since election officials declared Lukashenka the runaway winner of the August 9 vote critics say was fraudulent. It was set up by Tsikhanouskaya, a political novice who has continued to press for Lukashenka's exit and a new election from Lithuanian exile. Belarusian chief prosecutor Alyaksandr Konyuk announced the launch of criminal proceedings against the Coordination Council in mid-August. All but two of the council presidium's seven members have been either arrested or forced to leave the country. Crisis In Belarus Read our ongoing coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election, widely seen as fraudulent. This week's disappearances elicited accusations by the European Union that the embattled Belarusian regime was using kidnapping and intimidation to quash more than four weeks of unprecedented protests. Germany, which currently holds the rotating EU Presidency, has demanded information on those who went missing and the release of political prisoners. An unnamed senior official in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump said on September 8 that the United States was "extremely concerned by continued human rights violations" in Belarus. The official said the forced expulsion of opposition figures is one of the methods Minsk "is using in its attempts to deny freedom of speech." Lukashenka is reportedly due to visit Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on September 14. With reporting by Tut.by, Reuters, and AP An outlaw motorcycle gang associate flew into an uncontrolled rage after being locked out of his girlfriend's Brisbane family home moments before being fatally shot by police. Liam Scorsese was shot in February 2018, after refusing to surrender a knife taken from the family home of his girlfriend Chireez Beytell, an inquest into his death was told on Wednesday. Ms Beytell's mother Madelene Erasmus sobbed hysterically as she recalled Mr Scorsese 'became a different person' after he was locked out of their home after a loud confrontation with his girlfriend. Liam Scorsese was shot in February 2018, after refusing to surrender a knife taken from the family home of his girlfriend Chireez Beytell (pictured together), an inquest into his death was told on Wednesday Liam Scorsese and Chireez Beytell 'His face was so angry - at that moment it was a completely different Liam,' Mrs Erasmus told the hearing. 'I closed the front door, Liam was screaming harder and harder, and I locked the security door. 'Liam was banging on the door, he wanted her to come out. I told him "you need to leave". I called my husband and then Liam started kicking the security doors - he was very, very angry.' The family barricaded themselves inside and called police to force Mr Scorsese to leave. 'If they (the police) want to come, they can come,' Mr Scorsese reportedly told the family before stripping off his shirt and waiting on the mailbox. Police constables Damon Till and Michelle Reed, arrived at the home moments later and shots rang out. Police are pictured outside the home in Brisbane following the shooting Detective Sergeant Dylan Brook who investigated the fatal shooting said Mr Scorsese was armed with a knife as he walked toward police. The officers warned Mr Scorsese to drop the weapon and get on the ground, only for him to increase his pace. Const Till hit Mr Scorsese in the chest with a Taser, but the 31-year-old ripped the wires from his body and continued to closed in on police. In fear for his life and the life his partner, Const Till fired two shots bringing Mr Scorsese to the ground as he dropped the knife. 'His actions were authorised, justified and legally defensible,' Sgt Brook told the court. 'Using the Taser first showed Constable Till's reluctance to use lethal force against Mr Scorsese and it showed restraint on his behalf, particularly when faced with someone armed with an edged weapon or a knife. 'He definitely attempted to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the incident.' Critically, a body-worn camera operated by Const Till failed to activate and did not capture the crucial moments of the shooting, the inquest was told. After Mr Scorsese was shot, Constable Till and a neighbour, who was a nurse, applied first aid until paramedics arrived and took him to hospital. He died an hour later. An autopsy found the cause of death to be gunshot wounds to his chest and neck. The inquest was told Mr Scorsese had struggled with drug abuse and mental health issues in the months before the shooting and told family he had been hearing voices. Coroner Terry Ryan will explore whether the police response was justified and their use of body cameras after Constable Till's unit failed to work. He will also examine whether adequate mental health support was available to Mr Scorsese. Unibet Poker To Host the 2020 IPO Dublin Festival September 09 2020 The dates for the International Poker Open (IPO) Dublin festival are checked by hundreds of poker players each year. Its extremely popular but the 2020 IPO Dublin festival looked set to fall foul of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While players wont be flocking to the Emerald Isle to compete in this years IPO Dublin, they will head to Unibet Poker for a series featuring more than 150,000 worth of guaranteed prize pools. The action gets underway on October 19 with the first of many Super Qualifiers to the IPO Main Event. These satellites have a 25 buy-in and guarantee at least five 300 Main Event seats will be won. That Main Event takes place over two days with Day 1 shuffling up and dealing at 7:00 p.m. on October 24. 300 is what youll need to fork out, unless you win a seat from a satellite, and for that you receive 25,000-chips and get to play for a share of a guaranteed 50,000. Check out the table below and feast your eyes on the full IPO Dublin schedule, which includes a 500 buy-in High Roller with a 25,000 guarantee. 2020 IPO Dublin Schedule (Online at Unibet Poker) Date Time Tournament Buy-in Guarantee Mon 19 Oct 8:00 p.m. Super Qualifier to 50,000 IPO 25 5 seats Tue 20 Oct 8:00 p.m. Super Qualifier to 50,000 IPO 25 5 seats Wed 21 Oct 7:00 p.m. 15,000 IPO Warm Up 50 15,000 8:00 p.m. Super Qualifier to 50,000 IPO 25 5 seats Thu 22 Oct 7:00 p.m. 10,000 IPO Rebuy 25 10,000 8:00 p.m. Super Qualifier to 50,000 IPO 25 5 seats 9:00 p.m. 5,000 Nightly Freezeout 100 5,000 Fri 23 Oct 7:00 p.m. 10,000 IPO Rebuy 25 10,000 8:00 p.m. Super Qualifier to 50,000 IPO 25 5 seats 9:00 p.m. 5,000 Nightly Freezeout 100 5,000 Sat 24 Oct 4:30 p.m. Super Qualifier to 50,000 IPO 25 5 seats 5:30 p.m. Super Qualifier to 50,000 IPO 10 5 seats 6:30 p.m. Super Qualifier to 50,000 IPO 25 5 seats 7:00 p.m. 50,000 IPO Main Event Day 1 300 50,000 8:00 p.m. 2,000 #QUEENRULES (Ladies Event) 25 2,000 9:00 p.m. 5,000 Nightly Freezeout 100 5,000 Sun 25 Oct 4:30 p.m. Super Qualifier to IPO High Roller 50 4 seats 5:30 p.m. Super Qualifier to IPO High Roller 50 4 seats 6:30 p.m. Super Qualifier to IPO High Roller 50 4 seats 7:00 p.m. 50,000 IPO Main Event Final Day 50,000 7:00 p.m. 25,000 IPO High Roller Day 1 500 25,000 7:30 p.m. 25,000 IPO Mini Main Day 1 100 25,000 8:00 p.m. 4,000 IPO Omaha Rebuy 25 4,000 9:00 p.m. 5,000 Nightly Freezeout 100 5,000 Mon 26 Oct 7:00 p.m. IPO High Roller Final Day 25,000 7:00 p.m. IPO Mini Main Final Day 25,000 7:00 p.m. 4,000 IPO Cool Down 50 4,000 9:00 p.m. 5,000 Nightly Freezeout PKO 100 5,000 Luke Boynton is the reigning champion of this event. The 2019 edition took place at the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin and saw 755 players buy-in. Boynton outlasted them all and won 24,450 after a six-handed deal. 2019 IPO Dublin Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Luke Boynton United Kingdom 24,450* 2 Michael Mason Ireland 16,025* 3 Chris Hutton Ireland 16,690* 4 Sean Foley Northern Ireland 14,170* 5 Thomas Fitzgerald Ireland 14,990* 6 Truong Hoang Ireland 18,240* 7 Shawn Morales United Kingdom 5,550 8 William Molloy Ireland 3,790 9 Nicolas Courbin France 3,000 *reflects a six-handed deal Get Ready For IPO Dublin By Downloading Unibet Poker Here Get yourself used to the Unibet Poker software before hitting the IPO Dublin events by downloading Unibet Poker via PokerNews. Doing so entitles you to a free 20 worth of cash game tickets and a playthrough bonus worth up to 500. The bonus releases into your available balance when you hit the rake milestones shown in the table below: NEW DELHI : Indias covid count breached the 4.4-million mark on Wednesday with 90,000 new cases in the past 24 hours, as fatalities neared 75,000. According to the Union health ministry, the number of active cases stood at 907,723, with Maharashtra leading the tally with over 240,000 cases, followed by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with over 96,000 cases each. Five states, including, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, account for 61% of the active cases, the ministry said. In the past 24 hours, 1,115 deaths were registered, with Maharashtra reporting 380 deaths, followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu with 146 and 87 fatalities, it added. India has conducted 51.8 million covid-19 tests, with over 115,000 tests in the past 24 hours. Indias tests per million (TPM) is at 37,539. The total number of recovered patients in a single day surged to a record 74,894, while the fatality rate stood at 1.69% on Wednesday. The number of recoveries was at 3,439,814 taking the recovery rate to 77.77%. The number of weekly recoveries rose from 153,118 in the third week of July to 484,068 in the first week of September, the ministry said in a statement. View Full Image Corona Toll (istock) Meanwhile, Union minister for health and family welfare Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday attended the 73rd session of the WHO South East Asia Region held online. The session was hosted by the government of Thailand (from Bangkok) while the previous session was held in New Delhi. The health leaders emphasized on larger investments for strengthening the health systems and continued efforts and collaboration for combating the covid-19 pandemic. The covid-19 pandemic has also taught us how important it is to protect our precious health gains. In order to protect our health gains, we must continuously invest in health. Our region needs to invest more and more in public healthcare and build a robust health delivery system," said Harsh Vardhan while opening the proceedings as the chair of the previous years session. 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 Trend The visit of the Azerbaijani delegation led by Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration, Hikmat Hajiyev to Turkey is underway, Trend reports on Sept. 8. Hajiyev met and held discussions with international media representatives in Istanbul on Sept. 8. It was a great pleasure to meet and hold an open dialogue with the representatives of international media in Istanbul. We had a broad discussion on Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, regional and international issues, the presidential assistant posted on his Twitter account. "We held the detailed discussions on various topics of the media sphere, Hajiyev said by stressing the importance of the meetings. We think that there is great potential for cooperation. Turkey has recently gained great experience in the preparation of documentaries and feature films. Turkish television has good opportunities in terms of technologies and content creation. In this sense, there are broad opportunities and big resources for collaboration." The three-day visit will end on September 8. The Azerbaijani delegations visit to Turkey aims to establish a joint media platform between Azerbaijan and Turkey, exchange news, specialists and opinions, as well as ensure the wider promotion of both countries worldwide through social media. The delegation also consists of the Head of the information support sector of the Azerbaijani first vice-president, Farhad Amirbayov, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan State News Agency, Aslan Aslanov, Chairman of the National Television and Radio Council, Ismat Sattarov, Executive Director of the Fund of State Support for Development of Mass Media under the President of Azerbaijan, Ahmad Ismayilov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Closed Joint Stock Company, Rovshan Mammadov, Director General of the Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (ITV), Balakishi Gasimov. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Paris, France Wed, September 9, 2020 16:45 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43cae12 2 Science & Tech France,robot,face-mask,coronavirus,COVID-19,health,technology Free Engineers have developed a robot that can detect whether people are wearing a mask to guard against COVID-19 and, if not, politely remind them to put one on. The feature is an upgrade of Pepper, a 120 cm high robot with human-like features that is already in operation in some countries welcoming visitors to shops, exhibitions and other public spaces. Pepper's camera scans the faces of people approaching it, and if it detects the lower half of their face is uncovered, it pronounces the phrase: "You have to always wear a mask properly." If it sees that the visitor then puts on a mask, the robot follows up with the phrase: "Thank you for having put on your mask." Read also: Robot eases loneliness of Mexican virus patients The idea is not to have a robot police whether people are wearing masks, but to provide a friendly reminder, said Jonathan Boiria, head of sales in Europe for SoftBank Robotics, the company behind Pepper. "Shops have to assign people at the entrance, a lot of people, to ensure respect for the wearing of masks, and sometimes that is a stretch," Boiria told Reuters in Paris. "A robot allows you to free up some people so they can focus on their normal tasks." "We're all human. Sometimes I take off my mask when I get off the bus and I forget to put it back on when I arrive at the office. The robot provides a reminder. We can all get it wrong or forget." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 18:32:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- To enter shopping malls in Beijing, people need to show their health code on a mobile app. With a green code, they are free to enter the building; If the code goes red or yellow, the individual is quarantined. The colored QR codes, run on platforms provided by private Chinese companies, indicate the health status and travel history of individuals and have played an important role in helping the country contain the spread of COVID-19. China's private sector, which contributes over 60 percent of the country's GDP, is playing an increasingly important role in aiding epidemic control as well as economic recovery. Big data technology powered by internet giants such as Alibaba and Tencent has assisted the sophisticated tracking of virus-carriers, and private insurance firm Ping An has leveraged artificial intelligence to help with the early diagnosis of COVID-19. "The private sector has not only increased its contribution to China's economy, but also its role in society," said consulting firm McKinsey & Company in a report. While the country's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) still play a critical role in epidemic relief and economic growth, COVID-19 might be accelerating structural reform to strengthen the role of the market, which further boosts the private sector, according to the report. The latest data from customs showed that the private sector has been playing an increasing role in propelling trade growth. In the first eight months of the year, trade by private enterprises expanded 8.5 percent to 9.21 trillion yuan (1.35 trillion U.S. dollars), accounting for 45.9 percent of the total, up 3.9 percentage points from the same period last year. The sector's resilience was aided as tailored government incentives covering funding, services and other fields gradually took effect. To ease the financial strain facing many private enterprises, the country has reduced the reserve requirement ratio for small banks, which are the main sources of lending for many private firms. Regulators have started to evaluate financial institutions in part by how much credit they offer to private and small firms as part of efforts to guide funds into these companies. In addition to financial aid, authorities have also intensified efforts to improve government services to unleash market vitality, streamlining business registration processes and cutting administrative red tape to enhance operation efficiency. In the first seven months of this year, some 21,000 companies were established each day on average, official data showed. The country's SOEs were also encouraged to support more vulnerable private businesses. China's centrally administered SOEs have cut power and gas rates as well as rents for market entities, reducing costs totaling 120 billion yuan in the first half. Li Xunlei, chief economist of Zhongtai Securities, expects SOEs and banks to make further interest concessions for private firms and non-financial enterprises, referencing a 2019 example, when SOEs handed over more profits to support China's 2-trillion-yuan tax and fee reductions. Enditem The Winona City Council unanimously denied a resolution calling for a further reduction in seating capacity at bars and restaurants across town. The resolution, which was proposed by the Winona State Student Senate Monday evening, acknowledged the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and noted that students are going out to house parties, bars and restaurants without proper precautions. In an attempt to limit the spread of the highly contagious virus, the student-led organization requested that the city reduce the seating capacity and conduct additional compliance checks throughout the week. Winona police and fire departments now do compliance checks at bars and restaurants on the weekend. Especially with the nice weather, students are more likely to be spending time at outdoor gatherings during the day while not necessarily following social distancing or mask requirements, senate president Clara Kuerschner said in a letter to the council. While the council appreciated the senates request, it was noted that further reductions in occupancy would likely result in the closing of businesses due to unsustainable sales. The council noted that while COVID-19 cases have gone up since the return of college students, the outbreaks have been contained within that demographic and havent spread to the general population. Furthermore, city officials said Winona Health has not been negatively impacted by the recent spike, adding that ICU and ventilator capacities have not been affected. I appreciate the Student Senate taking the initiative on this and I appreciate that they are acknowledging that students are gathering in large numbers at the bars and restaurants, councilmember Eileen Moeller said. But for the reasons outlined by staff, its not beneficial for the city to put that on the businesses at this time. I hope the businesses will (respect) capacity limitations and people will be wearing their masks appropriately in the business. If the situation changes, the city noted, city staff will request the closure of bars, restaurants and other hot spots. Love 2 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 3 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. Sam Frost breaks down as she candidly discusses her body insecurities in a new trailer for Channel Seven's The All New Monty: Guys and Gals. The Home and Away star, 31, chokes back tears as she admits she struggles to feel comfortable in her own skin. 'It is really challenging,' she says, welling up. 'It is really challenging': Sam Frost breaks down as she candidly discusses her body insecurities in a new trailer for Channel Seven's The All New Monty: Guys and Gals 'When I'm losing or gaining weight it's all over the news, but this is for a greater cause,' she says of the charity burlesque show. 'Might as well strip off on TV right? That'll fix it,' she jokes. The former Bachelor star recently admitted that she has battled with body image her entire life. Her struggle: The Home and Away star, 31, chokes back tears as she admits she struggles to feel comfortable in her own skin how awful: The former Bachelor star recently admitted that she has battled with body image her entire life 'I'd like to say I feel comfortable in my body, but the truth is body image is something that I've battled with my whole life,' she told The Daily Telegraph on Monday. 'I don't want to be like that. 'I'm trying to get more comfortable in my own skin, and I'm trying really hard to push away those insecurities,' she added. Stripping off! Sam will perform burlesque on the show alongside the likes of former beauty queen Erin Holland, entertainer Patti Newton, Russell Crowe's ex wife Danielle Spencer and Olympian Leisel Jones Sam will perform burlesque on the show alongside the likes of former beauty queen Erin Holland, entertainer Patti Newton, Russell Crowe's ex wife Danielle Spencer and Olympian Leisel Jones. But in this year's iteration of the charity strip show, the ladies will be joined on stage with male celebrities, including actor Samuel Johnson, former Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger and comedian Paul Fenech. The All New Monty: Guys and Gals will see 15 Australian celebrities bare all in a one-night-only show to help raise awareness about the importance of early detection for men and women's cancers. The All New Full Monty: Guys & Gals airs Sunday at 7pm on Sunday A controversial Ukrainian Orthodox religious leader who said coronavirus was Gods punishment for same-sex marriage has himself tested positive for Covid-19. Patriarch Filaret, who leads one of the largest denominations of Christians in Ukraine, is reported to be in a stable condition in hospital. He sparked controversy in March when he told a Ukrainian TV channel the pandemic was Gods punishment for the sinfulness of humanity; first of all, I mean same-sex marriage. Now, the 91-year-old has been confirmed as having caught Covid-19 during regular testing. In a statement online, Patriarch Filarets church said: We inform you that His Holiness Patriarch Filaret of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine tested positive for Covid-19 during planned testing. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Now His Holiness Patriarch is undergoing treatment at a hospital. The Patriarch's state of health is satisfactory. Shortly after Patriarch Filaret gave the TV interview linking coronavirus with gay marriage, a Ukrainian LGBT+ rights group announced it would sue the high-profile Christian leader for discrimination and promoting hatred. Our aim is to show people that there is no longer place for such statements from church leaders in Ukraine, Olena Shevchenko, the head of the pro-LGBT+ group Insight, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Amnesty International in Ukraine also condemned the remarks, warning they could lead to a surge in violence and discrimination against minority groups. Recommended Hundreds of tourists returning to Ukraine break out of airport to escape coronavirus quarantine But the churchs press service claimed in a statement Patriarch Filarets comments were not against the law. As the head of the church and as a man, the Patriarch has the freedom to express his views, which are based on morality. The church also threatened to bring its own legal proceedings against groups which sought to encroach on Ukrainian traditional family values through the courts. Same-sex unions are not legally permissible in Ukraine and there remains much hostility towards gay people, often led by the Orthodox churches, but a survey in 2017 found 56 per cent of Ukrainians agreed LGBT+ people should have equal rights, a significant rise from previous polling. Patriarch Filaret, who leads the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate, has been a high profile and contentious figure in the Eastern European nation for decades. In the 1990s he led efforts to separate out Ukraines Orthodox parishes from the control of the Moscow Patriarchate, which ultimately led to a unified Orthodox Church of Ukraine being established last year. However, the prickly Patriarch Filaret was sidelined as the leader of the new church in favour of one of his younger proteges who was deemed less confrontational. Within months, the older man had fallen out with his successor and split away from the newly unified church to re-establish his old Kiev Patriarchate. President Donald Trump exits a vehicle prior to boarding Air Force One as he departs Washington for campaign travel to Florida and North Carolina at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Sept. 8, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Trump Extends Drilling Ban Off Florida Gulf Coast, 2 Other States President Donald Trump signed an order to extend a ban on offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico off Florida until June 30, 2032. The memorandum also expands the ban on oil drilling to Floridas Atlantic coast, as well as to the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. This protects your beautiful Gulf and your beautiful ocean, and it will for a long time to come, Trump said in Jupiter, Florida, just before signing a presidential order in front of officials from the three states. He said the decision to extend and expand the drilling ban comes after close consultation with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), as well as Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.). A statement from the White House on Tuesday said that Trump has balanced oil and gas production with the interests of residents of the Southeast, withdrawing certain offshore waters from development for 10 years. The trip to Florida comes as Trump steps up his travel to battleground states 8 weeks before the election. From Florida, he headed to a campaign rally in North Carolina, another must-win for his reelection, before returning to the White House late Tuesday. The moratorium on drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico was set to expire in 2022. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has a bill to extend it through 2027, said earlier this year he expected Trump to back his proposed extension. Trumps administration originally sought to expand offshore drilling off many U.S. coasts. Rick Scott, Floridas governor at the time, declared his opposition to the expansion in January 2018. The Trump administration barred oil drilling off the Florida coast in response. Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden accused Trump of conveniently changing his mind. On Twitter, he wrote: Just months ago, Donald Trump was planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida. Now, with 56 days until the election, he conveniently says that he changed his mind. Unbelievable. You dont have to guess where I stand: I oppose new offshore drilling. Trump called out Biden at the event at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, saying that Bidens policies will destroy jobs; cause energy prices to double and triple and quadruple, to skyrocket beyond belief; and the environment will be badly hurt. He warned that Biden and the radical left could potentially take away Florida residents energy independence. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday praised the action taken by the Trump administration as good news but warned we must remain vigilant in the conservation and preservation of our coastline. The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), an industry group, said in a statement on Tuesday that offshore drilling provides jobs as well as raw materials for plastics such as that used in medical equipment. A study NOIA released in late May found that banning offshore drilling for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico would mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in tax revenue. Our preference should always be to produce homegrown American energy, instead of deferring future production to countries like Russia and Iran, which do not share American values, the group said in its statement on Tuesday. Limiting access to our offshore energy resources only shortchanges America and dulls our national outlook. Trump in early January had said that increased petroleum production in the United States will help the country face disruptions to oil supply from external sources. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Betsy Landin was listed by her parents on the 2020 census as living at her familys home in Phoenix when she really should have been counted in the college town of Tempe, where she studies finance at Arizona State University. Also missing from Tempes tally was Arizona State political science major Betzabel Ayala, whose mother counted her on the familys census form in Phoenix because she was living at home after coronavirus lockdowns led to a nationwide exodus from college towns last spring. In yet another example of the widespread disruption caused by the global outbreak, hundreds of thousands of U.S. college students who normally live off campus in non-university housing are being counted for the 2020 census at their parents' homes or other locations when they were supposed to be counted where they go to school. The confusion has enormous implications for college towns, which may face severe shortfalls in federal dollars and a dilution of political power. We really didnt have any instruction or guidance at school about how to fill out the census, Landin said. No easy solution has presented itself. The Census Bureau sought the help of college administrators in getting rosters for off-campus students who left town, but only half of the schools cooperated. Many universities were reluctant to participate because of privacy concerns and because off-campus students at many schools are not obligated to provide information about where they live. And a significant chunk of the information provided by the schools is missing important information, such as birthdates, according to a report last month by the bureaus watchdog agency. From Tempe to places like State College, Pennsylvania, and Gainesville, Florida, the looming undercount could harm college towns across the country. In some places with major universities, students make up as much as three-quarters of the population. The potential undercount of students during this pandemic will have negative financial impacts for the city for years, said Ken Jones, Tempes deputy city manager and chief financial officer. In State College, home to Penn State University, the percentage of students who answered the 2020 census either online, by mail or by phone in a downtown neighborhood populated with apartments for thousands of off-campus students was 25%, compared with 60% during the 2010 census, said Douglas Shontz, a city spokesman. Its going horribly, Shontz said. With less than a month left until the census ends, the city has placed signs and banners all over downtown State College, encouraging students to answer the questionnaire that helps determine the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal spending and how many congressional seats each state gets. The city also spent $5,000 mailing out postcard reminders about the census to students who returned for the fall semester to off-campus apartments or fraternity and sorority houses. We are kind of begging at this point for students to do the right thing, Shontz said. The timing for counting off-campus students couldnt have been worse: Not long after the 2020 census began for most people in March, much of the U.S. went into lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and many schools switched to online classes, leading to an exodus from college towns. The Census Bureau says college students should be counted where they would have been on April 1 at school if not for the outbreak. The undercount problem involves only students living off campus in non-university housing; the Census Bureau relies on records supplied by colleges to count students living in dorms or university apartments. Still, off-campus students make up about 4 million of the 19 million college students in the U.S., according to Dudley Poston, a demographer at Texas A&M University. College students overwhelm the demography of places with large universities, Poston said. This could be a costly setback for university towns. In Athens, Ohio, home to Ohio University, the mayor estimates each student missed accounts for at least $1,400 a year in lost funding for the community. If last springs graduating class of 3,500 students isnt counted, that could translate into $49 million in lost federal funding over the decade, said Mayor Steve Patterson. The question of where to count off-campus college students in any once-a-decade census can be confusing enough, with parents often incorrectly thinking their college-age children should be tallied with them when they should be counted where the students do most of their sleeping. After college students began moving back home because of the outbreak, the Census Bureau had to shelve plans to send door-knockers to neighborhoods around campuses starting in April. Now that the disruption has extended into the fall, hopes of finding and counting students before the census is completed have dwindled further. Some college towns are considering drastic measures, like asking for another count of their communities, but the cities would have to foot the bill for a special census, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ames, Iowa, home to Iowa State University, has 67,000 residents. Officials are worried that if the 2020 census misses the more than 15,000 students who live off-campus, it could put the citys population count below 50,000. Dipping below that threshold would cost Ames millions of dollars in federal funding annually for low-to-middle-income housing and transportation projects, making a special census more appealing, said Gloria Betcher, a professor who sits on the city council. From our perspective, this is like watching an accident in the long term, Betcher said. We are watching these cars approaching each other and seeing that theyre going to crash. Its not surprising to us, but it is surprising that nothing is being done to stop the accident. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: The domestic production of spare parts for the sewage filtration facility in the south of the Irans Tehran Province has prevented the outflow of 1 million euro from the county, said Morteza Ehtishami, the Official of the Filtration Center under auspices Tehran Sewerage Company, Trend reports citing Ministry of Energy of Iran. According to the Ehtishami, there are about 15,000 spare parts at this facility. So far, 5,000 of these spare parts have been produced domestically. He added that an air diffuser, pumps and other equipment are very important pieces of equipment that is produced five times cheaper domestically compared to foreign counterparts. Ehtishami stressed that 65 percent of spare parts and equipment of this filtration facility will be produced domestically over the next 4 years (from March 20, 2020 to March 20, 2024). At present, there are 6 sections operating in the sewage filtration facility in the south of Iran's Tehran Province and 2 new sections are under construction. Each section can produce 675,000 cubic meters of water per day from waste. In total, more than 240 million cubic meters of water can be produced annually in 6 sections. This water is used to irrigate Tehran Province's agricultural areas. This spring when the coronavirus made its perilous descent across Pennsylvania, Lancaster County had to mobilize its public health engine to ensure all segments unique to the county were reached. On paper those factors seemed poised to set it up for a catastrophic impact from the pandemic. Authorities in Georgia are urging motorists to control their speed after a motorcyclist was clocked going 178 mph down a highway last Sunday. The Alpharetta Department of Public Safety posted an image of the speed gun after the bike moving at extreme rates sped past the officer on the Ga. 400. The post said the officer did not try to stop the motorbike for the violation as it was moving too fast. The Alpharetta Department of Public Safety posted an image of the speed gun after the bike moving at extreme rates sped past the officer on the Ga. 400 on Sunday The bike passed the speed gun on the Georgia 400 but was not stopped They added that information on the bike was passed along to other agencies and law enforcement in nearby Atlanta. 'Hopefully, the driver of the sport bike matures a little before a tragedy happens,' the agency posted to its Facebook page. 'No, the officer didn't even attempt a stop. Just passed along the "brief" description to agencies south of us into Atlanta.' Alpharetta Department of Public Safety told DailyMail.com that there was no further information available on the biker and whether they were later stopped by another authority. This is not the first time a motorcyclist has evaded a police stop while going too fast on the Ga. 400. In April, Sandy Springs police reported a bike going 172 mph that was too fast to stop. As lockdowns were in place during the coronavirus pandemic, quieter roads saw motorists picking up their speed. In Georgia, tickets for speeding at 100 mph or more were up nearly two-thirds in late April compared to last year, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. In one week state troopers wrote 140 citations, not including those written by local authorities. Speeding is Georgia is a misdemeanor and those caught can be hit with a fine of up to $1,000. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, most jurisdictions in Georgia want anyone traveling 100 mph or faster to go straight to jail but fear of coronavirus spread has led the state patrol to cut back on arrests for speeding. Kangana Ranaut had earlier approached the Bombay HC on Wednesday challenging the notice issued by the Mumbai civic body for ''illegal construction'' at her bungalow in Mumbai, and sought a stay on the demolition process The Bombay High Court has asked the BMC to stop demolition work at Kangana Ranaut's bungalow in Mumbai. The actress had earlier approached the Bombay HC on Wednesday challenging the notice issued by the Mumbai civic body for ''illegal construction'' at her bungalow in Mumbai, and sought a stay on the demolition process. The Bomaby HC also and sought to know why did the city civic body enter the property when the owner was not present. Justice S J Kathawalla was hearing a petition filed by Ranaut challenging the notice issued by the BMC for illegal construction at her bungalow. The petition also sought a stay on the demolition process. The court sought to know from BMC how it entered the premises and directed it to file an affidavit in response to the plea. The court has posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. Check out the announcement Bombay Hight Court asks BMC to stop demolition work at Kangana Ranaut's bungalow in Mumbai Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 9, 2020 "We filed a petition this morning seeking an urgent hearing. We have sought a stay on the demolition process by way of interim relief," Ranaut's advocate Rizwan Siddiqui told Press Trust of India. He said the high court is likely to take up the plea for hearing during the course of the day. Kangana has also posted a tweet claiming there is no illegal construction in her house. Further, she stated all demolition work is banned in light of coronavirus till 30 September. Read the tweet below There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 The Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished "illegal alterations" at the Ranaut's Bandra bungalow, a civic official said. The 33-year-old actor, who is scheduled to reach Mumbai later in the day, has alleged that the Maharashtra government is targeting her because of her fight with the Shiv Sena. The demolition work was carried out on Wednesday, 9 September, itself. The BMC has posted a second notice outside her bungalow, informing of the action the civic body is set to take, he said. Trouble has mounted for Kangana as the Maharashtra government on Tuesday said the police will probe allegations that she took drugs, while alterations made at her bungalow came under the civic body's scanner. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the Mumbai police will probe allegations after actor Adhyayan Suman claimed in an interview that Ranaut took drugs. The BMC Tuesday filed a "caveat'' in a local court, saying it should be heard first if Ranaut challenges a stop-work notice issued to her. Ranaut had recently said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia", and would prefer security either from Himachal Pradesh or the Centre. Union minister Ramdas Athawale, an ally of the BJP, said workers of his party RPI (A) will provide protection to Ranaut when she returns to Mumbai. "RPI (A) workers have geared up to protect Ranaut who is scheduled to reach Mumbai on Wednesday. Our party workers will offer protection to her at the airport as well as at her residence," Athawale said. Check out Kangana Ranaut's reactions on BMC's demolition I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy pic.twitter.com/bWHyEtz7Qy Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 (With inputs from Press Trust of India) A 'closing down' sign fills the window of a homewares store in Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. - Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg Half of the small businesses in the Australian state of Victoria could be wiped out under the state governments current lockdown schedule, according to the head of Australias Retailers Association. Paul Zahra told the National Press Club that the state's roadmap out of lockdown, which requires the daily case tally be brought below five before most restrictions are lifted, did not consider alternatives such as a progressive reopening. He said he anticipated the first signs of the economic collapse would be seen in coming weeks, demonstrated by the highly visible failure of retail businesses and the proliferation of "for lease" signs. Victoria has become the epicentre of Australia's coronavirus outbreak. While regional Victoria is under relatively mild restrictions, its capital Melbourne - where 92 per cent of the states Covid-19 cases have occurred - remains under lockdown, even as other states reopen. There are over 600,000 small businesses in Victoria, employing almost half of the states private sector workforce. On Monday Robert Scott, CEO of Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers which owns retail giants Bunnings, Kmart, Officeworks and Target - told The Australian newspaper that the lockdown was causing incalculable damage to the state. Australia's Federal Government has attacked State Premier Daniel Andrews scheduled end to restrictions as too cautious, and has blamed the lockdown in Victoria for dragging Australia deeper into its first recession in nearly 30 years. But Mr Andrews says his government is following the advice of scientists and health experts and that to run out of lockdown too fast would risk a third wave of infections. Victoria has gone from a daily peak of 725 cases in early August, to under 90 cases per day since September 3. Mr Andrews is not alone in clashing with the national government. Western Australias Premier Mark McGowan and Queensland leader Annastacia Palaszczuk have also struck a defiant tone on re-opening their borders. This is the comical moment a father thwarts his daughter's plans to trick him after she challenges him to pull a $5 bill from underneath a sanitizer bottle. Footage shows Emily, from Palm Beach, Florida, challenge her father to pull out the money without touching or knocking down the bottle placed on top. However the quick-witted father seizes the opportunity to accuse his daughter of gluing the money to the bottle. He then swiftly snatches the bill away when his daughter goes to lift up the sanitizer and prove him wrong. Emily, from Palm Beach, Florida, tells her father that he has to pull out the $5 bill she has placed underneath the santizer bottle without touching it or knocking it over The father tells his daughter that he will not be able to complete the challenge as the money is glued to the bottle During the clip, which was shared on TikTok, Emily explains to her father: 'So you have to have to get the $5 bill without moving the hand sanitizer or knocking it over. 'And if you can't do then I get the $5.' With a masterful plan forming in his head, the father comically accuses his daughter of gluing the money to the bottle and carefully watches as she takes the bait. He tells her: 'But I can't do it because that's glued to the $5 bill.' As Emily lifts up the sanitizer bottle to prove it is not stuck to the $5 bill, the father quickly snatches the money Emily begins to laugh and is shocked as her father outsmarts her and walks away with the $5 bill As the daughter lifts up the sanitizer to prove to her father the money has not been stuck to the bottle, the father grabs hold of the $5 bill and says: 'Yes it is.' Emily then sinks her head into her hands as her father proudly walks away with the money and says: 'That's not how you do it.' She later took to the social media platform to write: 'Dude really played me like that.' Donald Trump has not received a post-convention 'bump' in his poll standing, figures show. (Getty Images) Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden continued to lead Donald Trump in every major national poll that emerged this past week, despite prognostications from elections experts that the president would receive a post-convention "bump" in his support numbers. Less than two months before the 3 November election, most Americans appear unflinching about their views on who should be their next president. In the latest national poll from CNN, the Democratic ticket of Mr Biden and Kamala Harris led the Republican ticket of Mr Trump and Mike Pence by 8 percentage points, 51-43. CNN conducted a similar poll the week before the conventions using the same methodology and found Mr Biden leading Mr Trump 50-46 per cent, a statistically similar outcome considering sampling error margins. Eighty-nine per cent of the 1,106 registered voters who responded to the CNN poll conducted between 28 August and 1 September said their mind was made up about who they'd vote for, the same percentage as the poll before the conventions. Biden-Harris voters were more entrenched in their support, with 94 per cent saying their minds were made up, compared to just 5 per cent saying they might change their votes. Eighty-seven per cent of Trump-Pence supporters said their minds were made up, with 12 per cent saying they might change. The Democrats made more overt efforts at their convention to win over the small chunk of voters who are still undecided about who they might choose, trotting out speakers who spanned a vast ideological range, from the pro-life former Republican Governor of Ohio John Kasich to progressive icon Bernie Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont. Suburban battlegrounds Republicans, on the other hand, sought to shore up their base with grave warnings that "Joe Biden's America" would be marked by perpetual racial strife embodied by scenes of unrest in Portland, Oregon; "open borders" to allow a free flow of immigrants into the country; and attempts to "abolish the suburbs." Story continues Mr Biden does not advocate for open borders, and an Associated Press fact check of claims from an RNC speaker that he would "abolish the suburbs altogether by ending single-family home zoning" concluded the statement was false. Still, that message appears to have resonated with some voters in Midwestern swing states such as Pennsylvania, according to the Monmouth University Polling Institute, which conducted a poll there over the weekend after the GOP convention. Mr Biden led the president by 4 percentage points, but that advantage is fragile: Mr Trump has clawed back support in 10 key counties that run from the Philadelphia suburbs through the northeast region of the commonwealth. Among that bloc of Pennsylvania voters, the race stands at 46 per cent for Mr Trump, compared to 44 per cent for Mr Biden. Less than two months before, Mr Biden was leading those 10 counties by 54 per cent to 35 per cent, according to the Monmouth poll. "The Republican convention attempted to sow some seeds of doubt among core Democratic blocs, especially young and urban voters. It looks like they may have had a small amount of success with that, at least for now," said Patrick Murray, the Monmouth poll's director. "There's a reason Trump campaigned in Scranton during the Democratic convention. This crucial region of the commonwealth is still up for grabs," Mr Murray said. While Mr Biden enjoyed a 6.9 percentage point edge nationally, according to the RealClearPolitics average from 26 August through 4 September, Pennsylvania and several other swing states are still up for grabs as Americans celebrate their Labor Day weekend. Mr Biden led Mr Trump by an average of 5 percentage points or less among recent polls in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Most of those states' results were within their respective surveys' margins of error, meaning they are statistical tossups. On the issues The national CNN poll released last week after the conventions showed that voters trust Mr Biden over Mr Trump on virtually every major issue area except the economy, where Mr Trump and Mr Biden were virtually tied, 49-48 per cent, respectively, on who voters think would be a better steward of the economy. As both nominees visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, last week, 56 per cent of respondents to the poll said they trust Mr Biden to address racial inequality in the US, compared to just 38 per cent who said Mr Trump. In August, anti-police brutality protests in Kenosha after the police shooting of a 29-year-old black man, Jacob Blake, saw flare-ups of violence and rioting. The president and his attorney general, William Barr, have refused to acknowledge racial disparities in police shootings of unarmed civilians, with Mr Trump chalking up the thousands of such deaths over the last half-decade to "bad apples" in police forces. "I think the police do an incredible job," Mr Trump said at a news conference last week. Democrats and Republicans could not reach even a starting point earlier this summer on negotiations for policing reform, with one of the major sticking points being Democrats' insistence on ending qualified immunity laws that help shield law enforcement officers from legal liability for using force on the job. Mr Biden maintained double-digit leads over Mr Trump on handling the coronavirus response, foreign policy, and health care. He had more modest advantages in voters' trust on helping the middle class and leading the criminal justice system. Read more Michael Cohen book: Former bad guy lawyer calls Trump a cheat who sought help from Russia Joe Biden says QAnon supporters should get a mental health check while calling the conspiracy theory totally bizarre Joe Biden receives nearly 200 endorsements from current and former law enforcement officials, as they call Trump lawless Trump launches attack on Steve Jobs widow for wasting money on supporting magazine run by con man Goldberg Four vessels sink at pro-Trump boat parade in Texas as it draws an 'exceptional' number of MAGA supporters The breakaway territory of Somaliland opened a representative office in Taipei on Wednesday in a rare diplomatic coup for Taiwan that has already drawn Beijing's ire. The territory's representative to Taipei, Mohamed Hagi, said trade, security and development corporation were key aspects of "this special relationship." The two are members of the same community of democracies founded by our shared political and economic freedoms, as well as international values, Hagi said. Taiwans Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said both faced external pressures but are proud of our sovereignty and ready to defend it. Taiwan has just 15 formal diplomatic allies and is considered by China a part of its territory, while Somaliland is recognized internationally as part of Somalia, from which it broke away in 1991 as the country broke apart and descended into clan-based civil war. Somaliland has seen little of the violence and extremist attacks that plague the rest of Somalia. While neither Taiwan or Somaliland are recognized by the United Nations, they both maintain their own independent governments, currencies and security systems. Moves to formalize ties got underway after Wu and Somalilands foreign minister, Yasin Hagi Mohamoud, signed a bilateral agreement in Taipei on Feb. 26. Taiwan has been providing scholarships to students from the region of 3.9 million people and has offered cooperation in areas such as fisheries, agriculture, energy, mining, public health and education. Upon the announcement in July of the agreement to exchange offices, China's foreign ministry accused Taiwan of undermining Somali sovereignty. China has frequently sought to scupper such arrangements in the past and has been using its its massive economic resources to win over Taiwan's remaining allies. While Somalia and Somaliland recently restarted their dialogue, China has refused all direct contacts with Taiwan's government since the election of independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016. Tsai was re-elected this year to a second four-year term. Each year, Ontarios agriculture societies behind community fall fairs and exhibitions apply for grants from the province to assist with operational costs. Theres a catch, though. An agricultural society must put on a fair to be eligible for the funding. Enter COVID-19, and that requirement effectively becomes impossible for many societies to meet, after having cancelled events, some of which have been running for more than a century. Last month, the province announced it was granting a one-time exception to the rule, allowing agriculture societies to be eligible for funding regardless of whether a fair was held. But even with the welcome exception, organizations representing agriculture societies, fairs and exhibitions caution it may not be enough to keep the ferris wheels turning. Christina Franc, executive director for the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions, said the provinces move is a step in the right direction, but shes unsure it will have a significant effect. Franc estimates one in 10 fairs will have to close permanently without additional support. She said theres a $74-million shortfall across Canadas fairs. In Ontario, theres a shortfall of more than $12 million across the provinces agricultural societies, said Vince Brennan, manager for the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies. Brennan said the maximum amount a society can get is $5,000, split between capital improvements and normal operating expenses. Itll help pay the insurance and hydro, said Brennan. Niagaras three major fairs Niagara Regional Exhibition, Wainfleet Fall Fair and West Niagara Fall Fair have all been cancelled this year due to safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus. Norma Bird, president of Wainfleet Agricultural Society, which puts on the Wainfleet fair, said the organizations overall yearly budget ranges between $75,000 and $80,000. When youre a small fair like we are, every little penny that we get is absolutely essential and valuable, she said. If the fair is able to go ahead next year, Bird expects sanitation costs will double. Do we save it in case we have to buy PPE next year? she asked. The board will be discussing it this month. Michael Gill, president of Niagara Regional Agricultural Society, which puts on the Niagara Regional Exhibition in Welland, said the group applied for funding in January assuming there would be a fair. The exhibition received $3,000, and Gill said the funds will likely go toward supplies and preparation for next years fair, if restrictions loosen up. The provincial funding makes up a small percentage of the revenue for the West Niagara Fall Fair, put on by West Niagara Agricultural Society. In an emailed statement, Anita Philpott, treasurer for the society, said its in good financial standing, and the fair will be able to carry on when allowed. Our fair would continue on regardless of whether we received this funding or not, the statement said. Brennan said hes been speaking with politicians about the importance of fairs and their economic contributions to local communities. He hopes federal and provincial levels of government will work together to get more funding rolling. Theyre the backbone of many of our communities, Brennan said of the fairs. Thats the one time of the year where families and friends come back to that community, and, in many cases, thats their first interaction with agriculture and livestock missing that will be huge. After investing in Jio Platforms earlier this year, the world's leading tech investor Silver Lake Partners (SLP) will invest Rs 7,500 crore ($1 billion) in Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail Ltd, a Reliance Industries Ltd subsidiary, for a 1.75 per cent equity stake on a fully diluted basis. This investment values Reliance Retail at a pre-money equity value of Rs 4.21 lakh crore. The investment by Silver Lake marks another big boost for RIL, which last month acquired Kishore Biyani's Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore. It is also the second large investment by Silver Lake in an RIL subsidiary after the infusion of Rs 10,200 crore in Jio Platforms Ltd earlier this year. "We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms. Silver Lake will be an invaluable partner in implementing our vision for Indian Retail," Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries, said. With the current investment, both Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail now account for over Rs 9 lakh of RIL's valuation. Notably, Reliance Retail, which is a subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, operates India's largest retail business service via its 12,000 stores nationwide. A RIL statement said that Reliance Retail's "vision is to galvanise the Indian retail sector by working closely with farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and global and domestic companies". Also read: Reliance Retail-Silver Lake deal talks: 10 key points As part of the RIL-Future Group deal signed last month, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd will acquire the retail and wholesale business and the logistics and warehousing business from the Future Group, which would make it the undisputed leader of the retail business in India. Future Retail owns BigBazaar that sells everything from groceries to cosmetics and apparel, and Future Lifestyle Fashions that operates fashion discount chain Brand Factory. Reliance will also take over Future Consumer, which sells food, home and personal care products. Meanwhile, Silver Lake also has a terrific track record of investing in some of the largest and successful tech companies globally including the likes of Twitter, Airbnb, Alibaba, Dell Technologies, ANT Financials, among others. It has over $40bn billion in combined assets under management. Speaking about the deal, Egon Durban, Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Silver Lake, said Mukesh Ambani and his team have created an outstanding world leader in retail and technology. "The success of JioMart in such a short time span, especially while India, along with the rest of the world, battles the COVID-19 pandemic, is truly unprecedented." Also read: Mukesh Ambani on shopping binge; Reliance buys into 23 firms in 3 years He said Reliance's New Commerce strategy could become the disruptor of this decade. Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Retail and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsels. Latham & Watkins and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co acted as legal counsels for Silver Lake. RIL has also invited others JPL investors, including Facebook and Google, to pump in money in Reliance Retail Ventures. Analysts believe roping in these global tech giants could give RIL a much-needed boost to take on multinational giants like Amazon Inc and Walmart in India. RIL has reportedly already started preliminary negotiations with Facebook and private equity fund KKR for investment in Reliance Retail. The two companies also own stakes in RIL's Jio platforms. Meanwhile, RIL share is trading 0.19 per cent or Rs 3.20 up at Rs 2,113.25 on the National Stock Exchange as compared the previous day close of Rs 2,107.10. Also Read: Reliance Retail buys Future Group's retail business for Rs 24,713 crore WASHINGTON - Jessica Krug, a George Washington University associate professor of history who lied about being Black, has resigned from her tenured position, officials said Wednesday. Krug's classes on Latin American and African history will be taught by other faculty members, according to the university's Twitter account. Krug, a White woman whose academic career has centered on African and Latin American history, revealed in a Medium blog post last week that she had been lying about her race. She said she has claimed multiple racial identities, including African American, North African and Black Caribbean. "For the better part of my adult life, every move I've made, every relationship I've formed, has been rooted in the napalm toxic soil of lies," Krug wrote. Krug did not immediately respond to a request for comment. GWU's history department responded to Krug's blog post by calling for her resignation. She had been teaching at the university since 2012. "With what she has termed her 'audaciously deceptive' appropriation of an Afro-Caribbean identity, she has betrayed the trust of countless current and former students, fellow scholars of Africana Studies, colleagues in our department and throughout the historical discipline, as well as community activists in New York City and beyond," the department said in a statement. Krug, outside of teaching, was an activist who opposed gentrification in New York. "With her conduct, Dr. Krug has raised questions about the veracity of her own research and teaching," department officials said in the statement. The university's Black Student Union also condemned Krug, calling her actions a symptom of an institutionwide problem. "It is embarrassing the lack of authentic Black and Latinx faculty at this institution that made room for a person like Jessica Krug," students said in a statement. "Our students are embarrassed to attend George Washington University." About 25% of full-time GWU faculty members are people of color, data from the university shows. Krug, in the blog post, said mental health issues probably explain why she developed false identities as a child and why she continued to do so as an adult. Krug grew up in suburban Kansas City, Kan., and said she has been alienated from her family. The former professor wrote extensively on the topic of Blackness. Her book, "Fugitive Modernities: Politics and Identity Outside the State in Kisama, Angola, and the Americas, c. 1594-Present," earned her spots as a finalist for awards named for Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Krug's scholarship helped her gain access to a tightknit community of Black scholars, many of whom have publicly denounced Krug's deception. Krug's students have also been affected. Aria Sakona, a 21-year-old senior, was taking Krug's Latin American history class and said she was shocked by the former professor's announcement. "We all placed a lot of trust in her," Sakona said. In an email, Brian Blake, the university's provost, and Paul Wahlbeck, dean of the university's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences - which houses the history department - said Krug's former students will receive more information this week about their classes. "We hope that with this update our community can begin to heal and move forward," the statement said. A nyone seen the Prime Minister? There are worries here in Westminster he's been kidnapped. Bundled, whisked away and chained to a radiator in some remote hangar somewhere with a stitched-up balaclava over his head. Were this America, we'd be pasting his photo all over milk cartons pronto. Because whoever it was addressing the nation yesterday certainly didn't sound like Boris. Didn't look much like him either. That fuscia-flushed creature hunched over the podium appeared far too healthy for a start. You could actually make out his chin. What doom and gloom this imposter uttered. What joyless, downbeat dross. For nearly 20 minutes he spoke inside the Downing Street briefing room, that soul-sapping space which always smells of Pledge polish. He laid out plans to restrict social gatherings as of next Monday to just six people. 'The rule of six,' as he called it. Had this been the real Boris speaking, such dispiriting talk would have been interspersed with promises of new dawns and sunny uplands. Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives a press conference at Downing Street with advisers Professor Chris Whitty (left) and Sir Patrick Vallance (right) A barrage of boosterism, in other words. Instead, his text sounded like it could have been penned by an offizier in the East German Stasi. These new directives would be 'set out in law and it will be enforced by the police' he said. Anyone breaking the rules 'risks being dispersed, fined and possibly arrested'. Jawhol! There was a draconian promise of stronger enforcement of the rules already in place. In which case, the police could start by clearing the Extinction Rebellion lot out of Parliament Square. Their repetitive drum beating yesterday was driving anyone within earshot potty. In a brief moment of compromise, the PM promised to listen to 'feedback' from the public. Feedback? That's the sort of thing automated market research emails bleat on about. Another dead giveaway. The real Boris would never use such a word. We heard how beleaguered pubs and restaurants would now be required by law rather than simply advised to take customers' details and keep them for 21 days. Failure to do so will result in proprietors having their collars felt. As if they didn't have enough problems! On and on the Bojo jackboot swung. 'Covid-secure marshals', whatever they are, would be enlisted to help ensure social distancing in city centres. B order enforcement would be stepped up to ensure quarantine was being complied with. The more we heard, the more wearying it felt. Accompanying the PM were our old boffin friends Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. Back when we were in the early grip of the virus, we used to refer to them as the Three Amigos. Their rapport seems chillier these days. Were they a rock band they'd be at the stage of travelling to gigs in separate limos. Whitty was his usual moony presence. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle (pictured) was not happy details of the 'rule of six' were announced to the media first He wore the sort of dishevelled suit which would not be out of place in the bookies' enclosure at a provincial racecourse. Sir Patrick at least had a few optimistic things to say about a vaccine. He didn't think it was unrealistic to think we might have one by next year. What a hallelujah moment that'll be. The TV hacks were aggressive as ever. They've never seemed that keen on Mr Johnson. Or do their producers encourage them to be like that? The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg and Sky's Beth Rigby went hunting for a headline by asking whether Christmas was effectively cancelled. Fake Boris said it was too early to say but admitted such a situation would be heartbreaking. Oh, I don't know. Plenty of matriarchs I know will be delighted at being able to give the in-laws a swerve this year. By the by, Sir Lindsay Hoyle wasn't happy details of the 'rule of six' were announced to the media first yesterday. Following a deathly dull PMQs, he gave Matt Hancock a proper clip round the ear for not informing Parliament about them during his statement on Tuesday. Sir Desmond Swayne (Con, New Forest West) had complained to the chair they not been allowed to debate the matter first. Fruity Sir Dessie, in case you'd missed it, is a bit of lockdown sceptic. It's not often Sir Lindsay gets shirty unlike his predecessor John Bercow. But yesterday he was fuming. By way of punishment he threatened to run Hancock 'ragged' by summoning him to the chamber every day to answer urgent questions. After the litany of heavyhanded proposals laid out in yesterday's press conference, perhaps he should summon the Prime Minister to the chamber to explain himself. It'll be interesting to see which Boris turns up. A 23-year-old Sydney woman experiencing a cannabis-induced psychosis was fatally injured when she slipped from a police officer's grasp and plunged 10 metres headfirst onto a road. Grace Herington had been discharged from hospital hours before she was chased by police and fell off a road ramp in Sydney's lower north shore. Despite her death occurring as the result of a police operation, State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan said in inquest findings released on Wednesday 'police took appropriate action in the circumstances'. Grace Herington was fatally injured when she slipped from a police officer's grasp and plunged 10 metres headfirst onto a road Ms Herington was described as a beautiful, happy woman and a loyal friend. The dux of her school went on to Sydney University in 2015, but felt isolated from her peers. During her studies she became overcome with stress and in October reported of suffering persistent headaches. She was prescribed melatonin and given special consideration for poor exam results, and experienced what her family calls a 'breakdown' at the end of 2016. For the first time in 2017 she started experimenting with cannabis and LSD. After receiving low exam results towards the end of 2018 her brother noticed her behaviour becoming erratic. After smoking cannabis with a friend on December 15 that year she experienced hallucinations. Three days later she made some bizarre phone calls to her parents where she said she had 'stopped 9/11, but I didn't kill [a named person]'. Ms Herington was described as a beautiful, happy woman and a loyal friend Ms Herington was taken to hospital on December 18 as a voluntary patient, and after assessment 'did not display suicidality, wasn't aggressive or overly agitated, and had indicated she would see her psychologist the next day,' and was discharged. After returning to the Hunters Hill unit where she lived with her brother, her unusual behaviour prompted him to call emergency services. She escaped out her window and paramedics tailed her movements, and police arrived shortly after. Senior Constable Timothy Shields observed her screaming and running erratically towards the road. Ms Herington 'climbed over a guard rail, lay down along a low cyclone fence and then tipped over the edge' at which point Sen Const Shields took hold of her leg. But swinging her body he was unable to hold onto her and she fell onto the road. Her death in hospital from multiple blunt force injuries was described by Ms O'Sullivan as a 'tragic end to a young and promising life'. They filed for divorce after nearly 13 years of marriage back in May, with actor Kyle Newman also filing a domestic violence prevention petition against actress Jaime King. Now, ex-husband Newman, 44, is claiming that King, 41, cleared out their joint bank accounts before forcing him to leave their family home during the divorce. DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for the Hart of Dixie actress for comment regarding the claims. Getting ugly: Jaime King's ex-husband Kyle Newman claims the actress 'emptied their joint bank accounts' and 'excluded' him from family home amid divorce battle According to legal documents, the actress 'emptied and closed' their joint bank accounts leaving Newman with 'minimal access to funds' per a report by UsWeekly. The legal documents state that Newman has requested that King pay his legal fees, as his role as a stay-at-home father to their two sons James, six, and Leo, five, makes it impossible for him to cover to the $150,000 in fees he has already built up. He is asking for a repayment sum totaling $70,000 to his lawyers. Split: They filed for divorce after nearly 13 years of marriage back in May, with actor Kyle Newman also filing a domestic violence prevention petition against actress Jaime King It is also claimed in the papers that King has 'excluded [Newman] from the family residence' since the divorce, which has delayed their legal battle and lead to further legal fees for Newman. The report adds that instead of finding a resolution, King returned to work in Canada to film a new season the show Black Summer, allegedly leaving Newman with the children and 'without support [and] without access to community funds.' Since the split, Newman has looked after their children in Pennsylvania. King also has a restraining order on Newman, and in May accused him of abusing her for the past five-and-a-half years in explosive court documents. The Nebraska-born actress has claimed that she is suffering from 'anxiety, fear and emotional damage' as a result of the long term abuse at the hands of her ex. In happier times: The former married couple with their son James Knight Newman in 2015 King also claimed that her estranged husband used GPS trackers and microphone pens to keep tabs on her, and that he took $300k from her bank account. She went on to say that he's been 'gaslighting' her and that she's 'incredibly afraid' of 'what he will do in retaliation.' The White Chicks star requested her two Shiba Inu dogs Peter and Wendy, which she owned before they were married, as well as their Mercedes 'so the respondent cannot track my movements through the internal tracking system.' She also asked for 'exclusive use of all home security systems so that respondent cannot continue to surveil me.' King wrote in the documents: 'He told me that he is having people watch my movements and my home.' She went on to allege that Newman is holding their sons James, six, and Leo, four, out-of-state in Pennsylvania and refuses to return them. Hart of Dixie is available on Stan in Australia By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - United Airlines said Wednesday it plans to add new non-stop flights to Africa, India and Hawaii as it reconfigures its network in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The No. 3 U.S. airline said next year it will operate the first direct flights between the United States and Bangalore, India -- launching flights to and from San Francisco. Both cities are tech hubs. United also plans to add new daily service between Chicago and New Delhi. United will also introduce flights between Washington Dulles and Accra, Ghana, and Lagos, Nigeria, and new direct flights between Newark and Johannesburg. It will also start direct flights between Chicago and Kona, Hawaii, and Newark/New York and Maui. United needs government approval for the new international routes. All the new flights are set to start in 2021, with the exception of the Chicago-New Delhi flights that will begin in December. In late July, India agreed to allow U.S. air carriers to resume flights after coming under criticism from the U.S. Transportation Department. (Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Nick Zieminski) The COVID-19 task force of the U.S. Agency for International Development will stop its operations, according to its internal memo. The note said that as they approach the COVID-19 task force's deactivation on Sept.9, the entire team is ensuring that there would be a smooth transition of key functions back to Bureaus and Independent Offices. The decision came as the pandemic continuously spread, with the death toll nearing 190,000 in the U.S. and 900,000 worldwide. The White House has mostly stopped its pandemic-related briefing. The top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx have been mostly out of sight. An administration official said there are worries on how the lack of a coordinating task force would affect the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The official, who refused to be named, said that now everyone will be fighting as there would be no central place. Another official said that the task force had too broad a mandate to be effective. The official said that it was far too large and bureaucratic. Acting USAID Administrator John Barsa said during his testimony in the U.S. Congress this summer that several of the task force's responsibilities would be handled by a new planning arm called "Over the Horizon." "While USAID's COVID-19 Task Force has managed the near-term challenges directly related to the pandemic, Over the Horizon will perform research, conduct outreach, and prepare analyses around key strategic questions to help the Agency prepare for lasting challenges to the development and humanitarian landscape in the medium to long term," he was quoted. Meanwhile, every drug-making company participates in the race to find the most effective, guaranteed safety, the COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier asked the states to be ready to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 1. However, Fauci said it is more likely that a vaccine will be ready by the end of the year. Infectious disease experts and scientists have said they are worried that the vaccine approval process in the U.S. could be affected by politics. On Tuesday, nine drugmakers released a letter vowing to "uphold the integrity of the scientific process." Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told NBC's "TODAY" that they saw it critical to come out and repeat their commitments. Bourla said that they would develop their products to develop their vaccine using the highest ethical standards. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar tried to ease the concern surrounding the possible vaccines' review process. Azar said that it has nothing to do with elections and is concerned about delivering safe and effective vaccines to Americans as quickly as possible. Azar said that whether it is in October or November, it is all about saving lives but meeting the FDA standards of safety and efficacy. Leading the Trump administration's Operation War Speed initiative, Dr. Moncef Slaoui said that a vaccine ready for public distribution in November is "extremely unlikely." The FDA has earlier said that it would authorize a coronavirus vaccine as long as it is safe and at least 50 percent effective. Check these out: Government Wants COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Ready by November White House Repeatedly Denies CDC to Hold Public Briefings on COVID-19 McEnany: White House COVID-19 Task Force Will No Longer Brief Public Despite Over 2 Million Cases In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)s reporters in Bangkok, Chuan Leekpai extended his deepest appreciation to Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan for the success in her tenure as the AIPA Chair. Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has shown her tireless efforts, wise counsel and perseverance, he said, stressing that in the past year, the achievement of all AIPA activities would not have been possible without the Vietnamese top legislator at the helm. Chuan Leekpai, President of the National Assembly of Thailand (Photo: VNA) To illustrate, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed the global health security threat to humanity throughout the region. In the most difficult moment, the Vietnamese legislature has made every effort not only to deal with the spread of COVID-19 but also to hold three significant AIPA conferences. Highlighting the great success of these meetings in times of the global health crisis, Chuan Leekpai said all the success of AIPA would not have been possible without excellent management by the AIPA staff of the Vietnamese NA. He suggested AIPA-41 focus its agenda on how to promote parliamentary diplomacy among the countries in the region as a complementary tool to move the community forward to achieve sustainable development in all areas, in line with the events theme of Parliamentary Diplomacy for a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community. According to the Thai legislator, AIPA has demonstrated its role as a key parliamentary organisation for the deliberation of regional issues, which illustrates vividly the power of parliamentary diplomacy in ASEAN. This goes in line with the global trend of international parliamentary diplomacy by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, he said. He stressed it is necessary to reaffirm the role and the support of ASEAN parliaments in the ASEAN community building process and also emphasize the significance of parliamentary diplomacy for peace, security and stability amidst rapid and complex developments in regional and global situations to reinforce ASEANs centrality in regional and world affairs. Chuan Leekpai said he believes that all AIPA members are willing to exchange experience or best practices with the floor in order to strengthen the connectivity as well as mutual understanding within the region. Asked about Thailands message to the meeting, he said Thailand would like to exchange ideas with AIPA colleagues on how to tackle the difficulties during the pandemic. According to the Thai top legislator, members of parliaments should stay connected to the people in order to get to know what they want and find the way to respond to those matters properly. He said within the region, a closer inter-parliamentary cooperation is necessary; exchanging new-normal knowledge or best practices to cope with any difficulties in the period of pandemic should be promoted. ASEAN unity could be essentially strengthened through the harmonisation of laws of the member states, he said./. Sierra Leones UN-backed tribunal said Wednesday it will grant conditional early release to a former rebel leader in prison for crimes against humanity committed during the countrys brutal civil war. Augustine Gbao, 72, a former leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), had served 17 years of a 25-year sentence for acts including terrorism, extermination, murder, rape and sexual slavery. The Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone, based in The Hague, is the successor to a court established by the United Nations in 2002 to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for the atrocities during the West African countrys 1991-2001 civil war. The conflict, financed largely by so-called blood diamonds, left 120,000 people dead and tens of thousands mutilated. Former RUF commander Augustine Gbao has been granted conditional early release, with a three-month delay, during which time he must undergo specific training geared to his understanding of and acceptance of responsibility for the harm he inflicted by his crimes, the court said in a statement released Wednesday. The court found that Gbao, who was detained in 2003 and is serving his sentence in Rwanda, had largely behaved properly in prison and showed remorse, it said. Gbao will be able to serve the remainder of his sentence in his community of Blama, a town in Sierra Leones Eastern Province, subject to close supervision and strict conditions. The conditions include a radio and television apology to the victims of his crimes and to the people of Sierra Leone. Between 1991 and 2001, the RUF carried out a series of atrocities in order to try to gain control over Sierra Leones lucrative mining districts. During the 2009 sentencing for Gbao and two other RUF leaders, the court said the rebels terrorised the civilian population with mass killings, rape and amputations. The rebels also forcibly recruited child soldiers. The court had rejected on Tuesday a bid by former Liberian president and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor who is serving a 50-year sentence for crimes committed in Sierra Leone to be moved from a British jail, where he claimed he risks dying from coronavirus. Human trafficking into the UK could increase as criminals look to exploit those hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, an expert has warned. Unseen UK chief executive Andrew Wallis said thousands of victims arrive in the country each year through traffickers, having been promised a chance to escape poverty or support their families back home financially. But instead they find themselves at the mercy of criminal gangs who force them into illegal work to pay off inflated debts while threatening them with violence. Mr Wallis, whose charity aims to end modern slavery, said he believed the multi-billion-pound global human trafficking industry would eventually become "more lucrative" than the drugs trade. And he warned that more people could be at risk of falling victim to traffickers in the aftermath of the pandemic. Mr Wallis told the PA news agency: "I think as a result of Covid-19 and the economic downturn we are going to see an increase (in human trafficking to the UK) because as the economy shrinks and as people become more vulnerable, the risk of exploitation increases. "With the huge global imbalance between economies there will be a draw. If you've got no options in life, if your options are grinding poverty and someone says 'there's a way out of this', then human nature takes over." Traffickers use various methods to find their victims, including through posting adverts promising the chance to earn more money in western Europe, Mr Wallis said. But what victims do not realise is that they are being "set-up", he added. "When they arrive, what they thought was a 400 US dollar debt (302) that they have to pay off is suddenly 4,000 US dollars (3002), so the debt bondage control begins," Mr Wallis said. "They are then forced to work or subjected to fines meaning they can never pay it off." Home Office figures show there were 10,627 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) last year - a 52% increase from 2018. Unseen UK received a further 7,000 calls to its helpline over the same period, Mr Wallis said. However, a report by the Centre for Social Justice in July this year estimated there could be at least 100,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK. The vast majority of victims who arrive from outside the UK will have entered through legal means, either thinking they had a legitimate job or a visa, Mr Wallis said. But he said some traffickers try to get victims into the country clandestinely. "And that is usually because they are going to end up in criminal exploitation working in cannabis farms or in nail bars," he said. "What we often see with the cannabis farms is that they are often controlled by organised criminal gangs." Romanian nationals and UK residents make up the majority of victims who contact the charity's helpline, Mr Wallis said, while Vietnamese and Chinese were the most common nationalities for victims from Asia. The most common nationalities referred to the NRM were from the UK, Albania and Vietnam, according to Home Office figures. Mr Wallis said while the Government was now better at finding and identifying modern slavery and trafficking, the true scale of the issue was still not yet known. The Home Office said the UK's modern slavery legislation had introduced a maximum life sentence for traffickers, as well as "enhanced protection" for for victims. "We are doing all we can to stop ruthless criminals intent on profiteering from vulnerable migrants," a spokeswoman said. "We continue to work with counterparts overseas to reduce exploitation and bring perpetrators to justice." In a major investment, Silver Lake is set to infuse Rs 7,500 crore in for 1.75 per cent stake in the company, which is a subsidiary of This is the second billion-dollar investment by Silver Lake in a Reliance Industries subsidiary after the $1.35 billion it invested in Jio Platforms earlier this year. With more than $60 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital, Silver Lake is the global leader in large-scale technology investing. It has previously invested in Airbnb, Alibaba, Alphabets Verily and Waymo units among others. The investment in comes a day after it led a $500 million funding round for Byjus that valued the Indian online education platform at around $10.8 billion. I am delighted to extend our relationship with Silver Lake to our transformational efforts of building an inclusive partnership with millions of small merchants while providing value to Indian consumers across the country in the Indian retail sector. We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms. Silver Lake will be an invaluable partner in implementing our vision for Indian Retail, said in a statement. ALSO READ: With Ambani upping the ante, Reliance Jio looks to dial disruption 2.0 Meanwhile, Egon Durban, Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Silver Lake, said, "Reliances New Commerce strategy could become the disruptor of this decade. We are thrilled to have been invited to partner with Reliance in their mission for Indian Retail. RRVL reported a consolidated turnover of Rs 162,936 crore and a net profit of Rs 5,448 crore for the year ended March 31, 2020. RIL has started preliminary talks with Facebook and private equity fund KKR, the two entities that bought stake in RIL-run Jio Platforms, to make an investment in its retail business too. The two are among the 13 that have invested over $20 billion in Jio Platforms for over a 30 per cent stake. It is believed these investors have informally been given an option to also put in money in once the monetisation process of the company starts after the acquisition of the retail business of Kishore Biyanis Future Group. Are the tides turning on Wall Street? Stocks fell in the past three trading sessions, as investors abandoned the tech heavyweights that have been at the forefront of the markets remarkable charge forward. Whats behind the sell-off? Sky-high valuations reminiscent of the dot-com era have sparked fears of a tech bubble. To this end, investors are wondering if this pullback is just a correction, or if it is the start of a larger drawdown. In times like these, the legends can offer some guidance. We are referring to the people that transformed the way we play the investing game, namely David Shaw. A former Columbia University computer-science professor, Shaw founded the D. E. Shaw group at a small bookstore in New York City in 1988. Starting out with six employees and $28 million in capital, he pioneered a new investing approach, one that computerized the industry and fundamentally changed the culture of hedge funds, making way for math and science fanatics as well as musicians and English majors. Among these misfits was Jeff Bezos, who was a senior vice president at D.E. Shaw in charge of the hedge funds online retail project. He was intrigued by the potential, and thus, the seeds of Amazon were planted. As D.E. Shaw has become a $50 billion hedge fund, and Shaws net worth lands at $7.5 billion, we wanted to take a closer look at three stocks the fund picked up recently. Running the tickers through TipRanks database, we learned that each one boasts a Strong Buy consensus rating from the analyst community and massive upside potential. Paratek Pharmaceuticals (PRTK) Providing physicians with the tools they need, Paratek Pharmaceuticals hopes its solutions will generate positive outcomes and patient stories. Based on the success of its product launch, its no wonder Wall Street focus has locked in on this healthcare name. Shaw is among those cheering the company. Increasing its stake by 82%, D.E. Shaw bought up 457,341 shares in the second quarter. Following the purchase, the funds total PRTK position lands at 1,018,465 shares and is worth $4,267,368. Story continues Writing for H.C. Wainwright, 5-star analyst Ed Arce cites NUZYRAs performance as a key component of his bullish thesis, noting that the company's therapy is already on track to be one of the most successful antibiotic launches of the last decade. The asset is a tetracycline-class antibacterial designed as a treatment for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) and acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). During Q2 2020, sales growth for NUZYRA continued to ramp up, with net sales coming in at $8.1 million, up 11.4% sequentially from Q1 2020, which was already up 34.9% from Q4 2019. Weighing in on the result, Arce stated, We find this quarter's growth particularly encouraging because not only is it all in the hospital settingwhich is notoriously slow with trial and adoption of new medicinesbut it was achieved during a time in which most of the U.S. was under full or partial lockdown and restricted hospital access due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic." The analyst added, "Management depicted the growth curve of IV and oral NUZYRA sales versus other recent antibiotic launches, based on data from IQVIA, which we believe offers a clear graphical representation of this differentiated launch, even under trying circumstances. On top of this, PRTK filed a supplemental NDA with the FDA to obtain an oral-only dosing label for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). An updated label for NUZYRA could come around the end of January 2021. We view this as an important update that is likely to significantly boost sales momentum further, as not only will it allow Paratek to capture some of the 2020-2021 flu season demand, but critically enables the company to execute its broader strategy to expand into the community setting early next year, Arce commented. Summing it all up, Arce said, Overall, we believe Paratek is on course to establishing itself as a leading, commercially successful, independent antibiotic biotech company, with a pathway to cash flow breakeven. To this end, Arce rates PRTK a Buy along with a $19 price target. Should his thesis play out, a potential twelve-month gain of 353% could be in the cards. (To watch Arces track record, click here) Are other analysts in agreement? They are. Only Buy ratings, 4, in fact, have been issued in the last three months. Therefore, the message is clear: PRTK is a Strong Buy. Given the $14.67 average price target, shares could skyrocket 250% in the next year. (See PRTK stock analysis on TipRanks) Eiger Biopharmaceuticals (EIGR) Focused on the development of therapies for rare and ultra-rare diseases for which no approved drugs exist, Eiger Biopharmaceuticals wants to address the high unmet medical need. With a strong development pipeline, some believe big things are in store for EIGR. Shaw is standing squarely with the bulls on this one. During Q2, D.E. Shaw snapped up 142,385 shares, bringing the size of the holding to 217,813 shares. After this 189% boost, the value of the position comes in at $2,250,000. Ahead of an upcoming regulatory ruling, Ladenburg analyst Michael Higgins is also on board. The analyst tells clients that the PDUFA for Zokinvy (lonafarnib), the company's potential treatment for Progeria and Progeroid Laminopathies, is still set for November 20. Back in May, the company revealed that the FDA had accepted the application with Priority Review. We agree with management that an advisory committee meeting is not expected. We remind investors lonafarnib was granted Orphan Drug Designation, Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation which allows for an expedited approval process. The Rare Pediatric Disease Designation also makes lonafarnib eligible for a priority review voucher (PRV) upon approval, which we value at ~$100 million (to be split 50/50 with the Progeria Research Foundation) based on the four most recent transactions ($80 million-$130 million). We continue to have a high level of confidence that Zokinvy will be approved, given the impressive clinical evidence (including mortality endpoint), lack of adequate treatments and safety profile, Higgins commented. It should be noted that the EU application for lonafarnib in progeria and progeroid laminopathies has been delayed due to COVID-related travel restrictions that prevented the EMA from completing the standard manufacturing inspections. That said, Higgins points out that the asset was already on an accelerated review, so the delay basically means the application is subject to a standard review timeline. The analyst added, We expect this only adds ~60 days to the review, for an early Q1 2021 decision, which should still allow synchronized worldwide launch. While its possible this review is delayed again, supporting the approval is the filings relatively limited size and impressive clinical evidence. To this end, Higgins stated, With cash of $90.8 million, a ~$15 million quarterly burn and cash expected following Zokinvys PDUFA (via PRV monetization and revenues in Progeria), Eiger is well-positioned to continue to execute in developing its pipeline. Everything EIGR has going for it keeps Higgins with the bulls. Along with a Buy rating, the analyst leaves a $28 price target on the stock. This target suggests shares could climb 171% higher in the next year. (To watch Higgins track record, click here) All in all, other analysts echo Higgins sentiment. 3 Buys and no Holds or Sells add up to a Strong Buy consensus rating. With an average price target of $27.67, the upside potential comes in at a whopping 168%. (See EIGR stock analysis on TipRanks) Atara Biotherapeutics (ATRA) Developing offtheshelf, allogeneic Tcell immunotherapies, Atara Biotherapeutics believes its products could potentially transform the lives of patients with serious medical conditions. Given its promising pipeline, ATRA has received significant attention from Wall Street. During Q2, Shaws fund made a major purchase. Scooping up 297,003 shares, the hedge funds new ATRA position is valued at $3,997,660. Turning to the analyst community, 5-star analyst Tony Butler, of Roth Capital, tells clients that ATRA has big plans to drive value in 2020. First and foremost, the company remains on track to file the BLA for tab-cel, its off-the-shelf, allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy, in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) following solid organ transplant (SOT) or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (SCT) with the FDA in 2H20. ATRA plans to conduct an interim analysis of the Phase 3 trial in Q3 2020, and after this analysis, there will be a preBLA meeting with the FDA, where it will discuss the data generated to date from the tab-cel program in PTLD. Reflecting another positive, Butler pointed out, Atara is targeting additional EBV+ ultra-rare indications to increase the market opportunity of tab-cel. For this purpose, Atara will initiate a Phase 2 trial to evaluate tab-cel in up to six EBV+ indications during 2H20. These indications include leiomyosarcoma, lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs) related to primary and acquired immunodeficiency, front-line PTLD and first- or second-line CNS PTLD. On top of this, the company is set to kick off the randomized placebo-controlled portion of the allogeneic T-cell program to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). The program is in a Phase 1 trial that is being conducted in two parts. Looking at the early data, there were distinct improvements in patient outcomes based on the sustained disability improvement (SDI) score. Expounding on this, Butler stated, Improvement in patients' disability were particularly pronounced at doses of 20 and 40 million cell doses and Atara chose the 20 million cells dose as the go-forward dose for the randomized phase II portion of the trial. The company stated that if the data show signals indicating an improvement in disability, which can potentially mean a transformational product in the treatment paradigm of MS, then the company may choose to opt for an accelerated developmental pathway. It should come as no surprise, then, that Butler stayed with the bulls. To this end, he puts a Buy rating and $30 price target on the stock, suggesting 123% upside potential. (To watch Butlers track record, click here) In general, other analysts are on the same page. With 6 Buy ratings and 1 Hold, the word on the Street is that ATRA is a Strong Buy. The $33.60 average price target brings the upside potential to 143%. (See ATRA stock analysis on TipRanks) 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. Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) called to repeal the 17th Amendment on Tuesday, which would eliminate the requirement that U.S. senators be elected by popular votes. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled Make the Senate Great Again, Sasse called for an end to the amendment, among other changes to the Senate aimed at promoting debate, not ending it. He also recommended abolishing standing committees, requiring senators to show up for debates, implementing 12-year term limits, and requiring senators to live together in dorms when in Washington. What would the Founding Fathers think of America if they came back to life? Sasse wrote. Their eyes would surely bug out first at our technology and wealth. But I suspect theyd also be stunned by the deformed structure of our government. The Congress they envisioned is all but dead. The Senate in particular is supposed to be the place where Americans hammer out our biggest challenges with debate. That hasnt happened for decadesand the rot is bipartisan. Before the 17th Amendment was ratified in 1913, Article I of the Constitution mandated that each state legislature vote to send two senators to Washington. Sasse argues that returning control to state legislatures would be a way of increasing local control in the Senate in a time of polarization and nationalization in politics. Different states bring different solutions to the table, and that ought to be reflected in the Senates national debate, he wrote. The old saying used to be that all politics is local, but todaythanks to the internet, 24/7 cable news and a cottage industry dedicated to political addictionpolitics is polarized and national. That would change if state legislatures had direct control over who serves in the Senate. The Nebraskan Senator also suggested ridding the Senate of cameras because in the presence of cameras, Senators arent trying to learn from witnesses, uncover details, or improve legislation. Theyre competing for sound bites. Story continues Without posturing for cameras, Republicans and Democrats cooperate on some of Americas most complicated and urgent problems, he wrote. More from National Review Stock photo ALTON A Monday fire at an Alton home is under investigation. Alton Deputy Fire Chief Brad Sweetman said firefighters were called at 7:30 p.m. Monday to a house fire at 1204 Central Ave. According to Sweetman, the house appeared to be vacant and there were no injuries reported. Former defense secretary Jim Mattis told then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats they may have to take collective action against President Trump due to his unfitness for office, according to a new book by Bob Woodward. In excerpts of the book,Rage, published in the Washington Post Woodward, who is famed for his investigative reporting work around the Watergate scandal, writes that Mattis went to Washington National Cathedral in May 2019 to pray about his concern for the country under Trumps leadership. Soon after praying for the country, he told Coats, There may come a time when we have to take collective action because Trump is dangerous. Hes unfit. In another conversation with Coats, who left the administration last year, Mattis said the president has no moral compass, and Coats responded, True. To him, a lie is not a lie. Its just what he thinks. He doesnt know the difference between the truth and a lie, according to Woodward. Trump was mutually critical, having reportedly once told White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, Not to mention my f**king generals are a bunch of p**sies. They care more about their alliances than they do about trade deals, Woodward, an associate editor at the Post, wrote. Woodward also quotes Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, as saying, The most dangerous people around the president are overconfident idiots. Woodward says this is in reference to Mattis, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former National Economic Council director Gary Cohn. The book, set to be released next week, covers Trumps handling of the pandemic as well as race relations, diplomacy with North Korea and other issues the nation has faced in the past two years. Woodward describes an at times tense relationship between U.S. intelligence chiefs and Trump over the presidents handling of North Korea. While intelligence officials cautioned that North Korea will likely never surrender its nuclear weapons and that Trumps approach is ineffective, the president said the CIA has no idea how to handle North Korea, Woodward wrote. Story continues Trump defended his pen-pal relationship with Kim Jong Un as well as his three face-to-face meetings with the North Korean leader, saying he gave up nothing. In letters exchanged between the two leaders, according to Woodward, Kim wrote that he wanted another historic meeting between myself and Your Excellency reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film and called his meetings with Trump a precious memory that emphasized how the deep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force. In another letter Kim recalled that moment of history when I firmly held Your Excellencys hand at the beautiful and sacred location as the whole world watched with great interest, saying he hopes to relive the honor of that day. Foreign affairs experts argue that Trump gave a lot to North Korea in postponing and later scaling back joint military exercises with South Korea that had angered Kim and in giving the dictator international stature and legitimacy. More from National Review BEIRUT - A powerful political group allied with militant Hezbollah denounced Wednesday the U.S. sanctions against one of its senior members, saying they infringe on Lebanons sovereignty and will not succeed in extracting any concessions. The statement by the Shiite Amal group headed by Lebanons longtime Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri came a day after the U.S. Treasury sanctioned two former Cabinet ministers who are allied with Hezbollah. The new sanctions a rare move by Washington targeting politicians close to the Iran-backed Hezbollah sent a strong political message to local allies of the group, including President Michel Aoun who maintains a political alliance with Hezbollah. The sanctioned officials are former finance minister and top Amal official Ali Hassan Khalil and former public works and transportation minister Youssef Fenianos, a senior member of the Christian Marada Movement. That organization is allied with Hezbollah and Syrian President Bashar Assads government. Khalil is currently a member of the Lebanese Parliament. Aoun asked the foreign minister to contact the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and the Lebanese embassy in Washington to know what led to the American decision against the two former ministers, his office said. The Marada Movements chief, Suleiman Frangieh, said in a short statement that the American decision is political, adding that we never were or will be shy about our position, which we are openly proud of. Hezbollah in a statement called the sanctions unjust adding that they represent a medal of honour for the two dear friends and to anyone accused by the American administration of being a supporter of the resistance. The policy of American sanctions will not be able to achieve its goals in Lebanon and will not subdue the Lebanese or make them abandon their national and sovereign rights, it said. Khalil and Fenianos did not respond to requests by The Associated Press for an interview. The sanctions marked the first time that allies of Hezbollah have been targeted by sanctions. They came as Lebanon grapples with an unprecedented economic and financial crisis and deals with the aftermath of a devastating explosion at Beiruts port that killed more than 190, wounded 6,500 and caused damage worth billions of dollars. The sanctions also came as prime minister-designate Mustapha Adib works to form a new Cabinet to replace the one that resigned on Aug. 10, six days after nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in Beirut. The disaster fueled outrage against a ruling class that has run the country for decades amid widespread corruption and mismanagement. The Amal group said in a statement released after a meeting of its leadership that the sanctions will not make the group change its policies, adding that no matter how much the pressure increases it will not make concessions regarding Lebanons sea and land border. Israel and Lebanon both claim some 860 square kilometres (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon plans to start drilling in search of oil and gas in the disputed area before the end of next year. Washington is mediating between the two countries, which have been officially at war since Israels creation in 1948. On Tuesday, David Schenker, the assistant secretary in the State Departments Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs said I believe that we are making some incremental progress regarding the Lebanon-Israel border dispute. Schenker added he hopes to sign a framework agreement for the two countries to start discussing their maritime dispute. Amal, whose leader has been leading the talks with the U.S. over the border dispute, said a framework agreement has already been reached with the American side. Washington agreed on it July 9, the group said, but so far is refusing to make a public announcement about the deal. Some analysts in Lebanon saw the sanctions as a message to Hezbollahs allies to review their links with the Iran-backed group, especially by targeting a Christian ally for the first time. Fenianos and Ali Hassan Khalil are two central figures in the coalition that is led by Hezbollah, said Ali Hamadeh, a political writer at An-Nahar newspaper who is often critical of the Iran-backed group. He added that by sanctioning Fenianos, the U.S. is sending a message to Frangieh, the Marada chief, who is a presidential hopeful. Hamadeh said Hezbollahs non-Shiite allies will now have to think seriously about the repercussions of their relations with Hezbollah. Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has joined the growing number of leaders who have criticized allies of DP Ruto for insulting Mama Ngina Kenyatta. Waiguru led a group of women Parliamentarians on Tuesday, accusing Ruto of hypocrisy for reprimanding his allies yet he was the alleged mastermind behind the coordinated attacks the Kenyatta family. Let them direct their responses and attacks at fellow politicians. They should also understand that freedom comes with responsibility. As women of Kenya, we demand decency, civility and respect to women in general, Waiguru said during a presser in Nairobi. Her sentiments were echoed by Kiambu Women Representative Gladys Wamuchomba, who said the remarks made by MPs Oscar Sudi and Johanna Ngeno were tantamount to spearheading violence. Ms Wamuchomba said Oscar Sudi should also be arrested and further demanded a public apology from the MPs to Mama Ngina Kenyatta. We note thatinciteful utterances are a recipe for chaos, regional hatred that result in bloodshed which affects mostly women, children and the vulnerable. As such, as women of Kenya, we demand stern legal action against the perpetrators and we also demand an apology to the mother of the nation. Mama Ngina has never appeared in any ballot box and is not qualified for the attacks. Someone is behind the speeches and we want to know their motives, said Wamuchomba. TORONTO and CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - BMO Financial Group today announced new, five-year, diversity goals to address gaps affecting Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, Latino, and LGBTQ2+ employees, customers, and communities. The Zero Barriers to Inclusion 2025 goals reflect an ambitious expansion of the multi-year diversity strategy last set in 2017. New benchmarks and plans include doubling enterprise-wide representation of Black senior leaders, accelerating Indigenous talent strategies, introducing an LGBTQ2+ representation goal, and sustaining a strong gender equity position. "Our commitment to create a more inclusive society is unwavering, and our renewed diversity strategy is one of the ways we're driving meaningful change for our employees, customers, and local communities," said Darryl White, Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group. "These ambitious goals will help us achieve our vision of eliminating barriers to inclusion in society, by directly addressing gaps in representation across our organization and the financial services industry to create opportunities for all." BMO's Zero Barriers to Inclusion Strategy and Workforce Representation Goals BMO's renewed diversity strategy focuses on underrepresented employees, with yearly milestones set in order to reach the Zero Barriers to Inclusion 2025 goals, which include: Increasing representation of Black employees in senior leadership roles to 3.5 per cent and 7 per cent in Canada and the U.S., respectively and the U.S., respectively Increasing representation of People of Colour employees in senior leadership roles to 30 per cent or greater in Canada and the U.S., respectively and the U.S., respectively Increasing representation of Latino employees in senior leadership roles to 7 per cent in the U.S. Sustaining our current gender equity position with a range of 40 to 60 per cent representation in senior leadership roles across our organization Increasing representation of Black and Latino interns and entry-level employees to 30 per cent in the U.S., and ensuring 40 per cent of student opportunities in Canada are directed to BIPOC youth are directed to BIPOC youth Increasing representation of Indigenous Peoples across our workforce in Canada to 1.6 per cent to 1.6 per cent Increasing representation of persons with disabilities within a range of 5 to 7 per cent of our workforce Introducing an LGBTQ2+ representation goal of 3 per cent of our workforce Having achieved four out of five goals from our previous workforce diversity strategy, the new benchmarks were developed with a combination of inputs including data-driven trends, labour market availability, and internal and external environmental factors. These goals will be reviewed on an ongoing basis by the bank's Performance Committee, chaired by Mr. White. Investing in Colleagues, Customers, and Communities BMO's Zero Barriers to Inclusion 2025 strategy is also focused on providing access to opportunities and enabling growth for our colleagues, our customers, and the communities we serve. Internally, we are committed to continuing the diversification of the composition of our workforce and ensuring an equitable employee experience. Ongoing strategies to accelerate these key initiatives include: Creation of the Black and Latino Advisory Council, focusing on employee experience, advancement, and engagement of Black and Latino talent through dedicated taskforces and partnerships with BMO's Enterprise Resource Groups (ERGs), including the Black Professionals Network ERG and the Leadership Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (LCID). Focus on a culture of inclusion through learning with development programs that build the leadership pipeline for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) talent; Indigenous history and culture education available across the organization; access to relevant and timely racial injustice education materials, dedicated resources website, and e-learning programs; as well as 40 per cent of student opportunities directed to BIPOC youth. Continuous action from the Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC), comprised of Chiefs and Indigenous leaders from across Canada , informing BMO policies and practices with a focus on education, employment, and economic empowerment. , informing BMO policies and practices with a focus on education, employment, and economic empowerment. Creation of a dedicated Indigenous Talent Strategies team that is identifying and resolving barriers to recruitment, development, and retention. As we continue to eliminate barriers in our community alliances and partnerships, especially in areas such as workforce development, healthcare, small business, affordable housing, arts, and culture, BMO will remain focused on supporting minority-owned businesses as part of our overall diversity strategy. Efforts to create meaningful change for customers and communities include: Partnering with Canadian business leaders to launch the Black Opportunity Fund, offering Black businesses and organizations long-term capital by attracting investment from the business community, philanthropists, and government. Creating inclusive banking products and services to meet the diverse needs of Black and Latino business owners and customers. Providing improved access to financial products and services in Indigenous communities across Canada through 13 full-service branches, one business office on-reserve, and 20 ABMs. through 13 full-service branches, one business office on-reserve, and 20 ABMs. Expanding Supplier Diversity Council enterprise-wide to ensure spending with diverse suppliers and partners that positively affect local communities. Supporting disadvantaged communities through previously announced donations, including $1 million to North American organizations focused on social and racial injustice; $10 million to the United Way of Metro Chicago's Neighborhood Network in support of the Chicago Mayor's INVEST South/West initiative focused on addressing economic disparity; $10 million partnership with United Way Greater Toronto to foster inclusive economic opportunities; and $3 million to the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation, in support of Minnie's Hope Social Pediatric Centre for the Cree community of Whapmagoostui and the Inuit community of Kuujjuaraapik on the southern shore of Hudson Bay. to North American organizations focused on social and racial injustice; to the United Way of Metro Chicago's Neighborhood Network in support of the Mayor's INVEST South/West initiative focused on addressing economic disparity; partnership with United Way Greater Toronto to foster inclusive economic opportunities; and to the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation, in support of Minnie's Hope Social Pediatric Centre for the Cree community of Whapmagoostui and the Inuit community of Kuujjuaraapik on the southern shore of Hudson Bay. Ongoing action connected to the Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism's CEO Pledge, which was endorsed by Mr. White and aligns with our plans related to representation and advancement, education, collaboration with the Black community, and setting conditions for success. Continued support of efforts by the Chicago City Treasurer's Office and the Illinois State Treasurer's Office to address the need for greater equity and opportunity for Black communities in the financial service industry. For more information on BMO's commitment to diversity and inclusion, visit: https://corporate-responsibility.bmo.com/. About BMO Financial Group Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider - the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $974 billion as of July 31, 2020, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets. SOURCE BMO Financial Group Related Links www.bmo.com Mumbai, Sep 9 : TV couple Jay Bhanushali and Mahhi Vij completed a decade of marriage on Wednesday. Taking to Instagram, Jay marked the occasion and wished his wife in a hilarious way. "Listening to wife is like reading the terms and conditions of a website. You understand nothing but still you say 'I agree'," he wrote. He also asked Mahhi to grant him permission to go on a boys' trip. "10 years beautiful journey and what a beautiful gift God gave us @tarajaymahhi life is beautiful with tara in my arms and you next to me...love you mahhi chalo itni achi baatien karli ab ek boys trip ki permission to banti hain," Jay added. Along with it, Jay posted a video of his beautiful moments with Mahhi over the years. Jay and Mahii got married in 2010, and are parents to a year-old daughter, Tara. Mahhi, too, wished Jay on social media. "Happy anniversary meri jaan. 10 years and we have a beautiful girl Tara with us to celebrate .God has been very kind.Thank you God for always guiding us.love you jaan," she wrote. Russia has warned Germany that it will be guilty of 'gross hostile provocation' if it fails to hand over Alexei Navalny's medical data after Berlin said the Putin critic had been poisoned with Novichok. The country issued a strong protest earlier today over the alleged poisoning of the opposition figure after it denounced what it said were baseless claims and warned of a major risk to diplomatic ties. The foreign ministry in Moscow said it had summoned German ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr and protested 'unfounded accusations and ultimatums against Russia' and the 'obvious use of (Navalny's) situation by Berlin as a pretext to discredit our country'. It again urged Berlin to respond to a request from Russian prosecutors for the evidence, including medical data, that led Germany to declare that Navalny had been poisoned with nerve agent Novichok. Failure to provide the materials will be seen as a 'gross hostile provocation' that would be 'fraught with consequences for Russian-German relations, as well as a serious complication of the international situation,' the ministry said. Alexei Navalny (pictured centre), a 44-year-old lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner, fell seriously ill last month as he took a flight in Siberia and was evacuated to Berlin for treatment Navalny, a 44-year-old lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner, fell seriously ill last month as he took a flight in Siberia and was evacuated to Berlin for treatment. Moscow went on a diplomatic offensive on Thursday over the case as it hit back at Western accusations and talk of new sanctions against Russia. As well as summoning the German envoy, the foreign ministry issued a response to a G7 statement calling for those behind the suspected poisoning to be quickly found and prosecuted. The ministry denounced an 'ongoing massive disinformation campaign' aimed at 'mobilising sanctions sentiment' that had nothing to do with Navalny's health or 'finding out the genuine reasons for his hospitalisation'. Russia issued a strong protest on Wednesday over the alleged poisoning of the opposition figure after it denounced what it said were baseless claims and warned of a major risk to diplomatic ties (Vladimir Putin pictured) 'Unfounded attacks on Russia are continuing,' the ministry said, with a 'whipping up of hysteria' around the case. Germany said last week there was unequivocal evidence that Navalny had been poisoned with Novichok - the same substance used in the 2018 attack on a former Russian double agent and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury. Navalny's associates say the use of Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent, shows that only the Russian state could be responsible but the Kremlin strenuously denies any involvement. Russian officials have repeatedly accused Germany of being slow to share the findings of its investigation despite the request from prosecutors. The Navalny poisoning is the latest in a long series of assassination attempts against Kremlin critics. The foreign ministry in Moscow said it had summoned German ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr (pictured) and protested 'unfounded accusations and ultimatums against Russia' Moscow is anxious to avoid any further pressure on its economy after already suffering from wide-ranging Western sanctions imposed over its 2014 annexation of Crimea as well as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the drop in oil prices. As well as talk of sanctions, some in Germany have called for an end to the Nord Stream 2 project, a 10billion (9billion) pipeline beneath the Baltic Sea that is near completion and set to double Russian natural gas shipments to Germany. Navalny became sick after boarding a plane in Siberia last month, with aides saying they suspect he drank a cup of spiked tea at the airport. He was initially treated at a local hospital, where doctors said they were unable to find any toxic substances in his blood, before he was flown to Berlin for specialised treatment. The hospital treating him said Monday that he was out of a medically induced coma and reacting to speech. The scholars have been informed their J-1 visas have also been terminated, leaving them with one month before they have to return to China. Each of the 15 Chinese government sponsored students received an e-mail from the UNT office of the provost and vice president for academic affairs on August 26. The e-mail stated that the school "has come to a decision to end its relationship with visiting scholars who receive funding from the Chinese Scholarship Council (also known as the Chinese Scholarship Fund)." The action marked the first time a United States university cut ties with a Chinese national scholarship fund following the increased attention on academic espionage. In an article published in the university's newspaper, administrators said they took the action following detailed briefings from federal and local law enforcement. The crackdown may also target Chinese academics who have relied on state funding for their overseas studies. On August 26, the University of North Texas terminated an exchange program for 15 visiting Chinese researchers sponsored by the China Scholarship Council, a group backed by China's Ministry of Education. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hopes that China's government-funded "Confucius Institutes," which have branches on American university campuses, will all be shut down by the end of the year. "I think everyone's coming to see the risk associated with them," Pompeo said in an interview with the Fox Business Network, accusing the Chinese-government funded institutes of working to recruit "spies and collaborators" at U.S. colleges. U.S. officials are considering broader restrictions against Chinese students attending American schools, as part of a deepening standoff between the two countries. Flurry of New Restrictions Pompeo said at a news conference last week that the State Department recently wrote to the boards of several U.S. universities to alert them to the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. He said that these threats may include illegal funding for research, intellectual property theft, intimidation of foreign students, and opaque recruitment. On the same day, the State Department announced that the entry of senior Chinese diplomats to U.S. campuses would require approval from the State Department. Gordon Chang, lawyer and author of The Coming Collapse of China, told VOA that American officials are responding to years of academic and intellectual property theft by China, which largely went overlooked. "They come to U.S. campuses not to learn but to download databases and take information to be used by Beijing," he said. "So this is a fundamental problem for the United States." What Is the China Scholarship Council? Established in 1996 by the Ministry of Education of China, the CSC provides scholarships for foreign students studying in China and Chinese students studying abroad. These funds are mainly derived from the government. Its official purpose is to "strengthen friendship and understanding between China and the people of the world and promote China's socialist modernization and world peace." Experts told VOA that the CSC tends to offer scholarships to senior researchers and postdoctoral students, as well as students studying technologies in fields that are in line with China's development strategy. These scholars are required to return to China after their studies. Experts warned that the U.S. needs to be vigilant about this strategy. According to a report from the Center for Security and Emerging Technologies at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Diplomacy in July, about 7 percent of Chinese students studying abroad, or roughly 65,000, received scholarships from the CSC each year. In addition, the report notes that the CSC prioritizes funding for "urgently needed talents serving major national strategies, important industries, key fields, major projects, cutting-edge technologies, and basic research." The author of the report, Ryan Fedasiuk, research analyst at Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University, told VOA that the number of cooperation projects between the CSC and foreign universities has soared in the past two years. "We found that last year in 2019, the number of programs that the CSC has approved between Chinese universities and elite foreign universities had increased significantly, from about 19 in 2018 to some 120 in 2019," Fedasiuk said. He also said that the CSC's job is to try to persuade or in some cases, compel those students to return to China after completing their scholarship programs. "This is done through a variety of incentives," he said. "In some cases, they simply ask them to return, and the CSC will in some cases award Chinese students who are overseas not otherwise receiving funding from the Chinese government with funds in the hopes that they will return afterward. But in some cases, they do require that applicants for scholarships list financial granters who will be held responsible for the full sum of the award that was paid plus penalties if they don't return to China after completing their program." Despite this pressure, however, more than 85 percent of Chinese doctoral students studying STEM at U.S. universities choose to stay in the U.S., according to the report. Russian President Vladimir Putins annual question-and-answer session will not be held in its traditional format this year, but its elements will be added to the Russian leaders big press conference in December 2020, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, TASS reports. The Russian president regularly addresses the nationwide audience during his annual 'Direct Line with Vladimir Putin' broadcast, answering a multitude of questions flooding in by telephone, text, email, social media, or live via television studios. However, Peskov told TASS that, due to this years events, "the president has been holding a direct line for the past few months already." "That is why, naturally, holding a Direct Line this year in its traditional format would be too much," Peskov said. High tension towers are seen in Redondo Beach, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2020. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images) Strong Winds, Dry Weather Prompt New California Power Outages After a weekend of record high temperatures and power outages, thousands of Californians are now facing new blackouts, some of which are designed to reduce the risk of causing new wildfires. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the states largest utility, announced it turned off power for about 172,000 customers across 22 counties in Northern California on the morning of Sept. 8, including parts of the Sierra foothills, Sacramento Valley, northern Sierra Mountains, and the North Bay Hills. High temperatures, extreme dryness and record-high winds have increased fire risks across the areas that we serve in Northern and Central California, PG&E spokesperson Fiona Chan told The Epoch Times in an email. PG&E said it would begin patrolling power lines and repairing damaged equipment after the weather improved. The company said restoration activities could only take place during daylight hours, and estimated power would not be restored for all customers until Sept. 9 at 9 p.m. PG&E will need to conduct safety inspections of approximately 10,625 miles of transmission and distribution lines, which is equivalent to twice the distance from San Francisco to Tokyo, the company stated in a press release. Southern California Edison (SCE) also sent out notices, via phone calls and email, regarding potential outages to about 66,000 customers in six different counties as of the morning of Sept. 8. SCE, which is the primary electricity supplier for much of the southern part of the state, said the largest number of notifications was issued in San Bernardino County, to about 35,000 customers. SCE spokesperson Robert Villegas told The Epoch Times that the company sent out workers to evaluate which areas would be most impacted from the weather. A lot of these circuits are in foothill communities, right off the mountains, Villegas said. Youll see Santa Ana winds coming through the canyons there at very, very high rates of speed, creating a significant danger, [with] material being blown into the lines. According to the National Weather Service, Red Flag Warnings due to strong winds and low humidity remain in effect for much of the state for Sept. 8 and Sept. 9. Wind gusts up to 55 mph are expected due to the annual Santa Ana wind conditions. As of the morning of Sept. 8, around 9,800 SCE customers in Los Angeles County, and another 2,500 in Orange County, were still without power. SCE spokesperson Villegas said the blackouts this weekend would have been worse if customers had not conserved energy during peak hours and turned down their thermostats during the heat wave. So a big thank you to the consumer, he said. More than 93,000 people went without power in Los Angeles and Orange counties over the holiday weekend. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) reported that about 9,700 customers remained without electricity as of noon on Sept. 8, down from more than 45,000 customers a day earlier. We had crews that were out, as I understand it, doing 16-hour shifts, said LADWP Board of Water and Power Commission President Cynthia McClain-Hill at a Sept. 8 meeting. Every single resource that this department has, and every resource that we could beg, borrow or steal, was dedicated toward addressing this crisis, she said. Californias Independent System Operator (CAISO), which oversees the bulk of the states power grid, had issued a Flex Alert for Sept. 6 and Sept. 7, urging residents to limit their electricity use from 3 p.m. to to 9 p.m. There is currently not a sufficient supply of energy to meet the high amounts of demand during the heatwave, stated CAISO in a press release. Gov. Gavin Newsom also declared a statewide emergency on Sept. 6 due to the numerous fires and harsh weather conditions. The state was granted a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration from the White House in August to boost the states emergency response capabilities. In a significant development, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on Tuesday (September 8) said that it voluntarily paused the phase 3 clinical human trials of its vaccine candidate Covishield after one of the volunteers got ill. It is to be noted that AstraZeneca is developing this vaccine in collaboration with University of Oxford. As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow a review of safety data by an independent committee, the pharma major said in a statement. It is learnt that a volunteer developed unexpected sickness during trial of the vaccine for reasons not yet known. AstraZeneca, however, noted that the volunteer would soon recover. AstraZeneca said it was a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline, the statement added. Notably, Pune-based Serum Institute of India, which is handling the Phase 3 trials of AstraZeneca's vaccine in India, is preparing a list of volunteers who will be administered the vaccine shots under the National Immunization Programme (NIP). It is learnt that 1,600 participants of more than or equal to 18 years of age will be enrolled in the study. Serum Institute of India will conduct the drive on 17 sites in India. A former Columbia University doctor who critics charged was let off easy in a 2016 no-jail plea deal in a sexual assault case has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of using his position to sexually abuse female patients. The federal indictment against Robert Hadden, a former gynecologist and obstetrician at the New York City Ivy League school and at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, was unsealed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charging him with abusing six victims, including a minor prosecutors said he delivered as a baby. But the court document says the 62-year-old Hadden, who was stripped of his medical license in 2016, sexually abused "dozens" of patients" between 1993 and 2012, including "multiple minors." "Hadden acted as a predator in a white coat," acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said at a news conference on Wednesday announcing the charges. Hadden was arrested at his home in Englewood, New Jersey, at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. None of the victims have been named, but the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang claimed in January that she was victimized by Hadden. PHOTO: Dr. Robert Hadden appears in Manhattan Supreme Court on Nov. 6, 2014. (Jefferson Siegel/NY Daily News via Getty Images, FILE) According to the federal indictment, Hadden allegedly used his position at Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital "to make or to attempt to make his victims believe that the sexual abuse he inflicted on them was appropriate and medically necessary." "Hadden did so through a process that entailed developing a relationship with his victims and causing them to trust him, before engaging in a course of increasingly abusive conduct, which Hadden attempted to mask under the guise of legitimate medical care," the indictment alleges. MORE: Doctor accused of sexual assault by Evelyn Yang, faces new investigation after guilty plea Federal prosecutors outlined a series of breast and pelvic exams that were "excessively long and sexualized" after ensuring no one else was present in the examination room. Story continues Hadden, according to the indictment, frequently targeted women who were young and unlikely to have much, if any experience with another OB-GYN. "For many victims, Hadden was their first gynecologist, and for others, Hadden was their doctor during their first pregnancy. In doing so, Hadden intentionally targeted victims who would not know what to expect during their exams," the indictment alleges. MORE: Yang's wife, Evelyn, says she was sexually assaulted by her doctor during pregnancy It remained unclear Wednesday if Hadden has retained an attorney to represent him in the federal case. He is expected to be arraigned in New York federal court on Wednesday afternoon. The new indictment comes after the Manhattan District Attorney's office decided in February to reopen a criminal case against Hadden. Hadden pleaded guilty in 2016 to a single felony count of criminal sexual contact and a misdemeanor count of forcible touching as part of a deal that kept him out of prison. He was forced to give up his medical license. He had initially been charged with sexually abusing 19 women. Following Hadden's plea deal, dozens of women have come forward with public accusations against him, including Evelyn Yang who told CNN in January that Hadden had assaulted her in 2012, while she was pregnant with her first child. Following Wednesday's announcement of the indictment, Evelyn Yang released a statement thanking the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District for bringing the charges against Hadden, saying "they are long overdue." "This physician abused dozens of women, including minors, under the guise of practicing medicine and should not be walking free," Evelyn Yang said in her statement. "I hope that this action leads institutions like the hospital Dr. Hadden worked at for decades to take complaints of assault and abuse seriously immediately as opposed to ignoring them or brushing them under a rug for years. Thank you to everyone who made today possible. It shows that if we come forward we can make a difference." MORE: Judge delays decision on dismissing sexual-assault charges against surgeon and girlfriend The Manhattan District Attorney's office also released a statement on Wednesday, saying, "Our office provided substantial assistance leading to today's indictment, and our continuing investigation -- which examines potential failures by Dr. Hadden's employer and hospital to disclose additional incidents of abuse to our office and to regulators when required -- is intensely active and ongoing." Strauss, the federal prosecutor, described a pattern of conduct that enabled Hadden to abuse "dozens" of victims over a nearly 20-year period beginning in 1993. That pattern began by arranging to be alone with victims. Hadden would send nurses and medical assistants out of the room and then gain the trust of his victims by sharing information about himself, Strauss said. "His conduct was neither normal nor medically necessary," Strauss said as she described how Hadden "touched, squeezed, even licked his victims" during gynecological examinations that he "used for his own sexual gratification." Strauss commended the victims, calling them "brave women" who courageously came forward to tell their stories. The FBI implored additional victims to come forward, saying the investigation is ongoing. "The charges outlined today are outrageous," said Bill Sweeney, the agent in charge of the FBI's New York Field Office. "If you have been victimized by Robert Hadden in any way ... please call us." In February, a spokesman for Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said in a statement provided to ABC News that two senior prosecutors had been assigned to reexamine the case and were "in touch with a representative of a number of survivors." "We admire the courage of the survivors who have recently shared their stories," said Vance's spokesman, Danny Frost. "Their voices will be heard and the abuse they suffered will be thoroughly investigated. At the time, Anthony T. DiPietro, a malpractice attorney who represents several Hadden victims, issued a statement accusing Columbia University of covering up Hadden's sexual abuse for the past 25 years. "In order to make sure this doesn't happen again, I'm calling for the DA to open a criminal investigation into Columbia University for the role it played in enabling, aiding, abetting, and covering up two decades of sexual abuse," DiPietro said. Ex-Columbia University doctor Robert Hadden indicted on serial sex abuse charges originally appeared on abcnews.go.com WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is wanted by the United States because he is a "political enemy" of President Donald Trump, his London extradition hearing was told on Wednesday. Australian-born Assange, 49, is fighting against being sent to the United States, where he is charged with conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law over the release of confidential cables by WikiLeaks in 2010-2011. Paul Rogers, a professor of peace studies at Britain's Bradford University, told London's Old Bailey court that the timing of the U.S. prosecution was connected to Assange's political views and Trump's hostility towards him. "The evidence does support very strongly ... this does appear to be a political trial," Rogers said. Assange and WikiLeaks enraged the U.S. government a decade ago by publishing thousands of secret American documents, but he was not charged with any criminal offence at the time. His supporters see him as a champion of free speech exposing abuses of power and hypocrisy by Washington and regard his prosecution as threat to journalism. U.S. authorities say he recklessly endangered the lives of sources with his releases. Rogers said the Trump administration viewed Assange as a "political enemy" because of his opinions. Assange's defence team are arguing the U.S. case is politically-motivated, something which would bar his extradition. "The opinions and views of Mr Assange, demonstrated in his words and actions with the organisation WikiLeaks over many years, can be seen as very clearly placing him in the crosshairs of dispute with the philosophy of the Trump administration," Rogers said in his statement to the court. James Lewis, the lawyer representing the United States, challenged the assertion the case was politically-motivated, saying U.S. federal prosecutors were forbidden to consider political opinion in making their decisions. "I'm not saying they are acting in bad faith," Rogers said. "I'm saying that at a different level, a political decision was taken to investigate this further after it had lapsed for eight years." Assange was warned by the judge on Tuesday he would be removed from the courtroom and tried in his absence if he interrupted proceedings after Assange shouting "nonsense" at Lewis. The new dean of University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management said she believes the school can become a catalyst for economic growth in the years to come by better aligning with the private sectors needs. I see economic development as a public-private partnership, said Mitzi Montoya, who was named the dean of the Anderson School earlier this summer. Montoya laid out her views on the schools strengths and weaknesses during a webinar hosted Wednesday by the Economic Forum of Albuquerque. Montoya worked most recently at Washington State University, but has experience at public universities across the country. She pointed to her time at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where the public universities in North Carolinas well-known Research Triangle coordinated their efforts and each played different roles in educating the regions management workforce. She said she believes New Mexico has a similar opportunity, with a bit of preparation. One of the things that I see is an opportunity for very intentional alignment, Montoya said. Montoya pointed to New Mexicos assets including the presence of large research laboratories and potential for renewable energy that the state may look to capitalize on. The key, she said, is identifying target sectors, developing infrastructure that helps those sectors succeed, and developing college programs that can prepare students for life in those industries after graduation. This, in turn, helps reverse the trend of talented students fleeing to states with more opportunities. In order for us to retain our graduates, we do have to have opportunities for them, Montoya said. Montoya acknowledged that Andersons enrollment has dipped this semester, in part a product of the unique circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She pointed to a higher number of students enrolled online as a cause for optimism. Montoya said the demographics of the school make it a good fit for where she expects higher education to go in the future. She said UNM, with a student body thats around 50% Hispanic, is in a unique position as a minority-majority school with a research-intensive business program. The so-called non-traditional student is our traditional student at Anderson, Montoya said. YSRCP Parliamentary Party Chief Vijaya Sai Reddy has been cleared of the charge of holding an office of profit. The row was sparked over Vijaya Sai Reddy's appointment as the Andhra Pradesh governments special representative in Delhi. YSRCP Parliamentary Party Chief and Andhra Govts special representative in Delhi MP V Vijaya Sai Reddy has been cleared of the charge of holding an office of profit for being appointed as the Andhra Pradesh governments special Representative in Delhi. In an order, President Ram Nath Kovind accepted the Election Commission of Indias opinion that Mr. Reddy had not incurred disqualication as an MP for his role as the AP Governments special representative. The ECs June 8 opinion said the government order appointing Mr. Reddy on July 7, 2019, had stated that he would not be entitled for any other perks. He would, however, enjoy the status of state guest while under taking ocial visits to Andhra Pradesh as special representative of the State Government at Andhra Bhavan of New Delhi. the EC opinion said, citing the government order. The Presidents order stated that a petition seeking disqualication of Reddy as an MP was received on September 9, 2019, and the petition had been referred to the EC for its opinion. Mr. Reddy was elected to the Rajya Sabha on June 3, 2016, and was then appointed to the oce of Special Representative by the State government and given the rank of a Cabinet Minister on June 22, 2019. The appointment was cancelled on July 4, 2019, as Mr. Reddy was holding an oce of prot, the petition said. MP Vijay Sai Reddy was then re-appointed to the role on July 7, 2019, with the clarication that he would not be entitled to any other perks other than enjoying the status of State guest during his ocial travels in the State of Andhra Pradesh in connection with performance of his duties as Special Representative, the Presidents order stated. The EC cited the Parliament (Prevention of Disqual ication) Act 1959 Section 3, where a list of oces of prot that do not lead to disqualication includes certain oces where the holder is not entitled to any re-numeration other than compensatory allowance. The EC also cited judgments that have held that an oce will not fall in the category of Oce of Prot if no pecuniary gain can be made form it A 13-year-old autistic boy was shot several times by police in Utah during a "mental episode" after his mother called for help. Linden Cameron remains in hospital in Salt Lake City with injuries to his shoulder, ankles, intestines and bladder, his mother, Golda Barton, said. Ms Barton told KUTV she was the one who called police and asked for a crisis intervention team to attend the house. She said her son was having a mental breakdown. "So, you call them, and they're supposed to come out and be able to deescalate a situation using the most minimal force possible," she said. "I said, he's unarmed, he doesn't have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming. He's a kid, he's trying to get attention, he doesn't know how to regulate." But, after being told to stay away while two officers entered the home, Ms Barton heard "get down on the ground" and several gunshots fired. Ms Barton said she thought her son was dead and officers did not immediately tell her what condition he was in. She claims officers handcuffed him. According to Ms Barton, an officer was heard saying: "He's just a child, what are you doing?" Visibly distressed during the interview with KUTV, Ms Barton said: "He's a small child. Why didn't you just tackle him? He's a baby. He has mental issues." Police said an independent investigation has been launched into the incident. Sgt Keith Horrocks, from Salt Lake City Police Department, said officers were called to the area to a report of a "violent psych issue" involving a child "having a mental episode" and "making threats to some folks with a weapon". Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a statement to KUTV: "While the full details of this incident are yet to be released as an investigation takes place, I will say that I am thankful this young boy is alive and no one else was injured. "No matter the circumstances, what happened on Friday night is a tragedy and I expect this investigation to be handled swiftly and transparently for the sake of everyone involved." Photo Duc Thanh In many restaurants and cafes in Hanois Old Quarter now, anyone can easily recognise the slight changes in the seating arrangements and customer service compared to two weeks ago. At a pub on Huynh Thuc Khang street, the owner came up with the idea of designing a 2-storey partition with an upper barrier made of mica and a gap below so that customers can pick up food and swing glasses together. This unique concept attracted the attention of many customers and was adopted by many neighbouring bars. Le Dong from Hanois Cau Giay district said, I have seen many eateries with separated walls, but this is the first time I see a pub that also builds these partitions for customers. Although it is not clear whether it will work, this is a good idea for the time being. Derived from the idea of a plastic partition, the splash-proof mica partition is appearing at more and more restaurants, pubs, rice shops, and cafes in Hanoi. Dang Thu, the owner of a restaurant on Chua Lang Street, said that installing these partitions on dining tables is quite simple and takes little time. Before she reopened, her family members worked together to install the partitions to limit the contact between customers. Although there are many visitors, the restaurant only accepts enough customers to ensure the distance between them is kept. Since the discovery of the first COVID-19 case in Hanois community since the new outbreak, measures to prevent the spread of the disease have been tightened by the city. In early August, Hanoi asked all bars and karaoke places to shut down, while restaurants and supermarkets deployed social distancing measures. Since August 19, the city is requiring restaurants and cafes to ensure a minimum distance of 1m between guests, measure their body temperature, and prepare hand sanitiser. In addition, staff must wear face masks during work and encourage the installation of additional partitions between seats. Ngo Van Quy, vice chairman of Hanoi Peoples Committee, said that restaurants and pubs are places where people gather and as a result have a high risk of infection. Therefore, the application of additional measures such as a 1-metre space between seats and a partition between the tables will contribute to reducing the risk of infection. It may be necessary to regularly check on restaurants and sanction those who do not comply with the measures. In addition, we might also send out more personnel to inspect food safety and hygiene of restaurants and eateries, Quy commented. Most of the citys stores and eateries seem to agree with the distancing measures under the new regulations, and many are not just providing disinfectants in front of the door but also put hand sanitiser on the tables for customers to use at any time. Thanh Van, the owner of a restaurant in Dang Van Ngu Street said, As soon as I was informed about the current measures, I equipped the restaurant with thermometers, hand sanitiser, and more face masks. Guests are reminded by staff to wear these, disinfect their hands, and sit apart from each other to ensure safety. Meanwhile, such measures are also being deployed at supermarkets, shopping centres, and electronic shops in the capital. All staff in the building must wear masks and disinfect their hands regularly when working. The entrance to the mall has also been narrowed to better control the flow of incoming customers. Most people are self-conscious to wear a mask, so I only assist in measuring body temperature and providing sanitiser, shared a staff member at the entrance to Vincom Pham Ngoc Thach. While many food services actively cooperate with the city in preventing the spread of the pandemic, Timeout has observed some restaurants and cafes that do not comply with the prevention regulations. In some small-sized pubs and eateries, many customers are still eating and chatting while not ensuring the minimum distance from those nearby. This issue was raised by Do Anh Tuan, chairman of the Peoples Committee of Tay Ho district in a meeting with the Hanoi Steering Committee for pandemic prevention. If the restaurant is small, it is difficult for its guests to sit at least 1m apart. If we strictly follow the instructions, closing is the only way. Normally, when the inspection teams come, these facilities comply with the regulations, but when our teams go again, the eateries will be the same. According to Dr. Tran Dac Phu, former director of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, the closure of restaurants and pubs should be carefully considered as it could affect the lives of many people. Instead of closing, restaurants and small pubs can still operate by incorporating more prevention methods. Small restaurants can make many partitions to sit, and each person who comes to eat and drink must measure their temperature, wash their hands, and wear a mask. During the pandemic, we just have to accept it, said Phu. Along with the rearrangement of seats to ensure a minimum distance, the addition of portable mica shields has also become popular. However, according to Nguyen Cuong, owner of two C-Brewmaster craft beer restaurants, these shields are ineffective and cannot guarantee prevention of the spread of the virus. But like masks, mica shields will help people feel more secure when eating out. Currently, Cuongs restaurants does not use mica partitions but instead stretched out the tables and reduced the number of seats by 50 per cent while only seating up to two guests at one table. Though the number of customers that can be served got reduced by half, it makes both employees and customers feel more secure. At this time, most restaurants and pubs are quieter than before. Business has become more difficult, but I think accepting a bit of economic disadvantage in exchange for safety is necessary and our service personnel agrees with this option, said Cuong. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) The Department of Education on Wednesday opposed calls for "academic freeze" or suspension of classes in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, saying it is a "shortsighted" solution. We would like to dismiss this call as not something that is supported by the direction of DepEd for learning continuity, DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said in a briefing. This position is shortsighted as it does not take into consideration the trade-off of prolonged interruption, Malaluan pointed out. Earlier, a private school group also rejected calls for academic freeze, saying its effects are serious and compounding such as learning loss. Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations previously noted in an interview with CNN Philippines Newsroom Weekend that cancellation of classes at all levels since March to curb the spread of coronavirus wiped out at least half of the knowledge gained by students from last school year. COCOPEA said this means students "have lost almost one school year in terms of learning." People online continue to push for the suspension of classes until the government is able to bring COVID-19 under control, as students and teachers share struggles in distance learning such as lack of gadgets and connectivity. The Department of Education moved the opening of the 2020-2021 school year for kindergarten to high school to October 5 from August 24. But DepEd allowed some private basic educational institutions to hold classes before October 5 as long as these are limited to distance learning. As of Wednesday, 24,305,551 have already enrolled in public and private educational institutions for the next academic year, according to Education Secretary Leonor Briones. Based on a DepEd order, schools are allowed to accept late enrollees as long as learners will be able to "meet eighty percent of the prescribed number of school days for each school year and the quarterly requirement to pass the grade level as governed by the latest existing applicable DepEd issuances." Sanjay Dutt, being the foodie he is, took to social media yesterday and shared a picture of his favourite restaurant that he misses visiting during the lockdown. Sanjay Dutt wrote, For someone like me who has always been a big foodie, Noor Mohammadi has always come to the rescue. Missing their delicious food in this lockdown! @raashidhakim @noormohammadihotelmumbai Take a look at the post below. Many might not know but, Sanjay Dutt in fact is such a frequent customer at this place that theyve dedicated a special item on the menu to him called Sanju Baba Chicken. The lockdown has been pretty hard on everyone in the country. However, this probably was the only way to fight the coronavirus since it restricts people's interactions to a minimum. The lockdown has been in place in India since March now and we obviously are missing out on a lot because of it. At least 22 people have been killed and dozens were battling for their lives after six units of the famed marble mines in Pakistan's Ziarat Ghar mountain collapsed, causing large boulders to fall on them, according to media reports on Tuesday. The mines collapsed on Monday night, instantly killing 12 miners, the Geo News reported. The death toll rose after 10 more succumbed to injuries at the District Mohmand Hospital. Majority of the deceased include labourers and few others who had gathered at the foothill in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Safi town near the Afghanistan border, about 85 km from provincial capital Peshawar. Mohmand District Police Officer Mohmand Tariq Habib told Geo News that people are still buried under the rubble. He said the rescue operations were hit due to darkness on Monday night and that heavy machinery had been mobilised on Tuesday for rescue operations. Deputy Commissioner Iftikhar Alam said the death toll is expected to rise, according to the daily. Around 45 labourers were busy in excavation operations when the mine collapsed, the Dawn newspaper reported. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said nine people have been rescued, it reported. Rescue Officer Bilal Faizi said most of the injured were in serious condition. "An operation to rescue those trapped underneath the rubble is currently underway. Five ambulances and one recovery vehicle have been sent to Mohmand from Peshawar," Dawn News reported, quoting a PDMA statement. Mohmand district is a tribal agency area. It is famous for its marble reserves. The rockslide incident brought back memories of a similar mine collapse incident in 2015 in Mohmand which killed 12 labourers. . HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C., Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mysterious abductions of female students from universities throughout Europe brings together law enforcement agencies in a complicated investigation to find the missing women and bring them home in Len Camardas new novel, Prey of the Falcon: An International Thriller (published by AuthorHouse). Two women, a Spaniard and her American friend, go missing from the University of Madrid in a suspected abduction. Gone without a trace with no demand for ransom, no communication from would-be kidnappers nothing. Principal investigators, Gino Cerone and Mercedes Garcia, soon discover a dark plot that touches the best and brightest women leaders amongst their peers at universities across Europe, eventually taking them to the desert kingdoms of the Middle East to find answers. Camarda hopes his book shows readers A broad brush approach to discussing the sometimes schizophrenic policies and politics of the countries of the Middle East, and despite the majesty, magic and mystery of these lands---historically and currently---the complexities they present, now and for their future. Prey of the Falcon is available for purchase online on AuthorHouses website: https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/807755-prey-of-the-falcon. Prey of the Falcon By Len Camarda Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 298 pages | ISBN 9781728361475 Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 298 pages | ISBN 9781728361499 E-Book | 298 pages | ISBN 9781728361482 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Len Camarda has published several short stories and his first novel, The Seventh Treasure, has received outstanding reviews. He is also an accomplished painter. A 40 year career, mostly internationally, took him virtually around the world, including working and living in Panama, Holland and Spain with his wife and daughter. Living abroad was truly life changing, experiencing different cultures, awesome vistas and creating friendships that have endured for more than 30 years. Originally from New York, Camarda, his wife and two toy poodles Demi Tazza and Cappuccino live in the low country of South Carolina. As with The Seventh Treasure, the author plans to donate sales and royalties for Prey of the Falcon to the Wounded Warriors Project and the Hilton Head Humane Association. AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 833-262-8899. Attachment In a bid to boost the expansion of its retail business, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries has sold 1.75 percent stake to Silver Lake for Rs 7,500 crore investment in the retail unit of RIL. The partnership is aimed at bolstering Reliance's retail business to take on rivals, including Amazon India and Walmart-owned Flipkart. Commenting on the transaction with Silver Lake , Ambani said, We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms. Silver Lake will be an invaluable partner in implementing our vision for Indian Retail. Also Read: Here's all you want to know about Reliance Retail RIL on September 3 bought Kishore Biyani's Future Retail for 24,713 crore. The mega transaction, which includes the wholesale, logistics and warehousing business of the Future Group, has positioned Reliance Retail as the undisputed leader in the organised retail segment. The Future Group houses leading retail formats, including supermarket chain Big Bazaar, upmarket food stores Foodhall, and bargain clothing chain Brand Factory. Addressing company's shareholders at RIL's 43rd annual general meeting, Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani had hinted at partnering with global investors. He had said that the company has received strong interest from strategic and financial investors in Reliance Retail. "We will induct global partners and investors in Reliance Retail in the next few quarters. I will keep you informed about the progress of Reliance Retail, which is at the doorsteps of continued exponential growth," he said. He added, "Reliance Retail is India's largest and most profitable retail business. It is the fastest-growing retailer in the world, and the only Indian Retailer to feature in the Top 100 global retailers." He further said that in the last five years, Reliance Retail's revenue has grown 8 times and profits 11 times. "This positions us well in the years ahead to continue delivering on our promise of exponential growth," he said. Addressing company's shareholders, Ambani said that more than two-thirds of nearly 12,000 stores are operated in Tier II, Tier III and Tier IV towns. "Tens of thousands of farmers have helped us source over 80 percent of our fresh fruits and vegetable directly from farmers," he said. Reliance Retail launched an online grocery service named JioMart in May and now sells a raft of items such as electronics, jewellery, apparel and vegetables, among others. It acquired British toy chain Hamleys last year, and also runs the outlets of global brands such as Burberry, Armani and Jimmy Choo, among others, in India. Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Moneycontrol. Although a county judge saw no financial or legal sense in prosecuting the man, a state Superior Court panel Wednesday reinstated a criminal case involving a life prisoner who was caught with a small cache of synthetic marijuana. That overrules Huntingdon County President Judge George Zanics decision to dismiss the synthetic pot charges against convicted murderer Sammy Hill. In short, the state court found in an opinion by President Judge Emeritus Correal F. Stevens that Zanic overstepped his authority by nixing the drug charge Hill acquired while he was an inmate in the state prison at Huntingdon. Zanic said he saw no gain for the public or the legal or prison systems in taking that case to a jury trial. "What nobody is apparently doing is asking the most basic of questions: Why? Zanic wrote in dismissing the case. Is it really worth all this time and cost to taxpayers to tell a life inmate that once he dies, he will have to serve an additional 12 years? Even if he is convicted Hills conditions of confinement will not change, nor will he have any fewer privileges, Zanic added. Parole is unavailable to inmates serving life sentences, so there is no chance that (Hill) will be released sooner if his offense is not prosecuted. In sum, winning this case cannot even be characterized as a pyrrhic victory, as there is simply no victory to be had. Stevens' court took on the case after the county district attorney appealed Zanics ruling. In reinstating the charges, Stevens didnt address Zanics reasoning for dismissing them. He found, however, that the county judge had improperly stepped over the jurisdictional boundaries defining the authority of the courts, county DAs, state Department of Corrections and the Legislature. The line that has been crossed here is the authority of the trial court. The trial court conceded it acted without statutory authority or according to any binding precedent, and speculated, without providing due process to the commonwealth and to (Hill), that (Hill) likely would be convicted of each crime, Stevens wrote. "It further decreed that it will usurp the discretion of the district attorney in such cases going forward, and, thus, interfere directly in the district attorneys decision-making process." Also, state law requires that Hill be prosecuted in the drug case and Zanic had no power to second-guess that mandate set by the Legislature, Stevens found. We cannot allow a trial court to bypass the constitutional processes in our system of government, he wrote. RICHMONDFaced with a major cost to local government, the Senate is not likely to consider legislation that would have required workers compensation to pay for a wide range of local government employees who contract COVID-19. The Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee declined on Wednesday to act on Senate Bill 5066, proposed by Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, DFairfax, leaving it to die as the panel prepares to focus on revisions to the state budget instead of new legislation. Saslaw acknowledged that the bill would carry a steep price for local governments, which would have to pay workers compensation claims by firefighters, law enforcement, health care workers, teachers who teach in person at least two days a week and, in an amendment by the committee, officers at regional jails. I dont think it will bankrupt governments, but in all honesty it does carry a price tag, he said. Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, said the best estimate of the cost exceeded $100 million for localities, even before the committee added sworn officers at regional jails. Certainly, it is a well-meaning item, but I dont know how well pay for it, Newman said. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Italian Film Festival has announced its lineup for 2020. The event, which normally takes place at both east and west-side movie theaters in Greater Cleveland, will be limited to its east-side location, Atlas Cinemas Eastgate, for 2020, said festival director Joyce Mariani. Four movie screenings will take place from Sept. 17 until Oct. 8. The Cleveland Italian Film Festival was nearly canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mariani said. We felt here is nothing like experiencing and seeing a film in an actual movie theater. Because of COVID and theaters being closed we were about to cancel, Mariani said. When some of the theaters recently opened, we jumped at the chance to present the annual film festival this year. The festival will enforce COVID-19 rules for movie theaters, including a limit of 80 people in each auditorium screening, with a first-come, first-served policy for entry. Tickets will be sold onsite at a price of $15 each, cash only, with no change given, Mariani said. Face masks will be required for all attendees except while they are eating or drinking. Seating for all films will begin at 5:30 p.m., and screenings begin at 7:30 p.m. The event, now in its 15th year, first started when Mariani returned to Cleveland after living in Italy, she said. I noticed that Cleveland was one of the major cities in the U.S. that didnt a film festival devoted entirely to Italian films, she said. Since its inception in 2006, the film festival has shown there was a great demand for good Italian cinema and it has sold out every year." This year, the festival features four Italian films in its lineup: romance film Nessuno Come Noi" and three comedies, Benvenuto Presidente," Viva LItalia and Metti La Nonna in Freezer." The film festival is sponsored by local travel company Italian Tours by Diana. We included some wonderful comedies as we felt people might like to enjoy some levity during this unusual year everyone is experiencing, Mariani said. Check out the lineup below: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 17: Benvenuto Presidente 7:30 p.m., Sept. 24: Nessuno Come Noi 7:30 p.m., Oct. 1: Viva LItalia 7:30 p.m., Oct. 8: Metti La Nonna in Freezer Dauphin County will host a virtual community forum on child abuse and sex trafficking from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The panel discussion was organized by county officials and community members in the wake of 16-year-old Kyan Kings tragic death in Harrisburg over a week ago, according to a press release. Kyans alleged shooter, Orlando Duarte, was charged with criminal homicide and unlawful firearm possession after several witnesses said they saw Kyan running from Duarte, naked, before they say Duarte shot and killed him. Duarte was a registered sex offender and had been charged in two other sexual assault cases in Dauphin County more than a decade ago. The entire community is stunned and outraged by this horrific tragedy, Commissioner George P. Hartwick, III, who oversees the countys Children and Youth Services agency, said in the release. Child abuse and rape are difficult topics to discuss, but we need to come together and do better for our children. If you see something or suspect abuse, report it. Panelists will include: Marisa McClellan, Esq., Administrator, Dauphin County Social Services for Children and Youth Terry Wealand, Captain, Harrisburg Police Department Steven Turner Esq., Harrisburg Area YWCA Dr. Dawn Crosson, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist Ausha Green, Harrisburg City Council, Oversight of Public Safety Angela Liddle, President/CEO, PA Family Support Alliance Jen Gettle, Chief Deputy District Attorney, Dauphin County Moderated by Commissioner George P. Hartwick, III Additional comments will be made from Angel Fox with State Rep. Patty Kims office and Charla Plaines with C.A.T.C.H., the release said. To join the virtual community discussion, Join OfficeSuite meeting https://meeting.windstream.com/j/1111903662 Enter Meeting ID: 111 190 3662 Or Dial +1 646 741 5292 Enter Meeting ID: 111 190 3662 To report suspected child abuse, call Dauphin County Children and Youth at 717.780.7200 or the State Child Abuse Hotline, which is available 24 hours/7 days a week, at 800.932.0313, the release said. Villagers arrested following a deadly land-rights clash in Dong Tam commune in January are shown on trial in Hanoi, Sept. 8, 2020. Nineteen defendants in a group of 29 land-rights protesters on trial in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi testified on Tuesday that they had been tortured by police during interrogations following their arrest over a deadly clash, with one saying he had been beaten with a rubber club for ten consecutive days. The group faces charges of murder and obstruction for what prosecutors say was their role in a violent showdown over land rights that left three police officers and a protest leader dead in January at the Dong Tam commune outside Hanoi. Dong Tam village elder Le Dinh Kinh, 84, was shot and killed by police during the early-morning 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. During questioning by lawyers on Tuesday, defense attorney Dang Dinh Manh disregarded attempts by the presiding judge to block him from raising questions, and asked the 29 villagers on trial to sit quietly if they had been tortured during interrogation, with the others told just to raise their hands. In response, 10 defendants raised their hands, indicating that the remaining 19 still sitting had been tortured by police, Dang told RFAs Vietnamese Service on Wednesday. One defendant, Le Dinh Cong, said he had been beaten with a rubber club every day during the interrogation period following his arrest, according to trial notes published by defense lawyer Ngo Anh Tuan on his Facebook page on Sept. 8. Bui Viet Hieu, also on trial, said that the Dong Tam communes ownership of the land claimed by the military for its own use was beyond dispute, adding, I was head of the [local] cooperative, and therefore I knew clearly that the 59.6 hectare parcel of land on Senh Field was agricultural land belonging to Dong Tams residents. Fencing built around the Mieu Mon airfield on Senh Field had already been put in place before the New Year, the 77-year-old Dong Tam resident said. So the [police] plan to protect construction of the fencing was just an excuse to attack the Dong Tam residents and to silence those who knew the history of the land at Senh Field and how it really belonged to Dong Tam. Contrary statements made by Bui shown on video clips at the trial were coerced by police investigators, he said. Defendants allegations of torture by police and testimony asserting Dong Tams right to the land claimed by the military were not reported in Vietnamese state media, which is tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party. 'Bloodiest in ten years' On Wednesday, the third day of the trial, the Peoples Procuracy of Hanoi called for two death sentences in the case, one for defendant Le Dinh Cong and one for defendant Le Dinh Chuc, both accused of murder in the deaths of three police officers killed in the Jan. 9 clash. Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Huy Thinh, 48, Captain Pham Cong Huy, 27, and Senior Lieutenant Duong Duc Hoang Quan, 26, were posthumously awarded the Feat of Arms Order and certificates citing their great contribution to the nation for their role in the attack on the commune. All three were killed in the assault when they were attacked by petrol bombs and fell into a concrete shaft when they ran between two houses, according to state media reports. Prosecutors also called for one life sentence with other proposed sentences ranging from 18 months to as long as 16-18 years in prison in the case, which is being closely followed by international human rights groups who have pointed to what they call violations of due process in proceedings by the police and the court. Official reports of the Jan. 9 police raid on Dong Tam said that villagers had assaulted police with grenades and petrol bombs, but a report drawn from witness accounts and released seven days later by journalists and activists said that police had attacked first during the deadly clash. Police blocked off pathways and alleys during the attack and beat villagers indiscriminately, including women and old people, the report said, calling the assault possibly the bloodiest land dispute in Vietnam in the last ten years. 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 to those whose land is taken. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huy Le. Written in English by Richard Finney. Some officials warn that the remaining American troops in Syria are more vulnerable to attack after cuts Mr. Trump ordered last fall, and point to a clash with Russian troops in the northeast last month that left seven American soldiers injured. General McKenzie called that episode, in which a Russian armored vehicle rammed an American ground patrol, reckless. Analysts of military policy also note that even as Mr. Trump has withdrawn several thousand troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, he has ordered nearly twice that many, about 14,000 forces, to the Persian Gulf region in the past year or so in response to Iranian attacks and provocations. At any given time, 45,000 to 65,000 American troops are in the region, spread out between Jordan and Oman, assigned to operate airfields, run key headquarters, sail warships and fly warplanes, and stage for deployments to places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The numbers change substantially depending on the presence of an aircraft carrier strike group or two in the region, and whether a large group of Marines is afloat in those waters. Mr. Trump has long vowed to withdraw all U.S. forces from both Iraq and Syria. Were bringing them home from Syria. Were bringing them home from Iraq, he said on Fox & Friends last month. These endless wars, they never stop. In a meeting with journalists after the White House gathering last month, Mr. al-Kadhimi reaffirmed the need for American military assistance in fighting remnants of the Islamic State. ISIS sleeper cells are still operating in Iraq, said Mr. al-Kadhimi, a former chief of Iraqi intelligence, speaking through an interpreter. The threat is still there. Indeed, the Islamic State in Iraq is still able to wage a low-tech, low-cost, largely rural and lethal campaign, American and Iraqi counterterrorism officials say. While ISIS has not carried out attacks on the scale that it did a few years ago, the number of attacks began to grow again this year. China had finally showed off its homegrown COVID-19 vaccines on display. The country was the ground zero for the contagion and looks to shape that narrative surrounding the novel coronavirus pandemic. Vaccine Candidates Displayed at Beijing Trade The vaccine candidates were produced by Chinese companies Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech. High hopes depend on the small vials of liquid displayed at a Beijing trade fair this week. The makers anticipate their vaccines to be available in the market by year-end after necessary approvals following phase-3 trials. 300 Million Doses According to a Sinovac representative, a vaccine factory with a capacity of manufacturing 300 million doses annually has been constructed. The recombinant coronavirus vaccine and will further extend its capacity, according to Chen Wei, leader of the vaccine research team. The recombinant vaccine is a genetically engineered vaccine created by the Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences. It utilizes an adjusted defective adenovirus as the transmitter, reported Xinhuanet. Many tests have determined that the homegrown Chinese vaccines are purported to be safe and effective in combating the coronavirus. This brings hope to millions of people afflicted with the highly-communicable disease. The local trade fair was the first to be held for domestic and overseas traders in Beijing since the epidemic first prevailed in China in late December, reported Asia Times. WHO in Collaboration With China Upon the news of China showing off COVID-19 vaccines, According to a senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO), it is collaborating with China on requirements for international approval of China-made COVID-19 vaccines. Also Read: Coronavirus Cure Found? Is Animal Anti-Parasitic Ivermectin the Answer to End COVID-19? "WHO's office in China and WHO headquarters has been working with the regulatory authorities in China. We are in direct contact, we have been sharing information and the requirements for international approval of vaccines," stated assistant director-general Mariangela Simao in a Geneva briefing, reported Straits Times. According to Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech Ltd on Monday, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate appeared to be safe for older people as indicated in preliminary results from an early to mid-stage trial. However, the immune responses prompted by the vaccine were quite weaker than younger adults. Mass Vaccination at a Low Price Chinese military infectious disease expert Chen Wei stated that her team produced a COVID-19 that could be successful in combatting against all mutations of the respiratory illness. She noted that they are gearing up for mass vaccination at a low price when results of phase three clinical trial come out. Amidst Foreign Criticism China has been inundated with a surge of foreign criticism over its early tackling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, they have been making efforts to repurpose the narrative of the virus. State media and officials are now underscoring Wuhan's renovation. Wuhan is the central Chinese city where the fatal pathogen was first detected and they are making efforts for a successful narrative turnout. In August, it was reported that the prices of the vaccines showed off by China would not be high. According to Sinopharm's chairman, two doses of their vaccine should cost less than 1,000 yuan ($146). Related Article: Unhealthy Lifestyles in the Time of Lockdown @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Facility Management Services Market by Service Type, (Property, Cleaning, Security, Catering, and Others), Type (Outsourced and In-House), and End User (Commercial, Institutional, Public/Infrastructure, Industrial, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027." According to the report, the global facility management services industry generated $954.0 billion in 2019, and is expected to reach $1,422.6 billion by 2027, witnessing a CAGR of 6.6% from 2020 to 2027. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities Rise in industrialization and urbanization, increase in residential and non-residential construction activities, and surge in awareness regarding protection of assets drive the growth of the global facility management services market. However, scarcity of skilled workforce and capital in developing nations hinders the market growth. On the other hand, technological advancements and investments in the infrastructure create new opportunities in the coming years. Download Sample PDF (241 Pages with More Insight): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/7024 Covid-19 Scenario Due to lockdown restrictions, many facility management services companies have to forfeit their services to commercial and industrial end users. The demand for facility management services has grown as organizations, hotels, and manufacturing plants begin their operations after lockdown restrictions being lifted off. The end users have been endeavoring to maintain the highest standard of hygiene and safety for their workers and customers. However, companies have been facing issues of lack of sufficient manpower as workers have not returned from their hometowns. With stringent regulations in place, the Covid-19 pandemic has arisen the need for automation in facility management processes such as move-ins, energy management, service requests, and workspace customization. The service providers need to leverage smart technologies. The property segment to maintain its lead position throughout the forecast period Based on service type, the property segment held the highest share of the global facility management services market in 2019, accounting for nearly one-third of the total share, and will maintain its lead position throughout the forecast period. This is due to rise in urbanization and industrialization along with awareness to protect assets. However, the catering segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 7.2% from 2020 to 2027. Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Facility Management Services Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/7024?reqfor=covid The commercial segment to continue the dominance throughout the forecast period Based on end user, the commercial segment accounted for the highest market share of the global facility management services market, accounting for nearly one-third of the total share in 2019, and is projected to continue the dominance throughout the forecast period. Moreover, the commercial segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period. This is due to surge in construction activities in residential and non-residential sectors. The research also analyzes end users such as institutional, public/infrastructure, industrial, and others. Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, to maintain its lead in terms of revenue by 2027 Based on region, Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, contributed for the highest share in terms of revenue in 2019, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the total share of the global facility management services market, and will maintain its lead during the forecast period. This is due to significant rise in residential and non-residential construction activities along with increase in investment by governments in the region. However, LAMEA is expected to portray the highest CAGR of 7.8% from 2020 to 2027, owing to surge in demand for facility management services for sustainable maintenance of buildings in the region. Leading market players Arthur McKay & Co Ltd. & Co Ltd. BVG India Ltd. CBRE Group, Inc. EMCOR Group, Inc. ISS World Services A/S Knight Facilities Management Quess Corp Ltd. Sodexo, Inc. Spotless Group Holdings Limited Tenon Group Interested in Procure Data? Visit Here: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/7024 Access AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access Avenue is a user-based library of global market report database, provides comprehensive reports pertaining to the world's largest emerging markets. It further offers e-access to all the available industry reports just in a jiffy. By offering core business insights on the varied industries, economies, and end users worldwide, Avenue ensures that the registered members get an easy as well as single gateway to their all-inclusive requirements. Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter Similar Reports We Have: Nigeria Facility Management Services Market: The Nigeria facility management services market was valued at $8,446.0 million in 2019, and is projected to reach $12,662.1 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 6.4% from 2020 to 2027. Mobile Crane Market: The Mobile Crane Market size is expected to reach $17,955.8 million in 2027, from $14,060.1 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 6.0% from 2020 to 2027. Fire Hydrant Market: The global Fire Hydrant Market size was $1,189.2 million in 2019, and is projected to reach $1,574.5 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 4.9 % from 2020 to 2027. Industrial Sewing Machines Market: The global industrial sewing machines market size is expected to account for $3,964.2 million in 2027 from $3,163.4 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2020 to 2027. Water Pipeline Leak Detection Systems Market: The global water pipeline leak detection systems market size is expected to reach $2,349.6 million in 2027, from $1,748.6 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2020 to 2027. Fire Suppression Equipment Market: Global Fire suppression equipment market was valued at $24.9 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to generate $32.9 billion by 2027. The market is projected to experience growth at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2020 to 2027. Pre-Book Now with 12% Discount: Construction Drone Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Building Energy Management- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 About Us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP, based in Portland, Oregon. AMR provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. AMR introduces its online premium subscription-based library Avenue, designed specifically to offer cost-effective, one-stop solution for enterprises, investors, and universities. With Avenue, subscribers can avail an entire repository of reports on more than 2,000 niche industries and more than 12,000 company profiles. Moreover, users can get an online access to quantitative and qualitative data in PDF and Excel formats along with analyst support, customization, and updated versions of reports. Contact us: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: 1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-855-550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow us on: LinkedIn Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg The Duke of Sussex has praised the determination of a team of wounded veterans who will embark on a gruelling 248-mile (400km) walk across the Omani desert. In a video message to the team of five ex-military personnel and one member who is currently still serving, Harry said the military charity Walking With The Woundeds expedition, Walk of Oman, reflected the longstanding friendship between the UK and the Middle Eastern country. Launched on Wednesday, The Walk of Oman involves six wounded veterans who will undertake a trek across the hostile conditions of the Omani desert over 21 days, starting on November 20 and ending on December 11. Addressing the team in a video message, the duke, who is the expedition patron, said: We are all delighted that the Walk of Oman continues to move ahead despite the challenging environment that we are all faced with at the moment. This in itself is an illustration of the remarkable longstanding friendship our country has with the Sultanate of Oman and shows the determination of those that have been selected for the walk. The Walk of Oman is an epic adventure, a team of 6 will take on the Omani desert from 20 November 11 December paying homage to the legendary travels of British Army Officer and adventurer Wilfred Thesiger.. Learn more https://t.co/pulRDWxbkD pic.twitter.com/l7tiAIecZo WWTW (@supportthewalk) September 9, 2020 All six of the team have physical or cognitive injuries and will tackle one of their toughest challenges yet, as they pull a custom-built cart weighing in excess of 300kg around three times their own bodyweight across the Omani desert. Selected for the expedition is David Adams, who spent 13 years as an aircraft technician in the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), serving in the UK, Afghanistan, Cyprus and Oman. Story continues Mr Adams was medically discharged after a diagnosis of PTSD following traumatic events while serving in Afghanistan. Want to get involved? Follow the expedition on https://t.co/pulRDWxbkD WWTW (@supportthewalk) September 9, 2020 Sean Gane served 12 years in the British Army as an infantryman between 1986 and 2014. He left and rejoined within that time and his service included operational tours in Afghanistan. It was during his last tour in 2009 that he witnessed many traumatic events and was later diagnosed with PTSD and hearing and nerve damage. Ben McComb joined the Army Reserves in October 2005 and served as a private solider until 2011, during which time he was selected for officer training. In 2011, he commenced regular officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) and commissioned into the Royal Artillery. Mr McComb has neural impingement and nerve damage in his lower limbs which is incurable, but his condition is stable due to continuous self-rehabilitation. Brian ONeill joined the British Army in 1990 aged 17 and served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Royal Military Police and Military Provost Staff Regiment. He served in seven operational tours including Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan and achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant during his 26 years of serving in the Armed Forces. Mr ONeill said he found the transition from military to civilian life exceptionally difficult. Andrew Phillips served in the Royal Air Force from 1983 to 1993 as a Junior Technician and was injured in the build-up to the Gulf War before being medical discharged due to a spinal cord injury. Struggling with the transition from military to civilian life, he became involved in the Invictus Games, which was created by the Duke of Sussex. Joining the men is Ashley Winter, who served as a Challenger 2 Tank crewman serving in Kosovo and Iraq. He was diagnosed with Keratoconus, an eye disorder, 10 years ago and has undertaken various physical challenges to inspire others. Ed Parker, chief executive of Walking With The Wounded, said: The team face an immense challenge ahead of them and each will be tested mentally and physically. Throughout the selection week process, each candidate embraced the task ahead and cemented the bond formed between them that will put them in good stead for the Omani desert. Safe Schools included the idea that gender is a 'non-binary' or 'fluid' concept There are also links to materials on gender fluidity and same-sex relationships Primary school teachers were given resources to encourage male students to tuck their penis or wear a padded bra to appear more feminine. Links that appeared on the School Biz portal for teachers, provided by the NSW Department of Education, transferred to a 40-page booklet titled 'OMG I'm Trans'. It also included a series of other materials on gender fluidity and same-sex relationships, including fictional books called 'The Gender Fairy, Are you a Boy or Are you a Girl' and 'Sex Is A Funny Word: A Book About Bodies, Feelings and You'. The public education body said the links, which were removed on Wednesday, were operated by third parties and the materials were deemed safe for children in an independent review in 2016. But in a series of explosive tweets on Wednesday, One Nation MP Mark Latham accused the government of reinstating the controversial Safe Schools program 'by stealth'. One Nation MP Mark Latham (pictured) accused the government of reinstating the controversial Safe Schools program 'by stealth' 'NSW Govt supposedly abolished Safe Schools in 2017 but Education Dept staff kept working on compiling a full library of this rubbish from around the world,' Mr Latham wrote on Twitter Safe Schools included the idea that gender is a 'non-binary' or 'fluid' concept, as part of queer gender theory. The program was plagued with accusations from critics who believed the ideas on gender theory were too radical for children since its introduction in 2010. It was eventually axed in 2017, but Mr Latham claims the government have sneakily brought it back. 'NSW Govt supposedly abolished Safe Schools in 2017 but Education Dept staff kept working on compiling a full library of this rubbish from around the world,' he wrote on Twitter. 'They sent it to teachers behind Internet wall. The public was not supposed to find out.' OMG I'm Trans contains information on gender pronouns, same-sex relationships and how to disguise gender. It suggests young males wear bra inserts, 'tuck' their penis to 'create a flat front in the pants', and 'pack' their backside to make it appear larger and more feminine. The lengthy PDF also has information for young girls about 'binding' breasts to appear more masculine. A spokesman for the Federal Department of Education said the materials were found to be age-appropriate (stock image of a woman with a primary school-aged child) 'It's absolutely brought back by stealth,' Mr Latham told The Daily Telegraph. 'Behind a firewall they are sending information to teachers which resurrects Safe Schools despite the government ending it. There was a reason this was kicked out of schools in the first place. There has been no disclosure.' Institute of Public Affairs director of the Foundations of Western Civilisation Program Dr Bella d'Abrera shared Mr Latham's opinion and said the resources are 'social engineering'. She also said teachers should not be 'politicising impressionable children' in the classroom'. But Jack Whitney, Co-Convenor of the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, told Daily Mail Australia the resources benefit 'trans and diverse children'. 'Educational resources ensure that children who do identify receive support through sound and regulated material, without shame or stigma,' he said. 'Trans and gender diverse students exist despite Mark Lathams attempt to silence them. 'These students will be looking for material online despite his disapproval, and we believe its best to provide them with government regulated, approved and safe information.' A spokesman for the Federal Department of Education said: 'The Safe Schools Program has never been part of the NSW curriculum and we do not promote it.' 'The links are all external websites operated by third parties, not NSW Education.' 'The article referencing the links has since been removed from NSW Educations SchoolBiz portal.' Republican Senators Introduce a Series of Bills to Crack Down on Rioters Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) have introduced a series of bills intended to hold rioters accountable for destroying property and otherwise harming citizens throughout Americas cities. Under lenient leftist policies, insurrectionists around the country continue to pillage Americas communities. Its past time we cracked down on their destructive actions. My legislation will incapacitate these rioters to prevent further destruction and increase their penalties, making the punishment fit their crimes, said Cotton in a written statement. Sparked by the killing of a black man, George Floyd, protests have flared across the United States since May, and while many protests have been peaceful, others have turned violent. Americans across the nation have seen their businesses destroyed, looted, and set on fire by anarchists and rioters. Particularly notable has been the violence in Portland Oregon, Seattle Washington, New York City, and Washington. Cotton and Loeffler have sponsored three bills to make sure that those who break laws by damaging public property and terrorize neighborhoods will be held accountable for their actions. The No Catch-and-Release for Rioters Act would require a person charged with rioting be held by police until their trial unless evidence is there to suggest otherwise; The Rioting Restitution Act would create a federal, private, civil cause of action against rioters who meet the federal definition of rioting, allowing those injured to get treble damages and The Support Peaceful Protest Act would make federally-convicted rioters ineligible for pandemic relief unemployment benefits. Loefflers local campaign event in August was disrupted by Black Lives Matter protestors, who tried to stop the event but the senators supporters held their ground. The Georgia senator is a vocal Black Lives Matter critic who said the radical left creates chaos and pandemonium. She said the incident made clear the stark contrast voters have in November between order and chaos. Do they want the opportunity to have free expression, to have the rule of law, safety, and security in their communities? This is the type of legislation I have been introducing to help the president to make sure that we have a strong, safe economy, Loeffler told Fox News. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Sept. 2 ordering a review of federal funds to certain state and local governments that are permitting anarchy, violence, and destruction in American cities. The presidents memo orders all federal executive departments and agencies to submit a report to the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) detailing all federal funds that have been provided to Seattle, Portland, New York City, and Washington, or any components or instrumentalities of the foregoing jurisdictions. Within 14 days of the order, OMB Director Russ Vought must issue guidance to the federal agencies to submit their reports. The order also said that Vought must, within 30 days of the order, issue guidance to federal agency heads on restricting eligibility of or otherwise disfavoring anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of federal grants. It also directs Attorney General William Barr, alongside Chad Wolf, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, and Vought, to publish on the website of the Justice Department a list of anarchist jurisdictions, described as [s]tate and local jurisdictions that have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities. Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report. Pesky, yet dangerous ticks are no longer latching exclusively onto hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. Milder winters and disrupted habitats have driven them out of the woods, with Lyme disease cases in the United States tripling since the late 1990s. Now researchers at West Virginia University are working toward a vaccine that prevents humans from contracting the tick-borne illness that afflicts more than 300,000 Americans a year. Mariette Barbier, assistant professor in the School of Medicines Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, is leading the five-year project, which received $1.9 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Joining her on the project are Timothy Driscoll, assistant professor of biology in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and Heath Damron, assistant professor and director of the WVU Vaccine Development Center. Despite the annual rise in cases, no vaccine exists for Lyme disease. The tick population is increasing in the U.S. and the impact of Lyme disease is expanding over Appalachia, in particular West Virginia, said Barbier, whos researched vaccines for whooping cough, lethal pneumonia and other infectious diseases. Were trying to develop a vaccine that would be broadly protective against various species of Borrelia (the bacterium that causes Lyme disease). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes West Virginia as one of 14 states with a high incidence of Lyme disease cases. As of 2016, 11 counties - Berkeley, Hampshire, Hancock, Jefferson, Kanawha, Marshall, Mineral, Morgan, Roane, Wetzel and Wood are considered endemic. Lyme disease is commonly spread through the bite of infected ticks, which carry Borrelia. After bitten, a red rash can emerge on the skin and resemble a bulls-eye. If untreated, Lyme disease can lead to debilitating conditions such as arthritis, muscle pain, meningitis and heart and brain inflammation. What makes researchers tick Through RNA sequencing, Barbier and her team will examine how pathogens respond in both infected ticks and mice to determine whats needed for Lyme disease vaccine development. Researchers hope to identify relevant antigens substances that cause the immune system to produce antibodies against it during the infection phases. When we design a vaccine, we usually aim for proteins that appear on the surface of whatever pathogen we want to vaccinate against, explained Driscoll, who runs the Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory in biology. In the case of Borrelia, certain of those proteins are required for the normal functioning of the bacteria. In vaccine development, what we try to do is identify those proteins and target them in hopes of clearing the pathogen out, killing it, essentially. If a protein is essential for survival, it makes it harder for the pathogen to change it and evade the immune system. Driscolls role will primarily involve studying Borrelia during its passage through black-legged ticks, which primarily feed on mammals ranging from rodents to deer. Thats how Borrelia survives over the winter, Driscoll added, as ticks attach to animals such as mice and infect them with the bacterium, which is then picked up by the next generation of ticks. My part of this project is looking at what proteins are made by Borrelia during the tick life cycle, in order to identify targets that the pathogen needs to survive in this environment, he said. For Barbier, the challenge to develop a vaccine is also one of personal and professional curiosity. Shes spent her career studying bacterial pathogens, one of them being Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes respiratory and skin infections. We figured out which antigens could be used to formulate a vaccine, and found the Achilles heel to the bacteria to use against it, Barbier said. We focused on one system, which is the iron acquisition system of Pseudomonas. To grow and infect their host, bacteria such as Pseudomonas must acquire key nutrients such as iron. Barbier recognized one exception: Borrelia. The causative agent of Lyme disease does not use iron. Thats really piqued my interest, Barbier said. If it doesnt use iron, what else can we use against it? By bringing in the expertise of others, were going to crack the problem. The vaccine will be a preventative measure against Lyme disease, not a treatment, researchers said. When detected early enough, infections with Borrelia can be stopped with antibiotics. However, the pathogen can often go undetected, leading to the development of Lyme disease. An effective vaccine would prevent infections from happening in the first place. Once a vaccine has been tested and proven successful in pre-clinical models, the WVU Vaccine Development Center will work with potential commercial partners to put the vaccine through clinical trials, and eventually on the market, said Justin Bevere, assistant director of the Center. One of the goals of the Vaccine Development Center is to help researchers move their vaccines out of the academic lab and into the market, Bevere said. We do that by partnering with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. We are actively seeking collaborators for this Lyme disease vaccine project. Until then, Driscoll recommends everyone to take the necessary precautions in preventing tick bites: using insect repellent and checking for ticks on the body after spending time outdoors. As we get milder winters, ticks tend to be more active, Driscoll said. Were also seeing an increase due to disrupted habitats. As we build roads and neighborhoods in forested areas, mice and rabbits and other animals that harbor borrelia are coming in close contact with humans. 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 TORONTO - Flexible work arrangements, affordable child-care offerings and training for new jobs are all key to helping women recover from a she-cession, says the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. Those ideas are among dozens of recommendations the provincial business organization made in a report it released Wednesday that is meant to combat the outsized impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on women. The health crisis has so far pushed womens participation in the labour force down to its lowest level in three decades. About 1.5 million Canadian women lost their jobs in the first two months of the pandemic and 45 per cent of women in the country experienced a decline in hours worked, the Royal Bank of Canada said in July. This is not just a concern for women but for everyone and for the economy as a whole, said Claudia Dessanti, a senior policy analyst at the Ontario chamber. Its definitely time to go beyond the platitudes and...to develop a strategy. The OCC suggests a plan be created to rapidly increase child-care spaces and allow for physical distancing, earmark funding for a potential second wave of COVID-19 and enhance resources for parents to support their children with remote learning. The organization would also like to see the long-term affordability and accessibility of child care addressed by the federal and provincial governments through investments, tackling the shortage of early child-care educators and exploring workplace-based child care. Several of the chambers recommendations centre on child care because many women are having to quit their jobs, decrease their working hours or ask for special arrangements to juggle parenting and their career while some kids remain home from school, said Dessanti. Home and work life have collided over the past few months, and a lot of parents will tell you that those two obligations were always a challenge for them to balance, but now more than ever, there is no clear line, she said. We know that mothers tend to take on more of that family care responsibility, so it becomes a gender equality issue as well. Her report suggests women be given more flexible work opportunities and chances to retrain in areas where there are shortages identified through labour market data, like the skilled trades, technology and engineering. Those areas see high growth, but are not always marketed as jobs that offer flexibility or creativity that women need, said Dessanti. To prepare women for work in those areas, the OCC recommends Ontario partner with colleges and employers to offer loans, scholarships and child-care subsidies for women acquiring new skills and support programs that advance women along the career pipeline, including school outreach, mentorships, apprenticeships and counselling. Financing, legal advice, digital literacy, access to trade, mentorship, professional networking, procurement and child-care opportunities should also be offered for women entrepreneurs, who often struggle to find funding for their ideas, the OCC said. The organization hopes that all businesses will consider setting collective targets around diversity and inclusion, introduce a diversity component into procurement and supply chain processes and include women in all decision-making bodies and when forming policies. The suggestions are heartening, said Wendy Cukier, the founder and academic director at Ryerson Universitys Diversity Institute and a research lead at both the Future Skills Centre and Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. I find it really ironic that women are in the trenches, when it comes to COVID-19 and leading the public health response, but when it comes to the discussion of the economic recovery, innovation or entrepreneurship...you dont see a lot of women, she said. The report, which her institute consulted on, pushes womens needs to the forefront and gives her hope that often-ignored aspects like procurement strategies and training can be better suited for women, she said. However, she pointed out there is a challenge: getting people to take action and quickly because neither the pandemic nor the recession is easing up. Dessanti said people should feel there is urgency around these issues, but not see this as a laundry list of recommendations. This is a broad strategy. These arent all things that will happen in the next two weeks, but some things will start now and some things will start later, she said. It seems like were boiling the ocean, but its all about small steps. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2020. Mergers between behemoths to revive paralysed tourism market The pandemic has disrupted numerous travel plans worldwide, resulting in weaker hotel performances across the country. As such, average revenue per available room in the first half of 2020 went down significantly by 56 and 64 per cent for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively. Occupancy rates reached the lowest point in April when nationwide social isolation was imposed, then slowly recovered in May and June as local tourists started to hit the road again. Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary general at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, stated on the organisations website that the rapid fall in tourist arrivals between January and May has cost the sector an estimated $320 billion an impact three times greater than the global recession of 2007-2009. Large hoteliers like Accor and InterContinental Hospitality Group (IHG) also suffered heavy losses from the pandemic, which was the main reason for the emergence of the rumour that both brands would merge. Patrick Basset, Accors COO for Upper Southeast & Northeast Asia and the Maldives, told Timeout that even if more than 4,200 of the groups hotels are currently operational, the group still suffered under the pandemic with revenue per available room down by 59.3 per cent in the first half of 2020, which resulted in a net loss of 1.5 billion ($1.8 billion). Despite declining to reveal his groups losses, Rajit Sukumaran, IHGs managing director for Southeast Asia & South Korea, admitted that its a challenging time for the hotel industry. Weve been focusing on responding to COVID-19 in the best way we can on every front. Trading is tough globally since we saw demand fall quickly in March. We are now seeing progress with the reopening of our hotels around the world and were doing everything we can to emerge from this period in the strongest possible position, Sukumaran said. A Giant Union? If the deal is done, the combination of Accor and IHG would create the largest hospitality corporation in the worlds history with more 1.6 million rooms, around 200,000 rooms more than Marriott International, which is now on top of the industry. Up to now, the news of a possible merger between Accor and IHG remains speculation but with both groups huge scale of operations globally, it also raises the attention of global investors and loyal customers, including in the Vietnamese market. Based in France, Accor currently runs around 5,000 hotels in 110 countries, with 60 per cent of its portfolio in Asia. Accor was one of the first international brands to step foot in Vietnam with the first involvement being the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi. Now, Accor manages nearly 30 hotels nationwide with outstanding brands such as Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, and the Premier Village Danang Resort. Accors strategy is to accelerate hotel development through both organic growth and acquisition. The expansion of its hotel network continues at a rapid pace, with a record 52,000 rooms opened last year. The group is focused on reinforcing its positions in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific, but faces stiff competition from Hilton and Marriott in the US. Across 2018 and 2019, Accor was opening a hotel in Asia-Pacific every three days. Meanwhile, IHG currently has nearly 6,000 hotels worldwide, offering some 883,000 rooms. In Vietnam, it is now operating 14 hotels with the four brands (Six Senses, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn) with more than half of them carrying the InterContinental name. In its development strategy, IHG aims to set out a centralised approach to delivering long-term high-quality and sustainable growth. The group also focuses on building preferred brands, delivering a superior owner proposition, leveraging scale, and generating revenue through direct channels. Payment Issues On August 25, Service Properties Trust (SVC), a real estate investment trust which owns a diverse portfolio of 149 distinct brands across 23 industries, announced that it would transfer the branding and management of 103 IHG hotels to Sonesta International Hotels Corporation. Previously, SVC sent notice of termination to IHG for failure to pay minimum returns and rents due for July and August totalling $26.4 million plus interest, and IHG had until August 24 to make payments. SVC did not receive any payment from IHG by August 24, nor does it expect any in the future. After a period of negotiations with IHG, SVC is determined to terminate contracts and rebrand these hotels with Sonesta. IHG explained that since August, SVC has indicated its intent to terminate the management agreement with IHG, effective November. Despite a moderate price rebound on Wednesday, oil markets have been under significant pressure since last week. Brent prices closed the week at $42.66, down by 6.88% w/w, while WTI closed at $39.77, down by 7.45% w/w, the largest weekly drop since June. The production recovery in the Gulf of Mexico, which was hit by hurricane Laura, caused a shift in sentiment. Next to this, uncertainty about OPEC+ compliance and rising OPEC+ supply in August has contributed significantly to the price decline. Iraq may be asking for an additional two-months extension to compensate for missed production quota. Furthermore, statements from Russian Energy Minister Novak regarding the need to boost OPEC+ production has sparked concerns over the continuity of the OPEC+ agreement, which continues to be one of the major pillars in a period of fragile demand recovery. Additionally, the unemployment figures published by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) showed that the US unemployment rate marginally declined to 8.4% in August compared with 10.2% in July, which accelerated the selloff of crude oil contracts starting last Wednesday. In response to these bearish factors, Saudi Aramco has slashed its Arab light oil prices to Asia by $1.40/bbl against prices of Dubai/Oman crudes which points at weaker demand in Asia. Uncertainty over Chinas imports Chinas economic recovery has been a major driver for global markets. The latest data shows that China's PMI rose to 53.1 in September, from 52.8 in August, which is the highest growth since Jan 2011. However, slowing Chinese crude oil imports in September and October compared with its record imports in May and June has strengthened bearish sentiment last week. The dip could result in a 40% decline in crude imports as private refiners are reaching their full state-assigned quota. Chinas crude oil imports in August stood at 11.18 million bbl/d, down by 0.90 million bbl/d m/m. Rising refined product stocks in China add additional pressure as refiners struggle to find overseas buyers. Complicating matters even more, the border dispute between China and India continues to be a factor affecting exports of Chinese petroleum products. OPEC compliance in August is said to stand at 106% CMarkits understands four producers within the OPEC+ alliance submitted their proposal last week, of which two pledged additional cuts of 400 thousand bbl/d (Iraq) and 94.5 thousand bbl/d (Kazakhstan) in August and September. Related: Trump's Drilling Ban Bombshell Rocks Oil Industry Initial reports, from Energy Intelligence, show that the OPEC-10 total compliance reached 106% in August. That includes a compliance rate of 141% for Iraq, whose production is said to stand at around 3.46 million bbl/d in August compared with 3.76 million bbl/d in July. Furthermore, Nigerias compliance is also said to have reached 130% in August, which suggests that its production in August stood at 1.395 million bbl/d compared with 1.36 million bbl/d in July. The cuts made by Iraq and Nigeria in the month of August stood at 1.19 million bbl/d and 0.43 million bbl/d, respectively. Iraq is said to be asking for a two-month extension, October-November, to deliver its pledged targets in case it does not deliver them by the end of September. Although the figures are very promising, their impact on markets has been so far negligible. The UAE has reduced its crude deliveries to Asia by 30%, yet its production compliance fell below 100% in August, 82%, mainly due to its need to produce sufficient amounts of associated gas to meet its power demand during the hot summer months. OPEC+ expects additional cuts of 1.15 million bbl/d in August and in September, which if effectively implemented may lead to total cuts of 8.85 million bbl/d, instead of 7.7 million bbl/d as agreed by the alliance. Yet, if crude demand remains weak, CMarkits expects OPEC+ to restore its previous cut agreement, which may be the main subject of discussion when the group meets again on September 17th. Bullish EIA data failed to push prices The EIA reported bullish figures last week, showing a decline in U.S. commercial oil inventories, which fell by 9.40 million barrels w/w to stand at 498.4 million barrels. This was combined by a simultaneous decline in gasoline and middle distillates inventories which fell by 4.3 million barrels and 1.7 million barrels, respectively. On the other hand, the impact of hurricane Laura hurricane shut-ins was also clearly visible in the EIA report. U.S. refinery runs declined by 0.84 million bbl/d w/w to stand at 13.87 million bbl/d. Furthermore, the hurricane caused a weekly drop in U.S. oil production, which fell by 1.10 million barrels per day w/w to stand at 9.7 million bbl/d, which is 2.7 million bbl/d below its level last year. The decline in crude oil inventories in the United States is expected to slow over the coming weeks due to the end of driving season. By Yousef Alshammari for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Haiti - FLASH : Threats and attacks against schools, the Ministry launchs a cry of alarm Tuesday, September 8, faced the threats and persistent attacks against schools, in particular against Fritz Pierre Louis high school, Le Normalien college and Roger Anglade college, by individuals posing as pupils, students or others, Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the Minister of National Education, launches a cry of alarm for the respect of the right to education and the protection of the pupils and our schools. "It is unacceptable, under the pretext of wage or other demands, that individuals manipulate students and continue to attack schools and systematically violate the right to education and respect for others. How to justify such violent and gratuitous attacks against students and teaching and administrative staff when they find themselves peacefully in their schools? How to encourage this violence between high school students themselves, to fulfill hidden goals ? How far will we go in the fall of our humanity to attack humans, institutions or other key symbols of the Republic ?" The Minister who reiterates his commitment and determination to protect the school and the right to education in all circumstances; reaffirms that "nothing can justify attacks on schools and students in the classroom and expresses its sympathies to the victims and to all those who have been affected by this gratuitous and indiscriminate violence." HL/ S/ HaitiLibre When 247Sports three-star defensive athlete/safety Jeffrey Bassa tweeted that he had news dropping Tuesday, many wondered what that would mean. Would the 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive back, out of Kearns High School (Salt Lake City, Utah), make his college decision or trim his list from six? Turns out, Bassa was ready to make it a final three, announcing on social media that he was down to Oklahoma State, Oregon and Utah: That list is hardly a surprise. For the past several weeks, speculation has swirled that Bassa was favoring Oregon and Utah above the field - a group of schools that also included Arizona State, Baylor, Louisville and Oklahoma State. On Tuesday, however, Oklahoma State kept its hopes alive. If Bassa were to choose Oregon, he would join the 2021 recruiting class as a safety alongside Under Armour All-American cornerback Jaylin Davies, elite junior college cornerback Jadarrius Perkins and California three-star cornerback Darren Barkins. -- Andrew Nemec | anemec@oregonian.com | @AndrewNemec Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China held a meeting Tuesday morning in Beijing to commend role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presented medals to recipients of the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title at the Great Hall of the People. Xi also delivered a speech at the meeting, attended by about 3,000 people. China has made major strategic achievements in the battle against COVID-19, demonstrating the notable advantages of the CPC leadership and the country's socialist system, the great strength of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, the profound heritage of Chinese civilization, and the nation's sense of responsibility as a major and responsible country, Xi said. He called for transforming the virus-fighting spirit into tremendous strength to build a modern socialist country and achieve national rejuvenation. The meeting was presided over by Li Keqiang and attended by other senior leaders: Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. The meeting started with all participants rising to sing the national anthem. The participants then observed a moment of silence for every life lost due to COVID-19. Li Zhanshu read a presidential order to confer the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title on four medical professionals. Renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan received the Medal of the Republic, the highest state honor. The national honorary title, "the People's Hero," was conferred on three other outstanding medical professionals: -- Zhang Boli, a traditional Chinese medicine expert who presided over the research of the COVID-19 treatment scheme combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine; -- Zhang Dingyu, head of Wuhan's designated coronavirus-treating Jinyintan Hospital; -- Chen Wei, a military medical scientist who made major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and protective medicine. Wang Huning read decisions to commend outstanding individuals and groups in the COVID-19 fight, as well as outstanding Party members and primary-level Party organizations across the country. A total of 1,499 individuals, 500 groups, 186 CPC members and 150 primary-level Party organizations were commended for their roles in fighting the epidemic. Another 14 Party members were posthumously awarded. Speaking of the anti-epidemic battle over the past eight-plus months, Xi said China has achieved another heroic feat in humankind's fight against disease by achieving major strategic achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The CPC Central Committee had adopted extraordinary measures to tackle the extraordinary incident of the COVID-19 epidemic, insisting on making people's lives and health the first priority, he said. Xi went on to summarize China's spirit of combating the COVID-19 epidemic, which features putting people's lives first, nationwide solidarity, sacrifice, respecting science, and a sense of mission for humanity. He also summarized the important experience of China's anti-epidemic fight in six areas. The strong leadership of the CPC is the most reliable backbone for Chinese people in times of trouble, Xi said. He said the unyielding will of the Chinese people is the source of power for overcoming all hardships and obstacles on the way forward. The outstanding advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental guarantee for resisting risks and challenges, and enhancing the capacity of national governance, he said. Xi said the great struggle against coronavirus has once again proven that strong national strength accumulated since the founding of the People's Republic of China has laid a solid ground for the country to navigate any "turbulent tide" with composure. The battle against COVID-19 has also demonstrated the power of core socialist values and fine traditional Chinese culture, which provide great motivation, and help build consensus and pool resources, he said. He said the extensive appeal of building a community with a shared future for humanity is the right way for the mankind to overcome common challenges and build a more prosperous and better world. Chinese people and the Chinese nation will certainly forge ahead on the great journey in the new era, Xi said. "No individual or force can stop Chinese people's march toward a better life," he said. A murder investigation has been launched after a woman was found dead inside a 1.6million mock-Georgian home in a leafy cul-de-sac. Police were called at around 9.15pm on Tuesday after an unnamed 66-year-old woman was found collapsed in Bexley village, south east London. The detached mock-Georgian double-gated property was cordoned off by police today after she was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. A post mortem is due to be held to establish the cause of death. Police were called at around 9.15pm on Tuesday after the unnamed woman was found collapsed in Bexley village, south east London. Pictured, police at the scene today The death is being treated as suspicious and a man was arrested on suspicion of murder after the grim discovery in the suburb on the London and Kent border. He was taken to a south London police station where he remains at this time. The Met Police say the man and the woman are thought to be known to each other. Formal identification of the woman has not yet taken place but she was described as 'lovely' by one neighbour who did not want to talk about the tragedy. Officers were today manning a cordon at the top of Becketts Close, where the horror unfolded. A police van was parked outside the early-2000s property. The gates were open but a cordon was draped across it. Officers were today manning a cordon at the top of Becketts Close, where the horror unfolded The garage door was left open with a white Volkswagen parked outside. The house is in a side street cul-de-sac next door to just one other home in a desirable area. There are also mock Tudor and white rendered mansions with BMWs, Audis and Range Rovers parked in the street. One local said: 'It's such a quiet area usually - there are a lot of families and it's a good mix of people. There's no troublemakers. 'But last night there were about four police cars with their flashing lights on and an ambulance. That never happens round here. 'I couldn't believe it when I heard someone had been murdered. It's so tragic.' Another woman said: 'It's such a peaceful neighbourhood and we all look out for each other. It's a tremendous shock to us all.' One neighbour who lives near the property said: 'We are all totally shocked. We can't believe something like this would happen. The garage door was left open with a white Volkswagen parked outside. The house is in a side street cul-de-sac next door to just one other home in a desirable area 'It's such a nice quiet area. We don't know who the lady is but our thoughts are with her poor family. 'It's a terrible thing to happen.' A murder investigation has been launched led by Detective Chief Inspector Mick Norman. He said: 'We are at the very early stages of our investigation, we have arrested a man and our enquiries continue at a pace. 'Our thoughts are with the deceased's family at this sad time. I urge anyone who has information, but has not yet come forward, to get in touch without delay.' Press Release 9 September 2020 Montage Hotels & Resorts is excited to launch Montage Academy, a new resort-based, back-to-school program to enhance distanced learning for families whose children are experiencing remote learning this fall. Debuting September 8, 2020 at Montage Deer Valley, Montage Laguna Beach, Montage Los Cabos and Montage Palmetto Bluff, Montage Academy offers access to an all-day monitored study hall and educational programming for guests ages six - 17, including a range of afternoon elective activities from yoga to hiking, art to cooking and woodshop to conservation, as well as downtime for parents to stay on top of work or relax while enjoying the luxury resort setting around them. "We're delighted to be adding enriching programs and offerings to help families with remote learning and working during this very unusual time," said Alan J. Fuerstman, founder, chairman and CEO, Montage International. "With children continuing virtual school sessions, we saw the need to create an environment that is conducive to remote learning and working. Montage Academy is designed to move students forward in their education, while giving parents - who by now are likely well aware of the challenges of remote learning - a much-needed break to enjoy the many pleasures that our properties provide." Advertisements Montage Academy Package Guests who book the Montage Academy receive: Access to an all-day monitored study hall during the school week, with start and finish times tailored to the individual participant's home school remote learning structure and time zone High-speed internet and all-day access to Montage's IT support team 24/7 access to instant virtual tutoring on 180+ subjects through Tutor.com, a service of The Princeton Review, that also offers: o Flexibility for parents and their children to get one-on-one personalized support and instruction anywhere, anytime o A paper review service o Practice quizzes in several subject areas o Video lesson libraries o The Princeton Review test prep for SAT/ACT exams Daily healthy snacks and lunch will be provided Movement Breaks, sponsored by Spa Montage, to encourage stretching and mobility throughout the day One elective per day, including PE, Art, History, or Life Sciences A Montage Academy swag tote bag complete with headphones, hand sanitizer, notebook and gift from Tutor.com, a service of The Princeton Review Montage Academy leaps beyond the typical virtual curriculum to inspire students with a program of study and inperson activities with a daily schedule broken into two sessions: study hall and electives. Students will have the opportunity to join a monitored study hall all day to accommodate their individual virtual needs and classroom schedules based on their home school's remote learning structure, as well as their home time zone, and will have access to support from both the on-site Montage Academy learning concierge and virtual tutoring through Tutor.com. During the afternoon, Montage Academy students have themed electives to experience onsite. Each elective incorporates an essential learning component and opportunity for hands-on participation to ensure tangibility and encourage both physical movement and creativity. Physical Education electives offer, for instance, active programming for all levels, such as yoga, stand up paddle boarding, hiking, mountain biking, fly-fishing, archery, and more. Science and History electives offer interactive lesson plans that play out across the resort with topics such as astronomy and conservation. Engineering gives future hospitality entrepreneurs a fascinating look behind the scenes at how Montage properties operate, from the central plant to the spa. Other subjects include Life Sciences such as farm-to-table cooking, and Art through assorted arts and crafts. Every program is specially tailored for each property and activities at each resort vary to preserve a unique sense of place for every destination. For example, Montage Los Cabos will offer Spanish lessons, Montage Laguna Beach will offer tidepool tours, and more. With students participating in Montage Academy through the day, parents will be free to work remotely and enjoy Montage amenities at leisure, such as treatments at Spa Montage; sporting activities; or indulging their appetites and unwinding in style over signature cuisines at acclaimed on-property restaurants. Students may enroll in Montage Academy on an a la carte basis with five-day advance notice at $175 for a full day or $725 for a full school week (Monday - Friday). **Pricing may vary based on Montage property. Montage Academy adheres to all health and safety guidelines including social distancing, facial coverings and hand sanitization, and guests will be reassured with Montage International's **Peace of Mind Commitment. Montage has partnered with One Medical, a leading national digital health and primary care organization, to offer 24/7 virtual care services. Guests of Montage Hotels & Resorts will be offered a complimentary 30-day membership to One Medical's full suite of digital health services, while resort associates receive an annual membership. For more information on Montage Hotels & Resorts, visit www.montagehotels.com or follow @montagehotels. **Each property invites guest to visit, knowing their health and safety are top of mind, and has taken steps to add additional health and safety protocols. A University of Alberta criminologist is examining the role of school resource officers in the country over the last four decades. There has never been a proper review on the impact the officers have had in Canadian schools, said Temitope Oriola. "In the Canadian context, we don't have as robust data as we should have," Oriola said in an interview with Edmonton AM on Tuesday. Much of the Canadian research into their role has focused on only one or two jurisdictions, he said. The SRO program places uniformed police officers in schools and has been used in various school divisions across Canada dating back to 1979. Oriola's research will delve into the evolution of public support for the program. Edmonton Public Schools recently suspended its SRO program for the new school year after members of the public urged the school board to end it. An independent evaluation of the program in Edmonton was approved in June and will continue to move forward. Meanwhile, Edmonton Catholic Schools will continue with the program this year. Oriola praised Edmonton Public Schools' decision to suspend the program, calling it long overdue and necessary for the sake of an independent review. "The hope is that whatever decision is eventually made about the SRO program will be informed by facts rather than emotions and politics," he said. Oriola plans to speak with a nationally-representative group of voices including current high school students and graduates from throughout the past several decades. He also wants to speak with parents and advocates on either side of the issue, saying he was fascinated by public discussions around the program earlier this summer. While evidence in Canada is lacking, research into SROs in the United States shows the program can lead to more arrests for discretionary issues like disorderly conduct and more arrests of socioeconomically marginalized or ethnic minority students, Oriola said. But Oriola also points out that past research has shown more than half of Toronto District School Board students said they had a positive experience with the school-based officers. Story continues "This becomes a conundrum of some kind," Oriola said. "The efficacy of the SRO program, its relevance and its utility seem to be a function of who you are." J.K. Donlevy, an education professor at the University of Calgary, criticized the removal of SROs from Edmonton Public Schools, arguing it removed a safety element affecting thousands of students, all based on anecdotal evidence. Officers now find themselves in more heavy-handed roles coming into schools as opposed to being part of the school culture itself, Donlevy said. "You move from being a preventative, proactive individual on site, to saying that this particular institution will now be only reactionary," said Donlevy, who published a study on SROs earlier this year called Alberta's Urban Schools: The Perspectives of School Resource Officers. Donlevy argued the program shouldn't be removed until an independent study into the program is complete. In Edmonton Public Schools, the SRO program will be replaced with a newly developed Youth Enhanced Deployment model where police officers will be assigned to geographic areas of the city rather than specific schools, and officers trained to respond to youth will answer calls in the school and community. The Jammu-based Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) is undertaking clinical trials of 3-4 formulations for developing a COVID-19 drug, a senior official had said. The IIIM is also in the final stages of validating a new machine-less coronavirus diagnostics kit, as already reported by the PTI, which can help the country scale up COVID-19 testing. For Covid-19, we are undergoing clinical trials. In collaboration with Ayush ministry and industry, we are involved in it. Three to four clinical trials are going in different plant species with regard to COVID-19 drugs on 3 to 4 formulations, Director CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Dr D Srinivasa Reddy, told PTI. If they (all the requisite trials) are successful, we can make medicines soon available, Reddy said. We are definitely getting closer. So many research groups from across the world are giving their best to find treatment for COVID-19. Discovering new medicines is a very long and costly process, he said. The director said that repurposing already known drugs to treat COVID-19 patients is the best option under the present circumstances. Several academic and industry groups across the globe are continuously working. In India, in particular the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) is a frontrunner in this direction, he added. Dr Reddy, who recently took over as the director of IIIM for the next six years, said the first activity that IIIM undertook under him was testing COVID-19 samples. We started testing in the first week of April, in collaboration with Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu. We have completed over 40,000 samples till date, he said. We are in the process of increasing the number of samples tested, he said. The IIIM is also in the process of developing a new formulation based on Zinc Gluconate and natural Vitamin C coming from Acerola Cherry for boosting immunity, he said. It is in collaborations with a company. He said that the development processes for Active pharmaceutical ingredients (API)as part of repurposing of drugs is underway and our scientists have made significant progress on this activity and one of the processes has been demonstrated to an industry partner in Jammu. We continue to work along these lines and start some new initiatives to address COVID-19 related problems. Our scientists and students rose to the occasion and contributed significantly in a short time, he added. Dr Reddy said that the IIIM laboratory is a unique place for discovering medicines based on natural products everything is under one roof for plant-based or new chemical entity (NCE)-based drugs. It has got rich biodiversity in the region which is known for medicinal and aromatic plants. It has a diverse scientist pool with expertise and experience from various functions. I see a lot of opportunities here, he added. He said that IIIM can lead programmes of national importance in addition to existing assets and expand compound or natural product extracts library and open it to others research purposes. The IIIM can develop agricultural technologies and commercial cultivation in the Western Himalayas Kashmir Valley and Ladakh regions, he said. There are high-value medicinal and aromatic plants, (but) they seem to be facing problems in the supply chain, in particular, for the international markets. The IIIM can put more efforts in that direction, he added. JBS SA, the worlds largest meatpacker, has vowed to keep the world fed during the coronavirus pandemic. Executives say the company has added more than 15,000 new workers in Brazil this year to crank out cuts of chicken, pork and beef, a lot of it for export. The meat giants $629 million second-quarter net profit was almost twice what analysts expected. But that windfall has come at a cost: More than 4,000 JBS employees in Brazil are known to have tested positive for coronavirus and at least six have died from COVID-19, according to records from local health authorities and information gathered by prosecutors and three employee unions investigating the company. Outbreaks have struck at least 23 plants in seven states, prosecutors, health officials and union representatives told Reuters, helping to fuel the pandemic across South Americas largest country. JBS , based in Sao Paulo, denied wrongdoing. The company repeatedly has defended its response to the pandemic in Brazil, saying publicly that the health of its workers is the principal priority. It declined to comment on infections and fatalities, saying it shares COVID-19 data only with authorities. With more than 4.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases, Brazil trails only the United States and India in the size of its outbreak; almost 127,000 Brazilians have died. Some JBS plants have become a locus of community spread, Brazilian health officials and prosecutors said. JBSs initial brush with the virus came in its U.S. operations in March when it cut production at a Pennsylvania beef plant after managers displayed flu-like symptoms. The temporary closing of two JBS facilities due to major outbreaks, one at a Colorado beef plant, the other at a pork facility in Minnesota, also made headlines. Less well-known are its difficulties in Brazil, where the company has become a magnet for litigation. Since April, prosecutors in some of the nations biggest agricultural states have filed 18 lawsuits in the countrys specialized labor courts to force JBS to implement stricter worker protections in at least 17 of the meatpackers Brazilian plants that have experienced coronavirus outbreaks. Other meatpackers, too, have battled the virus in their plants. Brazil-based companies including Marfrig and BRF have reached agreements with prosecutors to conduct systematic, ongoing testing of their workers to minimize spread and keep operating. JBS, in contrast, largely has resisted prosecutors calls to perform such testing, which is not expressly required under Brazilian law. There is no obligation coming from the government, the regulatory or the health agencies for meatpackers to carry out tests, JBS said in a statement. Reuters reviewed judges rulings and information submitted by prosecutors as part of their JBS investigations. The news organization also interviewed more than 30 people with knowledge of the infections at JBS plants in Brazil, among them prosecutors, former and current health officials, union leaders and workers. Among the claims made by prosecutors as well as by government labor inspectors who documented conditions at two JBS plants: The virus spread at JBS because the company did not perform its own workplace testing, failed to provide frontline employees with sufficient masks and other safety equipment, and did not quickly isolate workers who tested positive or showed symptoms of COVID-19. Prosecutors are seeking rigorous testing and quarantine protocols, adequate personal protective gear and greater spacing between laborers in the Brazilian meat factories. They are also asking JBS for damages ranging between 3 million reais ($566,091) and 20 million reais ($3.77 million) to help local communities near most of the affected plants procure medical equipment and fund social projects. JBS is a world leader in its industry and should set an example, said Heiler Natali, a prosecutor overseeing legal action against the company in southern Parana state. JBS does not want to test workers and take responsibility. The legal disputes resulted in the temporary shutdown of six JBS plants in Brazil this year, according to prosecutors. JBS said only five of its hundred-plus Brazilian facilities were affected by the shutdowns, and that the sixth factory cited by prosecutors was never closed. The sixth plant is a pork operation in Tres Passos in southern Rio Grande do Sul state. A local labor judge ordered that plant to furlough with pay for 14 days all workers who had tested positive for COVID-19, and to test the rest for coronavirus, according to a June 22 court order seen by Reuters. Some 40% of that facilitys workforce of 1,017 tested positive for coronavirus, and one died, according to prosecutors. JBS declined to comment on pending litigation. It defended the measures it has taken, telling Reuters that, among other steps, it has hired consultants to advise it on health protocols such as proper physical distancing at plants. The company in July arranged for mass testing of workers at a pork plant in the southern city of Dourados in southwestern Mato Grosso do Sul state under a deal worked out with prosecutors. Chief Executive Officer Gilberto Tomazoni said on an August 14 earnings call that he was proud of JBSs response to the crisis, which he said included $400 million in investment worldwide to safeguard workers and communities surrounding its facilities. All told, JBS operates 135 facilities in Brazil, including beef, chicken, pork and leather plants, as well as offices and distribution centers. Those operations account for about one-fifth of its global revenue. JBS employs 240,000 people worldwide, including 135,000 in Brazil. BROKEN PROMISES Coronavirus is the latest headache for JBS, which has been rocked by graft and food-safety scandals in recent years. Those woes battered its stock price, pushed back a coveted U.S. share listing and led to massive fines. Global demand for animal protein has bolstered JBS, though. It reported record profits last year. When the virus hit in early 2020, the incentive to keep its Brazil plants running was high. Shutdowns at its U.S. facilities led to production cuts in that key market. A weakened Brazilian currency, meanwhile, made meat produced in Brazil cheaper for foreign buyers. JBS Brazilian beef exports to China, for example, rose by 53% in dollar terms in the second quarter. The company sells in 190 countries. In a March conference call, CEO Tomazoni promised investors hed keep the product flowing, but said employee health would come first. He announced measures for JBS plants worldwide, including paid furloughs for employees in high-risk groups, deep cleaning of factories and increased spacing on company buses that transport workers to its plants. Tomazoni said those actions might not be implemented in all countries due to local laws, but JBS later confirmed to Reuters that all the steps mentioned would apply in Brazil. In addition, Tomazoni said on that call that JBS would screen its Brazilian workers for fever, vaccinate them for H1N1 to boost their immunity and increase employee spacing in common areas of plants. In Brazil, JBS has not always followed its own pledges, according to court documents and interviews with prosecutors, unions and employees. One example is a mid-May audit by government labor inspectors of a JBS chicken plant located in Ipumirim, a city in southern Santa Catarina state. The audit report, reviewed by Reuters, found that JBS sent at least one plant employee with a confirmed coronavirus infection back to work, and kept 42 workers with underlying conditions such as hypertension on duty seven of whom later tested positive for COVID-19. Inspectors found 86 confirmed COVID-19 cases at Ipumirim after reviewing workers medical records, representing 6% of the facilitys workforce, their report said. JBS declined to comment on the report. A JBS worker at a beef plant in Colider, in Mato Grosso state, became the first confirmed COVID-19 case in that town in May, according to public health data cited by prosecutors in court documents. Of the facilitys 602 workers, 84 had tested positive for coronavirus as of June 17, an infection rate almost 12 times higher than that of the town itself, prosecutors alleged. JBS denied wrongdoing at Colider. It said it followed federal rules as well as advice from renowned medical institutions to deal with potential infections there. At a beef facility in the city of Araputanga, also in Mato Grosso, prosecutors said the situation was out of epidemiological control, with 51 infections among a workforce of 1,070, court filings dated Aug. 4 show. JBS disputed the Araputanga infection tally, but did not elaborate. WORKING SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER Brazils meat sector, like that in much of the world, has been hit hard by COVID-19. Federal health officials in Brazil do not track cases by industry, so the total number of meatpacking infections is unknown. National food workers union Contac-CUT in August estimated that as many as 25% of the nations 500,000 slaughterhouse workers had been infected, based on its surveys of local chapters. The Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA), an industry group representing pork and poultry processors, called those figures disinformation based on estimates. Prosecutors allege JBS has lagged rivals in implementing steps to thwart coronavirus at its facilities. Marfrig and BRF, both headquartered in Sao Paulo, are among 30 firms operating a total of 98 slaughterhouses and employing more than 185,000 people that reached settlements with prosecutors in recent months that largely enabled them to keep operating. A key commitment agreed to by all those companies: They would pay for ongoing, routine testing of workers to spot cases early. Marfrig said it started testing all its 18,000 employees on June 1. BRF, which employs about 90,000 people in Brazil and is the nations largest chicken exporter, told Reuters it has conducted 11,000 tests at its Toledo plant alone, located in Parana state. JBS often has opted to fight in court. Prosecutors say they have had to obtain court orders to force JBS to shut plants temporarily, and to make changes such as stricter physical distancing. Closing a plant is a measure of last resort, said Priscila Schvarcz, a prosecutor in Rio Grande do Sul state. She is directing litigation against JBS over conditions at a poultry facility in the city of Passo Fundo. That plant was closed for almost a month starting April 24 after some workers fell ill with COVID-19. At least 305 workers ultimately tested positive for coronavirus after two outbreaks there, Schvarcz said. JBS told Reuters it prefers not to settle with prosecutors because it complies with all regulations set down by the federal government for operating in the pandemic. It said it would continue to defend its robust safety protocols in the nations courts. The company has had some success with its approach. On July 3, a state appeals court judge ordered the Passo Fundo poultry plant reopened, ruling that keeping it closed could cause job losses, reduce tax collection and threaten food supplies. Some JBS workers told Reuters they feared getting sick but couldnt quit because they needed the paycheck. Two employees at JBS chicken plants in Santa Catarina state one in Ipumirim, the other in Nova Veneza said in July the company provided them and their colleagues with one single-use face mask each to last five working days. JBS also rationed masks at the Passo Fundo poultry plant and the Dourados pork slaughterhouse in Mato Grosso do Sul state, according to a prosecutor and an attorney for a workers union in Dourados. My colleague caught the virus, said the Ipumirim worker, speaking on condition of anonymity. We really worked shoulder-to-shoulder and the company refused to test us. JBS declined to discuss allegations that it rationed masks or that employees at Ipumirim worked in close proximity. COMMUNITY SPREAD Some JBS plants have been linked to community spread. In Sao Miguel do Guapore, a small town in the western Amazon state of Rondonia, 266 workers at a JBS beef plant were infected as of June 6, representing more than 60% of the towns cases, prosecutors said. They secured a May 26 court order to close the facility temporarily to stem the outbreak. The plant is the main source of contamination and transmission in this little town, Wadler Ferreira, a local labor judge, said in his ruling. The Sao Miguel do Guapore plant, which employed 900 people when the outbreak happened, is the towns largest employer. In Mato Grosso do Sul state, JBS workers from the Dourados pork plant started falling ill around May. Rather than seek a court order to close the plant, prosecutor Jeferson Pereira worked out a deal with JBS and local health officials to perform mass testing in July, funded mainly by the state. Nearly a quarter of the 4,300-person workforce tested positive, driving one of the states worst outbreaks, prosecutors said. Dourados, a city of 223,000, has been hit hard. Some 6,058 citizens have tested positive for COVID-19, while 82 people have died, according to Health Ministry data as of Sept. 7. In addition to JBS, other meat plants in the area experienced outbreaks. The entire pandemic in Dourados started at the meatpackers. This is an epidemiological fact, said Julio Croda, an epidemiologist and former head of the federal Health Ministrys department of immunization and transmissible diseases. ABPA, the industry trade group, disputes Crodas assessment. It said the industry has always acted to control the virus as it works to maintain meat supplies. A union representing JBS workers at the Dourados plant filed suit July 14 to force the company to pay healthcare costs for employees who contracted coronavirus. That suit is pending. JBS defended its actions. It said testing at Dourados yielded good results as it efficiently prevented and controlled COVID-19 at that plant. ($1 = 5.2995 reais) (Reporting by Ana Mano in Sao Paulo Additional reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago Editing by Gabriel Stargardter and Marla Dickerson) Topics COVID-19 USA NC school removes Bible verses from student planners donated by local church Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A public school in North Carolina stirred controversy after it removed Bible verses printed on the back of student planners that a local Baptist church paid thousands of dollars to have printed to give out to students for the 2020-'21 school year. The school district said it had no choice but to remove the verses because of the separation between church and state. Sulphur Springs Baptist Church in Hiddenite spent more than $2,000 printing planners for students at East Alexander Middle School. Originally, the planners featured two Bible verses on the lower part of the back covers. In an interview with The Christian Post, Sulphur Springs Baptist Associate Pastor of Youth and Children James Safrit explained that he decided to print the planners after speaking with EAMS Principal Kristie Love earlier this summer. Safrit said he always contacts the school, which is located near his church, at the beginning of the year to ask them if theres anything that we can do to help them. I called the middle school, talked to the principal, and she had a couple of requests for the school, he said. She requested flash drives for every student to transport work back and forth as well as the planners. Regarding the planners, Safrit maintained that Love told him that we could do whatever we wanted because we were providing them. Printed on the back covers were the words of Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me) and Jeremiah 29:11, where the Lord shares plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. I didnt ask her if we could do a verse because at the time, we werent even thinking about putting a verse on there, he explained. When Safrit and the church decided to put Bible verses on the back cover of the planners, he didn't think there would be any impact. It wasnt a mandatory gift for every kid. It was just provided if they wanted it, the youth pastor said. But before distributing the planners to students, school personnel cut out the Bible verses, leaving a portion of the back covers missing. She didnt ask for a proof or anything to see what it looked like, Safrit added. In hindsight, I probably should have let her look at it before the planners were printed. Alexander County Schools defended its decision to remove the Bible verses from the student planners. It is an individual students right to share their beliefs religious or otherwise, but not the public schools role to indoctrinate them with any religious teachings, the school district said in a statement to local media outlets. In an interview with CBS News affiliate WBTV, Alexander County Schools Executive Director Alisha Cloer said separation between church and state prevented the school from distributing the planners with the Bible verses on them. We cant break the law, Cloer said. The decision comes as national secular legal organizations like Freedom From Religion Foundation and others have regularly threatened schools and government entities with lawsuits over perceived endorsements of religion. Sulphur Springs Baptist Church responded to the removal of the Bible verses in a statement on its Facebook page. As a church we understood we could provide planners for EAMS and could print our logo and an uplifting message, the statement reads. We realize there was a misunderstanding on our part as well as on Principal Loves part. We had no intentions of hurting our relationship with EAMS by putting the 2 Bible verses on the back of the planner. Sulphur Springs Baptist Church and EAMS are on the same team helping our communities in whatever way we can, the statement continued. We love Alexander County and the EAMS community. Safrit told CP that he's eager to put the misunderstanding behind them and maintain a really good working relationship with the school. As part of this relationship, Sulphur Springs Baptist Church also hosts a tutoring ministry for EAMS students. Weve been doing this for about a year-and-a-half now, the pastor explained. And so last year, we averaged about 50 kids from the school. In a subsequent Facebook post, the church announced that it would be resuming its tutoring ministry in two weeks. The ministry enables EAMS students to access help with homework and fast reliable internet every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. In addition to maintaining a relationship with the middle school, Sulphur Springs Baptist Church has also worked with the local elementary school. Every year I try to go to our local elementary school and middle school because theyre right next to our church, close by in proximity, Safrit said. Myself, as well as two other churches, provided all the school supplies for the local elementary school so none of the parents had to buy anything, he said. As a church and as churches, we were looking at ways that we could help out in our community. In the past, public schools have faced lawsuits from secular and atheist legal groups over the presence of religious displays on school grounds as those organizations contend that such displays violate the Establishment clause of the First Amendment. In 2014, a school in West Virginia painted over a Bible verse that was displayed on the walls of its gymnasium after receiving a complaint letter threatening a potential lawsuit from the Wisconsin-based FFRF. In 2017, an Indiana school district secretary was forced to remove a Bible citation from her email signature after FFRF sent a complaint letter demanding its removal. Earlier that year, A New Mexico public school painted over a mural that featured an inspirational verse from 'Hebrews 6:19 after a demand letter from FFRF. In 2012, a Rhode Island high school was forced to remove a prayer banner after a student at the school filed a joint complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union. The banner was later replaced by a secular mural. Benefitting from the absence of Mr Finlay Ridge, Dusty Lane Milo has put together a two-race win streak, but the pair will collide again Thursday evening (Sept. 10) in the P.E.I. Colt Stakes at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The 13-dash Thursday card has a 6 p.m. start time and will feature the P.E.I. Colt Stakes for two-year-old trotters in Race 1 and 3, as well as the three-year-old trotters in a single division (Race 7). Mr Finlay Ridge is the morning line choice in Race 3, which carries a $6,000 purse and a five-horse field. The Armbro BarristerR Rocket Rachel colt is a homebred of Arnold Rankin of Antigonish, N.S., and is co-owned with fellow 'bluenosers' Clare MacDonald and Ian Tate. MacDonald trains and drives the four-time winner who has not made a start since August 18 (he was not eligible to the last two stakes events). Dusty Lane Milo capitalized on that absence with wins in the Lady Slipper stakes and the $17,250 Brian Andrew Memorial for driver Adam Merner and trainer Ron Gass. In the other $6,000 rookie colt split (Race 1), A Little Go Go from the Marc Campbell stable is the most experienced in the field from the Marc Campbell stable. A Little Go Go is owned by Grayland Farm of Gulf Shore, N.S. Campbell is set to drive the son of Tad The Stud from Post 4. The three-year-old trot class drew just eight entries, and will thus race in a single $10,000 division. The triactor trio of Mabou Ridge, Tequila Tuesday and Go With Her have all yet to finish outside of the top three this season and they will battle again on Thursday. Tequila Tuesday has rail control in the sophomore event for driver Myles Heffernan Sr., trainer Myles Heffernan Jr., and owner Jackie Heffernan of Summerville. The Armbro Barrister Tymal Maroma colt has two wins, three seconds and a third from six seasonal starts for $23,144 in earnings. Mabou Ridge will start from Post 5 for trainer-driver MacDonald, while Go With Her has Post 7 for the duo of driver Brodie MacPhee and trainer Kuri White. For race programs, live video and more, head to Redshores.ca and wager online at HPIBet.com. To view the harness racing entries for Thursday at the CDP, click the following link: Thursday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park. (Red Shores) Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink delivered a progress update last monthand it included several pigs. At first glance, monkeys may seem like a better option for animal testing in neuroscience, but pigs are a more cost-effective alternative. Musk has said in the past that Neuralink has conducted testing on monkeys. Elon Musk's brain implant startup, Neuralink, aims to treat diseaseseverything from blindness to strokes to depressionfrom the inside. "The neurons are like wiring," Musk said in a livestream briefing late last month. "And you need an electronic thing to solve an electronic problem." But you also need a living creature to test out the technology. And in this case, Neuralink is using pigs. Lots and lots of pigs. You like Musk. We like Musk. Let's nerd out over his crazy ideas together. In a demo that Musk called "The Three Little Pigs," he proved his team successfully embedded the Neuralink implant into swine brains, and the device seemed to be working. Still, at a time when U.S. scientists are using a record number of monkeys in their researchabout 76,000 nonhuman primates in 2017why has Neuralink opted to use pigs for its brain implant research, rather than primates, which are more closely related to humans? Neuralink didn't return a request for comment, but we can extrapolate why the company may have opted to use pigs over monkeys: When it comes to research animals, monkeys aren't just more expensive to use compared to pigs, but they're also more likely to lead to an ethics lawsuit. And regardless of the animals used in testing, there are limits to what scientists may deduce from those trials. Translational Research Models Photo credit: Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Animal models go back so far that scientists based the very first anatomy textbooks on pigs and apes instead of human cadavers. That makes sense, considering humans and pigs have some pretty striking similarities. A pig weighs about 60 kilograms (132 pounds) and has a similar anatomy to a human, including its fat distribution, organ placement, and even hair coverage on the skin, according to the Australian Academy of Science. Story continues "For this reason, pigs have been used in medical research for over 30 years, and are whats known as a translational research model," the Academy says. "This means that if something works in a pig, it has a higher possibility of working in a human." You can think of translational research models as a way to bridge the gap between the worlds of basic biomedical research and actual clinical practice. Animal testing largely occurs in the first stage of translational research, known as the T1 stage in research literature, according to a 2013 article published in the journal Missouri Medicine. Here, animal models, cell cultures, and molecular studies can be "used and forwarded for application in human clinical trials." Much of today's emphasis on animal models is in disease research. For example, researchers can transplant human cancer tissue into immunosuppressed mice in a process known as xenografting. That way, scientists can study cancer development in vivo. But the use of larger animals in neuroscience-related testing has only recently become quite popular, according to a July 2019 review article published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology. "While pigs have been used for various biomedical applications and research, it has only been recently that they have been used to study neurodegenerative diseases due to their neuroanatomically similar gyrencephalic brains and similar neurophysiological processes as seen in humans," the authors say. Pigs could be extremely valuable in research relating to traumatic brain injuries and Alzheimer's Disease, according to the authors, but they need to conduct further research to determine if pigs are the best choice for the work. That's partly for the simple reason that mice make for far cheaper test subjects; pigs need larger, specialized housing and trained experts to keep them healthy and comfortable during testing. But it's also because different species of pigs exhibit different behaviors, according to the articlejust like humans. Three Little Pigs Neuralink's demo included three pigs: Joyce, a pig with no implant; Gertrude, a pig with a Neuralink implant currently in her brain; and Dorothy, a pig that had an implant in her brain until researchers removed it. Musk also showed the audience a few pigs that had multiple Neuralink implants put into their brains at once. When Musk finally introduced Gertrudeafter much coaxing from her handlersher real-time brain activity was displayed on screen for the audience. In the video, you can hear a series of beeps, which Musk said were coming from the neural spikes in Gertrude's brain when she sniffed her surroundings with her snout. The Neuralink's 1,024 electrodes can successfully pick up on this brain activity, which points to stimulation that Gertrude received from her environment, be it food or just sniffing around in the hay. At the time of the demo, Gertrude had the implant in place for two months, Musk said. Dorothy's brain, meanwhile, is important to study because it shows the implant can be embedded into the brain, and later removed, to ensure you're "healthy and happy afterwards," Musk said. In the case of humans, he explained, a person might decide they either no longer want the chip in their head, or that they want an upgrade, so it's vital to demonstrate reversibility is possible. In testing out the pigs' Neuralinks, the team put the pigs onto treadmills to observe their walking. With the implant, the scientists could compare their estimates for exactly how the pigs' limbs would align while walking, against the actual positioning of their legs. To write new information to the pigs' brains, the scientists found different portions of the brain might require different levels of electrical stimulation: some areas need more, while some need a gentler current to avoid any long-term damage. Photo credit: Screenshot/Neuralink/YouTube Musk said Neuralink is making leaps and bounds toward clinical trials; the company has recently received a "breakthrough device" designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "We'll make this as safe as possible," Musk said. It looks like Neuralink takes pretty good care of the test subjects on campus. In a video, Neuralink employees describe their relationships with the pigs. Ankita Urala, one of the engineers creating the implant, says she's constantly thinking about the fact that her invention will end up inside "Barbara" and "Cleo," two of the pigs. Autumn Sorells, the lead behaviorist, says her job is to come up with training plans that ensure the animals are comfortable and treated well. Still, that doesn't mean everyone is thrilledcertainly not People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the nonprofit better known as PETA. President Ingrid Newkirk has quite the alternative suggestion for Elon Musk and his animal testing: "behave like a pioneer and implant the Neuralink chip in his own brain." You Might Also Like Plans by China to build a national park in Tibetan-populated areas of Qinghai province are forcing thousands of nomads from their ancestral land, with final removal of the herders scheduled by the end of this year, Tibetan sources say. The evictions will clear the way for the creation of the Mount Qilian National Park, a 50,200 square kilometer parkland and wild animal preserve straddling parts of Qinghai and neighboring Gansu, with the greater part lying in Gansu. Around 4,000 Tibetan farmers and herders living in Themchen countys Muru township and Suru and Drugkhyung villages have now been ordered off their land and told to move to Golmud city in Qinghai by the of 2020, one local resident told RFAs Tibetan Service this week. The relocation project is in full swing right now, and the forced displacement of Tibetan nomads from their homes has become a matter of great concern for the local people, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The nomads from these areas are not willing to part from their ancestral land, but who is really able to defy Chinas policies? the source said. On Sept. 3, Themchen county authorities held a meeting led by county governor Sengdrug in which Tibetan residents were pressured to comply with government orders to move, with officials adding that establishment of the national park was in line with Chinese president Xi Jinpings concern for environmental conservation. The official website of the Themchen county government on Sept. 3 confirmed the meeting had been held, saying it was convened to appraise the local Tibetan nomads that the relocation project has to be completely carried out by the end of the year. Illegal mining had been carried on for many years at Mount Qilian, RFAs source said. And now, in the name of environmental conservation and protection, Tibetan nomads must leave and move to Golmud. Local Chinese authorities have carried out a campaign to collect signatures and have held awareness training sessions urging the nomads to willingly accept the project and their orders to move, he said. Also speaking to RFA, Tsering Dhondupa former Tibetan political prisoner now living in Australia and a native of Bongtak Themchen, one of the affected areassaid that any Tibetan speaking out against Chinas policy of displacement would face serious political consequences. In reality, in the name of environmental protection, the Tibetan people and their lives are being completely upended, Dhondup said. Resettlement schemes in Tibetan areas of China in recent years have driven thousands of Tibetans from their homes and into urban areas where they often live in crowded conditions with large families piled into single dwellings and opportunities for employment cut off, sources say. According to the International Campaign for Tibet, Chinese authorities announced in 2017 in a policy criticized by Tibetans that vast areas of Tibet will be turned into national parks contingent upon the removal of Tibetans from their ancestral lands. Reported by Thaklha Gyal. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. Highlights Google has finally rolled out the much-awaited Android 11 for its users. The update has been rolled out for Google Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi and .Oppo phones Android 11 has brought along several interesting features that would give users more control over privacy and data. Google has finally rolled out the much-awaited Android 11 for its users. The latest version of the operating system would be available for select smartphone brands including Google Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi and Oppo. Android 11 has brought along several interesting features that would give users more control over privacy and data, redesigned media controls and enhanced communications tools. Announcing the update on Twitter, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said, "Excited that Android 11 starts rolling out today, with better ways to communicate, new ways to manage your devices & media, and even more control over your data and privacy." While Android 11 has released with as many as 11 new features, here's looking at some of the important features that would make the update worthwhile. Android 11 will move the messaging apps to a dedicated space in the notifications section. This would make it easy for users to manage their conversations in one spot. Users can also prioritize conversations that are important to them. Earlier, people had to switch between multiple messaging apps but now Android 11 will bring all the apps under one roof for a seamless messaging experience. Android 11 has also introduced a new feature called Bubbles. This feature will help users in multi-tasking. The bubbles will float over the apps that you are using and if you get an important message you will not have to leave your app to respond to the message. You can simply tap on the bubble and reply there. Another most-awaited feature that the Android 11 has brought along with itself is the built-in screen recorder. This would let users capture and share with their friends whatever they are watching or doing on their phones. Users will be able to record whatever you wish to without needing an extra app for screen recording. The media controls have also been redesigned in the latest version of the operating system. "You can now quickly switch the device your media is playing on, so you can take your music with you from your headphones to your speaker without missing a beat," the Google blog said. Along with this, users can also access all the smart devices connected to their smartphones simply by long-pressing the power button. Android 11 has also brought along a couple of privacy features that might turn out to be very useful for the users. For instance, if you have not used an app for a long time, the new update will stop the app from accessing your data even when you have not used it in months. "Android will now "auto-reset" permissions for your unused apps and notify you accordingly. You can always decide to re-grant the app permissions the next time you use the app," the blog said. Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary, Chad Wolf, testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Aug. 6, 2020. (Alex Wong/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Homeland Security Chief Says Agency Will Never Abdicate Duty to Protect US From Rioters Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf called out rioters and looters, saying that his agency will not abdicate its moral and legal duty to protect citizens. Our Constitution protects the natural right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly, Wolf said, adding that his agency department supports the exercise of everyones First Amendment rights but sought to differentiate between demonstrations and riots. There is, however, no constitutional right to loot, to burn, or to assault law enforcement officers or fellow citizens, Wolf added. Portland, Oregon, has experienced more than 100 straight days of protests, arson incidents, riots, vandalism, and looting in the wake of George Floyds death on May 25 in Minneapolis. Let me be clear: Those who seek to undermine our democratic institutions, indiscriminately destroy our businesses and attack our law enforcement officers and fellow citizens are a threat to the homeland, Wolf said. The department has experienced this firsthand in Portland, Oregon, where violent opportunists repeatedly targeted and attempt to burn down a federal courthouse, the seat of justice in downtown Portland. Federal agents were deployed to a federal courthouse in Portland earlier this summer in an attempt to quell unrest after Trump administration officials said that it was no longer a protest. Attorney General William Barr said violent agitators have attacked the courthouse, agents, and other buildings. They also attempted to set fire to the buildings, according to police and the federal government. Police officers pass a fire lit by rioters in Portland, Ore. on Sept. 5, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo) A fire lit by rioters in a street in Portland, Ore., is seen at left, as rioters move away from police, late Sept. 5, 2020. (Andrew Selsky/AP Photo) The move to send federal officers drew condemnation from top Democrats, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who all said the agents should be withdrawn. In late July, the DHS chief said federal officers would be mostly pulled away from the courthouse. Brown, a Democrat, in late July accused the White House of fomenting discord in Portland by sending in the agents. These federal officers have acted as an occupying force, refused accountability, and brought violence and strife to our community. Beginning Thursday, all Customs and Border Protection and ICE officers will leave downtown Portland, and shortly thereafter will begin going home, she said in a statement, adding that she had discussions with Vice President Mike Pence and other unspecified administration officials in the past week. On Aug. 31, Wolf sent a letter to Wheeler, a Democrat, saying that he should request federal assistance after months of riots. I urge you to prioritize public safety and to request federal assistance to restore law and order in Portland, he wrote. We are standing by to support Portland. At the same time, President Trump has made it abundantly clear that there will come a point when state and local officials fail to protect its citizens from violence, the federal government will have no choice but to protect our American citizens. In his address on Wednesday, Wolf said that over the past two months or so, federal officers have been assaulted with sledgehammers, fireworks, pipes, rocks, IEDs, and other weapons. Wolf again castigated local Portland and Oregon officials for refusing to cooperate with the agency. As Portland officials refused to cooperate with DHS, our law enforcement officers suffered over 240 injuries, he said. Over the Labor Day weekend, the unrest did not subside. Portland Police said they arrested more than 100 people in a several-night span for riot-related incidents. Donald Trump has thanked Boris Johnson after leaked meeting notes show the prime minister told US diplomats the president was "making America great again". The summaries of meetings between American and British politicians were first published in The Daily Telegraph and date back to when Mr Johnson was foreign secretary under Theresa May in 2017. Written by US officials, the meeting notes claim Mr Johnson praised Mr Trump to the US Ambassador to the UK, saying he was doing "fantastic" work on foreign policy. In a tweet quoting a news article about the revelations, Mr Trump said: Thank you Boris, working great together! According to the leaked documents, Mr Johnson specifically praised the presidents interventions around North Korea, Syria and China. Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Show all 100 1 /100 Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump walk to a joint news conference holding hands Reuters Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting People march holding anti-Trump signs in Edinburgh while the US. 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putting Protesters wear orange face makeup Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Pro-Trump supporters demonstrate outside the US Embassy in London EPA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Trump protestors on the beach near to the Trump Turnberry resort PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Protestors against the UK visit of US President Donald Trump near Aberdeen AFP/Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A mounted police officer patrols anti-Trump rally Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Trump supporter Bill McGibbon outside his cottage near to the Trump Turnberry resort in South Ayrshire PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Queen Elizabeth II and President Donald Trump inspect an honour guard at Windsor Castle Getty Images Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting PA Donald Trump 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Demonstrators protest against the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump REUTERS Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Prime Minister Theresa May walks with US President Donald Trump at Chequers Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Donald Trump UK protest Angela Christofilou Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting First Lady, Melania Trump, tries her hand at bowls Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President and British Prime Minister at Chequers Reuters Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Demonstrator in Black Lives matter T-shirt Angela Christofilou Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Theresa May and Donald Trump enter Chequers REUTERS Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Protestors wearing Donald Trump and Theresa May paper mache heads join the protest in Butler's Cross PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting First Lady, Melania Trump, looks on as Philip May tries bowls Getty Images Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting American Psycho poster Angela Christofilou Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting First Lady, Melania Trump, reacts as she tries her hand at bowls Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Donald Trump protest in London Angela Christofilou Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Theresa May, Donald Trump with US ambassador to the United Kingdom Woody Johnson and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt at the start of the bilateral meeting at Chequers EPA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Melania Trump and Philip May wave flags REUTERS Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Donald Trump is greeted by Theresa May AP Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting The US First Lady Melania Trump, helps children to make poppies PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting The handshake between Donald Trump and Theresa May AP Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Demonstrators raise a six meter high effigy of Donald Trump Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Donald Trump stands alongside Theresa May after he arrived for talks at Chequers, her country residence in Buckinghamshire PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A six-meter high cartoon baby blimp of Donald Trump hovers next to the statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill AP Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting First Lady, Melania Trump, accompanied by Philip May, meets schoolchildren and British Army veterans Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A lookalike of former British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson stands next to a person in a cage wearing a money suit and a mask of Donald Trump AP Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Donald Trump gestures as he prepares to board Marine One to depart the US ambassador's residence Winfield House AFP/Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Demonstrators stand in front of a blimp portraying US. President Donald Trump, in Parliament Square REUTERS Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting The Prime Minister hosts President Trump and First Lady Melania at a black tie dinner with business leaders at Blenheim Palace AFP/Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting The Prime Minister, accompanied by husband Philip, arrive with President Trump and First Lady Melania to a black tie dinner with business leaders at Blenheim Palace AP Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting The Prime Minister and President Trump are seen holding hands, not for the first time EPA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting President Donald Trump pumps his fist during his arrival, with first lady Melania Trump, in Regent's Park AP Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Demonstrators bang pots and pans as they gather at the US ambassador residence in Regent's Park PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump walk in the grounds of the US ambassador's residence Winfield House AFP/Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A demonstrator protests next to the specially erected fence surrounding the US ambassador's residence REUTERS Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A motorcade arrives at Winfield House in London, the residence of American Ambassador to the to the Court of St James's PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A presidential helicopter lands in the grounds of the US ambassador residence in Regent's Park PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Protesters chant and wave placards during a demonstration outside Winfield House Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting he Marine One helicopter carrying US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump flies past the BT Tower Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Protesters chant and wave placards during a demonstration outside Winfield House Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump disembark from Air Force One after arriving in the UK Reuters Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US First Lady Melania Trump and US President Donald Trump are greeted by US Ambassador to the United Kingdom Woody Johnson AFP Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Trump and Melania Trump leaving Stansted Airport PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting An honour guard stands to receive US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump AFP/Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Donald and Melania Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox on their arrival Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US Marine Corps Osprey aircraft taking off PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Us President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump disembark from Air Force One AP Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Trump and Melania Trump arrive at Stansted PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting A giant 'Human Rights Nightmare' banner is unfurled by Amnesty International activists across the river Thames on Vauxhall Bridge to protest against the visit of US President Donald Trump AP Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Donald Trump waves as he arrives in the UK PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting An armed police officier waits on the tarmac at Stansted Airport AFP/Getty Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump arrive at Stansted Airport PA Donald Trump UK visit: protests, placards and putting Armed police await the arrival of US President Donald Trump at Stansted Airport REUTERS He also told the ambassador Woody Johnson, a billionaire businessman and Republican donor who was appointed to the prestigious post by Mr Trump, his boss was increasingly popular in the UK. However, polling has fairly consistently shown the British public do not approve of Mr Trump. After eight years of strong 60 per cent or higher approval ratings for his predecessor Barack Obama, surveys show barely 16 per cent of Britons approve of the job his Republican successor is doing. Mr Trumps tweeted thanks came amidst a string of tweets and retweets from the president on Tuesday morning, Washington DC time, mostly attacks on the Democrats and officials the president is feuding with, such as former FBI director James Comey and his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen. The leaked notes also show how Mr Johnson worked hard to build relationships with key figures in Mr Trumps inner circle, such as his influential son-in-law Jared Kushner and hardline anti-immigration advisor Stephen Miller. We were initially anxious about the US foreign policy but Trump has been doing fantastic stuff on Syria, North Korea, China, Afghanistan, Mr Johnson said. He also is quoted telling Mr Johnson America is back under Trump and The president is making America great again. By contrast, the documents reveal how Theresa May struggled with Mr Trump, who was lukewarm in confronting Russia over the Salisbury poisonings, hectored her over the phone, and at one point even asked her during a lunch why Mr Johnson was not prime minister. Last week, the former UK ambassador to the United States, Lord Darroch, revealed in a book Mr Johnson was fascinated by the erratic and irascible businessman in the White House. According to the former diplomat, who was removed from post after his own memos critiquing Mr Trump were leaked to the media, the prime minister is particularly taken by his American counterparts patchy relationship "with the facts and the truth This includes "the limited vocabulary, the simplicity of the messaging, the disdain for political correctness, the sometimes incendiary imagery, and the at best intermittent relationship with facts and the truth", Lord Darroch writes. Before sending the tweet, Mr Trump and the White House had declined to comment on the leaked diplomatic notes. Nova has axed at least four staff members in the latest round of job cuts to affect the radio industry during the COVID-19 recession. On Tuesday, Radio Today confirmed that the network had decided to cut local workdays in Brisbane and Adelaide. This change will see Nova 106.9 hosts Katie Mattin and Jack Tree, and Nova 919 announcers Rosie Panetta and Jarrod Walsh depart the business or 'possibly be redeployed'. Job cuts: On Tuesday, Radio Today confirmed that Nova had decided to cut local workdays in Brisbane and Adelaide. Pictured: Nova hosts Kate Ritchie (who is not affected) and Jack Tree The presenters were reportedly notified of the changes on Friday after their shifts. In Sydney and Brisbane, Kent 'Smallzy' Small is now set to host afternoons, while Dan 'DC' Cassin will do mornings. Changes: In Sydney and Brisbane, Kent 'Smallzy' Small (pictured) is now set to host afternoons, while Dan 'DC' Cassin will do mornings Adelaide and Melbourne will see Jamie Row take on mornings, while Mel Tracina will host the afternoon shift. Meanwhile, Perth is set to remain local, with Ross Wallman tackling mornings and Katie Lamb on afternoons. Nova's programming and marketing boss, Paul Jackson, told Radio Today the network had been forced to 'review' its business as a result of the pandemic. Official word: Nova's programming and marketing boss, Paul Jackson (pictured), told Radio Today the network had been forced to 'review' its business as a result of the pandemic 'It's been a tough time for all media industries during COVID and as a result we've reviewed every aspect of our business, including programming, to ensure we continue to deliver our listeners with the best content, announcers and shows, in the most efficient way,' he said. 'As a result of this review we've looked carefully at all our Nova workday announcers and unfortunately this has resulted in some talented broadcasters being made redundant.' It comes after SCA's Hit Network announced last month that it was cutting 19 regional breakfast programs, leaving many communities without a local brekky team. Restructure: It comes after SCA's Hit Network announced last month that it was cutting 19 regional breakfast programs. The affected communities will now be serviced by larger regional shows, such as Hit101.3 Central Coast's Gawndy & Ash Pollard The affected breakfast shows will be replaced by syndicated broadcasts from larger regional stations, such as Hit101.3 Central Coast's Gawndy & Ash Pollard. The impacted radio hosts are reportedly being redeployed where possible, but some will be leaving the network. It is yet to be confirmed how many employees are set to leave the business. New brekky show: The Gawndy & Ash Pollard breakfast show from Hit101.3 Central Coast will now be heard across most regional stations in New South Wales. Pictured: Ash Pollard Southern Cross Austereo's content boss, David Cameron, said at the time that the business had to 'adapt' to the COVID-19 recession. 'SCA has adapted to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 environment and will deliver a different programming model across our Hit regional network,' he said. 'The changes will mean that unfortunately a number of our local breakfast shows will be impacted, and we would like to thank our dedicated and talented people who are affected today by this new approach.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 10:50:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PARIS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- European aircraft manufacturer Airbus handed over 39 aircraft to customers worldwide in August, down by 10 from the previous month, the company said Tuesday. The delivery spreads out between 35 A320 Family aircraft including the first A321neo to Gulf Air, two A330 including the first A330 - 900 to Portuguese carrier Orbest and two A350. Meanwhile, the company registered one new order in August with no cancellations, taking the net orders for the year to 303 aircraft. Due to the significant drop in air traffic caused by the coronavirus pandemic, many airlines are planning to accept ordered jets later. However, Airbus has so far been able to avoid cancellations to a large extent -- only one aircraft was canceled in June. The company saw cancellations of 66 aircraft from the first quarter, but it had nothing to do with the pandemic, according to Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury. Enditem Cancer Histopathologic image of colonic carcinoid. Credit: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0 Colorectal cancer is more prevalent among Black people, a group that has the highest rates of death for an illness that is curable if caught early. "The unfortunate reality is that minorities, especially Black people, have a much lower chance of getting lifesaving cancer treatment. Health care works within a social construct, and to change health disparities, we need social change," said Mustafa Raoof, M.D., surgical oncologist at City of Hope and senior author of a study published in JAMA Network Open today. City of Hope researchers retrospectively looked at the data of 16,382 adult patients in the California Cancer Registry and found that Black patients were the least likely to receive chemotherapy (59% compared to 65% among white people) and had a 17% higher chance of death compared to white people even when the scientists controlled for age, sex and comorbidities. "These troubling statistics are the result of a disparity in access to health care," Raoof said. "We observed that if Black people with metastatic colorectal cancer had access to subspecialists with expertise in liver resection, they would not experience higher numbers of unnecessary deaths due to underutilization of lifesaving therapies." The City of Hope study lays the foundation for future work focusing on the specific barriers that Black patients face in getting lifesaving therapies such as liver resection. "The decreased health outcomes in Black patients could be attributed to factors such as lower rate of referral to cancer specialists, late detection of colorectal cancer metastases and patient-reported barriers, including fear of cancer and its treatment, costs, and the burdens of transportation and childcare during therapy," said Lucas Thornblade, M.D., a City of Hope surgical oncology fellow and first author of the study. The study suggests a future benchmark for quality care: All patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, regardless of race, should be evaluated for surgery by a liver surgeon in the office or tumor board setting, meaning by a group of subspecialists. The finding potentially has broad reach considering colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States (excluding some kinds of skin cancer). If detected early, about 90% of individuals survive for five years or more, according to the American Cancer Society. The rate of liver resection in the U.S. is only about 10%, but that percentage is about 40% at City of Hope, said Yuman Fong, M.D., the Sangiacomo Family Chair in Surgical Oncology at City of Hope and co-author of the study. "There is a vast under-utilization of liver resection as a potentially curative treatment for colorectal liver metastases," Fong said. "This missed opportunity is even more common for Black patients than for the general population." In fact, Black people are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease. Only 10.5% survive five years or more, according to National Cancer Institute data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone age 50 or older get screened for colorectal cancer. Yet, due to their higher risk, Black people should start getting screened for colorectal cancer at age 45, Raoof said, citing a recommendation made by the American College of Gastroenterology. Colorectal cancer death rates are almost 40% higher in Black people compared to white individuals, according to a 2020 American Cancer Society report, which attributes the disparity to socioeconomic status and complex risk factors such as smoking, obesity and prolonged time until care following a positive a colorectal screening test. Tamra Milner, a 39-year-old City of Hope patient with Stage 4 colorectal cancer that metastasized to her liver, said that she feels race is the reason her first doctor in Las Vegas told her she had only six months to live. That was more than a year ago. "I don't feel that I got the care I should've received there because I'm Black," Milner said. "He saw me as a numberand plugged me into the usual statistical outcomes. He didn't take into consideration that, other than my cancer diagnosis, I'm an active and healthy 39-year-old." That's when Milner "fired" her first doctor and eventually found City of Hope. She received liver surgery in late April, when the pandemic had already hit the U.S. hard, and is scheduled for colorectal surgery in September. Cancer doesn't stop because of COVID-19, and City of Hope will continue to give patients like Milner the care they need in a safe environment. Explore further Mayo Clinic Minute: Symptoms of colorectal cancer New Delhi: Popular Telugu actress Kondapalli Sravani's death news shook her fans on Wednesday. The young and talented star died by suicide, allegedly at her residence. She stayed on the 2nd floor of Madhura Nagar H56 block, Hyderabad. She was 26. Sravani's family members have filed a complaint against a Tik Tok user named Devaraj Reddy at the SR Nagar police station. The actress's family alleged that Devaraj, who had been harassing Sravani for some time. She went to the bathroom and apparently hanged herself there at 9:30 pm today (Tuesday). The family stated that they thought she is taking bath but when she did not come out for a long, they broke the door open and found her hanging. The family members who witnessed the incident rushed her to Yashoda Hospital, where doctors said she was brought dead. However, the police shifted her body to Osmania Hospital for postmortem. The police is investigating the case. "Devaraj Reddy, the cause of death of our elder sister, should be severely punished", Shiva, younger brother of Sravani told reporters. Devaraj Reddy from Gollaprolu, Kakinada was in touch with Kondapalli Sravani on TikTok for some time and they became friendly, according to reports. Kondapalli Sravani had been acting in TV serials such as Maunaragam, Manasumata and many others for the last eight years. Washington The Senate prepared to vote this week on a trimmed-down Republican coronavirus relief package, though it only has a slim chance of passage in the face of Democrats' insistence for more sweeping aid. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the approximately $500 billion measure on Tuesday as senators returned to Washington for an abbreviated pre-election session, but hopes were dimming for another coronavirus relief bill or much else. Republicans struggling to retain their Senate majority this fall have been divided, with some GOP senators in close races anxious to respond further to the pandemic, even as conservatives are tiring of all the spending and passing legislation in concert with liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. McConnell called the package "a targeted proposal that focuses on several of the most urgent aspects of this crisis, the issues where bipartisanship should be especially possible." They included school aid, new money for vaccines and testing, and a second round of the popular Paycheck Protection Program for smaller businesses. Democrats demanded a far larger bill, including hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments, more generous jobless benefits, and help for renters and homeowners, along with other provisions in the House Democrats' $3.5 billion relief bill that passed in May. "Get real, Mitch McConnell," Pelosi said during a Bloomberg interview. "It's only a 'check the box' so that some of his endangered Republican senators can go home and say, 'Well, see, I tried.' But it isn't trying. It is not even an attempt to do the right thing." Republican senators such as Susan Collins of Maine are eager to show constituents they are continuing to work to ease the pandemic's disastrous impact on jobs, businesses and health. But many Senate Republicans are resisting more spending, and the scaled-back bill is roughly half the size of a measure McConnell unveiled earlier this summer. McConnell's move Tuesday would clear the way for a Thursday test vote in which Democrats were sure to block the legislation. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement that the bill "doesn't come close to addressing the problems and is headed nowhere." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. McConnell's bill would provide $105 billion to help schools reopen, enact a shield against lawsuits for businesses and others that are powering ahead to reopen, create a scaled-back $300-per-week supplemental jobless benefit, and write off $10 billion in earlier debt at the U.S. Postal Service. There's $31 billion for a coronavirus vaccine, $16 billion for virus testing and $15 billion to help child care providers reopen. There is additionally $20 billion for farmers. All recreation and public access is temporarily off limits on Mount Hood, as wildfires continue to burn around Oregons tallest peak. The Mount Hood National Forest announced a forest-wide closure Tuesday, due to the threat of unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions, caused by widespread heat and dryness, and unusually high winds that whipped across the region Monday and Tuesday. At this time, with extreme fire danger, multiple wildfires growing, and new wildfires igniting and multiple evacuations, its simply not safe to visit, forest supervisor Richard Periman said in a news release Tuesday. The closure applies to all forms of recreation, including hiking, boating and camping, on all forest lands on Mount Hood. The Willamette National Forest issued a similar forest-wide closure Tuesday. Campgrounds and hiking trails on Mount Hood were evacuated safely, and visitors are currently out of the national forest or making their way out, spokeswoman Heather Ibsen said Wednesday. Timberline Lodge on Wednesday said that it would suspend all outdoor operations and close its day lodge, as the hotel remains open for current guests and those with existing reservations. Mt. Hood Skibowl has shut down operations and on Wednesday said it will evaluate the situation every 24 hours. Mount Hood Meadows remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Portland General Electric cut off power to some customers on Mount Hood on Monday night as a precaution against electrical caused wildfires, and said customers could be without power for 24 to 48 hours. Unplanned outages caused by high winds and fallen trees also plagued the area. On Wednesday, more than 6,000 customers near Mount Hood were without power, according to Portland General Electrics outages map. As of Wednesday morning, there were three wildfires actively burning in the Mount Hood National Forest. The biggest is the Riverside fire, which started near the Riverside campground along the Clackamas River and increased quickly Tuesday, growing to more than 40,000 acres overnight. The other two fires in the national forest are less concerning, Ibsen said. The White River fire, which started Aug. 17 and grew to more than 17,000 acres, is now 70% contained. The Hood Meadows fire, found burning near a ski area on the southeast flank of the mountain Monday, is now less than two acres in size. But the dangerous weather conditions mean that even small fires can erupt into major catastrophes. The Beachie Creek fire, located just south of Mount Hood in the Willamette National Forest, smoldered for three weeks at only about 10 acres before the high winds Monday fanned it into an inferno. As of Wednesday morning, the Beachie Creek fire (renamed the Santiam fire) had burned more than 159,000 acres, destroyed several houses and businesses, and poured thick smoke into Salem and the surrounding area. Officials dont expect to contain the fire until the end of October. The fear that fires near Mount Hood could erupt or that new fires could yet ignite have forest officials wary of offering any estimates on when recreation will reopen. Were evaluating it every day, Ibsen said. Once we get through this weekend, well be in a better place to see where this stands. -- Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz on Wednesday said it is optimistic that the gradual unlocking of markets and festive season will revive consumer sentiment, which remains weak amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The domestic automobile industry is facing the twin blow of deceleration in the economy and pandemic, with all categories, except tractors, reporting de-growth in August over the same period last year even as it witnessed some recovery month-on-month. Retail sales of passenger vehicles (PV) declined 7.12 per cent to 1,78,513 units in August as compared to the same month last year, according to data released by automobile dealers' body FADA on Wednesday. "As markets gradually unlock with the onset of the festive season, this is also the time when customers want to celebrate and we are optimistic this in-turn will drive market sentiments," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Martin Schwenk said in a release on Wednesday. "At Mercedes-Benz India, we are unlocking across markets, following all the social distancing protocols and adhering to all safety and sanitisation measures," he added. The carmaker said it has launched a new integrated campaign 'Unlock with Mercedes-Benz,' which is aimed at reviving consumer sentiment ahead of the festival season. "Unlock with Mercedes-Benz' offers some of the most customised financial solutions for owning a Mercedes-Benz under the 'agility offer, with easy EMI and comprehensive cost of ownership options,'' the company said in the release. Under this, Mercedes-Benz C and E-class and GLC models class can be acquired at EMIs starting at Rs 39,999, Rs 49,999 and Rs 44,444, respectively, along with complimentary first year insurance. The rate of interest on the EMIs stands at only 7.99 per cent, Mercedes-Benz 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.) An Irishman accused of stabbing a man at a unit claims he was trying to 'help' the alleged victim when he dragged him out of a lift and down a hallway, leaving a trail of blood. Patrick Earle, 23, and his girlfriend Katie Aileen Murtagh, 26, have both been charged over the alleged brutal attack of Oliver Solan, 30, in an apartment on Young Street at Randwick, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, on August 29. Mr Solan was left with a severed ear and a punctured spleen which later had to be removed. Earle, Murtagh and Mr Solan had been drinking together at the couple's home on the night of the alleged stabbing. Patrick Earle, 23, and his girlfriend Katie Aileen Murtagh, 26, have both been charged over the alleged brutal attack of a man in a unit in Randwick, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, on August 29 The unit block (pictured) was splattered with blood after the alleged attack Neighbours found victim Oliver Solan, 30, barely conscious in a hallway at a Young Street apartment block in Randwick, in Sydney's east, about 8.40pm on Sunday An argument between the two men ensued, with Mr Solan allegedly the first to attack Earle causing injuries to his arm. Mr Earle suffered a dislocated arm and cuts to his head before allegedly contacting his friend John Dunlea to ask for help. At about 8.30pm, Mr Dunlea, along with two other Irishmen, Patrick Farrell and Christopher Morrison, arrived at the apartment complex where Murtagh let them in. Mr Solan was then allegedly stabbed several times. Graphic CCTV footage was played in court on Tuesday, showing three men running down some stairs before fleeing the apartment complex. Mr Solan was then seen slouched on the floor of the lift, covered in blood and barely moving, while Earle left the elevator, The Daily Telegraph reported. Earle then grabbed the back of the victim's hoodie and dragged him out of the lift and down the hallway, leaving a trail of blood. The Irishman's lawyer sensationally claimed his client was trying to help Mr Solan by dragging him towards the building's entrance so paramedics could treat him. 'Before (fleeing) he placed himself at a high risk of being apprehended and importantly dragged (the victim) downstairs into the foyer so that emergency services could treat him as soon as they arrived,' he told the bail hearing. 'When he saw he was bleeding out he went out of his way to get him into the public view.' The prosecutor said it appeared as though Earle was 'trying to dispose of the person'. 'The manner in which he is removed and dragged down the hallway, while (the victim) resisted, that is not an attempt to assist or render aide to the victim,' she said. Mr Earle's girlfriend Katie Murtagh, 26, was also charged over the August 29 incident Footage shows Earle being handcuffed and put into the back of an ambulance But the lawyer argued Earle wouldn't have tried to dispose of the victim in a unit that had CCTV inside. Magistrate Jacqueline Trad said after watching the footage she couldn't be sure of Earle's intentions while dragging Mr Solan. Earle is currently facing one charge of wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Police are still searching for Irish national Patrick Farrell, who was also allegedly involved in the attack. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9 Trend: Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Azerbaijan Augusto Massari, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Trend. Noting the high level of cooperation between the two countries, Bayramov said that the joint declarations on strategic partnership signed at the level of the leaders of the two countries are a vivid example of this. During the meeting, the parties noted the implementation of high-level mutual visits between our countries made a significant contribution to the further strengthening of relations, as well as the importance of the state visit of Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev to Italy in February 2020. In turn, Massari noted the successful development of strategic relations between the two countries in many areas. The parties exchanged views on expanding cooperation in political, economic, energy, educational, scientific, as well as cultural and other fields, including implementation of projects in the non-oil sector. The officials noted with satisfaction that the solidarity and mutual assistance shown by the two countries in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which the whole world is facing, fully correspond to the high level of development of relations between Azerbaijan and Italy. Bayramov informed the ambassador about the occupational policy of Armenia towards Azerbaijan, the latest provocation committed by units of the Armenian armed forces in the direction of the Tovuz district of Azerbaijan on the state border of the two countries, aimed at increasing tensions in the region, the actions and statements of the military-political leadership of Armenia, as well as the notorious position Azerbaijan to resolve the conflict. The same approach to the occupying country of Armenia and the occupied Azerbaijan is unacceptable, this approach that has been observed for many years serves as the basis for Armenia's refusal to end its occupation policy and take concrete steps in this regard, added the minister. The minister expressed gratitude to Augusto Massari for the principled position of Italy in connection with the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting. A group calling itself the Okyeman Youth For Development, have threatened to embark on a demonstration exercise today, September 9 at Asamankese in the Lower West Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region. The protest is to register their displeasure against flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, and the MP for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, for referring to some political figures who hail from the area as Akyem Sakawa Boys. We expect thousands of Akyem people to come and support the demonstration, the convener for the group, Nana Yaw Osene Akwa, told Citi News. Mr Adongo used the descriptor in a write-up critiquing the Agyapa Royalties deal. The write-up was shared on John Mahamas Facebook page. Both politicians have been lambasted over the tag, which has been deemed ethnocentric. The group in the Lower West Akim Municipality comprises youth and chiefs from Akyem Abuakwa, Akyem Kotoku and Bosome. Mr. Akwa insists that they want Mr. Mahama and Mr. Adongo to apologise for the purportedly ethnocentric comments. All the Akyems who are not happy with the comment Mr. Mahama shared on his Facebook wall are coming to demonstrate against him for him to retract and apologise to Okyeman and the three paramountcies, Mr. Akwa said. Mr. Mahamas comments and his subsequent defence of the tag have been condemned by President Nana Akufo-Addo who said: that is the kind of language we don't want in our politics. The President also said he expected more outrage over the comments. Sometimes one would hope that when things come out, people will comment on them. The comment made by my opponent, Akyem Sakawa people, I have not heard any public figure in this country or anybody comment on it, he said last week. Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, also urged Mr. Mahama to apologise for endorsing the comments. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has been one of the observers to condemn the comments. The foundation said Mr. Mahama's sharing of the article on his Facebook page amounts to republication and an endorsement of the ethnocentric comments. ---citinewsroom This announcement comes on the heels of an expanded distribution launch with Chewy.com in June of 2020. With the industry's most trusted manufacturing, distribution, and retail partners behind them, Finley's is more capable than ever before to positively impact individuals with disabilities across the country. Founded in Minneapolis in 2016 by two former special education teachers on a mission to bring community and opportunity to people with disabilities, Finley's donates 50 percent of net-profits to initiatives that provide skills training, paid work experiences and a path to independence for individuals with disabilities around the country. Through its Ambassador Program and focus on inclusive hiring practices, Finley's aims to be a leader in corporate social responsibility by not just believing people of all abilities can be valuable assets to any organization, but actually making it happen. Finley's Ambassador program gives back to the disability community through employment readiness, health & wellness efforts, transportation, community advocacy and education programs. To date, sales of their dog treats have allowed Finley's to donate more than $70,000 and create more than 7,000 hours of paid employment opportunities for people with disabilities. "We are thrilled that our partnership with Target.com offers our products to a wider consumer base online," said Kyle Gallus, CEO + Co-Founder of Finley's Barkery. "Our expanded reach allows us to allocate more resources committed to supporting inclusive initiatives for people with disabilities throughout the United States." Finley's is a premium pet brand making healthy, delicious dog treats that are free of wheat, corn, soy, fillers, and chemical preservatives. Finley's products are all-natural with limited-ingredients to make treating with kindness deliciously easy for people and their pets. Crafted from the world's best superfoods and allergen-friendly ingredients, Finley's treats are loved by dogs of all ages, with current products including crunchy oven baked biscuits and soft chew trainer bites . Finley's products are sold throughout the United States in specialty pet stores & premium grocery channels, and online at getfinleys.com , Target.com and Chewy.com . To learn more about Finley's dog treats, their feel good, do good mission, and to keep up on their latest news, visit getfinleys.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram . About Finley's Barkery At Finley's, we like to think that we learn a lot from our pets. They love unconditionally, have good intuition and give everyone an equal opportunity to be a companion. That simple lesson has become our greater purpose. We make our pet treats with just a few all-natural ingredients and a whole lot of kindness. In fact, 50% of our net-profits go to help fellow community members with disabilities gain confidence and independence through paid work experiences learning critical thinking, social and financial skills that will empower them for a lifetime. Serving pets and supporting others is truly a rewarding treat. To learn more about Finley's products and mission, please visit www.getfinleys.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram . SOURCE Finley's Related Links http://www.getfinleys.com One of our primary goals is to offer our clients diversity in instrument manufacturers in order to meet their testing needs. Adding Anton Paar to our manufacturer offerings continues to work toward this goal." - William Kopesky, Director of Analytical Services at Particle Technology Labs Anton Paar, the worlds premier manufacturer of analytical instrumentation in the field of particle and porous material characterization, has announced a testing services collaboration with Particle Technology Laboratories (PTL), a leading particle characterization testing and advisory services provider. Through this partnership, PTL in Downers Grove, Illinois will offer premium sample testing services with its newly-equipped suite of Anton Paar instrumentation. Customers will gain streamlined access to Anton Paars unmatched porous materials and powder testing capabilities, while PTLs high standards of compliance, data integrity, and unbiased testing will ensure complete accuracy and reliable results. Georg Cortolezis-Supp, CEO at Anton Paar QuantaTec, underlined the significance of the partnership: PTLs dedication to independent, accurate, and bias-free particle analysis testing makes them a natural fit for us as a partner, he said. With this collaboration, Anton Paar can continue to take forward what it does best: develop, manufacture and support the best particle and porous materials characterization instrumentation. William Kopesky, Director of Analytical Services at Particle Technology Labs further added: One of our primary goals is to offer our clients diversity in instrument manufacturers in order to meet their testing needs. Adding Anton Paar to our manufacturer offerings continues to work toward this goal. With almost 30 years of experience in the independent particle characterization testing field, we can readily incorporate Anton Paars instrumentation into our laboratory. At the same time, we have allocated resources to successfully manage the increased contract client testing base we will now serve. We will also be able to offer ISO and cGMP compliant results to those clients which require it. We are excited to work with Anton Paar and appreciate the trust they have shown through this collaboration. The partnerships testing services will be fully-operational beginning September 1, 2020, with cGMP compliance for applicable instrumentation following later this year. The scope of the collaboration will soon grow to include jointly-hosted seminars and workshops, as well as co-authored technical white papers. Capabilities offered by Anton Paars instrumentation suite at PTL will include physisorption, chemisorption, vapor sorption, solid density analysis, and pore size analysis. To learn more about Anton Paar, visit http://www.anton-paar.com or contact Jeff Linka at jeff.linka@anton-paar.com. To learn more about PTL, visit http://www.particletechlabs.com or contact Aubrey Montana at amontana@particletechlabs.com. About Anton Paar: Anton Paar is the world's premier manufacturer of measuring and analytical instrumentation used for both research and development and quality control. Founded in 1922, Anton Paar now has subsidiaries in 32 different countries across the world. Anton Paar GmbH is owned by the charitable Santner Foundation. In February, 2018 Anton Paar acquired Quantachrome Instruments, a global leader in material characterization instrumentation for the analysis of porous materials and powders. Under the umbrella of the Anton Paar Group, the company continues its operations in Boynton Beach, Florida as Anton Paar QuantaTec, Inc. Anton Paar USA, Inc. is the sales and service subsidiary of Anton Paar, serving customers across the United States. Since the 2018, Anton Paar USA has expanded its operations to include four regional offices, with full sales and laboratory operations in Torrance, California, Houston, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois, while the main Anton Paar USA headquarters remains in Ashland, Virginia. About PTL: Particle Technology Labs had been the world's leading particle characterization testing company since 1992. PTL works with major organizations around the globe across both the public and private sectors. PTLs unique scope and expansive knowledge of particle technology enables them to provide independent insight and perspective necessary for their clients to make informed decisions. PTL is registered with the FDA, cGMP as well as ISO 17025:2017 compliant. PTL holds a DEA and ATF license to handle controlled substances and pyrotechnics. They are located in Downers Grove, IL USA. (Photo : KCNA via REUTERS) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this image released August 25, 2020 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) (Photo : REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) U.S. President Donald Trump concludes a campaign rally at Smith Reynolds Regional Airport in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S., September 8, 2020. In October, North Korea will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang. Led by their leader Kim Jong-un, experts speculate that this day may also bring a 'message' to the world: N. Korea can make missiles that may kill millions of people in America. And it may happen weeks before the Election 2020. Kim Jong-un has a hidden agenda in their 75th anniversary, says, expert A senior White House official told Express UK that N. Korean leader may have been prepping something big for the United States in the coming October, weeks before the Election 2020. This something big packs a solid-fuelled intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM) that said to be in a ready-to-fire state, as of now. "As new solid-fueled ICBM, at least initially, won't be a true game-changer for the US or allied security as North Korea at best will only have a handful of them, and they would not have tested them," said Kazianis. "However, over the long-term, such a weapon would be able to be fired very quickly as it could be stored in a ready-to-fire state." Harry J. Kazianis, Senior Director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest, spoke to the senior White House official that told about the possible missile launch in October. The official said, "That seems to be the most likely of scenarios based on their history, and it's what we are expecting, but, of course, we are hoping to be proven wrong." Next month, the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party will be happening in Pyongyang. This day is also the said date wherein the missiles will be unveiled, according to the expert. Kazianis wasn't the only one that thinks this way. NBC News also interviewed Dr. Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies "Beyond Parallel" website, and also confirmed this speculation. "This looks like they are certainly preparing to do an SLBM test for the first time," said Cha, an NBC News contributor on Asian affairs. "Kim Jong Un has been talking about unveiling a new strategic weapon, and this may be it. There's been a lot of activity around this one site where the test barge is located." What the U.S. needs to do? The possible public unveiling of N. Korea's missiles is expected to be the country's message to other nations of its power over arms and machinery. Kazianis told Express UK that the U.S. President Donald Trump would not want any issues between the two countries during the Election period, especially, a possible missile launch. "They don't want to risk any sort of crisis before the election that will give progressives here in Washington any sort of ammo to attack Trump and say his talks or summit with Kim have failed," said him. Not only Trump may face blame on N. Korea once it happened, but he can also face losing millions of American lives. This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Jamie Pancho 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New Delhi: Kangana Ranaut's uncle Jagdeep Ranaut has thanked the Central government for giving the actress Y category security as she visits Mumbai later today. Jagdeep Ranaut also thanked the Himachal Pradesh government for their support towards Kangana. Meanwhile, he expressed his disappointment over Shiv Sena's statement on Kangana's Mumbai visit, but added that the actress has the support of the people and her fans. Kangana is all set for 'Mumbai Darshan', as put by the actress herself, amid her bitter face-off with the Maharashtra government. Ahead of flying to Mumbai, Kangana, who was in Manali all this while with her family, visited her ancestral home in Mandi district to meet her relatives. She also offered prayers at temple there along with her sister Rangoli Chandel. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and Kangana are involved in a bitter war of words after she compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (Pok) after the politician "threatened" her to not return to Mumbai if she has no faith in the police. Kangana, however, said she will arrive in Mumbai on September 9. Later, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) granted Y category security to Kangana. Ahead of arriving in the city, Kangana tweeted, "As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport, Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher." As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport,Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher. pic.twitter.com/6lE9LoKGjq Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials are demolishing alleged illegal alterations at her Manikarnika Films' office in Pali Hill area. Responding to BMC's move, Kangana Ranaut compared her office to Ram Temple and said that Babar is demolishing it. VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Body and Mind Inc. (CSE: BAMM) (OTCQB: BMMJ) (the "Company" or "BaM"), a debt free multi-state operator focused on limited license markets, is pleased to report that its wholly-owned subsidiary, NMG OH 1, LLC, has now received all approvals and final license and name transfer from the Ohio Department of Pharmacy for The Clubhouse dispensary located in Elyria, Ohio. "This second license transfer in less than a month furthers our strategy of expanding the Body and Mind brand and operational expertise to targeted limited license markets," stated Michael Mills, CEO of Body and Mind. "We have been operating The Clubhouse since opening in early 2019 and look forward to rebranding as a Body and Mind dispensary and consolidating the Elyria, Ohio retail operations. The Company is continuing with development of the Ohio provisional production license and a long-term lease and a local conditional use permit have been secured. We continue to expand our offerings into new states, and we are looking forward to bringing our Body and Mind branded offerings to the Ohio market." The Clubhouse dispensary opened in February 2019 and was one of the early dispensaries to open in Ohio shortly after the first legal sales of cannabis in Ohio. The dispensary is located in Elyria, Ohio, roughly 30 minutes West of Cleveland with approximately 1.7 million people who live within 30 miles and approximately 3.28 million who live within 50 miles of the dispensary according to 2010 census data from Censusviewer. Ohio is the 7th most populous state with an estimated population over 11.5 Million in 2019 according to the US Census Bureau. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy has awarded 57 provisional dispensary licenses and, as of August 25, 2020, The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program outlines there were 51 dispensaries in receipt of a certificate of operation. In response to the COVID pandemic. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy implemented temporary rules in April 2020 to allow online ordering and curbside pickup and also simplified the calculations of the amount of product patients could possess during a 90-day window. To limit contact, customers who are registered with the dispensary can order on-line for express pickup and the Company is working with local regulators to add curbside pickup to assist customers. About Body and Mind Inc. BaM is a debt free publicly traded company investing in high quality medical and recreational cannabis cultivation, production and retail. Our wholly owned Nevada subsidiary was awarded one of the first medical marijuana cultivation licenses and holds cultivation and production licenses. BaM products include dried flower, edibles, oils and extracts as well as GPEN Gio cartridges. BaM cannabis strains have won numerous awards including the 2019 Las Vegas Weekly Bud Bracket, Las Vegas Hempfest Cup 2016, High Times Top Ten, the NorCal Secret Cup and the Emerald Cup. BaM continues to expand operations in Nevada, California, Arkansas and Ohio and is dedicated to increasing shareholder value by focusing resources on improving operational efficiencies, facility expansions, state licensing opportunities as well as mergers and acquisitions. Please visit www.bamcannabis.com for more information. Instagram: @bodyandmindBaM Twitter: @bodyandmindBaM Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Safe Harbor Statement Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation of activities, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results 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 contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release. Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities. SOURCE Body and Mind Inc. Related Links https://bamcannabis.com/ The ALSO Group will hold its third virtual fair of the year during October 2020. The exact date for each of the participating 21 countries will be announced on the local website and invitations. The focus of this SPOTLIGHT, as the event is called, will be on cloud and new digital platforms. From the ALSO Cloud Marketplace with its multitude of functionalities and its variety of software apps to IoT products ready for resellers to get into this latest technology, from hybrid cloud solutions to streaming, gaming and cybersecurity - ALSO SPOTLIGHT offers information on every topic future-oriented customers will be interested in. EMMEN, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / The event, which is completely based on Microsoft Teams, will contain live events, webinars, panel discussions and expert talks. There are even plans for a 'beauty contest', where smaller ISVs get the opportunity to present their apps to the visitors in a five minutes elevator pitch. Gustavo Moller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG (SIX:ALSN): "We are very excited to bring these formats to each of our countries as a local event with our local ALSO experts. One of the most interesting features is the option of participants to directly get in touch with each other and with our vendors. This is where our vision of the ALSO ecosystem will come alive." Participating vendors include global companies such as Microsoft or HPE as well as local ISVs. Interested resellers can get a first overview of the event and the formats it will contain on the ALSO website of their country. Registrations will start on Monday, 14. September. Attendance will be free of charge and open to all members of the ICT industry. Direct link to media release: https://www2.also.com/press/20200909en.pdf Direct link to images: https://www2.also.com/press/images/20200909.zip Contact person ALSO Holding AG: Beate Flamm Senior Vice President Communication Telefon: +49 151 61266047 E-Mail: beate.flamm@also.com Story continues ALSO Holding AG (ALSN.SW) (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. ALSO offer more than 660 vendors of hardware, software and IT-services access to over 110 000 buyers, who can call a broad spectrum of other customized services in the logistics, finance, and IT services sectors, as well as traditional distribution services. From the development of complex IT landscapes, the provision and maintenance of hardware and software, right through to the return, reconditioning and remarketing of IT hardware, ALSO offers all services as a one-stop shop. ALSO is represented in 23 European countries and generates total net sales of approximately 10.7 billion euros with around 4 000 employees in the fiscal year 2019. The principal shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Dusseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at https://also.com Droege Group Droege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent advisory and investment company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family- equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with its own equity in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies in special situations. With the guiding principle execution - following the rules of art, the group is a pioneer in execution-oriented corporate development. Droege Group follows a focused investment strategy based on current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, specialization, future work, shopping 4.0). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company's actions. In recent years Droege Group has successfully positioned itself in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries. More information: https://droege-group.com SOURCE: ALSO Holding AG via EQS Newswire View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/605365/ALSO-Develops-New-Virtual-Event-Format-for-the-Countries-SPOTLIGHT-on-New-Platforms Britain plunged Brexit trade talks into crisis on Wednesday by explicitly acknowledging it could break international law by ignoring some parts of its European Union divorce treaty, prompting a rapid rebuke from the EU's chief executive. Brushing aside warnings from Brussels that breaching the treaty would prevent any trade deal being struck, London said in the proposed legislation that it would ignore parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, which was only signed in January. The Internal Markets Bill spells out that certain provisions are "to have effect notwithstanding ... Filmmakers Apurva Asrani and Hansal Mehta, and actor Dia Mirza have joined the chorus of support for Kangana Ranaut, who returned to Mumbai on Wednesday to find portions of her property demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Kanganas industry colleagues questioned the motives behind the move, as Kanganas war of words with the Shiv Sena escalated significantly. Apurva, who has had public disagreements with Kangana in the past, wrote on Twitter, Sorry, but this is vindictive, esp under Lockdown. If you disagree with Kangana Ranauts statements, please counter her with words. As someone who loves Bombay & who thought her likening it to POK was in poor taste, it seems like the Shiv Sena is hell-bent on proving her right. Sorry, but this is vindictive, esp under Lockdown. If you disagree with Kangana Ranaut's statements, please counter her with words. As someone who loves Bombay & who thought her likening it to POK was in poor taste, it seems like the Shiv Sena is hell-bent on proving her right. https://t.co/NvlzRONdzm Apurva (@Apurvasrani) September 9, 2020 Hansal, who directed Kangana in Simran, wrote, Questions to BMC after their prompt demolition of illegal structures. Can they show equal promptness in clearing illegal parking lots all over Andheri West? Can they show same promptness in fixing roads and filling potholes? Questions to BMC after their 'prompt' demolition of illegal structures. Can they show equal promptness in clearing illegal parking lots all over Andheri West? Can they show same promptness in fixing roads and filling potholes? Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) September 9, 2020 Dia Mirza wrote that while she has disagreed with Kanganas comments on various issues in the past, she stands in support of her. Kangana comparing Mumbai to POK is not acceptable. But there is absolutely no doubt that @mybmc moving to suddenly conduct a demolition of areas of her office space is totally questionable. Why now? Why like this? What were you doing all this while if there were irregularities? she wrote. Dia added, I dont agree with many of the things Kangana has said in the last few months. The name calling, the vicious personal attacks on individuals, the vilification of people. At the same time i am not okay with her being subjected to personal attacks. I dont agree with many of the things Kangana has said in the last few months. The name calling, the vicious personal attacks on individuals, the vilification of people. At the same time i am not okay with her being subjected to personal attacks. Dia Mirza (@deespeak) September 9, 2020 Also read: Renuka Shahane, Nikhil Dwivedi condemn demolition of Kangana Ranauts office: Appalled by the revenge Previously, actor-producer Nikhil Dwivedi and actor Renuka Shahane had both expressed similar sentiments. In a tweet, Nikhil had written, I dont support #KanganaRanauts often exaggerated & at times even dishonest allegations against the movie industry. I am SUPPORTING her on todays happenings. Whats being done is WRONG. Renuka had concurred: Though I did not like @KanganaTeams comment comparing Mumbai to POK I am appalled by the revenge demolition carried out by @mybmc You do not have to stoop so low. @CMOMaharashtra please intervene. There is a pandemic we are dealing with. Do we need this unnecessary drama? Kangana was involved in a war of words with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, in the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death. Kangana had said that she feels unsafe in Mumbai, and had compared it to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a statement that Sanjay Raut condemned. Kangana repeated this sentiment on Wednesday. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A topless Tennessee woman who was spotted chewing on a miniature horses mane and told cops it was made of 'laffy taffy and airhead candy' has been charged with public intoxication. Cynthia Teeple, 47, of Jacksboro, was seen chomping down on the animal hair as well as grass and dirt on the ground outside a home in LaFollette last month, according to the Campbell County Sheriffs Office. Teeple, whose mouth was allegedly covered in dirt, told cops the horse's hair was made of candy before admitting she had taken crystal meth. Cynthia Teeple, 47, was spotted topless and chewing on a miniature horses mane and told cops it was made of 'laffy taffy and airhead candy' has been charged with public intoxication Deputies responded to a 911 call on the evening of August 30 from a homeowner reporting a woman standing in her backyard who had taken her shirt off. They arrived on the scene to find Teeple, dressed in blue jean shorts, no shoes and just a bra, in a fenced area in the yard with two miniature horses. Police said they asked Teeple where her shirt was and she looked down as though she did not know she wasn't wearing it, reported WLAF. The deputies found her shirt about 30 feet away and sat her down because she was allegedly unsteady on her feet. Teeple allegedly had dirt on her lips and inside her mouth and told the cops she didn't know where she was. Teeple, of Jacksboro, was seen chomping down on the animal hair as well as grass and dirt on the ground outside a home in LaFollette last month, according to the Campbell County Sheriffs Office The homeowner told the cops Teeple had been eating grass and dirt and chewing on one of the horse's manes near its head. At this point, Teeple allegedly told the officers the mane was made of candy. 'The horse's hair is made of laffy taffy and air head candy,' she said, according to the police report. Teeple then admitted to taking methamphetamine the day before the incident, authorities said. Teeple was arrested and charged with public intoxication. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) recently broke ground on a new store for selling used cars, only you cant visit this one in the real world. The new Toyota Used Vehicle Online Store contains every aspect of used car buying that anyone will ever need, from quotation to contracting, the automotive giant claimed. The new online service for Toyota customers also makes it possible to buy a used car anytime, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without the hassle of visiting a dealership or store. Buyers get to choose from an extensive selection of vehicles including compact cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and even hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), with an initial inventory of 200 vehicles sourced from different Toyota dealers, according to the brand. https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/33670065.html E-commerce has been on the uptrend in the past few months, what with car companies practically getting coerced into the method because of sanitary and social distancing guidelines. Automobiles remain an important commodity under the New Normal, and so an increasing number of people are requesting a way to purchase a car without the need to meet in-person. "The Toyota Used Vehicle Online Store is in response to these customer requests, making Toyota the first Japanese manufacturer to launch such a service in conjunction with its dealers, in an effort to resolve impediments to car purchasing," a statement from the company read. TMC provides this step-by-step guide for purchasing a used vehicle from its online store: Access the Toyota Used Vehicle Online Store and select the desired vehicle. After selecting options and payment method, etc., the system automatically prepares a quotation. Customers enter their information online. When the order has been confirmed, an agreement email is sent to the customer and the contract is completed. The order agreement email contains bank account information for customers to make payment via bank transfer or in installments. Registration paperwork is sent by post to be completed and returned by the customer. Vehicle delivery is possible approximately two or three weeks later (for collection at a dealer). Buyers can choose between single or two-part bank transfers to settle their purchase. Selection and screening for payment in installments is also handled online. Delivery of purchased used vehicle will be done at the contracted dealer. Story continues TMP also plans to roll out an online store for its new vehicles in the future. https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/33670065.html The move mirrors a similar initiative done by TMCs local counterpart, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP). Last June, TMP launched the Toyota Virtual Showroom, allowing car shoppers to peruse new Toyota vehicles as if they were physically present inside a Toyota dealership. Once purchased, TMP will even deliver a newly bought car directly to the buyers doorstep. Photo/s from Toyota Also read: Toyota restarts dealership operations in GCQ areas Toyota Is Remaking New Parts for Old Supras The U.N. agency for refugees said Tuesday that it has confirmed two coronavirus cases in the Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan. They are the first infections to be detected among Syrians living in refugee camps in Jordan, which are home to more than 100,000 Syrians displaced by that country's civil war. The UNHCR says the two patients have been transferred to quarantine facilities and their neighbours have been isolated as more testing is carried out. Azraq is home to some 36,000 Syrian refugees, while the larger Zaatari camp houses some 76,000. Jordan hosts a total of more than 650,000 Syrian refugees. "This is the first confirmed case of coronavirus in refugee camps in Jordan," the UNHCR said in a statement. "It is a reminder that everyone has been affected by this epidemic, and solutions must be addressed through international solidarity and cooperation." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers a speech on communist China and the future of the free world at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, Calif., on July 23, 2020. (David McNew/Getty Images) Pompeo Expresses Concerns Over Hong Kong Governments Draconian Measures Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called out the Hong Kong government on Sept. 8 over its recent actions that curtailed the citys basic freedoms. Democracy, respect for fundamental freedoms, and government accountability to the people are the best paths to stability in Hong Kongnot draconian efforts to limit free expression, delay elections, and restrict travel, Pompeo wrote on his Twitter account. Pompeos concerns came days after the Hong Kong police arrested at least 289 locals this past weekend from the site of street protests against a decision by the Hong Kong leader to postpone elections for the citys legislature by a year. The elections were originally scheduled to take place on Sunday. Among those arrested on Sunday was a 12-year-old girl, whose mother said she was not protesting and only outside to buy stationery. Online videos of the police tackling her to the ground have reignited outcry over police violence. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam called off the elections in July over concerns that gatherings of voters would aggravate the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Critics have argued that Lam suspended the elections out of fear that the opposition would likely score a victory against the pro-Beijing camp. An opposition victory would be a vote of no confidence against Beijings policies in Hong Kong, in particular the controversial national security law that went into effect on July 1. Earlier this month, seven United Nations independent human rights experts wrote a 14-page letter to Beijing, expressing their concerns that the security law lacks precision in key respects, [and] infringes on certain fundamental rights. They also expressed worries that a range of legitimate activities would be redefined as secessiona crime punishable by life imprisonment under the new law. Before Sunday, Hong Kong police had arrested several local pro-democracy activists in the past month, including Democratic Party lawmakers Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui, as well as local media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and popular student activist Agnes Chow. On Aug. 23, 12 Hongkongers on a boat were arrested by mainland Chinese authorities after the vessel was intercepted off the coast of southern Chinas Guangdong Province. Hong Kong media reported that they were heading to Taiwan to claim political asylum. Also on Tuesday, Hong Kong police announced on its Facebook page that 10,016 people had been arrested from the start of the ongoing pro-democracy movement last June to Sept. 6. Among those arrested, 2,210 have been charged, for crimes such as rioting and illegal assembly. Lams handling of the pro-democracy protests and the CCP virus outbreak was poorly received by locals. In the latest poll by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, when 1,007 people were surveyed between Aug. 31 and Sept. 4, her approval rating stood at 28.1 percentdown from 44.7 in May 2019. Lawmakers from the United States and Europe have voiced concerns about recent developments in Hong Kong. German politician Nicola Beer, who is also a member of the European Parliament, wrote on her Twitter account that the Hong Kong election postponement was unacceptable, anti-democratic and unlawful. British MP Stephen Kinnock called on the UK government to hold an independent inquiry into [Hong Kong] police brutality, following the arrest of the 12-year-old girl. The people of #HongKong are sending a clear message to Communist China, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) wrote on his Twitter following the Sunday protests in Hong Kong. No corrupt new security law will silence their hunger for democracy, human rights, and freedom, Scott added. Amazon announced on Wednesday that Keith Alexander, a former National Security Agency director, has been named to the company's board of directors. Alexander will bring considerable national security and cybersecurity experience to Amazon's 11-person board. Alexander, a four-star Army general, previously served as NSA director and commander of the U.S. Cyber Command. He's now co-CEO and president of IronNet Cybersecurity. Alexander's appointment comes at a critical time for Amazon. The company remains locked in a battle with Microsoft over the JEDI, or Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, cloud contract. The JEDI contract has become one of the most hotly contested contracts for the Department of Defense, as it's meant to help modernize the Pentagon's IT infrastructure and could be worth up to $10 billion for services rendered over as many as 10 years. Last week, the Pentagon said it would stick with its decision to award Microsoft the contract, following its extensive re-evaluation of JEDI cloud proposals. Amazon said in a scathing blog post that it would continue to seek a review of the situation. Amazon told CNBC in a statement that it selected Alexander because he is highly qualified, citing his public policy experience. The company stressed that Alexander's director role will not have any overlap with Amazon Web Services' management. Amazon added that Alexander will continue to follow strict conflict of interest rules for government contracting in his duties as a board member. Alexander's company, IronNet, offers cybersecurity products that are certified for use by federal organizations and some of its employees have served in the armed forces or other federal positions, according to its website. Alexander was awarded 288 shares of common stock as part of his appointment, which will vest in three equal annual installments beginning on Nov. 15, 2021. Amazon shares closed at $3,268.61 per share on Wednesday. Here's the full list of Amazon's board of directors: Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO and Chairman) Rosalind Brewer (COO of Starbucks) Jamie Gorelick (Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General and vice chair of Fannie Mae) Daniel Huttenlocher (Founding Dean of Cornell Tech) Judith McGrath (Former CEO of MTV Networks) Indra Nooyi (Former CEO of Pepsi) Jonathan Rubinstein (Former Apple executive and Palm CEO) Thomas Ryder (Former CEO of The Reader's Digest Association) Patricia Stonesifer (CEO of Martha's Table) Wendell Weeks (CEO of Corning) Keith Alexander (Former NSA director) -- CNBC's Amanda Macias and Jordan Novet contributed to this article. S truggling businesses at the capitals top street markets today appealed for Londoners to fill the gap left by the reduced tourist trade. Stall owners in Portobello Road, Columbia Road and Borough Market said they were facing the toughest trading conditions they had seen. Many rely on tourists for much of their sales, particularly during summer. Agnes Nwabia, who sells clothes and jewellery in Portobello Road, said: A lot of the stall owners arent coming during the week anymore because its so quiet. This is a tourists market. On Saturday there used to be hundreds of people but now its very quiet even at the weekend. We need more residents to come down and shop. Kensington & Chelsea council has given 96 grants to market traders so far totalling 240,000 as part of its Business Interruption Fund, installed free wifi to aid contactless sales and closed Portobello Road to traffic on market days. Call for help: Londoners are being asked to shop at the city's markets / AFP via Getty Images But traders say they are still struggling. Onur Turgul, who sells framed collages and postcards made by his wife, said: The council has helped with the relief fund but we need more people to come down. Fraser Devlins family has been running a fruit and veg stall from Portobello Road for more than 100 years. He said: Because of what we sell business has been steady for us. But on Saturdays the market as a whole is much quieter. We dont want to lose what makes it what it is. The flower market in Columbia Road reopened on July 5, but new measures mean there are about 50 per cent fewer customers. Shane Harnett, whose family has run a stall for more than 100 years, said: Columbia Road saw a lot of tourists and they havent come back. Nick Fitzgerald, who runs Mexican market stall and restaurant Tacos Padre in Borough Market, said: There needs to be a coordinated campaign to drive people down to Londons markets. We are delighted to partner with Young Insurance Professionals and support this worthy initiative for the second year running. Winning a Next Gen Insurance Leader Award is an invaluable accolade that can be used to boost an individuals profile and build their professional network within the industry, said Barry.Nilsson. principal Hubert Wajszel. To be eligible, applicants must be a member of YIPs and younger than 35 or have less than five years of experience in the insurance sector. They must submit a written essay exploring one of the following topics: Global epidemics and insurance Ethics in a crisis Zero or hero Class actions The future of insurance Future trust The winner of the Next Gen Insurance Leader 2020 Award will receive $5,000. Submissions close on October 02, and the winner will be determined by an independent panel of six judges and announced on October 22. Katie Stephenson, the president of YIPs, encourages all young professionals working in the industry to nominate. We want to recognise our rising stars who are working to move our industry forward by helping them improve their career and develop their leadership abilities, Stephenson said. KENT COUNTY, MI In a two-day bench trial, Nathan Board was convicted Wednesday, Sept. 9, of two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of his estranged wifes parents. Patty and Theodore Syrek were found dead Sept. 4, 2018, in their Alto home. Both suffered massive head injuries after being struck by a hammer while they slept. Defense attorney John Pyrski earlier filed notice to assert an insanity defense but acknowledged that evidence presented at trial would not support such a verdict. Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said the evidence, including Boards confession, was overwhelming. Kent County Circuit Judge Joseph Rossi handed down the verdict. Board will be sentenced Oct. 5 to mandatory prison terms of life without hope for parole. There is no doubt that the plan to enter the Syreks' household and kill the Syreks was thought out beforehand, the judge said. Board and the victims' daughter, Sarah Syrek-Wood, were living in Arizona before he returned to Michigan in July 2018 as their marriage fell apart. Board admitted he crept up the Syreks' staircase and stood over the couple while they slept for 45 minutes. When the husband started to stir, Board struck him in the head at least 15 times. He struck the wife in her head at least 10 times. Board had suffered mental illness since early childhood, his mother, Diane Board testified. As a young adult, his condition improved for a decade with new medication. But he eventually had trouble with his eyes, a side effect of his medication. His troubles returned when he began taking other medications, she said. Dr. Jeffrey Wendt, a clinical psychologist, said Board had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder with depression. He said that Board suffered mental illness but it did not absolve him of criminal responsibility. The judge noted steps that Board took before the killings. He parked his pickup truck on a two-track road near the victims' home, removed the tail lights, then slipped into their home. He took off his shoes to quietly go into the victims' bedroom. Then, when the husband moved, he started hitting the couple with the hammer. He later drew stick figures of the victims showing where they were in the house when they stopped moving, a detail only the killer would know, sheriffs detectives testified. Read more: Mother of suspect in fatal hammer attack says he struggled with mental illness Woman suspected estranged husband after her parents fatally beaten with hammer as they slept Man accused of bludgeoning in-laws to death claims hearing voices during confession Man charged in couples killings near comatose, attorney says Teen presumed drowned in Lake Michigan; South Haven beach closed New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a special meet with street vendors from Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday (September 9, 2020) called `Svanidhi Samvaad`. He will virtually interact with three beneficiaries from the state at 11 am today. According to a press release issued by the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO), the Centre launched the PM SVANidhi scheme on June 1, 2020, to help poor street vendors, who were impacted by coronavirus, to resume their livelihood activities. The press note stated that as many as 4.5 lakh street vendors were registered in Madhya Pradesh, with more than 4 lakh vendors being given identification and vendor certification. The applications of 2.45 lakh eligible beneficiaries have been presented through the portal to banks, out of which acceptance has been granted to around 1.4 lakh street vendors of amount worth Rs 140 crore. Madhya Pradesh stands first in the number of total applications accepted, with 47 per cent of these coming from the state alone. "The program will be telecast through webcast, for which pre-registration is being done on MyGov`s link (https://pmevents.ncog.gov.in/). Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan,will also participate in the program through video conferencing," the press note stated. For this, arrangements have been made so that the beneficiaries of the scheme can watch the program in public places with the help of LED screens in at least 378 municipal bodies. A film on the scheme, prepared by the state, will also be shown during the program. Economy Minister Diane Dodds has said more and more firms are indicating to her that they want to bring people back into the office following lockdown. The DUP minister spoke as she joined Invest NI chief executive Kevin Holland to announce two support schemes to help retailers and small and medium sized businesses recover following lockdown. She said that her department had spent 408m on support to help firms get through lockdown but that the focus was now on reopening the economy. And she said getting office workers back to their place of work was part of reopening the economy. Last week Belfast Chamber said only 5% of its members had so far brought their staff back to offices on a full-time basis. At an Executive briefing, Mrs Dodds said: "I'm on record as saying it's absolutely important for all sections of our economy to open up again. "That will include the safe migration back to the workplace for civil servants and private sector companies. "It's interesting to talk to some of the private sector companies, as some who had said they were not in a hurry back are now saying they are looking at a phased and safe return back to work." She said working remotely made it difficult to train young employees and made it hard for staff to learn from each other. But she said there was also a benefit to areas outside the main cities from people working at home. "There have been huge opportunities for many of our local provincial towns and they are doing quite well." She said a return to the office should only be done in a safe way as "the safety of the workforce and an employers' responsibility for the safety of the workforce is absolutely paramount". Mrs Dodds said the Executive was awaiting a response from Chancellor Rishi Sunak to a plea for an extension to the furlough scheme, which has preserved the jobs of nearly 250,000 people here. She said there were sectors which needed further support from the scheme. "Aerospace is one of Northern Ireland's leading industries and we need to be able to support it through this difficult period until it is at full tilt. "Tourism and hospitality are the other sectors that require that longer tail of support. We've had no response yet but other regions will also be putting pressure on the Chancellor because of the fears around the ending of the furlough scheme. "Other European countries such as Germany and France have indicated they will extend their furlough scheme." The minister launched two schemes to help companies, the 1m Digital Selling Capability Grant to help retailers and wholesalers generate business online, and a 5m Equity Investment Fund targeted at SMEs. Both are open for applications. But her department has drawn controversy from groups, including the newly self-employed and sole traders who have missed out on grant support. There has been an underspend of millions of pounds from some of the grant schemes. Mrs Dodds said: "The department administered the grants for the Executive but they were not Department for the Economy-allocated money. That has been returned to the Executive for distribution. We are aware there is huge need following the lockdown and Covid-19 pandemic and we will continue to support business and individuals as best we can." The Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukouka has worked closely with Japanese authorities to promote the search for two Vietnamese apprentices who went missing after Super Typhoon Haishen swept through Kyushu Island. At least 46 people in the Kyushu region are injured in Super Typhoon Haishen (Photo: AFP) The apprentices, from central Thanh Hoa and Nghe An province, worked at the Aioigumi Joint Stock Company in Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu Island. The Japanese Government has directed local police and rescue forces to actively search for the victims. The Consulate General will maintain contact with the Japanese authorities and the Vietnamese community to update information and be ready to implement citizen protection measures. The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sent a letter to the Department of Overseas Labour Management at the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Departments of Foreign Affairs of the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An to ask relevant enterprises, which sent the apprentices to Japan, to inform their families and ensure their full interests. Earlier, right after receiving information about Super Typhoon Haishen, the Consulate General had issued warnings for the Vietnamese community on its website, as well as on websites and fan pages of Vietnamese organisations and associations in the region. It has kept contact with Vietnamese peoples associations and groups, along with some businesses and schools in the areas the Consulate General is in charge of so as to have a good grasp of their situation, urge them to take prevention measures. Those seeking support can call the hotlines of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan at 81 (0) 80-3590-9136 and 81 (0) 80-3609-5011; the Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka 81 (0) 80- 3984-6668 and 81 (0) 80-4279-7302; or the citizen protection switchboard 84.981.84.84 .84. Typhoon Haishen rolled in Kyushu Island on early September 7 with wind speeds of up to 160km per hour and gusts of 216km per hour. As of September 7 noon, at least 46 people in the Kyushu region were injured in this typhoon./.VNA NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CFA Institute, the global association of investment management professionals, announces that Daniel Gamba, CFA, becomes Chair of the Board of Governors, and Maria Wilton, CFA, now serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Governors. Daniel Gamba assumed the role of Board Chair on Sept. 1, 2020, the start of the new fiscal year at CFA Institute, succeeding Diane Nordin, CFA, who continues on the Board. "I'm honored to be continuing my long-term relationship with CFA Institute as Chair of the Board of Governors," said Daniel Gamba. "Working with my Board colleagues, our CEO, our society leaders, and our members, I'm committed to supporting the leadership of CFA Institute to continue its mission to lead the investment profession globally by promoting the highest standards of ethics, education and professional excellence. I'm also humbled to assume this new role as the first Board Chair of Latin American descent. With more than 178,000 CFA charterholders worldwide in 164 markets, CFA Institute reflects the rich diversity of investors worldwide." Margaret Franklin, CFA, President and CEO, CFA Institute, said: "I am looking forward to working with Daniel, Maria, and our entire all-volunteer Board as together we seek to navigate these unsettled times. I am proud of our Board's commitment to racial, gender, and geographic diversity, and I know I can depend on their collective expertise." Gamba is a Managing Director, Co-Head Fundamental Equities, and a member of the Global Operating and Human Capital Committees at BlackRock. He leads BlackRock's Fundamental Equities business across US, Europe, Global, Emerging Markets, Hedge Funds, Thematic and Sectors, and Sustainability active equity strategies. He previously served as Global Head of Active Equity Product Strategy at BlackRock, responsible for platform strategy, product development, and business activities to drive growth across Active Equities in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. Prior to that role, Gamba was Head of iShares Americas Institutional Business and co-Head of US iShares where he led business strategy, client service and business development for iShares ETFs in the Americas. Gamba joined Barclays Global Investors (BGI) in 2000, before its merger with BlackRock in 2009. At BGI, he was the CEO of the Latin America and Caribbean business. Prior to BGI, Gamba was a consultant with AT Kearney's financial institutions group and worked at Procter & Gamble in Latin America. In his volunteer capacity at CFA Institute, Gamba served as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and previously as co-Chair of the Society Partnership Advisory Council. Previously, he was a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the Education Advisory Committee and of the Claritas (now Investment Foundations) Advisory Committee. Gamba is also co-Chair of Somos Latinx network at BlackRock and is a board member of Northwestern University's Alumni Association. Gamba earned a BS degree in industrial engineering from Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru and an MBA in finance and economics from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Maria Wilton, CFA, of Melbourne, Australia, now Vice Chair of the Board of Governors, has a 30-year career in investment management spanning investing and business roles. She currently serves as Director at: Victorian Funds Management Corporation; Worksafe; Infrastructure Victoria; and the Australia Post Superannuation Scheme. She is also a member of the State Investment Advisory Board (Qld), Melbourne, Australia. In previous positions, she held the role of Managing Director and Chairman, Franklin Templeton Investments Australia Limited, Melbourne; Associate Director and Portfolio Manager, BT Financial Group (formerly Rothschild/Sagitta); Associate Director and Portfolio Manager, County Investment Management; and Economist and Portfolio Manager, J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Melbourne, Australia. Board of Governors Roster The FY2021 CFA Institute Board of Governors comprises a diverse group of 14 members half of whom are women who reside in eight countries, namely: Australia, Canada, China, India, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. CFA Institute membership elects officers for a one-year term and Governors for a three-year term that runs from September 1 to August 31. The full list of members for the new term is: Daniel Gamba , CFA, ( United States ), BlackRock Inc. , CFA, ( ), BlackRock Inc. Maria Wilton , CFA, ( Australia ), Director, Victorian Funds Management Corporation , CFA, ( ), Director, Victorian Funds Management Corporation Marshall Bailey , CFA ( United Kingdom ), Non-Executive Director, London Stock Exchange Group , CFA ( ), Non-Executive Director, London Stock Exchange Group Alex Birkin ( United Kingdom ), EY ( ), EY Robert Bruner , DBA, ( United States ), University of Virginia , DBA, ( ), Dan Fasciano , CFA, ( United States ), BNY Mellon , CFA, ( ), BNY Mellon Margaret Franklin , CFA ( Canada ), President and CEO, CFA Institute , CFA ( ), President and CEO, Punita Kumar-Sinha , PhD, CFA, ( India / United States ), Pacific Paradigm Advisors LLC , PhD, CFA, ( / ), Pacific Paradigm Advisors LLC Yimei Li , CFA ( China ), China Asset Management Co. Ltd. , CFA ( ), China Asset Management Co. Ltd. Karina Litvack ( United Kingdom ), non-executive Director, Eni s.p.a. ( ), non-executive Director, Eni s.p.a. Diane Nordin , CFA, ( United States ), Wellington Management Company LLP (retired) , CFA, ( ), Wellington Management Company LLP (retired) Geoffrey Ng , CFA, ( Malaysia ), Fortress Capital Asset Management , CFA, ( ), Fortress Capital Asset Management Tricia Rothschild , CFA ( United States ), Apex Clearing , CFA ( ), Apex Clearing Zouheir Tamim El Jarkass, CFA, ( United Arab Emirates ), Mubadala Investment Company About CFA Institute CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organization is a champion of ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. Our aim is to create an environment where investors' interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. There are more than 178,000 CFA charterholders worldwide in 164 markets. CFA Institute has nine offices worldwide and there are 159 local societies. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org or follow us on Twitter at @CFAInstitute and on Facebook.com/CFAInstitute. SOURCE CFA Institute Related Links http://www.cfainstitute.org I Squared Capital has signed a strategic partnership with a group of institutional investors to deploy up to $800 million in credit investments across multiple sectors and regions. The strategy will target a blend of investments across senior, mezzanine and unitranche debt to established corporate sponsors and middle-market developers in the energy, utilities, transport, telecom and social infrastructure sectors. The mandate will span the risk spectrum, from investment grade to high yield, focusing on strong downside protection in OECD countries, primarily in the U.S. and Europe. "Infrastructure credit is a natural extension of our global equity strategy and we are excited to leverage our global and sectoral network to invest in infrastructure credit," said Sadek Wahba, Chairman and Managing Partner of I Squared Capital. "Developing infrastructure is more important than ever and we see robust demand for capital across our key sectors including renewables, telecom, and transport logistics." These investments will help finance the essential services necessary to recover from the Covid pandemic, mitigate the effects of climate change, and support future economic growth. The I Squared Capital credit platform was launched this year with a team of 25 professionals and will benefit from the experience and expertise of the global infrastructure platform with over 145 professionals in its six global offices and over $14 billion in equity assets under management. About I Squared Capital: I Squared Capital is an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities, telecom, transport and social infrastructure in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The firm has offices in Hong Kong, London, Miami, New Delhi, New York and Singapore. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005893/en/ Contacts: Andreas Moon, Managing Director and Head of Investor Relations +1 (786) 693-5739 andreas.moon@isquaredcapital.com Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks during a press conference with the other House impeachment managers before the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump resumes at the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Caroline Brehman | CQ-Roll Call | Getty Images WASHINGTON A former acting undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security accused top officials there of ordering him to stop sharing intelligence assessments on Russia's efforts to interfere in the U.S. election because they "made the President look bad." According to a whistleblower complaint filed by Brian Murphy, former head of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at DHS, top brass also told Murphy to downplay a threat assessment about White supremacy. The formal whistleblower complaint describes a "repeated pattern of abuse of authority, attempted censorship of intelligence analysis and improper administration of an intelligence program related to Russian efforts to influence and undermine United States interests." Among the most serious allegations are that acting Secretary Chad Wolf earlier this year instructed Murphy "to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States, and instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran." U.S. President Donald President Trump listens to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf during a briefing on Hurricane Laura at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, August 27, 2020. Carlos Barria | Reuters According to Murphy, Wolf told him the order came directly from President Donald Trump's national security advisor, Robert O'Brien. Murphy said he refused to comply with these instructions. Department spokesman Alexei Woltornist said DHS denies Murphy's allegations. Homeland Security "is working to address all threats to the homeland regardless of ideology. The Acting Secretary is focused on thwarting election interference from any foreign powers and attacks from any extremist group," Woltornist said in a statement to CNBC. White House spokeswoman Sarah Matthews also denied that O'Brien tried to "dictate the Intelligence Community's focus on threats to the integrity of our elections or on any other topic." "Politicizing election security, a topic on which the National Security Council has convened dozens of high-level policy meetings in recent months, through specious complaints based on false allegations, which on their face are rank hearsay, damages the national security of the United States," Matthews said in a statement. Murphy's complaint also described how the routine distribution of a Homeland Threat Assessment (HTA) report was "prohibited due to concerns raised by Messrs. Wolf and [acting Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken] Cuccinelli regarding how the HTA would reflect upon President Trump. Two sections were specifically labeled as concerns: White Supremacy and Russian influence in the United States." Acting Director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli speaks during a briefing at the White House August 12, 2019, in Washington, DC. The administration of US President Donald Trump announced Monday new rules that aim to deny permanent residency and citizenship benefits to migrants who receive food stamps, Medicaid and other public welfare. Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images (Newser) Frightful news for kids in America's most populous county: Trick-or-treating, Halloween parties with non-household members, and haunted houses will be banned under coronavirus restrictions in Los Angeles County, CBS Los Angeles reports. "Door-to-door trick-or-treating is not allowed because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors especially in neighborhoods that are popular with trick or treaters," the new guidelines state. "'Trunk-or-treating events where children go from car to car instead of door to door to receive treats are also not allowed." story continues below "Since some of the traditional ways in which this holiday is celebrated [do] not allow you to minimize contact with non-household members, it is important to plan early and identify safer alternatives, the LA County Department of Public Health said, per KTLA. Those alternatives include online events as well as car parades and other drive-through events, authorities say. Holiday supply companies say home decorating will also be bigger than usual this year. Oriental Trading Company exec Dave Lokes tell Fox Business that a big surge in Halloween spending began in early August. Other companies say consumers have also ramped up spending on Christmas decorations. (Read more Halloween stories.) The EBRAINS infrastructure for neuroscience ha s officially submitted an application for inclusion in the ESFRI Roadmap 2021. EBRAINS offers researchers a comprehensive package of powerful tools, facilities and resources that have been jointly developed by scientists and engineers in the Human Brain Project, a ten-year European Flagship project running until 2023. ESFRI, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures, plays a central role in establishing shared infrastructures for Science in Europe and helps guide decisions in research policy. The application of EBRAINS to the ESFRI Roadmap is supported by a ten-country strong coalition, led by France as Lead Country. Additional backing is provided in over 90 letters of support from European scientific institutions, medical associations and industry. "This is a major step" underlines Pawel Swieboda, EBRAINS CEO and Director General of the Human Brain Project. "Seeking recognition as part of the ESFRI Roadmap is an important milestone in transitioning to an enduring, sustainable European research infrastructure beyond 2023, making EBRAINS a permanent part of the European Science" landscape. European Research Infrastructures are central to foster stronger cohesion and collaboration between scientists in the European Research Area (ERA). They enable Science that needs facilities too large for individual institutions - or even single member states - to maintain. The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) helps to shape and stimulate their creation, and has contributed to the establishment of over 50 European Research Infrastructures during the last 18 years. The influential ESFRI Roadmap regularly identifies the most impactful proposals for the next generation of entries into the EU's infrastructure ecosystem. EBRAINS, the novel European distributed research infrastructure for brain science and brain-inspired technology, has now officially applied to join the list. The recently founded EBRAINS AISBL and Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives, coordinator of the French Lead Country role in the project, have submitted an application, including the written support of a broad range of representatives from research institutions, medical professional organizations and industry, highlighting the opportunities and impact EBRAINS offers to their field. "The impressive support we have received from ten countries and over 90 leading scientific institutions shows that the momentum is now clearly growing behind EBRAINS", Swieboda said. ### By Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will set out new details of its blueprint for life outside the European Union on Wednesday, publishing legislation a government minister acknowledged would break international law in a "limited way" and which could sour trade talks. After leaving the EU in January, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pushed on with plans for the end of a status quo period in December, and hoped a bill on Britain's internal market would set in stone the transfer of powers from Brussels. But with talks with the EU all but stalled over ... Moscow court puts stay on bloggers $3K copyright abuse claim against Navalny RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 13:17 09/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 9 (RAPSI) - The Lyublinsky District Court of Moscow has suspended a 230,000-ruble ($3,300) claim filed by blogger Alexey Zhirukhin against Alexey Navalny over allegedly illegal photo use, RAPSI has learnt from the courts press service. The court has put a stay on the proceedings because of Navalnys decease. On August 20, a plane departed from Tomsk to Moscow with Navalny onboard but urgently landed in Omsk after the blogger became heartily sick. He was taken to a hospital in coma. Later, he was transported to Berlin. Russian medics said no poison was found in the bloggers body. The plaintiff demands 180,000 rubles for violation of his exclusive rights and 50,000 rubles for moral harm. A reason for the claim is a photo of the town Khiva in Uzbekistan posted in a video on YouTube. Sen. Josh Hawleys Legislation Would Increase Pay for Police Officers Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is introducing legislation that would authorize the Justice Department to increase the salaries of state and local police forces in all states, with the exception of those police departments in cities that have chosen to defund the police. The Republican senators bill, The David Dorn Back the Blue Act, would appropriate $15 billion to hire and retain police officers throughout the country. The bill was named for David Dorn, a retired black police captain shot and killed in June, allegedly by an armed rioter, during the George Floyd protests. Dorn was reportedly killed protecting a friends store from violent rioters in St. Louis. Dorn had served close to 40 years on the police force. Police departments across the country are under siegeunderfunded, facing increased retirements, and struggling to make new hires. But as violence and rioting sweeps across American cities big and small, our courageous law enforcement officers are more vital now than ever, Hawley said in a written statement. According to news reports, at least 13 U.S. cities have cut funding from police department budgets or decreased officer numbers amid a national protest against police brutality after the George Floyd killing in May. Many Democrat-led cities, like Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, the District of Columbia, and Baltimore are leading the charge on downsizing their police force. He added, Democratic politicians are bending to radical activists who want to defund the police. We should do just the opposite. Our officers deserve a raise, not defunding. They deserve our unqualified support, and this bill would give it to them. If the bill becomes law, police departments will have new federal funding at their disposal allowing them to increase the salaries of officers up to 110 percent of the local median earnings, Hawleys office explained in a statement. The Missouri senators statement also cited a decrease in morale among U.S. law enforcement and said it is one of the key motives for introducing this legislation. A well-known example of the effects of defunding the police is Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best resignation in August, where she suddenly announced her decision after the progressive city council voted to strip her police department of more resources, including cutting close to 100 jobs. In an interview with KUOW in August, Best expressed concern that she had not seen the city councils proposal before the vote to redirect funding for her department. What really concerns me is I just have not seen the plan, Best said. We have 800,000 calls for service every year. If you just lop off, even 100 officers, thats going to be highly detrimental to a department that wasnt staffed enough to deal with the calls we did have. And who is going to answer? Best added. Hawley believes that the increase in violence and vilification of officers has increased the demands and dangers for new and veteran officers. The senator believes their pay should be proportionate to that change and reflect any increased risk. As a veteran and small-business owner, I give my full-throated support to James Maroney in the election of state senator from the 14th District. In just two short years Senator Maroney has had the impact of a legislator with a much longer track record. His efforts in Hartford have positive affects on veterans, small-business owners, senior citizens, womens issues and education. When I was a veteran, finding a civilian job that was appropriate for my military skills was difficult. That problem has confronted many of todays vets, but Senator Maroney has offered a solution. He authored a bill, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, that helps veterans obtain skills useful in advanced manufacturing. The bill helps our veterans get the training needed for well paying jobs and fill a critical need in Connecticuts job market. The bullion metal lost Rs 2,562, or 4.68 percent, for the week on MCX as investors booked profit (Image courtesy: Reuters) India Gold October MCX Futures fell on September 9 tracking a muted trend in the international spot price. Investors across the globe await monetary policy strategies from central banks. Spot gold was little changed at $1,929.30 per ounce, after falling to a near two-week week low of $1,906.24 on Tuesday, said a Reuters report. On the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX), October gold contracts were trading lower by 0.4 percent at Rs 51,150 per 10 gram at 0920 hours. September silver futures were trading nearly 1 percent lower at Rs 67,948 per kg. Experts are of the view that both precious metals are likely to remain volatile. The support for the yellow metal is placed at 51000-50800 levels while on the upside resistance is placed at 51,550-51,800. Gold and silver showed extreme volatility on Tuesday. Both the precious metals showed weakness in early trading sessions but prices recovered from their lows in the late evening sessions after heavy sell-off in US equity markets. Gold & Silver Rates Gold Rate in Mumbai 10g of 24K gold in Mumbai 10g of 22K gold in Mumbai View more Silver Rate in Mumbai 10g silver in Mumbai 1kg silver in Mumbai View more Show International Gold settled with a gain of 0.46 percent at $1943.20 per troy ounce and silver settled with a gain of 1.05 percent at $26.99 per troy ounce. At MCX, gold settled above 51000 per 10 gm. Both the precious metals are trading in a broader range from the last few trading sessions. Gold is holding $1900 per troy ounce and silver also holds $26.55 per troy ounce in yesterday's session. US Dollar index climbed to 93.50 marks again and could restrict further gains in both the precious metals. Today's US job openings data will also give directions to the bullion prices, Manoj Jain, Director (Head-Commodity & Currency Research) at Prithvi Finmart told Moneycontrol. We expect both the precious metals remain volatile and profit booking is expected at higher levels again. Gold is having resistance at $1955-1970 per troy ounce and support at $1922-1910 per troy ounce. At MCX, gold is having resistance at 51550-51800 and supports at 51100-50800 levels, he said. Jain further added that MCX silver is likely to face resistance at 69000-69500 and support at 68000-67400 levels. Both precious metals remain volatile and avoid buying at higher levels. Track live gold price here Trading Strategy Expert: Sriram Iyer, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities International spot gold and silver prices rebounded from a near two-week low hit earlier on Tuesday after a sell-off in stock markets prompted investors to seek refuge in the safe-haven metal. Global equity markets and oil prices tumbled after a sharp sell-off in technology stocks, Brexit uncertainty and on concerns over flare-ups in coronavirus cases. International gold and silver are likely to trade flat-to-lower on Wednesday, tracking a negative start in the overseas prices. Technically, LBMA GOLD Spot has bounced back from its 50-Daily Moving Average which is placed at $1906 levels and started to trade above $1935.00 indicating a positive breath in the counter. However, the upside hurdle could be at $1948-$1965 levels. Domestic gold and silver recovered all the losses made in the initial session to the end of the day strong, tracking the recovery in the international markets. Technically, MCX Gold October has bounced back from 50600 levels and ended on a positive note forming a Bullish Candlestick. However, 51500 could act as a hurdle for further upside movement. It could trade in a range of 50700-51500 levels. Expert: Ravindra Rao, VP- Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities. COMEX gold trades moderately lower near $1935/oz after a 0.5% gain on Tuesday. Gold trades mixed as support from safe-haven buying and weakness in the equity market are countered by gains in the US dollar and lack of ETF buying. Gold remains stuck in a broad range of $1900-2000/oz and directionless trade may continue unless there are fresh triggers. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. In an interview promoting his new book, Donald Trump Jr was asked why the administration had not condemned 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse murdering two people during the protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Claiming the White House is waiting for due process and not jumping to conclusions about the incident, Mr Trump then went on to say We all do stupid things at 17. In a discussion on Foxs Extra regarding Black Lives Matter and president Donald Trumps visit to Wisconsin following the shooting of Jacob Blake, correspondent Rachel Lindsay asked: Why hasn't the Trump administration or president Trump condemned what happened in Kenosha with Kyle Rittenhouse coming across state lines and murdering two people and injuring another [at a protest]? Mr Trump said, We're waiting for due process. We're not jumping to a conclusion If I put myself in Kyle Rittenhouse['s shoes], maybe I shouldn't have been there. He's a young kid. I don't want young kids running around the streets with AR-15s Maybe I wouldn't have put myself in that situation who knows? We all do stupid things at 17. Ms Lindsay countered: Its a little beyond stupid. Really stupid fine. But we all have to let due process play out and let due process take its course, said Mr Trump. Asked about the president not speaking with Jacob Blakes family, Mr Trump said that his father had called and wanted to speak with them but they had wanted legal counsel present and he didnt know why that was the case. Ms Lindsay pressed Mr Trump on why the president has not spoken out about the shooting of Jacob Blake, and why he spoke with the local police department but not both parties. Mr Trump said that the police his father spoke with were not involved in the incident and were involved in quelling riots. Earlier, he described the phrase Black Lives Matter as obvious and said that no one in America says anything else. Challenged by Ms Lindsay that not all people say that Black Lives Matter, Mr Trump responded: No one that I know. Asked if he understood what the phrase means and what the fight is for, Mr Trump said yes and that we agreed with the cause, adding: Its a very good marketing message, it's a great catchphrase, but that doesn't back up a lot of the political ideology behind it. Mr Trump is promoting his book Liberal Privilege: Joe Biden and the Democrats Defense of the Indefensible. Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with fatally shooting two people and injuring a third. He had travelled from Illinois to Wisconsin armed with an AR-15 under the pretense of protecting businesses. The charges accuse Rittenhouse of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18. If convicted of the first-degree intentional homicide charge as an adult, Rittenhouse could face a life sentence in prison. La Boulangerie de San Francisco, the local bakery chain known for its flaky croissants and other pastries, has permanently closed two of its locations. The location in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood has disappeared from the small chain's website, and Berkeleyside reported that a for rent sign is now on display in the window. Co-owner Nicolas Bernadi confirmed the permanent closure of the Oakland location as well as the Sutter Street location in San Francisco to SFGATE. Bernadi attributed both closures to not being able to work out reduced rent agreements with landlords during a time when business for them is down between 30 and 70%. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted Vijay Mallya 3 weeks time on the plea filed by SBI-led consortium of banks against liquor baron for recovery of more than Rs 9,000 crore from him. The next hearing on the matter will be held on February 2. Vijay Mallya had sought 3 weeks time to file reply to SBI led consortium of banks who sought deposit of amount of 40 million dollars before SC. The consortium of banks had approached the apex court seeking its intervention in bringing back Mallya to India and also repayment of money which the beleaguered businessman, who has absconded to England, had taken. The banks, in their plea, told the apex court that there was an outstanding loan of almost Rs 9,000 crore against the businessman. ALSO READ | Mallya Case: Debt Recovery Tribunal reserves order on banks plea for recovery The banks have argued that the business tycoon has not been candid with the court regarding his assets, citing the failure to disclose the severance package he received from Diageo Plc as part of his exit from United Spirits Ltd. On April 26, the Supreme Court had directed Mallya to disclose his assets to the consortium. The banks also said the disclosures made by Mallya on his Indian and overseas properties were "vague". The banks also refuted Mallya's allegation that all 17 banks did not reject the three proposals made by him for repayment of over Rs 9,000 odd crore in instalments. ALSO READ | Trials of 2016: Kejriwal, Kanhiya, Mallya and other big wigs who faced legal troubles this year For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Global regulators should not ban insurers from paying dividends as a result of COVID-19 and should give firms more time to report their capital positions, European insurers said on Monday. The pandemic will likely lead to between $50 and $100 billion in losses for insurers, the Insurance Europe trade body said in response to a consultation by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) on the impact of the pandemic. A certain level of supervisory flexibility is crucial to enable insurers to adapt their products and services to new market realities, Insurance Europe said. Insurers also have a responsibility to their shareholders and supervisors should refrain from imposing country or regional blanket bans on dividends, it added. The EUs European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has told insurers it was prudent to suspend dividends as a result of the crisis. The Bank of England has also told UK insurers to think hard before paying dividends given the uncertainties associated with COVID. However, major insurers such as Allianz have continued to pay them. German financial regulator BaFin has also said a general payout ban is not necessary. Insurers also need more time for financial reporting as they grapple with paying claims and developing new products, Insurance Europe said. Insurers are facing legal action in several countries after they have said business interruption policies did not cover the pandemic. This had caused reputational damage, Insurance Europe said. The Solvency II EU capital rules for insurers exaggerate short-term market moves and failed to provide sufficient protection for some insurers and created exaggerated changes in the solvency position of others in the virus-triggered sell-off in March, Insurance Europe said. However, insurers capital positions remained well above regulatory minimum levels, it added. (Reporting by Carolyn Cohn; Editing by Andrew Heavens) Topics Carriers COVID-19 Europe MANZINI Progress! The High Commission of Tanzania in Maputo has engaged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to assist the family of the late Gladness Kimaro Edje in pressuring the relevant stakeholders to locate her missing body. This was revealed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Under Secretary (US) Jennifer Neves yesterday. According to Neves, the ministry received a letter from the High Commission of Tanzania in Maputo, requesting its assistance in engaging the national commissioner of police (NATCOM) on the matter. Peace The contents of the letter included a request for the national commissioner of police to ensure that the case was dealt with the utmost attention, and efficacy so the family of the deceased found peace. This, she said, the ministry subsequently did and further informed the High Commission of Tanzania that their message was transmitted. Neves said the ministry, in collaboration with the relevant offices, promised to ensure that the matter reached a speedy conclusion in order for the family to mourn their loved one, peacefully. Meanwhile, the family of Edje put an online petition meant to put pressure on the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) and government to locate her body. The petition has continued making rounds on social media since last Friday, after this publication reported that the late Edjes body had gone missing from the National TB hospital last month. After making an appeal to the public to assist them find closure by sharing information that would lead to the discovery of their mothers corpse, the family resorted to seeking assistance from social media users and the international community in locating their mother. As of yesterday, the petition had closed with 988 supporters. The petition was widely shared on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, where social media users appealed to their followers to assist the family with additional information which could assist them locate their mothers body. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Florida will host the third installment of the All Together Now Virtual Speaker Series, on November 14. From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the free event will focus on Hot Topics in Mental Health, embracing the state alliances mission of providing education, advocacy and support for people with mental illness and their loved ones. The November program will host five in-depth panel discussions, Seven West Australian nurses quarantining in Victoria will be flown back to Perth on a special chartered flight and will be free to be reunited with their families on arrival under a plan revealed by Health Minister Roger Cook on Wednesday. Loading Mr Cook said the nurses would not need to quarantine for a further two weeks on arrival back in WA, and would be brought over on the clean charter flight which would fly to Victoria, collect them, and return immediately back to Perth. The nurses and one support worker, who volunteered to fly east and help the Victorian health system cope with its latest coronavirus outbreak, had been in hotel quarantine since one of the team tested positive to COVID-19. Their quarantine period is due to come to an end on September 20, and the nurse who had contracted COVID-19 should also be able to return on that date, WA Deputy Chief Health Officer Robyn Lawrence said. The family of US-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who was declared a designated terrorist by the Union home ministry under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in July, had migrated from Pakistan to Amritsars Khankot village during the Partition in 1947. The Centre on Tuesday ordered attachment of Pannuns 57 kanal land at Khankot and Sultanwind area of Amritsar under Section 51-A of the stringent UAPA Act. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing a case against Pannun over a campaign launched by the SFJ under the banner of Referendum 2020, sealed 46 kanals of agriculture land and a residential plot in the village on Monday, a senior police official said. Pannun, who was designated a terrorist along with eight other men, has been running a campaign against India and motivating the Sikh youth in Punjab to join militancy, according to the government. Though Pannun is little known in the village, his family still owns property worth crores, including agriculture land, besides a school and a college, in the village. We came to know that Pannun belonged to the village after his property was sealed. I never heard in the village about him before this, said Subash Sehgal, a social activist from Khankot. The villages former sarpanch Gurdarshan Singh Sandhu, 68, said, I never saw Gurpatwant in the village, but his family migrated from Pakistan along with 35 other families. Our family was also among those. He said, Gurpatwants father Mohinder Singh Pannun had two elder brothersMohan Singh and Bhagwan Singh. Mohinder was a senior officer in the Punjab Mandi Board in Chandigarh. Mohinder Singh has two sonsGurpatwant and Magwant. Mohinders family rarely visited the village. But Mohan and Bhagwan lived in the village. Mohan had two sons while Bhagwan was issueless. Mohan also left the village around three decades ago while Bhagwan died here around 20 years ago. We came to know that Mohans both sons had also died. Sandhu, who remained the village sarpanch from 2003 to 2008, said, Gurpatwant and Magwant have around 18 acres of land in our village while Daljits sons hold the possession of the around 30 acres. The two sons of Daljit, who also served as an ambassador in a foreign country, are also running a private school and a college in the village. But they have no contact with the local residents. He said the 18-acre land belonging to Gurpatwant and Magwant was being tilled by one Bikramjit Singh of the village for the last 30 years. Gurpatwants mother Amarjit Kaur had been collecting the land rent from Bikramjit. After Amarjits death, the rent was being paid to Magwants account, he said. He said Bikramjit was unaware that the land which he had taken on rent belonged to Gurpatwant. A senior police official said, Dalits sons (Gurpatwants cousins) have leased out land in Amritsar on which a shopping mall and a luxury hotel are built. A daughter of Pannuns cousin is married in one of the influential political families in Amritsar. The family also has property worth crores in other areas of Punjab. In a press release, the NIA on Tuesday said the SFJ was trying to hold meetings at certain places in the US and other countries to mobilise the Sikh diaspora for its illegal activities. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has repeatedly said Pannun has been operating at the behest of Pakistans ISI. Two days after Afghanistan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh raised the issue of Durand Line and talked about Peshawar as summer capital of Islamic Republic, the former intelligence chief was target of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in Kabul that left three of his bodyguards injured, many bystanders killed or maimed in the explosion. The device was placed under a culvert over which Salehs cavalcade was passing en-route to the Vice Presidents office. The IED was so powerful that gas cylinders in nearby shops exploded due to concussion. There are unconfirmed reports that 15 people were killed and 50 others were injured in the attack. Saleh, intelligence reports confirm, is safe. In a video message released after the attack, Saleh said that the attack took place at 7.30 am, when he was on his way to work. The place where the suicide attack took place was narrow, he said, thanking the swift action of the securitymen present there. The scene of the attack in Kabul. Saleh, a former intelligence chief, has survived several assassination attempts, including one on his office last year that killed 20 people. The attack on Saleh comes at a time when the ultra-conservative Sunni Pashtun outfit Taliban is planning to hold intra-Afghan negotiations in Qatar with the support of US. No Afghan politician of national stature can overlook the issue of Durand Line. It will condemn him or her in life & after life. It is an issue which needs discussions & resolution. Expecting us to gift it for free is un-realistic. Peshawar used to be the winter capital of Afg, he said in a tweet on September 7. The devastation caused by the explosion in Kabul. According to diplomats base in Kabul and New Delhi, the needle of suspicion for the attack on Saleh is towards the Haqqani network as the Zadran tribe, which is affliated to the global terrorist group, has a hold on Kabul city with the perpetrators of attack this morning based in Pakistan. Sirajjudin Haqqani, head of the Haqqani network, is deputy leader and sword arm of Taliban. While the decision of the US to withdraw after nearly two decades of active involvement in Afghanistan is well respected all around, its decision to foist the Taliban on the political and constitutional system by unilateral moves which are required to be honoured and accommodated by Kabul is causing much concern all around the region. Incidents such as these once again bring to fore that contrary to their public protestations, neither the outfit nor its sponsors-in-uniform in Pakistan are in the mood for any accommodation. The Taliban have not sent their delegation to Qatar for talks, they are seeking the release of Haji Bashir Noorzai, an Afghan drug lord who was arrested in 2005. Keen to make the Taliban sit with the Afghanistans government, the US is looking to entertain this request to release Noorzai and other Taliban detainees in Guantanamo Bay. I think the TBN will not start talks in Doha till the release of Haji B Noorzai. According to the attached article, Dr Khalilzad guaranteed his release. Considering the timing, perhaps Haji Bashar might be released this week. Now the TBN have no incentive to reduce violence, Afghan politician Rahmatullah Nabil said on Twitter. I think the TBN will not start talks in Doha till the release of Haji B. Noorzai. According to the attached article, Dr Khalilzad guaranteed his release. Considering the timing, perhaps Haji Bashar might be released this week. Now the TBN have no incentive to reduce violence. 1/2 https://t.co/s4bW1M0F5C Rahmatullah Nabil (@RahmatullahN) September 7, 2020 He added that all the key bargaining chips have been given away by Zal, in order to promote himself. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sudhir Suryawanshi And Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service MUMBAI/PATNA: Trouble mounted for Kangana Ranaut, who has been locked in a spat with the Maharashtra government, as the Mumbai Police will probe drug consumption allegation against her while the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has also issued a notice to her over making unauthorised alterations at her Pali Hill bungalow. The actress, however, dared the state government to prove her drug links. Maharashtras Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said in the assembly on Tuesday that the state narcotics department will probe the allegations of taking drugs and also forcing others to take drug against Kangana. Congress leader Sachin Sawant had raised the issue, saying the actor had herself confessed to drug use. To this, Kangana tweeted, I am more than happy to oblige Mumbai police and Anil Deshmukh; please do my drug tests; investigate my call records; if you find any links to drug peddlers ever, I will accept my mistake and leave Mumbai forever; looking forward to meeting you. On the BMC pasting a notice at her bungalow at Pali Hill, Bandra, for illegal construction, addition and alteration, the actress tweeted, Now BMC has filed a caveat against me; really desperate to break my house; I deeply love what I built with so much passion over so many years but know that even if you break it my spirit will only get stronger....GO ON. As per the BMC, Kangana converted toilet space into an office cabin on the ground floor, constructed a kitchen in a storeroom on the ground floor. The bungalows main gate has also been changed against the approved design, apart from other violations, the corporation said. Complaint against therapist KK Singh, father of Sushant Singh Rajput, has lodged a written complaint with the Medical Council of India against Mumbai-based clinical psychologist Dr Susan Walker, alleging professional misconduct. (Newser) In what the AP calls a "rare occurrence," an earthquake struck New Jersey in the early hours of Wednesday. The magnitude 3.1 temblor struck in East Freehold around 2am, per the US Geological Survey. The AP spoke with USGS geophysicist Robert Sanders, who gives the quake some historical context: He says that since 1970, two other quakes have struck within 10 miles of the location, a 3.5 in 1979 and a 3.1 in 1992. story continues below And while it was strong enough to rouse people from their sleep, "It would be very surprising for us to see anything more than you know, damaged shelves or picture frames falling off of windows," Sanders adds. NJ.com has this reaction from one Roosevelt resident: Everyone woke up including the dog. I thought a car hit the garage." Per a tweet from the National Weather Services Mount Holly office, the quake was felt "in much of central New Jersey." (Read more earthquake stories.) She caused a social media stir by sharing a series of snaps with her former fiance Mark Wright to mark The Only Way Is Essex's 10th anniversary at the weekend. But Lauren Goodger kept a low-profile as she stepped out after a visit to her dentist in Chigwell, Essex, on Wednesday. The former TOWIE star, 33, kept casual in black tapered trousers and a long-sleeve top after getting a new set of veneers. Casual chic: Lauren Goodger kept a low-profile as she stepped out after a visit to her dentist in Chigwell, Essex, on Wednesday The TV personality wore her brunette tresses in an effortless ponytail and sported bronzed make-up. Lauren kept her eyes protected with a pair of tinted oversized glasses and kept comfortable in nude flip-flops. The reality starlet clutched her car keys and Fendi phone case as she headed back to her vehicle after the proceedure. The brunette beauty recently received criticism for sharing a throwback picture from TOWIE with her ex-boyfriend Mark Wright after some fans thought it was disrespectful, given that he is now married. Low-key: The former TOWIE star, 33, kept casual in black tapered trousers and a long-sleeve top after getting a new set of veneers Childhood sweethearts Lauren and Mark, 33, became engaged on TOWIE, after both starring since its inauguration in 2010, and were a couple for 11 years before suffering an extremely acrimonious break-up in 2012. But Lauren shared a slew of throwback snaps at the weekend - including pictures of her ex - to celebrate the 10 year anniversary special of TOWIE. The reality star took to Instagram to thank the famous show for providing her with meaningful 'memories' and insisted she's 'proud' of all her castmates. The media personality wrote in an accompanying caption: '10 years ago changed my life we created a show called "the only way is Essex" I was 22 when I first started filming and what an amazing journey this has been !! Under the radar: Lauren kept her eyes protected with a pair of tinted oversized glasses and kept comfortable in nude flip-flops 'I put my life on national television and we won a BAFTA - not a lot people can say that! You've seen me laugh, cry, engaged, break ups and make ups ! I've grown up on the screens and it was all real! 'Congratulations to all the OGs @towie these images are from google thank you for memories and well to all my costars im proud of you all and always will be.' (sic) Mark and Lauren have been on bad terms ever since they called it quits, and the former Extra host went on to tie the knot with actress Michelle Keegan, 33, in May 2015. Lauren previously branded their marriage 'weird' and claimed they don't speak to each other. Speaking to Heat Magazine, she said: 'I saw them both in the gym. They don't talk it's really weird. I was like 'F**king hell, we weren't like that'. It's like they don't know each other. I can't go into that though. I'm just so glad that ain't me'. Brexit and the working conditions of Irish Defence Force members are set to be high on the agenda of a Laois Offaly TD who has been picked to lead a committee that scrutinises the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Defence. Charlie Flanagan, who has served as Minister for Justice and Foreign Affairs, is the new Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs & Defence. TDs and Senators will sit on the committee. The Laois-Offaly Fine Gael TD said he was 'delighted' to have been appointed Chair of the Committee and is "looking ahead to busy challenge on a range of international and defence pursuits". As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney, TD, will be answerable to Dep Flanagan's committee. While Brexit is set to be a hot topic for Dep Flanagan, the working conditions of soldiers is sure to be a priority. Dep Flanagan is the second Laois Offaly TD to be chosen to lead a committee in Leinster House. Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley is set to lead the Dail Committee on Public Accounts. By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has thanked Italian Ambassador Augusto Massarini for Romes principled position on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Bayramov made the remarks while receiving Massarini on September 9. Bayramov informed his interlocutor about Armenia's aggressive policy against Azerbaijan, Armenias recent cross-border military provocation in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz region, actions and statements of the Armenian political and military leadership aimed at increasing tensions in the region. He stressed that it is unacceptable to treat equally the aggressor Armenia and Azerbaijan - the victim of the aggression, adding that such wrong approach to the conflict has emboldened Armenia. During the meeting, Bayramov also said that high-level visits between Azerbaijan and Italy has made a significant contribution to further strengthening of relations. Importance of President Ilham Aliyev visit to Italy in February was also emphasized. In turn, Massarini noted the successful development of high-level strategic relations between the two countries in many areas. During the meeting, the sides held discussions on expanding cooperation between the two countries in political, economic, energy, education, science, culture and other fields, as well as the implementation of projects in the non-oil sector. It was noted with satisfaction that the solidarity and mutual assistance demonstrated by the two countries in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the world are fully consistent with the high level of development of relations between Azerbaijan and Italy. It should be noted that Italy was Azerbaijans main trading partner in the period between January and July 2020, with the trade turnover between the two countries amounting to $3.7 billion. The volume of Azerbaijans trade turnover with Italy amounted to $3.1 billion, while the amount of export to Italy amounted to $933.2 million. 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. Since 1994, hostilities between the two countries have persisted despite the temporary cease-fire agreement. Usually, Armenian forces violate the ceasefire regime on the line of contact. But recently Armenia has increased military aggression on the border. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Actor Kangana Ranaut landed in Mumbai on Wednesday from Himachal Pradesh, angry and caustic as she took on the Shiv Sena, called her home 'Ram mandir', referred to 'Bullywood' and described herself as the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji in a series of tweets and a video. IMAGE: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut arrives at Mohali International Airport before she left for Mumbai, in Chandigarh, on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Photo The Queen actor, who has been given Y-plus category security from the Centre, was met with black flags and slogans from protesting Shiv Sena workers. But there was support too from workers of the Republican Party of India-Athawale and Karni Sena, who also gathered at the airport. Addressing Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, Ranaut posted a video message saying his 'ego will be destroyed' the way her Bandra home was demolished. The actor said she is working on a project on Ayodhya but now understands the pain of Kashmir Pandits and will also make a movie on their plight. Ranaut, known for her provocative statements, again compared Mumbai with Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) after the Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation demolished 'illegal alterations' at her Bandra bungalow. "Uddhav Thackeray, 'tujhe kya lagta hai' (what do you think)?. You think you have taken a huge revenge by destroying my house in collusion with the movie mafia. "Today my house is destroyed, tomorrow it will be your ego. The wheels of time keep changing," she said in a video message in Hindi, referring to the chief minister in the informal 'tu' rather than the more respectful 'aap'. "Uddhav Thackeray, this cruelty and terrorism, it is good that it happened to me because there is some meaning to it," she said in the video. SEE: Kangana Ranaut's 'warning' to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray In a post after the video, Ranaut wrote, 'Come Uddhav Thackeray and Karan Johar Gang. You broke my work place, come now break my house, then break my face and body, I want world to see clearly what you anyway do underhand, whether I live or die I will expose you regardless.' Ranaut in further tweets called the BMC's action 'a case of bullying' after she claimed she exposed drug racket. In a series of posts earlier in the day, Ranaut said there has been no 'illegal construction' in her house. '... also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut,' the actor tweeted. In another post, she wrote, 'I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy.' This is the second time she has referred to Mumbai as PoK, a statement that sparked the spat with the Shiv Sena. On Wednesday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told India Today, "I have never threatened Kangana Ranaut, I only expressed my anger at Mumbai being likened to POK, am not responsible for what action BMC takes.. matter is over for me, Kangana is welcome to live in Mumbai." Ranaut also shared few photographs of BMC officials at her house, with the captions 'Pakistan...#deathofdemocracy' and 'Babur and his army #deathofdemocracy'. The actor posted past photos from the building, calling it her own 'Ram Mandir'. 'Today Babur has come there and history will repeat itself. Ram temple will be broken again but remember Babar, this temple will be built again. Jai Shri Ram,' she tweeted. Calling herself the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Ranaut claimed that she was fighting for her 'honour and dignity'. IMAGE: Shiv Sena workers and supporters stage a protest against Ranaut as she arrives at Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Photo 'I have lived the courage, valour and sacrifice of Rani Laxmibai through my film. The sad thing is that I am being prevented from coming to my own Maharashtra. 'But I will follow the path of Rani Laxmibai. I will not get scared or bow down to anyone. I will continue to raise my voice against wrong, Jai Maharashtra, Jai Shivaji,' she said in another post. Earlier in the day, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation team reached the bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra with bulldozer and excavators and demolished alterations made sans the civic body's approval. The Bombay High Court, however, stayed the demolition process initiated by the BMC and sought to know why the city civic body entered the property when the owner was not present. Ranaut's Manikarnika co-star Ankita Lokhande called the actor 'Braveheart'. 'Exorbitant love & more power to you,' she wrote on Twitter alongside a picture of Ranaut from the movie. Actor Renuka Shahane, who had criticised Ranaut for comparing Mumbai to PoK, on Wednesday criticised the BMC for the demolition in the actor's building. 'Though I did not like @KanganaTeam's comment comparing Mumbai to POK, I am appalled by the revenge demolition carried out by @mybmc. You do not have to stoop so low. @CMOMaharashtra please intervene. There is a pandemic we are dealing with. Do we need this unnecessary drama?' she wrote. The trouble between the ruling Shiv Sena and Kangana started after the actor said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the 'movie mafia' after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput and likened the Maharashtra capital to Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Reacting strongly to her comment, Raut purportedly said, 'We kindly request her not to come to Mumbai. This is nothing but an insult to Mumbai Police.' Hitting back, Ranaut had tweeted last week, 'Why is Mumbai feeling like Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir?' ROME, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Italy's government is increasingly confident the country's post-coronavirus recovery is in full swing, though analysts say it will not fully recover until an effective vaccine against the virus is widely available. On Tuesday, Italy's National Statistics Institute, or ISTAT, said "extensive signals" indicated that the economy was recovering, even as the stats agency released data showing the economy contracted by a dramatic 12.8 percent in the second quarter of the year compared to the previous quarter. In the previous days, Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Roberto Gualtieri predicted Italy's economy would shrink by less than what one source called the "psychologically important" 10-percent level for the year as a whole. Gualtieri predicted a "robust" recovery in the third quarter, which started on July 1. Gualtieri's predictions for the full year still represent an unprecedented economic contraction, but less dire than consensus estimates from investment banks, multilateral organizations, and rating agencies, which predict the Italian economy to finish the year 11 to 12 percent smaller than at the start. The main driver behind Italy's economic problems has been the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the government to issue Europe's first peacetime national lockdown starting in March. Before the virus arrived in Italy, ISTAT and other entities predicted the Italian economy would grow at least 0.5 percent this year. "The second quarter will end up being the darkest hour for the Italian economy," Riccardo Puglisi, an economist working in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pavia, told Xinhua. "We were under a strict lockdown for two of the three months in the second quarter, while in the third quarter comes after the end of the strictest part of the lockdown." Puglisi agreed with Gualtieri's prediction that for the year as a whole the economy would shrink by less than 10 percent. "I wouldn't be surprised to see what would seem like good numbers for the full year, perhaps a negative 8 or 9 percent, or in any case below 10 percent, which is a psychologically important benchmark," Puglisi said. Giandomenico Piluso, a professor of Economic History with the University of Siena, also predicted a relative recovery over the second half of the year, but he predicted the country would not see a sustained economic growth until the threats from the coronavirus disappeared. "What is happening now is that some of the worst damage from the first half of the year is being reversed, but the economy is not growing compared to where it was a year earlier," Piluso said in an interview. "We won't have a chance for real, new growth until a coronavirus vaccine is available, until the risks from the pandemic are gone." One problem, according to both Puglisi and Piluso, is that the Italian economy was among the European Union (EU)'s slowest growing even before the coronavirus first reported in China in late 2019. The Italian economy has long been saddled by high public debt, high taxes, weak employment levels, over-regulation, and a dramatic disparity between the economic health of the northern and southern parts of the country, and economists have been calling for economic reforms for years. Though the 0.5-percent growth forecast from the start of the year is far stronger than current prognostications, it still trailed predictions for the EU as a whole. If Italy ends up trailing the EU's collective growth rate this year, it will be the 13th time in 15 years Italy failed to outpace the 27-nation bloc's overall economic growth rate. The scenario is likely, given that the International Monetary Fund has predicted Europe's economy will shrink by 6.7 percent this year, compared to a 9.1-percent decline in Italy. My biggest fear about the U.S. election isnt that Donald Trump will win, which is a real possibility given the craziness of American politics these days. No, my biggest fear is that Trump loses, declares the election rigged and refuses to leave office. If that happens, then the U.S. could be facing a constitutional crisis and another civil war literally with hardline wacko supporters marching through the streets with their assault weapons at the ready as Trump holes up defiantly in the White House. An unlikely scenario? Nonsense? Maybe, but constitutional experts say that if it does happen the U.S. would be in uncharted waters with no real rule book for legally removing him from the Oval Office if he refuses to go quietly. Increasingly, many Trump analysts express concern over the U.S. presidents strategy of firing up his base by ranting about the Nov. 3 election being rigged because of scandals around mail-in ballots, which would mean it could be months before the final results are available. As always, Trump has no proof of that, but it doesnt stop him from fomenting anger and fury with his base, which believes he can do no wrong nor say anything that isnt true. The possibility that Trump would refuse to leave office after the 2020 election has become more serious in the last year. It is gaining credibility by the fact that Trump has said nothing to dispel such concerns. Michael Cohen, who was Trumps former lawyer and personal fixer, warned during a congressional hearing in early 2019 of trouble ahead. Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, he told lawmakers, I fear that if he loses in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power. In an interview this past July with Chris Wallace of Fox News, Trump bluntly refused to say if he would accept the election results. Im not going to just say yes, Trump said, adding and I didnt last time either. He was referring to a 2016 presidential debate in which he also refused to say if hed accept defeat, declaring: Ill keep you in suspense. One of the top U.S. legal experts on the presidency says it is sheer folly to believe Trump would go easily if he loses. Should President Trump lose in the 2020 election, dont expect him to concede defeat it is simply not in his DNA to do so, says Lawrence Douglas, a law professor at Amherst College in Massachusetts, who has written a book about this issue titled Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020. Douglas told PBS that Trumps recent comments about possibly delaying the election should concern all Americans, regardless of political affiliation ... The fact that Trump lacks the power to delay an election only Congress could do that provides cold comfort. The very idea that he would float the idea smacks of authoritarianism. Its this authoritarian streak in Trump that most worries constitutional experts. They believes he is capable at stopping short of nothing to keep himself in power. Indeed, there is no provision in the U.S. Constitution of how a president should be removed if they lose the election and wont hand over power to the winner. But its also hard to imagine the FBI storming into the Oval Office and hauling a handcuffed Trump into a waiting police car. A more likely scenario is one where Republican congressmen place so much political pressure on Trump that even he realizes his time is up. Until that happens, though, Trump could certainly make mischief, Douglas wrote recently in the Los Angeles Times. He could, for example, encourage his supporters to take to the streets, triggering counterprotests met with ugly displays of federal force. Douglas believes the best hope for ensuring Trump goes quietly is for Democratic candidate Joe Biden to trounce him in the election. Anything short of that will aid Trump in rejecting defeat and igniting an electoral crisis the likes of which we have not seen in our history, Douglas argues. Its a dire thought, and one that makes me even more fearful about this election. Bob Hepburn is a Star politics columnist based in Toronto. Twitter: @BobHepburn is a Star politics columnist based in Toronto. Twitter: @BobHepburn Read more about: Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Heidi Grau on Wednesday called on the sides to the conflict in Ukraine's eastern breakaway Donbas region to maintain a ceasefire MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th September, 2020) Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Heidi Grau on Wednesday called on the sides to the conflict in Ukraine's eastern breakaway Donbas region to maintain a ceasefire. "I urge the sides to continue doing all it takes to ensure an effective and sustainable ceasefire, first and foremost in the interest of the civilian population," Grau told reporters following an extraordinary online meeting of the TCG. The official added that the participants of the contact group agreed during the meeting on a joint inspection near the Shumy settlement in Donetsk Oblast. "Today's extraordinary meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group was devoted to security issues and compliance with the ceasefire in the conflict zone, in particular, to discussing the situation in the area of Shumy, of which the participants of the meeting have diverging assessments. The participants of the TCG meeting agreed that a visit of the discussed area would be useful," Grau said. The inspection visit is expected to take place on Thursday, the OSCE envoy added. Since April 2014, the Ukrainian government has been conducting a military operation against the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. Prospects for peace have been discussed in various formats, including during the meetings of the contact group in Minsk, which, since September 2014, has already adopted three documents regulating steps to de-escalate the conflict. The eastern Ukrainian peace process saw a breakthrough on July 27 when negotiators signed an exhaustive list of measures on how to maintain the peace in the volatile region. The measures include a blanket ban on deploying military equipment or using drones in reconnaissance, sabotage, or offensive missions in sensitive locations. In an unprecedented step, a system of holding ceasefire violators accountable was also agreed upon by the sides. Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today demolished "illegal alterations" at the Bandra bungalow of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut , a civic official said. The 33-year-old actor, who is scheduled to reach in the city later in the day, has alleged that the Maharashtra government is targeting her because of her fight with the Shiv Sena The demolition work began shortly after 11 am, the official told PTI. Earlier in the day, the BMC posted a second notice outside her bungalow, informing her of the action being taken by the civic body, he said. A BMC team reached the bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra with bulldozer and excavators and demolished alterations made sans the civic body's approval. "I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now," Kangana tweeted, soon after the demolition work began. She also posted photos of BMC staff engaged in the demolition work. I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy pic.twitter.com/bWHyEtz7Qy Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 She further added that there is no illegal construction her house. "There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like," Kangana tweeted. There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Trouble has mounted for Kangana as the Maharashtra government on Tuesday said the police will probe allegations that she took drugs, while alterations made at her bungalow came under the civic body's scanner. #WATCH Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials carry out demolition at Kangana Ranaut's property. pic.twitter.com/ztn2L0Jg54 ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2020 Ranaut had recently said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia", and would prefer security either from Himachal Pradesh or the Centre. 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 All pubs in the Republic will be permitted to open from Monday week, September 21, the Irish Cabinet has agreed. Draft government guidelines were drawn up with Failte Ireland and circulated to the vintners' groups last week. These so-called "wet pubs" will likely follow similar restrictions to the businesses already operating. These include allocated time slots, physical distancing, table service, and customer records for contact tracing purposes. The reopening of all pubs will depend on local restrictions in place. The Cabinet also met this morning to discuss international travel restrictions and sporting events as part of their upcoming Living With Covid-19 plan. The details of the plan are expected to be published next Monday. This comes after news that 60% of Irish pubs - including several in Donegal - were considering closing their doors for good. A survey by the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) said that the Government is losing the support of the pub sector, with many publicans considering shutting their doors for good due to the pandemic. 63% of the publicans whose pubs are still closed said they were suffering from extreme stress, while 40% said they were worried about being able to put food on the table. SINGAPORE Small miscalculations in a tense border standoff between India and China high in the Himalayas could lead to big mistakes, a former national security advisor to India said Wednesday. Troops on both sides have been engaged in a dispute since May and in June, a fatal clash killed 20 Indian soldiers. China did not disclose if its troops suffered any casualties. New Delhi and Beijing have been in talks to de-escalate the situation and disengage completely, but both sides have accused each other in recent weeks of breaching the informal border. "I realize how small miscalculations lead to big mistakes," M. K. Narayanan told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Wednesday. Narayanan previously served as national security advisor between 2005 to 2010 and has spent most of his public service career working in intelligence. "I think the powers in India, at least, know and understand this. I am not too sure whether the present Chinese leadership fully comprehends (it)," he said, adding that he was worried, "whether there are sober voices that can influence (President) Xi's thinking." "We are in a situation which has many dangerous possibilities. So, I think we are in for a difficult time ahead," Narayanan said. This week New Delhi and Beijing accused each other of firing in the air during renewed confrontation at the unmarked border where opposing troops are positioned in close proximity. India's external affairs ministry said Chinese soldiers who attempted to close-in on one of the Indian forward positions along the de facto border known as the Line of Actual Control fired "a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate own troops." China's foreign ministry said Indian troops "illegally crossed the line" and "blatantly fired shots to threaten the Chinese border patrol personnel who approached them for representations." India denied its troops crossed the line or resorted to aggressive means. Because opposing troops are stationed not far from each other, a fatal misfiring could lead to severe escalation and a bigger confrontation between the nuclear-armed rivals, according to Narayanan. Firearms are limited in the border areas under a previous agreement, which implies this week's confrontation further escalates the risks related to the border standoff. The border confrontation has also worsened the China-India bilateral relationship, as New Delhi puts up barriers to Chinese investments in the Indian economy on the grounds of national security. That includes restricting Chinese investments into Indian tech companies and banning many popular Chinese apps, including the short-video-sharing app TikTok. Video PlayerClose An AI robot specialized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides health check service at the service robots exhibition area of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 7, 2020. [Xinhua/Cai Yang] BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) As Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) shows its potential in the fight against COVID-19, events featuring TCM have become highlights of the ongoing 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services. The fair, which kicked off on Friday, is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive fairs for trade in services and has attracted 18,000 enterprises and institutions from 148 countries and regions. In an exhibition zone of the fair held in Beijing, TCM-related enterprises and organizations including Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Hebei Province, the producer of Lianhua Qingwen capsules, drew a lot of visitors to their booths. Lianhua Qingwen is a recommended patent TCM for the treatment of COVID-19. According to Zhang Yunling, the company's executive deputy general manager, the capsules have recently received a drug registration certificate granted by Kuwait authorities to treat mild and moderate cases of COVID-19. The greenlight has given the drug a market entry into Kuwait, gaining a foothold for the company to further explore the Middle East market, she said. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Lianhua Qingwen capsules have been recommended in the diagnosis and treatment protocols of many Chinese provinces and cities. The medicine has obtained marketing approval in several countries. An AI robot specialized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides health check service at the service robots exhibition area of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 7, 2020. [Xinhua/Cai Yang] Thanks to a raft of plans and regulations, the development of TCM has been raised to unprecedented levels, said Zhu Haidong, an official with the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Zhu added that TCM has so far gained a presence in 183 countries and regions, and the administration will continue to promote projects involving remote medical education and create a sound environment for the development of TCM. The combined use of TCM and Western medicine is one of the reasons China has successfully controlled the COVID-19 epidemic. TCM has demonstrated its unique advantage in reducing the fatality rate and improving the recovery rate, said Wang Qi, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering. A medical worker takes boxes of concentrate granules from a shelf at the mobile emergency smart pharmacy for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at a temporary hospital in Jiangxia District in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 26, 2020. [Xinhua/Shen Bohan] TCM has been used in treating 92 percent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases across China, said a white paper released by the State Council Information Office in June. The white paper noted that in Hubei, a province once hardest hit by COVID-19, more than 90 percent of confirmed cases received TCM treatment that proved effective. Tong Xiaolin, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said he believes now is the right time to let the world know about, and benefit from, TCM. He hopes that TCM and Western medicine can deepen integration through the COVID-19 fight. Since many people are skeptical about TCM, Tong noted that it needs more scientific evidence and efficacy proof to allow the international society to accept the positive role of TCM in epidemic control. "The novel coronavirus knows no countries, borders, or race. No country can stay out of the epidemic. What we need to do is cooperate, not compete," Tong said. (Source: Xinhua) Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE One of the governors appointees to the New Mexico Civil Rights Commission was the target of a 2011 civil lawsuit that was dismissed after the state Department of Public Safety agreed to pay roughly $35,000 under a settlement. However, a spokeswoman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Victor Rodriguez was later cleared of wrongdoing by an internal agency investigation that found no evidence of excessive force on his part. If the case had gone to court, it would have been determined he was improperly accused, said Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett, who pointed out the settlement agreement was approved during the administration of former Gov. Susana Martinez. Rodriguez, who was appointed to the fledgling nine-member Civil Rights Commission by the governor last month, is the former police chief of Belen. Before that job, he worked with the Department of Public Safetys Special Investigations Division, among other positions. According to a civil lawsuit, Rodriguez was conducting an undercover DPS investigation at a Clovis bar in 2009 when he and another officer began questioning a woman who had bought two alcoholic drinks. When a patron tried to intervene, Rodriguez allegedly used a Taser on him and handcuffed him with his foot on his lower back before advising the patron he was a law enforcement officer, the suit alleged. Charges against the patron were eventually dropped, and the civil lawsuit against both Rodriguez and the Department of Public Safety was filed in 2011, alleging assault, battery, false imprisonment and other offenses. After being transferred from state District Court to federal court, the lawsuit was settled for about $35,000 after a five-hour conference with Judge Gregory Wormuth in Las Cruces, according to the state General Services Department. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is now dead, and his Clovis attorney, Tye Harmon, did not respond to requests for comment about the case. The New Mexico Civil Rights Commission was created under a bill passed by the Legislature during a June special session. Its members, who have already held two meetings, are tasked with coming up with recommendations by mid-November on possible changes to state law regarding civil rights deprivations. Specifically, the commission will be scrutinizing qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that protects law enforcement officers and other government officials from being held personally liable in most cases. Debate over qualified immunity and other police use-of-force issues intensified this summer after a series of incidents in New Mexico and around the nation, including the death of George Floyd, an African American man, while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. Meanwhile, Rodriguez has also been on the other side of lawsuits dealing with police use-of-force issues. After being placed on leave as Belens police chief last year, Rodriguez filed a lawsuit claiming city officials had retaliated against him for reporting excessive force cases involving police officers. The city eventually entered a settlement with Rodriguez that paid him more than $187,000 in exchange for his agreeing to drop the lawsuit, according to KRQE-TV. The Governors Office cited that case as evidence of Rodriguezs qualifications to serve on the Civil Rights Commission, adding that he would bring a different perspective to the panel, which also includes attorneys, active and retired judges, a legislator and a county sheriff. Chief Rodriguezs career, including his clear record of enforcing consequences for officers who used excessive force, is a testament to his qualifications for appointment, Sackett said. Pelosi Says She Believes Congress, White House Will Avoid Government Shutdown House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she believes the White House and Congress will come to an agreement this month to avoid a government shutdown, suggesting the deal wont be tied to COVID-19 relief talks. Well come to agreement on that, I feel quite certain, Pelosi said during an interview on Bloomberg TV on Sept. 8. I think that its not in anybodys interest for the government to be shut down. It is to be avoided at all costs. Her comment came after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said over the weekend that an agreement was made between the White House and Pelosi to avoid the shutdown, saying the two parties will pursue a stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution before Sept. 30, when the government is slated to lose funding. Pelosi said they share the goal of avoiding a shutdown just a month before the November elections and in the middle of a pandemic. The fact is, we did not come to an agreement. We separately acknowledged that it would be important for us to have a clean continuing resolution that they would not be heaping things on there that would be unacceptable for one side or the other. It only makes sense to do that. And I feel quite certain that we will get that done, Pelosi said. The Senate returned to Capitol Hill on Sept. 8, although the House isnt scheduled to be in session until Sept. 14, according to a schedule from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyers (D-Md.) office. Pelosi alleged that Trump could do away with the shutdown agreement, pointing to the December 2018 stopgap bill due to funding over the U.S.Mexico border wall. If the president chooses to veto a continuing resolutionI would find it hard for him to do that, but who knows, Pelosi said in the interview. Last month, talks between Mnuchin, Pelosi, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) broke down. Pelosi later said she wont accept a stimulus package of less than about $2.2 trillion. Meanwhile, Republican officials have said they wont pass a deal for that amount, opting for a lower sum. On Sept. 8, Senate Republicans unveiled a smaller measure worth about $500 billion, but the bill isnt expected to have the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters the plan is to vote on the measure Sept. 10. The Senate Republican bill includes more Paycheck Protection Program funding, $300 weekly unemployment insurance payments, and liability protections. It doesnt include stimulus checks or funding for state and local governments. These lawsuits pose a substantial risk to interstate commerce because they threaten to keep small and large businesses, schools, colleges and universities, religious, philanthropic and other nonprofit institutions, and local government agencies from re-opening for fear of expensive litigation that might prove to be meritless, McConnells bill reads. These lawsuits further threaten to undermine the Nations fight against the virus by exposing our health care workers and health care facilities to liability for difficult medical decisions they have made under trying and uncertain circumstances. AND WE'RE BACK!!! Fanboys Help Good Cause Cars line up early for Super Bowl LIV Champions flags on Red Wednesday One of the many perks of being Super Bowl Champions is getting that early Thursday night game, which bumps Red Friday up in Kansas City to Red Wednesday.Or, as we've been calling it, Red Wins-day. Cars started lining up early Wednesday morning for a shot at purchasing the traditional "Red Friday" Chiefs flags which have a special message this year -- Super Bowl LIV Champions. Kansas City Teachers Confronts Long Road To Recovery 'A horrible assault, reckless': KC preschool teacher critically injured in hit-and-run KANSAS CITY, Mo. - She was supposed to be in the classroom on Tuesday. Instead, a Kansas City preschool teacher remained in intensive care following a crash. Shaunquinita Williams knew the moment she interviewed Maenisha Jones last year that the 24-year-old was going to be a special addition to Operation Breakthrough. Cash For Broke-Ass Kansas Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announces $63M for unemployment relief KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An additional $63 million in relief funding is on the way for Kansans who lost their job during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. "I appreciate the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its quick response to my administration's application," Kelly said Tuesday, "and for making these funds available to those who need them throughout our state and nation. Social Media Rolls With New Hotness Trend Women on TikTok are dancing with their bellies on show to promote body positivity Young female influencers on TikTok are dancing with their bellies on show to promote body positivity. The trend was begun by Lizzy Khang, 341,000 followers, whose video has now been viewed 15.9 million times. Carolina Gurdian, 192,000 followers, then decided to make her own version, creating a duet video with Khang. Veep Leads Prez Trump Biden leads in six 2020 swing states as Trump sees no convention bounce, CNBC/Change Research poll finds Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump in six 2020 swing states, as the Republican National Convention changed little in the race for the White House, according to a new CNBC/Change Research poll. Across Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the former vice president holds a 49% to 45% edge over the Republican incumbent, the survey released Wednesday found. JOURNALISM!?!? The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg says anonymous sources are 'not good enough' Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic and the journalist responsible for the "bombshell" report that President Trump disparaged America's war dead, conceded that anonymous sources were "not good enough" in reporting such as his. "I share that view that it's not good enough. Potential Prez Trump Honor For Peace Sparks Outrage Twitter explodes over Trump Nobel Peace Prize nomination: 'This is going to be glorious' President Trump Donald John Trump Trump-backed candidate wins NH GOP Senate primary to take on Shaheen Trump, supporters gather without masks in NC despite request from local GOP official Trump-backed candidate wins NH GOP primary to take on Pappas MORE 's Nobel Peace Prize nomination created shockwaves on social media, with conservatives hailing it and liberals railing against it on Wednesday morning. Cure Takes Break Dr. Fauci says pause on trial is 'not uncommon at all' after major coronavirus vaccine trial placed on hold White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday it's "not uncommon" that AstraZeneca is holding up its coronavirus vaccine trial for a safety review, but the "serious adverse event" with one of the participants is unfortunate. On Tuesday, AstraZeneca said it paused its phase three trial for a potential Covid-19 vaccine, called AZD1222, due to safety concerns. Internets Ignores Human Rights Calls to #BoycottMulan grow even as the Disney movie enjoys a successful streaming launch Originally intended to be the latest in Walt Disney's long line of successful animated-to-live-action blockbusters, Niki Caro's reimagined version of Mulan is instead a test case for a whole new model of Mouse House distribution. Get Well Soon Paleta Man!!! Northeast street vendor on the road to recovery after robbery Abby Hoover Managing Editor When beloved Northeast street vendor Roberto Govea was shot and robbed near Scarritt and Oakley on the evening of Wednesday, July 8, the community was in shock that someone would target such a caring and hardworking individual. When the shock wore off however, friends and family sprang into action. Meth Town Moment Of Cuteness Independence officer helps wrangle 2 roaming ponies Indpendence police SOURCE: Independence police A school resource officer helped wrangle two roaming ponies Tuesday.Independence police said they received a call about two lost ponies outside an elementary school.School Resource Officer Desiree Abraham corralled them and brought them back to their owner. A school resource officer helped wrangle two roaming ponies Tuesday. Kansas City Pumpkin Spice Season Continues Unseasonably cold with scattered showers and thunderstorms Scattered showers and thunderstorms today and tonight Temperatures stay steady, mostly in the 50s Best chances of widespread rain will be Thursday and Friday, still could be dry for the Chiefs KANSAS CITY'S MOST ACCURATE FORECAST Tuesday: Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms, unseasonably cold. Wind: N-NE 10-25 mph. Inspired by the, thisupdate shares a peek at pop culture, community news and some of the top headlines commanding our attention right now.Take a peek . . .is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . by Shafique Khokhar The 37-year-old man is accused of sending offensive messages about Islam on his Muslim boss's mobile phone. His boss was pressuring him to convert to Islam. Faced with a refusal, the employee was accused of blasphemy. Confessions extracted with beatings and arrests. Blogger: Is the blasphemy law a good law for humanity? Lahore (AsiaNews) 37-year-old father of four Asif Pervaiz was sentenced to death yesterday for blasphemy. According to the prosecution, he sent offensive texts about Islam the Koran and Muhammad on a mobile phone. According to the defence, the charge is an act of revenge by Asif's employer. The accuser is Saeed Ahmed Khokhar, a Muslim, owner of a hosiery manufacturing company who filed a complaint on 2 October 2013. Ahmed confirmed to the police that he had been receiving abusive messages on his mobile phone for several days. In his defense, Asif Pervaiz said it all happened after he decided to quit his job in the hosiery company because his supervisor, Muhammad Saeed Khokhar, tried to convert him to Islam. Faced with his resistance and refusal to change his religion, Asif was accused of sending blasphemous messages about Islam to his boss. Muhammad Saeed Khokhar denied pressure to convert Asif. The Lahore court ruled that Asif did not offer enough evidence for his innocence and as there was enough material to charge him, he was sentenced to death. Asif's lawyer, Saif-ul-Malook, explained that the court sentenced Asif even though there was no "evidence" implicating him personally. Asif will appeal against the sentence. Commenting on the verdict, blogger Haroon Malik, who was a policeman in Punjab, said that "threatening religious minorities for vested interests under the umbrella of blasphemy laws is not good at all as per the teaching of Holy Book and this is not a sensible move according to the law as well. The strict laws which do not allow human being for repentance or there is no room for forgiveness, we must think about these laws whether this is good for humanity or not?". Unfortunately - he added - this law will require more blood in future as well, more people will be trapped into the false or true charges of blasphemy, but need of the hour is to have mercy in hearts Muslims so that we could make a peaceful society?. Asif's lawyer recalled that his client has lived in prison since 2013. When Pervaiz learned of the blasphemy charge against him, he fled and went into hiding. To catch him, the police arrested several of Asif's family members, including his two brothers-in-law and his mother Naseem Akhtar. She said Asif's friend, Waseem Anwar, was beaten by police until he revealed Asif's hiding place. The accused was arrested on 10 October 2013 and held in prison until trial. President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday stated that the fact that the school year will start during the electoral campaign "it's not such a bad thing," because every mayor "has the ambition to be able to solve the school problems." "In thousands and thousands of schools in Romania the principals, the professors, the board of directors, the local authorities have worked on problems and solved them, and most children will be able to go to schools, everything is ready and things will work out. Of course, it's unfortunate that there are also exceptions, the same as in every year because we are not there where we want to be yet, and I hope we will be after implementing the "Educated Romania" programme," so there are unsolved cases, which can be solved, however, and I saw that not only the central authorities but the local authorities too got very involved in this. Maybe the fact that the school starts during the electoral campaign is not such a bad thing after all, for every mayor has the ambition to show that it can solve problems and the problems of schools, which is a good thing," Iohannis told a press conference held at the Cotroceni Palace.He added that he was positive that, in the coming days, solutions will be fund to those problems that haven't been solved yet."The central authorities too will get involved, if possible, because here it's not possible, to solve the problems of each school in every community. The problems are best solved where they appear," said Iohannis. President Donald Trump hinted Monday that the U.S. could approve a coronanvirus vaccine in October, ahead of the November election, as Joe Biden demanded transparency from the government as it studies the shots. This couldve taken two or three years, and instead its going to be -- going to be done in a very short period of time," Trump said during a news conference in which he criticized Biden for his skepticism that the FDA is operating free of political pressure. Could even have it during the month of October," Trump added, calling Bidens doubts political lies." Many public health officials and scientists have expressed concerns that the Food and Drug Administration is under pressure from the White House to approve a vaccine before Trump faces re-election on Nov. 3. Americans may be unwilling to receive a shot if they believe it was rushed to market based on the campaign timetable. The vaccine will be very safe and very effective," the president said Monday. And itll be delivered very soon. Now, you could -- you could have a very big surprise coming up." Before Trumps news conference, Biden said he would heed the advice of scientists about whether to get a coronavirus vaccine if one were to become available before Novembers presidential election. Id want to see what the scientists said," he told reporters Monday outside a supporters home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Asked if he would trust Anthony Fauci and the Food and Drug Administration, Biden redirected, saying hed want full transparency on a vaccine." Biden has previously expressed concern about President Donald Trump and political appointees pushing for the premature approval of a vaccine in hopes of boosting his re-election chances. Hes undermining public confidence," Biden said of Trump. Trump fired back during news conference on Monday. Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, should immediately apologize for the reckless anti-vaccine rhetoric that theyre talking right now, talking about endangering lives, and it undermines science." Biden said he worries Trumps behavior will damage public confidence if theres an effective vaccine. One of the problems with the way hes playing with politics is hes said so many things that arent true Im worried if we do have a really good vaccine, people are going to be reluctant to take it," he said. Biden also said hed want an effective vaccine no matter the electoral consequences. If I could get a vaccine tomorrow Id do it," he said. If it cost me the election Id do it. We need a vaccine and we need it now." Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Amid the impact of COVID-19, as many as 10,400 businesses completed procedures for dissolution in the first eight months of the year. The General Statistics Office (GSO) has reported that 34,300 businesses registered to suspend their operation for a definite time, while 24,200 businesses stopped operations. All the figures were higher than the same period last year. The 10,400 dissolved businesses operated in the fields of wholesale and retail, car and motorbike repair, processing and manufacturing, construction, technology, real estate, accommodations and food service. A recent survey by the Private Economic Development Research Committee under the Prime Ministers Administrative Procedure Reform Advisory Council found that only 3 percent of businesses were unhurt by Covid-19. The businesses which had to be dissolved accounted for 2 percent of surveyed businesses, and the businesses which had to suspend operation temporarily accounted for 20 percent. At least 75 percent of businesses maintained operation, but the receipts were smaller then expenditures. Also according to the committee, 81 percent of businesses said the biggest problem was the lack of orders for the next six months. At least 72 percent of businesses said they did not have money to pay workers, social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and trade union fees. They also lacked money to pay bank loan interest, buy materials, and lease storehouses, workshops and offices. At least 72 percent of businesses said they did not have money to pay workers, social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and trade union fees. They also lacked money to pay bank loan interest, buy materials, and lease storehouses, workshops and offices. Since the epidemic outbreak, the footwear industry has not found alternative products to make. Textile and garment companies have shifted to make face masks and protective clothing, but there now are very few orders. Travel firms have become paralyzed. The industrial production index has been on the decrease over the last months. Industrial production grew by 2.71 percent in H1, but only increased by 2.6 percent in the first seven months and 2.2 percent in the first 8 months compared with the same periods last year. Challenging period Economists believe that from now to the end of the year will be an important period which will determine the survival of many businesses. Vietnam is an open economy with import/export turnover of $520 billion a year, which is double its GDP. If its big economic partners such as the US, EU, Japan and South Korea are still struggling to fight the pandemic, the demand will continue to be weak. As Vietnams businesses cannot get new orders for export, the number of redundant workers will continue to increase. Noi dung In the worst scenario drawn up by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the number of businesses suffering from the pandemic could reach 70 percent in the time to come, and 60,000-70,000 jobs would be lost each month. It is estimated that 3.5-5 million workers may be suspended. Nguyen Van, deputy chair of the Hanoi Association for Supporting Industries, said the most important thing that needs to be done now is to keep businesses alive. According to Steven Bui from the Vietnam-ROK Entrepreneur Association, many enterprises have incurred losses, and scaled down and laid off workers, but still have not received support from the state. The Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM) has predicted that the world economy will fully recover no sooner than 2022. Tran Thuy Why are so many businesses appealing for help from the PM? Businesses and citizens appeal to the Prime Minister for help as a last resort. However, should this be done? While the world is waiting desperately for a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has already killed more than 880,000 people, the hunt for an effective and safe vaccine must not be rushed. The federal government has placed most faith in a promising vaccine, one of the first to go to stage three clinical trials, being developed by Oxford University in Britain with drug company AstraZeneca. Proclaiming a day of hope, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced last month he had signed a memorandum of understanding on acquiring the drug and last week a deal was struck with local manufacturer CSL to produce it here. Yet, on Tuesday, AstraZeneca announced it was pausing the trial because of a safety issue related to an adverse event. This might seem like a setback but it is actually common in such trials and should inspire confidence that the vaccine is being subjected to rigorous scrutiny both for its effectiveness and for any possible side effects. Only about 20 per cent of candidate vaccines typically pass the final stage of trials on tens of thousands of real patients outside the laboratory. D onald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize after helping broker a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Right-wing Norwegian politician Christian Tybring-Gjedde put the US president forward for a nomination, he revealed on Wednesday. He told Fox News that it relates to the "historic peace agreement" between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. "For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees," he said. TODO: define component type apester In his nomination letter, Mr Tybring-Gjedde said the Trump administration played a critical role in the establishment of relations between Israel and the UAE. Donald Trump visits India - In pictures 1 /70 Donald Trump visits India - In pictures US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump offer floral respects at Raj Ghat, the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi, in New Delhi, India AP US First Lady Melania Trump sits in a classroom with teachers and students during her visit at Sarvodaya Co-Ed Senior Secondary Schoo AFP via Getty Images Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hand with U.S. President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump, second left, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, right, and his wife Savita Kovind standing beside them during a ceremonial welcome for Trump at the Indian Presidential Palace in New Delhi, India AP AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a wreath laying ceremony at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Raj Ghat in New Delhi, India Reuters US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a wreath laying ceremony at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Raj Ghat in New Delhi, India Reuters US President Donald Trump sprays flower petals during a wreath laying ceremony at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Raj Ghat in New Delhi, India Reuters US President Donald Trump shake hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi next to U.S. first lady Melania Trump ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India Reuters US first lady Melania Trump is welcomed by children at a school in New Delhi, during a visit of U.S. President Donald Trump in India Reuters US President Donald Trump walks after inspecting guard of honour during his ceremonial reception at the forecourt of India's Rashtrapati Bhavan Presidential Palace in New Delhi, India Reuters US First Lady Melania Trump sits in a classroom with students during her visit at Sarvodaya Co-Ed Senior Secondary School, in New DelhI AFP via Getty Images US First Lady Melania Trump greets in a classroom with teachers and students during her visit at Sarvodaya Co-Ed Senior Secondary School, in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump walks to inspect guard of honour during his ceremonial reception at the forecourt of India's Rashtrapati Bhavan Presidential Palace in New Delhi, India Reuters US First Lady Melania Trump holds flowers as she arrives at Sarvodaya Co-Ed Senior Secondary School, in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images White House senior advisor Ivanka Trump arrives for a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan - The Presidential Palace in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pay tribute at Raj Ghat, the memorial for Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi, in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a wreath laying ceremony at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Raj Ghat in New Delhi, India Reuters US first lady Melania Trump sprays flower petals during a wreath laying ceremony at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Raj Ghat in New Delhi Reuters India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R), US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pose before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump sprays flower petals to pay tribute at Raj Ghat, the memorial for Indian independence icon Mahatma GandhI AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump receives a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, in New Delhi, India, AP US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pose as they visit the Taj Mahal in Agra AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon their arrival at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. AFP via Getty Images People fill the stands at Sardar Patel stadium AP US President Donald Trump (C), First Lady Melania Trump (R) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive to attend 'Namaste Trump' rally at Sardar Patel Stadium i AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump attends a welcoming ceremony as he arrives at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad Reuters Indians hold masks of US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cheer as they attend the Namaste Trump event at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, AP US President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tour Gandhi Ashram AP US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump disembark from Air Force One at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport AFP via Getty Images People gather beside a street as a motorcade transporting US President Donald Trump makes its way in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stand during the national anthem during a "Namaste Trump," event at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium AP India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi embraces US President Donald Trump upon his arrival at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport AFP via Getty Images India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during 'Namaste Trump' rally at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive to attend 'Namaste Trump' rally at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stand during the national anthem during a "Namaste Trump," event at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium AP US President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump, look at gift from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as they tour Gandhi Ashram AP A protestor shouts slogans after being detained by police during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump during his India visit in Hyderabad AP Police personnel detain an activist of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) during a protest against US President Donald Trump's visit to India in Hyderabad AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, look at a Charkha, or a spinning wheel, during a tour of Gandhi Ashram AP People sit on the stands at a "Namaste Trump" event, during Trump's visit to India, at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium Reuters US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during a "Namaste Trump," event at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, AP US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump talk to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after arriving at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International airport Reuters AP Reuters Reuters AP Reuters AP AP AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images Reuters AFP via Getty Images He wrote: As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity." The politician also said Mr Trump played a key role in facilitating contact between conflicting parties and creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan, and the conflict between North and South Korea, as well as dealing with the nuclear capabilities of North Korea. REUTERS He also praised the president for withdrawing troops from the Middle East. Indeed, Trump has broken a 39-year-old streak of American Presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict," he wrote. "The last president to avoid doing so was Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter." A nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize may be submitted by anybody who meets the nomination criteria. A person is eligible to nominate another if they are a members of national assemblies, national governments, a previous prize winner or university professors among others. In 2020, there were 318 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, of which 211 were individuals and 107 organisations. This is also not Mr Trumps first nomination. He was previously nominated in 2018 but did not win. Mr Tybring-Gjedde put him forward for the prize along with Per-Willy Amundsen - another Progress Party politician. Loading.... It came after the presidents Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un. One of four persons accused of raping a 46-year-old Sadhvi at her ashram late on Monday night in Jharkhands Godda district has been arrested on Tuesday, while a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted to nab the other three accused, police said. The arrested accused was identified as Deepak Rana (22), who, police claimed, confessed to his crime. An FIR was lodged against four persons, including two unidentified men, who reportedly barged into the ashram to commit the crime, on basis of the complaint filed by the Sadhvi at Mufassil police station. Godda superintendent of police YS Ramesh said, Detailed investigation is on in the case. All forensic evidence has been collected and a special forensic team has been called in, he said. Officer in-charge of Mufassil police station, Jyotish Jaiswal, said the rape survivor, in her complaint, said that four persons, including Deepak Rana and one Ashish Rana, barged into the Ashram at around 2.15am. The Sadhvi alleged that she was dragged out of her room and was threatened with murder before Deepak and Ashish raped her. Also Read: West Bengal: Two minor sisters gangraped; one kills herself, another hospitalised after attempt to do so The ashram, located in Godda district, is said to be spread over four acres of land and six people including five women and a man reside there. The lone male member at the ashram, said, Four armed men entered the ashram on Monday night. When I tried to stop them, they beat me and locked me up in a room. They also locked four other sadhvis in separate rooms. We also took the victim into our room. But, they dragged her out and locked me from outside. Also Read: 86-year-old raped by plumber in Delhi, man arrested from spot He said the victim woman hailed from Dhanbad, but she lived in Varanasi. She had come to the ashram in February for preaching. However, she could not return to Varanasi due to the lockdown, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dissident demand for 100% control of the Board rebuffed, so shareholder group holding only ~7.9% of Company's shares lowers its demand to "only" 60% of the Board seats Offer for Duke Fu to join a reconstituted Board still outstanding LAS VEGAS, Sept. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Australis Capital Inc. (CSE: AUSA) (OTC: AUSAF) ("AUSA" or the "Company") today announced that the Concerned Shareholders made a presentation to the Company last week with respect to their proposed plans for the Company, including its Board composition. At the conclusion of the presentation, AUSA received an ultimatum from the Concerned Shareholders and has sent them the following letter in response: To the Concerned Shareholders, For the past few weeks, your group has issued a series of press releases, calling for change at Australis. These press releases are riddled with inaccuracies and paint an extremely one-sided picture. As we discussed, the Passport transaction was not well received and was not consummated. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but at all times the Board of Directors and, where appropriate, its Independent Committee, have acted in the best interests of the Company after considering the interests of all stakeholders. As you are well aware, the Independent Committee of the Board has been busy setting the Australis house in order. In the past few weeks, Australis has transformed itself from a company attempting to get into the financial services business and has returned to its roots as a US cannabis business. As is the case with almost all cannabis companies AUSA's share price is down. However, we strongly believe in the opportunity that US cannabis presents, and we intend to pursue it to the best of our abilities. We will more fully detail our US cannabis plan in our proxy circular, which will be published in advance of the annual general and special meeting. We invited you to meet with us and committed to doing so with an open mind. We also publicly and privately asked that you do the same so that we might reach an outcome that is in the best interest of the Company and maximizes value for shareholders. While I applaud your group's decision to meet with us last Friday, September 4, 2020 it's unfortunate that you chose not to do so in good faith. While some members of your group have at times made a number of valid points and continued to do so on Friday, other members of your group and your public communications have continued to demonstrate a propensity to fabricate and obfuscate. These continued actions call into question the Concerned Shareholder's true intentions with Australis and your collective commitment to reaching an outcome that is in the interests of all stakeholders. For example: The Concerned Shareholders have repeatedly claimed that the current Board is unwilling to meet with them. This is demonstrably false. Independent members of the Australis Board met in person with Terry Booth and Roger Sykes on two separate occasions and have held numerous calls with the Concerned Shareholders' attorney on their behalf. Personally, I have spent many hours on the phone with Concerned shareholder member Duke Fu and, as a large individual shareholder, we have offered Mr. Fu a position on the Australis Board of directors, and a C-level position in the Company both of which have gone unanswered. Your group claimed that it wanted to engage in negotiations. In press releases, your group has demanded a wholesale change in the Board. In fact, in our conversation this past Friday, your group demanded that the Australis Board simply walk away from their fiduciary duty to protect the interests of the Company and its shareholders and hand over 100% control to your group, which has not been elected by any shareholders. An impartial observer would hardly consider this a desire to engage in constructive negotiations and would reasonably conclude that this was a grab for the corporate reins, without any shareholder consideration. Generally speaking, one has to pay a control premium to gain control of a company. At various points, your group has claimed significant support from Australis' shareholder base, but your group's continued actions suggest that this is far from the case. When pressed on Friday, your group dropped its demands to change the Board wholesale, and offered a simple 3-2 majority, where your group would retain majority control of the Board essentially no concession. Obviously, if there was widespread support for your group among the shareholder base, there would be no need for discussions or negotiations. I remind you that your group has stated that it controls the voting over approximately 7.9% of the Company's outstanding shares. How one would conclude that this holding should entitle your group to 60% of the Board seats is baffling. Your position is all the more outlandish given your admission on Friday that you do not have a plan you are willing to share yet, nor have you presented one to the shareholders that your group has spoken to. This is a time for serious people to come together to deliver a reasoned solution and clear path to value creation for all shareholders. There is one thing that we all agree upon, and that is that Australis should be in the US Cannabis business. But how that should happen and who should guide Australis is the main difference between us. Your group, including Terry Booth and Roger Sykes, has put forth a board slate that is chock full of former Aurora insiders with extremely limited experience in US cannabis. When one looks at the history of Aurora, with its history of mismanagement, slipshod acquisitions, and the largest write down in the history of cannabis it is clear that shareholders of this Company cannot afford another regime headed by Mr. Booth and his yes men. Creating a $1 billon company with $4 billion of investors' money is nothing to be proud of - and nothing the investors in Australis should want to be involved with. Our newer shareholders may not be aware that Australis was birthed out of Aurora, and many of the original sins of Australis can be traced directly to Mr. Booth as the architect of Australis. He picked the CEO he was recently complaining about, he largely installed the Board he now wants to remove, and he absolutely refuses to take any responsibility for any of the deals he recommended to Australis - nor Aurora's continued destruction of shareholder value. We seriously doubt that the write down taken by Aurora today which could approach ~ $2 billion will even be acknowledged by Mr. Booth or his team of yes men. While we are bound by an NDA regarding the actual board members that your group would like to put forth, needless to say, we are not impressed, nor do their track records suggest we should be. The three candidates ultimately put forward by your group have a track record of capital destruction across multiple companies. In our proxy circular, the Company will demonstrate what a proper board for a US cannabis company looks like, while articulating a strategy to generate significant shareholder value through operational excellence - not hype, press releases and deal after deal. Capital is not free no matter what the Concerned Shareholders might think. It is not 2013 again. It is a time to cut all ties with Aurora - both past and present - and time to start focusing the company resources where they belong - in the US market. It is a time for serious people, with reasoned solutions and a clear path to value creation. It is time for dedicated, impartial leaders who actually understand the US cannabis market to lead. Australis remains ready to work with anyone who meets these simple criteria and who can further the interests of the Company and its shareholders. Your group needs to determine if it wants to continue to be part of the problem or a constructive part of the solution. If it's the latter, you'll continue to find a willing partner on the other side of the table. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Harry DeMott, Director, Australis Capital Inc. About Australis Capital Inc. AUSA invests in, operates and builds differentiated companies primarily in the cannabis industry. AUSA focuses on significant near and mid-term opportunities with strong return potentials. AUSA's assets include Cocoon Technology, a cloud-based, self-service point of sale kiosk designed for cannabis dispensaries and other highly-regulated industries. The purpose-built platform features data analytics, privacy, security and regulatory compliance to drive enhanced consumer experience and generate incremental revenue for dispensary owners. AUSA's assets also include Body and Mind Inc., Quality Green, and Folium Biosciences. The Company's Common shares trade on the CSE under the symbol "AUSA" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "AUSAF". For further information about AUSA, please visit the website at ausa-corp.com or contact the Company by e-mail at [email protected]. Forward-Looking Information Statement This news release contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company's management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information, events, results, circumstances or otherwise after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law including securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities. The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Australis Capital Inc. Related Links www.ausa-corp.com Guangzhou, September 9, 2020: New journal BIO Integration (BIOI) publishes its second issue, volume 1, issue 2. BIOI is a peer-reviewed, open access, international journal, which is dedicated to spreading multidisciplinary views driving the advancement of modern medicine. Aimed at bridging the gap between the laboratory, clinic, and biotechnology industries, it will offer a cross-disciplinary platform devoted to communicating advances in the biomedical research field and offering insights into different areas of life science, in order to encourage cooperation and exchange among scientists, clinical researchers, and health care providers. Featured papers in this issue: The first featured article in this issue is an original research article entitled "Automated Stage Discrimination of Parkinson's Disease" by authors Vered Aharonson, Nabeel Seedat, Simon Israeli-Korn, Sharon Hassin-Baer, Michiel Postema and Gilad Yahalom. A device has been available since 2017 that successfully detects Parkinson's Disease (PD) and operates for people who cannot walk without support. In this study, the suitability of this device for automated discrimination of PD stages was tested. Walking trajectory, velocity, acceleration and force were automatically recorded by the device throughout testing. Correlations were established between these results, additional spatiotemporal quantities, disease duration, L-dihydroxyphenylalanine-(L-DOPA) dose, motor fluctuation, dyskinesia and the mobile part of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). The second featured article in this issue is a case report entitled "Drug-induced Interstitial Lung Disease in Breast Cancer Patients: A Lesson We Should Learn From Multi-Disciplinary Integration" by Zijun Zhao, Zhanghai He, Hongyan Huang, Jiewen Chen, Shishi He, Ailifeire Yilihamu and Yan Nie. Taxanes represented by paclitaxel and targeted therapy including trastuzumab are two common agents for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2)-positive breast cancer patients. Effectiveness, however, usually comes at the cost of many side effects such as drug-induced interstitial lung diseases (DILDs). Through case studies, and reference to related studies in medical databases, the authors discuss how multi-disciplinary integration of clinical practice and pharmacological mechanisms can make anti-cancer agents less harmful and reduce the incidence of DILD in breast cancer patients during systemic therapy. The third featured article in this issue is an opinion article entitled "Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Management during COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences and Strategies Used by a Singapore Breast Surgical Unit" by Chi Wei Mok, Yert Li Melissa Seet, and Su-Ming Tan. The authors describe the challenges faced and measures adopted by the division during the pandemic in multidisciplinary management of non-COVID breast cancer patients providing insights to serve as a guide for physicians in similar settings who are managing breast cancer patients amidst the pandemic. ### Other articles published in the issue include: Review Article Enhancing Chemotherapy by RNA Interferenc Shuwen Cao, Chunhao Lin, Shunung Liang, Chee Hwee Tan, Phei Er Saw and Xiaoding Xu Commentary Modelling Atrial Arrhythmia In vitro Using Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Atrial Cardiomyocytes in Three-dimensional Culture (http://ow.ly/AW8v30r8Lhj) Yuexin Yu, KokLeng Tan, Bakiah Shaharuddin, Zhikun Guo and Jun Jie Tan News and Views BIOI Virtual Academic Series Part 1: Multidisciplinary Integration in Academia (http://ow.ly/15tM30r8LoN) Phei Er Saw BIO Integration is a fully open access journal which will allow for the rapid dissemination of multidisciplinary views driving the progress of modern medicine. As part of its mandate to help bring interesting work and knowledge from around the world to a wider audience, BIOI will actively support authors through open access publishing and through waiving author fees in its first years. Also, publication support for authors whose first language is not English will be offered in areas such as manuscript development, English language editing and artwork assistance. BIOI is now open for submissions; articles can be submitted online at https://mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/bioi Please visit http://www.bio-integration.org to learn more about the journal. Editorial Board: https://bio-integration.org/editorial-board/ BIOI is available on the IngentaConnect platform and at the BIO Integration website. Submissions may be made using Scholar One. There are no author submission or article processing fees. Follow BIOI on Twitter @JournalBio; Facebook and LinkedIn. ISSN 2712-0074 eISSN 2712-0082 Zhong Shanshan, the chairman of Nongfu Spring Company, attends the Nongfu Spring new product launch conference on February 1, 2015 in Baishan, Jilin Province of China. BEIJING The public offering of a bottled water giant has propelled its founder into the ranks of the three richest people in China, thanks to an ownership structure that reflects some potential risks of investing in Chinese companies. Nongfu Spring, which claims the top spot in China's packaged drinking water market, raised about $1.1 billion in its initial public offering in Hong Kong on Tuesday, marking one of the largest IPOs for the stock exchange so far this year. Shares briefly surged 85% from the offering price to open at 39.80 Hong Kong dollars ($5.14) before closing about 53.9% higher at 33.10 Hong Kong dollars ($4.27) a share. The stock traded about 2.5% higher on Wednesday. With 84.4% ownership of Nongfu Spring, founder Zhong Shanshan saw his wealth balloon on paper. Zhong had a total net worth on Tuesday morning of about $59 billion, based on a price of 39.20 Hong Kong dollars per share and counting his other holdings, according to Forbes. At that level, Zhong was temporarily the richest man in China, topping the $57 billion of Tencent's Pony Ma and $51 billion net worth of Alibaba founder Jack Ma, per Forbes analysis. Zhong was on track to be the third richest man in the country ahead of the IPO, according to Wind Information. The flip side of Zhong's massive wealth is that public holdings of Nongfu account for less than 4%, according to the company's prospectus. "In view of the high concentration of shareholding in a small number of Shareholders, Shareholders and prospective investors should be aware that the price of the Shares could move substantially even with a small number of Shares traded, and should exercise extreme caution when dealing in the Shares," the company warned in a filing. Press Release September 9, 2020 Drilon fears P16.4-B allocation for anti-communist task force can be used for 2022 election The minority leader warns that post-enactment identification of projects is unconstitutional pursuant to the Supreme Court ruling on PDAF case Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon did not mince words as he questioned the allocation of P16.4 billion for the Barangay Development Program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) created under the Office of the President supposedly to fight insurgency, saying that the funds can be used for 2022 elections. "Let's be candid. Next year is an election year and here is a secretariat who will be playing God to the requests of the barangays. When you have a system like this, it can be clearly used for political purposes especially that 2021 is an election year," Drilon said during the Development Budget Coordinating Committee (DBCC) briefing on the proposed P4.5-trillion 2021 budget on Wednesday. "I call a spade a spade. I am being candid with you. I am not new in this bureaucracy. When you have an office, not a regular line agency but just somebody or a task force, who will be approving and disapproving the requests of barangays barangay, you can imagine the political favors that can be done out of this system," Drilon stressed. "Are we saying that communist insurgency will be a bigger threat than our unemployment Is the communist insurgency a bigger threat than our high unemployment, the loss of jobs of our OFWs, the shutdown of our entire tourism industry and the closure of tens of thousands of small businesses?" Drilon asked. Drilon pointed out that the P16.4 billion lodged under a task force, not even a line agency, is bigger than the budget of the Department of Labor and Employment of P15.9 billion, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration's P7.4 billion budget, the Department of Tourism's P3.5 billion, and the Department of Trade and Industry's P5.5 billion budget. Under the provisions of the 2021 national expenditures program, the P16.4 shall be used for the implementation of various support programs of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for the cleared barangays as certified by the NTF-ELCAC. The proposed appropriation law provides that each cleared barangay shall be allocated with an amount not exceeding P20 million to be used for farm-to-market road; school building; water and sanitation system; health stations; electrification; agricultural, livelihood and technical vocational trainings/projects; and assistance to indigent individual or families in any of the following forms of assistance: (a) medical; (b) burial; (c) transportation; (d) food; (e) cash for work; and (f) educational. Drilon told Budget Secretary Wendell Avisado that the functions can be very well performed by different line agencies. "If a barangay would need a farm-to-market road, why can they not go to DPWH? Why do we need to create a new bureaucracy when this can be handled by different line agencies?" he added. Drilon said such a decision to create a new layer of bureaucracy unnecessarily bloats the budget for personnel. He pointed out that the 2021 budget for personnel services (PS) has steadily been increasing in the past years, and stands at P1.1trillion in 2021. This is disproportionately increasing aass against the budget for capital outlays, which only accounts for P1.1 trillion. In a separate statement, the minority leader warned that post-enactment identification of projects is unconstitutional pursuant to the Supreme Court rulings on PDAF or priority development assistance fund. "The DBM must already identify the barangays that stand to benefit and submit the list to Congress prior to the approval of the 2021 General Appropriations Act. We cannot approve this lumpsum appropriation as it violates the principle of transparency in the budget. Post-identification of projects is unconstitutional," he stressed. The proposed legislation introduced on Wednesday in Parliament could unravel protections previously agreed upon by Britain and Europe to safeguard peace in Northern Ireland. The bill would allow Britain to forgo requirements for inspections and paperwork for goods shipped across the Irish Sea from Northern Ireland to other parts of the United Kingdom. It would also allow Britain to set its own rules for providing targeted state aid to economic sectors in Northern Ireland, possibly undermining European demands for "level playing fields." Loading The issue of how to manage the border between the Republic of Ireland, which will remain in the European Union, and Northern Ireland, which will leave the EU along with the rest of the United Kingdom, has been one of the most vexing in the long Brexit saga. Downing Street said the legislation, called the Internal Market Bill, is needed to set out trading rules between the United Kingdom and the EU if the two sides do not strike a deal by the end of the year. Johnson, in Parliament on Wednesday, called the bill a "legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations of the protocol which could lead to a border down the Irish Sea." The bill would need to be debated and passed in both houses of Parliament before becoming law. Johnson's Conservative Party holds a comfortable majority in the House of Commons, and he can generally bank on support. But this latest move prompted backlash from within the party. Theresa May, who as Johnson's predecessor exhausted many months trying to secure a Brexit deal, implored in the House of Commons, "How can the government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?" A second former prime minister from Johnson's party, John Major, suggested Britain was selling cheap its hard-won trust. "Our signature on any Treaty or Agreement has been sacrosanct," Major said in a statement. "If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained." Tobias Ellwood, a chair of the defence select committee, said to the BBC on Wednesday, "How can we look at countries such as China in the eye and complain about them breaching international obligations over Hong Kong or indeed Russia with ballistic missile treaties or indeed Iran over the nuclear deal if we go down this road?" The head of the government's legal department, Jonathan Jones, quit his post on Tuesday, reportedly because of concerns over the legislation. Loading The prime minister's spokesman said that the EU withdrawal agreement was not like other treaties and was agreed "at pace," containing "ambiguities" that were always going to need clarification. Anand Menon, a professor of European politics at King's College London, assessed that Downing Street's manoeuvrings were aimed at a specific domestic audience. "They are signalling two things," Menon said. "If there is a no-deal Brexit, Johnson will have been seen to have tried everything he could to stand up for Britain's interests. Even more interestingly, in the event there is a deal that involves a certain amount of concessions made by the prime minister, this actually shields him from accusations of selling out." Rob Ford, a professor of politics at the University of Manchester, said moves by the Johnson administration "sometimes feel like a squid squirting a great pile of ink just to startle its predator. . . . They create a fog of rhetoric that creates a cover for retreating, just as the squid does." He said it is possible Britain could ultimately give ground on key areas in the current divorce talks - fishing rights and state aid are two major sticking points - and "just wanted a big domestic distraction." But, he said, there are consequences. "The cumulative effect is to corrode trust in the administration," he said. "And that's dangerous if you are going to need to negotiate with various other international actors." It's set to return on September 22 after filming for the new season ended last month. And the first official still from The Great British Bake Off was released on Tuesday, and saw judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith as well as co-hosts Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding pose with cake. The comedian, 46, is set to make his debut as presenter after replacing Sandi Toksvig, and he showed off his funny side by balancing a cupcake on his head. Amusing: GBBO co-host Matt Lucas balanced a cupcake on his head with Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith and Noel Fielding in first snap from the new season that was shared on Tuesday Matt looked delighted as he held up a plate of the delectably treats, and posed beside celebrity chef Paul who posed with a chocolate gateaux. Prue, meanwhile, looked chic in a bright blue blazer that she paired with a colourful striped shirt and black jeans as she held up another platter of sweet treats. Noel showed off his eccentric sense of style by posing in an oversized black-and-blue floral print shirt and black skinny jeans. Stylish: In the snap, Prue looked chic in a bright blue blazer that she paired with a colourful striped shirt and black jeans as she held up another platter of sweet treats. IT'S BACK! The first trailer for The Great British Bake Off was released earlier this month Last month, GBBO revealed they had finished filming for the upcoming series by posting a picture of the iconic kitchen to Instagram, they penned: 'Filming has wrapped on the new series of The Great British Bake Off. More news soon...' Filming for the next season began in August at a private location in Essex, just a stone's throw from judge Paul Hollywood's home. Despite being considered a high-risk candidate for coronavirus, his co-host, Judge Prue still presented on this year's show. News: Last month, GBBO revealed they had finished filming for the upcoming series by posting a picture of the iconic kitchen to Instagram Teasers! They penned: 'Filming has wrapped on the new series of The Great British Bake Off. More news soon...' Kelly Webb-Lamb, deputy director of programmes and head of popular factual for Channel 4, recently admitted it was an 'enormous' feat getting the show back on air. She credited stringent health and safety measures, testing and quarantine regimes for the return of the hit baking series. Meanwhile it was previously reported that judge Paul wants to continue using his trademark handshake in the upcoming season, despite fears of spreading coronavirus. At the time, Channel 4 clarified they will follow strict safety protocol so that all parties are free to handshake to their heart's content. Almost time! The official British Bake Off Twitter account also shared the news about the show returning to TV screens, confirming it will start at 8pm on the 22 September Exciting! Filming for the next season began in August at a private location in Essex, just a stone's throw from judge Paul Hollywood's home According to a report in The Sun, Paul was given the green light to handshake cast members as producers believe the show wouldn't be the same without his signature move. To ensure safety at all times, the upcoming season was filmed in an isolation bubble, with all cast and crew members undergoing regular COVID-19 testing. A source said: 'In these strange times, producers want the 2020 series to be as close to normal as possible and they feel that it wouldnt be the same without a Hollywood handshake. 'The judges and hosts and the contestants have all been deemed clear because of the bio-secure bubble and regular testing. Green light: It was recently reported that judge Paul was allowed to use his trademark handshake on the new season, despite fears of spreading coronavirus 'So if the baking is up to scratch, well see some handshakes, and not elbow bumps, being dished out before long.' Paul's handshake is widely regarded as the golden ticket for bakers who aim to meet his high expectations or win Star Baker of the week. The first time that fans witnessed Paul's congratulatory move was in series three of the former BBC show. The program was relaunched on Channel 4 in 2017 and saw him dish out another seven handshakes in just one run. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Railways seal new roles for top officers of restructured railway board As part of its exercise to merge railways services and restructuring the railway board, the Centre has finalised the work allocation of its restructured Railway Board, with the Chairman and CEO in charge of key divisions including safety, human resources, security and infrastructure portfolios. Read more Rhea Chakraborty retracts confession in drugs case, says she was forced by NCB Actor Rhea Chakroborty and her brother Showik have approached the special court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for bail as their pleas were rejected by the Magistrate court on Wednesday. Read more Delhi shatters its record of coronavirus infections with new 4,000 cases, breaches 2-lakh mark Shattering its own record, Delhi on Wednesday recorded highest ever Covid-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, pushing the cumulative tally past the two lakh mark, sparking fears of second wave in the national capital. Read more IPL 2020: Rohit Sharma hits a huge six in practice as ball hits a moving bus; Mumbai Indians share video - WATCH Mumbai Indians are back in practice mode after spending some quality time at the beach in Abu Dhabi and it is captain Rohit Sharma who is leading the charge. In a new video posted by Mumbai Indians, Rohit can be seen practising under lights. Read more Rahul Pandita slams Kangana Ranaut for comparing herself to Kashmiri Pandits after demolition of office: Do not belittle our tragedy Rahul Pandita, journalist and writer of the film Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits, has lashed out at Kangana Ranaut after she likened herself to Kashmiri Pandits. He wrote that she could not comprehend their pain from the demolition of a wall in her office. Read more Manish Malhotras 30 years of Bollywood fashion: Urmila Matondkar, Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and other iconic looks From Urmila Matondkar in Rangeela, to Kareena Kapoors Poo in K3G, to Deepika Padukone in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Manish Malhotra has been the force behind some of the most iconic Bollywood fashion looks in recent times. Heres a look at some of the most iconic ones. Read more Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker Israel-UAE deal | Watch A far-right Norwegian lawmaker said Wednesday that he has nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said Trump should be considered because of his work for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel which opens up for possible peace in the Middle East. Watch the video here SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Greater Manchester Police took part in a mock terror attack in the Manchester Arena just months before the suicide bomb blast in 2017, an inquiry has heard. Despite aiming to learn lessons from Exercise Sherman, which included fatalities in the City Room where 22 victims lost their lives, the force was not aware of the Ariana Grande concert taking place on the night of the attack. Salman Abedi targetted the event, attended by 14,000 fans, and blew himself up as people flooded out of the arena to meet their friends and family. The second day of a public inquiry into the bombing was told of planning and communications issues between Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and British Transport Police (BTP). Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, said BTP had primacy in policing the area because of its proximity to Victoria Station and the investigation would consider whether that affected preparedness for a terror attack. He added: GMP did not know at an organisational level of the Ariana Grande concert and had not made any provision or plan for the concert. On the face of it, that may seem surprising. He said that the force had played a prominent role in training exercises, including Exercise Winchester Accord, at the Trafford Centre in May 2016. Following Isis attacks in Paris the previous November, it included a staged marauding attack by suicide bombers and gunmen. Then in July 2016, Mr Greaney said Exercise Sherman simulated a terror attack in the City Room, the very thing that occurred 10 months later. He added that several issues arose out of the exercises, and to a greater or lesser extent all of these issues arose in some form or another on 22 May. Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on Show all 10 1 /10 Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Flower Festival at St Ann's Church marking the Manchester Arena bombing Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trail in St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Flower Festival at St Ann's Church marking the Manchester Arena bombing Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trail in St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trailin St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trailin St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trailin St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on Embracing Manchester Exhibition at St Ann's Church was created by artist Ghislaine Howard after being inspired by Muslim video blogger Baktash Noori who, after the attack spent days in the city centre trying to win the trust of the public. Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Flower Festival at St Ann's Church marking the Manchester Arena bombing Manchester Bombing Attack: one year on The Trees of Hope trailin St Ann's Square where people are encouraged to leave and share tributes The inquiry was told that GMP had drawn up a contingency plan for Manchester Arena, but BTP was not aware of it and did not maintain its own emergency plan. Mr Greaney said three experts who looked at the policing response to the attack concluded that none of the three levels of BTP command appeared to exert any multi-agency or effective scene command after the bombing. The experts found there was no integration of communications between BTP and GMP officers on the night. Mr Greaney said that BTP declared a major incident but did not communicate this with GMP, adding: The experts observed that this was a significant issue which restricted a shared understanding of the situation. Policing experts described the overall conduct of BTP on 22 May as extremely good and praised the conduct of officers who ran into the City Room to treat victims. One man, who later died, was not evacuated from the scene more than 40 minutes after the explosion and chest compressions only started on him one hour and 15 minutes later. The issue of John Atkinson's survivability is, as we shall explore, a significant issue for the inquiry to consider, Mr Greaney said. Salman Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena (GMP/PA) The inquiry also heard that the first paramedic arrived on scene in the City Room 19 minutes after the blast and was the only one there for the first 40 minutes. Only one stretcher was used during the response, while hundreds of others were carried on crash barriers, makeshift carriers or carried in peoples arms. The fire service, which did have stretchers, only arrived on scene two hours and six minutes after the bomb went off after communication failings highlighted in the previous Kerslake report. Mr Greaney said it was important to acknowledge the huge pressure and the agony of the moment emergency service personnel were working under at the time. The inquiry may in due course conclude that, in behaving as they did, they showed the very best of humanity, acting selflessly and without apparent regard for the dangers they themselves might be in in order to seek to help those who needed it, he added. What we must do is probe deeply, if there were mistakes or failings, they will need to be revealed so the bereaved families know the truth and real lessons are learned. BTP officer Jessica Bullough was the first police officer on the scene and described it as a war zone, with bodies on the floor and blood everywhere. 'It's not national security that's the concern, but national humiliation,' lawyer tells pre-inquest hearing She immediately sent a message on the radio saying it's definitely a bomb, finding nuts and bolts scattered across the scene and repeated requests were made for ambulances and as many resources as possible. But 24 minutes after the blast, a radio message to control showed another officer asking where the ambulances were, and a controller replying: We don't know, we're calling them again. The inquiry previously heard that a member of the public may have alerted PC Bullough, who received the Queen's Police Medal for bravery, to Abedis presence more than half an hour before the detonation. PC Bullough said she did not remember the conversation with a woman who believes she saw him praying, while another couple told a security guard he was acting suspiciously. The husband, identified only as witness A, challenged a man thought to be Abedi and alerted security guards. The inquiry will examine differing accounts given about the warning, and whether a different response could have resulted in mitigating actions that could have reduced the impact of the attack. Sir John Saunders, a retired High Court judge, is leading the probe examining events before, during and after the attack. Opening the inquiry on Monday, he said: If I conclude things went wrong then I shall say so, but we are not looking for scapegoats. We are searching for the truth. In total, 22 victims were killed, 264 people were injured and 710 survivors have reported suffering from psychological trauma. The inquiry continues. Whats a group of students in a classroom called? A petri dish. For all the happy talk from the BC government of reopening schools safely, the elephant in the room is class size. Michael de Adders Sept. 4 editorial cartoon shows a teacher telling a student: I hope you washed your hands. You dont want to spread germs. The classroom door is open, with crammed children spilling out into the hallway. On Sept. 3, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said about social distancing: Two metres is the ideal, we know, for uncontrolled environments, particularly with people we don't know. But one metre is also good if you're with the same group of people you know and see regularly, such as work colleagues, classmates. Henry added: But if we're going to be in rows next to each other, then somewhere in between there is perfectly safe. What? Henrys sudden updated guidance is a significant shift from what she has said since the pandemic began. BCTF President Teri Mooring told BC Today radio host Michele Elliot (Sept. 8): Classrooms are just not places where students sit quietly at desks. Theyre interactive, active spaces where, you know, learning is interactive between students. classrooms of today look really different from long ago. Mooring continued: Schools are one of the few spaces where we dont have those preventive measures in place, and we think they need to be there. In a perfect world, class size would be cut by half, with students attending on alternate days; or attending daily, but only mornings or afternoons. For example, a Grade 4 to 12 class would be limited to 15 students. Either scenario may not be realistic for many working parents of younger children, since they would need to find care when their child is not at school. Many grandparents are already sitters, but when children return to school, it could put grandparents at greater risk. The government should be funding daycare and creating spaces for these children. Any teacher who has an underlying condition or a spouse/partner with an underlying condition (eg. asthma, diabetes) should be allowed to teach online classes only, if that is what they prefer. In her letter to school families and staff, Central Okanagan Board Chairperson Moyra Baxter said masks will be required for staff, and middle/secondary students. Not elementary students. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than half a million children in the US have been diagnosed with COVID-19 a 16% increase in the last two weeks. When Dr. William Haseltine (former Professor at Harvard Medical School and the School of Public Health) was asked: What do you expect the number to be two weeks from now? he replied: Theyll be higher, and theyll be still higher many weeks from now, as kids go back to school. Thats really an unfortunate situation, but its going to happen. Dr. Jonathan Reiner (George Washington University) said when students return to school, all bets are off. David Buckna, Kelowna OTTAWACanadians living well below the low-income threshold had fallen further behind in the years prior to COVID-19, based on updated poverty figures that experts say might get worse because of the pandemic. The figures from Statistics Canada show the average poverty gap, which measures how far people on average fall below the official poverty line, grew from 31.8 per cent in 2015 to 33.4 per cent in 2018. Though during the same period, the percentage of people living the furthest beneath the poverty line, defined as earning 75 per cent below the marker, declined from 7.4 per cent to 5.4 per cent. The figures are different from those released earlier this year, after Statistics Canada updated how it calculated the poverty threshold. The measure calculates the minimum a person or family would have to earn to afford a basket of goods and services needed to reach a modest or basic living standard. Until recently, it did not include the cost of wireless services. The agency says its recalculated figures suggest fewer people in Canada are living on low incomes, but those still in poverty have not seen their situations improve. Experts say the pandemic could widen the poverty gap this year, and that overall poverty rates are also rising, despite a massive influx of government benefits meant to replace earnings for those whose incomes disappeared from lost jobs, hours or business. Federal spending on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit has topped $72.5 billion since April, and $33.7 billion through a wage subsidy program to eligible businesses. The Bank of Canada said Wednesday as part of a scheduled rate announcement that the fiscal measures had helped with a faster-than-expected bounceback in activity in the third quarter. It also warned of indicators that point to a slow and choppy recovery. That includes an uneven rebound in employment, and subdued business confidence, hinting at what bank governor Tiff Macklem might say Thursday in a speech focused on the uneven effects the pandemic has had on people and sectors. Garima Talwar Kapoor, director of policy and research at the charitable foundation Maytree, said the federal measures focused on preventing people who had some labour market attachment from falling into poverty. Where our measures have fallen short has been in focusing on people who live in poverty, whether theyve had labour attachment or not, she said. She also noted how the experience of poverty during the pandemic may change, with noted increases in the number of people using food banks because they have a hard time paying for food or rent known as food or housing insecurity. Poverty rates are likely to go up this year as a result of COVID-19, which has caused a historic drop in Canadas labour market that is still 1.1 million jobs short of pre-pandemic levels. There is no doubt the COVID-19 job losses will spike poverty rates, said David Macdonald, a senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, noting official numbers for this year wont be available until 2022. I think history will show that the CERB has been an important bulwark against a much worse impact on poverty rates in these unprecedented times. The Trudeau Liberals expect some four million people to require help once the CERB winds down starting next month, with the majority moving to an expanded employment insurance program and the rest on a new recovery benefit. The upcoming CERB-to-EI switchover could further impact poverty rates as we close out 2020, Macdonald said. If it goes well, families could be kept out of worsening poverty. If it doesnt, people will fall through the safety nets and into poverty. Sir John Major today took aim at Boris Johnson's plans to override parts of the Brexit divorce deal as he warned the UK's global reputation as a trustworthy nation is at stake. Sir John joined Theresa May in criticising the current Tory occupant of Downing Street as he said the UK's signature on treaties has long been viewed as 'sacrosanct'. Any move to row back on what was agreed between Brussels and Britain last year would mean losing 'something beyond price that may never be regained', he said. The former premier's intervention came after Mr Johnson insisted he was doing his 'duty' as he faced a growing Tory mutiny for threatening to renege on the Brexit accord. Legislation published today would unilaterally decide details that Brussels insists must be settled by a joint committee, including customs arrangements between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis sparked outrage yesterday by bluntly admitting that the measures will breach international law. European commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned that the move would undermine 'prosperous future relations'. But Downing Street extraordinarily claimed this afternoon that the Withdrawal Agreement was 'not like any other treaty' because it was sealed 'at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances'. And Mr Johnson told the Commons that his first responsibility was to protect the Peace Process. 'My job is to uphold the integrity of the UK but also to protect the Northern Irish peace process and the Good Friday Agreement,' the PM said. 'To do that we need a legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations of the protocol, which could lead to a border down the Irish Sea in a way that I believe and I think members around the House believe would be prejudicial to the interests of the Good Friday Agreement and prejudicial to the interests of peace in our country. That has to be our priority.' The UK's former ambassador to the US has waded into the row by suggesting that the dramatic step is a Trump-style bid to get a better deal in post-Brexit trade negotiations, which are at a critical stage. Lord Darroch said he suspected Mr Johnson was trying to 'create chaos' so he could extract better terms, and there was an 'aspect of the way Donald Trump would have done it'. Meanwhile, David Melding, a Welsh Conservative politician, quit the Tory frontbench in the Senedd over concerns about the PM's approach to Brexit. Sir John Major today savaged Boris Johnson's plans to override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement In the Commons today, the PM insisted he was doing his 'duty' by protecting the Peace Process as he faced a Tory mutiny for reneging on the Withdrawal Agreement, only signed in January Michel Barnier arrived in London this morning as the EU and UK conduct a make or break round of negotiations on the future trade relationship European commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned that the move would undermine 'prosperous future relations' Former UK ambassador Lord Darroch said he suspected Boris Johnson was trying to 'create chaos' so he could extract better terms, and there was an 'aspect of the way Donald Trump would have done it' (PM and US president are pictured together last September' Health Secretary Matt Hancock insisted he was comfortable with the move in the circumstances, saying the government's 'primary' duty was to protect the Peace Process in Northern Ireland - which is also underpinned by a treaty European council president Charles Michel insisted breaking international law was 'not acceptable' Brussels threatened to make food exports from Great Britain to Northern Ireland illegal Michel Barnier's team made threats to make food exports from Great Britain to Northern Ireland illegal if the UK did not bow to their trade deal demands, it emerged today. The chief negotiator's warning prompted the government to make legal changes to the Withdrawal Agreement, according to the Sun. Under the deal, the export of products of animal origin, including meat, fish, shellfish, eggs and dairy from the UK mainland to Northern Ireland will be subject to EU oversight. After Brussels warned the UK might not be on an approved list in the event of a No Deal, ministers demanded new domestic legislation in the Withdrawal Agreement, to avoid exports being made illegal. Advertisement Sir John said in a statement that Mr Johnson's plans could cost the UK its 'reputation for honouring the promises we make'. The former PM said: 'For generations, Britain's word solemnly given has been accepted by friend and foe. Our signature on any treaty or agreement has been sacrosanct. 'Over the last century, as our military strength has dwindled, our word has retained its power. 'If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained.' Mrs May said yesterday that Mr Johnson risked countries no longer trusting the UK if he goes ahead with the proposals. There are claims that the UK's latest move was sparked by a threat from EU negotiator Michel Barnier, who arrived in London this morning for make or break trade talks, to block food exports from Britain to the province unless the government capitulates in trade talks. But anger in Brussels is rising at the situation, with European Parliament president David Sassoli warning of 'serious consequences' and MEPs raging that the idea of being 'half legal' is equivalent to being 'half pregnant'. European Council president Charles Michel tweeted: 'The Withdrawal agreement was concluded and ratified by both sides, it has to be applied in full. 'Breaking international law is not acceptable and does not create the confidence we need to build our future relationship.' Ms von der Leyen said: 'Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement. 'This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda = the foundation of prosperous future relations.' The PM's official spokesman said: 'The WA and the Northern Ireland protocol aren't like any other treaty. 'It was agreed at pace in the most challenging possible political circumstances to deliver on a clear political decision by the British people and with the clear overriding purpose of protecting the special circumstances of Northern Ireland. 'It contains ambiguities and in key areas there is a lack of clarity. It was written on the assumption that subsequent agreements to clarify these aspects could be reached between us and the EU on the detail. 'And that may yet be possible and we continue to engage fully with the JC process. But as I said before we cannot allow damaging default positions to kick in if we can't agree.' In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Hancock said: 'The government has a number of international obligations. 'The primary amongst those in this context is protecting the Peace Process. That is about safety and security too.' Downing Street had previously sought to play down controversy over the Internal Market Bill legislation, which was published today. The Bill will grant ministers powers to limit the role of the EU in Northern Ireland after Brexit - although they would not come into force until the government activates them. The text states that the law will have 'effect notwithstanding any relevant international or domestic law with which they may be incompatible or inconsistent'. No10 said 'limited clarifications' were needed to protect the Peace Process if talks on a trade deal break down. However, the controversy escalated dramatically yesterday when Mr Lewis was asked directly whether the Government's proposals were illegal. He replied: 'Yes, this does break international law in a very specific and limited way.' Whitehall sources said there was 'strong precedent' for the UK occasionally breaching treaty obligations in exceptional circumstances, such as the refusal to give prisoners the vote. The Internal Market Bill includes extraordinary provisions, explicitly stating that EU law and the Withdrawal Agreement should be ignored if ministers say so But Mr Lewis's comments triggered a backlash led by former prime minister Theresa May and prompted warnings the move could undermine fragile hopes of a Brexit trade deal. Earlier, the row prompted the resignation of Sir Jonathan Jones, head of the Government's legal department. Sir Jonathan gave no public reason for his decision to quit, but a former colleague said: 'He is not someone who has ever wanted to push himself into the limelight. If he has done this, it demonstrates that he must see what they are doing as a terrible insult to the law.' Last night there were rumours that Scotland's Advocate General, Lord Keen, was also considering quitting. The Attorney General's office confirmed that its director general, Rowena Collins Rice, was leaving, but insisted it was unrelated. Attorney General Suella Braverman and Justice Secretary Robert Buckland also faced calls to quit. But sources said both ministers would stay. Asked by Times Radio if he was comfortable with a minister saying the UK was willing to break international law, Mr Hancock replied: 'I am.' He said: 'The primary international obligation around this issue is to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland and I very much hope we conclude a deal before the end of the transition period. 'I think that we will and it is in everybody's interest to do so as we did last time, but I also understand why ministers have chosen to prioritise at the absolute top of that the importance of protecting the peace process in Northern Ireland.' Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat warned that the action could undermine the UK's moral authority in its dealing with countries like China. PM copying Trump's tactics, says former US ambassador The UK's former ambassador to Washington has said he wonders if there is an 'aspect of the way Donald Trump would have done it' about Boris Johnson's handling of Brexit talks. Lord (Kim) Darroch referred to comments made by Mr Johnson in 2018, in which he reportedly said there would be 'all sorts of chaos' at the start of Brexit negotiations if Mr Trump were in charge. Speaking to BBC Two's Newsnight, Lord Darroch said: 'If you go back to the Prime Minister's sayings back in 2018, he said and this was picked up at the time at a private sort of gathering once: 'If Donald Trump was negotiating Brexit, he would create chaos right at the start of negotiations. And, you know, all sorts of, you know, people would be outraged by what he was saying and demanding and there'd be huge rows. And then he might get a very good outcome. And we should, we should, we should think about that'. 'That was when he was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the then track of the Brexit negotiations. 'And now as I watch him and the Government conduct the post withdrawal future relationship arrangements, I just wonder if there's an aspect of the way Donald Trump would have done it and how he is doing it.' Lord Darroch was forced to stand down last year after diplomatic cables he wrote criticising the Trump White House as 'inept' and 'dysfunctional' were leaked to the press. Advertisement 'The UK has been the chief exporter of the rule of law,' he told an event organised by the British Foreign Policy Group last night. 'We have been the single pillar of dependability in international negotiations which has allowed others to prosper and indeed allowed us to prosper. 'It's not just about the law. Our entire economy is based on the perception that people have of the UK's adherence to the rule of law... 'What we actually need to do is to stick to (the rule of law), and expand that, if we are to deal with China.' Another senior Tory MP joined the backlash this morning, saying breaching international law would 'go against everything we believe in'. Chairman of the Commons defence committee Tobias Ellwood told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'As negotiations go down to the wire let's not lose sight of who we are and what we stand for. 'This is about the rule of law and our resolve and commitment to uphold it. To unilaterally ignore any treaty in its obligations which we've signed and submitted to the United Nations would actually go against everything we believe in.' Whitehall sources have played down suggestions that the move could be a breach of the ministerial code, which stipulates an 'over-arching duty to comply with the law'. Sources said explicit references to international law had been removed by then prime minister David Cameron. As seasoned observers speculated on the motivations for the UK approach, Lord Darroch referred to comments made by Mr Johnson in 2018, in which he suggested there would be 'all sorts of chaos' at the start of Brexit negotiations if Mr Trump were in charge. Speaking to BBC Two's Newsnight, Lord Darroch said: 'If you go back to the Prime Minister's sayings back in 2018, he said and this was picked up at the time at a private sort of gathering once: ''If Donald Trump was negotiating Brexit, he would create chaos right at the start of negotiations. And, you know, all sorts of, you know, people would be outraged by what he was saying and demanding and there'd be huge rows. And then he might get a very good outcome. And we should, we should, we should think about that''. 'That was when he was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the then track of the Brexit negotiations. Former UK ambassador Lord (Kim) Darroch referred to comments made by Mr Johnson in 2018, in which he reportedly said there would be 'all sorts of chaos' at the start of Brexit negotiations if Mr Trump were in charge 'And now as I watch him and the Government conduct the post withdrawal future relationship arrangements, I just wonder if there's an aspect of the way Donald Trump would have done it and how he is doing it.' Lord Darroch was forced to stand down last year after diplomatic cables he wrote criticising the Trump White House as 'inept' and 'dysfunctional' were leaked to the press. The decision to make unilateral changes to the Brexit deal's Northern Ireland Protocol split Tory MPs. Mrs May warned there could be no back-tracking on the Withdrawal Agreement, which was approved by MPs in January. In a pointed question to Mr Lewis, she asked: 'How can the Government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations in the agreements it signs?' Earlier, the row prompted the resignation of Sir Jonathan Jones, head of the Government's legal department Sir Bob Neill, chairman of the Commons justice committee, said he would vote against the 'very troubling' plans. He added: 'No country can ever break its international obligations. The UK and the Conservative Party are all about the rule of law.' Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons defence committee, warned that Britain's ability to stand up to law-breaking by Russia, China and Iran would be 'severely weakened' if it was seen to break international law deliberately. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer insisted it was 'wrong' for the UK to break its word. But Tory Eurosceptics urged ministers to go further and tear up the Withdrawal Agreement completely if the EU refuses to do a trade deal. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the Government was 'quite within its rights' to take unilateral action. European Parliament President David Sassoli has warned of 'serious consequences' if the Withdrawal Agreement is broken Attorney General Suella Braverman (pictured) and Justice Secretary Robert Buckland also faced calls to quit. But sources said both ministers would stay Sir Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the Commons liaison committee, said: 'If the EU insists on an unreasonable interpretation of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK must stand ready to repudiate it. 'I hope it is not necessary, but if it is the only way to achieve UK prosperity and the kind of sovereign independence which is the democratic right of any nation then so be it.' Bob Blackman, of the backbench 1922 Committee, said: 'It would be wholly irresponsible of the Government not to take measures to ensure the integrity of the United Kingdom and to preserve the ability of Northern Ireland businesses to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom.' Mr Lewis said the planned changes to the law were needed to prevent Northern Ireland's status as part of the UK being undermined by a deal which will leave it effectively within the EU's single market and customs union. Changes will prevent the blanket imposition of EU tariffs on goods being sent from the mainland to Northern Ireland. Goods sent from the province to the rest of the UK will not require export declarations. Ministers have also acted to prevent the EU extending jurisdiction over state aid rules in Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK. But the decision to override the 'direct effect' of EU law in these areas risks denting hopes of a Brexit deal. Trade talks resumed in London yesterday between Mr Johnson's chief negotiator, David Frost, and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier. One EU diplomat said rewriting parts of the Brexit deal would have 'huge negative consequences' on the talks. The insider added: 'Who would want to agree trade deals with a country that doesn't implement international treaties?' But Whitehall sources insisted there were precedents for the move, including Canada's 2018 decision to legalise cannabis in violation of international narcotics treaties. A disdain for rules that still haunts Blair By Simon Walters for the Daily Mail The last Prime Minister to provoke the resignation of a Whitehall legal mandarin by flouting international law is still haunted by the consequences. Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Foreign Office legal expert, resigned on the eve of the 2003 Iraq War in protest at Tony Blair's secret last-minute decision to overturn her official advice that it broke international law. He did so after Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, under massive pressure from No 10, conveniently changed his previous advice that it was illegal without a second United Nations ruling. The rest, as they say, is history. The resignation yesterday of the head of the Government's legal department, Jonathan Jones, may not be a matter of war and peace. But the principle is the same: the dangers for Britain of a Prime Minister making up international law as he goes along are clear. The last Prime Minister to provoke the resignation of a Whitehall legal mandarin by flouting international law is still haunted by the consequences. Pictured: Tony Blair As was the case with the Iraq War row, the legal details concerning Mr Jones's departure are complicated. But Mr Johnson only has himself to blame for the most controversial element, his decision to go back on the agreement with the EU concerning Northern Ireland. Last November, when he was trying to woo Ulster Unionists to back his Brexit deal, he promised there would be no customs checks between Britain and Northern Ireland when we finally leave the EU. Critics said he could never deliver such a commitment. Sure enough, the Unionists duly accused Mr Johnson of betrayal when he went back on the pledge in the EU withdrawal agreement he signed with Brussels. Now he has gone back on that too. Nor is it only the EU who are crying foul. If Mr Johnson flagrantly breaks this international law how on earth could any country trust him to abide by any other treaty, demanded his No 10 predecessor, Theresa May, yesterday. Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Foreign Office legal expert, resigned on the eve of the 2003 Iraq War His hope that he could explain away rewriting his Brexit deal as merely tying up 'loose ends' was blown out of the water when Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis openly admitted it breached international law. For Tony Blair, international legal niceties mattered less than the fact that despite being told by his own legal chiefs that the Iraq War was illegal, he had promised US President George Bush (again in secret) a year earlier that he would do just that. Unlike Mr Blair, no one can accuse Mr Johnson of not being open about his intentions. He won an election landslide pledging to 'get Brexit done'. Critics accused him of similar reckless bravado last year when he said Britain would leave the EU, 'no ifs or buts' and eventually did just that. After seeing Brexit in danger of coming undone under law-abiding but lacklustre Mrs May, many of the millions who voted for Mr Johnson will not care about the legal small print. In his defence his latest move may be more akin to an unlawful but possibly effective tactical ploy in the long-running Brexit diplomatic war, rather than, in Mr Blair's case, an illegal move in a real war. As with Mr Johnson on Brexit, Mr Blair had gung-ho public support for the Iraq War. Two decades later, I would estimate a majority wishes Mr Blair had not forced little-known civil service lawyer Mrs Wilmshurst to walk out. Mr Johnson will be hoping that history is kinder to him for forcing little-known Mr Jones out. IRVING, Texas and PARIS, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announces a multi-year partnership with Willis Towers Watson (WTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company. Atos will support Willis Towers Watson in its digital transformation, including enhancements to the business experiences by moving on-premise infrastructure to the cloud, retiring legacy hardware and software, and shifting to a consumption-based model. In addition, Atos will help reimagine the end-user experience through the use of chatbots, digital lockers and virtual technology bars to help reduce failures and increase automation. "Atos is strongly committed to enable Willis Towers Watson's clear vision for accelerating cloud adoption and enhancing the employee experience. Atos' solution is aimed at a future-focused IT environment to support optimization and growth priorities while generating operational efficiencies and infrastructure cost savings for reinvestment in Willis Towers Watson's transformation journey," said Michael Carter, Senior Vice President, Atos North America. Atos has an established relationship with Willis Towers Watson where Atos|Syntel has provided support for infrastructure, workplace, cross-functional, platform and data management, enterprise command center, voice and data network, global security and governance services. This relationship allows Atos' new services to build on deep Willis Towers Watson experience, knowing their diverse business and its evolving demands. To learn more about how Atos is transforming the global enterprise and digitalizing the customer experience, please visit atos.net/na. About Atos Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 110,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of 12 billion. European number one in Cloud, Cybersecurity and High-Performance Computing, the Group provides end-to-end Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud, Big Data, Business Applications and Digital Workplace solutions. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos|Syntel, and Unify. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. 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SOURCE Atos Since making our difficult decision in January to retire the Escalante Generation Station by the end of the year, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association has been diligently working to address the challenges that accompany such a major change. Our focus has been on assisting our employees and the communities in the region that will be impacted. In late July, Tri-State hosted a virtual town hall meeting to update local elected and public officials and economic development professionals on our efforts. Our leadership team touched on a number of issues, including the efforts being made to help our power plant employees. Tri-State to date has offered total compensation packages worth $10-$12 million for Escalante workers, and we are providing opportunities to apply for internal vacancies, while offering retraining opportunities through expanded tuition reimbursement opportunities. We also are honoring time-off requests and providing financial planning assistance. To date, nearly all departing employees have either retired or found other jobs both within and outside of our company. But were not alone in caring for those who have worked so hard to bring affordable, reliable, responsible power to New Mexicos rural communities. The states Department of Workforce Solutions has shown tremendous initiative and professionalism in reaching out to educate employees on training, education, relocation, health care and unemployment benefits. The department, in conjunction with New Mexico State University and the offices of U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, also helped arrange a job fair this past February for those impacted by the plant closure. The July virtual town hall also gave us the opportunity to provide updates on several other components of Tri-States transition program. These include: Having our New Mexico-based government relations staff collaborating with elected officials at the state Capitol over the last three years to assist in developing and enacting various pieces of legislation to promote economic development and support job retention and expansion in McKinley and Cibola counties. Working with the McKinley Paper Company, whose operations are quite literally connected to Escalante Station MPCs mill requires steam that is provided from the power plant to help run its facility. Local officials are understandably very concerned that the closure of Escalante means the ultimate demise of the paper mill. We hope to have an agreement in place soon to ensure the future of MPC. Commissioning a 200-megawatt solar facility on the power plant property. The Escalante Solar Project will be developed by Turning Point Energy, a company with a track record of investing in its host communities. Expected to come online in 2023, the facility will result in several hundred construction jobs, another four to six permanent positions and approximately $25 million in tax revenue over 35 to 40 years. Lastly, as a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative, Tri-State operates under a code known as the Seven Cooperative Principles. Among these is Concern for Community, an obligation we take very seriously and one we share with our local member cooperative Continental Divide Electric Cooperative. This is why, when announcing the Escalante plant closure, we committed to investing $5 million in local economic revitalization. We are currently in discussions with local officials on how best to deliver that funding and hope to have a process in place soon. None of these efforts have been easy, and none can be accomplished by Tri-State alone. We owe much thanks and appreciation to several other individuals and organizations who are guiding our work. In particular, New Mexico Rep. Patty Lundstrom, McKinley County leaders and staff from the Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation, Cibola Communities Economic Development Foundation and Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments have been wonderful collaborators. Our decision to retire the Escalante Station, while tremendously difficult, is part of Tri-States efforts to embark on an energy transition that will allow us to deliver on our obligation to provide reliable, affordable, responsible power to our members. We thank all of you who are helping to make this happen with your hard work and sacrifice. Yves here. Welcome back to award-winning John Siman, who gives us the first installment on Thomas Franks new book on the populist impulse in America and why decades of liberalism have pushed it even more into the wilderness. By John Siman (This is the first of two essays.) The incandescent but brutally short-lived Populist movement of the 1890s was, as Thomas Frank writes in his new book, The People, No!, our countrys final serious third-party effort, the last one to stand a decent chance of breaking the duopoly of the Republicans and Democrats (p. 19). Indeed, the very real possibility of William Jennings Bryans being elected President in 1896 as the Populist + Democratic Fusionist candidate so panicked the nations elites that they coalesced with unprecedented amounts of media vituperation and corporate money to destroy both Bryans candidacy and the perceived Populist insurrection. (Bryan nevertheless carried 22 states to McKinleys 23 and won almost 47% of the popular vote.) Frank describes the hysterical elite opposition to Bryan and the Populists, which was organized with military precision by McKinleys genius campaign manager Mark Hanna, as Americas first Democracy Scare. After all, as Frank explains with his uniquely penetrating wit, [D]emocracy must be controlled before it ruins our democratic way of life (p. 3). A class war really was fought and won in the USA in 1896, but it was an upside-down class war, waged, that is, from the top down, the absolute reversal of a Marxist revolution, like the plot of an Ayn Rand novel. And yet, in spite of the efficient smashing of the Populist movement, an optimistic spirit of what can be called populism with a small p abides permanently at the heart of our democracy. The populist impulse, Frank argues, has in fact been a presence in American life since the countrys beginning. Populism triumphed in the 1930s and 1940s, when the people overwhelmingly endorsed a regulatory welfare state. Populist uprisings occur all the time in American life, always with the same enemies monopolies, banks, and corruption (p. 14). Thus Frank entitles his third chapter Peak Populism [sic] in the Proletarian Decade, and he explains why the seeming anachronism is appropriate: Franklin Roosevelt was, of course, a Democrat, and he did not call his New Deal populist, but the lineage was clear to historians and popular writers of the day (p. 87). But what might the actual Populist Party have been like had it endured? Frank suggests that we imagine an energetic, forward-looking, home-grown labor party which would have embraced both black and white workers and farmers, which would have formed policy with a fundamental distrust of and even contempt for experts and elitists, yet which would have been unencumbered by un-American Socialist and Marxist baggage. Populism to Frank expresses the abiding promiseof democracy. Indeed Democratic Promise, a 700-page study by activist-turned-historian Lawrence Goodwyn (1928 2013), is the title Franks favorite book about the original Populist movement, or as Goodwyns subtitle has it, the The Populist Moment in America. So how can we understand the Democrats of Roosevelts Proletarian Decade as essentially similar to the original Populists? Frank directs our attention to the elections of 1932 and (especially) of 1936, because he sees them as effecting the just reversal of the election of 1896. We observe that in his 1932 nomination acceptance speech Roosevelt reiterated, in order to condemn the false theory of trickle-down economics advanced by plutocrats, a stirring passage from Bryans 1896 Cross of Gold acceptance speech. Bryan had said in 1896: There are two ideas of government. There are those who believe that if you just legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, that their prosperity will leak through [italics mine] on those below. The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it. And here is how Roosevelt echoed Bryans words thirty-six years later, in 1932, as he went forth to defeat the incumbent President Hoover in a landslide: There are two ways of viewing the governments duty in matters affecting economic and social life. The first sees to it that a favored few are helped and hopes that some of their prosperity will leak through, sift through, [italics mine] to labor, to the farmer, to the small businessman. That theory belongs to the party of Toryism, and I had hoped that most of the Tories left this country in 1776. But it is not and never will be the theory of the Democratic Party (p. 90). So it was in 1932. When Roosevelt ran for reelection in 1936, we see that the hysterical Democracy Scare organized against him was essentially similar to the hysterical Democracy Scare organized against Bryan in 1896, that the politics and the rhetoric of anti-populism operate according to a kind of algorithm. [The word] populism, Frank told Matt Taibbi in an interview published on August 8, becomes the generic term for idiots who refuse rule by the Professional Class. It is in the context of this algorithm that Frank describes the American Liberty League, which was the main propaganda front group for the elite corporate interests organized against Roosevelt: With the lavish budget its wealthy backers furnished, the League followed the strategy pioneered by Mark Hanna forty years previously, producing speeches, radio broadcasts, pamphlets, and a blizzard of panic-screaming headlines (p. 119). Furthermore, as Frank shows, almost all of the newspapers in the United States attacked Roosevelt with an orchestrated virulence: [T]he newspaper industry came together against the would-be dictator Roosevelt the same way it had united against Bryan in 1896 (p. 120). And so we come to Franks first fundamental, almost Newtonian, observation about American politics since the 1890s: Any outbreak of the optimistic spirit of populism is always and everywhere opposed by the carefully-organized pessimistic rage of anti-populism. Corollary: The rhetoric of populism and that of anti-populism remain fairly constant over decades. However: The spirit of populist rhetoric can be traced directly back to Jeffersons lifelong defense of democracy against aristocrats like Adams and oligarchs like Hamilton, while the rhetoric of anti-populism is a rhetoric of would-be aristocrats and preening oligarchs. It is a rhetoric, in other words, fundamentally opposed to democracy (cf. pp. 32-33). Why, then, is populism in some form not explicitly at the center of our national aspirations? For populism may well be, as Frank argues, the key to turning our nation around (p. 114). Why, then, while we as a nation endure what seems to be a second, more nightmarish Gilded Age indeed, Frank notes that we are living through a period of elite failure every bit as spectacular as that of the 1890s (p. 52) do we not cherish the memory of the original Populists? Why? Because after thirteen decades of well-financed Democracy Scares, we Americans of the twenty-first century have inherited populism as a word not merely gutted but diabolically repurposed repurposed to censure what it was invented to praise: Despite the historical memory of Thomas Frank (and only a very few others), the word populism is generally used now to express elite contempt for the people, those unwashed ignorant lunatic masses, those idiots who refuse rule by their betters, those low-SAT racist rabble, those deplorables. And thus we cannot intelligibly utter the one word that would most precisely express what ought to be our permanent American hope to forever renew our original birth in freedom. And thus we have been, insofar as we still aspire to be a democratic people, rendered mute. Perhaps Bernie Sanders two presidential campaigns would not have been such bitter disappointments had he been able to proclaim himself a proud populist in the deeply patriotic tradition of Franklin Roosevelt had he been able, that is, to toss all his creepy Socialism talk and all his spineless concessions to woke, New York Times-style racism and hallucinatory Russiagating onto the ash-heap of history. Sadly, however, as Angela Nagle and Michael Tracey wrote in their essay First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: The Collapse of the Sanders Campaign and the Fusionist Left, Bernie chose to surround himself with a left-wing intellectual firmament in which something as basic as revering the American flag would have been considered a shameful appeal to retrograde jingoism. Any gesture which gave the faintest whiff of signaling national pride or love of country would be instantly denounced as a fascistic[italics mine] betrayal. C.J. Hopkins has a more cynical take on why Bernie folded this delightfully sarcastic prognostication is from Hopkinss 2019 essay Bernie, The Magic Socialist: Thats right, folks, Bernie is back, and this time its not just a sadistic prank where he gets you all fired up about his fake revolution for fifteen months, gets cheated out of the nomination, then backs whichever corporate-bought candidate the Democratic Party orders you to vote for. And in the end, Bernie did endorse Biden, even as Biden promised unwavering opposition to medicare-for-all. In the end, just as Hopkins had predicted, Bernie was happy to shill for neo-liberalism, that is, for anti-populism. So whos to blame for this utter and debilitating debasement of the vocabulary of our democracy? Franks answer is disturbing, to say the least. Its easy to condemn Mark Hanna and the Republicans brutal smears of Bryan and Populism in 1896, just as its easy to condemn the murderous white supremacy of the anti-populist Democrats in the South (who were panicked by the possibility of an emerging Populist alliance between poor black farmers and poor white farmers). Skipping ahead forty years to the Great Depression, we can see that its easy to condemn the DuPonts and the American Liberty League and the Republicans for smearing Roosevelt and the New Deal. But all of their anti-populist rhetoric was the predictable blowback of oligarchs who sensed an imminent threat to their privilege. So whos really to blame? The establishment Democrats are, that is to say, the Liberal Class. They are. At least for the past nearly seven decades. For the official Liberalism of the Democratic Party has become, as Frank has been telling us for years, the politics of an elite, of the properly-credentialed Professional Class, a class devoted to advancing its own interests with aggressive moral smugness moral narcissism is the deliciously ironic term Frank used in one interviewto describe this elite orgy of moral superiority and thus with undisguised contempt for the working class. That their party, the Democratic Party, once the party of the common people, once the party of, well, democracy, has become the party of the high-achieving winners of the conquistadors of the meritocracy of the newfangled hipper-than-thou smarter-than-thou richer-than-thou woker-than-thou Silicon Valley + Wall Street oligarchy is the great theme of Franks work since he published Whats the Matter with Kansa sin 2004. A great theme it is, yes, but a very bitter pill for many sympathetic readers to swallow. * * * Franks super-cheerful, super-optimistic, beyond Midwestern-nice persona may provide the spoonful of sugar to help this medicine go down. I chatted with him via Zoom just a few days after I received my review copy of the book in July, and he was broadcasting then from his old boyhood bedroom in Kansas. This was very trippy to see, for things looked very early Reagan years on my screen. Back to the Future, in a way. And as I watched him on YouTube over the next couple of weeks, it seemed that Frank became more and more articulate and unabashedly passionate with every interview he gave. By the time he got to Matt Taibbi and Katie Halpers show, boy, was he on his game! (I strongly encourage the reader to watch this interview in its entirety: Thomas Frank on Useful Idiots, Interview Only.) So let me share my transcription of the delightful way in which Frank introduced Taibbi and Halpers audience to the ugly reality of the liberals longstanding contempt for working people to the ugly reality that there is, right now, no party in the USA for non-elites. Frank introduced the topic by imagining a very likely future in order to show how very bleak the present is: Lets just assume that things keep going as they are, he told them, and the Democrats continue along the same trajectory and become more and more and more the party of the educated elite. And the Republicans continue to become more and more and more the party of capitalists, the Koch brothers, that type. And the rest of us just get to fit in. I mean, where do we go? There is no party for us. Right, Taibbi agreed, nodding. What Frank has said is very profound. But isnt your thesis that the Dems wanted this? Halper asked. I mean thats the thesis in Listen, Liberal. (I assume she had a passage like this one in mind: When the left party in a system severs its bonds to working people when it dedicates itself to the concerns of a particular slice of high-achieving affluent people issues of work and income inequality will inevitably fade from its list of concerns [Listen Liberal, p. 30]). Yes, exactly, Frank said, and I repeat it with more detail it in this [book]. They actively turned against working-class issues and working-class people in the late 60s and early 70s. This is kind of the alarming part of the book. You all remember the last scene in Easy Rider theyre riding along on their motorcycles theyre in Louisiana. Pause. Taibbi didnt remember. This is embarrassing. Halper teases him. What?! Frank exclaimed, blushing. Gee whiz, I thought. Having to explain the context of Easy Rider to Matt Taibbi is, when you get right down to it, a lot like having to explain Hells Angels initiation rites or Albert Hoffmans discovery of LSD and crank to Hunter Thompson. Such a weird hermeneutic task will be gracefully accomplished only by means of the extra gentle irony of Thomas Frank. From his old boyhood bedroom in Kansas. I saw it when I was like ten, Frank said. They showed it on TV. It was a big big deal. But you have to first go back to that movie version [1940] of The Grapes of Wrath starring Henry Fonda, Peter Fondas dad [as Tom Joad; here is a link to a clip of his sublime Ill be there speech. And it ends with the Joads, remember, the people from Oklahoma, the migrant workers, the tenant farmers, and theyre driving along in their crappy little truck, and Ma Joad says, and this is the great, classic line of 30s populism: Were the people. We keep on a-comin. Movie ends. And theyre in their shitty little truck. Mmhum, agreed Taibbi, back in high gear. So Frank continued: OK, Easy Rider made [in 1969] by Peter Fonda, Henrys son. And its often regarded as a generational slap-back its the comeback at The Grapes of Wrath: Theyre going the other direction across the country they drive through Oklahoma. The same scenery, basically. Theyre in Louisiana somewhere, driving along on their motorcycles theyve got the awesome choppers, you know, and the Steppenwolf soundtrack. And theyre just driving along, and these two, basically, rednecks I mean theyre total stereotypes driving along in a pickup truck [emphasis his] going the other way, for no reason at all pull out a shotgun and kill em. Taibbi chuckled grimly. Great. Its the inversion, the direct inversion, of the ending of The Grapes of Wrath. And that was the attitude in the late 60s: That the white working class were the foes now, the problem. These were the people we basically had to do something about them. And you go back and look at the countercultural classics like The Greening of America [written by Charles Reich in 1970, one of the Clintons professors at Yale Law School; the book first appeared in excerpted form in radical chic! The New Yorker], the Archie Bunker stereotype comes up at this same time. This incredible stereotype gets built in the late 60s and early 70s that union members are the biggest problem in our society, and the Democratic Party turns away from them. And this is conscious: They talked about it all the time, they wrote books about it: We are the party of highly-educated kids coming off the campus, in other words, of the Professional of the proto-Professional Class. Yes indeed. This is where all that begins, and they have never looked back from that moment. In the book Frank turns to the work of historian Jefferson Cowie (the author of Stayin Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class) to provide chilling additional detail to the Fonda vs. Fonda story. Cowie quotes Easy Riders creenwriter Terry Southern on what it meant for the stock rednecks in the pickup truck to blow the shit out of the Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper characters: Southern said that he understood the films horrifying final scene as, an indictment of blue-collar America, the people I thought were responsible for the Vietnam War. Which is to say, Frank resumes, Southern thought the people serving in the Vietnam War were the people who got us into the Vietnam War. And thus did a new generation of college-educated and morally narcissistic American liberals reimagine the salt-of-the-earth Joads as deplorables, as irredeemables as fascists (pp. 190-191). * * * But the people who actually got us into the Vietnam War (and kept us there) were to recall the deliciously ironic title of David Halberstams monumental history, The Best and the Brightest not a bunch of violent white-supremacist meth-head rednecks. No, not at all. They were rather the cream of the cream of the new, post-World War II American elite: they were the technocrats, the new meritocracy. And no one alive writes about the American meritocracy with more insight than does Thomas Frank. His summary of their ways is worthy of memorization: For them, merit is always synonymous with orthodoxy: the best and the brightest are, in their [own] minds, always those who went to Harvard, who got the big foundation grant, whose books are featured on NPR (Listen, Liberal, p. 39). These are the men and women who, for going on seven decades now, have formed the Professional Class, the Expert Class, the Liberal Class, the Creative Class, the Learning Class, the Opinion Class, and so on and so forth they are, in short, the hipper, cooler (and now woker) half of the American Ruling Class. Bottom line: Not only are they way richer and more powerful than you, they are way better than you, both intellectually and morally. At least they see it that way. Most non-elite Americans, however, because they have, at this point in our history, endured over two generations of breathtakingly spectacular meritocratic failures including the unending trillion-dollar wars that the elites never fight in and never win, including the elites financialized ransacking of the once-industrial American heartland, including the elites perversion of medical care and higher education into grotesque unaffordable rackets would, if asked, give a more precise answer to the intriguing question of class nomenclature Liberal Class? Creative Class? Learning Class? by describing the ascendant meritocracy as our gleefully parasitic Fuck-Up Class. Quite fittingly, the foundational belief of this class, as Frank shows, is anti-populism. For they believe that democracy is far too important to be left to the demos( being the Greek word for the plebeians, the class of commoners). No, democracy, as they teach and are taught, requires the subjugation of the demos. Democracy actually means aristocracy, but with the well-credentialed technocrats of today taking the place of the well-bred aristocrats of yesteryear. Frank traces the genealogy of the American meritocracy back to its origins in the 1950s and even identifies its father. This is, by far, the most brilliant part of the book. Up until this point, Frank writes, its [anti-populisms] prime constituency had been comfortable and conservative business interests lashing back at radical troublemakers. But now anti-populism was taken up by a new elite, a liberal elite that was led by a handful of thinkers at prestigious universities (p. 147). And who was, among these elite thinkers, the one true father of our anti-populist meritocracy? It was the eminent historian Richard Hofstadter (1916-1970). Hofstadter, Frank explains, retold the story of the 1890s Peoples Party in his enormously influential 1955 book, The Age of Reform. [In it] he accused the Populists of losing faith in progress. He argued that the Populists despised immigrants indeed, that everyone remote and alien was distrusted and hated by them. Also, that they were profoundly nationalistic and bellicose, [and] they were chiefly responsible for anti-Semitism in America, blaming Jewish bankers for the farmers problems (pp. 154-155). None of this was true. Hofstadter had cherry-picked his evidence, Frank told me, in order to promote an ideology that would legitimize elite technocratic rule over regular people, over the demos. Hofstadters purpose, obviously, was not the uncovering of historical truth but rather (to use the apposite Nietzschean terminology) the creation of meritocratic values. Within about ten years, as Frank points out, all of Hofstadters narrative inventions had been properly exploded in the relevant academic journals. But so what. Hofstadters smearing of the Populists and by extension of any mass movement in America that might rise up in the populist spirit and challenge the new meritocracy caught on like wildfire. A wildfire that continues to burn fiercely in the hearts of our meritocratic elites. Hillary Clinton, as should be obvious but for various creepy reasons isnt, guaranteed her loss of the 2016 presidential election when she spoke in the spirit of Hofstadter: Trumps supporters were deplorables and irredeemables, she said. In so doing she made her anti-populist contempt for regular Americans indelibly obvious: [Flyover] America, as Frank interprets Hillarys Hofstadterian heart, was a wicked land and its people were bastards: racists, sexists, facilitators of evil who actually deserved the postindustrial and opioid-saturated bleakness of their red-state lives (p. 236). Yet Hillarys calamitous loss did not force her into permanent political exile quite the contrary! it further endeared her to her meritocratic Chosen People: I won the places that represent two-thirds of Americas gross domestic product, Frank quotes her (p. 231), the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward. At the opposite end of the elitism spectrum from Hillary and Hofstadter is Franks historiographical hero, the big-hearted Texan Larry Goodwyn, who wrote of the ideological patience that is required of citizens who would join a mass movement. Lots of patience. Because non-elites, the people, the plebs, the demos, are inevitably rough around the edges, cantankerous even. Of course they are. And more often than not they exhibit very poor fashion sense. Thus the promise of democracy is simultaneously its painstaking challenge. Yet, since the age of Hofstadter, the establishment Democratic Party has become not merely impatient with Americans, but smugly dismissive of and hostile to them. Frank describes this possibly fatal crisis of democracy with his characteristic gentle wit: What is certain, he writes, is that the liberalism of scolding will never give rise to the kind of mass movement that this country needs. It is almost entirely a politics of individual righteousness, an angry refusal of Goodwyns ideological patience. Its appeal comes not from democratizing the economy but from the satisfaction of wagging a finger in some stupid proletarians face, forever (p. 241). Frank told me that he is doing his best to remain optimistic as he moves onto his next book (which may not even be about politics!), and though I admire his deeply charitable disposition, everything he so eloquently writes would seem to indicate that our national predicament verges on the hopeless. But Frank has just emailed me: I wish there was a way to end your essay on a hopeful note. Hopeful?? Well, Thomas Frank, yes. Given all the brilliant books you have written for us Americans, you certainly merita happy ending. * * * So lets go back in time, back to the future, as it were, further back even than Thomas Franks Reagan-era boyhood home in Kansas. Quentin Tarantino has blazed a trail for us here. Consider his 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which Brad Pitt, whose martial arts skills are intensified with a dose of hippie-chick LSD, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who is armed with a Hollywood-enhanced Nazi-frying flamethrower, relive August 8, 1969 in order to destroy the murderous Manson family members who would kill the beautiful flower Sharon Tate, a fair damsel in distress if there ever was one. Now thats a happy ending! And so Tarantino, yes! And Taibbi, who, crucially, wherever he goes, carries a copy of Hunter Thompsons Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 72, seems to owe Frank a favor now, after the Easy Rider lesson. My own copy of Thompsons book has a new introduction by Taibbi himself. In it, as I reread Thompsons account of his sharing a tab of black acid with the bespectacled, genial, midwestern journalist John Chancellor, a Frankian figure if there ever was one, I realize that Taibbi could do for Frank now what Thompson did for Chancellor back then and launch him on a trip back to May of 1972. For in May of 1972 Thompsons hero George McGovern, now remembered as an embarrassing failure, as the archetypal pie-in-the-sky elitist liberal, had recently won the Wisconsin presidential primary because of the labor support because of the populist support he was attracting. [McGoverns chief pollster Patrick] Caddell, Thompson writes, then got up to analyze the blue-collar support. Both McGovern and [arch-segregationist Alabama Governor George] Wallace, he said, draw on the same pool of extremely alienated blue-collar voters, a group that is constantly getting deeper into bitterness, cynicism, and resentment about the current government (Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 72,p. 162). We should note that McGovern, like Thomas Frank, was a trained historian, but not part of the Hofstadterian Consensus school. Quite the contrary. McGovern wrote his 1953 doctoral dissertation about the American labor movement specifically, about the Colorado coal strike of 1913-14. And Wallaces presidential campaign slogan in 1976 would be Trust the People. But on May 16, 1972, the racist Wallace was shot by a nut with a gun, at a campaign event in a parking lot in Laurel, Maryland. Wallace was paralyzed for life. And who came to visit him in the hospital in May of 1972 (where we can visualize his inert legs covered with a confederate-flag bedspread)? Shirley Chisolm, the first black woman to run for president. She did. Wallaces rival in the deepest possible sense. She said thats what her belief in democracy required of her. Enter Thomas Frank, with Matt Taibbi by his side, as his guide. George Wallace would in later years amazingly and sincerely repent of his racism see the late Congressman John Lewiss breathtaking account in George Wallace Repents but in order to save McGoverns populist crusade, Wallace needed to repent then, right there from his hospital bed, and not to John Lewis, but to Shirley Chisolm. And so Frank calls on the magic of Hunter Thompson and Larry Goodwyn, of Brad Pitt and Sharon Tate (now 29 years old) and summons the spirit body of Wallaces dear deceased wife Lurleen, who, cancer-ridden, had given her life to make Wallaces 1968 presidential campaign possible. And what had Lurleen (brilliantly played by Mare Winningham in the 1997 TV mini-series with Angelina Jolie playing Wallaces second wife Cornelia) learned in four years in the Afterlife? Well, what do you think shed learned? Love thy neighbor. And she tells this to George Wallace, and he knows shes right. Trust the People. And so when Governor Wallace emerges from the hospital in his wheelchair, he has already undergone the change of heart John Lewis would tell us about so many years later. Wallace speaks eloquently throughout the USA about the evil of racism, the evil of Vietnam, and the renewed populist message of his new friend George McGovern. And what happened next? Well, Hunter Thompsons hero George McGovern beat old Nixon that November of course he did and began an era of lasting peace and populist prosperity and racial harmony. An era that continues to this day. Plus President McGovern asked Sharon Tate to persuade Peter Fonda and Terry Southern to redo the bleak, anti-populist ending of Easy Rider: The film now winds up with those crusty rednecks in the pickup inviting Fonda and Hopper over for a veritable feast of Louisiana crawfish etouffee. And they all lived happily ever after. Trust the People. Neither in Turkey nor in Hungary were the courts closed. The strategy, instead, was to expand their jurisdiction and give them even more authority to decide cases, thereby overwhelming them with so much work that they could not perform. The courts still had a place in society, but because judicial appointments had been manipulated, the outcomes were all but predetermined. Similarly, in Poland, the populist Law and Justice party, which came to power in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019, sought to neutralize any forces that checked its powers. An early victim was the constitutional court, called the Constitutional Tribunal, which the Law and Justice party first packed and subsequently swamped with cases, thereby preventing it from scrutinizing the government. Yet nowhere has the collapse of judicial power been more extreme than in India. Over the past six years, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken India away from the liberal, democratic and secular principles that it has long endorsed. Mr. Modis government has passed a law that makes religion the basis for deciding Indian citizenship; it has expanded a pervasive biometric project with few privacy safeguards; it has unilaterally annulled the constitutional status of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, followed by widespread arrests and lockdowns; and it has created an electoral finance scheme that protects donor and recipient anonymity. Indias once powerful judiciary has been largely silent or approving. On questions such as the biometric project or the building of a Hindu temple on disputed land where a mosque once stood, it has offered its stamp of approval. On a great many matters, it has been missing in action. Hundreds of habeas corpus petitions relating to detentions in Kashmir remain unheard. And the opacity of the new election-funding arrangement has yet to evoke judicial interest, with challenges in court languishing for more than two years. As Gautam Bhatia, an Indian lawyer and scholar, has documented, Indias higher judiciary has simply avoided dealing with difficult legal matters. The most serious questions, like the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmirs statehood without consultation with the state legislature as required by the Constitution of India, remain to be heard. And recently, the Supreme Court of India pronounced that a highly respected public interest lawyer who commented on its functioning was guilty of contempt. Delhi government on Wednesday announced that a prescription from a qualified medical practitioner is not required for COVID-19 testing in the national capital. However, tests will be conducted in accordance with the strategy/advisory issued by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and as per the orders issued by the Delhi government from time to time. Delhi government on Wednesday announced that a prescription from a qualified medical practitioner is not required for COVID-19 testing in the national capital. Test-track-treat strategy has been adopted to ensure early detection and containment of COVID-19 pandemic. In continuation of various measures undertaken by the Delhi government to augment COVID-19 testing and to ensure that it is more accessible than ever, it has been decided that henceforth there will be no requirement of a prescription from a qualified medical practitioner for COVID-19 testing in NCT of Delhi, Health and Family Department, Delhi government said in an order. However, tests will be conducted in accordance with the strategy/advisory issued by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and as per the orders issued by the Delhi government from time to time, it said. Also Read: Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trials not paused in India, clarifies Serum Institute Earlier in the day, Kejriwal held a review meeting over COVID-19 situation in the national capital and asked authorities to take all possible steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev were among those present at the review meeting. With cases again rising in Delhi, Kejriwal had on Tuesday said that his government has increased testing multi-fold. He had also told Jain that a doctors prescription should not be asked for testing and anyone can get tested. Delhi reported 3,609 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday taking the total count of people infected with coronavirus in the national capital to 1,97,135. (ANI) Also Read: Covid-19 Vaccine: AstraZeneca says trial paused due to unexplained sickness of participant INGAA Names New President and CEO This article was first published on Rigzone here The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), which represents the U.S. natural gas pipeline industry, reported Wednesday that Amy Andryszak will become the organizations new president and CEO effective Sept. 21, 2020. Andryszak will succeed Alex Oehler, who has served as INGAAs president and CEO on an interim basis since longtime exec Don Santa retired in February of this year. Amys passion for driving robust and sustainable energy policy, driven by natural gas and the critical infrastructure that transports it, paired with her proven track record working with policymakers on both sides of the aisle makes her a perfect fit for leading INGAA into the future, commented Stanley Chapman III, INGAAs chairman and executive vice president and TC Energys president for U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines. I want to thank Alex Oehler for the strong and steady leadership he has provided over the past nine months as interim president and CEO, and I look forward to working with Amy on the important issues facing Americas interstate natural gas pipeline industry. Andryszak joins INGAA from Ogilvy Government Relations, where as a principal she focused on energy, travel and tourism, telecommunications and financial services, INGAA noted in a written statement emailed to Rigzone. She previously held leadership roles with the Loews Corp., the office of Utah Congressman Jim Matheson and AT&T, and she has been an active member of INGAA committees, the organization added. Take control of your future. Search THOUSANDS of Oil & Gas jobs on Rigzone.com Search Now >> I am honored to be appointed president and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America and excited about the opportunity to help our industry continue to meet growing demand for affordable and clean-burning natural gas, remarked Andryszak. Pipelines play a key role in fulfilling our nations energy needs while creating high-paying jobs in communities across the country. They also help us meet the dual challenge of reducing emissions and preserving the reliability of our electric power grid. I look forward to collaborating with INGAA member companies and furthering the organizations position as a key voice in the broader energy conversation. Story continues INGAA stated that Andryszak takes over at a time when legislation reauthorizing the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act, having passed the U.S. Senate, awaits consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives. I am excited to welcome Amy Andryszak to the INGAA team, noted Oehler. Her extensive background in public and government affairs within the energy industry positions her perfectly to lead our association. This is an exciting time for the pipeline industry, and I look forward to INGAAs future success under Amys leadership. To contact the author, email mveazey@rigzone.com. More From Rigzone.com, The Leading Energy Platform: >> Find the latest oil and gas jobs on Rigzone.com << On the occasion of International Literacy Day, 8 September, the United Nations, and international NGOs such as World Vision (Vision du Monde), called attention to the fact that one in six children are not enrolled in school, a phenomenon exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and one likely to have long term consequences for entire societies. One of the areas affected greatly by the Covid-19 pandemic has been education, for both children and adults, one that is likely to have a far-reaching impact for the future of millions of young people around the world. Unesco, the UN body in charge of education and culture, published a report in time for International Literacy Day, on 8 September, which found that at the peak of the Covid-19 crisis, 94 percent of the worlds student population 1.6 billion children were forced out of school and at least one out of three school children (463 million) was unable to access remote learning. This years International Literacy Day, says the agency, is about teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyondwith a focus on the role of educators and changing pedagogies, all the more pertinent in a world where technology and access to it has come into sharp focus. For the NGO Vision du Monde, the French branch of World Vision, on top of the 258 million children worldwide who are not currently in school, the pandemic alone may push a further 9.7 children to drop out in the coming months due to conditions of extreme poverty. World Vision has been involved in the distribution of 143, 500 learning kits for children in developing countries who faced school closure due to Covid-19, as well as the training of more than 129,000 teachers, but this alone is not enough to counter the ever increasing challenges. The organization has also noted that there are 125 million children worldwide who go to school but after four years still dont know how to read and write, due to adequate methods or trained staff, lack of support or materials. Story continues To counter this, the NGO has established a programme known as "Unlock Literacy", designed to improve reading skills from a young age, at school, home or in the community. So far 1.7 million children have already seen significant improvement in their reading skills. A lost generation Among the variety of reasons why children are unable to go to school, be it lack of infrastructure (clean drinking water and toilets), child labour, child marriages, or conflict; Vision du Monde says poverty is the common denominator across the board. The NGO is concerned that a whole generation will be adversely affected by the Covid crisis, which will only add to the 773 million adults worldwide who are illiterate. Out of the 130 million of children not enrolled in school 9 million are girls of primary school age (4 million in sub-Saharan Africa), compared to 3 million boys. "On the African continent, there are 23 million children who go to school hungry, something which negatively affects their learning," Camille Romain des Boscs, the managing director of Vision du Monde told RFI. She also goes on to explain that teen pregnancies are a real problem to continuing education for girls on the continent, where Vision du Monde has operations in Senegal, Mali and Ethiopia. In sub-Saharan Africa, "42 percent of women agend 15-24 in urban areas have been pregnant before the age of 18, while in rural areas, that figure can rise to 50 percent," she says. Covid response plans in Africa Unesco estimates that some 5.3 million students in sub-Saharan Africa may not return to their studies due to the disruption linked to the Covid-19 crisis. This is worrying, as prior to the crisis, Africa already registered the lowest literacy rate at 66 percent compared to a global average of 86 percent. The continent accounts for one third of the worlds non-literate adult population. Interestingly, it was found that access to distance learning was higher in certain countries such as Kenya and South Africa, but lower in francophone countries, where adult literacy rates were sometimes higher. The Covid-19 crisis meant that many literacy programmes were suspended, but some were integrated into covid-19 emergency response plans. Unesco gave the example of Senegal, where the Ministry of National Education developed a response plan for distance learning, first for children and young people, deploying online resource platforms, radio, and television, while the government in Chad made a similar move for adult and non-formal education. The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets will be formally inducted into the Indian Air Force on Thursday at the Ambala air base at a time India is engaged in an escalating border row with China in eastern Ladakh. A galaxy of dignitaries, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, his French counterpart Florence Parly, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar, will attend the ceremony. At 10am tomorrow, Rafale aircraft will be formally inducted into the IAF at the Air Force Station in Ambala," the defence minister said in a tweet. The aircraft will be part of 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows. The Rafale jets are Indias first major acquisition of fighter planes in more than two decades." At 10.00 AM tomorrow, #Rafale aircraft will be formally inducted into @IAF_MCC at the Air Force Station in Ambala. The aircraft will be part of 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows. The Rafale jets are Indias first major acquisition of fighter planes in more than two decades. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 9, 2020 The programme will include ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional Sarva Dharma Puja, air display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as by Sarang aerobatic team," an IAF spokesperson said, describing the ceremony as a very important milestone" in the history of the force. The Rafale jets, produced by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, are known for air-superiority and precision strikes. IAF Spokesperson Wing Commander Indranil Nandi said a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the fleet before its ceremonial induction into the 17 squadron of the force. The first batch of the five jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. The French delegation at the ceremony will include French envoy Emmanuel Lenain, Air Gen Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of French Air Force, Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier and CEO of missile maker MBDA Eric Beranger. After the ceremony, Parly and Singh will hold talks in Ambala on ways to further deepen bilateral defence and security cooperation after the ceremony, they said. Ten Rafale jets have been delivered to India so far and five of them stayed back in France for imparting training to IAF pilots. The delivery of all 36 aircraft is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021. A second batch of four to five Rafale jets are likely to arrive in India by November. Sources said a preliminary discussion on a possible procurement of another batch of 36 Rafale jets by India from France may figure in the talks between Singh and Parly. The Rafale jets are Indias first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 year after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia. The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDAs Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Meteor is a next generation beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. While the first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed at Ambala air base, the second one will be based at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The 17 Squadron of the IAF which was resurrected on September 10 last year. The squadron was originally raised at Air Force Station, Ambala on Oct 1 1951. The 17 Squadron has many firsts to its credit; in 1955 it was equipped with the first jet fighter, the legendary De Havilland Vampire. NEW YORK, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC reminds investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Airbus SE ("Airbus" or the "Company") (OTCMKTS: EADSY; EADSF) and certain of its officers, on behalf of shareholders who purchased or otherwise acquired Airbus securities in the U.S. between February 24, 2016, and July 30, 2020, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firms site: www.bgandg.com/eadsy. This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements that: (1) that Airbus's policies and protocols were insufficient to ensure the Company's compliance with relevant anti-corruption laws and regulations; (2) that, consequently, Airbus engaged in bribery, corruption, and fraud in order to enhance its business with respect to its commercial aircraft, helicopter, and defense deals; (3) that, as a result, Airbus's earnings were derived in part from unlawful conduct and therefore unsustainable; (4) the full scope and severity of Airbus's misconduct; (5) that resolution of government investigations of Airbus would foreseeably cost Airbus billions of dollars in settlements and legal fees and subject the Company to significant continuing government investigation and oversight; and (6) that, as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On August 8, 2016, Reuters reported that the U.K. had opened a corruption probe into Airbus. Specifically, the SFO announced that it had "opened a criminal investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery, and corruption in the civil aviation business of Airbus," which "relate to irregularities concerning third party consultants." The investigation followed Airbus's flagging of "misstatements and omissions" involving outside contractors in certain export financing applications to U.K. regulators and the European Export Credit Agencies earlier in the year, which the Company had found through an internal probe. On this news, Airbus ADRs fell $0.21 per share, or 1.49%, to close at $13.86 per share on August 8, 2016, and Airbus foreign ordinaries fell $0.82 per share, or 1.45%, to close at $55.58 per share on August 8, 2016. France and the U.S. later opened their investigations into the subject of the SFO's allegations in 2017 and 2018, respectively. On January 31, 2020, media outlets reported that Airbus had agreed to a deal with U.S., U.K., and French prosecutors to settle bribery and export-control violations against the Company for 3.6 billion ($4 billion). Pursuant to the settlement, Airbus also agreed to appoint an external compliance officer for at least two years to monitor the Company's handling of its defense-related sales and disclosures. On this news, Airbus ADRs fell $0.72 per share, or 1.93%, to close at $36.68 per share on January 31, 2020, and Airbus foreign ordinaries fell $2.21 per share, or 1.48%, to close at $147.00 per share on January 31, 2020. Then, on March 15, 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that Airbus executives had previously raised red flags about fees paid to a number of middlemen working with its helicopter division, led at the time by the Company's current Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), Defendant Guillaume M.J.D. Faury ("Faury"), that may have violated global bribery and corruption rules, according to internal documents related to Airbus's $4 billion bribery settlement, which were not previously made public and/or reported. On this news, Airbus ADRs fell $3.44 per share, or 15.71%, to close at $18.46 per share on March 16, 2020, and Airbus foreign ordinaries fell $7.97 per share, or 9.3%, to close at $77.75 per share on March 16, 2020. Finally, on July 30, 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that the SFO had charged GPT and three individuals with corruption in connection with a defense contract the U.K. had arranged with Saudi Arabia. These charges were the culmination of the investigations initiated by the SFO back in August 2012. On this news, Airbus ADRs fell $0.67 per share, or 3.56%, to close at $18.13 per share on July 31, 2020, and Airbus foreign ordinaries fell $2.85 per share, or 3.8%, to close at $72.10 per share on July 31, 2020. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firms site: www.bgandg.com/eadsy or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in Airbus you have until October 5, 2020 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firms expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Contact: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC Peretz Bronstein or Yael Hurwitz 212-697-6484 | info@bgandg.com An obese paedophile who sexually abused several boys while teaching in Tasmania won't spend any time behind bars because of his poor health. Peter John O'Neill, 61, was employed at three schools across the state from 1980-91 when he committed the abuse. O'Neill befriended one of the boys, who was aged as young as 10, while working as his personal art tutor. Peter John O'Neill, 61, was employed at three schools across the state from 1980-91 when he committed the abuse Former students of Dominic College in Tasmania (pictured) posted to a Facebook group, with one saying, 'Nothing will give back what he took, but he must pay in some way' While on an overnight trip during a wild storm, the boy told O'Neill he was feeling scared. O'Neill gave the boy a back massage in bed and then sexually abused him. O'Neill, who now lives in Canberra, previously pleaded guilty to six counts of indecent assault and one count of penetrative sexual abuse of a young person. He weighs 140kg, is incontinent and suffers severe degeneration of the spine, spinal stenosis, chronic pain and sleep apnea. He has a full-time carer and needs help to stand up, wash and other elements of basic hygiene. Chief Justice Alan Blow said O'Neill deserved to be jailed but his only option was to deliver a wholly suspended sentence as there was 'no prospect' of him being brought to Tasmania. O'Neill befriended one of the boys, who was aged as young as 10, while working as his personal art tutor 'Although I cannot impose the penalty he deserves, his life now is probably far more miserable than the lives of most prisoners,' Justice Blow told the Supreme Court in Hobart on Wednesday. O'Neill is unable to travel on normal flights or any significant distance by car, while specialist medical transport by air would cost up to $40,000. Justice Blow said O'Neill could not be locked up interstate and didn't have the money to pay a fine. He said a home detention order was useless because O'Neill is unable to leave his house without assistance. Justice Blow said O'Neill had impacted his victims' education irreversibly and many had experienced problems with anxiety, homelessness, holding down jobs, depression and drugs. O'Neill was sick in bed when he coaxed one 15-year-old boy to hug him. He then abused him. That victim didn't come forward until his 40s because he felt he was to blame. Justice Blow sentenced O'Neill to five years' jail, wholly suspended. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:31:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Wednesday warned that low use of face masks and poor social distancing is likely to trigger a spike in COVID-19 positive cases. Rashid Aman, chief administrative secretary in the Ministry of Health said that a recent survey reveals that the mandatory requirement of wearing face masks in public places is not being adhered to in many parts of the country. He said the survey also found overloading in public transport vehicles in urban and rural areas in disregard of social and physical distancing requirements. Aman said overcrowded markets and political gatherings create an ideal condition for mass transmission of the virus. "These three key challenges are rolling back all the gains we made since we began fighting this pandemic," said Aman. He said that the country has seen remarkable progress with regard to recoveries of patients who had initially contacted the disease. "To date, cumulatively 21, 557 patients have been able to recover from the disease both from our home-based care program, and also those discharged from hospitals," said Aman. He said that stigmatization and discrimination against COVID-19 patients who have been discharged from quarantine and isolation centers are rampant. "Stigmatization drives the disease underground, and defeats efforts at containing the spread of the virus," said Aman. He said that 104 people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 35, 460. Aman said that eight patients succumbed to the disease, bringing the total fatality to 607. Ababu Namwamba, chief administrative secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Kenya has donated 216 million shillings (about 2 million U.S. dollars) to the African Union COVID-19 response fund and pledged an additional one million dollars to support the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said Kenya has mobilized 9.3 million dollars worth of medical supplies from development partners to boost the war against COVID-19. Enditem An analysis of recent population estimates released by the Central Statistics Office suggests that the population of County Kildare is likely to have grown by up to 6% since the last Census was carried out in 2016. The CSOs data only gives a breakdown for the Mid East region - which includes Kildare, Wicklow, Meath and Louth - which overall grew by 6.1% to 733,500 in April. However a ballpark figure of Kildares current population can be estimated from the 2016 Census. In 2016, Kildare made up 32.2% of the Mid East regions population, which would equate to around 236,187 now based on latest estimates. This is an increase of 14,057 on the 2016 Census or 6.3%. The latest figures show the population of Dublin has grown by 6.1% up to April. This shows that the rate of increase in Dublin and Kildare is considerably faster than the rest of Ireland which is 4.2%. Overall the population of Ireland has risen to 4.98 million up to April 2020 and now looks set to exceed five million next year. Across EU On an EU basis, Ireland has one of the fastest rates of population growth in Europe as most of the EU is seeing a marginal 0.2% rise in 2020. Some countries such as Greece, Italy and Poland may even see a drop in their populations this year. 58,300 births CSO Statistician James Hegarty said: The combined effect of positive net migration and natural increase resulted in population growth of 55,900 (+1.1%) in the year to April 2020, compared to an increase of 64,500 (+1.3%) in the year to April 2019. This annual increase brings the population estimate to 4.98 million in April 2020. The number of immigrants to the State in the year to April 2020 is estimated to be 85,400, while the number of emigrants from the State over the same period is estimated at 56,500. These flows resulted in net inward migration for Ireland in the year to April 2020 of 28,900, a reduction of 4,800 (-14.2%) on the previous year. The number of births was 58,300 while the number of deaths was 31,200, resulting in a natural increase of 27,100 in the year to April 2020. This is the lowest level of natural increase recorded since the 2001 population estimates. Irish abroad returning home Irish nationals accounted for 28,900 (33.8%) of the 85,400 immigrants to Ireland, this is the highest number of returning Irish nationals since 2007. Of the 56,500 emigrants from Ireland 28,300 (50.1%) were estimated to be Irish nationals. Consequently, net inward migration of Irish nationals in the year to April 2020 was just over 500. The 2021 Census will include a Time Capsule message written by participants which will be securely stored for 100 years. A recent survey by the World Economic Forum found that an average 74% of people questioned said they would take a Covid-19 vaccine when available. As governments and research institutions race to create vaccines against the novel coronavirus, public acceptance of prospective inoculations varies widely among countries, reflecting concerns over potential risks from rushed efforts. A recent survey by the World Economic Forum found that an average 74% of people questioned between July 24 and Aug. 7 said they would take a Covid-19 vaccine when available. But the difference in confidence levels among countries is significant, ranging from 97% in China to 54% in Russia. The rate in the pandemic hotspot U.S. is 67%. That 26% of people globally said they were not interested in getting a vaccine is significant enough to compromise the effectiveness of rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine, said Arnaud Bernaert, head of shaping the future of health and healthcare at the WEF. Officials and scientists are counting on effective vaccines to stop the raging pandemic, which has sickened more than 27 million people globally. Some expect the earliest inoculations to be available by year-end. There are about 200 candidate vaccines are under study worldwide, including nearly 30 entering human trial stages. The final phase of clinic trials has been launched for some experimental inoculations in China, the United States, Russia and the U.K., among others. But a recent setback involving one of the most promising candidates highlights the potential risks. Britains AstraZeneca Tuesday halted late-stage global trials of its coronavirus vaccine after a serious suspected adverse reaction occurred in a participant. AstraZeneca is jointly developing the vaccine with the University of Oxford. Although it is not known whether the reaction was directly caused by the experimental vaccine, the incident raised doubts about the prospects for an early vaccine rollout. Concerns over side effects and questions on the protective effects of the new vaccines were cited by respondents who said they would refuse to take a potential Covid-19 inoculation, the WEF found after surveyed nearly 20,000 adults in 27 countries. China recorded the highest potential acceptance rate as 97% of respondents said they would take the injection, although 59% expressed cautious acceptance by saying they would somewhat agree to get immunized. Just 38% of Chinese said they strongly agree on vaccine inoculation. And 63% of Chinese respondents said they are worried about potential adverse effects while 12% said they dont think the vaccine will be effective. Hundreds of thousands of people have already taken an experimental Covid-19 vaccine in China, including people not enrolled in clinical trials, under an emergency-use program launched in July. People in countries including Brazil, Australia, India, Malaysia, the U.K., South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Peru and Canada expressed high acceptance of potential Covid-19 vaccines, ranging between 88% and 76%. Russia, Poland and Hungary had the lowest acceptance rates, between 54% and 55%, the survey found. About 67% of American respondents said they would take the inoculation, while 75% of Japanese, 67% of Germans, 66% of Italians and 59% of French are willing to do so, according to the WEF. The survey also found that 59% of respondents said they dont expect a vaccine rollout by the end of 2020. But people in China were most optimistic as 87% said they believe a vaccine will be available by the end of the year. An average of 56% of respondents said they have concerns about side effects, while 19% said they believe they arent exposed to risks of infection. Of those surveyed, 17% said they dont believe in any vaccines. Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com). Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go. Firefighter Nick Grinstead battles the Creek Fire in the Shaver Lake community of Fresno County, California (Noah Berger/AP) More than a dozen California firefighters trying to protect a fire station in rugged mountains were overrun by flames on Tuesday, leaving several injured. Fourteen firefighters deployed emergency shelters as flames overtook them and destroyed the Nacimiento Station in the Los Padres National Forest on the states central coast, the US Forest Service said. They suffered from burns and smoke inhalation, and three were flown to a hospital in Fresno, where one was in a critical condition. The injuries came as wind-driven flames of more than two dozen major fires chewed through bone-dry California and forced new evacuations after a scorching Labour Day weekend that saw a dramatic airlift of more than 200 people. Pilots wearing night-vision goggles to find a place to land before dawn pulled another 164 people from the Sierra National Forest and were working to rescue 17 others on Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom said. Expand Close A helicopter responds to a brush fire in Vancouver, Washington (Alisha Jucevic/The Columbian via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A helicopter responds to a brush fire in Vancouver, Washington (Alisha Jucevic/The Columbian via AP) Its where training meets the moment, but it always takes the courage, the conviction and the grit of real people doing real work, Mr Newsom said. California has already set a record with nearly 2.3 million acres burned this year, and the worst part of the wildfire season is just beginning. The previous acreage record was set just two years ago and included the deadliest wildfire in state history, which was started by power lines and swept through the community of Paradise, killing 85 people. More than 14,000 firefighters were battling fires around the state. Two of the three largest blazes in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area, though they are largely contained after burning for three weeks. California was not alone: hurricane-force winds and high temperatures kicked up wildfires across parts of the Pacific Northwest over the holiday weekend, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and mostly destroying the small town of Malden in eastern Washington. Expand Close Flames burn at a home levelled by the Creek Fire along Highway 168 in Fresno County, California (Noah Berger/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Flames burn at a home levelled by the Creek Fire along Highway 168 in Fresno County, California (Noah Berger/AP) In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The US Forest Service on Monday decided to close all eight national forests in the southern half of the state and shutter campgrounds statewide. Arson is suspected as the cause of the blaze that injured the firefighters above the scenic Big Sur coastal region. The fire had been burning for weeks, but doubled in size overnight. Police arrested a Fresno man on August 19 near the fires starting point. His charges include arson of forestland and illegal marijuana cultivation. He is being held on $2 million (1.54 million) bail. D etectives have released an image of a man they want to speak to following seven sexual assaults on women aboard buses in east and north London. An investigation was launched after women were targeted on a variety of bus routes including the 38, 48, 279, 254, 149 and 253. The victims, aged 23 to 62, were left feeling "very upset and shocked" by the assaults which police say took place between Thursday, July 4 and Wednesday, September 25, 2019. They reported being "touched inappropriately" while using public transport from late afternoon onwards but primarily between 7pm and 11pm. One incident took place on the number 38 bus route / PA Detective Constable Darren Barlow, Roads and Transport Policing said: We clearly need to find whoever is responsible for these assaults, and I would like to thank the women for coming forward to report them. Although our public transport system is generally safe, this does not diminish the fact that one such offence is one too many. Under no circumstances will this offending be tolerated and this linked series is being investigated using as many resources as possible. It is imperative women in London should be able to board public transport without fear of being targeted. Each incident has left the women targeted feeling very upset and shocked, and they are being supported by my team. We have carried out extensive enquiries to try and identify this man, and we are now asking the public to contact us if they recognise him. Please come forward if you know who he is, whether that means making a report to us directly, or via Crimestoppers anonymously. Met Police added that none of the victims were left with physical injuries following the incidents. Anyone who recognises the man in the images, or has related information to share, is asked to call detectives from the Roads and Transport Policing Command via 101 or tweet @MetCC. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111. Crime prevention advice can be found on our website via met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault. By PTI BENGALURU: HALs indigenously developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) demonstrated high altitude capability in hot and high weather conditions in the Himalayas for about 10 days. A comprehensive test plan was executed at Leh (3300 metres above mean sea level) in temperatures up to ISA (international standard atmosphere)+320C which included envelope expansion, performance and flying qualities, Bengaluru headquartered HAL ( Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) said. The LUH took off from Leh and demonstrated its hot and high hover performance at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at 5000 MAMSL, an HAL statement said on Wednesday. The helicopter also demonstrated its payload capability in Siachen glacier high altitude. During the trials, pilots landed the helicopter at the highest helipads of Amar and Sonam, it said. "HAL has once again proved its indigenous capability in design & development", the statement said. The Army version of LUH is now ready for Initial Operational Clearance, said HAL CMD, R Madhavan. Accoring to Director (Engineering and R&D), HAL, Arup Chatterjee, the performance of the helicopter and its systems is satisfactory fulfillingthe requirements of the users. All planned tests were successfully demonstrated. The flights were carried out recently by composite trial team which included pilots from HAL, Wg Cdr (Retd) Unni Pillai, CTP (RW), Wg Cdr (Retd) Anil Bhambani, Gp Capt (Retd) Pupinder Singh and Gp Capt V Panwar along with Gp Capt R Dubey, Sq Ldr Joshi from Indian Air Force and Lt Col R Grewal & Lt Col Pawan from theIndian Army. Representatives from certification authority witnessed the trials, it was stated. The Initial Operational Clearance for basic LUH was accorded by CEMILAC (Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification) for IAF variant on February seven, 2020, HAL said. As some Harris County renters face eviction in the middle of a pandemic, kind Houstonians have stepped up to offer financial help. A GoFundMe created less than a week ago through Harris County Precinct Constable Alan Rosen's office has helped generate more than $234,000 in donations for Houston-area renters who are in desperate need. "If you need something to be inspired about, this is something to be inspired about," Rosen wrote on the Constable website about the overwhelming response to the fundraiser. RENT RELIEF: COVID-19 relief applications open for Houston-area renters, landlords, business owners The outpouring of support came on the heels of Houston father Israel Rodriguez' heartbreaking eviction story, published Sept. 3 on CNN. When a deputy from the Harris County Constable's Office knocked on Rodriguez's door, he pleaded with the man. Rodriguez had lost his job due to the pandemic and was behind on rent. "We ain't got nowhere to go," Rodriguez told him and other deputies. After people all across Houston and the U.S. witnessed Rodriguez' eviction on CNN, donations began to pour in to help him and other Houston families struggling to pay rent. "I didn't expect all the help that I got. But it helped us so much," Rodriguez told KTRK. "It's unbelievable how people got such great hearts." The Constable's fundraiser was still growing as of Wednesday afternoon, and raised more than nine times its initial goal in five days. Because we know people are suffering, and after all, were human beings as well," Rosen told KHOU. On Sept. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention placed a temporary halt on residential evictions until the end of the year in order to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. However, not all families meet the criteria for this temporary halt. Renters must meet four guidelines to avoid eviction: Have an income of $198,000 or less for couples filing jointly or $99,000 for single filers Demonstrate that they have sought government assistance to make their rental payments Affirmatively declare they are unable to pay rent due to COVID-19 hardships Affirm they are likely to become homeless if they are evicted As details of the renters' donation plan are completed, Rosen's office said that some of the donations will also be allocated to non-profits like BakerRipley, which will help with rental assistance and legal resources for tenants in need, according to KHOU. "I'm not the only one struggling, but for people to reach out to me, it's the best thing that can ever happen to me," Rodriguez said. Rosen opened up on Facebook about the emotional distress that all parties endure when it comes to evictions. "It breaks our hearts to evict people. We hope that the generosity demonstrated following this single story will begin a movement where we work together as a society that starts a discussion about poverty, prioritizes kindness and encourages philanthropy," Rosen wrote. Chicago-based global insurance broker, Hub International Limited (Hub), has acquired the assets of Todd & Associates LLC (Todd & Associates), an independent insurance agency located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Todd & Associates is an independently owned agency with more than 100 years of combined experience in the insurance industry. The agency provides insurance products and services tailored to clients specific risk needs, including medical professional liability insurance. Hub said this expertise in healthcare supports its specialty practices by complementing and strengthening Hubs existing capabilities. Louis Todd, owner of Todd & Associates, along with his team, will join Hub Gulf South. Source: Hub International Limited Topics Mergers Louisiana WATERLOO REGION Waterloo Regional Police had stringent guidelines on who could access a provincial database containing personal information about people who had tested positive for COVID-19. Police Chief Bryan Larkin said only 41 dispatchers and 911 communicators had access to the portal. It is also included communications supervisors. We used it appropriately and within the directives set out under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, Larkin said in a meeting of the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board on Wednesday. Larkin said the 911 communicators could only access the database if someone answered yes to any of the COVID-19 screening questions or the person was symptomatic when an officer arrived at the call. No COVID-19 personal information on individuals was collected or entered into police systems, he said. Larkin said information on the database was accessed 1,180 times between April 17 and July 20. The Ministry of the Solicitor General made the database available to police through an emergency order during the pandemic. The temporary measure was approved by the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board on April 15 and a policy was created to ensure protocols were followed. We recognize this was a polarizing, divisive issue so there was internal direction around training and access, said Larkin. The board received letters from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, along with the Black Legal Action Centre, HIV and AIDS Legal Clinic and the Aboriginal Legal Services, and well as from the office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario asking questions including how many people had accessed the database and in what circumstances the database been searched. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association released provincial data earlier this summer which showed that police across the province had searched the database 95,000 times. The service that accessed the database most frequently was Durham Regional Police, which accessed the information 24,623 times. Thunder Bay Police was second at 14,831 followed by York Regional Police, which went in 13,551 times. Both London and Hamilton police accessed the database more than 10,000 times. The database has names, addresses and dates of birth of Ontarians who have tested positive for COVID-19. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association never supported the measure, saying the move was an extraordinary invasion of privacy. A legal challenge was filed and the lawsuit was later dropped after the provincial government closed access to the database. Meanwhile, at the service, only one employee, a civilian, has tested positive for COVID-19. Larkin said the employee did not get the virus on the job. We were able to contain and isolate and make sure no other members were exposed, he said. Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut left her hometown of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh for Chandigarh by road early on Wednesday to catch a flight to Mumbai after testing negative for Covid-19 late Tuesday night. An inconclusive Covid-19 report on Tuesday threatened to disrupt her travel plans to Mumbai amid her ongoing war of words with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut over her remarks that she doesnt feel safe in Mumbai after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Last week, Kangana had taken to Twitter to claim: Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena leader, has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai. After Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir? The actor was provided Y-plus Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security on the recommendation of the Himachal Pradesh Police chief Sanjay Kundu after she complained of threat to her life. Also Read: Kangana Ranaut to be probed over drug-use claim, says Maharashtra home minister She travelled from her home in the periphery of the tourist town of Manali to her native Bhambla village in Mandi district on Tuesday. A medical team in Manali had taken swab samples of Kangana and her younger sister, Rangoli Chandel, for Covid-19 testing as she had plans to travel to Mumbai. However, the report was inconclusive. Later, a team from Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College in Mandi drew fresh samples of the sisters. Both tested negative in results declared around midnight and left for Chandigarh from Mandi district by road to board a flight to Mumbai. It is a five-hour drive from Mandi to Chandigarh. Also Read: Security tightens for Kangana Ranaut as she returns to Mumbai Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who had described her as a daughter of Himachal Pradesh, spoke to Kangana over the phone on Tuesday and confirmed that she would be travelling on September 9. Citing information from unnamed government insiders, Naira Zohrabian, a senior BHK parliamentarian, said the authorities are busy fabricating criminal cases against her and her colleagues and may try to lift their parliamentary immunity from prosecution soon. He who ordered all this knows me very well and is well aware that its impossible to intimidate me in any way, Zohrabian wrote on Facebook, apparently referring to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. BHK spokeswoman Iveta Tonoyan also cited such insider information when she spoke to RFE/RLs Armenian service. A constant wiretapping of our phones and collection of various compromising material against us have become the norm, which makes me feel really sorry because I thought that such practices will not be possible in the new Armenia, she claimed. Tonoyan said that many members of Armenias leading parliamentary opposition party have already been indicted in various criminal cases opened after Tsarukian was charged with vote buying in June. She stressed that this will not stop the BHK from continuing to campaign for the governments resignation. Tsarukian strongly denies the accusations, saying that they were leveled in retaliation for his strong criticism of Pashinians government voiced earlier in June. The BHK leader, who is also one of Armenias wealthiest businessmen, stood by that criticism in a speech delivered late last month. The National Security Service (NSS), which is conducting the criminal investigation into Tsarukian, declined to clarify on Wednesday whether it has also indicted other senior BHK figures. Maria Karapetian, a parliament deputy from Pashinians My Step bloc, flatly denied any political persecution of the BHK leadership. I can rule out any political motives for the administration of criminal justice in Armenia, she said. Karapetian also dismissed Zohrabians claims that the pro-government majority in the Armenian parliament wants to sack her as chairwoman of a parliament committee on human rights issues. Boris Johnsons threat to unilaterally re-write parts of his Brexit agreement could damage Britains reputation abroad, Theresa May has warned. Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday the former prime minister said the government needed to reassure other countries that the UK would stand by its word in future agreements. The concerns come ahead of a major push by Mr Johnson to strike trade deals with other countries around the world when Britain leaves the EU customs union at the end of the year. The UK Government signed the Withdrawal Agreement with the Northern Ireland protocol, this Parliament voted that Withdrawal Agreement into UK legislation, Theresa May said in a debate following an urgent question on government plans. "The Government is now changing the operation of that agreement. Given that, how can the Government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?" The government dramatically announced this week that it would pass new legislation on the Northern Ireland border that appears to conflict with its obligations under the withdrawal agreement. The government denies its new policy breaks the treaty, but European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Monday reminded Mr Johnson that he had an obligation under international law to stand by the agreement, struck last year. Asked if Mr Johnson now regretted signing up to the withdrawal agreement and its Northern Ireland protocol, the prime ministers official spokesperson said No. He insisted that the government remains committed to implementing both, despite the upcoming legislation which will allow UK ministers unilaterally to override measures agreed with Brussels. The spokesman said: We signed up to the protocol in the belief that its ambiguities would be resolved this year at Joint Committee. That may still happen. We hope an agreement is still possible but as a responsible government we cant allow temporary default positions to kick in. The spokesman said that Mr Johnson had previously publicly ruled out the implementation of a number of provisions contained in the withdrawal agreement reached with Brussels. The prime minister has publicly ruled out export summary declarations on goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and tariffs on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland on several occasions, said the spokesman. Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pedestrians pass in front of the Ministry of Defence Building on Whitehall, illuminated by red, white and blue lights in central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supporter shouts during a rally in London AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners take part in a 'Missing EU Already' rally outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A large pro-EU banner is projected onto Ramsgate cliff in Kent PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU supporters light candles in Smith Square in Westminster PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The five-year old Elisa Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights group New Europeans outside Europe House, central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Pro Brexit supporter has a Union Jack painted onto his face at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Men hold placards celebrating Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters dance in the street draped with Union Jack flags at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexit demonstrator spreads his wings during a gathering near Downing Street AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters display a banner ' Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out' from Westminster bridge EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit supporters burn European Union flags at Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses for a picture on Parliament Square in a 'Brexit Day' t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man wears a pro-Brexit t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators visit Europe House to give flowers to the staff on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporter wears a novelty Union Jack top hat outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Customers Scott Jones and Laura Jones at the Sawmill Bar in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, where a Brexit party is being held throughout the day PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU activists protest Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit demonstrator burns a European Union flag AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man carries an EU themed wreath Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA He did that in advance of the withdrawal agreement being agreed with the European Union. Under the withdrawal agreement, the UK has agreed to sign up to implement the EU customs code in Northern Ireland. The code includes so-called exit summary declarations effectively paperwork that traders must fill out when they export goods. Despite agreeing to implement the code, the UK government now says these should not be required. During the general election Boris Johnson claimed the withdrawal agreement would not impose new paperwork on Northern Irish businesses exporting to Great Britain, which is not true. Beginning with this new version of Googles mobile operating system, the location sharing tool is available right in the Live View mode, which technically means that you could be able to see the point where the other contact currently is in real time using your phones camera.The feature works pretty simple and only requires you to launch the Live View mode on your Android phone after someone sends you their location.Using the phones camera to scan your surroundings, you should then be able to see the location of your contact and you can just walk towards them, with the meetup point to be updated in real time.If your friends have chosen to share their location with you, simply tap on their icon and then on Live View on the right side of your screen. Youll see where they are in relation to you, along with how far away they are. Tapping on start will then show you arrows and directions placed right on top of your world so you can see exactly which way to go, Matt Meffin, Technical Program Manager at Google, explains While Google has clearly said that this feature is currently available exclusively on the Google Pixel running Android 11, theres a good chance it would arrive on other phones too. However, these Android devices need to support ARCore, but on the other hand, similar functionality could very well be released for Android 10 smartphones too.For now, the Android 11 update is available on a series of other non-Pixel phones too, including models from OnePlus, OPPO, and Xiaomi, but this feature remains exclusive to Google devices.It remains to be seen, however, if and when this Google Maps feature could make its way to other devices, especially as the Android 11 rollout advances. Jacinda Ardern's ruling Labour Party plans a new higher tax rate of 39% for people earning over NZ$180,000 ($118,908) and promised no further tax hikes next term if it is re-elected in the Oct. 17 poll, the party said on Wednesday. Ardern's Labour Party, comfortably ahead in the election contest according to opinion polls, said the new top income tax rate will only affect 2% of New Zealanders, while there will be no change in taxes for the remaining 98% of the population. "The new rate will cost $23 a week for an individual earning NZ$200,000, but it will make a big difference to the countrys ability to maintain the investments needed for the economy to bounce back," Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an announcement of the party's tax policy. The new tax policy is forecast to add an annual revenue of NZ$550 million to the economy, which has taken a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic. The highest tax rate in New Zealand is currently 33% for income over NZ$70,000. Robertson said the party will not implement any new taxes or make any further increases to income tax next term. Labour will also be prepared to implement a Digital Service Tax (DST) so it can tax revenue earned by multinational digital firms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, extending a global effort to bring global tech giants into the tax net. He said current projections estimate a DST will raise between NZ$30 million and NZ$80 million of revenue a year. Ardern's Labour Party formed a centre-left coalition government in 2017 after reaching an agreement with nationalist New Zealand First Party and the Green Party. The government's early and decisive response to the coronavirus pandemic has helped limit community transmission but the economy has been battered as businesses were shut and people stayed indoors. The government has already spent billions of dollars on a wage subsidy scheme and other measures to support businesses and protect jobs. ($1 = 1.5138 New Zealand dollars) (Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The first time designer Gwendolynne Burkin put on a plain black face mask, she thought it made her look "mean". "At that point I was still seeing clients. And when you're in customer service you want to be friendly, approachable and inviting," she says. "Our mouths are a big part of how we express ourselves and how we communicate our feelings." If you have a spare $1000, this mask by couturier Gwendolynne Burkin could be yours. Credit:Simon Schluter With a lot of her usual bridal business of 23 years on hold in lockdown, Burkin began making masks from the French lace and beading she would normally use in wedding dresses that cost several thousand dollars. It was also a convenient way to use up off-cuts not big enough to make full gowns. "I was making [masks] mainly for myself initially, in colours I could fit into my wardrobe," Burkin says. "Then, I thought, 'Whoops, I make wedding dresses, so I am making a lot in ivory lace as well." Analysis | 12 January 2022 | News Why or why not: The dilemma for startup investors There have been tremors within the startup community worldwide with the latest Theranos scandal. Though startu...Read more The President's Office has revealed the meeting's results. The Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas settlement on September 9 held an extraordinary meeting via video conference. The meeting aimed to prevent the disruption of a full and comprehensive ceasefire established on July 27, the Ukrainian President's Office reports. The OSCE has once again confirmed groundlessness of any allegations put forward against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the town of Shumy between July 5 and September 2. "This is a fact set out in our report of September 5," Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Yasar Halit Cevik said. The participants in consultations agreed on a joint inspection in the area of the inhabited locality of Shumy with the participation of a representative of the OSCE coordinator. Read alsoZelensky on ceasefire violations in Donbas: Russia must adhere to agreements"The Ukrainian party will provide logistics and security guarantees to all participants in the inspection," the report says. "This day gives us hope that the ceasefire will continue to be observed by all parties. To this end, the Ukrainian party will use any mechanisms both within the TCG and within the Normandy format, which will save the lives of Ukrainian servicemen and civilians. We remain fully committed to the peace process and the implementation of the agreements reached," head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG, Leonid Kravchuk, emphasized. Developments near Shumy: enemy threats The self-styled leader of the Russian puppet "DPR" in eastern Ukraine, Denis Pushilin, threatened to open fire on Ukrainian Army positions from 8:00 on September 7. As grounds for such move, Pushilin claimed violation by Ukrainian forces of the latest ceasefire agreement sealed on July 22. He demanded that Ukrainian troops undo the trenches that had allegedly been dug after July 22, and warned that they "have every right" to act to eliminate the alleged violations. In the light of Pushilin's threats, Ukraine called for an extraordinary meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on September 6, but the meeting never took place. On September 7, no attacks were reported in the area, while Pushilin stated he was postponing the date of the shelling, setting it for 10:00 on September 9. On September 9, the enemy refrained from attacks in the area of Shumy, again, while calling to hold an extraordinary meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group at 12:00 on the same day. What is TCG The Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas settlement is a group of representatives from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that was formed in 2014 as means to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine's Donbas region. Representatives of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR", the unrecognized entities widely supported by the Russian Federation, are not officially a party to the TCG. Anyone living along the Bann can be forgiven for doing a double-take over the last few days as Viking longships descended on the river. Residents of the Bann Valley can rest easy, however, as the boats are elaborate props for a film being shot in the area. 'Northman' is a Viking revenge saga set in Iceland at the turn of the 10th century, and lists Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman among its stars, who will be based at local GAA club, Roger Casement's. Longships have been spotted in the Co Antrim town of Portglenone. Alexander Skarsgard also features in the film as Nordic prince Amleth, who seeks revenge after his father is murdered. Filming begins today and will take place at Molloy's Ford, between Portglenone and Bellaghy, as well as at other locations along the River Bann. As a result of the filming, Molloy's Ford will be closed to the public at certain times over the next week and any changes to opening times can be viewed on the Mid Ulster District Council website. India, France and Australia on Wednesday jump started a new strategic alliance proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron two years ago with the first meeting of top foreign ministry officials of the three countries. Maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region got the top billing at Wednesdays meeting held over video conference. The officials spoke about enhancing maritime security cooperation including maritime domain awareness, mutual logistics support and capacity building of other friendly countries in the Indo-Pacific region, people familiar with the matter said. There was broad agreement among the three partners that they should look at a multi-polar world where countries join hands for mutual benefit and support rather than a unipolar or multipolar world. China did figure in the discussions but the meeting wasnt focussed on one country. It took an overarching view, one Indian official later told Hindustan Times. The virtual meeting was co-chaired by foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, secretary-general in French ministry for Europe and foreign affairs Francois Delattre and secretary in Australian department of foreign affairs Frances Adamson. ON THE TRILATERAL TABLE MARITIME SECURITY COOPERATION Explore trilateral cooperation in mutual logistics support Consider greater operational coordination towards maritime security Collaborate to set up a pan Indian Ocean Region- Search and Rescue mechanism Join hands in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH Collaborate on therapeutics and vaccine for COVID-19 BLUE ECONOMY Blue Economy initiatives such as hydrography, meteorology and oceanography, and marine medicine Environmental Challenges- marine pollution, etc. Collaborate on identifying, monitoring and reducing pollution sources INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE Promote solar-energy based solutions in countries of the region French President Macron was among the first to call for building a strategic alliance between the three countries that could respond to challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and the growing assertiveness of China. On a visit to Australia before he flew down to India back in May 2018, President Macron had spoken about the need for the partners to organise themselves. Were not naive: if we want to be seen and respected by China as an equal partner, we must organize ourselves, President Macron said in a speech at an Australian naval base. This new Paris-Delhi-Canberra axis is absolutely key for the region and our joint objectives in the Indian-Pacific region, he said, according to a 2018 Reuters report. On the India leg of his trip, President Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a blueprint to step up cooperation in the Indian Ocean to counter Chinas growing influence in the region.The Indian Ocean, like the Pacific Ocean, cannot become a place of hegemony, President Macron said as the two countries signed pacts that gave Indian warships access to French naval bases in the Indian Ocean. At Wednesdays meeting, Indian foreign secretary Shringla underscored PM Modis vision for the Indo-Pacific that he had articulated at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018 to promote the concept of Security and Growth for All in the Region or SAGAR. The three countries also discussed cooperation on marine global commons blue economy, marine biodiversity and environmental challenges such as marine pollution. Shringla spoke about Indias interest in collaborating on sustainable fisheries in the Indian Ocean, technologies for harvesting of Deep Ocean Resources and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pedestrians walk past a store of Reliance Digital Retail Ltd., a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd., in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Google is in advanced talks to buy a $4 billion stake in Jio Platforms Ltd., the digital arm of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's conglomerate, people familiar with the matter said, seeking to join rival Facebook Inc. in chasing growth in a promising internet and e-commerce market. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's retail business Reliance Retail said on Wednesday it will raise $1.02 billion from Silver Lake, kickstarting a fundraising spree months after its sister venture Jio Platforms raised $20 billion. The investment in Reliance Retail will grant Silver Lake a 1.75% equity stake in India's largest retail chain. The deal values Reliance Retail at $57 billion pre-money, its parent firm Reliance Industries said in a statement. Reliance Retail, which last month acquired several parts of Future Group (India's second largest retail chain), has 12,000 stores across the country. In the financial year that ended in March, it reported a net profit of $726.4 million. In recent quarters, Oil-to-retail giant Reliance Industries has looked to further expand the reach of Reliance Retail by entering e-commerce space. JioMart, a joint venture between Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail, has presence across 200 cities and towns in India. "The success of JioMart in such a short time span, especially while India, along with the rest of the world, battles the COVID-19 pandemic, is truly unprecedented, and the most exciting growth phase has just begun. Reliances New Commerce strategy could become the disruptor of this decade. We are thrilled to have been invited to partner with Reliance in their mission for Indian Retail," said Egon Durban, co-CEO and managing partner of Silver Lake, in a statement. Today's announcement widens the bet Silver Lake has made on Ambani, India's richest man. The Menlo Park-headquartered PE firm also invested $1.35 billion in Jio Platforms earlier this year. On Tuesday, it also led a $500 million investment round in Indian edtech giant Byju's. I am delighted to extend our relationship with Silver Lake to our transformational efforts of building an inclusive partnership with millions of small merchants while providing value to Indian consumers across the country in the Indian retail sector. We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms. Silver Lake will be an invaluable partner in implementing our vision for Indian Retail," said Ambani in a statement. Silver Lake's investment in Reliance Retail will likely be followed by several more high-profile investors in the coming weeks. During Reliance Industries annual general meeting in July, Ambani had said the company will induct global partners and investors in Reliance Retail in the next few quarters. In July, local media reported that Amazon was engaging with Reliance Retail for a 9.99% stake deal. Visitors select products of "Mom Handworks" at the exhibition area of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 7, 2020. Four artisans of "Mom Handworks" from southwest China's Guizhou Province demonstrated embroidery works of the Miao ethnic group at the fair. "Mom Handworks" is a public welfare project initiated in 2016. Since then, a total of 49 "Mom Handworks Cooperatives" have been established in 14 provinces nationwide. The project helps create jobs for poverty-stricken mothers and provide them with skills to make handicrafts with local ethnic flavors. It also serves as a platform to promote China's intangible cultural heritages and carry forward traditional Chinese culture. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) WASHINGTON Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will travel to the battleground state of Michigan on Wednesday to propose changes to the corporate tax code to reward investments in U.S.-based manufacturing and penalize American companies that offshore jobs. The tax plan is part of a broader push by the former vice president to forcefully challenge President Donald Trump on economic issues in the final two months of the presidential race. The proposal has three chief components: An offshoring tax penalty: This part calls for a 28% corporate tax rate and an additional 10% "offshoring penalty surtax" on profits for manufactured goods and for services such as call centers, if American companies produce them overseas and then sell them back to the U.S. market. According to a briefing paper from the Biden campaign, "companies will pay a 30.8% tax rate on any such profits." A "Made in America" tax credit: A 10% advanceable tax credit for companies on a broad range of investments designed to create manufacturing jobs in the United States. Eligible projects include revitalizing closed or closing factories, increasing domestic production, modernizing manufacturing facilities, expanding manufacturing payrolls and any expense or investment related to onshoring jobs. Elimination of offshore tax loopholes: Biden's plan would close several tax loopholes in the 2017 Republican tax law that permit U.S. companies to shield their foreign profits from full taxation. Trump's pledge to halt offshoring and bring jobs back to the U.S. proved to be one of his most effective campaign messages in 2016, helping him to win manufacturing-heavy blue states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. On Wednesday, Biden will appear in Macomb County, which Trump won in 2016, to argue that the president has broken his promise to revitalize manufacturing there. Biden will present his own plan as the best way to accomplish what Trump could not. In addition to proposing changes to the offshore tax code, Biden will also pledge that if he is elected president, he will sign six "Buy American" executive orders during his first week in office. The executive orders would tighten the current "Buy American" rules that govern federal procurement to even more strongly favor American-made goods and services than they do now. Biden initially proposed the changes to "Buy American" rules in early July, when he unveiled his economic platform. In the two months since then, Biden has maintained his lead over Trump in national and swing-state polls, with a majority of voters in these states saying they believe Biden would handle race relations, the coronavirus pandemic and national security better than Trump has. But with less than 60 days left in the presidential campaign, there remains one issue on which Trump consistently leads his opponent: who voters trust most to handle the economy. In Michigan, Biden leads Trump by 5 points, according to a WDIV/Detroit News poll released Tuesday. But Trump has a 4-point advantage over Biden on the economy. Several nationwide polls in the past week have shown Biden closing in on Trump's economic advantage, however, giving the Biden campaign reason to believe the timing is ideal for an aggressive economic push in states Trump won last time. Returning jobs to the U.S. is one of several promises Trump made during his first campaign that has proven much more difficult to accomplish than he and his closest advisers had anticipated. This is partly due to the president's tendency to launch initiatives with fanfare, only to set them aside soon after and focus on something else. For example, Trump signed his own "Buy American" executive order in April 2017, just weeks after his inauguration. The order required federal agencies to gather information about procurement practices and then submit reports to the White House. Three years later, however, there do not appear to have been any reports submitted, according to the Los Angeles Times, which recently examined Trump's record on "Buy American." Trump is trying to make many of the same arguments about Biden. Speaking at a campaign rally Tuesday night in North Carolina, Trump claimed, "For half a century, Joe Biden shook hands with blue-collar workers and then he turned around and immediately stabbed them in the back" with multinational trade deals, Trump said. "He closed the factories in Baltimore and sent them to Beijing. They were all sent to Beijing." Times are tough, people are struggling to stay safe from coronavirus and not fall prey to fatigue of being in the lockdown. And as scientists are racing to get a vaccine, face masks are our only refuge. But what do when President of the world superpower, who has just been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, undermines the use of masks in public? READ: Donald Trump Has Been Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize and Internet Calls it Peak 2020 US President recently asked a White House reporter to remove his mask while he was asking him a question at a press conference as he couldnt decipher his words from behind the mask. Youre very muffled," Trump told Jeff Mason who reports for the Reuters. However, Mason was well-aware of the importance of masks and instead offered to speak louder than remove his mask. President Donald Trump asked a @Reuters journalist to take off his face mask while asking a question during the U.S. Labor Day news conference at the White House pic.twitter.com/jB67ulAHlq Reuters (@Reuters) September 8, 2020 Well, Trump has drawn flak over his disregard for the mask despite the fact that USA remains the worst-hit country due to coronavirus pandemic. Im a bit hearing impaired. But masks have not really made it harder to hear someone.Ive simply realized that I just need to focus on the person speaking to hear what they are saying behind the mask. Imagine that. Focusing on the person speaking. Giving them my full attention. JamieLou Delavan (@delavan) September 8, 2020 Will someone please have the spine to tell Trump, MY MASK PROTECTS YOU. Youre welcome to return the favor, Mr. Trump." Knitting (@jmasters7649) September 8, 2020 Hes killing Americans by his anti-mask rhetoric, and yet being are falling in line to vote for him. Makes. No. Sense. EJ ByeDon Colorado (@denvercrat) September 8, 2020 Yes and we appreciate the journalist standing his ground. it was a win for the good guys. Blanche Knox KPOP AGENT EXTRAORDINAIRE (@BlancheKnox5) September 8, 2020 we should admire his courage to refuse Trumps demand. #WearAMask protests yourself and others. though the journalist is many feet away from the president, he is still close to other journalists sitting nearby. Ladyhaha (@RealLadyhaha) September 8, 2020 @realDonaldTrump should not be encouraging people to take off masks!!!! Cobrakai213 (@cobrakai213) September 8, 2020 Trump has given out some bizarre statements during the pandemic. From calling it a China virus to suggesting to inject disinfectants, Trump baffled people at several occasions. Trump said at his daily media briefing in April that scientists should explore whether inserting light or disinfectant into the bodies of people infected with the new coronavirus might help them clear the disease. Is there a way we can do something like that by injection, inside, or almost a cleaning?," he said. It would be interesting to check that." At SIU Carbondale, freshmen and new student enrollment jumped significantly, though overall enrollment fell by 2.8% from fall 2019 to 11,366. Still, the drop was much less than in any of the previous four years, when declines between 8% and 12% have been reported, and leaders are optimistic the school is turning the corner. The number of new students enrolling increased by about 31%. Most are freshmen, though some come in with enough credit to begin as sophomores or juniors, spokeswoman Rae Goldsmith said. Jessica Alba was reduced to tears this week when she discovered her 12-year-old daughter Honor is taller than she is. The 39-year-old actress, whose IMDb page lists her height as 5 ft. 6 in., posted an Instagram snap of herself crying while hugging Honor in the kitchen. She also included a snap of herself and her firstborn standing back to back, revealing that Honor came up to slightly above her mother. Back to back: Jessica Alba was reduced to tears this week when she discovered her 12-year-old daughter Honor is taller than she is 'The moment you realize your number 1 baby is taller than you,' Jessica wrote in her caption for her 18.4 million Instagram followers. Along with their eldest, Jessica and her husband Cash Warren share nine-year-old daughter Haven and two-year-old son Hayes. Amid the coronavirus pandemic the family are hunkering down at their Los Angeles home which according to Architectural Digest cost $10 million. What a moment: The 39-year-old actress, whose IMDb page lists her height as 5 ft. 6 in., posted an Instagram snap of herself crying while hugging Honor in the kitchen The parents of three recently appeared on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast where she discussed how marriage and motherhood have changed her. Jessica shared that 'I really value the person that I've become in learning how to navigate the world with a partner, with Cash, and then also being a mom to my little people who have taught me, you know, leaps and bounds how to just evolve and try to be more thoughtful, active, conscious person.' Jessica and Cash spontaneously decided to get married at a Beverly Hills courthouse one day in 2008 while she was heavily pregnant with Honor. Side by side: Along with their eldest, Jessica and her husband Cash Warren share nine-year-old daughter Haven and two-year-old son Hayes Cash, who is the son of Hill Street Blues actor Michael Warren, met Jessica while assistant directing her critically savaged 2005 hit film Fantastic Four. Although she rose to fame as an actress Jessica is also the founder of the consumer goods brand The Honest Company, which she launched in 2011. During a 2018 interview with InStyle she shared that 'I feel like my purpose in life was to create Honest, and everything led me to that.' STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Restaurants roared. And it sounds like so far they might have been heard, at least in St. George. Last Tuesday, the Advance/SILive.com reported Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore) was the only Staten Island politician to sign a petition lobbying for the immediate return of indoor dining. In a follow up article, she defended her stance that backed restaurants only if 25 percent capacities and expensive ventilation systems were put into place. Since that time the Advance learned Rose penned a separate letter of her own to Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio asking for guidelines to reopen. The letter is dated September 3, a day after the Advance wrote a story about the state of St. George, the neighborhood in which her office is located and the day the Advance published an article about the outrage felt by restaurant owners in her constituency. With a change of tune, she wrote that day to state and city leaders: Our restaurant owners have received no information from either of your administrations about reopening protocols and requirements, and the mayors recent comments that there is not even a plan for the resumption of indoor dining is potentially disastrous to entrepreneurs and their ability to reopen -- as well as to our local economy. The letter continued, I respect the advice of your health experts and the need to reopen only when it is safe. But as the winter months approach with no signs of new aid from Washington, immediate communication from your administrations to our small-business owners is imperative." Roses office said no response has come yet from Cuomo or de Blasio on the correspondence. Restaurant owners responded to the softened message and asked, Does this mean she has abandoned her stance on the ventilation and that particular percentage of capacity for reopening? Is she blaming no signs of new aid from Washington as to why the restaurants still closed in NYC? Rose responded on Wednesday morning in a statement that read, Small-business owners deserve clear guidance from the city and state, support from Washington and, when it is safe, a date for a reopening in accordance with statewide guidelines. My primary concern has always been the safety of all my constituents, especially considering that some North Shore neighborhoods have had some of the highest death rates citywide. Restaurant union spokesperson Rob DeLuca of IROAR -- the Independent Restaurant Owners Association Rescue -- responded, Washington has nothing to do with this. This is not federal. This is all Governor Cuomo and the City of New York. When youre pointing the finger at someone else youre always pointing three fingers back at yourself. DeLuca give the IROAR group credit for mounting pressure on politicians to aid in the fight to reopen dining rooms across New York City. Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com. New moderate income housing program could be on the way to Long Beach This article, Jelly Belly founder giving away candy factory in hunt for gold tickets, originally appeared on CNET.com. Want to win $5,000 and a shot at your very own candy factory? David Klein, founder of candy company Jelly Belly, no longer owns the business, but he's playing Willy Wonka just the same. In a video posted to TheGoldTicket.com, Klein explains that he's hiding "gold tickets" -- they look like gold-colored military dog tags -- in each US state. And one person will win one of Klein's Florida candy factories. The 4,000-square foot factory isn't a Jelly Belly factory. Klein sold his stake in that company in 1980 and started fresh. It's not as simple as when Charlie Bucket found his golden ticket in author Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book. To play, hunters must pay $49.98 to receive the riddle that will help them hunt down the gold necklace. Different state riddles will be released on different days, beginning with Georgia's on Sept. 30. Those who pay will be allowed into a private Facebook group about their hunt, and only 1,000 people can participate in each hunt. "We've already hidden quite a few of (the necklaces)," Klein said in the video. After the state necklaces are found, Klein says, "we're going to have the ultimate treasure hunt where the winner will be receiving a key to one of our candy factories." Contest rules are explained on the website. "We're looking for you Charlie, out there," Klein said. A meeting between Turkish and Greek military delegations, initially planned for Sept. 8 at NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss methods for reducing risks of incidents in the Eastern Mediterranean, was rescheduled for Sept. 10, Hurriyet Daily News reports. According to Turkish National Defense Ministry sources, the technical talks - planned after a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg - is postponed to Sept.10 by the NATO Military Committee. Meanwhile, earlier Greece has reinforced its military presence on the Turkish border amid increasing tensions between the two countries over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, Daily Sabah reported. Giorgos Koumoutsakos, the Greek deputy migration minister, claimed that Ankara could use migrants to pressure the European Union not to impose sanctions on Turkey. The escalating conflict is set to top the agenda at a September 24-25 European Council meeting, with some member states pressing for sanctions against Turkey. "We are prepared and will respond as we did in March," Koumoutsakos told news agency Skai. JERUSALEM - Ahmad Manasra was travelling home from a wedding when he spotted a family in distress on the side of a West Bank road. Moments later, the 22-year-old Palestinian was fatally shot while another Palestinian driver was seriously wounded both by an Israeli soldier in a nearby watchtower. The shootings are now the focus of a plea bargain offering the soldier three months of community service a deal that has come under fierce criticism from the victims and their families. It also revived accusations by Palestinians and human rights workers that Israels military justice system is hopelessly biased and creates an atmosphere of impunity for soldiers suspected of violent crimes against Palestinians. While the soldier has claimed he mistook the victims for attackers, and any indictment of a soldier is extremely rare, the proposed deal is now being reviewed by the Israeli Supreme Court. When it comes to clashes with the army or the police, it is very very rare that you will find a fair trial, said Shlomo Lecker, an Israeli lawyer who filed the appeal to the high court on behalf of the Palestinian families. Even by what Lecker considers the militarys lenient standards, it will be hard to justify the sentence that the army is interested in, he said. The shootings took place on March 20, 2019 near the West Bank town of Bethlehem. At the time, Manasra and three others were in a car, heading home from a wedding. They spotted a parked car and a woman screaming for help on the side of the road. The womans husband, Alaa Ghayadah, had pulled off the road after a traffic dispute with another driver. When Ghayadah got out of his car, a soldier in a nearby guard tower shot him in the stomach, according to witness testimony gathered by the Israeli rights group BTselem. Manasras co-travellers took Ghayadah in their car to a hospital, while Manasra offered to drive Ghayadahs wife and two young daughters behind them. When their car wouldnt start, he got out of the vehicle and was shot himself, according to BTselem. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. In a statement, the army, quoting from the indictment, said the soldier had opened fire after assuming Ghayadah was throwing stones at Israeli motorists. It said the soldier wrongly assumed Manasra was the same stone thrower and fired again. It also said forces had received a report about the possibility of a terror attack in the area shortly before the incident. It said that in the Aug. 17 plea bargain, the soldier was indicted for causing death by negligence. It said victims were represented in legal proceedings and the various parties jointly petitioned for a sentence of three months imprisonment served through military work, probation and a demotion to the rank of private. Complex evidentiary and legal considerations, significant operational circumstances of the incident and the soldiers willingness to take responsibility were all considered, the army said. In addition, the rights of the victims of the offence were preserved throughout the proceedings. The victims strongly disputed the military account and said they never accepted the plea bargain. The military did not explain what appears to be a sharp discrepancy between its claims and the families view of the plea deal. Wafa Manasra, Ahmads mother, called the deal unjust. The soldier killed my son in cold blood, she said. My son wasnt going to carry out any attack. He was going to help others when he was killed. Ghadayeh, a former tile layer, said he can no longer work because of the severe damage to his stomach. He said he tried to work as a taxi driver but that also was too grueling on his body. If the soldier was sentenced to life in prison, that wont be enough for me, he said. Critics say potentially criminal shootings of Palestinians rarely result in convictions or even indictments. BTselem, Israels leading human rights group, grew so frustrated with the military justice system that in 2016 it halted its decades-long practice of assisting military investigations. According to the group, the plea bargain results from the first indictment in the death of a Palestinian in the West Bank since a landmark 2016 case in which a soldier was caught on video shooting and killing a badly wounded Palestinian attacker in the head who was lying on the ground. The soldier, Elor Azaria, served nine months in prison for manslaughter. BTselem says there have been at least 11 cases over the past two years in which Palestinians who did not pose a threat were killed while fleeing security forces. The plea bargain is not an aberration, said Amit Galutz, a spokesman for the group. It is a policy of whitewashing and of protecting perpetrators instead of their victims. In Israel, military service is compulsory for most Jewish males, and there is widespread sympathy for young soldiers. Azarias trial bitterly divided the country, with top generals saying he should be punished for violating a military code of ethics. But large segments of Israels nationalist right, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pushed for leniency. Emmanuel Gross, a professor emeritus at the University of Haifas law school and a former military judge, said military cases are different than civilian cases. A soldier finds himself on a battlefield. Therefore he is under constant threat to his life and must be aware to defend himself and his colleagues, he said. You must take those circumstances under consideration. Gross said that on the surface, the sentence in the Manasra case appeared to be lenient and inappropriate. But he said the High Court could determine there were special circumstances that make the plea bargain reasonable. Lecker, the Palestinians lawyer, said the families have few expectations that the plea bargain will be altered. Just the fact that it will be reviewed by the court is an achievement, he said. ___ Associated Press writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report. Read more about: Theres no lack of hype in the computer industry, although even I have to admit that sometimes the technology does catch up to the promises. Machine learning is a good example. Machine learning has been hyped since the 1950s, and has finally become generally useful in the last decade. Quantum computing was proposed in the 1980s, but still isnt practical, although that hasnt dampened the hype. There are experimental quantum computers at a small number of research labs, and a few commercial quantum computers and quantum simulators produced by IBM and others, but even the commercial quantum computers still have low numbers of qubits (which Ill explain in the next section), high decay rates, and significant amounts of noise. Quantum computing explained The clearest explanation of quantum computing that Ive found is in this video by Dr. Talia Gershon of IBM. In the video, Gershon explains quantum computing to a child, a teenager, a college student, and a graduate student, and then discusses quantum computing myths and challenges with Professor Steve Girvin from Yale University. To the child, she makes the analogy between bits and pennies. Classical bits are binary, like pennies lying on the table, showing either heads or tails. Quantum bits (qubits) are like pennies spinning on the table, which could eventually collapse into states that are either heads or tails. To the teenager, she uses the same analogy, but adds the word superposition to describe the states of a spinning penny. Superposition of states is a quantum property, commonly seen in elementary particles and in the electron clouds of atoms. In popular science, the usual analogy is the thought experiment of Schrodingers Cat, which exists in its box in a superposed quantum state of both alive and dead, until the box is open and it is observed to be one or the other. Gershon goes on to discuss quantum entanglement with the teenager. This means that the states of two or more entangled quantum objects are linked, even if they are separated. By the way, Einstein hated this idea, which he dismissed as spooky action at a distance, but the phenomenon is real and observable experimentally, and has recently even been photographed. Even better, light entangled with quantum information has been sent over a 50-kilometer optical fiber. Finally, Gershon shows the teenager IBMs quantum computer prototype with its dilution refrigerator, and discusses possible applications of quantum computers, such as modeling chemical bonds. With the college student, Gershon goes into more detail about the quantum computer, the quantum chip, and the dilution refrigerator that takes the temperature of the chip down to 10 mK (milliKelvin). Gershon also explains quantum entanglement in more detail, along with quantum superposition and interference. Constructive quantum interference is used in quantum computers to amplify signals leading to the right answer, and destructive quantum interference is used to cancel signals leading to the wrong answer. IBM makes qubits out of superconducting materials. With the grad student, Gershon discusses the possibility of using quantum computers to speed up key parts of the training of deep learning models. She also explains how IBM uses calibrated microwave pulses to manipulate and measure the quantum state (the qubits) of the computing chip. The principal algorithms for quantum computing (discussed below), which were developed before even one qubit had been demonstrated, assumed the availability of millions of perfect, fault-tolerant, error-corrected qubits. We currently have computers with 50 qubits, and they are not perfect. New algorithms under development are intended to work with the limited numbers of noisy qubits we have now. Steve Girvin, a theoretical physicist from Yale, tells Gershon about his work on fault-tolerant quantum computers, which dont yet exist. The two of them discuss the frustration of quantum decoherence You can only keep your information quantum for so long and the essential sensitivity of quantum computers to noise from the simple act of being observed. They took a stab at the myths that in five years quantum computers will solve climate change, cancer, and . Girvin: We are currently at the vacuum tube or transistor stage of quantum computing, and we are struggling to invent quantum integrated circuits. Quantum algorithms As Gershon mentioned in her video, the older quantum algorithms assume millions of perfect, fault-tolerant, error-corrected qubits, which are not yet available. Nevertheless, its worth discussing two of them to understand their promise and what countermeasures can be used to protect against their use in cryptographic attacks. Grovers algorithm Grovers algorithm, devised by Lov Grover in 1996, finds the inverse of a function in O(N) steps; it can also be used to search an unordered list. It provides a quadratic speedup over classical methods, which need O(N) steps. Other applications of Grovers algorithm include estimating the mean and median of a set of numbers, solving the collision problem, and reverse-engineering cryptographic hash functions. Because of the cryptographic application, researchers sometimes suggest that symmetric key lengths be doubled to protect against future quantum attacks. Shors algorithm Shors algorithm, devised by Peter Shor in 1994, finds the prime factors of an integer. It runs in polynomial time in log(N), making it exponentially faster than the classical general number field sieve. This exponential speedup promises to break public-key cryptography schemes, such as RSA, if there were quantum computers with enough qubits (the exact number would depend on the size of the integer being factored) in the absence of quantum noise and other quantum-decoherence phenomena. If quantum computers ever become large and reliable enough to run Shors algorithm successfully against the sort of large integers used in RSA encryption, then we would need new post-quantum cryptosystems that dont depend on the difficulty of prime factorization. Quantum computing simulation at Atos Atos makes a quantum simulator, the Quantum Learning Machine, which acts as though it has 30 to 40 qubits. The hardware/software package includes a quantum assembly programming language and a Python-based high-level hybrid language. The device is in use at a few national labs and technical universities. Quantum annealing at D-Wave D-Wave makes quantum annealing systems such as the DW-2000Q, which are a little different and less useful than general-purpose quantum computers. The annealing process does optimization in a way that is similar to the stochastic gradient descent (SGD) algorithm popular for training deep learning neural networks, except that it allows for many simultaneous starting points and quantum tunneling through local hills. D-Wave computers cannot run quantum programs such as Shors algorithm. D-Wave claims that the DW-2000Q system has up to 2,048 qubits and 6,016 couplers. To reach this scale, it uses 128,000 Josephson junctions on a superconducting quantum processing chip, cooled to less than 15 mK by a helium dilution refrigerator. The D-Wave package includes a suite of open-source Python tools hosted on GitHub. The DW-2000Q is in use at a few national labs, defense contractors, and global enterprises. Quantum computing at Google AI Google AI is doing research on superconducting qubits with chip-based scalable architecture targeting two-qubit gate error < 0.5%, on quantum algorithms for modeling systems of interacting electrons with applications in chemistry and materials science, on hybrid quantum-classical solvers for approximate optimization, on a framework to implement a quantum neural network on near-term processors, and on quantum supremacy. In 2018 Google announced the creation of a 72-qubit superconducting chip called Bristlecone. Each qubit can connect with four nearest neighbors in the 2D array. According to Hartmut Neven, the director of Googles Quantum Artificial Intelligence lab, quantum-computing power is increasing on a double-exponential curve, based on the number of conventional CPUs that the lab needs to replicate results from their quantum computers. In late-2019, Google announced that it had achieved quantum supremacy, the condition where quantum computers can solve problems that are intractable on classical computers, using a new 54-qubit processor named Sycamore. The Google AI Quantum team published the results of this quantum supremacy experiment in the Nature article, Quantum Supremacy Using a Programmable Superconducting Processor. Quantum computing at IBM In the video that I discussed earlier, Dr. Gershon mentions that There are three quantum computers sitting in this lab that anyone can use. She is referring to IBM Q systems, which are built around transmon qubits, essentially niobium Josephson junctions configured to behave like artificial atoms, controlled by microwave pulses that fire microwave resonators on the quantum chip, which in turn address and couple to the qubits on the processor. IBM offers three ways to access its quantum computers and quantum simulators. For anyone there is the Qiskit SDK, and a hosted cloud version called the IBM Q Experience (see screenshot below), which also provides a graphical interface for designing and testing circuits. At the next level, as part of IBM Q Network, organizations (universities and large companies) are provided with access to IBM Qs most advanced quantum computing systems and development tools. Qiskit supports Python 3.5 or later and runs on Ubuntu, macOS, and Windows. To submit a Qiskit program to one of IBMs quantum computers or quantum simulators, you need IBM Q Experience credentials. Qiskit includes an algorithm and application library, Aqua, which provides algorithms such as Grovers Search and applications for chemistry, AI, optimization, and finance. IBM unveiled a new generation of IBM Q system with 53 qubits in late-2019, as part of an expanded fleet of quantum computers in the new IBM Quantum Computation Center in New York State. These computers are available in the cloud to IBMs over 150,000 registered users and nearly 80 commercial clients, academic institutions and research laboratories. IDG IBM Q Experience home screen. Note that only the smaller IBM Q systems (5 to 14 qubits, plus a simulator) are currently available for general use. The larger ones are reserved for commercial clients. Quantum computing at Intel Research at Intel Labs has led directly to the development of Tangle Lake, a superconducting quantum processor that incorporates 49 qubits in a package that is manufactured at Intels 300-millimeter fabrication facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. This device represents the third-generation of quantum processors produced by Intel, scaling upward from 17 qubits in its predecessor. Intel has sent Tangle Lake processors to QuTech in the Netherlands for testing and work on system-level design. Intel is also doing research on spin qubits, which function on the basis of the spin of a single electron in silicon, controlled by microwave pulses. Compared to superconducting qubits, spin qubits far more closely resemble existing semiconductor components operating in silicon, potentially taking advantage of existing fabrication techniques. Spin qubits are expected to remain coherent far longer than superconducting qubits, and to take much less space. Quantum computing at Microsoft Microsoft has been researching quantum computers for over 20 years. In the public announcement of Microsofts quantum computing effort in October 2017, Dr. Krysta Svore discussed several breakthroughs, including the use of topological qubits, the Q# programming language, and the Quantum Development Kit (QDK). Eventually, Microsoft quantum computers will be available as co-processors in the Azure cloud. The topological qubits take the form of superconducting nanowires. In this scheme, parts of the electron can be separated, creating an increased level of protection for the information stored in the physical qubit. This is a form of topological protection known as a Majorana quasi-particle. The Majorana quasi-particle, a weird fermion that acts as its own anti-particle, was predicted in 1937 and was detected for the first time in the Microsoft Quantum lab in the Netherlands in 2012. The topological qubit provides a better foundation than Josephson junctions since it has lower error rates, reducing the ratio of physical qubits to logical, error-corrected qubits. With this reduced ratio, more logical qubits are able to fit inside the dilution refrigerator, creating the ability to scale. Microsoft has variously estimated that one topological Majorana qubit is worth between 10 and 1,000 Josephson junction qubits in terms of error-corrected logical qubits. As an aside, Ettore Majorana, the Italian theoretical physicist who predicted the quasi-particle based on a wave equation, disappeared in unknown circumstances during a boat trip from Palermo to Naples on March 25, 1938. A new six-storey apartment building just south of Market Plaza received a preliminary site plan approval at city councils general committee meeting on Tuesday night. Ashburnham Realty is proposing the 64-apartment building to replace a series of houses at the southwest corner of Rink Street and Olive Avenue in Peterborough. Over several years, Ashburnham Realty has acquired three houses on Olive Avenue and seven on Rink Street with a view to razing them and erecting a new apartment building. Mayor Diane Therrien said the apartments would be affordable, since the project is receiving funding through the National Housing Strategy. She said there are strict guidelines around affordability of the apartments under the federal program. Economic recovery Coun. Keith Riel said he wants to learn more about the companies that recently considered moving to Peterborough but abandoned the idea for lack of serviced land here. Riel made the request during a presentation from Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development president and CEO Rhonda Keenan. Keenan has been speaking generally about companies that lost interest when they couldnt easily find land to relocate to Peterborough. Riel said its critical to learn more details in closed session about lost business opportunities since council will soon have to make some decisions about acquiring more industrial land. Since that will likely be pricey, he said he wanted details about jobs and opportunities that the city loses for lack of land. Meanwhile Coun. Don Vassiliadis also asked Keenan about an idea to have Trent University use the Showplace Performance Centre on George Street downtown as a lecture hall where physical distancing could be possible. Keenan said theres a lot of conversation going on about that idea, but that no plans have been made final. East City Condos TVM Groups East City Condos project at the corner of Armour Road and Hunter Street East received a preliminary site plan approval. Work on the building is set to begin soon. Its part of TVMs redevelopment of the former St. Josephs Hospital site, which has seen existing buildings turned into apartments and offices, and new buildings in the works. Roughly 60 per cent of the condo units have been pre-sold. A formal groundbreaking is expected later in September. Ontario 55+ Summer Games Councillors gave preliminary approval to accept the provincial governments offer to host the Ontario 55+ Games in 2021. The 2020 Games were planned for Peterborough in August but were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, councillors also planned to ask the provincial government to cover the postponement cost, which city staff says will be about $147,000. That extra expense is expected due to increased costs in areas such as food and accommodation in 2021 as compared to 2020. If the provincial government isnt prepared to cover it, councillors resolved to try to find it in the 2021 budget, perhaps from sources such as a hotel tax thats meant to generate money to boost tourism. Let the province and everyone know were willing to build back better, said Coun. Gary Baldwin. Papillon the wild bear is back behind bars in northern Italy. A runaway wild bear has been captured for the third time by forest rangers in the north Italian region of Trentino after being on the run since 27 July. M49 to authorities, Papillon to his fans, the brown bear was caught in a so-called tube trap and was returned to captivity in a wildlife park in Castellar in recent days. The three-year-old male bear broke out of a high-security enclosure for the second time in July and managed to remove the GPS radio collar after less than a month on the run. Italy's national organisation for the protection of animals (ENPA) has condemned the "ignoble persecution" of a "symbol of biodiversity, freedom and nature" which has "never been guilty of any act of aggression against humans." ENPA said it will raise the issue with the European Union and will also seek the intervention of Italy's environment minister Sergio Costa, who has always defended the bear's right to freedom. In the meantime Papillon is back in the Castellar complex for "problematic animals" along with his peers M57, who was caught last week after attacking a carabiniere in August, and JJ4 who atttacked two hunters, a father and son, in June. Papillon was incarcerated originally in summer 2019 on charges of killing livestock but managed to scale three high-voltage electric fences and a four-metre barrier before going on the run for 289 days. The bear's bold escape from captivity captured the hearts of animal-lovers around the world and earned him the moniker Papillon. Rosemary Reed Photo credit Gabriela G Photography LLC Photo credit Gabriela G Photography LLC SAN DIEGO, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocean Sky Consulting (OSC) is expanding its GIS consulting operations into California with the hiring of Rosemary Reed in San Diego. OSC is an Esri silver partner and provides comprehensive GIS services to electric, gas and water utilities. Rosemary Reed will work remotely assisting OSCs CEO, Jerry Corr, in the Broomfield HQ. Commenting on her role, Mr. Corr said: Rosemary is well-suited to help us expand in the San Diego area. Her experience in event planning and management, marketing, travel coordination, and website content management are extremely important in supporting the new office. Her past work experience includes Event Director at the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce, which is fostering new relationships with ESRI clients. OSC will also be attending the virtual Esri Infrastructure Management & GIS Conference , October 2730, 2020. About Ocean Sky Consulting Ocean Sky Consulting draws on 33+ years of GIS consulting experience to deliver robust GIS solutions to Esri clients. We provide GIS project management services, comprehensive data model design services for ArcGIS Utility Network migrations, and we deliver custom mobile field applications using the latest Esri Technology. The firm works in the electric, gas, and water marketplace and is currently participating in the ArcGIS Field Maps Beta Program. Privately held since January of 2004, the company has delivered GIS services to Esri clients such as Nashville Electric Service, Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, and the US Air Force Space Command - 21st Civil Engineer Squadron at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. Ocean Sky Consulting is an Esri Partner firm in the consulting discipline for utilities. For more information contact: OSC Contact: Jerry Corr, 303 625-4043 Media Contact: Becky Stevens, becky.stevens@virtualmarketing-pr.com Story continues Virtual Marketing +1 (713) 444-6860 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ad927eeb-5aad-4e3f-b7b5-ece330e98c26 As if Australia's border wars are not hot enough, Gladys Berejiklian has raised another potential source of rancour in the federation: the GST. The NSW Premier on Wednesday said unnecessary border closures by other states were exacerbating the economic downturn and reducing the amount of GST being collected. That will affect state budgets because the GST is the largest source of revenue for states and territories. Gladys Berejiklian, pictured on Wednesday, says GST raised in NSW and Victoria subsidises smaller states. Credit:SMH "NSW and Victoria essentially generate GST revenue to subsidise the other states," she told ABC TV. "With Victoria out of action, NSW has to do the heavy lifting but we can't if other states don't let us interact with them, which is exactly what's happening." Berejiklian later said she had raised this issue in "very formal settings with my colleagues across the nation" and warned that while borders are closed economic activity suffers. MINVERA State Police hope the public can help them find the killer of a man who was found shot to death 37 years ago inside his home in the Adirondack Mountains. Samuel Goldman was shot four time, possibly with a .22-caliber handgun he owned that vanished along with his killer. Goldman's body was discovered in his home on Northwoods Club Road on March 31, 1983. He was discovered by employees of the Mountain View Hotel, a local tavern he liked to visit. Troopers said Goldman was a regular patron of the bar and the employees went to his home after he hadn't been seen there for two days. Goldman was shot two times in the back and another two times in the front. He legally owned the .22-caliber Smith & Wesson and investigators believe his killer took the weapon. No one has been arrested. Troopers said a middle-aged man was observed walking east on Route 28N near Northwoods Club Road on the afternoon of the day Goldman was last seen alive. Troopers said the man was described to them as white and approximately 6-foot. He was wearing a brown or tan coat and a red-and-black hat. The man was spotted at Murdie's Store on Route 28N the day after troopers said Goldman was last seen. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. On April 2, 1983, troopers said a tan trench coat was found on Olmstedville Road just east of the hamlet of Olmsteadville. The coat was similar to the one the stranger was seen wearing days earlier. Investigators hope anyone with information aboutm Goldman, his stolen revolver, or the middle-aged man will call Investigator Jeremy Viele of the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation at (518) 897-2041. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Half of New Mexicans support the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement, according to a Journal Poll completed last week. In all, 50% of those queried said they support the goals of Black Lives Matter movement, with 34% expressing opposition. Another 14% answered with mixed feelings/depends, while the remaining 2% said they were undecided/didnt know/wouldnt say. Nationally, support for Black Lives Matter increased significantly after George Floyds death, and I suspect that happened in New Mexico, also, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., which conducted the survey. He added that Floyds killing brought social justice issues to the forefront across America, and elevated support levels for the movement. The Journal Poll, which asked respondents: Do you support or oppose the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement? found responses were largely divided across party lines in the state. Among those surveyed, 77% of Democrats and 15% of Republicans say they are supportive. The gap widens even farther when presidential candidate preferences are taken into account. According to Sanderoff, among President Donald Trumps supporters, 8% support the Black Lives Matter movement and 74% oppose it. Conversely, 81% of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens backers support the movement, while 6% oppose it. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have been highlighting social justice concerns in the presidential campaign, while the president has been downplaying them; therefore, I am not surprised about the strong correlation between candidate preference and feelings toward Black Lives Matter, Sanderoff said. The Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum after the May 25 death of George Floyd a Black man who died in custody of Minneapolis police. Floyds death sparked months of protests against police brutality and systemic racism in cities across the country and throughout New Mexico. In New Mexico, support and opposition percentages varied greatest depending on political ideology, geography and education. Among self-described conservatives, 16% support the Black Lives Matter movement compared with 61% of moderates and 92% of liberals which translates regionally. I think New Mexico, like the nation, is becoming more polarized, Sanderoff said. Our conservative areas are maintaining their strong conservative positions and the urban areas are becoming more moderate to liberal over time. The poll found that support levels for the movement are lower in more rural, conservative areas like eastern New Mexico, where 28% support the movement compared with 60% in the north-central region including Santa Fe and Taos and 58% in the Albuquerque area. Sanderoff said those with a higher education are also more supportive. Weve seen that in all the polls, people with graduate degrees have become more liberal, more Democratic, he said. Among those with a graduate degree, 66% support the Black Lives Matter movement and, from there, the percentages decrease alongside the education level. Among those with a high school degree or less, 43% support the movement. There was also some variation among ethnicities. Of those surveyed, 58% of Hispanics support the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement, compared with 46% of Anglos. Sanderoff said the poll surveyed all ethnic groups, but because Black people make up only 2% of the states population, the group was too small to report on statistically. Tip of the iceberg Nikki Archuleta, an organizer with the Black Lives Matter movement, said the results on both sides are not surprising. Were in a space now where people are more educated on what is actually happening in the world for example George Floyd, seeing him being murdered you cant really justify that, Archuleta said. People are starting to acknowledge Black people are human beings. She charged that some Republicans and conservatives who dont support the movement may be ill-informed, set in their ways or outright racist. Archuleta criticized Trump for adding fuel to the fire by attacking Black Lives Matter leaders and the movement as a whole. The pendulum swings both ways, however, as Archuleta said there are also liberals and progressives who are highly problematic. Archuleta said protesting and rallying is only the tip of the iceberg toward real change. At worst, she said some white liberals get involved in what she calls performative activism as a temporary trend for their social media account. As for the poll results: Its easy to take a survey and say yeah I support Black Lives Matter,' she said. Its easy to do those things but as far as support goes, Im like sure, they showed up for a moment. I wouldnt say its consistent in the sense that things are actually being changed. Methodology The poll is based on a scientific, statewide sample of 457 likely general election voters who also voted in either the 2016 and 2018 general elections or both. The voter sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points. The margin of error grows for subsamples. The poll was conducted from Aug. 26 through Sept. 2, and all interviews were conducted by live, professional interviewers, with multiple callbacks to households that did not initially answer the phone. Both cellphone numbers (74%) and landlines (26%) of likely general election voters were used. Hyundai Heavy Industries employees wait in long lines to go through COVID-19 testing at a public health center in Ulsan, Wednesday, as several infections broke out at the company. / Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye Concerns are growing over the aftereffects of COVID-19 as an increasing number of coronavirus survivors here and abroad have appeared to suffer from respiratory difficulty, abdominal pain, hair loss and other problems. The health authorities and experts said not only high-risk patients such as the elderly and those with preexisting illnesses, but also young survivors in their 20s and 30s appear to suffer from various aftereffects, calling on residents not to let their guard down against the highly contagious disease. Park Hyun, a professor at Pusan National University's School of Mechanical Engineering who was the 47th virus patient in Busan, said he was declared virus-free in March but has since been suffering for months from serious aftereffects such as brain fog and chronic fatigue as well as chest and abdominal pain. "As brain fog has made me feel like my head is in the clouds, I have been experiencing memory problems and the inability to focus," he wrote on Facebook. "I have had a throbbing headache as well." Another coronavirus survivor in her 20s shared her experience of a hospital stay and aftereffects she has been suffering since she was declared virus-free. "I had been hospitalized for 37 days and was discharged from a hospital after I tested negative for the virus twice," she wrote on an online community run by web portal, Nate. "After being discharged from the hospital, however, I had to quit my job and stay home due to serious aftereffects such as headaches and respiratory difficulties." Other countries have seen similar situations. According to The Washington Post, about half of coronavirus survivors at Italy's Bergamo said they have not fully recovered as they are still suffering from a variety of aftereffects. Bergamo was one of the virus hotspots in the European country. Italian doctors, who carried out in-depth analysis of the health conditions of about 750 virus survivors, said 30 percent are suffering from respiratory disturbance, while others are suffering blood coagulation, hair loss, depression and severe fatigue, amongst other health issues, according to The Washington Post. Health authorities here said they have also been carrying out a follow-up survey targeting virus survivors in response to growing concerns over COVID-19 aftereffects. "The National Medical Center has been conducting an aftereffect study since April by tracing those who were discharged from hospitals," said Kwon Joon-wook, deputy director at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, noting that a 360 million won ($303,000) budget was allocated to the study. "The medical center has taken blood samples of 30 survivors every three months for analysis, and has also been carrying out regular mental health check-ups," he said. With regard to whether to support survivors suffering from aftereffects, he said the government will discuss the issue based on the results of the study. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the country added 156 more COVID-19 cases including 144 local infections for Tuesday, raising the total caseload to 21,588. The nation's new virus cases stayed below 200 for the seventh consecutive day. A report by Data Security Council of (DSCI) and Centre for Information Policy Research has suggested measures for enabling accountable data transfers from to the US in light of proposed Personal Data Protection Bill. The report has also urged joint parliamentary committee, the government and other stakeholders to act to prevent "unnecessary barriers to data transfers that can hurt the Indian economy and digital transformation". The report suggested should enable certifications and codes of practice as transfer mechanisms when the proposed Personal Data Protection Bill (PDPB) is enforced. These be designed with interoperability in mind to ensure continued and responsible flow of data from India to the US, it recommended. The proposed PDPB spells out a framework for handling personal data including its processing by public and private entities and will impact handling of Indian citizens' data by Indian and international companies. It contains broad guidelines on collection, storage and processing of personal data, consent of individuals, penalties and compensation, code of conduct and an enforcement model. The PDPB has been referred to a joint select committee of both Houses of Parliament. The DSCI-CIPL report highlighted the importance of ensuring continued flow of data between the US and India and outlined the relevant provisions of the PDPB that apply to data transfers outside of India. It evaluated the PDPB's transfer provisions in comparison with other global data protection regimes, and provided mechanisms to govern India-US data flows. "Given that the PDPB is still under consideration, India has a real opportunity to shape the data flows landscape it wants to participate in for many years ahead...To ensure the continued and responsible flow of data from India to the US, India should enable certifications and codes of practice as transfer mechanisms within the PDPB and ensure that they are designed with interoperability in mind," it said. The report also suggested that India should facilitate India-US data transfers by recognising the US as providing an adequate level of protection. "A promising and feasible way of doing this is by recognising the APEC CBPR (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Cross-Border Privacy Rules) as adequate for transfers by having regard to international agreements such as an India-US trade agreement or different forms of enforcement cooperation agreements between the US FTC and the Indian DPA (Data Protection Authority)," it said. The report noted that the Joint Parliamentary Committee, the Indian government and other key stakeholders in India's privacy debate act to prevent "unnecessary barriers to data transfers that can hurt the Indian economy and digital transformation". "Hundreds of billions of dollars in digital trade growth could depend on the difference between immediate action and delay, and immediate action as described herein would only improve, not undermine, effective data protection for Indians," it added. Rama Vedashree, CEO of DSCI, said given the importance of US geography for India's tech industry - which is estimated to touch close to USD 100 billion this year - DSCI and CIPL have proposed potential mechanisms to facilitate data flows between the two countries. "We hope the report recommendations inform the privacy discourse in India, and the concerned stakeholders, especially the Joint Parliamentary Committee, in its deliberations, and also MeitY and Ministry of Commerce as they work towards growing India's Digital economy and the Tech Sector," she 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.) Amid a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, Chief Minister on Wednesday directed medical superintendents and senior officials to takeevery possible step to prevent the spread of the virus in the city. The chief minister held a review meeting with Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, senior officials and medical superintendents of government-run hospitals. "Had a review meeting with Health Minister, Chief Secretary, senior officials and MS of govt hospitals. I have directed all MS and authorities to take all possible steps to prevent the spread of Corona and assured the hospitals of full support in this regard," Kejriwal said in a tweet. On Tuesday, the national capital recorded 3,609 fresh cases, the highest single-day spike in 76 days, as a record over 45,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the city. The single-day casecount on Tuesday was the highest since June 25, when the city had recorded 3,390 cases.On June 23, had recorded the highest single-day spike of 3,947 cases so far. The figure on Tuesday also surpassed Sunday's figure when the national capital had recorded 3,256 cases. In an interview to PTI, Jain had said that the sharp spike in COVID-19 cases in the national capital will "plateau" after ten days or so. "One of the main reasons why we are seeing such a rise in the number of fresh cases is because we are going aggressive as far as testing is concerned. We have been conducting tests in markets, crowded places, mohalla clinics, hospitals, and many other places," Jain had 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.) Altice USA, Inc. (NYSE:ATUS) saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the NYSE. As a large-cap stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the companys outlook is already priced into the stock. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Altice USAs outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists. See our latest analysis for Altice USA What's the opportunity in Altice USA? Great news for investors Altice USA is still trading at a fairly cheap price. According to my valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is $39.26, but it is currently trading at US$26.35 on the share market, meaning that there is still an opportunity to buy now. Altice USAs share price also seems relatively stable compared to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. If you believe the share price should eventually reach its true value, a low beta could suggest it is unlikely to rapidly do so anytime soon, and once its there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range. What does the future of Altice USA look like? Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. Altice USAs earnings over the next few years are expected to double, indicating a very optimistic future ahead. This should lead to stronger cash flows, feeding into a higher share value. What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Since ATUS is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation. Story continues Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on ATUS for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its prosperous future outlook isnt fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means its not too late to buy ATUS. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to make a well-informed buy. If you'd like to know more about Altice USA as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Altice USA (of which 1 is a bit concerning!) you should know about. If you are no longer interested in Altice USA, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. A 41-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to 60 years in federal prison after he was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of Texas. James Glenn Fulcher pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2019. In addition to his prison sentence, he also must pay $12,000 in restitution. He remains in custody pending a transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility. WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps head popped up during his top-secret intelligence briefing in the Oval Office on Jan. 28 when the discussion turned to the coronavirus outbreak in China. This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency, National Security Adviser Robert OBrien told Trump, according to a new book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward. This is going to be the roughest thing you face. Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser, agreed. He told the president that after reaching contacts in China, it was evident that the world faced a health emergency on par with the flu pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. Ten days later, Trump called Woodward and revealed that he thought the situation was far more dire than what he had been saying publicly. You just breathe the air and thats how its passed, Trump said in a Feb. 7 call. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flus. This is deadly stuff, the president repeated for emphasis. At that time, Trump was telling the nation that the virus was no worse than a seasonal flu, predicting it would soon disappear and insisting that the U.S. government had it totally under control. It would be several weeks before he would publicly acknowledge that the virus was no ordinary flu and that it could be transmitted through the air. Trump admitted to Woodward on March 19 that he deliberately minimized the danger. I wanted to always play it down, the president said. I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic. Aside from exploring Trumps handling of the pandemic, Woodwards new book, Rage, covers race relations, diplomacy with North Korea and a variety of other issues that have arisen during the past two years. The book also includes brutal assessments of Trumps conduct from former defense secretary Jim Mattis, former director of national intelligence Daniel Coats and others. The book is based in part on 18 on-the-record interviews Woodward conducted with the president between December and July. Woodward writes that other quotes in the book were acquired through deep background conversations with people in which information is divulged and exchanges recounted without the people being named. Trump never did seem willing to fully mobilize the federal government and continually seemed to push problems off on the states, Woodward writes. There was no real management theory of the case or how to organize a massive enterprise to deal with one of the most complex emergencies the United States had ever faced. Woodward questioned Trump repeatedly about the national reckoning on racial injustice. On June 3, two days after federal agents forcibly removed peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square to make way for Trump to stage a photo opportunity outside St. Johns Church, Trump called Woodward to boast about his law and order stance. Were going to get ready to send in the military slash National Guard to some of these poor bastards that dont know what theyre doing, these poor radical lefts, Trump said. In another conversation, on June 19, Woodward asked the president about White privilege, noting that they were both White men of the same generation who had privileged upbringings. Woodward suggested that they had a responsibility to better understand the anger and pain felt by Black Americans. No, Trump replied, his voice described by Woodward as mocking and incredulous. You really drank the Kool-Aid, didnt you? Just listen to you. Wow. No, I dont feel that at all. As Woodward pressed Trump to understand the plight of Black Americans after generations of discrimination, inequality and other atrocities, the president kept answering by pointing to economic numbers such as the pre-pandemic unemployment rate for Blacks and claiming, as he often has publicly, that he has done more for Blacks than any president except perhaps Abraham Lincoln. In another conversation about race, on July 8, Trump complained about his lack of support among Black voters. Ive done a tremendous amount for the Black community, he told Woodward. And, honestly, Im not feeling any love. When they spoke about race relations on June 22, when Woodward asked Trump whether he thinks there is systematic or institutional racism in this country. Well, I think there is everywhere, Trump said. I think probably less here than most places. Or less here than many places. Asked by Woodward whether racism is here in the United States in a way that affects peoples lives, Trump replied: I think it is. And its unfortunate. But I think it is. Trump shared with Woodward visceral reactions to several prominent Democrats of color. Upon seeing a shot of Sen. Kamala Harris of California, now the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, calmly and silently watching him deliver his State of the Union address, Trump remarked: Hate! See the hate! See the hate! Trump used the same phrase after an expressionless Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., appeared in the frame. Trump was dismissive about former president Barack Obama and told Woodward that he was inclined to refer to him by his first and middle names, Barack Hussein, but wouldnt in his company, to be very nice. I dont think Obamas smart, Trump told Woodward. I think hes highly overrated. And I dont think hes a great speaker. Trump added that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thought Obama was an a-hole. Rage includes the first reported excerpts of letters Trump exchanged with Kim, and quotes Trump in his interviews with Woodward using expletives to defend their pen-pal relationship. Even as U.S. intelligence chiefs warn that North Korea is unlikely to ever surrender its nuclear weapons and that Trumps approach is ineffective, the president told Woodward that he is determined to stay the course and dismissively says the CIA has no idea how to handle North Korea. I met. Big f-ing deal, Trump told Woodward, waving off criticism of his three face-to-face meetings with Kim. It takes me two days. I met. I gave up nothing. Foreign affairs experts say Trump gave up much including by postponing and then scaling back the U.S. joint military exercises with South Korea that had long angered North Korea, as well as by granting Kim the international stature and legitimacy the North Korean regime has long craved. Trump told Woodward that he evaluates Kim and his nuclear arsenal like a real estate target: Its really like, you know, somebody thats in love with a house and they just cant sell it. Kim welcomed Trumps overtures with over-the-top prose in letters. Kim wrote that he wanted another historic meeting between myself and Your Excellency reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film. And he said his meetings with Trump were a precious memory that underscored how the deep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force. In another letter, Kim wrote to Trump, I feel pleased to have formed good ties with such a powerful and preeminent statesman as Your Excellency. And in yet another, Kim reflected on that moment of history when I firmly held Your Excellencys hand at the beautiful and sacred location as the whole world watched with great interest and hope to relive the honor of that day. Trump was taken with Kims flattery, Woodward writes, telling the author pridefully that Kim had addressed him as Excellency. Trump remarked that he was awestruck meeting Kim for the first time in 2018 in Singapore, thinking to himself, Holy s-, and finding Kim to be far beyond smart. Trump also boasted to Woodward that Kim tells me everything, including a graphic account of Kim having his uncle killed. Trump did not share his letters to Kim Those are so top secret, the president said but Woodward obtained them independently. He writes that Trump sent Kim a copy of the New York Times featuring a picture of the two men on the front page. Chairman, great picture of you, big time, Trump wrote on the paper in marker. (Trump falsely boasted to Woodward: He never smiled before. Im the only one he smiles with.) Trump reflected on his relationships with authoritarian leaders generally, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Its funny, the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them, he told Woodward. You know? Explain that to me someday, OK? In the midst of reflecting upon how close the United States had come in 2017 to war with North Korea, Trump revealed: I have built a nuclear a weapons system that nobodys ever had in this country before. We have stuff that you havent even seen or heard about. We have stuff that Putin and Xi have never heard about before. Theres nobody what we have is incredible. Woodward writes that anonymous people later confirmed that the U.S. military had a secret new weapons system, but they would not provide details, and that the people were surprised Trump had disclosed it. The book documents private grumblings, periods of exasperation and wrestling about whether to quit among the so-called adults of the Trump orbit: Mattis, Coats and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Mattis quietly went to Washington National Cathedral to pray about his concern for the nations fate under Trumps command and, according to Woodward, told Coats, There may come a time when we have to take collective action since Trump is dangerous. Hes unfit. In a separate conversation recounted by Woodward, Mattis told Coats, The president has no moral compass, to which the director of national intelligence replied: True. To him, a lie is not a lie. Its just what he thinks. He doesnt know the difference between the truth and a lie. Woodward describes Coatss experience as especially tortured. Coats, a former senator from Indiana, was recruited into the administration by Vice President Mike Pence, and his wife is quoted as recalling a dinner at the White House when she interacted with Pence. I just looked at him, like, how are you stomaching this? Marsha Coats said, according to Woodward. "I just looked at him like, this is horrible. I mean, we made eye contact. I think he understood. And he just whispered in my ear, Stay the course. " Pence was the presidents one constant booster publicly and privately in Woodwards book. When Dan Coats considered resigning because of Trumps handling of Russia, Pence urged him to look on the positive side of things that hes done. More attention on that. You cant go. The loathing was mutual. Not to mention my f-ing generals are a bunch of [wusses]. They care more about their alliances than they do about trade deals, Trump told White House trade adviser Peter Navarro at one point, according to Woodward. Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, is quoted by Woodward as saying, The most dangerous people around the president are overconfident idiots, which Woodward interprets as a reference to Mattis, Tillerson and former National Economic Council director Gary Cohn. Kushner was a frequent target of ire among Trumps Cabinet members, who saw him as untrustworthy and weak in dealing with heads of states. Tillerson found Kushners warm dealings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nauseating to watch. It was stomach churning, according to Woodward. Kushner is quoted extensively in the book ruminating about his father-in-law and presidential power. Woodward writes that Kushner advised people that one of the most important guiding texts to understand the Trump presidency was Alice in Wonderland, a novel about a young girl who falls through a rabbit hole. He singled out the Cheshire cat, whose strategy was endurance and persistence, not direction. The book charts the Trump administrations failings and missteps on the pandemic, as well as the decisions and actions of Pottinger, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci and others. Fauci at one point tells others that the president is on a separate channel and unfocused in meetings, with rudderless leadership, according to Woodward. His attention span is like a minus number, Fauci said, according to Woodward. His sole purpose is to get reelected. In one Oval Office meeting recounted by Woodward, after Trump had made false statements in a news briefing, Fauci said in front of him: We cant let the president be out there being vulnerable, saying something thats going to come back and bite him. Pence, Kushner, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and senior policy adviser Stephen Miller tensed up at once, Woodward writes, surprised Fauci would talk in front of Trump that way. Woodward describes Fauci as particularly disappointed in Kushner for talking like a cheerleader as if everything was great. In June, as the virus was spreading wildly coast to coast and case numbers soared in Arizona, Florida, Texas and other states, Kushner said of Trump, The goal is to get his head from governing to campaigning. Woodward writes that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., suggested that former president George W. Bush speak personally with Trump about global vaccine efforts but that Bush demurred. No. No, Bush told Graham, according to Woodward. Hed misconstrue anything I said. In their final interview, on July 21, Trump vented to Woodward: The virus has nothing to do with me. Its not my fault. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A member of the Norwegian parliament has nominated US President Donald Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the far-right Progress Party, nominated the billionaire-turned politician for one of the world's most coveted awards for helping to broker the Israel-UAE peace deal, FOX News reported. In his nomination letter submitted to the Nobel Committee, Tybring-Gjedde lauded Trump for his efforts toward resolving protracted conflicts worldwide. 'For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees,' Fox News quoted Tybring-Gjedde as saying. 'As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity,' the nomination letter reads. 'I'm not a big Trump supporter. The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the facts - not on the way he behaves sometimes. The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing,' he told FOX News Radio. Under a US-brokered peace deal that Trump announced on August 13, Israel agreed to suspend declaring sovereignty over occupied land of the Palestinians. As part of the deal, both the countries agreed to establish full diplomatic relations. This is the second time that Tybring-Gjedde suggests Trump for Nobel peace prize. He had nominated Trump in 2018, after his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The veteran lawmaker is currently chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. The nomination comes with barely two months remaining for the U.S. presidential election. However, it is not clear how solidly will this move help the Republican candidate as the nomination was not made by any prominent organization of reputation or mass support, but by an individual. Trump's Twitter page was flooded with congratulatory messages and links to media reports citing the nomination news. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de One of the leading coronavirus vaccine researchers, AstraZeneca, has encountered problems with their study and was forced to put it on hold after one participant was monitoring to have an adverse reaction. Coronavirus vaccine on hold The pharmaceutical company said that the hold of the vaccine was a routine pause conducted during an unexplained illness or condition. The incident comes as worldwide attention is focused on the development of a coronavirus vaccine. According to the BBC, the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine is one of the top contenders among dozens of research worldwide. After successful Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials, AstraZeneca's vaccine was expected to be one of the first vaccines to complete studies and be distributed globally. After moving to Phase 3 testings in recent weeks, the pharmaceutical company involved 30,000 participants from both the U.S., the U.K., Brazil, and South Africa to test its vaccine candidate's safety and efficacy. The company announced that all international trial sites have been put on hold and that an independent investigation has begun. The inspection hopes to discover the study's safety data before regulators decide to approve the continuation of the trials. A spokesperson for Oxford University said that illnesses and side effects are possible during large trials but cautioned that they must be reviewed independently. The incident marks the second time the coronavirus vaccine of Oxford University has been placed on hold. The study's delay is a common occurrence during large trials and is imposed when a participant falls ill, and their condition is not fully known. The world expected AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate to be ready by January 2021. It is one of two pieces of research that the Australian government set aside $1.7 billion for distribution to its citizens, as reported by The Guardian. Also Read: New Cluster of COVID-19 Cases Linked to Fraternity Party at State University The Morrison government of Australia committed on Monday to purchasing 33.8 million doses of coronavirus vaccine if proven safe and effective. After the announcement of the hold, Nick Coatsworth, Australia's deputy chief medical officer, said that the event did not altogether remove the vaccine from one of the leading positions of COVID-19 treatments. Prioritizing safety and efficacy During an interview, Coatsworth said that the incident is proof that despite the global acceleration of coronavirus vaccine development, safety is still the number one priority of the companies leading the race. The official added that the pharmaceutical company has begun gathering information while the study is on hold. He cautioned that the process is conducted after several tens of thousands of people have already been injected with the trial vaccine, showcasing their focus on safety. According to Aljazeera, a microbiology professor, Florian Krammer of the Icahn School of Medicine, the fact a participant showed adverse responses stressed the need for extensive trials. On Twitter, Krammer said the incident is proof that companies should conduct Phase 3 testings to ensure the vaccine's safety and efficacy. While clinical holds are frequent, AstraZeneca's incident is the first Phase 3 coronavirus vaccine testing that has experienced such delay. While it is unknown how long the study's suspension will last, the pharmaceutical company's stocks have fallen by more than six percent on the New York Stock Exchange. Related Article: Fact Check: Singing 'Happy Birthday' Can Increase Spread of COVID-19 Due to Enunciation of Bs and Ps @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Salaryo, a top fintech platform for US freelancers and startups, has raised $5.8 million in funding from Dubai-based private equity fund KEN Investments, Variant Investments, Techstars Ventures and Michael Ullmanns investment group. This brings its total funding to $12 million, a company statement said. The majority of the round was funded earlier this year and the company will use the funds to propel the growth of its small business lending activity and to launch new business banking products in 2021. Salaryo provides fully digital business term loans and lines of credit for small businesses. The company has successfully provided financing to hundreds of businesses since its foundation in 2017. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the company accelerated its growth by offering cash flow relief to small businesses in selected business categories, processing over $60 Million in loan applications year to date. This investment round propels Salaryos evolution from a niche player, into a FinTech banking partner for small businesses, at a time that small business owners need us the most, said Yair Levy, CEO and co-founder of Salaryo. This year we have expanded our offering with business term loans, providing cash flow flexibility and relief during Covid-19. Our next big step in the materialization of our vision to be the Bank of the Future of Work is planned for next year, when we launch a suite of digital banking products that are designed for cash flow volatility and income uncertainty. Levy also addressed the fact that for the first time, an Emirati fund participated in the funding round. The announcement by the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Israel about a peace treaty being negotiated between the two countries, has helped to remove technical barriers that have so far delayed the completion of the investment transaction, added Levy. This pioneer investment pairs Israeli technological innovation with the UAEs financial expertise and international outreach. The combination of both has endless potential. I look forward to more transactions like this in the near future. Salaryos lending technology features a fully automated experience, featuring KYC (Know Your Client), financial and professional analysis, payment processing and e-signatures, to make a decision in minutes. Once approved, Salaryo sends funds to the business within 24 hours. "It took both sides a while to close this investment." said Kentaro Willam, CEO and manager of KEN Investments. "It is the first time we invest in Israeli technology, and Salaryo tackles a large, fast-growing market opportunity of US small businesses." Covid-19 has accelerated the digitization of financial services. FinTechs such as Salaryo provide opportunities to generate alternative return streams in a dynamic environment, said Curt Fintel, Principal at Variant Investments. Salaryos team possesses financial acumen and advanced technology that give Variant an edge in getting exposure to unconventional income-generating assets in the specialty finance category. The Covid-19 pandemic had a negative effect on the small business sector, with public health regulations causing the temporary closure and steep reduction of activity for millions of small businesses across the US and worldwide. Since early March 2020, Salaryo has processed over $60 million in loan applications using its technological platform, offering relief to hundreds of US small business owners. This financing round is composed of both debt and equity financing reaching a total of $5.8 million. US-based fund Variant Investments provided the debt financing, while Dubai-based KEN Investments and US-based Techstars Ventures participated in the equity. TradeArabia News Service Five Abu Sayyaf members were killed and two soldiers were wounded in a before-dawn clash on Wednesday in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga Sibugay where troops have been pursuing a band of militants for four days. Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, the commander of 102nd Brigade, said the encounter occurred at about 2 a.m. in R.T. Lim town, when elite Navy commandos caught up with 15 militants led by Furuji Indama, who is wanted for the 2001 kidnapping of 20 vacationers from Dos Palmas island. Intelligence reports said the group, which landed on the shores of Zamboanga on Sunday, was on a mission to scout for bombing targets or new kidnap-for-ransom victims. We have five initially killed from the enemy side and pursuit continued against this terror group who retreated toward the mangrove area after the initial assault by the troops, Nicolas said. We are employing available assets by air and sea. We will not stop this [offensive]. Nicolas said the two wounded soldiers were airlifted to a military hospital and were out of danger by Wednesday evening. A 15-year-old civilian who was injured in the crossfire is also safe. On Sunday, the Indama-led group clashed with troops after arriving in Zamboanga. One militant was killed and three civilians were wounded. Nicolas said the remaining militants could try to escape back to Basilan, an island province considered to be one of the groups two strongholds of the group. Plan to escalate terror attacks? Indama is a leader of an Abu Sayyaf unit in Basilan that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS). He is also wanted for his alleged role a 2018 suicide bombing at a military checkpoint that killed 11 people on the island province. Last month, two suicide explosions in the southern Jolo island killed 15, including two female suicide bombers, and wounded scores more. The Aug. 24 bombings were the first this year in the restive southern region by suspected Abu Sayyaf members and the deadliest since a twin suicide attack targeted a church in Jolo in January 2019. Mundi Sawadjaan, the militant suspected of plotting the Jolo attack, is a nephew of Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, the leader of the Philippine branch of IS who took over after the death of Isnilon Hapilon in October 2017. Hapilon led militants aligned with IS in laying siege to the southern city of Marawi in 2017. Indama was Hapilons deputy in Basilan. Following the August attack, President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf militants responsible. As a Filipino, I am giving all my support you need to accomplish your mission here in Jolo, Duterte told soldiers. I commit myself to work with you, my dear troops, to ensure that these terrorists will have no future in this country. Mark Navales and Jeoffrey Maitem in Cotabato, Philippines, and Richel V. Umel in Iligan City, Philippines, contributed to this report. Colin Milner The network will advise WHO on ways to create equitable and sustainable long-term care models for older people, with a focus on optimizing functional ability and achieving healthy aging. Colin Milner, a leading authority on the health and well-being of the older adult, has accepted an invitation from the World Health Organization (WHO) to join its Global Network on Long-Term Care (GNLTC). The network will advise WHO on ways to create equitable and sustainable long-term care models for older people, with a focus on optimizing functional ability and achieving healthy aging. The position adds to Milners existing role as a member of the WHO Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) team. I am honored to join GNLTC and help move its agenda and workstreams forward, Milner said. As WHO notes, building sustainable and equitable long-term care systems is fundamental to achieving healthy aging globally. The networks goals intersect and mesh with those of ICAA: service provision using a person-centered approach, emphasizing wellness, function and quality of life to maximize outcomes for all older adults.. Among much else, the GNLTC will help define key principles to be included in long-term care provision; develop technical guidance and training materials; and review and categorize practical assessment tools for domains of functional ability. Milner, who has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of "the most innovative and influential minds" in the world on aging-related topics, will leverage his experience and expertise as a leader and award-winning writer to support and help accelerate adoption of the GNLTCs initiatives. About WHOs Global Network on Long-Term Care (GNLTC) https://www.who.int/ageing/long-term-care/global-network/aah-global-network-on-l-t-c-gnltc-aah/en/ GNLTC is a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional network of experts that provides strategic and technical advice to WHO in developing norms and guidelines necessary for the implementation of the WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health in the area of long-term care. About the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) http://www.icaa.cc ICAA is a professional association that leads, connects and defines the active-aging industry and supports professionals who aspire to develop wellness cultures for adults over 50. This support includes creating wellness environments, programs and services. The association is focused on active agingan approach to aging that helps older adults live life as fully as possible within all dimensions of wellnessand provides its members with education, information, resources and tools. As an active-aging educator and advocate, ICAA has advised numerous organizations and governmental bodies. Students should try to find negotiated solution The Korea Medical License Examination was held Tuesday, after being postponed due to a strike by doctors and trainee doctors. But only 446, or 14 percent, of the 3,172 eligible medical students took the exam. The remainder boycotted the test, calling for the government to withdraw its plan to increase the medical student quota and create a public medical college. A survey of students from 40 medical college nationwide found that 81 percent would refuse to take the examination and also continue collective action to protest the government plan. However, the authorities reaffirmed that it would not provide the protesting students with another chance to take the exam, raising concerns about a possible shortage of interns at major hospitals. The government has agreed to suspend not scrap its plan to nurture more medical professionals in return for doctors' promise to return to work. The two sides also agreed to form a bilateral consultation body to start discussing the issue. The agreement came after the government and the ruling party committed to reviewing the matter from ground zero. But the medical students keep asking the government to give up the plan. Yet students are under growing criticism for their "selfish" stance. Medical professors who once supported the students' protest began to ask them to come back to class. The students should have stopped their collective action when the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Medial Association (KMA) reached their agreement. The Korean Interns and Residents Association (KIRA) issued a statement threatening to take tougher action including a walkout if students refusing to take the examination were subject to "disadvantages" due to their collective action. Their stance is hard to understand given that many patients have gone without sufficient healthcare services owing to their walkout. The medical students should pay heed to the fact that more than 460,000 people signed an online petition against them on the Cheong Wa Dae website. The petitioners opposed any possible measures to give the protesting students another shot at the exam. The government should not give in to the disgruntled students. Against this backdrop, it is not desirable for lawmakers to make statements that aggravate the situation. For instance, Rep. Kim Sung-ju of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea stressed the need to raise the medical student quota and set up a public medical college. His statement is improper as it runs counter to the agreement between the government and the KMA. Such a reckless remark will only add fuel to the conflict. Kim wields considerable influence on the issue as he represents the ruling party on the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee. The government should be cautious in offering the medical students another chance to take the exam as it could trigger controversy over fairness. It can also create a bad precedent that medical doctors can achieve what they want by means of collective action, even in violation of the law. The medical students should back off their hardline stance, as the government made concessions on key issues. And they need to seek compromise through dialogue. Jersey City police are investigating a shooting incident in which four parked vehicles were damaged by gunfire, authorities said. The shooting occurred on Mallory Avenue, near Yale Avenue, in the citys West Side, at 9 p.m. Monday, Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said. Four parked vehicles were struck by gunfire, Wallace-Scalcione said. A witness to the investigation told The Jersey Journal that at least one building was struck by the gunfire as well. No injuries were reported. Rohingya refugees rescued by Indonesian fishermen after months at sea by Lauretta Charlton September 09,2020 | Source: NYT Hundreds of Rohingya Muslim refugees stranded at sea for more than six months after repeatedly being denied port by regional authorities were rescued on Monday by local fishermen in Aceh, Indonesia, officials said. The rescue was carried out around midnight after the fishermen spotted the refugees near Ujong Blang Beach in Aceh, according to human rights groups. Two of the 300 or so passengers, who included 14 children, were taken to the hospital. Around 30 were reported to have died over the boats long months at sea. Before the rescue, the fishermen contacted Indonesian officials, who had earlier prevented the boat from docking. In June, a separate boat with Rohingya refugees was also rescued by Indonesian fishermen after the authorities initially threatened to turn them away. The Rohingya refugee crisis intensified in 2017 when the Buddhist-majority military in Myanmar unleashed what the United Nations has described as a campaign with genocidal intent. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya poured across Myanmars border with Bangladesh, bringing accounts of massacre and rape. In the years since, the bulging refugee camps in Bangladesh have become places of misery and predation, and many Rohingya have set out for other countries, dismissing promises from the authorities in Myanmar that it is safe for them to return. Rohingya refugees are still willing to risk everything in search of safety, Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said in a statement on Monday. It is appalling that the Indonesian authorities are waiting for local fishermen to take the initiative in carrying out these rescues. The government, not private individuals, should have saved these lives. Last spring as the coronavirus spread across the globe, hundreds of Rohingya refugees set out on boats from southern Bangladesh for Malaysia and were pushed back by both Malaysian and Thai authorities in part because of pandemic-related restrictions, rights groups have said. In May, the United Nations warned that measures to prevent the spread of the disease should not result in the closure of avenues to asylum, or in forcing people to either return to situations of danger or seek to land clandestinely, without health screening or quarantine. The Indonesian government pledged to work with the United Nations to ensure the well-being of the nearly 300 refugees rescued on Monday and to provide shelter. 2020 The New York Times Company Theme(s): Others. RESTON, Va., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology company, will attend the Morgan Stanley Virtual 8th Annual Laguna Conference webcast. Jim Reagan, Leidos Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will participate in a question and answer "fireside chat" on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. ET. A live audio webcast of the event will be available on the Leidos Investor Relations website at http://ir.leidos.com. A replay of the webcast will be available following the presentation at the same link listed above for 30 days afterward. About Leidos Leidos is a Fortune 500 information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company's 38,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $11.09 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2020. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. SOURCE Leidos Related Links http://www.leidos.com Kamala Harris was opposed on principle to men who assaulted women right until the moment when another principle emerged. This new principle was about her own ambition to achieve the office of vice president to a president everyone knows won't last the full four-year term. With this new principle at the fore, Kamala Harris told an accused rapist who ran from police and may have been trying to kill them that she was "proud" of him. In 2018, the Democrats were desperate to keep Brett Kavanaugh, a reasonably reliable conservative judge, off the Supreme Court. To this end, they launched such a vicious blitz against him that it made their attack against Clarence Thomas (an attack that Joe Biden joined with Ted Kennedy to lead) seem like a mere warm-up. Kavanaugh, a man with a sterling personal reputation, suddenly found himself accused of attempted rape by a woman he'd never met. Next, all sorts of women of dubious integrity swarmed out, leveling foul, and manifestly false, accusations against him. The Democrats were not derailed even when Kavanaugh produced detailed calendars definitively proving that Christine Blowsy-Fraud (who's since vanished back into the squalid leftist cesspool from which she emerged) was crudely lying. And no Democrat was more aggressive in accusing Kavanaugh than Senator Kamala Harris: What a heart-warming "believe all women" moment that was. Kamala believed all women again when Tara Reade accused Joe Biden of essentially raping her with his finger: (By the way, there are a lot of reasons to believe that Reade was telling the truth, not the least of which is that Biden had a longstanding reputation for assaulting women, as did his drunken, debauched friends Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd.) Once Biden tapped her for the veep position, though, Kamala suddenly believed Biden. That turnaround clearly reflected her ambition overriding her principles (assuming that Kamala's "believe all women" stance was a principle and not just another facet of her ambition). Still, the veep seat to a doddering old man is a sweet gig, so many could see why Kamala's principles were willing to take a back seat. However, when Kamala met with Jacob Blake, who was shot by Kenosha police, which triggered the left's attempt to burn Kenosha to the ground, Kamala's principles didn't just take a back seat to her ambition. They jumped out of the car and took shelter from her in a nearby safe house: Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris reportedly told Jacob Blake she was "proud" of him for how he is "working through his pain" after being shot by police last month, an incident that touched off a fresh wave of protests across the country. During that meeting, which also included meeting with Blake's father, an openly anti-Semitic, anti-white, anti-American, anti-Christian follower of Louis Farrakhan, Harris was unaffected by the charges against Blake Jr. She conveniently forgot that the reason the police were at the house on that fateful day was because Blake Jr. was violating a protective order requiring that he stay away from a woman and the mother of some of his six out-of-wedlock children who accused him of "pulling a Biden." That is, the woman alleged that Blake brutally raped her with his finger while one of their children was in the bed. Moreover, when the police came, Blake fought violently with them, had a knife, refused to listen to orders, and engaged in an activity that made it reasonable for the police to believe he would try to stab or shoot them hence their decision to shoot him first. That's the man of whom Kamala is proud. It is obvious she is proud of him only as a way to pander to the Black Lives Matter movement because this is not a young man who should inspire pride in anybody. There's no question that you need to be ambitious to aim for the White House. It's hard to imagine, though, anyone as blatantly and nakedly ambitious as Kamala Harris. That fact alone should concern American voters this November. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global Benzene Market is anticipated to reach USD 111.1 billion by 2026 according to a new study published by Polaris Market Research. Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon and a commodity petrochemical product. It is produced as by-product in stream crackers and refineries, thus its supply and demand is driven by other products derived from it. Benzene is a basic chemical and a building block for many other chemical synthesis of the global chemical and petrochemical value chain. Benzene is used in a broad range of economic sectors such as electrical & electronics, construction, consumer products, transportation, and medical. This petrochemical product has many derivatives such as ethyl benzene, nitrobenzene, cumene, cyclohexane, alkyl benzene, chlorobenzene, aniline, and phenol. The rapidly growing industries such as packaging, construction, bulk chemicals & materials, automotive, textiles and building & construction have substantially driven the applications for the benzene derivatives globally influencing the benzene market growth. Rising population in tandem with the increase in disposable incomes has led to growth of many consumer products and bulk materials. Low cost of the feedstock and economical commodity product prices have also contributed to the higher consumption of benzene derivatives. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/benzene-market/request-for-sample Benzene is a petrochemical derivative and thus is subjected to price volatility. The fluctuations in the prices of crude oil directly affect the prices of the by-products derived from its hydrocarbon stream in refineries. The benzene industry is highly regulated in terms of policy frameworks as benzene is a toxic chemical where its highlevel exposure can lead to serious environmental implications. Asia Pacific is the largest regional market for the benzene market due to high consumption in China. Despite a gradually slowing economy, China has witnessed all the additional benzene requirements in the past five years (2012-2017). The consumption has shifted from North America and Western Europe towards Asia and Middle East over the past decade. The diverse needs of a growing middle class in China, significant expansion in refinery capacities, large-scale p-xylene plants to feed the downstream petrochemical sector has majorly driven the benzene demand in the country. However, the performance of the Chinas economy in the near future is expected to be a vital driver for benzene consumption. Albeit a slower pace, additional benzene capacities are expected to be on-stream by 2021, but just for the production of ethylene. Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/benzene-market The global benzene market comprises of large number of international and domestic producers. Global benzene industry has witnessed a shift in competitive landscape towards closer proximity of the refineries. Some of the major benzene market players include Sinopec, BASF, China National Petroleum Corporation, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Dow DuPont, ExxonMobil Corporation, and Royal Dutch Shell plc. Benzene Market Size and Forecast by Derivative, 2018-2026 Ethyl Benzene Cumene Cyclohexane Nitro Benzene Others Benzene Market Size and Forecast by Regions, 2018-2026 North America US. Canada Europe Germany UK France Asia Pacific China India Japan Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/benzene-market/request-for-discount-pricing About Polaris Market Research Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Contact us- Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com US Attorney General William Barr speaks on Operation Legend, the federal law enforcement operation, during a press conference in Chicago, Ill., on Sept. 9, 2020. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images) Operation Legend Is Working, Violent Crime Rates in Cities Falling, Barr Says Operation Legend, the federal initiative to drive down violent crime in major inner cities, has had a positive effect on fighting violent crime, with cities seeing falling rates of homicide and shooting incidents in recent weeks, Attorney General William Barr said. I am pleased to report that Operation Legend is working, crime is down, and order is being restored, Barr said during a Sept. 9 press conference in Chicago. The crime-fighting initiative is credited with more than 2,500 arrests, including 592 individuals who were charged with federal crimes, the Justice Department (DOJ) said in an update. Federal authorities have also seized 1,024 firearms, 241 other weapons, more than 17 kilograms (37 pounds) of heroin, more than 75 kilograms (165 pounds) of methamphetamine, more than 7 kilograms (15 pounds) of fentanyl, more than 12 kilograms (26 pounds) of cocaine, and about $5.19 million in drug proceeds. Operation Legend is the latest major law enforcement program by the DOJ to crack down on violent crime across the country. It began to combat a surge in crime rates in major metropolitan cities. The operation began in Kansas City, Missouri, and has since been expanded to eight other cities, including Chicago; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Memphis, Tennessee; and St. Louis. It involves surging federal agents and resources to inner cities to assist local and state law enforcement officials to tackle violent crime and restore public safety. The program was named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while sleeping in his home in Kansas City in June; a suspect has since been arrested. Many major metropolitan cities have recently seen a disturbing uptick of violent crime, especially homicides and nonfatal shootings. In Chicago, there were 440 homicides and 2,240 people shot between January and July. In the same time period in 2019, the number of homicides was at 290 with 1,480 shootings. In response, the Trump administration deployed more than 100 additional federal agents to Chicago in July to augment existing joint federal, state, and local task forces investigating the citys violent gangs, gun crime, and drug trafficking operations as part of the program. The latest crime statistics released by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) found that there was a 45 percent drop in murders and a 15 percent fall in shooting incidents in August compared to the previous month. The department said the latest murder figures in August were the lowest numbers since April. Although there were drops in violent crime, the city recorded 503 shooting victims and 63 homicides in August. That compares to 268 and 49, respectively, in the same month last year. In its statement, the police department attributed the reductions in violent crime to the launch of two citywide teams, but Barr said during the press conference that Operation Legend played a critical role in cutting the citys murder rate roughly in half since before the operation. Operation Legends success is perhaps most dramatic here in Chicago, Barr said. When the operation was announced on July 22, homicides in the city were up 51 percent over 2019. Over the previous weekend, more than 60 people had been shot in Chicago, with over a dozen fatalities. The CPD didnt immediately respond to The Epoch Times questions about the operation. During a separate press conference on Sept. 9, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot responded to Barrs comments linking the citys falling murder rate to the success of the operation, saying nobody should be taking a victory lap, at this time. We are absolutely making progress, we are absolutely leaning into those federal relationships, but the cause and effect that Attorney General Barr tried to make today, I dont think the facts bear that, not yet, Lightfoot said. Im hopeful that these relationships and these additional resources would really bear fruit, but were still in the early stages. Similarly, Kansas City saw similar drops in violent crime following the launch of the program. The citys police department stated on Aug. 25 that overall violent crime had decreased by 30 percent when comparing six weeks of crime statistics prior to the operation with current data. Homicides went from 33 cases between May 6 and July 7 to 28 cases between July 8 and Aug. 23a 15 percent decrease. Non-fatal shootings also fell to 84 incidents from 112 over the same comparable perioda 25 percent fall. While we cant say Operation LeGend is the cause of this decrease, theres certainly a correlation, Kansas City Police Chief Richard Smith said in a statement. Barr also said homicides in St Louis have also fallen by 47 percent in the four weeks since the operation began. Meanwhile, in Detroit, homicides have dropped by more than 25 percent, he said. The increase in violence that has plagued Chicago and other cities is what prompted the department to launch Operation Legend two months ago in Kansas City, Missouri, the attorney general said. The Operation is named for LeGend Taliferro, a 4-year-old Kansas City boy shot and killed. The purpose of the operation was to make clear that his life mattered, his name should be remembered and other innocent victims like him, including the 8-year-old girl killed in Chicago on Labor Day, should not suffer such senseless death. In Chicago, authorities have charged 124 individuals with federal crimes. Other cities have also seen a similar trend: 113 federal arrests in Kansas City; 45 in Albuquerque; 66 in Cleveland; 58 in Detroit; 16 in Milwaukee; 123 in St. Louis; 16 in Memphis; and 31 in Indianapolis. The story has been updated to include comments from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. ConsumerAffairs is not a government agency. Companies displayed may pay us to be Authorized or when you click a link, call a number or fill a form on our site. Our content is intended to be used for general information purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment based on your own personal circumstances and consult with your own investment, financial, tax and legal advisers. Company NMLS Identifier #2110672 Copyright 2021 Consumers Unified LLC. All Rights Reserved. The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) Suddenly losing a dream job can be a harrowing experience, all the more so during economic uncertainty brought by the current health crisis. It's been tough. Honestly, Ive been depressed for about two months and the hardest part is the acceptance, when you already achieved your dream, you are already experiencing it, and you're enjoying your job, then suddenly it's gone, former cabin crew member Marnelle Mandap told CNN Philippines New Day on Wednesday. It really affects me. It affected my self-esteem, self-confidence, and I feel like I lost my identity, she added. Mandap lost her job in March, along with millions of others, after the government imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Restrictions have grounded flights, suspended public transport, and shuttered many businesses. The Philippine Statistics Authority earlier reported that the jobless Filipinos soared to a record high of 7.3 million in April 2020 due to the enhanced community quarantine. But one of the things Mandap knows for sure is if one falls, one must learn how to stand up again. The former cabin crew decided to set up an online business, Case-on-Board, which offers cases for iPhone and Android phones. Last week, she also started looking for new career opportunities in Linkedin, a website, which provides employment-oriented online service. It was well-received by recruiters, and she has been getting plenty of job offers after her post went viral. To date, the post has been viewed almost 300,000 times. So far, I have an offer that is close to my heart because it is related to the hospitality industry, Mandap said. She then advised those who are going through the same ordeal as her that its okay to take a break, and to feel sad because you lost your job. But she underscored that after that, you must continue. 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 A tycoon who wooed some of the world's most glamorous women - including New York socialites, Hollywood actresses and even a Princess - during the Swinging Sixties - and beyond - has written a tell-all memoir about his passionate encounters, and how he was tamed. In his new book, Marked Cards, Emmanuel Olympitis, known as 'Manoli', 71, spills the beans on a lifetime spent frequenting the world's glitziest venues, packing in dozens of anecdotes about his brushes with famous stars and socialites. Olympitis, who was born in London to Greek parents, recounts in the memoirs his first heady affair at 23 with Yves St Laurent muse Nan Kempner, a turbulent marriage to American heiress Jan Cushing and how he finally found happiness with soulmate interior designer Emily Todhunter, with whom he has three children. His high-end partying years saw the savvy businessman also step out with a string of glamorous women including Princess Ira von Furstenberg and American actress Valerie Perrine. However, the book also reveals Manoli grew tired of endless carousing, big-money poker games and even run-ins with friends of the Mafia, admitting to Tatler that 'your nerves go at around 55 to 60. Businessman Emmanuel 'Manoli' Olympitis (pictured with Princess Ira von Furstenberg in the 1970s), 71, has released a memoir which details thirty years of star-studded anecdotes set in high-end hangouts all around the world Born in the capital to Greek parents, the savvy businessman was accompanied by a string of glamorous women, such as Princess Ira von Furstenberg, 80, and American actress Valerie Perrine, 77, throughout his prime. Pictured recently with his wife interior designer Emily Todhunter The businessman says hes glad he left his partying days behind him after meeting soulmate interior designer Emily Todhunter, with whom he shares a glamorous house near Marlborough and a flat in Knightsbridge. The pair were married in 1996 and have a daughter, Olympia, 23, and 18-year-old twin sons, Mikey and Aleko. According to his first wife, the American heiress Jan Cushing, her friend, US author Truman Capote, couldn't bear to look at Olympitis because he was so beautiful. Before wedding Cushing, Olympitis tells in the book his first real awakening came in the form of a year-long affair with New Yorker Nan Kempner at the age of 23. When that was over he fell in love with Ira von Furstenberg, the pin-up princess whose former sister-in-law is Belgian designer Diane Von Furstenberg. As rich as she is aristocratic - her father was a prince, her mother an Agnelli (the founding family of Fiat), the princess and industrial heiress became famous as a child bride. At the age of 15, she eloped and married the 31-year-old Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, creator of the Marbella Club, in a scandal which shocked 1950s society. In the later 1970s, Olympitis fell in love with Ira von Furstenberg (pictured together), the pin-up princess whose former sister-in-law is Belgian designer Diane Von Furstenberg As rich as she is aristocratic, Ira von Furstenberg's father was a prince and her mother an Agnelli (the founding family of Fiat) but the princess and industrial heiress (pictured with Olympitis) became famous as a child bride New York socialites, heiresses and a Greek princess: Emmanuel 'Manoli' Olympitis' passionate encounters... before he found his 'soulmate' In his new memoir, Emmanuel 'Manoli' Olympitis, 71, details thirty years spent prominent fixture in Londons high-end social scene. The savvy businessman stepped out with a string of glamorous women, including Princess Ira von Furstenberg, now 80, and American actress Valerie Perrine, now 77, while in his prime. Here, FEMAIL reveals the society beauties that caught the businessman's eye before he settled down with his 'soulmate' interior designer Emily Todhunter. Nan Kempner From Yves Saint Laurent muse to Dior disco queen, Nan Kempner (pictured in 2001) lit up the New York fashion scene for more than 40 years The businessmans first awakening came in the form of a year-long affair with New York socialite Nan Kempner. From Yves Saint Laurent muse to Dior disco queen, Nan Kempner lit up the New York fashion scene for more than 40 years. The great fashion editor Diana Vreeland once said, There are no chic women in America. The one exception is Nan Kempner. She amassed the largest private collection of haute couture in the world, including 374 pieces of YSL. Immortalised by Andy Warhol in 1973, the socialite and philanthropist was the ultimate clotheshorse of her generation, a disco queen in Dior hot pants who cross-pollinated American sportswear and Paris couture. In 1952, she married Thomas Kempner, chairman of an investment bank, and the pair had three children Tommy, Lina and James. Nan famously told Womens Wear Daily in 1972, I tell people all the time I want to be buried naked because there must be a store where Im going. She died, aged 74, from emphysema in 2005. Princess Ira von Furstenberg seen in 2007 in Rome, Italy Princess Ira von Furstenberg When his time with Nan was over, was over, Olympitis fell in love with Ira von Furstenberg, the pin-up princess whose former sister-in-law is Belgian designer Diane Von Furstenberg. As rich as she is aristocratic, her father was a prince and her mother an Agnelli (the founding family of Fiat) - the princess and industrial heiress became famous as a child bride. At the age of 15, she eloped and married the 31-year-old Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, creator of the Marbella Club, in a scandal which shocked the society of the 1950s. After a second failed marriage, to a notorious Brazilian playboy, the mother-of-two and beloved Italian movie star, as well as a fashion businesswoman, pursued her love affairs unrestricted by the institution. Valerie Perrine Actress Valerie Perrine and Manoli Olympitis on January 2, 1986 dining at Spago in West Hollywood, California Before his marriage to Emily, Olympitis was pictured in the papers with Hollywood actress Valerie Perrine. Valerie, 77, is an American actress and model, originally born in Texas. She is the daughter of a dancer who appeared on Broadway and a lieutenant colonel in the US Army. For her role as Honey Bruce in the 1974 film Lenny, she won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her other film appearances include Superman (1978), The Electric Horseman (1979), and Superman II (1980). Advertisement After a second failed marriage, to a notorious Brazilian playboy, the mother-of-two and beloved Italian movie star, as well as a fashion businesswoman, pursued her love affairs unrestricted by the institution. It was then, at the end of 1978, where she met Olympitis, who was nearing thirty, at a house of a mutual friend. Ira was not in the mood to settle down. And I realised that I had insufficient funds to maintain her lifestyle in any case. Somewhat wistfully, and gently, she could not accept... Manoli Olympitis on proposing to Ira von Furstenberg Describing her as 'one of the nicest, kindest people I have ever known' who is a 'universally popular, life-enhancing person', Olympitis recalled how the pair began a 'highly agreeable life together'. She would take the businessman to lavish evenings at the houses of her friends such as Heini Thyssen, the German industrialist, a very close friend of Princess Margaret; Roberto Campos, the Brazilian ambassador; and the publisher Lord George Weidenfeld. He would in turn, whisk her away to Greece, or spend evenings together at London's private members' circuit - including nights at Marks Club, Harrys Bar and Annabels. James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore (far left), writer Jeremy Lloyd (second from left) and composer Leslie Bricusse (second from right) with Manoli Olympitis Before meeting Emily (pictured with her husband), Olympitis confessed that he enjoyed his partying ways - which included throwing get-togethers where Mick Jagger and David Bowie performed - because the 'last thing I wanted was to get married' But their amicable life together was ruined, when Olympitis got carried away and asked her to marry me. Ira was not in the mood to settle down, he confesses in his book. And I realised that I had insufficient funds to maintain her lifestyle in any case. Somewhat wistfully, and gently, she could not accept. She then left me and disappeared with an impecunious Swiss ski instructor at that point I was depressed and dejected, and it was in that irrational state of mind that I met my first wife on a business trip to New York. He married American heiress Jan Cushing in 1981 and the unpleasant experience was only improved by the birth of their son John, now 39. But when he left Cushing, the businessman had to defy the lawyer who was a friend of Al Capone and believed to have helped the US mafia, Sidney Korshak. Olympitis received a phone call from Korshak, thought to be one of the most 'powerful men in America', who was a friend of Cushing's. The pair were married in 1996 and have a daughter, Olympia, 23, and 18-year-old twin sons, Mikey and Aleko. The family pictured together when the children were youngsters Olympitis and Emily's 18-year-old twin sons, Mikey and Aleko, pictured right to left, during their last term at Eton Recalling the terrifying call, Olympitis writes: 'Heres what I think you should do. Its time to go home. Go home. Go back to New York. Go back to your son, to your wife, your family. They need you. Thats where you belong. Go home. You understand me?' 'I took a deep breath. I had been expecting this. It was now or never. "Sidney, youre kind to call," I said, "but I cant do that. Ever. I wouldnt be any use to either of them. Im sure you understand." 'I continued, "I know of course something could happen to me. But if my son became an orphan, would it help him? I dont think so. Anyway, Ill just have to risk it, theres nothing else I can do." 'There was a long silence at the other end. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. "I guess not," came the gruff reply. 'I swear I could detect a trace of laughter in the deep voice. "Nothing you can do at all but I guess youll be okay, kid. Go carefully. Take care of yourself." He rang off abruptly.' Olympitis had appealed to the family's code and it had worked. And the businessman wasnt only daring with his relationships, but also on high-stake poker games as well. Olympitis (pictured recently, with his wife) came from a well-off London Greek family and attended The King's School in Canterbury Olympitis had one son, John, with his first wife, the American heiress Jan Cushing. Pictured left: John with his wife Liza and their daughter Anastasia. Pictured right: Olympitis' daughter The businessman's brother-in-law was David Cameron's best man and he and his wife (pictured with their children when they were youngsters) shared a holiday cottage with George Osborne for years He was playing for 'much more than I could afford - it's no fun gambling at stakes you can afford,' he told Tatler. After one terrible loss, he phoned gamblers anonymous at 3am, only to receive their voicemail before heading back to the tables and coming out on top by 55,000. Olympitis gave up his gambling ways around 15 years ago, explaining: 'Your nerves go at around 55 to 60. But when you're young, you have extraordinary nerves about making a bet you can't afford without blinking.' Marked Cards by Emmanuel Olympitis (pictured) (16) is published by Quartet Books and is available now Before meeting Emily, Olympitis confessed that he enjoyed his partying ways - which included throwing get-togethers where Mick Jagger and David Bowie performed - because he had no interested in being married. He had his son and loved living alone, with his many girlfriends who he wouldn't commit to, and had quite a lot of money. But speaking to the publication, he admitted that family life wooed him in the end, saying he's 'thrilled' by his life now, and might 'be dead' if he'd continued to party. Olympitis came from a well-off London Greek family and attended The King's School in Canterbury, where he competed in fencing to an Olympic squad standard. He then went to University College London and his executive roles include Bankers Trust International, Aitken Hume International plc, Johnson & Higgins Ltd, and Pacific Media plc. His society connections remain firmly in tact though; his brother-in-law was David Cameron's best man and he and Emily shared a holiday cottage with George Osborne for years. Marked Cards by Emmanuel Olympitis (16) is published by Quartet Books and is available now. To honor the partnership, UGG proudly showcases two Made in L.A. 2020 artists, Fulton Leroy Washington (aka MR. WASH ) and Sonya Sombreuil in FEEL ____ , powerful films that celebrate Californian artists who tell personal stories about their lives, their work and what fuels their creativity. "We are really proud to partner with the Hammer, one of the foremost museums in the country known for their belief that art and ideas illuminate our lives and build a more just world", said Andrea O'Donnell, President, Fashion Lifestyle, Deckers Brands. "They are the perfect partner to launch our Autumn/Winter season and FEEL. UGG has always been an emotional brand and we believe that the personal stories of MR. WASH and Sonya Sombreuil are important reflections of what it means to be a human being today." FEEL ____ FEATURING MR. WASH Set inside his home apartment/art studio in Compton, California, we learn the incredible story of artist Fulton Leroy Washington, a man who adopted drawing, painting and creative storytelling while in jail, where he spent twenty-one years after being convicted of a nonviolent drug offense in the late 1990s. The inconceivable sentence at the time was life imprisonment, a policy set during the era of the "War on Drugs", however President Barack Obama commuted his sentence and granted him clemency in 2016. MR. WASH'S first subjects were his fellow inmates: he created elaborate photorealistic portraits of his cohort, often setting them in idyllic landscapes, dressed in civilian clothing and free. Other portraits depicted the inmates' psychological fissures, including large tears drawn on their faces; some portraits were adorned with paintings within the paintings of fears or anxieties the subjects had shared with their portraitist. In FEEL ____, we are bestowed with the wisdom and advice from MR. WASH, "Hydrate yourself, get some exercise, do something useful with your time." The viewer also gets a preview of one of his Made in L.A. 2020 paintings, a solemn tribute to the late Kobe Bryant. FEEL ____ FEATURING SONYA SOMBREUIL The second FEEL ____ film provides a glimpse inside the studio of Made in L.A. 2020 artist and fashion designer Sonya Sombreuil. Self-identifying as an artist since the age of three or four, Sombreuil was born in Santa Cruz, California and her fashion label COME TEES is strongly rooted in Los Angeles' thriving streetwear scene. "My whole aesthetic is very located in an origin story, being surrounded by books and records," said Sombrueil. "I think that so much of my art is about locating that feeling." Her limited-edition pieces stand out for their signature screen printing: jagged lines, scribbled texts, song lyrics applied in heavy brushstrokes, comic book-like images, lush colors spilling out across vintage work shirts. The DIY nature of COME TEES goes beyond handmade imagery to pollinate the community-driven mentality that underlies Sombreuil's practice. Her work at the Hammer features paintings that function as walls for a kind of imagined space that functions as a gallery, venue, and gathering place and are a historical recreation of spaces that she's been through in her origin as an artist. Both films were shot by Kauai Moliterno and Michael Barth, with stills being captured by Neil Favila with support from Production LA. In the films, MR. WASH wears the UGG Neumel chukka and Sonya Sombreuil wears the new Classic Ultra Mini. UGG is debuting two limited-edition T-shirts featuring the Made in L.A. 2020 works of MR. WASH and Sonya Sombreuil to commemorate the sponsorship. Available when the exhibition opens, the merchandise will be sold at the Hammer gift shop and UGG.com with a donation to Equal Justice Initiative. Feel is an inherent part of the UGG brand's DNA and what it delivers. For Autumn/Winter 2020 and beyond, the FEEL. will be the unifying theme with a variety of stories that support it. FEEL ____ with MR. WASH and Sonya Sombreuil will be followed by FEEL YOU. in mid-September, as an unapologetic celebration of individuality and style featuring a multitude of artists, creatives, designers, and activists from around the globe. Explore FEEL. on the UGG website: www.ugg.com About UGG Founded in 1978 by an Australian surfer on the coast of California, UGG is a global lifestyle brand renowned for its iconic Classic boot. First worn by Hollywood royalty, fashion editors and then the world, UGG designs and retails footwear, apparel, accessories and homewares with an uncompromising attitude toward quality and craftsmanship. Delivering more than $1 billion in annual sales, UGG partners with the best retailers globally and owns over 130 concept and outlet stores worldwide in key markets including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. For more information, please visit www.ugg.com. @ugg #feelUGG ABOUT THE HAMMER MUSEUM The Hammer Museum is part of the School of the Arts and Architecture at UCLA, and offers exhibitions and collections that span classic to contemporary art. It holds more than 50,000 works in its collection, including one of the finest collections of works on paper in the nation, the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts. Through a wide-ranging, international exhibition program and the biennial, Made in L.A., the Hammer highlights contemporary art since the 1960s, especially the work of emerging and under recognized artists. The exhibitions, permanent collections, and nearly 300 public programs annuallyincluding film screenings, lectures, symposia, readings, music performances, and workshops for familiesare all free to the public. More info: hammer.ucla.edu ABOUT MADE IN L.A. The Hammer's biennial exhibition series Made in L.A. focuses exclusively on artists from the L.A. region with an emphasis on emerging and under-recognized artists. The Los Angeles biennial debuts new installations, videos, films, sculptures, performances, and paintings commissioned specifically for the exhibition and offers a snapshot of the current trends and practices coming out of Los Angeles, one of the most active and energetic art communities in the world. Made in L.A. 2020: a version is organized by independent curators Myriam Ben Salah and Lauren Mackler, with the Hammer's Ikechukwu Onyewuenyi, assistant curator of performance. Made in L.A. began in 2012 with subsequent iterations in 2014, 2016, and 2018, and followed the tradition of the Hammer Invitational exhibitions, which occurred every two years and included Snapshot (2001), International Paper (2003), Thing (2005), Eden's Edge (2007), Nine Lives (2009), and All of this and nothing (2011). Made in L.A. 2012 was organized by a team of curators from the Hammer Museum and LAXART: Hammer senior curator Anne Ellegood, Hammer curator Ali Subotnick, LAXART director and chief curator Lauri Firstenberg, LAXART associate director and senior curator Cesar Garcia, and LAXART curator-at-large Malik Gaines. Made in L.A. 2014 was organized by Hammer chief curator Connie Butler and Los Angeles based independent curator Michael Ned Holte. Made in L.A. 2016 was organized by Hammer curator Aram Moshayedi and Hamza Walker, former director of education and associate curator of the Renaissance Society and current director of LAXART. Made in L.A. 2018 was organized by Hammer senior curator Anne Ellegood and assistant curator Erin Christovale, with curatorial associate MacKenzie Stevens. Press Contact: Lindsey Di Cola Director, Global PR Direct: (212) 247-8552 Ext. 2773 Mobile: (516) 317-3645 [email protected] HL Group [email protected] Click here for assets Credit: UGG SOURCE UGG Farmers are being advised to plan treatment of liver fluke early this autumn in order to reduce the spread of the disease and to avoid major economic loss. Liver fluke can spread to both sheep and cattle leading to chronic health problems which can reduce fertility, lower growth rates and increase susceptibility to other conditions. Farmers are being advised by experts to implement prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of liver fluke this autumn. Dr Rebekah Stuart, health executive at Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), said that prevention and control were as important as chemical treatments to reduce spread. "There are a number of different control measures that can be carried out on a farm if a history of liver fluke is suspected," she explained. One measure would be to consider the farms grazing management; trying to avoid grazing high risk pastures. In order to manage the snail habitat, which is the intermediate host of liver fluke, consider fencing wet areas or, if suitable, draining the area to control the first step of the life cycle." Dr Stuart said farmers should also consider monitoring flock or herds for infection by carrying out faecal egg counts, coproantigen tests, or blood serology. Specific information on the risk level across Wales and the UK can be found on the National Animal Disease Information Service (NADIS) website. The current summer liver fluke forecast on the NADIS website indicates a moderate risk to farms across Wales, western England and most of Scotland. There is a low risk across the Midlands and eastern England. However, as the autumn months approaches, this risk could increase. Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, which raised $1 billion from Silver Lake Partners on Wednesday, is set to draw additional investments worth $5 billion from KKR & Co., Mubadala Investment Co. and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), two people directly aware of the negotiations said. California-based private equity fund Silver Lake, an investor in Reliance Industries Ltds Jio Platforms unit, picked up 1.75% stake in Reliance Retail Ventures for 7,500 crore, valuing the company at Rs 4.21 trillion or $57 billion. The discussions with KKR, Mubadala and ADIA are in an advanced stage, and more existing investors may follow suit as Reliance continues to talk to external investors, said one of the two people cited above. KKR, Mubadala and ADIA are slated to invest around $1 billion each, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. The fresh round of investments in the retail business will give parent Reliance Industries more firepower to take on strong rivals such as Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart for supremacy in the Indian organized retail space, where Reliance Retail is aiming to corner a significant market share through an omnichannel approach, analysts said. Some of them, however, said the valuation assigned by Silver Lake to Reliance Retail Ventures is at a significant discount to what they had estimated. A $57 billion value is slightly underwhelming versus what markets are pricing in right now, said JP Morgan in a note to investors on Wednesday, adding that this is 7% lower than its implied Reliance Retail value, which the investment bank had pegged at $65 billion. Mint had reported on 5 September that Reliance Industries had offered investors in Jio Platforms the option to also invest in its retail unit. Mubadala has held conversations for investing in Reliance Retail. Jio Platforms investors have been offered the opportunity to invest in the retail business at an attractive valuation, which they are considering. They could look at a similar ticket size as their Jio Platforms investment or smaller; those details have not been finalized, said the first person cited above. Mubadala invested $1.2 billion in Jio Platforms in June. Emails sent to Mubadala, ADIA and KKR did not elicit a response till press time. Last month, Reliance Retail Ventures agreed to acquire Future Groups retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing businesses for 24,713 crore. There is room for RIL to extract operating efficiencies and improve profitability with lower capital costs. Integration of the supply chain/logistics business could also bolster RILs retail backend and perhaps also its new commerce plans, said Citi Research in a report dated 9 September. With an eye on the rapidly growing e-commerce segment, Reliance Industries launched its online food and grocery business in 200 cities through JioMart in May. Reliance Retail Ventures operates Indias largest retail business with 12,000 stores nationwide. It is the holding company for Reliance Retail Ltd and Reliance Brands. The latter operates joint ventures with international brands. A teenager was rushed to the hospital after a python bit his penis as he sat on the toilet. Siraphop Masukarat, 18, went to the loo on Tuesday evening when he felt a sudden searing pain in his manhood. The teenager looked down and saw the python with its jaws clamped around the tip of his penis. It quickly let go as blood spurted around the toilet bowl. A teenager was rushed to the hospital after a python bit his penis as he sat on the toilet, pictured above Siraphop Masukarat, 18, (pictured) went to the loo on Tuesday evening when he felt a sudden searing pain in his manhood Siraphop yelled in terror as he ran out of the bathroom with his pants around his ankles in Nonthaburi, central Thailand, around 13 miles north of Bangkok. The teenager's panic-stricken mother calmed him down before paramedics rushed the lad to the nearby Bang Yai Hospital to have his wounded manhood treated. Doctors gave Siraphop three stitches in the glands at the tip of the penis and treated the bite wound with antibiotic wash, to kill any bacteria from the python's fangs. Siraphop said: 'I was using the toilet but a few moments after I sat down, I suddenly felt pain in my penis. I looked down and saw there was a snake hanging in the toilet. Then there was blood everywhere. 'It was only a small snake but its bite was so strong. I hope that my penis can recover.' Siraphop yelled in terror as he ran out of the bathroom with his pants around his ankles in Nonthaburi, central Thailand, around 13 miles north of Bangkok Animal handlers arrived at the two-storey home and began searching for the snake, which was still coiled up in the toilet bowl They used snake catching equipment to snare the python, which measured around 4ft long. They took it into a sack before releasing it back into woodland Animal handlers arrived at the two-storey home and began searching for the snake, which was still coiled up in the toilet bowl. They used snake catching equipment to snare the python, which measured around 4ft long. They took it into a sack before releasing it back into woodland. Siraphop's terrified mother, Sutapath, said she was still in shock about the incident. The snake bite spurted blood around the toilet, pictured above. Siraphop's terrified mother, Sutapath, said she was still in shock about the incident She said: 'I don't know how the snake got into my house. It could have been through the drain connected to the toilet. 'I know the snake really hurt my son but I'm relieved it was only a non-venomous python. If it was a cobra, he would be dead. 'He will be scared every time he goes to toilet. But he's recovering well at the hospital and I'm thankful to the rescue volunteers for catching the snake.' WARSAW: Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said anti-government demonstrations in her country should remain peaceful during a visit to the Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday. Belarus has been rocked by mass protests since the re-election of veteran President Alexander Lukashenko in an Aug. 9 election his opponents say was rigged. U.N. human rights experts say they received reports of hundreds of cases of torture, beatings and mistreatment of protesters by police. The protests must remain peaceful I think it is impossible to fight violence and give violence," she said during a speech at Warsaw University. Tsikhanouskaya, the main candidate standing against Lukashenko in the election, fled to Lithuania after the vote which her supporters say she won. Poland, along with Lithuania and Latvia, has sought to set an example" for the European Union by offering extensive financial and social support to the Belarusian opposition movement. In an earlier appearance at the Belarusian House NGO, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland would unveil more support for Belarus. We will soon present an economic plan for the Belarusian people, which is to show that Europe is open to Belarus," Morawiecki 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 For over 20 years, The View has been the hottest place in daytime TV to discuss the different political and cultural topics of the day. The show has always featured a rotating cast of co-hosts, each representing a different viewpoint and background. The current lineup features EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg, OG co-host Joy Behar, legal analyst Sunny Hostin, and conservative commentator Meghan McCain. Sunny Hostin attends The American Heart Associations Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection 2020 | Mike Coppola/Getty Images for American Heart Association Who is Sunny Hostin? Since its inception in the late 1990s, The View has often included a legal eagle of sorts at the table; back then it was Star Jones, and since 2016, its been Sunny Hostin. Sunny Hostins legal career dates back decades. She began her career as a clerk working for the Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals and later became a trial attorney working for the U.S. Department of Justices Antitrust Division. From there, she left the DOJ to become a federal prosecutor who specialized in child sex crimes. Her TV career began in 2007 as a talking head for CNN, where she examined current events through a legal lens. She began appearing as a guest contributor on The View in 2014, and joined the show full-time in 2016. The View | Lou Rocco/ABC via Getty Images RELATED: The View Season 24 Premiere Date: Meghan McCain Confirms Return of Live Episodes What is Sunny Hostins ethnicity? Sunny Hostin whose full name is Asuncion is a proud Afro-Latina from the Bronx. Her mother is Puerto Rican and her father is African American. Hostin has said in the past that she was often ridiculed when she was growing up and called offensive terms such as zebra. When her dad would pick her up from school, other kids wouldnt believe that that was her dad; when her mom would pick her up, theyd be even more surprised that it was her mom. Sunny Hostin experienced a racist attack on vacation Racism isnt a new thing to Sunny Hostin, but in 2018, she experienced a traumatic racist event that even she couldnt have imagined. She sat down with talk show host (and friend to The View) Wendy Williams to discuss the incident. Hostin was on vacation at her summer home in Sag Harbor, New York in 2018 playing charades with her friends on the outdoor deck at night. All of a sudden, they heard the N-word being shouted at them from the dark beach below. The young people on the beach began chanting racial slurs, causing Hostin and her friends to fear for their lives. Holding back tears, Hostin tells Williams honestly, I grew up experiencing [racism], but I always thought it would get better. She worries about raising Black children in this environment, and worries especially for her teenage son Gabriel; she told him once that even though hes a star athlete and a star student, many people will look at him as just another intimidating Black man. Sunny Hostin believes her racist experience wasnt an isolated incident Hostin told Williams very clearly about where she thinks the racist rhetoric that has plagued the country in the past few years is coming from. The fish rots from the head, she said in reference to the current administration. Hostin also had some choice words for the president after he called Haiti a sh*thole country. (Coincidentally, Wendy Williams happened to be a guest co-host on The View that day.) Hostin took great offense to his comments as someone whos married to a Haitian man from a successful Haitian family and as a mother of Haitian American children. His history of racism is very well documented, Hostin pointed out. If his base likes this type of biased and racist behavior, shame on them. A police officer and five others were on Wednesday killed in Kagara town following a bank robbery in Rafi local government area of Niger State. Kagara is the council headquarters of Rafi local government area. Wednesdays attack is the third in a year, the gunmen struck twice in a month, residents said. Six people, including a mobile police officer, were killed in the latest attack, according to residents of the area. The state government, in a press statement, confirmed the incident, calling for calm, saying the government is deploying all resources at its disposal to ensure the protection of lives and property. Residents said gunmen numbering about 100 stormed the town on motorcycles, wielding sophisticated weapons. They said the assailants rode straight to a First Bank branch and engaged armed security personnel in a fire fight. In the process, one police officer was shot dead and many others residents injured. However, the gunmen were unable to loot the bank but they broke into the ATMs and carted away money, many residents said. The gunmen also abducted many residents during the attack, a source said, asking not to be named for security reasons. The gunmen launched the attack around 6pm with the intent of robbing the bank, and operated unchallenged for hours, despite the efforts of residents to notify the relevant security agencies about the attack, sources said. A resident of Madaka community, on the outskirts of Kagara town, told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen passed through their village before reaching Kagara town. The resident said security agencies were informed about the movement of the bandits; however, no action was taken to prevent the attack. Wasiu Abiodun, the police spokesperson in Niger State, did not respond to multiple calls and messages seeking comment. The Rafi council area in Niger State shares a border with the restive Birnin Gwari local government area in Kaduna state. Banditry has been a long-running scourge for residents of the area. In Niger State, between 2011 and June 2020, over 582 people were killed in attacks within that period. In its statement, the state government through the state governors press secretary, Mary Noel-Berje, appealed to residents of the area to remain calm and maintain peace. This appeal is coming against the backdrop of bandits attack on the town and the panic elicited by a social media video, in which the residents of the area were seen running helter skelter and calling for intervention from the state government and the army, the statement read. The state governor also expressed condolence to the victims of the attack, maintaining that no responsible government would sit idle and allow its citizens to be mauled down The governor commiserates with the families of those who lost their lives in the attack, and prayed for speedy recovery for the injured victims. The governor also acknowledged the enormity of the security challenges facing the state, but assured the people of the state and its security agencies remain undaunted in its war against criminal elements He solicited the cooperation of the people for their useful information to the security agencies, assuring them that their identity will be kept confidential, the statement ended. Study in 77 countries shows many of them face disruptions in health interventions like vaccinations and medical visits. Progress in reducing child mortality, which fell to an all-time low in 2019, is at risk as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts health services and deprives mothers and young children of access to care, particularly in poor countries, the United Nations has warned. The joint report by UN agencies, including the UN childrens fund UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), said preventable deaths among children under five dropped to 5.2 million in 2019 compared with 12.5 million in 1990, but the pandemic was putting millions of additional lives at stake. The global community has come too far towards eliminating preventable child deaths to allow the COVID-19 pandemic to stop us in our tracks, said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF chief. When children are denied access to health services because the system is overrun, and when women are afraid to give birth at the hospital for fear of infection, they, too, may become casualties of COVID-19. Fore called for urgent investments to resume disrupted health services, warning that millions of children were at risk without routine care. According to a study carried out by UNICEF in 77 countries, 68 percent faced interruption to health systems as a result of the pandemic, from vaccination programmes to medical visits for children, while 63 and 59 percent reported disruptions to ante-natal care and neo-natal care respectively. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the progress in reducing child mortality is proof of what is possible when countries make health a priority. We must not let the COVID-19 pandemic jeopardise this remarkable progress for our children and future generations, he stressed. Vast inequality Ante- and neo-natal care in developing nations is relatively inexpensive and can profoundly affect child survival rates. For example, women who receive care from professional midwives are 16 percent less likely to lose their baby and 24 percent less likely to experience pre-term birth, according to the WHO. The survey found that seven countries had child mortality rates of more than 50 deaths in 1,000 live births last year. In Afghanistan, where 1 in 17 children die before their fifth birthday, the health ministry reported a significant reduction in visits to health facilities, UNICEF said. While that might be a result of fear of contracting COVID-19, avoiding healthcare facilities that have nothing to do with the coronavirus is a risk, experts say. Muhammad Ali Pate, global director for health, nutrition and population at the World Bank, says the pandemic is putting efforts to end preventable child deaths in serious jeopardy. It is essential to protect life-saving services which have been key to reducing child mortality, he said. Modelling conducted earlier this year by Johns Hopkins University found that almost 6,000 additional children could die every day if COVID-19 healthcare disruptions continued in the medium term. Georgias leading opposition party has nominated its polarizing leader, former president Mikheil Saakashvili, as its candidate for prime minister in elections next month. The move means the upcoming vote will be an explicit contest between the two fiercest rivals in Georgian politics: Saakashvili and the leader of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Eurasianet reports in its article Saakashvili winds back the clock in return to Georgian politics that the United National Movement (UNM) party, which ruled Georgia from 2004 to 2012 under Saakashvili, announced on September 7 that it was nominating its former leader as its candidate for prime minister in the October 31 elections. Utilizing Saakashvilis resources is absolutely essential for our state in order to achieve its internal and foreign policy goals, UNM chairman Grigol Vashadze said in the announcement. He has connections, experience, and authority in business circles outside Georgia, and authority among representatives of executive and legislative powers in allied countries. But inside Georgia, Saakashvilis return to the political stage appears likely to only damage his partys prospects. GDs outlook in the vote had already looked promising, as the governments dramatic success in fighting the COVID-19 outbreak led to a well-timed spike in popularity. Now, with the polarizing Saakashvili on the ballot, the ruling partys chances only appear stronger. GD has long been criticized for having only a single message: that they were not Saakashvili and the UNM. That agenda resonated less and less the longer Saakashvili was out of power but now, thanks to the ex-president himself, the platform is again relevant. Saakashvilis nomination is a bad sign for the opposition, said Kornely Kakachia, the head of the Tbilisi think tank Georgian Institute of Politics. Georgia needs a consensus leader to challenge GD, not someone divisive like him, Kakachia told Eurasianet. Following Georgias Rose Revolution in 2003, Saakashvili fundamentally transformed Georgia, turning it on to a firmly pro-Western, free market path that has now become political orthodoxy in the country. But Saakashvilis heavy-handed methods wore thin with many Georgians, and GD took power primarily riding the wave of his unpopularity. He is now a wanted man in Georgia and would face charges related to abuse of power were he to try to return to the country. He has spent the last several years in Ukraine, serving for a time as governor of Odessa. In May he was appointed as the head of the Ukrainian National Reforms Council, a move that led Tbilisi to recall its ambassador to Kyiv. Still, Saakashvili has continued to weigh in regularly on affairs in his home country, maintaining a feud with Ivanishvili and GD over social media. He had recently dropped hints that he intended to make a more formal return to Georgian politics. Seven years after leaving the presidency, he remains one of the most polarizing figures in Georgian politics. According to a recent poll by the National Democratic Institute and the Caucasus Research Resource Centers, Saakashvili ranked as one of the most liked and disliked figures in the country. Twenty-six percent of Georgians reported having a positive attitude toward him, and 39 percent, a negative attitude. (The corresponding numbers for current prime minister, GDs Giorgi Gakharia, are 27 and 34; for Ivanishvili they are 17 and 49.) But even as disillusionment with GD rule has grown, Georgias opposition parties have failed to articulate much of an alternative. Saakashvili wants to return to the past, Ivanishvili wants to maintain the current situation, and we want changes, said Giga Bokeria, a former Saakashvili ally who now heads the rival opposition party European Georgia. Analysts said Saakashvilis move appears driven primarily by his ego rather than any electoral calculations, and that other party leaders are unable to stand in his way. UNM had tended to gain popularity when Misha was silent and preoccupied with Ukraine, said Giorgi Mchedlishvili, a political scientist at International Black Sea University, using Saakashvilis nickname. But Misha is sooooooo overwhelmingly/fiendishly egocentric that the notion that his party fared better without him is an affront to him, he told Eurasianet in an email interview. If it werent for Mishas huge appetite, [the UNM candidate] could be any technocrat, but he doesnt like that scenario, Kakachia said. I dont think there is anyone who can influence him. He holds the UNM hostage they cant do much without him, even though he is a liability. The more Saakashvili gets involved in Georgian affairs, the more Bidzina Ivanishvili benefits, wrote analyst Dmitry Moniava in a commentary on RFE/RL. Everyone says this: Saakashvilis friends, his enemies, and neutral commentators. But he is like a boxer who has been defeated many times who still wants to show that he is on top, racing back to the past and dreaming of a rematch in the same ring, with the same fans. Mohammed Jabateh, 53, of East Lansdowne, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2018 for allegedly hiding his past as the Liberian warlord "Jungle Jabbah" while applying for asylum and later a green card in the United States. Read more A federal appeals court in Philadelphia this week endorsed the 30-year sentence imposed on a Delaware County man accused of hiding his past in the 1990s as a murderous Liberian warlord, affirming one of the longest sentences ever given to an accused war criminal convicted of immigration fraud in the United States. Mohammed Jabateh, 53, of East Lansdowne, was convicted in 2017 only of perjury and fraud while applying for permanent residency, counts that in his case would normally have led to a sentence of less than two years. But a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit stood by the judges decision to fashion a punishment of more than 15 times that suggested prison term in light of what Jabateh was accused of lying about: The numerous atrocities survivors said he committed, including acts of murder, rape, enslavement, and cannibalism during a protracted civil war that ravaged Liberia between 1989 and 1997. Over and over, the District Court explained its decision hinged on the gravity of Jabatehs concealment of his commission of every conceivable war crime and countless human rights offenses, wrote Circuit Judges Thomas L. Ambro, Paul Matey, and Julio M. Fuentes in their opinion, released Tuesday, adding: "Although the wheels of justice sometimes turn slowly, they do not turn without purpose." But in reaching that conclusion, the panel made a surprising finding: That Jabateh had been convicted in part of charges that do not apply to the circumstance of his case. Yet it let those convictions stand because his original lawyer did not raise objections to them at trial. The result is quite startling, Jabatehs appellate lawyer, Peter Goldberger, said, adding that he and his client are considering asking the full court to rehear the case. Jabatehs 2017 conviction in Philadelphia was hailed at the time as historic by a generation of survivors both in Liberia and the Philadelphia area, where a sizable community of expats fleeing the brutal conflict settled as refugees. It was the first time that anyone had ever been prosecuted let alone convicted anywhere in the world for crimes connected to the numerous documented human rights violations committed during the multi-factioned ethnic fighting that left more than 250,000 of the West African nations civilians dead. Some former rebel leaders still hold positions of power in the government in Monrovia, and the ethnic rivalries that fueled the war still divide the nation. And while the United States does not generally have jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes committed by non-U. S. citizens in conflicts waged overseas, for years the Justice Department has sought to weed out war criminals hiding in the U.S. by charging them with lying about their pasts on their applications to live in the country. It has used the tactic to imprison, then expel, Nazis, Bosnian and Rwandan military commanders, and, in several investigations, Liberians living in and around Philadelphia. Jabatehs wartime record stood out even among those ignominious ranks for what the appellate judges described Tuesday as monstrous acts committed with bone-chilling cruelty. Jabateh fully deserved the 30-year sentence that the district court imposed for [his] fraudulent conduct to enter the United States after engaging in such barbarity, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain said in a statement Wednesday. " READ MORE: Clinging to life - and a tree root - she says she evaded Liberian tormentors By the time of his 2016 arrest, Jabateh had moved to the U.S., fathered five children, and launched a Philadelphia-based international shipping company. But all of the 17 Liberian war victims flown in to testify against him identified Jabateh immediately from the witness stand as the brutal rebel commander whose reputation during the war earned him the nom de guerre Jungle Jabbah. One testified she had been captured, raped for weeks by Jabatehs men, then turned into a sex slave at 13 before she managed to escape. Another detailed how he had been forced into slavery to dig diamonds on threat of death to fund the warlords military campaigns. And in perhaps the most wrenching testimony of his trial, the wife of a village chieftain alleged that Jabatehs soldiers killed her husband and then delivered his heart to her on a platter. Jabateh, she said, ordered her to cook it for him and his men to eat. READ MORE: Witness: They murdered my husband, then ordered me to boil his heart The record goes on and on, but we will not, the appellate judges wrote Tuesday. It is enough to say without exaggeration that the atrocities documented at trial, and found by a jury, paint the portrait of a madman. Jabateh challenged both his conviction and the 30-year sentence in his appeal before the Third Circuit, arguing that the Justice Department had twisted the law to put him on trial for war crimes over which it had no jurisdiction. Though he was convicted on two counts of fraud on immigration documents, that statue only applies to written responses. Because Jabatehs written immigration paperwork was filed in 2002 and he wasnt charged until 14 years later, his written submissions fell outside of the statute of limitations, his lawyer argued. Instead, the government pegged its case on Jabatehs perpetuation of those lies in a 2011 oral interview with an immigration agent a theory of the case that the appellate judges found was not supported by the law. The fact that the judges, despite that finding, let the convictions stand is troubling, said Goldberger, Jabatehs attorney. Had they overturned them, leaving only Jabatehs conviction on two counts of perjury, his prison term could have been reduced by as much as 20 years. Cases like this are a test of whether our system will keep its promise of equal justice under the law, Goldberger said. READ MORE: 'Jungle Jabbah's' war: Accused Liberian's own story emerges in court Still, the appellate court found that the judge who oversaw his trial, U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, was well within his discretion to impose the stiff punishment he did. At the time, Diamond described the 15-to-21-month sentence recommended by federal sentencing guidelines as outrageously offensive in light of Jabatehs wartime conduct. But he stressed that the 30-year prison term he delivered was not based on the horrific atrocities Jabateh committed but rather the egregiousness of the lies he told, making a mockery of the U.S. asylum system that has been set up to protect people fleeing from human rights abusers like himself. The sentence was ultimately based, the Third Circuit panel wrote Tuesday, on the seriousness of [Jabatehs] lies and their effect on the asylum and immigration process. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held 'hostage' illegally by Iran and is an emotional wreck, her husband has said after new charges were announced in Tehran. The 42-year-old mother-of-one has been detained in Iran since 2016, when she was sentenced to five years in prison on spurious spying charges. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was moved to house arrest in March, was hauled into court on Tuesday just months from her expected release date and told she would face a second trial. 'There is only so much abuse one person can take.' Richard Ratcliffe said. 'Nazanin was asking today has she not had her share? The government needs to think about who will be taken next, and whether soft diplomacy stops the spread of state hostage-taking.' Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe embracing her daughter Gabriella in Damavand following her release from prison for three days in August 2018 Mr Ratcliffe added that his wife was totally drained, suffering from claustrophobia and an emotional wreck. Mr Ratcliffe's statement on Wednesday said the new charges were of spreading anti-government propaganda, in a case officials dropped in December 2017, after a visit from the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, but reopened in May 2018. Insisting his wife is being held as leverage against a UK debt owed to Iran, Mr Ratcliffe has urged British officials to do 'everything to protect her and others' against Iran's 'hostage diplomacy', starting with insisting they can attend her trial. Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of jailed British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, speaks to the media on College Green, Westminster He said his wife's detention - under house arrest at her parents' home and fitted with an ankle tag - had been illegal since March, when Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei announced the release on clemency of several thousand prisoners who met certain criteria. Coming officially to mark the Persian New Year, the mass pardons were also seen as a move to combat the spread of Covid-19. 'While we felt close to release these past few months, yesterday Nazanin was taken to the Revolutionary Court for a reopened second court case,' Mr Ratcliffe said. 'The case is illegal under Iranian law, as is the fact Nazanin was not already released back in March. 'It has become increasingly clear the past months that Nazanin is a hostage, held as leverage against a UK debt. It is important that the UK government does everything to protect her and others as Iran's hostage diplomacy continues to escalate. 'This starts with the British Embassy insisting it is able to attend Nazanin's trial on Sunday, and that the UK's diplomatic protection is treated with respect.' Boris Johnson today urged Iran not to return Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe to prison, saying the decision to bring new charges is 'indefensible and unacceptable.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'We've been consistently clear that she must not be returned to prison. To do so would be unjust and inhumane. 'We are continuing to support Nazanin and her family at this very distressing time. 'We are seeking to be allowed to attend the hearing that does take place and we're raising our concern about Nazanin's case with the Iranian Government at the highest levels.' Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport while travelling to show her young daughter, Gabriella, to her parents in April 2016 Mr Ratcliffe said earlier: 'Since the Supreme Leader made his announcement on 17 March, Nazanin has been formally entitled to clemency, and her ankle tag should have been removed. 'For almost six months she has been illegally held even under Iranian law. 'A few of those legally entitled to clemency had their confirmations held back since they were sensitive cases, though gradually all were allowed out on furlough. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe wearing an ankle bracelet under house arrest 'However in July 2020 all other prisoners who met the clemency criteria had their clemency approved. Nazanin's is the only case for which the Supreme Leader's Order has not been implemented, marking her out as a unique prisoner.' The latest development concerning Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe sparked swift condemnation in Britain of Iran, including calls from Amnesty International for the UK Government to ensure a second trial does not take place. Kate Allen, the organisation's director, said: 'Nazanin has already been convicted once after a deeply unfair trial, and there should be no question of her being put through that ordeal again. 'There have always been concerns that the Iranian authorities were playing cruel political games with Nazanin, and that looks to be the case here. 'As a matter of absolute urgency, the UK Government should make fresh representations on Nazanin's behalf, seeking to have any suggestion of a second trial removed.' A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: 'Iran bringing new charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is indefensible and unacceptable. 'We have been consistently clear that she must not be returned to prison.' Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport while travelling to show her young daughter, Gabriella, to her parents in April 2016. She was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe jailed in Tehran since 2016, his daughter Gabriella and his mother Barbara, pose outside of at 10 Downing Street in central London on January 23, 2020, to meet with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson She was later afforded diplomatic protection by the UK Government, which argues that she is innocent and that her treatment by Iran failed to meet obligations under international law. It has been claimed Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held in order to force the UK into settling a multi-million pound dispute with Iran. The debt dates back to the 1970s when the then-shah of Iran paid the UK 400 million for 1,500 Chieftain tanks. After he was toppled in 1979, Britain refused to deliver the tanks to the new Islamic Republic and kept the money, despite British courts accepting it should be repaid. Strict containment measures due to Covid-19 and a sharp decline in funding, bring the economy already abundantly at risk of North Korea to its knees. Now more than ever, the food crisis afflicts a large part of the population, so much so that the head of the World Food Program (WFP) David Beasley has made an international appeal for humanitarian assistance. During the Korea Global Forum for Peace, organized annually by the Seoul Unification Ministry, the director general of WFP clearly expressed his confidence in cooperation between all states and called for it to be put into practice: "I am confident that the international cooperation is the key that will unlock a brighter future for children in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). This is our opportunity to create the better world we all want to see. " Today the living conditions of the civilian population in North Korea are becoming more and more serious, just think that 60% of North Koreans risk hunger every day. The UN Humanitarian Affairs Office, in its latest annual report, had already highlighted the shortage of essential food and medicines, all accompanied by a sudden drop in the labor market. According to United Nations data, about 10.4 million people in North Korea are in urgent need of specific welfare programs, with particular attention to women and children. Worsening this situation was the pandemic, which has helped isolate the country more than it already was. Preventive restrictions make it difficult for international humanitarian organizations to access North Korea. UN offices have been located in Pyongyang and in other North Korean cities since 1995: "The UN staff, albeit in small numbers, is almost the only one left now in North Korea. Its continued presence is critical not only to the to give assistance, but for contact with the government, "commented Beasley. Camilla looked in high spirits as she was spotted leaving exclusive Mayfair private members' club Oswald's on Tuesday, The Duchess of Cornwall, 73, put on a stylish display in a below-the-knee navy and white polka dot dress, which she paired with a nude-coloured handbag and matching shoes. She accessorised with a watch on her left hand, and completed her outfit with a pair of silver earrings and a necklace. The royal, who was spotted getting in the front of the car, which had a pillow on the seat so she could travel in comfort, was also seen carrying a Toast bag - presumably where she had been shopping earlier in the day. Camilla put on a stylish display as she was spotted going for a rare dinner with friends at private members club Oswald's in Mayfair, London on Tuesday Camilla could be seen getting in the front of the car, which had a pillow on the seat so she could travel in comfort The royal looked in high spirits as she engaged in conversation with friends at the private members club Oswalds, named after owner Robin Birleys grandfather, is a club for both men and women - with a huge focus on wine. The luxurious private members' club is thought to be the best for wine connoisseurs, where guests can either cellar their own wine, or buy in house, before enjoying them in the ground floor restaurant or on the small rear terrace. Earlier in the day, Camilla went back to school in a bid to highlight child literacy. Wearing a Fiona Clare dress and matching mask, the royal was greeted by year three students at Ivydale Primary School on their third day back in class and was even treated to a cheeky joke. Camilla accessorised with a watch on her left hand, and completed her outfit with a pair of dainty silver earrings and a necklace The Duchess of Cornwall was also seen carrying a Toast bag - presumably where she had been shopping earlier in the day. Pictured, speaking with friends Camilla was all smiles following her evening dining with pals, as she headed off in the front of a car The royal could be seen stepping into the front passenger side of a car following her evening spent with friends (pictured, left and right) The Duchess of Cornwall's evening out followed her earlier royal engagement, where she visited Ivydale Primary School in a bid to highlight child's literacy Camilla opted for a fresh blow dry for the occasion and donned a dress which featured a stylish v-neck cut The royal could be seen putting her seat belt on following her visit to the private members club in Mayfair Prince Charles' wife, who has been the patron of the National Literacy Trust since 2010 seemed delighted to travel to the school in order to open its new library and launch the Trust's virtual library at Ivydale. Keeping her distance as to respect social distancing guidelines, and wearing a mask, she first met with school staff and teachers. Beaming youngsters eagerly pointed out their favourite books lining the shelves of a new school library funded entirely by parents. The Duchess also recorded a secret message which will feature on the National Literacy Trusts Virtual School Library, when it is launched online on Monday. Camilla (pictured with pals) was seen at Oswalds, which is named after owner Robin Birleys grandfather, and is a club for both men and women - with a huge focus on wine The luxurious private members' club is thought to be the best for wine connoisseurs, Pictured, a smiling Camilla with friends The Duchess of Cornwall put on an effortlessly stylish display as she enjoyed a night on the town Prince Charles' wife was all smiles as her friends said their goodbyes to the Duchess from the pavement India insisted on 'complete disengagement' in all its talks with China on eastern Ladakh row: Govt We will continue to deal with Chinese PLA in firm, resolute manner: Army chief As tensions escalate, diplomats of India-China work the hotlines India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 09: The hotlines are working full time a day ahead of a likely meeting between External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow. Diplomats on both sides are talking after Monday's incident in which the Chinese PLA fired shots, a first in 45 years. Both sides are talking to dial down the tensions and a meeting of the Special Representatives is also likely this week. Sources tell OneIndia that following the incident, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was briefed about the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Why do the Chinese use medieval weaponry such as the Guandao at the LAC The Indian Army Chief on the other hand briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after China said that India had fired warning shots, a claim that India has strongly denied. PM Modi was briefed by National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval. Top sources confirmed that several meetings are on the anvil today to take stock of the situation along the LAC. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister, S Jaishankar arrived in Moscow and is scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi on September 10. Jaishankar would tell Yi to honour all bi-lateral agreements signed between the two countries since 1993. After China claimed that Indian forces had fired shots, an official statement from India said that it is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation along the Line of Action Control. However, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate. At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to any aggressive means, including firing. It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres while engagement at the military, diplomatic level is in progress. In the instant case on September 7, 2020, it was the PLA which was attempting to close in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops., PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate the Indian troops. However despite grave provocation, the Indian troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner. ITBP personnel move to LAC amid India-China border tension | Oneindia News Chinese PLA wanted a repeat of Galwan Valley: Shots fired at LAC first time in 45 years The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity. However, India is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. The statement by the Western Command is an attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience, India also said. By Express News Service TENKASI: A Tenkasi-based activist submitted a petitioned to Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami accusing the Government Headquarters Hospital (GHQH) of discharging a Covid-19 patient in three days without providing treatment. In his petition, activist S P Muthuraman said that the condition of the 49-year-old patient, who is now at his house in Alwarkurichi, is critical. He was admitted to the hospital on September 3 after he developed symptoms of Covid-19. Later, he was tested positive for the virus infection. However, without providing treatment to the patient, the hospital authorities discharged him on September 9 stating that he tested negative, read the petition. After the petition to the Chief Minister went viral in social media, the heath officials brought the patient back to the hospital for further treatment on Tuesday. The officials said that the patient was weak when he was brought back to the hospital. However, he was conscious and responded to the oral comments, they added. Massive fires have engulfed the Moria migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesvos, where an estimated 12,000 migrants and refugees live, officials said. While the fire was brought under control and there were no casualties, thousands of migrants were forced to flee the camp overnight which was largely destroyed. Our teams saw the fire spread across Moria and rage all night long," said Marco Sandrone, MSF field coordinator in Lesbos. "The whole place was engulfed in flames. We saw an exodus of people from a burning hell with no direction. Children scared and parents in shock." Four-hundred unaccompanied minors living at the camp will be brought to the mainland where they will be tested for COVID-19 and quarantined until their results are confirmed, officials said. PHOTO: Refugees and migrants flee as a fire burns in the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, Greece, on Sept. 9, 2020. (Panagiotis Balaskas/AP) Of the 3,500 asylum seekers living at the camp, 1,000 will be housed on a BlueStar Ferry at the port of Mytilini. Two additional Greek naval warships will arrive on Thursday to house the remaining 2,500. Tents will be brought in for the estimated 9,200 migrants to live in unaffected areas around the camp. The exact circumstances around the fire are still being investigated, but Greek government officials said it was started by camp residents in response to a mandated COVID-19 lockdown after positive cases were identified at the facility last week. "It is a given that it was started by asylum seekers," Greek Interior Minister Takis Theodorikakos said in Mytilini. The first COVID-19 case was recorded at the Moria facility on Sept. 2. A total of 2,000 COVID-19 tests have now been carried out at the facility, and 35 positive cases diagnosed. The fact that this incident occurred days after the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed at the camp comes as no surprise, MSF said in a statement. The organization describes the camp as an "island prison" with increased restrictions. Asylum seekers from over 70 countries are said to be living in Moria, according to InfoMigrants. Story continues PHOTO: Migrants sit in the burnt Moria Camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on Sept. 9, 2020, after a major fire. (Anthi Pazianou/AFP via Getty Images) The overcrowded camp was already a health hazard, human rights groups have repeatedly warned. Initially built to accommodate up to 3,000, it has now exceeded that capacity by nearly 10,000, forcing many residents to live outside the camp's walls and without access to electricity, adequate water or sanitation. Human Rights Watch said in April that Greek authorities had "not done enough to address the acute overcrowding." Greek Minister for Immigration and Asylum Notis Mitarachis said that respect for legal order is a mandatory condition for asylum requests and that delinquent behavior "will not go unpunished." Rising tensions have also been reported between migrants and locals. PHOTO: A migrant carries her belongings following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece, Sept. 9, 2020. (Elias Marcou/Reuters) "The whole island is in a state of emergency," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday, adding that all available resources will be deployed to assist. "Our priority remains the health and safety of all: residents and immigrants," he said. The European Union has promised to help, but the situation in the camp illustrates the lack of coordinated migration policy in the EU. European Parliament President David Sassoli said he's been informed that European Commission President Margaritis Schinas will travel to Lesvos on Thursday to assess the situation. "It's high time for stronger EU solidarity in managing asylum and migration," he said. Largest refugee camp in Europe gutted by fire originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Will there be a full-blown war between India and China anytime soon? The assessment at the highest levels of Indias security establishment is clear. The threshold of war hasnt been reached yet. It is difficult to predict the trajectory of the face-off, but we havent reached the threshold of war. Things do build up to a full-blown conflict, but so far there have been only pinpricks. The Chinese deployment right now is non-tactical, a top government source said. So how will things play out in the next few weeks and months? The reading within the government is that there will be minor escalations like the one on August 29-30 when the Chinese army tried to occupy Indian heights at the South bank of Pangong Lake. There is also complete clarity that the face-off and what direction it takes is not being controlled by local commanders or by the Western Theater Command, but by the top leadership in China. You just cannot trust the Chinese. On the morning of the 29th, the Chinese Commander in Chushul had spoken to his Indian counterpart about following established protocol and not doing any movement at night. And yet, the same night, he moved his men towards our posts. In eastern Ladakh, both the North and South banks, Rezang La and Rechin La remain on knifes edge. India in Dominating Position India is now in a dominating position at Finger 4 in the North bank. A significant number of Indian troops are sitting at heights overlooking Chinese posts, rattling the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). At the ridge, Indian and Chinese troops are eyeball-to-eyeball, barely a few 100 metres apart. At the shoreline, they are a couple of kilometres apart. At South bank, India is dominating strategic heights, but Black Top is not one of them. Government sources clarified that Black Top has always been with the Chinese, who continue their daily intimidating tactics in the South bank. New Red Line The Chinese move troops and tanks, and try to close in on Indian positions. We ask them not to cross the line, after sometime they go back. They know if they move further, they will have a military cost to pay, said the source. To avoid a Galwan Valley type of clash, the Indian Army has made it clear to the Chinese that their perimeter which is defined by barbed wires cannot be breached. If the Chinese troops do cross it, then they will have to be ready for a professional response from the Indian Army, which means the possibility of shots being fired cannot be ruled out. But how did such a large build-up of Chinese troops take place without the Indian Army noticing it? Government sources deny intelligence failure. We knew the PLA had come in with large numbers, but we assumed this was their regular deployment for the campaigning season. What we didnt realise is that they would come in suddenly and occupy areas, the source said. 50,000 PLA Troops in Ladakh The Chinese have 50,000 troops, 150 fighter planes, surface-to-air ballistic missiles and rocket forces deployed in eastern Ladakh. The Indian Army is looking at nothing short of a complete disengagement, where all additional deployment goes back to the barracks. We want talks to succeed. After Galwan (clashes) and before the August 29 aggression, we were confident that talks would succeed. The sense we got from the defense ministers meet was that the Chinese dont want a war. We have asked for another round of Corps Cdr-level talks. They have agreed. But we are fully prepared if things dont work out. The build-up on the Indian side has been going on for the last three months. The army is almost completing its advanced winter-stocking. Its going to be a long, hard and tense winter in eastern Ladakh. But there is one question that has still not been answered. Why did the Chinese pick a fight with India in the middle of a pandemic? I wish we knew. We ask ourselves that question everyday. LONDON: AstraZeneca has paused global trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine after an unexplained illness in a participant, denting the British drugmakers shares on Wednesday as the move was seen as dimming prospects for an early rollout. On Tuesday, AstraZeneca said it voluntarily paused trials, including late-stage ones, to allow an independent committee to review safety data, and it was working to expedite the review to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline. The vaccine, which AstraZeneca is developing with the University of Oxford, has been described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as probably the worlds leading candidate and the most advanced in terms of development. It is obviously a challenge to this particular vaccine trial, Britains Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News, adding: Its not actually the first time this has happened to the Oxford vaccine. The trials suspension triggered a 2% fall in AstraZenecas shares in London and a 12% drop in the stock price of its Indian unit, AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd . AstraZeneca shares, which have the second biggest weighting in the FTSE 100 index, were down 0.3% at 0820 GMT. It follows reports that the United States was aiming for a fast-track approval before the November presidential election. Asked whether the pause would set back the vaccine development process, Britains Hancock said: Not necessarily, it depends on what they find when they do the investigation. The BBC reported that a final decision on restarting the trial will be taken by the medical regulator the MHRA, which could take only days. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, the AstraZeneca said in an emailed statement. The nature of the illness was not disclosed, although the participant is expected to recover, according to Stat News, which first reported the suspension due to a suspected serious adverse reaction. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines an adverse event as one in which evidence suggests a possible relationship to the drug being tested. A New York Times report citing a person familiar with the situation said a participant based in Britain was found to have transverse myelitis, an inflammatory syndrome that affects the spinal cord and is often sparked by viral infections. Whether this was directly linked to AstraZenecas vaccine remains unclear, the report said. AstraZeneca declined to comment. HISTORIC PLEDGE Called AZD1222, the vaccine is in late-stage clinical trials in the United States, Britain, Brazil and South Africa and additional trials are planned in Japan and Russia. The trials aim to enrol up to 50,000 participants globally. South Korea said on Wednesday it would look into the suspension and review its plan to participate in the manufacturing of the vaccine. Its not rare that clinical trials get suspended as various factors interact, health ministry official Yoon Tae-ho told a briefing. The decision to put the trial on hold has impacted clinical trials being conducted by other vaccine makers, which are looking for signs of similar reactions, Stat said. The U.S. National Institutes of Health, which is providing funding for AstraZenecas trial, declined to comment. Moderna said in an emailed statement it was not aware of any impact to its ongoing COVID-19 vaccine study at this time. Nine leading U.S. and European vaccine developers pledged on Tuesday to uphold scientific safety and efficacy standards for their experimental vaccines despite the urgency to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The companies, including AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer, issued what they called a historic pledge after a rise in concern that safety standards might slip in the face of political pressure to rush out a vaccine. The companies said they would uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines. The other signatories were Johnson & Johnson , Merck & Co , GlaxoSmithKline , Novavax Inc , Sanofi and BioNTech . 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 High temperatures and strong winds on Wednesday continued to create disastrous fire conditions across Oregon, as hundreds of thousands of acres were scorched and thousands fled their homes. New fires broke out across the state Tuesday, and existing fires were whipped into conflagrations by powerful winds out of the northeast, which pulled warm air from the states interior. Half of Clackamas County was under a must-evacuate order early afternoon Wednesday. At least two people were killed by a separate fire southeast of Salem, family members said. Gov. Kate Brown said the wildfires could lead to the greatest loss of property and human lives in state history. Firefighters are actively battling 35 fires, she said, and winds continue to feed them. On Tuesday, she declared a statewide emergency as blazes grew in Marion, Lane, Jackson, Coos, Lincoln, Washington and Clackamas counties. This is proving to be an unprecedented and significant fire event for our state, Brown said. Mariana Ruiz-Temple, chief deputy state fire marshal, said firefighters are still actively fighting the worst fires and have not been able to get into some of these areas to see what or who may have been harmed. The states top priority is not fighting fires but getting to people who need assistance evacuating, Ruiz-Temple said. More than 500 square miles of Oregon are on fire, Brown said. Nearly all of the states half dozen or so biggest fires are zero percent contained, due primarily to hot heavy winds, said Doug Grafe, chief of fire protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry. Everyone must be on high alert, given the hot, dry, windy conditions, the governor said. The next several days are going to be extremely difficult.Firefighting crews are stretched to their limits, state officials said. Oregon has limited resources to tap in the all-out battle to contain wildfires throughout the state, because national and regional teams are all tied up on various fires at this point, forestry officials told a state board Wednesday morning. Travis Medema, regional forestry manager for eastern Oregon, told the Board of Forestry during a virtual meeting that the Pacific Northwest and the entire nation are both at preparedness level five, which means there are literally no resources available that can be deployed to new or growing fires. It has been absolutely unprecedented in my career and I think all of our careers, Medema said of the fast-growing wildfires stoked in the last 48 hours by strong east winds and extremely dry weather. Medema said thousands of homes have been destroyed in the fires. He indicated that at least some Oregonians have died but he did not say how many or offer any details about the deaths. At least two deaths, of a boy and his grandmother, have been reported from the Santiam Canyon fire east of Salem. State Forester Peter Daugherty acknowledged a heart-breaking number of homes and businesses have been lost in fires around the state in the last 48 hours, including in some cases the homes of agency staff. The Forestry Departments Lyons office was destroyed last evening, Daugherty told board members. Medema said the catastrophic growth of the fires is making it difficult to keep accurate tallies of the acres burned. He predicted it will take days to get accurate information, months to contain fires and decades for Oregon communities to recover. The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday said it had authorized federal funds to help fight three fires: the Holiday Farm fire in Lane County, the Powerline fire in Washington County and the Echo Mountain Complex Fire in Lincoln County. Mike OHare, FEMAs Region 10 administrator, approved the states requests for federal Fire Management Assistance Grants, saying the destruction the fires threaten constitute a major disaster. Santiam and Lionshead fires The biggest fires in the state were burning in Marion County, where the Santiam (formerly known as the Beachie Creek fire) and Lionshead fires had burned through roughly 200,000 acres of wooded canyonlands. There was no containment on the Santiam fire, as of Tuesday evening. The Lionshead fire was 31% contained. The first confirmed fire fatalities in Oregon of a grandmother and grandson are linked to the blazes. Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast said authorities expect to find more people killed by the fires. More than 4,000 people live in towns and homes around Santiam Canyon, along which Oregon 22 winds and curves through Cascades foothills between the Mehama-Lyons area east past the tiny hamlet of Idanha a stretch of some 30-plus miles in Marion County. It includes Detroit Lake, a popular outdoor recreation area near Mt. Jefferson. Evacuated areas for the Santiam fire include residents living in the canyon from the community of Mehama east to Detroit including Mill City, Gates, Detroit, the North Fork corridor, Scotts Mills and south through the Crooked Finger area. They were told to leave immediately. Evacuation orders were expanded early Tuesday to include the area west of the Mehama community to Cascade Highway Southeast and north to Oregon 214. Residents on standby include those in Stayton, Sublimity, Aumsville, Silverton, Oregon 213 west of Mt. Angel and Silverton to Drakes Crossing. They were told to be ready to go. The Oregon Department of Transportation reported the following road closures for the Santiam fire: U.S. 20, the Santiam Highway, is open between Sweet Home and Santiam Junction, which is mileposts 33 to 72, but travelers should be aware of numerous lane closures. U.S. 97 between milepost 242 and 241, which is 29 miles south of the intersection with OR 138 East Diamond Lake Highway, is open to escorted traffic, with crews piloting traffic through the fire area. OR 22 remains closed between Stayton and Santiam Junction, milepost 13 to 84. The Santiam State Forest is closed to all public use, Jason Cox, a Forestry Department spokesman, said midday Wednesday. Hundreds of displaced people have poured into the Oregon State Fairgrounds over the past two days. Shellshocked Oregonians packed the fairgrounds as Red Cross volunteers gave people food and a counselor tried to help people who had escaped the blazes hours earlier. Some drove their campers into the fairgrounds and others set up tents or stayed in the shelter. This is a nightmare, Barb Mahlum, a Gates resident told The Oregonian/OregonLive after fleeing flames that destroyed her home. It was my dream house, she said, and its gone. Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron fought back tears earlier Wednesday describing his own familys harrowing escape from wildfires surrounding his rural community of Detroit and other small towns dotting the hills east of Salem. The fire on both sides was so hot I thought my car was going to melt, Cameron said during the county commissions first meeting since the states largest current fires Santiam and Lionshead tore through roughly 200,000 acres in the last 72 hours. The county commissioners and Kast said theres so much they still dont know about the extent of the devastation: how many homes and businesses and other structures have been destroyed, how many people have been injured and how many people died in the midst of it all. Holiday Farm fire Many were also facing evacuations in Lane County where the Holiday Farm fire had burned more than 126,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, Travis Medema, a state forestry manager, told the state forestry board. The fire began Monday night near Blue River, nestled in the foothills of the Cascades about 50 miles east of Eugene. On Tuesday, fire officials reported it was with 0% contained. Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky on Tuesday said he had been told about 80 to 100 homes had been lost in the McKenzie River community of Blue River and that he expected the fire to cost lives in the region. The communities of Blue River, along with Vida, Mohawk, McKenzie Bridge, Leaburg and Walterville were all under varying evacuation orders with residents being told to head to two shelters in Springfield: The Bob Keefer Center at 250 S. 32nd St. and Willamalane Adult Activity Center at 215 W. C St. Early afternoon Wednesday, Level 3 evacuation notices were also issued for residents of some areas of Springfield and east of Springfield. Those new areas include the Mohawk Valley north of the McKenzie River and east of Marcola Road, including Upper Camp Creek and Camp Creek roads. Those living off Oregon 126 between Walterville, about five miles east of Springfields city limits, and the McKenzie Ranger Station, including all roads to the north and south of the highway, have also been told to leave immediately. All told, at least 3,000 people in Lane County are currently displaced, Buch said. County officials also anticipate that others have died, she said. We dont know how many are missing or gone, said Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch. We cant yet allow people into the fire area to assess all the damage. Lane County officials have opened several centers in Eugene and Creswell to residents seeking to escape high temperatures and heavy smoke in the area: the Lane Events Center, 796 W. 13th Ave., Hilyard Community Center, 2850 Hilyard St., and Petersen Barn Community Center, 870 Berntzen Road, all in Eugene, and the New Hope Baptist Church, 597 S. Front St., in Creswell. Clackamas County fires The entirety of Clackamas County was under some level of evacuation order, with officials saying any place in the county not at a Level 2 or 3 evacuation should consider themselves at evacuation Level 1, officials said, meaning be ready for evacuation. The fires threaten 600 structures, officials said, and have already burned down 22 homes. About half of the county, including all of Estacada, was under Level 3 notice, meaning go now. The county was tracking at least 10 fires, including four major ones: the Dowty fire, Riverside fire, Unger fire and Wilhoite Fire. Those fires have grown rapidly in the past 24 hours. The Riverside fire, which started near the Riverside campground along the Clackamas River, had grown to 112,000 acres by Wednesday night as Eastern winds pushed the fire to within two miles of Estacada. Kaitlynn Byrne, 21 and her girlfriend, Mel Windon, 21, were forced to evacuate Tuesday afternoon with a fire burning just a mile away from their Molalla home. Byrne said that the fire has since spread through her familys neighborhood. She doesnt know whether their house made it through. Byrne grabbed a painting that her grandmother painted of her beloved childhood dog and other photos before leaving the house, but realized after she evacuated that she had left her mothers wedding dress behind. She had hoped to incorporate the dress into her own wedding. Theres a lot of heartbreak going on right now and a lot of emotions, Byrne said. But were just thankful overall that everybody is safe, all of our family. Knowing everybody is safe is a relief, even if we are sad and devastated by everything that has happened. One fire off Oregon 213 and Spangler Road started at 9 p.m. Tuesday after an RV pulling a Jeep emitted sparks, starting a brush fire nearby, according to a tweet from the Clackamas County Sheriff Office. The fire burned 10 acres of brush and spread to a motor home and a nearby house. Two homes were lost, according to a tweet from the Clackamas Fire District #1. Crews are putting out hot spots after controlling a large fire off of Hwy 213 and Spangler Rd. A motor home caught on fire and spread to a nearby house and approx 10 acres of brush. 2 homes were lost. Several homes evacuated & have now returned. No injuries have been reported. pic.twitter.com/HFO7scy39g Clackamas Fire (@clackamasfire) September 9, 2020 Evacuation orders have been issued for huge swaths of the southwest and central areas of the county stretching nearly from Estacada on the north and along much of the Clackamas River, to the southern border of the county and west past the Marion County line. Evacuations are in place for Redland and Potter Road east of Oregon City, Unger Road in the Colton area, Wilhoit and Bird Road in the Molalla area and the Job Corps at Ripplebrook in the Mount Hood National Forest. Dina Renken had to borrow a car so she and her mother could evacuate her home in Molalla. The pair decided to leave after the skies over their Clackamas County home turned bright red and darkened during the middle of the day. The sky was bright red, you could tell fire was coming in, Renken said. At 3:30 in the afternoon it was like it was 8:30 at night. She said she wasnt sure whether her home survived but hasnt had much time to think about it amid the chaos of needing to evacuate. We dont know anything, Renken said. It was scary. Ive only seen it on TV and I never thought it would happen to me. I didnt know what to do. Renken spent the night at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem, trying to sleep in the car with her mother and cat, Louis. Renken has a compromised immune system and her mother is older so they opted for the car over an indoor shelter due to worries about COVID-19. Renken said she is hoping to find a hotel to avoid another night spent in the car. Washington County fires A blaze in rural Washington County has torched as many as 2,000 acres, authorities said Wednesday morning. The fire was estimated at 50% contained by Wednesday night. The five-alarm Chehalem Mountain-Bald Peak fire spanned parts of Washington and Yamhill County. At least three barns had caught fire but Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said Wednesday that it had no reports of injuries to livestock or people and said no homes had burned. Residents on Southwest Buckhaven Road, north to Southwest McCormick Hill Road up to Vanderscheure Road and Southwest Neugebauer Road were subject to evacuation orders Wednesday morning. The separate Powerline fire near Hagg Lake prompted evacuations for residents of Dundee Road, Southwest Patton Valley Road, Southwest Lee Road and Southwest Cascara Road. The city of Cherry Grove had also been told to evacuate Tuesday. Southwest South Road between Northwest Mount Richman Road has been placed on level 2 orders meaning they should be ready to evacuate at any time. County officials said the blaze may be burning 50 acres and be as much as 50% contained, but dense forest lands made it difficult to gauge. Westside Commons, formerly the Washington County Fairgrounds, is accepting animals whose owners have fled the Chehalem Mountain-Bald Peak or Powerline fire. The Washington County Sheriffs Posse, a volunteer group, will care for animals overnight if need be but owners must come by each day to help. Campsites and recreational vehicle spots are available to fire evacuees. Fairgrounds facilities have a long history of providing aid when there is an emergency need, and we want to do all that we can to help those forced to evacuate as a result of these wildfires, said Leah Perkins-Hagele, who manages Westside Commons. Those seeking care for their animals should call 503-314-3433 before they arrive. Mount Hood fires All recreation and public access is temporarily off limits on Mount Hood, as wildfires continue to burn around Oregons tallest peak. The Mount Hood National Forest announced a forestwide closure Tuesday, due to the threat of unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions, caused by widespread heat and dryness, and unusually high winds that whipped across the region Monday and Tuesday. The closure applies to all forms of recreation, including hiking, boating and camping, on all forest lands on Mount Hood. The Willamette National Forest issued a similar forest-wide closure Tuesday. Campgrounds and hiking trails on Mount Hood were evacuated safely, and visitors are currently out of the national forest or making their way out, spokeswoman Heather Ibsen said Wednesday. Timberline Lodge on Wednesday said that it would suspend all outdoor operations and close its day lodge, as the hotel remains open for current guests and those with existing reservations. Mt. Hood Skibowl has shut down operations and on Wednesday said it will evaluate the situation every 24 hours. Mount Hood Meadows remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Portland General Electric cut off power to some customers on Mount Hood on Monday night as a precaution against electrical caused wildfires, and said customers could be without power for 24 to 48 hours. Unplanned outages caused by high winds and fallen trees also plagued the area. On Wednesday, more than 6,000 customers near Mount Hood were without power, according to Portland General Electrics outages map. As of Wednesday morning, there were three wildfires actively burning in the Mount Hood National Forest. The biggest is the Riverside fire, which started near the Riverside campground along the Clackamas River and increased quickly Tuesday, growing to more than 20,000 acres overnight. The other two fires in the national forest are less concerning, Ibsen said. The White River fire, which started Aug. 17 and grew to more than 17,000 acres, is now 70% contained. The Hood Meadows fire, found burning near a ski area on the southeast flank of the mountain Monday, is now less than two acres in size. Glendower and Almeda fires A fire that began Tuesday morning in Ashland quickly spread north, carving a path of destruction through Talent and Phoenix and edging into the southern part of Medford by Wednesday. Thousands have been told to evacuate in southern Oregon as strong winds fed the Almeda fire. The blaze has leveled hundreds of homes and wiped out businesses in a region thats home to more than 80,000 people. State officials late in the day closed Interstate 5 between the north Medford and Central Point interchanges, Exits 30 and 33. Ashland Mayor John Stromberg told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Wednesday that the fire mostly spared the city but spread north in Jackson County. Ashlands interim city administrator Adam Hanks told the mayor and City Council in a message early Wednesday that city workers who live in the surrounding region have been hit hard. Many lost their homes, he wrote. Fires are not at all out in Talent and Phoenix and the destruction is horribly significant, Hanks said in his email to city leaders, adding that winds are expected to settle as the afternoon approaches. This is the beginning of a very long haul for the region. Medford Mayor Gary Wheeler said the fire spread north from Ashland on Tuesday and has reached the southern edge of his city. Basically, it looks like Phoenix and Talent are pretty well devastated, he said. It looks like a lot of damage for those little towns. He said the fire moved north along the Bear Creek Greenway, a public path that extends from Ashland to Central Point. The fire is within Medford city limits and burning in the area that is home to the citys youth sports complex. He said it has not spread into residential areas. Its getting very close into the business area and our parks, he said. Its a matter of how we stop it and make things slow down a little bit. Fortunately, the winds have dropped a little bit. Wheeler urged local residents to conserve water so pressure remains strong for fire suppression efforts. He also urged calm. Phoenix Mayor Chris Luz said early Wednesday that his town, home to roughly 4,650 people just south of Medford in Jackson County, has been decimated by fire. Many businesses have been burned down, he said. Certain neighborhoods, including my own, have been burned down. There are many, many, many homes that are gone. He estimated that a dozen or so businesses, including restaurants and shops, along the main thoroughfare in town were destroyed. Sandra Spelliscy, city manager of Talent, home to 6,465, said she saw breathtaking destruction as she surveyed the community early Wednesday. She said she toured two senior communities of manufactured homes in the morning. One had about 65 homes; all were destroyed. A second one had about 160 homes, of which 21 survived. There are certain neighborhood where there is just literally nothing standing, Spelliscy said. She said parts of the community resemble pictures we have all seen on TV, where it looks like a bomb blast that has just leveled everything. There is literally nothing standing except chimneys and a burned-out relic of a water heater or a burned-out car. An 950-resident senior living facility in southern Medford evacuated because of the blaze. The corporate offices of Harry & David are located in the area of Medford where the fire threatened to advance. Company executives issued a statement saying the corporate campus is closed until we can confirm that all danger has passed. The campus wasnt damaged by fire. Lincoln and Tillamook county fires Several wildfires burning near the Oregon Coast have forced immediate evacuations in a swath of Lincoln City. Two large fires burning in Lincoln County, the Echo Mountain fire and the Kimberling fire, have together grown to about 1,000 acres, driven by east winds of 30 to 50 mph. An ember ignited a grassfire at the Chinook Winds golf course north of Lincoln City. Officials ordered anyone north of Northwest 40th Street in Lincoln City to leave immediately. The Level 3 evacuation notice meaning go now includes anyone between the coast and East Devils Lake Road. Additionally, all of East Devils Lake Road is ordered to leave immediately. An evacuation point has been established at Oregon Coast Community College in South Beach. Buses for evacuees are available at Safeway and the Lincoln City Community Center. Chinook Winds Casino Resort, which had been serving as a temporary evacuation point, has now itself been evacuated. People south of 40th Street to the Lincoln City Outlets are under Level 2 evacuation orders meaning get set and be prepared to leave immediately. Fires have closed Oregon 18 at Milepost 7, and U.S. 101 is closed from Gleneden Beach to Lincoln City. Fires are burning on both sides of Oregon 18 near Otis, according to local officials. The blazes forced the immediate evacuations from U.S. 101 east to the area of Rose Lodge overnight and had already prompted immediate evacuations from U.S. 101 and connecting streets east to the area of Rose Lodge. The county is posting evacuation areas on its website and on an interactive map. Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital has shut down. Officials there made the decision to close at 9 a.m. and move patients to Newport. People trying to evacuate have jammed highways in the area. Shelia Orwoll said she was trying to leave Roads End in the north of Lincoln City but sat in her car for two hours on the highway before parking at a beach access point where she could abandon her car and flee to the ocean. Im just sitting here looking at the ocean and looking in my rear view mirror to see if the fire comes over the hill, she said. They say go, but I dont know where Im supposed to go. The Pike fire, which started Monday in Tillamook County, had burned through at least 150 acres and resulted in Level 3 go now evacuation orders Wednesday morning for areas from Waltz Hill Road to Baseline Road, Baseline Road to Bewley Road and Bewley Road to Vaughn Road. Evacuation orders also included Willowbrook Drive, Timberline Road, Salmonberry Road and Pike Road, according to the sheriffs office. Those orders remained in effect and expanded Wednesday evening to include Kilchis Park. Shifting winds have made it difficult for firefighters to contain any part of the blaze, the sheriffs office said. At least four prison crews, as well as state and local firefighters, are battling the fire. Evacuees were told to go to the Tillamook County Fairgrounds in the city of Tillamook. Douglas County fires Douglas County is under a state of emergency as multiple wildfires are burning in the area, county commissioners announced Wednesday. The whole county is under various levels of evacuation orders. Three fires near French Creek, Archie Creek and Star Mountain along Oregon 138 have caused immediate, Level 3 go now evacuations in several areas, home to more than 1,000 people. Glide and Idleyld Park, northeast of Roseburg including all people on all roads along Oregon 138 from milepost 17 to milepost 47, Diamond Lake, and the town of Sutherlin on Nonpariel Road from Gassy Creek west are all under Level 3 evacuations. The order expanded late Wednesday evening to include all of Dry Creek, including Felix Flat Lane, Elk Ridge Lane, Happy Creek Lane and Illahee Road. A Level 2 be set notice is in effect for all people on the south side of Nonpareil Road from Plat K Road east to Banks Creek in east Sutherlin. The notice includes Fraser Canyon and all side streets east to Banks Creek. The rest of Douglas County is under a Level 1 evacuation order, meaning get ready. A Red Cross shelter is set up at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Roseburg for evacuees. Relief cant come soon enough Officials said the unprecedented pace of spread of the states numerous fires was the result of a once in a generation weather event that combined strong winds, with gusts up to 60 or 60 mph, with warm air, pulled over the Cascades by winds out of the northeast, but scientists have long warned that increasing temperatures caused by climate change would produce wildfires that burned hotter and longer. Coupled with aggressive suppression tactics over the last century that have left woodlands overloaded with fuel, forests in the western U.S. are primed to burn. Add in the type of weather Oregon has seen over the last two days, hot and windy, and it takes little more than a spark to set off an inferno. Still, Doug Grafe of the Oregon Department of Forestry said conditions were expected to be more favorable Wednesday, with winds dropping to 10 to 15 miles per hour, but with 25 mile per hour gusts, possibly giving fire crews a window of opportunity to shift from evacuating residents to gaining some containment on the numerous blazes throughout the state. The weather system weve been experiencing for the last 48 hours is expected to break down on Thursday, which will give us the opportunity to shift strategies as far as life safety, he said. Thursday is really our turning point to go on the offensive, if you will. Read more: Hillary Borrud, Noelle Crombie, Jeff Manning, Mike Rogoway, Jamie Hale, Brooke Herbert, Andrew Theen, K. Rambo, Jayati Ramakrishnan and Elliot Njus contributed to this report. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale Russias sovereign wealth fund will sell 32 million doses of potential Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik-V to a top pharmaceutical company in Mexico, Russias second vaccine export deal, a source close to the deal said on Wednesday. Russia registered its first vaccine candidate, developed by Moscows Gamaleya Institute, in August. Late-stage trials of Sputnik-V, due to involve 40,000 participants, were launched on August 26. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the state sovereign wealth fund backing the vaccines development, signed its first export deal with Kazakhstan in August. Kazakhstan is set to buy more than 2 million doses initially and could later increase the volume to 5 million doses, RDIF said at the time. pin The deal with Mexico is expected to be announced later on Wednesday, the source said. The World New Energy Vehicle Congress 2020 (WNEVC 2020) will take place in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan province, Sept.-27-30, it was announced at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday. Sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), the provincial government of Hainan, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the State Administration for Market Regulation, the event's theme is "Join hands in tiding over difficulties, achieving cross-sector integration and win-win cooperation". It will focus on sustainable and healthy development of new energy vehicles (NEV), and include a wide range of topics including cross-sectoral and integrated development of electrification, intelligence and shared mobility with NEV technological advances and innovations. Liu Xingping, an official from CAST, said the COVID-19 pandemic had had a profound impact on global economic and social development, and the auto industry was facing severe challenges. Thus, the convening of WNEVC 2020 at this critical moment was expected to drive cross-sectoral collaboration for NEV development and further promote a shift from old to new growth economic drivers. As a high-level platform for international exchanges and cooperation, the event had invited Germany as the guest of honor this year and prominent government and industry figures from around the globe would also be attending, he said. Other invitees include experts and scholars from a wide range of sectors, including energy, environment, transportation, and communications, to hold in-depth academic exchanges and explore paths for cross-sector collaboration of NEVs. Another keyword for this year's congress is innovation, around which there would be a series of discussions on frontier topics such as big data and SiC technologies to help develop new growth drivers, the official added. In addition, the selection results of the world's "Global NEVs Cutting-edge & Innovative Technologies" will be announced to guide global innovation efforts for NEV development. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the event would have both onsite and online activities, including plenary sessions, thematic summits, international forums, and online exhibition, according to Lin Min, an official from the Hainan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology. NEW DELHI: Here is the list of top 10 stocks that could be in focus Wednesday: Economy: Goldman Sachs and Fitch Ratings on Tuesday forecast deeper-than-previously estimated economic recession for India in FY21, holding that limited fiscal support, fragilities in the financial system and a continued rise in coronavirus cases are hampering a rapid normalization in economic activity. Reliance Industries: Subsidiary Reliance Jio is looking at a plan to outsource and manufacture over 100 million low-cost smartphones, to be built on the Google Android platform, Business Standard reported. These phones, which will be bundled with data packs, could be launched in December or early next year. Reliance Communications: Lenders to Reliance Communications Ltd (RCom) and Reliance Telecom Ltd (RTL) on Tuesday informed the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) that they will move the Supreme Court for clarity on sale of spectrum. AstraZeneca Pharma India: Late-stage studies of parent AstraZenecas covid-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a recipients potentially unexplained" illness is a side effect of the shot. In a statement Tuesday evening, the company said its "standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data." Wipro Ltd: Bengaluru-based IT major Wipro Ltd on Tuesday said it plans to set up a digital innovation hub in Dusseldorf, Germany, which will serve as its flagship centre in Europe. The facility will offer digital transformation expertise to companies in Germany, enable organisations to cross skill and upskill, and support talent development in local communities. Aviation Stocks: Indian airlines may not rush to utilize up to 60% of their capacity as allowed by the government as customer bookings continue to remain subdued despite a rebound since May, said airline officials. Power Grid Corp: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Tuesday approved plans to monetise state-run Power Grid Corp. of India Ltds (PGCIL) transmission projects that were won through a bidding process. CG Power: Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has sent notices to CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd after a forensic audit confirmed that funds were diverted from the company. The forensic audit commissioned by BSE was given to the company for comments on 4 September, the company said in a stock exchange filing on Tuesday. Regulatory: The ministry of corporate affairs is close to releasing a draft report that will pave the way for domestic companies to list their shares in overseas markets without listing in India first, two regulatory officials aware of the matter said. Pharma Stocks: The government is willing to facilitate a phase 3 trial for Russias Sputnik V vaccine for which 2-4 Indian companies are in discussions to mass manufacture, NITI Aayog member (health) V.K. Paul said on Tuesday. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 51 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Cyberattacks have reached over 2.1 million in Belarus during the past month. Credit: Getty. Belarus faced more than 2.1 million cyber-attacks in the past 31 days as political tensions continue to mount. The country recorded the highest number of cyber threats in Europe, with an average of 68,567 per day. Cyber attacks directed at Belarus now make up 19% of all European threats, according to data by Atlas VPN. Rachel Welsh, COO of Atlas VPN, said: Belarus is facing one of the biggest political crises in decades right now. Therefore, the rise in cyber-attacks in the country is not surprising. As with any crisis, cybercriminals are trying to take advantage of the situation and exploit it for their benefit. READ MORE: COVID-19 leads to surge in cyber-attacks The day with most cyber-attacks registered in Belarus was 24 August with citizens experiencing 83,009 local infections that day 21% above the average. The quietest day for infections was August 11 with only 39,200 attacks that day 43% below the average. The former Soviet Union state is closely followed by Moldova, which faced almost 17% of cyber attacks targeting European countries between August 8 and September 7 2020. Russia appears next on the list, followed by Ukraine and Albania. Data from Atlas VPN The report found a 26% dip in cyber-attacks on Saturdays, revealing that cybercriminals are more active on weekdays than weekends. The data is based on the numbers of local infections registered in European countries. These are infections that target devices by spreading malware via removable media, such as USB drives, CDs, DVDs, and other offline methods. READ MORE: Scam red flags seen in half of all post-lockdown pension transfers The greatest threat across all top countries, including Belarus, was DangerousObject.Multi.Generic, a name for Trojan or Ransomware threats present on the system. These can make changes to a device's system making it easier for hackers to steal private data. Users' devices can become infected with malicious software via spam email attachments, fake Java installers, Flash Player updates, software cracking tools, or infected external devices. Uber Technologies Inc on Tuesday said every vehicle on its global ride-hailing platform will be electric by 2040, and it vowed to contribute $800 million through 2025 to help drivers switch to battery-powered vehicles, including discounts for vehicles bought or leased from partner automakers. Uber, which as of early February said it had 5 million drivers worldwide, said it formed partnerships with General Motors and the Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi alliance. In addition to the vehicle discounts, Uber said the $800 million includes discounts for charging and a fare surcharge for electric and hybrid vehicles, the cost of which would be partially offset by an additional small fee charged to customers who request a green trip. Uber said that vehicles on its rides platform in the United States, Canada and Europe will be zero-emission by 2030, taking advantage of the regulatory support and advanced infrastructure in those regions. The deals with GM and the Renault alliance focus on the U.S., Canada and Europe. Uber said it was discussing partnerships with other automakers. Ubers plan follows years of criticism by environmental groups and city officials over the pollution and congestion caused by ride-hail vehicles and calls for fleet electrification. Lyft Inc, Ubers smaller U.S. rival, in June promised to switch to 100% electric vehicles by 2030, but said it would not provide direct financial support to drivers. Uber said its goal is to reduce the overall cost of ownership for electric vehicles, which are currently more expensive than gasoline cars. The company also released data on its emission footprint and said it would publish reports going forward. Before the pandemic, electric cars accounted for only 0.15% of all U.S. and Canadian Uber trip miles - roughly in line with average U.S. electric car ownership. At around 12%, the share of plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars was roughly five times as high as the U.S. average. Ride-hail trips overall account for less than 0.6% of transportation-sector emissions, according to U.S. data, but the total number of on-demand vehicles has significantly increased since Ubers launch nearly a decade ago, with 7 billion trips last year, according to Ubers February investor presentation. Uber said its U.S. and Canadian trips with a passenger produce 41% more carbon dioxide per mile than an average private car once miles spent cruising between passengers are included. Ubers plans could be a boon to the auto industry. Stricter environmental regulation, particularly in Europe, is forcing automakers to invest billions to overhaul their operations while consumer demand for electric vehicles remains subdued. Uber is also working with BP, EVgo and other global charging providers to provide discounts and expand the location of charging stations for ride-hail drivers - generally considered a main hurdle to wider EV adoption. Beginning on Tuesday, all U.S. and Canadian Uber drivers in a fully battery-powered electric vehicle will receive $1 extra per trip, and an additional 50 cents in major U.S. cities if passengers choose to pay extra when booking a green trip. An Adelaide man who impersonated a police officer handcuffed one of his victims and forced another to pay a bogus $300 fine, a court has heard. Samuel Mark Narroway appeared in the District Court for sentencing submissions on Wednesday after pleading guilty to three counts of unlawfully wearing a police uniform, deception and aggravated false imprisonment. The court was told that Narroway had also worn a police-style belt and had a car set up with flashing lights, which were used to pull over people during his offending in September last year. An Adelaide man who impersonated a police officer handcuffed one of his victims and forced another to pay a bogus $300 fine, a court has heard (file picture) In one instance a man had been handcuffed and placed in the back of the vehicle before being driven home. It was an experience the victim said had left him anxious when driving at night and scared when approached by police. Defence counsel Oliver Cole said Narroway did not shy away from the fact that he had a significant history of deception offences and that a degree of pre-planning was involved. He said the items used to impersonate officers were easy to obtain over the internet in a relatively short space of time. However, it was conceded the flashing lights would have appeared legitimate to unsuspecting motorists. Judge Joanne Tracey said in such circumstances any rational person would pull over. 'That what's so horrifying about all this,' she said. Mr Cole said Narroway made admissions when spoken to by police and said his offending was sparked by a 'fanciful idea' that had then 'steamrolled'. He said it was also unusual in that he made no threats of violence nor intended to cause any harm. The court was told that substance abuse was a 'theme' that featured across the 29-year-old's offending history. Amid periods of homelessness and methamphetamine addiction, he was 'committing offences to survive', Mr Cole said. Prosecutor Sophie Taylor asked for an immediate custodial sentence but conceded suspension or home detention was an option. Mr Cole urged the judge to fashion a sentence that might allow his client to be released soon, considering he had already spent about a year in custody. Judge Tracey called for a report into what programs might be available to Narroway while in custody to address his issues and ordered his case return to court in October. State media has published repeated images of billowing smoke above tree tops and charred vegetation Syrian firefighters and army helicopters Wednesday battled forest fires for a seventh consecutive day in government-held areas of the war-torn country, state media said. Damascus ally Iran sent in a firefighting plane Wednesday carrying 40 tonnes of water to help fight the fires in the hilly woodlands of Latakia and Hama provinces, in northwestern and central Syria respectively, state news agency SANA said. State media has published repeated images of billowing smoke above tree tops and charred vegetation. "Numerous fires have been put out, others brought under control, but the fires continue to rage in some areas" of Latakia, forestry official Hassan Fares told AFP. The agriculture ministry said steep terrain was an obstacle to fire trucks being able to reach the fire hit areas quickly. There was no immediate data for how large an area had been affected overall. But Hama governor Mohammed al-Hazouri said the blaze had ravaged eight square kilometres (three square miles) of agricultural land in his province alone. Summer fires, sometimes sparked by accident and generally not linked to the war, are common in Syria, but residents have said this year's are worse than usual. Syria's war has killed more than 380,000 people, displaced millions from their homes, and decimated the country's economy. Search Keywords: Short link: Caritas Switzerland sounds the alarm as the nation sets a new record for arms exports. By Vatican News A statement by the head of the Swiss Caritas Development Policy Department reveals that Swiss weapons are being used in the Yemeni war and seem to have fuelled the latent conflict between India and Pakistan. Patrik Berlinger cast doubt on the compatibility between Swiss Development and Cooperation Policy and the nations record increase in the export of weapons and ammunition. A recent report revealed that in 2019, Switzerland exported war material to 71 countries worldwide. The exports reportedly brought in a total of CHF 728 million (about EUR 674 million), a record 43% increase since 1938. These are worrying figures, leading Caritas National to sound the alarm. Berlinger said the organization is asking itself: "Is Swiss policy still compatible with the goals of development cooperation in poor countries? Selling weapons to poor and exploited countries Berlinger said, "Bern's exports to conflict regions such as the Arabian Peninsula, or to very poor countries such as Bangladesh, or to areas where serious human rights violations occur, are at odds with Switzerland's official development goals. Commitment towards diplomacy and development "A country like Switzerland, which likes to be seen as a protagonist in peacebuilding, should systematically refrain from such harmful military exports," he said, noting that fuelling conflict and violence with arms sales not only damages local populations but also undermines international diplomacy and the valuable development cooperation Switzerland offers the poorest countries, which are often victims of devastating conflicts. Caritas Switzerland Caritas Switzerland is an independent association with its head office in Lucerne. It is a member of the international Caritas network that consists of 165 organisations worldwide, which are active in more than two hundred countries. Together with the network of Regional Caritas Organisations, Caritas Switzerland is actively engaged wherever people in wealthy Switzerland are affected by poverty: families, single parents, the unemployed, and the working poor. Caritas looks after asylum seekers and refugees and organises volunteer placements. With its projects in development cooperation, Caritas works in the areas of food security, water, climate change, disaster prevention, migration as well as education for children and adults. Toyota Opens First Used Vehicle Online Store In Japan - Will This Become The Beginning Of The End Of Wall Street Created Digital Used Car Lots? SEE FOR YOURSELF: Toyota Digital Used Car Lot Toyota City, Japan, Sep 08, 2020 - Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced today the launch of its Toyota Used Vehicle Online Store, a service for customers to order used vehicles online in Japan. The service provides everything customers need to complete the purchase of a used vehicle online, from quotation through to contracting, for select used vehicles via Toyota dealers. The enhanced convenience for customers will make it possible to place orders anytime, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without the hassle of visiting a dealership or store. Vehicle delivery (collection at a dealer) is possible approximately two or three weeks after the registration paperwork is completed. In recent years, e-commerce has been advancing for all kinds of products and services, and consumer lifestyles are changing to use these types of services. For automobiles, there is an increasing demand to be able to purchase cars at any time, especially by people who are too busy to visit a dealer during regular daytime operating hours. Now, with the spread of COVID-19, an increasing number of people are requesting a way to purchase a car without face-to-face negotiation. The service launched today is in response to these customer requests, making Toyota the first Japanese manufacturer to launch such a service in conjunction with its dealers, in an effort to resolve impediments to car purchasing. In the future, Toyota will also launch a service for the online purchase of new vehicles, endeavoring to further enrich the car life of customers. Toyota Used Vehicle Online Store: https://toyota-outlet.gazoo.com/ About Toyota Motor Corporation Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is the global mobility company that introduced the Prius hybrid-electric car in 1997 and the first mass-produced fuel cell sedan, Mirai, in 2014. Headquartered in Toyota City, Japan, Toyota has been making cars since 1937. Today, Toyota proudly employs 370,000 employees in communities around the world. Together, they build around 10 million vehicles per year in 29 countries, from mainstream cars and premium vehicles to mini-vehicles and commercial trucks, and sell them in more than 170 countries under the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino. For more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com. President Donald Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Fox News. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament and chairman to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, told the cable news network that she nominated Trump for his work in brokering a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE became the first Gulf Arab state to open up diplomatic ties with Israel and only the third Arab nation to do so. For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees, Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News. According to the New York Post, Tybring-Gjeddes letter to the Nobel Committee also said other Middle Eastern countries are expected to follow in the footsteps of the UAE, potentially turning the Middle East "into a region of cooperation and prosperity. The deal, announced last month, halted Israeli annexation plans on occupied land sought by Palestine for their future state. Palestinians have repeatedly urged Arab governments not to normalize relations with Israel until a peace agreement establishing an independent Palestinian state is reached. There are 318 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020, of which 211 are individuals and 107 are organizations. The Nobel Committee does not identify nominators nor nominees until 50 years have elapsed, though Trump said last year that he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Associated Press reports former U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, his first year in office, for laying out a U.S. commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. This years Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded in December. Donald Trump addresses a crowd in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (REUTERS) Donald Trump has told a North Carolina crowd that he invented the Air Force, during a rambling speech at his latest campaign rally on Tuesday. He also spoke about appointing pro-crime judges and deliberately mispronounced Kamala Harriss first name several times to widespread boos. The rally, a crowded outdoor affair which saw many people declining to wear masks, saw Mr Trump reel off a list of his achievements, some of which were misrepresented or false and others of which he mangled while speaking. A lot of you were at previous rallies, he said, you never heard me talking about Space Force. We built a new, think of it, a new branch of the United States military, United States armed forces, called Air Force. I never talked about that, thats something we never talked about, I only figured that one out after I became president. Mr Trump did not invent the Air Force. Elsewhere, he complained about getting even worse press coverage than Abraham Lincoln, claimed the Mexican border wall will be finished soon even though only 300 miles of it are in place, and falsely claimed that Joe Biden and the Democrats want to take away your second amendment. During an extended riff on the theme of rising crime, he said he would be appointing very pro-crime judges and segued into a renewed threat that the Democratic agenda included destroying the suburbs by allowing low-income housing to be built in affluent areas. Mr Trumps rally took him to Winston-Salem, a major population centre in one of the elections crucial swing states. If Joe Biden drags North Carolina away from the president, he will only need to hold Hillary Clintons states and capture one or two other good-sized swing states a feat that most polls show is well within his reach. North Carolina is currently considered a toss-up, some recent polls giving Mr Biden an edge of one or two points. The state has now begun voting, with many mail-in ballots already accepted. Around 10 per cent of voters have requested them, and so far, registered Democrats have requested more than Republicans and Independents put together. Story continues Read more The North Carolina voter whose support swung from Trump to Biden because of Uighur Muslims in China Trumps ongoing campaign troubles could see Ohio turn back into a swing state 'An insult to our country': Trump recoils at idea of Kamala Harris as first female president because 'nobody likes her' Georgia investigating claims that 1,000 people voted twice as Trump urges supporters to do the same A Long Island high school senior was suspended for attending in-person classes at the school even though he was supposed to be remote as a part of the hybrid learning schedule. Maverick Stow, 17, a senior at William Floyd High School, showed up to class on Tuesday morning because he believes he should be in school five days a week. The school divided up groups of students to attend in-person and remote classes on different days in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A teacher noticed he was not on the roster to attend in-person classes that day and he was called to the principals office. Long Island William Floyd High School senior Maverick Stow, 17, was suspended for five days after he forced his way into in-person classes on Tuesday despite not being in the roster Stow said administrators asked him to leave school grounds and he refused saying, 'Well, no, I think I need to go to class. This is during class time.' Stow said he left the principals office, went back to class, and finished the day without being stopped. At the end of the school day, he was informed hed be suspended for five days. 'I was going to school like students should be going to school. I think that a five-day suspension is out of line,' he said to ABC7. Stows parents were outraged that he was punished for trying to go to school as normal. 'Kids need to be in school every day. Virtual learning is not learning,' his mother Nora Kaplan-Stow said. 'My son is being suspended because he wants to be in school,' she added. Richard Stow said his son had briefed them on his plan to attend classes, in defiance of the hybrid learning schedule. 'Hes a very smart kid. He knows what hes doing. When he said this is how he wanted to handle things, we were like, "Then go for it,"' he said. 'Kids need to be in school every day. Virtual learning is not learning,' his mother Nora Kaplan-Stow said 'I was going to school like students should be going to school. I think that a five-day suspension is out of line,' he said to ABC7 The school district said Stow showed up to school again on Wednesday despite his suspension and 'squared up' a district official, saying the district would have to 'forcibly remove him' from school grounds. The school district says police are now involved in the incident. The William Floyd School district issued a statement saying while they agree with Mavericks notion that school should be held in person five days a week, the school must follow 'social distancing requirements set forth by the state'. The William Floyd School District said in a statement: 'When it is deemed safe to do so by our government and health officials, we will gladly welcome all of our 8,800 students back' 'When it is deemed safe to do so by our government and health officials, we will gladly welcome all of our 8,800 students back,' the statement says. 'His rights as a student do not surpass the rights of the other 8,799 students we have the privilege of educating. If his goal is to get school open five days per week, he is encouraged to take his advocacy to his state elected officials,' the district added. Suffolk County suffered from an outbreak of COVID-19 in the spring months that led to 2,000 deaths and more than 45,000 infections as of Wednesdays count. There are two ways to interpret the recent exit of QBE's chief executive Pat Regan. The glass half empty interpretation focuses on the fact that he is the second of its chief executives to have come unstuck for breaching internal codes of conduct both involving female staff. That would certainly suggest a worrying pattern. QBE chairman Mike Wilkins threw Regan out of the nest. Then he took his nest egg. Credit:Joe Armao The glass half full view would concentrate on how these indiscretions were dealt with. QBE's chairman, Mike Wilkins, has now set a high water mark for corporate Australia in responding to code of conduct breaches. It's called zero tolerance. Wild relatives of our domestic crops already cope with harsh conditions and resist disease; can we use them to help our preferred crops adapt? Earth is getting hotter. Huge amounts of greenhouse gases are warming the planet and altering the climate. Heat waves are harsher. Droughts are longer. And some diseases and pests are stronger than ever. All of that is bad news for many of Earth's inhabitants. But crops are especially vulnerable. We've bred them to depend on us, and they can succumb to many threats that are likely to get worse in the next century. All as we need more food to feed a growing population. An international group of researchers set out to test how we can help our crops adapt in the coming decades. Their idea is to use wild crop relatives. These cousins of domestic crops look like weeds and you have probably walked past them when hiking on mountain trails. You may have even seen them in the cracks of pavement in the cities. They have lived in harsh climates without any human help since the dawn of time. Scientists hope that using crop wild relatives in breeding programs can add resilience to our domestic crops while keeping them delicious. "Crop wild relatives have been selected by nature over millennia to withstand the very climatic stresses that we are trying to address, and hence present a new hope," says Filippo Bassi. Bassi is a scientist in Morocco at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). But it can be risky to change how breeders work. "Before making the final decision to shift investments from normal breeding to the use of crop wild relatives, it is critical to make sure that there is a real advantage in doing so," Bassi says. To test this idea, Bassi's international team of scientists, coming from Africa, Europe, Asia and South America, focused on durum wheat. The team gathered 60 unique varieties of wheat to expose to a battery of harsh tests. These included fungal diseases, drought and high temperatures. One-third of the wheat lines the team used were developed by combining wild relatives of wheat with strong, commercial varieties. These wild relative-derived varieties of wheat were robust compared to more conventional varieties. About a third of wild relative varieties were resistant to the fungal disease Septoria, compared to just a tenth of the others. But conventional wheat varieties were more resistant to other diseases, like leaf rust, that have been the focus of past breeding programs. Where the wild relative wheat varieties really shone was under drought and heat stress. During drought, the wild relative lines had larger grains, a critical adaptation and market trait for this crop. And, when the nutrient nitrogen was in short supply, the wild-derived lines produced a higher yield than the other wheat varieties. "In the case of temperature, the crop wild relative presented a clear advantage with a yield increase of 42 percent under heat stress," says Bassi. "Yield losses to heat can be drastic, and the use of crop wild relatives to breed new varieties appears to be a very strategic approach to address this climatic challenge." But resilience isn't the whole story. We depend on crops to make food. And crops are different from their wild cousins in large part because humans have selected crops over many centuries to adapt to their needs, including a preference for making delicious foods. That is why Bassi's team also looked at the usefulness of the 60 wheat varieties for making pasta. Here, the wild-derived wheat lines were the least suitable for pasta making. "That's a disappointment," says Bassi. "But not a deal breaker." "This does not prove that the use of crop wild relatives will inevitably result in poor industrial quality," says Bassi. "But rather that it is important for breeders to be aware of this risk and develop breeding strategies that address this issue." Overall, durum wheat's wild relatives appeared useful. When crossed to elite commercial varieties, they provided increased resistance to heat, drought and some diseases. These are precisely the threats facing not just durum wheat, but most major crops in a warming world. That's good news for plant breeders -- and the public. "The crop wild relatives showed great promise in terms of climate change adaptation," says Bassi. "I hope the public will be re-assured that breeders are testing all possible opportunities to prepare agriculture for climate challenges." ### Read more about this research in Crop Science, a publication of the Crop Science Society of America. This work was supported by the Government of Norway and the Swedish Research Council. A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford has been halted temporarily following the discovery of certain side effects on test subjects. According to Bloomberg, the pause, first reported by Stat on Tuesday, occurred due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a single person participating in the trial in the UK. While the health problems the individual experienced has not been disclosed, the situation will add steam to the concerns of health experts calling for caution in the race for a vaccine for the highly contagious COVID-19. The pause came amid growing anxiety about the possibility that President Donald Trump could try to rush a coronavirus vaccine ahead of the U.S. election. The Oxford developed vaccine is just one among more than 150 coronavirus vaccines in development across the world. Hopes are high that by the end of the year, there could be at least half a dozen different coronavirus vaccines in clinical trials to bring one to market in record time to ease the global crisis. READ ALSO: Coronavirus still poses a significant threat, but there are no vaccines proven to protect the body against the disease it causes COVID-19. Called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, the Oxford trial vaccine, also led by the pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, is being developed at unprecedented speed. The BBC reported how the UK ordered about 100 million doses of the vaccine which is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. Trials Asides the latest development, no serious adverse events were reported during the early trials of the vaccines. The Phase 1 and 2 trials of the vaccine, tested in 1,077 patients showed promising neutralizing antibodies in around 90 per cent of participants, Bloomberg reported. Around 60 per cent of patients reported mild or moderate side effects, including fever, headaches, and muscle aches, all of which were resolved in the course of the trials. Scientists said the vaccine has been heavily modified, first so it cannot cause infections in people and also make it look more like coronavirus. But the unexplained illness it caused on a single test subject have put doubts on the much-touted cure. A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said that the trial was paused as a precautionary measure so that scientists could investigate whether the illness is in fact linked to the vaccine, Bloomberg reported. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials, the spokesperson said. Coronavirus vaccine race The World Health Organisation is coordinating global efforts to develop a vaccine, with an eye toward delivering two billion doses by the end of 2021. Like all vaccines, the one against COVID-19 is essentially expected to instruct the immune system to mount a defense, which is sometimes stronger than what would be provided through natural infection and comes with fewer health consequences. Last month, Russia registered the first COVID-19 vaccine becoming the first nation in the world to lay claim to such a feat, although under controversial circumstances. The first peer-reviewed results of Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials of Russias coronavirus vaccine, which is named Sputnik-V, were published in the medical journal, The Lancet, last Friday, according to CNN. However, Russia faced criticism last month when it announced the coronavirus vaccine for public use, even before Phase 3 trials are completed. A vaccine must complete three phases of trials including randomized controlled trials on large patient groups before it could be considered for approval, according to WHO. Nigeria is among the first African countries to receive samples of the COVID-19 vaccine from Russia. Health experts in South Africa, the first African country to receive the samples, are calling for caution in placing much hope on the new vaccine. They said little is known about the efficacy of the vaccine. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 16:13:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official on Monday said China is passing a "milestone" since it reported no local COVID-19 infections. However, Dr. Bruce Aylward, senior advisor to the WHO director-general and lead of the COVID-19 international experts' mission in China, added that 20 days without local transmission doesn't mean it doesn't have the virus. China's success today, he said, can be attributed to three aspects-- namely investment at the state level in the public health infrastructure, the sense of individual responsibility among the Chinese people, and the incredible effort to build additional capacity and preparedness even when infection was heading down. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2020) - New Found Gold Corp. (TSXV: NFG) ("New Found" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has commenced drilling on the Keats "Discovery" Zone at its Queensway Project, Central Newfoundland. Highlights An initial 12,000 m program at Keats has commenced following up on the intercept of 19.0 m of 92.9 g/t Au starting at 96 m drilled in hole NFGC-19-01 by New Found in late 2019. A second core drill has been added to the Queensway North program and has commenced drilling at the Keats Zone on September 8. The first rig has completed six holes at the Little/Powerline Zone and is now drilling at the Lotto Zone. Initial drilling at Keats will include eight holes on a 10 m x 10 m grid pattern around the intercept in NFGC-19-01 with the objective of determining the initial spatial trend of the high-grade gold mineralization intercepted in NFGC-19-01. Due to the very high-grade nature of the mineralization a significant number of gold ounces can be contained in relatively small volumes of rock. Other holes will be drilled to test the extent of the mineralization along 950m of strike length and to vertical depths of 500m. The NFGC-19-01 interval demonstrates an epizonal style of mineralization similar to that found at the high-grade Swan Zone at Kirkland Lake's Fosterville mine in Victoria State, Australia (see the Company's IPO prospectus on SEDAR and the Company's August 12, 2020, news release). At the Swan Zone close spaced drilling is required to define the geometry of the high-grade gold mineralization and New Found has designed its drill program on the basis that Keats may be analogous. Note that the comparison to Fosterville's Swan Zone is made as a model for the genesis of gold mineralization at Keats, it is not made to imply resource potential at Queensway. Denis Laviolette, P.Geo., President of New Found, stated: "We are excited to now be stepping out from the high-grade NFGC-19-01 discovery interval. The initial holes will be relatively shallow, drilled to approximately 200 m in depth, and we anticipate completing a number of step-out intervals in short order. Two drills are now active at Queensway North and we will be adding a third in the next several weeks. This will accelerate our program to grid drill much of the 5 km trend along the Appleton Fault Zone defined by numerous high-grade gold occurrences, and as well to initiate drilling on the parallel JBP Fault Zone." Overview of the Keats Zone The Keats Zone is centered approximately 1 km north of the Trans-Canada highway, a 15-minute drive from Gander, Newfoundland (population ~15,000). The target area occurs in a broad fault zone parallel to the primary Appleton Fault with multiple quartz veins hosted in shale and other sediments (see Figure 1 below). Figure 1. Appleton Fault Zone targets To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7337/63433_2542908eb48fc805_001full.jpg The Keats-Baseline fault zone is coincident with a chargeability anomaly from a 1999 induced polarization ("IP") survey that persists for approximately 2,000 m along strike until the survey data runs out. The initial drilling will test 950 m of this strike length (see Figure 2 below). Figure 2. Keats Zone target area To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7337/63433_2542908eb48fc805_002full.jpg Gold occurs in quartz veining as well as disseminations in the host sediments. Mineralization includes arsenopyrite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, boulangerite, and visible gold, illustrated by the photo of core from hole NFGC-19-01 in Figure 3 below. Note that this photo is of a selected interval from NFGC-19-01 and is not intended to be representative of gold mineralization found on the property. Survey information for NFGC-19-01 is provided in Table 1 below. Hole No. Azimuth () Dip () Length (m) UTM E UTM N NFGC-19-01 300 -45 199 658148 5427245 Table 1. Location, azimuth, dip, and length of hole NFGC-19-01 Figure 3. Keats Zone drill hole NFGC-19-01 @ 106.5 m down hole To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7337/63433_2542908eb48fc805_003full.jpg QA/QC True widths of the new exploration intercepts reported in this press release have yet to be determined but are estimated to typically be 70%-80% of reported core lengths; all channel sample true widths are estimated to be close to the reported widths. Assays are uncut, and calculated intervals are reported over a minimum length of 2 metres using a lower cutoff of 3.0 g/t Au. All HQ core assays reported were obtained by either whole sample rock metallic screen/fire assay or standard 30-gram fire-assaying with ICP finish at ALS Minerals in Vancouver, British Columbia. The whole sample metallic screen assay method is selected by the geologist when samples contain coarse gold or any samples displaying gold initial fire assay values greater than 1.0 g/t Au. Drill program design, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and interpretation of results is performed by qualified persons employing a Quality Assurance/Quality Control program consistent with National Instrument 43-101 and industry best practices. Standards and blanks are included with every 20 samples for Quality Assurance/Quality Control purposes by the Corporation as well as the lab. Approximately 5% of sample pulps are sent to secondary laboratories for check assays. 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 43-101. About New Found Gold Corp. New Found holds a 100% interest in the Queensway Project, located 15 km west of Gander, Newfoundland, and just 18 km from Gander International Airport. The project is intersected by the Trans-Canada Highway, and has logging roads crosscutting the project, 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 drill program of 100,000 meters. 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 Email: 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/63433 US President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker a peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, nominated Trump after he successfully brokered the deal for the normalisation of ties between the two Middle East nations. Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed issued a joint statement on August 13, saying they have agreed to the full normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE. Calling it a historic breakthrough, they said that the deal will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders. White House continues to seek more Arab support for the normalisation of ties with Israel and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, who accompanied an Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi for formally finalising UAE-Israel ties, indicated that other Arab countries could soon follow the suit. US State Secretary Mike Pompeo had said that the deal has been a boon to peace and regional stability as it heralds a new era. Read: Trump To Host Israel-UAE Deal Signing Ceremony; Netanyahu 'proud' To Attend Historic Event Read: Palestinian Factions Hold Rare Meeting To Present United Front Against Israel-UAE Deal Tybring-Gjedde, who serves as the chair of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, credited Trump for playing a key role in the full normalisation of diplomatic ties. Hailing Trump for the withdrawal of US troops from the Middle East, the Norwegian politician told Fox News that the Republican leader has done more to create peace between warring nations than most other Peace Prize nominees. As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game-changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity," he wrote in his nomination letter. Compares Trump with Jimmy Carter While no Arab countries have publicly shown willingness to normalise ties with Israel, reports suggest that Oman and Bahrain might be the next countries following the UAEs lead. The 57-year-old politician wrote that the last US President to avoid a war or preventing America from entering international armed conflict was Jimmy Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Read: Israel, UAE To Open Embassies After Diplomatic Makeover: Here's All You Need To Know Read: Iran's Khamenei Says UAE-Israel Deal 'betrayal' Of Islamic World Daisy Ridley has revealed that her Star Wars character, Rey, was at one point going to be related to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Reys lineage remained a mystery throughout the first two films in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, before it was revealed in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker that she was the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. Speaking to guest host Josh Gad on Tuesdays (8 September) episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor explained how the characters background was retooled during production. At the beginning there was toying with an Obi-Wan connection, and there were, like, different versions, and then it really went to that she was no one, she said, referring to the initial revelation in The Last Jedi that her parents were not familiar Star Wars characters. And then it came to Episode IX, she continued, and [director JJ Abrams] pitched me the film, and was like, 'Oh yeah, Palpatine's grandaddy and I was like, Awesome, and then two weeks later he was like, 'Oh we're not sure'. Ridley added that she wasnt sure what the answer was gonna be right up to the start of filming. Before it was revealed that she is descended from Palpatine, speculation was rife as to the identity of her parents. As well as Obi-Wan Kenobi, it was suggested that she could be related to Luke Skywalker, Leia Skywalker, or Han Solo, the three leads from the original Star Wars trilogy. Rey (Daisy Ridley, centre) in 'Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker' (Lucasfilm Ltd.) John Boyega, who played Finn in the sequel trilogy, recently suggested that the sagas non-white characters (including his) were treated with less attention and nuance than the white leads. He said: What I would say to Disney is: do not bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. Its not good. Ill say it straight up. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver. You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*** all. The 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM-53) and related meetings are organised in the form of video conference from September 9-12. browser not support iframe. In his welcoming remarks, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highlighted the development of ASEAN, which has become the worlds fifth largest economy, and its central role in dialogues, cooperation for peace, security and prosperity in the region. These achievements have been attested amid unprecedented changes and challenges, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic. Cohesive and Responsive is not only the theme of ASEAN 2020. Together with the spirit of proactivity and responsibility, it has become the brand name of ASEAN, helping the bloc cope with difficulties and challenges, he noted. On this occasion, the PM praised the ASEANs efforts to help businesses resume their operation and regional people stablise their lives. The initiatives, such as The COVID-19 response fund, the ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies have helped the bloc fight against the COVID-19 pandemic while connecting the member nations. The Prime Minister requested ASEAN foreign ministers give priority to successfully implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2025; preventing and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic while promoting sustainable recovery. Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh spoke highly of the ASEAN bloc which is dynamic in action, flexible in response and creative in cooperation. Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh expressed his hope that in the framework of the AMM-53 and related meetings, participants will discuss specific measures to effectively implement the instructions of the ASEAN Leaders at the 36th ASEAN Summit, thus furthering regional cooperation and overcoming challenges while successfully implementing set goals and mapping out the way forward. Being aware that the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic is still looming, the ASEAN Coordinating Council will discuss thoroughly ways and means to effectively push forward ASEANs efforts and initiatives to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. == AMM-53 holds plenary session The plenary session of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting took place following the opening ceremony under the chair of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh affirmed over the past 5 decades, the ASEAN Community has demonstrated its central role in shaping the evolving regional architecture. The regions economies have achieved positive outcomes. In fighting COVID-19, the number of recovered patients is relatively high while the number of fatalities is quite low, he added. Entering its 6th decade, ASEAN is now speeding up its Community building while maximizing its role and status in the region and actively contributing to the joint efforts for peace, stability and development of the international community. Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh expressed his hope that in the framework of the AMM-53 and related meetings, participants will discuss specific measures to effectively implement the instructions of the ASEAN Leaders at the 36th ASEAN Summit, thus furthering regional cooperation and overcoming challenges while successfully implementing set goals and mapping out the way forward./.VNA New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/09/2020 -- The research report provides a detailed insight into the Global Telecom Service Assurance Market for the forecast period of 2020 to 2026. The report considers 2017-2018 as historical years and 2019 as the base year. The market size and value has been studied and estimated on the basis of application and major regions. The report is a comprehensive document covering the impact analysis of the COVID-19 crisis on the growth and landscape of the Telecom Service Assurance industry. The pandemic has adversely affected the Telecom Service Assurance sector and has brought about a dynamic change in the international economic scenario and demand trends. The report provides a perspective on the current and emerging trends of the industry as well as provides a futuristic outlook about the growth of the Telecom Service Assurance market. The Telecom service assurance market is forecasted to grow from USD 6.13 billion in 2018 to USD 9.23 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period. Get a Sample of the Report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/1094 The Telecom Service Assurance research report is an investigative study containing important information such as value chain analysis, Porter's Five Forces analysis, and an exhaustive overview of the competitive landscape of the Telecom Service Assurance sector. The study covers market analysis, application segments, and provides a detailed analysis of the market size, growth rate, and trends. The study provides a comprehensive view of the Telecom Service Assurance industry based on market segmentation into product types, applications, and regions. The analysis provides present and future trends patterns. Regional segmentation of the Telecom Service Assurance sector includes North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. Global Telecom Service Assurance Report Scope: Key Manufacturers of the Telecom Service Assurance Industry: CA Technologies (New York, U.S.), Ericsson (Kista, Stockholm), Nokia Corporation (Espoo, Finland), Accenture (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.), IBM (New York, U.S.), MYCOM OSI (Berkshire, U.K.), Oracle Corporation (California, U.S.), Tata Consultancy Services Limited (Mumbai, India), Viavi Solutions Inc. (California, U.S.), and ZTE Corporation (Shenzhen, China). Deployment model (Revenue, USD Million; 20162026) cloud on premise Solution type (Revenue, USD Million; 20162026) Software Services Business (Revenue, USD Million; 20162026) Medium business Small business Browse complete Report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/telecom-service-assurance-market Main Objectives of the Report: Study and forecast of the market size of Telecom Service Assurance Industry Analysis of global players along with SWOT analysis, market value, and global position of the players Assessment of key regions of the world along with their market potential, advantage, opportunities, challenges, restraints, and risks Identification of the significant trends and emerging trends of the Telecom Service Assurance industry Analysis of the drivers and restraints and opportunities to identify growth segments Strategic analysis of the growth trends of each market segment Analysis of the competitive landscapes along with expansions, agreements, new product launches, acquisitions, mergers, and other strategic business plans Comprehensive profiling of the key players of the industry to provide a competitive edge to the reader SWOT analysis, feasibility study, investment return analysis, and Porter's Five Forces Analysis to provide a comprehensive study of the key players Extensive study of key market segments including revenue, CAGR, import/export, supply and demand ratio, production and consumption ratio, industrial chain analysis, and market dynamics Furthermore, the report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the industry to enable strategic decision making to accelerate the growth of the business. The report additionally presents a complete analysis of the current and future market scenario of the Telecom Service Assurance industry. Fill all the details to get the Sample copy of the Report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/1094 Thank you for reading our report. Please get in touch with us for further queries and our team will ensure you get the report according to your needs. Similar Reports Intelligent Network Market Size, Share, Demand, By Type, By Application, By End Use and Forecast 2020-2026 Mobile Content Delivery Network Market Size, Share & Industry Overview, By Application, Technology Type, and Regional Forecast 2019-2026 About Reports and Data 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 As revelations of President Donald Trumps early understanding of the coronavirus threat rocked Washington, the White House and its surrogates were focusing on the Nobel Peace Prize. On Wednesday, Trump vigorously promoted the news that he had been nominated for the prize, tweeting at least 17 times in less than a half-hour about his candidacy for the prestigious commendation. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany led a news briefing by heralding the nomination, and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner cheered the president for bringing the Middle East closer together with the drafting of the Abraham Accords. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a far-right member of the Norwegian Parliament, revealed his nomination of Trump in a Facebook post citing the groundbreaking cooperation agreement the White House announced last month between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. All the while, a number of news reports broke on the presidents handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the actions of his administration officials. The Washington Posts Bob Woodward revealed that Trump had acknowledged in early February how bad the coronavirus pandemic would be and that he wanted to downplay its impact to reduce public panic. A whistleblower complaint alleged the Department of Homeland Security tried to suppress investigations into Russian interference to help Trump save face. And the Justice Department moved to try to take over a defamation suit against the president, potentially quashing it. It was a juxtaposition apparent during McEnanys news briefing, as reporters quickly turned a celebratory occasion into an interrogation on the many damaging reports leading the day. Trump has expressed his desire for the prize throughout his presidency, and the White House released a statement celebrating his nomination early Wednesday afternoon. The statement, which referred to the accords as the most significant step toward peace in the Middle East in more than a quarter of a century, reflected Tybring-Gjeddes post nominating the president. Story continues The agreement can open for lasting peace between several Arab countries and Israel, Tybring-Gjedde wrote on Facebook. The Israel-UAE agreement, which is preliminary, seeks to normalize diplomatic relations between the two Middle Eastern nations, which are not at war. In an interview with Fox News, Tybring-Gjedde argued that Trump had broken a 39-year-old streak of American presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict, adding that the last president to avoid doing so was Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter. Tybring-Gjedde was one of two Norwegian lawmakers who previously submitted Trumps name for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 after his first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore during which Trump and Kim signed a joint agreement committing to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. South Korean President Moon Jae-in declared in 2018 that Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and his role in talks between Moon and Kim. Trump responded by saying Moons suggestion was very nice and very generous. The relationship between Trumps administration and Kims regime deteriorated in subsequent months, however, as Kim showed reluctance to surrender his nuclear capabilities. In a second summit with Kim last year in Hanoi, Vietnam, Trump walked away from negotiations aimed at striking a nuclear accord. Trump claimed last February that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize for his attempts to broker peace between North and South Korea, saying Abe had shown him the most beautiful five-page letter recommending Trumps candidacy. Abe did not comment on whether he had indeed nominated Trump. Trump celebrated his latest nomination Wednesday morning on Twitter, sharing several congratulatory messages from supporters including conservative radio host Mark Levin, Fox Business Networks Lou Dobbs, and Republican congressional candidates Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert who have both boosted the dangerous QAnon conspiracy theory. McEnany also offered praise for the president, telling Fox News that his nomination was a big deal and well-deserved while misleadingly describing the Israel-UAE agreement as a peace deal. This presidents created peace around the world, drew down endless wars, and this is a president who is very much deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize, she said, adding that you cannot deny what has happened on President Trumps watch. During her Wednesday news briefing, she said Trumps foreign policy would always be one of peace through strength and that the presidents outsider perspective gave him novel insight to solve old problems. Although Trump was similarly enthusiastic about his nomination, he seemingly thought it to be overdue, retweeting a message asking: What took so long? Even before his 2016 White House run, Trump had criticized former President Barack Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize barely nine months into office in 2009, when Obama himself conceded he had not yet produced significant results. Obama was awarded the distinction for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and his support for nuclear arms reduction. Three other U.S. presidents also have won the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter. Last September, Trump railed against the Norwegian Nobel Committee which is responsible for selecting the Peace Prize winners after boasting about his ability to potentially broker a peace deal in the disputed region of Kashmir, between India and Pakistan. Trump said he would get a Nobel Prize for a lot of things if they give it out fairly, which they dont, and repeated his complaint that Obama was undeserving of the honor. They gave one to Obama immediately upon his ascent to the presidency, and he had no idea why he got it, Trump said, adding: You know what? That was the only thing I agreed with him on. There are currently 318 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020, the fourth-highest number of candidates ever, according to the official website of the Nobel Prizes. Nominators qualified to submit candidates include a wide variety of figures from academia, government and other fields. Despite his apparent fascination with the Nobel Prizes, Trump misspelled them and appeared to mistake the awards for journalism-related honors in April, when he attacked members of the media in a spree of since-deleted tweets. When will all of the reporters who have received Noble Prizes for their work on Russia, Russia, Russia, only to have been proven totally wrong (and, in fact, it was the other side who committed the crimes), be turning back their cherished Nobles so that they can be given to the REAL REPORTERS & JOURNALISTS who got it right, Trump wrote, likely intending to refer to the Pulitzer Prizes. When will the Noble Committee Act? Trump asked in another message, before seeking to shrug off his mocked tweets as a show of sarcasm. Does anybody get the meaning of what a so-called Noble (not Nobel) Prize is, especially as it pertains to Reporters and Journalists? Noble is defined as, having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals, he wrote. Does sarcasm ever work? CCTV image of members of the public outside the Manchester Arena on Trinity Way, following the terror attack (Manchester Arena Inquiry/AP) A jailed UK terrorist is refusing to co-operate with the public inquiry into the Manchester Arena terror attack. Abdalraouf Abdallah, 26, is refusing to speak to lawyers for the inquiry who want to know about his links to the Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi, the hearing in Manchester was told. Abedi, 22, detonated a home-made shrapnel packed bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert at the arena on May 22 2017, killing 22 bystanders and injuring hundreds more. On the third day of the public inquiry it was also revealed: Abedi and Abdallah had discussed martyrdom and were in contact in the months leading up to the attack Abedi visited the jailed terrorist in two different UK prisons Abedi visited Kuwaiti national Mansoor Al-Anezi described as a close associate of failed suicide bomb attacker Nicky Reilly in Exeter. Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, said: Salman Abedis relationship with Abdalraouf Abdallah was one of some significance in the period prior to the bombing and we are determined to get to the bottom of it. He said Abdallah was refusing to co-operate, claiming legal privilege not to incriminate himself. Mr Greaney added: We are continuing to pursue this line of inquiry. We hope on reflection he will co-operate, so will press for him to give evidence before the inquiry. Expand Close A general view inside the room where the Manchester Arena Inquiry is being held (Peter Byrne/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A general view inside the room where the Manchester Arena Inquiry is being held (Peter Byrne/PA) Salman Abedis remaining family, including father Ramadan, mother Samia and sister Jomana, who all live in Libya, have refused to co-operate as has younger brother Hashem Abedi, jailed for life last month for his part in the bomb plot. Ismail Abedi, the eldest brother who lives in the UK, is also claiming legal privilege. Mr Greaney said: This is most unhelpful and we hope Salman Abedis family will reflect and understand they have a moral obligation to provide the information we require. He said the inquiry must try to understand how Abedi became radicalised and why he carried out this horrific act of violence. The inquiry was told Abdallah, jailed for nine years in 2016 for terror offences, had numerous telephone contacts from 2014 with Abedi who visited him at HMP Belmarsh and HMP Altcourse, Liverpool. Abdallah, from Manchester, was left wheelchair-bound after he was shot and paralysed from the waist down while fighting in the Libyan uprising and returned to the UK for treatment. In February 2017, three months before the bombing, prison authorities found he had an illicit phone and had tried to make calls to Abedi. The inquiry also heard about Abedis connection to Mansoor Al-Anezi, linked to Reilly who attempted a suicide bombing on a restaurant in Exeter in 2008. Abedi was with Al-Anezi when he died from cancer in 2017 and property belonging to him was found at the Abedi home in south Manchester. The links were a number of matters relating to how Abedi became radicalised, to be explored at the inquiry, Mr Greaney said. They included his education, his friendships and associates and his religious community, including his attendance at Didsbury Mosque, the hearing was told. At the trial of his younger brother Hashem Abedi earlier this year, jurors heard how the two changed, gave up education, wore traditional Islamic clothing and became more religious in the months and years before the bombing. The public inquiry, scheduled to last into next spring, was adjourned until Monday. South Africa: Change of season impacts KZN dam levels Dam levels in KwaZulu-Natal have dropped from 56.3% last week to 56% in the current week. Although this is a marginal decline, this continued trend is deeply concerning mainly because the spring season is in full swing. Temperatures will begin to soar and given the continued effects of climate change, we are expecting that things will get worse before they get better, the Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, said. One of the provinces largest dams, Albert Falls, has continued to decline from last weeks 35.1% to 34.5% this week. Also on a decline is Hazelmere Dam, which has decreased from last weeks 45.6% to 44.5% this week. Spring Grove Dam, located in Mooi River, has recorded 49.9% this week, from 51.4% in the previous week. The Pongolapoort Dam is also shrinking from 41, 3% to 41, 1%. Goedertrouw and Klipfontein Dams are at 52.2% and 58.5% respectively. During the same time last year, both dams recorded 52.4% and 61%. However, Ratau said some of the dams in the province have recorded considerably good levels. These include Inanda Dam, which is at 80.2%, from last weeks 81%, and Midmaar Dam, which is at 93.9%, from 94.2% last week. Driel Barrage has also maintained 98.1%, while Wagendrift Dam is at 92.3% from 93.5% last week. Ratau said Umgeni Water Supply System, with five dams supplying water to eThekwini Metro, Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas, is at 64.9% this week, from last weeks 65.6%. Ratau also acknowledged that many parts of the province are still without water. He said the department is working very closely with local government and water boards to speedily implement long-term measures to address water scarcity issues. This follows calls by Minister Lindiwe Sisulu recently to chairpersons of all water boards across the country to commit themselves to clean governance. Sisulu implored the boards to use every cent they have to ensure that local government, including water service authorities, are provided with bulk water necessary for them to distribute to the people of South Africa. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Indian politics has changed. The Chinese are responding to that change. PTI Photo Politics governs relations between all countries. Military power and diplomacy subsume within politics and cannot be a substitute for politics. This understanding is completely missing in Indias negotiation of the ongoing border crisis with China in Ladakh. In contrast, every Chinese action is mediated by politics. Why have the Chinese suddenly shown a hard side towards India? Unless Chinas political objectives which led to the border action are clearly understood, it will be of little help to apply purely military and diplomatic solutions to it. Politics has to be met with politics, which this writer has been reiterating from the first days of the Galwan Valley clash. Before Galwan, there was no history of comparable violence for decades. Both sides patrolled to their respective perceptions of the Line of Actual Control, the de factor border between India and China. Transgressions, tensions and rival claims were handled peacefully by the two armies and by the two nations diplomats. China always restored the status quo. Why are the Chinese so adamant about holding on to new territories now? Theres a definite trust deficit with the current political leadership. The Army remains the same. The diplomatic institutions have not changed. Only political attitudes, ideologies and the consequent thrusts have changed. Indian politics has changed. The Chinese are responding to that change. The Chinese have responded to a similar political change even earlier. In the late 1990s, they hardened their stance towards the Atal Behari Vajpayee government for having justified Indias 1998 nuclear tests on the grounds of the threat posed by China. Pakistan and China have been extra close ever since, although Vajpayee had tried to undo the damage with China. Vajpayees Lahore initiative was also aimed at weakening the China-Pakistan nexus. He did not fancy a two-front war. The past six years have been a process of unlearning Vajpayees lessons. Pakistan-bashing brings handsome electoral dividends. It was why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was re-elected with a bigger majority in 2019. Then on August 5 the same year, the Lok Sabha saw unfettered revanchism about wresting Aksai Chin from China. The same day, the Chinese protested against the change in Ladakhs status to Union territory, but were completely ignored. They kept on protesting. The deadly Galwan incident and the preceding tense days took the establishment and strategists by surprise. They had forgotten the Chinese protests. Galwan was thought to be a local incident, neither cleared by the Central Military Commission nor the higher authorities in Beijing, which admits of complete ignorance about the inner workings of China. China is a highly political nation. Every organ and institution of the State, including the powerful military, subsumes within politics, which is solely represented by the Chinese Communist Party and its (current) leader Xi Jinping. Every decision that China takes is political. The Galwan incident was political, although the instrument was military. The most worrisome aspect of tensions is the zero political trust between India and China. This was not the case before May 2014. Tensions have geographies like bodily diseases. The tensions currently are located in eastern Ladakh. Over-analysing the location and ignoring or underplaying the politics is perilous. Suppose the tension shifts to the eastern sector. Will the emphasis shift to the new location, neglecting politics once again? Will eastern Ladakh be forgotten in the panic about a new area of tension? Sadly, China does not trust the current leadership in New Delhi. After Indias self-admitted pre-emptive action in eastern Ladakh in August-end, the conflict risks have risen. China has withdrawn peace guarantees. To the Line of Control (with Pakistan) is joined the entire Line of Actual Control in military tensions. Vajpayees strenuous efforts to prevent a two-front crisis by building independent relations with both Pakistan and China have now been completely undone. Since India has an elected government whose character surfaces Chinas worst instincts, politics has no chance unless New Delhi is willing to try. India has to hold a frank political dialogue with China to understand the root cause of tensions. A resolution will not come from military-to-military talks and narrow diplomacy or armed posturing. Frank political discussions may concern Indias perceived drift towards the United States against Beijing; the August 5, 2019 action and the statement on Aksai Chin in the Lok Sabha; Indias counter action in Doklam, in the disputed Bhutan-China region, and so on. The political idea is to turn the clock back to the pre-May 2014 period, when relations were even with China. A two-front conflict is always a nightmare. A shattered economy, record unemployment, a drifting neighbourhood, peaking Covid-19, the worlds disinterest in Sino-Indian troubles, the growing internal divisiveness, and much wrong elsewhere makes accommodative and assuaging politics imperative over military machismo and sterile diplomacy. Understandably, India does not trust China any longer. But before May 2014, the same adversary was trusted to the extent that the LAC was considered peaceful, compared to the LOC. What changed? A nationalist government came to power in India entrenched in revanchist ideology. It is also true that Xi Jinping in 2018 was confirmed Chinas President for life. He is only second to Mao Zedong to get an interminable tenure. Xi shuns Deng Xiaopings policy of rise by stealth. He is determined to consolidate Chinas leading position in the world and gather up recalcitrant territories. At the same time, Xis hard line has been exacerbated by the boorishness of US President Donald Trump, who has accelerated Americas decline. He is the Boris Yeltsin to Mikhail Gorbachev-Barack Obama. Should Joe Biden be elected in November and he sensibly normalises relations with China, India shouldnt be left stranded with no doors open with Beijing for rapprochement. Dependence on a professional military and career diplomats can only take a nation state so far. States are not built around such people but constituted by politics mediated by citizens. Vajpayee knew that well. Two courses are open now. There is Vajpayees way of securing India by politics, which is remarkably Bismarckian. The other way is defiantly blundering along with an adversary most unsuitable for any kind of experimentation. Australian bargain hunters are flocking to discount chain The Reject Shop as the first Tesco-branded grocery items finally hit the shelves. The discount retailer signed a million-dollar deal with Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket, to be able to sell its top items four months ago. The groundbreaking supply deal comes as The Reject Shop tries to reposition itself as a bigger player on the Australian retail scene. Sure to be a hit with British expats, the range includes Tesco Gold Instant Coffee 100g for $6, tinned vegetable soup, bottles of vinegar and packets of rice cakes for $2 and Tesco biscuits are range from $2 to $2.50. The products are currently available at all stores in New South Wales, Canberra and Queensland, meanwhile Victoria will have the range at the end of the week Packets of rice cakes will hit the shelves for $2 and Tesco biscuits are on offer and will range from $2 to $2.50 The Reject Shop CEO Andre Reich said the supply deal meant huge savings were here to stay. 'We've teamed up with one of the biggest supermarkets in the world selling their best-selling lines. The higher the volume we buy, the cheaper it will be for customers,' he said. 'A lot of people are struggling to make ends meet, that's one thing COVID has taught us. We're all facing tough economic times. This is about giving Australians the best-quality products at the best price,' he told news.com.au. The discount chain, which first launched four decades ago, is eyeing up the likes of Aldi and Kmart and already employs over 5,300 workers across Australia, generating more than $800million in sales each year. The products are now available at all stores in New South Wales, Canberra and Queensland, while Victoria will have the range at the end of the week. South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia will have the new grocery items by the end of September. Australian bargain hunters are flocking to discount chain The Reject Shop as the first Tesco-branded grocery items finally hit the shelves (pictured: Tesco rice) Because of Tesco's buying power, The Reject Shop has assured customers it will always be fully stocked with cheap items. In August, financial services firm Morgan Stanley suggested the The Reject Shop could become a $3billion stock within the next 10 years as it moves towards a younger consumer-based feeling the economic pinch from COVID-19. As well as dry-store packaged food, Tesco will also supply The Reject Shop with a range of health and beauty products in coming months as well as other household items. Although both parties admit the unusual deal may take some customers by surprise, Tesco Group Export Director Jack Brabin said it will be a major windfall for Australian consumers - along with the 1.2 million British expats living Down Under. As well as dry-store packaged food, Tesco will also supply The Reject Shop with a range of health and beauty products in coming months as well as other household items Andre Reich, The Reject Shop's CEO, told Daily Mail Australia customers are looking for cheaper alternatives now more than ever during the coronavirus crisis 'We're delighted to be partnering with The Reject Shop to provide a range of fantastic Tesco products across grocery and baby care,' he said. 'As the UK's leading food retailer, we take enormous care to ensure our products are the best quality and offer great value. We look forward to sharing them with The Reject Shop's customers. While Australia's retail sector continues to struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic, annual revenue for The Reject Shop was up 3.4 per cent to $820.6million in the 2019-20 financial year. Gross profit increased 0.3 per cent to $335.8million. Australian discount chain The Reject Shop will start stocking grocery items this week after securing a deal with the UK's largest supermarket Tesco Kevin Spacey has been sued by two men including the actor Anthony Rapp who allege he sexually assaulted them as 14-year-olds in the 1980s (Matt Crossick/PA) Kevin Spacey has been sued by two men including the actor Anthony Rapp who allege he sexually assaulted them as 14-year-olds in the 1980s. Rapp, best known for his work on TV series Star Trek: Discovery, first made allegations against Spacey in October 2017, leading to the actors downfall and banishment from Hollywood. In a lawsuit filed in New York this week, Rapp says Spacey invited him to a party at his Manhattan apartment in 1986. While there, Rapp alleged, he was the victim of an unwanted sexual advance when Spacey grabbed his buttocks. Expand Close Kevin Spacey has been sued by two men who allege he assaulted them in the 1980s (Ian West/PA Wire) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kevin Spacey has been sued by two men who allege he assaulted them in the 1980s (Ian West/PA Wire) He managed to escape to the bathroom, according to the lawsuit, and later left the apartment. The second accuser is anonymous and identified only as CD in the lawsuit. He alleged he was 12 when he first met two-time Oscar-winner Spacey, who was teaching an acting class in 1981. Their paths crossed again when the accuser was 14, the lawsuit states, and Spacey invited him back to his apartment. Spacey then allegedly sexually assaulted the boy, according to the legal papers. The pair engaged in sex acts on multiple occasions, it is alleged, and during their final encounter Spacey ignored the boys verbal and physical resistance. Both the accusers are suing Spacey, 61, for unspecified damages, claiming the alleged attacks have caused psychological damage. After Rapp first made his allegations, Spacey said he did not remember the incident but if it did occur I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour. Video of the Day Spacey, once of the most decorated stars in Hollywood, has been largely shunned from the industry since Rapps allegations sparked a wave of similar accusations in both the US and UK. Spacey is yet to respond to the lawsuit. He has faced legal action in Los Angeles and Nantucket, Massachusetts, but is yet to be found liable in any case. Spacey is also being investigated by Scotland Yard. Peter J Saghir, the lawyer representing both Rapp and the second accuser, said in a statement to the PA news agency: This lawsuit sends a strong message that no matter how wealthy, powerful or famous you may be you are not above the law. Our clients are looking forward to their day in court and to obtaining justice for a crime that never should have happened. Former Gov. Tom Ridge is urging Pennsylvania and other states to ensure counties have the time they need to process ballots cast by mail in the November election. Ridge, the nations former secretary of homeland security, spoke in a conference call with reporters Wednesday. A lifelong Republican, Ridge joined Jennifer Granholm, a Democratic former Michigan governor, in writing a letter asking states to give election officials time to process mail-in ballots and absentee ballots. With an unprecedented number of Americans expected to cast ballots by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ridge and Granholm wrote that states must revise outdated rules and enable election officials to process ballots cast by mail. In the conference call, Ridge noted that Pennsylvania is one of only seven states that doesnt allow counties to process ballots cast by mail before the election. Gov. Tom Wolf and lawmakers have issued competing proposals that would offer counties some time to process the mail-in and absentee ballots before the election but theyve yet to reach agreement on the legislation. Ridge urged them to strike a deal, saying, Inaction is not an option. Speaking with reporters, Ridge noted some states allow counting of mail-in ballots before Election Day. At the very least, Ridge called for Pennsylvania and other states to allow counties to prepare ballots cast by mail in advance so they can be counted more easily on Election Day. Election officials should be able to open envelopes and check the signatures of ballots cast via mail before the election, he said. Theres absolutely no reason to prevent at least opening envelopes, verifying signatures and stacking ballots so theyre ready to be counted immediately, Ridge said. Wolf has proposed allowing counties to begin processing mail-in and absentee ballots 21 days before the election. Senate Republican leaders have proposed giving county election officials three days before Election Day. Ridge, who said he maintains friendships with Pennsylvania lawmakers in both parties, said there should be room for compromise. I hope theyll find some middle ground, Ridge said. Ridge said he doesnt see it as a partisan issue. He noted that Republican and Democratic county officials are asking state lawmakers and the Wolf administration for more time in processing ballots cast by mail. This is the first year where Pennsylvania voters have been able to cast ballots by mail so easily. With the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 1.5 million voters cast ballots by mail in the June primary, far beyond any projections. Election officials expect far more to vote by mail in the general election in the fall. Wolf signed a law allowing voters to cast ballots by mail late last year. The measure had overwhelming bipartisan support from Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Until this year, voters could only cast ballots by mail by requesting absentee ballots and explaining why they couldnt get to the polls on Election Day. Now, voters can cast ballots by mail without having to provide a reason. Ridge also countered President Donald Trumps repeated claims that voting by mail is insecure. He said repeated studies, including one by the conservative Heritage Foundation, have shown voting by mail is secure and doesnt lead to fraud. And Ridge noted Trump voted with an absentee ballot in Florida. Political analysts have long called Pennsylvania one of the states that could decide the presidential election battle between Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, the former vice president. Given Pennsylvanias importance in the election, Ridge said Pennsylvania needs to do everything possible to ensure all ballots are counted. A lot of eyes around this country are going to be on our state in Pennsylvania, Ridge said. He added, The stakes in the election are higher than any election in my lifetime. In their letter, Ridge and Granholm stressed counties should have time to process all ballots cast by mail. Ridge and Granholm are co-chairs of VoteSafe, a national bipartisan group aiming to expand access to voting by mail and ensure safe voting for those casting ballots in person. This primary season has served as a series of necessary case studies for how to run elections during a pandemic. Some operated efficiently while some resulted in confusion and disenfranchisement. Many election officials have taken action, but in some states, their hands are tied by arbitrary and outdated statutes that only the legislature can change, Ridge and Granholm wrote in a letter released Wednesday. One adjustment we know based on the primaries will help is lifting the restriction on election officials from beginning to process mail-in and absentee ballots prior to election day. While many states go so far as to count ballots prior to election day, there is no reason to prevent at least opening envelopes, verifying signatures, and stacking ballots so theyre ready to be counted right away, they added. More from PennLive Pa.'s Senate GOP leaders propose an earlier cut-off date for voters to request a mail-in ballot Bipartisan group of former govs, others team up to remind Pa. voters of their safe voting options Pa. sued over rejection of mail-in ballots due to problems with signatures Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anastasia Moloney (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Bogota, Colombia Wed, September 9, 2020 13:30 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43b57ae 2 World Colombia,Sex-trafficking,human-trafficking,prostitution,China Free Colombian police broke up an accused sex trafficking ring that recruited women in Colombia and forced them into prostitution in China, authorities said on Tuesday, exposing a plot of criminal deception that preyed upon poor and vulnerable women. Seven accused traffickers were arrested and charged with luring and sexually exploiting at least 30 Colombian women and migrants who were sent to work in nightclubs in the Chinese city of Guangdong, authorities said. The women were recruited on social media and on WhatsApp messaging with offers of well-paid work as models in China by traffickers who staged fake photo shoots in Colombia before sending them abroad, authorities said. "At these places, the young women were allegedly held against their will," Colombia's attorney general's office said in a statement. "Their passports and personal documents were taken away." The traffickers imposed debts on them of $14,000, which they were forced to pay off by making $600 a day in sex work, the top prosecutor said. The traffickers preyed on young, unemployed and poor women with "perverse deception," the office said. Among those arrested were five women, whom authorities said arranged travel and visas for the victims who were flown via Madrid and Amsterdam before reaching Beijing. In Latin America, sexual exploitation of women and girls remains the most common form of human trafficking. But while most victims in Latin America are trafficked within the region, the case points to China as a primary destination for Colombian women forced abroad. In a similar case in 2017, Colombian authorities busted a criminal ring that trafficked about 150 women into forced prostitution to China. That ring also used false job offers and made the women pay off even higher debts of $25,000 each. Under Colombia's anti-human trafficking law, convicted traffickers can receive prison sentences of up to 23 years. Last year, Colombian authorities convicted 19 human traffickers, down from 26 convictions in 2018, according to the US State Department By Express News Service My elders have witnessed the aftermath of the 1947 Indian Independence Movement and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and I have myself experienced the 2008- 2009 recession that hit India... But we never saw a dip in the sales of sweets as we are experiencing due to COVID-19, says Mohammad Naved, Owner of the Kallan Sweets, established in Old Delhi some 80 years ago. The vintage shop is famous for its Habshi Halwa, Sona Halwa, and Shahi Tukda mithais. But patrons of these distinct mithais decreased in the pandemic. Sales have massively dipped, and for the same reason we had to let go of some of the staff members. We are operating with 30 per cent of our original staff members, and less products in the shop. Sid Mathur, Founder and Director We hope things pick up slowly, says Naved. Co-Founders of Arq Mithai, Neha Lakhani and Ashay Dhopatkar, echo Naveds situation of a decrease in sales figures. The dip is easily more than 50 per cent compared to pre-Covid times, Lakhani reveals, adding, Our primary market is the wedding market when an average order is 200-300 sweet boxes. With weddings postponed and only 50 guests attending in those which are taking place, the orders have declined considerably. Not to forget, many guests are apprehensive of receiving sweets due to the spread of the virus. At present, adequate safety measures are in place and being communicated to their potential customer base to bounce back in the market. Sid Mathur, Founder and Director, Khoya Mithai, has also fixed his approach to safety and hygiene. Coming from a background of professional kitchens and restaurants, our benchmarks in these two aspects were always high. There is daily temperature checks, deep cleaning of the kitchen and office, mandatory use of masks and hair nets, protocols for handwashing, sanitisation of the boxes before packaging, contactless payments, internal audits, thorough training of all staff, kitchen, store and delivery, and fresh mithai is made every day, he says. Mathur is also looking at new innovations in mithai making. We have tried to work with ingredients that will remain consistent in quality and supply. One exciting launch has been of our Kachori, after seeing how people were missing street foods and savoury snacks. The response has been better than we could have imagined, and we currently make them on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For Pooja Aggarwal, Director, Bhimsen Bengali Sweets House, the innovation has been in the stride of delivering food items and using a lot of combos. We are on Swiggy and Zomato, promoting various combos such as paring up mithais with dishes. The sales are picking up, but losses are yet to be recovered, she says. Actor Rhea Chakraborty has been sent on 14-day judicial custody in connection with the drug probe that emerged on the sidelines of Sushant Singh Rajput death case. Her bail plea has been denied by the court. Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who has been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug case linked with actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody on Tuesday after her bail plea was rejected by the court. Chakraborty appeared before the Magistrate via video conference from NCB office in Mumbai. In its remand application of Chakraborty, NCB stated that she is an active member of a drug syndicate and used to manage finance for drug procurement along with the late actor. NCB said that Chakrabortys disclosure/statement had made it clear that she is an active member of a drug syndicate connected with drug supplies. It said that Chakraborty revealed about her involvement in the procurement of drugs and financial transactions and also her instructions to Dipesh Sawant, Showik Chakraborty and Miranda. Sawant was arrested by the NCB for his role in procuring and handling of drugs. Showik and Miranda have also been arrested in the same case. As per NCBs remand copy, Chakraborty has acknowledged the statements of other accused and it is clear that she used to procure drugs for Rajputs consumption. It stated that Sawant said that financial issues for purchase of drugs were also being dealt with by Rajput and Chakraborty. As per NCB, Showik said that Basit Parihar provided drugs to Dipesh Sawant (Sushant Singh Rajputs staffer) through Kaizen Ibrahim. NCB said Showik confessed that he used to facilitate the delivery of drugs through Zaid, Basit and Kaizen. It also highlighted that Showik disclosed that these drug deliveries used to be received by Rajputs aids and every delivery and payment was in conscious knowledge of Rhea Chakraborty. As per NCBs remand application, Samuel Miranda has confessed that Sushant also along with rhea used to instruct him to procure the drug. Rajput also used to deal with the financial matter regarding these drugs along with Rhea Chakraborty. As per NCBs remand, Dipesh Sawant (Sushants staffer) disclosed that he used to receive drugs for Sushant on his (Sushants) instructions. During the statement, Samuel Miranda also disclosed that he used to procure drugs on instructions of Sushant Singh Rajput And Rhea Chakraborty and financial matter in this regard were being dealt by Rhea And Sushant Singh Rajput, read the remand application. Earlier, Ashok Jain, Deputy Director General (DG), South-Western Region, NCB said that the agency will seek her judicial custody. Rhea Chakraborty will be produced before magistrate shortly. We dont need her custody remand so we will seek judicial custody. We are not asking for her custody remand as whatever we wanted to cross with her, we have done already, he said. We will oppose bail to her. We are only seeking judicial custody but we dont support the bail. Rhea was sent for a routine medical check-up. She tested negative for COVID-19. Whatever she told was sufficient for the arrest. We have arrested her, it means we had enough, he added. Jain said that NCB did not recover any contraband from her. Chakraborty is the ninth person arrested by the NCB in the ongoing case. The NCB launched an investigation after it received official communication from Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which there were various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case. The agency had said that linkages of Parihar with the earlier registered i.e., based on the preliminary enquiry on the details submitted by ED, were found. The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the late actors death case after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed by Rajputs father KK Singh against Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28. Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. Several politicians commemorate the day when the Nazi-allied Slovak state issued the Jewish code. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled The Holocaust remains a tragic chapter not only in the history of Jews, but also the whole Slovakia, said President Zuzana Caputova on the occasion of the Memorial Day for Victims of the Holocaust and Racial Violence. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Every year on September 9, Slovakia remembers the so-called Jewish Code adopted by the wartime Slovak state back in 1941, which limited the fundamental rights of Jews. By doing so, it declared its own citizens inferior and exposed them to inhumane behaviour, the president stressed. No apology or grief can temper the suffering of victims we remember today, Caputova said, adding it is necessary to remember these events and also the events preceding the Holocaust so that we are able to reject any signs of anti-Semitism, intolerance and discrimination. She paid tribute to the victims by putting a stone on the memorial on Rybne Square in Bratislava and the Jewish cemetery on Zizkova Street. The horrors should be remembered Several other politicians paid tribute to the victims, too. PM Igor Matovic (OLaNO) also reminded of the fact that the Jewish Code stripped people of their dignity. Related article Related article Matovic promises to end the politics of the hidden Holocaust in us Read more The silence and collaboration with absolute evil resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Slovak children, parents, and grandparents, he wrote on Facebook. Lets learn from this, please. Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollar (Sme Rodina) laid a wreath on the memorial on Rybne Square. Its very important to realise that were equal, regardless of our skin colour, religion or gender, he said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok (SaS nominee) said that this memorial day is mostly about keeping the message of the previous generation. Society is defined by its memory, and without historical memory it loses the ability of self-reflection, particularly regarding its own failures that creates space for further failures, he said, as reported by the SITA newswire. Today is a painful anniversary, said Investments Minister and chair of Za Ludi Veronika Remisova. It is necessary to respect those who have never forgotten that humanity does not distinguish between nationality and religion, and who risked their own lives to help Jews. Her party colleague Juraj Seliga stressed how we should not allow others to cast doubt on the Holocaust, as reported by TASR. The junior coalition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party stressed how important it is to learn from past mistakes. Both Governments Proxy for National Minorities Laszlo Bukovszky and Governments Proxy for Roma Communities Andrea Buckova have warned against spreading hatred, intolerance and racism in contemporary society, as reported by TASR. The Jewish Code Related article Related article Jewish history still being made Read more The government of the wartime Slovak state issued the Order on Legal Status of Jews, also known as the Jewish Code, on September 9, 1941. The code enshrined the anti-Jewish laws of the regime. As a consequence, Jewish citizens were transformed into a socially dependant group by the end of 1941. The regime attempted to get rid of Jews through deportations. Since 2001, September 9 has been marked as a Memorial Day for Victims of the Holocaust and an appeal to fight against all forms of racism, hatred, xenophobia and discrimination. The transport of the first thousand Jewish women was despatched on March 25, 1942 from Poprad, the last transport on October 20 in the same year. The Slovak government paid 500 Reich marks for the deportation of every Jew, as Nazi Germany required. 57 transports headed to the area of Lublin and Auschwitz, 58,000 Jews were taken to concentration camps. Only several hundreds survived. The second wave of deportations in autumn 1944 affected about 13,000 people. A Perth man was killed in a dog attack in Morley on Monday evening as his housemate watched the gruesome scene unfold. Police found David Whitney dead just after 8pm after responding to a call for help on Halvorson Road that was logged as an "animal complaint" of a serious nature. Nine News Perth said the 59-year-old got into an argument with his 36-year-old roommate before the dog attacked. A man, who lives on the same road as the victim, told ABC Perth a neighbour started banging on his door saying a dog had attacked another person in his home. "We have an unacceptable situation of absolutely sickening cruelty acts," Denormandie told France Info radio. "I hear the fear, the concerns, the disarray of horse owners," he said, adding that a toll free number was being made available to horse owners from Wednesday morning. Horses have been found with ears cut off, eyes gouged out and genitals mutilated. Police say they have no idea why; theories include a satanic rite, macabre trophy hunt or internet challenge. A 50-year-old jobless man arrested on Monday in eastern France as part of the investigation was released without charge, a police source said on Tuesday. SEVEN HILLS, Ohio -- While being groovy is a good thing for music, a bumpy experience can prove dangerous when it comes to road infrastructure. Thats why the City of Seven Hills is planning to fix a small portion of the northbound Broadview Road curb lane located just south of Pleasant Valley Road. The reason for the repair is the road has swells in it, Mayor Anthony D. Biasiotta said. "The concrete basically has deep waves. We documented (that) the deterioration first started in 2016. Its deteriorated more since then. We believe its becoming a potential safety hazard, particularly for motorcyclists. Therefore, were taking immediate emergency action. The work is expected to begin in mid to late October and should be completed during this pavement season," he said. City Council recently approved the 400-lineal-feet project, which is not to exceed $53,577. The work is an extension to the citys 2020 road program that Specialized Construction is currently finishing. The mayor said that full amount is a worst-case scenario in case the entire length requires a full-depth repaving repair. We dont expect all of the road will be that substantial, Biasiotta said. More likely, our engineer estimates this will come in the mid-$40,000 range. City officials believe heavy use by large trucks and RTA buses is responsible for the issue, which as far as the mayor knows hasnt caused any reported accidents. Weve had motorcyclists call and complain, Biasiotta said. I had my first complaint last year. We had a couple more this year. The road is also heavily traveled by city vehicles, so we were monitoring it, but this summers heat seemed to exacerbate the issue. Because Broadview Road is a state route, the mayor said the city is paying for the project upfront with the hope of receiving a reimbursement from the state. Whether or not that happens, we felt this work was warranted and could not wait any longer, Biasiotta said. Read more news from the Parma Sun Post. The market managed to recover some of its losses in the afternoon but failed to get back into a positive mood with the Nifty50 closing the session below the 11,300 mark. India-China border tensions, correction in Asian peers and likely delay in the COVID-19 vaccine have hit sentiment. The BSE Sensex was down 171.43 points at 38,193.92, while the Nifty50 declined 39.40 points to 11,278 but formed a bullish candle on the daily charts as closing was higher than opening levels. "Markets corrected in the recent past and have been consolidating in the range of 11,200-11,500. Trend support for Nifty50 is seen at 11,175 spot levels. As long as 11,175 is held, upside remains open for 11,700/11,900, but if the index breaches 11,175, then it can invite selling pressure. Momentum indicators are negatively tilted and hence recovery is also expected to be gradual," Sahaj Agrawal, Head of Research- Derivatives at Kotak Securities told Moneycontrol. The selling was led by banking and financials, and select FMCG and IT stocks. The broader markets underperformed frontliners, with the Nifty Midcap index falling half a percent and Smallcap down 1.5 percent. "Markets are mirroring the global counterparts and we do not notice this scenario changing any time soon," Ajit Mishra, VP - Research at Religare Broking said. 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. Key support and resistance levels on the Nifty According to pivot charts, the key support levels for the Nifty are placed at 11,209.4, followed by 11,140.8. If the index moves up, the key resistance levels to watch out for are 11,322.4 and 11,366.8. Nifty Bank The Bank Nifty corrected for the fifth consecutive session, down 477.40 points or 2.10 percent at 22,267. The important pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 22,046.73, followed by 21,826.47. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 22,520.93 and 22,774.87. Call option data Maximum Call open interest of 22.74 lakh contracts was seen at 11,500 strike, which will act as crucial resistance in the September series. This is followed by 12,000 strike, which holds 16.36 lakh contracts, and 11,600 strike, which has accumulated 14.81 lakh contracts. Call writing was seen at 11,300 strike, which added 3.06 lakh contracts, followed by 11,500, which added 2.58 lakh contracts, and 11,400 strike, which added 2.01 lakh contracts. Call unwinding was seen at 11,800 strike, which shed 3.59 lakh contracts, followed by 11,700 strike, which shed 38,850 contracts. Put option data Maximum Put open interest of 28.15 lakh contracts was seen at 11,000 strike, which will act as crucial support in the September series. This is followed by 10,500 strike, which holds 24.21 lakh contracts, and 11,300 strike, which has accumulated 15.79 lakh contracts. Put writing was seen at 10,500 strike, which added 1.58 lakh contracts, followed by 10,600 strike, which added 46,200 contracts. Put unwinding was witnessed at 11,300, which shed 2.73 lakh contracts, followed by 11,000 strike which shed 1.67 lakh contracts and 10,700 strike, which shed 1.48 lakh contracts. Stocks with a high delivery percentage A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in these stocks. 30 stocks saw long build-up Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long build-up was seen. 27 stocks saw long unwinding Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long unwinding was seen. 41 stocks saw short build-up An increase in open interest, along with a decrease in price, mostly indicates a build-up of short positions. Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short build-up was seen. 38 stocks witnessed short-covering A decrease in open interest, along with an increase in price, mostly indicates a short-covering. Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short-covering was seen. Bulk deals Escorts India: Victory Emerging Markets Small Cap Fund acquired 8,03,003 shares in the company at Rs 1,165.44 per share on the NSE. Reliance Industrial Infrastructure: Share India Securities bought 1,37,803 shares in the company at Rs 387.65 per share on the NSE. Transport Corporation of India: HDFC Mutual Fund acquired 8,64,000 shares in the company at Rs 215 per share. However, Himalaya Finance and Investment Company sold 10,45,664 shares in the company at Rs 215 per share on the NSE. Zicom Electronic Security: General Insurance Corporation of India sold 2,09,057 shares in the company at Rs 2.2 per share on the NSE. (For more bulk deals, click here) Earnings on September 10 Hindustan Aeronautics, Goa Carbon, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Bafna Pharmaceuticals, Commercial Engineers & Body Builders, Datamatics Global Services, Dhunseri Tea & Industries, Hindustan Copper, Jay Bharat Maruti, Jaypee Infratech, Kellton Tech Solutions, Mirc Electronics, Nova Iron & Steel, Sintex Industries, SRG Housing Finance, Mandhana Retail Ventures, Visa Steel among 72 companies to announce quarterly earnings on September 10. Stocks in the news Bharat Dynamics: DIPAM Secretary said the company's offer for sale concluded and received a total subscription at around 2.34 crore shares worth Rs 770 crore. Indiabulls Housing Finance: Company set floor price for QIP at Rs 206.7 per share and book building for QIP issue opened on September 9. The company is also looking for partial divestment in OakNorth Bank, in one or more tranches, to boost CRAR and to grow loan book. Elgi Equipments: Pari Washington India Master Fund Ltd & Pari Washington Investment Fund acquired 4,709 shares in the company. The current stake stood at 9.5 percent. Ashapura Minechem: Promoter entity Ashapura Industrial Finance raised stake in the company to 14.68 percent from 14.63 percent earlier. Adani Power: Promoter entity Adani Tradeline LLP released 1 crore pledged shares. Adani Transmission: Promoters Gautam S Adani / Rajesh S Adani (on behalf of SB Adani Family Trust) and Adani Tradeline LLP released a pledge on 4,49,56,300 equity shares and 94,60,000 shares respectively. Syngene International: The company received ICMR approval for HiMedia-Syngene's COVID-19 antibody test kit, ELISafe 19. Fund flow FII and DII data Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net sold shares worth Rs 959.09 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net offloaded shares worth Rs 263.97 crore in the Indian equity market on September 9, as per provisional data available on the NSE. Stock under F&O ban on NSE Seven stocks -- Bank of Baroda, BHEL, Canara Bank, Indiabulls Housing Finance, Vodafone Idea, Jindal Steel & Power and Punjab National Bank -- are under the F&O ban for September 10. Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit. A Melbourne vet has called for dog-grooming services to be reopened despite the city's strict coronavirus lockdown after treating a number of gruesome injuries caused by owners attempting to groom their pets at home. Dr Jack Zaks has performed emergency procedures on a number of animals at his Elsternwick clinic since stage four restrictions began in August. Veterinarian Jack Zaks. Credit:Simon Schluter In one case, he said the owner tried to trim around their dogs ears, cutting an artery and leading to a Hollywood-style spurting of blood. Dr Zaks said dog-grooming services provide an essential service to the health and welfare of pets. During Washington talks with Kadhemi last month, Trump said US forces would leave Iraq but gave no timetable or specific troop levels US President Donald Trump was expected to announce further troop withdrawals Wednesday from Afghanistan and from Iraq, where several thousand US troops hunting down jihadist sleeper cells have faced increasing attacks blamed on pro-Iran factions. The deadly bomb and rocket attacks have put additional pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who has pledged to rein in rogue groups pledged to fight the US military presence. During Washington talks with Kadhemi last month, Trump said US forces would leave Iraq but gave no timetable or specific troop levels. A senior administration official told reporters that the president would make an announcement on Wednesday, but offered no additional details. The US has already been steadily downsizing its troop levels in Iraq in recent months as Iraqis take over more combat and training roles from foreign forces. "These withdrawals are part of the agreed transition of the US-led coalition's role in Iraq," an Iraqi official told AFP ahead of Trump's announcement on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The US deployed thousands of forces to Iraq in 2014 to lead a military intervention against the Islamic State group, which had swept across a third of the country. Even after Baghdad declared IS defeated in late 2017, US and other coalition troops continued supporting Iraqi forces with air strikes, drone surveillance and training to prevent a jihadist resurgence. - Shrinking presence - By late 2018, there were an estimated 5,200 troops still stationed in Iraq, making up the bulk of the 7,500 coalition forces there, according to US officials. Over the past year, dozens of rocket attacks have targeted those forces as well as the US embassy in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone, killing at least five military personnel -- three Americans, one Briton and one Iraqi. US officials have blamed the violence on hardline factions close to Tehran, which as Washington's longtime foe has repeatedly demanded that all US troops leave the Middle East. Tensions skyrocketed early this year when a US drone strike near Baghdad airport killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, prompting Tehran to mount a retaliatory missile strike against US troops in western Iraq. Enraged by the US strike, the Iraqi parliament voted to oust all foreign troops still left in Iraq, although Kadhemi's government -- seen as friendly to the US -- has stonewalled that decision. Instead, the coalition has been quietly drawing down troops on its own since March, consolidating its presence from a dozen bases across the country to just three. Some troops were redeployed to the main bases in Baghdad, Arbil in the north and Ain al-Asad in the west, but most were transferred outside of Iraq, US officials told AFP. They said the downsizing was long-planned as IS had been defeated, but admitted that the withdrawal timeline was accelerated in response to rocket attacks and the fear Covid-19 could spread among military partners. France has already withdrawn its troops and Britain has significantly downsized to just 100 personnel in recent months. British, French and US special forces are expected to remain deployed in undisclosed locations around the country, diplomatic sources said. Still, attacks on US targets have continued. Late Tuesday, a bomb targeted a supply convoy heading to an Iraqi base where US troops are deployed, killing one member of the Iraqi security forces. - Drawdown in Afghanistan? - The US president is also set to announce further withdrawals from Afghanistan in the coming days, the senior administration official said. Washington currently has 8,600 soldiers deployed in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed in February between Washington and the Taliban. The Pentagon said in August that its goal was to get down to fewer than 5,000 troops as inter-Afghan peace talks progress. Trump previously mentioned in an interview with Axios that the White House aimed to reach 4,000 to 5,000 troops in Afghanistan before the US presidential election on November 3. Under the US-Taliban deal, all foreign troops must leave the country by the spring of 2021, in exchange for security commitments from the militants. Trump, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in the opinion polls, has previously promised to bring troops home in a bid to end what he has called America's endless wars. Search Keywords: Short link: COVID-19 is on the march again, and at precisely the wrong time. The number of cases is rising, around the world and close to home, just as schools reopen and fear about a dreaded second wave of the disease is increasing by the day. With a lot of effort and sacrifice we succeeded in flattening the curve. But now its going in the wrong direction. The number of new COVID-19 cases being reported every day in many parts of the country is back up, to levels we havent seen since mid-July. Its a worrisome time, and a particularly bad moment for governments to be sending mixed messages about the best way to respond. In British Columbia, for example, public health authorities are so alarmed about COVID-19 being spread in social settings that they shut down nightclubs and banquet halls this week. And theyve told bars and restaurants to stop selling alcohol at 10 p.m. and close earlier. Theyre trying to stop the kind of boozy late-night sessions that are breeding grounds for the disease. But in Ontario, where the numbers are also going up, the government isnt planning any new measures. Its declared a pause on any further steps toward reopening, but seems to be relying mainly on finger-wagging from Premier Doug Ford, who threatens to bring the hammer down on anyone who breaks public health rules. Ford is right that the key to successfully reopening schools is to stop further spread of COVID-19 in the community. Even if school boards do the best possible job inside their own buildings, they wont be safe if the disease gets out of control in the rest of society. So its particularly disappointing to see him and some local authorities getting into a war of words over whose job it is to take any new steps to stamp out the latest upsurge in cases among mostly young people who are apparently getting it in social situations like private parties and bars. Toronto Mayor John Tory says restrictions on bars like the ones brought in by B.C. might be necessary if things get worse. In fact, he recommended doing that back in July when the province moved into Stage 3 of reopening, and he was right. But the government didnt listen. Now Ford is insisting that its not up to him to crack down if things get out of hand in a particular region. The upsurge in COVID-19 is concentrated mainly in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa, and the premier says local mayors and public health authorities have all the powers they need under provincial health laws to tighten things up if they want to. Youre the mayors, he said bluntly on Wednesday. Its up to you. Trouble is, the cities say they dont have the power to regulate the hours of establishments (like restaurants and bars) that operate with a provincial liquor licence. So were back to square one, with each level of government saying its up to the other to take action. At the same time, its not clear the provinces guidelines for public gatherings are tight enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in social settings. As part of moving into Stage 3 of reopening, the province allowed gatherings of up to 50 people indoors and 100 outdoors. But in Brampton, one of the hotspots for new COVID cases, Mayor Patrick Brown is calling the decision to allow as many as 100 people to get together in the midst of a pandemic a head scratcher. Its too high, in other words, at a time when social settings like parties and weddings are precisely where the disease is getting its second wind. Once again, Ford says regional authorities can change the numbers for their area if they want to. But why have a patchwork of rules that varies from town to town? Even if COVID-19 is hitting different parts of the province in different ways, the rules should be clear and consistent to make it easy for the public to understand and follow them. The premier and local officials need to get on the same page. Ontarians deserve a unified fight against the pandemic, not a running quarrel over who gets to call the shots. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/09/2020 -- AMA Research added a comprehensive research document of 200+ pages on 'Motorcycle Insurance' market with detailed insights on growth factors and strategies. The study segments key regions that includes North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific with country level break-up and provide volume* and value related cross segmented information by each country. Some of the important players from a wide list of coverage used under bottom-up approach are Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance (Japan), Farmers Insurance (United States), Allianz SE (Germany), Allstate (United States), Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. (Switzerland), State Farm Insurance (United States), Assicurazioni Generali (Italy), GEICO (United States), Cardinal Health (United States), Munich Re Group (Germany), Aviva (United Kingdom), AXA (France). Request a sample report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/11814-global-motorcycle-insurance-market Two-wheeler insurance refer to an insurance policy that is taken to cover the damage to the bike/ scooter or to the rider due to some unforeseen events such as road accidents, natural disaster, and theft or loss of a motor vehicle. Bike insurance essentially provides coverage against any third-party liability that may arise from injuries incurred to one or more individuals in case of an accident. 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GET FULL COPY OF Latest Edition of United States Motorcycle Insurance market study with COVID-19 Impact Analysis @ --------- USD 2000 And, 2020 Released copy of Europe Motorcycle Insurance market study with COVID-19 Impact Analysis @ --------- USD 2500 Some Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Motorcycle Insurance Market: Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Motorcycle Insurance market Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary the basic information of the Motorcycle Insurance Market. Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Motorcycle Insurance Chapter 4: Presenting the Motorcycle Insurance Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis. Chapter 5-7: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2014-2019. Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Motorcycle Insurance market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile. Market Estimates by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various countries (2020-2025). Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source Finally, Motorcycle Insurance Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies. What benefits does AMA research provides? - 3-years of company financial and top-line figures by players - Latest industry influencing trends by regions, commentary on local reform and market development scenario - Open up New Markets - To Seize powerful market opportunities & gaps - Key decision in planning and to further expand market share - Identify Key Business Segments, Market proposition & Growth Analysis - Assisting in allocating marketing investments Opportunity That Market Giants are Watching: High Potential Growth in Emerging Countries Addition of Attractive Features to the Plans by Insurance Companies Buy full version of this report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/buy-now?format=1&report=11814 Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. 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NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pave the Way Foundation (PTWF), a New York-based international organization working to initiate gestures of goodwill and eliminate obstacles between religions, gratefully thanks the Robin Hood foundation for its generous grant to feed needy families in New York during the COVID-19 crisis. Gary and Meredith Krupp of Pave the Way Foundation Gratefully Acknowledges Robin Hood for Their Support PTWF has been recognized for our historic gestures of good will between religions. We identified the availability of a donor, who gave the Bodmer Papyrus, the most valuable Christian manuscript in existence, to the Vatican Library; we coordinated the first loan in history of writings of Maimonides from the Vatican Library to the state of Israel; we identified and posted on-line over 76,000 pages of primary sourced documentation of the life-saving efforts of the Vatican during WWII; and we have worked with respected Islamic Scholars to reveal the religious order of the Prophet Mohammad, wherein he directed his followers to protect Christians and Jews until the end of days. While our international work is vital, we recognize that, with the threat of COVID-19 and the effects of the lock down, many are struggling simply to survive. PTWF Director Vincent LeVien has worked tirelessly with the group he helped organize starting in March, the Diocese of Brooklyn's COVID-19 Emergency Task Force (ETF), supplying desperately needed protective medical supplies to first responders and medical personnel, food to those in need, and iPads to families unable to afford them so their children can participate in online learning. Responding to the current crisis, with the support of Robin Hood Foundation, PTWF is pivoting from our traditional mission, in order to help to feed the needy through the distribution of healthy food from Served Natural. Elliot Hershberg, Chairman of Pave the Way Foundation, remarked, "during this time of division in our nation, it's wonderful to see how people have come together for the common good." About Pave the Way Foundation PTWF operates in 22 countries around the globe as nonsectarian public foundation whose mission is to identify and work to resolve obstacles between religions. We achieve our goals by establishing foundations of trust through cultural, educational and technological gestures between the faiths. Please visit our website www.ptwf.org. About Robin Hood Founded in 1988, Robin Hood finds, fuels, and creates the most impactful and scalable solutions lifting families out of poverty in New York City, with models that can work across the country. Robin Hood invests nearly $120 million annually to provide legal services, housing, meals, workforce development training, education programs, and more to families in poverty in New York City. Learn more at www.robinhood.org. Media contact: Gary Krupp [email protected] 516-432-7560 SOURCE Pave the Way Foundation Related Links http://www.ptwf.org NEW HAVEN The families of two New Haven residents killed in a crash on Middletown Avenue Sunday are raising funds to help with funeral expenses and other costs associated with their deaths. Edwin Deida, 23, and Julisa M. Myers, 21, died in a crash 1 a.m. Sunday on Middletown Avenue near Front Street, according to New Haven police. The Honda Civic they were traveling in hit a telephone pole; both were ejected from the vehicle, according to police. Myers was a sweet, loving, caring person, her sister, Eyecenia Suarez, said on a GoFundMe page set up by the family. In a statement, Suarez said her sister was all about family. When they hurt, she hurt. She was the one that protected the family; she was the one who was always upbeat and lifting their spirits. She routinely went the extra mile to make people smile; she had a such a big pure heart. On the night she was killed, Suarez said Myers called to chat about her day. The two spoke almost every day, with Suarez going to her for advice whenever she had a problem. Suarez said Myers had gone to a nice dinner with friends recently, and volunteered to babysit so that she and her fiance could go out and enjoy a meal at the same restaurant. (T)hats just how she was, said Suarez. She was the best person ever and no one can ever replace her from our hearts. Deida was known by those close to him as Loopy, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family. Any donation will help my family through this tragic moment that were going through. Loopy will forever be in our hearts, said organizer Brianna Deida, who included the hashtag #LongLiveLoopy. Police are still investigating the circumstances of the crash, according to Capt. Anthony Duff. Duff asked witnesses to the accident to contact the New Haven Police Department at 203-946-6316. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA A red flag warning was issued for Los Angeles and Ventura County mountains Tuesday through Wednesday night, the National Weather Service reports. Santa Ana winds were starting to develop in mountains and deserts as of 1 p.m, and expected to spread over valleys and coast later this afternoon and tonight, according to the NWS. Wind gusts are expected to hit 40-60 mph with humidity at 5 to 15 percent, with the strongest winds expected to hit Tuesday night. High temperatures knocked off power for thousands of people across the Southland Tuesday as fires continued to burn in the area. There were 2,800 Los Angeles Department of Water & Power customers without power, all from small, localized neighborhood outages, Jessica Johnson, a DWP public relations representative told City News Service Tuesday night. "Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects and make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles," the NWS reports. "Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result." Drivers are urged to use extra caution, especially people operating a high profile vehicle. Officials urge people to secure outdoor objects and stay ready. "Peninsula residents are reminded to be on heightened alert and to be prepared for wildfire," city officials said in Rolling Hills Estates. Here are several ways to stay alert: If you see something, say something. Report any sign of smoke or fire immediately to your local fire department by dialing 9-1-1. If you dial 9-1-1 from your cellphone, be sure to know your location. Have your Ready! Set! Go! Wildfire Action Plan in place. Its critical for residents to be familiar with the Ready! Set! Go! program that provides important pre-planning and evacuation information. To download the Ready! Set! Go! Wildfire Action Plan and view informational how-to videos, visit fire.lacounty.gov/rsg Find more preparedness tips at ready.lacounty.gov/fire Sign up for Alert SouthBay emergency alerts by texting RHEalerts to 888-777. Story continues Red Flag Warnings in effect for much of LA/Ventura counties through Wed evening. #SantaAna winds starting to develop in mountains and deserts as of 1 pm, expected to spread over valleys and coast later this afternoon and tonight. #LAWeather #cawx #Socal pic.twitter.com/rt2tqdvDvF NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) September 8, 2020 - City News Service and Patch Editor Nicole Charky contributed to this report. See more: This article originally appeared on the Palos Verdes Patch Student Services Universities Roll Out Food Delivery by Robot Students at Arizona State University and James Madison University can now order food for delivery by autonomous robot, thanks to a partnership between food and facilities provider Aramark and Starship Technologies. Through the Starship Deliveries mobile app, students can choose food and drink items from campus eateries or local merchants, and then drop a pin on an interactive map to indicate where the delivery should be sent. They can watch the robot's progress on the map, and when it arrives, unlock it through the app and collect their items. Each robot can carry up to 20 pounds, according to the company. The robots navigate the campus using computer vision, based on a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors, to precisely map their environment. They can cross streets, climb curbs and operate day or night, even in rain or snow. In addition, the robots can be remotely controlled by humans if needed. "Campus life looks a lot different than it did last fall semester," commented Ryan Tuohy, SVP of business development at Starship Technologies, in a statement. "Our robots provide contactless delivery, which can help keep students safe and make social distancing easier. We think our new campus communities are going to love the convenience that our delivery robots offer and we're excited to become a part of life on these campuses." Dave Feinberg, the owner of Cutter's Edge in Clifton recently removed a sign from his store window that inflamed social media. The sign read "Speak English or Pay $10 Extra." Feinerg demonstrates a knife sharpening on Tuesday September 8, 2020. CLIFTON, N.J. Two weeks ago Dave Feinberg, owner of Cutters Edge, a knife and blade sharpening shop in Clifton, New Jersey, posted a sign really a handwritten note that read "Speak English or Pay $10 Extra." "I did it out of frustration," Feinberg said. "I had something to get off my chest." Now he knows what it's like to be caught in a Twitter storm. Feinberg said he put the sign up following a visit by a potential customer who couldn't, or perhaps wouldn't, speak English. Then, on Saturday, someone tweeted a picture of the sign with the comment, "How do we feel about Cutter's Edge?" When Feinberg got to his shop Tuesday, the phone was ringing almost non-stop. Most of the calls were hateful, he said, but there was a sprinkling of support as well. "Some of the people are quite vulgar," Feinberg said. In retrospect, he said he wished he hadn't posted the sign. By mid-morning Tuesday, he had already taken the sign down. Rosa Lopez, a local community organizer for Make the Road New Jersey, an immigrant rights organization, called the sign extremely insensitive. The city, after all, is home to many immigrants from Latin America and the Middle East who have likely given the tool store business, she said. At Feinberg's shop, the phone rang at least 15 times in the hour he discussed the matter while sitting behind the counter. Three callers were customers. The others were people calling about the sign. Feinberg shared the phone with a reporter for one of the calls. The caller, who would not identify himself, told a reporter he just wanted to ask Feinberg some questions. "I want to know what's the deal?" the caller asked. "What's his objective? What's his message?" Feinberg reacted the same for previous callers. He shrugged. "People say 'I hope you go out of business and lose everything,'" he said. Feinberg said he has been open since 1975 and as demographics have changed, he says he has gotten along with his neighbors, many of whom are either Latino or Arabic business owners. He added he never intended to charge the $10. Story continues "Messages like this put us back centuries," Clifton council member Rosemary Pino said, adding that while she doesn't speak for the governing body, "I can't see anyone on the council supporting this [message]." Clifton, after all, prides itself on its diversity, she said. Demographically, the city has been changing. The 2000 census put its Latino population at about 20%; census estimates for 2019 had the Latino population at just under 40%. The city also has seen a sizable increase in Arabic-speaking residents, and the school district has dozens of different languages spoken in their students' homes. Dave Feinberg, the owner of Cutter's Edge in Clifton recently removed a sign from his store window that inflamed social media. The sign read "Speak English or Pay $10 Extra." Feinerg holds a knife against a sahrpening stone on Tuesday September 8, 2020. Sara Cullinane, director of Make the Road New Jersey, said she planned to file a complaint to the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights after being contacted by the USA TODAY Network. Feinberg had his supporters, however. He said he received a few calls saying that it was "about time someone spoke up." Hector Lora, the mayor of Passaic, New Jersey, defended Feinberg, saying that he was well within his rights. Lora said if people don't like Feinberg's message, they can just choose not to use his business. However, he doesn't think it is right to attack a person's business. "Society has become hypersensitive," Lora said. Feinberg said later on Tuesday afternoon that he was considering putting up a new sign apologizing for his message. He is not sure how effective it will be. Follow reporter Matt Fagan on Twitter: @fagan_nj 'So much for honor': Despite COVID cases, college students partied Labor Day weekend away Fort Hood: Congress launches probe into alarming pattern of tragedies at military base This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Clifton, New Jersey, shop owner posts 'Speak English or Pay $10' sign Customs authorities at the Bengaluru International Courier Centre of the Kempegowda International Airport have seized 1.98 kg of MDMA (commonly called ecstasy) pills hidden in an electric foot massager. The drugs are said to be valued at Rs one crore and was being shipped from Belgium to India. A customs officer said that on suspicion an electric foot massager was thoroughly scanned and inside green and violet coloured ecstasy pills were discovered which had been wrapped in brown tape. A customs officer at KIAL said that investigations are on with regard to whom the shipment was addressed to. In an unrelated incident, a 24-year-old man has been arrested in Hassan district for procuring and selling drugs. Satish, the alleged drug dealer has been arrested by Pension Mohalla police station authorities who have also seized 180 grams of Ganja from him. He is accused of procuring it from a network in Bengaluru and selling it to youth in Hassan. Pension Mohalla police station authorities said that they are investigating the source from where the alleged drug peddler used to get his consignment. The police across Karnataka have been intensifying a crackdown on drug dealers and peddlers. Two well-known Kannada actors - Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani have been arrested in an ongoing crackdown on drug peddling and use in the Kannada movie industry. An FIR naming 12 people has also been registered in this regard at Cottonpet police station. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. 70% of banking sector debt affected by Covid-19 impact The Indian economy wasnt in great shape even before the Covid-19 outbreak, which has only made matters worse. The report by the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) expert committee on a resolution framework, headed by former ICICI Bank chief K V Kamath, brings this out clearly. Read more Sadhvi raped at Jharkhand ashram, one held, hunt on for 3 others One of four persons accused of raping a 46-year-old Sadhvi at her ashram late on Monday night in Jharkhands Godda district has been arrested on Tuesday, while a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted to nab the other three accused, police said. Read more Delhi to see dry weather this week Delhi is likely to experience dry weather over the next four-five days after a spell of light rains over the past week, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said. The IMD has forecast a partly cloudy sky and strong surface winds at a speed of up to 30 kilometres per hour (kmph) to blow across the national capital on Wednesday. Read more Japan: Yoshihide Suga in pole position for PM as debate kicks off Yoshihide Suga is on course for a landslide victory in the race to become Japans next prime minister, an Asahi newspaper tally showed, as debate kicks off later Wednesday among the three candidates vying to succeed long-time leader Shinzo Abe. Read more IPL 2020: Steve Smiths wicket on Ravi Bishnois wish list Ravi Bishnoi idolises Shane Warne, but neither his bowling action nor approach are similar to the Australian legend. There is a bit of Anil Kumble and some Rashid Khan to his action. While Warne was a classical leggie, Bishnoi, like Khan, has more hustle during release, and a longer run-up like Kumble. Read more Padhna Likhna Abhiyan to achieve goal of total literacy by 2030: Education minister The governments new literacy scheme, Padhna Likhna Abhiyan, will be a leap forward for achieving the goal of total literacy by 2030, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said on Tuesday. Read more Happy birthday Akshay Kumar: When Twinkle Khanna threatened to not have a second child, other lesser-known facts about their marriage Despite being polar opposites of each other, Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khannas marriage has been rock-solid for almost two decades now. If he is diplomatic, she is famous for her no-holds-barred style. He is a fitness enthusiast who loves outdoor activities, while she prefers to curl up with a good book. However, their differences only make them stronger. Read more Tesla CEO Elon Musk loses record $16.3 billion with wild wealth swings Elon Musks net worth plunged $16.3 billion Tuesday, the largest single-day wipeout in the history of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, as the Tesla Inc. rout continued. Read more People without masks remind Delhi Police of this Jolly LLB dialogue Masks are essential and people need to wear them while stepping outside. Period. The authorities, every now and then, take to social media to emphasis and create awareness about the importance of following this safety rule. Most of the times, they do so in a creative and witty manner. Case in point is this post by Delhi Police. Read more House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Aug. 1, 2020. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo) Democrats Push for Massive Tax Cut for the Richest, Brookings Says WASHINGTONDemocrats are pushing to lift the cap on the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes (SALT), but a Brookings Institution study says this would be a handout to the rich. Lifting the cap on the SALT deduction would massively favor the rich, with most of the benefit going to the top 1 percent, Richard Reeves and Christopher Pulliam from the Brookings Institution wrote in a recent report. House Democrats passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act in May. Buried in the 1,815-page relief bill is a provision that would eliminate the limitation on the SALT deduction for 2020 and 2021. Democrats argue that lifting the cap would provide relief to people hit hardest by the virus, especially in devastated cities such as New York. Under the old tax code, individuals who itemized their deductions were able to deduct all their SALT against their federal taxable income. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), however, limited individuals deduction for SALT payments to $10,000 a year ($5,000 for a married person filing a separate return). Any state and local individual income or property tax payments in excess of that amount are no longer deductible by individual taxpayers. Blue state Democrats believe the SALT cap is unfair to their residents. Blue states, especially those with higher individual income and property tax rates, objected to this cap and even tried to create tax maneuvers to avoid this limitation. Republicans, on the other hand, argue that the SALT deduction mostly benefits wealthy individuals and is unfair to residents in lower-tax states. They argue that lifting the SALT cap forces people in low-tax states such as Tennessee and Texas to subsidize high-tax states such as California and New York. The main argument from some on the political left for the SALT deduction is that it encourages states to spend more by making it easier for them to tax more, the Brookings report said. But if the goal is for the federal government to provide additional support to state and local governments, far better to do so directly, rather than by the roundabout route of offering a tax break to the rich. Almost all benefits of repealing the $10,000 SALT cap would go to the top quintile, with the top 1 percent getting an average tax cut of $33,100 and 0.1 percent receiving nearly $145,000, according to Tax Policy Center estimates. Lifting the SALT cap would give essentially no benefit to the middle class, contrary to what Democrats have argued. Only 4 percent of the benefit would go the middle class, for an average annual tax cut of a little less than $27, the report stated. However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in July that he would make it a priority to permanently remove the SALT deduction cap if Democrats win the Senate majority in 2020. I want to tell you this: If I become majority leader, one of the first things I will do is we will eliminate it forever, he said during a press conference. It will be dead, gone, and buried. Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Joe Bidens presidential campaign didnt immediately respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment. At best, the SALT deduction is a warped way to do social policy; at worst, it is a politically-motivated handout to the richest people in the richest places, the report stated. Rather than seeking to remove the cap on the deduction, policymakers would do better to consider steps towards the removal of the deduction itself. The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration predicted in 2019 that the SALT cap would prevent nearly 11 million taxpayers from deducting $323 billion in state and local tax payments from their federal tax returns. Most of the benefits of the TCJA went to the top fifth, and 20 percent went to the top 1 percent. But lifting the SALT cap would be much more favorable to the richwith almost three times as much of the benefit going to the top one percent, the report stated. OTTAWA - Black Canadians who want to start or expand a business will have access to loans and supports for training and mentorship under a new federal program unveiled by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Toronto Wednesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sits alongside HXOUSE co-founder Ahmed Ismail, as he meets with Black entrepreneurs at HXOUSE in Toronto, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston OTTAWA - Black Canadians who want to start or expand a business will have access to loans and supports for training and mentorship under a new federal program unveiled by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Toronto Wednesday. The $221-million program, jointly funded by the federal government and eight financial institutions, is the first of its kind to help Black businesses on a national scale. It responds to one of the requests made in June by an open letter from the Parliamentary Black Caucus that was signed by more than 100 MPs and senators. It is also the first sign of any policies to address systemic racism since Trudeau promised in early July that doing so was a priority for his cabinet. Trudeau said Wednesday the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the systemic gaps and economic barriers Black Canadians face every day, and that his government wants a pandemic recovery that is "inclusive and equitable for all Canadians." "An investment in Black excellence is an investment in economic empowerment and economic empowerment is an essential part of justice," he said. "It's justice against a system that has locked out far too many Black entrepreneurs and denied them the same opportunities as other Canadians." Ottawa is putting up $93 million over the next four years for the Black Entrepreneurship Program, while banks are contributing up to $128 million for loans between $25,000 and $250,000 for Black business owners. The participating banks are RBC, BMO Financial Group, Scotiabank, CIBC, National Bank, TD, Vancity, and Alterna Savings. The federal cash will include $33 million towards the loans, $6.5 million to collect data on the barriers preventing Black Canadians from succeeding in business, and $53 million for Black business organizations to provide mentorship, financial planning and business training. Trudeau made the announcement at a Toronto organization called HXOUSE, which describes itself as a "think centre" to help foster innovation and opportunities for young talents in Toronto. HXOUSE, (the X is silent), gets its unique name from the XO label of Grammy-winning artist The Weeknd, who launched the centre in 2018 along with his creative director, La Mar Taylor, and Ahmed Ismail, owner of the marketing firm Influencers PR. Ismail said Wednesday the new program is a welcome sign of a government acknowledging systemic racism exists, addressing the fact opportunities are not equally available, and taking "the uncomfortable step of doing something about it." "This is something I've never really witnessed in all my life in any country that I've studied," said Ismail, who was born in Somalia and has also studied and worked in the United States. Liberal MP Greg Fergus, the chair of the Parliamentary Black Caucus, said the program isn't all that is needed but will help Black Canadians be economic actors, community leaders and see "that we are full Canadians and want to participate in this wonderful country that we call home." "It will not in one fell swoop eliminate all systemic discrimination and the consequences but we've taken a positive step forward," he said. Systemic racism across Canadian institutions, governments and communities took centre stage in the spring, after the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting in the death, after allegedly not doing anything to stop it. His death became a lightning rod for racialized Americans to demand change, leading to hundreds of protests around the United States. Similar protests erupted in Canada, where the focus also included the treatment of Indigenous Peoples. 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. On June 6, Trudeau attended a Black Lives Matter protest on Parliament Hill. A month later, he said he was assigning his cabinet to spend the summer working on multiple plans to address systemic racism. That included policing, the justice system and improving access to capital for racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. He also campaigned on a promise to strengthen and double the funding for the national anti-racism program his government announced in 2019. Trudeau himself was forced to apologize during the campaign after photos emerged of him wearing blackface several times as a teenager and in his early 20s. The $45-million Building a Foundation for Change program includes funds to tackle racism in the civil service, develop an anti-racism secretariat and start gathering more specific data on systemic racism in Canada. There has been no announcement yet to make good on the promise to double the program's funding. The new entrepreneur program announced Wednesday is the first policy to come from cabinet's summer assignment to tackle racism. Trudeau said it is a "significant economic empowerment" program but said there are more announcements coming. "I recognize there is much more to do on the justice system, much more to do on public safety and working with police and we will have more things to talk about," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2020. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 20:51:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PARIS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- French companies need to be prepared for the risk of no trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK), as the two sides are conducting the eighth round of discussions over new trade arrangements, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester said on Wednesday. "In case of no-deal, we must prepare for the consequences which will be difficult," Riester told BFMTV Business. He added that the French government was working on "a whole plan of action, border management and product control" to help domestic companies, ports and airports cope with hard Brexit. France has already triggered a plan to mitigate difficulties linked with a hard Brexit. It included an investment of 50 million euros (58.9 million U.S. dollars) in ports and airports. Britain ended its EU membership in January this year, but is still following EU rules during the transition period until Dec. 31 of 2020 to allow both sides to bridge differences on the post-Brexit relationship, and forge a permanent future trade deal. During this period, Britain would have to pay into EU funds but have no say in laws imposed by Brussels. On Tuesday, European and British negotiators launched a new round of talks in an attempt to seal an agreement before the European Union summit on Oct. 15-16. Both sides hope to start implementing the new deal from January 2021. "We need to make sure that our British partners respect their commitments," Riester said. On Monday (Sept. 7), British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wanted a post-Brexit trade deal agreed with EU by an Oct. 15 deadline, warning that a failure of that could mean London ending its EU membership with no deal. Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost called for realism from the EU side before the talks started in London on Tuesday, insisting there was still time for the two sides to agree on a post-Brexit trade deal. Frost has declared that this week is make-or-break for trade talks with the EU if the UK is to avoid leaving the transition period with no deal, Sky News reported. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars) Enditem A coronavirus vaccine may not be available until the spring leaving Britons at risk of lockdown over Christmas, the Government's chief scientist has warned. Sir Patrick Vallance told a Downing Street press briefing this afternoon that although research is 'progressing' a vaccine may still be at least four months away. 'Vaccines are progressing, some will read out this year in terms of efficacy and safety,' he said. 'I think there's a reasonable chance that therefore we can think about the possibility of vaccination next year some time at larger levels.' It comes after the Oxford vaccine trial was put on hold this morning when a volunteer was rushed to hospital with suspected swelling in their spinal cord. UK drug giant AstraZeneca, which owns the rights to the vaccine, said last night that all studies of the jab had been paused indefinitely while it investigates whether the patient's side-effect is connected to the vaccine. The jab had been expected at the end of 2020 but its creators have sought to dampen expectations, with Matt Hancock warning it would not be available until the 'first few months of 2021'. The Government announced the tightening of lockdown restrictions in England this morning, and said Britons will not be able to meet in groups larger than six from Monday. Almost 3,000 new coronavirus cases have been recorded daily for the past four days, a level that has not been seen since mid-May. Sir Patrick Vallance warned that a coronavirus vaccine may not be available until next year Russia offers Covid-19 vaccine to volunteers Russia will begin offering its coronavirus vaccine to volunteers this week, amid warnings that it has not been properly tested in human trials. The Sputnik V, which is based on the vaccine for adenovirus or the common cold, has been fast-tracked to production after less than two months of human testing. Health minister Mikhail Murashko announced today that it would be made available to the population, according to the TASS news agency. President Vladimir Putin has previously claimed it is safe and that he tested it on his own daughter. 'I know it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and, I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks,' he said at a government meeting on state television last month. But scientists in Russia have questioned the speed of its development, and warned it could have side-effects if offered to the public too early. Advertisement Admitting the Oxford vaccine would not be available this year, Hancock told LBC radio on Monday: 'The best-case scenario is that (the vaccine's roll out) happens this year. I think more likely is the early part of next year - in the first few months of next year is the most likely. 'But we've also bought vaccine ahead of it getting approved from a whole different series of international vaccines as well.' As many as 30 million doses of the vaccine have been secured, and already being manufactured, ahead of it gaining approval. Sir Patrick Vallance said this afternoon there are 200 possible vaccines in development globally and eight have entered the last stage of clinical trials. 'What we do know already is that many of these vaccines are showing the right immune response,' he said this afternoon. 'So people who have been vaccinated volunteers who've been vaccinated are generating an immune response to the virus. 'We don't know how long that will last but the immune response looks good in many cases and it's seen in the elderly as well as others.' He said the Oxford vaccine is 'right at the front' in global efforts to find an immunisation bullet against the virus as 'it's been in more people than anyone else'. 'The trials as you've seen reported have been paused because of an investigation into a potential unwanted effect. 'That is not an unwanted thing in a phase three programme. We need to make sure with these vaccines that they work, that they work well enough and that they are safe.' He added: 'Vaccines and drug treatments are going to be a very important part of how we eventually get on top of this virus.' The Government's move to tighten coronavirus restrictions has sparked fears that families Christmas gatherings could be disrupted. But seeking to pour cold water on the fears, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News that although the restrictions are there for the 'foreseeable future' they will be withdrawn if the number of new cases starts to fall again. 'Three months is a long time in a pandemic,' he insisted. 'Christmas is a long way off. I really hope that we can turn this around before Christmas. We've got to make sure that right now people both understand the rules and follow them.' It is unclear what the exact nature of the reaction to the Oxford vaccine was, but the New York Times quoted a source claiming the patient had transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord that can cause permanent paralysis. The disorder can be triggered from a number of causes that set off the bodys inflammatory responses, including viral infections, which is what a vaccine is intended to do. Trials for AstraZeneca's shot are underway in the US, UK, Australia, Brazil (pictured) and other nations. Phase 3 testing will now be paused while safety data is reviewed The jab was expected at the end of 2020 but its creators have had to temper expectations after community transmission began to fizzle out in Britain and stall crucial trials needed to seal its approval. It was called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 before Oxford teamed up with AstraZeneca to manufacture it Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the pause to the Oxford vaccine trial is not necessarily a setback and that trials of the jab were put on hold over summer when a patient fell ill. He told Sky News: 'It is obviously a challenge to this particular vaccine. It's not actually the first time it has happened to the Oxford vaccine and it's a standard process in clinical trials.' Asked if it will push back the roll-out of the vaccine, Mr Hancock said: 'Not necessarily - it depends on what they find when they do the investigation. There was a pause earlier in the summer and that was resolved without a problem.' The UK's coronavirus task force has secured access to six of the vaccines in development, providing they are found to work. They are also in four different classes of vaccine, meaning that the failure of one should not impact the others. Eighty years ago, the Battle of Britain was being fought in the skies over Englands southern counties. Hitlers Luftwaffe was trying to destroy the Royal Air Force to pave the way for a German invasion of these islands. But that onslaught was stopped by the worlds first integrated air defence system one that was almost unbreakable. Of that system, today only the aircraft and pilots of RAF Fighter Command, Churchills Few, are remembered. The many who manned radar stations, plotting and communication rooms, observer posts and anti-aircraft guns have been all but forgotten. And of Fighter Commands aircraft, the one that is best remembered is the Supermarine Spitfire, even though there were almost twice as many Hawker Hurricane fighters. The Spitfire became the icon of the Battle of Britain. Why it became an icon and remains revered is simple. R.J. Mitchell, its designer, had created an aircraft that looked right and was also elegant and graceful. The Spitfires beautiful lines suggest a work of art, rather than of engineering. As the old aphorism has it: If it looks right, it is right. And the Spitfire looked absolutely right in its natural element the skies, whether soaring, looping the loop or rolling. Pilots loved it. It was often said that you didnt climb into a Spitfire; you strapped it on. Following German victory in France, the Spitfire became the focus of an initiative by Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft Production, to allow the public to contribute towards the purchase of the Supermarine fighter for the RAF. The Spitfire Fund was aimed at local authorities, businesses and private individuals. It was an immediate success. At first it was styled the 100,000 Shillings Fund (5,000), to cover the purchase of a single Spitfire, by getting people of all ages, rich and poor, to make a donation. But the idea touched a chord in much the same way as the Thursday evening salutes for the NHS and key workers did earlier this year. It seemed as if everyone in an already heavily-taxed nation was prepared to put some money towards a Spitfire. In Northern Ireland the fund was taken up enthusiastically by the Belfast Telegraph which encouraged readers to make donations, no matter how small. Such was the success of the Telegraphs efforts that no fewer than 17 Spitfires were purchased with contributions from the people of the province. Expand Close 4/5 May 1941. High Street after being blitzed. AR 76. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 4/5 May 1941. High Street after being blitzed. AR 76. In all, readers donated 88,633,16s.5d. Today that would be about 2,886,803.54. Across the UK and farther afield, 13m was given. Thats some 650m today. From Belfast shipyard workers came the sum of 4,559. On the other end of the scale two schoolgirls in Fermanagh saved halfpennies; their contribution of 336 coins (equal to 1.28 today) was just as important. Each Belfast Telegraph Spitfire was given a name associated with Northern Ireland, with the first being Londonderry, named for the county. Then followed Belfast, Harlandic, Down and Enniskillen. Harlandic marked that contribution of almost 5,000 made by shipyard workers. Each county had its Spitfire while some towns Portadown, Ballymena, Larne and Bangor also gave their names to aircraft. Only Enniskillen and Fermanagh survived the war, although both were later scrapped. None of the other Belfast Telegraph Spitfires made it to 1945. They had had varied histories. Expand Close Royal Airforce (RAF) Spitfire: The 'Belfast', one of the planes from the Belfast Telegraph Spitfire Fund. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Royal Airforce (RAF) Spitfire: The 'Belfast', one of the planes from the Belfast Telegraph Spitfire Fund. Londonderry, the first of those Spitfires, was destroyed in a flying accident in August 1943. By then it had been relegated to non-combat duties, later versions of the Spitfire having taken over the front-line role. City of Derry literally had a chequered history: it was issued to the famous Free Polish No. 315 (Deblinski) Squadron as it converted from Hurricanes to Spitfire IIs. During its time with the squadron, City of Derry bore the red-and-white chequer-board symbol of the Free Poles. While with the Deblinski Squadron, City of Derry was flown by a number of Polish pilots and saw considerable aerial combat. In one action, on 14 August 1941, the squadron shot down eight Messerschmitt Bf109s in a battle over France; City of Derry was one of the Spitfires involved in that clash. Expand Close Life on the wing: Pilots of No.19 and No.616 Squadrons pose by a Spitfire. Sitting on the wing (left to right) are Brian Lane, 'Grumpy' Unwin and Francis Brinsden - with Flash the Alsatian and Rangy the Spaniel. In front, are Bernard Jennings, Colin MacFie, Howard Burton and the American volunteer Philip Leckrone. Three of the men - Lane, Burton and Leckrone - did not survive the war. MacFie went on to fly with Bader's Tangmere Wing until he was shot down in combat and captured in July 1941. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Life on the wing: Pilots of No.19 and No.616 Squadrons pose by a Spitfire. Sitting on the wing (left to right) are Brian Lane, 'Grumpy' Unwin and Francis Brinsden - with Flash the Alsatian and Rangy the Spaniel. In front, are Bernard Jennings, Colin MacFie, Howard Burton and the American volunteer Philip Leckrone. Three of the men - Lane, Burton and Leckrone - did not survive the war. MacFie went on to fly with Bader's Tangmere Wing until he was shot down in combat and captured in July 1941. While City of Derry survived that action, it was destroyed in a flying accident in October 1941 while with 610 Squadron. Similar fates befell most Belfast Telegraph Spitfires. In fact, twelve pilots lost their lives in combat or in accidents while flying those aircraft. Both Tyrone and Harlandic were shot down in action over the French coast in that ill-judged series of RAF offensives over France in 1941 in which too many young airmen lost their lives. Ballymena also flew with the Deblinski Squadron but it, too, was lost over France in July 1941. Its Polish pilot, Pilot Officer Czachowski, perished. Earlier in the year, Belfast, of 610 Squadron, had been lost after intercepting a German bomber off the Isle of Wight. Pilot Officer A.R. Ross was killed. In January 1942, Down, by then flying with 504 Squadron, crashed in County Armagh, killing its Canadian pilot. It was the only Belfast Telegraph Spitfire to serve in Northern Ireland. Expand Close 4/5 May 1941. Billowing flames at the corner of Rosemary Street and North Street. AR 141. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 4/5 May 1941. Billowing flames at the corner of Rosemary Street and North Street. AR 141. The Belfast Telegraph Spitfire that saw most action was also one of only two to survive the war. Although Enniskillen suffered an early accident, it was repaired and returned to service, flying patrols over the North Sea with 72 Squadron before moving to 74 Squadron. With 74 Squadron it flew bomber-escort missions over Brest, where the German battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were under repair. Enniskillen survived a series of missions over France in 1942, including the Dieppe raid in August. Becoming obsolescent, it was assigned to second-line duties, survived the war and was sold into private ownership but later scrapped. Expand Close Belfast air raids. April/May 1941: Belfast Telegraph offices boarded up and Central Library on Royal Avenue. AR 21 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Belfast air raids. April/May 1941: Belfast Telegraph offices boarded up and Central Library on Royal Avenue. AR 21 Coincidentally, the other survivor was Fermanagh. Having served with four squadrons since first being issued to 611 Squadron, Fermanagh was finally discharged from the RAF on 5 June 1945, just under a month after the war in Europe ended. The Belfast Telegraphs final contribution to the Spitfire Fund, a 133.16s.5d cheque, was handed over to Sir Stafford Cripps in London in May 1945. In total over 20,000 Spitfires were built and the plane, in various marks, served from before the war until the 1950s. My first sight of a real Spit was at an Open Day at Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton in the early 1950s where Seafires, the naval version, were parked on the tarmac. Expand Close 15/16 April 1941. Hughenden Avenue (Cavehill Road). AR 96. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 15/16 April 1941. Hughenden Avenue (Cavehill Road). AR 96. Spitfires continue to attract attention. Designed as a bomber interceptor, the Spitfire undertook many other roles and became heavier and more powerful as the war progressed. The last Spitfires and Seafires retained the basic elegance of the first but perhaps not all of their grace and beauty. Three quarters of a century after the war ended, the Spitfire remains an icon of the conflict, a symbol of determination and of eventual triumph over the evil of Nazism. The evocative sound of their Merlin engines recalls those days in the 1940s when citizens across the UK and farther afield dug into their pockets to buy a Spitfire and the Belfast Telegraph led the way in making such a sterling contribution to survival and the final victory. The Belfast Telegraph presentation Spitfires: P7683 Londonderry P7684 Belfast P7685 Harlandic P7823 Down P7832 Enniskillen P7833 Portadown P7834 Mid Ulster P7835 Ballymena P7838 Fermanagh P7839 City of Derry P7840 Mountains of Mourne P7841 Larne P7842 Bangor P7843 Aldergrove P7849 Armagh P7686 Tyrone P7828 Antrim The name of each aircraft was painted in 4-inch-high yellow letters on either side of the fuselage just forward of the cockpit. In the case of the 17 Belfast Telegraph Spitfires the words Belfast Telegraph Spitfire Fund were painted below in slightly smaller letters. Sydneysiders will be forking out more for rates, with councils given approval to increase costs by two per cent next financial year. The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal said that while rates have gone up less than usual, residents will still see an increase. 'We consider the costs that local governments incur to do things like maintain our footpaths and roads and the parks and community facilities we use,' Liz Livingstone from the tribunal told 9News. In Canterbury Bankstown, Blacktown and Campbelltown, in the city's west and southwest, residents could be slugged an extra $25, based on the average household rate. The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal said that while rates have gone up less than usual, residents will still see an increase In Canterbury Bankstown, Blacktown and Campbelltown, in the city's west and southwest, residents could be slugged an extra $25, based on the average household rate Residents on the Northern Beaches, the Sutherland Shire and Penrith will have to fork out an extra $30 per year, while Camden Council is offering one-off rebates. This is in addition to $1050 - the average residential council rate in New South Wales. 'We know in 2020 everybody is struggling and that's why councils understand the need to have the rate peg at this level, this year,' Local Government NSW President Linda Scott said. Bushfires, drought, floods and the coronavirus pandemic have also contributed to extra costs for some local government areas. 'We'll work with the councils in respect of that - we want to put as much downward pressure as we can right now on the cost of living and rates form part of that,' NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said. But councils have warned the proposed rate won't be enough to allow local governments to offset the cost of the recent disasters. 'It's tough right now for everyone. Of all levels of government, councils have the strongest grassroots perspective on the job losses and economic damage,' Local Government NSW president Linda Scott told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'No council in NSW is looking to increase rates beyond what is necessary. Together, we are working incredibly hard to save jobs and stimulate local economies by investing in community infrastructure projects and community services.' Bushfires, drought, floods and the coronavirus pandemic have also contributed to extra costs for some local government areas The pricing regulator in 2019 allowed for a 2.6 per cent rate increase, while the previous two years were 2.7 per cent and 2.3 per cent. What are rates? Rates are the City's primary sources of ongoing income, making up approximately 55 per cent of our income each year. Rates are used to provide essential infrastructure and services. If you own a home or business property you will pay rates to your local council, unless your property (a church, school or hospital, for example) is exempt from rates. Advertisement The maximum increase allowed was capped at 1.5 per cent in the 2017-2018 financial year. Ms Cope said the allowable rate was lifted by two per cent in 2021-22 included an adjustment of 0.2 per cent for election costs. 'The adjustment will be reversed through the 202223 rate peg, to ensure that ratepayers are not overcharged in subsequent, non-election years,' she said. Local Government NSW president Linda Scott said is calling for a more flexible ratings system. 'The 2021-22 rate peg is more than half-a-percentage point down on this year, and will certainly go some way to helping local government continue to provide the services and maintain the infrastructure so critical to our communities right now,' she said. The increase in rates comes despite council executives earning between $350,000 and $500,000. The average full-time worker cost at the City of Sydney is about $124,000 a year. Compared with some of the other twelve tribes of Israel and their descendants, the tribe of Benjamin doesnt get a whole lot of press in Scripture. Nevertheless, many important biblical figures came from this tribe. Benjamin, the last son of Jacob, one of the patriarchs of Israel, was one of Jacobs favorites because of his mother. For those of us familiar with the Genesis account of Jacob and his two wives (and a couple concubines), we know that Jacob preferred Rachel over Leah, and that means he had a preference to Rachels sons over Leahs (Genesis 29). Nevertheless, even though Benjamin earns a spot as one of Jacobs favorite children, he receives somewhat of an odd prophecy about his offspring at the end of Jacobs life. Jacob blesses each of his sons and gives a prophecy about their future tribe. This is the one Benjamin receives: Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder (Genesis 49:27). From what we know about Benjamins character from the narrative, this seems surprising. In this article, well dive into the character of Benjamin, what the prophecy for the tribe of Benjamin means, important figures from the tribe of Benjamin, and what the significance of the tribe is. Who Was Benjamin? As mentioned before, Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob, one of Rachels two children. We dont get many details about Benjamin from the biblical narrative, because the latter half of Genesis covers mostly Jacobs life. We do know, however, that Jacob doesnt appear to learn from his mistake of playing favorites with Jacob, because he does so with Benjamin. When Joseph, unrecognized by his brothers, tests them by threatening to enslave Benjamin for stealing from him (Genesis 44), his brothers beg Joseph to let someone else take Benjamins place. Apart from how people react to Benjamin in Scripture, we dont get many hints of his character. What Does Benjamins Prophecy Mean? Benjamins prophecy appears to come in three parts. Scripture compares his tribe with a wolf. And he devours prey in the morning and divides plunder in the evening. Wolves, as indicated by John Gills commentary, show a military valor. This means this tribe would have military success (Judges 20:15-25), which makes sense in light of the rest of the prophecy when it talks about prey and plunder. Also, as mentioned in the commentary above, this symbolically plays an importance in the lives of one of the most famous Benjamintes: the Apostle Paul (more on him in a moment). Paul, in the morning of his life, devoured Christians, but by the end of his life, he enjoyed the spoils of the Christian walk, and eternal life. Photo credit: Getty Images/kieferpix Who Were Important People from the Tribe of Benjamin? Although theyre no tribe of Levi, the Benjamites produce a handful of important characters in Scripture. Well highlight a few of them below. Ehud was a more obscure judge in Israels history. He was a left-handed assassin who defeated the king of Moab and restored Israel from their enemies (Judges 3). Also, under the judges of Israel such as Deborah, the Benjamites experienced a great deal of military success, as prophesied. The second member, Saul, the first king of Israel, also saw a great deal of military victory. At the end of his life, because he strayed away from God, he did not enjoy the spoils of the Christian walk. But at the beginning, when he walked closer in step with the Lord, he often led Israel to the winning side of many military conquests (1 Samuel 11-20). Our third member may come more as a surprise to readers, as she did not participate in the front lines of battle. Rather, she had to wage a silent political war to save her people. Indeed, Queen Esther hails from the tribe of Benjamin. She helped to undermine a plot to destroy the Jewish people after winning the heart of King Ahasuerus. Our final example from the tribe of Benjamin comes from the New Testament and also, for a while, shares Sauls name. The Apostle Paul descends from Benjamins line (Philippians 3:4-8). As discussed above, he does seek to devour his prey: Christians. But after he experiences the transformative power of salvation, he changes allegiances and experiences spoils at the end of his life. What Is the Significance of the Tribe of Benjamin? The tribe of Benjamin is significant for a number of reasons. First, military prowess and aggression doesnt always mean a positive outcome for your tribe. Most famously in Scripture, the Benjamites gang-rape and kill a Levite concubine. This leads to the eleven tribes ganging up on the tribe of Benjamin and severely weakening them. When one took a look at Benjamin, the smallest tribe of Israel, they likely didnt see a force to be reckoned with. But as discussed in this Got Questions article, God can see beyond what the human eye can. Secondly, we have several important figures who come from this tribe. All, with the exception of Paul, displayed either military strength, cunning (in the case of Esther and Ehud), and political savvy. Well notice that all four of the ones mentioned held a high position of some sort. Paul ended up yielding his position when he followed Christ. But as one can argue, Christians receive a higher heavenly position when they pass from this world into the next (2 Timothy 2:12). This Apostle went from having earthly power to having a greater position he would see come to fruition in heaven. Finally, its important we focus on the final part of Benjamins prophecy. Paul had a foretaste of this when he joined Christianity. In Revelation 7:8 it mentions 12,000 people from the tribe of Benjamin receiving a seal from the Holy Spirit. Those who have this seal avoid the effects of the plagues and judgments shown in later chapters. This means that not only did the Benjamites experience military spoils in a literal sense, but they can also enjoy the blessings of eternal life. Benjamins prophecy not only lasts during the Old and New Testaments, but will come to an ultimate fulfillment at the end of time. Photo credit: Unsplash/Gift Habeshaw Hope Bolinger is a multi-published novelist and a graduate of Taylor University's professional writing program. More than 1,200 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her modern-day Daniel trilogy is out with IlluminateYA. She is also the co-author of the Dear Hero duology, which was published by INtense Publications. And her inspirational adult romance Picture Imperfect releases in November of 2021. Find out more about her at her website. By Taaj Williams Over the past two months, millions of Americans have taken to the streets to peacefully protest George Floyds brutal murder. Unfortunately, I know firsthand what the Floyd family is going through. On April 11, 1999, my brother, Earl Faison -- an innocent, unarmed Black man -- died within an hour of being detained by the Orange Police Department. He was viciously beaten by officers who mistook him for an armed robber who killed a police officer several days earlier. Civil charges were brought against the five officers involved in this case. But there were never any criminal charges or answers for his death. My family has never received an apology. We often wonder why there were no criminal charges brought for Earls death. We have lived the last 21 years unsatisfied with the carelessness and recklessness of the Orange Police Department, and have been made to feel as if we should just sit, settle, and be satisfied with getting a conviction in the civil suit. But we are not satisfied. Because of Earls killing, I have a vested interest in police reform. I want to make sure what happened to my brother and George Floyd stops once and for all. The U.S. Senate has an opportunity to take steps in the right direction toward holding law enforcement officers responsible and ending needless police brutality. House Democrats drafted a sweeping police reform bill, and the GOP coalesced around its own, more limited measure drafted by U.S. Senator Tim Scott, the Senates only Black Republican. Senate Democrats blocked that imperfect legislation, rather than letting Republicans pass the bill with their input and send it through a process where lawmakers from both parties could iron out their differences. Now, the legislative progress has ground to a halt. For criminal justice reform activists like me, this stalemate is a huge disappointment. Americans are demanding reform now. An estimated 26 million people have participated in protests following the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, constituting the largest protest movement in U.S. history. New Jersey alone saw dozens of demonstrations in communities ranging from Newark and Hackensack to Camden, Toms River and beyond. Support for police reform crosses party and ethnic lines. Ninety-four percent of Americans believe at least some reform is needed to improve policing, with 58% calling for major changes, according to a recent Gallup poll. Lawmakers dont feel the same sense of urgency. Everyone knows the current House bill stands zero chance of passing a GOP Senate. So by blocking U.S. Sen. Scotts bill, Democrats are effectively kicking the can until 2021 -- in the hopes that theyll gain a Senate majority and reclaim the White House. Thats a risky bet. The bipartisan political will to improve our police forces may not last until next year. And the outcome of the election is not assured. If lawmakers want to seize this historic opportunity, they need to come back to the negotiating table right now. Democrats can start by debating U.S. Sen. Scotts bill and offering amendments that bring it more in-line with their vision. Here, the leadership of our own U.S. Sen. Booker and will prove critical. U.S. Sen. Booker is currently one of Congress' most vocal advocates for police reform. He recently led fellow U.S. Senate Democrats in 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence, commemorating the amount of time a Minneapolis police officer knelt of George Floyds neck. Such a bill wont include everything Democrats want -- and thats O.K. Implementing some compromise reforms now doesnt preclude lawmakers from pursuing more ambitious, progressive measures next year. For instance, both parties largely agree on the importance of boosting funding for police diversity and community policing initiatives. More than eight in 10 Americans also support the establishment of a national registry for police misconduct, judging by a recent poll by the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. Such an online database would hold law enforcement accountable and help evaluate reform efforts. Lawmakers could also ban chokeholds in cases where deadly force isnt needed, require officers to intervene in cases of excessive force and invest in de-escalation and mental health training. A version of all of these reforms is already part of Sen. Scotts bill, which makes it a strong starting point for bipartisan discussions. Americans have crossed party lines to demand police accountability. Now its up to lawmakers to do the same. Its time to set aside their partisan differences and deliver those reforms -- before the November elections. Taaj Williams is a New Jersey-based author, influencer, educator, and social entrepreneur who specializes in building progressive relationships in family, community, and business. Williams' brother, Earl Faison, died after he was beaten and pepper-sprayed by Orange police officers. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Heres how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Serum Institute of India (SII) said on Wednesday that trials of AstraZeneca Plcs potential Covid-19 vaccine in the country is in progress even has AstraZeneca paused global trials. We cant comment much on the UK trials, but they have been paused for further review and they hope to restart soon. As far as Indian trials are concerned, it is continuing and we have faced no issues at all," SII said in a statement. SII was responding to how the halt in trials globally is going to play out in India given that SII is developing a vaccine against Covid-19 in collaboration with AstraZeneca and Oxford University. On Wednesday, the phase three trials of AstraZeneca were stopped in the UK and the pharma firm said it has halted global trials, including large late-stage trials, of its experimental coronavirus vaccine due to an unexplained illness in a study participant. AstraZeneca has not given out details on the nature of the adverse reaction in the patient. We voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee. This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials," AstraZeneca said in a statement. Taking the medical fraternity and other vaccine watchers by surprise, Serum Institute said, We cant comment much on the UK trials." Its the same vaccine candidate, if there is a safety signal, even if just one, and the UK trial has been suspended till a DSMB looks at the event, why not suspend the Indian study too till that decision is made?" wrote Dr Anant Bhan, Researcher in Bioethics in a tweet. The ethics committees for the Indian sites should be intervening," he told News18. The Pune-based vaccine maker earlier shortlisted 17 sites in India for the Phase II clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine. At least 1,600 candidates aged between 18 to 55, will participate in the trial. The trials started on August 26 in Punes Vidyapeeth Medical College. In the UK, the Lancet published data on trials of AstraZeneca that indicated that the vaccine candidate produced a dual immune response in people aged 18 to 55. On the disruption of trials of Oxford Universitys vaccine candidate, which has been touted as a front runner, Professor Ashish Jha wrote on Twitter We have no idea whether this is a big deal or not. Science is hard. This is why we have to let the trials play out. I remain optimistic we will have a vaccine found to be safe and effective in upcoming months. But optimism isnt evidence." The government of India, meanwhile, in a press briefing on Tuesday expressed confidence about Serum Institutes manufacturing capacity. Manufacturing capacity of Serum Institute is unimaginable - 75 to 100 million doses per month," Dr VK Paul, head of Indias National Task Force on Covid-19 said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 03:08:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he will attend a ceremony in Washington next week to sign the peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). "I am proud to travel to Washington next week, at the invitation of (U.S.) President (Donald) Trump, and to attend the historic ceremony at the White House to form the peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates," Netanyahu said in a statement. White House officials revealed that the deal will be signed on Sept. 15 by Israeli and UAE delegations at the White House. The UAE delegation will be likely led by Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan. The ceremony will take place about a month after the Israeli-UAE normalization agreement was announced on Aug. 13. The UAE has become the third Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan. In the wake of the announcement, Israel's flag carrier El Al has conducted its first commercial flight between the two countries, while direct telephone links were established, and discussions on cooperation in numerous areas were launched. Enditem New Delhi: BJP leader Reeta Bahuguna Joshi, who tested positive for COVID-19, is being shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon on Wednesday. She was earlier admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow. In a statement, the premier hospital said, "MP Reeta Bahuguna Joshi was admitted on September 3 in Rajdhani Corona Hospital, SGPGI after testing positive for COVID-19 with mild fever and generalized weakness. Treatment as per protocol for the mild disease was started." "She was clinically stable but as her husband, PC Joshi, was also suffering from COVID-19 and was admitted to Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon, she wished to be shifted there to be with her family. So, she requested to be shifted to Medanta Medicity as per her own personal reason and choice, and left at around 2 pm," the statement added. Earlier on September 8, the 71-year-old leader experienced mild breathlessness for which she was shifted to the ICU for further management and better monitoring. Appropriate changes in her treatment were carried out, the SGPGIMS statement added. R Gopalakrishnan And Tulsi Jayakumar By During the American Civil War in the 1860s, US President Abraham Lincoln delivered a brief, albeit historic speech. He invoked a government of the people, by the people, for the people in his famous Gettysburg address, and etched indelibly the core element of any institutionpeople. Our joint research and authorship of books on Building Institutions by corporate shapers point to the same unfaltering truth: People-orientation is at the core of business institutions just as it is in democratic nations. Companies of, by and for the people make for institutions. Shapers are known, inter alia, for exceptionally high people-orientation, thus contributing to society and communities, and, incidentally, also making profits. Take the case of TCS. When there were less than 10 database experts in Mumbai, TCS pioneered the creation of skilled human resources to seed a new industry for India. F C Kohli, the father of Indian IT, worked closely with Dr P K Kelkar, who oversaw the development of IITs, to develop the first M.Tech program in computer science at IIT Kanpur. Kohli attracted talent from MIT, UCLA and Harvard. When S Ramadorai took over, the Indian IT industry was growing at a scorching 40% per year and the human resource challenge had acquired a different dimension altogether. Ram (as he is known) and his team initiated Ignitea programme to train non-engineering graduates to become business consultants who could travel the world and speak the one language of TCS. The company has managed to increase its employee strength 40 times over 23 years, from 10,000 employees in 1996 to 4,17,000 in 2019, with the lowest attrition rate in the industry. Building an organisation through hiring the right people with the desired work ethic and values by catching them young, and allowing them to explore their potential has been the formula for success for the behemoth of Indias financial sector, the HDFC group. As Deepak Parekh, the shaper of the HDFC group, said in his interview for one book in the series, We always say that we hire ordinary people and make them do extraordinary things. What better way than this to epitomise Abe Lincolns of the people? Maricos shaper, Harsh Mariwala, saw early on that an organisation could command human qualities like creativity, passion and initiative. What is necessary is to ensure that an institution is built by the people with these qualities, who can ensure a work culture where people are encouraged to take risks without punishing failure. It also means empowerment of a certain nature that had not been imagined hitherto. Thus, Marico entrusts employees with keeping their own attendance and leave records, with the HR department neither monitoring employees attendance nor maintaining leave records; reimbursements for expenses incurred at work are also self-administered, thus doing away with routine bureaucracy. Such empowerment and encouragement for an entrepreneurial orientation is characteristic of other business institutions like Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) as well. However, to let the organisation be built by people, the shaper has to be one who revels in a team comprising achievers who can question, challenge and express dissent. Uday Kotaks team at KMB has people like Shanti Ekambaram, who was a tough competitor in his early days. As Uday says, If your team members are better than you, thats what you want. Anil Naik of L&T is equally open to feedback from his employees and has been known to ask them a simple, direct question: What do you think we need to transform this company? While profits are the oxygen of business organisations, business institutions exist primarily for the people. Biocon is one such institution, with its shaper unsurprisingly epitomising a business with courage and heart. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw believes she was following her heart by manufacturing and supplying insulin to the poor in the US. It was her courage that made her take on the big players in the US by profitably selling her insulin brand at a fraction of the price that other big drug pharma companies were charging; 90% of the poor and immigrant population use Biocons insulin, which costs $5 per unit compared to the price of $200-$250 per unit of the other large drug manufacturing companies. Keen business sense apart, almost all shapers and their business institutions have been associated with giving back to society. L&Ts Naik remains deeply committed to the community and has pledged 75% of his wealth to social causes. Marico gives back to society through mentoring and facilitating entrepreneurs to scale their ventures through the Marico Innovation Foundation, while the Kotak Education Foundation, along with support towards a badminton academy managed by Pulella Gopichand, are KMBs ways of corporate social responsibility. Thus, business institutions are known for the people they create and in turn get created by them. (During his 50-year career, the author had served as Director, Tata Sons and, before that, as Vice Chairman, Hindustan Unilever. Tulsi Jayakumar is Professor of Economics and Chairperson, Family Managed Business at Bhavans SPJIMR, Mumbai. Together, they have authored the books How TCS built an industry for India and How Uday Kotak built a valuable Indian bank) R Gopalakrishnan Author, Corporate Advisor and Distinguished Professor at IIT Kharagpur Tulsi Jayakumar Professor, Bhavans SPJIMR, Mumbai (rgopal@themindworks.me; tulsi.jayakumar@spjimr.org) When I read Cameron Hilditchs review of my new book, The Devil and Karl Marx, I sighed and said to myself, This is why our side loses. Consider: Ive written a 461-page book documenting the genuinely diabolical elements of Marx and Marxism, hoping to equip conservatives with essential facts and truths our side must know about this awful, resurgent ideology. I attempt to exhaustively document the utterly idiotic, insane evil that communism is. Yet the book gets dubbed a failure not in the pages of The Nation or the New York Times but in National Review, the conservative movements flagship publication. Why? Because in Hilditchs view, it exhibits one of the besetting sins of present-day conservative publishing: It is pitched at an incredibly narrow and siloed right-wing audience that is bound to already agree with everything Kengor has to tell them. Whats worse, he adds, if you are not already a conservative Roman Catholic, youre unlikely to get very far into this book before putting it down. No attempt is made to convince people who fall outside this demographic of the authors thesis. Marxists, or even moderately progressive readers, will be so turned off by Kengors insults and his childish dismissals of his ideological opponents that they will rightly dismiss it out of hand. Lets address the second criticism first. Hilditch complains that the book is . . . chock-full of appeals to papal encyclicals, writings, and statements condemning socialism and emphasizing its incompatibility with the Catholic faith. I am Catholic. The books publisher, TAN Books/St. Benedict Press, is a very well-known Catholic publishing house. The book is thus, understandably, very Catholic. To this, I plead guilty as charged. As for my insults and dismissals of an infantile, deadly ideology, I plead doubly guilty, again without apology. Let us say this candidly: Marxism is obviously unworkable and astonishingly asinine on its face. Its about time we stop hemming and hawing and hand-wringing and say so. Why treat with kid-gloves something so ridiculous and destructive and deadly? Lets finally admit and shout at the top of our lungs that Marxs ideology doesnt merely distort markets, but creates mass poverty, despair, and death. Lets quit treating it like just another belief system and show it for the evil that it is. Story continues Over a hundred million dead and counting. Had enough? I have. Im tired of playing nice about it. Hilditch suggests that I offer persuasive intellectual arguments in a winsome and non-sectarian way. Been there, done that. Where has that gotten us? Answer: Over 30 years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, communism, socialism, and democratic socialism are surging. Enough. Hilditch writes that, The reason that most Marxists want to see their political agenda enacted is probably not that they think its evil. They want to see it enacted because they think it is good. Conservatives must work to show them that they are mistaken, and that there are better means to fundamentally good and decent ends. Ive been doing that for decades, and it hasnt changed Marxists minds. This book, as the title suggests, is meant to smack them upside the head with the truth that their ideology is evil. Im reminded of Ronald Reagans response after liberals denounced him for referring to the Soviet Union as evil: For too long our leaders were unable to describe the Soviet Union as it actually was, he said. Ive always believed, however, that its important to define differences. . . . The Soviet system over the years has purposely starved, murdered, and brutalized its own people. Millions were killed; its all right there in the history books. It put other citizens it disagreed with into psychiatric hospitals, sometimes drugging them into oblivion. Is the system that allowed this not evil? Then why shouldnt we say so? Precisely. The ideology remains as evil as ever, and is somehow making a comeback. Now more than ever, it must be called what it is. As for my failure to achieve what Mr. Hilditch deduces as my objective, let me pause for an added crucial point that I hope all conservatives who havent learned will learn quickly: Leftists, and especially those on the far left, largely arent interested in such dialogue. Having written nearly 20 books over the last 20 years, many of them on the evils of communism, I know all too well that few if any on the left will pick up this book. Why? Because theyre close-minded and protect even the worst among their icons. A case in point: My book gives special attention to Karl Marxs genuinely disturbing poems and plays, which are rife with satanic elements. These writings were first discovered in the late 1800s by Marx biographer Franz Mehring, who in horror returned them to Marxs daughter, declaring they should remain unpublished. They were eventually retrieved only by the due diligence of Marxist scholar David Ryazanov of the Marx-Engels Institute in Moscow. He had the intellectual integrity to preserve and seek to publish them. And ever since, with rare exceptions mainly conservative biographers such Paul Johnson and Richard Wurmbrand scholars of the subject have almost completely ignored these chilling writings. This is what the Left does. It doesnt by any stretch obviate the need for conservatives to keep trying to persuade progressives of the error of their ways; I do that constantly, and I wont give up. But that kind of persuasion was not the purpose of the book. Theres just one more criticism raised by Hilditch that I feel I must respond to, lest it get me in trouble with my Protestant brothers and sisters. He condemns my alleged defaming Protestantism as a staging ground for full-blown communism in the section of the book that covers Marx and Martin Luther. Actually, I took care to say just the opposite, so it wouldnt be misconstrued that way. On pages 6061, I wrote: Though this book is not the place to adequately treat the subject, it is noteworthy that Karl Marx seemed to appreciate Martin Luthers rebellion from the Church. In no way is that observation intended to equate Luther with Marx or his goals, and certainly not with the destruction produced by communism. For starters, Luther was, of course, anything but a godless atheist. Whereas Marx liked what Luther did, or, more specifically, liked the byproduct of what Luther did in terms of undermining the authority of the Church of Rome, Luther surely would not have liked what Marx did, nor the results of Marxs ideas or communisms madness. Marx seems to have appreciated that Luther pulled away from the authority of the Church, which, for Marx, was a crucial step in the ongoing march of the dialectic of history that is, of advancing and progressing to the next crucial stage in history, according to Marxist theory. He mightily approved of that step, even if he did not necessarily approve of Luther at a spiritual level. This is stated most emphatically by Marx in the long concluding section of his famous 1843 writing, A Contribution to the Critique of Hegels Philosophy of Right, i.e., the writing on religion as the opium of the people. There he credits Luther, who, he says, overcame bondage, particularly from Rome. On the eve of the Reformation, Marx lamented, official Germany was the most unconditional slave of Rome. Just as Luther made a crucial break from the religion of Rome, now Marx and his fellow philosophers would make a crucial break in their revolutionary emancipation. Stated Marx: As the revolution then began in the brain of the monk, so now it begins in the brain of the philosopher. [Emphasis in original.] Hilditch says of this section: The Protestant Reformation is presented as leading ineluctably to Communism. He says I offer the ludicrous assertion of a direct and immediate causal link between disbelieving the claims of the Roman church and embracing communism. I dont believe that at all. He also says that, Virtually the only readers that [this book] wont alienate are [Kengors] fellow conservative Roman Catholics. This I just dont think is true. Surely Jewish readers (among others) will appreciate how I expose Marxs vicious anti-Semitism in perhaps more detail than anyone heretofore has. I blast Marx for statements such as, The Israelite faith is repulsive to me. Vile anti-Semitism is another ugly aspect of Karl Marx that I badly want people to know about. I could say much more, but I will stop by circling back to my opening lament. Whittaker Chambers, a key early National Review writer and editor, said that when he left atheistic communism he knew he was leaving the winning side for the losing side. When I read a review like Hilditchs, I see why we lose. More from National Review Rick Moranis is acting again. Sort of. The former Ghostbusters and Spaceballs star appears in a new TV commercial alongside fellow Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds to promote Mint Mobile. But Moranis is just playing himself. So, what do you want me to do? You want me to say something about Mint? Moranis asks Reynolds. Ive really got to get a phone. The Deadpool star then admits he just brought Moranis on because hes a huge fan. Thats it? Moranis responds. See ya. According to TechCrunch, the 30-second spot promotes Mint Mobiles new unlimited talk and text plan for $30 in the U.S. Reynolds bought an ownership stake in the mobile virtual network company that specializes in cheap prepaid phone plans last year. Moranis, 67, quickly became a trending topic on social media as fans rejoiced at his return. Moranis, whose credits also include Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Parenthood, Little Giants, Strange Brew, Little Shop of Horrors and SCTV, retired from acting 23 years ago when his wife died and focused on raising their children. Hes done a small number of voice acting roles over the past two decades, including voicing the Spaceballs character Dark Helmet in a cameo on The Goldbergs in 2018, but has been largely absent from the screen. His comeback is expected to be fully realized with a role in Disneys upcoming reboot of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, starring Josh Gad as the son of Moranis' character, Wayne Szalinski, a scientist who accidentally shrunk his children. The original 1989 films director, Joe Johnston, will return to direct the new movie, titled Shrunk. It will be Moranis' first movie since 1997s Honey We Shrunk Ourselves. Gary Peacock, an upright bassist whose fastidious but open-minded style carried him through a diverse career in jazz, culminating in a three-decade run with the pianist Keith Jarretts Standards Trio, died on Friday at his home in Olivebridge, N.Y. He was 85. The pianist Marilyn Crispell, a longtime collaborator, confirmed the death but did not give a cause. Mr. Peacock earned a permanent place in the pantheon of free-jazz pioneers in the 1960s thanks largely to his partnerships with the pianist Paul Bley and the saxophonist Albert Ayler. As a member of Aylers various bands, he recorded, among other albums, the now-classic Ghosts (1964), Spiritual Unity (1965) and New York Eye and Ear Control (1965), blending the unbounded expressions of Black postmodernism a la Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor with the vocal melodicism of gospel. Mr. Peacock spent a short but equally formative stint in the mid-1960s with the eminent pianist Bill Evanss trio. There he picked up on the innovations of his predecessor, the bassist Scott LaFaro, who had died in a car crash in 1961 at age 25 after making a series of landmark recordings with Evans. WILLOUGHBY, Ohio A teen male is facing charges after police say they discovered fake urine and real drugs in his vehicle during a traffic stop. Police say officers stopped the teens car at about 10:30 p.m. Friday on Maplegrove Road for an unspecified traffic violation after it left a Motel 6. A K-9 brought to the scene detected drugs in the vehicle. The haul from the car: four bags of marijuana, three smoking pipes, marijuana grinders, a digital scale, cash, baggies and the fake urine, police say. The driver, a 19-year-old Willowick resident, was arrested and has been charged with drug trafficking, having no operators license and an unspecified traffic violation. More crime-related content on cleveland.com: Man robs Citizens Bank in Richmond Heights Two teens, man charged in fatal shooting of Cleveland police officer, informant Akron man sentenced to 25 years for 2016 double homicide 2 Baldwin Wallace students robbed Monday in separate incidents Highlights: Drill hole PBM-111 intersected 3.09% copper, 0.75 g/t gold, 13.35 g/t silver, 1.88% zinc over 2.96m and a second interval that returned 4.12% copper, 0.22 g/t gold, 2.21 g/t silver, 0.06% zinc over 4.31m ; Subsequent borehole EM results suggest an abrupt thickening and possible merging of the two base and precious metals rich massive sulphide lenses immediately to the north; and A drill has been mobilized to test the highly conductive source off-hole to the north of PBM-111. VANCOUVER, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Callinex Mines Inc. (the "Company" or "Callinex") (TSXV: CNX) (OTC: CLLXF) is pleased to announce the Rainbow discovery (the "Discovery") comprising two high-grade copper, gold, silver and zinc lenses at the Company's Pine Bay Project, located 16 kms away from Flin Flon, Manitoba (See Figure 1). The Rainbow discovery hole, PBM-111, intersected 2.96 metres of 3.09% copper, 0.75 g/t gold, 13.35 g/t silver, 1.88% zinc and a second interval of 4.31 metres of 4.12% copper, 0.22 g/t gold, 2.21 g/t silver, 0.06% zinc (See Table 1). The Rainbow discovery has been made on Callinex's mineral lease, less than 500m from a high-voltage power-line and 800m from a historic shaft with direct road access to processing facilities in Flin Flon (Figure 2). Based on assay results obtained from drillhole PBM-111 and a newly completed Borehole Pulse ElectroMagnetic ("BPEM") survey, the Company has mobilized a drill to commence a second hole to test a highly conductive off-hole anomaly defined to the north of drill hole PBM-111 (Figure 3). Click here to walk-through the Rainbow discovery. Max Porterfield, President and CEO, stated, "The two high grade copper, gold, silver and zinc lenses discovered, coupled with subsequent borehole survey results, suggest we are at the early stages of a substantial discovery in Manitoba." Mr. Porterfield continued, "The community of Flin Flon has been through a storm with a great deal of uncertainty about its future with the impending shutdown of the 777 mine. We believe the Rainbow discovery has the potential to provide a bright future for Flin Flon and our shareholders." The Rainbow discovery was made by testing a previously identified BPEM anomaly known as Anomaly A, a highly conductive 260m by 600m anomaly (See Figure 4 and Figure 5)(See News Release Dated July 21, 2020). Anomaly A is located at the intersection of a known mine horizon and probable paleofault (See Figure 2 and Figure 6). Drill hole PBM-111 intersected Anomaly A and returned 2.96m of 3.09% Cu, 0.75 g/t Au, 13.35 g/t Ag, 1.88% Zn at 892.04m down hole and a second interval of 4.31m of 4.12% Cu, 0.22 g/t Au, 2.21 g/t Ag, 0.06% Zn at 933.24m. The Rainbow discovery was preceded by over 400m of highly altered feldspar-phyric rhyodacite flow beginning at 454.45m downhole and coinciding with an Induced Polarization chargeability high isoshell (See Figure 7). Nearly all VMS deposits in the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt are immediately related to an alteration zone and the extent of which typically has a correlation to the deposit size. A subsequent BPEM survey completed on drill hole PBM-111 revealed a highly conductive source off-hole and to the north. The strong off-hole anomaly is located 925m down hole and between two base and precious metals-rich massive sulphide lenses occurring at 892.04m and 933.24m (Figure 3). These results suggest an abrupt thickening and possible merging of the two massive sulphide lenses immediately to the north. The off-hole anomaly has a Tau of 80m/s which is often seen in other large discoveries made in the Flin Flon district such as the Lalor Mine. Additionally, an initial interpretation of the results indicates that the vector for the first mineralized lens at 892.04m is to the south, while the second mineralized lens at 933.24m is to the north, increasing the potential strike extent of the Rainbow discovery. The typical strike extent for a lens in the Flin Flon greenstone belt is ~150m and the plunge extent is between 5-8 times longer than the strike. Callinex's Pine Bay Project encompasses the majority of the Baker Patton Complex (BPC), the largest exposed felsic (rhyolitic) volcanic accumulation in the Flin Flon portion of the Flin Flon-Snow Lake Greenstone Belt. This is especially important since the majority of the VMS deposits occurring within the Flin Flon Belt of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are almost always hosted by rhyolitic flows and volcaniclastic rocks within predominantly mafic terranes. Of additional importance is that these felsic (rhyolitic) rocks only account for a small portion of the total volcanic pile (5-10%). Of particular exploration interest to Callinex's Pine Bay Project, is the very large exposure of intensely altered (chloritic, sericitic and silicic alteration) felsic rocks that have collectively been called the Baker Patton Alteration Zone, encompassing an area with a minimum of a 700m by 1000m footprint. A very large footwall alteration system such as this would normally be expected to be accompanied by a large VMS system and has consequently been the target of many exploration companies preceding Callinex. J.J. O'Donnell, P.Geo, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 and a Consulting Geologist for Callinex, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release. Figure 1: Flin Flon Mining District Region Overview Figure 2: Northern Pine Bay Area Plan View with VTEM Channel 30 Figure 3: Borehole EM Survey Profile Showing Highly Conductive Off-hole Response Between Two High Grade Intersections Figure 4: Pine Bay 3D View Looking Westerly with Plates A & B Figure 5: Pine Bay 3D Plan View Looking Down the Plane of BPEM Plates A & B Figure 6: Pine Bay Regional Plan View with VTEM Channel 30 Figure 7: Pine Bay IP Chargeability Section with BPEM Plates Table 1: Pine Bay Drill Results Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au g/t Ag g/t Cu% Zn% PBM-111 (lens one) 892.04 895.00 2.96 0.75 13.35 3.09 1.88 PBM-111 (lens two) 933.24 937.55 4.31 0.22 2.21 4.12 0.06 including 933.24 936.00 2.76 0.28 2.88 5.53 0.05 Notes(1)(2)(3): 1. Dip and azimuth for hole PBM-111 is -85 and 313 Az. The 1187.75m deep diamond drill hole is located at the following Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates using the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) within UTM Zone 14N: 331352m East and 6071213m North. The collar of the hole is 295m above sea level. The average dip and Azimuth for hole PBM-111 at its 900 metre mark is -60and 293 Az. 2. True widths will require further drilling to determine. 3. The size of the drill core is NQ. QA / QC Protocols Individual samples were labeled, placed in plastic sample bags, and sealed. Groups of samples were then placed in security sealed bags and shipped directly to SGS lab in Vancouver, BC for analysis. Samples were weighed then crushed to 75% passing 2mm and pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns in order to produce a 250g split. 35 elements including copper, zinc, lead and silver assays were determined by Aqua Regia digestion with a combination of ICP-MS and ICP-AES finish, with overlimits (>100 ppm Ag, >10,000 ppm Cu, >10,000 ppm Zn, and >10,000 ppm Pb) completed by fire assay with gravimetric finish (Ag) or Aqua Regia digestion with ICP-AES finish (copper, zinc, and lead). Gold was analyzed by fire assay. QA/QC included the insertion and continual monitoring of numerous standards, blanks, and duplicates. About Callinex Mines Inc. Callinex Mines Inc. (TSXV: CNX) (OTC: CLLXF) is advancing its portfolio of base and precious metals rich deposits located in established Canadian mining jurisdictions. The portfolio is highlighted by its Nash Creek and Superjack deposits in the Bathurst Mining District of New Brunswick. A 2018 PEA outlined a mine plan that generates a strong economic return with a pre-tax IRR of 34.1% (25.2% post-tax) and NPV8% of $230 million ($128 million post-tax). The projects have significant exploration upside over a district-scale land package that encompasses several high-grade mineral occurrences along a 20km trend. Click here to view a video overview of the Nash Creek Project. Callinex has a project portfolio that also includes projects within the Flin Flon Mining District of Manitoba that are located 25km to an operating processing facility that requires additional ore. 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. Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future expenditures. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, among others, the ability to complete the proposed drill program and the timing and amount of expenditures. Except as required under applicable securities laws, Callinex does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. SOURCE Callinex Mines Inc. Related Links http://www.callinex.ca/ Congress has launched its own investigation into alleged sexual assault cases, disappearances, deaths and the leadership at Fort Hood base in Texas. The deaths of Fort Hood soldiers prompted the congressional investigation, as announced by two subcommittee leaders Tuesday. According to Associated Press, there are a total of 28 soldiers who died at Fort Hood this year. Officials counted five homicides, as well as accidents, suicides, and other cases still under investigation. Reps. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Jackie Speier of California sent a letter to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy for the investigation. In it, they asked for documents and information on the deaths. Lynch is the chair of the Subcommittee on National Security while Speier leads the Subcommittee on Military Personnel. As said in the letter, both subcommittees will hold a joint investigation on the recent deaths. They said they want to determine if these deaths may be linked to the leadership, discipline, and morale deficiencies in the army base. The letter also noted that there are 129 felonies committed, on average, within Fort Hood. The data is based on the years 2014 through 2019. These felonies include homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery, and aggravated assault. Compelling Soldier Death Cases The members of Congress also cited recent deaths, like that of Spc. Vanessa Guillen. Federal officials said she was bludgeoned to death at the Texas base by a fellow soldier, Pvt. Gregory Morales. Morales was found dead in June during the search for Guillen. He was reported missing in August 2019. The deaths of Pvt. Mejhor Morta and Sgt. Elder Fernandes were also listed in the letter. Other deaths noted were those of Pvt. Brandon Scott Rosecrans, Spc. Freddy Delacruz Jr. and Spc. Shelby Tyler Jones. There were reports alleging that Guillen and Fernandes were sexually abused or harassed before they died. According to Texas Tribune, the Army has until October 1 to hand in the requested information. Meanwhile, Fox News asked for a comment from Fort Hood but had not yet received word as of Tuesday. History of Violence In the letter, it was noted that McCarthy said in August that Fort Hood had "highest, the most cases for sexual assault and harassment and murders for our entire formation of the US Army." Both Congressmen said they would report the conditions that may have taken part in the soldiers' death. They added that they also seek justice on behalf of the soldiers and their families. They recognize that the families may have felt like they were "failed by a military system and culture." Guillen's family has rallied from Texas to the White House to call for an investigation in Congress. Lawyer to the family, Natalie Khawam, said she is thankful that Congress agreed to their demands. "Our soldiers and their families deserve the truth," she said. Fort Hood Changes Leaders The Army had recently changed leadership. Early this month, it was announced that Maj. Gen. John Richardson IV would be Fort Hood's new acting senior commander. They also announced that Gen. John Murray of Army Futures Command will lead an investigation into the base's leadership. Check these out! No Stranger to Tragedy: What We Know About the 8 Soldiers' Deaths at Fort Hood Two Fort Hood Soldiers Among Nine Arrested for Child Prostitution Hispanic Group Asks Latinas Not to Join the Military After Vanessa Guillen's Death An entrepreneur in Salisbury says he hopes his new coffee shop will be a place where people with disabilities can gain work experience and independence. Aaron Neilson opened Aaron's Coffee House on Main Street on Sept. 2. It offers the usual fare of lattes, cappuccino, drip coffee and baked goods. But Neilson wants it to also serve a social purpose providing a place where individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities can get training and experience in the coffee shop industry. "It will give them the opportunity to go work at another coffee shop if they want to. But it would give them the initial information needed to go out there and get some independence and a source of income." Social interaction beneficial Neilson said he's spoken with a behaviour specialist, a speech therapist and another person involved in a coffee shop, who have guided him in the right direction in terms of the best approach for hiring. He's hoping to be able to start offering job opportunities within six months. The Moncton native started a coffee shop before, when he lived in Ecuador with his wife Shauntay and their son Makhi. Interacting with customers seemed to be very beneficial to Makhi, who has autism, Neilson said. Aaron's Coffee House/Facebook He hopes the boy will be just as involved at the new Salisbury shop. "It's going slow. He's only 13 so we're not pushing him." The Neilsons had moved to Ecuador after attending an autism conference there, in the hopes of learning all they could about Makhi's condition. He'd been diagnosed when he was two years old. And Ecuador is a leader in autism research, Neilson said. "My son is my motivation for everything. The struggles he goes through every day help us to know that if he can overcome the struggles that he has to overcome, then so can we." After a hurricane destroyed the autism research centre, they moved back to Canada in 2018. Salisbury warmed buy coffee shop's deeds Story continues Neilson said he has family members who have been living in Salisbury for several years and he was surprised to discover the village has a "fairly large" community of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Many people have moved there from Moncton seeking a slower, quieter life, he said. Neilson said he was inspired to open a caring place where his son and others with disabilities could find a home and contribute to the community. "We needed to make sure that my son had a future. If something happens to me or my wife he's going to be taken care of." The idea of opening up opportunities for others in the community sprang from there, he said. And the community has responded in kind. "The support we've gotten from the Salisbury community is unbelievable. We've gotten gifts from other businesses welcoming us. We've gotten donations from people." "Words can't explain it," he said. The pandemic has presented some business start-up challenges, said Neilson, although not as many as he expected. They opted to have no indoor seating and, like other businesses, had to adopt public health directives for frequent cleaning and hand sanitizing. Importing coffee beans has been another challenge. Neilson said for now he's buying beans from Down East Coffee Roasters, based in Moncton and Notre-Dame. But once he gets up to speed, he plans to get his own. The polls show Trump slightly leading in Latino support, a divorce from 2016 when Clinton carried the demographic. A series of recent Florida polls spell trouble for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, showing the former vice president and President Donald Trump neck and neck in the battleground state, with lagging support among Latinos. A new poll by NBC/Marist shows Trump and Biden nearly tied in Florida, with the president and Biden receiving 48 percent among all likely voters in the state, whose 29 Electoral College votes are considered near-essential for victory. The poll also finds Biden lagging behind Trump when it comes to likely Latino voters, with the president receiving 50 percent support to Bidens 46 percent. A Quinnipiac poll released last week also showed Trump leading Latino likely voters 45 to Bidens 43 across the state, while a Bendixen & Amandi poll, conducted from September 1 to September 4 in the left-leaning Miami Dade County, found Trump with 47 percent support of likely Latino voters, compared with Bidens 46 percent. The new polls indicate potential challenges for Biden in Florida, where exit polls showed 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton carrying the Latino vote 62 percent to Trumps 35 percent. Clinton lost the state by just 1.2 percentage points. The lag threatens to cut into Bidens bases of support in the state, particularly among likely Black voters, who support him 83 percent to Trumps 11 percent, according to the NBC/Marist poll, and elderly voters who Biden leads with 49 percent support compared with Trumps 48 percent. Exit polls showed Trump winning elderly voters in Florida by 57 percent to Clintons 40 percent in 2016. Sleeping giant Nationwide, the diverse Latino demographic is set to be the largest minority group among eligible voters in the US in the 2020 election, representing 13.3 percent, according to the Pew Research Center. The group has long been viewed as the sleeping giant in American elections and have traditionally voted Democratic, although less so than Black voters, the other major minority group. In 2016, Latinos voted for Clinton 66 percent to Trumps 28. Meanwhile, Clinton carried the Black vote in that election with 89 percent to Trumps 9 percent. Latinos represented about 20 percent of all eligible voters in Florida in 2016, according to an analysis by Brookings Institution demographer William Frey. They are expected to grow by about three percentage points of the electorate by 2020, according to his projections. The demographic in 2016 made up 15.7 percent of the states more than 12 million active registered voters, according to Pew. Latino voters in Florida have in the past skewed more conservative than in other states, which some have attributed to the large Cuban-American population. WARREN, Mich. (AP) - Joe Biden traveled to suburban Detroit on Wednesday to make a direct appeal to blue-collar workers who might have voted Republican four years ago but now regret it - attempting to rebuild the once fabled Democratic "blue wall" that crumbled and helped catapult Donald Trump to the White House. The former vice president's first coronavirus-era campaign trips beyond his home in Delaware have been to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, an indication of how closely Bidens electoral prospects are tied to winning back those formerly reliably Democratic states. Biden pledged to rewrite tax codes to reward U.S. companies that invest in domestic manufacturing while imposing penalties on those that send jobs to other countries. He spoke outside a United Auto Workers regional office in Warren, flanked by an array of U.S.-made cars including Fords, Jeeps and Chevrolets. "Im not looking to punish American businesses but theres a better way," Biden said. "Make it in Michigan. Make it in America. Invest in our communities and the workers in places like Warren." He noted that a local General Motors transmission plant closed last year despite Trump's pledges to protect Michigan jobs, adding, "I bet the workers around here werent all that comforted by Trumps empty promises." "Under Donald Trump, Michigan lost auto jobs even before COVID hit," Biden said. "And what about offshoring? Has Trump delivered on stopping companies from shipping American jobs overseas? You already know the answer. Of course not." Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event with steelworkers in the backyard of a home in Detroit, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Later Wednesday, Biden visited a clothing shop in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Detroit. Last week, he went to Wisconsin and was followed quickly by running mate Kamala Harris, who held Labor Day events there. Biden hit Pennsylvania during the holiday and will be back on Friday. Trump is countering with his own trip to Michigan on Thursday and flies to Pennsylvania himself the following day. Though the Biden campaign often emphasizes that it sees multiple ways to secure the 270 Electoral College votes it needs to win in November, the quickest path runs through Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. "If Biden wins any of them - but particularly any two, with some of the other states that are in play - its pretty impossible for Trump to win the Electoral College," said veteran Democratic strategist Joe Trippi. Bidens aides believe his focus on the economy and Trumps handling of the coronavirus will resonate with key voters nationwide but particularly in states like Michigan, which took one of the sharpest hits nationally from the pandemic. The state's unemployment rate spiked at 24% in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It has since recovered to 8.7%, but Michigan has nearly 414,500 fewer jobs than it did when Trump was inaugurated. Previewing the president's own Michigan trip, the Trump campaign looked to paint Biden as deferential on China. Trump's allies have long credited his hawkish stance toward Beijing in 2016 as helping him win the industrial Midwest, which suffered job losses overseas that Trump blamed on Obama-era trade policies. "Bidens record in Washington speaks for itself: he has bowed down to the Chinese communist regime," said Michigan Republican Rep Jack Bergman. Trump aides have frequently repeated claims about Bidens ties to China, but that's proven problematic in light of Trumps own kind words for that country earlier this year at the start of the pandemic. They also have also ignored the Obama-Biden administrations efforts to save the American automotive industry, based in Michigan, after 2008s recession. Biden stressed the Obama White House's efforts to revive the auto industry 12 years ago and said Wednesday that Trump has "failed our economy and our country." He also promised to create a "Made in America" office within the White House Office of Management and Budget to ensure government projects use resources made domestically. Trump supporters maintain that the president fulfilled his job creation promises and was only temporarily sidetracked by the pandemic. But hiring at factories across the Midwest - including in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin - actually began to stall and then decline in the summer of 2019. Trump won Michigan by the narrowest margin of any state in 2016 - fewer than 11,000 votes - and Democrats made huge gains there in the midterms, winning every major statewide office and a handful of congressional seats as well. Indeed, Democrats see reasons for optimism in the party's gains during the 2018 midterms in all three states, which were powered in part by an exodus of suburban women from the GOP. And they believe that a stronger emphasis on minority turnout - with Harris, the first African-American woman on a major ticket, focused heavily on Black voters in key states - will help Biden make up some of the ground Clinton lost in 2016. After his speech in Warren, Biden stopped by a Three Thirteen clothing store in Detroit, posed for pictures and picked up a handful of shirts stenciled with "Detroit made me," which he suggested he'd buy for his grandchildren. Michigan Democratic Rep. Brenda Lawrence was among those on-hand. "The campaigns taking it more seriously from the start than national Democrats did four years ago," said Amy Chapman, who worked as Barack Obamas Michigan state director in 2008. "They started doing advertising earlier than they did last cycle - last cycle they were only up at the very end - and the ads show what Biden would do, as well as showing a contrast with Trump." The Biden campaign is heavily outspending the Trump campaign on-air in all three states. Since Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee in early April, his campaign has spent about $59.8 million to the Trump campaigns nearly $26.8 million across the states, according to the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG. The difference is starkest in Michigan, where the Biden campaign has spent $17.2 million to Trumps $6.7 million. For future spending, however, the two come about even, with Biden reserving $33.5 million on air and Trump reserving $32.7 million across all three states. Trump and Biden will both be in Pennsylvania on Friday at a Sept. 11 memorial in Shanksville, the site of the 2001 crash of United Flight 93. ___ Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; Jonathan Lemire in New York; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa; and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event with steelworkers in the backyard of a home in Detroit, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden listens during a campaign event with steelworkers in the backyard of a home in Detroit, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden visits with C.J. Brown, right, and Clement Brown, the son and father of the owner of Three Thirteen, as Biden arrives to shop for his grandchildren at the store in Detroit, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. Biden is visiting Michigan for campaign events. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) At its onset, the COVID-19 pandemic shocked the world, with the number of new cases and deaths growing more than 20% per day in the main hotspots. With a growth rate this high, the disease was expected to spread through the population in less than six months without mitigation, and to reach a peak after three months, at which point 30% of the population would have had the disease. This, however, was not how the initial wave of the epidemic played out. So far, the COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by an initial rapid rise in new cases followed by a peak and more erratic behavior that varies between regions. A new study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen highlights the difference of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread in cities and the countryside. Early in the pandemic, scientists have observed that the spread of the virus is faster and more rampant in densely populated areas, where a large number of people congregate. The new study, which was published in the open-source medRxiv* and has not yet been peer-reviewed, shows that superspreaders and population heterogeneity are the core factors explaining the discrepancy of cases. Model: A superspreader in a city interacts a little with a lot of people and will infect some fraction of them. On the other hand, a superspreader outside the city will interact a lot with each of a smaller set of people. The superspreader then infects practically all of them, but there is a lower cap on the number of secondary infections. The study In the study, the researchers noted that a rapidly spreading epidemic occurs in crowded areas. However, in less densely populated areas, the outbreak onset is delayed, and in rural areas, it never starts, with most cases appearing to be spillover from the cities. The team proposed an agent-based lattice model of an infectious disease that spreads in a geographically heterogeneous population. The novel model is a simpler version of the dynamics of COVID-19, and it will help the team study the effect of the heterogeneous infection pattern. The team compared superspreaders in cities with those in the countryside or less populated areas. They found that a superspreader in the city interacts with many people and will infect some fraction of them. Meanwhile, a super spreader outside the city or in the countryside will interact with a lot with each of a smaller set of people. The infected person may spread the virus to all of the people, but there is a lower cap on the number of secondary infections. Thus, people in the countryside interact with a smaller set of people while still spending the same amount of time on social activities, the team explained. From a wider perspective, this proposes that density dependence of disease spreading is more due to the difference in diversity of contacts than due to differences in time spent around other people. Thereby our model assumes an infection rate that depends on density, but not in a simple linear fashion as sometimes assumed, they added. The researchers noted that with no superspreaders, the epidemic or outbreak would spread unchecked in the countryside. Still, it will be slower because, in these areas, the space is geographically large than in the city. The density of countryside areas There are the delayed onset and unusual behavior of epidemics in the countryside, which depends on the density and other factors of the area. Also, the traveling pattern of people may have something to do with how an outbreak spreads in a particular area, such as cities and the countryside. Put simply, in contrast to conventional disease models, the team believes that everyone is equally social, but the set of available contacts is smaller in less densely populated areas. When the density is lower, the groups that spend time with will be less diverse. Further, the number of potential close contacts for each person declines linearly with population density. However, those who live in sparsely populated areas are more likely to have multiple encounters with the same people, as the communities are smaller. Yet, superspreaders can transmit the virus even during short encounters. The length of time of each encounter becomes less critical, since even a brief encounter with a superspreader may lead to infection. Those infected people who interact with only a small number of people may limit secondary infections. Our study compounds this finding and suggests that a change in behavior is not strictly necessary to cause an epidemic peak well before herd immunity has been achieved. Mitigation strategies that primarily target cities may well be sufficiently effective in bringing down the epidemic, the team concluded. The team emphasized that large gatherings, such as weddings and funerals, were not included in the study. Public events like these may lead to the rapid spread of the virus, especially if there are no infection control measures. *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. NEW YORK, Sept. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. (Herbalife or the Company) (NYSE: HLF). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Herbalife and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On May 7, 2020, Herbalife filed its quarterly report for the first quarter of 2020 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In its quarterly report, Herbalife advised investors that the Company had reached an understanding in principle to resolve bribery investigations by both the SEC and Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with Herbalifes China operations. Per the agreement, Herbalife stated that it would enter into an administrative resolution with the SEC with respect to alleged violations of the books and records and internal controls provisions of the FCPA [Foreign Corrupt Practices Act]; would separately enter into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with DOJ, under which DOJ would defer criminal prosecution of the Company for a period of three years; and would agree to pay the SEC and DOJ aggregate penalties, disgorgement and prejudgment interest of approximately $123 million. Then, on August 28, 2020, the SEC accepted the Offer of Settlement and issued an administrative order finding that the Company violated the books and records and internal controls provisions of the FCPA. That same day, the Company and DOJ separately entered into a court-approved DPA under which DOJ deferred criminal prosecution of the Company for a period of three years related to a conspiracy to violate the books and records provisions of the FCPA. During the three-year period, the Company is required to among other things, undertake compliance self-reporting obligations. If the Company remains in compliance with the DPA during its three-year term, the deferred charge against the Company will be dismissed with prejudice. The Company has also agreed to pay the SEC and DOJ aggregate penalties, disgorgement, and prejudgment interest of approximately $123 million. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com. Two men feared dead after going missing in waters off the South Australian coast a week ago have been found alive. Tony Higgins, 57, and Derek Robinson, 48, left Coffin Bay on the Eyre Peninsula in a 10-metre, wooden-hulled fishing boat called the Margrel, bound for Goolwa last Thursday. They reported engine trouble to a friend on Friday night saying they were going to divert to Kangaroo Island. Just hours after a search was called off, two fishermen made contact with authorities confirming they were both okay, almost a week after they went missing. Source: SA Police When no more was heard from the men, the friend raised the alarm on Sunday, prompting a large-scale aerial search covering more than 103,000 square kilometres. SA Police only called off the search about 8pm (local time) on Wednesday. But early on Thursday police made contact with the men, who told officers they were at Salt Creek, southeast of Adelaide, the ABC reported. 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. Aerial photo taken on Jan. 26, 2020 shows the Yellow Crane Pavilion and the Yangtze River Bridge during a lockdown to contain the epidemic in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiong Qi) BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- As China held the meeting to commend role models in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, it is especially meaningful to bring to mind a game-changing decision made by President Xi Jinping at a crucial juncture of the anti-epidemic battle: locking down the central megacity of Wuhan. The city of over 10 million residents pressed a "pause" button to contain the spread of the rampaging novel coronavirus after Xi's instruction on the afternoon of Jan. 22 led to the suspension of all public transport and outbound travel and a ban on people stepping out of homes. It was only after 76 days of arduous efforts led by Xi that the Chinese people achieved decisive results in Wuhan's defensive battle against the invisible enemy, and made strategic achievements in the nationwide epidemic prevention and control campaign. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said making the decision required enormous political courage. "But time calls for resolute action. Otherwise, there would be trouble," he said. Xi has stressed putting people's lives and health first and placing their interests above anything else. He said all prevention and control measures by the CPC Central Committee were taken with the primary objective of preventing infections among the people and saving lives. "It was an important measure to contain the COVID-19 spread during the early stages of the outbreak, and significantly helped cut the infection rates in other places," said Ding Xiangyang, deputy secretary-general of the State Council, China's cabinet. One of the strictest and most comprehensive public health measures in modern human history, the lockdown in Wuhan proved effective in curbing the spread of the deadly virus, said a senior official with the National Health Commission. Aerial photo taken on April 8, 2020 shows vehicles passing an expressway toll station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) If the government had not acted to shut down the city, the number of infected people in China would have been higher by more than 700,000, according to analyses of 15 top global research institutions. On the ground, the lockdown in Wuhan entailed efforts beyond mere restrictions on the movement of people and channels of exit from the city. The country took immediate steps to ensure medical treatment and the supply of daily necessities for people. When visiting Wuhan in March, Xi took charge of the response and gave important instructions on fighting the virus, making a special request to officials to supply more fish, a favorite food of the people of Wuhan. "Let's keep it up! Hold on for a little longer!" Xi said, encouraging local residents in lockdown. Over the past few months, Xi has led the country's efforts to coordinate epidemic prevention and control, and social and economic development based on the fast-changing situations both at home and abroad. The country managed to effectively contain the spread of the virus with strenuous efforts. Children have fun on a square in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, April 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) On March 11, the number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases in Wuhan came down to single digits for the first time. On April 26, hospitals in Wuhan were free of all COVID-19 cases. As of June 15, the city had no asymptomatic cases and there were no more close contacts under medical observation. With less than 0.006 percent of its domestic population infected, the country has brought the virus under control, creating a miracle in the battle against infectious diseases in the history of humanity. Lucknow, Sep 9 : Congress workers clashed with the police here on Wednesday night as they attempted to take out a candlelight march in protest against unemployment and other issues. The Congress workers were also expressing their support to the '9 baje, 9 minute' call when they were stopped by the police. Heated arguments followed after which the police managed to disperse the protesters and detained some of them. The police spokesman, meanwhile, said that Congress workers were asked to disperse since Section 144 has been imposed in the state capital. "Besides, the protesters were violating safety protocols including social distancing," he said. She is promoting her latest film The World To Come during this year's Venice Film Festival. And Vanessa Kirby looked radiant as ever as she arrived for the eighth day of the festival by boat alongside fellow star Katherine Waterston. The actress, 32, cut an elegant figure for the festivities, donning a beige knee-length coat while she cinched her waist with a matching strap. Festival: Vanessa Kirby, 32, looked radiant as ever as she arrived for the eighth day of the festival by boat alongside fellow star Katherine Waterston The star also wore a black long-sleeved top with a turtle neck and a pair of slim-fitting trousers. Adding height to her frame with a pair of boots, Vanessa carried a black handbag with her for her day in the Italian city. Letting her blonde locks hang loose, The Crown star completed her look by sporting a pair of sunglasses. Vanessa's new movie The World To Come is set on the American East Coast in the mid-19th century, where two neighbouring couples battle hardship and isolation, and is based upon Jim Shepard's novel of the same name. Looking good: The actress cut an elegant figure for the festivities, donning a beige knee-length coat while she cinched her waist with a matching strap Pals: Vanessa also wore a black long-sleeved top with a turtle neck and a pair of slim-fitting trousers as she posed alongside Katherine Wave: Letting her blonde locks hang loose, The Crown star completed her look by sporting a pair of sunglasses The blonde is known to many for her role as young Princess Margaret in the Netflix series The Crown, which she played for the show's first two seasons. In 2018, the thespian appeared in Mission Impossible: Fallout, and is expected to reprise her role in the upcoming seventh film, which recently resumed filming after being delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis. Earlier this year, Vanessa spoke exclusively to The Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye about preparing for her upcoming role in Pieces Of A Woman. Career: Vanessa's new movie The World To Come is set on the American East Coast in the mid-19th century, where two neighbouring couples battle hardship and isolation Fame: The blonde is known to many for her role as young Princess Margaret in the Netflix series The Crown, which she played for the show's first two seasons Out and about: Vanessa put safety first amid the coronavirus pandemic as she sported a black face mask Looking good: The actress looked effortlessly stylish as she strolled alongside Katherine Chic: Katherine donned a white vest shirt and a pair of matching trousers along with a black cap The actress plays Martha, a Boston woman who loses her baby during a traumatic home birth, and explained that she spent time with a midwife and a paediatrician at the Whittington Hospital in North London in preparation. She said: 'I couldn't have acted that, because I've never given birth myself,' she told me. 'Just by pure chance an amazing woman allowed me to watch her give birth. I didn't know her but she was so generous and allowed me to be there when her boy was born.' M inisters were today urged not to commit an act of folly by allowing central Londons night-time economy to be devastated by scrapping the furlough scheme completely in October. A growing number of Tory MPs are appealing to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to extend the jobs support scheme for specific sectors such as the arts, amid hopes that a Covid vaccine will be available early next year. Julian Knight, Conservative chairman of the Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee, told the Standard: It would be an act of folly to allow Londons night-time economy to disappear all for the sake of a few extra months of furlough. Nickie Aiken, Tory MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, added: The furlough scheme has secured hundreds of thousands of jobs in the West End. While I appreciate the reasons why the Government is bringing the scheme to an end next month, there is a strong argument to extend it for those in the arts at least. Outlining a blueprint to save central Londons economy and to attract foreign tourists, visitors and investors, she also called for: Sunday trading hours to be extended from 6pm to 8pm in international designated areas, for example, Oxford Street, Knightsbridge and Bicester Village. The business rates freeze to be extended for another year. Tax-free shopping for EU visitors from January 2021. A free first journey to all Oyster card holders to persuade people back onto the public transport network. The Government has announced a 1.57 billon support package for the arts but impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber is warning that the arts are at the point of no return after being hit so hard by the Covid restrictions. ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virginia Coalition for Human Rights (VCHR) opposes Governor Ralph Northam's excessive subsidies to and government support for Energix Renewable Resources, Ltd. of Israel. Energix claims it will build a dozen utility-scale solar energy arrays and invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Virginia's highly competitive solar energy market. But the company's troubling links to corrupt deals inside Virginia and its overseas record of marginalizing local communities can no longer be ignored. On May 1, 2020 , V irginia's Office of Inspector General found that a portfolio of Energix projects was improperly used by the Virginia Israel Advisory Board to absolve one of its board members of a personal $210,000 repayment to the Tobacco Commission . In February, 2020, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights placed Energix on a list of companies that benefit from the use of natural resources in foreign occupied territory, to the detriment of surrounding communities. In 2019, the American Friends Service Committee reported Energix and its parent company operate in foreign occupied territories. Energix built a solar facility in addition to a 155-megawatt array of wind generators in occupied territory. When surrounding communities objected, Energix sued them in Israeli courts. Virginia has a growing trade deficit with Israel, and a plurality of Virginians in a 2018 public opinion poll said the state should stop preferential subsidies to Israeli companies. Energix now receives far more government subsidies and preferential access than its domestic competitors. In 2020, Energix received $2 - $5 million in CARES-Act PPP loans -- one-third of all the PPP forgivable loans in the $350,000 -and-above category given to Virginia solar companies. In 2020, the Virginia Jobs Investment Program announced it will subsidize Energix's human resources costs to open its headquarters within an Alony-Hetz owned property in Arlington County . In 2018, Aviva Fry used her status as a VIAB representative to meet with the governor's office and regulators on Energix's behalf, while simultaneously serving as the U.S. representative of Energix. VCHR calls on all Virginia state, county, and municipal government officials to stop subsidizing Energix and provide greater support to upstanding Virginia and U.S. solar energy companies. Concerned citizens of the commonwealth, nation, and world can sign our petition at EjectEnergix.org VCHR , is a pro-peace, pro-equal rights coalition of 17 organizations representing over 10,000 Virginians. For more information, contact Jim Metz at 804-285-8632 or [email protected]. SOURCE Virginia Coalition for Human Rights Related Links https://vchr.org By ANI KOLKATA: A special NIA court in Kolkata has sentenced four Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (Bangladesh) terrorists to seven years in prison in connection with the 2014 Burdwan blast case, National Investigation Agency said on Wednesday. According to the NIA, the four terrorists identified as Ziaul Hoque, Motiur Rahaman Bhasa, Md Yusuf and Jahirul Sheikh were convicted and sentenced under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the special court on Tuesday. "A total of 33 accused were chargesheeted for commission of various offences in this case, out of which 31 could be arrested. Earlier, on August 30, 2019, 19 accused persons, and on November 15, 2019, five accused persons were convicted and sentenced for various terms by the special NIA court," the NIA said in a statement. The terror watchdog said that during the investigation, a conspiracy by the JMB was revealed to radicalise, recruit and provide training in arms and explosives to its members in India as well as to commit terrorist acts and wage war against the democratically established Government of India and Bangladesh. It said that a large number of IEDs, explosives, hand grenades, training videos were recovered during the investigation of the case. The case pertains to a bomb blast on the first floor of a rented house in West Bengal's Burdwan district on October 2, 2014, in which two terrorists were killed. The bomb had accidentally gone off at the time of its fabrication by the members of the banned terrorist organisation, NIA said. The Pagans Motorcycle Club, one of the major outlaw motorcycle groups in the U.S., is a growing threat to citizens in New Jersey and every cop in the state should be trained to deal with them, according to a new report issued Wednesday. Members of the Pagans, who have doubled their chapters statewide in the past three years, have conducted numerous assaults against members of the public, some of whom have had no connection to the club, the report from the New Jersey Commission of Investigation said. This newfound level of aggression has led to drive-by shootings, savage beat downs of adversaries and unprovoked physical assaults on members of the public across New Jersey, the report states. The report was issued following a lengthy investigation focused on the Pagans, which has been identified by the F.B.I. as one of four major outlaw motorcycle gangs. That group includes the Hells Angels, the Outlaws and the Bandidos. The commission recommended the state Attorney Generals Office create a working group comprised of law enforcement officials at every level devoted to identifying and prosecuting criminal activity conducted by outlaw motorcycle gangs. The agency also said every officer in New Jersey should undergo training in case they encounter these gangs. In October 2019, the State Commission of Investigation, an independent state watchdog formed in the late 1960s to investigate public corruption and organized crime, held an exhaustive hearing in Trenton detailing how the Pagans are increasing membership in all corners of the state. The hearing featured testimony from SCI investigators, New Jersey State Police officers and county prosecutors. It included interviews with Pagan members their voices altered to protect their identities and video of a brutal attack in 2018 near a Hells Angels clubhouse in Newark. The most climactic moment came at the hearings end when three reputed leaders of the motorcycle club were called to testify. Citing their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, the alleged leaders declined to answer any of the commissioners' questions. Alleged members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club appear with their attorney in an SCI public hearing. From left, attorney Carlos Martir, suspected Pagan Motorcycle Club member James Helveston Jr., suspected Pagan Motorcycle Club National Vice President Hugo Nieves and suspected Pagan Motorcycle Club National Mother/National Club member Luis Arocho.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Hugo Zorro Nieves, the alleged vice president of the Pagans, broke his silence to say, It is not the policy of this club to engage in any criminal activity, and thats all I will say about that. There are 900 Pagans spread across 12 states and in Puerto Rico, officials said. In New Jersey, Pagans membership which has always been strong in South Jersey has grown at an alarming rate in recent years, with 200 members in 17 chapters. There has been a 50% increase in chapters in New Jersey over the past three years, officials said. Its expanding at a rate weve never seen before, Edwin Torres, an SCI investigative agent, said in reference to Pagan membership in New Jersey. "In New Jersey, its going to be hard to find a county where there isnt a Pagan presence. The uptick in Pagan membership in New Jersey, first reported by NJ Advance Media in May 2018, is indicative of a broader national effort by reputed Pagan President Keith Conan Richter to beef up numbers along the East Coast, officials said. Richter, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 1998 for attempted murder and racketeering and released in 2012, took control of the Pagans in 2018, according to officials. Under the control of Richter, the Pagans have been absorbing smaller, local motorcycle clubs to increase membership, officials said. The Pagans have also started recruiting members from traditional street gangs, like the Bloods, Crips and the Latin Kings, officials said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Since morning today, Kangana Ranaut has been at the center of the media glare. The actress was supposed to arrive in Mumbai today after a war of words with the politicians of Maharashtra. Her office was demolished to a large extent this morning and before more damage could be done the Bombay High Court issued a stay order putting the process on hold. Amidst all this, a massive crowd gathered at the airport exit which she was expected to come out of. Media, two opposing political parties and the general public all lined up in large numbers to watch the actress arrive back in town. However, last-minute, Kangana was taken home from another exit. According to sources, she was supposed to come out of Terminal 2, but especially for her Terminal 1 which was closed for so many days, was opened so that she could easily reach back home without having to face the ruckus. The number of people that were present at the airport was massive and the chances of a stampede were even visible with people shouting slogans. In the meanwhile, without anyone knowing, Kangana reached home with her y-level security in place after exiting from a different terminal. A stricter limit on the number of people allowed to gather in a house in England is expected, in response to the surge in Covid-19 cases. The government is examining whether to significantly cut the current figure of 30 but has yet to decide what the new restriction would be. It would be the first nationwide response to the spike in new coronavirus infections, which are now running at nearly 3,000 a day across the UK. In England, only people from two households can meet in a home theoretically up to a limit of 30 with fines of 100 for breaching the rules, rising to 3,200 for further offences. Anyone meeting people from more than one other household should meet outdoors, in a group of 6 people or fewer. And, even inside someones home, people have been told to continue to socially distance from anyone not in their household or bubble, washing hands and surfaces frequently, while keeping windows open for ventilation. It comes as Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer, warned coronavirus must be taken seriously again or the UK will face a bumpy ride over the next few months". Speaking on Monday after a big change in infections, Professor Van-Tam warned the public had relaxed too much over the summer and described the rising number of cases as a great concern. Prof Van-Tam said: "This is a big change. It's now consistent over two days and it's of great concern at this point. "We've been able to relax a bit over the summer, the disease levels have been really quite low in the UK through the summer but these latest figures really show us that as much as people might like to say 'oh well it's gone away' this hasn't gone away. "And if we're not careful, if we don't take this incredibly seriously from this point on, we're going to have a bumpy ride over the next few months. He said the rise is "much more marked" in the 17-21 age group, but noted there is a "more general and creeping geographic trend" across the UK. "People have relaxed too much," Prof Van-Tam said. "Now is the time for us to re-engage and realise that this is a continuing threat to us." He urged politicians and public health officials to think about how to manage the crisis not in the short term but through "the next six months and how we get through this until the spring". The professor added that it was "clear" that the level of compliance with restrictions "is very variable indeed". Similarly, Professor John Edmunds, who is part of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, warned that cases were "increasing exponentially". He said the UK has entered "a risky period" with the average number of people an infected individual spreads the virus to, known as the reproduction number, above the crucial figure of one. "I didn't want us to relax measures so much that we couldn't open the schools safely without it tipping the reproduction number significantly above one. And we are already above one and we've opened schools," he told ITV. Meanwhile, Caerphilly in south Wales prepared to be placed under local lockdown and stricter measures were extended in Scotland. People were told they cannot enter or leave Caerphilly without a reasonable excuse when new restrictions are imposed at 6pm on Tuesday. Everyone over 11 will have to wear masks in shops, the first time the measure has been made mandatory in Wales, and meetings with other people indoors will be banned. The south Wales borough has seen 133 new Covid-19 cases over the past seven days, equivalent to a rate of 55.4 cases per 100,000 population, giving it one of the highest rates in the UK. Meanwhile, restrictions on household visits across western parts of Scotland were extended for a further week and expanded to also include East Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire. Additional reporting by PA Media Kochi: Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of Kerala CPI-M secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate officials here on Wednesday after being summoned by the agency over allegations of his links with an accused in Bengaluru drug case, sources said here. The Enforcement Directorate had issued a notice to Bineesh directing him to appear before it at 11 am on Wednesday. The central agency's move came following charges of links between a key accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case and a prime accused in the Bengaluru drug seizure case. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday told a special court here that the accused in the Bengaluru drug case were suspected to have assisted those allegedly involved in the sensational gold smuggling case in Kerala. The ED made the submission in the Special Court for PMLA cases here while seeking extension of judicial remand of three accused in gold smuggling case including Sarith PS and Swapna Suresh. Earlier, the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had alleged that Bineesh Kodiyeri has close links with some members of a drug racket busted by the Narcotics Control Bureau in Bengaluru recently. Youth League General Secretary PK Firos had alleged that Bineesh had invested money in a hotel business launched by the drug case accused Mohammed Anoop in Kammanahalli in 2015 and demanded a comprehensive investigation into it. Bineesh has said he knew Anoop and his family and the latter had borrowed money from him and some others for starting the restaurant business in Bengaluru some years ago. Bineesh had also said he was shocked after hearing the news about Anoop's alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Usually, the fields at Scott Thompson's family farm in Bristol, Wisconsin, are only filled with strawberries, raspberries, or pumpkins, but this summer, he wanted to try something new to bring joy to visitors. Thompson planted more than two million sunflowers, with the cheerful blooms covering more than 22 acres on the farm. He told CNN his family has operated the farm for more than seven decades, but this is the first time flowers have been planted. "We just did it ... and we just kept building," Thompson said. The sunflowers dot more than 15 fields, so people have plenty of space and can safely social-distance as they take in the beauty of the flowers. The farm is still selling fruit, but visitors are also invited to take a dozen sunflowers home with them. "One of the things that's so cool about this is everyone is so happy," Thompson told CNN. "We get all these comments on Facebook, or if I'm out in the field, everybody is like, 'Thanks for doing this' and 'This is what I needed.'" More stories from theweek.com The true Election Day nightmare scenario New York Times investigation sheds more light on bribery, corruption at Beirut port that set stage for deadly blast The Lincoln Project's inevitable ad on Trump's toxic comments on U.S. troops uses his own slurs against him live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More IndiaBulls Housing Finance, the countrys third-largest home finance player has launched a qualified institutional placement (QIP) with a base size of $60 million and an upsize option of $40 million to bolster its capital base and strengthen its balance sheet, people with knowledge of the matter told Moneycontrol. The QIP has been launched a short while back at a floor price of Rs 206.7/share. A discount of up to 5 percent can be given, said one of the persons cited above. CLSA, IDFC Securities and SBI Capital are the investment banks working on the deal, added a second person. Both the persons spoke to Moneycontrol on condition of anonymity. Moneycontrol couldnt immediately connect with India Bulls Housing Finance, CLSA, IDFC Securities and SBI Capital for an official response. India Bulls Housing Finance was trading at Rs 201.175 on September 9 and its market cap stood at nearly Rs 8,600 crore. The firms share price has risen by nearly 27 percent in the last three months. The QIP launch follows the trend of many banks and NBFCs hitting the market to raise funds to soften the hit of potential bad loans triggered by COVID-19. IndiaBulls Housing Finance witnessed an abrupt top management reshuffle in August with Sameer Gehlot stepping down as Executive Chairman to focus on the role of Chief Executive Officer of Indiabulls Ventures, another company that he promotes. According to regulations, an individual cannot hold executive positions in two listed entities, the firm said. Gehlot was replaced by former RBI Deputy Governor SS Mundra. The Q1 net profit for India Bulls Housing Finance slipped from Rs 272.5 crore as compared to Rs 790 crore in the same period a year ago, reflecting a drop of 65.5 per cent. Its revenue from operations dropped by 33.7 per cent to 2,574.6 crore from Rs 3,885 crore a year ago. However, the company was optimistic and said it expected its loan book to start growing in the days ahead. Recently, group firm IndiaBulls Real Estate and two subsidiaries of Embassy Group entered into a definitive agreement to merge their residential and commercial projects across markets to create one of the largest property development platforms in the country. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 20:16:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Wednesday reported 838 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 92,082 and the death toll to 552, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Currently, 9,308 patients are receiving treatment, including 89 in ICU, according to the statement. The ministry also announced the recovery of 568 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 82,222 On Aug. 30, the Kuwaiti government lifted a nationwide partial curfew, while activities, including celebrations, parties, weddings, gatherings, banquets and funerals, will remain restricted to curb the spread of the coronavirus. On Aug. 18, Kuwait moved into the fourth phase of its five-phase plan to return to normal life, during which, salons, gyms, barbershops, and spas reopened and restaurants can offer more services. Kuwait and China have been supporting each other and cooperating closely in combating the COVID-19. Kuwait donated medical supplies worth 3 million U.S. dollars to China at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, while China has been facilitating the procurement of medical supplies by Kuwait. On April 27, a team of Chinese medical experts visited Kuwait to assist the Gulf country's anti-coronavirus fight, through sharing with Kuwaiti counterparts their experience and expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Enditem The King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Parel has decided not to commence trials for the Covid-19 vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, as they have been put on hold after a participant had an adverse event in the United Kingdom (UK). KEM Hospital was expected to start the trials on September 11 after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had selected two civic-run hospitals BYL Nair being the other one in Mumbai to conduct the trials. We have decided to halt the trials. Until the causality factor of the adverse event is identified, the safety of the vaccine cant be guaranteed. The sponsor of the trial and the manufacturer will report this to the regulating authority and ethics committee. Once, they respond, we will start giving the vaccine, said Dr Hemant Deshmukh, dean, KEM Hospital said. It is not in my hand. It is up to the regulating authority to decide. Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), which is the worlds largest manufacturer of vaccines in terms of volume, and British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca have partnered to manufacture the experimental Covid-19 vaccine candidate formulated at the University of Oxford. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been named Covishield in India. SII issued a statement, which said: We cant comment much on the UK trials, but they have been paused for further review and they hope to restart soon. As far as Indian trials are concerned, it is continuing and we have faced no issues at all. The vaccine is a viral-vector vaccine that harnesses a cold-causing adenovirus (a group of common viruses). It has been modified in such a way that it can no longer replicate in cells, and it modifies the spike protein in human cells that the novel coronavirus targets to infect people. The volunteer has been diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis that causes inflammation of the spinal cord. But adenovirus doesnt cause that. So, there is a possibility that this would not happen in India. But it needs proper analysis as the trials are being conducted on healthy people. Meanwhile, KEM Hospital has received applications from more than 100 volunteers who want to be part of the pan-India clinical trials. The hospital authorities plan to conduct the requisite medical examination of the volunteers till the trails are on hold. Without wasting time, we will keep the volunteers ready for the trials, said Deshmukh. Doctors said some volunteers may back out after the reports of the UK participant come out, as the hospital is already getting inquiries regarding it. We have received more than 40 calls till [Wednesday] afternoon inquiring about the adverse effect on volunteers. But such hiccups are common in clinical trials. Therefore, volunteers are covered by insurance, said a doctor, on condition of anonymity. Dr Trupti Gilada, infectious disease specialist, Masina Hospital, said, Such temporary holds are not uncommon in large clinical trials of vaccines or drugs. This is a standard safety check in the process to investigate if any potentially unexplained serious event seen is owing to the vaccine or is a mere coincidence. In fact, this is the reason why large clinical trials are done on new vaccines or drugs to ensure safety in addition to its efficacy. This shouldnt cause any apprehension. Bravo revealed the cast of its upcoming Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and its the most diverse in the franchise history, including the first housewife of Polynesian heritage. The six women featured are Lisa Barlow, Mary Cosby, Heather Gay, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose and Jen Shah. The show premieres Nov. 11. Cosby is Black, while Shah is of Polynesian heritage. They come from different religious backgrounds as well: Cosby is Pentecostal, Barlow is Jewish by heritage and Mormon by choice, and Marks is Jewish. Rose and Shah have left the Mormon church, with Shah converting to Islam. The other cities casts are mostly homogenous. In 12 seasons, New York has only featured one woman of color: Jules Wainstein, whose mother is Japanese and father Ashkenazi Jew. Wainstein lasted one season. The Atlanta cast has been predominantly Black after the departure of original housewife Kim Zolciak, who is white. Potomac is also predominantly Black. Orange County features one housewife of color Kelly Dodd, who identifies as Mexican. Dallas housewife Kary Brittingham is also of Mexican heritage. New Jerseys Jennifer Aydin is of Turkish heritage. And Beverly Hills introduced its very first Black housewife Garcelle Beauvais in the tenth season that is currently airing. (Joyce Giraud, who is Puerto Rican, appeared in Season 4.) Executive producer Andy Cohen said that they are addressing the diversity issue in the upcoming season of New York. Were working on next season, Cohen told Us Weekly in August amid reports a woman of color would join the Big Apple bunch. Im excited for what we have planned. Cast member Leah McSweeney told Page Six, I hope that theres not only diversity of race but an even deeper diversity of where someone lives or what their interests are. I hope that theres just more diversity all across the board because New Yorkers are not a monolith, obviously. I think that it is gonna head in that direction. Story continues Former NYC cast member Bethenny Frankel who helped McSweeny get on the show called for more diversity years ago. Id like to see an African-American woman on the show. I suggested someone who didnt work out. There are really no Jewish women in the cast. There are also no Asian, Latino or gay women on the show, Frankel said in a 2017 interview. Id like it to represent New York more. The now-canceled Real Housewives of Miami featured a mix of white and Latin cast members. Other Bravo shows, including Shahs of Sunset and Family Karma, focus on Persian and Indian communities, respectively. However, Housewives-adjacent shows like Vanderpump Rules and Dont Be Tardy which stars the aforementioned Zolciak have also been criticized for their lack of diversity. Check out the trailer for The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City below. (Editors note: Peggy Sulahian who is Armenian American appeared opposite Dodd in Season 12 of Orange County. Because Armenians are considered a white ethnicity in the United States, she is not considered a person of color for this article.) Read original story Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Cast Is Most Diverse in Franchise History At TheWrap A rare turtle species, beloved for its permanent smiling expression, has been saved from the brink of extinction by a team of ambitious conservationists. The Burmese roofed turtle was being considered for reclassification as extinct in the year 2000 after scientists, having gained legal entry to Myanmar, were unable to locate any wild specimens. But a two-decade-long breeding program has resulted in a replenished population of 1,000 turtles, and counting. We came so close to losing them, herpetologist Steven Platt, of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), told The New York Times. If we didnt intervene when we did, this turtle would have just been gone. Burmese roofed turtle hatchling (Myo Min Win/WCS Myanmar Program) Burmese roofed turtle hatchling being handled (Myo Min Win/WCS Myanmar Program) An adult Burmese roofed turtleBatagur trivittatais considered a giant turtle, growing up to 2 feet in length. Females grow larger than their male counterparts. The turtles native habitat are the river systems of Myanmar, but a living specimen found its way into the collection of an American turtle enthusiast in the early 2000s after being sold at a pet shop in Hong Kong. [I]t raised a lot of eyebrows, said Rick Hudson, president of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA). Conservationists, he said, suspected local dealers were smuggling animals out of Myanmar. Biologist Gerald Kuchling of the University of Western Australia was also alerted to the existence of this dwindling species at around the same time, with a field sighting that took him by surprise. He organized an expedition of Myanmars upper Chindwin and Dokhtawady rivers to investigate further and was flabbergasted to discover a number of surviving specimens. Illustration of a Burmese roofed turtle female (Philbert Charles Berjeau) He had them transferred to the Mandalay Zoo in the nick of time, as a damming project decimated a portion of their natural habitat shortly thereafter. A breeding program was inaugurated. In August, Platt and his team published the first-ever description of Burmese roofed turtle hatchlings in scientific journal Zootaxa. The species, Platt explained, was historically widespread and apparently abundant, but population decline over the decades has resulted from chronic egg collecting, subsistence harvesting of adults, and loss of critical nesting habitat. As part of the breeding program, Kuchling set up a conservation stewardship, enlisting local Myanmarese villagers to watch and protect the riverbanks and wild nesting females. Most of the turtles enrolled in the breeding program were, and are, managed in captivity across three sites in Myanmar, and a small number have been successfully released into the wild since 2015. The Burmese roofed turtle, endemic to Myanmar, remains rare in the wild, although numbers are on the rise. (Danny Ye/Shutterstock) Most encouragingly, wild females are breeding again. The male Burmese roofed turtle even has a colorful trick up its sleeve during mating season: its head turns from green to yellow, with striking black markings, when the turtle is ready to find a partner. Hudson described the turtles population boost, from near extinction to 1,000 in the wild, to The New York Times as one of the best global-level turtle conservation successes we have. Platt impressed that unsustainable fishing practices remain the biggest threat to the species continued existence. A closeup of a Burmese roofed turtle hatching (Myo Min Win/WCS Myanmar Program) For now, the WCS and TSA have released a series of photos of baby Burmese roofed turtles to the public, in which the healthy hatchlings, all bearing the speciess trademark facial expressions, most certainly have something to smile about. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc In 2016, those working people said, You know what? Washington and Lansing, really? What have you all done for me? This is some rich guy from New York who made a lot of money for himself. Maybe he can help me, you know? Let me just try something different, said Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.), whose district includes Warren. A lot of people in Macomb County voted for him for economic reasons. And now they are going to vote against him for those very same reasons because he has not delivered. BANGKOK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thailand, as a country that does not tolerate animal abuse, gives precedence to solutions and facilitations to address the controversies relating to the animal abuse allegations during the COVID-19 situation. Back in March 2020, the rising cases of local COVID-19 transmissions in Thailand prompted the government to implement partial lockdown measures, which affected the country's economy, particularly the services sector. This economic blow was further compounded by allegations of animal abuse in Thailand and subsequent campaigns to ban Thai products. Such campaigns have affected local communities that are already struggling to survive amidst the pandemic. Thailand addressed the controversies head on when news emerged of elephants suffering from the downturn in tourism and when allegations were made on the use of monkeys in Thailand's coconut industry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand states. Thailand's notable progress on animal welfare started in 2014 with the promulgation of the Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animals Act. Following this Act, the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) established the Division on Animal Welfare and Veterinary Service, dedicated to resolving animal welfare issues with DLD provincial offices around the country, as well as designing regulations and guidelines to improve welfare standards for specific animal species. The sub-regulation on elephant welfare management released in 2014, for instance, reenforces the five freedoms of animal welfare, catering to the specific physical needs of the elephant. Moreover, the elephant sub-regulation encourages elephant camps in Thailand to elevate their animal welfare management to be on par with international standards by issuing certificates when requirements are met. When Thailand's tourism industry was heavily hit by COVID-19 this year, DLD was able to use its network of provincial offices to solve the problem of food shortage for elephants due to lack of tourism income. It was able to distribute over 8 tons of fresh grass and over 25 tons of hay to elephant camps all over the country, resolving the problem within weeks. In addition, animal welfare organisations were brought on board to assist in temporarily relocating elephants to locations with adequate food supplies. DLD realises that cooperation from all sectors and the public is crucial to improving animal welfare standards. As such, it has established complaints channels to raise awareness and encourage public participation in monitoring animal abuse. Any perceived mistreatment of animals can be reported directly to local authorities or through the mobile application called "DLD 4.0". Any violations against the Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animal Act are punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 40,000 baht(USD 1,300) or both. Moreover, Thailand promulgated the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2019, which categorises macaque monkeys as a protected species, and registration is required for ownership. Allegations by certain animal rights organisations about the abuse of monkeys in Thailand's coconut industry earlier this year thus led to skeptics seeking the truth among Thai society. Reports and footages alleging monkey abuse were both shocking and incredulous, given that these monkeys are widely known to be treated like members of families who pick coconuts for their livelihoods. Many local news agencies, as well as foreign media conducted their own investigations. For example, PPTV, ThaiPBS, MONO29 News and BBC Thai, all featured documentaries clearly proving that monkeys were used only in small scale coconut harvesting. These investigations concluded that in Southern Thailand, monkeys have traditionally been trained to pick coconuts for the livelihood of local communities. Monkeys are pampered and fed well, enjoying prominence in the household, as only healthy and happy monkeys are able to provide food on the tables for humans. "Mutual Dependence and Local Way of Life: Of Monkeys and Men by MONO29 News": https://youtu.be/QyjC-LcgcLU The Thai Food Processors' Association (TFPA) also confirmed that monkeys are not used in the harvesting of coconuts at an industrial scale. Export firms have arrangements with global retailers and suppliers to ensure that no monkeys are involved in their supply chains. An auditing system, including random inspection, is in place to ensure this. Additionally, TFPA will work with government agencies to implement a more stringent traceability system. This demonstrates that Thailand will not tolerate any form of animal abuse. However, animal maltreatment could still be happening at any given time. This is why laws and mechanisms have been put in place to facilitate rapid reporting and legal procedures. But it is when all stakeholders are fully engaged, that the system works best. It is hoped that civil society organisations will demonstrate accountability and responsibility by stepping up to provide clues and facts about any allegations of animal abuse so that actions could be taken in accordance with the law, and any possible animal cruelty, finally put to an end. Bucharest, Sep 9 /Agerpres/ - More efforts are needed "to persuade the Romanian citizens to directly contact diplomatic missions or consular offices in order to request assistance," Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Wednesday in the opening of the Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy session dedicated to managing consular affairs in the COVID-19 context. The ForMin also spoke about the management of the situation of Romanian seasonal workers affected by the pandemic, especially in Germany and the Netherlands, stressing the importance of cooperation with the Labor Ministry and the proper deployment of labor attaches of the various missions. "In many situations you had to take action ex officio, following media information or information received from other sources, you directly contacted dozens of locations, farms or other production units to check the reported situations, to discuss directly with the Romanian citizens in difficulty and offer all the possible support, even if much remains to be done to persuade the Romanian citizens to directly contact the diplomatic missions or consular offices in order to request assistance," he told the consular staff. Speaking about the need for additional resources in the consular field, Aurescu said that "one of the most important lessons learned during this period is that the consular network and capacity has been, is, and - as we can predict - will further be under significant pressure. It is clear that we need to allocate additional financial and human resources. I return here to the exercise I mentioned - that of classifying diplomatic missions, because it will help us calibrate resource allocations to each mission according to a series of parameters, including those related to the Romanian community in the respective state." - Chris Obure challenged a decision to charge him with murder saying he was better off as a witness to unravel the circumstance behind Omwenga's killing - The controversial businessman told the court his firearm which the police believed was used was stolen from his office - Lady Justice Mumbi noted the application lacked merit and it was not within his right to direct the state on the preferred charges PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB feed The Director of Public Prosecution has been given a go-ahead to charge controversial businessman Chris Obure with the murder of his alleged business associate Kelvin Omwenga. Lady Justice Mumbi Ngugi threw out Obure's application in which the accused had asked the court to quash the charges against him insisting he was better off as a witness. READ ALSO: Okoth Obado says he's not afraid of looming impeachment: "Nitarudi kwa juakali READ ALSO: Cleophas Malala makes U-turn, says he recognises Mudavadi as Luhya kingpin few days after meeting Raila In her ruling on the morning of Wednesday, September 9, Mumbi noted the application lacked merit and was not anchored on any legal basis. The applicant cannot purport to instruct the office of the DPP on whether to charge him or have him appear as a witness, she stated. Obure who was represented by lawyer Danstan Omari submitted a CCTV footage to support his argument but the prosecution team said the clip had been tampered with. Further, he told the court that his firearm which the police believed was used in the night shooting was stolen from his office. READ ALSO: Video of Rachel Ruto giving powerful testimony about hubby Ruto warms hearts READ ALSO: Nyamira MP forced to give KSh 2 million Harambee money from Ruto after 2 years of excuses On Tuesday, September 8, the investigation officer Bashir Boya told the court there was no evidence to show the office was broken into as alleged in the affidavit. The officer said the key to the safe was safely secured at a position known to him only contrary to what he indicated in the application. The deceased was allegedly shot by Obure's bodyguard and personal aid Robert Bodo who was arrested as the prime suspect. "That the investigations revealed that there being no breakage of the office or the safe suggested that the second suspect gained entry with ease like a person with access and familiar with the premises,"he stated. The suspect had claimed he was not close to Omwenga but the state held that a company associated with him fully paid rent for the apartment that the deceased lived in. "There is strong evidence that the apartment that the deceased resided in and the vehicles he claimed to own were fully paid for by GlobalJet International, a company that Obure has leadership authority in," said prosecution lawyer Alexander Muteti. 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. He cut off the umbilical cord using a kitchen Knife - Benedicter Mwende | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke ANN ARBOR, MI Staff in the University of Michigans residence halls are on strike due to what they say is a lack of coronavirus health protections for workers. Residence hall staff have several demands for UM administrators, including regular access to COVID-19 testing, effective personal protective equipment for staff and students, enforcement of social distancing and hiring and staffing to normal capacity for all facilities and housing teams, according to a news release. We will not be patronized and pushed around by (UM) anymore, the release states. We are the students they promised to keep safe. We are putting our lives on the line for a university that shows us every day how little it cares for us, and we will stand for it no longer. Official methods of raising concerns have not been effective, residence hall staff said in the release. It is clear that housing is not engaging with us in good faith and has given us all that they are willing to give," according to a statement in the release. "It is only by leveraging our power and our unity that we can make the dorms and this campus a safer place for students and staff. The strike, which began at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, comes just hours after UM graduate student instructors and assistants went on strike for similar reasons. From COVID testing to cops, University of Michigan graduate students explain why theyre striking When students began moving back into residence halls on Aug. 12, blue bins used to move furniture into dorm rooms were not sanitized, and cleaning materials were not available to residence hall staff, according to the release. Testing for COVID-19 was also inconsistent, with some students not being tested at all and others being tested only after they moved into their rooms, the release states. Before arriving to campus, students were supposed to be given a COVID-19 test at home and could only move into their dorm if they had a negative result. Students were told to bring the negative test with them to move-in, but residence hall staff said they werent told about this and had no way to check or log the results, according to the release. While some residents took initiative and spoke to ResStaff about their test results, the vast majority fell through the cracks, the release states. Again, ResStaff received absolutely no guidance about tests in any capacity. There has been a lack of enforcement of social distancing and consequences for failing to adhere to social distancing practices, residence hall staff also said. There have been 52 positive coronavirus tests in the last two weeks out of 2,108 tests administered to students, staff, faculty and alumni, as well as employees working remotely and others tested at University Health Services and Occupational Health Services. There are currently 15 people in isolation housing and 48 in quarantine, according to UMs COVID-19 dashboard. University officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. READ MORE: Large gatherings to blame for 124 Michigan State University students testing positive for coronavirus, officials say University of Michigan ramping up coronavirus testing to 3,000 per week Western Michigan University coronavirus cases double after students return to campus She's rose to prominence on the reality series Love Island. And Francesca Allen was every inch the doting aunt as she enjoyed a shopping trip in Essex with her sister Claudia and her baby nephew Tony on Wednesday. The Love Island star, 24, looked effortlessly stylish in cute embroidered cardigan and boyfriend jeans as she enjoyed the outing in Loughton. Chic: Francesca Allen, 24, was every inch the doting aunt as she enjoyed a shopping trip in Essex with her sister Claudia and her baby nephew Tony on Wednesday Francesca opted for a laid-back look of a pretty yellow cardigan with floral embroidery teamed with light-washed jeans. The reality star kept her raven tresses styled into loose waves as she strolled along with her sister, and completed her look with trainers and a pale blue handbag. Little Tony looked utterly adorable in a blue babygro as Francesca carried him during the stroll, while Claudia pushed along the pram. Sweet: The Love Island star looked effortlessly stylish in cute embroidered cardigan and boyfriend jeans as she enjoyed the outing in Loughton with her nephew The Love Island beauty has recently returned from an enviable European break to St Tropez and Spain. She had been making the most of the eased lockdown restrictions during her recent breaks as she partied alongside pals and relaxed on the beaches. Francesca was spotted cosying up to a new man during a boozy night out in London last month. Looking good: Francesca opted for a laid-back look of a pretty yellow cardigan with floral embroidery teamed with light-washed jeans She looked to be on cloud nine as she got up close and personal with Edward Crossan, vice chairman of London-based waste management company Powerday. The TV personality, who is family friends with Edward, put on a very affectionate display with the hunk who was previously been linked to TOWIE's Amber Turner. In May last year, Edward was seen enjoying a jaunt on a yacht in Ibiza with TOWIE star Amber, 27, who is in a long-term relationship with Dan Edgar, 30. AUSTIN, Texas -- Foul play is not suspected in the death of Pvt. Corlton Chee, the Fort Hood soldier who recently collapsed during physical training, said officials at the central Texas base, where two investigations into the incident are underway. The Army requires a criminal investigation in every unexpected death of a soldier, according to a news release from the 1st Cavalry Division, where Chee had served in the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, since July. "While we will strive to be as forthcoming and transparent as possible, we ask everyone to respect the family's privacy during this period of grief and to allow us time to conduct a comprehensive investigation," according to the release. Read Next: Missing Fort Hood Soldier Elder Fernandes Reportedly Died by Suicide The Army Criminal Investigation Command and Chee's unit have opened investigations into his Sept. 2 death. An autopsy was ordered from Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas; results are not expected for several weeks. "It is too early in the process to draw any conclusions about why he collapsed or passed away," according to the news release. Chee collapsed near the end of a 2.2-mile run with his 11-member platoon on Aug. 28, which was the soldier's 25th birthday. The platoon began the run at about 7 a.m. and continued as a group to a specified location, according to base officials. From there, troops were released to run back to the starting point as fast as they could. "This type of activity is a normal part of everyday physical training in the Army," according to the release. "Witnesses stated PV2 Chee showed no signs of struggling and was running at the front of the group when he collapsed near the end of the run." Immediately after Chee collapsed, unit personnel provided initial care until medics and emergency medical services arrived, according to the release. Chee was unresponsive and without a pulse, and the emergency crew implemented advanced lifesaving measures until his circulation returned. Chee was taken to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center and admitted to the intensive care unit. The chain of command contacted Chee's family that same morning. The next day, Chee's condition worsened and he was transferred to the neurological intensive care unit of the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple. Chee's sister, Carma Johnson, said his family was by his side, but the soldier never woke up before dying Sept. 2. Chee's unit is planning a memorial to honor the soldier, who enlisted in the Army about seven months ago. Members of the unit also plan to attend Chee's funeral in New Mexico. The soldier enlisted in February in his hometown of Pinehill, New Mexico, which is part of the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation. Last week, leaders of the Navajo Nation called on Fort Hood to conduct an investigation into Chee's death, as well as the death of fellow Navajo soldier Spc. Miguel D. Yazzie, who died at the base July 3. Navajo Nation Speaker of the Council Seth Damon, who leads the legislative branch of the nation's tribal government, spoke via video conference Tuesday with acting Fort Hood commander Maj. Gen. John B. Richardson, according to a news release from the Navajo Nation. Damon said he received assurance during the call that the soldiers' deaths "will be investigated thoroughly." Related: Navajo Nation Calls for Investigation into Fort Hood Deaths This is part of an ongoing series of stories The Road to a Vaccine that will look at Canadas quest to secure a COVID-19 vaccine amid the global pandemic, as well as the hurdles and history it faces to do so. In an unprecedented bid to assure the public that the safety of any COVID-19 vaccine wont be compromised, the heads of no fewer than nine biopharmaceutical companies have banded together to make a public pledge. The companies signed a public letter Tuesday, vowing to uphold the integrity of the scientific process as their potential vaccines make their way through clinical testing and the regulatory approval process. That rival companies racing against one another to develop a vaccine felt the need to speak with one voice is telling, observers said. Ive never seen anything like it, said Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist at the Toronto General Hospital. Its kind of a sad reflection of the world that were living in now; but, on the other hand, its a positive step. Listen to Alex Boyd discuss the global race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine With an election looming in the U.S., there have been concerns voiced there that political pressure could be exerted to expedite the testing process. In an interview with the Financial Times last week, the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said he was willing to fast track a vaccine though he insisted it would not be to appease U.S. President Donald Trump. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had asked public health departments around the country to draft plans no later than Oct 1. to distribute a coronavirus vaccine in a matter of weeks. But in Tuesdays letter, whose signatories included Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer all of whom have signed deals to supply Canada with eventual vaccines stressed that the safety and well-being of vaccinated individuals is their top priority. Not negotiable, according to the letter, were principles such as the ethical standards of clinical trials, making sure there is a sufficient global supply of vaccine, and ensuring that only vaccines that have been through a Phase 3 clinical study are submitted for approval. The other companies that signed the pledge were AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Sanofi. Canada and the U.S. have purchase agreements with several of the same companies. However, any vaccine coming to Canada would have to be cleared by authorities in this country. Bogoch said theres usually a lot of transparency to how a clinical trial is conducted. The protocol is posted online, and the final results are usually published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Independent governmental bodies meaning Health Canada here or the FDA south of the border will look at all the data themselves and decide whether they believe the drug is safe enough to roll out to their citizens. The whole point is its an independent body. But with COVID-19, theres a lot on the line, he said. Bogoch said that so far Health Canada has been pretty conservative in terms of approving things related to COVID-19. While that means treatments such as the drug Remdesivir one of the only drugs used on patients with COVID-19 have been slower to get a green light, Canada has largely avoided approving things that didnt turn out to be that useful, unlike the U.S. The United States FDA approved many serologic tests very early on and, quite frankly, many of those tests were useless, he said. In other words, even if there are concerns raised about vaccines being deployed in the U.S., Canadians dont necessarily need to be concerned. If theres untoward pressure on the FDA and they rapidly approve, it doesnt necessarily mean thats going to happen in Canada, he said. In a statement, Health Canada said it is expediting the review of any COVID-19 applications in order to facilitate earlier access to a vaccine, but maintains that it will not authorize a vaccine unless evidence demonstrates that its benefits outweighs the risks. When a COVID-19 vaccine does eventually get approval, buy-in from the public will be crucial. I know that there are many different opinions of the role of pharmaceutical companies in health care, Bogoch said. I think that these companies appreciate that there is a lot on the line here, and that for successful vaccine programs at a global level, the global population needs to have trust that these vaccines were created in a scientifically sound manner, and that the safety and efficacy results can be trusted. An Angus Reid poll released last month suggested that 46 per cent of Canadians will get the vaccine as soon as one is available. A third of those surveyed said they would eventually get it, but wait awhile; while almost a quarter said they either wouldnt get it or werent sure. The survey found that concerns about side effects and the vaccines effectiveness played a role in whether or not someone was willing to roll up their sleeve. Bogoch said its not inherently bad that the hunt for a vaccine is moving so quickly. The hunt has an unprecedented number of people focused on the same goal. When you have infinite resources at your disposal, and infinite brains at your disposal, its incredible how much work you can get done and how fast you can do it. Governor Whitmer: Trump Administration's Refusal to Expand Health Coverage During COVID-19 has Cost American Lives Governor Whitmer: Trump Administration's Refusal to Expand Health Coverage During COVID-19 has Cost American Lives FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 8, 2020 Media Contact: Press@Michigan.gov Governor Whitmer: Trump Administrations Refusal to Expand Health Coverage During COVID-19 has Cost American Lives CMS Administrator Seema Verma denies request for ACA special enrollment period LANSING, Mich. -- Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement after Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma denied her and 11 other governors request for the Trump Administration to allow for a special enrollment period of at least 30 days on the federal health care exchange: The Trump Administrations cruel and inexplicable refusal to expand health coverage during the worst public health crisis in modern history has devastated families across the country and hurt our economy. Throughout this crisis, the president has failed to develop a real national strategy to protect our families, our frontline workers, and our small businesses from this virus. We are now approaching 200,000 American deaths from COVID-19 deaths that could have been prevented had the president put partisan games aside, done the right thing, and worked to save lives. In Michigan, were continuing to work around the clock to slow the spread of this virus and keep people healthy. Its time for the Trump Administration to do the same. On April 13, Governor Whitmer and a coalition of governors from Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma to ask that the Administration reconsider its decision and take swift action to allow for a special enrollment period. To view CMS Administrator Seema Vermas letter to Governor Whitmer, click the link below: ### Expanded program ensures regular communication for all at customer facilities FALLS CHURCH, VA / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / GTL, a trusted partner that connects those affected by incarceration with the resources and support necessary to achieve success, today announced that free weekly communication options are now being offered to county customers that contract phone or tablet services with GTL. GTL instituted weekly free calls and messages at state Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities at the beginning of August 2020. "We want to ensure that every individual that uses a GTL solution to communicate with their loved ones has a way to connect each week regardless of their financial situation," said Deb Alderson, GTL President & CEO. "This means all incarcerated individuals at GTL facilities will be able to maintain regular contact with their family during incarceration, leading to stronger relationships upon release and a more positive reentry experience." Families and friends also appreciate the move, which provides a guaranteed time each week in which they can communicate with their incarcerated loved one. "During this time of no visitation, the free calls have been a lifesaver for the inmates and have been an absolute blessing," said Bill, who has an incarcerated loved one at New Castle Correctional Facility in Indiana. "Just to hear a friendly voice helps them keep their sanity. Thanks so much." The newly expanded program will provide a baseline of communication through a free five-minute weekly phone call or two free weekly messages, depending on the facility's services. Loreal, who is currently incarcerated at an Indiana Department of Corrections facility, said "I feel amazing because I have been reconnecting with my father after 15 years of not hearing from him. I feel like it lessens the burden on my family to add money on the phones, which means they can use that money to help provide for my daughter, sister, and brother who is off to college this month." "GTL has long provided free calls during emergency situations for affected customers, but a program of this magnitude - one that touches every single customer with one of our communication solutions - has never been undertaken," said Matthew Caesar, GTL Executive Vice President, Customer Solutions. "Being separated from loved ones takes a toll, and we understand that. With this program, one of our goals has been accomplished - we are providing all incarcerated individuals that use GTL services with a baseline of free communication." About Us For over 30 years, GTL has worked side-by-side with correctional facilities and government agencies to provide imperative technology solutions to the populations they serve. These solutions facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, enable successful reentry, and strengthen operational efficiency. GTL is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America and provides solutions in support of 1.6 million inmates across the globe. To learn more about GTL, please visit www.gtl.net, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Contacts: Randy Brown Work: 703-215-5383 media@gtl.net SOURCE: GTL View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605206/GTL-Establishes-New-Baseline-of-Free-Weekly-Communication-for-All-Incarcerated-Individuals The disinfectant spray will use UCF-developed cerium oxide nanoparticles that have been shown to have a wide range of therapeutic properties ORLANDO, Sept. 9, 2020 - Current disinfectant products for killing viruses like coronavirus take minutes to fully sanitize surfaces, which isn't practical on high-contact areas such as door handles, elevators and bannisters. That's why the University of Central Florida is co-developing a new, rapid-acting, long-lasting disinfectant spray that instantly kills viruses without using harsh chemicals. The project is led by Christina Drake, a materials science engineer and owner of Orlando-based Kismet Technologies, Ltd., and includes UCF Department of Materials Science and Engineering chair and Professor Sudipta Seal and UCF Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences director and Professor Griffith Parks. The National Science Foundation recently awarded a more than $250,000 grant to the team to advance the project. Kismet Technologies is a research and development technology company that specializes in ideation and creation of engineered materials and sensors for use in defense, health technologies, and automotive safety. "Spray and wiped-based disinfectants require a surface to stay wet, usually on the order of minutes, in order to get to the 99.9 percent killing of viruses and germs," Drake says. "We are creating a rapid-acting disinfectant spray that will disinfect faster than current disinfectants and that leaves behind a temporary, yet continually, disinfecting film post application." The transparent film is not sticky and will not be obvious when applied to a surface due to the nanoscale size of the disinfecting particles it contains, Drake says. It is planned to continuously sanitize because of the regenerative nature of the nanoparticles. Drake got the idea for the spray while grocery shopping during the early days of the pandemic. She noticed an employee spraying disinfectant on a surface, but then immediately drying it, thus eliminating the spray's effectiveness. "I realized that was a real pitfall of disinfectants," Drake says. "Leaving surfaces wet for minutes in high traffic areas, while people are present and shopping, is just not practical." Afterward, Drake reached out to Seal, her doctoral advisor during her graduate studies at UCF, to start developing ideas. Parks, who is also working with Seal to develop a virus-destroying face shield material, joined the team to bring his virology expertise to the project. The disinfectant they are developing works by using cerium oxide nanoparticles developed by Seal, which prior research indicates could be lethal to viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. Cerium oxide nanoparticles have been shown to have a wide range of therapeutic properties from healing diabetic wounds, to reducing harm from radiation, helping kill cancer cells and working as an antibiotic. The nanoparticles have a unique ability to act as a powerful antioxidant in healthy human cells and also to generate protective hydroxyl radicals to defend against pathogens. "We've been working on using these nanoparticles to kill cancer cells and other things, and we thought, why not create a separate formulation that can hopefully deactivate the virus in the same way, using its redox ability," Seal says. The approach is novel because of the multiple disinfecting mechanisms that are built into the nanoparticles and because they will be incorporated into a formulation that allows a temporary, disinfectant film to form. The researchers are actively working to synthesize initial formulations that Parks will test on a panel of different viruses, including coronaviruses related to SARS-CoV-2. "I'm very excited to be a part of this terrific multi-discipline team of scientists addressing an important question in safety," Parks says. The disinfectant spray could be sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval at the end of the one-year project, after which it could appear on the market, the researchers say. Seal joined UCF's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, which is part of UCF's College of Engineering and Computer Science, in 1997. He has an appointment at the College of Medicine and is a member of UCF's prosthetics Cluster Biionix. He is the former director of UCF's Nanoscience Technology Center and Advanced Materials Processing Analysis Center. He received his doctorate in materials engineering with a minor in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley. Parks is the College of Medicine's associate dean for research. He came to UCF in 2014 as director of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences after 20 years at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, where he was professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He earned his doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin and was an American Cancer Society Fellow at Northwestern University. ### CONTACT: Robert H. Wells, Office of Research, robert.wells@ucf.edu She recently hit back at trolls who accused her of 'hiding' her bump on social media. And pregnant Coco Rocha was proudly showcased her changing physique as she shared a stylish Instagram snap on Wednesday. The Canadian model, 31, posed for the snap during her sunny family getaway to New Jersey, after lashing out at followers who claimed she should be 'proud' of her pregnancy curves. Gorgeous: Pregnant Coco Rocha, 31, proudly showed her changing physique as she shared a stylish Instagram snap on Wednesday Coco looked sensational in a geometric black and white swimsuit as she posed her sunbed with her hair wrapped in a towel. The expectant star penned the caption: 'I've lived in New York for 15 years and this was my first ever vacation next door in New Jersey. 'Loved every day here! Still fully social distancing, it was a wonderful way to end the summer.' Glowing: The Canadian model looked sensational in a geometric black and white swimsuit as she posed her sunbed with her hair wrapped in a towel On Tuesday Coco was forced to hit back at trolls who accused her of 'hiding' her baby bump on social media. In an impassioned Instagram post, she lashed out at followers who told her she should be 'proud' of her pregnancy curves and 'show them off' more. Insisting that she wasn't attempting to hide anything in the first place, Coco went on to note that it's nobody else's business what she chooses to show or not. Clapping back: On Tuesday Coco was forced to hit back at trolls who accused her of 'hiding' her baby bump on social media Coco looked sensational in the snaps that accompanied her post as she posed in a high waisted lemon print bikini. The Vogue cover girl then shared a screengrab of one of the comments she had received, in which a follower accused her of looking like someone who is 'trying to hide her bump'. Hitting back at the comment, Coco remarked: 'I've seen (and subsequently blocked and deleted) a few comments on here from some accusing me of 'hiding' my pregnancy bump and asking me to instead be 'proud of it' and telling me that I need to 'show it' more.' Shocked: Coco was left raging after followers accused her of 'hiding' her shape beneath a sweet picture of herself cuddling her children and husband She continued: 'First of all, I literally announced I was pregnant 5 weeks ago via @people magazine, so if I was trying to hide it, I did a terrible job of that. 'Second, never tell a woman what part of her body you think you have a right to see on her social media. 'Third, please try to love yourself and your own life instead of wasting your days criticizing someone else. 'I'm 100% loving my life, my family, my pregnancy, my body, my bump and especially my day by the pool! #stylethebump'. Valid: Insisting that she wasn't attempting to hide anything in the first place, Coco went on to note that it's nobody else's business what she chooses to show or not Last month, Coco announced she is five-and-a-half months pregnant with her third child. The model and her husband James Conran announced they are expecting a baby girl later this year and said their daughter Ioni, five, and son Iver, two, couldn't be more excited at the prospect of their new family member. Speaking to PEOPLE magazine, Coco said: 'We are having a girl and big sister is so excited. She loves having a baby brother, but she's like, 'I got one of those. So let's get another one, another version'. She wants to do all the mommy stuff. It's going to be like having a baby doll.' Coco revealed that they discovered she was pregnant with their third child just before the nationwide coronavirus lockdown was announced. Although Coca admitted she has been feeling 'really good' throughout the pregnancy and is glad to have her family around, she revealed she was missing James attend appointments and scans with her. She said: 'The only hardship is that you can't bring daddy in. We get to FaceTime and I know I've seen some other celebrities kind of showing how that's worked for them,' she says. It is a very different scenario, but I do appreciate everyone taking it so seriously. And the doctors have been awesome.' Over 23,000 stranded overseas Australians have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) that they are unable to return to Australia due to extortionate prices being charged for airline tickets and repeated months-long delays. Amid the worsening global COVID-19 pandemic, the largest numbers of Australian citizens and residents are trying to leave India, the Philippines, South Africa and Vietnam. In effect, they are being denied their legal right of entry to Australia. Airlines are prioritising passengers able to pay in excess of $10,000 for business-class and first-class tickets, with some planes reportedly carrying as few as four economy class passengers. Multiple reports have emerged of desperate travellers having their bookings cancelled at the last minute by airline companies. In mid-July, the Australian national cabinet of federal, state and territory government leaders imposed a 4,000 per week limit on the number of inbound arrivals from overseas. This has resulted in caps of 30 passengers on incoming flights. The caps were reportedly introduced to assist states and territories manage the number of overseas arrivals, who require two weeks of hotel quarantine. In addition to flight costs, returning travellers are required to pay for their own quarantine$3,000 per adult for the two weeks. According to the Board of Airline Representatives of Australia (BARA), one airline informed it that more than 100 passengers had been stopped from boarding an aircraft, following the implementation of caps in early July. Airlines have sought to justify the systematic bumping of economy class passengers by citing the costs of flying the aircraft. However, Qantas, Australias main airline, has received $248 million from government aviation industry support schemes and $267 million through the governments JobKeeper wage subsidy program, while slashing its workforce. This is part of the overall anti-working class response to the pandemic by governments and the corporate elite. The message from the government and the airlines is clear: If you cannot afford to pay first class, you are on your own. According to the Australian, international airlines have said it could take six months to return all the stranded passengers with the current arrival caps in place. Sarah Ng, who is currently in Japan, told the Australian Financial Review (AFR) she has had nine flight cancellations since March. Franklin Moon and his partner Keegan Guidotti, also in Japan, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that they had spent thousands of dollars on several scheduled flights since April, only to have each one cancelled without any refund. In June, a Qantas spokesman said that well over a million bookings had been moved, refunded or turned into credits for future use. But credits are of no value unless fights are available. Frank Toner, in London and desperately trying to get back to his pregnant wife, was bumped from his flight. His wife Shahrzad reported that the airline had told her that the flight was cancelled, but after pressing them, they admitted the flight is actually still going ahead but only for business and first-class passengers We are now calling airline after airline to get a ticket, and theyre all willing to take our money until we ask them about the cap into Australia, then they admit theyre overbooked. Heather Cassidy, also in the UK, told the New Daily: We booked with Qatar and they cancelled last week, so we rebooked, and it kept coming up rescheduled. They kept offering an upgrade all the time. They wanted $43,000! I was like: Is this for my own plane? Unless you have millions you havent got a chance. If youve got the money, youre alright. The rich get in. The ABC reported earlier this week that families in Britain are organising a special charter flight to bring their newborn babies home following months of trying to secure an airline ticket. The AFR last week reported that government agencies are telling those stranded to draw from their superannuation, while others have been advised to procure funds through GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns to pay for business class tickets. Hundreds of people have lodged complaints about cancellations. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in a display of callous indifference, responded: I asked Australians to return home on March 17, 2020. At the time, DFAT expressly warned of the difficulties, noting that travel was becoming more complex and difficult. Laurence Muir-McMurtrie, a founder of the Aussie Expats Abandoned Abroad Facebook group, told the AFR that Morrisons return home call did not take into account the complexities of relocating an established life abroad that may include a family with children at school, property and possessions and more. In an attempt to offset anger, the government announced that eligible people could apply for one-off repayable loans. Individuals will be can apply to borrow up to $2000 and families will be allowed to apply for loans worth up to $5000. Yet, those who already have paid for economy class tickets have been bumped from flights multiple times. Not only has the Australian government offered little to nothing in the way of aid. The opposition Labor Party has maintained a virtual silence on the issue. And the governments of countries in which expatriates are stranded have denied any responsibility and provided no assistance. The plight of overseas workers, students and tourists is not unique to Australians. Many people from every corner of the globe are known to be stranded in foreign countries, often similarly abandoned by their respective governments. Press Release 9 September 2020 Marriott International today announced its support for a major travel industry campaign designed to encourage Americans to plan for future travel even as they are navigating the day-to-day realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. The "Let's Go There" campaign taps into Americans' pent up desire to travel again, while reminding travelers that simply planning a trip can bring tremendous and unexpected personal benefits. Advertisements The coalition behind the effort, which includes Marriott, the U.S. Travel Association, destinations, as well as other leaders in the hospitality, transportation and tourism industries, based the campaign on research about the benefits of travel planning and its correlation to a sense of wellbeing. According to new polling conducted by Michelle Gielan, founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and an expert in the science of happiness, 97% of respondents say that having a trip planned makes them happier and 96% agreed that getting to travel and feeling safe while doing it would bring peace of mind. "People derive so much happiness by just having a trip planned," said Brian King, Global Officer, Digital, Distribution, Revenue Strategy & Global Sales, Marriott International. "It is emotionally uplifting as we look forward to joyful connections with family and friends or the sense of discovery that unfolds in a new destination, and even the impact travel can have on our professional lives. While we are still grappling with the pandemic across the country, the simple act of researching and planning a trip can bring happiness and positivity to our lives. At Marriott, we are proud to join this industry-wide effort to help Americans think about and plan future travel and to remind them that the industry will be ready and waiting when they are ready to travel again." The Let's Go There campaign includes a 90-second ad conceived by the award-winning creative agency McGarryBowen which can be viewed at http://www.letsgothere.com. Planning Future Travel with Marriott To support and promote the campaign, Marriott will be showcasing Let's Go There creative on Marriott.com's homepage, its Marriott Bonvoy mobile app, Marriott Bonvoy email programs, and various Social Media channels. Current Marriott promotions designed to allow guests to plan today for future travel, while also providing a flexible reservations policy, include: Marriott Bonvoy Escapes: Marriott Bonvoy Escapes is a five-day sale that launches every Wednesday. Marriott Bonvoy members save 25% and non-members save 20% on stays at participating hotels throughout the United States, Canada, Caribbean, and Latin America. Marriott Bonvoy members always earn points, receive the best rates guaranteed, flexible cancellation policy, free Wi-Fi, and mobile check-in. Visit the Marriott Bonvoy Escapes website every Wednesday to book stays for the following four weekends (Thursday through Sunday), and seven days of the week at resorts. The minimum stay is one night, and deals can be accessed and booked at http://www.marriottbonvoy.com/escapes. Destinations and participating hotels vary each week. Marriott Bonvoy Escapes is a five-day sale that launches every Wednesday. Marriott Bonvoy members save 25% and non-members save 20% on stays at participating hotels throughout the United States, Canada, Caribbean, and Latin America. Marriott Bonvoy members always earn points, receive the best rates guaranteed, flexible cancellation policy, free Wi-Fi, and mobile check-in. Visit the Marriott Bonvoy Escapes website every Wednesday to book stays for the following four weekends (Thursday through Sunday), and seven days of the week at resorts. The minimum stay is one night, and deals can be accessed and booked at http://www.marriottbonvoy.com/escapes. Destinations and participating hotels vary each week. Marriott Bonvoy Summer/Fall Promotion: Marriott Bonvoy members planning a staycation or a getaway trip who register for the promotion will receive 2,500 bonus points for their first and second upcoming paid stays, at participating brands and hotels, plus a one-time bonus of 5,000 additional points after their third paid stay. There is no limit to the number of bonus points members may earn with this promotion. This means members will continue to receive 2,500 bonus points for every paid stay thereafter throughout the promotional period (now through October 18, 2020). Marriott Bonvoy members can register for the program at https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/promotion.mi?promotion=WB20. Safely Welcoming Guests Back To welcome back guests and put them at ease, Marriott has put in place a number of new enhanced cleanliness protocols anchored by the creation of the company's Global Cleanliness Council. The Council consists of in-house and outside experts in food and water safety, hygiene and infection prevention, and hotel operations and has been developing a new generation of global hospitality cleanliness standards, norms and behaviors for Marriott's more than 7,400 properties around the globe. Marriott has made additions to the company's cleaning regimen designed to set an even higher standard of cleanliness for the hotels as well as modifications to associate-guest protocols developed to be consistent with recommended social distancing guidelines. The company has also been rolling out enhanced technologies at its properties, including electrostatic sprayers and the highest classification of disinfectants recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization to sanitize surfaces throughout hotels. In addition to requiring all hotel associates to wear masks indoors, Marriott is requiring guests to wear face coverings in all indoor public spaces at properties in the U.S. and Canada, as well as in any countries or regions where masks are already required indoors. Lastly, the Marriott Bonvoy app enables guests to check in and checkout, chat with on-property associates to have special requests fulfilled during their stay and at more than 3,400 hotels and increasing, skip the front desk completely using their smartphone as their room key. - Lunit's algorithm showed the best performance compared to other commercialized AI algorithms, ultimately reducing the workload of radiologists to classify mammography screenings SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent studies have shown that the AI solution of Lunit (https://www.lunit.io/en/) is as accurate as average radiologists when it comes to identifying breast cancer and it could potentially have a role as independent reader in the future, to reduce radiologist workload and possibly to increase cancer detection. A pair of studies conducted by Dr. Fredrik Strand from Karolinska Institutet and his research team have been recently published in JAMA Oncologyand The Lancet Digital Health, well-known to be among the leading peer-reviewed journals in medicine, featuring performance results of Lunit INSIGHT MMG, a commercial AI solution for breast cancer detection from mammograms. According to the study published in JAMA Oncology, the team conducted the first independent comparison of several commercialized AI. Three different AI algorithms were analyzed including Lunit's solution (Lunit INSIGHT MMG) to identify breast cancer. They were evaluated in a large retrospective screening cohort. Based on 8,805 cases, Lunit's algorithm showed the best accuracy among others, showing around 15 percentage points higher sensitivity than the other two algorithms. It also surpassed the sensitivity of the first-reader radiologists, and achieved a synergistic sensitivity of 88.6% when combining first-readers and Lunit's AI solution. "The significant leap in performance comes from our proprietary algorithm, meticulously trained by an unprecedented quantity of data with accurate ground truth," said Ki Hwan Kim, Chief Medical Officer of Lunit. "Our training dataset includes 72,000 biopsy-proven breast cancer cases, which is considerably more than other algorithms mentioned in the study." In line with the high performance, the possibility for AI to triage certain screening examinations was suggested in the study published in The Lancet Digital Health. It focused on how AI-based scoring can be used to reallocate radiologist time from clearly negative mammograms to cases requiring additional attention by radiologists, ultimately reducing their workload and improving cancer detection. The study proved that for the majority of mammograms receiving a low abnormality score Lunit AI rarely missed any cancers when assessing the data alone, with no radiologists involved. If no radiologist resources were used for 60% of women with the lowest AI scores and were invested into doing MRI for the top 2% AI scores (that were negative after radiologist double reading of the mammograms), a net of 103 of 547 cancers would potentially have been detected up to 2 years earlier, corresponding to a detection rate of 68 cancers per 1000 supplemental screening examinations. Fredrik Strand, a researcher at the Department of Oncology-Pathology at Karolinska Institutet and a radiologist at Karolinska University Hospital explained, "The studies show the potential of commercial AI algorithms as independent readers in screening mammography assessment on a clinically relevant level. The next step for us is to explore how well the Lunit AI algorithm works as an independent reader in a prospective clinical setting. In the future, I am convinced that AI image analysis will contribute to further improvements in overall survival for breast cancer patients." "As breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women, early detection is the best defense in treating the disease," says Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit. "It is very meaningful for our algorithm's high-performance level to be recognized in these well-designed studies based on a significant actual screening cohort data, and we hope to continuously provide the best solution for the right diagnosis of patients." Media Contact Yunyoung Noh, Communications Manager, Lunit media@lunit.io Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1251046/Lunit_INSIGHT_MMG.jpg The maneuver removes the case at least for now from state court in New York, where a judge last month had rejected Trumps bid for a delay and put Carrolls team back on course to seek a DNA sample and an under-oath interview from the president. It also means that Justice Department lawyers will be essentially aiding Trumps defense, and taxpayers could be on the hook for any potential damages, if the U.S. government is allowed to stand in for Trump. Winning damages against the government, though, would be more unlikely than in a suit against Trump, as the notion of sovereign immunity gives the government and its employees broad protection from lawsuits. The Indian Army has rushed its front-line tanks and infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) to strategic heights held by its soldiers on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh, in response to intimidating military moves by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in the theatre, where conflict is below the threshold of a shooting war but could take any trajectory, top government officials told HT on Wednesday. The PLA is parading its tank squadrons, mechanised infantry squads, and thousands of soldiers in the area in a show of strength to threaten the Indian Army after it swiftly occupied key heights to prevent the PLA from grabbing Indian territory on August 29, the officials said, requesting anonymity. The Chinese PLA has deployed 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers in the area, and the armed forces are fully prepared to deal with any contingency, they added. Also read: Bridging the power gap with China The PLA lines up 20-30 tanks, ICVs and thousands of soldiers almost on a daily basis in the Spanggur area. Its nothing but posturing and we would be concerned if the military elements were not visible and hidden in the undulating folds of the land, a top official said. China has deployed sizeable military assets in the eastern Ladakh theatre, including 50,000 troops, 150 aircraft, tanks, heavy artillery, missiles and air defence systems, with India matching the neighbours every move. The Indian Army has also taken control of key heights overlooking the PLAs deployments on the Finger 4 ridgeline on the northern bank of Pangong Tso, the officials said. Indian soldiers are barely a few hundred metres from Chinese troops on Finger 4, they said. If the military capabilities were to be measured, the combat ratio is 1:1. If China brings in more reinforcements, so will we. The Galwan Valley skirmish showed them that they have to pay a price for their actions. If China wants to start a war, there will be a price to pay on both sides, the officials said. A shooting war doesnt erupt overnight. A lot of actions happen before that war of words, firing, skirmishes, smaller conflicts and other pinpricks. We havent reached that stage yet. While we dont think China wants to start a war, nowhere are we underprepared, the officials said. The movements come at a time when Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar is due to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Moscow on Thursday to seek a diplomatic resolution for the impasse. The Indian Army on Tuesday said Chinese troops fired into the air on September 7 to intimidate its soldiers holding dominating heights near a strategic mountain pass in eastern Ladakh during a failed attempt to close in on a forward position controlled by India, with bullets flying at the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) for the first time in 45 years. The last recorded incident when bullets were fired at the LAC was in October 1975, when the PLA ambushed an Indian patrol in Arunachal Pradeshs Tulung La sector and shot four soldiers dead. Twenty Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of PLA troops were killed on June 15 in a seven-hour conflict in Galwan Valley, but no shots were fired in that deadly skirmish. Experts said the situation along the LAC was volatile and things could go bad. The key to how things will go forward from here is whether there is a breakthrough in the talks. While both sides dont want a shooting war, local dynamics on the ground sometimes have a life of their own. That is the real danger when thousands of soldiers are facing off, said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd). The Indian Army controls ridgeline positions on the southern bank of Pangong Tso that allow it to completely dominate the sector and keep an eye on Chinese military activity, with the most significant heights being held by India on Rezang La and Reqin pass where the PLA is making desperate attempts to regain lost ground. The army has marked the perimeter of the positions held by it with barbed wire and it would not hesitate to retaliate if the PLA attempts to cross that red line, the officials said. During talks, the PLA stresses there should be no night movement and mountain manoeuvres but does exactly the opposite on the ground. What is happening in the Ladakh theatre is being controlled by their top leadership and cannot be attributed to the exuberance of local commanders, the officials cited in the first instance said. In the northern bank of Pangang Tso, before the PLA grabbed positions on Finger 4, the army would patrol right up to Finger 8 that New Delhi considers within Indian territory. The new positions held by the PLA have curtailed the scope of Indian patrols. Fingers 4 and 8 are eight km apart. The Indian claim line in this sector extends to Finger 8, while the Chinese claim is up to Finger 4. Top Indian and Chinese commanders are likely to hold a meeting soon to reduce military tensions in eastern Ladakh. Both sides are currently working on finalizing the date for the meeting between corps commander-ranked officers who have met several times but failed to break the deadlock. We want talks at the military and diplomatic talks to succeed. The sense we got from the recent meeting between the Indian and Chinese defence ministers in Moscow was that the Chinese dont want a war...But why are Chinese opening so many fronts, we dont understand, the officials said. The latest tensions in eastern Ladakh come days after defence minister Rajnath Singh asked China -- in a face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Moscow -- to strictly respect the LAC, not make attempts to unilaterally change the status quo, and work with India for complete disengagement from all friction areas in the sensitive sector. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The legal team for "Hotel Rwanda" hero Paul Rusesabagina has filed a complaint with the United Nations special rapporteur on torture asserting that Mr Rusesabagina faces an "immediate risk" of cruel treatment as he remains cut off from lawyers, consular officials and his family more than a week after he appeared in handcuffs in Rwanda. The complaint filed on Monday with Nils Melzer asks for an immediate investigation to make sure Mr Rusesabagina, long an outspoken critic of Rwanda's government, "is still alive". Rwandas president Paul Kagame on Sunday indicated that Mr Rusesabagina might have been tricked into boarding a plane to a country he hasn't lived in since 1996. "It was actually flawless!" Mr Kagame said in a national broadcast, suggesting that "he brought himself even if he may not have intended it". The president did not say how Mr Rusesabagina was taken from Dubai, where he last spoke with his family, to Rwanda. The family of 66-year-old Mr Rusesabagina, a Belgian citizen and US permanent resident, has said he would never knowingly board a plane for Rwanda and was "kidnapped". Rwanda accuses Mr Rusesabagina of leading a terrorist group that has killed Rwandans. It points to a video posted online in late 2018 in which he expresses support for an armed wing of his opposition political platform and says: "The time has come for us to use any means possible to bring about change in Rwanda, as all political means have been tried and failed." Mr Rusesabagina in the past has denied accusations that he financially supports Rwandan rebels, saying he is being targeted for criticising Mr Kagame's administration over human rights abuses. Mr Rusesabagina became famous for protecting more than 1,000 people as a hotel manager during Rwanda's 1994 genocide in which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. For his efforts he was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. Mr Rusesabagina's detention has prompted concern among human rights activists that this was the latest example of the Rwandan government targeting critics beyond its borders. His lack of contact with the outside world helped to prompt the legal complaint. On Tuesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed it doesn't have access to visit Mr Rusesabagira in detention. Mr Kagame on Sunday said Mr Rusesabagina "will have to pay for these crimes". The complaint filed with the UN special rapporteur says that "elevates the risk of Mr Rusesabagina being tortured or subjected to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, as it provides police and prison authorities license to take justice into their own hands without the need for a legal process". A Rwandan lawyer over the weekend asserted he was representing Mr Rusesabagina. The legal complaint rejects that, saying "it appears this lawyer was appointed without Mr Rusesabagina's consent there is no way Mr Rusesabagina would interview and voluntarily hire a lawyer without consulting with his own family first". It is not clear when Mr Rusesabagina will appear in court. Rwandan law says a suspect can be in provisional detention for 15 days, renewable for up to 90 days. AP Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appointed Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as the new president of the West Bengal Congress, the party said. Photograph: ANI Photo Chowdhury is also the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha. His appointment was necessitated after the demise of former West Bengal Congress Committee chief Somen Mitra. 'The Congress president has appointed Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as the president of West Bengal Congress Committee with immediate effect,' an official communication said late on Wednesday night. 'At this juncture, the party also remembers the services of Late Shri Somen Mitra, a veteran Congressman whose untimely demise has left a void amongst all Congress workers. He will always be remembered for his dedication to the cause,' the All India Congress Committee general secretary K C Venugopal said in the statement. The appointment comes ahead of next year's assembly elections in West Bengal. Chowdhury is considered a strong critic of Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee. His appointment also triggered speculation on whether he would continue to hold the post of the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, going by the party's principle of giving one post to one person. Soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, want improvements added to the Army's Robotic Combat Vehicle prototypes to make them easier to control on the future battlefield. Soldiers from Comanche Troop of the 4th Infantry Division's 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, recently completed the first Robotic Combat Vehicle Soldier Operational Experiment using two-soldier crews in specially modified Bradley fighting vehicles to control robotic surrogate vehicles fashioned from M113 armored personnel carriers. Read Next: Army Sees Spike in COVID-19 Cases as Training Reaches Full Strength Operating in the rugged terrain of Fort Carson, the soldiers performed cavalry-style missions while testing different technologies to control the robotic vehicles, sending them out hundreds of meters ahead to scout for enemy positions. Overall, the soldiers said the RCV surrogate vehicles were easy to learn how to control, but they found problem areas that need fixing as the prototypes continue to develop, according to a recent Army news release. Soldiers want better visibility, ranging from optics for sighting threats to camera positioning for detecting terrain. "For me, specifically, I think that the ability to see downward once we approach certain inclines and declines would probably be an astute upgrade that would push us forward in the right direction," Sgt. Matthew Morris said in the release. Sgt. Scott Conklin said shifting from a standard three-soldier crew to two soldiers was manageable, but the "frenetic pace" of using the 360-degree cameras presented a challenge. The Army announced in January that it had selected QinetiQ North America to build four prototypes of the Robotic Combat Vehicle-Light, and Textron to build four prototypes of the RCV-Medium. Both companies were present at the experiment, but their prototypes are still being finalized and did not participate. Soldiers used a controller based on an Xbox gaming system to control the surrogate vehicles. "If you can play Mario Kart, you can drive a RCV," said Michael Rose, lead of the manned-unmanned teaming soldier operational experiment. "There's no handbook on this, so we're not only assessing the maturity of these technologies, but we're also writing the playbook on how we are going to fight with robots in the future. These soldiers are the first step in that process." Another challenge to overcome is perfecting technology that will allow the control vehicle and the robot vehicle to communicate adequately beyond 1,000 meters in dense, forested terrain. Several defense firms participating in the experiment have created radio waveforms capable of extending the range for better communications, Army modernization officials say. "This is an experiment, and we chose that word very specifically: We have a hypothesis that manned-unmanned teaming will enable soldiers and leaders to more effectively fight on the battlefield," Brig. Gen. Richard Coffman, director of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team, said in the release. The next round of unmanned vehicle testing -- this time at the company level -- is scheduled to take place at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2022. The service also plans to conduct a third experiment in the future that will focus on more complex, company-size operations. The Army is scheduled to make a decision in fiscal 2023 on when manned-unmanned teaming with RCVs will become a program of record, Coffman said. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Related: The Army Just Wrapped Up Its First Robot Vehicle Experiment. Here's What It Learned The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has issued a showcause notice to Serum Institute of India (SII) for not informing it about pharma giant AstraZeneca suspending the clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19 in other countries and also for not submitting casualty analysis of the "reported serious adverse events". The showcause notice was issued following reports that human trials of the most promising COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being developed by the University of Oxford, have been put on hold after a UK participant had an adverse reaction to it. The Drugs Controller General of India, Dr V G Somani, in his showcause notice has asked SII as to why the permission granted for conducting phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the vaccine candidate in the country be not suspended till patient safety is established. "Whereas, Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd, Pune, till now has not informed the Central licensing authority regarding pausing the clinical trial carried out by AstraZeneca in other countries and also not submitted casualty analysis of the reported serious adverse event with the investigational vaccine for the continuation of phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the subject vaccine in the country in light of the safety concerns," said the show-cause notice accessed by PTI. "In view of the above, I Dr V G Somani, Drugs Controller General of India and Central Licensing Authority hereby give you an opportunity to show cause as provided under rule 30 of the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019, why the permission granted to you August 2 shall not be suspended till patient safety is established," the notice further said. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The central drug regulator sought an immediate reply saying else "it shall be construed" that the company had no explanation to offer and "action deemed fit" would be taken. In the showcause notice, the drug regulator also mentioned that the clinical trials have been put on hold across countries where it is conducted i.e. USA, UK, Brazil and South Africa. Last month, the DCGI had granted permission to the Pune-based SII to conduct Phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine candidate. AstraZeneca, the British-Swedish biopharmaceutical giant in tie-up with the Oxford University to produce the vaccine, described the pause of trials as a "routine" one following what was an unexplained illness". Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India (SII), which has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19, on September 9 said it is continuing with the trials in India. Commenting on the recent reports on AstraZeneca halting the trials in the UK, SII said in a statement: "We can't comment much on the UK trials, but they have been paused for further review and they hope to restart soon."It further said: "As far as Indian trials are concerned, it is continuing and we have faced no issues at all". The exchange will protect small farmers and producers by collecting their produce to be offered on the exchange's online platform, supply minister Ali Moselhy explained Egypt's Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhy announced on Wednesday the establishment of the Egyptian Commodities Exchange Company with a total capital of EGP 91 million. The company comprises seven entities and a number of commercial and investment banks. The move, directed by President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi, is part of Egypt's plan to develop internal trade, control domestic prices, and provide food commodities at fair prices, the minister said. The exchange will protect small farmers and producers by collecting their produce to be offered on the exchange's online platform, Moselhy explained. "Egypt's commodities exchange is a part of the infrastructure of the internal trade system that is expected to encourage small farmers and producers to engage in the formal trade system. The decision will reflect positively on the price of the final product for consumers and producers alike, especially with the decline in the commodities circulation chains among mediators," the minister said. The company aims at founding a regulated market for storable commodities and managing and equipping stockpiles, said company chairman Ibrahim El-Ashmawy. He added that it will establish and manage grain silos and cold chains that will be appropriated for the conservation of commodities. "Supply and demand will control the prices commodities on the online platform. The exchange will provide the basic commodities, such as oil, wheat, sugar and rice as of the first quarter of 2021," El-Ashmawy said. Meanwhile, head of Egypt's Exchange Mohamed Farid said on Tuesday that the Egyptian Commodities Exchange is a critical pricing mechanism. In May, the Internal Trade Development Authority (ITDA) finalised the draft law of establishing the Egyptian Commodities Exchange, which was then approved by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Search Keywords: Short link: I have painstakingly read the two manifestos by the two major political parties presented to the good people of Ghana ahead of the 2020 elections. As a student leader and an award-winning youth activist in areas of education and student governance, I must admit that each of the two political parties tried as much as possible to solve the basic problems that confront university students in their respective manifestos. However, the NDC manifesto and the promise of 50% school fees subsidy is a striking arrow that must be welcomed by all well meaning students and student leaders. Admittedly, from 2016/17 to 2018/19 academic years school fees has not been increased. However in the 2019/2020 academic year, Vice Chancellors Ghana with cabinet's approval increased every component of school fees by 5%. In my school, University of Education Winneba, Kumasi, the SRC went through a hard tussle to get that increment reversed by Management even though we were unsuccessful. When cabinet finally approved the 5% increment, the government lost the fight to keep school fees down hence the tendency that school fees would be increased arbitrary in the coming academic years is very high. Therefore any alternative that seeks to reduce school fees by 50%, calls for jubilant moments and support. As an outgoing SRC President, I am happy to know that my successors would not have to grapple with the incessant pressure from students towards seeking reliefs from the SRC to pay their school fees. Cutting to the chase, the problem with tertiary education funding in light of the Students Loan Trust Fund( SLTF) has not been about guarantorship but the non payments of the Loan by government to beneficiaries hence the solution must be geared towards prompt payment. The issue of making the removal of guarantorahip the focal point is a far cry from reality. I have critically identified with the 50% school fees reduction, however I must admit that tertiary education goes beyond the bachelor degree. I am therefore glad that masters and PhD school fees would also see 50% cut. I wish all student well and as I always say, I love you all. Boateng Samuel Clinton SRC President, UEW,Kumasi Auditor, USAG Former: SRC President, Rite Media College Financial Secretary, TTAG SRC Financial Secretary, Wesley College Auditor TTAG Chinas aggressive moves in Ladakh and the South China Sea are based on a historical construct. If a Green Line crafted in 1960 by then paramount leader Mao Zedong is the objective of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in Ladakh, it is the 9, 10 or 11 dash line (depending on political convenience; the concept has a dubious historical basis in the Sino-French war) that is the target of the Red Army in the South China Sea. The PLAs main enemy in the South China Sea is a competing superpower, the US, which is backing Taiwan, even as members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations look the other way. Its adversary in Ladakh, adjoining sensitive and restive Tibet and Xinjiang, is a rising power, India, whose neighbours have all become increasingly cosy with Beijing in recent years . Also read: PLA force accretion on Finger 4 belies Beijing Ladakh disengagement offer Although the ambitious western theatre commander of PLA, Zhao Zongqi, portrayed the Indian Army as an aggressor or a war monger after Mondays clash at the Rezang La- Rechin La ridgeline, the fact is that Indian troops are only preventing the Chinese from reach their outrageous Green Line claim in the south of Pangong Tso. The Indian Army did the same on August 29-30, and at the same spot. It is quite evident that there is a short-term and a long-term context to the latest clash, both of which are familiar to commanders on the ground. . Clearly, the latest PLA aggression is aimed at teaching the Indian Army a lesson for using the Special Frontier Force (SFF), largely comprising Tibetans-in-exile, on the front line in the August clash. What has upset Beijing the most is that the sacrifice of a Tibetan SFF junior commissioned officer, Nyima Tenzin, in the battle on August 29-30, something that has become a rallying point for Tibetans all over the world and revived resistance against the Chinese occupation of the region. To make matters worse, the SFF proved its worth in high mountainous terrain. However, the long-term objective of China is to destabilize India by putting continuous pressure along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC), fully knowing its impact on Indian polity and on the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On August 12, 2013, Shyam Saran, a China expert and then chairman of the National Security Advisory Board, submitted a report to the then Prime Ministers Office that advocated increased patrolling of the LAC by the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Saran said that while the patrolling points (65 in Ladakh) within the Indian LAC were identified by the apex China Study group, there was a need for the Indian Army and the ITBP to patrol till the actual LAC as there were significant gaps between the points and the perceived line. While admitting that patrolling the mountainous terrain was difficult, the former foreign secretary pointed to increased PLA activity in these areas due to an upgrade of border infrastructure by China. Also read: Face-off at Rechin La leads to scuffle with aggressive PLA. Situation tense but ground commanders talking Essentially,what Saran, in the context of the April-May 2013 PLA intrusion in Depsang Bulge, meant was that PLA had the option of nibbling at the LAC due to lack of Indian patrolling till the perceived LAC. The 2013 intrusion has ensured that Indian forces virtually cannot patrol points 10 to 13 with the PLA sitting on the mouth of the Bulge at Raki Nullah. The PLA aggression in the past four months in eastern Ladakh has left the Narendra Modi government no option but to militarily contest the PLA nibbling of the LAC or lose political equity by ceding territory to Communist China. India is facing a triple whammy. First, its economy has shrunk 23% in first quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China. Second, the economic cost of putting the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force on war-like alert with emergency purchases is significant and mounting each day. It is quite evident that the Chinese economy can afford this deployment, and Beijing would like to tire out the Indian Army and economically bleed India till such time status quo ante is restored in Ladakh. The PLA is an expert in tiring out the enemy since the Korean war. Third, the country it is using is its all-weather ally, Pakistan, to provoke India on the Line of Control (LOC) through cross-border firing and terrorist infiltration. Had it not been for the umbilical ties between India and the Nepalese army, Beijing may have well been successful in activating a fourth dimension to bleed India. While the PLAs attention is today diverted on two fronts with the US activating the Indo-China front, with Australia and Japan, India will feel more military pressure in Ladakh should the US position change after the countrys presidential election in November. Europe is still to understand the rise of China, which has close economic ties with the European Union powerhouse Germany. The big picture for India appears to be grim at the moment in the context of China, but the country will be in pole position if it can ride over this round of Chinese checkers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Today, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, a global leading provider of anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-fraud solutions, announced the addition of three executives to its financial services leadership team. Each will serve as a regional customer officer for their respective region, leading our internal Applied Intelligence teams whilst providing a customer-centric approach to every external engagement across the globe. Paul Stacey has been named regional customer officer for North America, James Fox, regional customer officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Gerard O'Reilly regional customer officer for Asia Pacific region (APAC). Stacey, who joined BAE in 2008 as executive manager leading financial services for BAE Systems, and previously for Autonomy and IBM will be responsible for all aspects of the financial services business in North America, including sales, delivery, operations and customer support. An industry veteran with more than two decades of experience, he has led the charge of the NetReveal expansion in Canada and helped acquire new customers including Royal Bank of Canada, RSA Canada and the insurance consortium CANATICS. Fox, who has spent 15 years at BAE Systems focused on all aspects of delivery for financial services globally, developing the company's relationships with clients and alliance partners, and more than 22 years in the technology and software industry, will lead the company's business in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He will be responsible for all aspects of customer relationships in the region. O'Reilly, who joined BAE Systems in 2005 to lead the HSBC Services team on the deployment of the SCION case management and AML solution across all of HSBC's jurisdictions, relocated to Melbourne in 2007 to establish the business in the APAC region. He will be responsible for the region's customer relationships, aligning customers' business objectives in order to provide high-value growth whilst managing new external compliance obligations and risk. "Our customers are at the core of everything we do. We are fortunate to have Paul, James and Gerard's leadership and experience, especially as we deliver new, exciting and impactful products across our global footprint, such as NetReveal 360," said Garry Harrison, Managing Director of Financial Services. "Having their robust background and leadership in financial services will further cement our team as a global leader in fraud and financial crime management solutions. We are excited about what these appointments will mean for our current and future customers, as well as our organization at large." About BAE Systems Applied Intelligence: At BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, we help nations, governments and businesses around the world defend themselves against cybercrime, reduce their risk in the connected world, comply with regulation, and transform their operations. For more information regarding our compliance, fraud detection and prevention solutions, visit https://www.baesystems.com/en-financialservices/home View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005038/en/ Contacts: Nick Haigh, BAE Systems M: +44 (0) 7525 3909782 E: nick.haigh@baesystems.com For North America: Brad Grantham, BAE Systems M: (919) 519-8528 brad.grantham2@baesystems.com Good morning. First, heres an update on the wildfires burning across the state: After another weekend plagued by compounding disasters in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday pointed to his burning state as clear evidence that climate change and its most extreme manifestations is a major driver of the fires scale and severity. And even as the Trump administration has pushed to roll back regulations, Mr. Newsom said the state would push ahead with its efforts. In the absence of federal leadership, California will continue to lead, he said. The more we push into this space, more partners will be forthcoming. [Read more about how Californias demonized winds shape wildfire season.] Still, the picture he laid out of millions of burned acres, thousands of homes and buildings destroyed, all with the looming threat of dangerous Santa Ana and Diablo winds in coming days, wasnt encouraging. PARIS/NEW YORK: Tiffany & Co sued LVMH on Wednesday after the French luxury goods giant told the U.S. jeweler it could not complete a $16 billion deal to acquire it because of a French government request and the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. LVMH, led by billionaire Bernard Arnault, said its board had received a letter from the French foreign ministry asking it to delay the acquisition until Jan. 6, 2021, given the threat of additional U.S. tariffs against French products. This, LVMH argued, made it impossible to meet a contractual Nov. 24 deadline to complete the acquisition, adding that it was not willing to extend the agreement further. The French states intervention marked the latest twist in the attempt to combine some of the fashion worlds most high-profile luxury brands. I am sure that you will understand the need to take part in our countrys efforts to defend its national interests," Frances Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian wrote to Arnault, according to an English translation of the Aug. 31 letter that Tiffany received from LVMH and that it published on Wednesday. The deal cannot happen. We are prohibited from closing the deal," LVMH finance chief Jean Jacques Guiony told reporters on a conference call. He added the letter was unsolicited and came as a total surprise to LVMH. A French government source said the letter had political value" and was meant to alert LVMH to the risks of pursuing the deal just as France wrangles with the United States over trade tariffs - but it was advisory and not binding. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the French governments intervention in the deal. Analysts were skeptical about any attempt by France to use LVMHs bid for Tiffany as effective leverage in its trade dispute with the United States. The French government is certainly very active in defending the French national interest. But this has meant in most cases preventing acquisition of French companies," said Luca Solca, luxury goods analyst at Bernstein. The pandemics financial fallout has made the deals price tag less attractive to LVMH. Tiffanys worldwide sales fell 29% to $747.1 million in the three months to end July, missing expectations of $772 million. Guiony on Wednesday called Tiffanys financial performance in recent months lackluster." It was not immediately clear whether LVMH was seeking to walk away from the acquisition of Tiffany, or use the hurdles facing the deal as leverage to renegotiate the price. Tiffany has so far resisted attempts to reopen price negotiations. Tiffanys shares were hovering around $114 on Wednesday afternoon in New York, well below the $135 per share deal price, reflecting uncertainty among investors over whether the deal will go ahead and what price. DELAWARE Tiffany filed its lawsuit against LVMH in Delaware - the American state where the New York-based company is registered - to force it to complete the deal as agreed last year. It said that LVMH was dragging its feet when it came to filing for regulatory approval of the deal in the European Union, Taiwan and Japan. Sources familiar with LVMHs plans said the company planned to file for EU approval within days. In its lawsuit, Tiffany also said it refuted LVMHs suggestion that it can pull out of the deal by claiming Tiffany has undergone a material adverse effect or breached its obligations under the Merger Agreement, or that the transaction is in some way inconsistent with its patriotic duties as a French corporation." Tiffany also said the merger agreement required it to continue to pay dividends to its shareholders. Sources close to the companies said LVMH had asked Tiffany to stop payouts to shareholders while the deal was pending completion. LVMH has thus far let its deal contract with Tiffany remain in place. Tiffany is asking the Delaware court to force LVMH to comply with its obligations to close the deal or pay damages. LVMH had not responded to Tiffanys lawsuit with a court filing as of Wednesday afternoon. JEWELRY LOSES SHINE The luxury industry is facing an unprecedented sales slump as a result of the pandemic, after a decade of stellar growth, with revenues expected to fall by as much as 35% this year. It will take until 2022-23 for revenues to return to 2019 levels, according to consultancy Bain. The Tiffany deal had looked in doubt since sources told Reuters in June that Arnault, Frances richest person and a shrewd deal maker, was exploring ways to reopen price negotiations with the jeweler because of the pandemic. Tiffany said in its lawsuit it saw LVMH developing buyers remorse." The deal is the latest in a string of mergers and acquisitions that were agreed to before the coronavirus pandemic took off around the world in March, and have since ended up in court, were renegotiated or abandoned. In the retail sector, L Brands Inc agreed to let private equity firm Sycamore Partners walk away from the $525 million acquisition of majority stake in its Victorias Secret lingerie business, while U.S. mall owners Simon Property Group Inc and Taubman Centers Inc are battling it out in a Delaware court over the formers decision to walk away from the $3.6 billion acquisition of the latter. 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 Charles Bosk, 72, a prominent sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania who studied how to reduce mistakes in the field of medicine, died Aug. 30 at his home in Narberth. Read more Charles L. Bosk, 72, of Narberth, a University of Pennsylvania sociologist who studied how to reduce medical mistakes by fostering a collaborative hospital culture free of blame and recrimination, died Sunday, Aug. 30, of a heart attack at his home. Colleagues said his first book, Forgive and Remember: Managing Medical Failure, remains a classic in the field four decades after its initial publication. It was written after he spent months embedded in the surgical wing of a hospital in the Western United States. He used to say you could only get so far by interviewing people, said Princeton University sociologist Elizabeth Mitchell Armstrong, a former graduate student of Dr. Bosks. You can ask people to tell you what they do. But how you really learn what they do is by watching them do it. While many patient-safety experts called for high-tech gadgetry and detailed checklists to help hospitals eliminate mistakes, Dr. Bosk warned that such solutions were bound to fail without a cooperative environment. Institution-wide training was needed so that nurses and technicians felt empowered to point out problems and doctors felt compelled to listen, he found. He argued that some level of medical error was inevitable, and that the key was to maintain a humane environment for patients and providers alike, Armstrong said. He would say theres an endless number of mistakes you can make the first time, said another former Bosk graduate student, Rutgers University sociologist Joanna Kempner. He would talk to people about making better mistakes. Dr. Bosk grew up in northwest Baltimore, where he and brother Harry shared a bedroom with a view of the restaurant that inspired the 1982 movie Diner. Their father, Morris, was a bartender who stopped going to school after eighth grade, and their mother, Mildred, went to night school to get her high-school diploma and worked as a clerk-typist for the Social Security Administration. Yet it was understood that the boys would go to college, Harry Bosk said. There was no other option, he said. Dr. Bosk attended Wesleyan University and then, as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, fulfilled his service obligation by working as an aide in a mental hospital. He went on to the University of Chicago, earning his Ph.D. in sociology in 1976 before joining the faculty at Penn. Forgive and Remember was first published in 1979; surgical trainees read it to this day, recognizing themselves in its pages of clear prose, Princetons Armstrong said. Dr. Bosks later works included All Gods Mistakes: Genetic Counseling in a Pediatric Hospital published in 1992, when genetic counseling was in its infancy. He held a variety of appointments at other institutions, including a visiting professorship at Johns Hopkins University. In 2013, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine, now called the National Academy of Medicine. In addition to his brother, he is survived by his wife, Marjorie; daughters Emily and Abigail; and two grandsons He was a devoted grandfather, hosting the two boys for a sleepover the night before he died. He fixed them pancakes in the morning, Harry Bosk said. A funeral was held Wednesday, Sept. 2. Madhya Pradesh chief minister (CM) Shivraj Singh Chouhan will dial his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray over the latters decision to limit the outsourcing of oxygen outside the state. In view of the increasing number of Covid patients, the Maharashtra government, in its order dated September 7, has directed the oxygen production units in the state that 80% of their production will be used only for medical treatment and it will be supplied to hospitals within its territory, said an official. As per the order, the production units in Maharashtra can divert only up to 20% of oxygen generated to industrial use, said the official. He said at least 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh, including Indore and Bhopal, have oxygen supplied from oxygen production units in Maharashtra besides the local supply. Indore and Bhopal are big Covid hotspots and the number of patients is increasing by the day across the state. Maharashtra governments decision came when the state government in Madhya Pradesh was considering increasing 3700 beds with oxygen and 564 ICU beds in the state. Home minister Narottam Mishra said, Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will talk to Maharashtra CM in regard to supply of the oxygen. State home minister said plants in Madhya Pradesh will be told to increase capacity, underscoring coronavirus patients will not suffer. Treatment of the Covid patients will not be affected. We will ensure there is an increase in production of oxygen in the plants in MP by increasing their capacity and we may consider reducing the use of oxygen in the Industrial sector to meet the demand if need arises, Health minister Prabhuram Chaudhary said. The Independent Label Fair Budapest is Hungarys first initiative to bring the countrys independent music scene together. Organisers encourage independent record labels to go offline, gather and present their catalogues to each other and most importantly to their audiences. In the current situation it is more important than ever to support independent record labels as many small businesses are struggling and fighting for their survival. Please support the community with purchasing something from some of the finest releases Hungary has to offer. Music program: 1 pm: Sannan (Mana Mana) 2 pm: LAU (Dalmata Daniel) 3 pm: Formal Method (Audioexit Records) 4 pm: ZSUJA live act (EXILES) 5 pm: Dj Syncbutton (BRVTAL) Date and time: Saturday, 12 September, 1 pm - 6 pm Venue: Golya 1089 Budapest, Orczy ut 46-48. NEW DELHI : The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a crippling blow to the Indian travel and tourism industry and the entire value chain linked to the sector is likely to lose around 5 lakh crore or USD 65.57 billion, according to a study by industry chamber CII and hospitality consulting firm Hotelivate. The organised sector alone is likely to lose USD 25 billion. The figures are quite alarming and the industry needs immediate measures for survival, according to the CII-Hotelivate report. "This is the one of the worst crises ever to hit the Indian tourism industry impacting all its geographical segments - inbound, outbound and domestic, almost all tourism verticals - leisure , adventure, heritage, MICE, cruise, corporate and niche segments," it said. The shut down and slowdown which was initially expected to affect revenue streams till October, have now indicated otherwise. Trends are currently indicating only 30% of occupancy in hotels till the start of next year, with hotels seeing an 80% to 85% erosion in revenue streams, it said. "The coronavirus pandemic has given a crippling blow to the Indian travel and tourism industry...The entire value chain linked to Travel & Tourism is likely to lose around (Rs) 5 lakh crore or USD 65.57 billion, with the organised sector alone likely to lose USD 25 billion," it said. According to the study, occupancy was at its peak in January this year at 80% followed by February at 70%, dipping to 45% in March and then to the lowest at 7% in April. In May, June, July and August occupancies were at 10%, 12%, 15% and 22%, respectively, it added. The CII-Hotelivate study projected that in September occupancy will be at 25%, 28% in October, 30% in November and 35% in December. In a worst case scenario, the estimated loss in hotel for both branded and unbranded segments in 2020 is USD 19.31 billion (around 1.42 lakh crore), it added. On the other hand, the report said the estimated revenue loss of travel agents and tour operators in a worst case scenario is USD 4.77 billion (about 35,070 crore). However, in the best-case scenario, industry revenue will improve by 10-15%, said the report, to which online travel services MakeMyTrip also contributed. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Scaffolding has gone up at the Beckhams' neighbour's house in West London, signalling the start of the renovation project originally contested by David and Victoria. And according to The Sun, this means the famous couple will be facing 10 hours a day of construction noise. The pair - who live in the 31 million Holland Park pad with their four children - attempted to block the plans when they were first submitted, winning the case back in April. Not impressed? Scaffolding has gone up at the Beckhams' neighbour's house in West London, signalling the start of the renovation project originally contested by David and Victoria But since then, the neighbours have resubmitted the drafts and they have now been approved. MailOnline has approached a rep for comment. David successfully blocked the original renovation plans, claiming they will spoil the setting of his property. The former England captain, 44, voiced his concerns in an objection submitted to his local council which claims that the plans would spoil the uniqueness of house. Under plans submitted to Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Beckham's neighbour Edward Harris intended to reconfigure the interior of his mews property which has just one bedroom, a dressing room, a shower, a garage and an open plan living room and dining area. Noisy neighbours: This means the famous couple will be reportedly facing 10 hours a day of construction noise [their home is pictured] The pair - who live in the 31 million Holland Park pad with their four children - attempted to block the plans when they were first submitted, winning the case back in April He also wanted to add new lightwells on the roof to bring in natural light into the property, fit new sliding windows and a new slate roof. An outdoor courtyard and new staircase were also listed in the plans - which were rejected by officials in December. Mr Harris's mews property is located just behind the Beckham's mansion. Imposition: Beckham complained that his neighbour's plan would flood light into the Beckham mansion and also spoil the local area in Holland Park, west London. Pictured is the west entrance to Holland Park Mews, where the neighbour's property is located Family home: The Beckhams argued that the renovations would spoil the setting of their home, with the neighbouring property just behind the Beckham mansion Planning permission: Under plans submitted to Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Beckham's neighbour Edward Harris intended to reconfigure the interior of his mews property [pictured] Mr Harris purchased the property for 1.9 million in November 2019, land registry records reveal. But shortly after his renovation plans were submitted in October, representatives London Projects Ltd acting on behalf of the Beckham's lodged an objection. Their letter said: 'My clients have concerns about the damage the proposal would cause to the history of the mews as well as the appearance and potential light spillage from the not insubstantial proposed roof light to the main roof. 'My clients purchased their property because they liked the style and history of the house and the area. 'This application seeks to spoil that with unsympathetic and inappropriate alterations and we would urge you to resist the proposals.' The letter added: 'The introduction of the rather large and protruding roof light to the main roof raises significant concerns for our clients. 'The roof light will be highly visible in views from their property and is likely to light up like a beacon at night.' Plans: Mr Harris had wanted to add new lightwells on the roof to bring in natural light into the property, fit new sliding windows and a new slate roof. An outdoor courtyard and new staircase were also planned Overlooking: Mr Harris also wanted to install a skylight at his property - which the Beckhams argued would flood their home with light They continued: 'The proposal to demolish all but the front facade of this listed building would result in substantial harm to the listed building.' Mr Harris' planning agent, Ben Smith Architecture, said: 'We are proposing to reconfigure the ground and first floors with the addition of an external courtyard to the rear, reducing the internal area by 10 sqm. 'The loft space is open, with a reduced area of approximately 20 sqm. The total proposed floor area is approximately 80 per cent of the existing. 'The proposed layout retains the garage and entrance doors and introduces a new staircase and courtyard at the rear. 'The living space upstairs is opened up and the bedroom located on the ground floor.' Pricey: Mr Harris purchased the property for 1.9 million in November 2019, land registry records reveal Appealed: Mr Harris' property is at Holland Park Mews, just behind the Beckhams. The council rejected his plans, which he then resubmitted for approval The Beckhams were successful in blocking the extension, after officials ruled against the plans in December. Sue Foster, director of planning and place at Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: 'The significant loss of the internal arrangement would remove much of the internal floor plan at upper level. 'Furthermore, the loss of the existing roof profile and new roof addition would be detrimental to the original architectural proportions and character of the listed building and will contribute to further piecemeal erosion of the roofscape of the mews houses. 'The special character of the listed building will therefore not be preserved and is contrary to CL4 and CL8 of the Local Plan.' David and Victoria bought their Holland Park home in September 2013 with the grand property dubbed Beckingham Palace II along with an adjacent smaller Mews property. Initial rejection: Council officials ruled that, under the plan, 'the special character of the listed building would not be preserved' Shortly after, the multi-millionaires submitted 50 planning applications to renovate their pad and successfully battled one neighbour's objection to installing air conditioning in five rooms. During the building work, the family lived in a rented house on the same road, before finally moving in during summer 2016. The six-bedroom house was built in the mid-19th century, and features six bedrooms, a gym, cinema room, play room and spa room. Meanwhile, a seventh bedroom was converted into a dressing room and beauty room for David and Victoria's extensive wardrobe. The exclusive area has been dubbed a 'millionaire's row' with other famous residents including Elton John and Robbie Williams. Myanmar soldiers videotaped confessions that they committed atrocities against Rohingya Muslims during army sweeps of their villages in 2017 are not true, an army spokesman said Wednesday, dismissing the admissions recorded by the rebel Arakan Army as coerced. Privates Myo Win Tun and Zaw Naing Tun confessed in video interviews to killing villagers during operations three years ago in Rohingya communities in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, after they deserted the government army and contacted the AA for assistance. The AA, which has been fighting a 21-month-long war with Myanmar forces in Rakhine state, recorded their confessions that they took part in violence which included torture, mass rape, indiscriminate killings, and arson targeting Rohingya communities in northern Rakhine state. The recordings were later obtained and analyzed by the Southeast Asian group Fortify Rights, while the two privates are now in the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands. Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun said officials have reviewed the AAs video recorded when the two privates were captured and detained by rebel troops, and concluded that their statements are false. There is the possibility that they were giving the testimonies as they were taught out of fear of being killed by enemy troops, he told RFA. This is very common in armed conflicts. We also have investigated the confessions from the AAs video, so we can briefly confirm that what they have stated in them is not true, he added. RFA has not seen the video interviews and has been unable to independently verify the soldiers accounts. Rights activist Nickey Diamond from Fortify Rights told RFA on Tuesday that the confessions by Myo Win Tun and Zaw Naing Tun match records, reports, and testimony from survivors and witnesses to specific atrocities. After all examinations, we have concluded that the confessions of these two soldiers are credible, so we released the statement, he said. In mid-August, the two former soldiers turned up on the Bangladesh border and asked Bangladeshi authorities for protection, Fortify Rights said. As a state party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, Dhaka notified the tribunal of the presence of the two men. The international court in November 2019 authorized an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity perpetrated by Myanmar soldiers against the Rohingya. Myanmar demands soldiers' return AA spokesman Khine Thukha told RFA that the two soldiers were not detained by the rebel force, which safeguarded them. He also said the AA has cooperated with the international community to ensure justice and has transferred evidence regarding mass killings committed by the Myanmar military to credible international organizations. The two privates were in battalions that were active in northern Rakhine state during military-led clearance operations against Rohingya civilians in 2016 and 2017, during which thousands were killed and roughly 840,000 others fled to neighboring Bangladesh where they now live in massive displacement camps. Myanmar which also faces genocide-related charges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the U.N.s top court last year defended the militarys actions against the Rohingya, saying they occurred during operations to sweep northern Rakhine of Muslim insurgents who had attacked police. Military spokesman Zaw Min Tun urged the international community to return the two soldiers to Myanmar so authorities can investigate and prosecute them there. Both the military and the government have announced ongoing inquiries and investigations regarding conflicts in Rakhine state, so these privates can give their testimonies in Myanmar, he said. These two privates should be transferred to Myanmars government. ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah referred questions about the investigation to the Office of the Prosecutor. In order to do that, you need to write them an email, he said. RFA repeatedly called and sent emails to the office, but did not receive a response before press time. Domestic investigations The military is proceeding with its investigations according to the recommendations in the report of the Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) that the Myanmar government set up to probe a military-led crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017, Zaw Min Tun said. We are focusing on the areas outlined in the ICOE report, he said. Since we have started a the court of inquiry, we have widely invited the submission of evidence and witness testimony. RFA could not reach government spokesman Zaw Htay for comment. Monywa Aung Shin, a spokesman for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party, said it is too early to reach a conclusion on the two privates. We need to assess why they went there, how they got there, and what kind of pressures they are being subjected to, he told RFA. Instead of assuming everything they said is right, we need to check the conditions they are in. Thein Tun Oo from the pro-military think tank Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies said people should remember that the government has declared the AA a terrorist organization when assessing the soldiers confessions. We should argue to what extent we can trust the testimonies of deserters who have sought refuge with a terrorist organization, he said, noting that the confessions have yet to be independently confirmed. I think these are just plots to try to pressure Myanmar authorities, he said. Muslim-majority Bangladesh, the soldiers conduit to the ICC, may have cultivated close relationships with insurgent groups like the AA and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a militant group whose attacks on police outposts triggered the 2017 crackdown, Thein Tun Oo added. Muslim leader Aye Lwin, who was a member of a commission headed by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan that called for an end to restrictions on the Rohingya minority to prevent further violence in Rakhine state, said ICC judges should determine whether the video can be admitted as evidence. It is best if the judges decide whether their testimonies are admissible, he told RFA. There are judges who have worked on similar cases and war crimes. There are standards for admitting or dismissing witness testimony. So far, Myanmars armed forces have conducted only two rare courts-martial of officers and other soldiers accused of committing grave rights abuses during the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya. In one case, four officers and three soldiers were each sentenced in March 2018 to 10 years in prison for killing a group of Rohingya men and boys in Inn Din village in a massacre revealed by Reuters news agency. But in November of that year, Myanmars military commander-in-chief pardoned and freed them. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. He enlisted at 28, died at 29 and never came home. But now Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Frank L. Athon Jr. is returning to Cincinnati nearly 80 years after his death in the Pacific in WWII. He was one of 1,000 servicemen killed in the bloody Battle of Tarawa in 1943. Tarawa is part of the Gilbert Islands, which lie about halfway between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea. Athon died on the third day of the days-long battle, the DPAA said, on Nov. 22, 1943. He was reportedly buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery on Betio Island, later renamed Cemetery 33. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 08:30:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and three others injured in firing by unknown gunmen in Rawalpindi city of Pakistan's east Punjab province on Tuesday night, police sources said. According to the initial investigation by police, three unknown gunmen opened fire at the people standing at roadside and fled the scene on the outskirts of Rawalpindi, the twin city of capital Islamabad, police sources told Xinhua. A heavy contingent of police reached the attack site following the incident, said the sources, adding that the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital where all three of them are in critical condition. No group or individual has claimed the attack yet. Police also kicked off a search operation in the area to track down the on-the-run assailants. Enditem AFPTV An elephant has given birth to twins in Kenya's north in a moment rarely witnessed among the endangered species. Just one-in-100 elephant births result in twins making the arrival of these calfs -- one male and one female -- a moment of nerves and celebration. Conservation group Save the Elephants said the twins were born to a mother named Bora and were first spotted by lucky tourists on a safari drive at the weekend in Samburu reserve. WICHITA, Kansas, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems [NYSE: SPR] announced today that Belcan will be onsite as a Strategic Partner in Spirit's Aerospace Innovation Centre (AIC) in Prestwick, Scotland. Belcan will work directly alongside Spirit engineers when the facility opens. The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enter into a strategic partnership. Belcan, a global supplier of engineering, supply chain, technical recruiting and information technology services, will provide Spirit with broad-based engineering capabilities and specific skills, primarily focused on supporting Spirit's wing engineering activities in Prestwick. This includes multi-disciplinary engineering skills, program management and manufacturing engineering resources. "We are pleased to announce this partnership and MOU as key milestones in securing the high-level engineering talent required to support the design and build of Spirit's innovative aerostructures. This powerful collaboration further enhances Spirit's ability to continue to leverage our full suite of Distinctive Capabilities, particularly in developing advanced aircraft architectures, to define the aircraft of tomorrow," said Dr. Sean Black, Spirit Vice President and Chief Engineer of Programs. Black and Keith Matthews, President of Belcan International, signed the MOU earlier this year in Prestwick to formalize the agreement. Leaders from both companies were in attendance. (Photo was taken in February, pre-social distancing requirements.) "We look forward to increasing and strengthening our world-class support of Spirit through this MOU," said Lance Kwasniewski, CEO of Belcan. "This solid collaboration draws upon Belcan's broad and deep engineering expertise, full lifecycle capabilities, and global experience to continue as Spirit's trusted engineering services partner." "We are proud to be Spirit's engineering service provider of choice and delighted to sign this MOU as a demonstration of our commitment," Matthews said. "Belcan is looking forwarding to creating tremendous value for Spirit as they shape the future of the aerostructures market." The AIC is an 85,000 square foot center to house Spirit's engineering design and manufacturing expertise alongside advanced development and pre-production equipment in a collaborative environment with key partners. On the web: www.spiritaero.com On Twitter: @SpiritAero About Spirit AeroSystems Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More information is available at www.spiritaero.com. About Belcan Belcan, LLC is a global supplier of engineering, supply chain, technical recruiting, and IT services to customers in the aerospace, defense, automotive, industrial, and government sectors. Belcan engineers better outcomes for customers - from jet engines, airframe, and avionics to heavy vehicles, automobiles, and cybersecurity, Belcan takes a partnering approach to provide solutions that are adaptable, integrated, and value added. Belcan has been earning the trust of our customers for 60 years and counting. For more information, please visit www.belcan.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1250916/Spirit_AeroSystems_Belcan_Contract.jpg Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2020) - Thunderstruck Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AWE) (OTC: THURF) "Thunderstruck" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that drilling has begun on its Korokayiu zinc/copper VMS project in Fiji. This season's drill program will expand on the high-grade results from the 2019 program at Korokayiu, which prompted the Company to expand its holdings from 30 to 136 square kilometres. Highlight intercepts from the 2019 program include: 2.77 m @ 21.6% zinc, 2.0% copper, 81 g/t silver and 0.42 g/t gold (Hole WLK16A) 11 m @ 13.8% zinc, 2.94% copper, 114 g/t silver and 1.08 g/t gold (Hole WLK17) 6.31 m @ 14.5% zinc, 2.35% copper, 111 g/t silver, and 0.66 g/t gold (Hole WLK14B) The Company, in partnership with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), has commenced a minimum 1,500-meter program Korokayui and will be completely funded by JOGMEC. "We are excited that the drills have begun turning to follow up on last year's extraordinary drill results," stated Thunderstruck President and CEO, Bryce Bradley. "This is the beginning of what will be a very news heavy period for Thunderstruck shareholders with both Korokayiu and Liwa exploration programs expected to be underway at the same time." In addition to drilling, the Company's 2020 exploration program includes mapping, geochemistry and a ~10-kilometre Induced Polarization geophysical survey designed to better define targets along a 15-kilometre mapped and mineralized structure (see news release May 21, 2020). Liwa Creek Gold Update At Liwa, the Company will shortly begin its maiden drill program on its Liwa gold prospect. Access roads have reached the Liwa camp and the first drill site. The company plans to mobilize a drill rig to site shortly. Liwa is characterized by five highly prospective gold/silver anomalies extending over a three-kilometre strike length and remains open in all directions. It has been the focus of sporadic work over the last four decades, and Thunderstruck's arrival marks the first systematic exploration program done on the property (see news release June 8, 2020) Environment Officer The Company welcomes Miliana Navia as its new Environment Officer. Ms. Navia holds a Masters in Environmental Science from Hokkaido University in Japan. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Navia worked as an Environment Officer for the Fijian Ministry of Environment where she oversaw a multitude of environmental work programs and initiatives. In her new role, Ms. Navia will oversee and maintain the highest standards of environmental responsibility as laid out in the Company's Environment Management Plan (EMP). This includes: Generating preliminary baseline data on physical parameters of water quality (physical and chemical) Road rehabilitation and maintenance Waste management and permitting Monitoring of water quality Drill site rehabilitations Data collection through tenement inspection and observations to monitor environmental impacts from exploration activities Ms. Navia will ensure compliance under the Mining Act, Environmental Management Act, and other relevant legislation and code of conduct related to exploration in Fiji. She will liaise and regularly consult with local landowners to keep them informed of the tenement progress. Her role will continue to strengthen the valuable relationships the team has built in country. "Thunderstruck is committed to implementing environmental and social awareness programs that exceed Fijian and International guidelines," commented Bradley, "We believe in Ms. Navia's ability to facilitate these objectives." Warrant Extension Thunderstruck has received approval from the TSX Venture Exchange to extend 9,677,500 15c warrants which were due to expire September 6, 2020. The new expiry date has been extended to September 6, 2022. About Fiji Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji, has a long mining history. It is on the prolific Pacific Ring of Fire, a trend that has produced numerous large deposits, including Porgera, Lihir and Grasberg. The island of Viti Levu hosts Namosi, held by a joint venture between Newcrest and Mitsubishi. Newcrest published Proven and Probable Reserves for Namosi of 1.3 billion tonnes at 0.37% Cu and 0.12 g/t Au (5.2M ounces Au and 4.9M tonnes Cu). Namosi is now undergoing environmental assessment as part of the permitting process. Lion One Metals is now developing its Tuvatu Project, with Indicated Resources of 1.1 million tonnes at 8.17 g/t Au (294,000 ounces Au), and Inferred Resources of 1.3 million tonnes at 10.6 g/t Au (445,000 ounces Au). The Vatukoula Gold Mine has been operating for 80 years, producing in excess of 7 million ounces. About Thunderstruck Resources Thunderstruck Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company that has assembled extensive and highly prospective properties in Fiji on which recent and previous exploration has confirmed VMS, copper and precious metals mineralization. The Company provides investors with exposure to a diverse portfolio of exploration stage projects with potential for zinc, copper, gold and silver in a politically safe and stable jurisdiction. Thunderstruck trades on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol "AWE" and United States OTC under the symbol "THURF". For additional information, please contact: Rob Christl, Investor Relations Email: rob@thunderstruck.ca P: 778 840-7180 or, visit our website: http://www.thunderstruck.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. 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 contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Although Thunderstruck 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 may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Thunderstruck's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Thunderstruck undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63457 Plans for one of the biggest housing developments in Laois since the Celtic Tiger are up in the air with confirmation that plug has been pulled on the planning application. The so-called Strategic Housing Development planned by Thomas Kelly and Sons is listed as being 'withdrawn' on Laois County Council's website. The developer, who spent years planning the project, wanted to build a residential development made up of 262 residential units (206 houses, 56 apartments) at Rathevan in Portlaoise. The development was also due to include a creche. The site is located off the Borris Road and borders Rathevan, the big Kilminchy estate while there are many other estates and standalone houses located nearby. The town's main secondary school campus is located a short distance from the site. Because of the scale of the developer opted for the Strategic Housing Development planning application route to An Bord Pleanlala. The application was made in June and a decision should have been reached by October. Laois County Council's management conditionally endorsed the project saying that there is 'clear evidence that demand for housing needs to be accommodated'. It also said the plan would help Portlaoise reach its housing target. However, the project ran into many local objections from both residents and several Laois county councillors. More than 30 written submissions were made to An Bord Pleanala. Significantly, a major stumbling was presented by Irish Water which described the development as 'premature' to on Bord Pleanala. The developer began consultations with Irish Water in 2018. Crucially the utility told An Bord Pleanala it had no plans to upgrade drainage or the local pumping station to deal with wastewater from the development. An Bord Pleanala has provided an outline of the submissions made to Laois County Council but there is no statement from the developer as to why it was withdrawn. The planning board required to make a determination strategic housing application within 16 weeks of the lodgement of the application. The withdrawal means no determination can be made. The application may be inspected online at http://www.rathevanshd.com/ An anti-graft court in Pakistan indicted former President Asif Ali Zardari and declared ex-premier Nawaz Sharif an absconder in corruption cases, the latest move in multiple legal proceedings against the political opponents of Prime Minister Imran Khan. An accountability court judge, Syed Asghar Ali, framed charges against Zardari, the co-Chairman of opposition Pakistan Peoples Party for illegally accepting gifts from foreign rulers when he was the president from 2008 to 2013, a deputy prosecutor of National Accountability Bureau, said on phone. In the same case, Sharif was declared an absconder. Both the leaders are on bail in other corruption cases. Sharif, who was the south Asian nations premier from 2013 to 2017 and was jailed in a corruption case in 2018, has been in London for the past about 9 months seeking medical treatment. The opposition parties accuse the government of premier Khan of persecution. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has disassociated itself from unsolicited political short messages (SMS) which are being sent mobile phone subscribers. In a statement, the Chamber which represents three telecommunications operators namely AirtelTigo, MTN and Vodafone said its members are politically neutral and their operating policies prohibit the promotion of any political party. The statement signed by the Chamber's CEO, Mr Ken Ashigbey adds that no Mobile Network Operator has sent out any unsolicited text messages for and on behalf of any political party. The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has noted with concern, customer complaints across various media relating to a recent political partys unsolicited message. The Chamber would like to state unequivocally that its members, the mobile network operators (MNOs), are politically neutral, and their policies and principles prohibit the promotion of any political party, the Chamber said in a statement. Text messages The statement comes after some telecommunications customers who received the unsolicited text messages (below) over the weekend raised concerns as to how the senders obtained their telephone numbers. Similar messages also made the rounds before the voter registration exercise in June. According to the Chamber, such unsolicited messages could come from any source which has a subscriber in their database. Providing clarification as to how the text messages were sent to the public, the Chamber explained that political parties rely on content providers to do bulk SMS transfers on their behalf. Content providers build databases of phone numbers from various sources including online, social media etc. Political Parties have access to data which they get through their own sources including their fundraising activities and other events. It also stated that its members do not give out contacts of their subscribers to content providers or marketers for targeting. The statement urges customers who wish to unsubscribe from UECs of any kind should type STOP (space) SENDERS NAME and send to the number from which the message or call was sent to stop receiving such messages, adding that if the UECs persists, contact your service provider to omit you from the promotional list and the Regulator as last resort. 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 Souhaur Mouhamad Hassan Khalil Al-Abbassi was arrested in Jordan in 2015. He is one of three suspects in the attack sought by French authorities. The other two are believed to be in the Palestinian territories and in Norway, according to French authorities. Yang Jingzhong, former head of Sydney's Xinhua News Agency bureau, was among a group of people targeted in a joint operation by the Federal Police and ASIO on the morning of June 26 A Chinese state media boss immediately fled Australia for Beijing after he was caught up in top secret raids in which multiple searches were conducted as part of an investigation linked to NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane. Yang Jingzhong, former head of Sydney's Xinhua News Agency bureau, was among a group of people targeted during joint operation by the Federal Police and ASIO on the morning of June 26. The Communist Party mouthpiece reported on Wednesday four Chinese journalists were interrogated for several hours and had their digital devices seized by investigators. Australian intelligence and police officers raided the home and office of Mr Moselmane that day as part of a months-long investigation into covert Chinese influence campaigns in Australia. The Lebanese-born backbencher, known for singing the praises of Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, told the ABC's 7.30 he was part of a 'friendly' WeChat group that included a number of 'foreign journalists', his staffer John Zhang and Mr Yang. It has not been confirmed whether Mr Yang's home was raided as part of the foreign influence investigation or if he was one of the four Chinese journalists interrogated. But Daily Mail Australia can reveal Mr Yang immediately took steps to flee Sydney on the same day as the raids, and all Xinhua journalists in Sydney were ordered to stop work for about two weeks and cut their communication with the Chinese media boss. The Sydney home of NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane was raided by federal police as part of an investigation into allegations of foreign interference on June 26 Federal agents are seen leaving the home of NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane in Rockdale, Sydney Zhao Lijian, spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed on Wednesday that four Chinese journalists working in Australia were raided. '[The journalists were] interrogated... on the grounds of a possible breach of Australia's anti-foreign interference laws,' Mr Zhao said. He said they were questioned and had their phones, computers and even their children's tablets confiscated. 'I would like to stress that the journalists of the Chinese media in Australia have strictly observed local laws and regulations,' he said. Australia's actions 'seriously interferes with the normal reporting duties of the Chinese media... and causes serious damage to the physical and mental health of the journalists and their families.' Tensions flared in the Prime Minister's Courtyard when Bai Xu (pictured), the chief of Xinhua's Canberra bureau, became angry that a SBS cameraman was filming her That same afternoon Xinhua's Canberra bureau chief Bai Xu sparked a heated row in the Prime Minster's Courtyard during a media conference. Ms Bai became angry that a SBS cameraman was filming her. The Australian cameraman had turned his lens on Ms Bai after witnesses claimed a photographer she was with was taking photos of other journalists. The news of the raid on Chinese reporters comes just days after two Australian journalists fled China at the direction of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. ABC's Bill Birtles and AFR's Michael Smith were told they were not free to leave China as they were part of an investigation into Cheng Lei - an Australian citizen working for China's CGTN English business news. The pair retreated to the Australian embassy where a tense diplomatic stand off unfolded over several days before they were eventually allowed to leave. On Tuesday, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei (pictured) is suspected of 'endangering China's national interests' Ms Lei was snatched by the totalitarian regime about a month ago and has not had any contact with her husband and two children since. Under China's draconian laws a suspect can be kept for up to six months with no access to legal council or the outside world. On Tuesday Mr Zhao said the Australian TV anchor is suspected of 'endangering China's national interests' but no further information about the case was offered. Relations between Beijing and Canberra have been spiralling to new lows as China becomes increasingly belligerence on the world stage. The two nations have been at loggerheads over China's human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, continued trade sanctions on Australian wine, beef and barely, as well as the Chinese Communist Party's refusal to allow an independent inquiry in the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beijing are also believed to have carried a major cyber attack on Australian institutions after Canberra banned Huawei from participating in the construction of Australia's 5G network in August 2018, on the grounds of national security concerns. Do you know more? Contact Levi.Parsons@mailonline.com High school student sent home for wearing homosexuality is a sin T-shirt, father says Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An outspoken Christian preacher and activist is accusing his daughters school of violating her First Amendment rights by forcing her to change out of a shirt proclaiming that homosexuality is a sin." He is contemplating legal action. Brielle Penkoski, the daughter of Rev. Rich Penkoski, attends Livingston Academy, a public high school in Livingston, Tennessee. During the school day on Tuesday, Aug. 25, she was allegedly asked to change out of a black T-shirt shirt bearing white letters asserting that homosexuality is a sin. The shirt references the New Testament passage of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. When she refused to change out of the shirt, she was sent home from school, her father told The Christian Post in a recent interview. Penkoski, who regularly speaks out in opposition to things like homosexuality and Drag Queen Story Hour events, runs an organization called Warriors for Christ, which describes itself as a pre-denominational ministry that has a global online presence. He and his family moved to the north-central Tennesee area in March after moving around a lot in the last few years. In an e-mail to The Christian Post, Penkoski claimed that Livingston Academy principal Richard Melton reasoned that his daughters shirt was prohibited because its message featured sexual connotation. Responding to that explanation, Penkoski noted that one of his daughters teachers has an LGBT pride sticker displayed in his classroom featuring the rainbow colors associated with the LGBT movement, which pushed to make same-sex marriage legal in across the U.S. The teachers sticker features words: Diverse, Inclusive, Accepting, Welcoming Safe Space For Everyone. According to Penkoski, the principal did not have any issue with the pro-LGBT display. The Christian Post reached out to Livingston Academy and Overton County Schools for comment on Penkoski's allegations and details on the schools dress code policy. A response was not received by press time. During an interview with The Christian Post, Penkoski described the debate over his daughters shirt as a First Amendment issue. Penkoski accused the school of abiding by a double standard when it comes to political speech. While the school allows students and teachers to promote pride, Penkoskis daughter was told to leave because she wore apparel expressing a dissenting viewpoint on the hot-button topic, he argued. She wanted to do this on her own. She wanted to go there to express her values like all the other kids do, he added. Theyve got kids walking around with the pride symbol on their sneakers and pride clothing and nobody bats an eye. She was basically censored, Penkoski continued. Its not fair that shes told that she cant wear that shirt and other people can wear the stuff that they wear. Penkoski argues that teachers are pushing Joe Biden [and] pushing the rainbow stuff. But if a Christian comes up there and repeats what the Bible says, they are seen as intolerant, they are seen as hateful, he added. Simply saying 'homosexuality is a sin' is not hate speech. Thats what the Bible says. And we need to start preaching truthfully. Penkoski maintained that what happened to his daughter is not an isolated incident. He believes that what happened to his daughter in a little town in Tennessee that nobodys ever heard of is indicative of the culture at schools around the country. Pastor Dale Walker, president of the Tennessee Pastors Network, agrees with Penkoski and said that what happened to his daughter was an indication of what is happening in our school systems. Theyre trying to drive the indoctrination down the throats of the students, Walker contends. They want the students to cower down and not be able to wear a shirt that has a Bible verse on it. They can fly your rainbow flags but then you have a Christian student who wants to express her deeply held beliefs and she is unable to. Our elected officials have to return the power of the schools back to the people, he argued. If not, the indoctrination will continue and it will get markedly worse. Walker believes that reforming American education begins with allowing the people of Tennessee to elect our school superintendent and elect a school director. We need a conservative director of education in our state. I dont think we have a conservative director of education, he said. Penkoski's dissatisfaction with public education is not limited to Livingston, Tennessee. Two years ago, he expressed outrage after his daughter received a homework assignment asking her to practice writing the Islamic declaration of faith in Arabic calligraphy. At the time, his daughter was attending middle school in Gerrardstown, West Virginia. Earlier in that particular school year, Penkoskis daughter was shown a music video featuring two male students sleeping together and a close-up of a sex toy. Late last year, after Penkoski and his family moved to Sullivan County, Tennessee, he said that his 7-year-old son brought home a flyer promoting a clinic that would provide access to free birth control and pre-pregnancy services. This is a movement, Penkoski proclaimed. Theyre trying to recruit kids, theyre trying to indoctrinate kids with liberal ideology, promoting sex and sexuality to kids. Penkoski urged parents across the U.S. to keep on top of what their children are learning in school. The schools are supposed to teach reading and writing and arithmetic, he stressed. Theyre not supposed to push issues of faith. Theyre not supposed to be pushing a political ideology. Mogadishu, Sep 9 : Somali National Army (SNA) has killed 13 al-Shabab extremists in the southern region of Lower Juba, a military officer confirmed on Wednesday. Ismail Abdi Malik Malin, an SNA commander, said the army launched an attack on the militants' bases on the outskirts of Kismayo town, inflicting severe casualties, Xinhua news agency reported. "There was an intense confrontation between the army and the militants, but we overpowered them, killing 13 of them including two senior leaders," Malin said. He added that the army is pursuing the remnants who fled to the forest. Southern regions of Somalia have become the battleground of the clashes between government forces and al-Shabab extremists since the militants were chased out of the capital Mogadishu in August 2011 by African Union Forces and Somali Army. WASHINGTON Vice President Mike Pence and top officials from President Donald Trump's campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to an event invitation obtained by The Associated Press and a review of social media postings. Vice President Mike Pence will host a rally for Montana Republican candidates in the Bozeman area next week, following a fundraiser for President Donald Trump's campaign. Pence is hosting a rally Sept. 14 in support of U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte and state Auditor Matt Rosendale. Daines is being challenged by Gov. Steve Bullock, Gianforte is facing off with Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney in the governor's race while Rosendale and Kathleen Williams are vying for Montana's lone U.S. House seat. Representatives of Daines' and Gianforte's campaigns confirmed the congressmen planned to attend the private Trump fundraiser prior to the rally. The rally in support of the candidates, which is scheduled to be held near Belgrade, will be open to the public, but the number of people permitted to attend is restricted due to COVID-19 regulations, according to the event invitation. The hosts of the fundraiser, Caryn and Michael Borland, have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts, their social media activity shows. The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking. Beyond Pence, the Sept. 14 fundraiser in Bozeman, Montana, is expected to draw influential figures in the president's orbit including Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top Trump fundraising official who is dating Donald Trump Jr., GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Republican National Committee finance chairman Todd Ricketts and RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks Jr., the event invitation shows. While many Republicans have dismissed QAnon, the fundraiser is another sign of how the conspiracy theory is gaining a foothold in the party. Trump has hailed Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, another QAnon supporter, as a "future Republican star." The president has refused to condemn QAnon, recently telling reporters that the conspiracy theory is "gaining in popularity" and that its supporters "like me very much." Representatives for Pence declined to comment on the fundraiser, though the vice president has previously called QAnon a "conspiracy theory." "I don't know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand," he told CBS last month. Representatives for the Trump campaign didn't immediately comment on the fundraiser. Caryn and Michael Borland did not return a call seeking comment on the event. QAnon is a wide-ranging conspiracy fiction spread largely through the internet, centered on the baseless belief that Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the "deep state" and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. It is based on cryptic postings by the anonymous "Q," purportedly a government insider. The story has grown to include other long-standing conspiracy theories, gaining traction among some extreme Trump supporters. The movement is often likened to a right-wing cult; some followers have run for office, primarily in the Republican Party, though some have been independent or run as third-party candidates. Trump has refused to say QAnon is false. The Borlands have shared multiple QAnon social media posts, as well as other discredited conspiracies. Michael Borland prominently features several QAnon "Q" logos on his Facebook page. One features a flaming "Q" with a Christian cross in the middle. He has also shared the QAnon oath as well as its slogan, which states: "Where We Go One We Go All." From his Twitter account, which also features the "Q" logo, he also shared a post that labeled the Black Lives Matter movement "terrorists" and made his own threat to shoot protesters, according to a June 25 post. Caryn Borland has retweeted or engaged with QAnon Twitter accounts. In April, she responded to a pro-Trump Tweet from a QAnon account by replying "Always" with a praying hands emoji. The couple has donated over $220,000 to Trump's reelection, the bulk of which was made in Caryn Borland's name. They were guests at the president's renominating convention last month. They posed for photos from the White House South Lawn, including one that shows Michael Alfaro, a Trump fundraiser from Illinois, in the foreground. Alfaro, who is also slated to attend the Montana fundraiser, responded in the comments: "Working for the Borland family on South Lawn!" The couple also said they dined with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, according to a caption on a Aug. 27 Facebook photo of the couple and Paul. Michael Borland also posed for a photo that same day with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Borland's Facebook account shows. The couple previously posed for a picture with Trump, which Michael Borland posted to Facebook on Dec. 20. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 4 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 19 Kathmandu, September 9 Chitwan National Park in central Nepal has reported a rhinoceros death due to poaching on Tuesday. This is the first time in the past three years that the park reported a rhino poaching incident. The male rhino, aged 20-25 years, was found dead at Bandarjhula island of Nawalparasi district inside the park on Sunday, September 6. The parks Chief Conservation Officer Ananath Baral says security personnel had reported hearing some sounds of shooting in the area, triggering the personnel to check if any animal was killed. Whereas the body was already decaying, its horn and hoof were found safe. During postmortem, two small holes were noticed on its head, without a bullet. We are shocked to find the holes without bullets, Baral says, We are consulting security experts. Before this, the last incident of poaching in the park was recorded on April 7, 2017. Until then, the number of rhinos killed by the poachers used to be quite high every year. For the past four years, however, the park has been seeing a significant increase in the number of natural deaths of rhinos. Therefore, of late,the park authority was focused on minimising the number of natural deaths. But, the recent poaching incident has alarmed the officials again. The park is always under several security threats as we have dense forests, but the number of security posts and personnel is limited, Baral says, It seems we need to adopt additional security precautions.? Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Newly minted Conservative Leader Erin OToole has removed a Manitoba MP from the partys shadow cabinet. In the list of critics announced Tuesday, Charleswood-area MP Marty Morantz is no longer the Tories point-man for scrutinizing tax policy and the Canada Revenue Agency. The former Winnipeg city councillor was not available Tuesday. His staff did not say whether Morantz had asked to leave the role, but instead said he will focus on support for sectors such as small business, airlines and tourism. Meanwhile, Kildonan-St. Paul MP Raquel Dancho has gone from diversity to immigration critic, a much higher-profile role as the Tories try to broaden their support. Selkirk-area MP James Bezan retains his role as defence critic, while MPs Ted Falk, Larry Maguire and Dan Mazier remain without a critic role. Almost 600 workers at Australia's largest meat processing facility have lost their jobs as the company scales back its operations due to plummeting profits during the pandemic. The job cuts at JBS Dinmore in Ipswich, which is the largest meat factor in the southern hemisphere, comes after the company failed to convince Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to make a JobKeeper exemption. The company does not qualify for the scheme as its turnover has only dropped 40 per cent this year, and not the 50 per cent required by large businesses. Bosses blamed JobKeeper for creating an 'inequity' in the market, with some companies propped up by handouts and others struggling to make ends meet. Almost 600 workers at Australia's largest meat processing facility have lost their jobs as the company scales back its operations (pictured, Michael McCormack at the plant) JBS Australia chief executive officer Brent Eastwood said it hadn't been an easy decision, but bosses had been left with little alternative. 'Already facing a severe livestock supply shortage following an extended period of drought, the COVID-19 crisis has significantly impacted the Dinmore business,' he told the Courier Mail. 'The situation has been further exacerbated by the market inequity created by the Federal Government's JobKeeper program. 'The market conditions mean there will be no work for around 600 full time jobs for the foreseeable future.' The job cuts at JBS Dinmore, which is one of Ipswich's largest employers, comes after the company failed to convince Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to make a JobKeeper exemption The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the company over the past few months, with shifts at the factory cut by 40 per cent and 1,700 workers stood down with no pay for two weeks. Due to the tumultuous few months, workers have lost more than 70 shifts this year and are classed as daily hire, meaning the minimum period of notice for termination is one day. Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union and Blair MP Shayne Neumann said it was one of the saddest cases Ipswich had ever seen. 'It's catastrophic for the Ipswich community and it's devastating for these local workers and families.' Smaller companies, those with an annual turnover of less than $1billion, must show their their turnover has fallen by 30 per cent to qualify. For bigger companies making $1billion or more annually, this must have dropped by 50 per cent. NEW DELHI : The single day tally of new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday crossed 4,000 in Delhi, which is the highest single day tally in over two months. With this the total number of cases of Covid-19 crossed 2 lakh. Delhi, which once had the highest number of cases among states had seen a sharp decline in cases. However, over the last week there has been a rapid increase in the total number of cases which some experts are calling a second wave. On Wednesday, Delhi reported 4,039 cases taking the total cases to 2,01,174. There have been 4,638 deaths due to the disease and 1,72,763 people have recovered from it. Currently, there are 23,773 active cases of covid-19 in Delhi. This comes as India is the fourth phase of unlock where restrictions have been further reduced. On Wednesday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal held a review meeting on the Covid-19 situation in the national capital and directed senior health officials and government officials to take all possible measures to stop the spread of the virus. He said that all precautionary guidelines along with social distancing norms must be followed. As cases continue to rise, Kejriwal said information regarding availability of beds, ventilators, emergency and oxygen beds in hospitals should be updated at the Corona app and no patient should face difficulty. The Delhi Model of controlling Corona is being discussed widely across the country. We have been able to contain the spread of Corona in Delhi after the efforts of the two crore people of Delhi. I am sure that we will be able to do it this time as well with the people's support. In the last few days, we have doubled the testing in Delhi and are encouraging everyone to get tested since a doctor's prescription is no more required to get tested. If any hospital is experiencing any issues, they can directly reach me and I will extend all possible help in this regard," Kejriwal said. Over the last week, Delhi government has increased testing from 20,000 a day to 40,000 a day. In June, when Delhi last reported over 4,000 cases, there was serious shortage in availability of beds and access to tests. This had put the government under the scanner. At the time, union home minister Amit Shah had held various meetings with Delhi government officials to increase beds. 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!! He is facing up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or both for the wire fraud charge and up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for filing a false tax return. His wife will not face charges for her involvement in the theft if the plea deal is accepted and she follows the terms of her pretrial deferral. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) After more than 1,000 people crowded onto San Francisco's Ocean Beach on Saturday to celebrate Burning Man, city Supervisor Catherine Stefani on Tuesday urged the city attorney and district attorney to investigate and pursue any potential charges against the party promoters. The party, which went against city orders that prohibit gatherings of more than 12 people amid the COVID-19 pandemic, was billed as a celebration of Burning Man, the annual counter culture festival held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. Stefani said she's planning on introducing a resolution at next week's Board of Supervisors meeting, urging that District Attorney Chesa Boudin and City Attorney Dennis Herrera investigate all large gatherings and, if necessary, take legal action. "For the past six months, we have been pleading with San Franciscans to share in the sacrifice of our small business owners and frontline workers to keep our community safe," Stefani said in a statement. "The large gathering we saw over the weekend was selfish, dangerous, and, in my view, unlawful on the part of the promoters." She added, "Those responsible for this event should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, and I hope to see swift action from our City Attorney and District Attorney to this effect." The party was organized by Collective Conscious and Trap Home Productions, according to an event page on Facebook. It featured 10 hours of performances, as well as activities like a "1-minute group chant to provoke our highest potential," organizers said. In the aftermath, Mayor London Breed called the organizers "reckless," ordering the beach parking lots closed and calling for extra officers to patrol the area to prevent any future large gatherings. The organizers were not immediately available for comment. 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. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said he held a fruitful interaction with his Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov here on the sidelines of the SCO meeting during which they agreed to further enhance their strategic partnership in all spheres. Jaishankar arrived here on Tuesday on a four-day visit to Russia to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). A fruitful meeting with FM Chingiz Aidarbekov of Kyrgyz Republic on SCO sidelines, Jaishankar tweeted. The two leaders discussed issues of bilateral and regional interest. Agreed to further enhance our strategic partnership in all spheres, Jaishankar wrote. Jaishankar thanked Aidarbekov for the support in facilitating the return of Indian nationals from the Central Asian country. Air India operated several flights under Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate its nationals stranded in other nations due to lockdown. About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. A few businessmen are engaged in trade and services in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Indian Embassy in Bishkek. A man has been charged with the murder of Jacob Billington as well as seven counts of attempted murder after a string of stabbings in Birmingham in the early hours of Sunday morning. West Midlands Police said Zephaniah McLeod, 27, is due to appear in a magistrates court on Wednesday morning. On Sunday the force declared a major incident after Mr Billington, 23, was killed and seven others were stabbed in a city-centre spree that lasted 90 minutes. Two of the victims remain in a critical condition with one, a 22-year-old woman, now critical but stable. A man aged 30 remains in a serious condition, while four others have been discharged. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA 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 Detective chief inspector Jim Munro, leading the investigation, said: "Since these tragic events unfolded in the early hours of Sunday morning we've had a team of officers working non-stop on the investigation. "Our driving focus is to secure justice for the victims, their family and friends. Our sympathies remain with everyone who's been impacted by these terrible crimes. "Our investigation continues and I would urge any witnesses who've not yet spoken to us, or anyone with information they feel could help, to get in touch." A post-mortem examination has since confirmed Mr Billington, a library intern at Sheffield Hallam University, died as a result of a stab wound to the neck. His family paid tribute to him as the "light of our life", in a statement issued through police on Monday. Suzanne Llewellyn, deputy chief crown prosecutor of CPS West Midlands, said: "Following an incident in Birmingham city centre in the early hours of 6 September, 2020, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised West Midlands Police to charge Zephaniah McLeod, 27, with one count of murder and seven counts of attempted murder. "This decision was made following careful consideration of the evidence presented to us by West Midlands Police as a result of their ongoing investigation. "Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the victims affected in this incident." Additional reporting by agencies 3 1 of 3 Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3 HAMDEN A womans car and wallet were allegedly stolen at gunpoint in the Hamden Plaza on Dixwell Avenue Tuesday night, according to police. Capt. Ronald Smith said officers responded to the plaza, located at 2100 Dixwell Ave., for a report of an armed street robbery around 7 p.m. The Sorting Office that Google was planning to lease in Dublin, Ireland. LONDON Google has decided not to press ahead with plans to lease an office in Ireland with enough space for 2,000 staff. The news was first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed to CNBC by Google. Based in Dublin's Docklands area, where thousands of people worked for U.S. tech giants before the coronavirus pandemic struck, the seven-storey office comprises 202,000 square feet of commercial space. The building was previously used as a sorting office by Ireland's state-owned postal service, An Post. It was developed by Marlet Property Group before it was sold to Singaporean real-estate investment trust Mapletree Investments for 240 million euros ($282 million) in June 2019. A Google spokesperson said: "After much deliberation, Google has decided not to proceed with leasing the Sorting Office at this time." Google declined to say why it has pulled out of the deal but it said it is "committed to Ireland" and that it will "continue to invest" in its Irish operations. Ireland has become a major hub for the likes of Google, Apple, and Facebook. Many U.S. firms set up their European headquarters in the country, which has lower corporation taxes than the U.K. The Docklands area in Dublin is already home to another large Google office and a Facebook office. Many of Google's employees in Ireland work in customer service roles and it's possible that Google has decided it is happy for them to work from home. Google, which employs around 200,000 people worldwide, had originally said employees should expect to return to the office in January 2021. In May, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai extended the search giant's work from home order. "To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don't need to be in the office," Pichai said. "As a nation we are very generous when it comes to giving gifts," says Elaina Fitzgerald Kane. "And of course, its a great way to support Irish tourism and local businesses. The Co Limerick hotelier and Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) President was speaking at the launch of a new 'Go Anywhere' card today - which it dubs "Ireland's ultimate hotel gift card". The gift card can be purchased at irelandhotels.com in denominations from 50 to 1,000, and will be accepted by hundreds of hotels and guesthouses throughout Ireland, the IHF says. It can be delivered digitally or in a gift box, and is valid for five years. The initiative comes as hotels face into into a bleak winter, with schools back, staycation bookings dwindling and average room occupancy rates of just 24pc, according to a recent IHF survey. One hope is that people will combine the card with Ireland's 'Stay and Spend' scheme, which will allow taxpayers claim up to 125 in tax credits on food and accommodation from October 1. Whatever about our generosity when it comes to giving gifts, however, will the 'Go Anywhere' cards actually be used in a pandemic? Approximately 70pc of the value of similar gift cards purchased over the last 18 months has yet to be been claimed, the Irish Hotels Federation says. Elsewhere, however, the business of travel vouchers has been brisk. "We had record use and sales of vouchers in August," reports Michelle Maguire of Ireland's Blue Book, a collection of over 50 luxury hotels, country houses, castles and restaurants around the island. Read More "From the messages we're seeing, I think there are a lot of people doing thank yous, as well as giving gifts for missed birthdays and occasions. They give that little bit of hope, and something to look forward to." The Blue Book sells over 30,000 vouchers a year, and says it will always honour them, no matter what amount of time passes. "We took one this year from April, 2005!" Maguire says. While just 5pc or so of Blue Book vouchers go unused, another hotelier - John Brennan of Park Hotel Kenmare - says now's the time to search out any that may be gathering dust around the house. "There are multi-millions in value of vouchers sitting in drawers all around the country. When you use your Blue Book vouchers to join us for two nights, you receive a third night free with our compliments." Rooms at the five-star start from 250 per night in November, but its 'A Night On Us' promotion lowers the cost of a three-night stay at that price to a total of 500. Hidden Ireland, another collection of historic country houses and cottages, says between 5-10pc of its vouchers go unclaimed, but that they remain valid for five years, and the collection always honours them anyway. The IHF's 'Go Anywhere' card is supported by Failte Ireland, whose latest consumer sentiment research shows that 60pc of Irish people are planning a break in Ireland over the next five to six months - though concerns are also growing around household finances, value-for-money and, particularly among older people, reassurance on Covid-19 safety. "The card will make a perfect gift as we enter the run-in to Christmas, and we hope it will encourage and inspire people to take breaks and enjoy the abundance of wonderful hotels across the country," said Paul Kelly, Failte Ireland's CEO. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9 Trend: Unlike a number of other countries, the human factor, social policy and protection of human health in Azerbaijan have been prioritized in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, professor of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC), expert-economist Elshad Mammadov said, Trend reports. Mammadov made remarks during the PRESIDENT. Independence. Security. Prosperity video project. The implementation of these measures has further strengthened the confidence of the population in the president of Azerbaijan, said the expert. Although we have witnessed restrictions in many sectors of the economy due to the pandemic, the government has taken systematic preventive measures to protect the economy amid all these processes. On the other hand, the population was provided with social payments. In addition, the government financially supported the most vulnerable segments of business. The most important factor is that public health protection has become a priority of anti-crisis measures taken in Azerbaijan on behalf of the head of state, Mammadov said. Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif strongly criticized a reprinting earlier this month of some controversial cartoons by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Many Muslims across the world find the sketches depicting the Islamic communitys most revered figure, the Prophet Muhammad, sacrilegious. Zarifs tweet also criticized French President Emmanuel Macron, who has refused to condemn the publication, saying he is not in a position to pass judgement on the magazines editorial decisions. Freedom of expression or institutionalized hypocrisy? the Iranian foreign minister asked the French leader, using his signature sarcasm. Charlie Hebdo reran the cartoons ahead of long-awaited proceedings that began last week against 13 defendants accused of complicity in the 2015 attack on the magazines office in Paris. The shooting left 17 people dead, including 12 magazine staff members and the three gunmen behind it. Earlier on Tuesday, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a statement calling the magazines reprint of the cartoons desecration and yet another sign of the enmity of Western political and cultural institutions against Islam and its followers. Khamenei targeted the French leadership, saying defense for the magazine on freedom of speech grounds was absolutely unacceptable." In Khameneis view, the publication's move fell within a larger scheme by the United States and Israel against Muslims. He urged the latter to stay vigilant and never ignore Western leaders hostilities." The statement fit the style of Khamenei, a Shiite cleric who habitually addresses the wider Islamic world and asserts his self-proclaimed position as leader of the global Muslim community. Unsurprisingly, Khameneis statement filled newsstands in Iran, where newspapers remain under strict supervision by the theocratic apparatus, entirely controlled by the supreme leader. As a rule, all media outlets running Khamenei's speeches are handed official versions, against which critical commentary is a well established red line. Despite slamming the sketches as a big and unforgivable sin, Khamenei fell short of issuing a fatwa of death, marking a shift from the his predecessor's reactions toward similar controversies. Back in 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led a revolution against the Iranian monarchy and founded the Islamic Republic, formally issued a death fatwa against British-Indian author Salman Rushdie. The fatwa, which called on all Muslims to execute Rushdie if they get the chance, came after Rushdies magical realism novel, "The Satanic Verses," sparked outrage across the Muslim world. While Rushdie has not been harmed, the fatwa is still in place and has been openly defended by Khamenei as unchangeable." Many roads in southwest Chinas Tibet autonomous region are named after provinces or municipalities in the country that have assisted the region, such as the Beijing Road in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, Hunan Road in Shannan, and Shandong Road in Shigatse. Theres an elevation difference of more than 3,600 meters between Beijing and Lhasa, which stand over 3,500 kilometers apart, yet such distance has never blocked the close friendship between the two cities. Since it started to provide partner assistance for two districts and two counties in Lhasa, namely Chengguan district, Doilungdeqen district, Damxung county and Nyemo County, in 1995, Beijing has invested massive manpower and resources in the city, building for which 554 relevant projects covering such facilities as modern ranch, the citys first Class A of Grade 3 hospital, Tibetan-style family inns and vegetable greenhouses. At the end of September 2018, Lhasa became one of the first batch of prefecture-level cities in the countrysthree regions and three prefectures suffering extreme poverty that had been entirely lifted out of poverty. Such a historic achievement resulted from the hard work and dedication of more than 900 Communist Party of China (CPC) cadres from Beijing who have assisted Tibet. In addition to the tough tasks, these cadres have to overcome all kinds of difficulties. Their families have also given resolute support for their work and made sacrifices silently. It is the original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the people as well as the noble responsibility for administering, stabilizing and rejuvenating Tibet that have prompted them to devote themselves where they are mostly needed by the Tibetan people. The establishment of and improvement in the partner assistance mechanism for Tibet is not only an institutional institution made by the central government of China to support Tibets economic and social development under the socialist system, but also a vivid manifestation of the mutual assistance and brotherhood among the ethnic groups of the Chinese nation. Working on the plateau, the scarcest thing is oxygen and the most precious is spirit, said Xi Jinping, president of China and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. All CPC cadres that have assisted Tibet have regarded aiding Tibet as an important political task and duty incumbent on them and considered it their mission to build, develop, stabilize and benefit the region. To fulfill their mission, batches of CPC cadres have sacrificed what they should have had and enjoyed, taken root on the plateau, and dedicated themselves to hard work, continuously injecting new dynamism into the old Tibetan spirit of being tough, brave, indefatigable, united, and devoted. Aiding Tibet in the new era is about providing all-round assistance for Tibet and helping the region to thrive on its own. Today, the ninth batch of CPC cadres dispatched from Beijing to Tibet have worked in the region for more than a year. Attaching great importance to Party building, they have established 12 temporary Party branches in the region. To stimulate the endogenous power of Lhasa for economic and social development, CPC cadres from Beijing have made arduous efforts. Based on a systematic review of more than 20 years of experience in aiding Tibet, they focused efforts on identifying the regions weak links in development, and proposed five major projects involving such ideas as development of endogenous power, targeted assistance, partner assistance, and revitalization of Tibet. By concentrating on accomplishing major tasks in Lhasa, Beijing has aimed to provide high-quality assistance to Lhasa in a bid to consolidate the results of poverty alleviation and promote rural revitalization. Being lifted out of poverty is not an end in itself but the starting point of a new life and a new pursuit, Xi said. As long as the impoverished areas have greater capabilities for development on their own, they are able to secure a better life for people. While the lofty Qinghai-Tibet Plateau adds incomparable natural charm to Tibet, the solidarity and concerted efforts of the whole nation to aid the region give the world a glimpse of its humanistic beauty. Ensuring that Tibet enjoys support from the central authorities and assistance from the whole country has been a consistent policy of the CPC Central Committee, according to Xi, who recently stressed at the seventh Central Symposium on Tibet Work held in Beijing a long-term commitment to the policy, and called on CPC cadres to sum up former experience and open up new vistas for aiding Tibet. Standing at a new historical starting point, the over 3 million Tibetan people and CPC cadres that have come to assist the region are bound to build a new Tibet that enjoys unity of various ethnic groups, rapid development, and prosperity through concerted efforts and hard work. A Sharadhaa By Express News Service Nature is the best cure, believes Diganth, and he, along with his actor wife and actor, Aindrita Ray, took to adventure activities, cycle rides, rock climbing, exercising, and learning new things during the lockdown period. Six months is the longest break I have ever had in my life since I started my career, says Diganth, adding that he missed the sets and interaction with people. It is time to begin work, and I am now waiting to get back to shooting, he says. The actor, is looking forward to the release of Puneeth Rajkumar starrer, Yuvarathnaa, in which he plays a pivotal role has also completed shooting for Huttu Habbada Subhashayagalu directed by Nagaraj Bethur. Diganth, who has a handful of projects lined up, will resume the shoot for director Raghavendra Nayaks Marigold on Sept. 18. The film features Sangeetha Sringeri as the female lead. The last day I shot with the team was March 18. We were supposed to start the second schedule in April-end, but it could take off because of the lockdown, says Diganth, who adds that he is left with 18 days of shooting for the comedy thriller. The next after Marigold will be Vinayak Kodsaras directorial debut, in which he will be sharing screen space with Aindritra Ray along with Ranjani Raghavan. As of now, the team has a working title -- Dayavittu Kshamisi Nimma Kaateyalli Hannavilla. However, it is not certain whether it is going to be the final title, or the team will finalise on another one, says Diganth, who was recently a part of a photoshoot done along with the female lead actors. Meanwhile, Diganth is waiting to hear from Gaalipata 2 director Yogaraj Bhat about when the team plans to restart the shoot. I am waiting to know what Yogaraj Bhat is up to with Gaalipata 2. In all likelihood, the shooting of the film will begin only next year as the team wants to finalise the location before that, he says. Apart from these three projects, he also has in his kitty the Kannada remake of the Telugu film, Evaru. Since the Gaalipata 2 shoot has been postponed, I have scheduled my dates for this project, says Diganth. Evaru in Telugu was directed by Venkat Ramji under the banner of PVP Cinemas, and according to the actor, the technicians who worked in the Telugu movie will also be coming on board for the Kannada version. Latest CNBC/Change Research Poll Shows Biden Firming His Lead in Battleground States ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., September 9, 2020 CNBC and Change Research today announced the results of their latest joint "States of Play" poll, conducted September 4 September 6. The poll finds that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by four points (49% to 45%) among likely voters in the six major battleground states (Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin). However with last week's historic stock market gains, 67% of likely national voters say the stock market is in excellent or good condition while only 40% of likely national voters say so of the U.S. job market and of the U.S. economy. While Trump has consistently been given his highest marks for his handling of the stock market (55% of likely battleground voters approve), 48% of likely voters in the battleground agree that "the stock market is an accurate reflection of the strength of the real economy." On the question of who would do a better job handling recovery from a recession between Trump and Biden, likely battleground voters are split 50-50 between Trump/Republicans and Biden/Democrats. But so far, a 52% majority of likely battleground voters disagree that Trump has done enough to help working Americans make it through the current economic downturn. CNBC and Change Research polled over 4,100 likely general election voters from the six previously noted battleground states, as well as over 1,900 likely general election voters nationally, to determine economic sentiment among voters. Additional key findings from the most recent CNBC/Change Research "States of Play" poll include: The economy, jobs and cost of living remain the number one issue in this election, with 43% of likely battleground voters saying this was one of the top three issues from a list of fifteen issues. For the first time the poll included "political corruption" in the list of issues and it was almost tied with COVID-19 (38% corruption, 35% COVID of likely voters in the battleground) in the top three list of issues. Base Republicans were considerably more likely to say political corruption was a top issue compared to base Democrats (47% and 26% of likely voters in the battleground, respectively), and it was also important to 42% of independents. The third tier of top issues included health care and prescription drug costs (26%), which have consistently been important, as well as 'racism and discrimination (27%) and 'law and order' (29%). For base Democrats, racism and discrimination was the second most critical issue (51%) after COVID-19, with the economy and health care costs tied for third (32% and 34%, respectively). Base Republicans, on the other hand, prioritize law and order (58%), the economy (53%), and political corruption (47%). The mental and physical fitness of both candidates has been brought up in various ways during their campaigns and majorities of likely voters believe that both men are mentally unfit: 55% of likely national voters, 51% of likely battleground voters say Trump is mentally unfit to be President. 52% of likely national and battleground voters say Biden is mentally unfit to be President. Voters are more confident in their physical fitness: 51% of likely national voters and 52% of likely voters in the battleground say Trump is physically fit to be President. 57% likely national voters and 54% of likely battleground voters say Biden is physically fit to be President. CNBC Washington D.C. Correspondent Eamon Javers and Reporter Kayla Tausche will reveal the results of the CNBC/Change Research "States of Play Poll" today, Wednesday, September 9 throughout CNBC's Business Day programming with additional coverage on-air tomorrow, Thursday, September 10. For more information on the survey including the full results and methodology and in-depth articles, go to: https://changeresearch.com/post/states-of-play-battleground-wave-13/. Methodology: Between September 4-6, 2020, Change Research surveyed 1,902 likely general election voters nationally and 4,143 likely general election voters in the battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The margin of error as traditionally calculated among the national sample is 2.25% and among the battleground sample is 1.4%. Change Research reaches voters via targeted online ads that point people to an online survey instrument. Its Dynamic Online Sampling establishes and continuously rebalances advertising targets across region, age, gender, race, and partisanship to dynamically deliver large samples that accurately reflect the demographics of a population. In the national survey and the survey of battleground states, post-stratification was done on gender, age, region, education, race, and 2016 presidential vote. For additional methodological information, visit www.changeresearch.com/methodology. About CNBC: CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business content consumed by more than 355 million people per month across all platforms. The network's 14 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 5:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries. CNBC also offers content through its vast portfolio of digital products such as: CNBC.com, which provides real-time financial market news and information to CNBC's investor audience; CNBC Make It, a digital destination focused on making you smarter about how you earn, save and spend your money; CNBC PRO, a premium service that provides in-depth access to Wall Street; a suite of CNBC mobile apps for iOS and Android devices; Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri voice interfaces; and streaming services including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Samsung Smart TVs. To learn more, visit https://www.cnbc.com/digital-products/. Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBCUniversal Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcumv.com/programming/cnbc. For more information about NBCUniversal, please visit http://www.NBCUniversal.com. New AI-based test uses X-rays to detect Covid in a few minutes Hospitalisations in Delhi during third Covid wave significantly lower than second 8 test COVID-19 positive ahead of West Bengal monsoon session India oi-Briti Roy Barman Kolkata, Sep 09: Eight persons tested positive for COVID-19 during examination conducted on MLAs, Assembly staff and media persons Tuesday, ahead of the one-day monsoon session of the West Bengal House on September 9. A total of 467 persons were tested at a temporary testing centre. "A total of eight people tested positive; out of them,two are assembly staffs. Four police personnel who were on duty inside the premises, one media person and a driver examined also tested positive. Necessary steps as per norms have been taken," Speaker Biman Banerjee said. The West Bengal house monsoon session will be held for a day on September 9 due to the ongoing pandemic, instead of two-day as proposed earlier. The TMC said the decision to curtail the sitting for a day only was taken at the all-party meeting Tuesday. The tests would continue on Wednesday also. According to sources in the Assembly, MLAs, staff members and journalists, planning to attend the proceedings, formed separate queues on the premises of the assembly, and underwent rapid antigen tests, while maintaining social distancing norms. "We don't want people to stay in the assembly for a longtime. So it has been decided that the house will be adjourned after obituary reference and placing of few reports," Banerjee said. However, leader of the Opposition, Abdul Mannan from Congress party criticised the TMC government for not accepting proposals for bringing in resolution against the "anti-people" policies of the Centre. Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News "We wanted to bring in a resolution against the National Education Policy and rise in the prices of essentials. But our proposal was turned down by the TMC. This only proves that TMC and BJP have a tacit understanding," Mannan alleged. There have been instances when resolutions have been passed without any discussions. But the state government was adamant on not bringing any resolution, Mannan said. TMC denied the charge and said the resolution was not allowed as the session will be held for just a day. Notably, the 294-member state assembly was adjourned since March 17 as the state budget session was curtailed due to coronavirus pandemic. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, September 9, 2020, 11:55 [IST] The office of the UN human rights chief is calling on the Russian government to carry out or cooperate with an independent investigation of the reported poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, welcomed the emergence of Mr Navalny from a coma in a Berlin hospital, said office spokesman Rupert Colville. "There was a very serious crime committed on Russian soil," he told reporters in Geneva. "There appears to to be no doubt this exotic and highly deadly substance Novichok was used, and clearly there must be a proper investigation.' "Who does it, how they do it, as long as it's independent, impartial and thorough, and preferably quick, it's less important in a sense to say who does it," he added. "In theory at least, it's incumbent on the Russian authorities to investigate a crime of this severity that took place on their own territory." Mr Navalny, a fierce, high-profile critic of Vladimir Putin, was flown to Germany last month after falling ill on 20 August on a domestic flight in Russia. German chemical weapons experts say tests show the politician was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent, prompting the German government last week to demand that Russia investigate the case. Ms Bachelet, in a statement, decried a "profoundly disturbing" number of cases of poisoning or targeted assassination in Russia over the past two decades, and noted that Mr Navalny had been harassed, arrested and assaulted repeatedly in the past. "Navalny was clearly someone who needed state protection ... even if he was a political thorn in the side of the government," Ms Bachelet said. "It is not good enough to simply deny he was poisoned, and deny the need for a thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigation into this assassination attempt." AP SPRINGFIELD As members of Congress get back to work, some are looking for another COVID-19 aid package. President Donald Trump said he doesnt support bailing out what he called badly run Democratic cities and states, whether its New York or Illinois. The states budget also relies on an income tax amendment that voters have yet to decide. Earlier this year, shortly after the state and the nation were rocked by the pandemic, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, sent members of Congress a letter requesting more than $41 billion in aid to cover the states anticipated financial problems. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said Illinois should not get a bailout for years of policymakers neglecting the states finances before the COVID-19 pandemic. No one is going to bail out the structural debt and deficit that Illinois has, Davis said. Thats not a pandemic expense, thats not something thats caused by the pandemic. Messages seeking comment from Davis General Election opponent, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, a Democrat, were not returned. U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, said Illinois structural debt is from years of Illinois paying more than it gets back in federal taxes. So until that problem is fixed, this mischaracterization of this as a bailout is just way off base, Foster said. Fosters opponent, Rick Laib, a Republican, couldnt be reached for comment. Foster said a deal for additional COVID-19 relief may be wrapped in with an end-of-year spending plan to get passed the presidential inauguration in January. He said that would be to avoid making things more turbulent with threats of a government shutdown. Davis said he would support allowing local governments to cover COVID-related costs with money congress has already approved. Trump said Democrats in Congress dont want to make a deal on another aid package before the election to hurt the president politically. He warned against giving the store away with a push he said is for $1 trillion in non-COVID-19 related spending. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday its up to Congress to step up. He said he is very, very concerned that social services will be diminished if Congress doesnt take action. Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India, is unlikely to get a fair trial there due to the politicisation of his case and he faces a "high risk of suicide" due to the lack of adequate medical facilities in Indian prisons, his legal team told a UK court on Tuesday. The 49-year-old fugitive diamond merchant is fighting extradition charges related to the estimated USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case brought by the Indian government at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. On the second day of Modi's five-day extradition hearing at the court, Justice Samuel Goozee was taken through official Indian prisons data, including statistics on coronavirus cases at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai where Modi is to be held if he is extradited. Modi's barrister, Clare Montgomery, also laid out her plans to depose further expert witnesses during the course of week, including a former Indian Supreme Court judge referred to only by his last name of Katju. "There has been a significant decline in the integrity of the justice system in India? and the Nirav Modi case has been made a political issue, with no presumption made of innocence,? Montgomery told the court. She claimed that because the jeweller had been made into a "hate figure" in India, there was an "overwhelming political necessity" to condemn him and see him convicted. She added that other defence witnesses also highlight a decline in the "standards of behaviour" of investigating agencies, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court was told about a ?marked decline? in Modi's mental health at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, where stricter coronavirus curbs have meant a lack of access to inhouse counselling facilities and very limited contact with family, with only 25 minutes allowed outside his cell in July. "He has increasingly suffered from severe depression and the latest assessment shows he is on the threshold of being subject to hospitalisation unless given proper treatment? and his fitness to plead may be in doubt here or in the requesting state (India) given a high risk of suicide,? Montgomery said, adding that the availability of psychiatric help in Indian prisons was "utterly inadequate". "The laconic assurance [of the government of India] and the prison video to say that he will be kept in humane conditions appears to be completely inadequate when one bears in mind his psychiatric condition and in addition the looming threat of COVID,? she said. Modi's legal team also indicated plans to depose an expert in tropical medicine in an attempt to counter Indian government claims that the COVID-19 outbreak reported at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai in May had been brought under control. "What is claimed is improbable and the management of COVID-19 within Arthur Road Jail does not add up,? Montgomery told the judge. The defence arguments follow the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) opening the second part of the extradition trial on Monday on behalf of the Indian authorities, which focused on establishing a prima facie case of fraud and money laundering against Modi. CPS barrister Helen Malcolm took Justice Goozee through detailed witness statements by so-called ?dummy directors? including Ashish Lad, who recorded a video back in June 2018 to say that his life had been threatened by Modi. She laid out details of how as the details of the fraud were beginning to emerge, the jeweller started by hiding most of the evidence, in particular the originals of "letters of undertaking" (LoUs) from PNB, and then went on to ?threaten, intimidate, cajole and bribe officials?. "He destroyed mobiles of dummy directors and threatened one of the witnesses with death," Malcolm told the court. Modi, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, has been observing the court proceedings remotely from a room in Wandsworth Prison and referring to bundles of documents laid out before him from time to time. He is subject to two sets of criminal proceedings, the first brought by the CBI relating to a large-scale fraud said to have been committed upon PNB and the ED case, relating to the laundering of the proceeds of that fraud. A further extradition request was made in February this year, certified by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, of two additional offences relating to allegations that Modi interfered with the CBI investigation by causing the disappearance of evidence and intimidating a witness. The CPS must establish a prima facie case against Modi to allow the judge to rule that he has a case to answer before the Indian courts. If the judge finds a prima facie case against Modi, it will go back to Patel to formally certify his extradition to India to stand trial. A ruling in the case is expected at the end of this year after a final hearing scheduled for December 1. Modi has made repeated attempts at bail over the past year, each of which were turned down as he is deemed a flight risk. The jeweller was arrested on March 19 last year on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard. The head of the governments legal department has quit, apparently in protest at Boris Johnsons plans to unpick protections for Northern Ireland in the Brexit agreement. Jonathan Jones is said to be very unhappy about the controversial move to overwrite parts of the protocol signed with the EU last year and ratified. The resignation will fuel criticism that the prime minister is attempting to renege on the agreement jeopardising peace in Northern Ireland and an EU trade deal. He is also the sixth senior Whitehall civil servant to resign this year, following the exits of cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill and the permanent secretaries at the Foreign Office, Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department for Education. If he cant stay in the public service, there must be something very rotten about this government, said Lord Falconer, Labours shadow Attorney General. Sir Jonathans departure was swiftly followed by the announcement that the director general of the Attorney Generals department Rowena Collins Rice was stepping down, bringing the tally of top mandarins quitting Whitehall to seven. However, Ms Collins Rice is understood to be moving to a new post in the public sector, in a switch which had been planned for some time. Downing Street has denied that new legislation to override requirements for customs checks in the Irish Sea and limits on using state aid amount to tearing up parts of the Brexit agreement. It would only be used if talks with the EU failed, it says, but the move does amount to a unilateral act to rework an international agreement, alarming the EU. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, reminded the prime minister that the Northern Ireland protocol is an obligation under international law. Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pedestrians pass in front of the Ministry of Defence Building on Whitehall, illuminated by red, white and blue lights in central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supporter shouts during a rally in London AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners take part in a 'Missing EU Already' rally outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A large pro-EU banner is projected onto Ramsgate cliff in Kent PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU supporters light candles in Smith Square in Westminster PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The five-year old Elisa Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights group New Europeans outside Europe House, central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Pro Brexit supporter has a Union Jack painted onto his face at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Men hold placards celebrating Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters dance in the street draped with Union Jack flags at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexit demonstrator spreads his wings during a gathering near Downing Street AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters display a banner ' Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out' from Westminster bridge EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit supporters burn European Union flags at Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses for a picture on Parliament Square in a 'Brexit Day' t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man wears a pro-Brexit t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators visit Europe House to give flowers to the staff on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporter wears a novelty Union Jack top hat outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Customers Scott Jones and Laura Jones at the Sawmill Bar in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, where a Brexit party is being held throughout the day PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU activists protest Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit demonstrator burns a European Union flag AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man carries an EU themed wreath Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA Sir Jonathan, at a think-tank event earlier this year, made clear it was the job of government lawyers to point out if any action was incompatible with ministers legal duty. Fundamentally, international law is the law. It derives from obligations the government has entered into through treaty or otherwise arise under international law, he was quoted as saying. We treat that as the law, and the government is subject to the rule of law and will comply with those obligations. Sir Jonathan is also believed to have clashed with Suella Braverman, the attorney-general and a European Research Group hardliner. He is understood to have been unhappy with Ms Bravermans interpretation of the legal implications of a no-deal Brexit, the Financial Times was told. The proposed changes to the exit deal will be set out in an Internal Market Bill to be published on Wednesday despite the prime minister describing the agreement he ratified as oven-ready. Mr Johnson has also threatened to end the trade talks if there is no agreement by 15 October, while refusing to publish a state aid plan which is vital to unlock them. The two chief negotiators, David Frost and Michel Barnier, were opening another round of negotiations in London on Tuesday, but with little apparent hope of a breakthrough. The prime ministers official spokesman refused to discuss the reasons for Sir Jonathans resignation, or whether he had signed off the plan to override elements of the withdrawal agreement. It is for ministers for determine the legislation which the government puts before parliament, journalists were told. On his last day as head of the civil service on Tuesday, former cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill was thanked for his service by the prime minister at cabinet. The national security adviser to two prime ministers, who is the most senior The national security adviser to two prime ministers, who is the most senior mandarin to be forced out in Dominic Cummingss hard rain shake-up of Whitehall, was presented with paintings of Queen Elizabeth Is spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. Safwan Choudhry said WestJet crew tried to force his infant daughter to wear a mask, even though she is too young for the airline's regulation. Todd Korol/Reuters Canadian airline WestJet canceled a flight following a disagreement about whether a toddler needed to wear a mask. Safwan Choudhry said the airline tried to force his 19-month-old daughter to wear a face covering, even though the rule only applies to children over 2 years of age, the CBC reports. The airline disputed that account, telling Business Insider in an email: " It is important to clarify that WestJet did not request the infant under the age of two to wear a mask, " but that it did require the 3 year old to wear a mask. WestJet ultimately deplaned passengers after it deemed the environment too unsafe to fly. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In the age of coronavirus, disputes over mask wearing have become as commonplace as the face coverings themselves. But it's not every day that a flight is canceled altogether because of it. Canadian airline WestJet said it scrapped a Tuesday flight from Calgary to Toronto after a family wouldn't obey a rule that all passengers over 2 years old must wear masks, the CBC reports. The details of the dispute are rather fuzzy, with WestJet and Safwan Choudhry, the passenger involved, offering contradicting accounts of what happened. Choudhry, who was flying with his wife and two daughters aged 19 months and 3 years said his family followed all the regulations, according to the CBC. Choudhry told the outlet that airline staff tried to force his 19-month-old to put on a mask, even though she was under the cutoff for mask wearing on Canadian flights. "It started with my toddler and once we got a mask on her, they turned to my 19-month-old infant and said 'every person on the plane has to wear a mask or the plane can't take off,'" he told the CBC. Choudhry said he and his wife tried unsuccessfully to get a mask on the infant, who cried and eventually vomited. It was then that a flight attendant told Choudhry that the police would be called and that he and his family would need to get off the plane, Choudhry told the CBC. Story continues Police arrived and insisted that the child wear a mask or the family would need to leave the plane, Choudhry said. Shortly thereafter, the flight's captain announced that WestJet would be evacuating the flight for security and safety reasons. Even after police viewed each family member's ID, determining that the infant was less than 2 years old and resolving the mask issue, the flight crew felt it was unsafe to fly due to how other passengers were behaving, the CBC reports. "Due to the rapid escalation of the situation on board, our crew felt uncomfortable to operate and the flight was subsequently cancelled," a WestJet spokesperson told Business Insider in an email. WestJet said it was Choudhry's older daughter that was required to wear a mask, not the younger one. Choudhry said his 3-year-old child complied with regulations. "It is important to clarify that WestJet did not request the infant under the age of two to wear a mask," a spokesperson said, adding that the incident occurred "due to non-compliance of the parents to place a mask on their older child who is over the age of two." Choudhry's family "did not comply after multiple requests," the spokesperson said. The airline also said that Choudhry's family was traveling with employee passes offered through the company's employee travel privileges. The family and the WestJet employee who provided the passes will both have their privileges revoked. A spokesperson apologized to guests affected by the cancellation and said that the airline was able to rebook most passengers on other flights. Read the original article on Business Insider A woman reads her phone and tablet at a cafe in Beijing, on November 2, 2012. (WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images) China Shuts Down Over 100,000 Social Media Accounts in Latest Internet Crackdown In the past month, the Chinese regime has banned scores of social media accounts and platforms, shutting down more than 100,000 online video-streaming accounts. Some believe that it will become increasingly difficult for self-mediaindependently-operated social media accounts in Chinato survive. According to Chinas chief censorship agency, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), it has shut down 338 live-streaming platforms, 74,000 live-streaming virtual rooms, and 105,000 live-streaming accounts since late August. Among the 105,000 banned accounts, 13,600 were the accounts of online eating shows known as mukbang, where people broadcast themselves eating large amounts of food. In August, amid concerns of a nationwide food shortage, the Chinese regime launched an initiative against food waste. Soon after, internet platforms removed the accounts of several famous Chinese mukbang personalities. The mukbang accounts make up a small percentage of this latest internet purge campaign. The targets also included commercial internet platforms, self-media, and social media. At the end of August, the CAC convened a meeting with government officials and internet company executives to convey this purge campaign. A person who participated in the CACs meeting revealed in online chat rooms: the future of the self-media will become grimmer. According to regulations, almost nothing is allowed to be posted, official media news is not allowed to be reposted, reports of sudden incidents are not allowed, the release of negative real estate information is not allowed, even the price trend forecast is not allowed. In the end, nothing can be published. The latest crackdown on internet speech drew backlash from netizens. Cheng Yizhong, founder and former editor-in-chief of state-run media outlets Southern Metropolis Daily and Beijing News, said on social media that he believed the Chinese government has never loosened control of the media and there would be no future for self-media in China. Seventy-five years and more have marched on since the first settlers on the land arrived in 1866, the year before Nebraska became a state. Little did they or those who came immediately after them realize the part they were playing in the great drama of human existence. From time almost in memorial, the bugles of civilization and settlement had been blowing west, but only those with ears attuned had heard them. The rest were content to live in the environment where the chance of birth or paternal residence had dropped them. The attitude of the first comers neighbors back east can well be imagined when they learned the homeseekers were going west. Its fine, of course, they agreed, to have so much faith and courage, but what a fool-hardy thing to do. They will all be scalped on the way or starved when they get there finally. Where they hope to go they will never be able to stick it out. Always the standers-around make some such comment when a courageous new thing is proposed. It covers their own timidity and indolence. It is the attitude that has endeavored to impede every bit of progress that has been made since the cave man looked out of the door of his hovel, seized a club and concluded that it was safe to him to go about. But, thank God, it has never deterred the truly courageous. And we who have pride in what has been accomplished in York County in less than a century of human existence can be grateful for the first comers who were examples of a type of citizenry so utterly foolish that perils mean nothing to them when they stood in the way of the fulfillment of a vision. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is leading President Trump by 9 points among likely voters in the must-win battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Biden was born. About 53 percent of likely voters in Pennsylvania say they would vote for Biden and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris, while 44 percent of likely voters say they would vote forA Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, according to a recent Marist/NBC News poll. Half of Pennsylvania voters say they view Biden favorably, while 46 percent say they have a negative view of the former vice president. Meanwhile, only 44 percent of voters in the state say they view Trump favorably, while 54 percent view him negatively, the poll found. Biden is also benefiting from outsized support among suburban voters, 58 percent of whom say they will vote for him compared to just 39 percent for Trump. That represents a significant departure from the Democratic tickets performance among the same demographic in 2016, when Trump outperformed Hillary Clinton among the Keystone states suburban voters by an eight-point margin. More than half, 52 percent, of likely voters in Pennsylvania say they disapprove of the job Trump has done as president, and 45 percent say they approve of his performance in office. Both candidates have made recent campaign stops in the swing state as they compete for an edge two months out from the general election in November. Biden, who was born in Scranton but left the state as a child, delivered an address in Pittsburgh last week. Trump held a rally in Latrobe on Thursday of last week, and Pence visited Exeter two days earlier. Both Trump and Biden are planning visits to the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, marking the 19th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. In 2016, Trump won Pennsylvania by less than 1 percentage point, about 44,000 votes. With Trumps job approval rating and favorability upside down, he needs to reshuffle the deck to close the gap, said Dr. Lee Miringoff, who directs the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. Trumps best bet is on the economy to do just that. Story continues The poll surveyed 1,147 U.S. adults by telephone from August 31 to September 7. More from National Review DETROIT - Gov. Gretchen Whitmers bold use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic reached the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday as justices heard hours of arguments about whether she has illegally made far-reaching decisions without input from the Legislature. Whitmer, a Democrat, has repeatedly ordered virus-related restrictions under a 1945 law that grants power to declare emergencies when public safety is imperiled but makes no mention of public health or a pandemic. Whitmers critics, especially Republicans who control the Legislature, instead point to a 1976 law that says lawmakers get a say in emergency declarations after 28 days. For six months, Whitmer has imposed and subsequently eased restrictions on Michigans economy, K-12 school system, health care and even visits to state parks, all in a desire to reduce the risk of the highly contagious virus, which has killed more than 6,500 residents. Critics argue that a lack of collaboration has crippled many businesses that had insisted they could safely reopen. The Supreme Court coincidentally heard arguments on the day that gyms in large metro areas were allowed to open for the first time since March. This case is not about the wisdom of the governors decisions during this pandemic. It is instead about the structure of our government, said Amy Murphy, an attorney for health care providers who have challenged Whitmer. Murphy said the two laws about emergency powers should be applied together so the 28-day time limit is embraced. The high-stakes case reached the Supreme Court in an uncommon way. A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit that makes state and federal claims about Whitmers powers asked for an opinion on the constitutionality of the Michigan laws. Its possible that the court still could turn down the judges request even after hearing arguments, although experts believe thats unlikely. In a separate lawsuit filed by Republican lawmakers, two lower courts have upheld Whitmers use of the 1945 law, but that case hasnt been accepted yet by the Supreme Court. Whitmer has exercised an enormous assertion of power, said Justice David Viviano, adding later that only the governors imagination seems to be the limit. But Eric Restuccia of the attorney generals office said Whitmers authority has been appropriate, likening COVID-19 to a wildfire. While there has been some success with these firefighters trying to contain the fire, it threatens to break free, Restuccia told the court. The Legislature and the plaintiffs are telling us that there is no emergency, as if the firefighters can come home. But if they do, it will place our communities in jeopardy. Chief Justice Bridget McCormack wondered if the Whitmer administration could get around the dispute by citing public health laws to support its response to the pandemic. The governor, meanwhile, said she believes the court will rule in her favour. We are in a stronger position than most other states in the nation because we got aggressive and took actions that were permitted under these 1945 powers, Whitmer told a business forum. An effort to take those away jeopardizes all the work that we have done and also puts us in a much weaker position when we have a second wave. ___ AP reporter David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this story. ___ Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez A new software program effectively brings the expertise of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) specialists to many more patients with Down syndrome (DS), according to a study published today in Genetics in Medicine. Down Syndrome Clinic to You (DSC2U) is a first-of-its-kind online health tool aimed at improving adherence to US national Down syndrome guidelines. This study finds the tool effective. Most caregivers and primary care physicians (PCPs) also reported high satisfaction with it. The first author of the paper is Jeanhee Chung, MS, MD, primary care physician at MGH. The senior author is Brian Skotko, MD, MPP, director of the Down Syndrome Program and Emma Campbell Endowed Chair on Down Syndrome at MGH. The study was a national randomized controlled trial of 230 caregivers who had children or dependents with DS but no access to a specialist. Of these, 117 were randomized to receive DSC2U while 113 received usual care. A total of 213 participants completed a seven-month long follow-up evaluation. Those who received DSC2U had a 1.6-fold increase in the number of guideline-indicated evaluations their primary care provider recommended or completed compared with controls. Clinicians at MGH's Down Syndrome Program launched DSCU2 in August of this year. The program aggregates the clinical experience of specialists and others who care for these patients. It then connects patients' families with customized information to augment the work of local care providers. Skotko and his colleagues see approximately 600 patients a year at their clinic. DSC2U now brings MGH's expertise in caring for individuals with Down syndrome to families around the globe. To participate, users are asked to identify current symptoms in their loved one with Down syndrome along with any past medical or behavioral diagnoses and any recent blood work or diagnostic testing. They are additionally offered an optional set of questions about nutrition, education, therapies, life skills and community resources. Responses are electronically analyzed by an evidence-based set of rules, and the output comprises personalized checklists that can be used during annual wellness visits with the patient's PCP. Rather than asking families around the world to come to Boston, we are instead bringing the most accurate and up-to-date information to families in their home settings." Brian Skotko, MD, MPP, Director, Down Syndrome Program "About 95 percent of patients with Downs syndrome do not have access to specialist care," he adds. Specialist care is particularly important for them as these patients have a wide range of different health, social, and developmental issues. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- When I was supreme allied commander at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, we had a small training mission in Iraq. President Barack Obamas administration was in the process of drawing down the massive U.S. troop presence there, which peaked at around 170,000. I visited Baghdad, and spoke at length with the general running the mission, Bob Caslen. He emphasized that we could reduce our presence by 90% which we did but that it would be prudent to keep a minimum of 15,000 troops in country to maintain stability and counter Iranian influence. Unfortunately, the Obama administration continued the withdrawals, and over time the lack of U.S. presence contributed to the rise of the so-called Islamic State and ever-increasing Iranian influence in the Iraqi government and military. The U.S. ended up with around 6,000 troops in Iraq and Syria by the time President Donald Trump arrived in office, and they along with NATO and Arab allies had their hands full tamping down a full-blown threat to Iraqi statehood from the Islamic States potent military. It is hard to remember, but ISIS tank convoys came within a few hundred kilometers of Iraq just a few years ago. While a much-diminished force, ISIS is still conducting a rural terrorism campaign, while raising money through internet scams and other forms of cybercrime. Now the Trump administration seems fixed on simply pulling out all U.S. forces. The White House announced on Wednesday that it will cut troop levels by the end of the month to 3,000, down from around 5,200. The administration continually presses the Pentagon for options that would bring the presence in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan to zero regardless of conditions on the ground. While there is certainly justifiable Middle East fatigue in the U.S. today, now is not to time to withdraw. This latest troop-cut announcement has a distinctly political feel to it. It seems calculated to provide talking points in the run-up to the presidential election; to allow Trump to claim he has ended what he calls Americas endless foreign wars. Story continues Think about winners and losers in this withdrawal. It will first and foremost embolden the Islamic State. The American presence has been the glue holding together the coalition against ISIS, largely through non-combat functions such as logistics, medical care and intelligence-gathering. While a full-blown ISIS resurgence seems unlikely right now at least in part because the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad has boosted its military presence on its side of the border with Iraq we still must be mindful that the remaining embers could reignite. Second, a U.S. departure will be celebrated in Tehran. The Iranians will rightly see this as America walking away from the region it did so much to destabilize. This will undercut the good work the Trump administration has done, for example, in encouraging the United Arab Emirates and perhaps other Arab states to stand with Israel against Iran. And it will give Iranian leaders a strong talking point about how they are (finally) pushing the Americans out of the region. And what helps Iran also helps its allies, Russia and Syria Americas other implacable foes in the region. Will the U.S. save a great deal of blood or treasure with this withdrawal? Unlikely. Again, lets do the numbers. At peak, the U.S. had those 170,000 troops in Iraq and around 100,000 in Afghanistan. Bringing those forces down by more than 90% is what has saved all the lives and money and that happened before the Trump presidency. Now we are being penny wise and pound foolish, in the sense that the small footprint remaining in Iraq and Syria provides Washington with tremendous military leverage. These few thousand ground troops (especially Special Forces and trainers) are what enables a far greater investment by allies, partners and friends, and creates stability. This makes a great deal of sense not just in helping Iraq become a legitimate, democratic state, but also in strengthening U.S. relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan and other Arab states. Winners: Islamic State, Iran, Russia and Syria. Losers: Americas allies. And, of course, the people of Iraq, who will slip further under Iranian control. All with no significant savings in money or lives. Not a very good bargain, especially for an administration that prides itself on the art of those international deals. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. James Stavridis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former supreme allied commander of NATO, and dean emeritus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is also an operating executive consultant at the Carlyle Group and chairs the board of counselors at McLarty Associates. 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. RICHMOND Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed a motion to drop the injunction that bars transfers into Farmvilles immigrant detention center the site where nearly every detainee tested positive for the coronavirus after 74 transfers arrived June 2. By Aug. 11, the facility recorded 339 total confirmed COVID-19 cases and 259 of the 268 people detained were confirmed positive, prompting U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema to temporarily halt transfers after people detained sued the Farmville facility. This was during a time period when the virus was still heavily circulating ... so what possible rational reason is there for ICE to do this? Brinkema said during an Aug. 11 hearing for a lawsuit filed by four detainees. There were some terrible mistakes made along the way. In a Sept. 4 press release, the detention center privately owned by Immigration Centers of America said the facility had 0 active coronavirus cases among people detained and that each detainee has been symptom free since July 10. ICEs motion to again allow transfers, filed Tuesday, cited its lack of active cases and noted that the Virginia Department of Health found ICA-Farmville completed a 28-day isolation period and did not incur new COVID-19 cases as of Aug. 26 with the exception of a staff member who was immediately isolated. The statement added that VDH findings were made after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inspected the facility and tested 114 people who had previously not tested positive. The injunction prohibited transfers until there is a proper protocol in place. According to ICE and ICA, the facility implemented CDC recommendations such as more signage to promote social distancing, replacing N-95 masks with cloth masks that could be laundered and ensuring staff is assigned to the same dorms. Thus, the current prevalence of COVID-19 at the facility is starkly different from the situation at the time the Court entered its Order and even further from the time that this lawsuit was filed, said the motion. The motion states that the injunction limits ICE from doing its job and since the bed space doesnt exist elsewhere in the Washington D.C. area, ICE has also been limited in detaining aliens in the [region] who pose a public safety risk and/or are subject to mandatory detention on criminal grounds. If lifted, ICE stated that all new intakes would be tested for COVID-19 at Caroline Countys immigrant detention center and all new intakes would isolate for at least 14 days prior to transfer a prior measure ICA Farmville used in April 2020. At Caroline County, a 14-day isolation period is already in place for new intakes and if the detainee doesnt have a fever. Luis Valladares-Cruz, a person detained in Caroline Detention Center, told his boyfriend in August that despite being in isolation, people in isolation still share the same bathrooms, phones and showers with those who arent. An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. ICA-Farmvilles population is at 209, about 29% of its capacity. At the time of injunction, the facility had 300 detainees. In the motion, ICE said the decrease is due to detainees being released or deported. The VDH did not immediately respond to confirm. The inspection conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not publicly available, but inspection reports conducted by two doctors one hired by the plaintiffs and another by ICE and ICA on Aug. 20 conflict. Dr. Homer Venters, a former chief medical officer for New York City jails, called for Farmvilles facility to release high-risk patients, adding in his report that ICE and ICA violated its own standards and departed from CDC guidelines. Venters suggested various recommendations to limit spread and alter procedures, adding that the centers statement that no detainee has experienced symptoms since July 10 is questionable. The doctor called on behalf of ICA-Farmville and ICE, Dr. William Reese, a primary care physician with more than two decades in Virginia correctional facilities, said otherwise. Reese stated the facility was in compliance, and referenced only that detainees would not wear masks. Reese suggested enforcing compliance with social distancing and PPE among people detained. The motion hearing is set for Oct. 6. Hundreds of people demonstrated in Mali's capital on Tuesday in support of the junta that has seized power in a coup, as debate rages over the timeframe for the country's return to civilian rule. Months of protests over the simmering jihadist insurgency, bloody ethnic violence and endemic corruption in the country boiled over when rebel troops arrested the president and took control on August 18. The protests were led by an opposition coalition called the June 5 Movement, and a new group calling itself the Popular Movement of September 4 organised the rally in Bamako on Tuesday. After the coup, the junta pledged to hold fresh elections and initially proposed a three-year, military-led transition back to civilian rule, before ratcheting it back to two. "We want the army to stay in power for as long as it takes," shopkeeper Hamza Sangare said at the Bamako protest over the din of the crowd. "Why not three years, by end of the mandate of former president IBK?" he suggested, referring to ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, whose second five-year term had been scheduled to end in 2023. But the 15-nation West African regional bloc ECOWAS has demanded the transition take place in 12 months -- and be led by a civilian president and prime minister. ECOWAS, which has hit Mali with sanctions including closing borders and trade bans over the coup, said Monday that the civilian transition leaders should be appointed by September 15. While the coup has provoked international outrage, it has received support among some in Mali, fatigued by the country's bloodshed and economic struggle. "The soldiers, the soldiers," a group at the Bamako rally chanted, holding up Malian flags, placards saying "long live the army," and pictures of junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita. Dozens of green minibuses that generally provide public transport were mobilised to transport the demonstrators to Bamako's Independence Square, which was a main rallying point for protesters before the coup. The junta has organised three days of consultations with political parties and civil society groups from Thursday to plan the transition. Ousted president Keita has been released and flew to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday for medical treatment after suffering a mini-stroke last week. The embattled Belarusian opposition lost contact with two more members of its coordination council as authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko targets the leaders of the biggest protests of his 26-year rule. Lawyers Maksim Znak and Ilya Saley were targeted in separate raids on Wednesday, opposition spokesman Gleb Germanchuk said. Znak managed to tell him that "someone came to visit us" and text the message "masks" before contact was lost, Germanchuk said by phone. Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Znak had been "detained, or more correctly, kidnapped." Tsikhanouskaya fled to Lithuania under pressure just days after the Aug. 9 election that she and her supports say she won, against Lukashenko's claim of a landslide 80% victory. "Undoubtedly, Lukashenko is afraid of negotiations and thus tries to paralyze the work of the coordinating council and intimidate its members," she said. A growing number of opposition activists have been detained or forced to leave the country as Lukashenko tries to suppress the month-long protests against his rule following the disputed election. The police have renewed a crackdown against daily rallies in the capital Minsk, where about 100,000 joined a protest on Sunday. After Znak's disappearance, Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich is the only remaining member of the opposition's coordinating council presidium still in the country and at liberty as of Wednesday. Presidium member Maria Kalesnikava is now being held by the authorities in an unknown location after she ripped up her passport and jumped from the window of a vehicle during an attempt to force her, spokesman Anton Radniankou and executive secretary Ivan Krautsou out of the country. Radniankou and Krautsou are now in Ukraine. "First, they kidnapped our country, now they are abducting the best of us," Alexievich said on the website of PEN International's Belarusians chapter, of which she's president. "We weren't preparing a coup. We wanted to prevent a split in our country. We wanted a dialogue to begin in society. Lukashenko says he won't speak to the street, but the street is hundreds of thousands of people who take to the streets every Sunday and every day." Alexievich wrote that unknown people were ringing her doorbell. Lukashenko has refused to talk to protest leaders, blaming the unrest on Western powers, and sought support from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders are due to meet in Moscow in the coming days. The European Union and the U.S. have threatened sanctions against Lukashenko's regime for the initial police brutality against protesters and the targeting of protest leaders. "The United States, in coordination with our partners and allies, is considering additional targeted sanctions to promote accountability for those involved in human rights abuses and repression in Belarus," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday in a statement. In a separate video address Wednesday, Tsikhanouskaya appealed to the Russian public to ignore "lies" about the protests in state media that's intended to set Russians against Belarusians. "This is in no way a fight against Russia," she said. "It's very important not to spoil the relations between our peoples." Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy has called borrowing the only way to overcome the crisis states face amid the Centres inability to reimburse them for the shortfall of Rs 2.35 lakh crore in their share of Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue this financial year. The only way to overcome the crisis is borrowing. The Centre has also asked the states to go for additional borrowings. As we cannot tax people more, we are working on possible additional revenue-generating options, said Reddy in an interview to HT. Reddys comments came even as some states have opposed the option of borrowing the Centre has given to states because of delays in GST compensation. Also Read: Jagan govt withdraws subsidy to Discoms, to directly transfer power bill amount to farmers West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra on Monday said state governments were not in a position to borrow any money from the market and criticised the Centre for imposing the idea on them with no proper consultation. At a GST Council meeting on August 27, the Centre gave the states option of either borrowing the compensation amount arising from implementing GST (Rs 97,000 crore) or the entire shortfall (Rs 2.35 lakh crore). If they exercise the first option, the interest and principal amount will come from the cess levied on products like liquor, cigarettes, aerated water and automobiles. In the case of the second option, the states will have to bear the interest burden. Reddy said the Centre is taking its time and paying a little late, but it is not that there has been any drastic cut-down. They have been passing on [the money] with some delays. This is understandable, keeping in view the Covid-19 situation and its impact on the countrys economy, he said. Also Read: Building a revenue-earning city to compensate for the loss of Hyderabad perverted thinking: Jaganmohan Reddy The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent 68-day hard lockdown have taken a toll on the economy, causing a 23.9% contraction in the quarter that ended on June 30. HT on Tuesday reported the Centre remains committed to reimbursing states the entire shortfall and that only immediate compensation may not be forthcoming. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on September 2 wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that she was deeply anguished by the GST imbroglio which was violating the very premise of federalism. She said the Centre is duty-bound to give compensation to states. Some states have demanded that the Centre borrow the money. Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac tweeted, FMs [finance ministers] of Punjab, Delhi, W[est] Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Kerala agreed to reject the Centres options on GST compensation. Our option: Central Govt to borrow entire compensation due regardless of acts of gods, humans or nature, to be paid back by extending the period of Cess. Isaac was referring to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharamans comment on the compensation crisis being caused by an Act of God. On July 15, when the Government first announced the postponement of the reopening of pubs, Nphet recorded 21 new cases of Covid-19. One person had also unfortunately died from the virus that day too. They didn't even break down where the cases were located because the number was so low. When the Government delayed the reopening of pubs that don't serve food for a second time on August 4, Nphet announced 50 new cases of Covid and thankfully on that day there were no deaths. The press release said there were 11 cases in Wexford, 10 in Kildare, six in Dublin. Yesterday, Nphet announced 307 new cases with 182 alone recorded in Dublin. On Monday, Nphet announced 102 new cases - more than half of which were in Dublin. The day before of 138 cases, 68 were in Dublin, and the day before 138 of 231 cases were in the capital. Read More The number of new cases is apparently only going in one direction - up. But last Thursday, when 95 new cases were announced, Nphet gave the Government the green light to allow all pubs to reopen whether they could serve a substantial meal to customers or not. And yesterday, the Government decided the new provisional date for reopening the country's pubs is less than two weeks away on September 21. So what's changed? Did the health experts and senior civil servants suddenly get a God-awful thirst on themselves and decide it was time to allow people to down pints of porter without a plate of chicken goujons and chips? Senior Government sources said the Nphet recommendation was made on the basis that pubs are an "important part of the fabric of Irish society". Indeed they are, and have been for the past five months while they have been told to keep their doors shut. There is evidence new outbreaks are not coming from pubs that serve food, or restaurants, but rather in less formal settings such as family homes. The reason for announcing the easing of restrictions yesterday was to allow pubs time to get their premises in order after months of lockdown. However, Nphet's new recommendation is quite the contradiction to the previous advice on pubs which led to the postponement of their reopening on two occasions. Publicans could have taken in significant revenue over the summer months when people were being encouraged to take staycations but couldn't have a pint on warm afternoon without being forced to gorge on bar food. But perhaps the food-serving publican had to first prove it was possible to drink and abide by the Covid rules before the "wet" pubs could open. The rural TDs who criticised the Government over the 9 meal rule will certainly have questions over why this decision took so long. A tiny virus, emerged apparently from nowhere, raged the world shaking the world societies at all the levels and in all the systems. While the book "The Rise and Fall of Business Firms" was completed before the Covid19 crisis, the pandemic could be well considered a perfect example of the "unstoppable turbulences" that, often unforeseen, strike economics systems. How to analyze their effects on the decline and growth of economy, and how to possibly foresee and "prevent" the coming crises is the subject of the new book co-authored by Massimo Riccaboni, full professor at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, and recently released by Cambridge University Press. Echoing in the title the "rise" and "fall" of many human enterprises - from empires to civilizations - the authors provide a theoretical framework of how innovation and competition shape the growth and decline of companies. The book, whose subtitle is "A Stochastic Framework on Innovation, Creative Destruction and Growth", is the result of fifteen years of work and intense exchange between two American physicists (Gene Stanley of Boston University, and Sergey Buldyrev of Yeshiva University of New York) and two Italian economists (Fabio Pammolli, now at the Milan Polytechnic, and Massimo Riccaboni). The theoretical premise on which the volume is based is that forces that act on economical systems are similar to those of the physical systems, with which they share many properties. One example is the climate, which we have only partially recently learned to understand, and that for sure you do not know how to govern. Another one could be an ecosystem, where the decline or the growth of a single species can trigger a chain of consequences difficult to foresee. Combining the analysis techniques of statistical physics and economics, and analyzing various data sources, including a database of historical data on the sale of more than 3,000 companies and 50,000 products in twenty countries, the scholars propose their analysis and forecasting model of the evolution dynamics of firms, which often has counter-intuitive results compared to those of classical economic theory. While, for example, classical economic theory predicts that in the economic systems of industrialized countries the fate of individual firms has little influence on the stability of the system as a whole, the authors' approach is able to estimate that, when a shock affects some "key" companies, the repercussions can have a large-scale impact. On another level, the model is able to predict which leaps forward an economic system is able to make by producing innovation or, vice versa, in which situations it is at risk of sudden collapses. Although the model and the mathematics behind the analyses are complicate to understand for non-specialists, the view in the book is clear: each economic aggregate is made up of elements of different sizes: large companies like Amazon and small merchants; products with millions of customers and others that sell only a few items. The growth of each element responds to some fundamental and general rules that can determine its success or extinction. When all these elements combine to form complex economic systems, the fate of the individual units has vast and profound repercussions on the aggregate dynamics of collective economic progress and on the capacity for renewal of modern economies. The book helps to better understand the origin and fate of individual organizations, large and small, and their prospects for a restart. "On the cultural level, the book stems from the profound dissatisfaction with the ability of modern economic theories to understand, and foresee where possible, the reasons for the turbulent growth and the intrinsic fragility of economic systems", says Riccaboni. "From this point of view it is proposed as a real manifesto of a new study perspective or even, of a model for doing economic research in the future. The method starts from consolidated evidence, or stylized facts, to propose a theoretical approach whose predictions and assumptions are to be tested, in search of the best possible synthesis". ### Massimo Riccaboni is professor of Economics at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca. His main research interests are industrial organization, network analysis and the economics of science, with particular reference to the life sciences. File Photo Chandigarh: The Health & Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday provided Rs 50 lakhs with letter of gratitude to kin of Corona Warrior Multi-Purpose Health Worker (female) Late Paramjit Kaur under special health insurance cover scheme who was died in line of duty due to coronavirus. Sidhu said that M.P.H.W Paramjit Kaur of village Lohgarh (Barnala) was a luminous and diligent officer of the health department. She was tested positive while performing her duty as the front line worker. Advertisement Balbir Singh Sidhu She was 52 years old and posted at Sub Centre Kalsan, CHC Sudhar in District Ludhiana and died on 29th July 2020 due to Covid-19. He said that she would always be remembered as a true Corona Warrior for her services and the state will always remain indebted for her sacrifice. Advertisement The Health Minister assured the family that soon, all benefits such as a government job on compassionate ground to one family member and an ex-gratia would also be provided to the family. Photo Sidhu also appealed to the people of the state; if anyone has symptoms of coronavirus and anyone came in the contact of corona positive patient then it is pertinent to get them self tested without any delay. Advertisement He said that delay in testing caused the higher number of deaths in the state, especially of patients with co-morbidity. He said that people should have to give respect to the employees of the health department as they are working round the clock at high risk to stop the spread of Covid-19 among the populations. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:23:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for efforts to prevent attacks on education. "Schools and universities are supposed to be safe spaces, where learners can grow, develop and be empowered," he told a high-level virtual event to mark the first International Day to Protect Education from Attack. He asked all member states to honor their commitments under existing international agreements that prohibit attacks on the right to education, including the Safe Schools Declaration, which aims to protect education from attack and to prevent schools and universities from being used for military purposes. He welcomed steps taken by member states to protect educational institutions and those who need them, but asked for more. Guterres called for measures to ensure inclusive education. "I urge all United Nations member states to ensure the provision of education for all, even in times of conflict, and particularly for the most vulnerable, such as refugees and displaced persons." He called for enhanced monitoring, reporting and investigation of attacks on education so the perpetrators can be held to account. He asked member states to use recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to build a better world. "The pandemic has shed an important light on the fault lines running through our societies. One of these is unequal access to education. As we work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals over the coming decade, we must ensure no one is left behind. For that, we need quality education for all, and safe places for students to learn." Enditem (Natural News) Remember when I warned the government would dispatch vaccine enforcement teams to go door-to-door, forcing people to be injected with chemically-laced vaccine shots at gunpoint? At the time I first warned this was coming, many people found it difficult to believe. No longer. This is 2020, and now the full tyranny of the medical police state is on display for the entire world to see. In fact, many local governments are thrilled to roll out their medical tyranny programs, and they do so with coordinated P.R. announcements, t-shirts and a full-in media blitz. With the kind of coordinated fanfare you might normally expect to see in a province of communist China, the City of Houston, Texas has announced a new program that will randomly select Houston residents who will be surprise visited at their homes by city officials and paramedics seeking to draw blood from every person living at that address as part of some grand pandemic medical experiment for the greater good. Essentially, there will be a knock on your door, and if you open that door, you will be greeted with needle-gripping authorities who will demand that you and all your family members fill out highly intrusive forms and submit to a blood draw. Your blood will then be analyzed and added to a government database, tied to all the personal information you surrendered on the form, all under the guise of an antibody study. From what weve seen so far, no city official has yet said the program is voluntary. If we knock on your door, I strongly encourage you and your loved ones to participate in this important survey, said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in a press release issued by the Houston Health Department. The medical experimentation teams will all be wearing t-shirts that read, Better. Together. as part of the brainwashing / indoctrination training. The very slogan Better together is a collectivist / Marxist slogan that means individual rights and freedoms must be sacrificed for the greater good of society. This is exactly what you might expect to see in communist China, where individual liberty is non-existent and all people must subject themselves to the power of the State. Door-to-door blood draws, government databases and the CDC As the HHD press release explains: Teams consisting of Houston Health Department staff and Houston Fire Department paramedics will visit randomly selected homes across Houston, asking household members to answer survey questions and provide a blood sample. The entire scheme is being coordinated with guess who? the CDC, Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. Its being called an antibody testing survey but the Houston Health Department then claims a blood draw test, does not replace oral or nasal swab viral testing Wait, what? So if you get your blood drawn for this COVID medical experiment, you still have to subject yourself to nasal swabs, too? Check out the City of Houston announcing this exciting development in the Brighteon video below, and note the guy never says this is voluntary. A full transcript follows: Brighteon.com/08961e7b-1498-4431-bd8c-d15c7ec2ab10 Official: This is an exciting development. Our partners with the CDC, Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University and this health department, are going to be embarking on a trial where we are going to be, in advance, randomly selecting addresses across the city. We will be visiting those residences and asking people to participate in this trial. When your home should be selected, a team consisting of a Houston Health Department employee wearing a Better.Together. t-shirt along with a paramedic from the Houston Fire Department, will arrive and explain to you that you are one of the ones, your home is one of the ones that was randomly selected to participate in the program. If that should occur, what you can expect is there will be a simple questionnaire to be filled out and we would ask that would be for every member of the household. Its not difficult. Its pretty straightforward questions. Of course, there will be no questions related to things like Social Security number, bank accounts. None of those types of things. So, if anyone should show up asking those that, that is not us. We have no interest in that. We are never ever asking those questions. But we will ask about if you have had signs and symptoms of Covid. If youve been exposed to anyone that you know that has/had Covid. Things along those lines. Medical, Covid-related questions. Well then ask if we can obtain a blood sample from each member of the household. Words you never want to hear: Youve been randomly selected to volunteer for an important medical experiment run by the CDC No doubt if you answer yes to any questions about showing COVID symptoms, you will be flagged for mandatory medical kidnapping and relocation to the kind of FEMA quarantine camps that are now rapidly expanding in Australia and New Zealand. And if your blood tests show that you have whatever antibodies theyre looking for, they will come back to your home since they know where you live to demand you volunteer more blood for medical research. Notably, the CDC is part of this research, and the CDC claims the power to forcibly kidnap anyone at any time and relocate them to a quarantine camp against their will, completely outside of due process. In fact, the CDC can designate you to be a threat to public health and rip apart your family, confiscate your home and imprison you in a medical quarantine camp without any due process whatsoever. This is current U.S. law under any pandemic emergency. It begs the question: Who would be dumb enough to submit to this medical tyranny in the first place? There is no upside for any person who might be strong-armed into participating in this COVID medical experiment. You only stand to lose: Your privacy, your rights, your blood, your home and your family. My advice to all those living in Houston is simple: If one of these COVID medical experimentation teams shows up at your door and demands to take blood from you and all your family members: 1) Lock your door and tell them to go f##k themselves. 2) Start recording video as soon as possible. Upload that video to Brighteon.com the first chance you get. 3) Call the police and explain you are being threatened by people impersonating city officials and threatening you with violence (piercing your skin with a needle is medical violence). Explain you told the people to leave and they are refusing, and they are trespassing on private property without a warrant. 4) Ready a firearm for self-defense. Do not initiate violence, but prepare to defend your home and your life if they forcefully enter your castle. You may be about to be assaulted and violently attacked by a medical assault team that places no value whatsoever on your privacy, your health or your life. 5) If they break into your home, shooting them in self-defense is your legal right in the State of Texas. You have every right to defend your body, your family and your home against violent attackers and trespassers, even if they claim to be carrying out medical experiments on behalf of the CDC. Again, do not initiate violence, but you have every right to defend yourself against their violence. The best option in all this is to simply avoid answering your door in the first place. You want a blood draw? Two can play that game Heres why authorities wont try this in rural Texas Better yet, move out of every Democrat-run city and escape to free America, which is rural America where stupid officials dont pull stunts like this for the simple reason that they arent suicidal enough to want to get show and spill their own blood when they were really trying to confiscate other peoples blood. (Two can play the blood draw game, it turns out) It almost goes without saying, but if some Better Together team ends up on my front porch in rural Texas, theyre going to have all sorts of blood for antibody tests their own blood, that is, probably from one or more of my ranch dogs that took a bite out of their ass as they ran across a field or two, dodging teeth and claws as they passed numerous no trespassing signs and somehow scaled multiple barbed wire cattle fences and dodged tall mounds of fire ants and nopal cactus spines. No wonder they plan to bring their own paramedics to such efforts theyre gonna need the trauma kits! Final note to Houston city officials: Showing up unannounced, unexpected, at random homes in Texas demanding blood from all the people who live there has got to be the dumbest medical idea Ive ever heard. It could only come from a bunch of bungling Democrats who are so clueless about biology that they think men can get pregnant and women can produce sperm. They still dont know that chromosomes determine your gender, not some fairy magic wishing wand that you wave over your crotch. To even think that these lunatics could competently draw blood, analyze blood and run any meaningful statistical analysis on antibodies is to imagine that pigeons can play chess. These are the dumbest people on the planet, which is why most Democrat-run cities are collapsing into destitution, homelessness and filth. In Texas, thats Austin, Houston, Dallas / Ft. Worth and San Antonio. This is where the DEMONrats live, and yes, theyre out for your blood. And once theyre done collecting your blood, theyll probably swing by the local Planned Parenthood for some ritualistic child blood festival activities to hail Satan as they murder human babies, all while claiming theyre working for the greater good. Its all a sham. These so-called officials are anti-human demons. They probably want your blood for some sort of sick pentagram witches brew spells or something similarly perverted like the popular Democrat spirit cooking dinners where they dine on human blood in the basements of wealthy Joe Biden donors. These lunatics wouldnt recognize real science or medicine if they tripped over it, but when they say they want your blood, you should believe them. They do want it, but not for some public health program, for Gods sake. Theyre probably harvesting adrenochrome to sell it to the Clintons. The bottom line? When it comes to COVID, stay away from all officials, period. They are up to no good, and theyre obviously lying about their intentions. For all we know, theyre probably running around Houston injecting people with a new strain of the Wuhan coronavirus in order to spread the pandemic and keep their weaponized lockdowns in place, crushing human freedoms in an effort to politically hurt President Trump. If they want blood so badly, they can go bleed each other out on the steps of Houston City Hall and do us all a favor. After all, this entire pandemic is a government creation in the first place. They built it, they released it, and now they want our blood? Get real. If you want to end the nightmare of COVID-19, slash the size of government, fire all the corrupt bureaucrats and restore individual liberty across America. Theres your answer to COVID. Cruz Says Hell Vote for Republican CCP Virus Relief Bill Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Wednesday he plans to vote for a Senate bill aimed at providing relief from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus outbreak. I expect to vote for the more targeted relief bill, Cruz said during a virtual appearance on CNBCs Squawk Box. I expect that we will get all or virtually all of the Republicans. But sadly were going to get very few, if any, Democrats, he added. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he would vote against the legislation but no other Republicans have come out against it publicly. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) indicated support for it on the Senate floor on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he planned to hold a vote on the legislation on Thursday. The bill does not contain every idea our party likes. I am confident Democrats will feel the same, McConnell said. Yet Republicans believe the many serious differences between our two parties should not stand in the way of agreeing where we can agree and making law that helps our nation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she doesnt support the legislation. In a joint statement with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), she said the bill doesnt come close to addressing the problems and is headed nowhere. Cruz said the current deadlock between the chambers shows the sad reality of how Washington is operating right now. I dont think that Congress is going to end up passing anything between now and Election Day, he said. Pelosi and Schumer have calculated that if they maximize economic pain, that if they have the most Americans home and broke and unemployed and pissed off, that that benefits their party and it helps Joe Biden. I think thats a cynical approach. McConnell told reporters after a Senate Republican luncheon later Wednesday that Democratic leaders dont want to do a deal before the election because they think somehow that adversely affects their prospects in the election. He said he believes most Republicans will support the package and hopes some Democrats will. If the bill falls short, negotiations between Pelosi and Schumer and White House representatives will have to resume, McConnell said. Pelosi, when asked who she is negotiating with, told Bloombergs Balance of Power late Tuesday: In terms of the negotiation, the Republicans have to negotiate among themselves. Mitch McConnell has this pathetic bill, which is half of what Secretary Mnuchin has proposed. They are not even in agreement. They are in disarray. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Joe Biden castigated President Donald Trump over the damning comments he reportedly made about the coronavirus pandemic in recording excerpts released Wednesday. He knew how deadly it was. It was much more deadly than the flu. He knew and purposely played it down, the Democratic presidential nominee said at an event for the UAW International Union. Worse, he lied to the American people. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months. While Biden was en route to Michigan for the campaign event, media outlets reported excerpts of journalist Bob Woodwards forthcoming book on Trump, who reportedly told Woodward in March that he was intentionally playing down the severity of the pandemic. Biden said he was briefed on the news when he landed for Wednesdays event. He had the information. He knew how dangerous it was. And while this deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose, Biden told union workers before his prepared remarks. How many families are missing loved ones at their dinner table tonight because of his failures? Its beyond despicable, Biden said. Its a dereliction of duties and disgrace. According to excerpts from Woodwards book, Trump told the journalist in a Feb. 7 call that people can catch the coronavirus just by breathing air. You just breathe the air and thats how its passed, Trump reportedly said during the call. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flu. This is deadly stuff, Trump said. Continue reading on HuffPost The Victorian opposition has seized on a government admission that Melbourne's coronavirus curfew was not recommended by health officials to call for the controversial policy to be dumped immediately. Since moving to a stage four lockdown, Melbourne residents are forbidden from leaving home between the hours of 8pm and 5am. The 8pm curfew start time is due to be extended by an hour on Monday. After Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Monday it was not his call to implement the curfew, Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday was unable to say who precisely had suggested the move, which was designed to limit people movement. "I don't know exactly which person at what moment said that, but there's ongoing discussions [and] lots of different people talking," Mr Andrews said. University of Melbourne professor of epidemiology Tony Blakely agreed metropolitan Melbourne was on track to reach its target, assuming the general rate of decline in the past 10 days persisted. "But it is not guaranteed, nothing about COVID is," he said. Once step two has been climbed, Melbourne's next goal will be for the whole state to drive its 14-day average under five by October 23 and for community transmission to be almost non-existent, from which point the curfew and five-kilometre movement limit would be lifted and outdoor dining would be allowed at places such as cafes and restaurants. Here's the full list of how life would get one step closer to COVID-normal under step three: There is some more information on the targets for the final step and what COVID-normal would look like in this article: How are Victoria's coronavirus case numbers data tracking against the targets for reopening? Regional Victoria's path to reopening. Of the 76 new cases confirmed on Wednesday, Premier Daniel Andrews said seven were recorded in regional Victoria. For regional Victoria the 14-day average is five, up from 4.9 on Tuesday and 5.3 on Monday. Some coronavirus restrictions will ease in regional Victoria from September 13, but for the area's lockdown to be loosened further it must drive its 14-day average down to fewer than five cases and there must not have been any new mystery cases, where the infection source cannot be traced, over the same period. Here is how regional Victoria is tracking against the target of a 14-day average below five: In the two weeks to September 6, there were a total of 11 such mystery cases in regional Victoria, along with a total of 186 in the metropolitan Melbourne region. This is the most recent breakdown provided by the health department of where new community transmission cases have been recorded. Professor Bennett said regional Victoria was also on track to meet its target despite seven new cases being confirmed there on Wednesday. How useful is the 14-day average? The Health Department started publishing the daily 14-day average for both the metropolitan Melbourne area and regional Victoria on Monday. The calculation is a rolling average based on a 14-day reference window and removes any cases that were removed from the state's tally due to false-positive results or when a case is double-counted by accident. There have been 1172 new cases confirmed in Victoria in the past two weeks, according to the health department's daily updates. Once reclassifications have been removed, however, that tally is reduced to 1135. On Sunday, for instance, there were 41 new coronavirus cases confirmed. Since then that number has been revised down to 40. No doubt Wednesday's figure of 76 new cases will be revised in subsequent days as well. University of NSW epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws said the 14-day rolling average was not perfect, but was a reasonable measure to use for reopening targets. She said the targets for reopening Victoria were sensible because of the magnitude of the state's second wave. "Victoria had a stratospheric increase in numbers at one stage. At one stage there were about 6500 new cases over a 14-day period," she said. Professor McLaws said the numbers had come down since then but were still too high in part because of "stubborn" levels of community transmission. "If the (fortnightly total) was 100 cases I'd still be saying that's too high," she said. The Age's estimates for the Victorian 14-day averages in August On the graphs featured in this story, The Age has used the best publicly-available figures to estimate the 14-day average for metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria for the days this information was not officially published by the health department, going back to the start of August. That way, you should be able to see how the 14-day average has been on its way down since the peak of the second wave last month. (Natural News) China has launched an experimental reusable spacecraft into orbit on Friday, Sep. 4. Details of the spacecraft, including what it is for, are still under wraps. A press release from state-owned Xinhua News Agency confirmed the launch. It was conducted through a Long March 2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gobi Desert. After a period of in-orbit operation, the spacecraft will return to the scheduled landing site in China. It will test reusable technologies during its flight, providing technological support for the peaceful use of space, read the statement. It is still unclear what the spacecraft looks like or what it will do in orbit. The technologies claimed to be tested are also unknown. There is also no official announcement prior to the launch. However, on the day before the liftoff, people observed that air traffic restrictions were being tightened around the launch site. One person took to social media and speculated that a spaceplane is about to be sent into space. Now then this could be something exceptional. The rumours are that inside this exceptional payload fairing atop a CZ-2F is a CASC spaceplane, launching from Jiuquan Friday. Source: via https://t.co/qs6VRfzQoP https://t.co/OESvzyDyEl pic.twitter.com/ZPnpwAIfyO Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) September 3, 2020 Mysterious Chinese spacecraft may be spaceplane Many people have speculated on the type of spacecraft launched on Friday. One theory suggests that it is a reusable spaceplane a winged space vehicle that can be used repeatedly before being replaced. It was reported that modification work was being done on the launch tower for the Long March 2F in the months leading to the launch. The adjustments made were likely geared for a spacecraft with a wider payload than a standard Long March 2F mission, reckoned experts. A spaceplane appears to fit the bill for such a spacecraft, leading people to think that Fridays launch is part of the project announced by China in 2017. This project involves sending a reusable spaceplane to orbit around Earth. It will fly into space like an aircraft, said Chen Hongbo, a researcher from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the countrys main contractor for space-related programs. The spaceplane can transport people and other types of payload into orbit around Earth and return them home. It also makes outer space more accessible at a lower cost, according to Chen. Commercial space travel is expensive; it costs about $10,000 to get one pound of payload into Earths orbit. Spaceplanes could bring that to $1,000 per pound. Another Chinese state-owned space company, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), is also working on a spaceplane called Tengyun. [The] space plane can take off from an ordinary airport to transport spacecraft into the orbit. It will bring about a revolution for the future aerospace transportation, said CASICs Zhang Hongwen. (Related: Solar power 24/7: China plans to build first solar power station in space and beam power to Earth.) The U.S. Air Force is also working on its own spaceplane called X-37B. It is a reusable spaceplane designed for orbits close to Earth and can last in space for up to two years. There are two X-37B spaceplanes operated by the Air Force, which are both made by aerospace company Boeing. The Air Force kept the spaceplane in secret for a decade. And while its existence is now unveiled to the public, the details of what it does in space are classified. The reason for the secrecy is mostly tactical. We have to stop the live broadcast early so we dont provide adversaries too much data about the flight, said Tory Bruno, CEO of the space launch company United Launch Alliance. In May this year, the sixth mission using an X-37B has been launched, carrying several science experiments by the U.S. military and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Space.news has more on secret space missions. Sources include: Space.com Xinhuanet.com 1 Twitter.com SpaceNews.com 1 Xinhuanet.com 2 Science.HowStuffWorks.com SpaceNews.com 1 live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Less than a month after the government allowed electric vehicles (EV) to be sold without their batteries, much to the dislike of a section of EV makers, the government has softened its stand. A senior minister in the Narendra Modi-led government said that the decision to allow sales of EVs without their batteries is debatable and the topic is open for discussion. Some manufacturers, especially those who make fixed-battery type vehicles, have opposed the move, stating that it would result in battery quality issues. We will not compromise on quality and standards. We will specify the parameters of battery quality and standards. Many people from the auto industry have welcomed our decision and some manufacturers have expressed reservations. And the reservation is because of the quality of the battery, said Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, while addressing the Society of Automobile Manufacturers annual convention. We will discuss this issue with all the e-vehicle manufacturers; we will fix the quality standards and norms and we will be very open about the process. This is a debatable issue, added Gadkari. An industry divided The governments policy on batteries for EVs (only for two- and three-wheelers) has divided EV manufacturers right down the middle. The policy, in a way, favours EV makers who have launched products with swappable batteries while leaving nothing for those who produce products with fixed batteries. Battery swapping involves removing a vehicles discharged battery and replacing it with a fully charged one, a process that takes a few minutes and eliminates the delay involved in waiting for a battery to charge. In an advisory issued on August 12, the government has allowed registration of EVs without their batteries, a move that will knock off 30-40 percent of the vehicles price for the consumer. The investments in EVs 2-3 years ago were not exposed to such risks. The governments decision to allow the sale of EVs without their batteries is akin to the government charging 1 percent cess on small cars and 22 percent on other cars over and above the GST. This created a huge disparity. We hope the government will listen to our pleas, said the sales head of one of the electric two-wheeler makers. Manufacturers will have to make technical changes and pour in more money to make the switch. We would have to revisit the vehicle design if we have to shift to swappable (battery) technology. This would again entail investments and right now it is not the ideal thing to do. As an industry we should put forth our thoughts before the government articulately, said the co-founder of one of the EV startups. Not to everyones benefit Some of the popular electric two- and three-wheeler models come with fixed batteries and thus cannot benefit from the advisory. This puts them at a price disadvantage with their competitors, which could result in sales and market share loss. For instance, Mahindras electric three-wheelers use fixed-battery technology whereas rival Piaggio uses the swapping technology. The charging time required for a Mahindra Treo is nearly four hours but for a Piaggio Ape E-city it is under 10 mins through a swap. Electric two-wheeler makers such as Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor Company and Ather Energy do not offer the option of removing the battery from their vehicles. But start-ups like Okinawa, Ampere and Pure EV allow removal for charging. The companies opposing the governments move claim that the fitment of the battery by anyone other than the vehicle manufacturer can create a safety risk since EV technology itself is at a nascent stage in India. In an earlier statement, Mahesh Babu, MD & CEO, Mahindra Electric, said: Up to the sale of the vehicle, the OEM is responsible for the safety of the vehicle. A vehicle is tested, manufactured and sold as an integrated vehicle and the OEM is responsible for the warranty. Charging or swapping are post-sale charge replenishing methods. Both can exist in the current framework. This move has not been thought through and the industry has not been consulted. T he family of a young shop worker knifed to death on his way home from a nightshift paid tribute today, saying: He didnt deserve to die like this. Anthony Adekola, 22, was attacked yards from his front door in Martlesham Walk, Colindale, at about 11pm on Saturday. A shrine has been set up by his friends and family at the spot where police and paramedics battled in vain to save his life. A family member told the Standard: He was a good person. He was always smiling. He didnt deserve to die like this. Neighbours said Mr Adekola was a kind, loving boy. One said: He looked out for everyone including my kids we are devastated. Police have appealed for any witnesses to come forward. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting reference number 8540/05SEP. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Viva Gold Corp. (TSXV:VAU)(OTCQB:VAUCF) (the "Company" or "Viva") is pleased to announce assay results for the initial three drill-holes of a 19 hole reverse circulation ("RC") and core drilling program at its Tonopah Gold Project located near Tonopah, Nevada. Drill holes TG2001 and TG2002 were collared in the northwest boundary of the current $1,600 resource pit shell and extend outside the shell at depth. Both holes were designed to confirm and upgrade existing inferred mineralization and to test the potential extension of the principal mineralized zone along trend to the northwest. Drill hole TG2003 was designed to test a gap in mineralization on the southern flank of the northwest pit zone. Drill Result Highlights TG2002: 8.2 meters at 2.7 g/t from 232.9 to 241.1 meters, including 1.6 meters at 7.0 g/t. The bottom of the northwest pit is supported by high-grade mineralization associated with a number of northwesterly trending structurally related shears in the Palmetto argillite (OPA). This intercept potentially offsets hole MW312 (19.8 meters at 1.8 g/t from 226 to 246 meters including 1.6 meters at 11.6 g/t), drilled by Newmont in 2004. The intercept in hole MW312 is located at approximately the same elevation about 35 meters to the northwest and on structural trend from TG2002. Hole MW312 had previously not contributed to resource estimation due to its location outside the of the current $1,600 resource pit boundary. TG2001: 11.5 meters at 0.4 grams per tonne (g/t) from 134.5 to 146 meters depth confirms and extends a zone of inferred mineralization in the Tertiary Volcanics (TV) beyond the $1,600 pit shell boundary; and a second zone of 3.3 meters at 0.6 g/t from 214.8 to 218.1 meters reflecting a continuation, but thinning, of a lower zone of mineralization in the OPA. This later intercept was a step-out to the northwest of the pit shell boundary. TG2003: Intercepted anomalous gold values at or below the 0.25 gram/tonne cut-off grade. This hole confirmed previously modelled low-grade inferred mineralization in the zone. "These initial results confirm and are likely to upgrade inferred gold mineralization to indicated and potentially convert what was previously thought to be waste into inferred resource, in the northwest sector of the Tonopah resource pit. These results also demonstrate and verify the extension of mineralization beyond current resource limits along trend to the northwest. Furthermore, they also indicate that the high-grade structural zones may have stepped (faulted) in a southerly direction in this sector. Overall, these holes provide positive support for our existing geologic model and warrant further drilling to extend the northwest trend of the deposit," remarked James Hesketh, President & CEO. "We are now drilling hole number 8 of our 19-hole RC and core drill program with further results expected in the coming weeks", he added. View CEO commentary here: https://youtu.be/maYjUbPQOM0 Tonopah Project Drill Results for 2020 RC Drill Program Hole Azimuth Dip From To Length Gold Grade Meter Meter Meter Gram/Tonne TG 2001 225 -85 0.0 249.3 134.5 146.0 11.5 0.4 157.4 159.1 1.6 0.8 214.8 218.1 3.3 0.6 TG2002 295 -80 0.0 262.4 142.7 146.0 3.3 0.3 196.8 198.4 1.6 0.8 201.7 203.4 1.6 0.3 213.2 216.5 3.3 2.4 232.9 241.1 8.2 2.7 including 232.9 234.5 1.6 7.1 including 234.5 236.2 1.6 4.0 TG2003 115 -85 0.0 229.6 155.8 157.4 1.6 0.5 0.25 gram/tonne cutoff grade used throughout Tonopah Project - Drill hole location map over $1600 Resource Pit Shell and Block Model James Hesketh, MMSA-QP, has approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this press release. Mr. Hesketh is not independent of the Company; he is an Officer and Director. About Viva Gold Corp: Viva Gold is a gold exploration and project development company with a focus on Nevada. Viva holds 100% of the advanced Tonopah Gold Project, a large land position of approximately 8,800 acres with demonstrated high-grade measured, indicated and inferred gold resources, located on the prolific Walker Lane gold trend in Nevada, about 30 kilometers south-east of the Round Mountain mine of Kinross Gold and 20 kilometers north from the Town of Tonopah. Viva's management team has extensive experience in mining exploration, development and production and are supported by a Board of Directors and advisors who are proven mine finders, deal makers and financiers. Viva trades on the TSX-V as "VAU", on the OTCQB in the US as "VAUCF" and on the Frankfurt exchange under "7PB". For additional information on Viva Gold and the Tonopah Gold Project, please visit our website: www.vivagoldcorp.com. For further information please contact: James Hesketh President & CEO (720) 291-1775 jhesketh@vivagoldcorp.com Valerie Kimball Director Investor Relations (720) 933-1150 vkimball@vivagoldcorp.com Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains certain information that may constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking information"), including but not limited to drilling operations and estimates of gold mineral resource at the Tonopah Gold Project. This forward-looking information entails various risks and uncertainties that are based on current expectations, and actual results may differ materially from those contained in such information. These uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, the strength of the global economy; the price of gold; operational, funding and liquidity risks; the potential for achieving targeted drill results, the degree to which mineral resource estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources; the degree to which factors which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable are present; the risks and hazards associated with drilling and mining operations; and the ability of Viva to fund its capital requirements. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada available at www.sedar.com. Readers are urged to read these materials. Viva assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such information unless required by law. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors - The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits U.S. mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. We use certain terms in this report, such as "measured," "indicated," "inferred," and "resources," that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit U.S. registered companies from including in their filings with the SEC. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Viva Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605231/Viva-Gold-Announces-Initial-Drill-Results-at-Its-Tonopah-Gold-Project-in-Nevada Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Galih Gumelar and Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 08:14 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4397114 1 Politics Pilkada-2020,pilkada,#pilkada,#pilkada-2020,regional-elections,#RegionalElections,COVID-19,#COVID19 Free Democracy and public health are under threat as the 2020 simultaneous regional elections in 270 regions across Indonesia may emerge as new sources of COVID-19 infections in the country, experts and lawmaker have warned. The Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has found that 243 prospective candidates ignored health protocols when they brought along large entourages to register their candidacies with the local offices of the General Elections Commission (KPU) from Sept. 4 to Sept. 6. These prospective candidates and their supporters violated a KPU regulation that prohibits mass-gatherings during all stages of the elections, from the preparations starting from June 15 to the final vote count a week after the Dec. 9 polling day. The regulation says the KPU can only issue a warning to the candidates and campaign teams. Epidemiologist Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono said such a lack of discipline in social distancing during elections would definitely increase the risk of COVID-19 transmissions in the country, attributing it to the failure of the KPU to impose stricter sanctions on offenders. He warned that the transmissions would further escalate if people kept neglecting protocols in the coming campaign season, which will run from Sep. 26 to Dec. 5. Therefore, the sanctions must be firm. If they repeatedly violate the rules, the KPU should drop their candidacy," Tri said on Tuesday. Read also: We should not stop being democratic: Govt insists on holding regional races in December Netty Prasetiyani of House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing health said stricter sanctions were key to preventing transmissions during elections and that all candidates should educate their supporters better about COVID-19 prevention. "The KPU announcement [of eligible candidates on Sept. 23] and campaign events should be carried out virtually. Prospective leaders must prioritize their peoples health, she said. The government and the House insisted in late May on holding the elections on Dec. 9 despite the health risks. The KPU has since found itself under pressure to draft special health measures. Read also: So much work, so little time: KPU under pressure over regional polls Experts and activists have repeatedly urged authorities to postpone the elections, as the COVID-19 outbreak in the country could continue late into the year, but so far to no avail. They say the elections, to choose 270 regional leaders comprising nine governors, 224 regents and 37 mayors, will put voters and election organizers at risk of contracting the disease. They have also expressed concern about low voter turnout should the outbreak in the country show no signs of abating, thus discouraging people from showing up at polling stations and eventually undermining democracy. Now, with three months to go to polling day, the KPU has found that 46 out of 734 prospective candidates have tested positive for COVID-19. Several hopefuls have died of the disease even before placing their bids. KPU commissioner Hasyim Asyari told The Jakarta Post the commission would continue verifying the 46 names online rather than in person. If they pass the verification, they are still eligible to run in the elections despite having the disease. However, they will not be allowed to hold campaigns as they will be required to focus on their recovery, according to the KPU. Political parties endorsing candidates who have died of COVID-19 after registering with the KPU can replace them with new names by providing death certificates of the former candidates, Hasyim said. A Democratic Party-backed regent candidate in Karo regency, North Sumatra, Kena Ukur Karo Jambi Surbakti, 74, died from COVID-19 on the last day of registration for regional elections on Sunday. The party later replaced him with his daughter after the supporting parties, the Golkar Party and the National Mandate Party, agreed to the substitution. But Fadli Ramadhanil of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) recommended that the government, the KPU and the House postpone the remaining election stages, including the campaign period. In a critical situation like this, they should consider whether these election stages should continue or not, he said. Read also: Majority of public wants regional elections delayed: Surveys President Joko Jokowi Widodo was quick to comment on the issue, saying that the elections could not be postponed because the government could not predict when the outbreak would end. Jokowi, whose eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka and son-in-law Bobby Afif Nasution are running in the Surakarta, Central Java, and Medan, North Sumatra, mayoral races, respectively, doubled down on his message for election organizers to enforce strict health protocols in the lead-up to and on voting day. The safety and health of the public is everything, so enforcing health protocols is non-negotiable, Jokowi said. KPU head Arief Budiman said the commission was set to apply stricter health protocols for the coming campaign period, the conditions of which have been laid out in the prevailing regulation. The commission will allow only 100 participants during face-to-face campaign rallies, which will be limited to one session for each mayoral and regency candidate and two sessions for each gubernatorial candidate. Above all, the commission is urging candidates to refrain from hosting campaign rallies in person and instead turn to online platforms. Bawaslu head Abhan said the agency was now considering reporting those candidates in the future who neglect health protocols to the police. "We are exploring numerous possibilities. One option is to use criminal offenses under the Criminal Code or the Health Quarantine Law. She rose to prominence as one of the nation's leading lingerie stars in the Nineties. And Sophie Anderton proved she's still got it as she uploaded images of herself sunbathing during her scenic trip to the South of France on Instagram on Wednesday. The model, 43, showcased her incredible figure in an orange swimsuit by Hunza G as she soaked up the stunning scenery. What a babe! Sophie Anderton proved she's still got it as she uploaded images of herself sunbathing during her scenic trip to the South of France on Instagram on Wednesday Highlighting her toned frame, the vibrant one-piece featured a low-scoop neckline and daringly cut sides. The Gossard icon swept her tresses into a sleek bun while shielding her eyes from the sun in square-framed shades. The Bristol native captioned her images: 'My happy place! It was so [hot] the afternoon when this was taken whilst I kicked back and regenerated my energy levels from a hectic work schedule. Turning heads: The model, 43, showcased her incredible figure in an orange swimsuit by Hunza G as she soaked up the stunning scenery 'Poolside at my clients beautiful villa ..Loving the new @hunza.g collection! #obsessed #hunzag #orange #poolside #model #modellife #summervibes #summer #southoffrance #swimsuit #bodypositive #myhappyplace.' (sic) Sophie currently lives in Wicklow with her boyfriend, Polish jazz musician Count Kaz Balinski-Jundzill. The Celebrity Big Brother star has been practising yoga to keep fit and sane in lockdown and suggests others do the same. Looking good: Highlighting her toned frame, the vibrant one-piece featured a low-scoop neckline and daringly cut sides Sophie prioritises her health and wellness following her highly publicised battle with drink and drugs. The Love Island star once admitted she was 'lucky to survive' her own addiction problems, on which she apparently 'blew 10 million over 13 years', and confided to friends that she was self-harming and had considered ending it all. Yet speaking to The Daily Mail in 2015, the media personality dismissed all this as 'light years from where I am now.' She explained: 'I was very unhappy [in my 20s]. I had no control over who I was or how I looked. 'I was a model but at some point modelling became only one part of what was required of us, and suddenly to be successful we had to be celebrities. 'Its not something that came naturally. I was terrible at being famous.' Peace by Piece: 10 Lessons from a Jigsaw Puzzle! There's a great balance between contemporary wit and professional wisdom in each chapter When author Laurel McHargue completed her first 2,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, her friend Nadine Collier, a licensed professional counselor, suggested she should write a book about lessons she learned from the experience. "I was never a puzzler," said McHargue, "and the idea of writing about my struggles and ultimate success intrigued me. I started the monster puzzle--the first one I've ever done on my own--during a period of quarantine at the start of the pandemic." McHargue convinced Collier to collaborate with her, and together they completed and published Peace by Piece: 10 Lessons from a Jigsaw Puzzle! , a "fresh exploration of timeless life lessons." "Many of my clients are struggling with anxiety and loss of motivation during this pandemic," said Collier, "and this book provides proven techniques for overcoming life's daily challenges. There are more than ten lessons in its pages, and a lot of humor, too." "There's a great balance between contemporary wit and professional wisdom in each chapter," said McHargue. "We embellish our work with quotes from renowned sources from the past and present, and relevant stories from people we know." The following chapters start with helpful life lessons McHargue discovered while puzzling and end with Collier's reflections and questions for consideration: Patience and Persistence Time Matters Walk Away! The Sum of Our Parts The Little Things Help? Focus A Different Perspective Look Below the Surface Celebrate! "You don't have to be a puzzler to appreciate this book," said McHargue. "The lessons we share are applicable to any challenges readers might face in times of pandemic and, hopefully, beyond." Laurel McHargue lives in Salida, CO, where she writes in multiple genres and hosts the podcast Alligator Preserves. She also raises ducks. Nadine Collier lives in West Michigan, where she provides counseling services and enjoys boating on the Great Lakes with her husband. McHargue and Collier would like to thank Mark Lumb for interviewing them about their book on his Jigsaw Chill Zone YouTube channel. Durham University has been shaken by claims that new students planned a competition for 'posh lads' to have sex with the poorest girl on campus. Group chats, believed to be for freshers who will be inducted from September 28, were exposed in Facebook group 'Overheard at Durham Uni' on Tuesday. One of the chats, believed to have around 60 members, discusses rape and whether or not members will 'snitch' on each other by sharing their messages. A chat from the 'Durham Boys Making All The Noise' group also exposes plans for 'posh lads' to compete to sleep with the 'poorest' girl at the university. Horrified students drew university authorities' attention to the leaked messages, demanding that they 'condemn this behaviour with action'. Durham University has now launched an investigation and has vowed to kick out the offending students, saying the 'unacceptable' chat 'violated the values and behaviours that we uphold as a university community'. Durham University has been shaken by claims that new students planned a competition for 'posh lads' to have sex with the poorest girl on campus (pictured: the Gatehouse) A chat from the 'Durham Boys Making All The Noise' group also exposes plans for 'posh lads' to compete to sleep with the 'poorest' girl at the university Group chats, believed to be for freshers who will be inducted from September 28, were exposed in Facebook group 'Overheard at Durham Uni' on Tuesday The group chat includes messages such as 'First rule about boys club You don't talk about boys club' - followed by 'Who tf leaks a lads chat fr' and 'I'm not a snitch so I'm not about to rat you out from the other group convo'. Another message states: 'But keep out of it like, everything we say should be taken with a pinch of salt, that's what epitomises a lad or boy'. The chat refers to '10 lads who got fined and excluded from uni For making sexist jokes'. A responding post states: 'Time to go all Gestapo on this chat then ey'. Sexism and rape is also discussed in the group chat, with one member writing: 'Yh n aren't Durham dead on it w sexism n all that since that lad from durham was accused of rape a few years ago'. A second member replies: 'It's called being a whore'. A third adds: 'Can't get enough since girls don't put out'. In one discussion, a person wrote: 'So many people get accused of rape. I'm always worried about it after.' Another said: 'I know maybe 15 girls who say they've been raped and not one taken to court. Or a police report. 'And women will always believe women mostly.' One member told The Tab Durham that he believed the chat was a 'freshers' chat for lads that was probably set up by freshers' ticket companies'. 'The purpose of the chat wasn't to objectify women or any of that,' he claimed. 'Most of the chat was just lads getting to know each other with those ridiculous exceptions'. The group chat includes messages such as 'First rule about boys club You don't talk about boys club' - followed by 'Who tf leaks a lads chat fr' and 'I'm not a snitch so I'm not about to rat you out from the other group convo' Durham University has now launched an investigation and has vowed to kick out the offending students, saying the 'unacceptable' chat 'violated the values and behaviours that we uphold as a university community' But disgusted students decided to shame the 'Durham Boys Making All The Noise' members after obtaining screenshots of the message thread. The messages were published on Facebook group 'Overheard at Durham Uni' on Tuesday. An accompanying post read: 'As you can see their language is absolutely vile. Have also been talking about spiking girls drinks in freshers. 'This is just awful behaviour and as a mother it scares me to death that boys who are only 18 are capable of being so disgusting towards women. It's well known that Durham has a bad rate of sexual assault let's make sure we're all tackling that and call those out when needed. Also lads competing to f*** the poorest fresher. 'Absolutely breaks my heart that this type of stuff exists!!!!' One student, who asked to remain anonymous, said they were 'outraged' by the content, adding: 'It's made girls say that they're now scared to come to Durham Uni'. Others told the university to take action, claiming: 'I hope you're aware that there's a freshers 'lads' group chat with loads of boys discussing ways to use date rape drugs on girls, discussing them like objects and making plans to 's**g the poorest girl'. Rugby international, 20, becomes the fourth Durham University student in three years to walk free despite sex assault claims after he gives woman a 'heartfelt apology' at start of his trial An international rugby player has become the fourth Durham University student in three years to walk free from a court after being accused of a sex attack on a fellow undergraduate. Christopher Twigg, 20, who has played for the Thailand team, was charged with sexual assault after he allegedly touched a female student following a rugby social night. But prosecutors dropped the case after Twigg agreed to apologise to his victim, without admitting any guilt. It follows a series of cases involving students at the university, two of whom had cases dropped. Advertisement 'Disgusting. Show us how much you condemn this behaviour with your actions. Show us how much you care about the safety of your students. Will you allow them on campus with their quite clear intent?' The university's pro-vice chancellor Jeremy Cook told MailOnline today: 'The university has been made aware of some utterly abhorrent comments on social media that we understand may have been posted by Durham students. 'Durham University utterly condemns the content and behaviour demonstrated in these social media posts. This is entirely unacceptable and violates the values and behaviours that we uphold as a university community. 'We instigated an immediate investigation by our student disciplinary team as soon as we were made aware of these social media posts. 'If these posts are found to be genuine and attributable, we will take action to ensure that those involved will have no place at Durham University.' Last night Durham University said in a statement: 'The University has been made aware of abhorrent comments on social media that may have been posted by some students. 'We utterly condemn the behaviour demonstrated in these posts, which violates the values and behaviours that we uphold as a University community. 'We have instigated an immediate investigation by our student disciplinary team. If these posts are found to be genuine and attributable, we will take action to ensure that those involved will have no place at Durham University.' The university also told The Tab Durham: 'Our students are regularly reminded to display positive and collegial conduct, an exercise responsibility and respect for others, particularly through their social media interactions.' It comes after an international rugby player became the fourth Durham student in three years to walk free from a court after being accused of a sex attack. Christopher Twigg, 20, who has played for Thailand, was charged with sexual assault after he allegedly touched a female student following a rugby social night. But prosecutors dropped the case in January last year after Twigg agreed to apologise to his victim, without admitting any guilt. Christopher Twigg, 20, was charged with sexual assault after he allegedly touched a female student following a rugby social night. But prosecutors dropped the case in January last year after Twigg agreed to apologise to his victim, without admitting any guilt A Durham University student and rugby international was cleared of three sex attacks on a female undergraduate after giving her a 'heartfelt apology' instead of going to trial It follows a series of cases involving students at the university, two of whom had cases dropped and was cleared. In January 2016, Louis Richardson, the former secretary of the university's Union Society, was accused of raping a woman when she was 'crazy drunk'. But he was cleared by a jury after less than three hours of deliberations and later told of the '15 months of absolute hell' he had been put through by the case. In July that year, undergraduate George Worrall was facing three counts of rape, but just weeks before he was due to stand trial, the CPS decided not to proceed. In that case, the CPS said that, following a review of the case, the prospect of a conviction appeared 'very unlikely' due to 'inconsistencies of the victim's account'. The next year, student Alastair Cooke saw the rape case against him dropped. Jurors could not agree on a verdict in his trial and prosecutors decided not seek a retrial. Mr Cooke, a third-year geology and geophysics student, was weeks away from an expected first class degree when he was arrested in 2015 on suspicion of raping a 23-year-old student in her home when she drunk. WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Campaign workers for the Democratic Party of Georgia's 2020 Coordinated Campaign and Legislative Victory Fund joined Teamsters Local 728 in Atlanta on Monday. The campaign staffers are the latest group of political workers to gain union representation with the Teamsters during the 2020 election cycle. "America was built by unions. As Democrats, we support unions throughout the country. Unions have always protected workers and their families," said Hamza Rahman, a Democratic field organizer who helped lead the effort to unionize. "We do not organize just for the money. We organize because we love our country and want to make our country a better place for everyone. Joining a union will make our workplace better for us, and will help us take back our country from Donald Trump." The unit fittingly chose to join Local 728 through card check recognition on Labor Day. Union leaders are already working to secure and ratify a contract. "We applaud the Democratic Party of Georgia for supporting its workers' right to organize, and we are already working closely with the party to ratify a contract that will benefit both the workers and the pro-labor candidates they are working to elect in November," said Chuck Stiles, Vice President of Local 728. "The fact that we received recognition on Labor Day is especially significant. I want to thank everyone who helped in the effort to provide these workers a union voice." Stiles played a key role in the unionization effort, working with party officials to obtain recognition for campaign staff within a matter of days. "All workers deserve a voice on the job, and this campaign is about electing candidates that will fight for union rights not against them. The Democratic Party believes in the positive effect unions provide workers, and our actions reflect it. It is only fitting that these workers will be represented by a strong partner like the Teamsters," said State Senator Nikema Williams, Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia who was also recently selected as the nominee for Georgia's 5th congressional district. Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters. Contact: Ted Gotsch, (703) 899-0869 [email protected] SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters Related Links http://www.teamster.org Egypts young population deserves to have a sustainable and green economy that would open up the job market and allow for positive growth for generations to come Rebuilding a country and enshrining it in the ranks of developed nations after years of turmoil and economic crises is no easy feat. Doing so, while surrounded by conflict not only along all borders, but also within the country, is almost a miracle. Since 2014, Egypt has set itself on a path to implement major changes to its economy, infrastructure, and society in the hope of eventually guaranteeing growth and a better future for its young population. In doing so, the government set itself a roadmap with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs) and the African Unions Agenda 2063 in mind. Initially called the Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) 2030 (also known as Vision 2030), the strategy finalised in 2015 was to put Egypt on a rigorous path for change. Drafting a list of goals to be reached in different phases, the plan used 2020 as a major milestone year to evaluate its progress. The SDS was divided into three main dimensions: Economic, Environmental, and Social. Each of the dimensions encompassed a list of targets for short and long-term plans that would ultimately advance Egypt in world rankings, namely in the following categories: Quality of Life, Anti-Corruption, Size of the Economy (measured by the Gross Domestic Product -GDP-), Market Competitiveness, and Human Development. Even though it was taken into account in many projects since its drafting, the SDS proved it had much room for improvement in later years. The strategy was thus reassigned to a team of specialists in sustainable development in order to evaluate how it can be further improved to fit Egypts unique circumstances. That said, many of the projects mapped out in the SDS were completed and its plans for major economic reforms were followed. Among the measures that Egypt took to achieve its economic goals were the opening of the Tahya Misr fund to gather national contributions to the countrys economy and the procurement of a number of external loans. Among those loans were the $12bn loan in 2016 from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to implement its economic reform plan. As well as, a loan from the World Bank acquired between the years 2015 and 2017 called the Fiscal Consolidation, Sustainable Energy, and Competitiveness Development Policy Financing loans - worth a total of US$3.15 billion. These loans entailed applying hard and stringent economic reforms in order to achieve the set goals which included reducing government spending, and increasing revenue (i.e., by floating the Egyptian Pound, removing fuel subsidies, etc.). As a result, Egypt has improved its ranking in many fields, most notably in road safety and infrastructure, becoming 2nd in Africa and 28th in the world in 2020 after it ranked 108th in 2016. It also rose in Global Competitiveness ranking, going from 116 in 2016 to 93 in 2019. In fact, according to an assessment by US News, Egypt ranks #36 Best Country in the world, this ranking takes into account Egypts culture, tourism, heritage, and above all, Egypts development speed, ranking it #4 in the Movers category. The Movers subranking represents a version of [a] metric predictive of a countrys future growth in terms of per capita purchasing power parity gross domestic product. In total, Egypt has carried out national projects worth 4.5 trillion Egyptian pound ($284 billion) over the past six years. Many of these projects had both sustainability and growth as their baseline, including what is projected to be the worlds biggest solar park in Benban, Aswan. Following Egypts Sustainable Energy Strategy 2035, this project is part of the countrys plan to produce 20% of electricity from renewable sources by 2022. Egypt further implemented its plan to modernise its irrigation system in the Delta region, installing drip irrigation systems in an area of over 7,476 feddans. This project (among others) equips Egypt against its current water crisis which includes a deficit of 30 billion cubic meters in meeting its citizens water needs and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis which threatens Egypt's future water supplies. All in all, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Egypt seemed to be on the right track towards achieving many of the milestones it had set for 2020. Yet, much like the rest of the world, Egypt was shaken by the pandemic and the partial lockdown it had to impose. Egypts robust economic reforms, however, are projected to have equipped it well enough to weather the storm and come out better than most. In fact, taking into account its resilient structure, the IMF has projected that Egypt will be the only country in the Middle East and North Africa region to have a predicted growth rate in its GDP in the years 2020/2021. Despite the generally positive indicators, the rise in ranking, and obvious developments in the country, many are still concerned about the rising external debt and its long-term implications on the countrys economy. The IMF and the World Bank have both granted Egypt emergency funds to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. A double-edged sword, these loans prove that Egypt has managed its economy relatively well so far, and that its repayment strategy is robust enough. Nevertheless, the increased debt puts additional pressure on the countrys production sector, its society, and its struggling currency. Rising further amidst a global economic crisis might also prove very difficult, especially if the world is hit with a second wave of the pandemic. On the same wavelength the SDGs, already severely affected by global political apathy, are now under a stronger and more palpable threat as the crisis makes it highly unlikely the goals will be achieved by 2030. Economic concerns and political protectionism have all increased the risk of forgetting or overlooking the SDGs while attempting global economic revival. Yet, as much as the pandemic has shown that the world is now supremely interconnected and that this may have grave global consequences, it has also proved that global responses are essential for survival. The SDGs thus, now more than ever, would require a global action. Similar to many countries, Egypts main target remains growth and rising to the ranks of the most developed states. While capitalism and sustainability do not necessarily go hand in hand, especially in times of crises, 60% of Egypts population is under the age of 30. Therefore, it remains imperative that while building the nation, sustainability is not forgotten. Fortunately, there continues to be a palpable effort in the political discourse in Egypt to keep sustainability in mind. Integrating efforts in all sectors is essential in guaranteeing a green and sustainable economy, and the new plans seem to be taking this into consideration in almost all the new projects. In fact, President Abdel Fatah alSisi ratified the new sustainable development plan for the 2020/2021 fiscal year, keeping the fight against poverty at the forefront of the discussion. There is no one size fits all for the creation of a sustainable nation. The SDGs, as set by the UN, have been written in a manner that allows them to be malleable to all national contexts. The discussion surrounding sustainable development in Egypt, despite its many hiccups, has thus far proved positive enough. Nonetheless, it has yet to reach the countrys citizens. Communicating the importance of creating a sustainable nation to the masses is vital in order to truly implement and integrate sustainable projects in day-to-day life. The discussion should not be a nominal top-down conversation among the political elite, but an integral part of a citizens general behaviour in all sectors of society. Egypts young population deserves to have a sustainable and green economy that would open up the job market and allow for positive growth for generations to come. While we still have a long and challenging road ahead, the fact that the conversation around growth and sustainability continues and that attempts at implementation are still moving forward, is a very positive omen for Egypt. *Farah Rasmi is a Research Analyst at the BUC Centre for Global Affairs. Search Keywords: Short link: President Trump on Wednesday released his updated list of potential Supreme Court nominees and called on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to follow suit. Should there be another vacancy on the Supreme Court during my presidency, my nominee will come from the names I have shared with the American public, Trump said in announcing the list. Joe Biden has refused to release his list, perhaps because he knows the names are so extremely far-left. The new list adds 20 new names including Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Josh Hawley of Missouri as well as Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is considered a likely next pick to fill a potential vacancy, remains on the list, as do Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Judge Amul Thapar. Cotton said in a statement that he is honored to be named on the list, adding, the Supreme Court could use some more justices who understand the difference between applying the law and making the law. Cruz expressed his appreciation as well, saying he is grateful for the presidents confidence in me and for his leadership in nominating principled constitutionalists to the federal bench. The revamped list garnered praise from pro-life advocates who hope that a conservative majority of justices could overturn the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide. The new list is filled with all-stars and reflects the presidents firm and proven commitment to only nominating Supreme Court justices who will respect the Constitution and the inalienable right to life, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List and national co-chair of the Trumps campaigns Pro-Life Voices for Trump, launched in January. We are confident that if a Supreme Court vacancy occurs in 2020 that President Trump and our pro-life Senate majority led by Leader McConnell and Judiciary Chairman Graham will move swiftly to fill it, Dannenfelser said in a statement. In contrast to President Trump, Joe Biden will only nominate Supreme Court justices who will uphold the Roe regime that allows for abortion on demand through birth. Story continues Hawleys office pushed back against reports that the senator was deeply involved in deliberations over the list, calling such claims false. Hawley refused to vet names and told White House staff he did not want to be on list, Hawleys chief of staff said in a tweet, but he did make clear that he will only support SCOTUS noms that say Roe was wrongly decided. The Missouri Republican wrote in a tweet that he appreciates Trumps confidence in him but indicated he would not accept a potential nomination. As I told the President, Missourians elected me to fight for them in the Senate, and I have no interest in the high court. I look forward to confirming constitutional conservatives, Hawley wrote. Trump previously released a list of potential nominees during the 2016 campaign season, when the Supreme Court had a vacancy after the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. Since then, two Trump nominees, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, have been confirmed to the Court. More from National Review Donald Trumps former personal attorney Michael Cohen has predicted the US president will pull out all the stops to avoid criminal prosecution if he loses the US presidential election to Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Mr Cohen believes Mr Trump would resign from office sometime during the 11 weeks between losing the election and Mr Bidens inauguration, hand over the reins to his vice president, Mike Pence, and have Mr Pence pardon him. My theory is that if he loses, theres still the time between the election and the time that the next president will take office. And during that time my suspicion is that he will resign as president, he will allow Mike Pence to take over, and he will then go ahead and have Mike Pence pardon him, Mr Cohen said in an interview on Tuesday with MSNBCs Rachel Maddow. Its a very Nixon type of event, said Mr Cohen, who is serving out the rest of his three-year prison sentence under home confinement after pleading guilty to lying to Congress about his pursuit of a Trump Tower deal in Moscow during the 2016 campaign cycle. It was probably discussed between Roger Stone and President Trump at some point. This is certainly one way to avoid any potential prison time, Mr Cohen said. Legal observers have openly speculated that federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are sitting on indictments against the president for flouting campaign finance laws to pay off his former mistresses, including the porn star Stormy Daniels. Mr Trumps businesses are also being probed by the New York attorney general and a district prosecutor in Manhattan. The White House has dismissed Mr Cohens recent comments about the president as the words of a desperate man who lost all credibility after he was convicted and sentenced for lying to Congress in 2017. Unmentioned is the fact that that lie was told to cover up the Trump Organisations pursuit of a Trump Tower deal in Moscow which required the Russian governments sign-off as Mr Trump was wrapping up his GOP nomination for the presidency. Mr Trump granted clemency to his longtime friend and 2016 campaign aide Mr Stone earlier this year after Mr Stone refused to cooperate with former special counsel Robert Muellers team. The notorious GOP campaign operative had been convicted by a Washington, DC, jury for lying to the FBI about his contacts involving WikiLeaks release of stolen documents from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clintons campaign team in 2016. Mr Cohen has accused Mr Trump of committing a litany of financial crimes over the years, including under oath before the House Oversight Committee in 2019. He produced documents at that hearing alleging his former boss had illegally inflated his assets and property holdings to secure bank loans and then deflated those same assets on his tax papers to avoid paying as much in taxes to the government. In his new book released on Tuesday about his career with Mr Trump, Mr Cohen calls his former boss a a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man. The White House has dismissed the book as fan fiction. Mr Cohen is a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer, who lied to Congress, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement regarding the accusations in Mr Cohens book. "He has lost all credibility, and it's unsurprising to see his latest attempt to profit off of lies," Ms McEnany said. Former Deputy Information Minister in the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has debunked assertions that the focus of the National Democratic Congress (NDCs) 2020 Manifesto on Greater Accra Region and Ashanti Region is meant to garner more votes due to their population size. Rather, he explained, the partys manifesto promises, focused primarily on the regional capitals of Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions because of their economic and administrative prowess. Hours after the launch of the policy document dubbed "The People's Manifesto", a review of it has revealed that Accra and Kumasi had occurred 20 and 19 times respectively. But Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu reacting to it on JoyNews PM Express pointed out that the concentration on Kumasi and Accra was rather in response to the need to unearth the full potential of the two cities in order to fast-track the progress of the country. He maintained the policies carved in the manifesto are people-centred and progress-driven, adding that the only ulterior motive is to seek the collective progress of Ghanaians and the nation as a whole. Elections are about people, so when parties form government and they are taking decisions or they are formulating policy proposals, theyre thinking of lives first and foremost. So if there is a certain number of people living in the Greater Accra Region and you must formulate policy to touch their lives, a lot will come into play. So Accra administratively is the leading region, economically it is the leading region, and other regions in that order. To him, it was only natural that Accra will get significant mention when formulating policies. However, it was not because we are making a pitch for votes in Greater Accra. When you go to Kumasi, and you observe the economic might of that region, nobody will tell you as a government to do what is necessary to ensure that the potential of that region is tapped, he stated. In doing so it will get significant mention and Im sure that if you had followed it in that order youd find that in order of economic or administrative importance, or political importance, some regions get mentioned, he stressed. The former Deputy Minister further stated that the fact that some regions did not receive as much attention as Greater Accra and Ashanti didnt make them insignificant or unimportant politically. So we dont set out to give one particular region excessive prominence over the other. 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 ELKO Rides and Rods Classic Car Show and the Gold Rush Bull Riding Challenge can go ahead as planned this weekend, the Elko City Council decided Tuesday, and the Van Norman and Friends Production Sale Horse Auction also won approval. The council tentatively approved another event, a Monster Truck Insanity Tour, depending upon what a state committee decides. Councilman Chip Stone suggested the tentative approval rather than wait for final approval at another council meeting. I like that approach, Mayor Reece Keener said. The councils approval of the Van Norman sale on Sept. 18-19 at the Elko County Fairgrounds was contingent on the sale organizers following state directives. The council felt comfortable approving the auction because it is a horse event, which Nevada officials have allowed with COVID-19 plans in place. Horsepower doesnt count as an equine event, Keener remarked of the Monster Truck Insanity Tour that would be held Sept. Sept. 25-26 at the Elko County Fairgrounds. Skyler Neibaur, chief executive officer of Live a Little Productions that puts on the truck tour, said there is a lot of horsepower in the event. He also said there have been no COVID-19 outbreaks associated with the tour. The council will refer the monster truck proposal to the Local Empowerment Advisory Panel (LEAP), which decided last Friday the car show and bull-riding competition could be held, based on the plans they developed to keep attendees safe from COVID-19. The car show is planned for Sept. 11-13 at Elko City Park and in the Elko Convention Center and conference center parking lots, beginning at 10 a.m. Friday. One of the organizers, Jeff Remington, said Wednesday morning the Saturday show will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a poker run downtown will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The band Hijacked will play in the park Friday and Saturday nights, but there wont be dancing, he said. The councils approval of the car show includes a street closure and special liquor license. Food and alcohol will be served to customers seated at tables to meet state requirements. I think it is really imperative any special events approved follow operation plans, City Manager Curtis Calder said, warning he would not be surprised if OSHA turned up at the car show. Nevada OSHA was the lead in LEAPs investigation and decision to approve the car show and bull-riding event. Remington told the council plans call for temperature checks of everyone entering cars in the show, and they will receive bracelets showing they have been checked. Many entrants will be coming from out of town, and Keener addressed concerns about out-of-towners, stating that Elko is on the Interstate 80 corridor, so people are coming in and out of this community by the hundreds every day. If done right, I think it can be done safely. Gates for the Gold Rush Bull Riding Challenge open at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Elko County Fairgrounds, and the council approved a special-event liquor license for this event, as well. The motion called for the Challenge to follow operation plans and rules from Gov. Steve Sisolaks office. The motion also calls for alcohol service to comply with the governors directives. Elko City Clerk Kelly Wooldridge said there still hasnt been a lot of guidance from the state on alcohol sales but plans for the Challenge call for a concession stand while the state has said food and beverages must be sold at tables. The LEAP committee doesnt discuss bar tops at all, she said. Efron Benavides of Benavides Bucking Bulls LLC said he could set it up restaurant-style, and that other than the food and drink sales, everything is spread out for the event. He said people will be distanced in the bleachers and extra bleachers will be added to be sure of the distancing. It would be great if they do restaurant style, Councilwoman Mandy Simons said. Stone said canned beverages would be best, and Councilman Bill Hance agreed, adding that packaged drinks are passed over the counter in food trucks, rather than restaurant-style, and he didnt see the difference from handing over a Pepsi to handing over a beer from a counter. Its impractical at an outdoor event to have everyone sit down and have a waitress bring your alcohol to the table, Hance said. Councilman Robert Schmidtlein said he was on board with the bull-riding challenge but warned that the event must follow its COVID-19 plan or there could be state repercussions. Absolutely. We have worked so hard on this. We will do everything we can. We will do our best, Benavides said. Looking at the plans for the Monster Truck Insanity Tour, organizers have a COVID plan, but Calder said under the current directives from LEAP he didnt think this event would fly with LEAP, although he will pass it on. He said the truck event could fall under exhibition or performance type events that are not getting approved. The councils tentative approval for the monster trucks included a special-event liquor permit, but the state panel will have the final say on whether the show goes on. The Van Norman auction approval also included a temporary liquor license, and plans call for The Star restaurant to provide the food and alcohol. Keener said this event has been held for a lot of years, and he favored allowing it, if all directives are followed. The auction event will have table service for food and alcohol, Wooldridge said. A sign alerts travelers to the danger of COVID-19 at LaGuardia Airport, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in New York By David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - A fresh U.S. Senate Republican coronavirus spending package introduced on Tuesday does not include new government assistance for U.S. airlines or airports, a text of the proposal showed, as the sector races to save jobs before October. More than 35,000 workers at two of the largest U.S. carriers alone - American Airlines and United Airlines - are set to lose their jobs once an initial $25 billion in payroll support from the government expires this month. That has fueled a furious push by unions for a six-month extension of the aid, with flight attendants and other aviation workers planning to march outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Last month a group of Senate Republicans backed extending $25 billion in payroll assistance for airlines, an idea Democrats also support. That proposal was excluded from the latest Senate measure, which was reviewed by Reuters and is expected to be voted on Thursday, but it is an opening salvo for talks that are expected to intensify once the U.S. House returns from recess next week. The Senate proposal also excludes $10 billion in assistance for airports that was part of an earlier Senate bill. Republicans and Democrats have been jockeying for months over the next phase of coronavirus aid, after passing more than $3 trillion this year. U.S. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of airline aid without congressional action, but officials said last week the administration has yet to settle on an approach. One possibility under discussion was redirecting unspent funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March, people familiar with the matter said, though it was unclear how conditions could be set without going through Congress. The initial $25 billion airline payroll aid included restrictions on share buybacks and executive compensation and required airlines to protect jobs and pay through September. Airlines are bracing for a slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic but say they need trained workers ready to service and fuel any economic rebound. (Reporting by David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Richard Chang) Video PlayerClose Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents the Medal of the Republic to Zhong Nanshan during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Shen Hong] Xi said China has achieved another heroic feat in humankind's fight against disease by securing major strategic achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. Xi presented medals to recipients of the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title, including renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan. Xi summarized the features of China's spirit in combating the COVID-19 epidemic as putting people's lives first, nationwide solidarity, sacrifice, respecting science and a sense of mission for humanity. BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) President Xi Jinping on Tuesday hailed China's great spirit of battling the COVID-19 epidemic as the country's model virus fighters were accorded grand state honors. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that over the past eight-plus months, China has fought a fierce war against the epidemic and has passed the extraordinary test of history. He called for transforming the virus-fighting spirit into tremendous strength to build a modern socialist country and achieve national rejuvenation. Xi made the comments during a meeting held at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing that was attended by about 3,000 people. He presented the Medal of the Republic to the 84-year-old renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan and the medals of the national honorary title to three other medical professionals. An official statement described Zhong as a leading expert in China's respiratory disease research and called him a "brave, outspoken and responsible doctor" who proposed epidemic prevention and control measures that saved numerous lives and made a great contribution to fighting both SARS and COVID-19. Speaking at the event, Zhong pledged to cooperate with colleagues around the country and the world to continue working on tracing virus sources, blocking transmission routes, and developing rapid diagnosis, medicines and vaccines. 'Heroic Feat' Speaking of the anti-epidemic battle, Xi said China has achieved another heroic feat in humankind's fight against disease by securing major strategic achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The country managed to contain the rapid spread of the virus in just over a month. In about two months, the daily increase in domestic coronavirus cases fell to single digits. Meanwhile, a decisive victory was secured in once the hardest-hit Chinese city of Wuhan in just about three months. Besides, the country has effectively contained sporadic outbreaks. Xi said the CPC Central Committee had adopted "extraordinary measures" to tackle the COVID-19 epidemic, and had insisted on making people's lives and health the first priority. All-out efforts were made to ensure that not a single patient was left unattended. And the cost of treating COVID-19 patients was fully covered by the government, he added. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, China has effectively curbed the spread of the virus and protected people's lives and health to the greatest extent, Xi said. Through a united will, the Chinese people put up a strong defense to contain the epidemic, Xi noted. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Yao Dawei] The Chinese mainland reported only 10 new infections on Monday, all imported cases from overseas, the National Health Commission said Tuesday. China has become the first major economy to return to growth since the COVID-19 pandemic, and has taken the lead in the world in both epidemic control and economic recovery, Xi said. "This has demonstrated China's strong ability of recovery and enormous vitality," he said. China is also leading global efforts on vaccine research. The vaccine developed by researchers led by national honorary title recipient Chen Wei was the first in the world to enter phase-two clinical trials on April 12. Chen, who was awarded the title of "the People's Hero," told Xinhua that the vaccine developed by her team is undergoing phase-three clinical trials, and can deal with mutations in the coronavirus. Chen Wei, recipient of the "People's Hero" national honorary title, arrives at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Li Xiang] 'Great Spirit' Xi summarized the features of China's spirit in combating the COVID-19 epidemic as putting people's lives first, nationwide solidarity, sacrifice, respecting science and a sense of mission for humanity. No efforts were spared when it came to saving lives, be it a 30-hour old baby or a centenarian, thus reflecting the CPC's concept of exercising governance for the people, Xi said. "We are willing to do whatever it takes to protect people's lives!" he said. Xi lauded the Chinese people for uniting as one and commended the heroes emerging from all walks of life amid the epidemic. The laws of science were followed in making decisions, treating patients, conducting technological research and governing society, he added. Xi said China has been responsible for global public health and has launched the most intensive and wide-ranging emergency humanitarian assistance since the founding of New China. Between March 15 and Sept. 6, China exported 151.5 billion masks, 1.4 billion protective suits, 230 million goggles and 209,000 ventilators to support the global fight against COVID-19. China twice donated funds to the World Health Organization (WHO) totaling 50 million U.S. dollars and sent 34 medical expert teams to 32 countries. A meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2020. [Xinhua/Yao Dawei] In Pursuit of New Victory Summarizing the experience accumulated and lessons learned, Xi emphasized the strong leadership of the Party, the unyielding will of the Chinese people, the strengths of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, among others. Xi called for consistent efforts without loosening regular anti-epidemic response measures in order to clinch a "full victory" against the disease. He also called for exercising caution against the spread of the virus overseas and risks of sporadic outbreaks at home. Demanding a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and poverty alleviation, Xi said efforts must be made to make up for the time lost and the damage incurred due to COVID-19. While stressing fixing weak links in the governance system, Xi said a strong public health system must be built and biosecurity defense capabilities must be enhanced. He vowed to continue to support the WHO, aid countries and regions vulnerable to the pandemic and champion economic globalization and multilateralism so that the world economy can gain early recovery. He also called for efforts, both mentally and professionally, to prepare for changes in the external environment over a fairly long period of time. Chinese people and the Chinese nation will certainly forge ahead on the great journey in the new era, Xi said. "No individual or force can stop Chinese people's march toward a better life," he said. (Source: Xinhua) (Alliance News) - Trench coat maker Burberry Group PLC on Wednesday said it intends to raise an undisclosed amount through the issue of a sterling-denominated sustainability bond. Proceeds of the bond sale will be used by Burberry to finance social and environmentally sustainable projects. "This will be the first sustainability labelled bond issued by a luxury company and will diversify Burberry's sources of funding, introducing long-term financing into the company's capital structure," the retailer said. Burberry said it intends to issue a benchmark-sized, medium-dated, sterling public sustainability bond, and it expects the bond to be rated Baa2 by Moody's. Separately, Moody's confirmed the Baa2 credit rating of Burberry and its proposed notes, with stable outlook. "Burberry's Baa2 ratings reflect the global high awareness of its brand, balanced geographic diversification, and conservative financial policies," says David Beadle, a Moody's vice president and lead analyst for Burberry. "Although the coronavirus pandemic has substantially dented the group's trading and profits in the current fiscal year, Burberry's solid competitive position in China will enable the group to keep growing strongly there, mitigating continued weakness elsewhere and allowing the group to return to stronger credit metrics over the next twelve to eighteen months," he added. Shares in Burberry were down 0.8% at 1,487.65 pence each in London on Wednesday morning. By Tapan Panchal; tapanpanchal@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 15:02:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto is expected to pay an official visit to Bangladesh on Thursday, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday. The Hungarian minister will participate in a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and meet with Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi. "It is expected that more than two instruments will be signed during the visit of the Hungarian foreign minister," said the statement. No details about the instruments were given. Szijjarto is scheduled to depart Dhaka in the evening on the same day. Enditem Hussain had been invited by the inhabitants of Kufa, which was a garrison town near Najaf, to come and lead them in a revolt against the Umayyad caliph in Damascus. Umayyad forces first put down the unrest in Kufa and then met and killed Hussain and his men on the desert plains of Karbala. Over 1,400 nurses at the University of Illinois Hospital (UIH), in downtown Chicago, are poised to begin a one-week strike on September 12. The nurses, who are organized in the Illinois Nurses Association (INA), were in negotiations throughout the summer, specifically on the critical issue of safe staffing, which has been the crux of every nurses strike across the country throughout the pandemic. The vote authorizing the strike was taken on August 20, with a nearly unanimous majority of 995 to 12 in favor. Earlier this month, 4,000 medical service workers at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)including clerical, professional, technical, service and maintenance workers represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73called for a strike vote on the issues of access to personal protective equipment (PPE), increased staffing levels, a minimum hourly wage of $15, as well as policies that protect their jobs and benefits. Presently, building service workers start at a miserly $12.65 per hour while the lowest-paid university workers, the foodservice cashiers at the hospital, make an hourly wage of only $10.49. The membership voted 94 percent in favor of striking. A spokesperson for SEIU 73 told local media that the open-ended strike is set to begin on September 14. The strike votes of UIH nurses and UIC medical service workers are but the latest in a series of strikes and protests by health care workers across the US in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical workers are determined to defend their right to decent working conditions and protections, as well as staffing levels, to deliver quality patient care. At every turn, their demands have been rebuffed by management, who claim that there is no money to pay for them. University of Illinios Hospital (Credit: hospital.uillinois.ed) The INA issued its 10-day intent to strike notice on September 2, after stalled talks and disagreements led to an apparent impasse. At the same time, UIH CEO Michael Zenn released a statement saying they were disappointed with the INAs stance, but hoped that both parties will reach an agreement that reflects our commitment to our nurses while being fiscally sustainable for the hospital. The statement went on to argue that the 5 percent wage increase being proposed by the INA would total nearly $53 million in increased costs that would not include differential or peripheral pay and does not reflect current economic conditions and fiscal challenges. INA President Doris Carroll, RN, also a nurse at UIH, wrote on the unions News and Events page, Negotiations began earlier this summer, but after more than a dozen negotiating sessions, the hospital refuses to engage in a substantive discussion about achieving safe staffing by setting a limit on the number of patients that can be assigned to each nurse, a policy also known as safe patient limits. While nurses have shown they are willing to sacrifice and fight to defend their working conditions and patient safety, the series of strikes and protests around the US over the late spring and early summerwhich were limited to little more than a week in most caseshave been consistently isolated by the unions. Nurses in Riverside, California, took to the picket lines for a 10-day strike earlier this summer, angered over chronic understaffing and shortages of PPE as COVID-19 cases surged. While nurses surrendered their wages to demonstrate their outrage, replacement nurses were brought in by management to take their place. The strike was rapidly wound down by the SEIU, and nurses were sent back with no improvement in working conditions. In Illinois, INA Vice President Pat Meade, RN, who works at AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, was the spokesperson for the striking nurses there. At the end of July, they concluded their struggle over the very same issues now being raised at UIH in Chicago. Their demands for safe staffing went unmet. Nurses at UIH should ask their union representatives why the INA has chosen not to unite the struggles of nurses at UIH and AMITA, and why these strikes have been limited actions that hospital management can prepare for in advance. The same issues are confronted by hospital workers across the country, who face grueling working conditions that will only grow worse as hospitals are inundated with new COVID-19 patients as a result of the reckless reopening of schools and businesses. The chronic burnout being experienced by nurses throughout the US is a byproduct of the disregard for the safety and health of workers, who face ever-increasing demands imposed on them by health systems that are bent on cutting costs while they amass fortunes. The same hospitals that now plead poverty have been the recipients of millions authorized by the CARES Act. The pandemic has further exposed the indifference to the plight of health care workers, revealing the profound contradictions between health care as a universal human right and health care as a profit-extracting business. Instead of mobilizing a united struggle of nurses, the INA is seeking to channel the deeply held grievances of nurses behind the Safe Patient Limits Bill (HB2604). Such demands on the Illinois legislature to implement safe nurse-to-patient ratios will inevitably be tied up in a bureaucratic chokehold, with health system lobbyists decrying the financial burden they will impose on hospital systems. Even if such a bill were to pass, hospitals can be counted on to defy it and would face few consequences from the state government. Presently, only California has a state mandate on nurse-to-patient ratios (passed in 2004), which is not being adhered to or enforced by the state. Yet, the situation facing nurses and all health care workers is indeed dire. In original research recently published in BMJ Quality & Safety , an observational study on chronic hospital nurse understaffing just before the pandemic took off looked at 254 hospitals in New York and Illinois. The study found that staffing ratios in adult medical and surgical units varied from 3 to 10 patients for each nurse. One-third of patients would not recommend their hospital to their families and friends. Nurses scored high in the burnout range due to their heavy workloads. One in five said they were planning to leave their jobs. Half of the nurses gave their hospital a poor grade on patient safety. Research on safe staffing has shown that hospitals with 1:8 nurse-to-patient ratios experience five additional deaths per 1,000 patients than those with a 1:4 nurse-to-patient ratio. The odds of a patient dying increased by 7 percent for every additional patient a nurse had to take on. Worse staff-to-patient ratios also meant more extended hospital stays and a general deterioration in the quality of care. Given the projections for a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections in the next three months due to school reopenings, nurses and doctors may again find themselves in the terrible predicament where care and treatment must be denied and services rationed as hospitals are once more inundated. UIH nurses have many allies who are outraged over the homicidal policies of the federal, state and local governments, which are sending students back to schools and campuses with the full knowledge that this will lead to overwhelming hospitals and needless deaths. The series of nurses strikes and protests has shown there is no shortage of a willingness to fight. But this struggle must be mobilized outside the framework of the unions, who have repeatedly demonstrated their bankrupt policy of appealing to hospital management and the two big business parties. There has been an outpouring of opposition by teachers since early July when the Trump administration began escalating the drive to reopen schools. On Tuesday, more than 1,000 graduate student instructors and graduate student staff assistants in the graduate student union at the University of Michigan began a four-day strike in opposition to the unsafe return to campus for in-person learning. Earlier this month, hundreds of students and faculty at the University of Iowa participated in a sickout, as instructors and students called in sick to demonstrate against the universitys homicidal policy of continuing in-person education. The most conscious expression of the opposition of teachers, parents, and students to the reopenings has been the formation of rank-and-file safety committees in Detroit, Florida, Texas, and other locations. Nurses and health care workers can become a critical factor in the fight against the policy of herd immunity being pursued by the ruling class. Nurses should link up their struggles with those of other health care workers, teachers and workers across the US and internationally by building their own rank-and-file committees to demand worker and patient safety. The mobilization of nurses must be oriented toward a genuine socialist reorganization of the health care system, as opposed to medicine for profit. The wealth of the giant hospital chains, private insurers, and drug companies must be expropriated to free up the resources to provide free, high-quality health care as a fundamental human right. Contact the WSWS Health Care Workers Newsletter to find out more about organizing a rank-and-file committee at your workplace. The image of an apple on a light. A clock on which time seemed to have frozen. Healthcare workers that look like astronauts on Mars. Those are some of Irene Pressners memories of her experience after becoming infected with the new coronavirus. The artist from Venezuela came close to death in New York City. After suffering severe pain and passing out a few times, she was finally admitted to a hospital. A few days later, her husband was also admitted. Only she survived. Now in recovery and mourning, the artist continues experimenting to see how the virus changes her art. My works have light, but now will also have the burden of what I lived, she says. The coronavirus health crisis has led many artists to seek refuge in their work as they search for peace and meaning. Some have suffered the horror, the sickness and the loss of loved ones. Others are trying to control their fear and feelings of loneliness. Pressner said the art she is making now comes directly from this period of self-discovery. She notes a series of pictures she took shortly before she got sick. The photography piece, called We Are Not Islands, gained new meaning during her isolation. "The other works are transitional, like I have not found myself yet," said the artist, who has been recognized in both Venezuela and the United States. Her award-winning works of art are part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California. In Brooklyn, New York, Venezuelan photographer Lara Alcantara dealt with the worry of her husband working as a doctor at a hospital. She created a make-believe world in images she publishes on social media. The photos are pictures of herself. Some show how tired she feels in a humorous way: She appears stuck in a washing machine, ironing her head or buried under a childs playthings. Others show her love for clothing. In one image, she hangs along with her clothes. Alcantara told The Associated Press she usually expresses her tensions and troubles through photography. The escape of photography was completely necessary, she added, noting that the news and the stories her husband brought home troubled her a lot. Lately she has taken her art outdoors. In a piece created at the beginning of August in Florida, four different images of her surround some sort of burial grounds made of sea plants. I feel that many people realized that time is very valuable, but that we dont always use it to achieve our happiness. I feel that I found myself in this process and I hope to have inspired others do the same, she said. Im Caty Weaver. The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story burden n. someone or something that is very difficult to accept, do, or deal with isolation n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others iron v. to use a heated device to make cloth smooth achieve v. to get or reach (something) by working hard inspire v. to make (someone) want to do something: to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Chinas state media is reporting that intelligence officials raided the residences of Chinese journalists based in Australia in late June, amid heightened tensions between the trading partners. The Global Times reported the journalists were questioned and their computers and phones seized, citing a source close to the matter that it didnt identify. Xinhua News Agency had a similar article, while the China News Service said the homes of four journalists from three Chinese media outlets were raided by Australian police on June 26, who eventually found they did nothing wrong. A request for comment on the reports to Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade wasnt immediately answered. The reports come after China confirmed that Cheng Lei, an Australian television anchor, was being held over suspected state security violations hours after the last two correspondents from the countrys media outlets fled the country. Australia was informed mid-August that she had been detained. While those issues highlight the mounting political pressures on foreign press corps operating in China, they also underscore fraying ties between Beijing and Canberra after Prime Minister Scott Morrison in April called for independent investigators be allowed into Wuhan to probe the origins of the coronavirus. Australia has been locked in a tussle over a series of diplomatic moves that China has interpreted as supporting the U.S. in the expanding trade and security dispute between Beijing and Washington. The media are only the latest sector to get swept up in the fight, after China curbed or launched trade actions against imports of Australian beef, wine and barley. A Sydney-based lawmaker had his home and office raided by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation on June 26, the same day as the raids on Chinese media are alleged to have occurred. New South Wales state lawmaker Shaoquett Moselmane later said the probe was linked to people allegedly advancing the goals of the Chinese government, and denied being a suspect. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2020 Bloomberg L.P. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON By Azernews By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov has said that Armenia creates tension in the region and undermine the peace negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Bayramov made the remarks during the meeting with Polish Ambassador Rafal Poborski on September 8. Bayramov informed Poborski about the occupation policy of Armenia against Azerbaijan for more than 30 years, the illegal activities conducted by Armenia in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Armenias military provocation on the border on July 12-16, 2020, as well as Yerevans policies serving the increase of the tensions in the region and undermining the settlement of the conflict through negotiations. In turn, Ambassador Rafal Poborski noted that Poland is interested in stability in its eastern neighborhood countries and underlined that respect to international law is a basic rule for Poland. Furthermore, Bayramov noted the high-level cooperation existing between Azerbaijan and Poland, adding that the exchange of high-level visits contributes to the development of cooperation. He also touched upon the furthering of cooperation between both states during the year amid pandemic. In this regard, Bayramov expressed his appreciation for the humanitarian aid rendered by Poland in the fight against COVID-19. The sides also discussed the continuation of political consultations between the two states and the opportunities for the enhancement of relations in energy, transportation, agriculture, education, tourism and other areas. It should be noted that according to the Polish data, Poland is the sixth supplier of goods to Azerbaijan among EU countries. Thus, the volume of Azerbaijans trade turnover with Poland increased by 3.7 per cent, amounting to $55.1 million during the period of January-July 2020. 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. Since 1994, hostilities between the two countries have persisted despite the temporary cease-fire agreement. Usually, Armenian forces violate the ceasefire regime on the line of contact. But recently Armenia has increased military aggression on the border. Hurricane Nana brushed past Honduras and barreled toward Belize, where thousands of people were stocking up on food, water and construction materials ahead of its landfall expected early Thursday. Long lines stretched through supermarkets and hardware store shelves were nearly bare as residents of Belize bought materials to board up windows and doors. The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported Wednesday night that Nana was located about 60 miles (95 kilometers) southeast of Belize City with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), making it a hurricane. The storm was moving at 16 mph (26 kph). Belize issued a hurricane warning for its coastline. Heavy rains were expected in Belize, as well as in northern Honduras. Forecasters said Nana would weaken rapidly as it moved inland Thursday, drenching Belize and Guatemala. Local leaders in rural villages in Belize's southernmost district of Toledo were awaiting word from the National Emergency Management Organization to open hurricane shelters. As evening approached, dark clouds hung on the horizon as uneasy residents awaited the storm's arrival. (Image Credit Pixabay) The 2019 Best Central Regional Cocoa Farmer, Abdulai Agoswin., has declared support for President Akufo-Addo. He commended the present government for introducing interventions to increase productivity on cocoa farms and improve the living standards of farmers. He touted hand pollination as an intervention which has been helping cocoa farmers increase their yields. Pruning, he added, has helped curtail the growth of mistletoe and the spread of disease on the cocoa trees in the region. Mr. Agoswin was speaking to the Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, when the COCOBOD Boss toured his farm yesterday, (7th September) at Assin Dompim, in the Assin Fosu Cocoa District of the Central Region. Mr. Agoswin, who declared the COCOBOD Boss as his friend, said cocoa farmers are ripping the benefits of the interventions and the instructions from the extension services which COCOBOD has introduced under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government. I have never met Nana Addo in person but if he wasn't president, he wouldn't have appointed this Honourable as Chief Executive of COCOBOD, for him to come and help us, cocoa farmers. That is why I say he is my friend, the Best Farmer said. When you look at how he has travelled all the way to this place to meet and engage with us; it all happened through the president. I have met this friend because of the president, and I commend him and the president because he has been of great help to us, the farmers. He said, as Chairman of the Adukrom Farmers Association he could testify that many farmers didnt know anything about the pruning of cocoa trees before the government introduced it. Many were initially sceptical about it but today they have all accepted it because the benefits are clear for all to see. Today when it's also time for mass spraying, we are able to get our chemicals within two weeks to spray everybody's farm. If there is anyone in the Central Region who claims not to have received the chemicals for spraying, then that person is an ungrateful individual. I am the head of a cooperative and when the chemicals arrive, all members get theirs and other chairmen also share to their members. According to Abdulai Agoswin, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has demonstrated a lot of love for farmers. He expressed his conviction that farmers stand to gain even more under another term of his presidency. DGN Online A silhouette of a visitor next to the logo of Huawei is displayed on a screen at the Huawei stand at the IFA fair in Berlin, Sept. 3. EPA-Yonhap By Baek Byung-yeul While Huawei Technologies may be considering an exit from the smartphone business due to continued sanctions imposed by the U.S. government, Korea's tech firms Samsung Electronics and SK hynix will likely benefit from the probable withdrawal, according to industry analysts. At a time when Huawei is expected to have difficulties in procuring chips used for smartphones due to Washington's clampdown, they said Samsung, which has been fiercely competing with the Chinese maker, will likely benefit if Huawei decides to withdraw from the phone business. The U.S. issued its executive order in May 2019, barring U.S. companies from doing business with Huawei due to concerns about national security. After the order, Huawei was banned from using Google's Android operating system on its smart gadgets. Recently, Washington imposed new restrictions, banning the Chinese company from using American technologies for semiconductors. Due to the sanctions, Huawei is not able to manufacture its own chipset used for smart devices with the help of U.S. firms or companies that use American technologies or software. Ming-Chi Kuo, a seasoned analyst in the smartphone business, claimed recently that Huawei could exit the smartphone business as the U.S. sanctions are severely affecting its business operations. The analyst said the best-case scenario for Huawei is that the company's market share declines and the worst-case scenario is that the company decides to completely withdraw from the phone business. Even if the company is able to make it through the fallout from the sanctions, Kuo presumed that Huawei's market competitiveness will inevitably decline because the technology upgrade trend of smartphone components such as cameras, storage and chips will slow down. Samsung has been maintaining a symbiotic relationship with Huawei as it supplies chips to the Chinese company through its Device Solutions Division, which supervises its semiconductor operation. Industry analysts said Huawei accounts for around 6 percent of semiconductor sales. On the other hand, the two also have been in a competitive relationship with each other as they are competing for leadership of the smartphone market. On July 30, market tracker Canalys released a stunning list showing Chinese phone maker Huawei surpassing Samsung in terms of smartphone shipments in the second quarter. According to the market researcher, Huawei shipped more smartphones worldwide than other manufacturers during the April-June period, marking the first quarter in nine years that a company other than Samsung or Apple has led the market. During the same period, Samsung struggled with its phone sales in key markets such as North America and Europe where it experienced fallout from the strict lockdown measures employed there to slow the pandemic. Seen is Samsung Electronics' foldable phone Galaxy Z Fold2. AP-Yonhap As Huawei has hit a snag in securing semiconductors for its smart gadgets, industry analysts forecast the Chinese companies will see a decrease between 25 percent and 30 percent in smartphone shipments this year compared with last year. "The smartphone shipments of Huawei this year will be decreased by between 25 percent and 30 percent year-on-year," said Park Hyung-woo, an analyst at Shinhan Financial. "Huawei's smartphone shipment is expected to be decreased to around 190 million in 2020, from 240 million in 2019, and be further decreased to under 100 million in 2021." Samsung already experienced a sudden increase in smartphone sales last year, when the U.S. government issued a sanction on Huawei in May 2019. After Huawei's smartphone sales start to decline, the analyst said Samsung would be able to sell 40 percent more smartphones in the third quarter from the previous quarter. SK Securities analyst Kim Hyung-woo said "the U.S. government's sanctions on Huawei, rising anti-China sentiment in India and Apple's iPhone 12 launch delay will definitely work as favorable factors for Samsung." For SK hynix, the world's second-largest memory chip maker, industry analysts said the memory chip maker will likely see negative effects in the short term from the Chinese maker's possible exit from the smartphone business. However, in the long run, SK hynix will be able to recover from the fallout as it will seek other Chinese buyers such as Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi. "It is expected that SK hynix will likely take a hit if Huawei decides to withdraw from the smartphone business. But this will be a short-term thing as the company is capable of providing its memory chips to other smartphone makers in China," an industry official said on condition of anonymity. Seen is a rendered image for LG Electronics' new smartphone Wing. The company said Sunday it is recruiting test users for the upcoming device. / Courtesy of LG Electronics NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stressed-Out? Sleepless? You're Not Alone. Awardwinning stress relief expert, author Susie Mantell explains, "In these times of uncertainty and disrupted routine, many are experiencing difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep then waking exhausted, anxious and unsettled." Sound familiar? Your Present: A Half Hour of Peace, 2nd Edition Revised and Expanded by Susie Mantell (PRNewsfoto/RelaxIntuit.com) Below, Mantell shares 6 Key Stress-Relief Tips for Times of Extreme Stress. Mantell's acclaimed audiobook, Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace, 2nd Edition Revised and Expanded provides three soothing guided meditations for deep stress relief, effortless sleep and renewed energy, plus "Quicktips & Simple Soothers" for day-to-day stress insomnia, anxiety and depression. Listen to Soothing Meditation Sample: https://www.relaxintuit.com/about-stress-cd-sleep-cd-audiobook Awards & Reviews: https://www.relaxintuit.com/reviews-stress-cd-audiobook-sleep-cd-audiobook-stress-relief-expert Avoid "Information Overload." Know when to power-down. Get factual information necessary to stay safe. Dismiss rumors. Skip repeated troubling reports, and "catastrophizing." Working from Home? Consider fresh air, stress-reduction, restful sleep and socialization Essential Daily Nutrients. Schedule virtual lunches with friends. Take nature walks. Masked? Smile and wave to passersby. Put Your Body Chemistry to Work. Smiling can lift our spirits even when we don't feel like it! Exercise, healthy foods and beverages, feel-good music and laughter can too. Do You Care for Children or Other Adults? Support your daily wellbeing and stamina. Read something fun, or spiritually meaningful. Under extreme stress, concentration may wane. Pay extra attention to safety. Can You Safely Barter, or Help Someone? Ask, "How can I help?" Donate time, skills, resources. That small act of kindness may echo for a lifetime in the recipient's heart. Practice Daily Stress-Reduction: The Buddhist term: "Monkey Mind" aptly describes our restless mental chatter. Mindful breathing, and Guided Imagery meditations like those in Susie Mantell's new stress relief audiobook, are easy, empowering ways to enhance resilience, and replenish body-mind-spirit. Click Here for More Stress Tips Award-winning stress-relief expert Susie Mantell is the author of Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace, 2nd Edition Revised and Expanded. Mantell's clients include Fortune 500 companies, distinguished medical centers and world-class spas. Her techniques have appeared on NBC, ABC, CBS TV, in The Los Angeles Times, Town & Country, Weight Watchers, Cosmopolitan. Her audiobooks have been used in The Mayo Clinic, Betty Ford Center, Sloan-Kettering and renowned Canyon Ranch resorts. Also a pop songwriter, Mantell's work has been heard Off-Broadway, in TV and film. @Relaxintuit Stress-Relief on Facebook & Twitter SOURCE Relax Intuit LLC Related Links https://www.relaxintuit.com Myanmar & COVID-19 Dozens of Aides to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar President Quarantined Presidents Office spokesperson cum Director General of the State Counselors Office U Zaw Htay, who was among those quarantined, addresses a press conference last week. / Thiha Lwin / The Irrawaddy Two bodega workers who were attacked by customers in the Bronx for asking them to wear face coverings said they now fear for their lives because New York's mask laws 'could get someone killed'. Aneuri Castillo and Javier Franco were working at a bodega in Morrisania when they were attacked last month. Castillo told Pix 11 that he was struck in the face by a customer who was asked to wear a mask while inside the bodega. Two bodega workers who were attacked by customers in the Bronx for asking them to wear face coverings said they now fear for their lives because New York's mask laws 'could get someone killed'. Both attacks are pictured and happened within minutes of one another 'This was shocking to me. I tried to do what the governor asked us. I told him it was the law. I'm scared! Maybe he'll come back and shoot me. It's so hard coming to work not knowing how the day will go,' Castillo told the news outlet. 'I have a family and they need me, I don't want to die in the bodega,' he added. Franco made a similar statement after he was punched in the face while stacking the shelves in the bodega after asking a customer to wear a mask. 'The mask law is going to get someone killed,' Franco told Pix 11. 'We are doing our best trying to obey the law so we don't lose our liquor license, but it seems we could lose our life instead.' According to United Bodegas of America spokesman, Fernando Mateo, both attacks occurred within moments of one another. Mateo said organization leaders will be meeting with NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea to address their concerns. Mask laws in New York went into effect in July after the state suffered the most severe outbreak of the coronavirus in the US. There are more than 445,000 cases of the virus in New York and more than 32,000 people have died in the state. According to United Bodegas of America spokesman, Fernando Mateo, both attacks occurred within moments of one another. Mateo said organization leaders will be meeting with NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea to address their concerns Both incidents occurred at this bodega in the Bronx last month According to the state's mask laws, any person over the age of two and able to medically tolerate a face-covering 'shall be required to cover their nose and mouth with a mask or face-covering when in a public place and unable to maintain, or when not maintaining, social distance'. And safety is not the only concern for businesses in New York City under the leadership of Gov Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. After finally getting control over the coronavirus in New York, Cuomo has been taking extra precautions to make sure the state doesn't become the epicenter for COVID-19 for a second time. Some of those strict orders include not allowing indoor dining in New York City. As of Tuesday, New York City is the only major city in the world that has yet to reopen indoor dining, despite having greater testing than anywhere else and an infection rate of less than one per cent. The industry in the Big Apple is at its wits end with Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio who inexplicably won't allow discussions for indoor dining to resume. They insist it is not safe and that other regions have seen a sudden uptick in cases when it begins but every other city in the state of New York is allowing it and most around America are too. Beyond the US, in cities including London, Paris, Milan and Beijing - all of which saw coronavirus spikes - indoor dining is happening safely. It has driven restaurateurs and bar owners in New York to sue the city and state for $2billion in damages. They are now seeking an injunction and are demanding Cuomo and de Blasio show the so-called scientific evidence they have that proves it cannot be done safely. As the school year begins entirely online for millions of students across the country, local leaders are facing a child-care crisis for their employees. In some places, a controversial solution has emerged: repurposing public libraries as day-care centers for the children of essential workers. Beginning this week, parks and recreation staff in Loudoun County, Va., are offering supervision for as many as 1,000 to 1,200 school-age children of county employees, public school teachers and other members of the public. They'd planned to offer the child care in community centers, 11 elementary schools, leased buildings and two public libraries. But the decision by the county's Board of Supervisors to close two libraries - the Rust and Ashburn branches - to convert them into child-care facilities, has angered some library staff and local parents, and it culminated in the resignation last week of the chair of the library's Board of Trustees. Now, because of lower enrollment than expected, the program will be revisited by the supervisors this week, a county spokesman said. If the libraries remain closed for child care, it will cut off access to more than 6,000 people who use them on a weekly basis, library officials said, although they would still offer curbside services. "It didn't seem to me that they took into consideration the tens of thousands of citizens whose access to a range of library services will be severely limited, especially in a pandemic," said Marc Leepson, a longtime library advocate who previously served on the Loudoun County Library Board of Trustees and the Virginia State Library Board. Most troubling, Leepson and others said, is that the Board of Supervisors decided to close the libraries without first consulting the library director or its Board of Trustees. Across the country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, cities such as San Francisco and New York have provided emergency child care at libraries, along with community centers and empty school buildings. But a recent proposal in another county, in North Carolina, stirred similar outrage after an anonymous letter appeared on the blog Ask a Manager. The writer, described as a youth services employee at a public library in North Carolina, said library staff were being expected to provide a "virtual learning camp" for children of county workers, while still providing curbside services to library customers. Reached by The Washington Post, the writer confirmed that the library system is in Cumberland County, N.C., but asked not to be named for fear of losing her job. "Library staff are not licensed child-care providers, for one thing. ... We do not have safe, enclosed outdoor spaces for the kids to take recess or breaks," the anonymous library employee wrote. "This is an absolutely-unheard-of workload for us. We are not getting pay increases or official changes in our job duties, of course. We were told that if we did not 'buy in' to this plan, we should consider a career change." Duane Holder, a deputy county manager for Cumberland County, said the county is in the early stages of proposing a child-care program in its libraries, which had been closed to the public amid the pandemic. The library proposal is a response to a child-care crisis so dire that it is affecting essential services in the county, Holder said. Unable to find supervision for their children, some social workers, child-protective services staff, Medicaid employees and other essential workers have stopped showing up to work. Some have been taking the paid leave provided to them by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Others, including some public-health nurses, have been resigning. "We've had to actually cancel child-support court, and that really hurts," Holder said. "I don't think that we were able to fully anticipate the impact that 100 percent virtual learning would have on our workforce." Nationwide, millions of working parents, especially working mothers, are dealing with the same dilemma. Remote-learning plans require full-time working parents to find care for an average of 43.5 hours a week, roughly triple the amount of child-care time they needed before the pandemic, according to a report from the Urban Institute. But in Loudoun, residents took to online parenting forums and library Facebook pages to express outrage at the decision to close the two libraries. "If they need a facility for childcare, use the empty schools!" wrote one Loudoun County resident, Sondra Eklund. "Libraries are not designed to keep children occupied for 8 hours a day, and it's not safe in a pandemic." Phyllis Randall, chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, said several school buildings are not available because teachers are offering virtual lessons from their classrooms, and some schools are still offering in-person classes to students with special needs and with English as a second language. More important, she said, the district is aiming to transition to a hybrid model of learning that provides some classroom time for all students as soon as possible. Still, the county located 11 elementary schools with hundreds of seats available, along with several community centers. The two libraries helped the county meet the goal of 1,000 to 1,200 slots, which should allow for enough space for county staff children, Loudoun County Public Schools staff children, children who qualify for free and reduced lunch, as well as some additional space for the general public through a lottery system. But on the first day of the program on Tuesday, enrollment was lower than expected, with only 600 children, leading county officials to consolidate the child-care sites in only schools and leased buildings for the time being. If enrollment increases, they plan to use the two libraries and other centers. Chang Liu, the director of the Loudoun County Library, declined to comment on the decision to close the two libraries for child-care purposes. But she confirmed the resignation of the chair of the library's Board of Trustees, Denis Cotter, on Wednesday. Cotter did not respond to requests for comment, but told WTOP earlier in the week that library staff and trustees "were not informed or consulted during the development of the proposal." Randall said the board made the decision in an informal vote on Aug. 21 and informed the library's Board of Trustees the following day. Randall and other county officials met at length with library administrators and trustees before ratifying the vote last week. The county's nine libraries closed in March because of the pandemic. The system began offering curbside borrowing in May and opened all libraries on July 1. Since then, thousands of people have visited the libraries each week, and many are using them to telework or for computer access to search for jobs, pay bills and read email. These are some of the essential community resources that are lost when libraries close, said Lisa Varga, executive director of the Virginia Library Association. She said she worries about the precedent the Loudoun County decision would set for libraries across the state and the country. "It's just disheartening for a lot of our profession when people come in and just take over our space," she said. "We don't want libraries all over the state to stop being used for their intended purpose and to be used for alternate purposes without discussion." The library is a community mainstay for residents like Emily Bowen, 29, who has been taking her daughter Cora, now 4, to the Rust Library's baby story time since she was 4 months old. She has continued to visit the library several times a week. "It's almost like a church, like a book church," Bowen said. When the Rust Library reopened in early July, "we were there on day one, with our masks on." She was disappointed to learn that the library would once again close. But other residents, like Cindy McCoy, a mother of two who frequents the Ashburn Library, says the closure is a minor sacrifice to provide an essential service for working parents. She thinks about her children's teachers, who have to teach virtual lessons while also looking after their own children. "My attitude is, I'll drive further," to use another library, McCoy said. She says that angry parents are using the library closures as a proxy to vent their other frustrations about the pandemic. "Really, what they're mad about is that Loudoun didn't open schools," she said. "It's really not about the library." William Grant Reuland, left, Alexandra Eutin, center, and Pedro Aldo Ramos Jr. were charged with civil disorder for allegedly participating in rioting in Portland, Ore. in recent months. (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office) Three Hit With Federal Charge for Participating in Portland Riots Three Portland residents were charged with civil disorder, a federal charge that carries up to five years in prison, because of their participation in riots in Oregons largest city, federal officials said. William Grant Reuland, 24, Alexandra Eutin, 24, and Pedro Aldo Ramos Jr., 20, were charged in court this week. Reuland is accused of shining high-powered lasers in the face of several police officers at the Multnomah County Justice Center on June 13. An FBI agent in an affidavit said an officer moved from the buildings roof to a lower floor to take pictures of Reuland and sent the photos to a sergeant, who distributed them to other officers. About 24 hours later, Reuland was part of a crowd that marched to Mayor Ted Wheelers apartment building. An officer patrolling the crowd saw Reuland shine a laser at Wheelers apartment and at other homes in the neighborhood. Officers took Reuland into custody and found four laser pointers on him. Reuland asked what he was being arrested for and an officer said he was being arrested for pointing laser pointers at police officers. Thats not against the law, the man responded, according to court documents. Eutin allegedly struck a police officer with a wooden shield during a riot on July 16 outside the Portland Police Bureaus East Precinct. A police officer was attempting to make an arrest while dispersing rioters when Eutin allegedly used a makeshift shield to hit the officer on top of his head/helmet. Another officer who witnessed what happened arrested Eutin. Police officers detain a person during a riot in Portland, Ore., Aug. 24, 2020. (Terray Sylvester/Reuters) An FBI agent said in an affidavit that there is probable cause to believe that Eutin struck a Portland Police Bureau Officers head and helmet with a piece of wood for the intended purpose of obstructing, impeding, or interfering in a violent manner with such law enforcement officer; that she did so knowingly and willfully; and that she did so during a civil disorder that adversely affected interstate commerce. Ramos is accused of hitting a female police officer in the face on Aug. 24 during a riot outside the bureaus North Precinct. The officer was taking a female subject into custody who refused to follow orders to disperse and assaulted the officer. While the officer, or V1, was making the arrest, Ramos ran up to the arresting officer, grabbed ahold of V1s vest, and attempted to pull V1 off the arrestee, according to court documents. Ramos then punched V1 on the side of her face. The assault was witnessed by another officer who arrested Ramos. An attorney representing Eutin and Ramos declined to comment. A lawyer representing Reuland didnt respond to a request for comment. The defendants were released pending further court proceedings. The FBI stepped up efforts to track down people committing crimes during protests and riots in Portland last month. Agents are being assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Six others were charged with civil disorder in Portland last week following FBI investigations. Riots have taken place most nights in Portland since May 28. Eleven people were arrested overnight Tuesday after a crowd blocked train traffic and hurled projectiles at police officers. Dubai carrier Emirates has announced that it will resume passenger services to Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) with two flights a week starting from September 11. The resumption of flights to the Russian capital will take the airline's expanding network in Europe to 26 cities - offering Emirates' global customers with more travel options to Europe, and customers in Russia with renewed connections to the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa via Dubai. Emiraates will fly twice a week to Moscow on Fridays and Saturdays. On Fridays, Emirates flight EK133 will depart Dubai at 10.10am and arrive in Moscow at 2.25pm local time. On return, EK134 will take off from Moscow at 5:35pm and land in Dubai at 11.35pm local time. On Saturdays, EK131 will depart Dubai at 4:15pm and arrive in Moscow at 8:30pm local time and on return, EK132 will depart Moscow at 11.20pm and arrive in Dubai at 5.30am local time, the following day. 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, said the statement. The flights will operate with the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER and can be booked on emirates site or via travel agents. Travellers can also enjoy enhanced connectivity via Emirates' codeshare partner in Russia, S7 Airlines providing greater access to a range of regional destinations, said a company spokesman. "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," he added.-TradeArabia News Service (AP) A controversial Republican congressional candidate, who has previously expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, has insisted that children should not have to wear face masks because it is emasculating for boys, according to a report. On Tuesday, Georgia candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted that children should not wear masks flying in the face of recommendations by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), according to CNN. In the tweet, which has now been removed from the platform, Ms Greene reportedly claimed without evidence that face-coverings are unhealthy for their psychological, emotional, and educational growth." According to the broadcaster, Ms Greene also suggested that forcing boys to wear masks is emasculating and that masculinity isn't toxic nor dangerous" but dem Socialism and shutdowns are. The tweet has since apparently been forcibly removed from the platform for violating the websites rules. The platform did not specify which of its rule had been broken. Ms Taylor Greene has not yet responded to The Independents request for comment. More than half a million children have tested positive for the novel coronavirus across the US since the outbreak began in March, and cases among young people are continuing to rise, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In July the CDC affirmed that cloth face coverings are a critical tool in the fight against Covid-19 that could reduce the spread of the disease. CDC Director Dr Robert R Redfield said: Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities, the expert added. More recently, experts have said they believe face masks are contributing to the steady decrease in cases across the country, although cases continue to rise in some states. Story continues Its profoundly hopeful news, said Dr Monica Gandhi, an infectious-diseases expert at the University of California, San Francisco. The doctor attributes the decline to a number of factors including an understanding of how the virus spreads, more mask-wearing and, possibly, an increasing level of immunity. Hopefully all those factors are coming into play to get this virus under control in this country thats really been battered by the pandemic, she said. However, experts also warn that the public must continue to take the pandemic seriously as flu season and colder weather draw closer in the winter months. This rapid rise in positive cases occurred over the summer, and as the weather cools, we know people will spend more time indoors, Dr Sean O'Leary, the vice chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, said in a news release. Now we are heading into flu season. We must take this seriously and implement the public health measures we know can help, Dr O'Leary added. That includes wearing masks, avoiding large crowds, and maintaining social distance. In addition, it will be really important for everyone to get an influenza vaccine this year. These measures will help protect everyone, including children. The virus has infected more than 6.35 million people across the US and had led to the deaths of 190,000. Ms Taylor Greene has previously come under fire for her inflammatory remarks about two Muslim congresswomen and support of the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon. NBC News reported in August that she wrote dozens of articles as a "correspondent" for a conspiracy news website, speaking favourably of the theory. She has since tried to distance herself from QAnon, which promotes the belief that the president is secretly working to save the world from a satanic cult of paedophiles and cannibals. On Friday, the candidate also had a post removed from Facebook on the grounds that it violated the social media platforms policy against inciting violence. The photo illustration showed Ms Taylor Greene in Georgia posing with a rifle next to pictures of Democratic House Representatives: Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. Hate America leftists want to take this country down, she wrote, later adding, We need strong conservative Christians to go on the offence against these socialists who want to rip our country apart. Rep Omar said the post was catalysing death threats. Posting a photo with an assault rifle next to the faces of three women of colour is not advertising, she said in a statement. Its incitement." Ms Taylor Greene is favoured to win the election in a deeply conservative district northwest of Atlanta in the upcoming election in November, facing Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal. Additional reporting by The Associated Press Read more A third of Republicans believe QAnon theory of deep state paedophile cannibals is 'mostly true', poll finds A teenager has been charged with attempted murder after a 15-year-old boy was shot near Kesgrave High School in Suffolk. The suspect, who is also 15 and cannot be named for legal reasons, was also charged with firearms offences over the Monday morning attack. He was arrested by armed police just over two hours later in Ipswich, around four miles from the scene of the shooting. A long-barrelled gun was also recovered from a car matching the description of a vehicle seen driving away. Suffolk Police confirmed on Tuesday night the suspect, who is from the Woodbridge area, had been charged with attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of injury. He was remanded in custody ahead of his appearance via video link before Norwich Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 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 The victim suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge. He remains in a critical condition. Kesgrave High School confirmed that the boy was one of its Year 11 students but sought to reassure parents about the safety of other pupils. In order to provide reassurance to the school community there will be a police presence as students leave school today and over the next few days, the school tweeted. On Tuesday the school said its students had been simply amazing, adding: Calm and focused in class and clearly glad to be back in school. A very difficult time for the school community but all supporting each other. Suffolk Police said its officers will continue to engage with school children, teachers, parents and local residents to provide reassurance, listen to any concerns and to reiterate the fact it is an isolated incident. New York, US (PANA) The Central Sahel has seen a significant spike in attacks on students, teachers, and schools since 2018, according to a new report released on Tuesday by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) in New York Growing up in a Ho Chi Minh City orphanage, 28-year-old Le Hoang Phong has overcome numerous obstacles to be a person like he desired to become, securing seats in the prestigious European Forum Alpbach for two years in a row. My capacity comes from humanity, Phong wrote in response to a question on the application form for the Alpbach European Forum 2019 in Austria. I was raised by charitable meals, by the loving care of the SOS Children's Village, and by the communitys contributions, too. "I am extremely proud of it and I am extremely grateful for the love." The answer helped him become the 16th Vietnamese ever to have secured a spot in the 75-year-old forum. Proud to be Vietnamese The orphan, who was raised at the SOS Childrens Village in Ho Chi Minh City, has been given many opportunities to become a person who can now give back to the community. After writing a piece for Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper two years ago recounting his experience growing up with 40 siblings at the orphanage, Phong was chosen to be a fundraising ambassador for the Vietnam SOS Childrens Village and helped to raise more than VND1.7 billion (US$73,000) for underprivileged children. After that, he applied for two sponsorships to join an education forum at Columbia University in the U.S. and the European Forum Alpbach in Austria. He was selected for both programs and decided to participate in the latter. The European Forum Alpbach is an Austrian nonprofit organization based in Vienna, Austria. It is best known for hosting an annual conference of the same name in the village of Alpbach. A forum typically lasts 17 days, during which participants will discuss issues related to science, politics, business, and culture. More than 5,000 people and 700 youths from over 70 countries accept the invitation to partake in the European Forum Alpbach each year. Among them are heads of state, leaders from the United Nations and the World Bank, and Nobel laureates. It was the first time Phong had come to Europe. He met with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon. Phong also had the chance to discuss environmental topics with international participants from some of the worlds most prestigious universities such as Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford, where he presented an initiative called Global Water Citizen to address water security. He presented it in the form of an exhibition to help raise awareness of the value of water in the context of human life and in relation to women's dignity. My initiative was voted among the top three. I realized that I could not be as good as other students from the top universities, but I have my own value of which I could be proud, Phong said. When I introduced myself to be Vietnamese and presented the way Vietnam manages its water resources, I received considerable encouragement from everybody." Phong recalled asking former UN Secretary-General Ban for a photo and was greeted by the South Korean with a Vietnamese phrase xin chao, ban khoe khong? (Hello, how are you?), which took him by surprise. Following the Alpbach forum, Phong became the first Vietnamese appointed to be the forums ambassador. He also earned a scholarship to take part in this years European Forum Alpbach, which was moved online in August 2020 because of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Mother didnt bring me up for money Speaking of what has happened in his life over the last two years, Phong considered himself extremely fortunate to be loved and given the opportunities, which he welcomed with deep gratitude. While preparing for the Alpbach 2020 and another forum in Brussels, Phong was also ready to launch his first project as a businessman: Thu quan doanh nhan (The entrepreneurs bookstore), which provides English training while equipping learners with the skills needed for 'personal leadership.' Three years ago, Phong took part in the Teach for Vietnam project in Tay Ninh Province, around 100 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. He taught English to children and also showed them how to value themselves and be confident in their own accent in speaking English, from which he hoped they would understand and appreciate diversity in a complicated world. I launched the business not for taking advantage of my success to teach English for money, he said. We designed the teaching programs to teach skills and build a mindset of personal leadership. Just being good at English without soft skills such as personal leadership skills would not lead you anywhere." Phong hopes that affordable monthly tuition of VND1 million (US$43) will bring equal educational opportunities to everybody. The first class of Thu quan doanh nhan started in mid-July, comprising twelve students. In Phongs stories, a woman he refers to dearly as Mother Hanh comes up frequently. She was the one who raised him as an orphan at the SOS Childrens Village. The man spoke fondly of how Mother Hanh had borrowed 3.75 grams of gold to sell for money so Phong could take his first English lessons. I have had chances to get a high-paying job, but I always think about Mother Hanh, the woman who certainly did not bring me up for money. Although she is poor, she never abandoned me even for just one day, Phong said. I was fed by the community and schooled by the community, so its unacceptable for me to do a job only to earn money for myself." Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Developer Abraham Atiyeh tried last week to sell Bethlehem City Council on his idea to bring a grocery store to a property he owns on Center Street. The proposal faces an uphill battle, with opposition from the citys planning commission and residents. Following a public hearing Sept. 1, council scheduled an initial vote for Sept. 15 on the zoning change the plan needs. A second, final vote would then follow Oct. 6. The main concern is the scope of what Atiyeh is asking, said Darlene Heller, city director of planning and zoning. The developer wants the city to change its institutional zoning district to permit grocery stores. That would open up grocery stores as a permitted use across all of Bethlehem thats zoned institutional. That includes hospitals, places of worship, all city parks and open space, and Bethlehem Area School District and college/university land where retail simply might not work, Heller told council at last weeks hearing. Atiyeh argued a grocery store is a good use and that if Lehigh University wanted to open one on campus, God bless them. Atiyehs 5-acre land is at Center Street and Dewberry Avenue, where he has tried over the past 15 years to develop an assisted living facility, psychiatric hospital, drug treatment center and 125-apartment complex. He says German supermarket chain Lidl is interested in opening up shop there. It would be the Lehigh Valleys second Lidl, in addition to one at Freemansburg Avenue and 25th Street in Wilson Borough. Atiyeh said he also envisions a Chick-fil-A or a Starbucks on the site, or possibly a medical office. Councilman Michael Colon said regardless of the merits of the proposal, the zoning overhaul may be too broad for him to support. Councilwoman Grace Crampsie Smith pressed Atiyeh on why theres still a sign on the property indicating a hospital is coming, saying its something residents have asked her about. Atiyeh said he still has interest from a psychiatric group interested in opening a facility there and accused her constituents of being discriminatory against people who need psychiatric treatment. I know the lives that they do save, Crampsie Smith, a mental health counselor, said about psychiatric hospitals. And I can attest that the constituents that have spoken to me are not discriminatory in any way because Ive known them for many years. If anything, theyre more very active in the arts and cultural areas within the city and I think theyre really just looking at it from an aesthetic standpoint, that theyd like to just see the rolling grass and those fields and not billboards for something that doesnt exist at this time. An attorney representing two residents opposed to the proposal said theres no need for the zoning change, since Atiyeh indicated he has interest in developing the property in line with its existing zoning. The attorney also noted myriad other grocery stores in the city that provide the same service thats proposed. One resident who spoke to council by telephone during the hearing live-streamed on YouTube pushed back against Atiyehs claims the plan would benefit nearby residents who could walk or bike to the new grocery store. Most shoppers prefer to drive so they arent limited in how many things they can buy, the caller said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Alternative meat company Beyond Meat, Inc. is set to begin production of plant-based meat products for the Chinese market through a wholly-owned subsidiary in China. The trial production is expected to commence within a few months, with full scale production expected in early 2021. An agreement to implement this was inked with the Jiaxing Economic & Technological Development Zone (JXEDZ) to design and develop manufacturing facilities in the JXEDZ. JXEDZ is a historic and commercially important development zone in a strategic location near Shanghai, which is the country's biggest city and a global financial hub. It also has an excellent record in supporting the food industry. 'China is one of the world's largest markets for animal-based meat products, and potentially for plant-based meat,' said Ethan Brown, CEO and founder of Beyond Meat. The new manufacturing facilities in China will include a state-of-the-art production facility to manufacture plant-based meat products including beef, pork and chicken under the Beyond Meat brand in China. U.S.-based Beyond Meat will be the first multinational company focused solely on plant-based meat production to bring its own major production facility into China, which is expected to be one of the most important markets in the world for Beyond Meat. Beyond Meat said it will partner with the JXEDZ to develop two production facilities, including one claimed to be among the world's largest and technologically advanced plant-based meat factories. In July, Beyond Meat struck a deal with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding to launch its plant-based burgers in supermarkets and grocery stores across mainland China. Beyond Meat also entered into a new partnership in June with Yum China, the local owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, which together and some other brands have about restaurants across most cities in China. It began testing Beyond Meats products in mainland China, which could lead to a massive roll out of the products later on. Beyond Meat's first entry into the Chinese market was facilitated through a partnership with Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks in April to launch its plant-based platform in China, including a new food and beverage menu. Starbucks worked with Beyond Meat to create three new dishes - Beyond Beef Pesto Pasta, Beyond Beef Classic Lasagna, and Beyond Beef Spicy & Sour Wrap. According to Beyond Meat, they have also signed a new deal with a local food distributor Sinodis, which will enable them to be a supplier to restaurants and caterers across China. Beyond Meat makes plant-based burgers, beef, sausage, crumbles, and more. The products offer greater or equal protein levels than their animal counterparts, no cholesterol, less saturated fat, and no antibiotics or hormones. The strong demand for vegan options has prompted restaurants and fast-food chains to offer menu items that contain products from food companies such as Beyond Meat and its rival Impossible Foods, which develop plant-based substitutes for meat products. Shifting from animal to plant-based meat can address four growing global issues: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources, and animal welfare. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de T he husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe today said she has been left an emotional wreck after being told she was facing another trial. The 42-year-old mother-of-one has been detained in Iran since 2016 but was moved to house arrest in March as she nears the end of a five-year sentence. However, she was picked up by Iranian Revolutionary Guards yesterday, returned to court and told she would face a second trial. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe told the Standard she was terrified she would face more solitary confinement in Tehrans notorious Evin prison, adding: It brought back all those nightmares. The Iranian-British national will face a trial this Sunday on fresh charges of spreading anti-government propaganda, Mr Ratcliffe said. In 2016 she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. She has been living at her parents home in Tehran since thousands of prisoners were granted clemency and released from Iranian jails amid the Covid-19 outbreak. Mr Ratcliffe said: She returned an emotional wreck. She came back [from court] and took off all her clothes to wash them, and showered thoroughly to feel clean again. It has been claimed Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held in order to force the UK into settling a historic multi-million pound dispute over Chieftain tanks with Iran. Mr Ratcliffe alleged that Irans decision to press fresh charges was illegal and that it was clear she was being held hostage against a UK debt. He also accused Iran of playing abusive games with his wife who was being used as a bargaining chip. Richard at a protest outside the Iranian embassy in 2019 / AFP/Getty Images He has begged the Government to send a representative from the British Embassy to attend her trial, adding: If they cant attend [they should] make sure they try damned hard. Getting in front of a court would significantly change what happens in that court room. Even sitting outside it would make a difference. The new charge was dropped in December 2017, after a visit from the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, but reopened in May 2018. Mr Ratcliffe said the Prime Minister had written to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe after they met in Downing Street in January. He told Sky News: He wrote a letter to Nazanin not that long ago, shed knitted his new baby a woolly hat and he wrote her a thank you letter. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella, before her arrest in 2016 / PA He actually said that it had really moved him, it had moved him to tears and that his Government would do all it could to get her home. Mr Ratcliffe said the fresh trial was a really bad sign for when his wife would come home and said their six-year-old daughter Gabriella had picked up on the stress of yesterdays events. Gabriella still cries for her mother at night, he said adding: She has expected mummy home a number of times and shes learnt that grownups promises are not very reliable. She knew mummy had a tough day yesterday. Theres a lot going on and its hard to make sense of it. Its bad but how bad? It makes it much less likely Nazanins about to come home. It will be a bumpy few days. A Government spokeswoman said: Iran bringing new charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is indefensible and unacceptable. We have been consistently clear that she must not be returned to prison. Officials also confirmed they will be seeking to attend the court case. Steven Guilbeault was an environmental activist before he landed less than a year ago as heritage minister in Justin Trudeaus government. Oddly enough, Guilbeault is finding that background to be good preparation for his looming battle with tech giants such as Facebook and Google, and the resistance theyre showing to having their power reined in by governments around the world. This is the type of thing you would expect from a big polluter, what a big polluter would say 20 years ago, Guilbeault said during a conversation on Tuesday in his ministerial office in Gatineau, Que., across the river from Parliament Hill. It was that feeling a combination of surprise and deja vu that hit Guilbeault last week when Facebook announced it was playing hardball with the Australian government. Faced with looming legislation that would force the tech giant to pay for news it circulated on its platform, Facebook declared that it would simply block all Australian news on its sites worldwide. To see Facebook react the way they did, Guilbeault said, I mean, especially after all the bad press theyve been getting, Im like, Really guys? This is also a minister who has said that data is the new oil, so the polluters metaphor isnt just tossed off the top of his head. In Guilbeaults view, the tech giants are failing to appreciate that a reckoning is coming for big social-media corporations that fail to assume their societal responsibilities much like those big polluters of the last century. I think you can bully one country around, you may be able to bully two countries, but at one point, they wont be able to do it, Guilbeault said. Soon enough, its going to be France and its going to be Australia and Canada will be on board and I suspect we will find other allies internationally who will want to do this. In another interview last weekend, Guilbeault used the word immoral to describe the tech giants and he says it isnt one he used lightly. Yeah, I dont think that the way theyve been operating is very moral. In addition to his 25-year career with the Quebec conservation group Equiterre, Guilbeault is the author of three books. His latest was a deep dive into the role of artificial intelligence in the climate fight, so he comes to the tech-giant battleground with some considered opinions on data and social good. Guilbeault isnt giving out specifics yet on exactly when and how Canada intends to make corporations like Facebook and Google pay for news, but he clearly sees it as one of the chief ways that government can work to ensure the long-term viability of more traditional media organizations. Some of the battle plan is already out there. Last years Liberal election platform contained a promise to levy a three per cent tax on revenue that digital giants generate through sales of online advertising and user data a measure that would have been in Budget 2020 had it not been postponed by the pandemic. Erin OToole had a similar idea in his Conservative leadership platform too, so this isnt a political deal-breaker in a minority Parliament. It is almost bound to turn up in the coming speech from the throne, along with some other tough talk aimed in the direction of Facebook, Google and others. As Guilbeault points out, the tech giants should be able to see where the political winds are blowing, not just in Canada but around the world. The standoff between Australia and Facebook hasnt deterred him, and hes talking a lot to counterparts in France about their efforts to make the tech giants pay. Frances plan revolves more around ideas related to copyright, but Guilbeault said the aim is the same. There are going to be some differences, but conceptually yeah, were trying to ensure that media get compensated fairly for further use of their content by web giants like Google and Facebook. Ultimately, thats what everybodys trying to do. Well almost everybody. One wild card in all of this, of course, is the looming U.S. election and the question of whether Donald Trump stays in office. The president has made loud noises before about any foreign attempt to tax the tech giants, which are largely based in the U.S., seeing this as a declaration of a trade war. Guilbeault says hes not about to start any wars. Im not I just want to make sure that people are treated fairly. He prefers to see this campaign as similar in size and scope to the ones he waged for the environment; making polluters pay 20 years ago and making the tech giants pay today. Im still an activist. Susan Delacourt is an Ottawa-based columnist covering national politics for the Star. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt Read more about: Sonic shark deterrent equipment, which use electrical fields to repel the creatures, is being considered by Gold Coast City Council after a local real estate agent was fatally attacked while surfing on Tuesday afternoon. Nick Slater, 46, was mauled on the leg off Greenmount Beach in Coolangatta just after 5pm the first fatal shark attack at a Gold Coast beach since 1958, according to the Global Shark Attack File. Mr Slater is listed as a sales agent for London Estate Agents, which is based in Mermaid Beach. According to his social media accounts, Mr Slater was a keen surfer, paddleboarder and cyclist. The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter, council lifeguards and Surf Life Saving Queensland lifesavers on jet-skis and water police boats patrolled Gold Coast beaches on Wednesday. The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday opened the initial meeting of an international review panel established to evaluate the performance of its International Health Regulations (IHR) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The IHR were last revised in 2005 and grew out of the response to deadly epidemics that once overran Europe. They provide a framework by which nations can respond to an international health emergency, like the COVID-19 pandemic, and they define countries rights and obligations in handling emergencies that have the potential to cross borders. Former WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland told reporters in June that WHO should change the IHR guidelines that led it to oppose travel restrictions early in the outbreak, a step criticized later by the United States. Last month, current WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for the formation of the review panel that is made up of independent health experts from around the world. China held a meeting Tuesday morning in Beijing to commend role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presented medals to recipients of the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title at the Great Hall of the People. Xi also delivered a speech at the meeting, attended by about 3,000 people. China has made major strategic achievements in the battle against COVID-19, demonstrating the notable advantages of the CPC leadership and the country's socialist system, the great strength of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, the profound heritage of Chinese civilization, and the nation's sense of responsibility as a major and responsible country, Xi said. He called for transforming the virus-fighting spirit into tremendous strength to build a modern socialist country and achieve national rejuvenation. The meeting was presided over by Li Keqiang and attended by other senior leaders: Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. The meeting started with all participants rising to sing the national anthem. The participants then observed a moment of silence for every life lost due to COVID-19. Li Zhanshu read a presidential order to confer the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title on four medical professionals. Renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan received the Medal of the Republic, the highest state honor. The national honorary title, "the People's Hero," was conferred on three other outstanding medical professionals: -- Zhang Boli, a traditional Chinese medicine expert who presided over the research of the COVID-19 treatment scheme combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine; -- Zhang Dingyu, head of Wuhan's designated coronavirus-treating Jinyintan Hospital; -- Chen Wei, a military medical scientist who made major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and protective medicine. Wang Huning read decisions to commend outstanding individuals and groups in the COVID-19 fight, as well as outstanding Party members and primary-level Party organizations across the country. A total of 1,499 individuals, 500 groups, 186 CPC members and 150 primary-level Party organizations were commended for their roles in fighting the epidemic. Another 14 Party members were posthumously awarded. Speaking of the anti-epidemic battle over the past eight-plus months, Xi said China has achieved another heroic feat in humankind's fight against disease by achieving major strategic achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The CPC Central Committee had adopted extraordinary measures to tackle the extraordinary incident of the COVID-19 epidemic, insisting on making people's lives and health the first priority, he said. Xi went on to summarize China's spirit of combating the COVID-19 epidemic, which features putting people's lives first, nationwide solidarity, sacrifice, respecting science, and a sense of mission for humanity. He also summarized the important experience of China's anti-epidemic fight in six areas. The strong leadership of the CPC is the most reliable backbone for Chinese people in times of trouble, Xi said. He said the unyielding will of the Chinese people is the source of power for overcoming all hardships and obstacles on the way forward. The outstanding advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental guarantee for resisting risks and challenges, and enhancing the capacity of national governance, he said. Xi said the great struggle against coronavirus has once again proven that strong national strength accumulated since the founding of the People's Republic of China has laid a solid ground for the country to navigate any "turbulent tide" with composure. The battle against COVID-19 has also demonstrated the power of core socialist values and fine traditional Chinese culture, which provide great motivation, and help build consensus and pool resources, he said. He said the extensive appeal of building a community with a shared future for humanity is the right way for the mankind to overcome common challenges and build a more prosperous and better world. Chinese people and the Chinese nation will certainly forge ahead on the great journey in the new era, Xi said. "No individual or force can stop Chinese people's march toward a better life," he said. GULDARA, Afghanistan -- An Afghan teenager who survived an alleged shooting by Iranian police that set the car in which he was traveling on fire says he is ready to again try fleeing his war-ravaged homeland. Nearly three months after a viral video showed Akram, 17, chained to a hospital bed while meeting with Afghan diplomats in the Iranian capital, Tehran, he says he is ready to attempt the dangerous journey again. I am ready to risk it all once more, he told Radio Free Afghanistan in Guldara, a rural district north of the capital, Kabul, where he is from. Like hundreds of thousands of Afghans, he intends to build a new life in Turkey or Europe by attempting the journey through Iran. For many Afghans, Akrams ordeal highlights the suffering of hundreds of thousands of his compatriots who flee the country seeking security and better prospects in neighboring Iran. From there, many undertake the harrowing journey to Turkey and on to Europe. Nobody asked us to stop, but they suddenly fired on our car, which burst into flames after bullets hit its gas tank, Akram recalled of the June 5 incident in the central Iranian province of Yazd. Four of his companions were killed, and he and seven others were injured. I remember jumping out of the burning car, and then I lost consciousness, he said, adding that he then woke up in a hospital bed. Give me some water; I am burning, one of Akrams surviving unnamed companions was shown saying in a minute-long video of the incident. The video, thought to have been shot by a passer-by, went viral on social media. It outraged Afghans and prompted Afghan officials to visit Akram and raise the issue with Tehran. The shooting followed another controversial incident in May, when Afghan officials said dozens of Afghans had drowned after Iranian border guards forced them into a river. In angry protests across the country, thousands protested the treatment of Afghan migrants. To many, the incidents were a reminder of the treatment their compatriots face in Iran, which shares a 900-kilometer border with Afghanistan and has hosted millions of Afghan refugees since the early 1980s. Yazd authorities at the time told Iranian state media that they had fired on Akram's vehicle, suspected of carrying drugs and undocumented migrants, after it crashed through a checkpoint. Local officials told the Afghan government they would hold the perpetrators of the incident accountable. Midway through his treatment in Tehran in June, Akram fled the hospital. I was afraid Id be arrested by the police, he said. Fellow Afghans helped him make the journey back to Guldara to reunite with his family. Many Afghan immigrants in Iran have complained of ill treatment at the hands of Iranian authorities, who have been accused of implicating Afghans in crimes they had not committed. In Guldara, he has now nearly recovered from his burns and leg fractures. But he plans to attempt the journey again as soon as he can. Crushing poverty and debts often force Afghans to take great risks to break free from troubles at home. My parents say it is better to look for opportunities elsewhere than be killed in the war here, he said. The teenager is his parents only child. His father, Mewa Gul, says he supports his sons quest because poverty has forced them to make difficult choices. No parent would like to be separated from their children, but I am getting old and the farming I do cannot fill our household needs, he told Radio Free Afghanistan. After my son returned [wounded] from his horrible journey, I had to pay for [the rest of] his treatment, he said. No one is willing to help us. Kabul is now negotiating an agreement with Iran that is expected to represent a comprehensive cooperation between the two neighbors. A key result of this will be identification cards for Afghan immigrants in Iran, granting them legal status. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Afghans travel to Iran to seek jobs or to transit to Turkey and Europe on what is often a dangerous journey. But this year the coronavirus pandemic, strict border controls, and an economic slowdown have forced many to return home. According to the International Organization For Migration, nearly half a million Afghans have returned home from Iran so far this year. Abubakar Siddique wrote this story based on reporting by reporting by Heelai Asad from Guldara, Afghanistan. A pickup truck is seen crashed into a culvert near Peace River, Alta., in an undated handout photo. RCMP say a pedestrian who was fatally struck and killed along with his dog on a northern Alberta road had earlier crashed a pickup truck into a creek. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-RCMP, *MANDATORY CREDIT* Strong customer demand driving full lease commitments prior to completion LONDON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Colt Data Centre Services (DCS) today announced that its hyperscale data centre in West Frankfurt has secured customer commitments for 25.2MW of IT power bringing the site to full capacity. This pre-letting comes sixteen months prior to operational commencement of the Frankfurt West facility and marks one of the largest in the European data centre market to date and is further testament to Colt DCS' dedicated expertise in the Hyperscale Data Centre market. Frankfurt West is one of many hyperscale facilities to join the list of Colt DCS' hyperscale data centres currently in development around the world, which include a 100MW facility in Mumbai, India as well as a 40MW facility in Osaka, Japan. The multiple locations of hyperscale facilities Colt DCS operates globally means that the provider is very well-equipped to take customers to market quicker in their locations of choice, across Europe and Asia allowing them scale as they grow. Colt DCS' Frankfurt West facility is set to complete in Q4 2021. Customers will have access to a scalable infrastructure to support their business growth in a cost-effective, highly resilient, efficient and secure manner. The Frankfurt West data centre will provide a significant power capacity of 25.2 MW, spanning across 14 data halls, each capable of delivering up to 1.8MW IT power. The large capacity and strategic location of the facility means Colt DCS is able to offer its customers access to the largest international carriers that pass through the region. Frankfurt, often lauded as one of Europe's "Big Four" interconnection hubs alongside London, Amsterdam and Paris, is one of the region's premier connectivity centres, second only to London as the continent's most important data hub. Quy Nguyen, VP Global Accounts & Solutions at Colt DCS said, "The customer commitments that we have just secured at our Frankfurt West facility is further proof that the demand for hyperscale services is showing no signs of slowing down." "We are excited to meet these rising demands by showcasing our continued commitment to growing our hyperscale offering globally and developing tailored solutions to meet our customers' needs. As our footing in the hyperscale market continues to expand, we look forward to cementing our position as a key player to watch within the hyperscale data centre industry for years to come." About Colt DCS Colt Data Centre Services provide true service and operational excellence in the design, build, delivery and operational management of hyperscale data centres and hybrid cloud solutions to our customers across Europe and Asia pacific. We have over 25 years of experience in operating 21 state-of-the-art carrier neutral data centres across 18 cities, offering 24/7 security and local language support. Our connectivity and colocation solutions allow our customers freedom to plan effectively for the growth of their business, knowing that their data centre strategy is ready for the demands of tomorrow. http://www.coltdatacentres.net/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/821066/Colt_Data_Centre_Services_Logo.jpg Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden has deemed President Donald Trump to have abdicated American leadership. In contrast, the Biden campaign has construed their candidate as someone who would restore Americas place back at the head of the table. As with his promise to return to normalcy on the domestic front, Bidens foreign policy agenda also seems to be looking at an across-the-board restoration project. This includes invocation of familiar themes over the indispensable nature of US leadership and an expansive scope of threats facing America. From the standpoint of US-India ties, if Biden wins, he would be the third US president that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would do business with. However, in addition to Bidens time as Barack Obamas vice president, he is seen as an old hand on Washingtons relations with New Delhi given his experience as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during the passage of the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement in 2008, and as the co-sponsor of a legislation (Naval Vessels Transfer Act of 2005) which led to Indias acquisition of the first US-built warship. However, some commentators have warned of impending challenges under a Biden presidency owing to the Democrats heightened focus on defending values through Americas foreign policy. Preservationist or reformist Capitol Hill? At the October 2019 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on human rights in South Asia, Democrats rallied against Trumps ambivalence towards the Modi governments abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir and the communications lockdown that followed. Whereas, Republicans sought to temper criticism by making a case against Washingtons high standards on human rights in-line with Trumps idea of divorcing foreign policy from values, and some even called for the Modi governments actions to be applauded. This partisan divergence on India stood compounded with the US-India dynamic being subject to politicisation from either sides. Cases in-point being, optics of Modi seeming to endorse Trumps reelection at the Howdy, Modi! rally (New Delhi has denied this), and the use of Modis speech at the Namaste, Trump! event in Trumps campaign advertisement aimed at courting the Indian American electorate (see here). Going forward, if a Democrat-controlled US Congress (given reports of their probability of taking over the US Senate) views US-India ties to have been politicised to the further detriment of shared values, their criticisms may be employed as a means to spur a change in behaviour. Under Trump, a bipartisan effort to preserve some tenets of American internationalism against America First impulses has been prevalent. However, following the 2018 midterms which led to a Democratic majority in the US House of Representatives, an effort to project an American foreign policy that ought-to-be also emerged. This included, increased scrutiny of Trumps foreign policy owing to the Houses oversight powers (as with hearings on Trumps Syria policy), contrasting Trumps support for populism abroad (as with Democrats declaring their opposition to a no-deal Brexit threatening the Good Friday Agreement), and pushing a focus on human rights issues (as with mandating Trump to act on Chinese actions in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Honk Kong). Under Biden, a Democrat-led House and Senate may not play such a preservationist role. Instead, it could seek to reform Bidens foreign policy as commentators warn against his return to a narrow Washington consensus that has failed our country and the world. Although this may not occur in Bidens initial years as pressing domestic agendas would take precedence, such a role can be imagined in view of the reported trend of progressives that view Biden as a man of the past due to his promise of a restorationist foreign policy, ousting Democrat establishment incumbents in Congressional primaries this year. In case of US-India ties, this could include invocation of Congressional authority to link the confirmation of envoys or clearance of arms sales to the Biden administrations commitment to press New Delhi on issues over civil-liberties. One may argue, the prospect of this occurring would be in the long-shot of concerns eclipsing the many strategic convergences between New Delhi and Washington. However, a lot may depend on the Democrats evolving characterisation of the Modi dispensation which some progressive legislators have already alleged of spreading violent Hindu nationalism and hate crimes against Muslims. Moreover, in a sign of such voices already having considerable sway over Biden, recently, his campaigns Agenda for Muslim-American Communities noted the situation in Kashmir alongside references to the internment of Uyghurs in China and atrocities against Rohingyas in Myanmar, as instances that pain Muslim-Americans. Thereafter, following an uproar by other sections of the Indian American community, the Biden campaign underscored its vision for US-India ties. Continuity on US-India ties under Biden Speaking at an event on Indias Independence Day, Biden said India and the US share a special bond that Ive seen deepen over many years. His campaign also announced, Biden will deliver on his long-standing belief that India and the United States are natural partners, and a Biden administration will place a high priority on continuing to strengthen the US-India relationship. Bidens campaign also released its Agenda for the Indian American Community, which is reportedly the first-ever such policy paper by a presidential campaign. Wherein, in a sign of policy continuity, it invoked the Trump administrations Indo-Pacific construct to underscore Bidens commitment to work with India to support a rules-based and stable Indo-Pacific region in which no country, including China, is able to threaten its neighbors with impunity. Furthermore, it hailed the Obama-Biden years record of supporting New Delhis capacity-building with the Major Defense Partner (MDP) designation in order to ensure that when it comes to the advanced and sensitive technology that India needs to strengthen its military, India is treated on par with our closest partners. Bidens support on this front would also constitute a point of continuity, given the Trump administrations record of not only continuing the MDP designation but also furthering the same with its classification of India under the Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 category and finalising the Industrial Security Annex to facilitate transfer of sensitive technologies. In addition, under Bidens normal foreign policy, one can expect a dampening of trade tensions that have come to mar bilateral ties under Trump. Although Biden has criticised Trumps approach of levying tariffs as alienating our allies and undermining the power of our collective leverage, pressure to continue negotiations on Indias tariff/non-tariff barriers would likely persist. However, the Biden administration would differ in terms of not having such divergences play out in the open in-line with the Obama administrations Carter mantra which dictated harnessing of strategic convergences without allowing differences to crowd out minimal-yet-positive developments. However, US apprehensions over Indias ties with Russia could reemerge. Although the main scope of Democrats criticism of the Vladimir Putin regime remains to be election interference, Biden has also criticised Moscows use of Western financial institutions. In hinting at the possibility of US retaliation in this realm under a Biden presidency, prospects of India facing US sanctions under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act could reignite. Although Trump has not accorded a waiver to New Delhi as per the provisions passed under Section 231 of the legislation, his administration has also not come down hard on India as in case of Turkey, for instance. Under a Biden presidency, questions over continuity on this tacit waiver could assume the fore. Moreover, even if Biden were to pursue constructive ties with Russia on pressing matters like extending the New START treaty a key foreign policy win of the Obama-Biden years, which expires in February 2021, a progressive US Congress could force his administration to get tough on Moscow on other avenues, such as its international dealings. Certainly, it would be unfair to say that Biden would entirely remain beholden to power balances on the Capitol Hill, especially since foreign policy is mostly a domain of the executive branch under the wide array of associated or implied powers of Article II of the US Constitution. Hence, for instance, the trajectory of US-India counterterrorism cooperation or even the future of the QUAD with US-India defence interoperability at its core two avenues that would interestingly also constitute points of continuity with Trump, would largely be animated by the Biden administration. However, on other promises like Bidens announced plan to reform the H-1B visa system and eliminate the limits on employment-based green cards by country, the role of the US Congress cannot be understated. Bidens plan to protect American and foreign workers alike to ensure that employers are not taking advantage of immigrant workers which leads to undercutting of native-born workers on wages and opportunities, would require a comprehensive legislative undertaking to institute parity in wage levels. Moreover, against the backdrop of a downturn in the US economy and rise in unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic, even if Democrats were to gain a comfortable majority in both chambers of the US Congress, odds of them spending their post-election political capital on Bidens plan for foreign workers would be slim. Hence, although Biden has invoked Trumps Indo-Pacific construct to promise continuity on US-India ties, the US Congress shift to a reformist from its current preservationist, role could pose challenges. Photo: MARA RADAWETZ Veterinarian Martin Haulena from the Vancouver Aquariums Marine Mammal Rescue Centre attends to the injured sea lion. A sea lion with a plastic packing band cinched around its neck was rescued near Race Rocks on Sunday, thanks to the combined efforts of rescue teams from Victoria and Vancouver. The struggling sea lion was first spotted by Mara Radawetz, who lives in the decommissioned lightkeepers residence at Race Rocks, just off the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Radawetz, who monitors the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve with partner Kai Westby on behalf Metchosins Pearson College, saw the sea lion several times during the week in nearby Juan de Fuca Strait, and said the marine mammal was clearly in distress. He was scratching constantly at his wounds, which were cutting into his skin, Radawetz said. She contacted Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Vancouver Aquariums Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, Canadas only dedicated marine mammal rescue facility and one of the largest rescue facilities in the world, to help free the sea lion from the plastic packing band wrapped around its neck. Two large Zodiac boats carrying the rescue team and several veterinarians arrived Sunday morning, and quickly found the sea lion, Westby said. After being given a tranquilizer injection by veterinarian Martin Haulena from the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, the sea lion was brought onto the shores of Race Rocks and treated. The plastic band was removed and tracking tags were attached to the animals front flippers. A blood sample was also taken, to assist with future studies. After being given a drug to reverse the effects of the tranquilizer, the sea lion was back swimming within minutes, Westby said. It was great to see them help out an animal that was in such great pain. Suffering caused by man-made material such as plastic is an increasingly common problem among sea lions, Westby said. As permanent residents on Race Rocks, he and Radawetz see their share of injuries to sea lions. It can be pretty sad to see. They live for 20 years or 30 years, and as the animal grows, the band cuts through its skin. It becomes a really painful-looking wound. French defence minister Florence Parly will make an official visit to India on September 10 to attend the ceremony marking the induction of the first batch of Rafale combat jets into the Indian Air Force (IAF) and to take forward cooperation in key areas such as the Indo-Pacific and joint exercises. This will be Parlys third official visit to India since 2017, and one of her first trips abroad since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Also read: 5 things you need to know about the induction of Rafale jets into IAF at Ambala Parlys visit is aimed at strengthening Frances forward-looking defence cooperation with India, its foremost Asian strategic partner, according to a statement issued by the French embassy on Wednesday. She will meet her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. ALSO WATCH | Birds pose threat to Rafale jets: IAF writes to Chief Secretary over issue Their broad-ranging talks will cover, among others, industrial and technological partnership in line with the Make in India programme, operational defence cooperation, particularly maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, modalities of continuing the armed forces joint exercises in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, counter-terrorism cooperation, as well as major regional and international strategic issues, the statement said. These talks will also take forward the decision by President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deepen and expand the bilateral partnership, with strategic autonomy and defence of a multi-polar order as its cornerstones, it said. In a video message posted on Twitter, French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain described the visit as one of the next steps in the bilateral relationship. During her visit to air force station Ambala for the ceremony to induct the Rafale jets, Parly will be received by defence minister Singh and the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshall RKS Bhadauria. The French ministers delegation will include top executives from Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, Safran and MBDA, representing the French defence majors that have partnered with Indian companies as part of the Rafale agreement. Parly will also pay a floral tribute to Indias soldiers at the National War Memorial in Delhi. France has emerged as one of Indias closest partners in the fields of defence and security. Besides backing efforts at world bodies such as the UN and the Financial Action Task Force to crack down on terrorism emanating from Pakistan, France recently provided India 120 ventilators and 50,000 test kits to counter the Covid-19 pandemic. It has also announced it will provide financial aid of up to 200 million euros to support vulnerable sections of society affected by the pandemic. External affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi are set to come face-to-face at least three times in Moscow on Thursday, with the focus on a bilateral meeting that is being seen as key to reducing tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Jaishankar and Wang will participate in a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Thursday morning, to be followed by a luncheon meeting of foreign ministers of the Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping. The day will be capped by the bilateral meeting, the first between Jaishankar and Wang since the standoff in Ladakh sector began in May. The two leaders spoke on phone on June 17, two days after the deadly clash in Galwan Valley that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and caused an unspecified number of Chinese casualties. Ahead of his departure for Russia on Tuesday, Jaishankar emphasised the need for political contacts to reduce tensions and end the stalemate in the disengagement process along the LAC. The standoff goes against all understandings on border management dating back to 1993 and the serious situation calls for very deep conversations...at a political level, he said. Also read: Bridging the power gap with China Wang will hold bilateral meetings and attend the luncheon meeting for the Chinese, Russian and Indian foreign ministers, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a news briefing in Beijing. Asked specifically about the bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and Wang, he declined to go into details. During [the SCO] meeting...Wang Yi will discuss with foreign ministers of other member states of the SCO cooperation amid Covid-19 and exchange views on major international and regional issues, Zhao said. The RIC meeting between Jaishankar, Wang and their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov assumes significance as Moscow has pushed for dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing to ease the border tensions. Given its good ties with India and China, Russia also doesnt want to be forced into taking sides, experts said. Roman Babushkin, the Russian deputy chief of mission, said on Tuesday his country wasnt directly mediating between India and China but was focusing on the creation of a positive atmosphere through SCO, Brics and RIC for practical cooperation. He added: Any kind of dialogue would be better than escalation. The SCO charter has no scope for discussing bilateral disputes, though the grouping is a comfortable platform for building common ground and mutual trust, he said. Babushkin noted that defence minister Rajnath Singh had met his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of another SCO meeting in Moscow last week. Russia, he said, will encourage outcomes that give impetus to further de-escalation and disengagement. We are very hopeful that, sooner rather than later, India and China would find a mutually acceptable solution for the border crisis, he said. The latest face-off on the south bank of Pangong Lake, during which shots were fired along the LAC for the first time in 45 years, have complicated efforts to lower the temperature along the disputed border. The Chinese side has been rattled by Indias proactive action of taking a string of strategic heights since the weekend. India has said Chinese troops tried to close in on a forward position on Monday and fired in the air when they were dissuaded. The Chinese side pushed back again on Wednesday, with people familiar with developments saying Indian troops had illegally crossed the LAC, made provocations and were the first to open fire without justified reason. Experts believe the meeting between Jaishankar and Wang is unlikely to result in an immediate breakthrough, though it could set the stage for further political engagements to end the standoff. Jaishankar is the longest serving Indian envoy to Beijing, where he served for four-and-half years from 2009, and has known Wang for a long time. Wang Dehua, a South Asia expert at Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies, said: After Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singhs meeting in Moscow, the meeting of the foreign ministers is of great significance as it is conducive to ease the tension along the border while helping to reset relations. Perhaps, it will prompt an early meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping. Tributes will be paid next Saturday to the four friends who, 80 years ago, discovered the Lascaux cave paintings, a stunning display of prehistoric art in southwest France. The celebrations will take place in the village of Montignac in Dordogne, with attendance reduced because of the coronavirus epidemic. A marked trail to restore the "emotion of the discovery" of the Lascaux's prehistoric art cave will be inaugurated on Saturday 12 September in Montignac in the Dordogne region, as part of the celebrations. This 4.5km-long walking loop follows the path taken by the four young discoverers of what has come to be known as the "Sistine Chapel of Prehistory". A tribute will be paid the same day to the four friends, Simon Coencas, Marcel Ravidat, Georges Agniel and Jacques Marsal, then aged between 13 and 18, who discovered the cave on 12 September 1940, "exploring a hole" at the bottom of a cavity, on the wooded hill overlooking the village. The Lascaux cave was added to the Unesco World Heritage Sites list in 1979 and contains some of the most well-known Upper Paleolithic art. The paintings are estimated to be 16,000 years old. The cave was closed to the public in 1963 in order to preserve the art. From 1983, the replicas Lascaux II, III and IV have been built near the cave, allowing visitors to admire the reproduced prehistoric paintings. A special tribute will be paid to two personalities who died this year, the youngest and last survivor of the discoverers Simon Coencas, and the painter Monique Peytrial, who spent more than ten years copying the art in the cave, closed to the public in 1963. Her paintings were used in the first Lascaux II facsimile. Also for this 80th anniversary the Musee national de la Prehistoire des Eyzies will show an exhibition of Lascaux objects and a collaborative work with the gathering of testimonies on the history of the discovery. The ceremonies will take place with reduced numbers of participants due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Lascaux IV, the life-size replica, which reopened in July, will accept limited numbers of visitors under compulsory precautions. The site, which received 4,000 visitors a day last year in the summer (280,000 over one year), saw numbers reduced to 2,500 a day this summer. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One for a trip to Jupiter, Fla., on Tuesday. Read more NEW YORK The Justice Department is asking to take over President Donald Trumps defense in a defamation lawsuit from a writer who accused him of rape, and federal lawyers asked a court Tuesday to allow a move that could put the American people on the hook for any money she might be awarded. After New York state courts turned down Trumps request to delay E. Jean Carrolls suit, Justice Department lawyers filed court papers aiming to shift the case into federal court and to substitute the U.S. for Trump as the defendant. That means the federal government, rather than Trump himself, might have to pay damages if any are awarded. The move to intervene is in keeping with a Justice Department that time and again has advanced a broad vision of executive power and has moved to shield Trump from legal exposure, most notably by arguing that actions taken to choke off the Russia investigation fell within the scope of his constitutional authorities and were therefore permissible. It also comes amid concerns that Attorney General William Barr has gone out of his way to intervene in other legal cases involving Trump or his allies. Barr tried to decrease the amount of prison time his office sought for Trump ally Roger Stone following a criminal trial where he was found guilty. (Stones sentence was later commuted by Trump.) Barrs Justice Department has acted to dismiss its own case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Carrolls lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, called the departments argument shocking. It offends me as a lawyer and offends me even more as a citizen, she said in a statement. Carroll said the developments illustrated that Trump will do everything possible, including using the full powers of the federal government, to try to stop the case. And in a tweet addressed to Trump, Carroll wrote: Sir, I and my attorney Robbie Kaplan, are ready! So is every woman who has ever been silenced! So is every American citizen who has been trampled by Bill Barr and the DOJ! BRING IT! The filing complicates, at least for the moment, Carrolls efforts to get a DNA sample from the president as potential evidence and to have him answer questions under oath. Justice Department lawyers argue that Trump was acting within the scope of his office when he denied Carrolls allegations, made last year, that he raped her in a New York luxury department store in the mid-1990s. She says his comments including that she was totally lying to sell a memoir besmirched her character and harmed her career. Numerous courts have recognized that elected officials act within the scope of their office or employment when speaking with the press, including with respect to personal matters, the Justice attorneys wrote. It will be up to a federal judge to decide whether to move the case to federal court from state court and to allow the U.S. to become the defendant. Carroll is trying to get a DNA sample from Trump to see whether it matches as-yet-unidentified male genetic material found on a dress that she says she was wearing during the alleged attack and didnt don again until a photo shoot last year. Her suit seeks damages and a retraction of Trumps statements. The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly. Associated Press Writer Colleen Long contributed to this article from Washington. A woman, once insecure about her vagina, is now crusading to photograph other womens private parts in a bid to promote body positivity. Ellie Eggwick, from Queenslands Sunshine Coast, Australia, was once made to feel very conscious about her vagina by her former partner. The strong influence of the man even pushed Ellie to inquire about labiaplasty, a surgery to alter the labia minora and the labia majora, the folds of skin surrounding the human vulva, reports Daily Mail. It was only when she visited a doctor, who implored her to do research on womens vaginas that Ellie realised her genitals were perfectly normal. She also learnt that all vaginas are different and that all of them were just fine. Since then Ellie undertook the task of photographing over 500 vaginas for a coffee table book to spread awareness on body positivity. Ellie said that while growing up she was made to feel uncomfortable about the shape of her genitalia. Since she never saw any other vulva, she had contemplated on surgery. All the thoughts and nightmares of a usual teenage girl went running wild through my brain - is my vagina weird? Am I normal?," she said. However, she was thankful to her doctor for sparing her from cutting half of her labia". And this is what Ellie wants to continue doing, to spread the message to other women and not make them feel self-conscious about whats down there. Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Telegram. For Rachael Hunter and her daughter, Rachael Dooley, the Miss Amazing program has become a family affair. They are bringing Miss Amazing to Michigan for the first time on Saturday. A dozen young women with disabilities, ages 5 and up, will compete for a chance to move on to the national pageant. We focus on their abilities that day. Hopefully theyll make some friends, well empower them, said Hunter who is best known as one of the morning voices on 99.5 WYCD. Its all about empowering these girls. The coronavirus limitations provided challenges for the inaugural program. It was originally scheduled for May, then pushed back to July and now will be outdoors at First Park in Novi. The rain date is Sept. 26. Were not having volunteers, the girls wont have buddies. The only person touching the girls will be their families who theyve been quarantined with, Hunter said. Were having a touch-free, socially distant event, outdoors at an amphitheater setting. The program, which is now building self-esteem in 38 states, consists of three elements starting with the passion portion. It used to be called talent, its now been changed to passion. Every girl has been asked to speak or do whatever they want for 90 seconds. They can dance, they can sing, they can do cheerleading, Hunter said. A Zoom call on Monday night with the participants answered many of their questions. One girl, who had just lost her cat, asked if she could talk about pets because one day shed like to work for a veterinarian We had one girl ask if she can go longer than 90 seconds because shes passionate about Girl Scouts, equal rights for women and little children, Hunter said. Of course she got the green light. They have to get up in front of a crowd which is something theyve never done. Each one will bring four or five family members. Were keeping it at 100, Hunter said. In the second portion, the young women will interview with three judges who work in special education. Then they will have an evening gown portion where they introduce themselves to the crowd. Each will receive a tiara, roses, a trophy and a gift bag. The winners in each age category will also be awarded with Michigan Miss Amazing sashes. Normally, we have hair people, makeup people we want these girls to be pampered all day, Hunter said. (Due to COVID) the girls will be on their own, they seem to be OK with that. While there is no charge to enter, they are each asked to donate five canned goods which is standard for Miss Amazing events. The food connection also allowed Kroger to get involved as a sponsor. Hunter presented a plan to the Novi City Council last winter. The city of Novi has been amazing. Theyre not charging for the venue which is a godsend, its saving so much money, Hunter said. While next year she hopes to double or triple the number of participants, having a smaller group works out with the crowd limitations and because its a first-time event. Were testing the water with our toes, said Hunter who learned of Miss Amazing through her daughter. Dooley, who graduated in 2012 from Novi, went to college in Nashville first at Belmont, then she transferred to Vanderbilt to earn a degree in disability studies. While in Tennessee she worked at a group home. One day one of the women asked if shed do her hair and makeup for the Miss Amazing event. She was honored to so and was so impressed she volunteered with Miss Amazing. She was asked to become its Tennessee director while she was still studying at Vanderbilt. When you need an emcee its easy you just call your mom, Hunter said. It became a family affair. Id fly down every year for Tennessee Miss Amazing weekend. My husband would come along, be a stagehand. Were the ones who clean up when everybodys gone. When her daughter graduated and moved to Atlanta she took on the directorship of Georgia Miss Amazing, again calling on her mom to emcee. Her daughter and her fiance recently moved to Michigan. The mother and daughter are now co-directors of Michigan Miss Amazing. They had to make a 3-5 year commitment with the national program and also with the city of Novi. Dooley still also runs the Tennessee Miss Amazing which was virtual this year. This years national event was canceled so the winners that move on will go to nationals in 2021 at Vanderbilt. Despite every challenge due to the pandemic, here in Michigan they persevered. Im so excited, were so excited for Saturday, Hunter said. Im nervous because its a first. Talk about happy tears its the most wonderful feeling. I cant wait to meet the girls. BALTIMORE, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- b.well Connected Health, the platform designed to provide consumers a new front end to healthcare, announced the launch of the b.well COVID-19 Return to Work Solution to help employers get their teams back together safely amid the pandemic. Nearly half of all workers say they are concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus at work, according to a Gallup poll of employees conducted in May. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently found that one in four workers is at high risk for serious complications from COVID-19 if infected. Not surprisingly, about 40% of companies identified workplace safety as a top priority in June, up from 27% in a survey conducted by Willis Towers Watson. The COVID-19 Return to Work Solution, the latest adaptation of the configurable b.well Connected Health platform, is the company's response to this unprecedented situation. The digital solution helps to transition workers safely back to shared work spaces with new functionality that manages risk, complies with government regulations and reduces the burden on internal HR teams--all while addressing employees' health needs and protecting their privacy. Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed), the nation's second largest federal credit union, with more than 2,600 employees serving over 2 million members and over $26 billion in assets, launched the Return to Work Solution in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Guam this August. "We are essential workers helping members with their finances during the pandemic, and our financial center locations and offices have remained open as we were prepared to adapt quickly," said Julia Moreno, Vice President of HR Operations for PenFed, which has been using the full b.well platform since early 2019. "b.well has been a truly great partner. They launched the Return to Work Solution for us in under a month. We're using it not only to ensure the health and safety of our employees but also as the one place for people to go to easily access all of our COVID-related resources, related apps, and information." Another employer providing the Return to Work Solution is Thedacare , a 7-hospital health system serving a community of more than 600,000 residents across Northeast and Central Wisconsin. Thedacare introduced the full b.well platform, marketed as "Ripple," to its more than 7,000 employees and the community at large in July. The health system announced the Return to Work Solution last month to its team members in an effort to safeguard frontline workers and ensure they check in daily on any coronavirus symptoms or exposure. "Using the Ripple application for self-screening is a simple and convenient way for team members to check in, assess any symptoms and direct themselves to care if needed, all done quickly in one convenient place," said Mark Cockley, MD, Chief Clinical Officer of Thedacare. "As a health care provider, it is critical we safeguard our team members and our patients against COVID-19. This tool creates more efficiency for our team to manage health and wellness in real-time while protecting the safety and health of our communities. With our partners at b.well, we are continually looking for new ways to predict and prevent illness, especially during the pandemic." How it works Employees access the b.well COVID-19 Return to Work Solution on their smartphones or a PC every morning before work. They complete a simple survey to assess their symptoms, exposure, and risk of infection, and then receive personalized recommendations based on their responses. These can include single-sign-on access to telehealth, in-person appointment scheduling, benefits information, mental health resources, and fact-based coronavirus updates and information including regulatory requirements for their state and directions to the nearest COVID-19 testing centers. The solution includes an administrative dashboard to help employers identify trends and provide insights to better manage the needs of their team members. Using the b.well app, employees can also access all of their health information, connect their wearable devices, receive personalized health recommendations, access third-party apps, and invite family members to join their Health Tribe. "We are excited to launch the Return to Work Solution to help workers keep themselves and their workplace safe," said Kristen Valdes, CEO and Founder of b.well. "These are trying times and conditions are changing day by day and vary across locations. The instant configurability of the b.well platform helps by enabling employers to quickly adjust to solve issues like the speed to communicate, changing guidelines, added partners, and differing messages by location or individual. In this way, the COVID-19 Return to Work Solution relieves the privacy concerns, administrative and regulatory burden that the pandemic has placed on employers, while safeguarding employees and speeding the return to normalcy." About b.well Connected Health b.well is a healthcare technology company providing platform services comprised of five core products that work together to enable health systems, payers, and employers with a configurable and personalized digital health experience for their populations. The b.well technology platform is transforming how people interact with the healthcare system by integrating data, insights, and partners into a single customized solution that helps people take control of their healthcare experience. Media Contact: Todd Stein 510-417-0612 [email protected] SOURCE b.well Connected Health Related Links https://www.icanbwell.com/ The issue of parliamentary committees considering matters which are sub-judice has assumed importance in the context of the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman issuing directions to the chairpersons of the parliamentary committees, asking them not to take up such matters. The rule of sub-judice as a legal term can be found in section 10 of the Civil Procedure Code, the gist of which is that if a suit is pending in a court, another suit which is directly and substantially the same cannot be tried by the same court or another court. This principle has been adopted by Parliament and the rules relating to motions, resolutions, petitions, questions contain the same. Under this, a matter which is under the consideration of a court of law should not be taken up as a subject matter of a motion, resolution, petition or questions. Thus, it can be seen that the rule of sub-judice imposes restrictions on the right of Members of Parliament to raise matters in the House. Legislatures in our country have the absolute privilege to discuss any matter of public importance. The Constitution provides for freedom of speech in the legislature. But legislatures have imposed on themselves the sub-judice restriction in consideration of the fact that deliberations in a House on a matter which is before the court might influence the latter. However, this restriction has stirred a debate because it has the effect of preventing the Houses from discussing important public issues merely because the matter is before a court of law. GV Mavalankar, the first speaker of the Lok Sabha, laid down the right approach to be adopted on this issue, The chair has to ensure that no discussion in the House should prejudice the courts of justice, the chair has also to see that the House is not debarred from discussing an urgent matter of public importance. A committee of presiding officers under the chairmanship of VS Page, the then chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, had suggested in 1968 that freedom of speech is a primary right, whereas the rule of sub-judice is a self-imposed restriction. So, where need be, the latter must give way to the former. This approach was followed by the presiding officers of Parliament. Parliament, for example, discussed many scams in the past although those issues were before the court. Committees were appointed to investigate those scams. In this context, it is noteworthy that rule 388 of the House rules provides for the suspension of any rule to enable the House to discuss a matter. Thus, the rule of sub-judice can also be suspended in an appropriate context; it is neither absolute nor immutable. In the context of the direction issued by the presiding officers of Parliament, it must be said that no rule relating to committees mentions sub-judice or imposes restrictions on this ground on the subjects selected by the committees. In fact, the rule of sub-judice in the House has lost much of its relevance over a period of time. Initially, the Houses of Parliament might have thought that a discussion on the floor of the House might influence the courts, and thus it might interfere with the dispensation of justice. But there is no empirical evidence that the courts were influenced by a debate in the House or by an investigation by a committee of the House. Further, the courts examine strictly the legal aspects of a matter brought before them and determine the culpability of a person on the basis of clear evidence. They do not examine the political, economic and other dimensions of the issue. A committee of Parliament, on the other hand, looks at all other dimensions comprehensively and submits a report to the House. The committees are recommendatory bodies which make recommendations and not issue decrees. Therefore, the sub-judice rule cannot be interpreted to imply that the Houses of Parliament or their committees cannot debate or investigate any matter which is before the court. The scope of examination, the conclusions arrived at by the committees, the status of recommendations all clearly indicate that the committees operate in a different field. The courts decide legal issues. The committees do not deal with legal matters alone. The courts do not decide issues on the basis of debates in Parliament or investigation by a committee. In fact, even in the case of courts, one Bench is often not influenced by another Bench of the same court. The recent judgment of a five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on the subclassification within the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is a case in point. A five-judge Bench held earlier that subclassification is against the Constitution. The new five-judge Bench held that it is constitutionally valid. The fear that a debate in Parliament or an investigation by a committee will influence the judges is imaginary. The Speakers direction is binding on the chairmen. Therefore, they cant take up a matter which is sub-judice. Nevertheless, it must be noted that no rule in the rules of procedure of the House prohibits a committee from examining a matter on the ground that it is before the court. The rule of sub-judice is a needless restriction on the freedom of speech in the House. The restrictions on the committees are not sanctioned either by the Constitution or by the rules of the House. PDT Achary is former secretary-general, Lok Sabha The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An Obie Award-winning director and founding member of the 1960s collective Judson Dance Theater, [he] may not grasp the ins and outs of TikTok, but it seems as though hes been preparing for digital dance his entire career. Gia Kourlas talks with Gordon about The Philadelphia Matter 1972/2020, a video collage, commissioned for this years virtual Philly Fringe festival, of 30-odd Philadelphia dancers performing various segments from three of his works from the 1970s. The New York Times BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Officials from Latin American and Caribbean countries have expressed their optimism about China's service trade market and their willingness to deepen cooperation with China, on the sidelines of the ongoing China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) on Tuesday. Counselor of the Ecuadorean Embassy in China Andres Armas said that he hopes to promote Ecuador's characteristic services through the CIFTIS and create more new business opportunities for the two countries. "Our focus is on promoting Ecuador's export products, as well as helping Chinese investors find opportunities by community," Armas said. The diplomat expressed the hope that bilateral cooperation in services trade be expanded and achieve greater results. E-commerce services in Ecuador such as bike-sharing and online platforms to buy food and other goods have seen a rising demand during the pandemic, Armas said, adding that "they have a lot of potential in Ecuador." Noting that about 20,000 Chinese tourists visited Ecuador last year, Armas said "we hope those numbers keep increasing in the future" as tourism is a key sector of Ecuador's national economy. Noting that 90 percent of Ecuador's power generation now comes from hydropower, he highlighted that Chinese companies have provided great help in the construction of related projects. Alfonso Sesma Julian, representative from the Economic Affairs Section of the Mexican Embassy in China, said several Chinese companies have approached him to discuss cooperation at the fair. "Some Chinese companies have contacted us, and I hope they can develop their businesses in Mexico and establish enterprises there," Julian said. Corey Archer, second secretary of the Barbadian Embassy in China, said there is still much room for cooperation between China and Barbados in the field of services trade, including tourism, finance and insurance, wealth management, education and training. "Barbados is a regional hub featuring expansive transport links to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and the Caribbean region where it serves as the regional hub for many destinations," he said. The sixth annual CIFTIS, the first major international economic and trade event held both online and offline by China since the COVID-19 outbreak, opened Friday. Angolas attorney general has seized buildings and hotels belonging to AAA, a company associated with Carlos Manuel de Sao Vicente whose $900 million fortune has been frozen by Swiss authorities, state broadcaster TPA reported on Tuesday. De Sao Vicente was a key figure in Angolas oil industry, heading a group of companies, including AAA Seguros, which sold insurance and reinsurance contracts to state oil company Sonangol. An Angolan presidential decree revoked AAAs insurance role over the oil industry in 2016, citing its allegedly non-transparent management. The Geneva lawyer representing de Sao Vicente said last week that he denies any wrongdoing. His wife, who is a daughter of Angolas former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos and an ex-deputy minister in the ruling MPLA party, said in a statement to Reuters he would be proved innocent. The Angolan attorney generals office has initiated an investigation process related to evidence of crimes of embezzlement, conspiracy in economic activity, influence peddling and money-laundering, a TPA presenter said. It has decided to seize AAA buildings, IU and IKA hotels located throughout the country, she added. AAA was not immediately available for comment on the report. Switzerland froze $900 million held in accounts belonging to de Sao Vicente in 2018 in a money-laundering investigation, court documents seen by Reuters show, marking one of the largest freezes of personal assets in Swiss history. An online company profile posted by AAA Activos LDA, which lists de Sao Vicente as an official contact, said it holds more than $1.4 billion in assets and owns 86 buildings, including one belonging to the IKA hotel chain and 12 to IU hotels. (Reporting by Noah Browning in London and Emma Farge in Geneva; Editing by Alexander Smith) CLEVELAND, Ohio A nurse for the Cleveland Clinic was arrested Wednesday and accused of child pornography charges stemming from thousands of images authorities seized from his home. Robert Stolz, 60, of Cleveland appeared in U.S. District Court via video before Magistrate Judge David Ruiz. A spokeswoman for the Cleveland Clinic said: Once we were notified of this situation, the employee was suspended pending the investigation. In his role, he did not provide care to pediatric patients. An affidavit filed by John Saraya, an agent of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation assigned to a federal task force of Homeland Security Investigations, says an internet account registered to Stolz accessed a hidden service website used to send and receive sexual images of children regularly. The investigation began after law enforcement officials seized a computer server last year that had hosted the website. The affidavit said the website was an online bulletin board dedicated to the advertisement and distribution of child pornography. Based on that investigation, authorities noticed one person used the site to access online child sexual abuse and exploitation material in May 2019. Authorities linked the users information to Stolz, according to the affidavit. On Tuesday, authorities went to his home with a search warrant and took various electronic equipment. He denied using the website for child pornography. The document said a preview of one of the devices turned over to authorities included 20,199 file images. Someone deleted the files, the affidavit said, and investigators managed to recover them. A preview of the files located showed that the majority were visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of infants/toddlers, as well as preschool- and grade school-aged children involved in sexual activity, Sarayas affidavit said. Stolz was released on bond. His attorney, Harvey Bruner, could not be reached late Wednesday afternoon. The woman who was sexually assaulted by Stanford University student Brock Turner in a high profile 2015 case has spoken out about her decision to reveal her identity, explaining that she came forward because she didn't want to spend the rest of her life 'shrinking'. For years, Chanel Miller, 28, from California, was known in legal proceedings as 'Emily Doe,' but revealed her identity last year. She released her memoir, Know My Name in September 2019, in which she details the attack, the court case and her recovery. Chanel was 22 when she was sexually assaulted while unconscious by a then-19-year-old Turner in January 2015 outside a fraternity house on Stanford's California campus. Turner was found guilty of sexually assaulting Miller in March 2016, but was only given a six-month prison sentence, and he ended up spending just three months behind bars. Appearing on Lorraine today, she explained that while privacy is a 'huge luxury', revealing her identity helped her 'acknowledge the pain' she went through and admitted she didn't want the 'fear of attack or blame' hold her back from this. Chanel Miller, 28, from California, who was sexually assaulted at Stanford University in a high profile 2015 case has said she revealed her identity because she didn't want to spend the rest of her life 'shrinking' 'I decided I didn't want to spend the rest of my life shrinking and spending all of my energy concealing who I was,' she said. 'I understand privacy is a huge luxury I had over the course of four years, but I also realised that not being able to acknowledge the pain I went through stopped me acknowledging growth I had as a result of that pain. 'I felt everyone in my life was talking to a Chanel that no longer existed, I wanted to come forward and say, "This is my story, this is me now, I need you to meet me here". 'The main thing holding me back was the fear of attack or blame and I didn't want the fear of what men might do to keep me from who I wanted and needed to be.' Brock Turner was found guilty of sexually assaulting Miller in March 2016 , but was only given a six month prison sentence in 2016 While she was still anonymous, Miller's powerful 12-page victim impact statement recounting the assault, her treatment by investigators and the ordeal of facing questions about her sexual activity and drinking habits, went viral. Part of the statement read: 'You don't know me, but you've been inside me,' Miller reads in the statement that quickly went viral following the court case. 'In newspapers, my name was 'unconscious, intoxicated woman.' Ten syllables, and nothing more than that. I had to force myself to relearn my real name, my identity. 'To relearn that this is not all that I am. That I am not just a drunk victim at a frat party found behind a dumpster, while you are the All-American swimmer at a top university, innocent until proven guilty with so much at stake. 'You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today.' Speaking today, Chanel explained how after 'gutting herself' in the statement, she felt 'humiliated' when Turner received such a short sentence. However, the support she received from the public after the statement was published in the media, meant she 'slowly became confident in herself and her capabilities'. 'It's very strange looking back, after I read the statement in the court room and the sentence was delivered, I thought I had failed, she said. While she was still anonymous, Miller's powerful 12-page victim impact statement recounting the assault. She is pictured attending TIME 100 Next 2019 last year in New York 'I was humiliated and wondered why I had gutted myself and shared all these touchy feely things and wanted to curl up and go home. 'It wasn't until the next day, when it was released into the world I began to understand that what I did was courageous, and slowly became confident in myself and my capabilities. 'It's very scary that an alternate reality had my statement not gone public I would have felt like I failed.' She added: 'If I had fully believed him and let his sentence dictate my worth I would have been wrong and instead the reality was millions of people were moved by what I had to say, do not under estimate your power and always seek a second opinion.' Speaking today, Chanel explained to host Lorraine Kelly how after 'gutting herself' in the statement, she felt 'humiliated' when Turner received such a short sentence However, the support she received from the public after the statement was published in the media, meant she 'slowly became confident in herself and her capabilities' As a result of Chanel's case, the law in California has since changed and there is now a mandatory three year minimum prison sentence for penetrating an unconscious person or an intoxicated person. Chanel called the change in legislation 'very exciting', but told 'any victims' to be proud of themselves at 'any stage' of their recovery. 'It's very exciting, said Chanel, 'And I remember even before the law, my dad would always say "I'm so proud of you" and I would think, "What is he proud of? I'm barely getting out of bed, i'm barely getting by."' 'Now I understand and for any victims watching, I hope you're proud of yourself, even for getting out of bed, at any stage and I hope you give yourself credit.' Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police PUTNAM A town teen was hospitalized with possibly life-threatening injuries after colliding with a vehicle while riding a bicycle Tuesday night, police officials said. Police, medics and fire units responded to the intersection of Woodstock Avenue and Van Den Noort Street around 7:30 p.m. for a reported motor vehicle crash involving a bicyclist, according to Chief Christopher Ferace. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Urgent Care Apps Market was valued US$ 398.4 Mn in 2017 and is expected to reach US$ 4832 Mn by 2026, at a CAGR of 36.61% during a forecast period. The report is majorly segmented into types, Clinical Areas, and region. Further, Urgent Care Apps Market based on type includes Pre-hospital Emergency Care & Triaging Apps, In-hospital Communication & Collaboration Apps, Post-hospital Apps, Medication Management Apps, Rehabilitation Apps, and Care Provider Communication & Collaboration Apps. Further, Clinical Area includes Trauma, Stroke, Cardiac Conditions, and Other Clinical Areas. Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/10819 The report segments the Urgent Care Apps market into various sub-segments, hence it covers the market comprehensively. The market numbers are further split across different regions the report had segmented the geographies into five continents i.e. North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Detailed analysis by region with the competitive landscape & benchmarking of the key players make the report comprehensive and enable the informed decision making. Based on the type, the post-hospital apps category held the large share in the global urgent care apps industry. Rising awareness of mobile apps to manage medications among patients is a major reason for the post-hospital category being the large share of the market. Since an increasing number of road accidents, the trauma category i.e. to physical injuries of sudden onset is estimated to be large in a market. The stroke segment is expected to grow at the high growth rate in the next few years because the increasing number of stroke patientas i.e sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood flow and rising number of players providing stroke specific apps used in Emergency Medical Services and rehabilitation facilities. The growth of urgent care apps market is affected by a number of factors, such as the increasing the selling product of the company in a particular area. Some benefits of urgent care apps are growing penetration of 3G and 4G networks, rising concentration on patient-centric healthcare delivery by using smartphones. The major factors that are expected to restrain the growth of urgent care apps market during the forecast period. Such as the wide usage of consumer instant messaging apps, poor internet connectivity in several countries, and the high volume of miscategorized apps on Android and Apple stores. The increasing focus on patient-centric healthcare delivery and the implementation of patient data safety regulations are the major drivers of the urgent care apps market. Taking into an account of the geographical landscape, the North American region was large during the historical period and it is predicted to remain as the large region throughout the forecast period as well. The increasing focus on patient-centric healthcare delivery and the implementation of patient data safety regulations are the major drivers of the urgent care apps industry in North America. Some of the major players in the urgent care apps market are Pulsara, Allm Inc., Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Vocera Communications, PatientSafe Solutions, TigerConnect, and others. Request for Report Discount: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/10819 Scope of Global Urgent Care Apps Market: Global Urgent Care Apps Market, by Type Pre-hospital Emergency Care & Triaging Apps In-hospital Communication & Collaboration Apps Post-hospital Apps Medication Management Apps Rehabilitation Apps Care Provider Communication & Collaboration Apps Global Urgent Care Apps Market by Clinical Area: Trauma Stroke Cardiac Conditions Other Clinical Areas Global Urgent Care Apps Market, by Region North America Europe Middle East & Africa Asia Pacific Latin America Key players operated in Global Urgent Care Apps Market: Pulsara Allm Inc. Johnson & Johnson Services Inc. Vocera Communications PatientSafe Solutions TigerConnect Others. More Info of Impact Covid19@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/10819 In a worrying sign for the Indian economy, key rating agencies have done major revision in India's full-year GDP forecast. Global rating agency Fitch Ratings has predicted India's GDP to contract by 10.5 per cent in FY21 over various economic challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic. The agency in June had predicted the country's GDP would shrink 5 per cent in FY21. The agency said India's GDP fall was the sharpest in the world and hoped for a steady recovery in the next three quarters. It said the country's GDP could shrink 9.6 per cent in Q2 and 4.8 per cent in Q3 and 4 per cent in Q4. The agency also said that it does not expect the GDP to return to pre-COVID-19 levels before Q1 of FY22. "India imposed one of the most stringent lockdowns worldwide in Q2 of FY20 (April-June) and domestic demand fell massively. Limited fiscal support, fragilities in the financial system, and a continued rise in virus cases hamper rapid normalisation in activity," Fitch said. Also Read: Fitch Ratings revises India's outlook to negative from stable; retains sovereign rating 'BBB-' Fitch also expected the global GDP to fall by 4.4 per cent in 2020, less than 4.6 per cent contraction it projected in June. It projected the US GDP to contract 4.6 per cent in 2020, less than the 5.6 per cent decline expected in June. The downturn in the June 2020 quarter was slightly less severe than expected, recent consumption data have been particularly strong, and unemployment has fallen faster than anticipated, Fitch said. With regard to China, Fitch has revised 2020 GDP growth forecast to 2.7 per cent from 1.2 per cent in June following the stronger-than-expected April-June outturn and continuing recoveries in investment, housing and exports through July. Similarly, India Ratings believes the economy could contract by 11.8 per cent in the financial year against its earlier projection of 5.3 per cent. The agency said the recent government data on GDP (-23.9 per cent YoY) for the April-June quarter was worse than expected earlier. The domestic rating agency, however, expects India's GDP to rebound and expand at 9.9 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in FY22 primarily owing to the weak base of FY21. Ind-Ra estimated the economic loss in FY21 to be Rs 18.44 lakh crore. Economic projections from Nomura and State Bank of India Research also suggest the contraction of 10.8 per cent and 10.9 per cent, respectively, in the economy in FY20. Coronavirus-led restrictions led to India's GDP shrinking by 23.9 per cent in the first quarter of the financial year 2020-21, the lowest in 24 years. This is the worst quarterly GDP numbers ever recorded since India started compiling GDP data on a quarterly basis in 1996. Martin Sorrell, the founder of the world's largest advertising and PR group, WPP, said the Facebook advertising boycott has not had a major impact. Advertisers announced various degrees of pauses to their social media advertising budgets in June, after a campaign called "#StopHateForProfit" called on them to boycott Facebook for the month of July. Some companies said they'd only pause ads on Facebook for July. Others said they'd do it through the end of the year. More than 1,000 groups and companies took part in the boycott, hoping to pressure Facebook into taking more stringent steps to stop the spread of hate speech and misinformation on its platform. Participants included the likes of HP, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Diageo, and Ben & Jerry's. "We haven't seen that much of a slow down on Facebook," Sorrell told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Wednesday. "Obviously the so-called boycott had a little impact, but much less than people forecast." The British businessman said the boycott "wasn't the right way to deal with Facebook." Sorrell, whose companies profit when brands spend on advertising, said brands should have told Facebook what their concerns were in private. "You don't confront them in public," he said. "What you do is try and lobby privately for changes and I think they've made changes. They have 35,000 people monitoring editorial content. They take down some of the extreme groups, they've altered the nature of the algorithm." Stop Hate For Profit has previously described the success of its campaign as "unmistakable," saying it "forced an unprecedented public examination of Facebook's deep harms to marginalized communities and the health of our democracy." On August 11, the campaign group published a review on Facebook's progress to their recommendations. It concluded the social media giant had fallen short on attempting to address four key issues and failed to take any meaningful action on four other areas. Facebook conceded in late July that the boycotts had impacted second-quarter earnings, but anticipated ad revenue would continue to grow in the third quarter. Sorrell is also the founder and executive chairman of advertising firm S4Capital, which announced Wednesday that it has turned a profit for the first time, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Gross profit came in at 124 million ($160 million) and revenue came in at 141.3 million. CNBC's Megan Graham contributed to this article. Indian and Chinese troops were facing off on Wednesday, barely a few hundred metres apart, in a remote Himalayan region where shots were fired for the first time in decades, Indian officials said. The nuclear-armed neighbours have accused each other of firing in the air during a fresh flare-up in the Ladakh region on Monday, violating long-standing protocols to avoid using firearms along their undemarcated borders. "The situation is tense," an official in New Delhi said, adding that Indian and Chinese troops were squaring off in close proximity in at least four locations south of the Pangong Tso lake that both lay claim to. "Both are on their own sides of the LAC," the official said, referring to the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border. At a forward position near the Rezang La mountain pass, Indian and Chinese troops were only around 200 metres apart, another official in New Delhi said. Both officials declined to be named. Also Read: India-China Border Tension LIVE Updates LIVE On Monday, the Indian military said Chinese troops fired in the air after attempting to close in on a forward Indian position. But the China military said it was Indian troops who fired the shots, threatening Chinese border guards during a patrol. In photographs provided by sources in New Delhi from an area south of Pangong Tso taken on Monday, around two dozen Chinese troops with assault rifles hanging off their backs can be seen holding long poles with a curved blade. Reuters could not independently verify the photographs. A 70-km long patch of desolate snow desert south of Pangong Tso has emerged as the latest flash-point between the Asian giants, with some 3,000 Indian troops strung along strategic ridges and hilltops, the first Indian official said. The confrontation erupted after New Delhi mobilised soldiers late last month to occupy key heights to deter Chinese troops, whose movements suggested they aimed to occupy a hilltop that falls within territory that India considers its own, according to Indian officials. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available 'There is no UPA now': Mamata Banerjee takes swipe at Cong, calls for unity of regional parties against BJP 'Manmohan & I were opposed to vindictive politics against then-CM Modi', says Sharad Pawar In talks with Congress and TMC for Goa alliance: Sharad Pawar NCP to contest UP elections in alliance with SP: Sharad Pawar Sharad Pawar meets Maharashtra CM as Kangana Ranaut row rages on in Mumbai India oi-Deepika S Mumbai, Sep 09: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday met Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's official residence in Mumbai. State minister and Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab was also present. The meeting came on a day Mumbai witnessed high drama after the BMC demolished parts of a house belonging to Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut. The demolition drive was later stayed by the Bombay High Court. Undue importance is being attached to the statements made by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, Pawar said without naming her. He said people are not taking her remarks seriously. The former Union minister also said that he does not take seriously the threat calls he received earlier this week. India-China tensions: India fully prepared, will retaliate say sources | Oneindia News Ranaut waded into controversy after she recently likened Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said she feared the city Police more than the "movie mafia". "We are giving undue importance to those making such statements. We will have to see what influence such statements have on the people at large," Pawar told reporters. "In my opinion, people do not take seriously (such statements)," the veteran leader said. Pawar said the people of Maharashtra and Mumbai have "years of experience" of how the state and city's police work. "They (people) know the performance of the police. And hence, we need not pay heed to what one says," he added. Asked about the threat calls he received, Pawar said, "I have just been given the record of threat calls I received and from where those were made. "I have received calls in the past too. We don't take it seriously," the leader added. San Francisco resident Rob Price has hiked in California's Sierra Nevada many times with wildfire smoke drifting through the air. But the thick sooty air that choked Yosemite National Park on Saturday when he and his partner were on a backpacking trip was like nothing he has ever seen before. "The sky turned the ugly color of a dark bruise, blacks and purples," said Price. "It was raining ash. It felt completely apocalyptic." Price said when the smoke first swept into the park, the temperature dropped significantly. "There were very gusty winds," he said. "We saw only one lightning strike but heard a drumbeat of distant thunder." Price's story is just one of many reports coming from Yosemite on Sept. 5, when a raging wildfire, about 40 miles south of the park, sent billowing smoke throughout the region. "Apocalyptic skies - smoke, ash falling constantly and a sickly orange sun - as we cut short our hiking trip and evacuated Wawona, Yosemite due to the #CreekFire earlier today," wrote one hiker on Twitter. These accounts are becoming emblematic of a record-breaking wildfire season in California, where more than 2 million acres have burned since the start of the year. The fires have made outdoor recreation in state known for its majestic mountains and emerald lakes difficult in a month when residents typically enjoy heading outdoors. As of Tuesday, 22 California State Parks were fully closed due to wildfires and five partially closed. Yosemite National Park is open but the southern portion is under a fire advisory due to the Creek Fire. The Creek Fire ignited Friday evening in the Sierra National Forest near the communities of Big Creek and Huntington Lake, and was raging by Saturday afternoon. It moved so fast that campers became trapped around Mammoth Pool Campground and needed helicopter rescues. The intense heat in the vigorous updraft created a foreboding weather cloud of smoke and ash, known as a pyrocumulonimbus cloud. "There was a much smaller fire in the Yosemite Park boundary but it's less than 1,000 ares," said Daniel Harty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Hanford. "That was probably putting up a little bit of smoke, but the smoke from the Creek Far was stretched all the way to Yosemite." Measurements taken from NOAA satellite imagery revealed the fire cloud topped out at more than 45,000 feet. Dr. Colin Seftor, atmospheric scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., told NASA the fire cloud may have been the largest ever observed. The cloud topped out at more than 45,000 feet. NASA calls pyrocumulonimbus "the fire-breathing dragon of clouds," because they "funnel their smoke like a chimney into Earth's stratosphere." These clouds often create their own weather, generating rain, hail and thunderstorms. Harty said it was too dry on Saturday for the fire cloud to produce rain, but there were reports of thunder and lightning. Price and his partner were on a two-night backpacking trip, with a plan to hike 36 miles between the Mono Meadows trail head and Red Peak. The trip was cut short when the smoke filled Yosemite. They and many others on the trail were confused and didn't know the location of the wildfire generating the smoke. "One of the things we were worried about was the fire might have been between us and our car," he said. At 3 p.m. on Saturday, they were at Upper Merced Lake packing up their gear. "The sky was so dark, it was hard to see," said Price, who is originally from the United Kingdom. "Ash was swirling around the torch [flashlight]. It felt like the fire could have been within a few miles of us." They discussed whether to hike deeper into Yosemite to escape the smoke or take the risk and return to the car. Based on another hiker's report that the trail to Mono Meadows was open, they headed back. "It was pretty scary because we had this lack of information about where this fire was coming from, and we didnt know if we were going the right way or not," he said. "The only alternative we had was go another 40 or 50 miles at the higher lake and risk the fire getting worse." After 24 miles of hiking on Saturday, they arrived at Mono Meadows. "The ash was stinging our eyes, clinging to our skin and clothes," he said. "I havent experienced anything like this before. Some of the pieces of ash ranged in size from tiny flecks to the size of a finger nail. If it had been snow, it would have been like hiking through a light flurry." He added, "There were several hours where it was very stressful. In the end, the air didnt feel safe to breathe, yet we needed to get out." MORE WILDFIRE COVERAGE: Photos show scope, destruction of Bay Area wildfires 'Saddened': Oldest state park in Calif. closed for at least a year due to wildfire damage Will wildfire evacuations accelerate the spread of coronavirus in the Bay Area? California wildfires now as big as the Grand Canyon 10 things to do if a wildfire is approaching your house How to keep your pets safe from wildfire smoke Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. KYODO NEWS - Sep 9, 2020 - 19:31 | All, World Japan and the United States will conduct a joint study to produce gas from methane hydrate, a next-generation energy resource, in permafrost in northern Alaska in the year starting April 2021, a Japanese government source said Wednesday. The study, to run for a year, comes as Japan aims to stably secure domestic energy sources, planning a project aimed to commercialize the use of methane hydrate extracted from the country's coastal waters by March 2028, the end of its 2027 fiscal year, the source said. Methane hydrate, an ice-like substance that consists of methane and water, is seen as a potent alternative source of energy to conventional fossil fuels. Its reserves have been confirmed to exist in the seabed of Japan's coastal waters. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is set to earmark related costs in its request for the fiscal 2021 budget, according to the source. The joint study will be conducted by Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Energy Department, it said. Based on the results from the extraction tests in Alaska, they plan to conduct another test to manufacture methane gas in the Pacific in fiscal 2023 or later, seeking to start its commercial operations by fiscal 2027. Under international pressure to fight global warming, resource-poor Japan has decided to reduce its dependence on coal power. Tokyo is seeking to strengthen the development of domestic energy resources such as methane hydrate, while promoting the use of wind power and other renewable resources. Khar police on Wednesday booked 14 persons including 10 women for protesting against BMCs demolition drive in front of actor Kangana Ranauts office. On Wednesday, when BMC officials were conducting a demolition drive at Ranauts office, 15-20 people gathered and protested against the BMC officials. According to the police, the protesters were holding placards with messages- #IndiaForKangana #BharatForKangana on it. An officer from Khar police station said, We have registered a case against 14 persons under sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) 143, (unlawful assembly), 144 (joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon),145 (Joining or continuing in unlawful assembly), 34 (common intention) and 134 of Maharashtra Police Act. We served the women a notice under section 41 of CrPC and allowed them to go, said an officer from Khar police station Fires are raging across the US west coast states and in the Canadian province of British Columbia, triggered by a combination of lightning storms, high winds and extreme heat. On Monday, a wind-driven fire destroyed the community of Malden, Washington, home to 200 people. About 100 homes, nearly every house in the town, along with the downtown area, were consumed by flames. The fire station, post office, city hall, municipal library and other downtown structures were destroyed. The scale of this disaster really cant be expressed in words, Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said in a statement. The fire will be extinguished, but a community has been changed for a lifetime. I just hope we dont find the fire took more than homes and buildings. I pray everyone got out in time. As of Tuesday, there were no reports of fatalities or injuries. Elsewhere in Washington and the neighboring state of Oregon blackouts affected nearly 250,000 households, as trees, knocked down by the high winds, toppled electrical cables. Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz tweeted that were still seeing new fire starts in every corner of the state. East of Oregons Willamette River Valley, a wildfire swept through the communities of Blue River and Vida on Monday. Hundreds were evacuated, 150 homes were burnt and at least one person was reported killed. Both communities were a total loss, according to a report by local news station KVAL. Evacuations also took place east of Salem, the state capital, where residents were removed from many of the small communities in the foothills of the Cascade Range. The air above the city of Portland was covered by a thick layer of smoke and ash. Residents with respiratory problems were strongly advised to stay in their homes. As of Tuesday, the Doctor Creek wildfire in southeast British Columbia, not far from the Idaho-Montana border, had burned 7,937 hectares (19,613 acres) and was out of control. High winds and steep terrain make this wildfire difficult to control. Further south, California is experiencing its most intense fire season on record this year. Over two million acres (800,000 hectares) of forests and fields have burnt. On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for multiple counties. In the Central Valley near the city of Fresno, Pacific Gas and Electric cut off power to more than 170,000 people. High heat and very dry conditions on the ground are feeding wildfires across the region, many of them out of control. Over 1,000 fires are burning in California, caused by a series of intense lightning storms. High heat and strong winds forced the Forest Service to close eight national forests. A fire truck drives along Highway 168 while battling the Creek Fire in the Shaver Lake community of Fresno County, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Hikers and campers near Fresno were trapped by the fires and had to be rescued by helicopters. The Creek Fire in Huntington Lake, northwest of Fresno, is zero percent contained and is burning near a hydroelectric plant. Meanwhile, to the west, the Dolan Fire, which is burning south of the coastal city of Big Sur, grew from 2,300 acres to 34,175 acres, according to the US Forest Service. It has yet to be fully contained. In the vicinity of Los Angeles, the Forest Service announced the closure of several national forests threatened by the Bobcat Fire. The Bobcat and the El Dorado fires, in Southern Californias San Bernardino County, have each consumed more than 8,000 acres. Forest Service officials do not expect to fully contain the Bobcat fire until October 15. The current devastation dwarfs Californias previous record fire seasons of 2017 and 2018. The fires have become more numerous and destructive as a result of global warming. Increasingly, the fire season, formerly an autumn phenomenon, has extended into the summer, where it now combines with extreme heat, high wind conditions and drier vegetation. In addition, autumn rains begin later than average. According to a study titled Climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme autumn wildfire conditions across California, published last month, state-wide increases in autumn temperature (~1 C) and decreases in autumn precipitation (~30 percent) over the past four decades have contributed to increases in aggregate fire weather indices (+20 percent). The study gives strong evidence that continued global warming will amplify the number of days with extreme fire weather. It calls for a global solution consistent with the United Nations Paris Agreement. At the time, signatories of the 2015 Paris Agreement pledged to hold global warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels. Except for some cosmetic measures, this promise was never seriously kept. Since the agreement was signed, global temperatures have increased by more than 1.5C. From the moment it was signed, the Paris Agreement became a dead letter. The formal repudiation of the agreement last November by President Donald Trump was the final nail in its coffin. Across the world, any measure to reduce or resolve the climate change crisis that in any way threatens capitalist profits is rejected by the financial aristocracy and the fossil fuel industries, as California, the West Coast and the world head to a major environmental catastrophe. Moreover, it is impossible to address or resolve a problem of international scope within the limited framework of national politics. All attempts by capitalist nations to implement a worldwide plan has failed to produce any result, as every country has sought to limit its own costs and obligations at the expense of others. The West Coast fires and all the other effects of global warming are revolutionary questions. Their resolution requires the abolition of capitalism and its replacement by a world socialist society committed to human needs above profits. What is fracking? Fracking is a process of blasting water, chemicals and frac sand deep into the earth to break up sedimentary rock and access natural gas and crude oil deposits. The fracking industry, which has sought to promote the practice as safe and controlled, has preferred the term hydraulic fracturing. Fracking emerged as an unconventional, relatively new and extremely popular technique only about 20 years ago in the U.S., after advances in technology gave it an unprecedented ability to identify and extract massive amounts of resources efficiently. Fracking is one of the most important environmental issues today, and its a prime example of how a new technology that offers immediate economic and political benefits can outpace (often less obvious) environmental and health concerns. Why is fracking so controversial? Modern fracking emerged so quickly, faster than its impacts were understood. Just as importantly, once scientists, health experts and the public started to object with evidence of harm it was causing, business and government succeeded in perpetuating a message of uncertainty, that more research was necessary, further enabling the full speed ahead fracking juggernaut. How does fracking impact the environment? Frackings supporters have pushed an environmental angle, insisting that natural gas can be a bridge fuel, a cheaper, cleaner option than coal before we have a large-scale transition to renewable energy. This claim has some merit, as natural gas does emit much less carbon dioxide than coal or oil. However, it is still a fossil fuel, adding harmful emissions while the climate crisis worsens. Moreover, fracking wells leak methane, a greenhouse gas more than 25 times more potent than CO2. Water In order to break up rock formations one to two miles deep, a fracking operation requires millions of gallons amount of water. After its used, the resulting wastewater, which contains chemicals is pumped back into injection wells, sent to treatment plants, or can be dangerously dumped or spilled. In 2016 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report skewed friendly to industry in its language: Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States. The EPA acknowledged that drinking water contamination was possible, but ultimately came to this conclusion: Data gaps and uncertainties limited EPAs ability to fully assess the potential impacts on drinking water resources locally and nationally. Earthquakes According to the U.S. Geologic Survey, disposal of wastewater has caused an increase in earthquakes in the central U.S. Seismologists have reported that frackings initial blasting process can trigger earthquakes. Air Pollution In addition to methane, fracking releases many toxic contaminants into the air. EPA has acknowledged the public health threat, but a lack of urgent political pressure has sidelined the agency into advising on ways to control and reduce, rather than eliminate, the danger. Toxic Chemicals Fracking fluids contain unknown chemicals and known carcinogens such as benzene. Fracking companies havent been required to disclose their proprietary formulas, however. This is yet another example of how uncertainty serves as an enabling force. The EPA has identified more than 1,000 different chemicals used in fracking fluid. Wildlife Fracking can destroy wildlife habitats, pollute rivers and fisheries, poison birds, and use up water supplies that animals need to survive. How does fracking affect the economy? The fracking boom made the U.S. the worlds largest producer of oil and gas, reducing its energy imports from 26% to less than 4%. It has lowered oil and gas prices and created thousands of industry jobs. While fracking companies profited greatly at first, as prices dropped their margins collapsed. Many are now going bankrupt. How is fracking regulated? Congress has enabled the oil and gas industry to be exempt from such regulations as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Fracking surged during the Obama administration, which moved to protect water from fracking on federal lands in 2015. Subsequently, the Trump administration sought to roll back protections and expand fracking on federal lands. Key Examples of Fracking in the United States Pennsylvania Pennsylvanias Marcellus Shale is the source for about 40% of shale gas production in the U.S. New York While the Marcellus Shale also runs through New York, the state has banned fracking. Texas Texas produces more crude oil than any other state. North Dakota The Bakken Shale in North Dakota has been one of the main sites for the fracking boom and subsequent bust, leaving behind extensive environmental damage. A recent report found that all 50 states could provide 100% (or even greater) in-state renewable energy. Other Countries Outside the U.S., only Canada, China and Argentina have commercial fracking operations. A UN report in 2018 said that other countries were highly unlikely to produce at such a large scale as the U.S., due to political and cultural factors, and existing infrastructure. The Future of Fracking While renewables were considered a solution for peak oil only a decade ago, fracking changed the terms of the debate, with a new focus from environmentalists to keep it in the ground starting in 2015. The Biden administration now stands at a pivotal moment in the climate crisis. Bidens stance on fracking is not yet entirely clear, but he has rejoined the Paris agreement and appears to take climate seriously. At the same time, he is sympathetic to workers in fossil fuel industries, was vice president during the fracking boom years under Obama, and may be more inclined to seek a gradual transition than one fast enough to help solve the crisis. Dr. Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo 09.09.2020 LISTEN The World Health Organization (WHO) Ghana Office has donated 55 oxygen concentrators and 1.8 million nasal swabs and virus transport medium kits and 12 packages of nucleic acid extraction kits to the Ministry of Health (MoH). The package worth $122,000 is to support the country's Covid-19 response in sample collection, laboratory diagnosis of the virus and the management of severe Covid-19 cases. The WHO country representative, Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, in a few remarks before handing over the items to the health authority, said the donation followed the assessment of case management facilities which revealed the need for capacity building for the management of severe Covid-19 cases. She commended the government for the strong political leadership and the bold measures put in place in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. It is good to see that every arm of the government is working together in this venture, and I commend the government for this effort, she said. She added that over the past few weeks, the country had recorded a steady decline in cases with a similar trend being observed in other countries in the African region. Dr. Kimambo, however, noted that some countries were experiencing a second wave of the infection, highlighting the importance of still adhering to all safety protocols and measures instituted. It is critical for Ghana to maintain the momentum and continue to detect, test, trace, isolate, treat and mobilize our people in this collective response to the point where the Covid-19 is no longer a public health threat, she stressed. The WHO country representative, therefore, pledged the continuous support of the agency to the country in the fight against Covid-19 to emerge triumphantly. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) Director-General, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, who received the item, thanked the WHO for its support, adding that the UN agency provided technical and financial support for the Covid-19 preparedness and response in the areas of coordination, surveillance and laboratory, case management and risk communication. ---Daily Guide ENGLEWOOD, N.J., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Achilles New Jersey and U-Haul are challenging New Jerseyans to get active while supporting a great cause this weekend as the annual Hope & Possibility Race goes virtual for the first time. Seasoned athletes, morning strollers and even the customary couch potato can join together for a virtual 4-miler that participants can run, jog or walk on Sept. 13. There is also the Dog Day 5K version of the Hope & Possibility, with 3.1 miles intended to be covered with your four-legged friend, who gets a dog-tag medal and a neck scarf. Register: Achilles New Jersey Hope & Possibility (4 or 3.1 miles) For the ambitious weekend warrior, there is the U-Haul Keep It Moving Challenge offered by the race's title sponsor. This option invites participants to cover the distances of three Achilles races: the 5K virtual race on Sept. 11 in Connecticut; the 5-miler virtual race on Sept. 12 in Nashville; and the 4-miler virtual race on Sept. 13 in New Jersey. This triple challenge totals 12.1 miles and can be spread across Friday-Sunday or conquered in one day. A swag bag with a neck gaiter, medals and certificate is included with this registration. Register: U-Haul Keep It Moving Challenge (12.1 miles) Worthy Cause By registering for any of the events, participants will be supporting their local chapter of Achilles International, a non-profit organization that pairs athletes with disabilities alongside able-bodied athletes (i.e. guides) so that all can compete in competitions. In Achilles, athletes with disabilities walk, run and roll (wheelchair, handcycle, etc.) their way to personal success and healthy, active lifestyles. "Achilles International is grounded in the power of collective action, community support and personal achievement," stated Emily Glasser, President and CEO of Achilles International. "Achilles is proud to partner with U-Haul, a company whose commitment to supporting the lives of all Americans, especially those of our nation's heroes, is unmatched." As this is a virtual race, participants may choose their own personal course route that equals the distance of their event. Corporate Support U-Haul has been a sponsor of Hope & Possibility events for nearly two decades. The signature event of Achilles has expanded through the years and is considered the world's largest race that embraces people with disabilities. U-Haul has also been a longstanding supporter of the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans, a program launched in 2004 to address the specific needs of wounded U.S. military members. Some 10-20 Freedom Team members are committed to compete in the U-Haul Keep It Moving Challenge this weekend. Founded by a WWII-era Navy veteran and his wife 75 years ago, U-Haul emphasizes recruiting and hiring veterans, and was recently named to the "Best for Vets 2020: Employers" list released by The Military Times. Find careers at U-Haul by visiting uhauljobs.com. About Achilles International Achilles International is a global organization serving 25,000 athletes with disabilities in over 48 chapters in 24 countries. In the U.S., there are 27 chapters in 19 states. Achilles athletes have disabilities that include amputations, paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, autism and visual impairment. Since 1983, Achilles International has played a powerful role in addressing the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, as well as providing life-changing opportunities for achievement. achillesinternational.org About U-HAUL Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 127,000 trailers and 41,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 774,000 rentable storage units and 66.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S. uhaul.com Contact: Jeff Lockridge Sebastien Reyes E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 602-263-6981 Website: uhaul.com SOURCE U-Haul Related Links www.uhaul.com 100% Website playbill.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 19575 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 161804 bytes (158.01 kb uncompressed) and 26721 bytes (26.09 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-09-12, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. WESTPORT Visitors got to see and hear a topnotch live jazz show Friday night at the MoCA Westport on Newtown Turnpike. The Alexa Tarantino Quartet, a New York City-based ensemble led by saxophonist, composer and teacher Alexa Tarantino, who grew up in Connecticut, performed as part of the museums Jazz at Lincoln Center series. Westporters love music, said Ruth Mannes, executive director. They want to be together and they want to experience live music. The idea for the outdoor concerts, of which this was the second, came about when Mannes who began in her role as executive director just prior to the start of the pandemic was standing outside with Alexander Platt, concert series curator, discussing what could be done to keep the music going at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Fate has brought us all together with COVID-19, Platt said, noting that though the pandemic is far from a good thing, its simultaneously brought out the best in people and driven them to be more creative. Platt, who grew up in Westport, said this was an exciting time in the town, which is seeing a rejuvenation of the arts reminiscent of its history. I think this is really the beginning of something special, he said. The Fred Hersch Trio will be performing at MoCA on Sept. 26, and legend Wynton Marsalis will play Oct. 2. New Delhi, Sep 9 : The Indian Air Force will formally induct the newly acquired Rafale fighter jets on Thursday at its airbase in Ambala in Haryana, around 200 km from here. The aircraft will be part of the IAF's 17 Squadron, known as 'Golden Arrows'. It was resurrected in September last year. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Florence Parly, the Minister of the Armed Forces of France, will be the chief guest. The first five Rafale aircraft had arrived in Ambala from France on July 27, 2020. The jets flew from the Merignac airbase in the port city of Bordeaux and landed for a stopover at Al Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates after covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km. A day later, they flew again and landed at the Ambala airbase. The induction programme will include ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale aircraft, a traditional 'sarva dharma puja', air display by Rafale and Tejas aircraft as well as Sarang aerobatic team. Afterwards, a traditional water cannon salute will be given to the Rafale aircraft. The programme will culminate with the ceremonial induction of Rafale aircraft to the 17 Squadron. Rafale would be a game changer in the current scenario when India is involved in border tension with China in eastern Ladakh. The aircraft will increase India's air power manifold. Rafale is a 4.5 generation aircraft and has latest weapons, superior sensors and fully integrated architecture. The French delegation will be represented by Emmanuel Lenain, the Ambassador of France to India, Air General Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of Air Staff of the French Air Force, and other senior officials. Rafale is an omni-role aircraft which mean it can carry out at least four missions in one sortie. Further, the aircraft is armed with HAMMER missile, beyond-visual-range missiles like Meteor, SCALP and MICA, thereby increasing its ability to take on incoming targets from a distance. The state labor board ruled Tuesday that a strike organized by the teachers' union in Andover late last month to protest returning to schools during the coronavirus pandemic was illegal. In its 35-page ruling, the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board, an arm of the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations, ordered leaders and other members of the Andover Education Association to immediately cease and desist from engaging in any strike, work stoppage, slowdown or other withholding of services. The board also ordered leaders of the teachers union to notify members that they need to fully perform the duties of their employment, including not participating in any strikes. These are unprecedented times, and we are not unsympathetic to the unions concerns over the health and safety implications of requiring its members to work inside school buildings or its desire to bargain to resolution with the school committee over these issues before its members return to work inside school buildings, the board wrote in its ruling. However, the Union cites to no legislation, permission, reasonable accommodation or bargained-for agreement that permitted its members without consequence, to unilaterally dictate where they perform their work." The prospect of certain schools in Massachusetts and elsewhere in the country reopening amid the COVID-19 public health crisis has sparked debate among administrators and teachers as well as parents and guardians, as educators look to balance safety with adequately teaching students. In Andover, public schools are expected to start up again on Sept. 16 with a hybrid model of instruction. According to the Andover Public Schools' website, students will be taught in person two days a week and be educated via remote learning the other three days. The decision by the towns school committee to go with a hybrid model garnered disapproval from the teachers union, which cast a vote of no confidence earlier this month against Andover Public Schools Superintendent Sheldon Berman, claiming he has repeatedly disregarded the many health and safety concerns raised by both the association and the community. He refuses to meaningfully address the concerns and unanswered questions of educators who have documented health issues that will have an impact on their working conditions, the AEA wrote in a statement. A few days before casting its vote of no confidence, the association released a statement, saying its members would refuse to enter school buildings until safety measures were negotiated. Union leaders claimed the Andover School Committee and Berman failed to conduct good-faith bargaining with the association over how to maintain the health and safety of teachers and students when returning to schools. The AEA - which represents classroom teachers, instructional assistants, secretaries, guidance counselors, occupational and physical therapists, social workers, school psychologists and nurses - held its strike on Aug. 31. The so-called work action was organized on the first day of work for teachers, a professional development day when educators were expected to go inside buildings and do a variety of tasks, including WiFi testing, wayfinding, setting up classrooms and tagging furniture, according to the state labor board. Many Andover teachers opted to work outside of Andover High School with their laptops but refused to enter buildings, The Boston Globe reported. It is simply not safe at this time for students and staff to be working together in crowded settings inside these buildings, AEA President Matthew Bach said in a statement. Members have decided they will not risk the health and safety of students, staff or the community by walking into buildings that for decades have been underfunded, understaffed and poorly maintained while a global pandemic continues to affect Essex County, the state and the country. On Sept. 1, the towns school committee filed a petition with the Massachusetts board of labor, claiming it is not up to the union or teachers to decide when, where or how to perform their duties and that the associations participation in the work action constituted a strike in violation of state law. The labor board agreed. Officials said they found ample evidence to support the finding that the AEA induced, encouraged and condoned the work action. Disagreeing with the unions argument that AEA members were not obliged to perform certain tasks inside classrooms because the duties were new and not intrinsic, the board said the associations failure to perform the task constituted an unlawful strike. The unions claim that its membership was able to perform all the duties required of them remotely is inaccurate, the board wrote. The record demonstrates that AEA members who worked outside were unable to participate in PD activities that could only be performed inside school buildings. Related Content: Three COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese companies went on show at the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). Representatives from the companies told China.org.cn that their aim is to heal the world. The three inactivated vaccines have been a highlight of the international fair in Beijing, with their display booths proving a big hit with visitors. According to the WHO, more than 30 COVID-19 vaccines have now entered clinical trials worldwide. Among them, nine are already in phase III clinical trials, of which four are being developed by Chinese scientists. Zhang Yuntao, vice president of China National Biotec Group (CNBG), affiliated to Sinopharm, said that their two vaccines were developed by two biological products research institutes, in Wuhan and Beijing. They are currently undergoing phase III trials in several countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Peru, Morocco and Argentina. Around 50,000 people will be vaccinated as part of the phase III trials, with 35,000 volunteers in 115 countries having already received the vaccination. "This proves the safety and efficacy of our vaccines," Zhang said. "If the overseas clinical trials progress smoothly, the vaccine is expected to be available to the general public by the end of this year," he added. CoronaVac, the candidate vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech, is also currently undergoing phase III trials in Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, Bangladesh and other countries. Yin Weidong, the company's chairman, president and CEO, indicated that their research in Brazil is progressing quickly and they plan to vaccinate 9,000 people there. "We hope to get clinical results in October, and get it on the market before the end of the year," he said. Sinovac has obtained more than 20 different strains of the virus in the United States, Europe and Middle East, which the vaccine immune serum has proven capable of neutralizing. Therefore, it can be speculated that the vaccine will be able to protect a large section of the global population. "The inactivated coronavirus vaccine can be stored for one month at 37 degrees Celsius, and its validity period has initially been determined to be three years," Yin revealed. Pearson Liu, director of brand management and public relations at Sinovac, told China.org.cn that their vaccine received approval from the Chinese government in July for emergency use on medical, health and border staff as well as those needing to travel overseas for work. He added that more than 3,000 Sinovac staff and their families have also received their vaccine. CNBG's vaccines were also approved for emergency use in July, and the company was taking reservations at its CIFTIS booth for those looking to get vaccinated. Jia Meng, the company's spokesperson, explained that their vaccines had received particularly high levels of interest from Chinese students needing to go overseas to study. In terms of manufacturing capabilities, CNBG has established high-level biosafety production facilities in two research institutes. The combined annual production capacity of the two laboratories will reach 300 million doses in the first phase. After the second phase is completed, the annual output will reach 1 billion doses. Sinovac launched its COVID-19 inactivated vaccine industrialization project at the end of March. It has now completed construction of a production lab in the Daxing Biomedical Industry Base in Beijing, which can deliver 300 million doses per annum. Although it remains uncertain as to when the vaccines will eventually hit the market, Zhang Yuntao explained that many countries had already expressed interest. The CNBG executive added that they had received orders for a total of 500 million doses from dozens of countries. Sinovac has also received large orders of intent. "The future application of vaccines will give priority to three types of countries, Yin explained. They are countries with severe outbreaks, countries with large populations, and countries without medical R&D capabilities and supplies." His company signed a deal and memorandum of understanding with Indonesian vaccine supplier PT Bio Farma on Aug. 20 to provide them with 40 million doses of semi-finished vaccines between November 2020 and March 2021. While the price of COVID-19 vaccines has yet to be set, both companies told China.org.cn that they will be affordable for normal people. Besides the three vaccines being shown at CIFTIS, other Chinese companies are also developing COVID-19 vaccines, with nine vaccines currently in various phases of clinical trials. The Chinese government has previously stated that after a vaccine is developed and put into use, it will be made available as a global public product to make China's contribution accessible and affordable to developing countries. Tigray officials had warned that an intervention by the federal government would amount to a 'declaration of war' People voted Wednesday in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region in a local election defying the federal government and increasing political tensions in Africa's second most populous country. Tigray officials had warned that an intervention by the federal government would amount to a ``declaration of war.'' They have objected to the postponement of the national election, once set for August, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the extension of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's time in office. Over the weekend, Ethiopia's upper house of parliament called Wednesday's election unconstitutional. Ethiopia's leader ruled out a military intervention, but there had been fears any punitive measures by the federal government could further escalate tensions. The standoff with the northern region is the latest challenge to the administration of Abiy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year in part for introducing political reforms. He took office in early 2018. The Tigray region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, was the dominant one in Ethiopia's previous government. ``This election is illegal because only the National Election Board can conduct elections in Ethiopia,'' Abiy said in an interview with the state broadcaster, EBC, on Tuesday evening. ``TPLF's rule over the region is extended until the upcoming election. If the party doesn't take part in the general election, it won't be acceptable. ``These types of small gatherings won't be a headache for us,'' Abiy added. Some 2.7 million people in the Tigray region had been expected to cast their votes at more than 2,600 polling stations, regional election officials said. They are electing members of the regional parliament, which in turn will choose the region's cabinet and administrators. ``I am here because I want to exercise my self-governance rights,'' said one voter, Tekeste Girmay, adding that the authorities ``will have a big role in preventing coronavirus from spreading.'' Ethiopia in recent weeks saw a sharp rise in confirmed cases. Two residents of the regional capital, Mekelle, told The Associated Press there was tight security in the city and surrounding areas. Bikes and auto rickshaws were banned from the city as of Tuesday evening. On Monday, Ethiopian security officials removed reporters from a plane heading to the region, confiscating their I.D.s, cameras and other equipment. Separately, a non-governmental organization told the AP they were barred from observing the election ``for no sufficient reason.'' The group, Seb Hidri, said the Tigray People's Liberation Front was behind the ban. As polls closed, the Tigray region's communications office called the election a historic victory and great achievement. It labeled the federal government as ``dictatorial'' and said the vote was ``vital for the Tigray people because it reassures their destiny and self-determination.'' Tigray TV, a regional broadcaster, said results should be announced Thursday. Search Keywords: Short link: Government action plans to cut childhood obesity have had 'little impact' and numbers of overweight children have in fact risen, a damning report has found. Childhood obesity rates have risen by a fifth in 10 to 11-year-olds and remained the same for 4 to 5-year-olds. Figures compiled by the National Audit Office revealed obesity in older children has crept up from 18.7 per cent in 2009 to 20.2 per cent in 2019, and in four to five-year-olds it has remained stable at 9.7 per cent. The gap between most and least deprived areas has also widened for older children, jumping from 10 per cent in 2009 to nearly 14 per cent in 2019. Successive governments' attempts have been described as having 'little impact' on rates of childhood obesity in the report. Experts slammed the results as 'worrying' and warned that ministers 'do not seem to be learning from the failure of past efforts'. An estimated 1.4 million children aged 2 to 15 years old are obese in the UK, putting them at risk of a developing illnesses including cancers, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It is estimated to cost the NHS as much as 6.1 billion to treat every year. Childhood obesity rates among those aged 10 to 11 have crept up over the past decade from 18.7 per cent to 20.2 per cent, a report by the National Audit Office has found (stock image) A graph from the report shows obesity levels creeping up despite a government target to bring the rate down and halve it by 2030 The report, published today, also warns the government is set to miss its target for reducing sugars in some drinks by 20 per cent by 2020. This is despite an intervention from the Treasury to slap a tax on sugary drinks. Obesity rates among children are highest in parts of central London and the north west, according to the report, where they stand at 11 to 14.3 per cent. They are lowest in areas of the midlands, Surrey and Dorset, dropping to between 5.4 and 7.9 per cent. 'Successive governments have implemented strategies to tackle obesity with a strong focus on children,' the report says. 'In 2008, the government set an ambition to reduce the proportion of overweight and obese children to 2000 rates by 2020. In 2011, the new government set a new ambition to achieve a sustained downward trend in the level of excess weight in children by 2020. 'These strategies had little impact on childhood obesity. 'The Department [of Health] has not fully evaluated whether these past strategies reduced childhood obesity. Therefore, it will struggle to prioritise actions of apply lessons learned from past strategies to its new approach with confidence.' The current government has stuck to an aim set in 2018 to halve childhood obesity levels by 2030. Dr Layla McCay, the director at the NHS Confederation, said the report was 'disappointing'. 'This is such an important moment for effective action, but it risks becoming lost amidst reorganisation and delays,' she said. HOW FAT ARE BRITISH CHILDREN? English children are fatter than ever official data revealed last October that one in every 25 10 to 11-year-olds are severely obese, the fattest possible category. And out of around 556,000 children of primary school-leaving age in the UK, 170,000 are overweight to some degree, figures showed in May last year. More than one in five 11-year-olds are obese equivalent to around 111,000 children and being so fat means they are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer or have a stroke. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health say children should be weighed every year at school because 'danger is on the horizon' and the UK is lagging behind the rest of the EU in tackling obesity. Experts have also warned children gain weight 'at a drastic rate' when they're at school. Sugar in food is known to be contributing to the swelling waistlines of children, with huge amounts of popular foods crammed full of sugar. A sugar tax has reduced the effects of some soft drinks, but breakfast cereals can still contain more than 70 per cent of an entire day's sugar in a single bowl. Even a single can of Coca Cola (35g of sugar) or one Mars bar (33g) contain more than the maximum amount of sugar a child should have over a whole day. Advertisement 'At a time when obesity is in the spotlight for putting people with Covid-19 at greater risk of needing hospital admission or intensive care, it has never been clearer that an effective approach is needed to reduce obesity, which exacerbates health inequalities and is estimated to cost the NHS 6.1 billion. 'We back the NAOs recommendations that tackling child obesity needs to be a cross-government initiative and also that the Government should target funding to deprived areas where there is a particular risk of childhood obesity, empowering local leaders to take the right actions for their population.' The Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, Ian Hudspeth, called for more powers to be granted to local authorities to help them tackle obesity levels. 'Childhood obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges we face and this report is another stark reminder of the urgent need for radical action to combat this,' he said. 'Councils are already working hard to help their communities live healthier and more active lives, including initiatives such as healthy food schemes in schools and nurseries and specialised weight management services. 'Greater powers for councils are also needed to tackle the clustering of existing takeaways and restricting junk food advertising, alongside extra investment in other council-run programmes such as exercise referral schemes and offering free or reduced-cost sport, if we are to meet the Governments ambition of halving childhood obesity by 2030.' Caroline Cerny, Alliance Lead at Obesity Health Alliance, said: 'We agree that progress by the government to address childhood obesity has been slow and we would strongly welcome the introduction of procedures to ensure other government departments are held to account to deliver this vital programme improving childrens health must be everyones responsibility. 'However its wrong to suggest that the policies to address childhood obesity may not the right ones based on such a brief analysis. There is a strong and consistent body of evidence regarding the highly influential role marketing of all kinds plays in steering childrens food choices. Thats why leading health charities, medical colleges and health experts all support regulation to limit unhealthy food advertising and promotions, as the government has committed to introduce by 2022.' The UK has one of the worst childhood obesity rates in the western world, behind only Portugal, Spain and Italy Eleanor Pearce Willis, Senior Policy Officer at Diabetes UK, said: 'This report further shows that progress on addressing and tackling childhood obesity has been slow, and significant further action is needed across government. 'The evidence-based measures proposed in the governments obesity strategy in July 2020 should be implemented without delay, but they also need to go further to end childhood obesity. 'Local authorities also have an important role to play in addressing childhood obesity and need to be properly funded to achieve this. Improving childrens health must be everyones responsibility and Diabetes UK will continue to put pressure on the government.' The California based Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry, with the help of the religious rights law group Liberty Counsel have filed a lawsuit to appeal and challenge California Gov. Newsom's ban on in-person worship services. Liberty Counsel stated that the lawsuit would appeal "both the total ban on in-person worship (including in private homes) in the counties on the 'County Monitoring List,' and the ban on singing and chanting in the remaining counties." Not only does Harvest Rock seek to reinstate their in-person worship services, but their "Life Groups" (smaller home Bible studies) as well. Liberty Counsel has argued that while Newsom's laws have banned Church gatherings, he still "continues to encourage thousands of protestors to gather throughout the state." The Pasadena prosecutor has even gone so far as to send a letter to the church and pastor Che Ahn threatening "daily criminal charges and fines to the pastor, the church, staff and parishioners, saying each criminal charge would be punishable by up to one year in prison." Liberty Counsel and Pastor Ahn have stated this ban to be unlawful and in direct violation of their first amendment rights of freedom of religion. In a response on his Instagram account, Pastor Ahn stated to his congregation, "If you do show up and get a ticket, Harvest Rock Church is going to underwrite that ticket; we'll pay for your citation. We're really doing a prophetic act here in obedience to what we believe the Holy Spirit is directing us. I've said this a number of times, I'm willing to go to jail for what I believe is my constitutional right and what I believe the Holy Spirit is asking me to do as your pastor." Ahn believes more than ever that the Church is essential to be able to help people get through this pandemic. Although Ahn and Harvest Rock Church plan on fighting Newsom's orders, they still recognize that certain safety features must be followed. The Church asks its parishioners to follow safe social distancing procedures, to stay home if they are feeling sick or exhibiting symptoms, and to wear masks "when entering and exiting the auditorium." Actress Kirstie Alley raged at the Oscars' 'dictatorial' new diversity rules last night - claiming they were akin to 'telling Picasso what had to be in his f***ing paintings'. The Academy Awards shake-up means films hoping to win Best Picture from 2024 will have to hire more black, female, LGBT or disabled cast and crew or address themes that affect those communities. Academy chiefs say the rules are intended to 'better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience', but critics accused 'Woke Hollywood' bosses of turning the Oscars into a 'weapon against anyone who disagreed with their politics'. Oscar nominee James Woods said the new eligibility rules were 'madness', while Cheers star Alley called them a 'disgrace to artists everywhere'. The move comes after months of race protests in the US and years of pressure from activists who have called for a boycott of the glitzy event. Cheers actress Kirstie Alley (pictured) raged at the 'dictatorial' new Oscars rules which will require films to meet diversity targets to be eligible for Best Picture Kirstie Alley said the new rules were 'dictatorial' and 'anti-artist', accusing Hollywood of 'swinging so far left you're bumping into your own a**' Diversity: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a sweeping new diversity measures that holds film productions and studios accountable for promoting inclusion Hollywood's new diversity rules explained To be eligible for Best Picture, films must meet any TWO of the following FOUR criteria. 1. ON-SCREEN REPRESENTATION This standard can be met by fulfilling any ONE of these: - Lead actor or significant supporting actor from an ethnic minority group - At least 30 per cent of smaller roles are played by women, LGBT people, disabled people or ethnic minorities - The main storyline is centered on an under-represented group 2. CREATIVE LEADERSHIP This standard can be met by fulfilling any ONE of these: - At least two senior creative posts, such as casting director, make-up artist or producer, are from an under-represented group including women - At least six smaller roles in the crew are filled by ethnic minorities - At least 30 per cent of the film's total crew is from an under-represented group 3. INDUSTRY ACCESS This standard can be met by fulfilling BOTH of these: - Studios and distributors must have paid interns or apprentices who are women or come from minority groups - Training opportunities must be offered to under-represented groups in production, distribution and financing 4. AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT This standard can be met by fulfilling this ONE requirement: - Multiple senior executives in publicity, marketing and distribution are women or minority groups Awards other than Best Picture will continue with their previous eligibility requirements. The rules will take effect from the 96th Academy Awards in 2025. Advertisement Writing on Twitter on Tuesday night, Kirstie Alley said: 'The Academy celebrates freedom of UNBRIDLED artistry expressed through movies. 'The new RULES to qualify for Best Picture are dictatorial... anti-artist... Hollywood you're swinging so far left you're bumping into your own a**.' She added: 'This is a disgrace to artists everywhere...can you imagine telling Picasso what had to be in his f***ing paintings. 'You people have lost your minds... Control artists,control individual thought... OSCAR ORWELL.' Fellow actor Nick Searcy said: 'The Oscars used to be, just like the movies, something we all shared. 'Woke Hollywood turned it all into a weapon they could use against anyone who disagreed with their politics. This is how Hollywood destroyed itself, like the NBA, NFL and MLB just did.' Film blogger Sasha Stone said: 'If the Academy inclusion mandate makes marginalized people feel they have a better chance getting employed I think that's a success. 'But I don't like that productions will be disqualified if they don't meet the demands. Just not the purpose of the Oscars.' Adam Liaw, a TV presenter, described the new rules as 'arbitrary if well-meaning requirements' which were 'not a complete or well-considered solution' without addressing the lack of diversity in the Academy itself. Comedian Tim Young said: 'So minority filmmakers will be left wondering if their movie was actually good or the Academy simply had a box to check. Either way, I will continue to not watch.' However, others said the 'representation and inclusion requirements' - which only apply to the Best Picture award - were not too demanding for Oscar hopefuls. Movie producer Franklin Leonard suggested that 'probably somewhere between 95-100 per cent of films that would have even been considered for an Oscar have nothing to worry about'. Those that do could 'solve that problem with a comparatively extremely low resource expenditure' to boost diversity, he said. Awards season columnist Kyle Buchanan said that many movies might 'sail through' the tests because of female representation in costume design, hair and make-up and advertising roles, meaning that the on-screen rules would have little effect. Films only have to meet two of the four criteria designed to improve hiring practices on and off screen. 'Here's the thing... almost every film would still be nominated under the new guidelines,' Buchanan said. Film writer Josh Spiegel said: 'Maybe the problem with the Oscar eligibility rules is that the bar seems to be set at ground level?'. The initiatives will go into effect with films released in 2024, which will be recognized at the 96th Oscars in 2025. Films contending for the best picture Oscar in 2022 and 2023 will not be bound by the rules, but will need to submit to the Academy confidential data on the movies' diversity based on the new criteria. Despite this, an academic study reported for the first time Wednesday, shows how Hollywood is casting more light-skinned actors for major roles in blockbuster movies in an effort to appeal to a Chinese audience. Filmmakers are said to have considered 'Chinese society's aesthetic preference for lighter skin' since 2012 when the Communist Party allowed more foreign films to be broadcast. The report, 'Can Emerging Markets Tilt Global Product Design? Impacts of Chinese Colorism on Hollywood Castings', was written in 2017 and published by Johns Hopkins University in February of this year but first reported by Axios this week. It looked at 3,000 movies from 2009 until 2015 and found an an 8 per cent increase in the number roles filled by of light-skinned actors after 2012 in a move the authors call 'light-skin shift'. Oscar nominee James Woods (pictured) described the new Academy Award eligibility rules as 'madness' after they were announced on Tuesday Inclusion: Films vying for Best Picture in 2022 and 2023 will be required to fill out a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form, though meeting inclusion thresholds will not be required for Best Picture eligibility until 2024 Guidelines: The guidelines were developed by Academy governors DeVon Franklin and Jim Gianopulos, who lead a task force to develop the standards The film academy came under criticism in 2015 with the social media hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, a backlash against two consecutive years of an all-white field of acting contenders. Amid mass protests over systemic racism this summer, streaming service HBO Max added a disclaimer and an introduction to the 1939 Oscar-winning Civil War film 'Gone with the Wind.' The new guidelines were developed by Academy governors DeVon Franklin and Jim Gianopulos, who lead a task force to develop the standards. The standards were inspired by British Film Institute (BFI) Diversity Standards, which determine funding for some films in the UK and eligibility in some categories of the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) Awards. 'The aperture must widen to reflect our diverse global population in both the creation of motion pictures and in the audiences who connect with them,' said Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in a statement. 'The Academy is committed to playing a vital role in helping make this a reality,' they continued. 'We believe these inclusion standards will be a catalyst for long-lasting, essential change in our industry,' the statement concluded. Marc Samuelson, chairman of the BAFTA Film Committee, said the British academy was 'delighted' that the Oscars had adopted similar standards. Committed: 'The Academy is committed to playing a vital role in helping make this a reality,' they continued New standards: Starting in 2024, films will need to meet at least two of four new standards to qualify for Best Picture Starting in 2024, films will need to meet at least two of four new standards to qualify for Best Picture. The first standard focuses on 'on-screen representation, themes and narratives,' with a film required to meet at least one of three sub-criteria to achieve this standard. The first of these is that a film must have at least one lead or significant supporting actor' from an underrepresented group including Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, Black/African American, Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native, Middle Eastern/North African Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander or Other underrepresented race or ethnicity. If the film is an ensemble, there must be at least 30 per cent of all actors in secondary and more minor roles who are either women, from a racial or ethnic group, from the LGBTQ+ community or people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing. The third sub-criteria revolves around the story, which must revolve around women, from a racial or ethnic group, from the LGBTQ+ community or people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing to qualify for this criteria. Criteria: If any one of those criteria are met, a film achieves the first standard, with the second focusing on 'creative leadership and project team. If any one of those criteria are met, a film achieves the first standard, with the second focusing on 'creative leadership and project team.' To achieve the second standard, a film must meet at least one of the three criteria below. The first says that a film must have at least two creative leaders or department heads in the following roles - Casting Director, Cinematographer, Composer, Costume Designer, Director, Editor, Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, Producer, Production Designer, Set Decorator, Sound, VFX Supervisor, Writer - who are either women, from a racial or ethnic group, from the LGBTQ+ community or people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing. Of those two positions, at least one must be from the following groups: Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, Black/African American, Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native, Middle Eastern/North African Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander or Other underrepresented race or ethnicity. The second sub-criteria states that at least six other crew members/technical team members must be from an underrepresented group, including positions such as First AD, Gaffer, Script Supervisor. Criteria: To achieve the second standard, a film must meet at least one of the three criteria below Crew: The second criteria states that at least six other crew members/technical team members must be from an underrepresented group, including positions such as First AD, Gaffer, Script Supervisor. The third criteria states that the entire crew must be comprised of over 30% of those from underrepresented groups such as women, from a racial or ethnic group, from the LGBTQ+ community or people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing. The third overarching standard focuses on Industry Access and Opportunities, with two criteria, both of which must be met. The first criteria is that a film's studio or production company must have paid interns who are from the following groups: women, from a racial or ethnic group, from the LGBTQ+ community or people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing. Major studios are required to have, 'substantive, ongoing paid apprenticeships/internships inclusive of underrepresented groups (must also include racial or ethnic groups) in most of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.' Mini-major and/or independent companies/studios must have, 'a minimum of two apprentices/interns from the above underrepresented groups (at least one from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group) in at least one of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.' Intern: The first criteria is that a film's studio or production company must have paid interns who are from the following groups: women, from a racial or ethnic group, from the LGBTQ+ community or people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing The second criteria states that a film company must offer, 'training and/or work opportunities for below-the-line skill development to people from the following underrepresented groups: Women, Racial or ethnic group,LGBTQ+, People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing. The fourth and final standard relates to Audience Development, which states that the studio or production company must have 'multiple in-house senior executives' from underrepresented groups on their publicity and marketing teams. The Academy added that films in the specialty feature categories (Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature, International Feature Film), 'will be addressed separately.' U.S. President Donald Trump faces reporters prior to boarding Air Force One as he departs Washington for campaign travel to Florida and North Carolina at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., September 8, 2020. The Trump Administration has amplified its campaign to harm Chinese technology companies, widening its focus from Huawei and 5G to the Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat. It's clear that these maneuvers are designed to distract from pressing domestic issues and to hobble Chinese tech firms for the commercial benefit of U.S. competitors. Sen. Marco Rubio, in an op-ed published by CNBC last week, called for the U.S. and its allies to find alternatives to Huawei to develop 5G networks. This desperately misguided strategy is destined to backfire. First, it will destroy U.S. dominance in the global semiconductor industry -- American chip-making equipment firms currently export about 90% of their production, most of it to East Asia, including China. It will also deny U.S. businesses the chance to sell hardware, software and apps: last year alone, Huawei spent $18.7 billion buying components from U.S. companies. Tens of thousands of American jobs are jeopardized by the actions against Huawei at a time of massive unemployment. Cutting off Huawei's supply of US technologies may be intended to hurt the company in the short run. But the longer-term effect will be to push Huawei and other companies headquartered in China toward greater self-reliance, as a recent report by CSIS, a U.S. think tank, points out. Research by the Boston Consulting Group shows that, over the long term, a full decoupling would shrink American chip-makers' revenue by 37% and lower their global market share to 30% while boosting the market share of Chinese chip companies by an order of magnitude. An injured whale was rescued from the waters between New York and New Jersey after a multi-day effort including agencies from three different states, including a specialty team that flew from Provincetown, Massachusetts to New York City and a specialized team from Monmouth University. The whale was reported to the Coast Guard after being spotted by a recreational boat off the coast of the Rockaways in New York City, across from Sandy Hook, in late July. An investigation showed it was entangled by several buoys and thousands of pounds of steel fishing gear. Sometimes the whale could get themselves out of whatever theyre tangled in. Sometimes it just takes very minimal amount of (work), a small inflatable boat with some specialized knives and cutting tools to cut it free. But this was a big was a serious, entanglement to get the whale free from, Jim Nickles, a marine scientist with Monmouth Universitys Urban Coast Institute who assisted in the operation, told NJ Advance Media. The rescue began on Monday, July 27, when rescue workers from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society went out to check on the condition of the whale. Although they couldnt yet see what, something was anchoring the whale to the sea floor, leaving him unable to swim and barely able to hold his head above the surface to breathe. The whale was in immediate danger of being hit by a boat or being attacked by a predator. Both teams went back out to the whale the following day, taking images that showed exactly what was holding the whale down: over 4,000 pounds of fishing equipment. The next morning, a team from the Center for Coastal Studies specializing in disentangling whales flew from Massachusetts to New York on a donated flight, ready to help free the whale. The team was able to cut away multiple buoys and cut through some of the gear near the whales tail, but the whale was still stuck in the water by the time it was too dark for rescue efforts to continue safely. That was among the more challenging whale disentanglement cases we have dealt with. That whale was fighting to live. All the folks we were working with on the water the last two days were fighting to help it, Scott Landry, the director of Marine Animal Entanglement Response at the Center for Coastal Studies in Massachusetts said shortly after the whale was freed in July. On the fourth day, a research vessel from Monmouth Universitys Urban Coast Institute and a researcher from NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Centers Sandy Hook lab were called out, as well as a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Drift Collection Vessel. Both boats used heavy-duty gear to attack the fishing supplies, and by 4 p.m. the final cut was made to free the whale, four days after he was first spotted. Although whale entanglements are not unusual, a rescue effort of this magnitude is, experts said. Using a hacksaw rescuers were able to cut through the steel cable holding the whale and the whale was able to swim free, Nickles said. Nickles said the Urban Coast Institute usually uses this particular boat for research efforts and its been several years since the institute assisted in a whale disentanglement. This particular story had a happy ending. The whale was spotted a week after is recured off the coast of Long Island and appeared to be doing just fine. Im sure hell have a scar and a bad remembrance of coming off the New York Coast, but short of that, I think hes okay, Nickles said. Nickles stressed that the rescue effort would not have been possible if the boater did not call in the whale sighting to the Coast Guard. Callers will be asked questions about what they see, and to send a photograph if possible, so rescue efforts can begin. Injured whales spotted in the ocean anywhere between Maine and Virginia can be reported to NOAA at 866-755-6622. 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. 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The Fermanagh actor, who is currently filming for the highly-anticipated sixth series of Line of Duty, has been unveiled as the presenter of Scenic Ireland, which is to be broadcast on Channel 5. As well as taking in the Giant's Causeway, the star of the hit procedural police drama also visits Carrick-a-Rede in Co Antrim. The programme also sees Dunbar travel across the border, climbing the summit of County Kerry's Skellig Michael - which was featured in the recent Star Wars Trilogy - as he explores the impressive coastline. Viewers will also see him sampling some of the local food. Filming for Scenic Ireland had been due to take place in the spring, but was delayed until last month due to the pandemic. Nonetheless Dunbar said it was worth the wait. "This has been the most wonderful trip, seeing old friends and visiting places I had dreamed of going to for years... a truly memorable experience," the actor said. Emma-Rosa Dias, managing director of production company Afro-Mic, which shot Scenic Ireland, said that while filming on the two-parter required some adjustments due to the lockdown, everyone involved still had a great time. "We'd planned to film in sunny May, but the pandemic had other ideas," said Emma. "So, with rigorous Covid training, a tight five-person team and regular testing, Adrian and the crew were able to hit the road safely - just in time for Storm Ellen!" Police checks are an important part of many employment processes. They help employers weed out unsuitable candidates based on their relevant criminal past. This helps to protect companies and their clients from potential harm. It also helps to create a positive workplace environment. Although not all Australian occupations legally require an australian federal police check, a lot do. Some of which include, but are limited to, lawyers, drivers, teachers, community care workers, correction staff, financial brokers, health practitioners, aged-care workers, and building practitioners. Between 2004 and 2018, the numbers of police checks requested from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission more than quadrupled to over 5 million, indicating that employers are becoming more aware of its importance. Heres how ways police checks help create a thriving workplace environment: Promoting Workplace Safety Every employer has the responsibility of ensuring they provide a safe workplace where staff members can carry out their job effectively. Therefore, employers have to be able to identify applicants that may threaten workplace safety. For instance, an applicant with a consistent criminal record of violence may be unsuitable for the role. Similarly, a repeat sex offender will sexually harass co-workers, thereby diminishing workplace safety. But with police certificates, employers can identify such people. Maintaining Brand Reputation Reputational damage can have devastating consequences for any business. Imagine a scenario where a violent exchange between two employees makes it to social media platforms, or a senior executive member makes headline for sexual harassment or the COO gets involved in an internal crime. All this can make the public lose their trust in such a company. Moreover, the employees get a negative vibe at work. Recovering from such damage can be difficult. Theft Prevention A positive work environment is one where the efforts of the employees directly translate into growing the company. In the situation where there is theft, the company will lose money and it may threaten their existence. Considering that 70% of theft is carried out by current and former employees, this scenario isnt far-fetched. With a police clearance, its possible to weed out applicants with a criminal history of theft. Protection of Data and Assets Living in the digital age makes data one of the most valuable assets for many companies. People usually have easy access to company and client data once they get into the organization. Thats why businesses have a responsibility to protect that data. The first step towards data protection is by ensuring that the employees are trustworthy and less likely to breach the data. Police checks can help in making the right hiring decisions. Maintaining Low Employee Turnover When the workplace is unsafe, employees tend to leave. On the other hand, engaged employees are generally happier, perform better, and stay with a company longer than disengaged employees. Furthermore, the economic loss associated with high turnover can harm any business. But with criminal history checks, applicants that may threaten workplace safety can be avoided. Conclusion Police checks are extremely helpful for gaining useful insights into the criminal history of applicants or even current employees. Armed with the information, employers can then make the right hiring decisions that will maintain workplace integrity, boost productivity, and ensure growth. Two Myanmar soldiers confessed during a video testimony that supports the widespread claims that the country's military has long been trying to get rid of the ethnic minority with a genocidal campaign. Confessing to massacres According to The New York Times, the two soldiers monotonously confessed their crime, showing only hints of emotion. The individuals revealed that they conducted executions, mass burials, destruction of villages, and rape. During the testimony, Private Myo Win Tun said that their commanding officer ordered them in August 2017 to "Shoot all you see and all you hear." The individual said he obeyed the orders and took part in the massacre that killed 30 Rohingya Muslims. Soldiers buried the victims near a cell tower and military base, marking a mass gravesite. Stationed in a nearby township, private Zaw Naing Tun said that he and his comrades followed similar orders that their commanding officer issued: "Kill all you see, whether children or adults." Zaw Naing Tun said that he and his colleagues laid waste to about 20 villages across the region, adding that he also took part in the mass burial of bodies. A rebel militia recorded the two Myanmar soldiers' video testimony. It is the first time that members of the country's military, the Tatmadaw, have publicly confessed to partaking in a genocidal campaign to eradicate the nation's Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority. The two men fled Myanmar last month and were transported to the Hague on Monday. The International Criminal Court opened a case that aims to reveal if the Tatmadaw leaders conducted massive, large-scale crimes against the Rohingya Muslims. Also Read: Man Live-Streams Suicide in Social Media, Sites Under Fire for Late Removal of Video Acts of sexual crimes Myo Win Tun also revealed he raped Muslim women before shooting and killing them. He said that his superiors also conducted forced sexual acts, including the Corporals, Sergeants, and other Officers, as reported by NBC News. Zaw Naing Tun said his allies also took part in Rohingya women's horrific raping but said he himself did not conduct such actions. He said his superiors ordered him to guard the area where the crimes were committed. The soldier said he stood outside while the other personnel raped the Muslim women, saying his rank required him to do the sentry. He said he could not remember all of the names of colleagues who conducted the rapes because there were many of them. According to TRT World, the Fortify Rights group said on Tuesday that the video testimonies provide crucial evidence supporting the ongoing investigation that the International Criminal Court is conducting. Since August 2017, at least 700,000 Rohingya citizens fled Myanmar to Bangladesh in an attempt to escape the Myanmar military and what they called a clearance campaign. However, Myanmar's government denied the accusations that its military conducted mass killings and rape and the destruction of thousands of homes across the country. The 2017 massacre of the Rohingya Muslims sparked one of the fastest fleeing of refugees worldwide. Nearly 750,000 people were left without a state within a few weeks. They were forced out of their homes in the Rakhine State of Myanmar after security personnel assaulted their villages armed with rifles, machetes, and flamethrowers. Related Article: Florida Man Accused of Shooting Mother to Death After Arguments Over Orange Juice and Remote Control @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NEW DELHI : India, Australia and France on Wednesday held talks for the first time under a trilateral framework with focus on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a region that has been witnessing increasing Chinese military assertiveness. The virtual meeting was co-chaired by foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, secretary-general in French ministry for Europe and foreign affairs Francois Delattre and secretary in Australian department of foreign affairs Frances Adamson. "The focus of the dialogue was on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. It said the "outcome-oriented" meeting was held with the objective of building on the strong bilateral ties that the three countries share with each other and synergise their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region. The MEA said the three sides agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis. It said the three sides discussed economic and geo-strategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic responses to the crisis. "The three countries also had an exchange on the priorities, challenges and trends in regional and global multilateral institutions, including the best ways to strengthen and reform multilateralism," the MEA said. The MEA said cooperation on marine global commons and potential areas for practical partnership at the trilateral and regional level were also discussed, including through regional organisations such as ASEAN, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Commission. The 10-nation ASEAN is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region. India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners. The IORA is a regional forum with a focus on enhancing maritime and economic cooperation. The members of the bloc include India, Australia, Bangladesh, Iran, Kenya, Comoros, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia and South Africa. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Laurent Sourisseau, who was badly wounded when Islamist gunmen attacked the French weekly's office in Paris in 2015, also said that he doesn't want to be 'dependent on the insane arbitrariness of fanatics' The current director of France's Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly, the target of a massacre by Islamist gunmen in January 2015, on Wednesday said the magazine had "nothing to regret" for publishing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed that angered Muslims around the world. Fourteen suspected accomplices are standing trial in Paris over the January 7-9, 2015 massacres at Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket that left a total of 17 dead and shocked the country. Seen as a champion of press freedom by supporters, critics accused Charlie Hebdo of crossing a line when it published the Mohammed caricatures in 2006, provoking the ire of Muslims worldwide. "I don't want to be dependent on the insane arbitrariness of fanatics," Charlie Hebdo's director Laurent Sourisseau, known as "Riss" and who was himself badly wounded in the shoulder in the attack, told the court. "There is nothing to regret" in having published the cartoons, he added. "What I regret is to see how little people fight to defend freedom. If we don't fight for our freedom, we live like a slave and we promote a deadly ideology." Ten people were killed inside the offices of Charlie Hebdo including Jean Cabut, known as Cabu, 76, Georges Wolinski, 80, and Stephane "Charb" Charbonnier, 47, who were among France's most celebrated cartoonists. 'Like house arrest' Sourisseau, 53, who succeeded Charb as head of the publication, insisted that freedom is "not something that drops from the sky". "We grew up without imagining that one day our freedoms would be put into question." Recalling the horror of the attack by the brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, he said: "The immediate sensation after the attack is that you have been cut in half and you were being deprived of a part of yourself." Sourisseau now lives under round the clock protection. "It is like I am under house arrest." Defiant as ever, Charlie Hebdo last week republished the cartoons of Prophet Mohammed, drawing new condemnation from states including Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. "If we had given up the right to publish these cartoons, that would mean that we were wrong to do so" in the first place, he said. The trial, which began on 2 September, is expected to continue until November, reopening one of the post painful chapters in France's history even if those on trial are only suspected accomplices of the attackers, who were killed by police in the aftermath of the massacre. SEATTLE, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Children's Bureau, Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Prevent Child Abuse America are partnering to launch a national effort to prove it is possible to fundamentally rethink child welfare by creating the conditions for strong, thriving families where children are free from harm. This first-of-its-kind effort Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-Being will work across the public, private and philanthropic sectors to assist jurisdictions in developing more just and equitable systems that benefit all children and families and break harmful intergenerational cycles of trauma and poverty. "Having invested heavily in elevating the voices of parents and youth with lived experience in child welfare, we now have not only the opportunity but the obligation to act on what they've told us they need to stay strong and healthy," says Jerry Milner, associate commissioner for the Children's Bureau at the U.S. Administration of Children and Families. "Our four organizations are uniquely prepared and driven to do just that, by transforming child welfare into a child and family well-being system." Thriving Families will help select jurisdictions move from traditional, reactive child protection systems to systems designed to proactively support child and family well-being and prevent child maltreatment and unnecessary family separation. "Every child deserves a safe, stable and permanent family and all families deserve the opportunities and supports to raise their children safely and successfully in their own homes, communities and cultures," said Dr. William C. Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family Programs. "This important effort will demonstrate how all sectors of a community can work together to reallocate resources into equitable, hope-inspiring services and supports that reduce the need for foster care and improve the well-being of children and families across the nation." This multiyear commitment will provide resources and support from the four partners and other relevant child- and family-serving federal agencies, jurisdictions, diverse community stakeholders and the public, private, faith-based and philanthropic sectors to create more just, equitable and humane child and family well-being systems. The initiative will be composed of three tiers of action: Tier One Select jurisdictions will serve as demonstration sites, collaborating with the initiative's partners for intensive technical support and resources to help realize their goal of creating child and family well-being systems. Tier Two The effort will partner with jurisdictions to focus on policy and systemic reforms at the state, tribal or territorial level. Tier Three The effort will share lessons learned to help inform and inspire other jurisdictions in launching their own journeys in building child well-being systems. Tier One work will soon begin in California/LA County, Colorado, Nebraska and South Carolina. The effort is working to identify and invite Tier Two jurisdictions. Thriving Families seek to demonstrate that intentional, coordinated investment in a full continuum of prevention and robust community-based networks of support will promote overall child and family well-being, equity and other positive outcomes for children and families. The partners believe it is time to act on what we know: Community and family support helps keep children safe and well. Thriving Families is rooted in the recognition that all families need help sometimes and that seeking help is a sign of strength and resiliency and that we should strive to keep children safe with their families as opposed to safe from their families. The challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic have underscored the urgency to create such systems. "Families are our greatest asset in ensuring that all children are safe and have what they need to thrive and succeed especially now, during the coronavirus crisis," said Dr. Melissa T. Merrick, president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America. "This extraordinary moment provides an opportunity to shift the narrative from child welfare to child well-being. We must leverage this new way of thinking to develop and deliver effective and impactful community-based resources that assist families in ways which strengthen and help keep them together." The Thriving Families effort will include diverse community stakeholders most importantly families with lived expertise to help them discern and develop the supports, resources, services and approaches to meet the unique needs of their families and promote the conditions to help them thrive. Work will focus on creating and enhancing networks of community-based supports and aligning government resources to provide a full prevention continuum that strengthens community protective factors and parental protective capacities and mitigate associated risk factors. "Now is a time to reimagine how we as a collective of caring and supportive adults child welfare practitioners, parents, children and older youth, advocates and community partners can redefine the mission and objectives of child welfare to help ensure all children, Black, Brown and Indigenous families who have been overrepresented in our systems, have the opportunities they need and deserve to thrive," says Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez, vice president of the Center for Systems Innovation at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. "This is the moment to urgently build a child and family well-being system that propels families to grow and thrive together on their terms." The U.S. Children's Bureau The Children's Bureau (CB) is the first federal agency within the U.S. Government and in fact, the world to focus exclusively on improving the lives of children and families. Since its creation by President Taft in 1912, CB has tackled some of our nation's most pressing social issues. CB is headed by the Associate Commissioner. CB focuses on matters related to child welfare, including child abuse and neglect, child protective services, family preservation and support, adoption, foster care, and independent living and administers funding for state, tribal and territorial child welfare program and discretionary grant programs. CB recommends legislative and budgetary proposals, operational planning system objectives and initiatives, and projects including evaluation, research, and demonstration activities. CB also represents ACYF in interagency activities to initiate and implement projects affecting children and families. Casey Family Programs Casey Family Programs is the nation's largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care in the United States. By working together, we can create a nation where Communities of Hope provide the support and opportunities that children and families need to thrive. Founded in 1966, Casey Family Programs works in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and with tribal nations across North America to influence long-lasting improvements to the well-being of children, families and the communities where they live. Visit casey.org to learn more. The Annie E. Casey Foundation The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private philanthropy that creates a brighter future for the nation's children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow. Visit aecf.org to learn more. Prevent Child Abuse America Founded in 1972, Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) is the nation's oldest and largest organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. PCA America works to actively prevent all forms of child abuse and neglect before they can occur and help children grow up to be productive, contributing members of their communities and society. The organization's success is founded on a nationwide network of state chapters and nearly 600 Healthy Families America home visiting sites, which provide parents and caregivers a wide variety of direct services. PCA America's comprehensive approach is informed by science it translates and disseminates innovative research to promote proven solutions that this vast network then puts into action. And PCA America raises public awareness and advocates for family friendly policies at the national, state, and local levels to support transformative programs that help children, families, and communities across the country thrive. Visit preventchildabuse.org to learn more. SOURCE Casey Family Programs A year ago, Science Applications International Corp. CEO Nazzic Keene had just taken over leadership of the company and SAICs $2.5 billion acquisition of Engility was not yet a year old. For Keene, her priorities over the past year have been to drive the company toward profitable, sustainable organic growth, focus on talent, and complete the later stages of the Engility integration. Today, with her company perched at No. 11 on the Washington Technology Top 100 with $3.7 billion in prime contracts, those three priorities establish a benchmark of sorts for her first year as CEO. I look at [the past year] through the lens of those priorities, Keene told me. In the companys first quarter of its fiscal year it achieved organic growth but fell just short of that goal in second quarter results announced Sept. 2. The company reported that revenue, excluding acquisitions, contracted by 0.7 percent, because of slowdowns created by the COVID-19 pandemic. But when the company backed out COVIDs impact in the second quarter, organic revenue was 3 percent. We drove organic revenue growth nonetheless and Im proud of the organizations ability to really focus on that and value in the top line as well as the bottom line, Keene said in an interview before the second quarter results were released. And despite the pandemic, the company has been aggressively hiring new workers. And in light of COVID, talent has become even more important, she said. For the third priority, the Engility integration is completed with expected cost synergies achieved. Weve seen a great opportunity to complement our portfolio on the revenue side and the people side, so the integration has gone exceptionally well, she said. Thats the year looking back. What will the next year bring? In many ways more of the same. Organic growth is a priority. People remain critical, and the company has another major acquisition in Unisys Federal to integrate. Unisys Federal in many ways has been a different integration process, Keene said. In many ways it is simpler because Unisys Federal was a division of a larger company and not an entire company. There isnt another CEO or chief financial officer or other C-suite infrastructure that needs to be dealt with. What we acquired was a grouping of products, a grouping of contracts and a group of great talent, so it makes it a bit easier, she said. COVID have made the integration a little more complicated because the week the deal closed was the same week that SAIC sent nearly its entire workforce home to work remotely. Weve been integrating for the most part, virtually, but the teams have come together, Keene said. The strategic fit of Unisys Federal was the big driver for the deal because it added more capabilities around digital transformation and a more repeatable commercial way of doing business. Unisys Federals product offerings of Stealth and CloudForte, which improve cybersecurity and cloud migration, are prime examples of how SAIC can differentiate itself. To be able to marry what SAIC was doing with what Unisys Federal was doing gave us an exponential boost, Keene said. SAIC has had some important recompete wins in recent months, including a $1.3 billion contract with the Justice Department to support its asset forfeiture work. It also won a $653 million FAA contract for air traffic controller training. Winning recompetes is critical and is a testament to the quality of the work SAIC provides, Keene said. Ensuring that we win those recompetes is always top of mind and something that is a key priority of the company, she said. But so is new contract wins. Weve expanded our portfolio and built our backlog and our past performance qualifications, Keene said. It is allowing us to pursue larger contracts. One of those big new contract awards was a $950 million Defense Logistics Agency to manage a global supply chain for commodity products. The company will be providing automation and other tools that will support collecting requirements, forecasting and inventory and delivery management. Another notable new contract awards include a $630 million Air Force Technology Application Development and Sustainment award to support integration of weather forecasting systems. A key to winning and delivering on these kinds of contract is innovation. SAIC does this through acquisitions such as Unisys Federal, partnerships with commercial companies such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and ServiceNow. The company has what it calls the Innovation Factory as a place where customers and partners can test drive new solutions. The work there covers both current needs and future mission requirements. We are very mission focused in how we think about the Innovation Factory, she said. The company also has the T3 Conference, which focuses on tools, technologies and talent. Weve tried to create an ecosystem that allows us to drive innovation at all levels of the organization, Keene said. Some areas of interest include artificial intelligence, automation, space, and augmented and virtual reality. The company also has a program where individual employees or small groups can apply for funds to work on a new technology or solution. People apply and we provide some seed money, Keene said. Its an incremental way to drive creativity, to drive thought leadership. Fraud victims are now losing at least 11.5 million a day as scammers seek to cash in on coronavirus, Money Mail can reveal today. Alarmingly, the true figure is thought to be nearer 80 million a day because only a fraction of all fraud is officially reported. Experts warned early on that crooks were attempting to capitalise on the panic surrounding the crisis. Fraud outbreak: The total amount of money lost to fraud has almost quadrupled since the start of the pandemic in March, when losses totalled around 3 million per day While everyone was locked away at home, they were knocking on our doors, worming their way into our email inboxes and cold-calling us at home. Preying on people's fear and confusion, they knew their victims would be even more vulnerable than usual and showed no mercy. Now, exclusive figures from Action Fraud reveal for the first time the true cost of the coronavirus fraud epidemic. The total amount of money lost to fraud has almost quadrupled since the start of the pandemic in March, when losses totalled around 3 million per day. There were 22,785 cases recorded in March, with losses totalling 92.3 million. By July cases had jumped by 43 per cent to 32,658, while losses had soared by 286 per cent to 356.6 million. That is around 8,000 of someone's savings stolen every single minute. But the true scale of the fraud crisis is even more devastating because it is estimated that just 15 per cent of victims alert Action Fraud. The figures include all types of fraud. Banks will usually refund customers if scammers gain access to victims' accounts without them realising. Fraud victims are usually refunded if scammers are able to access their accounts without them realising The most disastrous scams, however, are where fraudsters trick you into handing over your cash because it is often much harder to get your money back. So today, Money Mail is launching a two-part special to help you fight back against the fraudsters. It builds on our Stop The Bank Scammers campaign, which we launched two years ago as part of a long-term effort to fight fraud. This week, we share expert tips on how to get refunds if you have been scammed and tell victims' stories to help readers avoid falling for the same traps. And just in case you think you are too smart to get caught out, we also reveal what happened when we invited a team of cyber experts to try to hack the accounts of Money Mail staff. Next week we will focus on pension and investment scams. Just last month, The Pensions Regulator revealed that 30 million has been lost in pension scams since 2017. Remember: two-thirds of Britons believe they can protect themselves from scams but four in ten fall for the most common tactics, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. So first, we reveal what those tactics are and how you can combat them. Be wary if you receive an unexpected call from the police saying they are investigating fraudulent activity on your bank account and ask to confirm your card details over the phone Don't get nicked by phoney police Spot it: An unexpected call from the police informs you they are investigating fraudulent activity on your bank account and need your help to convict the criminal. You are asked to confirm your card details over the phone, or key your PIN into the phone. You may be asked to withdraw a sum of money from your account to be 'forensically examined'. You are told not to tell bank cashiers why you are withdrawing the money, in case they are involved in the fraud. A smart-looking courier or 'taxi' is sent to your house to collect an envelope with the cash and your cards. Stop it: Hang up. The police will never ask you to disclose your bank and PIN over the phone or ask you to withdraw cash to give to a courier. Wait five minutes before calling the police on 999 to report the crime, or use a different phone. The fraudster may still have your line open. Call your bank using the number of the bank on your card. Bank staff are trained to spot courier fraud and alert the police under the Banking Protocol scheme. Amazon con cost this 80-year-old 3,000 Venetia Robertson was tricked by phone fraudsters posing as Amazon staff Venetia Robertson received a call from bogus Amazon staff claiming she had accidentally signed up for its Prime service and was owed a 40 refund. The caller asked the 80-year- old to complete a series of tasks, including searching for her computer's IP address which shows the location of a device. Not realising at the time, she believes this allowed the crooks to take control of her machine. Eventually they said she had been refunded 4,000 by mistake and that she needed to transfer the extra money back. Venetia says the fraudsters were even able to make it look as though her online balance was 4,000 higher than it was. A one-time password was then sent to her phone, which the crooks asked her to read out. This gave the go-ahead for a 3,000 payment to be sent to their account. The pensioner did not even have to type in the name and number for the account as these automatically appeared on her screen. She believes the fraudsters asked for 3,000 because a higher figure may have alerted the bank that the payment was suspicious. Venetia felt uneasy as soon as she put the phone down so called TSB. But she was in such a panic that she failed her security questions. The following Monday she visited her local branch where she discovered her account had been drained, with just 504 remaining. Venetia, who lives in Southsea, Hants, says: 'I just feel so sick thinking about it and I keep asking myself how I could have been so stupid.' TSB has confirmed it will refund the pensioner. Ashley Hart, at TSB, says: 'TSB customers who are victims of fraud are always refunded in line with the terms of our Fraud Refund Guarantee.' Make scam sink without trace Spot it: A caller claiming to be from the NHS Test And Trace scheme says you have come into contact with someone suffering from Covid-19. You are told you need a test in the post and asked for your home address and bank details so you can pay for it. Stop it: Described by the Local Government Association as a 'ruthless scam', this is difficult to spot. Fraudsters hope panic will cause victims to hand over their personal information. The genuine number used by Test And Trace is 0300 0135 000, so a call from any other number is fake. But the scammers may hide their real number and mimic this one. The simple rule to remember is that testing is free. You will never be asked for bank details by a real Test And Trace caller. Nor will they request any other detail such as social media accounts, ask you to set up a password or PIN or tell you to call a premium rate service such as an 09 or 087 number. To order a genuine test, go to contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk. Targeting the vulnerable Spot it: You are contacted by email, text message, via social media or in person by someone who says they work for Jobcentre Plus. They offer to claim 'free money' on your behalf, which they say is linked to Universal Credit or an advanced payment of the benefit. But they deduct a fee of 40 per cent or more for their services. They claim to be able to fast-track your application. Stop it: Don't let anyone apply for Universal Credit on your behalf. You can do it for free. It will also affect the amount you receive in future or you could be asked to pay it back, including the fraudster's fee. If you need help applying, contact Citizens Advice in England on 0800 144 8444, Wales 0800 024 1220 and Scotland 0800 023 2581. Student duped by HMRC tax trick Student Ben Griffin was told he would have to pay 754 or face arrest and a court appearance Ben Griffin was alone in his shared house in Brighton in August when he picked up the phone to a scammer claiming to work for HMRC. The caller said he was the subject of a tax fraud investigation. He guided him to the HMRC website and told him he would receive a call from the listed number. Ben's phone rang and he was told he would have to pay 754 or face arrest and a court appearance. Ben, a student at the University of Sussex, says: 'I had a panic attack on the phone, they told me I would get arrested if I hung up.' He had taken up a part-time job at a local pub and feared this had caused a problem with his taxes. The caller also said HMRC was not sending letters during the pandemic. Ben, 21, transferred the cash from his Barclays student account, plus another 400 for 'solicitor fees'. He rang his mother, Fiona, 63, who advised him to call Barclays. After around 90 minutes on hold to its fraud team, an employee reassured him he should get his money back. When Ben (left) heard nothing weeks later, he called again and was told Barclays would not refund him because he had authorised the payment. Ben says: 'I had no idea scammers could clone numbers like that.' Barclays refunded Ben the full 1,154 after Money Mail intervened. Clean out the virus salesman Spot it: You receive a call or home visit from a 'salesman' flogging face masks, pills that cure coronavirus or hand-sanitising gels. You are asked for an upfront payment over the phone or an advance cash payment in person but no goods or services will be delivered. Stop it: Never give your bank details to strangers over the phone or pay in advance to receive products or services. Do not deal with any doorstep salespeople peddling anti-Covid-19 measures. Only buy medical goods from trusted sources such as pharmacies. Ask to see the doggie in the window Spot it: You see an online advert selling puppies and kittens that requires a deposit. The advert is probably on social media or shopping sites like Gumtree. The seller makes excuses to stop you from seeing your pet first, or from picking it up. You are asked for more and more payments to cover vaccines, insurance and the delivery of the pet that never arrives. Stop it: Don't buy a pet online without looking up reviews of the website or person selling the animal. Trust your gut. If it seems dubious, ask a family member for a second opinion. Insist on seeing the animal in person before parting with your cash. If you are unable to travel, ask for a video call. Challenge any resistance from the seller and walk away if you are suspicious. If you do go ahead, don't pay by bank transfer. Use a credit card or PayPal, which offer more protection if you are a fraud victim. Press 'one' to be defrauded Spot it: You receive an automated call that appears to be from HMRC telling you to press 'one' to speak to an operator. The call handler says you have not paid your tax properly and threatens you with arrest if you don't settle up immediately. Instructions are given on how to pay but they will often claim that the transfer has not been successful, goading you into paying again and again until you have unwittingly emptied your account. Stop it: HMRC will never email or text you about a tax rebate or penalty, or ask for your personal payment information. Report suspicious activity to HMRC's phishing team at phishing@hmrc.gov.uk or forward the text to 60599. Contact their security team at security.custcon@hmrc.gov.uk if you think you have been scammed. The errors that reveal a fraud Spot it: You receive a call or email telling you to pay your TV licence. It says the TV licensing agency will have to cancel your licence or pass your details to a debt collection agency if you fail to keep up with payments. It will provide a link for you to pay. The email may have several spelling mistakes. Stop it: The link contains a virus that will infect your device. TV Licensing will never email customers, unprompted, to ask for bank details, personal information or tell you that you may be entitled to a refund. It has started sending letters to anyone aged over 75 asking them to either pay for the licence or apply for a free one. The letter will include your title, last name and licence number. It will only ask you to pay by post, online at tvl.co.uk/75pay or tvl.co.uk/75apply or by calling 0300 790 6151. The address is TV Licensing, PO Box 578, Darlington DL98 1AN. Anything other than this is a scam. Nor will TV Licensing come to your doorstep demanding payment. Prime yourself... it's not Amazon Spot it: Another automated call, this time purporting to be from Amazon, saying you have taken out a Prime subscription and should press 'one' to cancel. You are then connected to someone posing as an Amazon customer service agent. The 'agent' explains that the subscription was purchased fraudulently because of a 'security flaw' on your computer. They say they will need remote access to your device to fix the breach. This gives them access to your passwords and banking information. Another tactic is to claim you are owed a refund after being overcharged. They make it look as though you have been repaid too much and ask for it back. In reality, they never sent any money to you, so if you make a payment you are handing over your own cash. Stop it: Amazon will never call customers for payment outside of its website. Do not give unknown sources remote access to your devices. Scammers may also claim you are due a rebate. Red flag for green home call Spot it: You are contacted by a so-called adviser, who explains you are eligible for the Government's Green Homes Grant, a voucher worth up to 5,000 that can be spent on making your home energy efficient. The caller will direct you to a fake application to get your personal details to commit identity theft or try to steal money. Stop it: The scheme does not start until the end of September, so any call now is a scam. If you are contacted in October or later, do not follow the scammer's instruction. To find out how to apply, visit gov.uk/guidance/apply-for- the-green-homes-grant-scheme. Dodgy links infect device Spot it: You receive an email purporting to be from your mobile or broadband provider stating you are due a refund. It contains company branding and a link to click to obtain the refund. Stop it: The link will lead you to a malicious website, which will attempt to infect your device, either locking you out of it or allowing scammers to gain access to it. Don't click on links or attachments in suspicious emails and never respond to messages that ask for your personal or financial details. Don't gamble on lottery call Scammers are calling potential victims saying they have won a lottery or prize draw but to claim the prize, they are told to send money to pay for taxes and processing fees Spot it: You receive a call saying you have won a lottery or prize draw. To claim the prize, you are told to send money to pay for taxes and processing fees. Stop it: Genuine lotteries thrive on publicity. No official lotteries contact people to tell them of their win and don't demand fees to collect winnings. Online discount could be a ruse Spot it: A website, or seller if it is an auction site such as eBay, is offering you goods for a fraction of the price. The only payment method offered is bank transfer, which means you have to enter your account details. The website is poorly designed and contact details are sparse. The reviews are non-existent. Stop it: Have a look around the website for telltale signs it is run by scammers. There may be spelling and grammar mistakes and no refund details. Check the retailer's social media website to see what recent activity there is, and if other shoppers have left comments. If you do decide to proceed, using a credit card gives you more chance of getting your money back. Signs your email has been hacked Spot it: You are expecting to part with a large sum of money, possibly to buy a house, and receive an email from someone pretending to be your solicitor or your builder. They claim to have a new bank account, and tell you how to pay into it. On closer inspection there is a small difference in the spelling of the email address. Stop it: Your email account has been hacked by scammers who have intercepted a thread of messages and are mimicking a sender you trust. Report the hack to your email provider. Never transfer money to a bank account number that has been emailed to you. If you receive a message, call your solicitor or builder on a number you trust. Preying on the bereaved Another scam involves someone claiming to be from your local council's bereavement service calling you to say that the payment you have made to your funeral director has bounced Spot it: Someone claiming to be from your council's bereavement service calls you to say that the payment you have made to your funeral director has bounced. You are told to make an immediate payment to them over the phone. Stop it: Never give your card details out over the phone to an unexpected caller. A bereavement service would not act in this way. Hang up and call your funeral director from a different line. moneymail@dailymail.co.uk Australia Post chief executive Christine Holgate threatened to call police unless the City of Melbourne delivered more than 100 of Pauline Hanson's One Nation-branded stubby holders to every apartment in a locked-down suburban public housing tower in July. Ms Holgate's written ultimatum, through her senior legal counsel, came days after Senator Hanson had labelled residents of the Melbourne towers "drug addicts" and "alcoholics", and at the same time Australia Post was attempting to win over One Nation's vote to ensure a temporary relaxation in daily postal services was not overturned by the Senate. Australia Post chief executive Christine Holgate intervened to get Pauline Hanson stubby holders distributed to residents in one of Melbourne's locked down public housing towers. Credit:Peter Rae/Supplied The 114 parcels were intercepted by the council while it was managing the week-long Victorian government-enforced lockdown of some 3000 people spread across nine towers in two separate estates in Flemington and North Melbourne in the city's inner north-west. Officials overseeing distribution of food, medical supplies and mail at Canning Street, North Melbourne opened one parcel addressed "to the householder" of an unoccupied flat and decided against distributing the stubby holders. The paraphernalia would, sources said, inflame what was already an "emotional tinder box" within the tower following Senator Hanson's comments on the Nine Network's Today program earlier that week. A high-powered delegation of the African National Congress (ANC) led by the partys secretary general, Ace Magashule, is expected to return to South Africa after holding meetings with Zimbabwes ruling Zanu PF party, accused by some locals of gross human rights violations by locals and the international community. Magashule told reporters in Harare on Wednesday that they would organize the return trip in conjunction with Zanu PF. According to state media reports, Magashule, who is accompanied by Lindiwe Zulu, Gwede Mantashe, Tony Yengeni, Enock Gondongwana, Nosiviwe Ngqakula and several others, held some meetings with top ruling party officials and discussed various issues. In a tweet, Zimbabwes Information Secretary, Nick Mangwana quoted Magashule saying, We have also received some requests to meet other stakeholders like Transform Zimbabwe opposition party, and then Dr. Simba Makoni, Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (Zapu), Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, and Movement for Democratic Change Alliance as well as United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe but we felt that together with Zanu PF that indeed there is no problem meeting with these structuresand therefore we are going to make arrangements towards coming back and meet with these organizations. South African president Cyril Ramaphosa recently sent special envoys to Zimbabwe Baleka Mbete, Dr. Sydney Mufamadi and Ngoako Ramatlodi who returned home after engaging only President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Prince Dubeko Sibanda of the MDC Alliance said it was not surprising that the ANC delegation only met with Zanu PF officials. This means that we are on our own as South Africa cant help us in resolving our problems. The delegation should go back tell President Ramaphosa that they only held meetings with Zanu PF officials. We are not surprised about what they did. But Zanu PFs Believe Gaule praised the ANC delegation for discussing various issues with only the ruling party. Some of the people who are wailing today are sellouts. They spend most of their time lying to the South Africans about the situation in Zimbabwe. This includes members of G40 (Generation 40) who failed dismally to have their own person in Zanu PF to be the president of Zimbabwe. They are running around with MDC factions in an effort to cause havoc in the country. So, the ANC delegation did well for not holding any meetings with these sellouts. Political activist, Nokuthula Adonsi, hit back, saying, I strongly believe that sellouts are people like you (Gaule). You have completely destroyed Zimbabwe. Indications are that the ANC delegation discussed the political situation in the country, Zimbabweans flocking to South Africa and related issues. EDWARDSVILLE This fall, tucked into a small spot next to the new Goshen Coffee cafe, will be a new, fast-casual dining spot that offers worldwide flavors Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hawaiian and Mexican Rocket Bowls. Owners Eric Heckman and his wife, Eun Kyung, are old hands at the restaurant business, having owned, managed and consulted for multiple restaurants in Missouri like Silk Road Chinese Buffet, Soos Korean Restaurant, Area 14 Sushi and Lounge, Lucky Fish, Takaya New Asian and Tani Sushi Bistro. We started in Greenville; we never thought we would do business in Illinois, Heckman said during a phone interview Friday. This will mark the owners second location after opening their initial restaurant March 4 in the Greenville University Smart Center, a hub for university students, businesses and start-ups, about 40 miles away. Heckman got the idea to expand to Edwardsville after talking to a friend who knew a friend that is involved with Plocher Constructions Trace on the Parkway project. We visited and loved the site and the vibe of the area. I had never been here or dined here before and now, I dont know why. He added that Trace on the Parkways proximity to SIUE was another big draw for him. Another friend of Heckmans is Kari McGinness, who co-owns Cleveland Heath with her husband, Keith. Eric and Kari are long-time friends and worked together in Springfield, Missouri about 20 years ago. They saw each other more recently and after catching each other up on their lives, Heckman learned she had married, moved to Edwardsville and opened the restaurant. Heckman was convinced he should try Edwardsville, too. Currently, Heckman has targeted mid-November as his opening date in Edwardsville but like everything else with a pandemic in the background, that date is fluid. The restaurants hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. He plans to maximize technology to make things convenient for his customers in the Edwardsville space besides driving or walking to the restaurant. He said there is a Rocket Bowls app available in the iTunes Store now and it will be available soon on Android devices. There will be online ordering and a way to order via text message. After Heckman identifies who the biggest food delivery provider in the area is, he will contract with it for delivery service, he said. Once things settle down, Heckman said there will be about 15 seats available inside and a few tables for outside dining opportunities. He said the menu will be more expansive here than it is in Greenville with poke bowls and raw fish items. He calls this a culmination and a passion project for himself and his wife, to be able to provide flavors from around the world in healthy food for people to purchase and eat. He said they draw on family recipes for menu items. We had been working on this for more than a year before we opened Greenville, he said. We have created a lot of food. St. Louis Magazine took note of the Greenville location this year, too, awarding Heckman with its Smart Idea Award as part of the magazines annual A-List Awards. Its cool to be noticed so far from St. Louis with a different concept, Heckman said of the accolade. To check out Rocket Bowls Greenville menu, click here. The wife of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has started blocking journalists on social media as the embattled state leader comes increasingly under fire over Melbourne's Stage Four lockdown. Alex White and Rachel Baxendale - state political reporters for The Herald Sun and The Australian - both discovered Catherine Andrews had blocked them from seeing her profile on Twitter. The reason for Mrs Andrews blocking the journalists remains unclear but both publications have heavily criticised her husband over the harsh restrictions put in place in Victoria during the state's second COVID-19 wave. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews pictured with his wife Catherine. Journalists from The Herald Sun and The Australian have noticed Mr Andrews' wife has blocked them on social media platform Twitter State political reporters for both publications - which have run heavy criticism of the premier's Stage Four restrictions in recent weeks - were blocked from seeing Mrs Andrews' posts (her profile pictured) Baxendale said she could not remember ever speaking to the premier's wife in person or online, The Australian reported. Mrs Andrews has also liked dozens of tweets in the past day containing the hashtag '#IStandWithDan'. A post praising her husband's work ethic meanwhile remains pinned to the top of her profile. Premier Andrews' team has declined to comment on whether Mrs Andrews had blocked the journalists intentionally. Pressure on her husband is continuing to grow despite him releasing a road map on Sunday to bring Victoria out of lockdown as coronavirus infections continue to fall. The strict Stage Four lockdown will continue for another two weeks beyond the originally scheduled September 13 end date, while retail shops will not be able to open in full until October. A woman wearing a face mask is seen waiting for a tram in Melbourne on Wednesday. Police patrol Bourke Street Mall during Stage Four COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne on Wednesday. Stage Four lockdown will continue for another two weeks beyond September 13 Thousands of frustrated Melburnians have vowed this Sunday to leave a pair of boots outside their homes in a mass protest demanding the Victorian premier step down. The movement, Give Dan The Boot, is set to take place on Sunday with more than 3,000 people already vowing to take part. The at-home protest is the brainchild of the group Victoria Forward, which is run by 19-year-old Donald Trump supporter and Liberal member Edward Bourke. Sunday's scheduled demonstration comes after anti-lockdown protests erupted across the country over the weekend, with 17 arrested in Melbourne and 160 fines issued. More than 3,000 Melburnians have said they would take part at the at-home protest on Sunday 'It's time to stand up to Daniel Andrews, and now you can do it from home!' the Facebook event reads. 'Please place a pair of boots or shoes at your front gate or around your fence this Sunday, 13th of September and post a photo to this event or use the tag #GiveDanTheBoot. 'GIVE DAN THE BOOT is a silent protest but the image of thousands of boots outside the gates of Victorian households, will decisively convey that the Victorian people have no faith in the premier.' One Melbourne resident shared a homemade sign she had made with the words #GiveDanTheBoot painted across a piece of cardboard The group also said that due to the protest being carried out at home, no COVID-19 restrictions would be breached. The page has been flooded with members criticising the premier's strict lockdown, which has been extended by another two weeks. A grieving family have also used a death notice to slam Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' as a 'dictator' over his controversial Stage Four lockdown. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been criticised by a Victorian family in a death notice after a loved one passed away Peter Mitchell's family took aim at Daniel Andrews and plan to hold a memorial service for Mr Mitchell 'when the dictator is overthrown' The notice for husband, father and grandfather Peter Mitchell, published in Wednesday's The Age, said they would only hold a memorial service for their dad when the extreme lockdown ends. 'Memorial Service to be held when the dictator is overthrown,' Mr Mitchell's family wrote in The Age. He died on Monday and was described as 'an exceptional man with an exceptional mind, wit and heart'. The Supreme Court today dismissed another set of petitions against the postponement of National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) 2020 amidst the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan questioned as to how can the petition be considered. He said that the review petition had also been dismissed and that another entrance examination JEE Main (for engineering aspirants) has also been conducted. The petitioners had sought a postponement of NEET 2020 by three weeks citing inadequate transport facilities. Advocate Shoeb Alam appearing for a petitioner cited September 2 home affairs ministry standard operating procedures (SOPs) that said that candidates from containment zones who cannot take exams should be given alternate option to give these tests. He also requested the court to allow alternate exam mode for students in containment zones. However, Justice Bhushan said that this standard operating procedure applies only for UGC exams and cannot be applied to NEET. NEET (UG) 2020 is the entrance examination for admission into undergraduate courses like MBBS and dental at medical colleges across India. A total of 15,97,433 candidates have registered for NEET 2020. To ensure social distancing amidst COVID-19, National Testing Agency had increased the number of examination centres for NEET 2020 to 3,843 from 2,546. Instead of 25 students in one room, NEET centres will have only 12 students. Admit cards can be used as a pass for the student movement. On August 28, Six state cabinet ministers had also filed a review petition in the Supreme Court and sought postponement of JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020 exams. However, this petition was dismissed by the apex court. In the meantime, JEE Main exams that were scheduled from September 1-6 have already been held. On August 17, the Supreme Court dismissed pleas to direct NTA to postpone JEE Main and NEET due to the coronavirus pandemic. SC said the postponement of the exams would put students' careers in peril. Justice Arun Mishra said that, if exams were not held, students would lose an academic year. He also added that life should go on during COVID-19 and questioned how exams could be stopped. People take photos at the Big Engine Bar at the Buffalo Chip during the 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota on August 9, 2020. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images South Dakota's governor dismissed a study connecting 19% of the total COVID-19 cases in the US last month to a motorcycle rally in her state as "back-of-the-napkin math" in a Fox News appearance Wednesday. A new study found 260,000 new cases stemming from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, where around 360,000 bikers descended upon the Mount Rushmore State from August 7 to 16. "What they did is, they took a snapshot in time, and they did a lot of speculation, did some back-of-the-napkin math, made up some numbers and published them," Noem said of the research from San Diego State University. Despite issuing a confident rebuttal of the study, which as yet to be peer reviewed, Noem did not offer any empirical evidence to debunk it. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Related video: Risk ranking of everyday activities for COVID-19 On the heels of a new study tying the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to more than 260,000 COVID-19 cases amounting to 19% of total cases in the US last month South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem took to Fox News to dismiss the data. Noem, a Republican in her first term who did not mandate masks at the rally of around 360,000 bikers in her state from August 7 to 16, quipped that the research from San Diego State University's Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies amounted to nothing more than "back-of-the-napkin math." Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) September 9, 2020 "Well, that's actually not factual whatsoever," Noem said of the study. "What they did is, they took a snapshot in time, and they did a lot of speculation, did some back-of-the-napkin math, made up some numbers and published them." Noem, a former South Dakota Snow Queen champion and a staunch ally of President Trump, tried to discredit the research because it came from a social science program and not a medical one. Researchers used cell phone location data and modeled how the virus spread in certain counties where the bikers went upon leaving the Mount Rushmore State. Story continues However, Noem did not offer any empirical evidence to refute the study, which has yet to undergo peer review. Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) September 8, 2020 Noem also blamed "the media" for painting her as "the governor that made all the wrong decisions by letting my people have freedom." The most notable COVID-19 outbreak in South Dakota prior to the Sturgis rally was at a meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls, where Noem similarly decried health experts and the media for criticizing her laissez faire approach to the pandemic. Noem's profile has risen significantly in 2020, with the governor hosting Trump at his Mount Rushmore Rally and landing a speaking slot at the GOP convention. Noem is also featured in a tourism ad for South Dakota as a place to "safely explore" that "makes America great" airing frequently on Fox News. Read the original article on Business Insider It would be easy to feel some whiplash over recent Trump administration moves on oil-and-gas industry access or lack thereof to areas currently off-limits. Driving the news: Trump used a Tuesday stop in Florida a swing state with a huge electoral vote bounty to announce an order that keeps the eastern Gulf of Mexico off-limits through 2032. Florida's East Coast is a no-go zone too. The same order reversing earlier administration plans also bars leasing off the Atlantic shores of Georgia and South Carolina. The intrigue: The move comes roughly three weeks after the administration touted its plans under a 2017 law to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. It's an area where industry interest in expensive, remote projects could prove tepid. Yet the eastern Gulf, adjacent to the heart of the U.S. offshore drilling industry in Louisiana and Texas, has long been coveted by the sector. Oil industry groups, in a somewhat rare split with Trump, yesterday criticized the decision. The politics of Florida drilling have been dicey for decades though amid bipartisan opposition there. What they're saying: "In our view, the Eastern GOM may have represented the single biggest target of opportunity for offshore drillers," the research firm ClearView Energy Partners said in a note. Warner Bros. Pictures/Associated Press With a blanket of adobe orange smoke hovering over the Bay Area, San Francisco currently looks like a dystopian nightmare. Sci-fi fans might notice it has eerie parallels to one specific dystopia, the 2017 film "Blade Runner 2049." The highly anticipated sequel to the classic '80s sci-fi cult classic starred Ryan Gosling as a blade runner, the term for a police officer who hunts down and "retires" androids who have gone rogue. The skies of a futuristic California are a Martian orange, which adds to the tense atmosphere of the film. Today's wildfire smoke coming from across California and even as far as Oregon has made San Francisco look like it could be auditioning as the filming location for another sequel. Kangana Ranaut, about to return to Mumbai amid tensions with Shiv Sena, is accompanied by Y-plus category security. Kangana Ranaut left her hometown in Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh to take a flight to Mumbai. The actress en route offered prayers at the temple in the Kothi area. Check out the tweet #WATCH Himachal Pradesh: Actor Kangana Ranaut offered prayers at a temple in Kothi area of Hamirpur district earlier today. She is en route Chandigarh from Mandi District. From Chandigarh, she will be leaving for Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/Yvls0VA4To ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2020 According to a report by Hindustan Times, Kangana tested negative for COVID-19 late on Tuesday night. A medical team in Manali had taken swab samples of Kangana and her younger sister Rangoli Chandel for COVID-19 testing as she was scheduled to fly to Mumbai. However, the report was inconclusive. After this, a team from Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College in Mandi took fresh samples, and both the sisters tested negative in the reports that came around midnight. They left for Chandigarh from Mandi district by road to board a flight to Mumbai. Earlier this morning Kangana tweeted that she considers Mumbai her home. She added that she believes that Maharashtra has given her everything, but she has also given her devotion and love to the state. , , , pic.twitter.com/BfBtaQ2CR0 Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 In a separate tweet, the actress said, "Maharashtra government and their goons" were at her property in Mumbai to "illegally break it down". As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport,Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher. pic.twitter.com/6lE9LoKGjq Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy pic.twitter.com/bWHyEtz7Qy Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 The actress has been given Y-plus category security by central security agencies after a renewed threat to her following her statement about drug use among a section in the film industry. The Himachal Pradesh government reached out to the Union Home Ministry asking for security. Describing Kangana as a daughter of Himachal Pradesh, state Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur issued a video statement on Monday welcoming the decision to provide her with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security to the actress. The row between Kangana and Shiv Sena MP began after the actress' "Mumbai feeling like Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir" remark. She added her fear of the Mumbai Police who she called the "movie mafia." Raut responded to her remarks in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, asking her not to return to Mumbai after her criticism of the police. "This issue concerns the pride of Maharashtra and there will be no compromise on this front. Ranaut needs to apologise for her PoK remarks or she will face the music from our womens wing," he wrote. Kangana posted a video message on Twitter, announcing her return to Mumbai on 9 September. She claimed that her criticism of the Mumbai Police was an act of freedom of expression. On Tuesday (8 September), Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that the Mumbai police will probe allegations by Adhyayan Suman that Kangana took drugs. The actress in a tweet said that she would 'oblige' in case any probe is conducted. She also said that if any links to drug peddlers ever were found then she will accept her mistake and leave Mumbai forever. The development comes amid the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) arrest of actor Rhea Chakraborty for alleged drug use. Liu Yifei, who plays the titular protagonist in Mulan, courted controversy last year when she voiced her support for the Hong Kong police - FREDERIC J. BROWN /AFP Disney is facing fresh calls to boycott its live-action remake of Mulan after it emerged that some scenes were filmed in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, the site of widely documented human rights abuses against the Uighur and other Muslim minorities. The revelation is the second controversy to hit the film, due to be released in Chinese cinemas on September 11, which tells the story of Hua Mulan, a filial young woman who disguises herself as a man to take her fathers place in the imperial army and defend the emperor. Social media users in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand had already targeted the movie with a #BoycottMulan hashtag after Liu Yifei, the main star, reportedly posted a message on Chinese platform Weibo in support of the Hong Kong police during the months-long pro-democracy protests. This week a new wave of outrage erupted after the first viewers of the film on Disneys streaming platform spotted that the end credits thanked multiple government entities in the Xinjiang region. They included several propaganda departments that have denied human rights abuses and the Turpan Municipal Bureau of Public Security, which was sanctioned by the US Commerce Department last year for its role in operating what China describes as reeducation camps. The decision to film and cooperate with Chinese state bodies in such a contentious region has been described as a scandal by academics and human rights activists. Disney has so far not offered a response, but has been approached for comment. Joshua Wong, a leader of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, has actively called for a boycott of Disney's remake of Mulan - Joshua Wong/Twitter Its sufficiently astonishing that it bears repeating: Disney has thanked four propaganda departments and a public security bureau in Xinjiang, a region in northwest China that is the site of one of the worlds worst human rights abuses happening today, wrote Isaac Stone Fish, an Asia Society senior fellow in the Washington Post. Joshua Wong, one of Hong Kongs most prolific pro-democracy activists has accused Disney of kowtowing to Beijing. Story continues It just keeps getting worse! Now, when you watch #Mulan, not only are you turning a blind eye to police brutality and racial injustice (due to what the lead actors stand for), you're also potentially complicit in the mass incarceration of Muslim Uyghurs, he tweeted. China has been criticised globally for its treatment of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, where it is estimated that more than a million Uighurs have been detained in internment camps which human rights groups say they are subjected to torture and abuse. Earlier this year, accusations of a state-sponsored forced sterilisation campaign to lower birthrates among Uighur women was described by experts as demographic genocide and prompted calls for an independent United Nations investigation. China has repeatedly denied any abuses are taking place. Responding to the controversy about the film, a foreign ministry spokesman restated Beijings denial of the existence of re-education camps, calling the facilities vocational and educational institutions and accusing anti-China forces of smearing its Xinjiang policy. More than one million Uighur Muslims have been rounded up and placed in 're-education camps' in China's Xinjiang province - GREG BAKER /AFP However, Chinas denials have not curbed growing international scrutiny of the governments actions in Xinjiang. On Tuesday, more than 130 UK politicians wrote to Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese Ambassador to London, to condemn China's treatment of the Uighurs and accuse Beijing of ethnic cleansing. "The Chinese Government's actions must be stated for what they are: a systematic and calculated program of ethnic cleansing against the Uighur people," the cross-party members of the House of Commons and House of Lords wrote in signed joint letter. Mr Liu has in the past pushed back against accusations of ethnic cleansing, telling the BBC in an interview in July that China treats every ethnic group as "equal". The letter was coordinated by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, and signatories include the Tory Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat and Liberal Democrat Party Leader Ed Davey. When the world is presented with such overwhelming evidence of gross human rights abuses, nobody can turn a blind eye. Because this time no one can say they didn't know, said Ms McDonagh. LONDON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the launch of the inaugural Ecological Threat Register (ETR), that measures the ecological threats countries are currently facing and provides projections to 2050. The report uniquely combines measures of resilience with the most comprehensive ecological data available, to shed light on the countries least likely to cope with extreme ecological shocks. The report is released by leading international think-tank the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), which produces indexes such as the Global Peace Index and Global Terrorism Index. Key results 19 countries with the highest number of ecological threats are among the world's 40 least peaceful countries including Afghanistan , Syria , Iraq , Chad , India and Pakistan . , , , , and . Over one billion people live in 31 countries where the country's resilience is unlikely to sufficiently withstand the impact of ecological events by 2050, contributing to mass population displacement. Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia , the Middle East and North Africa are the regions facing the largest number of ecological threats. , the and are the regions facing the largest number of ecological threats. By 2040, a total of 5.4 billion people - more than half of the world's projected population - will live in the 59 countries experiencing high or extreme water stress, including India and China . and . 3.5 billion people could suffer from food insecurity by 2050; which is an increase of 1.5 billion people from today. The lack of resilience in countries covered in the ETR will lead to worsening food insecurity and competition over resources, increasing civil unrest and mass displacement, exposing developed countries to increased influxes of refugees. The Ecological Threat Register analyses risk from population growth, water stress, food insecurity, droughts, floods, cyclones, rising temperatures and sea levels. Over the next 30 years, the report finds that 141 countries are exposed to at least one ecological threat by 2050. The 19 countries with the highest number of threats have a combined population of 2.1 billion people, which is around 25 per cent of the world's total population. The ETR analyses the levels of societal resilience within countries to determine whether they have the necessary coping capacities to deal with future ecological shocks. The report finds that more than one billion people live in countries that are unlikely to have the ability to mitigate and adapt to new ecological threats, creating conditions for mass displacement by 2050. The country with the largest number of people at risk of mass displacements is Pakistan, followed by Ethiopia and Iran. Haiti faces the highest threat in Central America. In these countries, even small ecological threats and natural disasters could result in mass population displacement, affecting regional and global security. Regions that have high resilience, such as Europe and North America, will not be immune from the wider impact of ecological threats, such as a significant number of refugees. The European refugee crisis in the wake of wars in Syria and Iraq in 2015 saw two million people flee to Europe and highlights the link between rapid population shifts with political turbulence and social unrest. However, Europe, the US and other developed countries are facing fewer ecological threats and also have higher levels of resilience to deal with these risks. Developed countries which are facing no threats include Sweden, Norway, Ireland, and Iceland. In total there are 16 countries facing no threats. Steve Killelea, Founder & Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace, said: "Ecological threats and climate change pose serious challenges to global peacefulness. Over the next 30 years lack of access to food and water will only increase without urgent global cooperation. In the absence of action civil unrest, riots and conflict will most likely increase. COVID-19 is already exposing gaps in the global food chain." Many of the countries most at risk from ecological threats are also predicted to experience significant population increases, such as Nigeria, Angola, Burkina Faso and Uganda.These countries already struggle to address ecological issues. They already suffer from resource scarcity, low levels of peacefulness and high poverty rates. Steve Killelea, said: "This will have huge social and political impacts, not just in the developing world, but also in the developed, as mass displacement will lead to larger refugee flows to the most developed countries. Ecological change is the next big global threat to our planet and people's lives, and we must unlock the power of business and government action to build resilience for the places most at risk." Food Insecurity The global demand for food is projected to increase by 50 per cent by 2050, meaning that without a substantial increase in supply, many more people will be at risk of hunger. Currently, more than two billion people globally face uncertain access to sufficient food. This number is expected to increase to 3.5 billion people by 2050 which is likely to affect global resilience. The five most food insecure countries are Sierra Leone, Liberia, Niger, Malawi and Lesotho, where more than half of the population experience uncertainty in access to sufficient food to be healthy. COVID-19 has exacerbated levels of food insecurity and given rise to substantial price increases, highlighting potential volatility caused by future ecological change. In high income countries, the prevalence of undernourishment is still high at 2.7 per cent, or one in 37 people do not have sufficient food to function normally. Undernourishment in developed countries is a byproduct of poverty; Colombia, Slovakia and Mexico have the highest undernourishment rates of OECD countries. Water Stress Over the past decade, the number of recorded water-related conflict and violent incidents increased by 270 per cent worldwide. Since 2000, most incidents have taken place in Yemen and Iraq, which highlights the interplay between extreme water stress, resilience and peacefulness, as they are among the least peaceful countries as measured by the Global Peace Index 2020. Today, 2.6 billion people experience high or extreme water stress - by 2040, this will increase to 5.4 billion people. The majority of these countries are located in South Asia, Middle East, North Africa (MENA), South-Western Europe, and Asia Pacific. Some of the worst affected countries by 2040 will be the Lebanon, Singapore, Israel and Iraq, while China and India are also likely to be impacted. Given the past increases in water-related conflict this is likely to drive further tension and reduce global resilience. Natural Disasters Changes in climate, especially the warming of global temperatures, increases the likelihood of weather-related natural disasters such as droughts, as well as increasing the intensity of storms and creating wetter monsoons. If natural disasters occur at the same rate seen in the last few decades, 1.2 billion people could be displaced globally by 2050. Asia Pacific has had the most deaths from natural disasters with over 581,000 recorded since 1990. Earthquakes have claimed the most lives in the region, with a death toll exceeding 319,000, followed by storms at 191,000. Flooding has been the most common natural disaster since 1990, representing 42 per cent of recorded natural disasters. China's largest event were the 2010 floods and landslides, which led to 15.2 million displaced people. Flooding is also the most common natural disaster in Europe, accounting for 35 per cent of recorded disasters in the region and is expected to rise. 19 countries included in the ETR are at risk of rising sea levels, where at least 10 per cent of each country's population could be affected. This will have significant consequences for low-lying coastal areas in China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand over the next three decades - as well as cities with large populations like Alexandria in Egypt, the Hague in the Netherlands, and Osaka in Japan. Development Aid Aid can be used as a mechanism to build resilience to ecological shocks such as droughts, water stress and food insecurity in developing countries. Climate-related aid has increased 34 fold from one billion US dollars in 2000 to US $34 billion in 2018 and is primarily spent in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Asia-Pacific. India received the largest amount of climate-related aid in 2018, amounting to US $6.5 billion. Although these increases are substantial, they fall well short of what is needed to address these issues going forward. For more information, visit economicsandpeace.org NOTES TO EDITORS The ETR report, articles and interactive maps are available at: visionofhumanity.org About the Ecological Threat Register (ETR) This is the inaugural edition of the Ecological Threat Register (ETR), which covers 157 independent states and territories. The ETR is unique in that it combines measures of resilience with the most comprehensive ecological data available to shed light on the countries least likely to cope with extreme ecological shocks, now and into the future. Methodology The ETR includes the most recent and respected scientific research on population growth, water stress, food insecurity, droughts, floods, cyclones and rising temperature and sea levels. In addition, the report uses IEP's Positive Peace framework to identify areas where the resilience is unlikely to be strong enough to adapt or cope with these future shocks. The report draws on a wide variety of data sources, including World Resources International, Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations, and Institute Economics and Peace. About the Institute for Economics and Peace IEP is an international and independent think tank dedicated to shifting the world's focus to peace as a positive, achievable and tangible measure of human well-being and progress. It has offices in Sydney, Brussels, New York, The Hague, Mexico City and Harare. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/792052/IEP_Logo.jpg Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has rejected former EU commissioner Phil Hogan claim that he had been subjected to a full scale attack by the coalition with a lack of natural justice to his ousting. His jibe at Mr Hogan came as he was also asked about the meeting he had with Failte Ireland director Breege ODonoghue after she had done to Covid-hit Spain while the agency was urging holidays at home. Read More I hope we don't get to the point where each person we meet, we have to get a record with their movements, Mr Varadkar said. And again, we'd have no way of checking up on whether it was true or not -- as we have found out. Mr Varadkar said he didnt accept Mr Hogans assessment of his treatment, as outlined in remarks made in interview by the Kilkenny People. I saw that statement, I really dont agree ultimately nobody in Government wanted to lose a Cabinet member or a Commissioner, he said. But all of this could have been avoided if those involved had obeyed our laws and followed the public health guidance and the rules and regulations. Read More Mr Varadkar added at Government Buildings: We shouldnt forget why this became an issue of such enormous public controversy and anger. It was because people felt that those in high office, those that make the rules, werent following them. I think of all the people who had to cancel their overseas holiday because of the 14-day rule, all those who couldnt attend a funeral that they wanted to, and all the people in Kildare who had to cancel their own domestic trips to other counties. That was all part of this. We, as a government, couldnt stand over a situation whereby we would say that those who hold the most important positions, those who hold the highest office, should somehow not have to adhere to the minimum standards that we are asking everyone else to adhere to. Thats whats prompted this. Mr Hogan told his local newspaper he had not broken any law, claiming : I didnt get due process, unlike others. I am very disappointed that there was a huge effort concentrated on my resignation. He claimed to have been left with no option but to resign because he was subjected to a full-scale attack by Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Mr Varadkar, and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan. I always feel like Irish people expect due process in the right forum. I didnt get that. I wasnt given that chance, he said. The Government had a full-scale attack on my compliance or otherwise. said Mr Hogan, who said he would remain in Brussels, assessing his future, for the immediate future. Mr Varadkar said he had not spoken to Mr Hogan since his resignation. He added: I meet a lot of people every day, and I haven't yet had the practice of asking them whether they've been abroad or whether they have adhered to quarantine regulations. Mr Varadkar made his remarks flanked by the Taoiseach and Mr Ryan, who offered no comment on the matter or deviation from the Tanaistes remarks. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The Coiled Tubing market is anticipated to reach over USD 5,694 million by 2026 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the onshore location segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period. A significant growth in demand for energy, increasing industrialization, and rising demand for horizontal drilling are major factors driving the growth of the Coiled Tubing Market. The demand for coiled tubing is increasing owing to supportive government initiatives, and favorable regulatory framework. Other driving factors include growing demand for natural gas as a fuel and growth in exploration and production activities. Increasing demand from developing nations, development of unconventional oil blocks, and technological advancements are expected provide numerous growth opportunities to the market players during the forecast period. Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/coiled-tubing-market/request-for-sample North America Coiled Tubing Market generated the highest revenue in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The high economic growth in the region, growth in drilling and exploration industries, and growing energy demand are factors expected to drive the market growth. The increasing trend of horizontal drilling, increasing demand for oil and gas in production of power and transportation applications, growing urbanization, and increasing industrialization in countries of North America are further expected to support the Coiled Tubing Market growth. Rising shale gas explorations, increasing operating cost for extracting oil from existing wells, rising demand for natural gas as fuel in the region, and supportive regulatory framework are factors expected to further provide growth opportunities during the forecast period. Well-known companies profiled in the Coiled Tubing Market report include Halliburton Co., Weatherford International Ltd., Baker Hughes, Trican Well Service Ltd, Cudd Energy Services, Schlumberger Ltd., Calfrac Well Services Ltd., C&J Energy Services, Inc., Nabors Industries Ltd., and Archer Limited. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers. Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/coiled-tubing-market Coiled Tubing Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Location Onshore Offshore Coiled Tubing Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Operation Pumping Circulation Logging Others Coiled Tubing Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Application Drilling Well Cleaning and Completion Well Intervention Others Coiled Tubing Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Region North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany UK France Italy Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific China India Japan Rest of Asia-Pacific Latin America Brazil Middle East & Africa Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/coiled-tubing-market/request-for-discount-pricing About Polaris Market Research Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Contact us- Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com by Melani Manel Perera The new auxiliary bishop of Colombo talks about his new mission. As a pastor, he has a great role to play in caring for his flock, meeting their spiritual needs, increasing their awareness of the depth of the sacraments and the mysteries. He will pursue all these things because, in the end, the satisfaction of a priest remains in the way he celebrates the sacraments. Colombo (Asia News) Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam, 53, is the third Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo. An ethnic Tamil, he was consecrated in a ceremony on 29 August held in St. Lucia's Cathedral, Kotahena. "I know only one thing, that everything I received, I got from our Lord Jesus, he told AsiaNews. How did you feel when you heard about your appointment? Of course, it was surprising. It makes you think about many things, like if I am right for it. However, in the end, placing my trust in God's providence, I accepted. I know that God continues to bestow blessings on me and lead me to do what He wants me to do according to his way. So I accepted my new calling since it was God who chose me. And I believed "it is the Lord" and so I obeyed. In a few words, how do you accept this new mission? Serving Jesus is no different. Basically, I will stay and do the work that priests do. I shall continue the same mission but with different approaches. The approaches may differ but the mission will be the same. You were an educator and now you are a bishop. What will your tasks be since the Tamil Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Colombo is quite large? Yes, I worked mainly with children and young people aged 5 to 19, but I did not limit myself to them. Through the children I met parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. I met their pastors and all the others who are closely involved with children. Now, as a pastor, there is a great role to play in caring for our members, meeting their spiritual needs. I like to make them more aware of the depth of the sacraments and the mysteries. I will continue all these things because, in the end, the satisfaction of a priest remains in the way he celebrates the sacraments. I have just started and I have not been assigned any particular task so far. As an auxiliary, I serve the Archbishop and I am open to carrying out any task set by the Archbishop and any mission of Our Lord Jesus, in accordance with my abilities. As someone born and raised in the north, you are close to your ethnic group, especially those who are still victims of war. Do you think you can do something for these helpless people? Of course, these people must be helped. But each area is governed by its bishop who meets the needs of his flock. It will take time to address certain issues. I shall definitely help other bishops, but I will not be able to directly implement any plans for their people. I firmly believe that the bishops of Jaffna, Mannar and Batticaloa are doing their level best for their respective communities. What has been your experience with God so far? I firmly believe that God has always been with me and guided me, even though I may not have realised it at the time. I was born in Karampan, Jaffna. I have a twin brother. I was baptised in the Church of Our Lady of Refuge in Jaffna. In 1973 we moved to Colombo-Kotahena, where I enrolled at the St Benedict's College, Kotahena. Unfortunately, my father died that year, and we returned to Jaffna in 1974. I got into St. Patrick's College. After my A Level, I informed my family that I wanted to become a priest and entered the seminary in Jaffna. I was selected to enter the university, but the bishop of Jaffna vetoed my entry into university. I did my first and second years at the Jaffna seminary, but I really wanted to go to college. For a second time, the bishop said no. With a heavy heart I went to the university to withdraw my application, but I was told me that I could start my studies after completing the seminary. This was an unexpected opportunity for me. When I completed my seminary studies, I again asked the bishop for permission to enter the university. I had been waiting for two years. But once again he said no. I was downcast and heartbroken. Like me, four other seminarians wanted to do the same thing. Eventually, thanks to a wise priest, we decided to leave the seminary and go to university. I registered and graduated in Mathematics with good marks. I was later offered an assistant position. Once again, I wanted to fulfill my dream of being a priest and contacted the archbishop, Nichols Marcus, through my uncle, Bishop Kingsley Swamilpillai. The archbishop spoke to me. I had to learn Sinhala; otherwise, there was no chance of becoming a priest in the Archdiocese of Colombo. Studying another language from scratch, using Sinhala Grade 1,2 3 textbooks ... like a kid ... learning all those letters wasn't that easy, it was a challenge but I did my best and I kept my promise. In 1995 I entered the Ampitiya National Seminary of Our Lady of Lanka where I studied theology for two years. Then, in 1998, I started working at the parish level, in three parishes. In 2000, after serving as a deacon for a few months, six other deacons and I were ordained priests on 16 September by the late Archbishop Nicholas Marcus Fernando. I hadn't thought about becoming a priest in the Diocese of Colombo or becoming a bishop of any diocese. But Jesus led me very well to this end. What will be your message as a new pastor? My motto is "DOMINUS EST" which means "IT IS THE LORD". I chose it because "It is the Lord" who guided me, no one else. Sometimes human beings make many plans for the future, plans for their children to become doctors, engineers, and so on. Instead, we must first ask the Lord to guide us, to help us choose the right path ... What should my son be like one day? The Lord will find ways. Otherwise, our plans won't work. We must always listen to God's voice. He always speaks to us through someone else. So first we must learn to listen to Gods divine voice which we may receive through others. Then we will not be misled in our journey of life. The goal of generating large amounts of electricity from the powerful tides that sweep the Bay of Fundy received a $9.6-million boost Wednesday from the Trudeau government. A Scottish company, Nova Innovation, is eligible for up to $4 million of that federal grant money for its plan to install 15 small sub-sea turbines in the Petite Passage at Digby Neck, N.S. "There is a huge opportunity for Nova Scotia to capitalize on this resource," said Kim MacNeil, Nova Innovation's head of North American development. The company's first 100 kilowatt turbine will go in the water next summer, with more to follow over the next two years. The risky nature of producing commercial levels of tidal power is reflected in the high prices developers are being offered to take the plunge. MacNeil said Nova Innovation has a 15-year deal with Nova Scotia Power to supply the utility with electricity at 50 cents per kilowatt hour roughly five times above the rate paid by consumers. "There is a significant attraction for developers to come here and install turbines with that attractive feed-in tariff," MacNeil said. Earlier attempts failed The spending was announced at a tidal power technology demonstration site outside Parrsboro, N.S. The backdrop overlooking Cape Split showed no sign of the high-velocity tides that roar across the sea floor below. But the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy has established five grid-connected berths on the floor of the nearby Minas Passage. The only two large demonstration turbines installed in the FORCE berths both failed. The first was destroyed within days of installation and the other remains on the ocean floor after it was abandoned by its bankrupt owner. Still academics, engineers, entrepreneurs and politicians are not giving up. "Every project has setbacks," said Nova Scotia federal cabinet minister Bernadette Jordan, who announced funding on behalf of Natural Resources Canada. Story continues "But the reality is green technology is something we have to develop. We have to move away from fossil fuels and tidal energy is definitely a way forward." Less-powerful tides In Digby Neck, Nova Innovation has chosen a location with half the velocity of the Minas Passage, making it better suited for the company's turbines, which are already generating electricity off Scotland's Shetland Islands. To put the difference in perspective, the two large turbines installed in the Minas Passage were capable of generating two megawatts of electricity, which is twenty times more powerful than those planned by Nova Innovation and enough to power 400 homes. In addition to Nova Innovation, $1.5 million will go to a project lead by the University of Manitoba to primarily investigate energy generated from Canadian rivers. Another $4 million will be spent to research the environmental impact of underwater turbines on marine life in the Bay of Fundy. That includes testing and proving monitoring tools that are accepted as credible by government regulators and the public. "They deserve to know in real time that these devices can be monitored and that is precisely the objective of the program," said Russell Dmytriw, executive director of the Offshore Energy Research Association of Nova Scotia. (TNS) The State University of New York has launched a dashboard to track testing for COVID-19 and report positive cases.Additionally, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that any college in New York that has more than 100 positive coronavirus cases must report it to the state Department of Health immediately.The edict follows Cuomo's announcement Aug. 29 that a college needs to go to online learning for 14 days if more than 100 positive cases are reported or if an outbreak is equal to more than 5% of the campus population.One hundred "cases can happen very easily," Cuomo said Tuesday."You saw all the other colleges that have it. That Department of Health regulation is going to go out today. It is going to be unequivocal. And as soon as the college has notice from any source, they have to immediately report it."The new measures come amid growing concerns about COVID outbreaks on college campuses in New York and across the nation as students returned for the fall semester.SUNY Oneonta last week sent students home for the semester after more than 350 of them tested positive in the first weeks of their return.The SUNY tracker Tuesday showed campuses administered more than 35,000 tests and 500 came back positive, an infection rate of about 1.4% which is slightly higher than the less than 1% the state has been under for the past month The colleges with the highest positive rates were Oneonta at 9.4%; Geneseo at 8.8% and Cortland at 8.7%.But the sample sizes can be small: Geneseo had tested 57 students and five came back positive, while Cortland tested 23 and two were positive.The system of more than 415,000 students had 779 who were in either in a precautionary or mandatory quarantine, the tracker showed Tuesday.The tracker also showed that SUNY had 3,722 rooms on campus to house students who may be infected, and 473 were being used."As coronavirus cases spring up on our college campuses, we are reviewing real-time case data around the clock," SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said in a statement."This data is crucial to helping SUNY make quick, smart decisions that contain COVID-19 and protect our campus communities."SUNY's 64 campuses have sought to bolster its testing and tracing in recent weeks.SUNY is starting to conduct "pooled surveillance testing" for COVID-19, which allows 10 to 25 people to be screened as part of one test. The tests, developed through SUNY Upstate Medical University, are done through saliva swabs rather than by swabs inserted in a person's nose.The samples are then combined into one and tested for the virus. If the test comes back negative, they are all presumed to be COVID free.If the test comes back positive, the individual saliva samples within the pool would need to be tested again to pinpoint the exact positive cases, SUNY said.The university system estimated it has the capacity to regularly pool test all of its students once every two weeks, or test even more where outbreaks occur.The combination of surveillance pool testing and the saliva testing can allow SUNY to test 15,000 samples a day without the need to collect a new sample, officials said.SUNY's "COVID-19 Case Tracker" dashboard is updated daily on cases and testing by campus.The state is also launching a similar dashboard for all kindergarten through 12th grade schools, Cuomo said Tuesday. New Delhi: Birthday boy Akshay Kumar, whose is currently shooting for 'Bell Bottom' in Scotland, got a surprise by the team on his special day. He got a pair of dark blue Bell Bottoms - signed by the entire unit of Bell Bottom film. The pair of trousers, packed with birthday messages of love and warmth scribbled all over was the first birthday gift of the day for the actor. According to a source, it was producer Deepshikha Deshmukhs idea to create this invaluable gift for the actor. Everybody scribbled on the trousers - some penned Shayaris, others wrote anecdotes in Hindi, Marathi as well. Apparently Ganesh master wrote some fond wishes and Jackky Bhagnani could not stop writing his message on the Bell Bottom for a good 10 minutes. Huma Qureshi, on the other hand, tried to play around with the initials HBD but could not go far and just wrote Happy Birthday while Vaani Kapoor who simply adores her Bell Bottom co-star added some lovely lines to round up the perfect gift. Updated 20:15 Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris said the National Public Health and Emergency Team (NPHET) is concerned about the rise of cases in Dublin and Limerick. Speaking this evening, Mr Harris said that we are at a "delicate moment" with regard to the virus and we need to "redouble our efforts" when it comes to public health guidelines. He added "There is a particular concern highlighted by NPHET in relation to Dublin and Limerick at the moment." It comes as this evening. the Department of Health confirmed there was one death from Covid-19 and a further 307 cases. There has now been a total of 1,778 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. With 307 cases this evening, it marks the highest number of cases since May 14th. There is now a total of 30,080 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. Advertisement Of the cases announced this evening: 160 are men, while 146 are women, 73 per cent are under 45 years of age, 64 per cent are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case. The Department of Health said that 72 cases have been identified as community transmission The majority of today's cases are in Dublin with 182 in total. Elsewhere there are 25 in Kildare, 19 in Limerick, 15 in Wexford, 15 in Louth, eight in Wicklow, six in Galway, six in Clare, six in Kilkenny and the remaining 25 cases are located in Cavan, Cork, Donegal, Kerry, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath. Keeping your distance Dr. Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer said that: "182 of todays cases are located in Dublin and at least 44 of these are associated with community transmission. I urge everyone to follow the public health advice and keep your distance. Do not underestimate the risks associated with any of your interactions, including with your family, friends or work colleagues. Now is not a time to let down your guard assume that you or those that you meet may be infectious and act accordingly." There are currently 49 people in hospital with Covid-19 and a further six in ICUs. Yesterday 102 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the Republic, according to the Department of Health. Facebook is facing the prospect of not being able to move data about its European users to the United States, after European regulators raised concerns that such transfers do not adequately protect the information from American government surveillance. The social network said on Wednesday that the Irish Data Protection Commission had begun an inquiry into its movement of data on European users to the United States. The Irish regulator oversees Facebooks data practices in Europe and can fine it up to 4 percent of its global revenue for breaking European data protection laws. The Silicon Valley company may now have to overhaul its operations to keep data on Europeans stored within the European Union, an immensely complicated task given the way that Facebook moves data among data centers around the world. The inquiry, earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal, is the first major fallout of a European Union high court decision in July that invalidated a key trans-Atlantic agreement called Privacy Shield. That agreement between the United States and European Union had allowed businesses to send data between the two regions, but the court struck it down, saying Europeans did not have sufficient protections from American spy agencies. At the first plenary session of AIPA 41 (Photo: VNA) The AIPA Committee on Economic Matters will consider and approve a resolution on the role played by parliaments in promoting ASEAN connectivity and post-COVID-19 economic recovery. Meanwhile, the AIPA Committee on Social Matters is expected to adopt a resolution on strengthening AIPAs role in building an ASEAN Cultural-Social Community responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic. During AIPA 41, each committee of AIPA will issue a resolution which reflects proposals of countries, in line with Vietnams initiative. This aims to avoid prolonged discussions and better suit the online meeting form. Vietnam proposed and received support from other countries for the theme of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians of AIPA (WAIPA), and meetings of the AIPA committees on political matter, economic and social matters. As the Chairman of AIPA 41, the National Assembly of Vietnam has coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate with relevant member parliaments to handle a number of issues on the agenda of the AIPA Committee for Political Affairs, which are posing a great challenge for AIPA in seeking a common voice and making decisions on important issues in the region. The committee on organization matters will discuss issues that are important to AIPA such as admitting new observers, honouring parliamentarians who have made outstanding contributions to AIPA; a project on AIPA secretariat transformation; amending AIPAs regulations; and guiding the organization of AIPA-ASEAN dialogue./. Paris: Tiffany & Co sued LVMH on Wednesday (US time) after the French luxury goods giant told the US jeweller it could not complete a $US16 billion ($22 billion) deal to acquire it because of a French government request and the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. LVMH, led by billionaire Bernard Arnault, said its board had received a letter from the French foreign ministry asking it to delay the acquisition until January 6, 2021, given the threat of additional US tariffs against French products. Tiffany & Co said LVMH was in breach of its obligations relating to obtaining antitrust clearance. This, LVMH argued, made it impossible to meet a contractual November 24 deadline to complete the acquisition, adding it was not willing to extend the agreement further. The French state's intervention marked the latest twist in the attempt to combine some of the fashion world's most high-profile luxury brands. "I am sure that you will understand the need to take part in our country's efforts to defend its national interests," France's foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, wrote to Arnault, according to an English translation of the August 31 letter that Tiffany received from LVMH and that it published on Wednesday. Volkswagen terminated its ties with a Mexican dealership that apologized for a painting of a Beetle at a Nazi rally that was recently spotted hanging at its Mexico City office. On Monday, the German automaker broke its ties with the dealership, according to Mexican newspaper El Universal. 'We strongly condemn that these images were exhibited in their facilities, which showed a regime that emphasized hatred and discrimination in a time in history that fortunately remained behind,' Volkswagen said in a statement. The disturbing image came to light Saturday after a Twitter user shared the photos on the social media platform and slammed the car dealer for displaying the painting. 'It's a shame that @Volkswagen_MX Coyoacan agency hung up this photo,' Adina Chemilsky wrote. 'Hanging a swastika is an apology for the worst crime of humanity. Someone who is anti-Semitic is homophobic [and] is racist.' SEE VIDEO BELOW Volkswagen terminated its ties with a Mexico City dealership after the German automaker was slammed on social media by a Twitter user who called out the Coyoacan car dealer for exhibiting a painting of Adolf Hitler and the famous VW Beetle A Volkswagen dealership in the Mexico City municipality of Coyoacan lost the right to sell vehicles from the German automaker's line following the social media outrage sparked by a painting at its office of Adolf Hitler and Nazi flags surrounding a VW Beetle at a rally German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler (standing behind the podium) tabbed an Austrian engineer to build the Beetle and spread auto ownership the way the American Ford Model T did. The Beetle was introduced in 1938 shortly before World War II The image in question shows a black VW bug parked in front of a stage during a 1938 Nazi rally with Adolf Hitler standing in the background. The painting has swastika flags. Volkswagen de Mexico apologized to Chemilsky, whose grandparents were born in Germany, and condemned the exhibition of the painting, which was hung up next to the entrance of a department office inside the dealership. 'Hi Adina. We have a history that we have learned from,' the German automaker wrote on its Mexico-based Twitter account. 'We value respect, fairness, inclusion and freedom. We do not tolerate manifestations of hatred and discrimination. The images do not correspond to our corporate image or that of the distributors. We will take action.' The Coyoacan dealership, which first opened its doors in 1968, that the painting was only exhibited because it was one of nine at the office that celebrated the evolution of the Beetle throughout the years. 'This photograph, the same that until yesterday was shown in the administrative area of the distributor's offices, is part of a photographic collection of 9 images that show the different stages through which the Volkswagen Type 1, sedan or vocho passed, an extraordinary work engineering of the time and one of the best-selling cars in the world,' the dealership said in a statement. 'The image in question does not seek to condone one of the most cruel and inhumane passages in recent history nor to make an apology for an ideology enormously harmful to Europe and the whole world, and which certainly does not represent any of the employees and workers of the company.' Workers at the VW plant in Puebla, Mexico, celebrate the end of the Beetle's production during a July 2019 ceremony Prosecution of the VW Beetle was halted at a Puebla, Mexico, assembly plant in July 2019. It was the only one in the world still manufacturing the car known to Mexicans as the 'vocho' The VW Type 1 sedan, known as the original beetle, bug or in Mexico's case as the 'vocho,' was a car developed under Hitler in the 1930s. Hitler sought to fulfill his project for a 'people's car' that would spread auto ownership the way the Ford Model T had in the United States. The car's original design - a rounded silhouette with seating for four or five, nearly vertical windshield and the air-cooled engine in the rear - can be traced back to Ferdinand Porsche, who was tabbed by the German dictator to bring the Beetle to life. It debuted in 1938 before bombs were dropped in World War II, wiping out the manufacturing plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. After the war, British Army Major Ivan Hirst was asked with kickstarting the automaker back into production. He one day spotted a Beetle that survived the massive airstrikes at the facility. The rest was history as it instantly became a favorite for the American auto consumer. The modern edition of the iconic VW model ceased production July 2019 at the automaker's Puebla, Mexico, factory, marking the end for a vehicle that symbolized many things over eight decades. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar is scheduled to meet the Russian Foreign Minister SV Lavrov on Wednesday night. The meeting between the two leaders is scheduled tonight around 7 pm (IST). The EAM landed in Moscow on September 8 on a four-day to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). "EAM @DrSJaishankar landed in Moscow; received by Ambassador and senior officers from Russian Foreign Ministry," tweeted the Indian Embassy in Moscow. The meeting of SCO foreign ministers is scheduled for 12.30 IST on September 10 (Thursday). Jaishankar's visit to Russia comes days after Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Moscow to attend a meeting of the defence ministers of the eight-nation SCO. It is to be noted that India and China are important members of the SCO. According to the External Affairs Ministry, Jaishankar will attend the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of SCO during his stay in the Russian capital. It is expected that Jaishankar would also meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO meet. The meeting is likely to take place on Thursday (September 10). On September 8, EAM Jaishankar met his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Tehran. The EAM had made a stopover in Iran as part of his key Moscow visit. Calling the meeting "productive", the EAM, taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, said "discussed strengthening our bilateral cooperation and reviewed regional developments. Thank him for his gracious hospitality." Javad Zarif had visited India in 2020 to be part Raisina Dialogue. "A productive meeting with FM J Zarif during a stopover in Tehran. Discussed strengthening our bilateral cooperation and reviewed regional developments. Thank him for his gracious hospitality," tweeted Jaishankar. The high-level visits by India to Iran are been considered as a major reached out by New Delhi to a country it considers part of its extended neighbourhood. Iran plays an important role in India's connectivity project via Chabahar port that provides it link to Afghanistan and wider Central Asian region. Afghan men carry an injured to a hospital after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sept. 9, 2020. (Mohammad Ismail/Reuters) Afghan Vice President Targeted in Roadside Bomb Attack, Survives Blast; 10 Others Killed KABULA roadside bomb in Kabul targeted first Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Wednesday morning but he escaped unharmed, his spokesman said. The attack killed at least 10 people. The Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which comes just ahead of long-awaited peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Qatars capital Doha. Today, once again the enemy of Afghanistan tried to harm Saleh, but they failed in their evil aim, and Saleh escaped the attack unharmed, Razwan Murad, a spokesman for Salehs office, wrote on Facebook. He told Reuters the bomb targeted Salehs convoy and some of his bodyguards were injured. Amrullah Saleh first vice-presidential candidate of Ashraf Ghani speaks during the presidential election campaign in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sept. 13, 2019. (Omar Sobhani/Reuters) Saleh appeared in a video on his social media accounts soon after, saying he had sustained a minor burn on his face and an injury to his hand in the attack. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on Twitter that Taliban fighters were not involved in the blast. #Clarification Blast in #Kabul has no relation with the Mujahidin of Islamic Emirate. https://t.co/XxZ1BdORHg Zabihullah (.. ) (@Zabehulah_M33) September 9, 2020 The former intelligence chief and the senior of President Ashraf Ghanis two vice-presidents, has survived several assassination attempts, including one on his office last year that killed 20 people. Wednesdays blast killed at least 10 civilians and wounded 15 people including Salehs security guards, according to the interior ministry. Such attacks wont weaken our resolve for a lasting and dignified peace in Afghanistan, Javid Faisal, spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a tweet. International powers including the European Union and Pakistan also condemned the attack. Afghan men carry a victim after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sept. 9, 2020. (Mohammad Ismail/Reuters) This is an attack on the Republic, & desperate act by spoilers of peace efforts, who must be collectively confronted, the EU Delegation in Afghanistan said in a statement on Twitter. Officials and diplomats have warned that rising violence is sapping trust needed for the success of talks aimed at ending an insurgency that began when the Taliban was ousted from power in Kabul by U.S.-back forces in late 2001. By Gibran Peshimam and Charlotte Greenfield Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Donald Trump has thanked Boris Johnson after leaked meeting notes show the prime minister told US diplomats the president was "making America great again". The summaries of meetings between American and British politicians were first published in The Daily Telegraph and date back to when Mr Johnson was foreign secretary under Theresa May. Written by US officials, the meeting notes claim Mr Johnson praised Mr Trump to the US Ambassador to the UK, saying he was doing "fantastic" work on foreign policy. More follows Primeste notificari pe email Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare (Premium) Granturi - Finantari (Premium) Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele The 2020 edition of World Tourism Day will celebrate the unique role that tourism plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities and preserving cultural and natural heritage all around the world. Celebrated on September 27 with the theme of Tourism and Rural Development, this years international day of observation comes at a critical moment, as countries around the world look to tourism to drive recovery, including in rural communities where the sector is a leading employer and economic pillar. The 2020 edition also comes as governments look to the sector to drive recovery from the effects of the pandemic and with the enhanced recognition of tourism at the highest United Nations level. This was most notably illustrated with the recent release of a landmark Policy Brief on tourism from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in which he explained that for rural communities, indigenous peoples and many other historically marginalised populations, tourism has been a vehicle for integration, empowerment and generating income. All around the world, tourism empowers rural communities, providing jobs and opportunity, most notably for women and youth. For the first time in the 40-year history of World Tourism Day, the official celebration will not be hosted by a single Member State of the United Nations specialised agency. Instead, nations from the Mercosur bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with Chile joining with observer status) will serve as joint hosts. This co-hosting agreement exemplifies the spirit of international solidarity that runs through tourism and which UNWTO has recognised as essential for recovery. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: All around the world, tourism empowers rural communities, providing jobs and opportunity, most notably for women and youth. Tourism also enables rural communities to hold onto their unique cultural heritage and traditions, and the sector is vital for safeguarding habitat and endangered species. This World Tourism Day is a chance to recognise the role tourism plays outside of major cities and its ability to build a better future for all. For countless rural communities around the world, tourism is a leading provider of employment and opportunities. In many places, it is one of the few viable economic sectors. Moreover, development through tourism can also keep rural communities alive. It is estimated that by 2050, 68% of the world population will live in urban areas, while 80% of those currently living in extreme poverty live outside of towns and cities. The situation is particularly hard for youth: young people in rural communities are three times more likely to be unemployed than older adults. Tourism is a lifeline, offering young people a chance to earn a living without having to migrate either within their home countries or abroad. World Tourism Day 2020 will once again be celebrated by UNWTOs Member States in all global regions as well as by cities and other destinations and by private sector organisations and individual tourists. It comes as communities in rural areas also struggle with the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. These communities are usually much less-prepared to deal with the short and longer-term impacts of the crisis. This is due to a number of factors, including their aging populations, lower income levels and the continuing digital divide. Tourism offers a solution to all of these challenges. -- Tradearabia News Service Published on 2020/09/08 | Source Lee Min-ki and Nana have confirmed appearances in "Oh My Ladylord". Advertisement MBC's new drama "Oh My Ladylord" scheduled to air in March 2021, is a rom-com of a romantic comedy actress who 'can't date' a drama writer who 'won't'. Writer Jo Jin-gook, the romance master who gave birth to many life-time works and director Hyeon Sol-ip, who proved her sensuous and delicate directing skills through the four-part drama "You Drive Me Crazy" makes the drama looked forward to. Lee Min-ki plays Han Bi-soo, Korea's top thriller drama writer who 'does not love' in the drama. Lee Min-ki is an actor who has built his own distinct acting color and charm across the screens. The genre that especially shines with Lee Min-ki's charm is romantic comedy. Lee Min-ki performed heart-rending romance through "Very Ordinary Couple", "Spellbound", "This Life Is Our First Life" and "Beauty Inside - Drama". Actor Lee Min-ki's confirmation in "Oh My Ladylord" is expected to shake the hearts of Korean women once again. In the drama, Nana plays Oh Joo-in, a romantic comedy queen who is 'not good at dating'. Nana has built up her acting skills through various works such as dramas and films "The Good Wife", "Kill It", "Justice" and "The Swindlers". In particular, in the recently ended drama "Into The Ring", she has established herself as a leading actress who can lead a piece of work on her own, including three-dimensional characters and romantic comedy acting. Lee Min-ki and Nana are coming together with a romantic comedy that shows the charms of the two actors at their best. "Oh My Ladylord" is much anticipated in 2021. An aged care home in Prahran approved by Planning Minister Richard Wynne has angered locals over a move by the government to push through hundreds of millions of dollars in development without a transparent process. Residents in and around Prahrans Greville Street learned out of the blue last week that the project twice rejected by Stonnington Council, once knocked back by the state planning tribunal, and later ruled out by the Supreme Court had been approved by Mr Wynne. Stephen Jolson (second from left) is among those who have opposed a six-level aged care home in Prahran, approved by Planning Minister Richard Wynne. Credit:Jason South Mr Wynne announced on Wednesday that he had approved planning permits for developments worth $933 million - including the Prahran project - in an attempt to stimulate Victoria's economy. The proposed six-level aged care home by operator Lifeview will cater specifically to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community. It was among 10 projects that Mr Wynne has given his tick of approval to without public input. The Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on September 9, demolished "illegal alterations" at Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's Bandra bunglow, a civic official said. The 33-year-old actor, who is scheduled to reach later in the day, has alleged that the Maharashtra government is targeting her because of her fight with the Shiv Sena. The demolition work began shortly after 11 am, the official told PTI. A BMC team reached the bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra with bulldozer and excavators and demolished alterations made sans the civic body's approval. The BMC had posted a second notice outside her bungalow, informing of the action the civic body is set to take, he said. Trouble has mounted for Kangana as the Maharashtra government on Tuesday said the police will probe allegations that she took drugs, while alterations made at her bungalow came under the civic bodys scanner. Responding to the demolition, Kangana tweeted images of the Mumbai police with captions referring to them as Babur and his army, death of democracy and calling Mumbai as Pakistan and POK. I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy pic.twitter.com/bWHyEtz7Qy Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020 Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the Mumbai police would probe allegations by actor Adhyayan Suman that Ranaut took drugs. The BMC on Tuesday filed a 'caveat' in a local court, saying it should be heard first if Ranaut challenges a stop-work notice issued to her. Ranaut had recently said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia", and would prefer security either from Himachal Pradesh or the Centre. Union minister Ramdas Athawale, an ally of the BJP, said workers of his party RPI (A) will provide protection to Ranaut when she returns to Mumbai. "RPI (A) workers have geared up to protect Ranaut who is scheduled to reach Mumbai on Wednesday. Our party workers will offer protection to her at the airport as well as at her residence, Athawale said. (With PTI Inputs) In the U.S., our year-over-year production change is always positive. When we have production in excess of 500 million pounds, we get in a surplus situation, explained Mary Ledman, Rabobank Global dairy strategist. In Q1 of this year, we were knocking on the door of a surplus. Then COVID-19 hit, she continued during a late August U.S. & Global Dairy Market Outlook webinar. The change in the worlds behavior affected all aspects of the economy. The peak in our seasonal milk production was cut off at the knees by COVID-19, Ledman said. Producers were called upon to reduce milk production, and huge kudos to the dairy sector for doing this. The tide turned in July, and now milk production is up 1.5%. Going forward its going to be interesting to see if were going to be able to hold onto that. Since co-op-base plans to control production arent expected to trigger in the second half of the year, Ledman expects a calmer market. It looks like fairly smooth sailing in the second half of the year. If July is any indication, milk production might stay at the 1.5%, she said of future growth in U.S. milk production. The number of dairy cows was also affected by the years unusual turn of events. Dairy herds (cow numbers) peaked earlier this year, until last month when we saw U.S. dairy herds 44,000 farms (with cow numbers) above last years levels, but 10,000 less than the beginning of the year. Milk is trending higher in Texas, in particular, where they had 51 million pounds more this July than last July, and 25,000 more head this year than last, she said. COVID-19 also caused a spike in U.S. butter production, with a record high in April 2020. April was the period where everything was shifting, the supply chain was reshuffling, and milk was being dumped, said Ben Laine, vice president of Dairy Research at Rabobank. Thats where you see butter and nonfat dry milk play the traditional balancing role when you need a place to put a product with a longer shelf life until you can figure out whats happening going forward. Cheese demand was also impacted by USDAs purchases for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Plus, June saw strong exports, in particular to Mexico, South Korea, and Japan. We were at a discount to the rest of the world when prices crashed at the beginning of lockdowns, he said. That led to a lot of orders being placed, which strengthened exports. Another encouraging sign is if we look at South Korea and China in particular, both of those areas were hit earlier with COVID-19 and lockdowns and were lagging some. But now were seeing that ground made up, which is a leading indicator of how demand is going and what we can expect in the future, continued Laine. The author and her family own and operate a sixth-generation dairy farm near St. Johns, Mich. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2020 September 3, 2020 'The UK has rejected all offers from Brussels of an extension to give the talks a better chance of finding compromise.' Photo: PA Britain will set out new details of its blueprint for life outside the European Union on Wednesday, publishing legislation a government minister acknowledged would break international law in a "limited way" and which could sour trade talks. After leaving the EU in January, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pushed on with plans for the end of a status quo period in December, and hoped a bill on Britain's internal market would set in stone the transfer of powers from Brussels. But with talks with the EU all but stalled over fisheries and state aid, a statement from his Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis that the new bill would "break international law in a very specific and limited way" may only worsen matters. The EU has warned Britain that if it reneges on the divorce deal there would be no agreement. London has repeatedly said it will respect the withdrawal agreement and Northern Ireland protocol, saying its bill contained only "clarifications". Britain and the EU say they have until October to agree on a free trade deal, which would ease the worries of some companies who fear disruption at the borders and of supply chains at a time when many are struggling with the coronavirus crisis. In a statement, the government hailed its Internal Market Bill as a way of empowering Britain and ending the reign of "unelected EU bodies". "This bill will also give the UK government new spending powers to drive our economic recovery from COVID-19 and support businesses and communities right across the UK," said Michael Gove, a cabinet minister. "No longer will unelected EU bodies be spending our money on our behalf. These new spending powers will mean that these decisions will now be made in the UK, focus on UK priorities and be accountable to the UK parliament and people of the UK." The bill is intended to allow all companies to be able to trade unhindered in Britain's four nations, to transfer powers to Britain allowing it to replace some of the EU's spending programmes, and set up a new body to monitor internal trade. On Northern Ireland, Lewis said in a separate statement that the provisions would ensure businesses based in the British region would have "unfettered access" to the rest of Britain, without paperwork. It would also ensure there would be no legal confusion about the fact that while Northern Ireland would remain subject to the EU's state aid regime, Britain would not. "As a responsible government it is also necessary for us to ensure there is a safety net in place which provides legal certainty that we can deliver on the commitments made to the people of Northern Ireland," he said. Northern Ireland, which borders EU member Ireland, has always been a stumbling block in talks, and almost killed off the Brexit deal until Johnson found agreement with then Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar last year. Even after that, the government says there are ambiguities in the Northern Ireland protocol which need to be clarified in accordance with the election promises Johnson made last year. But Scotland and Wales said the planned bill would undermine the United Kingdom by stealing devolved powers from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. "Let me be clear the UK government plans to sacrifice the future of the union by stealing powers from devolved administrations," Jeremy Miles, Wales' counsel general, said. PLANO, Texas, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Hospital Consulting, the management and consulting arm of Community Hospital Corporation (CHC), is pleased to announce new relationships and the opportunity to help improve the performance of healthcare organizations around the country. CHC owns, manages or supports nearly 30 hospitals in 12 states, including Hawaii, and provides group purchasing organization (GPO) services through CHC Supply Trust to more than 80 additional hospitals across 11 additional states plus the District of Columbia. CHC is a stable organization with a proven ability to help community hospitals remain sustainable. "Whether during trying times or any day, community and rural hospitals face unique challenges," said Jim Kendrick, CHC President and CEO. "We offer practical solutions that enhance efficiencies, improve quality and strengthen the financial stability of the hospitals we serve." Announcements: CHC Consulting began providing Strategic Support Services for Lane Regional Medical Center (LRMC), a 139-bed health system in Zachary, Louisiana, on September 1, 2020. The initial relationship is for five years. On September 1, 2020, CHC Consulting began providing Interim Chief Executive Officer Services for Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services (RMCHCS), Gallup, New Mexico. Serving in that role is Don Smithburg, a senior healthcare executive who joined the CHC Consulting team in the fall of 2019. Geary Community Hospital (GCH), Junction City, Kansas, renewed a two-year Management Services agreement with CHC Consulting on July 31, 2020. The GCH Board approved and welcomed Frank Corcoran as permanent Chief Executive Officer. Through CHC Consulting, Corcoran served as GCH Interim CEO for about two months, and prior, as GCH Interim CNO since October 2019. Great Plains Health (GPH), North Platte, Nebraska, signed a new, five-year Support Services agreement with CHC Consulting, on July 1, 2020. GPH has been a CHC Consulting client since 2009. CHC Consulting began providing Strategic Support Services for Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center (AVRMC), La Junta, Colorado, on July 1, 2020, under a new five-year arrangement. ARVMC is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital serving the healthcare needs of southeastern Colorado. About Community Hospital Corporation HELP WHERE HOSPITALS NEED IT Community Hospital Corporation owns, manages and consults with hospitals through three distinct organizations CHC Hospitals, CHC Consulting and CHC ContinueCARE, which share a common purpose to guide, support and enhance the mission of community hospitals and healthcare providers. Based in Plano, Texas, CHC provides the resources and experience community hospitals need to improve quality outcomes, patient satisfaction and financial performance. For more information about CHC, please visit www.communityhospitalcorp.com . CONTACT: Anne Block [email protected] 972-943-6470 SOURCE Community Hospital Corporation Related Links http://www.communityhospitalcorp.com NAPA, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Visit Napa Valley and Acqua Panna team up to launch the "Savor the Experience" sweepstakes, which runs through October 14th, 2020. The grand prize winner will experience Napa Valley's rich Italian history with a trip worth Savoring. The experience includes a three night wine country retreat at the Napa Valley Lodge, exclusive wine tasting experiences at Del Dotto, V. Sattui and Benessere three of Napa Valley's most storied Italian wineries, bike and electric tuk-tuk tours via Napa Valley Bike Tours and Laces & Limos, and true Italian dining experiences at Ca'Momi Osteria and more. "Acqua Panna's natural spring water from the sun-drenched hills of Tuscany is designed to be savored, much in the same way as the award-winning wines produced throughout Napa Valley", states Chhaya Dagli, Sr. Brand Manager of Acqua Panna. "We are thrilled to be partnering on this exciting partnership to offer consumers the opportunity to explore the food and history of this spectacular wine growing region." "Acqua Panna is a great partner for Visit Napa Valley," said Linsey Gallagher, President & CEO of Visit Napa Valley. "Napa Valley is best when shared, and this program inspires consumers to savor every moment. It's no surprise that California's wine country has deep Italian roots. One can only imagine the pleasure with which Italian immigrants first discovered this region in the mid-nineteenth century, such familiar territory to the rolling hills and vineyards they'd left behind. It wasn't long before Napa Valley was attracting Italian families from San Francisco, and even today, some of the region's most noted wine labels still bear such names as Mondavi, Martini, Nichelini, Sattui, and Coppola." As part of the "Savor the Experience" sweepstakes, Acqua Panna will place on their bottles neck tags promoting the activity and featuring Visit Napa Valley imagery as well as inviting Acqua Panna influencers to show off the beauty of Napa Valley through the lens of Acqua Panna savored moments. Consumers can enter the sweepstakes by visiting one of the Southern California Ralph's retail locations, or by visiting www.visitnapavalley.com/acquapannawinatrip. Given current travel restrictions and safety guidelines, promotion will be limited to residents of California. No purchase necessary, California Residents Only, 25+, Ends 11:59 p.m. ET 10/14/2020. Void where prohibited. For rules: www.visitnapavalley.com/acquapanna winatrip . About Acqua Panna Established in 1564, Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water is crafted by nature as it flows through the sun-drenched hills of Tuscany, north of Florence, Italy. The name Acqua Panna originates from the respected Villa Panna, an estate owned by the Medici family during the age of the Renaissance, on which the Acqua Panna source was discovered. The estate is still run according to strict rules, using controlled, certified organic farming on over 3,000 acres which includes a nature reserve. Acqua Panna natural spring water is perfected by its 14-year journey to the spring it is filtered naturally as it flows, resulting in a special mineral balance that gives the water an unparalleled smooth taste and makes it naturally alkaline with pH of 8.0 or higher. For more information, visit www.acquapanna.com/us . About Visit Napa Valley Visit Napa Valley is the official destination management organization for the Napa Valley, with a mission to promote, protect and enhance the region's position as the world's premier wine country experience and enhance its public image as a dynamic place to visit, live and work. Napa Valley's rural 35-mile scenic landscape, conveniently located just an hour from the San Francisco Bay Area, consists of distinctive towns and regions, including, from north to south, Calistoga, St. Helena, Rutherford/Oakville, Yountville, Napa, American Canyon, and the outdoor recreation area of Lake Berryessa. For additional information on the Napa Valley, or to plan your Napa Valley experience, please explore VisitNapaValley.com, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @VisitNapaValley. Visit Napa Valley VisitNapaValley.com #VisitNapaValley @VisitNapaValley SOURCE Visit Napa Valley Related Links http://VisitNapaValley.com The British government is set to announce new details on its existence outside the European Union later on Wednesday, with a particular focus on the already agreed terms regarding Northern Ireland's customs relationship with the bloc. The euro gained another 0.25% against the pound, trading at around 0.9086 having appreciated more than 1.9% since the start of the month. By mid-morning trade in Europe, the pound was changing hands at around $1.2947, down 0.3% for the day and by more than 3% since the beginning of September. Benchmark one-month implied volatility has also spiked in the past week, mirroring investor concerns. LONDON Sterling touched six-week lows against both the U.S. dollar and the euro on Wednesday morning after the U.K. revealed plans to renege on its Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU. The new legislation, dubbed the Internal Market Bill, sets out to amend the ways in which the British government can exercise authority over trade in its various jurisdictions, altering the existing Withdrawal Agreement signed in January. The government's Northern Ireland minister acknowledged on Tuesday that the move will break international law. The bill has already prompted the resignation of the British government's top lawyer, with critics suggesting the U.K.'s reputation could be damaged by violating an international treaty in this fashion. It will undoubtedly sour the eighth round of trade talks that commenced this week, and has raised the possibility of the U.K. leaving the EU without a free trade agreement in place when the Brexit transition period expires at the end of the year. Nomura FX Strategist Jordan Rochester has ascribed a 40% chance of a "no-deal" exit, which could rise to 50/50 over time. He said in a note Tuesday that the full downside risk to sterling is not necessarily priced in just yet, and could extend beyond Brexit later in the year as the end of the U.K.'s furlough begins to affect the economy. Rochester said the 3% fall for sterling is "nothing in the grand scheme of the pound," and highlighted that the EUR/GBP pair is yet to breach its recent ranges, in which Brexit was not a factor. In the near-term, Nomura is looking for EUR/GBP to climb to 0.92. "The end of the furlough scheme in October is likely to raise unemployment from below 4% to anywhere in the range of 7.5-12%," Rochester said. "That alone is likely to cause a substantial drag on UK growth. There is also the potential for a tax raise in the autumn budget and a long winter of COVID-19 cases and shutdowns providing a drag on activity too." In addition, he argued that the risk of a no-deal Brexit at year-end could cause a "significant blow" to trading relations for "months and years to come," but highlighted that sterling has largely been brushing aside the key Brexit tail risks for weeks due to a range of external factors. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The painstakingly negotiated Northern Ireland Protocol was the linchpin of the Brexit deal signed by Britain and the European Union last year. So Tuesdays statement from a U.K. minister that his government is ready to break international law in a very specific and limited way in order to change that agreement will echo for a long time, and not just in Britain. It resonates in the same way that White House counselor Kellyanne Conways casual assertion of alternative facts did back in 2017. It upends our notion of the existing order of things. In this instance, the way Boris Johnsons administration regards the rule of law. As of writing this, weve not seen the wording of the governments proposed legislation to circumvent parts of the EU Withdrawal Agreement. But legislating to contravene the Brexit treatys terms, as Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis acknowledged the government intends to do, is no mere technicality. Johnson dislikes the Protocol which he signed up for, remember because it means his government has to abide by EU state aid rules on trade between the bloc and Northern Ireland. In our hyper-connected world that could apply to almost anything. It could mean that support given to a Nissan plant in northern England is ruled out because cars produced there could cross into Ireland. The prime minister either only belatedly recognized what he sees as a trap door, or figured he could fix it later. However the realization dawned, the issue of state aid is totemic because it sits at the intersection of Johnsons plans for rebalancing the U.K. economy which will involve investment in struggling industrial regions and his rationale for leaving the EU in the first place. For Brexiters, applying state aid rules designed in Brussels defeats the purpose of leaving the bloc. The problem has been percolating for a while. Last year, Johnson declared that Britain would adopt its own state aid regime. In February 2020, a free market think tank, Politeia, published a paper warning of the dangers in the Protocol and urging the government to take quick legislative action to end the obligation to notify the European Commission of state aid. Had the pandemic not descended, the argument might have broken out months ago. Story continues Johnsons championing of state aid is an odd hill for a Tory to fight on, even if its explained by the need to keep the partys new voters in northern England on board. Mainstream Conservatives, such as former party leader and Foreign Secretary William Hague, are troubled by the change in philosophy. They dont mind wresting free from Brussels rules but worry this is cover for a new era of French-style dirigisme. For decades, the U.K. protested when European governments doled out subsidies or other aid to industries. Conservatives were scathing about states mollycoddling industry and argued that the market was better at picking winners. Indeed, Britain was instrumental in shaping the EUs state aid policy, and assisted its industry far less than Germany and France did theirs. Id still argue that its not in the U.K.s interest to abandon that Tory orthodoxy in favor of unrestrained subsidies. Propping up failing sectors would damage Britains competitiveness. Still, theres evidence to support the view from Downing Street that targeted and limited state inducements can support innovation, as has been the case in Singapore and Israel. It can also help ensure that skills and infrastructure are more evenly distributed across a country. Johnson exaggerates the constraints imposed by the EU state aid rules. The regime is far from perfect it can be arbitrary and it accords Brussels enormous powers. But most EU countries are adept at getting any assistance approved. Automatic approvals applied to nearly 95% of state aid last year. As the pandemic unfolded this year, the EU quickly signed off on a raft of government help to industry. The quality of the EU regime is beside the point, however. Britain is no longer a member and naturally enough doesnt want to be bound by the bloc. But the U.K. needs to articulate what rules it wants to apply, both to comply with its good faith promise to the EU to trade fairly, and to let British companies and industries know what will be allowed. A scattershot approach is likely to be wasteful and distort investment decisions, a danger that ought to concern the U.K. taxpayer as much as Brussels. The EU is hardly blameless in this stand-off. The chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, demanded initially that the U.K. simply translate the current EU state aid regime into U.K. law and then keep it aligned with the EU over time. That was clearly a non-starter for the Brits and over the summer Barnier softened his position. Brussels has also been shortsighted, and petty, in projecting a zero-sum view in which any U.K. success is somehow Europes loss. Sure, distortions to competition must be countered, but trade agreements happen because both sides usually win. A more productive, innovative Britain would be good for Europe too. Theres no reason the U.K. shouldnt be allowed to build its own set of state aid rules that establishes an equivalency with the EU and includes some kind of dispute settlement mechanism. Britain might even incorporate the EUs balancing concept, where negative effects on competition are balanced against other goals such as regional development and reducing climate impact. This dispute would be an unfortunate way for the U.K.-EU trade deal to die. If it really does lead Johnson to break a treaty obligation, the damage will be incalculable. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Therese Raphael is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe. 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. 3 1 of 3 Tyler Sizemore, Staff Photographer / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Show More Show Less 3 of 3 The Spring Branch ISD will provide free meals to all students until Dec. 31 through a program supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These meals will be available to all SBISD students whether they are taking classes at home or in-person. Actor Manoj Bajpayee and filmmaker Anubhav Sinha have teamed up for Bhojpuri rap song on migrant workers, Bambai Main Ka Ba and the song is now out. The song chronicles the journey and emotions of a migrant worker who leaves the comfort of home behind to move to a bigger city for the sake of livelihood. The video opens with rushed visuals of migrants struggling for basic needs such as food and shelter. Manoj then enters the picture at the Mumbai Central Railway station. With the help of the lyrics and the video, we are then taken through the feelings of a migrant worker who loves the scent of the earth in his native village but is stuck in a metro for the sake of earning their daily bread. Directed and conceptualised by Anubhav , the song has been penned down by Dr Sagar and crooned by the actor. Sankarshan Thakur has written the English lyrics for the song that landed online Wednesday afternoon. Anurag Saikia has composed the music for the song and some news footage has been used for the visuals. Sharing the song, Manoj tweeted, Presenting you the most awaited Janata ke bharpoor maang par with love Beating heart #BambaiMeinKaBa https://bit.ly/35kcYBS @anubhavsinha @itsBhushanKumar @TSeries @BenarasM @AnuraagPsychaea @DrsagarJNU @BenarasB #BambaiMainKaBa. Speaking about his own journey from a small village in Bihar to Mumbai, Manoj had told Humans of Bombay, Im a farmers son. I grew up in a village in Bihar with 5 siblingswe went to a hut school. We led a simple life, but whenever we went to the city, wed go to the theatre. I was a Bachchan fan and wanted to be like him. At 9, I knew acting was my destiny, he said. Also read: Kangana Ranaut vs Shiv Sena latest updates: Actor says Mumbai is PoK now as BMC carries out demolition work at her property Talking about how he faced rejections in Mumbai, he said, Initially, it was toughI rented a chawl with 5 friends & looked for work, but got no roles. Once, an AD tore my photo & Ive lost 3 projects in a day. I was even told to get out after my 1st shot. I didnt fit the ideal hero faceso they thought Id never make it to the big screen. All the while, I struggled to make rent & at times even a vada pav was costly. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for helping to broker peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates - and immediately went on a Twitter spree of self-congratulation Wednesday. He was nominated by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, an ultra-conservative member of the Norwegian Parliament, who praised Trump for brokering a deal in which the UAE and Israel agreed to establish diplomatic ties and trade links and allow free travel between their countries for the first time. Tybring-Gjedde is an immigration skeptic who previously nominated Trump in 2018 for his meeting with Kim Jong-Un in Singapore. Trump lost and the prize went to Nadia Murad, a Yazidi who survive ISIS in Iraq and now campaigns against sexual violence in war. Insisting he is not a Trump supporter, he said: 'For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees,' Tybring-Gjedde said to Fox News. 'The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing.' The decision on who wins is made by the five-member Nobel Prize Committee, which is chosen in line with the make-up of the Norwegian parliament; Tybring-Gjedde's party is not represented on it. That did not stop Trump from boasting on Twitter about the nomination, retweeting supporters and aides, among them Trish Regan, who was fired from Fox News in March after calling coronavirus 'another attempt to impeach the president,' and Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon supporter running for a safe Republican district who questioned whether the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon really happened. Pictured: U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Melech Friedman and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner applaud after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates from the Oval Office, August 13, 2020. Trump has now been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement in brokering the deal Donald Trump will host a signing ceremony for the Israel-UAE peace deal at the White House on September 15, officials said on Tuesday WHY TRUMP SHOULDN'T BET ON VICTORY Nominations for a Nobel Peace Prize are relatively easy to acquire; an actual prize is more elusive. Anyone elected to a national parliament, congress or assembly anywhere in the world, any cabinet minister anywhere in the world, professors of history, theology and religion, former prize winners and members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee are just some of the people who can all nominate whoever they like. But the five-strong Nobel committee hold the real power. They do not confirm who has actually been nominated - the list is kept secret for 50 years - then whittle down the hundreds of nominations to a shortlist which they review more thoroughly, then decide a winner. The five members all serve six-year terms and are supposed to reflect the balance of the membership of the Norwegian parliament. Tybring-Gjedde's party is too small to get a seat; two members are former politicians from the left-leaning Labour Party, and one from the center-right Center Party. Their deliberations are secret and the winner - decided by a majority vote - is announced next October. Advertisement Tybring-Gjedde, who is a four-term Progress Party member of the Norwegian parliament, said the Trump administration deserved to be honored for its role in the establishment of relations between the UAE and Israel. Tybring Gjedde's party is pro-Israel, while he is known for his strident views on immigration saying that it is the single most important political issue facing Norwegian society. He has compared the hijab to outfits worn by the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan and demanded a defense of Norwegian 'culture.' His second attempt at nominating Trump seems as doomed as the first: in 2020, there were formal 318 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize according to the organization's official website, and nominations can be submitted by anyone who meets the Nobel Committee's criteria, which includes lawmakers anywhere in the world. The peace deal was first announced by the President on August 13, with Trump saying that the United Arab Emirates and Israel have agreed to establish full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the Israeli annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state. The deal delivered a key foreign policy victory to Trump as he seeks reelection, and reflected a changing Middle East in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians. Officials said on Tuesday that a signing ceremony would be hosted at the White House on September 15, with senior delegations from the two countries in attendance, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. In his nomination letter, Tybring-Gjedde wrote: 'As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity.' He also cited the president's 'key role in facilitating contact between conflicting parties and creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan, and the conflict between North and South Korea, as well as dealing with the nuclear capabilities of North Korea.' Tybring-Gjedde also praised Trump for withdrawing U.S. troops from the Middle East. The historic deal delivered a key foreign policy victory to Trump as he seeks reelection UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash (C), US President's senior adviser Jared Kushner (L) and Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat (R) pictured during a meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 31 August 2020 AMERICA'S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNERS Pictured: US President Barack Obama speaks on a screen at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at Oslo Spektrum on December 11, 2009 in Oslo, Norway A total of 21 Americans and one American organization have won the prize - among them three sitting presidents, a sitting vice president and a former president and vice president. They include: 1906: Theodore Roosevelt. First sitting president to win, for brokering end to Russo-Japanese war 1919: Woodrow Wilson. Second sitting president and third American, for leading the establishment of the League of Nations 1925: Charles Dawes. Calvin Coolidge's vice president, for his work on reparations after World War I 1931: Jane Addams. First American woman to win, for leading the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom 1945: Cordell Hull. FDR's secretary of state from 1935 to 1944, for fighting isolationism and helping set up the United Nations 1950: Ralph Bunce. First black American to win, for work as a diplomat to mediate in Israel and Palestine 1953: George Marshall. Architect of the Marshall plan to rebuild Europe 1964: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Won for his commitment to non-violence 1973: Henry Kissinger. At the time Gerald Ford's secretary of state, and previously Nixon's. Won for the end of the Vietnam war 1986: Elie Wiesel. Writer and Holocaust survivor, he won for chairing the President's Commission on the Holocaust 2002: Jimmy Carter. First president honored for work after leaving office on peaceful conflict resolution, human rights and economic development 2007: Al Gore. Bill Clinton's vice president won for his climate change campaigning 2009: Barack Obama. Won in his first year as president 'for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples' Advertisement 'Indeed, Trump has broken a 39-year-old streak of American Presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict. The last president to avoid doing so was Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter,' he wrote. The Norwegian MP said that the President had met the three conditions needed to win the peace prize. 'The first one is fellowship among nations and he has done that through negotiations,' he said. 'Reduction of standing armies - he has reduced the number of troops in the Middle East and the third criteria is promotion of peace congresses,' he said, adding that Trump had made 'tremendous efforts' towards brokering peace. Four U.S. presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize, which is determined by the five-person Nobel Committee, which is appointed by the Norwegian Parliament: Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, President Woodrow Wilson in 1920 and President Jimmy Carter in 2002 and Barack Obama in 2009. The 2021 winner will not be announced until October next year. In 2006, Tybring-Gjedde also nominated Islam-critical filmmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali for the Nobel Peace Prize. Hirsi Ali did not win the prize. Along with another member of his party, Tybring-Gjedde nominated Trump for the prize in 2018 after the president's Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un. Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe reportedly did the same, but Trump failed to win. Speaking to Fox News, the Norwegian - who is a member of the country's conservative-leaning populist 'Progress Party' - said he was not nominating Trump to win favor with the president. 'I'm not a big Trump supporter,' he insisted. 'The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the facts not on the way he behaves sometimes. 'The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing.' The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded president Obama for his 'extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people'. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited Obama's promotion of nuclear nonproliferation and a 'new climate' in international relations, pointing to his efforts in reaching out to the Muslim world, but drew mixed reactions in the U.S. He was awarded the prize just 263 days after taking office, with Lech Walesa, Poland's former president and a 1983 Nobel laureate saying: 'Too fast. For the time being Obama's just making proposals. But sometimes the Nobel Committee awards the prize to encourage responsible action.' Even Obama sounded surprised in his comments following the away, saying: 'To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize, men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.' The nomination comes after Trump's long-term resentment of Obama was detailed by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. He revealed how Trump hired a 'Fauxbama' impersonator of the president to record a video showing the then Apprentice star 'firing' him. Cohen said Trump was motivated by racism and by envy of Obama's academic achievements and oratory. The White House claims Cohen's word cannot be trusted because he was convicted of lying to Congress. Cohen has since said he was directed to lie by Trump. CAMBRIDGE, England, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambridge Quantum Computing (CQC) is pleased to announce the addition of an experienced quantum computing executive to its Business Development team. Reporting to the firm's Chief Business Officer, Denise Ruffner, Mehdi Bozzo-Rey (Mehdi) will take responsibility for a variety of key markets and clients in the USA, Canada and France and further expand CQC's leadership in business areas where corporations are rapidly adopting quantum computing solutions in order to address critical challenges now and in the future. With over 20 years of experience in the High-Performance Computing (HPC) industry, Mehdi's contributions span infrastructure management and reproducible HPC, as well as customer and partner enablement. A physicist by training and driven by passion for disruptive technologies, Mehdi leveraged his background in quantum mechanics to explore quantum computing. Mehdi became the first IBM Quantum Ambassador in Canada, and subsequently joined the IBM Q team to lead its business development activities in Canada which resulted in scalable and sustainable ecosystem growth and enablement. Outside of quantum computing, Mehdi is an accomplished amateur astronomer and is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Denise Ruffner, CQC's Chief Business Officer, stated "CQC is thrilled to welcome Mehdi to our fast-growing team. As global leaders in quantum software, we are collaborating with some of the world's leading companies. Mehdi's experience will add a new and exciting dimension to CQC's client facing capabilities." Mehdi said "CQC is at the forefront of innovation and advances in quantum computing software which enable the power of quantum computing to be realised. I look forward to contributing to our clients' efforts to transform their businesses with our leading quantum computing software products and solutions." About Cambridge Quantum Computing: Founded in 2014 and backed by some of the world's leading quantum computing companies, CQC is a global leader in quantum software and quantum algorithms that help clients get the best out of rapidly evolving quantum computing hardware. For more information, visit CQC at http://www.cambridgequantum.com SOURCE Cambridge Quantum Computing JAIPUR: The Border Security Force (BSF) shot dead two smugglers during the intervening night on Tuesday-Wednesday in Rajasthans Sriganganagar border outpost. According to reports, the operation was carried out after receiving specific intelligence inputs about narcotics smuggling from Pakistan side to the Indian side in AOR of BOP Khayaliwala, Sriganganagar border outpost. The alert BSF troops foiled a nefarious attempt by the armed smugglers to smuggle arms and ammunition and shot dead two smugglers ahead of the border fence. On searching the area, a large number of items were found near the dead bodies of the two slain smugglers. Live TV Two smugglers shot dead by BSF at the India-Pakistan border; pistol, night vision device, magazines found Pistols - 02, Magazines - 04, Ammunition - 28 rounds, Narcotics/drugs- 08 pkts (approx 8 kg), Night vision device- 01no (with 02 cells extra), Pak Currency- Rs 13000, Pistol cover- 01 no, Knife small- 01 no, Wallet- 01 no. One National I card no 31103-7254202-1 in the name of Shahbaz Ali S/o Mushtaq Ahmed (DOB 11/3/87) was found by the BSF team. Told husband has always been a 'brilliant dad' and the parents 'muddled through' Former Prime Minister took office in 2010 shortly after birth of Florence, now 10 Samantha Cameron has admitted she 'didn't expect' her husband David would be 'overly involved' with their newborn daughter Florence when he was Prime Minister. The businesswoman, 49, has spoken of life in Downing Street, after giving birth to daughter Florence, now ten, shortly before David, 53, first took office in 2010 - revealing her husband has always been a 'brilliant dad'. Appearing on ITV's Lorraine today, Samantha told that David would 'always' give his children Florence, Nancy, now 16, and Arthur, now 14, evening bath when they were 'tiny'. When asked if she had any advice for Carrie Symonds, the wife of Boris Johnson who in April gave birth to her first baby boy, the mother-of-four confessed that raising her newborn 'seemed fairly seamless'. Samantha Cameron has admitted she 'didn't expect' her husband David would be 'overly involved' with their newborn daughter Florence, now 10, when he was Prime Minister. Pictured, Samantha and David at 10 Downing Street with their new born baby daughter Florence Rose Appearing on ITV's Lorraine today, Samantha spoke of life in Downing Street after giving birth to daughter Florence shortly before David, 53, first took office in 2010 'I think I was on my fourth by then, so I think it seemed fairly seamless. I have to say, I wasn't expecting him [David] to get overly involved', she told. 'He's always been a brilliant Dad, so I think one of the things we always did with the children when they were really tiny is he would have a bath with them and that was quite bonding. 'It was also much easier than for me to bath in one of those tiny plastic things where you're always terrified you're going to drop them and they're going to slip out of your hands, so he always did that when he could and we sort of muddled through somehow.' She went on to reveal that to bring a sense of normality to their four-bedroom flat above No 11, the family brought all of their previous home's furniture with them, and would often throw their children birthday parties and hold playdates for their kids. Samantha told that David would 'always' give his children Florence, Nancy, now 16, and Arthur, now 14, evening bath when they were 'tiny'. Pictured, Samantha and David with their children in 2016 'It was easier when they were littler because they didn't really understand what was going on', said Samantha. 'When we moved into Downing Street, I carried on going to work and dropping them off at school and they carried on at their same schools and they had their friends round for parties and play dates. 'But as they grew a bit older and became teenagers, I think the pressure of having a father as Prime Minister and living somewhere like Downing Street, I think it does become a little stranger.' She went on to explain that while she wanted to 'support her husband', the creative director wanted to 'carry on with her life', and didn't want to be 'overly involved' with her husband's role. She went on to explain that while she wanted to 'support her husband', the creative director wanted to 'carry on with her life' The businesswoman explained to host Lorraine Kelly (pictured) that she didn't want to be 'overly involved' with her husband's role 'It is very different', said Samantha, 'I took the view that I wanted to carry on with my life, you know, support my husband in the best way I could, but also continue my life and the children's life as normal. 'I continued with my job and I went down to working from full time to three days a week, so I could support him when he needed me, but not getting overly involved. 'There's not an official role and people take different routes, but that's how I decided to handle it. I had three small children and a new baby .' The mother is auctioning off the famous blue dress she wore outside Downing Street the morning after David was voted back into office following the 2015 elections, to raise money for UK charity Smart Works, which helps women gain employment. The mother is auctioning off the famous blue dress, pictured, she wore outside Downing Street the morning after David was voted back into office following the 2015 elections, to raise money for UK charity Smart Works Speaking of the dress, she went on: 'You're always looking for something for those occasions and not to blend too much into Downing Street door, so it was always good to get print and colour on your outfit.' She admitted that while she would often try to make her outfits look polished and 'effortless', she would often spent lots of time prepping, but confessed she would still occasionally forget shoes or the right underwear. Samantha added: 'On the outfit thing, the camera doesn't lie and it's much harder finding things to wear that are appropriate. 'I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend quite a lot of time prepping and trying to make it look effortless. 'There were moments where I would forget my underwear or shoes and would have to borrow underwear, we tried to make it look effortless but it clearly wasn't really.' NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global Market Intelligence, today announced that it has collaborated with Snowflake, the cloud data platform, to seamlessly deliver S&P Global's industry-leading financial, textual, ESG and alternative data through Snowflake. Clients now have immediate access to S&P Global's data via Snowflake eliminating the data ingestion process and significantly improving their productivity and efficiency. "Clients are looking to work with vendors that can simplify the ingestion and linking of data, allowing users to focus on deriving insight," said David Coluccio, Managing Director, Data Management Solutions at S&P Global Market Intelligence. "We are excited to work with an innovative company such as Snowflake to allow our clients to quickly access, utilize and maximize the value of their data, which is vital given the speed at which today's global markets operate." "We are committed to providing high quality data to our clients and are excited to collaborate with S&P Global Market Intelligence to deliver valuable financial and alternative data to customers via the Snowflake Data Marketplace," said Matt Glickman, VP Data Marketplace, Customer Product Strategy at Snowflake. "S&P Global Market Intelligence is an innovator in the financial markets and we're thrilled to be working with them to expand this offering to the market." Cloud-based delivery enables customers to simplify their data management and work with multiple large datasets more efficiently. The Snowflake Data Marketplace is built on top of Snowflake's Secure Data Sharing technology, and provides an easy-to-use platform for organizations to find, share and access content. Through Snowflake, S&P Global and select-third party data is ready to query and easily accessible via multiple cloud platforms and enables direct integration with more than 80 third-party data vendors. This collaboration is part of S&P Global's ongoing initiative to invest in the flexible and open distribution of quality data to its clients. Snowflake is the first cloud-hosted delivery option added to the S&P Global Marketplace , a discovery tool that allows for easy exploration, discovery and evaluation of differentiated data and solutions from S&P Global and select third-party providers. Over 20 datasets are available today from S&P Global via Snowflake including Compustat and S&P Capital IQ Fundamentals , GICS , Trucost Environmental Data , S&P Global ESG Scores , Machine Readable Transcripts and Filings and more. New S&P Global datasets will be made accessible through Snowflake regularly, including alternative datasets with selected third-party vendors such as IPqwery patent data, BuildFax permit data , FiscalNote legislation data and more. To see all the S&P Global data available via Snowflake, please visit the S&P Global Marketplace or the Snowflake Data Marketplace . For additional information, you can also listen to the Snowflake's Rise of the Data Cloud podcast , which features S&P Global Market Intelligence discussing the future of data and delivery. About S&P Global Market Intelligence At S&P Global Market Intelligence, we understand the importance of accurate, deep and insightful information. We integrate financial and industry data, research and news into tools that help track performance, generate alpha, identify investment ideas, perform valuations and assess credit risk. Investment professionals, government agencies, corporations and universities around the world use this essential intelligence to make business and financial decisions with conviction. S&P Global Market Intelligence is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics in the global capital and commodity markets, offering ESG solutions, deep data and insights on critical business factors. S&P Global has been providing essential intelligence that unlocks opportunity, fosters growth and accelerates progress for more than 160 years. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence. SOURCE S&P Global Market Intelligence Related Links http://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion said on Wednesday that St. Maarten is still in discussions with the Dutch Government as he is working to secure the second tranche of liquidity support. Irion said that even though his statements in parliament were taken out of context by some people, the money will run out by end of October if the funds are not received. The Minister of Finance further explained that while there is a systematic government in St. Maarten his government has taken the bull by its horns by cleaning up the civil service and also pulling up the hand brakes on the use of government phones. Prime Minister of Silveria Jacobs also added that St. Maarten never stopped the discussions however, it is the Dutch State Secretary Raymond Knops who halted talks with the overseas countries, St. Maarten, Aruba, and Curacao. Jacobs said Knops already said his actions are based on a decision taken by the Kingdom Council of Ministers. Jacobs further explained St. Maarten is working with Curacao and Aruba on how to move forward. She admitted that the governmental system is carbon copied from the Netherlands while St. Maarten had a further set back with the number of elections held within the first ten years. St. Maartens Prime Minister explained that St. Maarten is working on cleaning up however, this will take time since a number of legislations have to be amended. to increase the minimum wage and to decrease the cost of living for example with require changes in the legislation. Jacobs assured that her government is committed to making the necessary decisions and taking tough decisions to better improve the way of life on St. Maarten. Boss probe will be made public BANGKOK: The findings from an independent investigation into the mishandling of the 2012 hit-and-run case against Red Bull scion Vorayuth Boss Yoovidhya will be made public, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday (Sept 8). policecrimecorruption By Bangkok Post Wednesday 9 September 2020, 09:12AM A file photo on Sept 4, 2012 shows Forensic police inspecting a motorcycle belonging to Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert of Thong Lor police station and a Ferrari driven by Vorayuth Yoovidhya, the youngest son of Red Bull executive Chalerm Yoovidhya, following the accident. Photo: Somchai Poomlard / Bangkok Post Dont worry. Its impossible to keep it secret. Who were involved and how will be revealed, he said when asked about growing calls for him to reveal the findings of a probe by a fact-finding committee chaired by former National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Vicha Mahakun, reports the Bangkok Post. The Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) is compiling information as to who will face legal action and will disclose that information when ready, he said. As prime minister I shouldnt interfere with judicial matters that much. Let the agency do its job and reveal the information. Im now ensuring its able to get the job done, he said, apparently referring to the PACC. Asked about calls to reveal the name of senior police officials implicated in the investigation, Gen Prayut said the PACC has a list of police officers who will face an investigation and possible legal action over alleged misconduct. In another development, Isra News Agency published on its website conversations between Pol Col Thanasit Taengchan, from the Office of Police Forensic Science who examined the scene of the accident in 2012, and another police colonel and a police general. The conversations were believed to have been transcribed from an audio recording which Pol Col Thanasit submitted to the Vicha committee. The seven-page transcript was included in the report submitted by the panel to Gen Prayut, according to the news agency. It deals with Pol Col Thanasit changing his statement, revising down the speed of Vorayuths Ferrari from 177km/h to 79km/h, the news agency said. In the conversations, the second colonel and the general discuss with Pol Col Thanasit ways to make the first calculation of the Ferraris speed at 177km/h look like a technical error, and claiming that footage of the moving Ferrari captured on security cameras wasnt clear enough, said the news agency. Bulk Solids Innovation Center partners with key trade association to boost industry Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020 The Bulk Solids Innovations Center's 12,000-square-foot facility in Salina includes six laboratory rooms with test bench equipment for measurement and characterization of material properties, while providing additional room for client research projects. | Download this photo. MANHATTAN The Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center is entering a strategic partnership with the Process Equipment Manufacturers' Association, or PEMA, to improve and assist the industry. Formed in 1960, the association brings together companies that supply equipment and systems that are used by process industries, including but not limited to food, chemical, pharmaceutical, wastewater treatment, paint and coatings, agribusiness, ceramics, metals, plastics, wood, pulp and paper, environmental, building products and mining/minerals. "We are excited to establish this partnership with PEMA, the most important trade association dedicated to companies who supply bulk solids equipment for industry," said Todd Smith, business and strategy manager for the Bulk Solids Innovation Center. "The association's members have supported our center since the outset, and its efforts fully match our goals to improve bulk solids technology and assist industry." Opening five years ago, the Bulk Solids Innovation Center, part of the Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus in Salina, is the only university facility and staff in North America dedicated to helping industrial companies with education, consulting, testing services and research related to bulk solids. The center's 12,000-square-foot facility includes six laboratory rooms with test bench equipment for measurement and characterization of material properties while providing additional room for client research projects. The center features a full-scale bay with a large variety of equipment for testing and studying hopper flow, chutes, conveying, filtering, flow aids, blending, separating and the like. The facility is filled with the latest equipment and instrumentation, most of it donated by more than 25 companies many of which are Process Equipment Manufacturers' Association members. The Bulk Solids Innovation Center provides essential services to industrial companies, including the following: Material testing services Tests are used to evaluate material properties and make recommendations relative to storage, flow, conveying, segregation, mixing, fluidization, air filtration and more. Test examples include flow function, wall friction, particles' size and shape, moisture analysis and wear/abrasion. Full-scale research and consulting projects The center provides facilities and university staff expertise to help companies troubleshoot material or process issues, conduct trial runs, or plan how to scale-up from the lab or pilot plant. Education short courses These short courses, valued for the combination of theory, practical application and hands-on learning are not available at most colleges. They will be offered again in person in 2021. The Bulk Solids Innovation Center also is launching an online Bulk Solids Academy in November. This online academy will be comprised of 50% lecture and 50% demonstrations on real equipment, with discussion and questions and answers. Through the partnership with the Bulk Solids Innovation Center, Process Equipment Manufacturers' Association members will receive discounted education; access to material testing, consulting, advice and troubleshooting; access to equipment testing facilities; a place where customers can do full-scale testing or scale-up of processes; and information on latest technology or trends. Using the resources provided by the, an independent laboratory, will provide additional credibility for PEMA members. "PEMA members will have access to unique educational, consulting and testing services through this partnership," said Rod Henricks, PEMA president. "Likewise, PEMA members will be a first-line resource for the Bulk Solids Innovation Center when needs arise." Contact the Bulk Solids Innovation Center at bsic@k-state.edu with inquiries. The Justice Department moved Tuesday to take over President Trump's defense in a defamation suit filed by author E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of raping her in a Manhattan department store dressing room during the 1990s. Carroll sued Trump last year after he called her a liar and claimed he had never met her before. In court papers, Justice Department lawyers argued that they should be able to replace Trump's private attorneys because he made his comments about Carroll while in office. The DOJ cited the Federal Tort Claims Act, which is an extremely unusual move, University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck told The New York Times. Lawyers for the government have never before tried to use the law to include the actions of a president conducted before he took office, he explained. Last month, a New York judge ruled that Carroll could go forward with her suit, after Trump attempted to temporarily halt the proceedings. Carroll's lawyers have asked that Trump provide a DNA sample, in order to check if any of his genetic material is on the dress Carroll said she wore during the alleged incident. In a statement, Carroll's attorney Roberta A. Kaplan said the Justice Department's motion is "shocking" and Trump's "effort to wield the power of the U.S. government to evade responsibility for his private misconduct is without precedent and shows even more starkly how far he is willing to go to prevent the truth from coming out." More stories from theweek.com The true Election Day nightmare scenario New York Times investigation sheds more light on bribery, corruption at Beirut port that set stage for deadly blast The Lincoln Project's inevitable ad on Trump's toxic comments on U.S. troops uses his own slurs against him The Texas Association of School Administrators has announced six finalists for its 2021 Texas Teacher of the Year award, including two from the San Antonio area Lisa Barry and Adriana Abundis. The recognition is meant to spotlight and reward teachers who have exemplified outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching, according to TASA. Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox Barry teaches fifth-grade students at Woodridge Elementary in the Alamo Heights Independent School District, and has made learning about the Holocaust a priority for her students for 17 years. Last year, she testified before the Texas Senate Education Committee as part of her effort to push for mandatory tolerance, genocide and Holocaust education for students across the state. She shared each step of that process with her students, she said, having them watch as she addressed the panel and as Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 1828 into law. Getting children involved in issues they are interested in is a great way to teach beyond the classroom. As a reading, writing and social studies teacher, I am privileged to be able to teach in a cross-curricular manner, Barry said. They learned firsthand how a bill becomes a law. Express Briefing: Get the morning headlines in your inbox Abundis, a dual-language math teacher at Lanier High School in San Antonio ISD, spearheaded four community mural projects, allowing students to get involved with members of the larger community. Education is a cultural action. I believe that, at its core, education is driven by community wisdom and authentic real-world connections, Abundis wrote in her application for the award. It is because of this that I vehemently enjoy binding learning with community. Last year, SAISD recognized Abundis as one of three Distinguished Teachers of the Year. She has been teaching in the district for eight years, according to Laura Short, district spokeswoman. Ms. Abundis is an educational advocate for all students who centers her craft on social justice and 21st-century learning platforms and embodies a moral imperative for providing her students with a quality learning experience every single day,. said Moises Ortiz, principal of Lanier High. The finalists were selected from a group of 40 Texas Regional Teachers of the Year. A panel of judges will interview them Saturday and pick two Texas Teacher of the Year winners one for elementary grades and one who teaches secondary school. These six finalists are among the best in a profession that is perhaps the most important in our nation, both for individual children and for society, said Kevin Brown, executive director of TASA and a former superintendent of Alamo Heights ISD. They are national heroes and deserve this tremendous honor. One of the two winners will be chosen to represent Texas for the National Teacher of the Year award. Andres Picon is a staff writer covering San Antonio education. To read more from Andres, become a subscriber. andy.picon@hearst.com | Twitter: @andpicon Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:08:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday broadcast live pictures of the destruction of 785,376 pirated goods estimated at 11 million U.S. dollars. The bull-dozing of the pirated goods occurred in Thailand's central province of Saraburi and the eastern province of Chon Buri. The ministry said that the live footage was carried live to about 90 foreign organizations via the Zoom video conferencing application. The pirate products included garments, bags, belts, shoes, watches, mobile phones, discs, eyeglasses, cosmetics, hats and blankets. They were seized by the Royal Thai Police Office, the Customs Department and the Department of Special Investigation. Presiding over the destruction, Deputy Commerce Minister Weerasak Wangsuphakijkosol said the Thai government is serious in cracking down on pirated goods and is still launching campaigns against buying counterfeit brand-name goods. Enditem Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will unveil his proposal to tax companies that send U.S. manufacturing and service jobs overseas while visiting Michigan Wednesday. Bidens campaign released details of a new policy plan before the former vice president is scheduled to speak in Warren this afternoon, one day before President Donald Trump holds a rally in Freeland. The candidates will both visit swing counties that supported Trump after voting for the Obama-Biden ticket. Bidens Macomb County visit is his first stop in Michigan since the March 10 Democratic primary. His campaign has tried to keep a strong focus on Bidens plan to rebuild the economy and revitalize Michigans manufacturing industry. A release from Bidens campaign scrutinizes Trumps record on ending offshoring, noting that the manufacturing sector shrunk in 2019. The campaign also criticizes Trump for offering federal contracts and tax cuts to large corporations that cut jobs or outsourced facilities during his first term. Trump has talked a big game on ending offshoring, strengthening Buy American rules, and supporting American jobs," the release states. "But like so many of his promises, he has failed to deliver for American workers. Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes, a narrow margin that made him the first Republican to win the state in nearly 30 years. The president has touted his work to renegotiate trade deals Biden supported, which Trump said is responsible for thousands of jobs leaving the country. The two candidates are jockeying to present themselves as the best choice to stoke economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic sent the country reeling into a deep recession. The national unemployment rate dropped from 10.2% in July to 8.4% in August but still remains much higher than the 3.7% unemployment rate in August 2019. Read more: Mike Pence says Trump will lead recovery after COVID recession at Michigan campaign rally Details released by Bidens campaign outline an offshoring penalty surtax applied to profits from goods produced overseas and sold in the U.S. by American companies. The former vice president will also propose a tax credit for companies that make investments to create U.S. jobs. Biden would push Congress to raise the corporate tax rate to 28%. With the added offshoring penalty, companies would pay a 30.8% tax rate on any profits from goods made overseas and sold back in the U.S., according to the Biden campaign. The surtax will also apply to call centers or services by an American company located overseas, according to the campaign. Meanwhile, a 10% tax credit would be available for businesses that make specific investments to boost domestic jobs. The credit could be claimed by businesses that invest in facilities at risk of closing, auto companies that retool their factories to produce electric vehicles, among other actions to expand jobs. Bidens plan also takes aim at tax giveaway loopholes that allow U.S. companies to avoid taxes on their profits. The release argues the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 does little to incentivize multinational corporations to keep jobs in the U.S. The release states Biden will take executive action in his first week as president to strengthen rules requiring the government to buy American goods. Biden also plans to crack down on companies that falsely label products as American made. Michigan Republicans arent impressed with Bidens plan. During a press call Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, said taxing companies that move jobs overseas isnt a new idea. U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, pointed to Trumps 2017 tax cuts, and deregulation as policies that caused job growth. Moolenaar said rolling back aspects of the tax cuts would stifle the economic recovery. READ MORE ON MLIVE: Michigan Trump surrogates highlight USMCA at event for farmers and ranchers Ted Nugent calls Michigan a Gov. Whitmer s---hole at Trump campaign event Trump and Biden back-to-back visits show Michigan is still a 2020 battleground Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 13:56:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MANILA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least five suspected Abu Sayyaf fighters were killed and two soldiers, including a junior military officer, wounded as security forces fought a group of Abu Sayyaf terrorists in southern Philippines before dawn on Wednesday, a local military commander said. Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, commander of the Army's 44th Infantry Battalion, said a firefight broke out around 2:00 a.m. local time in a coastal village in Zamboanga Sibugay province as the forces tracked a group of terrorists. Templonuevo said the early morning gun battle raged for 30 minutes, and the troops were sent to the area after villagers tipped off the presence of the armed men. He added that government forces recovered four high-powered firearms after the 30-minute clash against the 10 Abu Sayyaf members. Templonuevo said the bandits fled. "Pursuit operation is still on-going," he said. Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, commander of the 102nd Infantry Brigade, said the terrorists were in the village to kidnap a trader. "The pursuit operation has been ongoing to neutralize the remaining members still holed out in the mangrove area in the village. Two MG520 helicopter gunships provided air support to the ground forces," Nicolas added. The Abu Sayyaf Group, a loose band of about 200 violent terrorists, has carried out deadly bombings and a series of kidnappings in the remote and poor southern Philippine provinces of Sulu and Basilan. Since 2009, the military said, the group carried out 47 bomb attacks in the provinces of Sulu, Basilan, and Zamboanga that left 83 civilians and soldiers dead, and 505 wounded. The most recent Abu Sayyaf attack occurred on Aug. 24 when the group carried out dual suicide bombings in Jolo, Sulu that killed 15, including eight soldiers, and injured 74. On Jan. 27, 2019, two bombs also rocked a cathedral in Jolo that left 23 killed and 95 injured. The Abu Sayyaf Group preys on foreign tourists, business owners, and fisherfolks not only from the Philippines but also from Indonesia and Malaysia and hides them in Philippine jungles or remote islands. Enditem Renault may have to cut more costs than initially planned to get out of the red zone and its cash-flow projections are alarming, the French carmaker's new chief executive said in an internal memo seen by Reuters. Luca de Meo, a former Volkswagen executive who took over as CEO in July, wrote in the memo to unions and staff that generating cash and restoring profitability was an immediate priority. "The aim is to get back on the right track and to resolve our most pressing problems as quickly as possible: treasury and costs. This means we will perhaps need to go further than planned with our cost-cutting efforts," he said. Renault acknowledged in May that its global ambitions had been unrealistic and announced plans to cut about 15,000 jobs, shrink production and restructure French plants in a bid to save 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion). De Meo did not give a figure in his memo for how much more money the company may need to save. Asked to comment on the memo, a Renault spokesman said De Meo was working on a plan to transform the company by focusing more on profitability than sales volumes. Renault, like its Japanese alliance partner Nissan, is rowing back on an aggressive expansion plan pursued by Carlos Ghosn, its former boss-turned-fugitive. The pair were among the weakest global automakers going into the COVID-19 crisis, lacking a clear plan for using their alliance to emerge from the slump and share the burden of investing in electric vehicles and other technology. 'RED ZONE' De Meo said Renault was in a "red zone" as the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated existing problems, including a downward trajectory in earnings since 2018, its ability to generate cash, falling sales and new models that were not profitable enough. "Our cash-flow projections are alarming. More than ever, we must redouble our efforts to reach sustainable profitability, and generate cash flow," he said. De Meo said that Renault should model itself on the turnaround path followed by French rival PSA, the maker of Peugeot cars, which has focused on trimming costs and producing more profitable vehicle ranges in recent years. "In the next five years, we are going to do what PSA has done in the past five years," he said. De Meo also said Renault's brand had been diluted so it would need to cut back on the number of products within different ranges by about 30% and could also raise prices for its small passenger cars, or C-segment, by 25% to 30%. The CEO called on staff to get behind his turnaround plan. Renault union members already staged sporadic strikes when the earlier round of cost-cutting was announced in May. "We will need to take decisions that are sometimes difficult, but are necessary and positive for the company. I would describe it as a revolution," he wrote in the memo. "This revolution, which must be pushed forward by all the men and women of the company, I'm calling it a 'Renaulution'." In a highly unusual move, Arizona and five other Colorado River Basin states are challenging a proposed pipeline that would divert to a booming southwestern Utah community almost as much river water as Tucson uses every year. Six of seven river basin states all but Utah wrote the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Tuesday, asking it to delay publishing a final environmental review of the proposed Lake Powell pipeline and making final decision on it. They want the bureau to wait until all seven states take time to reach consensus regarding outstanding legal and operational concerns about it. The letter is highly unusual because until now, the river basin states have managed to work out various issues regarding the management of the over-allocated river without breaking out into major, public disputes. In fact, the letter mentions that history as one reason for seeking the delays on this pipeline. The Colorado River Basin states face daunting challenges as populations continue to grow, water demands increase, and supplies diminish, the states letter said. But so far, the states have managed to stave off crippling shortages on the river through a series of collaborative efforts, the letter said. Princess Sofia of Sweden has spoken out about her life and what she thinks about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to end their time as senior royals. In the new documentary Princess Sofia: Project Playground, which aired on September 3 on Sweden's TV4, she was asked if she had ever thought about taking part in her own version of "Megxit," which happened when Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals. Sofia, who famously starred in a reality show and was a glamour model before marrying Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, responded, "No. Not really. I think I have found such a fantastic balance, and I really see it as a positive that I have made it through these stormy years." She went on to say, "It is such a huge advantage, in that we have the opportunity to stand a little in both worlds. The documentary was filmed in Cape Town in January. She also opened up about what finding worldwide fame has been like. She said, "Since I became a princess, I have been through many identity crises. Here in South Africa I have a type of identity, and when I come home, I have something else. Here I am allowed to be who I want to be. Sofia and her husband (who looks quite similar to 50 Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan) are parents to Prince Alexander, 4 and Prince Gabriel, 3, and have been married for five years. Ryanair to increase frequency of Kyiv-Berlin flights from Oct 18:45, 09.09.20 1666 The move is due to high demand from both German and Ukrainian passengers. Grammy-award winning Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae will perform at St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville on Friday, a concert organized by Prison Fellowship, a national Christian ministry. Prison Fellowship said the concert is part of its series called Hope Events and will be the first in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Birdsongs, a Christian rock band originally from Seattle now living near Knoxville, will also perform. Prison Fellowship says it is the nations largest ministry for prisoners and their families and has been working for more than 40 years. Hope Events feature inspirational speakers and musicians to give inmates a brief break from prison life and chance to respond to Christ and join a faith community, the organization said in a news release. Lecraes 2012 album, Gravity, won the Grammy for best gospel album, the first time a hip-hop artist won the award in that category. Lecrae will take part in a question and answer session with the inmates during Fridays event. St. Clair Correctional Facility, built in 1983, housed about 1,100 inmates as of June, the most recent Alabama Department of Corrections statistical report. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing in Washington, D.C. "It's not uncommon at all," he said. He added that the adverse event could be unrelated to the vaccine and might have just occurred at the same time as the trial, "but you can't presume that. You always make the presumption that it's due directly to the actual vaccine or therapeutic." He added that it's "unfortunate" that an adverse reaction occurred at all, but said that putting the trial on hold and taking time to review the data is "one of the safety valves" that's built into clinical trials. "This particular candidate from the AstraZeneca company had a serious adverse event, which means you put the rest of the enrollment of individual volunteers on hold until you can work out precisely what went on," Fauci said in an interview with Gayle King on CBS This Morning . He added that the company would typically alert other sites of the trial to be on watch for similar adverse events "and then you proceed cautiously." On Tuesday, AstraZeneca said it paused its phase three trial for a potential Covid-19 vaccine, called AZD1222, due to safety concerns. It's unclear exactly what the concern is, but a person familiar with the matter told STAT News the hold is related to a "suspected serious adverse reaction" in a participant in the United Kingdom. White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday it's "not uncommon" that AstraZeneca is holding up its coronavirus vaccine trial for a safety review, but the "serious adverse event" with one of the participants is unfortunate. In a statement released Tuesday, AstraZeneca described the pause on its trial as a "routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials." The company added that it is trying to expedite the review to "minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline." Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who sits on the board of competing vaccine developer Pfizer, said the pause on AstraZeneca's trial is evidence that "the system works." "This is how the clinical trial process works and it worked here," he said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "I think we should never have had a doubt that the monitoring system that's in place for clinical trials of this magnitude is independent and works." He added that AstraZeneca's phase three trial is made up of about 10,000 participants, which is about a third of the size of other companies' late-stage trials. "So one case of a rare adverse event that could be associated with the vaccine is going to cause concern among regulators," he said, adding that regulators and independent data safety monitoring boards will likely now comb through the data for signs of similar adverse events that might have been missed initially. He added that the delay in AstraZeneca's trial enrollment will likely last for "at least days and maybe a couple of weeks." AstraZeneca, which licensed the vaccine from scientists at the University of Oxford, launched its phase three trial last month. It is one of at least three companies with late-stage trials underway, along with Pfizer and Moderna. A vaccine is seen by some as key to ending the pandemic and slowing the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far infected at least 27.6 million people around the world and killed at least 898,200 people, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The United States has invested more than $10 billion in six companies that are developing potential vaccines in order to secure doses. In May, the U.S. announced it would pay AstraZeneca $1.2 billion for at least 300 million doses of its potential vaccine. The announcement that AstraZeneca would pause its trial came just one day after nine companies that are developing potential coronavirus vaccines, including AstraZeneca, publicly pledged to prioritize safety and uphold rigorous scientific standards in the rush to bring a vaccine to market. The companies pledged to "always make the safety and well-being of vaccinated individuals our top priority." 08/08/2020 The cortege makes its way to church, flanked by Dublin fans pictured this morning at the funeral of 'super' Dublin supporter, Tony Broughan. His funeral took place at the Church of the Most Precious Blood, Cabra..Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin It's not often you hear a loud cheer at a funeral, but when the Sam Maguire cup was raised in the air above the coffin of one of Dublin's favourite fans yesterday the roof nearly lifted off the church. The silverware was brought to the Church of the Most Precious Blood in Cabra in honour of Tony Broughan, otherwise known as Molly Malone, as family and friends came to bid farewell to the GAA super fan who died last Wednesday after a short illness. The father-of-eight (88) will be remembered by generations of GAA fans as the man who used to dress up as Molly Malone, in full wig and dress regalia, as he rang his bell in Hill 16 and Parnell Park. He had been a regular fixture at Dubs games since 1975, having taken over the role of Molly Malone upon his brother's death. Emotional There were cheers in the church when some of the symbols to represent Tony's life were brought to the altar, including his navy and sky-blue dress and his own mock Sam Maguire. There was a particularly emotional moment when his bell was brought forward and rang out. Other symbols included coal to represent his days as a coal merchant, a figure of a horse's head to represent his connection with horse trotting, a radio he used to listen to matches on if he could not attend and a newspaper, because he was a voracious paper reader every day. Parish priest Fr Michael O'Grady said Tony deserves his place in the history of the city, GAA, Hill 16 and the parish. "Before all else he was a family man, who lived on his own terms and in his own time, and in the family context he is reunited with his beloved wife Rose who died three years ago," he said. "Tony was someone who was a tonic, made people smile, and lightened many a burden. His memory will live long, with the bell, the blue hair and the dress." Fr O'Grady told how Tony had helped so many people in difficult times. "Many a home was heated, and many a person fed because of him," he said. Tony's son Terry, with his wife Christine, told how Tony had led a hard but simple life, and how he cared for Rose in her final years - only leaving her side when there was someone to look after her when he went to a Dubs game. "His religion was GAA, and he loved dressing up for matches," they said. Tony had worked for Dublin Corporation and the family told how a former colleague said to them he remembered Tony "mullocking in the manholes until the blockages were cleared", and how he would have a coal fire burning outside his corporation hut which would draw people to him on a cold day. He would always let them warm themselves by the fire. Terry and Christine said Tony got a coal round after working with the corporation and would say that as long as you had a bit of heat and food on the table, you'd be alright. Honour The family heard that Tony had lived to see his beloved Dubs win the five-in-a-row, and that maybe the team can do six in a row in his honour. His coffin was brought from the church as the congregation inside and outside proudly sang Molly Malone. Dressed in the Dublin colours and waving Dublin flags, they accompanied Tony's remains as they were driven by Croke Park one final time as a tribute to him. T o say the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the travel industry would be an understatement, with many people having their holidays cancelled this year as lockdown was imposed. The government did lift certain travel restrictions earlier this summer through the introduction of air bridges, but advice against travelling to countries, including popular destinations such as France and Spain, has been reintroduced. With travel restrictions still constantly changing, there's no guarantee you'll be able to get abroad to your destination of choice. Here's everything you need to know about getting a refund if your flight has been cancelled. Can I get a refund if my flight has been cancelled? PA British Airways British Airways is offering a voucher to the value of your booking for refunded flights, or Avios. However, the BA website states: "If you do not wish to rebook, claim your voucher or claim Avios (if you an Executive Club Member), you can contact us on 0800 727 800 from the UK, or +44 (0)203 250 0145 from outside the UK, to discuss your refund options. "Please contact us on 877-767-7970 if you are calling from the USA or view worldwide contact centre details here." EasyJet EasyJet state that if your flight is cancelled you will be notified by the booker using the details on the booking. You can choose to switch to any other flight, any time, or claim a voucher for the full value of your ticket. If you arent ready to book again just yet, a voucher provides the flexibility to book travel in future, for flying through to at least Summer 2021. You can access the voucher via Manage Bookings. Additionally by visiting the Covid-19 Help Hub you can request a refund via an online form, and your request should be completed within 28 days. Ryanair Ryanair confirmed it will pay refunds to those who ask for them, and has committed to a timeline for paying out requests - and is making "rapid progress" on its refund backlog. It said 90 per cent of customers who booked directly with Ryanair and requested refunds for cancelled flights between March and June were set to be paid by the end of July. You can find out more here. Virgin Both Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays are giving vouchers for cancelled bookings automatically, however if you want a cash refund you'll need to ask for it proactively, and may be left waiting for 120 days. From 29 July 2020, it's added that if you request a refund in August, you should have to wait a maximum of 80 days to get your refund, down to 60 days in September and 30 days in October. You can use the refund request links in your cancellation email, or contact customer services. Tui Package holiday giant Tui cancelled all package holidays that were due to depart up until 10 July 2020, affecting hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers. If you had a cancelled holiday booked up until 10 July 2020, or a Marella Cruises holiday until 30 July 2020, you'll be automatically sent a refund credit voucher to the value of your booking plus 20 per cent extra on top. You can spend the voucher and rebook online or via a Tui store. However, if you want a refund, you'll have to put the details into Tui's online refund form to ask for a refund to the value of your booking instead. Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Associated Press/Pablo Martinez Monsivais Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis slept in his clothes because of North Korea's missile launches amid the US's rocky relations with the country in 2017, according to a new book. The account comes from Bob Woodward's upcoming book, "Rage," CNN reported. According to the book, US-North Korean relations were fragile, and the potential for nuclear war was on the mind of the president's national security staff. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis slept in his clothes because of North Korea's missile launches amid the US's rocky relations with the country in 2017, according to a new book on the Trump administration. The account comes from CNN's review of Bob Woodward's upcoming book, "Rage," which is scheduled for release on September 15. According to the book, US-North Korean relations were fragile, and the potential for nuclear war was on the mind of the president's national security staff. Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, fired about two dozen missiles in 2017, including its highest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile, shortly after President Donald Trump took office. As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continued to conduct missile and nuclear tests, Trump warned the country of "fire and fury" if it threatened the US. The situation concerned Trump's national security team, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said, "We never knew whether it was real or whether it was a bluff," according to the book. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Reuters Meanwhile, then-Defense Secretary Mattis, a retired four-star Marine Corps general, had slept in his clothes in case of a missile launch from North Korea and visited the nearby Washington National Cathedral to pray, according to CNN's review of the book. Mattis announced he was resigning from his position in December 2018. He cited disagreements with the president's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, an unpopular choice among senior military leadership and US allies at the time. Story continues "Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis wrote in his resignation letter. For more than a year after his resignation, Mattis, like other retired military leaders, refrained from speaking out against the administration. In June, however, he wrote a statement published in The Atlantic that criticized the administration's controversial response to the Black Lives Matter protests. At the time, people across the country were protesting the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, prompting the Trump administration to threaten to deploy US combat troops to American cities. "I have watched this week's unfolding events, angry and appalled," Mattis said in his statement. "Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us," Mattis added. "We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership." Woodward's book adds to Mattis' criticism of Trump, according to CNN. He's quoted as saying the president is "dangerous" and taught the US's adversaries "how to destroy America." According to the book, Mattis said he resigned after Trump's move to pull out of Syria, "when I was basically directed to do something that I thought went beyond stupid to felony stupid." Woodward, an award-winning Washington Post journalist known for his work uncovering the Watergate scandal in 1972, has written numerous books about American presidents and their top advisers based on extensive interviews with insiders. He previously published another book about Trump's White House called "Fear: Trump in the White House," which was sourced from interviews that amassed to "boxes of recordings and documents." Read the original article on Business Insider It is inevitable that local lockdowns will be imposed in Northern Ireland to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, Michelle ONeill has said. The Northern Ireland Executive is to meet on Thursday to discuss extensive coronavirus measures as case numbers rise in many areas. First Minister Arlene Foster said the Executive may have to take similar interventions like those imposed in Glasgow, where households are banned from visiting others indoors. The Department of Health said 607 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last seven days in Northern Ireland. I think it's inevitable that we will be moving very quickly to local lockdowns that's going to be required in order to protect people Michelle O'Neill Another 49 were diagnosed in the most recent 24-hour period, according to the latest daily figures. There were no further deaths. The DUP leader said she does not want to reintroduce widespread lockdown measures. We want to take proportionate action and we will always have to under the law, Mrs Foster added. We will have a full discussion on Covid. You have seen limited lockdowns in other parts of the UK and the Republic, we havent had to do that thus far, we may have to do that tomorrow. Ms ONeill said the Executive will be guided by public health advice. The fact that we have data that brings you right down to the postcode level shows that we are able to adapt in a smaller geographical area where we need to, she added. I think its inevitable that we will be moving very quickly to local lockdowns thats going to be required in order to protect people. Mrs Foster also said she hopes to give an indicative date for the reopening of so-called wet pubs on Thursday. She said a rise in Covid-19 cases is connected to household transmission. The Department of Health #COVID19 dashboard has been updated with latest data. 49 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. No deaths have been reported.https://t.co/YN16dmGzhv pic.twitter.com/hoOk1yDfGa Department of Health (@healthdpt) September 9, 2020 The DUP leader praised the hospitality sector for how it has implemented the latest health measures. Having been out and about, I have been very impressed in the way in which the hospitality sector have been able to mitigate against Covid-19, and restrict movement but yet offer a service, Mrs Foster said. I think it is unfair that one section of one part of our economy have not been able to open. I hope that we can give an indicative date tomorrow to those wet pubs. They deserve it and people have been abiding by the law for a very long time and I want to pay tribute to their resilience, but I think we do need to give them, in a graduated way, a date they can reopen. SOLON, Ohio -- The Solon Fire Department has received the 2020 American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Achievement Award. Fire Chief Mark Vedder informed Mayor Ed Kraus and members of City Council of the award in an email Sept. 2. Several council members congratulated Vedder and the fire department on the achievement at the council meeting Tuesday (Sept. 8) I think its outstanding, Ward 7 Councilman Bill Russo said. It shows the professionalism of our firefighters and the training that they go through to be able to obtain an award such as this. In his email, Vedder said the award honors the fire departments paramedics for adopting and successfully implementing protocols to help them recognize a specific type of heart attack, called a STEMI, as it is happening. STEMI is an acronym for an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Its the deadliest type of heart attack, in which the coronary artery is completely blocked. The award also recognizes the success of our paramedics in resuscitating patients in cardiac arrest and obtaining return of spontaneous circulation, Vedder said in his email. To accomplish this, they use cardiac monitors, defibrillators, emergency drugs and advanced airway equipment. They bring many of the emergency room procedures to the field. Vedder noted that the departments paramedics are often the first on the scene to treat residents with non-traumatic chest pain. Their actions are important in limiting the damage to the heart muscle and increasing survival in these patients, he said. In his email, Vedder informed council of two successful resuscitations performed by paramedics during the previous week. Both of these patients were unconscious, not breathing and in cardiac arrest, he said. "In one case, two of our police officers administered CPR until the squad arrived and resuscitated this local employee. She arrived at the hospital with a heartbeat, breathing on her own and spontaneous movement of her extremities. In the other case, our 911 dispatcher gave CPR instructions to the patients wife at home until the paramedics arrived on scene. After four shocks, the paramedics were able to restart the patients heart, and he was awake and talking on arrival at the hospital. At the council meeting, Vedder thanked council members for sharing in his pride and appreciation of the citys firefighters and the great job that they do every day. As you can see, it is a partnership with our other safety professionals, he said. It doesnt happen without the support of residents and the support of council, and we appreciate that you provide that for us. Ward 4 Councilman Marc Kotora said he was not surprised at all by the fire departments award. We have an incredible group of first responders, and were very lucky to live in a community where we have the equipment, the facilities, the training and the human resources that we have in those departments, he said. Ward 1 Councilman Macke Bentley said he recently had an incident at his home involving his mother-in-law, who passed out, and the citys emergency medical services were called. Shes fine, but the guys showed up immediately, came in and handled everything, he said. "So when you have personal experience with them, saving someone that you love, it really hits home. Were just lucky to have them. All of the services in Solon are the best in Northeast Ohio. Vice Mayor and Ward 5 Councilwoman Nancy Meany also congratulated Vedder and the citys firefighters. Youre so deserving of this award, and were so fortunate to have all of you in our city, she said. In March, the Solon Fire Department received an American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS Recognition Award from University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center in Beachwood. Officials from Ahuja Medical Center said that award was for excellent pre-hospital care to patients who experience heart attacks and cardiac arrest, and added that the AHA has specific requirements that had been met by the fire department. Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun. Maybe investigators are still pursuing other angles. But for now, as for all the other troubling aspects of the wide-reaching affair the access to secure government facilities, the well-paying jobs unreasonably doled out, the helpful intervention of a Justice Department lawyer, the participation, however unwitting, of a high-flying group of current and former intelligence officials whose fundamental job was to figure out whats going on so that the nation can be kept safe the government was apparently willing to shrug its shoulders and move on. Yet, one question hovers over the entire astounding enterprise: How did it last as long as it did? One insight can perhaps be gleaned from a genuine spy. Victor Cherkashin, the Russian intelligence officer who ran Aldrich Ames, the mole burrowed inside the C.I.A., wrote: Intelligence officers might think theyre chiefly responsible for recruiting agents, but most of the work really consists of finding people who want to be recruited. And thats what Garrison Courtney did. He targeted companies that were looking for an edge, a legitimate advantage that would give them access to what was going on behind closed government doors. And if, in the interests of a very broadly defined national security, a deal was dangled without competitive bidding, they could solemnly contend that they were simply doing their patriotic duty. Beltway companies that were already avidly recruiting former high-ranking military officials and government procurement officers to help guide them through the multibillion-dollar federal marketplace were primed by experience, instinct and greed to accept Mr. Courtneys inflated, if not preposterous, stories. A similar sort of self-interest might have motivated the investors who handed over nearly $2 million. The prospect of a $600,000 profit in a month about a 30 percent return conceivably helped dull common sense. Yet what about the military and intelligence officials who fell for the fraudulent operation? One transactional explanation can perhaps be found in the governments filing. It identifies a public official who was employed as a civilian with a branch of the United States military. Mr. Courtney sought corruptly to influence this official by providing things of value. These included persuading two companies in the program to hire the officials adult child, notwithstanding that the adult child lacked relevant training or experience. Another, more nuanced answer might be found in the way life is lived in this highly compartmentalized secret world. Its full of people who proudly feel they know so much, only they cant ever talk about it. Its not just that these professionals cant share what they know; they cant admit even knowing it. Kangana Ranaut has attacked Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray over the demolition drive at her office cum studio space. She has termed the incident 'death of democracy'. Kangana Ranauts tiff with Shiv Sena reached its peak on Wednesday. Sharing videos of the destruction caused by BMC officials at her office, Kangana challenged Uddhav Thackeray stating that today her house is demolished; tomorrow it will be his arrogance. She further added today she understood what Kashmiri Pandits must have felt like. Hence, not just Ayodhya, she will also make a film on their plight. Irked by Kangana Ranauts comparison of Mumbai vs POK, which was followed by Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rauts derogatory reaction, BMC officials on Wednesday morning went ahead to demolish Kangana Ranauts office cum studio space. The demolition came hours ahead of the actors entry in Mumbai. As Kangana rushed to Mumbai guarded with Y+ security given to her by the Union Home Ministry, she termed the demolition as death of democracy on Twitter. This was followed by a courtroom action, wherein the Bombay High Court granted a stay on BMC demolition at her property and asked the civic body to submit their response. Also Read: PM Modi to launch PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, e-Gopala App tomorrow Also Read: Mumbai is POK now: Kangana Ranaut on BMC demolition work at office space So much so that when Kangana arrived in Mumbai, a large gathering of Karni Sena members reached the airport to extend their support to the actor while Shiv Sena members reached to register their protest. The protests over Kangana Ranaut came at a time when Covid-19 cases in Mumbai have reached 924K, including 243K active cases, 672K recoveries and 27K deaths. Also Read: YSRCP parliamentary party chief cleared of Office of Profit Charges Campuses are cracking down on partying post-secondary students. Even though a fraction of students have now returned to school in person Queens University estimates about 6,600 of the usual 24,000 will be on campus on a regular basis officials say they still need to limit their social contacts to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks. South of the border, some schools have had to shut down and at least one U.S. university Northeastern, in Boston kicked 11 students out of school for hanging out together in a hotel room and is refusing to refund their fall tuition. In Nova Scotia, the RCMP fined four students $1,000 each over the Labour Day weekend for failing to self-isolate after arriving on campus. News of the large gatherings of students come as polling for the Toronto Star by Campaign Research shows Ontarians are deeply divided over campuses reopening. Some universities have said they will offer online courses all year long, with in-person courses for students in programs like nursing or graduate students who need access to labs. Others are holding smaller classes on campus and larger ones online. Among those surveyed by Campaign Research, 39 per cent said schools could reopen safely while offering in-person classes, with 35 per cent saying they could not, and 26 per cent felt unsure. Just 31 per cent of respondents believe it is safe to reopen residences, with 42 per cent saying its not. The public is split on it, said Campaign Research principal Nick Kouvalis, adding there are concerns about safety but when certain protocols are in place such as limiting dorm rooms to one student Ontarians feel much more comfortable. On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford urged no more parties for college and university students. I always brag we have the brightest students anywhere in the world in university and college, he said. Prove it. Dont go to these big parties ... I just cant stress it enough. I dont want to sound like, you know, some dad lecturing you. Im just talking to you as a friend, as a premier. In Nova Scotia, the four out-of-province university students who were fined were supposed to have self-isolated for 14 days after arriving. But despite RCMP assurances that it has been working in co-operation with the schools involved, both of the universities Acadia and St. Francis Xavier said they had not been contacted by the police. One of those schools is still unsure if the student charged in its town is part of its student body. The influx of students from outside the Atlantic bubble the four Atlantic Provinces where coronavirus infection rates are low has become a major cause for concern. St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish and Acadia in Wolfville have populations that rival those of the towns in which they are located. Its akin to dropping a cruise ship into the middle of the town, in terms of this influx of students from outside of the area, said epidemiologist Ashleigh Tuite of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. It appears the four students will also face further disciplinary sanctions from their school. Ford also mentioned Kingston, which closed its waterfront pier after scores of newly arrived students gathered there. One Queens professor released an open letter saying his campus neighbourhood was strewn with litter after numerous groups of drunken students were partying noisily all weekend, expressing his worries for the city, which has just one active case. As you know, hundreds of my Queens University colleagues have spent the last six months in lockdown ... generally suspending our lives and careers in order to do our part for the community and for the university, to ensure a safe environment for our children and our students, wrote kinesiology and health studies professor Jeff Masuda. Yet, all of these efforts are now effectively moot ... (students) have, epidemiologically speaking, turned the entire university district into some kind of pandemic outbreak incubator. None of this had to happen. In London, a fraternity cancelled its frosh-week plans at the urging of Western University, and the public health unit has also warned students to stay away from house parties. Campaign Research surveyed 1,129 people across Ontario last Wednesday and Thursday using Maru Blues online panel. For comparison purposes, a random sample of this size would have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy Steve McKinley is a Halifax-based reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: stevemckinley@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @smckinley1 Wildfires in Clackamas County have destroyed 22 houses and structures since Sunday night and are threatening more than 600 other houses and structures as thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes. On Thursday evening, the county issued a curfew, declaring that anyone who was not working, or involved in life- or property-saving activities, was not allowed to be on the street or in public. The curfew goes into effect at 10 p.m. Thursday night, and is scheduled to be lifted 6 a.m. Friday. The county said the curfew was to prevent possible criminal activity in evacuated areas. The sheriffs office said it would also be increasing patrols in those areas. The entire county is under some level of evacuation warning with about half the county, including Estacada and parts of Molalla, under a Level 3 evacuation order, meaning residents are asked to leave immediately. Residents can look up their addresses online to determine the evacuation level in their area. There have been no civilian injuries or fatalities resulting from the fires in Clackamas County, according to fire officials. A firefighter suffered a minor injury while responding to the fires Tuesday night. Read full coverage The county is focused on four major wildfires, said Clackamas Fire District No. 1 Chief Fred Charlton: the Riverside fire, Dowty fire, Unger Road fire and Wilhoit fire. Charlton said a separate 10-acre brush fire off Oregon 213 and Spangler Road that started Tuesday night was mostly contained. The Riverside fire, which started near the Riverside campground along the Clackamas River, had grown to 112,000 acres by Wednesday night as Eastern winds pushed the fire to within two miles of Estacada. The three other major fires, along with the Spangler Road fire, had burned through a combined 2,500 acres as of Wednesday morning, Charlton said. At least 11 homes had been destroyed by the fires by Wednesday afternoon. The fires have destroyed and threatened other structures within the agricultural communities, including barns, storage facilities and other outbuildings. Weather conditions and a lack of resources have made fighting the fires particularly challenging, Charlton said. He couldnt estimate yet when any of the four fires would be even partially contained. The temperatures are starting to increase today, the winds are starting to pick up, he said Wednesday. Thats a bad sign for trying to contain and suppress wildfires. Nancy Bush, director of disaster management for Clackamas County, said Wednesday morning that the county has reached 16,000 contacts regarding evacuations. She said its possible that some of the people reached were duplicates and she couldnt say for sure how many people had been asked to evacuate or had evacuated. By Wednesday afternoon, additional residents were being asked to leave their homes as mandatory evacuations expanded to Estacada due to the Riverside fire. Deputies from the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office were going door-to-door to alert people. The Level 3 evacuation area was extended west of Colton and north past Estacada Wednesday night. The county has set up an evacuation check-in site at Clackamas Community College. Limited shelter space was also being provided at Clackamas Community College and Oregon City High School. The Oregon Conference Headquarters of Seventh-day Adventists, Clackamas Town Center and the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge No. 142 were all accepting recreational vehicles. The Clackamas County Fairgrounds had been accepting displaced livestock, but the county announced Wednesday afternoon that the grounds were full. The last thing we want is a spike in COVID-19 cases because of the sheltering that were doing," Bush said. "Were making every effort to make sure the shelters have PPE and that social distancing is maintained at the shelters. Kaitlynn Byrne, 21 and her girlfriend, Mel Windon, 21, were forced to evacuate Tuesday afternoon with the Wilhoit fire raging just a mile away from the Molalla home where they live with Byrnes parents, grandfather and aunt. Byrne said the fire has since spread through her familys neighborhood and she doesnt know whether their house made it through. Byrne grabbed photos, as well as a painting of her beloved childhood dog that was painted by her grandmother, before leaving the house, but realized later that she had left her mothers wedding dress behind. She had hoped to incorporate the dress into her own wedding. Theres a lot of heartbreak going on right now and a lot of emotions, Byrne said. But were just thankful overall that everybody is safe, all of our family. Knowing everybody is safe is a relief, even if we are sad and devastated by everything that has happened. The sky above Blake Houses Colton home was already dark red when fire officials knocked on his door Tuesday and told him, his wife and three children that they had to evacuate. Another four family members who live in a camper on Houses property were forced to evacuate as well. The entire family has been staying at the shelter at Clackamas Community College. Even though the college has beds set up for evacuees, House slept in his truck Tuesday night to be with his dog and four cats. House battled a traffic jam to drive back to his home in Colton on Wednesday morning and pick up some valuables and clothes. He isnt sure when he will be allowed to go back to his house again and remains concerned that his home wont survive the Unger Road fire. You can take every precaution in the world, but if it wants to take the house, its going to take the house, he said. Charlton said the county isnt yet focused on figuring out how the fires began. But at least one fire that destroyed two structures was human-caused. The 10-acre brush fire off Oregon 213 and Spangler Road started at 9 p.m. Tuesday after an RV pulling a Jeep emitted sparks and caught fire, according to the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office. The fire spread to a motor home and a nearby house before it was contained. -- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki arrives for the first face-to-face EU summit since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brussels, Belgium, on July 19, 2020. (John Thys/Reuters) Poland Calls on Germany to Halt Nord Stream 2 Amid Navalny Case WARSAWPolands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on Wednesday on Germany to halt the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, as Warsaw sees the project as a threat to the stability of the region. Nord Stream 2, an underwater pipeline to bring gas from Russia to Germany, is 90 percent complete and is due to start operation next year. But German politicians have suggested they could withhold support after the suspected poisoning of Alexei Navalny, a leading Kremlin critic now being treated in Germany. Alexei Navalny poses in his office in Moscow, on March 17, 2010. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo) Germany is consulting European and NATO partners on how to respond if Russia fails to help explain the case of Navalny, who German doctors say was poisoned with a rare nerve agent. Russia says it has seen no evidence he was poisoned. This reaction should lead, first of all, to the stoppage of work on the Nord Stream 2, which strengthens Russias power, helps President Putin to build a military power, helps to intimidate other nations, Morawiecki told public radio. A Russian construction worker speaks on a mobile phone in Portovaya Bay some 106 miles north-west from St. Petersburg, Russia, during a ceremony marking the marking the start of Nord Stream pipeline construction on April 9, 2010. (Dmitry Lovetsky/AP Photo/ file) We have Germany on our western border without which this project does not make sense I call on them to see what is happening in Belarus, what is happening in Ukraine, how much risk the completion of this project will generate in Ukraine. Poland, which imports most of the gas it consumes from Russia, has long opposed Nord Stream 2, arguing it would strengthen Russias already dominant position on the regions gas market. The pipeline will double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream 1 and will help Russia bypass Ukraine, the main route for Russian gas. Moscow and Kiev have been at loggerheads since Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014. By Pawel Florkiewicz There was great anticipation when Victorians tuned in to hear the state governments road map that would reward their patience and sacrifice throughout the second COVID-19 wave. But for many, there was much disappointment and anger that an underwhelming plan offered an extension of pain rather than hope. Lockdown bites: An empty Flinders Lane. Credit:Getty The hopes and dreams of many who looked to New South Wales and its successful opening in June were dashed. The road map imposed a bar much higher in Victoria than that of our neighbours. At the time of writing, NSW is sitting on 109 new cases this fortnight with 13 from an unknown source. Based on Victorias road map, NSW would be only at step one, with virtually the same restrictions we have now. So why the disparity with NSW? Or is there something else at play? Does such a high bar in Victoria have something to do with the state governments lack of confidence in its contact tracing capability? Given the government has finally asked NSW to provide contact tracing expertise and information, it looks like it. But theres also another factor the modelling. Is the Victorian government using different modelling parameters and assumptions than NSW? If so, why? We dont know, and the only answer we can get is that Victorian modelling is so complex and that Victoria is different. Norwegian politician Christian Tybring-Gjedde announced Wednesday that he nominated President Donald J. Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for helping to broker a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. I have nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Progress Party, said in a statement. It is now to hope that the Nobel Committee is able to consider what Trump has achieved internationally and that it does not stumble in established prejudice against the US President. The Norwegian Progress Party is a far-right populist party. I am proud to leave for Washington next week at the invitation of President Trump and to participate in the historic ceremony at the White House on the establishment of a peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, tweeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump will hold a signing ceremony for the Middle East agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates on Sept. 15. In his will, Alfred Nobel set three criteria to qualify for the Nobel Peace Prize. Donald Trump satisfies all three, Tybring-Gjedde said. NOMINASJON AV PRESIDENT TRUMP TIL NOBELS FREDSPRIS Jeg har i dag nominert USAs President Donald Trump til Nobels... Posted by Christian Tybring-Gjedde on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 This is the second time that Tybring-Gjedde has nominated Trump for the prize. In 2018, Tybring-Gjedde and another member of his party put Trump up for the prize because of the efforts to bring reconciliation between North and South Korea. According to Nobels will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who in the preceding year shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses. The nomination comes in the midst of the allegations that the commander in chief called U.S. veterans and soldiers killed in action suckers and losers. The Atlantic published a piece Thursday documenting times in which the president expressed contempt for soldiers killed or injured, citing multiple officials with firsthand knowledge of such conversations. Trump categorically denies the allegations reported in the Atlantic, saying that they are totally false, a disgraceful situation and a terrible magazine. The Nobel Committee does not itself announce the names of nominees, to the media or the candidates themselves. Information in the Nobel Committees nomination database is not made public until after 50 years. Related Content: TORONTO, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR; OTC: FLWPF) (Flowr or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Company has closed on a fourth tranche of funding (the Fourth Tranche) in the amount of C$703,000 pursuant to the Equity Line and Profit Share Agreement (the Agreement) with Terrace Global Inc. (TSXV: TRCE) (Terrace Global). The Fourth Tranche will be used to fund the Companys outdoor medical cannabis site in Aljustrel, Portugal which is jointly operated with Terrace Global (the Partnership). We are very pleased by the progress in Aljustrel and continue to work closely with Terrace Global towards a successful harvest later this year, commented Vinay Tolia, Chief Executive Officer of Flowr. Thus far the crops in Aljustrel look very promising and we continue to be on track to harvest the fields in Q4 2020. Its exciting to be leading what we believe to be one of the largest outdoor THC cultivation projects in Europe to date. As part of the Partnership and under the terms of the Agreement, Terrace Global has agreed to fund the operations and certain capital expenditures at the Companys outdoor facility located in Aljustrel, Portugal in exchange for common shares and warrants in Flowr. As part of the Fourth Tranche announced today, Flowr has issued to Terrace Global 1,351,923 common shares of the Company at a price of $0.52 and an equal amount of common share warrants (the Warrants). Each Warrant is exercisable into one full common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.76 per common share for a period of 36 months from September 8, 2020. The Fourth Tranche remains subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued under the Fourth Tranche are subject to the customary four-month hold period and may not be traded before January 9, 2020. The parties continue to expect Terrace Global to fund at least C$3 million under the Agreement. Story continues The Companys press release dated August 28, 2020 contained a typographical error with respect to the number of common shares issued pursuant to the third tranche of funding under the Agreement. On August 28, 2020, the Company issued 673,077 common shares and an equal number of warrants. About The Flowr Corporation The Flowr Corporation is a Toronto-headquartered cannabis company with operations in Canada, Europe, and Australia. Its Canadian operating campus, located in Kelowna, BC, includes a purpose-built, GMP-designed indoor cultivation facility; an outdoor and greenhouse cultivation site; and a state-of-the-art R&D facility. From this campus, Flowr produces recreational and medicinal products. Internationally, Flowr intends to service the global medical cannabis market through its subsidiary Holigen, which has a license for cannabis cultivation in Portugal and operates GMP licensed facilities in both Portugal and Australia. Flowr aims to support improving outcomes through responsible cannabis use and, as an established expert in cannabis cultivation, strives to be the brand of choice for consumers and patients seeking the highest-quality craftsmanship and product consistency across a portfolio of differentiated cannabis products. For more information, please visit flowrcorp.com or follow Flowr on Twitter: @FlowrCanada and LinkedIn: The Flowr Corporation. About Terrace Global Terrace is a Canadian company focused on the development and acquisition of international cannabis assets. Its single-minded goal is to unlock value in new jurisdictions. Terrace was created by a group of pioneers in the cannabis space who have come together to build a best in class portfolio of assets, across international markets. With decades of cross-continent relationships, the Terrace team is uniquely positioned to unlock value in new jurisdictions like no one else can. For more information about Terrace Global, please visit terraceglobal.ca. On behalf of The Flowr Corporation: Vinay Tolia CEO and Director CONTACT INFORMATION: INVESTORS & MEDIA: Thierry Elmaleh Head of Capital Markets (877) 356-9726 ext. 1528 thierry@flowr.ca Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, which may include but is not limited to: the Fourth Tranche being used to fund the Companys outdoor medical cannabis site in Aljustrel, Portugal; a successful harvest in Portugal later this year; crops in Aljustrel looking promising and being ready for harvest in Q4 2020; the Companys belief that Aljustrel is one of the largest outdoor THC cultivation projects in Europe to date; Terrace Global funding operations and certain capital expenditures at the Companys Aljustrel facility in exchange for securities of the Company; TSX Venture Exchange approval of the Fourth Tranche; the total amount of funding by Terrace Global under the Agreement; Flowr servicing the global medical cannabis market and operating GMP-designed manufacturing facilities in Portugal and Australia; Flowr supporting improving outcomes through responsible cannabis use and striving to be the brand of choice for consumers and patients seeking highest-quality craftmanship and product consistency; and Flowrs business, production and products. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, is expected, expects, scheduled, intends, contemplates, anticipates, believes, proposes or variations (including negative and grammatical variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Such information and statements are based on the current expectations of Flowrs management and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Although Flowrs management believes that the assumptions underlying such information and statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur by certain specified dates or at all and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Flowr, including risks relating to: the Company being unable to fund its outdoor medical cannabis site in Aljustrel, Portugal with the funds received under the Fourth Tranche, or at all; the Company and Terrace Global being unable to successfully harvest in Portugal later this year; crops in Aljustrel not achieving the Companys expectations or not being ready for harvest in Q4 2020, or at all; Terrace Global not funding operations and certain capital expenditures at the Companys Aljustrel facility in exchange for securities of the Company; the Company being unable to obtain TSX Venture Exchange approval of the Fourth Tranche; Terrace Global not funding the anticipated amount under the Agreement; Flowr being unable to service the global medical cannabis market and/or operate GMP-designed manufacturing facilities in Portugal and Australia; Flowr being unable to support improving outcomes through responsible cannabis use and/or striving to be the brand of choice for consumers and patients seeking highest-quality craftmanship and product consistency; the construction and development of the Companys cultivation and production facilities; general economic and stock market conditions; adverse industry events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments in Canada and elsewhere; the cannabis industry in Canada generally; the ability of Flowr to implement its business strategies; Flowrs inability to produce or sell premium quality cannabis, risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in Flowrs filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators; the Companys inability to raise capital or have the liquidity to operate or advance its strategic initiatives and many other factors beyond the control of Flowr. Although Flowr has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information or statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. No forward-looking information or statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking information and statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Flowr undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information or statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. When considering such forward-looking information and statements, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in Flowrs Annual Information Form dated April 29, 2020 (the AIF) and filed with the applicable securities regulatory authorities in Canada. The risk factors and other factors noted in the AIF could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information or statements. 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. Betsy Landin was listed by her parents on the 2020 census as living at her family's home in Phoenix when she really should have been counted in the college town of Tempe, where she studies finance at Arizona State University. Also missing from Tempe's tally was Arizona State political science major Betzabel Ayala, whose mother counted her on the family's census form in Phoenix because she was living at home after coronavirus lockdowns led to a nationwide exodus from college towns last spring. In yet another example of the widespread disruption caused by the global outbreak, hundreds of thousands of U.S. college students who normally live off campus in nonuniversity housing are being counted for the 2020 census at their parents' homes or other locations when they were supposed to be counted where they go to school. The confusion has enormous implications for college towns, which may face severe shortfalls in federal dollars and a dilution of political power. "We really didn't have any instruction or guidance at school about how to fill out the census," Landin said. No easy solution has presented itself. The Census Bureau sought the help of college administrators in getting rosters for off-campus students who left town, but only half of the schools cooperated. Many universities were reluctant to participate because of privacy concerns and because off-campus students at many schools are not obligated to provide information about where they live. And a significant chunk of the information provided by the schools is missing important information, such as birthdates, according to a report last month by the bureau's watchdog agency. From Tempe to places like Bloomington, Indiana, and Gainesville, Florida, the looming undercount could harm college towns across the country. In some places with major universities, students make up as much as three-quarters of the population. "The potential undercount of students during this pandemic will have negative financial impacts for the city for years," said Ken Jones, Tempe's deputy city manager and chief financial officer. The timing for counting off-campus students couldn't have been worse: Not long after the 2020 census began for most people in March, much of the U.S. went into lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and many schools switched to online classes, leading to an exodus from college towns. The Census Bureau says college students should be counted where they would have been on April 1 at school if not for the outbreak. The undercount problem involves only students living off campus in nonuniversity housing; the Census Bureau relies on records supplied by colleges to count students living in dorms or university apartments. Still, off-campus students make up about 4 million of the 19 million college students in the U.S., according to Dudley Poston, a demographer at Texas A&M University. "College students overwhelm the demography of places with large universities," Poston said. "This could be a costly setback for university towns." In State College, Pennsylvania, home to Penn State University, the percentage of students who answered the 2020 census either online, by mail or by phone in a downtown neighborhood populated with apartments for thousands of off-campus students was 25%, compared with 60% during the 2010 census, said Douglas Shontz, a city spokesman. "It's going horribly," Shontz said. With less than a month left until the census ends, the city has placed signs and banners all over downtown State College, encouraging students to answer the questionnaire that helps determine the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal spending and how many congressional seats each state gets. The city also spent $5,000 mailing out postcard reminders about the census to students who returned for the fall semester to off-campus apartments or fraternity and sorority houses. "We are kind of begging at this point for students to do the right thing," Shontz said. In Athens, Ohio, home to Ohio University, the mayor estimates each student missed accounts for at least $1,400 a year in lost funding for the community. If last spring's graduating class of 3,500 students isn't counted, that could translate into $49 million in lost federal funding over the decade, Mayor Steve Patterson said. The question of where to count off-campus college students in any once-a-decade census can be confusing enough, with parents often incorrectly thinking their college-age children should be tallied with them when they should be counted where the students do most of their sleeping. After college students began moving back home because of the outbreak, the Census Bureau had to shelve plans to send door-knockers to neighborhoods around campuses starting in April. Now that the disruption has extended into the fall, hopes of finding and counting students before the census is completed have dwindled further. Some college towns are considering drastic measures, like asking for another count of their communities, but the cities would have to foot the bill for a "special census," which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ames, Iowa, home to Iowa State University, has 67,000 residents. Officials are worried that if the 2020 census misses the more than 15,000 students who live off-campus, it could put the city's population count below 50,000. Dipping below that threshold would cost Ames millions of dollars in federal funding annually for low-to-middle-income housing and transportation projects, making a special census more appealing, said Gloria Betcher, a professor who sits on the city council. "From our perspective, this is like watching an accident in the long term," Betcher said. "We are watching these cars approaching each other and seeing that they're going to crash. It's not surprising to us, but it is surprising that nothing is being done to stop the accident." Malin Andersson put on a brave face on Wednesday as she arrived at a photoshoot in London after her abusive ex Tom Kemp was jailed last Thursday. The Love Island star, 27, appeared in great spirits as she smiled at her mobile phone before heading into a studio for another day of work. Showcasing her signature sleek style, the body confidence advocate carried her essentials in a monogrammed suitcase as she parked her vehicle in a car park in the English capital. Moving on: Malin Andersson put on a brave face on Wednesday as she arrived at a photoshoot in London after her abusive ex Tom Kemp was jailed last Thursday The online influencer looked typically chic as she highlighted her curves in a cream ribbed maxi dress, complete with a thigh-high slit. Opting for comfort, Malin strolled along in a pair of cosy sandals before switching into a more glamorous outfit for her shoot. The mental health campaigner was camera-ready when it came to her hair and make-up, as she styled her shoulder-length tresses in bouncy waves and complemented her beauty with a neutral-toned palette. A dainty gold necklace, a light anklet and aviator shades rounded off the reality star's appearance. Cheery: The Love Island star, 27, appeared in great spirits as she smiled at her mobile phone before heading into a studio for another day of work Justice: Her former boyfriend Tom, 29, was jailed for ten months last Thursday after beating her [pictured in February 2019] Looking good: The online influencer looked typically chic as she highlighted her curves in a cream ribbed maxi dress, complete with a thigh-high slit Beaming: The former flight attendant couldn't contain her delight at leaving the past behind her Less is more: Opting for comfort, Malin strolled along in a pair of cosy sandals before switching into a more glamorous outfit for her shoot All about the accessories: A dainty gold necklace, a light anklet and aviator shades rounded off the reality star's appearance Kemp was jailed at Aylesbury Crown Court on Thursday after leaving Malin with broken bones and bruises in a violent tirade. He was jailed for ten months after admitting the attack, which broke Malin's hand, despite previously branding her 'a liar'. The TV star accused 'narcissistic' Tom of being abusive in a series of Instagram posts last year. But Kemp, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, denied the claims at the time. Stunning: The mental health campaigner was camera-ready when it came to her hair and make-up Radiant: Malin styled her shoulder-length tresses in bouncy waves and complemented her beauty with a neutral-toned palette Busy bee: The former Take Me Out star engaged in a phone call before heading into the building Effortless: Malin is no stranger to turning heads, both on-camera and at high-profile events Hands full: The make-up artist carried her car keys in one hand and dragged her bags along in another History: Malin and her ex Tom had an on-off romance, splitting briefly during her pregnancy, amid claims he had been unfaithful to her, but reconciling shortly before the birth Sharing her story: The TV star accused 'narcissistic' Tom of being abusive in a series of Instagram posts last year Speaking after his conviction this month, a friend of Malin told The Mirror: 'Her nightmare is over at last.' The media personality told a friend she 'couldn't move for about two weeks' after the attack. Malin and Kemp had an on-off romance, splitting briefly during her pregnancy, amid claims he had been unfaithful to her, but reconciling shortly before the birth. Their baby daughter Consy was born seven weeks premature in December 2018 and was being treated at Great Ormond Street hospital, but sadly passed away aged four weeks on 22 January, 2019. Injuries: Kemp was jailed at Aylesbury Crown Court after leaving Malin with broken bones and bruises in a violent tirade (pictured) Tragic: Malin's baby daughter Consy was born seven weeks premature in December 2018 but sadly passed away aged four weeks on January 22 last year They split again last March, with Malin admitting it was better to end things between them as she and her partner struggled with their grief. Malin now wrestles with PTSD, after the abusive relationship left her mental health and self-esteem in tatters. She told The Sun: 'You just feel helplessness, hopelessness, sadness, depression, anxiety. 'The emotional abuse stays with you a lot longer than the physical. It takes a long, long time to heal.' By Online Desk MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday stayed BMC's demolition at Kangana Ranaut's property, asking the civic body to file reply on actor's petition The Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday started the demolition drive at the Bandra bungalow of Bollywood actress. "We filed a petition this morning seeking urgent hearing. We have sought a stay on the demolition process by way of interim relief," Ranaut's advocate Rizwan Siddiqui earlier told PTI. The 33-year-old actor, who is scheduled to reach here later in the day, has alleged that the Maharashtra government is targeting her because of her fight with the Shiv Sena. The demolition work began shortly after 11 am, an official told PTI. Earlier in the day, the BMC posted a second notice outside her bungalow, informing her of the action being taken by the civic body, he said. Karni Sena activists protested against the Shiv Sena MP #SanjayRaut in support of Bollywood actor #KanganaRanaut in New Delhi. Express photo | @Shekharyadav02.#KanganaVsSena pic.twitter.com/Ewk2sG9WaF The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) September 9, 2020 A BMC team reached the bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra with bulldozer and excavators and demolished alterations made sans the civic body's approval. "I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now," Kangana tweeted, soon after the demolition work began. She also posted photos of BMC staff engaged in the demolition work. Trouble has mounted for Kangana as the Maharashtra government on Tuesday said the police will probe allegations that she took drugs, while alterations made at her bungalow came under the civic body's scanner. ALSO READ | Ahead of Kangana's arrival in Mumbai, Maharashtra Home Minister gets threat calls from Himachal Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the Mumbai police will probe allegations by actor Adhyayan Suman that Ranaut took drugs. The BMC Tuesday filed a `caveat' in a local court, saying it should be heard first if Ranaut challenges a stop- work notice issued to her. Ranaut had recently said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia", and would prefer security either from Himachal Pradesh or the Centre. Union minister Ramdas Athawale, an ally of the BJP, said workers of his party RPI (A) will provide protection to Ranaut when she returns to Mumbai."RPI (A) workers have geared up to protect Ranaut who is scheduled to reach Mumbai on Wednesday. Our party workers will offer protection to her at the airport as well as at her residence," Athawale said. The actor arrived in Chandigarh from her home state Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday morning to take a flight to Mumbai and hit out at the Maharashtra government alleging that it was trying to "break down" her property. "As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the (Chandigarh) airport, Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride." "This is nothing, take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher," Ranaut tweeted shortly before she was to catch an afternoon flight from the Chandigarh international airport. (With PTI Inputs) By Ayya Lmahamad The volume of foreign trade operations between Azerbaijan and Russia increased by 6.1 percent during the period of January-July 2020, Trend reported with reference to State Customs Committee. According to the report, the volume of foreign trade operations between two countries amounted to $1.5 billion. Export of Azerbaijani products to Russia amounted to $430 million during the first seven months of the year, compared to the $423 million during the same period last year. Meanwhile, import of Russian products to Azerbaijan decreased from $1.1 billion in 2019 to $1.08 billion in 2020. Export-import ration in foreign trade operations of two countries was 28 and 72 percent, respectively, during the first seven months of the year. By comparison, export-import ration in foreign trade operation of two countries was 26 and 74 percent, respectively in 2019. Thus, the share of export of Azerbaijani products to Russia, in the total trade turnover of two countries, increased by 2 percent. It should be noted that Russia was the leader among Azerbaijans trade partners among the CIS countries as well as the countrys third largest trade partner. Italy was Azerbaijans main trading partner in the period between January and July 2020. The trade turnover with Italy accounted for $3.7 billion out of Azerbaijans overall trade turnover of $15 billion in the first seven months of the year. Azerbaijans second largest trade partner during the reporting period was Turkey with the trade turnover of $2.5 billion. 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. The volume of imports amounted to $5.9 billion. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Jeff Gibbs is used to his work igniting explosive public debate. As a producer on four of Michael Moores incendiary documentaries Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore in Trumpland and Fahrenheit 11/9 he has a front-row perspective on how to parry attacks from the American right. Yet Gibbs now finds himself in unfamiliar terrain with his directorial debut, Planet of the Humans, executive-produced by Moore and released for free on YouTube on Earth Day in April. Not only was he shocked by the films success (it has been streamed 9.3 million times), but by the outrage it triggered, not from his usual right-wing critics but from those on the left. Planet of the Humans argues that renewable energy sources such as solar panels, electric cars, wind turbines and biomass (in which trees are burned on a massive scale to create energy) are no more sustainable than fossil fuels, and that reducing consumption is the only way to save ourselves from triggering our own environmental apocalypse. Gibbs and producer Ozzie Zehner are hoping to keep the conversation going with a virtual tour of eight Canadian cities from Victoria to Halifax next month called Battle for the Planet of the Humans. A live virtual event prioritizing questions from Toronto and the surrounding area will be held Oct. 19. The film, which was mostly self-financed by Gibbs, premiered at Moores Traverse City Film Festival in northern Michigan last summer. It wasnt until it was dropped on YouTube and became a viral sensation that was streamed three million times in its first week that the films targets began to respond. Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and activists including Al Gore, Richard Branson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are portrayed as, at best, part of the problem and, at worst, actively profiting off the renewable energy movement. Only your friends can tell you when youve taken a wrong turn, Gibbs says of his choice to target his environmental allies. Only your family members who love you. He names Bill McKibben, the environmentalist who founded the renewable energy advocacy group 350, as a personal hero whom he disagrees with. I admire Bill McKibben, even despite his very harsh criticism of us, Gibbs says. McKibben, who is shown evangelizing for biomass in the film, responded with an op-ed in Rolling Stone and a statement on the 350.org website to clarify that neither he personally nor 350 collectively support biomass as an energy source. I dont understand the reasoning behind these particular attacks, he wrote in a statement posted to 350.org. When I first heard rumours of them last summer I wrote the producer and director to set the record straight, and never heard back from them. That seems like bad journalism and bad faith. While Gibbs has added responses during the credits from McKibben as well as the Sierra Club decrying biomass, he stands by everything in the film, including allegations that the primary motive for some companies to get into renewable energy is profit, made possible through clean-energy incentives provided by the American government (theres even a 40-point, minute-by-minute fact-check bible on the films website). It raises the question of when you get in bed with the forces of capitalism with a profit motive, do they change? Or do you change? While many in the green movement have bristled at the films anti-renewables stance, YouTube commentators appear to be energized by the claims made in the film, calling it shocking, sad and mind-blowing. I watched the whole doc; and now wish I could get on a spacecraft and get as fast and far away from this soon-to-be-extinct planet as possible, one commenter wrote. This grassroots fan base is among the audience for Gibbs Canadian tour. The virtual tour will allow regions to raise their own specific concerns around energy: for example, Manitobas electricity is 97 per cent hydroelectricity, according to Manitoba Hydro, while Ontarios is 58.2 per cent nuclear, according to the Ontario Energy Board. But he also believes that Canadas outsider perspective on the U.S. will generate interesting discussions. One of Michaels rules that I picked up is that sometimes something that is off the main target makes the better story, he says. I think theres a different perspective when youre right near the beast, the giant civilization that has ruled the world for the last decade. Often the person who is close to the situation but not in the middle of it can give some really good feedback. He cites Torontos Rob Stewart, the late marine-life activist, as someone who offered that perspective. Gibbs says he consulted on Stewarts 2006 film Sharkwater and 2012 film Revolution. We had different points of view, but he was enthusiastic about Planet of the Humans, raising questions, Gibbs says. Thats what we need more of. Planet of the Humans may seem depressingly short on solutions, but Gibbs argues that there is really only one choice. People ask me, what are you for? he says. I am for understanding that we have limits. Endless growth on a finite planet is suicide. The Toronto-focused live virtual event Battle for the Planet of the Humans will be held Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster. Read more about: Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global Agricultural Robots market is anticipated to reach around USD 19,378.5 million by 2026 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the milking robots segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market in 2017. There has been an increasing adoption of agricultural robots across the world owing to growing agricultural industry, and high-demand for food crops. The growing population, and increasing automation of farm operations further supports the Agricultural Robots market growth. The global agricultural robots market is driven by the increasing need to improve the quality of crops produced, maximize crop production, and enhance productivity. Other factors driving the growth of this market include growth in the global agricultural industry, reducing availability of labors, and increasing labor costs. Increasing need of agricultural robots in farming, dairy production, and green plantation operations has created the need to develop new innovative products for diversified application areas in these sectors. However, high initial investment restricts the growth of the agricultural robots market. Growing demand from emerging economies, and technological advancements are factors expected to provide numerous growth opportunities during the forecast period. Get Sample Copy @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/agricultural-robots-market/request-for-sample The leading players in the Agricultural Robots market are introducing advanced products to cater to the growing demand of consumers. Agrobot SW 6010 is a harvester robot used for fruit picking and sorting. The Hortibot is a self-propelled robotic system, which works in coordination with global positioning system (GPS) system and can be managed by smartphone application. It has the capability to recognize and cut 25 various types of weeds. Asterix Project, a robot by Adigo is used for spraying herbicides in fields. The North America Agricultural Robots Market generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017. The increasing population, and growing demand for high quality crops drives the growth of this market. Growing cost of labor, and increasing automation in agricultural practices further support market growth. Increasing investments and subsidies in the agriculture sector by governments are expected to boost the adoption of robots for increased productivity in farms. Increasing need to improve food quality and productivity along with increased industrialization and automation of farming equipment further supplements the growth of Agricultural Robots Market. Get Offer : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/agricultural-robots-market/request-for-discount-pricing The different types of agricultural robots include milking robots, harvesting robots, drones, driverless tractors, and others. In 2017, milking robots accounted for the largest share in the global market. Milking robots are used as an automated milking system in the dairy sector. Lely Astronaut A4 milking machine by Lely is one of the popular products available in the market for milking applications. An innovative product available in this category is Voyager robotic fencer, which is developed by Lely. This robot is used as an automated grazing control system for dairy cows. The leading companies profiled in the Agricultural Robots Market report include AG Leader Technology, AGCO Corporation, Harvest Automation, Inc., Drone Deploy, Agribotix LLC, Deere & Company, Boumatic Robotics, B.V., Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc., Autonomous Solutions, Inc., GEA Group, CLAAS KGaA mbH, and CNH Industrial. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers. Buy Now : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/checkouts/3811 MILWAUKEE, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MGIC Investment Corporation (NYSE: MTG) today issued an Operational Summary of its insurance subsidiaries for the month of August 2020 for their primary mortgage insurance. The summary is also available on the company's investor website under Newsroom, Press Releases. The information concerning new delinquency notices and cures is compiled from reports received from loan servicers. The level of new notice and cure activity reported in a particular month can be influenced by, among other things, the date on which a servicer generates its report, the accuracy of the data provided by servicers, the number of business days in a month, transfers of servicing between loan servicers, and whether all servicers have provided the reports in a given month. Notices of delinquency are typically reported to us when loans are two payments past due (for example, for August we report as a new delinquency any delinquent loan, that is reported to us as having missed its July 1st (or earlier) payment that was not previously reported to us.) We expect the number of delinquencies will be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The magnitude of the impact, which may be significant, will be influenced by various factors, including the length and severity of the pandemic in the United States, the length of time that measures intended to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 remain in place, the resulting level of unemployment, and the impact of various government initiatives to mitigate the economic harm caused by COVID-19 and efforts to reduce its transmission The information concerning the percentage of loans in forbearance is based on the most recent information provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs), as well as loan servicers, and we believe represents only forbearances related to COVID-19. While the forbearance information provided by the GSEs refers to delinquent loans in forbearance as of the prior month-end, the information provided by loan servicers may be more current. June July August Beginning Primary Delinquent Inventory (# of loans) 56,271 69,326 68,206 Plus: New Delinquency Notices 19,358 8,463 6,423 Less: Cures 6,145 9,452 7,868 Less: Paids 153 127 132 Less: Rescissions and Denials 5 4 3 Ending Primary Delinquent Inventory (# of loans) 69,326 68,206 66,626 % of New Delinquency Notices in Forbearance 80% 67% 59% % of Primary Delinquent Inventory in Forbearance 67% 68% 68% About MGIC Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation "MGIC" ( www.mgic.com ), the principal subsidiary of MGIC Investment Corporation, serves lenders throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and other locations helping families achieve homeownership sooner by making affordable low-down-payment mortgages a reality. From time to time MGIC Investment Corporation releases important information via postings on its corporate website, and via postings on MGIC's website for information related to underwriting and pricing, and intends to continue to do so in the future. Such postings include corrections of previous disclosures, and may be made without any other disclosure. Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll to receive automatic email alerts and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings. Enrollment information for MGIC Investment Corporation alerts can be found at https://mtg.mgic.com/shareholder-services/email-alerts . For information about our underwriting and rates, see https://www.mgic.com/underwriting . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward looking statements. Forward looking statements consist of statements which relate to matters other than historical fact, including matters that inherently refer to future events and involve certain important risks and uncertainties, any of which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. More information about the risks, uncertainties and assumptions affecting the company can be found in the risk factors included as Exhibit 99 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. No investor should rely on the fact that such statements are current at any time other than the time at which this press release was issued. SOURCE MGIC Investment Corporation Related Links http://www.mgic.com Admins Gain Control of User Access to Encrypted Containers Jetico, long-trusted pioneer in data encryption, announced today an update to their BestCrypt Container Encryption Enterprise Edition. Admins of Jetico's solution to encrypt selected files and folders can now manage encryption keys permissions by granting and revoking user access to encrypted containers. "Our customers demand compliance. Managing who has access to sensitive files is key to delivering a successful solution," states Akram Khazi, CEO of RAS Infotech, Jetico Partner in Middle East. "With this update, BestCrypt empowers company admins to control and monitor user access to encrypted containers and be sure to follow the most stringent regulations." With Jetico Central Manager (JCM), part of BestCrypt Container Encryption Enterprise Edition, admins can control user access to encrypted containers. To enable this feature, each BestCrypt user is required to select their own password that generates a set of unique encryption keys key pair of public and private keys. All users are visible in the JCM Console and admins can manage encryption keys permission to sensitive containers simply by checking or unchecking corresponding boxes. For users, their one unique password is used to access all containers with permission. Jetico CEO, Michael Waksman focuses on the user advantages telling, "This update benefits both end-users and admins. While users only need to remember their own password to access any sensitive files, admins will gain a more efficient way to control access. Removing access for former employees is done in one click eliminating the burden of resetting all company passwords." For over 20 years, Jetico proudly serves enterprise customers with BestCrypt Container Encryption to protect data from threats. Central management of BestCrypt saves time and money, and delivers more convenient compliance for regulations like GDPR, HIPAA and CCPA by offering: Remote management of encryption Status reports on encryption and policy compliance Recovery keys automatically stored in JCM encrypted database Waksman concludes, "Demand for this new feature is even greater when talking about remote work. Devices are moving away from more protected office environments which exposes sensitive data to more threats. Jetico's user-based access management helps mitigate these risks." About Jetico Jetico provides complete endpoint data protection software for National Security, Compliance and Personal Privacy. Trusted for over 15 years by the U.S. Department of Defense, Jetico's BCWipe can wipe selected files beyond forensic recovery such as in response to classified data spills, while BCWipe Total WipeOut can erase hard drive data entirely such as for disposal or decommission. To protect stored data, Jetico's BestCrypt delivers compliant data encryption software for whole disks, virtual drives and selected files or folders. Jetico Enterprise Editions include central management for client software control. Jetico products are trusted by government and military agencies, all of the top 10 U.S. defense contractors, many national laboratories, as well as various other enterprises and a wide global base of home and small business users in over 100 countries. Founded in 1995, Jetico is privately held and headquartered in the Otaniemi Science Park in Helsinki, Finland. For more information, please visit jetico.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005046/en/ Contacts: Valeria Corti Marketing Manager, Jetico valeria.corti@jetico.com Phone (U.S.): +1 202 742 2901 Phone (Europe): +358 92 517 3030 Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 01:13:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said on Wednesday he will call for an extraordinary committee with his UK counterpart to elaborate and respond to the Commission's strong concerns on plans to overwrite the Brexit deal. "I will call for an extraordinary Joint Committee on the Withdrawal Agreement to be held as soon as possible so that our UK partners elaborate and respond to our strong concerns on the bill," Sefcovic said during a press conference presenting the Commission's first-ever Strategic Foresight Report. He said he had spoken on Tuesday to his UK counterpart, Michael Gove, responsible for the implementation of the Brexit deal, to seek assurances that the UK will fully implement with Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol. "Once the British government tables the bill, we will study it carefully and I believe that the joint committee would be the most appropriate venue for further discussion," the vice-president said. The British government announced earlier Wednesday to bring to the UK parliament a new bill that could partially breach the Brexit deal reached with Brussels. The Internal Market Bill is supposed to protect jobs and trade across the whole of Britain after the Transition Period ends, according to the UK government. But a BBC report said it could override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement that secured the UK's exit from the EU, in breach of international law. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she is "very concerned" about the UK's intention to breach the Brexit agreement. "Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement. This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda (Latin words, meaning "Agreements are to be kept") = the foundation of prosperous future relations," she tweeted. European Council President Charles Michel echoed: "The Withdrawal agreement was concluded and ratified by both sides, it has to be applied in full." The Withdrawal Agreement was signed between the EU and the UK on Jan. 24 of 2020, setting the terms of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. Britain ended its EU membership on Jan. 31 and at that moment the Withdrawal Agreement entered into force. But the UK is still following EU rules during the transition period until Dec. 31 of 2020 to allow both sides to bridge differences on the post-Brexit relationship, and forge a permanent future trade deal. Enditem B oris Johnson was seen wearing a wheat sheaf badge pinned to his lapel while speaking in Parliament. Other MPs also sported the pin on their jackets during Prime Minister's Question Time earlier today. The National Farmers' Union has encouraged electoral representatives to #BackBritishFarming day by fixing the sheaf to their garments. It wants to remind MPs of the importance of British food and farming standards ahead of trade talks with the US and before an Agriculture Bill is passed in the House of Commons this Autumn. Here's everything you need to know... NFU What does Boris Johnson's wheat sheaf badge mean? Wednesday, September 9 marks Back British Farming Day in the UK. Each year, MPs are invited to show their support for British farming by wearing a wool and wheat sheaf pin badge in the Palace of Westminster. Politicians are also posting photographs of the badge, sharing what farming means to them on Twitter, using #BackBritishFarming. What is Back British Farming Day? Now in its fifth year, the day celebrates British farming values and highlights its importance to the UK economy. It reminds politicians that British food and farming contributes over 120 billion to the UK economy each year and employs four million people. The NFU said this autumn will be a critical time for British food and farming as the Agriculture Bill returns to the House of Commons to be passed into law and trade negotiations continue with countries across the world. "There has never been a more important time to highlight the crucial role farmers play in feeding the nation and caring for the countryside," a spokesman said. The NFU has also published a new report that showcases the high standards British farmers produce to, and how they set themselves apart from the rest of the world. What are the NFUs terms? With the Trade Bill being debated in the House of Lords this week, the NFU is calling for Peers to amend the Bill so that Parliament will be given the final say on whether to ratify new trade agreements. "Currently, there is no requirement for Parliament to debate trade deals before they are signed into law and safeguards to allow MPs to reject such trade deals are limited," the spokesman added. The NFU also wants Parliament to be provided with independent advice about the impact every trade deal will have on our food and farming standards before it decides whether to accept or reject those trade deals. He added: "An amendment to the Agriculture Bill, put forward by Lord Curry in the House of Lords, would give this duty to the new Trade and Agriculture Commission, which was set up by the government in July. "The Amendment is likely to be debated by the House of Lords next week, and the NFU is urging Peers to vote in its favour." Who else has been seen wearing the badge: Lots of MPs have been spotted wearing the wheat sheaf. This includes Labour Leader Keir Starmer, Opposition Deputy Chief Whip Loading.... Alan Campbell, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and MP for South Suffolk James Cartlidge. By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov has said that Armenia creates tension in the region and undermine the peace negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Bayramov made the remarks during the meeting with Polish Ambassador Rafal Poborski on September 8. Bayramov informed Poborski about the occupation policy of Armenia against Azerbaijan for more than 30 years, the illegal activities conducted by Armenia in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Armenias military provocation on the border on July 12-16, 2020, as well as Yerevans policies serving the increase of the tensions in the region and undermining the settlement of the conflict through negotiations. In turn, Ambassador Rafal Poborski noted that Poland is interested in stability in its eastern neighborhood countries and underlined that respect to international law is a basic rule for Poland. Furthermore, Bayramov noted the high-level cooperation existing between Azerbaijan and Poland, adding that the exchange of high-level visits contributes to the development of cooperation. He also touched upon the furthering of cooperation between both states during the year amid pandemic. In this regard, Bayramov expressed his appreciation for the humanitarian aid rendered by Poland in the fight against COVID-19. The sides also discussed the continuation of political consultations between the two states and the opportunities for the enhancement of relations in energy, transportation, agriculture, education, tourism and other areas. It should be noted that according to the Polish data, Poland is the sixth supplier of goods to Azerbaijan among EU countries. Thus, the volume of Azerbaijans trade turnover with Poland increased by 3.7 per cent, amounting to $55.1 million during the period of January-July 2020. 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. Since 1994, hostilities between the two countries have persisted despite the temporary cease-fire agreement. Usually, Armenian forces violate the ceasefire regime on the line of contact. But recently Armenia has increased military aggression on the border. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The All India Parents Association (AIPA) has written to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), requesting it to waive off the registration fees for classes 10 and 12 this year in view of the financial problems due to the Covid-enforced lockdown. In CBSE-affiliated schools, students of classes 10 and 12 have to pay between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500 registration fee, including practical charges and others. Students also have to pay Rs 500 as fine in case they do not pay the registration fee within the deadline. In a letter sent to CBSE on Tuesday, AIPA president Ashok Agarwal said, In the unprecedented pandemic that this country is facing, many parents have lost their jobs and source of livelihood. However, instead of being considerate and helping the students and parents, the CBSE has chosen this time to put the parents and students under more duress by levying registration charges of approximately Rs 2,450 per student. Most of the students in government schools are from underprivileged backgrounds. Many parents are pulling out their kids from private schools as they are not being able to pay their tuition fees. Putting them under more financial stress will result in large scale exodus by students from schools We hope that you will understand the enormity of this problem and withdraw the order (asking for the registration fee) the letter added. Anu, a class 12 student at a government school in Delhi, said, Both my brother and I are in Class 12 this year and have been told to submit Rs 2,500 each as the CBSE registration fee. Our father, who was working as a mechanic, lost his job amid the lockdown. We do not know what to do now. A senior official at the CBSE said, The board doesnt receive any money for the exams from the government or any other agency. It wont be possible for the board to waive the registration fee. How will we conduct the exams then? We work on a no profit and no loss basis. Laredos COVID-19 emergency order was extended to Oct. 19 by City Council on Tuesday. In a narrow vote, council voted to continue enforcing the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, which essentially applies only to gatherings at peoples homes. Essential businesses have been permitted to open by Gov. Greg Abbott, and therefore supersede local emergency rules such as a curfew. This includes restaurants and some bars that are now allowed to open under revised Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission rules. Councilman Vidal Rodriguez argued that this allows people to potentially stay out at bars until 2 a.m. but not in safer, more controlled venues such as someone elses home. He advocated for extending the curfew to 2 a.m. or midnight for this reason. Theres no curfew except to go visit your grandma and grandpa ..., as Councilman Dr. Marte Martinez put it. You need to take them to a restaurant where you guys can gather in whatever group you have there, and then you can talk to grandma and grandpa, correct? The city is following the states guidelines, which allow 10 people who are not residents of a household to visit that home for a gathering. So if 10 people live in the same house, they could still have 10 other people visit and be within the rules as long as they leave by 10 p.m. Councilman Alberto Torres said it is possible to police social distancing at a place of business, but not at someones home. And Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino argued that its not inherently better to allow people to gather for longer. Its not safe. Were talking about trying to contain this virus and were making accommodations to make it better for (the public), but (pushing back the curfew) is not better for them, he said. Council members also worried about the mental health of their constituents during the pandemic, and reemphasized the importance of outdoor activity and exercise, both of which are considered essential and do not abide by the curfew. Trevino noted that they are still evaluating the effects of Labor Day, and that although the number of hospitalized patients has decreased, the intensive care units at both hospitals are still at or near capacity. Martinez said Laredo is experiencing a slow decrease in cases, but that they need to base their decisions on this capacity as they mull further reopening. But Councilman George Altgelt argued the virus in the city is clearly out of control. We are all getting phone calls from all these different business owners. I get that. I get them too. And the pressure is mounting, mounting as such that we feel compelled to at least do something, he said. ... But the numbers dont suggest, Hey, lets loosen up a bit over here, loosen up a bit over there. In Texas, big business and big alcohol are pressuring the governor to allow all bars to open, but now is not the time to be out on the town, Altgelt said. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com Autism Service Provider Outlines Advice to Parents on Building Tolerance for Face Coverings Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COVID-19 has led to many changes in daily life and routine, which can be especially challenging for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Beyond keeping children safe and in essential therapy, Hopebridge Autism Therapy Networks is working to combat one of the top coronavirus-related concerns from parents: successful mask-wearing for children. From sensory sensitivities and fear of change to communication challenges and discomfort seeing others wear masks, several factors can make face-coverings difficult for children on the spectrum. At Hopebridge, for parents asking for assistance with adding mask-wearing into their childs plan of care, therapists approach it like they do other functional living skills. With proper time and support from applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) strategies, kids are able to work through face mask-related challenges as they would any other goal. Additional support from occupational therapy can help children with activities like the physical task of putting on and taking off masks and de-sensitizing children with heightened sensory sensitivities around mask-wearing. In the face of COVID-19, we want to ensure children have the correct tools and instruction to successfully adapt to new safety requirements, said Hopebridge Chief Clinical Officer Kim Strunk. Not only for their own health but also for the safety of their families, friends and the local community. Since many establishments and schools will continue to require masks for the near future, Hopebridges team of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) designed tips for parents as they embark on this new task with their children. 10 Tips for Teaching a Child with Autism to Wear a Face Mask Approach mask-wearing as a series of goals. The goal of the first introduction should be to make the experience pleasant, if not entirely successful. Hopebridge representatives recommend the parent should work with the childs autism therapy team when introducing mask-wearing. Explain why masks are important. COVID-19 is not the easiest topic to discuss with children, but talking to them can ease their anxieties around the new tasks. How parents should approach this conversation is dependent upon the childs developmental age and understanding. Normalize wearing a mask by modeling it. The more children see someone wearing a mask, the more comfortable they will become with it. Parents and siblings should show off their masks in front of the child. Give the child choices. Increasing independence is one of the main goals behind ABA therapy. In an effort to decrease the stress around wearing a mask, Hopebridge recommends the parent to give the child some control in the process. This could be as simple as letting the child choose the print or fabric for the mask. Make masks available. Keep face-coverings out in a visible place for the child to see. Build tolerance for face-coverings at home. This is a process that parents should personalize to their childs comfort and needs. Parents can start by asking them to simply hold the mask. When ready, have them touch their face with the mask without putting it on to see how it feels against their skin. After practicing this step a few times, try hanging it around one ear. Eventually, parents can work with them to place it over both ears, including covering their mouth and nose. They can take it off right away if they wish, but slowly increase the amount of wear time with support from a visual timer. This process may take days or even weeks. Use reinforcers. Various forms of reinforcement are beneficial during practice and real-life use. A therapy provider can help implement them in an effective manner that creates a change in behavior. Examples include allowing a child to use a video device while wearing the mask, which can provide a distraction to increase the duration of wear. Make cue cards. Some children benefit from visual cues. Take a photo of the child wearing a mask that can serve as a cue card that will let them know when it is time to wear it. Plan a short and easy trip out of the house. Going to a busy, over-stimulating restaurant or store is not the best way to test out a mask for children with autism. The first attempt should take place somewhere quiet and less stressful, such as a walk around a calm farmers market or a socially distanced visit with grandparents. Practice wearing masks frequently. It is important to continue the practice daily. The more familiar a child becomes with wearing a mask, the easier it will be for them to wear it correctly while out and about. Story continues Stephanie Shrock, a Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBA) with Hopebridge, recently experienced the success of these tips first-hand. I recently worked with a child to build mask tolerance. We started helping the child be comfortable with wearing the mask for just 10 seconds at a time and then went up from there, said Hopebridge BCBA Stephanie Shrock. At a recent wellness check-up, the child was able to wear a mask for the entire appointment, which is especially exciting as he prepares to transition back to school and needs to wear a face-covering for an extended duration of time. For more information on how to deal with the challenges surrounding COVID-19 and other ASD-related topics, visit Hopebridges curated list of online resources for autism families. For families in need of a diagnostic evaluation or therapy services, please visit hopebridge.com/contact to arrange an appointment. A complete list of Hopebridge centers around the United States can be found at hopebridge.com/centers. About Hopebridge Hopebridge was founded in 2005 to serve the growing need for autism treatment services and to improve the lives of affected children and families. Hopebridge is committed to providing personalized outpatient ABA, occupational, speech and feeding therapies for children touched by autism spectrum disorder and behavioral, physical, social, communication and sensory challenges. Hopebridge provides a trusted place where they can receive the care, support and hope they deserve. More than a decade later, Hopebridge continues to open state-of-the-art autism therapy centers in new communities to reach patients and families who need services. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Hopebridge operates in six states; Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, with additional states planned in 2020. ### CONTACT: Samantha Roll Public Relations Contact (608) 575-2784 sroll@hirons.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 9, 2020 16:54 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c43cc3ea 1 National convalescent-plasma-therapy,clinical-trial,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,health-ministry,litbangkes,kemenkes,RS-Fatmawati,Hasan-Sadikin-Hospital,RS-Dr-Ramelan,RSUD-Sidoarjo Free The Health Ministry's Health Research and Development Agency (Litbangkes) began large-scale clinical trials of convalescent blood plasma therapy on COVID-19 patients on Tuesday. Litbangkes acting head Slamet said Fatmawati General Hospital in South Jakarta; Hasan Sadikin hospital in Bandung, West Java; Dr. Ramelan hospital in Surabaya; and Sidoarjo regional hospital in East Java would host the clinical trials. He added that 20 other hospitals would soon follow. We open the opportunity for interested hospitals to quickly contact Litbangkes so that we can put them on the list [for clinical trials], Slamet said on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com. He said 364 COVID-19 patients would be recruited for the clinical trials, which were expected to end within three months. He added that convalescent plasma had been shown to be effective in small studies on the treatment of certain infectious diseases, including Ebola and SARS Convalescent plasma can only be administered to COVID-19 patients in emergency situations or for research purposes. Research into its effectiveness and safety is ongoing, but some early results have been encouraging. Slamet said randomized controlled trials would be necessary to prove the treatments efficacy. Read also: Experts warn of COVID-19 quackery, false cures The researchers main focus is on the safety and the efficacy of the therapy. For that, Litbangkes supports any efforts from clinicians to perform the convalescent therapy on COVID-19 patients, he said. The therapy will use blood plasma extracted from recovered patients. The plasma will be injected into severely ill COVID-19 patients in the hope that it will give their immune systems a boost. David H. Muldjono, a researcher from the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, said that convalescent plasma therapy could be performed on COVID-19 patients who showed moderate to heavy symptoms with pneumonia and hypoxia. Its a therapy. It has not yet been clinically tested globally and does not have any protocols. So we dont give it in the context of prevention, he said, adding that the therapy was only for treatment purposes. Subjects of the trial must be at least 18 years old and be currently suffering moderate to heavy symptoms of COVID-19. Subjects will be injected with 200 milliliters of blood plasma twice a day for three days and will be closely monitored for 28 days. The clinical trials are being conducted by Litbangkes in partnership with the Eijkman Institute, the Research and Technology Ministry, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) and several hospitals. (trn) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will pay a working visit to the Kingdom of Spain on September 10. "The planned meetings and negotiations are expected to help intensify bilateral political dialogue and give a new impetus to the practical dimension of cooperation, with special emphasis on trade and investment," the press service of the Foreign Ministry reported. The Ukrainian side also plans to expand the legal framework of relations and enlist further unwavering support from Spain for key issues for our state in international organizations. The program of the visit includes negotiations with Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain Arancha Gonzalez, meetings with other officials of the Spanish government, the leadership of the Parliament, as well as the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which headquarters is located in Madrid. A number of bilateral documents will be signed during the visit. As Ukrinform reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is on a working visit to Portugal on September 9. He made a working visit to Romania on September 7-8. ish Probe into ex-Norilsk Mayor accused of negligence over fuel spillage disaster completed RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov 16:26 09/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 9 (RAPSI) Investigation into the former Mayor of Norilsk, a city in the Krasnoyarsk Krai, Rinat Akhmetchin charged with negligence over the fuel spillage disaster in the region has been completed, the Investigative Committees spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko reports. The case has been forwarded to prosecutors in order to approve indictment against the defendant. Investigators revealed that Akhmetchin knew about the fuel spillage but failed to take adequate emergency response and liquidation measures. They believe the official failure to act led to the aggravation of damage caused to the regions soil and water bodies. According to case papers, on May 29, over 20 tons of petrochemicals spread over the thermal power station and flew into the subsoil and waters near the Nadezhinsky iron and steel plant that resulted in the environment pollution and harm. Investigation into several other cases over the spillage against seven defendants is ongoing. Picasa 2.7 | Getty Images A video reportedly showing a Texas Tech University student at a party while she claims to have COVID-19 went viral over the weekend. "Everyone's like, 'Kaleigh, don't you have COVID? Don't you literally have COVID?'" the woman in the video says before flipping the camera to show what appears to be the backyard at a house party. "Yes, I f------ have COVID, the whole f------ world has COVID. All of these people have COVID." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 12:50:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close These residents of Yanqing in suburban Beijing are a bit wild... Egrets and herons flock to this beautiful corner of the Chinese capital after the area was returned to it's former--natural--glory. Jim Wahlberg shares powerful story of redemption, how God pulled him from life of addiction, crime Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment When the Massachusetts State Prison priest offered Jim Wahlberg the opportunity to work as a janitor in the chapel, he readily agreed. However, his motives werent exactly positive. I saw this as another opportunity to hustle someone, Wahlberg, brother of actor Mark Wahlberg, told The Christian Post. I knew the priest smoked cigarettes, so I figured it was a chance for me to steal some cigarettes and access his phone. I saw it as a chance to take advantage of him. Growing up in what he described as a dysfunctional home in Dorchester, Wahlberg the middle of nine kids began experimenting with drugs and alcohol at a young age. After running away from home, he found himself a ward of the state by age 12. He dropped out of high school at 15 and spent his teenage years rotating between foster care and stints in juvenile detention. By 22 years old, Wahlberg had already been to prison twice. At 17, he was sentenced to Massachusetts State Prison for armed robbery. A mere six months after his release, he was arrested for burglarizing a police officers home. Facing six to nine years in prison, Wahlberg decided to do anything within his power to avoid serving the full sentence. I quietly began attending some self-help groups and things of that nature to pretend like I had changed, he recalled. I was just running game, just trying to create the illusion that I was trying to become rehabilitated. In reality, I wanted to get out and steal and consume as many drugs and alcohol as I could. I didnt think sobriety was an option for me. After taking on the job at the local chapel, Wahlberg was informed that part of the gig was cleaning after services meaning he would have to attend mass on occasion. That was never part of my plan; I did not want to attend any kind of mass or really have anything to do with the church, he said. I thought I was hustling the priest; turns out, he was hustling me. One day, the priest informed Wahlberg the prison was going to have a special visitor: Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I didnt know who that was, he admitted, but the second she walked into the room, I knew there was something different about her. She spoke of love and mercy. She gave us hope; she let us know there was nothing too big for God. Meeting Mother Teresa was a defining moment for him, a moment that made him want to learn more about the God of grace, forgiveness and redemption. It was a profound experience, he said. I feel like God said, Ive tried to lead you in the right direction many times and you just wont do it. So Im going to send my number one assistant and its going to change you.' And it did change me in a very powerful way. I went to the priest and said, I want to learn more about God. I want to learn more about my faith. Thanks to positive influences, therapy, and other programs, Walberg finally found sobriety in 1988 and a newfound commitment to his faith. I finally understood that there was a loving God, not just a god that was out to get me and punish me, he said. Once I understood the beauty of faith and the fact that Jesus gave it all up specifically for me, my life changed. I think if Id understood that earlier, I would have been spared a lot of pain and suffering. Now sober for several decades, Wahlberg shares his powerful testimony in his new memoir The Big Hustle: A Boston Street Kid's Story of Addiction and Redemption. He also serves as the executive director of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, created to improve the quality of life for inner-city youth through a working partnership with other youth organizations. My experiences give me more ammunition to reach people that have been through similar circumstances; it gives my message a little more depth and weight than someone that learned answers and solutions from a book, he said. The goal of sharing my story is to let others know that nothing is too big for God. He took the mess of my life, all of my shortcomings and ugliness, and turned it into an asset to glorify Him. A producer, writer, and director of films, Wahlberg uses his talents and experiences to raise awareness about opioid addiction and point to the hope found in Christ. His latest film, "What About the Kids?" examines the devastating effects of addiction through the eyes of Chloe, an 8-year-old girl whose parents are hooked on opioids. Wahlberg told CP the film was inspired by the numerous grandparents hes met over the years forced to raise their grandchildren after losing a child to an overdose. I wanted to tell a version of their stories from a faith-based perspective, he said. In this particular case, this little girl loses her mom and her dad is still using. The grandma is a prayer warrior who is attempting to instill Christian views in her granddaughter. We see all the difficult dynamics between family members and the devastating nature of addiction, but its also a hopeful movie that reminds us of whats possible through faith. Faith plays a key role in achieving sobriety. For Wahlberg, helping others overcome addiction by sharing his own story of redemption isnt just a passion it's a God-ordained calling on his life. God saved me for me a reason, he stressed. The best part is, it has nothing to do with me. Its all by the grace of God. I want others to know there is no situation, no difficulty they cant overcome with God. It doesnt mean its going to be easy. But when you have that undeniable feeling of the presence of God in your life and heart, its life-changing. God loves you and He can pull you out of the field. No matter what situation youre facing, its not too late. Victoria's gambling regulator is yet to report back to the state government on an "urgent" investigation into Crown Resort's Melbourne casino more than a year after being ordered to examine its infiltration by organised crime. The Andrews government ordered the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation probe after The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes revealed Crown Resorts went into business with junket operators tied to powerful Asian crime syndicates. The NSW government inquiry has examined footage leaked to MP Andrew Wilkie showing large amounts of cash being exchanged in one of Crown Melbourne's private gaming rooms. Victoria's then-gaming minister, Marlene Kairouz who quit the ministry in June in the wake of the Labour branch stacking scandal said the gambling regulator would examine the issues "as a matter of priority", consult with Victoria Police and federal law enforcement agencies and report back to her "as soon as possible". But the VCGLR confirmed this week that more than a year later, it has not completed its investigation. Demand on the real estate market increased by 15% in August compared to January, after a sharp decrease of almost 70% at the end of March, in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic, and Cluj-Napoca still ranks first in a price list, according to a press release of a specialized company. After a promising year start, with an 11% accelerated growth in the first quarter in terms of demand dynamics compared to the same period of the previous year, market uncertainty and restrictions imposed by the authorities led to the second quarter marked by the drop in the number of trading requests by up to 70%. Starting with the end of May, however, the real estate market resumed its positive trend, with the level of demand returning to a similar level to that of March. "Since June, we have seen a return to the dynamics of demand to a level slightly above February, and in July, with the whole period of holidays specific to the summer season, the growth trend continued, reaching the level of activity before the pandemic. Our sales in the first eight months of this year exceeded 1.5 million euros, compared to 1.4 million euros in the same period last year," said Catalin Priscornita, general manager of Blitz Romania. Apartment prices have risen again since July. At the end of August, Cluj-Napoca still ranks first, with an average of the prices above the national average (1,811 euro/sqm), followed by Bucharest (1,357 euro/sqm), Timisoara (1,293 euro/sqm), Constanta (1,234 euro/sqm) and Brasov (1,197 euro/sqm). The Blitz representatives are anticipating a positive evolution until the end of the year, with a stable growth of the market in the following months compared to last year. While some male celebrities seem to be withering in front of our eyes (like Mickey Rourke or Nico Rosberg), Rob Lowe just defies the passage of time. The 56-year-old actor, producer, and director simply doesnt age. The former member of the Brat Pack a loose group of actors who frequently appeared together in the 80s, such as Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, James Spader and Robert Downey Jr., known for their hard-partying ways Lowe these days is known more for his clean living and family image than the debauched antics he and other Brat Pack members got up to before the turn of the century. Many Brat Pack alumni have derailed their lives through drugs and alcohol Lowe himself was also caught up in a sex tape scandal. But unlike some of his colleagues, Lowe really turned things around, recently celebrating 25 years sober a milestone that perhaps holds the secret to Lowes youthful longevity. View this post on Instagram A post shared by James Swanwick (@jamesswanwick) on Sep 8, 2020 at 11:01am PDT On top of celebrating 25 years alcohol-free, 2020 also marks 30 years drug-free for Lowe. Earlier in May he posted a heartfelt message to Instagram, celebrating his sobriety and encouraging others to follow suit: 30 years ago today, I found a sober life of true happiness and fulfilment. I am filled with gratitude on this anniversary. From a treatment centre in Arizona to a bomb shelter in Israel, I have come to know many extraordinary people, and the fellowship of recovery has changed my life and given me gifts beyond my selfish imaginings. If you or someone you love is struggling with any kind of addiction, there is hope! Love to you all. While here at DMARGE were partial to a drink or two, its hard to deny how well clean living has worked out for Rob Lowe. Other similarly youthful men whove sworn off the sauce include Brad Pitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Bradley Cooper, Jim Carrey and Zac Efron. Maybe theres something to this alcohol-free stuff after all. Lowes positive message of sobriety comes at a particularly pertinent time: Australians are drinking alcohol more frequently during the COVID-19 crisis than before, a new report from the Australian National University details. While the temptation to lay into a few Negronis during lockdown is hard to resist, we might want to consider slowing our drinking down a bit (or bringing it to a stop entirely) if we want to stay looking young like Rob Lowe. Alcohols a preservative, but not in that way Lowe directs and stars in the procedural drama 9-1-1: Lone Star, which has recently made its way to Australian TV. Check out the stunts he pulls on that show if you doubt our claims of his youthfulness. Read Next As Beyond Meat plans a major push into the Chinese market, the company isn't letting the coronavirus pandemic slow down its expansion. "When you see an obstacle like Covid, you don't say you're not going to do it, you say 'How am I going to do it?' and work on a solution," CEO Ethan Brown said in an interview. Beyond announced on Tuesday that it's building up its presence in mainland China with two manufacturing facilities near Shanghai that will run full-scale production by early next year. Beyond and rival Impossible Foods have both targeted China as a top market for growth, considering its massive population and appetite for meat. The maker of the Beyond Sausage first launched in mainland China through a partnership with Starbucks in April, just as the country's strict lockdown measures were loosening. Working with Beyond's Chinese team during the pandemic required "a lot of Zoom, a lot of WhatsApp," according to Brown. He and other U.S.-based employees couldn't be there in person, but they got a helping hand from Micky Pant, the former CEO of Yum China who now serves as a senior advisor to Beyond. Brown said that the company's research and development team in Shanghai is also hard at work tweaking its products to suit the tastes of Chinese consumers. "I will work very hard to make sure that we're not exporting American taste," he said. Shares of Beyond closed Wednesday up 2.75% at $138.17. The stock, which has a market value of $8.65 billion, has soared 83% so far this year and 453% since its initial public offering more than a year ago. But Brown said that he doesn't pay much attention to the market's reactions. "It's been a huge win for us, but I just don't focus on it as much as people might think," he said. New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh cautioned the people on Wednesday that the worse is yet to come in the wake of demonetisation which he termed as a "disaster". At a convention called by Congress on demonetisation, former finance minister P Chidambaram claimed there was no record of the cabinet meeting of November 8 when the government had said to have taken the decision to withdraw Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. In his address at the 'Jan Vedna' conclave, Singh termed demonetisation as a "disaster" and said things are going from bad to worse and that the worse is yet to come. He dismissed as "hollow claim" of Prime Minister Narendra "Modi's propaganda" that things have started looking up. Read | World Bank says 'adverse effects' of demonetisation will disappear in medium term The former Prime Minister said it was the "solemn duty" of all Congress men to tell the people the wrongs that have been done by Modi and that a "clarion call" should be given to the countrymen to "awake and rise" up in protest. Both Singh and Chidambaram said there would be decline in the country's gross domestic product (GDP) because of demonetisation. Chidambaram, in his address, said there is no record of the cabinet meeting of November 8. "Where is the cabinet note? Where is the cabinet decision?" he asked. Chidambaram said that never before in India's history such a farce has been enacted. The former finance minister also said that the reputation of RBI is at risk today. The government and the central bank generally have differences but never before a government has treated RBI like a department of the government of India, he added. He said that even one per cent decline in GDP will lead to a loss of Rs 1.5 lakh crore to the country. He said every challenge thrown by Modi government should be matched by the Congress with utmost courage and utmost wisdom. Read | Chidambaram says ministers were kept prisoners till PM Narendra Modi announced demonetisation on Nov 8 "Only Congress party can stand up to this (challenge)." The party also issued a statement at the convention that the Prime Minister must reveal what percentage of the demonetised currency notes was black money as practically all the demonetised notes have been deposited in banks. "This exposes the hollowness of the government's claims. The PM is masquerading as a crusader against black money and corruption after having singularly failed in fulfilling his promises of retrieving the unaccounted wealth and money stashed abroad," it said. The party said India's image has been tarnished by projection that the Indian economy was primarily based on black money. "It is also a matter of concern that during the 50-day period of 'notebandi', an unholy nexus of certain corrupt BJP leaders, black-marketeers and bank officials were shown to be operating by various media channels, indulging in illegal conversions of stockpiles of currency," the party said. It said for the corrupt black money holders, the back door of banks operated, while the common man waited for his turn in lines at front doors. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Slink Fire map 9-9-2020 View Photo Walker, CA While the Slink Fires acreage has doubled in size in a week, forest fire official relay that crews are making good progress. The fire is burning in Mono County near the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center. As reported here last Wednesday, the flames had scorched 11,000 acres forcing the shutdown of a section of Highway 395 along with evacuations in Walker and Coleville. Residents have returned to their homes, but the flames continue to gobble up acreage. Currently, the fire is 21,755 acres and containment has increased to 36 percent. Forest fire officials note that they expect the fire active on Mineral Mountain and Corral Valley Creek west of Antelope Peak. Todays fire suppression efforts will concentrate on the west side of the fire, using indirect and direct tactics on Mineral Mountain and the East Fork Carson River drainage. Crews are also building hand lines, using helicopters for water drops, laying hose, and installing pumps to prevent the fire spreading west of East Fork Carson River, detail forest fire officials. Repair work will begin today on the east side of the fire above Highway 395 as well. On Monday, the Bureau of Land Management increased its fire restrictions to prohibit all uses of open flame including campfires, barbecues and stoves, on BLM-managed public lands in the state of California. - President Edgar Lungu and the people of Zambia are mourning the death of a 22-year-old fish - The fish identified as Mafishi lived in a pond in Copperbelt University and it was believed to have given students of the institution good luck - The students lit candles and marched around campus to mourn the fish PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed The president of Zambia, Edgar Lungu, has mourned the death of a fish believed to have lived for 22 years. The fish, which lived in a pond in Copperbelt University (CBU), is not being mourned by the president but all citizens of Zambia. READ ALSO: Uhuru Kenyatta nominates Anne Nderitu for Registrar of Political Parties position The fish identified as Mafishi lived in a pond in Copperbelt University and it was believed to have given students of the institution good luck. Photo credit: Edgar Lungu/Facebook Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Moha wa Nyayo House: Celebrated kind police officer discloses he studied tours and travel According to a report by BBC, students of the higher learning institution lit candles and marched around campus to mourn the fish identified as Mafishi meaning Big Fish in the local language. Reacting to the death of the fish on Facebook, Lungu quoted Mahatma Gandhi : "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. "I'm glad you received a befitting send-off. We'll all miss you," he added. READ ALSO: 36-year-old tutor hails online class after teaching learners across the world mathematics amid pandemic It is reported that for the last two decades, CBU students had believed that Mafishi would bring them good luck in exams. According to CBU student leader, Lawrence Kasonde, the death of the fish is still being investigated. "It is yet to be buried, we are planning on embalming it," he said. READ ALSO: Apologise to Mama Ngina who prayed for you over ICC cases, women leaders tell William Ruto Second-year student Edwin Nambo described the fish as an iconic symbol of the university. "Just watching him swim would bring healing to the soul before exams and during hard times," Nambo said. In other news, a video of a group of baby pigs trying to save a fish went viral on social media and got people talking about how compassionate animals could be. READ ALSO: Okoth Obado: Security beefed up in Migori amid tension over governor's ouster plot There is no doubt that animals are compassionate and they go out of their way to help one another, the viral video has further proven it. In the video, the baby pigs found a fish lying lifeless on the floor and they used their snouts to push it into a nearby river. The baby pigs were aware of the fact that fish were created to survive in water and not on land, and when they found it on the latter, they wasted no time to push it back to where it belonged. 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 The Mizoram government has banned the use of China-made Kenbo motorcycles as they are being used in the border state to bring smuggled or illegal substances, including drugs, from neighbouring Myanmar, an official said on Wednesday. "Though the two-wheelers are made outside the country and are unregistered in Mizoram, a huge number of such bikes are brought into the state. These are randomly used in Champhai, Hnahthial, Lawngtlai, Siaha and Serchhip districts along the Myanmar border," the official said. Although Mizoram's mountainous and unfenced international border with Bangladesh (318 km) and Myanmar (404 km) and inter-state borders with Tripura, Assam and Manipur are sealed in view of the Covid-19 outbreak, smuggling of various drugs, including methamphetamine tablets, foreign-made cigarettes, arms and ammunition and other contraband is still going on. While the Border Security Force guards the Bangladesh border, the border with Myanmar is looked after by the Assam Rifles and it has seized smuggled drugs and other contraband, including heroin, valued around Rs 29 crore since July 1. Methamphetamine tablets (also called Yaba tablet or party tablet) contain a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine and are misused as high-dosage drugs in India, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. According to the BSF, Assam Rifles and intelligence officials, Yaba tablets and other drugs are smuggled into the northeastern states from neighbouring Myanmar and then smuggled to Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka as well as various Indian states. China has deployed bombers, armoured vehicles and heavy artillery besides special forces as well as infantry units along the border with India, state media reports said on Wednesday, in a rare acknowledgment of what seems like a massive mobilisation of troops and equipment along the disputed boundary. Usually, official media highlights exercises in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to demonstrate its military might along the border with India like it did last August, and repeatedly during the Doklam (Donglang) standoff in 2017. The more blatant show of military power including sorties by Chinese fighter jets close to the border is reserved for Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that Beijing considers to be a renegade region which it wants to unify with the mainland, by force if necessary. The words deployment or mobilisation are seldom used in the context of the border with India. State-run nationalistic tabloid Global Times said in a report on Wednesday that bombers, air defence troops, artillery, armoured vehicles, paratroopers, special forces and infantry units have been mobilised from across the country at the border. H-6 bombers and Y-20 large transport aircraft attached to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Central Theatre Command Air Force have been deployed to the Tibetan plateau region for training missions, the command revealed on Tuesday, the Global Times report said. A report in national broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said HJ-10 anti-tank missile systems attached to the PLA 71st Group Army were recently transported from east Chinas Jiangsu province to northwest Chinas Gobi desert, which is more than 1,600 km away. For the PLA, it would be easier to dispatch troops and equipment to the northwest from the Gobi desert region. An air defence brigade under the PLA 72nd Group Army also mobilised to the Northwest region in autumn and held live-fire confrontational drills with anti-aircraft guns and missiles, CCTV reported on Friday. A separate CCTV report said paratroopers and heavy equipment on board the PLA Air Forces transport aircraft recently conducted a multidimensional area capture and control exercise, also in the deserts of northwest China. The news reports did not specify since when the troops were being mobilised from different parts of China to the border. But they attributed the movement of troops and equipment to the ongoing boundary tension in eastern Ladakh. The reports added that soldiers, guns and aircraft were moved near the border areas not only from different parts of China but also different theatre commands. The Sino-India border area falls under the Western Theatre Command (WAC) of the PLA the largest among its five theatres of command that covers the mainlands geography. Several troop divisions deployed in northwest Chinas desert areas in Xinjiang and southwest Chinas TAR have been ordered to carry out live-fire drills and complex military maneuvres. Chinese military experts whom HT reached out to did not comment on the deployment. India has repeatedly and consistently rejected Chinas allegations that Indian troops crossed over to the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, asserting that New Delhi has always taken a responsible approach towards border management and maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas. The sister of an AFL star has been jailed after bashing and mugging an elderly woman while on bail for holding up a liquor store with a pair of scissors. Sally-Anne Powell-Pepper, 23, whose brother Sam plays for Port Adelaide, was sentenced to three years in prison at Perth's District Court this week over a series of brazen robberies. The court heard how the mum-of-three's first offence occurred in November last year when she stole ten cans of bourbon from a Bayswater liquor store, The West Australian reported. After plucking the items from a fridge, she walked out of the store without paying. Sally-Anne Powell-Pepper (pictured), 23, has been jailed for three years after a series of brazen robberies in Perth Staff workers rushed after, at which point she produced a pair of scissors and threatened to stab them. Powell-Pepper then fled the scene but was arrested a short time later by police who found her in a bus stop with the booze, valued at just over $51. Officers also seized scissors and a knife in her possession. The second altercation occurred just three months later, on January 9, when she assaulted an elderly woman in an East Perth car park. After watching the woman struggle with her shopping, the court heard how Powell-Pepper followed her to her car then punched her in the head. She demanded the woman give her the handbag, and the woman offered up the money in her wallet instead. Unsatisfied with the woman's offer, Powell-Pepper hit her again, then took of with her handbag and shopping. The attack occurred hours after Powell-Pepper had faced court over the first theft. She was arrested months later and confessed to the crime. In court earlier this year, Judge Ronald Birmingham described the offender as 'disgraceful' and 'thuggish'. New AI-based test uses X-rays to detect Covid in a few minutes Hospitalisations in Delhi during third Covid wave significantly lower than second Health Ministry releases SOPs for reopening of schools: Here's all you need to know India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Sep 09: As part of Unlock 4, metro services across the country have resumed that were being suspended in March due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. From September 21, also as part of Unlock 4, schools, too, will partially reopen, albeit only for classes 9-12. On September 8, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) released guidelines for partial reopening of schools. AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial paused after unexplained illness Here's all you need to know: a. Schools outside containment zones will reopen, and only those staff members and students, who live outside containment zones, will be allowed to attend. b. Students can visit schools on a voluntary basis, to take guidance from teachers. The students will have to take written permission from their parents for the visit. Doctor's prescription not mandatory now for COVID-19 testing in Delhi c. Student-teacher interaction will take place in a staggered manner. d. These SOPs are in addition to specific measures that will be taken when schools allow students to come for guidance purpose. e. These will also apply to skill or entrepreneurship institutions, higher educational institutions conducting doctoral courses and postgraduate studies. f. A detailed SOPs are available on the health ministry's website mohfw.gov.in. g. Schools and educational institutions have been closed since March as the pandemic started spreading across the country. Online classes are being conducted, and will continue for the time being. h. After four phases of nationwide lockdown, from March 25 to May 31, the country started reopening from June 1. Currently, Unlock 4 is in effect; it began on September 1 and will end on September 30. Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News i. India has overtaken Brazil to be the second worst-hit country after the United States. Its tally currently stands at nearly 43 lakh, including over 33 lakh recoveries and more than 72,000 deaths. By ANI NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the sudden lockdown that was induced in the wake of coronavirus crisis has proved to be a death sentence for the unorganised class. "The sudden lockdown proved to be a death sentence for the unorganised class. The promise was to end the corona in 21 days, but finished crores of jobs and small industries," the Congress leader said in a tweet. He also termed the lockdown imposed by the Central government as anti-people. The Congress leader, in the fourth video of his new series titled "How the Modi government has destroyed Indian economy", said that the poor need to be assisted with monetary handouts on the lines of the Congress's proposed NYAY scheme. "The poor population employed in the unorganised sector depends on daily income. The government attacked them with the coronavirus-induced lockdown," he said. "Congress party always said that every poor person has to be assisted in monetary terms on the lines of the NYAY scheme. The government did not do that. The government decided to forgo the taxes on a few rich people instead," he added. In the first video of the series, released on August 31, the former Congress chief alleged that the NDA government has been attacking the informal sector over the past 6 years and asserted that the aim of demonetisation, "wrong" Goods and Services Tax (GST) and lockdown is to destroy this sector. The Congress leader has been criticising the Centre's economic policies and handling of the COVID-19 situation in a series of videos over the past few days. Earlier on September 7, he had hit out at the Central government alleging privatisation of Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) is linked to unemployment in the country. "Today, the country is facing many disasters like the Modi government, one of which is unnecessary privatisation. The youth want jobs but the Modi government is destroying employment and deposit capital by privatising PSUs. For whom benefit? Just for the development of a few 'friends' who are Modi Ji's special. Stop Privatisation Save Govt Jobs," he had tweeted. At Oregon Trump Rally, Some Fear Violence On Labor Day, a group of Trump supporters met in Oregon city to drive to the states capital of Salem in a motorcade. They expressed that they feared violent attacks from Antifa for standing up for their political opinions. Israels Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus partner in leading the country, has started to implement clear policy lines toward Hamas in recent weeks. This policy tries to shift, if only slightly, the balance with Hamas and perhaps lead to a deal that would return the three Israeli citizens held hostage in the Gaza Strip and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers who were killed in Operation Protective Edge five years ago. This policy by Gantz includes, on the one hand, harsher responses than in the past, including attacks on Hamas positions and bases in response to incendiary and explosive balloons, as happened in the latest round of violence in the last two weeks of August. Tanks and planes destroyed entire Hamas bases, and Gantz further warned that Hamas would suffer hard blows, hinting that Israel would reinstate the policy of targeted assassination that is, the personal killing of leaders of the Hamas organization. Also, Gantz has further sharpened the economic steps against Hamas and groups associated with it and has prevented the return of Palestinian terrorists bodies held by Israel. On the other hand, the defense minister has tried to break the deadlock in advancing economic projects to build infrastructure in Gaza in order to improve the difficult and worsening humanitarian situation that has resulted from the renewed outbreak of the coronavirus. After more than two weeks of terror organizations sending incendiary balloons and explosive devices from Gaza into Israel, and even a barrage or two of rocket fire toward Israeli towns in the Negev, a cease-fire was reached Aug. 31 with the mediation of Egypt and the Qatari emissary to Gaza Mohammed al-Emadi. According to the cease-fire agreement, all incendiary balloons and any other belligerent action against Israel will stop immediately, and on the other side, Israel will renew the supply of diesel fuel into Gaza, allow fishermen to go to sea and especially allow Qatar to increase the sum it invests in the Gaza Strip that is, aside from the $10 million in monthly stipends to about 100,000 needy families, allow another $10 million for the salaries of government workers for three months and a permit for supporting civil projects of the Hamas government. In light of criticism in Israel of the agreement to allow funds to enter Gaza, Gantz took two steps to emphasize the aggressive side of his policy. He signed orders to seize millions of dollars worth of Hamas funds and property, some of which are located in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and the rest around the world. Among other things, he signed an order to seize $900,000 of the Gazan money exchange and transfer company Osama Albashiti and Partners, which has laundered money that Hamas has received from Iran and aided other money transfers to the group from around the world. Other orders have targeted nonprofit organizations and companies working in Britain, Lebanon and other countries. The seizure and limit orders are disseminated in a broad circle to the established financial system in Israel and around the world, and they are efficient especially in countries where Hamas has been declared a terror organization. Another step was the decision by the diplomatic-security Cabinet, initiated by Gantz, not to return terrorists bodies, whether they were Hamas fighters or otherwise. Gantz explained, Since I entered the Defense Ministry, I instructed to create a wide package of deterrence, in the framework of which I directed not to release the bodies of terrorists, to declare and confiscate monies of terror organizations, and to intensify attacks and responses to any breach of quiet, on any front. Not returning bodies of terrorists is part of our responsibility to ensure the security of Israeli citizens and of course to return our sons home. I suggest that our enemies understand and absorb our message well. Not returning the bodies is a step that was mostly meant to deal with the issue of returning the Israeli citizens and bodies of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers held by Hamas. The families of the Israeli soldiers and citizens are putting heavy pressure on Gantz and Netanyahu to press Hamas in every way in order to return the bodies. The parents of late 1st Lt. Hadar Goldin, one of the two fallen soldiers whose bodies are held by Hamas, responded harshly to the cease-fire with Hamas: Netanyahu makes peace for dollars for Hamas. Israels government is again submitting to terror and leaving the families of the missing and the hostages with no answer. This balloon will burst in our faces. Gantzs step on the issue of the bodies of terrorists is based on the security establishments estimate that returning the bodies of IDF soldiers wont occur in a cease-fire agreement with Hamas but only within a larger deal that would include returning the bodies of Hamas terrorists along with its security prisoners held in Israel a deal that has been in negotiations for years. On the other hand, Gantz and at least some senior defense establishment officials believe that Israel must help the Gazan economy in order to ease the situation there, even at the price of direct cooperation with Hamas on essential projects. Thus, it allowed the significant increase in aid from Qatar to Gaza money that, in contrast with the past, Hamas could use itself and wont be directly transferred only to needy families. The Israeli security establishment understands that although some money could leak to terror purposes, because of the difficult situation in Gaza the risk should be taken. Thus, for instance, according to Hamas sources, Israel has permitted to lay a natural gas pipeline, plans for which have been in place since 2015, with the goal of getting power stations to work in Gaza and allow for constant and regular electric service in the territory. Today Gaza residents receive only four to 12 hours of electricity a day. Qatar is supposed to bear the cost of laying the pipeline and converting the power stations to use gas instead of diesel. This gas would come from Israeli reserves in the Mediterranean Sea. Another especially important point led to the agreement this week with Hamas: the outbreak of the coronavirus in the Gaza Strip, one of the most crowded places on earth. In the course of the last week, hundreds of new cases have been found, especially in the Gaza Strip refugee camps. Some of the Qatari funds have been allocated to purchasing personal protective equipment, ventilators, and medicine for coronavirus patients and medical personnel. Israel also allowed the shipment of medical equipment from the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, and there are other shipments on the way from Turkey and other nations. Netanyahu has allowed Gantz full freedom of action on this issue, one of the only areas on which the two have worked together well without attacking each other. But the Gaza Strip is a problem that needs a much deeper solution, and Gantz is trying, like his predecessors, only to ensure there wont be an escalation to another war or a real humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip. Days after Ragini Dwivedi's arrest in connection with the Sandalwood drug scandal, actress Sanjjanaa Galrani was taken into custody yesterday (September 8, 2020) by the CCB (Central Crime Branch) for allegedly procuring and consuming drugs. The CCB wing of Bengaluru police had raided her Indiranagar residence on Tuesday (8 September 2020) morning after which, she was questioned and later arrested. As per a few media reports, the CCB officials have stated that the news about the raid was already leaked to Sanjjanaa. It is said that the actress was very much aware of the raid hours before the officials of CCB reached her residence. A few reports claim that she had requested her neighbours to not give any statements against her whatsoever, and also asked them to be in her flat during the raid to support her morally. She had also asked one of the neighbours to inform her lawyer and a doctor, who the police say is a close associate of the actress. The sleuths who were aware of the happenings reportedly did not allow anyone from outside to enter the premises. Notably, the CCB has seized the actress' mobile phones and two laptops from her house. Notably, the actress was under the scanner ever since her friend Rahul Thonshe, an agent (also her Rakhi brother), was arrested in connection with the drug scandal. Reportedly, Pruthvi Shetty, a party planner, used to organize private parties for Sanjjanaa. Earlier, she denied involvement in procuring, consuming and distributing drugs at any high-end event. Sanjjanaa had also released a note recently saying that she was upset that the industry's name is being dragged and defamed, which according to her is a temple. Sanjjanaa Galrani Arrested In Sandalwood Drug Scandal After CCB Raided Her Residence Sandalwood Drug Scandal: High Security For Ragini Dwivedi And Sanjjanaa Galrani To Avoid Catfight? OTTAWAA timeline of events that led to WE Charity announcing it was shutting down its Canadian operations. March 6, 2020: WE Charity staff prepare a concept paper on service learning for public servants at Employment and Social Development Canada. April 5: Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk over the phone about how to help students whose summer job and volunteer opportunities were vanishing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finance Department officials are tasked with considering options the next morning. April 7: Small Business Minister Mary Ng and WE co-founder Craig Kielburger have an introductory phone call in which Ng asks WE to send what it calls a preestablished proposal to help young people launch businesses. April 7 or 8: Morneaus office contacts the WE organization, among other groups, to get their input on potential programs. Morneau says the call was on April 7, while WE says it was April 8. April 9: WE Charity sends the unsolicited proposal for a youth business program to Youth Minister Bardish Chagger, Ng, Morneau and Trudeaus office. The price tag is between $6 million and $14 million to provide digital programming and $500 grants, plus incentive funds, for 8,000 students. April 16: ESDC officials mention WE in the context of the student program in an email discussion with Finance officials. April 18: Morneaus officials raise the idea of partnering with a non-profit, or for-profit group to administer the program. (ESDC officials suggest the same day that WE might be an option.) Morneau said it was the first time he was involved in any talk about WE and the grant program. April 19: Wernick contacts Craig Kielburger. WE says the call was to discuss launching a youth service program in the summer and that Wernick asks Kielburger to develop a proposal to fulfil that objective. During the call, Wernick learns of the April 9 proposal for a youth business program and Kielburger agrees to send both proposals. April 20: Morneaus office contacts WE to ask about its ability to deliver a volunteer program. An officials record of the call notes WE Charity will rework their 10-week summer program proposal to fully meet the policy objective of national service and increase their current placements of 8,000 to double. April 21: Morneau approves going with an outside organization to run the volunteer program, but no specific group is chosen. WEs youth entrepreneurship program proposal is included in annex nine of a briefing package about a student aid program that goes to the Prime Ministers Office, chief of staff Katie Telford later tells the finance committee. The proposal is declined. April 22: Trudeau announces a $9-billion package of student aid, including the outline of a volunteer program paying students up to $5,000 toward education costs, based on the number of hours they volunteer. WE sends Wernick an updated proposal to reflect the announcement. The message is forwarded to Chagger, Ng and Morneau. April 26: Morneau speaks with WE co-founder Craig Kielburger, but told the finance committee neither of them talked about the Canada Student Service Grant program. Craig Kielburger later tells the committee he only brought up the youth business proposal, not the grant program. April 27: Volunteer Canada, a charity that promotes volunteering and helps organizations use volunteers well, meets Chagger and raises concerns about paying students hourly rates below minimum wage and calling it volunteering. May 4: WE sends a third proposal to ESDC, this time with more details and specific to the grant program. Finance official Michelle Kovacevic, who was working on the program, told the finance committee she received it May 7. May 5: Chagger goes to a special COVID-19 cabinet committee with the recommendation to go with WE for the program. Neither Morneau nor Trudeau is at the meeting. The same day, a member of the Prime Ministers Office policy team speaks with WE as part of stakeholder consultation, but then directs the organization to ESDC. WE begins incurring eligible expenses. May 8: Trudeau finds out that WE is being recommended to run the student-volunteer program hours before a cabinet meeting. He later tells the finance committee that he pulled the item from the agenda and sent it back to the public service for more due diligence because of how the deal could be perceived. May 21: The public service comes back to Trudeau, he tells the finance committee. The recommendation to go with WE doesnt change. May 22: Cabinet, including Trudeau and Morneau, approved handing the reins of the program to WE. May 23: The public service officially begins negotiating a contribution agreement with WE, which would have paid up to $43.5 million in fees to the group. May 25 to June 3: In a series of meetings with Volunteer Canada, WE suggests the target for placements through the program had gone from 20,000 to 100,000. June 12: WE co-founder Marc Kielburger says in a video chat with youth leaders that he heard from Trudeaus office about getting involved in the volunteer program the day after it was announced by the prime minister. He later backtracks, saying the contact came the week of April 26 from Wernick, and not the Prime Ministers Office. June 23: WE Charity Foundation signs a contribution agreement with the federal government. WE signatories include Scott Baker, named as president of the one-year-old foundation and executive director of WE Charity, and chief financial officer Victor Li. Chagger signs for the government. June 25: Trudeau unveils more details about student aid. A government release notes that WE will administer the student-volunteer program. June 26: Facing questions about WE, Trudeau says the non-partisan public service made the recommendation, and the government accepted it: As the public service dug into it, they came back with only one organization that was capable of networking and organizing and delivering this program on the scale that we needed it, and that was the WE program. July 3: Citing the ongoing controversy, WE and the Liberals announce a parting of ways and the federal government takes control of the program. Ethics commissioner Mario Dion tells Conservative and NDP ethics critics in separate letters he will examine Trudeaus role in the awarding of the agreement because of the prime ministers close ties to the group. July 9: WE says it has paid Trudeaus mother Margaret about $250,000 for 28 speaking appearances at WE-related events between 2016 and 2020. His brother Alexandre was been paid $32,000 for eight events, and Trudeaus wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau received $1,400 in 2012 for a single appearance. The organization says Trudeau himself has never been paid by the charity or its for-profit arm. July 13: Trudeau apologizes for not recusing himself from discussions about WE over his familys longtime involvement with the organization. Morneau also issues an apology. July 16: Dion says he will investigate Morneaus actions in the affair. Chagger testifies at the finance committee, saying Trudeaus office didnt direct her to go with WE. July 21: Ian Shugart, clerk of the Privy Council, tells the Commons finance committee there is no evidence to suggest Trudeau spoke with WE before the organization was awarded the deal to run the student-volunteer program. July 22: Morneau tells the finance committee he just repaid over $41,000 to WE for travel expenses the organization footed for the minister and his family. The Opposition Conservatives call for Morneau to resign. Trudeaus office says he and Telford have agreed to testify before the committee with a date and time to be set. The House of Commons ethics committee also calls on Trudeau to testify, and votes to seek copies of records for Trudeau and his familys speaking appearances dating back years. Six opposition members outvote five Liberals to have that committee start its own investigation. July 23: Conservatives and New Democrats ask Dion to launch a new probe of Morneau over his travel expenses. July 27: A copy of the contribution agreement with WE Charity Foundation is filed with the finance committee. It lays out the details of the program, including a provision for a maximum contribution of $543.53 million $500 million for grants, and $43.53 million to WE. July 28: Craig and Marc Kielburger testify over four hours of sometimes testy interactions with MPs on the finance committee. The co-founders of WE Charity say their history and experience, not ties to Liberal cabinet ministers, landed the group the deal to run the volunteer program. They add they would have never agreed to take part in the program had they known it could jeopardize the work the WE organization has done over 25 years. They also say WE estimated the cost of the program to be between $200 million and $300 million. July 29: The Conservatives call on the federal ethics czar to widen his probe of Trudeau to include travel expenses WE covered in addition to speaking fees for his mother, wife and brother. Dion sends letters to the Tories and NDP saying he is expanding his probe of Morneau to look into the $41,000 in WE-sponsored travel. July 30: In a rare event, Trudeau testifies before the House of Commons finance committee and lays out when he first learned about WEs involvement in the Canada Student Service Grant program. He says WE Charity didnt receive any preferential treatment in the process. He also says it is now unlikely the grants will be rolled out. July 31: Speaking to reporters, Trudeau says he believed there was no conflict of interest because his family would not benefit from WE running the student volunteer program. Aug. 13: WE Charity announces that it is scaling back its operations, making dozens of layoffs in Canada and the United Kingdom, while also looking to sell some of its real estate holdings in Toronto. The same day, WE Charity registers as a lobbyist of the federal government, disclosing 65 communications with federal officials or ministers in 19 different departments or federal institutions, dating as far back as January 2019. Aug. 17: Morneau resigns suddenly as Canadas finance minister and as the member of Parliament for Toronto Centre following his role in the WE Charity scandal. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is named finance minister. Aug. 18: Trudeau prorogues Parliament, disrupting the probes into WE Charity controversy. Aug. 19: Diversity and Inclusion Minister Bardish Chaggers office had previously undisclosed conversations with WE Charity leadership dating back to March 27, newly released documents reveal. Sept. 1: An NDP MP calls on Chagger to resign saying she misled Canadians. Sept. 9: WE Charity announces it is closing its Canadian operations, blaming COVID-19 and the political fallout from the scandal. les exactions des separatistes Archives Leaders of different teacher trade unions have documented at least 940 attacks on students, education professionals, and schools occurring between 2018 and 2020 in Cameroons North West Region. Meeting in Bamenda on August 28, 2020, the teacher trade unionists said the total number of attacks during this period is likely much higher. In the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 academic years, they say no fewer than 311 students and 164 teachers were attacked by armed men fighting in the North West region. Aside pitching their tent in some school premises, the armed attackers have damaged, destroyed, or pillaged school infrastructure, materials and/or supplies. During attacks, armed men killed, beat, abducted, and threatened education workers; intimidated and threatened students; set classrooms, offices, and teachers residences on fire; shot at windows, doors, walls and roofs; set off explosives; burned school documents and academic materials; stole, damaged, and/or destroyed school employees property; and pillaged supplies from canteen warehouses and storerooms. The teachers say they can no longer stay quiet and watch armed men go on with wanton, uncalled for persecution of education actors and devastation of the educational legacy of the Anglophone regions. Their words: Preoccupied by the unprecedented moral decay and descent into chaos in our communities, characterized by horrible afflictions stigmatization, physical attacks, wanton kidnappings, torture, callous killings and inquisition-type mutilations and decapitations the leaders of the different teacher trade unions met in Bamenda on 28/08/2020 and resolved to make their voices heard. They noted with heavy hearts that since the onset of the crisis, the price that the educational community had paid was huge, as the following two-year sample from just one of the two regions indicates: In the 2018/2019 School Year, the number of students who were either attacked, kidnapped, tortured and/or shot at was 287, while in 2019/2020, the number dropped to a non-negligible 24! Correspondingly, the number of teachers in the same bracket was 97 in 2018/2019 and 67 in 2019/2020. During the same spell of two years, no (zero) student deaths were recorded in 2018/2019, while 02 were recorded in 2019/2020, one of these deaths coming immediately after the student was kidnapped, tortured and released. Correspondingly, 28 teachers died in 2018/2019 (eight of them were murdered and the rest from every indication had their deaths provoked by incidents related to the ongoing insurgency) while 36 died in 2019/2020 (03 murdered and 12 dying suddenly with every indication that threats, attacks, abductions that went with the payment of huge ransoms and the resulting panic provoked their untimely deaths). Suffice here to mention only the names of the last three victims Messrs. Song Paulinus, Pipayu Ibrahim Ritre, and Njamshi Nelson Ndi, this latest shot on 18/08/2020 all of them killed in callous circumstances, to the stupefaction of a Bamenda apparently in stupor. Finally, 428 schools in 2018/2019, like 37 in 2019/2020 were either partially or wholly looted, occupied by armed gangs or partially or wholly burnt down. These figures are breathtakingly horrifying and give the impression of a slow but inevitable descent into a hellish form of existence, which will leave in its wake repercussions untold. Teachers say they cannot continue to stay mute in the face of these heinous acts. We therefore join our voices to those of all persons of decent breeding to condemn all those acts that undermine basic rights and human dignity, which have resulted in the destruction of property, assault and battery, abductions and horrible killings, the teachers said in a press release signed by five of their leaders. The teachers appeal: That in the name of the God/Allah who owns all life, such inhumanity of man to fellow man, meted especially by brother on brother, should stop forthwith, because such wanton assaults, destruction and killings only breed rancor and deep-seated hatred thus perpetuating the mayhem. They sent out a resonant prayer that all compatriots promoting the ongoing insurgency from bases at home and abroad should, each in their individual conscience, resolve to stop playing tingods toying with and wrecking lives like is the case now because the consequences for future community interaction are alarmingly apocalyptic. They urged the government to continue to explore ways of reaching out to the parties in the ongoing conflict and of addressing the grievances that provoked the crisis in the first place. Governance is always ongoing, with a development-oriented vision, they said. The teachers called on the military and security to continue sourcing for ways to actually secure the beleaguered populations and communities and to make tact and restraint their philosophy in every action of theirs, especially vis-a-vis the civilians who consciously or unconsciously play buffer that will at least show the difference between the professionals they are and the rag-tag armed men they are called upon to tango with every now and then. Corporate demands by Common Law Lawyers and Anglophone Teachers led to protests in November 2016. The street demonstrations later morphed into ongoing running gun battles between state forces and armed separatist fighters in the predominantly English-speaking regions, leading to untold destruction of human lives, their habitats, and livelihoods. Given that they were at the beginning of the current crisis, the teachers resolved as follows: That all those standing in the way to give peace a chance and allow deprived, nay, sacrificed children return to school, and their teachers to resume their functions in an atmosphere of peace and security, given that education is the springboard for any form of development and because school boycott as a grievance-expressing measure cannot go on and ad infinitum. Yes, permit us to assert categorically that education remains the key to success and human development. From the onset of the strike, we did not contend that our educationally system was totally bad; we indicated a number of lapses and biases that needed to be done away with for our enviable system to continue to gain in quality and ascendancy. We equally assert that a good number of those issues have been righted and we cannot assess the good faith and equity of their implementation to good measure if we do not allow for schools to resume fully. The civilian populations in general have suffered immeasurably. But especially the teachers have paid the supreme price from salary suspensions especially of comrades in the private and denominational sections, to the social media adopt a teacher hype that proved to be scam unparalleled to the present stigmatization, attacks, kidnappings, tortures, and killings. Any society that spites and persecutes its teachers calls upon itself calamities untold. Therefore, we deign to add our angst-tormented, nay, our pained voices to the other rational voices calling for reason, decency and tolerance to reign. Dear brothers and sisters, having tasted and felt/seen the enormity of conflict in its internecine ramifications, let us collectively give peace a chance. Done in Bamenda on August 8, 2020, the press release from the teacher trade unions is signed by: Semma Valentine, Cameroon Teachers Trade Union, CATTU; Afu Stephens Kwah, the Presbyterian Education Authority Teachers Trade Union, PEATTU; Ayeah Emmanuel, the Baptist Teachers Trade Union, BATTUC; Gilbert Lakinyu, Catholic Education Writer Trade Union, CEWOTU; Tameh Valentine Nfon, Teachers Association of Cameroon, TAC. Incident unfolded as they travelled through Peppermint Grove in Perth's west A driver has been slapped with a $1,000 fine after being busted taking a picture of their dog while behind the wheel. The pooch was perched on the driver's lap as they travelled through Peppermint Grove in Perth's west last week. The culprit was fined for 'aggravated use of a mobile phone whilst driving' and shamed by Wembley Police online. Wembley Police publicly shamed the driver in a social media post on Thursday, stating 'this is what happens when (you) take photos of your dog who is on your lap whilst driving' 'This is what happens when (you) take photos of your dog who is on your lap whilst driving,' Western Australia Police posted on Facebook on Thursday. The post has garnered hundreds of comments online, with some slamming the driver's behaviour. 'Should have been fined double for endangering the dog as well,' one Facebook user wrote. 'Hope they learnt their lesson! Could have caused an accident and killed someone,' another wrote. Others were bemused by the nature of the fine. 'Trying to picture "aggravated use of a mobile phone". Was she angrily snapping the photos?' one said. '"Aggravated use"?? Was he bashing the dog with it?' another noted. 'How do you use your phone in an aggravated way?' a third asked. The driver lost four demerit points on top of the $1,000 fine. MILWAUKEE, Wis. Democrat candidate Joe Biden leads Republican President Donald Trump 47% to 43% in a new Wisconsin poll by the Marquette Law School. Biden had led by 5 points among likely voters when Marquette last polled in early August, so the new poll released Wednesday shows little change in the race even though this was Marquette's first survey since the two party conventions and since the turmoil and protests in Kenosha. The poll showed little change in public views of the protest movement spawned by the death of George Floyd. Marquette's early August survey had shown a decline in support for the protests from 61% in June to 48%. But in the new "post-Kenosha" survey, there is little movement in those numbers from a month ago: 47% currently approve of the protests. Marquette pollster Charles Franklin summed up the public opinion landscape in Wisconsin as "Lots going on in the world, but it didnt shift opinions very much. Woodward book:: Trump knew the coronavirus was 'deadly stuff' but chose to downplay it Former Vice President Joe Biden, left, and President Donald Trump Trumps job ratings also remain remarkably consistent, and more negative than positive: 44% of registered voters approve and 54% disapprove of the job he is doing. Those are identical to the president's job ratings in early August. In fact, since October of 2018 (almost two years ago), Trump's approval rating in Marquette's polling has never been higher than 48% nor lower than 44%. He is currently at the bottom of that very narrow range, but still only 4 points behind Biden. The Marquette poll for the first time included the Libertarian candidate, Jo Jorgensen, when asking voters about their presidential preferences. She got 4%. The Marquette poll was taken Aug. 30 through Sept. 3, meaning it was completed on Thursday night of last week before the Labor Day weekend. At this point four years ago, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton led Trump by 3 points in Marquette's polling, before going on to lose Wisconsin by less than a point. Story continues Other recent 2020 Wisconsin polls taken in a similar time frame by other organizations (Fox, CBS, CNBC and Rasmussen) have shown a Biden lead of 6 to 8 points. Biden's lead among likely voters in the Marquette polling has been quite steady. It was 4 points in May, 6 points in June, 5 points in early August, and 4 points in the poll that was just released. The Marquette survey of 802 registered voters and 688 likely voters was conducted in the aftermath of the turmoil in Kenosha the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the killing of two protesters by an armed Illinois teenager, and the destruction of buildings by rioters. Campaign 2020: Joe Biden unveils plan to tax companies that move jobs overseas Trumps Sept. 1 visit to Kenosha occurred about midway through the period in which the poll was conducted. Bidens Sept. 3 visit to Kenosha took place on the final day the poll was in the field. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers saw a decline in his job ratings in the new survey. They are still positive. But after spiking upward in recent months, his numbers are back to where they were before the pandemic: 51% approve, 43% disapprove. In early August, 57% had approved of the job Evers is doing. The survey has a margin of error of 4.3 points among likely voters and 4 points among registered voters. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette poll: Biden leads Trump 47% to 43% in Wisconsin Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has directed the West Bengal polices top brass to reactivate the counter intelligence force (CIF) that was created a decade ago to combat Maoists in the state and further strengthen the special task force (STF) after news of alleged insurgency activities started pouring in over the past few weeks. Banerjee also sought a report from the director general of police on the alleged insurgency activities in some of the districts in the western parts of the state that once used to be the hotbed of Maoists. The DGP had visited Belpahari. I would ask him to submit a report. I want to know who all are behind this, said Banerjee. Virendra, DGP of West Bengal, had on September 5 reviewed security arrangements in some of the western districts including Belpahari in Jhargram that used to be a hotbed for subversive activities carried out by the members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) until 2011. The state police chief visited Jhargram and West Midnapore districts and held a meeting with Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to review some stray incidents that had come to light of late. Also Read: Police forces in Bengal should keep up good work, not pay heed to adverse remarks: CM On August 15, around a dozen hand-written posters were recovered from a couple of villages located around the Bhulabheda forest. The posters had urged the public to observe Independence Day as kala divas, or a black day. On September 4, again some hand written posters were recovered from Belpahari. Some people had even tried to kill Manoj Verma, the commissioner of Barrackpore. Had we not seen the video we wouldnt have come to know, said Banerjee at the state secretariat on Tuesday. Verma was the superintendent of the counter insurgency force in November 2011, when top Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji, 55, was shot dead. Also Read: Bengals Sunderbans billed endangered ecosystem, mangroves show signs of climate-resilience The special task force is an important wing. We need to gear that up. The CIF was set up to tackle Maoists when they were active. I would ask Ajoy Nanda (a senior IPS officer) to work on the CIF and reactivate it once again, Banerjee said. She, however, was quick to add that all the alleged Maoist activities and news that the insurgents were regrouping are staged and the truth would come out soon. Earlier in August, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had hinted that Maoists could be regrouping in the state. Reliance Jio is looking at a plan to outsource and manufacture over 100 million low-cost smartphones, to be built on the Google Android platform. These phones, which will be bundled with data packs, could be launched in December or early next year, sources in the know said. Its a key ingredient of Jios strategy to make India a 2G-mukt Bharat, they said. According to some leading vendors, the company has held talks with them to manufacture the phones in India. Currently, there is enough capacity within the country to manufacture them with home-grown firms ... On July 27, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus son Yair released an inflammatory tweet attacking the countrys kibbutzim: To those damn communists, who stole the countrys land at the expense of the development towns: Release the Asi River to the people of Beit Shean, before you start preaching! As usual, his tweet set off a media storm. Yair Netanyahu was angry that the kibbutz movement has been playing an active role in organizing the demonstrations against his father outside the prime ministers official residence on Balfour Street. These demonstrations calling for Netanyahus resignation were already gathering momentum and receiving extensive media coverage. But not everyone knew what he was talking about. What is the Asi River? Anyone who did not know the whole story was suddenly exposed to one of the most fascinating social struggles to take place in Israel over the last five years. Then again, the struggle received little public attention up until this tweet. The Asi River is a beautiful waterway that meanders through Kibbutz Nir David in northeast Israel. Five years ago, a group of social activists from the adjacent town of Beit Shean launched a campaign to allow all Israelis to enjoy the river. They began by filing suit with the Beit Shean Civil Court, claiming the kibbutz was denying public access to the river. As citizens of the State of Israel, they wanted to take advantage of their natural right to enjoy this rare natural resource, but the kibbutz refused them access, telling them it was private property. The activists dismissed this claim, saying the river itself and the roads leading to it are public, not private, property. It is no coincidence that the people of Beit Shean launched the river access campaign. The town has been part of a larger struggle to achieve the just distribution of lands in the country. Beit Shean was founded in the 1950s and populated by North African immigrants. Its residents are often called "the second Israel, a term used to describe disadvantaged groups who were mistreated by government authorities in the early years of statehood in order to perpetuate socioeconomic gaps between them and the powerful old elites. The kibbutzim, who held socialist values in the highest regard, were considered to be part of those elites, who generally came from European backgrounds (Ashkenazi). For years, the case over the river was limited to the courtroom and received little media attention. Then court rulings found there were grounds for a compromise that would allow all Israelis to enjoy the river and its well-tended grounds. Even the residents of the kibbutz realized they would not be able to avoid change. They therefore spent the last few months reaching a compromise with the Beit Shean municipality in which 150 meters (nearly 400 feet) of the river, in an area with no houses, would be opened to the public. But that was not enough for the leaders of the campaign. They demanded public access to the entire river. Negotiations blew up during one of the most turbulent periods in Israeli history, both socially and politically. Prime Minister Netanyahu was standing trial for bribery. This saw a clash between his many supporters who claimed he was being persecuted by the old left-wing elites who still hold key positions in the legal system and Netanyahus opponents, who continue to demonstrate and call for his resignation, despite the raging coronavirus. Inevitably, the kibbutz movement identifies with the latter group. And the river? The beautiful turquoise waterway flows between the homes of the kibbutz, giving the sense that this is some pastoral European village. Now, however, it also lies at the heart of a bitter political debate, inflamed even further by social networks. What is interesting is that until Yair Netanyahu brought up the matter of the Asi River on his Twitter account, the debate over its future was not identified with the Likud party or the right. That one tweet was able to alter the public debate for the benefit of his fathers campaign for political survival. The younger Netanyahu did this cleverly. The fight over the Asi River is no longer just a struggle between two competing social groups. Now it is also a fight over the prime ministers future. Ever since Yair Netanyahus tweet, demonstrations outside the kibbutz have become much more aggressive. They also have more people than they did in the past, because Likud supporters joined the fray. It is worth noting that the kibbutz was first founded in 1936, 12 years before Israel gained its independence. Now, its members feel targeted, so they lock themselves in their homes. Nir David once earned income from its pleasant vacation cabins and watersports areas. It was a veritable paradise in the Beit Shean Valley. Now it has shut its factories and even its gates. Its residents feel like they are living in a nightmare. They have been targeted, or as they say, they feel like they are being persecuted due to claims of discrimination, which should no longer have a place in Israel in 2020. While demonstrations against Netanyahu were taking place across the country, some 30 Asi River protesters showed up at the gates of the kibbutz the night of Sept. 5 and broke in, equipped with tents and sleeping bags. The kibbutz complained to police that the protesters were trespassing. Photographs of the incident were released through the press, and since, the struggle has intensified, with Kibbutz Nir David hiring media consultants specializing in crisis management. Kibbutz officials realize this is no longer just some legal battle. They are targets of a full-fledged public campaign. The fight over the Asi River has even reached the Knessets Committee on the Environment. On Aug. 18, it heard from both parties and discussed recent developments. Among the participants in the meeting was Erez Kaminitz, deputy attorney general for civil law. He said this case is particularly difficult to resolve since it involves a clash between public needs and private property. Nevertheless, he contended that the public should be provided access to the river, and that the open areas should be made accessible to the public. It is public property, he said, but in this case, public needs fall within the rubric of private property. So far, there is no end in sight to this problem. On Sept. 1, the ultra-Orthodox-Mizrahi Shas party petitioned the Nazareth District Court to grant public access to the river immediately. Since Shas is a party closely identified with the religious Mizrahi community, its entry into the fray does not bode well for Kibbutz Nir David, or for other kibbutzim with natural resources, such as lakeside kibbutzim along the Sea of Galilee or kibbutzim that lie along the coast. There can be no doubt that the Balfour Street protests politicized the fight over the Asi River and brought it into the spotlight. It is not at all sure that this serves the interests of the kibbutz. CEDAR FALLS The University of Northern Iowas faculty union is pushing for more public data on positive COVID-19 tests of students and employees. UNI began releasing aggregate testing data showing weekly positive cases Aug. 28 with online updates every Friday and Monday. Numbers for each week are gathered from the universitys student health center, which tests students with possible coronavirus symptoms. Starting with the past week, the information also includes the number of self-reported positive cases for students and employees, which may duplicate some of the health center figures. However, UNIs United Faculty would like that information to be broken out by students and employees. The union also would like reports to reflect geographic areas on campus where cases have occurred, including dormitories. For me, the most important data point is the number of faculty cases, said Becky Hawbaker, the unions president. United Faculty represents UNIs nearly 650 full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty. She is concerned without breaking down testing data into those categories, faculty are in more danger of exposure and being diagnosed with COVID-19. Other university staff such as custodians, public safety officers, dining room and dormitory workers are even more vulnerable, she added. All of them are at greater risk than faculty. Hawbaker and Carissa Froyum, United Faculty vice president, met Tuesday with UNIs attorney and the co-chairpersons of the universitys COVID-19 response team to discuss the possibility of providing more data. Their first response was No, but lets meet and talk more, said Hawbaker, who is also a member of the response team. Concerns remain, though, after the meeting. In terms of access to greater detailed information for those of us who are serving on the COVID response team, we were told we could have that access if we signed a confidentiality agreement, she said. But I believe that the union has a right to this information and that it should not be bound by a confidentiality agreement. Were fighting for our access to that information, but were also fighting for everybodys access, said Hawbaker. University officials did not respond to The Couriers request for comment on the unions concerns, but their reasoning likely revolves around privacy protection. When UNI announced test results would be routinely posted online, it said in a news release the data would be shared in a way that protects individuals privacy. Hawbaker disputed that what the union is seeking would violate anyones privacy or reveal individual identities. There is no one way to interpret confidentiality laws, she said. The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act are frequently cited to shield the type of data the union wants access to. However, Hawbaker suggested the Clery Act, a consumer protection law, requires disclosure of the information. Under that law, universities receiving federal funds are required to disclose immediate threats to campus safety. Both of the other regents institutions, the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, do publicly break down their data by students and employees. She doesnt see a reason for UNIs current approach to reporting it when we can see our other sister institutions are choosing to share information more transparently. Hawbaker added, Up until now, we felt like we were part of a collaborative process with UNIs administration. But if positive faculty cases end up being traced back to classroom exposures that occurred due to the lack of information that changes everything for me. In a letter to union members last week, United Faculty leadership said they had filed a formal information request for access to more data and would file a prohibited practices complaint with the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board if necessary. After Tuesdays meeting, that is still a possibility, according to Hawbaker. We need to consult with our attorney and think about how to proceed, she said. Photos: Courier Photographer Brandon Pollocks eye for nature 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. The bill presented to the House of Commons on Wednesday is primarily about ensuring market access across the UK after Brexit. We always knew it was going to be controversial. It gives powers to Westminster, or more specifically to Ministers of the Crown, that directly impinge on the competence of the devolved regions and nations. Ministers in Scotland and Wales have vocally denounced what they see as a brazen power grab. What we didnt expect was for the bill to spark alarm across the EU and across the Atlantic. Why such a reaction? Because of what it is attempting to do when it comes to the Northern Ireland/Ireland Protocol. Read More Northern Ireland was always going to be awkward for the UK internal market. The Protocol means that nothing is to enter or be on sale here unless it meets EU standards, even if it comes from GB. There is nothing in this UK internal market bill to prevent a so-called race to the bottom. And if goods from there dont come up to measure, they are not meant to be here. To be fair, these are the standards we currently hold to and there is little clamour from consumers to see a reduction in those standards. But it does make that UK market access promise a little lopsided. This bill does not change that situation. It does say, though, that the UK authorities implementing the Protocol should show special regard for NIs integral place in the UK internal market as they do so. But if such special regard extends as far as turning a blind eye, Northern Ireland will be considered a risk for the EU (which, put simply, will be bad for the NI brand) and the UK will find itself in breach of international law Mind you, this is apparently no longer a No-No for this government. Hence the consternation from Brussels and backbenchers alike. This bill contains provisions that are to have effect even if they are (to quote section 45) inconsistent and incompatible with international or other domestic law. The specific law it intends to disapply is the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement the one approved by a stomping majority in the Commons at the end of January. In theory, Brandon Lewis could find himself one of the most powerful men in Europe. The Secretary of State for NI would have the powers to ignore any EU requirements for paperwork for goods moving from NI into Great Britain. And, secondly, he could act to reduce the scope of EU state aid rules applying through the Protocol, including averting their application in GB. You can probably guess which is the power the UK government is most keen to exercise and at such risk, including reputational. This 52 page bill has reached heights of controversy that are immense even in Brexit terms. Even though the parliamentary timetable will be tight, it will surely not become law without considerable amendment. In the meantime, the one thing most hoped for from this bill certainty has become an even more distant prospect. Professor Katy Hayward (Queens University Belfast) is Senior Fellow in the UK in a Changing Europe think tank HMS Enterprise worked with Cypriot partners for a search and rescue exercise in the Mediterranean. The survey ship joined the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre, the Republic of Cyprus Police Aviation Unit and 84 Squadron, from RAF Akrotiri, for the annual training. HMS Enterprise worked with Cypriot partners for a search and rescue exercise in the Mediterranean. The survey ship joined the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre, the Republic of Cyprus Police Aviation Unit and 84 Squadron, from RAF Akrotiri, for the annual training. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link HMS Enterprise worked with 84 Squadron, from RAF Akrotiri, and Cypriot forces on a search and rescue exercise. (Picture source: SAC Laura Bullas) The survey ship joined the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre, the Republic of Cyprus Police Aviation Unit and 84 Squadron, from RAF Akrotiri, for the annual training. It simulates the joint rescue of a missing person at sea and the evacuation of an injured crew member from on board the ship. Enterprise recently returned to Limassol having been deployed to Beirut after the explosion at the port. She worked alongside the Lebanese Navy Hydrographic Service to conduct a survey of approaches to the port. Once back in Cyprus, she was joined by the British High Commissioner Stephen Lillie and Lieutenant Junior Grade Anastasios Paraskevopoulos from the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre for the exercise. HMS Enterprise worked with 84 Squadron, from RAF Akrotiri, and Cypriot forces on a search and rescue exercise. (Picture source: SAC Laura Bullas) The exercise saw a member of the Cyprus Navy join Royal Navy ship Enterprise before she sailed off the coast of Limassol. They searched and located the person (played by a dummy) missing at sea before 84 Squadron were called in to winch them to safety to their helicopter. The ship then acted as if a member of their crew was in need of evacuation and again called on 84 Squadron to winch them off the deck. Raines International, one of the countrys leading executive search and leadership consulting firms, announced today the launch of its Security Officers Practice, co-developed with The Lake Forest Group, a strategic security services firm specializing in all aspects of security, safety, and compliance. The practice will be led by Mr. Patrick Gray, Managing Director at Raines, whose background in the executive search industry and as an intelligence officer, with a concentration on mission critical functions and market sectors, are unique assets for clients seeking to elevate their security strategy and infrastructure. Mr. Gray, a graduate of West Point, spent 5 years as a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer focused on counterintelligence and force protection. The Practice will identify and recruit senior executives who specialize in all aspects of security including physical security and cyber security, across industries and sectors. It will be focused on executive search, as well as leadership and organizational transformation services. Mr. Gray said the COVID-19 pandemic and social protests have raised awareness of the importance of having a comprehensive program managed by a senior executive who understands all aspects of security. In the last few months, clients have become increasingly committed to enhancing their level of security at every level. In partnering with The Lake Forest Group, we have aligned our firm with the best resources in the industry. Mr. G. Michael Verden, Chief Executive Officer of The Lake Forest Group, said that the strategic alliance would expand Raines extensive network of security professionals. We look forward to working with the team at Raines to develop thought leadership content, and to recruiting uniquely qualified and highly experienced individuals to fill executive security positions. About Raines International (https://rainesinternational.com/): Raines International is a talent consulting firm committed to making a difference with executive search, organizational management, and talent management solutions. Raines is headquartered in New York City with eight offices across the Americas. Raines specializes in senior-level leadership placements across industries and functions. About The Lake Forest Group (https://lakeforestgroup.com/): Through a holistic strategy, The Lake Forest Group helps organizations protect their people, property, and brand, reduce risk, and prepare for the unexpected through comprehensive risk assessments, tailored emergency management and active shooter plans, and training customized to their environment and culture. An engineer of PSU major Oil India lost his life due to high voltage electric shock on Wednesday when he was working at the company damaged gas well in Baghjan in Assams Tinsukia district, officials said. The electrical engineer, Arnab Kishore Bordoloi, was working on high voltage cables at the site when the incident happened around 2 pm, they said. He was immediately taken to the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh. However, doctors informed us in the evening that he succumbed to the injuries, an official of the company said. With this, the total number of persons losing their lives in the worst industrial disaster of Assam has gone up to three. The well number 5 at Baghjan has been spewing gas uncontrollably since May 27 and it caught fire on June 9, killing two of OILs firefighters at the site. On July 22, three experts from Singaporean firm Alert Disaster Control, which was asked to assist OIL and ONGC experts for putting out the inferno, received burn injuries while they were removing a spool from the well head. In the suit, Sanchita Gupta alias Shilpi, who was sentenced to 20 years in the Asaram rape case, had argued that allowing the publication of the book would prejudice her appeal and run counter to her rights under Article 21 of the Constitution New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Wednesday reserved its order on a plea by publisher HarperCollins seeking vacation of an interim stay on the publication of a book on self-styled Godman Asaram Bapu titled Gunning for the Godman: The True Story Behind Asaram's Conviction. Justice Najmi Waziri said, "I'll deliver the order in a couple of days. Let's see how it goes." The high court heard arguments in the matter on Tuesday and Wednesday by the counsel for the publisher and the plaintiff woman, a co-convict in the Asaram rape case on whose plea the distribution of book was stayed by the trial court. During the hearing, the high court suggested them to find a midway solution to the issue, like publishing a disclaimer as the start of the book. The judge also orally said that 5,000 copies have already been published and the book cannot be undone now. However, the counsel for the woman, Sanchita Gupta alias Shilpi, said he has taken instructions from his client and the court may decide the matter on merits. The publisher has approached the high court challenging the trial court's 4 September ex-parte interim injunction order restraining the publication of the book. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the publisher, had said: "This is very serious. All the books have already been distributed to the distributors. It has become a trend in the last few years that they move court on the eve of release of a book and get an ex-parte stay." He had said the plaintiff woman has not come to court with clean hands and she had not annexed a copy of the judgement, in the rape case, before the trial court which could have then seen whether objections raised by her have any basis in the law. He had added that the book was written on the basis of the record of the case and it was a story of an investigating officer of the case which was based on the evidence recorded during the trial and the Godman along with the plaintiff was convicted. However, the counsel for the woman opposed the appeal saying the contents of the book was not found in record and if it is allowed to be published, it will cause her irreparable loss. Senior advocate Devdutt Kamat, appearing for the woman, had said there was defamatory material published in the book. Amazon and Flipkart were deleted as parties after they submitted that they were not necessary parties to the case and they will abide by the court's order to be passed in the suit. The book, Gunning for the Godman: The True Story Behind Asaram Bapu's Conviction, is authored by Ajay Lamba, Additional Commissioner of Police, Jaipur and Sanjiv Mathur, and was scheduled to be released on 5 September. On 4 September, an additional district judge had stayed the publication of the book on the ground that the appeal against the conviction in the rape case was sub-judice before the Rajasthan High Court. In April 2018, Asaram was sentenced to life term in the 2013 case of rape of a minor firl. Co-convicts Sharatchandra and Sanchita alias Shilpi were sentenced to 20 years in prison and co-accused Shiva and Prakash were acquitted. In the suit, Sanchita had argued that allowing the publication of the book would prejudice her appeal and run counter to her rights under Article 21 of the Constitution. It was claimed that the book was a one-sided narration of events and did not even follow the trial record. Chairman of India's Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani (L) looks at rows of produce during a visit to a Reliance Fresh supermarket in Hyderabad. (AFP Photo) New Delhi: US private equity firm Silver Lake Partners has picked up 1.75 per cent stake in the retail arm of Reliance Industries for Rs 7,500 crore, the Indian firm said in a statement. "Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) announced today that Silver Lake will invest Rs 7,500 crore into RRVL, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries," the statement said. This investment values RRVL at a pre-money equity value of Rs 4.21 lakh crore. Silver Lake's investment will translate into a 1.75 per cent equity stake in RRVL on a fully diluted basis. This marks the second billion-dollar investment by Silver Lake in a Reliance Industries subsidiary after the USD 1.35 billion investment in Jio Platforms announced earlier this year. "Reliance Retail Limited, a subsidiary of RRVL, operates India's largest, fastest growing and most profitable retail business serving close to 640 million footfalls across its about 12,000 stores nationwide," the statement said. With more than USD 60 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital and a focus on the world's great tech and tech-enabled opportunities, Silver Lake is the global leader in large-scale technology investing. Its other investments have included Airbnb, Alibaba, Alphabet's Verily and Waymo units, Dell Technologies, Twitter and numerous other global technology leaders. After monetising Jio Platforms -- which houses the firm's telecom arm and digital ventures, richest Indian Mukesh Ambani is looking to rope in investors in the retail business. Reliance may be looking to sell about 10 per cent of Reliance Retail. Late last month, Reliance acquired the retail and logistics businesses of Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore to boost its retail vertical. Silver Lake was the first US private equity firm to invest in Jio after tech giant Facebook took a 9.99 per cent stake in the company for Rs 43,573.62 crore. Silver Lake bought 2.08 per cent in Jio in two tranches for a total of Rs 10,202.55 crore. Rival private equity groups KKR, Vista and General Atlantic followed Silver Lake to take stakes in Jio. Other notable investors included Google and Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. All investors in Jio Platforms including Silver Lake have been offered a chance to explore investing in Reliance Retail. Ambani had at Reliance Industries' recent annual general meeting stated that it had been approached by strategic/financial investors for a stake in Reliance Retail. Commenting on the transaction with Silver Lake, Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries, said, "I am delighted to extend our relationship with Silver Lake to our transformational efforts of building an inclusive partnership with millions of small merchants while providing value to Indian consumers across the country in the Indian retail sector." "We believe technology will be key to bringing the much-needed transformation in this sector so that various constituents of the retail ecosystem can collaborate to build inclusive growth platforms. Silver Lake will be an invaluable partner in implementing our vision for Indian Retail," he said. Commenting on the investment, Egon Durban, Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Silver Lake, said, "we are pleased to deepen our relationship with Reliance with this investment. Mukesh Ambani and his team at Reliance have created an outstanding world leader in retail and technology through their courageous vision, commitment to societal benefits, innovation excellence and relentless execution." "The success of JioMart in such a short time span, especially while India, along with the rest of the world, battles the COVID-19 pandemic, is truly unprecedented, and the most exciting growth phase has just begun. Reliance's new commerce strategy could become the disruptor of this decade. We are thrilled to have been invited to partner with Reliance in their mission for Indian Retail," Durban said. The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals. Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Retail and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsel. Latham & Watkins and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co acted as legal counsel for Silver Lake. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Wednesday stated that an approximate number of 33,300 people travelled in the Yellow, Blue and Pink lines of the Delhi Metro in the morning. "The total ridership on Yellow, Blue and Pink Lines was approx 33,300 between 7 am to 11 am today (Wednesday)," said the DMRC. Three days after resuming services on the Yellow Line, the Delhi Metro resumed services on its Blue Line and Pink Line from 7 am on Wednesday. The trains are now operating for four hours each during morning and evening. The services on these lines were suspended 171 days ago due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the spread of the deadly virus in India. It is to be noted that metro services in Delhi-NCR have been closed since March 22. According to news agency PTI, the Rajiv Chowk metro station, one of the biggest interchange facilities in Delhi-NCR, witnessed a slight increase in the number of commuters. On Wednesday, the interchange facilities began on Blue and Yellow Lines at nine stations. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation made announcements about the "dos and don'ts" the travellers should follow. "If you have a cold, cough or fever, please don't take the metro. Duration of opening and closing of metro doors have been increased for the convenience of commuters," the announcer said. While nearly 15,500 passengers took Yellow Line and Rapid Metro on September 7 (Monday), the figure stood at nearly 17,600 on September 8 (Tuesday). The DMRC has urged people to use rapid transport only if urgently needed. As part of the stage-I of graded resumption of metro services, the Delhi Metro resumed operations on its Blue Line i.e, Line-3/4 from Dwarka Sec -21 to Electronic City/Vaishali (65.35 km/58 stations) and Pink Line i.e, Line-7 from Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar (57.58 km & 38 stations). In addition to above lines, three more lines- Red (Line-1 from Rithala to Shaheed Sthal New Bus Adda Ghaziabad); Green (Line-5 from Kirti Nagar/Inderlok to Brig. Hosihar Singh Bahadurgarh) and Violet (Line-6 from Kashmere Gate to Raja Nahar Singh Ballabhgarh) will resume services from September 10 with the same schedule of 4 hours of passenger service each in the morning and evening under Stage-I plan of resumption of metro services. On September 11, the Magenta Line (Janakpuri to Botanical) and Grey Line (Dwarka to Najafgarh) will be resumed from 7 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 10 pm. On September 12, on the Airport Express Line from New Delhi to Dwarka Sec-21 will also be operational. The services will be available throughout the day from 6 am to 11 pm on all lines from September 12. Only smart card and cashless transactions will be allowed. "Initially, we will open only one line and operating hours will be 7 am to 11 am and 4 pm hours to 8 pm. Only selected gates at the metro stations will be open for entry. A separate gate will be marked for exit only. Only the use of Smart Card and cashless/online transactions will be allowed," DMRC Chief Mangu Singh had said. "In phase 1, on September 7, we are planning to start Yellow Line from Samaypur Badli to Huda City Centre. In phase 2, on September 9 we will start three more lines, Blue Line, Pink Line and Gurgaon Line. In phase 3, on September 10, after observing the operation and its impact, we will introduce Red Line (Ghaziabad to Rithala), the Bahadurgarh line, and the Faridabad line," he had added. The Home Ministry, in its Unlock 4 guidelines, gave nod to the resumption of metro services from September 7 in a graded manner. The guidelines gave more relaxations in the restrictions enforced to contain the spread of COVID-19. The metro services were suspended in March due to COVID-19. Thus, the entire Metro network will be made operational for passenger services throughout the day from September 12 onwards as it was before March 22 with all social distancing norms and guidelines to be followed by the passengers during the travel due to ongoing pandemic. Two holes continue to extend the higher grade mineralization in the western portion of the Main Zone. Hole CR20-61 intersected true width of 94 metres of 0.35% nickel including 49 metres of 0.40% nickel Hole CR20-53 intersected core length of 183 metres of 0.35% nickel to a depth of over 300 metres Three holes continue to support and extend the higher grade mineralization in the eastern portion of the Main Zone. Hole CR20-60 intersected true width of 72 metres of 0.33% nickel including 49 metres of 0.36% nickel Hole CR20-47 intersected 0.30% nickel across entire core length of 369 metres outside existing 0.30% grade shell and Hole CR20-60 intersected two intervals with combined core length of 250 metres of 0.30% nickel "Excellent results continue from our infill drilling program. These most recent drilling results continue to expand the widths and vertical extent of the higher-grade mineralization in the western end of the Main Zone and further confirm and extend the higher grade mineralization in the eastern end of the Main Zone. These higher-grade resource areas will be the initial focus of the mine plan in the Preliminary Economic Assessment currently underway and expected to be completed by year-end," said Mark Selby, Chair and CEO of Canada Nickel. "With the drilling necessary for the updated resource to be released later this month now complete, we will turn our attention to the other exciting exploration opportunities identified at Crawford. Three follow-up holes on the previously reported encouraging PGM results from hole CR20-32 (which yielded three separate intersections including 2.6 g/t PGM over 7.5 metres) have been completed and intersected the anticipated structures. Drilling began this week of the several other prospective geophysical nickel targets on the several kilometres of the Crawford structure which remain untested. Exploration results from these holes are expected before the end of September." The Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project is located in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp in Ontario, Canada, and is adjacent to well-established, major infrastructure associated with over 100 years of regional mining activity. Main Zone Infill Results Infill drilling on the Main Zone continued to focus on more clearly defining and upgrading the Higher-Grade Core resource, which was previously defined as part of the resource estimate and dips steeply within the ultramafic unit and having a previously reported true thickness that varies from 40 m to 160 m. Assays from the remaining six in-fill holes will be released over the next several weeks. See Table 1 and Figure 1 and 2 for results. Table 1 Main Zone Nickel Drilling Results, Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, Ontario DDH ID From To Length Estimated True Width Ni Co Pd Pt S Fe (m) (m) (m) (m) (%) (%) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%) CR20-47 33.3 402.0 368.7 na 0.30 0.011 0.020 0.008 0.07 5.91 including 40.5 286.5 246.0 na 0.31 0.011 0.022 0.008 0.06 5.54 including 363.0 399.0 36.0 na 0.36 0.014 0.030 0.009 0.14 6.96 CR20-53 52.0 402.0 350.0 na 0.29 0.012 0.017 0.007 0.10 6.37 including 169.5 352.5 183.0 na 0.35 0.011 0.021 0.007 0.12 6.66 including 169.5 210.0 40.5 na 0.40 0.009 0.039 0.012 0.35 5.22 CR20-60 51.0 352.5 301.5 193.8 0.24 0.013 0.016 0.009 0.10 6.94 including 51.0 163.5 112.5 72.3 0.33 0.014 0.028 0.011 0.20 7.24 including 51.0 127.5 76.5 49.2 0.36 0.014 0.024 0.008 0.23 7.13 including 84.0 100.5 16.5 10.6 0.43 0.015 0.031 0.010 0.33 7.06 CR20-61* 36.8 276.0 239.2 153.8 0.30 0.013 0.022 0.008 0.14 5.39 including 36.8 183.0 146.2 94.0 0.35 0.014 0.030 0.010 0.20 5.01 including 36.8 156.0 119.2 76.6 0.38 0.014 0.034 0.011 0.23 4.84 including 67.5 144.0 76.5 49.2 0.40 0.015 0.039 0.012 0.26 4.92 CR20-62 45.3 402.0 356.7 na 0.29 0.013 0.018 0.007 0.28 6.83 including 49.5 132.0 82.5 na 0.30 0.010 0.017 0.007 0.09 5.48 including 231.0 399.0 168.0 na 0.30 0.015 0.028 0.011 0.49 7.63 These holes were drilled at steep angles of -80 degrees almost entirely within the higher-grade core to better determine grade or -50 degrees to help better define northern or southern boundaries of the higher grade core. See Table 2. The estimated true width of this zone has been determined from previous drilling to vary from 40 to 160 m depending on location of the section. *Hole CR20-61 has only received complete assays to a depth of 276 metres of total drill length of 504 metres. Next Steps Three holes have now been completed on the previously reported excellent PGM results from hole CR20-32 (three intervals including 2.6 g/t PGM over core length of 7.5 metres) and have intersected multiple sections of similar gabbro/peridotite/pyroxenite sequences encountered in the CR20-32 discovery hole. Assays from these three drill holes are expected by the end of September. All drill results to date will be incorporated into an updated resource now expected later this month. Drilling has begun on several other prospective geophysical targets on the several kilometres of the Crawford structure which remain untested on the west side of the highway. Table 2 Drill Hole Orientation, Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, Ontario DDH ID Easting Northing Dip Azimuth Length (mE) (mN) () () (m) CR20-47 473404.4 5408743.2 -80 215.2 300 CR20-53 472794.1 5409028.6 -80 212.1 402 CR20-60 473505.1 5408696.5 -50 215.3 402 CR20-61 473027.8 5408815.1 -50 35.3 504 CR20-62 473505.6 5408695.0 -80 215.3 402 Private Placement Update The Company is also pleased to provide an update to its August 11, 2020 news release, in which it announced a best efforts offering (the "Offering") of up to 600,000 flow-through common shares ("FT Shares") at a price of $2.60 per FT Share, for total gross proceeds of approximately $1.5 million. The Offering is now oversubscribed and as a result will now consist of 682,500 FT Shares to raise gross proceeds of up to approximately C$1.8 million. For a full summary of the Private Placement, please see Canada Nickel's news release from August 11, 2020. Assays, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Drilling and Assay Procedures William E. MacRae, MSc, P.Geo., a "qualified person" as defined by NI 43-101, is responsible for the on-going drilling and sampling program, including quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). The core is collected from the drill in sealed core trays and transported to the core logging facility. The core is marked and sampled at 1.5 metre lengths and cut with a diamond blade saw. Samples are bagged with QA/QC samples inserted in batches of 35 samples per lot. Samples are transported in secure bags directly from the Canada Nickel core shack to Actlabs Timmins, an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab. Analysis for precious metals (gold, platinum and palladium) are completed by Fire Assay while analysis for nickel, cobalt, sulphur and 17 other elements are performed using a peroxide fusion and ICP-OES analysis. Certified standards and blanks are inserted at a rate of one QA/QC sample per 32 core samples making a batch of 35 samples that are submitted for analysis. Qualified Person and Data Verification Stephen J. Balch P.Geo. (ON), VP Exploration of Canada Nickel and a "qualified person" as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Canada Nickel Company Inc. About Canada Nickel Company Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-cobalt sulphide projects to deliver nickel and cobalt required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless steel markets. Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero NickelTM, NetZero CobaltTM, NetZero IronTM and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel and cobalt in low political risk jurisdictions. Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp. Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, drill results relating to the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, the potential of the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, timing of economic studies and resource estimates, strategic plans, including future exploration and development results, and corporate and technical objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of 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 information. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals, the future demand for metals, the results of drilling, inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property, environmental liabilities (known and unknown), general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, results of exploration programs, timing of the updated resource estimate, risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, and failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Canada Nickel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. SOURCE Canada Nickel Company Inc. The ice maker market is expected to grow by USD 1.05 billion 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/20200909005528/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Ice Maker Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Request challenges and opportunities influenced by COVID-19 pandemic Request a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts The average spending by consumers at retail establishments such as supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience stores has increased significantly over the years. For instance, the expenditure by consumers in the US at supermarkets and grocery stores is expected to reach around USD 43 billion by the end of 2020. The increase in consumer spending is leading to the expansion of supermarket and hypermarket chains across the world. This is creating more floor space to accommodate food displays, a major area where ice flakes are used. Ice maker vendors in the market are leveraging this opportunity to develop high-quality and energy-efficient ice flake makers and expand their customer base. All these factors are contributing to the growth of the global ice maker 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=IRTNTR44402 As per Technavio, the growing applications of ice makers 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. Ice Maker Market: Growing Applications of Ice Makers Ice makers find a large number of applications in various industries. For instance, in the healthcare industry, they are used in various critical applications such as storing organs and for rehabilitation procedures. They are also used in a number of biochemistry, microbiology, biotechnology, and genetic engineering laboratories to store biological samples. Similarly, in the food and beverage industry, ice makers are used in QSRs, juice bars, cafes, and bars that serve chilled beverages such as carbonated drinks, smoothies, cold drinks, juices, and shakes. The increasing use of ice makers across several applications is expected to fuel the growth of the global ice maker market during the forecast period. "The rising popularity of cryotherapy and increase in the number of foodservice establishments 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 Ice Maker Market: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the ice maker market by Product (Ice cube, Ice flake, and Ice nugget), Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA), and End-user (Foodservice, Retail, and Healthcare). The North American region led the ice maker 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 presence of key vendors 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/20200909005528/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/ Economic turmoil caused by Covid-19 has left millions unemployed and struggling to pay rent and bills on time in fact, 14% of Americans said they've spent their emergency savings to cover expenses since the start of the pandemic, a recent CNBC + Acorns survey, conducted by SurveyMonkey, shows. One solution is to speak to your landlord or lender to ask for leniency on bills, Kevin O'Leary tells CNBC Make It. So what's the best way to handle that? "If you're in financial trouble right now and you're negotiating, let me tell you the No. 1 rule: Make them understand that you're good for [repayment] in the long run," O'Leary says. "As soon as you get back on your financial feet, you're going to make them whole." "Any provider that understands that you care about them just as much as they want you to pay them" will be more likely "to give you some flexibility," O'Leary says. Speaking with your landlord, cable or cell phone provider or lender and explaining that you have a plan can ease the negotiating process and allow for a repayment plan to be made, says O'Leary. Detailing exactly how you plan to pay back any amount owed is a good idea, Kelley Long, financial planner and member of the American Institute of CPAs' Consumer Financial Education Advocates, previously told CNBC Make It. To do that, Long recommends starting a dialog in writing, offering to give at least a partial payment if you can, and from there, set dates for repayment with your landlord or lender. Once your plan is set and agreed on, be sure to communicate any hiccups as soon as possible for example, if you need to skip a month's payment, Long suggests asking to spread the payment out over the following six months or over a time frame realistic for you. "Remember that your landlord needs income too, so approach this with empathy for what you're asking," Long said. Clearly explain that "you're just paying late rather than asking for free money." O'Leary also suggests asking to speak with "retention officers" when negotiating bills from cable companies or cell phone providers. A "retention officer" aims to "retain you as a customer," he says, "the company wants to keep you as a customer." "So if you're having trouble with [a] person yelling at you on the phone, calling you a deadbeat, speak to the retention officer and tell them that you're going to make it up to them as soon as you get your job back, as soon as your furlough is over," O'Leary recommends. People "understand we're in a pandemic," O'Leary says. "They just want to hear it from you. So get on it and be honest with them," and the sooner the better, experts say. "That's what really matters." Are you stuck in a financial feud? Fighting over money with a business partner, a vendor or even a family member? Kevin O'Leary wants to help you resolve your dispute. Click here to find out how. Check out: Americans spend over $5,000 a year on groceriessave hundreds at supermarkets with these cards Don't miss: New Delhi: Superstar Akshay Kumar has treated his fans to a special surprise on his birthday. Akshay, who turned 53 on Wednesday, is spending his birthday in Scotland while shooting for his much-anticipated film 'Bell Bottom', and to mark the occasion, the team shared a new look of the star from the forthcoming movie. The retro vibes and Akshay's swag is hard to miss in the photo. The dapper image has Akshay standing against an airplane wearing aviators and sporting a moustache. Akshay's new look will make the fans super happy. Check out! 'Bell Bottom' stars Akshay Kumar with Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Adil Hussain and Huma Qureshi. It is being directed by Ranjit Tewari and co-produced by Deepshikha Deshmukh and Jackky Bhagnani. Team 'Bell Bottom' commenced the shoot for the espionage thriller some weeks ago following all the health guidelines amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The film, set in the 80s, is an original screenplay inspired by true events. Akshay is most likely to essay the role of a spy in the movie. Akshay Kumar's 'Bell Bottom' is expected to release in April 2021. For the US government, local authorities exploit Uyghur detainees to produce cotton and tomatoes. According to the UN, over one million Uyghurs are arbitrarily detained in internment camps. Criticism of Disney for shooting part of the film "Mulan" in the Chinese autonomous region. Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) The United States intends to ban imports of cotton and tomatoes - two of China's main export goods - from Xinjiang, because of charges that forced labour is used in production. Brenda Smith, a senior executive of the US agency for the protection of borders and customs told Reuters that her office is finalizing the text of a measure that will authorize customs authorities to block the entry into the country of foreign products that are suspected of deriving from forced labour. An investigation is still ongoing, but Washington believes that cotton and tomatoes in Xinjiang are harvested by Uyghur "detainees". According to expert data, confirmed by the United Nations, over one million Uyghurs (out of a population of nearly 10 million) and other Turkish-speaking Islamic minorities are arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang, which the local population calls "East Turkestan". Human rights activists and many governments, including the United States and the European Union, describe the detention centres as real internment camps. Beijing claims they are educational institutions to combat terrorism, separatism and Islamic extremism. The import ban announced by Washington will have some impact on US consumers. China produces 20% of the world's cotton, most of it in Xinjiang. Similar to the trade war, the Trump administration doesn't seem to care. Washington has already called on US companies to cut ties with their suppliers in Xinjiang due to the abuses against Uyghurs. Nike and Apple, which have strong interests in the autonomous region, have opened an investigation into the employment of Uyghur workers and other local minorities. Disney has also come under the scrutiny of critics. The US animation giant shot some scenes of the film "Mulan" in Xinjiang, thanking the local authorities and the Chinese Communist Party for their help. Some activists pointed out that Disney thanked the Security Bureau in Turpan, a city where the existence of many internment camps was documented. In the meantime calls for a boycott of the movie are growing online. Mumbai, Sep 9 : Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut alighted at Mumbai airport and reached her home in Khar on Wednesday afternoon even as tension between her and the Shiv Sena government in the state continued. Earlier in the day, Kangana boarded the Indigo flight 6E 264 from Chandigarh, which departed at 12.15 pm, and landed at Mumbai's Terminal 2 at around 2.45 pm. Security was tightened at Mumbai airport since the morning apprehending possible attack on the actress who had thrown an open challenge via social media that she is arriving in Mumbai on September 9. "I see many people are threatening me to not come back to Mumbai so I have now decided to travel to Mumbai this coming week on 9th September, I will post the time when I land at the Mumbai airport, kisi ke baap mein himmat hai toh rok le (stop me if you can)," the actress had openly challenged via this tweet posted on September 4. On Wednesday, soon after the flight landed, Kangana, seated at a window seat beside her sister Rangoli reportedly switched on her phone and started checking photographs of her Bandra Office being demolished by the BMC. The sisters were escorted by security personnel from the flight to the aircraft staircase maintaining a safe distance with other passengers, and taken to the terminal in a blue airline taxi along with three bodyguards. The airline taxi was escorted by police cars from all sides. Meanwhile, protesters had gathered at Mumbai airport's T2 since the morning, waiting for the actress to arrive. While Shiv Sena protesters gathered with black flags shouting slogans against the actress, there were members of the RPI and Karni Sena who shouted slogans in support of Kangana. Shiv Sena protesters also brought placards written in Marathi decrying "dhikkar" (shame) to Kangana who, according to them, had insulted Mumbai. Shiv Sainiks could also be heard shouting, "Kangana Ranaut hai hai (down with Kangana Ranaut)". Social distancing protocol was grossly violated by all protestors, who took off their masks and jostled together to shout slogans for or against the actress. Even as this happened, Kangana and her sister Rangoli were secretly escorted from the airport through an undisclosed gate. They boarded a white car and left, surrounded by police vans. CISF personnel were present along with the CRPF and police personnel for the actress' security. Amid speculations whether Kangana would visit her partially demolished Bandra office first, the actress and her sister reached her Khar residence at around 3.15 pm. Security was tightened around the house as her car entered the building premises. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more Google on Tuesday took a step toward controlling spam voice calls on Android devices with a new addition to its phone app. The Verified Calls feature will display a callers name, logo, reason for calling and a verification symbol indicating a business has been verified by Google. Regular Call Experience (L) | Verified Call Experience (R) This is done in a secure way Google doesnt collect or store any personally identifiable information after verification, Google Product Manager Gal Vered explained in a company blog. Google Phone, which will feature Verified Calls, comes preloaded on many Android phones. For those that dont have the app out of the box, the company announced the software will be available later this week as a download from the Google Play store. The service will initially roll out in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and India, with more countries to follow. Addressing a Significant Problem Google is following a path that all carriers have to follow, said Liz Miller, vice president and a principal analyst Constellation Research. These robocalls, these scam calls have become a significant problem, not only because theyre an invasion of privacy, but because theyre working, she told TechNewsWorld. According to an FCC report, the median loss in 2019 for a consumer who fell for a phone scam was US$1,000. At the carrier level, at the app level and at the device level, everyone is trying to figure out a way to combat this, Miller continued. I think Googles answer through this app fits into the mold of being part of the solution to this problem. Bob ODonnell, founder and chief analyst with Technalysis Research, noted that Googles offering could be very useful. We all get spam calls from all kinds of places so more and more companies are trying to figure out ways to block them, he told TechNewsWorld. A D V E R T I S E M E N T The one challenge is that the carriers are also trying to provide some of these services so theres a potential of overlap, but I think it makes more sense to provide it from the OS perspective, he continued. The carriers dont have nearly as much information as Google, he added. Efforts to Squash Spammers Theres been a renewed interest in preventing scams and robocalls, which have exploded in the past few years, said Ross Rubin, the principal analyst with Reticle Research. In March, for example, the FCC launched its STIR/SHAKEN initiative, which is supposed to be fully implemented in 2021. STIR/SHAKEN Secure Telephone Identity Revisited (STIR) and Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using toKENs (SHAKEN) takes aim at caller ID spoofing. Spoofing occurs when the caller ID number displayed on a phone isnt the one belonging to the caller. With STIR/SHAKEN, calls traveling through phone networks will have their caller ID signed as legitimate by originating carriers and validated by other carriers before reaching consumers. Google goes a step further than that by identifying the rationale for a call, Rubin told TechNewsWorld. On the carrier side, T-Mobile has launched ScamShield, which gives its users control over a suite of protections against unwanted calls. The T-Mobile approach is a classic filtering play, trying to block as many robocalls as possible, Rubin explained. Google is not only trying to validate the caller but the value of the call itself. Apple, too, has joined the anti-scam party with its Silence Unkown Callers feature in iOS 13. When the option is enabled, all calls from unknown numbers are sent to voice mail automatically. Privacy Concerns Although Google isnt storing any personally identifiable information with Verified Calls, that doesnt mean Google isnt collecting data from the process. What Google is telling businesses is if you register with us and tell us who youre calling and what the call is about, well forward that to the caller, explained Jack E. Gold, founder and principal analyst with J.Gold Associates. The problem is calls have to be registered with Google to make that happen, he told TechNewsWorld. Do we trust Google to have that additional data about us? The data isnt personal, but they still have your phone number, he continued. Its the same thing with web browsing. They dont retain any personal data with web browsing either, but they know what ads to serve you, dont they? Google is saying its trying to help users of Android systems, which is probably true, he added. On the other hand, do I want Google to know that I have bank accounts with the Bank of America? This is a double-edged sword, and raises all kinds of privacy concerns, he said. Google doesnt do anything that doesnt benefit Google, Constellation Researchs Miller added. Theres certainly data thats being collected and stored, its just falling outside the realm of personal identifying information, she said. A Fee-Based Future? Information gathered by Google during the verification process could also be used to gain a competitive advantage over rivals. If Google can gain insights into the needs of the businesses doing these verifications, thats an opportunity to better tailor online advertising to those businesses, Rubin suggested. Facebook is a very important marketing channel for a lot of small businesses, he continued. Google wants to be able to compete there. If it has a better sense of the products and services of a business, it can better tailor its online advertising offerings to that business. Although Verified Calls is being launched as a free service, some experts believe it could be converted into a cash channel in the future. A year from now, Google could go to companies and say, We increased your call pickups by X percent. Its time to start paying for this service, Gold speculated. This is a great money-making opportunity for Google, Miller added. Its part of Google being part of the solution but also finding a nice revenue stream to help businesses get people to pick up the phone. Technalysis Researchs ODonnell, though, maintained that getting businesses and consumers to use Verified Calls will produce revenue for Google without charging for the service. Google wants to get people to use their services, he said. Using their services produces more data and information for them. More data and information can be turned into advertising revenue for them. Mykhailo Podolyak, an anti-crisis communications advisor to Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, has rejected the introduction of a new lockdown in Ukraine. "The new lockdown is not yet realistic. We will try to make do with adaptive versions. Since it is important not to freeze the economy completely. Certain industries are sagging a lot amid the adaptive quarantine," he said, according to the RBC Ukraine news agency. In last-minute negotiations between the government and the opposition, sources indicate there will be no contest for the post of Rajya Sabha deputy chairman, hours after NDAs Harivansh filed his nomination papers. Sources in the opposition had hinted they would put up DMKs Tiruchi Siva as candidate. Top sources in the DMK have now indicated that party chief MK Stalin has decided to not allow Siva to contest for the post. Harivansh is likely to secure at least 138 votes out of the 243. The government has reached out to opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, DMK SP and BSP, to put up a unanimous candidate. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal have spoken to all opposition parties. Most opposition parties, including BSP and SP, have expressed their support to Harivansh, top government sources told CNN-News18. Actor Kangana Ranaut landed here on Wednesday from Himachal Pradesh, angry and caustic as she took on the Shiv Sena, called her home Ram mandir", referred to Bullywood and described herself as the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji in a series of tweets and a video. The Queen" actor, who has been given Y-plus category security from the Centre, was met with black flags and slogans from protesting Shiv Sena workers. But there was support too from workers of the RPI (A) and Karni Sena, who also gathered at the airport. Addressing Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, Ranaut posted a video message saying his "ego will be destroyed" the way her Bandra home was demolished. The actor said she is working on a project on Ayodhya but now understands the pain of Kashmir Pandits and will also make a movie on their plight. Ranaut, known for her provocative statements, again compared Mumbai with Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) after the Shiv Sena-led BMC demolished "illegal alterations" at her Bandra bungalow. "Uddhav Thackeray, 'tujhe kya lagta hai' (what do you think)?. You think you have taken a huge revenge by destroying my house in collusion with the movie mafia. Today my house is destroyed, tomorrow it will be your ego. The wheels of time keep changing," she said in a video message in Hindi, referring to the chief minister in the informal tu rather than the more respectful aap. " Uddhav Thackeray, this cruelty and terrorism, it is good that it happened to me because there is some meaning to it," she said in the video. In a series of posts earlier in the day, Ranaut said there has been no "illegal construction" in her house. "... also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut," the actor tweeted. In another post, she wrote, "I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy". This is the second time she has referred to Mumbai as PoK, a statement that sparked the spat with the Shiv Sena. On Wednesday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told India Today, I have never threatened Kangana Ranaut, I only expressed my anger at Mumbai being likened to POK, am not responsible for what action BMC takes.. matter is over for me, Kangana is welcome to live in Mumbai." Ranaut also shared few photographs of BMC officials at her house, with the captions "Pakistan...#deathofdemocracy" and "Babur and his army #deathofdemocracy". The actor posted past photos from the building, calling it her own "Ram Mandir". "Today Babur has come there and history will repeat itself. Ram temple will be broken again but remember Babar, this temple will be built again. Jai Shri Ram," she tweeted. Calling herself the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Ranaut claimed that she was fighting for her "honour and dignity". "I have lived the courage, valour and sacrifice of Rani Laxmibai through my film. The sad thing is that I am being prevented from coming to my own Maharashtra. But I will follow the path of Rani Laxmibai. I will not get scared or bow down to anyone. I will continue to raise my voice against wrong, Jai Maharashtra, Jai Shivaji," she said in another post. Earlier in the day, a BMC team reached the bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra with bulldozer and excavators and demolished alterations made sans the civic body's approval. The Bombay High Court, however, stayed the demolition process initiated by the BMC and sought to know why the city civic body entered the property when the owner was not present. The trouble between the ruling Shiv Sena and Kangana started after the actor said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia" after tne death of Sushant Singh Rajput and likened the Maharashtra capital to Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Reacting strongly to her comment, Raut purportedly said, "We kindly request her not to come to Mumbai. This is nothing but an insult to Mumbai Police." Hitting back, Ranaut had tweeted last week, "Why is Mumbai feeling like Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir?" PTI RB BK MIN BK BK 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 She is currently single after splitting from her ex-boyfriend Carlin Sterritt in July. And former Bachelorette Angie Kent surprised her fans on Wednesday by coming out as pansexual during a live radio interview. The 30-year-old reality star told The Kyle and Jackie O Show that she 'falls in love with a person, not the gender'. 'I fall in love with a person, not the gender': Former Bachelorette Angie Kent surprised fans on Wednesday by coming out as pansexual during a live interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show 'Have you ever been with a woman?' radio host Kyle Sandilands asked Angie. 'No, I haven't, but I always said that I'd fall in love with a person, not the gender,' she replied. The shock jock then asked if she was 'open to women,' and Angie said she was. Coming out: The 30-year-old reality star said that she 'falls in love with a person, not the gender', but clarified that she had never been in a relationship with a woman She added that she had kissed women before, but joked it was just because she hails from the Sunshine Coast. 'Yeah of course I have, it's the thing to do back on the Sunshine Coast! There's nothing else to do,' she said. She then clarified: 'I've always said since I was younger, I fall in love with a soul rather than a gender.' Kyle's co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson asked Angie if this meant she was pansexual, and Angie confirmed that she was. A pansexual person is attracted to someone or falls in love with them regardless of their biological sex or gender identity. 'There you go, I've got a label!' A pansexual person is attracted to someone or falls in love with them regardless of their biological sex or gender identity 'There you go, I've got a label. I think it comes down to the chemistry,' she said. Angie also spoke about her and Carlin's split, saying that they broke up because their 'values didn't align'. 'I'm more spiritual, carefree and wild, whereas he's a Christian boy. We're just different,' Angie said. Carlin and Angie dated for about 10 months before calling it quits in early July. End of the road: Angie also spoke about her split from Carlin Sterritt (left), saying that they broke up because their 'values didn't align' Earlier this month, Carlin revealed his relationship with Angie began to fall apart after he discovered she was texting runner-up Timm Hanly. The 32-year-old personal trainer told the How to Life podcast that the pair's bond made him feel insecure, even though he pretended to be okay with it at first. 'She really cared for Tim. They were kind of messaging a little bit afterwards. I was trying to play it cool, like "it's fine, it's all good,"' Carlin began. Despite telling Angie he didn't mind her staying in contact with Timm, Carlin's self-confidence plummeted when he discovered their friendly texts. 'I was trying to be nice and I was trying to do the right thing,' he said. 'And then more and more, her and Timm messaging each other, it just started to really eat me away.' Natural8 2020 WSOP Online Performance of the Week: Madanzhiev Tops Overall Leaderboard September 09, 2020 Natural8 was home to the WSOP 2020 Online which featured 54 Bracelet Events from July 19th through September 6th. All the Natural8 Winner's Circle have been claimed with up to $700,000 in Sponsorship awarded. The 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) online bracelet events are in the books. Since the beginning of June, 85 WSOP gold bracelets were awarded on the digital felt across two different clients: WSOP.com and GG Poker, which includes Natural8. Each week, well highlight those players who rise to the top through their performance, be it a dominating one in a single event, or an exhibition of consistency over several tournaments. Heres a look at the POTWs thus far: WSOP Online 2020 - Natural8 sponsorship up for grabs! Win WSOP Gold bracelets on Natural8 for up to $700,000 in sponsorships, including a Las Vegas Package and opportunity to join Team Bling as an ambassador. Ready to play? By winning the 2020 World Series of Poker Online $5,000 Main Event, Serbia's Stoyan "Nirvana76" Madanzhiev wrote his name into WSOP history, defeating a field of 5,802 to win $3,904,685 - the largest prize ever awarded in online poker history. After besting China's Wenling Gao heads-up, Madanzhiev took home the bracelet, with his performance enough for him to top the Overall Leaderboard ahead of Austria's Christian Rudolph who won Event #70: $25,000 NLH PPC and Canada's Daniel Dvoress who won Event #48: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER Congrats to Stoyan Madanzhiev for winning the WSOP Online Main Event and $3,904,685, the largest 1st place prize in https://t.co/aP1b2Pi8EM WSOP (@WSOP) Overall, Madanzhiev cashed four times during the GGPoker World Series of Poker Online. Event Position Payout Event #48: $1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER 552nd $2,859 Event #60: $525 Bounty NLHE 6-Handed 360th $680 Event #63: $500 NLHE Mini Main Event 762nd $2,074 Event #77: $5,000 WSOP Main Event 1st $3,904,686 Overall Leaderboard As overall leaderboard winner, Madanzhiev takes home a solid gold mouse, with the next four players winning a pure gold card. Details of these prizes are yet to be released. Rank Player Country Points 1 Stoyan "Nirvana76" Madanzhiev Serbia 10,790.66 2 Connor Drinan Canada 9,519.35 3 Christian Rudolph Austria 7,566.31 4 Daniel Dvoress Canada 6,513.57 5 Brunno Albuquerque Brazil 6345.54 Want to play on Natural8? Get a head-start with exclusive newcomer promos like the ultimate First Deposit Bonus, $8 Extra Bonus, and $500 Weekly First Deposit Freeroll. Sharelines Madanzhiev wins a solid gold mouse as the Overall Leaderboard winner, after his Main Event victory The United States imposed sanctions on two former Lebanese ministers Tuesday accused of providing political and economic favors to Iran-backed Hezbollah and sharing in the corruption that has fueled the countrys economic meltdown. Yusuf Finyanus, Lebanons former transportation and public works minister, and Ali Hassan Khalil, the former finance minister, provided material support to Hezbollah and engaged in corruption, according to the US Treasury Department. Corruption has run rampant in Lebanon, and Hezbollah has exploited the political system to spread its malign influence, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. The United States stands with the people of Lebanon in their calls for reform and will continue to use its authorities to target those who oppress and exploit them." Finyanus is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Hezbollah in exchange for political favors, as well as allowing the group to siphon public funds to ensure that Hezbollah companies won bids for Lebanese government contracts. The Treasury also said Finyanus helped the Shiite group gain access to sensitive legal documents related to the international tribunal that recently convicted a Hezbollah member in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. As minister of finance, Khalil worked to move money in a manner that would avoid U.S. sanctions enforcement from government ministries to Hezbollah-associated institutions, Treasury said. Khalil, a top aide to parliament speaker Nabih Berri, is also accused of allowing a Hezbollah affiliate to avoid paying taxes on electronics imports. The Amal movement responded to Khalils designation with a statement that this decision will not change our convictions and our national and patriotic principles at all." Hezbollah, both a powerful political faction and militant group in Lebanon, is considered a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. The Donald Trump administration has blacklisted more than 90 Hezbollah-affiliated individuals and entities since 2017. The sanctions come just over a month after the explosion that tore through Beirut, leaving 190 dead and thousands more wounded. Officials have blamed the Aug. 4 blast on a stockpile of ammonium nitrate that, despite repeated warnings, was stored improperly at Beirut's port for six years. The Treasury Department didn't assign any blame to Finyanus and Khalil, but said the explosion had amplified calls for a more transparent and accountable government in Lebanon. The small Mediterranean country is experiencing its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. But foreign donors, including the United States, say Lebanon must enact long-promised reforms before receiving further financial assistance. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, who visited Beirut last week, told reporters on Tuesday to "absolutely expect" more sanctions. With the search for missing Bridgeton child Dulce Maria Alavez reaching the one-year mark next week, efforts to share her story continue. Shes been featured on fliers distributed around the Bridgeton area, highway billboards across New Jersey and missing child banners distributed nationwide in coupon packets. Now her case has made it to Times Square. A banner with photos of the now-6-year-old, along with a phone number and information about the $75,000 reward offered in the case, is being flashed on an electronic billboard at the iconic New York City landmark. The large vertical billboard rental, which will remain in rotation with other ads for three months, was made possible by Re-Creation Concerts, an East Coast business that represents national touring tribute bands. They specialize in detailed re-creations of famous rock music artists and their live performances. Re-Creation, which puts on many shows in New York City, rents space on the billboard, which is situated under the giant Broadway sign and above the U.S. Polo Assn. store. The arrangement was brokered by Burlington County resident Kelly McLaughlin, tour manager and director of bookings with Re-Creation Concerts. She talked to her boss, Michael Vechesky, about using some of the companys signage capacity to highlight Dulces case and he agreed. McLaughlin joined a Facebook group working to spread the word about Dulces case and is helping organize this Sundays Dulce Day event at the park where the child was last seen on Sept. 16, 2019. In addition to the Sunday event, Dulces family will hold a vigil on Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 5-7 p.m. at the park. McLaughlin has a special connection to cases involving missing kids. Her cousin was 3 years old when he disappeared on Dec. 17, 1962. William Billy Jones was playing with his baby sister in the yard of the familys Taylor Avenue home in Vineland when he vanished. The case remains unsolved. William "Billy" Jones was 3 when he vanished from his Vineland home in 1962. Dulces case brought back memories, McLaughlin said. My whole family lives in Cumberland County. It came on national news that she was missing and I just took to it. Dulce disappeared during a family outing to Bridgeton City Park. An FBI agent on the case recently said the child was likely abducted by a stranger in a crime of opportunity, while other investigators stress that all options remain on the table as they continue seeking answers. McLaughlin started seeing many people comparing the disappearances of Dulce and Billy and noting similarities in circumstances. "It kind of brought back a little bit of stuff, she said. My family is still, to this day, hoping that he is is still alive. It put me into investigative mode. She criticized those who have faulted Dulces mother, both for her parenting abilities and for showing little emotion when speaking publicly about her daughters disappearance. I think a lot of people have put so much hate on the mother and they dont know the real story, she said. Nobody knows the real story. Flier advertising Dulce's Day event on Sept. 13. The Times Square billboard went live this week and appears during prime viewing hours, between 1 and 9 p.m., when the area gets the most traffic, McLaughlin explained. She hopes it will make a difference in solving the case. Jackie Rodriguez, who is also organizing Dulces Day and has been involved in various efforts related to the case, thanked McLaughlin for her work on the billboard project. Her help and her boss' help is very much appreciated, Rodriguez said. She is such a kind person. As for her advice to Dulces family and others facing the trauma of a missing child, McLaughlin said they should never give up. Keep searching and keep digging. Thats the only way youre going to find out what happened, she said. Keep asking questions. Make sure you are visible in trying to find this child. Dulces Day runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday at Bridgeton City Park. Both this event and the familys vigil on Sept. 16 are open to the community. Anyone with information about Dulce is asked to contact authorities using one of these numbers. Bridgeton Police: 856-451-0033 Cumberland County Prosecutors Office: 856-453-0486 New Jersey State Police: 609-882-2000, ext. 2554 FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI. Select option 4, then option 8. Anonymous tips: Text to 847411 with CCPOTIP and your tip in the message line. The family of Dulce Maria Alavez is holding a vigil on Sept. 16 to mark one year since the child disappeared from Bridgeton City Park. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Typically made with lamb or goat, Zamora-Herreras birria features brisket steamed over many hours until fork tender. The chunks of the beef are submerged in a soup stained red with ground annatto seeds and spiked with 17 other ingredients that give the consomme its body, fragrance and sting. Theres a reason Zamora-Herrera calls himself the great birria master, a title painted right there on the wall at El Papi. You can also order his superb birria red tacos, a street snack that has become the latest obsession in Los Angeles: Corn tortillas are dipped in the soup, placed on a griddle to pick up some color and then wrapped around shredded brisket and a stringy, three-cheese blend. Or, better yet, order both and dunk your tacos into the consomme, the pleasures multiplying exponentially with each dip. Commenting on the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, Advisor to the President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Davit Babayan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the decision of the ECHR on the lawsuit regarding the case of Azerbaijani assassin-officer ramil safarov first and foremost is to the detriment of the European Court of Human Rights. As Babayan emphasized, even if we view this as an act of ramil safarov from the legal perspective, it is necessary to recall the procedures surrounding the crime, how much money and efforts Azerbaijan invested to bring him out of prison in Hungary and bring him to Azerbaijan, declare him a hero and compensate him. This is the continuation of a Fascist policy. Europe, which survived the horrors of Nazism and Fascism, must be careful with such manifestations. Today it seems impossible, but if things continue like this, in the future, the generations of those convicted during the Nuremberg trials will demand acquittal of their bloodthirsty ancestors. Thus, such actions are inadmissible and caused serious harm to the ECHR and to the impartiality of the democratic system in Europe in general. This itself is a panicking event. Now lets hope that Europe and European institutions find the strength inside to follow the letter of the law, the principles of democracy and particularly philosophy since, in this stage, the ECHR de facto overlooked the fact that Azerbaijan declared ramil safarov a hero and encouraged such policy, Babayan stated. What is painful is that, in the past, no European institution spoke out against Azerbaijan declaring ramil safarov a hero after he was delivered to Azerbaijan. The assassin was declared a hero at the state level and became the symbol of the countrys policy and an exemplary phenomenon. After this, there were those who followed his example. Lets recall the clear facts of amputation of the bodies of Armenian servicemen during the military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in April 2016 and the mockery of the bodies of deceased elders, Babayan concluded. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced new restrictions on social gatherings in England, saying there was a clear need to act after a spike in COVID-19 infections. Speaking at a televised news conference, flanked by his top medical advisers, Johnson said groups of more than six people would be banned from meeting, in what he called a "rule of six" that was easier to understand than previous guidance. Boris Johnson banned groups of more than six people meeting in England. Credit:Getty Images "I wish that we did not have to take this step, but as your Prime Minister, I must do what is necessary to stop the spread of the virus and to save lives," he said, stressing that police and other agencies would be enforcing the rules more actively. "I will be absolutely clear. This is not, these measures are not, another national lockdown. The whole point is to avoid a second national lockdown," he added. This year's elections could be classified as an El Clasico between the rival political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). For the first time in Ghana's political history, a former President will be contesting a sitting President for the Presidential seat and the campaign season has already begun with the two parties pitching their best for votes from Ghanaians. The NDC Presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama wants to become President again while President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is seeking a second term in government. Both the ruling NPP and opposition NDC have now launched their manifesto and made promises to Ghanaians. There are predictions that the election results will be close unlike the 2016 elections where the NPP led by Nana Akufo-Addo won by a landslide victory. Reviewing the NDC manifesto on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Central Regional Minister Kwamena Duncan has admonished Ghanaians against electing the former President during the general elections. He reminded them about some statements Mr. Mahama made when he was President where he said Ghanaians have a short memory after the citizenry complained bitterly about his poor governance. Kwamena Duncan advised Ghanaians not to make another mistake and fall for Mahama's political gimmicks. "Are we giving a shot in the arm of former President Mahama? Are we giving a shot in his arm when he describes the entire country that we're a people with a short memory?" he queried. ''As country, we seek to give shot in this man's arm that, all of us, we have a short memory. His Presidency from July 2012 right through to 2016, this country was just simply run aground. The economy, every year, he was just giving us assurances [every year, every year] and eventually, his incapability to manage drove us into the hands of IMF; dumsor continuouly for four or five years. He who is standing should be careful, lest he falls. "Let Ghanaians be reminded of former President John Mahama's poor governance. So, let nobody come and talk about manifesto," he cautioned. 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 The Akademik Cherskiy - Craig Stennett To the untrained eye, the 500-foot ship tied at the quay at Mukran Port on Germanys Baltic coast could be just another vessel working in the harbours booming offshore wind sector. However, the crudely painted-over Cyrillic letters on the bow and the Russian flag fluttering above the bridge are both giveaways that this is no ordinary construction vessel. The boat is in fact the Akademik Cherskiy, a Russian vessel sent halfway around the world on a secretive mission. It was supposed to finish construction on Nord Stream 2, a natural gas pipeline between Vyborg on Russias Baltic coast, and northern Germany that could radically shift Europes energy supplies. Now, a new threat of sanctions from the US and the poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny are making the completion of the project an increasingly high-stakes gamble. At the centre of it all are the residents of Sassnitz, the town of 9,000 in whose harbour the Akademik Cherskiy is docked. flag on ship - Craig Stennett We shouldnt mix the two things together, Sassnitz town mayor Frank Kracht told the Telegraph, in reference to a growing campaign for Germany to cancel the pipeline after the Kremlin's alleged poisoning of Mr Navalny. The gas pipeline is a purely economic affair, the other is a crime that should be handled by a judicial system. When construction started on the Nord Stream 2 project in 2018, it was seen by Germany as an invaluable source of cheap energy to fuel its export-led economy at a time when it is preparing to switch off the last of its nuclear power plants. For Russia, it was a means of delivering gas to western Europe without it passing through Ukraine. But the project was never welcomed in Washington, where support for the democracies of eastern Europe coupled with an economic interest in selling Germany its own liquefied gas created strong opposition to the project. In December last year, the US Senate passed a bill that set out sanctions against any company involved in the projects construction, leading to the Swiss pipe-laying firm Allseas pulling out with just 160 kilometres (99 miles) still to be completed. Story continues At Mukran Port, the vast stacks of steel tubing lie untouched. But Russia had another trick up its sleeve. The Akademik Cherskiy was repurposed and sent from Russias Pacific coast to finish the job. In response, three US Republican senators last month sent a letter threatening the Mukran Port and its employees with crushing legal and economic sanctions if the Akademik Cherskiy carried so much as one section of pipeline out of its harbour. With 90 per cent of the ports ownership lying in the hands of the small fishing town of Sassnitz, local officials suddenly found themselves being treated like representatives of a pariah state. Among other things, the letter threatened to freeze their US assets. While the prospect of having their US wealth seized is unlikely to mean much, the town will be more concerned by the threat to destroy the ports future economic viability. Frank Kracht, the Mayor of Sassnitz - Craig Stennett My reaction was that they are not just attacking a company, they are threatening its employees. I found that to be the height of brazenness, says Mr Kracht. There was palpable outrage in Germany that US senators would use such bullish language against a small fishing town in an allied country. Even long-time opponents of the pipeline united in condemnation. But just when it seemed there was new momentum behind finishing the project, Mr Navalny was flown into a Berlin hospital after collapsing on a Russian flight. When German army scientists confirmed that he had been poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent last Wednesday, public opinion appeared to turn on its head. Norbert Ruttgen, a contender to be the next chancellor, lobbied the government to halt the project. Vladimir Putin only understands one language: money and gas, he said. Friedrich Merz, another man who hopes to succeed Angela Merkel, demanded a two-year pause on the project. The Port of Mukran - Craig Stennett For many of the residents of Sassnitz, a town that once had a flourishing fishing industry but is now reliant on cargo and infrastructure projects through Mukran Port, completing the project against the objections of the US has become a matter of pride. Its blackmail what the US is doing, says Stephan, a crew member on a tourist boat in the harbour. Everyone here will tell you privately that they find it unacceptable. Mr Navalnys poisoning, he says, hasnt swayed his opinion. Why is it that we are expected to care about that, but ignore US drone strikes? he asks. "I was once a big fan of the US, but how they've been acting recently is beyond the pale." Check out news you should not miss today: Politics The 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41), which is held virtually due to COVID-19, opened and was chaired by Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in Hanoi on Tuesday, the Vietnam News Agency reported. While chairing a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Prevention and Control on Tuesday, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung demanded that authorities investigate and handle cases showing signs of sending Vietnamese fishing vessels to foreign waters for illegal fishing. Society Vietnams COVID-19 tally on Wednesday morning reached 1,054 with 148 under treatment, 868 recoveries and 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. A video has caused a stir on Vietnamese social media as it captured a man spitting on a Hanoi bus attendant on Monday after he was asked to get off the vehicle for refusing to wear a face mask. The Ministry of Health on Tuesday said the World Health Organization has provided Vietnam with ten more jars of antidote worth US$8,000 each to treat ten serious botulinum poisoned cases after the consumption of a vegan pate product of the brand Minh Chay, produced by Hanoi-based Loi Song Moi Company. The central city of Da Nang has called for a total investment of VND47.5 trillion (US$2 billion) from the state budget and foreign sources for the development of 38 projects between 2021 and 2025, focusing on transport and traffic, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Tuesday. Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said the Japanese government had actively directed the search for four people, including two Vietnamese, who went missing in Miyazaki Prefecture during a landslide caused by storm Haishen late Monday and early Tuesday. Business Ho Chi Minh City authorities seized 33,000 motorcycle parts of unknown origin which were estimated to be worth over VND1 billion ($43,000) after inspecting seven stores in the city. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- To ensure proper airflow in public school buildings across New York City amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, inspectors performed ventilation checks in every space occupied by students, teachers and staff -- and 81% of all spaces are considered operational," according to data released Tuesday. Using guidelines set by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a citywide team of independent engineers assessed each space to determine if there is adequate ventilation. During a Tuesday press conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio said all 1,485 school buildings had been inspected, and about 96% of classrooms passed those inspections. The city has closed 10 school buildings for ventilation system and airflow repairs -- none of which are on Staten Island. Repairs are being completed on an aggressive timeline, and many have already been fixed, said city Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza on Tuesday. No stone will be left unturned to protect students, staff and families." *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** How many rooms in schools passed inspection? According to the city Department of Education (DOE), 81% of all classrooms, bathrooms and office spaces in school buildings passed inspection -- or 94,180 out of 115,392 total rooms. That includes: 61,668 of 64,550 total classrooms, or 96%, that passed inspection; 10,105 of 23,353 bathrooms, or 43%, that passed; and 22,407 out of 28,029 office rooms, or 80%, that passed. A school and a classroom, bathroom or office space passed inspection if it is considered operational, which means the space has at least one method of ventilation. Rooms that didnt pass inspection need repairs, as the space has no identified working ventilation system. How can I check my schools ventilation report? The city has made the ventilation reports available for parents who wish to check the condition of their childs school. Here are the steps to find your schools ventilation report: Visit the schools.nyc.gov website. Go to Find a School on the top of the page. In the School Name or Address search bar, type in the name of your childs school, such as I.S. 27, PS 8, or Curtis High School. Click the schools name on the left sidebar, or click Full School Profile on the map. This will bring you to your childs school profile. Under the Overview tab, scroll down and click on Building Ventilation Information. Click on the link that has your childs school code and address. This will open a new page to the inspection survey. Buildings that do not have a report available are marked as Link to be provided. How do I understand my schools report? The inspection survey assessed whether various systems of ventilation are working properly. It surveyed if the space has windows, then assessed the ventilation systems available and if they are operational, including: At Least One Window Can be Opened : Yes indicates that the room can be ventilated using a window. Supply Fan : Identifies rooms that have a mechanical device (fan) that delivers air to a space. Operational means that the space has a working supply fan to provide ventilation. Partly operational or not operational identifies spaces in which supply fans need repair. Doesnt Exist means there is no supply fan. Cannot Access means a supply fan was not accessible at the time of the visit. Exhaust Fan: A mechanical device (fan) that forces out stale indoor air so it can be replaced by fresh air. Operational means that the space has a working exhaust fan to provide ventilation. Partly operational or not operational identifies spaces with exhaust fans that need repair. Doesnt Exist means there is no exhaust fan. Cannot Access means exhaust fan was not accessible at the time of the visit. Unit Ventilator: A mechanical device that circulates conditioned air to desired spaces. Operational means that the space has a working unit ventilator to provide ventilation. Partly operational or not operational identifies spaces with unit ventilators that need repair. Doesnt Exist means there is no unit ventilator. Cannot Access means unit ventilator was not accessible at the time of the visit. A school space passed inspection if it has at least one of the ventilation options: at least one window open or an operational supply fan, an exhaust fan, or a unit ventilator. If the space doesnt have at least one of these options, it cannot be used unless repairs are made. The report includes each inspected spaces assigned room number, its primary use and any comments made by the inspector. Your school can let you know the room number for your child. The DOE said it is completing repairs on an aggressive timeline. If any repairs arent complete before the first day of school on Sept. 21, the space wont be used. What is considered adequate ventilation? Citing guidelines from city and federal public health experts, the DOE said that a room is safe when air is able to flow in and out -- whether through natural or mechanical means. This flow can be achieved through use of an HVAC, an open window, or air handlers. All rooms must have adequate ventilation to be used for the school year. The DOE is assessing and making repairs on buildings designed and built to permit airflow through windows. Ventilation in school buildings is provided by a combination of the following systems: supply and exhaust fans; windows and exhaust fans; HVAC systems, such as rooftop units, air handling units and dedicated outside systems in newer buildings, like Univents. Related stories: NYC school year delayed; in-person learning to start Sept. 21 Reopening of NYC schools delayed: What you need to know Heres how coronavirus testing will work in NYC schools 2020-2021 school year in NYC: What you need to know A push from Staten Island for more time to reopen schools safely What will reopening look like in largest U.S. school districts? Coronavirus: Reopening plans for Staten Island charter schools 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 FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden struggles to get the support of Latino voters in Florida, according to a new poll by NBC/Marist. The poll showed that Biden is lagging behind President Donald Trump when it comes to Latino voters. Trump is receiving 50 percent from Latino voters, while Biden is at 46 percent. Last week, a Quinnipiac poll also found that Trump is leading Latino likely voters 45 to Biden's 43 across the state. A Bendixen and Amandi poll conducted from Sept. 1 to 4 in the left-leaning Miami-Dade County showed that Trump has 47 percent support of likely Latino voters, while Biden stands at 46 percent. The new polls showed potential challenges for Biden in Florida, where exit polls showed 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton carrying the Latino vote 62 percent to Trump's 35 percent. Clinton lost in Florida by just 1.2 percentage points. Fernand Amandi, the Miami-based pollster and Democratic strategist behind the poll, said he thinks there is a reason for pause. "If Biden under-performs in what should be one of his strongest counties - and is certainly the largest county for Democratic votes in the state of Florida - it might imperil his chances of winning Florida unless there is a massive white voter exodus from Trump in other parts of the state," Amandi said in a report. Amandi noted that the Democrats are potentially leaving Cuban votes on the table that they won in the past. He added that this could make a difference in a state as tight as Florida. The poll comes after Trump and Biden head into the final stretch to win Florida, where most public statewide surveys find Biden with a small lead. Latino voters have presented themselves as a key swing voting bloc in recent elections. Two years ago, margins in Puerto Ricans in Central Florida and Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade helped change tight elections in favor of Republicans in the governor and Senate race. Many polls showed that the Democratic nominee is struggling to match Clinton's 2016 numbers among Florida Latinos. Equis Research, the Democratic Latino firm, earlier conducted a poll survey that showed that Biden has a 16-point lead statewide among registered Latino voters. Polls from 2016 found that Clinton won Florida Latinos by 27 points. Trump's lead among Miami-Dade's Latino voters is largely due to his success in gaining Cuban-Americans' support. Since being the President, Trump has paid many visits to Miami to discuss socialism. Trump also chose Miami to launch his Latinos for Trump campaign coalition, including Florida's Cuban-American Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez as co-chairwoman. Cuban American from Miami and senior adviser to the Trump campaign, Mercedes Schlapp, said she is not surprised by the popularity of Trump's "pro-worker, anti-socialism record." Schlapp said Biden's campaign is a sticky situation "of leftist policies and alliances," with politicians such as democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders. "With that kind of an agenda, it's no wonder that so many fellow Cuban Americans, Colombians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans are rejecting his Trojan horse candidacy," Schlapp noted. Check these out: Hispanics in Florida Are More Likely to Vote for Trump Latino Voters Will Make the Difference in the 2020 Presidential Elections, If They Vote Black and Latino Voters Worry About Mail-In Voting In a major global growth spurt, United Airlines announced plans Wednesday to expand its long-haul flying to cities in Africa and India, including a new 17.5-hour nonstop flight between San Francisco and Bangalore (Bengaluru), starting in summer 2021. It will be the first ever nonstop flight between the U.S. and India's primary tech hub, with a population of 12.3 million. The new SFO-BLR flight will be United's longest, at 8,701 miles. That is 250 miles longer than its current longest flight, San Francisco-Singapore, which clocks in at 8,446 miles. The flight will also be the longest flight of any carrier from SFO. Bangalore sits at a relatively high altitude, 3,000 feet above sea level, near the warm, southern tip of India. When you combine higher altitude with high temperatures, it takes a mighty powerful engine to launch a jet into the air for such a long flight. United's VP of international network planning, Patrick Quayle told SFGATE that the airline is working with Boeing on an engine enhancement to make this flight possible. "We'll also have some payload restrictions on this flight, which means it won't be flying 100% full," he said. United plans to use a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the route. United launched new nonstops between San Francisco and New Delhi last winter, and they had barely gotten off the ground when COVID-19 hit in March, canceling all flights between the US and India. Those flights resumed in early July. Quayle said that when the Delhi flights launched, United's biggest Bay Area customers (tech companies) were pleased, but what they really wanted was a nonstop to Bangalore. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts. From SFO, Air India also offers nonstops to Delhi, with connections to Bangalore. Travelers also frequently choose to fly United or Lufthansa to Frankfurt where there's a short 1.5 hour layover before connecting to BLR. Cathay Pacific offers good connections via Hong Kong. Emirates, which currently is not flying to SFO, also offered convenient connections on the popular route. Today's announcement also included lots of other route news, including new Africa flights, and a new Dreamliner flight between Chicago and Hawaii. Starting in December, United will fly daily between Chicago and New Delhi and between Newark/New York and Johannesburg. United will also introduce new service between Washington, D.C., and Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria in late spring of 2021. In the summer of 2021, United will fly nonstops four times weekly between Chicago and Kona, Hawaii on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and between Newark/New York and Maui using a 767-300ER. And starting this week, United, begins new nonstop service between Chicago and Tel Aviv, the only carrier to offer this service. Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE weekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. President Akufo-Addo has cautioned the general public against investing in financial institutions that are not licensed by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which will put us in a difficult position. Speaking on Techiman-based Classic FM, Nana Akufo-Addo advised Ghanaians that it is important to find out whether a scheme is licensed by Bank of Ghana, Securities and Exchange Commission or whether it is legitimate. According to Nana Akufo-Addo, the erstwhile Mahama administration started paying some customers who had their monies locked-up in DKM and his regime is doing same with the assurance that every customer would be paid by the end of September this year. I instructed that we find money and pay all the locked-up funds. Since September 2017, we've made some payments. We are left with just a few. "Even that, weve started paying. I'm sure you've heard that some people have received their money. By the end of September 2020, we will clear everything. I'll pay everybody and put an end to the matter once and for all, he noted. President Akufo-Addo is in the Bono East, Bono and Ahafo regions on a six-day working visit. In 2015, the BoG suspended the operations of DKM Diamond Microfinance Company Limited for violating the Banking Act. The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) also froze five of the companys accounts: DKM Mining, Transport, Shea Butter, Cement Depot and DKM Gas Filling Station While DKM argued that it is a genuine financial institution registered under the Banking Act of Ghana and had not violated any law by BoG, the central bank indicated that the defunct financial institution failed to comply with the terms and conditions stipulated in its licence, and holds insufficient assets to meet its liabilities to depositors. DKM collapsed during the Mahama-led administration. ---classfmonline Two former ministers dismiss US accusations of corruption and providing material support to Hezbollah. The United States has for the first time sanctioned Lebanese allies of Hezbollah. Two former ministers dismiss US accusations of corruption and providing material support to Hezbollah. Washington considers the Iranian backed group a terrorist organisation and accuses it of exploiting the states resources. Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr reports from Beirut, Lebanon. Reliance Industries Ltd is quoting at Rs 2139.4, up 1.53% on the day as on 12:59 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 74.96% in last one year as compared to a 1.68% gain in NIFTY and a 4.3% gain in the Nifty Energy index. Reliance Industries Ltd rose for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 2139.4, up 1.53% on the day as on 12:59 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.85% on the day, quoting at 11221.5. The Sensex is at 38053.04, down 0.81%. Reliance Industries Ltd has added around 0.92% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Reliance Industries Ltd is a constituent, has added around 1.96% in last one month and is currently quoting at 15336.45, down 0.81% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 151.64 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 146.17 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark September futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 2145.85, up 1.46% on the day. Reliance Industries Ltd is up 74.96% in last one year as compared to a 1.68% gain in NIFTY and a 4.3% gain in the Nifty Energy index. The PE of the stock is 44.34 based on TTM earnings ending June 20. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Traditional markets and small-format shops currently account for 80 to 90 per cent of urban food retailing in African cities, a report has shown. The 2020 Africa Agriculture Status Report (AASR) was launched on Tuesday at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) virtual summit in Kigali, Rwanda. The report said small farmers reach urban food markets primarily via traditional wholesale markets. The efficient operation of these markets, therefore, becomes key to small farmer access and competitiveness, reads the report. It envisions that supermarket shares, though currently small, seem likely to increase in the coming decades. While recognising the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its role in exacerbating existing economic and social inequalities, the report defines five focus areas in a bid to overcome the problem of urban under-nutrition and accelerate the urgency of urban food system planning. These focus areas include improved urban food system governance; efficient urban wholesale markets; food safety regulation and enforcement; regional free trade and agricultural policy harmonisation, and agricultural research focused on high-growth, high-value food commodities. Domestic food distribution systems, intra-African trade and food safety are the other themes of the report leading to the conclusion that improved urban food system governance and performance can create new opportunities for Africa to transform its agricultural endeavors into thriving businesses. This years AASR focuses on Feeding Africas Cities by assessing the opportunities, challenges and policies required to enable African farmers and agribusinesses to serve the rapidly growing urban food markets. The report seeks to find ways for smallholder farmers to drive food security, rural prosperity, and inclusive economic growth. This report highlights the opportunity for all agriculture industry stakeholders to bring together viewpoints that define the transformation agenda, while outlining the practical next steps to an agricultural revolution, said Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The report began by outlining the opportunities provided by Africas urban food markets to the continents 60 million farms. It indicates that cities shape Africas agribusiness environment by affecting patterns of agricultural production and inducing the rapid expansion of food processing and distribution plans. ALSO READ: This years AASR shows that as the center of gravity in Africas agri-food systems shifts increasingly towards urban areas, a cohort of new, non-traditional actors including city planners, mayors, district councils, trader organizations and public health professionals are becoming key players in the implementation of agricultural policy, said Andrew Cox, AGRAs Chief of Staff and Strategy. Subsequent chapters touch on the opportunities in Africas growing urban food markets while recognising that the effective governance of urban food systems requires inclusive models that coordinate and harmonize the actions of the many diverse players now shaping African agri-food systems. This is the first time in history that the AGRF is held virtually, in line with COVID-19 containment measures. The theme of the Forum is Feed the Cities, Grow the Continent: Leveraging Urban Food Markets to Achieve Sustainable Food Systems in Africa, a call to action to rethink Africas food systems in the delivery of resilient, better nourished, and more prosperous outcomes for all. "There's no fixed formula for dealing with an existential threat, especially a global pandemic or recession. The uncertainty is off the charts," said Case. "As a founder who's survived and failed in chaos like this before, I want to engage and support other founders and play offense so they're set up to thrive, not just survive, this great reset." To do this, Case created /Founders Focus , which has delivered 25+ sessions since the pandemic started, covering a range of topics, from SBA loans and building credit to the challenges of being a Black founder . From September 14th to 18th, Case will host a daily /Founders Focus session as a part of DC Startup Week, where an audience of 10,000+ entrepreneurs are invited to ask Scott and a special co-host anything. This engaging format is made possible by the annual weeklong event series taking place online for the first time this year. Scott will be joined by proven DC-based leaders to discuss the challenges, successes, and the future. The lineup includes: Tim Hwang , Co-founder & CEO at FiscalNote; , Co-founder & CEO at FiscalNote; David Hall , Managing Partner at Revolution's Rise of the Rest Fund; , Managing Partner at Revolution's Rise of the Rest Fund; Tobin Moore , Co-founder & CEO at Optoro; , Co-founder & CEO at Optoro; Joe Mechlinski , Founder at SHIFT and best-selling author; and , Founder at SHIFT and best-selling author; and Susan Kerr , Founder & CEO at Advancing Inspiration "It's incredible to see the opportunity that has surfaced from this pandemic," said Rachel Koretsky, Co-organizer of DC Startup Week and a founder herself. "This year we're able to open up DC Startup Week to entrepreneurs outside of the nation's capital, and that's thanks to this new virtual normal of ours. We're excited to have /Founders Focus as a partner and deliver daily programming for our community of 1,000+ startups." Leaders are encouraged to register for /Founders Focus at www.foundersfocus.com and DC Startup Week on EventBrite for complimentary access. About /Founders Focus /Founders Focus is a curated community of 500+ founders, builders and creators founded by Scott Case to support entrepreneurs navigating the global pandemic and recession to follow. /FF hosts twice-weekly live, virtual meetups where Scott and expert co-hosts share experiences to drive the recovery and support the greater startup ecosystem. You can learn more and join the Founders Focus community for free at www.foundersfocus.com About Scott Case Scott's always starting something. He's currently the CEO & Co-founder of DC-based startup, Upside Business Travel. He began his career as founding CTO of Priceline.com. From there, he went on to serve in leadership roles for ambitious, mission-driven organizations such as Malaria No More, UP Global, and Startup America Partnership. In addition to running Upside, Scott is Chairman of Network for Good which is a Certified B Corporation that offers innovative fundraising and donor management software for nonprofits, plus the expertise, training, and support to drive successful campaigns. About DC Startup Week As the largest startup network in the DMV area with over 10,000 entrepreneurs in our ecosystem, DC Startup Week is proud to host its 5th annual conference this September. This 5-day long conference will provide you access to engaging content options as well as the opportunity to network with thousands of DMV-based entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders. Given the current environment, this year will be our first-ever virtual conference, which will present exciting new opportunities for networking, learning, and professional and personal growth unlike ever before. Whatever part of the startup lifecycle you're in, you DON'T want to miss out. Contact: Genevieve Rafla, Communications Director for Upside [email protected]upside.com SOURCE Upside Business Travel Related Links http://www.upside.com Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. It's unclear what started the Creek Fire in the Sierra National Forest on Friday, but it's already become one of the largest and most devastating wildfires of California's record setting fire season, driven in large part by climate change. By Tuesday the fire had consumed more than 140,000 acres and moved so fast that it trapped hundreds of vacationers, locals and backpackers, many of whom had to be airlifted to safety. Backpacker Adrienne Chenette was one of them, part of a group of 50-plus people trapped for days, without a way out, at Vermilion Valley Resort near Thomas Edison Lake, deep in the Sierra. A TYPICAL TRIP TO MT. WHITNEY Chenette and a friend, Kathryn Palmer, set off from Tuolumne Meadows on the John Muir Trail with plans to summit Mt. Whitney by Sept. 17. They were on day seven of their trip, trekking towards a resupply, when off in the distance they saw a mass of smoke rising high above the mountains. Smoke from the Creek Fire over Sierra National Forest. (Courtesy of Adrienne Chenette) Concerned, they messaged with Palmer's mom to find out what was going on. They decided that the fire was of big enough concern that they should abandon their trip and turn back towards roads to hitch a ride and evacuate. But it was late in the day, so they decided to do it first thing in the morning. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy By 4 a.m. it was clear they had to get to safety. "The smoke was so bad it woke me up and my nostrils were stinging and my eyes were stinging," Chenette said. "I just knew that I needed to get out of there in order to breathe." Smoke from the Creek Fire inundates Sierra National Forest. (Courtesy of Adrienne Chenette) Just functioning, much less hiking long distances in heavy smoke, is dangerous. For Chenette, who has asthma, it had the potential to turn deadly. "There was ash falling from the sky and it was hard to breathe just walking around packing up our campsite," she said. "And since the smoke was so thick, we could no longer tell how close it was, or how far it was, or how big it was, or anything." They knew they had to get out of there. But Vermilion Valley was nine miles away, three of them uphill, so they knew it'd be a challenge, especially for Chenette. The journey there was not only exhausting, but eerie, she said. They hooked up with other backpackers making their way out, but every time they came to a trail junction and expected to see U.S. Forest Service Employees or law enforcement guiding people to safety, there was no one. It was hours before they reached the final, winding, uphill road to the resort. By then Chenette was having trouble breathing. "The adrenaline just starts rushing through and it's just pure survival. I will do whatever I have to," she said. "There was definitely a moment of panic, that I couldn't handle walking anymore. And I wasn't going to make it up the hill unless someone came and got us." ALL TRAPPED TOGETHER Fortunately, a woman evacuating with her family in a pickup truck saw Chenette struggling, turned around and gave her and Palmer a ride to Vermilion, where they sat in a cafe trying to catch their breath. Seeing a caravan of cars heading away from the resort worried her. Without one herself, she was waiting for law enforcement to show up and offer some sort of solution. And eventually, they did. "That brought some relief. They're finally here to get us. We're going to go," Chenette said. But 30 minutes later, everything changed. The fire had cut off their escape routes. Backpackers, hikers and law enforcement waited for two days to be rescued at Vermilion Valley Resort. (Courtesy of Adrienne Chennette) The officers, locals who'd shown up, and an estimated 50 backpackers were all trapped together at a resort in the middle of one of California's worst fires of the year. This was the second time this year Chenette had to evacuate. The first was during the Walbridge Fire, which is still burning and forcing people to flee in Sonoma County. WAITING FOR THE WORST It became a multi-day waiting game. The group found ways to pass the time, sharing cooking and cleaning duties, building community amid the chaos. "We've been sheltering in place individually, largely, for months. And it was a really beautiful weekend of these people coming together and accepting that fact that we needed to end our hikes and just support each other. I felt nothing but support from everyone around me," Chenette said. "Having to make the best of it, I think everyone really just stepped up." All the while the fire grew closer and the smoke so thick that Chenette said she couldn't see the lake from 100 yards away. They made plans to head to the middle of the water for safety if the world around them erupted in flames. HELICOPTERS ARRIVE After two long nights, at 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a siren went off. They ran outside and were told by law enforcement to get their stuff together. It was time to go. A Black Hawk helicopter had spent all night trying to land, navigating towering columns of smoke and erratic weather, but had had to give up repeatedly. Finally, it was able to touch down on the other side of the lake. Chenette was among the first dozen people who crammed inside the deafeningly loud aircraft. When it took off, the helicopter had to climb to 11,000 feet just to get over the wall of smoke. "The sky went from dark and grey to just orange grey," she said. "We passed over the firem which was just massive. It just looked like it went on and on for miles. And I could feel the temperature shift from really cold mountain air to the heat of the fire." A WAVE OF EXHAUSTION It was only after they touched down at the airport in Fresno that for the first time in days Chenette finally felt safe. A Black Hawk helicopter that arrived to save backpackers from the Creek Fire. (Courtesy of Adrienne Chenette) The tension released from her body. She didn't have to run on adrenaline anymore. Exhausted and shocked when we spoke, she was unclear what day it was. Still, she and others cheered as a stream of helicopters touched down with more and more survivors. When we last spoke, Chenette and Palmer were waiting to be picked up by Palmer's mom who was driving down from Sacramento. Chenette's car is stuck at Tuolumne Meadows and she doesn't know if it'll be there when the fires finally pass. But when asked if she was concerned, she made clear she was more concerned about what others had already lost in the devastating blaze. : The comment came during an interview with Russian propaganda media. Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus' long-time ruler, has expressed his opinion about Belarusian protesters who have been contesting the results of the latest presidential election they believe was rigged. The comment came during Lukashenko's interview with Kremlin propaganda media. Read alsoMarch of Unity in Belarus: Police, plain-clothed masked men chase down, beat, detain protesters (Photo, video)According to the long-term leader, who claimed a landslide win in the latest election on August 9, the ongoing rallies against the voting result are run via Telegram channels. "And you see how people go out there: sometimes they go careless, bringing along their children. At the latest rally, 2/3 of participants were women, also some young people come..." Lukashenko said. Chief of Russia Today propaganda outlet Margarita Simonyan responded to this by saying: "We all know this well. We've been there." Lukashenko went on: "It even got to the point where our men started hiding behind women and children. It's just that we've already had this 75-80 years ago: when the Nazis would put women ahead of them to hide behind their backs." Women at Belarusian rallies: background. Female protesters started self-organizing in massive groups after law enforcers delivered a violent crackdown on peaceful rallies at their onset on August 9-11. Women would mostly come out carrying flowers, calling for security officers to side with protesters and cease violence. Women were also seen actively defending male protesters whom law enforcers would try to apprehend one by one, snatching them from the crowd. Groups of female activists would get into a circle formation, surrounding groups of security officials and apparently confusing the latter. On September 8, at the rally in support of opposition's Maria Kolesnikova, numerous cases of violence against these female groups were already reported. Belarus protests: developments On August 9, presidential elections were held in Belarus. The country's Central Election Commission announced the final election results. In particular, 80.1% of voters supported incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, 10.1% voted for Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, 1.67% for Anna Kanopatskaya, 1.2% for Andrey Dmitriev, and 1.14% for Sergei Cherechnya. Some 4.59% voted against all candidates. Thousands Belarusians took to the streets to protest what they believe is a rigged vote count. Riot police violently cracked down on protesters. Belarus' Ministry of Internal Affairs said about 7,000 protesters had been detained in different cities since August 9. On the evening of August 13, the authorities started to release detainees. The first March of Freedom, the largest protest in the history of Belarus, took place in Minsk on August 16, and every Sunday since. On August 20, the Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal probe into the attempt by the opposition to "seize power." Lukashenko has repeatedly claimed "foreign interference" in the election and the external efforts to foment protests. He spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin who had promised him comprehensive assistance upon request. Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin has warned of the possible use of army to disperse protesters rallying under the flags he claims were once used by Nazi troops. Former Defense Secretary James Mattis once heard President Donald Trump disparaging top military brass, as he and other national security professionals had deep-seated concerns about the president, according to Bob Woodward's new book. Mattis heard Trump say in a meeting, 'my f***ing generals are a bunch of pussies,' because the military leaders cared more about alliances than trade deals, the book gave as the president's reasoning. Mattis, who quit the administration in December 2018 after Trump decided to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, talked to Woodward and called Trump 'dangerous,' 'unfit' and said he had 'no moral compass,' according to excerpts obtained by CNN. President Donald Trump called his 'f***ing generals' a 'bunch of pussies,' according to reporting in Bob Woodward's forthcoming book Former Defense Secretary James Mattis overheard the comment and also told Woodward he believed Trump was 'dangerous,' 'unfit' and said he had 'no moral compass' Former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats 'continued to harbor the secret belief, one that had grown rather than lessened, although unsupported by intelligence proof, that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin had something on Trump,' the book said He said he quit 'when I was basically directed to do something that I thought went beyond stupid to felony stupid.' Mattis also believed Trump's actions on the global stage gave adversaries a playbook on 'how to destroy America.' After he left the administration, he and Dan Coats, the former director of national intelligence, discussed whether they should take 'collective action' and come out publicly against Trump. Coats 'continued to harbor the secret belief, one that had grown rather than lessened, although unsupported by intelligence proof, that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin had something on Trump,' Woodward wrote. 'How else to explain the president's behavior? Coats could see no other explanation,' the famed Watergate journalist continued. Coats and his staff members had 'examined the intelligence as carefully as possible' and the DNI still had questions about Trump and Putin's relationship. ' 'Coats saw how extraordinary it was for the president's top intelligence official to harbor such deep suspicions about the president's relationship with Putin,' Woodward said. 'But he could not shake them.' CNN and then The Washington Post posted excerpts Wednesday, minutes before White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was due to brief the press - a briefing that was delayed. It will be difficult for the White House to refute sections of the book. Woodward taped his interviews with Trump, with some audio clips included on CNN's webpage. He also talked to a number of high-profile ex-officials on-the-record, like Mattis. The 'bunch of pussies' quote was documented in real time thanks to Mattis, who asked an aide to put it in an email to him. Trump criticized military officials in an intervew with Woodward too. 'I wouldn't say they were stupid, because I would never say that about our military people,' Trump said. But he went on to complain about U.S. alliances with NATO and South Korea. 'But if they said that, they - whoever said that was stupid. It's a horrible bargain ... they make so much money. Costs us $10 billion. We're suckers,' Trump told the journalist. Trump has been under fire for nearly a week for comments he reportedly made about America war dead as documented in an explosive article in The Atlantic, calling them 'losers' and 'suckers.' He dug the hole deeper by then suggesting Monday that Pentagon brass send soldiers to war because they want to appease defense companies. Trump suggested that while soldiers are pleased with him, 'the top people in the Pentagon probably aren't, because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.' On Tuesday, the Army's most senior official rejected that notion - while also claiming that he wasn't responding directly to the president's comments. 'I can assure the American people that the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when it's required for national security and a last resort,' Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told Defense One. 'We take this very, very seriously how we make our recommendations.' McConville also pointed out that a number of top commanders have children who are serving in the military. Hollow multishelled structures (HoMSs), with relatively isolated cavities and hierarchal pores in the shells, are structurally similar to cells. They can be used as a carrier for antibacterial agent. A recent research led by Prof. WANG Dan and Prof. ZHANG Suojiang from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied the diffusion and transport mechanism of antimicrobial molecules through HoMSs, and discovered that the unique temporal-spatial order property of HoMSs can realize the sequential drug release for the first time. This research was published in Nature Communications on Sept. 7. We synthesized TiO 2 -HoMSs through sequential template approach, and introduced antibacterial agent Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) as model molecules into HoMSs." WANG Dan, Professor, Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences By analyzing the behavior of HoMSs during drug release, the researchers discovered that the release of the molecules from HoMSs went through sequential release stages, namely burst release, sustained release, and stimulus responsive release. In detail, by simply adjusting the amount of MIT-HoMSs introduced into the environment, the desired concentration can be quickly reached in the burst release stage due to the MIT molecules absorbed on the outer surface of HoMSs. The sustained release of MIT molecules in - stacked state in the cavity of HoMSs could maintain the required concentration for a long period and inhibit the growth of bacteria. The triple-shelled HoMS could provide a long sterility period in a bacteria-rich environment that is nearly eight times longer than that of the pure antimicrobial agent under the same conditions. "When the foreign pathogens were added to our HoMSs system, the driving force was strong enough to break the energy barrier, and the drug molecules stored between the shells and absorbed on the surface were released, resulting in the responsive release. More importantly, the drug concentration can be recovered to the desired range automatically," said Prof. WANG. Owing to different adsorption characteristics in HoMSs and physical barriers from the multishells, drug molecules in different locations of HoMSs have different release times. All these advantages could be attributed to chemical diffusion- and physical barrier-driven sequential drug release, providing a route for the design of intelligent nanomaterials. Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award Winner Logo Our team has worked tirelessly to create connected resources that foster a comprehensive onboarding and ongoing training program for our customers." London Computer Systems (LCS), developer of Rent Manager property management software and other business critical technologies, has won a coveted Brandon Hall Group Silver Award for excellence in the Best Customer Training Program categoryspecifically, for Rent Managers adeptly designed and executed Implementation & Training Program. The Human Capital Management (HCM) Excellence Awards recognize the top organizations across categories who have implemented compelling training/learning/talent strategies that yielded measurable results. Award entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, and Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives based upon the following criteria: Fit to the Needs, Design of the Program, Delivery of the Program, Measurable Benefits, and Overall Positive Impact. Rent Managers all-encompassing onboarding curriculum and continued commitment to customer training resulted in this Excellence in Learning win. The Rent Manager Implementation and Training Program takes a comprehensive, hands-on approach to introducing users to the software. Rent Manager Bootcamp empowers brand-new customers to learn and practice the fundamental basics of the programs setup and accounting tools in a sample database, with the help of a Rent Manager expert. The Rent Manager team further ensures that users get properly acclimated to the softwares more in-depth features through individualized sessions with an Implementation Specialist. These seasoned experts get to know the ins and outs of each customers business and execute an implementation plan thats tailored to the operations specific needs. Rent Manager goes beyond initial onboarding with ongoing training resources, like Rent Manager University (RMU). RMU is an all-inclusive training portal, jam-packed with hundreds of courses, instructional videos, software simulations assessments, and guided self-learning opportunities. Customers are encouraged to regularly utilize this resource to stay up-to-date on the programs latest improvements and features. Our team has worked tirelessly to create connected resources that foster a comprehensive onboarding and ongoing training program for our customers. We are honored to receive a recognition as influential as the Best Customer Training program and will continue working to ensure our customers have a top-notch Rent Manager experience, said LCS Training Manager, Ali Ferryman. The Excellence Awards serve the critical function of reinforcing the essential business benefit of creating great experiences for candidates and employees, Brandon Hall Group CEO, Mike Cooke, said. All award winners must demonstrate that their HCM programs drive bottom-line business results. Thats what sets our awards program apart from all others. Excellence Awards winners will be honored at Brandon Hall Groups HCM Excellence Conference, January 26-28, 2021, at the Hilton West Palm Beach, Florida. About LCS Incorporated in 1987 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, London Computer Systems (LCS) is a developer of business-critical software used in all 50 states and several markets throughout the world. LCS products include Rent Manager property management software, rmVoIP telephone systems, and enterprise-level hosting solutions via its Sentry Data Center. LCS also provides complete network design, implementation, and support services, and custom website development through its IT Services and Web Design Services divisions. With more than 30,000 users, LCS combines best technologies with best practices to create unique, affordable, customer-focused products and services. For more information about LCS, please call 800-669-0871 or visit LCS.com. About Brandon Hall Group Brandon Hall Group is a Human Capital Management Academy research and advisory services firm that provides insights around key performance areas, including Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition and HR/Workforce Management. With more than 10,000 clients globally and 25 years of delivering world-class research and advisory services, Brandon Hall Group is focused on developing research that drives performance in emerging and large organizations and provides strategic insights for executives and practitioners responsible for growth and business results (http://www.brandonhall.com). ### Joe Biden and Thomas Dewey dont seem similar. When Dewey ran for president in 1948 (his second attempt as the Republican nominee), he was 46 years old. He had been a brilliant prosecutor and was the successful governor of New York, then the nations largest state. Biden is 77 years old. Hes been in politics longer than Dewey had been alive when he ran in 1948. He didnt distinguish himself during his brief legal career and has never been in charge of running a governmental entity. Dewey was a man of firm principles. For example, during his the 1948 Republican primaries, he opposed outlawing the Communist Party, a position that went against the grain. Biden is a man of fluid ideas. Going against the grain has never been his thing. Of Dewey, it was said that he looked like the little man on the top of a wedding cake. Biden looks like the great uncle who embarrasses himself at a wedding. The similarities between Dewey and Biden reside in the nature of their runs for the presidency. Dewey, an early fan of polling, had a big lead in the polls over Harry Truman at this stage of the race. Accordingly, he decided, in effect, to run out the clock. Dewey said very little about his plans for the country, relying instead of the vague theme of unity. Biden is taking the same approach. Dewey went on the campaign trail, but with nowhere near the gusto of Truman and his famous whistlestop tours. Biden doesnt get out much. According to Jim Geraghty, nine days into this month, Biden has delivered public remarks six times in four states. Sure, were in the midst of a pandemic, but that doesnt seem to be slowing President Trumps campaigning down. In fact, Trumps campaign can be compared to Trumans. Like Truman, and unlike Dewey and Biden, Trump is telling America where he stands. And he gives them hell, just like Harry did. (The comparison doesnt hold up outside of the campaigning context. Truman was a man of great personal rectitude. Trump isnt. Truman had helped save much of Europe from starvation and communism through the Marshall Plan. Theres a good chance that Trump, an America First guy, would have opposed that plan.) Like Truman, Trump has trailed in the polls this year, though not by as many points. The polls tightened near the end of the 1948 race. They seem to be tightening this year at a much earlier stage. Truman defeated Dewey thanks largely to the votes of rural Americans. Farmers were beginning to hurt in 1948, but they saw Truman as one of them (he had been a farmer) and he campaigned hard in rural America. Trumps biggest strength is with rural voters. The rural vote doesnt carry as much weight today as it did in 1948. Nonetheless, it was instrumental in Trumps surprise victory four years ago. There are, of course, important differences between the 1948 race and this years contest. There was no pandemic in 1948. Biden is building his campaign around criticism of Trumps response and the high number of deaths from the Wuhan coronavirus. Dewey had no such issue. Moreover, as noted, there are important differences between Truman and Trump in terms of personality and character. These differences dont favor Trump. Thus, we shouldnt carry the analogy to the 1948 race too far. But I cant think of another race that is as analogous. Schools have adopted different approaches to reopening during the lockdown, amid pressure from parents, health and government authorities. To open or not to open? Schools around the world have tried to make exactly this decision amid pressures from parents, school authorities and health authorities during the coronavirus lockdown. There are so many variables involved: The wellbeing of students and teachers, the education and social needs of school-going children, the freedom and sanity of working parents to attend to their jobs without needing to worry about their kids being around, and more. Given the difficulty of the situation around the world, various countries are in different stages of planning and reopening schools. These decisions have been made by national or state governments along with local and school authorities. More than a billion students are still out of school due to nationwide school closures, a 24 August UNICEF report said. "We are slowly seeing an increasing number of children return to the classroom." Of the 134 countries that have shut down schools, 59 of them (around 44 percent) have already reopened schools or plan to very soon, and 105 (roughly 80 percent) have decided on a reopening date as of 24 August 2020. In some countries, the added complication of active COVID-19 community transmission complicates things in India and the US, for example. Here's a look at what various countries are doing to get kids back in school safely. Southeast Asia In India, Nepal and Bangladesh, schools remain shut, with some schools (mostly private schools) taking classes online. As per the Indian government's Unlock 4 guidelines, students of Classes 9 to 12 can visit schools on a voluntary basis starting 21 September to consult teachers and get guidance on their courses. As schools partially reopen on 21 September, only half the teaching and non-teaching staff have been called to schools at a time. School for students in all other classes will remain closed till 30 September. In Sri Lanka, the government has allowed schools with no reported cases of COVID-19 to reopen partially, for grades that are writing national examinations this year. South Korea In South Korea (more so than in India), the emphasis on academics is widely-known, with most kids commonly looking at 12-hour school days. The country deferred opening schools five times over a two-month period, as per a TIME magazine report. A phased reboot was rolled out, starting with high-school seniors on 20 May. As per the plan, middle-school and elementary school kids were also to return to schools starting 3 June. But just days after reopening, cases of COVID-19 among students in Seoul prompted hundreds of schools to close again, or delay reopening by a few more weeks. At schools that are open, temperature checks are required at entrances and students required to wear masks, socially distance and frequently wash their hands. Some schools have instructed students to come in on alternate days. Others have adopted a hybrid face-to-face and online approach to taking lessons. Denmark After a month in lockdown, Denmark became the first Western country to reopen its schools on 15 April. Kids between the ages of two and 12 years returning to school were sectioned off into "micro groups" of 12 (aka "protective bubbles"). Each group came to school at a different time slot, ate lunch separately and have designated zones in the playground. Students had to wash their hands every two hours, but face masks were not made mandatory. Classrooms were rearranged so that desks were placed two meters apart, and all the study material was sanitized twice a day. Classes were also held outside whenever possible, and for a change, parents were not allowed on school property. These measures seem to have worked well, and no cases of transmission in schools have been reported by authorities. This can also be attributed to the fact that before Denmark opened schools, the country had a relatively low number of COVID-19 cases and deaths they took early and decisive action in imposing lockdown measures efficiently. After a five-week-long investigation in May, experts proceeded with caution and implemented similar precautions in middle and primary schools. As of 10 August, primary school children and teachers have also begun their new school year. Japan After a summer vacation that was cut short to make up for missed classes during the early months of the pandemic, some schools in Japan reopened. Parents are expected to check their child's temperature every morning and enter the results in a health report that teachers check once they reach class, according to a Washington Post report. At one of the schools, these temperature checks are one in a 28-point plan to minimise risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools. Children in Japan are attending school on alternate days, so that half the desks in classrooms are left empty to make distancing easier. All students and teachers are required to wears masks, except during lunch time, when students eat at their desks, facing forward, and in silence, the report adds. Sweden Swedens COVID-19 strategy is among the most controversial in the world. It decided to leave much of society open, including primary schools. This is likely what contributed to five times as many people in Sweden dying of the coronavirus as that in Denmark, Norway and Finland combined. Some 95 percent of fatal cases were patients over the age of 60. In May, a Science report citing a scan of incidents in Swedish newspapers clearly shows that school outbreaks did occur. Swedish health authorities say they have managed to stabilise the spread of COVID-19, with citizens taking quarantine and social distancing measures seriously. However, June-July was around the time many schools and officers closed for summer vacation. Swedish law says children under the age of 12 can't be home alone without supervision. This means that the fate of kindergarten and middle school kids largely rests in the hands of the country's workforce. It is yet to be seen how the country will strategise its post-summer reopening of society and schools. "It will be very difficult to achieve any kind of really clear-cut answer as to what was right and what was wrong," Sweden's top epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told the Observer. "Were talking years into the future before we can get any kind of consensus on how to deal with this in the best possible way." Spain So far, the Spanish government has left the choice to parents and students to attend schools on a voluntary basis. However, by September, it has planned for all students to return to school, with guidelines adapted to suit the situation in each of Spain's 17 independent regions. Spanish officials are adapting their plans before schools reopen starting 4 September. Some 11,000 additional teachers are being hired to monitor younger students, makeshift classrooms are being staged in schoolyards and "bubbles" of 15 to 20 students are being made that can mix with each other but not with other bubbles or outsiders. Students have been told to keep a distance of 1.5 metres or more between themselves. Younger children, on the other hand, will be divided into bubbles that won't have to distance themselves. Masks have not been made compulsory for younger children in these bubbles. Masks will be compulsory for older students and teachers if distance of 1.5 m cannot be maintained, as well as students over the age of six who take the school bus. Schools in Spain have been asked to prioritise outdoor activities, and to stagger start, finish and break times for all classes. Facilities also need to be cleaned at least once a day, and toilets cleaned thrice daily. Belgium Schools in Belgium plan to reopen with the start of the new academic year on 1 September. This comes after members of the country's COVID-19 paediatric task force said a normal return to school should be governments "number one priority." As schools reopen, teachers and students above age 12 are required to wear masks. Along with basic hygiene measures such as frequent hand-washing and appropriate room ventilation, the country has also implemented a colour-coded scheme for how schools with operate under different scenarios based on the seriousness of the COVID-19 situation in Belgium. In all four scenarios, primary and elementary school will carry on throughout the country. "In all case scenarios, kindergartens and primary schools will always remain open," Caroline Desir, education minister for Francophone schools in Belgium, told The Brussels Times. "We will not close them down regardless of how the epidemic evolves." As of 1 September, the plan recommends that students go to school four days a week, with distance-learning one day a week. Africa Among African countries, six countries have reopened schools. Students in South Africa returned to classrooms one class after another class, after an early reopening resulted in new infections and schools were closed as a result. For any parents that don't want their children to attend school, the government has advised applying for home-schooling. Kenya has closed its schools for the rest of 2020. Meanwhile, the Ugandan government plans to procure radios for villages to help poor families with remote learning. France Despite a sharp and recent spike in cases in France, the nation is sending millions of students back to school. This is to ensure that academic inequality among children doesn't widen due to the lockdown, and parents can return to their jobs, the government said. Teachers, and students in middle- and high school are required to wear masks while moving between classes, and in and out of school. Teachers and schools authorities have been instructed to limit gatherings and only allow one-way movement in corridors. Cafeterias will also reopen to help children relying on subsidised hot meals for their nutrition, as per a report in the The Local. Classrooms and school premises should be aired "as often as possible and for a duration of at least 15 minutes each time", the report added. Frequent contact-points like door-knobs are to be regularly cleaned, dining hall tables after each meal, and large surfaces to be cleaned "at least once a day." In addition, some Parisian schools are giving out free laptops for children, in case schools need to close against during the lockdown. Italy Some of the strictest lockdown measures in all of Europe were implemented in Italy, which saw schools shut down by March 2020. While lockdown measures began to slowly ease in May, schools still haven't reopening for teaching. The government intends for face-to-face teaching in schools to resume by 14 September, as per a BBC report. Students are required to sit at least 1 m apart, and class sizes will be made smaller to accommodate the new guideline. Each class will be divided into subgroups, and classes will be staggered to avoid gatherings. All students and teachers are required to wear masks, and teachers are required to also wear a face shield, the report added. Classes will be held outdoors as much as possible, if not in large spaces like theatres or museums. Lessons will also be spread over six days of the week, including Saturdays to include staggered class schedules. Canada The Canadian province of Quebec reopened several of its elementary schools in May, with strict distancing. It announced plans that children will be allowed to socialise freely in groups of six with each group staying a metre away from other groups of students and 2 metres away from teachers. At least 53 students and teachers tested positive after many schools reopened in May, according to news reports, but officials believed many of those infections were contracted in the community. Classmates and teachers of an infected student were sent home for 14 days, while the rest of the school was sanitised, and classes carried on. Netherlands Primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands are resuming with regular school/teaching hours for students of all grades. The government has specified that students will be exempt from attending school if they, or somebody they live with, is a high-risk candidate for COVID-19 (i.e. people with co-morbid health conditions, or contact with a COVID-19-positive indivdual). Mainstays for COVID-19 prevention, like masks, have not been made compulsory in all schools, though 20 percent of schools have reportedly instructed their pupils to wear them anyway, NOS reported. Schools have been instructed to ensure classrooms and corridors have high-functioning ventilation systems to limit the spread of airborne coronavirus indoors. with inputs from agencies General Nka Valere Spm Brigadier General Nka Valere, Commander of the 5th Joint Military Region says there is a special envelope for elements of the commando squad that killed separatist fighter, Fonteh Lucas Ndefru alias Mad Dog on Saturday night. General Nka said they had put a bet on the head of Fonteh, a man who had been terrorizing the population of Bamenda for over ten years both as a criminal and as a terrorist. Nka said on Saturday night, A special squad, commandos of the defence and security forces neutralized a very famous criminal and terrorist by the name Fonteh alias Mad Dog. For the last five or even ten years, that criminal and terrorist had killed more than 100 people, men and women, children, civilians and members of the defence and security forces, Nka said, adding that a bounty was put on Mad Dogs head after he led a gang of armed men that attacked the Head Office of Mitanyen Cooperative Credit Union Limited, MitaCCUL, at Sonac Street Bamenda on Friday, August 21, 2020. It is a great day for us. We are celebrating the death of a very famous, notorious amba terrorist, said the Brigadier General. Nka extended the congratulations of the hierarchy to the defence and security forces working in the North West region to secure the population and restore peace. Let me congratulate the squad of commandos that carried out this operation because last week, we put a bet on Fonteh. That whoever will take him, whether dead or alive will receive an envelope. I will not give the amount but those guys will be rewarded for what they have done, Nka revealed. The Commander of the 5th Joint Military Region says of late, separatist fighters have killed among others a staff of the fire-fighting brigade, an inspector of police, and Mbah Treasure. He assured the population that the killing of Fonteh alias Mad Dog is part of measures to make sure that we clean Bamenda off all these amba terrorists. Cameroon-Info.Net recalls that Mad Dog was gunned down on Saturday night during an operation cleverly planned by the 5th Joint Military Region, RMIA5. The operation in Bamenda, capital of Cameroons North West Region was conducted by commandos of the 3rd regiment of the Rapid Intervention Brigade, the BIR an elite unit of the countrys army. Open sources say the dreaded rebel figure fell into the dragnet of the military in Ntasen, Nkwen, although his remains were left at Liberty Square (City Chemist Roundabout) in Mankon early Sunday morning for the public to see. Katherine Ryan has revealed that she sleeps in her daughters room rather than with her husband. Speaking to Radio Times, the comedian explained that she simply prefers sleeping apart from her husband, Bobby Koostra, who doesnt demand undivided attention from her. He didnt do the other things that Id experienced in relationships, Ryan said. He didnt demand undivided attention, he was not in competition with my daughter. Like, I still sleep in my daughters room in her sleepover bed. I dont sleep in my bed with my husband. Ryan and Koostra entered a civil partnership last year; the two dated as teenagers when the comedian was growing up in Canada. Ryan had her daughter, Violet, 11, with a former boyfriend whose identity remains unknown to the public. Despite the fact that they sleep in separate bedrooms, Ryan told the publication that it has not affected her relationship with Koostra. We have sex at 10am when the kids are at school, she said. Ryan is not the only public figure who has spoken out about not sharing a bed with their partner. Earlier this year, Gwyneth Paltrow revealed that she and her husband Brad Falchuk lived apart for the first year of their marriage. I thought it was really interesting how resonant that was for people, the 47-year-old told Harpers Bazaar. I think it certainly helps with preserving mystery and also preserving the idea that this person has their own life, she said. So this is something Im trying to remain aware of now as we merge together. The US will refuse to sign a trade deal if Boris Johnson reneges on protections for Northern Ireland in the Brexit agreement, a senior Congressman is warning. The consequences for unpicking the deal risking the return of a hard border in Ireland, Brendan Boyle said would be the breakdown of talks with Washington, as well as Brussels. The Democrat, who sits on a key Congressional committee, described the revelation that the prime minister plans to override the agreement he signed last year as genuinely shocking. If the UK does it in such a way that it violates the Good Friday Agreement, there will be no US-UK free trade agreement, Mr Boyle said. So, the UK needs to understand there will be consequences that stretch well beyond trust dealings with the EU on this matter. He added: I cant believe that any side to this debate would be acting in such a cavalier way when we're talking about a fragile peace in the North of Ireland. Downing Street has denied that new legislation to override requirements for customs checks in the Irish Sea and limits on using state aid amount to tearing up parts of the Brexit agreement. They would only be used if talks with the EU failed, it says, but the move does amount to a unilateral act to rework an international agreement, alarming the EU. It comes after Mr Johnson threatened to end the talks if there is no agreement by 15 October, while refusing to publish a state aid plan which is vital to unlock them. Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pedestrians pass in front of the Ministry of Defence Building on Whitehall, illuminated by red, white and blue lights in central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supporter shouts during a rally in London AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners take part in a 'Missing EU Already' rally outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A large pro-EU banner is projected onto Ramsgate cliff in Kent PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU supporters light candles in Smith Square in Westminster PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The five-year old Elisa Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights group New Europeans outside Europe House, central London AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Pro Brexit supporter has a Union Jack painted onto his face at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Men hold placards celebrating Britain leaving the EU REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters dance in the street draped with Union Jack flags at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexit demonstrator spreads his wings during a gathering near Downing Street AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters display a banner ' Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out' from Westminster bridge EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit supporters burn European Union flags at Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses for a picture on Parliament Square in a 'Brexit Day' t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man wears a pro-Brexit t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators visit Europe House to give flowers to the staff on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporter wears a novelty Union Jack top hat outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Customers Scott Jones and Laura Jones at the Sawmill Bar in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, where a Brexit party is being held throughout the day PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU activists protest Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit demonstrator burns a European Union flag AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man carries an EU themed wreath Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has described the agreement praised by the prime minister last year as an obligation under international law. Mr Boyle, who sits on the ways and means committee, which has jurisdiction over all taxes and tariffs, said Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, had stated the same view. It will also be very difficult to enter into a trade negotiation with a party that would have just ripped up a very important agreement to us, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. Why would you engage in negotiations with such a party, because they might turn around and use the same tactic against you? The US trade talks have already stalled, dashing Mr Johnsons hopes of a deal long hailed by Brexiteers as the big prize before Donald Trump goes before the voters in November. There is growing UK opposition to the US demand that the ban on acid-washed chicken and hormone-pumped beef must be lifted. The trust problem was echoed by Gavin Barwell, Theresa Mays former chief of staff, who told Times Radio: What would it do if we unilaterally change the terms of an international agreement we signed up to? First of all, it sends a very bad message to anyone else the UK might be negotiating with about our trustworthiness. But secondly, it's just going to make things much more difficult with the EU. Just before he took to Facebook Live last month to livestream his suicide to the world, an Iraq War veteran posted a haunting final message urging people to tell others they matter and are loved. Ronnie McNutt, 33, broadcast on Facebook shooting himself in the head at his home in Mississippi on August 31. Since then, graphic video of his suicide has been spreading on TikTok, prompting horrified users to criticize the app for not doing enough to remove it from the platform. Shortly before taking his own life, McNutt took to Facebook, sharing a meme consisting of a stark monochromatic photo of a man standing in a desolate landscape, with a message superimposed over the image that read: 'Someone in your life needs to hear that they matter. That they are loved. That they have a future. Be the one to tell them.' Ronnie McNutt, 33, an Iraq War veteran, broadcast his shooting himself in the head over Facebook on August 31 (pictured: speaking on the phone during his broadcast, left, and in an Instagram post, right) Shortly before his death, McNutt shared this haunting image on Facebook The image also featured the words 'TobyMac' and '#SpeakLife,' referring to Christian recording artist Toby McKeehan's 2012 song Speak Life. Less than an hour earlier, McNutt wrote in a status update: 'Sometimes life just takes turns that you don't expect. But, at the end of the day you have to accept God's sovereignty as what it is, and learn from the place that you are at.' A look through McNutt's recent social media activity reveals that he often posted messages and memes about his Christian faith, and shared videos of Sunday morning church services. Two weeks before his suicide, McNutt marked the 69th birthday of his father who passed away two years earlier, writing in part: 'He was a powerhouse of a man. And I miss him every day. Our family just isn't complete without him.' On July 5, McNutt shared a suicide prevention post that included an image of a handwritten note that read: 'If suicide ever crosses your mind, just know that I would rather listen to your story than attend your funeral.' Less than two months earlier, McNutt posted this suicide-prevention message McNutt, who worked for Toyota in Blue Spring, New Albany, had recently broken up with his girlfriend and also suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, a friend said. Josh Steen, who co-hosted a podcast with McNutt, told Heavy: 'He didnt seem to be the same guy that left for Iraq once he exited the service. I spent many a late night in our studio, via text message, and in person talking with him about life and his struggles. 'Mental health issues are very, very real, and I honestly think that there are a lot of people who struggle with all areas of mental illness who let it go untreated. Or treat it with other things, it seems.' Steen added that he'd been alerted to the video when it was being broadcast and had attempted to call McNutt several times. Steen said that he did not believe that McNutt had set out to kill himself but that he was 'incredibly drunk, and that plus his recent relationship issues led to the end result.' Steen told Heavy: 'I tried multiple times to call him, from my cell phone and our phone at the theater; both numbers he would easily recognize. I watched him pick his phone up, think for a second, and then decline my calls. 'I really thought that if I could just get him to break his focus for just a second it would be alright.' The harrowing footage of McNutt's suicide has since been posted on TikTok and has been viewed so many times that some users said it appeared on the app's 'For You' homepage. TikTok says they are banning anyone who is sharing the video which has been described by users as 'extremely gory and terrifying.' But users have slammed Tiktok, and some have claimed people have been editing the videos to include shots of cats to trick viewers into watching. McNutt was an Iraq War veteran who worked for Toyota in Blue Spring, New Albany 'TikTok is one messed up app,' Twitter user Elise wrote. 'People are posting the video of Ronnie Mcnutt, a guy who committed suicide on Facebook Live. My thoughts are with his family.' Another tweeted: 'I was just scrolling through TikTok and a video of someone committing suicide was on my For You page. How are videos like that allowed. I'm so just idk [I don't know] disgusted and sad and just freaked out.' Friends of McNutt spoke of their sorrow last week after the Mississippian streamed his tragic death. One wrote online: 'Please say a prayer right now for the family of Ronnie McNutt. He just killed himself live on Facebook and I cannot unsee this. 'I tried but apparently it wasn't quick enough to reach him. I wasn't quick enough. 'Dear God, I wish I could have got to him.' Since then the social media sites have been trying to take the footage down as those who have witnessed it urge others to avoid TikTok. One wrote on Twitter: 'If you see this guy on your For You page, please scroll up immediately. 'It's very gruesome and I highly suggest you stay away from TikTok for a while.' Others are posting screenshot of the video's beginning to make people aware of what clips to avoid. A TikTok spokesman said: 'On Sunday night, clips of a suicide that had been livestreamed on Facebook circulated on other platforms, including TikTok. 'Our systems have been automatically detecting and flagging these clips for violating our policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide. Posts have appeared warning users to stay away from TikTok due to the viral footage of McNutt Social media sites have been trying to take the footage down as those who have witnessed it urge others to avoid TikTok 'We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who've reported content and warned others against watching, engaging, or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family. 'If anyone in our community is struggling with thoughts of suicide or concerned about someone who is, we encourage them to seek support, and we provide access to hotlines directly from our app and in our Safety Centre.' Facebook said in a statement: 'We removed the original video from Facebook last month on the day it was streamed and have used automation technology to remove copies and uploads since that time. Our thoughts remain with Ronnie's family and friends during this difficult time.' McNutt was described as 'very caring, committed, loyal, dependable, and eccentric,' by his church (pictured: in his Army days, left, and a more recent photo, right) McNutt was a member of the Celebration Church Tupelo and they confirmed his death on September 1. 'In the midst of a sudden tragedy that occurred last night, we grieve with the McNutt Family during this time because passing of our brother in Christ, Ronnie McNutt,' the church said on Facebook. 'Ronnie will be missed by all who loved and knew him. 'He was very caring, committed, loyal, dependable, and eccentric. He served his church faithfully and was loved by many. 'Although events surrounding his death were tragic, we take comfort in our Creator, believing that because of Ronnie's confession and conversion as a believer in Christ Jesus, he is currently before our loving Father.' TikTok, whose China-based owner Bytedance has been ordered by President Donald Trump to sell its U.S. operations, has been criticised for its content moderation policy in the past, especially on circulation of graphic content. The company rolled out a new content moderation infrastructure in December under which it labeled the videos that were removed by the company with the policy category they violated, it said in its transparency report published in July. For confidential support in the US call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255. For confidential support in the US call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details. GLEN CARBON A Madison County nurse practitioner has pleaded guilty to health care fraud. Jami L. Mayhew, 41, of Glen Carbon, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single-count felony information charging her with healthcare fraud. According to court documents from May 30 to June 26, 2017, Mayhew participated in a scheme to defraud Medicare by performing medically unnecessary visits in nursing homes in Madison and St. Clair counties. Court documents state Mayhew carried out the scheme by seeing nursing home residents multiple times, examining them for only a few minutes at a time, generating progress notes she knew contained misrepresentations and materially false statements about the services she had performed, and falsely reporting that her visits met the billing requirements for complex subsequent nursing home encounters, when in fact they had not. As part of her guilty plea, Mayhew admitted she knowingly caused 251 false claims to be submitted to Medicare during the charged timeframe. Medicare paid her employer, General Medicine, P.C., more than $23,000 for those visits. She received $27 from the company for each of the false claims for a total of $6,777. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 10. Healthcare fraud is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The investigation of the case was a collaborative effort by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Department of Labor Employee Benefits and Security Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan D. Stump. By Sudip Kar-Gupta PARIS (Reuters) - The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in France rose by 6,544 over the last 24 hours to give a total of 335,524 cases, the health ministry said on Tuesday, as the country battles to avert a second wave of the virus. The number of deaths also climbed by 39 over the last 24 hours to reach a total of 30,764. France has the world's seventh-highest COVID-19 death toll, and authorities are scrutinising the data to see what measures might be needed to help it cope with an expected second wave of the virus this winter. The government has said that while it will do all it can to avoid another nationwide lockdown, such as that imposed across the country from March to May, it will nevertheless keep all its options open. Health Minister Olivier Veran said earlier on Tuesday that the COVID-19 situation was worrying, although he felt a big second wave of infections could be avoided. "The reproduction rate of the virus stands at 1.2 which is less than the 3.2-3.4 level seen during the spring. So the virus is spreading at lesser speed but it is circulating, which is worrying", Veran told France Inter radio. (Additional reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Chris Reese and Angus MacSwan) After a turbulent June quarter, tile and ceramic dealers are back in business, according to recent channel checks by brokerages. Management commentaries of listed tile firms also state that capacity utilizations in July reached around 70% of their pre-covid levels. But demand for tiles is directly correlated to realty sales and the ongoing lull paints a dismal domestic demand scenario. So, tile and ceramic makers are likely to bet on exports to boost near-term volumes. As per dealer channel checks, export markets are recovering at a faster pace than the domestic market. In a post-earnings conference call, Somany Ceramics Ltds management said export demand is strong, as many countries are looking at sourcing from nations other than China. There is pent-up demand post the opening of certain markets. Exports demand is healthy from the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, the management added. View Full Image Key markets According to rating agency Icra Ltd, export sales of tiles and ceramics stood at 800 crore in the first two months of fiscal 2021. They, however, jumped to around 2,500-2,700 crore for June and July 2020 and the monthly average for FY2020 stood close to 830 crore," it said in a 7 September note. Export competitiveness of Indian tile manufacturers has improved in recent years, aided by technology and various government initiatives. Recently, India imposed an anti-dumping duty of $1.37 per square metre on vitrified tiles imported from Chinathe worlds largest producer of tiles. Analysts say that Taiwan and South Korea are expected to take similar actions on imports of Chinese tiles. Meanwhile, the imposition of anti-dumping duties by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Indian tiles and ceramics could be a dampener. Saudi Arabia is the biggest ceramic exports market for India. It is followed by UAE, Indonesia, Mexico and Iraq. GCC has highest share in exports at 37% from India during FY20. Imposition of duty is envisaged to exert pressure on pricing and profitability from Q2FY21 as well as impact overall credit profile of the entities, which have a higher geographical concentration to GCC member countries," CARE Ratings Ltd said in a report. 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 (L-R) Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson attend the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on Feb. 09, 2020 in Hollywood, Calif. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Tom Hanks Sparks Quarantine Debate in Queensland, Australia The return of oscar winning actor Tom Hanks to Australia sparked a debate in Queensland parliament on Sept. 9 between Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Liberal National Party parliamentarians over Queenslands mandatory quarantine program. American Actor, Hanks, 64 arrived at Coolangattas Gold Coast Airport in Queensland on Sept. 8 to resume filming for director Baz Luhrmanns Elvis Presley biopic, five months of testing positive for COVID-19. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles and Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young arrive at a press conference to give an update on Queensland COVID-19 Border Controls in Brisbane, Australia on June 30, 2020. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images) It was expected that Hanks would undergo mandatory hotel quarantine like all new arrivals. However, an exemption to the rule enables industry groups like the film industry to make their own arrangements for quarantine. This created some controversy in the Queensland parliament with Palaszczuk being forced to deflect numerous question on Hanks quarantine until the speaker of the chamber asked her to clarify the situation. Palaszczuk explained(pdf) that the screen industry has an approved COVIDSafe blueprint: Under that plan, they have to stay in the place for two weeks just like everybody else. They will have random checksthat is my understandingby police, she said. State LNP MP Ros Bates argued that the Queensland government had established a double standard. They are quarantining at Versaceone rule for celebrities and another rule for sick people, she said. Related Coverage Unborn Baby Dies in Australia After CCP Virus Border Exemption Confusion Palaszczuk claims the filming of the Elvis biopic will generate over $100 (US$72.1) million for the Gold Coast economy, and created around 900 jobs. Filming was suspended at Village Roadshow Studios in Oxenford, in March when virus cases in Queensland were approaching its peak. Gold Coast University Hospital where the US actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were admitted for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Gold Coast on March 13, 2020. (Patrick Hamilton /AFP via Getty Images) Hanks and wife Rita Wilson were some of the first celebrities diagnosed with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. For two weeks Hanks stayed at Gold Coast University Hospital before flying back to his home in the United States. Hanks plays Elvis Presleys manager Colonel Tom Parker alongside co-star Austin Butler from Los Angeles who never left the Gold Coast throughout this period. The city of Charleston filed a lawsuit Wednesday in state court against two dozen major oil and pipeline companies, alleging their products and the spread of misinformation about fossil fuels have caused climate change and repetitive, disastrous flooding in the city. The lawsuit demands those companies some of the biggest names in the industry pay for the cost of trying to keep the city dry. But it doesn't specify a dollar amount. It was the second assault on the oil industry in two days. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced a moratorium on drilling off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Charleston, South Carolinas largest city, is the first in the South to file such a lawsuit, joining a growing list of West Coast and Northeastern cities and states. The civil lawsuit was filed in the 9th Judicial Circuit Court on Meeting Street. Most of the companies being sued either did not return calls, denied responsibility or said the problem is larger than just one industry. Mayor John Tecklenburg held an afternoon news conference at The Battery announcing the lawsuit, standing with construction equipment behind him and crews working on the ongoing elevation of the low wall the city's first project combating sea level rise. Councilman Keith Waring, who chairs the city's Public Works Committee, stood behind Tecklenburg as he made the announcement. Half an hour after the press conference started, the water in the harbor feet away reached peak high tide. Tecklenburg said the city has estimated the cost of keeping up with rising sea levels at $2 billion. "It's not fair for the citizens of Charleston to bear the burden of that cost," Tecklenburg said. "If we don't act now, the future of our city is in jeopardy." Waring said other members of City Council supported the lawsuit. "I'm one of 12 but I think we have solidarity," Waring said, adding that each council member hears about drainage problems and the threat of flooding from constituents. Councilman Mike Seekings, who represents residents in a flood-prone area of the city, said documents now in the public realm show how the fossil fuel industry researched the effects of carbon emissions years ago. "They were told there would be negative effects and here we are in 2020 they predicted it," Seekings said. The city seeks a jury trial and wants jurors to determine how much money it should be paid in compensation for the costs of flooding and resulting damage. As a direct and proximate consequence of Defendants' wrongful conduct described in this Complaint, the environment in and around Charleston is changing, with devastating adverse impacts on the City and its residents," the lawsuit reads. The city has hired Sher Edling, a prominent environmental law firm based in San Francisco, as co-counsel. Sher Edling also represents the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Baltimore and New York. On the East coast, Rhode Island, Minnesota and Massachusetts have filed similar lawsuits. Mount Pleasant attorney Joseph P. Griffith Jr. was hired as a consultant. Tecklenburg said the lawsuit comes at "no cost" to the city unless Charleston wins or receives a settlement. The city claims the fossil fuel companies have violated the states unfair trade practices among other laws. Among those named in the lawsuit, some of them listed under several names, are: Brabham Oil Co., which is based in Bamberg. A phone call seeking comment was not returned. Colonial Group Facilities, which owns over 125 Enmark gas stations in the Southeast, based in Savannah. A phone call seeking comment was not returned. Piedmont Petroleum Corp., a retailer based in Greenville that owns about 35 Citgo service stations in South Carolina. A phone call seeking comment was not returned. Colonial Pipeline Co., which owns and operates the largest fossil fuel pipeline in the country, transporting 100 million gallons of fuel between Texas and New Jersey each day, and owns and operates at least six terminals along the pipeline in South Carolina. A phone call seeking comment was not returned. Exxon Entities, one of the largest publicly traded international oil and gas companies in the world. In an emailed statement, corporate spokesman Casey Norton said lawsuits waste millions of taxpayer dollars and don't "advance meaningful actions" in reducing climate change. "The claims are baseless and without merit," Norton said. "We look forward to defending the company in court." Shell Entities, the multinational oil and gas company headquartered in the Netherlands. In an emailed statement, spokeswoman Anna Arata said addressing climate change requires a collaborative approach. "We do not believe the courtroom is the right venue to address climate change, but that smart policy from government, supported by inclusive action from all business sectors, including ours, and from civil society, is the appropriate way to reach solutions and drive progress," Arata said. In an emailed statement, spokeswoman Anna Arata said addressing climate change requires a collaborative approach. "We do not believe the courtroom is the right venue to address climate change, but that smart policy from government, supported by inclusive action from all business sectors, including ours, and from civil society, is the appropriate way to reach solutions and drive progress," Arata said. Chevron Entities, a multinational energy and chemical company incorporated in Delaware with a global headquarters in San Ramon, Calif. Sean Comey, senior adviser for Chevron's External Affairs, said there "is no merit to the claims" and the company is working to find "real" solutions. BP Entities, a multinational registered in England and Wales. BP Director of Public Affairs Jason Ryan declined to comment. Marathon Entities, a multinational energy company incorporated in Delaware with its principal place of business in Findlay, Ohio. Katie Merx, a Marathon spokesperson, said the company does not typically comment on pending litigation. Murphy Oil Entities, a global oil and natural gas company incorporated in Delaware with principal offices in Houston. A phone call seeking comment was not returned. Hess Corp., a multinational incorporated in Delaware with its executive office in New York. A request for comment was not returned. ConocoPhillips Entities, a multinational incorporated in Delaware with principal offices in Houston. A phone call seeking comment was not returned. Richard Wiles, executive director of the Center for Climate Integrity, said Charleston's lawsuit follows 20 other communities that have filed similar legal action. "With todays filing, Big Oil is facing climate lawsuits on both coasts, in the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, the Rocky Mountains, and even Hawaii," Wiles said in an email. "The public is ready to hold this corrupt industry accountable for causing and lying about climate change, and officials across the country are stepping up to take action." In most cases around the country where cities and towns sue oil companies directly, the companies have tried to get the cases moved to federal court, said Blan Holman, attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. SELC briefly consulted with Charleston months ago on the possibility of a suit, but is not involved in Wednesday's filing. Holman said oil companies may find federal courts more predictable, or be able to effectively derail a state-level claim. But in most cases, the cities and towns fight back and win and the cases are being sent back to state court. A recent case in Maryland reached the federal 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and was sent back to the state courts. Holman said that could be a good precedent for Charleston, which is in the same federal circuit and which is using the same firm that argued the Maryland case. "It's a sound case. It's what ought to happen to bring accountability to these companies," Holman said. "Taxpayers are going to be on the hook one way or another, either to pay for the damage that's done or the protection that's needed, and the people that caused the problem need to contribute." The theory that fossil fuel emissions would trap heat near the Earth was first put forth in 1895 by Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius, and today is at the core of modern climate science. There is broad agreement among scientists that the release of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases have insulated the Earth and made average temperatures on land and sea rise. In the United States, three-quarters of the total greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 came from using fuels like coal and oil, according to the Energy Information Administration. For many around the globe, the effects have already arrived. Fires burning now across the American West have been fueled by record-breaking temperatures, and a hyperactive hurricane season this year in the Atlantic is being fed by warmer oceans. But most importantly for Charleston, a warming globe means seas are rising, through a combination of melting polar ice and water that expands when it's hotter, taking up more volume. While scientists agree that climate change is here and that humans are driving it, there's less certainty on how bad it will get. A series of recent studies has suggested that Arctic ice is melting faster than predicted, potentially leading to far higher rises in sea level in the coming decades. There were a record 89 events of at least minor tidal flooding last year, and the city is planning for a 2- to 3-foot rise in sea level in the next 50 years. To combat that, the Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a $1.75 billion flood wall around the peninsula and the city of Charleston is currently elevating the Low Battery wall 3 feet. Chloe Johnson contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 18:45:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday released a list of eight tips for foreign tourists to the kingdom in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The tips, translated into several languages including English and Chinese, advised tourists to abide by the measures undertaken by the Cambodian government. "If you are a returning traveler from affected areas, please check the government advice on any steps you should take on arrival," the list said. "Make sure that you have a comprehensive travel insurance in place before traveling to Cambodia during COVID-19 outbreak." It advised travelers to seek medical consultation by calling 115 if they feel unwell. Also, it suggested no discrimination against tourists and groups of people from the COVID-19-hit areas. The list also told tourists to keep good hygiene by washing hands regularly with soap and water, alcohol sanitizer or gel. "Also, don't forget to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze," it said. "You need to wear a face mask while traveling to any public or crowded areas." Cambodia has seen a huge slump in the number of foreign tourists during the first half of this year due to the pandemic. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the kingdom received 1.18 million foreign visitors during the January-June period this year, down 64 percent over the same period last year. The Southeast Asian country has recorded a total of 274 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, said a Ministry of Health's statement on Wednesday, adding that none have died and 273 have recovered. Enditem (CNN) The US commander in the Middle East announced Wednesday a drawdown of US troops in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 in the month of September. "This reduced footprint allows us to continue advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in rooting out the final remnants of ISIS in Iraq and ensuring its enduring defeat," Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, said. McKenzie said the decision is due to the United States' "confidence in the Iraqi Security Forces' increased ability to operate independently." A senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday to also expect an announcement on troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in a couple days. The decision to pull back US troops from Iraq has long been expected and comes as President Donald Trump attempts to deliver on his 2016 campaign promises while facing a tough reelection. Trump was recently visibly distressed over the fallout that ensued from an article in The Atlantic, alleging that he privately disparaged the war dead, and feared losing support with the military. Trump has forcefully denied he made those comments. But in a Labor Day news conference, Trump accused top Pentagon military leaders of being beholden to defense contractors, an unprecedented attack from the commander in chief as he tries to convince the American public he did not denigrate US military personnel. In recent months, training and advising of Iraqi forces has been scaled back due to the coronavirus, and other coalition allies have also withdrawn their troops. In March, US forces began pulling back from bases across Iraq, turning them over to Iraqi security partners. At the time, Pentagon officials insisted that the base hand-offs were part of a long-planned consolidation that reflected the success of the anti-ISIS fight -- not concerns over the ongoing rocket attacks by Iran-linked proxy militias. "The threat against our forces from Shiite militant groups has caused us to put resources that we would otherwise use against ISIS to provide for our own defense and that has lowered our ability to work effectively against them," McKenzie said in late August. On Wednesday, McKenzie reiterated that justification, saying that Iraqi security forces had improved their ability to fight ISIS and that "the fact that we're getting smaller is actually a sign of campaign progress." But the CENTCOM commander also explicitly linked the withdrawals to the threat from Iran. "Over the last seven or eight months, we have had to devote resources to self-protection that we would otherwise devote for the counter-ISIS fight and we've had to pull back and our partners have had to pull back," he said. "At the same time we've done things to harden our positions to make it more difficult for Iran to attack us in Iraq -- but it has had an effect." The US has been under pressure from some elements of Iraq's political system to withdraw American troops from Iraq following the Trump administration's decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in an airstrike in January while he was traveling in Baghdad. That strike also killed a leader of an Iranian-backed militia group that is ostensibly part of Iraq's security forces. After the targeted killing, Iraq's parliament voted to expel the US military and hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Baghdad calling for US troops to leave the country, but the Trump administration said it did not intend to pull troops out. CNN previously reported that the Trump administration plans to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan from 8,600 to 4,500, which would be the lowest number since the very earliest days of the Afghanistan war. Under an agreement signed with the Taliban in February, the US committed to pulling all of its troops out of Afghanistan by next April, if the Taliban upheld certain commitments in the agreement. The US is also withdrawing nearly 12,000 troops from NATO-ally Germany -- a move that will cost billions to execute and take years to relocate the troops. The decision has also been met with bipartisan congressional opposition amid concerns that it may encourage Russian aggression. In August, Trump met with Iraq's new prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, in the Oval Office and reiterated his plan to remove troops from Iraq. "We have been taking our troops out of Iraq fairly rapidly, and we look forward to the day when we don't have to be there," Trump said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "US announces troop drawdown in Iraq" Former Congress minister Vijay Singh Mankotia on Wednesday demanded a CBI and ED probe into the land deals involving Himachal social justice and empowerment minister Sarveen Chaudhary. In a press conference held here, Mankotia said he has again written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. Mankotia said he had hoped that the chief minister will respond to the letter written earlier by him by ordering a CBI investigation. However, the CM said that no vigilance probe was being carried out which contradicts his own statement in which he stated that the vigilance bureau was looking into the allegations against the minister, Mankotia alleged. He said only a thorough investigation can reveal the truth. The minister and her family had purchased land measuring 1,000 kanal in Fatehpur area of Kangra district. Besides, her family had bought several lands in Shahpur, Dharamshala, and also in Una district. She also owns a house in Shimla and a luxury flat in Panchkula, he alleged. At first glance, it seems obvious that NSW has managed the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic better than Victoria. New daily case numbers in NSW are low. Life is closer to pre-pandemic normal in NSW, with fewer restrictions. And of course NSWs second wave can be traced to Victorias much bigger problems. Contact tracing seems better organised in NSW. It is more transparent than Victoria about how it is performing on the speed of contact tracing, for example. Transparent reporting helps give people confidence that the outbreak is being managed and that systems are in place to monitor what is happening and to intervene where necessary. Surviving the lockdown in Melbourne. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui People in NSW at the moment are likely to look with pity upon those of us who live in Melbourne. Victoria still has much higher daily case numbers, and we Victorians still have to live down the record of the disastrous mismanagement of hotel quarantine that led to Victorias second wave. So, should the NSW government and public sit smugly on their hands, safe in the knowledge there is nothing to learn from Victoria? The answer is a definite no. Capt Amarinder Chandigarh: Expressing dissatisfaction with Punjabs 19th rank in the Ease of Doing Business Survey, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said his government aims to put the state in the top five next year, with a new system of Deemed Approvals to be implemented soon to further promote business ease. The Chief Minister said his government was working on implementing a system of Deemed Approvals wherein online automatic clearances will be issued on the expiry of stipulated time period, he added. Advertisement Capt Amarinder Singh The process of setting up new industrial parks to attract investments from foreign and domestic companies was also on, he said, citing the upcoming state-of-the-art Mega Parks in Ludhiana, Rajpura, Bathinda and Mohali. Pointing out that Punjab was the number 1 state of the 20th century, Captain Amarinder invited industry to be a part of the governments efforts to help the state regain its pre-eminent position. Advertisement Reiterating his governments commitment to fully supporting investors as they strive for normalcy in the post-Covid environment in the coming year, the Chief Minister said his team of officers would do everything possible to help and facilitate the industry in Punjab. Inviting the industry to partner the state in improving its skill training and make it more job-oriented, Captain Amarinder said you need skilled manpower and you can absorb these trained youth at better rates. Capt Amarinder SinghThe Chief Minister was chairing a virtual round-table conference with some industry leaders on the job landscape and required skill-set for the post-Covid world, organised by Chitkara University, under the Punjab Ghar Ghar Rozgar and Karobar Mission. Advertisement Underlining his vision to provide employment in every household in the state, the Chief Minister cited the success of his governments flagship Ghar Ghar Rozgar Mission programme to increase employment and employability of youth. District Bureaus of Employment & Enterprise have been set up in all districts, he said, adding that his government was working to respond to the demands of skilled labour by the industry. Skill deficit in the unemployed youth is identified, and matching is done with employer demands, he said, adding that more than 8 lakh youth have registered themselves on the Pgrkam.com portal to avail this facilitation. Advertisement Punjab government The Chief Minister further said the New Education Policy would be tweaked by his government to suit the specific requirements of the state, particularly in the context of the post-Covid environment that would need a new skill-set for providing employment to youth. Underlining the unique challenges faced by Punjab, a predominantly agricultural economy that had been trying to shift towards greater industrialisation under his government, the Chief Minister said skill development for rural children, in particular, was a challenge. The New Education Policy, which the state was currently examining in detail, would need to be tailor-made to the needs of the state, he said. The world is changing and we will have to change along with it, said Captain Amarinder, adding that his governments efforts were aimed at stopping the brain-drain by promoting relevant education and skills, with the best of universities in the state. Mohali was being developed as a major education hub, with Plaksha University coming up there, he added. Capt AmarinderReferring to the challenges faced by the state, including the critical water situation, the Chief Minister said his government was trying to facilitate the shift from paddy to cash-rich crops, while also aggressively promoting industry, which had taken a major hit at the time of creation of Haryana. The pandemic had hit the industrial development process adversely, and caused the economy to suffer immensely, said Captain Amarinder, adding that even amidst the crisis, the state had received an investment of about Rs 2500 Cr. which is a strong sign of investor confidence in Punjab. Overall the state had received investments worth over Rs 64,000 cr on ground in the last 3.5 years in response to the new industrial policy launched by his government. MANKIND UNLIMITED reimagines fragrance for the man who knows no boundaries. The fragrance brings a burst of energy, creativity and drive to the adventurous individual who is confident, resourceful and has the vision to redefine everything. The fragrance is an explosion of invigorating scents contrasting with fresh spices and warm woods, combining elements from across the globe. A citrus top from Italy leads into a fresh aromatic heart of juniper from France and is blended with sandalwood from Australia and amber from Northern Europe. This variation of warm and cool notes adds a modern masculine edge to the vibrant new fragrance. "With its expansive notes, MANKIND UNLIMITED is a scent for today that creates a sense of positivity and empowerment," says Kenneth Cole, Founder and CEO of Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. "The fragrance lends itself to a mindset for reimagining everything, embracing change and exploring the possibilities ahead." Kenneth Cole partnered with perfumers Stephen Nilsen and Guillaume Flavigny from Givaudan to create the fragrance. "MANKIND UNLIMITED was inspired by my affinity for discovering incredible ingredients during travels. I long to explore again. This fragrance was created with ingredients from all across the world in order to transport the wearer to beautiful places and exotic destinations," adds Guillaume Flavigny. Citrus Aromatic Fougere The Fragrance Notes: TOP: Juicy Orange Zest (Italy); Ocean Water Accord; Mandarin Oil (Italy) MID: Juniper (France); Cardamom and Ginger (India); Clary Sage (France); Pepper (Madagascar) DRY: Cedarwood Atlas (Morocco); Sandalwood (Australia); Amber (Northern Europe) The Collection: 3.4 oz./ 100mL Mankind Unlimited EDT Spray $82 USD 1.7 oz./ 50mL Mankind Unlimited EDT Spray $62 USD The Packaging: The packaging is inspired by the strength and iconic style of NYC skyscrapers the bottle with its metallicized cap encased in an orange band adding a pop of color that is empowering, modern and invigorating. The Campaign: Shot by Sharif Hamza featuring model Malcolm Jackson on a rooftop of New York City. The shoot captures the vibrant compositions of the skyscrapers and innovative use of light. As a visual metaphor encompassing the idea of our protagonist living without limits, the hero was shot in front of an impactful structure. About Parlux Ltd. Parlux LTD, a leading global beauty company, designs, manufactures, markets and distributes prestige fragrances and related products since 1987. It is ranked among the Top 100 Cosmetic and Fragrance companies globally and holds the licenses for notable fragrance brands including: Tommy Bahama, Vince Camuto, Pierre Cardin, Kenneth Cole, Paris Hilton, Sofia Vergara and Jason Wu, among others. Parlux LTD is a wholly owned subsidiary of Parlux Holdings, Inc., an independent national, vertically integrated wholesale distributor of fragrances and related products. About Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. Kenneth Cole is an American designer, social activist, and visionary who believes business and philanthropy are interdependent. His global company, Kenneth Cole Productions, creates modern, functional, and versatile footwear, clothing, and accessories for inspirational urban lifestyles under the labels Kenneth Cole New York, Reaction Kenneth Cole, and Unlisted, as well as footwear under the label Gentle Souls. The company has also granted a wide variety of third-party licenses for the production of men's and women's apparel, fragrances, watches, jewelry, eyewear, and several other accessory categories, including children's footwear. The company's products are distributed through department stores, better specialty stores, company-owned retail stores and its e-commerce website. Over 35 years ago, Kenneth Cole leveraged his passion and unique brand platform to make a meaningful impact on people's wardrobes, as well as communities in need. He did what others didn't and said what others wouldn't. Today, The Kenneth Cole Foundation remains committed to helping communities in need by supporting Public Health and Civil Liberties. SOURCE Parlux Fragrances, Inc. Related Links http://www.parlux.com Dispatch from Crame No. 908: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on PNP's SocMed monitoring 9/9/20 Before PNP monitors social media for possible quarantine violators, why don't they address first the mananita that took place within their own ranks? Isama na rin nila ang marami-rami ring reported cases where the police themselves were found to have violated safety protocols. How can they be trusted to effectively enforce laws when they have no credibility? It becomes even more problematic because the police are making arrests based on their poor and biased assessment of the situation - not to mention the obvious disregard of human rights - including some clear issues of privacy. Even as the PNP assures that no breach of privacy would be committed, monitoring posts by netizens is a slippery slope towards illegal surveillance instead of ensuring peace and order. Imbes na magbabad sa Facebook at Twitter, ang dami pang ibang puwedeng gawin ng ating kapulisan para ipatupad ang batas sa paraan na patas at makatao. Subukan naman nilang simulan ito sa kanilang mga sarili. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday met Union Finance Minister in New Delhi and requested her to prioritise the setting up of new bank branches in rural areas to increase the reach of banking system in the state, officials said here. The chief minister accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong also submitted a memorandum to Sitharaman requesting the Government of India to increase Meghalaya's share of central taxes. The Union Finance Minister was also apprised on the overall financial position of Meghalaya by the CM, they said. After meeting Union Finance Minister, Sangma and Tynsong also met Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur and discussed on way forward for initiating externally funded World Bank and New Development Bank projects in the state. They also apprised Thakur of the three externally aided projects that focus on Health, Tourism and Road Infrastructure development in the state, according to a statement from the CMO. The CM and Dy CM also met Union Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairying Giriraj Singh and discussed prospects and interventions to be taken up in the state to promote cattle breeding, piggery and fisheries for economic growth and sustainable development, it said. They also called on Minister of State Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Arjun M Meghwal and discussed various issues related to the introduction of electric vehicles, particularly for short distance public transport. Later in the day, the chief minister met Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. In the meeting, Sangma expressed his gratitude to the Union Minister and the Ministry for funding the construction of P. A. Sangma Stadium in Tura. (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 American Red Cross needs people of all races and ethnicities to give blood to help ensure a blood supply as diverse as the patients who depend on it, according to a statement from the organization. For a small percentage of the population, finding someone else with the same blood type can be difficult. While the vast majority of people have types A, B, O or AB blood, some blood types are unique to certain racial and ethnic groups, so a diverse blood supply is important to meeting the medical needs of a diverse patient population. Patients who require frequent blood transfusions as part of their treatment, like those with sickle cell disease or other lifelong blood disorders, often need close blood type matches to prevent complications from their transfusion therapy. All blood types are needed to ensure that the right blood product is available at the right time for all patients. Make an appointment to donate by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Blood drives are also essential in helping ensure blood is available for patients this winter. To learn more and sign up to host a blood drive this fall or winter, visit RedCrossBlood.org/HostADrive. The Red Cross is testing blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. The test may indicate if the donors immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether they developed symptoms. Red Cross antibody tests will be helpful to identify CrossBlood.org. The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness, referred to as a diagnostic test. To protect the health and safety of Red Cross staff and donors, it is important that individuals who do not feel well or believe they may be ill with COVID-19 postpone donation. Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions - including temperature checks, social distancing and face coverings for donors and staff - have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive and are required to wear a face covering or mask while at the drive, in alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public guidance. Litchfield County blood drives: Canaan: Sept. 17, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., St. Joseph's Parish Center, 2 Daisy Hill Road Sept. 17, 8 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., St. Joseph's Parish Center, 2 Daisy Hill Road Harwinton: Sept. 17, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Our Lady of Hope Parish, 78 Litchfield Road Litchfield: Sept. 29, 1 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., Litchfield Community Center, 421 Bantam Rd New Hartford: Sept. 25, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., South End Volunteer Fire, 20 Antolini Road, Route 219 and 202 Sept. 25, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., South End Volunteer Fire, 20 Antolini Road, Route 219 and 202 New Milford: Sept. 19, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., United Methodist Church, 68 Danbury Road Salisbury: Sept. 30, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Salisbury Congregational Church, 30 Main Street Sept. 30, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Salisbury Congregational Church, 30 Main Street Torrington: Sept. 24, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., St. Peter Church, 109 East Main St. Sept. 29, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Torrington Elks, 70 Litchfield Street Mental Health First Aid course enrolling now Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based, certificate course that teaches participants how to respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges. The training teaches skills needed to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis. Founded in Australia in 2000, Mental Health First Aid is managed in the U.S. by the National Council for Behavioral Health. Participants will complete a two-step process, comprised of a 2-hour self-paced online class, followed by a 6-hour, Instructor-led class on Zoom. The virtual training uses the newly revised curriculum with expanded content on trauma, addiction and selfcare. Sept. 21, Step 1, a self-paced online class, must complete by 11 p.m. Sept. 22, Step 2, a live, instructor-led, virtual class, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-healthfirst-aid-virtual-certification-training-tickets-117759085595 For information, conact instructor Valerie English Cooper, at venglishcooper.mhfa@gmail.com. For more information about Mental Health First Aid, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org. The course is funded by the Northwest Hills Prevention Connection. Torrington Library provides Kanopy service TORRINGTON The popular on-demand film streaming service Kanopy is now available for patrons. Residents can now stream a vast collection of films and documentaries for free with a library card from Torrington Library, and to a range of devices including AppleTV, Roku, Smart TV, Chromecast, and Apple and Android devices. Kanopy allows patrons to stream 30,000 of the worlds best films - including festival favorites, award-winning documentaries, foreign films, rare and hard to find titles, indie and classic films with collections from A24, The Great Courses, Paramount Pictures, The Criterion Collection and thousands of independent filmmakers. Patrons can access the collection for free by heading to www.torringtonlibrary.org. Kanopys collection includes hits like Lady Bird and Moonlight, renowned classic titles Seven Samurai and Rashomon, indie selections Loving Vincent and The Bookshop and titles kids will love Dont Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus and Creepy Carrots - all available to stream now with a Torrington Library card. Chamber committee to meet TORRINGTON The Northwest CT CHamber of Commerces Government Relations Committee is meeting Thursday at 8 a.m. The committee works closely with the Chamber staff and regional legislators who follow the activities of the State Legislature. Registration is required; the meeting will be held on Zoom. Go to http://nwctchamberofcommerce.org A staggering new report coauthored by Professor David Vine at the Watson Institute at Brown University conservatively estimates that 37 million people, equivalent to the entire population of Canada, have been forced to flee their home country, or have become internally displaced within it by nearly two decades of unending US imperialist war. The analysis, published by the Costs of War Project, sought to quantify for the first time the number of people displaced by the United States military operations since President George W. Bush declared a global war on terror in September 2001 following the still unexplained attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon. Professor Vine and his coauthors note that the 37 million estimated displaced is a very conservative estimate, with the real number of people displaced since September 2001, closer to 48-59 million. That is as much as, or more than, all of the displaced persons in World War II and therefore more than any other war in the last century. It is difficult to articulate the levels of misery, poverty, hardship, strife, pain and death visited upon entire societies and endured by millions of people. The latest Costs of War report focused on eight countries that have been subjected to major US military operations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, the Philippines, Iraq, Libya and Syria. The two countries with the highest number of displaced persons were Iraq and Syria, whose populations have suffered for decades under US-led regime-change operations and military occupations initiated by both Republican and Democratic administrations. The authors estimate that 9.2 million people in Iraq and 7.1 million in Syria have been displaced respectively, in both cases roughly 37 percent of the prewar population. The authors were careful to note that they only counted Syrian refugees and displaced persons post-2014, even though US-funded and supplied terrorist groups such as the Al Qaeda-affiliated Al Nusra Front, the Islamic State and other Islamist groupings began operations against the Syrian government as early as 2011. If the figures were to include the previous three years, the estimates exceed 11 million. Somalia, where US forces have been operating since 2002, has the highest percentage of displaced persons with 46 percent of the country or nearly 4.2 million people displaced. Throughout the war on terror, the authors estimate between 770,000 and 801,000 civilians and combatants on all sides have died in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Yemen since US forces began military operations in those countries. The number of indirect deaths, that is, those who werent confirmed killed by military weaponry, but died due to lack of healthcare, infrastructure, or food as a result of US military operations, embargoes and blockades may exceed 3.1 million, although the authors noted that credible estimates range in excess of 12 million. While orders of a magnitude lower, an estimated 6,100 US military personnel and contractors have also died since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. If one were to include US deaths from Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen and the dozens of African countries the US military has been waging secretive covert wars for years, the death toll rises to roughly 15,000. Mentally and physically broken from the trauma of war, hundreds of thousands of US veterans have returned with horrific physical and mental wounds, from amputations and burns to post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. As of 2018, 1.7 million veterans have reported a disability connected to their deployment. The horrific numbers are a damning indictment of the capitalist system, the source of imperialist war and conflict. Since the fall of the USSR in 1990-1991, the US ruling class has embarked on an endless effort to reverse through military means the protracted erosion of its dominant global economic position and stave off any challenges to American hegemony in Eurasia, Africa and the Pacific. Despite President Donald Trumps recent statements in which he attempted to posture as an opponent of the top people in the Pentagon who just fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs...stay happy, the report illustrates that far from ending the illegal US wars or cutting back on military spending, the Trump administration has continued the aggressive regime-change operations, began under the Obama-Biden administration, in Libya and Syria, and accelerated bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Somalia. In addition to unending wars in central Asia, Trump has broadened the scope of the war on terror to include large swaths of Africa with over 6,000 troops spread out over 22 countries. In all, some 80 countries are now occupied by over 800 US bases, airfields, black sites and private military watch posts, costing over $50 billion a year to maintain. Trump has also continued the US military occupation of the Philippines, specifically the southern islands of Mindanao, where up to 6,000 US special forces and military advisers have engaged in a four-decade-long campaign to root out terrorists and counterinsurgents. In 2017, US forces fought alongside the Philippine military, providing weapons, training and aerial reconnaissance, leading to the destruction of the historic city of Marawi, displacing nearly 200,000 people. Since assuming the presidency, Trump has repeatedly boasted that he has replenished the USs depleted military under his watch. With the help of the Democrats in Congress, Trump has increased the US military budget each year in office, including signing a monstrous $738 billion budget for fiscal year 2020, a 5.3 percent increase over the previous year. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that arm sales revenues for the top five US war profiteers, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics, increased by 30 percent between 2015 and 2019. While the Trump administration has refused to publish a monthly Airpower Summary since February 2020, US Central Command declared earlier this year that US warplanes dropped 7,423 bombs on Afghanistan in 2019, more than any other year since 2006. Since Trump came into office, Afghanistan, with an estimated 5.3 million displaced since 2001, has seen over 20,000 US bombs dropped on the country, including the criminal deployment of the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (video), the most destructive bomb used in combat since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To paraphrase Leon Trotsky, capitalism has turned entire regions of the globe into a foul prison, with millions of refugees forced to live in squalid refugee camps, rife with disease and exploitation. The vast majority of those fleeing evictions, death threats, and ethnic cleansing, perpetuated by US-fueled sectarian violence in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Somalia, are not soldiers or radical terrorists, but young jobless men, single mothers, and unaccompanied children. Global travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have forced those fleeing US-instigated conflict to seek refuge within their own country, resulting in millions of internally displaced persons. Based on their conservative estimate of the 37 million total displaced, the authors estimate eight million people have been forced to flee across international borders as refugees and asylum seekers, equivalent to the entire population of Virginia, while 29 million, more than the entire state of Texas, have been internally displaced. Thousands have died attempting to flee war zones as the imperialist powers in Europe and America wage proxy wars throughout Africa and Asia in order to secure markets and resources for exploitation. The European Union has adopted a policy of mass murder, refusing to accept refugees fleeing from Libya and Syria across the Mediterranean Sea, leading to over 20,000 drowning deaths between 2014-2020, according to statista.com. A Democratic administration led by former Vice President Joe Biden would not reverse these horrific trends. As former Obama administration officials repeated throughout the Democratic convention last monthwhich featured a bevy of neoconservative war criminals responsible for the destruction of Iraq and nearly two-decades-long occupation of Afghanistana Biden administration, no less than Trump, would increase US military aggression, leading to millions more dead and displaced. While the human cost of the so-called war on terror is incalculable, the material cost to the US population is astronomical, with Brown University estimating the cost of the wars exceeding over $6.4 trillion as of November 2019. To put that in perspective, the US government spent roughly $260 billion to provide 13 weeks of enhanced unemployment benefits to roughly 30 million people, allowing millions of people to feed and clothe their families, while staying home in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. $6.4 trillion would equate to roughly 320 weeks of $600 weekly payments, or over 6 years worth. The US governments switch in 2018 from the war on terror to great power conflict portends an even more massive and deadly conflagration that will lead to the displacement and deaths of hundreds of millions of people. The ever-deepening crisis of capitalism and the global order, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, a trigger event in world history, poses starkly and urgently the question of building a massive anti-war, anti-capitalist and socialist leadership in the working class, capable of leading an international movement to put an end to imperialist war. City leaders in Cary, N.C., have set Feb. 28 as the date employees will return to office work.Yes, thats still months away, but setting the date puts in place a plan to transition in some form from a remote work setting to what many are calling a hybrid arrangement. While some workers return to city hall, others may continue to work from home, and still others may do a bit of both.I cant imagine thats a full office in February, said Tom Yeatts, chief technology officer and chief strategist for state and local government at ServiceNow, remarking on the plan by Cary. I imagine thats going to be certain workers. Maybe people who are more productive at the office, but want to return.But youre going to have to now manage remote workers versus onsite workers and treat everyone fairly. And I think thats going to be a challenge that policy will have to address also, Yeatts added, in comments during the North Carolina Virtual Digital Government Summit* last week.During the panel discussion, Nicole Raimundo, chief information officer for Cary, a city of about 135,000 residents, recalled the quick transition to work-from-home arrangements the city launched in March as the COVID-19 crisis swept across the nation. At the time, Cary like many cities anticipated remote working would last for a month or two. Now, nearly six months later, IT and other civic leaders are looking back on the many lessons learned, as well as looking ahead to a world where more workers clock in at home and even more government services are accessed remotely.For at least the near term were going to keep pushing as many sort of e-delivery, remote services that we can, as possible. And continue to think about new ways of doing work, said Raimundo. This, to me, is a perfect opportunity to re-evaluate that, and building out new services, not just for now, but in the future. Because I dont think were ever going to go back 100 percent to the way we were before. I just dont see that happening.If a sizable portion of the workforce continues the remote work pattern and many public-sector and private-sector employers are saying they will this opens the door for new policies and upgrades around areas like technology and management.When Cary sent its workers home, the city was rolling out Microsoft Teams, a video conferencing platform similar to Zoom. That rollout became more timely than ever, given the immediate need to maintain office communications from numerous remote locations.It was like instant adoption, Raimundo recalled. I found that a little bit fascinating, in thinking about how much time we put into training and tools, and rolling things out slowly and cautiously, and clearly, we didnt do that this time.Its going to take more than a video conferencing platform to effectively support and enable successful and permanent remote work setups, experts say. Management will have to become particularly attuned to ensuring all workers feel engaged and connected. Performance metrics may need to be re-examined, among other changes.I think its really important that we make sure people, our employees, that were still connected. That were still a part of the state and local government team and that were still part of the IT group, said Don May, principal architect for security at AT&T, in his comments on the panel.Keep the human touch on things, Yeatts added. This is actually a great opportunity for us to know more about our co-workers, even though were not physically with them.Its time where, we really need to embrace the, kind of, chaos, Raimundo chimed in. I think if we can do that, and just take care of ourselves, were all going to be much better employees. We really are.Government Technology's In a major global growth spurt, United Airlines announced plans Wednesday to expand its long-haul flying to cities in Africa and India, including a new 17.5-hour nonstop flight between San Francisco and Bangalore (Bengaluru), starting in summer 2021. It will be the first ever nonstop flight between the U.S. and India's primary tech hub, with a population of 12.3 million. The new SFO-BLR flight will be United's longest, at 8,701 miles. That is 250 miles longer than its current longest flight, San Francisco-Singapore, which clocks in at 8,446 miles. The flight will also be the longest flight of any carrier from SFO. Bangalore sits at a relatively high altitude, 3,000 feet above sea level, near the warm, southern tip of India. When you combine higher altitude with high temperatures, it takes a mighty powerful engine to launch a jet into the air for such a long flight. United's VP of international network planning, Patrick Quayle told SFGATE that the airline is working with Boeing on an engine enhancement to make this flight possible. "We'll also have some payload restrictions on this flight, which means it won't be flying 100% full," he said. United plans to use a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the route. United launched new nonstops between San Francisco and New Delhi last winter, and they had barely gotten off the ground when COVID-19 hit in March, canceling all flights between the US and India. Those flights resumed in early July. Quayle said that when the Delhi flights launched, United's biggest Bay Area customers (tech companies) were pleased, but what they really wanted was a nonstop to Bangalore. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts. From SFO, Air India also offers nonstops to Delhi, with connections to Bangalore. Travelers also frequently choose to fly United or Lufthansa to Frankfurt where there's a short 1.5 hour layover before connecting to BLR. Cathay Pacific offers good connections via Hong Kong. Emirates, which currently is not flying to SFO, also offered convenient connections on the popular route. Today's announcement also included lots of other route news, including new Africa flights, and a new Dreamliner flight between Chicago and Hawaii. Starting in December, United will fly daily between Chicago and New Delhi and between Newark/New York and Johannesburg. United will also introduce new service between Washington, D.C., and Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria in late spring of 2021. United Airlines In the summer of 2021, United will fly nonstops four times weekly between Chicago and Kona, Hawaii on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and between Newark/New York and Maui using a 767-300ER. And starting this week, United, begins new nonstop service between Chicago and Tel Aviv, the only carrier to offer this service. Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE weekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Patriarchy has once again become a topic of conversation in India following the prolonged media trial of Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was recently arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau. The actor, who is currently being investigated by three of Indias top investigating agencies - Crime Branch of India (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the NCB - caused an uproar on social media when she appeared at the NCB office for questioning, dressed in a smash patriarchy" t-shirt. READ: Rhea Chakrabortys T-Shirt is More Than Roses Are Red. It Promotes Campaign On Sanitary Napkins to Rural Women In the months since actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death by suicide on June 14, Rhea has been the target of an intensive hate campaign and an invasive, highly spurious media trial. On Sunday, the 28-year-old was mobbed and heckled by paparazzi while leaving the NCB office after an initial round of questioning. In just a few days, it became apparent that the constant scrutiny and questions raised on Chakrabortys character were not helping investigators find out the real" cause of SSRs death, (which Mumbai Police had initially ruled out as suicide) but helping quench many a sexist mans (and womans) need to quash young, independent women at any chance they get. Remember the Bengali women do black magic" trend? While many were blamed for the actors harassment including political parties, Sushant Singhs Rajputs family and lawyer, TV anchors and actress Kangana Ranaut, it is interesting to note that the latter is the only one among them to have faced sexism in return. The curious case of Kangana Ranaut Ranaut was one of the first actors in Bollywood to dismiss depression as the cause of Rajputs death. After first attacking nepotism and actors like Alia Bhatt, she went on to attack mental health and actors like Deepika Padukone. After Rajputs family mounted allegations on Rhea Chakraborty for allegedly deceiving him and duping him of money and investigators found out a drug angle", Ranaut started her anti-drugs campaign, claiming 90 percent of the film industry was on drugs. She also called Mumbai Police inefficient and biased for not being able to find out the truth in SSR case or bust the drug mafia of Bollywood. While we have to agree that Ranaut made vile, uninformed comments on many things including mental health, her attacks on Shiv Sena and Mumbai Police instantly earned her some sexist barbs from politicians. In the past couple of weeks, as the war of words between Ranaut and Sena intensified, the actor was subjected to a number of sexist slurs including Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut calling her a ha***khor ladki" (scoundrel girl) on air, and issuing veiled threats against her return to Mumbai in his editorial in the partys mouthpiece Saamana. While Rauts threats were veiled, Sena leader Pratap Sarnai even said that Sena warriors will break her face" in case she returned. READ: Break Her Face, Mental Woman: 5 Times Kangana Ranaut Faced Sexist Attacks from Sena and Cong The comments came after Ranaut claimed that Mumbai was like Pakistan occupied Kashmir. While Ranauts own comments reek of communal hate and divisiveness, and the actor herself commands an army of trolls ready to fight her battles in the drop of the word nepotism, the attacks of her prove that no matter who you are or what you support if you are a woman, you will face sexism, one way or another. Sexism against Chakraborty vs Sexism against Ranaut Ranaut has forever been a thorn in the eyes of liberals, feminists and critics of the government, thanks to her vapid series of rampantly sexist, and often hate comments. But the recent comments against her forces one to think - is lawlessness an answer to lawlessness? What is one to make of the threats of violence made by the members of the ruling dispensation of a state against a woman? Does this not promote violence against women? The problem with using a short-sighted definition of patriarchy as the peg to fight battles for a woman (or against her) requires one to analyse it from all sides. Just as the hounding, heckling and constant abuse of Rhea Chakraborty in the name of justice for Sushant" is patriarchal, so is threatening to break Kangana Ranauts face because she questioned the Maharashtra government. To say that Ranaut invited the sexism, the trolling and the attacks in response to her own sexism and trolling is the easy way out. It is almost like saying she was asking for it". And we all know how that narrative goes. Let this be clear, once and for all. No woman is asking for gendered threats of violence, misogyny or sexism, no matter what her stand or her acts. In the case of foul-mouthed public figures like Ranaut, the censure must come not from sexist netas but from the Constitution of India itself and the Indian Penal Code which bans hate speech while upholding the right to freedom of expression. Calling Mumbai Pakistan" is not okay. But threatening the woman who said it with physical violence in return is not okay either. No country for women Another inference that one can make from the Chakraborty-Ranaut conundrum is the fact that India really is no country for women. It doesnt matter if you are in support of the people in power or against it, it doesnt matter if you are guilty or not, it doesnt matter if you are liberal or conservative. If you are a woman in India, get ready to be face trolling and abuse, whether it is on TV news channels or on social media platforms or in scathing editorials written by politicians. Chakrabortys smash patriarchy" t-shirt has forced Indians to once again talk about patriarchy. Many celebrities have sounded the bugle, sharing the quote from Chakrabortys t-shirt and adding their support to smashing the patriarchy. Meanwhile, supporters of Ranaut and the team SSR" (and she herself) have called out Shiv Sena for its sexism and glorified Ranaut as a victim. Unpopular opinion as it might be, they are not wrong. Both of them are victims of patriarchy, even if the impact of it is vastly different on both individuals. READ: Smash Patriarchy: Vidya Balan to Anurag Kashyap, Bollywood Bigwigs Demand Justice for Rhea It is not possible to call out sexism and patriarchy against Chakraborty while ignoring the same against Ranaut, despite the difference in degree. Sadly for misogynists, there is no such thing as sexism beats sexism". The same is true for Team Kangana who is now crying foul at Senas comments. If you are against the verbal abuse against Ranaut, you can not support her indulging in the same against others. We all want to smash patriarchy", true. But as long as we continue to selectively mute out sexism and only adhere to tenets of feminism at convenience when one of our own (or ourselves) are under attack, patriarchy will keep rearing its ugly head. (This story was first published on September 11, 2020) Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here Russias ambassador to the UK has been summoned to the Foreign Office and ordered to explain the circumstances around the poisoning of the countrys opposition leader, Dominic Raab has said. Escalating pressure on Moscow, the foreign secretary said the UK was registered its deep concern over the alleged use of a nerve agent against Alexei Navalny, who was taken out of an induced coma at a Berlin hospital on Monday. After a meeting with the Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko, Mr Raab said he had called on the country's authorities to hold a full, transparent investigation into the use of a banned chemical weapon against the vocal critic of Vladimir Putin. His remarks came after the German chancellor said Berlin had concluded Mr Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent novichok the same substance the UK government said was used against Sergei Skripal and his daughter in an attack in Salisbury in 2018. While the Kremlin has denied it was involved in the poisoning, Angela Merkel said last week: There are serious questions that only Russia can answer. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office added: The UK government registered its deep concern with the Russian government about the poisoning of Alexey Navalny with a chemical nerve agent from the novichok group. The foreign secretary has made it clear that it is absolutely unacceptable that a banned chemical weapon has been used, and that violence has again been directed against a leading Russian opposition figure. There is a case here for Russia to answer. This took place on Russian soil, against a Russian citizen. They have international obligations to uphold. This is nothing short of an attack against the rules based international system which keeps our societies safe. Russia needs to conduct a full, transparent criminal investigation into Mr Navalnys poisoning. We will work with our partners, including through action in the OPCW, to hold the perpetrators to account. On Monday, Berlins Charite hospital said 44-year-old Mr Navalny was being weaned off mechanical ventilation after falling ill on a domestic flight in Russia on 20 August. "It remains too early to gauge the potential long-term effects of his severe poisoning," it said in a statement. The hospital noted that he was responding to speech but "long-term consequences of the serious poisoning can still not be ruled out". The latest attempt to oust an Oxford college dean failed yesterday after he was cleared of all safeguarding allegations. A Church of England investigation found that the Very Reverend Professor Martyn Percy had acted entirely appropriately in handling abuse allegations. He had faced four complaints made to the Churchs National Safeguarding Team in which he was accused of mishandling historic abuse allegations reported to him by former students. Professor Percy, dean of Christ Church college and its cathedral, said his exoneration meant a line had been firmly drawn under questions over how he dealt with historic cases. Annual Carol Service attended by Very Revd Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral and College, Oxford on 23 December, 2017 It followed internal complaints against the dean in 2018, which led to his suspension and the commissioning of an independent tribunal, The Times reported. Professor Percy was exonerated and reinstated a year later. But last year, a vote of no confidence was tabled against him. He lost but remained in post. The Bishop of Huddersfield, Dr Jonathan Gibbs, the lead safeguarding bishop, said yesterday: 'An independent investigation into allegations that the Dean, Martyn Percy, failed to fulfil his safeguarding responsibilities has concluded the Dean acted entirely appropriately in each case. 'The National Safeguarding Team (NST) followed the House of Bishops guidance when the four separate allegations were referred earlier in the year relating to the Dean, a senior office-holder. File photo of Christ Church College, Oxford University, Oxford. Professor Percy was exonerated and reinstated a year later. But last year, a vote of no confidence was tabled against him. He lost but remained in post 'At no point was there any allegation or evidence that the Dean presented a direct risk to any child or vulnerable adult.' Professor Percy posted on Twitter: 'Thank you to everyone for their support and prayers. It is good to have a line firmly drawn under this.' He has taken the college to an employment tribunal which is due to be heard in public next year. Christ Church college said that the church's ruling showed there had been 'no breach of the Church of England's protocols'. 'Safeguarding is of the utmost importance at Christ Church, and it is our obligation to report such concerns appropriately,' it added. New Delhi: Two CRPF jawans received minor injuries after terrorists hurled a grenade at their 40BN bunker at Lalchowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag on Wednesday (September 9, 2020). As per reports, both personnel have received splinter injuries and were shifted to Government Medical College for treatment where their condition is said to be stable. The area where the incident took place has been cordoned off and search operations have been launched to nab the attackers. (This is a developing story) International Literacy Day is celebrated annually on the 8th of September. The day was instituted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) with the first celebration taken place in 1966. Since then, the day has been commemorated annually around the world under the auspices of UNESCO and member states to advance the literacy agenda at global, national, and regional levels. Ghana joins the rest of the world to celebrate this important day in an eventful year on the global theme: Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond It is factual, every sector of human life has taken a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact has been dire. However, we cannot give in to the momentum of the pandemic. Closing our ranks and standing resolute against this virus which has disrupted every human endeavour especially education is the only way out. Education is a matter of right and human dignity and plays a cardinal role in individual and national development. Indeed, no country can boast of development without referring to the key factor of education. This is succinctly stated by Thomas Jefferson the third American President, "A nation could never be ignorant and free". At the height of the pandemic, schools had to be shut and students sent home culminating in the loss of physical contact hours. However, the Government quickly put in place virtual learning to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning. This is quite new to our educational architecture, as we are used to physical classroom teaching and learning. This is innovation responding to necessity. Subsequently, the United Nations acknowledges the novelty made in a short time to ensure learning continuity proves that change can happen quickly. They have set the platform to reimagine education and build systems that are more forward-looking, inclusive, flexible and resilient. The Government has invested substantially in E-learning. These are among raft measures to place education at the forefront of recovery agendas and protect the investment in education. Despite public spending constraints, Governments are urged by the United Nations to protect education budgets and include it in COVID stimulus packages. Basic schools are to reopen in January 2021. Hence, parents are urged to play their supervising role to ensure the children stick and stay to the various e-learning platforms seriously to stem the tide of erasing decades of progress made in education. Accordingly, the UN Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres warns of education catastrophe, pointing to UNESCO estimate of 24 million learners at risk of dropping out of school. Again, 24 million learners from pre-primary to tertiary education risk not finding their way back to their studies in 2020 following the COVID-19-induced closure. 5.3 per cent of these are in sub-Sahara Africa. Despite the efforts by Governments around the world, globally, there are 773 million adults and young people who lack basic literacy skills. Furthermore, 617 million children and adolescent are not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. This calls for concerted efforts to scale up basic literacy proficiencies skills. It is insightful to state that, Adult education is ever relevant in the circumstance we find ourselves now. Scaling up messages ahead of the pandemic calls for literacy in varied languages. This is where the Non-Formal Education Division comes in handy and remains ever relevant to speed up the dissemination of safety messages to help cut back on the spread of the virus. Despite the rage of COVID-19, let those in the education fraternity pact themselves on the shoulder for a job well done for ensuring continuity of teaching and learning. Your relentless and selfless service has ensured the out-of-school Ghanaian is not left deaf, mute, and dim to the pervasive opportunities education has to offer. Because education is a social responsibility to those whose feeling of hopelessness is heightened by less access to quality education. Let us keep our heads above the torrents of COVID in our service to humanity. Post-COVID-19 we will look back with pride and say, education won. Ayekoo to all in the education fraternity. Mission43 Offering connection and purpose to our veterans, their families and members of our communities that believe in honoring the memories of those we have lost in 9/11 and on the battlefields is what this event is all about. Mission43 will continue to give its members and supporters a meaningful, connected experience remembering the heroes who served on 9/11, as well as the military families impacted by the resulting Global War on Terror. The annual 9/11 Miles of Remembrance race will be held virtually in 2020, honoring the relevance of the day and the people who served that day and continue to serve in the Global War on Terror. Mission43 encourages everyone to be together in spirit on September 11th by going for a walk, run or hike of any distance. Mission43 will be leading the way to show that we can safely unite our communities and that there is nothing that can keep us from observing the sacrifices of our military families and first responders, who make our world a better place to live in. Mission43 Program Coordinator Dan Nelson said. Offering connection and purpose to our veterans, their families and members of our communities that believe in honoring the memories of those we have lost in 9/11 and on the battlefields is what this event is all about. Traditionally, the race has been an in-person event, but by hosting this virtually provides the opportunity for the nation to join us. The 9/11 Miles of Remembrance race is proud to be able to offer a friendly community for anyone who would like to commemorate the day, and stand with Mission43 and all Americans by registering for this unique event. Mission43 will also provide unique guiding educational and inspirational material about 9/11 and our response to the attack, as a resource for participants during their activity. We hope that this material will guide you through your race to prompt thought, emotion and connection to those impacted. We want people to unite in spirit to lead, learn and inspire within their communities, Nelson said. Date: Friday, September 11, 2020 Time: All Day Location: Your favorite route Cost: Free; $10 Donation for event t-shirt Registration: mission43.org/m43-events/miles-of-remembrance-09-11-2020 The changes brought about by the pandemic have significantly altered the contours of higher education. Suneel Galgotia, Chancellor, Galgotias University, shares insights on how to manage the triggers brought about by changing circumstances. Edited excerpts: How would you describe the current status of higher education in India? What are your views on the NEP 2020? I believe that the Indian higher education has seen a sea change with the government introducing the landmark NEP 2020. The New Education Policy, which is truly a much needed structural reform, is quiet commendable and has taken every step to achieve the holistic goal of providing quality education there by giving our country a skillful, talented, and professional youth population. Learning systems like online learning and digital courses are also being encouraged to accentuate the digital India initiative and the concept of continuous assessments will encourage the process of learning creatively and imaginatively. India will be promoted as a global study destination providing premium education at affordable costs which will bring a big boost to the Indian economy. The emphasis given to multi-disciplinary research will give way to high quality teaching and research along with choice to student to follow his passion in doing what he aspires and loves the most. This makes the policy is definitely student centric. One of the biggest transformational features of the new policy is the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction at the primary level. The top 20 countries in terms of GDP all use their mother tongue as a medium of education in imparting and dissemination of knowledge. Another important addition is the introduction of coding from class VI onwards will develop a strong foundation and build logical and analytical skills among our students. Tell us about the strengths of Galgotias University. I strongly feel that the biggest strength of our Institution are our brilliant and highly innovative students who are excelling in their chosen career path. It is because of the students and faculties that any educational institution gets a name and fame. Based on the feedback received from the top corporates and recruiters in the country, we are proud to say that our students have been making accomplishments, which are truly commendable, and they have made their presence felt in the respective fields. What are some of the innovative measures taken by the university to ensure learning in these unprecedented circumstances? The Covid-19 pandemic has given a big and renewed push for the online education especially at Galgotias. According to the World Economic Forum, global edtech investments had reached US$18.66 billion in 2019 and the overall market for online education is projected to reach $350 billion by 2025. Students at Galgotias University can take their pick from 50,000+ online lectures, 9,000+ e-learning resources, 3,000+ virtual classroom instances, 4,000+ online assignments, 10,000+ virtual videos, and 500+ virtual programming labs. They also have access to over 4,000 courses on industry-ready skills on the multiple MOOC platforms (for credit transfer). E-resources such as NPTEL, SWAYAM, UDEMY, COURSERA and MIT Open Course Ware links are being shared with all the students to enhance their learning curve. The pivotal role being played by our University in the students overall development and their accomplishments are making me feel proud about the esteemed Institution. Considering the current economic scenario, has placement of graduating batches been a major challenge? Galgotias University is proud to announce that Amazon has hired for intership which can be converted to full placements at a 30.25 lakhs package. We are proud of such recruiting partners and our brilliant students who have been provided this platform. Joining hands with Wipro and Adobe in terms of Academic Excellence Centre, Galgotias University established Adobe Digital Technology Academy; in which Adobe is offering two courses, which will improve the employability of the students. Galgotias University always had its focus on imparting practical knowledge to students so that they are industry-ready when they join the new age corporate world post COVID-19. Keeping up with the current technology and market trends, Galgotias University inaugurated the Adobe Digital Technology Academy in collaboration with Wipro Technologies. The university has already associated with other corporate partners to establish employability enhancement programs in association with Infosys-Campus Connect Program, Cognizant Compe10cy, Wipro Talent Next Program, Adobe India-MoU to impart training in digital skills in data analytics, tech Mahindra MoU to impart student training and faculty development programmes, Ericsson EMPOWER-University programme. The university is also offering certification courses to students in collaboration with NASSCOM for Cyber security and Data analytics, NIIT for Java and Python, CP CADD Centre, New Delhi for SCADA Development, ISIE India-Electrical Vehicle Design Opportunity, Electronics for you, New Delhi-IOT Development, Life Sciences Sector Skill Council - Competency certification for e-pharma. Students of Galgotias University have also justified these efforts of the university in terms of grabbing job offers during campus placements. We proudly observed a successful placement season for 2020 passing out BTech and MBA students while the placement season is not over yet. Highlight of the placement season is that 90% of eligible students from B Tech-CSE/IT, 85% students of overall all branches in B Tech and 92% students of MBA have secured job offers. In current placement season, 38 % students have secured multiple job offers and highest salary package till date is 30.24 LPA. I believe that our success lies in our students success in their careers. Going forward in the COVID-19 era, what are the immediate goals you wish to achieve for Galgotias University in terms of use of technology? The current generations of engineers entering the industry and manufacturing operations have backgrounds and experiences that differ in a number of ways from engineers with thirty, twenty, or even ten years on the job. Our engineers fresh out of college have been exposed to interacting with digital information technologies and all aspects and technologies for the new age industry requirements. The digital learning environment at Galgotias is absolutely state of the art with latest online tools, softwares and learning management systems for not only online teaching but online assessments and examination are being used by Galgotias which are taking their students much ahead of others by embracing technology. The mobile application and learning management system at Galgotias is dynamic and designed to assist students in every way possible specially in the post-pandemic world. Dancer Shayla-Vie Jenkins performs at the Christ Church Neighborhood House Farmers Market on Sept. 2. Jenkins and other dancers were previewing the virtual dance piece The Philadelphia Matter 1972-2020, one of the shows in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Read more The Philadelphia Fringe Festival has always been a different experience its kind of the point. Sometimes you just have to be there to really get it. But theres different, and then theres 2020, when being there is ... complicated. Beginning nearly six months into the pandemic thats brought most live arts to a halt, this years Fringe will be like so much else this year, largely virtual. What you should know: The festival begins Thursday and runs through Oct. 4. A complete lineup of events and ticketing information can be found at fringearts.com. There will be opportunities to leave home: Of the 118 shows scheduled from Sept. 10-Oct. 4, about 15 will be outdoors, playing to small, socially distanced audiences whose members will be required to mask up. There are also virtual experiences meant to be experienced in outdoor spaces. Theres more than one Fringe. Free Fringe Philly started last year to offer a festival for artists to showcase their works without paying the registration fee the main festival required, and to be able to offer programming for free. (This year, FringeArts waived those fees for its artists, in recognition of the hardships caused by COVID-19, and many of its offerings also are free, though as with Free Fringe, donations may be requested.) Theres a little bit of overlap of artists between the two festivals, which run concurrently, for maximum confusion. Information about Free Fringe shows is at freefringephilly.com. This is an opportunity to upgrade your virtual-meeting skills. Our work-and-learn-from-home culture may have made Zoom a household name, but not everyone knows Twitch or Discord, or is using Instagram Live. The FringeArts website includes instructions on how to use Zoom, YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Twitch, and Discord to experience this years productions. Consider this an opportunity to test-drive platforms without your boss or teacher in the virtual room with you. This is still very much choose-your-own adventure. With the exception of one that I mostly slept through (as intended more on that below), the shows listed here havent been screened by The Inquirer. Look to them as examples of the breadth of this years offerings. A full list of 2020s curated and independent shows is on the FringeArts website. Dance at a distance The Philadelphia Matter 1972/2020 (Premieres 7 p.m. Thursday on Vimeo, then available Friday through Oct. 4). Choreographer David Gordon in conjunction with Christ Church Neighborhood House, premieres a new screen work, pieced together using more than 30 Philadelphia artists working remotely and recording. Co-presented by Christ Church Neighborhood House. Tickets: Pay what you wish, $5-$50 for live premiere, free online afterward. Expansions Presents: Connecting the Distance (Sept. 10-Oct. 4). From Christina Castro-Tauser and Expansions Contemporary Dance Ensemble, this is an interactive dance video walking tour. Audience members will experience the performance by following a map to destinations in Mount Airy and North Philadelphia where QR codes have been placed to launch videos of dance performances. Tickets: $5. Take a hike TrailOff (Sept. 16-Oct. 4 and beyond, mobile app). Presented by Swim Pony, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Toasterlab, and Michael Kiley, this immersive, augmented reality audio performance uses an app called TrailOff to present original audio narratives that are tied to routes within the regions extensive Circuit Trails. Featuring stories by afaq, ari, Jacob Camacho, Eppchez!, donia salem harhoor, Carmen Maria Machado, Erin T. McMillon, Li Sumpter, Denise Valentine, and Jacob Winterstein. Tickets: Free. Download the app at www.trailoff.com. READ MORE: TrailOff, a free app created by Philly artists, is a nature activity suited for the times Performance, conversation, and healing American Chameleon: The Living Installments (Through Sept. 30, Discord and YouTube). Nigerian American artist Jaamil Olawale Kosoko and collaborators will present a hybrid experience involving video performance, conversation, and meditation to explore the ever-evolving ways in which digitality intersects with the fugitive realities and shapeshifting principles that Black queer people employ to survive and heal. There will also be a film screening, discussion, and healing session. Some parts of American Chameleon will use Discord, an app used by gamers that lets members of the audience interact. Tickets: Free. Meet someone Being/With: Home (Sept. 10-Oct. 3, Zoom). Nichole Canuso Dance Company presents a guided experience that connects two audience members through Zoom in "an embodied exploration of separation, connection, and the power of listening. Tickets: Pay what you wish, $5-$50. Social justice #AllLivesDontMatter (Sept. 10-Oct. 4, multiple performances, Zoom). From the Kaleidoscope Cultural Arts Collective and written and directed by Kaleidoscopes artistic director, Dr. Ardencie Hall-Karambe, this show is described as a love offering to the Black community. It uses poetry, song, narrative, and dance to explore politics, social justice, history, and the experience of being Black in America. Tickets: $5. To sleep, perchance to dream Vonzy Hall (11 p.m. Sept. 19 and Oct. 3, Twitch). I often read at bedtime, but its been a long time since someone else read me to sleep. I wasnt awake for most of this eight-hour experience, which had a pre-festival performance last weekend, nor did I exactly dream about what was being read as I eventually drifted off. But it was peaceful. Heres how performance artist Evelyn Swift Shuker describes it: This is a play that takes place in dreams. You put on your pajamas, you turn on the livestream (earbuds are recommended), and you fall asleep for the night. As you sleep, I read to you, guiding you on a journey through the city of Ravicka. Late in the night, everyone listening will collect at Vonzy Hall, the august recital hall in the center of the untranslatable city." Ravicka itself springs from the imagination of novelist Renee Gladman, whose books Event Factory, The Ravickians, and Ana Patova Crosses a Bridge, Shuker will be reading from. Tickets: Free, but donations welcomed. For the four-legged (or finned) Piano for Pets (throughout festival, online). Fill out a Google form about your pet and pianist Barbara Browne will perform and record an informal mini-concert especially for your furbaby or fish, purr-fectly tailored to their musical purr-sonality, then email a sound file of a 20- to 25-minute classical concert program. Its not clear how shell decide whether your pet will most appreciate Bach or Beethoven, Chopin, or Schumann. Tickets: $12. Information: pianoforpets@gmail.com. The Bard remixed 154 Revisited (Online throughout festival, revolutionshakespeare.org). In this production by Revolution Shakespeare, artists adapt William Shakespeares sonnets there were 154 for modern ears in a variety of formats. Tickets: Free. Donations encouraged. Homeschool humor Class of One: A Comedy Show about Homeschooling (8 p.m. Sept. 16 and 26, Zoom). Homeschooling and remote schooling may not be the same, but plenty of parents whose kids are back to school at the kitchen table can probably use a laugh right now. Six performers with experience in the homeschooling trenches share their stories. Tickets: $5. Family circus Circus Midway (11 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 4, Zoom). Classes and workshops in juggling, clowning, dance, acrobatics, and hula hoop from the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, with a live performance at 3 p.m. by members of the Youth & Teen Troupe and Circadium School of Contemporary Circus. Recommended for ages 3 and older. A list of suggested materials can be found on the FringeArts website. It incudes three old socks, the wackier the better. Tickets: Free with RSVP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Centre has formulated a scheme to provide an online platform to street food vendors across the country to help them deliver food to customers like big restaurants. In his address via webcast to street vendors of Madhya Pradesh, Modi said work was going on at a rapid pace on the platform. PM Modi, who interacted with three vendors from the states Sanver (Indore), Gwalior and Sanchi, said the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the poor and the societys deprived sections most. He added the government has made efforts to help them through various scheme. The government will ensure that those registered under Pradhan Mantri SVANidhi Yojna are taken care of and provided all basic amenities. The SVANidhi Yojna has been formulated for street vendors to provide them access to affordable loans for resuming their livelihoods hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Also read: Not just our products, Indias voice has also become global, says PM Modi Under the scheme, the government will see if the street vendors are getting the benefits of Ujjawala [for distribution of LPG connections], Ayushman Bharat [health insurance scheme], housing and other government schemes. If they do not... the government will work on it on a priority basis. Modi said the SVANidhi Yojna has given a new identity and opportunity to a large number of street vendors to resume and promote their businesses. He said 10,000 loans can be initially taken under the scheme. Modi added street vendors could improve their borrowing capacity gradually by improving their business and repaying loans on time. He called on vendors to come up with innovative ideas to take their businesses to new levels and work on digital payments. In the last four years, digital transactions have gone up. During Covid-19 period, we saw it was necessary also. Now customers avoid making a cash payment. Modi said many people talked about the poor repeatedly but the work done for them in the last six years in a planned manner was never done before. Several steps were taken...to help the poor become self-reliant and fight against poverty on their own and come out it. He said the Centres schemes have supported Dalits, tribals and other have-nots. Modi said the poor once would not go to the banks out of fear of papers but now 400 million people have their bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. It is because of Jan Dhan Yojna that the poor are linked with the banks, getting easy loans and could get out of tentacles of moneylenders. It is because of these bank accounts that the poor are getting houses without paying bribes. Farmers are getting assistance directly in their bank accounts. He said during the pandemic over 200 million women got 31,000 crore in their accounts thanks to the Jan Dhan Yojna. Similarly, under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, more than 94,000 crore were transferred directly to the bank accounts of more than 100 million farmers. He said soon every village would be linked with online markets and thus the world would be linked to villages. We resolved on August 15 this year to provide optical fibre to every village in 1,000 days. Thus every village will have internet facility and thus the villages too will benefit from the digital revolution. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Senior Democrats have warned that any attempt by the UK government to backtrack on the Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland would jeopardize a future US-UK free trade deal and could hobble bilateral relations across the board if Joe Biden wins the presidency. Biden, an Irish American, is a staunch defender of the Good Friday Agreement, of which the US is the guarantor, and which requires an open border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. [Joe Biden] is committed to preserving the hard-earned peace & stability in Northern Ireland. As the UK and EU work out their relationship, any arrangements must protect the Good Friday Agreement and prevent the return of a hard border, Bidens chief foreign policy adviser, Antony Blinken, said on Twitter on Tuesday night. People close to the Democratic presidential challenger said any UK move away from those parts of the EU withdrawal agreement that put the 1998 peace deal at risk would present a major impediment to a close relationship between London and Washington in the event of a Biden presidency. Richard Neal, the chair of the House ways and means committee which would have a decisive influence on ratification of a trade deal said he had been repeatedly assured by British officials that there was no threat to the open border between the two Irelands. This just came out of the clear blue, nobody was talking about this 72 hours ago, Neal told the Guardian. Joe Biden shares my position on this issue entirely Itll be a very significant problem and I have also reiterated time and again to the UK government that I cant imagine that we could develop a bilateral trade relationship if there was any return to a hard border. Democratic officials also said that if Boris Johnson proceeded with legislation that his own government admits would break international law, it would call into question the UKs trustworthiness as a partner. Even if Donald Trump secured a second term, bipartisan support for the Good Friday Agreement in Congresswould probably dash any UK hopes of sealing a quick free trade deal after Brexit. Story continues The Good Friday Agreement and the broader peace process must be protected if the UK has any hope of obtaining congressional support for a potential US-UK free trade agreement, Eliot Engel, the chair of the House foreign affairs committee, said. Related: We'll block trade deal if Brexit imperils open Irish border, say US politicians While I deeply value the US-UK relationship, its outrageous that Prime Minister Johnson is reportedly considering overriding critical parts of the withdrawal agreement that give Northern Ireland special customs considerations, Engel said in an emailed statement. These steps are necessary to prevent a hard border on the island and throwing Northern Ireland back into the fast lane toward potential violence. I urge Prime Minister Johnson to abide by the legally binding agreements the United Kingdom agreed to and I call on the UK and the EU to continue to negotiate in good faith to seek out a smooth Brexit transition. Diplomatic sources in the US suggested that the UK government might not have fully thought through the ramifications of its abrupt announcement and had been taken aback by the pushback in Washington. It is mind-boggling that Johnson would even consider doing this. He is breaching the only red line Biden has when it comes to Brexit which is to protect the Good Friday Agreement, said Thomas Wright, the director of the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution in Washington. If he goes this route, the Irish border will dominate the first six months of the UKs relations with a Biden administration and destroy any prospect of a much-needed reboot in the relationship. Kim Darroch, former UK ambassador to Washington, said: You could have a free trade deal, it could even be negotiated by a Republican president and get blocked in the House of Representatives. Darroch told BBC Newsnight he wasnt surprised to see a government lawyer resign because we stick by international agreements. It is one of the things we stand for. Wits, GCRO, IBM and Gauteng Province opens Covid-19 dashboard to public The Gauteng Province has been using data and cloud technologies to monitor and respond to Covid-19, and now they are sharing access with the public. As of 20 August 2020 the Gauteng Province in South Africa has 33% of the national cases for COVID-19 with 202,000 confirmed cases and the numbers continue to rise. To address this challenge, the Gauteng Province has been using a visual analytics platform developed by IBM Research Africa in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) and the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO). The dashboard visualizes anonymous data from multiple sources, including the University of Pretoria and GCRO, to help officials create policy based on data-driven decisions and to help the public understand their risk when they leave home. The dashboard was designed to address three key questions for policy makers: Where are the current hot spots of infection? What are the predictions for the spread of the virus ? What are the risk factors that make certain communities more susceptible than others ? For example, using the dashboard we can see that the initial locations of the pandemic hot spots were in and around Sandton as business travellers returned from overseas. In April the virus began to spread to other districts in the province, and thereafter we can see that the hotspots have appeared in the Joburg CBD, Tembisa and Soweto. Such insights can help officials decide where health workers are needed and the type of intervention strategy. Mduduzi Mbada, Head: Policy Research & Advisory Services Unit, Office of The Premier, Gauteng Province recorded a video for the Think Summit stating: We believe this pioneering initiative will help us win the fight on flattening the curve, but also to build a strong public health system and bring back the economy because of the impact of COVID-19. In addition to data visualization, the dashboard also has a what-if prediction engine developed by epidemiologists and data scientists at Wits University. The engine provides predictions for different lockdown levels for non-pharmaceutical intervention control strategies. Highly sophisticated data analytics such as these can give officials the appropriate instruments of estimating how many beds and ventilators will be needed at the peak of the wave based on level of alert. Policy makers can see the expected usage of hospital beds and the different kinds of health care setting using data from the Gauteng Province. Thanks to inputs from the Gauteng Province Department of Health, the dashboard gives a detailed account of the needs of the province as a function of time and location. Starting today the platform is now available for free to the public via the IBM Cloud. Using the latest Chrome or Firefox web-browsers anyone can access the dashboard to learn: How many active cases are there in my neighbourhood? When is the predicted peak for my neighbourhood? Are the number of cases rising or falling in the area of my local supermarket? I am thrilled to see a U.S. company like IBM collaborate with Wits University to assist with the public-health response in the battle to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a best practice on how society benefits when government, academic and business collaborate. The All-of-America response reflects the generosity of American spirit and the importance of our partnership with South Africa in the long-run, said Lana Marks, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa. The research behind the predictive engine has been submitted for peer-review and is currently available in the medRxiv offers the following conclusion: While lockdown measures have been successful in curbing the spread, our study indicates that removing them too swiftly will result in the resurgence of the spread within one to two months. Reducing the stringency index by 10 will delay reaching the apex by about 6 months, where reducing it by 20 will delay by only four. This indicates that post-lockdown measures should be staged and the reduction of the stringency index should be slow. The research was first presented back in June at the virtual Think Digital Summit Africa. The dashboard is accessible to the public at https://gpcoronavirus.co.za (Chrome or Firefox) Not every person who plans to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is the same, said Sgt. Kevin Briggs, a former California Highway Patrol officer who helped people experiencing mental crisis come away from the bridge alive. In the decade he was assigned the bridge detail, Briggs typically rode a motorcycle, and he would stop 10-15 yards away from the person, and gently walk toward them on the 4-foot pedestrian lane. He would first raise his right hand and ask their permission to talk. Hi, Im Kevin, hed say. Is it OK if I come up to talk to you for a while? Hed wait for an answer. It really sets a good tone for the event; you cant try to grab them, but you want to go up there and develop a rapport, he said. Find out whats going on with them. Ask how did they get to this point today; why do they want to end their life? See if you can get their story. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., with more than 43,000 Americans dying by suicide in 2018, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. That same year, there was an estimated 1.4 million attempted suicides. Suicide prevention resources Build a Bridge for Living Wednesday, Sept. 16 12-1 p.m. To register for the free virtual event, click here. Kevin Briggs will speak at this event about how to help save someone whose hopelessness and despair are leading them toward a mental health crisis. Legacy Community Health: 832-548-5000 The Menninger Clinic: 713-275-5400 National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 Trevor Lifeline for LGBT people younger than 25: 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678 Trans Lifeline for transgender people: 1-877-565-8860 Veteran Crisis Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 or text 838255 Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration See More Collapse A typical bridge intervention lasted about 20-30 minutes, but the longest one was more than eight hours, Briggs said. The retired officer will deliver a free virtual lecture Sept. 16 hosted by The Menninger Clinic on recognizing the signs of mental duress and how to better prevent deaths by suicide. I try to get them to come back over the rail on their own thats what Im looking for, he said. I want them to want to live, and then I want to take them to a local hospital where the mental health folks can come in. Dr. Jon Stevens, chief of outpatient services and psychiatrist at The Menninger Clinic, said Americans are simultaneously experiencing the Four Horsemen of Mass Trauma: an upcoming political election; a deadly pandemic; economic fallout from the pandemic; and an increase in racial tensions. People react differently to stressors, and people who are vulnerable to psychiatric issues have experienced a marked increase in symptoms due to the stress of 2020. Renew Houston: Get the latest wellness news delivered to your inbox In my office, people with anxiety disorders are experiencing a frequency in panic attacks; people with depression are experiencing more hopelessness, despair and thoughts of suicide, Stevens said. Those with bipolar disorder are more irritable; people with schizophrenia are more isolated and paranoid; and those with autism can be more aggressive or agitated because their routines have been disrupted. There has been a steady rise in suicide for years, especially for youth between the ages of 15 and 19, but also for medically ill individuals older than 65 and people who have lost a spouse, Stevens said. This year could be much different for those experiencing loss because of COVID-19, he added. On HoustonChronicle.com: I wanted to learn how to cope with the pandemic. It turns out the answer was locked inside me. With tens of thousands dying from COVID, these are major losses in peoples lives, he said. Theres a loss of stability and mobility, and those are other factors that can increase suicide risk (in vulnerable populations). The world has a crisis of connection, according to Kira Kai Kirton, a licensed clinical social worker for Legacy Community Health. Most of her conversations with clients revolve around their difficulty finding connections in a time of disconnection. To me, the mind is a problem-solving machine. When people are under high levels of stress, sometimes suicide is one of the solutions the brain can throw out there, Kirton said. One of the main things we can do to prevent suicide is to intervene in that moment. Many people struggle with suicidal ideation and never have a suicide attempt, she said. But these people often feel intense shame by their thoughts and tend to hide them from family, friends and co-workers. Talking about suicide is uncomfortable, Kirton said, but its important to not run away if someone you know and love says they are thinking about it. Do your own research, and have a list of online resources handy if you suspect one of your loved ones is struggling, she said. Eighty percent of people who die by suicide gave warning of their intentions to people around them, Stevens said. If youre not sure if they are talking in ambiguous terms, ask them about it, he added. If your friends are talking to you, my advice is to take it seriously, Kirton said. Be genuine, listen to them and try not to show shock or disapproval. Avoid trying to explain away the persons feelings because this can devalue someones experience and make them feel more isolated than they were at the beginning of the conversation. On HoustonChronicle.com: The pandemic has tripled the number of people who say theyre lonely. But theres hope. Teens are in the largest group at risk for suicide. For every one teen suicide, there can be as many as 200 attempts that follow in the school or area, Stevens said. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for teens after unintentional injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2009 and 2019, suicide attempts increased overall, and among female, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Black and 12th-grade students, according to the CDCs 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Nearly 20 percent of students reported having seriously considered suicide, according to the survey. More than 46 percent of teens who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual said they have considered suicide, as well as 54.2 percent of those who have had sex with people of the same sex or with both sexes. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is a higher rate of suicidal ideation, plans, attempts and attempts requiring medical care in transgender adolescents than in cisgender teenagers. Trans teens also have a higher rate of nonsuicidal self-injury, according to a University of Pittsburgh study of more than 2,000 teenagers. The suicide rate can decrease with more outreach, honest conversations and possible treatment, Stevens said. Sometimes, that means a therapist or medication, but not always. Its about access and being aware enough to know when a person is close to the edge. Its earlier detection, he said. julie.garcia@chron.com twitter.com/reporterjulie The pandemic will not stop residents from gathering Friday to honor those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Several towns will hold ceremonies in-person, while Danbury is opting for a video to honor the 19th anniversary. I think 9/11 in particular is always going to be extremely significant to America, to the world frankly, and for us to not recognize it would be in some way a determinant to our society, said Joe Beal, commander of the Brookfield VFW, which is sponsoring a ceremony with the Knights of Columbus. Brookfields event also recognizes the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and will be held at 10 a.m. Saturdaythe day after the anniversary of the attacks at Town Hall. At ceremonies across the region, attendees will be required to wear masks and keep six feet apart from others. Given the fact that we think we can do it safely with masks and social distancing, we thought it would be a boost to the morale of the community, Beal said. Meanwhile, Danbury plans to release a video recognizing the anniversary on Friday morning. Both chiefs and myself speak on behalf of, certainly our experiences, but also hopefully how our residents feel about a very difficult day for all of us, Mayor Mark Boughton said in his recent Facebook Live. He encouraged residents to leave flowers at the citys memorial. Bethel and Stony Hill volunteer fire departments will host a short ceremony in front of the municipal center at 6:30 p.m. Friday. We dont ever want to forget, Bethel Fire Chief Scott Murphy said. For first responders, it was a pretty tragic day. He expects the town will hold a bigger scale ceremony next year for the 20th anniversary. Many events for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day were canceled, so this is the first time some communities have held ceremonies like this in months. Given COVID and all the restrictions being placed on people rightly, this gives us an opportunity to come together and recognize something that is important to us all, Beal said. New Milfords ceremony begins at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane crashed into the North Tower. The public may gather in masks starting at 8 a.m. at the towns memorial in Patriots Way. In Ridgefield, the event starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the 9/11 memorial beside the walking trail around the Recreation Center property off Danbury Road. New Fairfield is limiting its event to 100 people, with the ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the 9/11 Memorial Park, the first selectmans office said. The state is planning a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the site of Connecticuts official memorial at Sherwood Island State Park, where attendees will be required to wear face coverings. Family members whose loved ones were killed in the attacks will participate, with Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz planning to attend. The names of the 162 victims with ties to Connecticut will be read aloud. Organizers said it was important to honor the anniversary even during the pandemic. Its so we don't forget the families and the first responders that lost their lives that day, Murphy said. Pandemic or not, it's kind of important. Kolkata: BJP MP and Union minister Babu Supriyo was booked on Tuesday by the police on a complaint by TMC MLA Mahua Moitra that he allegedly made comments intended to insult her. Moitra, TMC MLA from Karimpur in Nadia district, lodged a complaint at Alipore city police station and a case under IPC section 509 (insulting the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture) has been started against the Union minister for state for heavy industries. It was also learnt that Moitra's statement had been recorded by the magistrate on January 6 as well in connection with the case filed on January 4 alleging that the previous day during a live show on a TV channel the BJP MP had tried to make fun of her name by linking it to 'Mahua', a local drink, police sources said. The MLA, when contacted, said over phone, "I never met Babul. I don't know him. We both were in the programme as spokespersons of our respective parties. The comment is extremely offensive." Supriyo was immediately not available for comment. The BJP MP, through a notice from the Alipore police station today, has been asked to appear before them by January 12, the sources said. Supriyo, however, has replied that due to some pre-scheduled meetings he would not be able to appear before them, they said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The message of All In: The Fight for Democracy is simple, direct and stated in any number of ways: Vote. Vote because its your right. Vote because it has an impact. Vote because previous generations have fought to ensure that all Americans have access to the ballot often in the face of enormous headwinds, and sometimes at the expense of their livelihoods and even their lives. With Stacey Abrams, who was the Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia, as a producer, the movie interweaves a concise history of disenfranchisement in the United States with her own story, which throws the issues at hand into high relief. She has maintained that voter suppression in Georgia had a significant impact on the close vote that put her rival, Brian Kemp, a Republican, into the governors mansion in the 2018 election. (Kemp, in what critics charge was a conflict of interest, had power over the election as Georgias secretary of state.) Abramss sections of the film are also a memoir: She remembers her grandmother telling her about casting her first vote, after the Voting Rights Act passed, and how she still felt terrified to exercise her franchise. At another point, Abrams notes that chronic voter suppression has had a pernicious effect: It convinces you that maybe its not worth trying again, she says. Third Parthian skeleton unearthed in Isfahan 07/22/20 Source: Tehran Times Iranian archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient human in a prehistorical mount in Isfahan, central Iran, saying that is "the third Parthian skeleton" being unearthed there over the past couple of weeks. "Right next to the burial site of the second skeleton we [had previously] found on Tepe Ashraf, we came across another skeleton that was only its head was evident, and we dug below the [modern] sidewalk to unearth the [whole] body," Alireza Jafari-Zand who leads the archaeological survey was quoted as saying by ISNA on Monday. The senior archaeologists, however, lamented provincial officials, of both the cultural heritage department and Isfahan Municipality, saying they have not taken any practical steps to inject funds and [help to] expand the excavation area. "They have only given speeches about the importance of Tepe Ashraf and its discoveries," he said. Elsewhere in his remarks, Jafari-Zand said it is unfortunate that Isfahan has not a special museum dedicated to such treasured discoveries. "We are nearing the end of the seventh archaeological season [at Tepe Ashraf] and the skeletons [so far] found will be transferred to a room in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Isfahan. Of course, it is unfortunate that there is no museum dedicated to these valuable ancient monuments in Isfahan." The ancient hill originally measured some 13 ha in area, however, only seven hectares of it has been remained being owned by the provincial administrations (some six ha has been tuned into modern urban spaces). Over the past weeks, a team of Iranian researchers, led by Jafari-Zand, has found a new range of discoveries that offer novel clues about the history of Isfahan. They have also found an ancient burial containing the remains of a horse -- estimated to be four years old was found near a place where a giant jar-tomb was unearthed weeks earlier. "Tepe Ashraf is the second place after the Tepe Sialk (in Isfahan province) that has yielded the discovery of such jar tombs that offers valuable clues to uncover the obscure history of pre-Islamic Isfahan," according to the archaeologist. Excavations at Tepe Ashraf initially began in 2010 when Jafari-Zand announced his team found evidence at the site suggesting that the Sassanid site had also been used during the Buyid dynasty (945-1055). "We stumbled upon a reconstructed part in the ruins of the castle, which suggests that the structure had been used during the Buyid dynasty." The Parthian Empire (247 BC - 224 CE), also known as the Arsacid Empire, was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran. The Parthians largely adopted the art, architecture, religious beliefs, and royal insignia of their culturally heterogeneous empire, which encompassed Persian, Hellenistic, and regional cultures. At its height, the Parthian Empire stretched from the northern reaches of the Euphrates, in what is now central-eastern Turkey, to eastern Iran. A woman visits the Huawei P40 Pro+ stand at the IFA consumer technology fair in Berlin amid COVID-19, Sept. 3. Reuters-Yonhap By Baek Byung-yeul, Kim Yoo-chul After U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's request for countries to join Washington's move to restrict the direct or indirect use of U.S. technology by Huawei, its top Korean suppliers are rethinking their partnerships with the Chinese tech company. Pompeo said in a press statement Aug. 17 that Washington urges its allies and partners to join its anti-Huawei campaign. "The Department of State strongly supports the Commerce Department's expansion of the Foreign Direct Product Rule, which will prevent Huawei from circumventing U.S. law through alternative chip production and provision of off-the-shelf (OTS) chips produced with tools acquired from the United States," Pompeo said in the statement. The Commerce Department also added 38 Huawei affiliates to its Entity List, which identifies foreign parties prohibited from receiving certain sensitive technologies, while allowing Huawei's Temporary General License (TGL) to expire. The United States has provided ample time for affected companies and people primarily Huawei customers to identify and shift to other sources for equipment, software and technology and wind down their operations, the statement said, adding, that time was up. Peter Madsen, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall aboard his homemade submarine, has admitted to the crime for the first time in a documentary. The 49-year-old inventor, who was interviewed over the phone, answered 'yes' when asked by a journalist whether he killed the 30-year-old woman who was interviewing him in August 2017. 'There is only one who is guilty, and that is me,' Madsen said in the documentary which was broadcast on Wednesday. Miss Wall's dismembered body parts were found submerged in the water off Copenhagen after she interviewed Madsen on his submarine on August 10, 2017. Peter Madsen (pictured), who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall aboard his homemade submarine, has admitted to the crime for the first time Kim Wall's (pictured) dismembered body parts were found submerged in the water off Copenhagen after she interviewed Madsen on his submarine on August 10, 2017 The series was produced by Discovery Networks Denmark with the Danish title 'De hemmelige optagelser med Peter Madsen', or The Secret Recordings with Peter Madsen, and was released on Wednesday morning. During his trial Madsen had insisted that Wall's death was an accident on his submarine, but he admitted to chopping up her corpse and throwing her body parts into the sea. Wall, an award-winning reporter, had boarded the submarine to interview the eccentric and self-taught engineer for an article she was writing. During his trial Madsen (pictured) had insisted that Wall's death was an accident on his submarine, but he admitted to chopping up her corpse and throwing her body parts into the sea 'Apart from August 10, 2017, I've never done anything to anyone,' Madsen said in the documentary series entitled 'Secret Recordings with Peter Madsen'. Only the first episode has aired so far. The series is based on more than 20 hours of phone calls recorded between a journalist and Madsen without his knowledge, according to Discovery Networks Denmark. Madsen later authorised the journalist to use the recordings for the documentary. One of the last photos taken of Miss Wall shows her standing in the tower of the private submarine with Madsen on August 10 An autopsy report presented during the trial concluded that Wall probably died from suffocation or having her throat slit, but the decomposed state of her body meant examiners could not determine the exact cause of death. Madsen was convicted of murder and sexual assault in April 2018 and sentenced to life in prison. He later appealed against the sentence, arguing that life behind bars was 'disproportionate' and that her death was an accident. The appeal was unsuccessful and the court upheld his life sentence. President Donald Trump, who claimed that the coronavirus was under control and would disappear as the pandemic continued to spread across the country, acknowledged to journalist Bob Woodward that he knew early on the virus was far deadlier than the flu, even as he admittedly downplayed the threat facing the American public. According to an interview on Feb. 7, weeks before the first confirmed Covid-19 death in the U.S., Trump admitted to the former Washington Post reporter and author that he was aware the virus was airborne and highly contagious and more deadly than even your strenuous flus, perhaps five times as lethal, CNN reported. The Watergate reporter interviewed the president several times as the pandemic worsened and as the economy reopened. The interviews, recorded with Trumps permission, are part of Woodwards newest book, Rage, which CNN obtained before its Sept. 15 release. On March 19, just days after he declared a national emergency that led to widespread shutdowns and expansive social distancing measures to blunt the spread of the virus, the president told Woodward that he wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, he added, because I dont want to create a panic. In new tapes, President Trump admits to Bob Woodward he concealed critical details he knew about the coronavirus. "I wanted to always play it down." https://t.co/eICaAx70mY pic.twitter.com/zXNOZtIBx7 CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) September 9, 2020 Trumps comments to Woodward mirror previous statements during late March and early April news conferences, when he said he doesnt want to create havoc and shock even while shutting the government down and shutting down travel from China. Pressed on the fact that many public health experts warned that earlier action and a nationwide testing strategy could have helped saved lives, Trump has repeatedly focused on his travel ban from China and said in late March that he didnt want to be a negative person. I think a president has to be a cheerleader for their country, he said in early April. But Trumps admissions to Woodward about the threat posed by Covid-19 stand in stark contrast to his public statements in late January, when he told a reporter the outbreak was totally under control in the U.S., as well as frequent instances of downplaying the virus through February and later months. On March 9, more than a month after he told Woodward that Covid-19 was much more deadly than the flu, Trump openly compared the virus to the flu in a tweet. So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on, he tweeted. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that! So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2020 Six months later, the virus has now infected more than 6.3 million across the U.S. and killed nearly 190,000 Americans, by far the most confirmed cases and deaths in the world. Woodwards interviews were recorded with Trumps permission, and CNN obtained some of the audio tapes. CNN reported that the book also includes harsh rebukes of the president from his former cabinet members and administration staffers. Former Defense Secretary James Mattis told Woodward on the record that Trump is dangerous and unfit to be commander in chief, CNN reported. The book also includes comments from Dr. Anthony Fauci, overwhelmingly well regarded by public health experts as well as in public opinion polls, but who again made comments likely to draw Trumps ire. Fauci is quoted telling others that Trumps attention span is like a minus number, and that his sole purpose is to get re-elected, Woodward reports. In their final interview in July, the president told Woodward the virus has nothing to do with me," CNN reported. Its not my fault. Its China let the damn virus out. Former QBE chief executive Pat Regan has forfeited share rights worth more than $10 million after his shock exit from the insurer following a complaint by a female employee. In a statement to the ASX on Wednesday, QBE said Mr Regan finished with the company on Tuesday and will receive a payment of $310,000, in lieu of a reduced notice period, plus his statutory leave entitlements. Pat Regan was found to have breached QBE's code of conduct. Credit:Renee Nowytarger The chief executive's high-profile exit follows a complaint from a female employee last month which led the board to find he had breached the insurer's code of conduct. Mr Regan will not receive any grants from the insurer's incentive scheme this year and all of his unvested conditional rights under the Incentive Schemes will lapse immediately, in accordance with plan rules, said QBE. New Delhi, Sep 9 : The chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), Swati Maliwal, on Wednesday demanded speedy investigation into the sexual assault cases involving victims aged 12 and 90 years. Maliwal has written a letter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal requesting him to issue necessary orders to the police to file chargesheets in both the cases within the next three days and conduct a speedy trial that should be completed within two months. The DCW chairperson alleged that there is complete lack of fear of law in the minds of the criminals and the laxity of the system emboldens them to commit gruesome crimes against women and girls in the country. "The justice delivery mechanism in the country is painfully long and cumbersome which more often than not breaks the spirit of the girl or woman who has been raped," she wrote in the letter. A 12-year-old girl was raped and assaulted in the capital on August 4. The victim continues to be under treatment at AIIMS after suffering grievous injuries on her private parts. In another shocking incident, a 90-year-old woman was raped and assaulted in Delhi on September 7 by a 37-year-old man. The victim continues to be in deep trauma. Chinese tech giant Baidu is in talks with investors to raise up to $2 billion over three years for a biotech startup, which will use AI technology to discover new drugs and diagnose diseases, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. A second person confirmed the startup plan. Baidu is unlikely to be the controlling investor, the first person said. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity, adding they did not have more details on the investment as talks were still under way. Baidu's plans come at a time of increased investment in the healthcare sector since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many companies expanding into online diagnosis options to fill the gaps left by overstretched, overcrowded hospitals. WeDoctor, backed by Tencent, Alibaba's healthcare arm and Ping An Good Doctor have joined the fray to develop apps that offer diagnosis, prescriptions, appointment bookings, 1-hour drug delivery and insurance. But the startup under discussion plans to focus more on such areas as drug discovery and development, and early tumor diagnosis, by mobilizing Baidu's powerful artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can perform complex computing to produce biological innovations, the sources said. The name of the startup has not been decided, but Baidu came up with the idea as early as six months ago, one of the sources said, adding that Baidu founder and Chairman Robin Li has been personally involved in the project. Baidu declined to comment. Baidu open-sourced its Ribonucleic acid (RNA) prediction algorithm LinearFold this year. The tool aims to accelerate the prediction time of a virus' RNA secondary structure, which is crucial to understand a virus and develop vaccines. The healthcare industry, especially biotechnology, has seen a flood of money flow in amid the scramble for a COVID-19 vaccine and governments seeking to fix their health systems. The Hang Seng Healthcare Index has surged about 40% over the past five months, outstripping the Hang Seng Index that edged up more than 6% over the time. A human smuggling attempt was reported near Laredo Colleges Fort McIntosh Campus. On Tuesday afternoon, agents observed a gray sedan loading up several individuals near the college. Moments later, agents located the vehicle abandoned at the corner of Santa Maria Avenue and Benavides Street. Agents caught up to nine people and seized a plastic baggie with 17 grams of marijuana. The individuals were identified as immigrants from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala who were in the country illegally. Border Patrol had the vehicle impounded and turned over the narcotics to the Drug Enforcement Administration. To report suspicious activity such as human or drug smuggling, download the USBP Laredo Sector app or contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free at 1-800-343-1994. A man said he was to be paid $5,000 for smuggling 22 people in a recreational vehicle through the Freer Border Patrol Checkpoint, states an arrest affidavit filed on Tuesday. Walter Michael Morales, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport immigrants who had crossed the border illegally. Over the years, weve been stunned by countless body kits of all shapes and sizes. Some might treat your whip to a few visual refinements, improved aerodynamics or perhaps a bit of carbon fiber goodness here and there, while others will aim to bring about an outlandish transformation that is anything but subtle. This could mean anything from colossal wheels, muscular spoilers or ridiculously sized fenders virtually anything thatll make your ride look like its been taking steroids for the past year or so.Needless to say, Tra-Kyoto's approach clearly tends towards the latter. Thanks to their mind-boggling projects, this Japanese firm earned a reputation as one of the worlds most ambitious aftermarket manufacturers, and no wonder!These daredevils arent exactly your regular Joes when it comes to insane customization packages and otherworldly visual tweaks. To give you a better idea as to what theyre all about, well be having a sneaky peek at the extensive surgical interventions theyve performed on Toyota s GR Yaris.Before we dive in, Ill have to point out the obvious and say that the GR Yaris is one real MVP, even in stock form. Basically, this nasty animal is a suitable vehicle for day-to-day driving on public roads, but will be more than happy to prove itself as a rally-ready mean machine, should you be feeling a little adventurous.It is put in motion by a 1.6-liter turbocharged mill with three cylinders. However, dont you let that humble displacement figure mislead you into thinking this things messing around. The powerplant is perfectly capable of delivering up to 261 hp, along with a solid 266 pound-feet (360 Nm) of torque output within the optimal rev range.A six-speed manual transmission channels this sheer force to each and every one of GR Yaris wheels. Ultimately, Toyotas untamed beast is honored with an astonishing 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) acceleration time of just 5.2 seconds, while its top speed is rated at no less than 143 mph (230 kph). For a tiny 1.6-liter engine, these statistics are absolutely mind-blowing!As a result, it only makes sense that a renowned tuner like Tra-Kyoto (known as Pandem on the U.S. market) would eventually bless this super-Yaris with a healthy dose of widebody madness. By removing the lower grille, they completely exposed the cars intercooler, which appears to be a lot larger than its standard counterpart.Furthermore, you will also notice a pair of enormous canards installed near the air intakes, as well as an oversized splitter that brings a significant contributing to this bad boy's ferocious aesthetic. Moving on to the sides, we see a set of gargantuan front and rear fenders, accompanied by bulky side skirts. So far, it seems like the GR Yaris got pretty damn serious about its workout routine.At the back, Tra-Kyoto continues this bigger is better trend by equipping a truly humungous spoiler for additional downforce. It is joined by a custom rear bumper that houses a couple of large outlets, complementing the intakes found on the opposite side. Last but not least, the firm incorporated a robust roll cage inside the cabin to keep its occupants safe, while theyre busy having the time of their lives on the track.Ill conclude by saying that Tra-Kyoto's ruthless monster is, by far, one of the raddest, baddest and most rugged GRs Ive ever come across. In fact, Id strongly encourage that you head over to the firms Instagram or Facebook accounts to delight your eyesight with the rest of their incredible works of art! The President of the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA), Joseph Kwaku Obeng says the wrath between his Association and the Nigerian traders is fading out after a successful dialogue. He maintained that the good relationship between the two countries will not be marred by the recent trade war. Ghana has been in a good trade relationship with Nigeria over the years and well continue to maintain that, he said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie. GUTA has been in a trade war with Nigerian traders recently. The Association issued an ultimatum demanding the closure of all retail shops of Nigerians by August 31, 2020, threatening to unleash thugs to forcefully eject the Nigerians from the local market if their calls are not heeded. But a high government delegation met with the Nigerian authorities to settle the issues. The proposal was disclosed when the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, Femi Gbajabiamila called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House, Accra last Thursday. Mr Gbajabiamila, who is the head of a Nigerian delegation, was on a two-day visit to Ghana to hold talks with his Ghanaian counterpart, Speaker Prof. Mike Aaron Ocquaye, on relations between the two nations following the implementation of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act 2013, Act 865, which Nigerian traders in Ghana say was inimical to their businesses. Mr Gbajabiamila suggested a Ghana - Nigeria business council backed by legislation by both countries as the roadmap for a successful trade and business regime between the two countries. 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 The Plainview Fire Department was called out to two Plainview businesses on Monday. Fully involved structure fires were reported at a gin office at 1200 Andy Taylor Road and Johnny Cash Auto. The fire at the gin office was reported at 4:35 a.m. Crews found a single-story gin office with flames venting through the roof. It was brought under control by 5 a.m. Living in the West Indies and having little experience internationally, this may be a West Indies issue. Nonetheless, on West Indies social media an issue has arisen as to whether or not people should accept children outside of their marriage. To be honest, it has always been a topic that I thought about carefully before jumping to give my opinion on, as it can be a very emotional topic. This time around however, I reached out to some friends and family to get the discussion out of my head and also to get a sense of how young people around me are thinking and it was quite interesting. Would I accept a child outside of marriage? I am not speaking about second marriages where both parties have children. Rather a more specific issue. What if, for example, my husband had a child outside our marriage. In my view, it depends! The bible describe such action as adultery: Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, And he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. (Luke chapter 16 verse 18) There are under two (2) circumstances as to why I said it depends, here are my reasons against but in the same breath for the matter at hand Reason against 1. Denying truth If by any means I found out my husband has another child outside of our union and I confront him about it and he denies when the truth is that he went outside and had intercourse with another woman and happens to produce a child then that is a very hard pill to swallow and as a result, I would find it hard to accept. 2. Biblically wrong I know must people shy away from topics like these as many might say their first response is no because it is biblically wrong as stated in the 10 commandments: You shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20 verse 14) Reasons for: Whilst, I do not support infidelity, unfortunately, it is the reality of many West Indian and Jamaican households and families. 1. Sticking to vows Firstly, we made a vow to God on the wedding day, that we would be faithful to each other in both good and bad seasons. Now, I know youre probably saying but he wasnt faithful, because if he was, then such a situation would not have occured. While I agree, upon on reflection, the book of Luke instructed us: But, to you that hear: Love your enemies, Do good to them that hate you. Bless them that curse you, And pray for them that despitefully use you. (Luke chapter 6 verses 26-27) In my view, the scripture quoted above is simply asking us as humans to be an example. Therefore, in the scenario given where another woman is bearing a child for my husband I would accept and care for the child in an effort to display to him that, even though he stepped out and was unfaithful to our union, I love and respect him enough to help him deal with the issue. Furthermore, the child is innocent. It is just that he/she came into the world due to his unfaithfulness. 2. Cannot produce Secondly, my reason for saying yes to the acceptance of an outside child or my step-child if you prefer, is if the chances of me producing god-forbid a child(ren) will be life-threatening. However, communication about this approaches I would very much be appreciated In conclusion, the decision about accepting a child outside of your marital union who came into existence while together for any number of years, should be carefully considered. Some will respond with the love of Christ and bring that child into a warm and loving home. Others might be warned off from a religious standpoint. In Jamaican terms, come hell or eye-water, sticking to wedding vows. Another question might relate to the child having a disability or a life threatening illness. Attending counseling, speaking to your Christian trusted friends, and your Minister need to be part of the issue. The assembly session met for the first time on Wednesday since March this year and was adjourned sine die after obituary references. The house met for the single day monsoon session with all precautionary measures as the government is not keen on holding a long session in view of the pandemic. The session was summoned following all COVID-19 norms. This was the first sitting of the house after March this year when the session was curtailed due to the pandemic. The BJP legislative party organised a sit-in in the assembly premises in protest against the violence in the state and killing of the party's leaders in the state. "We decided to stage a demonstration near the Ambedkar statue in protest against the killing of party workers across the state," BJP legislative party leader Manoj Tigga 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.) By Associated Press WASHINGTON: The United States is reducing its troop presence in Iraq this month from 5,200 to 3,000, the top American commander for the Middle East said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump tries to make good on his campaign promise to get the United States out of "endless wars." During a visit to Iraq, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, said the reduction in Iraq reflects U.S. confidence in the ability of US-trained Iraqi security forces to handle the militant threat from the Islamic State group, which entered Iraq from Syria in 2014. Late Tuesday, a senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters aboard Air Force One that such an announcement was coming and that an announcement on the withdrawal of additional troops from Afghanistan also could be expected in the coming days. Trump has been trying to make the case that he has fulfilled the promises he made four years ago as he campaigns for a second term. ALSO READ | Donald Trump nominated for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for brokering UAE-Israel peace deal US forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001. They invaded Iraq in 2003 and left in 2011 but returned in 2014 after the Islamic State group overran large parts of Iraq. "In recognition of the great progress the Iraqi forces have made and in consultation and coordination with the government of Iraq and our coalition partners, the United States has decided to reduce our troop presence in Iraq from about 5,200 to 3,000 troops during the month of September," McKenzie said, according to an excerpt of his remarks provided by his office. McKenzie said the remaining US troops would continue advising and assisting Iraqi security forces as they attempt to root out remnants of the Islamic State group, sometimes called ISIS. "The U.S. decision is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to the ultimate goal, which is an Iraqi security force that is capable of preventing an ISIS resurgence and of securing Iraq's sovereignty without external assistance," McKenzie said. "The journey has been difficult, the sacrifice has been great, but the progress has been significant." Tensions spiked between the US and Iraq in January after a U.S.S.drone strike near the Baghdad airport killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Angry Iraqi lawmakers, spurred on by Shiite political factions, passed a nonbinding resolution to oust all U.S-led coalition forces from the country. In response to the Soleimani killing, Iran on January 8 launched a ballistic missile attack on al-Asad air base in Iraq, which resulted in traumatic brain injuries to more than 100 American troops. Two months later, US fighter jets struck five sites in retaliation, targeting Iranian-backed Shiite militia members believed responsible for the January rocket attack.USA In order to implement the National Education Policy, 2020 in the state, the education department has now formed various committees to give their suggestions and recommendations to the government. In a government resolution released on September 8, the department announced the formation of a five-member coordinating committee which would collate suggestions received from experts. The coordinating committee, consisting of officials from Pune and Chandrapur Zilla Parishads, State Council of Educational Research and Training and states publishing bureau Balbharti has to submit its report to the government by October 15. The committee will collate the suggestions received from various stakeholders in the past and in the coming days. A draft guideline would be prepared for its implementation in the state, states the GR. After the Union cabinet passed the National Education Policy 2020 last month, the state education department held several consultations with experts and stakeholders over its implementation. All the suggestions and recommendations made in these consultation meetings shall be taken into consideration for the report, said a member of the coordinating committee. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Moscow, Russia Wed, September 9, 2020 08:55 499 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c439f747 2 World Russia,coronavirus,coronavirus-effect,COVID-19,economic-impact,military-spending,budget-cut Free Russia is considering cutting spending on the military as low oil prices and the coronavirus crisis have pummeled its economy, a document published by the finance ministry shows. The ministry has proposed the government cut state spending on the military by 5% between 2021 and 2023. The proposal, published on Monday, also includes budget spending cuts of 10% for other types of spending but excludes the court system, the servicing of Russia's debt and wages for civil servants. Russia, which flexed its military muscle with its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and intervention in the Syrian conflict, dropped out of the list of the top five biggest military spenders in 2018 after its spending fell 3.5%. Last year it returned as the world's fourth largest military spender and increased its military expenditures by 4.5% to $65.1 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. That amount corresponded to 3.9% of its gross domestic product, it said. President Vladimir Putin has called for better living standards and investment in healthcare and education. Some government officials have called for lower military spending to free up funds for such initiatives. Military expenditures have increased under Putin, but the Kremlin said in 2018 that Russia would cut its defense budget to less than 3% of GDP within the next five years. Exact figures for military funding are considered a state secret in Russia, but in 2018 the defense ministry said 20 trillion rubles ($282 billion) had been earmarked for the construction of military infrastructure under a new armament program for 2018-2027. The World Bank expects the Russian economy to contract by 6% this year. The advertising industry is in for some clean-up with the release of draft guidelines for prevention of misleading advertisements by the Consumer Affairs Ministry. The guidelines also provide for due diligence for endorsement of advertisements. Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (Act 35 of 2019), the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is empowered to issue necessary guidelines to prevent unfair trade practices and protect consumers interest. The guidelines cover all advertising/ marketing communications regardless of form, format or medium and are applicable to the manufacturer/ service provider whose products/ services are the subject of the advertising/ marketing communications, as well as to the advertisement agency and endorser (wherever applicable) of the product/ service. Also read: Govt moves to clean up advertising act; frames guidelines for prevention of misleading ads Giving her perspective on the guidelines, Aazmeen Kasad, Advocate & Professor of Law, Member of the Consumer Complaints Council of the Advertising Standards Council of India, said, After the formation of the Central Consumer Protection Authority under the newly enforced Consumer Protection Act, 2019, these Guidelines are a natural corollary; and a welcome step to serve as an effective and integral means for the CCPA and the advertising industry to ensure adherence to and compliance with the Consumer Protection law. Anupama Ramaswamy, Managing Partner and National Creative Director, Dentsu Impact, noted, While the proposed guidelines touch upon disclaimers, expert opinions, comparative advertising, freebie advertising, it also includes brand celebs, which to me is a first. How this will affect influencer and celebrity advertising is what we need to see in the coming months. The guidelines put a larger responsibility on endorsers and brand ambassadors now. While we know that the endorser doesnt really use the product, they can no longer just endorse a product and back its claims without checking with the brand on its authenticity. Also, no longer can a brand create a fictional character to back the claims their making. These guidelines are important as they will now make the endorser more responsible and also avoid confusion in the consumers minds, protecting his or her rights. According a 2019 report by WPP, titled Content, Conversation and Commerce, 44 per cent of the consumers are influenced by celebrity endorsements and make buying decisions accordingly. These new guidelines will definitely impact endorsement deals. They will make it difficult for endorsers to back products and endorsers might now even start charging more for endorsing brands. Ramaswamy remarked, Celebs with a conscience if we are looking for that, well what can I possibly say? Well tried. However, to expect all of them to test and use and then endorse thats a tough one. The celebrity managers are the ones who need to be careful while doing the contract. Because, I see this becoming part of contracts moving forward. One of the biggest characteristics of these guidelines is that they span across mediums. Hence, these guidelines even span to the influencer marketing category. Many influencers endorse various products, especially local products, on their social media platforms. They have a massive influence on their audience and often affect the audiences buying decision while also introducing them to new products. The Millennials and GenZ are the ones most influenced by this kind of marketing and hence, it is important that these guidelines covered the digital sector. The advertising targeted at kids have also been covered under the purview of the guidelines. Brands arent allowed to showcase advertisements which might create unrealistic expectations in the childs mind. Hence, several kids brands that showcase extraordinary aspects of their products or exaggerate the results than what they really are, will need to curb this communication and relook at their advertising strategy. Earlier in August 2020, ASCI Chairman Rohit Gupta, commenting on the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, had said, ASCI welcomes the Consumer Protection Act set to be enforced from July 20, 2020. Our efforts, as the advertising self regulatory body, are also to protect consumers interest. We expect to see a significant impact in the control of misleading advertisements currently very high in Education as well as Healthcare products and services sector and Teleshopping genre. He further said, We will soon be launching monitoring of potentially misleading advertisements appearing on Digital Media, in addition to Print and TV surveillance. We see our role to be complementary and promoting responsible advertising by providing guidance to marketers and celebrities via Code For Self Regulation in Advertising and Guidelines thereof. ASCI had also tweeted, calling the Act a game changer when it comes to consumer empowerment. They said that it would provide better protection against misleading claims. Meanwhile, several brands and ad agencies that Adgully reached out to for their reactions and comments on the advertising guidelines refrained from commenting, saying that they were examining the guidelines and would require more time to understand their full implications. Will this really lead to some much needed cleaning up in the brand communications and put an end to misleading ads? Its a wait and watch as brands and ad agencies return to the drawing board. Leading cancer scientists working with the New York Genome Center (NYGC) announced today that grants are being awarded to fund six projects that address the role of ethnicity in several major cancer types, taking advantage of the diversity of patients being treated at health care institutions throughout the New York City area. The awards are being made under the auspices of a NYGC research initiative, called Polyethnic-1000 (P-1000), which was launched in 2018 to help address cancer care inequities in underserved populations. Participants in the P-1000 initiative include cancer clinicians and investigators representing all of the NYGC's member institutions, including six of New York City's NCI-Designated Cancer Centers. The initiative is overseen by the Genome Center Cancer Group, led by nationally recognized cancer experts Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus, MD, Senior Associate Core Member, NYGC, and Lewis Thomas University Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Charles Sawyers, MD, Chair, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Chair, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Recent advances in DNA sequencing and analysis have revolutionized approaches to the prevention, risk assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers. However, many ethnic groups, especially non-European minorities, have been significantly under-represented in cancer research, including clinical trials, and have not received equal benefits in clinical practice. As a result, current knowledge of tumor biology, cancer risk, and response to treatment has been primarily derived from patients of European descent. These inequities limit the understanding of the many types of cancer and may exacerbate health disparities in the United States. This is a remarkably exciting time in cancer research. Technological advances have enabled scientists to conduct comprehensive genomic studies that are leading to the development of next-generation therapies, as well as diagnostic and preventative public health strategies. The objective of P-1000 is to democratize and broaden access to the power and potential of cancer genomics." Dr. Harold Varmus, MD, Senior Associate Core Member, NYGC Dr. Tom Maniatis, the Scientific Director and CEO of the NYGC, and the Isidore Edelman Professor of Biochemistry at the Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University, commented, "The P-1000 project is exactly the kind of collaborative scientific initiative the founders of the NYGC had in mind when establishing the center in 2011. Both the scientific investigators and the participating patients are from the network of NYGC "Institutional Founding Member" hospitals throughout the city and Long Island. The initiative benefits from the extraordinary scientific talent of the cancer centers involved, and the exceptional ethnic diversity of cancer patients in New York." The six new research projects follow the first phase of P-1000, in which a multi-institutional network of collaborators was developed throughout New York City, including scientists, pathologists, local Institutional Review Boards and administrators; a scientific leadership steering committee and review board were established; a centralized, secure system for data management, sharing, analysis and quality controls was created; and a data sharing platform, including visualization tools, was developed. For this next phase of P-1000, request for proposals was distributed to the members of the P-1000 community with the aim of identifying projects that would provide the greatest benefit to under-represented ethnic populations. An external review board composed of six esteemed scientists and physicians, all experts in cancer biology and cancer health disparities, reviewed the proposals and selected the projects. Chaired by Dr. Deborah Schrag (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), the board also included Dr. Otis Brawley (Johns Hopkins), Dr. Funmi Olopade (University of Chicago), Dr. Susan Domchek (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Stephen Chanock (NCI), and Dr. David Beer (University of Michigan). The awardees were selected based on relevance, innovation, experimental design, achievability, and most effective use of the P-1000 network. These new research grants have been made possible by generous gifts from NYGC Board member Weslie Janeway, the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Family Foundation, The New York Community Trust, Donna and Ben Rosen, and with support from Illumina, Inc. Funding of the first phase of the project was provided by The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. "We are very grateful for the visionary philanthropic support that enables researchers to help answer a difficult and important question," said Dr. Varmus. "How do cancers differ in patients with different genetic backgrounds?" The award-winning cancer research projects include: "Immunogenomic Determinants of Ethnic Disparities in Clinical Outcomes for Urothelial Cancer Patients," a Weill Cornell Medicine study to determine how ethnic diversity affects the clinical outcomes of bladder cancer. The multi-disciplinary team will be led by Drs. Bishoy Faltas and Olivier Elemento, Weill Cornell Medicine. "Molecular Determinants of Increased Vulnerability to Pancreatic Cancer Among African Americans," a multi-institutional study to understand why this patient population has higher incidences and lower survival rates after diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in comparison to other populations. Lead investigators include: Drs. Alexander Krasnitz, David Tuveson, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Drs. Jeff Boyd, Matthew Weiss, James Crawford, Noah Kauff, Northwell Health; Drs. Laura Martello-Rooney, Shivakumar Vignesh, Evan Grossman, Francesco Serafini, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and Kings County Medical Center. "Ethnic-based Differences Between East Asian and Caucasian Patients in Genomic, Transcriptomic and Immune Profiles of Pre-invasive and Invasive Adenocarcinoma of the Lung," a study that aims to identify the somatic alterations in non-solid lung nodules in East Asian and Caucasian patients that explain the significant demographic, clinical and biological differences between these two groups. The multi-disciplinary research team includes Drs. Nasser Altorki, Alain Borczuk, Timothy McGraw, Giuseppe Giacconi, Olivier Elemento, Weill Cornell Medicine. "Molecular Links between Ancestry and Outcome Disparity in Breast and Prostate Cancer Patients Across the African Diaspora in New York City," a study to identify molecular links between African ancestry and aggressive forms of breast and prostate cancer and investigate these as a source of racial disparities in cancer outcomes. Co-PIs include: Drs. Olivier Elemento, Cora Sternberg, Juan Miguel Mosquera, Melissa Davis, Weill Cornell Medicine; Dr. Marcin Imielinski, New York Genome Center; Dr. Paz Polak, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Dr. Lisa Newman, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "Uncovering the Mechanisms of Colorectal Cancer Disparities in African Americans," a study by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. The project aims to employ a multipronged approach to interrogate the genetic and non-genetic factors that can improve understanding of colorectal cancer in African American patient populations. Co-PIs include: Drs. Semir Beyaz, Hannah Meyer, Richard McCombie, Fieke Froeling, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Drs. Laura Martello-Rooney, Mohammad Almeqdadi, Henry Talus, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. "Mechanisms of Endometrial Cancer Disparities in African Americans," a collaborative study by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, and Northwell Health. The aim is to establish an annotated biobank and create the necessary clinical and experimental frameworks to gain new insights about the endometrial cancer disparities in African Americans. Lead investigators include: Drs. Semir Beyaz, Hannah Meyer, Richard McCombie, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Drs. Onyinye Balogun, Hani Ashamalla, Tan Ince, Margaux Kanis, Constantine Gorelick, NewYork-Presbyterian/Brooklyn Methodist; Dr. Wen Shen, Weill Cornell Medicine; Drs. Gary Goldberg, Marina Frimer, Aaron Nizam, Northwell Health. Over the course of the next two years, the funded researchers will work with academic health centers and community hospitals throughout the New York City region to recruit patients, perform whole-genome and RNA sequencing with cancers and normal tissues to identify differences between ethnicities that may account for disparities in occurrence, response to treatment, and survival for the cancer types under study. Findings from the projects will be shared with the research community. Data will be stored in a repository maintained by the NYGC that will serve as a global resource for efforts to understand the roles of ethnic diversity in cancer. The Australian bull weighed 1212 pounds. Stuck in a paddock, 30 kilometres outside Beijing, it was lonely and fat, reported Margaret Jones in her first dispatch from China almost half a century ago. It was 1973 and the Whitlam government had sent the bull as a gift to the Chinese Communist Party after the two countries established diplomatic relations. The trailblazing Jones, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's first China correspondent, had arrived in the same month to establish the first Beijing bureau for the mastheads. Saber Bogong, the bull, would flourish as Australian-Chinese relations embarked on economic partnership that saw Australian resources fuel China's economy to the second largest in the world within 50 years. Margaret Jones in China in 1973. Credit:Margaret Jones That connection between economic growth and foreign press freedom was severed this week. The last two accredited Australian journalists working for Australian media have left China, forced out after years of rising surveillance, intimidation and harassment. It culminated in the ABC's Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review's Michael Smith taking shelter in Australian diplomatic missions before being forced to leave on Monday. Where once being questioned by Chinese authorities was an acceptable occupational hazard, the risk of now being detained for extended periods of time on spurious charges has become palpable. The pair were interviewed over their connection to Cheng Lei, the Chinese-born Australian TV anchor who is now facing national security charges. Both say they have had little to no contact with the Chinese state-TV business reporter. The specific claims against her remain unknown. It's been eight years since they first worked together bringing The Hunger Games to the big screen. And Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence still keep in touch. Hutcherson, 27, revealed in an interview with ET that he enjoyed a 'socially-distanced dinner' with Lawrence, 30, over the summer. In touch: It's been eight years since they starred in The Hunger Games, pictured.And over the summer, Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence caught up over a 'socially-distanced dinner' 'I saw Jen during quarantine, got to have dinner together,' the actor told the outlet. He added that it had been 'good to catch up with her because she's been off living her life in other places all over the world.' He also revealed he caught up with co-star Liam Hemsworth at the end of 2019. 'We catch up every time we can.... No matter how much time passes, once we see each other again, it's instantly right back to where it was,' he shared. Bond: Hutcherson, 27, told ET it had been good to see Lawrence, 30, 'because she's been off living her life in other places all over the world.' He also revealed he caught up with co-star Liam Hemsworth at the end of 2019. the trio are pictured in 2015 Pals: 'We catch up every time we can.... No matter how much time passes, once we see each other again, it's instantly right back to where it was,' Hutcherson shared The Hunger Games, based on the books by Suzanne Collins, premiered in March 2012 and spawned three sequels. Back in April, Hutcherson said in an interview with Newsweek that he is finally coming to terms with the global fame that enveloped him as a result of the films. 'I don't think there's really any way you can prepare yourself for that. It changed everything. It changed my entire public life for a long time. And then notoriety and recognition, all those things. It's crazy,' he told Newsweek. 'But I think now, just having been out of it for a long enough amount of time, I have a better perspective on it and feel fortunate and lucky that I was able to be a part of something like that.' Lockdown love: Hutcherson has been laying low during the COVID-19 pandemic, spending time with Spanish girlfriend Claudia Traisac, 27 Going strong: The couple met on the set of the 2014 film Escobar: Paradise Lost. They're pictured at the film's screening at the Rome Fuilm Festival in 2014 Hutcherson has been laying low during the COVID-19 pandemic, spending time with Spanish girlfriend Claudia Traisac, 27. He and Traisac, an actress, met on the set of the 2014 film Escobar: Paradise Lost. He acknowledged that quarantine could prove to be 'make or break' for couples but in his own experience, it had been really good for his relationship. 'It's a lot of time to spend with someone, but we found a really good balance supporting one another and giving space when it's needed and being close when it's needed,' Hutcherson explained. 'It's all about communication and I think in this time we've figured out a lot of things with that, so it's been great.' Hutcherson, who wrapped production on the James Franco directed drama The Long Way Home and the dramatic comedy Rita with Lena Headey before lockdown began, says he's aware of how lucky he is as the pandemic continues. 'There are days where it's hard not to become depressed and down, but then you realize the fortunate position you're in, to be healthy and to have food on the table,' he told ET. 'There's a lot of people going through really hard times right now, so it's important to keep perspective on that,' Around this time last year, San Francisco chef Val Cantu was basking in the afterglow of Californios receiving two stars in the 2019 Michelin Guide to Californias best fine dining restaurants. These days, the feeling is a fuzzy memory for Cantu, who, like countless Bay Area restaurant owners, is wrestling with the possibility that his business will be forced to close before the end of the year. Yet the California Michelin Guide is still planning to award stars to restaurants in 2020, based on pre-pandemic dining, and theres a good chance Californios will again be among the recipients. For the first time in his career, Cantu said, hes struggling to see the immediate value of one of the industrys highest honors. Were all having to face some decisions we dont want to face right now, Cantu said. We worked our whole lives to get our own restaurants and now were looking at financial ruin. Its hard to put a meaning on Michelin stars right now, or awards in general. John Storey / Special to the Chronicle Over the last decade, San Francisco has become known as the countrys premier fine dining city in part due to accolades from guides like Michelin, which in turn drove more new luxe restaurants to the region. But between dramatic loss in clientele and a nationwide reckoning over inequality, many of the Bay Areas most esteemed chefs are grappling with what it means to be recognized right now. Awards mean little when these restaurants may not survive, restaurateurs say, and since the most well-known awards historically favor pricey, Euro-centric restaurants where nonwhite staffers have a harder time finding success, questions are now arising on how the entire system needs to be reshaped. The anxiety, the stress with thinking about (awards), none of that matters with all that everyone is going through right now, said Evan Rich, co-owner of San Franciscos Michelin-starred Rich Table restaurant. The local upscale dining scene was frenetic between 2014 and 2016; the market was flooded so quickly with similarly expensive new ventures that it became hard for some to survive. In 2016, multiple ambitious high-end restaurants in the city that opened to glowing reviews lasted only months before closing, leading some to speculate the country was on the cusp of a restaurant industry collapse, starting in San Francisco. But the bubble burst never came, in part due to years of growth fueled by the Bay Areas influx of new tech money. With it came a demographic of wealthy young food lovers interested in exclusive dining experiences. Local chefs responded with concepts that fit their tastes. Visit California/Max Whittaker Perhaps the epitome of the scene came in 2016, when San Francisco restaurant Quince made headlines for serving truffle croquettes atop an iPad playing a video of truffle-seeking dogs. Tech luminaries served as investors: Saison in SoMa, for instance, opened in 2013 with funding from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Benchmark Capitals Peter Fenton and angel investor Tim Ferris, according to a Bloomberg report at the time. By 2017 the Bay Area had more three-Michelin-starred restaurants than any other place in the country, a reflection of the boom in high-end establishments that the Michelin star system favors. Awards like Michelin stars, published annually by the French tire company as a travel guide, served as an indicator of which restaurants were resonating with the wealthier dining public. They could drive up sales by as much as 25% or help fuel expansion. Saisons longtime three-Michelin-star status, for instance, helped turn its chef, Joshua Skenes, into a local celebrity. He then also opened upscale seafood restaurant Angler in San Francisco. The awards also could bring prestige on a global scale. For example, in 2017 when Coi in San Francisco earned three Michelin stars while boasting a $250 seafood-focused tasting menu under chef Matthew Kirkley, the Michelin Guide international director Michael Ellis said Kirkley was doing things (the Michelin Guide had) never seen anywhere in the world. The pandemic represents the first time in a decade that the fine dining sector has come to a full stop. Most of the fine dining restaurants arent suited for takeout or delivery and have turned into more casual enterprises. Others struggle to translate fine dining experiences to the outdoors. Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle We dont know the path forward in all of this because none of it is familiar to any of us, said Laurie Thomas, a local restaurateur and the president of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. This is an ongoing education thing. ... Were in a situation where were wondering whats next. My husband is like, All we need now is an earthquake. Coronavirus has also essentially negated the financial benefit of Michelin stars for restaurants in San Francisco, where the falloff in visitors is expected to cost the city nearly $11 billion in tourism spending in 2020 and 2021. Aaron London operates Als Place, a San Francisco restaurant that has maintained one Michelin star for the past five years. Since the pandemic, London has made his vegetable-focused menus cheaper, going from family-style meals at around $70 per person to curbside family-style dinners for less than $50. He also added a grocery store. With a massive recession and food insecurity and just so many things going on, I dont even think a Michelin star is going to carry a positive connotation, from a diner perspective, he said. Many chefs who say they dont care about the awards this year say its because they arent able to cook the food they were doing before the pandemic, with many turning instead to take-home meal kits. San Franciscos Rich Table has always taken a playful approach to its ever-changing roughly $90 chefs menus, offering dishes like a pork chop schnitzel one night and ramen noodles tossed in hoisin sauce another. Now it is doing $49 dinner packages, and owners Sarah and Evan Rich are no longer as concerned with making everything perfect, Evan said. I wont say our food has regressed, but Ill say were just cooking now to soothe the soul, he added. Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle The stress of mounting debt and providing employees with steady paychecks and health care overrides any joy that Pim Techamuanvivit might usually get out of an award, said the chef whose Thai destination Kin Khao has received a Michelin star for the last four years. It wouldnt be a bad idea for Michelin to cancel its publication altogether, she said, suggesting that it could do more damage than good during this challenging time. Imagine you had one star and then that star was taken away, right now of all times, she said. I would lock myself away in the bathroom for a year if that happened to me. I wouldnt be able to take it. But the issues chefs and business owners are wrestling with arent limited to the financial losses due to closed dining rooms. This year has also seen monumental social justice movements. And the fine dining industry a sector where workers stand to earn more money than most other places in the restaurant world has notoriously reflected inequities present elsewhere in the world. Many restaurant workers have publicly spoken out about discrimination theyve faced, including at some of the Bay Areas most esteemed Michelin-starred restaurants. According to a 2019 report by worker advocacy nonprofit Restaurant Opportunities Center United, the Bay Area has the widest wage gap between white workers and workers of color at upscale restaurants in the country. Since awards play a critical role in fueling which high-end restaurants succeed, there are growing calls for people whove long benefited from the structure to make changes. The influential James Beard Foundation, which has honored many local restaurants and has also been criticized for inequities, announced recently that it would discontinue its awards until 2022, with the hope of implementing ways to address the problems. A New York Times story later revealed that the cancellation was due in part because there were no Black winners. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Pressure is also on the chefs, many of whom are trying to publicly align themselves with messages of change. Before March, the idea of a restaurant removing itself from consideration for such awards was unheard of. But around the same time of the Beard Foundations announcement, David Kinch of Manresa, a finalist for its top honor of Outstanding Chef and winner of previous Beard awards, dropped out, citing rampant gender and racial inequality in the business. Others across the country did so as well, sometimes because of accusations of unequal workplaces. The core of how San Franciscos once-flourishing fine dining scene functions, many now say, needs to transform, and the pandemics decimation of the industry could be an opportunity to start anew. For some in the industry, though, the proclamations so far ring hollow, lacking detailed strategies. Numerous chefs have used social media to voice their concerns, including Oakland chef Preeti Mistry, a prominent voice regarding equity in the restaurant world, who took to Twitter to voice frustration at the reaction to Kinchs stance. White supremacy is literally the entire industry falling at David Kinchs feet calling him a hero for saying the SAME thing QBIPOC folks in the industry have been saying FOR YEARS, Mistry wrote on Aug. 20, followed by a second tweet saying, And we were called traitors, to be clear. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Southern pastry chef and author Lisa Donovan, who won a James Beard Award in 2018 for a personal essay titled Dear Women: Own Your Stories, shared similar sentiments online, and her post highlighted the medias reception of Kinchs proclamation. This is the part where Id like to RESAY that I think its bullshit that I have spent the last five or six years having a conversation about and the last three years WRITING A BOOK ABOUT nearly the EXACT manifesto David Kinch took an hour to create a set of Instagram slides for, she wrote. There have been few public efforts by fine dining chefs in the Bay Area to increase equity in their restaurants. One of the more headline-grabbing pursuits came from San Francisco chef Daniel Patterson, widely considered one of the decades most influential California chefs; his partnerships with chefs of color were controversial, with one chef suing Patterson over breach of contract. Still, whether the future fine dining landscape will be more diverse and inclusive relies on the industrys overall health, said Thomas of the Golden Gate Restaurant Assocation: If restaurants dont survive whats happening now, there wont be places left to even address those issues. Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle Despite the drastic changes and a debate over the value of awards, many in the fine dining industry dont see this as the end for high-end offerings in San Francisco. One Market restaurant in San Francisco, an elder statesman in the citys power lunch and upscale dinner scene, is continuing to cater to diners interested in multicourse service, even if its through delivery apps. One Market has a prime rib dinner, which comes with multiple sides and a butterscotch pudding, for $45. Ordering this dinner for two people, and including service charges and a tip, just tops $100. We learned a long time ago, dont throw the baby out with the bathwater, said Michael Dellar, founder and managing partner of One Market. Weve had a following for 27 years. ... We dont plan to completely change what has made us popular in that time. Regulars of Michelin-starred Birdsong restaurant, where meals once cost more than $150 per person, are the ones who are supporting its new, more casual fried chicken venture, Birdbox, according to chef Chris Bleidorn. Fans from out of town have also been donating to the restaurant, he added. Diners sacrifice a lot of money to live in the Bay Area, and with that they know part of the reason of that cost and why they justify it ... the city offers amazing dining, Bleidorn said. Fine dining might even get more expensive as a result of the pandemic, said Rupert Blease, a co-owner of San Franciscos Lord Stanley, which has a Michelin star. His restaurant was one of the citys more affordable Michelin-starred restaurants before the pandemic; it wasnt uncommon for the restaurant to offer three-course dinners for $45 per person. Blease said he wouldnt be surprised to see restaurants allow diners to eat alone in rooms to themselves if it helps wealthy customers feel comfortable. Sarahbeth Maney / The Chronicle The super high-end will live on out here, but its just going to be more exclusive, more expensive, he said. The clientele is going to be more elite, and it will be the people willing to pay that high amount because thats the only way that service could be seen as warranted. Awards, too, will play a role once again, many chefs said; there are still long-term benefits to getting a Michelin star. At a time when restaurants are closing, some said, a star could help an employee find a new job once the industry returns to normal. And since the Michelin guide is already on its way to being published, it should be released to the public even if the dining world has changed, many chefs added. Many chefs and restaurateurs said the main objective in the fine dining world today is simply trying to stay in business in any form at all. I dont think anyone is trying to think about a review, or what people are saying online, or where theyre going to be placed on the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list, said chef Techamuanvivit, referring to another influential restaurant awards list. Were just trying to survive, and thats hard enough. Correction: A previous version of this story misrepresented the price of a multicourse meal at One Market restaurant in San Francisco. The price is $45 per person. Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips A popular Sydney pub has been fined $10,000 after it was caught hosting two birthday parties breaching COVID-19 restrictions, with revellers packed together on the dance floor. The Unity Hall Hotel in Balmain was fined $5,000 on August 7 after bosses were caught with outdated COVID-19 safety plans, a lack of distancing between chairs and inadequate sign-on methods for patrons. But when NSW Police returned to the pub the following day after a public complaint, they found 32 patrons at a private function drinking, dancing and mingling. The hotel was fined another $5,000 from NSW Police and Liquor and Gaming authorities and ordered to close for a week starting from 5am on Wednesday. The Unity Hall Hotel in Balmain (pictured) has been fined $10,000 after it was caught breaching COVID-19 regulations on two separate occasions Footage from the hotel shows revellers scattered across the pub with large groups taking to the dance floor. The pub has since issued an apology on its Facebook page, saying it didn't understand the updated rules. 'We acknowledge that we did not fully understand every aspect of the changing regulations and we should have,' the Union Hall Hotel wrote. 'The standards required of the hotel by the health authorities are very high, but we recognise that the consequences of this virus are severe and are not to be taken lightly. Revellers are seen packed together on the dancefloor at the Unity Hall Hotel in Balmain (pictured) The pub then issued an apology stating it 'did not understand the changing regulations' 'We apologise unreservedly to our patrons and the wider community, and we look forward to providing a safe place for you in the future.' NSW Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said venues who did the wrong thing could expect a hefty punishment. 'I don't enjoy seeing businesses shut, but if they are putting everybody else at risk I have no hesitation,' Mr Dominello told Nine News. 'We don't have a vaccine yet, we are still living in pandemic conditions and if people have any doubt about the severity of it, look at Victoria.' In NSW alone, a staggering $480,000 in 108 fines have been handed out to venues for breaching coronavirus regulations. Recency bias is the blurring memory trick our minds play on us by displacing nearly new events with the very latest. Its how our brains make processing room for the future; without this fortunate forgetfulness psychologists think wed go mad. Selective amnesia has always conferred an evolutionary advantage. Until now. Because in a 24-hour news cycle, recency bias makes every day a good day to bury bad news and our populist political leaders know it. Its why Donald Trump tweets. Hes mastered the art of dealing out an incendiary new line whenever he feels threatened because it makes it impossible for his opponents to coalesce around a coherent counter narrative. For Trump its proving to be an effective short-term survival tactic at the expense of long-term strategy. Thats why weekend reports that Boris Johnson is fascinated by Donald Trump are so disturbing because it looks like the prime minister intends to follow his lead by lurching. The decision to unpick the Brexit treaty has completely wrong-footed the EU, the worlds media, and members of the Conservative Party, who were beginning to openly question their leaders competence. But its the timing of this fascination thats so striking Boris Johnson is having a bad time recently. UK U-turns and failures have come so thick and fast that sometimes Boris Johnson cant remember whats been happening. Thats why he became so peevish when Sir Keir Starmer tried to jog his memory last Wednesday. The prime ministers performance in last weeks PMQs was truly astonishing. Everybody had anticipated the Labour leaders attack lines except Mr Johnson, who still seemed in holiday mode unprepared and complacent. Starmer could have led on any of the eight documented U-turns taken by Johnsons government over the summer, but chose to ask when the prime minister had become aware of the algorithms impact on the life chances of the most disadvantaged students. The prime ministers refusal to answer established his failure to know or his failure to act. Either way, it was a humiliation he felt very keenly. It triggered his extraordinary attempt to smear the Labour leader as an IRA enabler in his former role as director of public prosecutions. Trump says scientists' caution over coronavirus vaccine is 'fake political rhetoric' Over the weekend it also emerged that Johnson had instructed his aides to find more promising material that might stick against Starmer. Its textbook Trump by way of his mentor Roy Cohn: always hit back and never apologise. The signs are ominous: Get Starmer and the rekindled Brexit brouhaha are just the first stolen plays from the US presidents playbook the pages of which are well thumbed in Downing Street. Its high risk though. Tampering with the seam of the Brexit ball might make for a bounce in the polls and consolidate his position with his core support, but that shouldnt be necessary at this stage of an administration with such a large majority. Its a Trumpian power play that betrays the weakness of Mr Johnsons real position: he must be badly rattled to risk losing a trade deal to rescue his reputation. But obscuring a summer of mess by merging it into an artificially constructed one might just succeed because our societys collective working memory is struggling to keep up with events. The news cycle is in permanent overdrive to satisfy our insatiable demand for the next big thing, even if that usually leaves us all facing the wrong way. Recency bias means that when populists normalise confusion theyre using the media to erase their past failures. Trump only has such contempt for the lamestream media because by making it bark incessantly he has made it lose its bite. He thinks its his lapdog and he might be right. The cognitive quirk that evolved to keep us sane is being used to induce amnesia and the media is inadvertently complicit. And that way madness lies. Events of the last week suggest that Mr Johnson is attempting the same trick but with higher stakes: the president is only risking his job but the prime minister is gambling his nations future. Two weeks from now, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government will give the country their grand plan to reshape Canada for the post-pandemic era. The Parliament he prorogued in mid-August will meet again Sept. 23 to hear the governments promised throne speech and then either endorse the plan or reject it. If they endorse, the government carries on. If they reject, the country presumably holds a general election. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/9/2020 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Two weeks from now, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government will give the country their grand plan to reshape Canada for the post-pandemic era. The Parliament he prorogued in mid-August will meet again Sept. 23 to hear the governments promised throne speech and then either endorse the plan or reject it. If they endorse, the government carries on. If they reject, the country presumably holds a general election. Mr. Trudeaus gamble is that the government wins either way: the plan will be so attractive that the opposition parties, or some of them, will have to endorse it; but if they dont he will go to the country and perhaps win the parliamentary majority that eluded him last fall. The prime minister was clearly toying with big ideas for Canadas future when he started down this path in August. He dumped Bill Morneau, the finance minister who seemed uncomfortable with the big ideas and was not willing to stick around long enough to carry them out. He gave the finance post to Chrystia Freeland, the all-purpose minister who had already worked wonders with the U.S. trade treaty and won the admiring support of Canadas most powerful Conservative, Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised bold new solutions in the upcoming throne speech. (Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press files) "We have a choice to make," the prime minister said. "We can decide to move forward instead of returning to the status quo. We can choose to embrace bold new solutions to the challenges we face and refuse to be held back by old ways of thinking." 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. Grand plans have their uses and their limitations. Prussian Field-Marshall Helmut von Moltke, a famous maker of war plans, taught that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Since nobody knows what the other side will do, commanders have to keep their options open, plan or no plan. Mr. Trudeaus plan five years ago was to budget for a few teeny-weeny deficits of around $10 billion a year and then balance the budget about now. The finance department thought in July that this years deficit stood somewhere around $343 billion which suggests that Helmuth von Moltke may have known more about plans than Justin Trudeau does. Mr. Trudeau asked for bold new solutions. One of his recent bold solutions was to put WE Charity in charge of paying modest wages to young people who had already volunteered to perform unpaid community service work. That bold solution was scrapped after it turned out WE Charity was a favoured charitable cause of Mr. Trudeau and members of his family, who accepted money from the charity for speaking engagements. Parliament will meet again Sept. 23 to hear the governments promised throne speech and then either endorse the plan or reject it. (Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press files) Mr. Trudeau and his government are not in trouble. There is no doubt about their right to govern. The Conservative opposition is still feeling its way toward a program, torn between its need to find support in Ontario and Quebec and the great preponderance of Saskatchewan and Alberta voices in the party. The New Democrats are easily kept close to the Liberals by progressive measures for which they can claim credit. In these conditions, the government need not venture a long way out onto the swaying branch of bold new solutions. Nor does it need to peer deep into the crystal ball for revelations of Canadas distant future. Mr. Trudeau and his ministers should simply look hard at how Canadians are living today. They should carefully put one foot in front of the other and aim to make Canada better next year than it is now. If they can accomplish that, theyll be doing better than most governments. Governor of Sao Paulo state says clinical trials of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine has shown promising results. The governor of Brazils Sao Paulo state said that Phase 3 clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinas Sinovac Biotech Ltd have shown promising results and it may be available to Brazilians as early as December. AstraZeneca says it has suspended trials of the coronavirus vaccine it is developing with the University of Oxford after one of the trials volunteers fell ill with an unexplained illness. More than 27.5 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and 900,079 have died. Nearly 18.5 million people have recovered. Here are the latest updates: Wednesday, September 9 23:00 GMT Global death toll surpasses 900,000 The global death toll from the coronavirus passed 900,000, as worldwide cases approached 27,700,000, according to a Johns Hopkins University count. The United States remains the worlds worst affected country in terms of deaths, passing 190,000 earlier in the day. Brazil has recorded the second-highest number of deaths, with more than 127,000. 21:59 GMT United States death toll passes 190,000 Coronavirus-related fatalities in the US surpassed 190,000, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. The Maryland-based university counted 190,589 deaths and 6,354,869 confirmed infections, while 2,359,111 people have recovered from the disease. 21:48 GMT Brazil records 1,075 new deaths Brazil recorded 35,816 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, as well as 1,075 deaths from the disease, according to the health ministry. Brazil has registered nearly 4.2 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 128,539, according to ministry data. 20:36 GMT Trump admitted playing down coronavirus danger President Donald Trump admits he tried to minimise the lethal threat of the coronavirus at the outset of the pandemic in audio recordings released from interviews with veteran US journalist Bob Woodward. I wanted to always play it down, Trump said in an interview with Woodward on March 19, according to a CNN preview of the book Rage, due to be published September 15. I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic, he said in the conversation with Woodward, which was recorded. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference in Washington, DC [AP Photo/Andrew Harnik] 20:02 GMT US set to end enhanced COVID-19 screening of some international travelers The US government is set to end enhanced screening of some international passengers for COVID-19 and drop requirements that travelers coming from the targeted countries arrive at 15 designated US airports, according to US and airline officials and a government document seen by Reuters. The changes are set to take effect as early as Monday, according to the draft rollout plan seen by Reuters, but the move could still be delayed, US officials said. The document seen by Reuters says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is shifting its strategy and prioritizing other public health measures to reduce the risk of travel-related disease transmission. It said that of 675,000 passengers screened at the 15 airports, fewer than 15 have been identified as having COID-19. 19:25 GMT Germany advises against tourist trips to batch of European destinations Germanys Foreign Ministry advised tourists against travelling to a batch of European destinations including Prague, Geneva, Dubrovnik and Corsica due to high coronavirus infection rates. In France, the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions were added to the warning list, as well as Corsica. In Croatia, the Pozega-Slavonia area was added, as well as Dubrovnik-Neretva. 18:50 GMT North Cyprus grounds flights, virus cases cap 2,000 on island Breakaway northern Cyprus announced a suspension of inbound flights after a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases, as the divided islands total topped the 2,000 mark. The north has declared four deaths and 494 confirmed infections but has seen a jump in new cases, registering 163 positive tests in the first nine days of September. Mustafa Sofi, head of the norths civil aviation authority, said inbound flights were being halted until Sunday night, with the exception of emergency flights and for military and medical planes. Outbound flights will still be allowed. 18:31 GMT France reports second-highest number of new COVID-19 cases on record French health authorities reported 8,577 new confirmed coronavirus cases, the second-highest number of daily additional infections on record since the disease started to spread in the country at the end of the winter. The number of people in France who have died from COVID-19 infections increased by 30, to 30,794, after rise of 38 on Tuesday. The cumulative number of cases now totals 344,101. 18:16 GMT Brazil trials of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine show promising results governor The governor of Brazils Sao Paulo state said that Phase 3 clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinas Sinovac Biotech Ltd have shown promising results and it may be available to Brazilians as early as December. Governor Joao Doria added that Phase 2 trials of the potential vaccine had shown an immune response of 98 percent in the elderly. Some 9,000 Brazilians are participating in the Sinovac vaccine trials, which are being conducted by the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo city, the state capital. Brazil, which has the third worst outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the world after the United States and India, has become a testing ground for at least two vaccine candidates. 18:01 GMT Nigeria govt says doctor strike ill-timed due to pandemic Nigerias health minister said that a strike by doctors in state-run hospitals was ill-timed due to the coronavirus pandemic and urged them to return to work immediately. The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), which represents some 40 percent of the countrys doctors, began the indefinite strike on Monday over pay, overcrowded facilities and a lack of protective equipment. We must remember that the primary duty of doctors and all health workers is to save lives, Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said in a statement in Abuja. The industrial action taken by NARD is the latest in a string of stoppages by medics to hit Africas most populous nation as it struggles to curb the spread of the coronavirus [File: Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters] 17:48 GMT US Senate polarized over next coronavirus aid package US Senate leaders held onto their radically different positions on what is needed to address the continuing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, one day before a vote on a modest Republican bill that appeared destined for defeat. The Republican bill, unveiled on Tuesday, would provide around $300 billion in new aid for schools, businesses, medical supplies and other coronavirus-related costs. It was drastically scaled down from a $1 trillion plan Republicans offered in July and far from the more than $3 trillion Democrats have been pushing. Democrats are expected to block the Republican bill from advancing, arguing that there is nothing bipartisan about it and that it falls far short of the nations needs during a pandemic that has killed nearly 190,000 people in the United States and brought massive job losses. 17:25 GMT Pope warns against political exploitation of coronavirus Pope Francis, seen wearing a mask for the first time in public, said no one should seek political gain from the coronavirus and that vaccine developers should not see it as a chance to make a profit. At his second weekly general audience with public participation after six months of virtual audiences, the pope was seen wearing a white mask as he entered and left his car and using sanitizer occasionally squirted onto his hands by an aide. Some are taking advantage of the situation to foment divisions, to create economic or political advantages, to start or intensify conflict, he said, without specifying. Pope Francis asked about 500 people in the Vaticans San Damaso courtyard to remain in their seats to keep social distancing [Vatican Media/Reuters] 16:55 GMT UK science adviser says other vaccine trials also likely to be paused Other COVID-19 vaccine trials are likely to be paused at some point the British governments Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance, said, describing a pause in the trial of an AstraZeneca vaccine as not good but a sensible step. I think you should expect in some of the other trials that you will see situations where things are paused and then restarted, Vallance told a news conference. We need to make sure with these vaccines that they work, they work well enough, and they are safe, he added. 16:29 GMT New COVID19 rules in England expected to last more than two weeks New restrictions on social gatherings in England are unlikely to be over in just two or three weeks, the countrys Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said. He was speaking at a news conference with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who announced a new rule of six limiting the number of people from separate households who can meet to six. That may not last for many months, but its very unlikely to be just over two or three weeks, Whitty said. The period between now and Spring is going to be difficult because this is a respiratory virus, he added. Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he remained hopeful that certain aspects of life could be back to normal by Christmas. [File: Ben Stansall/Reuters] 16:04 GMT Halt of coronavirus trial is safety valve at work: Fauci The top US infectious disease expert said AstraZenecas suspension of final testing of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows one of the safety valves built into the studies to spot any potential problems. Its unfortunate that it happened and hopefully theyll be able to proceed along with the remainder of the trial. But you dont know they need to investigate it further, Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious diseases chief at the National Institutes of Health, told CBS This Morning. Late Tuesday, AstraZeneca announced its final-stage studies are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a research volunteers potentially unexplained illness is a side effect of the shot or a coincidence. 15:51 GMT Venezuelan nurses trapped between COVID-19 and economic crisis Venezuelan nurse Flor Perez works a grueling night shift at a public childrens hospital in Caracas, where the coronavirus is a constant risk. In exchange, she takes home a monthly salary that barely buys a days worth of groceries. Perez, 47, says that of the eight nurses who are supposed to be on the night shift, only three consistently show up. The rest have left the country or taken other jobs to make more money. Perez is one of more than 100,000 nurses in Venezuela who are struggling to make ends meet on salaries that have been decimated by rampant inflation, while also facing a heightened risk of contracting the coronavirus in a country where medical staff lack protective equipment and even running water. 15:32 GMT Czechs reintroduce face masks indoors after virus spike Czechs will have to wear face masks in most public indoor settings in a bid to slow a record spike in Covid-19 cases, the health minister said. The restriction comes on the heels of a never-before-seen daily increase of 1,164 new confirmed Covid-19 cases reported Tuesday in the EU member nation of 10.7 million people. We have agreed with experts to introduce the duty to wear face masks inside buildings across the Czech Republic as of Thursday, Minister Adam Vojtech said in a tweet. The measure affects restaurants, shops, schools except classrooms and workplaces unless employees remain two metres apart [File: David W Cerny/Reuters] 15:10 GMT Mexican president says other options available after pause in AstaZeneca vaccine trial Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the country has other options for a potential COVID-19 vaccine after drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc suspended a late-stage trial due to an illness in a participant. The governments of Argentina and Mexico have agreed to produce the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for most of Latin America. Mexico is in talks with several companies about vaccine trials. 14:47 GMT EU secures 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine The European Union has secured 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from medical firms BioNTech and Pfizer The European Commission announced that it had concluded talks on buying the potential vaccine with Germany- and US-based companies working together on developing the serum. The EU would buy 200 million doses under the envisaged agreement with an option of getting further 100 million doses if the vaccine proves to be safe and effective against COVID-19. This is the sixth agreement the bloc has managed since the EU Commission announced its Vaccine Strategy in June. 14:15 GMT Portugal reports record number of COVID19 cases since April 20 Portugal reported 646 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily toll since April 20, with transmission primarily occurring in family households, health secretary of state Jamila Madeira told a news conference. New cases fell to around 100 a day at the beginning of August but have crept back up since then, worrying the tourism industry as it waits to hear whether it will taken back out of the UKs air bridge list. 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, although details have yet to be announced. Most new cases in Portugal were split between the northern region and Greater Lisbon, health ministry data showed [File: Rafael Marchante/Reuters] 13:45 GMT South African volunteers on AstraZeneca vaccine trial say not alarmed by pause South African volunteers on AstraZenecas experimental coronavirus vaccine trial said they were not worried to hear the trial had been paused after a participant fell ill and they hoped to be part of a potential solution to the pandemic. Some 2,000 volunteers in South Africa are taking part in the trial which was paused globally on Tuesday after an unexplained illness in a participant. An independent committee will review safety data. Khensani Nkuna, 27, started the trial in July. She said she had not yet been personally told about the suspension, but added the unexplained illness was not worrying her since she had no symptoms. 13:15 GMT Angola to reopen schools in October Angolan authorities have decided to reopen schools in the country next month after months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to media reports. Classes will resume in phases and on alternating days. Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 will resume on October 5, nation.africa news website quoted Education Minister Luisa Grilo as saying. Classes for the grades 7 and 8 will resume on Oct. 19, she added. Hello, this is Arwa Ibrahim, taking over our coverage of the coronavirus pandemic from my colleague Virginia Pietromarchi. 12:19 GMT Climate change has not stopped for COVID-19: UN Climate change is continuing unabated despite the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, said the United Nations. While daily global carbon dioxide emissions saw a 17 percent drop at the height of the lockdown in April, they were again nearing pre-pandemic levels by early June, according to a climate report by multiple UN agencies. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted lives worldwide. At the same time, the heating of our planet and climate disruption has continued apace, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a foreword. 11:44 GMT Netherlands sees surge in daily cases The number of new coronavirus cases registered in the Netherlands surged to 1,140 in the past 24 hours, said the health minister, the highest daily total since April. The Dutch government will maintain heavy spending in an effort to counter the effects of the coronavirus pandemic [File: Eva Plevier/Reuters] Hugo de Jonge announced the figures recorded by the National Institute for Health (RIVM) during a live video stream. Its not going the right way, de Jonge said. A day earlier, the country recorded 964 cases, with cases rising quickly among young adults. The RIVM said the increase was not tied to the reopening of primary schools across the country over the past three weeks. 11:05 GMT UAE reports highest daily increase since May The United Arab Emirates recorded 883 new infections, its highest daily increase in three months. Daily infections in the Gulf Arab state have risen in recent weeks, after generally declining from a peak in May. As of today, the UAE counted 75,981 infections and 393 deaths. Additional 85,917 Covid-19 tests were conducted by #UAE health authorities, revealing 883 new cases and bringing the total number of cases to 75,981 . The new cases identified are undergoing treatment. #UAEGov UAEGov (@uaegov) September 9, 2020 10:17 GMT Fauci says vaccine pause unfortunate but a safety valve US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said AstraZenecas decision to pause global trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine was unfortunate but not an uncommon safety precaution in a vaccine development process. Its really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this, so its unfortunate that it happened, Fauci told CBSs This Morning. Hopefully, theyll work it out and be able to proceed along with the remainder of the trial but you dont know. They need to investigate it further. 09:40 GMT Indonesias latest figures Indonesia has reported 3,307 new coronavirus cases, bringing the national total to 203,342, data from the countrys COVID-19 task force website showed. There were also 106 new deaths in Indonesia overnight, taking the total number to 8,336, the highest coronavirus death toll in Southeast Asia. Workers in protective suits bury the body of a COVID-19 patient at Pondok Ranggon cemetery complex in Jakarta, Indonesia [Muhammad Adimaja via Reuters] 09:16 GMT Russias RDIF to sell 32 million vaccine doses to Mexico firm Russias sovereign wealth fund will sell 32 million doses of potential COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik-V to a top pharmaceutical company in Mexico, Russias second vaccine export deal, a source close to the deal told Reuters. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the state sovereign wealth fund backing the vaccines development, signed its first export deal with Kazakhstan in August. 08:35 GMT WHO says safety is first and foremost priority Safety of a prospective vaccine for COVID-19 comes first and foremost, the World Health Organizations chief scientist has said, as a trial of a candidate from AstraZeneca was temporarily paused due to concerns over side effects. Just because we talk about speed it doesnt mean we start compromising or cutting corners on what would normally be assessed, Soumya Swaminathan said during a social media event. The process still has to follow through rules of the game. For drugs and vaccines which are given to people, you have to test their safety, first and foremost, she said. 08:13 GMT Czech Republic reports daily record in new cases The Czech Republic has reported a record one-day spike in COVID-19 infections, with 1,164 new cases, as it battles a surging spread of the coronavirus. The spike in Czech cases has been among the fastest in Europe, however, the death toll has remained lower than in many other EU countries, with 441 fatalities reported as of Wednesday from a total of 29,877 cases since the start of the pandemic. Hospitalisations have risen in the past week but are still half the levels seen earlier in the pandemic. 07:50 GMT Russias latest figures Russia says 142 people have died from the new coronavirus in the last 24 hours, raising the official death toll to 18,135. Russias coronavirus taskforce reported 5,218 new cases, bringing its nationwide tally to 1,041,007, the fourth-largest caseload in the world. A woman and a man wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus disease walk past a WWII monument in the town of Chekhov, some 70 km outside Moscow [Yuri Kadobnov/AFP] 07:35 GMT Brazil: Former president criticises Bolsonaros handling of the crisis Former Brazilian President Lula da Silva has accused Jair Bolsonaro of turning the pandemic into a weapon of mass destruction. Sharing a video on social networks, Lula condemned Bolsonaros handling of a crisis that has killed almost 130,000 people in Brazil. Yes, it would have been possible to prevent so many deaths, said the former president, adding that the country is going through one of the worst periods in its history. 07:12 GMT We need to act now: UK to announce tougher restrictions Tough new lockdown restrictions on social gatherings across England are to be announced as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to control a resurgence of coronavirus infections. From September 14, gatherings will be limited to no more than six people with fines for those who fail to comply as the number of cases in the UK has begun to rise sharply again in recent days. Read the full story here. 06:43 GMT The business of going out of business booms in S Korea People drink outside as tougher social distancing rules announced on the last Friday continue, in Seoul, South Korea [Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters] You Young-sik has tried his luck running businesses, but after his convenience store, a sausage factory and a second-hand furniture shop all failed, he realised he had found a niche, one that he understood well: helping people go out of business. You says he is now busier than ever due to the resurgence of the coronavirus, tearing down sign boards and removing cash registers from shuttered hair salons, barbecue buffets and other enterprises whose business model was based around human contact. Read the full story here. 06:15 GMT Pause in AstraZeneca vaccine trial not necessarily a setback: UK health minister Britains Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that AstraZenecas decision to pause its coronavirus vaccine trials was a challenge but would not necessarily set back efforts to develop a vaccine. It is obviously a challenge to this particular vaccine trial, Hancock said on Sky News, when asked about the pause in the trial. Its not actually the first time this has happened to the Oxford vaccine. Asked whether it would set back the vaccine development process, he said: Not necessarily, it depends on what they find when they do the investigation. Hello, this is Virginia Pietromarchi taking over the coverage of the coronavirus pandemic from my colleague Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur. 05:20 GMT Czech Republic reports record daily cases The Czech Republic has just reported 1,164 new cases of coronavirus. That is the highest number it has reported in a single day and comes as countries around Europe battle a resurgence of the disease. 05:05 GMT India reports further surge in coronavirus cases Indias health ministry has just released its daily coronavirus update. It says it confirmed 89,706 new cases of coronavirus while 1,115 people died. India has been reporting the worlds largest single-day increases in cases for a more than a month. Its death toll has also been rising by at least 1,000 a day for eight days straight. 04:30 GMT WHO chief stresses need for testing, physical distancing The World Health Organizations Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stressed again that governments can take concrete steps to tackle COVID-19 even before a vaccine becomes available. Tedros was speaking by video to health ministers at the opening of the 73rd meeting of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee, which includes Indonesia, Thailand, Timor Leste, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. "We need not wait for a COVID-19 vaccine. There are steps that countries can take. Prevent amplifying events. Save lives. Empower communities. Reinforce core measures and Isolate, test and trace" WHO DG Dr Tedros at #RC73's inaugural session pic.twitter.com/7uFCRxSXww WHO South-East Asia (@WHOSEARO) September 9, 2020 03:45 GMT Cathay Pacific to ship half its fleet to desert Demand for international flights has collapsed along with the pandemic and border closures, and Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific is now studying plans to send as much as half its fleet to the Australian desert, according to the South China Morning Post. Cathay has 180 passenger aircraft and said previously it would mothball about a third of them, but with little indication long-hail demand will recover it is planning to increase that number, the Post said. The airline has already sent a number of planes for storage in Alice Springs. 03:05 GMT Greeces Moria refugee camp evacuated after fire The Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos has been partially evacuated after a series of fires. About 13,000 people live in the camp and are currently under a two-week quarantine after a case of coronavirus was confirmed on September 2. Refugee support group Stand By Me Lesvos said on Twitter the entire camp was ablaze. Stand by Me Lesvos, a refugee advocacy group, said the refugees had lost their homes in the camps [Manolis Lagoutaris/AFP] 01:50 GMT Biden accuses Trump of using vaccine as political tool Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris have weighed in on the issue of a COVID-19 vaccine. In a joint statement they accused Republican rivals Donald Trump and Mike Pence of using the vaccine as a political tool. We see it as a product of science and research, they said. Its timing, approval, and distribution should be without regard to political calculation. Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden has accused Trump of failing in his handling of the coronavirus and using a vaccine as a political tool [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters] 01:20 GMT South Korea cases below 200 for a week South Korea has now managed to keep coronavirus cases below 200 for a week. Numbers just in show the country reported 156 new cases on Wednesday as it deals with a wave of infections that began in the middle of last month and have been linked to a church and a right-wing political rally. Conservative groups have planned another demonstration for early October, coinciding with the Chuseok festivities, one of the countrys biggest traditional holidays. 01:00 GMT Pandemic threatens millions of childrens lives: UN The United Nations says disruptions caused to health services because of the pandemic could reverse decades of progress in reducing child mortality and put millions of lives at risk worldwide. New mortality estimates published by UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank Group show deaths of under-fives fell to their lowest level on record in 2019. Last year around 5.2 million children died due to preventable illness, compared with 12.5 million in 1990. The global community has come too far towards eliminating preventable child deaths to allow the pandemic to stop us in our tracks, said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF executive director. 00:45 GMT Safety is the prority: Reactions to AstraZeneca vaccine trial suspension Lots of reactions have been coming in to the news that the phase three trials of AstraZenecas potential vaccine have been suspended. Australias Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth says he is not worried about it and that the temporary halt does not mean the vaccine is off the table. In some respects this is a very positive thing because it shows that despite the accelerated vaccine development, safety is the priority of the clinical trialists and investigators, Coatsworth told Sky News. We have no idea whether this is a big deal or not Science is hard. This is why we have to let the trials play out I remain optimistic we will have a vaccine found to be safe and effective in upcoming months. But optimism isn't evidence Let's let science drive this process. https://t.co/1fBbMybC9W Ashish K. Jha (@ashishkjha) September 8, 2020 HmmmOxford/AstraZeneca vaccine trial temporarily suspended because of 1 adverse event. hold was placed on trial out of an abundance of caution Dear @realDonaldTrump, this is why we do trials, do them well, to their completion. No EUA please. #COVID19 https://t.co/gRiXaL0TZu Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) September 8, 2020 00:00 GMT AstraZeneca vaccine trial suspended for safety review AstraZeneca says it has voluntarily paused a clinical trial of the vaccine it is developing with the University of Oxford after one of the volunteers developed an unexplained illness. As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee, a spokesperson said in a statement. The vaccine has been seen as one of the most promising of those in development. You can read more on the suspension here. 23:30 GMT (Tuesday) Australias Victoria reports 76 new cases, 11 deaths Victoria has reported 76 new cases of coronavirus and 11 deaths over the past 24 hours. The state in southeastern Australia has imposed a strict lockdown and curfew in Melbourne to try and bring the disease under control. #COVID19VicData for 9 September, 2020. Yesterday there were 76 new cases reported and we are sad to report 11 lives lost. Our condolences to all those affected. More information will be available later today. pic.twitter.com/ikKiuRV4ZW VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 8, 2020 - Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Im Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur. Read all the updates from yesterday (September 8) here. Ivory Coast wants more active military cooperation with Russia amid instability in Mali and other countries in West Africa, Roger Gnango, Ivory Coast ambassador in Russia, has told Sputnik MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th September, 2020) Ivory Coast wants more active military cooperation with Russia amid instability in Mali and other countries in West Africa, Roger Gnango, Ivory Coast ambassador in Russia, has told Sputnik. "There is a security problem, especially in our sub-region - there are difficulties in Niger, there are difficulties in Mali, there are difficulties in Burkina Faso and even in the Ivory Coast. So it's important in the framework of military cooperation between these African states, and Ivory Coast in particular, that this cooperation is activated and re-activated. It's very important and we know that Russia is a big military power and having active military cooperation with Russia would be a blessed bread," the diplomat said. West Africa and the Sahel have faced numerous political turmoil and security challenges, the latest example of which is the August 18 military coup in Mali, during which the rebels kidnapped several high-placed officials, including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who later dissolved both the government and parliament. On Tuesday, 14 firefighters trying to protect the Nacimiento Fire Station in California's Los Padres National Forest were overtaken by flames, and one is now in critical condition at a Fresno hospital, the U.S. Forest Service said. The firefighters all suffered burns and smoke inhalation, and two others were also airlifted to the hospital, where they are in fair condition. The station was destroyed. The fire broke out several weeks ago and has been burning ever since, but doubled in size overnight, The Associated Press reports. A man has been arrested and charged with arson in connection with the blaze. So far this year, fires have scorched nearly 2.3 million acres across California. There are more than 24 major fires now burning in the state, and at least 14,000 firefighters are battling the blazes. Rescuers also helped get 164 hikers out of the Sierra National Forest early Tuesday, using military helicopters to airlift them out of danger. Due to the Creek Fire, the only road into the Vermilion Valley Resort was closed on Sunday, trapping the hikers. "This is emblematic of how fast that fire was moving, plus the physical geography of that environment with one road in and one road out," Char Miller, a professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College, told AP. "It's scary enough to drive there when nothing is burning. Unless you wanted an absolute human disaster, you had to move fast." More stories from theweek.com The true Election Day nightmare scenario New York Times investigation sheds more light on bribery, corruption at Beirut port that set stage for deadly blast The Lincoln Project's inevitable ad on Trump's toxic comments on U.S. troops uses his own slurs against him The Beaumont Childrens Museum will be allowed to reopen, weeks after they were closed by what essentially seemed to be an oversight when regulating city facilities during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the unanimous decision wasnt made before the Beaumont City Council again spent some 30 minutes rehashing whether to reopen city facilities still closed, such as the Julie Rogers and Jefferson theatres. The amendment to include other city facilities in the vote on the childrens museum was made by Councilman Mike Getz a move he faced criticism for from some other council members who said he was using a back door to address the larger issue. However, Getz defended the move because it was an amendment to an issue already on the agenda. Related: In reversal, Beaumont will keep public facilities closed He and Councilman W.L. Pate said the number of positive coronavirus cases the city confirms each day has gone down over the past several weeks. So it was time to revisit reopening facilities. As of Tuesday, the rolling average number of coronavirus cases being confirmed in northern Jefferson County was just over 13. Thats down from the early-July high of just over 79. However, its also nearly steadily increased since August 29, when the part of the county covered by the citys health district was averaging just five new cases each day. Beaumont Public Health Director Sherry Ulmer said the number of people tested for the virus also has gone down, which has contributed to the slowing number of confirmed cases. She added that the department is watching for a potential rise in confirmed cases after hurricane evacuations and the Labor Day holiday. Health departments across the state saw spikes in virus cases after the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays. Were looking at people who evacuated and stayed in shelters, and now theyre back home, she said. The next couple of weeks are really crucial because we do believe those numbers will increase. Related: Fact Check: How close is Beaumont to coronavirus threshold to reopen facilities When asked if she would reopen additional facilities at this time, Ulmer said shes there to give the council the facts to make the best decision. However, looking through the lens of public healths responsibility to prevent the spread of the virus, she said she wouldn't open facilities until after there is a vaccine for coronavirus. Even in that case, there still could be a lag from when a vaccine first becomes available. Various council members on both sides of the issue also brought up a metric on when the facilities could safely reopen that was given in late July by Dr. Qamar Arfeen of Beaumonts Diagnostic Group. However, that threshold was stated in different ways by multiple council members. Ultimately, Getz agreed to rescind his amendment from the Childrens Museum vote. The council plans to have a separate discussion solely on reopening facilities in the coming weeks and get additional insight from Arfeen and other local medical professionals. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain Virgin Australia has slashed a number of regional air routes as a result of plummeting demand. The embattled airline has announced its flight schedule for the near future as it grapples with domestic border closures and drastically reduced passenger numbers. Virgin Australia was thrown a lifeline by Bain Capital on Friday as the private equity firm officially took over as the airline's new owner. But the company is stripping back its flights to try and balance the books after coronavirus dealt its finances a crippling blow. Virgin Australia has slashed a number of regional air routes as a result of plummeting demand A spokesperson for Virgin Australia told Daily Mail Australia the changes are the result of huge uncertainty for the travel industry. 'We have made the decision to withdraw services from Ayers Rock, Albury, Tamworth, Hervey Bay, Port Macquarie, Mildura and Cloncurry for the foreseeable future,' the spokesperson said. The airline isn't currently running any flights to six of the regional routes mentioned, but will be removing them entirely from their future booking system. The changes have also been prompted by the fact the airline is restructuring its fleet to mainly use Boeing 737s, which would be too expensive to run on the routes due to the lack of demand. The airline will not be running flights between Sydney and Uluru (pictured) Flights from Sydney to Hervey Bay (pictured) in Queensland have also been removed from flight schedules Virgin Australia said it will continue to review and make changes to services as borders reopen and demand grows. 'We remain committed to regional Australia and we plan to continue to fly to 20 regional destinations in Australia,' the airline said. 'We will contact affected guests who booked with us to advise them of their options. Guests who booked with a travel agent will need to contact them directly.' The airline also intends to bring back flights to Port Macquarie in northern NSW when it can. Virgin Australia said the discontinued routes were already underperforming prior to COVID-19. Flights between Brisbane and Cloncurry (pictured) will no longer be operating The Melbourne to Mildura service (pictured) has been deemed unviable due to plummeting demand Bain Capital's takeover came after the company was placed into voluntary administration in April and sacked around 3,000 workers. Virgin Australia has been struggling to stay afloat due to border closures and travel bans (pictured: passengers prepare to board a Virgin flight betwen Brisbane and Darwin in August) Night Curfew in Maharashtra: Check guidelines, rules; what is allowed, what is not allowed 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 Kangana Ranaut tests COVID19 negative, leaves for Mumbai India oi-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, Sep 09: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has tested negative for COVID19 and has left her hometown of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh for Chandigarh by road early on Wednesday to catch a flight to Mumbai. First, she offered prayers at a temple in Kothi area of Hamirpur district which is en route Chandigarh from Mandi District. From Chandigarh, Kangana will be taking a flight to Mumbai. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh again gets threat calls over Kangana Ranaut issue It was earlier said that the actress's trip to Mumbai was postponed because fo her COVID19 test, however, on Wednesday morning, Dr. Devender Sharma, Chief Medical Officer of Mandi District, revealed, "Actor Kangana Ranaut has tested negative for COVID19." Actor Kangana Ranaut compares Mumbai to PoK as BMC demolishes her office structures | Oneindia News Last week, Kangana had taken to Twitter to claim: "Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena leader, has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai. After Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir?" Earlier, the home ministry provided Kangana Ranaut with Y level security. The home ministry has decided to accord Ranaut Y-plus category security through one of the paramilitary personnel, a home ministry official had said. The Y-plus category central cover entails deployment of about 10 armed commandos with the protectee, the official said. The development came after the actress' father and sister Rangoli asked Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to provide security for her in light of her recent spat with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, September 9, 2020, 11:00 [IST] Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 01:14:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Spokesman of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said on Wednesday that the U.S. decision to cut its troops in Iraq came within an agreed timetable between the Iraqi government and the United States. "The latest step to cut the number of U.S. troops came as a result of coordination and joint work between us and the U.S.-led international coalition forces," Tahseen al-Khafaji, the JOC spokesman, told the official Iraqi News Agency. Al-Khafaji's comment came after Kenneth McKenzie, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command, said that the Pentagon will draw down the level of U.S. troops in Iraq to 3,000 this month. "In consultation and coordination with the government of Iraq and our coalition partners, the United States has decided to reduce our troop presence in Iraq from about 5,200 to 3,000 troops during the month of September," McKenzie said in Iraq. On Aug. 20, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who was on an official visit to the United States, that the U.S.-led coalition forces will rapidly withdraw from Iraq within three years. The withdrawal came as unidentified militant groups have frequently targeted Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq, as well as the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone, by mortar and rocket attacks. The troops' cut decision came as 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. More than 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State militants, mainly providing training and advising to the Iraqi forces. Enditem LOS ANGELES In late August, Los Angeles sheriffs deputies shot a Black man, Dijon Kizzee, whom they had stopped for a suspected traffic violation as he rode his bicycle. He became the seventh man killed by deputies in Los Angeles since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day weekend. On the same afternoon, state legislators in Sacramento raced to the end of their 2020 session. The most significant police reform measure, heralded in the days of the Black Lives Matter marches that filled the streets, did not even come up for a vote. A centerpiece of the agenda would have set up a process for yanking the badge of any officer found to have committed serious misconduct. California is one of only five states that has no process for decertifying police officers, which among other things enables bad cops to move from department to department with impunity. Democrats hold supermajorities in both houses. Major newspapers in California editorialized in favor of a slew of police reform bills. Polls showed support. In one of the bluest states in the country, all indications pointed toward action on reform. Arlene Foster has said that the DUP will be working to try and change the NI Protocol included in the Withdrawal Agreement, adding that it is important Northern Ireland has unfettered access to the UK market. The First Minister was speaking as the Government published its Internal Market Bill, which Downing Street said was designed to provide a "safety net" for Northern Ireland businesses if talks with the EU on a free trade agreement fail. Critics have argued, however, it gives ministers the power to override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, in particular the Northern Ireland protocol. Read More Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis caused an uproar on Tuesday when he admitted in the Commons that the bill would break international law in a "very specific and limited" way. Speaking in Co Tyrone, Arlene Foster referenced previous comments she made stating she recognised that the Northern Ireland Protocol was now law. "In an interview a couple of weeks ago, I said we would obey the law and as ministers it is our legal duty to make sure that we look to the law, but that doesn't stop us from trying to change the law," she said. "I will be working will all my colleagues in the DUP to try and ensure we listen to the voices of businesses and we make sure that we represent that voice. "It's important that we have unfettered access and that we have a UK market that we can operate in without any discrimination and make sure our wonderful firms are able to continue to work." Read More Asked about the comments made by Brandon Lewis, Mrs Foster added: "Those are matters for the ministers in Whitehall and in Westminster. For us here in Northern Ireland we have to make sure that we represent the interests of companies so we can continue to do business in the Great Britain market. "It's important we continue to make the case for clarification, for changes where necessary so that we can move ahead." Michelle O'Neill has accused Brandon Lewis of having a "brass neck". "I think it demonstrates again that Brandon Lewis and the entire Tory Government do not care what happens to the people who live in the north of Ireland," the Deputy First Minister said. "They have demonstrated time and time again that they are quite happy to use us as a pawn in the middle of the Brexit debate. "There was an international agreement painstakingly struck, and we got ourselves some protection in the form of the protocol and what Brandon Lewis openly said was, 'but sure that doesn't matter anymore we are going to override that'. "It's not acceptable to the EU side. "I spoke to Simon Coveney this morning, he shares the view that it is not acceptable, that it won't be tolerated. "If they stand any chance of negotiating a future trade deal, who wants to do a deal with someone who reneges on a previous deals they have made?" Read More Ms O'Neill called for the Irish Government to put it firmly to the UK Government that it "must adhere" to the international agreement. "They have to fight very hard for our interests," Ms O'Neill added. "We have fought very hard for the last three-and-a-half years since the Brexit debate started to protect the Good Friday Agreement, to make sure there is no hard border on this island and to protect our all-island economy. "That was achieved in the protocol, that's what must be delivered upon and any attempt by the British Government to circumvent that, to try to override that is not acceptable to the EU side and certainly shouldn't be acceptable to the Irish Government." Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons on Wednesday, Boris Johnson was asked whether he felt and his colleagues were "above the law". Read More Mr Johnson replied: "This UK Internal Market Bill is about protecting jobs, protecting growth, ensuring the fluidity and safety of our UK internal market and prosperity throughout the UK and it should be welcomed, I believe, in Scotland, in Northern Ireland, in Wales and throughout the whole country." Expand Close Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. Credit: House of Commons/PA Wire PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. Credit: House of Commons/PA Wire When questioned further on his Brexit strategy by former Liberal Democrat minister Alistair Carmichael, the Prime Minister stated: "My job is to uphold the integrity of the UK but also to protect the Northern Irish peace process and the Good Friday Agreement. "To do that we need a legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations of the protocol, which could lead to a border down the Irish Sea in a way that I believe - and I think members around the House believe - would be prejudicial to the interests of the Good Friday Agreement and prejudicial to the interests of peace in our country. "That has to be our priority." HANOI : Southeast Asias top diplomats were holding their annual talks by video Wednesday to discuss the immense crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions in the South China Sea amid the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ministerial meetings, delayed by a month, were being held online due to continuing health risks posed by COVID-19. The 10-nation blocs foreign ministers are to meet Asian and Western counterparts, including those from the U.S. and China, for talks later in the week, capped by an annual security forum. Vietnam is hosting the talks as this years chairman of the diverse group. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called for regional solidarity amid the headwinds in an austere opening ceremony attended by a few dozen diplomats in the capital, Hanoi. The valuable fruits of our cooperation are being tested in an environment full of volatility and unprecedented challenges, especially the COVID-19 pandemic," Phuc said. The regional geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape including the South China Sea are witnessing volatilities that endanger peace and stability," he said. The pandemic has delayed or canceled dozens of meetings and shut out the colorful ceremonies, group handshakes and photo-ops that have been the trademarks of ASEANs annual gatherings. Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung told reporters earlier this week that the talks would continue to focus on a regional response to the pandemic and ways to help member states recover economically. The contagion has devastated the regions manufacturing, export, travel and tourism industries and sparked the worst economic recessions in decades across the region of 650 million people. Southeast Asian nations have been impacted by the pandemic differently, with hard-hit Philippines grappling with more than 240,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections, including nearly 4,000 deaths, and the tiny socialist state of Laos reporting just 22 cases. The Philippines and Indonesia each have more than double the infections reported by China, where the outbreak started late last year. A senior Southeast Asian diplomat said a key project is establishing a COVID-19 response fund to help ASEAN member states buy medical supplies and protective suits. The diplomat said Thailand has pledged to contribute $100,000 and ASEAN partners, including China, Japan and South Korea, were expected to announce contributions. A regional stockpile of medical supplies has also been approved, and a study to be financed by Japan will research the possibility of establishing an ASEAN center on public health emergencies, according to the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly. A long-thorny issue on the agenda is the territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving China, Taiwan and ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. In July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that Washington regards virtually all of Chinas maritime claims in the disputed offshore region outside of its internationally recognized waters to be illegitimate. Although it remains neutral in territorial disputes, the Trump administration was in effect siding with the four ASEAN claimant states, along with Indonesia, which have all opposed Chinas claims to virtually the entire waterway. China then accused the U.S. of sowing discord in the strategic region and last month, its military reportedly test-fired two missiles in the South China Sea during exercises. China has pushed for the resumption of negotiations with ASEAN on a code of conduct aimed at preventing armed clashes in the disputed waters. But Hoang Thi Ha of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore said major differences between China and rival claimant states would stymie any breakthrough or an early agreement. Given the recent developments both on the lawfare front and tensions at sea, I dont see much silver lining," she told The Associated Press. Pompeo and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, have confirmed their attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday, Asias largest security forum, which will also be done by video. North Koreas foreign minister will skip the forum but its representative to ASEAN will participate, according to Vietnams foreign ministry. 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 The UK-EU withdrawal agreement is the divorce settlement for Brexit, and was finally signed last October, endorsed by the British electorate in the December general election, and approved by the new House of Commons in January. It was also endorsed by the EU authorities (it did not need to be ratified by all regional and national assemblies, as any further trade deal will be). It came into force on 1 February. It covers the transition arrangements due to end on 31 December, plus some continuing aspects of UK-EU relations, such as citizens rights and the Irish border, and maintains the Good Friday Agreement. Boris Johnson famously dubbed it his oven-ready deal to get Brexit done. Even if that were correct and of course the new trading relationship has not yet been determined the withdrawal agreement, and thus Brexit itself, is now coming under renewed pressure, mainly because of the failure, so far, of the trade talks. The withdrawal agreement has the settled legal status of an international treaty, and is the prerequisite, according to the EU, if a harmonious future relationship. It has legal force in the way the political declaration which accompanied it did not. Neither party can alter the withdrawal agreement unilaterally. Nonetheless, there are two ways in which the British are seeking to make the UK-EU withdrawal agreement work in Britains interests, and they are getting a little mixed up. One is mostly legitimate, the other mostly not. Despite repeated warnings by the Delhi government, several private schools in the city have been allegedly denying students access to online education for not paying fees amid the Covid-19 lockdown, parents said. Some schools have already struck off the names of students from online classes while others are issuing notices, warning that the children would be barred if they dont pay fees, many parents have complained. The directorate of education (DoE) had on August 30 directed all private schools in Delhi not to refuse access to online classes to students whose parents were unable to pay fees during the lockdown due to financial problems. Heads of the schools shall, in no case, deny ID & password to those students/parents for getting online access of educational facilities/classes/materials, etc., to those students who are unable to pay the school fee due to financial crisis arising out of closure of business activities in the ongoing lockdown condition, the order stated. This order was in continuation of another similar one issued on April 18. A senior official at Delhi governments education department said, The order clearly says that in no case, schools would deny access to online education to students if they cannot pay fees, including the tuition fee, due to financial crises triggered by the lockdown. The parents can complain to the department if the schools are doing so. Despite the orders, parents of several students of Delhi Public School (DPS), Mathura Road, alleged the school had removed the names of some students from online classes over fees on Monday. The father of a class 3 student said he could not submit the fees this academic session as he is out of work since March. I have been informing the school that I am struggling to make my ends meet after losing work due to the lockdown. I had promised them that I will submit all dues by October but they removed the name of my child from Microsoft teams (online video conferencing app). I have no idea what to do now? said the parent, who runs a garment shop in Chandni Chowk. The mother of two students at the same school said they also could not pay the fee this academic session, due to which the school had removed the names of her children from online classes. My husband is in the printing business and work has been completely shut since March due to the lockdown. There is hardly any earning these days. One of our family members has died due to Covid-19 and we are under huge hospital debt. We have written emails to the schools informing all this, but still the names of my kids have been removed from online classes.. School principal Deeksha Khera declined to comment on the matter. A senior official at the school, requesting anonymity, said, Online classes have been discontinued for only those students who did not pay anything in this academic session. Parents should at least submit fees for a month or two. There should be some accountability. Some schools have directed parents to pay the fees at the earliest, failing which the names of their wards would be removed from online classes. For instance, ASN Senior Secondary School in Mayur Vihar issued a notice on Monday, asking parents to pay their dues by September 14. Please note that after September 14, the school will not be able to continue the online classes of students who have not deposited the tuition fee for even up till the month of July, the notice read. The school has, however, asked parents having financial hardship to produce documentary support. The father of a class 4 student at the school, who runs a readymade garments shop in Karol Bagh, said he and some other parents have already written to the school, informing them that they wont be able to pay the fees immediately due to financial hardship.The school is asking us to produce a document. How do I prove that I am not getting customers these days and my earnings are hand to mouth? he said. School principal Swarnima Luthra said the school was not being able to pay salaries to the staff because parents are not paying fees. Those who are having difficulty in paying can give us some proof such as bank statements or something like that, she said. The DoE had also asked schools to refund or adjust money in case they had collected any other payment from parents in this academic session. However, parents said the schools are not following the order. The father of a class 3 student at Brain International School in west Delhis Vikaspuri said he was working in an event organising company and is out of work since March, I had enrolled my child in the school this year and paid annual changes and three months fees. But at that time I was working. I have requested the school to adjust the annual fee I had paid earlier but they are not listening. Despite several attempts, school principal Seema Behl did not respond to calls and texts sent for a comment. Aprajita Gautam, president of the Delhi parents association, said that they are collecting complaints against private schools from parents and will send them all to the office of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Despite the governments orders we have been receiving multiple complaints against private schools for harassing parents for fees amid a pandemic. We will soon collect and send all these complaints to the CM office, requesting action against these schools, she said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON When schools closed on March 13, 2020, I expected a few weeks of quarantine and then back to business as usual. But it is the nature of a please-God-only-once-in-a-lifetime pandemic that one cannot prepare for, nor anticipate, its impact. The entire world has changed in the past six months, and that means the bedrock of society schools must change as well. The 2020-2021 school year will be unprecedented, for educators, parents and students. Which is why on this week after Labour Day, when Ontario schools traditionally open for the year, Im absolutely terrified of what lies ahead. There are still so many too many unknowns. There is the uncertainty of schedules: countless teachers across the GTA, including me, have no idea what classes they will be teaching, who they will be teaching or even basic things such as the finalized schedule of the school day. The start-up has been chaotic, increasing pressure on educators, administration, school support and, inevitably, students. There is uncertainty around what school will look like in Ontario. Some quick mental math reveals that close to 100,000 students in the GTA have opted for online learning this fall, resulting in collapsed classes, more split grades and widespread chaos. The job of working through this logistical nightmare has largely rested on the shoulders of school administrators, who have been working non-stop this summer. (They all deserve a bonus and some paid vacation.) There is uncertainty in how the school day will proceed. What will it be like to teach and learn while wearing a mask and trying to keep a physical distance for hours every day? No clubs, no sports, no art, no music, no library, and classroom desks arranged in rows instead of in groups. And for those learning at home, how will tricky concepts be taught, what will hours spent learning in front of a screen feel like, how to make friends online? My usual preschool stress dreams have become the stuff of dystopian Netflix thrillers. All this without factoring in the impact of school closures on students. As a parent of two sons one in elementary, the other in secondary Im worried about how my children will manage being back in class. They have both opted for in-school learning, mostly to get out of the house, and I know there will be struggles. After six months of living through a pandemic, our collective ability to concentrate has been impacted. Sleep schedules are all over the place and anxiety is at an all-time high. Im anticipating a very, very slow start for all of us. It will take longer than usual for me and my sons to find our rhythm again. Just as when we were in lockdown, I plan to take things a week at a time. I plan to make the rest of the week easier by meal planning, cooking in bulk and ordering takeout. Im also anticipating plenty of meltdowns and moodiness. It will take time to get used to being part of large school groups and crowds, of talking and listening all day, after the relative isolation of the past half-year. We will all need quiet time to decompress every day, hopefully without the help of screens, though Im sure Netflix will continue to be a part of the family. I know my kids, and my students, will have gaps in their education. Im prepared for my sons, and my students, to return to school not knowing or not remembering key concepts. Identifying and correcting these gaps will take time, possibly years. If there is one thing that I have painfully learned over the past few months, it is that seismic events such as the pandemic have revealed the fragility of our social safety nets. Big social problems, such as equitable access to education, impact all of us and cannot be solved overnight. Still, there are hopeful signs. Educators know that our brains are elastic; we have all developed new neural pathways labelled this is how I handle adversity over the past few months. Whenever I start to panic, I remind myself that as a nation, and as a province, weve handled the COVID-19 pandemic well. Leaders acted quickly and wisely, and mostly in the public good. We are capable of sacrifice and, most importantly, of responding to rapid changes in our world. Teachers are optimists at heart; you wont last long in this career otherwise. Despite my reservations, my fears and my anxiety, I choose to be an optimist about this school year. I know things will feel strange and awkward and difficult when schools resume, but there will also be moments of light and wonder, a chance to try new things and to rekindle a love of learning after a long, dark winter. So pack your pencils and your patience, kiddos its going to be a weird and wonderful year. Bill at centre of brewing dispute between EU and UK is designed to change terms of signed divorce agreement. The United Kingdom published draft legislation on Wednesday on how it wants to manage trade within its borders after Brexit, a bill which caused a new row with the European Union after the government admitted it will break international law. The Internal Market Bill will be subject to debate and approval by both chambers of Parliament before it becomes law. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen expressed strong concern about the UKs plans to pass the bill, noting it would destroy trust and undermine trade talks. Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement, she said on Twitter. This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda = the foundation of prosperous future relations, she said. The Latin phrase, meaning agreements must be kept, is a basic principle of international law. But UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament on Wednesday that the bill was a legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations of the Northern Ireland protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement that could threaten peace in the British province. The EU will not seek to suspend talks about a new Brexit deal despite London publishing the bill, sources said. Talks will continue albeit in a tense atmosphere. It wont be the EU walking away from the table, rest assured, said an EU diplomat. If approved, the bill would give ministers the power to ignore parts of the protocol by modifying the form of export declarations and other exit procedures. The UK quit the EU in January but has remained part of its single market, largely free of trade barriers, under a status quo agreement that expires in December. It has been negotiating a trade deal to take effect from January 1, but said it is willing to walk away if it cannot agree to favourable terms. The British pound, which tends fall on the rising prospect of a no-deal scenario, was lower on Wednesday. Here are six things to know about the controversial bill: Where does the bill stand on claims of breaking international law? The bill says its provisions will have effect notwithstanding inconsistency or incompatibility with international or other domestic law. What does the bill say about trading with Northern Ireland? The bill will put into domestic law Johnsons election pledges to ensure goods from Northern Ireland will have unfettered access to Britains market and make clear that EU state aid rules which will continue to apply in Northern Ireland will not apply to the rest of the UK. These points have prompted concerns in the EU as the UK has unilaterally decided to change or according to the UK government, clarify some of the provisions in their divorce agreement that they signed in January. The UK said it had to make the clarifications to remove any ambiguity and ensure that the government is always able to deliver on its commitments to the people of Northern Ireland and protect the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which largely ended three decades of political and sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. The bill gives ministers unilateral power to change or disapply export rules for goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland. Will Britain have to adhere to EU state aid rules, under the bill? No. The bill will make clear that Britain will be able to set its own subsidy regime while Northern Ireland will continue to apply the EUs state aid rules. This move is seen as crucial for Johnsons government, which has baulked at the EUs demands to be aligned with its rules, saying that every country outside the bloc has the right to set its own subsidy regime. Who will have spending powers? As with state aid, the bill hands spending powers to the government, enabling ministers to design and implement replacement schemes for the EU spending programmes. It will also enable the British government to provide financial assistance to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with new powers to spend taxpayers money previously administered by the EU. From January 2021, the UK will be able to invest in communities and businesses nationwide with powers covering infrastructure, economic development, culture, sport, and support for educational, training and exchange opportunities both within the UK and internationally. Will the bill implement the EU principle of mutual recognition? The bill will implement mutual recognition and non-discrimination principles to ensure the rules governing the production and sale of goods and services from one part of the country will be recognised in another. Each devolved administration will still be able to set their own standards as they do now, while also being able to benefit from the trade of businesses based anywhere in the UK. The bill also says the government will consider tasking an independent, advisory body to report to Parliament on the functioning of the internal market. Why are Scotland and Wales concerned? The bill will bind the British government when acting on behalf of England in areas of devolved competence. But Scotland and Wales say the bill will undermine the United Kingdom by stealing powers from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The government says the transfer of powers from the EU to the British government will complement and strengthen existing support given to citizens in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland by the devolved administrations, without taking away their responsibilities. Under the UKs delicate constitutional balance, semi-autonomous parliaments and governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland known as the devolved administrations have powers over areas like education, health, policing and justice. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-10 00:26:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XIAMEN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Pan Maoyuan is just like any other teacher at Xiamen University except for his age: He is 100. "If I were to live life twice, I still hope to be a teacher," Pan said ahead of China's Teachers' Day that falls on Thursday. As one of the founders of China's higher education, Pan has nurtured 326 PhD candidates and 759 master's students in more than 40 years. "FAILURE IS THE MOTHER OF SUCCESS" At 15, Pan took up a part-time job as a teacher at a private primary school in the city of Jieyang, south China's Guangdong Province. "The students in my class were aged from five to 15. They were very naughty. When I turned to write on the blackboard, they threw chalks at each other. When I read from the textbook, they did not pay attention but talked to create disorder," Pan recalled. The frustrating experience of being a teacher did not hold him back. Instead, he was determined to overcome the odds and become a "real" teacher. "Failure is the mother of success," he told himself. Then Pan entered a secondary teachers' school, taking a lot of education courses to make himself qualified for the position of a teacher. He was finally enrolled in Xiamen University in 1941 and chose education as a major. In the college years, Pan revisited his teaching dream by working part-time in local primary schools. He allowed students to soak in nature in the outdoors rather than keeping them confined in the classroom for essay writing. He also borrowed specimens from his university and took them to the zoology class. "Pupils were always curious about what I would take to them. Many years later, one of them became a well-known ichthyologist," he said. With vast teaching experience, Pan found fame in Xiamen, an eastern Chinese city where his university is located. However, he tasted failure again in the 1950s. He was invited to share his teaching experience with the heads of several universities. "My teaching experience had to do mainly with pupils. They said they dealt with university students and what I said was impractical," he recalled. Pan decided to fill the void of higher education studies on the Chinese mainland and took the plunge. In the following 50 odd years, Pan created many "firsts". He helped establish the first higher education research institution and compiled the first published monograph on higher education. "YOU GAIN BY GIVING AWAY" In the mid-1980s, Pan hosted a weekend academic salon every Saturday evening. He received his students at his apartment, talking about topics as varied as education to life. "University is not only a place where you can gain knowledge but also a place that can nurture you silently with its academic atmosphere," Pan said. For Pan, a quality teacher is a caring teacher who loves his or her students. His students often called him or visited him even after graduation. Pan also believes that every student is equal. "Students may differ in abilities. Some may have the aptitude for vocational schools, while others may be suited to research at universities. All of them are absolutely necessary for society," he said. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Pan gave his first online lecture in life in June this year. More than 30,000 teachers and students across China joined the one-hour class. "I was not satisfied with the online lecture," he said. "Students could see me, but I could not see them. Eye contact is very important in communication and it is true for a class too." Pan, the oldest working teacher in Xiamen University, celebrated his 100th birthday with his colleagues and students on August 4. "The most gratifying thing in my life is that I am a teacher," Pan said. "As a teacher, you gain by giving away." Enditem More than any other work I have done, creating anti-racism curricula has given me imposter syndrome and feelings of guilt, shame and fear. I've also come to realize that my discomfort is not only necessary, it is only a tiny fraction of the discomfort experienced daily by my patients and colleagues of color who have weathered a lifetime and generations of trauma in a racist society. I share my story not as an expert in anti-racism -- and not to point blame -- but as an example of how a white physician can do anti-racist work despite feeling ill-equipped, untrained and unqualified. As a white, heterosexual, cisgender woman growing up in a middle-class family in a majority white community, I was unaware of my privilege. I attended a liberal arts university whose student body was predominantly white and wealthy. I did not experience racism, so, for me, it didn't exist. It was not until starting medical school in Charleston, S.C., in 2007 that my illusion of racial equality started to dissolve. My Black colleagues talked about white patients who refused to allow them to participate in care. White surgery residents cracked jokes about incoming trauma victims, disparaging African American names. A neurosurgeon commented in the OR that we should ban Muslims from entering the country because "all the terrorists are Muslim." When I pointed out that the Unabomber wasn't Muslim, he suggested I go home for the day. I began to see the health effects of racial stress -- higher preterm delivery rates in Black women and higher rates of stroke in the area's Black population. I learned that the majority of a person's health is determined not by the health care system, but by the conditions in which they work and live . Despite my growth during my medical school years in Charleston and work with refugees through the International Family Medicine Clinic in Charlottesville, Va., I remained ignorant of the extent to which racism shapes our lives. My initial response to the infamous Unite the Right Rally held in our community Aug. 11-12, 2017, was, "This isn't Charlottesville; these people came from outside our city." Then I heard from colleagues, residents, patients and community members of color who experience racism every day. It turned out this is our city. This is our country. Our social structures created and perpetuate racial inequities, which in turn drive egregious health disparities. Race is a social construct, made up to describe superficial differences in appearance between people with different geographic origins. Race does not correlate with genetic difference. The false premise that there are biological differences between races (and the conclusion that the white race is therefore superior) has been used to justify endless atrocities: slavery, apartheid, segregation, eugenics, the Holocaust, genocide, forced displacement, internment, restrictive and punitive immigration policies, redlining, mass incarceration, etc. Unfortunately, research has shown that many white people, including health care professionals, continue to harbor false biological beliefs regarding race (e.g., Black people have thicker skin, age more slowly and are less susceptible to pain). White people have long controlled knowledge in the form of textbooks, school instruction, research, news media, legislation and more. Too often, the media we consume perpetuates false narratives of Black people as criminal and lazy, less than human. After centuries of trauma and inequitable access to resources, it should be no surprise that people of color have worse health and shorter life expectancy than whites , even when accounting for income. Although most of us did not choose to participate in or benefit from racism, white people find ourselves complicit in a racist society. This is in part because we don't fully understand the experiences of our Black friends and colleagues or grasp how pervasive racism remains in our society. Thus, addressing racism is a white problem in that it was created by white people and continues to be perpetuated by white people and white institutions (even if subconsciously). The social construct of race was created by white Europeans, our social structures were built on the false foundation of white supremacy and our entire social system continues to create racial inequity. It may not be our fault as individuals that we ended up here, but now that we are aware of the pervasive, destructive force of racism, white people need to step up; we cannot expect people of color who have endured generations of trauma to fix it alone. Being a nice person and "treating everyone the same" will not dismantle structural racism, but conscious anti-racist action will. So how can a white doctor make a difference? Educate yourself. Share your journey with other white people so that you do not burden people of color with teaching you, or with your feelings of shame or guilt (which are normal reactions to exploring your white racial identity). Change your definition of racism. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan are examples of overt, interpersonal racism; believing, even subconsciously, that Black people are less susceptible to pain is implicit racism (also known as implicit bias ). Racism is anything that deepens the inequity between racial groups -- even if it is unintentional -- such as a policy that makes it harder for people of color to vote and school funding systems that direct more money to white schools than those with more Black and brown students. A well-intentioned person can do racist things, and striving to be anti-racist requires conscious effort. ). Racism is anything that deepens the inequity between racial groups -- even if it is unintentional -- such as a policy that makes it harder for people of color to vote and school funding systems that direct more money to white schools than those with more Black and brown students. A well-intentioned person can do racist things, and striving to be anti-racist requires conscious effort. Do not ignore race. Although it's a false social construct, race has been made real due to the biological consequences of racism; we cannot root out racism without paying attention to race. It is normal to feel defensive and perhaps even guilty when confronted with your own privilege; recognize that this is a teeny, tiny taste of the pain that people of color experience every single day -- without the advantage of being able to ignore it. Resist the temptation to compare the hurdles you have overcome in your life to those people of color have dealt with, because they did it while also being held back by racism. To paraphrase author and historian Ibram X. Kendi, every action you take is either racist or anti-racist; there is no such thing as a neutral action. Yes, you'll make mistakes and put your foot in your mouth, but doing nothing (thereby remaining complicit) is much worse. Following the events of Aug. 11-12, 2017, I started educating myself about historical and present-day racism in Charlottesville. At the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine conference in spring 2018, I attended many sessions on health equity and heard a panel of residents discuss the importance of teaching about racism. Those residents were frustrated that the hard work of teaching about racism was being undertaken by residents rather than faculty and program leaders, and I decided to accept the challenge of bringing this curriculum to our residency program. I am fortunate to have been given a great deal of support and trust (especially from our program director, John Gazewood, M.D., M.S.P.H.) to create a longitudinal health equity curriculum for the University of Virginia Family Medicine Residency program. Our residents learn about social determinants of health, health disparities, the social structures that create and perpetuate those disparities and how to effect change. Our curriculum covers implicit bias, the history of racism in medicine, the history of racism in Charlottesville, trauma-informed care, safe space training, countering microaggressions and health in every policy. Through the AAFP Health Equity Fellowship , I am working to expand the advocacy portion of our curriculum. Next steps include qualitative evaluation of the curriculum and publication so other residency programs can consider a similar framework. But you don't necessarily need to build a whole curriculum to incorporate anti-racism in your work. Be wary of stigmatizing language in your documentation. Remove the word "noncompliant" from your documentation; instead document the structural barriers your patients face in the pursuit of health. Describe the behavior rather than applying a label to your patient: "The patient is not following the treatment plan" rather than "The patient is noncompliant." When revising or considering a new clinic or department policy, employ a Racial Equity Impact Assessment. Critically evaluate your organization, including your clinic space: Do the signs and artwork communicate that you welcome diversity? Are people of color included in decision-making? Do your recruitment practices attract diverse applicants? Do employees of color feel welcome and included? Are you able to retain a diverse staff? Earlier this summer, I participated in an AAFP Virtual Town Hall on the public health crisis of racism . In the panel, Minnesota AFP CEO Maria Huntley; Renee Crichlow, M.D., assistant professor and director of advocacy and policy at the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health; faculty at the North Memorial Family Medicine Residency; and I shared our work in addressing racial health disparities and provided advice for family physicians who want to contribute to these efforts. Striving to be anti-racist involves a steep learning curve and unpleasant emotions -- but so did medical school and residency, and this work will likely be more impactful than anything you learned in your training. Let's do this together. Kristina Johnson, M.D., is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia Family Medicine Residency program and AAFP Health Equity Fellow. Several reporters for US media residing in China have had their visas revoked and been forced to leave the country Bill Birtles (right) and Michael Smith had to consent to questioning before they were allowed to leave China, shepherded out of the country on a late-night flight by Australian diplomats.(Photo: Twitter @billbirtles) Sydney: Two Australian journalists fled China Tuesday under diplomatic protection amid rapidly deteriorating relations between Beijing and Canberra, as the United States warned that the situation for foreign reporters in the country could get worse. Their dramatic overnight exit came following days of secret wrangling that had seen both men holed up in Australia's diplomatic missions to escape the clutches of China's feared security police. Bill Birtles and Michael Smith had to consent to questioning before they were allowed to leave China, shepherded out of the country on a late-night flight by Australian diplomats. Both men were quizzed about fellow Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who has been detained since last month. Beijing acknowledged Tuesday for the first time that she was being held on national security grounds -- a broad category that can include crimes resulting in lengthy prison sentences. Birtles, who works for public broadcaster ABC, said Tuesday his "interrogation" in a hotel room had touched on Cheng's case, but that he did not think that was its primary objective. "I believe that the whole episode was really one more of harassment of the remaining Australian journalists, rather than a genuine effort to try and get anything useful for that case," he told ABC. China confirmed the two men had been questioned, but insisted the move had been legitimate. "As long as foreign journalists obey the law... they have no reason to worry," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in Beijing. Several reporters for US media have had their visas revoked and been forced to leave the country -- in what critics have interpreted as targeting of Western media outlets by the Communist Party. 'Why is the CCP afraid?' The United States said Tuesday that it had been informed by China's foreign ministry of unspecified tighter rules for foreign media. "These proposed actions will worsen the reporting environment in China, which is already suffering a dearth of open and independent media reporting," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus wrote on Twitter. "Why is the CCP afraid of independent and investigative media reporting?" she said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Reporters Without Borders said at least 19 foreign correspondents have been forced to leave China this year and said the move "increasingly threatens the international community's right to be informed". The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said the two Australians' ordeal marked "a significant escalation" by Beijing and warned that foreign journalists "now face the threat of arbitrary detention for simply doing their work". The episode began almost a week ago, when police carried out synchronised midnight raids on Birtles's home in Beijing and Smith's in Shanghai -- where he was correspondent for the Australian Financial Review. Both were barred from leaving the country and told they would face questioning. "I felt like I suddenly, unintentionally, had become a pawn in some sort of diplomatic tussle," said Birtles. They fled to their closest Australian diplomatic missions until agreeing to answer Ministry of State Security questions in return for safe passage home. Impeding coverage James Curran, an Australian former intelligence analyst and prime ministerial adviser, told AFP the media crackdown and the fact no major Australian media were now represented in China would only hinder public understanding. "The lens through which we are going to get a picture of this country is going to become increasingly shrouded, if not blocked altogether," he said. Author and former China correspondent Richard McGregor said the incident "marks a new low". "Other countries grappling with China will take note. If their bilateral relationship deteriorates, then their own nationals will be in the firing line as well," he said. Australia has increasingly pushed back against what it sees as China's more aggressive projection of power and influence across Asia since President Xi Jinping took power in 2013. "They just seem to be taking the view that as a rising power they should be able to flex their strategic, ideological and rhetorical muscle, and that other countries are just going to have to put up with it," Curran said. Beijing was particularly infuriated by Australia's role in international calls for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. A Chinese envoy in Canberra recently portrayed Australia's behaviour as a betrayal that caused "indignation, anger and frustration" in China. Since then, China has taken steps to curb key Australian imports and encouraged Chinese students and tourists to avoid the country. The last Prime Minister to provoke the resignation of a Whitehall legal mandarin by flouting international law is still haunted by the consequences. Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Foreign Office legal expert, resigned on the eve of the 2003 Iraq War in protest at Tony Blair's secret last-minute decision to overturn her official advice that it broke international law. He did so after Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, under massive pressure from No 10, conveniently changed his previous advice that it was illegal without a second United Nations ruling. The rest, as they say, is history. The resignation yesterday of the head of the Government's legal department, Jonathan Jones, may not be a matter of war and peace. But the principle is the same: the dangers for Britain of a Prime Minister making up international law as he goes along are clear. The last Prime Minister to provoke the resignation of a Whitehall legal mandarin by flouting international law is still haunted by the consequences. Pictured: Tony Blair As was the case with the Iraq War row, the legal details concerning Mr Jones's departure are complicated. But Mr Johnson only has himself to blame for the most controversial element, his decision to go back on the agreement with the EU concerning Northern Ireland. Last November, when he was trying to woo Ulster Unionists to back his Brexit deal, he promised there would be no customs checks between Britain and Northern Ireland when we finally leave the EU. Critics said he could never deliver such a commitment. Sure enough, the Unionists duly accused Mr Johnson of betrayal when he went back on the pledge in the EU withdrawal agreement he signed with Brussels. Now he has gone back on that too. Nor is it only the EU who are crying foul. If Mr Johnson flagrantly breaks this international law how on earth could any country trust him to abide by any other treaty, demanded his No 10 predecessor, Theresa May, yesterday. Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Foreign Office legal expert, resigned on the eve of the 2003 Iraq War His hope that he could explain away rewriting his Brexit deal as merely tying up 'loose ends' was blown out of the water when Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis openly admitted it breached international law. For Tony Blair, international legal niceties mattered less than the fact that despite being told by his own legal chiefs that the Iraq War was illegal, he had promised US President George Bush (again in secret) a year earlier that he would do just that. Unlike Mr Blair, no one can accuse Mr Johnson of not being open about his intentions. He won an election landslide pledging to 'get Brexit done'. Critics accused him of similar reckless bravado last year when he said Britain would leave the EU, 'no ifs or buts' and eventually did just that. After seeing Brexit in danger of coming undone under law-abiding but lacklustre Mrs May, many of the millions who voted for Mr Johnson will not care about the legal small print. In his defence his latest move may be more akin to an unlawful but possibly effective tactical ploy in the long-running Brexit diplomatic war, rather than, in Mr Blair's case, an illegal move in a real war. As with Mr Johnson on Brexit, Mr Blair had gung-ho public support for the Iraq War. Two decades later, I would estimate a majority wishes Mr Blair had not forced little-known civil service lawyer Mrs Wilmshurst to walk out. Mr Johnson will be hoping that history is kinder to him for forcing little-known Mr Jones out. The president of a Rochester police union has called on the mayor to step down after the city's top cop and his command staff resigned amid nightly protests over the handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude. Locust Club President Mike Mazzeo was asked by a reporter from WHEC during a press conference on Wednesday if he was calling on Mayor Lovely Warren to resign just a day after Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary, Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito and two commanders announced their retirement. In response, Mazzeo said: 'Yes.' Mazzeo continued: 'There's a need for change. When we have a command staff walk out the door, something is wrong. I think too many people are involved in this that know the truth, and I hope the others learn soon.' Scroll down for video Locust Club President Mike Mazzeo (pictured) has called on the mayor to step down after the city's top cop and his command staff resigned amid nightly protests over the handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude Mayor Lovely Warren (pictured) was quick to respond to Mazzeo's call for her resignation in a statement, saying: 'It is time for Mike Mazzeo to resign, because his archaic ways of policing are no longer wanted in the City of Rochester' Warren was quick to respond to Mazzeo's call for her resignation in a statement sent to the news station. 'For 30 years, the problem with policing in Rochester are cops like Mike Mazzeo that watch the video of Daniel Prude's death and see nothing wrong,' the statement reads. 'Who believe there is nothing wrong with driving Mr. Prude's head into the street. Who believe there is nothing wrong with other officers standing by, joking and failing to intervene while Mr. Prude is dying. Who think its fine to just casually ignore him as he takes his last breath, and then callously and falsely inform his brother who begged for him not to be harmed.' Warren wrote that people like Mazzeo are only out to 'protect and serve themselves, and certainly not the people of the city of Rochester'. 'It is time for Mike Mazzeo to resign, because his archaic ways of policing are no longer wanted in the City of Rochester,' the mayor added. In addition to the resignations of Singletary, Morabito and two commanders, two more deputy chiefs and a commander gave up top leadership positions and returned to their lower ranks. Singletary accused critics of trying to 'destroy my character and integrity' in a statement on Tuesday. During a video call with members of the City Council, Warren said she did not ask Singletary, 40, to resign, but that his abrupt decision to step down came after 'new information that was brought to light today that I had not previously seen before'. She did not elaborate. Rochester Police chief La'Ron Singletary (pictured) resigned from his position on Tuesday Rochester Police Department's Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito (left) and Chief of Administration Mark L. Simmons (right) have also retired While the 'timing and tenor' of the retirements were difficult, Warren said later at a brief news conference: 'I truly believe that we will get through this.' In a prepared statement, Singletary said: 'The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation and know what I stand for. 'The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prude's death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for.' The sudden announcements came more than five months after the death of Prude, a 41-year-old black man who died several days after an encounter with police on March 23 in New York's third-largest city. There have been nightly protests in the city since the video's release last Wednesday. In a statement immediately following the resignations, the Locust Club said: 'The events that have unfolded today have taken us completely by surprise, as they have everyone else.' The union blamed the 'problems of leadership' on the mayor. Singletary, who spent his entire career in the Rochester Police Department, was appointed chief in April 2019. He will stay on through the end of the month, Warren said. 'This is great news,' said Iman Abid, speaking for Free the People ROC, which has held protests since details of Prude's death emerged. 'It says to the people that people are able to move things and to shape things. The police chief wouldn't retire if it weren't for something that he felt he was accountable to.' Daniel Prude, 41, died a week after an encounter with police officers in Rochester. Prude became unconscious while in police custody after officers put a 'spit hood' over his neck Prude's death sparked outrage after his relatives last week released police body camera video (depicted above) and written reports they obtained through a public records request But, she said, nightly protests will continue to push other demands, including the resignation of the mayor, defunding and demilitarizing of police, and development of a state law barring police departments from responding to mental health crises. Officers found Prude running naked down the street in March, handcuffed him and put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting, then held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing. He died a week later after he was taken off life support. His brother, Joe Prude, had called 911 seeking help for Daniel Prudes unusual behavior. He had been taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation earlier that night but was released after a few hours, his brother told officers. His death sparked outrage after his relatives last week released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request. Seven police officers were suspended a day later, and state Attorney General Letitia James said Saturday she would form a grand jury and conduct an 'exhaustive investigation' into Prudes death. Demonstrators gathered in front of the public safety building in protest of the police killing Prude for the seventh night in a row on Tuesday Demonstrators painted the word 'murderers' in front of the public safety building on Tuesday In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Prude's family alleged that it took more than 90 seconds for officers to notice he had stopped breathing because they were chatting and making jokes at his expense. Prude's sister, Tameshay, sued as executor of his estate and named the city of Rochester, Singletary and officers involved in the arrest as defendants. Prude's family contends his death and a cover-up stem from longstanding police department policy and practice that 'condones and encourages officers to use excessive force as a matter of course, and to lie in official police paperwork and sworn testimony to justify their unlawful actions'. The lawsuit alleges the police department sought to cover up the true nature of Prude's death, starting with what Warren said was Singletary reporting to her early on that Prude had an apparent drug overdose. The lawsuit also argues officers used force against Prude at a time when he 'obviously posed no threat to the safety of the officers or anyone else.' 'Mr. Prude was in the midst of an acute, manic, psychotic episode,' the lawsuit states. 'Mr. Prude was unarmed, naked and suffering. He needed help.' Police union officials have said the officers were following their training. This week in the news, Jeep finds luxury and solace with the Grand Wagoneer and plug-in Wrangler, VW shows off the ID.4 EV interior, Honda and GM say theyre pairing up, Ram gives the 1500 some new tech, the Hyundai Kona gets a facelift and Kia prices the K5. Plus weve got one from Aston thats just nice to look at. The big news of the week was in luxury, but no, were not talking about the all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class or the Rolls-Royce Ghost. We mean the Jeep Grand Wagoneer concept. The basics are a heritage-inspired grille, calling back to early Wagoneers, and up to 45 inches of dashboard screens with one for the driver, one for the passenger and two in the middle. There are wood and aluminum accents and it features both a PHEV driveline and the ability to tow 10,000 lb. This is still billed as a concept, but the production version is set to hit early next year. Go here for more information. Letting you off-road silently is the new Wrangler 4Xe. Its a PHEV based on the 2.0L turbo-four and manages 375 hp with 470 lb.-ft. of torque. Yes, it still has proper low range and the fuel economy estimate is 4.7 L/100 km. Itll also do about 40 kilometres on electric power only and the battery is protected from bashing and water. Heres our full look for more. Volkswagens first electric crossover will be the ID.4, and while the full reveal is later in the month, they have shown off the interior: simple, flowing, and minimalist. Theres a tiny dash screen, a larger one for infotainment, and storage of close to 600 L behind the rear seats, making this a very well optimized crossover. Expect more when the full reveal happens. The Hyundai Kona gets an all-new nose this year thats a little more mature than the original, but no less funky. Its 40 millimetres longer than before, and Hyundai says it offers more cargo and rear seat space. Inside is also redone with new colours and materials as well as an optional digital dashboard. CarPlay and Android Auto are now wireless, and the active safety suite adds a wide range of extras including radar cruise and blind spot collision avoidance. Honda and GM have announced they are planning a North American strategic alliance. If that sounds odd, the two have already shared engines, autonomous tech, EV powertrains, and even OnStar. This alliance would see the two share platforms in North America gas and EV with engineering work on the collaborations starting next year. Parts sharing and common engineering reduces costs for both and could make better vehicles as each brings its strengths to the table. No word yet on what vehicles will share bits. The Ram 1500 gets a new trailer-reverse steering control option that uses a camera in the tail and a dashboard dial to make it easier to reverse your trailer and let the truck do much of the work. Ford offers a similar system. There is also a new head-up display on top trims and an available digital camera rear mirror, much like GMs. Ram has also made some active safety features more available and added a new Limited Longhorn 10th Anniversary trim. Kias K5 will come to Canada with three trims to start, LX, EX, and GT-Line. All with standard all-wheel drive and a 1.6L turbo-four. Later a GT will arrive with 290 hp from a larger four with front-drive. K5 starts just $1,100 more than 2020s Optima despite the AWD and new tech like wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. Kia says its roomier, quieter, and has lots of driver aid tech, starting from $29,595. The Chrysler Pacifica and new Grand Caravan arrive soon. The former is largely new with a 10.1-inch infotainment screen, Uconnect5, all-wheel drive, and a PHEV model along with higher-grade interior fitments starting from $47,785. The new nose has standard LED headlights. The latter is all-new if you look at the badge but is mostly last years Pacifica with a few updates. Its the value-oriented model, starting from $37,995, about $2,000 less than last years Pacifica. This one-off isnt really news, but we thought youd enjoy a look. The Aston Martin Victor is a one-off that celebrates the original Aston V8. An 847 hp V-12, loads of carbon (on the chassis of the One-77), and those looks! WANTAGH-SEAFORD, NY Students returned to the classroom in Wantagh and Seaford this week for the first time in six months. Smiling faces greeted teachers be it in person or virtually to start the new school year. Wantagh Public Schools superintendent John McNamara said the start of the school year went well. Students and faculty came prepared to meet the challenges of the year ahead. Instead of the usual congregation typically seen on the first day, students were ushered toward temperature check stations while wearing masks and social distancing. They were then sent to their assigned classrooms. "Even though the return to the classroom is different, the administration, faculty and staff have worked diligently over the past several months to provide a safe environment and balance the social and emotional needs of our students with the academic programs we will offer during the course of the school year," McNamara said in a statement. "I am confident that 2020-2021 will be a productive and positive school year for all Wantagh students." Seafords new year began gradually, with days set aside during the first week for specific grades to attend school so students could become acclimated to health and safety protocols. On the first day, Harbor and Manor elementary schools welcomed fourth and fifth graders, who met their teachers and learned about new procedures such as eating lunch in their classroom and social distancing at recess. Seaford Middle Schools new sixth graders also were in class on the first day. At Seaford High School, students will come to school every day, but will attend classes in person either in the morning or afternoon on rotating days, while participating in distance learning the other half of the day. Below are some of our favorite photos this year. (Want to add your child's photo? It's not too late! Send your pictures to Dan.Hampton@Patch.com. Please include your child's name, grade and school. Note: Only submit photos that you have taken yourself or own the copyright to. By submitting your photo to this callout, you are granting Patch the right to republish it on any and all Patch sites.) Story continues See also: Abigail Burgess enters third grade this year at Seaford Manor School. Her favorite part of school is art class and recess. Madelyn Burgess enters fifth grade at Seaford Manor School. Her favorite part of school is seeing her teacher and friends. Seaford High School senior class officers, from left, Kathleen Tuohy, Colin Merrigan, Dominique Cannatta and Kelly Wylie socially distanced for a photo celebrating their last first day of school. (Courtesy of the Seaford Union Free School District) Seaford Harbor Elementary School fourth graders, from left, Alex Sepulveda, Joseph Bellissimo, Adrianna DiPierri and Aniella Sartoria were excited to be back at school for the first time since March. (Courtesy of the Seaford Union Free School District) Harbor fourth graders Loriana Taormina and Jimmy Prinzevali practiced an air fist bump, one of several social distancing greetings they learned on the first day of school.(Courtesy of the Seaford Union Free School District) Josef Schreiner, right, enters first grade at Forest Lake Elementary School in Wantagh. Leah Schreiner enters fifth grade at Forest Lake. Leah Schreiner enters her last year as a fifth grader at Forest Lake Elementary School. Wantagh High School Principal Dr. Paul Guzzone, center, made sure that all students abided by social distancing guidelines by standing on emblems spaced six feet apart on the start of the 2020- 21 school year. (Courtesy of Wantagh School District) Each day, Wantagh students will have their temperature checked prior to entering school. (Courtesy of Wantagh School District.) Wantagh Middle School students patiently awaited under the schools colonnade for the opening of school doors on Sept. 9. (Courtesy of Wantagh School District.) Mandalay Elementary School teacher, left, Stacy Wright, is pictured with Principal Marie Pisicchio and her third grade class on opening day in Wantagh. (Courtesy of Wantagh School District.) Mandalay Elementary School third-grader Gianna Indiviglia tested her mathematics skills on the first day of school in Wantagh. (Courtesy of Wantagh School District.) Joy Giangrandes third grade class at Mandalay Elementary School in Wantagh was excited to get back to school on opening day. (Courtesy of Wantagh School District.) Anthony Ferrara enters fourth grade at Forest Lake Elementary School in Wantagh. Anthony is looking forward to seeing his friends again and learning in the classroom with his teacher. This article originally appeared on the Wantagh-Seaford Patch Quebec has announced a new, colour-coded regional alert system aimed at keeping the public informed about the state of COVID-19 in the province. The system is intended to help people understand the current level of risk, but also what actions will be taken in the event of serious outbreaks. "We need a system that's going to inform the population as the situation changes," said Dr. Eric Litvak, a strategic medical advisor at Quebec's public health department. "What is the risk level? How is it changing?" The four levels are: Vigilance (green). Basic measures Activities maintained in compliance with provincial health rules. Early warning (yellow). Strengthened basic measures Activities maintained in compliance with health rules, but with added enforcement, such as increased fines. Required when there's an increase in transmission. Moderate alert (orange). Intermediate measures New measures that target specific sectors and activities where the risk of transmission is deemed higher. Maximum alert (red). Maximum measures Includes targeted additional and more restrictive measures that could extend to prohibiting non-essential activities, while avoiding provincewide confinement. Health Minister Christian Dube said Tuesday the assessments for each region will be updated weekly. A region's alert level will be based upon three criteria: the epidemiological situation, the rate of transmission and the capacity of the region's health-care system. Officials will also consider data like the number of cases per million inhabitants and the number of outbreaks. Ministry of Health Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault will be involved in discussions around ratcheting up penalties should a region move into a higher state of alert, he said. The province will be willing to get tougher, Dube said, "if we need to go there, because we don't want to get into the red zone." Dube said more tickets have already been given in the last few days "because we knew we would have to start doing that in the yellow tier." Story continues There are currently four regions in the yellow, or early warning, tier of the system: Quebec City, the Eastern Townships, the Outaouais and Laval. The province's other regions, including Montreal, are in the lowest tier. Dube said he has spoken with Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante about the need for "a more targeted approach with certain subregions," given that infection levels might vary across different parts of the city. He said Dr. Mylene Drouin, the director of Montreal's public health agency, will work with public health teams around the city to implement that approach. WATCH: Dube speaks about the 'stick and carrot' approach of the alert system New cases rising The new system comes as the province has seen an increase in the number of daily confirmed cases of COVID-19. Quebec reported 163 cases on Tuesday, after 216 new cases on Monday. That means the province now has a seven-day moving average of 21.8 cases per million inhabitants. Quebec's health authorities had previously said they hoped to keep that number below 20 cases per million. Dr. Cecile Tremblay, a microbiologist and infectious disease specialist with the Universite de Montreal hospital network, said the increase in recent days is cause for concern. "There is some confinement fatigue, so people take their chances and have parties at home. So the cumulative effect is an increase in community transmission," she said. Tremblay expects the daily case count to rise further in the coming weeks, following the opening of schools and the Labour Day long weekend. "Everybody needs to be aware that it's not the time to relax our behaviour in terms of distancing and wearing masks. It is important to intensify these measures." One of the men, a 25-year-old whose identity was given by the agency as Dennis, said that they had been stranded for three days without food or water More than 80 African migrants have been rescued after being found in a remote stretch of the Sahara Desert where hundreds of others have died along the perilous journey in recent years, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday. The 41 females from Nigeria, including twin 4-year-old girls, and 42 males from Nigeria, Togo, Mali and Ghana, were in distress, dehydrated and in need of medical assistance when they were found last week, the U.N. migration agency said. It works with the General Directorate for Civil Protection to carry out these searches and rescues. One of the men, a 25-year-old whose identity was given by the agency as Dennis, said that they had been stranded for three days without food or water. ``We searched for water, but all we found were dirty wells used by livestock,'' he told IOM. ``People were collapsing left and right. I started crying when I saw the cars approaching, hoping help was coming.'' The group of migrants had left Agadez, a common transit town in Niger's north, two weeks ago on separate pickup trucks to avoid detection, the agency said. They were headed for Libya, and their smugglers made a stop on Sept. 1 about 230 kilometers (143 miles) north of the Sahara crossroad of Dirkou, some of those rescued told the agency. Vehicles often break down in the desert, where many smugglers then leave their passengers. Boubacar Djaram, Mayor of Dirkou, said that this group of 83 migrants would likely have perished, like so many others, who haven't been found. ``The migrants rescued last Thursday were found in an isolated place far from any form of life,'' he said. The Agadez region spans more than 700,000 square kilometers (270,271 square miles). This group has been transferred to a COVID-19 confinement site where they are receiving food, water and medical care, the IOM said. Since 2016, more than 1,870 migrants have been rescued through operations in Niger's desert, among them more than 400 this year alone, the U.N. agency said. ``It is impossible to know how many migrants have died attempting to cross the Sahara. Many bodies are buried during sandstorms, never to be found again,'' said Barbara Rijks, IOM's Chief of Mission in Niger. Libya is a major transit point for African and Arab migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe. Search Keywords: Short link: Rochester police leaders retire after suffocation death By MICHAEL HILL and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press Top police leaders in Rochester, New York, announced their retirements Tuesday amid nightly protests over the citys handling of the suffocation deFath of Daniel Prude, with the outgoing chief accusing critics of trying to destroy my character and integrity. Police Chief LaRon Singletary and Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito released emailed statements confirming their retirements. Mayor Lovely Warren told city council members in an online briefing that she believes the entire command staff decided to retire. The sudden announcements came more than five months after the death of Prude, a 41-year-old Black man who died several days after an encounter with police March 23 in New Yorks third-largest city. There have been nightly protests in the city since the videos release Wednesday. Prudes family filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging the police department sought to cover up the true nature of Prudes death. The events over the past week are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity, Singletary said in a prepared statement. The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation and know what I stand for. The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prudes death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for. Singletary, who spent his entire career inside the Rochester Police Department, was appointed chief in April 2019. Singletary will stay on through the end of the month, Warren said. This is great news, said Iman Abid, speaking for Free the People ROC, which has held nightly protests since details of Prudes death emerged. It says to the people that people are able to move things and to shape things. The police chief wouldnt retire if it werent for something that he felt he was accountable to. But, she said, nightly protests will continue to push other demands, including the resignation of the mayor, defunding and demilitarizing of police, and development of a state law barring police departments from responding to mental health crises. Officers found Prude running naked down the street in March, handcuffed him and put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting, then held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing. He died a week later after he was taken off life support. His brother, Joe Prude, had called 911 seeking help for Daniel Prudes unusual behavior. He had been taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation earlier that night but was released after a few hours, his brother told officers. His death sparked outrage after his relatives last week released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request. Seven police officers were suspended a day later, and state Attorney General Letitia James said Saturday she would form a grand jury and conduct an exhaustive investigation into Prudes death. In a federal lawsuit, Prudes family alleged that it took more than 90 seconds for officers to notice he had stopped breathing because they were chatting and making jokes at his expense. Prudes sister, Tameshay, filed the lawsuit as executor of his estate and named the City of Rochester, Singletary and officers involved in the arrest as defendants. The lawsuit argues officers used force against Prude at a time when he obviously posed no threat to the safety of the officers or anyone else. Mr. Prude was in the midst of an acute, manic, psychotic episode, the lawsuit states. Mr. Prude was unarmed, naked and suffering. He needed help. Police union officials have said the officers were following their training. Google has announced a new Google Assistant feature that can identify calls from genuine business numbers from those that are known to be fraudulent.. With Android 11 now rolling out to the Pixel phones, Google has also announced a new Google Assistant feature that can identify calls from genuine business numbers from those that are known to be fraudulent. Through the new feature, Google attempts to solve a crucial problem plaguing Indians and other parts of the world. The call screening feature has begun rolling out to users across the world, starting with India, Brazil, Mexico, Spain and the US. How does Google Verified Calls work? The call screening feature, according to a blog post, will tell users who is calling and the reason for the call. Named Verified Calls, the feature will be present in the Phone app for Android, something thats usually pre-loaded in most smartphones running on stock Android. It will also be put up for download later this week, and can be installed to bypass the default dialer app in custom skins. With Verified Calls enabled, users will see a name, a white tick on a blue shield (this is the verification), and the reason for calling. Google said this is being done in a secured manner, without storing or collecting personally identifiable information. The Verified Calls feature brings Google in direct competition with Truecaller, the popular Swedish app that had garnered over 200 million monthly active users, and has one of the worlds largest caller identification database. But what Google is doing differently is giving a reason for the call. How will Verified Calls help prevent scams? The Verified Calls feature, much like Truecaller, will help identify phones numbers from verified businesses. Phone calls have become one of most popular ways of scamming individuals. Most people usually get wind of the scam during the call itself, but there have been multiple reports of money being siphoned off from accounts due to a scam call. The problem is especially abundant and widespread in India. Scammers catch users off guard by calling in the name of updating KYC details, a false alarm of having bank accounts closed, and more. The reason is usually alarming enough for non-tech-savvy folks to take immediate action, which usually involves giving away the OTP, or sometimes even credit card details. This is also one of the reasons why people are more likely to accept calls that they know are not going to scam them. Googles Verified Calls, thus acts as an incentive to businesses to get themselves verified to avoid ignored calls. DENVER, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) is honoring its commitment to improving community health and responsiveness by enhancing how it connects with patients. GSHCS is now conducting multi-channel outreach programs about flu vaccinations, physician visits and healthy living with Welltok, the consumer activation solutions company. "More than ever, our patients are looking to us for consistent and clear communication," said Caitlin Cozad, GSHCS' Marketing and Communications Director. "This is a responsibility that we take very seriously and recognize that leveraging technology allows us to scale outreach and engage with our community in new ways." GSHCS has a successful track record working with Welltok's Patientology solution, which uses proprietary data and predictive analytics to engage the right patients with the right message for targeted activities. Given changes to patient interactions and behaviors due to COVID-19, GSHCS is adding more channels including direct mail, social ads, text messaging and dedicated landing pages to increase connectivity. "GSHCS is leading the way to make sure social distancing doesn't turn into medical distancing. They are proactively engaging patients around care needs as well as introducing new safety protocols like a drive-thru flu clinic," said Jaci Haack, vice president of client strategy for Welltok. "We are honored to partner with them on the strategy, creative development and distribution of these highly valuable campaigns." Current and future patients of GSHCS will be receiving more information about the drive-thru flu clinic, which will be opened October 24, and the annual community meeting set for October 28. Targeted communications will also be delivered to people who will benefit the most from orthopedic and OBGYN services with the addition of accomplished physicians new to the area. Additionally, Prescription Trails will be promoted more broadly thanks to an educational grant GSHCS was awarded. The Prescription Trails program is designed to help community members improve their health by using exercise as medicine, while accessing Oregon's beautiful parks and trails. "We look forward to engaging with our community in new ways and continuing to meet their evolving needs," added Cozad. "It's a new world, and we are all adapting to it together!" About Welltok Welltok is an award-winning consumer activation solutions company that improves people's total wellbeing. Only Welltok uses a smart mix of proprietary data and machine learning to engage consumers in personalized and rewarding ways to drive action. Our solutions integrate SaaS software, curated resources, a partner ecosystem and professional services to help health plans, employers and health systems support healthier, happier populations. Watch this 90-second video to learn more. Media Contact Erica Sniad Morgenstern 415.697.3496 [email protected] SOURCE Welltok, Inc. Related Links http://www.welltok.com LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2020 / Cannabis Global, Inc. (OTC PINK:CBGL) ("Cannabis Global" or the "Company"), a cannabis, cannabinoid and hemp extract science-forward company developing unique infusion technologies and products, today provides a recap of the recently closed fiscal year (Aug. 31st) and offers insight on next steps for the Company as it begins marketing activities. "It's been approximately one year since we reorganized the Company toward cannabinoid technologies and products," commented CEO, Arman Tabatabaei. "We have made substantial progress in our selected technology areas, and based on these innovations, we have designed a revolutionary set of products, which are now rolling out into the marketplace. I am pleased to offer our investors and the industry the following summary of activities and insight into our direction for this new fiscal year." Licensed Cannabis Manufacturing and Distribution - On the last day of the Company's August 31st fiscal year end, the Company closed on the acquisition of an 18.8% ownership interest in a fully licensed cannabis manufacturing and distribution business operation located in Lynwood, California operating under the name Natural Plant Extract of California, Inc. ("NPE"). NPE owns a Type 7 California Manufacturing License as well as a California Distribution license. The Company expects that this $2,040,000 acquisition will greatly impact the financial performance of Cannabis Global with increased revenue and assets via its ownership stake. This acquisition represents a strategic horizontal expansion of the Company's core technologies beyond hemp and CBD into California's legal recreational and medical cannabis sectors. Technology Innovation - During the prior fiscal year, the Company produced multiple technological innovations, which resulted in the filing of six provisional patent applications. The Company believes the most significant of these are new methods to produce highly loaded polymeric nanoparticles, powderization technologies for hemp extract containing honey, and the single-serving tableting technology for beverage infusion. This core technology is used in our signature product lines: the coffee pods and cocktail mixers. THC-V - Tetrahydrocannabivarian (THC-V) is a little researched exotic cannabinoid with possible benefits relating to weight loss and appetite suppression. During the year, the Company developed new methods to produce nanoparticles of THC-V and other cannabinoids filing provisional patents on both the methods and the particles produced. Alcohol-Replacement Technology - During the year, the Company developed Hemp You Can Feel technology based on powdered water-soluble preparations developed by the Company. Marketed in cocktail mixers, the Company believes this is the industry's first real alcohol replacement technology. We are in the process of placing the alcohol mixers in a major distribution company to maximize our exposure to customers. Distribution - Moving into the newly commenced fiscal year, the major emphasis of the Company is expanding distribution channels for the highly innovative product lines. To this end, the Company has recently begun an affiliate marketing campaign and is now offering products on the Amazon and RXLeaf platforms. The Company plans to also begin marketing its alcohol-free cocktail mixers on Amazon with two cocktail mixers SKUs delivered to Amazon this week. Beverage Dosing Technology - The Company continues its R&D program in the area of tablet technology for single-serving beverages having recently filed a provisional patent relative to these areas. Additional filings are expected over the coming weeks. New Products - Based on the technology innovations developed through the previous fiscal year, Cannabis Global has developed multiple innovative products with coffee, Kombucha, and cocktail mixer products currently being marketed. Additionally, the Company is in production for both its hemp-based sweetener products and its highly innovative THC-V tea product line. About Cannabis Global, Inc. Cannabis Global, Inc., formerly known as MCTC Holdings, Inc., is a fully audited and reporting Company with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, trading with the stock symbol CBGL. The Company is an emerging force in the area of cannabinoid sciences and highly bioavailable hemp and cannabis infusion technologies. The Company does not directly engage in the production, distribution, or sales of any controlled substances, including marijuana. The Company has an actively growing portfolio of intellectual property having filed six patents in the areas of cannabinoid delivery systems and cannabinoid polymeric nanoparticles. The Company markets its consumer products under the Hemp You Can Feel brand name. Cannabis Global launched its Project Varin early in 2020, to develop new delivery methods for rare cannabinoid Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THV-C) and to develop products based on this cannabinoid. About Provisional Patent Filings Under United States patent law, a provisional application is a legal document filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, that establishes an early filing date, but does not mature into an issued patent unless the applicant files a regular non-provisional patent application within one year. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as "anticipate", "seek", intend", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "project", "plan", or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based products. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K, registration statements on Form S-1, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov. For more information, please contact: Arman Tabatabaei IR@cannabisglobalinc.com +1-(310)-986-4929 Public Relations: Tiger Global Marketing & Branding Agency info@TigerGMP.com www.TigerGMP.com Related Links https://hempyoucanfeel.com/ SOURCE: Cannabis Global, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605332/Cannabis-Global-Recaps-Fiscal-Year-End-Highlights-Provides-Product-and-Distribution-Updates Legislation to end qualified immunity for police officers facing civil rights complaints cleared the Virginia House Tuesday a reversal from Friday, when the legislation narrowly met the ax. The bill, introduced by Del. Jeff Bourne, D-Richmond, has been a key demand from protesters of police brutality, who have pushed for fewer protections for officers who err. The bill was defeated in the House on a 48-47 vote Friday, when five Democrats joined Republicans in opposition. Three other Democrats abstained. Del. Ibraheem Samirah, D-Fairfax, was one of two lawmakers who on Tuesday reversed their stance in order to support the measure, after facing criticism from colleagues. (Having voted on the prevailing side on Friday to defeat the measure Samirah had the right to ask lawmakers to reconsider the bill on Tuesday.) Samirah explained on social media over the weekend that he supports ending qualified immunity, but worried that the bill was an imperfect product. Removing qualified immunity without also preventing law enforcement agencies on a local level from using taxes collected from all Virginians to protect law enforcement in lawsuits only makes the systemic problems of policing at the local level worse, Samirah said. On Tuesday, Samirah said he would help advance the legislation, but would seek a language change that would prevent local departments from using taxpayer funding on said lawsuits. I will utilize the power of my deciding vote to introduce my proposed amendments, he said in a statement Tuesday. Although the measure cleared a key hurdle on Tuesday, its outlook in the Senate is unclear. The Senate Judiciary Committee has rejected a similar bill introduced by Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, referring it for further study to a panel within the Virginia Bar Association. Del. Kaye Kory, D-Fairfax, had abstained from voting on Bournes bill last week, but on Tuesday came out in support. Although I had concerns about the bill last Friday, I welcomed the reconsideration as an opportunity to do further work with Del. Bourne and my House and Senate colleagues, Kory said in a statement. Republicans remained unified in their opposition, arguing that qualified immunity is a necessary job protection for law enforcement officers. On Tuesday, the House also advanced legislation to explicitly allow the Attorney General to investigate police departments over patterns of malpractice, including discrimination. The bill, introduced by Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, passed along party lines, 55-43. Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, who was charged with a felony by her local police department, is championing similar legislation in the Senate. New Delhi, Sep 9 : Indian soldiers have set up barbed wire obstacles at points where Chinese troops have come a few metres away from their positions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. India has warned against attempts to enter its territory as Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops, armed with medieval-type weapons, have been making multiple attempts to take over Indian-held positions. Apart from setting obstacles to avoid further escalation at the LAC and dissuade the Chinese side from provocative and aggressive movements, India has also warned it will retaliate if Chinese troops continue to make incursion attempts. India's clear message was given when Indian and Chinese military representatives met on Wednesday to amicably de-escalate tension at the LAC in eastern Ladakh, sources said. The meeting, however, remained "inconclusive" and the talks will continue. PLA troops had made an attempt to dislodge Indian soldiers from their positions at the LAC on Monday and warning shots were also fired. Sources also said that India clearly stated during Wednesday's meeting that if Chinese troops would carry out provocative military movements, Indian soldiers will retaliate. India had found that China started fresh build up at the finger area north of Pangong Tso (lake). The deployments of PLA troops have increased since Tuesday evening. They are also bringing in more material and logistics items. The troops from two sides are just a short distance from each other. "They are within clear visible range and Indian troops are keeping a close watch on the activities of the Chinese," said a government source. On Tuesday, around 40 to 50 Chinese troops, armed with spears and other sharp-edged weapons, besides guns, had reached a few metres from the Indian Army position at heights north of Rezang La, and seemed to be poised for a fresh attempt to dislodge the Indian soldiers from their position. This came in wake of the skirmish on the southern bank on September 7 where the Indian Army dominates the key positions. Indian Army has occupied crucial heights in areas around the southern bank of Pangong lake and the Chinese have made several attempts to take over the Indian positions. This area has become the new friction point, even as the Indian Army seems to be in an advantageous position, having occupied the heights that allow it to dominate China's Moldo garrison and the Spangur Gap under Chinese control. Both Indian and China lay claim to some of these heights. One of the most critical heights the Indian Army is manning is the Rechin La, which the Chinese are protesting against. From here, the Indian Army enjoys a vantage point not just for Chinese military bases on the southern bank of the Pangong lake but can also be in range of the Finger 4 area on the north of the lake. India and China are engaged in a four-month-long standoff at the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues. (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text 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... MUNICH, Sept. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The new Center of Excellence will focus on technologically challenging targets, building on Proteros' strength in protein science and heritage in protein crystallography and represents another step towards making cryo-EM a routine industrial application in drug discovery. Proteros is collaborating with Thermo Fisher Scientific to develop the experimental methods, protein sample preparation processes and workflows. The collaboration combines the capabilities of two leaders in the field of cryo-EM and will accelerate the pace at which new pharmaceutical drugs can be brought to market. Proteros also announced the formation of a cryo-EM consortium that will offer industry partners dedicated access to microscope time and preferred access to Proteros' protein science capabilities. Membership will provide hands on cryo-EM training, data processing and interpretation sessions. Dr. Stephan Krapp, Director Structural Biology at Proteros commented "Customers will benefit from our expertise in protein science and an experienced cryo-EM team, including expertise in protein crystallography. This initiative will advance cryo-EM toward routine application in drug discovery by enabling the study of proteins not accessible by x-ray crystallography." The Proteros cryo-EM facility will feature a Thermo Scientific Glacios Cryo-TEM with advanced Falcon 4 direct electron detector and will be co-located at Proteros' Munich headquarters alongside the Protein Sciences department. Proteros has one of the largest dedicated Protein Sciences teams staffed with more than 50 experts enabling it to deliver fit for purpose protein constructs of the highest quality. "Collaborating with Proteros to meet the cryo-EM needs of customers will accelerate biopharmaceutical research and development and will also encourage more scientists to embrace cryo-EM for their drug discovery research," said Raymond Schrijver, senior director of electron microscopy for pharma at Thermo Fisher. "Cryo-EM is taking structure-based drug design into a new era, and the rapid adoption of this technique will have a direct impact on drug discovery and medical treatments." Cryo-EM customers will benefit from Proteros' scientific insight and problem-solving approach for difficult drug discovery targets. Onsite capabilities in protein production, sample preparation and compound characterization produce more accurate results, quickly allowing drug developers to make better informed decisions to advance their discovery programs. About Proteros Proteros, Martinsried/Munich, Germany is a private biotechnology company providing drug discovery support for technically demanding drug targets. Proteros is currently working for most of the big pharma and biotech companies in Europe, US and Japan providing a wide variety of service and collaborative relationships. For more information please visit www.proteros.com For additional information please contact: Dr. Stephan Krapp, Director Structural Biology Proteros biostructures GmbH [email protected] SOURCE Proteros Biostructures GmbH Related Links http://www.proteros.com While many Republicans have dismissed QAnon, the fundraiser is another sign of how the conspiracy theory is gaining a foothold in the party. Trump has hailed Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, another QAnon supporter, as a future Republican star. The president has refused to condemn QAnon, recently telling reporters that the conspiracy theory is gaining in popularity and that its supporters like me very much. President Trump said in March that his approach to the coronavirus pandemic was to "play it down," according to Bob Woodward's new book "Rage," which was obtained ahead of its publication next week by CNN. Why it matters: Trump's comments during on-the-record interviews with the veteran journalist in February and March contrast deeply with his public comments about the pandemic, as he argued for weeks that the virus would "disappear" and slow-walked economic lockdowns. "I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic," Trump added during the March 19 interview. The state of play: The book details how Trump received an intelligence briefing on Jan. 28 during which national security adviser Robert O'Brien told the president that the coronavirus could be the "biggest national security threat" of his time in office. O'Brien's deputy, Matt Pottinger, warned the president that the outbreak could mirror the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed approximately 50 million people worldwide. Three days later, Trump announced restrictions on travel from China, though maintained a pause on more sweeping actions. What he said: During their interviews, Trump told Woodward more than was known publicly about the virus' spread and potency at the time. Embattled former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on September 9 filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), stating that his health condition would not allow him to return home from London and surrender in a corruption case by September 10, according to a media report. Last week, the IHC gave a "last chance" to the former premier to surrender and appear before it on September 10 for hearing in the AL-Azizia corruption case. The court had warned of legal action for absconding. Sharif, 70, has been in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treating a heart disease and an immune system disorder. The three-time premier was sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case. Nawaz's lawyer, Khawaja Haris Ahmed, filed the review petition on Wednesday and submitted the former premier's latest medical files attested by London-based consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Dr David Lawrence, The Dawn newspaper reported. "The fact of the matter is that [Nawaz] is still suffering from multiple comorbidities [and] his treatment in London has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. All the doctors that have treated him in the past, as well as those who have been treating him since his arrival in London, have strongly advised him not to travel to Pakistan without getting his treatment done," Ahmed said in the petition, which said return to Pakistan now could be "fatal" for the PML-N supremo. The petition pointed out that an appeal under Section 423 of the Code of Criminal Procedure decides guilt or innocence and that there is no need for Sharif to be present physically. "By no stretch of the imagination does the said provision of law insist upon the presence of the appellant before the court, even if such a presence would expose him to the risk of losing his life," Ahmed was quoted in the report. The petition urged the court to forgo the former premier's surrender. The Pakistan government has already declared Sharif an absconder and approached the UK government for his extradition. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar last month said Sharif's four-week bail on medical grounds had expired in December last year. Akbar said the government would task the National Accountability Bureau to pursue Sharif's extradition In May, a picture of Sharif having tea at a London cafe along with his family went viral on social media, sparking a debate on the seriousness of his health condition. In May, a picture of Sharif having tea at a London cafe along with his family went viral on social media, sparking a debate on the seriousness of his health condition. The government came under further criticism when last week Sharif's photos surfaced online, showing him strolling in a street, prompting calls from within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to bring him back. Baltimore Annapolis Blvd., 6900 block, 1:30 a.m. Aug. 7. Three men entered a hotel room and demanded cash from a male occupant. When the occupant told the men he had no money, one of the men shot him multiple times, and they fled. Police located the man suffering from multiple gunshots wounds. A 25-year-old Baltimore man was arrested Aug. 21 and charged with attempted first-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, and theft of $100 to $1,500. An accomplice, a 38-year-old Baltimore man, was arrested Sept. 2 and charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, armed robbery, robbery, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, felony use of a firearm to commit a violent crime, loaded handgun on person, handgun on person, and theft of $100 to $1,500. Powerhouse Energy Group plc ("Powerhouse" or the "Company") 9th September 2020 5 million Placing and Subscription Grant of Peel Holdings Warrant for 10% of the Company Powerhouse Energy Group plc (AIM: PHE), the UK technology company pioneering hydrogen production from waste plastic, is pleased to announce that it has raised 5 million, before expenses, by way of a Placing and Subscription ("Fundraising") at 2.5p per share ("Issue Price"). The Placing was arranged by Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Ltd ("Turner Pope"), the Company's broker, and was oversubscribed. The Directors believe the Fundraising will provide the necessary cash resources for Powerhouse to reach profitability and to implement its wider strategy for international growth. In addition, the Company has granted a warrant to Peel Holdings (IoM) Limited ("Peel"), providing a conditional right to subscribe up to approximately 10.2 million for up to 10% of the Company at a 10% premium to the Issue Price. The Fundraising A total of 160,000,000 new Ordinary Shares of 0.5p in the capital of the Company ("Ordinary Shares") have been placed at the Issue Price ("Placing Shares") with an international institutional investor and a small number of private shareholders, including the White Family (the Company's largest shareholder), raising 4 million, before expenses. A further 40,000,000 Ordinary Shares ("Subscription Shares") will be issued to Peel, which is subscribing 1 million at the Issue Price ("Subscription Agreement"). Grant of Warrant to Peel Under the terms of the Subscription Agreement, Powerhouse has agreed to grant to Peel a warrant to subscribe for 371,510,069 new Ordinary Shares (representing 10% of the Company's issued share capital immediately following Admission of the Placing Shares) ("Peel Warrant"). The Peel Warrant is exercisable (in whole or in part) within 6 months of financial close of Protos, subject to a long-stop date of 2 years from the date of the grant. The exercise price of the Peel Warrant is 2.75p per share (being a 10% premium to the Issue Price). Peel will be prohibited from trading shares issued upon exercise of the Peel Warrant for a period of 12 months from the date of Admission (subject to customary carve-outs). Peel is part of a group of companies with whom the Company has an exclusivity and licensing agreement in place for developments using its proprietary technology in the UK, the first being at the Protos Energy Park near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Between its 1 million subscription and potential investment of up to approximately 10.2 million through exercise of the Peel Warrant, Peel is expected to become a cornerstone industrial investor in the Company. The Subscription Agreement and Peel Warrant are independent of and in addition to the payment of the one-off 500,000 exclusivity fee as described in previous news releases. Related Party Transaction The White Family is a long-term supporter of the Company and is investing approximately 1.3 million in the Placing. The participation by the White Family is considered a related party transaction under the AIM rules as the White Family (constituting Howard White, Ben White, Josh White and Serena Eden Reyes-White) currently holds 26% percent of the share capital. Following the Fundraising the White Family will hold Ordinary Shares representing 26% held by the individual White Family members as follows: Josh White - 360,122,122 Ordinary Shares Ben White - 236,214,785 Ordinary Shares Serena White-Reyes - 201,593,059 Ordinary Shares Howard White - 169,757,066 Ordinary Shares The Directors of the Company having consulted with WH Ireland, the Company's Nominated Adviser, consider the terms of this transaction to be fair and reasonable insofar as shareholders are concerned. Use of Funds The Company will apply the net funds to refine technical aspects and assist Peel to deliver the first commercial-scale DMG installation at Protos, the first of a number of potential developments alongside Peel, as well as investment in personnel, office and other resources to capitalise on further UK and international sales and partnership opportunities. The Directors consider that the respective investments of Peel and the institutional investor serve as further endorsement of the DMG technology and enhance Powerhouse's credibility to advance its development strategy in and outside of the UK. A further and critical element of the agreement with Peel is that it also permits Powerhouse access to and use of the full design and engineering details of the entire plant being built at Protos, above and beyond that relating to the DMG technology, as well as unrestricted access to the site during and after construction. This will be of significant value and benefit to Powerhouse in relation to developing its international partnering and licensing agreements. Commenting, David Ryan, CEO of Powerhouse, said: "We are delighted to have attracted an international institutional fund as an investor and that Peel, already a key commercial partner, has also chosen to engage in this fundraise and demonstrated commitment by taking a warrant over 10% of the Company and become a cornerstone investor in Powerhouse. The investment cements the already close relationship between the two companies." Dr Cameron Davies, Chairman of Powerhouse, said: "We are particularly pleased to have attracted a high-quality institutional investor to our shareholder register. The fact that the fundraising was oversubscribed demonstrates market confidence in our execution strategy. The Board is confident this funding will facilitate Powerhouse to complete the first projects, reach profitability and roll out its international growth strategy." Chris Eves, Finance Director of Peel Holdings IOM, said: "We are pleased that Powerhouse has passed this key milestone and look forward to working with the Company going forward. The next stage is to secure the funding for the Protos project which will be achieved in due course. The commercialisation of the Protos project and the development of the UK pipeline, which could be over 70 facilities, will form the springboard for the international expansion of the Powerhouse business model." Admission to Trading on AIM Application has been made for the admission of 200,000,000 Ordinary Shares to trading on AIM ("Admission") and it is expected that this will occur on or around 15thSeptember 2020. These shares will rank pari passu in all respects with the Company's existing issued Ordinary Shares. Subsequent to the issue of new Ordinary Shares, the Company will have 3,715,100,693 Ordinary Shares in issue. Powerhouse has no shares in Treasury, therefore this figure may be used by shareholders, from Admission, as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules. Broker Warrants Turner Pope has been issued with 5,395,260 warrants to subscribe for new Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price, exercisable for a period of three years from Admission. ENDS For more information, contact: Powerhouse Energy Group plc Tel: +44 (0) 203 368 6399 David Ryan, Chief Executive Officer WH Ireland Limited (Nominated Adviser) Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666 James Joyce / Lydia Zychowska Turner Pope Investments Ltd (Joint Broker) Tel: +44 (0) 203 657 0050 Andrew Thacker / Zoe Alexander Ikon Associates (Media enquiries) Tel: +44 (0) 1483 271291 Adrian Shaw Mob: +44 (0) 7979 900733 Notes for Editors: About Powerhouse Energy Group plc Powerhouse has developed a proprietary process technology - DMG - which can utilise waste plastic, end-of-life-tyres, and other waste streams to efficiently and economically convert them into syngas from which valuable products such as chemical precursors, hydrogen, electricity and other industrial products may be derived. Powerhouse's technology is one of the world's first proven, distributed, modular, hydrogen from waste (HfW) process. The Powerhouse DMG process can generate up to 2 tonnes of road-fuel quality H2, and more than 58MWh of exportable electricity per day. Powerhouse's process produces low levels of safe residues and requires a small operating footprint, making it suitable for deployment at enterprise and community level. As announced on 11th February 2020 under its Supplemental Agreement with Peel Environmental, PHE will receive an annual license fee of 500,000 in respect of each project which is commissioned. Powerhouse is quoted on the London Stock Exchange's AIM Market under the ticker: PHE, and is incorporated in the United Kingdom. For more information see www.powerhouseenergy.net About the Protos Project The first application of the Powerhouse DMG technology is to be built at the Protos Site, a Peel L&P energy park development on a 54-hectare site known as 'Protos' near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. The site is the first development by Peel L&P under the Collaboration Agreement. The planning permission for the application was submitted in September 2019 and, on 3 March 2020, the Cheshire West and Chester planning committee approved the planning application for the DMG Technology to be utilised on the Protos Site. Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Mozambiques government forces of torturing suspected members of an armed group in the countrys northern Cabo Delgado province, as well as possible extrajudicial executions and discarding a large number of corpses into apparent mass graves. This behaviour flouts fundamental principles of humanity. The abuses attributed to the group known as al-Shabab can never justify further violations by the security forces of Mozambique, Deprose Muchena, Amnesty Internationals director for East and Southern Africa, said. The government of Mozambique must now order a swift, transparent, and impartial investigation to bring all those responsible for such crimes to justice in fair trials, Muchena said. The armed group began in northern Cabo Delgado province bordering Tanzania in the north and the Indian Ocean to the east in October 2017. More than 1,000 civilians have been killed, mainly by the rebels, and the total number of fatalities stands at 1,854 including combatants on either side, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. 200814181109963 The rebels dramatically stepped up their attacks in 2020, and in August captured the strategic port city of Mocimboa da Praia and have held it for nearly a month. The youth In their battle against the group, the Mozambican military and police are committing human rights abuses, charges the Amnesty report. Amnesty said its researchers analysed five videos and three photos obtained from sources in Mozambique. The soldiers committing the atrocities in the videos are wearing the uniforms of the Mozambique Armed Defence Forces (FADM) and the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR) of the Mozambican police, Amnesty said. In several videos, the soldiers refer to their captives as al-Shabab, Arabic for the youth, local slang for the rebels in Cabo Delgado. The rebels have allied themselves with ISIL (ISIS), taking the name Islamic State Central African Province. In the videos studied by Amnesty, the soldiers speak Portuguese and Shangaan, a language from southern Mozambique. The soldiers in the videos also reference recent fighting in the town of Mocimboa da Praia, making it highly likely that the videos were filmed in or near Cabo Delgado in the first half of 2020, the London-based rights group said. Offensive preparations Orlando Mudumane, spokesman for the Mozambican police force, said he had no comment on Amnestys allegations. A defence ministry spokesman also did not respond. Government troops lost control of Mocimboa da Praia on August 11 after intense fighting in and around the town and port. The government has since been reportedly gathering troops in the nearest towns of Mueda and Palma, viewed as preparation for an offensive to retake the area. On Monday, President Filipe Nyusi said government forces had been in action in the strategic village of Awasse, close to Mocimboa da Praia, which has been reported to be under rebel control. Nyusi did not say whether the government had taken control of Awasse. An estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people have fled the violence surrounding the rebellion and have sought refuge further south around Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. We have all seen how the court hearings on the case of second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan have turned into a show through Robert Kocharyan and his defense for the past one-and-a-half years. This is what Chair of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly of Armenia Andranik Kocharyan told reporters in parliament today. Instead of going to court and trying to explain to the court to either refute or prove the charges brought against him during the court hearings, Robert Kocharyan has chosen another tactic, that is, he is constantly trying to have the court change pre-trial measures, and it seems that the court has started liking this to the extent that, in his recent epoch-making meeting, Kocharyan said he has deleted Tuesdays from his calendar. He also said something strange when he said he doesnt understand what he is being charged with. In this case, the charge is also against the former defense minister and the former chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Doesnt Kocharyan know what they are charged with? Andranik Kocharyan said. According to Andranik Kocharyan, either the judge needs to start the trial quickly within the scope of the powers of the judge, or Robert Kocharyan must not talk about his return to politics since the only way for him to return to politics is to not obstruct the court hearings. NEW MILFORD A steady stream of cars dropped off students at all five of the towns public schools Tuesday morning for the first day of classes. Were thrilled to be back, New Milford High School Principal Greg Shugrue said as he helped direct traffic near the front door of the school. Its been a long time. The district closed its doors this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic. Students worked remotely for the remainder of the school year. Schools opened this week under the hybrid model, with half of the student population attending school in person on Monday and Tuesday and the other half on Thursday and Friday. Everyone will use remote learning Wednesday. Weve done a lot of work to prepare for this day, Shugrue said. And its great to see the kids walking into the building. Large partitions with clear screens separating students in small groups were set atop each of the cafeteria tables at the schools, allowing students to see one another and talk. Signs with reminders about maintaining social distance and keeping masks on were posted outside on school sidewalks and inside the entries of the schools as seen from the front doors. Painted stars, buses and other symbols lined the sidewalks of the elementary schools, guiding students into the doors and indicating a safe social distance. A bottle of hand sanitizer sat on a stool near at least one entrance of Northville Elementary School, and hand sanitizer was available at various locations at each school. Staff and students were masked, and some staff wore gloves. Jennifer Meyers, assistant principal at Sarah Noble Intermediate School, praised the teachers for their creativity in decorating their classrooms. In a typical year, classrooms have fun and colorful decorations. But this year, teachers took it to another level to make it feel even more warm and cozy based on the guidelines, Meyers said. Interim Superintendent Paul Smotas joined New Milford Police Chief Spencer Cerruto to greet families outside Northville. Things went smoothly, Smotas said after monitoring the student drop-off area, where parents stepped out of their vehicles and helped their children adjust their masks and put on their backpacks. Police were stationed on Hipp Road between Schaghticoke Middle School and Northville to oversee the traffic flow for the start of school at each building. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Alisha DiCorpo joined administrators and teachers welcoming students back at NMHS and Hill and Plain School. The children appeared happy to be back at school and were wearing their masks as they exited the buses, she said. As I entered the high school classrooms, the teachers were balancing the students who were working remotely with those students who were in class, she related. As this certainly requires careful preparation and thought, our teachers and students were ready to begin and were doing a nice job trying to teach/learn in either setting. Meyers described the students as off to a great start, keeping 6 feet apart and following the rules in place. There are a lot less kids, but theyre having a great time, she said, noting she was watching the third-graders play at recess around noon. The district has 3,778 students enrolled as of Sept. 1. The number of students enrolled in hybrid and remote learning were unavailable Tuesday morning, according to Smotas, who described them as fluid. He said the exact numbers wont be available for a few days, or even weeks. Smotas said as of last Friday, many parents hadnt yet decided what method their children would take for the academic year. People wanted to wait to see how things went, he said. And so many variables go into a parents decision. About 12 teachers did not return to the classroom for the start of the year. Some of them are out under the Family Medical Leave Act. Its been a long six months and the kids deserve and need to be back in school, Smotas said. It's so nice to have the faculty and children back, DiCorpo said. Im looking forward to seeing cohort B students in person later this week. Golda Barton said her son Linden Cameron was suffering from separation anxiety and that she wanted help taking him to hospital Los Angeles: Police in Salt Lake City shot and seriously wounded an autistic child whose mother had called 911 for help when her 13-year-old son started shouting in mental distress. Linden Cameron suffered from separation anxiety, his mother Golda Barton told reporters, and reacted angrily when she had to return to work for the first time in almost a year. She called 911 to ask police officers for help in taking the boy to hospital. "I told them 'look, he's unarmed, he doesn't have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming. He's a kid, he's trying to get attention'," she told local station KUTV. When the teenager started running from the police, one of the officers opened fire and injured the boy, who is white, with gunshots to the shoulder, intestine, bladder and ankle. "During a short foot pursuit, an officer discharged his firearm and hit the subject," police spokesman Keith Horrocks told reporters. "Given the threats of a weapon, they arrived in the area and made contact with this male, that male fled on foot," Horrocks said. "He's a small child, why don't you just tackle him?" his mother said. According to Horrocks, the boy was suspected of having "made threats to some folks with a weapon." But he admitted that no weapon had been found so far at the scene of the police shooting. In a country plunged into protest and division about a string of police killings, the Utah incident provoked strong reaction among local disability advocacy groups. "Police were called because help was needed but instead more harm was done," said Neurodiverse Utah in a statement. The case bore echoes of the death of Daniel Prude, a mentally ill black man whose brother called 911 for help when the 41-year-old was having a psychological breakdown. Prude died of suffocation after police put a hood over his head and pinned him to the ground in Rochester, New York in March. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and YAVNE, Israel, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MetaboMed, a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs in the field of cancer metabolism, today announced the appointment of Ali Fattaey, Ph.D. as its new CEO. Dr. Ali Fattaey, MetaboMed CEO Dr. Fattaey brings over 20 years of experience in private and public biotech executive management roles focused on cancer drug discovery and development. Most recently he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Curis, Inc., a Boston-based biotechnology company dedicated to development of innovative medicines for patients with cancer. Dr. Fattaey has successfully raised significant capital in the private venture and public markets, recruited and built cancer drug development teams, and has established strategic partnerships and collaborations within the industry. "Ali brings to MetaboMed a proven track record in oncology drug development and a deep biotech industry skill set. He has led the development of several cancer therapeutics through all stages of discovery, development and regulatory process" said Prof. David Aviezer, MetaboMed's chairman of the board. "MetaboMed is at the forefront of one of the most exciting new areas in cancer biology and drug discovery, with a significant foundation, a compelling vision, great people, deep science and a growing pipeline already in place. We look forward to Dr. Fattaey leading MetaboMed to the next stage as we near clinical development and continue to expand our presence in the U.S." Incoming Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ali Fattaey said: "I am excited to continue building on the world-class scientific foundation, exceptional team and culture of MetaboMed and lead the company into the next stage by establishing an equally strong clinical development dimension to the company. MetaboMed has already used its proprietary synthetic lethal screening platform to build an impressive pipeline of novel drug candidates addressing cancer metabolism targets, and we expect to initiate human trials for the first of these in the next year. We look forward to continuing and growing our ongoing pipeline discovery efforts in Israel, and our expansion in the Boston biotech community allows us to effectively execute the drug development and corporate aspects of our strategy." Prof. Aviezer added: "I wish to thank Dr. Simone Botti, our departing CEO, for his dedicated and diligent work at MetaboMed, from its inception as an incubator company, until today. The foundation he has built will serve MetaboMed in the years to come. We wish him the best in his new endeavor." "Dr. Simone Botti, the departing CEO, will be joining the senior team of a large European VC fund" Prof. Aviezer added: "I wish to thank Simone, for his dedicated and foundational work at MetaboMed, starting from its inception as an incubator company, until today. The foundation he has built, and the achievements made during his tenure will serve MetaboMed in the years to come. We wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor." Dr. Botti said: "I am proud of the work made together with our founders and investors, and our stellar R&D team. I am confident that Metabomed will be able to fulfill its potential as a global leader in oncology." About Cancer Metabolism Cancer cell metabolism is marked by profound changes in nutrient requirement and usage to ensure cell growth, proliferation, and survival. This metabolic reprogramming is regulated by the same oncogenes and tumor suppressor signaling pathways that are mutated in cancer cells in order to fuel their uncontrolled proliferation. Cancer cells become addicted to certain energy sources and metabolic pathways, with glucose and fatty acid utilization playing a critical role in cancer cell metabolism. Identifying and disrupting key enzymes in these and other metabolic pathways provides a powerful intervention point for discovery and development of novel drugs for cancer treatment. About MetaboMed MetaboMed is leading the discovery and development of novel drugs that target the unique dependencies identified in cancer cell metabolic pathways. The Company has built its integrated synthetic lethal and metabolomic screening platform based on decades of biochemistry and genetics research performed by its founders. The platform leverages computational biology combined with phenotypic screening approaches to identify and address synthetic lethal drug targets within the context of cancer cell metabolism. The Company's pipeline includes an advanced program with a potent and selective inhibitor of the ACSS2 enzyme, as well as multiple lead compounds addressing novel cancer metabolism targets. MetaboMed is dedicated to building a product pipeline addressing cancer cell metabolic targets to improve the lives of cancer patients. The company operates from its facilities in Yavne, Israel, and offices in Cambridge Massachusetts. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1250461/Ali_Fattaey__MetaboMed_CEO.jpg PR contact: Vered Rahat-Roth, PR manager in Israel [email protected] SOURCE Metabomed I feel bad for all of the people who are going to be here, Hebl said. I feel bad about the person that I know is going to be standing way over there who is going to come here and have that look on their face like I did two days ago at 7:30 (a.m.), knowing it was going to be four hours. On Monday Julian Assange was driven to the Old Bailey to continue his fight against extradition to the United States, where the Trump administration has launched the most dangerous attack on press freedom in at least a generation by indicting him for publishing US government documents. Amid coverage of the proceedings, Assanges critics have inevitably commented on his appearance, rumours of his behaviour while isolated in the Ecuadorian embassy, and other salacious details. These predictable distractions are emblematic of the sorry state of our political and cultural discourse. If Assange is extradited to face charges for practising journalism and exposing government misconduct, the consequences for press freedom and the publics right to know will be catastrophic. Still, rather than seriously addressing the important principles at stake in Assanges unprecedented indictment and the 175 years in prison he faces, many would rather focus on inconsequential personality profiles. Assange is not on trial for skateboarding in the Ecuadorian embassy, for tweeting, for calling Hillary Clinton a war hawk, or for having an unkempt beard as he was dragged into detention by British police. Assange faces extradition to the United States because he published incontrovertible proof of war crimes and abuses in Iraq and Afghanistan, embarrassing the most powerful nation on Earth. Assange published hard evidence of the ways in which the first world exploits the third, according to whistleblower Chelsea Manning, the source of that evidence. Assange is on trial for his journalism, for his principles, not his personality. Youve probably heard the refrain from well-meaning pundits: You dont have to like him, but you should oppose threats to silence him. But that refrain misses the point by reinforcing the manipulative tropes deployed against Assange. When setting a gravely dangerous precedent, governments dont typically persecute the most beloved individuals in the world. They target those who can be portrayed as subversive, unpatriotic or simply weird. Then they actively distort public debate by emphasizing those traits. These techniques are not new. After Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to journalists to expose the US governments lies about Vietnam, the Nixon administrations White House Plumbers broke into Ellsbergs psychiatrists office in search of material that could be used to discredit him. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was falsely portrayed as collaborating with the Chinese, then the Russians. Obsession with military intelligence analyst Mannings mental health and gender identity was ubiquitous. By demonizing the messenger, governments seek to poison the message. Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy - a timeline The prosecution will be all too happy when coverage of Assanges extradition hearing devolves into irrelevant tangents and smears. It matters little that Assanges beard was the result of his shaving kit having been confiscated, or that reports of Paul Manafort visiting him in the embassy were proven to be fabricated. By the time these petty claims are refuted, the damage will be done. At best, public debate over the real issues will be derailed; at worst, public opinion will be manipulated in favour of the establishment. By drawing attention away from the principles of the case, the obsession with personality pushes out the significance of WikiLeaks revelations and the extent to which governments have concealed misconduct from their own citizens. It pushes out how Assanges 2010 publications exposed 15,000 previously uncounted civilian casualties in Iraq, casualties that the US Army would have buried. It pushes out the fact that the United States is attempting to accomplish what repressive regimes can only dream of: deciding what journalists around the globe can and cannot write. It pushes out the fact that all whistleblowers and journalism itself, not just Assange, is on trial here. This piece was written by Noam Chomsky and Alice Walker, co-chairs of AssangeDefense.org Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 23:14:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The State Council, China's cabinet, on Wednesday stressed measures to support new industries and patterns to boost new types of consumption and foster economic recovery. It also specified measures to speed up the innovative development of medical education, ensuring that workers do their best to protect people's health, according to a statement issued after a State Council executive meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang. Calling consumption a crucial pillar for economic growth, the statement said the sector, hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, has become a weak link in the country's economic recovery. However, new types of consumption, supported by new industries and patterns, registered robust growth and had great potential. Efforts should be made to develop new-type consumption on a larger scale and of higher quality and innovate contactless consumption patterns. Efforts should also go into promoting the development of open online courses as well as online diagnosis and treatment, and a combination of online and offline services in sectors such as fitness and tourism, according to the statement. The country vowed to accelerate the development of infrastructure to boost new-type consumption. It urged efforts to prioritize the coverage of 5G networks and the Internet of Things in core business districts, industrial parks and transportation hubs, and promote the commercial use of consumption-related data in a safe and orderly manner. The government will unveil supportive tax policies that foster new industries and patterns for new-type consumption and encourage financial institutions to lower mobile payment costs. It will also push forward reforms to streamline administration and delegate powers, improve regulation, and upgrade services while simplifying license processing procedures. Efforts should also be made to allow traditional consumption to play a key role while enhancing the driving forces of new-type consumption. The meeting pointed out that the number and structure of the country's medical and nursing personnel are yet to meet the needs of building a healthy China as the epidemic exposed the shortage of professionals in public health, critical care, and nursing sectors. The State Council demanded efforts to strengthen reform and innovation in medical training. The country will optimize the training structure of medical staff to speed up fostering general practitioners capable of disease prevention and treatment. More central fiscal support will be extended to the education of medical undergraduates for township hospitals in the country's central and western regions, while enrollment of postgraduates in anesthesia, infection, critical illness and pediatrics will be expanded, according to the statement. It also detailed multiple measures to enhance the quality of medical staff training. Enditem HARRISBURG Brian Burns, the former physician convicted in December of murdering his estranged wife more than four years ago, will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars after a Saline County judge sentenced him Tuesday to 40 years in prison for the crime. Burns, 61, was arrested in March 2016 after his estranged wife, Carla Burns, had been reported missing days earlier. The two had been separated and were in the process of getting divorced this was Burns' motive for killing his wife, State Appellate Prosecutor Matt Goetten posited to the jury during five days of testimony in his December murder trial. Burns' defense argued during the trial that her death by shooting was not intentional. My wife died accidentally, Burns said Tuesday during his statement of allocution. He asserted his innocence before he was sentenced to four decades in state prison, while blaming the court for everything from his mothers death while he was in prison to the deaths of many hypothetical patients he said he could have treated as a physician had he not been, he said, wrongfully incarcerated. Burns said he was not able to enter evidence during the trial that he said could have exonerated him. After the Tuesday hearing, Burns' defense attorney, Duane Verity, explained that this supposed evidence was a truth serum test that the court would not allow. "Truth serum" is a phrase that refers to drugs administered to a person that allegedly prevent them from lying. Judge Walden Morris on Tuesday said after hearing all the evidence and Burns own statement of allocution, he found Burns to be a danger to society. He sentenced him to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the charge of first-degree murder, to be served consecutively with a five-year sentence for the charge of concealment of a homicidal death. These cumulative 45 years are also to be served consecutively with his 20-year sentence for attempting to have the former Saline County state's attorney kidnapped a crime he committed while in jail on the murder charge. He was convicted in 2018 of several charges related to the attempted kidnapping scheme. Consecutive sentencing means Burns will have to complete each prison term before the next one begins. Carla Burns was 49 when she was killed. She had been a nurse, and she taught at Southeastern Illinois College. She was a mother of two. Written victim impact statements from Carlas two sons were not available Tuesday and her children were not available for comment. Burns convicted nearly 4 years after crime Brian Burns did not face trial in his wife's killing until nearly four years after the crime took place. He was tried on the attempted kidnapping of the county's top prosecutor before he faced trial on the murder and concealment charges. During his closing arguments in the December murder trial, Goetten, the special prosecutor, argued that Burns was motivated to kill his wife after she filed her taxes separately from him in 2016 as the couple's divorce was pending. After Carla Burns refused to amend her tax return, Goetten said, Brian Burns started to weigh his options. I think this is where the seed is planted for Brian Burns to murder his wife, Goetten said during the trial. Jurors heard testimony that alleged Brian Burns shot his wife and then burned her on a pyre. The prosecution argued Burns later shoveled Carla Burns' ashes into buckets and scattered them around his rural Saline County property. In some ways, these were not facts Burns' defense disputed, but instead tried to reframe. Burns told investigators that his wife had asked him to teach her to shoot a pistol the day she died. She had come by Burns' home to pick up their dog, Chloe, of whom they shared custody. Burns said she tried to fire the gun one-handed, but the recoil caused the pistol to be aimed at her head before it went off, killing her. Burns said during testimony that, in a state of intense grief, he decided to cremate her and spread her ashes on their property, which he said he understood to be her final wishes. However, hours of videotaped interviews with Burns, both in police custody and before his arrest, show him telling the story multiple ways. He started off saying he didn't know where she was when police were investigating her disappearance. His story later morphed into a shooting lesson gone wrong. He blamed his inconsistencies on amnesia caused by witnessing his wife's death. He was trying to tell the story, but not directly, Goetten said during closing arguments. The jury returned a guilty verdict on Dec. 17 after deliberating for more than four hours. Without a body, and without other physical evidence, Burns defense attorney Verity wondered how his client could be convicted. I didn't hear any evidence, Verity said Tuesday, referring to the December trial. He said all the prosecution had was speculations. After Tuesdays hearing, Goetten said it was the whole of this circumstantial evidence that he believed to be so damning: Burns erratic behavior and circumspect interactions with police as well as his ever-changing story and his demeanor on the stand were what swayed the jury, he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 By Ayya Lmahamad Another infrastructure project has been carried out in Azerbaijans capital Baku. President Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration of the overhead pedestrian crossing in Mardakan-Zughulba highway in the outskirts of Baku on September 9. The overhead pedestrian crossing has been built in line with the state program for the socio-economic development of Baku and its settlements in accordance with the presidential order. Chairman of the State Highway Agency of Azerbaijan Saleh Mammadov informed the president about technical and economic indicators of the overhead pedestrian crossing. It should be noted that the design of this overhead pedestrian crossing were made by an Italian designer, and the projects were developed by local specialists. During the construction of the overhead pedestrian crossing, experts have taken into account the surrounding residential area, the presence of a nearby school, the fact that more people use this section of the road, and other factors. The overall length of the overhead pedestrian crossing, including ramps, is 180 meters. The length of the middle part, made of metal mesh on three supports, is 52 meters, and width - 4.5 meters. The crosswalk consists of 39 steel rings crossing at an angle of 57 degrees. Moreover, ramps have been installed in accordance with international standards for ease of movement. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Luka Modric turned 35 on Wednesday and Sergio Ramos took to social media to send an emotive message to his team-mate. The two Real Madrid players have shared a same dressing room since the Croatian midfielder's arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012. "The Croatian grandfather continues to have his birthday," Ramos wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a picture of him with Modric. "I hope we share many more laughs, assists, trophies and good times. "Happy birthday, brother! "You are loved, Luka Modric." Ramos and Modric have won several trophies together at Los Blancos, including four Champions Leagues. Israel on Wednesday expressed hope that India and China will sort out their differences in a peaceful way, amidst mounting tension between the two Asian giants over the border issue. We hope that all things will be sorted out in a peaceful way, and the tension will be lowered. This is our desire," Deputy Director-General for the Asia-Pacific at Israels Foreign Ministry Gilad Cohen said in response to a question on the border tension between India and China at an online briefing. Tensions between India and China escalated manifold along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh after the Galwan Valley clashes in June. The latest incident occurred on Monday. India on Tuesday said Chinese troops attempted to close in on its position in eastern Ladakh on Monday and fired shots in the air, in a rapid escalation of tensions where firearms were used along the Line of Actual Control after 45 years. Cohen said that Israel enjoyed good relations with both the countries and it is willing to have trade agreements with them. We try to have good relations with all of the countries in Asia and this is very very important to us.. As you see we have good relations with India. We have good relations with China, he said. With India we spoke about this trade agreement about designated products. With China we are talking about a Free Trade AgreementIndia and China also have a lot of commerce, Cohen said. We hope to have a kind of agreement for designated products with India, he said, describing the Free Trade Agreement as a great engine for boosting the economies. According to sources, Israel is working on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with India with a designated list of 270-280 products. The service sector has been left out of the agreement with India. Israels FTA with all the countries, including with its closest ally USA, also does not include the services sector. In such a scenario, a PTA on designated goods can help facilitate bilateral trade between the two countries, informed sources said. Israel is in discussions with South Korea, Vietnam, China, the Philippines and other Asian countries over signing of a Free Trade Agreement. We are going to sign a FTA with Korea. We have also in the pipeline a (trade) agreement in an advanced stage with China and Vietnam," Cohen said. The strategic relationship between India and Israel is on a qualitatively different trajectory since the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel three years ago in July 2017 becoming the first Indian prime minister to tour the Jewish state. Netanyahu visited India in January 2018. We have very good relations with India. We can collaborate in many fields like agriculture, energy, water treatment, Cohen said in response to a question. He also suggested a trilateral collaboration between Israel, India and the US. Washington: The United States has revoked more than 1000 visas of Chinese nationals as of September 8, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday, as part of the Trump administration's push to block entry of students and researchers believed to have links to the Chinese military. In a May 29 proclamation, President Donald Trump restricted the entry of certain Chinese students and researchers, saying they were being used in Beijing's campaign to acquire sensitive US technologies and intellectual property. The State Department began implementing the rules on June 1. "As of September 8, 2020, the Department has revoked more than 1000 visas of PRC nationals who were found to be subject to Presidential Proclamation 10043 and therefore ineligible for a visa," a department spokeswoman said in an email. The department has broad authority to revoke visas, she said, and exercises that authority when information comes to light indicating that a visa holder may be inadmissible or otherwise ineligible for a visa. New Sun Pharmaceutical was one of the larger names caught red-handed According to a VIR source, Pharmaceutical JSC of February 3 (F.T.Pharma), Vietnam Chemico-Pharmaceutical JSC, New Sun Pharmaceutical JSC, and Khuong Duy Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. are among top brands named on the list of violators of drug tender rules compiled by the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV) under the Ministry of Health (MoH). In a recent announcement, the DAV reviewed the reports of the departments of Health in cities and provinces where violations have been detected since 2018. Vietnam Chemico-Pharmaceutical JSC did not sign a contract with National Geriatric Hospital after being selected as the winning bidder to supply Natri clorid 0.9 per cent due to insufficient supply. Several other companies also failed to sign supply contracts with related units. For example, F.T.Pharma was reported by Ninh Thuan Department of Health after it joined a tender in 2018 for a drug named golchicine galien but failed to sign the supply contract. Why these companies joined the tenders without sufficient supply is unclear. However, these failures may well damage their positions in upcoming tenders because their conduct disrupted local medicine supply. After these incidents, provincial departments of Health will have to be more cautious with future tenders. The selection of bidders in upcoming tenders will be strictly monitored and the violations will lose their points in future bidding, a source from a local health department told VIR. Under Circular No.15/2019/TT-BYT, every year before October 31, health authorities, hospitals, and institutions providing inpatient treatment affiliated with the MoH, and provincial departments of Health shall submit reports to the ministry on past violations committed by bidders during the tendering of drug procurement packages by local health facilities. The reports shall be the basis for subsequent bidder evaluation. Violations of drug tenders are nothing new in Vietnam, although pharmaceuticals are directly related to peoples health. Previous violations have drawn public outrage in several instances, with the scandal of VN Pharma being a heart-rending case when it traded fake drugs and won many drug tenders in hospitals. Currently in the local pharmaceuticals market, the main distribution channel is the hospital system where ethical drugs (ETCs) are traded, which account for 70 per cent of the total sales volume, while the rest of the market is covered by over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. As ETC drugs are often more expensive than OTC ones, many companies are willing to break the rules to win tenders. Lawyer Le Cao said that there are still some dissonances between the legal framework and reality in tenders, including drug bidding. Even though the newly-issued Decree No.25/2020/ND-CP taking effect from April 20 and replacing Decree No.30/2015/ND-CP guiding the implementation of the Law on Public Procurement has new regulations on contractor selection, the regulations fail to make a real difference in preventing violations in bidder appointment and bidding. To deter new violations, wrongdoings in bidding activities should be strictly punished. Administrative fines or economic punishments are not enough. Violations in bidding for drugs and medical equipment procurement packages will continue unless more effective supervision is put in place, Cao said. The dedication of public health leaders, frontline workers, and everyday Canadians from coast to coast has undoubtedly mitigated the damage of COVID-19. By following hand-washing, masking and physical distancing guidelines, a vast majority of Canadians continue to protect themselves and each other from the virus. But those of us who have been lucky enough to avoid the virus may wonder: are my lungs healthy enough to make it through COVID-19? Theres no shortage of debate on who gets very sick from the virus, and who doesnt. It is clear that we must do a better job of protecting vulnerable groups: the elderly, the immunocompromised, the poor and the racialized. Yet, data shows that regardless of age or socioeconomic status, those who smoke cigarettes are at higher risk of becoming critically ill when compared to non-smokers. In fact, according to a recent study, smokers are 1.45 times more likely to develop serious complications from COVID-19. Its difficult to identify a chronic illness or condition where smoking is not a risk factor, a direct cause, or an exacerbator. For this reason, cigarette smoking is among the most preventable causes of disease and can significantly decrease ones quality of health and lifespan. Given that smoking is the number-one cause of lung cancer, one would think that the incidence of smoking has steeply declined. Yet, as recently as 2018, a three-per-cent uptick was recorded in Canadian smokers above the age of 25. In 2018, there were still 3.4 million daily smokers and 1.5 million casual smokers in Canada, representing more than 15 per cent of the Canadian population aged 12 and above. A study on health outcomes of smokers in 2012 found that smoking causes 45,000 deaths each year, which accounts for one in every five deaths in Canada. Furthermore, smoking and its direct complications carried a staggering bill of $6.5-billion that same year in direct health-care expenditures. Following this time of great disruption to our public health system, there will be an opportunity to rethink some existing health-care programs to match future needs. Smoking cessation is one such program, where the potential for saving health-care dollars far exceeds the costs of implementation. The good news is that one-third of Canadian smokers want to quit, and the medications that could help them are widely available. Nicotine replacement therapy is one example. It can come in the form of a patch, nasal spray, inhaler, gum or lozenge to help reduce cravings and relieve withdrawal symptoms, making quitting more endurable and more feasible. Funding smoking cessation isnt a radical idea. Ontario already provides free smoking cessation therapies in certain circumstances. As hospitals do not permit smoking, when patients who smoke are admitted as inpatients, they are given nicotine replacement therapy to reduce cravings. But once they leave the hospital, this coverage ceases. And since the typical duration of therapy to successfully quit smoking is eight to 12 weeks, whatever potential health-care benefit could have been realized, is lost upon discharge. Smoking cessation therapies would help smokers on an individual level, but one may wonder: why should the public foot the bill for people who actively choose to smoke? If we paid for smoking cessation therapy for every smoker in Canada, it would cost roughly $360 per smoker for a 12-week therapy of nicotine patches. If the public were to cover the cost of treatment of every daily smoker, it would add up to just over $1.1 billion. This pales in comparison to the cost of $6.5 billion that taxpayers ultimately pay for the medical treatments necessary to treat complications of smoking. Complications range from conditions such as heart disease and stroke, to lung conditions including COPD and pneumonia, to various forms of cancer. The most lethal among them is lung cancer, for which patients are often subjected to rounds of chemotherapy and weeks of hospitalization, compounded with side-effects and complications. Treatments for these chronic conditions can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient, not to mention the patients lost productivity. What may have started as an individual choice eventually leads to widespread costs and personal suffering within our health-care system. But this can be mitigated by a relatively modest investment in smoking cessation therapies. The pandemic has forced us to change our unhealthy habits, whether its by cooking more ourselves or turning our homes into gymnasiums. Indeed, the unhealthy habit of smoking too must be broken at any cost. If coverage of smoking cessation therapies will accomplish that at a bargain, then whats stopping us? The Journal of Pediatrics Publishes Prevalence Study on Pediatric Feeding Disorder. This issue is more pervasive than people realize and therefore may be going undiagnosed. This research tells us it is so important to listen to parents or caregivers when they are concerned about their childs feeding," said Jaclyn Pederson, chief executive officer of Feeding Matters. More than one in 37 American children under the age of five annually receive a diagnosis of, and currently have, a pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), according to a new nationwide study led by The Medical College of Wisconsin in partnership with Arizona State Universitys College of Health Solutions. This makes PFD more prevalent than well-known childhood conditions such as cerebral palsy and autism. The study will be published in an upcoming issue of The Journal of Pediatrics. The research was conducted by Kovacic K, Rein, ScM LE, and Praveen S. Goday, MBBS, CNSC, FAAP, et al., and was coordinated by Feeding Matters, the first organization in the world dedicated to advancing the system of care for children with PFD. For the study, data was obtained from over 56 million people from three insurance cohorts. (Medicaid Databases from Arizona and Wisconsin, public insurance database, and The Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database, nationwide private insurance databases) between 2009 and 2014. This study was done using a variety of billing codes as surrogate markers for PFD as there did not exist a unifying medical code at the time. The findings from this study will bring the necessary attention to pediatric feeding disorder that it deserves, said lead author Praveen S. Goday. For years, clinicians have known how prevalent this disorder was but havent been able to share this in an impactful way, Dr. Goday concluded. Dr. Goday and his co-authors said this study, coupled with the recent announcement that there would be a Pediatric Feeding Disorder code in the next edition of the U.S. International Classification of Diseases (ICD) in October 2021, should make it easier to continue to track the prevalence of PFD and potentially enable better medical interventions for children with PFD. This issue is more pervasive than people realize and therefore may be going undiagnosed. This research tells us it is so important to listen to parents or caregivers when they are concerned about their childs feeding as they often know that something is wrong before anyone else does, said Jaclyn Pederson, chief executive officer of Feeding Matters. If you are concerned, please take our Infant Child Feeding Questionnaire, talk to your pediatrician about your concerns and know that Feeding Matters is here to support you in this journey, Pederson concluded. The complete article, Pediatric Feeding Disorder: A Nationwide Prevalence Study, is available online at http://www.jpeds.com. See the paper for a full list of authors and disclosures. Doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.07.047 Citation: Kovacic K, Rein, ScM LE, Bhagavatula P, Kommareddy S, Szabo A, Goday PS, Pediatric Feeding Disorder: A Nationwide Prevalence Study, The Journal of Pediatrics (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.07.047 About Feeding Matters For kids with pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), every bite of food can be painful, scary, or simply impossible to swallow, potentially impeding nutrition, development, growth, and overall well-being. Yet, there is no functional system of care for PFD locally, nationally, or internationally. Thats why Feeding Matters is dedicated to creating a world where children with pediatric feeding disorder thrive. Established in 2006, Feeding Matters is the first organization in the world uniting the concerns of families with the fields leading advocates, experts, and allied healthcare professionals to ignite unprecedented change to the system of care through advocacy, education, support, and research including a stand-alone diagnosis, the International Pediatric Feeding Disorder Conference, and the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire. In 2019, Feeding Matters reached more than 140,000 individuals in 50 states and 143 countries through their programs and website. To learn more about pediatric feeding disorder, visit feedingmatters.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube at @FeedingMatters. Media Contacts: Stephanie Sanstead Public Relations stephanie@communicadecneco.com 602-476-9997 Jaclyn Pederson Chief Executive Officer Feeding Matters jpederson@feedingmatters.org 623.242.5234 ext. 308 London: Two deserting soldiers from Myanmar's army have claimed they were told by commanding officers to "shoot all that you see and hear" during the brutal military operation against the country's Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017. It is the first time members of the military have openly admitted taking part in what a United Nations fact-finding mission has described as a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya. They are reported to have been transferred to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, in what could be a boost in efforts to hold the south-east Asian nation to account. Privates Myo Win Tun and Zaw Naing Tun have confessed to killing and rape during the Myanmar army Rohingya "clearance operations". Credit:AP According to Fortify Rights, an NGO investigating crimes against the Rohingya, who were driven out of Myanmar's Rakhine state in 2017, the two soldiers arrived at the Bangladeshi border in August seeking protection. SEATTLE - A Neo-Nazi has pleaded guilty in federal court in Seattle to a charge that he conspired to threaten journalists. Johnny Roman Garza, 21, of Queen Creek, Arizona, entered the plea by video conference Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to one count of conspiracy to mail threatening communications, to commit cyberstalking and to interfere with a federally protected activity. Garza was one of four members of the Neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division charged early this year with having cyberstalked and sent Swastika-laden posters to journalists and an employee of the Anti-Defamation League, telling them, You have been visited by your local Nazis, Your Actions have Consequences, and We are Watching. Garza admitted that as part of the conspiracy he located the Phoenix apartment complex where a member of the Arizona Association of Black Journalists lived and went there last January intent on leaving the threatening posters. According to the plea agreement, however, Garza could not find a suitable place to put the poster. He then travelled to the home of an editor at a local Jewish publication and affixed a poster to the bedroom window. The same day, other members of the conspiracy mailed or delivered posters to targets in Washington state and Florida, authorities said. Investigators warned several of the intended victims before they received the intimidating communications, indicating that they were monitoring the people making the threats. Garza faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in December. The trial date for the other defendants has been delayed by the COVID pandemic. They include Kaleb J. Cole, against whom Seattle police obtained an extreme risk protection order last fall, seizing nine guns from his home. They said Cole had gone from espousing hate to now taking active steps or preparation for an impending race war. Those steps including organizing paramilitary-style hate camps in Nevada and Washington, investigators said. Gross domestic product (GDP) in the eurozone shrank by 11.8 percent while the employment rate decreased by 2.9 percent in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the previous quarter, Eurostat said on Tuesday. The EU's statistical office estimated that in the whole of the European Union (EU), GDP decreased by 11.4 percent and the employment rate dropped by 2.7 percent in the second quarter, when strict COVID-19 containment measures were still in place in many EU countries. These were by far the sharpest declines observed since the time series started in 1995, Eurostat said. In the first quarter of 2020, GDP had decreased by 3.7 percent in the eurozone and by 3.3 percent in the EU. Compared with the same period of 2019, seasonally adjusted GDP decreased by 14.7 percent in the eurozone and by 13.9 percent in the EU in the second quarter of 2020. Among the EU member states for which data are available, Spain (-18.5 percent) recorded the sharpest quarter-on-quarter GDP decline, followed by Croatia (-14.9 percent), Hungary (-14.5 percent), Greece (-14 percent), Portugal (-13.9 percent) and France (-13.8 percent). The lowest GDP declines were registered in Finland (-4.5 percent), Lithuania (-5.5 percent) and Estonia (-5.6 percent), followed by Ireland (-6.1 percent), Latvia (-6.5 percent) and Denmark (-6.9 percent). Employment was also severely impacted by the pandemic, with the number of employed persons decreasing by 2.9 percent in the eurozone and by 2.7 percent in the EU in the second quarter of the year, compared with the previous quarter. Year-on-year, the employment rate decreased by 3.1 percent in the eurozone and by 2.9 percent in the EU in the second quarter of 2020. While the impact of the pandemic on the employment rate remained relatively moderate due to government support schemes, declines in hours worked were much more pronounced. Hours worked decreased by 12.8 percent in the eurozone and by 10.7 percent in the EU in the second quarter of 2020, compared with the previous quarter. Nation accelerates domestic production progress - illustration photo According to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) under the Ministry of Transport (MoT), Vietnam has worked with Japan and South Korea to resume commercial flights from September 15. There will be eight flights each week, four with Japan and four with South Korea. All passengers to Vietnam must be isolated for 14 days under the pandemic prevention regulations, said the CAAVs director general Dinh Viet Thang. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc earlier ordered the MoT to combine with relevant ministries to soon reopen commercial flights between Vietnam and these two nations, which have a high pandemic-related safety level and currently remain the two largest foreign investors in Vietnam, with South Korea registering $70.1 billion and Japan $60.26 billion. Besides revitalising the airlines, the resumption of flights with these markets will help Vietnam attract more investment from the north-eastern Asian nations, and spur domestic production, which remains weak due to the pandemics revisit, though having begun to recover since April when the country temporarily lifted social distancing measures. The government last week reported that Vietnams industrial production for August continues facing great difficulties, especially amid the resurgence of the pandemic in late July in the central city of Danang which then expanded to some other localities. In August, Vietnams index for industrial production (IIP) declined by 0.6 per cent on-year, after a growth of 1.1 per cent in July. This was the first drop in industrial output since May, with output falling for most sectors, such as in mining (-5.1 per cent versus -7.9 per cent in July), processing and manufacturing (-0.1 per cent against 2.1 per cent), and electricity supply (-0.7 per cent versus 2.7 per cent). As electricity is vital for production, such a decrease would mean local factories are now either standing still or not accelerating again, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). In the first eight months, the IIP ascended merely 2.2 per cent, the lowest eight-month increase since 2012 and far lower than the rise of 9.5 per cent in the same period last year. The processing and manufacturing sector creates 80 per cent of Vietnams industrial growth and climbed 3.7 per cent on-year. Meanwhile, the electricity production and distribution sector ascended 2 per cent on-year; and the treatment of wastewater and trash went up 2.9 per cent on-year. All these minor movements are much lower than those in the corresponding period last year. According to the GSO, the decline in domestic production is attributed to many reasons, for instance, a shrinking consumer market amid the falling global demand. Vietnam also feels this reduced demand due to its openness in the global economy, with GDP doubled by trade turnover. In the first eight months of this year, Vietnams garment and textile sector, which is one of the countrys money makers, earned an export turnover of $19.2 billion, down 11.6 per cent on-year. It is expected that in the second half of 2020, the sector will suffer a decline of 14-18 per cent in export turnover, with the forecast for the entire year currently standing at $32.75 billion, down 16 per cent on-year. Pham Viet Minh, sales director of Vietnamese-South Korean Viet Thanh Garment and Textile Co. Ltd., said that after the first eight months, his companys revenue was down by about 10 per cent. No significant orders have been landed with foreign partners who have had to reduce workers and production. In July we were able to ink only a small contract with a South Korean partner. As a result, we have had to lay off hundreds of workers, Minh said. Meanwhile, Vietnams eight-month export turnover of mobile phones and their spare parts, mostly from Samsung, hit $31.5 billion, accounting for 18.1 per cent of the economys total export turnover, and down 5.5 per cent on-year. That of footwear also decreased 8.6 per cent on-year to $10.9 billion. On-year reductions can also be seen in the export revenues of agricultural items, such as vegetables and fruit ($2.3 billion, down 11.3 per cent), cashews ($2 billion, down 5.4 per cent), coffee ($2 billion, down 1.3 per cent), and tea ($134 million, down 6.2 per cent). Phuc Sinh Corporation in Ho Chi Minh City has been exporting its farm produce to Europe, North America, and the Middle East for years. Over the past months, the corporation, which holds 15 per cent of Vietnams pepper market share, has suffered a reduction of 70 per cent in revenue. The sales have dramatically plummeted. We have been deploying online sales, but they are going very slowly, Phuc Sinhs chairman and general director Pham Minh Thong told VIR. Hundreds of thousands of enterprises in Vietnam are finding it hard to boost exports and are seeking new markets, Thong added. However, it is not easy to open new markets as it would take time and big sums of money. Nielsen Adds Retail and FMCG Segments in Taiwan Nielsen has teamed up with data management platform (DMP) Lotame to launch purchase-based audience segments in Taiwan, built on retail and FMCG behavioral data. The new Nielsen Retail and FMCG segments provide companies, brands and marketers with Taiwan-specific audience segments, based on massive amounts of data from actual till receipts. According to Nielsen, this data enables clients to target audiences who shop at specific retailers, and buy from specific product categories. Through Lotame's data exchange, Nielsen can tap into actual purchase data segments from seven million targetable devices per segment, helping clients target buyers from eight product categories to reach potential new consumers, increase brand awareness, and deliver promotional messages to visitors of seventeen specific retailers. Nielsen says it anticipates additional APAC market collaborations with Lotame in the near future, including Japan and India. Ranjeet Laungani (pictured), North Asia Leader, Nielsen Media, comments: 'This is a big win for Taiwan-based advertisers and agencies, who for the first time will be able to reach their desired mobile-based audiences based on purchase data from Nielsen Media. The exciting partnership with Lotame for this market underscores our commitment to collaborate with strategic partners to bring our clients the very best solution'. Web sites: www.nielsen.com and www.lotame.com . CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Novian Health Inc., a pioneer in destroying breast tumors with laser treatments, announced that Stephen Bonner, former President and CEO of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) and Entrepreneur in Residence at the Harvard Business School has joined Novian Health's Board of Directors. Bonner has had a long and distinguished career as a leader in healthcare. He has held executive positions at Keyport Life Insurance, McGraw-Hill and Prudential Insurance. From 1999 to 2014, he was president of CTCA, a national cancer care network with five hospitals around the country that provides a personalized, patient-centered approach to cancer care. Bonner's commitment to improving treatment outcomes and quality of care earned him a place on Modern Healthcare magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare in 2011. He now is an advisor to four private equity firms and several companies, continuing a relentless search for new medical advances that can make real differences in patients' lives. In his view, Novian Health's innovative laser treatment for breast cancer is one of those important steps forward. "It offers a rare opportunity to not only improve outcomes for breast cancer patients, but to also replace expensive and disfiguring breast surgery with a much less invasive laser treatment," he explained. "That's why I'm so excited to be joining the company's Board." For Novian Health, Bonner "brings invaluable knowledge of the specialty centers, like CTCA's network, that focus on treating cancers and that could productively use Novian's technology" "Steve's experience will be crucial in helping us understand the provider and patient viewpoint" explained Henry Appelbaum, president and CEO of Novian Health. "In addition, his willingness to join our Board is another major validation of the value of the Novilase laser treatment, given his impressive track record for identifying important medical advances." Novian's key innovation is replacing the standard invasive lump removal surgery, or lumpectomy, with a laser treatment. Doctors insert a laser probe directly into the tumor using ultrasound guidance in a manner similar to a breast biopsy. The tumor is then heated by the laser and destroyed. In contrast to a lumpectomy, which requires an operating room, general anesthesia, and several days of recovery, Novian Health's Novilase Breast Therapy can be performed on an out-patient basis using local anesthesia, with minimal pain and a recovery time of hours. And while more than 25% of women with lumpectomies will need more surgery because their entire tumors were not removed during the initial surgical procedure, Novilase completely destroyed the tumor in 98% of patients with early-stage breast tumors 15 mm in diameter in a multi-center trial published in 2018. Novian Health received CE Mark approval in 2019 to commercialize its technology in the European Union (EU) and Switzerland. It also has approval to move ahead with the pivotal clinical trial needed to obtain clearance for focal destruction of malignant breast tumors in the United States from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. ABOUT NOVIAN HEALTH INC. Based in Chicago, with a subsidiary in Evry, France, Novian Health Inc. is a privately held medical device company with proprietary technology for the treatment of tumors using Interstitial Laser Therapy. For more information, call (312) 266-7200 or access www.novianhealth.com. Contact: Liz Dowling, (415) 388-2794 Dowling & Dennis PR [email protected] SOURCE Novian Health Highcliff Island is one of those tiny pieces of land found in many neighborhoods. Too small to build on, no one owns it; no one maintains it. People drive by it thousands of times without a second thought. Located in the Fairfield neighborhood near Starcrest Drive and Loop 410, the oval of land measures maybe 80 feet by 20 feet and sits in the middle of a small cul-de-sac off Highcliff Drive on the far side of the neighborhood. Until recently, it was an eyesore of weeds and rocks, with a cracked sidewalk and a gnarly oak tree providing a modicum of shade. But since nearby residents banded together to transform it into a pocket park, Highcliff Island looks better and has brought the neighborhood together. While work continues, it already has a Little Free Library, a painted picnic table, plantings and a crushed granite walkway. I know the people who live on either side of me, said Nena King, who is spearheading the project. But since we started working on fixing it up, Ive met a lot more of my neighbors. Fairfield is a neighborhood of about 300 single-family homes, most dating from the early 1960s, that today are occupied by a mix of middle-class families and retirees. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio author Leila Meacham battles pancreatic cancer but keeps writing The islands fortunes began to change last fall when King, who lives down the street, threw some wildflower seeds onto the rocky ground. The seeds took purchase but the following spring, and just as the flowers were ready to bloom, a city crew came by and mowed them and the rest of the weedy island to stubble. I guess we were on the maintenance schedule, said the real estate agent ruefully. But I decided Id love to see something happen to make the spot more beautiful. So she began enlisting help from her neighbors through the Nextdoor app. The response has been fabulous, King said. Weve had workdays where weve had seven or eight people out here working in the heat. One man whos lived here three years but that nobody really knew came out with a rake and shovel and asked what he could do. Theyve also received more than $800 in donations that have gone to buy plants and other materials. Kings husband Kevin built a Little Free Library, one of those take-a-book, leave-a-book exchange cabinets, and installed it in July. Artists Patsy and Edwin Sasek painted the wooden box with pictures of wildflowers. Two other neighbors spent five days jack-hammering and removing the surprisingly thick concrete walkway. That was replaced by crushed granite and pavers installed by volunteers, who also added a picnic table. Plantings are still going in, a hexagonal bench is being built that will encircle the oak tree and plans call for a bird bath. Early on, King contacted the citys Adopt-A-Spot program to make sure their improvements were done legally. The program allows individuals, organizations and businesses the opportunity to adopt a portion or more of a city street to keep clean. As part of the program, a city crew came by to trim the raggedy old oak tree. On ExpressNews.com: Green walls covered with plants can have mood-boosting, stress-reducing benefits Beyond beautifying the neighborhood, those working on the pocket park say they hope it will have other benefits, too. They want it to become a neighborhood gathering spot, especially once the weather cools, where resident can get to know one another better and form deeper friendships. We also hope it to inspire people to enhance their own homes, Kelli Schlueter said. The work has been hard, but even when there were problems, things had a way of working out. For example, like a lot of items during the pandemic dumbbells, bicycles, kiddie pools picnic tables were in short supply this summer. So when they heard the Kerrville Lowes had some for sale, they bought one online and the Kings borrowed a trailer to go pick it up. But when they arrived, the store was sold out. Seems there was an inventory error. To make things right, the manager covered the cost of the lumber and, back in San Antonio, Palmer built one and installed it last month. The Saseks decorated the tabletop with more images of wildflowers. Another time, they discovered they needed more pavers and crushed granite but that there wasnt enough in the kitty to cover the cost. Then, a neighbor who previously hadnt shown any interest in the project handed them an envelope containing $100 just enough to buy the needed materials. While work continues apace, a dedication ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 4. In addition, the oak tree bench will be dedicated in the memory of Kelli Schlueters son, PFC Travis Schlueter, posted at Fort Hood, who was hit and killed in 2007 by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle. Richard A. Marini is a features writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Richard A., become a subscriber. rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini ROXBORO, N.C. - No charges will be filed against a North Carolina police officer who fatally shot a Black man who pointed a sawed-off shotgun at the officer, a district attorney said Wednesday. Person County District Attorney Mike Waters said that after reviewing the dashboard video, he determined that the Roxboro officer reasonably ... did fear for his life, and he was justified in using deadly force. Police said David Brooks Jr., 45, of Roxboro was shot July 24 after officers responded to a call about a man wearing a mask and carrying what appeared to be a shotgun while walking down a highway and near a discount retail store. Roxboro Police Chief David Hess said investigators found a loaded sawed-off shotgun at the scene. Hess said such guns are illegal in North Carolina. Two officers were placed on leave after the shooting, but Hess declined to name them at the time. Waters didnt identify the officer who was cleared of possible charges. Several nights of protests followed the shooting, prompting town leaders to put the downtown area under a curfew for two nights. Roxboro is approximately 55 miles (88 kilometres) north of Raleigh. What just happened? A month ago, the Trump administration revealed a five-part "Clean Network" plan to drive out all Chinese tech companies from the American Internet. Now China has launched a global data security initiative to prove it has good intentions, but we'll have to wait and see how this unfolds into concrete action before we can judge its implications. According to the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the "Clean Network" plan is a necessary move in the face of an increased threat of Chinese espionage and the propagation of a different set of values through popular apps targeting the youth. China today responded in kind with the announcement of a similar initiative that seeks to prevent foreign governments from exerting too much control over the data of Chinese consumers. The plan is called the "Global Initiative on Data Security," and is comprised of a set of rules concerning data governance and security. Chinese officials don't mention the Clean Network program in the preliminary draft, but their press statements suggest it was indeed the driving force behind the Global Initiative on Data Security. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted "the unilateralism practised by certain countries in the name of cleanliness, and the global hunting of the leading enterprises of other countries on the pretext of security, are blatant acts of bullying that should be opposed and rejected." Wang believes there is a deficit in global data governance and as such countries should work on communication and coordination to build mutual trust when it comes to the way they handle the data that flows through Internet and telecom infrastructure. This trust deficit was highlighted by Pompeo in his recent remarks about the fact that Chinese companies are required by law to share information with the Chinese government whenever they're asked to do so. At least in theory, the Global Initiative on Data Security would call on tech companies to refrain from manipulating the hardware and software of their customers, illegally extracting data from devices, or installing backdoors into their products. It would also establish bilateral agreements on cross-border data circulation that "does not infringe a third country's juridical sovereignty and data security." In other words, no espionage or mass surveillance allowed, unless it's done through subtle influence on UN standards. Wang also reiterated that the Chinese government has not and will not require domestic companies to violate other countries' laws when handling overseas data. In the meantime, there's the issue of two state-sponsored Chinese hackers that have been charged on 11 counts earlier this year for a decade of espionage on US robotics, aircraft, energy, and biotech engineering -- to name a few. Their most recent campaigns have targeted coronavirus vaccine research. At least three, including a child, killed and seven others wounded in the attack, government spokesman says. Three people were killed and seven were injured in a suicide attack inside a Mogadishu restaurant. Information ministry spokesman Ismail Mukhtar Omar said the attacker walked into the Blue Sky restaurant near Mogadishu National Theatre on Wednesday before blowing himself up. The target of the suicide bomber was civilians sitting at the restaurant, he said. He walked [among] them and detonated himself, killing three civilians and wounding seven. I was walking towards the location when the blast occurred and instantly got to the incident scene. Among the dead was a very young child. Witnesses said security forces cordoned off the scene after the blast, temporarily suspending movement in the area. The blast was very heavy. I saw people rushed to hospital, some of them were seriously wounded, Kasim Ali, a witness, said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The al-Qaeda-linked armed group al-Shabab frequently attacks civilian and government targets in Mogadishu, which it controlled until it was driven out by Somali troops backed by African Union soldiers in 2011. On Monday, a suicide bomber killed five Somali soldiers and seriously wounded an American military adviser in a village outside the southern port city of Kismayo. In August, 10 civilians and a police officer were killed in a gun and bomb attack by al-Shabab fighters on an upscale beachfront hotel in the capital. The Shiv Sena-controlled BMC on Wednesday undertook demolition of alleged illegal alterations at Kangana Ranaut's bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra before the Bombay High Court stayed the action Mumbai: Activists criticized the demolition of `illegal' alterations at actor Kangana Ranaut's bungalow here on Wednesday, saying there are thousands of other illegal structures but the civic body turns a blind eye to them. The Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday undertook demolition of alleged illegal alterations at Ranaut's bungalow at Pali Hill before the Bombay High Court stayed the action. Godfrey Pimenta, lawyer and trustee of the NGO Watchdog Foundation, said the BMC should have given at least 48 hours to the actor to reply to its notice, though not seven days' time as asked by her lawyer. "There are thousands of illegal structures in the city. The law should be applied equally to all the citizens. The action shouldn't be selective," he said. Subhash Gupta, another activist, said had the BMC shown such alacrity in removing illegal slums, Mumbai would not have become so "unkempt". "Thousands of Bangladeshi nationals are staying in illegal 3-4-storey slums a stone's throw away from Kalanagar (where Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray lives)," he said. "Hasn't (the BMC) seen those?" he asked. Activist Jitendra Gupta claimed that the BMC committed a contempt of the Bombay High Court by violating its order in another matter where it had asked the civic body not to carry out demolitions till September in view of the coronavirus pandemic. "Political parties take the liberty to behave like organised gangs against individuals whenever anyone behaves against their wishes," Gupta said. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana took potshots at Ranaut for comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and calling the city police "mafia". It is a sign of a "deteriorated mindset" to compare Mumbai to PoK and dub the city's police as mafia, it said. The people of Maharashtra feel that such insult of the city is tantamount to "treason", the Sena mouthpiece added. "But the 106 martyrs (those killed during the agitation for a unified state of Maharashtra in the 1950s) must be shedding tears when the nationalist Modi government's home ministry provides protection to those who commit such an offence," the Sena said. "Maharashtra is angry, but the BJP is supporting those who are insulting Mumbai and the state's chief minister," the Shiv Sena alleged. By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Sep 9, 2020 - 22:19 | World, All China's efforts to deepen ties with ASEAN and Europe amid escalating tensions with the United States may not bear fruit, jeopardizing the Communist Party's endeavor to bolster its influence in the global arena, diplomatic sources said. China has been aiming to boost its clout among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by promising to provide new coronavirus vaccines if it succeeds in developing them, while recently sending high-ranking diplomats to Europe to get closer to the region. But some ASEAN members and European countries, along with Washington, have taken a stern look at the mainland's controversial moves in the South China Sea and hard-line approach to Taiwan, which would eventually drive China into a corner, the sources said. Beijing's rhetoric on Taiwan and its actions in the nearby waters "have triggered a backlash from ASEAN and Europe," one of the diplomatic sources said. China has started to make conciliatory gestures to ASEAN and Europe as U.S. President Donald Trump has been strengthening his offensive against Beijing over several economic and security matters in the run-up to the presidential election in November. Vaccine development is one of the key disputes between the world's two major powers. China has so far been seen as a front-runner in the intensifying race to develop vaccines, with its medical institutions conducting Phase 3 clinical trials of drugs, the final step before approval, according to the World Health Organization. During a telephone conversation with Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Aug. 31, Xi emphasized the importance of supporting companies of the two nations in carrying out cooperation on vaccine development, China's Foreign Ministry said. The ministry also said the president of Indonesia, the most populous country among ASEAN members, "thanked China for supporting Indonesia's fight against the virus, especially in the form of vaccine cooperation." On Sept. 1, China's foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi held talks in Myanmar with leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party's Central Committee, was quoted by the ministry as telling Suu Kyi that Beijing will share coronavirus vaccines, "once successfully developed in China, with Myanmar on a priority basis." Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has faced criticism for backing down on the nation's territorial claims in the South China Sea contested with Beijing after gaining assurances about receiving coronavirus vaccines from the Asian power. At an online foreign ministerial gathering between China and ASEAN on Wednesday, hosted by Vietnam, the two sides discussed issues including the virus outbreak and a "code of conduct" to avert clashes in the South China Sea. Beijing, however, also has been at odds with Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam over jurisdiction in the sea -- one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Asserting sovereignty over almost the entire maritime area, China has rapidly built artificial islands with military infrastructure in the waters. Beijing launched a series of ballistic missiles into the sea late last month, the U.S. government said. In July, the Trump administration said it is taking a tougher stance against Beijing's maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea, calling its claims to offshore resources across most of the waters "completely unlawful." A diplomatic source in Beijing from a Southeast Asian country said, "We are friendly with China," but some of the 10 ASEAN members are "reluctant to get along with China" even though they want to obtain vaccines. "Xi Jinping should know" that China "cannot play all the ASEAN leaders like a violin," the source said. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. China's relations with Europe, meanwhile, have become shaky after the Czech Republic's Senate speaker, Milos Vystrcil, and his delegation made a six-day visit to Taiwan through earlier this month despite Beijing's strong opposition to official contact with the self-governed island. Following the trip, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing "won't take a laissez-faire attitude or sit idly by" and would make Vystrcil "pay a heavy price" for his "short-sighted behavior and political opportunism." Such remarks by Wang, who visited Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France and Germany from Aug. 25 through Sept. 1, have drawn protests from Europe. The Czech Republic achieved democracy and freedom as a result of the "Velvet Revolution" that overthrew the communist regime in 1989. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said at a joint press conference with Wang after their meeting in Berlin that Europeans "act in close cooperation" and "threats (against the Czech Republic) don't fit in here." France has also expressed eagerness to tie up with the Czech Republic, indicating it will work in tandem with democratic Taiwan that has been separately governed from the communist mainland since they split in the wake of a civil war in 1949. A diplomat source in Beijing from a European nation said Wang's "gaffe" has "motivated democratic partners to unite to counter communist China." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has asked like-minded countries to join hands with Washington to confront the Chinese Communist Party, which he says has been denying freedom and attempting to dominate the South China Sea. Many of democratic European nations would become "more willing to cooperate" with the United States, the source said, adding Wang may have "deprived China of a chance to consolidate its hegemony" across the globe. Related coverage: FOCUS: China expects Japan's next PM to be conciliatory amid U.S. tensions FOCUS: U.S. analysts fret over political instability in post-Abe Japan FOCUS: Japan policy on strike capability could raise tensions in East Asia Snyk, a Boston, MA-based developer-first security company, raised $200m in funding. The round which follows a January fundraise of $150m, increasing total investment to $450m and the valuation to more than $2.6 billion was led by Addition. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach. Led by Peter McKay, CEO, Snyk provides a comprehensive developer-first security solution, which includes open source security, container security and recently launched infrastructure as code security. The system proactively finds and fixes vulnerabilities and license violations in open source dependencies and container images. The solution is built on a comprehensive, proprietary vulnerability database, maintained by an expert security research team in Israel and London, with integration into existing developer workflows, source control (including GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab), and CI/CD pipelines. Customers include Google, Salesforce, Revolut and ASOS, among others. Backers in the company also include Accel, Amity, Boldstart, Canaan, Coatue, GV, Salesforce Ventures, Stripes, Tiger Global, and Trend Forward. FinSMEs 10/09/2020 More than 24 million Americans have an autoimmune disease, and that number is climbing. When researchers in North Carolina examined 14,000 Americans between 1991 and 2012, they discovered that the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies, an early marker of autoimmunity, had increased by 45 percent. Another study this one spanning three decades found that autoimmune diseases of the joints, glands and digestive system are rising at a steady 3.7 to 7.1 percent each year. Smoking and being overweight are two risk factors within your control that are associated with greater risk of RA, one of the most common autoimmune disorders, which affects the lining of your joints. Food allergies. This is an immune system overreaction that can occur immediately after eating something as seemingly benign as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Food allergies now afflict more than 1 in 10 adults, according to a Northwestern University study of 40,000 people. Rates are particularly high for shellfish, milk and nut allergies, and the number of people who have them has been climbing steadily since the 1980s. We're now more susceptible to responses against harmless stuff that shouldn't be a big problem for our immune system, Ansel says. But instead we generate these big and often destructive responses. So what's causing the confusion in the immune system? To a large extent, it's our changing environment. "Our bodies deal with thousands of chemicals that were not in the environment 50 years ago and some not even 20 years ago, says Aristo Vojdani, a clinical immunologist and adjunct associate professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Loma Linda University. Heavy metals and industrial pollutants are among the top offenders, but pesticides, preservatives and compounds in food can also alter immune function. All told, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) counts more than 300 environmental chemicals that reach measurable levels in our bodies. "Exposure to different environmental insults can add up and alter how the immune system functions, says David Shepherd, a professor of environmental immunology at the University of Montana. In some cases, [the chemicals] are immune-activating, meaning they cause inflammation, and in others, they're immunosuppressive, which makes you susceptible to attack. Add to that a general decrease in physical exercise, ever-increasing levels of stress and, yes, our increasing age. All these many factors have laid siege to our immune system like never before. Samsungs 7th gen V-NAND flash memory chips will reportedly have a 176-layer configuration. According to a new report from Korean publication The Bell, the company has already made significant progress in the development of the next-gen flash chips. Reports about Samsungs ambitions of developing the industrys first 160-layer or higher NAND flash memory chips first surfaced in April this year. The South Korean chipmaker was reportedly aiming for a 192-layer configuration. However, it later settled on a lower number. Its next-gen flash chips will now have 176 layers, the publication reports citing industry sources. The reasons for this change have not been explained. Samsung will reportedly begin mass production of its next-gen V-NAND flash chips (also known as 3D NAND) in April 2021. Its 6th generation flash chips, which feature a 128-layer configuration, went into mass production in June last year. Samsung was among the firsts to mass-produce 128-layer 3D NAND flash memory chips, along with compatriot SK Hynix. It is now leading the industry to yet another step forward. Advertisement The new chips will also feature a double-stack technology. In simpler terms, a higher number of layers in a NAND flash chip means higher storage capacity. And by using double-stack technology, Samsung will be able to significantly increase the storage capacity without increasing the size of the chip. Samsung aims to continue expanding the gap on memory chip rivals Earlier in June, Samsung announced that it is constructing a new NAND flash memory chip production facility at Line 2 of its Pyeongtaek factory in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The South Korean giant was expecting the facility to be operational by the second half of 2021. The company said itd mass-produce its cutting-edge V-NAND memory chips at the new location. However, going by the recent report, the facility may be operational ahead of Samsungs projected timeline and the company might be able to start mass production of its 7th gen V-NAND flash chips earlier than initially planned. Advertisement Samsung has been the number one NAND flash manufacturer in the world for several years now. The conglomerate reportedly earned $16.5 billion from the global NAND flash market in 2019. It also captured a 35.9 percent share of the global market, which was the highest in the industry. However, the competition has been keeping up with the Korean giant. HK Hynix is already researching 176-layer NAND flash chips, while Intel is developing a 144-layer solution. Samsung will always have to be a step ahead if it wants to preserve that top spot for a long time to come. After all, the memory chip business is what saved the company from suffering huge profit drops during the COVID-19-hit Q1 2020. Pakistan's top generals were briefed on the and regional security situations on Wednesday, the army said. Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa chaired a meeting of the Corps Commanders' in Rawalpindi, wherein the generals were briefed on and regional security situations, it said. "Noting the Indian aggression, (the) forum resolved to continue thwarting Indian designs," the army said. The commanders also expressed satisfaction on the continued reduction in incidents of violence across the country, gradual positive effects of the ongoing Afghan peace process along the western border and resolved to keep supporting the normalization process through institutions. The forum also discussed the army's ongoing support to the government against COVID-19, the locust threat and polio campaign within the available resources. Wednesday's meeting came a day after the spy agency - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) - briefed the top military leadership about the situation on the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Nadeem Raza, Army chief General Bajwa, Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mehmood Abbasi and Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan were briefed by ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hamid at the agency's headquarters in Islamabad on Tuesday. The powerful army, which has ruled for more than half of its 70 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy. (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.) DALLAS, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Next Level Insurance Agency, a Dallas based benefits agency with operations in Texas, Florida, and Colorado has announced a major partnership to deliver much-needed risk management, human resources & employee communication support at no cost for their clients. "HR guidance has always been a need for employers and now with the impact of COVID-19, C-Suite Executives and HR Leaders have even more questions that need answers," said Danny O'Connell, CEO of the growing agency. "We've developed a solution for companies to access the same scalable resources as larger employers without taking on additional expenses." By partnering with ThinkHR, a robust technology platform to help businesses manage risk before, during, and after they are exposed, Next Level can better address HR issues. This level of management includes compliance tools, on-demand insights, a living handbook, live certified HR resources and a new COVID-19 Resource Center to offer valuable guidance in a new workplace. In addition to much-needed HR expertise, this partnership delivers cost-saving solutions and access to expertise that can impact the bottom line for small to mid-size businesses. Our country is battling the growing crisis of the cost of healthcare and business leaders can take charge by finding the right partner. "This is where we come in," says O'Connell. "We saw a serious knowledge gap in the market when it comes to CEOs and CFOs understanding their power to lower their benefits spend without sacrificing quality. With the right strategy, payroll structure, and employee engagement, companies can get a better handle on their total benefits spend and improve quality of care for their biggest asset people." Danny O'Connell shares, "Many companies - especially those with under 100 employees - rely on their benefits agency or look to PEOs for this support. This is a significant cost-driver when you look at the total cost of benefits administration beyond health insurance rates. Employers are forced to pay a premium well above the price of their insurance often times up to 3% of their total payroll and beyond, just to get this added HR support, which we provide now at no cost." Next Level Insurance Agency clients often see their benefits spend reduced by up to 30% because the firm can deliver large company purchasing power down market. This new partnership helps employers who have engaged PEOs for the HR support see a dramatic reduction in the cost of administering their benefits, often by 80%, and gives employers access to markets they would not have otherwise seen for their insurance needs. O'Connell explains, "We're confident in our ability to continually save employers on what is traditionally their second to third largest line item expense. With the addition of ThinkHR, coupled with Next Level's expertise, we are giving our clients a tremendous competitive edge for expansion. "With Next Level plus ThinkHR, we receive support 12 hours a day to talk with a live certified HR specialist and receive a documented resolution for our files. We know that this year alone there have been 23 state and federal requirements to update employer handbooks thanks to Next Level and ThinkHR's living handbook, we can automate those requirements instantly." "This is just the beginning," said Alec Stewart, Principal at Davidson Stewart Morelock. "We can now handle our own POP and ERISA Wrap documents, helping us eliminate additional costs and streamline our operation. We're taking our business to the next level and giving our employers more, without increasing our costs." "As an employer, this is the type of product and guidance that could not only be helpful to our clients, but our Firm as well, especially in light of COVID," said Ryan Browne, Partner of Reyes Browne Reilley. Next Level continues to offer additional automation for their clients, including benefits administration, text-enabled enrollment communication, a custom benefits app with 24/7 support, personalized benefit tools, virtual enrollment experiences and an expert employee advocate support team. Learn more about Next Level Insurance Agency at www.nextlevel.agency or contact their team at 469-329-0777. SOURCE Next Level Insurance Agency Related Links https://www.nextlevel.agency The Accra Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service has commenced a series of operations to clamp down on the activities of sex workers within the city. According to the command, the activities of sex workers have reached alarming levels. The Cantonments police command earlier this week arrested 17 suspected sex workers in two separate operations. The suspects comprised of eight foreigners and nine Ghanaians. The Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command DSP Effia Tenge in a Citi News interview said the operation was part of an exercise aimed at reducing crime in the city. The Cantonment police embarked on a two-day special operation to clamp down on persons soliciting for men or engaging in prostitution. The operation was carried out around the Togo embassy, the Oxford street and the Akufo-Addo roundabout among others. It is part of an ongoing exercise to raid the metropolis of criminal activities especially places noted for crime. Commercial sex work banned in Northern Region Earlier, the Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed appealed to residents of Tamale to stop patronizing the services of commercial sex workers in the area. According to him, the activities of the sex workers could be impeding the fight against Coronavirus in the Northern Region and Ghana. Henceforth, I as the Northern Regional Security Council Chairman, I am banning prostitution in the Northern Region and its related activities in our part of the country given the fact that prostitution in the first place is not a good thing that our people in this part abhor, he said. I know sometimes it is difficult to tell people not to engage in this activity, but in this period of Coronavirus that we are preaching that people should ensure social distance, we have come to realize that there are a lot of the people who have put themselves under the cover of darkness within the capital of Tamale and some parts of the region and doing prostitution. ---citinewsroom Accounting department's Accounting and Technology Conference going online Oct. 22-23 Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020 The Accounting and Technology Conference, sponsored by the Kansas State University Department of Accounting, will be offered online Oct. 22-23. MANHATTAN The Kansas State University Department of Accounting will host its second annual Accounting and Technology Conference on Oct. 22-23. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this year's conference will be offered in an online-only format. The conference is for accounting professionals seeking to understand the impacts of technology on the accounting profession in today's business world and provides 16 hours of continuing professional education. The conference will feature keynote speakers from across the country, including Lynn Turner, former chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Kelly Richmond Pope, a forensic accountant, professor and filmmaker; Emily Lehning, special assistant to the provost at Kansas State University; and Chet Buchman, managing partner of Swindoll, Janzen, Hawk & Loyd LLC. According to Brooke Beyer, Deloitte director of accounting analytics and innovation at K-State and lead conference organizer, the conference will explore the integration of accounting and technology. "Our profession is evolving very quickly," Beyer said. "This conference is about equipping accounting professionals with the skills that they will need to be competitive in an ever-changing, technologically focused business world." In addition to a series of leading speakers, the conference will address a wide range of topics over its two-day run. Day one will feature sessions on intergenerational leadership, audit and tax updates, accounting advisory, and ethics, while day two will include workshops on accounting analytics, fraud and forensics, and robotic process automation. The conference will also feature some hands-on, interactive data workshops designed to help professionals in building current technology skills. "The success of last year's conference highlighted the importance of bringing together accounting professionals to explore contemporary issues in our discipline," said Brett Wilkinson, head of the accounting department. "Kansas State University's accounting program continues to innovate and provide leadership in our field as we fulfill our land-grant mission and role." For further information and to register to attend, visit the conference website or email Wilkinson at bwilkinson@k-state.edu or Beyer at bbeyer@k-state.edu. Premier Daniel Andrews has finally admitted it was his decision to introduce Melbourne's curfew, after Victoria's chief health officer revealed he wasn't responsible for the draconian measure. Mr Andrews made the shocking admission that the government introduced the 8pm until 5am curfew to help police enforce the State Four lockdown. Under some of the toughest coronavirus restrictions in the world, five million Melburnians are not allowed out of their homes between 8pm and 5am. On Tuesday, Professor Brett Sutton revealed medical experts did not request the curfew but it was brought in as the state government declared a state of disaster on August 2. 'The curfew came in as part of the state of disaster... it wasn't a state of emergency requirement,' Professor Sutton told Melbourne radio station 3AW. Premier Daniel Andrews has admitted it was his decision to enforce draconian 8pm curfew in Melbourne A woman in a face mask crosses the road at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne on Tuesday 'It wasn't something that I was against from a public health perspective. 'I was consulted on it but it was a separate decision-making pathway.' Mr Andrews was pressed on Melbourne's curfew during his daily coronavirus update on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Professor Brett Sutton (pictured) revealed medical experts did not request the curfew The premier initially said he was unable to identify the person responsible for the restriction, before buckling to pressure. 'I can't pinpoint the individual and the day, I can't give you a specific person,' he said, adding the curfew 'makes the job of police much easier'. 'If you want to go out and be unlawful now police have got the easiest set of arrangements they have ever had to catch you and fine you. That's what a curfew delivers.' Following further grilling, Mr Andrews said it was his choice to implement the curfew. 'It's consistent with the health advice,' he said. 'These are decisions ultimately made by me, so the answer to the question (of why there is a curfew) is, I've made that decision. It's a challenging one to make, but it's effective.' From 11.59pm on September 13, Melbourne's curfew will be eased to 9pm to 5am. Under some of the toughest coronavirus restrictions in the world, five million Melbourne residents are not allowed out of their homes between 8pm and 5am. Pictured: Police patrol Elizabeth Street on Sunday Professor Sutton was also asked for his personal opinion on the effectiveness of the curfew during Tuesday's interview. 'I haven't reflected on it, I think it has been useful. If I put my mind to it, probably,' he said. Professor Sutton denied any rumours that he had fallen out with Mr Andrews and said: 'We've worked very well together.' 'I get along pretty well with all sorts hopefully across the political spectrum and across all the various personality types,' he said. 'My gig is to provide straight up robust advice. 'I'm pretty comfortable with giving it, maybe when it's not comfortably received.' Under Mr Andrews' road map to easing restrictions, released on Sunday, lockdown will only end when there are an average of five cases per day, which is not expected in Melbourne until October 26. Until then, a curfew will be in place from 9pm to 5am and residents can only leave home for exercise, shopping, school and work, and caregiving. "I'd lived more than 40 years before [Bill's election] and I had no real understanding of what it meant to be thrust into this ... platform," Clinton says. "So, for example, when Bill asked me to lead our efforts on universal healthcare, it seemed pretty standard to me because I had done similar things in Arkansas [during her husband's governorship] on education. Loading The backlash "that the First Lady would be involved in trying to make sure everybody had quality, affordable healthcare," Clinton says was immediate. "There's a scene in the movie, which I had forgotten until Nanette dug it up, of me being burned in effigy for wanting healthcare," she adds. The conversation inevitably turns to the coming US election, and the peculiar combination of anxiety, rage and inertia that exists in the American political system, where almost circus-like "primaries" are used to choose candidates and voting is not mandatory. Despite the overwhelming sense that the American electoral tide is difficult, or even impossible, to turn, Clinton believes there is still enormous power placed in the hands of individuals. "I don't mean to be overly simplistic or put on my rose-coloured glasses, but I would say ... vote, please vote," Clinton says. "It is almost a truism to say that we can look at what's happening politically in our country right now and be so discouraged, so frustrated, even disgusted, that it just turns you off. "Why, in any way, participate or contribute to that absolute craziness? [The answer is] it doesn't have to be that way," she adds. "It wasn't so long ago that we had a president where we didn't have to worry every morning when we woke up about what was going to happen that day. Or what crazy tweet would threaten war or some other awful outcome. There is no substitute for voting." Clinton also believes the media needs to re-tune itself to a "base reality". What started as a potential campaign documentary eventually became a wider story that was "part of the arc of women's history, advancement, choices that are made," says Clinton. Credit:AP "We've got to somehow understand that you can't make good decisions in a democracy if we can't even agree on basic facts," Clinton says. "And even though the media has a great role in transporting us and challenging us and taking us out of our everyday reality, there does need to be a kind of base reality that people can tune into and feel they can rely on." Historically, Clinton notes, most authoritarian governments are born in democratic elections. "When I was secretary of state, I had a saying ... I would go around to 112 countries and one of our missions was to try to embed democracy and democratic principles and rule of law and everything that goes with it, because too many elections were 'one-and-done'. "A guy wins, mostly, usually, always a guy, and then he takes over and then he starts manipulating the press, and then he starts manipulating what reality is and then he starts undermining the rule of law," Clinton adds. "So pretty soon people don't know what to believe, they retreat into their private spaces, because there's no common reality any more." Loading Despite her failed run for the presidency in 2016, Clinton is hopeful that Americans will be open to a female presidential candidate in the future. "I sure hope so because it's really an unfair, double-standard disadvantage," she says. "I am certainly in the camp that believes that the more women who get out there, whether it's politics or entertainment or journalism or anything else, the more we should realise that women have the same right to have a full range of emotions and approaches to how they make decisions, so that we can begin to sort of put that on a shelf and leave it there," Clinton says. Clinton also has a clear vision for the outcome of the coming election. (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. has developed masks that the company is beginning to distribute to corporate and retail employees to limit the spread of Covid-19. The Apple Face Mask is the first created in-house by the Cupertino, California-technology giant for its staff. The other, called ClearMask, was sourced elsewhere. Apple previously made a different face shield for medical workers and distributed millions of other masks across the health-care sector. Apple told staff that the Face Mask was developed by the Engineering and Industrial Design teams, the same groups that work on devices such as the iPhone and iPad. It is made up of three layers to filter incoming and outgoing particles. It can be washed and reused as many as five times, the company told employees. In typical Apple style, the mask looks unique with large coverings on the top and bottom for the wearers nose and chin. It also has adjustable strings to fit around a persons ears. The company, which confirmed the news, said it conducted careful research and testing to find the right materials to filter the air properly while not disrupting the supply of medical personal protective equipment. Apple will start sending the Apple Face Mask to staff over the next two weeks. The other model, the ClearMask, is the first FDA-cleared surgical mask that is completely transparent, Apple told employees. It shows the full face so people who are deaf or hard of hearing can better understand what the wearer is saying. Apple worked with Washington-based Gallaudet University, which specializes in educating deaf and hard-of-hearing students, to choose which clear mask to use. The company also tested it with employees in three Apple stores. Apple is also exploring its own transparent mask options. Before designing its own masks, Apple provided employees with standard cloth masks. It also offers basic surgical masks to customers visiting its retail stores. (Updates with details on ClearMask testing in penultimate paragraph.) Story continues For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) would hold a luncheon meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Moscow, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. IMAGE: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrives in Moscow on Tuesday. Photograph: Courtesy @IndEmbMoscow/Twitter External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is in Moscow on a four-day visit to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the SCO of which both India and China are members. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is the host of the meeting of SCO foreign ministers being held in the Russian capital from Wednesday to Thursday. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also hold bilateral meetings with relevant member states of the SCO and attend a luncheon for the RIC foreign ministers, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing in Beijing. Under the RIC framework, the foreign ministers of the three countries meet periodically to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of their interest. Zhao, however, said he was not aware of the timing of the RIC foreign ministers' meeting. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were admitted as observers of the grouping in 2005. Both the countries were admitted as full members of the bloc in 2017. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Bulked-up, mutant mighty mice held onto their muscle during a monthlong stay at the International Space Station, returning to Earth with ripped bodybuilder physiques, scientists reported Monday. The findings hold promise for preventing muscle and bone loss in astronauts on prolonged space trips like Mars missions, as well as people on Earth who are confined to bed or need wheelchairs. A research team led by Dr. Se-Jin Lee of the Jackson Laboratory in Connecticut sent 40 young female black mice to the space station in December, launching aboard a SpaceX rocket. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Lee said the 24 regular untreated mice lost considerable muscle and bone mass in weightlessness as expected up to 18%. But the eight genetically engineered mighty mice launched with double the muscle maintained their bulk. Their muscles appeared to be comparable to similar mighty mice that stayed behind at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. In addition, eight normal mice that received mighty mouse treatment in space returned to Earth with dramatically bigger muscles. The treatment involves blocking a pair of proteins that typically limit muscle mass. A SpaceX capsule brought all 40 mice back in good condition, parachuting into the Pacific off the California coast in January. Some of the ordinary mice were injected with the mighty mice drug after returning and quickly built up more muscle than their untreated companions, Lee said. The scientists completed the experiment just as the coronavirus was hitting the U.S. The only silver lining of COVID is that we had time to write it up very intensively and submit the results for publication, said Dr. Emily Germain-Lee of Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, Lees wife who also took part in the study. Both are affiliated with the University of Connecticut. While encouraged by their findings, the couple said much more work needs to be done before testing the drug on people to build up muscle and bone, without serious side effects. Were years away. But thats how everything is when you go from mouse to human studies, Germain-Lee said. Lee said the experiment pointed out other molecules and signalling pathways worth investigating an embarrassment of riches ... so many things wed like to pursue. His next step: possibly sending more mighty mice to the space station for an even longer stay. Three NASA astronauts looked after the space mice, performing body scans and injections: Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, who performed the first all-female spacewalk last fall, and Andrew Morgan. They are listed as co-authors. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Britains reckless mismanagement of its exit from the European Union took a remarkable turn this week, when a cabinet minister casually told the House of Commons that the government was proposing to break international law. In the midst of an effort to forge a trade agreement with the EU that the U.K. presumably hopes will be binding on both sides, this is a strange way to proceed. Apparently Prime Minister Boris Johnson is no longer pleased with the withdrawal agreement that secured Brexit, a treaty he negotiated and previously boasted about. The government now says there are loose ends, ambiguities and unintended consequences, mainly concerning Northern Ireland and EU rules on state subsidies. It proposes new domestic legislation to remedy these defects. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told parliament these changes would override aspects of the withdrawal agreement and hence break international law but only in a very specific and limited way. This is something the U.K.s partners might want to keep in mind. In the future, when Britain signs a treaty, it expects to keep its word, so long as its convenient. It tells you something that the most generous interpretation of this shambles is that Johnsons government is only posturing, in the hope that brinkmanship will force the EU to come to terms on future trading arrangements. Or perhaps the goal is the opposite: to collapse the whole process and move forward with no agreement in place. The truth is, nobody seems to understand what Johnsons government is trying to achieve, least of all Johnson. Adding to the frustration is that the fundamental conflict in Britains Brexit ambition has been plain from the outset: The U.K. cannot hope to have an independent trade policy, frictionless exchange between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K., and seamless trade across Northern Irelands border with the EU. Given goodwill on both sides, an ambitious post-Brexit free-trade agreement couldve worked around these difficulties. Yet hopes of such a deal are fast receding and the no-deal alternative that Johnson has flirted with since becoming prime minister cannot resolve those tensions. Story continues Johnson is much to blame for the impasse. Insisting that a no-deal Brexit would suit the U.K. perfectly well is both absurd on the merits and tactically dumb because nobody in the EU actually believes it. Some smaller fault, though, does rest with Europes negotiators, because theyve tried to drive a needlessly hard bargain. On the questions that gave rise to this most recent dispute, for instance, they have aimed to make Britain accept restrictions on domestic economic policy not required of Europes other partners in free-trade agreements, and submit to EU law on matters better handled by joint dispute-settlement procedures. Protecting Europes interests does not require these infringements on U.K. sovereignty. Before its too late, restoring friendly U.K.-EU relations should be the highest priority for both sides. This couldve been a negotiation between friends, with all minds concentrated on limiting the damage from Brexit and finding potential for mutual advantage. But Britain chose to embark on this dangerous path, and Johnson now leads the way in wrecking any hope of an amicable approach. If he persists in this vein, his claims about the joys of a no-deal Brexit will be put to the test and the country is unlikely to care for the results. Editorials are written by the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board. 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. The next spacecraft carrying supplies to the International Space Station will be called SS Kalpana Chawla, after the first woman of Indian descent to go into space. Today we honour Kalpana Chawla, who made history at @NASA as the first female astronaut of Indian descent, Northrop Grumman, makers of Cygnus space craft that will be carrying the payload, announced in a tweet. Her contributions to human spaceflight have had a lasting impact. Meet our next #Cygnus vehicle, the S.S. Kalpana Chawla. The lift-off of the new spacecraft to ISS is scheduled for September 29. Also Read: Oscar-winners Hilary Swank interview on being inspired by Kalpana Chawla to play astronaut in Netflixs Away Chawla, who was born and raised in Karnal, became the first woman of Indian descent to go to space as a member of the crew of space Shuttle Columbia on January 16, 2003. She and the rest of the crew died on February 1 over southern US when the shuttle broke up on entry to earth, just 16 minutes away from its scheduled landing. Northrop Grumman said, It is the companys tradition to name each Cygnus after an individual who has played a pivotal role in human spaceflight. Chawla was selected in honour of her prominent place in history as the first woman of Indian descent to go to space. Sunita Williams became the second astronaut of Indian descent to go into space, in 2006. She went on to establish a world record for females with four spacewalks totalling 29 hours and 17 minutes (which has since been overtaken) during her six-month stay in ISS. She went up again in 2012, on a Russian space ship, for five months. New Mexico Health Connections' decision to close at year's end will leave just three of the 23 nonprofit health insurance co-ops that sprang from the Affordable Care Act. One co-op serves customers in Maine, another in Wisconsin, and the third operates in Idaho and Montana and will move into Wyoming next year. All made money in 2019 after having survived several rocky years, according to data filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. They are also all in line to receive tens of millions of dollars from the federal government under an April Supreme Court ruling that said the government inappropriately withheld billions from insurers meant to help cushion losses from 2014 through 2016, the first three years of the ACA marketplaces. While those payments were intended to help any insurers losing money, it was vitally important to the co-ops because they had the least financial backing. Lauded as a way to boost competition among insurers and hold down prices on the Obamacare exchanges, the co-ops had more than 1 million people enrolled in 26 states at their peak in 2015. Today, they cover about 128,000 people, just 1% of the 11 million Obamacare enrollees who get coverage through the exchanges. The nonprofit organizations were a last-minute addition to the 2010 health law to satisfy Democratic lawmakers who had failed to secure a public option health plan one set up and run by the government on the marketplaces. Congress provided $2 billion in startup loans. But nearly all the co-ops struggled to compete with established carriers, which already had more money and recognized brands. State insurance officials and health experts are hopeful the last three co-ops will survive. "These are the three little miracles," said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor and co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C. Maine aided in Supreme Court victory The Maine co-op, Community Health Options, helped bring competition to the state's market, which has had trouble at times attracting insurance carriers, said Eric Cioppa, who heads the state's bureau of insurance. "The plan has added a level of stability and has been a positive for Maine," he said. The co-op has about 28,000 members down from about 75,000 in 2015 and is building up its financial reserves, Cioppa said. Community Health Options is one of three insurers in the Obamacare marketplace in Maine, the minimum number experts say is needed to ensure vibrant competition. Kevin Lewis, CEO of the plan, attributed its survival to several factors, including an initial profit in 2014, the year the ACA marketplaces opened, that put the plan on a secure footing before several years of losses. He also credited bringing most functions of the health plan in-house rather than contracting out, diversifying to sell plans to small and large employers, and securing lower rates from two health systems during a couple of difficult years. Jay Gould, 60, a member who offers the plan to workers at his small grocery in Clinton, has been happy with the plan. "They have great customer service, and it's good to know when I am talking to someone that they are from Maine," he said. Central Aroostook Association, a Presque Isle nonprofit that helps children with intellectual disabilities, switched to the co-op last year to save 20% on its health premiums, said administrator Tammi Easler. Having a Maine insurer means any issues can be dealt with quickly, she said. "They are readily available, and I never have to wait on hold for an hour." The co-op, which made a $25 million profit each of the past two years, has proposed dropping its average premiums by about 14% in 2021, Lewis said. Community Health was one of the lead plaintiffs in the case before the Supreme Court and expects to get $59 million in back payments from the settlement. The federal decision to suspend those so-called risk corridor payments designed to help health plans recover some of their losses was one of the factors that caused many of the co-ops to fail, Corlette said. Republican critics of the ACA, however, blame poor management by the plans and lack of oversight by the Obama administration. Insurers are in talks with the Trump administration about whether the $13 billion due the carriers must be added to their 2020 balance sheet or could be counted toward operations from prior years. This year, insurers are generally banking large profits since many people have delayed non-urgent care because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the ACA limits insurers' profit margins, adding that federal windfall to this year's ledger might mean many insurers would have to pay out most of the money to their consumers. If the money is applied to earlier years, the insurers could likely keep more of it to add to their reserves. Too much competition in New Mexico The Supreme Court ruling came too late for New Mexico Health Connections, which lost nearly $60 million from 2015 to 2017. The co-op would have received $43 million in overdue payments, but, in an effort to raise needed cash, it sold that debt to another insurer in 2017 for a much smaller amount. Marlene Baca, CEO of the co-op, which made a $439,000 profit in 2019, said its goal of bringing competition into the market was achieved, since five other companies will be enrolling customers this fall for 2021. Yet, that competition eventually led to the plan's decision to end operations, announced last month. With only 14,000 members, it made no sense to continue operating due to high fixed administrative costs, she said. Her plan was also hurt by the slumping economy this year, which pushed many state residents out of work and made more than 3,000 members eligible for Medicaid, the state-federal health program for the poor. "We did our very best," Baca said, noting that her company is closing with enough money to pay its outstanding health claims. Many other co-ops that shuttered were closed out by their states and unable to meet all their debts to health providers, she said. Montana's co-op is expanding The Mountain Health Co-Op, with about 32,000 members, has just two competitors in its home state of Montana and four in Idaho. A big factor behind its survival was that the plan received a $15 million loan in 2016 from St. Luke's Health System, Idaho's largest hospital provider, said CEO Richard Miltenberger. Although he wasn't working for the co-op at that time, Miltenberger said, it is his understanding that the hospital wanted to help maintain competition in that marketplace. The co-op is expecting $57 million from the Supreme Court victory. "We are in excellent shape," Miltenberger said. The plan, which paid back the St. Luke's loan and made a $15 million profit in 2019, added vision benefits this year and is offering a dental exam benefit for next year. It's also providing most insulin and medications for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to members without any copayment to help ensure compliance. The insurer is moving into Wyoming for 2021, which will end the Blue Cross plan monopoly in that state's Obamacare marketplace, he said. Wisconsin's mystery donor Wisconsin's Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative was on the verge of ending operations in 2016 when it received a lifesaving $30 million loan, said CEO Cathy Mahaffey. The insurer has refused to identify the benefactor other than to say it was not a person or company doing business with the plan. In 2018, Common Ground was the only health plan in seven northeastern Wisconsin counties, she said. Today, the co-op has about 54,000 members and faces competition from two to five carriers in the 20 counties where it operates. Common Ground, which recorded a $73 million profit last year, expects to receive about $95 million from the Supreme Court case victory. Wisconsin's decision not to expand Medicaid under the health law has benefited the co-op because people with incomes from 100% to 138% of the federal poverty level ($12,760 to $17,609 for an individual) are ineligible for Medicaid and must stay with marketplace plans for coverage. In states that expanded Medicaid, everyone with incomes under 138% of the poverty level is eligible. Another factor was its decision in 2016 to eliminate the broad provider network offering and sell a plan offering only a narrow network of doctors and hospitals, allowing it to benefit from lower rates from its providers, according to Mahaffey. "We are very strong financially," she said. The Trump administration announced Wednesday that more than 2,000 troops will be withdrawn from Iraq and the administration is looking to announce a drawdown in Afghanistan in coming days. CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. said the reduction will go from about 5,200 troops in Iraq to 3,000 and happen this month, which he said will 'allow us to continue advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in rooting out the final remnants of ISIS in Iraq,' according to CNN. Reporters first caught wind of the president's plan when a senior administration official discussed it with the press pool on Air Force One Tuesday night - and did so on the condition of anonymity. The planned announcements come as the president has been trying to make the case that he has fulfilled the promises he made four years ago as he tries to secure a second term. Among them: pulling the U.S. out of 'endless wars.' He's also several days into pushing back on an article in The Atlantic that charged that he's said disparaging things about serving in the armed forces, including that he referred to U.S. war dead as 'losers' and 'suckers.' The Trump administration will announce Wednesday that it is withdrawing up to a third of US troops from Iraq, as President Donald Trump tries to make good on his campaign promise to disentangle the country from 'endless wars' The White House has strenuously denied the report and Trump has derided The Atlantic as a failing magazine. But in dealing with the blowback at a North Portico press conference Monday, Trump also suggested that the top military brass sent U.S. troops into warzones to please defense firms. Trump suggested that while soldiers are pleased with him, 'the top people in the Pentagon probably aren't, because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.' On Tuesday, the Army's most senior official rejected that notion - while also claiming that he wasn't responding directly to the president's comments. 'I can assure the American people that the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when it's required for national security and a last resort,' Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told Defense One. 'We take this very, very seriously how we make our recommendations.' McConville also pointed out that a number of top commanders have children who are serving in the military. There are more than 5,000 American troops in Iraq now. In July, the top U.S. general for the Middle East said he believed the U.S. will keep a smaller but enduring presence in the country. McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said he believes the Iraqis welcome the U.S. and coalition troops, especially in the ongoing fight to keep ISIS fighters from taking hold of the country again. Trump told reporters two weeks ago that 'we look forward to the day when we dont have to be there.' The comments came during an Oval Office meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. However, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasized at that same meeting that a full withdrawal of U.S. troops would only occur once 'we can complete the mission.' President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are photographed visiting the troops on the day after Christmas in 2018. The Trumps visited Al Asad Air Base. It was the president's first trip to a war zone since he was elected president In support of Migraine Awareness Week, the Asia virtual roundtable welcomed leaders across the human resource, business and health industry in meaningful discussion on employee wellbeing. The Progressive Alliance Towards Healthy Workplaces (PATHw), a Pan-Asia coalition of human resources and business leaders, today spearheaded an Asia-wide virtual roundtable, titled Reimagining Healthier Workplaces in Asia, to promote healthier workplaces and employee behaviors in the region. The virtual roundtable was held in support of Migraine Awareness Week and brought together key leaders from health, human resource and business industries. The discussion successfully engaged constructive dialogue on key issues that affect employees at workplaces. There are multiple issues that affect the workplace, including the increasing prevalence and burden of migraine. In tandem, COVID-19 has shown us how vulnerable our society is by causing profound impacts on the livelihoods of millions and on economies. In light of this, leaders, workplace environments and collaborations play an important role in building a healthier and more resilient workforce, said Leonhard Schaetz, Global Access Director, Neuroscience, Novartis. Our research shows that a great workplace is one in which employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do and enjoy the people they work with. Whatever the framework, great workplaces work for both employer and employee. Employers get great results; employees feel appreciated, supported and safe. This foundation is critical to create resilience and to be able to respond to crisis like COVID-19. For the foreseeable future, continuing emphasis on employee health and wellness, creating flexible workplaces and mindsets, and being intentional about culture and how to maintain it virtually, is a sure path in boosting productivity and development, said Tyler Thorpe, Senior Consultant, Great Place to Work. During the first segment of discussion, attendees were invited to hear firsthand insights on the impact of migraine on the Singaporean and Malaysian economy through robust studies presented by health economic experts. This is the first time that an Asian study on prevalence of migraine among workers in the banking sector was reported. Results from the Singapore study showed that overall costs to the economy due to migraine was attributed to missed workdays and lost work productivity. The significant impact of migraine on work productivity and regular activity appears to lead to substantial monetary loss, attributed to not only absenteeism but more importantly to presenteeism, said Associate Professor Dr Ivy Chung, Deputy Dean of Health & Wellbeing Research Cluster, University Malaya, Malaysia. The Malaysian study presented during the roundtable event highlights the unmet needs in migraine management and the need for a call for awareness and intervention strategies at individual and organizational level. The first segment also tackled the response of professional societies to the challenges imposed by lockdown and the pandemic on access to care of patients needing neurological care. The major difficulty that faced our patients in a developing country such as The Philippines is the lack of an existing structure for telemedicine and even electronic prescriptions. Access to neurological care relied heavily on the creative responsiveness of professional societies, with the support of the private sector and acquiescence of government. The pandemic has forced us to think out-of-the-box to provide quick but safe solutions to ensure continuous access to proper neurologic care, said Dr. Rosalina Picar, President, Philippine Neurological Association. The roundtable also underscored key mental health issues that affect employees in the workplace, in light of new working conditions. Key presentations also outlined the importance of sensitizing employers about the burden of pain and disability in employees, as well as helping them identify trigger factors to help employees manage these impacts. Building on the theme of Reimagining Healthier Workplaces in Asia, the second session dived deeper into innovations, programmes and actionable solutions to help employers navigate key health challenges and work towards building healthier workplaces. The Asia-wide roundtable was well attended by participants from different industries and geographies. This is the first virtual regional event fronted by PATHw as the coalition welcomes the most reputable companies and leaders to understand the positive impact healthy and efficient employees can have on the workplace as well as the overall economy. PATHw previously held a roundtable on 22nd November 2019 in Makati, Philippines, which focused on addressing migraine and its impact on productivity and the economy. The leadership of the Rochester, New York, police department resigned Tuesday, the citys mayor informed the City Council, days after the New York state attorney general said she would impanel a grand jury to consider the circumstances surrounding the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died after officers placed him in a hood and pinned him to the ground during an arrest in late March. The citys police chief, LaRon Singletary, and two deputies resigned; another deputy chief and commander were both demoted, the mayor said. The Prude family has accused the police of engaging in a cover-up of the 41-year-olds death after being taken into custody while he was experiencing mental health issues. Seven officers were suspended last week, though the police chief and the citys mayor, Lovely Warren, denied the death was covered up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The facts of the case, however, indicate otherwise. Prude died in the hospital on March 30 a week after officers took him into custody, but the Rochester Police Department classified the death as a drug overdose and the police chief informed the mayor that Prude had died in the hospital after taking the drug PCP. The coroners report, however, designated Prudes death as a homicide, resulting from asphyxiation while held in a prone position. It wasnt until five months later that the police disclosed much of anything about Prudes death, finally bowing to a public records request by his family. When the police body camera footage was released, it caused national outrage: The officers surrounded Prude, who was naked and handcuffed, and held him facedown in the street until he stopped breathing. Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Prude had been experiencing mental health problems since arriving at his brothers house in Rochester a day before his arrest. He had been admitted to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and ultimately fled from his brothers home, prompting his family to call the police for help. Officers found Prude naked and ranting and handcuffed him without incident. After being subdued, while sitting naked in the street, Prude began spitting at officers, prompting them to try to pull a mesh hood over his head. At that point, one officer put both his hands on the side of Mr. Prudes head and pushed down with his full body weightessentially in a triangle push-up or tripod position, a civil lawsuit filed by the family states. The body-worn camera recordings show that [the officer] remains in this positionpushing his full body weight down on Mr. Prudes headfor over two minutes and 15 seconds. In announcing the departures of the police officials, the mayor described the exits as retirements. The entire Rochester Police Department command staff has announced their retirement, Warren said. The chief was not asked to give his resignation because I do believe he is giving his very best. He has dedicated 20 years to this city and the citizens of Rochester and feels that the events that have happened were not done in a way that, you know, couldve been handled differently, but he didnt, in any way, try to cover this up. Asia ASEAN Talks Begin With Pandemic, S. China Sea, Rohingya on Agenda The US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan leaves Yokosuka base near Tokyo en route to the South China Sea on June 8, 2020. / Kyodo The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service. Follow this story and more by signing up for national breaking news email alerts. A George Washington University professor who was being investigated after a blog post published under her name said that she had misrepresented herself as a Black woman has resigned, the university said on Wednesday. The resignation of the professor, Jessica A. Krug, came days after the university said it was looking into an essay on Medium, posted under her name, in which the writer described a prolonged deception of assuming various Black identities even though she is white. Dr. Krug has resigned her position, effective immediately, M. Brian Blake, a provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Paul Wahlbeck, the dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, wrote in an email to the campus community. Her classes for this semester will be taught by other faculty members, and students in those courses will receive additional information this week, the email stated. Police appeal to trace missing man who has links to Wrexham area This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Sep 9th, 2020 North Wales Police are appealing for information to help trace a man who was last seen on Tuesday. Officers are keen to hear from the public after a 30-year-old Anthony Beckley was reported missing. Anthony was last seen in Colwyn Bay yesterday at 11.30pm. Police say he is known to have links to the Wrexham and Chester area. Anyone who seen Anthony or has any information whoch may help police locate him should call police 101, our webchat https://www.north-wales.police.uk/contact/live-chat-support quoting reference Y132829. SEATTLE, Sept. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hurtigruten, the world leader in exploration travel, has announced a special offer for all travel advisors to share with their clients. Between September 10 and October 31, 2020, select 2021 Alaska itineraries and 2021 and 2022 Expedition Norway and Antarctica itineraries, will be offered at a buy one, get one at 50% off using the code BOGOHO. The featured promotion applies only to the cruise portion of the package, including taxes, feed, and port expenses. "We're constantly looking for ways to support and encourage our travel advisor community through exciting new offers for their clients," said John Downey, president of Hurtigruten Americas. "This Buy One, Get One Half Off incentive applies to some of the most remote and desirable destinations travelers can experience in 2021 and 2022." Whether it is exploring the wild and remote Alaskan frontier, embarking on an adventure to the end of the earth in the magical, frozen wilderness of Antarctica, or encountering the stunning nature and enchanting beauty of Norway, travel advisors can help clients save big on their next adventure of a lifetime. Travel advisors will be able to book this BOGOHO offer through the newly developed Hurtigruten Agent Portal . Travelers can feel confident booking future travel thanks to Hurtigruten's Book With Confidence cancellation policy. Itineraries booked by October 31, 2020 may be cancelled for any reason in the future with a full refund including the deposit within 14 days of cancellation. To learn more about Hurtigruten's BOGOHO offer, travel advisors can download trade assets through Hurtigruten's Agent Portal https://agentportal.hurtigruten.com/marketing or call Hurtigruten to 1-888-317-6320 US and 1-866-999-2934 Canada. About Hurtigruten Hurtigruten is the world leader in exploration travel. As the largest cruise operator in polar waters, and with 126 years of know-how, they offer immersive experiences to some of the world's most pristine and remote destinations, including Antarctica, Alaska, Arctic Canada and the Northwest Passage, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Svalbard, and more. Hurtigruten's fleet consists of 14 expedition ships, custom built for adventure travel. In addition, two new groundbreaking ships will be delivered: MS Fridtjof Nansen in 2020, and a second new build in 2021. These will be the most advanced and environmentally friendly expedition vessels at sea, as well as the world's first hybrid electric-powered cruise ships, following the launch of MS Roald Amundsen in 2019. Hurtigruten is an industry leader in sustainability, with a deep commitment to improving the marine environments they call home. SOURCE Hurtigruten Related Links www.hurtigruten.com On Tuesday morning, members of cleaning staff mounted a demonstration outside the Saint-Paul printing house in Gasperich. The OGBL (Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation) wished to draw attention to what it deemed an unacceptable situation, caused by the printing group's decision to hire a new cleaning firm. The new firm refused to take on the former cleaners, thus violating a collective agreement which guaranteed former employees would be offered new employment during the takeover. The former employees have now been left in difficult circumstances, said the OGBL. The union has planned to enter talks with the cleaning federation and will involve the Inspectorate of Labour and Mines if required. Kerwin Charles, dean of Yales School of Management, said that the new center will not be ideological and that, under Kangs leadership, the program will use rigorous research to guide its thinking. He said he was drawn to Kangs work in helping students from all backgrounds succeed in classrooms. New Delhi, Sep 10 : Cracking a unique case of fraud, the Delhi Police's Economic Offence Wing has apprehended a juvenile for duping an octogenarian of Rs 6 crore, police said on Wednesday. The juvenile, part of a gang of cheats, posed as major and opened a bank account RBL Bank in the name of M/s FUTURE INDIA with a fake name. This bank account was utilised for getting money transferred from gullible victims, including the 86-year-old complainant, who were made to believe that they were receiving phone calls from insurance company officials. The money, so credited, was withdrawn from ATMs, leaving no money trail to follow. The matter came to light when a woman approached EOW to report the fraud. She said that her father was maintaining five bank accounts where her siblings were joint account holders, and around Rs 4-5 crore were lying in these. The bank accounts were operated by her father only since all her siblings are residing in foreign countries. The complainant noticed that a huge amount had been transferred to the accounts of the unknown persons. On enquiry, her father said that certain individuals, who claim to be officials of insurance company, are helping him to retrieve his money from the companies. "The money was transferred at the instance of said insurance company officials. From the said five accounts, Rs 85 lakh were transferred to insurance companies and Rs 5.16 crore transferred to other bank accounts, which were also part of the syndicate. Due to old age, her father lost his logic and reasoning and did not realise that he had been victimised," Joint Commissioner of Police, EOW, O.P. Mishra said. A case under relevant sections was registered in August 2019. During investigation, eight members of the gang were arrested and a charge sheet has already been filed against them. The detailed investigation revealed that Rs 2,35,000 was transferred on February 5, 2019 to the bank account of M/s FUTURE INDIA having office at A-66, Sector-65, Noida, UP. As per the bank records, the juvenile was proprietor of firm under a fake name. On verification of KYC documents submitted to the banks, it was discovered that all were fake and forged. The only clue for identifying the juvenile was his photo affixed on the Account Opening Form, and on the basis of this, the EOW established his correct identity, traced his residence and apprehended him. During investigation, gang members were found to be running call centres which did promotional calls for insurance companies. In this manner, the criminals got access to the data of the complainant. The juvenile's bank account was utilised for getting the money transferred from the victims. Spokesperson on finance for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2020 Manifesto, Hon. Fifi Kwetey says the party has the financial means to fund all the freebies outlined in the manifesto. The opposition party, in its 143 page document, titled The Peoples Manifesto, the NDC pledged at least 18 free items across all sectors. There was mention of free primary healthcare, free tertiary education to persons with a disability, and free seedlings for cocoa farmers under agriculture. The NDC also promised to add private secondary schools to the Free Senior High School policy introduced by the Akufo-Addo government, absorbed 50% of tertiary school fees, agenda one million jobs in first term, among others.. Interestingly, the Ketu South Member of Parliament speaking to JoyNews, indicated that Ghanaians under the next NDC government will not be made to bear the cost of all the free initiatives captured in their manifesto through taxes. He revealed that the NDC government will devote portions of the oil resources to address the most pressing needs of Ghanaians when voted back to power. We already have opportunities to levy for facilities without necessarily burdening the citizens. He also opined that the NDCs new objective for the nation is based on its past performance; arguing that the efficiency of a Mahama-led administration cannot be questioned. He further argued that the Mahama-led administration delivered more promises with very little resources when it was in power than the current Akufo-Addo-led administration in power. We have a track record of being able to deliver a lot with even relatively smaller resources, he stated. 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 At least 2,460 new infections were reported on Tuesday a sharp rise from levels of around 1,000 per day in August. Tough new lockdown restrictions on social gatherings across England are to be announced on Wednesday as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to control a resurgence of coronavirus infections. From September 14, gatherings will be limited to no more than six people with fines for those who fail to comply, Johnson is expected to announce. The number of cases in the United Kingdom has begun to rise sharply again in recent days. There were 2,460 new infections reported on Tuesday, 2,948 on Monday and 2,988 on Sunday a sharp rise from levels of around 1,000 per day in August and attributed to high levels of transmission among young people. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which together make up the United Kingdom, set their own lockdown policies. Although testing is more widespread, and the number of people in hospital is well below the countrys peak, the government fears the outbreak is beginning to slip out of control. We need to act now to stop the virus spreading, Johnson said in a prepared statement. So we are simplifying and strengthening the rules on social contact making them easier to understand and for the police to enforce. The previous limit on the number of people who could socialise together was 30. Vaccine setback The new rules will not apply to workplaces or schools, and there will be exemptions for weddings, funerals and some organised team sports. Nevertheless, the move represents a backwards step in Britains recovery from a pandemic that inflicted more deaths and more economic damage on the country than it did on other countries in Europe and has prompted widespread criticism of Johnsons leadership. The decision will harm attempts to convince a sceptical public that it is safe to return to their workplaces something Johnson and his ministers spent much of last week trying to do in a bid to limit the economic damage to town and city centres. Weve been able to relax a bit over the summer but these latest figures really show us that much as people might like to say Oh well, its gone away this hasnt gone away, said Dr Jonathan Van-Tam, the governments deputy chief medical officer. Dr Jonathan Van-Tam, the governments deputy chief medical officer, said the rise in infections could be partly blamed on people becoming relaxed too much amid the pandemic [Tolga Akmen/AFP] He said that while the rise in infections is much more marked among people between the ages of 17 and 21, he was concerned about a more general and creeping geographic trend across the UK. People have relaxed too much, he said. Now is the time for us to re-engage and realise that this is a continuing threat. The latest development comes as AstraZeneca announced a pause in trials of the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing with the University of Oxford, after one of the participants fell ill. Our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee, company spokeswoman Michele Meixell said in an emailed statement. The study is testing a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and University of Oxford researchers at various sites, including the UK, where the illness was reported. In the small town of Sehore in Madhya Pradesh, a same-sex couple lived together as husband and wife for eight years, till the death of the latter by suicide revealed that she was not a biological woman. The wifes autopsy report was received by the police last week. The duo, who got married in 2012, presented themselves to their family and neighbours as a heterosexual couple and adopted a child two years after their wedding. Additional superintendent of police, Sehore, Sameer Yadav said that on August 11, the couple fought, following which the wife attempted to immolate herself. Both were badly injured in the fire. They had been admitted to a district hospital and were referred to Bhopal in serious condition on August 12, Yadav said. While the wife died on August 12, the husband died on August 16. In the initial autopsy report, the doctors wrote that they were both men. When we asked the family, they said they had no idea about it, Yadav added. We waited for the detailed autopsy report. Last week, when we received the detailed report, we found that [the wife] was a male, Yadav said. Transgender is an identity, and it is independent from a persons biological sex. An autopsy cannot determine a persons gender identity. The husbands older brother, who did not wish to reveal his name, told Hindustan Times that his brother lived separately in Sehore. He used to support the LGBT [lesbian gay bisexual transgender] movement, saying that one of his friends is gay and wanted to live a fear-free life, the older brother said. In September 2018, the Supreme Court struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised adult consensual intercourse between two persons of the same sex. There is no legislation that either prevents or criminalises same-sex marriages in India. A case seeking the recognition of same-sex marriage is currently pending before the Kerala high court. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trakk, Inc., a San Francisco-based, venture-funded company, today announced the immediate availability of their Trakk Mobility-Management and Reservation System. Trakk enables operators and managers of fixed-route services, including corporate commute programs, last-mile shuttles, and shuttle loops to design, manage and optimize multi-passenger transportation, such as vans, buses and ferries, and provide a best-in-class rider experience. Trakk's capabilities include rapid route design with MTA integration, secure fare processing, reservations and seat maps, shared services, live tracking, real-time ETAs and alerts, rider support ticketing, and detailed reporting. Operators can use Trakk's white-label rider interfaces on desktop and mobile to quickly set up new services, or they can custom-design their entire rider experience using the Trakk APIs. Detailed reporting includes built-in reports and dashboards, data download, self-hosted reports and a comprehensive data API for integration into third-party analysis and reporting tools. Trakk further announced that Luum, a Seattle-based industry leader in employer commute solutions, has integrated Trakk into its Commute Management Platform. This allows Luum to offer employers and their employees a seamless corporate shuttle reservation service that's part of the complete commute program offering. Sohier Hall, Luum CEO, explained: "As employers think about how to bring workers back to the office safely, we see corporate shuttles playing a larger role in the transition and beyond as employers incorporate safety, convenience, and contact traceability. Trakk's shuttle offering integrated with Luum enables easy shuttle route discovery and booking for employees, and robust administrator / operator tools for everything from route creation to reporting across a range of metrics. We are thrilled to be partnering with Trakk and look forward to offering these capabilities to our customers." Alec Summers, Trakk CEO and Founder, noted: "We are delighted to partner with Luum, as they have established an enviable reputation with their corporate and institutional customers. Companies looking for a seamless, comprehensive commute benefits management platform, from parking, to shuttles, to transit now have a solution." Trakk has also been selected for WeCommute, based in Pleasanton, California. Bill Wheeler, President and CEO of Black Tie Transportation, said: "When I was looking for a system to manage my WeCommute executive shuttle service between the East Bay and San Francisco, Trakk was the obvious choice. With Trakk it is remarkably easy to set up routes, flexibly manage reservations, vehicle occupancy, fare payment and rider communications, and overall provide a great customer experience. Trakk is the complete solution." Right now, operators and managers of fixed-route services face the challenge of rebuilding ridership shrunk by COVID-19 concerns. Trakk can help them win back riders' confidence: reservations and seat maps reassure riders that there will be physical distancing on the vehicle, and guidelines on mask usage, hand sanitizing, boarding and disembarking can be included in the rider communications from the Trakk system. In the event a rider tests positive their contacts can also be traced. Trakk is a SaaS application and available by monthly subscription. For enquiries: Trakk, Inc. 548 Market St., PMB 22351 San Francisco, CA 94104-5401 USA Tel: +1 (855) 624-3786 Email: [email protected] Website: www.gettrakk.com SOURCE Trakk Related Links https://www.gettrakk.com People walk in front of a Pensioners of Russia party campaign billboard for September 13 regional elections in Novosibirsk on September 9, 2020. - ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images Three activists linked to the poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been taken ill after attackers hurled a jar containing an unknown liquid into their office in Siberia. CCTV footage on Tuesday showed two attackers in hoodies throwing a jar into the headquarters of the coalition supported by Mr Navalny in Novosibirsk, Russias third-largest city. Olga Guseva, a project manager at Mr Navalnys foundation who is currently helping with the campaign in Siberia, told The Telegraph on Wednesday that the room quickly filled with a strong smell which was so unbearable that everyone rushed outside. People started coughing, and three of them felt unwell and were taken by an ambulance with suspected poisoning. Ms Guseva said all displayed identical symptoms. They all had nausea, high blood pressure and headache, she said, adding that the activists were discharged from hospital without a proper examination. They were told: You are too stressed out, she said. Police have launched an inquiry into the incident. The attack drew uncomfortable comparisons to Mr Navalnys poisoning in another Siberian city last month. The Russian opposition leader has now regained consciousness after he was brought out of a medically-induced coma for the first time since the suspected poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok in late August Mr Navalnys doctors at a Berlin hospital, where he was transferred from Russia last month ,said it was too early to say if he had suffered any long-term damage. Russians go to polls for regional elections in several regions on Sunday. Mr Navalny in recent months was busy promoting his Smart Voting strategy that seeks to bolster the campaigns of all opposition candidates to help break the Kremlins political monopoly. The coalition in Novosibirsk that was targeted on Tuesday is fielding opposition candidates for the local legislature to challenge the ruling United Russia party. Tauranga City Council has received more than 1300 pieces of feedback in the first round of consultation on Innovating Streets in The Mount, which is now closed. During this consultation round, council wanted to understand the communitys position on trialling changes to street layouts to make busy Mount streets safer and more enjoyable. Tauranga Mayor Tenby Powell is greatly appreciative at the time and effort the community has put into sharing their input and ideas. Its fantastic that so many people have taken the time to have their say, ensuring their views are considered. Besides receiving a substantial amount of completed feedback forms, we had a great response with people visiting our stall on Saturday and many shared their views with us while we walked the streets. All of that feedback will now be analysed to identify common themes to help guide the Community Design Group. The feedback will be summarised for the Community Design Group to use during three workshops between the end of September and November. There they will work closely with council staff and consultant designers to develop design options for any changes to streets. The summary of the feedback will provide valuable insights into which routes the public feels should be selected for the trial, as well as what kind of changes could be tested. Applications for the design group are now also closed. Applicants will be clustered into different categories, such as residents or business owners. With a local NZ Police representative as a witness, council will then randomly select people from each category to join the Community Design Group, allowing for up to 24 members. This will contribute to a good mix of community members, while ensuring that people who are for and against any changes are represented. Regular updates following the Community Design Group workshops will be posted on the project web page www.tauranga.govt.nz/innovatingstreets to allow people to stay up-to-date. The web page also offers the opportunity to sign up to a regular digital newsletter. Next steps: November 2020 Round two of community feedback: share design options and find out what the community thinks. December 2020 -Finalise a design supported by the community that can be set up as a trial. March 2021 -Set up trial. After April 2021 -Round three of community feedback: once the trial is set up, evaluate how the community feels about any changes. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appealed to the chiefs and people of Sene East to change their one-way style of voting and and vote for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December polls arguing that, to him, he has not seen any benefits in the one-way voting to the people in the area. Speaking at a durbar of chiefs and people in the area Tuesday afternoon, President Akufo-Addo said the NPP has proven in its three and half years tenure in office that it can do better works for the people in the area. He therefore appealed to the people to vote for him in the December presidential election. Work starts on 35KM Atebubu-Kojo Danso-Kwamekrom road President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the commencement of construction of the 35-kilometre Atebubu-Kwame-Danso-Kwame Krom in the Bono East Region. This road is part of the roads being done under the governments critical roads Programme, with the road being constructed by Justmoh Construction Ltd. With the project commencing on April 22, the Contractor is expected to complete construction on October 21, 2022, with the entire cost of the road being borne by government. According to the Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Amoako-Atta, the following roads are also being constructed within the vicinity of the Bono East Region: Upgrading of Asekye Atebubu Road (Km 15+000 30+000), 15km stretch of road expected to be completed by 2nd July 2022; Upgrading of (Kumfi Atebubu) 66+000 96+000 Road 30km stretch of road expected to be completed by 18th April 2022; Upgrading of Busunya Town Roads (5.8km) expected to be completed by 21st July, 2021; and Kintampo Abease Prang Roa. The total length of road from Kintampo to Prang is 103km. The cumulative length of the sections sealed is 38km. The Contractor is expected to complete project by 19th March 2022. President Akufo-Addo told the durbar of Chiefs at Atebubu that the massive repairs, upgrading, rehabilitation and construction of the many road and bridge development projects demonstrate his governments commitment to the development of road infrastructure across the country. He was confident that the difficulties faced by farmers and traders, in their bid to transport their farm produce to the major market centres in Kumasi, Techiman, Nkoranza, Sunyani and other parts of the country, will be ameliorated after the completion of this road project. Early on, President Akufo-Addo also commissioned a 1,000 metric tonne pre-fabricated warehouse at Kwame Danso, in the Sene West constituency. It is one of eighty (80) being constructed across the country. According to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, prior to the assumption of office of President Akufo-Addo, there were only twenty-seven (27) warehouses in the country, all of which were constructed in the 1960s. He explained further that, as a result of the success of the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, the warehouse is expected not only to reduce post-harvest losses, but will also motivate farmers to increase production, create market linkages, stabilise prices for farmers and increase their incomes. In addition, this intervention will create employment, ensure a continuous flow of agriculture produce in the market within the locality and across the country. The Kwame Danso warehouse has ancillary facilities such as an office and laboratory, chain-link fencing with gatehouse, a water system, and a solar powered grain dryer, amongst others. 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 SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mondee Holdings, the leading travel technology group with a portfolio of globally recognized brands in the leisure, corporate and retail travel sectors announced today the purchase of Rocketrip, the award winning behavior change technology solution for global business travel programs. Founded in 2013 and backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, Genacast Ventures, Google Ventures and Y Combinator, Rocketrip's algorithm-based technology transforms business travel by empowering employees to align their booking choices with company interests. Building a company culture where travelers feel valued and empowered has never been more critical as travel begins to resume, and Rocketrip's solution seamlessly integrates into complex global programs to drive behavior that keeps costs under control and travelers happy. This strategic acquisition will accelerate the Rocketrip mission by leveraging Mondee's industry leading travel technology platform and extensive global travel experience. With over $100 million invested in its core travel technology platform, Mondee Holdings will use this acquisition to accelerate its growth in the corporate travel sector where it continues to see significant opportunity for investment, disruptive innovation and leadership. Mondee's robust technology platform will dramatically expand Rocketrip's ability to deliver its transformational behavioral change solution to an even broader range of business travel programs and their myriad technology stacks. The acquisition also helps to strengthen Rocketrip's global offering through Mondee's international market knowledge and support infrastructure. Addressing the varied business travel needs of international markets requires deep local expertise and Mondee's unparalleled reach will allow Rocketrip to create a truly global solution. Mondee's expansive technology service and content platform will also help expand the Rocketrip capabilities set and bring new innovative solutions and offerings to the travel market. According to Rocketrip founder and CEO, Dan Ruch, "It has never been more important for brands to place their travel culture and employees at the center of their program. Aligning the needs of travelers with the company is no longer an option but a necessity in this new travel environment. By leveraging Mondee's technology experience and global infrastructure, we will be able to scale Rocketrip's reach like never before. The travel ecosystem and needs of travel managers are evolving faster than ever, and this will ensure we can continue to deliver innovative functionality to meet those needs." Prasad Gundumogula, CEO of Mondee, added, "We are proud to acquire such an innovative travel technology company with a strong record of growth and success in the corporate market and backed by leading venture capital firms with a history of building disruptive world class technology companies. This acquisition aligns perfectly with our mission to disrupt and transform the travel industry through our innovative technology platform, unmatched breadth of content, and leading global brands offering world-class service and products available through SaaS, mobile, and cloud platforms. Rocketrip has transformed behavior in even the most mature travel programs, showing the need for disruption in the business travel space. We are excited to combine our common visions for transformational technology to bring Rocketrip to even greater heights." About Mondee Mondee Holding is a group of leading travel technology, service, and content companies driving disruptive innovative change in the leisure, corporate, and retail travel markets. They deliver a revolutionary technology platform of SaaS, mobile, and cloud products and services to a global customer base of over 45,000 customers, processing over 50 million daily searches and multi-billion dollars of transactional volume yearly. Founded in 2011, Mondee is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, with 36 offices in USA and Canada, and operations in India, Greece, Thailand, Costa Rica, and Senegal. About Rocketrip Founded in 2013 and Headquartered in New York City, Rocketrip provides real-time insight into traveler behavior and allows companies to use this data to drive the changes necessary in order to meet major company objectives such as cost savings and online booking compliance. Companies such as Twitter and BMW save 2030% per year with Rocketrip. SOURCE Rocketrip Related Links http://www.rocketrip.com A former eastern Pennsylvania woman was indicted on charges of wire fraud in connection with a GoFundMe campaign she held claiming she had brain cancer, according to the Department of Justice. The indictment brought by U.S. Attorney William McSwain states that Vanessa ORourke, 32, who was last known to be living in Queensland, Australia, defrauded people by saying she had a terminal form of brain cancer known as a glioblastoma between Oct. 2015 and July 2016. During that time she was living in Harleysville, Montgomery County, McSwain said, and she held a GoFundMe fundraising campaign saying she needed to raise money to travel to Australia for experimental cancer treatments. More than 140 people donated to her campaign, raising more than $11,700, McSwaine said. Investigators believe ORourke did travel to Australia but did not receive any treatment and instead used the money for personal expenses, including leisure activities. The allegations in this case are nauseating, U.S. Attorney McSwain said in a statement. ORourke is charged with preying upon the kindness and generosity of good people who wished to help those in need. As alleged, there was no need here only lies, greed and callous manipulation. The Federal Bureau of Investigations Philadelphia Division investigated the case. Misleading people about a significant medical diagnosis in order to take advantage of their kind hearts and open wallets is reprehensible, Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Division said. As alleged, Vanessa ORourke scammed friends and family alike, convincing them to donate money toward her supposed medical care. Instead, those funds supported her lifestyle and leisure. When someone commits such financial fraud, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will work to hold them accountable. Read more on PennLive: A dramatic earthquake has hit parts of England, shaking buildings and forcing schools to evacuate children. The 3.3-magnitude tremor struck Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire at 9.45am on Tuesday, according to the British Geological Survey (BGS). People also reported feeling the earthquake in Luton, Hertfordshire, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire and in other areas of southeast England. Some felt buildings shake, and children were briefly led out of some schools by teachers. The quake itself felt like an explosion. I was in a store room and was terrified what Id find when I walked out. I was shocked there were no flames or plumes of smoke, Emily Goddard, in Leighton Buzzard, told The Independent. The shaking lasted no more than a second so I thought it couldnt be an earthquake as I thought that would last longer. The BGS said the tremors epicentre was just northwest of Leighton Buzzard, at a depth of 10km. It received reports from members of the public describing the quake as like a convoy of HGVs driving past my front door at great speed, with others saying the house had one dramatic shake, and it felt like the whole house was shaking. Usha Chapman, in Luton, said: "I was on a video call with my mum when I felt a sideways push. The door rattled and the TV fixed to the wall also rattled. "It lasted for five seconds. There were no initial reports of damage or injuries. Bedfordshire Police said in a tweet: Our control room are currently experiencing a large number of calls due to an earthquake which was felt across the county. We have currently received no reports of any injuries or major structural damage. Dave Smith, control station commander at Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said staff had been busy fielding 999s from concerned callers but there were no reports of injuries so far. Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said it received three 999 calls reporting the earthquake, but none about incidents requiring its attendance. Between 20 to 30 earthquakes are felt by people in the UK each year, according to the BGS. Hundreds of smaller ones are also recorded by sensitive instruments. The strongest recorded British earthquake struck Dogger Bank, off the coast of east England, in 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1. The quakes epicentre was 60 miles offshore, but it was still powerful enough to cause minor damage to some buildings. Assange shamed his persecutors. He produced scoop after scoop. He exposed the fraudulence of wars promoted by the media and the homicidal nature of America's wars, the corruption of dictators, the evils of Guantanamo. Having reported the long, epic ordeal of Julian Assange, John Pilger gave this address outside the Old Bailey as the political 'trial of the century' got underway. by John Pilger When I first met Julian Assange more than ten years ago, I asked him why he had started WikiLeaks. He replied: "Transparency and accountability are moral issues that must be the essence of public life and journalism." I had never heard a publisher or an editor invoke morality in this way. Assange believes that journalists are the agents of people, not power: that we, the people, have a right to know about the darkest secrets of those who claim to act in our name. If the powerful lie to us, we have the right to know. If they say one thing in private and the opposite in public, we have the right to know. If they conspire against us, as Bush and Blair did over Iraq, then pretend to be democrats, we have the right to know. It is this morality of purpose that so threatens the collusion of powers that want to plunge much of the world into war and wants to bury Julian alive in Trump's fascist America. In 2008, a top secret US State Department report described in detail how the United States would combat this new moral threat. A secretly-directed personal smear campaign against Julian Assange would lead to "exposure [and] criminal prosecution". The aim was to silence and criminalise WikiLeaks and its founder. Page after page revealed a coming war on a single human being and on the very principle of freedom of speech and freedom of thought, and democracy. The imperial shock troops would be those who called themselves journalists: the big hitters of the so-called mainstream, especially the "liberals" who mark and patrol the perimeters of dissent. And that is what happened. I have been a reporter for more than 50 years and I have never known a smear campaign like it: the fabricated character assassination of a man who refused to join the club: who believed journalism was a service to the public, never to those above. Assange shamed his persecutors. He produced scoop after scoop. He exposed the fraudulence of wars promoted by the media and the homicidal nature of America's wars, the corruption of dictators, the evils of Guantanamo. He forced us in the West to look in the mirror. He exposed the official truth-tellers in the media as collaborators: those I would call Vichy journalists. None of these imposters believed Assange when he warned that his life was in danger: that the "sex scandal" in Sweden was a set up and an American hellhole was the ultimate destination. And he was right, and repeatedly right. The extradition hearing in London this week is the final act of an Anglo-American campaign to bury Julian Assange. It is not due process. It is due revenge. The American indictment is clearly rigged, a demonstrable sham. So far, the hearings have been reminiscent of their Stalinist equivalents during the Cold War. Today, the land that gave us Magna Carta, Great Britain, is distinguished by the abandonment of its own sovereignty in allowing a malign foreign power to manipulate justice and by the vicious psychological torture of Julian - a form of torture, as Nils Melzer, the UN expert has pointed out, that was refined by the Nazis because it was most effective in breaking its victims. Every time I have visited Assange in Belmarsh prison, I have seen the effects of this torture. When I last saw him, he had lost more than 10 kilos in weight; his arms had no muscle. Incredibly, his wicked sense of humour was intact. As for Assange's homeland, Australia has displayed only a cringeing cowardice as its government has secretly conspired against its own citizen who ought to be celebrated as a national hero. Not for nothing did George W. Bush anoint the Australian prime minister his "deputy sheriff". It is said that whatever happens to Julian Assange in the next three weeks will diminish if not destroy freedom of the press in the West. But which press? The Guardian? The BBC, The New York Times, the Jeff Bezos Washington Post? No, the journalists in these organisations can breathe freely. The Judases on the Guardian who flirted with Julian, exploited his landmark work, made their pile then betrayed him, have nothing to fear. They are safe because they are needed. Freedom of the press now rests with the honourable few: the exceptions, the dissidents on the internet who belong to no club, who are neither rich nor laden with Pulitzers, but produce fine, disobedient, moral journalism - those like Julian Assange. Meanwhile, it is our responsibility to stand by a true journalist whose sheer courage ought to be inspiration to all of us who still believe that freedom is possible. I salute him. Phillip B. v. Mike Faust and Arizona Department of Child Safety Washington, D.C., Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a disappointing turn of events, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge today affirmed the decision of the director of the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) concerning an unproven child-abuse allegation in the case Phillip B. v. Mike Faust and Arizona Department of Child Safety. The New Civil Liberties Alliance, a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group, represents Mr. Phillip B., whose name has been redacted to preserve his anonymity under court rules. Mr. B. is an educator with decades of experience and an untarnished reputation, that is, until he was falsely accused by a teen in his care. NCLA exposed several constitutional problems in the DCS process that deprived Mr. B. of liberty without due process of law under the U.S. and Arizona Constitutions as well as the separation-of-powers doctrine under the Arizona Constitution. But in his order, Judge Douglas Gerlach said today that he will not decide the constitutionality of the administrative review scheme that the legislature put in place. One of the most dubious provisions is the ability of agency heads to reject or modify the decisions of ALJs. Independent ALJ decisions that respect due process and rules of evidence can be overturned by biased agency heads who ignore rules of civil procedure and evidence. This practice violates the due process rights of defendants. In Mr. Bs case, the ALJ from the Office of Administrative Hearings, which is independent of DCS, concluded that probable cause did not exist to support a finding of abuse and cleared him of the charge. Despite the ALJs conclusion, state law allowed DCS to appeal the decision to its own director. Unsurprisingly, the director ruled in favor of his agency, rejecting the ALJs factual and credibility assessments and ordering that Mr. Bs name be placed on the Arizona Department of Child Safety Central Registry of child abusers for 25 years. Story continues Unfortunately, the court today also refused to meaningfully review the constitutionality of Arizonas administrative review scheme. In effect, the judge refused to clean up the due process mess that is DCSs Central Registry, leaving the cleanup either to the legislature or to the Court of Appeals. NCLA is fighting to right this wrong. Just last month, the Arizona Supreme Court adopted verbatim an NCLA-drafted amendment to its Judicial Review of Administrative Decisions Rule 3 (JRAD Rule 3). The new rule, which goes into effect starting January 1, 2021, affects all appeals from the final decisions of all Arizona state agencies that are required to go to the Superior Courtincluding DCS. NCLA, on behalf of Mr. Phillip B., will appeal today's decision to the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One. NCLA released the following statement: The courts decision is doubly disappointing. The court decided not to review the myriad due-process and separation-of-powers problems for factual reasons. At the same time, the court decided not to take a look at the facts to avoid the serious legal problems with Arizonas administrative law. The court's double-dodge offers an enticing recipe for appeal, and that is precisely what we plan to do. Adi Dynar, Litigation Counsel, NCLA Read more case background here. Watch case video here. ABOUT NCLA NCLA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group founded by prominent legal scholar Philip Hamburger to protect constitutional freedoms from violations by the Administrative State. NCLAs public-interest litigation and other pro bono advocacy strive to tame the unlawful power of state and federal agencies and to foster a new civil liberties movement that will help restore Americans fundamental rights. ### CONTACT: Judy Pino, Communications Director New Civil Liberties Alliance 202-869-5218 media@ncla.legal TICKERS: NUG; NULGF, OIII, PMC; PMCCF Source: Peter Krauth for Streetwise Reports (9/9/20) Peter Krauth profiles three junior mining companies that he believes hold the potential to produce stellar results. So far this year, the S&P 500 is up 6%. Considering the massive challenges we've faced, that's not bad. By comparison, gold has clocked stellar returns. It's up 26% year-to-date. But a small subsector of the gold space has far outpaced even gold's returns. Imagine making 19 times your investment in just 5 months. Sound impossible? That's what some junior explorers' shares have done already this year. To be fair, these can be some of the most volatile equities on the planet. Of course, the rising tide of a secular gold bull market can go a long way to moderate some of that risk. Also, allocating capital wisely and across several explorers can help mitigate the hazards these companies might present. The fact is just one outstanding success, even alongside a few other mediocre performers, can still lead to life-changing returns for investors. With gold continuing to consolidate, as I've been saying to expect in my recent articles, now is a great time to consider where to invest for the next leg up. Let's dig in Gold Juniors Outperform The following chart compares the performances of gold, large gold producers, and junior gold miners. Since March 13, 2020, gold is up 25%, gold producers are up a whopping 89%, and gold juniors are up 111%. Now if that doesn't grab your attention, I'm not sure what will. The fact is, the leverage offered by junior gold companies is downright explosive. Some individual junior gold explorers are up over 1,900% or more in that time frame. That's testament to the kind of wild upside they can offer. Needless to say, such high potential reward is commensurate with high risk. Explorers can burn through lots of cash securing land rights, permits and drilling all to turn up nothing. Other times, big success is followed up with big duds. As well, the commodity cycle can work with or against. That's why rising gold prices are so important for gold explorers. Some discoveries that lead to deposits could be uneconomic at $1,400 gold, but highly profitable at $1,800. Gold's 4-year bear market from 2012 to 2016 forced miners to dramatically cut costs, sell assets, and put some mines on care and maintenance while expansions were put on ice. Exploration was one of the first victims, which has led to a dearth of discoveries. But with gold back to marching higher on strongly sustained fundamentals, miners are realizing they need to replace depleting reserves. As a result, successful explorers become takeover targets as they expand known deposits and discover new ones. Here are three companies that have the right people and are looking in the right places to potentially produce stellar results. Nevada Nano Cap Nevada was ranked as the world's third most attractive jurisdiction for mining investment by the Fraser Institute this past February. Nevada is exceedingly attractive with its second largest gold reserves in the world and 23 major gold mines, all while producing 5 million ounces of gold annually. If it were a country of its own, it would be ranked as the 4th largest gold producing nation globally. Considering its stable tax regime, robust legal basis, qualified labor, streamlined permitting and developed infrastructure, there are many reasons to look for gold in Nevada. Peloton Minerals Corp. (PMC:CSE; PMCCF:OTCQB), at CAD $10M, is a true nano cap junior. Despite no resource so far, its quality properties and outsized potential make up for the higher risk profile. In 2011 Newmont acquired Fronteer Gold through a $2.3 billion takeover for its Long Canyon project. Also on the Long Canyon Trend is Peloton's Golden Trail Project, located just 50 km north of Newmont's Long Canyon mine. Golden Trail is 100% owned by Peloton with no royalties and comprises an 880 acre claim package. The initial drill program in 2019 delivered 82% of footage mineralized above the detection rate for gold and silver, with a range of 0.005ppm to 0.095ppm Au and 0.5 to 72.0 Ag, and all holes bottomed in mineralization. Golden Trail should see 2,0003,000 feet of further drilling this fall, going deeper than last year's efforts, and testing 3,000 feet to the south for Carlin-Style hydrothermal anomalies. 7 kilometers due west is the Texas Canyon project. Armed with good historical data from the previous operator, management is advancing is drilling permits to be able to drill this project by next spring. An NI 43-101 technical report is being compiled to publish data and set out recommendations for further steps. A project summary-abstract was published in the 2020 Geologic Society of Nevada's virtual symposium. That could help attract a JV partner to participate and advance Texas Canyon. Source: September 2020 company presentation Independence Valley is Peloton's third Nevada project, this one located on the southern extension of the world-renowned Carlin Gold Trend. It's the largest concentration of gold deposits in North America, with over 40 deposits discovered along the 64 km-long trend. Located in Elko County, Independence Valley is composed of 1,160 acres and within the historical Spruce Mountain mining district which hosted many historical base and precious metals mines since the 1840s. This project hosts the largest untested Rhyolite Dome int the Spruce Mountain district. The 2020 drill program will comprise 2,0003,000 feet, and geophysical modelling of magnetic and CSAMT data have identified three structures within the dome complex that are recommended for testing. The company's fourth project is Silver Bell & St. Lawrence (SBSL). It's a 390-acre claim package with two historical gold mines (Silver Bell & St. Lawrence). Located in Montana, SBSL is under option by Frederick Private Equity to earn a 75% interest through annual option payments and spending $2M within six years of March 2018. Last year's initial drill program intersected up to 34.4 g/tonne gold. Historical smelter records show gold grades from 0.15 to 0.52 ounces per ton and silver grades from 2.7 to 15.6 ounces per ton. Catalysts this year and early next will be follow up exploration results on Golden Trail and Independence Valley, plus the technical report on Texas Canyon. As well, potential activity on SBSL could all generate plenty of news flow over the next 612 months with exciting potential. Nevada Elephant Hunter Also operating in Nevada is NuLegacy Gold Corporation (NUG:TSX.V; NULGF:OTCQB), whose market cap has soared to CAD $103M in recent months. The company holds a 100% interest in the Red Hill project, located on the prolific Cortez Trend, which hosts three of Barrick Gold's largest and highest-grade Tier 1 Gold deposits: Pipeline with 21 million ounces (Moz) at 2.5 grams/tonne (g/t), Cortez Hills with 15 Moz at 4.1 grams/t, and Goldrush with 10 Moz at 10 g/t. Red Hill is a highly prospective 108 square kilometer property on the southern end of the Cortez Trend, in close proximity to the cluster of Pipeline, Cortez Hills and Goldrush. Nulegacy boasts a strong technical team and institutional ownership. Oceana Gold owns 10.3%, Barrick owns 6.6%, and Sprott Gold Equity Fund holds 6.4%. Source: May 2020 company presentation Its nine-member technical team, most of whom worked at Barrick, have all made significant direct contributions of some kind towards the discovery of over 50 million ounces in Nevada's Carlin and Cortez trends. Red Hill could turn out to be an elephant. This summer the company performed a CSAMT survey to help measure the Rift Anticline. Drill intercepts over the last couple of years have produced 9.6 g/t gold over 5.1m, within 20.8m of 2.7 g/t gold at Western Slope, and 16.9 g/t gold over 8.7m within 22.1m of 6.6 g/t gold. That's high-grade rock which looks a lot like Barrick's Goldrush deposit of 10M ounces at 10.2 g/t gold. An initial 16 hole, 11,500-meter drill program on the Rift Anticline this fall, followed by 45 holes in the winter and more in the spring should produce some steady news flow. Nulegacy is aiming to prove up a Tier 1 asset, then look to a merger or JV to develop toward production. This is elephant country, and that's what Nulegacy is hunting for. Canadian Consolidator Explorer O3 Mining Inc. (OIII:TSX.V) is a larger junior gold explorer with a market cap of CAD $142 million. Their portfolio of assets in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, Canada, two of the better mining jurisdictions anywhere, span more than 460,000 hectares. As part of the Osisko Group of companies, O3 is consolidating exploration properties, aiming to become a multi-million ounce high-growth company. In Quebec, the 4th most attractive mining jurisdiction on the planet, O3 controls 61,000 hectares in historically productive Val d'Or and over 50 kilometers of strike length on the Cadillac-Larder Lake fault. Val d'Or, a district responsible for producing over 30 Moz of gold, holds O3's flagship Marban project on the Malartic Property, representing 75% of the company's total resources at 2.5 million gold ounces. That's up by 40% since the 2016 resource estimate. More than 600,000 meters have already been drilled, with over $60 million invested in the ground. A large 40,000-meter drill program is ongoing to extend the deposit. There is a lot of brownfield upside potential. Source: September 2020 company presentation A positive Preliminary Economic Assessment was just delivered on Marban, boasting an after-tax NPV of $423 million, after-tax IRR of 25.2%, a 4-year payback and 15 year mine life. The average cost to produce the gold will be a respectable $822 per ounce, offering nice margins. With a huge overall 150,000 meter drill program on its Cadillac Break properties, O3 continues to advance this highly prospective district by using AI technology to help identify drill targets. In Ontario, the Golden Bear Group of properties includes the Garrison project which hosts 2 Moz gold in three main zones. It's a potential consolidation play as bigger neighbors include Kirkland Lake, Pan American and Moneta Porcupine, some with established deposits of multiple millions of ounces. As a consolidator/developer/explorer, O3 doesn't hesitate to joint venture or sell off properties it deems non-core. This allows it to unlock value, while retaining participation in the case of JVs. Junior gold explorers come in all sizes and varieties. Given their nature of high risk, it makes sense to build a portfolio of at least 5 names. It's also wise to allocate small amounts and to add to positions over time. But the moon-shot potential is undeniable, especially in a secular gold bull market that's starting to heat up. Peter Krauth Peter Krauth is a former portfolio adviser and a 20-year veteran of the resource market, with special expertise in energy, metals and mining stocks. He has been editor of a widely circulated resource newsletter, and contributed numerous articles to Kitco.com, BNN Bloomberg and the Financial Post. Krauth holds a Master of Business Administration from McGill University and is headquartered in resource-rich Canada. [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) Peter Krauth: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: None. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy. 4) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. 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 A growing list of companies shares a common problem with Apple Stores. Technology may be the only solution as workers wait to return to their corporate workplace as the pandemic resurgence materializes. Apple Stores recently tried to reopen but had to shut down again amid continuing COVID-19 infections. It only took a few weeks for Apple to close its retail stores after reopening to the public, sending its employees back to work from home. Many companies are likely to follow suit as coronavirus cases continue to spread. For those business that got it right reopening their workplaces the first time around, they should be in pretty good shape for round two. But others that struggled to get a handle on operations will likely find themselves again in chaos especially where IT is concerned for the transplanted work-from-home employees. Unsolved challenges exist in either scenario. No one formula is an ideal approach for companies going back-and-forth between in-person and remote work. The lessons learned from the first transition suggest companies with the right tools and strategies in place will be significantly better off. Most organizations will face common challenges with staff working in the same space again: How do they use elevators in office buildings? How do they cater in the cafeteria? Do employees still have access to the break room with common appliances and a shared space? How do employees organize meetings in conference rooms that are meant for a specific number of attendees? These are the basic questions confronting business managers as they race to reopen their workspaces to large crowds of workers, observed Mounir Hahad, head of Juniper Threat Labs at Juniper Networks. One of the serious challenges involves not only the health of employees but the health of company electronics. Those issues persist whether employees work from home or return to the office. Unfortunately, during these times when many organizations have been forced to shift to a more distributed business model, hybrid work practices are causing organizational challenges related to rising cybersecurity risk, defenses being tested, and weaknesses being exposed, Hahad told TechNewsWorld. Business continuity may lighten up or override previous security requirements to address system overload, which leaves vulnerabilities open. Companies must find a way to ensure cybersecurity remains a top priority and keep their guard up. It is especially important that organizations emphasize employee education around cybersecurity, he urged. Addressing Risks Some advanced WiFi access points do have the ability to precisely monitor users locations throughout their workday as they move around the buildings and record the data for future use. This is of tremendous help to the security and safety team who can identify hot spots where employees tend to congregate, or to trace back the proximity of an infected employee to other employees or visitors, noted Hahad. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Additionally, hybrid work environments can identify new opportunities for organizations to reassess their business continuity plans and network security processes. As early experiences suggest, transparency, flexibility and iteration are key in return-to-workplace plans amid possibly several rounds of back-and-forth restarts, depending on COVID-19 infection rates. Businesses must continue to address the ways employees connect to the network and how to deploy technology to enable and protect those connections, regardless of work environment, Hahad said. Common Challenges Navigating the remote-to-office scenario that companies face to regather their workforces is stressful for both the displaced workers and their company managers. Coworkers will spend an inordinate amount of time reconnecting early on, which will likely have a large impact on productivity at first, suggested Chris Triolo, vice president of customer success at Respond Software. Employees may struggle with productivity as they adapt back to the office environment. The return of the commute may affect employees happiness temporarily and likely will result in fewer hours worked per day, he told TechNewsWorld. Two other primary issues surface in the WFH-to-office return flip flops. One is the Security Operations Center (SOC); the other is the deployment of corporate communications assets. While some industries are suited for remote work, there are several industries for whom this working style presents many problems, Triolo noted. For instance, cybersecurity operations is not an industry that should operate remotely long-term. Home offices tend to be on unsafe networks that lack all the security controls and technology that the corporate office maintains. Another consideration is what to do with corporate assets, such as laptops and phones that were distributed. Are companies expected to collect them all upon return? A good deal of logistical work comes to mind with this scenario. While everyone does appreciate a change now and then, we risk employees focus, happiness, and productivity by see-sawing back and forth between in-person and remote work. While some companies have run a hybrid model all along, most employees who are new to the work-from-home and/or the hybrid structure may really struggle with it, Triolo explained. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Lessons Learned The first transition from office to WFH taught company managers some surprising lessons. Many companies learned for the first time that it is possible to have a remote workforce. In addition, the productivity question was resolved: employees ended up just as productive and in some cases more productive than when they worked in the office full time. We also began to recognize that remote employees can reduce the costs of running our business, for example, with the leasing of office building space, decreased spending on utilities, and day-to-day overhead costs, Triolo noted. But businesses also learned that we had a lot of work to do to get our employees the tools they need to work from home safely. These include laptops, corporate VPNs, and other collaborative tools such as Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. There was an initial scramble to put the technology and policies in place, but now that weve done it, we can move from the office-to-home work lifestyle again much more easily, he said. The lessons businesses learned include a need for planning and major adjustment when it comes to making the switch between working at the business premises and remotely, according to Melissa Cadwallader, HR leader at ZenBusiness. Businesses were initially required to make provisions for continued communication with socially distanced employees. There has also been a need to focus on the health and safety of those workers expected to return after the months of isolation. The wearing of face masks and arrangement of worker shielding has become the new workplace norm, given continuing concerns over the pandemic, she told TechNewsWorld. The Journey Back Transitioning back to the office will present companies with a need for the change and adoption of policies for the protection and engagement of employees going back and forth between in-person and remote work. There will also be a challenge when it comes to maintaining business as normal, Cadwallader offered. Employees have to adapt to different working practices. There may well be a decrease in productivity and engagement given the continued uncertainty over working arrangements, she said. The remote-to-office scenario poses serious challenges for companies from a health standpoint. It is opening more doors for COVID-19 contraction, warned Craig Williams, CIO at Ciena. If employees coming into work have been quarantined, making them come into the office raises the question we seem to forget in the equation how did they get to work? If the answer is by public transportation such as a train or bus, then the risks of exposure are further expanded, Williams told TechNewsWorld. Then there is the liability issue that companies face in reopening corporate workspaces, warned Williams. Even if all the employees drove to work with their own cars so their exposure rates are low, without the right socially-distanced office setups like plexiglass shields between cubicles companies are facing immense liabilities by opening back up too soon and putting not only employees but their families at risk as well, he explained. The first transition has clearly outlined why it is too soon to open back office spaces without taking all the right precautions, and it has also shown that perhaps even with all the seemingly right precautions, the virus can still run rampant. Many employees are hesitant about going back to the office right now so companies must use this as an opportunity to listen and follow their lead, he suggested. Growing Opposition Remote workers made to rush back to the office too soon may actually choose to quit instead. According to a survey by Azurite Consulting that tallied the views of 3,500 people, one-in-four office workers would quit if asked to return too soon. That includes 26 percent of employees and 21 percent of managers. Key findings from that survey include: 54 percent of high-risk employees want to continue working remotely. 70 percent of Americans see taking public transportation to work as unsafe. To foster a safe return, office workers want face masks and investment in better hygiene before they return. A majority (56 percent) want mandatory face masks, while 42 percent want sanitizers or disinfectants at their desks, and 36 percent want reduced office capacity at any given time. 15 percent want daily temperature checks, and 16 percent want weekly COVID-19 testing. The Azurite survey also revealed: 54 percent of companies in major downtown centers have intent to downsize their footprint, and 55 percent plan at least some relocation of employees. 11 percent of urban dwellers contemplate a suburban move and 25 percent a rural move. Meanwhile, 28 percent of suburban dwellers contemplate a rural move. We are reaching a point where companies are looking to get people back in their office spaces, but clearly we cant resume pre-pandemic practices. Leaders now have to manage the influx of people arriving to high-rise office buildings in densely populated cities like Chicago and New York. Workers need to access the building, go up elevators and get to the office as safely as possible, Matt Fairhurst, CEO and cofounder, Skedulo a deskless worker productivity software company told TechNewsWorld. Some spaces have made new rules limiting the number of people in an elevator or have enacted social distancing. Companies are taking it upon themselves to phase people back into the office. This involves limiting the capacity of employees allowed on a given day. But how can we more effectively manage this?, he questioned to illustrate the issues involved with return workers to corporate offices. Potential Answers Skedulo could have a solution to easing and managing the transition back to the office. The company is exploring the idea of applying high capacity-based scheduling technology, Fairhurst announced. That software automatically and intelligently helps organize large quantities of people using appointments to enter the office. Think about scheduling workers arrival times, limiting the number of people in elevators, and taking into account the total number in an office, especially for large companies with one central office. This can be overwhelming to manage, he said. If too many individuals arrive at once, people could congregate in the lobby, possibly breaking social distancing rules and increasing the risk of spreading COVID-19. Using capacity-based scheduling, an employee could check if a low volume window is available to work in the office, book his/her arrival time, check-in via a contactless QR code at the front desk, and ride up the elevator. All of that would follow appropriate social distancing measures with the knowledge you will not be turned away at the front door. The technology can automate appointments and triage if there is a backup somewhere, meaning if a cluster of people arrives at once, it can intelligently reschedule the rest of the day, helping reduce potential exposure, said Fairhurst. Doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have recommended lung transplants for two patients who have recovered from Covid-19, because of extensive fibrosis a condition where lung tissues harden, with lesions caused as the infection heals. The countrys first lung transplant in a Covid-19 patient was performed in Chennai in the end of August. While most people recover fully from Covid-19, some experience persistent symptoms like breathlessness, fatigue, erratic heartbeat, gastrointestinal problems, and muscle and joint pains for several weeks. A few develop irreversible cardiovascular and respiratory damage. If you look at the available data, about 60 to 80% of the individuals who have recovered from Covid-19 may have some form of sequelae (a condition caused by another disease). It can be mild in the form of fatigue and body aches. But it can also be very serious in the form of individuals requiring to be on long-term oxygen therapy. We have had two individuals who have had extensive lung fibrosis and are being advised lung transplants. And we have people who have significant cardiac abnormalities and stroke, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said in the weekly National Grand Rounds to present current evidence to doctors across the country. Also read | Delhi: Cases cross 4k for first time but drop in positivity rate Apart from lung and heart conditions, Dr Guleria also warned about psychiatric disorders as a result of not just the infection, but the lockdown and social isolation imposed to prevent the spread of the infection. Referring to a study from Italy, Dr Anant Mohan, who heads the pulmonary medicine department in AIIMS said only 12.6% of all recovered Covid-19 trial participants were completely symptom-free after two months, 32% had one or two symptoms, and 55% had three or more symptoms the most common of which are fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain, chest pain, and cough. Dr Saurav Mittal, from the same department, presented three cases of post-Covid-19 complications and how they can be managed. The first case of a healthy 65-year-old man demonstrated that there could be persisting fibrosis in previously healthy patients that makes them oxygen dependent. The second case of a 43-year-old healthy man was to demonstrate how even after getting better. Covid-19 patients might develop blood clots in the lungs and secondary infections that can lead to deterioration. And, the third case of a 45-year-old man with mild disease who developed a fever 15 days later was to shows that other infections like dengue could be the reason for the second phase of symptoms. When it come to fibrosis in the lungs, Dr Mohan said that although there was no estimate of the prevalence, he thought the doctors would see several patients in the clinics with such cases. There is no estimate of prevalence of post-Covid-19 fibrosis but given the volume of Covid-19 cases, even if it is a small percentage, the absolute numbers are likely to be huge, he said. The doctor said based on knowledge of fibrosis without known causes, and fibrosis caused by other coronavirus diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) shows that people above the age of 65, those who had severe disease, had a long stay at the intensive care unit (ICU) and needed mechanical ventilation, and those who smoke and drink are at a higher risk of developing fibrosis. Lung transplant is an option for a very select group of people those with extensive fibrosis and acute respiratory distress but who do not have other co-morbidities like renal dysfunction and muscle wasting after Covid-19, said Dr Mohan. As for the heart, Dr Ambuj Roy, professor from the department of cardiology at AIIMS, said patients with severe pneumonia and other respiratory infections have a higher risk of heart attacks. Once a patient recovers from Covid-19, we cannot lower our guards. As we have seen in the case of severe pneumonia, the risk of heart attack goes up by as much as six times. We need to closely follow the recovered Covid-19 patients who have multiple risk factors. Those who are on cardio-protective medicines should continue taking them diligently and those with higher risk should also be prescribed these medicines, he said. The doctor also referred to a study from Germany which showed that among 100 recovered Covid-19 patients, 78 had some cardiac involvement and 60 had ongoing inflammation of the heart muscle. Professor Pratima Murthy, head of psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, who also joined the rounds via video conference said, In the beginning, there was a lot of anxiety of getting Covid-19 and stress and depression due to the lockdown. When patients get admitted to hospitals, there are various social and economic factors at play that can lead to extreme depression, suicidal attempts and suicides. People may also develop post traumatic stress disorder about their hospitalisation experience. The inflammatory diseases are known to impact the central nervous system and may trigger mood disorders. It can also increase risk of schizophrenia and psychosis. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ATHENS, Greece: Fire swept through Greeces largest refugee camp that had been placed under COVID-19 lockdown, leaving more than 12,000 migrants in emergency need of shelter on the island of Lesbos on Wednesday. In dramatic scenes overnight, the migrants at Moria refugee camp fled fires that broke out at multiple points and gutted much of the camp and surrounding hillside olive groves. Protests also broke out involving migrants, riot police, and firefighters. It has been a very difficult night, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said, adding that a state on emergency would be declared later Wednesday on the island. Some 12,500 people were living at the Moria camp and the surrounding area, where additional restrictions have been imposed over the past week after a Somali resident tested positive for the coronavirus. There were no reports of injuries. The fires broke out overnight, police and fire officials on the island told The Associated Press, adding the cause of the blazes, as well as the full extent of the damage, remained unclear. They did not confirm local reports that the fires had been set deliberately in protest at the lockdown measures but said firefighters had met resistance from some camp residents. Government spokesman Petsas said that arson was being considered as a possible cause of the fire. Before dawn, riot police set up cordons along a highway near the camp to restrict the movements of migrants. Health authorities on Tuesday said 35 people at the camp had been confirmed infected with the virus so far after a major testing drive was ordered at the overcrowded facility. Those with confirmed infections were being kept in isolation at a separate site that was not affected by the fire, officials said. Lesbos was Europes busiest crossing point in 2015-16 for illegal migration during a massive westward movement of refugees, many fleeing war in Syria and Iraq and traveling through Turkey. After that wave of migration, Greece set up camps on Lesbos and four other islands, helped with European Union funding, and more recently also set up a network of camps on the mainland. Firefighters on Lesbos were also battling two other forest fires on the west of the island Wednesday. ___ Follow Gatopoulos at http://www.twitter.com/dgatopoulos Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak 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 UAE and South Korea have agreed to enhance cooperation in 10 new vital and strategic sectors and programmes. The agreement came about in the seventh session of the UAE-South Korea Joint Economic Committee (JEC) which was held virtually. The agenda of the seventh JEC included 10 new development programmes for cooperation that will continue to be implemented and followed up over the next two years, until the next session of the Committee 2022. These include science, IT & telecommunications; agriculture technology including smart agriculture; renewable energy, including investment in alternative and clean energy projects, and the development of public transportation systems in line with the hydrogen city model; recycle resources; SMEs and start-ups; oil & gas; infrastructure, including projects and desalination technology; healthcare and medical services, including the response to Covid-19 pandemic, and the exchange of knowledge and experts in the medical field; Education, tourism, and Intellectual Property, especially patents; and Strengthening government cooperation channels, including medium-term economic development plans, and policies to deal with the effects of Covid-19 on the economy. The meeting was chaired by Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Nam-Ki Hong, Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, in the presence of Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade. Cooperation and joint investments aimed at industrialisation and commercial production in the sectors of SMEs and communication, information technology (IT), artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of things (IoT), 5G, smart agriculture, green economy, energy, renewable energy, science and innovation in the medical and agricultural sectors, in addition to education, tourism, financial services and transportation were discussed. The two sides stressed the need for continuing efforts to open up new avenues for the private sector in the two countries. It was also agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the UAE with the Korean side to activate the cooperation frameworks related to Korea's participation in the Expo, which has been postponed to next year in compliance with the precautionary measures implemented globally in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. The countries emphasised the strength of the UAE-Korean relations, which have witnessed a significant expansion since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 1980. They further indicated the need to continue joint work to expand the scope of this strategic partnership to include more sectors and opportunities, in a way that serves the interests and aspirations of both countries in development and prosperity. In addition, the UAE and South Korea discussed the global economic developments in light of the spread of Covid-19 and its impact on global trade. Furthermore, both sides expressed satisfaction with the trade exchange rates over the past years. In this context, the two sides agreed to work closely to enhance mutual non-oil trade, exchange experiences and knowledge, and enhance access to development opportunities in the two countries' markets. Bin Touq said that the bilateral and economic relations between the UAE and Korea and are based on a long history of friendship and mutual respect and include almost all sectors. In addition, he highlighted the UAEs keenness to establish frameworks for cooperation in the fields of technology to benefit from the world-leading Korean experience in this regard. He noted that the importance of this partnership is being reflected in the progress made by both the UAE and Korean economies, with increased participation from the private sectors. He added that the volume of non-oil trade exchange between the two countries is promising, as it amounted to more than $5 billion in 2019. The volume of UAE exports to Korea doubled compared to 2018, while re-exports grew nearly three times. Bin Touq added that the scope of the current mutual investments includes wide sectors in the two countries' markets, such as energy, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, logistics services, technology, communications, financial services, construction, real estate, port management, and others. We are focusing on the advanced technology sectors in particular, so that the UAE and Korean economies can progress and work together through joint investment in the fields of innovation, research and development, to reach the commercial production in the sectors of the new economy, he said. He also touched on how the UAEs leadership is expediting the systematic response to the economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, pointing to the UAE governments recent launch of a flexible package and a general plan of 33 initiatives to support various economic sectors. The Minister added that MOE will implement this package to provide integrated programmes and boost development of the national economy, and that the outputs of this package will serve the country's economic relations with global partners. Through this session of the JEC, we are keen to open up new channels for cooperation in the health sector, especially in response to the pandemic. We will also work to develop cooperation at the governmental and private sector levels in the areas of entrepreneurship and SMEs, while striving to develop sustainable partnerships in more fields including energy, renewable energy, food security, aviation, tourism, intellectual property, education, financial services and others," he concluded. Nam-Ki Hong said: This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and the Republic of Korea. We have been developing an exemplary cooperation over the years, particularly in the field of healthcare, energy and infrastructure, and Barakah nuclear power plant is a perfect example for this. This year, very close cooperation between both countries in dealing with Covid-19 has once again proven the value of our outstanding strategic partnership. Given the history of our highly successful and mutually beneficial cooperation, I look forward to advancing these efforts to the next stage by jointly developing strategies for the post Covid-era. Recently, Korea announced the Korean Green New Deal Strategy, much like the 50-year strategy announced by the UAE, which aims to develop future industries based on AI, IOT, 5G, ICT and advanced manufacturing. The two countries have many things in common in our future development strategies. We can find our next stage of cooperation in this area and the 7th JEC did serve as a springboard for the next stage, he concluded. -- Tradearabia News Service Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment What if the roles had been reversed? What if it was White Americans who were sold into slavery in Africa? What if it was Whites who, to this day, many decades after their emancipation, had lower family incomes, diminished educational opportunities, and higher crime rates than the Black majority? How would we, as White Africans, view this? Jewish historian Eli Faber, in his book Jews, Slaves, and the Slave Trade: Setting the Record Straight, which demolishes the lies of the Nation of Islam about the allegedly dominant role of Jews in the slave trade, paints a powerful picture of the monstrous nature of this horrid practice. He writes: Wrenched from their homes and their families, marched in chains to the coasts and transported across the seas during an era that lasted well over three centuries, millions were condemned to spend the remainder of their lives in servitude and to witness the enslavement of their children. Many more did not survive the Atlantic crossing, perishing instead on vessels swept by disease or from a profound depression that the historical record tells us frequently seized many of the captives in its grip. Still others died within a few years of arrival, toiling on the plantations and in the mines of Europes colonies in the western hemisphere. Now, read that again, but change the players. Over a period of three centuries, White Americans, as many as 10-15 million, were wrenched from their homes and families and marched in chains to be shipped by their Black captors to Africa. Several million would die at sea. The rest would be consigned to a life of slavery and oppression by their Black masters, with their own children born into wretched servitude. As for the Black oppressors, many of whom claimed to be committed Christians, they were convinced by biology and theology that the Whites were both inferior and cursed. They were born to be enslaved. Faber noted that, African merchants brought caravans of slaves to the coast for sale, while African governments not only went to war in order to obtain captives to sell into slavery but also established the trading regulations, dictated the terms, and set the prices under which the Europeans were required to operate. Reversing the roles again, this would speak of White Americans selling fellow Whites to the Black Africans, even going to war to capture other Whites, all for financial gain. Such is the evil of humanity. But either way, the end result would be the same: White Americans would become White Africans, virtually all of them the descendants of slaves. Eventually, going along with our reversed-roles scenario, the slave trade and slavery would be abolished in Africa. But for another century, in many parts of Africa, Whites would remain an inferior class, treated with inequality under the law until Civil Rights reforms in the 1960s sought to level the playing field. Still, in the year 2020, White Africans fell far behind in many statistical categories (in all links cited, I am reversing the stats for White Americans vs. Black Americans and applying them to my imagined scenario): As of 2020, the average net worth of a Black African family was 10 times higher than the average net worth of a White African family. The median annual income of Black African family was $65,902 compared to $41,511 for a White African family. For every 100,000 White Africans, 2,306 were incarcerated compared to 450 Black Africans. Funding for Black childrens schools was much higher than funding for White childrens schools. In addition, about 72% of [Black] students who have completed high school enrolled in college the same year, compared to 44% for [White] students. (Once again, I am reversing the actual data in these citations.) Out of Africas Fortune 500 companies, there were only three White CEOs. As for births out of wedlock, 69.4 percent of White African babies were born illegitimately, compared to 28.2 percent of Black African babies. Accordingly, since so many White Africans were raised without a father, this has resulted in higher rates of drug addiction as well as higher crime rates. And so, the cycle continues. How does this make you feel as a White African? Now, even if systemic racism no longer existed in Africa, would anyone dispute that the plight of White Africans was directly related to their history as an enslaved, then oppressed, minority? Would anyone dispute that, on some level, this tied in with the legacy of Black supremacy? This would not absolve White Africans from taking responsibility for their own wellbeing and social improvement today. Nor would it justify acts of violence against Black Africans. But, if there was truly a continent-wide move to see biblically-based justice and righteousness for all citizens, then Black Africans would have to wrestle with these realities and find holistic ways to level the playing field as much as possible. Coming back to the present reality here in America in 2020, as we look to make America great for all of her citizens, let us, as White Americans, do our best to be empathetic rather than defensive when it comes to race issues. As Ive stated before, theres no reason for fragility or guilt (and I say this with full recognition of the very flawed nature of the bestselling White Fragility book). At the same time, I believe its very easy for us as White Americans to fail to grasp the degree to which we still have not overcome the legacy of our past, whoevers fault that may be. To me, this does not speak of systemic racism in 2020. Instead, it speaks of a very embarrassing past that still leaves scars today. So, lets keep asking big questions in order to find big answers in order that, together, we can fulfill our God-given potential as a people and a nation. Mixing in a healthy dose of empathetic understanding will go a long way in helping us achieve those goals. Two Myanmar soldiers have revealed that they were told to 'shoot what you hear' as they 'wiped out' villages of Rohingya Muslims, raped women and executed children. The confessions are thought to be are the first made by soldiers directly involved in the genocide which the Myanmar government described as a 'clearance campaign' to remove terrorists from Rakhine state. The privates, one of whom admitted to raping a woman, said they were ordered to 'exterminate all Kalar' (a derogatory word for Rohingya) and described how they marauded through villages, slaughtering young and old alike. More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape the atrocities since August 2017. Myanmar's government has denied accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned thousands of homes. Private Myo Win Tun, 33, said he was ordered to 'shoot all you see and all you hear' during a night time raid on a Rohingya village Private Zaw Naing Tun, 30, who served in a separate light infantry division tells the camera they killed young and old alike Houses are on fire in Gawdu Zara village, northern Rakhine state, Myanmar, in September 2017 A woman who escaped from Rakhine state is covered in injuries at the Balukhali refugee camp in Bangladesh October 19, 2017 Fortify Rights, which obtained the footage, said privates Myo Win Tun, 33, and Zaw Naing Tun, 30, who served in separate light infantry battalions, gave 'the names and ranks of 19 direct perpetrators from the Myanmar army, including themselves, as well as six senior commanders ... they claim ordered or contributed to atrocity crimes against Rohingya.' The soldiers are believed to be in the custody of the International Criminal Court at the Hague and were filmed in July after they were detained by the Arakan Army, an ethnic guerrilla group in Rakhine fighting against the Burmese. It is not clear whether the allegations by the soldiers were made under duress. In separate videos, the two soldiers were shown seated stiffly in military uniforms with a sheet covering the background, as an off-screen male voice asked them questions. After answering questions about his name, serial number and military units, Myo Win Tun said the commander of the 15th Military Operations Center, whom he named as Col. Than Htike, gave an order to 'shoot all you see and all you hear' when raiding Muslim villages. He said in one operation, they killed and buried 30 people: 'eight women, seven children and 15 men and elderly.' He asserted that Col Than Htike ordered his unit to 'exterminate all Kalar' - a derogatory name for the Rohingya - and that they shot the men in their foreheads and kicked their bodies into a hole. They also raped the women before killing them and he admitted to carrying out one rape. He said his unit appropriated mobile phones and laptops, and also seized cattle, an allegation that has been widely reported. Staring directly at the camera with barely any perceptible movement, Zaw Naing Tun recounted how his unit 'wiped out' 20 Rohingya villages. The soldier said about 80 people in all were killed, including children, adults and the elderly of both sexes. The killings were sanctioned by his battalion commander, Lt. Col Myo Myint Aung, he said. In one incident, 10 villagers suspected of belonging to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, the Rohingya insurgent group, were captured and tied up, and then shot on the orders of a captain, he said, acknowledging that he was one of the shooters. Zaw Naing Tun said he was present when a sergeant and a corporal raped three Rohingya women in the course of searching houses, but asserted he did not carry out any rapes. He acknowledged taking part in looting, saying his unit officer declared 'what you take is what you get' ahead of a raid on a market. 'We entered into the market, destroyed locks and doors, and then we took money, gold, clothes, food and mobile phones,' he said. Amina Khatun, a 30-year-old Rohingya refugee who fled with her family from Myanmar a day before, cries after she, along with thousands of newly arrived refugees, spent a night by the road between refugee camps near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, October 10, 2017 Human bones are seen in a shallow grave in Inn Din, Myanmar, October 26, 2017 Fortify Rights said the two deserters arrived at Myanmar's border with Bangladesh in mid-August and asked Bangladesh authorities for protection. Bangladesh officials then notified the International Criminal Court about their presence, and said they are no longer in Bangladesh, according to Fortify Rights. Asked about the two soldiers Tuesday, the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor said it does not comment on its ongoing investigations, adding in a statement that it has been 'independently and impartially collecting evidence from a variety of sources regarding the alleged atrocity crimes.' 'These confessions demonstrate what we've long known, which is that the Myanmar army is a well-functioning national army operating with a specific and centralized command structure,' Fortify Rights chief Matthew Smith said in a statement. 'Commanders control, direct, and order their subordinates in all they do. In this case, commanders ordered foot soldiers to commit genocidal acts and exterminate Rohingya, and that's exactly what they did.' Under the legal doctrine of command responsibility, higher-ranking officers are held responsible for heinous acts carried out by those serving under them. That the two men described similar atrocities in separate areas also 'may indicate operational consistency between battalions, coordination, and intent to commit genocide,' Fortify Rights said. Rohingya refugee women queue for aid distribution at the Work Training Center (BLK) in Lhokseumawe City, Aceh Province, Indonesia, on September 7, 2020 Rohingya ethnic men worship at a temporary refugee camp in Lhokseumawe, on September 8, 2020, Aceh province, Indonesia It said the video confessions appeared to be credible because their content was consistent with other evidence previously unearthed by the group and other investigators, such as the U.N.-empowered Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar. Fortify Rights urged that the two former soldiers be tried by the ICC and that the court put them in a witness protection program. 'It is reasonable to assume Myo Win Tun and Zaw Naing Tun could plead guilty to the crimes to which they confessed in exchange for becoming `insider witnesses' for future trials. Such a development would significantly advance efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for atrocity crimes against Rohingya,' the group said. The International Court of Justice is the U.N.'s top court. It settles disputes between nations and does not prosecute individuals. The International Criminal Court, which seeks to hold individuals responsible for crimes, has not issued any public indictments in the investigation it is conducting. Both courts are based in The Hague in the Netherlands. U.N. agencies and human rights organisations have extensively documented atrocities carried out against the Rohingya by Myanmar security forces. The International Court of Justice agreed last year to consider a case alleging that Myanmar committed genocide against the group. The court's proceedings are likely to continue for years. Myanmar has long considered Rohingya Muslims to have migrated illegally from Bangladesh, even though their families have lived in Myanmar for generations. Nearly all have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless. They are also denied freedom of movement and other basic rights. The proposed legislation could amount to a negotiating tactic as London and Brussels try to hash out a permanent trade deal, to take effect when an 11-month transition period ends in December. It could also sour Britains relationship with its closest European allies, just when it needs them most, and increase the chances that the United Kingdom quits the E.U. without a trade deal in place, risking further economic turmoil in the midst of a pandemic. Antarvedi : Sep 9 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district Police have appealed for the minimum number of people to descend on the temple village Antarvedi on Wednesday, from where the state BJP leaders are expected to launch the "Chalo Antarvedi" agitation. The agitation is being launched in protest against the attacks on Hindu temples after a chariot was gutted under mysterious circumstances. "We have not put any party leader under house arrest and are only requesting for a minimum number of people to arrive here to maintain law and order as the investigation continues in the chariot case," East Godavari District Superintendent of Police (SP) Adnan Nayeem Asmi told IANS. He said the police department has made that appeal Considering security as well as everybody's health amid the Covid pandemic. Asmi said many outsiders are arriving, which can lead to law and order problems. Meanwhile, Andhra BJP chief Somu Verraju has started off for Antarvedi from Rajahmundry to visit the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple, where the seven tiered six decade-old wooden chariot was reduced to ashes. "We have the same request for Verraju also. We will explain to him about the investigation," he said. One of the reasons for asking that a lesser number of people visit the village was to avoid a situation like Tuesday when state Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivas Rao and Pinipe Vishwarup were boycotted by the locals and devotees. "All these new developments are causing the investigation to lose focus. Our main focus right now is to get the enquiry completed. We are requesting all parties to cooperate with us," said Asmi. According to the SP, people are being allowed to come in fewer numbers so that there will not be any tension as the issue is connected to religion. "People should not feel that there is something to hide," he observed. No arrest has been made yet in the chariot fire case and the police are waiting for the forensic reports into the incident. "Unfortunately, we did not have any CCTV footage. The CCTV cameras, which were focusing on the chariot, were not functioning for the last 15 days. Otherwise the case would have been resolved or it may not have happened in the first place," pointed out Asmi. However, he expressed confidence that the case would be solved with corroborative evidence. Police are investigating the case from an insider's angle as well, by interrogating the people working in the temple, but Asmi said this was a remote chance. Image Source: IANS News "This kind of an act can be committed by anybody. We have thoroughly investigated the temple officials, including security guards, caretakers and people nearby," he said. Amid the chariot case, the district police department is stretched with 800 of them testing positive for coronavirus. Asmi said only 300 have recovered from the virus while the rest 500 are still in the process of recovery. "We got additional police force from other districts and AP Special Police and our special teams are also here. So we are working with a 500 strong police team on the case and a special dedicated team is also carrying out the investigation for forensic and scientific evidence," he added. Asmi also confirmed that the power struggle for one-upmanship in the Antarvedi temple affairs between land donors Kopanathi Lakshmamma family and others is a long running issue. He said this issue crops up every year, but gets resolved through talks. He highlighted that the "devotion towards Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy is so immense from both the contestants that chances of any foul play -- we are denying". Antarvedi temple is famous for its 'Theertham' (temple fair), drawing thousands of people from both West and East Godavari districts and beyond. Known as the second Varanasi, Antarvedi temple is vividly mentioned in the Hindu scriptures and is associated with the sage Vasishta and others. The Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam runs an accommodation facility in the village. Adorned with lakhs of coconut trees, scenic Antarvedi is located in the lush green Konaseema region of the East Godavari district, 200 km east of Vijayawada, 130 km from Kakinada and 57 km southeast of Bhimavaram. -- Syndicated from IANS The warning comes after a man pranked his partner by adding blue dye to her bath not pictured here (Getty Images) A dye manufacturer has been forced to issue a warning discouraging people from copying a viral bath prank posted to social media. YouTuber Kristen Hanby, 27, sparked outrage after he dyed his girlfriend, Jasmine Woodward, blue while she was taking a bath. He then posted the video of his prank on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, where it has had a mixed reaction, with some criticising his joke. The clip shows Hanby mixing blue dye into Woodwards bath along with bubbles. Afterwards, Woodward can be seen covered from her shoulders to her feet in the dye. The video - in which Woodward was described as the worlds angriest Smurf by her partner - has been viewed 651,000 times on YouTube. One woman shared the video on Twitter with the caption I dont find this funny at all omg. i dont find this funny at all omg pic.twitter.com/Qp53Vv5iih m o l l s. (@juustmolls) August 29, 2020 Read more: What is laundry stripping? The new TikTok trend Dylon Dyes, which was the dye used in this trend, have now released a warning to copycats looking to try it at home. We would highly encourage people to avoid imitating this act, Rachel Ferreira, Brand Manager at DYLON Dyes said. When using our range of DYLON fabric dyes, its important to follow the instructions shown on pack which outlines what the product can be used for. Dyes are intended to be used on fabrics only and should not be used on skin as this could be harmful or even trigger an allergic reaction. Read more: Parents are lying down on their toddlers in this adorable new trend While the majority of people were pretty miffed by the YouTubers decision to do this to his girlfriend, the warning is an important one - particularly with the rise of cloutlighting. Story continues Cloutlighting has risen in popularity since the launch of TikTok. Its a term similar to gaslighting which sees people attempting to gain internet fame by physically or mentally harming the other people in the video. After the video went viral, a number of people got in contact with DYLON to share their concerns about the damage the dye could do to people if the prank got out of hand. My question is how do you get your natural skin colour back after something like this? One person asked. Although the answer remains unclear, people have suggested using copious amounts of body lotion to soak up the dye. While House Democrats approved a $3.4 trillion measure in May, Ms. Pelosi in recent days has told Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, that Democrats would be willing to accept a package of $2.2 trillion. (Mr. Mnuchin, for his part, has signaled that the administration may be willing to accept up to a $1.5 trillion package.) It is unclear, however, if Republicans will all unite behind the measure. Fiscal hawks are deeply reluctant to embrace more spending after an infusion of nearly $3 trillion this spring, and the Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday that government debt had ballooned in the 2020 fiscal year and nearly outpaced the size of the economy. The measure presented on Tuesday, crafted after weeks of daily conference calls with senators and top administration officials, would provide up to $700 billion, Republican aides said, although about half of that money would come from repurposing funding already approved by Congress in the stimulus law enacted in March. That law provided funding for the Treasury Department to guarantee loans made by the Federal Reserve to distressed companies, hundreds of billions of dollars of which remains unspent. The Republican-written legislation would provide a $300-per-week federal unemployment benefit, the same amount that President Trump diverted from existing disaster relief funds through executive action last month, and provide that relief through Dec. 27. Democrats have pushed to revive the full $600-per-week payment established in the March stimulus law, at least through January. The Republican plan would also include liability protections for hospitals, businesses and schools operating during the pandemic, and would forgive a $10 billion loan given to the Postal Service in previous relief legislation. It would revive the lapsed Paycheck Protection Program, a popular federal loan program for small businesses, and provide $20 billion for farmers, $105 billion for schools, $31 billion for the development and distribution of a coronavirus vaccine, and $16 billion for testing. Republican leaders also agreed to include a tax credit championed by Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, to reimburse donations to scholarship funds that help pay for private school tuition and other expenses. With some bipartisan objection to the provision, the tax credit is not permanent, as Mr. Cruz had initially intended, but instead will last for two years. OSLO: Norwegian police have arrested a man sought by French prosecutors on suspicion that he took part in a fatal attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris 38 years ago, the mans lawyer and police said on Wednesday. The August 1982 bombing and shooting assault on the Jo Goldenberg restaurant killed six people and wounded at least 20. In 2015, arrest warrants were issued against three former members of the Abu Nidal Organization, a splinter group of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), a source told Reuters at the time. One of the men lives in Norway, where he immigrated in the 1990s, but Norwegian authorities rejected the original 2015 request on grounds that, in most cases, it would not extradite its own citizens. The man, now in his 60s, has previously denied any involvement in the case, according to Norwegian daily Dagbladet, which first reported his arrest. In 2015, he told Norwegian daily VG he had never been to Paris. The suspects were identified long after the attacks because of statements from other former members of the Abu Nidal group using a French judicial process that maintained their anonymity, the source said. Norway recently adopted new pan-European regulations on arrests, leading French prosecutors to seek extradition for a second time. A legal process in Norway will determine whether formal grounds have been met for extradition. If he is tried, any judgment will be by a French court. We were contacted this morning after the arrest by the PST," said the mans lawyer, Kenneth Meland. Ive not yet had the opportunity to speak to him myself." Melands law firm also represented the suspect in 2015. The attack at the Jo Goldenberg restaurant was at the time the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in France since World War Two, and was part of a wave of violence involving Palestinian militants. 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 IONE, CA, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Purebase Corporation (OTCQB: PUBC), a diversified resource company, headquartered in Ione, California, today announces several updates to its production of next-generation, carbon-reducing supplementary cementing materials (SCMs). Recent ASTM Certification for Purebase eMK-25 For the last two years, Purebase has been developing SCMs with industry experts and universities to address the issue of excessive greenhouse gas emissions in the production of cement. In April 2020, Purebases eMK-25, received two certifications from an accredited lab based on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Specifically, the certifications ASTM C618 and ASTM C1567. This milestone marks a major step towards commercialization for eMK-25 to be used in all cement mixes. Significant Greenhouse Emissions Reductions The cement industry currently represents 8% of the world's annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and for every ton of cement produced, approximately one ton of carbon is added to the earths atmosphere. Purebases eMK-25 can help reduce this emission significantly because it is a natural pozzolan that requires significantly less energy needed to produce regular cement. When cement is replaced with eMK-25, there is an immediate reduction of the amount of greenhouse gas (carbon footprint) produced. A Changing Regulatory Environment in the U.S. West In November 2019, Marin County, California became the first county in the United States to require that all construction projects in development within the city and county of Marin use a low carbon concrete. Other municipalities that are considering or enacting low carbon concrete requirements include the cities of Portland (Oregon), Alameda (California), Berkeley (California), and San Francisco (California). Within the Marin County low carbon concrete code is the regulation of the Upfront Embodied Carbon, which measures the greenhouse gases emitted during the material extraction, transportation and manufacturing of the concrete. Because Purebase has access to certain resources in the State of California that are not available to competitors, it may have a lower Upfront Embodied Carbon as defined by Marin Countys code, which could be an important logistical advantage for Purebase, as new regulations get passed throughout the Western United States. Story continues Purebases President and CEO, Scott Dockter stated, Getting ASTM Certifications is a major step towards getting our new SCMs into the West Coast markets, but were developing new SCMS as well. He further added, In August, we completed trials on a second SCM that is targeting a different segment of the concrete industry. This second SCM is currently at an independent third party lab for certification based on ASTM standards, and we hope to have certification by mid-October. About Purebase Corporation Purebase Corporation (OTCQB: PUBC) is a diversified resource company that acquires, develops and markets minerals for use in the agriculture, construction and other specialty industries. Contacts David Harvey | Purebase Corporation david.harvey@purebase.com, and please visit our corporate website and subscribe to our upcoming Newsletter www.purebase.com/newsletter Safe Harbor This press release contains statements, which may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief, or current expectations of Purebase Corporation and members of its management team as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Important factors currently known to management that may cause actual results to differ from those anticipated are discussed throughout the Companys reports filed with Securities and Exchange Commission which are available at www.sec.gov as well as the Companys web site at www.purebase.com . The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results. The College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has said that its members are not ready to return to school anytime soon except the Federal Government upgrades institutions for conducive learning. The president of COEASU, Nuhu Ogirima, made this known to PREMIUM TIMES in an interview on Wednesday. The unions position comes a day after the Academic Staff of Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) corroborated the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) stance that there are no provisions to meet COVID-19 precautionary guidelines in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. Mr Ogirima told our correspondent that the Federal Government is yet to put the necessary facilities in place for resumption to take place. There are lots of things to be put in place. Many colleges of education do not even have enough chairs for social distancing. Weve been in a crisis because of the neglect of the education sector by the government. We had issues in 2018 calling for proper upgrade of infrastructure in our schools, this is 2020 and nothing has been done. Most colleges of education lack enough seats. When examinations are drawing nearer, students move chairs from one place to another. He wondered how social distancing would be achieved in schools where facilities are not in order during Coronavirus pandemic. Schools are not ready for resumption. Governments are just window dressing. They are not engaging academic staffs. Private institutions are not critical players, the public institutions are the critical players. You cant just fumigate schools and believe thats all, how do you determine those who have contacted the virus from their homes? What kind of hostels exist in our schools? These have been the cry of the Union and the pandemic now vindicate us. Our hostels are as congested as lecture halls. If tertiary institutions are asked to resume, then the figures NCDC gives us daily are not correct. With those figures, schools will be in a mess if asked to resume, he said. The country has not even tested up to 2% of its population. What about those asymptomatic? The country may be sitting on time bomb except there is befitting isolation centres and facilities upgrade, else, we are not ready to resume, he said. On Tuesday, President of ASUP, Anderson Ezeibe told this newspaper that the federal governments plan on resumption is a threat to students and lecturers. Earlier, ASUU president, Biodun Ogunyemi, said that schools should only be opened when considered safe for lives of students, parents and teachers. National president of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi in an interview with Premium Times Before now, the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said the Federal Ministry of Education was working with stakeholders for the safe reopening of schools. He told noted that hes hopeful that tertiary institutions would be resuming soon. Already, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said about 78 private universities insisted that they were ready to resume academic activities in their various institutions. Activists gather in front of the White House during a rally against the Dakota Access Pipeline in Washington on Sept. 13, 2016. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Study: Opposition to Pipelines Costs Jobs, Needed Infrastructure Nearly $14 billion of investment in delayed pipeline projects in 14 statesincluding five battleground contests in the 2020 presidential electioncould create more than 66,000 new jobs and boost the nations post-CCP virus economic recovery, according to a new study. The delayed projects face environmental, judicial, and bureaucratic obstacles based on safety concerns and opposition to continued use of fossil fuels. Pipelines provide the essential energy infrastructure required to move crude oil and natural gas supplies to refineries and ultimately to consumers. Most notable among blocked projects is the Keystone XL pipeline, to bring crude oil from Canadas oil-rich tar sands to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries, first announced more than a decade ago. The study, made public on Sept. 9 by the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), an industry-funded nonprofit advocacy group, said opponents are denying consumers billions of dollars in benefits while imposing unnecessary costs, including these: Opposition to projects in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania risks more than $3.5 billion in economic activity, as well as more than 17,000 mostly union jobs and nearly $52 million in annual state tax revenue. The analysis concluded that the Northeast Supply Enhancement project alone would reduce residential energy bills by 65 percent and avoided the equivalent of 500,000 automotive carbon emissions. Total potential economic damage of more than $10.2 billion in lost energy savings and jobs are at stake with projects in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Economic losses totaling $5.4 billion will result from blocking the Line 5 Tunnel Project in southeast Michigan and Ohio. Opposition to Minnesotas Line 3 Replacement Project puts in doubt $35 million in new annual state tax revenue, as well as $162 million in local construction projects and an estimated 8,600 new jobs. Shutting down the Dakota Access Pipeline risks adding $1 billion or more to farm costs due to skyrocketing rail car prices and higher gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel expenses in the Upper Midwest states. At least $3.4 billion in investment, including 10,400 jobs and $55 million in annual state tax revenues, will result from stopping the planned Keystone XL expansion project for Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska. Surveys show the race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden tightening significantly in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin where pipeline projects cited by the CEA study would have significant economic impact. Chris Ventura, CEAs Midwest director, told The Epoch Times on Sept. 9 that concerns about pipeline safety arent based on real-life experience. Looking at the statistics the U.S. government publishes when looking at modes of transporting, whether it be oil or natural gas or natural gas liquids, the pipeline safety record is 99.999 percent, Ventura said. What goes into the pipeline typically comes out the other end without incident. Its a tremendous safety record, and when you think of how much capacity pipelines have, compared to rail cars or tanker trucks, pipelines are much more environmentally friendly. Opponents of pipeline projects do not want to see fossil fuel consumed anywhere or its use expanded by any means, Ventura said. He noted, for example, that such environmentalists oppose adding additional anchors to an existing pipeline on the Great Lakes lakebed with no leaks. The study noted that jobs created by the delayed pipeline projects tend to be high-paying positions that generate positive economic returns throughout communities without requiring the use of tax funds. The average yearly income for a salaried worker in late 2019 was roughly $48,672. In 2019, the median wage for the oil, gas, and utility sector was $117,000 or nearly $40,000 more than the average wage for Americans with advanced degrees, the study stated. According to the Association of Oil Pipe-Lines, one major pipeline construction project will employ 7,000 construction workers and generate $400 million in salary and benefits that can help put kids through college and give families a better quality of life. The group notes that more than 500 workers are needed to construct each 100-mile section of pipeline, which also require pumping stations to be constructed every 50 miles. A myriad of workers including heavy equipment operators, laborers, welders, Teamsters, foremen, engineers, safety inspectors and support staff are needed for each job. Wed be foolish to push these immediate injections of private capital aside, because it will slow our economic recovery at the expense of countless families and businesses who are just trying to get back on their feet again, CEA President David Holt said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times. These projects have also been proven to provide the best environmental protections because they introduce state-of-the-art technologies to reduce emissions and increase safety where none existed before. We can put people back to work now if our policymakers can find the courage to say no to politically motivated anti-energy groups, who lack a realistic plan to help get America back on its feet. Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc Correction: A previous version of this article gave an incorrect name for the Midwest director of the Consumer Energy Alliance. The directors name is Chris Ventura. The Epoch Times regrets the error. LONDON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Attacks on healthcare organizations between 2009 and 2019 have resulted in the majority of Americans falling victim to a data breach. Researchers at online privacy website PrivacyAffairs.com collected details of the healthcare data breaches over the past decade for their Healthcare Data Breach Statistics study. The study revealed the following worrying facts: US Healthcare Data Breach Statistics 3,054 data breaches of healthcare records 230,954,151 healthcare records lost, stolen, or exposed 70% of the US population affected by healthcare data breaches The researchers studied a number of data sets to analyse trends in healthcare data breaches and comment on where healthcare providers are failing to adequately protect individuals' private data. Healthcare hacking incidents have grown steadily each year since 2009, and almost doubled between 2018 and 2019. The incredible amount of compromised data, affecting such a huge number of people is extremely worrying for cyber security professionals, and has resulted in large fines being levied to the organizations holding the data. Link to the full study: https://www.privacyaffairs.com/healthcare-data-breach-statistics Largest number of breached records in 2015 The worst year for overall number of healthcare records exposed was 2015. This is primarily due to the Anthem Inc. data breach that exposed personally identifiable medical records of 28.8 million people. Biggest healthcare data breaches of the decade The researchers investigated the ten biggest healthcare data breaches of the past decade. The table shows that the single largest breach affected more individuals than the remaining nine, and that in those ten breaches along, more than 138 million Americans' private healthcare data was lost or stolen. Organization Individuals Affected Year Anthem Inc. 78,800,000.00 2015 Premera Blue Cross 11,000,000.00 2015 Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings dba LabCorp 10,251,784.00 2019 Excellus Health Plan, Inc. 10,000,000.00 2015 Community Health Systems Professional Services Corporations 6,121,158.00 2014 Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) 4,900,000.00 2011 University of California, Los Angeles Health 4,500,000.00 2015 Community Health Systems Professional Services Corporation 4,500,000.00 2014 Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation, d/b/a Advocate Medical Group 4,029,530.00 2013 Medical Informatics Engineering 3,900,000.00 2015 Cybersecurity needs to be baked into the fabric of healthcare systems PrivacyAffairs stated several reasons for the frequency of attacks targeting healthcare organizations. "Hospitals in particular are extremely vulnerable to cyber attack due to many using outdated computer systems" "Due to the vast number of connected devices in hospitals, the logistical challenge for IT-teams is often too great for proper cyber security maintenance" "Medical staff need to have access to patient data, but the additional training costs and time constraints often mean that the people who access the network are ill equipped to keep it secure." The general public needs to be aware of how prevalent healthcare data breaches are, and take any steps they can to reduce their data footprint. The Healthcare Data Breach Statistics research can be found at: https://www.privacyaffairs.com/healthcare-data-breach-statistics Contact Joe Robinson [email protected] Related Images us-healthcare-data-breach.png US Healthcare Data Breach Statistics US Healthcare Data Breach Statistics Related Links US Healthcare Data Breach Statistics Dark Web Price Index SOURCE PrivacyAffairs 09.09.2020 LISTEN The Ghana Police Service (GPS) has dismissed 28 personnel, including two females, for unprofessional acts. This was as a result of complaints lodged by the public, of which they were found culpable of 181 cases of unprofessional conduct, from January to August, 2020. Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent of Police, Sheila Kessie Abayie-Buckman, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, gave some of the misconducts as insubordination, drunk whilst on duty, and engaging in part time business outside the Service without permission. Others were the negligent permission of a prisoner to escape from lawful custody, failure to make entry in official documents, misuse of firearm, and absent from duty without permission. Supt Abayie-Buckman said the affected officers were from the ranks of Constable to Assistant Commissioner of Police that is; Constable, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Superintendent, Chief Superintendent and Assistant Commissioner of Police. During investigations, 151 of the cases reported were found to be partially true and aside the 28 officers who were dismissed, some had their ranks reduced, she said. Supt Abayie-Buckman said in 2019, out of the 291 complaints made against police officers, 191 were proven guilty. She said the disciplinary actions were taken to maintain high standards of professionalism in the Service. On the brighter side, a number of personnel, including 43 from the Headquarters, were commended for exemplary conduct between January and August, 2020, she said. The Police Administration is making efforts to educate the men and women on the need to exhibit professionalism at all times, she said. The Service will not shield any personnel who misconducts himself or herself in the course of duty to bring the name of the Service into disrepute. She urged the public not to hesitate to bring to light the misconduct of any police personnel by reporting to the appropriate quarters adding that they must not only condemn the police when they missed the mark but also praise those that conducted their duties in a professional manner. GNA Shanghai (Gasgoo)- For the month of August, around 1.728 million locally-produced PVs (referring to cars, MPVs, SUVs and minibuses) were handed over to consumers in China, representing a year-on-year growth of 8.8%, the biggest-ever increase achieved since May 2018, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). The upturn in Aug. PV deliveries should owe to the sales growth attained by all of four segments. The car and SUV retail sales evidently rose 8.4% and 10.6% over a year earlier respectively. The MPV deliveries almost remained flat from the year-ago period. Notably, roughly 25,000 consumers took delivery of China-built minibus, a slight year-on-year increase of 1.4%. Compared to July 2020, China's PV market nabbed a 6.5% increase in deliveries. The CPCA said the roll-out of new products and upgrades of existing models driven by the Chengdu Motor Show, and the greater discounts OEMs and dealers offered in the slack season invigorated the PV market in August earlier than expected. China's PV market posted robust movement in both July and August. It should be largely thanks to the greater-than-expected recovery in macro-economic climate and export business, especially China's export still showed sustained strength despite the pandemic in Europe and America, which consolidated consumers' confidence, said the association. Besides, the CPCA also considered that the relatively low year-ago base number due to the implementation of the China emission standards in some regions and the apparent rebound in new energy vehicle (NEV) retail sales also contributed to the overall PV sales growth. The Aug. retail sales of premium cars surged 32% year on year and climbed 3% month on month. The resilient demands for premium vehicles partly stemmed from the consumption upgrading which encouraged consumers to replace cars with upscale models and the price reduction coming after substantial sales promotions, according to the CPCA. Besides, the deliveries of the PVs under mainstream joint-venture brands and China's self-owned brands were up 6% and 4% compared to the same period a year ago. Compared to the previous month, the top five automakers by August homegrown PV retail sales were still FAW-VW, SAIC VW, SAIC-GM, Geely Auto and Dongfeng Nissan. Among them, SAIC VW and Dongfeng Nissan recorded 10.7% and 2.9% year-on-year decrease respectively, while the other three all attained growth. The occupants of the sixth and the seventh places were still SGWM and Changan Automobile, while got their rankings swapped over a month earlier. Dongfeng Honda once gained appeared on the top 10 list. FAW-Toyota dropped two places to the tenth. Notably, the No. 6 to the No.10 automakers all garnered double-digit growth in August PV deliveries. For the first eight months, China's locally-produced PV retail sales slid 15.2% over a year earlier to 11.209 million units. The earlier Spring Festival and the outbreak of the COVID-19 outbreak were primarily blamed for the year-to-date downturn, said the CPCA. As to the wholesale performance, automakers in China sold roughly 1.766 million domestically-made PVs in August, a 7.1% increase compared to the year-ago period. The Jan.-Aug. PV wholesales dipped 15.6% to 11.251 million units. The CPCA noted that a large part of OEMs opted to take high-temperature vacation in August. Thus, the wholesales in the month moved higher after a relatively dismal start. The top 5 automakers by Aug. PV wholesale volume were as same as that of the retail sales. Dongfeng Honda and Great Wall Motor were new comers on the top 10 list if taking the July rankings for reference. SGMW and GAC Toyota moved up two and one spots to the sixth and ninth place respectively. New Delhi: The Metro Railway in Kolkata has decided to run special services on September 13 for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirants and their parents on 13th September. Currently, the normal Metro services were suspended due to lockdown announced in March and efforts are on to restart operations soon. Kolkata Metro services will resume in a graded manner from 14th September between 8am to 8pm. The metro service will be exclusively for medical entrance examinees and their guardians, Metro Railway spokesperson Indrani Banerjee told PTI, adding that examinees will have to show NEET admit cards at the gates of Metro stations. 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. Candidates for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) had faced a tough time reaching exam centres due to lack of transport facilities earlier this month. In view of the two-day lockdown later this week, the Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal government to provide accommodation to a NEET aspirant from Thursday to Monday to ensure that she reaches the examination centre in Siliguri well in advance. While the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is scheduled on Sunday, the West Bengal government has announced lockdown in the entire state on Friday and Saturday to stem the spread of coronavirus. Thus, it was impossible for the petitioner to travel around 160 km from her residence in North Dinajpur district to Siliguri on the date of examination, her lawyer Loknath Chatterjee submitted before the court of Justice Arindam Sinha. Chatterjee referred to documents to submit that there are standing instructions from the central administration for states not to impose lockdown without consulting it, except in containment zones. Justice Sinha on Wednesday directed the West Bengal government to provide decent accommodation of one room to the petitioner and one of her parents from Thursday till Monday at Siliguri so that they can reach the examination centre in that north Bengal city well in advance. So, the president of the United States went to Wilmington last week and encouraged North Carolina voters to commit a felony by voting twice, once by mail and once in person. People are already worried enough about the coming election. They dont need this sort of reckless comment from someone whos supposed to be a leader. Trumps ill-advised suggestion came in response to a reporters question about the presidents faith in North Carolinas system of voting by mail. Trump presented it as a way to test that system: If people mail in a ballot and then show up to vote in person, theyll either get turned away because the system is working, or theyll get to vote twice. Thats what they should do, he said. Only, of course, its not. Voting twice in the same election is illegal. The following day, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News, The president is not suggesting anyone do anything unlawful. What he said very clearly there is make sure your vote is tabulated and if it is not then vote. After three-hour talks, some Arab countries attempted to add provisions to give legitimacy to the normalisation deal. Palestinian leaders won renewed Saudi support for Palestinian statehood on Wednesday but failed to persuade the Arab League to condemn last months normalisation deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At a video conference of foreign ministers, the Palestinian leadership softened its censure of the UAE over the US-brokered August 13 accord to be formalised at a signing ceremony at the White House next week in the hope of getting more Arab support, but to no avail. Discussions regarding this point were serious. It was comprehensive and took some time. But it did not lead in the end to agreement about the draft resolution that was proposed by the Palestinian side, Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told reporters. According to a Palestinian diplomatic source, the Arab League dropped the draft resolution condemning the controversial Israeli-UAE agreement. Voted down Palestine and Arab countries agreed to include an emphasis in the final communique on commitment to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, the two-state solution, and the land-for-peace principle, Palestinian Ambassador Muhannad Aklouk told local news agency Maan. After a three-hour discussion, both Palestine and the Arab countries agreed not to include a clear condemnation of the UAE-Israel deal, he said. Some Arab states, however, attempted to add some provisions to give a form of legitimacy to the normalisation agreement. He did not name the countries. In response, Palestine presented a draft resolution that condemns the UAE-Israel normalisation deal, Aklouk said. The Arab countries, however, voted down the draft. Earlier on Wednesday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called on the Arab countries to reject the UAE-Israel normalisation deal. In the face of the UAE-Israeli normalisation agreement, it has become necessary for us to issue a position to reject this move, he said. Otherwise, our meeting will be considered as a blessing or being complicit with the normalisation. Arab consensus The secretary-general of the Arab League, Ahmed Abul Gheit, has stressed the Palestinian cause is and will continue to be the subject of Arab consensus, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative remains the road map for a just solution. The goal all our Arab countries seek, without exception, is to end the [Israeli] occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, Abul Gheit said during his speech at the 154thsession of the Arab League. To achieve comprehensive and just peace between the Arabs and Israel, he added, the Arab Peace Initiative adopted at a summit in 2002 is still the basic plan agreed upon by the Arab world. I reiterate our rejection of any plans or arrangements presented internationally that would undermine the Palestinian right, or prejudice the status of the city of Jerusalem, whose case should be resolved within the framework of the final settlement, said Abul Gheit. He added each country has the sovereign and indisputable right to conduct its foreign policy in the way it sees fit. For its part, Saudi Arabia said it supports all efforts to reach a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But a statement released by the Saudi foreign ministry on remarks made by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud included no direct mention of a normalisation deal between Israel and the UAE. The prince said Riyadh supported the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the borders before the 1967 Middle East war, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital, according to the statement. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. This article was written by Chris Koens, a member of the Entrepreneur NEXT powered by Assemble content team. Entrepreneur NEXT is our Expert solutions division leading the future of work and skills-based economy. If youre struggling to find, vet, and hire the right Experts for your business, Entrepreneur NEXT is a platform to help you hire the experts you need, exactly when you need them. From business to marketing, sales, design, finance, and technology, we have the top 3 percent of Experts ready to work for you. Weve been quarantined for months now and some of us have gotten quite comfortable with the work-from-home lifestyle. Business is starting to make the slow-but-vigilant shift toward an augmented version of the pre-pandemic way of day-to-day. However, there are several things employees may begin to miss from their time spent in isolation. Plenty of people clamoring to return to an old way of working, but employees may quickly realize theyd like to retain some aspects of the ways theyve had to adapt. As a result, business owners and managers may need to start implementing changes in the new business as usual to retain their employees and maintain satisfaction in their team. Weve bubbled up three mainstays of WFH life that would be relatively easy to implement at most companiesfrom start-ups to an enterprise-level organization, whether youre bringing your team back to the office or youre keeping your workers at home indefinitely. People will work harder and value their job more if you can improve your corporate culture around flexibility, comfort, and customization. Flexibility: Workdays and scheduling The 9-to-5 workday may have been 80s cinematic comedy goldand a chart-topper for Dolly Partonbut the status quo may need to be revisited. Week after week, from early spring into the fall of 2020, employees managed to start and end their days at their own pace. And, for the most part, people got their jobs done. And work flexibility isnt necessarily a new trend. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 1991 to 1997, the percent of full-time wage and salary workers with flexible work schedules on their principal job increased from 15.1 percent to 27.6 percent. While a flexible schedule may not be an option for workplaces that require high levels of customer interaction or face-to-face engagement, many of those same styles of workplaces have found a way to operate even while utilizing displaced workers. And not just function but to thrive. Studies have shown that employees who work remotely are more productive (around 13 percent) and more likely to work additional hours to get things done when necessary even if those hours are not between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. I guarantee some of you are business leaders concerned about out-of-office workers and just thought, but my employees will take breaks to do laundry and dishes or watch television. Yes. Yes, they will. But, they took the same minutes of breaks at the office, sometimes more. Office breaks are often masked as productivitycatching up with co-workers looks like collaboration, and walking to and from the breakroom looks like on-task movement. However, studies have shown that WFH employees take fewer breaks, accomplish more tasks per hour, and call in sick less frequently. Not to mention, that when the WFH employee does take a break or a day off, theyre more willing to make up that time rather than maintain a standardized workweek. When a traditional employee wants to spend time with their children, attend a sporting event, or participate in a family function, they frequently take time off from work. When a WFH employee performs one of those personal tasks, they simply shift their schedule to work around that event with a focus on completion of tasks and achieving goals. Lets also contextualize this for today: If you have the opportunity to go to a long lunchat a real brick-and-mortar restaurant with a friendfor the first time since the start of quarantine, wont you be that much happier, energized, and productive after that afternoon? Giving yourself and your employees the opportunity to experience small moments of joy, like a two-hour lunch with an old friend, can lead to a greater sense of happiness and a stronger commitment to the company that offered them that small token of trust. For those organizations pulling workers back to a centralized campus, consider flexible start and stop times. Do all employees need to show up at 9 a.m.? Do they all need to leave at 5 p.m.? Actually, no. The reason we have fixed workday schedules is because of the British Industrial Revolution. Factories needed their workers on set schedules to work efficiently, and workers pushed for eight-hour workdays instead of the 10-to-16-hour days they were previously working. It has been more than 200 years since the eight-hour workday was implemented in Britain, and nearly 135 years since it was implemented in Americashowing that the standard working hours are more outdated than wearing United Colors of Benetton to a tea party. Would customers actually find more value in someone picking up their phone call at 7 p.m. because some members of your staff chose an 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. work schedule? Not only does flexibility instill a sense of pride in the level of trust afforded to an employee, it also allows that employee to more easily schedule other life eventsand has significant positive implications toward employee retention. Comfort: Workwear and wellness After more than 150 days in quarantine, several of my colleagues have addressed their love of a more comfortable work environment. Its easy to see how people prefer working in casual clothing, sitting in their favorite chair or nook in a room full of windows, views, and natural light. Thanks to quarantine, we have unlocked the secret to being simultaneously cozy and productive. My network has commented on how theyll miss their comfortable gray yoga- or sweat-pants as their daily groutfit. Before you, or your HR team, reinstitute groutfits of yoregray power suits and a pop-of-color power-tie for personalityas your office standard, maybe it is time to consider the fact youre not leading a reboot of Suits or Mad Men and offer some relaxing of dress code policies. For as long as I can remember, more offices have been implementing casual Friday into their dress-code policy. Recently, Ive heard of some out-of-the-box workplaces incorporating a donation system into the mix; you can wear denim on Friday if you give a dollar to the charity of the week. Can your workplace be a bit more casual? Should you institute a charitable-giving dress code? Can your more relaxed dress code be more than just Friday based? To be clear, Im not advocating for yoga pants as the continued Monday-Friday wear, but would it be terrible to be inventive with what a comfortable-but-appropriate workplace can look like? Speaking of yoga, could your office start offering something like post-lunch yoga classes to get people re-motivated for the afternoon? Fashion maven Eileen Fisher is known to start meetings with a time of silence and reflection, she brings in wellness professionals for team events or yoga, she also famously hosted lunchtime meetings, pre-quarantine, at her home to make meetings feel less like work and more like a casual hangout. A more relaxed dress code and implementation of healthy lifestyle activities may have an underlying effect of encouraging employees to be less sedentary. More frequent breaks that include movement, are shown to increase productivity. The number one problem shared among entrepreneurs today is finding, vetting, hiring, and retaining expertise. Customization: Workplace and amenities Whether your workforce returns to a centralized campus or works from home, giving the employee a budget or stipend to select their own chair and desk configuration can lead to a sense of pride and a feeling of trust and empowerment plus it lets them make a selection that best fits their needs for comfort and productivity. If you do have to return to a main building, here are ways you can create a more pleasant work environment for your returning employees: Hot desks or bookable conference rooms Each employee has a different working style. Give them options for open-air, collaborative spaces, as well as areas where they can work quietly. Health and safety measures Lets not forget, we are still in a pandemic. Hand sanitizer and soap are a must, and communal areas should have frequent wipe-downs. If possible, check your employees temperatures and practice contact tracing. Headphones Headphones can help employees focus and cut down noise from phone calls, which means fewer disturbances and more productivity. Gifting a nice pair of headphones to your employees is worth the investment - trust me. Brand the pair with your logo, if you must, for a mini marketing exposure when people wear them out in public Flex office hours We went through this already, but it bears repeating: knock it off with the antiquated workday! A place where each employee can enjoy a short time of the week with a more pleasant work environment, even a small improvement can have a big impact on an employees workplace satisfaction. For those staying home, the procurement of a proper desk and chair could be the catalyst for greater productivity and success as well as an increased sense of worth and perception of corporate value. A quick review and improvement of your workdays, workwear, and workplace standards could significantly improve your teams attitude and productivity pre-quarantineand a happy workplace creates a more productive and profitable workforce. To hire the Experts you need, exactly when you need them, visit next.entrepreneur.com to schedule a meeting with our Expert solutions team. Related: How to Prioritize Your Team's Professional Development, Even Remotely 3 Reasons Empathy is Good for Business 5 Ways To Give Your Employees a Break When They Need It Most Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved If youre wrongly paid unemployment benefits whether its your fault or not you have to pay the money back. Even if you did everything correctly and followed the guidance of a states Department of Labor, youre on the hook for the money if the state determines you were not eligible for benefits. Meg Patrick, an unemployed 61-year-old grandmother of three, is caught between two unemployment agencies. The Montclair woman was told she has to pay back $10,788 to New Yorks Department of Labor, because it said it wrongly paid her claim. She should have received benefits from New Jersey instead, paperwork from New York shows. But Patrick hasnt been approved for New Jersey benefits yet. If she is, the state wont pay until she reimburses New York, she said. And after being out of work for five-and-a-half months, she wont have the funds unless she gets the benefits from New Jersey. I feel like a ping pong ball who has fallen between the cracks of two states who have mishandled my claim and have now sent me a bill to repay them for what little money I did receive, she said. Absolutely horrifying. NJ Advance Media reached out to both states unemployment agencies. They both acknowledged receipt of our requests to review the case. WORK HISTORY IN TWO STATES Patrick worked full time as an executive administrative assistant for a construction company that was part of the Downtown Restoration Project at Ground Zero in New York City from September 2015 to June 2019, when the companys contract expired, she said. For the next six months, Patrick collected unemployment benefits from New York. On Feb. 19, 2020, she started a new full-time job, this one with a New Jersey construction company. She was laid off when the coronavirus hit, and she was eligible for unemployment benefits as of April 23, she said. Her employer told her to apply for unemployment in New Jersey. Like everyone else in the state of New Jersey, I battled the phone lines of New Jersey unemployment, trying to get through without being hung up on or disconnected after having been on hold for hours each day, Patrick said. Every time I went online, I was instructed to call, and every time I called, I was instructed to go online. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage When she finally got through, she was told she would get a call from a specialist, but the call never came. During this time, she said, she received a letter from New York saying she was eligible for 13 weeks of extended benefits from the federal government because her benefit year with the state was still open and would not end until June 2020. I couldnt get through to New Jersey and I was becoming increasingly concerned that perhaps, because I had only worked a short time in New Jersey, I might not even qualify to get benefits from New Jersey, Patrick said. I kept thinking maybe I should take action on the letter from New York and apply for benefits there since I was still within my New York benefit year. Still, she waited. She saw the New Jersey Department of Labor website said that even if you lost a new job in New Jersey because of the coronavirus, you are probably eligible for benefits. I still became really worried that maybe in my case I wouldnt qualify. Who knew? There was no one to tell me I could or couldnt. There was no one to ensure whether I would or wouldnt. I was just set adrift and left to my own devices to figure it out, Patrick said. Patrick decided to certify again in New York, she said, and she was immediately approved, getting her base benefit plus the extra $600 from the federal government. On May 13, a New Jersey representative left a message on her voicemail, affirming her decision. I was told on that voice mail from New Jersey to continue to certify with New York until June 28," Patrick said. She said she could see in her computer system that I was certifying in New York and that it was fine to do so until my benefits were exhausted and my benefit year ended in New York on June 28. I was so relieved and felt confident knowing that the states could `see each others information in the computer, Patrick said. THEN THE TROUBLE STARTED When the benefit year-end of June 28 came, Patrick said she tried to certify with New Jersey, but the system said she needed to speak with a representative. I commenced the whole routine of calling and being on hold and getting disconnected and being hung up on, and going online and so forth, to no avail, Patrick said. When and if I did get through to a rep, I was told that I would have to wait to hear from a specialist. But a specialist never called. At the end of July, when New York announced an additional 20 weeks of extended benefits, Patrick said she asked New York if she could claim there. Nope. She had to talk to New Jersey because her New York benefit year was exhausted, she said she was told. But on Aug. 9, Patrick said, she had a very different conversation with a New Jersey representative. (She) basically yelled at me and talked over me to tell me that my claim is `canceled and flagged and that I need to go back to New York," Patrick said. She insisted that I was still in their computer as having my claim open in New York and that I shouldnt be trying to get money from New Jersey. I should continue with New York. When Patrick explained her New York benefit had ended, (she) continued to yell at me and told me that everything anyone had told me in the past was wrong and that she was the only person who knew and understood the system. She was told she would have to wait for a call from a specialist, she said. On Aug. 24, Patrick got through to a New York unemployment representative who said we should officially cancel my expired New York claim so New Jersey wouldnt continue to think I was collecting from New York. After several more transfers and hours on hold, the New York claim was canceled and the representative said she would send a note to New Jersey. Then the next week, the gut-punch letter came. It was a four-page missive from New York saying Patrick owed the state $10,788 because New Jersey should have been paying it. I dont have it. I used it to live on for almost three months at the very beginning of the pandemic, Patrick said. I have not had any money come in at all from either state since the end of June, and it is now September. Furthermore, it was far less because taxes were taken out. She was afraid that if New Jersey pays benefits, New York will garnish them. New Jersey needs to pay me retroactively to April 23 so that I may remit the difference to New York, but the best case scenario would be if New Jersey were to pay New York directly, Patrick said. A CLOSER LOOK, AND ACTION After we reached out to both states Departments of Labor, Patrick got a call on Tuesday from New Jerseys Interstate Program Coordinator, who said she had received a note from New York about Patricks claim. Patrick said the rep was next going to confirm Patricks wages in New York, and then she will call me back and put my claim through New Jersey retroactively. It should all get straightened out this week, she said she was told. She also learned that through the Interstate Reciprocal Overpayment Recovery Arrangement, New Jersey should be able to repay New York for what it paid Patrick in error so she could then start getting the rest of her benefits from New Jersey. Falling into an unemployment abyss for months is agonizing, even when we understand rationally it is simply the fallout from an overloaded, antiquated COBOL system during an unprecedented pandemic, Patrick said. I hope this article somehow helps someone else in a similar situation, and gives them hope to hold on for a resolution." Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. A police officer who failed to act on claims of harassment by a teenage abuse victim shortly before her death has avoided being struck off, after being found guilty of gross incompetence. A disciplinary hearing found that Pc Sophie Dennis failed to fill out mandatory risk assessments for Katrina Makunova, and made a 'premature and incorrect' decision to view the case as 'non criminal'. The 17-year-old died in July 2018 after falling onto a knife she was carrying in her handbag as she met her former partner Oluwaseyi Dada, 23, in Camberwell, south east London. Katrina Makunova, 17, pictured, died in July 2018 after falling onto a knife she was carrying in her handbag as she met her former partner Oluwaseyi Dada, 23, in Camberwell, south east London Allegations against the conduct of Pc Dennis and Pc Kerry Lynham were made after they attended a domestic incident involving Ms Makunova on June 23 2018, footage of which was shown to the panel. The officers said that at the time they had viewed the incident as 'non criminal' and that no allegation of criminal harassment had been made by Ms Makunova. But Commander Alison Heydari, chair of the disciplinary panel, said that the analysis by the officers had been 'premature and incorrect.' 'The body worn footage shows a course of conduct that amounts to harassment,' she said. Commander Heydari said that as a result of the officers' analysis, the investigation had been 'narrow and bespoke' and that opportunities to help Ms Makunova had been missed. Oluwaseyi Dada, pictured, was jailed for Ms Mukanova's manslaughter after admitting the offence at Southwark Crown Court. Ms Makunova had previously made allegations of harassment against Dada to police officers Pc Sophie Dennis and Pc Kerry Lynham The panel heard how Ms Makunova had provided the officers with an incorrect date of birth, stating that she was 18, when in fact she was 17. Those under the age of 18 are legally considered children and a separate safeguarding report is required, which Pc Dennis did not fill out. Pc Dennis also admitted she had failed to fill out two mandatory risk assessments following the incident, but said she could not recall the reason why she had not. The panel concluded that the allegations of gross incompetence were proven against Pc Dennis due to her failure to fill out the appropriate risk assessments and providing false and misleading information on a crime report. They concluded that Pc Lynham's conduct was 'unsatisfactory' but did not amount to gross incompetence. The panel said that written improvement notices were 'appropriate' punishments for the officers based on their previous records and character. Richard Atchley, representing Pc Dennis, said that the officers had been 'professional and proper' in their handling of the situation. 'It is very easy to be swayed by emotion when something tragic has happened,' he said. '(Pc Dennis) is a proactive, involved officer and, with this exception, a very professional officer. 'She has not sought to duck and dive away from the responsibility. 'We all have bad days, and this was clearly one of hers.' David Yeo, representing Pc Lynham, highlighted that 27 officers had taken time to write 'really considered' character statements for Pc Dennis. 'It is notable that she has impressed people with her ability to deal with vulnerable victims,' he said. 'In your findings she made an error of judgment, but that is it in 12 years of service to the people of London.' Ms Makunova, died at the entrance to this apartment complex in Camberwell, south London He said that Pc Lynham had acted 'as the public would expect her to; professionally, diligently and compassionately'. Ms Makunova's mother attended the hearing with the help of a translator and shook her head as defence submissions were made. Pc Lynham was given a written improvement notice for 12 months 'to improve and maintain' her conduct. Pc Dennis was given a final written improvement notice for 12 months, meaning a further mistake could warrant a dismissal. After the hearing, Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regional director Sal Naseem said: 'By not doing their jobs in the way they were trained and paid to, PC Dennis and PC Lynham - and the other officers in this case - utterly failed Katrina Makunova and as a result, her family and friends. 'In addition, PC Dennis attempted to cover her tracks by lying about her investigative actions at the scene on a subsequent crime report and PC Lynham did nothing to stop this. This was unacceptable behaviour.' South Korea will draw up the fourth extra budget this week to give emergency handouts to low-income people and small merchants hit by a recent resurgence of the new coronavirus, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Wednesday. The fourth extra budget will focus on providing relief funds to vulnerable people, Hong said in a Facebook post. Hong stopped short of saying how much the fourth extra budget would be, but ministry officials have said the budget may be worth at least 7 trillion won (US$5.9 billion). It would mark the first time in 59 years for the South Korean government to allocate four extra budgets in a single fiscal year. The move comes as the government and the ruling Democratic Party agreed to formulate the extra budget to provide "tailored" state support for those hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the unemployed, youths, freelancers, low-income people and merchants and the self-employed. The anti-virus package is also expected to include steps to help virus-hit companies maintain workers on their payrolls and boost corporate hiring. In May, the government offered relief funds totaling 14.3 trillion won to all households as part of efforts to cushion the economic fallout from the new coronavirus. The amount of the handouts varied from 400,000 won for single-person households to 1 million won for households with four or more members. (Yonhap) A 66-year-old retired female professor, originally from Kolkata, was allegedly murdered by unidentified accused at her Dehradun house in the wee hours of Wednesday in Doiwala area of Uttarakhands capital, said police. According to local Doiwala police, the deceased was identified as one Putup Ghosh who hailed from Kolkata and used to live alone in her house in Dehradun. Senior sub-inspector Mahavir Singh Rawat, who was probing the incident on the spot, said, The incident seemed to have happened at night as police were informed by a local on Wednesday at around 7 am after which it rushed to the spot to initiate an investigation. Rawat added, Prima facie it was found that she was strangled to death by an unidentified person who entered from a window from the backside of the house. A probe has been started in the case. Meanwhile, another police officer privy to the investigation, said on the condition of anonymity: The deceased was a highly qualified person and often used to go abroad on professional tours and lectures. She sometimes also used to visit some Dehradun based institutions for giving lectures. Apple Inc on Tuesday scheduled a special event for September 15, with fans and investors expecting a refresh in the lineup of some of the companys core products. While Apple uses its September events to showcase its most important products, new versions of iPhone handsets might still take time as the company in July had flagged a delay of a few weeks from the usual timeline. Other products usually unveiled in September include new versions of Apple Watch and iPad. The event will be streamed on the companys website from its campus in Cupertino, California, Apple said, without providing further details. The iPhone makers typically cryptic invitation for media read: Time flies. Apple, known for splashy launches packed with hundreds of journalists at its campus, would be forced to tone down some of the excitement this year with the event running virtually for the first time due to COVID-19. Apple's marketing chief tweeted here a video teaser, with the launch date appearing in augmented reality format, hinting at a 3D element to the event. I wouldnt count on the iPhone 12 being part of any unveiling. With so much hype around the expected 5G capability, timing will be everything and this delay could prove a big issue for Apple, Investing.com analyst Haris Anwar said. Analysts have suggested that Apple is likely to schedule a separate event later for the launch of new versions of iPhone. If theyre unable to launch in October, then it could seriously hurt sales in the crucial holiday season, where many will be looking to replace their phones with newer models, Anwar added. Co-workers and family gathered at a rehab center in Camden County on Tuesday to celebrate a man who has battled the coronavirus since May. After more than a hundred days away from his family between his hospital stay and a stint at PowerBack Rehabilitation in Voorhees Township Chris Stanek is finally going home. The veteran state corrections officer was greeted by members of NJ PBA Local 105 and officers from law enforcement agencies from around the state who gathered in front of the rehab to celebrate his victory over the disease and provide him an escort back to his house in Bridgeton. Stanek, 46, who works at South Woods State Prison, was taken from his home by ambulance on May 20 after developing a fever, breathing problems and disorientation, his wife, Jean, explained in July. He remained at Cooper University Hospital in Camden for months, where he was intubated and placed on a ventilator twice and put on continuous dialysis at one point. His condition would improve, then nosedive, Jean recalled, but she credited her faith in God and support of family and friends for getting the couple through the worst of it. Corrections officer Chris Stanek, of Bridgeton, is greeted by his wife Jean Stanek and officers from across the state as he is released from PowerBack Rehabilitation in Voorhees after battling Covid-19 since May, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Stanek exited the rehab on a stretcher Tuesday morning and was met with a round of applause and cheers from well-wishers and a hug from his wife. He gave a thumbs-up and expressed his gratitude for the support. I really appreciate it, he told the crowd. It makes me feel good. Asked how he felt at that moment, Stanek summed it up in one word: Elated. Im so happy, he said. Its been such a long time. He said hes looking forward to his wifes cooking and seeing his grandkids again. Stanek will continue his recovery at home under Jeans watchful eye. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, she could only see her husband via video calls during those long months in the hospital. Im not going to leave his side, thats for sure, his beaming wife said. "My husbands been away from home for so long and now hes finally coming home. He beat COVID. God is good. Its a new beginning for us. Jean Stanek records as her husband, corrections officer Chris Stanek, of Bridgeton, is taken home by ambulance with a police escort after being released from PowerBack Rehabilitation in Voorhees, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. Chris Stanek has been battling the coronavirus since May.Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com PBA Local 105 Vice President Mike Gallagher launched a GoFundMe drive to help the family with its medical bills and related expenses. Stanek knows all about helping others in need. He previously volunteered for an ambulance squad, where he met Jean, and traveled to New York City after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to help at ground zero. The couple married in 2004. In addition to corrections department personnel, officers from various agencies, including police, sheriffs officers and county corrections officers, turned out and formed a roughly 50-vehicle procession to Bridgeton, where an honor guard welcomed Stanek home. He traveled via ambulance. Many feared he would not survive the illness. Chris has been sick for 111 days and hes a true survivor, Gallagher remarked. He fought this and won. For him to be going home, its a blessing. 22 DOC officer released from rehab facility after long battle with coronavirus, Sept. 8, 2020 Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. This article, Online-voting company pushes to make it harder for researchers to find security flaws, originally appeared on CNET.com. Cybersecurity experts and lawmakers have little faith in online voting, thanks to the high potential for hacks, as well as worries about vulnerabilities, either of which could affect an election's outcome. Security researchers often find flaws with online-voting systems, and now an e-voting company is pushing to make it more difficult to find vulnerabilities. In a briefing filed to the Supreme Court on Thursday, Voatz, a Boston-based e-voting company, argues that security researchers shouldn't have legal protections when looking for flaws without permission. "Allowing for unauthorized research taking the form of hacks/attacks on live systems would lead to uncertain and often faulty results and conclusions, makes distinguishing between true researchers and malicious hackers difficult, and unnecessarily burdens the mandate of the nation's critical infrastructure," Voatz said in a statement to CNET. Voatz has argued against security researchers who found issues with its mobile-voting software, which is used in 11 states. In February, Voatz disputed the findings of MIT researchers, who said the e-voting platform was riddled with security flaws. "By conducting their activities on an unauthorized basis rather than through Voatz authorized bug bounty program or direct collaboration with Voatz, the researchers rendered their own findings relatively useless," the company said in its briefing on Thursday. Last October, Voatz also reported a University of Michigan election-security student to West Virginia officials, who turned the investigation over to the FBI. The student had been enrolled in a course that required looking at potential flaws on mobile-voting technology, which included Voatz, according to CNN. Security researchers always run the risk of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), a law created in 1986 with a broad definition of what's considered hacking. The law considers any intentional access to a computer without authorization to be a federal crime. It's broad enough that sharing a Netflix password could be considered a CFAA violation. In April, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Van Buren v. United States, a case that centers on what can be considered a CFAA violation. Voatz filing was made as a friend of the court brief in that case. Security researchers want the Supreme Court to consider their work protected from the CFAA. "Almost by its nature, discovering security vulnerabilities requires accessing computers in a manner unanticipated by computer owners, frequently in contravention of the owners' stated policies," a July 8 briefing from a group of security researchers wrote. Security researchers find and report vulnerabilities on critical infrastructure, including voting machines. The work is so vital that officials from the Department of Homeland Security invited hackers to continue finding flaws on election infrastructure. For years, voting machine vendors had been apprehensive about the process, raising concerns about hackers finding issues with their software without proper permission. In August, major election vendor ES&S started allowing for penetration testing on its machines. In its brief, Voatz made clear it didn't agree with that direction. The company argues that the Supreme Court will create a loophole for malicious hackers to carry out attacks if it allows security researchers to test for vulnerabilities without authorization. "This would undoubtedly result in a significant increase in such unauthorized hacking," Voatz said in its briefing. Security researchers warn that if they're allowed to find and disclose flaws only with explicit permission from the companies involved, malicious hackers, who are undeterred by laws, will exploit this knowledge gap. "To elaborate, if there's a method of exploiting the system that the organization is unaware of, they cannot possibly provide legal access to test it," Bugcrowd founder Casey Ellis said in a statement. "Unauthorized access is one of the main purposes of security research -- by making it illegal, researchers will be unable to effectively do their jobs, the organization will not be able to close all vulnerabilities, and attackers will win." Jake Williams, founder of the security firm Rendition Security, pointed out that there's a difference between vulnerability disclosure and discovery. Though both security researchers and malicious hackers work without authorization, only security researchers are properly disclosing these flaws to the companies involved. Malicious hackers will discover vulnerabilities and often use them for financial gain, without ever informing the companies, he said. Voatz's argument on Thursday, he added, would adversely change that. "The vast majority of researchers, I'd say 90% plus, are not authorized," Williams said. "They are 100% trying to make it more difficult, there's no doubt about that." TRENTON Its not for sale. Council met secretly with a redevloper who is interested in buying the historic Roebling Wire Works building for $200,000 with hopes of opening a manufacturing plant to produce face masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) in the COVID-19 pandemic. John Liu, the president of Elite Spiders LLC, gave his pitch to the legislative body in executive session last week. Tidbits of the secret proposal are already stirring passions with members of the art community, who worry about being displaced if the deal moves forward. Someone already created a Facebook page whose mission is to Save the Art All Night building. The Wire Works building is home to the annual Art All Night festival and several other community events, including an indoor skate park that operates out of the venue part of the year. Liu told The Trentonian in a phone interview Tuesday that he is sensitive to the buildings historic and civic importance in Trenton and pledged to work with AAN leaders to ensure the signature event continues to be held at the Wire Works building. Im willing to put my money down, put my time into it. I think that at least deserves a look, he said of his redevelopment plan. I definitely do not want to be the center of controversy in politics. We are a very design oriented company. We would love to get the public involved as well. He added that he had no intention of saying to the arts community, This is my building. Get out. According to sources with knowledge of the deal, Liu first approached the administration about buying the Wire Works building but was told it wasnt for sale. The administration steered Liu to other available properties, such as the abandoned Roebling Block II, the site of the failed Princetel deal, but he wasnt interested in that site. Liu approached a member of council with his proposal, the sources said. Liu told The Trentonian that the former Princetel site requires too many repairs that dont jive with his timeline of opening the production plant. He did not want to be building something from ground up. As I mentioned so many times, I dont have to do this. I dont, he said. Youre more interested in the politics of it. Thats what Im not interested in. Im in the hot seat now, which I dont really want to be. I dont want people to think Im going behind anybody. Im just trying to do something good for the city of Trenton. Council president Kathy McBride refused to discuss Lius proposal when reached for comment Tuesday. She accused The Trentonian of illegally obtaining confidential and privileged information on the deal. McBride demanded to know how the newspaper learned about the redevelopment proposal. The Trentonian advised the council president that she couldnt compel a reporter to provide its sources or newsgathering materials, which are protected under New Jerseys shield law. That sent her into full meltdown mode. You want to hide behind the newspapers cause and any information you get. But if its confidential and its privileged, then you should be telling how you got that information, McBride shouted over the phone. If you can violate that, then you should be telling me who you got your information from because it seems to me you dont agree with the law. She told the newspaper not to question me about confidential information and hung up the phone. In a document marked absolutely confidential, Liu laid out his aspirations to bring back a large-scale manufacturing plant to a city thats home to the Trenton Makes, the World Takes bridge, embodying the capital citys proud industrial roots. Right now, Elite Spiders LLC, which Liu described as mostly online wholesale retailer that has been in existence for two decades, imports merchandise from China but wants to increase efficiency by bringing a manufacturing plant to the capital city that could employ up to 200 people. The plant hopes to make as many as 500,000 face masks/PPE such as N95 and surgical masks a day at peak production, according to Lius proposal. Liu said the plant would serve as a hub for crucial protective gear to keep medical personnel and residents safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Once the pandemic is over, Liu envisioned the plant could produce more in-demand items and become a potential historic tourist destination. After we have successfully defeated COVID-19, asking each one of them [the local hospitals] to buy one 50 pack of face masks a year will be 300 million, he wrote in the proposal. Thats enough to keep the factory continue in operation during peace time. We will be ready when the next pandemic hits. In addition, we could serve as an exhibition to show all Americans How masks are made and How we defeated COVID-19. Each tourist will have the opportunity to buy a pack of masks as souvenirs. At-large councilman Jerell Blakeley slammed Lius proposal as a joke, saying the offer was far too low. Mayor Reed Gusciora said the city must get an appraisal on the Wire Works building but estimated its worth at at least $1 million. Blakeley suggested the councils decision to entertain the deal was one more example of why Trenton cant wait for the end of some of my colleagues lives in public office. Prominent members of the capital citys arts community were outraged when they learned some details of the secret proposal, which hasnt been presented to the public. The Roebling Wire Works building is a beautiful and historic building, an iconic building for the city of Trenton, said Lauren Otis, executive director of Artworks, which rents the building each year for the annual art festival. Its current uses for Art All Night and other community-oriented arts events has a huge amount of value to the city and to the residents here. I would think that any proposal would want to be very careful that it might not lose that value to the city. Otis only heard smatterings of the redevelopment proposal and hoped residents get the full story in the near future. It seems like all I know is what I hear and a little bit of what I read. I would hope that city council members would see the benefit of sharing details of the proposal publicly, so those citizens can offer their opinions on this proposal, he said. Joe Kuzekma, founder and organizer of the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market, and Jake McNichol, executive director of Freedom Skate Park, both which take place inside the Wire Works building, echoed Otis sentiments. I think it would be foolish for council to do the shortsighted [thing] for such a small sum of money, Kuzemka said. It leaves me wondering why theyre willing to entertain this in a way that its kept from the publics eyes and ears. The arts community has spent the better part of 15 years making that building into something special. Its a destination. We fought very, very hard to make that. The city runs the free indoor skate park out of the venue from November through February, McNichol said. Itd be a shame if it could not longer do that. Thats the only building that fits our needs, he said. It embodies where Trenton has been and where Trenton is going. I think it would not only generate a lot of pushback but it would also, in the long term, do more harm than good. Arts and city leaders questioned the councils discussion of the deal behind closed doors, suggesting it could run afoul of New Jerseys so-called Sunshine Law. The council adjourned to executive session Thursday to talk about the redevelopment but did not take action on it. The agenda cited attorney-client privilege as the reason for closing the meeting. The state Open Public Meetings Act allows council to enter into executive session in certain instances. Among them are matters falling within the attorney-client privilege, to the extent that confidentiality is required in order for the attorney to exercise his ethical duties as a lawyer; and matters involving the purchase, lease, or acquisition of real property with public funds, the setting of banking rates, or investment of public funds, if it could adversely affect the public interest if discussion of the matters were disclosed. In an interview, Gusciora raised the possibility that council erred in excluding the public from the discussion on Lius proposal. He said council members who had a part in soliciting Lius proposal should recuse themselves from a vote if it ever is brought to the floor. I think it was improper because they created an inherit conflict, Gusciora said, adding the administration should bring forth the redevelopment proposals for councils consideration. If his proposal was the greatest thing since sliced bread, why shouldnt it be discussed in public. The Trentonian was unable to obtain a recording of the executive session to determine whether city law director John Morelli or councils standby attorney, Edward Kologi, and redevelopment attorney, John Hoffman, advised them about whether the pitch could go forward privately. Morelli and Kologi did not respond to phone calls seeking comment. City officials who took part in the executive session, speaking on condition of anonymity, said none of the attorneys present on the call warned legislators that they may be doing something illegal. In recorded conversations with journalist Bob Woodward, Trump says he intentionally downplayed the pandemic risks. US President Donald Trump knew the coronavirus was deadly and worse than the flu even as he intentionally misled the US public in February and March about the risks, according to a forthcoming book by American journalist Bob Woodward. Trump said in a recorded conversation with Woodward he has downplayed the risks of the coronavirus all along because he did not want to cause panic, according to a report in The Washington Post. You just breathe the air and thats how its passed, Trump told Woodward in a February 7 telephone call. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flu, Trump said. This is deadly stuff, the president repeated for emphasis, according to the report. Trump had learned in an intelligence briefing from his national security advisers on January 28 that the virus presented a serious threat, according to Woodwards book titled Rage and due out on September 15. This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency, Robert OBrien, the presidents national security adviser, told Trump, according to Woodward, who did 18 one-on-one interviews with the president from December 2019 through July 2020. This is going to be the roughest thing you face, OBrien told Trump. Journalist Bob Woodwards new book, Rage, is based on 18 one-on-one interviews with President Trump who told Woodward he had intentionally downplayed the risks of the coronavirus [File: Cliff Owen/AP Photo] After repeated intelligence warnings, Trump downplayed the threat of the virus in public during February and did not sound a public alarm about the risk to the US. We pretty much shut it down coming in from China, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity on February 2. Critics argue the presidents slow response and failure to develop a national strategy to fight the virus has resulted in more deaths than necessary and continuing economic damage from the pandemic. The US has suffered more than 190,000 deaths and recorded more than 6.3 million cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Trumps mishandling of the virus hurt him politically. Trump has fallen behind his Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden in public polls because voters see his response to the pandemic as inadequate. He knew how deadly it was. It was much more deadly than the flu. He knew and purposely played it down. Worse, he lied to the American people. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months, Biden said during a campaign event in Warren, Michigan on Wednesday. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement: The presidents own words spell out the devastating truth: Trump was fully aware of the catastrophic nature of the coronavirus but hid the facts and refused to take the threat seriously, leaving our entire country exposed and unprepared. News of Woodwards audio recordings of the president went viral on Wednesday with #TrumpKnew the number one trending hashtag on Twitter worldwide in more than 615,000 tweets, according to the tracking site trends.24.in #TrumpKnew and kept quiet. In fact, Trump lied. And now, people have died. Pass it on. Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) September 9, 2020 Trump and his aides previously claimed his slow early reaction to the outbreak was a result of failures by China to warn the world properly. The president never downplayed the virus, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said in a news briefing on Tuesday after the report by The Washington Post. The president has never lied to the public on COVID. The president was expressing calm and his actions reflect that, McEnany said. Woodwards reporting, however, appears to undercut that narrative. I wanted to always play it down, Trump told Woodward on March 19. I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic, Trump told Woodward in recordings published by The Washington Post. Breaking: In recorded interview for Bob Woodward book, Trump said he knew coronavirus was "deadly" even as he publicly played down threat https://t.co/LvP9BERURZ The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 9, 2020 The public alarm was not sounded in the US until February 25 when Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a news briefing the virus was coming. Its not so much of a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more of a question of exactly when this will happen, Messonnier said. US stock markets tumbled 3 percent on the news that day and Trump, travelling back from India on Air Force One, was angered by the headlines. Messonnier subsequently was sidelined by the White House from further public statements. Its going to disappear. One day, its like a miracle, it will disappear, Trump said publicly as late as February 27. Woodwards book reveals additional disparaging remarks by Trump about US military leaders, his negotiations with North Koreas Kim Jong Un and his views on the Black Lives Matter protests that have reshaped US politics in the last three months. A burrowing beetle known to decimate wood products, including furniture, has been found inside $24 bamboo screens imported from China and sold at Bunnings. The bamboo screening, sold across Australia under the 'Eden' brand, was found to contain the stowaways by the Northern Territory's Department of Primary Industries and Resources. The bamboo borer, native to Asia, is one of three beetles that are responsible for 90 per cent of insect damage on bamboo products worldwide, according to experts. The bamboo borer (pictured), native to Asia, is one of three beetles that are responsible for 90 per cent of insect damage on bamboo products worldwide, according to experts The department was first alerted in November 2019 by Darwin tradesperson Trevor Young after he noticed the borer holes and dust on bamboo products he bought from his local Bunnings. 'The specimens are the bamboo borer dinoderus minutus. The species is established in bioregions globally including Australia, and is found in most states. It is a pest of bamboo products,' principal entomologist Dr Brian Thistleton told The Australian. While the beetle is already in Australia, their presence is heavily controlled because of the damage they can cause to timber products. Bunnings was alerted to the discovery of the beetle by Mr Young with the popular hardware franchise saying they had control measures in place but they were not 100 per cent effective. Bunnings was alerted to the discovery of the beetle by a tradie with the popular hardware franchise saying they had control measures in place but they were not 100 per cent effective 'We take our commitment to product quality and biosecurity very seriously and we work closely with our suppliers and the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment to ensure any of our imported products meet or exceed relevant regulations,' Robert Chin, Compliance Manager Biosecurity & Nursery Standards at Bunnings told Daily Mail Australia. 'Our bamboo screen supplier ensures that the product undergoes fumigation to the regulated standard before it is shipped and the product is treated a second time with fumigation as an additional measure, which is above the standard requirements for this type of product,' Mr Chin said. 'Because of our supplier's thorough quality assurance protocols, cases where borer are detected in the product or the packet are extremely rare. Borer damage is also known to occur locally, as Australia has a number of indigenous and endemic borers.' 'On the rare occasion this does occur, we follow the directions of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment on the best way to safely destroy the product' he said. Federal agriculture minister David Littleproud said that authorities would work with the industry to ensure such a breach is not repeated, rather than banning the importing of the bamboo products. Earlier in September, the Chinese government banned imports of barley from Australian co-operative CBH, based in Perth, after they claimed harmful weeds were found in the product. China previously increased tariffs on Australian barley, widely seen as an economic warning to Australia after the government pushed for an international inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic. The bamboo borer beetle had been a stowaway on cargo shipments containing products for sale in Bunnings stores The discovery of the bamboo borer also follows another invasive species of bug, the Khapra beetle, being found in a shipment of fridges from Thailand in August. That particular insect is not found in Australia and prompted an investigation from Australia's biosecurity agencies. Three The Good Guys stores were rapidly closed as authorities scrambled to contain the beetle. The Khapra beetle, while harmless to humans, is known as one of the most dangerous species in the world to grain crops with the ability to decimate huge stores of the product. Its been 25 years since To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar drove into movie theaters as part of a wave of 1990s movies that brought gay characters out of the closet and put them front and center on the big screen. Along with films like The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Birdcage and In & Out, To Wong Foo became a mainstream hit and helped re-shape public opinion about gay rights in the process. A quarter-century later, John Leguizamo, remains proud to have played an important role in that larger cultural transformation alongside co-stars Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze. It was a groundbreaking movie in so many ways, because [we] were playing gay roles and giving them dignity and respect, the actor and comedian tells Yahoo Entertainment. That was huge! Especially with these action stars, Wesley and Patrick. We knew we were on a mission and we wanted to do it right. (Watch our video interview above.) Even as Swayze, Snipes and Leguizamo embraced their feminine side as road-tripping drag queens Vida, Noxeema and Chi-Chi, respectively, the actor remembers there being some aggressive energy on set. Maybe we were too much into character, and we started PMSing too much, he says now. On one occasion, that frustration almost boiled over into a fistfight between Leguizamo and Swayze. According to the actor, the dispute stemmed from his improvisatory approach to playing Chi-Chi, the youngest of the three main characters. At the time, Leguizamo was still finding his footing as an actor after a successful stand-up career, and his penchant for making up dialogue didnt always make him a great scene partner for Swayzes commanding den mother, Vida. The three stars of To Wong Foo occasionally got aggressive with each other on set. (Photo: Lorey Sebastian / Universal/courtesy Everett Collection) I was ad-libbing and [Patrick] was tired, Leguizamo remembers about their brawl. He said, Are you going to do that again? And I go, Yeah, you know how the routine is. He goes, Well, why dont you shut up? And I said, Why dont you make me?! Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed before any fists flew. We were about to fight, but were like: Take a look at ourselves were in hot pants and f*** me pumps. It was ridiculous! So we stopped and we hugged. (Swayze, who died in 2009, recounted his side of the story in his autobiography, The Time of My Life.) Story continues In a separate interview, To Wong Foo director, Beeban Kidron, says she wasnt an eyewitness to Leguizamo and Swayzes charged confrontation. But she does admit that the three stars were often ultra-competitive with each other, which occasionally resulted in a tense work environment. I would definitely say that Patrick and Wesley had their moments, she says, laughing. They both thought they had the best legs, I will say that! It was interesting because even though both of those men were great stars, at that point in time Wesley was the bigger star and was taking the biggest risk. He was really associated with a macho culture, and some of what he was doing was proving his acting chops and his ability to go behind the kinds of things that a Black American star can play. And John was in a very different place in his career, so he was boundlessly giving and good-humored. I think you have to commend those actors, and understand peoples journeys to travel to where they are. For his part, Leguizamo can confirm the Snipes/Swayze tension, recalling how the Passenger 57 star took his side when he nearly decked the Ghost heartthrob. Wesley, was like, I got your back! he says, chuckling. In hindsight, Leguizamo chalks up his own agro outburst to insecurity about being the new guy on set. I had something to prove, and Patrick didnt. It was stupid. Leguizamo as Chi-Chi in To Wong Foo. (Photo: MCA/Courtesy Everett Collection) Despite the occasional near-fistfight and Which action star has best legs? competitions, both Leguizamo and Kidron carry a torch for Too Wong Foo 25 years after its September 8, 1995 release. Remembering a wild field trip to New York Citys famed Roxy Club with his co-stars and the director, Leguizamo describes the experience of absorbing the energy they saw amongst the actual drag performers onstage. We saw all these great performers, and then we were doing it ourselves just up there, dancing and trying to do our best. It was just about celebrating LGBTQ culture, and it was incredible. Read on for other fierce behind-the-scenes stories from the making of To Wong Foo, from all the actors who auditioned for Swayzes role to a groundbreaking kiss that never happened. Everyone in Hollywood auditioned to play Vida (except Tom Cruise) Swayze beat out a bevy of A-list Hollywood stars to land the role of Vida in To Wong Foo. (Photo: Universal/courtesy Everett Collection) Once upon a time in Hollywood, major movie stars might have avoided playing an openly gay drag queen out of concern that their careers might be put in jeopardy. But Kidron says that there was a line of A-list actors ready and willing to put on Vidas impeccable make-up and couture outfits. It was an Amblin movie and Steven Spielberg was one of the producers, so that gave it an absolutely mainstream imprint, the director says, on the phone from her U.K. home. It was happening in a safe place, and I think it was a rich, fun tale. If youre an actor, and you get a chance at a great part doing something youve never done before, youll want to go: Hey, Im in! According to Hollywood lore, the roll call of actors who auditioned to play Vida included Robert Downey Jr., John Cusack, Mel Gibson, Robin Williams and Tom Cruise. Kidron declines to say which of those auditions actually happened and which are apocryphal, but she does correct the record about the Top Gun flyboy. I can categorically tell you that Tom Cruise did not come for an audition, she says, laughing. But many did, and it just seems wrong to say who its a bit like taking about ex-lovers! At least one of those rejected lovers ended up in the movie anyway: Williams has a brief cameo as the guy who gives Vida and her pals the Cadillac they plan to drive cross country from New York to Los Angeles in order to take part in the countrys biggest drag queen pageant where Julie Newmar herself is one of the celebrity guests. To Wong Foo was released one year prior to the actors celebrated star turn as a gay nightclub owner in The Birdcage, although Kidron insists that one film didnt lead to the other. I don't credit myself with that at all! Robin could get whatever role he wanted. He was a gorgeous man, but he drove me mad because he did the voice of my pregnant belly during shooting, so I was trying to work but I was also doubled up laughing. He was just a marvel, and directing him was one of the weirdest days of my life. In the end, Swayze succeeded where all the other would-be Vidas failed by demonstrating his utter devotion to the role. Patrick brought 100 percent commitment, Kidron says. I know its a fun part, and a fun film, but it has its serious moments, and he left all of what you thought he was behind. You can tell that in the movie from the very first moment hes onscreen. So many actors came and did screen tests, and so many of them were heroes to me in one way or another, but Patrick put on the wig and he embodied Vida. I can hear his voice as Im thinking about it. The movie is a Western, complete with a gun-toting lawman Chris Penn as the bigoted Sheriff Dollard and Swayze as Vida in To Wong Foo. (Photo: Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection) One of those serious moments that Kidron alludes to comes midway through the movie, when the three drag queens are pulled over in the Midwest by Chris Penns bigoted cop, Sheriff Dollard. After addressing Noxeema and Chi-Chi with racist language, Dollard turns his menacing attention towards Vida, threatening to rape her on the hood of his police car. She knocks him out, but he later returns to confront them in the small, dusty town where theyre stuck waiting for the Cadillac to get repaired. The films climax deliberately resembles an old-fashioned Hollywood Western, complete with a stand-off in the town square. The point was to subvert what you expect, and subvert the images youve already absorbed, Kidron says of her choice to upend the iconography of Old West yarns starring John Wayne or Gary Cooper. At the same time, a character like Dollard feels all too timely particularly after a summer that was dominated by Black Lives Matter protests that shined a spotlight on discriminatory policing. Twenty-five years later, wed still have to have that scene in the movie, Kidron acknowledges. If you're trying to tell a story of tolerance, you also have to show intolerance. It's a requirement of drama: Only by the presence do you see the absence. It would be quite preposterous for those passengers to go from one end of America to another without some incident of that nature. Prelude to a non-kiss Chi-Chi (Leguizamo) and Bobby Ray (Jeremy London) have a romance in To Wong Foo that's never sealed with a kiss. (Photo: Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection) During their small town sojourn, Chi-Chi strikes up a flirtation over Vidas strenuous objections with a lovestruck local named Bobby Ray, played by Jason London. The duo even have a sweet date night, although they never do anything more physical than hand-holding. And Kidron says even that much affection was a battle with nervous studio executives. There was a little bit of a spat about them holding hands, but I insisted, she remembers. I say this as someone who directed the first lesbian love scene on British television: Im not coy! Asked whether there was a version of Douglas Carter Beanes script where Chi-Chi and Bobby Ray did seal their attraction with a kiss, both Kidron and Leguizamo say that would never have gotten studio sign-off at that point in the 90s. It was a different time, notes the actor. It might have been tough for audiences to take back in those days. But maybe not! Maybe we were too careful. It was a big budget movie, so you know how they get afraid of taking risks in big Hollywood flicks. Kidron adds that the filmmakers desire to have To Wong Foo play in theaters in actual small town America won out over breaking new ground. We had this very specific goal of wanting the film to play for audiences who didnt think they wanted to see this film. We wanted to make something really sweet and tender, and not just around sexuality. So there was never any idea of Lets do it and cut it out. For his part, Leguizamo says that if a kissing scene had been written into the script, he and London would have performed it without hesitation. Youre playing a character, and you do what makes it real just like you do all the other things. You do whatever it takes to create a character and give it its reality. Love is love and love is beautiful promoting love is a great thing. Dont remake To Wong Foo reimagine it Vida (Swayze) takes the stage in To Wong Foo. (Photo: MCA/Courtesy Everett Collection) Some movies take a little while to find their audience, but Leguizamo says that he heard from To Wong Foo fans almost immediately after the movies release. My character became a teen icon for LGBTQ teenagers, he remembers. I got many letters from kids who said they felt safe to come out to their parents because of my character, and they saw themselves in me. Ive always cherished that. Kidron says that she still gets letters from longtime fans, as well as viewers who are only now discovering the movie 25 years later. What I love about its status in cinema and also within the gay community is that people recognized what we were trying to do at the time. Back then, there were a lot of movies where gay people died, and this movie just let them be joyous and happy, which was a marvelous thing to be doing. Flash forward to 2020, and there are a wider variety of LGBTQ stories being told in film and on television, which is one of the reasons why Kidron feels like a direct remake isnt something the world needs. If youve got RuPaul doing what we did on mainstream television with Drag Race, whats the point of this film? she points out. (Its worth noting that RuPaul is featured in an early scene in To Wong Foo, one of his first appearances in a mainstream Hollywood movie.) In Kidrons opinion, a trans character would be among the elements a contemporary descendent of To Wong Foo would need. There should absolutely be a trans character, and that character should be front and center. I think weve moved into a different area of the conversation, so a souped-up modernized version of To Wong Foo wouldnt tackle what that conversation is. Ive always said that the movie is a perennial fish out of water story, so Im not saying you shouldnt make a fish out of water just not necessarily these fish and this pond. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is currently streaming on Netflix. Video produced by Gisselle Bances Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: It's the most basic of parental duties but the mother of a Sydney five-year-old allegedly beaten to 'within an inch of his life' is accused of a hideous betrayal. Daily Mail Australia can exclusively reveal grim details of the case against a Cabramatta mum, 31, who was found with her injured son at home late last month. Court documents reveal the mother, who cannot be named, is accused of failing to get her son 'appropriate medical attention'. That's after he had allegedly suffered 'significant and persistent physical harm and abuse' over a period of up to two months. The details of how police allege the mother let the boy down can be revealed as she was hit with a fresh charge on Wednesday of intentionally wounding the boy. Her boyfriend, 20, has been accused of the same offence, with police to allege in court that he beat the child with a stick or wooden pole. The injured boy is pictured with his parents on his second birthday. The mother and father have long been estranged from one another A picture, which a source said was uploaded years ago, has been leaked from the woman's social media pages. It prompted a friend to ask 'what's happened with his face?' 'House of horrors': Police were called to the mother's home in Cabramatta after a commotion on Friday August 28 As the mother was refused bail at court on Wednesday for the brief of evidence to be served, it can be revealed questions have been raised about the boy before. A photo leaked to Daily Mail Australia from the woman's now-deleted social media pages shows the boy with several scratches or scabs on his head two years' ago. The picture prompted a friend to ask in Vietnamese 'what's happened with his face', but the mother did not publicly reply. It is not suggested that the marks were necessarily caused by abuse, neglect or wrongdoing. The boy was found at his mother's red brick rental about 9.50pm on Friday, August 28 in a critical condition. He was taken to hospital where he was placed on life support. It took five days for the boy to wake up at Westmead Children's Hospital, with loved ones crowing that it was a 'miracle' he was alive. 'I couldn't imagine how (the father) would be if he lost him, he means the absolute world to him,' one source said. Piles of water bottles, Red Bull and coconut drink were heaped together in the mother's yard Both the boy's mother (pictured, left) and her boyfriend (right) have been arrested and charged The boy, five, is seen with a toy earthmover prior to the horrendous alleged ordeal Police confirmed on Wednesday that the boy is still in the care of doctors, some twelve days after he was found. But he is in a stable condition, with the boy's father constantly by his side. The boy's father and mother have been estranged for some time, with both moving on with new partners in the past two years. 'I miss and love you so much', the father captioned a picture of his son on Facebook in 2018, after his relationship with the mother fizzled. Meanwhile, the boy's mother presented herself to friends as a doting parent who lavished her son with toys. She described the child as her 'prince' on Facebook and said she hoped he grew up to be 'obedient and smart.' 'You are all of my life,' she said. The mother did not apply for bail at Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday and it was formally refused. She will return to court in October. Her boyfriend has also been refused bail. Before COVID-19 reached Melbourne, if 82-year-old Raissa Outchitel wasn't busy attending a party, she was playing board games with her friends. But like most people in the city, her active social life ground to a halt. She has been reduced to Skype calls with her daughter and phone chats with other members of her Russian and Jewish seniors clubs. Delivery driver Scott Irwin with Raissa Outchitel. Credit:Jason South "Every month, we had three or four parties before coronavirus," the South Melbourne resident said. "[Now] I suffer because I can't go out to the street. I'm afraid of coronavirus because people my age die." But a pilot meals program run by Port Phillip Council to compensate for the closure of the municipality's 23 multicultural seniors clubs is helping Mrs Outchitel feel connected and cared for. AMSTERDAM, Sept 9 (Reuters) - South Korea is set to raise 700 million euros ($822.78 million)from its first bond denominated in euros in six years, according to a lead manager memo seen by Reuters. The five-year bond will price later on Wednesday at 35 basis points over the mid-swap level, according to the lead manager. It is the first time South Korea will raise debt in euros since 2014, data from Refinitiv IFR shows. South Korea is selling the euro bond together with a 10-year bond in U.S. dollars, Refinitiv capital markets news service IFR reported. BNP Paribas, BofA, Citi, JP Morgan, Mirae Asset Daewoo and Standard Chartered Bank are managing the sale, the lead manager memo said. ($1 = 0.8508 euros) (Reporting by Yoruk Bahceli, Editing by Lawrence White) Dr Ahmed el-Rabii spent years treating Palestinians wounded by Israeli fire during wars and clashes in the Gaza Strip. Now that the coronavirus has reached the blockaded territory, the physician finds himself in the unfamiliar role of patient. Dr el-Rabii is the first Gaza doctor diagnosed with Covid-19 and is among dozens of healthcare workers infected during the local outbreak, which was detected late last month. The spread among frontline workers has further strained an already overburdened healthcare system. Speaking from one of the two hospitals designated to treat coronavirus cases, Dr el-Rabii said the threat in many ways is more terrifying than war. During fighting "you only fear being hit by shrapnel by mistake," he said. "But with the virus, you constantly worry because you do not know how or from where it will hit you: from a patient, from your colleague, or by touching the elevator or any other surface." Since 2007, Gaza has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade meant to isolate Hamas, the Islamic militant group that seized control of the territory that year from the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority. The blockade is believed to have played a key role in slowing the arrival of the coronavirus. Few people can move in and out of the territory, and Hamas placed anyone returning to Gaza into mandatory quarantine centres for three weeks. Before last month, the handful of Gaza's coronavirus cases were confined to the isolation facilities. But on 24 August, the first cases were detected among the general population, and the numbers have multiplied since. Despite limited testing capacity, over 1,000 active cases have already been detected. Nine people have died. The outbreak has been especially hard for Gaza's medical workers. For more than a decade, they have been on the front lines treating injuries during conflicts with Israel. They have worked in an ailing health system gutted by the blockade and intra-Palestinian political feuding that left doctors, nurses and other medical workers with only partial salaries. Now, the virus is straining medical workers physically, mentally and financially. Ahmed Shatat, a Health Ministry official, said at least 68 medical workers have been infected. Experts have warned that a wider outbreak in Gaza, home to some 2 million Palestinians, could be catastrophic because of the fragile health sector. "Gaza's health system is woefully underequipped to cope with a large outbreak, with only enough intensive care beds and ventilators to cope with a few dozen serious cases," the International Committee of the Red Cross warned last week. Mr Shatat said there already was a shortage of medical workers even before the outbreak. To help alleviate a staffing crunch, the Health Ministry has shortened the mandatory quarantine times for doctors and nurses who may have been exposed to the virus, from three weeks to two weeks. But it is still struggling to sufficiently staff the quarantine centres and isolation hospitals. Hundreds of workers are in protective isolation due to possible exposure, and pregnant workers and those with underlying health issues are excluded. "Advanced health systems in the world could not sustain the outbreak, so how could our fragile, besieged, aid-dependent health system stand up to the crisis?" Mr Shatat said. After graduating from medical school in Egypt in 2008, Dr el-Rabii returned home to Gaza to grim prospects, and the only jobs available were in the Hamas-run administration. In 2010, he was offered a job, but the cash-strapped government could not afford to pay his full salary. "Mostly, we got 40 per cent of our salaries. This makes the doctor look for extra work at private clinics and hospitals," he said. Before he caught the virus, Dr el-Rabii used to work 24 hours in full personal protective equipment in the sweltering summer heat. He would go home for a two-day break and return to the hospital for another 24-hour shift. "It was exhausting," he recalled. "Now, with the coronavirus, everything has shut down, and work at private clinics has stopped so you are only left with the public job," he explained. Dr el-Rabii has worked at Gaza's main hospital, Shifa, for the last 10 years. After the coronavirus outbreak, he was assigned to a team treating people with respiratory disorders. A female patient tested positive for the coronavirus. Immediately, all doctors and nurses were tested, and Dr el-Rabii was found to be infected. "It was a shock, especially since we know little about the spread of the virus in Gaza," he said. At a newly opened hospital funded by the Turkish government, Dr el-Rabii spends most of his time confined in his room, reading the Quran, praying, and answering phone calls from friends and family members. Haitham Ibrahim, a laboratory specialist, has been doing nonstop tests for the past two weeks at the lab of Khan Younis hospital in the southern Gaza Strip, the second hospital where Covid-19 patients stay. He doesn't do coronavirus tests, but the lab technician does regular blood exams to monitor the status of infected patients. "I often fall asleep from extreme exhaustion," he said in a phone interview. "We take rests between shifts, but when you get off the heavy protective clothes you feel as if your body has melted." Mr Ibrahim says he sometimes believes the patients are in a better situation than the medical workers. "The patient comes for 20 days and he recovers, but we will stay under this pressure, unsure when the virus will hit you, indefinitely." Because of potential exposure during a two-week stint at work, Mr Ibrahim is now spending two weeks in a quarantine centre. When he returns home, he will have to remain in self-isolation for an additional 14 days before returning to the lab for another work cycle. The lengthy separation from his family meant that he missed his youngest daughter's first steps. "I have five children and when I call them, I evade their questions about when I will come back home," he said. Like most public workers, Mr Ibrahim has only been receiving 40 per cent of his base salary for years. This month, Hamas' government announced a 10 per cent pay increase - giving him an extra 100 shekels, or 23. "We hope our work will be rewarded after the crisis ends. Now it's time to focus on the work and overcome the pandemic," he said. AP Will Waldron/Times Union COLONIE - Cumberland Farms, which operates convenience stores across the Capital Region, is holding an in-store fundraising campaign for the nonprofit United Way. The fundraiser will run through Oct. 9. Customers will be asked at checkout to donate money to the local United Way to support "youth development and educational resources." Dry, hot weather combined with unusually strong gusting wind Monday night left firefighters scrambling to douse brush and structure fires across the Portland metro area. Meanwhile, new and growing wildfires prompted evacuations across the state. In Oregon City, a fire that began in an abandoned warehouse at Clackamas Cove spread to nearby brush and three more structures. A large apartment complex nearby was briefly evacuated as embers blew within reach. About 12 acres of brush were burned. Clackamas Fire District spokesman Capt. Brandon Paxton said the agency was also fighting several brush fires Monday night. If the dry heat and winds held up, he expected the busy night to continue well into Tuesday. Thats just a perfect recipe for increased fire spread, Paxton said. The take-home here is to use extreme caution and dont go out and burn material outside. Embers that flew as far as an eighth of a mile presented a major challenge for firefighters, Paxton said. Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue crews were already battling multiple brush fires Monday night before several major structure fires broke out. A house fire in the 29000 block of Northeast Wilsonville Road in Newberg sent embers into nearby vegetation, starting spot fires, and firefighters were working to stop the fire from spreading to other nearby structures. A barn also went up in flames at Southwest Stafford Road and Southwest Childs Road near Lake Oswego, and a house fire was extinguished in the 16000 block of Northwest Juniper Hills Court. Portland Fire & Rescue said it had extinguished to multiple small brush fires across the city. It also said its crews had responded to trees and that had toppled onto houses and branches that had fallen on pedestrians. Fire officials urged residents to say at home if possible. OREGON WILDFIRES GROW Heavy winds and dry weather pushed already burning and newly ignited wildfires easy, setting off a series of expanding evacuations Monday night and Tuesday morning. The rapidly growing Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires in eastern Marion County prompted an immediate evacuation order for the Breitenbush Hot Springs resort and the Devils Creek community and communities in the Santiam Canyon from Mehama east to Detroit and Idanha. The isolated fires are moving quickly toward more densely populated areas. An evacuation staging area has been established at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. The Two Four Two Fire burning on the Chiloquin Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forest on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. The fire was discovered earlier in the evening and jumped U.S. 97, quickly spreading to more than 1,000 acres.Fremont-Winema National Forest A fast-moving Klamath County wildfire discovered Monday night on the Chiloquin Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forest moved three miles over the course of the evening, spreading to more than 1,000 acres with no containment by midnight. The Two Four Two fire, as its now called, jumped U.S. 97 and is now burning on both sides, exhibiting extreme fire behavior, officials said. It prompted immediate evacuations for Collier State Park and people who live nearby. More nearby residents have been told to prepare for an evacuation. In Lane County, a fire burning along Oregon 126 prompted immediate evacuations from areas from Leaburg east to the McKenzie River Ranger Station, including all roads to the north and south of the highway. The evacuation point is Thurston High School for those in Blue River and west of Blue River. Evacuees east of Blue River should travel east toward Sisters, officials said. SALT LAKE CITY - A police department vowed Tuesday to co-operate with multiple investigations of the shooting of a 13-year-old autistic boy by officers in the Salt Lake City area. The Salt Lake City Police Department said the officers were called to a home in Glendale, Utah, Friday night with a report of a boy who had threatened people with a weapon. The boy reportedly ran and was shot by an officer after being pursued by police. The Salt Lake City Police Department said in the statement Tuesday that each time there is an shooting incident involving an officer, a protocol team made up of officers from multiple agencies with no ties to the Salt Lake City Police Department conducts an independent investigation. We are co-operating fully with the protocol team assigned to this case. The department added that the citys Civilian Review Board and our own Internal Affairs will also conduct parallel separate investigations. The boys mother, Golda Barton, told KUTV-TV that her son has autism and she had called police because he was having a breakdown and needed a crisis intervention team. Barton claimed she told police her son was unarmed and warned them that he did not know how to regulate his behaviour. A few minutes after two officers who had arrived went through the front door of the home, Barton said she heard an order to get on the ground and several gunshots. No weapon was found Friday, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The boy was recovering in the hospital and listed in serious condition. He had injuries to his shoulder, ankles, intestines and bladder, Barton said. Salt Lake Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a statement late Sunday that the shooting was a tragedy and called for a swift and transparent investigation. More details are expected to be released within 10 business days when police body camera footage is released, as required under a city ordinance. The estate of a man who was killed by police last summer will receive nearly $1 million in a wrongful death settlement from the City of Portland. Lane Christopher Martin was one day shy of 32 when he was shot nine times by Portland police on July 30, 2019. According to an autopsy report, Martin died after wounds perforated both his lungs and heart. Martin was struggling with addiction and mental health issues when he was killed by Officer Gary Doran of the Portland Police Bureau. A grand jury later found no criminal wrongdoing on the part of police in Martins death, but the City of Portland has agreed to pay his estate $975,000 in a settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit. The mayors office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. No amount of money can ever bring Lane back, said Jesse Merrithew, the lawyer for Martins family. However, Lanes family is hopeful that this settlement sends a message to the Portland Police Bureau that they must do better when dealing with people in crisis. Police responded to a report of a man causing a disturbance with a weapon in a Safeway parking lot along Northeast 122nd Avenue at 4:20 p.m. on July 30, 2019. A 911 caller said a man was attempting to break into a car. According to officials, a store security guard confronted the man and he displayed what witnesses described as an ax or hatchet. Officers first fired sponge-tipped munitions at the man, causing him to drop the weapon and flee. Police followed him through the Ash Street Courtyard Apartments at 12026 S.E. Ash St., where he was shot multiple times and died. Police said that Martin had a knife on him. According to police reports, one officer witness said Martin had a knife in his hand and walked one or two steps toward the officers. Tests showed 1.2 milligrams of methamphetamine and 0.12 milligrams of amphetamine in Martins blood when he died. His mother, Cristi Martin, was notified of his death the following day, on what would have been his 32nd birthday. I have a lot of respect for police, she told The Oregonian/OregonLive at the time. They put their lives on the line every day. I just dont understand why they felt that this was justified. ...Nothing can bring my son back.' According to Merrithew, Martins family is looking forward to moving past the focus on his death to focusing on his life and helping to create a lasting legacy of that life. A portion of the settlement proceeds will go to a scholarship fund in his name at the school where he loved and was loved so deeply, Merrithew added, the College of the Arts at Portland State University. -- Lizzy Acker 503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker (TNS) When Juliana Ximenes Coutinho Dias submitted her naturalization application last December, the possibility of finally becoming a U.S. citizen and getting to vote in the country she has called home for the past six years electrified the Brazil native.But then the coronavirus pandemic hit. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which adjudicates immigration benefits and visas, shut down its field offices. It also postponed naturalization interviews and ceremonies, adding to a backlog worsened by budget woes and threatening to prevent hundreds of thousands of would-be citizens from registering in time to vote this November.Today, Dias, whose original citizenship interview was scheduled for last April, sees her prospects for casting a ballot this fall slipping away. A series of indefinite delays has left her in status in limbo and soured her excitement. Im feeling very hopeless and frustrated, said the 30-year-old paralegal, who now lives in Chicago.USCIS has not disclosed how far behind it is in naturalizations. The agency completed 156,849 naturalizations from March 18 to Aug. 23, according to publicly available government data. That figure includes the 110,000 people whose oath ceremonies were postponed because of the pandemic, said USCIS spokesman Dan Hetlage.Our top priority has been to resume naturalization ceremonies for those whose ceremonies were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.Hetlage said the agency is on pace to naturalize approximately 600,000 new citizens by the end of the current fiscal year, which runs through September. But thats nearly 30 percent lower than the previous year when 834,000 new citizens were sworn in, the highest number in 11 years, according to USCIS.And the naturalization backlog could get worse, warned a top administrator for the Homeland Security Department agency.Last month, the predominantly fee-funded agency called off plans to furlough roughly two-thirds of its 20,000 employees, saying a recent uptick in revenue and aggressive cost-cutting measures provided enough money to maintain operations through the end of the current fiscal year.Joseph Edlow, the agencys deputy director for policy, warned that averting this furlough comes at a severe operational cost that will increase backlogs and wait times across the board, with no guarantee we can avoid future furloughs.In mid-March, USCIS suspended its in-person services at its field offices amid the coronavirus pandemic. When it began reopening them on June 4, the agency resumed processing citizenship applications, including conducting as many interviews as we can in a manner that is safe for our staff and for the public, Hetlage said.It also restarted in-person swearing-in ceremonies, although at a slower pace and at a much smaller scale in order to accommodate social distancing protocols. Some advocacy groups and immigration experts called on USCIS to conduct virtual ceremonies to help expedite the process, but the agency said administering citizenship oaths virtually would present logistical challenges.At this point, theres no question that USCIS is going to effectively disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of people this election year, said Doug Rand, co-founder of the organization Boundless Immigration and a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists. Its going to massively disrupt peoples lives.Naturalizations tend to spike in an election year and drop right after. Before the pandemic, the National Partnership of New Americans, a coalition of state, federal and local organizations that help new citizens register to vote, estimated that 860,000 people were scheduled to become U.S. citizens by the end of the year.More than 23 million U.S. citizens who were born abroad could be part of the overall electorate this fall, according to a Pew Research Center analysis released earlier this year. Thats about 1 in 10 Americans, a record high. In fact, the number of new citizens since the last election alone exceeds Trumps margin of victory in Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Michigan combined, and has made up substantial portions of the growth in each states eligible voters since 2016.The National Partnership of New Americans hasnt updated its new citizens estimates amid the pandemic, but deferred to figures by Rands organization, Boundless Immigration, a technology company that helps immigrants obtain green cards and citizenship.According to government data analyzed by Boundless, the organization estimates USCIS has interviewed 91,000 out of 381,000 naturalization applicants who could have become citizens in time to cast a November ballot. The organization said that, because of a typical two-month lag between the naturalization interview and citizenship oath, the remaining 290,000 immigrants who werent interviewed by the end of August have little chance of becoming citizens in time to meet the October voter registration deadlines in most states.USCIS pushed back on the Boundless analysis of how many interviews it had conducted, calling it inaccurate but did not elaborate or provide differing figures.We have prioritized rescheduling interviews for naturalization and adjustment of status that were postponed, said agency spokesman Joe Sowers, reiterating the agency is trying to conduct as many interviews as safely as possible.The agency also did not answer why Dias and other citizen-hopefuls have yet to hear back on new appointment dates for their naturalization interviews or tests.Reeti Ghosh, an immigrant from India, started her naturalization process more than a year ago. She looked forward to finally voting, which she viewed as an opportunity to speak up about the racial injustice she witnessed in the country and even discriminatory behavior she felt locally, in her New Jersey community.She was scheduled to take her civics test in April, but the pandemic cancelled the appointment. Despite repeated attempts by her attorney to reschedule, she has yet to hear back from USCIS with a new date.I really feel frustrated and honestly I cant wait for this process to be done and over with, she said. Its just the uncertainty. It is like a time bomb ticking. Youre just really waiting for things to happen and just waiting there for no real reason. Balukh was assaulted in Kyiv overnight Tuesday, September 8. Co-chairman of the European Solidarity parliamentary faction, Member of Parliament Iryna Gerashchenko has said former Russian political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh is in serious condition after recent assault, he remains on a ventilator in an intensive care unit in Kyiv hospital. "[Information] from doctors of emergency care hospital where Balukh is being treated: 'The patient's condition is stably severe. He is on a ventilator.' Unfortunately, the information is disappointing for now," she wrote on Facebook on September 9. Read also Ex-political prisoner Balukh attacked in Kyiv Sentsov Assault on Balukh: background Former Russian political prisoner Oleh Sentsov said Volodymyr Balukh had been assaulted in Kyiv overnight Tuesday, September 8. Meanwhile, September 7 marked a year since his successful return to Ukraine after he was released from a Russian prison. Sentsov said Balukh was found in the morning, with his arm and collarbone fractured. Balukh underwent surgery, having suffered a severe head injury. He has since remained in grave but stable condition. Who is Volodymyr Balukh Policy-making is considered as a problem of prediction and planning process which pictures the directions of government in solving peculiar challenges that confront the people. In times of national distress, mitigative measures must be broadened and mass inclusive considering the causal effects. Indeed the effects of the global health pandemic COVID-19 on our dear colleague students can not be overemphasized, the realities of the difficulties the COVID had brought to our colleague students is clear enough for our leaders to propose and implement solutions that can alleviate the uncomfortable consequences, Interestingly, the whole world is suffering from the same situation and so if countries are taking mitigative measures to support their students, Ghana should not be left out,the external validity can be seen in how every economy is working hard to provide some stimulus packages for SMEs and other interest groups. Few weeks into the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent closure of our schools, we made a clarion call on the vice chancellor of the university of Ghana and extended the same call to all the universities to consider a refund/fees rebate for students in the ensuing academic year. We were clear in our petition that our colleague students were going to be hugely affected by the pandemic and hence the need to include them in our alleviation packages. Most parents lost their jobs and can not afford a daily meal as they used to before the outbreak of the COVID, talk less of affording the expensive school fees for their wards upon resumption of schools, and so just as universities in countries like Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Russia etc are taking some appreciable school fees cut off for the 2020/2021 academic year, Ghana should be able to do same and perhaps more. Just like other interested groups who called us for briefing on our position regarding the issue, the NDC equally made that call and we are happy that our request has found grace in the manifesto document of the party as captured on page 74 document reference number 7.2.6 C, that document which is a social contract binding the future NDC government and the people of Ghana has expectedly addressed the desire to absorb 50% school fees for all tertiary institutions in Ghana and this is a huge victory to every Ghanaian tertiary student. As the lead advocates for this policy proposition, we want to thank the NDC party for demonstrating good sense in keeping the students in their action plans for the administrative circle in the fourth republic. One would have thought that the ruling party took this bold and significant decision, especially when much resources are allocated to the government both within and outside the country to provide packages such as this to all citizens affected by this global health pandemic. Nevertheless, we take solace in the fact that governance is about priority setting and showing concerns to the very people in whom resides the will, power and aspirations to live in an inclusive society. In furtherance,, we wish to invite the National Democratic Party to come clear on some modalities regarding the policy decision to absorb 50% school fees in the next academic year, we do not doubt the implementability of the policy because we have no reason to do so, but we believe that there are some basic clarifications when made could give every Ghanaian tertiary student a sense of this policy direction. Below are some of the clarifications needed: Tertiary institutions are likely to reopen before 7th December which is the election year, if that is true, how do we benefit from that policy in time since students would have paid for their fees? Here time is of the essence. Considering the payment schedules of most tertiary institutions where some operate with 50-50, 60-40 etc payment plan, how are we going to reconcile the differences in respective institutions so as not to create any unnecessary inconveniences for the smooth academic and administrative year Does the absorption of 50% fees include that of residential and academic user fees? These and other relevant clarifications we think are necessary in fleshing out this policy proposition. We are looking forward to having further policy conversation with the leadership of the party in order to establish absolute understanding of this all important and monumental decision. Thank you. We say God bless you. Signed: Samuel Danquah Amaning University of Ghana student (Phone: +233557354505) Sampson Tagbor University of Ghana student (Phone: +233543692766) 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 BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Malaysian PETRONAS has contributed 10,000 manat ($5,882) to the Coronavirus Response Fund, Ambassador of Malaysia to Azerbaijan Dato Yubazlan Yusof told Trend. In Azerbaijan, PETRONAS as one of the co-ventures in the Shah Deniz Consortium has continuously supported the Operator to carry out all necessary measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the operations in Shah Deniz to ensure it is continue to run safely and efficiently across the value chain, added the ambassador. The ambassador added, that PETRONAS is working closely with the relevant authorities on the necessary requirements during this COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to exercise strict compliance to the Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) standards and best practices. Overall, talking about the PERONAS operation in Azerbaijan, the ambassador added that PETRONAS is actively involved in Azerbaijans oil and gas industry. The company has acquired 15.5 percent stake in the Shah Deniz II production sharing agreement operated by a consortium of companies, 15.5 percent share in the South Caucasus Pipeline Company (SCPC), 15.5 percent share in the SCPC holding company, and 12.4 percent share in the Azerbaijan Gas Supply Company (AGSC). Total expenditure by PETRONAS in Azerbaijan thus far is estimated at $5 billion, he added. As a stakeholder, PETRONAS role is to manage its stakes while working together with the other concessionaires to ensure the success of the project. We are excited and looking forward for the completion of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) which is in the final stage of completion, expected to be ready this year, highlighted the ambassador. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Music fans may have been confused to see S Club 7 trending on Tuesday (8 September), particularly following the reunion news regarding fellow Nineties pop stars, Steps. While some may have hoped that the members of S Club 7 were following suit, the trend was actually linked to the latest Covid-19 update. Following the new government announcement that no more than six people will be permitted to gather in households, everyone began making the same joke. Bad news for S Club 7, tweeted journalist Matt Chorley. Youve got to feel for S Club 7, another commented. One person said S Club 7 were f***ed but the boyband 5ive would be OK, while another suggested that tensions would be rife within the S Club 7 Whatsapp group. S Club 7 were formed in 1998 by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, and rose to fame via the BBC series, Miami 7. They enjoyed a string of hit singles in their five years together as a band, before splitting in 2003. They took part in a one-off reunion tour in 2015. Read about the Steps reunion here, and remember to practise social distancing. Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. (NYSE:XIN) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 14th of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 28th of September. Xinyuan Real Estate's next dividend payment will be US$0.022 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.10 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Xinyuan Real Estate stock has a trailing yield of around 4.9% on the current share price of $2.04. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing. View our latest analysis for Xinyuan Real Estate If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Xinyuan Real Estate paid a dividend last year despite being unprofitable. This might be a one-off event, but it's not a sustainable state of affairs in the long run. Given that the company reported a loss last year, we now need to see if it generated enough free cash flow to fund the dividend. If Xinyuan Real Estate didn't generate enough cash to pay the dividend, then it must have either paid from cash in the bank or by borrowing money, neither of which is sustainable in the long term. What's good is that dividends were well covered by free cash flow, with the company paying out 7.4% of its cash flow last year. Click here to see how much of its profit Xinyuan Real Estate paid out over the last 12 months. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Xinyuan Real Estate reported a loss last year, and the general trend suggests its earnings have also been declining in recent years, making us wonder if the dividend is at risk. Story continues Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Xinyuan Real Estate's dividend payments are broadly unchanged compared to where they were nine years ago. When earnings are declining yet the dividends are flat, typically the company is either paying out a higher portion of its earnings, or paying out of cash or debt on the balance sheet, neither of which is ideal. We update our analysis on Xinyuan Real Estate every 24 hours, so you can always get the latest insights on its financial health, here. The Bottom Line Has Xinyuan Real Estate got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? It's hard to get used to Xinyuan Real Estate paying a dividend despite reporting a loss over the past year. At least the dividend was covered by free cash flow, however. Bottom line: Xinyuan Real Estate has some unfortunate characteristics that we think could lead to sub-optimal outcomes for dividend investors. So if you're still interested in Xinyuan Real Estate despite it's poor dividend qualities, you should be well informed on some of the risks facing this stock. To help with this, we've discovered 5 warning signs for Xinyuan Real Estate (2 shouldn't be ignored!) that you ought to be aware of before buying the shares. If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. BRUSSELS : The European Commission said on Wednesday it had entered final stage talks with BioNTech-Pfizer to purchase up to 300 million doses of a potential vaccine against COVID-19. This is the sixth potential vaccine for which the European Union executive has struck or plans to strike an advance purchase agreement. The envisaged contract with Germany's BioNTech and U.S.-based Pfizer would lead to an initial purchase of 200 million doses, with an option to buy a further 100 million, the Commission said after the conclusion of exploratory talks. All EU members would have the possibility to buy the vaccine and could donate to poorer nations or redirect to other European countries. EU supply would be produced by BioNTech's sites in Germany and Pfizer's manufacturing site in Belgium, with deliveries starting by the end of the year, the companies said in a statement. They added they were on track to seek regulatory review of their potential vaccine in October and, subject to approval, plan to supply up to 100 million doses worldwide by the end of 2020 and about 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. The proposed agreement with the European Commission would be the largest initial order of doses for Pfizer and BioNTech to date, they said. The companies are developing a new variety of vaccine based on messenger RNA (mRNA), which makes the human body create viral proteins, prompting the immune system to produce a defensive response. The Commission reached a first agreement last month with AstraZeneca for at least 300 million doses of its potential vaccine, mirroring moves by the United States and other wealthy states to secure stock of effective COVID-19 vaccines. It has also concluded exploratory talks with Sanofi-GSK , Johnson & Johnson, CureVac and Moderna to buy upfront their potential COVID-19 vaccines and is in discussions with other manufacturers. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! I'm a big believer in remorse, repentance, and redemption. This means that people who are genuinely contrite and who have paid for whatever wrongdoing they did can be forgiven. The left, which always likes shortcuts for those it characterizes as oppressed, prefers instantly to forgive these downtrodden anti-heroes, no matter how heinous their conduct, without expecting anything from them. That attitude may explain why Chicago's Cook County prosecutors gave a pass to Steven Davis in 2019, when he was charged with murder. It was a surprise only to leftists that Davis later murdered another person in cold blood this July, a story that's now getting reported. The report illustrates perfectly the wisdom behind Dennis Prager having said over the years, "If you are kind to the cruel, you will be cruel to the kind." The Chicago Sun-Times tells the tragic tale of the pointless death of Be-Rasheet Mitchell, 21, an up-and-coming architect who wanted to make the world a better place: Cook County prosecutors allege 18-year-old Steven Davis fatally shot Be'Rasheet Mitchell, 21, in the 200 block of East 107th Street on July 16. Authorities say Mitchell was trying to defend his sister Davis' girlfriend during a domestic incident when the shooting happened. Mitchell, who was pursuing a master's degree in architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was shot once in the abdomen and died the next day at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. On his LinkedIn profile, he said his "passion in life" was "to invest my skills back into the community in order to improve quality of life for people struggling in my community as well as others like it." Chicago police detectives arrested Davis in Galesburg about two weeks after Mitchell was killed. Davis was charged with murder and is being held without bail in the Cook County Jail. Davis was charged with murder in another high-profile case in the northern suburbs last year, but those charges were reduced. Mitchell's father fully understood how a weak government, unwilling to take a stand, betrayed his son: "It shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened," Mitchell's father, Manuel Mitchell, told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Now I just hope that he gets what he deserves. Knowing his past record and this, it just seems like people seem to slip through the holes in some cases like this, and I don't want to see that happen. "He needs to spend the rest of his days in jail, thinking about what he did." It's an unbearably tragic story. I think that the appropriate way to end it is with a reminder from Dennis Prager about why the death penalty is a way to respect, not demean, human life: Prager is not arguing for the casual death penalties imposed in North Korea, China, Iran, and other totalitarian countries. In despotic countries, murder is handed out for offending the state, having sex with the wrong person, or multiple other statist crimes that do not involve taking a life. Moreover, none of those countries has the due process protections America has. Without knowing the details of either murder in which Davis was involved, I'm not arguing here for the death penalty. I'm saying only that the initial decision to be kind to Davis, a person who proved to be a cruel psychopath, ended up being a heartbreaking bit of cruelty to a young man who seemed kind and full of promise. Police are looking for aggressive drivers in Kentucky over the next few weeks. Kentucky State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division launched the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks Campaign on Sept. 2. Officers will target drivers of passenger and commercial vehicles who exhibit dangerous behaviors such as improper lanes changes, following too closely and speeding, the agency said in a statement. Aggressive driving is any willful action by a driver that places another person in danger without regard to safety, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division Director Major Nathan Day said. The best defense against an aggressive driver is a seat belt and patience, he said. To avoid being an aggressive driver, police suggest leaving early for a destination, not tailgating and leaving extra space when passing. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Personal Auto Law Enforcement Kentucky Wildfire smoke aloft in the atmosphere hovered over the greater San Francisco Bay Area Wednesday, blocking sunlight and turning the sky a dark, orange-shaded hue. When will the smoke disperse and the orange fade? It's difficult to predict the movement of smoke as the slightest shift in wind can suddenly move it from one place to another, but National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Garcia said the thick, sooty air will likely lighten overnight when winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere change direction. "We will see the winds shift, instead of pulling the smoke in from the north toward the south, well start to see the wind pushing from the south to the north," said Garcia. Thats only in certain layers of the atmosphere. This will help thin the concentration, but we will still see smoke lingering around in different layers in the atmosphere." In the meantime, winds could weaken through the afternoon and gravity take over as the primary vertical transport of the smoke, allowing the soot to descend closer to the surface through the day. This could lead to darker skies and worsening air quality on and off through the day, according to the NWS. RELATED: Why your phone camera can't capture Northern California's orange sky Garcia said he has never seen anything like the dystopian skies over the greater Bay Area on Wednesday. "This is not a common sight because this takes very specific conditions in order for this to happen," explained Garcia, who works at the NWS Bay Area office in Monterey. "Obviously, you need fires that have ample smoke production. Then you need wind to bring that smoke in over the Bay Area." Strong northerly winds are injecting smoke from wildfires in Northern California into the upper levels of the atmosphere and pushing it south to the Bay Area. "The wind at those higher levels have been just the right strength and in the perfect direction to push the smoke over the Bay Area," he explained. "The winds are even weakening a little over the Bay Area and we're just seeing the smoke set up shop here. Its not moving out of the Bay Area as fast as its coming in. Those concentrations in those mid- to upper-levels are becoming more dense with smoke concentrations. What that gives us is a day like were seeing today." It's difficult to track exactly where the smoke is coming from, but Garcia said the August Complex in Mendocino County and the North Complex east of Chico are generating copious amounts of smoke. Fires are also burning across Oregon. Gov. Kate Brown declared a statewide emergency Tuesday as conflagrations grew rapidly in Marion, Lane, Jackson, Coos, Lincoln, Washington and Clackamas counties. With the current wind pattern, smoke from Oregon is being swept over the Pacific Ocean, with some of it blowing back into Northern California but most of it landing in Southern California. With a southerly wind blowing in the higher levels of the atmosphere, Garcia suspects the smoke will be lighter on Thursday, but this depends on the activity of the many fires burning around the West. "There are also fires in Southern California and smoke could come up from them," he said. "There's also the Dolan Fire on the Big Sur Coast and the Creek Fire near Yosemite. If we get the winds set up in the right orientation again and those fires are producing ample amounts of smoke, we could see smoke from other areas transit into the Bay Area." Smoke is expected to be in the forecast through Saturday, and Sunday offers a possibility for a return to more normal conditions, depending on wildfire activity. "Were not in the clear and probably not until late in the weekend," said Garcia. "It looks like we should get an overall pattern shift in winds going from west to east. Those are westerly winds. Its not the ocean sea breeze, but the jet stream setting up." Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. US President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Norwegian far-Right politician Christian Tybring-Gjedde made the nomination following a historic peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. The leader also praised Mr Trump for resolving other protracted conflicts worldwide and said he has made "tremendous efforts" in brokering peace. President Trump Meets With Israeli PM Netanyahu At The White House For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees, Mr Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News. In his nomination letter to the Nobel Committee, MrTybring-Gjedde said that the Trump administration played a significant role in the establishment of relations between Israel and the UAE. As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a game changer that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity." Under the terms of the agreement, which was overseen by Mr Trump, the UAE will sign a series of trade deals and normalise relations with Israel, who in return must suspend its controversial plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Mr Tybring-Gjedde also discussed Mr Trumps role in creating new dynamics in other world conflicts, including facilitating contact between North and South Korea. The Norwegian politician told Fox News that he was "not a big Trump supporter", but that other leaders should follow his lead in reserving their judgment. "The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the facts not on the way he behaves sometimes, he said. "The people who have received the Peace Prize in recent years have done much less than Donald Trump. For example, Barack Obama did nothing. Three other US presidents have won the peace prize, including Barack Obama, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Theodore Roosevelt. Mr Trump was previously nominated for the prize in 2018 following his efforts to solve North Korean nuclear tensions. The Senate unanimously passed a bill Sept. 9 that requires public schools to hold a moment of silence to honor both Sept. 11 and Pearl Harbor day. It is imperative that we honor, commemorate and remember what happened, Bill Sponsor Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin County, said. The bill faced little opposition and is slated to go to the house. The bill, Senate Bill 896, would require all public schools to hold a moment of silence at some point during the school day to remember the Sept 11 attacks starting this school year. A requirement for a moment of silence for the anniversary of Pearl Harbor would go into effect the following school year in 2021. It also tasks the state Department of Education to develop voluntary in-service training programs and curriculum related to this moment of silence observance for schools. That curriculum would include the historical context of terrorism, the Sept. 11 attacks, the American response and the global challenges and changes that followed. The bill initially pushed for schools to have a moment of silence in remembrance for Sept. 11, but was expanded to include Pearl Harbor on Sept. 8. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-09 17:57:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GABORONE, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior Botswana official has expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of the Botswana government to China for its anti-pandemic assistance. Kabo Morwaeng, Botswana's minister for presidential affairs, governance and public administration, when hosting the Chinese Ambassador to Botswana Zhao Yanbo, who paid him a courtesy call at his office in Gaborone earlier this month, said during the COVID-19 pandemic, China was the first country to extend a helping hand to Botswana with batches of medical supplies, which has met the latter's urgent need. Since Botswana reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case at the end of March, the southern African country has successively received several batches of anti-epidemic materials from the Chinese government and the private sector, including masks, protective clothing, gloves, infrared thermometers, testing kits, and medical equipment. These materials have played an important role in the prevention and control of the virus in the country. "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China has supported Botswana's economic and social development in various ways," said Morwaeng, adding that China has taken good care of Botswana citizens and students in China, which reflects the close partnership between the two countries. Morwaeng further assured China of the Botswana government's commitment to strengthening and maintaining the sound relations for many more decades to come. "Botswana is willing to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China and learn China's experience in rapid development so as to achieve common prosperity of both countries," he said. Zhao briefed Morwaeng on China's anti-pandemic cooperation with the international community and assistance to Botswana in fighting against COVID-19. "As a major global public health crisis, the pandemic has had a huge impact on all countries, including China and Botswana. China thanks Botswana for its support in the early stage of the outbreak, and will continue to strengthen practical cooperation with Botswana in the areas of public health, infrastructure, tourism, agriculture, and digital economy to help Botswana overcome the negative impact of the pandemic and achieve economic recovery as soon as possible." Zhao said. Enditem UWs Big Event Program Canceled This Fall The Big Event at the University of Wyoming has been canceled, according to the Service, Leadership and Community Engagement (SLCE) office. The annual program was originally scheduled Saturday, Oct. 10. Through service-oriented activities, The Big Event promotes campus and community unity. UW students come together for one day to express their gratitude for the support from the surrounding community. Preparation for The Big Event begins months ahead of time, says Erin Olsen Pueblitz, associate director of UWs Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. Dozens of staff and student volunteers are involved, in addition to the hundreds of volunteers and community members who take part in SLCEs volunteer project. Unfortunately, it is not responsible to host this event in the current COVID-19 environment, Olsen Pueblitz says. We are deeply disappointed; however, the health and safety of our students and greater Laramie community are at the core of our mission and decision. We look forward to offering this event in the future. Community members who earlier submitted job requests for UW volunteers will receive individual communication detailing the cancellation of The Big Event. For more information, call the SLCE office at (307) 766-3117 or email slce@uwyo.edu. Phone communication may be delayed during the campus pause, which was initiated Sept. 2. AARHUS, Denmark, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LMS365 has added new capabilities to its learning platform to improve navigation, accessibility and security. These latest enhancements build on the company's commitment to providing customers with a seamless training experience through Microsoft Teams and Office 365, the company announced today. Click to Tweet: New @lms365 Features Transform On-Demand Learning through Microsoft 365 and Teams: https://tinyurl.com/y47gzybn #digitallearning #LMS The shift to remote work, coupled with digital transformation, has increased demand for a more skilled workforce. Global Workplace Analytics estimates that by 2021, 25-30% of the total workforce will be working from home. To support these changes, organizations require a modern classroom experience that makes learning intuitive and provides employees necessary training quickly and easily. LMS365 has enhanced its platform to meet these needs, with an improved course plan overview, updated navigation capabilities and added privacy and security controls. More information is available here. The new and improved LMS365 cloud-based learning management service includes: Re-designed personal training dashboard: Optimized to seamlessly match the Microsoft Teams user interface. The updated dashboard provides a clear and easy overview of each individual learner's required coursework, making it easier for learners to complete training benchmarks. Optimized to seamlessly match the Microsoft Teams user interface. The updated dashboard provides a clear and easy overview of each individual learner's required coursework, making it easier for learners to complete training benchmarks. New privacy configurations: Options to disable access to learner details for line managers and course administrators provides organizations with better means to control the privacy of personal information for compliance requirements. Options to disable access to learner details for line managers and course administrators provides organizations with better means to control the privacy of personal information for compliance requirements. Improved accessibility : Learners can now easily enroll in training from the Course and Training Plan homepage, using a screen reader or a keyboard. : Learners can now easily enroll in training from the Course and Training Plan homepage, using a screen reader or a keyboard. Microsoft Exchange integration option: Supports OAuth and two-factor authentication for enhanced security. Supports OAuth and two-factor authentication for enhanced security. Improved administrative interface: Upgrades to the admin user interface and API key management provide better ease of use and navigation. Upgrades to the admin user interface and API key management provide better ease of use and navigation. Ability to pin training or course catalog tab in Teams channels: Team members can easily pin a training or course catalog tab within their project channel to direct the team's attention to relevant content. Flemming Goldbach, vice president of product, LMS365, said: "On-demand learning is crucial for today's businesses, especially as the need for a more skilled workforce grows. Organizations require digital learning experiences that make it easy for learners in the modern workplace to access the training they need and to ensure participation. Our full-scale learning platform delivers seamless functionality and high ease of use for both administrators and learners. LMS365 continues to innovate with new enhancements to meet the needs of businesses and the workforce today." About LMS365: LMS365 has 700+ enterprise and public customers with over 4 million users. 50+ trusted partners have implemented the solution in more than 40 countries, with customers in all sectors, and deployments ranging from a few hundred employees to 50,000+ employees. LMS365, a Microsoft Preferred Solution, is one of the fastest-growing cloud-based Learning Management Solutions in the market today. LMS365 provides a modern, integrated, and familiar learning experience as learning is now made possible within Microsoft Teams, Mobile and SharePoint Online. LMS365 is fast to install, highly configurable, easy to use and fully integrated with the rest of your digital workplace, including Office 365, SharePoint & Teams. Website: LMS365.com PR Contacts: Shyna Deepak Nadel Phelan, Inc. 831-440-2408 [email protected] SOURCE LMS365 MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Flex Logix Technologies, Inc., a leading supplier of embedded FPGA (eFPGA) and AI Inference IP, chips, boards and software, today announced that it has appointed industry-veteran Kushagra Vaid as an independent member to its Board of Directors. "Kushagra is extremely well known and regarded in systems and semiconductors circles," said Geoff Tate, co-founder and CEO of Flex Logix. "His strong cloud infrastructure and systems background, coupled with his earlier semiconductor experience, brings a wealth of expertise to our board to further strengthen our systems solutions and focus." About Kushagra Vaid Kushagra Vaid is GM, Microsoft Azure Cloud Hardware, and is responsible for the architecture and design for cloud hardware infrastructure hosting Azure's global scale services. Kushagra has been instrumental in driving Microsoft's success as a leading hyperscale public cloud operator and is a recognized industry leader on infrastructure innovation. In this role, Kushagra also works closely with industry executives, VC firms and startups to shape the future of cloud infrastructure and is an influential change agent driving innovative disruption for new technologies and business models. Kushagra is a Board Member of the Open Compute Project (OCP) Foundation, an advisory board member to the Computer Science Department at SUNY Binghamton, a strategic advisor to the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), and an advisor to several infrastructure startups. He is a sought-after keynote speaker at top-tier conferences and industry events. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2007, Kushagra was a Principal Engineer at Intel where his responsibilities included technology strategy, architecture and design for Intel's Enterprise and Cloud CPU/Platforms. He has published over 25+ research papers in international conferences, and is also the holder of 30+ patents in computer architecture and systems design. Kushagra holds a M.S. in Computer Science (SUNY Binghamton) and B.E. in Computer Engineering (VJTI Mumbai). "Flex Logix has a strong team and a highly differentiated offering in both in edge inference and eFPGA," said Vaid. "I am looking forward to working with the company's Board and executives to continue establishing Flex Logix as an industry leader." About Flex Logix Flex Logix provides solutions for accelerating neural network inferencing and making chips flexible. Flex Logix's InferX X1 delivers more edge inferencing throughput from less silicon/cost and is programmed with TensorFlow Lite or ONNX. Its eFPGA platform enables chips to be flexible to handle changing protocols, standards, algorithms, and customer needs and to implement reconfigurable accelerators that speed key workloads 30-100x compared to processors. Flex Logix is headquartered in Mountain View, California. PRESS CONTACT: Kelly Karr Tanis Communications, Inc. [email protected] +408-718-9350 SOURCE Flex Logix Technologies, Inc. Shattering its own record, Delhi on Wednesday recorded highest ever Covid-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, pushing the cumulative tally past the two lakh mark, sparking fears of second wave in the national capital. The number of Covid-19 tests conducted in a single day also rose to a new record high with 54,517 tests conducted in the last 24 hours. Delhi had last witnessed highest cases within a span of 24 hours in June 23 after 3,947 new infections were registered. Over the past week, Delhi has recorded more than 2,800 new cases every day on an average. Also read | Covid-19: What you need to know today Cases in Delhi rose rapidly through May and June but started dropping by the end of June after hitting an initial peak. After a steady drop in cases for around three weeks (seven-day average of daily cases dropped to 983 by August 4), cases again started rising alarmingly from mid-August. As of Wednesday, there are 2,01,174 cases in the city. With the increase in tests, the average positivity rate has also started declining. Around 7.41 per cent of tests came back positive on Wednesday. The number, which had dropped from a peak of 31.4 per cent in mid-June to 5.7 per cent at the end of July, was 8.4 per cent in the past week. Overall, 10.57 per cent of all tests done in Delhi have come back positive. With 11,101 RT-PCR tests, Delhi also set a record for the highest number of single-day RT-PCR tests, according to Wednesdays health bulletin. Previously, this record was set on Tuesday (September 8), when Delhi conducted 9,944 such tests. Also read: Where is Covid-19 most active in the country? According to Wednesdays bulletin, 20 people died of the coronavirus disease taking the total death toll in Delhi to 4,638. The citys case fatality rate now is 2.31 per cent. As many as 1,72,763 people have recovered from Covid-19 in Delhi till now, of which 2,623 recovered in the last 24 hours. The number of containment zones also is now at a record high with 1,226 localities, buildings, lanes under lockdown in the city. On Tuesday, there were 1,166 containment zones in Delhi. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has a difficult battle on his hands. No, no, not with a movie motormouth with a penchant for making foolish comparisons about the urbs prime in Indis, where she found fame and fortune, and an enemy-administered territory she has not ever seen. Uddhav is wrestling with the COVID-19 crisis which his government is struggling to control. Each time there appears to be some progress in flattening the curve of coronavirus cases in Mumbai and Maharashtra, it appears a false dawn with numbers rising alarmingly a few days later. Uddhav and the Shiv Sena's time, we think, is better spent combating coronavirus than taking on an actor who seems to find fresh ways to stay in the news each day. Uttam Ghosh offers his take on the Sena versus Ranaut spat. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com